262. Father is Strange 아버지가 이상해 (2017) Korean

Kim Young Chul,  Kim Hae Sook, Lee Joon,  Jung So Min, Lee Yoo Ri, Ryu Soo Young, Min Jin Woong, Lee Mi Do, Ryu Hwa Young, Ahn Hyo Seop

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

I love a good 50 episode family drama, and that is exactly what this was.  So many wonderful characters that you can just grow to love, because you have all the time in the world.  I love it because you can take time to develop characters fully and let relationships build naturally.  This usually makes me way more invested in all the characters and all the relationships to the point where I'm crying and giggling at any wedding or big event near the end.  This was no exception.

The plot of this was a bit interesting, since it is focused on a family with three strong minded girls who all take after their strong minded mother, and then the one older brother who takes after the easygoing sweet father.  However there are, of course, family secrets- practically birth secrets here- when an idol turned actor shows up looking for his father who happens to be the dad of this family.  This is potentially bad because the main OTP is clearly this actor (Lee Joon) and his manager, who is the third child in the family (Jung So Min).  But they let us slowly unravel the secrets until all the crap hits the fan and it's all dramatic, and all that.

140. Heard It Through the Grapevine 풍문으로 들었소 (2015) Korean

Lee Joon, Go Ah Sung, Yoo Joon Sang, Yoo Ho Jung

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: A

Wow, finally finished it.  It was so long (30 episodes) and so heavy that we couldn't get ourselves to finish it faster.  We just had to take it slow.  However, this was not because it was bad, it was because it was so good.  All of the characters were so dynamic and fully fleshed out that you both loved and hated them all.  I seriously had times of love and hate for pretty much everyone in the show, including the parents and main couple.  In fact I think every one of the main characters deserves a slow clap, especially the dad who played that hilariously detestable role so very well.  I do have to admit that I didn't know what was going on half the time.  Right up until the end of the show, I found it hard to follow the political or legal conversations.  Those ones in that cafe thing in Hansong where they always did those weird kaleidoscope shots.  The ending was good too, satisfying without wrapping everything up in an unrealistic bow.  Overall the show was a mash of realism and idealism, and the clashing of those two ideas.  As well as a battle of the generations, Confucian traditions, and class/social systems.  It was a very poignant statement about society and tradition.  It was very artistically done, and though I may not have understood everything, probably from the language and cultural barrier, I agree that it deserves all those awards that it won.  It's a solid, meaningful drama, even though it's long and heavy.

132. Mr. Baek 미스터 백 (2014) Korean

Shin Ha Kyun, Jang Na Ra, Lee Joon, Park Ye Jin, Jung Suk Won

Drama Rating: 5/10     Neck Score: A

It was ok, but I just wasn't really into it that much.  I think the only thing that made this show work at all, with a ridiculous premise of an old man suddenly growing younger, is that Shin Ha Kyun could pull it off.  The old man in a younger man's body was good.  I liked those little details, such as him not knowing technology and things like that.  But I felt way more sympathetic to the son the whole time.  He just got the short end of the stick, being sad and then losing chances, etc.  I just wanted them to develop their relationship and not spend so much time on the romantic relationship, which was cute and I didn't hate it.  But I wanted more father son bonding time, and not the weird bonding time they came up with, like that awkward snow fight.  Also I didn't know about that Manager Hong chick for the longest time.  I thought that she was in love with the dad and still making plays at the son, which is gross.  But I warmed up to her.  The hardest part was that the bad guy is so hot.  He's the hottest guy in the show, but he's so bad, but not really.  But him in those glasses, seriously.  Rawr, Jung Suk Won, rawr.