Dazzling or Radiant or whatever title you prefer – Series Review

All I can say is…wow!

You know by now that I always like to check out dramas with unusual twists..like time travel..like body swapping..like returning from death to get a second chance..you get the idea..so when I came across this drama I naturally had to check it out. It’s only 12 episodes which was a plus and not a huge commitment. It also starred Han Ji Min whom I really love and Kim Hye-Ja whom I’ve never seen but read good things about. Oh..and of course Nam Joo Hyuk – not a star as an actor but definitely eye candy material.

So the synopsis is: a young girl..through the use of a magic watch- in trying to save her father – suddenly finds herself robbed of her youth and wakes up in the body of an old woman.  Very inconvenient, especially when she was on the verge of a beautiful love story with our hero (who btw has his own sad past to deal with).

Watching this drama was a wonderful gift. I loved almost every aspect of it. I loved the shifting perspectives..especially the unique perspective of a young girl experiencing the difficulties of aging and not being afraid to share those frustrations. I loved how this drama explored deep friendships..how it explored complicated family dynamics. I loved that alot of the cast were older actors who were such fun to watch. I was especially impressed with Kim Hye-Ja who was able to make me feel the young girl supposedly within her. I loved that I got much much more than I was expecting. There were funny moments..there were light moments..there were sad moments..there were heartbreaking and unbearably dark moments.

I’m so sad that it’s over but I’m hunting for more from this writer and director..that speaks for itself doesn’t it??

#han-ji-min, #kim-hye-ja, #nam-joo-hyuk, #radiant, #son-ho-joon, #the-light-in-your-eyes

Bride of the Water God… disappointing…

After Duel I eagerly turned my attention to Bride of the Water God but sadly it has not charmed me in the least. I watched the first episode and felt that things were slightly “off” but tuned in to the next episode to see if it improved – sad to say that it really hasn’t – at least for me.

Yes – our God is wonderful eye candy and it’s nice to watch him in action but he can’t make up for the rest. Everything feels forced and the timing of the jokes seems off. There are some scenes that are downright silly. I don’t know if it would have made a difference if the star had had more presence but probably not. It has the vibes of Prince on a Rooftop but none of the charm. I really enjoyed that one. I don’t see that much chemistry between the leads either..so I’ve had to move on..too bad – I was really looking forward to it too. Maybe it will improve later but I’m not going to stick around to find out!!

#bride-of-the-water-god, #nam-joo-hyuk, #shin-se-kyung