#uhm ji won

[tzurim]

LITTLE WOMEN (2022)

[kdramamilfs]

Oh Injoo, ca. 5 minutes later:

[somanykdramas]

DEAR HONGRANG

GENRES: Historical, Mystery, Action

SUMMARY: First son Hongrang has been missing since childhood. Could this strange young man actually be him?

THIS SHOW HAS EVERYTHING: Talisman tattoos, crazy royal Princes, opium-induced artwork, adopted heirs, shamans, roof sitting, jilted ex-lovers, entitled ‘good guys,’ sachets, barking dogs, guild drama, flowing hanboks, murder, assassins, finger tasting, single tears, and tall, ghostly men.

HOT TAKE: It's a hard ask to ship two amazing, attractive actors when the plot's premise supposes that they might be brother and sister. But here we are.

This show is one of the most amazing feasts for the eyes and ears I've watched in a really long time. The visuals made it seem like I was wandering through a Joseon nightmare, the soundtrack thrilled and shook me to the bone.

The plot is slow, deliberate, and mysterious. the characters are devious, vile, and courageous. I loved existing in the world of this show, helping carry everyone's burdens as they unfolded.

I stand by the opinion that this show DID NOT need (and probably shouldn't have tried) a romance plot at all, but damn, the scene where Lee Jae Wook shares sticky rice cakes with Jo Bo Ah int he forest was one of the most erotic kdrama moments I've seen in a long time. Trust me.

[stuff-diary]

When Life Gives You Tangerines

TV Shows/Dramas watched in 2025

When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025, South Korea)

Director: Kim Won Seok

Writer: Lim Sang Choon

Mini-review:

With a dream team like this one, expectations were understandably sky-high. And yet, the show has somehow managed to surpass them. Throughout the past four weeks, it has given us a soaring story about love, loss, growing up and life in general, all of it centered around the incredible women of one specific family. That allows for a deeply insightful exploration of gender roles in South Korea, which writer Lim Sang Choon handles with both sensitivity and bite. The entire cast gives it their all too; I'm not exaggerating when I say this is career-best work from IU, Park Bo Gum, Moon So Ri and Park Hae Joon, and the supporting performers are equally brilliant. Also, kudos must be given to the art teams for the beautiful sets, costumes, make-up, CGI and cinematography. And of course, director Kim Won Seok shepherded the whole project towards brilliancy. All in all, When Life Gives You Tangerines is an unforgettable drama that will stay with you for a long time.

[romchat]

"I have gathered you all here not to ask you to turn against my husband, but to help guide the guild in a new direction. I sincerely hope that you do not reproach yourselves at all for attending this meeting. However, if perhaps you leave here wishing you hadn't come, then I hope you are prepared to lose your life and for all your kin to face the consequences for generations and generations to come."

There is nothing I love more than a batshit woman who will burn everything down to the ground and then feast on the ashes for her own evil aims. They better give me a Little Women showdown between her character and Jae-i's by the end of this drama because that's too much pent up rage on both of their parts.

Also, Uhm Ji-won is a little too good at this type of role.

[hjfkhgrc45456]

so one thing that's pretty obvious to everyone is that hong-rang and jae-yi are meant to be reflections of each other (with the abuse they both suffered, their pain, their scars etc.)

But something that i feel should be talked about more is the parallels between min yeon-ui and mu-jin! its a less obvious comparison but I feel it makes total sense. min yeon-ui and mu-jin are on opposite sides in the entire series, but they're also so similar.

I felt that they were gearing up mu-jin to be a reflection of sim yeol-guk, with both betraying the people they loved, but I don't think that was the case. sim yeol-guk betrayed kkot-nim for power, while mu-jin betrayed jae-yi out of jealousy.

min yeon-ui and mu-jin are both obsessed with wanting things they cannot have. (yeon-ui with hong-rang, and mu-jin with jae-yi) they're also so consumed by anger, rage and jealousy, that they push away the only people whom they ever cared about.

Their endings is a big difference though. Min yeon-ui chooses to remain in the past, and still hopes for hong-rang to return to her, rather than sending him off with a proper funeral and farewell. mu-jin chooses to sacrifice himself for jae-yi, doing the right thing in the end, and peacefully dies.

Ultimately, what i found most marvellous about this series is that mu-jin was the only child with no blood relation to either sim yeol-guk or min yeon-ui, but turned out to be the one most similar to them (personality wise)

[katswatching]

347. Dear Hongrang

“Just because you cannot see something does not mean it has disappeared. Just as you cannot see the stars on a rainy day. That does not mean they are not there. I will tell myself that I am simply weathering a long rainy season. And when the time comes, like bright stars on a cloudless night, come back to me.”

★★★★★(❤)

[anotherfanaccount]

DEAR HONGRANG

There will be spoilers.

A ride of stunning cinematography, actors who know their jobs and a mesmerizing ost.

Not without faults. The major one being they clearly had enough material for 1 more episode and that cut drags the whole show a bit. What should have been a magnificent weekly drama is now available to binge at once. So savour it as you like. Because it is worth it.

Coming to the story. Everyone deserved the deaths they got except of course fake Hongrang, real Hongrang and In Hoe and all those children. The director plays tight and loose with the story sometimes having it all in grasp and at times just messy. But it's more on the positive side. The creative team was more busy having Lee Jae Wook in hanbok and welding a sword. I get the distraction honestly.

A doomed love story by narrative. It serves in all quarters there. The actors do such a tremendous job that they make you feel like punching them.

A love triangle was unnecessary according to me but it serves its purpose in a twisted way. Given it was fakecest, it was already weird anyway. Mu Jin redeems himself barely by his end. A perfect tale of how power corrupts even the innocent when they are not the ones suffering from the said evil powers.

About this psychopath though. His end was cinematic. The delusional ambition to become a god..above others while torturing little kids. He had no hope of redemption. Plain evil. Full marks for that finale and Jae Wooks going full crazy for their jobs.

These two though. More evil than the Prince actually. Everything was their fault. Every damn thing. Kkot Nim shooting him point blank was the only end he deserved. Lady Min left alive to suffer from the loss of the only human she ever adored was her karma.

Special mention to this Diva and his constant efforts to make Lee Jae Wook miserable in every saeguk. Also works for great AOS parallel commentary. More on that later.

To those who have watched it or are watching it. Here have a cute In Hoe afterwards. You will need it.

Anyway I can't believe I thought it will be light after that trailer. What even was I thinking?

Now gonna go rewatch AOS part 2 to see ljw in hanbok and Destined with you to see jba get a happy ending.