357. A Love So Beautiful 致我们单纯的小美好 (2017) Chinese

Hu Yi Tian, Shen Yue, Gao Zhi Ting, Wang Zi Wei, Sun Ning

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A

I watched this one because of how much I loved Put Your Head On My Shoulder and that probably made it harder to like this one. It's the same basic plot, spunky girl/stoic genius, but this one should have been called "A Love so Frustrating" because it quickly became obvious that they both liked each other, but for some reason they still weren't getting together. It did make sense why, but that didn't make it any less frustrating. She's the typical spunky, artistic, but not any good at school, girl who is in love with her neighbor and is constantly following him. Her determination to win him over is the entire plot of the show. He is the stoic genius who is super handsome so everyone loves him, but he's got some severe emotional and trust issues, which means that her devotion to him is actually attractive to him, but he's got so many trust and abandonment issues that he's too scared to actually voice his feelings. He's also a tsundere, which is like a double whammy.

351. The Tale Nokdu 조선로코 녹두전 (2019) Korean

Jang Dong Yoon, Kim So Hyun, Kang Tae Oh, Jung Joon Ho, Kim Tae Woo

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A

This is super late, so I'm not sure I remember enough to write a lot... and I'm also getting over a cold so my head is still cloudy as well. But I do remember liking it a lot. It's one of the ones that I looked forward to watching every week.

However, this felt like two different dramas: one where he cross dresses and one where the second male lead goes mega evil to stage a coup. They tie in together well, but the flavors are so drastically different that you forget the other one existed. I much preferred the cross dressing story too. Maybe because Jang Dong Yoon did a fabulous job, but also because it was different and refreshing while the highly political violent half is basically every sageuk out there. Not a bad thing, I did like all of it, its mostly how much it changed that made me forget. What I loved about it was that the characters didn't change even though how dire the situations got. They grew and adapted, but their basic character stayed them. Nokdu was Nokdu whether he was dressing like a widow or playing the soldier. You could even see the gradual decent of the villain into extreme measures. Just kidding, that was mind-blowingly unexpected. As was the death of who we all thought was the real villain.... wow.

352. Melting Me Softly 날 녹여주오 (2019) Korean

Ji Chang Wook, Won Jin Ah, Yoon Se Ah, Lim Won Hee, Jung Hae Kyun, Shim Hyung Tak

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A

This... wasn't great. I didn't hate it, but it did feel a bit burdensome to watch. It was ridiculous, not really compelling, and the episodes felt twice as long as they actually were, making it so I could only watch one episode a day max, and didn't mind if I didn't watch it until later that week when I had nothing better to watch. It just fell way short of its potential. However, it was still well acted, especially with the generational gaps, with the frozen people fitting in with their same age, but actually 40-50s friends. Like, Ji Chang Wook acted like a 52 year old in a 33 year old body well, by virtue of how behind the times he was, and his old fashioned standards, etc. The evil villain plot seemed like an afterthought, even though they were hinting about it the whole time, but it just wasn't well thought out, I guess. It fell short of the potential it could have had and instead slipped into the same bad tropes, making our second leading lady be needlessly stupid and occasionally evil- the stereotypical bitca. I do like how they redeemed that mistake though. They just should have not made that mistake in the first place, but baby steps, I guess. I think I agree with some of the opinions that were going around on Twitter (I don't remember who said it, sorry!) that Na Ha Young should have been the love interest, and that would have made for a much more interesting drama. Bridging an age gap instead of the typical bonding over the common ground of being displaced in time and age. Both work, but one is way more interesting and intriguing. Oh well. Even if it was weak at best, the actors gave it their all, and that went a lot longer than some dramas, because their actor choices were awesome, especially for the age gap. I believed all the younger people could grow up to look like those older peeps. It was probably the best part right there.

356. Put Your Head on My Shoulder 致我们暖暖的小时光 (2019) Chinese

Xing Fei, Lin Yi, Tang Xiaotian, Zheng Ying Chen

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A

I guess I really liked this one, or at least it was what I wanted at the time, because I literally finished it in one weekend, starting it right after my last one and finishing it like two days later. That was not great because I was supposed to actually get things done that weekend, but oh well. I guess that's what this weekend is for... But it was super cute, and addictive, and I really enjoyed it. It was seriously cute from episode one. It was very slice of life and coming of age, with a cute romance between an ambitious to be in advertising accounting student and a genius physics student. I think that dynamic is literally one of the oldest tropes (spunky girl/staid genius) but this one did it much better than most because he wasn't the classic stoic genius kid, but he was a fairly realistic scientist. She was also not the typical spunky girl, because she also super practical and had all the street smarts he was lacking in his academic smarts. I absolutely loved how they portrayed him in that aspect, because he was so clearly in love with her for the start, but his approach to it was so logical and scientific that you wondered if they would ever be on the same page.

353. My Girlfriend 我不能恋爱的女朋友 (2019) Chinese

Timmy Xu, Bridgette Qiao, Zhou Yi Xuan, Wang Jia Ning

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A

This honestly wasn't amazing or anything, but I still really enjoyed watching it. Not quite sure why because the story was a mess. It was very typical and full of those classic tropes, such as him having a temper and her having a "curse" so she couldn't find love. Of course she also has narcolepsy so every time she gets rejected, or something super awkward or stressful happens, she falls asleep. Which of course makes them meet under the worse circumstances, so she ends up owing him money and he can trick her into being on his show. All of it very typical and fluffy. But it also had some weird things that made it not typical. Yeah, Chi Xin had a bad temper, but he wasn't the typical possessive or jealous guy. In fact, I really liked how he actually never chased after her the entire time but became, instead, a best friend or even best frenemy, since they fought all the time. I also loved that during their brief time of forced living situation, she accepted those terms because of a misconception that was caused by his one moment of jealousy, which led him to jump into a kiss cam moment in the opposite way he probably intended. Kiss cams are also apparently the new accidental kiss, they seem to be happening a lot in Chinese dramas lately.

355. What's With Money? 얘네들 머니? (2016) Korean

Jung Da Bin, Cha Hak Yun, Hong Bin, Chan Mi

Drama Rating: 2/10     Neck Score: A+

I was bored, I found it on Kocowa, and it had Vixx members in it, so I watched it. It was terrible. Basically a glorified educational video on how to be smart with money, with some ridiculous makjang in it. I guess it was designed to help high school students be financially savvy, but it is so boring and horribly written. What acting skills N and Hongbin have were not enough to make up for dialog that was basically reading a financial textbook out loud rather than something people would actually say. It's weird because Hongbin is the rich boy gone crazy so he's rebelling and sulky, and N is the poor good kid who is super financially savvy, and that dynamic was weird. Really, the best actor was probably the mean girl, but she might just have had the best written part, and it was the classic mean rich girl. Basically the show was nonsense, and at the end there was a weird Liar Game style contest where they were summoned to a team quiz off to deem their worthiness to join the financial club (cult?), but it made no sense. Then, to add insult to injury, there were supposed to be epilogues about all of the characters, which you had to vote to see, but since it was way later, they were not on Kocowa, so I didn't get to see any of them. I suppose I could maybe find them on YouTube, but I didn't care enough. But that ending had a very Click Your Heart webdrama feel to it. Best part of the show: it's super short. Ten 15 min episodes with N and Hongbin's cute faces trying desperately to act with some of the worst writing. Everyone was a trooper, but they all could only do so much.

348. When the Devil Calls Your Name 악마가 너의 이름을 부를 때 (2019) Korean

Jung Kyung Ho, Park Sung Woong, Lee Seol, Lee El

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+

If nothing else, I loved the soundtrack. One thing I love about most music dramas is that the OST quality is much better, not always, but this time it certainly was. I have been listening to the songs I bought on repeat since I finished it. I am now a Liver and Gallbladder fan girl too. But the soundtrack wasn't really the only thing I appreciated about the show. It certainly wasn't what I thought it was going to be, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It was just very different. But I did love the connection between music and art and having a soul. Also the concept that someone without a soul can't make music and can't cry.

I'm not actually sure what I expected anymore, but it certainly didn't end up being like that. I knew it was the story about a man who sold his soul to the devil. He made a 10 year contract with the devil to be young and successful at songwriting. The twist is that the devil didn't just give him inspiration, but he stole songs from other people to be that inspiration, effectively making Harib (Jung Kyung Ho) an accidental plagiarist. But he did sell his soul for it, so I guess it's not really accidental. Just unknowing. Then we have the devil who is a best a fallen angel. Also as close to a grade 1 soul, who is the most generous person we could meet.

350. The Untamed 陈情令 (2019) Chinese

Xiao Zhan, Wang Yibo

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: A+++

Oh my gosh, obsessed! I literally watched it as fast as my schedule would allow, because it is very addictive. I am a bit glad that I waited until it was over (just because I was drama lazy and in a funk in general) because I could binge it as much as I wanted, but I am also a bit sad because I was late to the game and didn't get to join the live tweeting and conversation. I also knew a bit of what was going on because I had followed it so closely on Twitter. But it is totally worth all the hype. I haven't seen such a compelling story line in a while. Also didn't hurt that it was full to the brim with extremely handsome men, the major portion of which were also decent actors (there is also that handful that are not, but whatever, it's fine).

So it is a fantasy cultivation genre, where everyone is an immortal hero in training, so if you've seen any of those types of dramas, you'll be familiar with that, but what I like is that it spins that on it's head, since the story is about the "Untamed Hero" who isn't conventional to this cultivation and it raises the question of what is true. So there is a lot of mob mentality as people fear what they do not know, and also a lot of power hungry jerks who are willing to throw people to the mobs for their own gain. Basically there is a bunch of injustice and you might cry a time or two as crap happens in abundance. But, the storytelling of it makes it worth it. I remember wishing and wondering why certain villains had stayed alive as long as they did, but the pace was nice and there were several different arcs with different villains, so no one villain stayed alive for too long. Just longer than I wanted sometimes.

349. Melo is My Nature 멜로가 체질 (2019) Korean

Chun Woo Hee, Jeon Yeo Bin, Han Ji Eun, Ahn Jae Hong, Gong Myung

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

This was delightful. I love the dynamic between all the characters and especially the four housemate friends. They really captured what true friendship looks like with the way they interacted, or even just how they sat around in a room together. It was beautiful. I also loved all the developing relationships or mending relationships, with the four different couples. I also loved how meta is was, since it was a drama about a couple making a drama. Jin Joo (Chun Woo Hee) was essentially writing about her own life, so at times what was happening around her was represented in her writing process. Including the product placements. It was almost breaking the 4th wall at times as it played up the stereotypes and drama tropes. I actually laughed until I cried at the massage chair product placement scene. It was so perfect.

I loved the development throughout the show. Everything was super natural and progressed at a good pace. So much so that I thought we'd need 20 episodes to wrap up the whole show, but they managed to do it in 16 with a very interesting method, which totally worked, by playing up the meta.

I don't want to say too much without just telling every part that was amazing, but I loved the slice of life quirky humor and real situations, but also how it discusses real issues (like breaking the fart barrier) and doesn't shy away from being a bit different and meaningful. It was a very pertinent comedy. I really enjoyed it.

Korean Movie Night: Life Risking Romance 목숨 건 연애 (2016) Korean

Ha Ji Won, Chun Jung Myung, Chen Bolin

Movie rating: 5/10      Neck score: A

CAMPY!!! We were looking for a comedy, but we might have picked the campiest one of our selection. Not that the others might not have been any good either. But in my experience, Korean movies in the romantic comedy genre tend to be on the campy side. Anyway, it was also really fun and a bit of a troll. It was about a mystery writer in a slump (Ha Ji Won) whose imagination keeps her creating situations where she's making false calls to 911, etc. She's constantly bailed out by her best friend who is a cop (Chun Jung Myung). But that same imagination also connects her to the mysterious and handsome man who just moved in upstairs (Chen Bolin).

Maybe another reason we thought the show was extra campy was because it was probably 75% in English, because Chen Bolin was playing a Chinese American FBI analyst. Not that he and Ha Ji Won weren't doing a very good job acting in English, but it was still not natural sounding, since it they were speaking slowly and annunciating everything to make sure they pronounced everything correctly and clearly, etc. Also, the English dialog was weird sounding because it wasn't written by a native speaker either, just to add to the campiness.

But since this is a rom-com mystery thriller, it definitely had its share of twists, but rather than being unpredictable, they trolled us all the time, so that we weren't sure who the murderer was, because they kept trolling us by making it "possible" to be anyone, even if it wasn't logically possible. There was also the trolling of us not knowing what was her imagination vs reality, because she was constantly daydreaming and letting her imagination run wild.

But for all that, it was still really funny, especially with a bulk of the comedic relief being handled by Oh Jung Sae and Kim Won Hae, who are pretty genius in that department. In fact, I absolutely loved Oh Jung Sae's character so much, he might have saved the show completely for me. I loved him and his little ponytails. So, no regrets, but yes, it was bad. The last impressions as it ended were: what the heck 😂. But really, I think that's what they were going for, so.... good job?

Korean Movie Night: Little Forest 리틀 포레스트 (2018) Korean

Kim Tae Ri, Ryu Jun Yeol, Moon So Ri, Jin Ki Joo

Movie rating: 8/10      Neck score: A

An art house film filled with food. I was expecting it to be artsy, but I wasn't expecting it to be 75% her cooking food from scratch as a coping mechanism. Food prep as therapy taken to a whole new level, and I loved it. It made me want to move out to the middle of nowhere and just live off the land like that too. It is a way to go back to her roots and find comfort in the "little forest" that her mother had left for her in her hometown. But it did make me very hungry. I wanted to eat all the food.

Everyone did a really good job. Especially in the art house movies, where there is very little dialog and little to no background music, and it is essentially showing and not telling to the extreme, this is very important. I could tell they were friends from childhood, and they had their own struggles, and it was beautiful.

As confirmed members of team Ryu Jun Yeol, we were bound to love it no matter what, but it was also just really good. It was slow moving and quiet, but we were never bored. It was so visually appealing, it kept us interested the whole time. We were curious about each food she made, and learned more about her and what she was dealing with with each recipe. It was wholesome and comforting. It wasn't dramatic or even full of conflict. It was just healing- and lots of it. It was beautiful. Now I'm hungry again. I'm going to look up those recipes.

346. Before We Get Married 我們不能是朋友 (2019) Taiwanese

Puff Guo, Jasper Liu, Steven Sun, Phoebe Yuan, Nita Xia

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A+

I thought this was going to be an affair drama when I first started it, and the opening credits definitely seemed to confirm that, as well as the first couple of episodes. But the drama changed a lot as it went. Characters changed a lot as we got to know them and their motivations, but also as they grew and interacted with each other. Example: Chu Ke Huan came off as a douche (and borderline rapey even) in the first, maybe, three to four episodes. Li Hao Yi seemed like a nice guy, if not boring. Han Kefei seemed like an annoying and mean friend. But by the end, Ke Huan is clearly a sweetheart and the most observant and understanding guy, Li Hao Yi is an overbearing idiot, and Han Kefei is an MVP. It quickly showed that it wasn't about an affair, it was about character growth and realizing that just because something isn't wrong, or someone isn't bad, doesn't mean they are the right choice either. It's about self-discovery and getting out of a situation that would be eventually toxic, and maybe a potential affair (or should I just say meeting a person you click with more) can be the catalyst to realizing you need a change and need to change yourself. It also helped that Puff and Jasper have AMAZING chemistry. I loved them in Love Myself or You (aka Pleasantly Surprised), so this pairing was the reason I started in the first place. They did not disappoint in that aspect.

347. Go Go Squid 亲爱的，热爱的 (2019) Chinese

Yang Zi, Li Xian, Hu Yi Tian, Lee Hong Chi, Li Ze Feng, Chen Xi Jun, Wang Zhen Er

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A++

I had to see what all the hype was about. I'm admittedly on one of those weird blah watching kicks where I'm not motivated to watch or especially start much of anything, but this manages to hook me fast enough that I kept watching and then I quickly knew exactly what the hype was about. It's super addictive because you really just fall in love with everyone and especially all the relationships. I mean ALL of them. It's just as much about the friendships as it is about the romance. Also, the romance is absolutely fun to watch because it's two super awkward first timers who don't know what they are doing despite the age difference, and to see them bring out the best in each other and struggle to figure out what to do is pretty darn satisfying.

345. WWW: Search 검색어를 입력하세요: WWW (2019) Korean

Lim Soo Jung, Lee Da Hee, Jeon Hye Jin, Chang Ki Yong, Lee Jae Wook, Ji Seung Hyun


Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

I both loved this drama and got bored with it at the same time. I loved the three powerhouse women and their complicated and awesome relationship. I loved seeing them at work and together. For the most part I loved seeing their relationships, but I feel like there could have been less of some of them. In particular, I think they wasted too much time on the Ta Mi and Park Morgan couple, especially since it was a lot of the same things and was the main cause of the show being draggy. I'll be honest, I paid the least amount of attention to all of their scenes. On the other hand, I could have watched much more Hyun-Ji Hwan scenes, and ate up every second of Ga Gyung and her husband. I wouldn't have minded slightly more of them. But, ultimately, I just wanted more of the women being awesome.

This really was the show that we needed, focused on three women in the internet industry because it not only showed women in strong positions and highlighted some of the struggles women in the workforce face, but it also highlighted a newly powerful industry that hasn't really had as much focus: the internet search engines. Showing how much political and social power search engines have today was super fascinating, from the real time search trends, to social media and vlogging. Showing how it could destroy lives, cover scandals, or shoot someone to sudden fame was really interesting. I especially loved the constant discussion of ethics on the internet and how search engines need to be non-biased and impartial, fighting even the government to protect the privacy of the users.

In-Flight Film Time: Miko Girl 巫女っちゃけん。(2018) Japanese

Alice Hirose, Taiki Yamaguchi, Megumi, Naoko Iijima, Lily Franky

Movie rating: 8/10     Neck score: A

This might not have been the best pick to watch on a plane. I'm not sure Japanese movies are in general. Well, certain genres, which this fits into, are not the best. They tend to be quiet and slow paced. Because of the noise of the plane, I really couldn't hear what they said half the time. I knew they said something though, because I had the subtitles, so at least I still knew what was going on. But I really could only hear people when they were upset and shouting, and then it was too loud because I kept turning it up trying to hear the tone of their voices as they said something. But, I liked the movie well enough in spite of that. I would have preferred to watch it without all the background noise that made it hard to hear though.

It is about a reluctant shine maiden who got into the business because her father is the chief priest. The shine is also losing money, and somehow her blase attitude makes her a scapegoat. She is constantly being "tutored" by the other maidens and priests which comes off a bit as bullying because of her dissatisfaction in her life in general. She is looking for a new job so she can quit working at the shrine, but she is blase about life in general and doesn't really have any dreams or ambition apart from getting away from the shrine. Then she finds a kid who is clearly lost/a runaway and she ends up caring for him as she is forced to take care of him.

In-Flight Film Time: Default 국가부도의 날 (2018) Korean

Kim Hye Soo, Yoo Ah In, Heo Jun Ho, Jo Woo Jin

Movie rating: 7/10     Neck score: A+

I'll admit that I chose to watch this one because from the tiny poster on the tiny plane screen, Kim Hye Soo looked like Soo Ae (who I love). Also, it had Yoo Ah In, so that was another plus. Basically the cast alone kept me watching. It's about the IMF Crisis in 1997 when Korea almost went bankrupt. We have the four major players: Kim Hye Soo who plays an analyst at the Bank of Korea who has predicted the crisis and been ignored for years and is finally getting heard. Yoo Ah In who is a bank teller for the Bank of Korea who has also predicted the crisis, but quits his job to instead make money off of the situation. Then we have Jo Woo Jin who plays the Vice-Minister of Finance who also wants to take advantage of the situation to reform the economy and take power. Then we have Heo Jun Ho, who is a factory owner who gets screwed over by the crisis and starts losing everything.

343. Angel's Last Mission: Love 단, 하나의 사랑 (2019) Korean

Shin Hye Sun, Kim Myung Soo, Lee Dong Gun, Kim Bo Mi, Do Ji Won, Kim In Kwon

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A++

I think this show might be more fully appreciated if you happen to be a Myung Soo fan, which I am. I was sucked right in because of him. I love him and fully acknowledge he isn't the best actor, but I was super impressed with him in this. He is definitely getting better, which I love. Another you just have to know from the start is that it's one of those impossible situations full of forbidden love, so it's going to be a cry fest at times and then fall apart at the end because the set up make a happy ending that makes sense almost impossible. That is, it's possible, but the writers seemed to not want to use logic, so it kind of got weird at the end. But Myung Soo still made it worth it for me. Also, Lee Dong Gun. I love him. I especially love how he can be the second male lead/antagonist/villain and still rock it, being lovably loathsome, etc. Not that his character here was loathsome, he was an antagonist at best. But he rocked it, despite the writing of his character being weird. Like motivation-wise.  Basically the writing wasn't terrible, but it went downhill a bit as the drama progressed and went to pot by the end.

In-Flight Film Time: Big Brother 大師兄 (2018) Chinese

Donnie Yen, Joe Chen, Kang Yu, Jack Lok, Lin Qiunan

Movie rating: 6/10     Neck score: A

I knew what it would be before I started it, but my love for Donnie Yen made me watch it anyway. I would have probably preferred a movie with more fighting in it, but what fight scenes there were were definitely good. This movie is more about the schmaltz. It's 100% feel good and social commentary. It's about an unorthodox teacher who turns a class of loser misfits around and makes them care about life and want to try again the way that only an unorthodox teacher can. He's not only ex-military, he's also an ex-trouble maker and alumni from the school. He's basically the perfect problem solver. That's probably the schmaltziest part of the film, he manages to solve everyone's problems with his magic caring. Well, a lot of that is just talking through things and actually giving a darn, so it does make some sense, but it also is a bit too simple. There are of course difficulties. Bad decisions and consequences that lead to our teacher taking out a MMA champion to save a student (got to get a fight scene in somehow) and later a gang of thugs because of course some evil rich dude wants the school to close so they can make bank on a redevelopment scheme. But they also had to comment on the school system which drives students to give up caring or to commit suicide, so there was plenty of heaviness too.

342. The Secret Life of My Secretary 초면에 사랑합니다 (2019) Korean

Kim Young Kwang, Jin Ki Joo, Kim Jae Kyung, Koo Ja Sung

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

How did I forget to review this when I first finished it? I loved this drama and was completely lost when I finished it because I didn't know what to watch! I totally love watching anything with Kim Young Kwang in it, but he really was made for this role. Or this role was made for him? He shined like he never has before in this. I loved it. And now I'm a super fan of Jin Ki Joo too. She's so cute and great in this. I thought she did a super job too. And most importantly, they had the best chemistry, which for a romantic comedy, is super important.

But what makes this drama so delightful was that it wasn't a classic love triangle. I hate love triangles, they are so overdone. They are so badly done half the time too. So having two couples to love was absolutely wonderful. I absolutely loved Veronica Park. Kim Jae Kyung did a fantastic job making a lovable, over-the-top, MVP, rich girl who really was one of the smartest people in the show, even if she didn't mean (or want) to be. I loved her romance, I loved the friendship, both with Gal Hee and her little sister, she was just fabulous!

In-flight Film Time: Intimate Strangers 완벽한 타인 (2018) Korean

Yu Hae Jin, Yum Jung Ah, Cho Jin Woong, Kim Ji Soo, Lee Seo  Jin, Song Ha Yoon, Yoon Kyung Ho

Movie rating: 8/10     Neck score: B

I had been meaning to watch this for a while. Not just because Epik High quoted it's poster for their recent concert series, or because it has Lee Seo Jin, one of my ahjussi loves, but because it has an all around stellar cast, and the premise was super intriguing and it promised to be completely messed up. So when I saw it as an option in my in-flight entertainment, I jumped right in.

It is about a group of best friends for 40 years and their spouses who decide to play a game at a dinner party where they have to reveal their hidden life on their phones. Essentially answering every call on speakerphone and reading every message and notification out loud. Naturally it was going to get messy and tear everyone's lives apart. Not only would cheating and lying be revealed, but true opinions about each other, and their deepest secrets they weren't ready to tell even their best of friends.

338. Her Private Life 그녀의 사생활 (2019) Korean

Park Min Young, Kim Jae Wook, Ahn Bo Hyun, Kim Bo Ra, Park Jin Joo

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A

I think the only thing that sold this show for me was the OTP. Ryan Gold and Sung Deok Mi were #relationshipgoals. They were the most mature and well grounded couple in the history of rom-coms. They talked things out, supported each other, and were just generally super cute. That being said, there really wasn't much else to the plot. Nothing was super compelling, and because our couple was so good at working things out, nothing was a huge deal and was resolved in the same episode. Mind. Blown.


I even started calling it: Ryan Golded. When the previews make it seem like a trope is going to happen and it's going to cause the usual drama, but instead they solve it in a logical and swift manner so it's not even a problem. Dramas would be a lot shorter if everyone took this approach. But because of that, I do think that it was a bit less compelling than some. Maybe we're all just so used to a bit of makjang/horror/melodrama/any other genre being thown into our rom-coms that the lack of a strong plot or even something compelling, made it a bit boring. I was literally just having a conversation with the t-list about this. But I don't think it was the ridiculous drama that was missing, they tried to throw that in a couple of times and we didn't like it (I'm looking at you, episode 15), I just think that the plot wasn't very strong to begin with. It was a series of little instances that all centered around a group of people, with the OTP at the head.

339. My Fellow Citizens 국민 여러분 (2019) Korean

Choi Siwon, Lee Yoo Young, Kim Min Jung, Tae In Ho, Kim Eui Sung

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A

While I loved this one a lot, I also think it could have been better. I loved those moments where the couple became a power couple, working together to track down and catch the bad guys. He had the conman brains and she was the muscle that made the thugs run. It was awesome. But, that didn't happen as much as I wanted, and a lot of the show was full of instead their marital problems caused by the fact that he was lying to her about being a conman and felt super guilty about it. The driving force of the show was that he would do anything to keep her from finding out, because then, being a cop, she would probably leave him.

So, with that being said, it was still super fun. It was a political comedy, the romance was very secondary because they get married at the beginning, so obviously there isn't going to be that "will they won't they" aspect. There is just the "will she actually figure it out this episode" aspect of it. That was also a strong point, because then it could focus completely on the comedy, and really everyone was funny.

340. Kill It 킬잇 (2019) Korean

Chang Ki Yong, Nana, Roh Jeong Eui,  Lee Jae Won, Jung Hae Kyun

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A+

I wanted to like this drama way more than I did. It was just strangely boring for a 12 episode action drama. You know for a drama about an assassin, even called Kill It, there was less death than I thought, and the point seemed to be to NOT kill it. It was more of a melodrama than an action drama. And since both leads were chill, soft spoken characters, some of the scenes with them just sitting in silence, totally ok with that, made me fall asleep.

Also, it was short, only 12 episodes, but it still seemed to take everyone forever to figure things out. They just never seemed to put two and two together. She's a cop chasing the assassin, who is trying to hunt down his past. She figures out that is 88 way sooner than she figures out that he's the assassin. Somehow she was able to convince herself otherwise? And I knew what the bad guys were doing the whole time, why did it take them so long to figure it out? Because once they did it would turn into a rampage with lots of death like it did?

332. Never Let You Go 小女花不弃 (2019) Chinese

Ariel Lin, Vin Zhang, Ausitn Lin, Tiara Huang

Drama Rating: 5/10     Neck Score: A+++

I am at the point where I will watch anything for Vin Zhang and I need to stop, because while he is awesome, not all his dramas are. Also, he is usually the broody second male lead who never has a chance. That's why I was so excited for this one. He was the male lead and he wasn't an evil broody one either (not that he didn't have his broody moments, but those are hot, so I wasn't complaining about a few). To make it even better, Ariel Lin is the lead, and I love her, so I was really excited for this one. But, in true C-drama fashion, the drama took some drastic turns to the point that it became completely unrecognizable by the end. But the redeeming quality was that the main couple is cute beyond all reason. Yes, I watched just for them, but it was too long a drama for just that. There was sadly not enough main couple being cute scenes. I would watch 50 episodes of just that, if they'd let us. But no, they didn't do that. There really might only be 5 episodes worth of good content. Sigh.

337. I Hate You, Juliet 너 미워! 줄리엣 (2019) Korean

Lee Hong Ki, Jung Hye Sung, Choi Woong

Drama Rating: 5/10     Neck Score: A-

This was a ho hum drama. It didn't really do much and didn't have a lot to say for itself. It was shorter, 18 episodes that were only about 20 minutes long, so not a lot was bound to happen and of course what little did happen would be resolved super fast. But it had good ideas that just never went anywhere. If it weren't for the fact that I love Hong Ki and Hye Sung, I probably wouldn't have started it and definitely wouldn't have finished it. As it was I forgot I was watching it all the time and only when I was bored flipping through shows and it happened to be there did I remember it existed. So, it's not like I hated it or anything, it was just very forgettable.

336. He is Psychometric 사이코메트리 그녀석 (2019) Korean

Park Jin Young, Shin Ye Eun, Kim Kwon, Kim Da Som

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

I love the balance between romance, healing, and thriller that this show had. It was good. I got really invested in all the characters, which then meant that I was going to be put through the ringer so that all my emotions were tested and I just still can't get over it. It was good... [bursts into tears again]. For something that was so deeply emotional and traumatic (for both the characters and me) it wrapped up really well too. It told the story well and had really good character development and plot twists that didn't come out of nowhere, we could see hints of them, if you paid attention, but they were still shocking and stuff. Like and good balance of set up and surprise.

I don't even know what to say about it (without massive spoilers?) but I loved it and you should all watch it.

323. 100 Days My Prince 백일의 낭군님 (2018) Korean

Do Kyung Soo, Nam Ji Hyun, Kim Sun Ho, Cho Seong Ha, Jo Han Chul

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

This one might have been the one I missed the most when DF suddenly disappeared from our lives. I was fully invested in these cuties and there were only like 4 or 6 episodes left (I watched them super far apart, I don't remember exactly). I had even been looking forward to the episodes, waiting for them to be posted, but they kept saying they had been delayed. This was the drama that I had been trying to watch when it all went down. But it was also the only drama that, as far as I know, still isn't on a legitimate site, sketchy! Like all the others, it suffered from the lack of momentum when I finally got back to watching it. I took too long to just break down and find a whatever site to watch it on, which is why I watched it in several different instances, taking forever. It was that part of the show when everything was going to get complicated too, so it was hard jumping right into the sad or lonely episodes. But, it was so worth it still. I can confidently give it the score I did, because it's super cute and fun. Great blend of the cute of a sageuk (historical) and the political drama that is every sageuk.

322. Devilish Joy 마성의 기쁨 (2018) Korean

Choi Jin Hyuk, Song Ha Yoon, Hoya, Lee Joo Yeon

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A+

I was literally in the middle of an episode of this when the horrific tragedy of Drama Fever's demise happened. It wasn't one of the shows that I missed the most, but I definitely wanted to finish it before I stopped caring about the characters for the sad mopey episodes. But sadly, that's what happened. I only had like 6ish episodes left, but even when it became available on Viki, it still took me forever to finish them. I was down to 2.5 episodes when I just forced myself to make it a priority and finish it. So, it was hard to give it an honest rating, really. I feel like a 6 is probably what it deserves, but based on how much I struggled here at the end, my initial reaction would have been a 4. But really, 6 is probably more accurate... right?

I mean, I knew what I was getting into right away. Stories where the heroes get a terminal illness in the first 2 episodes aren't going to end happy. If they do, then they're not going to end realistically. Some times they just Uncontrollably Fond you in the gut and you have to be okay with that sort of ending. This was completely set up for another Uncontrollably Fond. Why did I do it to myself? Same reason. Choi Jin Hyuk is hot and Song Ha Yoon is adorable. Also, Hoya stole the show. He plays the perfect spoiled chaebol puppy. You love him, but he's also an idiot who can't live without his mom's money.

This isn't really a spoiler when most of you aren't interested or have finished this long ago, right? Right...

334. The Fiery Priest 열혈사제 (2019) Korean

Kim Nam Gil, Kim Sung Kyun, Lee Ha Nui, Go Joon, Keum Sae Rok

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

I don't know if I've ever had a drama that's stressed me out this much. I loved it, but I also was so worried about half the characters all the time, especially since the bad guys were just so bad. Like they really made them kick puppies. Like, they made them hurt children, and priests, and puppy priests, and really nice people. Also, half the characters that you know are supposed to be good guys are working for the bad guys. This was a corruption crime drama on steroids. It reminded me a lot of Lawless Lawyer, with the level of corruption, etc., but with a much larger comedy element. Even the bad guys were comedic, just not when they were killing people, etc. Also, we don't get the romance because, well, he's a priest. Waste of some good chemistry, but it's not about that. But what it doesn't have in romance is made up with some epic bromances.

I Was Sleepless in the DMV: My Epik High Adventures

I live in a not exciting rural part of the U.S., so when Kpop groups announce their World Tours, I usually don't have any chance of them being close at all. So, Lizabreff, Curdy, and I started what I now call "Destination K-pop" where we travel to new cities to see concerts and also play tourists. It's more expensive, yes, but we also get out of our state and see new things we would have less of an excuse to see. All the things! This is how I've finally got to see Los Angeles, Las Vegas (although I'd been there plenty times before), Chicago, Dalles, Philadelphia, and now, Washington, DC.

So, when Epik High announced their European Tour, I almost ended up buying tickets to their Amsterdam or Helsinki concerts. They were even during my spring break. But then my car died and I couldn't justify spending THAT much money (someday). But my obsession with Epik High made me almost bite that bullet, but instead the best news came of their North American tour.

Could this be a spoiler?! https://t.co/UP9CfUJ802

— 에픽하이 타블로 | Tablo of Epik High (@blobyblo) February 9, 2019

They were even asking where to go. Best news ever. I don't think I have snatched up tickets that fast.

NORTH AMERICA! It's been waaaaay too long. We're coming back to a city near you!

Tickets on-sale at https://t.co/qivcxrHser on Fri Feb 15th, 10AM local time. #EpikHigh2019Tour #에픽하이 #EPIKHIGH pic.twitter.com/2SyVPM5mw7

— 에픽하이 타블로 | Tablo of Epik High (@blobyblo) February 12, 2019

Considering the time when they announced the tour to the time the tickets were on sale anyway. I'm a history nerd, so the thought of going to see Epik High AND all the Smithsonian museums was too much to pass up. So I jumped on my next destination K-pop adventure and was quite sleepless in the DMV.

320. Martial Universe 武动乾坤 (2018) Chinese

Yang Yang, Zhang Tianai, Wang Likun, Wu Chun

Drama Rating: Dropped     Neck Score: A+

So this is different. I don't think I've done one of these for a while, because I am a finisher and I don't want to give up when I've already invested 20 hours in a drama. But I know I will probably never get back to this drama, so I'm officially dropping it and writing a review of it to the point where I just couldn't get myself to go on. I liked the premise of this drama, I liked most of the characters, I like all the actors, but I just couldn't stick with all the stupidity and drama. I like that the main character Lin Dong starts off as basically a loser and then does the classic fighting anime level up to become the best. But it was just taking too long. It's okay to have heroes who start off as losers, but have them start improving sooner instead of dragging it out. Yang Yang was doing a good job of it too at first. I totally forgot he was the same guy as in Love 020, who was a "Mr. Perfect" type. I'm not saying become perfect overnight, but it got really draggy seeing the same thing over and over. He can't win by dumb luck and the sacrifice of his comrades for forever. If you're going to Dragon Ball it up, then actually level up, dude.

333. Touch Your Heart 진심이 닿다 (2019) Korean

Lee Dong Wook, Yoo In Na, Lee Sang Woo, Son Sung Yoon, Oh Jung Se

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+

This isn't a law drama. It's not really a celebrity drama either. It's a romantic comedy that happens to be about a celebrity and a lawyer falling in love. The actual time taking place in the courtroom or on set is very limited. Which is fine with me. This is just pure cuteness and romance, fulfilling our eager wishes to see Reaper and Sunny get a happy ending. It's a shippers dream come true. It was clearly written to be that next chapter hinted at in the end of Goblin, and we're 100% okay with that.

335. Romance is a Bonus Book 로맨스는 별책부록 (2019) Korean

Lee Na Young, Lee Jong Suk, Jung Eugene, Wi Ha Joon

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+

This drama was definitely of the feel good variety, where you fell in love with all the characters and the dramatic crap was to a minimum. I also loved that it had more of a down to earth feel while still being the stuff of fantasies with a cute, perfect, younger guy/noona romance that brings on the feels. The fact that Cha Eun Ho (Lee Jong Suk) is an all around nice guy, extremely talented, and is super hot and respectful might seem a little less realistic, but it doesn't make it any less fun to watch. It made me like it more. He was supportive rather than "taking the lead" like is common in so many dramas. When Kang Dan Yi (Lee Na Young) made her choices, he respected them. When his superiors at work made choices, he supported them. Everyone had a good synergy. The realistic parts were the things they were all struggling with, and I loved how everyone had their own struggles, but that no one was unreasonably mean, bad, or unrealistic. By the end you just love everyone and are full of the feels and smiles. So I really loved it.

Harakiri 切腹 (1962) Japanese

Tatsuya Nakadai, Shima Iwashita, Akira Ishihama, Yoshio Inaba

Movie rating: 9/10     Neck score: A

My little brother really wanted to show me this movie, because it was one that he loved, but there are only a few people who he knew who would actually be interested in it. I was one of them, especially since it takes place in the period of Japanese history that I wrote my senior thesis on, so it was extra interesting to me, so I loved it. However, I can see why people might not love it, because if you aren't familiar with the history, it's slow pace and lengthy talking sequences might bore you.

Basically, it is about the Tokugawa period, when the extended period of peace threw off the class structure when all the sudden the warlords lost power to the shogun, leaving hundreds to thousands of samurai without jobs and stable incomes. Because of the class structure they weren't able to get manual labor jobs and were forced to scrap for a living. This show starts when a ronin (or jobless samurai) shows up on a lord's estate asking if he could use their courtyard to perform seppuku (aka harakiri) or ritual suicide where they cut their stomachs open horizontally, then vertically, and then they will have their head cut off by their second. This leads to the revelation of a popular scam of ronin coming to manors and asking for this favor in the hopes of showing their determination and either scoring a job or some money, which is a tricky balance of honor. Should the manor call bluff? Should they honor the request? Or should they potentially be scammed?

The movie is a lot of storytelling, both visually as well as through all the talking, and through the slow unfolding of the story, you get to see multiple sides of the tale, and realize things are not what they seem. It is a commentary on honor, appearances, and the social structure of society in that period. It can also comment on the periods following.

There are some very intense scenes, including some with fighting, made more intense when your trivia knowing brother tells you that it was shot using real swords that were sharp even. The tension is palpable. But besides the few scenes of physical action, the mental action during all the talking is also tense, as each reveal leaves you with some awe, as well as anticipation as to how the story will unfold when you start to connect the dots and realize that there is way more than meets the eye. It was basically some dang good writing, good action, good acting. I loved it.

330. The Last Empress 황후의 품격 (2018) Korean

Jang Na Ra, Choi Jin Hyuk, Shin Sung Rok, Shin Eun Kyung, Lee Elijah

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

Some of you might already know this, but I love makjang (aka overly melodramatic). But not just any makjang, I like the classy, but crazy kind that twists through through all the emotions and all the drama without making you want to chew your leg off to escape it. The kind that is so fantastic that you just eat it up and want more. The Last Empress was exactly what I like. Not only that, but all the craziness was fortified by a stellar cast that made everything worth it, even at the crazier times. I have always loved Jang Na Ra, so seeing her take down the rotten royal family was the best. Also, and you might have heard this a time or two but, I love Shin Sung Rok. As a super fangirl, this show just might have been a dream come true. He was really in his element with the complex character that was the emperor. One part villain, one part hero, at least two parts lover, and a whole lot of crazy. The chemistry between him and Jang Na Ra was nothing short of amazing and that really complicated things because even when he was being a supreme douche bag and you knew he was lying, you still wanted to believe his fake cuteness because the chemistry was there. Now that's messed up and perfect makjang right there.

So, yeah, I might have a problem to begin with.

Note: Reading on might contain mild spoilers, so be warned.

326. The Beauty Inside 뷰티 인사이드 (2018) Korean

Seo Hyun Jin, Lee Min Ki, Lee Da Hee, Ahn Jae Hyun, Lee Tae Ri, Moon Ji In

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+

This was one of the dramas I was the most upset about losing legal access to with the death of DF. But I wanted to finish it enough to find another way, it just took me a while to do it. You loose a lot of steam when you lose your streaming platform, apparently (fist shakes towards those responsible for throwing off my groove and ruining a lot of people's lives in many ways). Anyway, to the actual drama. I was interested in this, having watched the movie a while ago. There were obvious differences in the premise right away. The roles were switched. It was the female lead who had the body changing problem and had her change just once a month for a week instead of a different person every time they sleep. And instead of being a normal person who loved her, our male lead had face blindness on top of it. Well, face blindness seems to be the latest trend in weird problems, starting around the time of Girl Who Sees Smells? Sometime around then, I think. Well, since then I've seen everywhere as a replacement of amnesia almost. Anyway, this wasn't the only drama that had it during it's airing time. 100 Days My Prince also had a face blind character. But I digress.

331. Accidentally in Love 惹上冷殿下 (2018) Chinese

Sun Yi Ning, Guo Fiction, Ma Li, Zhao Yi Qin, Zhou Mo, Cheng Mu Xuan

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+

I was needing more dramas, and some of my T-List were talking about how much they liked this one, so I started it and then quickly burned through it. It was just what I needed to contrast the other dramas I was watching, which are full of crazy. Not that this one wasn't full of crazy in its own way. The fluffy, ridiculous way. But if I had to describe this drama in one word, it would be "cute." The OTP was adorable and I liked pretty much everyone in the show. There were some stupid people sure, like the bad behavior enabling noona who popped in to escalate the drama near the end. But on the whole everyone was pretty likable. That's not saying that I didn't have moments where I got stressed because people kept hurting my muffins and it took way too long for the muffins to finally get together, because that totally happened. But I also love the slow progression of the relationship from enemies, to frenemies, to friends, to best friends, to lovers. Isn't that the way its just supposed to happen. Especially when the characters are so consistent when it happens. Even when they were dating they treated each other like before. Teasing and bickering, but still having each other's back.

329. Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter 계룡선녀전 (2018) Korean

Moon Chae Won, Ko Du Shim, Yoon Hyun Min, Seo Ji Hoon, Jeon Soo Jin

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A+

This one surprised me with how it went many times. The first two episodes were supremely cheesy and everyone was overacting and it was borderline stupid. I wasn't sure if I could take Fish Bangs (Yoon Hyun Min) acting like he couldn't act for 16 episodes. I wasn't sure I was okay enough with the fairy tale when the "Woodcutter" was such a jerk. But I guess that could be true to life, IDK. Then the next few episodes completely changed my mind and I was decently hooked. It wasn't my favorite drama, but I certainly appreciated it more. I especially loved the bromance between Fish Bangs and that cute little TA. But then the genre or direction or whatever changed again....

It really started spinning our heads with the who is who and completely complicated backstory around the fairy tale. It obviously wasn't the classic retelling when the woodcutter died before she could get her wings back and go to heaven. Then it went to a bunch of celestial beings backstory drama that I wasn't expecting at first. I liked it... at first.