As you may have noticed, I am attempting to catch up with my notes for Kdrama reviews by a slew of posting. As this will most likely be an ongoing project I will keep adding to each appropriate pages as I watching/finish things.
You can read the previous reviews listed below:
A-B
C-D
As always: Here's our grading key:
No
Meh
Decent
Pretty Good
Good
Awesome
Origin/Genre: Kdrama/Romantic Comedy/Medical Drama
Progress: In Progress
Rating: Decent
30 Second Synopsis: An estranged couple who married in haste and have repented in leisure run into each other when they start their residency cycle in the ER. His mother is a classic Kdrama monster, she can't handle the stress of the family tension. Add in a Dr. McDreamy kdrama style in the love triangle, some exciting cases, and amusing secondary characters.
Verdict: Song Ji Hyo is awesome on Running Man and awesome on this - but it got a little soggy in the middle - there was a SQUEE Monday Couple shout-out when Kang Gary (also of Running Man) appeared as a cabbie to take a rather incapacitated Ji Hyo safetly on her way. I started the show because I like Ji Hyo's film work as well as her being a total and undisputed Ace on Running Man - but ... I'll probably finish it at some point
Watch it on: Dramafever, Hulu, Viki
Would I/Do I Own It?: Maybe? I still haven't finished it, so...
Standalone Review?: Obviously no.
Origin/Genre: Kdrama/Romantic Comedy/Kpop Vehicle
Progress: Finished
Rating: Decent
30 Second Synopsis: A (college age?) girl who can't quite get her life together is stuck working as a maid for her mom's rental properties. Then EXO (yes, that EXO) move in to one of the houses. It goes about as well as expected. Also the girl blushes horribly pink (and by horribly I mean the CGI needed a little work too) whenever she's embarrassed - which is pretty much constantly. She also has a similarly kerflept brother who grinds his own coffee in a mill, does martial arts practice in the yard next to the tent he lives in, and has no idea who EXO is.
Verdict: I watched this partially because I was like, meh, I'm packing why not- it looks like fluff, and partially because some of my students who love all the younger Kpop groups LOOOOVE EXO and I hadn't bothered to figure out who everyone in the giant group was. Sadly, this show sorta only helped because only half of the group was on the show except for brief cameos when they were all prepping for a performance or a photo shoot.
EXO played versions of themselves (it reminded me of like an extended running man plot) and it was silly and funny and the girl had about as much personality (as E puts it) as a bowl of mashed potatoes. I can only assume this is so the tons of starry-eyed fan girls watching could imagine themselves in her place. It was like - watching decently written fanfic, actually - fun, harmless, but a little waaaae?
Watch it on: Dramafever
Would I/Do I Own It?: Meh
Standalone Review?: Nah.
Origin/Genre: Kdrama/Saguek/Fantasy/Action
Progress: Finished
Rating: Awesome!
30 Second Synopsis: A self-absorbed plastic surgeon who gave up being a "real doctor" and would just like to meet a hot rich guy and open her open clinic gets rudely kidnapped by the smoking hot captain of the royal guard back in the Joseon period when he mistakes her for "the Great Doctor" of the future. He's on a mission to save the princess/queen from death after the royal entourage was attacked by nefarious villains (who of course! have many complicated evil plans.) The doctor must try and save the princess and therefore preserve history as Korea knows it - oh, and not fall in love, of course.
Verdict: This was the very first kdrama I'd ever watched. Clearly, it was good enough to make me ravenously keep watching. Just...AMAZING: Lee Min Ho was a ancient Joseon warrior, Kim Hee Sun as a spoiled brat plastic surgeon, goatee stroking villains, sweet romances, no-nonsense Court Lady Choi, and a squad of bad-ass Woodalchi. Oh yeah, and random magic sword fights and a portal to through time. Sometimes the plots went in circles towards the ends, but let's blame that on production problems and keep watching, shall we?
Watch it on: Dramafever, Hulu, Viki
Would I/Do I Own It?: YES. It was the FIRST kdrama I bought, but I bought a subpar copy with bad subtitles- which I may have pawned off on someone- and I may have bought a better copy straightaway.
Standalone Review?: OF COURSE. It's Here.
Origin/Genre: Kdrama/Slice of Life/Romantic Comedy
Progress: Finished
Rating: Good
30 Second Synopsis: A young manhwa (Korean version of manga) writer runs into his high-school crush (who's now a famous swimmer) and through a series of misunderstandings the entire town thinks she's pregnant with his kid. Ho Goo has to decide either ditch the whole situation or step up and help out his prickly first love.
Verdict: This show was super adorable and sweet without making you feel like you swallowed a whole bottle of cough syrup. The moral lessons just sorta happened, I didn't feel like they bashed you over the head about "good choices" although the titles of each episode were pretty frickin' hilarious and sounded like something taken from a very tongue in cheek Health class. The two actors had unexpectedly great chemistry and the stakes seemed very believable and real in the particular drama of the actual unwed pregnancy. I liked that even though it was a comedy, they built a good relationship that didn't immediately fall into "simple" territory, but also didn't drag on in stupid filler episodes either.
Watch it on: Dramafever
Would I/Do I Own It?: It's on my wishlist
Standalone Review?: Not Yet
You can read the previous reviews listed below:
A-B
C-D
As always: Here's our grading key:
No
Meh
Decent
Pretty Good
Good
Awesome
Emergency Couple
 |
| https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WK_2DShZmLs/maxresdefault.jpg |
Origin/Genre: Kdrama/Romantic Comedy/Medical Drama
Progress: In Progress
Rating: Decent
30 Second Synopsis: An estranged couple who married in haste and have repented in leisure run into each other when they start their residency cycle in the ER. His mother is a classic Kdrama monster, she can't handle the stress of the family tension. Add in a Dr. McDreamy kdrama style in the love triangle, some exciting cases, and amusing secondary characters.
Verdict: Song Ji Hyo is awesome on Running Man and awesome on this - but it got a little soggy in the middle - there was a SQUEE Monday Couple shout-out when Kang Gary (also of Running Man) appeared as a cabbie to take a rather incapacitated Ji Hyo safetly on her way. I started the show because I like Ji Hyo's film work as well as her being a total and undisputed Ace on Running Man - but ... I'll probably finish it at some point
Watch it on: Dramafever, Hulu, Viki
Would I/Do I Own It?: Maybe? I still haven't finished it, so...
Standalone Review?: Obviously no.
EXO Next Door
Origin/Genre: Kdrama/Romantic Comedy/Kpop Vehicle
Progress: Finished
Rating: Decent
30 Second Synopsis: A (college age?) girl who can't quite get her life together is stuck working as a maid for her mom's rental properties. Then EXO (yes, that EXO) move in to one of the houses. It goes about as well as expected. Also the girl blushes horribly pink (and by horribly I mean the CGI needed a little work too) whenever she's embarrassed - which is pretty much constantly. She also has a similarly kerflept brother who grinds his own coffee in a mill, does martial arts practice in the yard next to the tent he lives in, and has no idea who EXO is.
Verdict: I watched this partially because I was like, meh, I'm packing why not- it looks like fluff, and partially because some of my students who love all the younger Kpop groups LOOOOVE EXO and I hadn't bothered to figure out who everyone in the giant group was. Sadly, this show sorta only helped because only half of the group was on the show except for brief cameos when they were all prepping for a performance or a photo shoot.
EXO played versions of themselves (it reminded me of like an extended running man plot) and it was silly and funny and the girl had about as much personality (as E puts it) as a bowl of mashed potatoes. I can only assume this is so the tons of starry-eyed fan girls watching could imagine themselves in her place. It was like - watching decently written fanfic, actually - fun, harmless, but a little waaaae?
Watch it on: Dramafever
Would I/Do I Own It?: Meh
Standalone Review?: Nah.
Faith/The Great Doctor
 |
| http://www.dramapassion.com/content/dramas/Faith_Big.jpg |
Origin/Genre: Kdrama/Saguek/Fantasy/Action
Progress: Finished
Rating: Awesome!
30 Second Synopsis: A self-absorbed plastic surgeon who gave up being a "real doctor" and would just like to meet a hot rich guy and open her open clinic gets rudely kidnapped by the smoking hot captain of the royal guard back in the Joseon period when he mistakes her for "the Great Doctor" of the future. He's on a mission to save the princess/queen from death after the royal entourage was attacked by nefarious villains (who of course! have many complicated evil plans.) The doctor must try and save the princess and therefore preserve history as Korea knows it - oh, and not fall in love, of course.
Verdict: This was the very first kdrama I'd ever watched. Clearly, it was good enough to make me ravenously keep watching. Just...AMAZING: Lee Min Ho was a ancient Joseon warrior, Kim Hee Sun as a spoiled brat plastic surgeon, goatee stroking villains, sweet romances, no-nonsense Court Lady Choi, and a squad of bad-ass Woodalchi. Oh yeah, and random magic sword fights and a portal to through time. Sometimes the plots went in circles towards the ends, but let's blame that on production problems and keep watching, shall we?
Watch it on: Dramafever, Hulu, Viki
Would I/Do I Own It?: YES. It was the FIRST kdrama I bought, but I bought a subpar copy with bad subtitles- which I may have pawned off on someone- and I may have bought a better copy straightaway.
Standalone Review?: OF COURSE. It's Here.
Fool's Love
Origin/Genre: Kdrama/Slice of Life/Romantic Comedy
Progress: Finished
Rating: Good
30 Second Synopsis: A young manhwa (Korean version of manga) writer runs into his high-school crush (who's now a famous swimmer) and through a series of misunderstandings the entire town thinks she's pregnant with his kid. Ho Goo has to decide either ditch the whole situation or step up and help out his prickly first love.
Verdict: This show was super adorable and sweet without making you feel like you swallowed a whole bottle of cough syrup. The moral lessons just sorta happened, I didn't feel like they bashed you over the head about "good choices" although the titles of each episode were pretty frickin' hilarious and sounded like something taken from a very tongue in cheek Health class. The two actors had unexpectedly great chemistry and the stakes seemed very believable and real in the particular drama of the actual unwed pregnancy. I liked that even though it was a comedy, they built a good relationship that didn't immediately fall into "simple" territory, but also didn't drag on in stupid filler episodes either.
Watch it on: Dramafever
Would I/Do I Own It?: It's on my wishlist
Standalone Review?: Not Yet
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