Witch's Romance

Summary: Witch's Romance is a 16 episode 2014 k-drama produced for TvN. This romantic comedy explores the unlikely romance between Ban Ji Yeon (Uhm Jung Hwa), a jilted-at-the-altar 39 year old reporter with a difficult personality, and Yoon Dong Ha (Park Seo Jun), a 25 year old professional part-timer still grieving for his dead girlfriend. As they both try to mend broken hearts, they find the companionship they've been missing in one another and the courage to fall in love again.

3 1/2 Hearts for Lots of Laughs

 Recommendation: I loved this k-drama! It is so much fun that I often found myself giggling like a little kid as I watched each episode. The strength of this series rests entirely on the cast as the plot is fairly standard for this genre and doesn't offer up a lot of surprises. Park Seo Joon and Uhm Jung Hwa do most of the heavy lifting with great chemistry and an aura of playfulness that lights up the screen whenever they are together. Maybe I'm a little boy crazy because I'm a fan of all the bromances popping up in k-dramaland lately. Park Seo Joon and Yoon Hyun Min were completely adorkable as BFFs and roommates. I couldn't get enough of them. As expected, all the loose ends in this k-drama are tied up neatly by the last episode and the audience gets to walk away with a big smile.

Inspiring Generation

Summary: Inspiring Generation (Age of Feeling) is a 24 episode period drama produced for the network KBS2. This action heavy melodrama is set during the mid-1930s and follows the rise of a no-name youth, Shin Jung Tae (Kim Hyun Joong), as he struggles to survive and protect the people he loves. At every turn, he's unexpectedly thrust into the middle of ever larger political conflicts until he finds himself in Shanghai. As external forces seek to manipulate him, Shin Jung Tae must carefully choose for which cause he'll use his quick wit and iron fists. This comic book adaptation also stars Jin Se Yeon and Lim Soo Hyang.

-2 hearts for...well...read the review

Recommendation:  Inspiring Generation is just alright. It will not be a 2014 favorite and it certainly won't make my "Best Ever" top 10 list. The series, from what I've read, had issues behind the scenes that seem to have translated into issues on screen. There was the pacing issue. The first third and the last third of the series are gripping. The middle third of it put me to sleep. The fight scenes were nicely choreographed but so numerous that it often became distracting and lost its "wow" factor. On top of that, everything relating to the awkward love triangle between Shin Jung Tae, Kim Ok Ryeon (Jin Se Yeon), and Teguchi Gaya (Lim Soo Hyang) fell flat. The real success story of this k-drama is the depiction of the political conflict in the region and the different factions vying for territory and power. And, in my opinion, it was the bromances that stole the show. The combined forces of Shin Jung Tae, Mo Il Hwa (Song Jae Rim), and Jung Jae Hwa (Kim Sung Oh) added the spark of excitement that this series needed.