#i think she's got it in her to do an ocn drama

[chocominnie]

One Last Time 06 —  Pjm. (M)

⇢ pairing: Jimin X Reader

⇢ Genre: Idol!Jimin, Exbf!Jimin, model!reader, sad au, fluff, tons of smut, angst

⇢ Synopsis: Your idol ex boyfriend Jimin cheated on you. You two have been broken up for a while now and the media has been keeping track of you and him. You’re trying to get over him, but the things that happen inbetween makes you re-think the entire breakup, and so does Jimin…

⇢ Song : xxxxx

⇢ Word Count : 3k

⇢ Warnings: dominant jimin, makeout sessions, this is honestly a sad angsty au, cheating, pregnancy, unprotected and protected sex, a bunch of sex, no really a LOT of sexual themes too, I know I’m forgetting some but sorry in advance!

⇢ Copyright: please do NOT repost, translate, or modify my works in any way, shape or form, on any platform. If found doing so , it is considered as plagiarism and appropriate LEGAL action will be taken

⇢ Authors note: This is my mini series for the summer! Get your tissues, things to take your anger out on, and sit back and watch the drama unfold. Shall we begin?

‘‘ I swear I am going to have someone beat your ass Park Jimin!’’

‘‘ It’s not my fucking fault! I broke up with her but you lead her to the apartment  knowing she’ll follow!’‘

‘‘ Damn it Jimin im going to kick your ass!’‘

Your eyes pop open just in time to see Jungkook on-top of Jimin hitting him repeatedly on the face while Jimin manages to push him off of him and begin his fist fight against him. He straddles Jungkook to the floor and punches are thrown left and right. Now the sudden headache of seeing the two brothers fight has began in your head and you cannot stand hearing the groaning and yelling between them. Bringing your hand up to signal them to stop, you realize they don’t even know you’ve awakened.

 Jungkook on the other hand is not having it so he throws Jimin off of him harshly making Jimin groan. The way he grabs Jimin’s collar with venom fast strength finally gives you the courage to yell out to them.

‘‘ Stop! Damn it, you two are like literal fucking teenagers. Act your age!”

The both of them turn their heads toward you slowly. Jungkook drops his fist, which was going to connect with Jimin’s face. You take a good look at them. Freshly bruised from each-other. Great.

‘‘ You think fighting is going to solve this problem huh? Get over here now.” You say, eyebrows furrowed in anger.

Jungkook gives Jimin a death glare before rushing to your side and feeling your forehead. You slap his hand away and pull him down by his shirt only for him to recieve a harsh slap to the forehead.

‘‘ Shit!” He stumbles back and rubs his forehead. He shoots you a glare, wanting to yell at you but doesn’t.  You motion for Jimin to come to you too. He raises his eyebrows in amusement.

‘‘ I don’t think it’s necessary for you to do that..” He says, as if your death glare towards him isn’t enough to tell him you aren’t joking whatsoever.

He gets the memo when you disregard his comments before hanging his head low and bending down a little to your height. One slap against the forehead and two across the wrists.

‘‘ That’s for you fighting He was only looking out for me. The last two were for having a psychotic girlfriend who almost killed me. Look at my wrist!’‘

You hold them out to see two I.V’s, one for blood transfusion and the other a regular for nutrients on your right wrist. Both of them bandaged up which does need to be changed because of the old blood.

‘‘ I know and I’m sorry. I didn’t know she would be this upset.’‘ Jimin says, hanging his head low. Jungkook rolls his eyes at him out of annoyance.

‘‘ Whatever. I already called my lawyer for your case. Since Isabel tried to attempt murder to you, you will win this case for sure.’‘ He proudly leans against the wall hoping to atleast crack a smile from you.

You don’t smile though. The last thing you need is another scandal. If this were to make the news and blogs right now then it could be a bad thing. You’ve just started your modeling career again and right now would be the worst time to have something like that. 

Jimin leans on the wall with his hands in his pockets, still avoiding locking eyes with you which is something he usually does. Something tells you that he’s hiding something. Something that you just can’t put your finger on.

‘‘ The police will come shortly for witness statements and your statement. Then they’ll call for a court date as soon as possible.’‘ Jimin’s voice low, illuminating with a hint of sadness.

Out of curiosity you want to say something more. To ask him whats going on and why he’s acting rather like this. It’s really not like him. He’s hiding something for sure and you just cannot put your finger on it. You just agree and pull out your phone. A missed call from Ryan. You try texting her and she almost always responds immediately. This time she doesn’t. What’s really going on?

You don’t know but Ryan took it upon herself to pay Isabel a visit. Usually visitors aren’t allowed for people in holding but with a little sweet talk of hers she got to get atleast 10 minutes to talk. That’s all she needs. When it comes to you, her bestfriend, she never messes around. Hearing the news from Jungkook yesterday she almost went luncatic. Throwing things at him, calling his brother every disrespectful name in the book. Oh she hates him now for sure.

Jungkook had to stop her from going over to the hospital to beat his ass into a bloody pulp for causing you pain and getting together with that crazy girl just to break up with her. Ryan was heated. 

But now she can take this heat and serve some to Isabel right now. She walks with confidence into the room. Nothing and nobody can stop her and if they even try, she’ll chew them up and spit them out. Catching a glimpise of Isabel sitting at the table with her hands cuffed and security next to her, Ryan shoots her a devious glare.

‘‘ What brings you here? I expected my boyfr-’‘

A harsh slam from her hands hit the table as she bends a little to her seated level, ‘‘ He’ not your fucking boyfriend. You were lucky I wasn’t there to beat your fucking ass.”

The guard tenses up at the sounds and sudden movements. Ryan notices, and decides to take her seat to calm down before she’s the one sitting behind the jail bars too. 

‘‘ Ryan.. I thought we were friends?’‘ She frowns, pouting her lips while fake wiping tears away. 

Ryan scoffs,shaking her head ever so slowly with a devilish grin on her face. “ We aren’t. Don’t let me catch you un-attended without your manager or body guard.. Isabel.’’

Isabel laughs one of her evil laughs, throwing her head back then coming back up, “ Oh how cute. Is this a threat from little ol’ you? Me and Jimin were doing just fine before your bestfriend had decided to enter his life again. I’m not the only bad guy here. She should know boundaries for taken men. Ex’s aren’t supposed to be firendly and lovey dovey. Spending nights and going everywhere with each other. Especially when one’s a famous idol with another idol girlfriend. Do I make myself clear?”

“ Maybe you should take that up with your hoe of a boyfriend. He’s the one who can’t leave her alone.” She yells, inches away from Isabel’s face. The two stare at each other long and hard. Isabel is no match for Ryan though.

The guard clears his throat to break the two’s glares. The tension is thick in the air.

“ If you ever touch yn again, I’ll make sure you’re the one in the hospital this time around.”

‘‘ You’ll all see. I’ll win this court case. Trust me… there’s things you do not know.” 

Ryan rolls her eyes, strutting her way out the room with the sound of her heels clicking right behind her. Consider the message recieved. 

It’s been one week after the situation. In which in between those days you were dismissed from the hospital and have been in at Jimin’s house ever since. You didn’t want to be here. You want to be at home with your cat, Clara. Jungkook’s been going over to feed and play with her. Jimin kept pleading for you not to return home just yet because it could be a danger to you. It makes sense. You never know what Isabel has up her sleeve. 

So you’ve been sitting here doing the same old thing everyday. Eat, watch movies and netflix tv shows,  sleep, and repeat.

Jimin would come in and out of his home studio to check in on you. He still has to work on producing and singing his songs. He’d bring the food and your medicine he prepared per usual,  kiss your forehead, and go right back out to producing his highly anticipated album.

It all seems fake to you. Something is off. Something is not being told to you. You can feel it in your gut but can’t put a finger on it.

‘‘ This is so cliche.’‘ You murmur to yourself, switching the flat-screen T.V off.

And as if on cue Jimin comes inside your- well his room with a glass of water and prescribed pain killers for you. The slight smile on his face makes you want to smile but you don’t.

‘‘ Smile for ocne yn. Do you not like staying here?’‘ He says, sitting next to you on the side of the bed and places the glass in your hands.

You furrow your eyebrows at him, taking the two pills out of his palm. “ No.. but be honest with me Jimin okay?”

His face turns a quick shade of pink then pale as if you had said the wrong choice of words at the wrong time. As if he had seen a ghost at this very moment. That’s not a good sign at all.

‘‘ Are you.. hiding something from me?’‘

The atmosphere is thick and silence fills the room. You don’t say anything and he doesn’t either. Your eyes meet his and for once they don’t pull away first. 

Jimin doesn’t know how to break it to you though. It’s now or never.

‘‘ She will never leave me.”

You bite your lip hard, “ What do you mean?”

“ That she said that she’d do everything to ruin our relationship if we continue to persue one. She’d spready rumors about you to Dispatch. Make a scene whenver you’re near me. Anything she can do, she will do it.”

You don’t know how to take this all in. You knew Isabel was possesive but not this possesive. The thought of her doing things on purpose for you to make everyone hate you makes you want to cry. To just bawl your eyes out right here right now. You can’t.. you won’t do it. 

You won’t give in because thats what she wants. To make you cry. To ruin your reputation and work. Jimin came back into your life and of course you don’t know what to do or how to deal with it. But this is what you wanted right? You’ve been longing for you and him to get a second chance. It’s you. You’re the one who’s been putting things off and not letting things go with the flow. Maybe he came back to you because he realized how wrong he was for cheating on you. For leaving you behind. For not seeing things for truly how it is. 

You knew Isabel was bad luck from the beginning. Now is the time to try and take back what was originally yours. That will hurt her more than ever. 

“ She needs to have a reality check. Not everything revolves around her.”

‘‘ I agree. Putting her behind bars might give her a reality check. It should serve her right for harming people.” Jimin sighs. 

The silence is thick. You both don’t know what to say and it’s sure as hell awkward more than ever right now. Until that silence breaks. 

‘‘ I feel like you aren’t being your true self to me. If we are getting things out now.” 

His sudden comment makes you lift your head up from playing with the comforter. “ What do you mean?’’

‘‘ You.. don’t want to take actions on what you feel, say, or want to do with or about me. It’s killing me inside.”

He’s right. You do try to push your feelings aside no matter what the cause is. It’s just you trying to not set yourself up for hearbreak again. You do want him. You do want everything to do with him. Considering the things that happened in the past, it’s no doubt theres a fence guarding your heart from intruders. 

You exhale out heavily, “ Im just.. scared.’’

‘‘ Of? “

‘‘ Being hurt again.”

Dead silence again. This time he’s the one trying to come up with words to redirect your view of him. Yes, he broke your heart in the worst way possible. He wants you to see he’s changed. 

Jimin bites his lip, voice shaky when he begins talking again. ‘‘ How can I show you that i’m not the same anymore. Im not I promise you. I want you to see I have changed. I know it’s my fault. I destroyed you but let me fix it.”

It’s all come down to this. You’ve wanted this and now is the chance to get it. Now is the chance to have what was once yours. But the feeling of doubt had taken its course on you at the worst time.

‘‘ Jimin.. how do I know that for sure?’‘ You say, unintentionally fluttering your eyes at him. To you it’s to prevent from letting tears fall. 

Jimin see’s it as that specific thing you used to do when you wanted him. When you craved him and would drop hints. To be completely honest, you do crave him. You do want him. Make-up sex was something you two used to do often. It was your toxic way of saying im sorry. 

Somehow you want to put that toxic thing into action right now. As fucked up as it is, that’s how you two know you’re sorry towards each other. Actions speak louder than words. 

He closes his eyes for a quick second before clenching his jaw to contain himself. Your weak spot.

‘‘ Stop doing that. Unless you want to start something you don’t want to finish.” 

You smile just a little, hoping he’d get the memo. “ What if I do want to start and finish it..”

As if a car alarm went off, Jimin’s eyes pop back open with a suprised look. That’s the last thing he’d thought he’d be hearing from you. “ Are you sure about that? I mean we don’t have t-”

You lean in closer to where you guys are inches apart, his lips softly rubbing against yours. “ I’m all for it.”

Within seconds, Jimin’s shirt is removed off of you only revealing your blue panties which have became a little soaked with your wetness. He takes in the scent of you before his mouth connects with your thighs, slightly sucking to leave bruises on you.

‘‘ Jimin.. don’t tease me.”  You sigh, laying fully down to spread your legs even more. He hums against your skin making you catch chills up and down your spine.

‘‘ That’s my specialty baby. You know that.” He trails a kiss with each word all the way down to your core where he dips a finger inside. You tense up attempting to close your legs. He doesn’t allow it, spreading them open harshly again. 

‘’ Jimin-’‘ You barely utter before he begins to move his fingers in and out of you slowly. You let out a whine to try and make him go faster but it doesn’t work.

He comes up to your mouth and plants a wet, sloppy kiss. “ No whining. You’re gonna get what you want. Just relax baby.”

Is all he tells you before he goes back down to your core to tend to your desires.

The first lick between your legs is ever so gentle. Too gentle for you right now considering that you want release badly and Jimin knew exactly that. He opens his mouth and swirls his tongue up and down your slit. A groan leaves his mouth once he gets a taste of you which sends a vibration to your sensitive bud.

Each time his tongue laps against you your body jerked and shook but that only makes his tongue go faster. Sending you into a moaning and groaning mess as you tug on his hair.

“Mmh you even taste the same like always.” He moans with a smirk.

“Jimin please-” you cry out, locking your fingers into his hair when a finger is inserted into your dripping wet hole.

‘‘ No whining babygirl.’‘ His voice gentle as ever when he removes the finger inside of you making you pout a little. But that pout soon turned into your eyes becoming wide when he starts to take off his shirt, then grey sweatpants, then his underwear where his thick cock springs up.

Your eyes can’t leave his body. God it’s been a while. He looks pretty damn good. You wan’t to take all of his length in your mouth right now. To hear him praise you about how good your mouth feels against him. God you want it right now. 

He gives it a few strokes before walking over to you. Just before hovering over you, he gives you a passionate kiss while lifting up your legs and positioning them to his liking. Missionary.

The tip of him pokes at the entrance of you, teasing in and out. Soon enough he enters you slowly making both of you moan together.

You still wrap and fit around his member smug as ever, and he could not believe it. The feeling of familiarity of being inside you sends him into a moaning mess with each stroke. You can’t contain your moans and screams. He feels way too good. 

Jimin begins to deep-stroke you by pulling all the way out and slamming back in. You scream his name out in pleasure as your nails scratch up his toned back. Wet sounds fill the room with him picking up his pace. You take a glimpse of him only to admire his figure right now. Forehead forming sweat beads while he groans and moans biting his plump pink lips.

Your breathing becomes faster when that familiar feeling soon starts to take over. You turn your head to the side and let out a string of moans. Jimin isn’t having that though. His hand grabs your face gently and makes you make eye contact with him. Your legs start shaking as your head tilts back moans getting more faster. You finally let out one last one in sync with him, his hot sperm shoots inside of you.

Jimin pulls out, breathing heavily and collapses ontop of you. You let out a small grunt with the sudden extra body upon you, then giggle at him when he lays his head lays against your chest. This is what you wanted. He’s true. He’s sorry. 

‘’ I love you.”

That word surprises you. You weren’t prepared for it. Somehow though, you enjoy the fact that he’s said it to you. Love. Jimin’s love. Your love. 

‘’ I love you much more Jimin.’’ 

#one last time #park jimin #ex bf jimin #exbf!jimin #ex boyfriend jimin #jimin fanfic #jimin oneshot #jimin scenario #jimin x reader #jimin angst #jimin sad #jimin smut #jimin fluff #jimin imagine #BTS fanfic #BTS smut #BTS fluff #BTS angst #bts oneshot #jungkook smut #Jungkook fanfic #Jungkook scenario #Jungkook reaction #Jungkook oneshot #idol! jimin #idol!jimin #idol jimin #idol!jimin au

[braceletofteeth]

do you have any show recommendations 👀

I might 👀 Though I wish I knew what kind of shows you’re interested in, anon, ‘cause that could really have helped me in deciding what I should redirect to you…

I presume you have already watched OCN’s life-changing masterpiece, ‘Strangers from Hell’, yes? I can’t recommend this one today, then… Hmm… Do you like kdramas in general? Since you found yourself all the way here, I’d say there is a fair chance that you do. If you enjoyed SFH, there is a chance you’d want something similar… Well, me too, but there is no such thing… I could play it safe and recommend “Beyond Evil”, “The Guest”, “Psychopath Diary”, “Bad and Crazy”, but if you go here, you probably have already heard of these…

I’m gonna take a leap of faith, then. Have you ever heard of that drama in which a woman with antisocial personality disorder saved a little girl who was about to get killed by her father in a double suicide attempt, making the man so mad that he tried to strangle the woman to death, but failed to conclude the task because another man came just in time to save the woman, and not even a minute later the woman tried to kill the little girl’s father, but the man who saved her got in the way? And then this woman got so obsessed with her savior that she followed him to another town, a town from which she had been running from her whole life because of a very traumatic childhood, just so she could pursue this man, who doesn’t even want anything to do with her, because not only he believes she’s incapable of feeling, he also has too much on his plate already, as a very tormented robot that only lives to take care of his autistic brother, in a very sick co-dependent relationship, that doesn’t allow him to live his own life and do the things he actually wants to do, like going to college or going on vacations or going on dates or staying in the same town for longer than a year, and he’s so numb to it by now that he thinks it’s his duty to live this shitty life till the day he dies, but then-

Well, to know what happens then you have to watch “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay”. Average 16 episodes (none of those monstrosities with 20/30/40). Last time I checked, could be found on Netflix, but in most fansub websites as well.

… if this sounds too far from something you’d watch, you can come back later and tell me about your tastes, and I’d love to look for something more fitting for you in my archive.

Have a good day, anon! o/

#answered #I had made a list #but every time I make a list I'm told that it's not enough to give a person titles for them to look for and see if they're interested #so this time I tried to write a summary #at first I was writing a very standard summary but I found it boring #probably my fault because I don't know how to write these things #so I gave up I wrote it my way #which may have made things worse......................................... #this is my favorite drama and it's really good. I just don't know how to tell you what the hell it it about. but that's on me

[dangermousie]

2020 End of Year Post - kdrama edition

You can find my 2020 cdrama post here: dangermousie.tumblr.com/post/638449659546845184/2020-end-of-year-post-cdrama-edition

This is only going to cover kdramas that aired in 2020; if it originally aired another year, it’s not on this list.

It’s been a pretty lackluster kdrama year. There are probably only 5 kdramas I truly loved and only three of them I was really obsessed over. Better luck in 2021!

DRAMAS WATCHED

(In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality; I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list)

42 Born Again - so bad, so incoherent, so insane, I have no idea why the leads signed up for it (and unlike some of the other watchers, I think it was awful from the very start.) There is literally nothing about this drama that makes sense.

41 Love with Flaws - a bunch of people who should be tried under the Geneva Convention.

40 Sweet Munchies - Jung Il Woo proves his inability to pick a functional script.

39 Meow the Secret Boy - if you ever wanted to bang a cat, this drama is for you. Not being a furry, however...

38 Do Do Sol Sol La Sol - I lost braincells just typing out this title.

37 When I Was the Most Beautiful - the only way it’s not the dumbest, most pointless melo of 2020 is because Born Again considerately came out the same year.

36 Woman of 9.9 Billion - if you want to watch an artsy French movie about miserable people, but only badly made, boy do I have a drama for you.

35 Lies after Lies - screams after screams.

34 Backstreet Rookie - people were up in arms about various problematic plots. I am a survivor of many plots much more problematic but even I couldn’t survive how utterly boring and annoying this drama was and how utterly irritating the leads were. This has taken Ji Chang Wook off my top favorites into “should I even check his latest Lovestruck in the City? Probably not” territory almost single-handedly (Melt Me helped, to be fair.)

33 Men Are Men - boring is boring.

32 Dinner Mate - two beautiful boring people eat out a lot.

31 Was It Love - no it wasn’t.

30 Alice - Joo Won in the shower can make up for a multitude of sins but not plot nonsense of such magnitude. When you find yourself thinking it would be better if he hooked up with the alternate universe version of his mother because at least then something entertaining would happen, you know it’s bad.

29 More than Friends - started out OK, then made me hate basically everyone and kept going.

28 Start-Up - honestly, it’s probably more decent than its place here, but the toxic and batshit fandom for it (the worst this year) made me feel like breaking out in hives any time it’s even mentioned.

27 The Spies who Loved Me - how to take a good cast and waste it.

26 Private Lives - it was good but it never took off with its concept and spent more time on the incoherent plot than the OTP which was its one strength. It’s a decent drama but coming after Heartless City and My Beautiful Bride from the same writer, it’s a disappointment.

25 Record of Youth - as high as it is due to Park Bo Gum hard carrying this entire awful drama on his shoulders and doing it so well I finished it. Alas, while he is in one drama (and that drama is great), the rest of the characters and the entirety of the script are a pointless useless mess.

24 Do You Like Brahms - excellent first third, mediocre middle, and terrible last third. I don’t know what musical term applies to this? Diminuendo, I think.

23 I’ll Go to You When the Weather is Nice - nice and mellow but nothing much happens.

22 Forest - mainly for Park Hae Jin’s excellent and frequently naked bod.

21 The Ballot - I didn’t love it as much as everyone did but it was well-made.

20 Hyena - more romance and less weird law stuff would make it better.

19 365 Repeat the Year - surprisingly solid.

18 The Game Towards Zero - see 365.

17 When My Love Blooms - very old fashioned, very lovely.

16 Chocolate - also very old fashioned and very lovely but also with Yoon Kye Sang performing medical procedures bleeding and shirtless. MMM.

15 (tie) Secret Royal Inspector - a fun if run of the mill sageuk.

15 Find Me In Your Memory - best melo this year.

14 Mystic Pop Up Bar - surprisingly good even though I wasn’t planning to check it out.

13 Where Your Eyes Linger - came out of nowhere but was tender and hopeful and lovely.

12 Itaewon Class - Park Seo Joon hard carries a drama that is already excellent. Love it.

11 Psychopath Diary - Yoon Shi Yoon is such a treat in a hilarious, cynical, dark comedy.

10 Kairos - more like ouroboros.

9 Queen Love and War - in a year where sageuks are very rare, this was solid and surprisingly moving and shippy.

8 The King Eternal Monarch - people didn’t like it but I did. It’s no masterpiece and both the leads and the writers have better dramas, but it was a lovely romantic fairy tale for me.

7 Mr. Queen - sharp, hilarious, and some of my favorite actors.

6 Psycho But It’s OK - healing, sharp cinematography and even sharper chemistry.

5 Crash Landing on You - the last ep pissed me off so much this drama is dead to me but I loved it so much until then I can’t place it lower in good conscience.

4 Train - who knew I would go this hard for an OCN drama or that OCN would do romance so well? But this time-travel mystery romance is just incredible and I shipped the OTP and rooted for the characters and loved every last bit of it.

3 Run On - this is the drama Record of Youth wanted to be but failed. Smart and lived in, you feel like you are peeking at real people, but also even four episodes in, I am so invested in the main characters separately and together, and care for them so much, it’s a little frightening.

1 (tie) Tale of the Nine Tailed - my perfect fantasy romance. I liked it better than Goblin, yeah I said it.

1 Flower of Evil - all the tropes I love in one incredible package. I would rewatch episodes waiting for new ones trying to puzzle the story and to stay withdrawal but it works just as well on rewatch. Lee Jun Ki brings his trademark tortured intensity and for once, both his leading lady and his script back him up and are worthy of that. It’s perfect.

FAVORITE DRAMA

It’s a tie between Tale of the Nine Tailed and Flower of Evil but if I had to pick just one, FoE, because it had me seriously obsessed and guessing about the protagonist and gave me the narrative tropes I love so much and an OTP that statisfied all my hurt/comfort kinks and then some.

WORST DRAMA

Born Again - honestly, this is so bonkers it almost becomes good but alas...

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Do Hyun Soo/Baek Hee Sung, Flower of Evil - he is so messed up, so on edge, so traumatized. Yet capable of so much warmth and caring even as he himself doesn’t realize his humanity. FoE is basically a story of a man pushed and punished by the world for his entire life who, because of one woman, finds a safe place and peace and slowly comes to life without realizing it, and watching his desperation to keep this small bit of normalcy is so heartbreaking and exciting all at once. Plus, you start the drama thinking he’s a psychopathic serial killer and end it (if you are me) thinking he must be protected at all costs and if anyone even looks at him wrong they must suffer, and that’s quite a change!

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Nam Ji Ah, Tale of the Nine Tailed - she is so funny and tough and smart and loving and amazing that I will totally buy that a literal demi-god will do anything and everything for her and love her for literal eternity.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

Dad in Record of Youth - yes in a year with serial killers and supernatural demons, I picked a normal character from a mediocre drama. It’s his everyday awfulness to his family that hits so hard and I am sad he never got his comeuppance.

FAVORITE SHIP

Ji Ah x Yeon - a fearless reporter and an immortal demi-god who’s been hoping for his human beloved to reincarnate. A really rare set-up where the OTP is equally ride or die, so compatible and completely BAMF. I got why he waited for her for that long and then fell in love with her all over again. Perfection.

Runner up: Flower of Evil - he is so messed up he literally does not believe he is capable of love or empathy, but he falls in love with her anyway and so utterly she permeates his entire life. She is tough as nails and only believes what she sees and is the sole person who believes in him against the world. She loves him but he needs her. She needs him but he loves her. They are amazing.

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Seo Dan x Gu Seung Jun, Crash Landing on You, North Korean x Conman were so good I shipped them harder than the main OTP and the end of that storyline pissed me off so much I dumped the drama and didn’t finish it for months (and it’s still dead to me.)

NOTP

Record of Youth - it started out and they didn’t have much chemistry but the dialogues were interesting and I thought the chemistry would grow. It didn’t and deteriorated, their dialogues became boring and relationship had zero development (about as much as the supposed female lead.) I think we were supposed to feel bad they broke up and they were going for a bittersweet open ending, instead I found myself happy about the break up of two incompatible, chemistry-less people and hoping for the love of God they never get back together.

FAVORITE SCENE

Yeon and the bridge of knives, Tale of the Nine Tailed - Yeon choosing to undergo the creeptastic bridge of knives for a chance to save Ji Ah, who at that point he is not aware is the reincarnation of his Joseon love because, as he says, he doesn’t care if she is or isn’t, it just would be more horrible to have her die than to undergo the horrific torture he is undergoing, and then the sequence with his catching her, her weeping over him and the fact that she is the original Joseon girl revealed and all the bandaging and his watching her sleep and all that loveliness, is everything for yours truly.

Runner up: Hyun Soo having that break-down at the cliff at the end of ep 15 of Flower of Evil as Ji Won desperately tries to convince him she is alive and he finally stumbles to her.

Runner runner up (it’s my list, I will do what I want): Do Won preparing to blow his brains out to give a chance to Seo Kyung to live in Train.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Seon-Gyeom, Run On. Yeah, I know. Im Siwan is tiny, delicate featured and has a runner’s build, none of which are things that normally appeal to me. But his character is so odd, so honest, so unflinching in pursuing what he thinks is right, so incapable of self-pity despite plenty of reasons for it, and so ridiculously attractive when he smiles, I don’t even care.

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Kim Bum, TotNT - I started out being annoyed by him and ended up looking forward to his scenes and being distraught by his ending.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

Honestly, none. I was fine with all the endings. I wouldn’t mind seeing post-end life of Tale of the Nine Tailed characters or the OTP settling into their literal new world in Train, but I am good.

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

Time jump that solves all the problems off screen or alternatively years pass and everyone is frozen - something that kdramas need to learn and need to learn badly. See Record of Youth, Brahms and Start Up.

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

Men who are ride or die for their OTP - this was a great year for this - the male leads of four of my five dramas were beyond anything on that scale (only exception is Run On because it’s still too early to tell there.) Yes PLEASE.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

This was a banner year for that what with Start Up, Do You Like Brahms, Record of Youth, and Private Lives all starting out well and nosediving off the cliff but winner is Crash Landing on You. I loved it so much for bulk of its run but the last episode pissed me off so much I deleted all my files and called it a day.

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

Flower of Evil - I had no expectations of this drama and wasn’t even planning on watching it despite liking both the lead actors because yet another “look at evil serial killer be evil” drama with no romance was not my thing. Luckily someone convinced me there might be some romance and I peeked curiously. Honestly, their promo campaign was the most misleading and dumbest thing ever.

Runner up Psycho but it’s OK - I have never liked Kim Soo Hyun in anything before and the drama premise seemed WTF but it was shockingly good and KSH totally blew me away.

Hardest Working Lead

Yoon Shi Yoon - he starred in two (!!!) dramas in 2020 playing three characters and not only were both these dramas awesome in a lackluster year, but if it wasn’t for the fact that I knew it was the same actor and the fact that the characters shared a face, I would have never believed that they were played by the same actor. So good!

2020 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

None. Covid Year gave me PLENTY of time

BEST NON-2020 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2020

My Beautiful Bride and Deserving of the Name - I was obsessed with both of them and honestly, they were much better than the bulk of 2020 kdramas I watched.

MOST ANTICIPATED IN 2021

The Moon That Rises in the Day, Hong Chun Gi, Joseon Exorcist, Island,  Frightening Cohabitation, Snowdrop.

#kdrama #flower of evil #tale of the nine tailed #ocn train #jtbc run on #jtbc chocolate #record of youth #crash landing on you #born again #love with flaws #sweet munchies #do do sol sol la la sol #meow the secret boy #when i was the most beautiful #woman of 9.9 billion #lies after lies #men are men #backstreet rookie #dinner mate #was it love #alice #more than friends #tvn start up #the spies who loved me #jtbc private lives #private lives #do you like brahms #i will go to you when the weather is nice #i'll go to you when the weather is nice #forest kdrama

[tomorrowsdrama]

2020: A Year in Thirst

In 1985, Gabriel Garcia Marquez gave the world Love in the Time of Cholera.  In 2020 (er, I guess it’s now 2021), I give to you, Thirst in the Time of Covid-19 or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace the Thirst, a brief recap of all the dramas I watched in 2020 and whether such dramas made yours truly parched..  

The list contains dramas that premiered in 2020, but also dramas from previous years.  If I watched it or attempted to watch it in 2020, it’s on the list.  

EDIT: Ok, I’m going to have to do this in multiple parts because apparently I watched more dramas in 2020 than I remembered and talking about them all in one post would just be too long.

This also serves as a sort of greeting to all the people who recently followed me.  I don’t know how or why, but thank you for being interested in my thirst, and also so sorry for everything you have/will witness here!  I started this side blog last December 2019 as a place to dump all my fangirl feels and thirst with unbridled abandon and let’s just say, the thirst REALLY ramped up in 2020 during quarantine and all the political chaos/uncertainty.  The state of the world may be uncertain, but my thirst will always be a comforting constant!  LOL. If you want to thirst or fangirl/boy together, I’m all ears.

Anyway, let’s start with the drama that was partially the inspiration for this list. 

1. The Wolf

Brief Summary: Sweet hot boy raised in the wilderness/by wolves meets sweet beautiful girl and they fall in love.  Shitty evil people do shitty evil things to them to cause a misunderstanding and they are separated for years.  Sweet hot boy is given the “Sexy Bloody Tormented Killer Makeover” TM and turns into a VERY VERY BAD HOT Wolf Man after being tortured/brainwashed by an evil asshole king who “adopted” him.  Bad Hot Wolf Man reunites with sweet beautiful girl but because of third party machinations in the past, he thinks that she betrayed him so he is suuuuuuch an ass to her (while still maintaining hotness).  But even beneath the asshattery (and sexy jerky smirks), he can’t help his love for her and it’s just *chefs kiss*. The angst, the pining, the mutual sacrifice for each other, the torment of wanting to be together but not being able to be together because of external forces/circustances, oh I am getting in a tizzy just thinking about it.  I won’t reveal anymore so as not to spoil the drama, but just know the ending may destroy you.

Is she thirsty? Am I thirsty? AM I THIRSTY?  Oh honey, if you don’t know the answer to that, then you must either be new here or you haven’t been paying attention to any of my posts in the past few weeks.  Look, from the first moment the camera panned to Darren Wang’s very well-defined and tan chest and windswept hair, all semblance of shame and dignity I ever tried to feign on this tumblr was immediately thrown out the window.  The feelings that he inspired within me were purely primal.  My cavewoman ancestor from millennia ago stopped gathering food in the harsh wilderness for a brief second to transmigrate into my body and go “me want big strong man!”

I mean, below is literally our introduction to Wolf Boy.  Am I supposed to just witness this and not feel anything?  The director knew what he/she was doing.  Anybody who worked on the drama who says they didn’t intend to exploit Darren Wang’s assets is a BOLD FACED LIAR. And this isn’t even Wolf boy in his hottest form.

That would be this:

Damn, your girl needs a moment here.  When Wolf Boy turns into Bad Hot Wolf Man, wheeeeewww.  The things that came out of my mouth and the thoughts that popped up into my head.

Examples of shameless fangirl drooling can be found here: https://tomorrowsdrama.tumblr.com/post/636986055498792960/dangermousie-this-should-be-illegal-i-mean Here: https://tomorrowsdrama.tumblr.com/post/637238885944033280/dangermousie-i-am-fucking-dead-the-end-this Here: https://tomorrowsdrama.tumblr.com/post/637793196830769152/dangermousie-wolfie-acquired-a-kid-omg Here: https://tomorrowsdrama.tumblr.com/post/635272988321775616/dangermousie-i-dont-know-about-you-guys-but and here: https://tomorrowsdrama.tumblr.com/post/637621638524977152/dangermousie-hnnnnnnnngh-i-am-beginning-to-forget

Honestly, just check out The Wolf tag on @dangermousie​ tumblr and you won’t be disappointed.  Prepare to become obsessed, horny, and heartbroken.

Would I watch it minus the thirst traps? Have you ever thirsted so much that you couldn’t separate what reaction was hormonal and what was objective?  Like the guy is so hot to you that when your friends ask you what do you like about him, the first 10 things you can think of are “he’s hot!” and then you try to remind yourself that you’re not a shallow person who actually cares about things other than looks but at the same time you can’t for the life of you think of a non-hot based trait that you like about the guy  Yeah, that’s what happened here so sorry, I can’t give you an objective opinion.  It’s not that there’s nothing objectively good about The Wolf, it’s just that my judgment is too clouded by Darren Wang’s abs and big hands.  But from what I can tell by other people’s posts, even if you didn’t thirst for Darren Wang (Are you made of stone?  But also, can you please teach me your magic so I can go back to being a semi-functional working woman?), The Wolf is still a very enjoyable drama with its own non-Darren Wang related merits.

2. My Beautiful Bride

Brief Summary: A drama about a strait-laced banker who wears a dorky backpack and rides a bicycle everywhere while wearing the dorkiest looking helmet ever and his beautiful bride-to-be whom he is hopelessly devoted to.  This being a kdrama, and an OCN drama at that, things aren’t all what they appear to be.  Yes, you read that right, an OCN. ROMANCE. DRAMA.  Turns out the beautiful bride-to-be has a dangerous past that soon comes back to haunt her and she mysteriously disappears one day from strait-laced banker’s life in the typical kdrama way to protect him.  Part of the reason she leaves him is also because she doesn’t want him to know about her past because she doesn’t think she’s good enough for him.  Little does she know, he knows everything about her past and accepts it all.  The only reason why he doesn’t bring it up is because he knows she doesn’t want him to know about that part of herself and he loves her so much he’s willing to do anything to make her happy.  But also, another thing she doesn’t know is that underneath that boring but perfectly ironed suit, is a finely chiseled, super efficient fighting machine who did his mandatory military service in the special forces.  He is like the terminator meets Liam Neeson’s character in Taken.  He has a very particular set of skills and will stop at nothing to get his bride back.

Is she thirsty?  Please just watch this video and you will have your answer: https://youtu.be/Ut9MhxWadHM

Prior to The Wolf, My Beautiful Bride was probably the most thirst-inducing drama I watched in 2020.

I mean, just look

at this

at all of this

I don’t’ know how Joo Young saw that body and never questioned whether he really was just a banker.  The writers of the drama must be super heterosexual men who are blind because so many of the characters in the drama question why someone as beautiful as Joo Young would ever want to be with someone like the banker. Um..Um...aside from the fact that he is financially well off, treats her well, is loving and respectful of her, and prioritizes her over everything else, JUST LOOK AT HIM.  I was so thirsty for Kim Mu Yeol in this role that I would accidentally tag this drama as My Beautiful Banker sometimes.  The banker was on a relentless one-man mission to take back his bride and turn me on in the process and ooooooh boy was he successful on both fronts.  He is seriously sex on legs every time he beats up a baddie in his quest to find answers about Joo Young’s whereabouts.

Would I watch it minus the thirst traps?  I binged the first six episodes of this drama in one afternoon partly because of my thirst, but also partly because it’s a very well made crime-action-gangster drama.  This is an OCN drama so you can expect a competently made production with well choreographed/bloody action scenes and a solid script.

3. Scarlet Heart Ryeo / Moon Lovers

Brief Summary: IU plays Hae Soo, a modern woman who is somehow transported back in time to the Goryeo period.  There, she gets entangled with a group of royal princes.  Her two main love interests are Wang So (played by Lee Jun Ki) and Wang Wook (played by Kang Ha Neul).  The princes vie for the throne and some of them for Hae Soo’s affection.  Lee Jun Ki does what he does best, which is play a sexy tortured deadly man who looks way too good with blood splattered on his face.  Kang Ha Neul is the seemingly kind prince/daddy long legs character who turns out to be not so kind or daddy long leggy.  Hae Soo is...well IU did the best she could with what she was given (which was a hot inconsistent mess).

Is she thirsty? Scarlet Heart Ryeo is like the honeypot of thirst traps.  It’s essentially a reverse harem set up with a prince for everyone.

Like them young and cute?  Then try the 10th prince, Wang Eun.

Want them big, tall, and kinda dumb?  Here’s the 14th prince Wang Jung for ya.

Want an evil bastard with an affinity for guyliner?  Try out 3rd prince Wang Yo.

Tall, slender, and scholarly? 13th prince Baek-ah will fill your needs.

Is a kind/gentle man who will ultimately disappoint you because he doesn’t show up when you need him most more your speed?  Well, let me introduce you to 8th prince, Wang Wook.

Kinda scary but oh so hot and with a ton of baggage?  We’re talking, I overpacked and brought 10 overstuffed large suitcases levels of baggage. 4th prince Wang So is the guy for you.

And if you prefer someone with no personality, presence, or memorable traits, I got a two-for-one deal for you in the crown prince Wang Mu and 9th prince Wang Won.

Would I watch it minus the thirst traps?  There is political intrigue, scheming, romance, fluffy hijinks (my least favorite parts of the drama), angst, beautiful costumes, and pretty decent fight scenes.  Scarlet Heart Ryeo is a pretty solid fusion/fantasy sageuk mostly thanks to Lee Jun Ki.  The only person who has ever carried a larger load on his back is Atlas.  I’m not saying all the other actors are horrendous. It’s just very clear that the one elevating the material beyond the inconsistencies/messiness/elementary politics of the script is Lee Jun Ki.  Your enjoyment level of the drama will likely increase if you are a fan of any of the main actors.  

#the wolf #darren wang #my beautiful bride #kim mu yeol #scarlet heart ryeo #moon lovers: scarlet heart ryeo #lee jun ki #kang ha neul #ji soo #cdrama #kdrama

[shine-bells]

Yang Sejong Interview for News1 2017 English Translation Part 1

Yang Sejong, “Let’s date in the first encounter? It’s not my way of dating.”

‘The proper line’ found by Yang Sejong was outstanding. SBS ‘Temperature of Love’ male lead, On Jungsun was different from any other man we have seen in dramas. He was affectionate, sensitive, and delicate. A unique character among many young men who have made ‘straight-forward’ attractive. Yang Sejong joined the ranks of the next generation of male actors by completing a rare love line with Seo Hyunjin. 

This year is the result of constant running. After making his face known through SBS's ‘Saimdang, Lights of Diary’ and ‘Romantic Doctor Kim Sabu’, OCN's ‘Dual’ showed his potential by playing three roles as human clone. He immediately became the main character of the TV station and proved his worth amid expectations and concerns.

He was much more relaxed and confident than when he was in the interview for Romantic Doctor Kim Sabu. And at the same time, I felt something absolutely certain that I wanted to keep my balance. Yang Sejong, who felt the ‘temperature’ of popularity this year, was the most important thing now. There were several times when he gave the same answer to different questions.

All the questions about ancillary things, such as popularity and characters, came back to the answer "I focused only on the essence of acting."   It is in the same vein that when you enter a work, you disconnect from the outside world and enter your own space. Unlike the noisy surroundings, it calms down one's mind. It was also the most important thing for him, who rose to stardom faster than anyone else.

Q. You have become a very ‘hot’ actor because of Temperature of Love. How’s popularity you’ve tasted this time?

Oh, It’s not. When I’m doing my work, I’m blocking myself from the outside. I couldn't meet anyone outside because I only had time at dawn.  So I didn't know how popular it was. There was a break for about 4 days after the temperature of love was over, some people recognized me and asked me to take pictures. I was grateful.

Q. I happened to meet you on the street at the beginning of Temperature of Love. With t-shirt, jeans, and no shaving.

That's right. (laughs) That's what I usually do. I wear training clothes or jeans and go around comfortably. Few people recognize me if I don't blow dry my hair. (laughs).

Q. Many people knows Yang Sejong after he starred as a lead role in the drama, aren’t your parents the most pleased?

My parents are also calm. They don’t watch TV often. Haha.

Q. The male character like On Jungsun is very fresh. He isn’t just a man with ‘force-power’ or ‘straight forward’ and tsundere character. He is a kind but delicate man, it must be a difficult character.

Everything was the power of the script. It was not because what I did, it was all in the script. The more I couldn’t grasp, the more I held into the script. It was the same when I was acting before, but this time I was really live with the script.  I was listening to music, and I read the script.

Q. What did you pay attention more to express the character of On Jungsun?

I didn’t try to ‘pretend to look cool’. That was all in the script. Originally, I liked to find ‘the nature’ of the character. So, I tried not to ‘pretend’ anymore. I was trying to get to the point. Only in the  circumstances of Jungsun’s life, I focused on Jungsun’s relationship. I was trying to express it as it is without overdoing it.

Q. Was On Jungsun a difficult character for Yang Sejong?

I tried not to think that it’s difficult even though it’s hard. I was talking about the script with the director (Nam Geon) and suddenly the idea just popped up. The director said, "What about Jungsun having a blue heart?". It came to me as a keyword. This words are hard to explain, if I have to explain, he’s a person who wants to have a blue heart. You could say that it’s confidence and ease. I want On Jungsun to be that kind of person.

Q. In a previous interview, you said that you used a perfume that suits each characters. What kind of perfume does On Jungsun use?

I have a perfume that I chose because I like the ‘base note’. The lingering scent is just like Jungsun. I ordered three perfumes called Narciso Rodriguez Bleu Noir For Him. I used that perfume (laugh). 

Q. What is your favorite line of On Jungsun?

I think that it’s the words that Yang Sejong needed the most, so it becomes my memorable line. ‘There is a priority in life’, I love that words. I think that Yang Sejong is a real unstable person. People around me say I am impulsive. Everytime I do that, I’ll think about that words, and everything will be fine (laugh). Stay calm and calm. 

Q. So what is Yang Sejong's priority?

The first is family, the second is acting, and the third is walking alone at dawn? (laughs)

Q. What are the differences and the similarities between Yang Sejong and On Jungsun?

In the beginning, Jungsun doesn't want to talk about his family history or anything. But, Sejong does. If I love someone, I can tell what’s inside me.  That's the obvious difference.

Q. How about Jungsun’s way of ‘Let’s date’ in the first meet?

That's really different from me. When I have someone I like, I observe for a long time, talk to her a lot, and when I'm sure, I’ll approach her. I mostly doubt the feeling at first. 'This is just a moment’s emotion. No, let’s think about it carefully’ like this. (laugh) If you get to know and get along well with that person, it leads to the feeling that you want to be in a relationship, otherwise I can’t.

Q. What about Yang Sejong’s dating style?

I always lose when I’m in a relationship. Looking back, I always did. Even if the other person does something wrong, if they're in love, they don't argue or complain. ‘Don’t you think that person is so pretty?’ it released right a way. ‘Next time, don’t do that’ I think it goes like that.

Q. Isn’t it your first love scene in melodrama? I think there must have a lot of NGs.

 There was a kissing scene too in Saimdang. I didn’t have much NGs. (Does that mean you’re skilled?) Haha. That’s not what I meant. We've had a lot of rehearsals for our movements. We've had enough practice, so we've got less NGs.

Q. You said ‘beautiful person’ to your costar Seo Hyunjin. I don’t think you said that just because the appearance.

Yes.  It's an all-in-one expression. She is indeed beautiful but the personality and inner self are beautiful too. Beautiful in itself? (laugh) She’s the moodmaker. She’s everyone’s favorite.

“DO NOT TAKE OUT WITHOUT PERMISSION”

© news1.kr /  © News1 2017.11.28 굳피플엔터테인먼트 제공 /  © News1 2017.11.28 굳피플엔터테인먼트 ���공 /  © News1 SBS 홈페이지 /  © News1 2017.11.28 굳피플엔터테인먼트 제공 /  '싱글즈' © News1

#yang sejong #yang se jong #yang sejong interview #양세종 #사랑의 온도 #temperature of love #news1kr

[kakenaku]

Bae Doona and Oh Yoon Ah worked together in an OCN drama in 2006!?! OMG!?! It's called Someday. How come, I'm just realizing this now lmao?! Maybe these two can re-unite someday? Is there a drama pairing or so that you would love to see regardless of genre? Thanks!

nooo i did see that and was about to lose my marbles but it’s from before the ocnification of ocn so it’s a romance sadly :((( plus the lead is l*w and i’m allergic to him^^ you know actually it would be cool to see them in something without shitty men although they do give off different energy i think it’d be fun you’re right anon.

as for pairings my brain has been entirely consumed with imagining casts for lee yooyoung as one of her 7 international fans so i was thinking how her with han yeri or moon geunyoung in a senior-junior/competitive setting would be cool like bubbly junior and then yooyoung as the kinda aloof one although it’d be the other way round if it was yeri or as a friendship trio like with be melo except..good or maybe even as a sageuk antagonist (but let’s not go there yet) oh but also if yooyoung reunited with kim junhan and got to make fun of him that’d be lovely like he could do a seo gongmyung-esque character not sure if she would want to do a sera-like role though lmao and if she reunites with kyuhyung in like a melo or something i’d actually watch it -though hesitantly. she could also do a character similar to iu’s in my mister with- *gets rugby tackled to the ground*

ps: none of these are romance sorry :)))) but if she’s the protagonist i guess we can give her a handsome carpenter bf who doesn’t interrupt the general plot like kim jisuk or something

#anon #answered #kdrama asks #we'll see if oya is suited to ocn stuff once the cursed movie comes out but i believe in it we will see it #speaking of oya her with kjs would be incredible #sorry anon i was serious when i said i only think about yooyoung potential casting as her agent and pr manager #technically jaeyi is pretty similar to my mister iu but i want it AGAIN #i could talk nonstop about casts i want to see

[isisparker]

So Episode 8 [of OCN's Search] happened...

First thing’s first: Soo Young was found and here’s hoping the child learns her lesson [probably not]. Also little disappointed Da Jung didn’t get to do much besides look awesome in that uniform. Maybe something will happen in the final two episodes? *fingers crossed* Oh and I do wonder, like I bet the less than ten or so of us in the tags watching this show, if Soo Young will be the next person exposed to the substance.

Speaking of: Okay so I’m glad to be wrong. It’s FOUR that got infected, not three. The Host [aka Ye Rim’s dad, Sang Min] inevitably saved Captain Jo*, who was presumed dead. Sang Min took him to question on his family’s whereabouts, didn’t like the answer he was given, and in an anguished rage unfortunately ended up impaling himself and infecting Captain Jo with his radiated blood. So I was wrong to theorize that Sang Min lived long enough thus why he was more powerful than the other two... However, since Captain Jo became infected with the blood while on the verge of death in addition to decades exposure to that same substance, he possibly has more control over his abilities and maybe a concious?

And since we’re on the subject of Captain Jo, aka CONFIRMED Dong Jin’s dad: From the moment the show started sprinkling hints of Dong Jin questioning who his dad was, I freaking knew that somehow his dad was connected to the '97 DMZ Incident! And wouldn't you know it he was the Captain Jo that cowardly asshole Lee Hyuk literally shot from behind. The fact that the sons of both men have that angst and drama between them when they initially started out on trusting and respectful terms breaks my heart (but OMG am I LIVING for the angst)!

Lee Hyuk needs to die by the end of this series. This episode just highlighted all the shit he has done and will continue doing just to enhance his political and personal goal. As if we needed yet another reminder that politicians like him [Presidential Candidates like him. THANKS FOR BEING TOO ON THE NOSE DRAMA] don’t give a shit about the truth and are looking out for their interest. Also I'm not sorry at all for how he really lost his leg. It's just disappointing the explosion wasn't strong enough to obliterate him there and then.

Can we have Min Kyu somehow manipulate Lee Hyuk and the system to come out on top without it resorting to him being Lee Hyuk's puppet til the bitter end? Like I'm thoroughly enjoying the fact that this dude KNOWS he has to do shady shit and back door dealings to get ahead, but there's a fine line between manipulating the system and being someone's lackey. I have faith that Min Kyu is smarter than that. Or, y'know, he dies because he Icarused himself.

I love Ye Rim pushing back on Min Kyu’s obvious attempt to do Lee Hyuk’s dirty work. She’s not only smart but hella brave to go against a commanding officer of a unit she’s technically an asset for and not a part of. Her reminding him that any jurisdiction he thinks he has towards the substance is actually the KCST’s jurisdistion was certainly music to my ears.

Joon Sung exposing his father's lies probably did at least a couple things: 1. Redeemed him for his temporary betrayal, 2. Put his name high on the list of Most Likely to Die in the last two eps, and 3. Shed light on who Dong Jin's dad was. I didn’t like having to watch Joon Sung betray Dong Jin like he did, but it’s good to know that for such a good guy he definitely is flawed. Definitely gives him character.

Plus, as I mentioned, I am living for the tension and angst between him and Dong Jin. Y’know I started this drama not prepared to be invested in any relationships, just in the characters. IF ANY. Because in this type of genre you should honestly NEVER GET ATTACHED. Anyway, I already knew there’d be at least one designated romance ship as there was one male lead and one female lead and OH LOOK THEY’RE EXES NOW HAVING TO WORK TOGETHER *cue Unresolved Sexual Tension music* I was totally prepared for that to the point of expecting them to reconcile. Heck I was also prepared to watch tension in the form of the scrappy young soldier vs the asshole commanding officer [in this case: Dong Jin vs Min Kyu].... NO ONE PREPARED ME FOR DONG JIN AND JOON SUNG’S RELATIONSHIP. From Joon Sung looking out for Dong Jin, to Dong Jin feeling like he could trust Joon Sung to watch his back, to THAT KNIFE SPARRING [what even, c’mon FANSERVICE THANK YOU], and then the betrayal of the video tape which opened the door to the biggest heartbreak of all: Joon Sung’s father “killing” Dong Jin’s dad and disgracing Dong Jin’s dad’s name! Oh how will these two ever amend from all this? [*cue Noble Sacrifice*]

Oh so yeah, I was right to expect another death. Wasn’t expecting the two shown in this episode but seems on brand for the genre to shed more blood. I’m still anticipating at least one or two more on the body count but hey at least we can cross off Moon Cheul from that list. Poor lucky bastard got taken out of the final inning with that spinal injury.

Aw man next week is the finale week! Good thing too because I don’t know if I could have stand to watch this drama if it was a usual full 16+ episodes like most kdramas are [even though I’m slowly slipping into shipping mode, sorry not sorry?]! It really does make a difference in storytelling if the writers are given a shorter episode order vs longer order. Even though there have been pacing issues and moments of filler that I really could have done without [like, honeslty 65% of the village happenings, even though I GET IT, I get why they humanized the small town folks in order to humanize and amp Da Jung’s character], the writer of this drama kept tight certain elements in order for this train not to derail. Small twists here and there are fine, but only because they make some sense to the story.

Is the plot laughably formularic to most military/thriller/creature feature stories? YES. But that’s part of the enjoyment! Correctly guessing which trope/cliche is part of the fun! And the fact that it doesn’t fight against the tropes usually found in that type of genre is probably why I’ve been a fan since the start. 

*edited because I started rewatching and I realized I got the names of current Leader Song mixed with ‘97 Capt Jo wrong. Gonna go back and edit all my posts with the change. My apologises.

#ocn search #search ocn #search #kdrama #look at me wax poetics about a drama #that probably literally less than 10 ppl on this site watches #it's a dumb thriller drama #and probably the current highlight of my weekend

[justharuthings]

KDRAMA.

My Top 5 Korean-Drama Recommendations:

1. Chicago Typewriter

2. Remember: War of the Son

3. Tunnel

4. D-Day

5. Class of Lies

Disclaimer: I am NOT A FAN of romantic comedies, so most of my kdrama recommendations are all under the genre of crime, mystery and thriller.

5. Class of Lies (2019)

Network: OCN

Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Episodes: 16

Plot (by AsianWiki):

Ki Moo-Hyeok (Yoon Kyun Sang) is a lawyer with a high winning rate. He only cares about money. Due to a murder case at a high school which he deals with, his reputation as a lawyer hits rock bottom. In order to regain his good name as a lawyer, he sneaks into the high school and begins to work as a temporary teacher. He tries to reveal a secret which the students have. In so doing, Ki Moo-Hyeok gets involved with Teacher Ha So-Hyun (Keum Sae Rok). She is P.E. teacher who loves her students. Ki Moo-Hyeok and Ha So-Hyun then face the students' secret.

Thoughts/Conclusion:

As I am writing this, this is the latest kdrama I have watched. This was recommended by my friend and I remembered myself including this in my list of kdramas ‘to watch’ way before, but hasn’t been able to, yet. Hahaha!

In all of the dramas I’ve watched (with the same plot as this one), this one stands out the most because of its ending ㅡ open-ended. Yes, there were still some unanswered questions, but that is what made this drama intriguing. I love how realistic the approach of the drama is in interpreting the story. That not everything gets resolved, and in this drama too, the ending with Yu Beom Jin left us with many unanswered questions.

4. D-Day (2015)

Network: JTBC

Genre: Medical Drama, Disaster, Romance

Episodes: 20

Plot (by Wikipedia):

Lee Hae-sung is a surgeon who is transferred from one of the best hospitals in Seoul to a rundown hospital with no ER. After disobeying his previous hospital director, Park Geon, he then meets Jung Ddol-mi, an orthopedic resident from Busan who came to Seoul to transfer a patient. Ddol-mi tries to meet professor Han Woo-jin, a cold robotics surgeon who works in Hae-sung's old hospital who saved her life when she was younger before going back to Busan. However, she is stuck in Seoul after trying to save a patient. Meanwhile, a sinkhole appears in Seoul followed by a big earthquake that blocks all access to the city, causing phones, electricity, and water to not function. Hae-sung teams up with Ddol-mi to treat people, but soon medicine starts to run out.

Thoughts/Conclusion:

If I will recall, I think this is the first medical kdrama I have watched? I watched this because of Lee Sungyeol of INFINITE is casted in this drama and also because of the plot. But as I go on, I found myself so absorbed in the series.

What I liked about this series aside from the plot are the actors and actresses. They all did well in portraying each character, but I have to say, Kim Young Kwang really stands out for me. He has put a lot of effort in expressing his emotions into his character and it felt so real.

3. Tunnel (2017)

Network: OCN

Genre: Police Procedural, Crime, Thriller

Episodes: 16

Plot (by AsianWiki):

In 1986, Detective Park Gwang-Ho (Choi Jin Hyuk) desperately tries to catch a serial killer. He chases after the serial killer and goes through a tunnel. On the other side of the tunnel, Detective Park Gwang-Ho finds himself in the year 2017. The serial killer has resumed the killings that began 30 years ago. Detective Park Gwang-Ho works with Detective Kim Sun-Jae (Yoon Hyun Min) and Professor of Criminal Psychology Shin Jae-Yi (Lee Yoo Young) to catch the killer.

Thoughts/Conclusion:

I was actually torn between Tunnel and Signal, but I decided to include Tunnel in my Top 5 kdrama recommendations because it tackles criminal psychology as well as criminal profiling and I have been very interested in those things lately. What makes this series intriguing is that, it shows how psychopaths and sociopaths are developing in the society.

2. Remember: War of the Son (2015)

Network: SBS

Genre: Legal Drama, Crime, Thriller, Mystery

Episodes: 20

Plot (by Wikipedia):

Seo Jin-woo has a special condition called hyperthymesia which allows him to remember almost every day in perfect detail. While his father, Seo Jae-hyuk on the other hand, developed an Alzheimer's disease, making him lose his memories. When Seo Jae-hyuk was wrongfully convicted of murder, Jin-woo vows to prove innocence of his father. Four years later, Jin-woo becomes a lawyer to put the real criminal behind bars but bribery, corruption, and betrayals would not give him an easy road to justice.

Thoughts/Conclusion:

This series has been my top 1 kdrama ever since I have watched it, but Chicago Typewriter happened (well, I’ll be talking about this later). I came across a clip from the first episode of the series in Facebook. It was the scene on Jinwoo and Inha on the bus while identifying the culprit who stole something from Inha. I was intrigued about it and how Jinwoo has sharp memory and remembers everything.

What I love about this drama is the refreshing new plot and the characters, oh, let’s not forget how good Nam Goong Min portrayed his character as Nam Gyu Man. He really showed excellent acting skills to the point that even the viewers will hate him SO MUCH. Hahaha.

1. Chicago Typewriter (2017)

Network: TVN

Genre: Historical, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance

Episodes: 16

Plot (by Wikipedia):

The series depicts three resistance fighters who lived during the 1930s Japanese occupation of Korea, and are reincarnated into the present as a best-selling writer in a slump, a fan, and a ghostwriter.

It is an epic story of comradeship, friendship, love and betrayal that lasts 80 years. As the trio of writer, ghostwriter and fan race against time to find the truth of the past that haunts them, will their discovery affect their present?

Thoughts/Conclusion:

This is actually one of the recent kdramas I’ve watched during this enhanced community quarantine and I just have to say that this is actually one of my regrets in life (ok this is exaggerated lol but anyways). I regret not being able to watch this during the release which was last 2017. But it was actually on my ‘to watch’ list at that time. I’ve seen the plot and it made me curious, so I waited for it to finish before actually starting it, but I wasn’t really able to watch it because I got busy with school.

THIS. IS. SO. SO. SO. SO. GOOD.

As I’ve said above, Remember: War of the Son used to be my top 1 kdrama of all time, but after watching Chicago Typewriter, I changed my mind. Okay hear me out, I’ve seen A LOT of kdramas with new and interesting plot, but they haven’t topped Remember yet, but Chicago Typewriter just did, and I really mean it.

For the story, there were times where I felt that the story-line was moving slow. I mean, I wasn’t expecting it to be fast-paced but there were really scenes that I think have been dragged too long and not that important. But aside that, everything was SO GOOD. YES. IT WAS SO GOOD.

I love how series unfold the genuine friendship between the three main characters during the 1930s Japanese occupation of Korea – Seo Hwiyoung, Ryu Soohyun and Shin Yul. The storytelling throughout the drama is also good, even though they were constantly shifting timelines between 1930s and the present.  

The OSTs in the series were also GOOD. I tried listening to it after I watched the drama and I swear, listening to Satellite by SALTNPAPER and Writing Our Stories by SG Wannabe brings back all those emotions you’ve felt while watching it.

#JustHaru #KDrama #KoreanDrama #ClassOfLies #YoonKyunSang #D-Day #KimYoungKwang #Tunnel #YoonHyunMin #Remember #YooSeungHo #ChicagoTypewriter #YooAhIn #GoKyungPyo #ImSooJung

[thenotsosecretbits]

what were your favorite kdramas of the year? or what kdramas did you watch?

A few weeks ago I decided to make a list of all the kdramas I've ever watched.  One reason is because I was super bored at work (much like I am now) and the other is that my daughter wanted to know exactly how many kdramas I've watched and I needed an accurate list.  

I watched 11 kdramas that aired in 2019, and although one began in 2018, it ended in 2019 so it counts.  I watched 2 dramas this year that originally aired in 2017, so they do not count on my 2019 list.

They are in order of favorite to least favorite and with commentary, because knowing my fave dramas means nothing if you don't know why I liked them:

My Country: The New Age - My favorite drama of 2019.  The acting was stellar.  This drama made me feel things.  Mostly overwhelming love for Nam Seon-ho, my favorite character in a drama ever.  This drama moved me to tears.  I knew that ending was coming and I was still not prepared for how much it gutted me.  Will recommend this show to everyone.  I will not warn them about the ending.  I want them to hurt just like I did.

Leverage: Con Artists - My only complaint about Leverage is that there are only 16 episodes.  I loved this crew.  I loved the cons.  Hopefully there will be a season two and if there is I will be watching.  I miss this show a lot.

Memories of the Alhambra - The ending is the only thing I disliked about this drama.  Everything else was great.  MotA made me a fan of Hyun Bin.  This show was all about his character and he delivered.  Jin-woo deserved better than that ending, though.

Watcher - Really great drama.  Everyone should watch it.  This drama was good at showing you that sometimes good people do bad things for what they think are the right reasons and the way those things can change you, sometimes for the better, but mostly for the worse.

I liked the next four dramas equally, so 4-way tie.

Hotel Del Luna - This drama is worth watching for IU's wardrobe alone.  Was not a fan of Captain Firefly, was a fan of everyone else.  They really should not have given us that last scene if they weren’t going to deliver.

Her Private Life - Cutest couple ever.  Ryan and Deok-Mi were great.  I loved that he accepted her and all her wacky fangirl ways.  I loved that, for all her wacky fangirl ways, you knew that he was the one she loved the most.  Great kisses, which are important in kdramas.

The Tale of Nokdu - Got really heavy towards the end, but I didn't mind that, though some people did.  I like that it ended on a lighthearted note, but still maintained a bit of that seriousness, which is important. 

Romance is a Bonus Book - Good show.  I happen to like Lee Jong Suk (he was in one of my other favorite dramas W: Two Worlds) and I like that he picked this as his last show before enlistment.  I liked Dan-i, because I could identify with her a lot.  At one point I was also a single mom trying to get back into the job market (not for the same reasons) and realizing how hard that is when you see how different things are.  I loved the publishing company, they were wonderful.  And the love of books.  As an avid reader I really liked that.

Kill It - This drama made me so mad.  This drama would have been higher on the list but I hated the ending.  HATED IT!!!  Other than that, it was a good drama that tackled a pretty horrible topic.  But the ending.  *deep sigh*  The ending. (I just realised Kill It was on OCN and now I'm mad at myself for expecting a different ending. My dissatisfaction with the ending is my own fault. )

Melting Me Softly - Lots of people hated this drama.  I didn't mind it much.  The main couple were cute and that was pretty much all I cared about.  Could it have been better?  Absolutely.  Ji Chang Wook continues to deliver stellar on screen kisses. 

My Absolute Boyfriend - I will say this was very bingeable.  I finished it in a weekend.  Ending could have been a bit less ambiguous.  Yeo Jin Goo is always adorable.

I also watched Mad Dog and Save Me (both starring my new fave Woo Do Hwan) in 2019.  Of those, I liked Mad Dog the most.  Would definitely have watched a second season of that.  Save Me was a very close second, but I was not a fan of Sang Hwan, who diminished my like of the show a bit, since he was the lead and therefor never went away.  I'd watch it again though.  Dong-cheol and Sang-mi were great.  All the villains were horrible and deserved everything that happened to them.

And that is my list.  2019 wasn’t a bad year for good dramas.  2018 was definitely worse.  I started a bunch of dramas in 2018 I still haven’t finished yet.  I should probably do that.

#asked and answered #my kdramas of 2019 #my country #my country the new age #memories of the alhambra #leverage: con artists #ocn watcher #hotel del luna #tale of nokdu #romance is a bonus book #ocn kill it #melting me softly #my absolute boyfriend #her private life

[unnursvanablog]

I am not a huge fan of crime dramas or detective shows, but OCN Train does have few things that sort of makes me make an exception to my uninterested in the genre. It has Yoon Shi Yoon and it is has some time travel or sci-fi elements mixed up in it. And I am always here for that kind of nonsense. Put that kind of twist to a murder mystery or just put it in a historical setting and I instantly find it a lot more appealing.

For some reason I was under the impression that the two leads characters were married so when I started the show I was really confused by their odd relationship. Had the gotten divorced or something? but it turns out that I was just mixing it up with the upcoming drama Flower of Evil, which is also sort of two identities crime drama that is coming up in like 2 weeks time.

The relationships that all of the characters have with each other is interesting, but at the same time so unbelievably tragic and a bit over the top to me. And perhaps just a bit too convoluted with them both being raised by the police chief? idk was I misunderstanding things... isn't there a better way to tie things together? I wasn't really enjoying that part of the setup.

I understand the drama of his dad having murder her dad but they love each other. But to me it's just a bit too over the top. And I feel like I both enjoyed that she died and the end of the episode two to raise the stakes, but at the same time I hate that she had to die to further the story.

I get that she is going to come back or Do Won is going to get into contact with the other Seo Kyung and I am really excited about it and I get that choice. But I am just a bit bumbed out that they fridged her as well.

The mystery was good. I think they set that stuff up really well. I don't think they balanced it out as well as I would have liked with the tragic backstory and their relationships and all of that. But I liked the glimpses of it that we got.

But I did find myself being annoyed when the female prosecutor was doing fieldwork in high heals (Memorist was really frustrating to watch when it came to that as well) and just cops and prosecutors locking themselves with the suspects and hitting them. I know the writers do it because they are showing the quest for the truth and justice within the main characters and that behavior is okay, cuz they are the good guys.

But it's just very unprofessional and I would like to see less if it in cop shows. It was also a thing that bothered me about Memorist (and lot of cop shows in general). I know it’s fiction and I know the characters are trying to uphold a law, but do you have to act like a dick? There wasn't a lot of it here, just like glimpses, and I have certainly seen worse in cop shows. But I never really like watching it. And especially not right now.

We didn't however get nearly enough sci-fi stuff and as a person who is really here for the sci-fi stuff I was hoping for something more. But I get the buildup to it and I am sure that once that stuff really get's going I might be properly hooked into the show.

#ocn train #first impressions

[overthinkingkdrama]

Jona’s 5 Worst Dramas of 2019

A couple words about this list. I’m making this for fun. If a drama you love ended up on this list, it doesn’t mean that I hate you or I think you’re stupid or have terrible taste. But these are dramas that inspired strong negative reactions in me for one reason or another, whether that be disappointment, rage or disgust.

I’ve only included dramas that finished airing in 2019 in my selection process. If you have some dramas that hated, feel free to share them in the replies or send me an ask. It’s fun to complain about things for some reason.

Also, I have included major SPOILERS in a couple of these. So read at your own peril.

Dishonorable Mention: Melting Me Softly

I sincerely tried to limit myself to only dramas that I--for whatever misguided reasons--finished in their entirety for this list. Mainly because I don’t think it’s fair to brand something as the “worst” of anything without actually giving the thing a fair shake. That’s the only reason Melting Me Softly isn’t higher on this list. But I felt that it wasn’t right to leave it off entirely, if for no other reason then out of respect for the fallen Ji Chang Wook stans out there who lost their lives trying to make it through this trash fire. Somebody needs to stand up for those brave soldiers, out their gifing trash dramas while people like me are safe and sound on our couches, watching the tag like it’s a train wreck.

I made it through only two episodes of this drama, and despite my goodwill toward the majority of the cast, they were two of the most bafflingly bad hours of television that I forced myself to sit through this year. From what I could tell while side-eyeing the drama on tumblr and twitter it didn’t improve much over the course of the run. There were a couple steamy kisses that I enjoyed in clip form, but I don’t think it would have been worth the brain cells lost to sit through any more than that.

Bottom Line: Painfully unfunny, overwhelmingly expositional with no character development, confusing pacing and sloppy editing. Two episodes was two too many.

5. When the Devil Calls Your Name

It pains me to put this on the list because it was just last year that a Jung Kyung Ho, Park Sung Woong collaboration (Life on Mars) ended up in my top 5. And giving credit where it’s due, the two male leads seem to have a great deal of fun working together and I believe that all the actors gave this drama everything they could and sincerely tried to make it work. That’s one of the things I like about Jung Kyung Ho, he picks unique, risky projects that either pay off in a big way or fall flat on their faces (like the amateurishly written and edited Missing 9) Unfortunately, this script just too messy and too bizarre to work. Ha Rip as has a deeply frustrating character arc. He’s such a self-centered jerk for the vast majority of the drama, which is fine for a Faust type story if it’s written with conviction, but every time you think he’s started to turn a corner or grown as a person he reverts back to his old ways. The writing and tone are whiplash inducing. Plus the vague “soul mates” relationship between Ha Rip and Kim Yi Kyung seemed to want to have it both ways, flipping between implied romantic potential and a father/daughter dynamic, which made me quite uncomfortable.

Bottom Line: This drama’s bizarre mythology and world building barely makes any sense at all, but at least they’re easier to follow than the character development. Attempted something unique, but couldn’t pull it off. The OST is super dope though.

4. Love in Sadness

When I watched the first teasers I got the distinct impression that this wasn’t going to be a good drama, or at best it was going to be a guilty pleasure, but at the time when I started it I was hungry for a melo and there wasn’t much airing to hold my attention so I started it on impulse. I think in this case I got what I deserved for continuing to watch something I didn’t think was very good.

The first few episodes were actually pretty gripping and intriguingly dark, but that petered of quickly and the drama became and infuriating wheel spinning exercise with barely any perceptible plot development from episode to episode. The protagonists in this are all so stupid that in the final few episodes the female lead gets kidnapped not once, but multiple times because she keeps meeting her unstable husband alone. Plus nobody in this drama seems to know how to call the police when a madman is waving around a gun. It probably wouldn’t have made me so very mad except that in the last few episodes the writer became unaccountably preoccupied with how sad the psychotic, wife-beating husband’s family life was and how lonely and pathetic his life was when he wasn’t allowed to stalk, assault, and psychologically terrorize his wife. Seriously, in the last leg of the drama the villain is the only character who gets any character development at all. The drama pulls out all the stops to try to make use feel sorry for him. It’s disgusting.

Bottom Line: When a drama about a woman trying to escape domestic violence becomes completely preoccupied with painting the abuser as tragically misunderstood, you’ve got some serious problems.

3. The Lies Within

If it wasn't for the last two episodes this drama would not be on this list, but that isn't because it was in any way an exceptional drama, or that it otherwise would have ended up on my best list. Without the last two episodes The Lies Within is a merely adequate thriller, somewhat heightened by the brutal nature of the premise. I picked this show up largely to fill the void that was left by WATCHER and it was more or less successful, plus it helped that I liked the cast. However even at the beginning this drama I felt like it had some pretty glaring tone problems. There were parts of the drama that were standard OCN dark and gritty thriller, and there were other parts that felt like a campy police sitcom. The humor, when it does crop up in this drama always feels super out of place. But then that last big twist happened and man...I can't remember the last time a drama made me that angry or cratered quite so hard with a twist.

[And this is where I spoil the HELL out of this drama...]

Before this drama decided to go all M. Night Shyamalan in it’s last two episodes, there seemed to be at least one, if not two really reasonable candidates for the kidnapper. Actually all the ground work they’d done up to that point would seem to have pointed to Young Min and if he had turned out to be the perpetrator, I would have completely bought it. Instead they decided to blow everyone’s mind by making the kidnapped husband complicit in his own kidnapping and dismemberment. Which might seem like a shocking twist until you think about it for even half a second.

What it winds up doing on a narrative level it makes everything the characters have done to investigate this series of crimes up to this point feel pointless, resulting in a huge anticlimax. It makes the ambiguous figure of Seo Hui’s husband not only hopelessly stupid, but also cruel and unsympathetic. Because he thought somehow simply sharing the information with her would put her in more danger than threatening and psychologically terrorizing her into investigating the very people he was theoretically trying to protect her from. The explanation that he was already terminally ill doesn’t to anything to mitigate the stupidity of his plan for me. Seriously, you couldn’t think of any solution aside from cutting bits off yourself and sending them to your wife in the mail? I could rant about this ending at length, but I’m going to try to stop here.

Bottom Line: As far as I’m concerned, if you choose to sacrifice the emotional and narrative coherence of your story for a cheap and dirty twist to surprise the audience, you deserve every ranty review you get.

2. Love Affairs in the Afternoon

I’m really not sure what possessed me to watch this drama to begin with. That I continued to watch it is on me. The fact that I watched it despite hating the shallow characters, the thin story and the abortive message at the core of the drama is simply a lapse of judgement for which I shouldn’t be forgiven. Why did I do it despite not having a single nice thing to say about this show? Well, there are two reasons. I was curious to see if they would do anything compelling with one or two of the characters, (specifically the serial adulteress housewife an the broody artist) and I was surreptitiously watching this drama at work and it was really easy to follow the plot while only actually keeping my eyes on the screen about half the time. I watched the last episode before the subs were available and had no trouble understanding what was going. Which could be a sign that my Korean is improving, but is more likely a sign that the writing was so predictable and simplistic that you could follow it if you didn’t speak the language at all.

[Spoilers beyond this point.]

It’s my understanding that in the Jdrama that this is based on all of the characters basically wreck their lives and end up miserable, pointing toward the emptiness of the lives of these people who try to find fulfillment through extra-marital affairs. If that’s how this drama had ended, I still wouldn’t have enjoyed the execution but I could have respected the intent. But in this watered down Kdrama-fied version all the couples’ issues are resolved in the whitewash of a last episode time skip that makes the suffering and bullshit that led up to it feel completely pointless.

Bottom Line: Maybe this level of trashy, uninspired tripe would be somewhat justified if the chemistry between the leads had been better, but somehow they even managed to screw that up. The leads are just bad, vacuous people, a fact which is rendered all the more unforgivable by them being utterly bland. Everybody needed to divorce, nobody deserved to end up happy. Please be wiser than me and avoid this one.

1. Memories of the Alhambra

Initially, I was on the fence about even producing a “Worst List” this year, because in the past few years I’ve tried to be better about dropping dramas the moment they start to disappoint me, rather than hanging on to them and winding up burning myself out. I wasn’t sure if I’d have enough material to write this list, or at least not enough material to make it worth reading. Then I remembered that Memories of the Alhambra finished airing in January of this year (2019 was impossibly long, wasn’t it?) and I thought, “Aha, I can make this work.” I knew at once this drama was going to be the shitty tinfoil star atop my Christmas tree of suck.

I’ve already written a full review of this drama, where I got about as mean as I felt I could reasonably be. You can go read that if you like, I’m not going to retread all my many complaints here. What I will say is that Memories of the Alhambra took my mixed-to-favorable opinion of the writer, Song Jae Jung, and turned it to a negative one. She’s someone who clearly has a lot of interesting high concept ideas, but the execution is just not there. You can hook an audience with a concept, but you have to keep them with craft and structure. 

Maybe the industry can be blamed for that. Maybe she just has a hard time ending her stories, or maybe writing on a deadline doesn’t agree with her. Whatever the reason, I can no longer trust her to deliver a satisfying story. And that’s deeply saddening to me, because Queen In Hyun’s Man is in my top 10 favorite dramas.

To be front-to-back terrible is one thing. The joke’s at least half on me for bothering. But to have potential, to have an interesting hook, a budget, a cast, but then to be either unwilling or unable to live up to that potential feels like a con. That’s how I felt about his drama, like I had been willfully deceived by special effects and flashy editing, all orchestrated to disguise a narratively bankrupt, unsatisfying drama.

Bottom Line:  Is Memories of the Alhambra objectively the worst drama on this list? No, it’s not. Is it the most disappointing? Absolutely, it is. And that’s the more heinous crime, in my opinion.  And that’s why it’s my worst drama of 2019.

#kdrama reviews #worst list #kdramas 2019 #jona spoils #exit review

[leekimdramas]

Tell Me What You Saw (Spoiler Free Review)

It’s an OCN drama, it has Jang Hyuk but does it really need to be similar to Voice?

Vote when should I post drama reviews.

A drama about police officer Cha Soo Young, who has power to remember every little detail that she saw, and she’s trying to find her mother’s killer.

To do so she has to join RIU (regional investigation unit) who are trying to catch the bad guys and where Soo Young meets team leader Hwang Hwa Young and Oh Hyun Jae who want to find “The Guy”.

I really liked the start of the drama, the stories were interesting and I was watching a bad detective drama already, so it was nice to see something good.

Towards the middle, it started to become like Voice (another drama about serial killers) and I slowly lost my interest till we got to the ending... Which I didn’t care about at all.

I never saw Choi Soo Young act and didn’t even know she was in a girl group (sorry I don’t listen to Girls’ Generation) but she did a good job portraying her character.

But her character itself wasn’t really well written, she was stupid and not really someone who would be a policewoman, tell me how many cases she would’ve solved if Hyun Jae wasn’t whispering her in the ear? 

There is no romance in this series, and it’s fine, I like to watch non-romance stuff but at first, I kinda shipped Soo Young with her friend but sadly nothing happened, was it just me?

Jang Hyuk was really good in his role, but when he’s not? I really don’t have much to say, I liked him as a profiler.

Oh, a quick question: Would you let a profiler talk about his job and how he saw a lot of killers to your young child? Am I the only one who thinks that’s a bit too much?

Anyway, what I really liked in this drama was the killer, I didn’t know who it was until the reveal, I was a bit surprised but I liked that twist.

I saw one comment saying that this drama is not memorable and I agree with that, there’s not a lot to remember about this drama and it will just sit in your “completed” list.

When you open it and see this drama you will be like “What was it about? I don’t remember watching it”, okay, okay maybe I’m exaggerating. 

Spoilers: There are two parts in the very end I don’t really understand so please explain to me if you can.

1. The killer who wanted to kill his father because of his dead mother. All good till the end when they brought him back. 

His other personality only wanted revenge for his father that’s why he killed the gang members and other people who associated with him, so why now he has a tendency to just kill?

2. Since when Hyun Jae was going blind? Did I skip the part where they showed any signs of that? 

It was so random and at first, I thought that maybe the killer hit him or something so I watched the part again and apparently he was going blind out of nowhere. What???

6.5/10

#tell me what you saw #kdrama #review #spoiler free

[dinahdlance]

top fave kdrama vids

back by popular demand (lol no), here are some of my favorite kdrama vids, that are mainly shippy bc i’m a little goblin that watches kdramas for the serotonin it uploads directly to me and i can’t do 10 bc i have too many, and there’s way more under the cut of top 5 (@applepiips, @hedgewitches) 

the k2 | he’s a wolf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJBt8vkTqMI is literally unparalleled and it’s honestly why i keep watching dramas just to find the talented vidders and shit. tbh.

(are you human too?) nam shin iii / so bong | i found love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXRMmEG-lQE; don’t even look at me about tin can couple. 

legend of the blue sea | reborn as you and me (se hwa/dam ryung > shim cheong/joon jae): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuiM4k7PIog. i’m never over mermaids, heists, reincarnated romance. never. 

multifandom | i got you; cakevelvet is my absolute favorite vidder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ryBTQZ-p0U 

hee ju/jin woo | can we kiss forever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otYP7rcfE5g one of my absolute fave video got deleted for memories because it fucking slapped so hard, but this video is absolutely a close second. watch memories of the alhambra and then come scream with me about a wasted concept. 

her private life | ryan/deok mi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOyWORsb5DY don’t even @ me about this being at the top

touch your heart | jung rok/yeon soo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqABAtgp6a0  i just love them so much  

(mad dog) min joon/ha ri| everything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx04a54AswU&t=6s i love...mad dog so much. one of my gateway dramas. 

(mr. sunshine) dong mae/yang hwa | nightcall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di0Uc2XAeSc i’d literally kill 10 men for kim min jung’s FACE 

man to man | seol woo/do ha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzRrto82TmE this youtube user dreamie234 does not have to go so hard when they vid but they do 

lawless lawyer | sang pil/jae yi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oj-A__r1Us lawless lawyer imo lost it’s steam wrt this relationship as being equals and pushing jae yi out when she and sang pil but, on an aesthetic level? this ship is what dreams were made 

ghost detective | da il/yeo wool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xltzGOPfSA literally come catch me screaming in a feedback loop about ghost soulmates and how they wasted daniel choi and park eun bin’s insane chemistry by not letting them kiss at least ONCE 

a korean odyssey | son oh gong/jin seon mi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSAqWK5SkJ8 i’m never over hwayugi. 

doctors/doctor crush | hye jung/soo chul: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz7ezeUnkSE this drama pings my hard do no wants in the main romance which is like why i’m even watching dramas so that’s why i got invested in the side pairing because ji soo and park shin hye have some faces that DESERVE to kiss each other!!! let them do another drama but they get to be the main pairing!!!

he is psychometric | seung mo/ji soo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCt_8FK_rUA&t=3s literally i’m never shutting up about this stupid pairing or this stupid video

healer | angel with a shotgun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g5p4Rwb8Xg i’ve never seen healer bc i’m a bad bisexual when it has ult faces park min young and ji chang wook but this video slaps

sunny/reaper (wang yeo/sunny) | goblin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g5p4Rwb8Xg y’all: shut up about goblin! me: never! 

eun ho/tae woon | school 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFyK80DSk6g this one and this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHu2DhKdjJI singlehandedly made me watch school 2017 in like a week. 

min hyuk/bong soon | swdbs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G16cGHAdUZw they’re cuteeeeee

fight my way | ae ra/dong man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZIpWWGd3lo they’re just so neat and i love them

7 rings | multidrama mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_9HObhiZJs i just think girls are great 

(k-movie alert) tazza 2 | him and I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1tBu3keDjs i don’t even know what this is but it’s entrancing as fuck and the wiki summary is Wild, heed content warnings for past (?) implied sexual assault and torture/gore

the smile has left your eyes | jin kang/moo young: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFRzojzuvJE i kept loosely up to date with this drama bc i was scared of the j-drama twist but then the korean drama did a different twist at the end and i was like ‘that’s too dark shit i can’t deal with’ but the editing here was simply superb

black | ha ram/444: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aDu4lK_1WA&t=39s this drama singlehandedly made me a go ara & song seung hoon stan unfortunately bc ocn got a read on my id (which is just supernatural romantic murder mysteries) and now here we are.

bong hee/ji wook | suspicious partner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl9bjBaALi4 my second favorite niche: deep murder mysteries and/or conspiracies while the leads are lawyers or prosecutors

[dangermousie]

All the 2020 kdramas I am interested in (and a few I am not)

DEFINITE

365: One Year Against Destiny (MBC) - I am excited to see Lee Joon Hyuk get a lead role and Nom Ji Hyun needs to work more. Plus, time travel!!!!

Alice (SBS) - Joo Won is back in what looks like a complicated tale of love and time travel and noona romance. YESSS!

The Allies - Time for a Green Hero (KBS) - weird title, but a sageuk about the hero growing into a leader against the Japanese invasion sounds up my alley before his, I am sure, inevitable demise.

Can This Person Be Translated (tvN) - Hong Sisters dramas don’t always work for me, but they always get an automatic look-see.

Eighteen Again (jTBC) - I love Kim Ha Neul and I hope it’s a steamy romance for all those “she is tooooo old for her leading man (Lee Do Hyun)” naysayers.

Half of a Half (tvN) - Park Hae Jin and Chae Soo Bin as an OTP yesss. 

Here - Noh Hee Kyung is beyond amazing as a writer and the cast (Lee Byung Han, Han Ji Min, Shin Min Ah, Nam Joo Hyuk) is insane!

Hyena (SBS) - Joo Ji Hoon!!!!! And the teaser looked slick.

Idol Doctor - an idol who sleepwalks and his doctor is a premise that would have made 14 year old me scream in glee.

Itaewon Class (jTBC) - I have developed quite a thing for Park Seo Joon recently, I love revenge, and there is gonna be food! Bring it on!

I Will Find You On a Beautiful Day (jTBC) - Park Min Young, Seo Kang Joon, Lee Jae Wook? I need to look no further. But it also sounds like a healing slice of life romance, yum. 

The King: the Eternal Monarch (SBS) - Lee Min Ho in a heroic fantasy tale penned by Kim Eun Suk, and also with Kim Go Eun and Woo Do Hwan in the cast? It’s my dream come true.

Memoir of the Man (MBC) - I like the leads a lot (Kim Dong Wook and Moon Ga Young) and I have discovered that romances with odd premises (he remembers everything, she forgets most important moments) tend to work really well for me. 

The Most Beautiful Moment in Life (tvN) - second chance romances with older protags are my fave thing, and when it stars Lee Bo Young and Yoo Ji Tae - my heart!!!

Oddball (MBN) - description is hella confusing but I always check out all the sageuks.

Psycho But It’s OK (tvN) - “ A man who denies love and a woman who doesn’t know love defy fate and fall in love, finding their souls and identities in the process. “ Yes please. Also, Kim Soo Hyun doesn’t do anything for me (I know I know) but he always picks good dramas.

Sandbox (tvN) - Suzy and Nam Joo Hyuk in what sounds like a sweet romance. I happen to like both - they have a warm on-screen vibe and good chemistry with their costars. Also (and that is not a slam), a sweet-natured romance sounds like something that plays to their strengths and avoids their limitations (thoughts of either in an intense melo or sageuk would give me hives, but there they will be perfect.)

Ssanggab Cart Bar (jTBC) - a food stall for the dead? Color me intrigued enough to want to check it out; plus Hwang Jung Eum usually has a very good taste for picking dramas. 

The Story of Gumiho (tvN) - Lee Dong Wook as a male gumiho! Jo Bo Ah as his eventual lady love! Fantasy and romance and a very happy Mousie!

Superstar Miss Lee - heroine and another lady swap souls, there is a chaebol possibly played by Yoo Seung Ho, etc etc. Sometimes I am just in the mood for a good, old-school crazy drama. 

Train (OCN) - yes, an OCN drama made it on the list, is it a parallel world? Nope, but a parallel world where OCN makes romances may be involved since it stars Kim Jae Wook (OMG yes) as a detective trying to protect his dead love in a parallel world where she is alive. Will miracles never cease? 

Welcome (KBS) - and the award for the most insane premise goes to!!! L is a cat (!!!!) who, and I quote, “mastered the art of transformation into human form.” He hooks up with his owner (!!!!!????!!!!) There is so much insanity in this, that I am already riveted, though not necessarily in a good way.    

Youth Report (tvN) - I know little about that one but Park Bo Gum has consistently picked dramas I like.

MAYBE

City of Stars: no idea if this one is happening but Ji Chang Wook playing an astronaut sounds interesting. Though he doesn’t always pick the best dramas (hello there, the awful Melt Me), he’s always fun to watch!

Danjong, the Young King (MBC) - any sageuk is at least a try but I literally found zip about this one.

The Game: Towards Zero (MBC) - honestly, the yes/no will depend on whether there is a romance. Someone who can see a dead person’s last moments pairing up with a lady detective to solve serial murders is very far out of my jam (and someone give Im Joo Hwan a leading role dammit, the man is wasted playing the inevitable serial killer) but Taecyeon is adorable even if not the best actor and I would brave this genre if he and Lee Yeon Hee (an underrated girlcrush of mine) are allowed to be a couple.

Late Night Snack Man and Woman (SBS) - bizarre title but I am fond of Sung Hoon despite his less than consistent choice of projects and a conman (who hopefully gets redeemed) sounds fun. I also think the hero pretends to be gay (!?!?!) which I haven’t seen as a major plot point since Personal Choice which could either be fun or bad, who knows.  

Memorist (tvN) - I like to watch Yoo Seung Ho but I don’t care for mysteries. Still, it’s on tvN so maybe there will be romance.

Money Game (tvN) - banking and money scheming rarely works for me, but sometimes can be a smart thing, plus I have got to check out Go Soo being back on my screen!

Penthouse (SBS) - the insane writer of The Last Emperor and Temptation of Wife. An experienced cast of my favorites with Lee Ji Ah, Shin Sung Rok and Eugene. It will most likely be a trainwreck I will ditch halfway but hope springs eternal. 

The Search (OCN) - the star of Nokdu in the DMZ? Yes!!! But OCN does no romance so my enthusiasm is diminished.

Secret - I like Park Hae Jin and Jo Bo Ah well enough, but mainly because I am damn curious if this baby will ever air!

So I Married an Anti-Fan - this a prefilmed drama that seems to find a home nowhere which means its probably not good, but the premise of an idol having to shack up with his anti-fan for publicity is too amusing for me not to at least want to peek if it actually does air. 

Touch (Channel A) - I have an oddly hormonal attraction to Joo Sang Wook (I love the really sexy middle manager look, sue me!) but idols and make-up artists and all that are not necessarily my jam. It depends on the execution.

Unique: Chef Moon - I love Eric to bits but when I start reading the description of a chef dedicated to organic cooking, I start to fall asl...zzzzzzzzz. 

WHHHHYYYYY

Hi Bye Mama - I adore Kim Tae Hee, but the premise of a dead wife and mother who comes back for 49 days to her grieving family, presumably including sad children and husband who is only now beginning to recover sounds like one only a genuine masochist could love. 

My Holo Love (netflix) - a lonely woman hooks up with an AI. Between the fact that Absolute Boyfriend poisoned me for an AI romance forever, the fact that the heroine has face blindness (isn’t that so 2018?), and that the description includes the extraordinarily maudlin “drama is filled with stories of heartbreaking loneliness and tear-stained love,” I will pass.    

Que Sera Sera - out of sheer trainwreck curiosity because I adore the original and why remake a drama that’s only a bit over a decade old, and with relative newbies. 

What’s Happened in Bali - if it ever gets made that is (please no.) The original is amazing but they are not repeating the Jo In Sung - So Ji Sub - Ha Ji Won casting miracle and there is no need for a remake; plus this drama is something that makes sense in 2005 but less so in 2020 and just generally leave a classic alone, people. 

#kdrama #sbs alice #The Allies - Time for a Green Hero #Can This Person Be Translated #half of a half #eighteen again #here #sbs hyena #idol doctor #itaewon class #I Will Find You On a Beautiful Day #The King: the Eternal Monarch #Memoir of the Man #The Most Beautiful Moment in Life #mbn oddball #channel a touch #Psycho But It’s OK #tvn sandbox #Ssanggab Cart Bar #the story of gumiho #Superstar Miss Lee #ocn train #youth report #kbs welcome #what happened in bali #que sera sera #danjong the young king #city of stars #The Game: Towards Zero #Late Night Snack Man and Woman

[kpoptimeout]

My Top 10 K-Dramas of 2018 - What’s Yours?

2018 is ending soon and K-Dramaland has once again brought us so many goodies this year. As per our blog’s tradition [For 2017 faves click here], below are my Top 10 favs of the year (my faves in alphabetical order so it might not be yours so please don’t judge)

My only specific criteria this year is that the show must have had started in 2018 to be considered a 2018 series (Hence, Hwayugi and I’m Not A Robot were in last year’s list and honourable mentions)

Lawless Lawyer (tvN)

Every year we have a few stellar Korean legal dramas and Lawless Lawyer is one of them. Starring veterans Lee Joongi and Son Yeji, the drama details a gangster turned lawyer who used unorthodox techniques to win cases and a lawyer-childhood friend-love interest who got into trouble for attacking a judge. After his return from the military, Lee Joongi has acted in many internationally well-received dramas but “Lawless Lawyer” is the first since his return to gain massive commercial success within South Korea and becoming one of the highest viewed dramas on Korean cable channel history. Son Yeji was also able to show her acting chops and shed her pretty girl image through this drama. It is understandable why this drama did well - it was action-packed, had a well-plotted storyline and also the right laughs at the right moments. If you love an amazing legal drama, go watch Lawless Lawyer already!

Memories Of The Alhambra (tvN/Netflix)

You know it’s nearing the year’s end when tvN drops another high budget and experimental drama with a star-studded cast to steal you and the critics’ hearts. This year it is Memories Of The Alhambra, which is an ambitious project jointly produced by tvN and Netflix. Following the success of jointly produced Mr. Sunshine which also made the list, the two studios teamed up for an even crazier project - instead of the guaranteed tear-jerking historical drama they went for a sci-fi/fantasy thriller exploring virtual and augmented reality and business in the digital age. You know they are taking this project seriously when they got the writer for “W” (the Lee Jongsuk and Han Hyojoo hit about the collapse of a comic book world into reality) Song Jaejung to write this screenplay. The show with top cast featuring Hallyu stars and veterans Hyun Bin, Park Shin Hye, and EXO’s Chanyeol with exhilarating graphics and filming in Grenada has been topping online and domestic Korean viewership since its broadcast on December 1st. If you enjoy creative sci-fi adventures with Asian leads, this is the drama for you!

Mr. Sunshine (tvN/Netflix)

One of the first tvN and Netflix collaborations, Mr. Sunshine was an unsurprising hit starring world-famous Korean actor Lee Byung Hoon and South Korea’s favourite young actress Kim Taeri. Other main cast include skilled and popular actors like Yoo Yeonseok, Byung Yohan and Kim Minjung. Throw in the historical Joseon setting and the imminent colonisation by foreign powers, you have a recipe for an awards-sweeper and crowd-pleaser! Besides a plot that easily draws in audiences, the set designs, colour grading, music, and costumes are all phenomenal and is a feast for the senses. My only knit-picking critique is it seems unrealistic that a Korean man can rise to as high a rank as Lee Byung Hoon’s Eugene Choi character in the racist 1800s United States no matter how brilliant Eugene Choi was. But besides that, if you love a historical epic with romance and war, this is the drama you would enjoy!

Ms. Hammurabi (JTBC)

This drama sees Go Ara and Song Dong Il reuniting in their father-daughter/mentor-mentee like dynamic following hit dramas Reply 1994 and Hwarang, with Go Ara being an idealistic former music student who dropped out and self-studied to become a judge, and Song Dong Il being the old geezer and life mentor who only managed to become a judge later in life. They are joined by INFINITE’s L being a by the books judge who likes Go Ara’s wholesome character. The drama is exceptionally touching, not only for its realistic depiction of life as judges in civilian law countries but also as a reflection of people chasing their dreams in different stages of their life. The drama also expertly deals with real-world issues like gender discrimination in the workplace, prejudice to marginalised groups and the issues that come with an inflexible hierarchical structure in South Korea. While there is romance between the leads, this is shown subtly and naturally, without it becoming a distraction to the engaging storyline. If you enjoy a thoughtful drama about society with great acting, this is a drama you would enjoy.

My ID is Gangnam Beauty (JTBC)

Maybe I am slightly biased because I loved the webtoon but I think My ID is Gangnam Beauty is one of the best Korean rom-coms of the year. First I thought the casting was spot-on - ASTRO’s Cha Eunwoo perfectly encapsulated the cold and awkward Do Kyungseok and Im Soohyang was able to display the insecurities of Kang Mirae even after plastic surgery well. The drama does a good job of touching on Korean society’s toxic beauty visual standards - it still makes the female lead insecure even after she gets plastic surgery and she gets ridiculed before and after plastic surgery. Meanwhile second female lead Hyun Soo Ah, played by Jo Woori, also struggles as a natural beauty due to fears of people no longer liking her should she ever fall below their expectations in any way. This is a thoughtful drama that does not just demonise characters for the sake of drama but gives us lots of food for thought about why people act the way they do regarding appearances. If you like a drama that is fun and cute but also has a good message, you should check out this drama!

My Mister (tvN)

There are dramas where you skip some scenes because you want to get to the main point. There are some dramas where you want every second of it. My Mister was one of those dramas you watch every second of. It was that good. While many Kdramas still having idealistic female leads who slowly get jaded and turn badass only near the end/are always protected by men and never turn badass, My Mister finally does the move of making the female poor but super resourceful, brilliant and cynical, and already super jaded to begin with. Played by top singer and actress IU, the female lead Lee Jian reverses the usual female lead tropes by slowly learning to see some good in the world and learn to dream following a life of extreme poverty and hardship. The other highlight of the drama is the male lead played by talented actor Lee Sunkyun, whose relationship with his brothers and mother, as well as his crumbling marriage with his wife provide a lot of food for thought on the meaning of family and life. By acting as a mentor of IU’s character while also being saved by IU from lots of drama unknowingly, we see two broken souls learn from each other to be better people. The drama also showcased how romance is not the only meaningful love that exists between communities. If you love an insightful slice-of-life drama with realistic intrigues, betrayals, and character development, you would love My Mister.

Radio Romance (KBS2)

Honestly at this point HIGHLIGHT’s Dojoon is just nation’s drama boyfriend and he continues to pick the good scripts as we can see in Radio Romance. The drama is simple - the assistant writer played by Kim Sohyun’s radio show might get cancelled and she manages to somehow get the top radio star played by Dojoon to host her show. Shenanigans happen and romance blossoms. It is stereotypical but done well, with the right amount of twists and just knowing when it should bounce back from the laughs and side stories. If dramas are all dishes, Radio Romance is like that cheesecake that tastes sweet and light, not so filling that it will you sick. It is the dessert you would always go for to feel good. If you like to watch something that makes you feel warm inside, this is the drama for you!

Something in the Rain (JTBC)

I am usually not super into “the younger dongsaeng has a romance with noona who he knows growing up all of a sudden” stories but there was something special about Something in the Rain. When I first began watching this drama, it did not feel like watching a regular Kdrama at all and more like an indie film from the West. There is a feeling of emptiness at the beginning, possibly to signify the resident noona and veteran actress Son Yejin’s unsuccessful love life. There was a lot of dialogue and cuts and it felt like watching a documentary about the lives of the characters. But it was this formatting of Something in the Rain that makes it feel so genuine. The pace of the leads building up their romance was steady and natural. Hence, it made issues they faced feel all the more real too. If you enjoy a realistic slice-of-life portrayal of romance, you would love this drama!

The Guest (OCN)

When I saw the trailer I already knew this was some scary shit. Following its many successful thrillers last year, OCN decided to dive in the more horror side of a thriller in The Guest. To fit this aesthetic, the drama was broadcasted only at 11pm instead of primetime but still had massive success and rightly so. The acting by the three leads Kim Dong Wook (man who can see ghosts and the future), Kim Jaewook (the cold, exorcist priest), and Jung Eunchae (a detective who does not believe in the supernatural) is phenomenal, making their team up to catch criminal possessed by ghosts all the more exhilarating. The actors who play the possessed are also amazing, making for most of the scares in this drama. If you enjoy a mystery and the horror genre, this is the Kdrama for you!

What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? (tvN)

Being the most searched Kdrama on Google in South Korea this year, it would not make sense for What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? not to make this list. The drama revolves around the successful but extremely narcissistic company vice chairman played by Park Seojoon and his capable no-nonsense secretary played by Park Minyoung, with the latter quitting after paying off family debts and not being in the mood to work for her annoying boss anymore. The whole process where Park Seojoon tries to retain his secretary of course blossoms into romance etc. etc. One of the reasons this drama did so well was that not only did it have a strong and capable female lead but Park Seojoon defied expectations in his role. As another Kdrama based on a webtoon, original webtoon readers felt like he was not similar to the male lead and were not sure how he would handle the role. But Park Seojoon did a fantastic job, to the point I wanted to bang my head on the table or slap his character whenever he did narcissistic shit. If you want a high-quality rom-com with some unorthodox twists, this is the drama to watch!

Honourable Mentions:

100 Days My Prince (tvN): The fourth highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history starring EXO’s D.O and Nam Jihyun, the drama details the marriage between a noblewoman on the run and a crown prince who lost his memory during a failed assassination attempt.

Are You Human? (KBS2): With the actual development of AI in recent years, more Kdramas have embraced the topic of robot-human romances. Seo Kang Joon and Gong Seungyeon star in this story involving a bodyguard and the AI of a chaebol masquerading as the real chaebol who is in a coma.

Still 17 (SBS): A drama involving a 30-year-old man who doesn’t want to grow up due to trauma (Yang Sejong) and a woman who wakes up after a 13-year coma so acts like a 17-year-old even though she is 30 (Shin Hyesun).

Welcome to Waikiki (JTBC): A comedy-drama starring rising actors Kim Junghyun, Lee Yikyung, and Son Seungwon who run a failing guesthouse called Waikiki. Oh, and there’s a single mother and a baby in this crazy mix!

What’s your Top 10 K-Dramas of the Year? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below and may the drama sharing begin (and the road to more excuse for holiday procrastination!)

Also, if you want to check out underrated K-Pop songs of 2018, here are the lists for idol songs, artist songs, and OSTs!

#kdrama #k-drama #korean drama #kdrama 2018 #k-drama 2018 #lawless lawyer #memories of alhambra #mr sunshine #mr. sunshine #ms hammurabi #ms. hammurabi #miss hammurabi #my id is gangnam beauty #my mister #radio romance #something in the rain #the guest #what is wrong with secretary kim #why secretary kim #100 days my prince #are you human #still 17 #30 but 17 #welcome to waikiki #kpop #k-pop #kpop 2018 #k-pop 2018 #kpop news #k-pop news

[obsessivedilettante]

Dramaland Forecast: January 2019

Previously: 2016 - 2017 - 2018

Waaahhh, it’s another year! I feel like I’ve been waiting for 2019 since, like, February, but somehow it still seemed to blindside me and I’m not ready to look ahead and make any goals or resolutions or, well, do much of anything (including watching dramas, haha).

Buuuuut I shall do my best to gather my thoughts on what this year promises us when it comes to dramaland.

Completed:

None. Again. I was even determined to try and finish up the last episodes of a couple of variety shows I’d started (NJTTW and Dancing High), but those are still sitting unwatched on my flash drive. It’s like I have a fear of completion or something. I’m determined to be better this year. 2019 is the year I actually finish dramas! Yeah!

Currently Watching:

Red Moon, Blue Sun aka Children of Nobody -- this drama is a wild ride, y’all, and you should be watching it if only to go “wtf” with me (I mean that in a good way, because the show is genuinely mysterious, and not in a “was this writer smoking crack” way -- although it might end up like the latter in a few weeks if things aren’t resolved to my satisfaction).

Miss Sherlock -- I got a couple more episodes in over the holidays when I was traveling. I’m only a few episodes from finishing the show, but apparently when I’m at home, I prefer to watch things on my laptop instead of my ipad. I need to work on that.

Dropping/skipping:

Groan. Everything, basically. I feel like 2019 is gonna be the year when I tackle my “on-hold” and “to watch” lists because there have been so many dramas in the past few years that I have genuinely wanted to watch (and finish!) but just never got around to it. I’m almost hoping the 2019 offerings are lackluster just so I can get caught up on a few things. But let’s see what’s on offer so far...

Upcoming dramas of interest:

Kingdom -- I think I’ll forever be mildly disgruntled about Netflix being one of the reasons that easy access to dramas is so fractured, but I’m hoping that their investment in this drama by one of my favorite writers will prove to be worthwhile.

Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul Ho Season 2 -- I’m interested in this, but I never got around to finishing the first season, so... yeah...

Liver or Die aka What’s Wrong, Poong Sang -- this looks like it could be cute! A wacky family drama with a pretty decent cast. I adore Lee Si Young, so I’m happy to see her in another drama.

The Crowned Clown aka The Man Who Became King -- this sounds like a Prisoner of Zenda type of story, which I always enjoy -- buuuuuuuut I always get a huge roadblock when it comes to historical dramas, even though they’re usually so pretty and lush. Will probably pass on a live-watch, but have a vague idea that I might one day watch it.

Spring Must Be Coming -- a body-swap starring Lee Yuri and Uhm Ji Won? Um, you’ve got my attention! My only concern is that I don’t know who the screenwriter is, so I don’t know what kind of direction this show might take, but the one teaser I’ve seen so far makes it look pretty cute.

Romance is a Supplement -- listen, I don’t hate rom-coms. I really don’t. I don’t hate Lee Jong Suk. I really don’t. But. For whatever reason, I instinctively go “nope” on this just because of that combination. Plus the writer has had some... questionable... takes on rom-com, and I don’t know if I have the patience to enjoy the cuteness and ignore whatever problematic stuff will crop up.

Touch Your Heart -- Lee Dong Wook and Yoo Inna, back together again! Tbh that’s all I really need to know, but the production team and supporting cast also make this sound pretty promising, even if the plot sounds very typical.

Haechi -- I’m happy Jung Il Woo is back, but my track record for historical dramas is truly pitiful, so l doubt I’ll watch this (especially because as much as I like Go Ara, I don’t think she’s a good fit for sageuks).

Big Issue -- this one vaguely interested me until I saw the production team, and now I’m convinced that this will likely start out pretty awesome but then turn into a confusing dumpster fire at the end.

Possessed -- a psychic and a detective solving crimes -- but without a priest? Hmm, seems suspicious. It’s OCN so it automatically has my attention, although I still want to know more. However, the cast filled with a lot of familiar supporting actors seems pretty promising, because if all those familiar ajusshis decided to add this project to their 2019 roster, then it must be at least decent.

Item -- this has an interesting premise and a really strong cast, and it’s probably the most compelling of the Jan/Feb premieres. But I’m still hesitant for reasons I can’t fully explain (or understand yet).

The Light In Your Eyes -- the ability to manipulate time sounds pretty cool, and Kim Hye Ja pretending to be a younger woman should be one heckava fun ride, but I just don’t understand the appeal of Nam Joo Hyuk in lead roles (in cute supportive roles, yes, but as a leading man? Um, no, thank you). This seems like those kind of dramas I might like in spite of the leads and would wish that it would focus more on the secondary characters.

Dear Citizens -- I’ve missed Siwon! And it sounds like this character leans on his skill as a comedic actor, so I’m tentatively excited, especially since it comes from the writer of Vampire Prosecutor 1 & 2, Bad Guys, Bad Guys: City of Evil, Police Unit 38, and Missing 9, it should also be a decent thriller/mystery, too.

Hot-blooded Priest -- lbr, the only hot-blooded priest I ever need in my life is Handsome Oppa, but apparently priests are practically de rigeur these days. I do think this could be a pretty good drama, just because I’m a fan of mysteries and police procedurals. I’d have more confidence if it were on OCN (although MBC has been impressing me lately).

Vagabond -- tbh this only caught my attention because it reunites Lee Seung Gi and Suzy. I know Gu Family Book was a hot mess, but I enjoyed it despite them being the least interesting thing in it. I don’t know that I’ll tune into their new drama, but it’ll probably get a lot of buzz and do well in the ratings just because of the cast.

Trap -- sounds like a very classic OCN drama with a strong cast. What more can a girl ask for?

When the Devil Calls Your Name -- Jung Kyung Ho making a deal with the devil, sign me up.

Legal High -- I’ve not watched any of the Japanese versions so I’m merely judging this for being a legal drama, but the fact that it’s an adaptation means there’s an extra hurdle to jump.

Aseudal Chronicles -- ...a fantasy? An actual, legit k-drama fantasy that isn’t set in the Joseon era or relying on common mythical stories?? A fantasy that is directed by one of my ultimate faves, Kim Won Suk (known for Misaeng, Signal, My Ajusshi)??? From the writers of Six Flying Dragons and Tree With Deep Roots???? Starring Song Joong Ki and Kim Ji Won???? WHAT IN THE BLESSED DRAMAVERSE HAS ALLOWED THIS TO BE??????? I don’t wanna jinx it but OMG I’m so excited and CAN’T WAIT for a premiere date to be set so I can start to count down the days.

There isn’t a lot so far that is really making me excited about the 2019 offerings yet (except for the obvious handful *cough*ASEUDAL CHRONICLES*cough*). It’s hard to make judgments about shows that are still even barely in the casting stage, and who knows what else will turn up on these forecasts over the year. But there really isn’t a January premiere that feels like a “must watch,” so maybe I’ll attempt to tackle that ginormous “to watch” list this month.

#dramaland forecast #k-drama #i'm gonna finish more dramas this year! #i mean it! #(anybody want a peanut?) #red moon blue sun #children of nobody #miss sherlock #neighborhood lawyer jo deul ho season 2 #liver or die #what's wrong poong sang #the crowned clown #the man who became king #spring must be coming #romance is a supplement #touch your heart #haechi #big issue #possessed #item #the light in your eyes #dear citizens #hot-blooded priest #vagabond #trap #when the devil calls your name #legal high #aseudal chronicles