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 (10/16): 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'm not sure I understood Dong Kyung's plan this week cause like she clearly wanted to say goodbye to everyone she loved and then go live quietly somewhere until she passed on but like that makes no sense cause she still has to make that wish so refusing to be near her loved ones doesn't stop them from still being her loved ones! Whether she was hiding or living next to them, one of them would still die cause she loved them. I also have to say that I'm low key getting a little bored of the same thing happening over and over in terms of the story. Like maybe that's cause there's no big supernatural thing or villain to fight in this show and yet this show isn't exactly a slice-of-life either given that we have a pretty terrible supporting cast. This problem has existed from the start but at first the chemistry between our leads was holding me over but now it's getting a bit stale. It also doesn't help that I can't enjoy the second love triangle either cause after this week it does look like Hyun Ku is the second lead and I really don't like that for poor Tae Oh and I wonder why he chose this project after Run On. Like it can't even be that he was excited to work with big names like Park Bo Young and Seo In Guk cause the poor guy doesn't even share any scenes with them and all it does is make me want to rewatch Run On for him.

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.

The thing with this week was that on the basic level I understand where Ma Ha's friends are coming from in terms of the FINS being terrifying so Ma Ha should stay away from Ryok but on the other they're supposed to be friends and what they're doing is truly so mean. Like first of all Hyun Ji is only stopping Ma Ha from seeing Ryok cause she likes Yu Jin and knows that he likes Ma Ha but Ri Ah is acting like the manager more than Tea Party's actual manager who tbh probs wouldn't even care if Ma Ha and Ryok secretly dated but I liked his comment about the girls needing to stop being in each other's business so much otherwise they'd go from friends to something else and I wonder if there really will be strife given the way Ma Ha flinched away from Ri Ah in the rehearsal room. On the other hand Ryok's possessiveness is not cute either cause he's going a bit too far in his jealousy but on the whole I feel for the two of them. As it also turns out plot twist Eun Jo's disappearance is also connected to the fact that SHAX's leader snitched on him dating Annie. Eun Jo's situation is starting to appear to be more and more like Ryok's and I bet that's why Ryok's manager is so antsy. Both boys loved a girl they knew way before they became an idol and continued seeing each other after. I also wonder how much or who Eun Jo blames for Annie's suicide and it makes me more curious to know what happened!

FINISHED Law School (16/16): 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.

The finale for this show aired this week and I have to say that I was the tiniest bit let down. Not because I didn't get what I wanted cause technically we did hit all the major points but I can't help but think about what could of been. This show spent so much time on Assemblyman Ko and his antics that his trial felt like so anticlimactic. The show really tried to redeem Prosecutor Jin at the same time as making Ko dumb enough to think that Dan would take his side over her sister's rather than giving our team some sort of smoking gun and that didn't work for me. The best part of this finale was the mock trial and once again I was also reminded that this show would have been so fun if it had been a slice-of-life college drama where we got rid of all the murder and politics and focused on these kids going to school and doing the things that they would. Having said all that there were some things I enjoyed such as Joon Hwi and Sol A not getting together cause everyone seemed to think they were inevitable but I preferred to see them as close friends. I also liked that Professor Yang continued to teach and be such a dramatic man but also that Joon Hwi ended up becoming a prosecutor like he wanted to and that Sol A ended up joining Park's law firm which was hilarious. All in all I do think this show deserves praise for feeling so different from most kdramas and despite my problems with it I did have fun so I'd give it a 8.5 / 10.

Mad For Each Other (9/13): 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 the course of the past few weeks this show has somehow gone from what the hell is this to my most look forwarded to show of the week. I can't even explain to you what it is given that there are a lot more hyped up dramas that I enjoy and yet if I had the choice I'd rather watch this one first. Like what is the hidden charm of this show?? We did make a lot of progress this week and I was seriously thrown off when I realized the finale is two weeks away so we have a lot of ground to still cover. Min Kyung and Hwi Oh are basically together now without ever saying it which is absolutely adorable and I love that their respective moms are so on board. Min Kyung's mom started out feeling like she would be a bad guy only for me to pity her later. Having said that I won't forgive her for not believing Min Kyung first given that she's literally her mom and a parent's job is to believe their kid over everyone else. I mean even Min Kyung's monster ex's mom picked his side over the world's. I did like that Min Kyung was the one to tell Hwi Oh about what happened to her and I really hope that we'll get to see her at court with Hwi Oh by her side. I was living for the moment she decided not to run and to fight like yes girl yes and low key I can't wait to see what the ladies of the Women Association do cause they showed up at that cafe ready to throw hands!

My Roommate Is A Gumiho (6/16): 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.

Okay so straight up this show deserves all the praise for doing the one thing I wanted it to but didn't hope for out of fear of being wrong. Woo Yeo's first love wasn't Dam in another life and I've never been more thankful for it!!! The one and only time I like reincarnation stories is like Chicago Typewriter when both are reincarnated humans and because this show didn't go that route I can fully sink into the main couple and enjoy the slowish burn. I do wonder if the past lover will reappear at some point in a new body and Woo Yeo will have to decide if he wants to be with his first love or second kinda like an ex girlfriend in other shows but it's also possible that the first girl is nothing more than a warning for him about why to stay away from Dam. I kinda do hope that he gets the Marble out and she gets amnesia cause for once I want to see the male lead try to get the female lead to love him again but at the same time I wonder if his Marble can only turn blue and make him human after it kills her. Like what if the last ingredient is love and Hye Sun never figured it out cause she moved on quickly? On another note I mentioned last week that there's no villain in this show but I totally forgot about that random serial killer that was mentioned in like episode 1 or 2 and the fact that it's totally some sort of rogue gumiho that's stealing livers for laughs. 

FINISHED Sell Your Haunted House (16/16): 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?

As the show came to an end this week the one thing that ran through my mind was the fact that I will never get over how it lied to me so clearly when it told me that this show had romance in it. What is it with my brain and wanting romance in dramas where there isn't any and yet getting bored of shows that have romance in them? Maybe it's cause I've grown up watching American shows whose focus is never really romance so I enjoy the crumbs more than the full meals? Either way the point is that Ji Ah and In Beom never confessed their feelings for each other or even hinted at it and my heart cried for it. Having said all that this finale was still pretty great on the whole and unlike the Law School one nothing happened that felt anticlimactic or out of nowhere. It made complete sense that the CEO's unrested spirit would take over In Beom and that Ji Ah would seal him instead of exorcising him and that cause she used her powers for revenge she lost them temporarily. It was also super sad when she exorcised her mom and was able to finally move on but I really loved that the show ended with our foursome continuing their Daebak Reality business cause it always makes me sad when a show ends and the characters are like well we're done being together too (looking at you Agents Of SHIELD and Arrow.) I'd like to imagine that they keep having adventures off screen together! Despite my complaints with the lack of romantic payoff I do think this was one of the better supernatural ghost fighting shows out there so I'd give it a 9 / 10!

So I Married An Anti-Fan (12/16): 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.

This week actually surprised me with the way it dealt with the In Hyung situation. Maybe it's cause I know this is an older drama that's being released now but I really did expect more in terms of In Hyung trying to kill herself and Hoo Joon needing to protect her and feeling guilty. Fortunately for me and my sanity the show didn't go that route. Hoo Joon took Geun Young with him to the hospital and there was no real jealousy or backstabbing and part of me thinks it's cause In Hyung is more of a good person than I thought. She is jealous of Geun Young taking Hoo Joon's heart but not to the degree that she's really about to ruin things for them which is what really kept the drama out. I mean honestly though JJ is enough of a villain on his own and the more I see of him the more I'm confused over not only what he wants but why he hates Hoo Joon so much. Like yeah Hoo Joon decided to stay at the agency he was at rather than leaving with them and yeah he was clearly jealous of In Hyung and Hoo Joon dating but that doesn't seem like enough for this amount of true and pure hatred. I was glad though that In Hyung is managing to pull herself away from him and it's funny how she's gotten more attention in a week than 7 years as a rookie in JJ's company. Clearly he never wanted her to famous either cause he knew she would leave him.

CDRAMA

New Horizon (19/47): 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.

This week was a mixed bag in terms of story. On the one hand we saw Xiao Mo and Wu Di start dating which was totally adorable but on the other we got mother-in-law drama which you know is my least favorite kind of drama there is. One of my favorite things about Xiao Mo and Wu Di is how calm and rational they are about everything but because of that there really weren't any misunderstandings for the two to go through so the drama threw in Wu Di's insane helicopter mother who hated Xiao Mo from the start for not being a rich chaebol like Xia Yu is and even worse talked shit to Xiao Mo's mom about it. I low key hated that the show didn't show Wu Di being more angry about this but I guess since Xiao Mo himself really didn't say much then she really had no reason to be angry either. Having said that I loved that the two kind of just fell into a relationship and didn't hide it from the others so rather than doing some big production about their love people just saw them happy and that felt more real. I love the small things Xiao Mo does for her and I love the way she always appreciates them so much. I do keep waiting for more intense flying issues but maybe that'll come later.

DROPPED Please Be At Ease, Mr Ling (15/24): 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?

Wow the amount I don't care about this show anymore is astronomical. I really should learn by now that modern Chinese rom coms are not my thing cause nothing ever happens in them that I care about. Like I'm always into the romance at the start but as the show goes on it either gets stale cause there's too much screen time devoted to the romance with no other plot or story or it turns into misunderstanding after misunderstanding to the point where I'm not even into the romance anymore. The problem here was ironically both. I also really hate when the second lead is the brother of the female lead cause it just straight up skeeves me out when two kids who grow up as sibling fall in love. Like that's not how stepsiblings or foster siblings work! The whole business thing wasn't all that exciting either though I did like that Fang and Yue sort of reconciled and honestly I expected more from Anxin being a Gu but her father is a monster so maybe the point isn't to reconcile them. Oh well thank you, next.

xoxo Allie