246. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon 힘쎈여자 도봉순 (2017) Korean

Park Bo Young, Park Hyung Sik, Ji Soo

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A+++

For having one of the best OTPs of all time, this show wasn't actually that good.  In fact, it was all over the place.  We were constantly saying things like: "why is this plot still a thing?" And "why hasn't anyone caught this creeper?"  It was all very asynchronous with the light, bubbly cute romantic line, and then super dark creepy crime plot.  They didn't really coincide either, it was like watching 5 different dramas all rolled into one.  But that OTP was seriously too cute.  I loved that he loved absolutely everything about her, and it showed so much on his face.  He adored her, and we could all tell.  That was the greatest part of the show, the adorable love story.  The rest, with the bumbling gangsters, ridiculous high schoolers, and parents with marital problems, can just go away.  Especially that blue beard creeper.  Nobody needs that.  The ending was super drawn out and cheesy.  Like too cheesy. There was also a lot of plot devices that they threw in and then just dropped because they existed only for that moment, like Min Hyuk saying he wanted to be a criminal when he was a kid.  You can't just say something like that and then forget about it.  Like, what?  So many plot holes, a bad guy who was just way too smart and powerful, the typical stupid cops, and an evil family who just magically disappears after their part of the plot ends, #didntevencometothewedding.  Yeah, the writing was just so bad, but the chemistry of the leads was so good that we didn't care.  Bong Bong and Min Min forever!

The Flower Boy Bromance: Nicknames of Hwarang

Hwarang was a beautifully ridiculous show full of beautiful men.  It wasn't the worst fusion sageuk that I've seen, but it definitely wasn't great.  It was enjoyable, but only when it was being what it was, a bunch of flower boys being typical boys.  It was also full of gratuitousness, like the frequent, unnecessary shower scenes.

#Blessings.  But it was good when it was not taking itself serious, because there was no way that I was taking it serious, so when it got serious, it was lame.  Boring really.  But maybe not Nightwatchman bad.  At least it wasn't a supernatural/fantasy sageuk.  But as silly as it was, it spurred us to creating a bunch of nicknames for the collection of cast members.

240. Hwarang 화랑 (2016) Korean

Park Seo Joon, Go Ara, Park Hyung Sik, Sung Dong Il, Choi Min Ho, Do Ji Han, Cho Yoon Woo, Kim Tae Hyung

Drama Rating: 5/10     Neck Score: A+

If you just appreciate this for what it is, a bunch of flower boys being boys, it was good.  But then they got too draggy and serious, like normal, and it was... less good.  Like, when it was building the bromances and having needless shower scenes it was good, but then there was way too much of the evil queen, her crazy daughter, and evil politicians being evil.  It got in the way of the bromances and the romance.  They seriously didn't give this couple enough cute times.  There was way too much drama interrupting it.  Then they tried to surprise us with the ending, which was impossible, so they had to make us thing everyone was stupid, throwing bromance away, etc. and it was super draggy until the very end.  So that was lame.  But one thing it did do good was the death scenes.  Everyone who died in this (yes people died) made me almost cry.  They were also pretty gross with the blood coming out of the mouth and stuff.  As for acting, I thought everyone was decently good.  I didn't cringe or anything with anyone, and some people were pretty awesome.  We all fell in love with Park Seo Joon all over again.  We just couldn't help it, he's got so much charisma.  So, it was good for the pretty men, funny at the beginning, and then fizzled out like most dramas, so pretty typical.

159. High Society 상류사회 (2015) Korean

Uee, Sung Joon, Park Hyung Sik, Lim Ji Yeon

Drama Rating: 5/10     Neck Score: A 

This drama had potential to be a little different and edgy and stuff, but it unfortunately it ended super lamely.  Typical fall flat on its face.  I liked the evil male lead gold digger plot, even though it made for some awkward kiss scenes early on because they actually didn't have a real relationship.  They didn't even know each other and they were kissing and dating, haha, awkward.  I was therefor way more invested in the other couple, even though they are a more typical chaebol and candy type girl.  She at least had a backbone and wasn't really a candy girl since she wasn't opposed to the money thing either, even though she tried to be.  The non-romantic plot was super predictable, and the worst part was that it also ended lamely.  They kept building expectations and then they all feel flat at the end.  There really was not big struggle or contest between her sister and her, the dead brother plot ended super lamely too, and it was all wrapped up so quickly.  Not even amazingly.  I wonder if they were hoping for an extension and never got one, or what. But it just never reached its potential and was super cheesy at the end.  Oh well.  At least there is a lot of beautiful people in it and it is still a different sort of  chaebol drama.