What Dramas Am I Watching This Week?

So here's what I'm watching this week! Of course the list is split by country and the amount of 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 on list, you might want to go watch that episode and then come back! If you're interested in previous reviews, click here and if you want to see a list of my Favorite Asian OTPs and Ships, click here!

KDRAMA

A Love So Beautiful (14/24): Cha Heon is a student at Chun Ji High School who has both good looks and brains. He appears to be a cold character, but he is actually someone with a warm heart who is awkward at expressing himself well. Shin Sol Yi is a bright and bubbly 17-year-old who has a crush on Cha Heon. She openly confesses her love to Cha Heon continuously, and she is a clumsy but lovable character. Woo Dae Sung is a talented swimmer who transfers to Chun Ji High School and falls for Shin Sol Yi. He does not express his feelings for her and quietly stays by her side.

We're a little past halfway through this drama now and things are finally starting to progress! Sol Yi though she's confessed her love for Heon about a hundred times now decided that the thing that would seal the deal is if she made a big event and set up lights and roses and banners and stuff. It was sweet and yet her heart was shattered after seeing Heon and one of the other girls in their class hugging. Dae Sung stepped in to help and cause of that the two have gotten closer. Heon's secret love for Sol Yi was also exposed and I had really wished that he had been nagged more by the others cause it's ridiculous that he's playing so hard to get when he knows that if he just told Sol Yi he likes her too that they would be happy together. Instead he goes out of his way to hide his feelings and not only will that push her away (in real life obvi not here cause it's a drama) but it might make her hate him too. 

Homemade Love Story (76/100): Three families live under one roof at a boarding house called Samgwang Villa. Sun Jeong's family lives a pure and simple life and doesn't have a lot of money. Jung Hoo's family is rich but is far from peaceful. Jung Won's family looks perfect from the outside but is actually quite rocky. Others join these families at Samgwang Villa, each with their own stories. What is the meaning of family in this day and age, with so many single-person households and people choosing not to get married? Let's meet the people who open their hearts to one another to live and love as a family in Homemade Love Story.

This week was rough with a capital R cause it's officially the start of the break up arc for Jae Hee and Chae Woon and really I'm not even surprised even though I had hoped that I would be wrong cause this show had subverted my expectations so many times before. What shocked me more than anything was that the breakup happened from Jae Hee's end! I really thought it would be Chae Woon who broke it off out of a sense of guilt but we don't actually know why Jae Hee did it. Was it as simple as a matter of pride? Was he embarrassed for Chae Woon to see him this low? At the very least the two still love each other to pieces so I'm hoping that when he comes back, she'll forgive him and they can be together again cause if they don't then the bad guys win! I'm still seething in anger over the fact that Seo Ah, Na Ro, and the grandmother did all this cause Jae Hee and Chae Woon wanted to get married. What I am glad about is that everyone saw through their scheme faster than they expected which really makes me happy cause duh Seo Ah was the only person that Jae Hee made an enemy of recently and that would have been my first guess too! Fortunately Jae Hee's loan shark debt was paid off by James though the problem of needing to pay back his contractors and all that is still there. In other news Hwak Se and Man Jeong came out to Sun Jeong about how they were dating and the whole thing was super bizarre and ended with Hwak Se leaving cause he felt too guilty and really I would have cared more if this wasn't happening at the same time Jae Hee and Chae Woon's life exploded. I guess it's also important that Jun Ah met Na Ro and clocked that something wasn't right with him. I wish that Hae Deun would tell him more cause he's really the only cast member in this show that's completely in the dark.

Hush (12/16): “Hush” is an office drama about newspaper reporters and their everyday struggles, problems, and ethical dilemmas. Han Jun Hyeok is a veteran reporter for a newspaper. He first became a reporter to pursue justice, but he is now conflicted between idealism and pragmatism. Han Jun Hyeok must also deal with personal issues as a husband and father. Lee Ji Soo is a bold intern reporter who isn’t afraid to say what needs to be said, even during a job interview. When she meets Han Jun Hyeok as her mentor, she begins to dream of becoming a true journalist.

I still think that this show jumped the gun in trying to convince us that all of Jun Hyeok's friends could turn on him so easily but at least it looks like the higher ups aren't so easily fooled other than CEO An who straight up gave him all the information he needed to screw everyone. I was surprised though to find out that Ji Soo was in on the plan with Jun Hyeok which in hindsight should have been obvious cause duh they're the leads of this show! As it turns out the current CEO of Daily Korea wants to become a MP cause he's over the newspaper so everything that's been happening is linked back to that. I'm still really curious as to how it all ties into Soo Yeon's death and why the 15th floor took all the CCTV recordings from that time but maybe we're supposed to think that Soo Yeon stumbled onto the CEO's secret and that's why she was killed?? It also kinda sucked to find out that my boy Kyung Woo was actually a spy for Chief Na this whole time though I'm not sure how much he screwed our HUSH team and whether he told him everything or just a little. I wonder if he lied about the whole being rich thing or if his dad really does have money but Kyung Woo gave up his inheritance to be a reporter cause as we see he's poor and I'm left wondering if that's the simple case then why lie to Ji Soo? I did like the case we got this week with the part-timer v the small business owner but every time there's a case in this show I return to wishing that this show was an office drama about reporters and not the political/revenge drama it is. I also want to mention that the mole who's leaking info to another paper ended up not being Ji Soo after all cause she seemed pissed Reporter Ku kept bugging her so it must be Jun Hyeok who's using another newspaper to be a whistleblower.

Lovestruck In The City (11/17): Lovestruck in the City is a realistic portrayal of young people who pursue romance and happiness while struggling to get by in a busy, competitive urban environment. Park Jae Won is an honest man, a passionate architect and a lover of city alleyways. His hobby is collecting more hobbies. A romantic at heart, he cannot forget a certain woman. This thief of his heart and his camera had disappeared like a fleeting midsummer night’s dream. Lee Eun Oh is an ordinary woman who temporarily reinvents herself as the spontaneous and free spirited Yun Seon Ah. She takes off to a remote place on an impulse and falls in love with Jae-won under this new identity.

This week was really interesting since things are starting to fall into place. Eun Oh ended up pretending to be Seon Ah cause she was heartbroken after being cheated on by her fiance and being fired from the job she got in Busan and that's when she met Jae Won and why she struggled with loving him cause she was afraid that like her ex that he wouldn't love the real her too. Jae Won meanwhile realized that the Eun Oh that Rin Yi and Gyung Joon know is the Seon Ah he fell in love with but ironically the main thing he focused on after all this is that Eun Oh was in the same room as a guy and that must mean that she's moved on. When he interrogated Gyung Joon and found out that she wasn't dating someone, he decided to join them on a camping excursion. I do wonder what will happen if all the friends figure out what's happening with Eun Oh and Jae Won and if the two will even tell the others the whole truth cause it's so embarrassing. Maybe the better option would be to pretend to meet for the first time and then date? I did love the way Rin Yi was ready to throw down for Eun Oh and how Gyung Joon joined in to protect both girls cause he's a sweetheart. What I am a little worried about though is Rin Yi's sudden admission that she never wants to get married and I guess that explains why the two have been dating for like 6 years and yet they're not married. I just hope it works out for them and we don't have to see them break up!

Mr Queen/Queen Cheorin (14/20): A male chef has risen up the ranks to find a job cooking for the country’s top politicians in the South Korean presidential residences, the Blue House. He is something of a dreamer – but one day finds himself in the body of a young queen from Korea’s past, Kim So Yong. Kim So Yong’s husband is the reigning monarch, King Cheol Jong. However, he is only king in name – the late King Sunjo’s Queen, Sun Won, has taken advantage of Cheol Jong’s better nature, and is ruling the realm in his name. Queen Sun Won’s brother Kim Jwa Guen also has designs on power. However, Kim So Yong soon discovers that King Cheol Jong harbors secrets, and is not as gentle and meek as he seems…

Raise your hand if you're also shocked that So Yong and Cheol Jong actually slept together! I didn't think this show had the balls to pull the trigger like it did in the cdrama and I wonder if it's made better or worse for the conservative audience if So Yong thought it was her maid the whole time? I was honestly stunned that this whole murder plot ended up being a scheme done by Cheol Jong and his side in order to screw Jwa Guen and Sun Won but finding out that he wasn't as powerless as we first thought was beautiful. I also loved that we got to live in a moment where he realized that So Yong was helping him and I'm definitely down for the fact that we're finally going to see the two team up and take everyone down. I do still think it's completely ridiculous that everyone thinks So Yong has been playing politics so far cause it's so clear that she isn't but by constantly poking the bear, she's going to start and I think she's going to kill it by using So Yong's expertise. I also have to say that Byung In officially is on my shit list cause the man like Hwa Jin is too dumb for this world and seems to believe everything people tell him and is constantly in the way. I'm still waiting for the moment when Cheol Jong finally sees Hwa Jin for who she is and I wonder if that will end in his brother switching sides or if he'll feel guilty for loving the same monster.

Run On (14/16): Ki Sun Gyeom is a sports agent who was once a popular sprinter on the national team but was forced to quit due to legal issues. Oh Mi Joo writes translated subtitles for movies. She was thrilled to see her name listed among the credits when she first started. Ki Sun Gyeom had just quit sprinting when he encountered Oh Mi Joo, who felt that destiny most certainly brought them together. Seo Dan Ah is the CEO of a sports agency and rightful successor to the Seomyung Group. Despite this, she is held back from advancing in the company due to her gender. She fiercely wishes to reclaim what is rightfully hers and lives her life accordingly. Lee Young Hwa is a university art major who enjoys movies and drawing will soon enter his life. Could romance be in the cards for these two couples?

Anyone else sitting here kinda depressed that we won't be getting more of the Seo family skeletons?? I keep feeling like the show has peppered them in but refuse to pull the trigger on them cause we apparently need the five hundredth scene where Sun Gyeom's father does something horrible as if it's new. I also seriously hate that poor Tae Woong keeps getting the short end of the stick. Myung Min has been threatening him over taking his side in the fight against Dan Ah which is pointless since we know who's side Tae Woong is but when he does then Myung Min will blow up Tae Woong's KPOP idol career. I also really don't love that Dan Ah hasn't told Young Hwa about everything yet though maybe she will after seeing the finished painting cause like Young Hwa said he wants her to give him her heart after it's done. It does low key make me tear up every time Dan Ah and Young Hwa have these cute moments cause it's so heartwarming and I especially love the way the two love one another. In terms of Sun Gyeom, it really is a terrible idea for him to trust his father and I do have a feeling that May's thought that the Assemblyman Ki will destroy the wife's movie cause of Mi Joo is going to come through cause it's not like he has any affection for his wife either. I also wasn't surprised that Eun Bi's about to go through a scandal in which she's linked to having an affair with a married man cause like I said last week, Assemblyman Ki really should have known that sending his daughter to be an escort for his politics will bite him in the ass especially when he's trying to run for something!

She Would Never Know/Sunbae Don't Put That Lipstick On (4/16): Yoon Song Ah works as a marketer for a cosmetic brand. She enjoys her job and does it with vigor. Her dream is to start her own cosmetic brand. Meanwhile, Chae Hyun Seung works with Yoon Song Ah as a marketer. He becomes attracted to Yoon Song Ah and tries to develop a romantic relationship with her. However, Yoon Song Ah rebuffs his advances, because she does not see younger guys as dating partners.

Remember when I said this show had potential even if the writing was a bit of a mess in the premiere? Well this week it took my advice to tone down Hyun Seung's possessiveness and made the whole show leagues better! As it turns out Hyun Seung was so involved in what happened between Song Ah and Jae Shin cause he went through something similar where his girlfriend also cheated on him and he tried to win her back rather than letting her go until she dumped him for the other guy. It helps take Hyun Seung from this mega creep to somewhat normal and after Song Ah found out, she also realized the same thing and started to see him differently. Even the chemistry between the two feels a little more natural now and you can see that they might have been friends at some point. It also helps that Jae Shin really took a turn for the worse and while at first I thought that Jae Woon might be the villain in the story, as we see Jae Woon just wanted a friend while Jae Shin wanted his money so I don't feel pity for him anymore. He also refuses to feel bad for what he did to Song Ah and is actually more pissed that she dare dump him when it's like you're the one in the wrong here you ass! I'm sure that he's going to take all this out on Hyun Seung but it's just going to make him look worse in both Song Ah and the other employees' eyes. I did like that Manager Yoo picked up on something between them but she kept it a secret and it was all very sweet. I also can't decide if I think Jae Woon and Ji Seung are cute yet cause he's actually just stalking her but I could see the potential for it getting better.

FINISHED Sweet Home (10/10): Following the death of his family in an accident, loner Cha Hyun Soo moves to a new apartment. His quiet life is soon disturbed by strange incidents that start occurring in his new building. As people turn into monsters, Hyun Soo and other residents try to survive.

I had been planning on checking this show out when I first heard about it but it came out the same time as Alice In Borderland and between the two I was more interested in the jdrama so I ended up putting this show off until this week which I low key regret cause this show was incredible! So it's technically another take on the whole zombie apocalypse story but it felt a lot more like #Alive than Train to Busan in my opinion and I adored that cause one of the things I loved about #Alive was the unique take on the whole concept so everything that I liked there was present here and dialed up to a 9! This zombie outbreak is both bleeker and more hopeful at the same time than normal zombie outbreaks. There is no clear method of infection so because of that you could turn at the most random moments but at the same time if you are infected, it's all about willpower so if you fight then you survive. I loved the way we got to fall in love with every single person in the group and how they all became so close and how good they were while also being totally human. Every one had moments when they fell to their baser instincts but when push came to shove, they were a team. I cried over almost every death and I was wondering if this show is planning on a second season with the way it ended though I'm not sure we'll be following the old group since it feels like most of their badass members either left at the end or died so I can't see them surviving without any military help. I guess my question is whether the military is good or bad cause I could see that the info they got was a lie but it's also not like the military is giving me hope either. I did think it was interesting that Sang Wook's body survived so he and Hyun Soo are going on their own adventure but I'll miss Sang Wook's personality. Overall I'd give this show a 10 / 10 cause if you like zombie movies or end-of-the-world antics, this will be for you!

FINISHED The 3rd Ward (20/20): "The Third Hospital" will reveal the tale of neurosurgeons working in an alternative hospital that practices both western and eastern medical practices.

By now you all know I'm a fairly big fan of medical dramas and I chose this one cause I've been in love with Choi Soo Young over in Run On (and previously in Dating Agency Cyrano) so I was curious to see whether she would do well in this show too. Guys I seriously cried and cried and cried while watching this drama! Eu Jin was the star of this show for me despite the fact that she wasn't the female lead or even the main love interest which honestly broke my heart a little cause I wanted her and Seung Hyun to end up together. It was also really sad that the show was basically telling us that you've got one big love of your life so when Seung Hyun lost his girlfriend, he never found love again. So much of the show focused on Eu Jin getting brain cancer and we lived through every moment with her good bad and ugly and it shocks me that this was Soo Young's first real acting job cause she absolutely slayed. In terms of the western v eastern medicine, personally I don't entirely believe in eastern medicine but for the sake of the show I did especially since our male lead was an oriental medicine doctor. I also didn't really care for the ensemble in this show or the female lead who felt like she waffled back and forth between the male leads and I kind of wish that like Medical Top Team, she had stuck with Doo Hyun rather than basically choosing him as a consolation prize. Overall I'd give this show a 7.5 / 10 cause though I was disappointed in the loveline, the show still did make me feel!

FINISHED The Uncanny Counter (16/16): Tells the story of demon hunters called Counters who come to earth under the guise of being employees at a noodle restaurant in order to capture evil spirits that have returned to earth in pursuit of eternal life. So Mun is the youngest of the Counters. After suffering from a mysterious car accident as a child, he eventually becomes a central figure among the Counters. Do Ha Na has the ability to sense the locations of evil spirits, even those that are hundreds of kilometers away. She can also read memories of others through touch and works with So Mun to do away with evil spirits. Ga Mo Tak is a Counter with incredible strength. He’s a former police officer who lost his memory seven years ago after an accident and is unable to stand idle in the face of injustice. Ga Mo Tak is also So Mun’s mentor. Chu Mae Ok is a Counter with healing abilities. Outwardly, she’s the chef of the noodle restaurant, but among the Counters, she is the emotional pillar of the group. Choi Jang Mool is the oldest Counter. He’s in charge of all of the Counters’ expenses, and he is a living legend among the Counters in Korea.

So the finale for this show aired this week and I'm seriously going to miss this show you guys! It has been one of the high points of my days to watch this show cause it's so well crafted from the acting to the writing all the way down to the emotional beats it hits. When I say I cried over and over again in this finale, I'm not exaggerating! Of course you all know that I have had some problems with the writing of this show and some of the plot beats were never actually explained or dealt with but all in all I think this show is definitely worth a watch. This week we were able to wrap up all the outstanding storylines from catching the evil spirit to putting Shin in jail and we were even able to save Mun's parents and say goodbye to them one more time. I do still think it was a bit of a copout to be like yeah all those souls the evil spirit absorbed are fine despite the fact that once an evil spirit merges with it's host spirit then all those souls should be lost but I can forgive it just cause of how much I loved Mun and his grandparents saying goodbye to the parents. I did like the short guest appearance from the fifth Counter though I wish the show would have mentioned him a bit earlier to keep it from feeling like he only existed to die. Before this point I don't think that we knew that there multiple Counters in multiple countries but in hindsight duh cause this one city in Korea can't be the only place that attracts evil spirits. I do have to say that this finale did feel a bit like it was setting up for a second season and if it does I'll definitely be here and it might actually be more exciting with our Counters hitting the road and traveling through Korea to find evil spirits. It'll be very Supernatural or Criminal Minds and I'm down. I'd definitely give this show a 9.5 / 10.

True Beauty (14/16): True Beauty is a romantic comedy about a high school girl Lim Joo Gyung, who rises to pretty girl fame after she masters the art of make-up from YouTube. She turns into a goddess because of her makeup skills, but would rather die than reveal her bare face to anyone. It tells her love story with the only boy that saw her without makeup, Lee Su Ho. Lee is an attractive and handsome boy who appears cold because of his dark past but is actually very caring. They grow when they meet each other sharing their secrets and finding love with each other, but can Su Ho make Joo Gyung find her true beauty?

Wow so we're really hitting all the cliches huh?? I knew the minute that Su Ho's father asked Su Ho to join him in the states that at some point Su Ho was going to go and breakup with Joo Gyung. I'm not really even all that annoyed since it really is such a classic drama trope. For some reason dramas love the idea of forcing a couple to undergo a time skip in which they don't talk to each other cause long distance relationships aren't a thing in order to prove their love in the most irritating fashion. Having said that I did like everything else we got this week from Joo Gyung finally learning to love who she is with or without makeup to every moment that Su Ho stood up for her to Joo Gyung reconciling with Soo Ah to her parents finally finding out the truth. I still am surprised that her mom never got that last voicemail Joo Gyung left her cause I really thought that would be the thing that got her mom to realize what a tough life Joo Gyung lived until now and that it would be the thing to let her mom accept Joo Gyung's passion for makeup. I still do wish that the other kids in Joo Gyung's class hadn't been so wishy-washy in terms of blaming Joo Gyung and then accepting her when she came back cause only Soo Ah who was more pissed that Joo Gyung would keep everything a secret and Soo Ah's boyfriend who's low key an angel were quiet about it. I also liked that everyone found out about Soo Jin being two-faced and I don't entirely feel for her either cause she made her bed and now she has to lie in it.

CDRAMA

FINISHED Lovely Us (16/16): A coming-of-age story of a group of youths who grew up together. The story takes place in 2007; four children from Shu De Faculty and Staff Family Hospital entered high school together, welcoming their sixteenth year of life. They form their own clique named "No. 1992", and embark on a journey filled with dreams, growth and warmth.

I really had a blast with this show cause it reminded me of a mix of Go Ahead and Reply 1988 two dramas that I absolutely adored and it's kinda funny cause I'm actually really surprised that this show didn't get any love when it first aired. I wonder if it's cause it was basically airing at the same time as Go Ahead and so everyone's attention was on the other drama! This show follows five kids who grow up in the same neighborhood and it's funny cause the whole show is a slice-of-life in that we see them tackle different problems every week which usually isn't my preferred method of storytelling. Slice-of-life shows are entirely reliant on the characters they give us since there isn't any plot to cover up any sort of bad character writing and I think that's why this show worked so good for me. All the families loved one another and there were no bad characters or high school bullies to deal with so the whole show felt like a warm hug. I even enjoyed both romances we got though I wish that Chengzi and Song had gotten together earlier so I could enjoy them more. When the show wanted me to cry I did and when it wanted me to be happy I was! Overall I'd give this show a 8 / 10!

Vacation Of Love (14/35): Xu Ke Yi is an established manager. On New Year's Eve, she brings her artist Gao Jun Yu along with her to a resort for a performance. She thought that her ten years of the contribution could reap her a beautiful relationship, but she was sorely let down. While drinking alone at the beach, she meets Hou Hao, a man that has been watching silently over her. Suffering from the setbacks in her relationship and career, Xu Ke Yi finds herself healed from the warmth and comfort brought by Hou Hao. Also at the resort is Song Xiaoke and Chen Bin Bin, who has been married for years and has two children. Song Xiao Ke, who is now a strong career woman, can no longer stand Chen Bin Bin's idleness and decides to get a divorce. However, the couple has no choice but to put on a pretense due to their children and family. Chen Bin Bin, who regretted his rashness, tries his best to win back his wife.

I decided to check this drama out pretty much entirely cause of Johnny Bai who I've adored in everything that he's in cause he's got this way of staring at his love interests that gives you butterflies so I really had no expectations going in and having seen these first chunk of episodes, I find myself wishing there was more to binge! I'm not entirely sure if the show is taking place in current day or if we're in the past and we'll have a time skip but either way I'm fascinated cause this feels like a family drama without really being a family drama. My favorite storyline obviously has to go to Ke Yi and Hou Hao cause I kinda just love how she's so fierce and he's so soft. The thing is that I'm not entirely sure how the two are going to meet up again since he claims that he's an employee at this hotel though I have a feeling that it's a lie and he's actually a chaebol who owns the hotel based on the fact that he can go wherever and do whatever in the hotel alongside the fact that he owns a designer watch. I do really feel bad for Ke Yi cause it's clear that she's been in love with Jun Yu for 10 years but he was cheating on her for at least 6 months and it was super sucky that he fired her to appease his fiance though of course he came back to grovel when he realized that his contract had a clause to prevent him from leaving and Ke Yi if she was a worse person could have ruined him. The other main storylines go to the Chen family. Yuan Yuan is dating a much older widower which I'm not a fan of especially since her mom and her boyfriend are kinda having a love line and that's creepy as all hell and Bin Bin and his wife Ke got a divorce but Bin Bin is pretending to have amnesia in order to win Ke back which is annoying cause he's the worst and I'm just sitting here like girl find a better guy! There's also a group of doctors staying in this hotel but they didn't show up until later in this chunk of episodes so I'm not entirely sure if they're just here to fill screen time or if they're actually characters in this show.

TWDRAMA

Wacko At Law (9/15): Mai Daqi is a genius in the legal profession, but because of his dissatisfaction with the profitism of the law firm, he shelved his lawyer's license. It wasn't until an air crash that suddenly took the lives of his parents and his fiancee four years ago. In order to get justice for his family, Daqi regained his legal profession and overthrew American Airlines' first-class lawyers.

Wow this week was messed up on a whole new level! It's one thing for a hospital to accidentally switch two babies but it's a whole other thing to have done it on purpose cause of greed. I was wrong last week when I guessed that it was Xiao Ke's sister in the hospital under the same drug that Daqi took cause we officially met the real family this week. Xiao Ke's family is totally sweet and I love the way they're all so blended and how little they care about blood relations. The terrible thing is that the hospital chairmen switched his daughter and their daughter cause he knew his daughter had the gene for AML and he wanted a healthy baby and even now he's playing like he doesn't know the truth. I do wonder if his wife will end up turning on him for the sake of Xiao Yi or if our team will find an ace from an old employee who witnessed the whole thing cause there's no way that they can just forgive that monster. I do have a feeling though that maybe the family will let it all go in order to keep the girls from hurting but personally I think the girls deserve to know the truth too. I also have to say that I was glad with the way the show is dealing with Yu Xin and Da Qi dating cause their interactions are pretty much the same minus a softer undercurrent and a few cute moments here and there which is exactly what I would have wanted from this show!

xoxo Allie