namopanik

I don't think it's just he's getting lead roles before Im Joo Hwan, but Nam Joo Hyuk shouldn't be judged only by his Scarlet Heart performance. He did a fine job both in Cheese in a Trap as a sidekick and in Weightlifting Fairy as a lead recently. I can't be objective for School 2015 though, but it was still better than Scarlet Heart.

but he's a lead here, maybe it'll work out for once!:)

I agree with you too, siracorn. The list could also be called 'a few recent most hyped dramas I liked'.
At first I thought that recommending dramas like K2, DOTS or SWDBS which have mixed feedback at best would be counterproductive, but then again I was sucked in with an atrocity called Mary Stayed Out All Night and it worked just fine, so it really doesn't matter where one starts.

In case someone wondered whether it's rushed compared to k-version: it's not. It needs only 40% of time to deliver the same story and the pace is neck-breaking, but by some sorcery it's not rushed plot-wise. Serizawa Naoto runs all the time like he was solely responsible for compressing 20 hours into 9*, so it's draining to even watch him, let alone bear the emotional load of things happening around him. The editing is frantically fast and dense, it cuts out connecting movements Breathless-style or speeds up the footage on fillers. Ok, maybe not Breathless because it was more random there, but you get the idea.
And yet, despite all that madness, the story has a gripping pace making you want to already know the whole picture, what happened then, how will it all end now and who'll make it out alive. It's sparse with revealing things from the past. Recurring shots of Naruse Ryu's face and his red lit den balance it out a little, as does the music.
I don't see myself rating it anything below 9 if it stays as good as it is.

*Don't want to unbury old comments, but some commenters said running all the time makes Serizawa less believable as a cop/adult. I politely disagree. It fits him and his history, and it's not like other characters take him very seriously either.

it's subbed up to ep 9 here: http://fastdrama.co/reverse

does the boss character's get more nuanced/likable later, like her counterpart from Atelier did? Or will the show focus only on the hairdresser guy from now on? I'm somewhere in the middle and slowly losing interest. But now I spoiled myself there's a twist, maybe I give it a try.

You mean Austen, or is there a source material for this story (with prosecutors and all)? If the former, it's a stretch. The man's somewhat proud, the girl prejudiced against him, there's a prolonged misunderstanding between them, and a physical copy of the book appears too once or twice, but that's pretty much it.

Sorry for replying late, wasn't checking out this page and no notifications here. I meant he's namedropped in the dramas, not in the Internet. Sometimes someone is described/flattered as 'Won Bin level' and it doesn't ring a bell to me because he doesn't act lately but people still have him in their minds. Only Oh Ri On in KMHM comes to my mind now, but that's a scene I keep seeing in many dramas.
I'll definitely check The Man from Nowhere out!

what makes it different is you'll feel bad for both of guys, not just one, and they aren't really actively going for the girl, but rather staying low for the sake of the friendship. It's an ultimate 2nd lead syndrome drama, but there's a twist to it, so choose wisely who you root for.

I only realised now they're playing it after next episode teaser, like a tiny music video.

Yeah. That's exactly why I saved most of currently airing shows. And then disregarded it with picking this one because yolo! I'll never learn.

Gogh's Starry Night was a web series originally (and perhaps Page Turner?).
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_web_dramas_by_Naver_TV_Cast << here's a list of some, but most of them are things's you'd watch if you're into someone from the cast. Watchable:
- High-End Crush
- Be Positive (aka Positive Physique)
- Love for a Thousand More
- Nightmare Teacher
- (many people liked Thumping Spike)
- One Sunny Day was sweet too.

But most importantly Go Princess Go, as recommended above.

Me too! Guys, if nothng else, watch it for Park Joo Hyung, because he makes a great alternative for your usual moustache twirling antagonist. His character is just so unapologetically narcissistic, wacky and probably a bit psychotic. If it was an anime, he'd adressed himself oresama. He's always an eyeblink apart between killing people for something inconsequential, scaring them to death only to laugh it off in a second or cluelessly falling for the heroine, in his own way. He's a man who calmly reprimands his sleeve for getting wet while he was washing his face in a stream (I can't get over how natural it comes to PJH). Half of the time he either hallucinates seeing the girl or uses his sword as a mirror. Best of all, him developing some feelings doesn't redeem him magically, he stays coherent and has a goal.

Thanks, I'll put it on my list :) I don't mind lack of the finale, truly satisfying endings are so rare anyway.

Commenting because I agree with everything you said and I'm curious for answers too. He has this steadiness in his gaze. I love how he gets low-key excited in his own way, when something Xing'er does or says amuses or impresses him. It's even cooler than those scenes when he's slightly uncomfortable with her closeness or stereotypical princess carries.
I was excited for The Advisors Alliance starting soo,n but now I look at the trailer, it doesn't seem MC's going to be a composed and broody type of a strategist.

it's funny people connect her with it and not with Mr Vengeance now, even on asian drama website. Is it good?

How much character development you expect in first two episodes? (No hating either). He's nothing like a stone, he has a plenty of tiny, muffled expressions. You can see him playing what people expect to see. Or just not giving a fuck in other scenes and going straight to the point. Childhood surgery can't really be seen as added, since that was a starting point from the beginning. I hope they won't pull A Beautiful Mind on us here.

check out dramalike tv and fastdrama co (and CC button if applicable)

you mean the 'Mr Bang can't be dead' comments? I think it's more a human feeling for a character than a lack of appreciation for the story structure. It's a good thing if a drama brings such a response. In the same way, I wouldn't mind if the whole show was about their company meetings hijinks, but that probably wouldn't last for a plot.

I'm hanging on the thought that if he was dead-dead, there would be a line saying 'we thank actor so-and-so for his appearance' (there was only something about new OST release). They can't kill him off!