#2019 tracker

Part 1

Animes

Aggretsuko

I am really enjoying this! Finished s1 and am on s2. I really enjoyed the show! I liked all the friendships that Retsuko develops throughout the season and how her relationship with her coworkers evolve. A really pleasant workplace anime.

Mob Psycho 100

Originally planned to read it before watching the anime but... will probably binge it. 2020 Update - So I did end up reading 3 volumes before watching the anime. And then I just binged it. My thoughts are here.

Dramas

He is Psychometric

DNF - I really was intrigued by the premise initially as it was quite unique. I also did really enjoy the main cast and was especially interested in the brother’s backstory. However, there was just a point in the drama where all the intrigue that they built up just stopped to interest me. It definitely had to do with the tonal switch to more romantic between the main two characters. Maybe I’ll come back to it... But I am wary as a I heard that the ending was not well received.

The Last Empress

It’s a HOT Mess. Would I recommend the show? No. 

Did I enjoy it? Yes, most of it. There was a point where I knew the plot had no meaning as it was so badly cast into the back-burner by the writers that I began to enjoy the show on how utterly ridiculous it was. Kind of like how people enjoy bad movies like The Room. Don’t watch it if you expect a good plot, consistent characterizations (or even a coherent plot).

So here’s the thing, the show had potential. It started out super dark and focused on politics, manipulation and featured the emperor who is a sociopath. The show had decent-ish pacing and it seemed promising as it was initially like watching a political thriller show. But after a few episodes, the core aspect of the show began to shift as it focused more and more on the main female character (The Empress) and as her part in the story became more prominent. It became very inconsistent (plot-wise and character-wise), became more of a rom-com and really undermined the tone set by the first part of the show. Lots of interesting characters were unceremoniously shoved into arbitrary boxes, character motivations went to shit. Whenever I thought the show couldn’t get any worse - it did. But, as I gave up on the actual plot, I just found it all to be very funny. I laughed at how the writers dug themselves into a deeper and deeper hole with the characterizations of what was once interesting characters... it felt like they fired the only writer that gave a fuck and replaced them with a bad fanfiction writer. Especially when they decided to create a sort of love triangle out of NOWHERE. Warning: even I couldn’t enjoy the cop-out ending episodes (last 4 or so) that they gave to this show.

It’s absolutely no wonder why I haven’t heard about this show before.

Stay Tuned! aka Channel wa sono mama!

A Japanese mini-series based on a manga about a news station (HHTV) with how the news crew comedically deal with their new idiot hire. It was a really fun watch! Definitely recommend for people who want to watch something light! Loved it! :D

Such a good show! I already miss it!

Kingdom

It’s definitely interesting. A very bingeable show as each episode ends on a cliff-hanger. Man, Bae Doona is doing well after Sense8. Also I can’t believe the prince was the same actor as the prince from Goong/Princess Hours. 

Avengers Social Club

DNF - Will hopefully finish it off. 

I love the main female leads. They are each so adorable and I love their friendship with one another. Hee Soo and the step-son have a cute friendship which is lovely to see. I like that all the relationships are developing slowly. From the first episode this drama definitely had a different vibe than the typical kdrama as it was way more toned down in the melodrama aspect (in comparison) which was nice. I also like that the characters are far more grey and complex, and the writing team seems to be doing a great job so far. Excited to keep watching!

Psychopath Diary

I am enjoying it so far. I LOVED episode four, and I am looking forward to it.  Yoon Shi Yoon is so adorable even when brainstorming his little murder plots. Hope that the show moves forward in a direction that keeps me interested. Fingers crossed.

Episode 14 though. Gave me high hopes for how they wrap the show up. Definitely the drama I enjoyed the most in 2019!

Update: So I finished the show! I really enjoyed the show overall and it was definitely one of the kdramas I was more invested in 2019. I really enjoyed the show overall, I did think that that being said I was not completely blind to the faults. But, I think that the strong writing (for the most part), the characters and their respective actors were more than enough to make the drama enjoyable even if it did have a couple of plot-holes or things that didn’t make sense in it. I am really glad there was no huge emphasis on a romantic aspect between Bokyung and Dongshik given the pacing and the way the story was unfolding. I am slightly disappointed with Bokyung’s role in the end of epi15/beginning of epi 16 because I did hope that she would be given a more integral part but... alas it is a kdrama afterall. I do think that it was great her role had a lot to offer and personally I thought she could have carried the show a bit more if she was given the chance.

TV Shows

The Good Doctor s3

Trying to keep up with it as it airs. 

Schitts Creek s2 & s3

Great casual viewing. So funny and love all the characters. I love John’s acceptance of Schitts Creek and Roland and Jocelyn during the anniversary dinner episode. So adorable! Also, I really love Ted the vet.

The Witcher

Books!

Movies! 

Tv-shows!