Sunday, February 28, 2016

What to Watch: Kdramas of 2016 (spoiler free)

Hey everyone ~ first post of the New Year (despite it already being 2 months XD)

This list is going to be similar to my last blog post in the sense that it will also be about the best K-dramas of the year ranked by my opinion in a spoiler free manner; I’m just starting it a bit earlier because I feel that writing it as the year goes on and the dramas are fresh in my mind is easier than writing it all out at the end of the year.

I’ve been off to a good start this year in terms of watching dramas while they air – learning some self control :p. So I’ve already got quite a few shows on this list, and as I’ve mentioned I’ll be continuously updating it.

Enjoy~ and let me know anything I’ve missed or should watch in the comments :)


1.    Cheese in the Trap [currently airing]
This drama is a whole bunch of cuteness with eye-candy everywhere - from the leads to supporting characters. I’m holding off on reading the webtoon until the drama finishes airing (which is this week) because I don’t want to be biased towards the story. The plot is a simple slice of life one with some intriguing and unique mystery and dark elements. I feel like as the show winds down, it’s focusing more on the supporting character Baek In-ho (played by Seo Kang Joon) as opposed to the lead Park Hae-jin (whom I adore) that plays Yoo Jung. It’s my first time seeing the lead Kim Go Eun (who plays Hong Seol) and she is amazing all around and completely won me over. I’m hoping the drama can come to a nice finish, but I hear there is some issues between the cast, particularly Hae-jin and the directors/writers as well as some conflict with the original webtoon author. Fingers crossed it doesn’t get ruined and everything can be resolved well :/ It’s still enjoyable regardless for those who wish to pick it up now – it’s a binge show guaranteed.  


2.    Oh My Venus
Before you say anything, I am aware this show started airing last year, but since it ended this year (and my list from last year is too long already) I’m adding it here. The powerhouse leads are Shin Mina and So Jisub so this show was already a recipe for success. It didn’t have ratings that were too great, and the plot was kind of met with mixed reactions (i.e a girl losing weight and becoming pretty) but there was a bit more to the story to that, and if you push that aside, the cast chemistry and overall vibe to the drama was good. (Let’s not forget an amazing OST as well) A romance story that can give some motivation to those who have exercising on their new year’s resolution – myself included. Side note, Sung Hoon caught my eye – what a babe.


3.    Remember: War of the Son
I’ll do my best to keep this spoiler free as promised, but the overall feel of this drama was sad. Satisfying; but sad. It started off really strong, and Yoo Seung-ho did a great job portraying a boy who experiences hardships and then a young man who still has to face hardships. Park Min-young is a nice compliment to him, and they are both adorable. This drama sticks true to the plot and doesn’t deviate into the romantic elements which is a good or bad thing depending on what you started watching the show for. I think there was cute elements of their chemistry that were just enough without overdoing-it, but like I said if you’re into romance K-dramas, then this isn’t your cup of tea. Namgoong Min was such a scene stealer as the villain, I hope he wins some awards for his portrayal - he sure deserves it. Overall a solid story and the entire supporting cast were strong with a satisfying ending.


4.     Madame Antoine [currently airing]
As this show drags on I can’t tell if I’m frustrated or confused XD And if your watching this right now, you’ll know exactly what I mean. This is the first drama of Han Ye seul I’m seeing (and dang that girl makes everything she’s eating look delicious) as well as Sung Joon and they have good chemistry. Sung Joon is kina awkward for me at times, but I can’t tell if it’s just his character or him as a person (like I said I haven’t seen anything else he’s been in) so if anyone else can help clear that up for me down below I’d appreciate it J The story is a feel god drama which is needed in this time of makjangs and melodramas left and right. It looks like it might get sad as time progresses, but we’ll see how it goes…


5.    Descendants of the Sun [currently airing]
The amount of hype I have for this drama is no joke. Anyone that knows me, knows Song Joong-ki is my ULTIMATE man-crush. I was literally counting down the days till this he was out of the army, and then until the drama came out. The only reason it is ranked last for now is because it just started, and therefore isn’t much out to judge – but the first week was exactly what I was expecting and I can hope it will only go up from here. The production value put into this is no joke and the main casts as well as supporting characters are strong. Wishing the best for this drama in terms of ratings and public perception~ 

Well, that is about it from me for now. I do have some dramas from last year as well as this year I’m still in the process of watching, so I’ll be updating both lists as I progress through those J If there are any amazing dramas I missed that aired this year that you want to recommend, feel free to share~

Drama’s I’ve started/currently watching:
     a.  Moorim School (ep. 1 haven’t seen enough to comment)

Drama’s I’m Thinking of Watching:
a.       Reply 1988 (currently on 1994)
b.      Signal

Take care, Happy watching~

xoxo SiSi

Friday, October 30, 2015

Best Korean Dramas (KDramas) of 2015 [UPDATED - also spoiler free ]

*WARNING: BIASED
Hey everyone, long time no see~

There are so many Kdrama’s airing this year that I have yet to see, therefore this list shall be VERY biased, hence the disclaimer at the top. The dramas mentioned are only the ones I’ve seen, therefore I can’t rank those I have yet to finish/watch. A lot of the dramas I did watch this year, were actually relatively old or from last year, therefore this list is pretty short since I’m only including things that came out this year. 
I plan to continuously update this as the year goes on and more shows air. I would love any suggestions, so feel free to leave me some in the comments below :) There are also quite a few dramas of this year that I am currently watching or have started watching but never finished because… #collegelife :’D I’ll mention them at the end of the list, and if you see one that you loved and want to encourage me to finish it, feel free to do so~

Without further ado, here is my personal list of the best dramas that aired this year (SPOILER FREE)



1. Kill Me, Heal Me
This drama was one of the most unique I have ever seen. I feel like Ji Sung was robbed of the Daesang Award this year, even though I’m a fan of Kim Soo Hyun as well. It’s just that the way he was able to portray so many different characters and make you believe they were different people was amazing. His chemistry with Hwang Jung-eum was amazing as well. The supporting characters (Park Seo Joon, her parents, Choi Won-young… etc.] all added a touch that made the drama special as well. Even though the end of the drama dragged on a little bit too much for me, the versatility of the leads and interesting story made up for it for me.  If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re missing out!


2. Healer
Three words: Ji. Chang. Wook. No lie, if you have yet to hear of this actor, you are about to fall in love, like I did. I hadn’t had a chance to check out his previous work so his charms caught me way off guard in this drama. I’ve been a fan of Park Min-young as well since I saw her in City Hunter, (which is a bit similar to this drama in terms of vibe) but Chang-wook stole the show for me. The drama has a balance of nice actions scenes/shots, a pretty solid plot with good flashbacks, and the perfeccttt amount of romance (a lot more than I expected actually~ and I thoroughly enjoyed them :3)


3. Oh My Ghost(ess)
I regret hesitating to watch this drama, there wasn’t a single thing about it I disliked. It was such a refreshing romantic comedy with a nicely paced plot. Park Bo-young is no joke, being able to show so many different sides and be convincing in each one she portrays. Jo Jung-suk is just a babe, nothing more needed to be said ;P. And someone who completely stole the show for me was Kim Seulgi, I hope she gets more lead roles in the future because despite starting out as a character that was slightly annoying, she managed to make me fall in love with her. The supporting cast was all solid and entertaining as well. 10/10!



4. Pinocchio
First off, I have to admit Park Shin-hye impressed me in this drama, maybe it’s because she wasn’t playing a high schooler like nearly all of the previous dramas I’ve seen her in (You’re Beautiful, Heartstrings, The Heirs… etc.) and was portraying a young woman, but her commitment to the kissing scenes and romance part of the drama was a lot more believable and enjoyable imo. When I read the description of the plot before the show began, I was like “huh? Is this forreal?” (a girl who hiccups when she lies?) But Kdrama’s have a way of turning something otherwise ridiculous into something charming, and this was one of those cases. I’ve liked Lee Jong Suk since ‘I Can Hear Your Voice’, so he didn’t disappoint me as well. This drama actually provided an interesting insight to the word of journalism that I (and I’m sure a lot of people watching) never knew or cared about. It was refreshing in that sense, and the supporting characters were all loveable. Overall, a pretty solid drama and the ending was adorable.



5. She Was Pretty
The second lead syndrome in this one </3 Though it was kind of weird at first to see Hwang Jung-eum and Park Seo Joon together as love interests after seeing them as awesome siblings in KMHM earlier this year, they however promised to show everyone a different image and I believe they are staying true to their word thus far. The way Park Seo-joon looks at her *swoon* Someone that is kind of stealing the show for me is Siwon; his character is seriously blowing me away in this drama... I've been a fan of his for a looooong time (SuJu got me into Kpop) but I feel like I'm seeing him in a new light and his versatility is refreshing. The ending was solid and happy for almost everyone. 



6.  MASK
This drama was SO addicting. Ju Ji-Hoon has grown so much from the Goong (Princess Hours) days :) And despite never seeing any other works from the lead actress – Park Su-Ae – I found her to be quite endearing and good at portraying different emotions and personas. The story was unique and had some mystery and captivating elements. My boy Hoya from Infinite was also a nice addition to the well-rounded cast. Though some parts of the story drag a bit too long for my taste, it overall had a good balance between romance and mystery/drama.




7.  I Remember You
If your planning on watching this for romance, I advise against it; this drama tended to focus more on the actual storyline(s) which is not bad thing of course, but if you came here expecting an explosion of chemistry then you might be slightly disappointed :p My thoughts while watching this drama: HELLO PARK BO GUM. Where have you been all my life? His charisma blew me away!!! This pause he has before he says something cool… it’s just… I cant describe what it is in words, but you just need to watch the drama and see his character in action, lol. If you’ve watched the drama, I know you know what I’m talking about XD Jang Nara is so baby-faced, my goodness; and she was pretty cute/cool in the drama. Honorable mention to Do Kyungsoo/D.O for an amazing portrayal of his character; he got the crazy eyes down-pat. [SPOILER] Choi Won-young was also an interesting villain, since I was used to seeing him be a cute father figure or friend (in roles like his in the Heirs or Kill me, Heal me) it was interesting to see him be the antagonist this time around and his character had this cool aura I enjoyed about him. The ending was pretty solid as well. 


8. Sassy, Go Go [currently airing]
Don’t even remember how I ended up starting this drama because it is not my typical cup of tea, but no regrets… I’m actually surprised at myself for how much I’m enjoying it to be honest. It’s the first drama I’ve seen of Jung Eunji (from Apink) and I didn’t know what to expect from her (although I heard she was a good actress) I feel like she’s doing a great job at portraying all these different emotions. Also, I’ve for sure never seen the main lead Lee Won-keun but he is SO cute. His character is an enjoyable one (reminds me of those stereotypical perfect manga/anime boys) and he delivers his role well. Jisoo is giving serious me second lead syndrome XD Much more than Siwon in She Was Pretty, and I’m interested to see how that gets resolved. Pretty sad that its only 12 episodes though.



9. The Girl Who Can See Scents (Smell)
Started this because of Yoochun, and I was a bit scared to be honest. After the ROADKILL that was Fashion King (even though I love Yoo Ah-In) I’ve been steering clear from Shin Se-kyung even though I feel like she is an ok-ish actress. (Anyone else see that drama and knows what I mean? XD) The idea of the show was pretty unique and the CG effects of her ‘seeing’ the scents was pretty cool and not tacky/cheesy looking in the slightest. The main villain, whose name I wont mention in order not to spoil it for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, did a great job at being cree-py, and overall the drama had a satisfying ending. Though some of the comedic elements were a bit too cheesy for me, (I get that second-hand embarrassment real easily) it was still a good balance to the mystery/more serious elements of the drama. Overall pretty solid and enjoyable.


That is about it, thanks for reading. As I mentioned at the start, I will continuously update this as I start/finish dramas until the year comes to an end J Again, if there are any amazing dramas I missed that aired this year that you want to recommend, feel free to share~

Drama’s I’ve started/currently watching:
       a.     Producer
       b.     Blood

Drama’s I’m Thinking of Watching:
      a.     Heard It Through the Grapevine

Take care, Happy watching~
xoxo SiSi