~ WISH YOU ~

~ 15/20 ~ 

Korean Title: WISH YOU: 나의 마음속 너의 멜로디

English Title: WISH YOU, your melody from my heart

Country: South Korea

Director: Seong Do Joon

Genres: Music, Romance, Drama

Episodes: 8

Aired: Dec 4, 2020 - Dec 25, 2020

Original Network: Viki

Duration: 10 minutes per episode

Content Rating: 13+

Where to watch: Netflix (movie format), Dramacool (drama format, lots of ads).

Main Cast:

• Kang In Soo as Kang In Soo
• Lee Sang (of IMFACT) as Yoon Sang Yi

Support Cast:

• Baek Seo Bin as Choi Min Seong
• Su Bin as Lee Yoo Jin
• Kang Ye Na as the Team Leader

Brief Resume:

Kang In Soo is a free-spirited man in his 20s wishing to live from the music he produces. With the help of his friend, Choi Min Seong (Baek Seo Bin), he uploads videos on YouTube to have some exposure, hoping an agency would cast him one day. However, up until now, he was approached only for his looks. Hard-working, he never gives up on his dream and works hard with a very specific goal in mind: proving his parents wrong.

Yoon Sang Yi is also a man in his 20s working in an entertainment agency and living in a small but cozy place. Passionate about music as well, he once comes across In Soo on the street. He was playing a song; a song Sang Yi couldn’t get out of his head for multiple days. One day, his agency was casting new talents, and his colleague, Lee Yoo Jin (Su Bin), asked him to show Kang In Soo’s video to the team leader. After watching it, they decide to give In Soo a chance to make an album.

This is how In Soo and Sang Yi start working together, moving from being completely strangers, to friends who understand each other, and to lovers who share the same feelings.

Diving deeper into the characters:

I’m going to focus only on the two main characters, since this is a very short Kdrama that doesn’t have much character development due to time constraints.

Kang In Soo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kang In Soo is the son of two influent people of the society. His parents don’t want him to pursue a musical career, and therefore he desperately wants to prove them wrong. He seems strong and carefree, but his insecurities start to appear later in the story. START OF SPOIL When Sang Yi kisses him spontaneously in the rooftop scene, his reaction is pretty insecure. He decides not to stay at Sang Yi’s and goes back home to think. I find this reaction pretty accurate and it adds to the realistic aspect of the drama. END OF SPOIL His chemistry with Sang Yi is really great from the start although Sang Yi’s a bit shyer than him. And despite the drama being really short, we can still witness a good evolution of his relationship with Sang Yi, it’s not rushed like any short Kdrama would rush it. The only thing that bothered me a little bit in In Soo’s character was that he was always smiling. His smile is gorgeous, don’t get me wrong, but he was smiling too often when there was no need to smile, it's like he was hiding behind his smile. 

Yoon Sang Yi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I related more to this character in two ways: First, he’s less spontaneous and shyer than In Soo, and second, he’s less outgoing and enjoys being on his own in his own bubble. For example, START OF SPOIL when he was in his room playing on his keyboard and singing along to the main song of the drama, I could totally picture myself doing that END OF SPOIL. I really liked how Sang Yi wasn’t judgmental towards In Soo and how he always did and said what he though was right. I also relate to his clumsiness, there were moments he was just clueless and that was adorable to watch. 

My Final Thoughts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, I’d say that the strength of this drama lies in two things: first, the chemistry between the characters. Even though the kisses are a bit awkward (I’ll let it pass because the Korean BL scene is not as developed as in other countries), the actors are comfortable around each other and they’re just so cute on screen. Second, the OSTs. The main song, “Wish for you” gives me chills. The duet between Kang In Soo and Lee Sang works perfectly well.

Some negative points can still be found like In Soo’s best friend. The character could’ve been more developed. We could definitely feel how much he cared for In Soo and I would’ve loved to know more about him. We also never see In Soo’s parents. At the very end they could’ve done like an epilogue, showing In Soo’s success and the parents admitting their son had talent, or something like that.

Just like Mr. Heart, this is a great BL to start with. Even though it’s short you have every component of a BL you need to have, and the intrigue is simple but not boring. It could’ve been better if they had more time and budget of course, but it’s still a decent BL, which is why I gave it a 15/20. 

That's it for "Wish You"! I definitely look forward to discovering more Korean BLs. Take care and I'll see you all soon!

Love, Swan

 

Sources: Mydramalist, Kprofiles, Wikipedia

~ HE IS PSYCHOMETRIC ~

~ 19.5/20 ~

Korean Title: 사이코메트리 그녀석

English Title: He is Psychometric

Country: South Korea

Director: Kim Byung Soo

Screenwriter: Yang Jin Ah

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Comedy, Romance, Drama, Fantasy

Episodes: 16

Aired: Mar 11, 2019 – Apr 30, 2019

Original Network: tvN

Duration: 64 minutes per episode

Content rating: 15+

Where to watch it: Netflix (depending on the country), WeTV, Viki, Apple TV, Dramacool (lots of ads).

Main Cast:

• Park Jin Young (of GOT7) as Lee Ahn
• Shin Ye Eun as Yoon Jae In
• Kim Kwon as Kang Sung Mo (prosecutor Kang)
• Kim Da Som as Eun Ji Soo

Supporting Cast:

• Noh Jong Hyun as Lee Dae Bong (Lee Ahn’s best friend)
• Go Yoon Jung as Kim So Hyun (Jae In’s friend)
• Kim Hyo Jin as Oh Sook Ja (Jae In’s aunt)
• Park Chul Min as Nam Dae Nam (police lieutenant)
• Sa Kang as Hong Soo Yun (Dr. Hong)
• Uhm Hyo Sub as Eun Byung Ho (Ji Soo’s father)

Brief Summary:

He is Psychometric tells the story of Lee Ahn (Park Jin Young), a young teenager who was gifted with Psychometry after he lost his parents in a huge fire. Psychometry is the supposed ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them (Wikipedia). However, despite his strong will to help his detective friend Eun Ji Soo and her colleague Dr. Hong in solving murders, Lee Ahn doesn’t seem to have enough control over his ability.

One day, Lee Ahn crosses the path of Yoon Jae In, another young teenager who’s being really secretive towards her past. Together, with the help of prosecutor Kang, detective Eun Ji Soo and Dr. Hong, they will team up to solve the case surrounding the fire that has been haunting their lives for so long. 

This drama tackles different topics such as corruption, abuse of power, mental illness and even Alexithymia, which is the subclinical inability to identify and describe emotions experienced by one’s self or others. 

Diving deeper into the characters:

Lee Ahn

At first, Lee Ahn appears as an uneducated high school student who just does whatever he wants to do. He’s being scolded by his tutors and he seems to take nothing too seriously. However, quickly enough, we learn that he’s an orphan and that he’s living with his “Hyung” (Korean word for big brother) who isn’t really his brother but the man who saved him from the fire his parents died in.

Lee Ahn is this kind of person who really wants to help even if he can be really clumsy and annoying sometimes, and I relate so much in that sense, which is why I got attached to him very easily. START OF SPOIL In episode 1 or 2, they are in the morgue room where they keep the bodies, and he tries touching one of the bodies to see if he can get a useful clue on who the murderer could be, but instead he saw bra sizes. It was hilarious END OF SPOIL. However, he’s also a very impulsive person who acts on his emotions, which will make him suffer a lot considering the events that are going to happen. But it’s also this very strong sense of intuition that will lead him to uncover the truth.

We’ll also see him grow up, mature (while still being clueless sometimes) and master his ability with the help of his acolyte Jae In throughout the drama.

Yoon Jae In

Yoon Jae In is a new student in Lee Ahn’s school. She has just transferred because she was bullied in her old school, and now there was a guy in her classroom who could discover everything she has been trying to hide by just touching her.

Jae In has a very precise goal: Proving her father’s innocence and get him out of prison. For that, she’ll do everything she can to become a police officer. After starting on the wrong foot, her and Lee Ahn become closer, until one day when Jae In decides to leave.

After disappearing for a few years, she reunites with Lee Ahn as a police officer, and she helps him developing his ability. The two of them finally accept their feelings and become a couple.

Kang Sung Mo (Prosecutor Kang)

This character is the perfect example for the saying that goes “Do not judge a book by its cover” but in the wrong way. He seems pretty nice and charming at first, and Lee Ahn admires him so much which makes you want to adore him too. However, as the story rolls on, I got really uncomfortable when he appeared on screen, and it just becomes worse. And even after hearing his childhood story (that was the most painful story I’ve ever heard), I just couldn’t forgive him. I wanted to slap him for always wearing a poker face, for never drawing a sincere smile, and for never acknowledging Ji Soo’s feelings towards him. He was really selfish because he only cared about finding someone and get revenge, he would never take other people's feelings into consideration, and I think this is why I hated him so much. START OF SPOIL It's not because you cannot have feelings that others don't have feelings either END OF SPOIL.

Eun Ji Soo

This character was really touching, and what I loved the most was the relationship she had with Lee Ahn. It was a true brother-sister relationship. She genuinely cared about him and Lee Ahn really considered her as her older sister. I also like how she tried to prove to her father, Eun Byung Ho (the head of the police forces), that power wasn’t always the solution, and that justice had to be done. START OF SPOIL Oh god how I wished she didn't die. Why the hell did she have to die! I was so sad and angry! She was such an important character, and she was the only person who could’ve make prosecutor Kang change END OF SPOIL.

Nam Dae Nam (Police Lieutenant) 

Even though he’s just a secondary character, Lieutenant Nam played such a beautiful role. His character portrays the experience and the voice of wisdom. He acted like a paternal figure for Jae In (well, he ended up liking her aunt so he might actually become part of her family lol), and he didn’t hesitate to help in solving the case, even though he knew he could lose his job. 

My final thoughts and opinion:

This drama is easily part of my top 5 favorite Kdramas of all time. There's not even one thing that bothered me (apart from prosecutor Kang's character, but it plays a big role in the drama's uniqueness). Everything was perfect, from the plot, the acting and the sets to the music and the special effects. I was never bored watching it, I suspected that everyone had done something bad at one point, and they kept the suspense until very late in the drama. 

Plus, the romance does not take the biggest part of the cake, which makes the cute moments much more impactful, especially when we need to cool down from all the suspense. 

So, if you're still not sure whether to watch this Korean Drama or not, my answer would be: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! And if you already watched it, feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section ;) 

On that note, take care and I'll see you all soon!

Love, Swan

Sources: Mydramalist, Wikipedia

 ~ STRONGEST DELIVERYMAN ~

~ 17/20 ~

Korean Title: 최강 배달꾼

English Title: Strongest Deliveryman

Country: South Korea

Director: Kim Shin Il, Jeon Woo Sung

Screenwriter: Lee Jung Woo

Genres: Friendship, Business, Comedy, Romance, Life, Youth

Episodes: 16

Aired: Aug 4, 2017 – Sep 23, 2017

Original Network: KBS2

Duration: 52 minutes per episode.

Where to watch: Netflix, Dramacool (attention to ads)

Main Cast:

• Go Kyung Pyo as Choi Kang-Soo
• Chae Soo Bin as Lee Dan-Ah
• Kim Seon Ho as Oh Jin Gyu
• Go Won Hee as Lee Ji Yoon

Supporting Cast:

•  Son Ji Hyun as Choi Yun Ji (Dan-Ah's roommate) 
• Kim Hye Ri as Jung Hye Ran (Ji Yoon's mother)
• Lee Won Jong as Oh Seong Hwan (Jin Gyu's father)
• Jo Hee Bong as Jang Dong Soo (Pal Pal's chef) 
• Lee Min Young as Soon Ae (Pal Pal's manager)

Brief resume:

Choi Kang-Soo has been a delivery man for 5 years now. However, he never stayed at the same place for long. One day, he moves to a new town with a famous street full of small restaurants, one of them being Palpal Noodles. Palpal Noodles is a Chinese food restaurant held by the owner, the chef, and a manager with an unconventional sense of humor. Kang-Soo decides to work here, but in order to get in he’ll have to convince Lee Dan-Ah, another worker at the same restaurant.

Dan-Ah is a delivery woman who has been working for 5 years just like Kang-Soo. Strong-witted and determined, Dan-Ah works hard to earn money and learn English in order to leave South Korea and go to college.

Hostile towards each other at first, the two delivery workers will develop a strong friendship and will both strive to become successful. And for them, success means being like rich people such as Lee Ji Yoon, daughter of Jung Hye Ran, the CEO of a huge food company, and Oh Jin Gyu, son of Oh Seong Hwan, CEO of a huge construction group.  

However, in a country where the law is weak, where the people supposed to apply the law corrupted, and where the strong and rich people are treating the others like trash, Kang-Soo and Dan-Ah will learn that being the strongest is not enough to achieve success.

Diving deeper into the characters:

Choi Kang Soo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kang-Soo is first introduced as a man with a strong pride. In the first episode START OF SPOIL Dan-Ah yelled at him to sit properly during his “interview” and perplex at first, he refused to cooperate and got up of his chair. END OF SPOIL But as we get to know about his past and his motivations, we get attached to him really fast. He also has a strong sense of justice that will, unfortunately, turn against him. I live in a country where justice doesn’t do her job, where everything is corrupted, and I can tell you that when it comes to human rights, we can get really angry. There’s this scene when START OF SPOIL Kang-Soo barged in the prosecutor’s office and got all worked up because he dropped the charges while he was supposed to send Oh Jin Gyu in jail for illegally closing a main street and causing a civilian to fall in a coma. END OF SPOIL What I like most about this character is that his personality is well balanced. He’s not too funny, not too serious, not too stubborn, every single trait of his is well-dosed.

Lee Dan-Ah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dan-Ah seems to have lost faith in the country’s system. She knows she has no future in South Korea because she has no money and has to work too much in order to just survive. This is why her ultimate goal is to fly abroad and go to college so she won’t be indebted for life like her parents. She lives in a tiny rooftop room with her friend, whom I had a hard time catching up with because I didn’t quite understand her story. She always looks at a countdown on her phone, indicating how many days are left until she can leave the country (based on a calculation of the money she earns on a monthly basis I believe). I found that so cute and realistic at the same time, I remember setting a countdown on my phone until the day of BTS’s concert, and every time I was sad, I just had to look at it to feel better. But when she starts looking at Kang-Soo differently, and when she realises she might have a happy future with him besides her, her plans start to change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, Dan-Ah made me learn that if we don’t want to look like someone who makes early conclusions and someone full of prejudices, we shouldn’t assume something before having a proof that what we’re saying/thinking is true. In fact, in the early episodes, START OF SPOIL Kang-Soo let Lee Ji Yoon sleep in his room (that is in the second floor of the restaurant) because she had run away from home. The girl came back with all her clothes, makeup and accessories and left them in the room. At some point, Dan-Ah got in, saw the girl clothes, and assumed that Kang-Soo was into dressing like a girl. She even gifted him a dress later in the series! END OF SPOIL In real life this kind of thing can really harm the person concerned.

Oh Jin Gyu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This character is hard to deal with maybe because he's just stupid, only cares about cars, and thinks money can buy anything. But I think Kim Seon Ho played the role really well, especially in the second part of the series where Jin Gyu finally surrounds himself with meaningful people and starts to work really hard (while still being a little bit clueless, but that's how his personality is). 

Jin Gyu is also the living proof that having too much pride won't help even if you're very rich because no, you can't buy everything with money. Having pride is okay, but it shouldn't make you forget your principles such as apologizing to someone you harmed physically or mentally. 

Lee Ji Yoon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This girl is the perfect match for Jin Gyu. She's wealthy, clueless, naive, and really clumsy, almost awkward. But she's really funny, and that's what I love most about her. She knows to stand up for herself and her friends when needed, and can be really bold sometimes. I absolutely loved it when START OF SPOIL she defended herself in front of her boss when Jin Gyu accused her of not treating him well when she just accidentally dropped her earring in his drink. END OF SPOIL

Jung Hye Ran

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The CEO of Jungga and also Ji Yoon's mother is the bad bitch in this whole series, and I thought it was a well-thought character until the last episode. During the whole series she fought for her company even if it meant harming her employees, she was ruthless towards her opponents and at the end she just accepts things and disappears. I also thought there could've been more things to say about her. There's a brief moment when she says that Jungga is all about premium food, but we don't know how she started, what were the struggles she encountered, etc. I just would've appreciated to see more of her so I could understand her and her evil actions.

Finally, before we move on to my personal opinion, I want to point out Lee Min Young's character, Soon Ae the manager of Pal Pal. I don't know what words to use to qualify her, but I think unconventional sums it up. I felt so many different emotions when she was on screen, in a good and a bad way. But I definitely liked that she was different. 

My opinion:

I want to thank myself for watching this drama a second time which made me love it! When I watched it for the first time, I really wasn’t paying attention to the story. I was getting used to complex stories and extreme plot twists, so this drama seemed a little bit boring during my first watch, especially that we also get the "Rich vs Poor" story AGAIN.

However, on my second try, I really appreciated the characters and their development, and this touch of humanity and reality that we don't find in every single drama out there. Plus, it is well balanced between funny scenes and serious/tense moments.

I would definitely recommend Strongest Deliveryman for its accuracy, its simplicity, and its realism. Despite not having a huge budget, messages were delivered and lessons learned. It's great start for those who just stepped into drama land but also for those who want to take a break from school-themed dramas and unrealistic love stories, or from complex storylines.

That's it for Strongest Deliveryman! If you have watched the drama let us know how you felt about it in the comments below, and I'll see you all soon!

Love, Swan

 

Sources: Mydramalist, Allkpop.

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