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.

318. Your Honor 친애하는 판사님께 (2018) Korean

Yoon Si Yoon, Lee Yoo Young, Park Byung Eun, Kwon Nara

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+

I'm not usually a huge fan of law dramas, mostly because of sensationalism during court scenes- so over dramatic and so much perjury- but I do like them better than medical dramas. But any drama starring Yoon Si Yoon is going to be on my watch list. He literally makes me watch him in every single thing he's ever been in. I'm still working on his movies, but I think I have most if not all his dramas down (barring a few shorts that aren't subbed or easy to find). I also am really fond of Lee Yoo Young and Park Byung Eun, so I really did have to watch this one. I'm not sorry at all either. It was really good and I got to see my Yoonie be not one but TWO different characters, and he did it well too. It wasn't hard at all to tell with brother he was being. I was impressed (but also not, because of course he's gonna be that good, wink).

309. Queen of Mystery 2 추리의 여왕 2 (2018) Korean

Kwon Sang Woo, Choi Gang Hee, Lee Da Hee, Park Byung Eun

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: B

This "season" left me liking it about as much as the first season did. I liked it while I was watching it, but got annoyed at all the lose ends it left. Because it keeps assuming that it's going to get another season, while I keep assuming that it won't. Also it annoys me how it spends so much time on other things instead of focusing on the main plot like it should. What does it think it is, an American TV show? But other than the ending and the lack of real progression, it was it's good old charming self. I love that we got to delve deeper into relationships and develop new ones. I missed some of the old characters and liked some of the new ones. It was one of the more decent second seasons.

Korean Movie Night: One Line 원라인 (2017) Korean

Im Siwan, Jin Goo, Park Byung Eun, Lee Dong Hwi, Kim Sun Young

Movie rating: 7/10     Neck score: A

We had another Korean Movie Night this last weekend to, it was part of our end of the Olympics party. Since we had some new viewers who maybe had never seen much before, we tried to pick one for a more general audience, so we ended up with One Line, a classic conman heist type movie. It's very Italian Job in spots, but all heist movies are fundamentally the same. This one actually had a lot of differences plot-wise. At least at the start.

We have Jin Goo who is a conman who helps people get loans- loan fraud. However he has principles, and he stays away from "dirty loans." He runs into Siwan, a college student and raw conman talent. He gets scouted and quickly climbs up the ladder. However, there is no trust and loyalty among conmen, and things get a bit crazy in the back stabbing department.

280. Because It's My First Life 이번 생은 처음이라 (2017) Korean

Lee Min Ki, Jung So Min, Esom, Park Byung Eun, Kim Ga Eun, Kim Min Suk

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: A

I knew going in that I was probably going to like this drama, just based on the plot and the cast of characters.  I just didn't think I was going to get this obsessed with it.  This is easily a contender for the top drama of the year for me, and I'm not sure that it has any competition, I'd have to go back and do some research on it.  Maybe Defendant... but they are completely different genres, so they can both be the best, it's fine.  It was soooooo good!  It was so relatable, and hilarious, and deep, and full of the tropes that we love, but handled in a good and fresh way that made us laugh and squeal instead of roll our eyes and groan.  It helps that it had some pretty tight writing, great actors, and plenty of good chemistry.

I'm a sucker for tropes like contract marriages and forced living situations.  This has them both.  That hit it off right away too.  I also really love how it is about three friends and their lives, so we had three couples rather than the typical love triangle.  THERE WERE NO ACTUAL LOVE TRIANGLES!  Can I just say how happy I was about that?  I hate triangles of love, and that was not what this was about.  It was about learning about themselves and healing wounds, and understanding feels and most of all communication.  I loved how most of the plot was about learning how to communicate with the significant others, and with their inner feelings.  So all of the drama with the couples really came down to learning to communicate, which is both great and frustrating at times, when there is a lack of communication or understanding.