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 (8/16): 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 read a theory on Twitter about how Dong Kyung and Myeol Mang are actually characters in Ji Na's story and I can't get it unstuck from my brain. It would totally explain why Ji Na and her love triangle seem to exist in a whole different world than the supernatural and why she's the one with the love triangle rather than Dong Kyung. I do have to say in terms of the triangle before I talk about the rest that I really don't know who's the main lead in her triangle with how I see drama tropes for both but my heart is with Hyun Gu cause he's played by Kang Tae Oh but also cause I really think that Joo Ik was playing dirty cause he knows everything about the two and is pretending to be innocent. Meanwhile I still don't understand a lot of the supernatural in this show and what even the Deity wants. For a second there it seemed like she did actually want Myeol Mang and Dong Kyung to be together and claimed that she was just being an obstacle so their love would be stronger but then she also calls it fake and I'm confused all over again. I do have to say that I did like that Dong Kyung finally told everyone in her life about her diagnosis and of course I was living for every moment between our main couple.  

Imitation (5/12): 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.

It's kinda hilarious that Ryok's the one to make his feelings known first. I mean Ma Ha likes him too but she's much better at separating her feelings from idol reality which is probs heavily due to the fact that he's an established star while she's starting out. I'm not entirely sure why I expected them to take longer to understand that they like each other or even acknowledge it but I was pretty surprised at the direction the show is taking. Like maybe I would have wished that the two acted like friends who've known each other before Ryok's debut which would have evolved into romance or maybe I wish the show would dial back the romance a smidge cause I'm more interested in the idol side of things but I do think they're cute together so maybe it's not that big of a deal especially since I doubt that even if Ryok confessed next week that Ma Ha will accept it. I have a feeling she'll turn him down with the notion that she needs to focus on her idol work first. Meanwhile we still are getting hints of what happened to Eun Jo and we see that he did come to see Ji Hak after Ji Hak left Shax so we know he didn't die like the other girl from Omega 3.

Law School (15/16): 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.

Every week I think that my blood can't boil any harder cause of Assemblyman Ko and yet I find myself more and more furious every week. I tried to calm myself by thinking about how the finale is next week so there's not much more of Assemblyman Ko's smug face that I have to see on screen but I don't entirely know if it helped. What I did enjoy was seeing our law kids outsmart him twice and even get him arrested at the end. I'm not sure if it will be enough to keep him there but at the least if they can get him out of his office then maybe the police and the kids can try to find a copy of the dashboard cam that the rapist gave him. I kept thinking that his comment about how Seo has the original file would come back around but it never really did unless they're saving that for next week. I do have to say that it was really irritating to see the students especially the female students turn on poor Ye Seul cause I despise when women can't support women but more than that if they watched the trial then they should have known who was at fault!

Mad For Each Other (6/13): 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.

In my humble opinion there aren't nearly enough episodes of this show airing each week! I know I bitched and moaned last week about Hwi Oh and the way he treated Min Kyung but honestly at this point you have see me eat crow enough times that it'll be no surprise that I'm about to backpedal on everything I said last week. Sorry not sorry? I can't help it! I'm just a sucker for love and I loved watching these two go from enemies to reluctant accomplices to now having a crush on one another. I mean yeah things are moving fast but since we have so few episodes it makes sense that we're rushing. Oh Yeon Seo is another actress that when she acts all cute and charming I'm like yeah of course everyone is falling for her. When she did her aegyo in Hwi Oh's apartment and he struggled not to grin I was right there with her. I do really want to know more details about what happened to her specifically but I don't know if we will until Hwi Oh finds out whether that'll be from her mouth or looking up her file out of worry. On the other hand his whole thing with Yang is also a mystery though I don't know if there's enough time in this show to go down a corruption rabbit hole. Maybe it's as simple as the headquarters guys just don't want other cops in on their glory?

My Roommate Is A Gumiho (4/16): Shin Woo Yeo is a handsome and smart professor. He is also a 999-year-old nine-tailed fox. To become a human, he collects human energy in a bead. Soon, he is set to become a human. Meanwhile, Lee Dam is a university student. One day, her drunk friend falls asleep on top of an expensive car. She apologizes to Shin Woo Yeo, who is the car owner. While Lee Dam struggles to take her friend away, Shin Woo Yeo gives her a hand. An accident happens that changes their fate. Shin Woo Yeo's bead falls out of his mouth, and Lee Dam unintentionally swallows it. The bead can exist inside of a human for no more than 1 year and, afterwards, the bead will break inside of that person. This will cause Lee Dam to die, and Shin Woo Yeo will lose his chance to become a human. Shin Woo Yeo explains to Lee Dam their predicament and suggests that they should live together until they figure out a solution. Lee Dam, who has never had a boyfriend in her life, now lives with Shin Woo Yeo.

I know I'm a week late to the party but last week I was too busy to check this drama out even though I was super looking forward to watching it and I knew that I would adore it cause it hits every part of romance tropes that I love. I was a bit worried that it would end up feeling a little like Tale Of The Nine Tailed which started out strong but for some reason I lost interest in not only the main couple but the show as it went on but so far I'm really enjoying this drama. I love our female lead to pieces cause she's the perfect amount of adorable without being naive and brainless and she can hold her own without Woo Yeo saving her around every corner. I love that the two have to be roommates but that there's no insta-love though I am worried based on hints that we keep getting that Dam is the reincarnation of Woo Yeo's past love cause that was my least favorite part of Tale Of The Nine-Tailed! I guess the only way I'd like it is if Woo Yeo really did love different incarnations of Dam over the years as shown in his time skip but if they all looked different so he had to love the person rather than the face. I also really adore Woo Yeo's bff Hye Sun cause she's hysterical but the best thing is that she's not in love with Woo Yeo so I can enjoy her antics without the second lead shenanigans. Maybe she should end up with Dam's friend Sun Woo?? After all she's human now too!

Sell Your Haunted House (15/16): 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?

What a twist of an end this week held! I had thought that the CEO was dealt with and we'd have to finish up with the egg ghost next week in the finale but surprisingly we dealt with the egg ghost already and it's actually the CEO that we need to deal with again! I do have to say that I'm not entirely sure if I like the idea of how Ji Ah and In Beom exorcised the egg ghost so easily when Ji Ah's ancestors have struggled for decades but I wonder if it's cause In Beom figured out all the names of the people in the egg ghost and that's why when Ji Ah stabbed herself with all those names it worked. It's a better theory that Ji Ah and In Beom are magical together cause if that was the case then Ji Ah's mom wouldn't have died. I'm also low key bitter that this show is refusing to pull the trigger on the romance between our leads and it's the finale next week and yet nothing. If there is any payoff next week it'll likely be some sort of vague confession in which if you ship it you know what it means but nothing else like a Mad Dog situation only vaguer. 

So I Married An Anti-Fan (10/16): 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.

I really find myself torn over In Hyung as a character cause on the one hand I do feel bad for the situation she's been in but on the other I can't help but feel like she should have taken a stand much earlier. The whole start of her relationship with JJ is murky and it feels as though she was dating Hoo Joon but then cheated on him with JJ while Hoo Joon was away and broke his heart? The thing is that cause of this JJ never believed that she liked him back so he was always super possessive and she was too complacent leaving them where they are now. The straw that breaks the camel's back though is the fact that In Hyung is purposefully dragging Geun Young into this mess out of jealousy and I'm worried that now that the boys are going to think that she tried to kill herself that Hoo Joon will stay around her out of a sense of guilt and I really hate that in a second lead. Geun Young and Hoo Joon finally acknowledged their interest in each other after dancing around it for a while and I really don't need that drama that comes with In Hyung ruining it when you know there's already enough drama to go around with Hoo Joon's "fans." I was glad though that her parents were the two people in this show that didn't fall for Hoo Joon's charm right away despite knowing everything Geun Young went through like her so-called friends.

FINISHED Taxi Driver (16/16): 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.

So the finale for this show aired this week and it really was kinda sad to say goodbye to it. I do have to say that I was actually really surprised with how everyone in this show got a happy ending. I really expected after everything that Do Gi did and how Rainbow regretted the way they went about their revenge plots for things to end on a more grim note. Like I expected Do Gi and Sung Chul at least to end up in prison if not the others but I guess it helps having two prosecutors on your speed dial cause they ended up falling on the bullet instead and I can't decide if I think that sends a terrible message for the viewers of this show or not. Whatever side of the line you fall on, I did enjoy the way the whole thing wrapped up with getting the perfect revenge on the guy who killed both Do Gi and Sung Chul's loved ones but also the way that we really didn't say goodbye to Rainbow only now I'm assuming we're playing more by the books with Ha Na on the team. I was a little sad that Do Gi and Go Eun also didn't become canon but I'd like to headcanon that maybe in the future they will be given that they clearly care for one another more than anyone else. All in all this show was super fun and I'd give it a 9.5 / 10.

CDRAMA

New Horizon (12/47): It is about young people who dream of taking flight in the blue skies and the tests that they encounter when in comes to friendship, romance and career.Xiao Mo is a talented pilot who experiences a blow to his career when a person dies on his watch because of an accident. The person is the mother of Xia Yu who is the successor of an aviation empire. Even though subsequent investigations cleared Xiao Mo of any fault, he resigns from his job due to guilt and chooses to become a mechanic instead. Two years later, Xiao Mo returns to flying and also encounters Xia Yu who's studying to become a pilot as well. The two men find themselves falling for the same woman. To complicate matters, details from two years ago resurface causing the people to suspect Xiao Mo once again.

Don't you love when you are able to fall in love with a new drama? I was interested in this show cause the synopsis sounded very similar to Nine Kilometers Of Love and I'm always fascinated by airplanes and the romanticism of being a pilot or a flight attendant. After having checked out this drama I have to say that I think I'm enjoying it more than Nine Kilometers Of Love despite the two shows being extremely similar in content. I really like Wu Di as the female lead cause she's so calm in the face of everything and I adore that she is so gungho about chasing her dream of flying no matter what happens. It's clearly the thing that connects her with Xiao Mo cause they both have this pure love for flying. Xiao Mo is fortunately no where near as cold as I expected him to be and I kind of love that the two fell for each other at the same time so there's no real misunderstandings between them. Their chemistry is off the charts as well! I also really like the secondary couple of Ren Yuan and Hua Xin but I do have to say that I could live without the second lead. Blaming Xiao Mo for his mother's death was ridiculous given that it wasn't even him that was flying at the time but also I dislike the way he's around Wu Di and the annoying possessiveness he feels about her when they're not even dating. Honestly I think Wu Di gives him too much slack and really needs to tell him to back off but maybe she likes the attention or the jealousy she gets from Xiao Mo over it and that's why she hasn't drawn a clearer line between the two.

Please Be At Ease, Mr Ling (10/24): This is a story of how the 'rabbit' (Gu An Xin) brings home a 'big bad wolf' (Ling Yue) when she chances upon the hotshot executive after an accident. His injuries and the accident were the result of an ugly fight for succession at a powerful conglomerate. But none of that was evident initially; he first appeared stupid but slowly proved himself to be a genius. With two people so different from each other living together, what kind of relationship will they have?

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from this drama cause while I adored Zhao Lu Si in The Romance Of Tiger And Rose and I think that she's a pretty amazing actress she tends to go back and forth on whether I enjoy the drama she's in. I really wasn't a fan of Dating In The Kitchen due to it's writing (though I had no problem with the age gap) so I was hesitant about another modern cdrama but so far this show actually reminds me a lot of a mix between Fate, Mountains And Oceans, and Shopping King Louie. I kinda adore that both the main and female lead are rich chaebols so there's none of that commoner/rich person nonsense that I can't stand but more than that I adore the characters we've been given. Anxin starts out feeling like a Candy but is actually extremely talented and intelligent and will give back exactly what's deserved. From what I can gather she's the first born of the Gu family but something happened and her father removed her from the family which I think has to do with the fact that people think that she's actually the daughter of Ling Yue's father. Ling Yue on the other hand is the second son of the Ling family but the show is basically telling us he's adopted though I imagine it's more of a bastard son type situation. I definitely think Anxin's stepmom is evil and her sister will probs be an obstacle given that she likes Ling Yue and is jealous that he's into Anxin but I wonder about Ling Yue's stepmom too and why she not only seems to like Ling Yue and Anxin but also laughs when Ling Fang gets his ass handed to him. She can't be such a good person right? I also have to say that Ling Sheng also throws up red flags for me and I can't decide if that's cause I'm well versed in drama chaebol shenanigans or if it's that I'm so used to drama that I see it everywhere. Like he just seems too good to be true and honestly Ling Feng just seems too dumb to be a real antagonist.

xoxo Allie