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

Devilish Joy (2/16): Gong Ma Sung is a successor to the Sunwoo company. Life seems to be going well until he gets into a car accident while trying to help a woman. Since then, he suffers from memory loss where his memory lasts only a day. Every night before bed, he writes notes about what happened to him that day and the next morning he memorizes everything that happened. Gong Ma Sung then meets Joo Gi Beum, a formerly well-known actress, and falls in love.

What an adorable first two episodes! It reminded me so much Legend of The Blue Sea with the whole first meeting set during what seems to be a vacation for our hero before amnesia hits and our heroine is the only one who remembers. Their second meeting of course wasn't as cute but it's weird cause Ma Sung seems to be more like an ass now. I do hope that soon Ma Sung like Joon Jae basically melts in front of the adorableness that is the woman he loves. Honestly as you know it's basically my kryptonite seeing a rough guy (rough not cold) melt when the cheerful girls charms him! It's really sad what has happened to Gi Beum since they last met 3 years ago and it's heartbreaking that Ma Sung got into that accident when trying to save her. I really like that Gi Beum seems to still be a positive and kind person even after all the trauma she went through cause I always think the strongest characters are the ones that remain good under the worst circumstances. I'm assuming by the end of this show Ma Sung will remember everything again and I do hope that not only does the truth come out about that creepy producer but also that Gi Beum is able to make a comeback. I think this show will be the exact cute and fluffy rom com I've been waiting for!

Life (14/16): This series examines the hospital as a breeding ground for misuse of power. It is a place of conflicting interests and clashing egos. The doctors have the power to save lives, but the board has the power to kill doctors. In a building supposedly dedicated to the public’s health, it’s the personal vendettas that fuel people to get up in the morning.

When this show originally came out I was planning on checking it out but the subs were delayed for a while and then eventually I decided that this show wasn't worth it so it wasn't until this week when I finally became curious enough to go back and check it out since some of my other shows ended. When I first started this show, I wasn't entirely sure how I feel about it cause objectively I could see that it was written really really well (like Circle level well) and I loved that pretty much all the characters were grey rather than black and white but despite that all, I was watching a bit on autopilot but as the show is coming to an end I've gotten more and more excited about it. The president of the hospital is a fascinating character cause he's originally portrayed as evil but over time you realize that though he's not exactly on the up and up, neither are most of the doctors in the hospital which leads to what is causing me a little bit of struggle. There's so much politics happening in this show and so little medicine that it kind of feels like the show could have been set in pretty much any setting which is disappointing cause I was hoping for more of a medical drama with politics thrown in here and there (more like The Night Shift if you've watched that American show.) I am loving the relationship between Jin Woon and Sun Woo cause it started out feeling like maybe the brothers didn't like each other that much but as the episodes passed by, you saw more and more of how much they actually love each other. I do kind of wish the romance was building between Jin Woon and No Eul rather than what we're getting but this isn't really a romantic show so it doesn't bother me that much. I can't wait to see how the hospital finally fights back and how they work together with the president to kick out the chairman who's the real black and white villain in this story!

My ID Is Gangnam Beauty (12/16): 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.

Mi Rae was irritating me a bit this week because even if I can = understand where she's coming from, personally I wouldn't have acted the way she did with her treatment of Kyung Suk. It was way out of line for her to yell at him or act as though it was his fault when she had feelings for him but was too scared to do anything about them in the fear of being gossiped about by others. I hope that soon she realizes that you are gossiped about regardless of what you do (especially as a girl) and you shouldn't let fear stop you from doing anything cause once you do, you will be filled with nothing but regrets later. I also straight up don't understand Soo Ah cause the girl knows that Kyung Suk basically despises her and now Mi Rae doesn't like her either so continuing to play nice is ridiculous as well as trying to get in the way of them especially since even if Mi Rae does read a situation incorrectly, Kyung Suk is going to do anything possible to clear it for her. I loved how her trying to snitch on Kyung Suk and Mi Rae going to the police station and throwing herself at him went so sideways so I was cackling since I'm living every time she gets the beatdown for literally anything. I did really enjoy the stuff with Kyung Suk's mom and sister cause it was so sweet seeing them trying to bond and how happy the sister was with something as simple as eating leftover rice her mom made.

The Ghost Detective (4/32): Lee Da Il is a private investigator. Jung Yeo Wool becomes his assistant to solve a mystery related to her younger sibling’s death. They work together to solve other mysterious crimes.

I decided to check out this drama cause I've been so low on fantasy dramas for a while now and I wanted to check a new one out but I didn't really know what this one would be about so I decided to check it out and so far I'm really enjoying it! Can you say plot twist or what??? I was totally thrown when the reveal at the end of episode 4 happened where we found out that Da Il is actually dead! I didn't think the title of this show was so literal! I've been super into detective stories as of late so I was excited that this one is about a PI. I honestly expected this show to have weekly cases but one that overarches throughout the season but now I'm thinking that the case of the red dress ghost will probably be what the whole mystery is about! I was curious at first about whether this woman in a red dress was the only ghost in this world or if there are more but now that Da Il is a ghost, we definitely know there's more. I wonder what causes one person to become a ghost and not another cause Da Il became one but Yeo Wool's sister didn't. I also wonder if there will be a reason why Yeo Wool can see ghosts when no one else can or if we'll just hand wave it away cause it seems that not only can she see them but she can touch them cause she was touching Da Il during episode 3 and 4. I was also low key hoping for a romance between our main leads and though that's technically still possible, I don't know if the show will go there now...

Thirty But Seventeen/Still Seventeen (24/32): 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.

The first two episodes this week weren't so great but everything about the third and fourth was so incredible that it more than made up for what I didn't like in the first two. It was heartbreaking to find out that Seo Ri was invited to play just so she could be made a spectacle of and her reaction to when Woo Jin tried to warn her was heartbreaking. This included her steamrolling over his confession to her though honestly Woo Jin that was pretty sucky timing to be confessing cause of course she's going to focus on the other stuff you said! One thing this show does so well is not drag out drama and so something like this which should have taken episodes to solve was fixed in the next episode when Woo Jin and Seo Ri actually plot twist talked about their feelings! Like OMG can you even imagine? Problems can be solved by talking about them! I also adored how they supported each other but the best was how perfect their first kiss was. Both leaned in at the same time and it was beautiful! Poor Chan still has no idea and it's going to be so sad when he finds out. We're only a little past halfway through this show and it's crazy cause I feel like we're so much further along than we are! I'm glad though that these two got together now cause her doctor friend still has to come in and we need to find out what happened with her aunt and uncle cause now it seems like her aunt cut ties but her uncle is still looking out for her!

Time (24/32): 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?

I'm not crying, you're crying! Who cares if Soo Ho probs just died this week! Not me! I just have some dust in my eyes. I feel a little empty after this week and honestly I should have expected how sad this show was going to be from the start but I always felt like there was a hint of hope amidst the pain but recently it's been all gloom and doom! I don't know how I feel anymore and honestly neither do any of the characters! I was disappointed as hell that Ji Hyun blamed Soo Ho for everything and though I understand why most of her ire is pointed towards him (cause she trusted him more than anyone) it was breaking my heart to see how he was being treated. Soo Ho was half blind and dying and still only cared about her and I was dying right alongside him. It was sweet to watch how she was slowly thawing in the face of his kindness and I feel like if he wasn't actually terminally ill, eventually they might have been okay. I mean he's in love with this girl and she's in love with him but his guilt and her anger are blocking it out. I'm a little heartbroken that we didn't get a love confession from Soo Ho before he died and honestly I don't know how Ji Hyun can feel any emptier after losing the last person in the world who cares for her. I really do hope that this show doesn't end with Ji Hyun and Lawyer Shin together again cause he might fight against W Group with her now that he's been fired cause Lawyer Shin is an asshole and she deserves better. We've got two more weeks of episodes left if I'm calculating that correctly and honestly I don't even know if I want to keep watching this show without Soo Ho.

CDRAMA

Bloody Romance (29/36): 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.

I keep wavering back and forth about whether I feel bad for Gong Zi or not. One minute I want Chang An and Wan Mei to be together and the next I want her to pick Gong Zi. Mostly I think it's just a knee jerk reaction to being pissed at Chang An. Ever since I found out he was a secret king I've been a bit annoyed cause I could not give less of a shit about a royal birth secret especially when it causes Chang An to pull away from Wan Mei. It's heartbreaking every time she reaches out to him and tries to get him to tell her the truth but all he says is that he's sorry and waits until she's gone to break down. Gong Zi on the other hand is so fascinating cause I can never tell what he's thinking. I do think he's a terrible person at his core but his love for Wan Mei tempers that a bit and it was obnoxious as hell how quickly Wan Mei distrusted him. Like after all they've been through she should at least give him some credit. He literally just told you he loved you this morning, do you really think he's going to kill you in the evening? If I'm honest though, both men are such assholes and though they do love Wan Mei in their own ways, each puts things above her and that's tough cause though I understand why they do what they do, Wan Mei clearly wants someone who will put her above everything else. At the same time, she's one of the most indecisive main characters cause one minute she wants nothing but to be away from Guihua City and the next she is angry that the men in her life want to push her away and fight by themselves. Girl the only reason Chang An is saying this is cause five seconds ago that's what you wanted! If you had always wanted to be an assassin, he would have helped you with that! Make up your mind!

Fights Break Sphere (4/45): Xiao Yan is a genius child who suddenly loses all his powers.In a world governed by strength and power, Xiao Yan’s lack of talent is an embarrassment to his family. At the age of 15, Xiao Yan accidentally summons Yao Chen from his mother’s ring. With the elder’s help, Xiao Yan’s skills improve by leaps and bounds. After his entire family is assassinated, Xiao Yan embarks on a journey to find his family’s killer and return peace to the Jianghu (martial world.)

Am I little obsessed with Chinese wuxia fantasy shows? Maaaaybe. It doesn't help that there seems to be a billion to choose from and they get subbed regularly! I'm really enjoying this show so far. The main leads are both interesting and though they can be silly, they know when to focus and be serious. The female lead is in love with the male lead but plot twist she doesn't revolve around him and give up everything else!! She's just as strong as him in fighting ability and can focus on the situation at hand without panicking. It was interesting cause I started shipping them almost immediately but I thought that someone else was Xiao Yan's love interest so I debated continuing this show cause I really didn't like her very much. Fortunately I figured out that she wasn't the female lead and that brought my attention back. I'm interested to see how the male lead falls for her cause you would think after spending years with her, he'd have some sort of feelings. I'm going on the assumption that since he was engaged as a child, he never allowed himself to care for her like that. I also kind of love that the show is entering a martial arts academy cause it reminds me a bit of Hwarang and I'm hoping we get a few episodes of fun school antics before the big revenge plot kicks back up!

Martial Universe (30/40): 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.

Little disappointed that Lin Dong wasn't able to figure out that Huan Huan was a fake but I do love how worried he gets whenever she's in danger cause I'm fairly certain that he has real feelings for her already but doesn't know it so he focuses all his attention on Qing Zhu in that way where you don't want to touch your deeper feelings cause you're scared. His face when Huan Huan tried to sell herself to that Ghost Puppet Sect guy was everything. As much as I love her with our crew, I keep feeling like she should go off and do something else cause I still think that Lin Dong doesn't see her true value cause he always just expects her to be around and into him. We've only got 10 episodes left so she has to leave to become the Emblem protector soon enough. It's also a little interesting but I feel like Qing Zhu might be getting some feelings for him cause she seemed jealous whenever Lin Dong and Huan Huan were arguing (flirting tbh) though I think it might be too late for her... The hunt for the emblems really feels like it should be a bigger focus than it is but after seeing how in Legend of Fu Yao, the quest was basically an afterthought so I'm just trying to enjoy what's happening and live in the moment. It's kind of annoying though cause there are like what eight emblems and we've only found two so far though we do have a map to the third and I think one of them is in Dao Sect where Huan Huan has to take over. I feel like there was way too many episodes in the beginning where nothing happened so now everything might be rushed in the last ten to conclude the story unless the show is planning to have another season or unless the show is planning to end before the Yimo are destroyed. Also sidebar but how anticlimactic that the sister died only to be brought back. Are we ever going to learn about her powers and the dark palace she got them from?

HKDRAMA

FINISHED The Stunt (25/25): 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.

Le sigh. So May-Chu chose Tai-Chi this week and it was sad as hell cause people are still telling her that Duncan is better for her but I guess the heart wants what it wants. Honestly I was surprised that May-Chu didn't mind at all that Tai-Chi never showed up in Taiwan for her cause he was worried about everyone else and that she gave no thought to the idea that if someone loves you, you should be their number one priority like how Duncan dropped everything to be there for her. Like the stuff with Tai-Chi's son was obviously more important but I think he could have skipped checking up on one of his friends who was perfectly fine! And idk something about him being her father figure and then her falling in love with him is kinda creepy if I'm being completely honest especially after her sleezy Uncle mentioned it today and freaked me all the way out. Also what a plot twist that May-Chu's father actually worked with the Uncle to kidnap Duncan but then felt too guilty and tried to rescue him! Poor baby Duncan! Overall I thought this show had potential at the start but we didn't get nearly enough action and stunts for me to enjoy the drama. I'd give this show a 6.5 / 10.

xoxo Allie