namjhyun

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | Sirens (2025)

The casual audience member looking for something to watch will likely write off Sirens but they would be missing out, because it's actually more interesting than what it first looks like.

This tv show is a condensed and poignant study in class, and women's worth and place in a family, painted in pastels colour. More in the vein of The Stepford Wives than recent projects with a similar setting and cast.

I really recommend it, and try to not spoil yourself the development and ending. It's worth the wait.

[namjhyun]

RESIDENT PLAYBOOK 언젠가는슬기로울전공의생활 (2025) Episode 1 x Episode 9

[namjhyun]

Did you memorize that? It was easy to remember. You're good. You have a knack for it.

[namjhyun]

Do you have a job at the moment? When do you plan on working again?

RESIDENT PLAYBOOK | S1E1

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | Aoshima-kun wa Ijiwaru (2024)

This was a very lovely drama about a romance between two co-workers who start as fake relationship for one day, only to become friends and slowly starting to fall in love. The biggest hurdle, in their relationship, I would say it's their age difference but the open communication and maturity from both of them, makes it easy to work things out any issues.

I like Yukino as a leading lady. I particularly like that she knows herself and it's aware of her shortcomings and strengths. She's also older and experienced, so while Yukino dreams of romance she has her feet on Earth and understands the realities of relationships and love.

Aoshima as a leading man is fun because of his confidence on his love for Yukino but he's also aware enough to have moments of doubt, not about her but about how to approach the relationships and I think that's quite relatable.

One of the small treats from Aoshima-kun wa Ijiwaru is finding out its the sister drama to The Reason We Fall In Love, as it takes place in the same world and even company,

Overall, this was a sweet and short drama to watch if you are looking for something calming.

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | The Reason We Fall In Love (2024)

I really liked this drama. It was a calm and mature slow burn romance between adults in different stages of life, and a diverse insecurities and personalities, trying to figure out their relationships but also life in general.

This felt like a honest portrayal of modern love and friendship, that was sweet and fun, never overly dramatic. If there was any drama between any of the characters, it was due to misunderstandings, and these never lasted long as these are people who care for each other and actively try to fix things by communicating properly and even clumsily. Sometimes you don't have the words or the perfect speech to win back someone. Other times, actions speak louder than words.

Overall, this was a really fun drama that I would watch again in a heartbeat.

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | Hello Nice To Meet You, Let's Get Divorced! (2025)

I am dropping Hello Nice To Meet You, Let's Get Divorced!

I gave it four episodes, which was gracious of me considering how incredibly annoyed I was at the entire premise and development of the characters. It's not necessarily a bad production but:

1) it's the most predictable story I have seen in a while; 2) the power dynamics give me the ick; 3) the casting feels all wrong.

Not for me. Thank you, next!

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | Rainkissed Fate (2025)

Look, I have been in a string of poorly made web-dramas. When it wasn't the performances, it was the infuriating storyline; or both. And I am no fool, I know the golden rule it's to leave logic at the door of the first episode to be able to enjoy them but lately it's been really bad, fam.

I started watching Rainkissed Fate with no expectations ,and maybe that helped but honestly? I think this is actually a solid drama. Yes, the story is wild and as I mentioned before I left logic behind, but the performances are really good for the material the actors have to work with. And the leads' chemistry? Off the charts. FINALLY.

This doesn't mean the drama it's not filled with annoying secondary characters that are so sure they are doing the best for the leads that they resource to CRIME or misunderstandings that need to be solved in order for them to be together but it all pushes the story and the relationship forward.

This was nice. At the very least, I was entertained for a several weeks.

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | The Glory (2025)

The Glory certainly knows how to hook you in.

The production design is damn good. Although the drama doesn't name in which dynasty it takes place but from everything you can see from the clothes to the set pieces and locations, it's clearly the late Ming Dynasty. A really important point of the story that confirms this, it's the subplot regarding a powerful eunuch, the Ming Dynasty was known for how Eunuchs gained unprecedented power over state affairs. The fact the main story of The Glory centres, in part, on the aftermath of capturing all the followers of a powerful Eunuch who angered the Emperor, confirms this is the late period of this particular dynasty.

The cinematography outstanding. I love it when a drama uses light and shadow narratively, to expand the inner turmoils of a character's emotions, this is particularly effective when you are trying to destroy your entire family from within the darken rooms and hallways of their mansion on a bloody, snowy winter. This also makes The Glory a really pretty drama to watch.

Narratively speaking, the drama relies on short and exciting highs and plot twits to capture the audience's attention. Especially as it builds up to capture the root of the family's inner problems. This means as a whole, The Glory might not be as cohesive but overall very entertaining.

As for the performances, this is only the second time I have seen Chen Du Ling in a tv show or film and I am impressed with her. I think she has a talent to captivate trough her performance, no matter if she has to be calm and collected, or screaming bloody murder.

This was also my first time seeing a drama starring Xin Yun Lai and ,to be honest, it was rather disappointing. I am not sure if there was a particular description in this scripts or a director's decision but the he was simply emotionless 95% of the time, which made it very hard to connect with his character or even understand why should I even care for his revenge story. There's being poker faced, and then there's this. And this is not good.

In stark contrast, our main villain and the other family members are outstanding. Yu En Tai (FL's father) absolutely devoured this role by playing meek and slowly but surely showing his true colours; Wen Zheng Ron (FL's mother) is a goddamn shakespearean actress trained to perform in this kind of story as if she was born for the role; and Wan Yan (Concubine Zhou) was a wonder to watch as she moved swiftly among the many traps put in place by our lead.

Overall, I would recommend The Glory for most of the performances, the entertaining and production value.

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | Love in the Edge of Divorce (2025)

If you are going to watch Love in the Edge of Divorce, all logic and mental preservation must be put aside. I like to think of this story as a melodrama in a web drama form, which to be honest it's not a good combination but each episode it's like 15 minutes long (including the opening and ending credits), so it's not all that bad.

While I liked leading lady, I wished more than once that her threats on divorce would be make good. Leading man is a walking red flag: domineering (in the worst way), quick to jump to the worst conclusions, and spew hurtful words, only to change his mind five seconds later. No, really. Remember each episode it's 15 minutes long.

There are some elements that make this story fun but I wish they would have used the 31 long episodes to develop a proper story instead of giving 15 minute chapters with repetitive issues.

The music is a great, tho. Really enjoyed the soundtrack and even download it to listen in the future.

Other than that, I can't say much. I think this might be a drama to watch while you are cleaning the house or ironing, so you don't have to pay much attention but won't miss anything.

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | The Quirky and The Charming (2025)

I really needed to watch a lighthearted romcom that it wouldn’t have unnecessary drama but it was mature enough to keep the story interesting.

The Quirky and the Charming fulfilled my expectations. I thought the story was solid, and the way the script developed the characters as well. Everyone was well fleshed out and no character felt one-dimensional, instead everyone pushed the story forward. I was also really pleased to see that those who did wrong to our main characters, are not magically forgiven but have to accept the consequences of their actions.

The second leads were fun in the way they created conflict for the leads, but never in a intrusive way. And the way their relationship was built felt organic.

As for the leads; I have never seen Lu Yang Yang before but she’s a really good leading lady. Her character, Yiran, was excellent but not perfect, and watching her grow as a person a delightful journey.

I have seen Xing Zhaolin in roles like this one before but, out of all of them, this is probably the best one. He still manages to hit all the romcom troupes but his character is more mature and tone down than other version, making him far more compelling and easy to cheer for. As a leading man, Mucheng, was a green flag from the beginning to end; but he too had to grow and it was thanks to Yiran he finds the courage to do so.

As a team, the leads are fun and endearing. Their relationship progression was really well written, not rushed but it’s not a slow burn either. It was perfectly timed, the right temperature, the right spice, the right love.

I guess that’s the best way to describe this drama. Although full of clichés and troupes, it was the right amount of everything. Never overboard, never boring.

If you are looking for a lighthearted romcom, this might be it.

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | Si Jin (2025)

When Si Jin was first announced, I was really excited and I am not going to deny it was because Jing Tian and Zhang Wanyi are two of my favourite chinese actors working today. They were, for the most part, the best of this drama but that's to be expected considering they are the leads and need to carry a heavy storyline of family and court politics, and outsmarting not only our main villain but every pawn she puts in their way. On this, Si Jin was satisfying. The rest of the supporting cast was also really good with what they were given to work with.

But from the beginning Si Jin had some storytelling issues. It could be ignore at first but as the story progressed and revelations started, it started to look messy. I struggled to put my finger on it for a while, why wasn't Si Jin working as it should when it had all the right elements? I have narrowed it down to the combination of small and big things.

For starters, Si Jin's script is not exactly tight and coherent the whole time. As a consequence, for example, the main villain comes of as one-dimensional; so when she argues her talents were always were overlooked because of her gender or that she was in marriage without love, it simply leaves the viewer wondering "Am I supposed to feel bad for her?". Because I spent 39 episodes watching her murder indiscriminately, with the first point never being developed and the latter where it's clear as day she actually forced the man to marry her. Another key point, is that the mystery surrounding one of the leads' connection to another nation was put in the back burner for way too long, in favour of repetitive family conflicts.

All of this gets more obvious when you realize one of the drama's weakest points, its editing. There are harsh cuts and inconsistencies in the sequence of the story, so much so, that makes me think a studio suit (or censor?) put their hands on the show, cutting in order to achieve a certain amount of episodes, avoid some of the points the show was trying to make or the story it was trying to tell.

I googled the people responsible for this drama, behind the scenes, and while they are experienced, looking at their filmography makes me think perhaps this story was too big of a project to develop for them. Which it can be a reality that affected the drama's final cut.

Overall, Si Jin feels like the skeleton of what could have been a really great drama have they had the opportunity to be fully fleshed out. I still enjoyed it, tho, and it didn't drag at any minute. It's a solid 7 out of 10 stars.

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | Maiden Holmes (2020)

This drama started strong and I was really invested in the characters' personal stories, relationships and their growth as people as they started working together on each case. There's also a really interesting factor of a major mystery involving leading lady's identity that was promising.

The performances are good and the cast has good chemistry. The action sequences are really well done, delivering some great fighting choreographies. The costume design, tho, felt mid. There was nothing special to it, which it's a little disappointing.

At some point, I started fast forwarding some scenes. The drama felt repetitive and I have to blame it on the unnecessary constant exposition; if I just something happened, I don't need it described to me through dialogue when there's nothing to add to it. I also think the drama misused the main villain of the story, not properly showing his talents until the end and centering more in each case. I always wanted to see more of the court, which in the final episodes proved to be more interesting with its scheming characters, both, good and bad.

Overall, this is a good and stress free drama to watch while you are cleaning around the house or something like that.

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | Les Belles (2025)

Les Belles was not in my radar and I can't remember why I started watching it, but I am glad I did because this is easily one of the best romcoms of this year. And not only that, it has a solid political intrigue on the side.

Lingyu is a wonderful leading lady. She has being through it after her parents' passing, raised (if you can call it that) by her uncle and aunt, she has manage to grow to be a young lady full of confidence and self-love, smart as a fox but, because of her circumstances, she's also kind and humble. Lingyu has a very clear goal in life and plans several steps ahead to get it. It is only right that she would meet her match in Yun, a young lord who has a talent for political and military strategy and comes from a family of court officials. Raised by his uncle, an important Minister, just like Lingyu, but in a loving enviorement that has allowed him to grow to be one of the capital's most desirable talent and bachelor.

Watching these two play an extended game of wits, as they get to know each other and come to the realization they might be perfect for each other, it's an absolutely a treat. It's only enhanced by Yun's family dynamics with his cousin Xian (a hilarious mother hen), followed by the strict aunt and uncle, and Grandma's constant health ruse. Add to that Jinchuan (Yun's nagging servant) who does everything possible to get his ship sailing, and you have romcom gold.

But that's not all, the rest of the supporting cast it's also full of lovable characters with excellent character development. The Crown Prince and his siblings are a handful (iykyk) but really honest and good people; it's been a while since I have seen such great royals. Miss Chen and Miss Zhou complete the friends group, bringing some really heart-wrenching and hilarious moments.

The political narrative of this drama it's also really interesting and balances out the comedy perfectly, giving the drama some gravitas and opportunities for the characters to grow as young adults taking their places in the public arena. All the characters are developed wonderfully through their relationships but also the political intrigue they must handle, which has an emotional and action packed resolution.

Les Belles just kept getting better with every episode, until the very last scene, and keeping me on my toes and entertained. The excellency of this is not only thanks to the cast perfect chemistry and performances, but also due to the people behind the scenes. The filming locations were perfectly chosen, the sets beautiful to look at, each costume design a perfect mirror to the character wearing it. The stunt coordinator for all the action scenes and even some of the physical comedy really delivered some of the most hilarious and bloody savage choreographies.

Director Huang Ying Xiang and scriptwriter Wang Hong are a dream team; and I would love for these two badass women to work together again if they deliver this kind of high level production every time.

Don't miss out on Les Belles!!

[namjhyun]

怎敌她千娇百媚 | Morning from Lu Mansion

[namjhyun]

Choo Young Woo for Harper’s Bazaar Korea March 2025

[namjhyun]

Choo Young Woo for Harper’s Bazaar Korea March 2025