TV & movie reviews 2024-25

Binge / 그 해 우리는 (What I did that year)

Since retiring from full-time employment and moving out to the country from the coast during May 2021, in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, time has been on the writer's side to watch movies, documentaries and TV series on various streaming services such as Netflix, Prime and Disney+, not to forget the one most often used - YouTube. At the end of 2024 a number of interesting Asian (initially Japanese, but then primarily Korean) shows were viewed on Netflix and led to the creation of the present blog. It contains brief reviews of interesting items. All are are highly recommended, though some are simply noted where the viewing was never finished. Date of production is noted, as is a Wikipedia link where available. Where titles are given but no review provided, the item has not been watched to completion. All are in a foreign language (non-English) unless otherwise indicated. The majority are romance, modern-day or historical, with elements of drama and comedy. The writer prefers to steer clear of horror, though some have such elements. The ages of the main characters are primarily in the range 20s - 40s. though references to experiences across all ranges, from childhood to maturity, are common.

| A Time Called You | Alchemy of Souls | Beyond Goodbye | Diplomat | Doom at Your Service | First Love | From Me to You | Geek Girl | It's OK Not to be OK | King the Land | Love Next Door | My Demon | My Halo Love | My Love from the Star | Oh My Venus | Our Beloved Summer | Queen of Tears | Run On |  

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Listing

* A Time Called You, 2023, 12 episodes, Korean. An intriguing short series being a variant on the time travel theme as seen in the Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour movie Somwhere in Time. In this instance, a 36 year old woman is taken from 2023 back in time to 1998 and reappears as a young 16 year old school girl friend of her former lover who had died in a airplane accident during 2022. She remembers who she was, but now possesses the body of the young girl and needs to adapt to her situation.

* Run On, 2020, Korean, 16 episodes. Present-day, Seoul-based romance involving a female translator and a wealthy young athlete, plus their circle of family and friends. Terrific acting by the lead female. Addresses issues such as: Korean family dynamics, political corruption, abuse and bullying in athletics, the film subtitle / translation industry, Catholic influence, feminism, corporate life and LGBT. (May 2025)

* King the Land, 2023, Korean, 16 episodes. Present-day, Seoul-based romance involving a young woman in the hotel industry and the wealthy son of the owner. (April-May 2025)

* My Demon, 2023-24, Korean, 16 episodes. Story of a young woman who encounters a demon on Earth who is responsible for sending wrongdoers to hell, and her accidentally obtaining his powers. (April 2025)

* Oh My Venus, 2015-16, Korean, 16 episodes. Romance between an overweight female lawyer and a personal trainer who had suffered physical illness in the past. It is very moving in parts. (April 2025)

* Tale of the Nine Tailed

* Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha

* Eve

* Nevertheless

* The Atypical Family

* Love between Fairy and Devil

* Melo Movie

* My Liberation Note

* Mr Plankton

* My Love from the Star, 2013, Korean, 16 episodes, English subtitles. Romance involving an alien who has been living on Earth for more than 400 years who re-meets a girl / woman from his past who is his destiny. (March 2025)

* Our Beloved Summer, 2021, Korean, 16 episodes, English language dubbing. A wonderful story of young love lost and re-found, with a variety of character development, staring a quiet, introverted artist and a narky young woman, both of which behaviours have deep emotional backgrounds which are only addressed as they mature (March 2025). ****

* Queen of Tears, 2024, Korean, 16 episodes, English language dubbing. An epic regarding a young female executive who develops a brain tumor, and the story of her fractured relationship with a former partner as a pair who seem totally unmatched (March 2025). ****

* Alchemy of Souls, June 2022 - January 2023, 30 episodes, Korea, English language dubbing. A complex, slow-moving, historical fantasy dealing with the Icestone and the power to exchange souls between bodies as a dark power. It is also the love story between two people. - Naksu / Mu-deok / Jin Bu-yeon and Jang Uk. With each episode running at up at to 70 minutes, the series is an epic saga. Long, but rivetting and a must see until the end (February 2025). ****

* Destined with You, 2023, Korean, 16 episodes. Romance between a female civil servant and male lawyer involving a cursed book. Contains some horror elements.

* Love Next Door, 2024, Korean, 16 episodes. 

* My Holo Love, 2020, Korean, 16 episodes. Story of three individuals involved in a love triangle, one of which is a IT wiz, the other a woman, and the third a AI hologram who falls in love.

* Beyond Goodbye, 14 November 2024, 8 episodes, Japan, English language dubbing. Story of a heart transplant donor and his girlfriend / fiance, a heart transplant recipient and what happens when the latter two meet. Extremely interesting original story which is connected with the issue of consciousness. Drawn out to a degree, and slow moving, but wonderful in that it replicates much of the mood and scenery of a Studio Ghibli anime. Very moving and terrific performances by the two lead female characters.

* Geek Girl, 30 May 2024, 10 episodes, Britain. Story of a 15 year old neurodivergent / autistic / aspergers school girl who is made a fashion model. Based on the million selling book series from 2013+. Extremely well done - entertaining and funny and moving.

* From Me to You: Kimi ni Todoka, 30 March 2023, 12 episodes, Japan, English language dubbing. Story of a shy, 16 - 18 year old school girl and her final years at school prior to going to university. Based on the Manga and Anime series. A subtle but moving series.

* First Love, 24 November 2022, 9 episodes, Japan, English language dubbing. Story of the love of two young people (school students) who are separated after the woman suffers an amnesia injury. They are  finally brought together decades later. A beautiful love story, though a bit hard to follow at the beginning. The ending is a happy, tearjerker.

* Doom at Your Service, 10 May 2021, 16 episodes, Korea, English subtitles. Story of a young woman who is dying from a brain tumor and meets both God - in the form of a young woman in hospital - and Doom, a young man who is responsible for sending people to their death and is not human. A very slow moving series, though extremely interesting nevertheless as the viewer tries to figure out what is going on and is provided with information of this fantastical subject. Enigmatic characters with lots of long, silent looks.

* It's okay not to be okay, 9 August 2020, 16 episodes, Korea, English subtitles.

 * The Diplomat, US, English, two seasons. (November 2024). An American drama concerning a women who going from being the wife of a diplomat, to a diplomat herself.

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Index

Alchemy of Souls | Beyond Goodbye | Diplomat | Doom at Your Service | First Love | From Me to You | Geek Girl | It's OK Not to be OK | My Halo Love | My Love from the Star | Oh My Venus | Our Beloved Summer | Queen of Tears | Run On |

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Last updated; 9 May 2025

Michael Organ, Australia