From Now On, Showtime! (2022)

Started with no expectation at all, but it exceed my expectation

Was not going to start at first, but got nothing to watch, so started this with zero expectation. The title sound really like a reality show. But the 1st episode with the water tank blew me a way. The freaking hot ML and the charming FL. But what truly steal the show is the cute ghost. I like Ah Reum a lot, acted by a rookie actress. She nailed it, much better acting than some senior actress. I found the second couple is so cute, like we never expected it, but they did bring more fun to the show.
Of-course our cute shaman/magician. Found him from Cheese in the Trap. Don't like his character there, but noticed how good he is in acting. In FNOS, he show his versatility and the various layers of acting. Which only certain actors can show.
Found the FL quite irritating at first, but she grew on me. She become more loveable with the later episodes.
Just watch it lightheartedly. you'll find find that it exceed your expectation.

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BEST ROM COM OF 2022

This show is a hidden gem!! I had this on my list before it aired because I am a huge fan of Jin Ki Joo and the premise looked alright, but I was blown away by how perfect this show was! It had the humour, the angst, and everything in between! I adored EVERY character in this show, and they were all played superbly!! I haven’t watched anything with Park Hae Jin in a while, but he was GREATTT here. Like he played his role(s) so well and he looked so good omg. I loved the reincarnation love plotline. It was just so so good. Like, instead of just keeping it brief, it went in depth and it was SOOO good. Like, I was squealing and kicking my feet to all the romance scenes in this show, past and present. Like the scriptwriter deserves applause for the romantic lines. I literally giggling so hard at every romance scene like a schoolgirl. The angst, like I LOVE watching angst romances, and this was the perfect amount of angst AND humour + romance. I just couldn’t get enough of it. The side characters were so good and I loved that their stories were explored well too, like how the gangsters' love story was so sweet and sad:( The SML was so good too when he was fighting the evil spirit to protect her omggg. Overall, this show is honestly the best rom-com of 2022 for me. Like, thank you. I hope to see more kdramas like this made because this was just so good and perfect in every sense. I can't applaud the cast and crew enough for how well they played this out.

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Nothing New

it was interesting at the beginning but it became to lame and obvious when it proceeded. it's not bad. worth to watch one time.
They could have added more magical elements to the story but emphasized on their love which was really boring to watch. I mostly skipped their romance part.
The side characters are pretty good and kept the show for me. and the second leads where too.

And I don't know if a breakup scene is really an unavoidable scene in almost every KDrama. it's like the writter just wanted to include that scene so they made a lame excuse to break them off.... ughh ..
But still it was pretty good watch.
And I will never watch it again. ?

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Great drama with an awesome trio of ghosts

This drama had everything, from fantasy to romance, to friendships and the best part: a magician with an awesome trio of ghosts.

The show started out with such incredible potential, sadly the evil ghost storyline had already worn out it’s welcome and the show really was at it’s best when it was going for fun or solving a case of the week.

Started because PHJ was the ML and JKJ was the FL but fell for the rest of the amazing cast especially our three ghost characters. Honestly, the saddest part of the drama was to see the ghost employees leaving them because they were the ones that made magic factory possible. Still, our leads were great, the side characters were fun and even with a slightly disappointing final episode, I really enjoyed the show as a whole. Although this series was flawed in someways, it definitely deserved more attention and love.

A great drama with comedy and ghosts beats everything. You’ll be entertained from start to finish!

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Okay I've to admit it was very well drama
With well constructed story
Strong plot
Connected events
Amazing friendship
Brilliant acting
But .... weak romance

Inspite of having all the good aspects but I don't know why I didn't like much
And I dropped it twice before continuing it
And the last scene when the ML saved the FL at the rooftop
Reminds me a lot with the same scene in Goblin drama

I guess I wasn't in a good mood while watching
But I am convinced that strong drama imposes itself
And something was missing there for me
Not the romance I guess
Because I loved black sooooo much although the romance was very slight
Any way I didn't regret watching
Because I loved the main couple as an actors
And loved the chemistry between the staff in the drama

Sure will recommend it
But it's not one of my favourite dramas to keep

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My favorite 2022 kdrama

First, this drama has the vibes of 2016 dramas and that makes me love it even more.

I highly recommend this drama if you are a fan of romantic comedies + mystery, I really enjoyed the 16 chapters wanting to know what would happen and if our leads would have their happy ending ( yes happy ending )
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A magician who sees ghosts and uses them to do his shows + a police officer who for reasons of fate end up joining forces and working together with the ghosts to solve crimes and on the way discover that they share a past thousands of years ago
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1. The story in general started very well; comedy, fantasy, enemies to lovers and later past lives and the episodes are very well written and they know how to balance all genres well without seeming boring or forced.
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2. The character dynamics was good;
1. Cha Woong and his ghost workers, all his scenes are so funny and that last one was really touching and seeing how he considered them his family was so cute
2. Ok Seul Hae and Cha Woong's first meeting was a bit random but I really liked it, from there we have a good enemies to lovers + start working together + friends = Romance, basically the best trope
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3. Park Hae Jin and Jin Ki Joo did an amazing job, their acting is always good and their chemistry felt so natural
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4. "A freak show" the best ost of the drama, for weeks I couldn't get it out of my head

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Snacks and tissues are mandatory; it's showtime, baby!

"From Now On, Showtime!" is like that unexpected box of chocolates that turns out to be a flavor explosion in your mouth! At first, I thought, "Oh great, another cocky magician meets headstrong cop story." But boy, was I wrong. Park Hae Jin as Cha Cha Woong and Jin Ki Joo as Go Seul Hae took these seemingly over-the-top characters and turned them into the power couple we never knew we needed.

What really got me was the whole supernatural twist with Cha Cha Woong's ghostly helpers. Picture this: a bunch of friendly ghosts working for a magician who treats them like employees—genius, right? The supporting cast, including Go Gyu Pil, Jung Suk Yong, Park Seo Yeon, and the hilarious addition of Jung Joon Ho, made solving mysteries look like a comedy show. It's like Scooby-Doo but with a magician and ghosts, and I'm here for it!

Sure, some characters are a bit extra, like the over-the-top evil Detective Seo and the overly sweet Officer Lee. But hey, it's a comedy, so it just adds to the fun. And can we talk about Kim Jong Hoon as Seo Hee Soo? Dude brought some serious second lead vibes into the mix, making the love triangle as spicy as a K-drama can get.

I admit, I could have done with fewer past life scenes, and the officer vs. shaman romance didn't really tickle my fancy. But who cares when you've got a bunch of friendly ghosts causing mischief and Cha Cha Woong and Go Seul Hae being the cutest crime-solving duo ever?

This drama is like a rollercoaster of emotions—I laughed till I snorted, ugly cried my heart out, and got all warm and fuzzy inside. The cast looked like they had a blast making it, and that good mood vibe is contagious. If you want a feel-good, laugh-your-heart-out drama that's got a bit of everything, "From Now On, Showtime!" is your ticket. Snacks and tissues are mandatory; it's showtime, baby!

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If you liked "Bring it On Ghost", "Goblin", "Tunnel" - you will most likely like this

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean romantic comedy fantasy with 16 approximately 60 minute episodes.

First I provide a synopsis then a review.

Synopsis

Cha Cha-woong (Park Hae-jin) comes from a long line of powerful male shamans. He chose not to follow in his grandfather's footsteps when he sees how well he is treated when things go well for people but how quickly they turn on him. So, he decides to use his skills to produce magic shows utilizing the skills of ghosts, which he employees. Fate makes Cha-woong and a dedicated female police officer Go Seul-hae (Jin Ki-joo) cross paths and the two use their individual supernatural powers to solve crimes.

Review
Overall I liked this very much. It had a supernatural element that had a lot of ties to the general beliefs on things such as ghosts and afterlife but had a lot of very unique twists. They wove the day to day police work in with the back story that was woven through very well. I loved the magic shows and how he utilized the ghosts to make shows that were so amazing it rocketed him to the top of his field. I was happy to see him in a role where I didn't feel I wanted to hate him. His role in "Cheese in the Trap" overshadowed how I felt about the actor so I was happy to see him in a role where he was a "good guy." The chemistry between the leads built slowly and realistically and they were a very believable couple. I liked that his character developed from being very self centered and selfish to what his core really was all about which was a more caring and thoughtful person. Other characters commented on the change and his character growth and it added to the compelling nature of such an unveiling of who someone really is under all the facade they put up. His ghost employees each had their own unique backstory, talents, and their relationship with the leads and each other made for a very heartwarming element. I highly recommend this for anyone that wants a unique and compelling drama. If you like "Goblin", "Bring it On Ghost", and "Tunnel" to name a few you will like this one as it has elements of all of those.

Spoilers* This one truly kept you going all the way to the last episode where there was still action happening and things going down. That was both a good thing (it kept you interested throughout) and a bad thing (the wrap up felt rushed). There were a few things that detracted ever so slightly from the story and kept me from indicating it was perfect. When the Male Lead character (MLC) is stabbed when he has the evil spirit in his body he somehow lives. But it is never clear how or why he lives or how just being stabbed got rid of the evil spirit. When he is taken in by his former ghost employees and they are suddenly back but pretending to be reincarnated versions of themselves - it is never reveal)ed how or why they were able to come back and help the MLC. It seemed as though the ghosts could decide when they were ready to move on. That was different than others have portrayed and also inconsistent with how it was portrayed earlier in the series. It never sounded or seemed like it would be their decision when they wanted to leave. It could be that what gave them that flexibility was being under contract with the MLC but that was never laid out. The children in the end who the MLC and Female Lead Character (FLC) indicated were reincarnations of the ghosts, it never showed how that transpired. Their son was a surprise and they alluded to him being a reincarnation of the general but that was not further discussed so it made it a bit awkward. The fact that he was working as a traditional magician and learned from the ground up from his former nemesis was an interesting angle but, as always, I was disappointed he lost his her abilities. I did like that it showed he was a lot more caring toward his employees based on what learned from the ghosts. The FLC was a kick butt detective and I loved that about her. I liked the reincarnation angle and thought it was amusing when he lived through his past life and came out of his coma all mushy and I love you princess. I thought, when she was out for awhile at the end that her experience going back and experiencing her former life as the Princess might result in her talking to him and indicating she understood how he was feeling when he was so over the top with her. It was a bit inconsistent that the MLC went back to the past and interacted with the Princess and she wasn't more surprised about this time traveling visitor. She sort of accepted it and even expressed feelings for this future version of her current love.

#ShowtimeFromNow

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Fun Homage to the Classic Cross-Genre Complex Romcom, But Lacks Depth and Finesse

Good Things:

* The communication. For a largely tongue-in-cheek romcom, the leads actually sit down and talk things out at important junctures. They're not exactly good at it, but they try; and that counts for a lot in a Kdrama.
* The dog. Pets getting karmic closure was unexpected and delightful.
* The entourage. ML's ghost employees (and the itinerant guests) are practically a Greek chorus. Their running commentary on anything and everything runs the gamut from hilarious to poignant, and it's the highlight of the show.

So-So Things:

* The hasty closure. The plot has a lot of loose ends to deal with, and the overall wrap-up is satisfying but trite.
* The octave change. Despite the horror/supernatural revenge murder mystery main plot, it's very slapstick until things start getting serious around midway and the shift in the characters and story is jarring.
* The red flag SML. There's a love triangle, and he's a great big 'yikes' of a character.

Bad Things:

* The derivative story. If you've seen Mystic Pop Up Bar, a lot of the narrative elements are going to be very familiar. Which is iffy, because MPUB is an adaptation of a webtoon and the similarity skirts the line between imitative flattery and outright knock-off.
* The episodic vs arching narrative. Both are rough around the edges, and it doesn't quite successfully pull off smoothly integrating them even with the help of an extended flashback.

It's a homage to the complex, cross-genre romcom plots of the mid 2010s. FNOS! doesn't have the same depth as those older dramas, but it's still an enjoyable, nostalgic romp in the medium. Recommended if you enjoyed other karmic supernatural episodic mysteries like Hotel Del Luna / May I Help You? / MPUB, prefer comedies with a serious undertone or fun, frenetic stories with a little bit of everything.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama " From Now On, Showtime! " is a drama with an interesting theme.

The drama has some pretty interesting characters. The female lead is enjoyable and quite different from the other FM out there, although, towards the ending, she got watered down. The ghosts, in addition, were those who stole the show and their comedy acts were spot on.

The rest of the drama had its moments, with a smooth mystery case and an interesting new world of ghost to be discovered. However, it got boring as it went on. The male lead was too predictable as well. Those silly final scenes were just okay as well.

The performances, on the other hand, were enjoable by everyone in the cast. The CGI were great as well.

So, overall, six out of ten.

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