The Legendary Witch

Title:	The Legendary Witch
Alternate Title(s):	N/A
Genre(s):	Melodrama, Romantic Comedy, Crime, Suspense
Episodes	40
Network:	MBC
Year Produced:	2014
Available to Watch On:	viki, dramafans.org

Summary: Moon Soo In (Han Ji Hye) was happily married to the eldest son of the wealthy Ma family, owners of the Shinwha Group conglomerate. When her husband unexpectedly dies, the family frames her for embezzlement of company funds and sends her to jail for two years. It is there that she meets three women (Ko Du Shim, On Hyun Kyung, and Ha Yeon Soo) that change her life for the better and the man that will help her love again (Ha Seok Jin). After the women are released from prison, they support one another and gradually build new lives and find new love. But they all have strange ties to the Ma family making it difficult to forget the past until all the wrongs have been righted and the sins exposed.

RATING

♥♥♥½

Recommendation: Let's start off this recommendation with an acknowledgment that the first four episodes of this series are painfully dull and difficult to watch. However, if you can get past that hurdle the series recovers and quickly achieves "watchable" status. So much so, that this became a weekly staple in my k-drama viewing schedule for the last few months. This underdog tale does a nice job depicting the transformation of a group of women from victims in survival mode to competent and self-assured women capable of mastering their destinies. Han Ji Hye played it safe in the role of Moon Soo In and her performance was just okay. Undoubtedly, she was cast for her star power but the real strength of the series is the chemistry between the broader ensemble cast and the overall journey of the series. While the additional 4 episodes did not necessarily serve The Legendary Witch well, it did not hurt the undeniable charm that this show cast over its audience either. This is a must watch among the end-of-year dramas that closed out 2014 and took us into 2015.

Triangle

Title:	Triangle
Alternate Title(s):	N/A
Genre(s):	Melodrama, Crime
Episodes	26
Network:	MBC
Year Produced:	2014
Available to Watch On:	DramaFever, viki, dramafans.org

Summary: As children, the Jang brothers are separated after the tragic death of their father. Despite the eldest brother's efforts to care for and protect his siblings, they are torn apart and each set down a path that takes them in very different directions. Jang Dong Soo (Lee Beom Soo), the eldest, becomes a police detective while continuing to look for his missing brothers. Jang Dong Chul (Kim Jae Joong), the middle brother, finds himself homeless and begging on the streets, losing all his childhood memories in the process. He ultimately becomes a street thug. Jang Dong Woo (Im Siwan), the youngest brother, is adopted as a baby and raised by a wealthy CEO to be his heir. The three brothers cross paths as adults when they are drawn into the corporate and social politics surrounding the Dae Jung Casino and its relationship to the death of their father.

RATING:

♥♥♥½

"Look, Dong Woo, we need to have a talk ....."

Recommendation: Triangle is a thoughtfully produced k-drama with an excellent cast and clear path from start to finish. There isn't anything that can be called out as a major flaw in the series but it does lack that special something that might have bumped up its rating just a little higher. Kim Jae Joong shines in the role of Jang Dong Chul / Heo Young Dal and it feels like he found the sweet-spot with this character, having to be neither too good nor too bad. Likewise, Im Siwan is believable as the spoiled rich boy that has everything except his adopted father's love. There's not much to say about Lee Beom Soo - he's a pro and it shows in every role that he touches. It would have been nice for all three brothers to be together in more than just a few scenes but it rarely materializes. Onecould theorize it is a foreshadowing of things to come at the end. Overall, this is solid k-drama that is worth the investment of time. You won't regret it, particularly for fans of crime, melodrama, and Kim Jae Joong's abs.

A New Leaf

 
Summary: A New Leaf is a 2014 South Korean series produced for MBC. This courtroom k-drama explores the life of an amoral hotshot attorney, Kim Seok Joo (Kim Myung Min), employed by South Korea's most powerful law firm. After he loses his memory due to a head injury, he's left with nothing but his skills as a lawyer and several unfinished cases. With the help of the law firm's intern, Lee Ji Yoon (Park Min Young), he tries to reconstruct his life and understand questionable choices he made in regards to personal and professional matters. With a clean slate in his head, will he turn over a new leaf and live a more honest life?

3 out of 5:  It felt unfinished!

Recommendation: I am 50/50 on this drama. It has a strong start and I think it poses some interesting questions on the nature of legal systems and the fine line between legal justice and fair treatment. The most interesting aspect of the series is the courtroom battles and the legal maneuverings of the various parties. But the script tries to accomplish too much and, with it being reduced by a couple episodes due to schedule conflicts, many of the sub-plots were rushed to a half-assed conclusion. Kim Myung Min carries the k-drama in a role that feels perfectly tailored to his skills. He's the best when it comes to playing complicated characters that require an inflexible personality and a high amount of disdain for others. Park Min Young was short-changed as the legal intern and potential romantic interest. Speaking of romance, there really is not much of it. Park Min Young more often felt like a supporting actress instead of a lead. Despite all this, I think A New Leaf is worth a watch, especially if you like dramas that explore the law, ethics, and the human capacity to change.

Gap Dong

Summary: Gap Dong is a 20 episode k-drama, loosely based on real events, produced for TvN. The central plot of the story involves the investigation into the serial killer Gap Dong, who is known to have committed 9 murders in the early 90s. Ha Moo Yeom (Yoon Sang Hyun), a child at the time, watched as his father was accused of the crimes and ultimately driven to commit suicide. 20 years later, Ha Moo Yeom has become a police detective living in the shadow of Gap Dong. When a new murder occurs that bears all the trademark characteristics of a Gap Dong killing, Ha Moo Yeom is forced to reconcile with his troubled past while searching for clues that will identify the "real" Gap Dong.

Recommendation: I am going to start off by saying that I really enjoyed this k-drama as a whole. It is a little difficult to write about it without giving away key details that will ruin the series for those that have not seen it yet. That being said, I will recommend avoiding my "Other Thoughts" as it will definitely contain spoilers. Without giving away too many details, I found the story to be complete, the acting good, and the treatment of the "catch the serial killer" genre very clever. It doesn't try to hide the identity of the villain(s) but still manages to maintain its unpredictable factor. As always, Yoon Sang Hyun is AMAZING. He is clearly the leading man and does his job well. But he is fully supported by an ensemble with a high level of talent. If not for the poorly written female characters, this k-drama might have scored better.

Golden Rainbow

Summary: Golden Rainbow is a 41-episode South Korean drama produced for the network MBC. It's a complicated story set in the backdrop of the fishing industry that follows a group of orphans adopted by Kim Han Joo (Kim Sang Joong), who was raised as an orphan himself. The show spans a period of 18 years and there are multiple plots intertwined with one another ranging from corporate fraud, star-crossed love, family dysfunction, and the slippery slope of power and wealth. It's a mixed bag of everything. Prominent stars in the series include Uee and Jung Il Woo.

+1/2 heart for the children

Recommendation: This is another series that has me feeling particularly conflicted and that makes it difficult to recommend it wholeheartedly. The show starts out really strong and I enjoyed the performances of all the children. In particular, I thought the young Baek Won (Kim You Jung) and the young Seo Do Young (Oh Jae Moo) were wonderful. The cast of veteran actors all had flawless performances and laid out a great foundation for the remainder of the series. Then.... it fast forwards 14 years and it all falls apart. The transition to the adult cast wasn't as smooth as I'd have liked and a lot of the drama became boring, repetitive, and exhausting. How many times did the audience have to watch Uee and Jung Il Woo cry and pine for one another? Too many to count. Then, after sticking with it for 41 episodes, it all wraps up with a terrible ending. It very well may rival Bride of the Century for the worst ending...ever.

God's Gift - 14 Days

Summary: God's Gift - 14 Days is a 2014 k-drama produced for SBS starring Lee Bo Young and Cho Seung Woo. In this complicated tale of betrayal and murder, Kim Soo Hyun (Lee Bo Young) and Ki Dong Chan (Cho Seung Woo) are sent back 14 days prior to the death of her young daughter, Han Saet Byeol (Kim Yoo Bin), and the execution of his brother, Ki Dong Ho (Jung Eun Pyo). As the two race against the clock to uncover the truth and prevent these deaths, they discover that their fates are more closely connected than they could have ever imagined.

-1/2 heart for making me cry too much

Recommendation: This is a drama series that is on my "must watch" list for 2014. It's a nearly flawless production and the story is complicated without getting clumsy. God's Gift moves at a fairly quick pace starting with episode three and the audience quickly realizes that the characters are very different from how they are initially presented. It is interesting to watch how their masks get stripped away. Now, this isn't my favorite genre and I don't particularly like watching dramas that involve violence against children. But the script writer and director did a wonderful job of implying action without being graphic. The ending is apparently controversial among fans and I don't know if I necessarily love it. But I do think it was appropriate and fit with the theme of the series. It's not a bad thing to leave the audience with a few unanswered questions.