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

Tunnel Review

Title: Tunnel

Genre: Crime, Thriller, Detective, Time Travel

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2017-Mar to 2017-May

Cast: Choi Jin Hyuk, Yoon Hyun Min, Lee Yoo Young, Jo Hee Bong and Kim Min Sang.

In 1986 Park Gwang Ho (Choi Jin Hyuk), working as an experienced detective, is faced with a serial of killings. Back in the days the term ‘serial killer’ isn’t a popular used word, but Gwang Ho is one of few that notices a pattern. One evening while almost catching the serial killer, he is runs through a tunnel and is hit on the head. While regaining feet he walks back to his station, but is met with an empty station and an unfamiliar face, Kim Sun Jae (Yoon Hyun Min) at his desk. In the confusion he handcuffs Sun Jae, but soon notices that there is something wrong. He slowly realizes, with the help of his junior now team leader, that he isn’t in his own time. He has traveled 30 years into the future, and is unable to get back.

While trying to figure out how any of it is possible and how to get back, he notices that the serial killer from 30 years ago still is at large. But as older case files have been burned in a fire in the past, he is the only one remembering the case. So, he decides that in order to get back, he must solve the case. Unfortunately, there seems to be something else going on, when a person with the same name as Gwang Ho is supposed to show up at the very station, but has disappeared…

Sorry for the lacking summary, it’s hard not to spoil much of this great drama.

I really enjoyed watching this drama, even though for the first time ever I disliked both supporting actors. Their characters were unlikeable! I mean for the first 4 episodes I wasn’t interested in their screen time, but as time went by I guess they grew on me. Choi Jin Hyuk was great all the way through – I could totally see him as a man from 1986, by language and how he carried himself. The Yeon Suk and Gwang Ho coupling was so cute, made me not care about any other couples. Story and screenplay is great as well.

Unfortunately, I guessed 85% of the drama before the end of, so I was just expecting things to happen by the end of it. But that doesn’t mean everyone will feel that way! So, I would recommend this drama to anyone.

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Kamji’s Verdict

What a marathon! I Personally have a liking to all OCN’s crime/mstery themed dramas. Therefor of course Tunnel was a drama I looked very much forward to. It didn’t disappoint me. The acting was on point, the storyline and the cinematography between the 80’ and present day was really believable. The storyline throughout the drama was very predictable, but I gotta admit the particular cases and crimes throughout was not, at least for me. I liked the suspense a lot, and definitely the teamwork at that police department. Also I agree with Bunji, that Choi Jin Hyuk, was the perfect one for that role. Everything about him screamed the 80’. So to conclude I would say yet again, good job to OCN.  

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Beautiful Mind Review

Title: Beautiful Mind

AKA: Dr. Frankenstein

Genre: Medical, Thriller, Romance

Episodes: 14

Broadcast period: 2016-Jun to 2016-Aug

Cast: Jang Hyuk, Park So Dam, Yoon Hyun Min, Heo Joon Ho and Park Se Young.

This drama tells about Lee Young Oh (Jang Hyuk); a genius neurosurgeon with a brain injury to his frontal lobe, making him unable to show or feel sympathy and empathy. As a very young boy his father had intensively taught him how to read facial expressions, as he was afraid his son would be labeled a psychopath due to people with the same condition being known as either sociopaths or psychopaths. This results in Young Oh being able to hide his real nature even from his girlfriend Kim Min Jae (Park Se Young) and his fellow co-workers.

Everything changes when he's one day involved in a range of deaths at the hospital, with patients dying with no reasonable cause. This leads to policewoman Gye Jin Sung (Park So Dam) suspecting Young Oh after being involved with one of the patients right before they went to surgery. Soon after everything around him starts to crumble as the people he thought he had trusted, suddenly work against him...

Okay, so I am aware this drama isn't as famous as many other Korean medical dramas, but compared to all other medical drama I have watched, this is probably one of my favorite. You might find this one to serious and quite confusing, but I enjoyed it a lot. I am not a fan of Jang Hyuk, but I really didn't mind him here. Sometimes I would think his acting was off, but it didn't bother me at all. Maybe because of the storyline or the dialogues, but it was quite good to be fair. Park So Dam I am seeing for the first time, and I loved her. I think she made me a fan. There was something tomboyish yet very feminine about her – like a young and less experienced Gong Hyo Jin. And I am a huge GHJ fan :)

Besides that, I found the pace great, like it made me tune in every single week, and I was always excited for the next episode. But on the other hand I understand why people would dislike it – as the subject is something not everyone is fond of. Also the idiot who cut this 2 episode short should die. Seriously. There was WAY too much happening in the last 2 episodes - because it was cut.

To sum up: a great drama, but not for everyone's taste.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

Fallen For Innocence Review

Title: Falling for Innocence
AKA: Fall in Love with Soon Jung, Beating Again
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Episodes: 16
Broadcast Period: Apr-2015 to May-2015
Cast: Jung Kyung Ho, Kim So Yun, Yoon Hyun Min, Jin Goo, Gong Hyun Joo, Lee Shi Un, Park Young Kyu, Ahn Suk Hwan

Kang Min Ho (Jung Kyung Ho) is a cold, ruthless businessman working for Gold Partners, a major bond investment firm. He has an axe to grind against the company Hermia Group. His philanthropic father was once Hermia's CEO, but he was charged with embezzlement after his death, leading to Kang Min Ho's mother committing suicide and all their family shares were transferred to Kang Hyun Chul (Park Yeung Gyu), Kang Min Ho’s uncle who now runs the company. As he butts heads with his uncle, Kang Min Ho comes across Kim Soon Jung (Kim So Yun), the daughter of his father's former secretary and who now, works at Hermia as Chairman Kang's executive assistant. Soon Jung is happily engaged to Ma Dong Wook (Jin Goo), a detective. Dong Wook dies in an apparent hit-and-run and in a strange twist of fate, Kang Min Ho becomes the recipient of his heart and makes a full recovery. However, Kang Min Ho begins to exhibit different personality traits and habits, ones similar to the deceased Dong Wook's, and finds himself falling for Soon Jung.

I have to admit, I love this drama. In the beginning, I was very hesitant about it, I mean c’mon… A heart transplant and then loving the same person, even changing the personality. I was very sure it would be a huge failure, and yet… and yet… I just couldn’t stop watching it. I just couldn’t take my eyes off the main couple, I seriously finished the whole thing in three days and then just laid around the house hating myself. However, a few days later I got over it somehow I started thinking realistically about this drama. There was a lot of good stuff in it, but also some issues that was forgotten in the drama. A lot of stuff wasn’t properly addressed or explained, so it kind of leaves you with a big question mark. This drama is a good example of how a bad, or at least skeevy, plot can be saved by excellent pacing and acting. The acting by Jung Kyung Ho was remarkable. Without him, this drama really doesn’t work at all. Kim so Yeon handles her role admirably, but without him it would have been unwatchable. A character that, by rights, I should completely despise. He really is a badass, but Jung Kyung Ho makes everything he does mesmerizing. Every time he was on screen, I was enthralled. So yeah, beside the questionable plot I really do recommend this drama.

☆☆☆☆½ / 4½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 out of 5 hearts

Discovery of Romance Review

Title: Discovery of Romance

AKA: Discovery of Love

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2014-Aug to 2014-Oct

Cast: Eric, Jung Yoo Mi, Sung Joon, Yoon Jin Yi, Yoon Hyun Min and Kim Seul Gi.

After dating five years Kang Tae Ha (Eric) and Han Yeo Reum (Jung Yoo Mi) suddenly break up, leaving Tae Ha wondering why and unable to move on. Yeo Reum on the other hand moved on and started dating Nam Ha Jin (Sung Joon), and has the upper hand in the relationship, not letting Ha Jin get away with anything.  After the messy break-up the two didn’t meet again, but when Yeo Reum finds out that Ha Jin is on a blind date behind her back, she follows him to the hotel, and by chance of fate she happens to sit down opposite of Tae Ha. This leads to a twirl of misunderstandings and fights, and eventually the two go their different ways.

Still unaware why Yeo Reum broke up with him, Tae Ha decides to hire Yeo Rum to do the furniture of his new company, in order to find out why she broke up with him. Yeo Reum on the other hand hates Tae Has guts, and refuses to work with him first, but due to her debt she reluctantly agrees. Not wanting to marry Ha Jin while having a debt, she starts working with Tae Ha, but refuses to tell Ha Jin about Tae Ha, much to Tae Has amusement… What’s going to happen?

Sorry for the kind of dull summary, but it really is better - honestly.

The drama is very good actually. From the actors, to screenplay, and all the way to the dialogues, the entire drama is very well written and portrayed. I like the comedy, the sass and the sarcasm, even the retributions, which by the way are quite reasonable. It is not a drama with shocking twists and family drama, rather a story of lovers, and how life actually is - with of course really good looking and rich male leads. (LOL)

All actors are great, and they really are good at portraying these characters, as if they are them. Also the dialogues are so well written that I was excited while watching, because you really do need a bit of reality as well as sass in order to make it interesting.

But that’s it. There is nothing else; it does not have the extra umph, or the extra fluttering or complications. I don’t know, it is a good drama but kind of ends there, no more.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts

A Witch's Romance Review

Title: A Witch’s Romance
AKA: A Witch’s Love
Genre: Romance, comedy
Episodes: 16
Broadcast period: 2014-apr to 2014-jun
Cast: Uhm Jung Hwa, Park Seo Joon, Han Jae suk, Jung Yun Joo, Yang Hee Kyung, Ra Mi Ran, Lee Se Chang, Yoon Hyun Min,

Succesfull, single and soon to be 40 years, that’s the witch Ban Ji Yeon (Uhm Jung Hwa). After being dumped at her own wedding, she has dedicated her life to her work, and that have earned her the title of being a well-known reporter at Trouble Maker and a witch by her co-workers. After some misunderstandings she gets her own assistant, Yoon Dong Ha (Park Seo Joon), who is 14 years younger than her. While everyone else in the office is betting for how long the new assistant will survive, a new romance is starting.

… 14 years?! Are you kidding me! Why? That’s what first came in mind, when I came upon this drama. But I’m such a Park Seo Joon and Yoon Hyun Min fan I had to watch this. And I’m quite surprised how I managed to finish this in 2 days. Even though the couple had a 14 years difference, their chemistry and the way they tackled the age difference made me forget everything about it. In some point I even convinced myself it wasn’t that big of a deal. The characters and even the work related scandals were all very well worked through and realistic, while still having that comedy twist to it. What I really liked about this drama was Uhm Jung Hwas, she’s not that good of an actor, but that made the character more real, I guess you have to watch to know what I mean :b

☆☆☆ / 3 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts