Jelly Days

Signal (시그널) Rating: 5/5 A young criminal profiler and an awkward but righteous detective become connected through the use of a walker talkie, and as they tackle unsolved cases together, they slowly uncover a deeper mystery. This was very fast paced and well written — from the use of asynchronous timelines and an ensemble cast with convincing motivations and backstories that tug at your heartstrings, speeding up to a nail-biting finale. While solving these cases, it also exposes the work difficulties and frankly often discoursing obstacles that the main leads face as they try to find justice in a system of corruption and cynicism that threatens to swallow them up. Even with the intensity of the main thriller storyline, there are soft, realistic character beats woven throughout, moments that make you laugh or make you cry as you go along with these characters’ journey. Lee Je-hoon, Kim Hye-soo, and Jo Jin-woong are fantastic in their roles. Overall: There’s a reason this show is critically acclaimed, and after watching this I can safely say without reservations that its praise is so well-deserved! It holds out strong in every aspect of its production, and now it has become a gold standard for me to compare other dramas to. A must-watch for any drama lover and has solidified as one of my favorites! Watched July 21 to Aug 5, 2021 #signal #signaldrama https://www.instagram.com/p/ChsluHvuqaQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The King Loves Rating: 5/5 Finally finished this drama! I rewatched it from the beginning up to the part I stopped at and somehow it ended up being much better than I remembered?! Then I binge watched the rest hehe. A story of a misunderstood crown prince Won, his loyal best friend Rin, and the girl their lives become intertwined with, San. This show is misleading at first, making you think it’s a typical love triangle romance. But it’s really a coming of age story about unconditional love, friendship, and sacrifice. Has an unexpected romance, some very well written characters and plot (yay for preproduced dramas! AND coming from an iconic writer), and BEST OST (still makes my heart twist when I listen to it now). Lovely familial relationships (Rin and his sister Dan are THE sweetest). The feeling captured in the scenes has that melancholic yet dreamy atmosphere of some distant memory. Basically everything I ever wanted in a historical drama. Acting-wise, Im Siwan blows it out of the park. He’s just so dynamic and expressive. He BECOMES the character. Also, the writing must have played to Yoona’s and Hong Jonghyun’s strengths bc they were unexpectedly decent in their roles. The ending unfortunately wasn’t as strong as the other parts of the drama but it does the trick. Overall this became one of my favorites. It’s not perfect but it checks off all my favorite elements and has a lot of heart. I’m sad it’s over but it’s definitely one I’ll go back to again and again. Watched July 17 2017 to May 31 2021. #thekingloves https://www.instagram.com/p/CRQKVIHlI76/?utm_medium=tumblr