Reviewing Drama’s I Have Watched Pt 2
My rating system goes like this: 1- Did not like, 2- Enjoyed but probably wouldn’t watch again, 3- Enjoyed and would watch some episodes again (or for movies may watch again), 4- Enjoyed and would watch again, 5- Loved
Korean Drama
Strong Girl Do Bong-Soon: 4/5
Strong Girl Do Bong-Soon is about a girl with super strength that is passed down through her family to all the females. She begins working as a bodyguard for the CEO of a gaming company, An Min-Hyuk, who is being targeted for inheriting his father’s company. This is another one that had a love triangle but was well handled so I actually enjoyed it. I love the character dynamics, Do Bong-Soon was strong but still very kind and humble which I think is hard to find anymore. Min-Hyun is arrogant, hilariously dorky, and rather naïve. I started it thinking that it would be funny and cute, and while it definitely was, I was not expecting the darker tones that quickly took over the show.
The Liar and His Lover: 4/5
The Liar and His Lover follow a genius music producer, Han-Kyeol or K, of the band CrudePlay who keeps his identity a secret, and a high school student who dreams of becoming a singer and is a huge fan of CrudePlay and its mysterious producer. It deals with the difficulty of achieving your dream, sticking to your morals, and opening up to love. This was really great, some of the later episodes got a little boring or annoying but overall it was really good. It took me forever to finish though as the episodes were hard to find when I tried to watch them, might be easier to find now though (update: It is now Netflix for some countries). This was the first show I had seen with Red Velvet’s Joy and I must say her acting was really great, she was super cute and really convincing. The song I’m Okay is one of my favorite songs ever, it is so soft and cute. I highly recommend this show.
High School 2013/ School 2013: 4/5
High School 2013 is about the struggles of being both the student and the teacher in a high school. It follows Namsun as he struggles with his past and the guilt from it, while learning to move on. While the main character seems to be Namsun, this show actually follows a lot of other characters stories Mrs. Jeong is an idealist teacher who was assigned to class 2-2 also known as the difficult class as it has many underachieving students. While Jeong believes that all students need is love and support, the new teacher Mr. Kang believes in a more strict, academic side of teaching. The two must learn to get along to help the students cope with both school and life. Meanwhile, many of the students are dealing with problems of their own like bullying, prepping for college, and the traumas of their pasts. Warning: This show does contain triggers such as suicide, abuse, and bullying. I really enjoyed this show, I finished it in exactly a week around school, work, and just general life. To be honest, while I love Namsun and he is my favorite main character, I do have a soft spot for Kim Min-gi, his storyline made me feel all the emotions and he had such amazing character development. I personally think he had one of the best, if not the best story line and character development in the show. Namsun and Heung-Soo was such an amazing storyline and friendship too. I especially love how they didn’t focus on romance at all really and mostly conveyed friendship and it’s own set of struggles which was really refreshing. The ending was a little more bittersweet but I guess that life, you can’t win every time.
Korean Web Drama/ Mini-series
Another Parting: 4/5
Another parting is about an alien who comes to earth for 24 hours to find the reason humans cry and a woman who just lost everything. It is a rather strange mini-drama but still so good and it keeps your attention throughout the whole series. I was confused by the ending, but I would definitely watch it again.
Love for a Thousand More: 2/5
Love for a Thousand More follows an immortal woman who hates men and love but works as a love counselor. When one day, a noisy neighbor moves into the apartment above her, she begins to question her stance on love and men. This show was pretty good but a bit on the boring side for me personally. It had its funny moments and a few plot twists but overall was a little lackluster. It was good during study breaks, but I probably won’t watch it again.
Ma Boy: 5/5
Ma Boy follows Geu-Rim as she enters an arts high school for the elite. She soon finds life at this new school won’t be exactly as she was hoping, especially when her roommate and the schools #1 female CF star, Irene, has a huge secret that Geu-Rim must keep. Absolutely love this one, definitely my favorite mini-drama. I watched this one in between study sessions and it is perfect to relax to and just enjoy for an episode before getting back to studying or just when you want to watch a cute show really quick to cheer yourself up. I will definitely be watching this again when school starts again. It is a bit goofy and cheesy at times but super cute and the parts that are awkward are great for a laugh.
Magic Cell Phone: 4/5
Magic Cell Phone is about a young man whose childhood friend and crush has become a popular idol. When he discovers that she is in a dangerous situation he is determined to protect her. During a walk at night, he comes across a lady who gives him a magic cell phone that allows him to protect his crush only three times, with some very dangerous consequences. I loved this mini-series; it was super cute with a darker twist. The storyline was adorable, and the actor and actress were super cute. I would watch this again when I’m back in school as each episode is the perfect length for a study break.
Unexpected Heroes: 5/5
Unexpected Heroes is about three teenagers who gain superpowers after their respective transplant surgeries. They begin to have dreams about the man who they received the organs from and use their superpowers to find out what really happened and if their donor’s death was really an accident. I love this Web drama so much; I have watched it a few times already and will watch again. It appears to have been set up for a second season however I don’t think there will ever be one which is so unfortunate as I have so many questions.
Chinese Dramas
Meteor Garden: 4.5/5
Meteor Garden is loosely based off the manga Hana Yori Dango, or Boys Over Flowers. When Shancai is accepted into the most prestigious college in China, she thinks school life will be a breeze. Unfortunately, that is not the case once she encounters the F4, a group of rich and handsome seniors who are the most popular, top students in the school. Si, the leader of the F4 who starts out as Shancai’s enemy, begins to fall in love with her, but Shancai has a crush on Lei, Si’s friend and the quiet musician of the F4. I love the dynamics between the F4, you can definitely tell they are childhood friends, and each has a very distinct personality. Some of the characters can get pretty annoying but they are still likable most of the time. At first, I was completely against the main couple and hated them so much. Especially after a certain scene, which I will not spoil but those who have watched it probably know what I’m talking about, but as the show continued, I started liking them more and more. The reason this show has a 4.5 is because I loved it so much and still do love it. However, towards the end it became very repetitive and kind of annoying to watch, almost like they ran out of ideas. I swear I watched the same story arc two to three times just in different cities. Despite the repetitiveness at the end I still love this show so much and would definitely watch again. My friend and I actually binge-watched a solid half of the series in two days during a sleepover, then took about five more days to finish the rest because life happened. It has some awkward parts with both the writing and the visuals but overall really great.
Chinese Web Drama/ Mini-Series
Intouchable: 3/5
Intouchable is about a high school girl whose boyfriend has disappeared after a date. She receives a card and meets a butler who tells her that she has to travel to multiple worlds and eras in order to find all 10 butlers and complete a contract with them in order to get her boyfriend back. This show was pretty enjoyable but rather cringy and confusing at times. They took inspiration from Twilight, Hunger Games, Game of Thrones and I'm sure many other popular books. This was actually one of the first dramas I watched, and I still do enjoy some of the episodes but I'm not too big of a fan. The actors were pretty good, but the storyline and writing could have used some work.
Part 1
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
