Mooooooooooore draaaaaaaaamas. This post is a long one!
Currently
Yuusha Yoshihiko to Michibikareshi 7-nin / It took 4 years (!!!) to get a sequel for the Yuusha Yoshihiko series and holy crap was it worth it. At its core it’s still the same as it always is (Dragon Quest/pop culture references, a threat to humanity that they have to defeat, wacky humor), but this season feels a lot sharper AND funnier. — Episode 3
IQ246 / Homonji Sharaku constantly says, “I’m so bored! I’m so bored!” Me too, buddy. Bored by this drama. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, although I do like the Sherlock-esque touch and Oda Yuji’s approach to his character. It reminds me a little bit of Nomura Mansai’s performance in Murder on the Orient Express. — Episode 1
Doctor-X 4 / Is it just me or has Nishida Toshiyuki made the shift from kind grandpa to deceptively kind grandpa in recent years? I wasn’t surprised to find that his character was so duplicitous. Anyway, I was set on watching Doctor X because of its popularity (4 seasons, 2 SPs, and counting!) and I have to say I am impressed and entertained! If you’ve ever watched a medical drama, then the hospital politicking and thirst for profits and prestige are nothing new. And honestly speaking, neither is having that one character who is an outlier, or the nail that sticks out. What usually makes or breaks a medical drama for me is the characters, and fortunately Doctor X has a lot of fun ones! Daimon Michiko in particular has my heart. She’s a true honey badger, that one. (And kudos to the director for including helpful visual chyrons to give viewers an idea of, you know, why she’s sticking a metal device up a patient’s nose for a vertebral surgery.) — Episode 1
Medical Team – Lady Da Vinci no Shindan / I actually started this drama before Doctor-X and it’s kind of similar… not because they’re both female doctors, but just the idea that they’ve been reluctantly brought to a new hospital by an (old) friend and are stuck in the middle of warring factions in the hospital. They’re also both slightly nontraditional in their methods. What sets Lady Da Vinci apart is that there’s a backstory surrounding the main character’s daughter and I actually think it’s quite interesting! She suffers from occasional hallucinations from something in her past and they’re enough for me to believe that her daughter isn’t actually there. Spoopy, huh? BUT WHO KNOWS? — Episode 1
Entourage / HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. I’m of two minds here: one is that it’s so tame because they’ve toned down the debauchery considerably; I’m not entirely surprised by it, but it’s not like I ever really liked that about the original in the first place. I think that kind of hedonism has a time/place and it can be done well, like in Wolf of Wall Street. It was fun to laugh at and watch Jordan Belfort do these absolutely ridiculous things, but you were never supposed to aspire to BE Jordan Belfort because he sucked, lol.
The other is that it’s trying too damn hard to be ✨ hip and provocative ✨ so the end result is totally cringe and the opposite. I can take flash without any substance. I understand that it’s supposed to be an easygoing show about these dudes trying to navigate the glitz and the glamour, but it just didn’t present itself as anywhere near cool. Just tryhard. I guess what I wanted to see was Entourage, but an Entourage that felt more attuned to Korean culture/sensibilities — a meta look at the crazy/dirty ins-and-outs of the entertainment industry, with sprinklings of black comedy. Instead I get this messy in-between business.
It’s not all bad news though! Youngbin’s crush on Sohee is so cute and also potentially self-destructive, which will definitely produce all kinds of delicious drama. I also look forward to both his and Ho Jin’s character growth (separately, together). I just think this’ll be one of those dramas where, as much as I try, I can never really get around to fully enjoying. Anyway, Seo Kang Joon is so handsome it gives me a headache. Gaaaaawwdamn. — Episode 2
Cold Case / Mutual respect among colleagues? Seasoned professionals? No casual sexism towards the female lead who, for once, isn’t a rookie? Is this show for real?! Hahaha. The original Cold Case has a format that lends itself well to remakes and I think this version has a lot of potential. Maybe it’s the nature of the cases, but rather than feeling like justice was meted out, I just feel so saaaaaad. (Naka Riisa’s guest appearance had me feeling some feels.) I also like the little bits and pieces that we get to learn about each member of the team — it makes everyone just a bit more human, but then it also makes me sad too hahaha… saddest detective drama of the year or nah? — Episode 2
Kuroi 10-nin no Onna / Damn Bakarhythm, back at it again with the witty and razor sharp dialogue! This is yet another work of his that I’m really liking a lot. In short, this is a drama about 9 women who are all in a relationship with the same man (Kaze-san)… and he’s married. You think this would end up being some sort of melodramatic mess, but it’s actually really funny. My only problem that is Kaze-san himself has ZERO appeal, hahaha. There are funny little asides from some of the ladies about why they’re with him or about the kind of person people become in affairs, but there has been no explanation as to why he’s having so many affairs! I also rolled my eyes a lot when Mikami Kensei’s character berated Shino for being in an affair as if she doesn’t already know it’s wrong. She probably needed the reality check, pero like… they aren’t even dating. He’s only all in her business because he wants to date her properly. MESSSSSSSSSS! Speaking of messes — Miwa-san is totally the neutral evil type. — Episode 5
My Wife Is Having an Affair This Week / Written/directed by the same team behind Awl (my personal favorite drama last year), this one is a keeper. Lee Seon-kyun does pitiful and paranoid so well! As I haven’t watched the j-drama before, I don’t actually think the wife is having an affair… but I do think it’ll be a good opportunity for him to reevaluate what kind of husband he is to her since he obviously doesn’t think he has done anything wrong. There’s a lot of fun things to be unpacked here, and I am interested … — Episode 1
Completed
I watched Gou Gou Datte Neko De Aru in preparation for the second season, which aired earlier this year. Very slice of life, very slow paced… so slow that it put me to sleep a little? To be completely fair, I was midway through an 10+ hour flight to London while I watched this and dead tired. The second half of the series (it’s only 4 episodes LOL) was where I really woke up, especially episode 3. It just seemed to have perfectly summed up those irrational, stubborn, and awkward high school feelings with great subtlety. By far the best episode of the season. Gou Gou also made me want me want a cat. ?!
Also completed: Yume wo Ataeru, Moonlight Drawn By Clouds (SIGH… the latter end of the drama did not meet my expectations, but whatever — I finally finished a sageuk), Nietzsche-sensei.