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

SIGN Review

Title: SIGN
Genre: Medical, mystery,
Episodes: 20
Broadcast period: 2011-Jan-05 to 2011-Mar-10
Cast: Park Shin Yang, Kim Ah Joong, Uhm Ji Won, Jung Gyu Woon and Jun Kwang Ryul.

Yoon Ji Hoon (Park Shin Yang) is a pretty arrogant and rude forensics doctor, but he is very righteous and hates to lose. When leader of the boy band VOICE mysteriously dies, he is put to do the autopsy, but strange things happen, and for some reason is not allowed to do it. The vice-director Lee Myung Han (Jeon Kwang Leol) decides to do it, which is not only weird but something unusual for such a ’typical’ case.
Go Da Kyung (Kim Ah Joong) works for the police, and is assigned for this case, but is shortly after ignored. For some reason the higher ups refuse her to continue working this case, and on top of that she is criticized by Ji Hoon.
One year later, after stealing the corps, and making Da Kyung join the autopsy, Ji Hoon is degraded from his post into the southern district, he meets Da Kyung again, different this time she has become a forensics doctor, and for some reason idolizes Ji Hoon. But the past of the unsolved ’idol death case’ keeps haunting both of the, so they decide to investigate in secret.

This drama has three things I don’t like: tons of conspiracy, constant showdowns, and well corpses… Besides that, it’s pretty good. The story and cast were better than expected, though it somewhat was weird.
The reason my heart rating is so much lower than my star rating is, I really really don’t find conspiracy entertaining, which this drama is completely packed with. People may like it, because it is interesting, and for some reason the world loves when the lead actor suffers…

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts

King of Baking, Kim Tak Goo Review

Title: King of Baking, Kim Tak Goo
AKA: Bakerking, Kim Tak Goo / Bread, Love and Dreams
Genre: Romance, melodrama, family
Episodes: 30
Broadcasting period: 2010-Jun to 2010-Sept
Cast: Yoon Shi Yoon, Eugene, Jun Kwang Ryul, Jun In Hwa, Joo Won, Lee Young Ah and Jun Mi Sun.

As she is giving birth, Seo In Sook (Jun In Hwa) is begging it to be a son, but when she gives birth to a daughter, her mother-in-law is criticizing and telling her, that she is a horrible daughter-in-law, because she can’t give the Goo family a heir. In Sook’s housebound, Goo Il Jong (Jun Kwang Ryul) isn’t much help either, since he feels disappointed in her as well. Some time passes, and In Sook goes to a furtune teller who tells her that there isn’t a chance for her and her houseound to have a son together. The only possibility for her to get a son is with another man, but her housebound will have a son with another woman. After a rough night at the office, Il Jong returns home, drunk, and ends up sleeping with a maid, Kim Mi Sun (Jun Mi Sun). This is seen by Il Jong’s mother, but because of her dislike of In Sook, she accepts it. When In Sook returns, Mi Sun is pregnant, and in fury she throws her out, and with the help of the department manager, Mi Sun leaves in fear. In Sook then, again with the help of the department manager, becomes pregnant, and makes everyone think its Il Jong’s son.
Twelve years later, Mi Sun’s son meets Il Jong along with the son of In Sook, whom he thinks is his own. A lot happens, and Il Jong becomes fond of the kid, later finds out that it is his son. At the same time, Mi Sun’s son is befriending a girl, who he has had a crush on for a long time, and whose father beats her up, daily. Mi Sun then decides to leave her son, to live life easier, by living with the Goo family. But In Sook strikes once again, and Mi Sun is separated with her son, leaving her son wanting to find her.
Twelve years pass again, and the 24 year old son of Kim Mi Sun, Kim Tak Goo (Yoon Shi Yoon) has become a gangster in order to find the man with the windmill tattoo on his arm, who is the man that kidnapped his mother. Destiny leads him to Pal Bong Bakery, where an employee has that tattoo. Tak Goo passes out after a fight, in front of the bakery, and is found by Yang Mi Sun (Lee Young Ah), the daughter of the head baker. But as it seems the son of In Sook, Goo Ma Joon (Joo Won) is taking the ‘baker exam’ at the very bakery, under an alias. Ma Joon’s hate for Tak Goo hasn’t changed over the years, and as Tak Goo’s childhood friend and first love, Shin Yoo Kyung (Eugene) pops up again, Ma Joon enjoys putting them through hell, but for some reason falls in love with her.

Telling the truth, it’s good. I rarely agree with the Korean ratings (this drama got a rating of 50,8%), but it really is good. If you look past some small causalities, like the fact that every one night stand leads to a baby and that you feel like shaking the villains and good guys because of their either ignorance or naiveness, the drama has a decent flow. I LOVE that the lead actress became so horrible (villain), and that the ‘evil step mom’ didn’t change in the end; those are the two most typical points in Korean drama, the lead actress is perfect and the biggest villain changes her ways in the end. I also love the way the supporting actor was, the fact that he was so afraid of getting hurt or looked down on that he made such a thick self defending shell, that no matter what he did, he would seem evil, even though I personally believe that it’s his wicked family’s fault. Every character had so much soul and were thoroughly made, that you enjoy every aspect of their being.
I have to admit, it does have that choking feeling and ‘drainy’ as well, but personally, this is the first drama that made me jump off my seat, run around happily and not to mention cry. And 30 episodes are both too much, and too little; I was fed up with the trying of sabotaging of Tak Goo, but wanted more of the love stories and lives after the last incident. So I would recommend it, but if you don’t want your own feelings to be let loose, don’t, because it’s one of THOSE dramas, the ones you get irritated at, but can’t not watch it.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Jenji's verdict
I think I agree with all Bunji said, hahah, the drama is surprisingly good, you do get sick of all the people that time after time try to ruin Takgu's life and he just keeps fighting, but then again, it makes you go back and watch more and more. You leave it and come back all the time. It is actually a preetty terrible story, and I agree with Bunji, I liked the not so typical ending. There were a few things that were ridiculous, but hey it's a drama, and a korean one too. So yeah, quite good if you're up for 30 episodes of poor people being trambled on by rich people, and poor people fighting their way up, seeking revenge. It is quite good!

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts