Kmuse's Musings: Unromantic Kdrama Countdown

Unless you are hiding under a rock, you are aware it is Valentines Day (White Day) and have been bombarded by hearts, khotties, and sweet romance in all its many forms.  So I decided to go in a different direction and make a list of kdramas that are decidedly unromantic.  These are the ones to avoid if you are look for a good OTP, or in some cases just avoid altogether.  What do you think is the most unromantic kdrama.  It can be because the romance fails to work, or because the writers were writing a drama romance free.  We love to hear your opinions here at TCA.

Kmuse's Current Kdrama Hidden Gems

With so many drama options airing every week, it is hard to choose what to watch.  There are always those that have a ton of buzz (Fated to Love You) or A list actors (It's Okay It's Love) that are in the limelight.  But what of those that have great plots, yet somehow get lost in the shuffle?  That is why I, Kmuse, am here to point you in the direction of the current airing hidden gems.  

The Night Watchman's Journal

This drama is currently my absolute favorite flavor of drama crack!  If you can get past the crazy overuse of CGI in the first two episodes and make it to the adult storyline, then you will get to enjoy a fun romp through the magical history of Joseon.  Does it always make sense? Nope.  Do you sometimes feel like mocking all the characters ?  Yes, it is almost mandatory (with the exception of Jung Il Woo's who is wonderful with his cheestastic smirks and knowing glances).  But despite all those aspects, you will thoroughly enjoy a cult classic style story where you cheer for the good guys, boo at the bad guys (Kim Sung Oh in all his horrible campy villain glory), and laugh at the ghosts.  It is a must watch for someone who just wants to be entertained and maybe does not mind a story that does not always make a ton of sense.

Jang BoRi is Here

I can't believe that I am actually doing this, but I must recant to everyone that I told to skip this drama.  (Hanging my head in shame that I was both hasty to judge, as well as the for the fact that I am recommending a drama all about the cutthroat thug world of Hanbok sewing).  Yes you heard right. Behind the whole accidentally amnesia, losing and adopting of children, birth secrets (a turnip cart full of birth secrets), and goofy leading male antics, is the burning question of who will become the head seamstress of all Korea.  Because there can only be one!  It is Rocky in traditional Korean garb.  But don't be put off by the really odd background world, because every character in this drama does an amazing job of telling their story and making you invested in their lives.  It also contains one of my all time favorite villains, Min Jung.  The fake orphan, adopted daughter, social climbing psycho Min Jung is a bad guy that others should study and aspire to.  For once the evil character in a weekend drama is not over acted (at least not too much) and Min Jung's abilities to create lies at the drop of a hat are beyond impressive.  Min Jung puts every ounce of herself into every lie and you can tell that she has left reality so far behind that she believes her own trope.  By episode 42 I have to admit that I am watching for the joy of seeing Min Jung get what she deserves, which happens to be a lot of forceful slaps (could not happen to a more deserving person).  Oh and there is also the leading girl who has amnesia, lives as a Cinderella type life and becomes the genius of all things Hanbok (but I am really watching it for Min Jung). 

Endless Love

If you like epic historical dramas such as Giant and East of Eden, then this is the drama for you.  With a stellar cast and a pretty solid storyline (albeit a bit on the slow side so you have to be patient for the payoff) it keeps viewers engaged in a "who will she pick" roller coaster as we follow our leading lady Ae In (Hwang Jung Eum - Secret).  I recommend this drama with reservation.  If the heroine, Ae In, ends up with the brother I want her to end up with (the always sexy Jung Kyoung Ho - Heartless City) then all is good.  However if she ends up with the cowardly jerk brother (Ryu Soo-Young- 2 weeks) who is her first love I will downgrade this drama to the depths of "I summon you gold" level.  And for those of you who have followed my posts for a while, know that for me, there is no greater level of negative feelings for a drama that I can go too.  So if you are hesitant, wait a bit for my green light of approval, which is hopefully forthcoming.

Reset

When did Chun Jung Myung suddenly become so sexy?  I vaguely remember him being the young boyfriend in "What's Up Fox" where he was cute enough, but somewhat forgettable.  The years since I last saw him has obviously been spent maturing because he is super smexy as a genius prosecutor who uses hypnotism to get confessions (sexiest use of a pen that I have ever seen in a kdrama).  He runs across a young delinquent played by the always talented Kim So Hyun, (The Suspicious Housekeeper) who is the spitting image of the leading man's dead girlfriend.  With high school hookers, havey cavey legal practices, and lots of sexy pushing of Woo Jin's pen (you will know what I am talking about after watching episode 1) this drama is chock full of mystery and potential.  

 What Happens to My Family

This is actually a newcomer to my Hidden Gems post.  When I started writing, I had not even gotten around to watching any of this family drama, but by the end of this review, I had dramathoned all six available episodes (hence the lateness of this post.....oops).  I usually let family dramas go for a while before I start watching, since at 50 episodes we usually have to get through a lot of slow plot before we get to the meaty part of the drama.  However this time we are slapped upside the head with hilarious hijinks within the first 10 minutes.  Our heroine Kang Seo Wool (Nam Ji Hyun - Angel Eyes) is a country girl (you can probably call her a certified hillbilly) who saves a boy from drowning when she was 12.  Yoon Eun Ho (Seo Kang Joon - Nine, Heirs) promises to marry Seo Wool in twelve years once they are of age and will meet her in Seoul. Twelve years later Seo Wool travels to Seoul for her fiancee and nuptials.  Showing up at his house, she turns Eun Ho and his family's lives upside down.  With a very charismatic main couple and a fun family, this is a must watch drama.

If anyone has any questions as to where you can watch any of these dramas online, feel free to ask in the comments or post a message on The Crazy Ahjummas FB page.  I am always happy to help other kaddicts with their addiction.  

Kmuse

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Kmuse's Top 5 Kdrama Countdown - Villain Edition

I know that I have not been doing my weekly top 5 countdown where I let you all know my favorite kdrama moments of the week.  Unfortunately real life and a whole bunch of vacations have interfered, however until I can get all caught up (which might be a couple of weeks) I decided to amend my past format and start doing themed countdowns.  This week you get to find out who my favorite villains are from the current airing dramas.  Who will win?  A scheming mother, a crazy magician, or maybe just a psycho 2nd lead? Come join me as I count down my favorite people who I love to hate!

#5 Min Hye Rin (aka The Iron Butterfly) - Endless Love

I originally thought that the bad guy was Park Young Tae ( the person who actually killed the heroines mother), but it turns out that the real villain of the drama is Hye Rin.  Wife of the current prime minister, her greed for power knows no bounds and she will do literally anything to further her goal of becoming the First Lady.  Even having the heroine, In Ae,  arrested, tortured, raped, and impregnated, so that her son will stop his infatuation with the delinquent actress.  And that is all without knowing that she is really the daughter of her husbands first love (the daughter she had ordered killed along with her mother 26 years earlier).  All of these things put her firmly in my best evil villains list.

#4 Kang Se Ah - Marriage Without Dating

 She is the worst kind of ex girlfriend, the kind that can not understand rejection and the word "NO".  While all the other characters have slowly grown on me (even ex-boyfriend with the peter pan complex), Se Ah's narcissistic entitled rich girl ways continue to drive me batty.  I don't care if it makes you unhappy to see your ex move on, it does not give one the right to ruin his life 3 years later.  My advice is go to a therapist and learn to get closure because right now you just coming across as bat crap crazy. 

#3 Merchant Choi (aka The Leader of the Gunman) - The Joseon Gunman
Choi Won Shin not only is an amazing bad guy, but a character that I love almost to the point that I can't hate him.  Merchant Choi is stuck in a situation where there are very few options. He either follows the directions of the evil nobleman, or he and his daughter will be enslaved and lose everything.  So in order to survive, Merchant Choi aligns himself with the strongest side and sets about eliminating their roadblocks.  Unfortunately one of those roadblocks was the hero's (Park Yoon Kang) father.  Personally I am still hoping that there will be some kind of redemption for him and we can see he and his daughter get a happy ending away from political scheming. 

#2 Sa Dam - The Night Watchman's Journal

Does he overact to the point it is almost comical?  Yes he does.  Does he have the classical evil villain vibe that is missing only a cape and a twirling mustache to become a cliche?  You bet ya!  And yet I can't get enough of Kim Sung Oh playing this over the top evil magician.  At this point I really have no clue what is going on except he has A serious love for his stone dragon and large staff/costumes, yet I am highly entertained through every episode.  It could be because he plays such a good opposite of our flamboyant hero Lee Rin.  Whatever the case, I say bring on the Liberace themed costumes and the evil cackles since I am waiting impatiently for the new episodes each week.

#1 Yeon Min Jung - Jang Bo Ri is Here

Do you ever wonder where evil mother-in-laws come from?  I am pretty sure it is from aging people like Yeon Min Jung.  Greedy and narcissistic to the nth degree, Min Jung lives her life hopping up the social ladder by stepping upon anyone and everyone.  If there was a gold medal for lying I can guarantee that she would win first place.  Unlike other evil villains, her lies sound so believable that I am pretty sure even she believes them.  Min Jung also does not let confrontation or surprises divert her from her evil goal, when confronted she is quick on the uptake to make up another lie to cover herself.  Her amazingly psycho character is the reason I am so excited to watch this drama each week, and I can't wait to see her fall into a pit of her own making (I am even thinking of looking up this actress and watching some of her other work, I am enjoying her acting so much).  

This completes my favorite bad guy segment.  Did your favorite make the cut?  Feel free to comment about your secret love for evil in the comments or be sure to like us on FB for more kdrama discussion and updates.

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Top 5 Kdrama Countdown - June Week 2 : Upcoming Drama Edition

It's that time again where we have a ton of dramas ending which of course means a whole slew of dramas are getting ready to air.  It is a whole new race to see which dramas are going to rise to the top, which are going to tank, and those that will be those hidden gems.  Anticipation is one of the things that makes kdramas so wonderful.  So come check out which ones are my top 5 anticipated dramas of the summer.

Note: I snagged the some of the information/descriptions from My Drama List website since there is not a more detailed synopsis's out yet.  If you are not already keeping track of your dramas here, then be sure to check it out.  It is perfect for keeping track on which episodes you are on, upcoming dramas, as well as various articles.

#5 Endless Love

Synopsis
After a traumatic past of witnessing her mother's death, Seo In Ae (Hwang Jung Eum - Secret Love) grows up as an ambitious woman with a sharp mind who knows how to grab people's hearts, while still holding hope to avenge her mother someday. Since childhood, her life has been entangled with two opposite-personalities brothers from a poor fisherman family, Han Kwang Hoon (Ryu Soo Young - 2 weeks) and Han Kwang Chul (Jung Kyung Ho - Heartless City). Kwang Hoon is the elder brother and an ambitious man. Kwang Chul has never stopped loving In Ae, who is his older brother's lover.

Thoughts
This drama has combined the leads of two of my favorite dramas from 2013 (Secret Love & Heartless City).  Add to that a action packed suspenseful first trailer, and I am already hooked.  It looks like this one is going to be the heart gripping crack drama of the summer that you just can't stop watching

Endless Love Trailer

#4 Fated To Love You & Marriage Without Love

These two dramas are tied, since both are on my short list for my second recap after the mess that is Gap Dong finishes (Oh thank goodness that disaster of a drama is almost over).

Fated to Love You

This drama is actually another Taiwanese remake and is going to hopefully be able to have the same success that the other Tdrama remake, Witch's Romance, had.

Synopsis:
An ordinary woman happens to spend one night with the successor of a large company (due to some heavy medication on both sides). She finds herself being pregnant and they get married.

Thoughts
I loved the Taiwanese version of this drama so there is a good chance that I will love this one as well.  My only concern is that Ethan Juan did such a superb job as the lead, I am not sure I will be able to dissociate him from the character when Jang Hyuk (Iris 2) takes over.  I am really hoping that the Korean version is able to have the same chemistry the original had, or I will be very disappointed.  On an up note, it is only 16 episode rather than the originals 24.  That means a tighter storyline and less filler which is the curse of almost all Tdramas.

Marriage Without Love

Synopsis
Gong Ki Tae (Yun Woo Jin - Arang and the Magistrate) is a finicky son of a rich family who hates having his parents try to set him up on marriage dates.  In order to avoid the complications and hassle of his matchmaking family, he hires Joo Jang Mi (Han Groo) to pretend to be his serious girlfriend.  She is hired specifically for her poor background, which would inhibit his family from pushing for a wedding.

Thoughts
I usually enjoy Yun Woo Jin as an actor (even if I don't like all his dramas).  The premise also is very cute and has a lot of potential.  Add in the fact that it is on TvN, which is the cable station that seems to air all my favorite dramas, and we hopefully have a winner.  But do I really want to recap this one without having proof this couple has chemistry?  Hopefully I will get a better trailer from both dramas, before I am forced to pick one or the other for recap.
Marriage Without Love Teaser

#3 The Night Watchman's Journal

Synopsis
This drama is set in Joseon dynasty about a  crown prince (Jung Il Woo - Golden Rainbow, Moon Embracing the Son) and his bodyguards who are capturing ghosts during their routine night patrols. 

Thoughts:
In theory this sounds awesome.  Does anyone else imagine a Korean version of the tv show Supernatural when they hear the synopsis.  Of course, I am sure it will be a lot more involved with politics than is indicated by the description, since this is a sageuk after all.  But at least we will get to stare at Jung Il Woo in period costume, which is always a joy to behold.

#2 The Joseon Gunman

Synopsis
In the time of enlightenment of 19th-century Joseon. It stars a hero (Lee Joon Gi - 2 weeks) who is the son of Joseon’s greatest swordsman. He loses his father and younger sister, after which he trades sword for gun as he embarks on his revenge mission, and in so doing the drama will “depict the pain and courage of the young people of the era.”

Thoughts
This is the drama I am most worried about letting me down.  The promotion campaign for The Joseon Gunman has been by far the best I have ever seen.  The posters, the trailers, the billboards, have all contributed to my really really high expectations.  It also stars Lee Joon Gi, who I consider to be one of the best actors for Sageuk's. That said, the last time I let a really gorgeous cinematography campaign suck me in, I was stuck with 20 hours of boring staring competitions with little plot (I am talking about you The Blade and Petal).  That is 20 hours that I can not get back.......my brain still hurts just thinking about that trauma.  So once burned I am twice shy, but even so I can't stop myself from getting a little excited while watching all the action in the teasers.

The Joseon Gunman Trailer

#1 High School King (as if there was any  doubt)

Synopsis:
Popular high school senior and hockey star, Lee Min Seok (SEO IN GUK!!!!!!! - Reply 1997), receives a call from his estranged brother telling him that he needs to pretend to be him at his new job.  It's a matter of life and death.  Being the awesome brother he is, Lee Min Seok, takes over the role of a manager at a local company.  He continues to lead a double life resulting in a lot of running, lifestyle crossovers, and a love interest with the intern he is the "boss" of.

Thoughts
It's Seo In Guk, in a romantic comedy, on TvN (Oh please please please have some good make out scenes!!!).  What is not to love?  For those of you who are unaware (you obviously must be 1st time readers) Seo In Guk is my #1 bias and I love everything he does.  So I am of course recapping this drama for "The Crazy Ahjummas" so be sure to check back Monday night/Tuesday morning for my first recap.  It should be a fun and crazy ride of a drama.

High School King Trailer

Honorable Mention

-It's Okay, That's Love-

Synopsis
Jung Jae-Yeol (Jo In Sung - Winter the Wind Blows) is a mystery writer and radio DJ. He suffers from a obsession. Ji Hye-Soo (Gong Hyo Jin - Masters Sun) is going through her first year fellowship in psychiatry at a University Hospital. She chose psychiatry because she doesn't want to perform surgeries. After she meets Jung Jae-Yeol, her life goes through big changes.

Thoughts
I will happily give this one a try for it's amazing cast.  I have also always wanted to see Gong Hyo Jin in a more serious role.

-Trot Lovers-

Synopsis
The feisty heroine (Jung Eun Ji - Reply 1997) works multiple jobs as the breadwinner to support her father and younger sister. Her mother was a trot singer and she inherited the voice, along with hopes of being a trot singer herself someday. The drama will be about her journey to stardom, and the bickering romance that ignites with the leading man (Ji Hyun Woo -Queen IN Hyun's Man), the arrogant star musician who could not be more opposite in personality. He’ll be prickly and snobby, but he’ll be the person to help her realize her dream.

Thoughts
First reason, Ji Hyun Woo is back from the military.  Is there really any need for a second reason to try out this drama?

Trot Lovers Trailer

There you have my list of highly anticipated upcoming summer kdramas.  Is your favorite on the list?  Did I forget anything?  Be sure to let me know in the comments either here or on our FB page (see link below).  We always love to hear feedback from our readers, which allows us to fine tune the blog.  I hope to see you all back for our new drama recaps, as well as our weekly top 5 countdowns. 

Sincerely
Kmuse
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Dramas that I am currently watching:
God's Quiz Season 4
Love Myself or You (Tdrama)
Rock N' Road (Tdrama)
Hotel King  
High School King
You Light Up My Star (Tdrama)
Fall In Love With Me (Tdrama)  
Angel Eyes  
Bitter Blood/Partners in Blood (Jdrama)  
BORDER (Jdrama)  
Glorious Day
Witch's Romance  
Gap Dong
Shinigami-kun (Jdrama)
Wonderful Days 
Wild Chives and Soy Bean Soup: 12 Years Reunion  
Sweet Sweet Bodyguard (Tdrama)
Endless Love
Big Man  
A New Leaf  
Triangle  
Dr Stranger  
You're All Surrounded