BGS LOVE IT OR HATE IT LIST
Let's talk about the films and tv series that we've never blogged or talked about. This is our way of giving them an honorable mention along with a quick rating. If you disagree with our quick assessments we'd love to hear from you in the comments below.
5-JI KARA 9-JI MADE
SOMETHING ELSE: Enjoyable. SONG RAE: Never saw it
SE: This should be called 3 Suitors/1 American Vista. Chick has BEEN trying to leave Japan for NYC and things keep blocking her, including a horny, millionaire monk. He takes so many cold showers that he has his own waterfall, okay?! Is it typical Jdrama fare? Definitely, and that's why I love it more than I hated it. The dialogue is quick and overly exaggerated, the ML is stoic but earnest, the FL is clumsy, and of course it has the MIL who hates her guts. The English language is often used for comic relief. Warning: If you are a die hard Feminist, this one might frustrate you, because some of the men are problematic! It's not even a top 10, but it's a decent way to waste a Sunday afternoon.
ENCOUNTER
SOMETHING ELSE: Loved it! SONG RAE: It was beautifully filmed
SE: I enjoyed this series so much! It flipped the male/female dynamic and made the female lead socially dominate. The settings were lovely, the casting was perfect. The humor was just right. If you haven't watched it you are missing out.
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SONG RAE: I thought the show was fine. It was slow and didn't do what I was fully expecting but when I tell you the cinematography was GORGEOUS! They did a fabulous job of showing the beauty of Spain.
IT'S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY
SOMETHING ELSE: Loved it! SONG RAE: Loved it!
SE: It was an unexpected obsession. Definitely, a fairy tale turned on its ear.
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SR: Loved the strong female lead and the way the traumas were resolved. Unsung hero: Moon Sang Tae played by Oh Jung Se - He's a master actor and I look forward to projects he is in because I know the level that will be represented.
KAKAFUKAKA
SOMETHING ELSE: WTF?! SONG RAE: Will pick it up one day
SE: I'm going to be very honest with you. This was some freak $#%#!!! Not straight up porn, but it definitely left the Viki viewers incredulous and laughing. It's typical for Japanese romantic comedies so...watch at your own risk!! Ha!
MY LOVELY SAMSOON
SOMETHING ELSE: Loved it! SONG RAE: It was alright
SE: It's one of my favorite dramas. Although an older show, it's still relatable and fun to watch.
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SR: Interesting tale but not quite the style I was looking for at the time. It didn't leave a lasting effect.
NIGERU WA HAJI DA GA YAKU NI TATSU
SOMETHING ELSE: Loved it! SONG RAE: Meh!
SE: I love the arranged marriage trope that is the basis of this rom-com. It's a bit old fashioned, but I didn't mind. The characters are over-the-top, and there's even a dance number at the end of each episode. It did so well that it got a special after the series ended.
SR: The live-in-to-married trope doesn't work well as a way to make a couple for me. Plus, ole boy was WAY too scary about how he felt and expressing it as need be.
THE RATIONAL LIFE
SOMETHING ELSE: Loved it! SONG RAE: Started didn't finish
SE: Although the younger man/older woman isn't my favorite couple combination, I did really enjoy this workplace drama, and the slow burn romance made their coupling way more realist. The female lead was everything you want in a capable, graceful adult woman. Was she perfect? No. But you rooted for her in her personal and professional lives. It gave me SEARCH WWW without the female friends.
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SONG RAE: This drama has my guy, [王鹤棣] Didi (Wang He Di/Dylan Wang) in it and I was excited to see him in a modern drama. It started out well and I was really feeling their love story until the boss got involved. I dropped it there. I MAY pick it back up but who knows.
SISYPHUS: THE MYTH (podcast episode available)
SOMETHING ELSE: Loved it...until the final episode.
SONG RAE: Same
SE: I loved the casting, the acting, even the villian. Then the final episode darn near ruined it all! I feel like Florida Evans, "Damn! Damn! Damn!" Let me go find a plate to break!
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SR: It was great fun. I wish they'd put more thought into the ending though.
SO NOT WORTH IT
SOMETHING ELSE: Cute, but no longer my taste
SONG RAE: It was a thing
SE: It's very much the South Korean version of "Saved By the Bell" if it were set primarily at a university dorm. I appreciate that it has characters of different ethnicities. There are not only one but two Black characters, and they have distinctly different backgrounds, which is much appreciated. Not all Black folks are alike! :)
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SR: Good stories but the laugh track, acting, and various little nuances made me say the title spoke for my time. It was so not worth the time. I would LOVE to see the cast in a real drama that had some bones to it.
GOBLIN
SOMETHING ELSE: Hated it! SONG RAE: Started it
SE: It was confusing and boring. I wish I knew what all the hype was about beyond getting to watch fione Gong Yoo.
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SONG RAE: Soooo, I saw where many of the drama references came from; I saw some of my FAVES acting; but this story was a hard pass for me after so long. I just couldn't with the teenager/OLD ass man concept.
NIGHT OF PARADISE (spoiler alert)
SOMETHING ELSE: Meh! SONG RAE: Interesting!
SE: I had low interest when SR mentioned it and even less when she told me the ending. Ha!
SR: Loved the eye candy of Um Tae Goo's character and I love a good revenge plot but did ERRBODY have to die?!
OH MASTER (aka MY LADYLORD)
SOMETHING ELSE: Hot Steaming Garbage SONG RAE: Unfinished
SE: It had good lead actors, a decent beginning, great production value, and yet...it was hot, steaming, rancid garbage! It does not deliver on it's romantic promise. If you want your heart broken then watch this series. If you want to walk away a shell of your former self then watch this series. Save your time and energy for something more worthwhile. I'd suggest you go back to your ex-partner who thought your feet were ugly before you should watch this show. I watched this series so that you don't have to. You're welcome!
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SONG RAE: Everything Something Else said because I couldn't finish. It was pretty and had all the stuff to make a good drama but what in all the hell was really going on?! I did love the garden party in the middle of the house. That was super cute!
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WHEN I WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
SOMETHING ELSE: Meh! SONG RAE: Hated it!
SE: I watched the first episode and knew that it was fraught with fxckery. This actress always plays the same type of woman - innocent and confused. I didn't need to watch more than that.
SR: So done with Kim Ji Soo never getting a solid run as a lead male. And though he was billed as main, it was some bullsticks! The overall plot was cringy and even had a dead man come back to life. Need I say more?