276. Manhole 맨홀-이상한 나라의 필 (2017) Korean

Kim Jae Joong, Uee, Jung Hye Sung, Baro, Lee Sang Yi, Kang Hong Suk, Kim Min Ji, Jang Mi Kwan

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A

I had heard so many mixed reviews of this one, I wasn't sure if I wanted to start it.  But for my love of Kitty (and Baro, Uee, and Jung Hye Sung), I started it anyway.  I loved it right away!  I loved the premise, the way that the time travelling rules were set up, and the changes that he made each time, the butterfly effect, and the resetting each time.  Sadly, it got kind of weird.  I think that due to the low ratings, they decided to just throw every weird and dramatic trope in it.  Partially, that was something they could just do as a twist with the butterfly effect twists, and I liked those, but when the fiance went from being a cheater to basically his same character in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, I think they over did it.  He might be hot, but he got way too much screen time.  I was so done with seeing his crazy face before he went out and beat people for no reason.  Anger management, dude.  I get that it was frustrating to watch a couple that obviously liked each other for 28 years go through a bunch of things because fate was obviously against them.  But that was the beauty of the plot.  It was literally about one man who defied fate.  Then it became about one man who needed to save his girl from the creeper assaulter who is one step away from kidnapping seven brides and locking them up under a junk yard while having bad hair.  Can we please get that guy a not creepy role?  I'm starting to think it's impossible.  Also, I'm not ready to see him at all for a while, because he was so annoying, so a different type of role for him, please?  Before he's ruined for forever?  So yeah, it got a but crazy at the end, but it was still enjoyable, we just made fun of it a little bit more, and moaned every time Mr. Anger Management got too much screen time.  Also, the last episode is soooooo cheesy.  Like cringing all the time.  But the pretty makes up for it.  Ovaries exploding and dying of cute.  It's all good.  No problems.  I really wish it had gotten better ratings, so that maybe it could have stayed true to it's original intent, if that was a thing.  Maybe they had that craziness in mind since the beginning, I don't know.  I do like the whole messing with time and fate thing.  It was interesting.  Still worth watching, especially if you love Kitty (Kim Jae Joong) as much as I do.

Drama Picking Bias Syndrome

I've been called out on this before, and I probably won't stop doing it ever.  As much as I love Kpop, and I do at that, I have problems finding new bands or getting into their music, until I have a bias for that band.  I don't pick a bias until I have a reason to like them, and that reason usually comes from seeing them in a drama first.  I think it's possibly because I tend to just appreciate them as a collective until I know one of them enough to love him individually.

A prime example of this is my history of liking Super Junior.

144. Angry Mom 앵그리맘 (2015) Korean

Kim Hee Sun, Kim Yoo Jung, Ji Hyun Woo, Ji Soo, Baro

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A

This was an incredibly heavy show, especially in subject matter.  Definitely not for the faint in heart.  But it was really well done, and had plenty of cute stuff along with all the nasty yucky crap that was happening.  I guess I just get twice as angry if crap is happening to kids than if the same crap is happening to adults.  Sleeping with and killing students, not cool.  Using kids as pawns, not cool.  Ripping off schools, not cool.  So much not cool crap happening.  But I feel like the end was really good, and the moralizing good, and not too overly preachy.  I really like how the real hero of the story is the mom, just like the title indicates.  It's about a mom being fearless and making a difference.  The moral is that we need good moms and dads, and that is a cool message.  Ji Soo, who played one of the students Go Bok Dong, was just perfect.  Everyone was perfect.  So, while it was really hard to watch, especially at the beginning when like multiple students were dying and tons of crap was happening, it was worth it.

62. Reply 1994 응답하라 1994 (2013) Korean

Go Ara, Jung Woo, Sung Dong Il, Lee Il Hwa, Yoo Yeon Seok, Kim Sung Kyun, Son Ho Jun, Baro, Min Do Hee

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+

OPPA!!!!!!!  I told you I fell in love with Jung Woo Oppa.  Now I am forever in love with him.  He was so perfect as Sseureki Oppa.  Seriously.  This is like not a prequel to Reply 1997, just another story in the same world and same set up.  Actually around the 1997 years in the sequence we have cameos from the 1997 cast and it's wonderful.  This one is about a boarding house in Seoul ran by a family from Masan (with the same exact parents as 1997) and all their lodgers are from different country provinces with a series of different dialects.  The big question is who is the husband.  However, banking on the popularity of 1997, they expanded this one.  Instead of 16 45 min long episodes, there are now 21 hour+ long episodes.  This is probably the shows only downfall.  It gets draggy.  The writing is less tight and they drag it out and try to trick you for so long, even when we already know who we want it to be.  I think some of the episodes are almost 2 hours long and that's just too long, even if you love the show.  I struggled with that part, but still loved the show.  It was still delightful, nostalgic, and had a great soundtrack that included original songs in the 94 style as well as Seo Taiji and the Boys, the ones who made Kpop what it is today and started the Kpop craze.   Oppa!!!!!!!  Ok. That will never get old.  I love Oppa.  Just like 1997 the whole cast is gold and you love everyone.  Go Ara is awesome too.  I was super impressed with her and how into the part she got.  She continues to impress me in You're All Surrounded.  I like her too.