[Jan 2] "Love Song For Illusion” Strongly Debuts, “Marry My Husband” Climbs In Ratings, Quick Reviews

The new drama “Love Song for Illusion” featuring Park Ji Hoon and Hong Ye Ji has made a solid impression on viewers.

Love Song for Illusion Ep. 1

Nielsen Korea reported that the first episode of “Love Song for Illusion” on KBS2 achieved an average nationwide rating of 4.3%.

The drama is a historical fantasy romance based on a hit webtoon of the same title. It tells the story of an assassin girl who loses her memory, falls in love with a man who has two opposite personalities: one sweet and gentle, the other cold and ruthless. The prince, Sa Jo Hyun, is a fashion designer who hides his identity from the public and suffers from a wound caused by his father. His other personality, Ak Hee, is a charming seducer who feels pain when he touches others. The assassin, Yeon Wol, is the descendant of a fallen dynasty who seeks revenge for her family. She tries to kill the king but falls into a trap and wakes up as a concubine with no recollection of her past.

The visuals, the action scenes, and the 1st episode's plot twist seem worth praising. I love to compare "Love Song For Illusion” to some other works with similar themes like Kill Me, Heal Me and Chinese period dramas. 

Marry My Husband Ep. 2

“Marry My Husband” has been entertaining and satisfying so far!

tvN’s “Marry My Husband” starring Park Min Young, Na In Woo, Lee Yi Kyung, and Song Ha Yoon also saw a rise in ratings for its second episode. The drama recorded an average nationwide rating of 5.9%, up from 5.2% for its 1st episode.

The drama tells the story of Kang Ji-won, a woman who gets a second chance to live her life after being killed by her cheating husband and best friend. In episode 2, Ji-won plans to make her friend Su-min steal her fate and starts her bond with her colleague Yoo Hee-yeon. The episode also involves her encounter with her husband Min-hwan who wants to get intimate with her. Besides, the secret of Ji-hyeok, Ji-won’s boss, seems to have a connection with her past life. 

I'm more and more interested in Ji-won’s character development and growth, and the thrill and suspense of her revenge plot. How about you?

See more: "Marry My Husband" Ep.2 Recap: Park Min Young's Exhilarating Revenge Begins

Tell Me That You Love Me Ep. 12

On the other hand, ENA’s “Tell Me That You Love Me” with Jung Woo Sung and Shin Hyun Been kept a steady rating of 1.5% nationwide for its 12th episode.

The art exhibition comes to a close in this episode. A woman who is unknown to the viewers cries in front of Cha Jin-Woo’s painting, suggesting that she could be his birth mother. This unexpected turn of events could make the story more intriguing, as it might get boring to watch the same few characters for sixteen episodes.

Song Sui-Kyung regrets hurting Jin-Woo, but her attempt to drink away her pain at a friend’s house backfires. She ignores reality and walks in the rain to Jin-Woo’s house. He lets her in, which makes one wonder how he would react if Jung Mo-Eun saw them together. Sui-Kyung had to run away from her life because of Kwon Do-Hoon’s harassment and the creepy whistle sound that Jin-Woo couldn't hear.

Jung Mo-Eun can relate to what Sui-Kyung went through in the past. She isn't harassed by anyone, but she feels isolated as the only one who can hear in her relationship with Jin-Woo. She thought he was the lonely one because of his deafness, but now she realizes she is lonely too. This is how Sui-Kyung must have felt before. Mo-Eun feels helpless as Sui-Kyung tries to get closer to Jin-Woo, just like Yoon Jo-Han, who can only watch Mo-Eun love Jin-Woo despite his own feelings for her.

It is only a matter of time before Jin-Woo finds out what happened in the past and why Sui-Kyung broke up with him so abruptly. But will that change anything? Jin-Woo isn't the type to forgive and forget easily. The question is when Sui-Kyung will move on and stop coming back to cause more trouble. She was a victim of stalking in the past, but she also hurt Jin-Woo by leaving without a clear reason. 

I hope the Korean version will not include the cheating scene that was in the original Japanese version. I cannot picture Jin-Woo or Mo-Eun being unfaithful to each other. 

Between Him and Her Ep. 2

Finally, the realistic romance drama “Between Him and Her” featuring Super Junior’s Donghae and Lee Seol experienced a slight drop in ratings, scoring an average of 0.4% nationwide.

I understand that HyunSung had no choice but to go to the motel with that girl and drop her off. But what about Sungok? Why did she remove her ring and was she at the same motel’s bar? This scene was less hurtful than seeing their past moments.

Are you watching any of these dramas? Let me know what you think~

(Source: nielsenkorea.co.kr, celuvmedia.com)