Korean Drama Talk Time

I was cleaning out my draft posts on Blogger, and found this incomplete post from.........
May 28th, 2013. Good fucking job, Eva.

I'mma publish it anyway though and add on a brief(?) listing and maybe some comments about dramas I followed or tried out in my recent memory! :>


Korean drama talk time because hi I'm Eva, and I'm an impulsive blogger.

I've been so obsessed with dramas and actors/actresses lately, except now I started following so many or started working on watching so many (it's a lot in my standards because it's not like I dedicate my whole life to watching shows) that I feel kind of swarmed and misdirected. :( So sadddd that sometimes keeping up with dramas feels like a chore now when they start losing my interest, but I don't wanna fall behind.. There are some dramas that I actually want to watch, but then I start thinking, "Eva you haven't watched this week's episodes of _____ yet; shouldn't you do that first?" and then I end up not watching anything and falling behind even more HAHAHAHA... But okay yo (not sure why that was necessary) lemme break down the stuff I'm watching right now or am considering checking out.

Monstar:
Starting with this, because THIS is my recommendation of the season. Winter's recommendation was Flower Boy Next Door, and I'm continuing with this same mellow, fluffy, yet thoughtful and heartfelt vibe that makes both of these dramas so lovable.
[5/22/2013 2:47:36 PM] Eva: but it's a pretty lighthearted drama with some melancholy behind it?
[5/22/2013 2:47:44 PM] Eva: like a teenaged musical Flower Boy Next Door
[5/22/2013 2:47:54 PM] Eva: but no hyperactive puppies from Spain
<--my description of Monstar when introducing it to Chiisana

The premise of the drama sounds pretty superficial and basic, but the show actually seems really promising and thought-out. It's a drama that follows the lives of high school students and how music and their newfound company of one another will heal their scars and pain. B2ST's Junhyung plays Yoon Seolchan and is an idol in a drama acting as an idol in a drama. :DDD;; Due to a fan-caused scandal, he has to stay in school for a while to rebuild his image. The main female is Min Seyi (Ha Yeonsoo) who is though her innocence doesn't mean stupidity or blindness.

Of course, there are some ridiculous things that reflect the doings of Dream High 2, like the fact that Seolchan is the only person that matters in his idol group while all the other members (played by BTOB) remain nameless and uncared for by fans, the agency, and even Seolchan.


~
And that's where my incomplete post ended. I THINK I PROBABLY HAD a gazillion other things to say but I guess I just...didn't...have...time. OTL
OKAY BACK TO KOREAN DRAMA TALK TIME IN THE PRESENT! WAHAHAHA. Except can't be bothered to be as detailed as I was before.

(No particular order because I can't remember shit anyway.)
(But a * means it's.. special?? that I want you to pay extra attention? IDK~)

Recommended websites: Dramafever, Dramabeans, A Koala's Playground

• * Monstar
• Comment: It's heartwarming and an absolute gem! I love Kang Haneul!
• Progress: I.. I followed it religiously up until episode 8 and then life happened. I heard that the rest of series is still really good and I intend to finish this drama.
• Recommendation? I KNOW I didn't finish the drama BUT I STILL REALLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. It's great♥
• Birth Secret
• Comment: Tbh I started watching this after learning that one of my girlcrushes Kim Sohyun plays the younger version of the protagonist. And then it seemed really interesting so I kept going!
• Progress: And then it stopped seeming interesting so I stopped.
• Recommendation? ..... The premise has quite a hook and it's definitely not a bad drama, but not recommended.
• I Hear Your Voice
• Comment: IT'S CUTE. Parts of it are very scary. (to me) I like Lee Boyoung. and Lee Jongsuk.
• Progress: FINISHED! Though honestly I couldn't bring myself to watch every episode because I'm highly allergic to 1) scary things, and 2) sad things. So I read recaps from dramabeans a lot. I really like their recaps.
• Recommendation? Recommended!! May not interest everyone though. But it's good.
• That Winter, the Wind Blows
• Comment: I think this one's a bit of an acquired taste but I really liked it and was hooked.. Here's a post about my first impression of the drama. Some things later on (the ending esp) kinda left me frustrated though. Wasn't as epic as I'd hoped.
• Progress: Finished!
• Recommendation? Suure, if you like melodramas!
• The World That They Live In
• Comment: I watched because I was really curious about the Hyun Bin x Song Hyegyo pairing. :D I enjoyed the pairings in Secret Garden (Hyun Bin x Ha Jiwon) and That Winter, the Wind Blows (Jo In Sung x Song Hyegyo)--though I don't intend to watch What Happened in Bali (Jo In Sung x Ha Jiwon)--so I was curious about how the last combination works. Plus apparently Hyun Bin and Song Hyegyo dated for a while! ALSO I'M VERY CURIOUS about broadcast stations and the making of dramas.
• Progress: I was kinda watching this one casually since it's an old drama and doesn't knock you off your feet. ......and then life happened. But I'll probably start watching it casually again..sometime....
• Recommendation? ...Mostly only if you're interested in those above things that made me wanna watch it.
• Cheongdamdong Alice
• Comment: I like Moon Geunyoung. This drama was very good at first.
• Progress: I read recaps because I was curious as to how it would end...
• Recommendation? No.
• Bright Side: A VERY nice OST song ("Daddy Long Legs") came out from this drama by one of my girlcrushes Baek Ahyeon and it continues to be one of my favorite songs.
• Mandate of Heaven (Fugitive of Joseon)
• Comment: ..Mostly I was curious because Lee Dongwook looks so different from how he did when hosting Strong Heart.. And I like Song Jihyo because Running Man. Also because boredom.
• Progress: FINISHED but through recaps. I probably actually watched like.. 2 episodes. But that's partially because it's an action thriller :c
• Recommendation? ...eh.
• * Reply 1997
• Comment: I fucking love Jung Eunji from A Pink. Oh wait I forgot I wrote a whole post about this drama here.
• Progress: This is a pretty old drama. But I loved it, so I wanted to recommend it again.
• Recommendation? I RECOMMEND IT.
• The King 2 Hearts
• Comment: Another old drama BUT IT'S SO GOOD. It stars Lee Seunggi and Ha Jiwon.
• Progress: I mostly read recaps because I'd heard so many good things about the drama but didn't wanna plunge into it. Watched a handful of episodes though and finished!
• Recommendation? REALLY GOOD DRAMA. Basically like a sageuk set in modern times. (It's a fictional North and South Korea with monarchies.)
• The Moon that Embraces the Sun
• Comment: I wrote this back in March in my fangirl post over ZE:A's Siwan.
  "Btw it's a very good drama if you turn a blind eye towards the fact that the plot goes nowhere and nobody ever grows up. Maybe it's because I went into it already knowing and expecting how lacking it was that I wasn't disappointed with the drama LOL. I'm enjoying it."
• Progress: Finished!
• Recommendation? RECOMMEND THE CHILDHOOD PORTION SO MUCH. The rest of it is just.. if you remember to keep low expectations.
• * Sword and Flower (aka Blade and Petal)
• Comment: This is such an underrated drama. It's also really refreshing to see a sageuk taking place in the Goguryeo era rather than Joseon. After a strong start though, the drama started being plagued by some stupidity, plot holes, and lack of character development. But interesting all the way through.
• Progress: It just finished airing! But I'm waiting to watch the last episode with boyfriend haha. This was a pleasantly surprising case though, since I started out only reading recaps... and then it became watching every episode. as soon as they got subbed.
• Recommendation? If you like historicals and kick-ass princesses, then yes.
• * Good Doctor
• Comment: Who knew I would start watching a medical drama, considering how squeamish I am at blood and surgeries and.. medical-related everything... (It stars Joowon, Moon Chaewon, and Joo Sangwook! They're all great actors imo.)
• Progress: It's still airing! And I'm still following it religiously with no sign of stopping!!!
• Recommendation? Yes! May not interest everyone though. A few dumb things but they can be overlooked. Overall, a good drama! If you're curious, maybe check out the recaps over at dramabeans. ^^
• The Princess' Man
• Comment: I wanted to try it because 1) I like these kinds of sageuks with potential for cute, 2) people recommended it, and 3) curious about Park Sihoo and Moon Chaewon together.
• Progress: I couldn't go on after 2 episodes..
• Recommendation? It's a good drama! I just couldn't bring myself to go on because I KNOW IT'S GONNA BE SAD, SOB
• Jang Ok Jung: Live in Love
• Comment: The first 8 or so episodes of this drama are just BEAUTIFUL and CHARMING and thoughtful, with [unexpectedly] great, subtle, powerful, and emotional acting. Especially from Kim Taehee. Nobody knew she could bring it but homequrl brought it. Yoo Ah In is also fantastic, though after those 8 episodes, he started getting frustrated with his character and the drama. We all did. Everything sunk after that.
• Progress: I watched it up until episode .. 15 or so?! Then I couldn't STAND the stupidity and makjang anymore...... but I kept up with recaps til the end out of curiosity for the plot.
• Recommendation? Stop when it starts going stupid.
• Gu Family Book
• Comment: This is a reaction timeline for the whole series.
  
  Ep 1: "THIS IS BEAUTIFUL AND MAGICAL AND PERFECT I'M IN LOVE."
  Ep 2: "What the fuck."
  Ep 3: "What the fuckkk."
  Early-mid episodes: "This is dumb and immature and dumb."
  Mid-late episodes: "Woah this is actually getting better. But still bad."
  Later episodes: "This is entertaining and not toooo bad!"
  Last episode: "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS FUCKING DRAMA. WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT DUMBASS ENDING IS THAT?! HOW DID THE WRITERS FUCK SHIT UP THIS BADLY??"
  
  (no seriously the ending isn't bad because it's sad or anything.. it just literally doesn't make sense and IS A BADLY EXECUTED ENDING and makes you wonder why you bothered sticking to the whole drama.)
• Progress: Finished but wandered between watching and reading recaps. Mostly read recaps.
• Recommendation? save yourself....
• * Cyrano Dating Agency
• Comment: SUCH A CUTE AND BREEZY DRAMA, HOLY SHIT. The main girl is played by SNSD's Sooyoung and she's actually an acting gem among idols. She's great.
• Progress: I watched religiously until near the end, when I started losing steam... and honestly I procrastinated watching (or reading) the last episode so much that I don't remember if I ever watched or read it.
• Recommendation? I liked it a lot, so yes!
• You're the Best, Lee Soon Shin
• Comment: Oops... I forgot to add this one. Probably because it'snotthatgreat. I /love/ IU and Jo Jungsuk but I couldn't with this drama.... Plus, it's a 50-episode weekend family drama...
• Progress: I watched until I gave up. Then I read recaps until the recapper gave up. Then there were summaries and discussion posts.
• Recommendation? don't do it....

I basically ended up talking about every drama I paid attention to since December of last year...........

wao.