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

Doom At Your Service (6/16): Tak Dong Kyung has been working hard ever since her parents passed away. Her life seemed more stable after working as an web novel editor for 6 years, but then she gets diagnosed with a brain cancer. She blames her unlucky life and wishes to curse everything to disappear, which unintentionally calls Myeol Mang, a messenger between humans and gods, to appear. He says that he can grant her wishes. As her last hope, she makes a contract with Myeol Mang for a hundred days to live how she wants, risking her everything.

Ah of course I was wrong about the Deity! I mean why would I ever think that in a show about the supernatural that those in power would be kind and good like they're supposed to be if instead we can have them be an antagonist?? I think a part of me had hoped that the Deity in this show saw how much Myeol Mang was suffering and put Dong Kyung in his path kinda like Chloe and Lucifer in the American show Lucifer but instead it looks like Dong Kyung was an unforeseen obstacle and I'm fairly certain that the Deity didn't mean to have the two fall in love. The thing is that the two couldn't be more meant for one another. Honestly they're both two sides of the same coin and think that no one could ever love them but they crave being loved even more. It feels as though the Deity is going to erase Myeol Mang's memory of Dong Kyung or something like that given the ominous comment about a reset and truly I'm so ready for the angst. I do feel like this show is being carried by the chemistry between our leads (I mean did you all see that kiss??) so I kinda can't help but ignore all my problems with it until I'm writing these reviews. I do have to say that I really don't like that the entire secondary love triangle is so detached from our leads. It feels like we're watching another show entirely and I can't help but feel like this whole thing should have just been cut out if they weren't going to connect the two worlds.

Imitation (4/12): Lee Ma Ha is a member of the new K-pop girl group Tea Party, formed by Ji Hak, who was once the manager of the famous boy group Shax, but resigned after the sudden disappearance of member Eun Jo in the middle of a concert. Prior to joining Tea Party, Ma Ha was a member of the group Omega III, which disbanded on its debut day due to a tragic incident involving a former trainee at the group's company. This led Ma Ha to support herself by performing as an impersonator of the popular solo singer La Li Ma, gaining her public notoriety. Starting anew with Tea Party, Ma Ha finds herself repeatedly crossing paths with Kwon Ryok, the center and most popular member of Shax who is still haunted by Eun Jo's disappearance three years later. While Ryok initially dislikes Ma Ha due to her imitation of Li Ma, the two eventually begin to grow interested in one another and start a secret relationship that could put both of their careers in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Lee Yu Jin, Ma Ha's loyal friend who is the center of the rising boy group Sparkling, has been in love with Ma Ha since their idol trainee days. When he notices the budding relationship between Ma Ha and Ryok, he determines to protect her from Ryok and lead Sparkling to beat out Shax as the most popular boy group in the industry.

I am so happy that we're increasing the amount of screentime that's spent on the gigs that idols spend all their time doing cause it's the part of the show (besides the romance) that I'm most interested in! I mean that's the thing that we're all fascinated over with idols no?? It did suck that Tea Party's set was cut cause of Shax but they killed it anyway with both the cut time and the fact that their music stopped in the middle of their performance but honestly the fact that they were still on point really played in their favor more. All three were perfectly in sync and that's why they got the attention they did clearly. What's interesting though is that it still doesn't really feel like the trio are famous yet but I guess the show is setting up the romance right now rather than showing us how famous Tea Party is getting. Speaking of the romance, Ryok really is such a tsundere and it does suck that they can't act normally around each other given that we know they have a past and were friends of a sort back then. I was hoping that Ma Ha would strike iron with her small movie role but it doesn't look like any sort of media attention is on her. What it did do was the beautiful romance trope when two people kiss for a performance and they realize sparks are flying which was adorable as all hell!!

Law School (13/16): When a grim incident occurs at their prestigious school, justice through law is put to a test by a tough law professor and his ambitious students. Yang Jong Hoon is a criminal law professor and a former elite prosecutor, whose harsh words make him the professor to steer clear of. At the same time, there’s something compelling about his strict teaching methods and his refusal to accept less than the best from his future juniors in the legal profession. Han Joon Hwi, a first-year law student, is at the top of his class. He’s a natural leader whose good looks and easy charm make him the perfect man - on paper. However, there’s an unexpected side to him that remains well-hidden. Kang Sol is another first-year law student who overcame childhood poverty and hardships by gaining special admission to the school. She walks a path of thorns due to her constant sense of deprivation and shame amidst the wealth and talent that surrounds her. Eventually, her passion will enlighten her on what it truly takes to be a good lawyer. Kim Eun Sook is a civil law professor who was once the head of the law school’s free legal clinic. Her natural air of authority and freewheeling personality earned her the reputation for being a master in court. Known for being a highly-relatable professor, she is the sole colleague Yang Jong Hoon dares to confide in.

This week was an interesting watch cause we both got answers and also new questions. It's no shock to anyone that the person pulling the strings from the start was Assemblyman Ko who's got his mitts on everything and it sort of undermined the whole dramatic chair turn reveal thing. For a second I thought I placed him wrong and was like oh is this Ko's friend who's a toy company guy since old men look the same to me but nope it was Ko. I wonder if Seo grew a conscious after Joon Hwi hated him so fiercely and was going to come out with everything he did and ruin Ko so Ko instigated Man Ho into killing him by promising to find his son. The funny thing is that rather than Ko it looks like Professor Kim is the one who knows him based on those random phone calls in which she speaks English. Also interesting is the low key reveal that Professor Yang is on phone call terms with Dan since he also called her and then hung up as soon as Kim got in the car. All that to say that we also got the end of Ye Seul's trial and fortunately she was found innocent and the judge and jury both said that she was acting out of self defense. It's also important to note that Sol B confessed and though she will be punished, her getting into the school wasn't based on the award so at least she won't be expelled. I think we're also supposed to believe that Joon Hwi confessed his feelings for her at the trial but why do I have a feeling that he just said I like Kang Sol and everyone assumed it was Sol B?

Mad For Each Other (3/13): About two people with their own painful stories who go through a complicated process of hurting and healing while falling in love with each other. No Hwi Oh is a detective in the violent crimes division of the Gangnam Police Station. He thinks that he is doing well until his life suddenly takes a turn and he becomes a “crazy” person who can’t hold in his anger about anything. Lee Min Kyung is a woman who is caught up in her own delusions and compulsions. She had lived an ordinary life as a pretty woman with a respectable job until “that incident” that caused everything in her life to break down. As a result, she was unable to trust anyone and is caught in a prison of her own making. Her delusions also have the unfortunate side effect of making everyone else around her angry.

If I'm being honest I was really not looking forward to checking this drama out cause the synopsis sounded totally strange but I adore Oh Yeon Seo so I wanted to check it out just for her even if I didn't love the last project she worked on (Love With Flaws.) After checking out the first three episodes I have to say that it's a lot darker than I expected it to be. Maybe it's cause I was low key ready to be emotionally attached to Min Kyung from the start or maybe it's cause as a woman I can empathize with everything she went through but I spent these first few episodes really putting myself in her shoes. It's no wonder that after everything she went through that she formed a delusional disorder to deal with it and I high key hate that even the cop who told Hwi Oh about her said something small happened to her as if it wasn't the thing that changed her life for good. Hwi Oh on the other hand went through his own struggle but I can't help but feel like he's really not a good guy and I really don't like the idea of the two dating right now. I mean I know he and Min Kyung got off on the wrong foot but there's something so terrifying about a man shouting obscenities at you or punching an elevator door in front of you and I don't love that he turned her down when he saw how desperately she was looking for her poor dog. I'm sure that as soon as he finds out what happened to her he'll see her in a new light but it's one of those things that if you don't love me at my worst then you don't deserve me at my best.

Sell Your Haunted House (13/16): Ji Ah, a woman who has inherited exorcism abilities from her mother, is the owner of Daebak Realty, a company that specializes in selling haunted houses. Ji Ah looks perfect and is also brilliant, but her hot temper makes her fists fly before her words. One day, Ji Ah encounters a conman named In Beom who specializes in exorcism fraud. Late at night when Daebak Realty operates, In Beom visits Ji Ah to make an offer. He suggests that they team up to exclusively sell houses that are haunted by vengeful spirits and lingering ghosts. Can the two get along well and deal with house prices, ghosts, and their sorrowful stories?

To my utter heartbreak we only got one episode airing this week and I'm pissed as all hell about it!! I do have to say though that one thing is not clicking with me about this show and it's coloring everything else in a strange light. I do not agree with the idea that In Bum's uncle is innocent in all this. I mean yeah Do Hak Sung is the real Big Bad but if the uncle hadn't been caught up in his greed then eight people wouldn't be dead. No matter how you slice it he killed a lot of people on purpose and one on accident and I can't see how everyone in this show is just like oh whatever about it. Also as much as I hated it, it did make sense why Ji Ah pulled away from In Bum again though it does feel a bit like retreading water cause we already saw the two "break up" cause of the past. Fortunately like last time it doesn't look like the separation will be dragged out given that we still need to deal with Hak Sung and also Ji Ah's mom. It does look like some spirits are stuck on Earth cause the person they love the most is keeping them there. I had a feeling for a while that Ji Ah's mom was still here cause of Ji Ah but I thought she was waiting until Ji Ah was happy before leaving but now it seems more like Ji Ah was keeping her from being exorcised? Is her mom still around or did whatever Ji Ah did send her off cause we haven't seen her since and I wonder why.

So I Married An Anti-Fan (8/16): Hoo Joon is a top star while Geun Young is a magazine reporter. For a potential news article, Geun Young decides to attend an opening ceremony for a club. There, she witnesses top star Hoo Joon's violent behavior and she also vomits on him by accident. This leads to Geun Young losing her job. Believing that Hoo Joon was behind her firing, she decides to get him back by demonstrating in front of Hoo Joons management office. Slowly, she begins to receive media coverage on her demonstration and soon becomes famous as an anti-fan. A PD approaches Geun Young about participating in a reality TV show which revolves around the idea of a top star and their anti-fan living together. Being unemployed, she decides to accept the offer. Meanwhile, Hoo Joon is offered the same reality TV show and accepts to try to improve his image. Hoo Joon and Geun Young try to give each other a hard time on the reality show, but soon start to fall for one another.

Joon and Geun Young finally kissed for real this week and it was pretty amazing cause I adore that trope of being so full of sexual tension and anger that it explodes into a hate kiss after which they go back for a softer kiss realizing their feelings. I do wish the show would dial back the misunderstandings though cause it's getting tired that Joon keeps thinking the worst of Geun Young over and over again when it's like at this point he should know of all the people in his life, she's the most real and struggles the most to hide her feelings. I also am kind of pissed that no one cared enough about Geun Young not to edit the show in such a horrible way and I'm disappointed that Joon didn't worry about her enough to do something either. I also am so sick and tired of JJ who's really just throwing a temper tantrum left and right and at this point In Kyung is kinda pathetic for not only leaving him but the company. Like it's clear that being a celeb isn't working no matter how much you want it so it's time to move on to something less toxic and pingponging back and forth between two men isn't it. 

Taxi Driver (14/16): Do Gi has lived more honestly than anyone else as an officer in the Special Forces. Yet, when a serial killer murders his mother, he spends his days in agony. While feeling wronged and broken, Do Gi meets Jang Sung Chul, who recruits Do Gi to work for his company, Rainbow Taxi. Far from an ordinary taxi service, Rainbow Taxi is a secret organization that avenges victims whom the law didn’t protect. Here, Do Gi becomes a star driver who delivers satisfying revenge. Meanwhile, Ha Na is a prosecutor who investigates Rainbow Taxi. She is furious with their lawless behavior, but at the same time, she feels confused to see them solve cases that the law cannot. Between those who believe that revenge embodies true justice and those who pursue the outlaws, Do Gi seeks what justice truly means.

It really does feel like our story is wrapped up here which is why I'm a little confused and curious as to what could possibly be next! I mean I'm sure that Do Gi will end up turning himself in but other than that and maybe catching the few criminals that escaped there's nothing really left to do. It was so satisfying watching him go into a frenzy and I really loved the speech Sung Chul gave Chairwoman Baek about constantly living in a white hot rage but for a second there I really thought that maybe Do Gi would kill someone and really have to go to jail. I mean up to this point he's done a lot of minor crimes but once murder is on the table there's no going back. I do think it was fitting that he probs wrecked that asshole's ability to get it up ever again but part of me wishes it was Go Eun herself who did it. As a sidebar I kinda loved that when given the choice it wasn't even a matter of hesitation for Do Gi to pick saving Go Eun first. The shipper in me was living even though the rest of me was like girl take it down a notch this isn't the time. I do think Park will live though and it sucks that Sung Chul seems to have lost an eye but all in all we managed to capture everyone even if I wonder about the people behind Chairwoman Baek and whether they'll step in to help her like she claimed.

xoxo Allie