Spring KDramas - What you Should be Watching and Which Ones you Should Skip

It's that time again where we check out all the new kdramas that have started airing.  Are they good?  Do they deserve to drift away into oblivion?  Check out my opinions and let me know yours as we go through my latest drama finds.

-Angel's Revenge-

So this was a total failure of a drama, which makes me so sad because it had the awesome premise of a vengeful nun.  However while we had the nun part covered the revenge part (at least at 30 episodes) was sorely lacking.  I seriously do not understand the writers who wrote all (and I do mean all) of the characters so poorly.  Out of the whole cast I only enjoyed watching Seo Ji Suk as the lead and unfortunately he was not enough to keep me watching for 70 more episodes.

Why You Should NOT Watch:
The mentally handicapped character is more intelligent then 99% of the characters in the drama.  When this happens it is not a good sign and you should ditch it and run.  Life is too short to watch stupid dramas.

-Wonderful Days-

Synopsis: Poor boy makes big and returns home 15 years after walking away from his family and first love.  Will he choose money or family in the end?

I just started this drama this week and so far really enjoy it.  Although it has been airing for a few weeks in Korea, the US airings were delayed by two weeks (I am guessing because of some type of airing rights by the producers of the drama) so we are just starting to get into this one.  It is a weekend family drama with a HUGE extended family.  And after two episodes I am still not sure of whose son is whose but it seems to have a really solid cast and story so far.

(The one EXCEPTION is the casting of Lee Elijah from Basketball who is the worst actress to EVER come on a Korean drama.  Seriously she is the #1 worst actress on my list and that is out of every B- lead overacted character in my kdrama watching history.  She should never ever be allowed near a film set again.  EVER!!!)

Sorry, just had bad flashbacks from my Basketball recaps.

Why You Should Watch It: 
Back to the rest of the cast.  They are doing a great job in entertaining me.  I love Lee Seo-Jin (Grandpa's Over Flowers, Gye-Bae) and Kim Hee-Seon (Faith) together and their back story is very interesting as are all the family dynamics.  TaecYeon, who plays the youngest brother, also has a great storyline. I am not sure if I will be thoroughly involved for all 50 episodes but I am willing to give it a try.  Interesting characters plus good actors usually make for a good dramas (as long as the writers don't pull a I Summon You Gold ending).

-Beyond the Clouds-

Synopsis: Jung Se Ro (Yoon Kye Sang -Greatest Love) is wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of Han Young Won's (Han Ji Hye - I Summon You Gold) fiancee.  After being released he seeks revenge against those that framed him and resulted in his father's death.

Pretty much if you combine all of the revenge dramas together and add in a crazier than usual male lead you get Beyond the Clouds.  And since I am a total sucker for revenge dramas I am completely OK with that.  Also really love all the location scenes they did in Thailand, it really added that extra big budget feel to the drama.

Why You Should Watch It:
Beyond the Clouds delivers a full serving of revenge with a side of totally crazy. It is beautifully directed and Yoon Kye Sang is hitting it out of the ballpark with his acting.  I personally would have never guessed that he is this talented of an actor and he is the #1 reason to tune into this drama.  His emotional portrayal of a man who has lost it all including a bit of his sanity is genius and definitely worth the watch.  I will admit that the female lead is just all right for me.  I get a bit annoyed that she is constantly crying, but the fast pace and the male lead more than make up for that shortcoming.

-Cunning Single Lady-

Synopsis: This drama has jumped on the divorced couples reunite train that seems to be so popular in Kdramas this year.  Our OTP married young, but when times got hard (and in their defense they got really really hard) they divorced.  Three years later our heroine discovers that her ex husband made it big right after the divorce and vows to make him pay for her pain and suffering.  After getting a job in his company your regular romantic hijinks occur.

This is one of those dramas that I am enjoying well enough, but it is not really anything to gush about.  It is a very basic romantic comedy plot and is not really pushing the boundaries of the genre.  Lee Min Jung (Big, All About My Romance) is yet again the same character we have seen her play so many times before.  Basically a good girl but with a slightly snarky side, she continues to be typecast.  However it is nice to see Joo Sang Wook in a comedy for once.  Known for his more serious roles in Giant, Team Ten, and Good Doctor, I could just sit and watch him smile and be silly/conniving forever.  Also the supporting cast of L (Masters Sun, Shut Up Flower Boy Band) and Seo Kang Joon (suspicious housekeeper) really help smooth over the stories rough spots.

Why You Should Watch It:
There are some truly funny moments in this drama.  And despite the first episode both character have built in failings and issues that lead to the dissolve of their marriage so you don't really hate either of them.  I enjoy watching each of them try to get the better of the other even though it is obvious that they just want some kind of contact since they are not over each other.  That said, the plot is occasionally patchy but if you can get past that and just enjoy it for what it is, I think you would like this drama.

-Three Days-

Synopsis:  Presidential Bodyguard finds out about an assassination plot towards the president and tries to thwart it.

So far I have to admit that this is the drama that has fallen short of its promise for me (at least as of ep 2).  It obviously has a lot of money going into its production and the visuals are sharp and make me feel like the drama should be intense.  But then I watch it and it loses me.  It is not that it is bad, but it just does not grab my attention the way I wish it would.  There are obviously a lot of things that are going on behind the assassination attempt and I enjoy trying to figure all that out.  But than the actors will suddenly go into a scene where they are explaining every little thing that happened to anyone nearby.  Rather then keeping me involved in the action of the characters I feel like it is pausing every few minutes to tell me what I might have missed.  I guess that I might be overly picky, but to me it just feels like sloppy writing.

Why You Should Watch It:
While the story might have not hooked me yet, I still have hope.  It feels like we should be getting into bigger plots and conspiracy's and I am crossing my fingers that things will suddenly click and I can learn to love it.  Also it has YooChun who I actually really enjoy as an actor.  I was telling my Kbestie that he is actually maturing into a normal person, which I actually like.  I feel like the attractive everyday look might take him farther as an actor then if he stuck with the hot idol vibe.  So in conclusion, an okay drama so far with great visuals and Yoo Chun so of course I will be continuing on.

-Bride of The Century-

I saved my two favorite new dramas for last.  The first is Bride of The Century.  Seriously!  Who knew this one would actually turn out to be kracktasticly awesome.  You can bet I didn't.  I was all ready to throw it into the "watch someday" pile due to its vague synopsis and mediocre visual qualities.  But turns out this story is great, complicated, and highly entertaining and Lee Hong Ki (You're Beautiful) can actually carry his own as a leading man.  

Synopsis - This drama throws everything and the kitchen sink into the plot.  Start with the Prince and the Pauper story, throw in a lot of evil selfish women plotting against each other (but in a great plot movement way), a hero that is half cute boy and half snarky CEO, and a kindhearted yet intelligent heroine, OH.... and don't forget a bride stealing ghost and you just start to scratch the surface of this drama.

Why You Should Watch It:
I am not sure if there is a logical reason as to why you should watch it, but if you do itwill remind you why you fell in love with Kdramas in the first place.  It has every Kdrama cliche and then some thrown into it, yet somehow the writers have managed to gel it altogether around an OTP with fun chemistry.  Their crazy romance just brings a smile to my face and I am so thankful I gave it a chance.

-God's Gift 14 Days-

This drama scares the bajeebies out of me, but in a good way.   Every second of it is filled with intense action, and possible clues to the identity of the daughters killer so you are always on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what is going on.

Synopsis:
Kim Soo Hyun (Lee Bo Young- I can Hear Your Voice) fights fate and time as she races to save her daughter from being murdered by a serial Killer.

Why You Should Watch It: This is Lee Bo-Young's best performance by far.  Her portrayal as a desperate mother is mesmerizing.  Add to that top notch writing and a great supporting cast and you have a a winning experience.  I have to admit that there is the chance this show will Jump the Shark (that is always a chance you take with time travel themes) but if it can continue on its path I predict that it is going to be AMAZING.  A must watch.

That completes the first Kdrama overview for the new spring shows.  But never fear, if none of these catch your attention there are still a lot more premiering in the next several weeks.  Of course I will be watching them all to give you my insight on what you should watch next.  Be sure to check back in on Sunday for my Kdrama weekly top 5 countdown where I let you know what the best moments were during the week as well as give more depth into currently airing dramas.  Also if you have a new favorite kdrama be sure to let me know in the comment section.  I always like to hear what others are enjoying.

Sincerely,
Kmuse

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Top 5 Kdrama Countdown - February Week 3

Evil Mother In Laws, Iconic movie reenactments,  Ghost..Ghosts.. & yes more Ghosts, and a sexy alien played by Seo In Guk can all be found in this weeks Top 5 Kdrama Countdown.   So sit back and enjoy the ride as I take you through the best moments in kdramaland during the 2nd week in February

I swear that all the drama writers were eating their awesome sauce this week.  It was so so so hard to choose only five favorites.  I felt like I was letting down all of the other dramas who truly moved me by their awesomeness.  With several new dramas added into the mix, along with all of our current airing dramas (many of them coming to the end of their run) the writers are for some reason throwing out all of their best work.  And while I was unable to put everything in this weeks countdown, I did whittle it down to some of the best of the best).

#5 How Many Times Can A Ghost Seeing Detective Get Hit in the Head in One Episode?

Ghost Seeing Detective CheoYong began airing (or at least subs finally came out for the first two episodes) this week and we were introduced to our hero.  A police officer (Oh Ji Ho - Fugitive Plan B) who solves crimes with the use of the ghosts of the murdered victims.  Due to losing his partner, in a posession ritual killing related accident, he gives up serious crime and becomes a traffic cop.  Five years later he is dragged back into the world of murders and ghosts and meets teenage ghost Han Na-Young (Jun Hyo Seong - Idol group Secret) who haunts the police station.  They team up to fight crime and it is all types of quirky.  I don't know why but they just make the cutest couple of crime fighters (not so much as any type of romantic couple, but more of a master and his unruly apprentice).  I have too admit that whoever the director of this drama is, he has a great and deep love with hitting people over the back of their heads with a wooden stick.  The amount of times our Hero gets knocked out got to the point that I even started to contemplate making it into a drinking game (for us non drinkers such as myself it could be a shot of Pepsi to help me stay up and watch everything. LOL)  So if you want to see a quirky show full of spooky moments, cute squabbles, and our hero developing stick induced brain damage, be sure to check out this new show.

Links for Eng Subs.  (darksmurfsubs also has this drama, but the subs are not great yet since they are still working on cleaning them up.)
Episode 1 part 1
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1c4wrx_engsub-ghost-seeing-detective-cheoyong-pt-1-1_shortfilms
Episode 1 Part 2
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1cbyc1_engsub-140209-ghost-seeing-detective-cheoyong-pt-1-2-of-2_shortfilms
Episode 2 part 1
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1d31ds_engsub-ghost-seeing-detective-cheoyong-pt-3-1_shortfilms

#4 The Women I Love to Hate

 (I wrote this after episode 13 and at this point of the show I still think my feelings were justified:)

When answering the question put forth from the title of the show "Can We Love?" for these women I want to shout a resounding NO!  Rarely have I ever loathed a female character as much as I do these three women (well really two of the women and annoying girl in training) from this drama.  Yes, you heard right, not just one character but three.  I am currently hoping that all three women somehow end up having to live together alone with no other human contact (because they are that horrible).  The first of the trio (thankfully she is getting better but still added her in since she was a pill up to episode 13) is the daughter of Ji Hyun, fifteen year old Se Ra who not only finds herself pregnant, but portrays what happens when you spoil your child.  Her level of selfish tendencies and cruelty towards her mother is unnatural.  And I know that a lot of you are saying to yourselves that she is having to go through a teenage pregnancy in an unforgiving culture.  However that does not excuse her horrible behavior before this became known nor after when she sees how her mother is treated.  I hope that they attempt to redeem this character for her mother's sake because you can choose your friends but you can't choose your daughter.

The second detestable character is Ji Hyun's abusive/psychotic mother in law Im Ye Jin.  In all my many many dramas I have yet to see a MIL so abusive and cruel as she is to her husband's wife.  And keep in mind that I have seen dramas where they fake affairs, force psychological illnesses to have the daughter in law committed, and a whole bunch of shenanigans in between and none come close to the evil that is this women.  Her crazy abuse is probably the main reason I would give Jo Hyun's character a free pass for all her past lies because no on deserves to be around that women.  The final women is one I have mentioned in past countdowns.  The mega (insert derogatory curse word of choice) that is Sun Mi brings the crazy B lead to a whole new level when she uses her pregnancy (NOT the main guys child) to break up her best friend with her soul mate boyfriend.  And she does it without an ounce of shame or guilt.  It would at least be understandable if she was totally alone and had no options but we have already seen her ditch two perfectly good men, instead deciding to try and take a man that is not hers.  I think I speak for all of us viewers when I say that even becoming an old alone cat ahjumma is too good for her.  I worry that she is going to find happiness in the end (since this is a Asian drama and they like to redeem people) but I wish that she could spend the next twenty years stuck  watching everyone else be happy around her.  All three of these women deserve a good slap from karma and if we are lucky it will by while we can watch.
The Most Evil Mother In Law in Kdrama History Clip

#3 Karma Comes to the Story of Empress Ki

Talking about karma, Empress Ki rewarded its viewers with the #1 Evil Overlord Family getting a huge heaping bowl full of it.  Nyang's plans come to fruition as the selfish empress is banished to the cold palace (kind of cracked me up that this palace was filled with spiderwebs and icicles yet was supposedly just in a different part of the compound) and began her suffering by having to sleep with no blankets and eat only gruel.  Her brother confronts Nyang who informs him (with the scariest look) that this is not the end of her revenge but just the beginning.  That she won't stop until he is left crying over the broken and dead bodies of his sister and father.  The Emperor is not staying still either and through a series of political moves and help from his supporters he is able to overthrow much of the regents power.  For followers of the show who have hated and screamed at their TV's as these people did horrible things, it was truly a great moment.  I have to admit I probably cheered out loud once or twice.
Nyang's Revenge Clip

The Emperor Takes Control Clip

#2 Bromance ET Style

It was so so so hard to choose a favorite moment from this weeks My Love From Another Star.  There was the great scene where Song-Yi went into super cute baby talk mode when demanding that her alien boyfriend come to her room right now (I think if I ever talked to my husband in that voice there is a good chance he would divorce me.  LOL  Yes it is that annoying).

Cutesy Song Yi Clip

Or the scene where Do Min Joon outs himself as a supernatural being to the world in order to save Song-Yi from dying of poison. You have to really appreciate a boyfriend who shows you and the world how he truly feels.
Our Alien is Outed Clip

But the scene that truly won my heart and is my #2 moment of the week was between Do Min Joon and his future possible brother in law Yoon Jae.  Min Joon manages to get drunk when getting permission from our heroine's father to officially court her.  And we all know what happens when our cute alien gets drunk.  HEHEHE  He flashes himself and Song Yi's brother from a phone booth into his apartment, totally outing himself (before he was officially outed to the world).  Now most people would be a little upset or weirded out by this turn of events, but not Yoon Jae (happens to be obsessed about space, astronomy, and all things alien related).   He instead treats the drunk Min Joon as if he is royalty and the next morning when he sobers up, Min Joon finds that his new friend only has one request.  He slowly puts out his finger and poor Min Joon winces as he reenacts the scene from ET.  This scene officially not only gets on my countdown for this week, but is possibly one of my top favorite moments from the whole series.  So congrats to all you viewers out there that enjoy a little Meta humor in their dramas.

ET Bromance Clip

#1 Seo In Guk!!!!

Did I mention that my #1 Bias was back on tv this week!  For those of you who were not following my blog posts, the web series Another Parting began airing this week and episodes 1-3 were AWESOME.  I was not expecting the story to be quirky nor about a Hul, body snatching alien who comes to earth to study the human experience and instead finds love with a suicidal idol Ha Na.  Seo In Guk steals the show with his animated expressions and charisma that pulls you into the crazy storyline.  And at only 10 minutes apiece, the episodes manage to pack in a whole lot of story in a short time getting you to hope that Ha Na and Hul can somehow pull off a happy ending.  I have all the links with subs in my blog recap posts.  For those of you waiting for the conclusion of the show, episodes 4 and 5 will be airing on Monday and Tuesday respectively.

Recaps Episode 1&2
http://thecrazyahjummas.blogspot.com/2014/02/another-parting-recap-episodes-1-2.html
Recap Episode 3
 http://thecrazyahjummas.blogspot.com/2014/02/another-parting-episode-3-escape.html

Honorable Mentions

I want to do a quick shout out to a few other highlights of the week.  I know I know, but it just kills me to not reward excellence.  Feel lucky I stopped at only three.

Potato Star - Karaoke Wars

Several of the members of the Potato Star world travel together to enjoy some hot springs.  However due to infighting everyone is silent and angry throughout the whole vacation.  Determined to have some quality family time, youngest son Hye-Sung is devices a plan to bring everyone together.  He cajoles and begs til his family comes out to enjoy some karaoke but instead everyone uses this opportunity to sing out their issues with each other.   My personal favorite was when the garage ahjumma started singing to the mom (her boss) about how her house, kids, and money should have all been hers hehehe. 

Karaoke Clip

Beyond the Clouds - Revenge is Pretty

I am excited for this new drama now that I have finished the first two episodes.  They have really put some money into this drama since they shot on location in Thailand.  Can I just say that I love how they went that extra mile to actually go to another country to comply with the storyline.  It gave the whole show an extra exotic feel.  Add to that the fact that leading man Yoon Kye-Sang (Greatest Love- I am so excited he jumped out of the B Role zone) is knocking it out of the park in his portrayal of Jung Se-Ro, an incarcerated patsy for murder and a jewel heist and you could not have made me any happier.

Beyond the Clouds Trailer

Emergency Couple - Sexy CPR

I am pretty sure that no one has ever thought of CPR as being sexy before.  But that was before this scene in Emergency Couple.  Chang Min's emotions are slowly being reengaged for his ex wife Jin Hee.  However it looks like things might be heating up between Jin Hee and her boss Cheon Soo.  Or at least they are in Chang Min's overactive imagination.  I would just like to point out that the music used in this scene is HILARIOUS.  I will never look at CPR the same way.

Steamy CPR Clip

OK, OK, I am stepping back away from the keyboard because I think that I could continue to find scene after scene that I want to talk about this week.  I am giddy just writing about all the shows I love and now I want to go watch everything again.  Unfortunately that will have to wait and instead I will start watching everything for next week.  Who knows, maybe we will find A scene from our first Thailand drama mentioned on my blog now that I am watching the Thai Full House remake (just a quick mention that it is absolutely adorable).  And I am sure that we are in for a crazy finale from My Love From Another Star.  Not to mention we are heading to the final run with our dramas Lets Eat and I Need Romance 3 so maybe they will have some spectacular scenes that we can add to our countdown.  Whatever happens, I am sure I will enjoy every drama filled minute of it. 

Till next week,
Kmuse

Dramas that I am currently watching:
Potato Star 2013QR23
A Well Raised Daughter (subs are behind in relation to the filming schedule)
One Warm Word
Can We Love
King's Daughter Soo Baek Hyang
Empress KI
Full House (Thailand version)- can find subs on Viki and Youtube.
Lets Eat
My Love From Another Star
Golden Rainbow
Inspiring Generation
I Need Romance 3 - Be sure to check out my recaps!
Emergency Couple 
Angel's Revenge 
Beyond the Clouds/Full Sun 
Another Parting (check out my recaps)
Ghost Seeing Detective CheoYong