Naui Haebangilji

My Liberation Diary at Netflix. I am looking forward to each new episode - I admit at the beginning I thought it was a little slow going, but got better and better as it went along. Now can't wait for each week for the new episodes. My favorite character is Mr. Gu of course, - he is so handsome, mysterious, cool - you just can help but be intrigued by him. My second most favorite character is Yeom Chang-hee who is absolutely hilarious. My favorite scene of his is when he begs Mr Gu to drive his Rolls when he discovers the key. There is a lot of deeper scenes in the series and is not just country scenes but later gets into city scenes as well.

This drama has So.... Many.... levels: of simple psychotherapy by the keeping of a personal diary, the daily grind of commuting from sleepy suburb to city, of overgrown children that simply will not leave the parental nest, of fracturable hopes of promotion and marriage, or the mystery stranger (Mr. Gu) with a secret past. And then there is the sheen of that hot, sultry Seoul Summer that permeates deep down into one's own happy memories. The pace is slow, with frequent personal soliloquy from the cast, to the sound of crickets and the croaking of nocturnal amphibians in this barely connected village, where it's apparently always the dead of night.

My Liberation Diary may not suit viewers requiring intense drama or action sequences, but for me it is a real gem. One waits a long time for such a drama to come along, and when it is over there is a genuine regret in its passing. It is almost as if in this age of fast-paced life we all need, time to reflect. This is guaranteed to leave you with something if you can spare the time...

I think this serial isn't for everybody. You should watch it if you need to explore yourself more. The plot tells sadness history about three chilfren and how them difficult to find themselves in this world. It's a perfect serial for introverts.

I did not want to watch this show in the first place because I hate watching people struggle in life, even if it's fiction. I have my own life to worry about, why would I want to worry about others? My motto in watching TV shows is "I just want to be entertained. Period." Oh boy, how I was by this drama. I loved everything about this show: the script, the cast, the crew and even the slow pace at the beginning. I watched 1-2 eps a night until ep 6. Then I binged eps 7-14, and I "struggled" for about 5 days before ep 15 finally came.

My two "Baeksang Club" buddies nagged me to watch the show for weeks, and I was not disappointed. Thanks to them. May they never catch a cold nor a hangover the morning after.

This show is art itself, every step of the way, every word that comes out, every gesture, every smile, and every look in the eye. The three siblings have their own struggles: searching for love; seeking a better livelihood; and finding a will to live. The old me reading this review would not be anywhere near this show, but Lord bless the writer, director and every actor on the show, I was made whole and felt happier with my life, having watched this.

The male sibling was my favorite, such a caring person. He was unbelievable as a human being though looking so ordinary. I think this world needs more people like him. I thoroughly enjoyed each of his "realizations" because I learned something new too.

The lead couple's relationship is "less is more", and you will see along the road how strong theirs is (ditto the chemistry OMG).

The oldest sister was annoying at the beginning, but that was how she supposed to be. I ended up rooting for her the most at the end.

And I sincerely dedicate my closing paragraph to Sonsukku's hotness. That is the show's bonus.

Most of the Korean dramas I've seen so far have been more of a romantic-comedy sort of vein. There is nothing wrong with that, and I've enjoyed a bunch of them, but this is not one of those. This show actually felt quite real and honest.

A bunch of aspects about this show stood out as great to me: The depictions of family life are incredibly realistic, with love, bickering, boredom, and hope all woven together at once. Romantic relationships are very well done; a bit multi-faceted or imperfect (as in real life), and you definitely find yourself rooting for each of the main characters. Depictions of the inner dialogues of introverted characters were spot-on. Even just the fact that this show mostly features introverted characters completely flies in the face of all of American television. From a basic plot standpoint, the show was never boring or predictable. And (spoiler alert) the depictions of the loss of loved ones were also incredibly relatable and realistic... I definitely had some memories come back.

Honestly, Korean television is such a welcome breath of fresh air from 90% of what else is on Netflix or American media. Kind of awesome that a show made on the other side of the world is so incredibly relatable.