444. Falling Into You 因為我喜歡你 (2020) Taiwanese

Puff Guo, Jiro Wang, Zhang Ben Yu, Chen Jiong Jiang

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A

I realized that it had been a while since I've watched a Taiwanese Drama (I've been focusing on Mainland China lately) and so I browsed what was there, and I realized that I had missed watching this drama with Puff Guo, which is terrible because I absolutely love her. I will watch anything and everything for her. Added bonus was that Jiro Wang was her male lead, and I don't mind that one bit. He's hot. So I immediately pressed play and it immediately filled the hole that my last fluffy drama ending had created. It was so cute and fun. I loved that it was shorter (13 episodes) so they didn't drag things out or waste time on unnecessary stuff. I loved that it was once again about a fighter girl, this time a taekwondo athlete, and a dude who falls in love with her because she's an awesome and a fighter, and I love the mutual respect. Were there still some problems? Yeah, it's awkward at times, but ultimately it was cute, fluffy, and funny. It was even on the meta side, especially with our self-centered, bubbly start up CEO male lead who thinks of himself as the male lead of a drama anyway, and so is constantly referencing it.

440. Forever Love 百岁之好，一言为定 (2020) Chinese

Wang An Yu, Xiang Han Zhi, Pan Mei Ye, Chen Ze

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A

I started this drama because the male lead looked normal guy hot instead of pretty boy, with his buzzed head and all. I hadn't paid any attention to be before seeing in while browsing. It definitely lived up to that expectation. He was way normal guy hot, with lots of charisma too. The main couple in general was way cute and I loved them. However, there was also too much to hate in the drama because of that. Because the main couple were such cute and nice people, it made the offending people all the more despicable and I spent the entire drama filled with anger for the people manipulating and trying to manipulate them. To the point that while the main couple deserve a 10/10, the "antagonists" of the drama deserve a 1/10. I thought I would be fair and keep it at a 7, but I am still feeling anger and the desire to punch senior brother's face because I just imagined his face, so maybe it really deserves a 6. I don't know, it just makes me so angry.

431. Jiu Liu Overlord 九流霸主 (2020) Chinese

Bai Lu, Lai Yi, Fang Yi Lun, Xu Mu Chan

Drama Rating: 4.5/10     Neck Score: A

I started this one 100% for Lai Yi, having love him since he was Senior Disciple in 10 Miles of Peach Blossoms, and Heavenly Doctor in Legend of Fuyao, but I stayed (at first) because the couple had good chemistry. I loved that they were both super business nerds, and that she could press his buttons and break him out of his stuffy shell to try new things and improve his business even more. Sadly, that wonderful chemistry wasn't enough to carry the whole drama, because there was serious dragging issues. There was a mystery plot about corruption and the evil magistrate (father to the second female lead) obviously trying to kill our leads. But what is worse is that plot was super secondary to the unnecessary drama of the romance. Obviously the main couple liked each other and had enough reason to know that the other did, but still they were both too awkward and quick tempered to say it or stay on good terms enough to be vulnerable with the other, and so it dragged on needlessly long, giving fuel to the two second leads to be increasingly more annoying. Then it got even worse when the entire drama suddenly changed plots and became absolutely ridiculously bad. They literally made him allergic to women at the beginning and then just forgot about it later on. Honestly, I'm still not sure why I finished it, but I did, so here is a full review.

435. Legend of Fei 有翡 (2020) Chinese

Zhao Liying, Wang Yibo, Zhang Hui Wen, Chen Ruo Xuan

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: A

Oh my heck, I loved this show, and not just because I'm a bit obsessed with Wang Yibo, but because this was a show with really bad-ass women. Like super strong, awesome women, and their men who respect and love them in all their awesomeness. Zhou Fei (Zhao Liying) is just an awesome female lead, who is strong but also chill. Who stands up for justice, is stubborn, but also soft and loving. Her relationship with Xie Yun (Wang Yibo) is just beautiful. The fact that they have different strengths, and she is usually the one protecting him, but he's just like: ok, be careful! And then helping her from the sidelines. The fact that they would both do anything to protect the other, but also respect each other's skills and know when they don't actually need to be protected. Chef's kiss. It's wonderful. Also, all the characters. I just loved everyone, even the ones who were bad, overly evil, or started off as annoying or stupid. This is a show about some serious growth, and for pretty much everyone. Even the elders learn a thing or two and become more open to the strengths of the younger generation, or get wrecked because they don't.

436. Shanai Marriage Honey 社内マリッジハニー (2020) Japanese

Itagaki Mizuki, Matsui Airi

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A

Short and sweet perfectly describes this show. I hadn't watched a Japanese drama in a while, so when I saw all the praise I thought I would try it. It was exactly as they said. Super cute, with a couple who communicates well, and a heck of a lot of kissing. It's about a couple who get married after one meeting, for various reasons, and then we get to see them work it out into a really lovely marriage. They are super awkward at first, which is perfect, and then they slowly learn to open up, slowly get to know each other, and rather quickly get to the physical stuff because when you're already married and that attracted to each other, why not? But with every episode there is a newly discovered potential problem to figure out, but the great thing is that while they may not immediately just talk about it and try to solve it, they are constantly trying and they do talk if they can't figure it out right away. Basically this show is a cup of sunshine and a good short watch, especially if you need a huge dose of cute + skinship.

430. Flower of Evil 악의 꽃 (2020) Korean

Lee Joon Ki, Moon Chae Won, Jang Hee Jin, Seo Hyun Woo, Kim Ji Hoon

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

The premise was too good to pass, the cast was too good to pass, I was super excited to start this show. But still I waited to start it. Then I binged it until I caught up with it. It was so good and intense, I had a hard time not being able to just start the next episode. But sadly, it was my one drama I loved while I was being stressed out from everything, but having to stop and wait in the middle of a  hugely dramatic climax made the stress of anticipation overwhelm me, and with everything else I suddenly was too stressed to watch it. Which is so interesting because if I had the ability at the time, I would have just binged watched it to the end. However, though it took several weeks of getting to a place where I could watch anything besides We Bare Bears, I finished it and it remained good until the end. Even though the last episode was an extreme change of pace. It was still good. And then I still too even longer to write this review because that is what last year did to me. Apologies.

428. Stranger (Secret Forest) 2 비밀의 숲 2 (2020) Korean

Cho Seung Woo, Bae Doo Na, Choi Moo Sung, Jeon Hye Jin, Kim Young Jae, Lee Joon Hyuk, Park Sung Geun

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: A

Stranger, or Secret Forest, is one of the best dramas I have ever watched. So there was no way I wasn't going to watch the second season, albeit with some trepidation that it wouldn't live up to the first season. And while I didn't like it as much as the first season, it was still really good and of a similar quality. The biggest difference between the two shows was the focus, which actually flavored this season a lot. The overarching situation in this season was the battle between the police and prosecution for investigation rights. So it was even more political than normal, and it also made it so my two best friends didn't get to spend as much time being the power partners, since they were representing two different sides of a fight. This tainted the flavor of the show for me, because my favorite part of the show has always been the incredible and respectful partnership of Si Mok and Yeo Jin. I just wanted more of them teaming up and less of them being awkward around each other because they couldn't be on the same side. However, there was still enough of that to make me happy, and confident that they still had that partnership/friendship chemistry.

426. Into the Ring 출사표 (2020) Korean

Nana, Park Sung Hoon, Ahn Nae Sang, Yoo Da In, Han Joon Woo

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A

I had to watch this one because I needed to see my psychopath being a male lead. He did a good job. I loved his chemistry with Nana. They had the friends thing down so great, especially when they were like opposites attract and complement, but they also transitioned to lovers well. Yeah, this is a romantic comedy. It's a political one too. Warning to all who don't like that type of drama. This is a story about a girl who goes from being a chronic civic complainer (you know the type that notify city all about all the lights out in town and potential hazards, etc) to running for city council to make both money and a difference. It's about smaller town politics (it still happens in the Seoul Metropolis, I believe, but in a suburb district) and the pettiness of politicians. Seriously, they acted like they were all in some high school clicks.

424. It's Okay to Not Be Okay 사이코지만 괜찮아 (2020) Korean

Kim Soo Hyun, Seo Ye Ji, Oh Jung Se

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A

It took me a while to get into this one, mostly because it needed a bit to fully set up the situation and characters, and then once it did, it was quite delightful. If you only give it maybe longer than you normally would, it picks up quite nicely. What I liked about it was that found family aspect, and opening yourself up to be okay with not being okay. None of the characters in this show is okay, even the ones who would not typically be accepted into a mental hospital, but that doesn't mean they are okay. Everyone has their struggles and needs to open up about what they are feeling and thinking.

421. Love Designer 爱情高级定制 (2020) Chinese

Dilraba Dilmurat, Huang Jingyu, Zhang Xinyu, Yi Da Qian, Hu Bing, Zheng Shui Jing

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A+

Love Designer was an interesting show in the fact that I never loved it, but I never hated it enough to drop it. It was kind of meh, to be honest. I liked how it was about a bunch of adults who communicated pretty well and generally worked things out maturely, and were looking out for each other, putting their partner's needs before their own, not getting in the way of each other's careers, etc. But at the same time they also got caught up in really weird things, which cause random drama. But for the most part, since they were so mature and cool, it came off as really blasé some times, like they had to really did for ideas to make it dramatic and that they would then act out of character to make those situations work.

427. My Unfamiliar Family (아는 건 별로 없지만) 가족입니다 (2020) Korean

Jung Jin Young, Won Mi Kyung, Choo Ja Hyun, Han Ye Ri, Shin Jae Ha, Kim Ji Suk

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

This drama felt like one of those 50 episode weekend family dramas that are full to the max with drama and follow multiple different story lines and couples. It had all that, except it was only 16 episodes long. Which was awesome, actually, since that meant that it stuck to only the important drama and left out the filler drama. It still focused on the whole family and their different problems, as well as their problems together. The whole premise is that even though they are family, they don't know everything about each other. In fact, they are the poster family for miscommunication and even no communication. The whole show is a lesson on how not communicating with your family and loved ones will lead to miscommunication, with is a poison that can ruin even the closest families. The beautiful thing is that it also shows the power of communication and how that builds relationships, and even creates families.

425. Oh My Baby 오 마이 베이비 (2020) Korean

Jang Na Ra, Go Joon, Park Byung Eun, Jung Gun Joo

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A

I knew I had to watch this show when it was first announced because 1. Jang Na Ra, 2. Go Joon (I loved him so much in The Fiery Priest!), and 3. Park Byung Eun (he's seriously rocked everything I've seen him in). I think I've watched almost all of Jang Na Ra's dramas. She's one of my favorites. She's sooooo good and so pretty! But I put off watching this one right away because I knew it was going to hit me in the feels just like that episode of New Girl where Cici finds out her eggs are drying up. I guess sometimes I do worry that kind of stuff as I continue my single, career woman life. Plus kids are super important to me even if I don't have any myself, so I get it. It was just what I predicted. Super cute, funny, and made me cry almost every episode. Maybe I didn't predict just how much it would make me cry. Everyone was perfect too, the acting was so spot on.

423. The Love Equations 致我们甜甜的小美满 (2020) Chinese

Simon Gong, Liu Ren Yu, Li Ge Yang, Julio Wan Yan, An Yong Chang, Gao Qiu Zi

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A

This completes all of the current dramas based on books by Zhao Qian Qian, the previous two being A Love So Beautiful and Put Your Head on My Shoulder. While I loved them all, I think this one ranks slightly below Put Your Head on My Shoulder, with A Love So Beautiful as third. Not that my ranking them was that important, I just felt like it. All of them have the same basic premise, with a smart stoic boy who falls for a spunky girl. But why knock a proven fun plot, I'm super into that trope. The reason this one only hits second place is that I really dislike misunderstanding breakups and while this one wasn't the worst I've seen, the year gap soured me just enough. It might also have to do with me watching PYHOMS first... maybe. See those reviews for more details though. But ultimately it was super cute, the couple had lots of chemistry, and I was very invested in everyone's happiness and binged watched the whole thing very fast.

422. Mystic Popup Bar 쌍갑포차 (2020) Korean

Hwang Jung Eum, Yook Sung Jae, Choi Won Young

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: A+

Oh my heart, this show was so good! The feels! Not just for the main plot and characters, but feels for all the people whose grudges they settled. It was just so sweet and funny! It's about a kid who has the power to open people's hearts. This means that when anyone touches him, they start spilling the beans, all their inner emotions, and he has to deal with their emotional dump on him. But that also means that anyone he tries to date will do the same, so all he wants is to be loved, or a family. Because he was abandoned by his parents, real and adopted, for the same reason. Then he meets the two owners of a pop-up tent bar, who specialize in settling grudges. Wol Ju's punishment for her past sins is to settle the grudges of like 10,000 (or was it 100,000?) people before her 500 years of punishment are up. She does this through dreams with the help of some water from the afterlife that helps her bridge the gap between the two worlds. She is assisted by Manager Gwi, who is supposed to be supervising her, but is more like helping her while getting bossed around. Kang Bae is enlisted to help them, since he can get people to open up so easily, because time is running short.

420. Good Casting 굿캐스팅 (2020) Korean

Choi Gang Hee, Yoo In Young, Kim Ji Young, Lee Sang Yeob, Lee Jun Young, Lee Jong Hyuk

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+

Good Casting was a good combination of awesome spy action, comedy, and romance. It is the girl power spy show that isn't afraid to just be silly. The best part is that while all the women are off being bad-A spies and getting things done, the dudes all think they are in some kind of romantic comedy. But even though the ladies are pretty awesome, they are also pretty flawed, which I know made some people struggle at the beginning. This isn't a show about perfect, top notch spies. It's about a bunch of misfit spies who were thrown together to not get the job done, but they get it done anyway, even with all the slapstick.

Baek Chan Mi (Choi Gang Hee) is a loose cannon who lets her temper get the best of her, making huge mistakes. She lost the target and endangered a team member last time, so is determined to not to lose him this time. Hwang Mi Soon (Kim Ji Young) is basically retired and living the life of an ahjumma. She is rusty at best, but is still crazy good at undercover, in spite of her being past her prime. Im Ye Eun (Yoo In Young) is a white agent (think completely green). She's been working for the NIS for a while, but has kept out of the field and worked support and tech. This is her first field assignment. She is also a single mom. They are all put on a team to catch Michael, an elusive international technology thief/dealer. Michael managed to escape and kill Chan Mi's teammate last time, and this team is the last resort.

412. Hospital Playlist 슬기로운 의사생활 (2020) Korean

Jo Jung Seok, Yoo Yeon Seok, Jung Kyoung Ho, Kim Dae Myung, Jeon Mi Do

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: A+

I don't love doctor dramas, but I loved this one. Because it was about the people and relationships way more than dramatic operations (although there are plenty of operations). But it's more about the day to day hospital life than the crazy dramatic stuff. But most of all it's about the people who work in the hospital, and not just the main ones, the whole ensemble.

I love good ensemble dramas where we have multiple main characters to care about and not just the OTP. Hospital Playlist was great in that respect, and I am super excited for next season. Even just watching the group of five friends hanging out, eating, and band practice without their dynamic with their other coworkers would be amazing. I could even watch a drama just focused on the moms and uncles. In fact, my main ship is Rosa and Jong Su's friendship. There was enough balance through the longer episodes for all the different story lines for all the characters. I also love that there was passage of time without there being huge gaps. It just flowed well.

414. Welcome (Meow the Secret Boy) 어서와 (2020) Korean

Kim Myung Soo, Shin Ye Eun, Seo Ji Hoon, Yoon Ye Joo, Kang Hoon

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A+

A drama featuring a cat? Yes! Myung Soo wearing a chunky white sweater? Yes please! The plot.... ok. There were a lot of people who were bothered by the whole cat turning into a person thing, and I get that. I just went with the it happens in fairy tales all the time vibe and went with it, but it did open itself up to a lot of awkwardness when she finally found out and was constantly wanting him to turn into a human and stuff. Honestly, I was probably 99% in it for the cat and 1% for Myung Soo acting like a cat. Well, it might be more evenly balanced. But let's just say I wasn't really in it for the plot and romance and stuff. It was ok, it didn't bother me or anything, but I just wanted to see the cat. Maybe it's social distancing talking, but I really want my cats, and this rental that doesn't allow pets is going to be the death of me. Oh well. So it's a light, fluffy drama with a lot of problems, but still cute. I do like the discussion it addresses about different types of people and how they get along, how opposites can attract, but also be a deterrent. It also discusses the issues with pet ownership and people not taking responsibility, and how cats usually take the brunt of it, being abandoned the most. All those abandoned cats also made me want to adopt a kitty too. Or a kid. I don't like hearing about abandoned kids either. Abandoned anyone/thing makes me sad. But it also talked about trust and loyalty, and actually listening and taking responsibility. I was also 100% in like with the second couple, who were another cat/dog couple. His big, dumb, loving dog personality and her meek, cute, and considerate (and sassy) cat personality were fun to watch.

Ultimately it wasn't something outstanding, but it was cute and fun, but I also love cats and Myung Soo, so I probably forgave it way more than some. But if you think too much about the cat as the romantic lead, and a real cat at that, not just personality wise, then I get it. But it is worth it just to see him do a good job being a cat. That part with the cardboard box though 😂😂😂.

416. Piece of Your Mind 반의 반 (2020) Korean

Jung Hae In, Chae Soo Bin, Lee Ha Na, Kim Sung Kyu, Park Joo Hyun

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+

When I started this, it was perfect for the mood I was in. I didn't know it, but melancholy sweet was the perfect mood for me. Unfortunately, it is just the general mood of all dramas currently, so I also think I'm done with it now, but I did like this drama. The breakdown of how I came to this rating is: 10/10 for the main couple's romance, 8/10 for general writing, but probably 4 or 5/10 for basic plot. I loved that it was a healing story about love, loss, and self-worth, but the dramatic causes of these people needing to be healed was quite frankly, to me, the worst. Yeah, people dying in such random and weird ways wasn't doing it for me right now. It was both too realistic and not? I don't know. Also, you have to suspend a lot of disbelief with the whole conversation AI. I can accept that the AI will develop the personality of the person, but I don't think there is anyway that it would then have all their memories or reasoning. Nope. That was too much for me. However, despite all that, and the fact that the drama was cut short and had to be rushed, it was still a cute, healing, melancholy sort of feel good drama.

417. When the Weather is Fine 날씨가 좋으면 찾아가겠어요 (2020) Korean

Park Min Young, Seo Kang Joon, Moon Jeong Hee, Lee Jae Wook

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+

I didn't really like the plot that much. Like the dramatic stuff. There was also a lot that if I think about it too much, I really hated too. But because all the characters were pretty likable, and the couple and their romance was super cute, I was willing to forgive a lot. Also, it was hooking enough that I kept watching it, even if I was crying all the time or rolling my eyes at how stupid some people (or just one person) was being. It fits into that trend that is currently happening with really melancholy dramas and nothing else. But honestly, I think that was what I was in the mood for anyway and that's why I kept coming back even when all I'd do was cry the whole episode. And though I say I didn't like the plot and the drama, it's probably because I just hate anything or anyone who would hurt all these wounded babies who are already hurt and sad. So basically I liked everything, but it made me sad.

Korean Movie Night: Time to Hunt 사냥의 시간 (2020) Korean

Lee Je Hoon, Ahn Jae Hong, Choi Woo Shik, Park Jung Min, Park Hae Soo

Movie rating: 7/10     Neck score: A

I didn't really read up on what the movie was about before I started it, which might have actually been a good thing for me, because I was all the more surprised when it started the twists. It's a bit dystopian, or apocalyptic, meaning it's after a big financial crash, and small time thief Jun Seok (Lee Je Hoon) gets out of prison in a completely different Korea. So what does he do? Plans a heist with his besties. Yay. Good idea boys. Well, it's more of an armed robbery. This isn't a time for fancy heist gadgets, this is bust in and shoot up times. A dystopian heist. But instead of robbing a bank or whatever, they get the gangsters who own the local gambling den mad at them. Gangsters who then hire a super deadly and crazy assassin to kill them. An assassin with a passion for hunting his prey.