It lacked conviction

I'll start with what's more obvious for me, they're very incompetent for those who are praised to be the best detectives. The mystery solving part of the drama was very lacking and that's what annoyed me the most.

A lot in this drama lacks conviction and commitment. Deciding to trust someone just because they're supposed to be your friend but had hidden important information from you doesn't seem very sensible for someone in the middle of an investigation. Even when things are blown out of proportion like FL's expulsion, the train of thought associated with everything around it doesn't make much sense.

I couldn’t finish it all, I just watched the last episode. The ending also lacks conviction. It feels like lukewarm water when you're trying to take a shower on a winter day. It's not satisfying

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The fox could redefine its diet

I really liked this. My biggest issues were the pacing, that was too slow for the issue and that was frustrating - but, perhaps, that was the point, and the main take away, the moral of the story, let's say.

They had the opportunity to do something fantastic and help redefine sex. They almost did that, because they redefined the relationship and gave us a fulfilling relationship that is what it is in their own terms. But they could have gone farther to the actual point and the point is that sex isn't penetration alone. They did have a sex life and a fulfilling one where both of them got to orgasm. How many relationship do you have where (mostly) women don't orgasm at all? It was a fair and purposeful relationship. Nothing was missing, except communication.

Sex isn't love and love isn't sex, but sex also isn't penetration. Sex is any sexual activity with the purpose of, hopefully, reaching an orgasm. There's no such thing as foreplay. It's all play! It's all sex! Penetration shouldn't be the "holy grail" of sex because, in heterosexual sex, 75% of women don't reach an orgasm through penetration alone. Any man who only relies on their chinpo is absolutely useless to most heterosexual and bisexual women.

Relationships don't have to follow a formula and neither does sex. We're all individuals with our own issues. One of the most important parts of life is finding our people. Finding someone who likes us and respects us and sees us as the person we are with all our quirks and shortcomings. They made their journey, they grew together, they filled the gaps that were driving them apart and I believe that's beautiful.

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True BS

OK, now I'm angry!
Utilising the memory of the Holocaust to justify vanity, pettiness and revenge is simply inconceivable. This is especially gross now that we're witnessing another holocaust, and constantly see men, women and children starved to death with no access to anything, not even rainwater. I know this was written before what we're witnessing in Palestine, but it still wouldn't sit well with me before, anyway.
I can't even finish this drama now. I already had my doubts this was going somewhere once Trump was cited as a "successful businessman" (the man is a fascist war criminal, as are most US presidents), but this usage of a Holocaust reality is beyond tone-deaf. She's comparing basic hygiene and dignity in an oppressive situation to dolling up to get a man so she gets revenge or doesn't stay single, as if being single is worse than being a victim of genocide.
Equating being single to something you need to survive as if a holocaust is ignorant, ridiculous and infuriating. I thought that at some point the story would turn around and show some sort of redemption but that's just how the writer and everyone involved in this drama see people. After this, there's no possible redemption. I'm trying very hard not to insult anyone right now. I know the team has apologised for the insensitive use of the holocaust but I don't accept the apology. The rest of the drama I've watched so far tells me it's not an incident, it's a default. I don't think I have rated a drama so low but this is just how angry I am.

I don't see love anywhere in this drama. I see grift, ridiculousness, over-the-top unnecessary drama and a whole lot of cringe. They even go as far as simulating a suicide as if it's some kind of joke! ffs
She never loved her boyfriend, she wanted a marriage, a status and she was manipulating her way into it and teaching everyone around her how to manipulate their relationships. She did see through people who had no connection to her but was incapable of minor self-reflection. That being said, it's not her fault that her boyfriend cheated on her and remained in a relationship he no longer wanted. Her whole grift isn't about love, it's about fulfilling an image inside a box society carves for women at the expense of their own self.
Everyone here seems to be an a-hole and they don't learn from their mistakes.

Bora's actions after the break-up are completely out of character and make no sense as a 30 yo with a solid career. Making her go through this drama and destroy her whole career, image and finances to justify working for people who have badmouthed her is basic. All because of an a-hole she didn't even love and who cheated on her?! The worst part is that she doesn't even learn anything from her mistakes and doubles down on the bad takes, manipulation and petty drama. The ML has seen her at her worst and helped her, he picked her up when she made a fool of herself in front of her ex. Why should she be ashamed of peeing on the street, when he didn't even see her do it, to the point of refusing to meet him, talk to him and even faking an illness? It makes absolutely no sense.

Instead of learning from that, she then doubles down when it comes to the kiss. It's so pathetic that it gets too uncomfortable to watch. The kiss had no chemistry. It looked like it was made to make the FL look like a beautiful statue more than anything.

The other relationships portrayed are no better. Her friend finds out her husband doesn't see her as a woman and doesn't even want to have sex with her and she accepts it as if it's normal. There's not even a level of companionship, they're roommates and that's it. That's not a marriage. They're not honest with each other, don't spend time alone, don't like each other's presence. It's as if she proposed because it's the next thing to do and he accepted because that's the way it is. If feel like someone made them get married and they didn't want to. It also plays the stereotype that married couples hate each other. Just get a fcking divorce and go be happy on your own!
She works, she should have her own money, even if she is married. Why does she have to make such a fuss about buying a bag? Why should she want to buy such an expensive bag? Bags aren't a form of investment, they're accessories and should be treated as such. I don't understand this type of consumerism. It makes no sense. Her husband has a "man cave" that is completely hidden from his wife. He's not even doing anything "illegal" there. He just wants to escape and be alone (meaning without her). Why are they even married? Because society says so? Because that's the path everyone has to take? Is it really? Is that really a life?

Her sister's relationship is no better. She's involved with a guy who only saw her once and is infatuated with her, saying he loves her when he doesn't even know her. Instead of trying to get to know her, he drills her with catchphrases and accepts all the bullying he gets from her. It's normal to be infatuated with someone, it's not normal to treat that as love. I know they're young but that's no excuse.

Insinuating a relationship between a man in his 40s or 50s and basically a baby! that girl is a baby! is so extremely problematic. She's not going to fix his commitment and communication issues. She's not the solution to a man baby. She should be living her life and meeting people who are in the same stage in life as she is and not putting herself in a relationship with such obvious power dynamics that won't work in her favour. Besides being as old as her father, he's her boss. No good thing can come from that relationship. Deciding to make her the pursuer in this relationship is also a choice since most women in their late teens and 20s are the ones who are typically approached by men in their 40s, 50s and beyond because they want someone whom they can control and won't demand accountability for their actions or lack thereof.

Anyway, I'm not watching any more of this. I'm not wasting my time on people who have nothing of importance to say. And it's not even fun. It's annoying and over-the-top cringe.
Of course, not every drama needs to cater to the same audience, but they need to abide by basic human decency and that means not demeaning important events and treating people as equal human beings. That's just basic.

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It doesn't make sense

Wishful thinking shouldn't bring back your loved ones even in a fantasy story. This is a time travelling story which has absolutely no rules to the time travelling and breaks the very few ones it has when they find it convenient. The maid being left in the future is ok, while changing any other aspect affects the course of history? Such a proficient maid, with so much action in the story, would certainly affect the course of the story.
You never truly know the device or the set of factors that make them travel through time. At times, it seems like it's the watch, or the magical lady, or the water, or the tree. In the end, it was his wishful thinking. It doesn't make sense.
It also doesn't make sense that everyone has their corresponding person in the future, except for the FL and the maid. And the only person important to the action who isn't in Joseon is the ML's secretary.
They also couldn't decide if the ML was a completely different person or a reincarnation of her Joseon husband. If he truly was a reincarnation of her husband, like it's suggested several times, her not loving her original husband once she got back doesn't make any sense, since she loved him from the start.

I don't mind the evil grandpa, it was a good twist, but, again, it lacks consistency. If the stepmother wasn't evil and was trying to protect the ML in the present, that should have been mirrored in the past, since they repeated countless times that the past was repeating itself.

It could have been a better drama if they had dealt with the inconsistencies.

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Run Away

Save yourself!
Run Away would be a better name since this drama seems to run away from every point it makes as soon as it touches it.
I really wanted to like this drama. I wanted to like the characters but I couldn't care less what happened to them after the first few episodes.

This drama seems to be written on the spot without an overall look. Every episode seems to run in an unexpected direction that doesn’t tie in with the previous or the next one in a meaningful way. After a certain point, it seems more like a never-ending advert than a drama.

What puzzled me the most was that the characters' personalities didn’t seem to match their actions a lot of the time. FL was extremely straightforward, brave and insightful, yet she couldn’t be honest with ML and would speak in riddles and makeup problems and misunderstandings. I honestly don't know how their relationship worked or why they fell in love. No, pity doesn't lead to love. Not healthy love, at least. Empathy and pity are very different.

A lot of the plot points seemed so useless. She invited him to stay over so he wouldn't be alone, yet didn’t make him company. They lived in completely different time zones. How can you fall in love with someone you hardly have contact with? They're also very different and don't have anything in common. "Opposites attract" only tends to work for batteries.
They seemed like friends most of the time. There was no spark, there was no relationship. They seemed like colleagues at times who were sharing the same space out of obligation.

The second leads' relationship also doesn't make any sense at all. The CEO isn't likeable. There's no reason for the constant breakups. It makes no sense how someone with a congenital heart disease drinks a whole bottle of whisky at least once a week.
At first I thought she would drive him away because of her disease, but in the end, she drove him away for no reason at all. If she had to be destroyed in her line of business, she would have already by being (falsely) outed as a lesbian.

Also, the art always pertains to the artist even after it's sold. A Renoir doesn’t stop being a Renoir just because he's dead or because it was sold.

What I hate the most is that the man who used his whole family for personal gain was forgiven in the end. Didn't they learn anything?

There's too much that doesn't make any sense at all. It's not even worth mentioning. With such a good cast I was expecting something better, something different. Maybe this drama just isn't for me.

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Too much of a good thing

First of all, I'm stunned I was able to watch 33 ~one-hour episodes of a love story that was resolved in the first few.

The story is mostly about nothing, except Chinese culture and gastronomy. It's more of a postcard with THREE group trips and not much else. The group dynamic was disturbing a lot of the times. Even I was embarrassed for all the couples. The group was funny but too nosy and always there.

The main thing I have to point out is why are 30 yo men after college girls? That was probably one of the things that irked me the most. I don't find it cute or appropriate. They're in completely different stages in life. That's how manipulation starts in abusive relationships. He doesn't let her do anything with all the "surprises". He didn't even let her savour her graduation and had to put the wedding and their relationship at the centre of such an important time for her. He was, many times, condescending and that upset me a bit.

The pacing in this show is non-existent. I'm surprised, tho, that they didn't have more flashbacks and were able to fill most of the time with new scenes. There were many cute scenes, many funny scenes and the cultural themes were interesting. They presented the world of voice acting and traditional singing quite well.

Besides being able, for someone out of uni, to think they'll be able to buy a house (is the Chinese economy that good?), the other hard thing to believe is all the cooking. It looks like Instagram reel cooking and not real cooking. Everything is fast. All the dishes are done in no time. Taking over a restaurant's kitchen instead of eating with his friends is absurd as is ending up cooking for her family when he was the main guest. Who invites someone for dinner and has absolutely nothing prepared? Where do all the ingredients appear from, is he like Jesus with the fishes? Why would they buy something they didn't know how to cook?

I'm not familiar with what more recent Chinese dramas are doing but waiting 19 episodes for a kiss when they've been dating since episode 8 is absolutely uncanny. It was mostly a friendship until then, only after it was pointed out to them that it was indeed like a friendship did things start to heat up between them.

There isn't much more to say about the story because there wasn't much of a story. Everyone is nice and everything is good and there are no obstacles and the obstacles that are probably what, in real life, would end this relationship - like the fact that someone who is a doctor who has a second job and a university student who doesn't study and is mostly a supermarket clerk - aren't shown to us. It's good to have a sweet drama but too much of a good thing isn't necessarily good. There was no need for 33 episodes.

The voices are amazing. The performances both of the voice acting and the singing are fantastic. It made me curious about that world. The male lead has a voice that can move mountains.

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How about the journey?

I hate how kdramas depict capitalist struggles and the stoicism they attach to it. Suddenly the struggle gets 100 times harder than it already is without the stoicism.
I hope, as a global community, we can all go to the root of the problem so we can move forward as a healthier and more humane society. We're not made for capitalism and we're social animals, we need community, we strive in community.

I don't believe the FL had low self-esteem. Not relying on other people is usually a symptom of trauma. It's usually experienced by people who have, throughout their lives, found out they don't have anyone they can rely on. Having to pay back every help you were offered, means you have had many people let you down and know there are no free lunches. Failing to build trust and friendships as a result is what she would have to overcome. It doesn't make much sense that she can't seem to rely on anyone since she has a very supportive mother and she had received help from a friend. She doesn't seem to know how friendships work. It would have been better to end at episode 5 instead of painting the issues with the relationship in such superficial terms.

The male lead suffered from something very typical of heterosexual men. They don't listen or pay attention and do as they please. Not listening to something someone with trust issues says or goes through furthers the trust gap. Where there's no trust, there can't be a healthy relationship.

Capitalism in action, where your worth is dictated by what you do and how much money you have, will certainly interfer with a normal relationship. A fragile relationship will certainly suffer even more. But, all the money in the world can't get a man to start listening and paying attention. He did, however, show maturity when he proposed to communicate instead of ignoring the issue.

Camiño de Santiago is seen as a spiritual journey and a journey of faith, very closely linked to the Catholic religion and the spiritual struggles of being a Catholic. It felt like they treated the journey as a vacation, we didn't get to see the impact, we saw all the problems solved but we don't even know to which extent. Did she relent all control? Did he start to listen?

It seems weird that she goes on a journey of self discovery with company. I honestly don't understand the message. Is there a message?

Anyway, it made more sense than the first one. I know shorter dramas can be challenging to adequately portray a story. It was a good and fun, at times, drama to watch.

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Capitalism is the problem

It's one of those dramas where everyone's an asshole.
Probably Ari's brother is the one that is not actively an asshole, but he was hardly in the story.

They chose to go for an anonymous hater, with no real motive who represents the working class, instead of addressing the real issue with this stratification of society. Calling someone with depression and someone who clearly sees the disparity in society a nut job is dismissive, offensive and villainizing. It was a choice to make her a hater. It was a choice not to go to the root of the problem.

Their self-importance remains unchanged in the end. They didn't learn anything.
I do know there are a lot of online haters and trolls but social media is only a reflection of society. If we cared for the people and solved the disparities there would be a lot less hate. Many people are mad at the disparities and don't have the tools to figure out why they're mad. This drama made it seem like a jealousy problem instead of the real issue, which is inequality, that derives from some having access to privilege and also from salary theft.

The love interest (I can't consider him a male lead. He wasn't a lead in the story) said if it wasn't for him his workers would be unemployed, so he doesn't mind providing them with undignified work because, for him, he's being charitable. We don't need charity, we need proper salaries and proper jobs and we need the rich to pay a fairer amount of taxes that will support a strong network of social services. Then no one needs to die because they can't afford food, healthcare or even a house.
We all know millionaires and billionaires don't provide for more work or for more money to be in circulation, they are hoarders of wealth. Trickle-down economics doesn't work, and there's no such thing as an ethical rich person, just like we saw, those rich influencers weren't ethically created as well.

Social media is a way to numb the working force and to make sure we don't organise and create a fairer world. They kept saying throughout the drama that life is unfair. Yes, life is unfair, but knowing the root of the issue helps us create a fairer world. If you were going to talk about inequality, you should have gone to the root cause. I believe art has the power to conduct change and this drama could have been a spark in that direction.

It was a good mystery drama. It was annoying, especially for someone who doesn't care about influencers, like me. It was a good social commentary, but it will go over people's heads if they aren't aware of the root causes of our social imbalance. With all the fascist propaganda going around, I'm assuming that it will be a lot of people.

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Glitters Everywhere

They didn't have to do her like that.
I was expecting a different kind of story, still dealing with the struggles of coming out but I wasn't expecting women to be the butt of the joke and a mattress for men's shortcomings.

Yes, coming out is hard. Loving someone is hard, and sometimes bad decisions are made, but betraying the person who loves you the most and has supported you throughout her life and expecting her to take care of you while you build yourself up again after also destroying her and her trust in yourself? That's too cruel and I can't stand for it.

I don't believe in forgiveness. It's okay to be angry and sad when you're betrayed. She also needs to process her feelings and she's not allowed to because she has to appease the guilt in someone else's mind. She deserved better.

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Baby teeth don't last forever

The first part was good but soon you realise there is no depth. The hints are all there and the writers decide not to take them.

How can someone who has lived for centuries be so ignorant especially about how people work and think? How can a vampire so old be poor? How can someone who has a business not account for the future? There were banks and safe deposit boxes in the 20's. Why does he have servants and how did they agree to follow a leader who doesn't lead at all and has nothing to offer in exchange?

He had loved before and failed to recognise it. He needed a 20 something year old to tell him that? How is everyone around him so unwise? How did it take him so long to realise she was HER when it was right there?

How can there be no solution? How can such an old cat not have any answers? How can he offer no paths since he's seen as a sort of spiritual leader or oracle?

The beginning was exciting but by the time the leads got together I was no longer interested.

The ending was pitiful and didn't make any sense. She'll live her whole life waiting for someone when she's not immortal. She'll continue the cycle instead of ending it. You need to be immortal when you're waiting on a reincarnation.


It's also an issue when casting actors with an age gap. It's best to have no kissing scenes than to give us non-kisses. There was one kiss and it was enough. the other ones were non kisses. Instead of going for age gaps, it's best to cast older actresses. There's nothing wrong with women not being in their 20's anymore. We need to be allowed to age. We are not vampires.

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Was this funded by the plastic surgery industry?

This wouldn't be bad if the main plot wasn't so offensive. What's wrong with being 50 years old? If the message is age doesn't matter, they should have cast 50 yo actresses.
The message I got is that if you want to date a younger man (in their 30's) when you're older, you need to look like you're in your early 20's or like a teenager and that 50yo can't have hopes and dreams or do certain types of jobs. That's the patriarchy on steroids teaching very young girls who watch this show that they're only valid while they look extremely young.

People should look their age. There should be more representation of older women in the media.

And plastic surgery is not a youth elixir.

Now about the rest of the show:
Considering the type of show, it was good. It was Thai comedy but not over the top. There were some funny parts, especially with Satta, the boss and Pop Purim. It was a funny dynamic.
I'm afraid Jimmy ruined the word daddy even more for me but he was funny and so out of touch at times. It was good seeing Max in a less serious role.

Mew was better than I expected. I believe his acting is improving. There was a mix of seriousness and silliness in his character and he managed to navigate through those two extremes. His character, unfortunately, didn't learn anything at the end of the show and ghosted his supposed girlfriend again. Someone get Pop Purim a LINE account!

I didn't enjoy how much they infantilised the girls. Bee was the only one who sometimes was a bit more mature. The most realistic part was Plaifah not being tech savvy and leaking their private conversation but it clashed with her being the spy or maybe not. That part wasn't very clear for me.

It was a light watch for me. I hope every young girl and women and even older women who watch this don't feel bad about their age or about how they look or about getting older. Aging is a good thing, it means we're still alive and, hopefully, living.
Society has all these goals and boxes to limit us, don't let anyone except yourself decide what you can and cannot do. It doesn't matter how many wrinkles you have. What matters is if you manage to keep the fire in your heart alive. I hope you do!

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Couldn't finish it

They managed to make this more toxic and more violent than the Kdrama. I thought they would bring this to the 2020's. I can’t see a redemption or a real change, they just accepted Gorya and decided to be on her side.
I can't even see any relationship between the leads. There's nothing there. F4 wasn't charismatic at all. Gorya wasn't as strong. There was more chemistry in Lita's and Gorya's first encounter than there was in all the scenes between the leads.

I know they have to promote the produts in the show but they don't need to promote dieting or small figures for women.

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Not just summer, a strike of a lifetime, hopefully

Why did you kill Halmeoni?!!?!?!

Now that that's out of the way, let's get into the review.

I find the dramas and films with the most dreamy posters tend to be the most traumatising and yet again it was proven true.
Besides the trauma, the drama was peaceful, purposeful and exciting. I loved that the main couple decided they didn't want to live up to anyone's expectations and did their thing. I'm hoping that's what I'm doing too, so it was relatable and inspiring. I wish I were that brave sometimes.

In kdrama world we're often bombarded with a work ethic that is unhealthy and inhumane, it's refreshing to see someone realising exactly that and going the other way.

The romance was inevitable since the leads are two of a kind. I would love to see it being developed more but I know they're shy and that's part of their charm. Still, you robbed us of a kiss IN THE RAIN and I'm never going to forgive that.

I found the solving of the mystery sloppy, it could have gone horribly wrong. It was probably the most fictional part of the story. The mystery was important but wasn't as interesting as the more mundane parts of the story.

The vibe was good, the place was beautiful. I wouldn't mind moving there too. I hope one day I can live by the ocean.

One last thing, there's no need to follow harmful Disney stereotypes. You don't need to have dogs growl at bad people. Dogs can't measure morality, that's a harmful stereotype for people who can't get along with dogs for whatever reason and that doesn't make them bad people. It didn't even make the ones in the drama bad people. Whenever you think that's a good way of telling people's intentions, please remember Hitler had dogs that loved him.

I'm still not over Halmeoni. I cried so much watching this drama. Note to self: don't trust dreamy posters.


15.02.2024
I rewatched the show again (except the Halmeoni part) and I've been listening to the soundtrack since yesterday too. Summer Strike has, indeed, turned into one of my comfort shows. The theme, the ambience, the characters, the struggles, the simplicity in the way of life they enjoy and pursue are what mainly draws me to it.
It's the definition of contentment and that's my ultimate objective in life. To feel content. To feel like nothing is missing and I can simply enjoy every second of all that life brings.
Friends, food on the table, time to oneself, a fulfilling and paying job I can do from wherever, a calm city by the ocean, access to art materials and the internet and health and energy to enjoy it all.
It does seem like the perfect life. A life of enjoyment and contentment. A goal and, hopefully, not just a dream.

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I still don't know why her

It was exciting for a little bit and then it was just meh.
It was very predictable from the start but predictability is OK so long as the right decisions are made and the interest is kept. That's not what happened.

Some decisions were ridiculous, others infuriating. The ending is anticlimactic.

I still had some fun and enjoyed some of the secondary characters. There was too much emphasis on Oh Soo Jae. I know she was the main character but there comes a point where you can't have so many secondary characters and they simply disappear or are simply plot devices. Even the male lead wasn't a lead, he was a secondary character.

Still, I couldn't figure out why her. It's very random that this all happened to her.

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Healer or Ji Chang Wook always delivers

It's a good drama but, naturally, it has its flaws.

The story was interesting and engaging up until episode 15. This could have easily been a 16 episode drama. The back story was sometimes confusing.

What put me off the most was the increasing eagerness to make Chae Yeong Shin afraid and/or repulsed by Seo Jung Hoo. She was the one who believe in his good side from the start, even before she met him, it makes absolutely no sense that she would be afraid of him after knowing him. It didn't seem natural to the character and so it made absolutely no sense to me to lead the story that way.

I liked the yearning, that's something I find myself missing in the dramas I've recently watched.

The OST is of its time, you can definitely tell it's an older drama because of that. It's very cringy at times but the start of the main theme and ending theme still get me excited.

Driving people to change for someone else will lead to resentment. I'm glad they put the parallel between being a journalist and a truth seeker, it's something that is missing in journalism today, they report without informing and without putting the truth above all else. Maybe watching this drama could inspire some journalists.

It disappointed me a little that they went with such tropes as asking the father for permission to date. Their meaning of being normal turned out being boring. You can be interesting and exciting without committing crimes. At least I'd like to think that I am. lol

I know he's supposed to be somewhat the best at everyhting but it didn't add up him being bedridden without any strength to push her out the door and in the next moment they have what seems to be hours of intense love making. He could barely open his eyes! Be for real! It took away the supposed "magic" of the moment.

Some other things don't add up but we'll leave it at that. It was a good watch nonetheless. The action was fantastic, Ji Chang Wook is one of the best in kdrama land.

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