Perfect for my inner science fiction nerd that also likes a little romance

10/10 is my rating. I really liked both the male (Seo Kang-jun) and female (Gong Seung-yeon) leads in this drama. This 2018 South Korean drama spans 36 episodes (although most places you watch it the episodes are combined with 18 episodes with a "split" in the middle and they wind up being about an hour so equivalent to most that would just run 18 episodes). It explores the very complex issue of when robots become so complex that they are virtually indistinguishable from humans can humans develop feelings and relationships with them. Dr. Oh (Oh Laura) is a mother and a robot scientist well ahead of her time. When her husband dies/commits suicide/is murdered (that is part of the mystery) the grandfather takes her young son who will be heir to the family business and fortune. He puts mother and son (Nam Shim) in a position where neither feel they can subvert the grandfather's wishes without harm coming to the other. Still grieving over the loss of her husband and her separation from her young son, Dr. Oh develops robots to mirror the image of her son as he grows. When tragedy strikes she has the robot stand in for the real Nam Shim to hold his place in the line of succession.

spoiler 🚨 Nam Shim's female body guard (Kang So-bong) and many of Nam Shim's co-workers try to figure out why the son seems to undergo a dramatic change in character (for the better). Slowly the body guard begins to develop feelings for the robot thinking, at first, he is human. When she discovers his secret you wonder if her feelings will change. The male lead plays both the human and the robot so masterfully they really seem like two distinct characters. There is not so much a chemistry between the male and female leads (that would be a bit weird) as there is just this sense of two that perfectly complement each other. There is a villain, of course, who tried to kill Nam Shim once (which is the reason he is in a coma) and threatens to kill and/or remove anyone who gets in his way. I really liked this one because it is like a window to the future and questions what it means to be human. It was not hard to understand So-bong's feelings as many of us develop some emotional attachment to objects in our life such as our car or maybe our electronic vacuum. And those are simple and cannot respond back to us. I liked this drama the entire way through and was sorry when it ended as I so enjoyed my time with these characters. I thought it ended nicely and all of the major plot points were wrapped up. This is up with my all time favorites and I highly recommend it.

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Heartwarming romantic sports drama with coming of age , mystery and small town elements

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean coming of age, romantic, sports drama with 12, ~60 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Coming from a family of decorated ssireum players, Kim Baek doo (Jang Dong yoon) becomes disillusioned when he is unable to excel as was expected of him. Feeling the pressure of being viewed as a prodigy, and not living up to his name, Baek doo goes through the motions of retiring. When his “soul mate”/childhood friend, Oh Yoo kyung/Oh Doo sik (Lee Ju myoung) returns after dropping out of contact for years, Baek doo feels re-energized to try again to rise to the top in his sport. Problem is this woman who looks exactly like his childhood friend in form and manner insists she is not Oh Doo sik. She says she is Oh Yoo kyung and appears to be married. Still she will be managing the ssireum team which puts the two in the same circle and gives Naek doo more opportunities to determine if she is actually his friend in disguise. With the team on the verge of collapse, it will take the two of them, the team and supporters to keep the team together. But why is Oh Doo sik really back and why is she pretending to be married?

Note: Ssireum is Korean wrestling sport that began in the Goryeo and Joseon period. Each opponent wears a cloth called a satba (belt) that loops around the waste and thigh. The opponets grab each other’s satba and make whatever moves it takes to get the other’s body, above the knee, to touch the ground.

Review

I really like sports dramas. This one is enjoyable on just the slice of life level and having the opportunity to learn more about ssireum. But it has mystery, romance, family and ftiendships all wrapped into one lovely drama series. I will likely watch it again and highly recommend it to others. It ends well and happy.

Spoilers

The way Baek doo mumbles to himself about all manner of things is cute and makes the character incredibly likable.

Part of the charm of Doo sik was her boyish ruff and tumble nature but I would have liked to see her soften more particularly with Baek doo. The way she smacked him in the head bordered on abusive and I did not enjoy that aspect of her character. She could be a bit cold to him and I thought her reasons for missing both of his matches were ridiculous. When you really care about someone you find a way to show up. Still after all,of that they admitted their feelings and got together at the very end. We got so little time seeing them as a couple, I would have liked a little more.

The big reveal on who the killer was fell flat because we did not get to know him much. I watched with my daughter and we were both like “rice cake who?” So it was not a shocking plot twist like I think they were trying for.

While it ended well it would have been even better to know what they were going to do about her living in Seoul and him living in their hometown. Other than her coming back for a visit, there was no mention of how they planned to manage the distance factor. It was also unclear if Baek doo would continue wrestling.

#LikeFlowersinSand. #Ssireum #JangDongYoon #LeeJuMyoung

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Another great additional to the reality dating genre

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean reality dating show with 11, 56-85 minute episodes

First I provide a unique synopsis then Review.

Synopsis
A group of single men and women live on an island called Inferno which has the basic necessities for survival. The set up is a base level glamping environment and very minimal foods are provided. Through a combination of competition rewards and matching during selections couples are able to go to another island called Paradise. On Paradise couples are able to reveal their ages and occupations and get to know each other in luxury accommodations and with a feast of food items. Singles can also interact on Inferno but are not allowed to reveal their ages or occupations. Friends form in the cabin style dorms and singles interact as friend and potential romantic partners while cooking and going about daily living. During the final episode, the single women are stationed around the island and the men are able to go to the single women if their choice. The single woman then selects by grabbing the hand of the man she chooses to leave the island with.

CELEBRITY HOSTS
Hong Jin kyung Born in 1977. She would have been 46 when the show aired. She is an entrepreneur, model, host, comedian and actress.
Lee Da-hee Born in 1985 she would have been 39 when the show aired. She is a model and actress.
Cho Kyu Hyun (Kyuhyun) Born in 1988 he would have been 35 when the show aired. He is a multi talented musical theater actor, television show host and member of Kpop band Super Junior
Jung Han hae (Hanhae) Born in 1990 he would have been 33 when the show aired. He was a singer and rapper. A Former member of the South Korean hip hop boy band Phantom.
Kim Jin Young (Dex) Born in 1985 he would have been 38 when the show aired. He was a single during season 2 but is returning to join the host panel. He was a member of the Korean Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) soldier has also appeared in South Korean reality shows Game of Blood and Zombieverse. He may soon be taking roles in South Korean dramas.

SINGLES

WOMEN

Kim Gyu ri Born in 1996 would have been about 28 at the time the show aired. Fashion and beauty model Gyu-ri was a runner-up for Miss Korea 2022.
Choi Hye seon Born in 1998 would have been about 26 at the time. A bioinformatics major at the Life Sciences department of Ewha Women’s University,
An Min young . A Pilates instructor who owns her own studio. She also competed in Miss Busan Jinhae 2023 and influencer with over 40k followers prior to the show.
Yun Ha jeong, Born in 1998 would have been about 26 at the time. She is an office worker at a medical clothing company. She is also an aspiring actress and model signed to an agency. A former beauty pageant contestant where she was runner-up in Miss Chunhyang 2021.
Cho Min ji Born in 1998. She would have been about 26 at the time. She was a college student studying to be an anchor. Attended Ewha Womans University. She was a Miss Korea 2021 runner up.
Yu Si eun Born in 1997. She would have been about 27 when the show aired.Freelance model in beauty and fashion. She is an influencer and was the first runner up for Miss Korea in 2022. 

MEN

Choi Min woo, Born in 2000. He was about 23 at the time. He is a model who has worked for several fashion brands and walked in Seoul Fashion week.
Lee Gwan hee Born in 1988 he was about 36 at the time. He is a professional basketball player. He appeared on variety shows such as Running Man. He also does a personal youtube channel.
Son Won ik Born in 1993 he would have been about 31 at the time. He is a licensed realtor and avid marathon runner. Like several of the others, he also has his own youtube channel.
Yun Ha bin Born in 1993 he was about 31 at the time. He is an actor who mostly does independent films, He had a brief appearance in Episode 2 of the recent South Korean drama, My Demon.
Park Min kyu, Born in 1989 he would have been about 34. He is a police officer and rescue diver on the Korean Coast Guard's Sea Special Rescue Team. He was a competitive swimmer in his school years but had to drop out of competition after a shoulder injury.
Lee Jin-seok Born in 1993 he would have been about 31 when the show aired. He is an entrepreneur who owns several bakery cafés in Daegu and Seoul, South Korea.

Review

I liked the first part of the show a lot.  The getting to know each other phase was very interesting. The latter episodes had a lot more conflict that wasn’t about I have genuine feelings but more I feel strongly about this person in a competitive sense.  I find myself disillusioned a bit the more I watch reality dating as I want to observe the progression of a relationship leading to a more permanent relationship or at least dating and I don’t think that is what many of these shows wind up being about.  It is more Mr. and Mrs. Right now and within the game. I think the perfect example of this is one single will become the most desired of that gender and everyone goes for them in a competitive way. Then it seems more like competing than having any genuine compatibility or long term interest. 
 It is good, worth watching, and I would recommend it to others with similar interest. I will not rewatch it but I don’t tend to rewatch any reality shows. Is it sad? Depends on how much you feel for those that exhibit heartbreak or get rejected. I don’t find it sad just because I don’t believe any deep attachments can be formed in such a short time period. Does it end happy? Well, that depends on whether or not you can be happy even if the person does not decide on the one you think is a good match for them.  There are no guarantees that your favorite couple will wind up together. But that is just reality dating shows for you. People, in regular life also often pick based on attraction rather than true compatibility.  Not saying that is what happened but it is definitely a thing that does happen with some of the singles.

Spoilers
 Kim Gyu ri became one of my favorite singles. She was not stuck up. Actually quite the opposite. Her actions proved her to be quite genuine and down to Earth.  And I think that is why her interaction with Choi Min Woo was misinterpreted. When they confessed the start of feelings for each other she was very honest. And she asked him to “stay put” which I thought was clear she was asking him to wait for her.  But after he decided, for no apparent reason, that he was suddenly very attracted to Yu Si eun. I did not think they had enough interaction to warrant that sudden inseparable fated love union the two of them formed.  I could see how Gyu ri would have been surprised and hurt after having come back from Paradise, where she kept her word and wasn’t showing any romantic interest, to find that Min Woo was suddenly all in for Si eun. Min Woo knew what he said to Gyu ri and I thought Gyu Ri’s comment to him that he was being like player Lee Gwan hee was warranted. I thought Si eun knew the situation but didn’t care because she decided she wanted him.  I was disappointed in both of them.  If Min Woo changed his mind that is totally okay in the context but there are ways to let the other person down gently and ways where you are just being hurtful.  I was really glad Gyu ri told Min Woo his behavior was hurtful and wrong because it was.  I was also disappointed in the panel who concluded Gyu ri was too harsh and wrong to scold Min Woo.  She was nice about it really. 
Si eun gave a negative impression from the beginning when she stated she thought she was better than others.  If she had depth of character and a nice personality that certainly did not come through. She was cold to Son Won ik when he expressed his feelings and back stabbed Gyu ri by emotionally manipulating Min Woo late in the show.  Her tears when she couldn’t see him and pouty behavior was extremely emotionally manipulative and juvenile.   I also lost a lot of respect for Si eun when she want and interrupted when Gyu ri and Min Woo were talking. If you think you need to interrupt then you obviously think the two might have some feelings and, since you are the one that stepped in late, it would have been classier to give them their moment.  She was the one that stepped in after those two already had something going. Gyu ri was hurt and yes she was venting and scolding Min Woo a bit but it was the least he could do for going about things the way he did.  Being rejected hurts and being rejected so publicly would hurt even worse.  I didn’t think Si eun and Min Woo’s interactions were cute or romantic at all.  Si eun should have not have essentially rubbed it in. It was a mean girl thing to do.
Lee Gwan Hee’s behavior toward the women was awful.
Lee Jin seok surprised me and wound up being a favorite. Min Young made a series of comments about how she didn’t like that the other singles already considered them a pair and how she didn’t like those decisions being made for her.  He backed off and actually changed his mind.  I respected that.  What she said was hurtful and I am a person that thinks people mean what they say.  He was also very kind, mature and thoughtful in all of his interactions with the other participants. So my first impression of Jin seok was totally off base and he was one of the males on the island I found the most personable and genuine. 
Choi Min ji ‘sbehavior where she was trying to get Gwan hee’s attention on the flight to Paradise was uncomfortable and I thought it was insensitive of her. 
#SinglesInferno3, #SinglesInfernoSeason3, #ChoMinWoo, #LeeGwanHee,#SonWonIk
,#YunHaBin,#ParkMinKyu,#KimGyuRi,#ChoiHyeSeon,#AnMinYoung,#YunaHaJeong
,#ChoiMinJi,#KyuHyun,#Hanhae,#KimJinYoung ,#Dex,#HongJinKyung,#LeeDaHee
,#ChiKyuHyun,#JungHanHae

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One of my new all time favorites. Loved every minute and sad when it ended.

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean Romantic Comedy with 12, 80 Minute Episodes.

First I provide a Unique Synopsis then Review.

Synopsis

Seo Mok ha (Park Eun bin) is a girl on a mission. Her dream is to meet her female idol who made it huge and came from her very same small hometown. If she can just impress her idol with her singing enough, she might get a chance at fame herself and be able to escape her physically abusive father. Kang Bo geol/Jung Ki ho (Chae Jong Hyeop and Moon Woo jin actors) at first thought Mokha was just a frivolous girl without a care. But her happy exterior holds that dark secret and he finds out she is suffering from abuse just as he is. With that common everyday horror, and no adults who believe and support them, he decides to help Mokha realize her dream by videoing, editing and even submitting her work to her idol for a competition. It works and Mokha has an appointment with her idol which is sure to change her life. To get to Seoul, the two plan to run away together but they are separated when their plan is discovered. One battered child is forced to remain on the island and Mokha makes a desperate leap off the ship to escape her abusive father. She comes to on a deserted island and spends 15 years as a castaway who is presumed dead before finally being rescued. She is now a 31 year old who has the social skills of someone in their teens. Is it too late for her to find her lost love and finally realize her dreams?

Review

This goes down as one of my all time favorites. My preference is happy ending, heartwarming romances and this checks all those boxes. I will rewatch this and highly recommend it for anyone that likes happy ending romance, idol stories, and friends to more. It has a dark beginning, with some severe domestic violence so a caution to anyone that might feel trauma from that. Those that do evil in this either get karma served or see the error of their ways.

Spoilers

I have seen other cases where the abuser is a police officer and that makes it really difficult for victims. I felt no sympathy when her father drowned after trying to get to her on the ferry. He may have led a sad life up to that point but others do and they do not abuse other people. I understand why she still felt sad but I was glad she quickly moved on.

I felt like her separation from Yoon Ranjoo (Kim Hiyo Jin) was unnecessarily long. I get that Ranjoo had trust issues but I thought it was unreasonable for her to not even listen.

The dynamics of the boy’s family and how sweet those relationships were made the show even better.A mother or father or other close family member is so much more than just the biology. I was glad the Prosecutor did not prosecute them for identity theft. They really had been through enough being abused and then hiding from, that monster.

I loved that it showed her finally with Kiho and singing for a huge audience.

#CastawayDiva

#ParkEunBin

#LeeARin

#LeeRe

#KimHyoJin

#HanDaIn

#SonYeRin

#ChaeJongHyeop

#MoonWooJin

#ChaHakYeon

#KangTaeUng

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Couple more often stay together relative to the South Korean version

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 Chinese dating reality show modeled after the popular South Korean show of the same title.

First I provide a synopsis then a unique review.

Synopsis

This is the Chinese version of the Korean reality dating show of the same name. The show starts with six singles, three men and three women who enter the chosen house location one at a time the first day. They cohabit the “signal house” (which changes each season) with the women sharing one bedroom and the men sharing two bedrooms. The overall goal of the show is for the singles to go about their daily lives while freely flirting/sending signals with the other occupants of the house. There are few organized activities, the main focus is on them living together and getting to know each other more naturally. At the end of each day they send a signal (an anonymous text) to the opposite sex single of their choosing and the detectives must determine who will send a signal/text to whom.

Signal House rules

>Singles must return to Signal House each night

>Singles cannot reveal their age or occupation until the 2nd day

>Singles cannot directly confess their like or love at any time during their stay

>At the end of the day, singles can send an anonymous text to one other house member

>Singles can go on one official date but each female picks a location without revealing her choice and the males choose the location they prefer.

Celebrity Panel/Detectives

Du Haitao is a television host and actor. He was born in 1987. So he would have been about 32 at the time the show was filmed.

Victoria Song is a singer, dancer, actress, model, host and author known for her work as the leader of South Korean girl group f(x). She was born in 1987. About 32 years old when the show was filmed.

Yang Chaoyue is an actor and singer in the Chinese group Rocket Girls 101. She was born in 1998 and would have been 22 when the show was filmed, she is the only season 2 panelist that was also a panelist in season 1.

Zheng Kai is an actor and television personality. He was born in 1986 and would have been about 34 when the show was filmed.

Rainie Yang she is an actor, singer and television host. Born in 1984 she would have been 36 when the show was filmed.

Pearl Poon also known as Poon Ngai Tung. Is a Hing Kong born actress. She was born in 1995 so would have been 24 when the show was filmed.

Liu Xuan Former artist gymnast. Born in 1979. Would have been 41 when the show was filmed. After she retired from gymnastics she turned to acting and television presenting.

Ren Jia Lun also known as Ren Guo Cho (English name Allen) is an actor and former professional table tennis player. He is a guest panelist in episodes 3 and 4. He was born in 1989 so would have been 31 when the show was filmed.

SINGLES

FEMALES

*Yang Kaiwen (Nickname Kevin). Fashion Toy Designer. Was an Animation major at Communication University China. Born in 1994. 25 at time of filming.

*Zhang Tian Film and television show producer. Double majored in Gender Studies and Film at Syracuse. Her company has offices in Bejing and Los Angeles. Born in 1996. 24 at the time if filming.

*Wui Pei Graduated from University of South Florida with a degree in Business Management. Holds the prestigious position of Director of Human Resources for an internet based company. Born in 1990. She was 29 years old when this show was filmed.

*Pan Zhengru. General Manager at an event planning company. She was born in 195 and would have been 24 at the time the show was filmed.

MALES

*Wu xiangwei (William) Champagne brand ambassador. Swiss hotel management school, project management major sommelier echondon sommelier of 2018 from food and wine 1991 and many other awards in the industry. Born 1991. 28 at the time if filming.

*Zhao Qi Jun He is a Beijing Culture Construction Foundation Investment Manager. Attended the University of Nottingham Finance and Investment and graduated with a masters in business administration MBA. Born in 1991. He would have been 28 at the time.

*Chen Yi Chen Part time English teacher. Attending the University of Canberra and majoring in business at the time of filming. He was born in 1996. He was 24 at the time of filming

*Huang Zhengxuan. Head of sports medicine at an anti aging cancer prevention center in Bejing. Born in 1995. He was 25 at the time of filming.

Review

The detectives/celebrity panel in this are nearly as entertaining to watch as is the drama playing out as the singles interact. Zheng Kai is so funny I was often laughing out loud at his antics. I have watched several reality shows with celebrity panels but this has been, by far my favorite.

One thing reviewers that have watched both the South Korean and Chinese versions of this show comment consistently is they like the Chinese version as the couples tend to stick together more. I have watched all the South Korean Heart Signal to date and wholeheartedly agree with this assessment. There is far less surprise in who they pick and who they reject and the reasons why they might go that way. It can still be frustrating when us self appointed matchmakers, watching through our fourth wall, identify a couple that seem perfectly suited for each other but one of them does not go that way. We must remind ourselves that these are real people with real feelings and it is often the case that the heart and mind do not agree on romantic choices.

My favorite part of these shows is watching such wonderful friendships and budding romances develop. It highlights how fragile an early romance can be. At the point where no one has fully confessed their feelings (and in this show they can’t( what seems like a rock solid situation, can be severed relatively easily. It is also important to keep in mind we see only a small portion of all the footage that is shot as the singles go about their lives. I am not suggesting they steer the outcome with the editing, but what I am indicating is there are small things that happen between the singles that we do not see which add up to a different outcome than we may expect.

The one disappointment I have in the Chinese version is there is not a lot of effort put in to show us what happened with the singles after they left the show. As viewers we feel we get to know the singles a little and care about what happens with them. I think it is unreasonable to think they would only choose others that were in the show to date, they are obviously going to return to their normal lives and have a different set of people they interact with. But I know I am not the only one that would like to know how they are doing. As much of an emotional roller coaster it can be for the viewers, it is even more for the singles.

I highly recommend this to anyone that likes reality television particularly those that are fans of shows like “The Bachelor” or just anyone that likes dating reality shows this, to me is a level up from that. It is all the good parts but with a lot more morality than you would ever find in such American shows which are highly sexualized. This, is my favorite out of the 4 seasons of south Korean Heart signal and the one season of the Chinese Version I have watched so far. I would rewatch it in the future with someone who had never seen it.

Spoilers

If you are a fan of the couples you think really like each other getting together you will likely be happy with the outcomes for these singles. Two couples emerge and you could clearly see the progression of their relationships. If you like seeing people that you might think are very well suited choose each other it could go either way. But you are not hit from left field like I have seen with some of these where you feel cheated by the outcomes. Yes, Season 4 of South Korean Heart Signal I am talking about you. Yes, Games of Thrones you are still on my sh&*^t list that way.

One thing about the Chinese version of the show I am not a fan of, is for the travel date they allow the female with the fewest signals (texts), cumulative, to have first choice. That inevitably winds up being the “catfish” (the female or male that arrives late with the soe purpose of mixing things up). I have only seen two of the Chinese Heart Signal shows now but it does frustratingly disrupt the flow and dynamics of those very fragile relationships that have developed. They typically choose singles that are outgoing and somewhat forceful in their approach. Since it is so hard ingrained in most of us that stealing someone else’s boyfriend or girlfriend is a bad thing, it is hard for the viewer not to feel badly toward these “catfish.”

Over all the shows like this I have watched, I notice how hard it is to be a super popular single. Because most of them have developed friendships with everyone else so matter who they pay attention to or ultimately choose they are hurting multiple people they have become friends with. I think the tears in their rooms are genuine and they really struggle with ow to choose and interact with the one they have settled on while doing the least emotional damage to all the others. Oddly I think that also winds up effecting who they choose in some cases, I have seen where I am fairly confident they made a completely surprise choice because they think if they choose that person, not even in the running, the others won’t feel as rejected.

I also notice a pattern with some, particularly the women, and often the catfish where they select the most emotionally vulnerable single and use emotional blackmail to get them to date and, in one case I think, choose them. Having interacted with some people like that over time I feel I am particularly in tune to that type of personality.

After I watched the show I went to see what I could find about what the singles were doing. It is much easier with the South Korean version as they post and interact on at least some of the platforms people in the United States use. But, with the Chinese version, I think they post and interact on Chinese social media platforms and I would not access or download those even if I spoke Chinese because our countries do not have friendly relations. I think even TikTok is a security risk so I would not access those places where more about what happened after might be found. So, it is hard to find information but there is a little bit out there.

The few mentions of these singles after the show basically confirm their humanity and they have the same issues and struggles as everyone. Yang Kaiwen and Zoa Qi Jun were engaged and are most likely married or well on their way to it, by now. That couple have did not have any major drama or break ups after getting together from the show. There are some really solid posts where they announced so that seems to be true that they are engaged/married now. Zhang Tian and Chen Yi Chen seem to have more of an on again off again relationship. Shortly after they were together there was a leaked message where Yi Chen seemed to be asking Tian about her past where she may have done more than what the Chinese consider an appropriate pace of dating. It is unclear whether his discomfort with her having so many past relationships broke them up or if it was his agent that preferred he be single but something definitely broke them up, at least for a time. They unfollowed, took down picture and Yi Chen even put out a statement defending Tian but also indicating they were taking a break. Several years later there were more indicators they may be back together. There were pictures taken at Disneyland of them separately but the background and other aspects were such close matches that netizens felt they were actually together at the park. And there are pictures of them from a photo booth during that same timeframe.

I think part of the magic of the show is it is a situation that rarely if ever would happen in real life. You have a group of highly attractive and successful people who live together for a time. It’s like the popular show “Friends” only a reality based situation. It is clear why it is so hard for them to choose who they want to finally select or who they want to go on a date with. It would be hard to have a really bad date between any of them. So you go out with your second or even third choice and you are, at minimum, friends with them if not slightly or more romantically interested in them. That would be a hard choice. And, I think they take rejection especially hard at times because these are such “cream of the cop” people that they are nt used to being rejected in their normal lives. They may be more used to rejecting the feelings of others than they are being rejected themselves. And, in normal life, you don’t reject someone then still have to live with them and/or potentially have to do a follow up show with them. You don’t have people tracking your moves after you are no longer on screen. So, it changes all the dating and interacting rules we are used to as it is that unique of a situation. It causes them to agonize even more over that final choice, I mean if your choice is between two equally amazing people you would be all the more worried you may make the wrong choice.

One of the most heartwarming moments with the detectives/celebrity panel was at the end of episode 10, they did a little “After Signal” and brought some of the singles into the studio. Some of the panel were beside themselves and absolutely starstruck. Knowing all the detective/celebrity panel are famous people themselves it was so cute to see them overcome when they saw the singles. It shows how intense we all feel for the singles as we watch them and feel like we know them. The odd thing is we know them from what they show us but they don’t know any of us at all. They at least might know the panel a little but we, as viewers, would feel the same emotions and could you imagine if you saw any of the singles and reacted to them like you were old friends. So, it is a very odd situation in that way for us viewers as well. We get to know these singles and their personalities better than we might know some of our own friends or at least their is the illusion that we do (people who know they are being filmed and in the context they are in are unlikely revealing all of their true selves). I, for example, was surprised when Kaiwen was acting so shy when introduced t the detective/celebrity panel. What I remembered of her from her interactions with the other singles, was she was fairly outgoing. But I had to remind myself of some things. First we all present ourselves differently depending on the social situation. We don't present ourselves at work typically the way we act at home. It’s not fake, it’s an adaptive way to respond to different environments. For Kaiwen, she was meeting people she considered to be celebrities without realizing they were reacting to them like celebrities (they were on more equal footing than they realized). Plus, she was rather shy to the others in her earliest times at signal house but then got more outgoing the more they all became like friends. So she was more of an ambivert than one might think going off the last impression. It is very much an illusion that we know any of the singles with any depth, we are seeing how they are in one highly unique situation. Which is why I understand they go pretty private after the show could you imagine having that may people that feel a friendship like connection with you and might want to fawn over you when they spot you in public? Celebrities deal with that a little but usually they are acting in a way or playing a role that is not them. Reality television participants are being themselves (well whatever version of themselves they might display in such a public format).

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1st half may be difficult for victims of bullying but the second half (revenge) makes it worth it

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2022/2023 South Korean psychological thriller with revenge as a primary driver for the main character. There are 16, 47-72 minute episodes in two parts. The first part comprises the first eight episodes which is primarily where the revenge is set up. The last eight episodes center around enacting the revenge.


First I provide a unique synopsis then I review.

 
Synopsis


The entire story consists of multiple instances of true life bullying and revenge incidents. It is all based on true occurrences but not all of any one but rather elements of multiple true occurrences all melded into one. It is representational of the full range of bullying and provides an example of the most extreme cases. In this story, Moon Dong eun (Song Hye kyo) survived her school years most likely by dropping out of school at a critical moment to survive the bullies. Others that were targets of the same group of bullies were not so lucky. Her entire life after that is centered around earning enough money, and putting herself in the correct position to exact revenge on those that caused such suffering and misery. She bears the permanent physical and emotional scars of the actions of this bully group.  She becomes a teacher and steers the situation so she is assigned as the homeroom teacher of the leader of the bullies’, Park Yeon jin’s (Lim Ji yeon), daughter.  From that position, which puts her in close contact with her targets, she plays out her revenge. By fate or chance she meets Joo Yeo Jeong (Lee Do hyun) who falls in love with the troubled and mysterious Dong eun and offers to help her after seeing and learning the horrible things that were done to her. Kang Hyeon nam (Yeom Hye ran) is a housekeeper in the home of one of the subjects of Dong eun’s interest. Heyeon nam catches Dong Eun collecting and going through the garbage for clues and strikes a deal for mutual benefit. Dong eun is at first unwilling to accept the true friendship and caring from others as she is so damaged from her past. But as she widens her circle of supporters to help in punishing those who were not punished by the adults at the time, she begins to heal emotionally. Karma is coming to those that bullied helpless and innocent victims in the form of Dong eun. Can she survive her own revenge?

Review

This is hands down the best revenge show I have watched. For anyone that has been bullied or been in an environment where there are lots of bullies, this will definitely resonate. For me those parts were hard to watch because I am an empath to begin with but also because I was involved in a situation where I was minimally bullied where someone else was bullied so severely it drove them crazy and they wound up on drugs, out of their mind, and ran over a bunch of people on a sidewalk and they are now in prison. I did my best, when that was happening to protect that person but, as the show portrays, it is hard to effectively protect anyone when you are one of their targets. But that was not physical bullying like this show had where it was severe physical bullying with a psychological component.

The acting in this is phenomenal by both those playing the bullies, the victims and just everyone. It does roughly follow where the first eight episodes (first half) sets the stage and tells about the past, and the final eight are focused on the revenge aspects. I delayed watching it because I wasn’t sure how well I could take watching the severe bullying, as when something like that happens to you it is not something you ever fully forget or recover from, so I thought it might be too emotionally upsetting for me. But it is just mainly those first episodes and the way she gets her revenge is so satisfying.

 
In sum, I highly recommend this for anyone that likes the revenge trope. I would rewatch it readily if it was on as there is a lot of depth to it

Spoilers

The main detractors for me were some unnecessary things people did. I think what I liked the least was that the main bullies’ spouse, who had been a very likable character nearly to the end, wound up murdering his wife’s lover. The guy was a part of the bully group, and had done some horrible things, but that did not excuse him pushing him, now blind, off a building into a vat of cement. I did not want to see the little girl with her murderous mom, psychotic grandmother, nor her sociopath father and thought I would be glad to see her going with the father she grew up with, but he did that and I was like great she is still being raised by a murderer. I know they were alluding that he did it so the real dad would not continue to bother them, but that is no excuse to murder someone.

The other senseless murder was when the girl that was the main bullies’ assistant, finished off the injured, long haired, boy bully. It showed he had raped her and they all were obviously still bullying her, but murdering him by making that final blow took her from a sympathetic character to a person willing to murder someone when they were helpless. If he had been actively attacking her again I could have sympathized but it was not an act of self defense at that moment. It did not feel as good that the main bully went down framed with a murder she may not have committed. They were trying for an even deeper revenge, because of the irony that she is serving time for a murder one of her victims committed, but I thought there was plenty of opportunity for her to go down for the murder without turning the victim into a murderer. And it is based on true events, not a record of true events, so it isn’t like that was the way it really happened.

The other detractor, for me, was Do Hyun’s suicide attempt at near the end. During the bullying, at her young age, it showed a suicide attempt and I think they were trying to show that suicide was always an option for her and now she accomplished her revenge why not? She herself should have known how much that would hurt Yeo jeong. I mean I would hope she would know how much that would hurt all of the friends she had, however reluctantly, developed. it is just such a selfish act I have a hard time sympathizing. And, if she had gone through with it, it would have reversed a lot of her revenge as her main bully would have used it as a way to vindicate some of her actions. Like see “she was always like that.” I unfortunately know that is likely how that would play out as I spoke with the bully that drove the girl crazy and to prison and asked her about that incident and she pretty said “I know isn’t she crazy?” It was apparent from the very gleeful way she said it, that she was pleased with the outcome and did not feel any personal responsibility for the end result. That bully group destroyed one life and was, in my opinion, partially responsible for the death and injury that person that was bullied caused.

It would have been nice to have seen the main couple together longer than just the tail end of the last episode. Some say the romance element was completely unnecessary but I enjoyed the angel that two people with psychological scars can find healing in each other.

I think they left it open for another season by showing the male and female lead enter the prison where it was apparent they planned to exact revenge against the person who murdered the male lead’s father. And that wasn’t a bad way to end it. It didn’t wrap up that particular piece but that was okay because it wasn’t what we were there for anyway. Streaming platforms like to keep the piggy banks open and often end things very unclear. In this case that one piece was not even completely unclear. We know enough about our main girl by now that we can be sure she will help him get his full revenge.

#SongHyeKyo

#TheGlory

#LimJiYeon

#LeeDoHyun

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The friendships are great but some aspects are disappointing

7/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean reality dating show with 20, 86-121 minute episodes. There are 15 regular episodes and 5 episodes about the singles after the show ended.

First I provide a Unique Synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Six singles, three men and three women move into a house where they all will live together for one month. The women share one room and the men share rooms as well. In the beginning, they do not tell each other their ages or professions. They can flirt, ask each other to talk or go places but they cannot directly tell someone they like them. They must figure out others feelings through signals including anonymous texts each single sends to someone of their choosing at the end of each day. The celebrity panel watches the show and tries to predict who will send a text to whom. They compete for the most correct guesses by gathering and losing gems based on their guesses. After several episodes one more male and one more female single join the show to stir things up.

.

Singles

Note: I say was this profession or that because they could have changed since the show ended. The age at filming is Korean age.

Women

Kim Ji Young - birth year 1995. She Was a brand consultant for an interior architecture company. Formerly a Korean Air flight attendant. She would have been 28 during filming.

Lee Ju Mi - birth year 1994. She was a lawyer.

Kim Ji Min - birth year 2000. Student at Sungshin women’s University. She would have been 22 during filming.

Yoo Yi Soo - birth year 1998. She was a casting agent and model. She would have been 25 during filming.

Men

Shin Min Gyu - birth year 1993. His profession was strategy consultant. He would have been 30 when the show was filmed.

Han Gyeo Re - birth year 1989. CEO of F&B company. He would have been 34 when the show was filmed.

Yoo Ji Won - birth year 1996. He was a medical intern. He would have been 27 when the show was filmed.

Lee Hu Shin - birth year 1993. A painter and model. He would have been 30 when the show filmed. He joined in episode 3.

Celebrity Panel

Yoon Jong Shin - a South Korean singer and song writer. He is also a record producer and is the CEO of Mystic Story. He was born in 1969 so would have been 53 when the show aired in 2022.

Kim Ea Na - a South Korean song writer who wrote hit songs for some of the top singers in South Korea. She was born in 1979 so would have been 43 when the show filmed.

Lee Sang Min -  is a South Korean singer, song writer, record producer and television personality. He is a former member of hip hop and dance group Roo'ra. He was born in 1973 so would have been 50 when the show was filmed.

Mimi - birth year 1995. Main rapper in girl group Oh! My Girl. She is also a singer and song writer. She would have been 28 when the show was filmed.

Kang Seung Yoon - Birth year 1994. Singer, song writer and lead of the boy band Winner. Healso acts and has received awards for various acting roles. He would have been 29 when the show was filmed.

Kim Chong Gi - 35 years old at time of filming so born about 1988. He is a Psychiatrist who has a web presence and published many articles on mental health.

Dawn formerly E’Dawn (full name Kim Hyo-jong) born in 1994 would be about 29 when the “after” shows aired. He joined the panel episode 16. Formerly a singer and songwriter in the boy band Pentagon, he is now a soloist.

Review

It is true to the theme of the show with the regular events scheduled by the show and spontaneous interactions chosen by the singles. It is a roller coaster of emotions particularly if you tend to feel other’s emotions strongly. I noticed that the singles get more and more attractive and accomplished through each subsequent episode. I think, with heart signal, I enjoy it a lot up to the point where the “catfish” (the male and female that join late and wind up disrupting a lot of the relationships) arrive. Once they arrive it feels less like we are watching a dating show and more like a game show. It is like watching a fictional romance drama and see the couple building a relationship, fall in love, then a 2nd person comes in during the last few episodes and splits the main couple apart. Most would not consider that a happy ending. I am not at all suggesting the show should steer things so that certain couples stay together, but I do wish they would stop doing things to drive them apart, One might argue if they liked each other enough nothing could drive them apart but that is rarely tge case in a newly formed, fragile, relationship. My daughter, who normally watches Asian shiws with me, rage quit after episode 13. At that point it became very clear things were falling apart.

If you are a fan of the show I would stay still watch this one. All of the singles are amazing people and most are simply too nice and caring of others to be harsher when they perhaps should. I liked most of them a lot. The celebrity panel are amazing as always and their commentary and insights are very enjoyable. Be prepared to be as frustrated with the way things go as you might have been with Season 1. If you get sad when others are (you are an empath) either be prepared to shield your emotions or avoid this. There were days my daughter and I would skip watching as it was too much to handle but in small bites.

Spoiler

I have to remind myself that the singles also know they are on a reality show and realize that others will see events and hear things they say later. It helps to understand that as the texts they send do not always go to the person they are most romantically interested in. They may send a text to a person they enjoyed the day with, or because they want to be sure someone gets a text, or because they are comfortable with the person and sending a text to their actual interest may hurt others.

I thought the best couples were Min Gyu with Ji Young, Han Geo Re with Lee Ju Mi and Lee Hu Shin and Lee Ji Min. But, of course, that is not how it ends up. Min Gyu amd Ji Young were the preferred partners of all of the singles. But those two liked each other a lot.They allowed others to make them feel guilty though and that wound up driving them apart. I thought Yi Soo was very manipulative in that she misrepresented some of the things Min Gyu said to her to Ji Young making her think Min Gyu had stronger feelings for Yi Soo than I believe he did at the time. She also played the sweet innocent younger girl around the other women when it appeared she was way more scheming than that. I think the way she wound up coming across to viewers was a factor of how the show was edited where we saw Ji Young’s hurt reactions a lot and not other things that would have helped us understand better. She did play the perfect “Catfish” as her entry, in episode 6, really disrupted things.

I think you experience a true catfish in this one in Yi Soo. I cannot help but notice some Americanized traits in the way she approaches romantic relationships. “All is Fair in Love and War” is an American saying and I feel she definitely deployed this tactic. Call it selective editing or whatever but she clearly misrepresented things that were said, or not said, to her in order to manipulate the situation. She played her role, and matched the intent of adding singles late, well. But it was brutal watching her utilizing her tactics on the other singles that had a kinder, gentler way of approaching romantic rivalry. She did not allow Min Gu to have other thoughts as she was right there staring him down and making it clear she would be “hurt” if he chose anyone else to talk to or date. I think her sweet, gentle, vulnerable young woman demeanor in front of the other singles when they were in groups was an act. All of that made her an effective disruptor.

I was frustrated enough by the last two episodes I only skim watched them. I was so disappointed in the complete change of heart and just focusing on the dates with one female too much.

After signal makes up for some of the things that happened in the last episodes and you get insight into why the singles made the seemingly baffling decisions.

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A Nice Contract Marriage Romance

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 Japanese romance series with 10, 45-60 minute episodes. Also known under the Japanese title Ousama ni Sasagu Kusuriyubi

First I provide a Unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Hanada (Kanna Hashimoto) has had a tough life because she is so pretty people assume she uses her looks to get ahead and treat her poorly as a result. She has a hard time keeping jobs because customers pock up on her and colleagues are jealous. She finally gets a job as a wedding planner and thinks she has finally landed a job she can keep. It is not long though and trouble starts there, landing her in the office of the company President. Togo Nitta (Ryosuke Yamada) has turned down a variety of eligible women preferring to be alone to having a fake relationship. His focus is on increasing the sales for the bridal company to prove his ability as his father’s successor. When he sees Ayuka he comes up with a mutually beneficial plan in the form of a marriage contact. She needs money for her struggling family and he can use the perfect marriage to promote his business. No pesky feelings involved right?

Review

It is a nicely paced romance with a happy ending. If you like the cold CEO type, contract marriages and/or cinderella like stories this is a good one for all of that.

Spoiler

I found the plot point that being too attractive has its own set of problems compelling. It is a phenomenon not frequently recognized but those that have experienced it know it exists.

She had a way about her that she remained positive despite people treating her unfairly due to assumptions they made about her. They were perfect for each other as each led ampn isolated life for different reasons

I was a little disappointed when he broke it off with her and was pursuing an arranged marriage. That is one of my least favorite tropes. I was glad she realized what was going in and basically told him knock it off.

#KissingtheRingFinger

#KannaHashimoto

#RyosukeYamada

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Revenge is just best served (cold, hot or whatever) as karma has its hands full

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 South Korean romance, revenge drama with 12, 70 minute episodes. It is based on a popular web novel of the same name.

First I provide a unique synopsis then Review

Synopsis

Han Yi-joo (Jung Yoo-min) is engaged to marry her childhood friend, Yoo Se-hyuk (Oh Seung-yoon), whom she grew to love. She is the eldest adopted daughter of a family that is low level wealthy with one of their family endeavors being art. Her cold, mostly uncaring of her adoptive mother, Lee Jung-hye (Lee Min young) has made Yi joo’s life miserable yet she still seeks her approval. To gain her mother’s favor, Yi-joo learned to perfectly imitate famous as the standard her mother set to measure her ability. Yi joo’s world crashes down when she learns her mother was passing her imitations iff as authentic and seeks to frame her and that her fiancé was only using her. Emotionally devastated she gets in a near fatal car crash. As she lay dying she wishes for a chance to do it over and get revenge on those who wronged her. Seo Do-guk (Sung Hoon) Is the man her evil younger sister had her talons in and he discovers her duplicity early on, and also the depth of the evil Yi Joo’s family is perpetrating against her.

Review

If you are a fan of revenge dramas this fits that bill while also having a really sweet romances woven through. It ends well and happy.

Spoilers

The evil step mom in this is so thoroughly evil it is hard to imagine what she wouldn’t do. Not only does she abuse and poison Yi joo, she contracts to have people murdered, holds an artist in captivity to have him paint and sell his art, and drugs her husband.

I liked Donguk’s mother, grandmother and sister. They were solidly on Yi Joo’s side when they discovered what her adopted mom had done to her. Jung hye’s cold demeanor and evil plots were like a blend of “Flowers in the attic” and “Mommy Dearest” level evil mother. It was satisfying when she was taken down.

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Does he really mean it?

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2023 Japanese romance series with 8, 23 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Kawai Yoshiko (Sakurako Ohara)had a clear life plan, originally she wanted to get Married at 26 then have her first child by 27 and her second child at 29. During her three year relationship, she adjusted when it was clear there wouldn’t be a quick proposal. What she didn’t account for was breaking up from a long term relationship with 30 year old birthday approaching. She was broken hearted enough that when she ran into her work colleague, Yuuki Masaomi (Genta Matsuda) on the way home, she poured her heart out to him. To her surprise, Yuki declares he will marry her the day before her 30th birthday if she doesn’t find someone. Yoshiko thinks he is only saying that to comfort her and because he is confident she will find someone in the two years before she turns 30. He doesn't really want to marry her. Or does he?

Review

This is a very cute, straight forward romance with a happy ending.

Spoilers

I was glad she did not get back together with her ex. I thought they were headed for that but was really glad it did not materialize.

There was a separation, which I usually find annoying, but the way it came up, and how it played out, made sense.

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Neither are perfect but they are perfect for each other

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 Chinese romantic comedy drama with 24, 45 minute episodes.

First I will provide a synopsis then review.

Synopsis

Zhang Si Zian (Wei Zhe Ming) is a genius level math professor who is handsome, wealthy and generally seems to have it all. His personality is on the coldly logical side and his emotional intelligence is only slightly better than a robot. Yun Shu (Xu Ruo Han) Is almost the direct opposite she is so warm, calm and caring that she is easily swindled. She has to work hard for academic success. A series of unfortunate events for Yun Shu leads her to rely on Si Zian for a place to live. Si Zian’s grandfather meets Yun Shun in a chance encounter and thinks this ray of sunshine would be the perfect match for his grandson who lacks warmth in his life. Now that Yun Shu is no longer a student, they have no reason not to please Si Zian’s terminally ill grandfather’s wish and strike a deal for a secret comtract marriage. What they find is grandfather may have had it right about them all along, they balance each other beautifully. But love that starts under such unusual circumstances is never easy and the two must decide if they want their comtract to become the real deal.

Review

This is a well paced, relatively straight forward plot, with a lot if really engaging characters.
The way the lead couple compliment each other makes it easy to see why they would fall in love. When she thinks she is not right because rhey are too different the grandfather says two parallel lines never intersect. That was such a profound and brilliant way to state it. Being too different can be a problem if it is not complimentary but being exactly the same can be boring. I like that having the Male Lead’s support made her absolutely flourish. And the grandfather as the match maker was cute! He fell in love with her as a granddaughter candidate and knew she was perfect for his grandson who needed someone sweet and warm to offset his cooly logical personality. It ended happy and all major story lines were wrapped up.

Spoilers
Practically perfect but it did end with some question marks. Did the grandfather ever go for treatment? Was the reconciliation of her two best friends as a couple successful? What happened with her webtoon career because it was taking off then she did not go abroad so how bad was it derailed? It would have been good to see her sister and her actor boyfriend fully together. It ended with him on relationship “probation.”

#PerfectandCasual
#WeiZheMing
#XuRuoHan

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They upped the game from season one everything is just a bit more

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2002 South Korean reality dating show with 10, 57-68 minute episodes.

First I will provide a synopsis then review

Commentators/Hosts

Lee Da Hee- Model, singer, and actress
Cho Kyu-Hun - Actor and singer (idol). He is a member of Super Junior.
Hong Jin-Kyung - Model, comedian, singer and actress. She owns her own food company.
Jung Han-Hae - Rapper and singer.

Participants

Females

Lee Nadine (age 22) Neuroscience pre-med major at Harvard University
Shin Seoul-Ki (age 24) Piano major at Seoul University
Park Se-jeong (age 26) Model for brands such as BMW and Sony
Lee So-e (age 22) Acting major at Hanyang University
Choi Seo-Eun (age 28) Artist. Crowned as Miss Korea 2021.
Lim Min-su (age 26) model and CEO of online clothing boutique

Men

Choi Jong-woo (age 24) Barista of a family-owned cafe in Gangwon-do
Jo Yoong-Jae (age 31) Investment broker at Shinhan Investment Corp. Graduated with a Finance Management major from Hanyang University
Kim Han-bin (age 32) Chef/ restaurant owner. Won all kinds of prestigious culinary awards.
Shun Ding-woo (age 32) Plastic surgeon. Graduated from Yonsei University's College of Medicine
Kim Jin-young (age 28) YouTuber. Former ROKN UDT soldier
Kim Se-Jun (age 26) Tailor at Ascottage, founded by Season 1 participant Oh Jin-taek

They upped the attractiveness level for season 2. Super fit, muscular men and several of the women were models and/or had been in various pageants. From the 1st season to this season one thing I noticed overall is that many go for the person they are physically attracted to over someone they are slightly less attracted to but would be long term compatible with. They are all young and think about such things as people that age would.

*Spoilers
Lee Nadine is one of my favorite female participants. The fact that she speaks both Korean and English so well is impressive. Her drive and passion for medicine is extremely admirable. She is very forthright and honest which I enjoy. I think she is a great match with Kim Jin-young because they have so much in common. Neither seem to be overly demonstrative with affection. Both are very focused and driven in their pursuits. He enjoys thrill sports and she does too. She was in the army for a brief time and he was a soldier. I sense, in him, some recovery from the soldier life, perhaps some PTSD and I think she could best understand and help him with that. She is studying in the USA but he is interested in spending time in the USA. That being said he is highly attracted to Shin Seoul-Ki as are several of the other male participants. In their interactions I could tell they were both highly physically attracted to each other but could not hold a very long or substantive discussion with each other. He was able to talk to Nadine a lot as they had a lot of common interests and personality traits. I think she knew in the end he was not going to stay with her although his long pause with her made me wonder if he was considering it. I don't know if that was scripted and that was the reason she reacted the way she did or if she really had just moved on. If she moved on, I am proud of her because obviously she was not his first choice. If the show had run longer he might have become more interested in her because I think they were very compatible.

Shin Seol-ki seems very nice on the surface but it isn't a nice trait, to me, when you "string" people along. I thought she turned her attention to Choi Jong-woo as if she was seriously considering him when I really think she was focusing on him just to make Kim Jin-young jealous. Jong-woo was so kind and considerate of her noticing when she didn't feel well, bringing her medicine and just generally watching out and taking care of her. When they interacted they had a lot to talk about and she seemed attracted to him but not at the same level as Jin-young. I don't think he was interested in Seol-ki for competitive reasons or because the other male participants were interested in her, his interest seemed beyond her physical appearance and that he was also drawn to her for personal reasons. But, as young woman often do she would trample Jong-woo's feelings the minute Jin-young expressed interest. Physical attraction is fleeting, but a real connection with someone you also find attractive is rare. Although Seol-ki chose Jong-woo in the end I did not feel super good about them as a couple because I thought she put him through a lot emotionally out of her desire to be the center of attention.

Lee So-e was sweet, but her near obsession with Jo Yoong-jae was over the top. He made it very clear he was only interested her as a friend even before he became romantically interested in Choi Seo-eun. It was particularly frustrating when she debated asking Yoong-jae to Paradise on a sort of forced date after she said she was okay with them just being friends. I was so relieved when she did not follow through with that. I understand the whole being a fool for love mentality but that rarely works. When you have pride in yourself others respect you more. She would have stood a better chance with Yoong-jae moving on and making him feel competitive with other men. I was glad when Kim Se-jun liked So-e and took her to Paradise. He was so sweet to her about his interest and feelings but I felt like she shined him on a bit because she was sill hung up on Yoong-jae. I wanted to sit her down and have her watch the movie "He is Just Not That into You" because that was so much the case in this situation. Even if you manage to turn someone's interest toward you after being firmly friend zoned you wind up being the one that loves the most and that is a lonely position to be in.

I loved Kim Han-bin. His positive attitude was infectious. He was so sweet in all of his interactions with the female participants I was completely baffled they were not more interested in him. He did an amazing job in the wrestling ring for a man who was physically less muscular and a little smaller than the others. And he was having so much fun in that match. I was sorry when they ganged up and got him out.

The physical challenges are a lot of fun to watch. It is surprising who does well and who does not because you cannot always predict up front who will win. I thought for sure Jin-young would win, hands down, the wrestling match. As a former special forces I was sure the other men stood little chance unless they ganged up on him. I was pleasantly surprised how well all the men did holding off, sometimes even multiple other men, trying to get them out of the ring. And Jong-woo's absolute determination to be the winner was an amazing thing to watch. Those matches are so exciting.

Lim Min-su was another one that needed to watch "He's just Not That into You." She took a liking to Jin-young and invited him to Paradise even after she had been rebuffed. He was pretty clear, without being completely cruel, that he was not interested in her like that. With a man like Jin-young becoming clingy is only going to drive him even farther away. He prefers the hunt and the woman that attracts a lot of attention and is harder to get. She is such a beautiful girl and seemed nice enough, she should have moved on and considered maybe Shun Ding-woo or Kim Han-bin. But she got laser focused on Jin-young and did not allow herself to get to know the others at all.

Park Se-joung was a complete surprise. I thought she would be a favorite of the male participants because she reminded me of several female idols. She also seemed very nice and there were several times when the male participants had one on one conversations with her just as they wandered about Inferno. The female participants got along with her well. I think, with her, it was just timing. Had she won some of the competitions and the men gotten to know her better, she likely would have had more interest directed at her.

The commentator/hosts are one of my favorite parts of the show. Cho Kyu-hun is so sensitive and beyond cute when he expresses empathy for the participants. He has such a great read on motivations and very wise insights on what people are doing and what they should do. Lee Da-hee is very intuitive and her reactions to what is happening are very compelling. I love her fashion sense too, just seeing what she is wearing next is part of the fun. Hong Jin-kyung is funny as one would expect from a comedian. She brings such a fresh perspective to the group and I love it when she points things out. Jung Han-hae is quiet a lot of times, but he is introspective, so when he comments about things he usually has another perspective. As a group it feels like watching those show with a group of super fun people, like you are sharing a 4th wall with them. Some of the reviewers expressed negative views about the hosts but I think it makes the show. I don't think it would be nearly as enjoyable without the hosts.

After watching 2 seasons the things I think would improve an already great show. I think it is a mistake to let anyone go to Paradise with the same person twice. As a viewer those dates are boring. They already know each other, we already know about them, and with only 9 days it makes it even less likely they get to know other people. I think the show could run longer than nine days because some are just starting to think about someone else and the show ends. Nine days is not enough time to become interested in someone, get rejected, and move on to someone else. I also enjoy, as much as the time on Paradise, the time spent on Inferno and a longer run would allow more time for the singles to get to know each other on Inferno. I hope they do reunion shows because viewers, based on online traffic, are really interested in what the participants do after the show.

#SinglesInferno2
#LeeDaHee
#ChoKyuHun
#HongJinKyung
#JungHanHae
#LeeNadine
#ShinSeoulKi
#ParkSejeong
#LeeSoE
#ChoiSeoEun
#LimMinSu
#ChoiJongWoo
#JoYoongJae
#KimHanbin
#ShunDingwoo
#KimJinyoung
#KimSeJun

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Unique twist on famous and "ordinary" - I thought it was cute

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean romantic comedy with 16, 60 minute episodes

Reporter Lee Geun-young (Choi Soo-young) does not realize just how bad her night can get when she sets out to get a story on a top star. After meeting her boyfriend for what was supposed to be a romantic evening but turns out to be a birds eye view of his cheating romance with a man, a series of events leads her to getting on the bad side of top star, Hoo Joon (Choi Tae-joon). Forgetting how powerful and influential his opinion can be, Hoo Joon gets Geun-young fired. With a lot of time on her hands Geun-young sets out to let everyone know this not so charming side of Hoo Joon and proclaims herself his anti fan. A reality show finds the animosity of the two intriguing and a show is developed around this anti fan marrying the top star and the two living together. During filming both pretend to get along but when they think the cameras are off - the true hilarity begins. Can two people who got off to such a rough start learn the true nature of the other and will this anti-van become a convert?

*spoiler alert. I wondered how this could be depicted in a believable way that they would be in contact enough that they would get married. As I watched it and discovered how and why she became his anti-fan and that they were not really married but that was the premise of the reality show - it made a lot more sense. The romance that developed between the two was perfectly paced and very believable. The "side couples" those romances were not very interesting. The show editor/producers alluded to a connection they had before and that they were reunited in the making of the reality show. So they seemed to "fall into" a romance rather quickly and, since we did not see it develop, I had little interest in their connection. Those relationships could have been left out and would not have been missed. I think she had a talent for acting so it would have been nice to see her product after the reality show ended. I wanted to see her succeed. I enjoyed this start to finish and highly recommend it.

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Very good supernatural drama

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean, comedic Fantasy Paranormal television drama wit 16, 70 minute episodes.

Oh In-beom (Jung Yong-hwa). makes his living by conning people into thinking he is an academic paranormal researcher with the ability to utilize equipment to repel ghosts. He does not realize he has genuine supernatural abilities until he crosses paths with someone who uses her abilities for genuine business. Hong Ji-ah (Jang Na-ra) exorcises ghosts to rid real estate of ghosts in order to increase the value and sell otherwise untouchable properties for their customers. She also has the vengeful spirit of her own mother that is in her home/office which she has been unable to exorcise and hopes that In-beom's enhanced medium abilities will lead to her finally being able to send her mom on to the afterlife. While working current cases, Hong Ji-ah and Oh In-beom work to solve the mystery behind her mother and his uncle's deaths years ago.

Spoiler alert* I really like this as a fan of the supernatural genre. There were a lot of unique aspects of the vengeful spirit, exorcist, and medium that I have not seen in any other series. The medium had to be a virgin so that was an interesting aspect and foreshadowed that there might not be a romance. The Ji-Ah character reminded me of either Wednesday from the Adam's family or perhaps Morticia herself. She also reminded me of Ko Moon-Young from "It's Okay to Not Be Okay". At the same time, the character was uniquely different. She was strong both physically and mentally strong yet had some psychological trauma from an event that happened in her youth. In-beom started as a con man pretending to rid people of ghosts he had created. That is how the two crossed paths. However, once he starts working with Ji-ah he quit conning people and was revealed to be a very empathetic character. The cases themselves were very interesting and, like "6th sense", part of the process was determining what motivated the ghost to be vengeful. The mystery that tied them together was also intriguing and kept me guessing until near the end. As a romantic I really loved the synergy between the male and female lead's characters and was disappointed that they did not wind up together in the end. She also loses her power and goes on a "find me" one year trip to rediscover her power and I just find it unnecessary. Then she comes back and they go right back to what they were doing as if nothing had happened. It leaves it open for another season but, at the same time, I was disappointed not to get to see them together as a couple. But it ended well, with everything wrapped up to the point where it did not feel unfinished. It was very good and I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys the supernatural series.

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Much more depth to the story than I expected

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2020/2021 South Korean television drama with 16, 73 minute episodes.

Lim Ju-kyung (Moon Ga-young), feels like she was cursed as the only ugly child among her siblings. As somewhat of a self fulfilling prophecy her vision of herself and lack of confidence has led to bullying at school and less than kind comments even at home. Looking for a solution she stumbles upon internet makeup videos and learns to expertly hide her cosmetic flaws just Asher family moves and she transfers schools. The makeup enhances what is Ju-kyung’s underlying beauty and her new schoolmates think she is beautiful, like a goddess. Her newfound confidence is fragile and she is determined no one at her new school ever see her bare face. A mutual love of heavy metal type music and horror comics leads Ju-kyung and her extraordinarily handsome classmate, Lee Su-ho (Cha Eun-woo), to cross paths when Ju-kyung is not wearing makeup. Ju-kyung is convinced that the difference is dramatic enough Su-ho will not connect the Goddess with the ugly duckling she thinks she is without makeup. It is not long though before Su-oh realizes it is the same girl and Ju-kyung strikes a bargain with Su-oh to keep her secret. Su-ho and his former friend Han Seo-jun (Hwang In-yeop) had a falling out over a tragic incident in their past. At first Seo-jun pays attention to Ju-kyung to bother Su-oh but soon discovers he also likes the beautiful and sweet
Ju-kyung. The boys grow closer as they rival each other for the girl’s attention and begin to learn about and resolve issues from their past. Will Ju-kyung realize her true potential and gain confidence even without makeup?

I absolutely loved this drama, every minute of it. The casting was near perfect as they looked so much like the Manga characters. There was a strong social message about bullying and the detrimental effects on self esteem. I liked how she found solace in the transformative power of make-up. I would have happily had her end up with either 1st or second guy. I loved her sister and her confident p, go for it, tomboy attitude. The way her little brother and her constantly teased, scuffled and irritated each other but, when the chips were down, they were the first to jump to their siblings defense. Su-ho was handsome and popular and seemed to have it all but his mother died at a young age and a misunderstanding had him estranged from his famous father. Su-ho and Seo-jun and Su-ho used to be friends but a tragic event caused a seemingly insurmountable rift to form between the two friends. It also explored the very deep topic of suicide and the lasting impact it has on the loved ones of the person who ended their own life. Love and friendship builds up Ju-kyung to the point she is no longer afraid of the bullies nor her unmade up face. I did not follow the web too but my daughter explained and showed me relevant parts. She said it was a perfect balance of following the Webtoon to capture what made it a success while departing, as needed, to make it work wel, in a shorter format. I highly recommend this wonderful drama!

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