Like summer’s end yields a bounty of cucumbers and tomatoes, this August gave us dramas galore. As I write this, I’m gorging on two 40-episode cdramas “The Princess Royal” and “Are You the One” while waiting for the new episode of “Love Next Door” to pop up on Netflix.
I should be thankful that new kdramas won’t premiere until after Chuseok this month. Chuseok, the Korean version of Thanksgiving, is a five-day affair this year. It falls on Tuesday, September 17 so Koreans get Monday and Wednesday off, plus the weekend. I have time to savor the dramas already on my list.
These are the kdramas going on my plate this month.
1. The Judge From Hell
Lol. That Brazilian Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexandre de Moraes easily qualifies as a judge from hell but any show depicting him in a negative light will undoubtedly be blocked like he’s blocked X, formerly known as Twitter. #TeamElonMusk
The blurb from soompi:
“The Judge from Hell” is a new fantasy romance drama starring Park Shin Hye as Kang Bit Na, a demon from hell who has entered the body of a judge. After meeting the compassionate detective Han Da On (Kim Jae Young), who works hard at his job in a reality harsher than hell, Kang Bit Na embarks on a journey to becoming a true judge.
Source: soompi
Starring: Park Shin Hye (“Dr. Slump”) and Kim Jae Young (“Love in Contract”)
Not going to lie: I like Park Shin Hye but I’m watching this kdrama for KJY. I want him to do well. When I watched him in “Love in Contract,” I knew he should soon be getting his own drama where he’s the male lead, not just the “Other Guy.” Go Kyung Pyo is a bore to watch; there’s something bland and perfunctory about his acting. In comparison, KJY has that spark of devilish charm that I also found in Byeon WooSook long before his breakout kdrama “Lovely Runner.” KJY is inconsistent, though, so he needs to work on expanding his range. He isn’t getting any younger.
Episodes: 14
Start Date: Fri, Sept 21
Airs on Fridays and Saturdays
Where to Watch it: Disney+ (ugh! Dramacool it is then)
Network: SBS
2. Dear Hyeri
Write-up from soompi.
“To My Haeri” is a healing romance drama that revolves around Joo Eun Ho (Shin Hye Sun), an anchor who develops dissociative identity disorder (Haeri means dissociation in Korean) following the disappearance of her younger sibling and her breakup with her longtime boyfriend Hyun Oh (Lee Jin Wook). The drama is penned by Han Ga Ram, acclaimed for her previous projects such as “I’ll Go to You When the Weather is Nice” and “Han Yeo Reum’s Memory.”
Lol. I’m getting conflicting titles about this series. It’s also called “To My Haeri” and “My Dear Harry” but I guess it’s meta – even the title is showing a dissociative identity disorder.
Source: soompi
Starring: Shin Hye Sun (“Welcome to SamdalRi”); Lee Jin Wook (“Bulgasal” and “Sweet Home”) and Kang Hoon (“Little Women”)
I’m watching this for Shin Hye Sun and Kang Hoon. As for Lee Jin Wook, it has come to my attention that he was involved in a courtroom drama and that shades my opinion of him. I won’t comment on the lawsuit since I don’t have the time and energy to expend on going in-depth about it.
Episodes: 12
Start Date: Moon, Sept 23
Airs on Mondays and Tuesdays
Where to Watch it: Netflix
Network: ENA
I can’t find an English subbed trailer.
3. Dog Knows Everything
I thought I’d grow allergic to kdramas with “dog” in the title after that fiasco “A Good Day to Be a Dog,” but this series about the friendship of septuagenarians is bound to make me feel good and instill optimism about aging.
The synopsis from my dramalist:
It follows a group of close friends in their seventies, still chasing their dreams and love lives to the fullest.
Lee Sun Jae used to be a big star but now lives a simple life. Despite challenges, he handles neighborhood problems with humour and wisdom. Kim Yong Gun, another former star turned director, adds fun with his playful arguments. Lim Chae Mu, dreaming of YouTube fame after a career in lighting, completes the trio. Together, they show that friendship and adventure never get old and that age is just a number.
Starring: Lee Soon Jae
Episodes: 12
Start Date: Wed, Sept 25
Airs on Wednesdays and Thursdays
Where to Watch it: Viki?
Network: KBS
As for cdramas, I think I must rest eyes from overwork.
The multiple release of episodes in consecutive days may work for many viewers because there’s instant gratification and less wait time. But for me, this format creates a panic attack.
Me: Jack Sparrow the pirate
The cannibals: 40 episodes
What are you watching?
The only drama available to me is “To My Haeri.” I am not sure if I am interested in a story about dissociative disorder, even though I like Shin Hye Sun and Kang Noon.
It looks like it is going be a month of rewatches.
@Snow Flower
With the kdrama “To My Haeri,” I suspect that Shin Hye Sun was chosen for the role because of her previous work, “Mr Queen.” She’s good at portraying multiple personalities; she’s like female equivalent of Ji Sung who received accolades for his acting in “Kill Me, Heal Me.”
From what I read, this is supposed to be a “healing” drama. I don’t expect the writers to go beyond the usual tropes associated with the disorder in kdramas since the disorder will only be used as a vehicle/tool/medium/plot devise to deliver a happy message.
Yes, I like to do rewatches, too. They facilitate visual comprehension, too. For example, during the first watch, it’s easy to miss how the signs were there all along, how the mise-en-scene helped move the story, and so on.
The Dog Knows Everything looks like the one that has the most potential to watch, for me.
But I’m stuck in the Chinese drama world..I have chosen to not think about all the cdramas I want to watch premiering these few weeks and totally not having enough time to check them out. like @pm3 said, they drop like flies so fast I don’t have time to catch up.
Moreoever, I’m still catching up with the dramas that has finished airing like The Double & Love’s Rebellion.
Then wanting to watch Go East, Are You The One that is currently airing.
Then Love Game in Eastern Fantasy, The Story of Pearl Girl that hasn’t come out but will anytime soon.
Still watching Love Next Door, the only kdrama I’m chasing
Hello my dear Friends!, how do you do?.
Can recommend “Before Coffee gets Cold (Japanese movie – 2018)” about a coffee shop where a special seat usually inhabited by a physical, coffee drinking ghost can allow for time travel when said lady ghost dissapears into the bathroom. For that the client must sit in that spot and drink a coffee prepared by the shop owner, Kazu Tokita (acted by Kasumi Arimura).
Be aware as there are time traveling rules: you cannot leave the coffee shop, you can only interact with people that has visited the shop, said interaction will not produce changes in the timeline.
Most importantly, when you go you must drink your coffee before it gets cold to avoid being trapped outside of time!
A beautiful movie about regrets, easing minds by actually listening to what the other people has to say, and most importantly: moving on with your life.
Originally put it in the August Post 😉
Wow! September already! Christmas is definitely around the corner. Scary 😟
I’m not into any of these kdramas. I’ll stick to Love Next Door and No Gain No Love.
I haven’t started any cdramas but I’m sure I won’t have any problems finding one. 😂
Kumawo! 🙇🏻♀️
September Korean Dramas I want to check out:
What Comes After Love (Sept. 27, 2024 On Viki and VIU)- Another short romance drama (6 episodes). Starring Lee Se Young and Sakaguchi Kentaro. The two meet as college students in Japan and fall in love, but break up. Five years later, they meet again in Korea.
Otherwise, will continue to watch Love Next Door and No Gain, No Love, and catch up on older dramas I missed.
Chinese Dramas I want to check out in September:
Melody of Golden Age (on Viki): Historical drama starring Ryan Ding and Ancey Deng. This drama just started this week. The FL is a noble daughter and a clerk at the Ministry of Justice. ML is Commander of the Imperial Guards. They are forced to get married as the Empress has decreed that the ML must marry. He was supposed to marry FL sister, but she was in love with another man and ran away with him, so FL takes the sister’s place. The 2 leads end up solving cases together. People saying it is similar vibe to Imperial Coroner, Miss Truth. the trailer looked good.
@pkml3, please check if the post from @FGB is has been hidden somewhere. I can see the email with his post for this thread, but the post itself is not showing up.
This is @FGB’s post:
Thanks for the recommendation @FGB. I’ll look for it!
Found it, @GB. It was marked as spam. Sorry, @FGB4877.
The thing is, I saw his post without any problem. In fact, I began watching “Coffee…” last night on his recommendation. But when I woke up this morning, his post was no longer in my inbox.
I wouldn’t have known it was missing if you hadn’t told me. Thanks. 🙂
@FGB and @pkml3
I watched the Japanese movie “Before the Coffee Gets Cold”. It was sweet and both simple and yet not. In a simple way it delved into so much emotional baggage, relationship issues and the need for closure … and in each case where someone chose to travel in time, there was a satisfying conclusion or continuation.
I like that there can be more to interpret what meets the eye or ear. There’s a metaphor in there to the water sounds and immersion that is the time travel.
I thought it a tease that the time travel was overt on the one hand, but that an aspect of it was covert ie it was never mentioned,… but the clue was there all the time. This made for a more than satisfying ending.
The good advice that is never stated ‘in your face’: take the opportunities that we have now, before it’s too late, to say what is in our hearts and to listen, because so much heartache is unnecessary or rather lives can be so much richer for having made the necessary revelations to the significant persons in our lives, when they are with us.
We examine the results in the relationships after a travel in time for 4 pairs of characters: a pair of friends to lovers, a husband and wife, two sisters and a mother and daughter, with their touching stories which although are separate, are also connected through their interactions with the cafe owners.
There is humour and pathos, and lots of hope. Based on the book “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, this is a movie well worth the time to watch it.
Happy that you liked it @GB!
It is a satisfying watch indeed with a lovely message.
Dear @PM3, thank you for taking the time both to watch the movie and to mine my comment. I guess that due to our recent country problems Internet glitches are just a symptom. Would like to read more from you!
Kalimera Packmule3 and friends!
I do hope you are all okay! I am not into kdramas lately. I have a hard time finding something I like these days.
I have put on a hold, some shows I was watching and while I want to finish them, I don’t want to at the moment. At the same time, I am not starting anything new, although I have some shows on my radar, mostly cdramas, like “Go East” with Tan Jian Ci.
So, I don’t push myself at all. If I don’t want to watch anything, it’s okay. 🙂
The only show I have finished is the dorama “Silent” and I enjoyed it pretty much.
The only movie that really touched me and I watched this past Sunday is “La Grande Bellezza”. Maybe I am looking for “the perfect beauty” as Jep did. So far, I have discovered it at the sea…
Kalispera from my side of the World dear @Cleo!!!
Joy Of Missing Out (JOMO) is also a thing.
Have finished “Nice Flight! (Japan – 2022)”. Set up in the Narita International Airport it is a love letter as much as a peek behind curtains of the Travel Industry.
The male lead is a co-pilot that besides his job (where he is awarded the epithet “lucky” as he finds himself in troublesome flight situations that luckily resolves well due to good judgement) he loves the industry so much as to help the personnel in other areas. He is 30.
The female lead is a flight controller. She is incredibly professional and efficient at her job yet she is not the best communicator in her personal life. She is 35.
I can recommend it not only for its educational value, it also masterfully uses drama tropes tastefully and in service of a good story. Characters are realistic and conflicts arise both from mismatched schedules and due to the female lead’s introverted nature as much as misunderstandings due to the male lead’s extroverted one. So conflict is organic.
Also love the representation of a secondary character that is an aircraft mechanic but also juggles his responsibilities with his role of a single father. Many characters to love!
These days I did not have Internet so went through my hidden Drama Stash. Dear @GB, “Caution, Hazardous Wife” is a little gem. It is a joy to find a Drama that expresses the female view of the world in such an uplifting way! I am still to watch Episode 7 so there are still some chapters and a movie to enjoy before being able to comment on your recommendation properly.
Hello Everyone
September back to school vibes here in Canada.No matter how old I am I still have the feeling that I need to take on something new. This year I actually did -kpop dance classes with the korea canadian culturtal center. Our first dance was Candy(Reply 1997 vibes) by H.O.T. Lots of fun and hard work.
Kdrama-wise I have been on a Kim Nam Gil kick. Currently I am rewatching LUTYN which I really enjoy for the time travel, Western/Eastern medicine themes, and KNG’s wacky sense of humour and how great he looks when he cleans up.
I rewatched Shark, this time prepared for the end. I also watchedd Bad Guy(2010) for the first time. What a mess, but entertaining.
Again I was prepared for the messy ending, having read that the drama was cut short because the Korean military would not grant him a postponement to finish the drama.
I kept thinking KNG looked like LMH when I was watching Bad GUY and then I learned LMH had been offered the role. I think there was something in the styling. A young Kim Jae Wook and a young Jung So Min also starred. I am not sure I would have persisted to the end if it were not for the crimminally attractive KMG and his emotive acting(not as good as in Shark).
I am also rewatching This is My First Life.
No Gain No Love and maybe Love next Door are on my horizon.
@PM3 TY for the info on My Haeri so that is also on my WL.
@Grace Love’s Rebellion is up there on my WL as well. I have my eye out for Story of Pearl Girl, now with a new title, I think.
All the dramas and the movies mentioned above interest me. Thank goodness it is gettting cold and I will be spending more time indoors.
For any Kim Namgil fans, here is a fun video of him performing Candy with HOT. He can dance and sing too! I will post in my next comment.
https://youtu.be/ekvYLaRCork?si=tQ7sC7bzi13JUoOs
Actually it is a cover by NCT.
I am watching three current kdramas right now–the first time this year that I’ve watched so many current dramas at once.
[I am putting Love Next Door on hold. There just isn’t enough plot/conflict there to hold my interest. It reminds me a lot of Hometown Cha Cha Cha (also by the same writer), which I also dropped around the fourth episode. I know some people loved HCCC but I found the OTP pairing cringey. Here I don’t like the FL/ML as a couple because they are still bickering and hitting one another four episodes in. The ML’s years-long yearning is the main plot point of this drama, which is becoming stagnant.]
A much more compelling drama for me right now is Good Partner. I know @pm3 doesn’t like legal dramas, so she probably won’t watch this one. Each episode centers around one divorce case, but the ongoing story is about the dissolution of the FL’s marriage, and all its repercussions, especially on her child–played by the young actress who was so terrific in The Kidnapping Day. Here she is just as impressive; I look forward to following her career. I’m also finding new respect for Jang Na Ra as the FL. I haven’t appreciated her previous roles (like Fated to Love You, where I found her cutesy). In this drama she expresses vulnerability and pain, while maintaining a professional composure.
No Gain, No Love has become better as it progresses; I especially liked episode 3.
My guilty pleasure drama is Cinderella at 2AM. Like LND, there isn’t much plot–two people who love each other break up because his chaebol mother wills it so. But I appreciate the melancholy it conveys, helped so much by Sam Kim’s song, Shining You. (I love me some Sam Kim!). The casting in this drama is interesting–the ML is 24 and the FL is 38(!), though he’s supposed to be 25 and she is supposed to be someone in her early 30s by my estimation (considering the age difference between her and her onscreen brother). But the actors are making the best of this awkward casting decision. If you don’t have time to watch the drama, but want to get an idea of the melancholy that I’m talking about, you can watch the official video for Shining You, which features scenes from early episodes: https://youtu.be/TDEZgCVlhmM?si=ZNG60scUyre8CYdS
@monmor,
The KNG video you shared made me want to rewatch all of his scenes in Queen Seondeok. I have watched Live Up To Your Name and The Fiery Priest a couple of times.
I am also tempted to try Bad Guy and Shark.
@SF LUTYN is a favorite of mine. There are good reviews on Kdrama love for this drama and some comparisons and helpful info for Shark and Bad guy. I did enjoy his character and I think the plot was better, in Shark. Although there were not very many romantic scenes,KNG and SYJ Were able to create chem***** When they were not even in the same scenes.
I have yet to watch the fiery priest but it is on my list. I started through the darkness but i’m not sure I want that level of darkness.
Although song of the bandits received rather mixed reviews, I am considering watching it.
About Queen Soendoek, I have not watched it But I may be tempted someday when I have time.
@FGB and @GB, I’m reading the book “Before the Coffee Gets Cold”! I didn’t know there’s a movie about it. Will check it out once I’m done reading.
Currently watching Love Next Door, it’s an easy watch but I don’t really like the childish bickering. I hope there’s a shift on their narrative soon.
@SF I am getting a good laugh at the part where the two doctors fight off a band of the japanese army, in Josean times, with her self defence items from her purse- A taser and pepper spray.
Dear @GB, finished the “Caution, Hazardous Wife! (2017)” and the movie (2021). Interesting take on femineity. My main grip is that Nami lets go serious crimes and offenses that could not fly under the radar if the recipient of her larguesse were to be a man.
Hell, even the man in Episode 10 should get a couple of broken bones as education.
That said, given that some topics are rather heavy it is obvious that it is targeted to a mature audience, much like our main trio of friends. For a woman in that age range it must be a cathartic experience, and Nami’s empathetic attitude would be a breath of fresh air, even if she still punish her antagonists.
@table122000
How Are you finding “melody of golden age”? I really Enjoyed imperial coroner , so I am interested in Watching this one. I searched online but did not find anything that convinced me to start watching It which is why I am asking you about it.
When the coffee gets cold and nice flight both interest me as well.
Good smirk at this terrible Bresilian judge, sadly it’s not drama but reality.
I’ve found different trailers of the drama Judge from hell.
I post this one because there are english subtitles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR63zWcvRT4
I like a lot Park Shin-Hye but I don’t feel it on this one. Sounds like again badass girl kicking. Someone posted a nice joke about this future drama:
Devil Judge + My Demon = Judge from hell.
Even a compromise wouldn’t help. Devil judge was enough good for me to watch the whole but nothing that great and my-demon was terrible. Judge from hell would need to be better than both.
Kdramas are often exploiting a (supposed) gold mine. After Immortals and Gods, now it’s demons. But it’s quite difficult. A real demon would be evil and sabotage the drama. I don’t see how it can be changed into a nice character, except in foolish kdrama fantasy.
Dear Hiery could be a good catch. In this drama there are also other secondary actors I like. I didn’t liked the drama “Kill me heal me” based on split personnality. But Dear Hiery seems to be more realist and maybe I could try it.
Now I’m thinking about to make a short run with “deadly games” kdramas.
Games stories is a genre I like a lot:
– Pyramid game (kdrama recommended by a writer of Stargate series I follow on X)
– Killing vote
– Roulette (it’s a drama GB was talking about)