astromantic

毎日grind, 毎日rhymes

Tag: k-dramas

  • the catch up

    the catch up

    After finishing my round up post yesterday, I checked my handy dandy spreadsheet of dramas and realized that not only have I finished a measly THREE dramas this year (it is July), I also have a lot that I have left unfinished.

    Like, a lot.

    • Totsuzen desu ga, Ashita Kekkon Shimasu (3/10)
    • Okaasan, Musume wo Yamete Ii desu ka? (04/08)
    • Okusama wa, Toriatsukai Chuui (04/10)
    • Samurai Gourmet (10/12)
    • Hito wa Mita Me ga 100% (03/12)
    • Anone (02??/10)
    • Kangoku no Ohimesama (01/10)
    • Misty (06/16)

    Mess.

    Although I’m pretty invested in Life on Mars at the moment and nothing will stop me from starting Jo Seung-woo and Lee Dong-wook’s newest drama, I want to finish these by next month. I think that’s pretty doable… see you in the next summer roundup then, ahahah.

  • Summer ’18, Part 1???

    Summer ’18, Part 1???

    omfg I can’t believe I missed doing a spring roundup post. Real talk, I was not watching any dramas in the spring, which is a bummer to think about since I’m just wasting money on my DramaFever subscription…

    There are a few dramas that have piqued my interest (mostly on the j-drama side) but for now, I am watching the OCN remake of BBC’s Life on Mars.

    [white_box] MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR EPISODES 1-8 AHEAD. [/white_box] (more…)

  • Revisiting Ratings

    Although MyDramaList is the service of choice for a lot of people who like to track the dramas they watch, I prefer to keep things local and track it on an Excel spreadsheet. It’s pretty simple, and I have things organized by name and country. On occasion, when I feel very strongly about a drama (immediately afterwards), I’ll add a rating out of three stars. They’re usually classified as follows:

    * = recommended with reservation
    ** = recommended
    *** = strongly recommended

    And I do add half ratings. As I was looking through this spreadsheet though, I was a little baffled by some of the one- and two-star ratings I’d given to certain dramas. Why did I give Mystery Queen, a drama that brought me SO much happiness, 1½ stars and Surplus Princess three whole stars given THAT ending? Some of them I can understand: Liar Game (2014) got two stars while the original got only one, simply because the remake actually ended up being better, but my entire rating process is in need of some serious review. For anyone curious about the dramas I rated as recommended w/reservation…

    (more…)
  • Winter ’18

    Winter ’18

    Finally out of exam hell. First impressions for select dramas this season, plus what I’m considering and what I’ve completed. (more…)

  • unpopular opinions

    unpopular opinions

    I don’t actually LOVE romance dramas! The more likely story is that I’m super picky, not a fan of the frustration they inevitably cause me, and would rather avoid them altogether. Even when I think I enjoy one at the time, I end up looking back on it like, “man, that was wack.” LOL. I’ve been burned too many times!

    Usually when someone recommends a drama to me (or others), I cry a little on the inside when I come to find out it’s a romcom or heavy on the romance. I can’t help but think that there’s so much more to watch! I remember a time when I was just dipping my toes into k-dramas, and one of the best recommendations I received was to watch Vampire Prosecutor. It had exactly what I could enjoy in a drama; a compelling mystery, a great cast, and no romance. The supernatural element was a unique touch, too. That means no crazy interloping in-laws or rivals, noble idiocy, or other inane gestures that are supposed to be “sweet”. Being a jerk? Wrist grabs? Controlling or pushy behavior? Keep it!

    Even when a drama is popular for supposedly doing things the right way (Because This Life Is Our First is one that immediately comes to mind), I’m just sort of like… meh. Let me tuck into a drama about cults instead. Lately I’ve also realized that I prefer my romance to be the icing on the cake rather than the whole entree. Mystery Queen had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hint of a romance, two leads with great chemistry, and I ate that shit up haha. I love when dramas flirt around with the idea of a relationship without pushing it, because why ruin a good thing? (The Best Hit, I’m looking at you.)

    So, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, here are some rare favorites of mine (’cause I’m not that heartless!) (more…)

  • Fall ’17, Part 2

    Fall ’17, Part 2

    You can see part 1 here. Like a bum, I accidentally titled the post “fall”, when it should have been “autumn” to match all the other times I’ve done it! 😒 Oh well.

    [white_box] Contains light spoilers (very, very light) for Wise Prison Life, also very text heavy because I am lazy. Pictured image is from Keiji Yugami, episode… something. [/white_box]

    (more…)

  • spooky selection 🎃👻🌙

    spooky selection 🎃👻🌙

    How you know I’ve been busy: this post has been in my drafts, unfinished, since the end of October! But I don’t want to wait another year for Halloween to roll around, so I’m posting it now. 15 days before Christmas. Hahah.

    While thrillers and supernatural elements are a dime a dozen in dramas, I don’t think I’ve actually watched anything that is straight up horror. I could be wrong and such a drama might exist… if that’s the case, please let me know! Until then, here are some dramas that can make you just a little bit uneasy (lol). (more…)

  • Fall ’17, Part 1

    Fall ’17, Part 1

    ⬆️⬆️⬆️ AKA me after the first few weeks of school. Not really watching too much this season.

    Hito wa Mitame ga 100 Percent / HitoPa is a ticket to the chuckle bus. The drama has a habit staying on a comedic beat for a liiiiiittle too long, but it’s whatever. What I don’t understand is that they’re telling me NO ONE will even glance at Kiritani Mirei… are you kidding me? She’s cute. Mizukawa Asami is gorgeous. And the only thing tragic about Blouson Chiemi is her eyebrows. Suspension of belief is 100% required, but it’s still lighthearted and fun. — Episode 3

    (more…)

  • Forest of Secrets (fin.)

    Forest of Secrets (fin.)

    Wow. 끝났어. I’m overwhelmed. My heart is full and I’m at a loss for words, so this won’t be the 1000+ word type post I’ve been routinely banging out these past few weeks haha.

    [white_box] Mild spoilers for the last episodes (15-16). Thoughts are a bit all over the place! [/white_box]

    (more…)

  • Forest of Secrets (Episode 13-14)

    Forest of Secrets (Episode 13-14)

    Oof, my heart.

    [white_box] There is a spoiler for The King 2 Hearts, so if you haven’t watched that drama you might want to skip this post (or scroll past the first two sentences, lol. I should figure out how to make spoiler tags.) [/white_box]

    (more…)