Episodes 13-16

I don’t even know where to start. Maybe I should start with my finale predictions because I think I was pretty wrong... There wasn’t a Lee Hyun/Jun Yeong showdown, a brother reconciliation or a “happy” ending really, but I am very satisfied with the ending. Jun Yeong disappeared in the end hoping to found by Lee Hyun. Min, after escaping near death, leaves the hospital room without the new idenity papers given to him by Jun Yeong. It seems he wants to start living his life as Lee Hyun’s brother? Maybe to turn himself in for his past crimes? It’s a little unclear, but it’s certain that he’s starting his new life on the right path. As for a overall happy ending, I don’t think we got that, but it’s fitting and that’s life. Jun Yeong escaped, but Lee Hyun and Cha Ji An are together and will continue to fight crime.

In my previous thoughts, I now think I dismissed the romance in this drama too quickly. In the end, the romance was handled very well. It didn’t get in the way of the main conflict or the police cases. Two people who were deeply hurt by the same criminal came together to ease each other’s pain and help catch Jun Yeong. I’m a fan of these two together now and happy to see them move with their relationship in the last episode. 

Final Thoughts

After much procrastination, I finally finished this drama and I didn’t realize how attached I was to this drama and its characters until the end. When I first started this drama, I was very unsure of Lee Hyun’s and Cha Ji An’s characters, but now, I think they are awesome. I expressed this in my previous thoughts post, but I really love Cha Ji An. She’s tough, capable in her job, caring, and smart. My least favorite character was Jun Yeong of course, but the actor did a great job with the character. The scenes he did with with Lee Hyun and Min were so tense and chilling, especially when they worked together on a case or ate together.

Thank you @kdramadose for recommending a drama that I overlooked! I don’t think I would have watched this drama and what a shame if I hadn’t! This is a hidden gem in the crime thriller genre. I would definitely watch another drama Ria recommended. I had so much fun!

The Drama:

Wannueng Jaa Pben Superstar (I Wanna be a Superstar) is essentially Full House meets Personal Taste. I liked the drama. It was a fun and easy watch. Sometimes that is exactly what you need to get your mind off things. I enjoyed it for what it was: a cliché and cheesy romantic comedy about a wannabe actress. 

What I really liked: 

The premise - I am a sucker for cohabitation dramas. I just love those reluctant roommates hijicks and there’s nothing that allows for great interractios between the leads than placing them under the same roof. 

The characters - I liked most characters, but if I had to pick a favourite it would be the best friend Lukpit. He was sassy, funny and loyal. In the end, he stood by Wanneung and helped her fight her battles. 

The chemistry - The leads had great chemistry and they were really fun to watch. I kept looking forward to their next scene and I did find myself with a goofy smile on my face. 

I know this is irrelevant to the drama itself but I also really enjoyed the blooper reel after each episode. I always enjoy getting a view of the behind-the-scenes and seeing the cast interacting together was amusing. 

What I did not like: 

Mostly, I think the drama could have been shorter. The beginning was a bit draggy and some episodes had this filler feel that could have been avoided if they had cut back 6 episodes or so. 

I was also a tad dissatisfied with the final major conflict resolution. I wished Wanneung would have had her shining moment and been able to avenge herself. (Slight Spoiler) The fact that the “other bad guys” ended up solving her problem and she essentially forgave them...it irked me. These guys tried to rape her. She shouldn’t feel grateful to them. Ever.   

I also did not like how the drama referred to gay men as “not real men”. I don’t know if the translation was to blame because unfortunately I do not understand thai so I couldn’t tell what they were saying and whether their words really had such a strong negative connotation. Hopefully, it was a case of “lost in translation”.  

Final Verdict :

Fun. Funny. Cute. Charming. Nothing special but still highly enjoyable. Although I didn’t fall in love with it, I have no complains and would probably recommend it to someone who is a fan of cheesy romcoms. I rate it between a 7.5/10 and a 8/10. 

The Drama: Rating: 8/10

Thank you @nothingbutthestory for recommending Heart to Heart to me. I doubt I would have found and watched it, had it not been for this exchange. It’s definitely the kind of drama I like to watch, but I had overlooked this one. The story was interesting and the main couple was tolerable. I really liked the female lead and was rooting for her the whole time. All the family drama was actually pretty interesting to me too. I don't know that it's a show I would definitely watch again, but I'm glad I had to, and I certainly enjoyed it. My favourite characters were Hong Do’s fish (Yi Suk asked her what their names were, but I don’t think she said…). They didn’t get nearly as much attention as they deserved. The Exchange: This was my second time participating in the drama exchange and I would definitely like to take part in a future round (I really shouldn’t do the next one, but I’m already considering it). I enjoyed the drama that my match chose for me and would accept more recommendations from them. The second rec, Mask, is actually a drama I plan on watching. Choosing my recommendations was even harder this time around and I was really worried I wouldn’t be able to find anything to recommend. They’ve watched so many more dramas and have much better taste. Luckily, from what I saw they didn’t seem to hate my recommendation, Pinocchio, yet, so that’s good. This was another great drama exchange, and I'm glad that I decided to take part again. (: