Me? Writing a drama roundup post? We are so back! A little late, but better than never.
Completed
Yu Yu Hakusho
I guess it’s a good thing I watched the anime as recently as last year! Drama felt too compressed, but with 5 episodes and a low (?) budget it couldn’t be helped.
Inagaki Goro and Takito Kenichi were really good casting. Takito Kenichi knows how to put on a show and is totally of capable of elevating material that isn’t that great, so he was the clear series MVP for me.
Don’t know why they couldn’t get a kid to be Koenma. No shade to Machida Keita. But I feel like him being a baby is such a pivotal part of his character!!
And the costume design was confused… I wasn’t sure what era they were going for — students were clearly in the 90s but can’t say the same for everything else.
Rating: 2.75/5
Marry My Husband
My verdict is that it was good but the last episode was cheesy in a way that was very hard for me to stomach. It could have and should have ended at episode 11.
It is also totally illogical that Ji-hyuk’s fate went to… Yura? That doesn’t work for me. There simply weren’t any established parallels to their lives like Jiwon and Ju-ran’s. Or Min-hwan’s life ending in the same way that hers did (which is a little shaky for me to be honest, but fate was leaving with something!)
Highlight was Jiwon confronting Su-min at the playground — the subtlety of Su-min’s expression the moment she could drop any pretense of being innocent was GODLY. Actually, the highlight of this show was Sumin. I could not look away from any of her scenes.
I hope this drama does for Song Ha-yoon what The Glory did for Lim Ji-yeon. She and Lee Yi-kyung were better leads than the mains, who were pretty one dimensional and perfect. We were supposed to root for them plotting murder, and I suppose Oh Yura was placed there so they didn’t seem so bad for doing it lol. That all said, I’ve never watched a Park Min-young drama on purpose but she impressed me in the first 10 episodes of the series.
Rating: 3/5
Kaso Girei
I have to get better about posting while I watch, but here’s what I thought about the first half:
Initially I thought Makoto would’ve been a great guru to lead their sect, but having the everyman (Kiryu FKA Zukki FKA Suzuki) as the figurehead makes so much sense. He looks dependable and he gives very sensible advice, it makes him very easy to trust. Even though the whole premise is not great (they need money), due to Suzuki’s background as a public servant, he really wants to do well for the people he is “serving”. I just wonder for how long he’ll want to serve the people rather than his pocket.
Kiryu seems like a good guy, and it seems like he wants to do good things. And he’s convinced himself that he can do some good and be “moral” despite ultimately doing bad.
***
Now, episode 8 should be submitted for something. I wasn’t expecting the twist and, ugh, the layers to that shit. The religious trauma! And the added surprise of Makoto sleeping with Asako… shared Eho Sanrinkai trauma! Yikes!
I knew Ishizaka was not long for the world, and I expected a dark turn (especially when you start mixing in big political figures), but Makoto’s story was the biggest shocker. I loved the moment he gave Kiryu a peck because it was just so real, like all the pressure left his body; the relief he must have felt! What an incredible scene.
***
I watched this week to week (and further delayed watching the ending because I was on vacation, not a great time to sit with my laptop and watch dramas), so I’m still processing it. It wasn’t a disappointing ending, but it was a realistic outcome for all the characters that was convincing enough for me.
Rating: 5/5
Considering
Brush Up Life, Futekisetsu ni mo Hodo ga Aru, some other things. This post has been in my drafts for a while (two months actually), so I’ve already finished a new set of dramas. Summer 2024 loading…