December Drama Round-Up: Island, Alchemy of Souls: Light & Shadow, The Fabulous & More

Okay, I’ll admit, I do these round-up posts more for my own sanity than anyone else’s.

I realize these might not be the most interesting posts to readers, but man, with all the different broadcasters and streaming services, it’s hard to keep on top of things these days! So I’m bringing these back, and hopefully someone somewhere out there will find them as helpful as I do.

Without further ado, let’s get to the December dramas heading our way!

Dec 1: Oh! My Assistant (오! 나의 어시님)

Airing location & schedule: Thursday/Friday on Naver Series On (int’l streaming on Viki).

Cast & crew: Song Seung-hyun (Perhaps Love?), Ko Chan-bin (Love Revolution).

One-line synopsis: An adult webtoon writer hires an assistant who just so happens to be his number one fan.

Goodies: Trailer 1, 2, 3

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Low

Another month, another low-budget Korean BL drama premiering. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s awesome that Korean companies are making more and more of these shows, but… where are all of the lesbians, K-ent? Huh?? Huh??? 2021 gave me so much hope for lesbian representation in K-drama and I haven’t seen hide nor hare of anything sapphic since Twenty Five, Twenty One (cough). Anyway, this looks cute but not something I plan on checking out.

Dec 1: Riding Dongdang (라이딩동댕)

Airing location & schedule: Thursday on Naver TV (int’l streaming on YouTube).

Cast & crew: Jo Ki-sung (Because I’ve Experienced It), Kim Da-ye (To All The Guys Who Loved Me), Lee Chung-gon (Welcome to the Sandbox), Bang Yoo-in (Tutorial).

One-line synopsis: This youth sports drama focuses on four bicyclists who overcome their inferiority complexes together.

Goodies: Teaser

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Low

There’s not much info about this little web drama out there in English. KokTV, which has channels on Naver and YouTube, has been producing a lot of simple little web dramas these days, and nothing about this one really makes it stick out from the crowd other than the fact that I actually recognize some of the actors in the trailer. If I hear good things it might end up on my lunch break rotation, but I’ll be passing on it for now.

Dec 1: Recipe For Farewell (오늘은 좀 매울지도 몰라)

Airing location & schedule: Thursday on Watcha (int’l streaming on Kocowa and Viki).

Cast & crew: Han Suk-kyu (Dr. Romantic 2), Kim Seo-hyung (Mine). PD & writer: Lee Ho-jae (Sori Voice From The Heart).

One-line synopsis: A man who only knows how to make ramyeon embarks on a journey to learn how to cook when his wife is diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer.

Goodies: Teaser, trailer 1, 2, 3

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Medium

What a gorgeous looking show! Watcha definitely isn’t skimping on the production values with this one. On one hand, I adore this cast. On the other hand, this sounds so sad! I definitely think I will need to make sure to watch this in the right mood. Unlike some people, I’m not averse to watching media about terminal illness and I definitely think it is important to tell those stories, but I think I will have to balance it out with something. That said, this looks so warm and comforting, maybe it won’t be too hard to watch… right? …Right?

Dec 7: Connect (커넥트)

Airing location & schedule: Wednesday on Disney+ (int’l streaming on Hulu).

Cast & crew: Jung Hae-in (Snowdrop), Go Kyung-pyo (Love in Contract), Kim Hye-jun (Inspector Koo), Kim Roi-ha (Crime Puzzle). PD: Miike Takashi (RizSta: Top of Artists!). Writer: Nakamura Masaru (First Love).

One-line synopsis: A humanoid whose eye was stolen by organ traffickers discovers that the new owner of his eye is a serial killer.

Goodies: Teaser, trailer

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Medium

Wow, has there ever been a Korean drama directed and written by non-Koreans before?

Okay, you all know that I love me some weird sometimes, and this definitely seems weird, but the PD here gives me pause. I’ve never seen any of his films, but upon doing some research I discovered that his filmography runs the gamut between kids movies (as credited above) and graphic, obscenely violent horror films. What stuck out to me in particular was his constant controversy over featuring violence against women in his works, and if my girl Kim Hye-jun or any of the other actresses have to do anything that crosses the line for me in this drama than I am out. Maybe I’m a hypocrite, but you an gouge out all the eyes you want as long as you’re not having women act out sexual violence on my screen.

Dec 7: Unlock My Boss (사장님을 잠금해제)

Airing location & schedule: Wednesday/Thursday on ENA (int’l streaming on Viki).

Cast & crew: Chae Jong-hyeop (Love All Play), Seo Eun-soo (Missing: The Other Side), Park Sung-woong (Snowdrop). PD: Lee Cheol-ha (I Eat, Therefor I Am). Writer: Kim Hyung-min (Sweet Home).

One-line synopsis: An unemployed 29-year-old’s life is flipped upside down when he finds a smartphone with a tech CEO’s soul stuck inside.

Goodies: Teaser 1, 2, trailer

My thoughts:

Excitement level: High

I’m sorry, WHAT? Okay, I HAVE to watch this. I have not read the webtoon that this is based off, but the premise is so ridiculous that it definitely has my attention. I give this drama major props for creativity. Sometimes it feels like we haven’t seen any inspired stories in dramaland lately, so I’m so glad just to get something as weird as this. It’s a breath of fresh air and, as I said before, I love me some weird. I also love Park Sung-woong, and can’t wait to see Chae Jong-hyep play someone that isn’t Potato Boy.

Dec 9: The Forbidden Marriage (금혼령, 조선 혼인 금지령)

Airing location & schedule: Friday/Saturday on MBC (int’l streaming on Viki).

Cast & crew: Park Ju-hyun (Love All Play), Kim Young-dae (Sh**ting Stars), Kim Woo-seok (Military Prosecutor Doberman). PD: Park Sang-woo (Never Twice), Jeong Hoon. Writer: Chun Ji-hye.

One-line synopsis: After the King of Joseon institutes a marriage ban years after his crown princess dies, a scammer comes forward and claims that she is possessed by the crown princess’s spirit.

Goodies: Teaser 1, 2

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Medium

Wow, what a cheap-looking poster. I have to say, I find Kim Young-dae about as exciting an actor as watching paint dry. I do really like Park Ju-hyun, though, and will likely be checking this fusion rom-com sageuk out for her. She looks delightfully goofy in it, which is just what I would want from her. We’ll see.

Dec 9: Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area Part 2 (종이의 집: 공동경제구역 파트 2)

Airing location & schedule: Friday on Netflix.

Cast & crew: Yoo Ji-tae (When My Love Blooms), Park Hae-soo (Narco-Saints), Jeon Jong-seo (Bargain), Lee Hyun-woo (The Liar and His Lover), Lee Won-jong (Delayed Justice), Kim Ji-hoon (Flower of Evil), Jang Yoon-ju (Three Sisters), Kim Ji-hun (The Good Detective), Lee Kyu-ho (Dr. Romantic). PD: Kim Hong-sun (L.U.C.A.: The Beginning). Writer: Ryu Yong-jae (My Holo Love), Kim Hwan-chae (My Holo Love), Choe Sung-jun (My Holo Love).

One-line synopsis: A continuation of this summer’s Part 1, thieves overtake a mint in a unified Korea.

Goodies: Teaser, trailer

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Low

I wasn’t a huge fan of the first part of this show, so I won’t be turning up for the second one. I found the characters lifeless and found the main plot uninteresting. It’s a pity because I felt like they could have done so much with the “unified Korea” concept and they just… didn’t. It would have to take some really remarkable reviews to get me to watch this second half.

Dec 9: Work Later, Drink Now Season 2 (술꾼도시여자들2)

Airing location & schedule: Friday on TVING (int’l streaming on Viu).

Cast & crew: Lee Sun-bin (Team Bulldog: Off-duty Investigation), Sunhwa (Why Her?), Eunji (Blind), Siwon (Love is For Suckers). PD: Kim Jung-sik (Stone Skipping). Writer: Wi So-young (Another Miss Oh).

One-line synopsis: Everyone’s favorite drinking buddies are back in season 2 of this funny slice-of-life drama.

Goodies: Teaser, trailer

My thoughts:

Excitement level: High

GIVE THIS TO ME NOW. Now THIS is the second season I have been waiting for! It’s not secret that I absolutely adored last year’s first season of Work Later, Drink Now, and I was thrilled to hear that a second season was in the works. These girls are absolutely bonkers in the best way, and I had such a blast watching them. The show is completely self-aware about their “heroines”‘, ah, issues, with alcohol, in a way that no other K-drama I’ve seen is, and that’s what makes it surprisingly easy for me to stomach. I’ll be counting down the days until December 9th!

Dec 10: Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow (환혼 : 빛과 그림자)

Airing location & schedule: Saturday/Sunday on tvN (int’l streaming on Netflix).

Cast & crew: Lee Jae-wook (Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol), Go Yoon-jung (Law School), Minhyun (Live On). PD: Park Joon-hwa. Writer: Hong Jung-eun, Hong Mi-ran.

One-line synopsis: The story of Alchemy of Souls continues in this second installment of the hit epic fantasy series.

Goodies: Teaser 1, 2, 3

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Medium

I didn’t end up finishing the first part of Alchemy of Souls, but I did enjoy it more than I thought I would and am open to restarting it if the reviews for this second part are good. It’s a pity that Jung So-min won’t be returning, but I really liked Go Yoon-jung in Law School and think she looked totally badass at the beginning of Alchemy of Souls.

Dec 16: Fanta G Spot (판타G스팟)

Airing location & schedule: Friday on Coupang Play.

Cast & crew: Hani (Idol: The Coup), Woohee (Two Universes), Park Sun-ho (Rugal), Choi Kwang-rok (Green Mothers’ Club).

One-line synopsis: Hani plays a sex counselor in this racy rom-com about women who want to improve their sex lives.

Goodies: N/A

My thoughts:

Excitement level: High

Yes, you read that title correctly. Between this and last year’s You Raise Me Up, Hani seems to be drawn to the “racier” rom-coms out there. My girl has been striking some gold in the web drama-sphere lately, and I hope this is another successful one for her. I’ll definitely be tuning in out of sheer curiosity and out of love for the EXID member. We’ll see how this one goes.

Dec 16: The King of the Desert (사막의 왕)

Airing location & schedule: Friday on Watcha.

Cast & crew: Jin Goo (Shadow Detective), Yang Dong-geun (Cheer Up), Jang Dong-yoon (Joseon Exorcist). PD: Kim Bo-tong (D.P.), Lee Tak, Lee Tae-dong. Writer: Kim Bo-tong (D.P.).

One-line synopsis: This omnibus drama explores the lives of those who love and those who hate money.

Goodies: Trailer

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Low

While I do really like Jang Dong-yoon, nothing about this show really compels me. Like all Watcha dramas, it seems like a lot of money went into the production, but I’ll probably be skipping this one.

Dec 17: Red Balloon (빨간풍선)

Airing location & schedule: Saturday/Sunday on TV Chosun.

Cast & crew: Seo Ji-hye (Adamas), Lee Sung-jae (Show Window: The Queen’s House), Hong Soo-hyun (Police University), Lee Sang-woo (Uncle), Jung Yu-min (Red Shoes). PD: Jin Hyung-wook (Born Again), Lee Seung-hoon. Writer: Moon Young-nam (Revolutionary Sisters).

One-line synopsis: Four people with passion in their hearts who aren’t satisfied with their lives come together to quench their desires.

Goodies: Teaser 1, 2, 3

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Low

TV Chosun dramas really aren’t my vibe. I love Seo Ji-hye, but nothing about this makes it seem any different to me than the hundreds of other weekend melodramas out there. TV Chosun might have a bigger budget than the broadcasters who have made weekenders their bread and butter, but it’s really the same old thing. I’ll pass.

Dec 19: Trolley (트롤리)

Airing location & schedule: Monday/Tuesday on SBS (int’l streaming on Netflix).

Cast & crew: Kim Hyun-joo (Hellbound), Park Hee-soon (A Model Family), Kim Mu-yeol (Juvenile Justice), Ryu Hyun-kyung (Cheer Up), Ki Tae-young (Mother of Mine), Jung Soo-bin (Revenge of Others). PD: Kim Mun-kyo (Lovers of the Red Sky). Writer: Ryu Bo-ri (Do You Like Brahms?).

One-line synopsis: A member of the National Assembly’s life is turned upside down when the dark secrets of her past are revealed.

Goodies: Teaser 1, 2

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Low

It’s funny. Usually when wintertime comes I’m more in the mood for melodrama, but I’m really not feeling it this month. I do find this cast compelling, and I find the writer’s previous credentials interesting, and I also love stories about women in politics, but I think I’ll be passing on this one unless it turns out to be exceptional.

Dec 19: Missing: The Other Side Season 2 (미씽 2)

Airing location & schedule: Monday/Tuesday on tvN (int’l streaming on Viu).

Cast & crew: Go Soo (Money Game), Heo Joon-ho (Why Her?), Ahn So-hee (Thirty-Nine), Ha Jun (Bad Prosecutor), Song Geon-hee (Alice, the Final Weapon), Lee Jung-eun (Yonder), Kim Dong-hwi (Stranger). PD: Min Yeon-hong (Insider). Writer: Ban Gi-ri (A Witch’s Romance), Jeong So-young.

One-line synopsis: Season 2 of this supernatural mystery drama follows the residents of a village where the deceased live and the living people on the other side who try to solve the mysteries of their deaths.

Goodies: Teaser 1, 2

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Medium

I have yet to see the first season of Missing, but I’ve only heard good things and am excited to see what viewers think of the second season. Lee Jung-eun is certainly a great addition to any cast. Mystery dramas generally aren’t my thing, but so many viewers have spoken about how good this show is that I am definitely going to give it a shot in the future.

Dec 21: Interests of Love (사랑의 이해)

Airing location & schedule: Monday/Tuesday on JTBC (int’l streaming on Netflix).

Cast & crew: Yoo Yeon-seok (Narco-Saints), Moon Ga-young (Link: Eat, Love, Kill), Keum Sae-rok (Youth of May), Jung Ga-ram (Love Alarm). PD: Jo Young-min (Do You Like Brahms?). Writer: Lee Seo-hyun, Lee Hyun-jeong.

One-line synopsis: Four employees at a bank with different interests meet and learn the true meaning of love.

Goodies: Teaser 1, 2

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Medium

Not gonna lie, I wish this was a rom-com instead of a melo-romance. Ah, well. I’ve never considered Yoo Yeon-seok to be a particularly charming actor, but I do think he has a warmth to him that matches Moon Ga-young, so I’m excited to see them together in a romance. It also looks gorgeously shot, so at the very least it will be a treat to look at.

Dec 21: The New Employee (신입사원)

Airing location & schedule: Wednesday on Watcha (int’l streaming on Viki).

Cast & crew: Kwon Hyuk (A Good Supper), Moon Ji-yong (Once Again), Choi Si-hun (I Ate Well Today). PD: Peter Kim (Made on the Rooftop).

One-line synopsis: Finally scoring the internship of his dreams, a guy inexperienced in love finds himself falling for his new boss.

Goodies: Trailer

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Low

I am very wary of boss-employee relationships, but I do have to say that the director’s credits have me intrigued. While it is his first time directing a drama, Peter Kim is a well-known gay rights activist in Korea who has directed a number of films with LGBTQ+ themes. Watcha also promises fairly high production values, but I don’t plan on checking this one out at the moment.

Dec 21: Big Bet (카지노)

Airing location & schedule: Wednesday on Disney+ (int’l streaming on Hulu).

Cast & crew: Choi Min-sik (Love and Separation), Son Suk-ku (My Liberation Notes), Lee Dong-hwi (Glitch). PD & writer: Kang Yoon-sung (The Outlaws).

One-line synopsis: A man who rose to the top in the Filipino casino scene finds himself involved in a murder case, threatening everything he built his career on.

Goodies: Teaser, trailer

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Medium

Okay, this cast is AMAZING. I would watch this just for them. This is Choi Min-sik’s first drama in TWENTY-FIVE years, so I’m so curious to see what drew him to this script. The story itself doesn’t interest me at all, but I do appreciate that they seemed to make an effort to hire actors who can actually speak English.

Dec 23: The Fabulous (더 패뷸러스)

Airing location & schedule: Friday on Netflix.

Cast & crew: Minho (Lovestruck in the City), Chae Soo-bin (Rookie Cops). PD: Kim Jung-hyun (At a Distance, Spring is Green). Writer: Kim Ji-hee (Where to Go?), Im Jin-seon.

One-line synopsis: A group of young people working in South Korea’s fashion industry struggle to survive in a competitive environment.

Goodies: Teaser, trailer

My thoughts:

Excitement level: High

Okay, I don’t expect this to be good, but I do expect it to be fun! The Fabulous was originally supposed to premiere on Netflix a month ago but was postponed due to the Itaewon Halloween tragedy. Apparently there were some Halloween party scenes in the show that would have been inappropriate to show, so I wonder if they kept those in or scrapped them completely. Chae Soo-bin is always a charming heroine, but Minho… well, I love him as a member of SHINee, but his acting leaves a bit to be desired. Still, I don’t expect this show to require great range from him, so I am not too worried about that. I just want something dumb and fun to watch over the holidays.

Dec 30: The Glory (더 글로리)

Airing location & schedule: Friday on Netflix.

Cast & crew: Song Hye-kyo (Now, We Are Breaking Up), Lee Do-hyun (Melancholia), Lim Ji-yeon (Rose Mansion), Yeom Hye-ran (The Uncanny Counter), Park Sung-hoon (Joseon Exorcist), Jung Sung-il (Our Blues). PD: Ahn Gil-ho (Happiness). Writer: Kim Eun-sook (The King: Eternal Monarch).

One-line synopsis: A victim of bullying takes revenge on her former tormenters by becoming a homeroom teacher at their children’s school.

Goodies: Teaser

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Medium

Call me crazy, but… I kind of… am in the mood to watch a Kim Eun-sook drama right now? I know, I know! But dramaland has been so dull lately, and her dramas are at least always an event. The poster is absolutely gorgeous, too, so that doesn’t hurt. I don’t really like the sound of the plot, but the cast is promising and I just know I’m going to click on this when it pops up on Netflix. Don’t judge me.

Dec 30: Island (아일랜드)

Airing location & schedule: Friday on TVING (int’l streaming on Amazon Prime)

Cast & crew: Kim Nam-gil (Through the Darkness), Lee Da-hee (Love is For Suckers), Cha Eun-woo (True Beauty), Sung Joon (Casting a Spell to You). PD: Bae Jong (Fabricated City). Writer: Jang Yoon-mi (Jinxed at First).

One-line synopsis: The arrogant, conceited daughter of a chaebol family is sent to Jeju by her father, where she and the other residents soon find a supernatural danger afoot.

Goodies: Teaser

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Medium

Well, it sure has taken this drama a long time to come to our screens. Island has been in production for well over a year in addition to struggling to secure a cast. Lee Da-hee suffered a neck injury(!) while filming last year, and the production seemed to finally finish filming a few months ago. I’m not entirely sure what to expect from the show, and I honestly don’t expect it to be any good, but I’m curious to see how such a long-awaited drama plays out.

It’s a pretty mixed bag for me this month in dramaland, and I pray that next year will see some better works crop up. So many productions this year seemed boring, uninspired, or both, and the lack of reliability with streaming services has made watching a dramas harder than it has been in years. Nevertheless, there are some fun-sounding shows premiering this month, so fingers crossed we get some real gems before the year ends!

Falling for “Why I Dress Up for Love”

Note: I briefly outlined the plot for this show in one of my previous posts, so I won’t go into too much detail on synopsis here.

Once upon a time, Japanese dramas were my bread and butter. I was a big fan of Japanese pop and Japanese idols as a kid, and that naturally led me to Japanese dramas. From your high school classics Hana Yori Dango and Hana Kimi to thrillers like Bloody Monday and Liar Game, and tearjerkers like 1 Litre no Namida, I latched on to everything. But as legal streaming became the norm and my go-to websites were drowning in ads, I started to gravitate more towards Korean dramas, which are so much more accessible and had much larger communities to fangirl with.

Since then, I’ve only watched a smattering of Japanese dramas, but seeing a user over at Dramabeans posting about last year’s Why I Dress Up for Love piqued my interest and I decided to give it a go. A cute romance seemed right up my alley right now, and with the relative shortness of J-dramas (10 episodes in this show’s case), I had nothing to lose.

And I’m so glad I gave this show a shot! It’s seriously cute, and reminded me of all the reasons I loved watching J-dramas.

And did I mention that there is an equally adorable dog!?

At its core, Why I Dress Up for Love is about very different people learning to come together and care for each other during the ups and downs in their lives. It seems simple, almost cliche, but the show is filled with such earnestness that it was like a breath of fresh air.

Our heroine, Mashiba Kurumi (Kawaguchi Haruna), enters a share house run by her friend Kouko. Living there are food truck owner Fujino Shun (Yokohama Ryusei), Shun’s cousin and telehealth psychiatrist Terai Haruto, and aspiring artist Hase Ayaka. All of the boarders have very different personalities, leading to conflict early on in the show, especially between “maximalist” influencer Kurumi and the “minimalist”, technology-shunning Shun. But of course, they find themselves growing closer and closer as the show goes on, learning to appreciate each other for their differences.

Yep, that’s right. A cohabitation opposites-attract romance. SIGN ME UP.

I have to admit, I was skeptical at first. The defining factor of how I’ll feel about a romance drama is almost always how infuriating I find the male lead, and Shun has so many infuriating characteristics in the first couple of episodes that I was almost turned off. He comes across as pushy, judgmental, and annoying… but gosh darn it, he’s so charming I found myself being won over by the end of episode 3. He makes you roll your eyes to no end, but he’s so sincere with his feelings that you can’t help but fall for him.

From the beginning I worried that the whole show would be about making Kurumi see that her worldview was wrong and his was right, but that’s not what the show does at all. With both the romance and the platonic relationships between the housemates, we see characters have real conversations about their values and their dreams, and we see them begin to understand and appreciate the other because of their differences, not despite them.

I think my favorite part of J-dramas is the conversations between characters. They don’t always sound natural, but I often find them comforting. It’s nice to hear characters openly communicate with each other, probably because it so rarely happens in real life. The conversations, the solutions to conflict, and the friendships and relationships here are almost like a fantasy. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t mean that as a criticism at all. I found myself aching to live in that house with them! It really makes me wish I lived in their world, and it gives me hope that even someone as introverted and averse to starting conversations as me can make meaningful connections. The conversations here gave me similar vibes to The Full-Time Wife Escapist, which is a huge compliment by the way. That was probably the last romance J-drama I watched, and I adored it.

This show is a bit more dramatic than the aforementioned drama, but never as hugely dramatic as I feared. You know when you watch a drama and you start to get apprehensive, thinking the show is going down the most cliche, aggravating path possible, and then it ends up pleasantly surprising you? That happens so many times in this show that I lost count.

It’s hard to trust a drama’s writing when you’ve been burned so many times before, but by the end I had complete faith in this writer. I went from hating the inclusion of the second male lead, terrified that he would be nothing but a nuisance, but I was so happy to find that my worries were mostly unfounded. Yeah, he does the whole annoying “I realized I like her because someone else likes her now” thing, which I ABSOLUTLY HATE, but I ended up not minding his character. He tries to win over our heroine at first, but after a while, when he realizes that she really does like Shun, he backs off. Thank goodness.

My other quibble with the show was probably Kurumi’s work in general. I found myself confused when they made her stop updating her social media in the beginning, but I also loved how supportive they were of her at the end. I felt like the show didn’t really know what they were doing with her workplace storylines. Nevertheless, I adored how they portrayed her as an influencer. There is this image most people have of influencer being ditzy bimbos, and Kurumi is not that at all. She has a very pure desire to show her life and the things she loves to her audience.

My opinion on social media has certainly soured in recent years, but I really do believe there are people out there who use it because they want to be a bright, happy spot in their followers’ everyday lives. These people might be rare, but I know they exist, and it was lovely to see such a character portrayed here. The show has her reexamine her dependence on social media and her phone, but it never shames her for placing value in the connections she has made to people online.

Both Kawaguchi Haruna and Yokohama Ryusei are new actors to me, and I was so pleased with their chemistry here. Yokohama just oozes charm as a romantic male lead, and I could watch him watch her all day long. Kawaguchi is a natural as a leading lady and I have my eyes set on her currently airing drama Silent that is getting rave reviews. I’ll definitely be checking out both of their other works in the future, and I hope to see them reunite at some point because I found them lovely to watch together.

The same can be said for the drama as a whole. While Why I Dress Up for Love may not have been perfect, the very fact that it left me wanting more in the end is a testament to the show’s quality, I think. The shorter length of Japanese dramas means that they very rarely overstay their welcome, unlike some Korean dramas, and I do believe I’ll be watching some more as the year winds down. If anyone has some recommendations for some enjoyable Japanese dramas I would love to hear them, because I am very much out of the loop. And if anyone out there is looking for an easy, light watch with moving conversations between characters, I really do recommend Why I Dress Up for Love. It’s a pleasure to see characters from all walks of life getting together and learning to appreciate one another, and it will definitely help you keep warm this winter.

Revenge of Others: First Impressions

I find it interesting that most of Disney+’s choices for Korean originals are so… un-Disney.

It makes sense to me that they’ve decided to put these on Hulu in the US (but when are they gonna give us the licensed shows?! Sigh…). I’m not sure how it is in the rest of the world, but Disney in the US seems to have made a choice to put their more “adult” fare (or, honestly, everything that isn’t Marvel or Star Wars) on Hulu rather than Disney+.

After I watched the first episode, it seemed to me that Revenge of Others wasn’t really very adult–in fact, it often seems straight-up juvenile–but the plot (orphan girl from Busan moves to Seoul to attend the high school where her twin brother was murdered) doesn’t exactly click with the likes of, say, High School Musical the Musical the Series.

After episode 2, however… well. I totally understand the 18+ rating.

Don’t let this cute cat fool you

Without giving too much away, the first episode did not prepare me for the violence that came with episode 2. Not gonna lie, seeing the original poster alongside the synopsis for this show as an American was a bit disconcerting. I genuinely thought this was going to be the story of a teenage girl going on a lethal rampage at her brother’s school, which would definitely hit way too close to home for me.

That is not what is happening here, but that honestly doesn’t make it much easier to watch. I’m definitely not someone who particularly likes gratuitous violence in my TV shows. I know that South Korea has a bullying problem, and I’ve seen plenty of other shows tackle this topic, but I want to prepare everyone for the fact that this show is not flinching when it comes to showing the horrors of high school bullying.

One thing that I will say in the show’s favor is that unlike some other shows that try to be edgy by showing sexual violence, Revenge of Others spares us from seeing those scenes, instead mostly focusing on the violence towards those who “deserve” it. The bullies, the rapists. There are some exceptions, though, and I really don’t think we needed to see the bullying experienced by So-yeon.

Despite all the violence, I do have to say that I’m intrigued. Episode 1 had me thinking that Shin Ye-eun didn’t have the gravitas to suck me into this type of story, but I think she proved me wrong in the second episode. It is Lomon, though, who is really bringing his A game here. I definitely considered him to be one of the strongest links in All of Us Are Dead, and I was pleased to see him show up here. He has quite the range for a fairly young actor, and I’m excited to see what he does next.

He’s pretty cute too

There were a number of surprises for me in episode 2, and that is enough for me to stick with it through next week to see if it has anything else to throw at me. I’m still not on board with the excessive violence, but curiosity is getting the best of me.

See you next week, Revenge of Others.

Dramas For the Stressed Student’s Soul

Long time no see, good ol’ blog of mine. I really have to be the least consistent blogger in the world at this point, don’t I?

Well, I’m going to try to change that (famous last words, I know).

I started grad school back in September, and it has definitely not been without its moments of serious frustration and stress, both academic and personal. I don’t think I ever mentioned it on this blog, but until a few months ago I was working for a certain large streaming service on their K-drama team. That sadly had to come to an end, and while I miss it dearly, I think it’s good that I am able to enjoy dramas on their own merits now, not being bogged down by the feeling that I HAVE to watch a show because it’s part of my job.

But then school came, and it felt like I had no time to watch anything. The shows I began I ended up abandoning, not necessarily because I didn’t like them but because I felt like I couldn’t commit to something. Now that I’m more than halfway through the semester, I’ve gotten a better handle on things and have been itching to really dig my teeth into some shows again. But I’m being intentional about it, because stress could take me away at any moment.

As a result, the shows I have been leaning towards have been… simple.

I don’t want deep emotional attachment right now. All I want is something to accompany me on my study breaks. Something to ease my mind on my commute. Something that is enjoyable to watch but that I don’t feel hopelessly addicted to. I want to use this post just to talk briefly about what I’ve been watching, so here goes nothing!

Why I Dress Up for Love

Ahhh, J-dramas. My original love, and one I have been neglecting for a while now. I didn’t mean to, I promise! It’s just so much easier to get information about Korean dramas, not to mention easier to stream them. I saw this casually mentioned on Dramabeans recently and decided to take a look.

I love a good cohabitation drama, and I was THRILLED to find out that’s exactly what this was. The two main characters are, of course, total opposites: the female lead works in PR and is an influencer and “maximalist”, constantly glued to her phone, and the male lead is a “minimalist” chef who doesn’t understand why so many people are slaves to their social media accounts. The two butt heads immediately but, of course, find themselves attracted to the other.

The first couple of episodes hit almost every rom-com trope you can imagine, and the male lead quickly got on my nerves. After starting the third episode, however, I began to really enjoy the dynamic between the leads. There is definitely a spark there, and it seems like the perfect kind of show for me right now. I’m not even halfway through, but I’ll keep you guys updated with my thoughts as I keep watching!

Unarmed Romance

I don’t think I’d ever watched a web drama before this year. I’ve come to appreciate their bite-sized nature and their silly wholesomeness. They definitely tend to be aimed towards the middle school and high school crowd, but sometimes it’s nice to watch something so trivial and uncomplicated.

Unarmed Romance has only released one 7-minute episode, but it was so nice to spend my commute watching this silly school drama about a North Korean refugee pretending to be an average South Korean student. It’s so stupid but well-meaning, and that’s what I love about these types of shows.

Behind Every Star

I haven’t seen the original French Call My Agent!, but I decided to check out the Korean remake after my exams today. It’s nothing amazing, but I always enjoy shows that are “about” the entertainment industry. Cho Yeo-jeong’s cameo in the first episode was lovely (she’s just so likable and SO PRETTY) and I loved the gay little twist at the end of the second episode. This seems like it’ll be a totally middle-of-the-road show, and that’s exactly what I am looking for right now. I am disappointed, however, that the female lead doesn’t seem to be a lesbian like I hear she was in the original. Ah, well.

And that’s about it for me lately! What are your favorite mindless drama watches lately? Got any recommendations for me? Because I’m all ears!

Photo Bomb: Kim Ji-won and Lee Min-ki Magazine Spreads

Both Lee Min-ki and Kim Ji-won recently had spreads in magazines (Cosmopolitan and Big Issue respectively), with complete opposite vibes from their My Liberation Notes characters. Kim Ji-won’s fresh, clean, and feminine spread makes me want her to do a cuter role in the future, but she was so great as the introverted, kinda scary Mi-jeong. Lee Min-ki switches out Chang-hee’s bubbly, country bumpkin-esque image with the kind of dark, quirky photos that remind you he started out as a model. They both did such a good job in the show (as did Son Seok-koo, Lee El, and the rest of the cast) and I loved their characters and performances but I am kind of hoping they’ll be recast in a romance together some day. They apparently became friends after Detective K 3 so I’m sure they’d have great chemistry.

Both issues come with interviews, too, and I love how thoughtful they are about their characters and their careers. They both seem to have a deep respect for writer Park Hae-young, and it would be great if they reunited with her again in the future.

You can check out Kim Ji-won’s full spread here and here and Lee Min-ki’s here, with lots of extra photos posted by his agency here.

Drama Premiere: Link: Eat, Love, Kill

Long time no see, everyone!

It seems this blog will forever be stuck in the “I don’t know what to do with this space” phase. I have the writing itch again after being inspired by My Liberation Notes (which I loved overall, and wrote 4 pages for over on Dramabeans), so I wanted to revive this blog into something a little less time-intensive. While putting together the monthly round-up posts was fun, I thought it would be more useful and less work if I just highlighted the dramas I plan on catching individually.

Now that My Liberation Notes is over, the only current drama I’m keeping up with is Our Blues, which I have mixed feelings about. There are several upcoming dramas this month that caught my eye, though, and the first of them to air is tvN’s Link: Eat, Love, Kill.

Am I the only one that thinks of “Eat Pray Love” and “Live Laugh Love” when I read that title? Ha.

The drama had their press conference today, so I thought it would be a good time to do a post dumping some of the promo materials they’ve released ahead of its June 6th premiere.

Cast: Yeo Jin-goo (Beyond Evil), Moon Ga-young (Recipe for Youth)

Director: Hong Jong-chan (Juvenile Justice)

Screenwriter: Kwon Ki-young (Suspicious Partner), Kwon Do-hwan

Airing on: tvN (streaming on TVING (Korea) and Disney+ (International))

The synopsis for this one is a bit of a head-scratcher: Yeo Jin-goo plays a chef who opens up a restaurant in the same neighborhood where his sister disappeared 18 years ago. He then meets a woman, played by Moon Ga-young, and suddenly starts laughing when she laughs and crying when she cries. Of course, a beautiful romance blossoms between these people who mysteriously share each others’ emotions.

I’m not exactly sure where his sister’s disappearance ties into this, but this writer’s specialty seems to be in mixing romance with crime drama, so I can’t say I’m surprised. I really enjoyed her 2015 outing I Remember You (who can forget how delicious Seo In-guk looked in that dusty pink sweater?), but I was less keen on Suspicious Partner, so I am curious to see where on that spectrum I’ll fall with this one.

Yeo Jin-goo has a strong history as a reliable child actor, and I LOVED him in the films Hwayi: A Monster Boy and Shoot Me in the heart (okay, that last one had a hefty helping of Lee Min-ki, so that’s a no-brainer), but I find that I’m less enthusiastic about his adult roles. Circle was a great transition drama for him, but the ones following were… less than impressive for me. He made a splash with Beyond Evil last year, though, so fingers crossed he’s back on track.

Moon Ga-young is one of those actresses who I’ve always wanted to like, but I really disliked both Tempted and True Beauty, so I really hope third time is the charm for me and her with this one!

I remember offers were out to Kim Seon-ho and Kim Ji-won when this drama was announced last year, and all I can say is that I’m very glad that Kim Ji-won chose My Liberation Notes instead. Maybe Link will be wonderful, but I didn’t like the pairing of her and Kim Seon-ho and I like the idea of this being a vehicle for younger but experienced actors.

Best of all, I love the chemistry I’m seeing between the two in the teasers and in the script reading video. I’m so glad that these two are being paired with someone their own age who can actually act! One thing I love about former childhood actors is that, because they grew up with the craft, they always seem so thoughtful about their roles and so comfortable in front of the camera.

How cute is it to see these two interacting with the child actors? And how gorgeous is Moon Ga-young with the black hair? I think I’ve only seen her with brown hair before!

I feel like dramaland has been lacking when it comes to actors of their generation. Yeo Jin-goo and Moon Ga-young are around my age, and it’s refreshing to see two solid actors in their mid-20s doing a drama that seems (surprisingly) fresh and fizzy yet also grim, not a youth drama but not too mature, either. They both have a puppy-like energy that comes across really well, and they seem cute and funny without overdoing it (which I thought they were both prone to doing in Hotel del Luna and True Beauty).

Ye Su-jeong is a favorite veteran actress of mine, too, so I’m so happy to see her here!

The whole aesthetic of these teasers is exactly my style, and I love the fun yet dark, mysterious, and slightly magical vibes it’s giving. I also really want her red sweater.

While I know the drama will inevitably go to a very dark place, I hope it has plenty of fun sprinkled throughout as well. Fingers crossed for a good premiere episode on Monday, because I need a new drama to get invested in!

First Impressions: Twenty Five Twenty One (Episodes 1-2)

“This, too, shall pass.” That sentiment seems to be the driving force behind tvN’s new retro drama Twenty Five Twenty One, a tale that chronicles the life of a young fencer as she navigates the IMF crisis.

I was looking forward to Twenty Five Twenty One, but didn’t have any grand hopes for it. I was just hoping for a nice, light, youthful drama with a dose of 90s nostalgia, but what I ended up getting was that and much, much more. From the beginning of the show, I knew we might have something special on our hands. Most dramas have shied away from mentioning the pandemic, at most giving tongue-in-cheek comments like Vincenzo or inserting a throwaway line about masks or viruses like When the Weather Is Fine.

Twenty Five Twenty One, on the other hand, uses the reality of our present day in a much more direct way than any other dramas have. We the audience enter the life of our heroine, Na Hee-do, through her daughter, a passionless dancer who seems at a loss of what to do with her life in the the era of COVID-19. After running away to her grandmother’s house and discovering her mother’s old room and belongings from the 90s, we are transported with her to 1998, just as the IMF crisis is hitting South Korea, and just as Na Hee-do is beginning to grow up.

Kim Tae-ri absolutely sparkles in the role of Hee-do, and her optimism at the beginning of our story for her future is infectious. As she bounces around town, proclaiming how the impending crisis doesn’t affect her because she’s young and has nothing to lose, I believe her with my entire heart. I can see the disappointment she will face so clearly, and yet even within the first 10 minutes I am so wholly captivated by her and her spirit that I have no choice but to believe in her.

This is real. This is not CGI. Kim Tae-ri really speared the apple. I have no choice but to stan.

But of course, that’s not how life works, and Hee-do is forced to deal with reality very quickly. When her fencing club is disbanded, she pours all of her passion and energy into… getting kicked out of school. This was one of my favorite bits in episode one, and there’s nothing funnier than watching little innocent-looking Hee-do trying to start fights and seeing her fail miserably. What can I say? Everyone loves Kim Tae-ri.

Everyone except, perhaps, Ko Yu-rim (Bona). The relationship between these two characters is easily the best part of the show, and I just absolutely love how they are given the treatment that is usually reserved for romantic couples in dramaland. Slow-mos, childhood connections, dramatic misunderstandings, the most adorable meet-cute ever. The list goes on and on. They get the works! The umbrella scene immediately shot to the top of my favorite scenes in any drama premiere ever. Hee-do’s love and admiration for Yu-rim as her most ardent fan is so sweet to see, and the way their friendship crumbles before it even begins when Hee-do joins Yu-rim’s team is just heartbreaking.

Name a couple with a better meet-cute. I dare you.

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of sapphic love stories and was lowkey obsessed with all the lesbian characters in dramaland last year, but I actually don’t get romantic vibes from these two at all. I don’t ship them romantically (and I don’t think we are meant to), but they are so, so compelling as a platonic rivalry that I don’t care. I know there was a lot of criticism from drama fans of this writer and director’s previous work Search WWW about alleged queerbaiting between two of the female leads (I haven’t seen the drama so I just know what others have said), but I don’t feel that here. It doesn’t seem like queerbaiting at all, it’s just that we are getting a drama where the platonic relationship is given more weight than the romantic relationship. I expect this to change slightly as the series progresses, but I really hope we don’t lose this thread, because there is so much potential for something truly delicious here. I sincerely hope that Twenty Five Twenty One can be for platonic female relationships what The Lord of the Rings is to platonic male relationships. We deserve it! Na Hee-do and Ko Yu-rim deserve it!

The scenes between our two girls are heightened thanks to the directing (shout out to PD Jung Ji-hyun, who directed my much-loved You are My Spring last year!). Everything from the color palette to the settings to the music are pitch-perfect, and the director seems to have such a clear vision for the story he wants to tell. The music and slow-mos are used so effectively and never overdone, which is something that so many dramas get wrong (I’m looking at you, Lee Eung-bok!). Nothing seems cheesy, and everything about the show seems so fresh and vibrant. The story beats between Hee-do and Yu-rim elicit such an emotional response from me from the very first episode, and I’m just in awe over how this show has sucked me so thoroughly into its world so quickly.

Aside from our frenemies, one other thing I love about Twenty Five Twenty One is how, despite having such a magical, bright tone with an equally magical, bright heroine, it doesn’t fall into the “just work harder and your life will improve” narrative. Through the character of Back Yi-jin (Nam Joo-hyuk) (no clue why his surname is spelled like that in the Netflix subs but I’m rolling with it), we see how the times can be so suffocating and change your circumstances to such a degree that no amount of hard work can improve your situation. Seeing Yi-jin’s family lose their fortune and seeing his life change in the blink of an eye was heart wrenching, and the scene where he is denied the job he so desperately needs because he is “overqualified” really hit home. Sometimes there really is just no way to win, and your hard work has nothing to do with it. Ko Yu-rim is another character who, despite her success in fencing, is struggling financially, and it’s a key point of tension between her and the more well-off Hee-do.

Even with this heavy dose of realism, though, the drama never feels too heavy. It retains its bright spirit throughout both episodes, in large part thanks to Yi-jin and Yu-rim’s interactions with Hee-do. Admittedly, I didn’t feel much chemistry between Kim Tae-ri and Nam Joo-hyuk in the first episode. I was so wholly invested in the relationship between Na Hee-do and Ko Yu-rim that I couldn’t bring myself to care about the romance much, but that changed by the end of episode 2. The scene with the two of them playing with the school yard faucet with reckless abandon was just happiness in a bottle for me.

The show still isn’t portraying their relationship as romantic yet, which I actually appreciate, because I am not usually a fan of the insta-love trope. I’m really looking forward to seeing their friendship grow, and I don’t expect any real romance to begin until the characters are, well, twenty-five and twenty-one. It’s easy to envision how Hee-do’s presence will change Yi-jin and Yu-rim’s lives for the better, because she’s just such an endearing whirlwind of sincerity and emotion.

She just feels SO. MUCH.

Tough times call for strong support networks, and I’m hoping to see our characters learn to rely on each other. Hee-do grew on Yi-jin so quickly, and I’m sure Yu-rim’s guard will fall as well–hopefully sooner rather than later.

I didn’t know how to end this post so here is Hee-do fencing with an umbrella and oh my god how perfect is Kim Tae-ri’s form?!?! (I know nothing about fencing)

Film vs. Webtoon: Love and Leashes

When Love and Leashes was first announced, there was quite a lot of hullabaloo about it. Everyone who’s anyone knows that Korean films are a totally different ball game than Korean dramas when it comes to sex, but BDSM? Now that is something we’ve never seen touched upon before in the K-ent sphere. And with former goody-two-shoes SNSD member Seohyun in the starring role! How scandalous!

Based on the webtoon Moral Sense (which is also the Korean title of the film), our story centers around a mortifying mistaken identity mishap leading to our heroine, Jung Ji-woo (Seohyun), opening a package containing a spikey dog collar belonging to Jung Ji-hoo (played by the absolutely adorable Jun). In the webtoon, an utterly embarrassing situation occurs where Ji-woo has no idea it’s not for an actual dog until Ji-hoo blabbers on and on about how grateful he is that she’s so cool and understanding about his, ah, preference. This, we quickly come to find out in the webtoon, perfectly exemplifies how Ji-hoo operates (seriously, how hasn’t he spilled the beans before now?). In the film, the scene plays out differently, as Ji-hoo discovers what the collar is really for when a flyer for the shop it’s from falls out of the box.

The movie is full of these little changes that, for the most part, I don’t mind. The Ji-hoo in the film acts more realistically and like less of a… well, webtoon character, but he still retains the same spirit. In fact, what I find most impressive about this adaptation is how right it gets the characters. Jun is simply fantastic as Ji-hoo, and is exactly how I imagined the character in my head. Ji-woo comes across as something of an ice queen, not one to mince words or be afraid to let someone know that what’s wrong is wrong. She’s perfectly complemented by Ji-hoo, who in the film takes her side in an argument at work about having an openly homophobic guest on their educational TV show. Ji-hoo may be a puppy who is super passionate and gets way too caught up in his feelings, but he’s no wimp.

I think what many people expected when they read this synopsis was essentially a Korean Fifty Shades of Grey, and that’s not at all what we have here. And yes, I mean beyond the girl being the dom and the guy being the sub. I haven’t seen those films or read the books, but Love and Leashes is a surprisingly chaste film. Despite the subject matter, nothing really happens that would make it unsuitable for airing on television. We never even see them have sex.

I’m extremely uneducated when it comes to BDSM. Before reading the webtoon, all I knew about it was that it involved people who get off on pain (and doling out pain to others), as well as the classic dominatrix and slave imagery. Ji-woo is similarly naïve, and quite shocked when she searches online and is immediately greeted with hardcore porn. But as Ji-woo starts to learn more about it all, so do we the audience. BDSM isn’t inherently sexual, and the less extreme examples the show gives us allow us vanilla folks to slowly understand our hero’s proclivities. Well, okay, maybe understand isn’t the right word, but we learn not to pass judgement on him. In many ways, a BDSM relationship seems more “normal” than the romantic relationships you see in some dramas. Love and Leashes does a good job at assuring audiences that the key to true BDSM is consent. The experience is meant to be both thrilling and safe for both parties involved, and it does a better job explaining consent than any “vanilla” piece of media I’ve ever come across.

Pretty much nothing about the film is copy-pasted directly from the webtoon, which is a good idea, but the standout scene from both works to me was when Ji-hoo gives Ji-woo high heels and she asks if she should step on him. Ji-woo is hesitant, but curious, and I think seeing Jun wanting Seohyun to step on him is something that we all feel deep in our bones. “Step on me” has become such a common phrase, especially in stan culture, and it’s brilliant to let the audience in on the experience with something so familiar.

STEP ON ME, SEOHYUN

Most importantly, both the film and webtoon deal with the subject with so much humor without making people who practice BDSM the butt of the joke. I honestly can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard watching a movie. Ji-woo and Ji-hoo are just so hilarious yet sweet with each other. Watching this on a cold winter night, the warmth these two gave me was more than welcome. You can tell these two had an absolute blast filming.

Of course, I can’t talk about the film without talking about Lee El, who plays Ji-woo’s friend Hye-mi. Hye-mi is something of a mixture of two characters in the webtoon, Ji-hoo’s friend the bar owner and the female sub that works at the bar. In this, Hye-mi is both bar owner and sub. While I think Lee El was underused in the part (she’s underused in ALL the things–give this woman more lead roles!), and while I love the original characters from the webtoon, I also loved Hye-mi. She’s a sub, but also absolutely badass, and she delivers one of the best lines in the film: “Just because I’m perverted doesn’t mean you can treat me like shit.” Yeah, I LOVE her. Later on in the film, she also asks a sulking Ji-hoo, “Does your life get any better when you keep hating on yourself?”. Hye-mi is confident in herself and her desires, even after finding herself in dangerous situations, and I think we could all learn from someone like her.

STEP ON ME, LEE EL

One of the changes between film and webtoon that I have sort of mixed feelings about is the portrayal of Ji-hoo’s ex-girlfriend, Hana. The webtoon gives us a conceited, self-assured woman who takes advantage of Ji-hoo but doesn’t actively put him down for being into BDSM. In the film, Kim Bo-ra serves to make Ji-woo’s positive qualities even more obvious. She’s quick to judge and is just so cruel and mean towards Ji-hoo about his love for BDSM. She broke up with him as soon as he came out to her, and yet still chooses to torment him on the phone and in person. She’s really one-note and quite annoying, and I wish they’d made her character more interesting.

However, thanks to this character, we do get a great line from Ji-woo in the film where she says, “I don’t understand”, and Ji-hoo immediately thinks she’s talking about BDSM and you can see him just deflate. But Ji-woo continues, saying, “If she loves you and this makes you feel alive, couldn’t she just go with it?”. Of course, if someone feels genuinely uncomfortable after trying something, that’s one thing, but she never even gave him a chance and yet chose to judge him and act hateful and spiteful towards him when he had the courage to be honest with her. That is, of course, the big difference between Ji-woo and Hana, but I really don’t think the film needed to paint Hana as such an absolute villain in order for us to see how empathetic and understanding Ji-woo is. We already knew that, even without Hana’s involvement in the story.

Let’s be real, all I really wanna see is Ji-hoo constantly being amazed by Ji-woo

But nevertheless, Love and Leashes retains the best of the webtoon’s themes even when pared down and simplified to fit a film’s runtime. If anyone watched this movie and wished to spend more time with the characters, I highly recommend reading Moral Sense. The longer format of the webtoon really lets the author flesh out the characters, and we spend some time with loveable (and hateable) side characters that get shafted or don’t really exist in the film. It’s a light, fluffy read, and my only complaint is that the fan-made English translation doesn’t seem to be finished. Hopefully this film putting it on peoples’ radars means a complete translation is coming soon! (edit: I’ve just been informed that Naver Webtoon is in the process of putting up professional translations! Hooray!)

Love and Leashes isn’t the type of film to stick in your head rent free forever, but I’ll definitely think fondly of it (and the webtoon) whenever I hear a mention of BDSM, and I think that’s a win for the community. I think it’s certainly a better alternative to the Fifty Shades series, and it’s a pity that this surprisingly sweet film didn’t reach as wide of an audience.

February Drama Round-Up: Thirty-Nine, Forecasting Love and Weather, Twenty Five Twenty One, & More

The Driver, Kissable Lips, First Love Again, Twenty Five Twenty One
Forecasting Love and Weather, Thirty-Nine, Grid, Semantic Error
I Haven’t Done My Best Yet, Business Proposal, Kill Heel, Sponsor
Cherry Blossoms After Winter, Juvenile Justice, Military Prosecutor Doberman, Shinjikki

I don’t know if it’s because spring is coming or just because February is the month of love, but things in dramaland are lightening up considerably and I couldn’t be happier! Rom-coms and lighthearted slice-of-life dramas are in, depressing thrillers and makjang are (mostly) out… with a few exceptions, of course.

After finding the offerings of the first month of 2022 to be completely underwhelming (with the exception of All of Us Are Dead), I’m ready for February to inject new life into the k-drama scene. It’s hard to find motivation to write when the dramas airing are so uninspiring, but I really feel like this month will be different. I can feel it in my bones! We have fifteen new shows airing, and at least one of them has to be good, right?

Netflix seems to be the go-to streaming service this month, with much-anticipated titles like Kim Tae-ri and Nam Joo-hyuk’s youthful Twenty One Twenty Five, chemistry fairy Park Min-young’s classic workplace rom-com Forecasting Love and Weather, Son Ye-jin’s return and the daily woes of friendship and love in Thirty-Nine, and delicious contract marriage hijinks in Business Proposal. I have to say, I’m excited about all four of them, as well the much darker-looking Netflix Original Juvenile Justice. Bring it on, dramaland!

Feb 2: The Driver (더 드라이버)

Airing location & schedule: Wednesday on MBN.

Cast & crew: Ahn Jae-wook (Mouse). PD: Kim Seung-woo (Starting Point of Dating).

One-line synopsis: A middle-aged man who is laid off at work becomes a designated driver.

Goodies: Teaser

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Low

Dubbed as MBN’s two-part “Lunar New Year Special”, I expect The Driver to be tailor-made as a heartwarming tale to be enjoyed by families all gathered around the TV. Honestly, this looks cute. It gives me Late Night Restaurant vibes, but instead of a chef listening to people’s stories it’s a driver. I’m sure it will be a pleasant watch, it just doesn’t really attract me. One thing of note is that this is directed by actor Kim Seung-woo, who actually starred in Late Night Restaurant seven years ago, so maybe my estimations about the similarities are not too far off.

Feb 3: Kissable Lips (깨물고싶은)

Airing location & schedule: Thursday on Idol Romance (streaming on Viki).

Cast & crew: Kim Ji-woong (The Sweet Blood), Yun Seo-bin (Not Found Love), Moon Ji-hoo (Part-time Mello). PD: Seong Do-joon (Wish You: Your Melody From My Heart)

One-line synopsis: A vampire who is about to die searches for a human with pure blood in order to save himself and become human again.

Goodies: Trailer 1, 2

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Low

There isn’t a lot of info on this one, but I’ve never been a fan of vampire stories and will give this a pass. I do find it interesting that it’s created by the Korea University of Media Arts, though.

Feb 11: First Love Again (첫사랑 만 세번째)

Airing location & schedule: Friday on Viki.

Cast & crew: Jeon Chang-ha, Jin Gun.

One-line synopsis: The author of a popular web novel who remembers his past two lives meets the first love he encountered in his previous lives.

Goodies: Teaser

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Low

No, you’re not going crazy. Yes, this was in last month’s round-up, but the release date was pushed back to February. I still have very little interest, so I don’t think I’ll be checking this one out.

Feb 12: Twenty Five Twenty One (스물다섯 스물하나)

Airing location & schedule: Saturday/Sunday on tvN (streaming on Netflix).

Cast & crew: Kim Tae-ri (Mr. Sunshine), Nam Joo-hyuk (Start-Up), Bona (The Secret of the Grand Mansion: The Missing Girls), Choi Hyun-wook (Racket Boys), Lee Joo-myung (Check Out the Event). PD: Jung Ji-hyun (You are My Spring). Writer: Kwon Do-eun (Search WWW).

One-line synopsis: After the IMF crisis of 1997 wreaks havoc on their lives, a young fencing prodigy and a boy from a wealthy family who loses everything grow close and fall in love.

Goodies: Teaser 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

My thoughts:

Excitement level: High

Kim Tae-ri looks so radiant! I am so excited by the pedigree of this drama. I have adored Kim Tae-ri since Little Forest, Nam Joo-hyuk has had a special place in my heart since Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, and You are My Spring was one of my favorite dramas of last year. This show looks perfect for the upcoming spring season, all light and fresh and youthful. Definitely gives Our Beloved Summer vibes, but something tells me I’ll like this one more. I’ll definitely be tuning in!

Feb 12: Forecasting Love and Weather (기상청 사람들: 사내연애 잔혹사 편)

Airing location & schedule: Saturday/Sunday on JTBC (streaming on Netflix).

Cast & crew: Park Min-young (When the Weather Is Fine), Song Kang (Nevertheless,), Yoon Park (You are My Spring), Yura (Radio Romance). PD: Cha Young-hoon (When the Camellia Blooms). Writer: Seon Yeong (Drama Special Season 3: Like a Miracle).

One-line synopsis: Bright and shining romance blossoms between coworkers in the Korean Meteorological Agency while they live their day to day lives.

Goodies: Script reading, teaser 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, trailer

My thoughts:

Excitement level: High

I know international fans hate long titles, but can I just say that I actually prefer the Korean sub-title, The Cruelty of Office Romance? I don’t know why, but the “cruelty” just really piques my interest. I love me some Park Min-young and I’m really in the mood for light and frothy romance, so I’m going to eat this one up! Song Kang, on the other hand… well, he’s going to have to work very hard to get the sour aftertaste of Nevertheless, out of my mouth. Han So-hee managed to do it with My Name, though, so I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I’ve seen a lot of people criticize Park Min-young for taking so many romance roles but… she’s good at it? Why do people always get their panties in a twist about someone else’s career? She’s playing to her strengths and doing rom-coms while she’s still young enough to get offered them and I applaud her for it. I’m skeptical about the chemistry between her and Song Kang, but let’s be honest, Park Min-young is a chemistry fairy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything where I didn’t feel sparks, so I’m going to have trust in her expertise. I’ve been rewatching When the Weather Is Fine recently because it’s the perfect time of year, and I can’t get over how stupidly pretty and charismatic she is. I can’t wait to have her on my screen again!

Feb 16: Thirty-Nine (서른, 아홉)

Airing location & schedule: Wednesday/Thursday on JTBC (streaming on Netflix).

Cast & crew: Son Ye-jin (Crash Landing on You), Jeon Mi-do (Hospital Playlist 2), Kim Ji-hyun (Artificial City). PD: Kim Sang-ho (Ping Pong Ball). Writer: Yoo Yeong-ah (Encounter).

One-line synopsis: Three women who have been best friends since high school share their emotional, hilarious, unexpected lives as they are about to turn 40.

Goodies: Script reading, teaser 1, 2, 3, 4

My thoughts:

Excitement level: High

Has there ever been a drama with a girlfriend trio that disappointed? Work Later, Drink Now, Be Melodramatic, Into the Ring, Because This is My First Life, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, and now Thirty-Nine. This drama will have to be really bad in order to disappoint me, because while my expectations are high, I just want to see these three fantastic actors be best buddies. Really. That’s all I’m asking for! I’m very excited to see Son Ye-jin back on the small screen, and I hope this will finally be the drama of hers that I end up loving. I think she does a fantastic job in her films, but her drama choices never quite pull me in.

Feb 16: Grid (그리드)

Airing location & schedule: Wednesday on Disney+.

Cast & crew: Seo Kang-joon (Love Refresh), Kim Ah-joong (Live Up to Your Name), Kim Mu-yeol (Bad Guys: Vile City), Kim Sung-kyun (D.P.), Lee Si-young (Sweet Home). PD: Khan Lee (The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful). Writer: Lee Soo-yeon (Stranger 2).

One-line synopsis: A ghost that disappeared after saving humanity years ago reappears and helps a serial killer escape.

Goodies: Script reading, trailer 1, 2

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Medium

Okay, this synopsis doesn’t sound all that great, but considering this writer and this cast, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Sadly, I don’t have Disney+ and they haven’t been releasing their Korean content outside of Asia anyway so I’ll have to pirate this, but if I hear good things I definitely plan on picking this up. I’m always up for more Seo Kang-joon, and I’m fascinated to see this writer tackle the fantasy genre (I know it’s billed as sci-fi, but unless the ghost isn’t really a ghost, I’m calling this fantasy).

Feb 16: Semantic Error (시맨틱 에러)

Airing location & schedule: Wednesday/Thursday on Watcha.

Cast & crew: Seoham (One Fine Week 2), Jaechan (Youtuber Class Season 2).

One-line synopsis: Based on a manhwa, an inflexible engineering major finds himself in hot water when his decision to remove the names of the freeloaders on his group project ruins the academic plans of the school’s most popular student.

Goodies: Teaser 1, 2

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Low

This appears to be Watcha’s first original drama, so I’m curious to see how it fares in terms of popularity. Watcha is a more mainstream company than most others who have produced content centered on gay couples, so maybe this one will reach a wider audience. I have to say, the teasers seem MUCH higher budget than most of the Korean “BL”s I’ve seen!

Feb 18: I Haven’t Done My Best Yet (아직 최선을 다하지 않았을 뿐)

Airing location & schedule: Friday on TVING.

Cast & crew: Park Hae-joon (The World of the Married). PD: Im Tae-woo (Sketch). Writer: Park Hee-kwon (The Third Charm), Park Eun-young (Vivid Romance).

One-line synopsis: Based on a Japanese manga and film, a man in his 40s shocks his father and his daughter when he announces he is quitting his job to become a webtoon writer.

Goodies: Teaser 1, 2

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Medium

That’s a relatable title if I ever saw one! What can I say? I kind of like dramas about seemingly pathetic people doing things that disappoint the people around them, only to come out the other side as winners (which I’m assuming is what this drama will do). I’m not overly familiar with the cast or the crew, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for this one.

Feb 21: Business Proposal (사내 맞선)

Airing location & schedule: Monday/Tuesday on SBS (streaming on Netflix).

Cast & crew: Ahn Hyo-seop (Lovers of the Red Sky), Sejeong (The Uncanny Counter), Kim Min-kyu (Snowdrop), Seol In-ah (Mr. Queen). PD: Park Sun-ho (Wok of Love). Writer: Han Sul-hee (Ugly Miss Young Ae Season 17), Hong Bo-hee (High Kick! The Revenge of the Short Legged).

One-line synopsis: Based on the webtoon Office Blind Date, a young woman goes on a blind date in place of her friend and acts as obnoxious as possible so the suitor loses interest, only to discover that he’s her new boss.

Goodies: Teaser 1, 2

My thoughts:

Excitement level: High

Oh, this is SUCH a dramarrific setup! The whole blind date angle reminds me of She Was Pretty, and I’m honestly totally on board to watch a classic k-drama rom-com. I hear it’s also a contract relationship, so we seem to be checking off all the boxes of your quintessential old-school, shenanigan-filled romance. This could be absolutely delicious or absolutely horrible, but I’m obviously hoping for the former. No matter which way it goes, I’ll be watching–at least at the beginning.

Feb 23: Kill Heel (킬힐)

Airing location & schedule: Wednesday/Thursday on tvN (streaming on Viu).

Cast & crew: Kim Ha-neul (18 Again), Kim Sung-ryung (Going to the Blue House Like This), Lee Hye-young (A Year-End Medley: Extended Version). PD: Noh Do-cheol (Partners for Justice: Season 2). Writer: Lee Choon-woo, Sin Kwang-ho (Schoolgirl Detectives).

One-line synopsis: Three very different women struggle to achieve their dreams and desires at the home shopping network they work at.

Goodies: Teaser 1, 2

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Low

Are home shopping networks still a thing? I guess I figured that in the day and age of the internet and Amazon they would have been made obsolete. Even just thinking of home shopping networks makes me think of Dal Ja’s Spring! I love stories centered around women, but I’m not particularly attached to anyone in the cast (although Lee Hye-young was phenomenal in Mother) and nothing about the poster or the teaser really pique my interest. If this ends up being really good, though, I very well might pick it up!

Feb 23: Sponsor (스폰서)

Airing location & schedule: Wednesday/Thursday on iHQ, MBN.

Cast & crew: Lee Ji-hoon (River Where the Moon Rises), Han Chae-young (A Pledge to God), Ji Yi-soo (When the Camellia Blooms), Koo Ja-sung (Genesis). PD: Lee Cheol. Writer: Han Hui-jeung.

One-line synopsis: Four people run towards their various desires, including success, revenge, children, and love.

Goodies: Teaser 1, 2

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Low

Yes, this is another show that was postponed. I originally included Sponsor in my November round-up last year, but the production became rife with conflict and filming had to be suspended. The writer AND director ended up being replaced because of it all. Sounds like a hot mess! One that I will be avoiding at all costs!

I think they did some reworking with the footage that they had already shot, because they made the original teasers private and released new ones. They do nothing to make me more interested.

Feb 24: Cherry Blossoms After Winter (겨울 지나 벚꽃)

Airing location & schedule: Thursday/Friday on Heavenly (streaming on Viki).

Cast & crew: Ok Jin-wook (Be My Dream Family), Kang Hui (Life of Jung, Lee, Ro, and Woon). PD: Yoon Joon-ho (Justice Team).

One-line synopsis: Based on a webtoon, after both of his parents pass away, a boy moves into his friend’s house, and their relationship begins to turn romantic.

Goodies: N/A

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Medium

Unlike most of the gay Korean romances we’ve been getting, this one involves a team that has a bit more experience, which raises my expectations somewhat. Also, I admit that I’m just a sucker for cherry blossom and spring motifs, and I really like both the title and the poster. I can be shallow sometimes.

Feb 25: Juvenile Justice (소년 심판)

Airing location & schedule: Friday on Netflix (all 8 episodes).

Cast & crew: Kim Hye-soo (Hyena), Kim Mu-yeol (Bad Guys: Vile City), Lee Sung-min (Money Game). PD: Hong Jong-chan (Her Private Life). Writer: Kim Min-seok (Notebook from My Mother).

One-line synopsis: A judge who works with juvenile offenders must balance her personal negative feelings towards young criminals and her duty as a fair administer of justice in a society that pushes young people to the brink.

Goodies: Teaser

My thoughts:

Excitement level: High

I love it when K-dramas really tackle social issues, so I have high hopes for this drama that seems to be addressing a hugely complex and controversial topic in Korea right now. There is a lot of discussion lately in the news and media about Korea’s Juvenile Act which, among other things, prevents children under the age of 14 from receiving criminal punishment. You can read the law in English here at the Korea Legislation Research Institute’s website. Kim Hye-soo is always a delight to watch, as is Lee Sung-min, so I really hope the script can live up to the stellar cast. I don’t recall any dramas that have specifically been about juvenile offenders, so I love how this show is taking the tired, overworked legal drama and turning it into something new and, hopefully, refreshing and nuanced.

Feb 28: Military Prosecutor Doberman (군검사 도베르만)

Airing location & schedule: Monday/Tuesday on tvN.

Cast & crew: Ahn Bo-hyun (My Name), Jo Bo-ah (Tale of the Nine Tailed). PD: Jin Chang-gyu (CHIP-IN). Writer: Yoon Hyun-mo (Lawless Lawyer).

One-line synopsis: Two very different military prosecutors, one who only cares about money and success and another who only cares about revenge, team up and start to learn from each other.

Goodies: Script reading, teaser 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Medium

I’ll be honest, I don’t get the Ahn Bo-hyun thing. At all. He’s just never really impressed me very much in any of the roles I’ve seen him in. However, I stay open-minded about all actors, because so much depends on directing and writing, so I’m willing to give him a chance. I’ve loved Jo Bo-ah since the Shut Up: Flower Boy Band days, so if anything I’ll watch this just for her! I’m so glad she’s playing lead roles again after a string of years stuck as the second lead.

Feb TBA: Shinjikki (신지끼)

Airing location & schedule: on YouTube.

Cast & crew: Lee Yul-eum (Nevertheless,), Shim Jin-hyuk (I Hate Going to Work). PD: Park Chae-woon (Meet Mr. Daddy), Choi Jung-min (Path).

One-line synopsis: Based on the myth of Shinjikki of Geomun Island, an exiled naval general in the Mahan period falls in love with a mermaid who can see the future.

Goodies: Trailer

My thoughts:

Excitement level: Medium

Okay, I’m fascinated by this. Yes, it looks super low-budget and there is so little information available right now, and almost nothing in English (just really bad English subtitles on the trailer), but I can’t recall a single drama set during the Mahan period. Mahan was a confederacy in modern-day Chuncheong and Jeolla from around the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD. It’s an earlier period than most sageuks portray, predating Baekje and the Three Kingdoms period. There have been multiple mermaid stories in dramaland (The Legend of the Blue Sea, Surplus Princess), but none that focus exclusively on ancient myth. I highly doubt this will have very good subtitles, but I really would like to check it out in the future.

There are a few shows that are supposed to air in February that I’ve left off the list because they don’t have a specified date and/or don’t have any promo materials. KBS’s Crazy Love starring Kim Jae-wook, Krystal, Yoo In-young, and Ha Jun was supposed to begin airing in February but no date, posters, or teasers have been released yet. Season 2 of MBC and wavve’s Tracer will be coming February 18, but considering the fact that the second season is airing less than a month after the first season ended, I really don’t consider it a second season. JTBC’s Flying Butterflies starring Kim Hyang-gi, Oh Yoon-ah, and Choi Daniel was supposed to air on February 14 but has been postponed multiple times with no promo material available. Season 3 of TV Chosun’s hit makjang Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) (that I’ve brainlessly been following) is scheduled to air on February 26, with even star Park Joo-mi sharing the date on her Instagram post recently, but no posters or teasers have been released yet. I’m skeptical that any of these will actually be released in February, and I anticipate many of them will be pushed off to March or April instead.

But even without those shows, this February batch has me very excited! Which shows are you guys most eager to watch? Let me know!

Promises for February

So, I know I said I was going to write about All of Us Are Dead, but even though I actually really enjoyed it and found it an interesting twist on the zombie genre in a multitude of ways, the words just aren’t flowing. I don’t feel like writing about something serious, and I’m not going to force it. This blog is supposed to be fun, yeah?

But at the same time, I have to have consistency or else this blog will never become what I want it to be! And so I’m outlining some promises here for February. Posts that I WILL write. That I PROMISE to write. If I don’t write about even one of these topics, please feel free to harass me on all social media platforms until I give in. I need to be held accountable!

Me at myself

My analysis/rant about Nevertheless, is still my most popular post on this blog, and so I am planning on building on that momentum and doing more dramas vs. webtoon types of posts. I’ve begun to really enjoy reading webtoons, and I love doing comparison posts! So next month, you can expect the following posts:

Film vs. Webtoon: Love and Leashes

Drama vs. Webtoon: Business Proposal

These are two webtoon adaptations that will be coming soon, and I’ve already begun reading the source material for both of them as preparation! The Love and Leashes post will be a full-blown comparison, while the Business Proposal post will be more of a first impressions.

I’m also going to promise to do first impressions posts on all the dramas slated for streaming on Netflix, because I know for sure they will be subbed (and subbed quickly). So next month you can also expect:

Twenty Five Twenty One (First Impressions)

Forecasting Love and Weather (First Impressions)

Thirty-Nine (First Impressions)

And you can also expect a full review of the upcoming Netflix Original Juvenile Justice!

So there it is, everyone! I’ve made multiple promises for the month of February, and I WILL FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THEM! I promise! I’m writing each and every one down in my planner, which is my bible!

And if I don’t…

You can punish me.