My Favorite Time Slip to Date FAITH

This drama time travels all over the place.  I've watched it a few times by now.  Our main female character, Yoo Eun Soo, is a fish out of water when she arrives in the past.  The rest of the series watches her adapting to her new world.  The main male character, Choi Young,  spends his time adapting to Eun Soo.  We follow the changes in their relationship which turns from dislike to affection to deep love.

I loved thinking of being transplanted to that simpler in some ways more complex in others time period.

The Evil in this series, in the person of Gi Chul, was overwhelming and straightforward.  I never once saw him as redeemable,  only pathetic.

The cast was phenomenal and the characters believable even if the plot was at times implausible.  I was introduced to Ryu Deok Hwan  who was excellent as the King.  This led me to watch God's Quiz 1. 2, and 3.  Then I realized I had seen  him in My Little Bride and U turn.  Now I'm a fan!

I would give this a BEST in the Time Slip Genre.

As always, beware of spoilers.


This season has brought a new genre to kdrama.  I loved Hong Gil Dong when it first appeared and fused modern elements into the past, such as sunglasses, modern music, and dancing. 


 But this season we've taken a step beyond.  We now have the Time Slip Genre.  First was Operation Proposal where our hero kept returning to the past to course correct his life and win the gal of his dreams.  Every episode you watched his déjà vu failure and hoped he'd do better next time.


Rooftop Prince  brought characters from Old Joseon hurtling into the future, where they had to readjust to everything around them.  It made for lots of fun in a comedy of manners.  It reminded me of one of my favorite American movies:  Kate and Leopold.  You wondered how you could  resolve a romance across time and cultures.


Then most recently is Time Slip Dr. Jin.  I'm still in the middle of this one and not clear how all the loose ends will tie themselves up.  But isn't it fun to see modern medical miracles couched in the tight confines of what was acceptable in the past.


There is a mystery to solve in each of these that keeps the viewer paying rapt attention.


I wonder how many more shows of this genre will appear.  So far it's been fun and engaging and hasn't become stale to me.


---Ani

How To Meet A Perfect Neighbor

I finally finished watching all 20 episodes of this show. So beware of spoilers if you're not as far as I am. I loved the characters in this drama and the humor, but the ending got to me. I love how it took all 20 episodess to solve the mystery of the murder in the first episode. The suspense was good. I liked the romance between Yoon Hee and her boss Joon Suk but the character who changed the most for the best was SooChan. He became an admirable character redeemed from the mire of being a gigalo and untrustworthy; he became a rock for Yoon Hee. In the last episodes where Joon Suk tells Yoon Hee for the last time that he can't marry her, he feels he has to say he finds her inappropriate choice to be his wife. I guess what really bothers me is that he has asked her several times to believe in him and trust him and he will come through for her. She trusts him and he repeatedly lets her down. Whatever his reasons, I think that SooChan is a more trustworthy character by the end of the drama. He lets himself get beaten senseless to protect her. He relentlessly protects her and uncovers the wrongdoers to the police so that she can end up with Joon suk. He is faithful as a friend, and I have to admit that I was rooting for them to be together in the end. I thought Joon suk should marry Hye Mei and THEN the police should arrest her, and now he's married to an imprisioned criminal. Seems only fair to me LOL.

I also liked how Soo Chan helped so many others around him. He helps his college lover reunite with her husband. He loves the boy, Goni and is willing to be a father to him, even after he finds out he's not his son. He pushes his friend towards Yoon Hee's sister. He seems to care for everyone.

It's obvious that he loves Yoon Hee and she returns the sentiment. Their parting at the airport is so bittersweet.

---Ani