March and April 2024 Drama Reviews May 1, 2024

March and April 2024 Drama Reviews

Wedding Impossible

This drama is about A-Jeong (Jun Jong-Seo) who has been working as a extra in dramas and movies for many years and has been waiting for her big break without much success. She has a friend Lee Do-Han (Kim Do-Wan) who she has known since high school and he is a son of the LJ Group and his grandfather wants him to take over the company and to get married. Lee Do-Han doesn’t want to get married and asks his friend A-Jeong to take on the role of his wife and help disrupt his grandfather’s plans. The one problem is Do-Han’s brother Lee Ji-Han who wants his brother to take over the company so she tries to disrupt the marriage between his brother and A-Jeong.

I didn’t like this drama and found it to feel illogical and boring most of the time. The only parts of the drama that were entertaining and interesting was when A-Jeong was working as a extra on different sets and was using her special skills to do the roles. It was just weird Lee Do-Han has this big secret that he doesn’t want anyone to know and because of this he doesn’t to take over the company and really all he had to do was tell his secret to his grandfather and it would have solved the problem. It felt like most of the plot was unnecessary and superfluous and it wasn’t fun or exciting either. I did not find the love story to be interesting or compelling and I didn’t really feel the chemistry between the characters either. They would just randomly follow each other around and even the characters motivation and thoughts didn’t really feel like they made sense or felt right.

I feel like just because a webtoon does well doesn’t mean that if they decide to make it into a drama will automatically mean success especially if they aren’t following the webtoon closely. They seem to think as long as they have the support from the webtoon they can just do whatever they want and people will watch it. I haven’t read the webtoon but I am assuming they didn’t follow the webtoon closely. I feel like even though dramas will have the same type of tropes like the rich guy/poor girl story lines for example it was still enjoyable to watch. This somehow couldn’t even bring met the simple joys of watching fun tv tropes. The script was bad and the acting was much better so I wouldn’t recommend this drama.

Branding in Seongsu

It is about a woman who is a marketing team leader and is a cold woman that excels in her job and after an incident she clashes with her intern who is the opposite of her and they end up switching bodies. I had to quit this drama after a few episodes it was just too much for me when they started working on s*x toys. They really were trying to be liberal with this drama and that might be because it is a online streaming service but it was gross to me. I can have tolerance for cheesy acting or storylines but when it gets perverted I am going to drop the drama. Also the story line was really boring like they have so much to work with and funny scenarios of switching bodies and for some reason they made it so bland. I didn’t like anything in this drama from the few episodes that I watched. I do not recommend!

Don’t Dare to Dream/ Jealousy Incarnate

I watched this drama even though it was an older drama from 2016. It stars Pyo Na-Ri (Kong Hyo-Jin) who is a weather caster that wants to take her last chance of becoming an anchor and she runs into her old crush Lee Hwa-Shin (Cho Jung-Seok) who has come back from abroad and will be back at the station again. They meet in the hospital and she helps him through his health crisis and in the process she meets his rich and caring friend Ko Jung-Won (Ko Kyoung-Pyo) who she starts to date. Even though this is an older drama it was so entertaining and interesting that it is still worth watching. It felt like a refreshing drama to watch since it has an interesting love triangle that is full of comedy and interesting characters. I never got bored with this drama even though it had 24 episodes.

The only thing that is a bit hard was Lee Hwa-Shin’s character is very much a jerk at the beginning of the drama and it is a bit hard to understand his character and I have hard time rooting for his character. I feel like he could have matured a bit more in this drama but he does mature somewhat throughout this drama. I also love the friendship between Hwa-Shin and Jung-Won and how the immaturity between each other also leads to growth by the end of the drama. The love triangle felt a bit fresh then most dramas and how they dealt with it and I found it entertaining.

I think it is important to note that people can grow but that doesn’t always mean that they can completely change into what you want. I think growth and helping someone to grow isn’t the same as trying to change someone into someone that you need. I really loved the comedy in this drama it is hard to find good romantic comedies that are actually funny. All the characters are interesting and add a lot to the drama. I would highly recommend this drama and I don’t really have anything bad to say about this drama.

My Dearest 1 and 2

This drama is about the Qing invasion during Joseon period that happened in 1637. It stars Yoo Gil-Chae (Ahn Eun-Jin) who is a carefree young noblewoman that has all the confidence in the world and even though all the men in the village think she is beautiful the one man she wants she cannot have as he is engaged to her friend. She meets Lee Jang-Hyun (Namkoong Min) a unique man that comes to their village and wants to settle down here for a while. Soon enough the invasion starts happening and Jang-Hyun may be the only man that Gil-Chae is able to rely on to get her through this tumultuous period.

The first episode or so I was not getting why this drama was so popular as the characters seemed somewhat obnoxious to me but I realized this drama is going to be about growth. They had to start somewhere with the characters so we can realize how they are going to change. Also there was talk about how the drama was somewhat based on Gone with the Wind. So the drama starts off with the typical type of drama but when the invasion happens the drama takes a sharp turn and they have to deal with terrible circumstances and everything starts to feel more meaningful and interesting. Emotions and feelings become heightened and this is where we start to see growth and leadership and it gets interesting.

This is an epic type of drama that has many twists and turns throughout and has many exciting and touching moments and many heart breaking ones. I think this is one of best dramas that I have seen in a long time. I think though the ending felt a bit drawn out I think they could have just given us a happy ending sooner. I can’t say I really have much for complaints I think it was a great drama that I would highly recommend.

Three Dads

This is a Japanese drama that seems to be based on 3 men and a baby. It is about three men that live together as roommates and one day someone leaves a baby and a note saying to take care of him that he is the father. None of them know who the father could be so they decide to just take care of the baby in the meantime hoping the Mother will come back. It is a simple and silly drama that is more light hearted and cute with only 10 episodes. Honestly it doesn’t really make sense that they don’t do a paternity test immediately because I think in reality you would have done it right away. Also they do a weird documentary style with this drama which doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense but you can tell they aren’t taking it super seriously. I mean there are some serious moments within the drama and the baby is adorable. The ending is pretty decent and I was still surprised with how it all ends so it a interesting, easy going type of drama. Not really the best drama but it was somewhat entertaining.

My Boss

This is a Chinese drama about Cheng Yao who is a new lawyer and gets an amazing job at a top lawyer firm and when she moves into her new apartment she finds out that the apartment has also been rented out to her new boss Qian Heng. She is trying her hardest at work and then has to come home and deal with a stubborn and hard to deal boss at home. I typically don’t really love modern Chinese dramas because they aren’t that well done but this one had some charm that made me want to keep watching. It is a typical love story that doesn’t really have anything that different or new but I guess I enjoyed watching the two leads. I have to say the character Cheng Yao I felt was somewhat annoying especially I found it hard to believe that she was professional lawyer most of the time. I wish they could have portrayed her as a more intelligent and professional because it felt like she seemed too childish at times. I think it a nice fluffy type of drama but I also wasn’t expecting much from this drama and thought it was decent for a Chinese modern style of drama.

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love

This is another Chinese drama that was getting quite a bit of hype so I thought I would also check out another modern drama. It is about Yin Guo who is a professional billiards player that decided to join a tournament in Hel and goes with her brother. In the middle of snowstorm she meets Lin Yi Yang who lives there helps them get a taxi and they make a connection with each other. As they spend more time with each other it is discovered that Lin Yi Yang has a deep history with billiards and is considered a genius in the sport.

This drama has a totally different feel then the typical modern Chinese drama and I think this is why it was getting a lot of attention. I think this drama at times is more about what is not being said between the characters and focuses more on the chemistry of the characters. I think that is what keeps the mystery and intrigue of the characters because they don’t talk much and it feels mysterious. You have to pay attention to the looks and body language and picking up silent cues. I mean at times I was so frustrated watching them on the screen because I’m like just say something to him. He will ask her if she has any questions and she never asks them and I am screaming like just ask him anything. Please just even ask what he is studying in college. So I found it somewhat unrealistic because it is hard to have a relationship if you don’t talk and the awkwardness would just kill me.

I also really wished they would have explained the different rules of the billiards games. I don’t know anything about billiards and I found it confusing at times when watching the matches. Also the show is definitely slow going and the amount of naps that they have are actually crazy, they really should have cut down on episodes if they were just going to nap alone or together every episode. Yin Guo’s character also made me frustrated at times especially when they are dating and he tries to be affectionate with her and always turns her head when he tries to kiss her. I like how they tried to do something different but I think it could have definitely been improved upon with the script but I think it is worth checking out.

Upcoming Dramas

Lovely Runner

This drama is about a woman who goes back in time after her favorite kpop star has committed suicide. She goes back to when they were still in school and wants to do her best to help make sure that the accidents don’t happen and she wants to be able to change the future.

Missing Crown Prince

This drama is a historical drama about the crown prince that gets kidnapped by his future wife. They have to go on the run and they do so together and love will blossom between each other.

Hide

This drama is about a lawyer who’s husband goes missing and she is left with many questions in his stead and has to pick up the pieces that he left behind. She starts to question every aspect of her life that she shared with her husband.

February and March 2024 Drama Reviews March 13, 2024

February and March 2024 Drama Reviews

My Happy Ending

This drama is about Seo Jae-Won (Jang Na-Ra) who is a CEO of a successful furniture company and quite well known by the media. She really has a perfect life with her husband Heo Soon Young (Son Ho-Jun) who is so patient and understanding and their little girl. She works very hard at building her company that she even has a stalker and things start taking a dark turn when she starts getting attacked and doesn’t know who to trust anymore.

This drama started out so good and was so thrilling for the first half of the drama and it really made you think about who is betraying her and trying to ruin her. There are a few leads that you have to think about and I really loved how exciting and it just kept you somewhat confused with the different leads. I really wanted the drama to continue in the same fashion, but unfortunately, I guess they had to reveal things slowly and I feel like it really started to lose some of the freshness and excitement the drama had earlier. I really did not like who they made the mastermind of it at the end because the motive was pretty convoluted. It just didn’t make sense for this person to take things this far. It just seems like jealousy was a pretty weak angle that this person would do these things and it just didn’t line up in my head. Again this drama probably had too many episodes so they just kinda ran out of material and had to keep adding different scenarios.

I have to say that they did try to delve a bit into mental illness with this drama which I thought was interesting. I like that they did try to normalize going to get therapy and being on medication that is prescribed by a doctor. I feel like this is a touchy subject especially in South Korea and I liked they tried to show an individual that needs help, but yet can still function well with some support. It wasn’t a perfect portrayal, but I admire they tried to bring this subject to the forefront of the drama. It also shows that mental illness can be caused by trauma and things that are out of our control and that it is okay to go and speak to someone about your past and things that happened to you.

I thought this drama started out strong, got a bit lost, but was still a decent thriller drama!

Love Song For Illusion

The drama is about a crown prince Sajo Hyun (Park Ji-Hoon) who has an oppressive father who he watched kill a whole family so that he could become King. He has a hard time dealing with being the son that his Father wants and developed a second personality who he calls an evil spirit Ak-Hee. He gets switched with his personality every time he sleeps so he often avoids going to sleep as long as he can. It also stars Yeon Wol (Hong Ye-Ji) who is the sole survivor from her family that the current King exterminated. Her sole focus in life is to go and kill the king and avenge her family’s death. She comes across the Crown Prince and meets both personalities and Ak-Hee falls in love with her.

I thought this could be a fun drama about a man with two personalities, but unfortunately I did not find as fun as I thought it could be. It also really delved into the whole spiritual side of it being an evil spirit so I skipped over those parts quite a bit and yet funnily it seemed to have little impact in understanding the story line. I personally see the 2^nd personality as a version of Sajo Hyun that is brought out because he couldn’t deal with the trauma that his Father causes. It was a way to protect himself, he created his own protector. Honestly over time it was confusing who we were supposed to be cheering for because at times Sajo Hyun gets tiring and Ak-Hee seems so refreshing and it all gets mixed up over time. I would have preferred them acknowledging that Ak-Hee was just a part of Sajo and that it was okay for Yeon Wol to care about him as well. This drama was also just too long and they really dragged it out for the ending.

One good thing is that it a good ending, even though it seems like a rushed ending. It was strange because they had so much time to end it properly but for some reason didn’t want to do that. I feel like they should give us more time when the couple gets together at the end it also just seems to end before we can even see them together. Also it seemed a bit weird that the main lead had a wife and its kinda weird because it just seems to be somewhat ignored. As long as they don’t have a kid together and he ignores her then it is okay.

This is just a mediocre fantasy/romcom drama.

Kissing The Ring Finger

This is a Japanese drama about Ayaka Haneda (Kanna Hashimoto) who is considered to be a beautiful woman that men seem to all fall in love with but she comes from a large but poor family. Because all the men fall in love with her she struggles to keep a job for a long period of time as it causes problems in her workplace. She is newly hired as a wedding planner and meets Togo Nitta (Ryosuke Yamada) the CEO of her company and he proposes marriage to her.

So this is a typical drama where it is a contract marriage and of course they promise not to fall in love with each other, but we all know what is going to happen. There isn’t anything really that unique or different in this type of drama, but yet it is still a fun ride and it doesn’t get boring since there is only 10 episodes. I have to say the exaggerated acting that is common in Japanese dramas doesn’t seem to be too much in this drama. There was nothing super mind blowing about this drama but it a decent easy going watch!

Plus-Sized Misadventures in Love!

This is a Japanese drama that is about Yumeko who almost dies in accident and when she awakens she has no memories from her life and instead has a bubbly and happy personality. She has struggled with her looks and was bullied and when she loses her memory she is able to become happy to be herself and is bursting with confidence. I was a bit hesitant to watch this drama because I wasn’t sure if they were going to be making fun of her looks in this drama but I am glad I did check this drama out because it is so quirky and endearing!

I love Yumeko’s personality so much in this drama and she is just so lovely that you can’t help but just love her! It is so much fun to watch her and see how she approaches tough situations. It was short again with 10 episodes and I wish it was longer or they would make another season. It did have some dark moments as it touches on suicide and the struggles she faced with being bullied for her looks. The one thing was it has a bit of overacting in this drama but yet it somewhat seems to fit her character at times. I found this drama to be pretty heart warming and really enjoyed this short drama!

Derailment

This is a Chinese drama that is about Jian Xiao Yuan who finds herself stuck in a parallel universe. In her world she was from a rich family that didn’t lack anything and now has come to a place where she has absolutely nothing and when she tries to phone her Father she calls Qi Lian who seems to know who she is in this world. Qi Lian is looking for a friend that disappeared from this current world and figures Xiao Yuan is connected to this. I thought this was a interesting drama that really held my attention almost all the way through the 30 episodes. I find that it was a bit too long with too many flashbacks that I tend to fast forward through anyway.

I really enjoyed the actress that played Xiao Yuan and her performance and found the story to be really interesting how she always strives to do her best and figure out her problems. Even though it has the fantasy element I also enjoyed just watching the ordinary things like trying to excel in her job and I like how the main leads don’t really get together until later on. I find it gets so boring when the main leads get together to early and then there isn’t really anywhere to go, there is no tension.

So the ending and the truth is not what I expected and seems really different but I love the journey that you go on with the drama. I like dramas that make you think or have good plot twists and it feels that way because you spend so much time believing one thing about the characters and then the truth comes out and it is completely different and makes you look at the characters and something completely different. Sure there is some things that weren’t perfect in this drama but I thought it was a decent drama that kept me engaged until the end. I would recommend this drama if you like a good psychological drama with plot twists!

The Autumn Ballad

This is a Chinese, Historical drama that is about a young girl Qiu Yan who gets married and the groom dies before they even finish the ceremony and her life is being threatened that she caused his death and should be buried with him. She has to rely on a cold man who is a Duke named Lian Yi who is crafty and always has a motive for everything he does. Qiu Yan is a very interesting character as she is very smart and seems to be able to get herself out of situation using her brain. She meets Lian Yi who is able to see through all her clever schemes and the way she can manipulate the people around her. It is really a match of their wits and often they have to work together to both achieve their goals.

Watching the dynamics of them two is enough of a reason to check out this drama. This drama also never stops moving at a fast pace and I keep thinking things can’t get worse for the female lead and things just keep getting worse. This drama would surprise me all the time and the plot twists keep coming all the time. I really enjoyed the ride of this drama. Even with 34 episodes it didn’t really feel that long and I kept wanting to keep watching more of this drama. One thing I didn’t like was the ending, I get they are trying to make her a strong female lead that doesn’t really believe in love, but I really craved a good ending for the main leads. I wished they would have given us time with them as a couple. I would say it was a great drama except for the ending. I really thought there was great chemistry between the main leads and I thought this was a very good drama.

Upcoming Dramas

Wedding Impossible

This drama is about an actress that has worked as a extra for a long time without being recognized in the industry and is having a tough time. Her friend is back in town and he doesn’t want to get married to the woman that chaebol family picked out for him and doesn’t want to inherit the company so he wants to hire her to be his wife. His brother wants him to inherit the company so he wants to stop this marriage from happening.

Branding in Seongsu

It is about a woman who is a marketing team leader and is a cold woman that excels in her job and after an incident she clashes with her intern who is the opposite of her and they end up switching bodies.