#2017 kdrama review

[factorygirlsstuff]

Just finished the kdrama School 2017. It was super cute I loved it, binged it in 2 days. I watched it for Sejeong, would recommend.

I have to update my watched list.

#school 2017 #kdrama #sejeong #kdrama recommendations #kdrama review

[kdramacrybaby]

While You Were Sleeping (2017)

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Comedy

Synopsis: Nam Hong-joo has been able to see the future in her dreams ever since she was young, but has never been able to stop terrible things from happening after dreaming it. In a twist of fate, she meets prosecutor Jung Jae-chan, who is somehow also able to see things in his dreams - only he has the ability to actually change what happens. They work together to try and change not only the fates of the people in Hong-joo's dreams, but also their own. But are they the only people with this ability? Turns out fate has big plans for them and whoever they come across - past, present, and future.

Episode info: 16 episodes / Runtime around 60 minutes

Lead cast: Bae Suzy (Nam Hong-joo), Lee Jong-suk (Jung Jae-chan), Lee Sang-yeob (Lee Yoo-beom), Jung Hae-in (Han Woo-tak)

Link to watch: You can watch on Viki or Dramacool

Drama rec masterlist | Drama rant thread (beware of spoilers)

This drama is pretty much a typical rom-com with all the cuteness and cringe you can think of - there is, however, a couple of moments that are really intense dealing with death, suicide, depression and such. Not a lot, but it was still enough to make me cry a couple of times.

I don't really have that much to say about it - I enjoyed watching it, but it didn't absolutely blow me away. It's a standard rom-com drama that does its job, but nothing more.

Also, after a strong start, about half-way through it hit a point where I felt like it was repeating itself, only to luckily pick up again the last couple of episodes. So for a long time, it wasn't like I was itching to go watch the next episode, and I did have to remind myself to actually watch it sometimes.

The couple was cute, the actors had pretty good chemistry, and I loved their different friendship dynamics with the supporting cast as well. The love triangle? Unnecessary as always, but it didn't take up too much focus, so I'm letting it slide.

I want to mention the young actors Nam Da-reum and Shin Yi-joon, who played the younger versions of the main couple in a lot of flashbacks, and they really stole the show for me. Amazing performance from them!

Other than that, I don't really have anything to say. If you like rom-coms, this is definitely something I'd recommend you check out.

#while you were sleeping 2017 #kdrama rec #kdrama review #kdrama

[kimchislaphearts]

Kang Deoksun’s Love History (2017)

Genre: Historical, Drama

Plot: 

A drama about Kang Deok Sun, a naive woman who inadvertently gets wrapped up in an independence movement after following a man she has a one-sided love for to Gyeongsang province, and how she grows through her experiences. 

Cast & Crew:

Kim So Hye as Kang Deok Sun

Supporting cast - Oh Seung Yun, Kim Yeo Jin, Park Seo Yeon, Park Gyu Young, Shim Young Eun. 

Director - Hwang Seung Gi

Screen Writer - Baek So Yeon

Music:  

No tracks of note. The background music fit the drama special’s mood. 

Overall: 

If you don’t dig too deep you’ll go into this drama special expecting a rom-com. But that’s pretty far from what you get. Kang Deok Sun’s Love history is dedicated to the forgotten female independence fighters whose achievements throughout history have disappeared without a trace. 

We meet Deok Sun as she runs through a field, stumbling in the mud. She's a simple, strong girl, but she’s got some way to go before she becomes a strong character. She’s very likeable though, with her thick satoori, and her one-sided-love of Seok Sam. She’s definitely too good for him. 

Chasing after him to the big city she finds herself in an unknown world and she starts down her path of change from a “little girl” to an “independent” young woman. 

Kim So Hye did a pretty good job bringing Deok Sun to life and making her believable. The surrounding cast was full of familiar faces who shone in their small roles.

Overall, I liked the story and thought it was worth a watch but it was not one that I would rewatch. 

Rating: 7.5/10 Watch it: KBS World YouTube

#Kang Deok Sun's Love History #kdrama #review #kbs drama special #2017 #Kim So Hye #Oh Seung Yun #Kim Yeo Jin #Park Gyu Young #Park Seo Yeon #Shim Young Eun

[radiowrites]

2023 Writer Year-In-Review

Hi, I’m RaisedonRadio & FortressofmyPast on AO3 and FF.net. This is an on-going tradition since 2015. Check out my past year-end posts: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015.

Tagging a few, but if you come across this, consider it an open tag! You’re welcome to tag me back, I’d love to read it!

@writercorianarose @shesailsships @talesofsorrowandofruin @azdesertwillow @goneahead @littlemissfandomworld @dreams-of-kalopsia @halleyuhm

Big change for me compared to last year—in addition to NaNoWriMo, I actually posted fanfics! I tried to add some new questions to this year’s edition, I hope they might even move out of my tiny circle.

Total Word Counts: 51,920 for 2023 NaNoWriMo 15,570 on 2022 NaNoWriMo project 19,193 for July 2023 Camp NaNoWriMo (mostly fanfics) 28,310 in published fanfics (this number is overlapping with camp nano, I wasn’t paying attention, so I’m not going to add everything together)

Total Number Of Completed Works: 10 Total Number of WIPS worked on this year: 10 or so How Many WIPs do you still have: 23

Looking back, did you write more than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected? I wrote way more than expected! I seriously didn’t think I would do NaNoWriMo again. And I published ten fics! That’s ten more than last year!

Did you take any writing risks this year? The NaNoWriMo project was definitely a risk for me. I basically had an idea and no outline. It was quite a challenge to my perfectionism issues—I had to basically never reread anything and just keep going, fully aware that I can better foreshadow the ideas that came up halfway through in the next rewrite.

Biggest Surprise: I wrote for NaNoWriMo again, which I was pretty sure wouldn't happen lol, and hit the word count, all through discovery writing, and having very little idea where I was going with it.

Biggest Disappointment: I dropped that above mentioned project the moment November ended! I can tell it has potential, hidden in there. I will definitely return to it.

Do you have any writing goals for the new year? I’d love to at least finish the first draft of the 2023 NaNoWriMo project, bringing it to a tentative end so I can actually reread it and go from there. And keep writing fanfic, and maybe even work on the 2022 nanowrimo project…

Fanfiction Questions Below! (if you don’t write fanfiction feel free to skip or rework the questions for your original works.)

Fandoms I’ve written in this year: I wrote fics for 7 different fandoms! For the following kdramas: Island, Tale of the Nine Tailed, Memorist, Royal Secret Agent, W: Two Worlds, May I Help You?, and a little Korean Web drama called Handmade Love.

Your most popular story of the year? That would be Besides You with 327 hits and 47 kudos. However Superhero got the most comment interaction with 4!

The story that was easiest/or most fun to write: I Think He Knows was fun to write! I do just love brooding with a heart of gold formerly immortal male leads.

Hardest story to write: Rescue Me, Superhero, Restore, and Prayers & Promises were four works that I had left for dead, and came back and found them to be basically finished and just needed proofreading. (So just in case anyone wondered how I turned out three of those in like two days: they were actually done and I was hellbent on getting them out of my WIPs list)

Your sweetest story: That would definitely be Superhero. I altered my normal narrative style to better fit the child’s character, and I was really pleased with how it turned out.

Your saddest scene: I feel like I hit a lot of angst this year, but nothing really sad?

The sexiest moment you’ve written this year? *coughs* I wrote five pieces of smut. (Half of my fanfics were smut this year?!) Umm, I’m torn between Beside You and Don’t Blame Me? But also Never Be the Same and Take On Me???

Your favorite tag: (whether you use it the most or just something witty/perfect for the story) My brother announced to me that he reads all my tags (he was trying to embarrass me about one of my smut pieces) so I did a shout out to him in the next fic. He saw it within the day, I was actually impressed.

Most unintentionally telling story: (have you accidentally or purposefully exposed a detail about yourself?) Religious guilt seems to be a reoccurring tag this year. In all seriousness, not quite sure why, but yet it kinda makes sense? (its complicated lmao) And for some reason not one, but two fics ended with marriage proposals?! (I’m so single.)

Are any of your fics named after/heavily inspired by music? I’m RaisedonRadio and it would be concerning if—checks list—less than 8 of the 10 fics weren’t named after songs, haha! (I’m actually just really bad at naming fics…)

Good To You and Besides You are both songs by the band Marianas Trench, and are heavily inspired by the songs. Rescue Me is by OneRepublic, one of those more vibes than lyrics inspired. I Think He Knows by Taylor Swift was definitely on repeat for that fic, as well as Don't Blame Me. (Poems), Prayers, and Promises was more a steal the name of the song by John Denver, for some reason I think Cold by Corbyn was on repeat when writing that one. Take On Me was named more for the similarities between the MV and the series! Never Be The Same was for the vibes of the song by Camila Cabello but not really the lyrics.

What’s your own favorite story of the year? Maybe it’s cheating but I’m not sure if I can really choose? I know it’s not a common writer sentiment but I really do like them all for different reasons.

Like I churned out Good To You and Besides You within ten days of each other in July, after not writing any fanfic basically for a year and a half.

And then I pulled Rescue Me out of the dead drafts pile and made myself work on more description.

I Think He Knows was my first foray into a brand new fandom.

Don’t Blame Me is one of my rare canon divergence fics.

Restore was another dead draft that I found to be mostly complete, and decide to release into the world even if I knew there was so much more I could have done with it.

Prayers and Promises was not only another new fandom, but for some reason, I decided to write for a side character. It’s still sitting on just 1 hit and that makes it all the better that I really wrote it for myself.

Superhero was out of my comfort zone of writing for a kid’s perspective and I was so happy with how it turned out.

Take On Me was a draft sitting at less than 1k words and I challenged myself to finish it before the new year, and got it done in two days.

And then, to finish it all off with the intense desire to have ten fics under the belt for 2023, I wrote Never Be The Same in less than two days for the last drama I had watched, and the speed that the last two fics were actually finished was a huge change for me.

Fanfiction risks you took this year? I wrote fanfic for not one, but two fandoms that I had to create the first tags for on AO3! Also, as I started to slip into just writing for kdramas this year, I’ve basically become my own proofreader and editor at this point. Any mistakes are my own, lol.

My favorite part of fandom this year: That would be getting two kudos and a comment on I Think He Knows, one of the fics that is the first in its fandom tag. To actually connect with more fans of such a tiny project was so cool!

Thanks for reading and here’s to next year!

#fic in review #writer year in review #fanfiction #radiowrites #raisedonradio #fortressofmypast

[calqlate]

NXX AND KDRAMAS

m.list | send a brainrot/request here

CONTEXT: the nxx members are kdrama addicts! what type of kdrama watchers are they, what are their favourite kdramas, and what are their favourite kdrama genres?

— ARTEM WING

i can't see him as the type to watch the typical romance kdramas as entertainment. but if they're for research purposes (as supplements to his so-called study in introduction to the psychology of love and attraction), sure (courtesy of overhearing the ladies in the workplace talking about an actor from the latest kdrama, of course)!

he's the kind to watch kdramas related to crime, like city hunter (2011) and defendant (2017)

if he watches legal dramas, he really scrutinises everything and gets lowkey triggered when the wrong articles and such are used

however, if he's watching kdramas for romance research purposes, he gets recommendations from celestine and she directs him to the super cheesy ones, like he's beautiful (2009) and weightlifting fairy kim bokjoo (2016)

as mockingbird, he will rate and review all the kdramas he's watched. he personally hates love alarm (2019-2021) because he thinks the plot doesn't make sense at all.

— VYN RICHTER

i'm not sure if this guy even watches kdramas tbh LOL. does he even watch tv???

okay but here's a take: he watches the old kdramas. i'm talking about those from the early 2010s.

he watches them just to make fun of everything as well. he's super critical about everything and psychoanalyses everything, the smartass.

another hot take: he watches the period kdramas from the early 2010s. i'm talking about dong yi (2010), the moon embraces the sun (2012), and faith (2012). he likes the old film aesthetics (as compared to kdramas from 2019 onwards) and how dramatic everything is, how everyone retaliates by screaming and the most dramatic scenes of the empress dowager fainting.

he will never tell anyone about his kdrama addiction though, unless you're his special someone

— LUKE PEARCE

this guy will not publicly admit it (unless it's with close friends like rosa) but he's into the high school romance dramas! i'm talking about those slowburn types with a dense female lead and two male leads who are super obvious about their feelings.

he most likely watches those from the 2010s (as what i call, the kdrama prime where there's really good plots), like heartstrings (2011), the heirs (2013), and sassy go go (2015)

he also watches the sad ones when he's in his sad emo times. his favourite sad series is the endless love series (2000-2006), because someone in each season is always dying, and he relates to it on a spiritual level.

he probably got into the kdrama kick because of rosa. before luke left, they watched kdramas together every saturday night. he didn't watch kdramas on any saturday night because he felt guilty about not watching them with rosa. so when he returned to stellis, they resumed their kdrama saturday nights!

— ROSA

romcom queen! anything that's funny and full of cute romance is up her alley!

her personal favourites are extraordinary you (2019), a love so beautiful (2020), and business proposal (2022).

she also likes the ones with some action, thriller, and suspense elements to it (which run alongside the main romance theme), like strong woman do bongsoon (2017) and hotel del luna (2019).

when luke left, she didn't even want to do kdrama saturday night. like luke, she felt guilty watching kdramas on her own on saturday night without him, so she spent those eight years not watching kdramas on saturday night. so when he returned, she made sure to go over to his apartment (or he would go over to hers when she's too swamped up with work) to watch whatever new kdrama that's trending.

she definitely had a nxx sleepover with the boys and watched kdramas with them hehe

— MARIUS VON HAGEN

first and foremost, this guy is capable and will binge one kdrama season in one night. he is not above sacrificing his (already limited hours of) sleep to do so. (he will only do this if he thinks that it is worth bingeing.)

he's also the type to watch whatever kdrama(s) his crush/s/o watches or likes just to have a conversation

he likes watching the dramatic ones with wrist grabs, multiple close-ups of kiss scenes, and the intense yelling. he also thinks those cliché scenes with the rich mom telling the poor female lead to break up with her son are lame (he will actually yell "boo!" and frown at the screen).

he also does a lot of running commentary. this man canNOT shut up.

his favourites are moon lovers: scarlet heart ryeo (2016), love alarm (2019-2021), and a love so beautiful (2020). he's still waiting for a moon lovers: scarlet heart ryeo s2 and will not accept the ending of the series as the final ending.

what's wrong with secretary kim? (2018) has a special place in his heart because he and giann watched it repeatedly when he was younger

— AND SO, THE NXX "TEAM-BUILDING" SLEEPOVER WENT SOMETHING LIKE THIS:

the sleepover was suggested by rosa (under the guise of a team-building exercise), because she thought they could all use an evening to spend time with one another and get to know each other better! they were all awkward about the idea at first, but it doesn't take much convincing from rosa for them to agree to it (she brought up the kdramas).

they went to artem's house because this guy has a fancy in-house movie setup and they connected marius' ipad to the projector because he has a netflix account (which luke says "needs to be abused")

all the boys let rosa to pick their kdrama for the night and rosa flat-out refused, because that's not fair to the others and they should all have an equal chance of picking a kdrama to watch.

they tried to convince her that it's fine, she can pick something out and they're all cool with it, but rosa went full attorney mode and fought with them (verbally) and managed to convince them that they will all pick one out together. that! is! all!

marius originally suggested love alarm, but artem was against it, and was going to fight marius about how it would waste everyone's time but rosa managed to stop them before there was going to be ww3

vyn suggested empress ki, but luke argued that it would take forever to watch since it was 50+ episodes long and they had, at best, 10 hours to spare (if they didn't sleep). they still wouldn't get past 20 episodes if they watched it all at 2x speed

multiple arguments and one exhaused rosa later, she rubbed her temples and halted the debate. a lightbulb popped over her head as she said, "okay boys, what about he is psychometric?"

they agreed and rosa searched the kdrama up, then they all settled down on the couch to watch it

everyone was quiet (save for the sounds of chewing of fruit (prepared by artem)). however, marius kept running his mouth off (as usual) and luke had to grab a pillow to smack it over his head and say, "marius, keep it down! we're all trying to watch this and you're breaking our focus."

begrudgingly, marius snatched the pillow away and hugged it to his chest as he pursed his lips into a straight line to keep his comments to a minimum

when it hit 10pm (they were on episode 2), vyn was out like a light. artem had blankets prepared and rosa carefully draped it over their resident sleeping beauty.

at 11pm (halfway through episode 3), artem fell asleep, leaning on vyn just slightly. rosa adjusted the blankets so that both of them were covered.

at around 1am (near the end of episode 5), marius fell asleep (he had been working late the past few nights and had been running on a couple of hours' worth of sleep) on luke's shoulder, and rosa moved to grab a blanket for him

rosa lasted another hour and fell asleep at 2am (during episode 6). carefully, luke shifted marius so he could grab a blanket to drape it over her before switching marius' ipad and the projector off. he moved rosa's head so that her head would rest on his shoulder before he went to sleep as well.

all in all, a successful team-building sleepover!

© CALQLATE. all rights reserved. please do not copy, modify, repost, or translate my works on any platform.

#💫—general tot #💫—qq writes #writeblr #writing #tears of themis headcanons #artem wing #artem #zuo ran #vyn richter #vyn #mo yi #luke pearce #luke #xia yan #rosa #qiangwei #marius von hagen #marius #lu jinghe #tears of themis #tot headcanons #tot

[jiaminying]

Long Series Kdrama Review My Man’s Secret

Long Series Kdrama Review My Man’s Secret

Have a lot of backlog for Long Series Kdrama Reviews haha. Updated the Long Series Korean Dramas page recently. Doing this review by memory. Watched it some time ago. My Man’s Secret (2017) 我男人的秘密 Episodes: 100 starring Song Chang Eui as Kang Jae Wook / Han Ji Sub, Kang Se Jung as Ki Seo Ra / Jin Yeo Rim, Park Jung Ah as Jin Hae Rim, Kim Da Hyun as Kang In Wook, Bae Jung Hwa as Yang Mi Ryung,…

View On WordPress

#Bae Jung Hwa #Han Hae Sol #Han Ji Sub #Jin Hae Rim #Jin Yeo Rim #Kang In Wook #Kang Jae Wook #Kang Se Jung #Ki Seo Ra #Kim Da Hyun #korean daily drama #korean family drama #Kwon Ye Eun #long series drama review #long series kdrama review #long series korean drama #My Man’s Secret #Park Jung Ah #Song Chang Eui #The Secret of My Love #Yang Mi Ryung

[baenxietydad]

An Incomplete List of Kdramas Mu-yeol Makes Hatter Watch With Him

@davidhatter

He tries to avoid anything from like .... pre-2017 if he can help it bc HOLY misogyny and toxicity from these male leads Batman, but sometimes a show is either A. GOOD, B. iconic staples for the genre; or C. so awful he must subject him to it.

This list only has some of the good dramas lmao

Her Private Life

A cute romcom! He started him off with this one. It includes some classic kdrama tropes: memory loss of a specific traumatic event, childhood connection, rich man not rich woman, long-lost brothers. It's cringe and camp enough to be a good primer for K-dramas-- it's good, great even, but not so good that it ruins every drama after it. But it also does avoid a lot of the most annoying and cringe tropes, things that an avid drama watcher might eat up but not good for a first look into the genre. The leads, Park Min-young and Kim Jae-wook are two of Mu-yeol's favorite actors so it's worth it just for them. Also, it goes into fangirl culture and idol fandom which, fan culture IN Korea is it's own interesting subculture that he can use the drama to explain that aspect to him.

Vicky said Hatter's review of it was positive, he had a nice time, which means now Hatfish watch dramas together lmao. Mu-yeol explained that after HPL there were five plans of attack for first-time drama watchers he explains to Hatter:

A. you like the lead actor a lot, so you watch something else he's in (Crazy Love, Marry Me, Mary, or for a small role when he was younger Coffee Prince)

B. you like the lead actress and want to see her in something else (Healer, What's Wrong With Secretary Kim, Forecasting Love and Weather, Marry My Husband)

C. you liked the second male lead (Eun-gi's actor) and want to see a drama where he gets the girl (See You in My 19th Life)

D. "we go to Netflix or Viki and watch the first thing that I've seen before and liked" (Crash Course In Romance, Jealousy Incarnate, Flower of Evil, When The Camellia Blooms, It's Okay That's Love, Oh My Ghost, Twenty-five Twenty-one, Reply 1988)

E. "we go to Netflix or Viki and watch something I haven't vetted yet for cringe level"

Crash Course In Romance

A cute romcom about middle aged people falling in love! Also there's a serial killer subplot lol happens a lot, you and Hatter will get used to those in K-dramas. The female lead is a single mom! Well, tech aunt but that's HER CHILD she raised her!

Jeon Do-yeon is a cutie, amazing as the female lead and Jung Kyung-ho as Choi Chi-yeol is so pathetic (affectionate, highest praise.)

Reply 1988

This is one of Mu-yeol's favorite dramas! Anything set in the late 80s-early 2000s is so nostalgic for him. This is a great period piece for 80's South Korea. It also delves lightly into the political turmoil at the time which he'll happily pause to explain to Hatter in more detail. It's his favorite in the Reply series, even though he really enjoys Reply 1994 and Reply 1997 too, which he eventually makes Hatter watch but not all back to back.

The song that open's Reply 1988, To You by Shin Hae Chul is like one of the most iconic Korean songs. Your cat knows this song if you live in Korea lmao. It's so beloved that EXO, a current K-pop group (well 3rd gen but still active) performed it a few years ago and this massive audience of people who were not around in the 80's when it came out were screaming and singing along, so ofc Hatter had to listen to the whole song too lmao. Just getting a full Korean pop culture history lesson.

Prison Playbook

UGH Prison Playbook is so GOOD. It stars the male lead from Crash Course In Romance alongside Park Hae-soo, one of the leads from Squid Game. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it's about friendship! It's about family! UGH!!!!

Twenty-Five Twenty-One

Another one that is SO GOOD. This one deals with the 1997 IMF Crisis that rocked Southeast and East Asia. Mu-yeol has detailed memories of this time period and explains what that time was like as he observed it while they watch this. It's a drama with a bittersweet but realistic ending, it will rip your heart out it will make you laugh, it's everything.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha

Another romcom! This time with a proper happy ending! But not without ripping your heart out too :):):) Gongjin is giving Swynlake lmao Mu-yeol thinks Hatter will really like it.

Jealousy Incarnate

Now, this is MY favorite drama. I've watched it 6 times straight through. It's so good and the description doesn't do it justice! I love Gong Hyo-jin but find a lot of her characters frustrating and just not good characters despite her being a great actress. But this drama gives her an interesting character!

And the soundtrack? AMAZING.

Youth Of May

Another drama that takes place in the 80s! This one is centered around the Gwangju Uprising which happened the year before Mu-yeol was born. This one is really good for Mu-yeol pausing to explain history lmao but oh my god this drama is UGH I loved it, he loved it.

When The Camellia Blooms

Another Gong Hyojin vehicle! She's a single mom! Good drama for explaining several aspects of Korean culture, stigmas, norms, etc around single parents, orphans, the concept of your fate affecting people around you.

Welcome to Samdal-ri

I'm watching this one right now. I like it a lot!

It's Okay, That's Love

One of the only sympathetic portrayals of schizophrenia I've seen in media ever. EVER. And the soundtrack of this drama? One of the best.

Also D.O. from EXO is in it!

Love To Hate You

A good palatte cleanser after some heavier dramas. Not the silliest of silly romcomc but a romcom nonetheless. Also Kim Jihoon and Yoo Teo are hot!!!

This scene lmao

Money Heist: Korea

Based on the Spanish show, also slaps. Mu-yeol finally gives Hatter a Manly TM show to watch after making him watch romcoms. A dudebro show, as a treat. Except it's actually really good!!! and it's got hot middle-aged men (Kim Ji-hoon, Park Hae-soo) for them to look at!

Hell Is Other People

It's homoerotic, it's got Lee Dong-wook, it's got serial killers, it's got homoerotic serial killers, what more do you want?

Touch Your Heart

A cute romcom! Yay!!!

But honestly, Mu-yeol thinks Lee Dong-wook's chemistry is...kinda wack with women. His on-screen chemistry playing opposite other men like in Goblin, Bad & Crazy, and Tale of the Nine-Tailed and Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938 is SO good, but to him (and me) it tends to fall flat with women.

He's cute here with Yoo In-na though!!! But in Tail of The Nine-Tailed his best scenes are with Kim Bum lmao

Summer Strike

It's just so good!!!

#r: hatfish

[idontwanttowhy]

AC's and MZ's Review Rubric and Running Record

Ranked list of dramas we've watched (and some we've also reviewed) in order from best to...not so good.

AC's list and comments: I watch a variety of dramas, and every new one starts at a 7/10 and has to prove themselves otherwise. Sorry not sorry.

10/10: FANTASTIC I WOULD DIE FOR THEM

It's Okay Not to be Okay (2020)

While You Were Sleeping (2017)

Hirugao: Love Affairs in the Afternoon (2014) -first jdrama!

9/10: Okaaay, I admit, this was great!

Past Lives (2023, film)

Love to Hate You (2023) - reviewed

Mr. Queen (2020) - reviewed

Rain or Shine/Just Between Lovers (2017)

Familiar Wife (2020) - reviewed

Hwayugi: A Korean Odyssey (2017)

My Love from the Star (2013)

In-House Marriage Honey (2020) - reviewed

The Penthouse: War on Life (Season 1) (2020) - reviewed

Hospital Playlist (2020) - reviewed

12 Years Promise (2014) -one of my first kdramas!

Strong Girl Do Bong-Soon (2017)

Welcome to Waikiki (2018)

Kimi wa Petto/You're My Pet (2017)

Oh My Ghost (2015)

8/10: Good, even

Business Proposal (2022)

The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016) - reviewed

Holiday Love ホリデイラブ (2018) - reviewed

Sweet & Sour (2021, film) - reviewed

Dr. Cha (2023) - reviewed

My Secret Romance (2017) - reviewed

Hello, My Twenties (2016)

One Spring Night (2019)

What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018)

Before We Get Married (2019)

Because This Is My First Life (2017)

It's Okay, That's Love (2014) - reviewed

Kill Me, Heal Me (2015)

Crash Course in Romance (2023) - reviewed

Weighlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo (2016)

Something in the Rain (2018)

Cheese in the Trap (2016)

W: Two Worlds (2016)

The Beauty Inside (2015, film)

Itaewon Class (2020)

My ID is Gangnam Beauty (2018)

Chicago Typewriter (2017)

7/10: Solid, didn't kill me.

Descendants of the Sun (2016) - reviewed

Another Miss Oh (2016)

Encounter (2018)

Crash Landing On You (2020) - reviewed

Nevertheless (2021)

The Beauty Inside (2018)

Still 17 (2018)

Triad Princess (2019)

Romance is a Bonus Book (2019)

Abyss (2019)

Mystic Pop-Up Bar (2020) - reviewed

Extraordinary You (2019)

Destined With You (2023)

1-6/10: Why did I watch??

She Would Never Know/Sunbae, Don’t Put On That Lipstick (2021) - reviewed

School Nurse Files (2020) - reviewed

True Beauty (2020) - reviewed

To All the Guys Who Loved Me (2020) - reviewed

Start Up (2020)

Boys Over Flowers (2009)

MZ's list and comments: I am in no way surprised by the amount of variation we have here, and in fact I feel very lucky to be in conversation with AC because we have such different takes. That said, my list is the correct one...

11+/10, will not shut up about these in this lifetime (or the next)

Secret Garden (2010)

Crash Landing on You (2020)

Coffee Prince (2007)

Love to Hate You (2023)

10/10, no notes!!! they are everything!!!

Boys over Flowers (2009)

Kill Me, Heal Me (2015)

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)

While You Were Sleeping (2017)

9/10, loved and would recommend to anyone

You're Beautiful (2009)

Hwayugi (2017)

My Girl (2005)

Start Up (2020)

Extraordinary You (2019)

What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? (2018)

Oh My Ghost (2015)

Destined With You (2023)

8/10, solid but wouldn't necessarily rave about

My Lovely Sam Soon (2005)

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (2017)

A Hundred Days My Prince (2018)

Full House (2004)

My Princess (2011)

True Beauty (2020)

Business Proposal (2022)

Her Private Life (2019)

Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung (2019)

7/10, no strong feelings

School Nurse Files (2020)

Crash Course in Romance (2023)

Imaginary Cat (2015)

Mystic Pop Up Bar (2020)

The Bride of Habaek (2017)

1-6/10, strong negative feelings

Full House Take 2 (2012)

The Undateables (2018)

She Was Pretty (2015)

To All the Guys Who Loved Me (2020)

Dr. Cha (2023)

Personal Taste (2010)

Cheese In The Trap (2016)

Hyde, Jekyll, Me (2015)

Memories of the Alhambra (2018)

My Love from the Star (2013)

My Holo Love (2020)

Mr. Queen (2020)

#kdrama recommendations #kdramareview #at least we have while you were sleeping

[arsonyte]

She *is* pretty! Why can’t you see it?!!

Note: This was written back in 2017, but I never got to publishing it.

A “She Was Pretty” Review:

Background Meta

I discovered the trailer for this drama last year when I was *cough* trying to drown myself in KDramas as I avoid a British Spy-Themed TV Event with one Sexualized Nerd-Hunk that just gave me collossal headaches... *cough* ANYWAY. I just finished “Personal Preference” at long last, since I started it around 2013 and didn’t finish it... till three years later due to... real life things. Unfortunately, due to other unforseen real life things, I didn’t manage to watch “She Was Pretty” last year as well. 

This year, it just suddenly popped up in my mind while trying to find something to watch: “What’s the title of that KDrama again where there’s this weird girl who had this hot pixie-ish haircut dancing about in this pool-side party? And she was ugly?” I had to check out this KDrama list of “Best Dramas” per year -- and I found my answer.

Spoilers ahead!

Characters

Kim Hye Jin - I love the fact that she really is pretty -- freckles, frizzy hair and all. I was like -- “Okay just a little hairstyling like a ponytail or half-ponytail of some sort, and she’d be fine without having a full makeover.” And with someone who’s got untameable hair, Hyejin-a is someone very relatable. She’s also a kind person and has this knack for efficiency when working -- something I can also relate to. 

Though yes, my mother (whom I also dragged into watch this series) was right: Hye Jin is over the top sometimes with how she reacts to things around her. Some of her quirks seem to be overdone too, like the way she makes that sound with clucking her teeth when she’s nervous. I mean sure, she’s weird and all -- but no need to overdo it. It just made the first few episodes a bit too much for someone who isn’t fond of slapstick humor (like my mother). Fortunately, its the slapstick humor that made me stay. It is my thing anyway. XD

Despite the whole predictable “makeover plot”, I love how Hye Jin turned out to be a writer at the end, loving her work. And she keeps her curly hair and freckles! I would say her journey through MOST makes it worthwhile, and I love how she managed to interact with everyone who was with her along the way.

Ji Sung Joon - I haven’t been watching a lot of KDramas lately, but I saw clips of “Kiss Me, Heal Me” (where both Hwang Jung-eum and Park Seo-Joon also starred) and I realized that the other reviewers were right: The whole “stoic, cold-hearted” characterization just doesn’t fit Park Seo-Joon. Although I understand that it was all for plot... but did Sung-Joon really need to be that harsh?!

And what happened to that sweet, quiet overweight boy at the start? What was it that turned him into this rich, stoic, and cold-hearted man whom Hye Jin meets again? I wish we saw more of what transformed Sung-Joon to what he was now. I mean we were shown the backstory of his mother dying and how he was bullied when he transferred to the US... but I wish there was more to support his character.

Yes, I understand he was being keen on getting Most to the top spot. Yes, I know he needed to succeed or else MOST Korea would close down and that would spell doom for his career in MOST NYC. But did he really have to be that harsh?! I feel like all that effort of being crude and strict we as all for naught since it turns out that it would have worked better if he was transparent with the MOST Editing Team and collaborated with them in the process. The fact that he was still terrorizing his team at the end made me wonder if the whole character development was worth it.

But once he finds out the truth about Hye Jin and (Ha Ri as well), he suddenly turns into this sweet guy who just loves his childhood sweetheart so much and it was easier for me to watch Sung-Joon go about. I just wish he didn’t just go through the whole “POOF! I’M A SWEETHEART NOW!” transformation after all the harshness Hye Jin had to go through. They could have characterized his coldness as a facade and was truly sweet and gentle underneath it all.

However, Sung-Joon’s flaws are hilarious. The fact that he can barely hear anything when he’s holding his tablet that he’s reduced into drinking water from vases thinking its his coffee and slamming nose-first into elevator doors and glass walls made him a bit more well-rounded as a character.

Min Ha Ri - I love how Ha Ri was a well-rounded character, not your typical antagonistic second lead. Her friendship with Hye Jin is something amazing -- something you don’t usually find in frikking dramas lately. But I’ll discuss that later. I love how Ha Ri serves as Hye Jin’s foil somewhat: being that rich, cool, pretty best-friend whom all the boys line up for. And yet, despite getting everything she ever wanted, she’d drop everything for her “wifey” Hye Jin. 

I understand that the whole conflict in the plot was construed by her and Hye Jin and they do take responsibility for it. And I give her credit for stretching her neck as far as she could just so she can tell Jung-Soon the truth, despite being blocked every single time she tries. It just so happens that she fell in love with Jung-Soon too... and I suddenly had my heart going out to her.

“He was my first love too.” Her stomach cramps spelled her guilt for it all. The way she bounces back and becomes supportive for Hye Jin just shows how her friendship with her is solid. Her dedication to claim her future and shape her own destiny by giving up everything that wasn’t hers: from her clothes, her car, and the job where her father shoe’d her in just shows how Ha Ri has integrity. And I love it when she perseveres through the end.

As much as I do wish she ended up with someone (like Shin-hyuk), I think her ending suits her. <3

Kim Shin-Hyuk - Seriously, I wasn’t a Choi Siwon fan when I walked into this fandom. I did walk out as one. 

THIS LIL SH** STEALS THE SHOW!!!

I swear, if it weren’t for Shin-Hyuk’s little quirks and Choi Siwon’s perfect comedic timing then I don’t know... He makes everything worthwhile and bearable when the second-hand embarrassment is too much from Hye Jin and when I think that Ha Ri is losing her conscience. I mean, Reporter Kim even brought out the humanity out of the cold Jung-Soon!

And they were right how Siwon’s acting spectrum came out with Shin-Hyuk: he shifted from goofy to someone scarred and hurting inside in SECONDS. Those scenes after the motorcycle accident where he goofs around to cheer Hye Jin up while trying to hide the fact that he’s still receiving treatment for his wounds are just one of his milestones.

Even his catchphrases such as calling Hye Jin as “Jackson” is just too precious. 

Although I do have quite the second-lead syndrome, I don’t think he’s perfect for Hye Jin. I believe that with how gullible Hye Jin is, his quirkiness would just cause her much stress. And from the start you just knew that Hye Jin already chose Jung-Soon... Although he may be a perfect match for Min Ha Ri, I think the latter and Reporter Kim should be at least stand alones. Well, for these relationships, I’ll elaborate further later on.

I do wish that there’s a happier ending for Reporter Kim though.

Honorable Mentions:

Kim Ra Ra - Aside from Reporter Kim, the deranged yet chic Chief Editor of Most Korea takes the cake in comedy! She’s like a hilarious version of Miranda Priestly of “Devil Wears Prada” without the utter devastation and filled with crazy crack. I swear she steals the show everytime she’s on screen (along with that upbeat track just made for her - Shung! Shung! Shung!) whether she’s speaking in some European Language of God Knows What, throwing her stuff about and expecting them to be caught, or flirting with guys who are 20 years her junior.

Plot

This story has three major ongoing plots ongoing:

Hye Jin and Ha Ri concocting this plot of making the latter appear as the former in front of Sung-Joon due to Hye Jin's insecurities

Sung-Joon's attempt to rekindle his friendship/romance with childhood friend Hye Jin

MOST Korea's attempt to break through the charts and end up as #1 in sales in three months

There are several subplots that I think are more interesting and are stand-outs from the main story:

The guest from #2024 (a.k.a. Min Ha Ri's and Kim Shin-Hyuk's friendship)

Who is Ten (the world-renknowned mysterious writer)?

Who is the Vice-President's son who was working secretly in MOST Korea's Editing team?

Han Seol and Kim Joon-woo's side love story

#she was pretty #kdrama

[maishaaa]

Kdrama Review: STRONG WOMAN DO-BONG SOON

Kdrama Review: STRONG WOMAN DO-BONG SOON

Ratings: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Kdrama: Strong Woman Do-Bong Soon Genre: Crime / Action-Thriller / Rom-Com / Fantasy No. Of Episodes: 16 Year Of Release: 2017 Synopsis: A woman born with superhuman strength is hired by the CEO Ahn Min-hyuk (Park Hyung-sik)  of a gaming company, to be his bodyguard. Do Bong-Soon (Park Bo-young) desperately wants to become a delicate and elegant woman, which is the ideal type…

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#creativewriting #blogger #crime #fiction #kdrama #kdramareviews #koreandrama #longreads #love #netflixseries #reviews #romcom #series #thriller #wordporn

[sakurablossomsagain]

Reseña de Hwayugi / A Korean Odyssey (2018)

SINOPSIS

Es una versión moderna de la novela clásica china llamada "Journey to the West". La historia muestra la vida de Jin Seon Mi AKA Sam Jang (Oh Yeon Seo) que tiene la habilidad de ver fantasmas y quien por cosas del destino, en su infancia se cruza con Woo Hwi Chul AKA Ma Wang (Cha Seung Won), el Rey Demonio, un extraño ser que le pide un favor; mientras Seon Mi realiza el favor conoce a Son Oh Gong (Lee Seung Gi), el Rey Mono, otro extraño ser que termina engañándola. Debido a este incidente Seon Mi sufre muchos problemas. Cuando es adulta, vuelve a encontrarse con Woo Hwi Chul y Son Oh Gong, lo que provoca que las vidas de todos se compliquen.

A Korean Odyssey (AKA Hwayugi) me llamó la atención mucho antes de leer la sinopsis o siquiera conocer a Lee Seung Gi, el título, me parecía muy interesante pero por alguna razón que no recuerdo, no me animé a verlo creyendo que no me gustaría. Ese fue otro de mis grandes errores como doramaniaca. Lo empecé a ver a principios de octubre y déjenme decirles que el timing que elegí fue PERFECTO, pues pese a no pertenecer al género del terror, sí pertenece al de fantasía, por lo que hay seres sobrenaturales como dioses, demonios y fantasmas (claro que nada aterrador). Por lo que lo amé desde el primer capítulo.

Primero hablemos de Lee Seung Gi porque él y su personaje merece un párrafo exclusivamente para él. A Korean Odyssey (AKA Hwayugi) fue el primer kdrama que filmó después de haber finalizado su servicio militar en el 2017 y… algo le hizo el servicio militar, ¡algo! Lee Seung Gi pre military service es guapo y cute pero Lee Seung Gi post military service es cute, sexy af y masculino, muy masculino (ni siquiera sabía que me gustaban los hombres masculinos hasta que empecé a leer y ver más videos del actor). Cuando vean el primer capítulo de Hwayugi, sabrán de lo que hablo, se enamorarán al instante.

Son Oh Gong, el personaje protagonista interpretado por Lee Seung Gi tiene una personalidad fuerte, muy fuerte, es impulsivo y realmente puede golpear. Si hay una escena con Son Oh Gong en él pueden esperarse de todo, especialmente en las escenas de besos ;) su personaje sí que sabe como disfrutar de los placeres carnales.

Respecto a Jin Seon Mi, su personaje de niña me enamoró; sin embargo, me tomó un poco más de tiempo amar a su personaje de adulta. Quizá no me gustó la manera de actuar de la protagonista o que el personaje al principio no tenía mucha personalidad más allá de ver espíritus; no obstante mejora con el pasar de los capítulos (eso o te acostumbras jeje).

El personaje de Ma Wang, interpretado por Cha Seung Won, es otro que me gustó por todo el amor y respeto que guardaba hacia su amada. Al principio creí que él era el antagonista, luego creí que él y Son Oh Gong eran los malos, después entendí que en esta historia no hay buenos ni malos; solo seres humanos y mágicos coexistiendo y luchando contra lo que ellos creen que esta mal.

Mención honorífica a los personajes de Jin Bu Ja (Lee Se Young, síp, la misma actriz que actuó en Doctor John) y P.K. AKA Jeo Pal Gye (Lee Hong Ki). Sus personajes, tanto individuales como pareja me encantaron. Amé el concepto propio de Zombie que crearon y el amor que P.K. tenía por Bu Ja. Lindo y desgarrador.

Lo único que no me gustó de la historia (pero que luego sí haha) fue la incorporación del brazalete. Despees del capítulo 3 empecé a dudar de que hubiera un correcto desarrollo de la historia de amor entre los personajes principales. Eso es lo que detesto en los kdramas de fantasía, muchos de ellos no saben desarrollar el amor entre la pareja principal.

SPOILER ALERT

Comentario con Spoiler

Dije que al principio odié el concepto de enamoramiento causado por un brazalete, pero llegando al capítulo final todo tuvo sentido y me gustó porque realmente me desgarró el corazón… y para mí, el capítulo final fue muy triste, más triste que el de Goblin (síp, lo dije). Literal, el último capítulo es un martirio recordándote que Bu Ja y Jin Seon Mi murieron, que muchos murieron y que ya nada es igual :,( fue muy triste.

FIN DEL SPOILER ALERT

Le doy a Hwayugi 4.5 estrellas.

OST: 5 estrellas (When I Saw You, Let Me Out, If You Were Me, I'll Be Fine y Always You son unas joyas.. bueno, prácticamente todo el OST es oror).

Actuación: 5 estrellas

Personajes: 5 estrellas

Historia: 5 estrellas

Escenografía: 5 estrellas

Química de la pareja: 4.5 estrellas

#Hwayugi #a korean odyssey #lee se young #lee seung gi #Lee Hong Ki #cha seung won #oh yeon seo #P.K. #Bu Ja #Jeo pal gye #gifs #reseña #review #2018 #2017 #KDRAMA #kdrama review

[kdramaenthu3iast]

fight for my way review.

‼️spoilers‼️

fight for my way. 100/10.

this is my favourite drama of all time. 

it has all the best troupes in my opinion and my favourite actors it’s just *chefs kiss*.

‘i think i’m in trouble. now i think u look pretty even when you cry’. AGHSLKHAFHFHJHGHSFGJ

i have so much to say but no words to describe my love for it.

 i loved all the scenes when they were just friends. 

WHEN THEY MADE HER KNEEL AND DONG-MAN GOT ANGRY ANGRY AND DJSJSOFLSVAL!! 

THE Fact he was ok with letting her cry and was her shoulder. do men like this exist in real life.

they were so fucking cute throughout. my fav trope of childhood friends to lovers so it was very difficult to dislike but when I tell you it was done perfectly.

they were friends for long enough and they were a couple for long enough ,,, we got to see everything.

if Korea made a drama like this every month I'd eat that shit up. 

WHEN Baek Seol-Hee THREW WATER IN THAT HOMEWRECKERS FACE THE NOISE THAT LEFT ME!

you know when something just makes u feel a certain way ,,, it’s this for me.

honestly, i can’t describe it. it was so good and the coach was one of my fav side characters ever, he kept crying all the time.

mma is such a weird sport but man ,,, this was so fucking good. like so fucking good. holy fuck. 

also park seojoon is a very good actor and i strongly believe kim jiwon is one of the most attractive women in this world and one of my fav actresses. like look at her. 

tears bro. i love this fucking drama. 

this is probably one of the best pieces of media I've ever consumed and I've consumed a lot of media. 

#fight for my way #ffmy #park seo joon #kim jiwon #romance #childhood friends #friends to lovers #2017 #kdrama #review #can you tell how much I loved this show just from the amount I have written about it? #:)

[hopeless-romantic-meganekko]

4th Review: While You Were Sleeping (2017)

Alternative Names: 당신이 잠든 사이에 

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Fantasy, Thriller, Legal Drama

Type: Korean Drama These are some personal favorite moments of mine from the show! (Credits to those who made the gifs, I take no credit whatsoever except for the review below!)

GIFS from: @/captainjoongki, @/sleeplessaliana, @/snugbora (might be missing a few, I’m sorry!) Episodes: 16 eps / Each episode 1 hour long Available on Viki (6/25/20)

!!! Warning: Spoilers Ahead !!!

While You Were Sleeping is a great romance drama starring Lee Jong Suk as Prosecutor Jung Jae-chan, Bae Suzy as Reporter Nam Hong-joo, and Jung Hae-in as Police Officer Han Woo-tak. I decided to give this drama a try since I’m a big Lee Jong Suk fan and love watching romantic dramas, I would definitely re watch this drama.

The drama focuses on the power trio, Jung Jae-chan (Lee Jong Suk), Nam Hong-joo (Bae Suzy), and Han Woo-tak (Jung Hae In) who have the power to see the future through dreams. This power is shared if the person avoids death and is saved by Nam Hong-joo. Since Jung Jae-chan and Han Woo-tak are saved by Hong-joo in their own ways, they are able to gain the power of seeing the future of the person they were saved by. 

With this power, they assist each other by saving one another from death and/or certain situations by using their dreams while assisting Prosecutor Jae-chan in taking down the antagonistic and corrupt lawyer, Lee Yoo-beom who is played by Lee Sang-yeob.

(+) I absolutely loved the balance and integration of side arcs, they felt so natural and contributed to the story to further the plot. Like how Jae-chan and Yoo-beom are connected by their childhood past, showing how messed up Yoo-beom is. As well as, how Hong-joo and Jae-chan are connected to Investigator Choi Dam-dong, played by Kim Won-hae, who is the older brother of the soldier who killed their fathers. Not only do these character arcs further the story, it develops gives the depth of the characters and makes you more attached to them. 

To add on, not only are the side arcs great but how natural the incorporation romance and legal drama, the story doesn’t feel awkward or choppy when mixing the two very different genres but WYWS seems to get this down pretty well. 

(+) Not only is the power trio so great, consisting of powerful (and very hot) characters but the supporting cast was also very likable. I loved the whole Prosecutor team, Woo-tak’s partner in crime, Nam-joo’s mother, and Jae-chan’s younger brother - they were a great supporting cast. It’s more I love how the characters are designed and of course, but its all due to the actors/actresses’ effort and talent. 

(+) Besides the plot, I absolutely loved the soundtrack! I learned that Lee Jong Suk sang two of the songs (“Will You Know” and “Come to Me”) and not to mention Bae Suzy’s songs are amazing. Sometimes, drama soundtracks aren’t extensive and tend to be repetitive sometimes but WYWS had great music cues and I like listening to the songs even when I’m not watching this drama.

(+) A great love triangle between the power trio, it’s not destructive and since Jae-chan and Woo-tak are hot and great characters, you can root for either of them. (side thing: Actor Jung Hae-in looks like Tadashi from Big Hero 6 if you watched that lol) Although Woo-tak doesn’t get with Hong-joo, he is very supportive of Jae-chan and Hong-joo relationship and he continues to be friends with them to the very end. Even though Woo-tak is literally the best, he deserved better. 

(+) Lastly, the ending was amazing. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted from a drama, as it was tied up great. WYWS doesn’t play the horrible ‘child trope’ but focuses on the happiness of all the characters and how they really end up in the near future. I don’t want to spoil the whole ending, but just know I personally think it’s great.

(-) Some moments between Hong-joo and Jae-chan are cringe, but they’re amusing and it mostly happens at the beginning of the show. 

I don’t have many complaints about this drama; the cast, plot, and soundtrack are all amazing. After reading this review, I hope this convinces you to watch this drama because it’s definitely a great one to pick up.

TL;DR Overall Review: 10 / 10 Plot: 9.6 / Acting & Cast: 10 / Music: 9 / Rewatch Value: 10

#lee jong suk #bae suzy #jung hae in #while you were sleeping #while you were sleeping 2017 #kdrama #gif #drama review #meganekko reviews #korean drama #romance #romance comedy #fantasy #legal drama #thriller #wyws #jung jae chan #nam hong joo #han woo tak #lee sang yeob #lee yoo beom #choi dam dong #kim won hae #korea #Foreign Drama #2017 #당신이 잠든 사이에 #spoilers #review #viki

[kdramacollections]

HIT THE TOP/THE BEST HIT

What would you do if a typhoon threw you twenty-four years in the future?

I for one would freak out, then search for any living members of my family, and then freak out some more. 

Meet Yoo Hyun Jae, he’s a popular member of J2, a fashion icon, and a man of many talents. Hyun Jae is without a doubt in his prime as he’s considered as one of the most popular idols of the 90′s. 

But then one day, Yoo Hyun Jae is nowhere to be found, and to make matters worse, the authorities have pronounced him dead a month after his disappearance. However, Yoo Hyun Jae is much more than a missing person’s case.

Now things get a little bit weird as the plot progresses, we learn that Yoo Hyun Jae isn’t really dead, the mysterious typhoon has somehow transported him to the year 2017. Like a fish out of water, Hyun Jae tries to understand his situation, as well as come to terms with being in the future.

Luckily for Yoo Hyun Jae, he landed at the very building that housed his management company in 1993. With no other choice, the first generation idol joins a trio of friends who are currently working through their modern-day issues.

MC Drill (right) is a trainee at Star Punch Entertainment, his top worry is the fact that he’s still a trainee at his age. MC Drill works hard to ensure that he makes his debut, if this isn’t possible then he’s off to the military without fulfilling his dream.

Choi Woo Seung (center) is currently studying to take the civil servant exam, it is important to note that she has been studying for this exam for three long years while working part-time. Woo Seung’s dream is to live a stable, worry-free life, a life different from the one her mother’s currently living.

Lee Ji Hoon (left) seems to be the most complex of the trio, his father Lee Gwang Jae is a manager for an idol group, while his mother Hong Bo Hee was a popular singer back in the 90′s. Both of his parents hope that Ji Hoon never steps foot in the entertainment industry, as they want him to become a normal civil servant.

Hit the Top lets its viewers know that nothing is as it seems.

Yoo Hyun Jae quickly comes to the realization that his 90′s inspired fashion and slang won’t cut it in 2017. The idol decides to reinvent himself so that he can fit in while trying to figure out how to return to his time.

With the help of Choi Woo Seung, Yoo Hyun Jae is able to land a job at Star Punch entertainment. Things seem to be going smoothly for him, except for the fact that Lee Ji Hoon is a bit cold to him (and he has good reasons for this).

Now Star Punch Entertainment is one of the most popular entertainment companies in Seoul. The company’s top star MJ brings in most of the company’s revenue and all of his songs are top hits that do well on the charts.

Even though MJ doesn’t have a lot of scenes, he’s a character who also has his own personal issues to work through. MJ wants to be taken more seriously as an artist by creating and producing his own work. 

When MJ and Yoo Hyun Jae meet, the younger idol is indeed inspired by Hyun Jae’s outlook on life. But what do you think happens when Hyun Jae listens to MJ’s songs?

This drama’s plot throws a lot at its viewers. Yoo Hyun Jae is now a father, and he has learnt that his old member from J2 has stolen his music. 

At this point in the plot, Hyun Jae is learning how much his disappearance has affected those close to him. But of course, we get a little sprinkle of romance in the mix, and this makes everything more complicated.

Now this is where I get confused:

Yoo Hyun Jae finds out a ton of stuff about himself, and exactly what happened after his disappearance. The thing is, Yoo Hyun Jae has decided to remain in the future, while his past self is?

I didn’t get what the plot was trying to say about the Yoo Hyun Jae from 1993 and the Yoo Hyun Jae from 2017. To my understanding, these men are two different people, 2017 Yoo Hyun Jae is a new man with his whole life ahead of him, and 1993 Yoo Hyun Jae is a mystery.

What I didn’t like about Hit the Top is the fact that Yoo Hyun Jae didn’t reconcile with his son - and if you’re following closely - his son his Lee Ji Hoon. It’s almost as if 2017 Yoo Hyun Jae isn’t taking responsibility for anything he did or said prior to disappearing. 

But if you like comedy and slapstick jokes then this drama is for you, on the other hand, if you have enough knowledge of how time travel works, then you’ll be left confused at the end.

Yoon Shi Yoon plays the character of Yoo Hyun Jae. You can find Yoon Shi Yoon in the dramas, Psychopath Diary and Train.

Kim Min Jae plays the character of Lee Ji Hoon. You can find Kim Min Jae in the dramas, Dr. Romantic 2 and Do You Like Brahms?

Lee Se Young plays the character of Choi Woo Seung. You can find her in the dramas, Memorist and Kairos.

Dong Hong Bae (more popularly known as Big Bang’s Taeyang’s older brother) plays the character of MC Drill. You can find him in the movies Memories of a Dead End, and Oh! My Gran.

Cha Tae Hyun plays the character of Lee Gwang Jae. You can find him in the movies Because I Love You, and Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds.

Cha Eun Woo (from the group Astro) plays the character of MJ. You can find him in the dramas, ID: Gangnam Beauty, and Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung.

Hit the Top was written by Lee Young Chul and Lee Mi Rim. Lee Young Chul is the screenwriter for the dramas, To the Beautiful You, and Smashing on Your Back.

This drama was directed by Yoo Ho Jin and Cha Tae Hyun. 

Plot: 3/5 Cinematography: 5/5 Acting: 4/5 Total: 12/15

Pictures and gifs were taken from dramabeans, scoopnest, and giphy.

#hit the top #the best hit #kdrama review #KBS drama #yoon shi yoon #kim min jae #cha eunwoo #dong hong bae #cha tae hyun #lee se young #time travel #2017 #2 days 1 night

[dramatothethirdpower]

School 2017

How Much I Loved It: ★ ★ ★

Rewatchability: ★

Bingeworthy: ★ ★

How Many Times I’ve watched it:  ★

OTP: Eun Ho and Tae Won

Some of my favorite things:

The music was awesome, I loved when they played the “something cool is about to happen” music.

Suspense! Intrigue! Spies! Sabotage! *jazz hands*

I loved when Tae Woon got jelly, it was adorable. It was even cuter when Eun Ho did it back to him

The intricacies of the shady school corruption was really cool. I’m not sure if this is what the whole series is about or not but I really enjoyed getting riled up about only the rich kids so blatantly getting advantages.

I loved their dynamic. In my head it’s like, “if Eun-Ho asked you to jump off a bridge, would you?” And Tae Woon, before you could finish your sentence would be like - “yes”

I liked that all the veteran teachers were like, I helped a student.... once *stares into the distance*

I love how the boys hate each other because of their trauma and then they heal and make up and it was just beautiful!

The pranks were really fun but like, none of those kids went home and were like, mom, the principal doesn’t let the dumb kids eat? Mom, the principal takes bribes?

I liked that they didn’t play up the whole poor girl rich boy trope, it was there but they didn’t lean into it

Tae Woon has such a great character arc! He grows so much as a character and reveals he was just a soft boy all along

All the adult interactions were hilarious, if it was all adults on screen someone was going to get roasted

I loved seeing Tae Woon and his father fix their relationship

Things I hated

The beginning is really slow and kind of boring and then towards the end it gets really slow and boring again. Episodes 4-14 are the sweet spot, but it’s a big investment to put up with the rest

Tik Tok recommended this one to me as a love triangle. I would like to say clearly here - it is NOT.

Again. So very often bored! It was a chore pushing through the last two episodes

And even though some of those middle episodes are sooo slow we end up resolving a ton of plot lines in like a “where are they now” in the last episode. Bleh.

Overall the best parts were in the middle when the whole gang is together and in on it. I had to finish just to see the bad adults in power get what was coming to them, but I can’t see myself watching any of the other titles in this series.

#review #kdrama #Viki #school 2017

[kimchislaphearts]

The Reason We Can’t Sleep (2017)

Genre: Romance

Plot:

Kim Young Jae (Im Ji Kyu) and Lee Yoo Jung (Im Se Mi) are neighbors who meet and get off on the wrong foot. She blames him for lack of sleep because he jumps rope outside her window every night at 3am. He blames his lack of sleep on too much energy. As they get to know each other the truth comes out. Will the friendship last? 

Cast & Crew:

Im Se Mi as Lee Joo Young

Im Ji Kyu as Kim Young Jae

Supporting cast -  Lee Dae Yeon, Hwang Young Hee, Kim Kang Hyun, Abel Ryu

Directors - Lee Hyun Jin, Kang Soo Yeon

Screen Writer - Baek Soo Yeon

Music: It didn’t feel like there was a lot of music but there were a couple of really nice songs featured in this drama special - 비행운 (Contrail) by 문문 (MoonMoon) and Today by O.When. The convenience store where Young Jae worked was also constantly playing bops including - SUNMI’s Gashina, Red Velvet’s Red Flavor, Wanna One’s Energetic and B1A4’s Rollin.

Overall:

This is another drama special which is very fitting for the 2020 crowd. Two individuals, of which neither is succeeding at life, both suffering the after effects of life induced insomnia meet in the middle of the night one sleepless night. What happens next is just a nice lite enemies-to-lovers rom-com. It’s a pretty simple story, but it’s nicely done.

It’s not a taxing watch at all. While they don’t solve all their problems it would easily fall into the current trend of “healing dramas”. 

The cast were all familiar faces and the leads were nicely matched together. The chemistry between the leads wasn’t off the charts but I wouldn’t mind seeing them paired up again. 

What I liked most about this was how honest it was about the relationships between the characters, and not just the leads. The nearly 30 year old daughter returned as a burden and a failure to her family whose parents still cherished her despite feeling the burden every day. The house-mate who was unable to face his girlfriend. I thought that the father daughter moments were really nice. I also liked that the relationship between the leads didn’t feel rushed despite the drama clocking in at just over an hour. 

Overall, it was a nice watch and one that most young people or those who aren’t able to fall asleep easily would relate to. I liked it. 

Rating: 8/10

Watch it: KBS World Youtube

#kbs drama special #kdrama #review #2017 #The Reason We Can't Sleep #Im Se Mi #Im Ji Kyu