In between start and end: kdrama

Definitely ain't yo average kdrama.

'Memories of the Alhambra' (or 알함브라 궁전의 추억 which is the literal Korean translation) is a 16-episode drama aired late 2018 until early 2019 on tvN and Netflix starring Hyun Bin and Park Shin Hye. It's also the drama with EXO's Chanyeol.

Poster credit goes to MyDramaList

Note: This is an old review post that I decided to publish a year after watching. Don't mind the lateness.

Ep 1

It starts off interesting since the setting of the drama is already different than usual kdramas. Suspense aspect is really good. The kind of episode where you need to hold on for a little longer only then you'll see it all make sense. Somewhat not so light-weight but ain't that heavy as well for a first ep. A bit dark for a beginning and that really surprises me. Brilliant concept, another level of futuristic and something I'd never seen before. Lastly, funny how it all started of dark and gloomy like smtg you'd see out of a Harry Potter movie to the expected twist of fate in a way you'd least expect the leads to be.

Ep 2

Here we know that the male lead character isn't living our typical perfect guy life, failed marriage... not once, but twice. Ooh I'm so curious on how his new love life gonna be developed. That little on-the-phone bickering scene between the leads was funny. Now is when the mystery begins. I'm dying to know about the brother and how is it possible for someone to vanish like he did. The game and reality concept is starting to confuse me, I'm looking forward to the logic behind it. But then the ending is another question, why did he ended up limping?? Is he gonna be a CEO-turned-flop next? They are really throwing us backward and forward in time with this drama.

Ep 3

Lemme just talk about the ending... this new kind of logic is getting a bit creepy. Another level of mystical I tell ya. Like damn, what a death.

Ep 4

This time it is getting much more intense. Like is2g my heart almost dropped at the last scene. This drama is really making me lose my logic lol. How can a dead person came back to life and even harm someone even though it's meant to be part of the 'game'? No... how can a person die through the game in the first place? But the preview for the next ep is really tempting my tired self to continue watching ugh.

Ep 5

One thing we found out is how he became limp. Can we just talk about the preview?? Chanyeol's character Se-ju is INVISIBLE but alive and things seems very complicated now. Something is fishy about the passing-by part between CEO and the foreigner who shared the same train room with Chanyeol... why was it being slow-moed? Another heart wrenching ep where we witness the painful fall. Not to mention, that hospital duel scene which felt so scary huhu. But the logic behind the game was very funny, when the 'obstacle' mention could be a human too. So far, it's on a good-pace.

Ep 6

I can feel his fatigueness and cluelessness about this whole Mr. Cha as NPC all. Like I wanted to tell everyone not to leave him alone, but that's what exactly happened - everyone leaving. Not gonna lie, I want this reappearing to end soon, but at the same time, pretty sure it's gonna last all the way through. Damn it. But we are served with a little appetizer on the romance part. Good start for that tho, good start.

Ep 7

Everything is back in Seoul. Somehow it seems like things is falling back into place in this ep. But I doubt that would last long. I don't know about this but I feel like there's smtg with the ring Mr. Cha is wearing bcos cinematographically speaking, the camera has always aimed at his ring. I might be wrong ofc but we'll see.

Hee Ju is cleverer than I think. Halfway through out this ep, I thought she was completely fooled by the emails from her "brother" but boy the ending had me wrong. I didn't expect truth to be uncovered so fast. So now, the mystery of Se-ju's disappearance continues...

Ep 8

A lot of things is explained in this ep. The alliance, Marco, the game dealing... there are still some question marks but we're getting there. I haven't noticed this earlier but I looove when Jinwoo talks to Hee Ju, Hyun Bin played his character so charmingly well. His voice sounded like a true gentleman's and I can't help but to fangirl every time he talks to her awwh. I am also beginning to see where things will go south in the drama. Jinwoo will be kicked out by his company and the train scene we witness in ep 2 will happen soon. All bcos of that Professor Cha. I can't even tell whether he is good or bad, or what does a professor even have to do with the game company. Jinwoo is showing signs of interest to Hee Ju but we need a couple more scenes for them to make up and finally let her understand the situation. Jinwoo is really smart and strong-willed for finally reaching lvl 90 in the game. I wonder what was the message he got from the eagle.

Ep 9

It's clear now how bad Professor Cha is. When he tried to matchmake Jinwoo with his first wife, I was disgusted. What kind of dad would let his son's widowed wife remarry her ex-husband?? He wouldn't expect them to be happy after that would he? It'll probably just benefit the dad but idek how lol. Let's talk about the ending. After Mr. Cha was killed in the train at Granada, it was like an apocalypse. The secretary Jeong Hun seems to be dead when he got off the train and swarmed by enemies, but I doubt so. I feel like killing a character that fast is very abrupt and off. I can see the look in Jinwoo's eyes when he read that his ally was dead tho and I think there's more to it than we think.

Ep 10

Probably an ep where you need the toughest heart to get through. So I was wrong about the secretary in the previous ep. Apparently things didn't end well for him. Back in Seoul, they showed a scene where Hee Ju met Se-ju outside of her house but they took us back to 8 hours before and never got back to us since. Hmm. We arrived back at the 'present' time continuing Jinwoo's monologue from ep 2 while he was in the train fighting off terrorists. For him to continue the quest on his own is such a crazy thing to do and this meant that the game would really get crazier. 3 people died bcos of the game so far, and it has only been pre-released. Augmented Reality (AR) could actually be very scary. Pity Jinwoo, people are dying around him - first his ex-best friend and now his devoted secretary. On top of physically drained from killing people everyday. I would've turned heartless if I were him.

Ep 11

An ep about losing the people who once trusted you. I can see how miserable Jinwoo's life is right now. The feeling of hopeless, and seeing the secretary genuinely crying for him while looking after him when he was at his lowest is really sad. I'm just glad Jinwoo is thoughtful enough to notice that. All of his effort for a year just to find Se-ju but only ended up being labeled as crazy, a murderer and now everybody turning their backs on him, not realising what he did was for a greater good. He could've just gave up on Se-ju altogether but he didn't. IS2G I NEED TO SEE PROFESSOR CHA PLAY THIS GAME. He needs to see the actual 'flaw' of the game. I'm sick of hearing they investigated the system without even testing it outside of Seoul or even fight against another user. Like hello... not all bugs are visible yknow. Nobody is listening to Jinwoo and when the secretary finally experienced it too, people still not buying it. Now the secretary's dead... PEOPLE SHOULD HEAR FROM AN ACTUAL PLAYER WHO RANKED MORE THAN THEY DO FOR ONCE!!

The last scene is their first kiss. The beginning of it was kinda awkward, the usual Park Shin Hye kiss hahah but it got a little more bearable. Please be a good love story, don't disappoint uri Jinwoo like his other wives.

Ep 12

This ep is a less intense one. I like this ep so much cos there's more affection and less fighting scenes. But hands down, the ultimate scene is when Professor Cha sees his son. Taste his wrath yourself, you heartless man!

Another of my personal fav, is when Minju (Hee Ju's adorable sister) was left alone in the house bcos her grandma and Hee Ju had to stay at the hospital overnight and Jinwoo came home to accompany her. Then the next morning, he prepared breakfast for her bcos he thinks that "he shouldn't let her go to school on an empty stomach" AWWWH #husbandmaterial and even complained how she was hard to wake up. They felt like an actual couple. I'm in love. If only a guy as gentle as him truly exists, I would fall immediately for him hahah.

P.S. I can't help but to notice the sponsored content in this ep tho. Hee Ju's makeup, earrings, even drink. There's Mamonde, Swarovski, Toreta... full-on sponsors back-to-back during Hee Ju's grwm scene lol.

Ep 13

I feel sad watching Se-ju being betrayed by Marco. That game was entirely his and just bcos Marco could speak for them, he's taking more reward out of this?! Greedy much? I couldn't believe how Marco was hit by random bullets Se-ju shot while he was scared tho. On top of that, it was a headshot??

Now I see Professor Cha repenting a bit, but dat bitch Yura is now the big bully. What else does she want from Jinwoo? Fame? Money? She's already well-known as it is gdi. The character Emma is the gem in this ep. Who would've thought that hand accessory she wears while strumming the guitar is a symbolic to a legendary hand? The incorporation of history is pretty cool here. We are now moving from fights using body to fights using our heads now. Thanks Se-ju.

Ep 14

Finally, this is the episode we've been waiting for. A completed quest. Well, Go Yura is a mess and Su Jin is a silent mess also. I don't know what I want from the characters, I wished they disappear from the story sooner bcos they bring nothing but disappointments hmm. When Jinwoo reached level 100, it was a reliever. But when Jeong-hun reappeared, that was the highlight. I miss him. And ofc, the ending in this ep meant things will get better... right? I hope so. Finally, Se-Ju is back. For reals. However, the preview is showing another problem, probably involving Professor Cha. I wonder what could that be.

Ep 15

Se-ju's back but the whole thing hasn't end yet. So many unfinished business with the game, the reinvestigation and the problematic wives... but then Professor Cha never seems to make things any better. I take back all my nice thoughts on him. He is the most fake, hypocritical scumbag who's selfishness level couldn't even compare to a devil's. He shouldn't even be allowed to breath and I thought I would have to see him commit another heartless crime after sending troops of high-level NPCs to Jinwoo. But boi, am I glad when Mr. Cha appeared. I feel like the Heavens helped Jinwoo so much when that happened lol. The unfortunate part is, he wasn't the one to end the mess after causing so much of them. SATAN. Mind the anger...

How can somebody be as patient as Jinwoo tho?? He kept all of this misery to himself, bearing the pain physically and mentally for more than a year, nobody believed in him when he was trying to protect everyone, getting backstabbed again and again... yet he still gives second chances to people he cared for even when they didn't have the slightest care for him. And now you're telling me, HE IS THE GAME BUG?? AND THAT HE NEEDS TO BE KILLED FOR THE GAME TO RESET?? WTH MAN. Honestly, the saddest lead I've came across in the kdrama history. He deserved all the happiness in the world, not another misery smh.

Ep 16

It's the last ep.

The last time this post was edited.

Sorry for the mood hindrance but.... today is 31st August 2020 and I honestly have kept this post dusted for more than a year. I was probably too overwhelmed by the ending lmao 😅

Anyway, I remember really liking this drama and would recommend it to anyone! I even recommended it on my Instagram before (refer pic below at no. 8) cos this drama was really remarkable.

I wish to do this ep-by-ep review again soon, even though it's honestly tiresome as I always watch dramas halfway in one sitting nowadays. BUT I'll try. It's actually fun when reading things back hahah 😂

Thanks for reading this different style of review!

Dropping by,

Melynn.

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This post will be my hot take on some of the best and worst boy group's idol acting. It is my own honest opinion and this doesn't mean I am biased against the idol. I may think differently on their acting but as to other things too, we have our own different preferences. Even though they are from an idol group and just because I think a certain way on their acting, doesn't mean I have ill-feelings about them or their group ok?

We'll start with my worst because it's better to get it down and over with first hahah.

Disclaimer: Just because I labeled them as "worst", I don't intend to say it as the worst acting I've ever seen or something like that. I just needed a way to describe the opposite of "best". Hope you understand.

So in no particular order, let's go!

Worst Idol-Actor

1. SF9's Rowoon

Rowoon is one of the idol-actor that seems to be blooming in the kdrama world. As he represents SF9, I think it's great for him to get SF9 more known to the public.

However, based on his acting on 'Extraordinary You', I can't help but to feel like his acting is dull and somewhat forced. It's so weird because Rowoon's chemistry off-camera with his co-star seems great but when he's into his character, something feels off.

Poster credit to MyDramaList

The female lead did such an amazing acting that Rowoon's seems to look meh. I tried to think that it's maybe because of the character that he's portraying but then I can't help but to see otherwise. The love interest that he showed was very awkward. Maybe he gotta lose that I'm-tryna-look-good look and starts to focus on the real feeling. Bottom-line is his acting in that drama made me quiet disappointed considering he's the main lead.

2. INFINITE's L

L's acting has honestly been one of the cringiest to me. I don't really enjoy his acting but I can't help but to watch his dramas til the end lol... Maybe because of my desire to support INFINITE. Well, the drama that got me to stan INFINITE was in fact L's. But still, I wasn't truly a fan of his acting.

I have no clue why it is so disturbing to me but one thing I notice is the way his lips move and his eyes look, always seemed unnatural. I really can't take in his acting and I wish I could see why people enjoy it so much.

3. Wanna One's Ong Seong Wu

I only watched one of his drama which is 'Moment at Eighteen' and I wasn't fond of his acting in it that much. He lacks soul in his acting. Made me wonder how he could land a lead role without much experience as it is. I get that his character was meant to be innocent and quiet but he seemed so "blur" instead.

Poster credit goes to Dramabeans

At parts when he gets angry, those are the only times that makes his acting a little more bearable. His angry scenes were good but overall, I still wasn't impressed with the acting and the facial expression that he had most of the time. When he couldn't portray an average character well, the whole drama eventually feels uninteresting to watch.

Best Idol-Actor

1. EXO's D.O

D.O is a raved idol-actor and I could totally understand why. He plays deep with his emotion and could literally make us weep with his acting. To think that he's such an emotionless person in EXO, his acting is one of the best I've seen. He seems to express beyond his facial expressions and it's amazing how good his acting, his tone and his body language gets. He could pull of a range of characters very well and there's no going back when I said, he's a natural born actor.

2. GOT7's Jinyoung

I always love his acting! Jinyoung has a knack on making people fall for him whether it is through his singing or acting. So far, in all the dramas I watched him in, he is one of the actors with consistent charms and always gives audience a rollercoaster of feelings with his character. His dramas definitely resonates well with me.

3. 2PM's Junho

Junho is one of the most underrated idol-actors in my opinion. I always anticipate Junho's comeback into the dramaland. I've grown love for him ever since 'Just Between Lovers' and I can't believe his acting was so pure. When I watched him again in 'Wok of Love', it was such an unexpected experience because his character is so different but boy, he killed it. It's unfortunate that he doesn't act in dramas much. I believe he should get more roles considering how good he really is.

4. Super Junior's Siwon

If you don't think he's one of the best idol-actor there is, we can't be friends. Nothing can go wrong with this man's acting. His acting is so natural and he really own his role. When he acts like he's hiding his feelings, I could feel it too. When he's sad or happy, I cry and smile together with him too. He's just the kind of actor where it just warms the heart whenever we look at him and to me, that is what a good actor does.

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That is it for this love-hate post. I am by no means an acting coach or am good at acting myself, but I'm just an ordinary person who tries my best to enjoy different kinds of acting. At times, I have my own opinion which goes against the crowd and I think me justifying it makes me lesser of a bad person hahah.

Tell me if you agree or disagree with me on this list. I'm always open to other opinions and any recommendation. The rest of the idol-actors not mentioned are probably somewhere in between the love-hate spectrum 😅

Thanks for reading!

Dropping by,

Melynn.

No comments

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