#joo jong hyuk

[stuff-diary]

Love in the Big City

Movies watched in 2025

Love in the Big City (2024, South Korea)

Director: E.oni

Writer: Kim Na Deul (based on the novel by Park Sang Young)

Mini-review:

The drama adaptation of this book was my favorite k-drama of last year, so I came into this movie version with my interest piqued but also kind of wary. And, while there were certainly a lot of things about it that I liked, at the end of the day I didn't connect with it as much. I feel like this film doesn't reach the same level of depth, neither in the characters nor the approach to social issues. Still, the relationship between the leads is very engaging; in a way, it shows that your soulmate doesn't necessarily have to come from romance. And the acting is great, especially Kim Go Eun's. Now I just have to read the book, and then I'll have enjoyed all versions of Love in the Big City.

[runningmanoutofcontext]

[1ongvacation]

スロウトレイン (2025)

[namjhyun]

DRAMA REVIEW | In My Ashtanga Class (2022 KBS Drama Special)

Do you know Ashtanga is a hit with me. It delivers everything you want from a young adult story: it's funny, sexy and has some really well done classic rom-com moments.

Nara, our leading lady, is best described as a complainer. She's at a point of her life where things seem to have stuck: her personal and work life are not good, she compares herself to others and and even judges them.

I really appreciate a drama special centering around a young woman, in her thirties, still trying to figure out things. After quitting a well paid job and following her passion, Nara is not even close to have an answers about life and has to deal with her own insecurities, which are mostly what's holding her back, and that feels true to life. Nara goes through a journey of accepting life as it is and learning to change what she doesn't like about it. Letting go of her expectations might be the hardest part, especially when society has programmed you to be a certain way and have certain things, at certain age.

To say she's at a low point emotionally it's an understatement. That's when she experiences an adorable meet-cute with Tae-joon, the son of the wealthy family from whom Nara rents the studio where she teaches yoga.

Tae-joon likes Nara immediately, thinking of her as the perfect combination of cute and cool. He is polite, nerdy, eager to help and respectful. His attraction to Nara is based on the fact he likes how she holds herself trough life... he might be one of the greenest flags I have seen in Dramaland.

He also deals with his own insecurities about his economic status, being self-conscious about people seeing him as a spoiled rich guy having grown up with a family that it's rather snobby and not a fan of his views on life. For example, his mother berates him for collecting items to donate for the needy and insist for him to start wearing luxury brands instead of buying clothes at the smaller shops at the neighbourhood. It's clear people have misjudged him before because of his money.

The story might be full of tropes but is in the performances where this story shines. Both leads deliver their lines with such an easy chemistry, dry humor and comedic timing that's impossible not to smile at every interaction they share. The story is so well written that it feels well rounded and the world lived in, the characters full of colour.

I absolutely recommend this sweet and fun rom-com that might give you some food for thought.

[binging-asian-dramas]

Yumi’s Cells. season 1-2 5

Story: 6

Acting: 9

Chemistry: 8

Comparable to: Our Beloved Summer (kdrama)

Honestly I just didn’t get the whole appeal of this series. I thought both seasons were kinda of messy and pointless. I think it had a lot to do with how the characters were written though. For me the main female lead is written in the way of being kind of messed up and indecisive, so she shouldn’t be in any type of relationship, while the ‘male leads’ are just a block in her way. Nothing really special to see, same ol’ same ol’, unfortunately. I feel this is more of an anime series, since the anime portion was done brilliantly and was written hilarious. I actually enjoyed that part more than the actual live action part. Oh well.

[mainlycurve]

[pudding-bitches]

the loserism is high with these mfs

[somanykdramas]

BREWING LOVE

GENRES: Romance, Comedy, Drama

SUMMARY: Sparks fly between a man who deeply feels everyone’s emotions and a woman who has lived her whole life ignoring hers for the sake of everyone else.

THIS SHOW HAS EVERYTHING: Bus stop meet-cutes, emotional burdens, plucky children, good bosses, meditation rooms, secret passageways, perfect pets, corporate jealousy, extended montages, aunties, halmeonis, and toast sandwiches.

HOT TAKE: Just like the beer made throughout this show, every episode in this drama is refreshing and goes down smooth. Due to the ML's ultra-empathy, the communication in this show is super constructive, collaborative, and maintains solid plot-pacing.

There are a few points of despair amongst the characters such as dealing with loss, emotional neglect, and coming to terms with sins of the past, but even those are dealt with honesty, earnestness, and friendship.

This show has a LOT of montage sequences (perhaps to make up for the fact that there are few flashbacks), so if you find yourself wishing the show would just GET ON WITH IT, don't beat yourself up for using that fast-forward button to keep your interest piqued.

[stuff-diary]

Study Group

TV Shows/Dramas watched in 2025

Study Group (2025, South Korea)

Directors: Lee Jang Hun & Yoo Beom Sang

Writers: Um Sun Ho & Oh Bo Hyun (based on the webtoon by Shin Hyung Wook)

Mini-review:

I've been watching this as it aired and it's been the breather I needed every week. Some people might be thrown off by the over the top, cartoonish style of the show, but that's exactly what makes it so unabashedly fun. It's basically like watching a shonen manga come to life (or in this case, an action webtoon). The fight scenes, especially those in the first and last episodes, showcase stunning choreography and effects, the likes you don't usually see in K-dramas. And the cast more than lives up to the demands of the show, in terms of both acting and physicality. It feels like Study Group leaves the door pretty open for more seasons, so if that ends up happening, they can count me right in.

[bookwhispererthings]

If I had a chocolate bar for every time the female lead in a K-drama written by Park Hye-run says potentially hurtful things to the male lead to protect them, I would have two chocolate bars. It's not a lot but it is weird that it's happened twice.

[runningmanoutofcontext]

[inpursuitofnunchi]

Casting gods need to get these three in one drama so that the audience can be bamboozled for 16 hours straight.

[movienized-com]

Iron Mask

Iron Mask (2023) #KimSungHwan #JooJonghyuk #MoonJinSeung #JunWheeJang #YongseokKim #MincheolChoi Mehr auf:

만분의 일초Jahr: 2023 (November) Genre: Action / Drama / Fantasy Regie: Kim Sung Hwan Hauptrollen: Joo Jong-hyuk, Moon Jin-Seung, Jun Whee Jang, Yongseok Kim, Min-cheol Choi, Lee Ju-Yeon, Ji-a Park, Yushin Cho, Jeon Jin-ki, Oh Ja-hun … Filmbeschreibung: Jae-woo wurde ausgewählt, um in die finale Runde des nationalen Kendo-Teams einzutreten, wo er Tae-su trifft, der Jaes älteren Bruder getötet hat,…

[2015mai24]

Joo Jong-hyuk

[binging-asian-dramas]

Bossam: Steal the Fate. 7-8

Story: 8-9

Acting: 10

Chemistry: 10

Comparable to: Haechi (kdrama); Queen: Love and War (kdrama); 100 Days My Prince (kdrama)

What could of been an outstanding drama became only a mediocre historical drama for me. It fell into the draggy trap, with the repetitive back and forth that many dramas unfortunately fall into. There was many storylines that I felt was wasted and it just fell into a sour lump by the middle let half. It was sooo good too in the first half, especially with the chemistry between both Yuri an Jung ll Woo. I felt totally cheated too by that rushed ending. 🤬 In some ways I felt if they shortened the drama by editing it down some but working on a less rushed ending, this would’ve been a hit throughout. Nonetheless I still enjoyed it, just not as much as I thought I originally had in the first half.

[mainlycurve]