Tag: meteor garden 2018

Dramaland Forecast: October 2018

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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

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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.

Dramaland Forecast: August 2018

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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.