Many of these actresses are enjoying marriage and motherhood and obviously taking a well deserved break but Yoon Eun Hye would be welcome in a drama imo (though maybe Koreans disagree with me). I'm happy that many are active making movies even though I tend to be more miss than hit when it comes to Korean cinema.
I agree that Jugglers was better than Radiant Office in terms of romcom/romance BUT overall, Radiant Office was…
Most people I see unsatisfied with Radiant Office it's because they are not happy with the romance so if the mood is romance, go with Jugglers but more slice of life office setting go with Radiant Office.
I haven't seen either but I think you are the only one (not really I'm sure) that liked Ruler over Queen for 7 Days.
I really like Jugglers (still watching) a lot but I also liked Radiant Office quite a bit though more for the three temp worker stories than the romance.
PS: Happy Squeak, I remember you from the now defunct dramafever forum and glad to see you are writing articles. Crazy times over there back in the day !
I've seen most but not all here. My favorite is Time Between Dog and Wolf. I know some do not like to give anything a watch that's more than 5 years old but they are missing some solid dramas. Dated clothes and hair can be overlooked (along with flip phones Ha!) but a good story is hard to find in dramaland so I recommend giving them a go.
I have been watching dramas for a while and am always noticing how neatly everyone's shoes are in the entryway. Episode 6 of Jugglers shows what the situation would be in my house.
shall i give this drama a try? i have a feeling that it's gonna be a nice rom-com, and i don't wanna drop any…
I am a little behind but so far it is staying true to being a romantic comedy which I appreciate and the pacing is pretty good especially after the first few episodes. I like that it doesn't take itself too seriously though I'm sure there will be some angst along the way.
Thank you! I'm glad you like it~Why did you think it had 50 episodes? :'D I think 24 is a good amount for giving…
Well I guess @ClaudiaKdramaFan answered one question. Truthfully when I hear weekend drama, I always think long. I can watch those on occasion.
With regard to YSW's arc, I am only through episode 8 now so I haven't seen the latest story developments. I think the whole baby to catch a man (because I think that's what she did even if the story doesn't specify) is so ugh. I get that it works in the drama for various reasons but it seems like a tired trope at this point.
With regard to revenge, yes, it is when he says he wants them at their highest point. The guy is willing to throw the woman he loves to the wolves when he really could have mom and son kicked from the house and excommunicated from the family and chooses not to. I don't think that makes sense and is just the story construct to get it to 24 episodes. It's okay because I'm having a great time watching it, but I don't totally buy he would do that. I mean he's been nicer to Seo Won than he has to Mo Hyun.
I started this when I realized it was 24 episodes instead of the 50 I was expecting. I can't handle 50 episodes of a revenge drama. I agree with what others have said; this is a revenge/makjang drama with excellent pacing and twists and turns. Acting is solid and the music sets the mood.
Issues I have are (through episode 9) the convoluted revenge when he could have finished them earlier on and the Yoon Seo Won arc is not a favorite but that's just me. So one obviously has to suspend reality but this is definitely drama crack.
Nice article and you are so right; drama synopsis generally are horrible.
Just so i dont go deep into comments, is there a lot of romance (compare romance to some other drama).
This is not a romance centric drama. Goblin has a lot more romance so if you are expecting that because both dramas have a reaper, you've been warned. This is much more a suspense/mystery/thriller with a small slice of romance. The first 17 episodes are great, the last not so much. This writer did well building the mystery and layering everything so well that even small scenes mean something later on. I'm not even bitter about the last episode because the rest of the drama was so good. (okay, maybe a little bitter.)
For anyone curious about this one, it's only 24 episodes (not the 50 you might expect) and more happens in one episode than in 3 in a regular drama. It is totally makjang crack done well. At least so far. I took a break from Jang Hyuk after watching him in three dramas in a row. Huge fan but I found things getting a bit repetitive. This is a great role for him and he's killing it.
It is actually a makjang if you didn't notice, just much better written, directed and acted above the regular…
There is definite sexual chemistry between JP and Mal Ran and I have only seen through episode 7 (just started yesterday ;) I don't think he sees her as a mother figure or she seems him as a son, but I think the relationship would be considered totally taboo which makes it all the more fun to see how everything plays out.
I'm open to T-dramas though I sometimes find the more contemporary ones drag when compared to older dramas like Mars. Anyway, enjoyed many of the ones you mentioned but haven't seen Down With Love so will put that on my list.
I also recommend Autumn's Concerto (though I also thought that was too long) and Sunny Happiness and this year's Attention, Love was pretty cute.
I never watched Innocent Man - just not my thing - but I'd nominate the guy from Secret (is it Ji Sung?). That drama is something else.
After a while, I skipped all the 2nd lead scenes in Cruel Romance. I liked a lot of that drama but could never have gotten through it without some fast forwarding.
The thing that drove me nuts about Madame Antoine is she kept figuring out he was doing her wrong but then believing him again, and I actually liked her character. I will never understand why the writers took this path because some of the therapy/counseling stories I thought were well done.
I have seen one Lakorn and it's #3 on your list. It's like watching a train wreck; you just can't look away. This reminded me of a romance novel written in 1978.
I like both nice guys done well (not too perfect) and a good anti-hero (there has to be some goodness or understanding of oneself). One of the things that always got me about SJK in DOTS is there was nothing wrong with him. He was a perfect guy with a dangerous job so to me the romantic conflict between the leads was kind of boring. Wang So in Moon Lovers is a good anti-hero imo because while he can be a jerk and a badass, the scenes with his parents & brothers explain how he got to be the way he was. It's understandable. (I won't talk about the last 5 very messy episodes).
This is why Secret was such a mess for me because it was soooo over the top what the guy did. I mean how much revenge does a dude need; it was crazy.
Of the ones mentioned I think the hidden gem is Ms. Perfect because though frustrating at times, it actually was something different and mostly fun, especially the first half. It also went under the radar of most international viewers.
The one that I am glad I dumped early was the mermaid one. I have no regrets.
The biggest production misfire was Bride because the writer was solid in her other dramas and she has experience with supernatural dramas (Arang) so I don't know what the heck happened. I don't hate it actually, but I know if I was a fan of the source material I would be disappointed. I think you nailed it though, they had a very limited budget so the water god never actually got to be a god throughout 99.9 % of the drama. Weird but oddly easy to watch week after week. I eventually accepted nothing much was gonna happen.
My Love/Hate drama from your list is Strong Woman. Loved the early episodes but eventually just watched the main couple. I would say this was a misfire as well re: writing but I get that it was a hit both in Korea and among international fans. Oh well.
The ending was pretty bad. I don't know why anyone would compare to Goblin other than they both had reapers/supernatural elements (but so did Arang & the Magistrate so it isn't really new). This is really more a mystery than a romance and to me, Goblin is more a romance than a mystery. Just my take. Anyway, I just finished and am still in the ...that's it !!! mode.
I really like Jugglers (still watching) a lot but I also liked Radiant Office quite a bit though more for the three temp worker stories than the romance.
PS: Happy Squeak, I remember you from the now defunct dramafever forum and glad to see you are writing articles. Crazy times over there back in the day !
With regard to YSW's arc, I am only through episode 8 now so I haven't seen the latest story developments. I think the whole baby to catch a man (because I think that's what she did even if the story doesn't specify) is so ugh. I get that it works in the drama for various reasons but it seems like a tired trope at this point.
With regard to revenge, yes, it is when he says he wants them at their highest point. The guy is willing to throw the woman he loves to the wolves when he really could have mom and son kicked from the house and excommunicated from the family and chooses not to. I don't think that makes sense and is just the story construct to get it to 24 episodes. It's okay because I'm having a great time watching it, but I don't totally buy he would do that. I mean he's been nicer to Seo Won than he has to Mo Hyun.
Issues I have are (through episode 9) the convoluted revenge when he could have finished them earlier on and the Yoon Seo Won arc is not a favorite but that's just me. So one obviously has to suspend reality but this is definitely drama crack.
Nice article and you are so right; drama synopsis generally are horrible.
I also recommend Autumn's Concerto (though I also thought that was too long) and Sunny Happiness and this year's Attention, Love was pretty cute.
After a while, I skipped all the 2nd lead scenes in Cruel Romance. I liked a lot of that drama but could never have gotten through it without some fast forwarding.
The thing that drove me nuts about Madame Antoine is she kept figuring out he was doing her wrong but then believing him again, and I actually liked her character. I will never understand why the writers took this path because some of the therapy/counseling stories I thought were well done.
I have seen one Lakorn and it's #3 on your list. It's like watching a train wreck; you just can't look away. This reminded me of a romance novel written in 1978.
I like both nice guys done well (not too perfect) and a good anti-hero (there has to be some goodness or understanding of oneself). One of the things that always got me about SJK in DOTS is there was nothing wrong with him. He was a perfect guy with a dangerous job so to me the romantic conflict between the leads was kind of boring. Wang So in Moon Lovers is a good anti-hero imo because while he can be a jerk and a badass, the scenes with his parents & brothers explain how he got to be the way he was. It's understandable. (I won't talk about the last 5 very messy episodes).
This is why Secret was such a mess for me because it was soooo over the top what the guy did. I mean how much revenge does a dude need; it was crazy.
Of the ones mentioned I think the hidden gem is Ms. Perfect because though frustrating at times, it actually was something different and mostly fun, especially the first half. It also went under the radar of most international viewers.
The one that I am glad I dumped early was the mermaid one. I have no regrets.
The biggest production misfire was Bride because the writer was solid in her other dramas and she has experience with supernatural dramas (Arang) so I don't know what the heck happened. I don't hate it actually, but I know if I was a fan of the source material I would be disappointed. I think you nailed it though, they had a very limited budget so the water god never actually got to be a god throughout 99.9 % of the drama. Weird but oddly easy to watch week after week. I eventually accepted nothing much was gonna happen.
My Love/Hate drama from your list is Strong Woman. Loved the early episodes but eventually just watched the main couple. I would say this was a misfire as well re: writing but I get that it was a hit both in Korea and among international fans. Oh well.