Sumika Sumire [スミカスミレ]

♥♥♥♥/♥ 

TITLE: Sumika Sumire (Japan, 2016) [スミカスミレ] 
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 02-05-2016 to 03-25-2016 
WIKI: asianwiki.com/Sumika_Sumire 
SEASONS/EPISODES: 1/8, abt. 45 minutes each
US AVAILABILITY (as of 2019-04-19): Available to watch FREE on Viki. 

Sumi (Sumika) is 65 and she's spent her entire life taking care of her aging and ailing relatives. When her last remaining relative, her mother, passes away, Sumi feels the full weight of regret for the things she never got to experience... especially going to college and falling in love. Sumi has lived a noble life, but also sad and lonely. Her virtue and loneliness have won her another chance at youth when she accidentally sets in motion an agreement which will free a trapped spirit cat from a painted screen in exchange for granting her wish: a do-over. Now in order to complete her half of the agreement, Sumi, now called Sumire and physically reverted back to age 20, must attend school for the first time in 4 and a half decades, as well as navigate modern technology and culture, make friends, fall in love, and marry. 
This is a sweet romantic melodrama, not very realistic, even beyond the de-aging magic and the spirit cat. It's cute but emotional, and certainly strange, but also quite charming in it's own way. 

Flow and sequence (Some SPOILERs in ONLY this SECTION! SKIP to Cast/ Characters/ Acting section to skip the spoilers!): 

In the first story arc, our heroine Sumika-turned-Sumire is excited and terrified about her reincarnated youth. The spirit cat, Rei, is living with her in human form until their contract is complete. He seems to be portrayed as an unknown regarding his intent and loyalty... he's referred to as a "demon cat," he can mind-control the nosy neighbor lady, and Sumire seems to be somewhat afraid of him. Rei won't allow her to go back on her request and essentially pushes Sumire out of her nest for the first time in her life. At school, Sumire encounters a nice and cute boy named Yusei Mashiro with a heart-stopping smile, and a trio of the quintessential mean girls. She's awkward because she still has certain mannerisms of an elder despite her beautiful 20 year old body. After trying to run away and call it quits, Rei encourages her that she's lived 45 years longer than them but she's cowering from them and running away, so to own her mental-age as an advantage and get back in the game. Thereafter, Sumire has taken Rei's admonition to heart and has begun to be somewhat more confident, though she's still a very meek person by nature. Her fiesty side shows through a little more, she learns more about navigating the modern world, makes friends, and her relationship with Yusei turns into a budding romance. Meanwhile Rei is avoiding the obnoxiously smitten neighbor lady and hilariously (and embarrassingly) constantly pushing Sumire and Yusei together. Sumi's Buddhist priest is trying to get to the bottom of why there's suddenly a 20 year old living in Sumi's house and why he senses a demonic presence there. He comes up with various ideas for exorcism, which cause problems for Sumire and Rei, and less directly for Yusei. By now Sumire has decided Rei is trustworthy, even though nobody can find any record of why he was imprisoned in the screen in the first place- therefore it must have been something unspeakably horrible according to the priest. The second story arc begins with Sumire and Yusei beginning their dating relationship. Everything is hunky-dory for a bit, but Rei interrogates to be sure Yusei isn't going to abandon Sumire the second he finds out she's a 65 year old woman in the body of a 20 year old. Rei doesn't see Sumire as an awkward old lady in a young body (which is how she sees herself), he sees her as a beautiful and innocent young soul who can finally live as who she really is. He feels a kinship with her in that while he was trapped in a painted screen for a very long time, Sumi was trapped in her home and caregiver role her entire life. After understanding that Rei is questioning his loyalty and ability to protect and take care of the naive and innocent Sumire (but still not understanding the real reason for that), Yusei wants to prove himself to Rei but feels like he's coming in second to him all the time, as Sumire gets into trouble here and there and it's always Rei showing up like a guardian angel to save her. Alas, this posturing and proving is cut short by a tragedy that comes to claim the life of a main character, and despite death being narrowly avoided for one, we end this story arc with first Yusei having found out Sumire's secret and then all of our main characters separated and/or presumed dead! 
In the third story arc, 5 years have passed. Sumire is working in film, hoping to become a movie director someday. She still has some mannerisms of an elder; sometimes overly polite, typing with one finger, carrying cough drops in her purse. Her status at work is apparently intern-level and her boss lectures her all the time. She nearly loses her job but makes a comeback after using the benefit of her knowledge- being a 70-year-old in-mind. She's not really happy... she's just been living day by day and trying to be thankful for another chance, but not truly happy. Lonely, and not letting herself build or grow any relationships. Sumire has resolved that she is really just an old lady who has no right to fall in love, and she's certain that it would have been wrong for her to wind up with Yusei 5 years ago anyway- selfish even, for someone with the mind of a 65 year old to pair with a 21 year old man in the glory of youth. It's at this point where lost characters come back into play and we find out that Sumire's unfulfilled agreement with Rei has reached the point of quantum instability- if Sumire's wishes don't get wrapped up in a neat little bow within an indeterminate but very short amount of time, not only Sumire's renewed youth will be at stake, but also the lives and futures of other characters. 

Cast/ Characters/ Acting: 

Okay folks, the fact is here that "Rei" stole the show. If you're not completely smitten, or at least fascinated with him by a few episodes in, you might not be human! Unintentionally in tune with the theme of the show, Mitsuhiro Oikawa at 46 years old did a splendid job with the character, his natural charisma and youthful good looks powerful enough to be crush-worthy no matter your age. Yes, seeing his character Rei rescue the gentle and naive Sumire from danger repeatedly throughout the drama most definitely made my heart flutter! He has a very pleasant voice as well, and his eyes convey a lot of emotion in his acting. 
Mirei Kiritani's role as the young Sumire was well done. She was able to capture the essence of someone who was too young to be old and too old to be young. It would be quite difficult I think, to play the part of this sweet and awkward soul struggling between making peace with her age and wholeheartedly embracing a new youth. 
Keita Machida was not bad in his portrayal of Yusei, and his smile could melt a heart of stone, but there were moments when I could read the awkwardness when he needed to act as though the elder Sumika/Sumire was the same person as the younger. 3 reasons why I think you shouldn't hold that against him, nor do I think you'll even notice it: 1) It was very well hidden, 2) I imagine it would be extremely difficult to act opposite two people as if they were one, since every person will "click" with your own soul in a different way and create different chemistry, and 3) I think most folks wouldn't notice it at all because I think I only noticed it because that's my strength. I read micro-expressions and body language very well, naturally, and have had this ability since childhood. I am a socially awkward mess and have many weaknesses, but this is my strength. I try to "turn it off" to a degree when I watch movies and dramas, but sometimes... 
Also I felt the writers could have given the character Yusei more development over the course of the series. I would have enjoyed seeing more of Keita Machida's range of acting with a more diversified character. 
Keiko Matsuzaka as the elder Sumi was very good in her role. She did a great job of portraying a woman who experientially never had the chance to mature beyond graduating highschool, but yet had lived 65 years and felt the weight of doing the responsible thing her entire life. She also has very expressive eyes, and a kind looking face that makes one want to empathize with her. 
There was a character introduced about halfway through the series that I kept waiting for to have a purpose. Her purpose within the drama was never very clear, except possibly to fill the role of someone who makes the right verbal slip-ups to the right people at the right time to further the plot. Possibly also to call into question another character's motives OR transversely to clarify that other character's loyalty. 

Writing and directing: 

The story is weird, no getting around it. It's got some plot holes. If you go into it knowing it's an unrealistic fantasy melodrama then the holes and strangeness are certainly overlookable! It's a fairly quick binge watch: about 6 hours total. Despite my minimal qualms with character development in the previous section, I was surprised that there was as much plot development and character development as there was, considering there were only 8 episodes!

Other: 

This is either the ultimate in what Kdrama (I know this is a Jdrama, don't @ me!) fans would call a "Noona Romance"... OR it's completely crossing the line between eliminating age-ism and just plain creepy. I think that's going to be a matter each viewer will have to hash out for themself. I myself wavered between the two opinions a few dozen times while watching, but in the end I think I can appreciate that despite having lived a good many years longer, Sumi was still mentally young because of her lack of life experience, making this drama work somehow despite the mental age gap. 
I found it odd that Sumire was to a degree portrayed as not being as mentally quick or able to learn new skills and technology because of her mental age. To me this is an odd premise because if her entire body was reverted back to age 20, then the brain is part of her body and would be as capable of learning as any other 20 year old brain. Not only that, but my own mother was learning and utilizing new skills her entire life. She died young (cancer), in her early 50's, but one of the last things she did before she passed away was to go to college for the first time (yes, first time attending college was in her 50's) and get her CNA license. Meanwhile one of my grandmothers is in her 80's and she's hiking and biking and doing all sorts of touristy things, and constantly reading and learning when she's not adventuring. People tend to think that learning stops, or that it has an age range where it becomes too challenging, and it's simply not true. Even an old brain can learn new tricks. If Sumire had a 20 year old brain in her 20 year old body, then saying that she couldn't learn certain new things as easily seems silly, even if the intent was merely to say that she had 45 years longer to cement in bad habits like 1-finger typing. 


**TRIGGER WARNING: There is an attempted rape in an early episode. We see Sumire follow a potential new friend into a club but she's intercepted by 2 men who forcibly take her to a private lounge and try to convince her to drink alcohol which we obviously interpret to be drugged. She refuses and tries again to leave, so they attempt to force themselves on her anyway. Her new friend tries to save her but almost becomes a second victim. Rei arrives to save them before they are harmed! 

Happy Ending Factor? 

Happy ending lovers, you're going to be happy: I give this drama a perfect 5 out of 5 for happy ending factor! While there are some strange happenings and some plot holes, and of course the always-present-in-dramas almost-armageddon where all hope seems lost a few episodes from the end, in the end it's a big fat happily-ever-after! 

Final Summary: 

In summary, I enjoyed it and I'd watch it again or suggest it to a friend. As I said at the beginning of this review, it's cute but emotional, and strange but charming. A fairly quick watch, with an interesting (if unbelievable) story and lovable characters, and of course the fairy-tale happy ending. 

Check out {Sumika Sumire} on Viki!
(Above link based on US availability. Dramas may not be available on certain sites for certain countries. It depends who acquired the license for a specific drama for your country and who did not. Drama may be available on Netflix in your country but not even show up in mine, so check there if you have a Netflix acct. Ditto for Viki- may be available in your country but not mine. Click HERE for a list of legal Kdrama streaming sites and what countries they work in.)

I (Can) Hear Your Voice [너의 목소리가 들려]

♥♥♥♥/♥ 

TITLE: I Hear Your Voice/ I Can Hear Your Voice [너의 목소리가 들려] 
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 2013, June 05 - August 01 
WIKI: http://asianwiki.com/I_Can_Hear_Your_Voice 
SEASONS/EPISODES: 1 ssn / 18 eps 
US AVAILABILITY (as of 2018-11-08): Viki (free w/ads), KOCOWA (free w/ads), ONDemandKorea (free, no subs) 

After his father is murdered right in front of him, 9 year old Soo Ha gains the ability to hear people's thoughts. He spends the next 10 years learning martial arts to be able to keep his promise to protect a girl, Hye Sung, whose testimony sent his father's killer to prison. Hye Sung grew up to be a defense lawyer. This is a thrill ride as the killer gets out and comes after them over and over, deciding not to give up until either they're dead or he is. He messes with their minds and uses fear tactics and trickery. Soo Ha and Hye Sung will need to use their skills to protect each other through the various schemes of the villain... and hopefully survive long enough to live happily ever after. 

Basic summary: 
Two teenaged girls witness a murder in which a vehicle containing a father and his 9 year old son is struck by a large truck, then the truck driver gets out to finish off the father by beating him in the head. The murderer spots the girls and takes off after them before he has a chance to murder the boy. Hearing approaching sirens and unable to locate the girls, who have hidden in some bushes, the murderer yells out a threat he hopes they will heed: tell anyone and he will kill the girls as well as anyone they've told, or shut up and live a long life.
Seeing on TV later that the trial isn't going well because the victim's son, Soo Ha, is the only witness and he's been rendered speechless by trauma, the girls go to the courthouse to testify. Both are scared and count to 3 with the intent of going in together... however Do Yeon chickens out and runs away, and only Hye Sung winds up going in. Not a moment too soon either, as Soo Ha has written on a notepad that he can read minds (a talent he developed apparently from the head injury he received in the accident) and "heard" the murderer taunting them, and now everyone thinks he's crazy and his testimony is unreliable. With Hye Sung's testimony, Soo Ha's father's killer, Min Joon Gook, is pronounced guilty. Filled with rage, Joon Gook leaps past his guards and attacks Hye Sung, trying to strangle her and screaming in her face that he will come for her someday.
Later, Soo Ha and Hye Sung meet outside. Soo Ha tries to thank her for testifying but he still can't talk, and Hye Sung is terrified and lashes out, wishing she'd never come because now psycho Joon Gook was going to come for her. Soo Ha finally manages to speak and makes a promise that he will protect her.

10 years pass and Hye Sung has become a lawyer and has just gotten a job as a defense attorney. Her childhood Best-Frienemy Do Yeon is now a prosecutor. The little boy Soo Ha has spent 10 years learning martial arts and searching for Hye Sung. He finds her just in time as Joon Gook has been set free and is looking forward to enacting his revenge, but Hye Sung isn't the sweet angel-noona that Soo Ha has built up in his mind all these years. Even still, he must stick with her both to protect her from psycho Joon Gook, and to convince her to use her job to protect the innocent, something she seems to have lost faith in.
Throughout the drama, Joon Gook comes after them time and again, sometimes with devastating consequences. How many times can they escape before something has to give? And what hope is there for a puppy-love romance with a large age gap? 

Flow and sequence: 

For about the first half of the drama there are two storylines running parallel. The first is Min Joon Gook has gotten out of prison and is determined to kill Hye Sung as he promised to do. The second is that Soo Ha has to convince Hye Sung to care about her job and use it to defend her clients. She's been apathetic about her purpose for a long long time, and having the help of a 19 year old who can read minds is motivating and empowering, driving her to find the thrill in taking and winning challenging cases.
About halfway through the drama, things seem to come to a head with the villain and we get a somwhat false-finale sort of feel. There's a showdown that doesn't go as planned and important characters get hurt. Our underaged hero confesses his love for noona Hye Sung, and after the chaos he vanishes for a whole year (don't worry, they don't torture us with some long drawn out year's worth of boring scenes), during which time the police find reason to presume villain Min Joon Gook is dead. Soo Ha is suspect #1 of course, and the fact that he's missing doesn't help. When he's finally located, he's got no idea who he is let alone the man he's been accused of killing. In addition to that, he's lost his mindreading ability. He's a legal adult now and the courts want to try him for murder as an adult... The 3rd quarter of the drama centers around Hye Sung's legal battle to save Soo Ha.
The last quarter of the drama is the real finale and I can't tell you much without giving things away but this portion of the drama is much less about the legal battles and more about revealing everything that's been hinted at and bringing to an end all that's been brewing. 

Cast/ Characters/ Acting: 

Lee Jong Suk as Park Soo Ha - I found no flaw with Lee Jong Suk's acting. He always manages to play his roles convincingly, with emotion and realism, and I found this one to be no different. It was a little bit difficult to go with it when the storyline was saying he was a 19 year old in a school uniform and looking at his 24 year old face my eyes were arguing too much for me to really get into imagining him as a 19 year old. I expected to sense some awkwardness between him and the lead female because they are really 10 years apart as well as playing characters who are 10 years apart, but to his credit, for Lee Jong Suk's part I could feel no hesitation or awkwardness. I enjoyed seeing the difference between the carefree and hot-tempered person the character Soo Ha began the drama as and the more self-controlled and confident person he later became.
Lee Bo Young as Jang Hye Sung - The character Hye Sung was extravagantly annoying. She's arrogant and apathetic, self-centered, and mean. She got somewhat better through the drama... I presume the viewer is to attribute her personal growth to Soo Ha's good influence. Lee Bo Young's acting was good, but it's harder to appreciate good acting when it's a character you're supposed to be cheering for but whose personality you can't stand. Hye Sung was basically your quintessential drama-trope narcissistic lead male, except she was the female. She's not on top of my "lead female characters I detest" list (those positions are currently held by the female leads from My Love From The Stars and My Sassy Girl) but she was notably obnoxious. Good acting, but not great. I could find no flaw with her facial expressions, mannerisms, delivery of lines... but the something that's invisible is what I was having trouble finding: namely the chemistry between her and the male lead. She acted her part in a way that I can't name anything she could have physically done differently, but there was an underlying tension (and not the good kind) in her character's romantic interactions. I felt more zing from her fangirling over the second lead than I did when Lee Jong Suk's character was leaning over her on the couch. In fact that scene was a perfect example of what was missing. Hye Sung was basically crawling backwards away from him on the couch while Soo Ha looked at her with hungry eyes and advanced. The scene should have been literally buzzing with sexual tension. Despite her posture and facial expression being "right" for this scene, there was nothing in her eyes that made it feel real. While Lee Jong Suk's pupils were dilated and there was a hardness around the eyebrows making his acting seem very real, there was nothing in Lee Bo Young's eyes, making her acting seem like *just* acting. Any time he got near her for any sort of romantic interaction, her eyes went flat. Every kiss scene she stayed about an inch further away from him at all non-liplocked times than would have been comfortable. I have a feeling the fact that the actress got married in real life a month after this drama ended probably had a big part to play in why she couldn't get into the romantic scenes enough to convey the unspoken attraction that I felt was absent. It would be decidedly uncomfortable to act a romantic drama with another man a month before you marry your fiancee.
Yoon Sang Hyun as Cha Kwan Woo - As always, Yoon Sang Hyun gives a believable performance as a larger than life character. Lawyer Cha is a bit of a complicated character, appearing cheerful and childlike on the surface but being an emotion-driven optimist-by-choice on the inside. Yoon Sang Hyun has a tendency to steal the show with his great acting and eye-grabbing aura. He has a charisma that makes you pay attention to him whether you want to or not. The first thing I ever saw him in was Secret Garden, playing the self-tortured aging Kpop star Oska. I was so drawn in by his portrayal of that character! He's currently a minor side character in My Secret Terrius (an OBGYN who is the brother of a friend of the main character and has to patch up wounded Terrius a few times) and as usual he's a total scene stealer with his agelessly handsome face and his expressive eyes. 

Writing and directing: 

There were a few plot holes. Like how do we have a murderer being let out after only 10 years in prison ... a murderer who rammed a car containing a child with a truck and then bashed the head of the driver in repeatedly in front of that child and then attacked, and attempted to choke to death a 19 year old girl in the courtroom in front of judges, lawyers, guards, and witnesses, while screaming in her face that you're going to come for her. Yeah, let's just let him out after 10 years, great idea. Meanwhile his cellmate was also convicted of murder for which he's actually innocent and no body was ever found because the supposed victim was never actually dead, but he's in prison LONGER than the demented head-bashing, child-threatening lunatic? That was the most glaring but there were a couple other less glaring plot holes. 

Happy Ending Factor? 

I'd give this drama a 9 out of 10 for happy ending. The female lead actress had a fiancee to think about and a wedding to plan so I think she was just not feeling it with the male lead, thus her acting didn't quite reach her eyes at times. Truth is she's a good enough actress and Lee Jong Suk was so phenomenal that you could easily have a totally different opinion on that than me, you might feel like they had fabulous chemistry! Aside from my personal feelings on their chemistry, the drama was nearly perfect and all the happy-ending-requirement boxes got easily checked. 

Final Summary: 

I thought this drama was going to be about some mindreading guy who solves crimes with his lawyer girlfriend, but instead it was more of a serial killer thriller mixed with a legal drama. I really enjoyed it- I thought it was a sweet drama, but also a MAJORLY suspenseful and sometimes scary drama. My only qualms with the drama overall were the few plot holes and the female lead's lack of chemistry with the male lead. I am glad to have watched it and might watch it again in a year or two. I'd say watch it for sure if you like crime dramas or serial killer thrillers with some sweet romance as a secondary plot, but if you're not really into either of those and were hoping for a super steamy/juicy romance with a supernatural twist, this one promises more than it can deliver. 

Check out {I Hear Your Voice} on Viki!
Check out {I Hear Your Voice} on Kocowa!
Check out the I Hear Your Voice OST on Spotify! 
(Dramas may not be available on certain sites for certain countries. It depends who acquired the license for a specific drama for your country and who did not. Drama may be available on Netflix in your country but not even show up in mine, so check there if you have a Netflix acct. Ditto for Viki- may be available in your country but not mine. Click HERE for a list of legal Kdrama streaming sites and what countries they work in.) 

Descendants Of The Sun [태양의 후예]

♥♥♥♥/♥ 
TITLE: Descendants Of The Sun [태양의 후예] 
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: February 24 to April 22, 2016 (KBS) 
WIKI: http://asianwiki.com/Descendants_of_the_Sun 
SEASONS/EPISODES: 1 season, 18 episodes, 1 hour each. + 1 BONUS Behind The Scenes 
US AVAILABILITY (as of 2019-04-20): Viki (free w/ads), Kocowa (free w/ads), ONDemandKorea (free w/ads) 

Captain Yoo Shi Jin is a member of an elite special forces team. His team carries out the kinds of missions where you vanish at the drop of a hat for days, weeks, or months and leave your tags at home when you do, so your identity can't be compromised if things go terribly wrong.
Kang Mo Yeon is a skilled doctor at a prestigious hospital. She is bold and opinionated and tries to resist the advances of the handsome and funny older man Captain Yoo.
Seo Dae Young is a member of Captain Yoo's team and his best friend. The father of the woman he loves is doing everything he can to keep them apart.
Yoon Myung Jo is Mo Yeon's old medical-schoolmate, with whom the bitter rivalry never quite died. She's in love with Dae Young but he keeps running away from her and she suspects her father (military, as is she) has something to do with it.
Our cast of characters must survive disasters like earthquakes, epidemics, kidnapping, and war in order to find peace and love in the midst of their tumultuous lives. 

Basic summary:
Captain Yoo Shi Jin and his best friend Seo Dae Young have an encounter with a young thief who steals Dae Young's phone when he wrecks his motorcycle and the two heroes Shi Jin and Dae Young give him emergency medical care before the ambulance arrives. Figuring out what happened to the phone, the heroes head toward the hospital to get it back. They wind up saving the young thief's life yet again, this time from a gang, but the pretty lady doctor, Mo Yeon, believes them to be the villains at first.
Shi Jin takes an immediate liking to Mo Yeon and he's not afraid to be (hilariously) over the top to get her attention. Things seem to be going well, after a bit of a rocky start, but then go downhill again when Mo Yeon decides she's not sure if she can deal with being the girlfriend of a man with such a deadly job.
Then Mo Yeon's boss makes a pass at her and she turns him down flat, resulting in her being 'volunteered' to go on a humanitarian mission to a military outpost in a country called Uruk where war was in the recent past and peace is still precarious. Meanwhile Shi Jin and Dae Young are temporarily stationed on the outpost in Uruk and Myung Jo has pulled some strings to get herself stationed to Uruk also so that she can be with the man she loves. Myung Jo's father has pulled some strings of his own and had Dae Young brought back to Korea to lead a training squad- the two father-separated lovers wind up only crossing paths momentarily as they switch places.
Shi Jin meanwhile is making headway once again with Mo Yeon. She's no match for his drownable brown eyes and deep voice, not to mention the hilarious and over the top things he says to make her laugh, but she's still pretty sure their differences are irreconcilable. Shi Jin winds up going back to S. Korea on leave.
Mo Yeon and the volunteer medical team are getting ready to go home also when disaster hits: an earthquake decimates the nearby power plant. Dozens are trapped, injured, and dying. The special forces team, headed up by Shi Jin and Dae Young, are sent in to take control of the rescue efforts and manage the disaster relief, bringing our two couples back together under less than ideal circumstances.
Meanwhile, a thug named Argus is threatening the manager of the power plant for diamonds, as well as running ghost villages of orphans for human trafficking. The earthquake throws a monkey wrench in the transfer of diamonds from the power plant manager to Argus, putting Argus in a dangerous mood.
We find out that Argus and Shi Jin have history: it seems that once upon a time Shi Jin saved his life. Now, Argus holds no loyalty and will stop at nothing to get ahold of the diamonds- even kidnapping and murder. Will the man who saved his life have to be the one to end it? 

Flow and sequence: 

During the early episodes of this drama, we find Shi Jin chasing Mo Yeon's affections, and Myung Jo chasing Dae Young's affections. In the middle, Myung Jo and Dae Young are still fighting just for the right to love each other. Meanwhile Shi Jin and Mo Yeon's relationship is going well (when she can refrain from getting into dangerous situations), but Shi Jin is having to deal with Argus' distasteful enterprises and Mo Yeon is fighting an epidemic that could take the lives of some of their own. Near the end of the series, the characters are dealing with a new storyline; a North Korean operative who has been framed and needs their help. The characters are now people with more experience, mostly bettered for it, and spend the last couple episodes dealing with the emotional fallout from everything that has happened to them (more in spoiler section.) 

Cast and acting:
Song Joong Ki as Yoo Shi Jin does a phenomenal job. I am always impressed with his acting abilities. He must really give his all to the characters he plays. The character is very likable and humorous, very charming. His chemistry with lead actress Song Hye Gyo was undeniable- I'm not surprised they wound up falling in love in real life and marrying after starring together in this drama! 

Song Hye Kyo as Kang Mo Yeon was a very good fit for her character. At first I thought her character was too similar in personality to the character she played in That Winter, The Wind Blows, but the more the character Mo Yeon was developed, the less similarities I saw.

Jin Goo as Seo Dae Young: Possibly the most complex character in the series. Dae Young is the "strong, silent type." It was hard to see him suffering in silence in the earlier episodes, but still emotional to see him working out his love with Myung Jo in later episodes.

Kim Ji Won as Yoon Myung Jo: I always find couples with a large age difference interesting and in this drama, Kim Ji Won is a 24 year old woman playing the lover of a character played by a 36 year old male actor. You would expect the relationship dynamic between characters to be something other than what it turned out to be; which is with the younger female having an extremely dominant and headstrong personality, contrasting with the quiet and steadfast strength of her partner. I think Miss Kim did a great job bringing out her character's strong personality.

David Lee McInnis as Argus was a terrific villain. He wasn't as detestable as the reigning champion for "Most Detestable Villain I've Ever Seen" (that particular title may forever be held by Lee Sung Jae's amazing performance as the horrible Jo Gwan Woong in Gu Family Book), but I could probably safely say McInnis' Argus comes in second. ;) 

Writing and directing: 

The character development from beginning to end was decent. I enjoyed seeing the characters both meet and defy my expectations as I got to know them better. The music direction took a while to find it's footing, and that's putting it nicely. It wasn't that the soundtrack wasn't good, but that in the beginning of the series the music would come on deafeningly loud and jump-out-of-your-skin suddenly with regular frequency. I was very put-off by this and am so glad that they got better at the music thing as the drama went on. (Either that or I became desensitized to it after a while!) As far as the music itself, volume and sudden-ness aside, I found it to be very pretty and enjoyable.

Rabbit trail:
If you watched this drama and enjoyed the main song, here is a beautiful piano cover of it! 

Happy Ending Factor?
I give it 10 out of 10: at least one of the main couples gets a really good happily ever after and there are no loose ends or mind-bogglingly confusing plot lines. 

(SPOILER SECTION! SKIP to Summary if you don't want to know how it ends!) 

Okay okay, BOTH the main couples get a happily ever after, though both of them ALMOST DON'T! Shi Jin and Dae Young are sent on a 3 month mission they don't come back from. They are shot and then the area they were last seen is blown up. They are reported as dead to their beloved women, and a year goes by in which the former rivals Myung Jo and Mo Yeon seem to settle into a friendship of sorts that has been developing throughout the series. It's quite unbelievable that they came back from that but don't panic because somehow they did and we get our happy ending! 

Summary: 

From the synopsis and the images of this drama, I thought it would be significantly more about war and medical stuff and significantly less romantic and sweet than it actually was. The first 2 episodes didn't make me want to keep watching, but I decided to watch just one more episode because it seemed the first 2 episodes had been sort of like a prequel and episode 3 was where we would finally see what sort of drama it was going to turn out to be. By the end of that episode, I was interested enough to at least watch one more. I became a little bit more interested with each episode after that, and by halfway through the series I knew I would have to finish this whole drama out. If you're thinking of giving this drama a shot, I suggest you watch at least the first 3 episodes before deciding whether to give up on it. The music is kind of out of control in the beginning (you'll hear what I mean if you watch it), but it's starting to chill a tad bit by episode 3 and gets better and better with each episode after that, as does everything else about this drama. 

Check out Descendants Of The Sun on Viki! 
Check out Descendants Of The Sun on Kocowa!
Check out Descendants Of The Sun on ONDemandKorea!
Check out the Descendants Of The Sun OST on Spotify! 
(Above links based on US availability. Dramas may not be available on certain sites for certain countries. It depends who acquired the license for a specific drama for your country and who did not. Drama may be available on Netflix in your country but not even show up in mine, so check there if you have a Netflix acct. Ditto for Viki- may be available in your country but not mine. Click HERE for a list of legal Kdrama streaming sites and what countries they work in.) 

The Bride of the Water God (Bride of Habaek) [하백의 신부 2017]

♥♥♥♥/♥ 
TITLE: The Bride of the Water God (The Bride Of Habaek) [하백의 신부 2017]
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: July 03, 2017-August 22, 2017 (TVN)
WIKI: http://asianwiki.com/The_Bride_of_Habaek
SEASONS/EPISODES: 1 season, 16 hour-long episodes
US AVAILABILITY (as of 2018-11-11): "Retired:" This drama has now been removed from all legal US streaming sites that I know of. :( 

Overview:
The scenes in the Drama Fever trailer/preview for this one were more irrelevant to the drama than the Drama Fever writeup/description. I'm not sure how they could have gotten any farther off the mark if they tried, when it came to giving a good trailer and writeup to get the right people to watch it. The titling and timing were also quite unfortunate in that they gave many viewers the mistaken impression that this drama was intended to be similar to (and 'as good as') Goblin: The Lonely and Great God [쓸쓸하고 찬란하神-도깨비].
 If you're looking for the next "Goblin", this isn't it. You'll be really glad later if you go into this determined to enjoy (or not) this show for itself and not as a Goblin-rebound-fix. The writeup on Drama Fever describes the lead male character as "narcissistic" and says he came to Earth to find *a* magic stone (there are 3). It also says that the goddess Moo Ra dislikes Habaek's "wife" (technically the series title also refers to her as his bride, but they aren't actually shown marrying during the course of this series).

Basic summary:
Habaek is destined to be the god of Water World, but in order to claim his rightful throne, he must go to Earth and find 3 "god stones" which the priest of Water World hid there. When Habaek and his servant arrive on Earth, they are separated, unclothed, and having somehow lost the coordinates which will lead them to the god stones on the way. In addition to this, Habaek is frustrated to learn his powers aren't working on Earth. There is a family lineage on Earth who is supposed to help them with their mission, however the lone descendant of this family is jaded psychiatrist So Ah. As a child, So Ah's father was constantly bringing home street children, even going so far as to give So Ah's things to them. So Ah felt like her father loved the street children he brought home more than he loved her and developed a good deal of parental resentment. Her father left on a humanitarian mission for a year when she was a teenager and never returned, and her mother passed away. So Ah once tried to kill herself to hurt her absent father, so she threw herself off a bridge, but miraculously woke back up before dying and swam to safety, forever-after ashamed and averse to cold water. When Habaek meets So Ah, she's supposed to recognize who he is, but she thinks he's merely an attractive but delusional human who needs psychiatric help.

Flow and sequence: 
The early episodes of the series deal with Habaek's struggle to get So Ah to recognize his deity and accept her role as a servant of the gods. The middle episodes of the series deal with the jealousy and animosity of the other Earthbound deities toward Habaek and So Ah, and how that hinders the finding of the stones. The final episodes deal with the inevitable goodbye between Habaek and So Ah, as well as wrapping up plot mysteries that have been brewing throughout the series.

I usually find a "slow zone" in dramas somewhere between episodes 5 and 15, but I didn't feel like this drama really slowed down specifically at any point. It was a leisurely paced drama all along, with funny parts and sad parts, but neither the ups nor the downs were ever too extreme. Basically, I didn't find it boring but it wasn't so strenuously suspenseful I couldn't sleep between episodes either. (Though it WAS suspenseful enough that I looked forward to the next episodes all week until the series was complete.)

Cast and acting: 
Nam Joo Hyuk's portrayal of Habaek is about the least narcissistic leading male character I've ever seen. The character Habaek is SPOILED at first, indeed, but he's also pretty much brimming with compassion for humanity and especially So Ah, which is the opposite of the aforementioned supposed narcissism. Nam Joo Hyuk's character's emotions are all well acted in his expressive eyes. If you like him in this, he does a fabulous job in Scarlet Heart: Ryeo also (though I haven't finished that one yet and hear it has a super sad ending so happy-ending-addicts beware!)

Im Ju Hwan did fantastic job bringing out the conflictedness, guilt, pain, and desire to be good in his character, the reluctant villain CEO Hoo Ye. Im Ju Hwan's portrayal of Hoo Ye pretty much ripped my heart out every time he came on screen. I've almost never wanted to climb inside the screen and hug a character that badly. I've never seen Im Ju Hwan in anything else, so if anyone has a suggestion for something else he's in that ends happily, please leave it in the comments!

Shin Se Kyung is an actress who I often see disparaged as lacking talent but I personally see no grounds for the hate. I have only seen her in 3 or 4 dramas but I felt she did a decent to great job in all of them. There was a degree of sameness to the various characters I've seen her play but I think it is due to the writing and directing of those characters and not so much her acting. For her portrayal of So Ah, I think people may somewhat be confusing their feelings about the character and the plot with their feelings about Miss Shin's acting. There are some discrepancies in the plot (particularly early on in the series) which are confusing and frustrating, mostly centering around So Ah's character. I'm currently also watching both Blade Man/Iron Man AND Sensory Couple/The Girl Who Sees Smells which Shin Se Kyung plays in- both are cute dramas so far.
One more worth special mention was a small side character in the series; Jin Geon (and briefly, his twin Mo Myeong). The actor who played them was uncredited (at least in the case of all my search results) but I'm about 99% sure he's Korean actor Kim Tae Hwan 김태환 who starred in the 2016 Chinese drama My Amazing Boyfriend [我的奇妙男友] (a corny comedy, kinda creepy, but sorta cute and fairly steamy story about an actress and an immortal, which was loosely based on the Korean cult hit drama My Love From The Star).


Writing and directing:
The Bride Of The Water God was supposedly loosely based on a manhwa of the same name, but I read quite a bit of commentary by people who had read the manhwa and said the drama turned out nothing like the manhwa after all. I also saw comments that all involved in the making of Water God deliberately avoided all things Goblin until Water God was complete so as not to taint Water God either way (knowing that the series name would make people compare it to Goblin and wanting to deter that). I have not personally confirmed either of these rumors: I have neither read the manhwa nor seen where the cast and crew were vowing to hold off on watching Goblin. *If anyone knows where I can find/read the manhwa online or has a link to confirm or refute the rumor about them not watching Goblin, please leave it in the comments and I will try to follow up and edit at a later date.*

The writing did seem to have some holes and weak points. Most noteworthy was in an early episode they had So Ah passing out repeatedly in sequence over the same thing: finding out an old friend of hers was actually an earthbound deity. This was right after she went like a week without sleep and hearing voices but managed to function (for the most part) normally, AND finally accepting that Habaek was indeed a deity himself, making the repeated passing out over her old friend's identity all the more unbelievable and absurd. If she had seemed to be equally emotionally weak through all that happened to her, this wouldn't have been so eye-rolling, but throughout the series we find So Ah to be a resilient character and this particular comedy gimmick is unbecoming.

Aside from that, I think most of the parts that didn't really make sense could later be explained. Maybe not explained WELL, but at least explained-ish.

How is The Bride Of The Water God like or unlike Goblin?
Similarities? Well it's got deities in it, and one of them falls in love with a human who was born specifically to help him. That's about it for the similarities.
In Bride Of The Water God, the gods live in parallel worlds based on the elements, and there are some on Earth as caretakers of sorts, but for the most part the gods stay in their own worlds and don't care about humanity except as far as they require the worlds to be in balance so they can continue to live without really caring about humanity. In Goblin, the purpose of the divine beings is to manage humanity so the supernatural beings are doing specific jobs relating to that, such as the Grim Reapers managing souls after their death and the old/young deity mentioning creating new souls and the goblin acting as a sort of guardian/benefactor of down-on-their-luck humans.
In Water God, the supernatural powers seem more like something out of an Avengers movie, so you're watching it and your brain is reminding you the whole time that what you're watching is pretend and just for kicks. Also the main character is devoid of his powers the whole time, leaving him and the two servants under his protection vulnerable to multiple other supernatural beings, some of whom do not wish them well. The supernatural powers in Goblin seem to be portrayed in a way where you can take them more seriously as though they were real, and the goblin himself does retain his powers, as do the other supernatural good guys.
In Water God, the comedy is mediochre to mild and is based on the characters being shocked or embarrassed. The strength of the series isn't in it's comedy; it is in the tenderness and love Habaek increasingly feels for So Ah and watching the character learn to deal with these feelings. In Goblin, the entire drama is an emotional tug of war; one minute you are gasping for air between fits of hysterical laughter at the witty banter, and the next minute you are using half a roll of toilet paper to deal with the effects of the extreme emotions provoked.

Happy Ending Factor? 
Does The Bride Of The Water God wind up with a happy ending? Yes and no. I'd give it 8 out of 10 for happy ending points.

(SPOILER SECTION! SKIP to Final Summary if you don't want to know how it ends!) 
It seems that So Ah may not get a happy ending with her father (no surprise: I pretty much expected that the whole series), but she gets to live out the rest of her life with Habaek on Earth. They left it totally unexplained as to how she's going to grow old and die beside an ageless deity, or how he'll go on as king of Water World after losing his soulmate when she does eventually age and die. The ending could have been more satisfactory, but at least it wasn't like one of them died right off or they had to live apart for the remainder of their lives.

Final Summary: 
Bride Of The Water God may be getting a bad rap because those who clicked over to watch it just came from Goblin and expected it to be the same kinda thing. They experienced a similar effect to if you were to watch BBC's Sherlock and then tried watching the live action Nancy Drew movie with expectations it would be the same thing. One is a boutique cheesecake and the other is a donut: both can be delicious but if you eat a donut expecting a cheesecake you're not gonna be happy. The Bride Of The Water God was no Goblin, but it was Bavarian-Cream-Filled-Donut Good. If you give this show a go, check your cheesecake expectations at the door and let it pleasantly surprise you! :)

Unfortunately this drama was only available to US watchers on Drama Fever, an Asian Drama streaming site owned by Warner, that abandoned it's subscribers with no warning on October 16, 2018, leaving nothing but an unapologetic goodbye message. 

Check out the The Bride Of Habaek OST on Spotify!
(Above links based on US availability. Dramas may not be available on certain sites for certain countries. It depends who acquired the license for a specific drama for your country and who did not. Drama may be available on Netflix in your country but not even show up in mine, so check there if you have a Netflix acct. Ditto for Viki- may be available in your country but not mine. Click HERE for a list of legal Kdrama streaming sites and what countries they work in.)