This is going to be death of me: 5 dramas, 7 days.
Monday and Tuesday:
1. Tale of Nokdu
Or “How to Win a Girl in 10 Days.” This story of Nokdu and DongJu is what I’d call a “same-age” romance. They both bug each other but they play well together, too. It’s a little bit like a Tom-and-Jerry relationship, and that’s why I find it thrilling.
Like this:
She throws the pillow at him and he keeps it.
She wants it back and smacks him.
He grumbles, “How dare you smack your mother?” And she falls asleep with a smile.
See that? Tom and Jerry relationship. “They tease each other, knock down each other, irritate each other, but can’t live without each other.”
Although it’s a light-hearted romance, I’m surprised that I haven’t seen a cliché or a trope in these four episodes. Kudos to the writer and director. And good job, KBS2.
Gif credit: kimp05’s tumblr
2. Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency
This romcom could have been better with a different female actress playing the lead. She isn’t credible and neither the script nor the director can be blamed for this. The actress just doesn’t look comfortable acting out the crude, loud, unrefined role of GaeDong, and she over-compensates with stiff facial gestures and awkward body movements.
She looks like the puppet from Sesame Street, Guy Smiley, here.
I expect the actress will be fine playing a noblewoman because that’s within her range. It doesn’t require much facial expression. Sigh. Whatever good will I was saving for her, has been diminished to 40% capacity by the end of Episode 4.
Thankfully, Kim Min Jae is carrying this couplehood. And I’m staying for him and his character.
But with their dismal rating (what is it now, at 2%?), the writer and director have to do more than film the two (unlikely) couple falling into each other’s arms for the umpteenth time.
The girl makes the move on the guy…
Gif credit: belsmultifandommess’ tumblr
Wednesday and Thursday:
When Camellia Blooms
I consider this an odd-ball romance because of its two maladjusted leads. The hero Yongsik is a mama’s boy and a country bumpkin (shhhh! He’s not Gong Yoo. lol). Normally, I’d consider him un-hero-worthy. Additionally, Dongbaek exhibits an inferiority complex and, normally, too, she would’ve annoyed the heck out of me. But both actors are very good and well-matched so I’ve nothing but R.E.S.P.E.C.T for them.
The script is well-written, too. This romcom/mystery deserves more attention but unfortunately, it’s been overlooked because of the current heavy saturation of kdramas.
Quivering chin and lips! How did he do that?
Gif credit: bortecinetugce’s tumblr
Friday:
Pegasus Market
This is my non-PC comedy. I’ll do two/three-episode reviews for this one.
I was laughing at this door concept! Can you imagine entering a shopping center with this terrible fear and anxiety of getting beheaded should you walk slowly through the front door??
I’m reminded of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. lol.
Friday and Saturday:
Vagabond
Oooh-la-la! Where shall I start with this? Let’s just say that this kdrama will be getting my most-coveted (ha!) Facepalm Award of 2019 for the sheer number of unbelievable AND inconceivable moments. I’m staying here as a public service. lol
Like, is Suzy supposed to play an agent or Vanna White of “Wheel of Fortune”?
I’m ditto-ing that gif. “Hey, Hae Ri Go. Stop it!”
I get it that that the director wants her to look like this fun-loving, irrepressibly bubbly person. But I’m at a loss for words at her unprofessionalism. She doesn’t even do this kind of cutesy act with her own GIRL bestie in the NIS! So why is she such an incorrigible flirt with this guy? Ugh.
Suzy’s character is a mess. I blame the director and the writer for not sorting out how they want the character played. Mark my words: years from now, when Suzy reviews her role here, she’ll cringe.
Gif credit: seoinsguk’s tumblr
On hold:
Go Go Squid!
My Country
The World Owes Me a First Love
Sundays are my saving grace.
You’re missing Extra-ordinary You!The FL is so extra, it gives me energy. The actress, Kim Hye Yoon, is really great!
For the FL in lower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency, I usualy like the actress but I think her make-up (to make her more tanned) makes her looking as clown, she’s look more natural now she has to learn to be a lady.
For me, Suzy and Gong Seung Yun are both disapointing.
My Country was great too as a dark and serious sageuk.
I think it’s her acting skills. I’ve watched her in action before and she’s naturally a RESERVED person. She cannot act clownish, impish, sassy. cutesy or aegyo-ish. She’s uncomfortable in comedic roles.
She’s better off with quiet, dramatic scenes where all she needs to do is look pretty. That’s within her range: regal and stately. She’s like that other pretty actress who can’t emote, Shin Se Kyung. That one also looks good in sageuk because her beautiful face is unfortunately wooden.
Oh well. She’s nothing like Kim SoHyun, that’s for sure. Kim SoHyun has been developing well as an actor and she’s nailing all her roles so far, e.g., “Tale of Nokdo” and “Love Alarm.” She gets it.
lol. BTW, I was testing you ladies to see if someone would mention that I’m missing “Extraordinary You” on my list.
You win, @ sayaris. Hahaha.
My country is my no.1 favorite at the moment 🤣 sad melo always leave me deep feeling of sadness. Like i was the one who dying there 🤣 lol. The last drama who did that was Uncontrollably fond 😕
But i also love other dramas too. 🤣
So many good drama 😖
You are definitely NOT going to make me watch more dramas for now. “My Country” will have to be on hold for now.
I’ve enough on my plate. No mas, por favor! lol.
What do I win ? 😀
I’ve started watching a lot of these too last Friday. Saw 2-4 episodes of 4 dramas last weekend, the first time I do this mess.
I’m in love with Tale of Nokdu & When the Camellia Blooms.
Vagabond aaaand… Melting Me crap are the other ones.
And I think I’ll add Flower Crew this weekend to make sure I go full crazy :))
😂 I’m glad I’m not the only one in this suicide mission of juggling multiple dramas at once.
Tale of Nokdu, Pegasus Market, and When the Camellia Blooms have me in hysterics. My husband can hear me laughing through the CLOSED door of my study late at night (he’s upstairs in our bedroom) and wonders what’s going on. 🤪 I think I need sound-proofing or to move to a guestroom in the basement.
Good luck! Let’s invest in face masks and eye creams to survive these sleep-deprived nights.
Dramas are my oasis of sanity. I am in the middle of a stressful move, so Vagabond is a welcome distraction. I am looking forward to the witty comments here as much as I am looking forward to new episodes. I also started My Country, a dark and dramatic sageuk. The first 2 episodes of Tale of Nokdu were delightful, so I will watch the rest once they are available for free on Viki. Flower Crew sounds promising too.
I am adding Leverage and The Lies Within (on Netflix) to my list (currently only watching Flower Crew) when they premiere this weekend. I have heard good things about Extraordinary You but I may leave it to binge watch when if’s done. Vagabond has been reduced unwittingly fo a parody of sorts – it’s being picked apart relentlessly in DramaBeans too 😂.
Wow, I’m so glad Pegasus Market is on your list! Can’t wait for your reviews. I stumbled upon this last weekend, again not expecting for so much. But hey, what a good find! Was already past midnight when I watched episodes 1 to 3 straight and it got me laughing hysterically too. Whoever heard me might have thought I’m cracked.😂
By the way, what do you mean by “non-PC comedy”?
PC = politically correct.
Non-PC = not politically correct. 🙂
Many of the jokes in Pegasus Market can be considered politically INcorrect because they’re INsensitive to a certain group or they’re shaming a certain quality.
For instance, the depiction of the tribal group could be considered by some people as racists. The references to the size of the horns correlating to masculinity is a joke about the size of penises. And so on.
Eternal happiness?
You win eternal happiness.:)
No comment on “Extraordinary You.” I was already asked about it by @ lovebangwon and I said it was like the cartoon (cartoon of a cartoon?) version of “W”. I’ll save it for after Halloween.
I’m not adding anymore to Flower Crew, Tale of Nokdu, Vagabond, Melting Me Softly and The World Owes Me A First Love. My poor eyes have enough luggage’s for now instead of bags 😂
If I finish TWOMAFL, I’m going to look for my next cdrama. 😊
That Extraordinary You sounds interesting though.
I find it increasingly hard to navigate this world of “political correctness” now. I was watching an episode of a singing competition show with daughter dear and happened to comment that one of the singers “looked Aboriginal” and daughter dear pulled me up saying, “Mom that’s racist!”. I had no intention of being derogatory but was merely stating links with ethnicity? She gave me no answer when I asked her how else was I supposed to phrase it? Had I said something like, “He looks Chinese”. Is that racist too? Probably then because I would be basing that on the assumption that Chinese people “look a certain way”. I am almost scared now to buy pink things as presents for newborn baby girls for fear that I would be labeled “sexist”. 🤔. Best to play it safe and buy white or yellow. Safe non prejudiced colors. 😂
Same here @nrllee , my boys have done it to me too and now I’m just not sure how to say things without making it sound offensive. It’s not supposed to be offensive but I feel some people are very sensitive these days.
@agdr03 yes I have to constantly check myself and alter my vocabulary to suit the world at large now. No more referencing “husband” or “wife” but “partner” now (not even spouse because that could be deemed offensive). When someone comes to my door to pick up a child from a birthday party for my children, I don’t ever say, “O so you’re Sophie’s dad” anymore, I have to say, “O you’re here to pick Sophie up”. Sometimes I almost feel it’s best to say nothing at all. 😂
Agree! We have to be extra careful these days and yes, better just say ‘hello, how are you? Or ‘hi, thank you for letting Sophie come to the party.’ 😄
Oh my, yes! So many dramas out now, so little time. I don’t know what happened. The summer was pretty sparse for me, just watching Before We Get Married TW drama and not really that interested in the K Dramas. Then, bam! October 1 comes around and it’s a tsunami of K dramas! All the titles everyone has mentioned, plus I’m watching Graceful Family/Elegant Family along with Tale of Nok Du. Graceful Family is wrapping up, I think next week is the finale. I’ve got so many dramas on my Plan To Watch list, but real life just keeps intruding on my drama watching time. Still on the fence about watching Melt Me, but I am looking forward to Leverage. I really liked the original US series. I just hope that it gets subbed. I’ve heard a lot of positive buzz about Weekender Beautiful love, Wonderful Life, so I gave the first episodes a watch. I think the drama is off to a good start, but the 50 total hours length is giving me pause. Drama will go until March 2020.
As for Chinese language dramas, well, I’m sticking to Taiwan dramas these days. I’ve got my eye on Hello Again! which is almost complete over at Viki. It looks really cute, and I saw kiss scene clip and Amber & Bruce do it justice. Supposedly, the “love rival” of the male lead for the female lead in this drama is a woman, so also want to see what exactly that is about. Leave it to Taiwan to push the boundaries. I’m tired of bloated episode counts and crappy kiss scenes of Mainland dramas, not to mention the unsatisfying endings.
“This is going to be death of me: 5 dramas, 7 days”
Gotta say this coz we are in KDramaLand after all…@PM3…
FIGHTING!! 👍🙂
Thank you for eternal happiness! 🙂
For Extraordinary You, it’s different from W. W was about the real life and the comic. In EY, all the story happens in the comic but the difference is between the Stage (scenes that the writer decide = the plot of the comic) and Shadow (when the characters are not needed for a scene, they’re free until Stage calls them).
Ok. I’ll remember that. 👍
I’m only on Flower Crew and Tale of Nokdu (enticed by you @packmule3!)
And I have so many on my waiting list
– When Camellia Blooms (cos my mum also says it’s good which must be cos she’s so picky with her shows)
– Extraordinary You (I liked Kim Hye Yoon in Sky Castle)
plus many more old ones I want to watch because of various actors 😀
I’m on my way home now so I can finish my latest write-up on Tale of Nokdu. It’s fun, isn’t it?
Yes to Extraordinary You. Parody. Doesn’t take itself seriously. Fun ride. I will binge watch when it’s over. Just a little tidbit of what to expect. 😂 Daebak!! That’s the way to do fan service… parody.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3egoLwJNbk/?igshid=1e9ht1eku3un9
I will have to try Extraordinary You after reading through the comments. I liked the premise of W but hated its execution in the 2nd half so EY wasn’t one that interested me from its synopsis. I might also try Pegasus when it’s finished.
I’ve dropped Vagabond, Flower Crew, Melt Me. I never really dropped Go Go Squid, just fast forwarded most of the second half.
Loving My Country, Camellia and Nokdu. Like you, @pkm3, I don’t know why I am so rooting for the Camellia couple as they would normally annoy me to the point of dropping them, but the actors are pulling it off. YS’s character reminds me of Woody Harrelson’s character in Transiberian, the movie, easy to underestimate but a hero through and through. My Country is sometimes hard to watch, I hate misunderstandings that go on too long, but I think all three men are terrific actors and scrumptious to look at in a really interesting story so what’s not to like? The girl is good, too – something honest about her face and character that is really attractive. Just started Nokdu, looking forward to another episode, especially after your Tom and Jerry comparison – love this kind of playfulness in a love story too.
I’m also watching a Thai drama that isn’t politically correct at all so I’d be embarrassed to recommend it!
I’m a bit of a hypocrite really. Usually PC, cause I do believe in the power of language to structure and limit worldview, and I’m definitely a feminist, but I watch unfeminist romances like they are porn! Sue me.
Still, sometimes PC people go overboard. On DB someone said the ML in Nokdu looked like a man dressed up in women’s clothes, and got dragged over the rails for bias! Maybe I just didn’t understand the argument, but I felt sorry for the original poster being told she was biased for sharing her impressions. People should also remember that to some of us, being called racist or bigoted or biased is about the worst insult in the world, so don’t jump to conclusions and use those words sparingly, please, my fellow PCers here and everywhere!
Is anyone trying to make guesses about who the killer is in Camellia? I really have no clue but it should be someone we’ve already seen. I wonder about the young handyman. Heung Sik, some name like that.
My name got autofilled again! No big deal to me, it’s a common name, but if you’re able to fix it pkm3, I’d appreciate it. Btw, Barbrey is my real nickname, not from Game of Thrones.
Done!
I was on my laptop watching Flower Crew so it was easy to switch over to wordpress. lol.
On DB someone said the ML in Nokdu looked like a man dressed up in women’s clothes, and got dragged over the rails for bias! Maybe I just didn’t understand the argument, but I felt sorry for the original poster being told she was biased for sharing her impressions.
🙂 I can’t wrap my head around that one. Do you mean a poster was excoriated by other posters for his/her comment that Jang Dong Yoon looks like a man dressed up in women’s clothes? But isn’t that the truth? He does look like a man dressed up in women’s garments. Sure, his adam’s apple isn’t protruding like most men but if I met an individual like him on a street, I’d know he wasn’t female. So what?
Re. Camellia. My guess is on the handyman, too. Hyung Sik. I think I wrote about it in the previous episode. Then, in Episode 7, he was conveniently there again installing the camera so he saw Dongbaek interacting with YS and the hubby. I think whenever he visits, he unlatches the hook-eye on the door so he can return at night. Too bad Camellia is under-valued, and under-hyped, it’s a gem of a drama.
Thanks packmule3!
Yes, the person just said she couldn’t suspend her disbelief because he didn’t look like a woman but a man dressed up in women’s clothes. Fair enough in my opinion. I’m barely ever on DB these days as they don’t recap quickly enough so I have no idea where that convo took place. Maybe someone else can understand what biased assumption the poster was making, because I couldn’t make it out from the reply that admonished her. I’m quite open to learning something new!
I am not up to date on your Camellia posts so will have to read about our mutual suspect, the inoffensive handyman,on your last post. Nobody else stands out to me.
I am also suspicious of the demented mother, not as the killer, but something is up. Dongbaek was not her daughter’s name, we ‘re told, but she calls Pil So Dongbaek when she is apparently mixing him up with mom as a girl. Wouldn’t she be calling him by her daughter’s real name if that’s the case?
I know, I know you’re already swamped with dramas but when your free do check out My Country please, ok 🙂
I’ve never liked dark, melo, sad, gory and bloody sword killing dramas but this one is good. 😀 All of the actors are good too especially the three main leads. 🙂
😂 I’m going to fall in love with it and then what?
It’ll be a drama that we both like? 😄 Did you think I was going to ask you to do a review? hehehe
I won’t, promise. I just want you to see it too. 🙂
I just caught up with Extraordinary You, and let me say this one so far has captured my own interest and imagination out of all of them.
I have a theory about Haru. I think he’s Kyung’s alterego, the nicer part of him that the FL loved as a child, the artist, the protector, the kind friend, beaten out of him by his father. Kyung’s not objectively aware of him as himself, but he immediately recognizes Haru as a threat that needs to be beaten down, and also keep him away from the FL. He does like her in a way, and is jealous he seems to be losing her affection, but most of what she liked about him was Haru, and Haru is the part of him that loved her most.
This is all speculation because Haru is not yet well-defined, but it would add an extra layer of interest if true!