kdrama – The Obsessive Dilettante

Dramaland Forecast: December 2018

December 1, 2018 odilettanteLeave a comment

Previously: Jan – Feb – Mar – Apr – May – June – July – Aug – Sept – Oct – Nov

Eeee, it’s the last Dramaland Forecast of the year! Overall, 2018 maybe wasn’t the best year for dramas for me – not because of the dramas themselves (I still have a mile-long “to watch” list), but my schedule and routine changed quite a bit with my new job, and I think I took more time to focus on other things that were more demanding. Maybe now that I have a better handle on my routine, I’ll be able to make more time next year to watch all the things. Maybe.

But for now, here’s December’s Forecast!

Completed:

The Guest – lbr, my primary driving force in watching this was Handsome Oppa, because I’m not exactly a horror fan. But I actually really loved it, and the main trio will have my heart forever.
My Ahjussi – I brought this with me on vacation and managed to binge the entire series over a couple of weeks. I’d originally been hesitant to start it because the last thing I need in dramaland is yet another huge age-gap difference, but after being reassured there was no romance, I was happy to dive in. I liked it. I’m not sure there’s anything else I can particularly add that hasn’t been said by others, but for once I think I’m in agreement that it was one of the best dramas of the year.

Currently Watching:

Red Moon, Blue Sun/Children of Nobody – oooh, I have no idea where this show is going, and I’m okay with that because the mystery is intriguing. This feels like it’s going to be a complicated story that will be slowly unraveled, and I’m hoping it lives up to expectations and doesn’t self-combust in the end. (Also I want all of Nam Gyuri’s character’s clothes, plz.)
Miss Sherlock – I don’t often include non-Korean shows on this list, but this was the other drama I took with me on my trip and am about four episodes into, and because I feel like I’m hardly watching anything, I thought I might as well add it.

Plan to watch:

SKY Castle – this is super high on my list and I really, really want to make room for it. I just need to find some time!

Dropping/skipping:

Knowing I’d be traveling for most of last month, I didn’t seriously plan on checking out any of the November premieres since I wouldn’t have time to keep up with them. I’ll still monitor the buzz and see if the ones that originally interested me will be worth adding to the watch list.

Upcoming dramas of interest:

Fates & Furies – I don’t generally include the Saturday-only dramas on here just because I know I won’t usually watch them (kinda like I automatically don’t include any long-running weekend dramas). Buuuuut this one stars Lee Min Jung and Joo Sang Wook, and I have a sentimental attachment to them since they were the leads in the first drama I ever recapped, so for nostalgia’s sake I kinda want to check this out, even though this kind of old-school melo isn’t my jam.
Memories of the Alhambra – I want to watch this, but probably won’t right away because I feel like it’ll be swept up in a hype-train because of the cast, and I just want to enjoy it in peace. It might make the perfect travel drama when I visit my family next year, though.
Coffee, Do Me a Favor – Channel A’s rom-coms can be a little… suspect, in that they’re usually pretty cheesy with a low budget. I’m still willing to give them a chance if there’s something that can draw my interest. Buuuuuut I think we can all give a collective groan at the plot conceit of an overweight woman suddenly becoming thin and beautiful by drinking a cup of magic coffee. Yeah. I’ll pass.
Bad Detective/Less Than Evil – this was originally listed to premiere in November, but apparently it got pushed back another week. I’m not complaining, because then maybe I’ll have figured out how to squeeze it into watch-schedule by the time it premieres this week. I’m super curious about how this Luther remake will live up to the original (plus I’m always a fan of my ahjussi crush, Shin Ha Kyun).
Dance Sports Girls – this looks super cute, and at only eight episodes (which feels more like four eps, due to the shortened ep thing), maybe I could fit it in as an idle binge.
My Strange Hero – I like a lot of this cast, but it feels like a revenge melo that heavily emphasizes the “melo” part. Which is a classic drama mainstay, but not generally my cup of tea (although I’m sure there will be lots of scenes of Yoo Seung Ho crying prettily, because that’s what he does).

As always, any drama not listed means I have nothing new to add since the last mention and/or it’s not something I care about enough to add to the list.

Dramaland Forecast: November 2018

November 1, 2018 odilettanteLeave a comment

Previously: Jan – Feb – Mar – Apr – May – June – July – Aug – Sept – Oct

Completed:

YG Future Strategy Office – this counts as a drama, right? I’m counting it, anyway, since my completed list this year is woefully small and it can use all the bolstering it can get. I’m also apparently one of the few people in the world who thoroughly enjoyed it, cringe-worthy mockumentary style and all. It made me laugh and I want more of this stupidness plz.

Currently Watching:

The Guest – the last episode airs when this posts so I’m thisclose to putting in the completed pile. It’s also one of the best dramas I’ve seen all year* despite my instinctive aversion to horror (although, to be fair, the scary bits lose their oomph once you’ve spent hours editing screencaps thanks to a director who likes to shoot everything in utter darkness). *this is also the director who gave us Black so I can’t say anything truly definitive until the last second airs.

Dropping/Skipping:

Er… everything? I think I gave just about every premiere a go last month, but didn’t get past the first week with any of them. Not because I didn’t want to (at least, in some cases), but because I was overwhelmed by all the premieres and couldn’t stick with one show – so I stuck with none show (okay, that’s not proper grammar, but it rhymes!). I’ll probably go back later eventually and pick up a few things to binge at my leisure, but I make no promises.

Upcoming dramas of interest:

Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter – I’m not the greatest fan of Moon Chae Won, but this drama looks adorable and ridiculous and has a cast of a lot of my other favorites, so I’m excited to see if it lives up to my expectations (mostly I’m excited about a show with fantasy elements!).
Happy If You Died – I like the cast and the premise sounds interesting. But I won’t have lots of time to watch anything in November, so I’m content to wait to hear about the buzz and add it to my watch-list to binge later if need be.
Top Star Yoo Baek – this looks cute and zany, but I’m not sure I’d put it high on my list. Maybe it’ll be a fun binge when I’m looking for something delightfully dumb and ridiculous.
Red Moon Blue Sun – Kim Sun Ah, the love of my heart! I’m excited for this primarily because of her, but this writer makes me think it’ll be an intriguing mystery, too.
Priest – it’s an OCN drama about an exorcist. *squints* I’m not exactly sure I’m ready to immediately dive back in the supernatural after spending all this time with The Guest.
Clean With Passion For Now – this has potential, but I feel like I need to know a little more before I make a decision. It’s not high on the list but I’ll keep an ear out for the buzz to see if it’s the kind of thing I want to add to my list.
Bad Detective – I am both wary and excited, since I enjoyed Luther and this is the remake. But because it’s a remake, I have no idea if it will be a quality remake along the lines of The Good Wife or Life on Mars, or a complete disaster like Criminal Minds. The production team doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence, but omg the cast! I know nothing can compare to Idris Elba, but Shin Ha Kyun is a total ahjussi crush so I’m already game.
Boyfriend – nothing about this particularly appeals to me. Maybe it’ll turn out to be amazing, but it doesn’t sound like the drama for me.
SKY Castle – this sounds boring on paper but I’m still dying to check it out since it’s from the writer of Bridal Mask (among other things) and the director of Harvest Villa (among other things) so I feel like it has to be more than the premise we’ve been given. Plus it stars women in their thirties and forties and it’s not the usual weekend drama (well, it airs on the weekend, but it’s JTBC), so I wanna root for the show to do well just to give these ladies awesome recognition. Basically I want another cracktastic Woman of Dignity-esque drama, plz.

October 23, 2018 odilettanteLeave a comment

I’m trying to figure out what dramas to take with me on my trip this year.

Last year I took Circle (excellent!) and Secret Forest (which was enjoyable until I realized I wouldn’t forgive them for unnecessarily fridging one of the best characters). I’m not sure that I necessarily need suspense, but something bingeable would be delightful for those long hours of travel. So nothing currently airing, since I won’t have easy access to the latest eps.

Any suggestions? I have some vague ideas, but nothing has really “spoken” to me yet.

Dramaland Forecast: October 2018

October 1, 2018 odilettanteLeave a comment

Previously: Jan – Feb – Mar – Apr – May – June – July – Aug – Sept

Completed:

Your House Helper – I was really worried about the ending since the few eps before the final weeks were starting to focus on the main romance which was the least interesting part of the show. But it wrapped up pretty well (although I think we can all agree So-mi’s resolution with her step brother was a total cop out), and I loved this little show for tackling difficult issues in a thoughtful way and bringing me another group of female friends to love and adore.
Meteor Garden 2018 – I did it! Finally! I’ll admit I didn’t play close attention to the last dozen episodes or so, but dammit I watched all 49 eps and now I can move on with my life.

Currently Watching:

The Ghost Detective – I’m two weeks behind but I still plan to get caught up, eventually.
Devilish Joy – I’m two weeks behind and plan to get caught up, eventually (oooh, deja vu!). I’ve only been paying attention to Hoya’s parts, though, because yes I am that fangirl (and lbr he’s the cutest thing in this).
The Guest – I was watching this despite my squeamishness when it comes to horror because I’m an OCN fangirl and a Handsome Oppa fangirl, but episode 6 made me realize that things are getting good and I’m eager to see how our characters work together to defeat literal evil.
Player – I just started it and make no promises but omg it’s totally my jam! I’m a sucker for stylish heist stories with a bizarre collection of characters that have very specific skills. I’m still hesitant since there will undoubtedly be a loveline between Song Seung Hoon’s and Krystal’s characters (because lbr this is still Dramaland, even if it’s OCN). But gdi I need all the Robin Hood heist stories I can get my greedy hands on.

Dropping/Skipping:

Everything else! There were just so many premieres, I couldn’t keep up even if I wanted to. I’m still tempted by a few, but I can’t even watch what I already am trying to watch.

Upcoming dramas of interest:

Where Stars Land – the last thing this writer and director created together was Gu Family Book, which I feel like should be a warning, but I actually was one of the few people who genuinely enjoyed that show. I do like this writer, though (Dalja’s Spring, King of Baking Kim Tak Goo, Romantic Teacher Doctor Kim) plus the cast is great, so I’m willing to give it a chance.
The Greatest Divorce – what an excellent cast! (You know how much I love me some Lee El, so Cha Tae Hyun and Bae Doona are almost like a bonus.) I haven’t watched the original Japanese drama, but I’m already trying to figure out how to squeeze this into my schedule.
Dae Jang Geum is Watching – I’m such a sucker for food shows, and this one looks cute and sweet. I’m rooting for sitcoms to make a comeback, anyway (especially shorter ones!), so this might find a way into my already overly-packed viewing schedule.
Room No. 9 – my kneejerk instinct is to stay far away from this (a lawyer and a doctor? But legal and medical dramas are my least favorite!). But then they’re gonna throw in bodyswap hijinks that involve Kim Hae Sook and Kim Hee Sun – and oh yeah, there’s a woman’s prison. So I’m conflicted.
Bad Detective – it’s a remake of BBC’s Luther, which makes me both excited and wary. I really like the cast, though (Shin Ha Kyung is a total ahjussi crush!), but I don’t know enough about the production team. This could be a disaster of Criminal Minds proportions or a Life on Mars success. I want to check it out, anyway.
Miss Ma, Goddess of Revenge – this is supposedly based on Agatha Christie’s “Miss Marple” series but the synopsis makes me go, “…are you sure? Because it just sounds like a random mystery series based on nothing I remember about Miss Marple. But okay, you got my mystery-loving attention…”

As always, any drama not listed means I have nothing new to add since the last mention and/or it’s not something I care about enough to add to the list.

Dramaland Forecast: September 2018

September 1, 2018 odilettanteLeave a comment

Previously: Jan – Feb – Mar – Apr – May – June – July – Aug

Completed:

Let’s Eat 3 – I’m still sad this got unexpectedly cut down to 14 eps (I wish you all the best the next two years, Doojoon!). This gradually grew on me to the point where I think it’s my favorite season, but I really feel like the ending could have been so much more than the… whatever… we got, if we could’ve only had that extra week.

Currently Watching (…sorta, kinda…):

Your House Helper – I put off watching eps 29/30 last week so I could watch it with eps 31/32 this week, and haven’t had time to do that yet. But I’m gonna finish it, I swear!
Life on Mars – I’m (still) on episode 9! But I’m gonna finish it, I swear!
Meteor Garden – I’m (still) on episode 27! But I’m gonna finish it, I swear!

Dropping/Skipping:

Voice 2 – as much as I enjoyed the original, I just don’t have time in my schedule to squeeze this in, even for a cursory glance.

Upcoming dramas of interest:

Today’s Detective/Ghost Detective – for some reason I thought this was premiering the last week of August, but apparently it’s next week. I’m still planning to watch it, anyway.
Hand: The Guest – apparently September is the month for me to watch scary supernatural crime shows (oh, and there’s also Handsome Oppa as a ~~sexy~~ priest, yeah, start saying your prayers now).
Bad Papa – I’m vaguely interested but realistically I probably won’t watch this (I mean, have you seen my watch-rate this year?). There are too many other shows that are more appealing to me right now.
Big Forest – I can’t figure out how to classify this drama, but it has all the slice-of-life hallmarks that will undoubtedly sucker me in. Bonus: only one episode a week, so maybe I’ll actually be able to keep up with it!
100 Days My Prince – I always want to check out the latest sageuk (even the ones that aren’t super historically accurate) but realistically I don’t think historical shows are my jam.
The Third Charm – this could be cute and enjoyable! But it’s also from the writer of Hwarang, so… yeah… I do love Esom, though, even if I’m apparently the only one on the planet who isn’t super enamored with Seo Kang Joon.
Hundred Million Stars From the Sky – I know everyone’s gonna be falling over themselves to watch this ‘cause it’s Seo In Guk, but the big draw for me is Park Sung Woong. I haven’t seen the original Japanese drama, although it totally sounds like my kind of show. Buuuut Korean remakes usually tone down the darker aspects of crime/thriller shows and shove in some romance, so, eh, I don’t know. This has potential but will I try to squeeze it into my huge list of other shows I plan to watch?
Thoracic Surgery/Two Lives One Heart – I love you, Uhm Ki Joon, but I do not love medical dramas. I’ll pass, but I won’t be surprised if it has huge ratings since it’s coming from the production team that gave us Defendant.
Terius Behind Me – the production team is too iffy (and unknown) for me to guess the quality of this show. It has an interesting premise and I like the cast, but I don’t know that it will motivate me to rearrange my watching list.
Player – I do not need Song Seung Heon paired up with yet another female lead too young for him, but dammit I’m such a sucker for heist stories so I’ll probably try to find time for this.
The Beauty Inside – I loved the movie and I feel like it could make for a really interesting drama given the premise. But… I loved the movie and the drama sounds… pretty different… so do I want to even give it a chance, especially with a director I’m not sure I trust? Hmm.

As always, any drama not listed means I have nothing new to add since the last mention and/or it’s not something I care about enough to add to the list.

August 7, 2018 odilettanteLeave a comment

Heeeyyyyyy kdrama/kpop peeps!

Sometime in the near futurish (within the year, probably, but not any time soon) my Korean Pop Culture™ knowledge will be put to the test because of reasons (don’t ask) but I’m a little out of touch so I feel like my knowledge is outdated.

I’m not a podcast person generally ‘cause I get super bored super quick by people talking, but I feel like that would be the best crash course to be updated on the new trends/groups/critical thinking about pop culture. Do you guys have any recommendations?

A lot of the more critically thinking tumblrs I used to follow are now shuttered, so if you have suggestions for those as well, let me know. I prefer text than audio, anyway. I’ve also stopped reading just about everything on Korean pop culture (except for a couple of blogs that I still find interesting, like The Grand Narrative) so if there’s a non-tumblr blog that you’d recommend, feel free!

Also feel free to let me know of any interesting trends/etc you think I should be aware of and I’ll be happy to do a bunny trail of obsessive researching on those.

Dramaland Forecast: August 2018

August 1, 2018 odilettanteLeave a comment

Previously: Jan – Feb – Mar – Apr – May – June – July

Completed:

Greasy Melo/Wok of Love – it was cute and had lots of delicious food and the chemistry between the main trio was Off The Charts, but it was disappointed to see an odd, quirky, bizarre little drama suddenly become a rambling mess of a rom-com. I still enjoyed the drama and it genuinely brought me a lot of joy while I was watching it, but if it weren’t for the insane charisma between Jang Hyuk, Jung Ryeo Won, and Junho, I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much as I did.
To.Jenny – SO adorable! I loved the indie music vibe (will I ever get “Tiramisu Cake” out of my head before I die?), the sassy little sister, the socially anxious adorkable loser who is able to finally screw up the confidence to show the world who he truly he is, and, of course, Kim Sung Chul, my new noona pet (who I could listen to sing forever and ever and what no I didn’t get lost in a youtube blackhole for hours while tracking down every video of his musical performances, how dare you insinuate such a thing?!?).

Currently Watching:

Life on Mars – sorta, kinda. I’m halfway through, so I’ve got a backlog that I plan to binge, but it’s the kind of show that requires my full attention and I just haven’t had the time for that yet.
Your House Helper – I love it so muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch!
Let’s Eat 3 – this is actually a pleasant surprise! I was planning to watch it anyway because I can’t resist Goo Dae Young and his passionate love of food, but I kinda hated Season 2 and therefore had low expectations for this except to be mildly entertained by my favorite foodie chatterbox. But I love it! It has those Let’s Eat elements that I love (fooooood!) but it also feels like a casual take on a Reply 2004, which is definitely welcome. It’s hilarious and poignant and much better than I could have ever anticipated.
Meteor Garden – I don’t normally list non-Korean shows here because, well, I just don’t watch as many of them as I used to. But I’ve been willingly sucked into this cracktastic trainwreck and I’ve never been happier. This one has the potential to become my favorite Hanadan version (shhhhh, don’t tell Oguri Shun!). The only catch is there are six(!) new episodes a week so I’m struggling to find the time to watch All The Things since I always end up binging this show instead.

Dropping/Skipping:

Life – I knooooooooow. But I was one of the few who merely liked Secret Forest, and honestly I’ve got too many other dramas on my plate to add in another that would actually require me to, y’know, pay attention to it. (Plus the PTSD from D-Day makes me instinctively balk at medical dramas about idealistic doctors going against potentially corrupt hospital directors).
Handsome Guy and Jung-eum – I actually would have finished this if I hadn’t been trying to watch a gazillion other shows all at once. I enjoyed it for what it was, and even though I keep thinking one day I’ll go back and finish it, the reality is that the show is predictable enough that I don’t feel I’m missing anything by stopping ten episodes from the end.
Mr. Sunshine – I watched the first episode and half of the second, and I was surprised that I liked it more than I thought I would (although I did get an itchy fast-forward finger with the battle scenes, like I did with Goblin). I haven’t actively dropped it but I’m not actively watching it, either. If that makes sense. Honestly, the saving grace for this drama is that it’s on Netflix (which isn’t a phrase I’d ever thought I’d say) because then it’s super easy to access it whenever I want, perfect for those lazy “eh I need something to watch but don’t want to put any effort into it” days.

Upcoming dramas of interest:

Lovely Horribly – I’m so annoyed, because this stars Song Ji Hyo and has an interesting premise, but it also stars Park Shi Hoo, so, y’know.
Today’s Detective – Daniel Choooooiiiiiiiiiiii! Who is a detective! That solves crimes with his fearless assistant Park Eun Bin! And there are ghosts! Hells yeah, sign me up!
Voice 2 – I genuinely enjoyed the first one. It was a chilling thriller with a charismatic cast and it made for an enjoyable (albeit horrifying) watching experience. But… I’m not sure how I feel about a sequel. I do believe that this kind of set-up easily allows for a procedural storyline, and I did regret that some of the minor characters were severely underused in the first season, but can any Big Bad Villain compare to Handsome Oppa and his kettlebells? I’ll probably check it out but I won’t cry if I miss it or decide it’s not worth my time.
Familiar Wife – it sounds like the kind of standard tvN drama that has a lot of potential and which people will probably love, but there isn’t anything about it that particularly draws me in. I won’t be surprised if it’s a hit, though.

As always, any drama not listed means I have nothing new to add since the last mention and/or it’s not something I care about enough to add to the list.