2020 Watchlist

Completed 1/19/2020

Much more interesting than season 1. There is no longer a large amount of boring set up for thee story and characters.
Interesting world that has been created.
Every character has their own believable angle and an interesting story.
I also wish more would happen with Eunsom's side of things since I feel the most interested in his part of the story.
Have to wait for another season again...

Completed 2/11/2020

Interesting and unique storyline.
It was weird that the FL felt so adamantly in love with Holo, but ended realizing she loved the human ML.
Not enough romance scenes between leads to really make you care that much about them together.

Completed 3/29/2020

Lovable main couple with good chemistry.
Didn't like that the second ML died at the end, but his fated love ended with a strong independent feel that was nice.
The supporting characters were fun, made you laugh
Plenty of inside jokes with Kim Soo Hyun and Choi Ji Woo cameos.
I stopped watching at episode 14 and had to force myself to start again to finish. So much drama with people fighting for their lives or running away...

Completed 3/30/2020

Beautifully shot, nice production and effects, and fast-paced story.
ML is a very interesting character that you want to support (strong desire to be benevolent ruler).
Full of gore and terrifying zombies that keeps you at the edge of your seat.
Easy-to-hate villains.
Political fight and zombie fight occurring simultaneously makes each episode go by quickly.
Cliffhanger ending...

Completed 3/31/2020

Cute couple not afraid to show affection.
Interesting story, that was fairly fast-paced.
The cross-dressing parts were fun and the ML actually was believably able to pass as a woman.
ML was very righteous and lovable. You wanted to support him in everything.
Happy ending for all that deserved it.
Had to skip through flashbacks and overly drawn out moments of slow-motion or staring at each other.
The drama wasn't super amazing, but it was enjoyable and a good watch.

Completed 3/31/2020

Fast-paced and nice production quality like season 1.
Some of the show is predictable, but not overly so. It feels like you were supposed to have figured out some of these things along the way anyway from the foreshadowing (like the guard being a spy for the other side (notes, wife's placement)).
Interesting turns and plot progression throughout.
Main evil villain has emerged and she is great at portraying her cruelness.
Not a fan of the last minute time-skip of 7 years and reveal of a new big character all of a sudden right at the end of the season. I am curious about what is going to go on with infected young prince though. Cliffhangers...
Still rooting for the ML.

Completed 4/6/2020

Pros:
-Beautiful Cinematography.
-Park Bo Gum: whenever Park Bo Gum's beautiful smiling face is on the screen, I can't help but smile too. Boy is too lovable. His heartbroken acting is really good too (he reminded me of a poor abandoned puppy with his heart torn to shreds in later episodes).
-Park Bo Gum's hair in Cuba (first few episodes).
-Some good kiss scenes in later episodes (ep. 10)
-Enjoyable slow-burn for the first half of the drama, but it felt too slow too at times

Cons:
-Unnecessary plot events that never went anywhere.
-The evil mothers. The FL and second ML's mothers were nasty in the first half of the show, but turned out to be all bark and not bite later on. I hate evil mothers, but they should stick to their character the whole way through instead of just being annoying early on with no real point. Then the ML's mother somehow caused the last few episodes of heartbreak with really weak reasoning for wanting them to break up, which she went back on once she actually talked to her son about it (PBG's character is a saint for totally forgiving her and acting like she did nothing wrong, which I think is actually bad for her). She should have just talked to him in the first place like a good parent rather than going behind his back to talk to his GF first. A show full of shitty mothers.
-That weird month break in ep. 9 for basicaly no reason (I just didn't get it)
-Main couple didn't really have a whole lot of chemistry
-I lost interest after ep.10 and felt that it could have ended there and would've been a better show (even though the supporting characters stories would have been incomplete). I had to force myself to watch those last 6 episodes.
-FL is supposed to be the strong CEO, but all she does it act passive and weak (how does she run a hotel successful hotel?)

Completed 4/9/2020

Nice to have a sports-focused drama!
Feel-good drama and ending. Enjoyable to cheer for our underdog team throughout the drama.
Interesting and unique plot with a strong focus on something new: baseball's hot stove league period.
Refreshing focus on the behind-the-scenes of baseball and no romantic melodrama to bog down the story.
Fairly fast-paced, but the constant struggle the team had with their parent company felt a bit repetitive.
I generally liked most of the characters (main and supporting cast), but I didn't love any of them possibly due to a lack of focus on character development. The characters I actually liked the most were the Scouting  Dept's Yang Won Sub and the Vikings Team General Manager.
I binged it in 3 days without having to feel like it was a chore to watch it. I genuinely felt curious about what would happen next for our underdog Dreams.

Completed 5/1/2020

Pros:
-Rowoon/Haru: He's gorgeous and lovable. Based off of just this drama, he seems like a good actor too! I was surprised how well he acted getting furious when he was becoming self-aware again.
-Baek Kyung: Complex and interesting character with a satisfying development throughout the show. It was funny watching him become aware while the other characters kept talking to him as if he was clueless. Although he often acted annoyingly repetitive by calling other characters mere extras and such. It was nice seeing him overcome his issues and make amends with the people around him and learn for himself that he is not a monster.
-Ju Da:  Her shift between her cliche stage self and her shadow self is the best. Go badass Ju Da! But then Ju Da and Do Hwa admit to liking each other, but don't particularly make an attempt to be together and don't seem upset about it, so it makes their feelings for each other feel superficial (and yet I could see how it could be a mature decision too).
-Interesting plot and set-up with characters all living in manhwa world
-Fun watching the self-aware characters cringe and give commentary at all the cheesy things they have to witness
-OST song: VERIVERY- My Beauty

Cons:
-Squid Fairy character: I didn't like how he hid everything from the other characters so much. I get that it adds suspense, but it also made the show drag a bit too. Also his weird indecisiveness when dealing with his love-line (avoiding her then making her lunchbox).
-Unanswered questions: I guess it's still hard for drama writers to create a solid manhwa world in a drama. This drama and W: Two Worlds both had some cool and fun plot points and features, but the endings and wrapping up of both left something to be desired.
-Dragging latter half of drama from repetitiveness (two cases of amnesia to deal with)

Completed 5/12/2020

This webdrama was so funny. All the characters acted so ridiculously that built upon the zaniness of the drama. Especially Choi Woo Sik - that boy was so extra sometimes and it was hilarious. Choi Woo Shik and Jang Ki Yong had great chemistry together and it was great watching their characters grow closer as the drama progressed. Overall this was a short and sweet watch for when you want a fun drama that you don't have to take too seriously, but still has a couple to root for (my main bromance!).

Completed 5/15/2020

Pros:
-FL's character: Really bright and interesting. She doesn't let all the hate in her life get her down and isn't afraid to speak her mind. This sounds like the typical FL character in dramas, but feels different to me since she is a huge celebrity and still very bright and confident.
-Romance: Cold guy/warm girl trope. Favorite parts of the show are when the two leads are together. They're pretty cute and the main female lead is really cute when she's always smiling and happy just being together. Especially liked part where they practiced her lines together.
-Celebrity leads: Both leads, but different fields of fame.

Cons:
-ML's memory issue: Made to sound major, but doesn't seem to really cause as much damage to his life as its made to seem and ML does just fine in life. He still gets over past issues even if he remembers them better.
-Lost interest:  Drama is not particularly interesting enough to keep me coming back each week. I kind of lost interest while waiting for the new episodes to come out after binging up til ep. 22.
-Repetitive: Double stalkers struggles (triple if including dead gf)
-Plot flaws:  Stalker escaped too easily and got new clothes, a phone, and camera. ML then does not warn the FL. The lack of communication in this drama in the latter episodes was really frustrating to watch. Also why are the police and psychologists so bad at their jobs?
-Ending flaws: FL's change in character from one that is very open and upfront with the public to one that just lets the public talk bad about her relationship with no response and then leaves to the US to avoid it. Also, the couple breaking up in the last couple episodes and then meeting up 2 years later and deciding to just get back together because now they can handle it all of a sudden. The whole idea of fate and having the leads keep missing each other before they finally met up felt unnecessary and irksome.

Completed 5/15/2020

It was a crack drama full of cheating, betrayals, revenge, and more led by great actors. Every episode you're just left wondering what our FL will end up doing next and how she'll exact her revenge. Good story, acting, and production all around. Looking back on it, I can confidently say that the show peaked for me at ep. 5 with the dinner table scene, but I was still engaged and enjoyed every episode after. The often realistic, yet crazy portrayal of marriage and flawed humans was really enjoyable to watch. I think the best thing about this show is how morally ambiguous every character is. Each one of them feels easy to hate for various decisions they make, but they each have moments that make them sympathetic and feel redeemable in some ways. Basically I hate them all, but I don't totally hate any of them. I could empathize with all the characters, yet still hate every single one of them to varying degrees throughout the show. This is all due to some incredible writing, directing, and acting.

I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending, but in a way I find it acceptable because it kind of stays true to the theme of imperfection in life. What bothered me the most was probably Joon Young running away like he did and staying away for a whole year (I'm not a fan of big time skips at the end of shows). We didn't really get to see him and his mother get their happiness, but we did get a hint of it at least from his return. At least the ML seemed to be out of their lives almost completely now and struggling on his own.

Probably the only character I feel like who didn't get enough retribution for being a snake of a friend was Myung Sook. The only satisfying part was when she had to deal with the misogyny at her hospital (but even that was annoying because watching the blatant sexism itself was annoying).

Overall, it was a fun stressful watch and I'm glad I got to watch it while it was airing.

Complete 6/1/2020

Pros:
-Wonderfully heartwarming show.
-Very nice writing with interesting characters and slice-of-life stories throughout the show that let you learn about the characters bit by bit.
-The main five characters are all great and lovable. Even the supporting characters are fun to watch and engaging. I love watching the older group of friends too (that scene of them playing mafia was comedy gold). The characters being such good people makes it a pleasure to watch.
-The show is set up a bit like a puzzle where every episode we learn something new about our characters lives and learn a little bit more about their world. Each episode seems to build upon previous ones very nicely.
-Despite the fact that this show is only released one episode per week and each episode is 90 min, I haven't gotten bored of it all. It doesn't feel like a chore to keep up with it and my attention doesn't wane throughout the episode. Every episode feels engaging, special, and heartfelt as we slowly get to know the diverse characters more and more through pieces of their lives at the hospital. I wouldn't mind it if this show had no romance, but I like the hints of it that we get for all our main characters (I would also be fine if it ends with no romance as well). Drama also feels very low stakes and doesn't really stress out the viewer.
-Great OST and awesome that main cast all actually learned to play instruments for the show and recorded OST

Cons:
-Editing in the first episode jumped around too much making it confusing and hard to connect with the show, but I really fell in love with it after the second episode and got used to the editing.
-Wish that we could see a bit more than just certain stories like Ik-jun's struggle with his divorce, how Gyeo-ul's blind date went, etc.
-Show is seasonal and leaves with a bit of a cliffhanger (not bad enough to make the wait upsetting though)

Completed 6/13/2020

Pros:
-Beautiful production and sets for the Kingdom of Corea universe
-The parallel universe/time travel set-up is unique and its interesting
-The villain's plan of switching doubles between universes is a devious and cool concept - enjoyed seeing how deeply his plans are laid with switching so many people between worlds (I do wish we got backstory on why villain is so evil though)
-Woo Do Hwan as two doubles with opposite personalities (great acting + comedy gold)
-Kim Kyung Nam's acting and his character (Shin Jae)'s story are my favorite things so far - his story and character development are the most moving and engaging parts of the show for me

Cons:
-SO MANY drawn out beauty shots from different angles of people just staring at each other
-Lacking romantic chemistry and romance build up between leads.  Uninteresting and confusing whenever they kiss or hug. First kiss  was especially cringe - ill-timed and FL's wide eyes and no reaction made it really weird.  "I love you" confession by the FL and her ridiculous inner monologue about accepting her fate felt so unrealistic to me. Show depends on destiny to carry everything about the main couple's relationship.
-Side characters: Prime minister's character and overall story felt very poorly written - seemed power-hungry and evil for no reason. In the end her character just felt mostly useless to the whole plot.
-SO MUCH PPL I HATE IT
-The show's time travel aspect does not make sense to me: It seems cyclic as things are changed by Lee Gon in the past, but things either change in the future with people gaining new memories as they happen or all of sudden that's just how things are. Rules seem irregular.
-The writing or editing for this show makes it very difficult to follow with how they skip around between worlds and times and you are just expected to fill in all the in-between moments.

Completed 6/26/2020

Pros:
-Fun bickering main leads. After they fought a bit in the first few episodes, it's nice to see the new dynamic of them working together (while still squabbling). They had a lot of chemistry together.
-FL is a certified bad-ass. She's the smartest person in the show, can take care of herself,  and is determined to do what she must to win. Tbh I hate her track suit and super loose pantsuit outfits, but good on her for dressing however she feels comfortable.
-The ML is also lovable. He's smart, capable, and dresses well. He also is dedicated and cares a lot for the FL even though it would totally make sense for him to despise her after what she did (which he did at first to be fair). Plus he also makes the funniest expressions (especially when he's annoyed, shocked, or picking a fight).
-Fairly fast-paced show that I didn't feel like dropping. Each episode was interesting and kept me coming back for more. The show felt pretty light (even though it dealt with dark material) probably owing a lot to the characters' wit and it wasn't bogged down a lot by courtroom scenes and law.

Cons:
-The team they built together was nice, but I'm not sure how realistic it was that they all left their stable, high-paying jobs out of loyalty at the end.
-We saw this show mainly from the perspectives of the leads as they were trying to win their cases, so it often felt weird when the awful things their clients did ended up getting swept under the rug (like that one rich guy being obsessed with his girlfriend to the point of confining her until she stopped eating so that she would escape by being taken to the hospital - and then was convinced to go back to him). If there was more focus on those things, I don't think this show could have maintained its light feeling.
-The show somehow left us feeling like we got justice, but a lot of the people our leads defended in the show were pretty terrible people.

Completed 6/26/2020

-A really interesting story with high school students doing all sorts of immoral things: pimping, prostitution, bullying, etc. The show is dark and not afraid of showing the darkness of humans while still making their characters sympathetic (thanks to good writing and acting).
-The show is fast-paced and each episode keeps the viewer engaged. I binged the show in two halves because almost every episode left me wondering what would happen next.
-The main characters are all layered multi-faceted people that are interesting to watch and the actors portraying them do an excellent job. The two main leads in particular have each very different sides that they portray to everyone else around them versus the sides they show each other. They had a particularly interesting relationship where they shared some of the deepest parts of themselves, depended on each other, and had feelings for each other, but still ended up bringing misfortune on each other (I'd say the FL led the ML to a bit more than he did to her - maybe it's because she kept getting involved in his business and convinced him to expand).
-The action scenes and the acting by Choi Min Soo was great. His character was a great addition to the world of our high schoolers.
-I liked the opening ending leaving us to wonder and guess what happened to our main characters and what they will do in the future if they end up surviving the situation they ended up in.

Re-watched 7/8/2020 (Rating change: 10 -> 9.5)

I decided to re-watch this drama for the first time since it came out in 2020 because I was craving some more Seo Ye Ji after seeing her stunning acting  in  her latest drama It's Okay Not to Be Okay. It still holds up as one of my favorite thriller/suspense dramas.

Pros:
1. This drama is not afraid to go dark (thanks again OCN). We get crazy cult fanatics, terrible school bullying leading to suicide, sexual assault of a minor (and rape of another minor which led to her suicide is alluded to), corruption (in government, education, police, etc.), murders, locking up people, abuse, etc. Our main characters have to fight against all this evil and injustice, which makes it that much more satisfying when they achieve their victory.
2. Plenty of action to go with our suspense.
3. Seo Ye Ji does a fantastic job as the female lead in this drama. She plays a terrified, but strong woman so well.
4. I loved the main friend group! They were so wholesome with their joking and always had each other's best interests at heart. Them working together to fight against the evil in this show was so satisfying and I loved rooting for them.
5. The rest of the supporting cast was great too. The villains were all terrifying and detestable (especially those two creepy cult bastards). The towns members that we frequently saw all had their own colors and made the show more interesting.
6. A satisfying ending. Most people got what they deserved, but it wasn't perfect too, which felt more realistic and matched the feel of the show better. The cult still had its supporters even after the death of its leader and the female cult leader reformed the cult again with herself in the position of Spiritual Mother.

Cons:
1. Some parts of this drama felt a little drawn out and repetitive
2. The political parts

Completed 7/10/2020

Pros
-Diverse cast of characters that work together well.
-Woo Do Hwan is very charming and charismatic and does well in this role.
-Always fun to watch a group working together to find out the truth and bring down the corrupt.
-The villains don't seem like idiots. They trick our main group quite a few times instead of falling for their trap.

Cons
-Took until the end of the second episode for things to really start getting interesting - the first two episodes just felt like backstory for our main group of characters so it was a little lacking in compelling content.
-This show has too many flashbacks of things that happened in the same episode or just an episode or two ago. I don't need to be reminded of what I just watched to follow the plot or understand the character's feelings.
-It's not an incredibly fresh or interesting plot (for me at least since I feel like I've seen similar shows before). The villains and what needs to be done all seems fairly straightforward, so there is not a huge amount of suspense.
-One of the main villains always wears his tie half out of the collar which annoyed me.
-The back and forth between catching the main villains and being one-upped by them got repetitive. I might have like the show more if there were more episodic cases that the main squad dealt with for a larger majority of the show.

Completed 7/11/2020

Pros:
-The cast of characters are all pretty unique and entertaining. It's fun watching them interact together. They are all larger-than-life and act out in fun ways. The bickering between all the characters is fun too.
-I'm glad that the ML was rejected after confessing. It felt refreshing that she rejects someone who mostly treats her like crap instead of deciding to go out with him because she kinda liked him at one point. Even when she admits that she liked him, they don't decide to go out which was a welcome change.
-Good production quality
-Lots of fun references to various pop culture events and moments in Korea that make the show funny (Mister Trot cameo, The Exit, Castaway, Tazza).
-Nice OST and choice of background songs (latest pop songs, k-pop songs, trot songs because Mister Trot is big now, and references to other older famous songs).
-Fun cameos (Mister Trot, Korean comedians, Reply 1988 mini reunion, Jang Sung Kyu, Moon Se Yoon, etc.)
-The open ending and the way things did not end perfectly was nice.
-Engaging show that kept me watching even if I didn't always understand the characters shift in personalities.

Cons:
-Weird tonal shift from dark suicide in the first episode to zany quirky comedy in later episodes.
-The main male leads both flip back and forth between being rude assholes and nice empathetic people that its hard to decide if I like them or not. Rather than them feeling morally grey, they just end up feeling inconsistent.

Completed 7/13/2020

Pros
-This drama is so much fun! It has me laughing out loud at the situations and the weird characters in every single episode. The strange character dynamics and the unique character focuses really are so much fun and so interesting to watch.
-This is another weird character for Yoon Shi Yoon, but he plays it well and isn't bothering me with a feeling of overacting this time.
-The moments in the episodes where the ML refers to his memory bank of crime movies and then uses that to solve his own problems. It is such a fun way of including movie and pop culture references.
-Fun to watch the ML go through life with his new perspective as a serial killer. This plot was a fun idea and I think the hilarity of the situations comes across well in the show.
-Entertaining dynamic between the two male leads.  When the serial killer thinks Dong Sik is the same as him, its fun watching them interact as two people who believe that they are predators. Then once the actual serial killer watches it too and laughs about it and set up the ML its still fun, but in a different way.

Cons
-I'm treating this as a comedy, so I don't really mind as much, but the main female character is kind of a terrible cop. She has no sense of police confidentiality when investigating current cases, she gets overpowered by the male lead when they are fighting even though she's a trained professional and he's portrayed as pretty weak, she is portrayed like a damsel in distress needing saving when tied up, and can't even fire a gun properly to stop the culprit.
-Other too ridiculous parts: Dong Sik being given the option to consult on cases instead of doing community service to fulfill his sentence despite him having no professional expertise, the serial killer escaping  from the hospital and the police being so incompetent in recapturing him, etc.

Completed 7/16/2020

The strongest part of this drama feels like the mystery aspect so far  and is what keeps me watching each episode. It has the viewer wondering how everyone is connected and who knows what.

I like the sort of foster mother dynamic that has formed between the female lead and her downstairs neighbor (he was so cute as a little boy in flashbacks). This show reminds me of the movie Ajusshi (The Man From Nowhere) where the lead is friends with the child and gets revenge on those who hurt the child except here the gender roles are reversed and there is a focus more on mystery than action.

The group of villains seem pretty twisted (beating up and murdering people), but they are loyal to each other which makes them interesting morally grey villains. Their messed up childhoods and loyalty towards each other make them more empathetic characters, but still people you want to be punished for their crimes.

Solid ending tying everything together and leaving the viewer satisfied. I liked the focus of the drama being on the the importance of nurture over nature. Seeing the relationships that the troubled youth formed and how they positively or negatively affected their lives was nice to watch. I liked watching our three teenagers overcome their problems with the help of the adults looking out for them. The ending with our main villain was particularly notable in my eyes - seeing him watch Eun Ho enviously and imagine what his life could have been like if he had met someone more like Cha Young Jin instead of the Father. Then finally seeing him locked up physically and mentally again made me empathetic towards him.

The drama was pretty good, but it wasn't one that had me completely hooked from start to finish (maybe because of its darkness). My mind would sometimes wander during episodes and I was not a fan of all the flashbacks to moments we've already seen, but there wasn't too many.

Completed 8/9/2020

The production for this drama is beautiful. I love the use of dolls at the beginning of the show to frame the story. It felt very Nightmare Before Christmas. Then when we are able to see things through the perspectives of different characters in such creative and beautiful depictions. The creepy scenes in the mansion where the FL dreams about, has flashbacks of, and imagines her faceless mother are all very well done. The styling for the show (especially the female lead) is great.

The main female character is very fresh. She definitely has some psychological problems, but it was interesting to see how she became that way and watch her grow past her problems. Seo Ye Ji does a fantastic job of portraying her. Kim Soo Hyun was also phenomenal and always made me sympathize with and cry with him. The whole trio acted perfectly with each other.

The way all of our characters grow to become better people without being completely dependent on each other is so beautiful. The main trio all slowly changed for the better. Moon Young became more conscious of the consequences her heedless actions may cause causing her to act more thoughtfully and selflessly while opening up her heart. Kang Tae became more expressive and selfish which made him actually do what he wants for once so that he is actually happy. Sang Tae matured and stepped up to care for others like Kang Tae cared for him and faced his trauma head on.

The chemistry between the ML and the FL was fantastic. I love the electric way they look at each other.

Enjoyed the OST too, especially Heize's You're Cold and Sam Kim's Breath.

It feels so rare that I get to finish a drama so satisfied. There were a few questions that were never answered outright, but I feel like I could fill in the holes on my own. This final episode was more focused on the heartwarming and fun character interactions that really made this show my favorite in the first place.

Completed 10/4/2020

Slick show. Nice production.

Watching this show often leaves you unsure on what the main plot is (nothing feels concrete), which keeps it from being addictive and wanting to know what happens next. There's nothing particularly gripping about this show that makes me want to keep watching each episode. It still is an interesting watch though and each episode goes by fast without leaving me bored.

This season had a large decrease in interactions between Hwang Si Mok and Han Yeo Jin, which kept me from feeling as invested and excited for the characters at the start. It does ramp up in the latter episodes, but I still miss them having more time on screen together.

This season has had a much different vibe from the first one. On one hand I enojyed the exploration of the politics between the police vs prosecution set up, but on the other hand I miss the more active investigations of the first season a lot more. This show has so much talking rather than showing, which can get both confusing and tedious. There is a lot of dialogue and politics and a large web of cases and connections that you have to keep track of while watching this show which can feel a bit overwhelming and act a bit of a turn off to the show.

This season is lacking the character interactions that I enjoyed so much from the first season. Right after we got that fun scene between Hwang Shi Mok and Seo Dong Jae, the latter ends up a missing person. I wish there was way more scenes with Seo Dong Jae since he is such an interesting character to watch. Not enough Shi Mok and Han Yeo Jin interaction either. Both of the main characters did a fantastic job acting though and when they were together, it was a joy.

I like how both this season and the last one started with small cases that have larger ramifications.

Completed 10/5/2020

There are very little gay Korean dramas, so I am rating this one a little higher just due to the rarity of the genre in the first place. I did enjoy this drama, but it did have its flaws that I am willing to overlook due to the overall favorable view I had of it.

Things I liked:
-The concept of the drama is pretty fresh. I love the idea of the bodyguard and the one being guarded falling in love. The only other dramas I remember seeing that in is Wild Romance and The King2Hearts (though the latter was not the main characters).
-The acting was pretty decent. I especially enjoyed the performance as Jang Eui Soo as Kang Gook. Maybe I'm just soft-hearted for those more rough, standoffish, but warm-hearted characters.
-The chemisty between the main characters was nice and fun to watch.
-The ending kiss was super cute. I love happy, smiling kisses.

Things that I didn't care for:
-The production did seem a bit lower in quality compared to what I'm used to, but I get that it's a much shorter series (like a webdrama) and that it must have had a way lower budget.
-Some sections with Gi Chan's acting as Han Tae Joo felt a little wooden or just as engaging.
-The parts of the story with the boys dealing with the rich father were meh. Maybe there just wasn't enough background on the father or his relationship with Tae Joo, but it was the less interesting part of the drama.
-The leaving for 3 years and coming back at the end all of a sudden and everything is perfectly fine like the person never left.

Completed 10/12/2020

The main romance was so great. I loved the sincerity that the two leads had for each other throughout their relationship. The ML always treated his wife and daughter so well too, which really made him so much more lovable to watch. The FL was pretty great too in her (mostly) unwavering love and dedication to her husband. The only annoying parts in their relationship is when the writers chose to all of a sudden make the FL doubt her husband immediately after all that they had been through. It just didn't make sense for her character at that point anymore. Their relationship with their daughter was so cute and wholesome too (even though she did seem to get shafted a bit in the later half whenever her parents were too busy solving crime or being caught up in thriller stuff).

The thriller and mystery aspect of the show was really well done. I enjoyed how each episode began with a flashback that helped to slowly unravel the mysteries of the past and build on the current story. The acting by the whole cast, especially Lee Joon Gi and Kim Ji Hoon, was pretty phenomenal and really made the thriller aspect of the show shine.

This is another show that leaves me slightly annoyed at some points though from the latter episodes (especially episode 13). First, writers always seem to make the main characters act foolishly out of character to forward the plot. Secondly, the number of times that they have the police act incompetently (e.g. losing a criminal or getting their gun stolen as they are handcuffing another dangerous criminal) as a plot device is annoying. Can't they think of better ways to reach their goals? I'm just sick of seeing situations that I doubt would actually come about just to move the story along.

Finally, I'm not a fan of an amnesia plot-line taking up the majority of the final episode, but it did lead to some nice character development and a happy ending regardless so I didn't mind it that much.

Completed 10/20/20

The relationship between the ML and FL in the first half of the drama is pretty cute and pure to watch. I like the story's unique backdrop of music and the the lives of classical musicians. I liked that they decided to have a main character who was not a genius at the thing they wanted to do and we got to see the struggle, pain, and process of acceptance of being mediocre at something you love.

This drama really feels like such a melodrama at times. The FL and ML always have to deal with such shit in their lives. The ML has parents who somehow are constantly in debt. The FL has to deal with pretty much everyone in the music industry using her, judging her, and talking shit about her just because her playing isn't up to par, which I'm sure gives her more of an inferiority complex and probably makes her playing even worse. The professor's in this show are pretty terrible too. The friends of the leads are pretty selfish and nasty people who seem to always blame the leads for their love life problems and cruelly cut them out out of their lives because of their selfish viewpoints. It's pretty annoying to watch, but at least the leads have each other... The lack of communication between the FL and ML in the later episodes is pretty frustrating to watch. Neither of them share about the stressful things going on in their lives. They don't confide in each other and have barely any interaction except meet-ups that feel pretty superficial.

The last episodes really made up for the dragging middle. The character progression from most of our characters, especially the leads was very satisfying to watch and I was mostly satisfied with how things ended.

Great classical OST!

Completed 10/27/20

Pros:
-The different jobs that we get to see the leads pursuing: make-up artist and actor. It's a new focus for Korean youth dramas and is nice to see.
-The middle/later episodes are really focusing on the world of showbiz and Hye Jun's rise to stardom with each project he takes. It really gives me "Skip Beat!" feels in a way which I love. In both story's the character's becoming and growing as actors are the parts I enjoy watching/reading the most.

Cons:
-The ML and FL have quick, witty rapport feels kind of unrealistic and lacking substance, plus their relationship after the first few kisses (and Hye Jun gets famous) fizzles and becomes lifeless as a romantic couple pretty quickly. It didn't really feel like they were lovers.
-The drama does put a lot of focus into the side characters, which can sometimes detract from getting to know some more central characters better. Once Jung Ha left the salon she worked at, her screen time and overall importance seemed to continually decrease in favor of all the other side characters and Hye Jun. It's like there is no longer even a FL.
-The way that the episodes will end at one point and then start further back again in the next episode (taking more than half the episode to reach that ending point) is annoying
-The antagonists were so freaking annoying . Lee Tae Su at least made sense in a way, but that female reporter was so ridiculously one-dimensional and acted thoughtlessly as an antagonist
-No real resolution for Hae Na and Hae Hyo (esp. HN)
-The main thing that annoyed me when I reached the end of this show was that I was left wondering what the point of it all was. After 16 episodes, it felt like no real character development had occurred for a majority of our characters, especially the leads.

Completed 11/11/20

Nice historical backstory from the beginning. The episodic aspect of this show makes it for a nice watch every so often without feeling the pressure of binge-watching, but it is interesting enough that you could binge-watch it if you wanted.

A good, solid drama. Ended happily, even though it meant throwing out several of the dangerous situations and rules of their world that had caused tension for our characters in the first place. I was never hugely attached to any of the characters, but I did like them all and their interactions. They were a fun ensemble and it made the show a nice watch for whenever I wanted to watch something, but didn't want to feel too stressed.

Completed 11/27/20

So here's the thing. I really liked the first 12 episodes and would give them a solid 9/10 I think. Things I liked:
-Pretty fluffy cute story (even with all the tragedy the FL has to deal with). The ML is so sweet to the FL in a slightly tsundere way (more stoic but softhearted) that it's so pleasing to watch. I look forward to seeing them interact more and have a lovely relationship.
-Unexpected plot twist about the truth behind our ML in ep.6! I love seeing these actually unexpected plot twists in shows done well. When I think back to the hints throughout the show, it made sense, but I never really questioned his identity in that way.
-This show is so light and fluffy that I look forward to the episodes every week.
-Jaemin and Mimi are both adorable.
-I really like how they did the confession scene between the ML and FL. It felt very sincere, wholesome, and almost pure in a way. The opening for the hand-holding and the simple kiss matched the purity that I feel from both the leads. I'm glad that it felt juvenile in a way too rather than passionate because of the ML's age.

Then we reached the latter portion of the drama filled with things I didn't like and things I absolutely detested. This whole section makes my overall rating drop significantly.
-ML becomes this constant liar out of noble idiocy. First to hide his illness and then straight up lets the FL and all his friends in Eunpo think he's dead for FIVE YEARS so that he could have time to recover???
-The strange shift from cheerful, light drama, to melodrama makjang.
-That rushed ending in the last episode of dead to not actually dead.

Completed 11/28/20

I really enjoy the story around a young woman entering into politics. Her righteous, unyielding, hard-working, smart personality is really refreshing to watch.

Having the FL be in a higher power position for the majority of the show is also a nice change-up from most k-dramas. They treat each other pretty equally though and have such a comfortable vibe with each other that is cute. I love that they don't shy away from being affectionate and having lots of kisses (even though they're trying to keep their romance a secret). The only thing that bothers me about their relationship is that the FL is slightly too violent (personality and physically) sometimes. I do think that the ML's more calm and collected personality tends to balance her out though which makes them a good match. I love that their relationship isn't just about sexual chemistry too. They really show affection and sincere platonic love for each other too.

The show made things seem not so hopeless even though our protagonists were constantly losing against the corrupt and strongly-united parties. It may have been a bit like cracking eggs against a rock to break it down, but it was really nice to see how things ultimately led to important changes even if it might have taken time and occurred in a roundabout manner.

Completed 12/6/20

Kim Seon Ho really fucking shines as Han Ji Pyeong and makes him such a lovable character. His relationship with the FL's grandma is the best part of this show.
It's interesting watching a show that focuses on a new character field: start-ups. I love watching all our characters grow and change as they interact with each other, and as they learn more about themselves and the field that they are now working in.

Nam Joo Hyuk does a good job of playing the role of Nam Do San, but the writing failed to make him truly likable. The relationship between Do San and Dal Mi kind of lacked any substance or chemistry to really care about them being together.

The three year time leap was frustrating.

I wish the letters were more central to the plot rather than just being used at the beginning of the drama and being touched on here and there afterwards, especially when the whole first episode seemed dedicated to it.

The supporting characters relationships and actions were not developed enough for me on several fronts, especially these: 1) In Jae 2) FL's mother 3) Sa Ha falling for Chul San 4) the "bad guy" programmers

The ending wrapped things up okay, but the way the writers chose to wrap things up with Do San & Dal Mi & Ji Pyeong just felt pretty lacking. I loved that Ji Pyeong is moving on to better things with working with a young adult orphan mentor program. The rest of it was just kind of underwhelming I guess. Everything working out with their start up honestly just felt too easy. I know they all have a few years of experience now, but I feel like they should still be making mistakes and growing, but we kind of just jumped past all of that for a happy ending.

Completed 12/28/2020

Originally binged most of this at the beginning of 2020, but since the last few episodes didn't have subs yet, I had to wait. Then I never felt like finishing it until just before the end of the year.

I really enjoyed the tsundere ML and his romance with the FL who was very forward and open with her feelings. I loved how enthusiastic she was about her job, even though she originally pursued the career for the ML. The ML's cold, but not particularly mean once he gets to know the main character. He warms up to the main character pretty quickly too. I guess I'm a sucker for Tsunderes falling in love because I always find it heart-fluttering. I am also a fan of opposites attract romances.

I didn't really care much for any of the romances that the drama tried to push like the ML's sister and the male nurse, as well as the second ML and the other female nurse.

The overall drama was a pretty basic, cheesy romance and drama, but sometimes you just need that sweet cheese in your life. They had plenty of kisses too, which was great!

I loved the OST track "I LOVE..." by Official HIGE DANdism.

Completed 12/20/2020

Exciting story about solving crimes and fighting for justice.

I love how the ML seems very emotional (rightfully so when he has to see the messed up memories of some very messed up people). I kind of love how he has a hard time controlling his anger once he sees the memories of bad guys (and proceeds to punch/kick them in the face). On the other side of the coin though, he cries easily too which is nice to see: when he is in trouble, reading fan letters, or fails.

The FL is a nice, cool counter to his hot-headedness. She also depends more on profiling, while he depends on his memory readings and gut feelings. The two strike a nice balance together.

Some of the story seems a bit contrived, but I love the kickass vibe from it so I look past that.

At nine episodes in, its starting to feel a little convoluted with all the suspects and witness and events surrounding them to be looked in to.

They just keep adding in characters and giving red herrings as to who the main criminal and the Eraser are. It gets a little old and annoyging and hard to follow. It was a decent action and mystery drama though.

The final episode seemed to wrap up most points well enough too, except for what happened with Dong Baek's sister. Honestly, there were so many plot lines that I don't even remember if everything was wrapped up properly.

Completed 12/6/2020

Love the actor for the young ML. Love his caring and mature (even though sometimes like a ggondae) to those around him. Lee Do Hyun's kiss scenes are surprisingly really good. I can really feel his love and passion for his wife in them. I even want there to be more! Lee Do Hyun did a great job acting as high school student in love, a struggling young dad, and as compassionate older dad in a young man's body. One of those last scenes with him sobbing and bemoaning his state was especially heartbreaking to watch. He definitely deserves a rookie of the year  award just from this.

The second ML is also super sweet and lovable. I love the relationship he has with his niece and the way he is super supportive of the FL. The two MLs are  both really good looking too so I just like it when they're on screen.

I enjoy watching the FL do amazing at her job when she's given the opportunity, and in the process prove misogynistic assholes wrong.

I really like that there is such a large focus on family in this drama too. Watching Hong Dae Young reconnect and get along with his kids in school was really entertaining and endearing. Honestly, the ML's care for his family seems really wonderful and amazing. It makes me wonder how he got so complacent and distant in the first place. He did seem very ggondae style at the start of his transformation back to 18, so I guess the show did a great job of showing how he learned from his mistakes and growing to be more of a friend and caretaker to his family.

The last episode bothered me a bit because we went suddenly from the ML sobbing on the ground in the basketball court, to it being resolved fairly quickly in basically the next 5 minutes without any real explanation on what caused it to happen. It did allow us to get more of a tight wrap up on all characters, but the solving of the main problem deserved enough time and explanation of its own.

Completed 12/21/2020

Note: I have not read the webtoon so I have no preconceived notions about how this drama should have been.

This is one of Korea's better scary, thriller dramas. I binge-watched this in just two days. You can really tell that a lot of time and money went into it's production.

The cast was superb and all the actors did excellent in their roles. I really enjoyed how badass the main cast was too (especially Queen Lee Shi Young). Song Kang was excellent as Hyun Soo and did a great job of portraying that dual role.

The main letdown for this drama would be the lack of explanation on how the monsters came to be and the lack of delving into the desires of each of some of the main monsters. I also would have liked some further background on certain characters like Lee Do Hyun's character, but since this is a seasonal show, I am expecting and hoping that many of those mysteries and details will be explored further in the next season.

I didn't particular like how so many people kept getting killed off at the end, but I could see how it was realistic in a way in such a disastrous situation.

The CG was not great, but it was decent enough. It didn't make it hard to enjoy the drama, especially after you got used to the level of CG to expect.

I really enjoyed Bewhy's OST and I enjoyed the Imagine Dragon's track as well (though I know a lot of people didn't).

Completed 12/29/2020

I like Sang Ha's spunky character, but honestly the situations that the two ML's are getting into are pretty cringey and make it hard to watch for the first couple episodes.

The actor for the ML, Jin Won, isn't really acting in a way that is particularly engaging for me. His character is kind of rude too (more than tsundere rude, just rude without apologies which is kind of annoying). Then in the last episode he punches the guy he loves for changing his door passcode and disappearing for a bit (which I don't even understand why he did, but that's whatever). Then after they make up they kiss? Nah, you don't get to punch someone for that. Abuse ain't cool bro.

The shift between cute romance and in debt with gangsters plot is a bit strange and gives us less time to actually grow fond of the main characters and their story together. Also, what was with the gangsters slapping Sang Ha around because he didn't listen to them and then when they get paid they act touched and like they're family to him.

Completed 12/31/2020

Nice build up and backstory (enjoyable father-son relationship).The dark scenes (car crash and chicken murder) are done really well. Park Seo Joon is doing a great job acting as Saeroyi so far. The rain scene where he really breaks down while beating the guy was done so well.
Other than that, it's not super interesting, but it's engaging enough. I'm curious as to see what running a bar in Itaewon will be like and how the ML plans to get revenge that way.
I enjoy that the ML used all that time skip time to actually change and prepare himself for the fight he would be having with his enemy (planning and money-wise).
Not a big fan of the FL (Yi Seo). She's acts especially rude and mean in ep.8 (and she apologizes, but it feels very superficial). I actually kind of like the other FL (Soo Ah) because of her interesting situation and I feel that she's more at a similar maturity level to the ML. She is one of the more relatable female characters.  I love the ending she got, where she paid back her debt three times over after spending her 10 years behind enemy lines, and then a future love interest with chef Park Bo Gum.
I like that they make the villain have a bit of depth with his relationship to chicken after his scarring experience with his villainous father.
It's nice that this drama tries to tackle social issues in Korea too like transgender and racial (like black Koreans) equality. The way they handled the racial issues were a bit unsatisfactory for me though.
Enjoyable rock OSTs from Gaho and Ha Hyun Woo (Guckkasten).