Big Data Romance

Big Data Romance

5.5/10

Big Data Romance

Genre:                                    Episodes: 1                Year: 2020

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

Kim Seo Joon is an app developer who believes that love is science. In order to prove his dating app’s success he publicly tries it out. He is matched with Ahn Bit Na, only to find that bug in the program paired them and they are not alike at all.

Cast:

Song Jae Rim (Kim Seo Joon)

Jeon So Min (Ahn Bit Na)

Ahn Da Jung (Cha In Rae)

Lee Soon Won (Park Sang Hoon)

General Thoughts:

I like both Song Jae Rim and Jeon So Min, and I am not ashamed to say that I watched this show purely for them. I could only find this drama in reaaaally bad quality, which unfortunately did take away from the enjoyment of the experience, but it was still a sweet and fun show, even if I didn’t get to see all Song Jae Rim’s expressions in stunningly high def.

A hero who believes he can manufacture love...where have I seen this before?

The show itself was pretty straightforward. It only had an hour and a bit to tell its story, so it certainly went at a nice, speedy pace. There were a few conflicts and subsequent resolutions so it never felt like we were just watching two people hanging out (though that in itself is still pretty fun- ‘We Got Married’ anyone?). The conflicts were all certainly pretty low key, but they were the same level as the rest of the show- which was a quick and lighthearted watch.

I 100% could have done without the mullet though

The plot was pretty basic and not entirely new- science vs emotions, opposites attract. The plot came to a conclusion that love is not pure science, which is ah…not exactly groundbreaking, but was a cute finish for our cute leads. Song Jae Rim was adorable as the developer CEO, and watching him experience new things that he was already supposed to like was really fun. The whole image of him not wanting to try something (such as spend an afternoon reading manhwa) but then totally loving it (crying over storylines) was really fun and really endearing. It was a silly and gentle reminder that even though we think we know ourselves completely, there’s always new things to learn and new things to experience. I wish the show had gone a bit the other way as well, with Bit Na experiencing some of the things that Seo Joon liked to do. Actually, what did Seo Joon like to do? All we have is that he’s a science nerd who develops as his job. We never found out his hobbies or what he does in his spare time- I guess he just doesn’t really have a lot of spare time. It would have been sweet to see Seo Joon more in his comfort zone and Bit Na being the one to try something new.

Though I'm not sure seeing Jeon So Min trying to eat a fancy steak would have been quite as fun

Song Jae Rim and Jeon So Min acted really well- neither of them overacted, which is something that can often happen when the scripts are this basic. They delivered their characters believably, and they had a really cute and bubbly chemistry that made them fun to watch. 

What Was Great:

Song Jae Rim Got The Girl:

The romance was the focal point of this show, so it’s a really good thing that the two actors were able to sell it so believably.

Totes adorbz

They were fun and sweet, and even the few fall outs that their characters had seemed reasonable, but not earth-shatteringly impassable. They had a cute dynamic and it was nice to see a drama were Song Jae Rim actually got to be the other half of the main romance.

What Wasn’t:

Troublesome Exes:

This seems like a plot point that was thrown in there to squeeze a bit of extra conflict out of the drama’s short run. And I didn’t think it was necessary at all.

Please leave the exes in the past where they belong

There wasn’t enough time to explore these two characters’ backgrounds and the type of relationships they had with our leads. Bit Na’s ex was pretty straightforward- he was a cheating loser who didn’t know how good he had it until he lost it. Seo Joon’s ex relationship a bit more complex and detailed, and there seemed to be a bit more going on behind their break up than them just not wanting to be in a relationship anymore. Seo Joon had some pretty hurt feelings, and his ex seemed pretty convinced that he would happily accept her back. The show just straight up didn’t have the time to explore these scenarios and develop these characters, so really, they should have just left that out. I would have been much happier if that time had instead been devoted to watching the relationship between Bit Na and Seo Joon grow and become more serious.

Recommend?

Nah, I wouldn’t recommend this one because it’s really nothing new. 

I kinda want these two to star in a full length drama together now...

Thumping Spike

Thumping Spike

4.5/10

Thumping Spike

Genre:                                Episodes: 20                          Year: 2016

School

Comedy

Romance

Synopsis:

In order to dodge a potential lawsuit, top volleyball star Kang Se Ra decides to coach the floundering Daehan High School volleyball team. She is helped by the Team Captain, Baek Woo Jin- however the team’s star player, Hwang Jae Woong, dislikes both the new Coach and the Team Captain.

Cast:

Song Jae Rim (Hwang Jae Woong)

Hwang Seung Eon (Kang Se Ra)

Lee Tae Hwan (Baek Woo Jin)

Son Ho Young (Kim Ki Joon)

Ha Seung Ri (Son Soo Bin)

Shin Hyun Soo (Lee Han Sol)

General Thoughts:

It’s cute, it’s fluffy, it’s a typical web-series. It starts off pretty average as initially the character of Se Ra is a bit of an entitled brat, but once the romance gets going it becomes much more enjoyable. Plot-wise the series is a little weird. The writers chose to focus on Se Ra and Jae Woong as our main characters, with hardly anyone else in the series getting much development or characterisation at all.

No one else reeaaaally matters

Woo Jin and Ki Joon are given a fair amount of screen-time, but are not really given much story of their own. Instead they only seem to be important because of their feelings for Se Ra and how Se Ra views them in return- but not really as characters in their own right. The rest of the volleyball team are really nothing more than goofy, archetype characters who are only there because you need more than two boys on a volleyball team.

I know the names of maybe three guys on the team

Looking at the way the characterisations are set up and how much importance (and screen time) is given to our leading couple, you’d think that the main storylines would be about their developing relationship and obstacles that get in the way of that relationship. But instead, the plot circles the volleyball team’s journey to winning the main tournament. Which is satisfying as this means Se Ra succeeded as a coach and Jae Woong would get to go to the university of his choice- but it didn’t really hit the super satisfying note that it would have if we had spent a little more time getting to know a few of the other boys on the team. What would have been super satisfying would have been seeing the cute, adorable love-line between our leads come to complete fruition. But that doesn’t really happen. Se Ra gets surgery and goes to Germany. Really? That’s how you’re going to wrap this up? Screw that- all I wanted was them having a good ol’ snog at the end of the tournament and ending it right there. That would have been great. But no. Instead we get Germany.

Should have just ended the series here

In regards to acting it’s all satisfactory for a web-series. The character of Se Ra was pretty bland so Hwang Seung Eon didn’t really have a heap to work with. Thankfully her chemistry with Song Jae Rim was pretty rocking, so once her character stopped being a whiney brat you could really let yourself get swept up in the cute whirlwind between them.

Not as annoying as she could have been- so that's a plus

Song Jae Rim was awesome. He does aloof and superior so well, and it was great to see his chilly exterior melted (very quickly I might add) by Se Ra. There’s basically nothing to say about anyone else in this drama, as no one else (character-wise) really matters. It could have been 20 episodes of just Jae Woong and Se Ra and it would have achieved the same results, just in a slightly different way. The volleyball boys were there for the occasional laugh or to say/do something that couldn’t be said or done by either of our main leads. Lee Tae Hwan didn’t give his most convincing performance of the year, but it wasn’t outright bad. And really, if he had to give a mediocre performance in anything this year, at least it was this drama and not his others. I tend to prefer him in more bad-boy/tough-guy roles (which is what he seems to be good at), so I found his character here to be a bit too smiley for my taste. In regards to music, I can’t actually remember any part of any song from the soundtrack, so it’s safe to say that it was pretty unremarkable. The only camerawork that left any lasting impression was ‘jeez I think I’ve seen this transition shot of the empty running track about ten times now’. It’s not that the editing or cinematography wasn’t good- it was just pleasantly mediocre. 

What Was Great:

Our Main Man:

Song Jae Rim really smashed it out of the park as the leading man. Having a weak male lead would have destroyed this series, as it was basically the only thing that was keeping it entertaining. Jae Woong falling for Se Ra and trying to win her over (while also trying to fight off every other guy with more than 5 seconds of screen-time) was basically what made this drama. He was endearing and easy to root for.

Good grief that boy's good lookin'

His character didn’t really get much in the way of backstory. He was once injured and has a sick sister, but after being told that neither of these facts really come into play later down the track. Song Jae Rim gives a strong and convincing performance, and it was easy to fall in love with him and his character. He also made Se Ra seem much more likeable. While she started out as a rather irritating character, through her interactions with Jae Woong, she became much more tolerable- and even a little likeable. 

Pretty darn adorable

Cute Factor:

The main love-line was super cute- which is just as well because that’s really all there is. While it’s nice to see the volleyball team doing well and starting to step it up, it’s the romance between Jae Woong and Se Ra that kept us all moving on to the next episode. Song Jae Rim and Hwang Seung Eon were adorable together and sold the romance well. While it was easy to forget that Jae Woong was supposed to be four years younger than Se Ra, in the end it didn’t really matter. 

What Wasn’t:

No Other Characters:

Beyond our two main leads, no one else really matters. They’re kinda there just because this story wouldn’t have exactly worked with only two characters. The writers seemed to give them as little development as possible in order to squish in more scenes of Jae Woong and Se Ra. Which is fine. In a longer, more serious drama this lack of characterisation would be a huge downfall, but ‘Thumping Spike’ is able to get away with having hardly any characters in it. We have to see development between the leads in every episode, and as the episodes were so short this meant that most of every episode was given to our leads.

Some guys who are here for...wait...why are they here?

It’s not a gaping black hole in the series- it just might have been nice to have a smidge more on the other boys sprinkled throughout the series rather than just in the final speech after the tournament victory.

Re-watch?

Maybe. While it’s definitely not the greatest drama out there, it’s short, sweet and straight to the point. Song Jae Rim really rocks it, and it’s a good drama for a small bit of fluff you can watch and enjoy without having to think too hard (or at all).

All I know is: I <3 Song Jae Rim

Surplus Princess

Surplus Princess

5.5/10

Surplus Princess

Genre:                            Episodes: 10                        Year: 2014

Fantasy

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

Mermaid Princess Ha Ni has an obsession with Kwon Shi Kyung, a famous, human celebrity chef. Believing Shi Kyung is her true love, Ha Ni becomes a human in order to be with him. She lives at ‘Surplus House’, a share-home where job-seekers live. Ha Ni has 100 days to find true love, if she succeeds she will become a human permanently, but if she fails she will disappear forever.

Cast:

Jo Bo Ah (Kim Ha Ni)

On Joo Wan (Lee Hyun Myung)

Song Jae Rim (Kwon Shi Kyung)

Park Ji Soo (Yoon Jin Ah)

Kim Seul Gi (An Hye Young)

Kim Min Kyo (Do Ji Yong)

Nam Joo Hyuk (Big)

Ahn Kil Kang (Ahn Ma Nyeo)

General Thoughts:

The cast is what makes the drama so enjoyable. Without the cast this series is nothing. We’ve all heard the mermaid story so many darn times before that you’d really be pushing yourself to come up with a new spin on the old tale, so it’s a good move to focus on the cast and characters rather than the plot. Because, you know, we all know what’s coming.

Adorable little babies

Our female lead was probably the weakest link in the casting, and that’s more of a praise to our support characters than a criticism of Jo Bo Ah. But as far as actresses go, Kim Seul Gi really steals the show. No surprises there. She always does, and likely always will.

Kim Seul Gi is dynamite. Forever. Always.

She gives such a dynamic yet endearing punch to every character she plays, and can deliver wackiness in the best possible way. I don’t think I could ever be dissatisfied with Kim Seul Gi’s performance. She’s just a total ace. Whenever I see Nam Joo Hyuk in anything, I just become increasingly more frustrated with ‘School 2015- Who Are You?’. Because his character was so sucky in ‘School 2015’ that I totally wrote him off as one of those model-turned-actors who can’t really act. But he continues to surprise me whenever I see him. He’s adorable as the surplus maknae, and the Noona Romance with Kim Seul Gi sure doesn’t hurt either. And Kim Min Kyo is just adorable and hilarious. He just is. Our two main boys are beautifully cast. And beautiful. Sure, they don’t have the most different or dynamic male characters ever seen, but On Joo Wan and Song Jae Rim give enough individuality to the characters that it doesn’t feel like we have our typical K-Drama heroes with new faces stuck on. Jo Bo Ah is sweet and quirky (because it’s a K-Drama, of course she’s sweet and quirky) and didn’t seem afraid to embarrass herself in the least.

He is indeed

While she did a fair enough job as the lead, unfortunately she does lack that certain sparkle and allure that the best actress emanate. But two thumbs-up for spending so much shooting time in water. Regarding the plot- well…it’s nothing new. It’s another retelling of the classic mermaid tale.

It's okay unemployed bums- Australian youth feel you all too well

So it was relieving when the writers chose to focus a little more attention on the job-hunting with the romance coming in second to being employed. It gave an interesting look into current youth, and how many young people have to give up on their dreams because they need a job. Any job. It was an idea that set this drama apart from other K-Dramas. As an audience we’re used to seeing downtrodden, overlooked characters with dreams of their own. And that’s what our characters in ‘Surplus Princess’ were like. But where they differ is that brutal punch of reality. Hyun Myung doesn’t make it as a famous artist. Ji Yong doesn’t become a respected judge. Both these men have to give up what they initially wanted for their lives in order to actually make a living for themselves. It’s sad, yet true to life, and does make it more heartwarming when we see how well our characters are getting along even after they’ve given up their initial dream-life.

What Was Great:

Great Ensemble:

Like I said earlier, it’s magic. It’s what holds the whole show together. Because this series could have quite easily been awkward and gimmicky, but instead remained light-hearted and fun, and most of that credit has to go to the cast.

We even get Gal Pals- how exciting is that!

The actors weren’t too afraid to embarrass themselves- particularly Kim Min Kyo, who ended up having some of the funniest scenes in the whole series (along with Kim Seul Gi). Everyone who participated in the show took it seriously, but not too seriously, allowing us viewers to enjoy the humour of the show without finding it cringe-inducing or lacking in plot.

Love Triangle:

One of the better aspects of the drama is that our two main male characters were able to develop easily along side one another, with neither getting shafted for a period in order to allow the other to grow.

Will it be the understated hero...

It made for a much more convincing love dilemma for our heroine, because we’ve witnessed her relationships with these two different men growing and developing simultaneously. It also makes it more interesting for the audience to watch, because it’s less clear which man our Princess will end up choosing. Hyun Myung is set up in our traditional hero way- what with his overlooked talents, unending determination, and b*tchy girlfriend who dumps him early on. So that’s where we expect our heroine’s heart to head after an appropriate amount of confusion for the sexy chef she became human for. Only, our heroine then spends a lot of time developing an unexpectedly in depth relationship with Chef Shi Kyung which progresses quite smoothly. And given the unexpected time constraints, it’s hard to peg whether the writers would go with the initial hidden hero love, or the newly sparked shallow love which grew unexpected depth.

...or the gorgeous Prince Charming?

Antagonising Antagonist:

Jin Ah sucked. She was a really dislikable character, given her manipulative nature and sense of entitlement. It’s kind of nice every now and then to stumble across a drama that has an antagonist you’re allowed to just flat-out dislike.

No redemption arc for you.

So many dramas lean towards mean, but not downright nasty antagonists, and then opt for the redemption arc. Not ‘Surplus Princess’. Jin Ah is dislikable to start with and dislikable at the end, and an all round great opposition for our heroine. Jin Ah is the perfect counter for our bouncy, if not mildly (or very) self-centred Princess. As both girls are aiming for the same guy, it gives us a reason to cheer for Ha Ni. Who initially comes across as selfish and dim-witted. But selfish and dim-witted beats b*tchy and manipulative, so I’m on Team Ha Ni for this one.

What Wasn’t:

Episode Cutback:

The episode cutback for this drama is pretty brutal. Most often I can understand the choice to cut-back a series’ episodes (when the plot is floundering and struggling to go forward), but ‘Surplus Princess’ seemed to be hitting it’s stride when the network chose to axe its airtime. The team behind ‘Surplus Princess’ were given the news that the series would be cut from 14 episodes down to 10 after the 9th episode had already begun filming. Meaning they were left with a single episode to tie everything up nicely. Eep. While the writers managed to do a praise-worthy job of bringing the series to a close in a satisfactory way, I still would have preferred that the show was allowed to run for its full length.

It all felt a tad rushed

While the plot did make sense, sadly it was our main pairing’s love-line that was rushed due to the cutback. The writers opted to go with their initial plan to have the final pairing be Ha Ni and Hyun Myung, which meant a lot of their relationship was played in fast forward in the last episode. And I was all for seeing 4 more episodes of Ha Ni and Hyun Myung realising their growing attraction and watching that develop. Ah well. We can’t have it all. Thanks for being a butt, tvN.

Confusing Ending:

I have no doubt that the confusion in that last episode was due to the episode cutback. While most of the story was handled nicely, we did have some aspects of the series that were left a little unpolished. Mainly being Ha Ni disappearing into bubbles. Yeeeaaahhhhh.

Sorry, what now?

What happened there? So she didn’t find true love with Hyun Myung? But then she appears a year later. Um, why? Where’s the logic in that? And what up with trying to tie off Chef Charming with Jin Ah? That was just some straight up bullish*t right there. It was a little alarming to have a series that had followed its own logic so well suddenly throw all the rules out the window. Rather than Ha Ni and Hyun Myung being happy after the 100th day passed and knowing they had found true love, we have Ha Ni vanish (presumably dead) before returning a year later, and the whole series ends on Ha Ni’s face with the caption ‘I’ll be back’. It felt like the whole ending sequence was basically a giant middle finger to tvN, saying that they had so many ideas planned that would now never be seen on TV because the network axed them. It was a giant middle finger disguised as art. I kind of like the guts it took for them to send their middle finger to the network, but at the same time the first and foremost responsibly of the team behind ‘Surplus Princess’ is to their viewers, who stuck with them through the low ratings.

Basically what the writers gave to tvN

So yes, it was amusing to watch and know that the writers were sending a message to tvN, but I also would have enjoyed an ending that made logical sense and didn’t open up enormous plot holes.

Re-watch?

Nah. It’s cute, it’s fluffy, it’s a one-time watch.

Right before she 'dies'