247. Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花 (2017) Chinese

Yang Mi, Mark Chao, Vin Zhang

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

The biggest problem with me waiting until this was finished to watch it was that I saw every spoiler under the sun before I watched it.  In fact that is what made me want to watch it, but then it made me way too impatient while watching it.  I had to suffer through all the Su Jin crap while waiting for the cute stuff I knew was coming, because I had basically seen all the cute scenes.  Well, it didn't hurt it that much.  This show is literally crack.  I would be so frustrated with it, but I couldn't stop watching it.  I even stayed up way too late for the first time in a while (I've had lots of self-control lately) to watch more episodes.  I loved it, but also hated it at times.  I think if I lived in that world, I would be from Qing Qiu, because I absolutely hated most of the peeps from the Nine Heavens, like the Heavenly Lord, Su Jin (naturally), and even Ye Hua's parents.  They were just super dumb and drama.  However, one of my favorite characters in the whole show was the Star Lord.  Total favorite.  PS, his voice is sexy.  Also the Third Prince, he was pretty great too.

This show was very, very dramatic.  It was full of crappy things happening to our main couple.  That was especially infuriating when we just loved the main couple and wanted them to be happy and cute without all that Su Jin crap, etc.  But I also loved all the other couples, but their stories weren't quite as satisfying as the main OTP.  I kind of wish they had been.  I got kind of invested in some of them.  (Ghost Princess and Sixteenth!)  I have to give props to Mark Chao, because he was really good at being both Ye Hua and Mo Yuan, who were pretty similar, but still very different characters, and you could distinctly tell that.  Props to him in general, because he made everyone fall in love with him with his awesomeness.  Plus, every time he wore those robes with open neck/deep v.  Mmmmmmmm.  I absolutely loved Bai Qian.  She was a female lead worth loving.  She had a nasty temper, was apathetic, and loved passionately.  She also was super bad-a, especially when pissed off and getting revenge.  I thing Yang Mi did a great job, especially with the different versions of herself, mortal and immortal, or just when someone had stolen her face.  Claps for her.

With all the crap that happened in this, there were plenty of satisfying moments.  They made it all worth it.  I don't know if it REALLY deserves a 7, 6 might be more appropriate, but in sheer terms of addictiveness, it does, so I have to give it to it.  I loved watching the show, even when I hated what was going on.  The last few episodes were slow, but the cuteness of the finale made up for that.  We're good.

My Spring Break with SHINee World V in Dallas

I had a wonderful vacation a week or so ago, from which I am still recovering (work is hard!).  It was spring break, so I got Friday off work, and that just coincided perfectly with me being able to go to SHINee World V in Dallas (without having to take any work off!)  I was super stoked because 1. I love SHINee, and 2. it was going to be Curdy's first Kpop concert ever.

You all might remember Curdy being previously being referred to as my non-kdrama/kpop loving roommie/friend, but that has since changed.  She has converted to the right side/dark side/good side, and has taken the plunge into a much better world.  She has since become obsessed with it, like the rest of us had years ago.  Her current favorites are Super Junior and obsessing over Hyungsik.  We've taught her well.

So when I figured out that my paid vacation was the same day as the SHINee concert, I went to Lizabreff and Curdy and said: "Let's do this!"  So we did.

244. Chief Kim 김과장 (2017) Korean

Namgoong Min, Nam Sang Mi, Lee Joon Ho, Jung Hye Seong, Kim Won Hae

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: A

So funny!  This was a solid, hilarious drama!  One of the best comedies I have seen in a long time.  It didn't need a traditional love triangle/OTP thing, because it was perfect just as it was.  The bromances were the best.  The bromance was the OTP.  The hint of side romances were cute and a plus, but not necessary.  It was about two not so great guys, who are basically two sides of the same coin- as in brilliant but especially brilliant at annoying people, who are both disillusioned with society.  One becomes an accountant, because numbers don't lie like people, to con his way into enough money to go to Denmark.  The other is a prosecutor who decides to use his legal skills for evil in the corporate world.  Then they meet at the same company, and proceed to have a hate relationship, which is just hilarious to watch as it progresses (into a bromance, shhhhh).  All of the characters are great.  Well, some of the baddies are just annoying, but of the main characters, they are great.  Everyone on the accounting team, the prosecutor team, and so on is the best!  And there is so much character growth.  Obviously the too not so perfect, flawed leads had the most growth, all around and in their relationships, but even side characters like Mantis (my Mantis!) had lots of growth.  I ended up loving people I never thought I would have in the first few episodes.  I haven't belly laughed so hard in quite a while.  It was beautiful.  Namgoong Min was made for comedy, and this role was made for him.  Chief Kim was so over the top wonderful!  Junho did such a good job of being lovable and hateful.  I loved how he became "Glutton" because he was always eating.  He really was always eating, it was crazy.  Papa Johns is taking over!  Look out, Subway!  I loved how it was hilarious, but it also had depth in topic.  It had some meaningful issues, and handled them good, as well as funny.  I really just loved this one so much!  Don't let Namgoong Min's hair deter you, it works perfectly in the show, and fits his tacky kkangpae style.  This show is gold.  Watch it.

241. Defendant 피고인 (2017) Korean

Ji Sung, Uhm Ki Joon, Kwan Yuri, Oh Chang Suk, Uhm Hyun Kyung

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: A

Woah.  What can I say besides "this show was amazing?"  I loved it so much.  It's mosaic structure at the beginning was great, as we flashed between the past and present and Ji Sung not being able to remember anything.  He was amazing.  I also loved Grumpy Cat.  Well, I loved to hate Grumpy Cat in this, while also just loving him.  He is just so good at what he does.  He plays such well rounded villains.  Even when they really aren't well rounded individuals.  Seriously though, how did he make me feel for him and despise him at the same time.  He was a horrible, psychopathic evil dude, who also just wanted to be loved.  To be normal.  To have everything he was always denied (from his perspective).  How did he make me cry at one moment and then rage scream the next?  Darn it, Grumpy Cat!  I love you, man!  Then we have a huge cast of just the best and worst people ever.  It was always fun to see how the best people in this show were the people in prison.  I loved the cellmate bromance between all 6 of those men.  They were the best.  There were so many good twists and turns in this show.  It always kept me excited.  Then, when I thought I couldn't handle another episode with another truck of doom, or another perjury ruining everything, they twisted the normal tropes and made me laugh.  Optimus Cheol Sik for the win!  It had the right amount of drama, intensity, tears, and humor.  Just the way I like it.  I felt all the emotions.  It had a stellar cast, mostly.  Even the less good peeps were passable.  Loved that it was not about romance, although I would have been fine with the brother-in-law and lawyer hooking up.  I loved the one side couple that did happen, but that is a story for those that see it.  Once again, it was amazing, and I loved it.

Like for Likes (2016) Korean

Lee Mi Yeon, Choi Ji Woo, Kim Joo Hyeok, Yoo Ah In, Kang Ha Neul, Esom

Movie rating: 7/10      Neck score: A

This movie was so cute.  It was full of feels.  I love how interconnected the three love stories were without them actually being that connected.  I loved all three couples, although naturally some more than others.  My favorite couple was actually the Choi Ji Woo/Kim Joo Hyeok couple, because their romance was just the cutest and funniest.  I also just love Choi Ji Woo, she's the cutest and bestest.  I also fell in love with that ahjussi.  I'm kind of love the ahjussis lately.  Mmmm.  Kang Han Neul and Esom were also cute.  Let's me honest, Kang Ha Neul probably gave us the most feels.  He made us almost (or just really, if you're Lizabreff) cry.  He also had the most difficult role as he played a deaf songwriter.  So his story was just a little more heart wrenching from the start.  He rocked it btw.  Yoo Ah In did a great job of being an adorable butt.  Funny and annoying at the same time.  It was a great noona romance between him and Lee Mi Yeon.  She was also great.  So really, this was just a cute show.  Not earth shattering or amazing, just great at what it is, a romantic comedy full of cute and funny characters and the perfect, cheesy resolutions that romcoms crave.  I loved it.

C'est si Bon (2015) Korean

Jung Woo, Kim Yoon Seok, Han Hyo Joo, Kim Hee Ae, Jin Goo, Jang Hyun Sung, Kang Han Neul, Jo Bok Rae

Movie rating: 7/10     Neck score: A

I liked this mostly for the music rather than the plot.  The plot was simple and pretty typical.  A young singer falls for the wrong girl and has a hard time.  But boy was the music beautiful!  Those honey voices!  Sigh!  It was just great.  It was also a good snap shot into the past, a little history of music and culture in the 70s.  It is a story about the fictional third member of the duo Twin Folio and how he came to be a member and then not debut with them.  Jung Woo was perfect for that awkward, country boy role.  There were lots of good moments, lots of funny moments, and yes some meh moments too.  Ultimately the music won me over, but the plot was not that compelling to me.  That being said, the music and flavor is enough to have me recommend it, as is the acting and singing.  Just don't expect something deep.  It's more just an enjoyable snap of the past, in the 1970s folk music craze.

242. Introverted Boss 내성적인 보스 (2017) Korean

Yeon Woo Jin, Park Hye Soo, Yoon Park, Kong Seung Yeon

Drama Rating: 4/10     Neck Score: A

Disappointing.  This had such a lovely premise,  I loved the first two episodes, but the whole misunderstanding about him and thinking he was a psycho was just going on for too long.  It was too relatable as an introvert, so it was frustrating as heck by the end of episode 4.  Then they were doing so poorly that they were forced to rewrite.  This saved the frustration at the moment, but actually ruined it in the long run by giving us crappy writing that didn't make sense.  It ruined the good things as well as getting rid of the bad things that we hated.  It made it much less believable, because it made the introverted transformation sloppy  It also had a lot more of those stereotypes.  It also ruined the ending, because it made it seem out of place, since it looks like they shoved everything they meant to do with it in the last two episodes. It was still enjoyable, because of Muffin (our new name for Yeon Woo Jin) and how adorable he was, but we had to roll our eyes and make fun of it because of how ridiculous it got.  They also had to redeem everyone at the end, which really cheapened it a lot and kind of trivialized some of the problems that people had.  Another good character who saved the show was Beautiful Beautiful Man (Heo Jung Min).  He is good in everything he's in.  He is gold.  I love my Beautiful Beautiful Man!  He and Muffin have such a cute bromance too.  Yes!  So I'm sad and disappointed at how it turned out, because it had potential, but it was a bit off right from the start, so that sucked and it just became cheesy and typical.  Oh well.