Dramaland Forecast: September 2018

Previously: JanFebMarAprMayJuneJuly – 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 SkyI 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.

bertcoopersoftshoe
replied to your post “I wanna be salty about Dae Young having a new love interest every…”

I have a theory that GDY is one of the rare ENTP/Aquarian heros. Rational but weird, friendly but at-arms length, straightforward but hard-to-pin-down. Into his own thing. Charmed by mysteries. Basically Enrique from FBND, but slightly more low-key.

I love this theory so much I want to marry GDY wait what no I mean marry it.

Dramaland Forecast: August 2018

Previously: JanFebMarAprMayJune – 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.

Dramaland Forecast: July 2018

Previously: JanFebMarAprMay – June

Completed:

  • None

Currently Watching:

  • Greasy Melo
  • Handsome Guy and Jung Eum
  • Life on Mars

Dropping/Skipping:

  • Are You Human Too? – this was only vaguely on the potential “watch” list so I have no regrets that it hasn’t been squeezed into my schedule.
  • Why Secretary Kim – I didn’t think I’d be drawn to it, and I was right.

Upcoming dramas of interest:

  • Your House Helper – I feel like this one could have some potential, since I really liked this writer’s previous work (Strongest Deliveryman) and this could be comfortably within that genre. Ha Suk Jin always seems to play the same kind of gruff uptight guy that will probably work well for this role, but I’m hoping for something different from him.
  • Risky Romance – I love Lee Si Young but there’s nothing else about this that especially seems compelling.
  • Thirty But Seventeen – some instinctive side-eye about the concept of an adult having a childlike mentality due to tragedy, but I feel like if this is handled in the appropriate manner, it could be really good. Even so, there’s such a huge margin of error that I’m not sure if I can trust a sticom writer to appropriately deal with it.
  • Time – I generally like time travel shenanigans but I also know this writer skews more melo than my attention span can appreciate. I’m vaguely interested, but realistically I will probably not watch it.
  • Life – I feel like the odd duck who only liked Secret Forest and didn’t feel the need to give it my entire soul, so I’m only moderately interested in this one (especially since it’s a power struggle at a hospital, which I feel like I’ve seen a zillion times before). At least the directors have done some of my favorite shows so if nothing else it’ll be visually pleasing. But I swear if another amazing woman gets unnecessarily fridged, this writer and I are through.
  • Dear Judge – not in the cult, but I like mistaken identity/twin hijinks, so this could have some potential. The production team is a little iffy and I haven’t figured out if this is skewing more dramatic or comedic. Plus it’s a legal drama. But like I said, it has potential, and I’m happy to keep my eye on it and see if it’s worth squeezing into the schedule.
  • My ID is Gangnam Beauty – I don’t know anything about the webtoon, so I have no idea if this will be a sweet slice-of-life “don’t judge a person by their looks” or if it’ll be a comedy or what, but I’m not feeling drawn to it despite it airing on the usually trustworthy JTBC.
  • Mr. Sunshine – nooooooooo, I don’t want to watch another KES drama ever again! But those pics of Byun Yo Han in period clothing got me shook so I don’t know what I’m going to do. *cries*
  • Let’s Eat 3 – I will probably watch this and hate myself because I can’t resist Goo Dae Young’s chatterbox charm and the promise of food porn. It’d at least better have more appetizing meals than season 2. And if they try to cram in yet another romance for Dae Young, well, I’m just going to continue to create an elaborate plot about Soo Kyung noona having the most amazing life ever and avoiding the headache of falling in love with an insurance salesman foodie playboy. Soo Kyung noona doesn’t need anything except amazing food! And Barasshi! So there!

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 2017

 Previously: 2016JanFebMarAprMayJuneJulyAugSept – Oct

Completed:

  • Woman of Dignity – considering how much I’ve hated this writer’s previous works, I went into this with negative expectations. I just wanted some background noise while I appreciated drama queens Kim Sun Ah and Kim Hee Sun. To my surprise, I got totally sucked into this saga about the “Desperate Housewives of Gangnam.” The gothic murder-mystery also definitely helped me to goggle at every cliff-hanger and queue up the next episode, and I ended up binging the series in a matter of days. Despite my low expectations, this has become one of my favorite drama-watching experiences of the year.

Currently watching:

  • The Package
  • Black

Dropping/skipping:

  • Mad Dog – the lack of Leverage style capers was definitely a disappointment, since based on the first couple of episodes I thought that this would be that kind of show. I also really hated Woo Do Hwan’s character and wanted to punch his smirky face whenever he was on screen. Considering I fell asleep in the middle of an episode and then decided it wasn’t worth my time to rewind, it’s clear this is not the show for me. Sorry, Yoo Ji Tae! Hopefully your next drama is more to my liking!

Upcoming dramas of interest:

  • I’m Not A Robot – a man who falls in love with a woman pretending to be robot because he has an allergy to other people is definitely an interesting concept, although I’m instinctively wary of any love interest that puts a woman in a category of “robot.” The cast is excellent, though, but that’s probably me thinking Uhm Ki Joon can do no wrong.
  • Meloholic – OCN has made its name with gritty thrillers and cerebral mysteries, so I’m very hesitant when they try to branch out into more comedic or romantic fodder. There’s also a lot about this show that puts a few strikes against it, such as a director who’s very hit or miss with the quality of his shows (mostly miss with me) and, y’know, it stars U-Know Yunho (who, to be fair, I actually really enjoyed in the mini-drama I Order You, but historically he hasn’t exactly been one of those idol-actors that command a strong thespian presence). I’m curious if it will be as… ah… mediocre… as I presume it will be, but doubt I’ll make time to actually watch it.
  • Nothing to Lose – considering the quagmire of legal shows that make me sigh if I have to deal with yet another prosecutor trying to save the day, the concept of a legal drama about two judges with completely different personalities somehow seems novel and refreshing, even though I’m sure it will be no different than anything else we’ve seen before.
  • Doubtful Victory – the premise is vaguely compelling in that “one sentence synopsis that may set up false expectations” way (a man escapes jail and becomes a fake cop), but I’m really liking the production team. The director previously worked on Tree With Deep Roots and Six Flying Dragons, which were both visually stunning, and 3 Days which, well, wasn’t terrible but I mostly remember being disappointed that it didn’t live up to my Kim Eun Hee fangirl expectations. The writer previously did School 2013 and Pride and Prejudice, which means I have faith that the script should be pretty decent. I also like the leads, Yoon Kyun Sang and Jung Hye Sung, although I haven’t heard about the supporting cast yet.
  • Untouchable – this could be a dark horse drama, because it’s JTBC, I like this director, and the cast is pretty decent (Eunji! I’ve missed you!). But this writer is… eh… hit or miss, to put it nicely (oh the RAGE I still feel about the hours I spent in vain hope that Masked Prosecutor would somehow live up to its potential), so this will probably be one I skip and binge later if it doesn’t sound as soap-opera frustrating as it could be.
  • Two Cops – I don’t think I have anything new to add so I’ll just say: Jo Jung Suk! Kim Sun Ho! Lee Shi Un! HOYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
  • Bad Guys: City of Evil – I don’t care about the complaints that it’s not a true sequel, it looks awesome and that caaaaaaaaaaaaast.
  • Jugglers – Daniel Choi is coming back! And he’ll be starring with Kang Hye Jung (aka Tablo’s wife) who usually seems to prefer playing quirky/offbeat characters. Even though I’m still unsure about the premise, this cast definitely has my attention (and how shallow am I to hope for some lame excuse to show-off the post-army abs?).
  • Wise Prison Life – the latest drama from Reply series PD Shin Won Ho, which means of course everyone’s favorite papa Sung Dong Il is in it. Also starring is Yoon Kyung Ho (and cutie-patootie Jung Hae In, who I’m happy to hear is getting lots of attention from his role in While You Were Sleeping, which I didn’t watch but I’m always pleased for my pet actors to gain the glory they deserve). The premise is vague so far (prison life), but the strength of the production team and cast means I’ll be tuning in.
  • Just Between Lovers – my instinct is that this will be a low-key real-life character-based drama that JTBC does so well, so fingers crossed it lives up to those expectations.
  • The Most Beautiful Goodbye in the World – I never saw the original, but it’s Noh Hee Kyung’s remake of her 1996 drama of the same name, which starred (and will once again star) everyone’s favorite granny, Kim Young Ok. I’m not sure if I’m ready for a gut-wrenching story about family and Alzheimer’s, but for Noh Hee Kyung, I’ll endure it.
  • Return – I adore Go Hyun Jung so I was already vaguely interested in this legal-mystery-thriller, but now that there’s a rumor Park Ki Woong will join the cast, I’m definitely adding it to my watchlist. I adore Park Ki Woong but have not been impressed with his choices post-enlistment (in fact, I’ve been actively ignoring them), so hopefully this will be the drama to remind me why I’ve been his fan for so long.
  • Let’s Eat 3 – really? REALLY??? I love foodie Goo Dae Young to bits but after season 2 completely writing out Soo Kyung noona as though she never existed, and the fact that the foodie scenes weren’t even all that appetizing, I’m going to be watching this with a very negative “prove me that this is all worthwhile” attitude (but of course I’m still going to watch, because dammit Dae Young, I can’t quit you).