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.

237. Goblin: the Great and Lonely God 쓸쓸하고 찬란하神-도깨비 (2016) Korean

Gong Yoo, Kim Go Eun, Lee Dong Wook, Yoo In Na, Yook Sung Jae

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A

As always with this writer, this show was as watchable a all get out, but of course wasn't actually a great drama.  It was just a good enough drama.  I usually like her characters, and this was no exception.  The characters were the best part.  Especially the grim reaper and the bromance between the reaper and the dokkaebi.  I have never been obsessed with Lee Dong Wook before.  I've always liked him ok, but I've never like fallen in love with him.  Until now.  He was literally the best.  The worst part of this show was probably how they really didn't give the Reaper and Sunny (Yoo In Ah) enough screen time.  We were always shouting out and chanting for more Reaper and Sunny.  I loved that couple to the point of wishing they would date in real life (or at least being happy if they did) and that is saying something because wishing that sort of thing is rather silly.  I at least want a drama starring those two, because seriously good chemistry and interactions.  Of course Gong Yoo was also good, and sexy.  I didn't hate Kim Go Eun's character like I though I would, but I did wish she wasn't a high school student all the time.  That kept me from loving the main couple.  I liked them, but didn't love them, because icky.  So the real worst part of this show was that it was mopey from like episode 1.  There was so much moping.  It got old really fast, but then they would have wonderful bromance scenes, or Secretary Kim (aka Turtle, aka Jo Woo Jin).  Also the dream team- reaper, dokkaebi, and Duk Hwa.  Really most of the relationships were just great.  So it was super watchable and fun, as long as you could make it through all the pretty moping and pretty (and ugly) crying.  Definitely a win for Lee Dong Wook, the depressive diva reaper, and petty childish dokkaebi Gong Yoo.  They really sold the whole show... especially the reaper.

I think I Related With Every Character: Plus Nine Boys

I am super impressed with this show already.  It has that relate-able feel to it, kind of how I felt while watching Reply 97 or 94.  Four boys/men who have a butt load of crap hit them at once.  So relate-able.  Seriously.  It's like a painful comedy, but not the sort of painful that makes you want to stop watching, cringe, or anything like that.  It's the sort that makes you want to keep watching because you want the best for all the characters.

We have three brothers and an uncle, whose ages are 9, 19, 29, and 39.

113. Plus Nine Boys 아홉수 소년 (2014) Korean

Kim Young Kwang, Oh Jung Se, Yook Sung Jae, Choi Ro Woon, Kyung Soo Jin, Yoo Da In

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A

So painful, funny, and sweet.  Painful because it is so relatable.  It's the story of four boys facing what could be the worst year of their life.  There is a superstition that the years ending in 9 are bad luck years, and in this family all four boys are in their something-ninth year, from the 39 year old uncle to the 9 year old youngest son.  We've all had those times when everything seems to be going wrong.  I said it before, but I honestly just related with every character, so it was super painful and emotional to watch at times, but then it was also super cute and funny.  I thought the ending was a little too nice in some aspects, but as it is also a lot of open ends, you can't say that it is not also realistic.  Also, that kid.  Choi Ro Woon is amazing.  Acting like a kid who can't act!  Mind blowingly good.  Also he made me cry at the end.  Seriously this kid!  I loved him the most maybe (and I seriously like all the actors in this show).  Not sure why it was only 14 episodes, but I don't feel like it was rushed or anything, so that's cool.  16 might have dragged, so maybe it was a good thing.  Anyways, I liked it, even if it made my heart hurt  for these boys in their awkward, unlucky year.