Witch's Court Review

Title: Witch’s Court

AKA: Witch at Court

Genre: Legal, Crime,

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2017-Oct to 2017-Nov

Cast: Jung Ryu Won, Yoon Hyun Min, Jun Kwang Ryul, Kim Yeo Jin and Lee Il Hwa.

In 1986, four factory workers were victims of sexual torture during a strike, by the officer Jo Gab Soo (Jun Kwang Ryul). 10 years later Jo Gab Soo, now a political nominee, was trialed for the offences. Kwak Yong Sil (Lee Il Hwa) is a noodle restaurant owner, living with her teenage daughter, Ma Yi Deum. When the trial goes public, Young Sil was reluctant to come forward, but thinking about the other women, she decided to stop hiding and come forward, only to be found by Jo Gab Soo, and mysteriously disappear. Yi Deum, unaware of the situation, tried to find her mother, but was unsuccessful.

20 years pass and Yi Deum (Jung Ryeo Won) is now a prosecutor aiming for the top. Known to use dirty tricks, and cheat during trial, she has gotten herself a bad reputation with co-workers. And when her team leader is accused of sexual harassment, she tries her best to keep it buried. Things go haywire, and she is demoted to the Crimes Against Girls Unit dealing only with sex crimes, together with the prosecutor of the case she tried to bury, Yeo Jin Wook (Yoon Hyun Min).

While dealing with these cases, Prosecutor Yi Deum, with the help of Prosecutor Jin Wook, soon starts to understand the victim’s perspective, but also starts to find links to her mother’s past and disappearance…

To start up, I was ecstatic when I found out that there was going to be a Korean drama revolving around sexual abuse/misconduct, because it is so rare and underplayed. Unfortunately, this drama missed the mark of actually doing what was supposed to be an eye opener. Even though the manage to show the true world of these situations and crimes, the fact that they managed to undertone it once again with just the wort type of character that could be the lead for this type of story. I get that the drama was about her “witch” personality but I felt so uncomfortable most of the time, that I started to dislike the lead more and more, instead of feeling any form of sympathy for her. They tried to show her backstory and make her likeable in situations, being all ‘badass’ but it honestly just infuriated me even more. At the end I didn’t even care for her.

Putting all that aside, as said the stories of the victims are amazingly and brutally honest, and I like that. Making stories that make you realize things, instead of wanting to avoid them, is good storytelling - which this drama does. It just needed a different lead actress/main character. I think I would have enjoyed it with just the main lead actor… and he was such a dull character too.

All in all, I wouldn’t recommend. My ratings are both based on the acting and story, but the heart rating is my experience of it.

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥½ / 2½ out of 5 hearts

Medical Top Team Review

Title: Medical Top Team

Genre: Medical, Romance

Episodes: 20

Broadcast period: 2013-Oct to 2013-Dec

Cast: Kwon Sang Woo, Jung Ryu Won, Joo Ji Hoon, Oh Yeon Seo, Choi Min Ho, Oh Y and Kim Young Ae.

On the day of the announcement of the Top Team at Kwanghye University Hospital, Park Tae Shin (Kwon Sang Woo) happens to be in the same hotel, and notices a waitress limp on one of her legs. The cardiologist presenting the project Seo Ju Yeong (Jung Ryeo Won) an ambitious woman, also notices the waitress, but is pushes aside by Tae Shin who does an immediate emergency treatment and brings her to the hospital. Returning to his hospital one of his favorite patients, an 8 year old girl collapses and needs surgery. When taking her to Kwanghye University Hospital, he meets Ju Yeong again, who is to take care of the patient, but when a VIP patient collapses they refuse the little girl in order to prioritize. That is when Tae Shin asks to do it himself, and the director Han Seung Jae (Joo Ji Hoon) reluctantly agrees. After saving the girl Tae Shin runs to watch the other surgery, but when Ju Yeong isn’t able to move her arm as she likes because of the accident earlier that day, Tae Shin runs to aid her, and is noticed by Seung Jae, who now wants him in the Top Team…

Wow, I can’t believe I am going to say this but I was actually disappointed in this. Maybe my expectation in a drama with Sang Woo, Ji Hoon and Ryu Won was a bit high, and it being a medical drama might also have to do with it, but I seriously felt that it took a dumb turn right at the middle. I think the start was okay, even the lead’s past was interesting, but then it just became too much about the family fighting against each other. Not only that there simply was way too much going on, too many side story stories, and halfhearted love stories that the main story was just not that interesting. I barely managed to get through it. Acting wise everyone was amazing, even Min Ho who I am not a fan of.

I can’t even recommend it to people because I have no idea which kind of people would watch it. So I don’t know.

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

Never Ending Story Movie Review

Title: Never Ending Story
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Origin: Korea
Release date: 18 January 2012
Cast: Uhm Tae Woong & Jung Ryu Won

This story revolves around two people Kang Dong Joo (Uhm Tae Woong) and Oh Song Kyung (Jung Ryu Won), who really don’t do much with their lives until they both find out they have less than three months to live.
Dong Joo is a sloppy, useless and somewhat a disgusting man with really bad luck, who lives with his married younger brother and his wife, and works at the art school, owned by the two. Song Kyung is an expressionless stiff bank woman, who is sort of an ‘’schedule- woman’’ meaning she plans everything beforehand, and writes everything on sticky-notes, be it small or big.
The two meet by several occasions: they both have the same doctor, and they both are in the same ‘marriage agency’, hoping to get married. When, after the second checkup, they both go to the marriage agency to get their money back, they go to a bar to drink, and decide to go on a date, at a cremation shop. With their different personalities: Dong Joo who is extremely sensitive and dreams of winning at lottery, and Song Kyung who is expressionless and wants to plan her funeral, they butt heads, but opposites attract, and no matter the situation, they always end up thinking of one another.

This movie is amazing! One of my favorite movies ever! Everything about it is great; the cast, the lead couple, the chemistry, the screen-play, the pace, heck even the dialogues were great! The best thing though was how real the couple seemed, the fact that both actors fit their characters so well is just perfect. I really have nothing bad to say about it, except that the lead couple just seemed too comfortable with each other, meaning they didn’t give that ‘burning love’ kind of feeling, but then again it wasn’t that needed, even though it somehow is a sad movie. Anyhow thumbs up, and I recommend.

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥4½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Jenji's verdict
This is really Bunji's kind of movie. It has that seriousness even though its a comedy. I agree with everything Bunji says, it is a really great movie, but... but but but,, I didnt fall for it.. it felt a bit long, not that it made the movie bad, I just had a hard time being interested. I really dont know why, because it actually is a really good movie and I cant think of anything bad but I didnt enjoy it for some reason. So I think, yeah read Bunji's verdict because I think I watched the movie while in bad mood or something.

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥  / 3 out of 5 hearts

My Lovely Kim Sam Soon Review

Title: My Lovely Kim Sam Soon
AKA: My Name is Kim Sam-Soon
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Broadcast period: 2005-Jun to 2005-Jul
Cast:Kim Sun Ah, Hyun Bin, Jung Ryu Won and Daniel Henney.

Kim Sam Soon (Kim Sun Ah) is having the worst week in her life, so to say;
She finds her boyfriend, cheating on her on Christmas Eve, not alone that; he even breaks up with her, making her feel that it is her fault. While running into a bathroom, crying out her eyes, she is interrupted by a knock on the bathroom door. Frustrated she yells back and bleeps the door open, but is surprised to see a man in front of her. Hyun Jin Hun (Hyun Bin) is, on the outside, a cold and arrogant owner of a restaurant, but is quite the opposite on the inside. He informs her that she is in a male bathroom and she runs out of the hotel in embarrassment.
As Sam Soon is looking for a job, she has a cooking degree, once again stumbles upon Jin Hyun, of course not without embarrassing herself, they bump heads and he by accident tastes her homemade cake. By pure coincident he needs a baker for his restaurant, and who better than job-less but talented Kim Sam Soon?

For an old and outdated drama, this is definitely a classic. Yes, the camera man should be shot, but I think that was popular in the early year of 2000, or the late 90s. Anyhow, the dialogues, scenes and not to mention the love story are brilliant, and I’m surprised to say that after the first 8 episodes I was clueless about what was going to happen. It had a lot of my favourite things; contract-relationship, one-guy-two-girls-dilemma and deeply-hurt-guy. And I was happy to see that the supporting actor didn’t fall in love with the lead actress, lol, even I fell in love with her, even though he IS chubby and old.
Hyun Bin I love, my favourite actor, Kim Sun Ah I don’t know, but even her screeching voice was fun! All in all a Kdrama Classic…

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 of 5 hearts