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.

294. Doubtful Victory 의문의 일승 (2017) Korean

Yoon Gyun Sang, Jung Hye Sung, Kim Hee Won, Choi Won Young, Yoon Yoo Sun, Jang Hyun Sung

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: B

This one might be one of the better named dramas if it is the literal "beginning of doubt" or "doubtful victory" over the whatever translation "oh, the mysterious" in the fact that our leads are the underdogs the entire time. It's pretty doubtful that they are going to win the entire time, since they are constantly at a disadvantage and being played by everyone, and reacting instead of acting. It actually makes it pretty stressful. It's like constantly life or death and no one can break out of the manipulation and they just have to grit their teeth and try. Then there are so many bad guys, and the bad guys are all so tight knit that I wondered if they were ever going to turn on each other, and it was all pretty stressful. But at the same time I just enjoyed it, and maybe that was because I enjoyed almost all of the characters, bad and good.

287. Mad Dog 매드독 (2017) Korean

Yoo Ji Tae, Woo Do Hwan, Ryu Hwa Young, Jo Jae Yun, Kim Hye Seong, Choi Won Young

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A++

I think that this one was more about who was in it than the actual plot, or quality of the show.  Lizabreff and I already had noona crushes on Woo Do Hwan, and Curdy is in love with Yoo Ji Tae, plus it's a con man mystery plot, which is also her favorite, and I will watch anything for Choi Won Young, so we had to watch it.  However, it wasn't necessarily amazing, but the characters at least were very compelling.  The villains were all over the top bad.  Like all of them.  They would all take turns trying to out do each other, or take turns who was going to be the "good" bad guy, or the person who was the most humane and decent at the time.  It got annoying how overly powerful all the villains were, backstabbing and ridiculously evil.  Wow, no wonder everyone would pause to over react to the next evil plot, or passionately scream at how evil their deeds were.  It was like crazy cheesy at times, but it was also good.  I loved it, even when the dramatic reactions made me laugh.

Men Who Make Me Watch Dramas Against My Will: Ahjussi Edition

It's been a while and I've realized that I need revisit this topic of actors who I love so much I watch pretty much anything for them.  I realized that I need to pay homage to the Ahjussi in my life, because as I grow older, the oppas I like are pretty much all really ahjussi.  Am I really that close in age to 40?  Eek!

Yeah, that's the definition I'm going to use for Ahjussi- 40 and up.  Omo, do I love the ahjussi these days.  I find myself way more attracted to them, and able to connect to them, then say, those puppies in the high school dramas.  Yeah, when I do watch the high school dramas I am checking out the teacher actors, like in School 2013 or Sassy Go Go, who have some of the oppas (or donggaps) that I love.  So here is a list of "Ahjussi" actors (some of who are just barely 40) who I would watch anything for, or have watched complete nonsense for, or would just love to see in everything.  Can't they just be in everything so the quality of everything goes up?

232. Laurel Tree Tailors 월계수 양복점 신사들 (2016) Korean

Lee Dong Gun, Jo Yoon Hee, Cha In Pyo, Oh Hyun Kyung, Ra Mi Ran, Choi Won Young, Shin Goo, Kim Young Ae, Hyun Woo

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A

50 episode family dramas are not everyone's cup of tea, but they are starting to be mine.  You have to pick a good one of course.  One that has something that grips you enough to make you want to stick around for 50 episodes.  This one might just have been 4 hot men in suits.  No, it wasn't just because all of these 4 male leads in this were super attractive and people I love, it was for the characters themselves.  Every single couple was cute for the most part, which meant that I was shipping everyone.  Even the villains were not that villainous.  Yes, that means the show was cheesy and moralistic and everyone got redeemed to a point at the end, but it also means that this is a show where people learn and grow, and I loved the journey.  It was downright weird to see flashbacks to the start when everyone was a young idiot or disliked each other, or had misunderstandings, etc., because by the end they had all matured and it was wonderful.  Now I had to talk myself into watching this, because it was 50 episodes.  I love Lee Dong Gun and I love Ra Mi Ran.  Then Choi Won Young tipped the scales for me.  He is my ahjussi actor, one of the ones that I love the most, so I just had too.  Then I was not disappointed.  He was a rock star (literally) who then became a trot star so his honey voice was responsible for most of the OST, which I cannot complain about.  We also saw him start off as a selfish has been full of pride to becoming the most humble family man.  We saw push overs becoming pillars of strength, and we saw people becoming family and having a family.  It was basically adorable.  I think I cried during every wedding scene (literally did during my ahjussi's wedding.  The sunshine couple- so cute!  The cheesy couple (the OTP, Dong Jin and Yeon Sil)- too adorable!  I loved how all the families felt real.  My favorite family might have been the antagonist's family, Dong Jin's ex-wife and her step family.  I know that mom was my favorite.  I loved Hyo Won and Hyo Sang's brother/sister teasing.  I loved Hyo Sang even though he was a little poo butt with an inferiority complex.  I did tend to hate the ex-wife and ex-girls friends who were the bitcas of the show, as well as the fake husband, who was a crazy liar gangster, but even they had their redeeming qualities.  Yes, the show was long.  Yes, it had it's fair share of makjang (you guys know that I actually like that stuff), but it was cute, and it game me the feels.  Now, I'm going to go listen to Susanna's Handkerchief for the umpteenth time.

196. Come Back, Mister 돌아와요 아저씨 (2016) Korean

Jung Ji Hoon (Rain), Kim In Kwon, Oh Yeon Seo, Kim Soo Ro, Lee Min Jung, Lee Ha Nui, Choi Won Young, Yoon Park, Lee Tae Hwan, Kwak Deon Yeon

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: B

I didn't exactly expect this one to be quite this serious.  I mean, they die they come back as Rain and a woman.  That part has to be hilarious.  But then again, they are dead, so what happy ending would there be?  Can I just day that Oh Yeon Seo is amazing?  I already loved her, but she played Han Gi Tak, or Kim Soo Ro, so well, especially at first.  A gangster dude in a tiny girl's body?  Amazing.  The walk, the talk, she had it all down.  It wasn't just a dude, it was Soo Ro.  Rain also did a great job of capturing the mannerisms of Kim In Kwon.  The second male leads, Choi Won Young and Yoon Park, were probably the most confusing part for me.  They were either completely crazy (with jealousy) or a complete slimeball one moment, and then strangely sympathetic at the next.  I hated Slimeball (Yoon Park) more because he should have been a nicer person as the friend of Kim Young Soo (Kim In Kwon), while Cha Jae Gook was just always a crazy nom.  But maybe I am prejudice because I frankly just love Choi Won Young... like a lot.  He plays creepy and crazy so well... well, just everything so well.  Also, huge shout out to Lee Ha Nui.  She's my woman crush for forever.  She did so well!

So, the ending made me cry.  I didn't cry during the end of Descendants at all, but this one had me almost balling.  I didn't love everything about the ending, but it was well written at least.  It was not cheesy, it was bittersweet and good.  There were a lot of tropes or plot twists in the show that I thought I was going to hate that were written well enough that I was pleasantly surprised.  I ended up liking most every episode.  The only thing I didn't like was their attempt to redeem Slimeball.  I say no to that.  Although I saw it coming for him and Crazy Ex.  Scarface is probably the worst person, so I'll leave it at that.  Also Puppy Namja (Lee Tae Hwan) and Kang Ki Young were together again.  I love those two and their bromance.  Best thing that came out of King of High School, so yay.

169. Twenty Again 두번째 스무살 (2015) Korean

Choi Ji Woo, Lee Sang Yoon, Choi Won Young, Kim Min Jae, Son Na Eun

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

It is a bit ridiculous how long it took me to watch this.  That was not because I didn't like it, but because I was watching it with Lizabreff's mom, and let's be honest, moms are busy.  So after it became apparent that she probably couldn't finish it with me and me being on a dearth of shows I actually wanted to watch, I finished it without her.  I really needed a show like this right now, so it was no surprise that after I started watching it alone I finished it in like two or three days (I think we had only watched like 6 episodes together).  This show is cute.  Well, basically Lee Sang Yoon, aka Dimples, was cute.  The show was also cute.  I loved how it was about Ha No Ra (Choi Ji Woo) learning to be her again, realizing what she had lost and what she could still gain.  I loved the things that she never regretted and the things that totally pissed her off.  Also, it made me want to eat ddeokbokki.  I also really loved how her son's college experience was almost a foil for her own life and how he too had to learn things about himself, his mom, and what he needed to do with his own life.  There was a lot of learning and growing that was awesome.  There was also a bunch of hilariously adorable Dimples being petty, jealous, and ridiculous.  It was so much fun to watch.  I want one of those, please.  I also have to give a slow clap for Choi Won Young for being an amazing actor and playing her idiot, narcissistic husband so well.  I love that actor, but he was thoroughly loathable in this show.  Good job.  It did get a bit draggy at the end... well the last episode was a little lack luster and anti-climatic.  I think that it was because they wanted to portray a new beginning rather than and ending or happily ever after.  But this made it a little slow and unexciting at the end.  But it was certainly cute right up to the end with a lot of good resolutions.  No weird loose ends.  Yay.

162. I Remember You 너를 기억해 (2015) Korean

Seo In Guk, Jang Na Ra, Lee Chun Hee, Choi Won Young, Park Bo Gum

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: A+

What a consistently good drama.  Sad it didn't have super ratings in Korea, but it was competing with popular ones.  Maybe it's just because I like psychological thrillers, murder dramas, and all the actors in this show, but I just loved it.  Park Bo Gum!  Why do you have to steal my heart every time!?!  I loved how organic the relationship was.  All the relationships.  Even the bromancey type deal between the detective and "Dave."  But I loved how the romance took it's time and progressed at a natural pace for someone so unemotional as Lee Hyun.  Also big slow clap for Jang Na Ra, she impresses me every role, and this time she did good with the action, bad-a detective.  Basically everyone did a great job, especially Choi Won Young and Park Bo Gum- and super epic slow clap for Do Kyung Soo for once again rocking his acting skills for a creepier role.  He played a good psychopath.  Woo woot.

85. Three Days 쓰리 데이즈 (2014) Korean

Park Yoochun, Son Hyun Joo, Park Ha Sun, Yoon He Joon, So Yi Hyun, Jang Hyun Sung, Choi Won Young

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: B

Loved this drama!  Super cool action drama where Park Yoonchun is a secret service man who has to find the president after an attempted assassination, and then figure out all the different conspiracies and things that the president is up against (or maybe involved in, etc.).  Well, it is a bit Michael Bayish, in the special effects department, which is a huge part of it.  Seriously, this show is all about the action and very, very minimal romance.  It it supposed to take place in like 9 days tops.  Like each mission is 3 days.  But I loved the police girl, so smart and cool.  Lots of twisted mysteries with people double crossing other people and lots of peeps dying.  There is a lot of blood and death.  Really it's a great action drama that is perfect for the action and not so much the realisticness or whatever.  It's a fun action drama.  Also the bad peeps are really good at being bad.  They're pretty muc completely cray cray, which makes for a good action show.  Also, Park Yoochun is great as always, and even hotter when beating people up (especially in that black hoodie, rawr!)