228. I Need Romance 3 로맨스가 필요해 3 (2014) Korean

Kim So Yeon, Sung Joon, Namgoong Min, Wang Ji Won, Park Hyo Joo, Yoon Seung Ah, Park Yu Hwan

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A

This was by far the best of the I Need Romance franchise.  The characters were better developed, they were well acted, and the plot didn't suck.  It also had somewhat natural character arches.  The most far-fetched thing in the show was how perfect Derp Face's character was.  Sweet Potato Derp Face was so perfect and good that he basically couldn't exist.  Plus cute derp faces.  A man so patient and loving isn't realistic at all, but makes for good watching.  So many cuddles and warmness.  My favorite character was Se Ryung, the bitca.  Wang Ji Won did an amazing job with her.  I like how much depth her character had, she was a bitca, but she had her reasons too, and they weren't just because she was a bitca.  She had been hurt, she had her dreams and ambitions, and she was only interested in one man the entire time.  Even when she could have conceivably switched to another dude when the lead was interested in him, she stuck to the one man she wanted to get back.  I like how the plot was about Joo Yeon learning how to feel again.  She had become a robot and she had to be sweet potatoed into getting back in touch with herself.  The side couples were a bit annoying.  I liked the fling turned into pregnancy one ok, that couple was ok cute, but the young office romance was a little peachy.  The girl's voice just always sounded a bit whiny.  They also pulled every stereotype in the end, hitting all the issues, the modern woman stereotypes: take a year to travel to find myself (wait for me!), you don't have to make her quit because she's a pregnant single mom, we can be neighbor parents and raise the babies, etc.  It was a bit cheesy but you still got to appreciate and support it.  Also, it was remarkably (comparatively) low on the sexy time scenes the whole time, because the dynamic was different and the main couple didn't get together until the end, but that meant that the last couple of episodes were like constant bedroom scenes, to make up for the rest of the show.  I think everyone but the lead peeps had bedroom scenes until the last few episodes.  But it was a cute and satisfying show.

151. Divorce Lawyer in Love 이혼변호사는 연애중 (2015) Korean

Jo Yeo Jeong, Yeon Woo Jin, Shim Hyung Tak, Wang Ji Won

Drama Rating: 3/10     Neck Score: A

All I can say is that I am glad it's over.  The show started out meh and ended blech.  A classic example of why shows should never be extended.  The only thing that kept if going was Yeon Woo Jin and Shim Hyung Tak, because they were both amazing.  Yeon Woo Jin just knows how do do cute, and Shim Hyung Tak is sexy and hilarious.  I could never connect with Cheok Hee (Jo Yeo Jong) and only came to tolerate her.  I think that was 50% writing and 50% that actress not being amazing.  The writing was what really bothered me.  If she's going to be a crazy bitca lawyer main lead, cool, but she was just a crazy, inconsistent, random, weird, and frustrating main lead.  Even by the end I didn't know who she was or had any way to connect with her as a character.  The writing was that bad.  The show was super draggy and absolutely stupid in both the subplots as well as the main plot.  Also, the love/hate relationship was probably the worst I've ever seen.  It made no sense.  In fact the entire show made no sense.  To the end I think I still like Wang Ji Won's second female lead, Soo Ah, better and that's saying a lot because she was lame at times too.  But really as a bitca she wasn't even anything at all.  All she did was lie once, feel super guilty about it, and then cry because it wasn't fair that she couldn't win him.  The mom was a bigger bitca than she was, with her manipulative ways.  Anyways, our male leads were amazing enough to keep some interest there, but really the show was so bad at the end that we were constantly just playing with our phones instead of paying attention.  The last episode seemed like it would never end, so... yay!  It's over!

116. Fated to Love You 운명처럼 널 사랑해 (2014) Korean

Jang Na Ra, Jang Hyuk, Choi Jin Hyuk, Wang Ji Won

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: A

I was so loyal to the Taiwanese original, that I put off watching this one, especially since his hair was so bad.  Also I heard he had an annoying laugh.  But then, I heard enough good things to make me give it a chance.  Omo.  I loved it!  That's one thing that can be said for remakes, they do have a chance to polish and fine tune, it doesn't always happen that way, but it is a possibility.  This version is very Korean, so that is already going to make it different.  Also, the main couple is much older.  Instead of a pair of 26ish year olds, we have some 30s to late 30s peeps.  This gives it a whole different flavor because instead of accidents, mistakes, and coercion there is a lot more conscious decisions.  Cun Xi was a sweet, but hot tempered and immature man who didn't know what he wanted, while Lee Gun is a sweet, childish, and self-sacrificing man.  He takes responsibility and doesn't flip flop around, which is one of the things that drove us crazy in the other version.  Just make up your mind Cun Xi!  Well, as bad as Lee Gun's hair was at the beginning, I fell in love with him so completely!  I don't think I have ever fallen in love with a male lead quite as much as I did with Lee Gun.  He's handsome (when he got his hair cut... whew!), dorky, sweet, and just generally awesome, even when he makes some dumb decisions like lying for his love's sake (oh Korea and their noble idiocy).  Then there is Choi Jin Hyuk as the other man, Daniel Pitt, who is also sweet, handsome, and generally awesome, and you have an overload.  Seriously, both men were so well dressed!  (Those vests and open necked button ups!  Ah!)  Even when it was pulling at our heartstrings (it literally made Lizabreff cry, and she never does) we loved it.  So many feels!