What Dramas Am I Watching This Week?

Here's what I'm watching this week! Of course the list is split by country and episodes I've seen so far are written below! There will be spoilers from now on so if you aren't caught to the episode number I list, you might want to go watch that episode and then come back! If you're interested in previous lists, click here and if you want to see a list of my favorite asian OTPs and ships, click here!

KDRAMA

My ID Is Gangnam Beauty (10/16): Adapted from a popular webtoon, this drama tells of Kang Mi Rae, a girl once bullied for her looks. As a result, she became insecure, cautious around people and withdrawn. However, Mi Rae decides she wants a fresh start away from bullying and gets plastic surgery to transform her face. When she begins university, she meets Do Kyung Suk from their middle school days, who sees people for what they are on the inside and not the outside; he then becomes attracted to Kang Mi Rae. As Mi Rae begins to get teased once more and labeled "Gangnam Beauty", the cold, aloof but kind inside Kyung Suk becomes the one person that stands up for her and in the process, Mi Rae begins to recover her lost confidence and discovers that true beauty is not on the outside.

I'm feeling weird about this show as it goes on cause I'm enjoying pretty much everything except Mi Rae herself which sucks cause she's the main character of the show. The actress cannot act for the life of her and she literally has like two expressions and one of them makes her look uncomfortable all the time. The romance between her and Kyung Suk should be cute but instead it's just making me cringe which is a sign I'm not a fan. I'm hoping that once they actually admit their feelings for each other that maybe it'll feel less weird to me cause I do want to enjoy it. Other than the romance, I'm really enjoying watching Kyunk Suk and his mom get to know each other again which was my favorite part this week though it was weird as hell that Mi Rae tagged along cause I know she's the main character and everything but girl read a room! I'm thrilled that the truth about Kyung Suk's mom is out now and that everyone knows the truth cause the asshole dad doesn't deserve to be the good guy. I am worried about Kyung Suk's sister though cause she sort of just vanished! Also a great moment was when Soo Ah finally told Mi Rae how she felt about her and I'm so glad that Mi Rae snapped back cause I was afraid that Soo Ah would tell Mi Rae that she likes Kyung Suk and Mi Rae would back off like most drama leads do and I wouldn't have been thrilled if that happened.

Thirty But Seventeen/Still Seventeen (20/32): Woo Seo Ri, a violin prodigy at 17 who was about to study in Germany, got into a bus accident and fell into a coma waking up 13 years later. Mentally she is still only 17, while physically she is now 30. Gong Woo Jin is a 30 year old single man who works as a set designer. Due to a trauma he experienced 13 years before, he does not want to have a relationship with others. This series is about a man and a woman whose lives have been mangled due to a grisly accident. Together, they use all their might to try and open the door to happiness that they once thought had been closed to them.

This week was a bit slow and I feel like it doesn't help that we only got two episodes this week instead of the usual four! I'm glad Seo Ri is back to playing the violin and got past her fear of being terrible though it took a lot longer than I would have liked. I'm sure she's going to kill it at the concert and though her violin teacher said that it's too late for her music career, I highly doubt that cause playing an instrument has no age limit like something like modeling does so I'm sure that after the concert, she'll have plenty of people lining up to get her to play for them or with them and I can't wait cause it's seriously so sad that she lost so much of her life! I'm wondering if the man who's been paying for her hospital stay is actually her uncle cause we pretty much know that it's not Woo Jin now. I know the aunt is supposed to be a good person but who leaves their niece alone for so long and doesn't even leave a contact number or anything! It's ridiculous and I can't wait to hear what excuse she comes up with. On the other hand, Woo Jin and Seo Ri are still adorable and I loved how jealous he got over the idea of her dating someone and how flustered she got when he told her she was beautiful. Give me more of them please!!

Time (20/32): This is the story of two polar opposite people that come together in tragedy. One remains stuck in time, whilst the other only has a limited amount of time left to live. Seol Ji Hyun is a woman who, although living a hard life, remains positive, upbeat and social. Cheon Soo Ho is the CEO of a restaurant and the son of a wealthy family with a terrible temper and no regard for other people. They both meet briefly under negative impressions of each other. However, their lives become entangled once more when Ji Hyun's sister dies unexpectedly in Soo Ho's residence. From there, Ji Hyun's time stops and she becomes a cold, miserable person who finds nothing to live for. But Soo Hoo, who carries heavy guilt and is drawn to her, promises to himself to use the 6 months he has left to live to help her, whose life was destroyed because of him. In the process, Soo Ho falls in love with Ji Hyun, but how far can love develop when you only have a limited time left to live?

Before I talk about the episodes this week I want to start with the news that came out this week about Kim Jung Hyun. He's leaving the show to take care of himself cause he's been going through some health stuff with overworking and ending up with an eating and sleeping disorder. Despite the fact that I'm heartbroken he's leaving cause he was the best part of this show, I do wish him well and hope that he is able to make a speedy recovery. I'll definitely look forward to his next role cause I've loved everything he's done so far. I've also read that his character will not be recast which means since the character is terminally ill anyway, the show will probably end up killing him off earlier than expected which depending on how early may make me drop this show cause I've already been on the fence about how much I'm enjoying this show since literally nothing has been progressing plot wise for weeks and Jung Hyun and the possible romance was the only thing keeping me around. Once again the first two episodes that aired this week felt a bit stagnant cause nothing really seemed to happen and I'm starting to honestly get tired of the villains constantly winning. The third and fourth episodes this week were much more intense and though I'm heartbroken with how Ji Hyun reacted to the truth, I do hope that maybe now Ji Hyun's focus will turn from trying to expose the villain crew's misdeeds and maybe focus instead of getting some sort of revenge cause we all know now that the law is not going to take our side. I'm feeling like Ji Hyun and Soo Ho are already in love with each other based on how upset she was that he was marrying Chae Ah and how he reacted when she was hurt so the marriage will probably bring that out and though I wished that the show would have gone the us against the world route after they got married, I assume that instead Soo Ho is going to do everything he can for her and then when he dies, she'll realize what she lost but I don't know how much colder she can get from here tbh but I'm kind of looking forward to her ruining everything in this rich world as long as she doesn't hurt my baby Soo Ho.

FINISHED Witch's Love (12/12): In plain sight in bustling Seoul, three generations of witches have been living below the radar of everyone around them. Kang Cho Hong operates a restaurant with her fellow witches, Maeng Ye Soon and Jo Aeng Doo. They try to keep a low profile, but Cho Hong’s youthful good looks attract the attention of a neighborhood guy, Hwang Jae Wook, who is constantly trying to get close to her. Cho Hong and her fellow witches’ quiet lives become complicated when their building landlord, Ma Sung Tae, shows up one day. Sung Tae wants to face a traumatic incident that happened to him in that building when he was a little boy. With Sung Tae nosing around their business on a regular basis, can Cho Hong keep her true identity a secret from him?

Another show that ended this week and broke my heart cause I didn't want it to end! So straight up I know that pretty much no on watched this show and at the beginning it was touch and go but once Sung Tae and Cho Hong got together, I was so so down! The amount of chemistry the two had was amazing and their kisses were killing me cause they were actual real kisses not those awkward kdrama eyes open in shock lips pressed together kisses we normally get! I loved how the show ended with a fake amnesia storyline and the reveal that the grandmothers actually saved Sung Tae's life rather than kidnapping him like he thought they did. I loved that he played along for a minute with the amnesia thing cause he was like well the woman I love wants me to act like this so maybe I should. He really was the best boyfriend! And of course he didn't care about Cho Hong being a witch which made me smile and I liked that the whole he's going to die thing was all due to the black magic witch who actually was the cause of all the trouble the witches had and that once she was dead, everything was okay. Honestly I think the romance saved the show for me cause though I love magic stuff, the magic in this was mostly an afterthought and other than Cho Hong and Sung Tae, I didn't care for pretty much anything else. I'd give it a 8.5 / 10! Is that a little high? Maybe but that's what I'm feeling right now so lay off!

FINISHED Your House Helper (32/32): The daily life of an average working woman involves: a packed subway during the rush hours, a miserable old boss, juniors clawing their way up, mounting credit card debt, and a rusty and tired body... And above all, the worst is the endless housekeeping work that awaits her at home. But what if a handsome guy appears and takes care of all the housekeeping work for her? And not only that, what if he solves the problems in her complicated and confused life? In this drama, a male house helper does housekeeping works in different women's houses and tries to solve their issues.

So this show is officially over this week and it feels right cause other than wrapping up a few loose ends there wasn't much story left. I loved that Ji Woon met his ex and they said goodbye which felt pretty real compared to how these types of goodbyes usually feel (looking at you Ximen in Meteor Garden!) Da Young and Ji Woon's relationship and how comfortable they were with teasing each other in the end was amazing and I loved that hilarious back-and-forth about how Ji Woon doesn't find Da Young attractive when she just wakes up while she is jealous of how Sang Ah is treated so well by Jin Kook. I also liked that she ended up not getting the job at the place she interned but that her mentor opened up her own ad company where she got a job. Sang Ah was also able to open up her own jewelry line and she and Jin Kook are engaged I think but I also know rings like that are basically promise rings in Korea so it could be either or in this case though if I had to pick, I'd say the second option is more likely. I was also glad that So Mi was able to forgive her brother but it was sad that we never got to see the two of them talk it out cause that would have been more impactful than her hearing about his regret from another person. It was also sad that she didn't end up with Ga Ram in the end though in my head canon they are so there. Overall I enjoyed watching this show and the themes it touched on so overall I'd give this show a 8.5 / 10!

CDRAMA

Bloody Romance (24/36): In the turbulent interregnum following the collapse of the Tang dynasty, a young daughter of a herbalist was tricked and sold into a brothel. After a harrowing escape from death, she eventually found herself in a city of female assassins. Assuming the new name of Wan Mei, she began to learn from ropes of being an assassin from Chang An, a young man who acted as her guide and warder. Over time, Wan Mei and Chang An began to develop genuine affection for each other. But Cha Luo, the leader of the assassins took a dislike to Wan Mei and plotted against the couple with her cohorts. Wan Mei's personality and gifts caused Gong Zi, the hidden owner of Gui Hua City to take a interest on her. Burdened by his hidden identity, Chang An began to distance himself from Wan Mei. The protagonists found themselves embroiled in escalating conspiracies involving deadly betrayals and struggles for power.

Ugh this is definitely the best cdrama I'm currently watching which is why it's heartbreaking that the subs don't come out fast enough! This week we got more angst from Chang An and Wan Mei but they're officially back together now as master and shadow though that only got done because Wan Mei had to take some sort of magic inside her that causes Chang An pain anytime he's within 1/3 of a meter of her which right now means nothing cause Wan Mei is still a little pissed at him but eventually it'll become more of a problem I'm assuming. We all know that she's heartbroken but rather than losing her temper whenever he's around, I did wish that Wan Mei was a little colder to him cause everyone technically knows her feels towards him but it wouldn't hurt to make it less obvious! I also don't entirely understand that other assassin who came into Guihua City with Wan Mei cause I thought after last week she was on Wan Mei's side over Cha Luo so betraying her that quickly felt a little confusing. I do love Chang An and Wan Mei though so I was living for their angst though I do wish that he would feel a little more jealous of Gong Zi but hopefully that's coming in the future. Speaking of, I still adore him and the friendship he's built with Wan Mei though trying to sleep with her wasn't the best move when he knows that she's in love with Chang An. Oh well. He did protect her and she still cares for him so I'm not too worried about that cause she was the second to kneel to him after his right hand woman.

Martial Universe (24/40): This is a drama adapted from the novel of the same name by Tian Can Tu Dou. It is a story that talks about Lin Dong, a child from a small village who isn't favored by his family. By chance, Lin Dong obtains a mysterious artifact that is coveted by many clans in the martial world. Because of this artifact, Lin Dong is approached by many people of different clans and is forcibly involved in various events of the martial universe.

It took me a while to start this drama even though I had finished Legend of Fu Yao and needed a new cdrama to take it's place because I heard that the book this drama was based off of had a harem ending in that Lin Dong fell in love with two women and married them both. Now maybe this is just me but I like my romances to be the one and only for the main character even if it's normal in this time period to have multiple wives. Eventually I started to hear rumors that this show wasn't actually a harem and that one women was Lin Dong's first love and the other was his actual true love and once I heard that, I finally checked it out and I'm glad I did cause I'm enjoying it so far! It's much sillier than I expected and it took me a second to get used to it but once I did I loved it. Lin Dong being silly and energetic was interesting since you don't usually see that kind of male lead in these shows and the same goes for Huan Huan who's adorable and for some reason didn't rub me the wrong way even though she's a bit naive at the start. I already love these two and I kind of love that both are so crazy and energetic cause we rarely see that kind of couple as one or the other is usually more serious in dramas. I'm also enjoying all other characters as well including the budding romance between Lin Dong's adoptive sister and Lang Tian and though I'm really not into how crazy Lin Dong is for Qing Zhu (cause I really don't ship them), I'm into the idea that Huan Huan's destiny is to give up all emotion to be the ice successor. Girl just needs to tone down her devotion a bit cause absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that! I did like that Lin Dong could feel as though fake Huan Huan was different cause it clearly means he's spent enough time with her to know that she wasn't the same as before but he kept dismissing it which was sad. I kind of hope this ruse continues for a little while longer even if Huan Huan is back with our crew, maybe through a kidnapping?

FINISHED Meteor Garden (50/50): An ordinary girl is admitted to the most prestigious school in the country where she encounters F4, an exclusive group comprised of the four wealthiest and handsomest boys in the school - Dao Ming Si, Hua Ze Lei, Xi Men and Mei Zuo.

The finale week of Meteor Garden is here and I'm heartbroken cause despite all the ups and downs I've had while watching this show and all the craziness that the show portrayed, I've really enjoyed watching this show and it was leagues better than Hana Yori Dango which was the only previous version of this show that I've seen! I loved that the really dumb amnesia thing only took a few minutes out of one episode and that even better, it was faked by Si cause honestly amnesia where he forgot one person was always the silliest to me. The marriage proposal was honestly so them too. Like of course Si would just blurt it out over dinner like a weirdo but aside from the fact that I feel like they're too young for marriage (though that's just a me thing cause I'm older than Si and I am nowhere near ready to get married) it was sweet. I'm also a little glad that we got one last stand from Si's mom cause her approval came out of nowhere and I was straight up waiting for the entire last chunk of episodes for her to do something cause if she were to give in, it would have felt more real if she had this change of heart right after Si got stabbed not episodes later after she told off Shan Cai for the hundredth time. I love that Shan Cai and Si were able to prove to her just how much they love each other and that Si was the one to come up with a plan to say the company cause his mom straight up is the worst and didn't even bother asking her kids if they had any plans and just steamrolled over them with her ideas. Their wedding was a bit much but I guess I should have expected that in hindsight. I also adored Xiaoyou and Ximen and I loved that he finally accepted his feelings for her. I was living for how flustered ladies man Ximen was around the first girl he had real feelings for. His heart eyes made me melt and I loved that he was so shocked his smooth plan didn't work even if Xiayou didn't really care. I may or may not have fallen more in love with them in this final chunk of episodes than I ever expected to and wish that we could have gotten more from instead of Caina or even Si and Shan Cai's billionth breakup! Overall I would definitely give this show a 8.5 / 10!

TWDRAMA

DROPPED Love And π (4/15): Zhao Wu Xian, Zhao Yuan Man, Hou Zi Cheng and Lin Mei Xin are good friends who grew up together in the same orphanage in Yun Lin. In year 2009, Wu Xian, Yuan Man and Zi Cheng went to Taipei to pursue their dreams. They will be facing some challenges on the way, how will they overcome it? Yuan Man thinks of her relationship with Wu Xian as siblings whereas Wu Xian does not. He wants to protect Yuan Man forever and would like her to be his partner. However this journey of love is not smooth, and may even reach bottleneck. However, their “Love” will definitely follow the “Circle” (Yuan/π) and back on its path again.

I started this show cause it sounded kind of cute but I don't think I want to keep watching it cause I've found that a lot of TWDramas feel stagnant like there's nothing going on which sometimes I enjoy but a lot of the time I find kind of boring. In the case of this show, I'm leaning more towards boring which is sad cause I do hate dropping shows. I did enjoy the relationship between Wu Xian and Yuan Yuan cause you know me and my love for the friends to lovers trope and I liked the idea that despite knowing that they ultimately belong together, Yuan Yuan did branch out and date someone else cause I hate the idea that in these shows the female lead is always constantly waiting around for the guy she likes (like in Single Ladies Senior) so I'm down with her dating someone else before returning to Wu Xian. I also really did like the guy she dated at first cause he was so romantic and sweet but it seems as the episodes go on, he's a bit of a player and maybe not as sweet as I thought he was so I'm sort of getting over him as a character. Nothing else is holding my attention. All of the side characters are really boring and I just can't find myself wanting to watch any more episodes...

HKDRAMA

The Stunt (19/25): The Stuntmen’s main storyline centers on Tai-Chi and May-Chu, professional stunt performers for the movie industry. May plays Chun Chun's stunt double, while Duncan plays a director.

Ugh guys I'm so far down the second lead rabbit hole that it's embarrassing. Why do I always end up here? This is why I need a show to tell me who the male lead is before I start it cause otherwise I can't force myself to ignore the second lead cause in the back of my mind I hope that he could be the lead after all. I mean stupid things like the fact that May-Chu's mom compared her relationship with Duncan to the one she had with May-Chu's father. Or the fact that May-Chu reacted more to when her mom mentioned being in love with Duncan than Tai-Chi when if she had no feelings for him she wouldn't have reacted at all or been indifferent. Again it's sad cause I know May-Chu loves Tai-Chi because of how jealous she is anytime Daisy is around and the fact that Chun Chun is around to be Duncan's love interest. All of this said, the heart wants what it wants and I can't keep it from skipping a beat during Duncan's confessions and whenever you see how much happier May-Chu is around Duncan than Tai-Chi and the sweet thing is that even May-Chu knows that cause she's told several people that Duncan makes her happy so it's not just me with my shipper glasses on. Though sidebar Tai-Chi dreamt of kissing May-Chu and man was it hot so I seriously need to see Duncan kiss her now in order to compare but at the very very least I know I won't be that opposed to May-Chu picking Tai-Chi in the end (unlike in Single Ladies Senior or A Poem A Day.) If I were May-Chu I would pick Duncan especially since he's been with her every step of the way in Taiwan and Tai-Chi wasn't. Even though it wasn't his fault AT ALL that he couldn't be there for her, feelings aren't always rational and knowing that the person you love wasn't with you when you needed them the most hurts like hell.

xoxo Allie