Unemployed Romance: Episode 1 Summary/Review

Friday dramas are a growing trend in the Korean drama landscape. What was once a night for news, documentaries and variety television has now started to become filled with prime time drama slots that are free from the heated ratings competition of the rest of the week. The second such drama that I've been exposed to comes in the form of Unemployed Romance, starring Lee Young-ah as down-and-out writer IM SEUNG-HEE and her ex-boyfriend KIM JONG-DAE played by Namgoong Min.

You can check out this first episode of Unemployed Romance at DramaFever, here!

Progress Report: You're the Best, Lee Soon-shin! Episodes 1 - 25

So, You're the Best, Lee Soon-shin! has aired just over half its allotted episodes by now and I figured I should weigh in with at least some kind of opinion on it since I'm still watching. Anyone that follows this blog knows about my plight with family dramas and longer shows in general, but considering this is the first time I've kept up with one as it airs live, there's a good chance I'll probably finish it. (Maybe.) (I hope.) (Please, Drama Gods?)

Side note: I'm going into this review under the impression that those who are reading it know all the principle characters.

Also, remember, you can watch You're the Best, Lee Soon-shin! on DramaFever.

Once Upon a Time in Saengchori: Review

Ohh, Saengchori... Saengchori, Saengchori, Saengchori... It's been a while since a show left me unclear as to how I felt about it after the credits rolled, but this one seems to have done it. To say that I think it suffered from bad writing would probably be only partly true, because it was really problems in the plot that made it go wonky towards the end.

As usual, this review has many a spoiler attached, which is particularly important to note for this show, which revolved around a murder mystery. Just a heads up!

Last note: This post will debut my new review system. I've added a couple of sections, and each one now gets its own score, which I average at the bottom to give you my overall technical score for the show. I figure that's a better way to go than just giving out arbitrary numbers for ratings--this holds me accountable for the scores I'm giving with plenty of reasoning behind them to back them up.

Watch Once Upon a Time in Saengchori on DramaFever!

To the Beautiful You: Episode 16 Recap (FINAL)

Wooooooo. We did it! We made it to the end without tearing our eyes out! That probably had a lot to do with all the pretty boys, but To the Beautiful You certainly proved to be this year's token "Little Drama that Thought it Could but Really Couldn't." Not a great place to be, but at least it looked nice, right? And it didn't make me as angry as Big, which is definitely saying something.

Watch TTBY Episode 16 on DramaFever!

To the Beautiful You: Episode 15 Recap

Last week, last week, last week!! We madeeeeee it. Today was a good episode (as it should be, since we're so close to the end), and it tugged my heartstrings in just the right way. People have thrown down their gauntlets and stepped up to face the challenges ahead of them (kind of...), so let's get on with it! Plus, there were TWO dates! Two. For a cardboard cutout of a character, this Jae-hee chick sure is lucky.

Watch TTBY Episode 15 on DramaFever!

To the Beautiful You: Episode 14 Recap

Secrets are uncovered, relationships are mended, and more hearts are broken. Just another day at Genie High School. This episode was better than the last, and while predictable in almost every respect, I still found myself giggling like a schoolgirl, which is never a bad thing, in my book. Tae-joon put it best when he said, "I know she's a girl, but it's getting harder and harder to treat her like a boy." My sentiments exactly!

Watch TTBY Episode 14 on DramaFever.

To the Beautiful You: Episode 13 Recap

Lots of underhandedness and teenage angst all around in this episode, but we get most of the answers we were looking for, which is a relief since we're getting down to the wire here. The question of will they or won't they? faces more obstacles, but I'd say we're making pretty good headway toward a satisfying conclusion. No big complaints from me for today! Isn't that a first?

Watch TTBY Episode 13 on DramaFever.

To the Beautiful You: Episode 12 Recap

This episode was a return to all the things I wanted to see more of: cute, heartwarming, and Puppy! Now, with Han-na sufficiently placed on the back burner and all parties involved in a certain love triangle at or nearly at the point of acting on their feelings, we can get back to what's important! And by God if that isn't the best feeling ever.

Watch TTBY Episode 12 on DramaFever.

To the Beautiful You: Episode 11 Recap

A frustrating but necessary episode. Not enough OTP time, but the plot progression made sense for once. Ironically, being sick the last couple of days hasn't slowed my schedule any and my drama watching is still on the back burner for now. It's lucky I got this recap out as quickly as I did--especially when I had it sitting, completed and ready to be screencapped for the last day and a half.

Watch TTBY Episode 11 on DramaFever!

To the Beautiful You: Episode 10 Recap

Oops. This recap was supposed to be up on Friday, but Tae-joon's face in the screencap above kind of sums up this episode for me, which made the recap a lot harder to write (plus real life got in the way)...

Gah, this show drives me nuts and gives me whiplash. If 9 was everything I was hoping for this series from Day 1, 10 encompassed all the tropes and cliches that usually make me want to immediately drop a show: near-misses and misunderstandings that go unclarified, plus heaps and heaps of Annoying Second Lead Syndrome. Why so bipolar, Show? WHY?

Watch TTBY Episode 10 on DramaFever.

To the Beautiful You: Episode 9 Recap

Finally, finally we get the kind of episode that I was waiting for from this drama for five weeks. The stakes are raised and our protagonists finally have a conflict that I can get behind, as a viewer. And, as an added bonus, cuteness abound!

Watch TTBY Episode 9 on DramaFever.

To the Beautiful You: Episode 8 Recap

This episode was not as much fun as the last, with Han-na finally losing it and Tae-joon trying to play diplomatic. It was an episode in which people can randomly wander into a remote training camp in high heels and no provisions, where one guy can take down an entire team of high school athletes in paintball, and during which we find out... really not too much, other than the fact that sustained  pressure on one's breasts can have adverse effects (no pun intended!) on one's health. On with the recap!

Watch TTBY Episode 8 on DramaFever.

To the Beautiful You: Episode 9 Preview

I've tended not to talk about previews and drama news lately because it's been hard for me to keep up with. Still, when I saw the preview for Episode 9 of To the Beautiful You, I squealed out loud and wanted to share.

To the Beautiful You: Episode 7 Recap

So, this week, our love square gets going in earnest, leaving some out to dry and others as clear leaders at this point in the game. Our OTP gets cuter and cuter and our second leads get more and more tragic, but episode 7 was a clear upswing in both tone and pace, which was a welcome relief from the sluggish forward movement we've had so far.

Watch TTBY Episode 7 on DramaFever!

To the Beautiful You: Episode 6 Recap

This week rekindled my affection for this show. Episode 5 started the upturn, but episode 6 totally solidified it. At this point, it's apparent that logic is not something the PD or the writer are focusing on, and I'm watching with that notion in mind. It's a lot easier and a lot more entertaining when you don't try to make sense of everything... especially because nothing really makes sense. Some super cute moments for our leads, but also some a little movement in the plot to get us to next week.

Watch TTBY Episode 6 on DramaFever!

To the Beautiful You: Episode 5 Recap

So, the cute comes back in full swing (thank goodness), but we have some plot regression that's starting to wear on my nerves a bit. This episode really made me wonder what the hell we're going to fill the next eleven episodes with, and whether we'll even make it or not. Still, we're leaving emo Tae-joon behind (albeit slowly) and he's starting to get back on his horse, which is good to see.

Watch TTBY Episode 5 on DramaFever!

To the Beautiful You: Episode 4 Recap

We get a little more of the initial setup in this episode, so that by next week we can get into the real meat of the plot. I'm okay with that, because there were still things happening in this episode that needed to happen in order for us to move along, but beyond that, there was a lot of filler material as well.

Watch TTBY Episode 4 on DramaFever!

To the Beautiful You: Episode 3 Recap

So, I was right in assuming that things would likely fall into place for BY after the initial introductions and world-building in the first week. I'm glad they did, because the drama has honestly started to get much more fun and even funnier to watch now.

Watch TTBY Episode 3 on DramaFever.

To the Beautiful You: Episode 1 and 2 Mini-recaps and First Impressions

Okay, in four words... I. Love. This. Show. I'm not sure why, really, because it's mediocre as far as acting and plot sense/writing go. To be completely honest, it's probably because of the OST, the cinematography, the set, and the wardrobe/makeup more than anything else. Oh, and Ki Tae-young and his absolutely hilarious crush on Yonsama. Bahahaha. Anyway, the first week was surprisingly fun to watch, and met any expectations I had going into it. The resemblances to the J-dorama are kind of few and far between, with only the broadest of references made to the source material.

Watch TTBY Episodes 1 and 2 on DramaFever.

Upcoming K-drama Wrap-up

When a particular drama cycle doesn't meet all my expectations or leaves me wanting more, it's always a breath of fresh air when a new cycle starts to rev up with promotions and gets me chomping at the bit. That's more or less what happened with me this summer, with K-dramaland in particular being a disappointment. I had I Do, I Do which was sweet, but kind of like cotton candy--evaporated in my mouth before I got a chance to really taste it. Big was a fail of epic proportions, getting by only on its pretty factor and Gong Yoo's extensive acting chops. So, as you can see, I was grasping at straws trying to find something current to watch this summer, and instead spent my time going through older J-doramas instead. Alas, the summer cycle is over and we move into fall with much higher prospects right from the get-go. After the break are the K-dramas I've got my eye on in the upcoming months, in order of premiere date.