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 (20/24): 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.

Okay so I actually really liked that unlike a lot of other shows in which we have a large time skip and then flashback or hear about what happened in those years in exposition, here we actually followed our main characters over the course of 6 years. Sol Yi and Heon really did start dating and they were pretty happy until Heon's busy schedule paired with his studying abroad situation caused a rift to form between the two. I don't entirely know what changed between high school and college that gave Heon the confidence to tell Sol Yi his feelings or why he'd been holding back this whole time which I wonder if the cdrama did better. It's also always such a struggle to watch couples like them cause on the one hand being a doctor really is a full time commitment but on the other it's hard to watch a girlfriend be sick or lonely without her boyfriend by her side. Sol Yi grew up a lot during this time skip and she's an adult now and can't live off of crumbs of affection from Heon like she did. He went off to America and then came right back and is attempting to insert himself into her life once again and I wonder if it's one of those situations that I'd find romantic if I actually liked the main romance or if it's always kinda creepy seeing the guy who noped out come back and be possessive of the girl.

FINISHED Birthcare Center (8/8): Oh Hyun Jin has had a glittering career in her work life. She is the youngest member on the board of executives at the company she works at and is used to acing everything she does. But when she delivers her first child, she is in for a shock. Giving birth was far more difficult than she had expected, and she quickly discovers that although she is a dab hand at all things work-related, she hasn’t got the first clue about how to bring up a baby. After being discharged from hospital, she heads to a birth care center – an exclusive establishment where even A-list stars come to get postpartum care. She is dismayed to realize that she is the oldest mother in the center, and embarrassed to notice that everyone else seems to know what they are doing when it comes to looking after babies. Fortunately, the other mothers at the center prove inspirational. Among their number is Cho Eun Jung, aka the Queen Bee – a seemingly perfect mother whom everyone wants to befriend in order to learn childcare secrets. And Choi Hye Sook is the charismatic center manager – a veritable font of knowledge about all things childcare-related.

When this show first came out I was not interested cause I'm not usually into dramas like this but then I kept seeing gifs of the main couple and they looked really cute so I couldn't help but want to check this show out. As per my expectations, the main couple was actually just as cute as I wanted them to be and I was honestly just so thankful for it cause dramas rarely ever show us a married couple who are happy or in love. Anytime there's a married couple (outside of a family drama) the show is all about cheating and lying and abuse but this show actually gave us a couple madly in love. Do Yoon was one of the best married male leads I've seen with how supportive he was no matter what Hyun Jin was going through. Having said that everything else about this show was not for me like I expected. This whole birth center would have been my worst nightmare if I was a mom who had literally just given birth. The amount of judgement and expectations were ridiculous and the other moms were just as annoying. I liked the idea of them bonding and helping one another but we only really got one or two scenes of that while the rest of the time was spent watching Hyun Jin suffer. I hate that she buckled so hard until societal pressure over whether to breastfeed or use formula and the idea that a working mom is a worse mom than a stay-at-home one is so irritating but also this is such a real problem that women face. I also really hated that though Do Yoon stayed with Hyun Jin he barely ever spent any time with Ra On which further perpetuates the idea that dads don't need to be involved with the childrearing. In the end I'd give this show a 6.5 / 10.

FINISHED Graceful Family (16/16): Mo Seok Hee is the sole daughter of the MC Group business empire. Financially, she wants for nothing. However, all is not well with her. She is haunted by the passing of her mother, who died in mysterious circumstances a decade and a half ago. Ever since her mother’s death, she has been living in the United States, apart from her father. But when she makes the fateful decision to return home to South Korea, her life is sent into a tailspin – along with the fortunes of the MC Group. Back in South Korea, she meets Heo Yoon Do, a lawyer from a humble background. Heo Yoon Do has been hired by the MC Group as a member of the TOP crisis management team that helps cover up misdemeanors committed by the Mo family. Together the duo builds an unlikely friendship and embarks on a quest to uncover the truth about the death of Mo Seok Hee’s mother. Will Mo Seok Hee and Heo Yoon Do uncover the dark truth behind a death that took place 15 years ago? What other secrets is the MG Group hiding? And could working together lead the duo to romance?

Do you ever watch a show and then want to smack yourself for not having watched it while it aired cause it was just so good??? This show would 100% be a contender for my Top 10 Asian Dramas if only I had watched in back in 2019 when it first aired! See the thing is I'm usually not into makjangs like this but recently I saw that Lee Jang Woo was the male lead in this show and I have been living for him in Homemade Love Story so I thought why not give it a chance. I think it helped going in this time knowing that it was going to be extremely over-the-top and all about revenge so I was able to adjust my lens and properly enjoy the hot mess we were thrown into. The best thing about this show was hands down the partnership that evolved into the most organic love between Seok Hee and Yoon Do cause you know I forever live for the us against the world trope. I loved that the two had a common goal and pretty early on they laid their cards down for one another and were able to tackle the murder mystery side-by-side without any fear of misunderstandings or lack of trust. I loved that they were both extremely smart and that Yoon Do tempered Seok Hee's impatience so that they could drop bombs at ideal times rather than right when they got their hands on in unlike a lot of other revenge dramas in which I'm screaming at the leads to stop being so dumb. I also really liked TOP and Ms Han as our villain too and Wan Soo was also a standout who's ending I cried over cause of the family he was on of the few that I wanted to live happily. The revenge was perfectly paced so that we gained ground little by little and so we didn't spend 15 episodes watching our heroes fail over and over again. I'd definitely give this show a 10 / 10!

Homemade Love Story (84/100): 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.

I'm honestly shooketh that Chae Woon and Jae Hee are getting married next week! I really and truly didn't think it would happen until the finale of this show but I'm glad that it seems most of our problems have been dealt with. If I'm being honest I am a little curious about this cause there's still like 20 episodes to go and there's no way that things are just happy and good for the rest but I suppose we still have Seo Ah and Na Ro to deal with and maybe more of Chae Woon's dad. Either way I believe our heroes will get through it together so I'm not worried. Jae Hee found out that his dad really did help his middle school friend out and once again I'm left thinking that James is such an ass. Like with his wife, he let their relationship sour just to what keep his pride or something? Also like I guessed, Jae Hee and Chae Woon are going to stay with James but I kinda wish that we would have gotten a cute apartment for them instead cause it would have been fun to see. Everyone else is happy too including all three other Samgwang Villa couples including Hae Deun and Jun Ah who forgave Jun Ah for lying about being Jung Won's stepson. On that note Jung Won did end up revealing that Chae Woon was her daughter and dismissing her mom as Chairwoman but part of me is still like it's a little too late for me to care or appreciate.

FINISHED Hush (16/16): “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.

So the finale of this show aired this week and I'm not sure I liked what we got. I feel like this show wanted to go the Secret Forest/Stranger route in showing us that in real life things don't get wrapped up nicely with a bow and that whistleblowers tend to hurt themselves more than others but unlike in Secret Forest/Healer, there wasn't a silver lining to this finale! No one involved in all this bribery and scandal were charged with anything let alone sent to jail and in fact our HUSH team just ended up quitting while the bad guys lived their best lives. I mean yeah the CEO couldn't run in the election but Chief Na become the CEO while Editor Am became Chief and that terrible Digital Korea reporter became Desk Editor. I guess I do like the idea that our HUSH team all quit and opened up their own news agency or actually what I think is an online news show on YouTube or some sort of streaming service cause now they can actually report what they want without having the oversight of politicians. I'd like to imagine that the general public knowing that they were whistleblowers trust them more than other news agency but who knows cause the ending seemed to be more comedic than anything else. I think I'm just sore cause I didn't like that nothing changed but I also don't think that this show did anything new or subversive that other shows like this didn't. All in all I'd give this show a 7 / 10.

Love Scene Number (4/8): An eight-episode omnibus drama that centers around four female leads who are at a turning point in their lives when it comes to love, dating, and their values. 23-year-old Doo Ah is a university student majoring in psychology. She is involved in a secret polyamorous relationship with three men. While 28-year-old Ha Ram is an elementary school teacher who runs away from her own wedding after undergoing a sudden change of heart. 35-year-old Ban Ya is an adjunct instructor at a university, and 42-year-old Chung Kyung is a furniture designer who discovers that her husband of 20 years is having a spiritual extramarital affair.

Okay this week actually made me cry and hit a lot harder than last week's episode. Whereas Doo Ah was kinda just fun to watch in her commitment issues, I really seriously hate stories about cheating. Logically I get the romanticism or even the pragmatism of forgiving a significant other after they cheat but in reality I can't imagine things ever work out unless the love dies. I mean wouldn't you mistrust your SO after finding out they had been cheating on you? Could you ever let him/her talk to the other sex without worrying? In a way I did find the story we got here fascinating cause it looked at the idea of what's worse: emotional or physical cheating. Woon Bum never actually touched Hwa Ran but he fell in love with her or at least enjoyed their time together and it was kinda messed up that everyone around Chung Kyung was ready to tell her all about the cheating from Hwa Ran's husband to their mutual friend (who by the by was the author from last week who believed in polyamorous relationships.) It was super messed up of Chung Kyung to attempt to get back at her husband by trying to sleep with Hwa Ran's husband but at least it didn't actually go that far and it clearly showed Woon Bum that he still loved his wife and doesn't want to leave her. The best part of this week was definitely the smackdown Chung Kyung gave Hwa Ran when she pretended like she knew Woon Bum was going to her and that they just pitied her.

Lovestruck In The City (15/17): 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.

Okay so this show got me a little. I still don't love Eun Oh and Jae Won as people but the chemistry between Kim Ji Won and Ji Chang Wook is fire enough that when they had that moment this week I melted a little. I love the trope where a couple is fighting and fighting and then suddenly they kiss cause they're overflowing with emotion! It was damn time that Eun Oh stopped lying to Jae Won and herself and Jae Won like he said weeks ago was ready to embrace her flaws and all if only she gave him an opening cause how head over heels he is. The other thing this show did that melted my heart was the friendship between Eun Oh, Rin Yi, and Geon cause I think we've all longed for those people in our lives that we can tell everything to. When Eun Oh disappeared, the sweetest thing they could have done was wait quietly for her to return by paying her bills and keeping her house ready and when she did return, they didn't ask any questions. I do think this is the first step in Eun Oh and Jae Won's actual reconciliation cause there are no more secrets. In other news I actually am starting to think that this show with end with Rin Yi and Gyung Joon breaking up cause it keeps feeling like Rin Yi doesn't want anything serious from her job to her boyfriend and while at first it was cute seeing how much Gyung Joon did for her, now I'm starting to feel bad for how he has to tiptoe around her. 

L.U.C.A: The Beginning (4/12): “LUCA" is based on Charles Darwin’s proposition that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors. (LUCA stands for "last universal common ancestor.") Ji Oh, who rarely reveals his emotions to others, has a special power and a secret but doesn't know who he really is. He is chased by mysterious figures while he tries to find answers to numerous questions that surround him. Gu Reum is a detective whose parents disappeared when she was a young child. When she decides on a course of action, she won't change no matter what. Gu Reum chases after the truth behind her parents' disappearance. She meets Ji Oh and her life changes.

I have to say that the music is this show is absolutely killer. I know that really has nothing to do with this show but that's how I feel every time something plays! We started off this week right where we left off. Ji Oh saved Gu Reum and took her with him cause not only did he recognize her as the woman he saved even after his memory was wiped but also apparently he's got this 6th sense that tells him when someone is dangerous and his sense never went off around Gu Reum. The weird thing is that if this was a special power then his friend should have sent it off too cause as we learn this is the 2nd time his friend has screwed him so some part of his subconscious should have remembered it leaving me to wonder if it has more to do with how an animal can smell anger or fear. We are slowly learning more about this world and the more I see the more I feel like this show is exactly like Awaken only without the genius characters. Gu Reum's dad was a member of this lab and he was the one who actually created Ji Oh but then I think someone saved Ji Oh and years later the dad found him again and brought him back cause his wife was being threatened. It does look like Ji Oh might have killed Gu Reum's dad out of self defense but I wonder if Gu Reum's mom is still being held prisoner or if she's dead too. I wonder if Gu Reum will open up to her cop team at some point or if we'll see Yoo Na switch sides (especially after seeing how she was set up so that this was her only choice) or if this show will really be Ji Oh and Gu Reum working alone together.

Mr Queen/Queen Cheorin (18/20): 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…

Okay so this week was actually ridiculous in terms of where the story took us. This show really wants us to believe that rumors are enough to depose a Queen? Honestly if that was the case, why not just send assassins into every room and murder everyone who's against you and then blame it on some random criminal and kill them?? It's seriously irritating to watch and I'm really not happy that this is where the show decided to fall apart. I do wonder how the story is going to wrap up next week cause Cheol Jong and So Yong still haven't made any new alliances but I bet that letter than Byung In forced everyone to sign is going to help. If they could make it look like all these people worked together to kill Cheol Jong (which I mean they kinda indirectly did) then Cheol Jong can kill them all and rebuild the Court how he wants. The only thing is that the Queen Dowager and Great Queen Dowager would still be thorns and if that's the case then something like this could happen again. In terms of Byung In, he's really gone from aww possible SLS to a monster who's obsessed with So Yong. No one can say that he loves her anymore cause what he's doing isn't love. He doesn't give a single shit about what So Yong thinks or feels and wants to be the only man in her life. I also really wonder if this show is going to end with Bong Hwan returning to his time or if he's permanently stuck here.

She Would Never Know/Sunbae Don't Put That Lipstick On (8/16): 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.

So we're about halfway through this drama now and I'm really liking the direction this show has suddenly gone which I can't help but wonder if it's related to the backlash this show got when it first premiered. Even up until last week I was feeling kinda iffy over Hyun Seung and how he seemed to be crossing the line a little too far when Song Ah made it clear that she's not interested but this week he officially backed off. After meeting the ex that cheated on him and hearing from her how he was basically doing the same thing to Song Ah as she was doing to him, I think he got worried that he was being annoying or creepy. I liked that he was apologized to Song Ah again and was like yeah I might have had ulterior motives when I showed you that BM Lee was cheating and yeah I was low key hoping that you would fall for me but now I've realized that no means no. Fortunately for him the old adage appeared to be true for Song Ah: absence really does make the heart grow fonder! I'm fairly sure that she's a few steps off from falling for him so his sudden disappearance from her life left her adrift and I was honestly proud of her to admit it to Hyun Seung at the end. I am curious about BM Lee's sudden devotion to Hyo Joo and the way the show has dialed down Hyo Joo's obsessiveness but I can't imagine that the peace will last. If anything this is probs the quiet before the storm. I also want to shout out how cute Jae Woon and Ji Seung are though I wish that they got more screen time than like five minutes in two episodes! Can we get more of them and less of Yoon Seung and that chef who's clearly dating her husband??

FINISHED The Heirs (20/20): Kim Tan is the heir to Empire Group who has been sent to study abroad in the U.S. In reality it's a form of exile, as his elder half-brother back home schemes to take over the family business. While in the States, Kim Tan meets Cha Eun Sang, who arrived from Korea in search of her older sister. He feels himself falling for her, never realizing that she's the daughter of his family's housekeeper. When his fiancée Rachel Yoo arrives to bring him back to Korea, his heart is torn between love and duty.

I had been meaning to check this drama out forever cause it's one of the kdrama classics alongside Coffee Prince and Boys Over Flower and Healer that you're always told to watch but I always put it off cause though the world sounded like Gossip Girl I didn't think that I would enjoy the main love story between Eun Sang and Tan but eventually I decided to watch it anyway for the ensemble full of actors that I adore. I found myself feeling exactly the way I thought I would over the cringeworthy story of Eun Sang and Tan though I do have to admit that I liked Eun Sang and Tan in America cause they ended up feeling the most natural away from the chaebol society but part of me couldn't stop seeing Eun Sang as the bad guy in this show. Maybe it's cause I adore Kim Ji Won that I ended up liking her character the most in this show despite being the typical evil second female lead but part of me just found it so horrible that Eun Sang was so unafraid to step in and ruin an engagement no matter whether Tan loved Rachel or not. He was straddling the fence all season over whether he loved Eun Sang or his father more and it really soured me on him as a male lead cause he should have broken the engagement before cheating on Rachel with Eun Sang. On that note if Eun Sang and Tan were the Serena and Dan of this show, Rachel and Young Do were definitely the Blair and Chuck of this show which is why I thought their chemistry was super fun whether they were scheming together, thought of each other as siblings or were just friends. I do hope the two actors would do something together at some point. Choi Jin Hyuk was also a highlight in this show though I never really did end up liking his romance with the poor teacher. I think all in all I just wish this show had been more Gossip Girl than Boys Over Flower but either way I'd give this show a 5 / 10.

CDRAMA

A Girl Like Me (30/40): The beautiful baroness, duchess, princess Ban Hua has skirted marital bliss three times. Her straight-shooting manner and explosive temper ensured that each relationship ended in disaster – for the potential grooms! Despite her awful reputation, she is quite well-meaning and thoughtful deep down. Of late, her dreams have been forecasting danger around every corner, She has interpreted them quickly in order to keep her family safe and to protect those around her. Her life changes forever when she meets Count Rong Xia, a young gentleman scholar whose family suffered a tragic fate. Rong Xia is on the hunt for answers regarding the past, including his true identity, a secret long-kept from him. A friendship is formed, with Ban Hua determined to help Rong Xia learn the truth. As their alliance deepens, could this be a case of ´fourth time lucky’ for Ban Hua?

I'm not sure what in the hell the point of Hua turning down Xia's proposal in that cave was especially after he was so romantic about it when we know that Hua and Xia are in love and have been wanting to get married forever. It felt like some sort of fake angst in order to fill up time cause everyone and their mother knew that it wouldn't last especially when the real angst was revealed at the end of the episode. Hua accidentally drank the poisoned juice that Luo wanted to give the Crown Prince and because of that she's dying and when Xia went to beg for the antidote, Feixian blackmailed Xia into dumping Hua. I do wonder if Hua will know what's going on when she wakes up cause I keep waiting for her dream power to mean something and I also can't imagine that she'd believe that after everything Xia isn't interested in her anymore. I have to say that I am starting to think that this show is actually going to end with Xia as Crown Prince or Emperor cause the more I see of the two actual princes the more horrified I am for the future. Like the Crown Prince is such a complete moron and doesn't want to rule while the second Prince is honestly just a monster so who's left but the supposed bastard son of the current Emperor??

Douluo Continent (15/40): Having lost his mother at a very young age, Tang San grew up relying on his father just as much as his father relied upon him. Meticulous and mature for his age, with extraordinary talent and wit, he was sent to Ruoding Academy, at the age of sixteen, to begin pursuing his dream of becoming a great soul master. There, under the tutelage of Yu Xiao Gang, he befriends an orphan by the name of Gu Xiao Wu, and together they begin the long and difficult journey of cultivation. As time passes, the two friends draw ever closer, eventually swearing to look out for each other as siblings for life. As their power and connection grow, Yu Xiao Gang realizes they need more guidance than he can provide. Sending the pair to the Shrek Academy, Tang San and Xiao Wu join five other prodigies from various academies, in their journey of cultivation. Strong in their power, the seven students become known throughout the land as the “Shrek Seven Devils”. With their fame ever-growing, the talents of the Seven are eventually noticed by a few very prominent nobles who invite them to continue their cultivation at the esteemed Tian Dou Royal Academy. Not long after accepting the invitation, the Seven Devils find themselves caught up in an imperial struggle for power, between the first and fourth princes. At the same time, Tang San uncovers a long-hidden secret about his mother’s death. Suddenly facing battles on many fronts, Tang San finds himself forced to fight, not only to protect those his loves, but to bring honor to his sect, save his country, and complete his quest to become the greatest soul master of all time.

This is an interesting world that we've dived into and it reminds me a lot of Fights Break Sphere in the way that our main leads interact and how we're learning to cultivate from a school. In this world people have Martial Souls and a certain amount of Soul Power and in order to control it or make it stronger, they need to go to a school. So far we know that there's the Marital Soul Hall which is supposed to be the most prestigious, Ruoding which was mostly just a ego boost for the governor and his family, seven clans which aren't really open to outsiders, and the Demon School. I'm curious to know more about this world cause we haven't set up any villains that our heroes need to face or politics that they have to work around. I do have a feeling that Tang San is somehow going to end up being half Soul Beast cause of the way his father reacted to the idea that Soul Masters are monsters that kill Soul Beasts without caring whether they're good or bad but I'm also really curious about Xiao Wu's story since she seems to be able to gain Soul Rings without killing and I'm pretty sure that she's been raised by the Titan Giant Ape but I also wonder if she's one of those 100, 000 year old Soul Beasts that can turn into humans based on how she asked Tang San what he'd do if a million Soul Masters were after her. On that note the best part of this show is definitely Tang San and Xiao Wu's relationship so far which is funny cause they clearly don't know what they are to each other yet and being so young they're like we're clearly siblings! He's already ready to do anything and everything for her and she refuses to ever leave his side and it's totally precious.

The Blessed Girl (18/40): Shrouded in mystery, the continent of Suchuan exists a land of legend and lore. Once a beautiful place of peace and prosperity, it has since become a bleak land torn apart by division and chaos. Growing up in this land of misery, a young monarch by the name of Yuan Yi (Lin Yi) ascends to the throne. With his position as king firmly established, he vows to put an end to the troubles that plague his people. Believing that the source of his kingdom’s troubles stems from the legendary falling of the gods, Yuan Yi takes it upon himself to find the one with enough spiritual power to restore the fallen gods of old. With rumors circulating of one in possession of such power, Yuan Yi disguises himself as a commoner and sets out in search of the only one strong enough to fight back the evil that plagues his lands. Following the rumors and whispers of his people to a remote village, Yuan Yi meets Ling Long, a young girl in possession of incredible spiritual power, and her father Huo Tu Xin. Convinced Ling Long is the one he’s been searching for, he asks her and her father to join him on a quest to save Suchuan. Agreeing to his request, the Ling Long and her father join Yuan Yi, setting out together on a perilous journey to save their world from the evil forces bent on its destruction. In an age-old battle between good and evil, will the efforts of this intrepid trio be enough to usher in a new era of peace?

At this point I guess we should just assume that everyone has terrible ancestors cause the way things are going isn't great. Apparently the Yuan ancestors had been sacrificing girls for decades in order to awaken the Gods but 500 years ago Yuan Tu got really strangely worried out of nowhere that the people would realize that the Yuans were sacrificing girls for their power so he tried to kill all the Gods using the Eternal Fire and when the Fire spread to far, Yuan Tu along with the Yin chief blamed it all on Huotu Ke. I definitely think it'll be important that Yuan Tu was the only Yuan ancestor who got worried over the secret getting exposed cause I think we'll find out later that someone was egging him on. The other thing is that I keep feeling that things are moving too quickly cause we're not even halfway through the drama and yet Yuan Yi has been deposed, Ling Long's Goddess seal has broken, and we've lost the entire Moon Tribe. Are we really about to spend the second half trying to take back the kingdom even though Yuan Yi has no allies other than a few random people? I keep feeling like this show meant to do something interesting but has no idea how to do it so while our main couple is cute and I like their dynamic, I don't like the world we've built or the stories we're told.

The Rebel Princess/Monarch Industry (38/68): Wang Xuan and Xiao Qi strike a deal for the sake of power. They marry first before falling in love and join hands to protect their homeland. She is a woman who is no less than any man while he rose from humble beginnings. The imperial family has become rotten to the core. The nobles are lavish with no regard for the people. Princess Wang Xuan and her childhood sweetheart, the third prince, become pawns of a prophecy that states, "to acquire thee is to obtain the world." Being pulled into the matters of the court, Wang Xuan is married off by her father to Xiao Qi who comes from a poor family. On the night of their wedding, Xiao Qi is forced to leave the capital. Wang Xuan is shamed and discouraged. The Helan Prince kidnaps Wang Xuan in order to seek revenge on Xiao Qi. The crisis they face becomes a blessing in disguise for the couple. Wang Xuan is moved and inspired by Xiao Qi's wish to bring peace and prosperity to the nation and they fall in love. However, circumstances threaten to destroy them. The Wang and Xie clans are fighting for power, the Empress Dowager schemes to separate husband and wife, the military has committed treason while the Helan clan has raised their flags in rebellion. Wang Xuan puts her life on the line to escort the third prince to safety. She leads an army of men to defend the last stronghold in hopes that Xiao Qi can arrive in time with reinforcements.

Okay so I know that I'm that person right now who sneaks into the back of classroom ten minutes late with Starbucks but cdramas are insane guys and sometimes I'm not in the mood to watch a political show. One thing leads to another and you realize that more than half of a show has aired and then you struggle to want to catch up! Let's just be glad that I came to the party at all!! Okay but seriously I was an idiot for putting this show off. It gives me the same feelings that I had while watching The Story Of Ming Lan which you know is one of my fav cdramas of all time. I always adore stories in which both the leads are these cunning intelligent people and I especially love when they get married early on and become the biggest and baddest power couple. One of the best moments of this show was when Xiao Qi remarried Awu in front of the whole court in order to profess his love once again but I'm also so fond of all the small and sweet moments like when he tells her to stay warm or how she waits around for him to come home or how his heart practically fell out of chest at the thought of her being hurt. I also seriously live for every time he saves the day especially at the start of the drama when Awu was in danger every few episodes! I also think all those people complaining about the cast are ridiculous cause yeah none of the actors look like the 16 year olds they're supposed to be but we honestly have plenty of idol dramas out there for those people. In terms of the politics, this show manages to balance them in an interesting way just like The Story Of Ming Lan did so I'm never actually bored though I do have to say that I'm really looking forward to where this show goes cause we wrapped up what I thought would be the story that would continue to the end with Awu's dad and the Wangs. 

FINISHED Vacation Of Love (32/35): 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.

Wow so the finale for this show aired this week and it was very unexpected since I still feel like the show has just started airing! I have to say that I didn't love the sudden and weird twist this show threw at us about Hou Hao being an ex-con and hearing what actually happened didn't help. Up to this point we haven't seen Hou Hao worrying about his past or being closed off from finding something new which he totally should have if that was in his character from the start and not just a last minute addition. Ke Yi was more scared of commitment than he was! I also found her reaction kinda strange cause who wouldn't care if the guy they liked had a criminal past but since this is a drama, I was happy that she let it go so quickly and embraced him anyway. The other thing that I really didn't like was the idea of Ke Yi wanting to take Hou Hao as her new artist cause it's like if she learned one thing from Jun Yu it should have been don't mix business and pleasure! Also I don't think that we've ever been told that Hou Hao wants to play music cause he's been saying his dream is related to food. Having said all that I did really like the scenes with Jun Yu and Ke Yi when they finally talked through their problems and it left me a little sad cause it kinda made me wish the two would end up together again much more than Bin Bin and Ke who still took up too much screen time but I guess yay they ended up together? Oh and his niece and the much older man she was seeing got engaged too. Overall I'd give this show a 5 / 10.

Weaving A Tale Of Love (18/40): In the reign of Emperor Taizong (627—649), which was called the Prosperity of Zhenguan, former clothing maker An is framed and imprisoned. When she was in danger, she entrusts her young daughter Liu Li to an old friend in the palace. Liu Li grows up in the palace and becomes a medical officer, responsible for epidemic prevention. She also inherits her mother’s superb talent for making clothes. After falling into a trap by those jealous of her, she meets Pei Xing Jian, who was exceptionally capable and helps her escape the danger. Liu Li keeps investigating the truth of her mother’s case and, the two work together and secretly fall in love.

I can't help but feel like Liuli going to work for the head seamstress seems like the absolute worst idea. That woman is the one of the only ones in this world who could figure out that Douzi is Liuli just based on her work alone cause she was her mom's disciple. I also still think it's ridiculous that the Head Seamstress of the Palace would have so much power not only cause she's a woman in a man's world but also cause she's ranked evenly with every other department in the Palace so why does the Court of Misfortune and Palace Eunuchs have to listen to her?? I suppose I should just be glad that Liuli has figured out who her real enemy is cause it's always the biggest pet peeve of mine in dramas like these when the heroes aren't told who they should look out for by the people who knew what happened. I also have to say that Xingjian falling for Liuli already was super cute and I'm just kinda heartbroken that there might not be so many interactions between them now that Liuli has returned not only to the palace but dressing up like Douzi. I'm glad that now that he knows who the Crown Prince is that he has more of an open invitation into the Palace especially if he does become the new bodyguard cause the best parts of this week was definitely Xingjian, Liuli, Lady Wu, and the Crown Prince playing Telephone to warn the Crown Prince that he was in danger and then again to save him from poisoning. 

JDRAMA

3B no Koibito (5/10): Kobayashi Haruka fell in love before finding out that her boyfriend was actually a married man. At that time, a regular customer predicts that she will wind up meeting 3 different men. She begins encountering them just as predicted. There's the hairdresser Shintaro, the band vocalist Yu, and the bartender Yoshi. What will come of these fateful encounters?

We're officially halfway through this drama and from now on I have a feeling that things are about to get more intense! We've done the obligatory introduction episodes for each of our main three guys and had two episodes to focus on Haruka so now I think is when the romance will amp up. I mean Yoshi is already ahead of the game because he kissed Haruka though she did shove him off pretty quickly and didn't seem flustered as so much as confused so I'm not entirely sure what she thinks. Of the trio I do think that Shintaro probs has the lowest chance of being chosen and part of me wonders if it will be Yoshi after all cause he was the first guy that Haruka actually met at the bar and we've seen him eye Haruka with the others a lot more than the other guys. As I mentioned last week I definitely like that the show gives us reasons to have these guys interested in her and I definitely knew from the moment Haruka was sweet to Yoshi at the bar that his heart was fluttering!

FINISHED The Confidence Man JP: Princess (1/1): Set in Langkawi, Malaysia, con artists Dako, Boku-chan, and Richard target the Fuu Family as their next mark. Raymond Fuu, the now - departed patriarch, has left behind 10 trillion yen, a formidable sum the enterprising trio scheme to inherit.

I was so excited to see that this movie finally got subbed this week and I jumped right in to watch it since as you all know I've watched the original show and the movies that followed. I think it's so fun that clearly everyone must adore the world The Confidence Man JP inspired cause why else would the studio consistently make movies that follow the first season of this show? This movie I have to say was the best of the two I've seen and the special that we got cause I kinda just love the way it ends and the plot twist we got. I do think it's hilarious that Fuu decided that pretending that he had a fourth child was all based on something Dako said though I'm surprised he went with it cause what if a truly horrible scammer appeared that didn't have a kind heart like our crew? Maybe the butler was in on the plan? Either way Kokri has it made for life! She's got all the money in the world and now three siblings who will adore her. Not too bad for a girl who grew up with nothing other than abuse! Talk about a real life Cinderella cause after all the horrible things she went through, she still stayed good. I also really liked that characters from the last movie appeared in this one like Monako and Jessie and Akaboshi though seeing Jessie made my heart hurt a little given what happened to Miura Haruma in real life. At this point in my viewing experience I'm a veteran in the con twists so I wasn't even the slightest bit worried when our crew was caught and I was right. All in all I think I'd give this movie a 9.5 / 10!

TWDRAMA

Wacko At Law (11/15): 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.

This week ended up being a little boring and I wonder if part of it is cause this felt like a set up episode rather than an episode in which things happened. Wan Ting has officially moved into the Mo home but it's not because she's into Ji Ping like she told Yu Xin but actually cause she's got a plan in the works. I don't know yet if she's planning to look into L365 for Da Qi or if she's looking for vengeance on behalf of her father or if she's trying to solve the actual murder mystery but it might just be all of the above. Poor Yu Xin is the only one who's out of the loop and I think it has to do with Wan Ting being her blindspot rather than ignorance cause we've seen that she's good at putting things together in other situations. The more important thing that happened this week was that Jing Tao told Yu Xin that Wan Ting likes Da Qi which feels like a bit of dirty play but at the same time the girl deserved to know cause though Wan Ting isn't actually planning on stealing him from Yu Xin, there's still something not right about the way she's constantly probing Yu Xin or guilt tripping Da Qi over it. In terms of the murder mystery, I'm almost completely sure that Ji Ping did it through a hired killer like he's doing currently cause the whole scene where he was threatened by the killer was sketch and hands down staged.

xoxo Allie