Yes, I am . . . very late.
But is this the thing I'm latest on? No . . . that would be the letter I owe my friend Sue from the beginning of July 🙈 - sorry Sue, I will get to it one day soon, I promise.
The eagle-eyed among you will have spotted that I updated the monthly playlist earlier in the month, but I was in a rush and didn't have time to write a post to go with it, thinking I'd come back to it later. 🤣
Today is finally that day.
I'm very much behind in music listening thanks to a mixture of work, illness and real-life problems - I finally finished the July Top 3s yesterday and haven't even made the playlists for August yet, although that's on my to-do list for today. I had, somehow, managed to listen to all the songs on the September playlist, but am now about 100 songs behind again.
I am trying to listen to at least a few songs every day but it isn't always possible, especially as I've been in a drama-watching mood recently. I'm not sure if this is a need to retreat from the world in a way that music just doesn't provide or what, but I've been spending far too much time on it. Fortunately, most of them have been worth watching.
So, having checked my list so I could do a "quick" (that means spending hours doing the synopses) rundown, it turns out that I've watched/am watching over 40 dramas since I last reviewed the ones I'd seen in April and May 😱 and over 20 of them were since the beginning of August 🙈. So here is my top 10 (as at the current time) with the rest listed below in descending order because I got fed up with looking up all the information and the post was getting way too long 😂.
The Top 10
My Sweet Mobster (2024 - Korea - 16 eps - 15+)
Seo Ji Hwan (Uhm Tae Goo), an ex-gangland boss with a murky past turned CEO of a food company that offers a fresh start to convicts falls for Go Eun Ha (Han Sun Hwa), a popular but struggling children's entertainer whose show is inspired by her childhood friend, Hyeon U. Also vying for her affection is prosecutor Jang Hyeon U (Kwon Yul), who is suspicious of Ji Hwan and uneasy about Eun Ha's relationship with him. The three of them cross paths as they pursue the truth about a missing ex-con and encounter Ji Hwan's rival gang.
This is one of the sweetest romance dramas I've ever seen, with a hilarious set of side characters. Also, the lead male's voice was so gravelly I almost passed out every time he spoke. This may well be my favourite romance K-drama ever.
The Auditors (2024 - Korea - 12 eps - 15+)
This corporate drama is based around the audit team at JU Construction, where 2 brothers (the president and vice president) are fighting for control of the company following an accident that put their older brother in a coma. The team is comprised of a hard-nosed and untrusting new team leader, Sin Cha Il (Shin Ha Kyun), brought in to sort out the rampant fraud within the company, a pleasant, easygoing and trusting rookie, Goo Han Soo (Lee Jung Ha) who has little interest in auditing and only joined to use the position to get a transfer to the Florida office, and another rookie, Yoon Seo Jin (Jo Aram), who is studious and career-minded, but has a relationship with the vice president, Hwang Dae Ung (Jin Goo), that she keeps hidden.
This was an interesting story with strong performances from the main cast and it built well over the weeks. I don't think the outcome would have been much of a surprise to anyone who watches these types of shows regularly, but it was well made and was a nice break from all the romance dramas.
Blossoms in Adversity (2024 - China - 40 eps - Not rated)
The story follows Hua Zui (Zhang Jing Yi), the youngest daughter of the Hua family who, following a tragedy which sees their family forfeit their assets and the men forced into exile, steps up to lead the women and children of the household to avoid starvation and danger through various endeavours. She is assisted and eventually falls in love with the feared Commander of the Security Bureau, Gu Yan Xi (Hu Yi Tian).
This was one of those rare dramas that treated the lead couple as equals who actually talked to each other. So many romance dramas create tension because of stupid misunderstandings and it's really frustrating because you know if they had just talked it would be fine. Hurrah for mature scripting!
Twinkling Watermelon (2023 - Korea - 16 eps - 15+)
Eun Gyeol (Ryeoun) is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) and also has a brother who is deaf. With a passion for music, he is a studious model student during the day but secretly plays guitar in a rock band at night. When the chance for stardom conflicts with his duties towards his family, he stumbles across a strange music store, which sends him back in time to 1995. There, he encounters his father, Ha Yi Chan (Choi Hyun Wook), as a high schooler. But his father has a crush on an icy cellist, Choi Se Kyeong (Seol In Ah), not his future mother, Yun Cheong Ah (Shin Eun Soo). In a bid to put things "right", Euhn Gyeol joins a band fronted by his future father. But will this be enough to help him bring his future parents together . . . and will he ever get back to the 2020s?
I put off watching this for such a long time despite it having both actors and idols I like in it and rave reviews from every drama watcher I know, and I have no idea why. When I finally watched it was a delight. Not without problems as time travel plots are always difficult, but it was an excellent coming-of-age tale with lots of music and a fantastic friendship/found family plot.
Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale (2024- Korea - 10 eps - 15+)
Shin Jae Rim (Pyo Ye Jin), living an impoverished existence, takes a job at a social club whose speciality is the facilitation of relationships for the wealthy and high status, hoping to find her own Prince Charming there. She immediately clashes with the CEO, Moon Cha Min (Lee Jun Young), an arrogant man who intensely dislikes women who dream of having a Cinderella-like fairytale romance. By working at the social club Jae Rim develops her independence and grows to accept her life, realising she doesn't need to find someone to rely on and gradually softening the heart of Cha Min, her polar opposite.
This was a short drama and was perfect for the mood I was in. It's a love story, pure and simple and it does exactly what you want it to without needing more, which is often the problem with short drama series.
Yan Xing (Ancy Deng), an exceptional investigative official in the Ministry of Justice, dedicated to uncovering the truth and upholding justice, has to take her sister's place when she flees an imperial marriage bestowed by the Empress Dowager, with Shen Du (Ding Yu Xi), the widely-feared head of the imperial guard. With neither wanting to be married and both initially disliking each other, they agree to divorce after 3 months. The couple join forces on several mysterious cases and as they work together their relationship deepens. Along with their companions, they uncover a shocking conspiracy and work to protect the peace and justice of Xiang'an City.
Sometimes you just need to see pretty people falling in love. That's not to say the story wasn't entertaining; the mysteries were interesting and I was hooked enough to want to know what was going to happen next. Also, the bad guy was excellent and thoroughly evil so it wins for that, too. My only gripe was that Yan Xing seemed to lose her critical thinking ability when it came to her romantic relationship, which considering how smart she was the rest of the time was a bit jarring.
Good Partner (2024 - Korea - 16 eps - 15+)
Cha Eun Gyeong (Jang Na Ra) is the star lawyer at Law Firm Daejung, specialising in divorce law. She strongly believes that the firm and her client's interests come first, no matter what. Rookie lawyer, Han Yu Ri (Nam Ji Hyun) is completely different and won't tolerate injustice, so the pair disagree on everything. While dealing with various cases, including Eun Gyeong's own divorce, they get the chance to work through their differences and both experience a big change in their lives.
This was an interesting drama, which explored marriage and careers from different angles, and tackled what are probably the most relatable reasons for divorce in a sensitive way. It took me a couple of episodes to warm up to it because both women are pretty unlikeable in their own way at the beginning and it didn't help that it stopped airing for a month for the Olympics. However, it's definitely one worth persevering with.
The Spirerealm (2024 - China - 38 eps - Not rated)
Ling Jiu Shu (Huang Jun Jie) finds himself inexplicably thrust into a mind-bending reality dictated by an enigmatic Virtual Reality game where he must pass twelve doors to escape. The catch? Each door initiates new mysteries to solve and conditions to abide by and the danger lurking behind them can have an unexpected impact on the real world. He is assisted in his travels by a mysterious figure, Ruan Lan Zhu (Xia Zhi Guang) and his associates.
I originally chose this as it was advertised as horror fantasy, and there aren't anywhere near enough Asian horror dramas. It was definitely more fantasy than horror, but it was an excellent show with both funny and heartbreaking moments. It's one of those shows that those who've seen it all loved, but it's nowhere near as widely known as it should be.
The Double (2024 - China - 40 eps - 15+)
Xue Fang Fei (Wu Jin Yan), the daughter of a well-off country magistrate, narrowly escapes death following a malicious plot to topple her family. She is rescued by Jiang Li (Yang Chou Yue), the daughter of the Secretariat Director, who has been imprisoned for a decade for a crime she didn't commit. Following Jiang Li's murder, and vowing to get revenge for her and clear Jiang Li's and the Fang Fei's family's name, as well as fight injustice to protect the common people, Fang Fei takes on Jiang Li's identity and returns to the capital. Assisted by Duke Xiao Heng (Wang Xing Yue) and a group of companions with whom she shares similar values, she embarks on her mission against formidable odds.
This was a good drama with both a slow-burn romance and excellent and vicious villains. I was particularly impressed with Lian Yong Qui as Fang Fei's horrible husband, Shen Yurong, who played his role magnificently.
Shinai naru Boku e Satsui wo Komete (The Killer Inside) (2022 - Japan - 9 eps - Not rated)
Urashima Eiji (Yamada Ryosuke) appears to be an ordinary university student but he hides a dark secret; he is the son of a notorious serial killer. As if that wasn't bad enough, he often suffers from memory blackouts, which seem to be getting worse. Believing he may be sharing his life with an alternate personality, Eiji's fears escalate when a new murder takes place, which exactly matches the style of his sadistic father. Terrified that he might be turning into his father but determined to uncover the truth and prevent further tragedy, he teams up with the victim's closest friend, Nami (Kawaei Rina). But can they find the truth before there is another murder?
You know I think Japanese shows tend to be a bit strange, and this one absolutely fit into that category, but it was so much fun despite the subject matter. I've seen Yamada Ryosuke a few times before, usually playing a cute or fluffy character in romance dramas, but in this show I thought he did an excellent job and I will definitely be searching out other works of his in hopes there are more like this.
The Rest
Yong An Dream (2024 - China - 24 eps - Not rated)
The Atypical Family (2024 - Korea - 16 eps - 15+)
Bitter Sweet Hell (2024 - Korea - 12 eps - Not rated)
Wedding Impossible (2024 - Korea - 12 eps - 15+)
A Female Student Appears at the Imperial Academy (2021 - China - 30 eps - Not rated)
A Robot in the Orange Orchard (2022 - China - 30 eps - Not rated)
The Unexpected Marriage (2024 - China - 24 eps - 13+)
The Midnight Studio (2024 - Korea - 16 eps - 15+)
The Frog (2024 - Korea - 8 eps - 15+)
Bossam: Steal the Fate (2021 - Korea - 20 eps - 15+)
Lovely Runner (2024 - Korea - 16 eps - 15+)
Business Kon: Suki ni Nattara Rikonshimasu (Business Marriage) (2024 - Japan - 9 eps - Not rated)
My Military Valentine (2024 - Korea - 12 eps - 15+)
You Are My Hero (2021 - China - 40 eps - 15+)
Nancheng Banquet (2024 - China - 24 eps - Not rated)
Serendipity's Embrace (2024 - Korea - 8 eps - 16+)
Snowfall (2024 - China - 24 eps - Not rated)
I also re-watched several dramas, either because I was in the mood for something specific, or because reactors I follow were watching them. These included:
New Life Begins (2022 - China - 40 eps - 13+)
A Korean Odyssey (2017 - Korea - 20 eps - 15+)
One Hundred Days My Prince (2018 - Korea - 16 eps - 15+)
The Guest (2018 - Korea - 16 eps - 18+)
Marriage Contract (2016 - Korea 16 eps - 15+)
EXO Next Door (2015 -Korea 16 eps - 13+)
Of course, there were several dramas I started watching and dropped for various reasons:
Knight Flower (2024 - Korea - 12 eps - Not rated) - the plot was so ridiculous I just couldn't continue with it.
Queen of Tears (2024 - Korea -16 eps - 15+) - I managed 1 episode and disliked all the characters so much I couldn't bear to continue. Everyone tells me I should give it another try but I don't think I can. Maybe I need to be in a particular mood for it.
LTNS (2024 - Korea - 6 eps - 18+) - A comedy with an adult storyline was what was promised but it fell flat and I lost interest halfway through.
Eye Love You (2024 - Japan - 10 eps - 15+) - To be honest, I only watched this for the Korean lead male as I've enjoyed his dramas before and it looked cute. But the lead female was so pathetic, even for a Japanese romance drama, that I couldn't continue.
Missing Crown Prince (2024 - Korea - 20 eps - 15+) - I was interested in this both because Suho (EXO) was starring and because it was apparently a side-story to Bossam: Steal the Fate. Unfortunately, it turned out to be an almost mirror version of the first story and was slow to get going. I decided to leave it until all the episodes had dropped as watching weekly would have sealed its fate, but I haven't felt the urge to return to it yet. Unless I'm suddenly in the mood for that sort of show, I'll probably wait until one of the reactors I follow picks it up.
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