Defendant

You know, there is a very good chance that all of my posts in January are going to be about korean dramas.

After finishing Reply late 1980’s - 1990’s, I started watching Encounter. However, being a show that I started while it was currently airing, based on my high hopes due to the Song Hye Kyo and Park Bo Gum combo, I soon found myself caught up and with days before the next episode. So naturally, I started on a new show to watch as a filler, and ended up much preferring. This show was Defendant, another high ranker and one that I had avoided for looking a little too serious. I remember it coming out, and thinking that while I love Ji Sung, the idea of a drama set in a prison just didn’t appeal.

I don’t know why I don’t learn that the high rated non-romance dramas are almost always absolutely amazing.

Park Jeong Woo is a successful prosecutor with a perfect life - he runs around catching the bad guys and then goes home to his loving wife and adorable daughter. He is just starting to crack the case on a suspicious CEO who he thinks is actually his criminal twin brother who apparently committed suicide, when he wakes up in a prison cell. Somehow, it’s four months later, and he discovers that he is on trail for having murdered his wife and daughter, has admitted to it, and has absolutely no memory of any of it.  Slowly, he starts to regain his memory and figure out who has framed him and to plan his revenge.

Firstly, I love Ji Sung. He is the lead in of my favourite films, My PS Partner, and played the main role in the slightly forgettable Protect the Boss and in Kill Me Heal Me, which was amazing. He was great in this too, able go from stony seriousness to goofiness to heartbreakingly sad. The guy who played Cha Seon Ho was really good too, in that he made me hate him for being such a despicable person, although Seok his dirty work assistant person also did horrible things and I kind of just crushed on him, so take that as you please. Kim Min Seok from DotS and Because This is My First Life was also in it as Seong Gyu, and he bloody well broke my heart and didn’t deserve anything but a happy ending where he was adopted by Jeong Woo as a younger brother and Ha Yeon’s uncle and they all lived happily ever after.

It was interesting actually to learn a bit about the prison system in South Korea. I found out that people are still sentenced to death, although these sentences haven’t been carried out in decades. People on trial wear beige, those who have been sentenced wear blue and those on death row have their identity numbers in red. They aren’t referred to by name in prison, but instead by number, and live in small rooms with six other inmates, unless they are rich, in which they get a private room which looks more like what we associate prison accommodation to look like.

It was a really good series. It kept you guessing, and while you kind of know it’ll all end up ok in the end, the constant twists and turns and cleverness of the plot does make you doubt it occasssionally. There was zero romance subplot, which is rare, but you really don’t miss it, and I think anything of the sort would have totally ruined the key aspect of Jeong Woo’s character. I enjoyed the comic relief of the cell mates, and that they all got their happily ever afters - apart from Seong Gyu who I actually think I had a bit of second male lead syndrome about, in that while he was only a supporting role, I did root for him hard.

I just can’t fault it, really.

Tldr
It made me cry - like a fair amount. That means it’s good.
You should watch it, but maybe only if you’re a non squeamish adult.
I’d totally watch it again, but would wait a while to forget it first.

Having said all that, I don’t think it will knock any of my Top 5 off the list. It is probably safe in my Top 25 though.

Luckily, I finished this and only had to wait a day until the finale of Encounter came out and was subbed, so expect that review shortly.

Thirty but Seventeen

Normally, I try to write these posts immediately after completing the drama, but I finished Thirty but Seventeen a couple of days ago now, and have only just got around to actually putting together a post.

Normally, when choosing what series to watch next, I base my decision on ratings - the higher the rating, the more likely I am to watch it. This plan doesn’t necessarily always work out, but for the most part, it’s stood me in good stead. At the moment, I’m at the 9.6 sort of mark. However, I ignored  this method, and jumped into a 9.4 because I had seen Thirty but Seventeen advertised and really liked the look of it. Party because of the main lead being the guy from Degree of Love, but mostly because the premise intrigued me.

There is a huge accident that leaves a girl, Seo Ri, in a long term coma and a boy, Woo Jin, blaming himself because he thinks he killed her. 13 years later, she wakes up and as luck would have it, the man now living in her old house is Woo Jin, and he reluctantly agrees to let her live there while she tries to find her family, but doesn’t realise who she is. Obviously they grow close and fall in love and live happily ever after etc etc etc.

The Rui Effect was strong with this one. The second male lead was the main guy’s nephew, and a 17 year old athlete. Chan. He and Seo Ri clicked instantly, she felt comfortable with him and he was always just a little ray of sunshine in a very confusing world for the girl who is essentially a 17 year old stuck in a 30 year old’s body. They were so well suited in so many ways, and let’s be honest, Woo Jin was a bit of a dick at the beginning, leaving an already lonely person feeling even more abandoned, so I think she really needed Chan at that time. I get that a 17 year old hooking up with a 30 year old would have been oh so wrong, but still, mentally and emotionally, it was hard not to support him in his one sided love.

It was funny, in a very not obvious sort of way. Just little throw away lines here and there. Like one of Chan’s friends randomly having a bubble bath in their house when Chan wasn’t even there. I felt sorry for the SA guy on Chan’s team who was always left out when the other three (main cast) were so close, but it did amuse me when they called themselves out on it at the end. I much preferred the main guy in Degree of Love rather than in this - I didn’t sense much chemistry and he seemed kind of awkward, and I honestly can’t tell if that was a character choice or not. Seo Ri was really good at portraying a teenager, but I struggled to ever think of her as an adult to be honest. Chan was lovely. The supporting cast were good, but I’m surprised they didn’t make more of Seo Ri’s childhood friend turned doctor - he seemed a little forgotten about and then just randomly chucked in here and there. I get that they didn’t really need him with Chan providing that corner of the love triangle, but still. It was sad in places, and I definitely had a few tears in my eyes at one point, but for the most part while it was really predictable, and kind of slow, it was actually just a nice, fun story.

TLDR
Chan was the sweetest.
Watch it if you want ... or don’t ... I don’t feel that strongly about it to care.
I like Chan.

Lawless Lawyer

I am not doing well at blogging through October. I even finished Lawless Lawyer days ago, and never posted about it. I’m like 5 episodes into my next drama already. Bad blogger. Or maybe I’m just bringing back BOO - Blog Occasionally in October.

Anyway, Lawless Lawyer.

I actually really enjoyed this drama. It had lots of action, a bit of a complex story line and a romantic subplot that didn’t totally overpower the whole series. It kept me hooked throughout and Lee Joon Gi has grown on me A LOT.

The story revolves around a young boy who witnesses his mother being murdered for discovering corruption within the legal system of their city. He is brought up in a gang, but eventually becomes a lawyer with a plan to bring down the system. Throw in a similar background story for the female lead, a couple of twists, a amazing theme song, quite a lot of 50:1 fights where the main character escapes with a few cuts but wipes out everyone else and a hell of a lot of people calling other people hyung-nim, and you basically get the gist.

The two main bad guys are pretty big deals, although I don’t think I’ve seen either of them in anything before, nor have I seen the male lead before, although I know he has a huge following and will be the main reason for the success of the series. The female lead was in Moorim and Hwarang, and had a hair cut half way through this series.

While the story was concluded well, it did seem open to a second season, so I’d be interested if that did happen, although it’s rare in korean drama.

I’m not going to go into anymore because a) I can’t be bothered, and b) I finished it ages ago and can’t really remember what I wanted to say. I mostly remember wanting to talk about how I didn’t understand the fuss about Lee Joon Gi until I saw him in this.

Tl;Dr
This was really good fun.
Don’t rush to see it, but don’t avoid it either.
I’d watch it again, but I’m in no hurry to do so.


I’ve started watching Thirty Not Seventeen now. I’m enjoying it so far, and the Rui Effect is already in full force.

Six Flying Dragons

I finally did it. I finally finished watching Six Flying Dragons, which I have been watching since April. That’s 5 months. I’m actually a little shocked by that.

You know what, I did really enjoy this series. It was really well done. It made me smile, it made me cry and it had the extraordinary ability to make me simultaneously horrified and sympathetic to the main character doing some truly horrendous things. The acting was great, the characters were interesting and the production value was amazing. Mostly, it was just fascinating to learn about such an influential period in korean history.

That being said, I have never had a series send me to sleep so quickly. I would start watching an episode wide awake, and less than 10 mins later, I would be asleep. That’s not to say I found it boring, far from, but it was heavy going and just too much to cope with at bed time. Whenever I watched it during the day, I could easily power through multiple episodes, but during the week, when I only watch drama right before I go to sleep, it would take me all week to finish one episode.

I think that pretty much sums up everything I want to say. I could write a more in-depth review but I don’t know that I see much point. It kind of feels weird not including the plot, but there were 50 episodes, each at an hour long, and a lot happened in every single episode - I’d be here all day. I’ve heard it’s a prequel to Tree with Deep Roots, so maybe I’ll watch that at some point, but at the moment, I’m more interested in What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim ... I mean, it’s Park Seo Joon, can you blame me??

Tl;dr
I’m glad I watched it
I recommend others watching it
I probably wouldn’t watch it again

Bad Guys

First up, you may remember me basically saying I have been avoiding watching this drama for years, despite its high rating. Something about it just didn’t appeal and I was convinced I wouldn’t enjoy it. Boy, was I wrong.

Oh Gu Tak is a controversial detective, suspended after the murder of his daughter for going a bit crazy and beating people up. On the suggestion of his buddy, who happens to be the Police Commissioner, Oh Gu Tak joins forces with inspector Yoo Mi Young to bring three dangerous criminals out of prison to catch other criminals with the incentive of decreasing their sentences. Think Suicide Squad and you’ve pretty much got it. Park Woong Cheol is a famous gangster who took control of the whole of Seoul within a month. Lee Jung Moon is a genius psychopath serial killer who can’t remember killing his 15 victims. Jung Tae Soo is a contract killer who turned himself in and is ridiculously hot. Together, they are the Bad Guys Who Catch Bad Guys.

Yes, that’s pretty much the title. Inventive.

They pretty much run around investigating murders and beating people up and stopping organised crime. There is coherence, and every story does lead to the next which all comes together for the final few episodes. It was graphic, and even borderline upsetting at times, especially the organ trafficking episode, but it was shot so beautifully. The first couple of episodes in particular, the cinematography was stunning, although it was a shame that they had to blur out so much, as it was a little distracting. Basically every time there was a knife on screen, it was blurred out, and most if the characters seemed to spend most of their time holding knives. There was a realism to the way they rendered it, like you could see every pore on their faces, where as normally, the cast look almost airbrushed into perfection. There wasn’t even a romantic sub plot, unless you count Tae Soo going a bit gooey over the widow of one of his contracts. It just felt utterly different from any Asian drama that I have ever seen before, in literally every way.

I didn’t recognise many people in this drama. Jung Moon was Yoo Jung in Cheese in the Trap, which I hated and hated him in, although I enjoyed him in this. I just feel like Park Hae Jin is so much better suited to the creepy psychopath of this than the romantic, food obsessed, overaged lead of Cheese in the Trap. I also recognised the Police Commissioner as being the high up important army guy in Decendants of the Sun, which to be honest just made me want to rewatch it even more. Other than these two though, I didn’t recognise anyone, which is rare these days. I didn’t even know Jo Dong Hyuk, who played Tae Soo, which is a shame because he was lovely.

Would I recommend it? Yes, its a great drama that actually deserves the title of ‘drama’.

Would I rewatch it? Maybe, but at least not for a long time. I’m not sure how exciting it would be when you know what’s going to happen.

What comes next is difficult again. Do I learn from this experience and go for Six Flying Dragons, being a highly rated drama that I’ve avoided, this time because it’s so freaking long? Or rewatch DotS? Or do I start on Switch, which is currently quite highly rated, but I’m unsure whether that’s solely because it’s new, still airing, and stars Jang Geun Suk? I think I might go for Six Dlying Dragons ...

Chief Kim

I haven’t written a review post in a L O N G time. How do I even start? Maybe I should go back and read some of my old reviews for inspiration.

Ok, so it’s been 5 years since my last review post. 5 years. That’s crazy. 

It’s seems that I had a little formula going. First I’d explain the plot, then I’d say what I thought, and then I’d say what I was going to watch next. For the Japanese dramas I used to find links between the actors and what else I’d seen them in, which actually I might reinstate, although I don’t know how much fun it’d be without the Gokusen factor. 

I realise that I’m procrastinating. 

Chief Kim is about Chief Kim...

Excellent start there. Let’s try that again.

Kim Sung-Ryeong is a dodgy accountant for dodgy people in somewhere that isn’t Seoul. His life ambition is to move to Denmark, and takes on dodgy jobs to eek out as much money from the monsters and criminals as he can. He is consistently arrested for fraud, but is so skilled at covering his tracks that he is always released with lack of evidence. One day, his secretary tells him about a job opening as chief of the accounting department at TQ group where they promise not to discriminate in regards to education and experience. Kim goes for the job with the plan of embezzling a huge sum of money to get him to Denmark, and newly appointed director Seo, an ex prosecutor, convinces the chairman to hire him to act as their puppet in various fraudulent activities. However, Chief Kim isn’t as easily controlled as that, and soon comes to realise the corruption within the management of the company. He grows closer to his colleagues and develops a conscience, eventually taking on Director Seo and the Chairman to protect the rights of his colleagues. 

I’m not going to lie, it look me a fair amount if time to get through this series. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but it didn’t grab me too much for the most part, although the last 4 or 5 episodes I could have watched one after the other. I found Namgoong Min’s Chief Kim to be a little too over the top, and Nam Sang Mi as Deputy Yoon a little bleh. I did have a soft spot for Director Seo though, even though he was the villain, but that was probably because I have a soft spot for 2pm’s Junho. I did find the absolute lack of romance really refreshing, especially when you thought they were going to go there, but then they didn’t. A particular favourite example was when Deputy Yoon complained of the cold, and Chief Kim looked like he was about to take off his jacket, but instead said that she should have worn something warmer like he did. Having said that, I would have totally approved of Deputy Yoon and Director Seo getting it on at the end. 

Namgoong Min was the lead in Beautiful Kong Shim, and I must say I preferred him in that, although the characters were actually quite similar. Obviously I already knew Junho from 2pm, but he was also the lead in the last drama I watched, Just Between Lovers, along with Kim Kang Hyun’s Clerk Lee. To be honest, I loved their friendship so much in Just Between Lovers that I was kind of disappointed with their lack of contact in this. I also recognised Accounting Director Choo as the investigator from   While You Were Sleeping, and the Chairman’s son was also someone suspicious in Suspicious Partner.

Would I recommend it? Sure, why not. It’s good fun.
Would I watch it again? Probably not. I really enjoyed seeing where this drama ended up, but I don’t know that I’d be overly bothered about goimg through it all again.

Next up is a tricky one. Technically it should probably be something like Replay 1988 or The Good Doctor, older dramas that have high ratings*, but I find myself tempted by Jang Geun Suk’s Switch, currently still airing, or rewatching Dots.
To be honest, Dots will probably win, because I want to see Onew. Seeing Song Joong Ki doesn’t hurt either.


* I’m trying to go by rating on Viki, which is hard when they don’t actually list the series in order. I’m on the 9.6’s now, except for Six Flying Dragons and Jewel in the Palace as they’re both 50 episodes long. There is also Bad Guys, which hasn’t appealed, but maybe I should give it a chance.

Ok that’s my first review in 5 years done. I don’t have a photo because blogger has made that difficult, but if you really want one you can just google ‘Chief Kim Junho’ and that should see you right.

Rewatchable

I used to write review posts every time I finished a series. These posts documented my transition from anime to Japanese drama to Korean drama, which is pretty much what I stick with now. There seems to have been a drastic rise in Chinese dramas lately, but I haven’t yet felt the desire to explore them. To be honest, I used to really enjoy writing review posts, but slowly it turned into a chore and eventually I just couldn’t be bothered anymore. I’m fairly certain I stopped writing reviews when I started using Viki, so the first drama that I didn’t write a review for must have been “The Heirs”.

Wow. So long ago. I wish I had dates of when I started and finished watching each series. Mydramalist only tells me alphabetical list.

I have been thinking for a while about writing a post about the Asian dramas I have enjoyed since stopping my review posts, but I figured that would take me ages. So, instead, here are 5 dramas I would rewatch and recommend to anyone for a first time viewing.



Chicago Typewriter
Three resistance fighters from Japanese occupied Korea in the 1930’s are reincarnated in modern day Seoul. The series follows a writer, his ghostwriter and a book lover as they start to remember their past lives and solve the mystery of what happened. It’s a really interesting story that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and I found the history of it so fascinating.

Descendants of the Sun
The captain of a Special Forces Unit has a chance meeting with an old girlfriend when she volunteers in a war torn country with her team of doctors and they are stationed together. Various things happen, and every episode is the perfect mix of danger, romance and hot guys running around topless. Also, Onew is in it.

Healer
A second rate reporter discovers ‘Healer’, a mysterious illegal errand boy run foul of dangerous people, and through various chance meetings, strives to discover his true identity. Again, it’s a lot of action, blindfolded kisses and general addictiveness.

Secret Garden
Classic romantic body swap. I did actually review this one, and wasn’t too impressed at the time, but it’s a story that has really stuck with me and I often think about watching it again. The sit up scene *sighs wistfully*.

W - Two Worlds
The daughter of a missing famous webtoonist is sucked into the world her father created, and the only way out is to make the chapter end. Over time, she finds herself being pulled into the cartoon more and more as she struggles to find her father and the identity of a mysterious character who keeps trying to kill the main character. Lots of action, lots of laughs, a huge amount of chemistry and one that keeps you hooked episode after episode.



I actually started this post with no idea if I had 5 dramas or 3 or 20, but somehow it magically worked out at 5. Score.

Odds and sods

There really is nothing like getting into a newly changed bed, wearing fresh pjs, with cleanly shaven legs after a long hot bath. Especially after a sheet mask so your face feels really hydrated too.

It's part of a new bi weekly routine I've decided to adopt as a new year thing. I got the tea tree healing MediHeal sheet masks for Christmas, so decided to do as recommended, and do one twice a week. I am loving them so far, but maybe I'll do a review post when I have reached the end of the 4 week 'treatment' period. I've also been using the Neogen exfoliating pads, which as honestly bloody amazing, so maybe I'll do a post on that too eventually.

Mostly today I've been binge watching Degree of Love. It's so good. I like the main guy. I also like the second main guy. I wish my life was a drama. Oh to have options.

I also came across this YouTube channel, which amuses me greatly.

My arms look awful. My kitten likes to climb up them, attack them and just generally play on them, so they are covered with tiny scratches from her tiny claws. I'd mind more if she wasn't so sweet. The little monster. I'm still not set on a name. She claws the sofa sometimes, she I say 'hey hey' to get her to stop, so I'm a bit worried that she'll think that's her name, or else become like the Moana character.

Back to work tomorrow.

Oh to retire.

Lie to Me

First I want to share with you the description of this series on dramacrazy.net.

'A romantic comedy about a woman in her mid 20s lying that she was forced into marriage and then thing that happen after that.'

...Right.

In essence, it's fairly accurate, excluding the bad grammar and general wording. One day, Ah Jung sees her first love and ex best friend as a happily married couple, and in order to save face in front of them, lies that she was married. Through various assumptions and chance encounters, somehow the young president of a reputable hotel, Gi Joon, gets involved in the lie, and the two make a contract to pretend to be married; Ah Jung infront of her friend, and Gi Joon to secure a business deal. Obviously the lie gets a little out of hand, they start to fall for each other, other people get in the way, the lie is revealed and the whole thing ends in a happily ever after with the two running towards each other across a meadow .... no, really.

 From Google. It was sweet, but I did *facepalm* at the cheesiness.

While I really enjoyed it at the start, I have to admit to loosing interest slightly when things started to get a little too peachy. I much more enjoyed the pretence rather than the actual romance, especially when the line started to blur. Also, I think a cola fight would be amazing in real life. I really liked the character of Sang Hee, Gi Joon's younger brother. He had fallen for his sister in law to be and forced the couple to break up a few years previously, and started to fall for Ah Jung even though he set her up with Gi Joon. It was a little disappointing that he played such a minor role in the latter half of the series, especially seeing as he got a new hot hair cut and had a sexy voice.

I actually don't have much else to say about this drama. I got through two thirds of this drama incredibly quickly, but the last few episodes really seemed to drag, and I would often only watch half an episode at a time. I did laugh out loud but I didn't cry, all the emotional scenes just weren't emotional enough. It was enjoyable, even if the end was a little focused on the leads rather than the many other major characters. However, it was nice to see Ah Jung looking like a girl, after seeing her as tomboy Eun Chan in Coffee Prince.

Next up is My Princess. I gather it is a cross between Mei-chan no Shitsugi and The Princess Diaries in Korean. So I'm basically imagining Princess Diaries where Mia falls for Joesph ... no wait ...*shudder* ...

<3 x