[SPOILERS!!!][ddoboja reviews] SKY Castle

Calling 'SKY Castle' one of the biggest hits of 2018 is an understatement. When the drama premiered, it recorded ratings of 1.7%. That's right, a measly rating of 1.7%. But then by the second episode, it recorded ratings of 4.3% and then the ratings continued to grow and grow until the drama started accomplishing records and became known for being the highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history. If that's not the biggest glo up then I don't know what is.

From the get go, SKY Castle stood out to me for having a legit cast of middle-aged veteran actors and barely any idol actors. The main cast featured Yum Jung Ah, Lee Tae Ran, Yoon Se Ah, Oh Nara, Kim Seo Hyung, Jung Jun Ho, and Choi Won Young. But, initially, the plot description wasn't that appealing. The drama was described as telling the stories of prestigious families living in a luxurious neighborhood - they're Korea's 1%. 

When I watched the first episode, I thought I was watching a bad remake of 'Gossip Girl' because of the scene where they hold a dinner party for Young Jae's family after he gets accepted into very prestigious university. But my initial impression of the drama changes immediately after the ending scene of the first episode when Kim Jung Nan's character commits suicide. After that ending scene, I knew 'SKY Castle' wasn't another typical Korean drama about elite families and their outrageous antics. 

Now I'm not sure if it was ever explicitly stated in the drama or by the writer but I thought the drama was titled 'SKY Castle' because the residents of this neighborhood were all aiming to send their children to SKY - which is an acronym for Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University, the three most prestigious universities in Korea.  The residents of the SKY Castle neighborhood are the 1% of the 1% - they’re families of surgeons, lawyers, and other wealthy individuals. All the families have the same goal and it’s to make their children succeed in life and they’ll stop at nothing to guarantee their children’s success and family’s honor. 

Kwak Mi Hyang (Yum Jung Ah), Lee Soo Im (Lee Tae Ran), No Seung Hye (Yoon Se Ah), Jin Jin Hee (Oh Nara), and Kim Joo Young (Kim Seo Hyung) all have one thing in common and that's the endless love they have for their children. At first, the families appear to be perfect but all of them are hiding their own secrets. Despite the main characters all having their flaws, they continue to be lovable because of the remarkable writing and acting in this drama that helps you understand why they behave in the way they do. 

Kwak Mi Hyang lives in a lie because she wants to provide her daughters the life she didn't get to have. Her constructed life becomes unraveled when her true identity is (accidentally) revealed by Lee Soo Im, someone from Mi Hyang's past, and the character goes through a process where she realizes that if she tries to continue to accomplish her lie, it'll bring more harm to her family and those around her. 

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Another thing I really appreciated about 'SKY Castle' was the amazing performances by the child actors. Like I have previously stated, the children roles aren't played by idol actors - there's literally only one character played by an idol and that's SF9 member Chan Hee/CHANI, who has past acting experience. Chan Hee plays Hwang Woo Joo and most viewers didn't even know Chan Hee was an idol! I feel like if child actors star heavily in a drama, it can be a hit or a miss depending on the child's performance but that's not the case in 'SKY Castle'. The children all bring their characters to life! 

I think the children play an equally important role in the drama because while their parents are showing that they will stop at nothing to guarantee success for their children - the children often speak up about their parents actions and wrongdoings. 

My favorite examples of this moment was in episode 16 when Ye Bin (portrayed by Lee Ji Won) confronts her dad (Jung Jun Ho) after Hye Na's death by saying, "Dad, are you even human?"

In some cases, the children are the parents' reminder that they messed up by choosing to do the wrong things, like in episode 19 when Kwak Mi Hyang sees her daughter, Ye Seo (portrayed by Kim Hye Yoon), barely able to function after being swallowed up by her own guilt - like what's the point of trying so hard to get your daughter into medical school when she's so scared of living.  

Another one of my favorite scenes were the interactions between Jin Jin Hee and her son Soo Han (portrayed by Lee Yoo Jin). Although Jjin Jjin is originally from a well-off family, she's not as competitive about Soo Han's future like the other mothers are about their children. She's more worried about Soo Han's well-being and happiness instead of his grades. This is evident when Soo Han runs away after Jjin Jjin lashes out at him for breaking her precious dishes and when she finally reunites with Soo Han, she repeatedly tells him that she doesn't care whether he studies well because she only cares about his happiness and she can't live without him.

Although this drama is filled with phenomenal performances, the performances that stood out most to me were Kim Seo Hyung's portrayal of Kim Joo Young and Yoon Se Ah's portrayal as Noh Seung Hye. Kim Seo Hyung is probably most known for her performance in the ultimate makjang drama 'Temptation of a Wife' but I think she'll now be remembered for her performance in 'SKY Castle'. In 'SKY Castle', Kim Seo Hyung makes you forget who she is and you'll be convinced that she is just Kim Joo Young. Kim Joo Young gives you chills in every scene because of her ruthlessness and sheer wickedness. But once K/Kay/Kei appears, you'll realize that despite the wickedness, Kim Joo Young is also human and a mother. 

Before 'SKY Castle', I mostly knew Yoon Se Ah for her high-pitched voice. She wasn't exactly a memorable actress, especially because she usually played supporting roles, but she wasn't a horrible actress either. In 'SKY Castle', Yoon Se Ah played the role of Noh Seung Hye - a caring mother of three, who is a devoted wife that is starting to speak out against her husband's extreme childrearing practices. I loved all of the scenes that featured Seung Hye and the rest of the Cha family but towards the end, I was starting to get tired of storyline about Se Ri and her club business but I understand that the club storyline was vital for the development of Cha Min Hyuk's storyline so that he understands he can't control his children's lives. One of the most memorable scenes for me is in episode 14 when Seung Hye finally lashes out against Professor Cha - that one scene proved to me that Yoon Se Ah's acting spectrum is so wide.   

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'SKY Castle' isn't your typical Korean drama about rich families. The drama is a perfect mix of black comedy, mystery, and thriller. The various storylines within the drama isn't dragged on and on and I thought they were quickly resolved, especially the storyline regarding Cha Se Ri and Harvard. 

If you're looking for a Korean drama that literally isn't a romantic comedy and has no acting holes, 'SKY Castle' is what you have been searching for. The drama will have you sitting at the edge of your seat during each and every episode and you'll be in awe with the acting. The drama did have a controversial ending because some viewers found it unrealistic but the more I think about it, I think the drama showed that the ending was possible because these families are again, the 1% - they're extremely rich and they have the resources to have that ending. Definitely check it out so that you can fall in love with this entire cast and fangirl over them with me!  

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It's been a month since 'SKY Castle' has ended ㅠㅠ

But my review is finally here and this is also my 800th post!

YAYYYYY!

What a perfect way to hit 800~!

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Is anyone else having SKY Castle withdrawals? 

I literally can't keep up with other dramas because I feel like they don't match the quality SKY Castle had ㅠㅠ

At the moment, I'm only watching 'Spring Turns to Spring' because Uhm Ji Won and Lee Yoo Ri are absolutely fantastic in it and it's such a light-hearted and fun drama ♡

I'm so sad this drama is over ㅠㅠ

I can't wait to see what else the actors will be coming out in!

Hope everyone is having a good day/night!

Talk to you soon!

♡

All gifs are from jungedm / 정이듬

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[SPOILERS!!!][ddoboja reviews] Mr. Sunshine

When initial reports came out about 'Mr. Sunshine', I'm going to be honest - I wasn't that excited for it. Some of the reasons for my lack of interest was due to: my love-hate relationship with writer Kim Eun Sook's dramas and Lee Byung Hun's playing the main role in this drama. 

I think the reason I have a love-hate relationship with Kim Eun Sook's dramas is because I find some of her dramas childish or mediocre. 'The Heirs' reminded me of a bad rendition of 'Gossip Girl' where you just watched a bunch of immature characters fighting for the affection of a female character. I couldn't get into 'Descendants of the Sun' because the drama just felt like it was filled with fan service for romance drama lovers. The only drama written by Kim Eun Sook that I enjoyed from start to end was 'Goblin'. The reason I enjoyed that drama so much was because of the acting performance by Kim Go Eun and Gong Yoo, the cinematography (wow... those sageuk scenes tho), and the soundtrack - to this day I still listen to Ailee's 'I Will Go to You like the First Snow'. So after it was announced that Kim Eun Sook's next drama was 'Mr. Sunshine', I was a little bit interested because 'Goblin' really left me impressed but then it was announced that Lee Byung Hun was the male lead. 

Many people often say, "love the art not the artist." These words are usually used when the artist is problematic. I think it also perfectly describes Lee Byung Hun's career. Let's be real, Lee Byung Hun's acting is critically acclaimed. He never fails to impress viewers whether he's playing an agent who's fighting a cannibalistic murderer in 'I Saw the Devil' or a thug who loses his hand in 'Inside Men'. But it often seems like his personal life overshadows his performance. And I believe with 'Mr. Sunshine' Lee Byung Hun once again proved to viewers that he is actor Lee Byung Hun with amazing performance abilities and not actor Lee Byung Hun with a messy personal life. 

What I was looking most forward to was Kim Tae Ri. I became a fan of Kim Tae Ri the moment I saw her in Park Chan Wook's 'The Handmaiden'. Can you believe 'Mr. Sunshine' was Kim Tae Ri's first drama? Kim Tae Ri has filmed four movies in the past three years and they're all critically acclaimed. The reason I love Kim Tae Ri's performance in all her projects is because of her diction. Especially in 'Mr. Sunshine', she plays the role of Lady Ae Shin - she's supposed to be a soft-spoken lady that belongs to a high status noble family but every time Kim Tae Ri delivers her lines that are meant to attack her enemy, you can sense the anger but her tone is still clear and stable. 

 

I know many people weren't happy that three of the main male leads (Lee Byung Hun, Byun Yo Han, Yoo Yeon Seok) were going after the female lead (Kim Tae Ri). But I think this drama handles a love triangle/square really differently compared to other Kim Eun Sook dramas and Korean dramas. I think each male lead is in love with their own idea of Kim Tae Ri. Yoo Yeon Seok's character Goo Dong Mae was obsessed with Kim Tae Ri's character Go Ae Shin after their first encounter during their childhood and he looks out for her in his own way but initially, Ae Shin just thinks he has something against her and her status. 

Byun Yo Han's character Kim Hee Sung is drowning in his own regrets because he made Ae Shin (his betrothed) wait for him throughout a lengthy period and then she fell in love with someone else while waiting for him while Kim Hee Sung fell in love with Ae Shin the moment he saw her. 

And Lee Byung Hun's character Eugene Choi falls in love with Ae Shin, a woman who is from the country that abandoned him - the same woman who is trying to save that country. 

This drama really resonated with me because I'm Korean-American and the historical events behind this drama's plot is really culturally personal. Growing up Korean-American, I went through a phase that's very common amongst other Asian-Americans. You just want to be identified as American and not be labeled as Asian-American but I learned to grow out of this very sad mindset and have come to embrace and appreciate my culture. This drama also deals with a topic that many people aren't familiar with. Many people don't realize that Korea gained independence in 1945 after being under Japanese rule for 35 years. In my opinion, this drama was able to educate people on history that many people weren't aware of and that many have forgotten about. When this drama was airing, a lot of the comments I translated were about commenters saying that they can't forget what the independence fighters fought for so that they can have the Korea they currently have. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the writer Kim Eun Sook said that she got inspiration to write 'Mr. Sunshine' after seeing a picture of members of the Righteous Army at a museum. 

I also loved how this drama was able to make actress Kim Min Jung's acting shine. Kim Min Jung is a well-known actress but I feel like she's mostly known for her glamorous looks rather than her acting. But her performance as Yang Hwa really left me breathless as she played a character who was only living on with the hopes of finding her mother and to sabotage her traitor father's (Kim Eui Sung) plans.  

I think my favorite part about this drama would have to be the selflessness from many of the good-hearted characters like Hamandaek (Lee Jung Eun), Shin Jung Geun (Haengrang), Shim Jong Min/the tailor (Nam Chang Hee), and more. Many of these good-hearted characters weren't afraid to risk their jobs and lives in order for their loved ones to live in a better Korea and in this drama, they knew Ae Shin needed to survive in order to help Korea gain independence. 

Overall, this was one of my favorite dramas of 2018. The production, directing, acting, and dialogue really touched my heart one by one. You can feel whenever a character was going through a heartache after losing someone they loved (make sure to have tissues next to you starting from episode 14 and onwards). Even if you're not a fan of historical Korean dramas, I definitely recommend you to check out 'Mr. Sunshine'. There's still a modern twist to it so that the drama won't seem monotonous and you'll learn something about Korea that you never knew about. 

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This is a really belated review about 'Mr. Sunshine'

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I didn't expect it to take me this long to post this....

I don't think I can rewatch this drama anytime soon or else I'll cry like crazy again ㅠㅠ

And all the gifs in this post were made by me!

I made them for my tweets about this drama ♡ 

If you already finished this drama, help me go through my 'Mr. Sunshine' withdrawals ㅠㅠ

And if you haven't watched this drama yet, make sure to check it out!

(｡•́◡•̀｡)

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[SPOILERS!!!][ddoboja reviews] Miss Hammurabi

When it comes to Korean dramas, procedural and medical dramas are usually a hit or a miss for me. Often, I feel as if the drama uses the setting of a hospital, police department, or a court room as the background for the main love line. And that sucks especially for viewers like me who would rather have episodes focused on the cases than episodes focused on the love lines between the two leads. When I first saw teasers for 'Miss Hammurabi', I didn't have high expectations. Although Sung Dong Il is one of my favorite actors I can trust to watch, I had mixed feelings about Go Ara and Kim Myung Soo (L). Go Ara isn't a bad actor but she does have the tendency where her acting seems the same in every drama she comes out in and her acting sometimes seems exaggerated, especially during her crying scenes. With Kim Myung Soo, all I knew him was for being L from the boy group Infinite. I remember seeing him in 'The Master's Sun' and 'My Lovely Girl' but his acting wasn't memorable in either dramas. So with 'Miss Hammurabi', I expected Sung Dong Il to pull most of the weight and expected the typical procedural drama. But what I ended up getting was one of the best Korean legal dramas I've ever watched.

The reason I believe 'Miss Hammurabi' worked out so well was because it's written by an actual judge. The cases and situations presented in the drama did a really good job at portraying how Korean society currently is. Some of the most memorable topics for me were: sexism in the workplace, chaebols pulling strings and being stronger than the judges, and the characters going through their own moral issues. With the cases in this drama, I think it did a really good job at presenting both sides of the victim's perspective and the perpetrator's perspectives. With the issue regarding sexism in the workplace, the viewer would obviously root for the female employee who experiences a miscarriage after being worked too hard. The drama talks about how female employees are now cautious about marrying and becoming pregnant because they don't want to be seen as a burden to their coworkers. The obvious "villain" in this situation is the chief who overworks the female employee but then at the end, you realize that he's so hungry for success because that's his form of validation. The final scene of that episode also gave me chills because we see the female bailiff (portrayed by Lee Yea Eun) feeling threatened by a group of men although a few minutes ago, she was showing off her martial arts skills to the friends she was drinking with and showing how tough she was. This scene just made me really sad because I think it perfectly depicted how at times women can feel really vulnerable around men no matter how strong we think we are...  

I was also shocked by how the drama showed their characters experiencing their own moral issues. The most memorable for me was Im Ba Reun (portrayed by Kim Myung Soo) using personal connections and his status as a judge to have his school friend pull some strings at the hospital so that his mother could get a check up faster. In that moment, all Ba Reun cared about was his mom, he didn't care if other patients waited longer than him. He realizes what he did when the doctor who examines his mother points out the fact that the patients that came before him are in extreme pain and they waited even longer than he did. Im Ba Reun is left feeling disgusted by himself and cries while apologizing to the people he cut in front of. 

I believe this is why the drama worked so well as a legal drama. Its main focus wasn't on the love line between Im Ba Reun and Park Cha Oh Reum (portrayed by Go Ara), instead it was focused on their dedication to their careers and to bring justice to the people who deserve it. In my opinion, the love line present in this drama felt trivial and I really appreciated how it wasn't the main focus because it had the viewers rooting for justice to be brought in the cases rather than rooting for two characters to end up together. Many times when I was translating comments regarding this drama, many commenters pointed out how the world would be so much better if there were many judges like the main characters. Judges who actually take time to listen to both sides of the case and aren't being swayed by other factors. I also appreciated how the drama didn't drag out one case throughout multiple episodes but would resolve them in a timely manner.

'Miss Hammurabi' ended up being one of my favorite Korean dramas for this year. The drama did an amazing job on being an actual legal drama instead of being another romance k-drama trying to pass off as a legal drama. The acting all felt natural and not overreacted and I think that's because the actors aren't playing stereotypical roles. Kim Myung Soo isn't playing another chic flower boy, Go Ara isn't playing a tomboy or a girl trying to act tough, and Sung Dong Il isn't just another angry ahjussi. These characters in this drama all have a purpose and they're all characters we can relate with. 

I would definitely recommend this drama to any viewer who isn't a huge fan on the stereotypical romance k-drama and is interested in watching dramas that are actually focused on legal issues. And for people who think Kim Myung Soo can't act (I used to be one of them), you need to do watch this because he'll change your opinion.

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Hehehehe

Here's my review/final thoughts on the drama 'Miss Hammurabi'!

I hope y'all enjoyed it as much as I did~

This summer has been really busy for me so this is like the only drama I kept up with ㅠㅠ

I'm so sad it's over, I'm going to miss all the characters and the always perfect timing of 'IT'S ALRIGHTTTTTT' LOL

Hope everyone is having a good summer!

Talk to you soon!

♡

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[SPOILERS!!!][ddoboja reviews] My Ahjussi // My Mister

"Thank you." 

I believe those words perfectly describe how I feel towards this drama. Initially, when articles came out announcing this drama, I (and many other Korean netizens) were turned off by it not only because of its title, the whole #MeToo mess with Oh Dal Su (let's bless Park Ho San for being casted in this role as his replacement), but also because of the drama's female lead, IU. Personally, I was never a big fan of IU's acting. To me, I only knew IU as "IU the singer who occasionally acts." Her acting never captivated me and based on the general public's reactions towards her past acting, most of her works, where she's the lead, weren't really considered a huge success. But I have to admit, I do have a bias against singer/idol turned "actors". Many of these idol/singer-turned-actors don't start off acting with minor roles but take on lead roles (usually with the help of their agency's influence on the production). And their acting usually feels out-of-place in a lot of the works they participate in. So... I didn't have huge expectations for this drama. But boy... was I proven wrong. 

With 'My Ahjussi', I feel like IU just perfectly consumed the role of Lee Ji An. It didn't feel like an actor was just playing a role, it literally felt like the character of Lee Ji An was a real person. When watching her portray the character Lee Ji An, you couldn't even feel or see any sense of IU in there. I felt the same way with Lee Sun Kyun and his role as Park Dong Hoon. When Lee Sun Kyun was playing Park Dong Hoon, his acting didn't remind me of any of his past roles (e.g. Coffee Prince, Pasta). You know an actor is truly talented when they're able to make your heart ache with just the sound of their heavy breathing. 

This drama really felt like it was the rediscovery of Lee Sun Kyun and Lee Ji Eun. To me, it felt like IU was able to create a path where she can now be recognized and acknowledged as 'Lee Ji Eun the actor' not only by her fans but also by regular viewers. Before the drama began, people expected her to not perform as well as her co-stars but as episodes went on and on, the comments on her acting were filled with praise and other commenters began to call out commenters that hated on IU's acting by saying things that the haters clearly weren't watching the drama and were just mindlessly hating on her. 

I think the biggest lesson this drama thought the viewers was how you can like someone without it being a physical/sexual attraction. This thought was perfectly worded by this comment: 

Lee Ji An and Park Dong Hoon clearly care for each other and respect one another. With Lee Ji An, her character was never given basic human respect. At a young age, loan sharks hounded her because of her parent's debt and although she's encountered some people who would be nice to her, she even says that they stop around their fourth attempt. Lee Ji An respects and cares for Park Dong Hoon because he's one of the first people to just treat her like any other individual in the world and his respect and care towards her stayed consistent. 

Park Dong Hoon's character is a bit hard to describe. It seems like his life had reached a plateau before all the events with Lee Ji An began. He knows his relationship with his wife is going nowhere, he's constantly worried about his mother and brothers, and he doesn't appear to be completely happy with where his life either but he's content with it. But Lee Ji An comes in and reassures him that he's still a good person even though he doesn't see himself that way. Personally, I feel like the drama worked out so well because the characters are relatable. Everyone's goal in life is to achieve happiness but I feel like this drama is reminding us to find comfort and be at peace with what we currently have and where we're currently at in our stage of life. It's like reminding us to appreciate things and not to be too hard on ourselves. 

What I really liked about this drama were the changes we were able to see and notice as the drama progressed. Lee Ji An starts off as a very cynical person but as the drama progresses, she's able to show her weaknesses and sensitivity. Park Dong Hoon also becomes more and more motivated to do what he wants to do and starts to give less of a fuck of what others think about him. Initially, I thought the drama over-exaggerated the role of Kwang Il (played by Jang Ki Yong) and his violence towards Ji An but the writer was able to resolve that issue by explaining that during Ji An and Kwang Il's childhood, Kwang Il used to protect Ji An from his loan shark father but in the future, the roles reverse and Kwang Il ends up taking on his father's role and he's remorseful over that (well in my opinion he was LOL). My favorite part about this drama was the changes in coloring. The drama is usually presented in dark coloring themes but I really liked how in the finale, when Lee Ji An and Park Dong Hoon reunited, the overall coloring of the scene was bright and even Ji An was dressed in more warm tones. Both, Lee Ji An and Park Dong Hoon, looked happier - which was something they promised each other that they would be happy. 

Personally, I'm one of the viewers who really liked the ending and I'm alright with the characters not ending up together. I don't think the point of the drama was for Lee Ji An and Park Dong Hoon to romantically end up together. I think the purpose of the drama was to show human relationships and show how liking someone doesn't always have to be about being attracted to them physically or romantically. You can like someone because you respect them, look up to them, or just care about them. 

I think this is the first Korean drama I've watched where there wasn't any romance plot between the two leads and to be honest, it was really refreshing. The drama explored the various struggles people experience throughout their lives, whether it is: workplace struggles, family struggles, or personal struggles. In my opinion, I believe 'My Ahjussi' showed us that a drama can be successful without having to have a main romance plot and I believe that's why tvN's police drama 'Live' was also successful because it actually showed the lives of police officers without being another romance drama that disguises itself as a "police/medical" drama just because the setting is in a police station or a hospital when the main focus is on the two leads' relationship. 

Overall, this drama has also become one of my life's all-time favorite dramas and has introduced me to one of my favorite actors, Lee Ji Eun. I wish more people would give this drama a chance so that it can break the stigma that's held against IU as an actor.  

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Haha omgggg 

This is my first time doing a review about a Korean drama

but it's mostly just a post about my final thoughts on the drama!

I can't believe this drama has ended ㅠ.ㅠ

Now what am I going to watch... 

Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did~

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