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 (4/16): 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.

I truly don't know where this show is going but what I can say is that I'm fascinated by the idea that for once the deity of the world isn't a bad person. Like she clearly has her own goals and motivations but so far I don't see her as spiteful or selfish like the deity in Angel's Last Mission: Love or Tale Of The Nine Tailed or Hotel de Luna. I do wonder what she could gain from showing Myeol Mang that he can be compassionate and good too. For a second I wondered if she lied and he was a human that died and became Doom but then we find out that he was just pretending not to remember crying at the funeral and then we find out it was the deity who died so it's double not that. I also have to say that I love that though Myeol Mang and Dong Kyung's relationship is progressing fast cause this is a drama there's no insta love. I can see why the two are drawn to each other but I like that they can also still see the faults in one another. I do have to say that I'm glad that Dong Kyung's brother found out about her terminal illness cause I was worried she would spend the whole show hiding it but I think she's still in denial about it or hoping that her deal with Myeol Mang will supercede it though now I'm not so sure about my theory of Dong Kyung loving Myeol Mang the most being a loophole cause the show straight up called it out.

Imitation (3/12): 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.

This show just makes me happy which can partially be chalked up to the fact that it reminds me of so many shows about idols that I've loved before! This week I got Entertainer vibes from how we spent it trying to find our girls a hit song and watching their manager run around trying to get them airtime. I knew though from the second that Sparkling mentioned that Shax would never go on a music variety show to promote themselves that of course they would and I would bet that they'll take the time slot of Tea Party too just to really screw things up. The CEO of Shax clearly has it out for Ji Hak even though Ji Hak really doesn't care about him or what happened to Eun Jo anymore so even though he's playing it cool, it's probs really bothering him that Ryok was even linked to Ma Ha and probs wonders if this was Ji Hak's plan. I do like that Ryok the tsundere clearly has an interest in Ma Ha though I don't understand anything about what the fans were pissed about and I wonder if this whole thing will cause Ma Ha to get a bigger role on the show that Ryok was filming. God it must suck to be an idol in Korea where fans think you belong to them. I can't even imagine thinking the way they do especially since I think that it's more exciting for fans (at least American ones) to see two celebs dating cause we like to feel like we're part of the shipping experience. 

Law School (11/16): 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.

It really is rough watching Ye Seul's trial and not just cause of the content but cause of how brainwashed Ye Seul is. She's too good and kind and because of that she's literally letting her abuser treat her like the one in the wrong. It's tough to watch for everyone but I'm really hoping that Professor Yang is the one to bring down the hammer on her cause this whole dancing around the subject thing that everyone else is doing is not working. If Ye Seul herself doesn't want to prove her innocence then no matter how much work the others put in it will be useless. I do have to say though that I'm a little tired with how the show keeps having us at a disadvantage and for once I'd like the villains to lose a little cause I'm really so tired with seeing their smug faces thinking they've won. It really sucks that Korea's whole law field is just a big connections game cause as we saw all our kids are at a disadvantage just cause they want to do what's right against a Presidential candidate's son. I'm also starting to wonder if the show even knows who it wants Seo's killer to be cause it's so late in the game that I continuously forget that there really is a killer out there yet.

Sell Your Haunted House (12/16): 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?

I'm high key pissed that the show is going to make me wait another whole week to figure out what happened 20 years ago!! I imagine that it still has to do with Ji Ah and In Beom accidentally screwing things up otherwise why would Ji Ah's mom plant false memories in Ji Ah's mind? I was also upset that In Beom's uncle had no memories of that time for In Beom to possess and really we just got the same answers we already knew but now In Beom and Ji Ah know too. In Beom's uncle set an apartment on fire for the CEO who promised to give the uncle an apartment in the new complex he builds only In Beom gets possessed by an egg spirit and the uncle takes him to Daebak only to want to run when he overhears that the only way to rid the world of the egg spirit is by killing the host aka In Beom. Something happens and Ji Ah's mom gets killed according to what Ji Ah said before she passed out and then In Beom's uncle ends up in the hospital where he tells the CEO he's going to confess to everything only for the CEO to kill him in order to tie up loose ends. The memorandum ends up with the grandma and I'm assuming that in the finale they will give it to the cops to get rid of the CEO since we only have two weeks left and next week will probs be given to wrapping up the mystery of 20 years ago. I am a little sad that the show is still playing Ji Ah and In Beom as people who are into each other but not admitting it cause at this rate we won't even get a confession let alone the kiss that I want between the two!

So I Married An Anti-Fan (6/16): 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.

It's kinda funny how head over heels Hoo Joon is for Geun Young already and it's clear that his manager knows it based on how he's treating Geun Young though I suppose for him anyone who could replace In Kyung in Hoo Joon's heart is worth praising. I really don't understand In Kyung's deal and I find that's the case for most girls in love triangles regardless of if they're the female lead or the second female lead. Like you know the second guy likes you but you clearly picked the first so why are you hanging around the second? I also really want Geun Young to find out what's going on cause it'll clear up a lot of misunderstandings for her. She's clearly starting to feel some things for him as well though not as obviously as Hoo Joon is so I don't love that she still thinks he's this terrible person. I also have a feeling that this show is definitely going to edit Geun Young into a monster and I really hope that Hoo Joon explodes on the production crew cause I can't imagine that he would be like meh it's whatever. I was also surprised to find out that Geun Young's friend is about to have a love triangle too cause it's kinda obvious that the friend who always hangs out is into her two based on the sly way he told the boyfriend all about her multiple exes.

Taxi Driver (12/16): 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.

Did I or did I not call it when I said that Chairwoman Baek would end up being our Biggest Bad of the season?? I mean let's pretend that it wasn't obvious from the start and say that I'm a genius anyway! But seriously so much happened this week and we're clearly ramping up to a big finale given that the final arc is here. Ha Na finally walked into the dark side and I have to say that I think the show flubbed it here. Ha Na was so sure about her ideals for so long that I wish that her turn to the darkside would have been slower paced. Like what if instead of watching her hunt Rainbow we saw a bunch of the cases she got through the season that didn't pan out cause of nuances in the law so we could see her slowly lose trust in the system instead of doing the cheap thing and being like well Ha Na opposed Rainbow just cause she couldn't empathize with the victims never having lost someone important to her. Even if the show wanted to say that her investigator dying was the thing that would change her then the show should have killed him a bit sooner so her spiral could take longer than half an episode. I suppose though that I should just build a bridge and get over it cause what's done is done and I guess I'm just excited to see them all work together finally. The case this week was a little boring tbh but that's mostly cause it was getting Rainbow to up to date with everything we knew. I do have to say that Chairwoman Baek really was an idiot though cause she gave up a cushy life for a little more money and now she's screwed cause she's been caught and can't ever go back from running.

xoxo Allie