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.

One Hundred

I have watched 100 Asian dramas. One hundred. That’s crazy. 

Having just completed Thirty but Seventeen, I went onto mydramalist to update my drama list - which is something I do to track the series I have completed and the shows I want to watch next - and it kindly informed me of this little statistic. It also informed me that I’ve watched exactly 1700 episodes, plus 2 TV shows and 6 movies. All of this adds up to a grand total of 67.5 days worth of Asian TV.

And you know what? I don’t regret a second of it.

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.