Up Next...January

1stCC (drama with an idol character)

This was much more than I expected. Not only did it have some genuinely funny, laugh-out-loud moments, it was also a very sweet love story between our ML and FL (who I actually liked). And Zhang Xin Cheng (Steven) did such a phenomenal job in his role. I honestly thought he was more her than she was at times.  The only reason I gave this an 8.5 instead of a 9.0 (which was what I originally planned) was because I thought the conclusion lacked the warmth I felt while watching the drama. It wasn't a bad ending, but it did feel a little cold. I can't explain it any other way without it being too spoilery. However, this was the perfect choice for the first idol drama of the month! 

2nd CC (drama with an idol actor)

I really like offbeat romcoms and this fits that bill perfectly. It kept taking different directions but never lost its heart. I ended up being completely charmed by this drama. 

1st BSC

This sounds very similar to Kleun  Cheewit, which I really liked. I just hope I can deal with Hwang Jung Eum. Reviews/comments claim her acting is not so over the top, exaggerated,  and shrieking as per her norm,  but 1 episode in and I've already heard a fair amount of screaming from her. I just don't get why this is her default setting. So far it's not enough for me to throw in the towel, especially since our ML is Ji Sung. That man is simply mesmerizing in everything. 

BSC & CC

This has elements of both revenge and idol, so it counts right? The murders started as a way to seek revenge (or maybe avenge?).  One of the support couples is an actress and an idol so yeah, it works.  I'm allowing it.  (I just wanted to watch it so I'm making it work)

3rd time was the charm. I watched the 1st episode 2 times previously and even though I liked it each time I felt that I wasn't in the mood for this type of drama. Now, look at me finishing it and giving it a 9/10. I think watching Find Me in Your Memory and realizing that I love Kim Dong Wook really sealed the deal for me. He does well playing the role of the emotionally scarred but quietly resilient ML.  

CC---FL is a fangirl of ML

Episode 5: Y'all, I just don't get the choices made for these characters. You can tell who the FL is by how immature her personality and wardrobe are. It's so baffling. Every other person, male or female, is dressed professionally and usually acts that way as well. Enter our FL, wearing oversized sweatshirts/tees, baggy pants, and "fun" sneakers speaking/acting like a pre-teen/child while working in a professional setting. 

After episode 8 or so, the show starts to get better.  I love that once our leads get together  ML wants to be super affectionate all the time. It's cute.  And his love confessions are really pretty sweet and swoon-worthy. Our FLs wardrobe and demeanor become more professional as well, thank goodness. It was nice to see a couple who trusted one another pretty completely. And I appreciated them both having parents who didn't buy into the gossip created by our villainess SFL. She ticked all of the typical SFL-childhood-friend-but-I-waited-for-you-to-love-me-so-you-have-to-pick-me boxes. I thought it would go a little darker than it did but they managed to bid her an okay farewell. One day she and little bro will get together. That's my prediction. Now, I didn't really care about the relationship between our second couple. Xie Fei did have me cracking a smile a few times with how into himself he is (I mean, I get it), but Jin Yao didn't. I didn't dislike the characters per se, but I also didn't feel any chemistry between the two. I ended up skipping most of their parts towards the end. 

I did end up enjoying the drama for what it was. A pretty silly, cheesy, light, fluffy rom-com where the leads get together fairly quickly and stick with one another until the end  No real love triangles and no breakups.  Love that part the most. 7.0/10.  

I'm really happy I didn't let the lower rating and highlighted negative reviews deter me. I really liked this drama. The romance is actually fairly low-key with the biggest part being played by our cute SML and his never-ending determination to have FL in his life. He is pretty persistent even though our FL neither expressed nor had any romantic interest in him. He was always just a friend. The same with SFL. While she and ML had a past he was never interested in pursuing a future once they were through (they broke up years before the drama starts). Neither end up being hindrances to a relationship bt FL and ML. I also had zero issues with the age gap bt ML and FL. She is a 25 yo adult and ML is 37. They have a slow-burn romance that begins with earning each other's respect and grows from there. It felt natural. I always like these dramas where the characters have a career in a skilled profession, in this case, beauty/makeup and to a lesser extent idol trainee. It usually gives the characters a platform to grow together and that's exactly what this does. I appreciate the choices the FL makes. In fact, I just liked her as a whole, which is almost a rarity for me to say about FLs. There's usually something about them that annoys me, but she was pretty annoyance-free in my book. That's a big, big plus.

My biggest complaint is the writers allowing slight redemption arcs for despicable characters. Asshole ex-husband should never have been given any light at the end of his tunnel. Overall, this was very enjoyable to watch.

8.5/10.

Revenge 

Even though  I think there were some character continuity issues with FL the drama was still a nice one to watch. 

Issues I had with FL: she starts her life as a chubby, quiet, smart girl and becomes this really naive and ditzy (though still smartish) adult. She even made the comment to the parent of a 7 y/o that they need to make sure she (the child) reads more books so she doesn't turn out like her(FL), though FL was a top student as a young person who spent her time at least partly in the library.  It made no sense to me, other than the writers were trying to play up her current kind of air-head persona and disregarding her younger self completely.  Her physical appearance changed but does that mean her personality and mentality had to change so drastically as well? I just don't think the writers thought through her transformation very well. Aside from that, I liked her. I think they did a good job of having her grow into her position and new self. Our ML was perfectly charming and just the right amount of tortured at the cost of his revenge. His goal was to right a big past wrong. Honestly, I didn't think his method was all that terrible. He was only an ass when he was trying to put distance between himself and FL to keep them both from getting hurt.  In the end, he was only trying to do the right thing and keep his promises. And he has such a sweet smile. That definitely helps. 

I liked (mostly) the supporting cast.  Our SML (and love rival), while dashing to look at at times, was pretty boring.  The way he looked at FL when he first sees her had me questioning who I would end up rooting for, but the reason for that look becomes clear pretty early on. Our  SFL (not a love rival) was also pretty mundane. I'm still unsure how his daughter ended up living with her full time. I guess because of child care reasons, but it still seemed odd.  

Overall, a fun watch. 

CC

Put this on hold after episode 2.  I'm not really feeling the FL. 

CC---ML/FL are contestants on a reality dating show. become temporary internet celebrities. 

Put this on hold after episode 7. I may pick this back up bc I do like the lead actors.

Revenge

Put this on hold after episode 3 only because I wasn't in the revenge mood. 

CC (drama with idol character)

Revenge

CC (drama with idol character)

Revenge

Revenge