June Watched

As always, at the end of the month, I upload what I have watched that month. I can't say there was something that completely blew my mind away, but there were some things that made me laugh and not completely hate the drama.

Do you agree with my opinions? What did you watch this month?

First impression: Yoon Si Eun is back, baby!!!

Last impression: Do I really need to read Webtoon to grasp all the emotions?

Synopsis: After transferring to Eunjang High School, Yeon Si Eun still carries the scars of his past - a brutal lesson in what it means to fight and fail. Determined to never lose another friend, he forms unlikely bonds with Park Hu Min, Seo Jun Tae, and Ko Hyeon Tak, but their friendship soon attracts the attention of Alliance, a ruthless gang led by the vicious Na Baek Jin. Forced into yet another war of survival, Si Eun must push himself beyond his limits. But against an enemy stronger and more merciless than anything he’s faced before, will he be able to protect those at his side - or will he once again watch helplessly as they fall? (Mydramalist)

I keep repeating myself, how I enjoy the first episode, and the last episode comes out, and I'm just tired and bored. Weak Hero was supposed to be different, and while I nitpicked a few things in my first review, this is on another level.

It was exciting to see Si Eun back in action, as you can see by my first impression. The drama had more heartbreaking parts with Su Ho being at the hospital while Si Eun kept messaging him.

The first thing that went wrong was our lack of knowledge of Na Baek Jin. It was established that he was friends with Baku, and he learnt fighting from him, but that was all. So when it came to the actual fight, I didn't feel much. I know nothing about his backstory, where he came from and from the context that I got... I don't care???

Whatever happens to him happens; there is no emotional attachment, just like with a few other characters in the drama.

The same kind of feelings go to the new friends (Baku, Jun Tae and Hyeon Tak). Their friendship is nice, and I get how much it means to Si Eun, but I'm not sold on it.

It all felt a bit too cartoonish for me. The gangs, the insane fighting, it was completely different from the first season, which focused on more realistic things.

A lot of people are saying that the webtoon expands on the backstories and is better in that sense (which I truly believe), but I want this to be a good standalone. I probably won't read the Webtoon, so I want to get the full good story on screen.

To not go without compliments, I did like the acting and the new friendship Si Eun has found. I enjoyed their time together, and some fights were very well made.

I would have rated it higher, but the last episode really disappointed me.

6/10

First impression: What a shitshow

Last impression: WHAT THE shit show

Synopsis: A heart-pounding, muscle-building drama about Do Hyeon Jung, the manager of a gym who has become a ‘health freak,’ who corrects the lives of his members. Lee Mi Ran is a travel agency planning and development manager. A character that cannot be left out of two keywords: love of food and burning love between a man and a woman. (Mydramalist)

After the first episode, I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch the show, but by the end of it, I had such a good time.

Sometimes I did wonder what was happening, and some things did not make sense, but if you go into the drama knowing its craziness, you should be fine.

It's more of a comedy, with a crazy bodybuilder who is trying to save his gym, but at the same time can barely tolerate people who don't exercise.

As a person who hates working out, I can already hear him screaming "What the fat?" somewhere across the world.

I saw that people expected more romance from it. For me, it was fine; there was chemistry between the leads before anything happened, but know that this is not the main focus. As mentioned, it's more of a comedy and also highlights the different journeys of gym members.

All of the characters were enjoyable, even the bodybuilder, who gets mad at everyone. Lee Jun Young's portrayal was really funny compared to what I saw of him this month in Weak Hero Class 2.

I'm not saying this is the best drama in the world. It has its flaws, and its silliness sometimes can be too much, but I enjoyed the time spent. I found the random singing funny and even the 'villains' lovable.

It does have jokes about being fat and being too skinny. Anything that isn't muscled enough goes into those categories, or those who don't work out. I wouldn't take any of the jokes personally, but know that if it triggers you or makes you uncomfortable, I wouldn't recommend this drama.

8/10

First impression: Sageuk, I can watch!

Last impression: I liked Gang Cheol and Yeo Ri before he came into Yun Gap's body. I'm not sure what it says about me

Synopsis: One day, Yun Gap's body is possessed by an Imoogi creature. The Imugi who possessed Yun Gap is related to Yeo Ri, whose first love was Yun Gap. Yeo Ri is the only granddaughter of a famous shaman. She has a divine gift but refuses to accept her fate as a medium of spirits. Instead, she works as a glass craftswoman. The Imugi needs Yeo Ri's body to ascend to Heaven, but Yeo Ri won't allow it. After Yun Gap becomes possessed, Yeo Ri enters the palace filled with powerful female ghosts and evil spirits. (Mydramalist)

I don't often watch many sageuks, as you probably understood from my first impression, but I gave it a chance because this is more of a fantasy drama.

The first few episodes were nice, they had some funny moments between Gang Cheol and Yeo Ri bickering, and let us understand that there is something more sinister happening in the palace. However, it took so long for the main characters to uncover the truth that I got bored and tired of the drama.

Don't get me wrong, there are some great moments. Gang Cheol becoming a human and having a sense of taste and feeling things was entertaining, as well as his friendship with the people around him.

The different ghost stories are also well-made, and I wish we had even more of the spirits. It's always nice to know more about Korean mythology and what kind of spirits they have. Those kind of stories also makes me feel more connected to the characters and the world there.

However, the main story of the shadow monster got a bit dragged. I get that he's very powerful and not easy to deal with, but maybe there should have been more mystery surrounding him. Not to spoil anything, but sometimes Yeo Ri would talk about how weak she is, to cut a few seconds later, where everyone is saying that she's more powerful than her grandma.

I enjoyed the start of the drama, but now I feel a bit disappointed. I don't think I was touched by anything that had happened in the last episodes.

6.5/10

First impression: The characters are so unlikeable...

Last impression: Good but bad??

Synopsis: Koo Ae Jin is bullied at school because of her looks. But after school, she leads a secret life: with heavy makeup and hours of photo editing, she lives as Genie, a social media star. While Koo Ae Jin is toeing the line between her true self and Genie, what will happen when a boy from school discovers her? (Mydramalist)

This drama is interesting because it has a good plot, but a quite messy one too. The characters are unlikeable. There were some glimpses where you could understand someone or what they did, but it didn't make them much better. Those characters, in a way, make the story work and interesting.

The drama has great cliffhangers, where as a viewer we want to jump into the next episode, but later we find out that it's quite boring with another dramatic ending. Or maybe it's just me disliking the characters, and it was hard to bear them for more than two episodes (40 minutes)

Even if the characters all had their stories and they can just work with them, there are still plot holes.

Spoilers: Ho In talks about how he always loved Ha Neul. As a viewer, I never got this impression; he kept ignoring her until she ended all of the things. Even then, he cares more about Ae Jin, but we're ignoring all that. Another thing I didn't understand was how Ae Jin hated her mother for cheating, but later she has a secret sister, and her mother has mental health issues???

Please tell me if I misunderstood something, because those parts left me confused.

The acting in the drama is not the best. Sometimes the reactions would be over the top or nothing at all. That was one of the things that annoyed me throughout the drama.

There are some good things about the drama; it knew how to bring intrigue, the things that Genie has to go through. It still needed some work done on the script and acting to make it a good drama.

However, it does have a good message throughout all of it, so maybe it's not that bad.

5/10

First impression: Go Min Si is soo beautiful, anything else doesn't matter. Though the food looks appetising.

Last impression: Quickly forgettable

Synopsis: Depicts the story of Han Beom U, the successor of a large food company, who runs the best fine dining restaurant in Seoul but has no interest in 'taste'. Mo Yeon Ju, a chef crazy about 'taste', runs a restaurant in a remote corner of the countryside. They grow together and fall in love while running a small restaurant. (Mydramalist)

One of the biggest strengths of this drama is its cast and characters. The whole found family moment is cute, and I enjoyed watching it.

Let's be honest, Kim Shin Rok (assistant chef) and Yoo Soo Bin (waiter) stole a lot of the show, and their moments were hilarious. True scene stealers. I can't say that any others did a worse job, as the main couple was also kind of cute.

I wish we had to see more romance scenes. I get that Yeon Ju is a bit of a tsundere type; she will not act cute and won't say nice words, but I wanted a bit more from her. Han Beom U sometimes seemed to be the only one doing the romance genre while she focused on cooking.

A lot of people disliked the story from the fifth episode or so (when her ex appears), and I have to agree. It becomes a bit boring, and we didn't need this sideplot. Yes, it lets us get to know Yeon Ju better, but there were other ways than wasting precious two episodes on that.

After that, the show was a bit lost. I can't say it got right back on track.

I won't go into the spoiler territory, but there were some things that I wish were changed. I do recommend this drama if you want something light or like cooking. Those parts were the strongest and were nice to watch.

I commented that it was forgettable because after watching it, I went on a walk and only after a few hours, I remembered that I finished a drama... So, no lasting impression on me.

7/10