My Summer 2023 K-Drama Reviews

My Summer 2023 K-Drama Reviews

Summer has started, finals are over, and I finally have the time to watch tv shows again without something in my head telling me that there’s a deadline I need to meet. I’ve watched a couple so far so here’s my honest review on them:

Big Mouse:

So, for this one I actually finished during finals, but I thought I’d tell you my opinion on it anyway because I have A LOT to say.

I actually started this way before school started back in September. I watched all 14 episodes, but then for some reason that I don’t remember I didn’t continue the last 2 episodes even though I really wanted to. Only recently did I get myself to finish it and… I have many things to say.

The first 12-13 episodes were AMAZING. The action, the suspense, the mysteries, and how every move was connected to the other. Everything was so well written. The romance was subtle and didn’t take away from the focus of the actual story line. I also really enjoyed how they were husband and wife, and not just in a relationship. I feel like we don’t see that in many Kdramas, and here they portrayed it perfectly. And not to mentions the ACTORS. Omg the actors did an incredible job. Even the side characters had my heart. However, my love for Lee Jong Suk is forever endless. His acting, his facial expressions, the way he even made us suspect him was just chef’s kiss. Lim Yoona and Lee Jong Suk were a great match. She was the perfect female lead in this. Thank God she wasn’t one of those annoying female leads that always get in the way and ruin everything. She had her own role to play and was a big part in getting the male lead to where he is now. If you enjoy watching a Kdrama with a strong female lead, this one is for you.

Now for the last couple of episodes… they were terrible. It’s like they took all this good writing and threw it out the window. I really don’t know what happened, but I know that they ruined what could’ve been one of the greatest shows in history. What they ended up doing is dragging the show even more, and really complicating things, leaving way too many plot holes, introducing characters only for them to not even show up, and rushing the ending like it’s a marathon. And when I say rushing that’s an understatement. Until the last 5-10 mins, I genuinely believed that there would be a 2^nd season because how could there not be? Only 10 minutes were left, and there were so many things they didn’t explain. They also made it seem like catching the villain was going to be trickier than they thought. So, when I said that they rushed it, I meant it. How the hell do you resolve everything in 10 mins?! Not only that, but they also managed to defeat the villain in the stupidest way possible. They didn’t even give us enough information on how that happened. I was honestly so frustrated at the ending. You should’ve seen my face when it ended. I sat there for a good 5 mins staring at the screen and googling if there’s a season 2 because how they left things was unbelievable. The show had so much potential, and they ruined it. Badly. It was going to be one of my favorites, and honestly, episodes 1-12 are still going to be so good in my memory, but the ending was very disappointing. I don’t think I’ll ever repeat it again, but if I do, I would probably stop at episode 13 max.

I rate it a 6/10 on average. Episodes 1-12 would get a solid 9.5 though. Yes, it was that great, and I would’ve given it a 10 even, if they concluded it better.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo:

This kdrama is one of my comfort shows. This would be my 4^th repeat. I have watched this about 6 years ago maybe? And I have repeated many times since. I love it so much. The acting, the comedy, the emotions, the struggles of what college students go through. It’s very heart warming, and sometimes relatable. It tells the story of Kim Bok Joo, who majors in weightlifting in University, and her journey through love and friendships, and her struggles with her major. It takes place at a university, and I don’t know maybe just the fact that they rarely make kdramas where the leads are university students makes it so unique. I might just add the fact that the university is for athletes like swimmers, weightlifters, gymnasts…etc. they show us their struggles and anxiety when they’re practicing for tournaments, their joy when they win, the dorm dynamic, the fighting between different sport department, friendships, and love.

The story revolves around Kim Bok Joo who meets a childhood friend, Joon Hyung, who is also a swimmer at her university. They show him struggling with the starting point of competitions apparently because of his trauma, and his journey in healing.

I love the dynamic of the show so much, and how funny, but still deeply emotional it is. No matter how many times I repeat it, I still miss it after a while and repeat it again. I give it a 10/10.

My Name:

If you’re into violence and revenge, this kdrama is for you. A warning though, it’s very bloody.

This show tells the story of an addict’s daughter who watches her father het killed right in front of her eyes. She then goes on a mission to take revenge on whoever killed him. She goes to the police for help, but they close the case because there weren’t any witnesses that saw his face and he never appeared in any CCTV cameras. Seeing the police’s unwillingness to help, she goes to the gang’s boss that she knew her dad was a part of. He’s the leader of one of the biggest drug rings in South Korea, and one of the most wanted. He decides to train her because he was great friends with her father. The training is very brutal though, but she’s a determined woman. Later, when he finds that she’s ready, he tells her who they think her father’s killer is: a police officer. She goes undercover as a cop and infiltrates the narcotics team to find out more about her father’s death and which officer shot him to death. So many things happen after and there were way too many plot twists. It was perfect in every sense. Despite it being very violent, I kind of enjoyed the violence. It gave it a darker feel. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the ending. They concluded it perfectly. However, it was an open ending. Like they give you enough information to be able to imagine the rest, but I’m someone who is still trying to get used to open endings. I usually like seeing how the characters progress after the climax of the story. And yet, it wasn’t a bad ending. It was just perfect. I would give it a an 8.5/10.

Summer Strike: 

Very chill. More like a slice of life type of drama. It was honestly very eye opening. Had a great moral of the story as well. It’s about a girl who’s so fed up with the exhausting city life and the routine that comes with it and decides to quit her job without a plan and move to the countryside. The drama follows her journey as she tries to get her life together there. It really makes you rethink about the important things in life. What your priorities are. It really felt like a soft summer breeze. Despite the character not having a job and taking a break, it was weirdly motivating. It made me want to get up and do something I enjoy doing even if it’s work.

The characters were great. They each had a background story, and you sympathize with them all. There’s a bit of twist that was totally not expected, but it added more depth to the story. Loved the themes of friendship, love, family, work life balance, academia, etc. Overall, the story didn’t have a magnificent “wth just happened” story line, but it was great in sooo many ways, so I’ll give it an 8.5/10.

The Good Doctor Season 5:

While all the previous reviews were Korean dramas, here’s an American one instead. I usually watch kdramas mostly but occasionally if there was a good American show, I would watch. The Good Doctor is one of them. I’ve been watching this show for a while. I watched all 4 seasons 1^st semester of uni, then waited till season 5 dropped on Netflix to watch it. So, I just did. I love a good medical drama to be honest. While the cases are sometimes overexaggerated, I still like it.

I must admit, the 1^st couple of seasons were better, but this one was fun too. They did us dirty with the ending though. And SPOILER ALERT!!! I hated how shown and lea kept postponing their wedding because they didn’t want to ruin it, and that lea was scared that it would be a disaster, and when they finally had a PERFECT surprise wedding, the writers had to add a killer loose in the hospital, and SEASON 6 SPOILER ALERT!!! Lim ending up paralyzed because of the surgery (yes, I’m currently watching season 6). Like omg they did Shawn and Lea so dirty. On their wedding night? Seriously? Just let them have a happy quite night together. Now their wedding would be a horrible memory for them. I give this season a 7/10.