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

How To Be Thirty/Not Yet Thirty (11/15): Follows the lives of three friends in their thirties. Seo Ji Won is a budding web-based cartoon author who decides to devote her undivided attention to her craft – forsaking love in favor of her career. And her decision pays off. By the time she is 25, she is a published author. Now, aged 30, she has become a well-recognized writer with scores of devoted readers. But turning her back on romance turns out to be harder than she first thought when Lee Seung Yoo, her first love from her middle school days, returns to the scene to turn her world upside down. And things get more complicated when the film director Cha Do Hoon – who has been charged with adapting Seo Ji Won’s web-based series for the screen – confides in her and appears keen to strike up a close friendship. At the same time, her friends Lee Ran Joo, who works as a radio announcer, and Hong Ah Young, who runs a cafe, are also facing hard times. One day, Hong Ah Young's ex-boyfriend who hurt her in the past appears in front of her once again. Meanwhile, Hyeong Joon Young, who had a one-night stand with Lee Ran Joo and now has feelings for her, works part-time at Hong Ah Young's cafe.

So I'm definitely thinking that whatever this show decides to do, it will not be following the webtoon cause seriously up to this point Do Hoon was not even a character in this show! It's been forever since we saw him for more than three seconds! I'm also so pissed at Ji Won for how cowardly she's being. Like she knew something was up with Hye Ryeong and Seung Yoo but ignored it and now even after Hye Ryeong came and told her to back off, she's still ignoring it! I still doubt that the two were dating cause if anything she's just obsessed with him but it's still a conversation that Ji Won needs to have! Ran Joo and Joon Young are still saving this show for me with their cuteness and I love how happy Ran Joo is now that she's stopped denying her feelings. I do wonder if the fact that she can't tell people that she's dating him will be an obstacle in the future or if it's just a matter of she's not that close to her personal trainer to tell her that she's dating a younger guy. She did admit that she likes him and that's a pretty big step.

Navillera (4/12): Shim Deok Chool has had a life long dreaming of performing ballet. He is 70-years-old and retired from his job as a post office employee. Due to life situations, he put aside his dream of becoming a ballet dancer and worked a normal job to support his family. Now, Shim Deok Chool makes the decision to pursue his dream again. His family, including his wife and adult children, are not happy with his decision, but Shim Deok Chool does not waver in pursuing his life long dream. He joins a ballet company to learn ballet. There, he meets Lee Chae Rok. Lee Chae Rok is a 23-year-old man. While growing up, he played different sports like baseball, swimming, and soccer, but he wasn't talented in any of those activities. He then became interested in ballet. His mother was a ballet dancer, but she died from a disease when Lee Chae Rok was young. His father later went bankrupt. Lee Chae Rok learned that he has a talent for ballet, but, after pursuing ballet, he barely has contact with his father and he has a hard time supporting himself financially. Going through hard times, his desire for ballet fades away. At this time, Sim Deok Chool appears in front of him.

This show is literally the best thing I'm watching right now which might not be fair cause it's not exactly like I've got a treasure trove of dramas that I'm enjoying but I think it's the sentiment that counts! The quiet character driven story this drama is presenting is everything and I'm totally immersed in it minute by minute. I knew that Deok Chool's family would be against him doing ballet but it still broke my heart to see. He's such a warm and sweet man that of course he would give up his last chance to follow his dreams just cause his family didn't want him to chase them though I wished that he would have spoken up about his love for ballet more cause I have a feeling that a heartfelt speech might have moved some hearts. I also really enjoyed the flashback but it made me wonder where that sweet kid went cause Deok Chool's eldest son is such an ass now and he treats everyone in his life like objects to display. I was glad that Eun Oh ended up failing her interview despite feeling terribly for her cause I think part of me always assumed that she was only trying so hard to get a job at this company for her dad especially since I couldn't see this whole show that's about chasing dreams and the arts to have the female love interest be into getting a stable job. I wonder if literature is her one true love? On another note I really adored the way Chae Rok and Deok Chool have bonded slowly over time and it's totally precious to see how much Chae Rok has been thawed by Deok Chool's kindness. It's probs been so long since anyone cared for him that he's latching onto the first person who did so. It is interesting to note that Chae Rok's dad was in jail for assault which he did to the high schoolers he was coaching and is it terrible of me to be like meh it could have been worse? 

Oh My Ladylord (4/16): In one corner we have a drama screenwriter and in the other, a rom-com actress. While the writer chooses not to date, the actress cannot seem to date. The story unfolds as they find themselves sharing the same living quarters. Oh Joo In, is a top rom-com actress who is a favorite with all audiences, young and old, male and female. In real life, however, it’s not that she chooses not to date but that she can’t date. Although she appears to live a flashy life on the outside, she is a down-to-earth woman with her own secret depths. Han Bi Soo, a man with a prickly side who shows a different side of himself when he’s in love. He has a scar that no one else knows, so he stimulates maternal instinct that makes it unable for anyone to look away from him.

This week was Kang Min Hyuk's first appearance as the second male lead and while I was worried that I would fall for him and get SLS, I ended up feeling like his whole character was kinda annoying. I really wish that he would have just been Joo In's best friend and that he would have his own love interest rather than being into Joo In cause these sorts of second leads drive me crazy. I mean you've known each other for like 14 years right? What in the hell stopped you from confessing your feelings before? Why wait until you see she's moving on to get in a tizzy? And let's not even talk about how possessive Bi Soo is already. Like he stayed up and paced the entire length of the house cause Joo In was out late as if he's her dad or her boyfriend. It's too early for this! Having said that I did think the final scene where he cradled her was super cute even if the show felt like it ended abruptly. In other news it's interesting how all the adults are so interconnected as well cause of Bi Soo's mom who's clearly got some sort of terminal illness so she's going around seeing old friends. It makes sense as to why she's been so heavy-handed with Bi Soo about moving home and reconciling with his dad cause she's afraid that the two men in her life will be alone without her.

Sisyphus: The Myth (14/16): Han Tae Sul, a co-founder of Quantum and Time, is a genius engineer with the highest level of coding skills and outstanding looks that outweighs his engineer fashion sense. Due to his innovative achievements, Quantum and Time is a world-class company, dubbed as "The Miracle of South Korea's Engineering Industry". In reality, Tae Sul has caused his company's stocks to constantly fluctuate after the death of his brother ten years ago. One day, after witnessing the unbelievable truth of his brother's death, he sets off on a dangerous journey. Kang Seo Hae is a soldier who could zipline from building to building, fight big built men with her bare hands, shoot guns, and install explosives. With the survival skills that she's learned from living amongst gangsters and warlords, she sets off a dangerous path of finding Han Tae Sul.

With the finale coming up next week I've pretty much given up on predicting where this show is going to go cause I'm never right! So in concept this show should tell the tale of Groundhog Day right? The problem is in the fact that we never actually saw the original timeline so we don't actually know ourselves when things change. Because of that we can't get emotionally attached to scenes cause are we supposed to believe this all happened already and we failed or is this a new change? The way Sigma talks there's been more than one go around so on top of that first question why is this timeline the only one where Tae Sul and Seo Hae do what seem to be really common changes? It's not even like they're trying to do the complete opposite of what their normal move would be! Having said all that I was surprised to find out that not only was Sigma part of the advance team but every major politician as well and they're flying to America in order to avoid the nuclear bomb which is honestly so smart! It's also smart of Sigma to use Sun to get to Seo Hae cause Sun is just dumb enough to actually believe that if he helps them find Seo Hae she won't die. What I'll be pissed about is if he leads them to the bunker which by the by was the biggest love letter Tae Sul could have given Seo Hae! 

FINISHED Times (12/12): A passionate reporter with exceptional talent, Lee Jin Woo has dedicated his entire career to pursuing nothing but the truth. Committed to telling the whole story, Jin Woo will do whatever it takes to find and report the hard facts. A hard-working man with a nose for news, Jin Woo’s life takes an unexpected turn when a mysterious phone call connects him with Seo Jung In, a woman who claims to be living five years in the future. A hard-nosed reporter with a burning passion for her work, Seo Jung In has a knack for finding the best stories. But sometimes digging deep uncovers some nasty truths. Following a string of leads, Jung In uncovers a dark plot that could shake the very foundations of the country. With the life of her father, South Korea’s President, Seo Ki Tae on the line, Jung In finds herself in a deadly race against time. But she’s not in this race alone. Mysteriously connected by phone to Lee Jin Woo, the two agree to join forces to save the president. Living and working in two completely different times, Jin Woo and Jung In set out on a dangerous quest for the truth. But will they be able to stop the villainous masterminds plotting this heinous crime before it’s too late?

The finale for this show aired this week and it was just as amazing as before. I do adore the way this show was written and how tightly the plot moved forward. Despite the political arc not being my personal favorite I cannot say that this show ever dipped in quality and I could believe every decision these characters made which is so unique in a thriller like this. Half of the time characters do things that are so out of their normal behavior just to move the plot from point A to point B and that really is a sign of a poor writer but here whether Jin Woo was a sincere reporter or a shady politician it all seemed to fit. I also adored that Jung In was the same solid do-gooder in every timeline and sense even when she forgot all her memories of the time travelling phone calls and it made me smile that Jin Woo noted the same. The one person that did end up changing the most across the timelines was Ki Tae who seemed to get more and more power hungry and ready to do evil but once again it made sense why. I do think it's a little annoying that the ending was so vague and it clearly seemed to be setting up a season 2 with Jin Woo getting a phone call from Jung In even though she was standing right there and not calling him. I guess it does make up for the fact hat I also kinda would have wished for one more magical phone call but then again like Jung In said at some point you need to look forward instead of back. All in all I'd give this show a solid 8.5 / 10!

Vincenzo (12/20): At the age of 8, Park Joo Hyeong went to Italy after he was adopted. He is now an adult and has the name of Vincenzo Cassano. He is a lawyer, who works for the Mafia as a consigliere. Because of a war between mafia groups, he flees to South Korea. In South Korea, he gets involved with Lawyer Hong Cha Young. She is the type of attorney who will do anything to win a case.

I want to give a slow clap to this show cause what I first thought might be a flaw in the writing of this show ended up playing out perfectly. I was worried that with Vincenzo and company figuring out that Jang Woo was the real Chairman behind Babel would mean that a plot contrivance would have to be made in order to prevent Vincenzo from murdering Jang Woo outright given that he has no problem with murder before this and clearly doesn't trust the law. Fortunately the show explained why Vincenzo would prefer to keep Jang Woo alive and get a better revenge by destroying Babel first and exposing him though by the end of this week that point is moot cause Jang Woo came out himself given that he was afraid to die without the world knowing who he really was. I am a little disappointed that though Han Seo has officially betrayed Jang Woo he didn't go to Vincenzo like I expected him to but I suppose it's still possible that he will given that Jang Woo no longer trusts him knowing that Han Seo tried to kill him. Mr An revealing himself as an NIS International division agent was also fun and though I'm really not a fan of the plaza tenants hunting for the gold themselves, I am glad that Vincenzo told his team. As I also expected Mr Jo betrayed Vincenzo but I'm not worried cause Vincenzo is a badass and I still think this show will end with him splitting the trillion dollars with the plaza residents. 

CDRAMA

The Sword And The Brocade (42/45): Set during the Ming Dynasty, the story revolves around the romance between General Xu Lingyi and the concubine's daughter Shiyiniang that starts from an arranged marriage. Despite being born with a low status, Luo Shiyiniang is extremely assertive and believes that a woman's vision should not be limited to the household. She hopes to rely on her embroidery skills as a ticket to freedom. However, the once esteemed Luo family is in a state of decline. Hoping to save the clan through a marriage alliance, Shiyiniang is selected to become the wife of Yongping Duke and great general Xu Lingyi. Things were not easy for Shiyiniang due to the Xu family's biases towards her. Nonetheless, she manages to win over their trust through her optimism and sincerity. Xu Lingyi also becomes attracted to Shiyiniang's various beautiful qualities such that husband and wife manage to find love after marriage.Through Xu Lingyi's support, Shiyiniang opens Xian Ling Pavilion to have her own embroidery workshop. Meanwhile, Xu Lingyi experiences many setbacks as he tries to protect his homeland and improve the livelihood of the people by supporting the lifting of a maritime ban. As they face a crisis that could spell the end for the Xu family, Xu Lingyi and Shiyiniang continue to support each other through thick and thin.

I want to say that this week was rough to watch cause I don't love watching our heroes get outmaneuvered even if we find out later that everyone involved in the scheme from Lingyi to Shiyi already knew something wasn't right. I did feel really bad for Dongqing who literally no one was listening to but then again she refused to admit that she loved General Fu anyway. Honestly the men in this show are so disappointing from Fu who immediately believed that after everything Dongqing was actually in love with Lingyi to Lingyi himself who seems to have no power at all. At first I had hoped that he had a solid plan cause I was tired of him saying things like I'll protect you and leave it to me to Shiyi every time something happens and yet surprise surprise he does nothing helpful. He's honestly nothing but a prop in this show and I'm tired of it. Can you believe that I compared this show to Legend Of Ming Lan the god tier like show at the start? Gu Tingye would never act as cowardly or wishy washy as Lingyi. Also I want to shout out the fact that I was right from the start and it was the quiet Concubine that was the spy. Her motivations are a little vague but I get that indifference is the slowest of all killers. Honestly I blame the grandmother more than anyone else in this show cause all her plotting is what's low key killing the Xu family that she's always screaming about. Also on what planet is 2 sons not enough of a legacy for Lingyi when it seems like most other noble families have 2 sons and lots of daughters?

xoxo Allie