no throwback drama this month

this month, i struggled to find a good throwback drama to watch. for some reason i just couldn’t get in the mood of watching. i tried a lot of dramas.

come back mister – i watched a few episodes but i was really pissed off at Rain’s character. he was such a jerk to his pretty wife and was treated like trash by his fellow employees before he died. now that he is in Rain’s body, he is no better. he is meaner and trying to get into his wife’s family, can’t he see how creepy it looks? plus he doesn’t seem to be really good at his job. as for the other guy, i like him better and oh yeon soo is quite funny (she acts very differently from her stoic Samjang character) but she tends to overact is some of the scenes. i stopped watching coz i couldn’t really sympathize with the 2 characters. they shouldn’t have gone back to earth.

fated to love you – i tried watching 1 episode. i watched the taiwanese version before i liked jang hyuk and jang nara in their old drama – bright girl. however, i couldn’t continue watching after episode 1. i feel like the premise of the show is outdated, jang nara even though she is in her middle 30s is still trying to act young, cute but pathetic is not doing it for me anymore. and jang hyuk’s overacting and maniacal laugh is not adorable. (cha seung won can do absurd funny better).

let’s eat 1 – i loved the close up shots of the food but i dont like the close up shots of the characters licking their lips and salivating over their food. normally i love watching korean stars in variety shows eating (eg. family outing, 1n2d, etc) but the close up shots felt too weird. i also dont like the main character – she seems like a loser. im not dropping this show yet, i might pick this back up later.

falling for innocence – i love kim so yeon and she looks bad ass here. but i have never liked jung jun ho. it’s either his face or how his characters always act so arrogant. the  first episode is not bad. but i dont like the character enough to actually want him to win against his uncle. also not dropping this, maybe i’ll try to do one episode or two before i decide if i should drop this.

tokyo tareba musume – i love japanese drams featuring single and successful ladies so was excited to try watching this show. the first episode was not bad, but i felt like the 3 girl friends didn’t have a lot of charisma and personality. the guy is also not that cute. will try a few more episodes to see if i will continue.

noble, my love – i’m up to episode 16 now and even though it’s just 15 mins per episode, it is so painful to try to finish this show. the main problem is the male character is so obnoxious and dumb. why can’t he just woo her the regular way and not make her life hell? and i can’t believe the girl likes the way she is being treated. i know she is poor but she is not desperate enough to accept his harassment. she’s a vet, she is a professional. if she can’t open her own animal clinic, she can just work in a hospital first. and that trashy “friend”, i want to rip her eyes out. she is not even pretty, i wish vet girl can finally stand up to her.

that’s it. all my failed shows for the month. i hope i can find my momentum again and watch a good throwback drama!

 

Live eps. 7-12

It’s pretty hard to stop watching this show! This is not a fast paced show or filled with mystery or humor, but every scene just gets to you. i’m starting to love every single person in the division – they all have their own lives and struggles and they are dedicated with their jobs. Esp for the 3 rookies and demoted detective, you can see them grow up and mature in every episode. The whole division is also starting to come together as one united unit.

Hyeri – i started out annoyed with her because she kept whining and scowling but she is starting to grown on me. she is finally learning to appreciate her mentor, who might be old but still has a lot of things to teach her. I absolutely felt sad seeing him getting beat up by the kids and i’m so glad that Hyeri found a way to help him. Now they look so cute together – like father and daughter. i really hope Sambo gets to retire safely. I was thinking that Hyeri seems to match better with Sangsu compared to Jeong Oh but i also like the idea of another guy taking an interest in her.

Sangsu – even after 6 episodes, i still feel like he still isn’t man enough or a good match for Jeong Oh. He has grown up a lot and that’s partly due to Yangchon’s rough guidance and partly due to wanting to show off and try to be a better man for Jeong Oh. He still is a bit reckless though, sometimes much more than Yang chon. and i bet that’s how Yangchon was when he was younger. the problem is Sangsu doesn’t seem to be as smart as Yangchon and his cockiness and recklessness gets him and his mentor in trouble most of the time. I like that he is finally getting good cases and he is finally learning what it means to be a cop and to serve. I don’t mind his one sided love for Jeong Oh, i think it’s  cute and keeps him inspired, but i really dont feel that Jeong Oh has changed her mind. I see them only as good friends so i hope the show doesn’t ruin that and suddenly put them together coz that wouldn’t make a lot of sense.

Jeong-oh – she’s tough and brave, esp after finding out what she went through when she was young. im a little bit confused though. she met Jangmi when Jangmi rescued her in a dark warehouse- but we dont know why she was there and what happened. then we find out she was raped hence her hesitancy to build a relationship with guys. i also dont think she really wanted to be a cop after what happened when she was young. It seemed like she joined the academy because she couldn’t get a job. but im glad she did because she is one fine cop. im sure she will become a great detective like Jangmi one day. She is getting all the good cases. as for the romance, i think her character matches well with Myeongho, but it seems like he still hasn’t gotten over his dead girlfriend. and i read previews that they will break up soon. oh well, maybe it’s not the right time for them. she needs to concentrate in her career and learn to love herself first before she can fully love another person. As for Myeong ho, seems like he either needs more time to grieve or he has to take that first step to move on and choose happiness.

Yangchon – his character is complex and i cant feel his struggle of wanting to be a better family man yet still be dedicated to his job. i like that he has finally admitted to himself that he wasn’t the best person and that he is now trying to make amends. as i mentioned in my previous post, i felt that Jangmi is too cold, expression less and bland tone that i couldn’t understand how two guys are fighting over her. i still feel she is too cold but i can see that maybe she is like that because she has put a wall as she continues to face grim cases day by day. it must be really hard to see murders and rape and not let it affect you and not having your husband comforting you. i’m glad they are starting to be comfortable again with each other and maybe they can be together again as a couple.

i like the episodic cases but sometimes i feel it’s a bit unrealistic that they are able to catch every single serial rapist or bust an illegal prostitution ring and corrupt official in just a few days or weeks. i also like the little bits and pieces of advice and views on life, which is relatable to everyone watching the show.

im not sure what other big cases or climax they will write in the last few episodes but i hope it will be good. i’m dreading when this show ends – i hope the chief doesn’t die of cancer. will they all stay in the same division or go their separate ways? i hope there will be a season 2.

Live eps. 3-6

I like the show because it gives a glimpse of what patrol cops go through every day and most of the cases and incidents they have shown so far are relatable and realistic, from the power tripping congressmen to entitled son of a rich family, to illegal prostution and simple drunk driving cases.

The 3 rookies are partnered with a mentor. Sangsu with Yang chon started off as oil and water and it was mostly because Sang su is too arrogant and lacked self awareness. He thinks he a damn good cop when he is just a newbie. I was annoyed by him during the first 2 cases and i dont need to be a cop to tell him that the reason why he doesnt seem to be a good cop is because he doesnt know how to balnce his role.. you cant be too much by the book you should be able to be flexible when needed. Its not all black and white, choosing between saving a life vs preserving evidence – he needs to have better judgment, better ‘diskarte’ and creative in coming uo with ideas and solutions to problems. Yang chon may seem like a hard ass jerk but to me, he is not. He is a good cop and maybe he just needs to be more vocal in teaching the rookie instead of using his fists and thinking the rookie is dumb. But im glad they are slowly getting the hang of their partnership.

As for Yang chon and the wife, i think Yangchon is better off without her. Yang chon is definitely a bad husband to her but like what Yang chon said, asking for a divorce so suddenly is jist unfair. There are so many chances she could have called out Yangchon on his behavior but she just kept silent and taking it all in before she finally burst. If she is expecting him to be her husband and partner she should have done the same to him. They definitely sucked at communication. Plus wife’s face is alsways so expressionless and her tone of voice is so flat, who would be excited to be with her? Definitely the marriage broke down due to both of them,not just Yang chon. I think they will probably end up together in the end and be much happier but for now i preder them divorced and focused on the cases.

Hyeri is partnered with the old cop. I liked Hyeri when they were still in the academy. Now she is so annoying as she keeps whining that she is not get the better cases. For one,she is just an average cop. Two, she also seemed like an entitled kid, expecting things to be handed to her without giving any respect to her elders or even willing to learn new things to become better at her job. Who would want her as a partner? As for the mentor,i like him. Some people may discard him coz he is old but he seems to be very experienced. I am sure once Hyeri stops bitching and starts listening,she might get a lot of tips for the old man. I do wish she get her share of good cases too so she has chance to grow up.

Definitely the lead star and my favorite character is Jeong o. She is smart, tough, sensitive and quick to pick up things. I guess thats why everyone seems to like her. In just a few episodes she has been involved in a murder, fight that led her to taser a oregnant woman and now an illegal prostitution case. She has been lucky so far in getting the big cases but it must also be tough on her to have to deal with so many things at once. I also like what she said to her mentor, Namil. Just because she is single without wife and kid doesnt mean it is fine for her to lose her job. She also has her own family to take care of. And i agree 100%.

As for the potential love triangle between Jeong o, Myeong ho and Sangsu, my current choice is Myeong ho because he is older, more experienced, and handsome. He is also dedicated to his job and looks like a damn good and honest cop. Feels like they would match well coz Jeong o is also similar to him.

I dont like the current Sangsu because i feel like he is not man enough for Jeong o and needs to mature a bit. But im not discounting him coz they have gone through a lot together, since the academy so they might have more things in common and connections maybe more deeper. Plus i have a feeling they will end up together since they are both the leads. So as long as Sang su steps up and becomes the man for Jeong o then im fine with their pairing. Right now though i dont feel any romantic chemistry between the two. More on just friendship compared to the sweet vibes coming off Myeongho and Jeongo.

Hwayugi eps. 15-20 (end)

Took some time for me but f inally finished watching the show. I think the ending was alright for a lot of the characters, but I have mixed feelings for the ending of Samjang and Son O’gong.

All through out the show, we were told that one will have to eventually kill each other and I was wondering if they will ever find a way to break free of their destiny or not. I mean, most korean dramas get a happy ever after right? This time, they did escape their fate – because they didn’t have to kill each other.. but.. someone still died and I’m not sure how I feel about that, even one week after i’ve finished the show. In a way I felt letdown. I mean, what’s the point of escaping their fate if they wont end up together and one will die?? then i would rather have had them have a big showdown and go all dramatic as one of them kills each other. I would probably cry and be happy with that ending than the one we’ve got. Plus, the last episode felt more like an epilogue just to tie up loose ends and have O’gong tell Samjang he loves her even without the geumgango – i was expecting O’gong to show her as he cradled her in his arms before she dies – that would have been a fantastic ending too, without having her come back as a ghost. To be fair, even though Samjang died, there is still hope for them to meet each other – and yes, i guess it made more sense for her to die than Ogong coz then she can be a spirit and they still have a chance to be together, rather than Ogong dying.

Though i’m sad Ogong left the gang, i’m also excited for him to embark on a journey to find Samjang and bring her back but i wished that’s what they showed in the last episode – go out with a big bang. But wait, i’m a little confused – why did Samjang end up in purgatory? She sacrificed herself, i think she deserves automatic admission to heaven or maybe become a honorary deity.

As for Samjang, I don’t think it’s the actress’ fault – i briefly watched her in Come Here Mister and she seems like a good actress (though a bit overacting), but Samjang’s character wasn’t that developed. I felt like she was used as a tool the whole time and she just has this unemotional face all the time that i found her boring – not even sure what Ogong saw in her. The only time i was impressed with Samjang was during the last 2 episodes, when she was finally showing initiative and showing disgust at Kang Daesung. I thought, finally, Samjang is showing her own fire. I could never understand why the gods chose her as Samjang – and we will never know. But i felt bad for her – like she existed solely to sacrifice herself in the end – and she didn’t even lived a full life before dying.

I loved Devil King finally meeting his own son. I feel dumb as the kid has been there since episode 1 but i never thought that he could be Devil King’s son until ep. 18. i thought he was just a side character. I find them both so cute, esp liking the same food and walking the same way. I just wished there was a way for Queen Mother to have met Devil King in the present time so that i hope Queen Mother will show him how much she loves him.

As for PK and Richie/Asanyeo, i didn’t like PK – he’s annoying, ruins everyone’s plans all the time. The only time i liked him was when he was with Richie. I was confused with Asanyeo’feelings because sometimes she comes off as nice and submissive to Ogong, but other times she is just a bitch. I find the end fitting her – we all know Richie needs to be burned, and i’m glad it was PK who did it, not Ogong. it’s a good way for them to say goodbye, but did PK like Richie only as a sister or more than that? Asanyeo’s last words from Richie said “i like you” and I’m thinking it’s not just Richie who feels that way – also Asanyeo. I cried a little bit watching this scene.

The same way I felt anguished by the Jade Dragon sacrificing himself to save PK. What the heck. Jade Dragon is supposed to be a guy right who so happened to enter Alice’s body? Why did he end up liking PK for real? it just felt off and weird. and did he really have to kill himself? what’s the point? they could have just called Devil King or Son Ogong (arent they supposed to be able to teleport wherever they want to?)

Kang Dae Sung — argh he deserves to be inside that coffin and buried alive under the sea. really.

SAmjang’s assistant – aww he’s such a sweety and great idea to give the whole company to him (but still find it weird it’s just the two of them running a profitable company). I just hope he will be able to sustain the company as he can’t even see ghosts. hehe.

Overall, i loved the show. It had some dragging parts and plotholes, but i liked the overall feel of the show – at times hilarious, serious when needed, some action and fantasy, different episodic storylines that kept me interested to finish the story.