This will be pretty brief, as I haven’t been watching a lot of dramas lately and I thought it would be a bit much to not have anything for two straight seasons. (Really gotta start writing about dramas as I watch them…) But I’ve been really into k-dramas lately, though!
[white_box]Slight spoilers for Misty. Other dramas mentioned: The Banker, dele, Cold Case 2, Trap, Touch Your Heart, Should We Kiss First. [/white_box]
Currently Watching
Misty / I dragged my feet with this one, but after watching Shall We Kiss First? I was in the mood for a mature drama and I do not regret picking it back up. Can anyone do anguish and LOVE like Tae-wook? NO. Can anyone BE Go Hye-ran? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!! They’re so tender (now, anyway lol) it hurts. My one gripe is that none of the men who love Hye-ran trust her — I don’t mean this in the sense that she’s duplicitous or anything, just that they don’t believe her words. When she told Myung-woo that nothing happened between her and the loan shark, he didn’t believe her. When she tells Tae-wook that she can take care of herself (and she can!), he says he’s the only one who can protect her. When she told the detective that she didn’t kill Kevin Lee — he’s doubtful. And in these middle episodes it almost feels like she’s been robbed of her agency, especially after she was held for questioning. Hopefully the drama reverses course soon, because she is really such a fascinating character and I love watching her do stuff. Haha. — Episode 12
The Banker / I love Kim Sang-joon and his gravitas. He had a minor part in some Kim Myung-min drama I don’t even think I liked that much, so I’m excited to see him take a bigger role here. Auditor Noh is kind of a folksy guy with principles and it’s so fun to watch him navigate corporate/financial backstabbing and politicking! I have this niggling feeling that President Kang wasn’t benevolent in choosing Noh for the role of an auditor — he’s very good at manipulating situations without getting his hands dirty, and he’s essentially using Noh as that hand. UNFORTUNATELY (at this stage), Noh hasn’t learned that yet. Anyway, The Banker is such a joy to watch. Strangely enough, it has all the elements of a consistent j-drama, which is probably why it’s so compelling… — Episode 12
dele / The Suda Masaki reign just won’t let up! I don’t know, I’m only 4 minutes into the first episode. The shaggy look suits him better than whatever ugly cuts he’s usually rocking. — Episode 1
Completed
SKY Castle / Thoughts here.
Touch Your Heart / It was cute (SO cute) up until the noble idiocy storyline began, but I loved Yoo Inna and Lee Dong-wook together. They are two of the rare actors whose dramas I will (mostly) suffer through, even when they’re awful!
Trap / CheeSUS. This drama really deserves a post of its own (and maybe a rewatch), but I was let’s just say hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray, run amuck, and flat out deceived!!!!!! by the events of Trap and Lee Seo-jin. It was… a lot. It wasn’t even that good! But it was bloody entertaining. PS. Don’t watch this on a plane where people can see your screen because… 🙃
Cold Case 2 / This is the only j-drama I’ve finished this year — and it was good. I really appreciated that they used more Japanese music this time (felt more “authentic”), but I wished that they went a little further back in history like they did last season. Still one of the best adaptations of an American show I’ve seen yet!
Should We Kiss First? / You ever watch something you don’t really like, but still feel empty after finishing it? That was SWKF for me. I got really attached to our main couple and gosh Kam Woo-sung really knows how to make declarations of love. The drama really went off the rails once they took focus off of the romance, but I’d still recommend it with reservation. Kim Sun-ah and Kam Woo-sung are 100% worth watching.