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I remembered watching the teaser for “Dear Hongrang” when it first came out and being pretty fascinated and impressed at how beautiful the drama looked. Lee Jae-wook in a historical drama was one of the reasons that I wanted to tune in and then the visuals from the teaser also lured me in. So when the drama was released, I decided to give it a watch.

After finishing the drama, the best part about “Dear Hongrang” was definitely the directing and cinematography. The drama was just so mesmerizing. It was visually pleasing. The way that it was shot and filmed was insane because of how beautiful it looked. Every shot and frame was intentional; it seemed like there was so much thought and heart that was put into the production of the drama. The drama really did try its best with making the drama look good which is something that you definitely don’t see nowadays in K-dramaland or that you can say often about other dramas. “Dear Hongrang” was one of those dramas where they put 100% effort into the quality of the directing, cinematography, and filming which I really appreciated. It never once looked lazy or bad. Aesthetically, the drama was strong in this department.

Another aspect that the drama excelled in was the music, whether that was the official OST tracks or the instrumental background songs. It was great enough that the drama looked wonderful but combine this with the music and it made for an even greater watch. The music was haunting and beautiful and really elevated each scene.

I also really enjoyed watching Lee Jae-wook who just matches sageuks so well. Not every actor looks good in historical dramas and they can seem out of place. But Lee Jae-wook is just one of those actors who’s meant to play in historical dramas as seen in “Alchemy of Souls” and then “Dear Hongrang.” He’s a good actor in general but there’s just something that is extra different about him in sageuks. I hope we get to see many more projects of him in historical dramas because he is so so so good in them. More than half of the time, I couldn’t help but admire his handsome looks and cool fighting scenes.

I can’t rave the same about the story and to be honest, I wasn’t the most invested in the story. The drama was quite dark and heavy (especially with all the trauma that the children had to go through). Even though it was sort of interesting in the beginning to see Hong Rang pretend to be Jae-yi’s brother and keep up the image, I slowly found myself getting less and less engaged over time. And even though Hong Rang wasn’t Jae-yi’s biological brother, I still felt a little odd sometimes about their relationship and the romance development. I think their relationship would have worked if this was any other historical drama with no sibling theory tied to it because I do think there were some sweet and compelling moments in their relationship. Such was the case in the final episode where Hong Rang comforted a heartbroken and devastated Jae-yi as well as their farewell scene that was touching and bittersweet.

All in all, I wouldn’t rank “Dear Hongrang” as one of the best dramas overall this year but I would rank it up there in terms of visuals and directing which was where it really delivered. I seriously can’t emphasize this enough, but the cinematography and filming was so well done. Even if the storytelling wasn’t at that level, the drama at least made up for it by looking and sounding great. I’m usually not the type to re-watch dramas but a part of me feels compelled to go back and watch this drama again just for the rich visuals alone.

Nine Puzzles

It’s always a good feeling when a drama you weren’t planning on watching initially turns out to be a pretty good watch – for the most part.

I remembered being quite intrigued and fascinated by the teaser for “Nine Puzzles” when it first came out because I just knew that it was going to look good. Directed by Yoon Jong-bin whose works include “Kundo: The Age of Rampant” and “Narco-Saints”, I knew I had a reason to look forward to this drama. And for the majority of the time, I liked what it delivered and had to offer.

Kim Da-mi plays Yoon E-na, a criminal profiler, who partners up with police detective Kim Han-saem (played by Son Suk-ku). Together, the two work together to solve the mystery around a group of murders and the puzzles that are connected to each murder. What do they mean and why do they keep on being sent to E-na?

I remembered liking the first four episodes but it wasn’t really until episode 5 that I really started to get into the drama. Before I knew it, I caught up to all 9 episodes two days before the finale so the wait to find out who the culprit was was agonizing. Even though the wait felt like forever, I was satisfied with the build-up in the first 9 episodes and how the drama was able to keep you guessing. Every time there was a clue or a connection between all the victims or another puzzle that was sent to E-na, you couldn’t help but just gasp and hang on for dear life. It was thrilling (and a little confusing at times keeping up with everything not gonna lie, lol) because there was a whole lot going on.

Unfortunately, even though I was content with the first 9 episodes, I can’t say with certainty that the wait for the 2 final episodes was worth it. It felt a little underwhelming with how the murderer was revealed and how the drama wrapped things up. You never actually got to see how the murderer committed the murders. I understood that the first 9 episodes was focused on the investigation and our two main characters working together to identify the meanings behind the puzzle pieces. I just thought that we would actually get to see how the murderer then committed those murders and how the victims died. The final 2 episodes basically dropped a whole backstory on why the murderer did what they did which felt a little lazy and cheap. It felt as if the drama remembered that there were 11 episodes total so it needed to hurry up and find a way to wrap everything up. It was such a shame because the first 9 episodes were great and compelling while the final 2 episodes wasn’t able to maintain that momentum and adrenaline. The drama dragged on in the final 2 episodes with trying to be a little too dramatic and stylistic which just didn’t work for me. I wanted to see the execution and not so much just be thrown a bunch of information in one single hour. That part was a little disappointing.

I’m not really sure what it is with K-dramas and them not being able to stick the landing with the final episodes. “Nine Puzzles” was good for the majority of its run and it seemed promising. However, the final 2 episodes didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I wouldn’t say that the ending completely ruined my watching experience but I was a bit disappointed because of how good the first 9 episodes were. It seemed like the drama hinted at a second season with how the final episode ended so it’ll be interesting to see if it does go in that direction. It was fun and surprising to see all the cameos in this first season given who the director was. I also enjoyed E-na and Han-saem’s dynamic because it wasn’t anything romantic but rather a partnership that developed over time. Han-saem went from suspecting E-na of killing her uncle to eventually trusting her and relying on her and enjoyed working with her. They respected each other and I liked how natural their relationship evolved over time. The best part was how subtle the progression was; there weren’t any grand emotional scenes or moments. But before you knew it, they were spending time at his place or they ate together or they were calling each other more frequently. The two were there for each other and with each other many times throughout the investigation and I thought they had a nice, balanced relationship.

“Nine Puzzles” didn’t end as well as I would have liked but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the first 9 episodes delivered. The acting by the cast members was great and so was the directing and music. The writing at the end could have been stronger and better but oh well, I guess you can’t always have everything in life.

Pump Up the Healthy Love

This drama wasn’t for everyone but at the same time, I felt like it was a drama that kind of was for everyone. I could see people not really feeling the humor because of how over-the-top and exaggerated it was. I could see people not liking it because of how simple the premise was and how it was centered around fitness, exercise, and working out which may not seem all that interesting. But I don’t know – even if the drama wasn’t the most exciting and thrilling experience ever, it was still a fun watch and one that I made sure to tune into every week.

“Pump Up the Healthy Love” was a drama where I could turn off my brain and just enjoy it for what it was. I didn’t have to think too much about what was going on or what was happening. It wasn’t like “Nine Puzzles” where I had to pay attention to the details to understand the story. “Pump up the Healthy Love” was fun and entertaining; I get that the humor and comedy might not have been for everyone but it sure did work for me and I laughed plenty of times throughout the drama. Lee Jun-young and Jung Eun-ji did a great job in their respective roles and both had the comedic timing to pull off the shenanigans and humor. They also had the talent to carry the emotional weight and acting when needed.

If I had to describe this drama, I would say that it was 80% comedy and then 20% emotions. I was quite surprised at how emotional, genuine, and sincere the drama got sometimes. I wasn’t expecting it to deliver with the themes and messages about self-care, self-love, burnout, and the importance of taking care of yourself both physically and mentally. And I think that’s why I really enjoyed this drama: it made you laugh but it also made you reflect on your life.

One of the episodes that stood out to me was episode 5 where Lee Jun-young’s character, Do Hyeon-joong, had a customer: she was a mother who also had a young kid. He valued his customer’s time and space at the gym so he volunteered to take care of her child every time she worked out. Eventually, the exhaustion caught up to him and it made him realize that even though he was physically fit and healthy, he was mentally and emotionally drained. From that point on, he realized the significance of not only taking care of one’s body but also one’s mind. He learned that it was important to set boundaries and to take some time off for yourself (a good reminder that I myself need to practice from time to time!). I also enjoyed this episode because of the spotlight that it placed on motherhood and how mothers often have to put their own lives on pause to take care of their children. In the process, they forget about themselves because of all the sacrifices that they make. It was heartwarming to see the mom be able to take some time to herself even if it just meant simply drinking some coffee at a cafe and enjoying some time alone. It may not have seemed like a lot but to the mother, it meant everything to her.

Another thing that I appreciated about this drama was the focus on the lives of Hyeon-joong and Jung Eun-ji’s character, Lee Mi-ran, before diving into their romance. I was actually quite surprised and content at how little romance there was between the two in the first half. I initially thought the romance was something that the drama was going to build on little by little each episode but the romance between them didn’t actually really start until the second half. And the great thing about the drama was that I didn’t even notice this. I was having so much fun just watching our group go about their daily lives at the gym and at work that I didn’t even notice there was barely any romance between Hyeon-joong and Mi-ran. Of course, it was adorable watching Mi-ran and Hyeon-joong eventually like each other later on in the show but I’m glad that it wasn’t the primary focus. Rather, we got to know more about the two characters as separate entities with their own stories and character arcs and not just as lovers. Even after Mi-ran and Hyeon-joong got together and became a couple, they still focused on themselves. I’m glad Mi-ran went to Hawaii like she always wanted to do and that she didn’t give up her dream for Hyeon-joong. I’m glad Hyeon-joong took some time off to try other things and was able to take his mind off of his health club for a bit. We also got to learn more about our supporting characters at the 24-hour health club which was nice to see (and one of my favorite parts was when Alex wore a sports jersey of my favorite football team LOL. It felt a little strange seeing two of my worlds blend together but it was also great and unexpected!).

“Pump up the Healthy Love” made me laugh so much because of how ridiculous and exaggerated the humor was but I also enjoyed it for the sincere and touching moments between our 24-hour health club team. Given that this drama was centered around fitness and exercise, a lot of its themes and life lessons were displayed through our main characters who worked out. But at the same time, this drama was so much more than how it presented itself. Yes, a lot of it was funny and comedic but there were also moments that were moving, heartfelt, and heartwarming. I liked the messages that it conveyed almost every episode; I liked the small reminders that self-care comes in various shapes and forms and that it’s not just about being healthy physically but also emotionally and mentally. The journey to self-care and good health is a constant work in progress that isn’t going to happen overnight. It’s not linear and there’s going to be times where you’re going to fail and have to learn to pick yourself back up. At the end of the day, it’s about doing what works for you at a pace that works best for you.