My thoughts on the Running Man controversy

Hi!
Bye!
Hi!

Wait, WHAT? Is this the new song by Bae Suzy? (I'm talking about Yes No Maybe, if you haven't heard it, the song is pretty good I must say.)

Except NOPE. I'm not, in fact from the title of this post you know this is about the SBS show Running Man that has been on air for almost 7 years now. It has been one of the most successful show that managed to gain a significant number of international fans, especially in Asia.

To tell you the truth, I love Running Man, I have been watching the episodes religiously since 2011 (yes okay I admit I missed one or two episodes here and there but...) and this is exactly why I am so frustrated with the show/production team. I'm just so invested in this show, that how they are "playing" with the audience greatly disappoints me.

A quick recap for those who aren't familiar: So the production team decided to change up the format of the show and along with it, to change up two members. That's when the controversy started, as the members were shocked to hear about the news (with Song Ji Hyo only knowing about the decisions through the media reports). The fans weren't happy, and the cast weren't glad either. They were betrayed by the production in some sense. So, the cast and production team came to a new conclusion to instead end the show in Feb 2017 with its original members. (They probably knew no one was going to be that interested to sign on to the show as a new member...) However, just yesterday, the production team reveals that the show is un-cancelled.

Wow. I know we are all so surprised and excited that the show will continue, so that the fantasy of laughing along side the Running Man members will not end so soon. I sure am stoked that I will get to watch them some more. Alas, I am not that energised by the fact that the show is continuing. Part of me feels like I have been played. This on-off relationship has got to stop! Furthermore, the "fantasy" died a little when they had the internal conflict.

Afterall, Running Man is losing its magical touch from its earlier episodes. How we love the original name tag ripping hide and seek games, or even the other thrilling escape/secret missions. Now, the show somehow seems to just blend in with the other variety shows with games that feel like torture to the casts. Feels like now, the viewers are there for the casts and not the games anymore... >< It's upsetting to see the show die down, but we were getting to the end and it was at least nice to see the show wrap up.

Now, at the point where some of us were ready to say farewell to the show and it's beautiful memories... They are back! Feels like a slap back into reality except that I was ready to let go... Argh, I love this show so much yet I can't help but not feel too joyous about the updated status.

Some extra info about the industry before I end the post: This is probably one of the only shows out there that got revived in South Korea, thanks to the awesome international community out there. :) We actually made a difference in voicing out our disappointment in the show changes and SBS heard us. Most of the time, you would have noticed slight changes in cast every time the broadcasting stations review the shows and change up their formats. One most prominent change I shall mention is from KBS's Happy Together Season 3. Park Mi Sun was a host from 2008 and she just got swapped out in 2015 when they had a change in format. ): That was pretty much just as long as how Running Man was on; so think about it, she got swapped out and there wasn't a big commotion! No international fans pushed for her return and they just went on happily with the new hosts. This was the norm! Haha so yeah, some food for thought.

That's all, thanks for reading my rambling on the current RM situation. Hope that Running Man will produce greater content from now on! XOXO
Find me on twitter @raycherr

Read More

On the way to the airport - Episode 15 and 16 Final Review

Last episodes; last review

); Hey all, a big thanks for reading my reviews, though they were always rushed and not as consistent as I wished. Finally, we're at the last episodes, so apt with my last exams for the semester coming in starting this week...

This review, I won't dwell too much into the nitty gritty parts of the last two episodes but will mostly focus on my thoughts about this show. :)

But first, a few quick thoughts on the last two episodes:
Helpless characters - Doh Woo and Soo Ah explored their feelings in episode 15, saying that they felt helpless. This was nothing positive but I just felt that it was great that they touched on the downsides of having an affair. After all, the romantic part can't be all that happens, so while this show doesn't exactly seem too realistic, such moments make these characters feel more human.

Contrasts - I really like how the story plot is built nicely from one scene to the next. From praising Captain Park Jin Seok as an awfully generous husband to the next scene where he wants to "kill them all". This was a great contrast especially so in changing the tune of the plot, and for showing the characters' inner struggle.

Victims - Can't believe I'm saying this but my heart aches for Jin Seok... This show does great in making us feel for the "bad guys" nearing the end of the show, first Mi Jin, then Hye Won, now Jin Seok. (then again, I'm definitely gonna check out their other shows now.)

On to my last thoughts:
So "Perspectives" was a huge part of this drama, especially with affairs playing a huge part in the show. After all, like I mentioned in the past reviews, in a more conservative society, it was definitely weird to see such a theme play through much of the storyline. However, such a topic is also the reason why this show succeeded in catching attention and gave the viewers an overview on how things that were big "no-no"s could be accepted in today's society. Not just affairs, but other themes like the mother-children relationships were also dwelt into slightly.

Then the romantic parts, while I liked some of it at the start.. they did get a little draggy(especially in the first few minutes of the last episode ><), perhaps the real genre I'm interested in are the mystery related ones. Or more melodramatic ones. Pretty cinematography tho.

Use of coincidences/similar imagery - with some more subtle than others, I really liked them when I saw the similarities. E.g. the last scene at the airport. Great play onto the cinematography yet again. :)

So... You have reached the end of my final review for On the way to the airport, hope you had fun watching the show too. See you on my next post! :)

In the meantime, catch up on all posts "On the way to the airport" here, or find me on Twitter here.

Read More

On the way to the airport - Episode 13 and 14 Review

Hi there! :) Welcome back~ Ah just a heads up, I'm breaking this review up into the different episodes this time round:

Lovely Neat sequence between Soo Ah and Hye Won's encounter at the house by the waters. It was intense and filled with tension. However, it was so frustrating to see Soo Ah's personality shine through this scene, she was just so weak and little compared to Hye Won. Who exactly was the miserable one in that scene?? She just backed off and (finally) felt all the guilt from meeting Doh Woo's wife. Remember previously at the airport, Soo Ah was still upright and angst during her phone call with Mi Jin? It was a total extreme at a different location...

I also really liked the nice similarity that Hye Won brought in at the end of episode 13, where the two guys meet. Brilliant plot.

Then in ep 14, I was super excited about Captain Park's flashback, with him slowly figuring out everything based on what others around him were trying to do. The collage of different parties talking to him was beautifully sewed together, resulting in a great sequence where the emotions were showcased. Plus, Hye Won's conversation with Doh Woo followed closely, especially in the tension arena.

So I am quite curious to see how this whole story ends, and whether there's more to Annie's story. As it feels slightly underwhelming to see her story just flow that "smoothly". ><

Alright, last review coming next week!!! 

Read More

On the way to the airport - Episode 11 and 12 Review

Hey,

AHH ... and they both end up in Jeju??!! O.O Haiz, I really don't know what to think of this reunion since I realised that Doh Woo's the bus driver in that scene.

So finally, we get to see Doh Woo and Sook's discovery of Annie's last phone call... I kept wanting them to see the red package ever since all the packages arrived in Jeju haha.
And all these reveals, they are coming bits by bits and Hye Won just seem more like a normal girl caught up in the mess, doesn't she? I mean, it does seem like she is a victim, more than a bad guy, as we get to learn more about the whole situation. However, how she is so emotionless (admittedly, we did see some internal struggles and flashbacks) about having a daughter is still rather freaky.

"What do you want to achieve by living like this?" I think this question was an excellent one, especially in bringing the frustration of the show across. By no means do I mean it in a bad way, but as a resonating point with the viewers.
It was real nice to see more scenes with Annie Eun Woo too, as I do think she's a great child actor. :) (Hyo Eun too tbh!)

Okay, last side note, Kevin is so cool >< ;), and in a weird way I wished that Mi Jin would end up with him...

Alright, not much thoughts on the love relationships these episodes. So, I'll see ya next week! :)

Read More

On the way to the airport - Episode 9 and 10 Review

Jumping straight to the episodes as Annie's secrets are surfacing. Though we are still not fully aware of them yet, we got a significant glimpse into her world. 

I was really shock to hear that she had to "protect both families" and had to lie in order to achieve it. Why was such a young girl enduring so much, what exactly happened and does she know the full truth too?

... obviously not, she didn't know that her real dad was already dead and she was still positive about how waiting, waiting and waiting was a good thing at times. 

Then the editing suddenly changed it's tone slightly, bringing in doubts that Hye Won might not be the bad guy... In fact, she could be the victim in this whole screwed up situation. The show also introduced possibilities of the dad as the bad guy. Why did he suddenly bring Eun Woo back to the mum? I NEED TO KNOW. 

Haha I really enjoy this mystery part of the show, feels really cool to be figuring the situation out together with the characters. 

One last part I want to touch on, which was how Soo Ah was so "crazy", not from quitting her job but from how she "dragged" her child down with her with her impromptu plans to let Hyo Eun not attend school. I guess that was her bottled up feelings? But her behaviour was unexpected and was in a way frustrating to watch. I guess that might be because we normal people don't get the luxury of just getting away from our daily routine that easily... ): However, in this drama, sigh, I accept it. In fact, I was pretty glad for the happy ending!! Them settling down in Jeju Island just felt like a little piece of this mess fell in place. :)

Alright, not that much to say this time, just enjoyed the show well. :)

I would love to hear about how you guys feel about this drama. Feel free to comment below or tweet me @raycherr and I will be back next week! ^^ Thanks for reading~

Read More

On the way to the airport - Episode 7 and 8 Review

Hi and welcome back! :) Did you know that this is actually a show about affairs packaged in a romantic slant? 😱

Haha alright, no judgement! Let's get on to this drama~
Let me start off with my thoughts on the actors. Seeing Shin Sung Rok in this show is really interesting, usually he acts as a very stern and robotic guy, which definitely came through especially in scenes at the airport. However, seeing his relaxed state in scenes outside the airport which were plenty in these two episodes was a nice change and great to watch. After all his symmetrical face does make him look too perfect and stern, hence the evil guy roles. Here though, it was wonderful to see more expressions every now and then, yeah! :)
I really like the drastic contrast between Soo Ah and Hye Won. Innocent v.s. Complicated... The characters in this show generally have a specific role/personality which I feel are awesome. It is very easy to identify them haha.
Also, Min Ji starts to have more lines these few episodes, which is fabulous. Love her character, so real and fun. Wouldn't mind having a friend like her hahaha wait... except that she didn't stop Soo Ah from marrying a playboy hmm.

Moving on, to do a little analysis between Soo Ah and Doh Woo's affair. There is no denying it, they had a bond from Annie's incident. With the recent Ms Go's incident, there is an even stronger bond now. I can't help but wonder whether their relationship is built upon wanting to escape from reality. It feels as if they have created a safe ground when they are together. After all, they are both bombarded by many other issues that are stressing them out. Though, sigh, why do I feel like Soo Ah is the only party losing out from this relationship? ): It is so sad. Like an alternate life that is so perfect, yet intertwined in real life and not that picture perfect.

But then again, Hye Won is the definition of obviously not living a perfect life. Behaving in such a screwed up manner, this interesting character brings lots of different perspective into the show, adding on a different kind of tension.

Looking forward to the next episode when apparently Hye Won will tell us everything?! Haha I doubt so... though let's just hold it out and see what happens.
In the meantime you can catch my reviews here or follow me on Twitter here. :)

Read More

On the way to the airport - Episode 5 and 6 Review

안녕하세요~

This intense show. I will start off by saying I really liked the scene in episode 5 where Hye Won exclaimed her situation. So much new information was provided, yet so much mystery still surrounded her. I am just as eager as Min Seok and Doh Woo to figure the whole thing out. Who is lying??? Who is Annie's real dad and "who is Hye Won"(Episode 6 title)?

That being said, the whole show is filled with so much awkwardness hahaha, not a bad thing but yes exactly what Hyo Eun said at the dining table described this show perfectly. (';

The two protagonists' relationship paints having an "affair" in a romantic light, which contributes much to the "awkward" feels, but maybe that's just me and my conservative view points haha. ><

Overall, the story line is still a very interesting one and I am for sure hooked. After all, it is always good to challenge different view points, but at the same time I am just thinking the guilt levels are at a all time high while watching the show and "Sang Yoon, why are you so charming in this drama??!!" hahaha. 

Next, another scene that I must mention is the one where the grandma was interacting with Annie. Notice the colours? Annie was in colour but the others were all monochromatic... I didn't even notice this difference up till the close up when Ms Go(grandma) was shaking Annie's hand. 

Usually, colour symbolises life. In this case, I was thinking it could mean that Ms Go felt that Annie was still alive in her heart. (Plus she mentions later that she remembers Annie wearing something colourful.) That she herself was living but actually felt less alive than her vision of Annie. In a way, living but not really living. So much brilliant foreshadowing was done as Ms Go passed away later... ):

To me, there's two main flows going on at the same time. Soo Ah and Doh Woo's relationship and Hye Won's secrets. They could have been two different movies/dramas but they are appearing together... However, I kind of like the different dynamics from the different plots intertwining. Hope this drama will keep up the great work! :)

Back next week with a new review~~ 

Find me on twitter @raycherr 

Read More

The ultimate trainee show - Produce 101 Review

Okay, I am pretty sure you know Produce 101, the Biggest trainees survivor show in Korea, literally.

I have been wanting to write about this show since it ended last week, but it was a hectic week in school, so it got delayed.
Hopefully, now that the Crush MV is out, I ain't too late.

Let's start! With 101 trainees on board, at least at first, Mnet really went all the way with their new idea, with Jang Geun Suk as the MC.

I love their shiny Produce 101 Logo haha. Really, no sarcasm here, haha and to add on to the glitter, I give them credit for such a great reality tv show. I will look forward to their other version with male trainees in the near future.
Back to this show, the girls on the show all have a dream to be singers/kpop stars, and it is really inspiring in a way. Pick Me is absolutely the anthem for people with a dream from now on. <3
Despite controversies, I think the show is still pretty fun to watch. I know, I know the Korean entertainment industry isn't exactly the picture perfect one behind the surface, but some of these kids have trained for such a long time, there is pretty much no turning back and I do think it gave them a rather good exposure. (so.. i guess i can forgo the terms in their contracts)
Also, any press is good press, right? ><

Sure, Mnet is famous for "devil editing" haha and the screen time is so bias, like it contributed to Sohye getting into top 11??? Also, some of the "trainees" are already in girl groups (yep, I am talking about DIA's members) haha like they are just there to gain more supporters through the show... The editing really does make a big part of the show too. Like how Cathy and Chanmi had edits that made them look bad at certain points of the show, which I do think contributed to their lower votes than expected.
... I still feel that Produce 101 is a solid trainees show. I dare say the best one out of all that I have seen, just because they actually show them training and interacting "behind the scenes".
Plus the show's missions: girl group debut songs, position and concepts, were really well planned, though how votes are cast still remain a concern. Haha ohman, like can there ever be a fair way of voting? ):

I do like the online voting (11 choices and later on, one vote) >< To be honest, I voted whenever I remembered to do so!
On the subject of whom I supported, I had my eyes on a few trainees (won't name names) but unfortunately only some got into the final 11. (Hey, but I am not too upset, I do think they will all debut soon since they had publicity and increased fans from the show!) ^^

Ok, second last part of my rant: I really really love the concept mission! All the songs are super good, like totally the best album ever, if only Mnet found a way to debut everyone... Maybe like 1 group per month, will that work? I am sure they will make tons of money too! Gateun haneul gatuen sigan gateun goseseo 24 si gan 24 si gan This is ya story It don't matter Yum Yum Yum Yum on my on my fingertips nanana ~~~ #earworms 

Finally, on the last episode, where they revealed I.O.I!!! What? erm AOA's cousin group? sorry >< I wasn't too keen on the group name haha but whatever works. :) I believe they restarted the votes for this week, and many trainees who were in the top 22 because of their extra 10k votes last week fell short.
Regarding whether I think that the trainees deserve to be in the top 11, eh I ain't too concerned tbh. After all, this was only a unit group that was promoting for a short while. (Or maybe it is because too many of the trainees that I liked didn't make the group oops.) I do think that it is going to be a great exposure for the trainees that are in I.O.I to experience their promotion period. However, I must say that I will be tracking their promotions and following them for these next few months!

Cue CRUSH ~ produced by Ryan Jhun
This song is solid hit man, and a really great debut song for these girls. ^^ Though I might have thought that fingertips was more catchy on the first listen, Crush is definitely more appropriate haha.
Their MV went more for a raw and rough look though, ohwell...

Anyways, overall, I do think that this is a really interesting and entertaining show, highly recommended! ^^

Find me on Twitter @raycherr or join the conversation in the comments below!

Read More

JTBC Code Episode 8 Finale Review

Disclaimer: This is not really the final episode of Code. Some do refer to episode 8 as the end of season one. The winner went on to play another "round" of Code, which was much better executed. 


So, we have the final 3 on Basement 1 and they are so close to getting out of this building, at least for one of the three finalists: Oh Hyun Min, Shin Jae Pyung and Jeong Jun Ha!

I will say that this is probably the one of the better episodes all season, just because it was easier to catch what was going on during the show. The puzzles somewhat became the stars this episode, as they had more screen time, haha.

They started the main match by opening two rooms, the green one and the mirror one. There were a total of four clues per room that will unlock the locks that lead to the red room, which held clues that unlock the ticket to the final round.

However, at most two players are allowed in a room at any one time. Once three clues (in a room) were deciphered, the room would be out of bounds within 10 seconds. As the game progressed, Hyunmin and Junha ended up in the same (mirror) room and they got to the red room first. Meanwhile Jaepyung was solving the puzzles all by himself and got to the red room a little late, as Hyunmin had already moved on to the final round.

In the end, Jaepyung was out of luck as Junha solved one of the puzzle seconds before he did.

In Final Code, they played Betting Royale, which included a total of 7 rounds of quick brain games that lasted no more than 20 seconds. An example, would be a multiple choice question about how many points were recorded after six darts were shot and landed on the target.
A bit lacking in my opinion, as the whole game ended so quickly. Hyunmin was really great at betting and answering the questions, so no surprise here, he won!!! Quite an overwhelming win, actually. Congratulations!

This pretty experimental concept on TV this new year, with Code: Secret Room, has definitely caught our attentions as escape rooms become even more of a hit these few years. While it was lackluster at times, I thought that it was great for JTBC to put this out for the audience. :)

~~ End of Season 1 Code

...

Or is it?

O.o As it turns out, Hyunmin had the chance to choose whether to go back 5 levels down for a chance to double his price money when he entered the elevator. and he decided to go for another challenge against "tougher competitors".

I was really surprised when I saw that. When I first watched it, I thought it was just one single challenge but turns out I heard wrongly! Woah, there were San E, Eddy Kim and Choi Jung Moon etc on B5! Then, the machine turned on and said welcome, WTH?!

Haha, I really thought that this was the end of Code after Hyunmin won, because the show just isn't the best thing on TV. >< To have a second season right after, is a really serious investment for such a show format by JTBC.

... Erm, so I am guessing that this isn't the end then, and I will check back next week, to see if we are really moving on to the second season!

For updates, find me on Twitter @raycherr ~~
Thanks for reading!

Read More

JTBC Code Episode 7 Review

Nearing the ultimate escape of the building! Basement 2, and a short review today.
On this level, cracking the codes and locks will get them 1/2/3 markers. Markers, you say? Yea, today they got to play climbing the ladder. (Click on the hyperlink if you are interested in the game!)

Two players will end up winning the game while the other two go to Last Code. Pink colored hair Heechul and Pink colored shirt Junha lost, and have to play a rather lame boring game. Out of four tiles(head, body, arms, hand) they have to guess which tile the opponent played. In my opinion, this was a rather slow and meaningless game... The two players did however try to make it fun, but still, I thought that this "psychological" game was more down to luck than really reading the other player's mind, because it was a rather simple game.

And with that, Heechul lost, sending Junha off to face the KAIST alliance on Basement 1.

Also, I am not sure if it is just the video I watched but I never saw the reveal of what happened leading up to the outcome during Main Code. (might be bad editing... :/) I really want to know how Hyunmin's plans worked out! Maybe even some more afterthoughts from them would be nice too.

Verdict: Watch for Heechul's eyeliner and wits but overall, not a great episode.

So, the FINALE is next week!!! XD
In the meantime, find me on twitter @raycherr! :)

Read More

JTBC Code Episode 6 Review

With 5 players left, it is on to Basement 3! Two players get to succeed in escaping during Main Code and the other three will go to Last Code. 

In Main Code, there were 4 different colored hints (red green blue yellow) to be found and they will lead to 4 different pass code which can only be successfully keyed in once. While I liked this refreshed rule, it was a pity the show missed out on the opportunity for us to guess and confirm our answers for the remaining codes that were not solved. 

Also, each player had an additional guest that they brought to help them out this episode. One of them you might be familiar with, Girl's Day Yura. She was Heechul's guest. :) While some of the guests did a pretty good job in helping them solve clues, others were pretty lost. Haha I'm not naming people yea but in the end it didn't really matter. Hyunmin still figured out the code first, with just 2 hints. 

On the subject of Hyunmin, it seems like the other players are starting to become really weary of him especially Jaepyung, after his closest ally Youngjin was eliminated. However, the players still always end up helping this maknae. (Which let to Hyunmin winning this round...) :/

Nothing against Hyunmin, but he just doesn't give out the underdog vibes for me to want to root for him now. I do understand his competitiveness though, and his mentality to keep his head in the game. 

Jaepyung was next to escape, and then we moved on to the 3 way match. They had this board game where they had to reach the finish circle(red) twice in order to get an escape card. Their winnings count will start over after one of them gets a card. 

I included this amateur drawing >< haha as reference so you can see how they get to move along the lines. 

How they play is that for every round they have 7 blocks (from 1 to 7) and they play one of them, which is then discarded. The player with the larger number win, unless two of the players have the same larger number then the last player wins. He will move the token piece one step(circle) closer to himself. Once one of the player moves the piece into his red circle, all their blocks are placed back into play. 

I can imagine this game as one that is more complicated and have more players. This sure has great potential as a more developed game. :) Though of course, it wouldn't make for good TV with too many people either, hmm. 

With three players, this game was forgettable... Then, Sunghyun was eliminated. 

Verdict: Meh. Not the worst episode but not that interesting this week either. 

Anyways, Happy Lunar New Year everyone!!! :) 

Find me on Twitter @raycherr or comment below~ 

Read More

JTBC Code Episode 5 Review

Argh, the feeling of sourness is pretty strong after this episode of Code. But I will get to that in a second.

This ep, titled Poker Code, had a game format that still involved players cracking codes and solving puzzles but was revolved around them getting a good hand. Not too bad a way to refresh the game. This additional layer definitely had players working together (or at least trying to) more than they did in previous episodes. In fact, they pretty much had to share information and try to swap cards in order to get a good hand.

To do so, players had to open locks and get chips, which are then used to get new cards. They started off with only 1 card that they picked randomly from the deck, and then they could exchange, buy, discard cards, keeping their hand at at most five cards at one time.

In the end, Shin Jae Pyung did a really good job with his cards, securing him a place to escape this level. Together with Hee Chul and Baek Sung Hyun, they exited with straights. Leaving Lee Yong Jin who was in the alliance with Jaepyung and Heechul having to face last code despite getting a three of a kind '9'. Also, left to face last code, is Hyunmin who sacrificed his cards for Sunghyun to get a straight.

Moving on to Last Code with 3 players. With the use of a six faced dice, players will get 2 (non-overlapping) numbers assigned to them. They had 3 black-statue-tokens each which kind of symbolise their lives. Lose all tokens, and the player will be eliminated. Taking turns to roll the dice, if the player who was assigned the number that is faced up on the dice will get to "steal" another player's token. The tokens are transferable at anytime in the game.

Then comes the sour outcome. At the beginning of the game, Yongjin was doing so well, collecting so many tokens, leaving Hyunmin with 1 left. Then he had the golden opportunity to successfully escape from Last Code by taking Hyunmin's last piece. He hesitated. With the hope of collaborating with Hyunmin and to not be so cruel in the game, he decided to "give Hyunmin a chance". In a cruel turn of luck, that was Yongjin's biggest mistake and regret. Never did he know that he would be looking at the dices turn in favour to Junha's assigned numbers, and at his collection of tokens disappear one by one.

Ultimately, Yongjin was left with none, and became the player to be "stucked" on the fourth floor. I especially liked the last segment where the narrator gave a closing statement on Yongjin's run in this floor. How he was always helping and giving in to others, became his downfall. To give those of you who didn't manage to watch the episode a better idea, Yongjin helped Jaepyung and Heechul with their straights, he thought that with a 3 of a kind, he could be the 3rd to escape but Sunghyun beat him to that. ): Then, also letting Hyunmin have another chance in last code was how he "gave up" his place. Overall, I felt that Yongjin really had a tough run this episode. While he wasn't that strong a player in the previous episodes, I truely sympathised with his situation and outcome.
I did however like how the show edited this and viewed it like a lesson that Yongjin could learn from.

Verdict: A solid episode, except for some of the dry parts during the game.

Find me on Twitter @raycherr or leave your comments below! I would really like to connect with other fans of such game shows. :)

P.S. I'm pretty curious why are there no SuJu fans subbing this show in English??? ): #heechul

See you next week!

Read More

JTBC Code Episode 4 Review

In episode 4, the players became pretty awkward around one another as less than half of them will get to escape via Main Code (3 players) while the rest move on to Last Code.
This time round, only one room was available at the start of the game, and as time passes, the doors to the adjacent rooms will open one by one.

Code: Every player has an allocated number and they have to figure out the sequence. Hints like "There is no one behind Hyunmin" is given to help players solve the code.

Sounds a little to me like The Genius "Scamming Horse Race". Pardon me for the constant comparison to this other show, I can't help it, they are too similar... especially looking at the preview for next week.

Hmm, alright, back to the current ep. Song Hyun was ultimately not able to escape from the 5th floor. I guess her time was up in Code too, after all she has been to all the Last Code segments. (and all the females are "gotten rid of" from the game, eh) Also, Last Code was a little boring, there were 5 cards numbered 1 to 5, each player will pick one card each and they would have to guess whether the last card left unpicked had an odd or even number. Players could tell the truth or lie about the card. In the end, everyone told the truth in the game and Song Hyun was not on the same page as the other 3 players. I guess the segment was lacking a little in the psychological aspect, they could potentially have dig deeper into Song Hyun's reasoning not to trust the others.

Sighs, I do enjoy escape games and puzzles, if only Code had it in a format that was more lighthearted or perhaps recorded outdoors!? The set is getting dull quick too, so, so many things are just not working for Code. Is Bumdi really right about Code as the worst show of 2016? I refused to believe it, but after 4 episodes, I don't know anymore. Great concept, poor execution.

I know a lot of you guys are not able to watch the episodes, due to the lack of English subbers. My guess is that many weren't too impressed by the show, and feel Code isn't worth your time (?). If Code ever gets more interesting than the 2nd ep, I suppose the chance of it getting eng subs will increase tremendously. Till then, you can keep up to date about Code here, or just wait for Crime Scene season 3 yea.
I will be back next week, in the mean time, you can find me on Twitter @raycherr :)

Read More

JTBC Code Episode 3 Review

Hi there. :)

Quick new update on this episode's rule: Players will enter 1 of the 4 rooms in pairs and every 30mins, they will switch to either adjacent rooms. Probably the best part of the episode because they had a woah moment, when the players realised that players who started in adjacent rooms will never get to meet each other in the following turns. O.o

Last Code: Players fire 2 shots at any other 3 players. Player with the most damage at the end, loses and "stay on the 6th floor". Simple, but with a very sad outcome, at least that's what I felt.
Why is it that so many (korean) shows on Tv feature way more males than females? Haiz, and while there are some girls that will try to come up with an alliance to keep them in the game, it is so sad to see Song Hyun kill off Yu Ri here... ):
Plus, some channels have had shows feature an all female cast do so well(reception and ratings)! ): Maybe someone should seriously consider having an all female cast on some games show, Hot Brain: Problematic Women** anyone? haha.

I am no expert in the demographic fields, so I shall jump to expressing my opinions on this show. I'd say Code is falling a little below expectations for me. :/ Yes, with every episode, the show is getting better, but there is something lacking in this particular one. I can't quite get what it is missing but probably some bad ass editing or games that are more out of the box? hahaha don't mind that pun. ^_・

For sure the improvement in this show is well appreciated. However, if you ever watch other game shows, especially Liar Game* and compare them, you are going to find that Code is a not that great of a substitute...

Alright, I will see you guys next week!
In the meantime, find me on twitter @raycherr!

*Japanese Manga, check it out! Inspired The Genius ~
**Hot Brain: Problematic Men is a show on JTBC where the guys play IQ games

Read More

JTBC Code Episode 2 Review

Hello, hopefully you are still interested in Code after many pretty bad reviews about the first episode. Why? Heh because honestly, the second ep is better in my opinion. There was much improvement and the episode flowed better.

The format is still the same as before but many subtle changes really made a difference. It wasn't as chaotic as in the first level(ep 1). What a relief! We could actually catch on to way more this time round.

I will briefly highlight two changes.
First change:
Code introduced a mechanism that allowed for players to move across the 4 different rooms for about 30 seconds, and then the doors would shut, leaving whoever was inside whichever room to have to stay for a specific duration (~30 minutes), before the next period when the doors opened again.
This made the players split up and was only interacting with a few other players in the same room. It certainly made the show easier to digest in terms of the social interaction parts. I really liked that I could identify who was in which room cracking which codes with which other players at one time.
Also, like what Hyunmin realised, there was an additional layer to this change. While the players who were with lesser players could solve and get more clues, they were missing out on getting together with more players to share clues and figure out the ultimate code.

Second change:
Code actually "paused" the show!?! For some of the puzzles, they actually let us have about 5 to 15 seconds to view the problem. We now have time to look at some of the problems in more details even if we were watching from the TV, and can play along. Really appreciate this addition as it allowed for increased viewer engagement. Yeah! :)
Edit: Okay, they did display some questions on the screen for a period of time for ep 1 too but I guess they did it more this time round, and encouraged the viewers to play along. :)

By the end of episode 2, I certainly recommend this show if you like escape game rooms and IQ games. ^^

Thanks for reading! Check out ep 1 review here if you haven't! :)
I am rather curious who are your favourite players? I think I quite like Jun Ha hehe

Sorry for the abrupt end, till next week, find me on twitter @raycherr ^^

Read More

JTBC Code Episode 1 Review

Let me know if you guys want to see a recap of the games they played too. Comment below or tweet me @raycherr :)

Sooo, after we have all watched The Genius and Crime Scene, we now have a new intellectual show on TV by JTBC, introducing CODE!

Haha, alright so basically this show has a group of 10 players and the players will go through MAIN CODE, which is like the main match in the genius, except it is not. They will be placed on a set like those you play in escape game rooms, and they all try to solve puzzles to unlock the locks, which has different clues in them. They will then use the clues to figure out the main code to escape the room. For the 1st ep, it was a four number code. They will play till 4 members are left in the room, and then these 4 players will go to LAST CODE, which is like a death match. One of these 4 players will be the last to crack the code/game and be eliminated. If I am not wrong, there are monetary amount rewarded every week for the first person to escape the room.

This sounds really promising doesn't it? Especially after I watched Hot Brain: Problematic Men Escape Room Specials, I was really excited, I mean I really enjoyed those episodes. However, while Code was interesting, especially for peeps like me who love to try their hands at these puzzles, it failed as an entertaining show in many ways. ):

I will give credit for the great cast they have on the show, brainy peeps that have different strengths are definitely the way to go. Hyunmin!
However, the way the main code went in the first ep was disappointing. :/ In most escape game rooms, you try to crack a code on a lock, which leads to other clue(s). In this one however, there are plenty of clues waiting for the players to find and solve them. This is when the whole thing gets really messy. Different players are solving different puzzles/problems and they are all interacting with different players all at the same time! Imagine the amount of action that is happening on set. This means that they have to have a really good editor to edit out the meaningful parts, or they will end up with a disaster, which I feel is not too far from the truth after the first episode... ): They had to show how all the clues were unraveled and interaction so that the show made sense. However, it was just way too fast paced for anyone to watch, especially on TV! If the viewers couldn't play along, I feel that it is such a pity.

That being said, if you viewed it on a device that allowed you to pause the show, it could be rather fun to try to solve them on your own before viewing the solutions. :)

Afterwards, the remaining four players who were too slow to crack the code moved on to play the last code, which is not exactly a physical code, but a problem. They were handcuffed and locked up in a manner that had a inelastic rope looped from the wall to the handcuff. The players had to move themselves a few feet away to reach a key and "escape".
Eh... This was a little surprising to me, because... this problem was on Problematic Men. I was like say what? If they watched the show, wouldn't they know the solution already? Which is a problem, but that is always a problem on these kind of game shows. :/

Haiz, if the next few episodes had a different format, I am thinking it could be promising, but if they continue with these "weird" escape game rooms that are more straightforward and focused on individual's abilities to solve puzzles than anything, it would be such a huge letdown. I will still be watching ep 2 to see how this show is progressing!

Overall, I would say this is just a show that highlights the celebrities' strengths in solving the puzzles, which will definitely get boring at times.

Yep, so I just gave my 2 cents about this show. Let me know what you guys think. :)

Edit: episode 2 was better, read review here! ^^

Read More

The Genius 4 Finale Episode 12 Review

Hey fellow readers! :) Thank you all so much for reading through my reviews these past few weeks!
I am so sorry about the delay for this last one, maybe I just wanted to lengthen my time with The Genius and not be done with it...

Alright, for now let me get on with the review!
So it's Jang Dong Min vs Kim Kyung Hoon, the King and the King Slayer.
The introduction was pretty awesome, I liked how it started the last episode with this excellent story. However, I can't help but feel that the intro arc was making viewers feel more compelled that Dongmin should win. It was as if it was attempting to make Dongmin appear like an underdog again, and make us want to support him more. When in fact, he never was the underdog this season, plus Kyunghoon was more of the underdog/black horse. Haha I wonder... Winner's edit?

Then we saw all the returning players from this season! :) So nice to see all of them again! They had to choose who to support and it was pretty even.
Moving on, 2 new games! 1. Number Janggi 2. Mystery Sign (They never got to the last game Black and White)

1. Number Janggi/Chess
Like Kyunghoon, I don't really play chess, but I thought that the game itself was very interesting. Pity Kyunghoon couldn't read Dongmin's play too well. Dongmin had a good strategy to reveal 2 of the opponents tiles at once. I also really like that the narrator was guiding us along and explaining the situations (or possible scenarios). It really helped in quickly increasing my understanding of the game. I thought that receiving guidance from the eliminated guests for this game was also really cool. It was cool to see the players showoff their understanding and strategic side like that. :)
This was like a mix between Battleship and Chess, and looked super fun to play. This is definitely one of the games of The Genius that I'd love to play myself. ^^

2. Mystery Sign
This game to me, paled in comparison to Number Janggi... Players had to figure out how the equation was formed using hints. It wasn't exciting as it would have been boring to watch if you didn't play along and it was slightly frustrating when you couldn't get it/not good with calculations.
At first I thought that Mystery Sign was going to be a super Mathematical version of 5:5 but it wasn't really too similar, and lacked the excitement, compared to other math games like season 2 Final's Truth Detector(secret code). Kyunghoon was a mess, maybe he wanted really badly to win and he placed himself in worse situations numerous times, by becoming overly anxious. Like what Youhyun said, Kyunghoon gave his answers way too fast/soon; and I thought that he lacked the composure that Dongmin had in all the solo matches.

So yep, the winner is crowned, and he is Dongmin!! Again... haha ><
I am super happy for him! :D Okay, sure I didn't exactly supported him this season but it was really cool to see him outperform himself and win again! Dongmin is really an all rounder. He is so smart and doesn't back down in individual matches. Woah, who can beat him?
Plus, I wanted to add on that I always thought of comedians as super smart and creative people, because they are often really witty and always coming up with new ideas. Dongmin winning this definitely make us not look down on comedians anymore. :)

And as for Kyunghoon, it was such a good ride with him in the game all these 12 episodes. He outperformed the viewers' expectations and made such good progress with a lot of the games. :)
Crazyyy smart player that I will always admire but be like I can't bear to look at your performance in the first 2 main matches this season haha.

Alright, so it's officially the end of my reviews for The Genius Grand Final.

As for whether this is the end of The Genius, we don't know. I read somewhere maybe another producer will take over, but who knows... They said "till next time" in their exit speech so as a fan, I am hoping with all my heart that this show will continue and I will see players competing again next year. :/
If not, maybe I could watch the franchises. Or maybe they will make Liar Game Korean Season 2. That will be cool too. Oh man I am so sad that my fave tv game show has ended its season.

Hopefully I will get to see you guys again next year with a brand new season! ;)
In the meantime, find me on twitter @raycherr :D
Once again, thanks for reading! Appreciate all your comments and interactions! <3 <3 <3

Read More

The Genius 4 Episode 11 Review

Woah woah woah! XD The Semi Finals are over.

This is super exciting.

But first, ep 12...

Kim Kyunghoon really did such a good job understanding this game which let to his victory and direct entry into the #GrandFinal. I am super impressed by his skills throughout this season and how he climbed all the way to the top from a troll/crazy character. :) 

Okay, I must acknowledge that both Dongmin and Hyunmin probably knew the last amount too but they fell short with the mind games all the rounds(especially the last) and they went straight to the death match. 

While I enjoyed this game How Much, it was a newer concept and fun to watch, I thought that it lacked certain elements that could have made it the most memorable. The last round was for 4 points, to me it was way too much, granted that all the players understood the game really well. If it was played again with more players and they had more time to share information (perhaps even within players themselves) and a few more modified rules, this, I feel would be an even better game. Also, it was rather lacking with the SNL guests and their vague replies, but their humor made up for it haha. 

So Dongmin decided to go against Hyunmin, as he thought that he probably was going to go into the DM and wanted to pick his opponent. Finally, we witnessed a rematch by the same players this season! I was waiting for something like this from the start! :) At first, I was like 12Janggi is going to be an easy victory for Hyunmin but I guess not... Apparently everyone else practiced it, as expected of The Geniuses, so it made for a different kind of game where everyone was prepared. It was a tough match too but ultimately Hyunmin was defeated. (Dongmin! How can you be so good at all the games? haha) This was not exactly the best season for Hyunmin to play on after watching the past episodes, he fell into the shadow of Dongmin way too much and was read by him too when he strayed. I find that a little upsetting but sadly it's the reality. ):

So... There we have it our 2 finalists. *claps claps*

Side note, Dongmin never gave way to players who haven't won before... (haha sometimes I wished he did though as he was a little overpowering heh... ><) 

It will be really cool to see Kyunghoon to go head on with Dongmin. I liked both of them a lot in Season 3 and now they are rivals at the end game, woah. Though, I can't see Dongmin show any weaknesses in the final. Kyunghoon is very right about Dongmin, Dongmin is really an all rounder and probably a perfect player in The Genius. Kyunghoon, on the other hand, is someone with a lot of potential, if he can misguide Dongmin in the final games, he will stand a chance at the title and grand prize. Looks tough though. :/

I don't really want to admit this but I am rooting for Kyunghoon haha, let's fulfill your role as King slayer and become a King yourself! He showed great versatility and abilities this past few games, thus while his chances don't look promising, I do hope that he will put up a great fight and somehow win it! ;)

#underdog #troll #kingslayer

Alright, next episode will be the last one for this season! ):

Keep the conversation going on twitter with me @raycherr or in the comments below!

See you next week when we will see who wins, plus all the players this season! ;)

Read More

The Genius 4 Episode 10 Review

Woah. And then there were 3. Next week will be the semi finals already!!!

This episode, they played a new game with Mini Games and Hold'em Poker.
Edit: Sorry for the delay! Here's my review! :D

All Players had to bring in a guest of their choice to play together. I thought that it was rather interesting to see Hyunmin bring in a past guest brought by Kyungran; I thought that he would have people of his own capabilities from perhaps the KAIST the Genius, but I guess it could be that they hit off well enough to play together. Furthermore, they did really well! Okay, his guest not so much in the minigames as compared to some of the rest of the players, but overall they were a pretty good team! I would like to point out that it is rather interesting to see how in different seasons they could have different games that would benefit bringing in a certain type of guests. This time round it was more on the IQ side, which definitely made Kyunghoon’s guest do very well in the minigames. (23 and doing his PHD, wow) Back to the players, OMG Dongmin was so good at the sticks challenge, he is really a hidden gem in the IQ arena, not only is he sociable, but also good at this kind of visual games. :D I will say I wouldn’t mind him winning this time round anymore, after all he has proven himself way more than he did last season too! :)

However, overall this main match felt a little underwhelming. Not too much was going on and the minigames got rather boring after like 2 rounds haha. Also, just like Seed Poker, winning just 1 round got you quite a significant number of garnets, and it’s tough to change up the game more easily. It was wonderful though, to see Hyunmin convince others to go his way, he is definitely stepping up his game too, very deserving win for him this time round. Too bad, all went the wrong way for Jinho with his bolder moves.

Moving on to the Deathmatch, ”Practice Bug” Kyunghoon is totally killing it. I am almost certain he could beat someone else in the last deathmatch, 12 Janggi if needed to too. He was so good in so many of those deathmatches, and I guess practice does make perfect. How he knew that by giving up his low cards when the card holders showed a low number card on top was beneficial to him was daebak (fantastic) too. Too bad, Jinho fell short, but YES they played such a great game.

I felt so sad that Jinho felt quite a lot of pressure to perform and give us Genius moments this season. He never did perform that well despite knowing the games pretty well and deep. Quite a pity... Ah, I still love Jinho though, for all that he has contributed in the Variety/Reality TV game shows in Korea. <3 #IconOfTheGenius

Also FYI, I saw spoilers on twitter before I watched )::: It totally killed the mood for me to root for Jinho to win, because I knew that most likely he was going to be eliminated. Haiz. (note to self: I need to stay clear of Facebook/Twitter from Saturday night till I finish watching the episode.)

Next Episode, we have guests again! Woah. I can't help but feel like Dongmin is going to get an upper hand with his social skills. However, finally there is a more calculative game which definitely will be more for Kyunghoon and Hyunmin. (hahaha the joke about Dongmin's calculation in chain auction last season...) I am picturing a tough fight, we shall see, I'm looking forward to it! XD

Thanks for all your comments in the last episode's review! :D 

For now, you can tweet me @raycherr or comment below. 

Read More

The Genius 4 Episode 9 Review

And so, my winner's pick has fallen. ):::

This was a rather good episode I feel, especially after a few weaker ones, though of course not the best one this season. Having the guests interact with the remaining players was rather cool to see who had the social abilities to work with people even outside of the game. Yep yep, Dongmin dominated again... Or should I say dongminated again hahahah >< I also liked how Kyunghoon sounded like Sunggyu when he interacted with Sangmin. O.O

However, I somehow feel like the guests were rather bias in a sense that Ahyoung went with the mindset of making sure Kyunghoon didn't get to win... Not exactly the best decision for guests to just target someone. Also, I wished that more eliminated players this season got to come back and play ): Furthermore, we didn't quite get to see some guests like Jongbum and Doohee do much to shake up the game. 

Alright, now that I have ranted a little about the guests, back to Horror Race II! I liked the slight changes about carrying other pieces and the mud (though the latter didn't make much of a difference). It made it slightly easier for characters with more supporters to still get to move forward a little. It started off with a brilliant move by Hyunmin to have 1 overlapping character with one player each. However, it proved to be a sad drop from there on out as the players kind of saw through him and didn't want to play with him 100%. Junseok had an interesting start to the game with the least number of players sharing the same characters as him, however it also meant that fewer players were supporting his characters... Kyunghoon and Junseok were doing rather well with their white chip, until they were just 2 players who were supporting them full on. 

I will fast forward to Dongmin winning the game with the help of 3/5 returning guests. Once again it just showed us how good of an influencer he is. Even Hyunmin couldn't understand how he got 3 guests and Jinho to back him. Me neither. :/ Looks like Dongmin stands a really good chance of winning, especially if he gets into the final 2. 

Kyunghoon lost and he chose... Junseok. I am upset. I kinda wished that Hyunmin would go to the Deathmatch for once just because he hasn't played. I was really hoping Junseok won but he didn't, so there goes my winner's pick. I really thought he did fantastic this season! :)

Deathmatch was the most awaited Quattro!!! Finally! :D

And they were playing with... players who were quiet and unresponsive? How rude, haha! The social aspect of this game which we all loved in season 2 ep 1 was gone for motionless players that could only swap cards. I thought the change was alright though. Now for a little game talk, I was thinking that the shuffle was a really important one. Kyunghoon got super lucky with three 6's? Wow. Meanwhile, Junseok wasn't too good with his draw. I thought that getting a (few) 0 card/s might be good at first and then if you let it/them out nearer the end, it might be interesting to make your opponent get them. I wished they had more silent players though, 6 players felt too little. 

A roundup after this session, 4 players left: Jinho, Dongmin, Hyunmin, Kyunghoon. 

I am seriously looking forward to how the last few episodes will play out. Also, now that we have come so far this season, the likelihood of seeing a non-winner win this grand final is looking pretty dim. ): I hope to see them win of course, but I guess if Jinho/Dongmin won again, I would be happy nonetheless. 

Next episode! With selected guests playing separated mini games... Looks really interesting and I am looking forward to see how it plays out, seems like Kyunghoon and friend will do well, but it could be misleading.

Crunch time! ;D 

Find me on twitter @raycherr or comment below! 

Cheers & I will see you next week!

Read More