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mec557
Reviews
Once Upon a Small Town (2022)
Love triangle spoils it all
I don't watch many Korean dramas, but from time to time one captures my attention. I thought that this would be one of those. Whereas.most Korean shows take place in Seoul, this is set in the countryside, something that I wish they would do more of. That being said, this show is really only about one thing, the love triangle between the three characters. Police officer Ahn Ja-yeong, she is an officer, and she tends to look out for the town folk. Then you have veterinarian, Hans Ji-yul who arrives from Seoul to replace his grandfather while he goes on a vacation. Then you have a local farmer, who although not dating officer Ahn, is extremely jealous of Ji-yul, and the fact that officer Ahn seems drawn to him. Take away this and you have a show that gives one a glimpse of the countryside and farm life in Korea. Would have made for a fine viewing experience.
Can anyone tell me why the majority of these Korean shows feature love-triangles? I have a idea, but I would like to hear other views.
Hi Bye, Mama! (2020)
Damned frustrating
When you watch a show that is both one of the best shows you ever watched, and also one of the worst, then you are stuck giving it a 5 or 6 stars. So 6 it is. This show could easily have been boiled down to 8 or 10 shows, but because these Korean drama's seem to all be 16 shows, we are left with a lot of unnecessary story lines. Many of the reviewers are saying that the gut wrenching ending makes it a more realistic show. Huh? Realistic? A show about a ghost that roams her home town watching over her family for 5 years, and then coming back to life, is realistic? I don't think so. Therefore, an ending that leaves you empty, and unable to get the brutal sadness of it, out of your thoughts, has no need for realism.
Others have reviewed the show better than I ever could, so no need for me to do a poorer job.So I shall give my second reason why such a beautiful show, was the pits to watch. The men in this show are pathetic, they are weak, lack wisdom and strength, and are almost never there to comfort the women that love them, and whom they are supposed to love. It was so bad in fact, that by the middle of the series, I began to believe that Yu Ri (the woman that bore the child), and Min Joeng, (the woman that raised the child), they should have kicked the husband out, and raised the child themselves. By the end of the series, I was convinced of it.
These two factors made the show unbearable, with Yu Ri's death the clincher. One last point of contention, the ambiguous ending. We are to presume that it is Min Jeong walking away with Seo Woo and the father, but it is never clearly shown.
But damn, despite all that, the acting was incredible. And the actor playing Seo Woo is just adorable, although some find fault that a boy is playing a girl. Didn't bother me at all. There you go, a beautiful show, beautifuly acted. But with two plot lines that were hard for me to stomach. Plus it was far too long.