Nam Joo-hyuk is a favorite actor of mine (one of many hahaha) whose career I have been avidly watching. When I saw he decided to star in this very serious melodrama I was intrigued. Netzins have accused him of poor acting which I disagree with. Koreans are also very fascinated with twisty time travel which Radiant explores!

I'm not really a fan of actress Han Ji-min so I was quite worried to watch Radiant. I needn't have because we spend a lot more time on screen with her elderly counterpart Kim Hye-ja who is a wonderful elderly actress (not to be confused with their character with the same name!) Yes, there is a bit of a supernatural twist involved. Of course, Hye-ja's family and friends are greatly effected by this change in her. And we explore this effect alongside her estranged relationship with Lee Joon-ha who she is forced to emotionally abandon even though they fall in love.

Radiant is a very odd story. We assume from the first couple episodes that it will be a supernatural romantic comedy... and it surely has all of those elements, but it is more of a melodrama than anything. The twists start coming hot and heavy in the last handful of episodes and it totally changes how you view that beginning. Yes, there is a roller coaster of emotions that we go through with Hye-ja and Joon-ha, and the end is rather poignant rather than strictly happy, but the journey makes Radiant worth the watch.

Kim Hye-ja and Lee Joon-ha sell me. I was totally on board with this couple. They connected on a visceral level in those first episodes that I really related to and wanted to see play out to the end. Alas a family tragedy totally derails their love affair and we watch Radiant with bated breathe wondering at the promise in that beginning. It's quite heart breaking and Hye-ja works hard to stay close to Joon-ha even as his life spirals out of control. All is not as it seems.

I thought it was quite fascinating how her family and friends play into Hye-ja's story with Joon-ha. Even though we don't learn much until the end, I was fascinated by Hye-ja's parents relationship. There was history there we don't learn about but can feel the effect of. And Hye-ja's own relationship with her father was quite pregnant with emotion boiling under the surface. It was the later episodes though that put all of these moments in perspective. Like I said all is not as it seems but the reality is just as authentic once we know the truth.

Radiant is a true melodrama that wrings your heart out! Romance lovers and non-romance lovers will enjoy this as its authenticity to real life touches your heart despite the supernatural elements that allow us to explore Hye-ja's life. The twists and turns make the journey worth the watch as the truths inherit in Radiant give you a vehicle to ponder your own life.

Read More

This is your classic setup for rom com heaven. And these two actors as we know have super chemistry so really who cares how they meet or why?! Them it gets unexpectedly deep! Our lawyer finds that his actress secretary is unexpectedly different from his expectations and his said actress finds this lawyer not nearly as cold-hearted as he appears. As they work together we get to experience what it means to be a lawyer and a lawyer's secretary through a major case and a couple small cases. Allowing these two to get to know one another without anyone interfering.

Let's be frank... this is a rom com, its sweet, touching, funny with a dramatic ending that makes our couple fight just enough to earn their happiness in the end.

The thing is after the basic premise is setup and we believe we understand that this will be fluffy, cute and funny but not overly unique we find these well-rounded individuals that are both more lonely and unexpected than they appear. YES, this is a rom com but its between two people that we can relate to and root for. And we get this super neat, uncomplicated romance. A real rarity in drama-land we know that they are living in a bubble that has to burst but like Yoon-seo and Jung-rok we want it to last as long as possible.

I really related to Yoon-seo's extreme fear when her past comes back to haunt her. And when the worst happens I totally loved how Jung-rok handles things. While their troubles aren't over at this point you can't help loving the respectful and yet manly way that our lawyer went about treating Yoon-seo. This is one time when the noble idiocy really worked for me and I felt like it was something he really would have done.

The action was clumped around the middle and the end. It was exciting and perfectly in sync with their relationship but I would have liked there to be a touch more action throughout each episode. Despite this I did feel like the pacing in Touch Your Heart was really great. There were no slow moments or lingering for too long on things that we know are going to pass.

There is this one moment when Yoon-seo is so upset at what happened to Jung-rok that my heart just melted! I totally forgot this is a k-drama and felt like she really cares for our lawyer. And another moment when Jung-rok is so full of outrage at seeing Yoon-seo shake in fear, awwww I just couldn't handle it! So while the action wasn't consistent it was built into the story where it worked the best for maximum feels.

Touch Your Heart is a special rom com that uses the star acting chops of Yoo In-na and Lee Dong-wook to give us a lonely couple who find love for the first time. The crew at the Always Law Firm makes the journey funny and the cases add just the right drama. You'll be tickled you watched this and got to see their explosive chemistry.

Read More