It’s interesting what remains with you, what you remember of a show after some time when the sparkles and bubbles of it’s magic are gone. I remember more of One More Happy Ending and Ms. Temper and Nam Jung Gi than of Descendants of the Sun.
1. Twenty Again – It was annoying to watch. Not the directing, not the storytelling, not the cinematography, not the actors, but the story itself. It pained me to watch Ha No-Ra (Choi Ji-Woo). The two persons who she loved and cared for the most, her husband and her son, who should have been supporting her and cheering for her, were putting her down and were ashamed of her. It was a miracle that she found herself in the end. Well, with some help from Cha Hyun-Suk (Lee Sang-Yoon).
2. One More Happy Ending – This was one funny ride. Who wouldn’t want a neighbor like that? Han Mi-Mo (Jang Na-Ra) and Song Soo-Hyuk (Jung Kyoung-Ho) were just a little bit crazy, but that was like a pinch of salt that makes the meat tasty. They conveyed their emotions so heartfelt and with so much intensity that I rooted for them non stop through the end. But all the characters were relatable. It’s a feel good show, worthy for a rewatch.
3. Second Love (J-drama) – What comes to my mind is that there were lots of shades of greys and whites, cloudy days and blinding sun. I had a bit of a shock seeing those students being rude and insulting their teacher. It ruined the picture in my mind that all Japanese people are nice and well-behaved. The dancing scenes were gorgeous, emphasizing the well structured body of Kazuya Kamenashi. The romance was sort of low key yet intense. It was a complex story about pursuing your dream with a realistic approach, and how success and distance can affect relationships. It tackled also the negative emotions of coping with failure, frustrations, fear of change and challenge.
4. Descendants of the Sun – I think the most memorable scene was the overused morning exercise of the troops. The scenery was beautiful, the actors are beautiful, but the story was thin. All things were resolved fast and too easy. I liked the bromance and the second lead couple. I guess I’m not alone with that. I think the bickering was he show’s strong point. Around the end I was a little afraid of how it will be, but I trusted the writer that she won’t kill her babies. Song Joong-Ki and Song Hye-Kyo were the show’s engines, they pulled the ratings up (and maybe Jin Goo, too).
5. Ms. Temper and Nam Jung Gi – At the beginning it was kind of weird, the role reversal was pushed to the extreme. Lee Yo-Won’s character is too bossy, fearless and cold, on the other hand Yoon Sang-Hyun’s Nam Jung Gi is a total pushover even if he is competent, he is so pitiful that makes you cry. It looked like all his family members were losers with a big heart. But after you get to know the characters better, it doesn’t feel that awkward. I liked how she gave him strength and make him more confident. It was also a David and Goliath fight between the companies, they shown us lots of unfair business practices and under the belt blows. I liked Nam Bong-Gi, he was so refreshing in his shamelessness.
6. Whirlwind Girl 2 (C-drama) – Let’s look at the bright side: you don’t really need subs for this one. The story is thin to non existent, the dialogue is so childish, that a 12 years old can do better. Anyway, you watch this either for Ji Chang Wook or the fight scenes.
