Reviews

In Japan a new department called Unnatural Death Investigation carries out autopsies on people who have died under suspicious circumstances. The main star of the series is Mikoto Misumi (Satomi Ishiihara) whose family died when she was a child in tragic circumstances. She works alongside another forensic investigator who was a suspect in his girlfriend's death many years earlier and is bitter and twisted. Alongside this dynamic we see the work of the team as they investigate strange and unusual deaths and how they struggle to find the cause. I found it an enjoyable series with interesting side characters and good acting with just a hint of gore which I was thankful for taking into account their job. I was surprised to learn how few autopsies are actually carried out in Japan and how this seems to be accepted the population.

I saw clips of this just after it was released in 2010 and since then I have searched for it with English subtitles, thankfully now in 2024 I found the full series with subtitles and even though they are poor I am still very grateful. The story follows two step brothers Liang Wen Xiu (Zhou Yi Wei) who is very clever and serves as an official to the Emperor and Chun Er (Yu Shao Qin) who as a eunuch serves the Empress. The Empress Ci Xi (Tanaka Yukon) rules from behind the curtain controlling the puppet Emperor Guang Xu (Zhang Bo) during the late Qing dynasty at the end of the 20th century. The story plays a little like a drama documentary covering events which actually happened and the costumes and sets alongside the acting are amazing. The series alone is worth watching for the amazing depiction of Ci Xi by a brilliant Japanese actress and her faithful eunuch.

Kim Ji-won plays Hong Hae-in who comes from a chaebol family and manages the prestigious Queens department store which she runs with cold efficiency. She is married to Baek Hyun-woo(Kim Soo-hyun) a sensitive man who romanced her and fell in love without knowing her background. After a few years of marriage they have drifted apart and he plans to divorce her but on the day he plans to tell her she also informs him she may only have months to live. The script is very well written and it has interesting side characters from both sides of the family with their own dramatic stories and a superb soundtrack to accompany them. The two leads are perfect in their roles and even when the plot gets a little silly you still believe in them and cheer for them, particularly as there are factions wishing to destroy their relationship and the company. A great watch which will takes you on a journey from heartbreak to elation and have you praying for a happy end.

Kang Ji-won played by Park Min-young has led a sad life, clinging to the wrong people all her life. In 2023 she has months to live due to cancer but finds her husband having an affair with her only friend and ends up being murdered. But at the point of death she is transported back to 2013 and is given the opportunity to change her sad existence and seek vengeance against all that have wronged her. She is helped by Yoo Ji-hyuk (Na In-woo) the CEO of the company she works for and is unsure why at first but it becomes clearer later. I have not seen the webtoon this is based on but it is an entertaining story with great acting all round. The baddies of which they are a few must have relished their roles as they are completely without morals.

I am not usually a fan of the fantasy genre but I started watching this and soon got hooked for 39 episodes and would have given it an 8.5 if I could. In a world of different realms alongside humans Shen Li played by the beautiful Zhao Liying is the sky king of the demon realm and to escape an impending marriage flees to the human realm. Here she meets a human and falls in love, she then has to leave and return to her realm and is imprisoned for a long time and the human dies. Later she meets Xing Yun played by Lin Geng Xing who looks just like the human but is the last of the great immortal gods. It is a great fantasy drama with amazing special effects and is very funny in parts with excellent acting and interesting side characters.

Jeon So-nee plays Jeong Su-in a worker in a small shop who has led a miserable life and who's only friend is a detective played by Kwon Hae-hyo who saved her from her abusive father. She is attacked one night by a man but is inadvertently saved by a parasite which is out to conquer mankind. She is then drawn into a world where the powers that be believe she has become a parasyte and is hunted to be captured or killed by a determined team led by Lee Jung-hyun. It is apparently based on a Japanese manga and when this occur what often happens is the script not to stray too far from the book becomes stilted. It is well acted and at only six episodes is an entertaining watch particularly when the parasytes appear as the are cleverly bought to life by the special effects.

Judge Dee mysteries is based on a a set of books by Robert Van Gulik and as the title suggests he is a magistrate who solves strange cases in the Chinese Tang court. He is played by Zhou Yi Wei and is appointed by Empress Wu Zetian to bring law to border regions where he has to contend with bandits and people who have lost faith in justice. The cases are interesting and they are the focus of the thirty two episodes of the first series, I would have liked more background on the side characters and not just the main character Di Ren Jie. It is entertaining though and the sets and production values are incredible. Great acting from all the cast and well worth a watch.

Choi Woo-shik plays Lee Tang an ordinary student from a poor family with a part time job at a convenience store. One day he gets into an altercation with a customer and ends up murdering him and from that point things quickly escalate and many more deaths occur. He is pursued by an upright detective JangNan-Gam played by Son Suk-ku who is determined to bring him to justice. The story is an interesting idea and starts well but then it just seems to drag and would have been much better as a movie or with a lot less episodes. Too much filming in the dark, no redeemable characters and the detective constantly chewing gum make it at times an annoying watch. Clever story which you may find yourself sadly fast forwarding.

Jung Yoo-Min plays Han Yi-ju who is the adopted daughter of a well to do family but sadly her life is made miserable by her step sister and step mother and others around her. She is involved in an accident and is transported back in time to a year previous where she decides her life will be different. To exact revenge on those who have hurt her in the past she enters a contract marriage with Seo Do-guk played by Sung Hoon who is the son of a conglomerate building company. It is an interesting idea and overall an entertaining watch although it does appear a little hurried at the end. The step mother is played brilliantly by Lee Min Young and the daughter by Jin Ji Hee and I am sure they must have relished their parts as they are both cartoonishly evil.

This series is based on the real life story of King Jungjong and Queen Dan Kyung who was deposed seven days after becoming Queen. The leads are played by Park Min Young and Yeon Woo Jin who both do a superb job with convincing chemistry. The whole cast are believable especially the child actors who are outstanding in their roles. It covers twenty episodes and most of the plot is paced very well with twists and turns which are enough to keep you invested. It is a sad story but does not become too maudlin, and there are entertaining side stories and characters. Overall a very enjoyable series and definitely worth a watch.

Ko Sung-hee plays Han So-yeon who suffers from face blindness and because of this chooses to lead a sad and lonely life and keeps herself busy at an optical company. A pair of glasses inadvertently fall into her hands and they allow her to see an AI programme called Holo which was developed by Ko Nan-do played by Yoon Hyun-Min. The AI Halo resembles Nan-do but has a different personality and we see over time the reclusive Nan-do and the shy So-yeon begin to change. The series is very well acted and my only criticism would be it is a little slow at times but it is heartwarming seeing the personality change of the two leads.

A ssireum wrestler Kim Baek-doo played by Jang Dong-yoon is thinking about retiring as at thirty two he thinks the opportunity to be a champion has passed him by. Before he makes the decision he runs into Oh Yoo-kyung played by Lee Joo-myung who was his best friend when they were children but who disappeared from his life due to an incident which took place in the town. The plot then looks back at the earlier incident and how it impacted on the group of friends and the townspeople who are all involved with ssireum and how they all turned out. It is a well acted series from the entire cast, a gentle comedy with the funniest moments between the two leads and an easy watch.

Kim So-hyun plays Princess Pyeonggang whose mother, the Queen was killed when she was a child and whilst trying to escape she is assisted by the son of a General called On Dal played by Na In-woo. They become separated and the princess has an accident and loses her memory and she is adopted by a secret society and is trained to become a very efficient assassin. Many years later they meet by accident and this begins to unravel a chain of events going to the top of the Royal household and the events from their childhoods. It is an entertaining story and the pace of the first two thirds of the series is engaging and the momentum retains your interest. Sadly the final third is where to me the pacing is off and it would have benefitted from fewer episodes.

The beautiful Son Ye-Jin plays Yoon Se-ri a successful businesswoman who after a paragliding mishap ends up in North Korea. Luckily for her she is discovered by North Korean army officer Ri Jung Hyuk played by the handsome Hyun Bin who endeavours to protect her. It is a very entertaining story and the supporting cast and their input make it highly enjoyable especially the second lead couple and the North Korean citizens. The pacing is excellent and the story unfolds with drama which will make you laugh and cry. Highly recommended especially as the lead couple actually went on to marry in real life.

Jo Jung-suk plays Lee In, the brother of the king and is drawn into the intrigue of who will succeed the king who is ill and mistrusts everybody. Shin Se-kyung plays Kang Hee-soo who disguises herself as a man and is an expert in the game of baduk (go) and uses this to gain the trust of Lee In who is unbeaten at the game. It is a story of court intrigue and initially Kang Hee-soo plans to avenge the treatment of her father but as she gets to know him over games of baduk her feelings begin to change. It is a well acted story which starts a little slow and took me a little time to stop imagining Jo Jung-suk in a hospital gown as he did such a good job in hospital playlist. Overall an entertaining watch which just falls short and I get frustrated at how badly some of the side characters are treated, mainly Court lady Doing and the queen. The trope of a beautiful girl dressing as a man has been done many times before but this is overall worth a watch mainly for the acting.

An unsuccessful writer Yuk Dong-joo (Jung Woo) is driving when a young man Kang San (Bae Hyun-sung) runs in front of his car and ends up in hospital in a coma. The aspiring writer finds a book in the backpack of the young man which he recognises could be a best seller. When the young man comes around from his coma he has no recollection who he is but appears to have mysterious powers. Together they try to find out who he is and form a brotherly partnership to recover his memories. It is an interesting script but as the real story begins with a murder committed 27 years earlier you do need to pay attention to keep up with plot and characters. It is well acted but I felt the pacing was off at times and certainly could have been shorter or more time spent on the supporting cast and their stories.

Jang Na-ra plays Seo Jae-won who is a successful furniture designer with her own company, she appears to have a loving family and supportive friends. One day it all starts to unfold and she finds out that everything was not what it seemed and her world begins to fall into a dark spiral. It is an interesting storyline and unusually for Korean dramas deals with mental health and the labelling by society of those who are different. It is slow paced and at times she makes what appear to be ridiculous decisions but overall the story holds your interest. Excellent acting all round and an enlightening story of how we should not be quick to alienate others who are facing struggles we all have to deal with to a degree.

Lee Hanee plays Jo Yeo-hwa who is a dutiful widow living in seclusion at her in-laws house but unbeknown to everybody at nights she goes out as a vigilante righting the wrongs of corrupt officials. A new captain of the palace guard arrives called Park Soo-ho played by Lee Jong-won who is a stickler for rules and soon sets out to capture this vigilante. It is based on a webtoon and like most webtoon adaptations it can be a little stilted at times but it is still an enjoyable period piece. The acting is very good from the entire cast and the leads certainly seem to have chemistry and the plot has good supporting characters.

Kim Hye-jun plays Jeong Ji A who as a young child becomes an orphan after her parents die in mysterious circumstances. She is taken in by her Uncle (Lee Dong-work) who has a very murky past and a secret illegal business which she knows nothing of. He adores her but feigns indifference and she has a hard upbringing which will be advantageous later as the words of advice and hard lessons her Uncle gave her will come to save her life on many occasions. It is an interesting story and well acted with plenty of gruesome action which I think they should have dialled back on a little. The timeline is a bit muddled which leads to too much repetition and the plot has numerous holes but it is still worth a watch as the good bits are really good.

Any drama with Sun Li I will always look favourably on as I think she is an outstanding talent. In this drama she plays Fang Si Jin who has had an incredibly difficult childhood but is now a successful but ruthless operator in the world of real estate. She is sent by her mentor to a branch in Shanghai to take control of and oust the present manager Xu Wen Dao (Luo Jin) who is caring and compassionate in all he does. This initial clash with her and her fellow workers is softened over time as she learns the value of true friendship. Yes I agree at over 50 episodes it is too long but each house sale brings a heartwarming story and in this series good always triumphs over evil.

Kim Hyun-Joo plays Yoon Seo-ha who is exploited by a professor to ghost write his books and also has a husband who is cheating on her. She gets news that an uncle she was unaware of has died and left her a burial site at the top of a mountain. We learn that the land maybe worth a lot of money and at the wake a man turns up claiming to be Seo-ha's brother and then murders suddenly begin to happen in relationship to the land. Investigating events are two detectives who have a back story putting them into conflict. It is a thriller with supernatural overtones as shamans are involved when we have flashbacks in the story. An interesting well acted series with good and bad points and is well directed over the six episodes.

Shin Hye-sun plays Cho Sam dal who is a successful photographer in Seoul when she is falsely accused of driving an assistant to attempt suicide, the media and many of her friends turn against her and drag her two sisters into the witch hunt. To escape the media attention they all head back to their parents house in the town of Samdal-ri on Jeju Island, their mother is played by everyone's favourite mother Kim Mi-Kyung who is not best pleased to see them all. On the Island is a weather forecaster Cho Yong-Pil (Ji Chang-wook) the ex boyfriend of Sam dal who has kept her in his heart for the eight years they have been apart. This romantic drama is something we have seen many times with the city folks finding solace in the camaraderie of rural folk and offers nothing really new. What you do get though is a superb cast, a well written script and endearing stories of healing that will surely warm your heart and have you cheering for the folks of Samdal-ri.

The incredibly beautiful Kim Yoo-jung plays Do Do-Hee an orphan who is adopted into a ruthless Chaebol family but becomes close to the cold matriarch Joo Cheon-sook played by the ever reliable Kim Hae-sook. In an accident with a demon Jeon Gu-won played by the incredibly handsome Song Kang the root of his powers pass to her. This means he has to remain close to her to use his powers which is just as well as the children of the Chaebol family are jealous of the relationship with their mother and wish her harm. It is an interesting plot with great side characters, a believable romance and well acted by the entire cast. The past life interaction between the two leads explain why he became a demon but my problem is that I cannot warm to Do-Hee as for whatever the reason he still harvests often good people souls mainly out of their desperation.

A goblin Ban Sook played by Bae In-hyuk has lived for 160 years and longs to be human and is told by the goblin queen he must kiss 10 humans and each time he will gain a human emotion. This is going well until he kisses a friend of a student oh Yeon Ah (Jeon Hye-won) who punches him as she has seen him kissing another girl. This begins a link between the two which grows stronger particularly as there is an exorcist hunting goblins who interact with humans. It is a short series consisting of 12 episodes of around 12 minutes each, so can be easily binge watched. Excellent acting and an uplifting lighthearted story which is difficult not to enjoy.

The series is set in 1945 when Korea was under Japanese rule and is set in the city of Gyeongseong. Park Seo-joon plays Jang Tae-sang the rich owner of a big pawn shop who only cares about himself. Along comes Yoon Chae- ok (Han So-hee) a sleuth who alongside her father is searching for her mother. In the city is a large military instillation where hideous experiments are carried out and create a monster. The two stars of the series through circumstances find themselves on a mission within the facility and discover the awful truth. I enjoyed the monster portrayal, the time period and the acting. Sadly as the series is mostly filmed underground or at night the gloominess of it all for me on a personal level is too much.