#Trigger

 #TRIGGER WAS A BLAST 💥

I like them individually. But what do you do, how will you feel if there’s two of them?

Hands down, Kim Nam Gil (The Fiery Priest, Island, Karma) will always own the show. Even if he’s out there all alone, he will own it and his presence, strong as ever, is all over. 

But with Kim Young Kwang (Somebody, Call it Love, On Your Wedding Day)? This is pure riot. This is intensity on the highest level.

💥 And I am not bullet-proof.

#Trigger is NOT for you if you prefer light, slow burn healing dramas, relaxing or kilig rom coms. But if you like a fast-paced, gripping, action series, and blood does little to scare you, PLEASE DO NOT MISS THIS.

"Trigger" is an action thriller series set in a dystopian South Korea, where illegal firearms are suddenly being made available and accessible to ordinary citizens via parcels. We see Lee Do, a police officer and former military sniper, and Moon Baek, a two-faced Joker-like arms dealer, being entangled in a web of gun violence. Sort of a nonchalant and OA duo. 

Is it troubling? Of course. How can it not be? The series show what these weapons could do when people are triggered, and the chaos and crimes that these could bring to an unsuspecting gun-free country.

For me, we know that crimes and violence, especially with firearms, may never be completely gone in this world, so I wasn’t expecting issues to be resolved in the end, but we can hope. The two gentlemen together are enough for me, though. I will forever watch Nam Gil and Young Kwang wherever, whatever. 

Some complained of too many characters and multiple subplots just so they can extend up to ten episodes. It could have been a two-hour movie, too. But I didn’t mind, I was squealing with excitement each time a new episode comes. To those who have not watched k-dramas or are not familiar that South Korea has a strict gun control, you must explain to them why the police officers were not shooting those trigger-happy men who were deliberately violently killing people. "Bakit hindi barilin, bakit hindi pa barilin?"

Trigger is obviously because of the guns. But it could also refer to the trigger point one will reach, and how it will transform an otherwise meek person to a murderer once given the opportunity to hold a gun (except for the sex offender who had no excuse, he just wanted his probation officers out of his miserable life. He was plain evil). "A gun was the only option they had left. All those pent-up resentment and frustration had to have an outlet."

It could also be a cry for help, especially those whom we fail to listen to or constantly ignore. People with mental health issues, people whose feelings and thoughts are invalidated. People who are bullied but are not heard. People who are exhausted and pushed to their limits. Let’s all try to listen, to be kind, because we don’t know up to what extent they can hold on.

💥Trigger ends with a bang, and I am shot to the heart. 

Other members of the cast:  

• Park Hoon (Descendants of the Sun, Memories of Alhambra, The Nice Guy) as Gu Jeong-man

• Gil Hae Yeon (The Silent Sea, In Her Place) as Oh Kyung-sook

• Kim Won Hae (Revenant, Strong Girl: Bong-soon) as Cho Hyun-sik

• Kim Joong Hee (Marry My Husband, Squid Game) as Reporter Wang

• Lee Suk (Love to Hate You, Squid Game) as Jeon Won-Seong

All 10 episodes of Trigger are available for streaming Netflix

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The First Night with the Duke

 Feel ko lang #Taecyeon likes #Seohyun 😁 he is so comfortable with her on and off screen, although he said in an interview that he accepted this project because of his female lead. Kung hindi lang natin alam na may fiancee siya, mag-iisip ako ng masama 😁😁😁

The chemistry - another 2PM and SNSD/Girls' Generation pair, after YoonA and Lee JunHo in King The Land, in his come back after #Heartbeat (dito talaga, para silang magkuya ng FL, walang spark for me), Taec teams up with Seohyun in #TheFirstNightWithTheDuke 

Streaming Viu Philippines

#OhMyGhostClients mini review

 👻#OhMyGhostClients mini review 👻

Watched this first and foremost because of the cast. I like #JungKyungHo (Crash Course in Romance), #SeolInAh (Twinkling Watermelon), and #ChaHakYeon (Castaway Diva).

Lawyer No Mu Jin quit his job but lost his savings after entrusting it to a friend (played by Kim Dae Myung in a cameo role) who invested in cryptocurrency. He decided to become a licensed labor attorney per another friend’s suggestion, and opened a firm but struggled to sustain it with no clients coming in. He and his sister-in-law and secretary Hui Joo teamed up with content creator Gyeon Woo to promote his services. In one of their site inspections, a near-death experience caused him to start seeing ghosts whose passings are work-related and to continue to live, he signed a contract with spirit guide Bo Sal (played by Tang Soon Jang) to help these ghosts with their unfair deaths and unresolved labor issues, move on and finally rest in peace.

Because this drama has supernatural / fantasy elements, suspension of disbelief is necessary to enjoy the narrative. Reminiscent of dramas May I Help You and Light Shop which deal with life and life after death, OMGClients may seem silly, and trite in some scenes, but it hits you where it should. It’s sweet and serious and emotional and touching in more ways than one. 

We can see Mu Jin’s character development from a husband who, according to his wife Mi Joo (played by Kyung Soo Jin) is carefree, makes decisions on his own without consulting her and finds it hard to show his affections to his family as he hides what he truly feels; to someone who shows genuine care and concern to people, including those he has met only as ghosts, to the point of being physically hurt, sometimes a bit naïve or clueless on trends, but a real expert when it comes to labor law.

The plot twist with Mu Jin’s brother (played by Jin Sun Kyu) – I believe I saw it coming but I wanted to feel the ohhh moment just the same. And I did! I bet everyone who saw that scene went back to Episode 5 when he visited his parents’ house and saw his hyung. The dinner scene in the last episode really teared me up.

And then there are the real labor issues, politics and corruption, maybe not just in South Korea, but in other countries as well; and the correct use of social media to expose issues and concerns that are not being addressed.

The statue in the drama, as I have later learned, is supposed to be Jeon Tae il. Jeon Tae-il was a South Korean labor activist who, at the age of 22, died by setting himself on fire while shouting, "We are not machines!" to draw public attention to the labor conditions at that time. His death inspired a new wave of labor activism and civil rights awareness in South Korea, and it is said that his legacy continues to influence labor movements and social justice campaigns in Korea.

A Race, from the drama’s OST, was sung by In Ah and Hak Yeon whose chemistry on screen is evident. You can hear the song in the background as Mu Jin brings young friend Yoon Jae on a road trip in Episode 7, to make him realize that life is still worth living. Watch the MV here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PvcPrEGORg... Incidentally, Hak Yeon is aka N, a former idol, a member of the boy band VIXX.

Great cast, good storyline and storytelling, and a heartbreaking finale that ties up loose ends perfectly.  All episodes with the ghosts left me teary-eyed, as we are reminded once again of our temporary existence in this world. And that we should take advantage of every chance that we get to tell our loved ones that we love them, apologize to those whom we have wronged or hurt, be kind, and live life right and to the fullest as much as possible. OMGClients is “ghosting” us, but in a good way.

OMGClients is streaming Netflix and Viu Philippines

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#NinePuzzles Mini Review Part 2

• At some point, it dragged, it could have been shorter than 11 episodes. And they didn’t show in flashbacks how each murder was done. For some oohs and aahs moments. But I guess, the focus was more on why and who.

• I liked that they didn’t add a romantic angle. Some dramas should be left like that, please don’t force something that shouldn’t be there. True, Han Saem changed her mind about Ena, and he started to be concerned with her and her safety. He even brought her back to his mom’s place. But that’s it. She’s more like a younger sister to him and a colleague whom he started to respect.

• I loved the ending scene, though. Spoiler alert: Looks like Ms Yoon will re-join the force. 

Some would say that the series ended "flat, weak and rushed" and that it was "underwhelming." That the twist wasn’t that mind-blowing. Ah ok, is that it? In the Phils, we'd say: Yun na yun? 

Well, a little, maybe. But Suk Ku’s smile made it all worthwhile. And these eccentric and cop roles really do suit him to a nine (pun intended).

Nine Puzzles is streaming at Disney+ PH 

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#NinePuzzles Mini Review Part 1

Synopsis: 

Ten years ago, Ena (#KimDaMi) was a suspect in the murder of her uncle, a high-ranking police officer. Now a profiler, she was forced to collaborate with the same detective Han Saem (#SonSukKu) to piece together the truth, one puzzle piece at a time. 

For someone who has anxiety and panic disorder, it’s a puzzle why I love this genre – suspense/thriller/mystery/crime. Even the books I’m reading and love to read tell the same thing. Maybe I was a cop or a detective, or a forensic science expert in some other life, or in a multiverse. 

I am not exactly a fan of Da Mi (#ItaewonClass #OurBelovedSummer) but I am of Suk Ku (#MyLiberationNotes #AKillerParadox). I find him charming. He has this strange appeal and quirkiness, and he seems to hide a soft and tender side under that stoic stance. Suk Ku, incidentally, speaks good English having studied abroad and initially wanted to be a basketball player but eventually fell in love with acting. His years in the US and Canada, he said, enabled him to outgrow his shyness, in fact, his MBTI is ENFP.

What I like about the drama:

• Stellar cast / star-studded. I love the familiar faces. Some behind the scenes photos of the cast in their Instagram accounts show that they had their bonding moments during the filming and even gorgeous handsome #LeeJunHyuk who is Suk Ku’s friend IRL visited them on the set.

• Looked forward to the brief reunion between Itaewon’s Da Mi and #LeeJooYoung (who plays patrol officer Nam Na Ri).

• Han Saem’s signature move - when he takes off his beanie and reveals his messy hair – means he’s mad and exasperated.

• Please take note that I’m not a female lead hater, but not a fan either of #ParkGyuYoung (#SquidGame #AGoodDayToBeADog) who plays Dr. Lee Seung Joo

• Intricate plot – the kind that you like to untangle, every detail should be noted and remembered because you want to find out for yourself who the killer is. Usually, I have my own theories, and I can name the culprit even before the lead characters do. Here, the “killer” was one of my guesses, but I wasn’t giving much attention to the character. It was in plain sight. But I chose to look the other way (which was what the writer wanted) and there were a lot to choose from, until they die one by one 😅😅😅

To be continued >>>Part 2

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Mercy for None

Power, ambition, revenge.

After his brother's murder, a former gangster returns to the underworld - ready to settle every score, by any means necessary.

#MercyForNone

#SoJiSub

#LeeJunHyuk

Limited Series | All 7 episodes streaming Netflix

#DearHongRang mini review

 My Dearest HongRang (Mini Review)

Synopsis (based on Tangeum: Swallowing Gold by Jang Da-hye): HongRang, the son of a wealthy merchant family in Joseon who went missing at the age of eight, returns twelve years later but with no memories of his past.

This is only my 2nd time watching both #LeeJaeWook (Impossible Heir) and #JoBoAh (Destined with You). Did you know that they have a common denominator – Rowoon, Wookie’s close friend and Bo Ah’s leading man in DWY. Incidentally, the two good-looking actors will enlist in Korea’s military service this year.

What I like about the drama:

• With only 11 episodes, #DearHongRang will be remembered for its cast’s powerful performances, beautiful cinematography, costumes and OST. 

• As always, when you watch Lee Jae Wook, you would want to comfort him and take away all his sadness. Those eyes and built (slim and tall at 1.87m). Haayyyy. Now you know whom I’ve sided with when he broke up with you-know-who. There’s also this behind-the-scenes video of the cast greeting him on his birthday while filming. I was thinking, how can they do that to him? Singing saeng-il chukha-hamnida during an intense and super emotional scene? That was so ruthless.

• It was also revealed in one of his interviews that he initially declined this role, with 2 hit seasons of Alchemy of Soul. But the writer, he said, sent a moving letter to him along with the script, describing Hongrang's character vis-à-vis his acting. According to Jae Wook, he reopened the script after that, touched with the writer's appreciation of his craft.

• #JungGaram’s portrayal of MuJin, the adopted son who was supposed to replace the missing HongRang. So far, I’ve seen him in GangNam B-Side and The Interest of Love.

• While he made me cry in Melo Movie, here in DH, he is so evil. Yes, the other Jaewook – #KimJaeWook as Prince Han Pyeong.

• The thing about k-dramas set during the Joseon Dynasty, it’s difficult to tell who’s who because of the make-up and costumes. Hahaha but there's a lot of Netflix regulars and familiar faces e.g. #UhmJiWon and Hyper Knife's Dr. Han (#ParkByungEun)

• Even with the supernatural elements in the drama, there is no way the Soul Reaper would survive the toxic chemicals placed on his body/skin, and the wounds he sustained during the final fight. His death was cruel. But not in vain. He was able to fulfill his mission and exact his revenge. And what consoles us too is knowing that after all the suffering, even for a short while, and even if it came to that point, HongRang and JaeYi found love and peace with each other. And who knows, they might be given another chance in another lifetime. 

But hey writers, I hope you gave us at least the satisfaction of giving the couple a child. For JaeYi to have someone after losing HongRang. For someone to continue the Soul Reaper’s legacy.  That would have made it more meaningful, more emotionally rewarding. 

I hate sad endings, but in this case, I can make an exception. Dear Hongrang reminds us of how things really are in this world. That we cannot always have happy or sweet endings. But this life's reality can also offer hope, comfort, and inspiration. That pain, loss, struggles, and adversities can make us stronger and help us become better persons. And that giving up personal interests and making sacrifices are sometimes needed to achieve the greater good.

Dear HongRang is streaming on Netflix.\

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