185. Cheese In The Trap 치즈 인 더 트랩 (2016) Korean

Park Hae Jin, Kim Go Eun, Seo Kang Joon, Lee Sung Kyung

Drama Rating: 4/10     Neck Score: A++

Problem #1: I started this show 100% for Park Hae Jin.  Problem #2: The PD is an idiot or something and cut all of Hae Jin Oppa's scenes out.  Problem #3: that gave Freaky Eyes (Seo Kang Joon) too much screen time.  I actually thought he was pretty likable in this show, but why are we wasting so much time on the 2nd male lead?  It makes no sense, the PD must be crazy.  Problem #4: After episode 6 this show stopped making sense and being likable at all.  It was like stuck in a loop of not progressing and being overly dramatic that made me very sad.  I started getting less and less interested in the drama as it went, and every preview made me want to watch the next episode even less.  I finally found the webtoon in English, hoping it would make me like the show again, but it made me hate the show more, because the webtoon actually made sense and was infinitely better than the show.  It made me angry that the show kept getting farther and farther from the webtoon, shafting my leading man and making no sense ever.  So upsetting.  What makes this more upsetting is that the show gripped me in the first episode.  I was already excited for Park Hae Jin, but the show itself was interesting and different, and then it went to the same old lame stuff while also being ridiculous.  I mean, who cuts the male lead out of the show?  That makes no sense.  The character was complex enough without it being further misinterpreted without enough screen time.  The editing also made the once interesting female lead character of Seol into the typical boring, confused, pushover girl for most of the second half too.  She still had good moments, but they were just moments.  Problem #5: that was the most lame-a ending in the history of once good shows.  Well, it was right up there anyway.  Literally this show is Fall In Love With Me bad, only it is worse because it fell from a higher spot.  It definitely had a similar fall for me enough to make me feel FILWM syndrome only this usually did live up to the predicted lameness.  It wasn't quite so bad as FILWM, until the last 2 episodes which were just lame.  So it wasn't as epic, but it was probably just as disappointing because of how much ruined potential there was.  So, I basically forced myself to finish it, only paying attention to the parts with Park Hae Jin, which were way too few and far between.  Sadly, this show had such good potential, as the original material (aka the webtoon and the actors' capabilities) was so good to begin with.  But in the end, it was just disappointing.  Disappointed!

186. Bromance 愛上哥們 (2015) Taiwanese

Baron Chen, Megan Lai, Bii, Li Shao Xiang, Yuan Chen, Mandy Tao

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A+

This was not a great drama.  It wasn't even that good.  What it was was super sexy.  I mean there is super hot Baron Chen constantly making sexy eyes at Megan Lai, like from episode 1, when he is supposed to think that she was a man.  He was still pretty visibly hitting on her, which is weird, but since she wasn't a man it was like "instinctive"...?  I guess.  Well, as weird as it was it made it very, very addictive.  The chemistry between that couple was great.  Also, there was good interactions with the side characters for the most part.  Also, can I say something about Baron Chen's hair.  It's super amazing.  I like want to touch it.  Sadly, Bii's story line was pretty boring.  They didn't even kiss, which was lame because she tried to hint to him that he needed to, but he didn't still.  I wonder if it just got cut out or if they needed to keep them the "innocent" couple since the main couple was clearly gender bending and on the sexy passionate side.  That little baby doll girl was pretty annoying too.  She was just all over the place and pretty lamely written.  Oh well.  There was the lovely Bii soundtrack, which makes up for that, because Bii has an angel voice.  He even like live voiced it once and it was amazing then too.  I'm still pulling for Sean Lee (Li Shao Xiang) as a male lead.  Let's see, he went from 3rd couple dude in Love Family to 2nd couple chef dude in Love Myself or You, now he is 2nd male lead in this... can he be a male lead in 2016, please?  #SeanLeeForMaleLead2016!  He is in a show but it looks like he's the 2nd lead/2nd couple from the poster.  Anyway, ahem.  The plot was dumb.  They threw a bunch of gangster crap, cancer crap, awkward love triangle, pretty much everything, but none of it so intensely that the show was actually about it.  It was basically about them falling in love, which is good, but that meant that it was a little all over the place because everything got resolved so quickly, including the part where she lied to him about her gender... so it's not a good show, but it's addicting as candy, and about as fluffy as candy... so super enjoyable to watch.  Plus, Baron Chen's hair.  Woop.  Lizabreff was always commenting on his "bedroom eyes" which are magically sexy/sensual and adoring at the same time, which makes all of us swoon along with our lovely tomboy.  I love how she stays strong the whole time too, being super aggressive in the relationship too.  Anyway, it's enjoyable and that's about all I can give it, but hey, that's enough.

194. I Need Romance 2012 로맨스가 필요해 2012 (2012) Korean

Jung Yu Mi, Lee Jin Wook, Kim Ji Suk, Kim Ji Woo, Kang Ye Sol

Drama Rating: 4/10     Neck Score: A

Also known as I Need Nasty 2, this one was every bit as bad as the first one, except I actually liked both male actors okay, because neither one was Yul (Yuuuuuuuuuuuuul! <hiss hiss>).  The problem was that it was just as frustratingly as predictable.  Basically it's a show full of idiots and sexy time.  The end.  At least in this one her dumbo boyfriend didn't ever cheat on her but instead just lied to everyone, including himself, for the entire show, unless it was too late and then he tried and failed, and then there was a magic year gap that somehow made everything better.  Yeah right.  The main girl once again comes full circle and ends up right where she started, we hope this time wiser maybe.  But we're not holding our breath for fear of passing out.

Here is the list of the couples in the order I cared about them:

1. Awkward Couple- Woo Ji Hee (Kang Ye Sol) and Kim Tae Woo (Heo Tae Hee).  I wish this couple had gotten more screen time.  They were awkward and adorable.  But they almost magically got together because that's how little time we actually saw them.  Sad.

2. Married Girl and Stupid Oppa- Sun Jae Kyung (Kim Ji Woo) and Han Jung Min (In Gyo Jin).  This couple was so fussy and sensitive.  But at least we saw them trying to work things out. They were more frustrating but at least I had hope for a reasonable reconciliation.  PS, the only reason he is known as Stupid Oppa is because of Birth of a Beauty.

3. Kim Ji Suk and the Ginkgo Tree- yes, this relationship counts for more than most.  As a kid, his character took care of a ginkgo tree because he was lonely.  He watered it everyday too.  Cute.  Then he gets a baby gingko tree that is supposed to represent his relationship with the main girl, but I cared more about him longingly looking at it every time they were broken up or had a fight than the fact that they were broken up or had a fight.

4. The Main Love Triangle Crap- Tsunami (Jung Yu Mi), Dumbo (Lee Jin Wook), and Mr. Perfect (Kim Ji Suk).  We've got a messy, messy love triangle that is full of lies and too much past.  Just too messy to actually care about.  Tsunami Yeol Mae (Jung Yu Mi) is smothering and selfish, but I loved how she was honest and tried. But Dumbo- aka Seok Hyun (Lee Jin Wook) on the other hand is cryptic, slithery-outy, and lies to everyone including himself.  There are obviously reasons he keeps lying to keep them from being together, but we honestly just don't care.  Then there is Shin Ji Hoon (Kim Ji Suk) who is like the perfect nice guy, if not a bit too aegyo.  Nice guys don't win in this shows (not yet) and so while we love how cute he is, we know he doesn't really have a chance.  Especially when the break up is based on frustrating lies and he is literally too nice for her.

So the show had lots of sexy time, even more frustrating lying and fighting, etc., and the longest, boringest drawn out ending ever.  Well... what did I expect?  It was I Need Nasty 2.  Blech... but also yes, cuz hot men and relatably flawed bitca women.  This one is a step up from the first, but not as good as the 3rd, from what I hear.

169. Twenty Again 두번째 스무살 (2015) Korean

Choi Ji Woo, Lee Sang Yoon, Choi Won Young, Kim Min Jae, Son Na Eun

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

It is a bit ridiculous how long it took me to watch this.  That was not because I didn't like it, but because I was watching it with Lizabreff's mom, and let's be honest, moms are busy.  So after it became apparent that she probably couldn't finish it with me and me being on a dearth of shows I actually wanted to watch, I finished it without her.  I really needed a show like this right now, so it was no surprise that after I started watching it alone I finished it in like two or three days (I think we had only watched like 6 episodes together).  This show is cute.  Well, basically Lee Sang Yoon, aka Dimples, was cute.  The show was also cute.  I loved how it was about Ha No Ra (Choi Ji Woo) learning to be her again, realizing what she had lost and what she could still gain.  I loved the things that she never regretted and the things that totally pissed her off.  Also, it made me want to eat ddeokbokki.  I also really loved how her son's college experience was almost a foil for her own life and how he too had to learn things about himself, his mom, and what he needed to do with his own life.  There was a lot of learning and growing that was awesome.  There was also a bunch of hilariously adorable Dimples being petty, jealous, and ridiculous.  It was so much fun to watch.  I want one of those, please.  I also have to give a slow clap for Choi Won Young for being an amazing actor and playing her idiot, narcissistic husband so well.  I love that actor, but he was thoroughly loathable in this show.  Good job.  It did get a bit draggy at the end... well the last episode was a little lack luster and anti-climatic.  I think that it was because they wanted to portray a new beginning rather than and ending or happily ever after.  But this made it a little slow and unexciting at the end.  But it was certainly cute right up to the end with a lot of good resolutions.  No weird loose ends.  Yay.

Madame Derp Face Antoine: Bad Nicknames That Are Clearly Out of Love

I'm super enjoying Madame Antoine right now, and mostly because besides being funny in its own right, it is the perfect ground for Derp Face (Sung Joon) to do what he does best.  Make derp faces.  If I tried to capture every face he makes that makes me laugh, I would basically just have to be constantly taking screenshots the entire time instead of enjoying the show.

Which brings me to the perfect time to discuss this topic, which I had been meaning to since I admitted that I was crushing on Fish Bangs: my habit of creating horrible nicknames out of endearment.

131. Liar Game ライアーゲーム (2007) Japanese

Matsuda Shota, Toda Erika, Suzuki Kazuma, Hiroko Taguchi

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A+

I don't know if I should have watched this first, but after I loved the Korean version of Liar Game, I had to watch this one.  The only problem is I tried watching it too soon and got a bit bored because I knew what was going to happen already, which was sad, because this is so good.  I also have to compare it to the remake, because I watched it first, which is sad in some ways, because this one was first and very well done.  Well, being from 2007, it is also super dramatic and a bit cheesy in how it is dramatic.  Like a million fast zooms to each character's face every time anything sneaky or dramatic happens.  Also, this one comes off a lot more sinister and sketchy in how people get roped in and trapped, etc., since this is literally a con set up by super rich and cynical people rather than a game show.  I think it probably would be better to watch it first.  I still loved it.  It has many points that I liked better.  One big one is Matsuda Shota.  He does happen to be on my list of 10 sexiest necks, and with reason.  Rawr.  Lee Sang Yoon did a good job, but Matsuda Shota did a million times better.  He rocked it.  I did miss Shin Sung Rok, but what can you do?  Even if you don't decide to watch this one first (I didn't, but I think it would be good to) it is worth watching.  I am also planning on watching the second season and the movie as well, it's that good.  Sinister games, good honest people winning with their goodness, bad boy con artists with secret soft hearts, what more could you want?

193. High End Crush 고품격 짝사랑 (2015) Korean

Jung Il Woo, Jin Se Yeon, Lee Si Eon, Yoon Bora, Moon Se Yoon

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A

This might be one of the best web dramas I have seen.  I mean, it's twenty 15-min episodes of Jung Il Woo going crazy because he has a crush on Jin Se Yeon.  Hilarious.  So we have a super successful, top of the food chain CEO of an entertainment center who doesn't believe in one-sided loves, he thinks they are only for pathetic people and that he can get anything he wants.  Famous last words.  He immediately falls for this girl that they randomly pulled off the street (well, after she beats Lee Si Eon over the head trying to "save" Bora) for a photo shoot.  She lives in the mountains and is practically from the Joseon period with how much she understands the complexities of Seoul.  She's tech savvy and smart (I mean, she had zero learning curve when it came to texting on her brand new smartphone), but really clueless when it comes to relationships, etc.  Aka, an organic person.  It is just a bunch of misunderstandings because they think completely differently.  It does get a bit draggy, if that is possible, because of how long those misunderstandings can go on, but it was highly enjoyable.  I also really loved the Soon Jung cameos with Jung Kyung Ho and Kim So Yeon being MCs or news anchors who are conveniently talking about just what the Organic Girl needs to help her understand the situation or her feelings.  I did love how simple it was.  There was no love triangle needed, because there was plenty of drama developed with just those two not understanding each other, especially since they didn't understand how they felt themselves for the longest time.  I like how it had time to show their relationship developing, etc.  I fully enjoyed it.