As June marked the last month of my classes for the term, I grabbed the opportunity to marathon K-Drama as much as I can. With that goal in mind, I was able to finish 7 K-dramas and would like to give my thoughts with the following. This might be a spoiler full review-ish so disclaimer for that.
p.s. if you haven't watched all of the drama on the list, I recommend just scrolling past that title you haven't watch yet and go back to this blog post when you're already done!
p.p.s. Trigger warning too, I have watched some K-dramas that might be sensitive for others, please read with caution.
Tomorrow
The first K-drama I've watched last June was Tomorrow. I watched this in a whim because even though I have a lot to watch on my K-drama list, I am only comfortable watching K-dramas on mobile, so Netflix and Viu. It was newly released during the time I've decided to watch it and I've heard good things about it so I gave it a go without any information or a tiny bit of synopsis (just watching it blindly ehe). First few episodes and I'm already hooked! Since I am really interested into concepts where it's not part of my culture aka something new (e.g. Afterlife, Reincarnation, Grim Reapers etc.). Learning things about the East-Asian culture has always been a fascinating thing to me and I wanted to learn more.
This drama also touched one of the taboo topics in Korea, which is suicide. It is a very heavy topic to portray in media but I do think that they were able to nail it and was able to convey a message regarding suicide and how to overcome it.
The cast dynamics is one of the factors that made me continue to watch, although everyone is new to me, as I haven't watched any dramas that they starred in, I was able to enjoy their performance and how they are able to pull off each character.
What made me add this drama to my favorites list is how things were connected, how the character's attitudes and perception towards suicide is based on their experiences from their past lives and how the story intertwined with the character's pasts. I especially liked how Ryeon and Joong-gil were lovers in their past lives (even though this drama is not romance heavy, I still manage to get kilig during the time we're they were still together).
One thing that felt short for me is the lack of depth and focus on Junwoong's past life. I do think that him being in a comma for months in the present is a sad thing and I won't question that but regarding his past life, I feel like the integration of that is something that wasn't thought very well. I've expected Junwoong's past life to be more meaningful as he was one of the main leads. But I guess it won't really make sense if he is connected with the other lead's past lives as he just accidentally got into the squad. I honestly wish there was more to it but I'm gonna just accept that he did great things in the past and be contented with that.
A Korean Odyssey
After watching Tomorrow, I immediately started watching A Korean Odyssey. It is a fantasy, lil comedy, romance, horror-ish, star-crossed lovers K-drama. This drama has been added to my list for a bit, maybe a year ago, because of that short preview from Netflix and that intrigued me because of well... it's a bit of a jumpscare so I was curious. (If you have watched that preview video, you know what I mean plus I watched that like 10pm so it scared the sh** out of me)
All I can say is that this drama deserves more recognition. It's a good balance between the good stuff and the tragic happenings and it is also accompanied by a comedic relief which somewhat gave a light tone. It is romance heavy and when I say romance heavy I meant that kind of romance . The cast are all so good in portraying their characters and they aren't that forgettable. The actors really nailed their roles and it also added to the cohesiveness of the drama as a whole.
After watching this K-Drama, I have found another actor to look out for, which is Lee SeungGi. He is actually a household name in the Korean Media Industry and I have heard of him many times, due to the famous My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and him being able to sing, but this is the first time I've actually watched a drama that he is the main character. Given I've really liked his acting here, I've added him to my favorite actors list! which btw is non existent but let's pretend it does Because of that admiration of his performance, I did watched another K-drama that he starred in in this list.
I recommend this drama if you are looking for a binge-worthy fantasy with comedy, horror-ish and also tragedy on the side. However though, I'd say the ending is a bit unfortunate. It suggests a season 2 but 5 years after it's release, I doubt that there will be a season 2 unless...
Two Cops
While watching Tomorrow, I also watched this drama with a friend; Two Cops! I'd say its a fun watch, generic but still worth the time.
It's about a police and a con artist that got into an accident and then the con artist possessed the body of the police. Sounds scary? It's not under a horror genre though. The purpose of the unexplainable possession is to uncover the truth that lies between the two leads and the other characters related to them. This follows a similar structure of intertwined lives as they have crossed paths once just like tomorrow minus the past lives as this one is from childhood to adulthood.
It's my first time watching Jo Jungsuk even after the famous hospital playlist which btw I haven't watched yet. I like the duality in his role here and his performance is convincing. He has the serious side and the goofy side which I enjoyed watching. It's also fun to see Hyeri here as I haven't watched her in a while after dropping Reply 1988 please don't come after me, a lot has enjoyed that drama but during the time that I've watched it.. I just didn't feel it. She's still the goofy and fun Hyeri that I've watched in Reply 1988 though, which is not really bad but nostalgic. As for Seonho, I did watch this drama because of him. My friend was a super fan of this guy, we call this oppa (and our other oppas) samcheon, due to having 10+ age gap between us and our favorite actors, and I've decided to binge Seonho dramas with her to let the lady enjoy and as for me I wanted to see more of his acting.
This drama is okay though, not something that made my mind blown or something. As I've mentioned, it's generic but still worth watching especially to Seonho fans. Though I can say that I'm quite disappointed that Seonho had a lil less screen time compared to Jungsuk but nonetheless they both carried the show well.
Mouse
Here is another Lee SeungGi drama as promised, (from that A Korean Odyssey post). Mouse. After watching A Korean Odyssey and enjoyed SeungGi's performance, I followed it up with another one of his dramas.
Mouse is a thriller, mystery, twisty and dark drama about psychopaths and whether or not they are born not made. This drama focuses on discovering the Psychopath gene, due to Korea's advancing technology, a Doctor was able to detect a gene that is present among Psychopaths to fetuses. It is an interesting concept but as the disclaimer in every start of the episode, it is a work of fiction, so Psychopath gene ain't real hopefully.
I'd say throughout the whole 20 episodes that I've endured, it was interesting rather than enjoyable. Giving you a grave warning that this drama isn't for the light-hearted, it's always about murder and killings, since the story focuses on Serial Killers.
Aside from the serial killings and psychopaths, Of course it focuses on a handful of characters and let's the viewers know their inner conflicts and struggles. There's no room of certainty in this drama as every episode ends with a question.
After a few episodes, I thought that this drama would overthrow my favorite K-drama of all time which is Law School but after the second half, it didn't. I had high expectations with it but after answers were revealed, it felt confusing and overwhelming as for the first 14 eps, they left me with questions and suddenly they bombarded some answers which it was too much for me to comprehend. Adding to that, there were too many characters to focus on, though the main focus would be the two main leads, there were other side characters that are also related to the story line that were also given too much stress and that made the experience dense. I'd say 16 episodes would be sufficient as the duration of 20 eps felt dragging but alright I guess they need that many episodes for the narrative.
Overall, if you are ready for a heavy drama with killings involved, I recommend this. It will make you question whether what's shown is the whole picture or details were left out. Kudos to the actors, I can really feel their stress and conflicts.
That would conclude the first part of this post. I decided that 7 dramas in one post might give a cognitive overload so stay tuned for the second part!
Thanks for making this far, it's a long post but I hope you find it interesting (or I hope it makes sense hehe).
Oh wow how am I at part 4 already? But I keep finding new kdramas and I keep finding new whump in them so here I am! Let’s just get right to it shall we? If you want to see the other 3 parts you can find them here: part 1, part 2, part 3
Period Drama:
1. Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung ( 신입사관 구해령)
Available on Netflix
So first up on this list is a really cute period drama that is packed with so much of funny scenes and also really serious stuff. It’s set in the 19th century and it’s about a female historian Goo Hae Ryung and how she becomes a historian and we also learn about prince Lee Rim and he’s a writer in secret! and it’s got quite a bit of mystery too which I quite liked. and Cha Eun Woo is really great in this along with Shin Se Kyung.
Here’s a list of the whump that @whumpetywhump did. You should check it out!
2. The King Eternal Monarch ( 더 킹: 영원의 군주)
Available on Netflix
Ah, this one. I almost didn’t add it to the list because i wasn’t happy with the way it was written. but whump and cinematogaphy wise, this show is so good! (plus wdh + whump never disappoins). So it’s set in a parallel world to ours in the ‘Kingdom of Corea and it revolves around a plot to murder the royal family but the prince survives and goes on to be the king in current day Corea. but some how, with the use of Manpasikjeok which is like a supernatural flute, they can travel between worlds, (between the Kingdom of Corea and The Republic of South Korea). So the story focuses on the king and a mysterious person who saves him on the night the king dies. Pretty interesting concept, could have been executed better but oh well. It was pretty funny and intertaining for the most part.
Action:
1. Two Cops ( 투깝스)
Available on Netflix, Viu and Viki
Oh this show is so good too! It’s about a detective who is trying to solve a case and then catches the guy he was after but then somehow the guys spirit ends up possessing (but in a funny way, it’s not scary) the detectives body and so they need to work together to solve the case which starts to get complicated. There’s whump for both the characters and it’s pretty goood!
Here’s a list of all the whump!
2. My Secret Terius ( 내 뒤에 테리우스)
Available on Netflix, Viue and Viki
My Secret Terius is so fun! and so cute but also really dramatic. It starts off with the lead loosing her husband and a mysterious man who lives next door to her. He’s basically a NIS agent and he’s got a lot of back story which you will find out throughout the show. And then Go Ae-Rin (the lead lady) discovers that there was some conspiracy to her husbands death and they work together to solve the mystery all while fighting other bad guys too..
Also, the kids in this show are super cute. Here they are trying to help Kim Bon heal after he was rescued.
3. Flower of Evil ( 악의 꽃)
Available on Viu and Netflix
One of my top 3 kdramas from 2020 i think! So this one is about Baek Hee Song and he’s married to a detective and they have a cute little daughter! and Baek Hee Song is like the perfect guy but in reality he had a lot of secrets and he’s been living under someone else’s name and his wife doesn’t even know. So his past slowly comes to light all while his wife is figuring out a case that may or may not involve him. It was pretty intense but also really intersting and Lee Joon Gi whump never disappoints, just look at this gif XD
Angst and Melodrama Family:
1. 18 Again ( 18 어게인)
Available on Netflix and Viu
So, if you’re in the mood for some heartfelt kdrama with lots of tears and lots of heartwarming moments, this is definitely the show for you. I don’t think I made it through any of the episodes without crying. So this is actually based of the American movie 17 again! It follows the same premise of our main guy (Hong Dae Young) getting turned into an 18 year old kid and him and his wife are on the verge of a divorce. But there’s so much more with how they struggle as young parents, to their relationships with everyone and their jobs. Everything about this was so good! (If you watch/watched this come yell about it with me. I can’t stop talking about it)
2. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay ( 사이코지만 괜찮아)
Available on Netflix
I think this was one of the top kdramas for 2020 and rightly so because it’s so good! aside from some flaws it had a really great storyline and talks alot about mental health/traumas. So this is about a guy who is a psychiatric nurse and he has a brother who he takes care of. The story also focuses on a children’s book writer who has antisocial personality disorder and how they make it through life esp with all the trauma they’ve faced. It’s such a pretty show with a pretty decent storyline and of course some nice whump throughout. You should definitely check it out.
Supernatural:
1. Bring It On Ghost ( 싸우자 귀신아)
Available on Netfix, Viu and Viki
I didn’t think i was going to like this because it seemed kinda of scary and I don’t do well with horror. But this show was so good! It was a little scary but it was also really funny at the same time. It’s the story about a girl who dies and becomes a ghost so she’s wandering around. Then she meets an exorcist and becaomes friends with Bong Pal. They, together with the help of two uni friends go around fighting ghost and sending them away. It’s kinda like a kickass ghost fighting club with a little bit of mystery added it. So of course you can imagine that there will be whump :D
Here’s a list of all the whump! Thanks again whumpetywhump :)
2. The Uncanny Counter ( 경이로운 소문)
Available on Netflix
I think this has been recommended a few times here but I had to include it officially in this list. So this is about a group of people called Counters who hunt down evil spirits and they all have some kind of abilities. Then this high school kid, So Mun, ends up becoming one of them through certain events that take place and he’s some how involved in one of the cases that the counters are involved in. This show has everything I love! Found family, best friend trios, action as well as humour. It just finished airing too! Good stuff.
Here’s a list of all the whump! Thanks @love-me-a-lotta-whump
And there we have it! Part 4. I hope you guys will enjoy these kdramas as much as I have and if you have any other shows that you would like to see in a future list let me know! or if you want to talk about any of these shows, I’ll be here :D
