KDramaCritic

 Café Minamdang (2022) Where to Watch:  Netflix Number of Episodes: 18 Netflix Summary:  "A suspicious business that offers the services of a purportedly all-knowing shaman catches the attention of a tenacious police inspector." Starring: Seo In-guk, Oh Yeon-seo, Kwak Si-yang Creators: Ko Jae-hyun, Park Hye-jin MyDramaCritic Rating: Favorite MyDramaCritic Short Review:  Café Minamdang (2022) is a better version of the American show Psych.  The story is well-written, the drama is deliciously campy and over-the-top.  I laughed and felt sad with a good balance throughout the whole series. Watching Café Minamdang (2022) was just a lot of fun and I am looking forward to re-watching the show. Arguably, the plot is somewhat predictable, but not in a way where the journey is ruined for the viewer.  The heavy handed drama of other comedies is not present, but I found that refreshing. MyDramaCritic rating is "Favorite" and I will hopefully have a chance to ...

  Familiar Wife (2018) Where to Watch:  Netflix Number of Episodes: 16 Netflix Summary: "After receiving a bizarre chance to go back in time, a man wakes up to find that his whole life - including the person he married - is different." Starring: Ji Sung, Han Ji-min, Kang Han-na Creators: Lee Sang-yeop, Yang Hee-seung KDramaCritic Rating: Meh KDramaCritic Short Review:  I stopped watching Familiar Wife (2018) after three episodes.  The humor used in this romantic comedy is mostly cringe or awkward situations and I was not finding it to be funny.   In addition, the marriage between Seo Woo-jin and Cha Joo-hyuk was clearly not in a healthy state.  In addition to the lack of communication, Seo Woo-jin throws items and yells at Cha Joo-hyuk.  In turn, Cha Joo-hyuk hides purchases and tries to avoid home (and by extension his children).  When Cha Joo-hyuk wakes up to his new life with Lee Hye-won as his wife and she shows him basic affection, I dec...

  Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021) Where to Watch:  Netflix Number of Episodes: 16 Netflix Summary: "A big-city dentist opens up a practice in a close-knit seaside village, home to a charming jack-of-all-trades who is her polar opposite in every way." Starring: Shin Min-a, Kim Seon-ho, Lee Sang-yi Creators: Yu Je-won, Shin Ha-eun KDramaCritic Rating: Meh KDramaCritic Review: I tried to give Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021) a fair chance.  I watched about ten episodes before abandoning the effort.  I have never had the desire to finish watching the series. The premise works well for a romantic comedy movie, but not as well for a full-length romantic comedy show.  About half way through the show, I felt like the writers were scrambling for ways to keep the main characters apart and to add drama. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021) could have been wrapped up in about eight episodes and been a cute story.  Sadly, I am rating it Meh since half the show was filler content. 

  It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) Where to Watch:  Netflix Number of Episodes: 16 Netflix Description: "An extraordinary road to emotional healing opens up for an antisocial children's book writer and a selfless psych ward caretaker when they cross paths." Starring: Kim Soo-hyn, Seo Yea-ji, Oh Jung-se Creators: Park Shin-woo, Jo Yong KDramaCritic Rating: Watch KDramaCritic Short Review: Initially, I stopped watching It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) after the first episode.  The show jumps straight into the bizarre world that the characters live in and it was jarring.  However, I kept thinking about the episode for several days afterwards and internally debated giving the show another chance. I started watching it again and finished the series. I would caution that this drama is a hard watch.  The mental illness and trauma depicted are difficult to watch at times, but the redemption arc for each character brings hope. On a personal note, I did relate to the autist...