Tag: Korea

K-Drama Report: The Judge from Hell, Part II – Park Shin-hye Beats the Stuffing Out of Everyone

January 3, 2025

Okay, maybe not everyone, but I’m still satisfied. Previously on the K-Drama Report, I complained that for a show featuring Park Shin-hye as we’ve never seen her, empowered with the infinite power of hell, her character was woefully underwhelming. Add in unpleasant scenes of domestic violence, and I was ready to call it quits. I’ve been had before, and maybe in my old age, I’m too frustrated by failure. Well, it turns out, there’s a reason why the first episode doesn’t end with the cathartic release of Shin-hye’s character Kang Bit-na (or Justitia the demon) beating up the abuser guy for a couple of minutes. No, no, The Judge from Hell had something much greater in mind: twenty minutes. Yes, friend, you read that right. A sustained sequence where she’s just blowing this guy up. … More K-Drama Report: The Judge from Hell, Part II – Park Shin-hye Beats the Stuffing Out of Everyone

K-Drama Report: The Judge from Hell (2024)

January 2, 2025

The IMDb logline for The Judge from Hell reads as follows: “Kang Bit Na, an elite judge with a beautiful appearance, is a demon whose mission is to punish those who have wronged others and send them to Hell. However, the righteous Detective Han Da On is determined to change her ways.” You know what? That sounds really good. I’ve been dying for a show where Park Shin-hye plays against type and, ironically, into her public persona as a bigger-than-life celebrity who everyone loves. At the very least, her biggest roles have been characters easily described as “nice” or “shy” or even “do-gooder”? I feel like she’s been slapped in the face so many times, though she did give it to Kim Ji-won – the Queen of Tears herself – in The Heirs. But no more. Now she’s playing a demon! … More K-Drama Report: The Judge from Hell (2024)

Selfish, by YooA

November 23, 2022

There are two hurdles for me and music, and maybe K-pop in particular: repetition, and “cool.” I may need to explain the latter. I don’t know if it was just the environment I grew up in, but I felt like the only thing worse than being uncool was trying to be cool. Even today, nothing is worse than cringe; nobody likes Elon Musk. For me, Blackpink skews too western, and while I respect their artistry – I love Jisoo’s voice – there can be something uncanny about the style. It’s like when anime music has too much broken English. Remember Black Lagoon? … More Selfish, by YooA

New K-Drama Alert! The Witch is Alive

June 4, 2022

The Witch is Alive is the show that Lee Yu-ri cut her hair for, and what makes it unique for me is it’s one of those “first-sight purchases,” or whatever the real term is. The only reason I watched Twenty-Five Twenty-One is because it was the same team as Search: WWW, and the only reason I watched Search: WWW is because of Lee Da-hee. And all the K-dramas I’ve watched and all the ones I’ve loved, it’s never been the premise itself that hooked me. Or even the poster, but I got an eyeful of the one above (POV: being disposed of) and knew everything was gonna be alright. … More New K-Drama Alert! The Witch is Alive

Genre Evolution [VLOG]

May 11, 2022

Trying something new — forgoing video essays for something far more specific: Kermode Uncut? Not a flattering comparison for me, but I just like the structure of those videos. I just have to work on cutting down on the chitchat and, you know, video quality.

My Red Velvet Spotify Playlist [Podcast]

April 28, 2022

Well, everyone, it finally happened. A friend of mine said to me, “I’m trying to get into Red Velvet. What do you recommend?” Those are the most beautiful words under Heaven. It more than made my day; it answered with the sweep of catharsis a long-running anxiety I’ve had about the art of recommendation itself, that it’s been lost, that people don’t really mean it when they ask anymore because criticism and curation have been so thoroughly decentralized, but here she is: “What do you recommend?” … More My Red Velvet Spotify Playlist [Podcast]

K-Drama Report: Twenty-Five Twenty-One, Part IV – Endgame

April 5, 2022

As part of my tortured logic with “perfect episodes,” there can’t be more than one per show! There has to be a best episode, right? Maybe you can imagine, then, me biting my nails after making the declaration for episode 13, because episodes 14 and 15 were eliciting a more powerful emotional response. However, episode 15 especially showcases why structure is important in that make-believe conversation, because when Twenty-Five Twenty-One moves into the endgame, its units of story divide as sequences and then scenes. For me, the climax of Na Hee-do and Go Yu-rim’s story was the series’ emotional peak. We already knew the outcome, that Hee-do defeats her ultimate rival, so it’s doubly impressive that the match was so thrilling and the conclusion so cathartic. Striking right to the heart of the show’s themes, the duel also ropes in journalism, expressing how both athletes have matured. They’ve developed a trust that transcends direct communication. Instead of the victory screams that have punctuated the tournament, Hee-do pulls off her mask to reveal silent tears and Yu-rim does the same. I broke. This is a show that took its time, and didn’t mine breakups or sudden tragedies for repetitive drama. When the big hit came, it landed. And then I recovered, checked the runtime: it’s only half over. From there, the episode veers into unexpected territory, forfeiting its whole for the next phase of story — and it’s a doozy. … More K-Drama Report: Twenty-Five Twenty-One, Part IV – Endgame

K-Drama Report: Twenty-Five Twenty-One, Part III – A Perfect Episode

March 27, 2022

Just before starting episode 13, I wondered, “When’s the plot gonna start?” and on cue, it’s here that the story begins to come into focus. Or, if not “story,” at least the nexus of all the show’s elements, delivered by our most intriguing character, Coach Chan-mi. I think it’s a little bit funny how Twenty-Five Twenty-One posits that most ancient rivalry, between fencers and news reporters, but it does make sense especially when abstracted from the framing. Part of what weighs the drama of this episode is our knowledge of Baek Yi-jin’s struggle to regain his place in society. While bearing a his mark of shame, he’s taken up odd jobs and eaten a lot of shit at the bottom rung. Though every authority figure in his life advises against a personal relationship with Na Hee-do, he can’t simply leave the newsroom because we know what starting over means. And suddenly, standing there in the snow outside Yi-jin’s house, the times have once again conspired against Hee-do. … More K-Drama Report: Twenty-Five Twenty-One, Part III – A Perfect Episode