Greetings all you lovely denizens of the Asian Drama blogverse!
I've been debating moving my blog for awhile now (yes I know it isn't even a month old yet!), and finally decided to make the move last night. Why you ask? Well I've had some issues with spam comments and spam sites affecting the page and it has cause some frustration. Additionally, blogger and I at times don't see eye to eye and it takes so much longer to get a post or page to look how I want it. I'd rather spend time writing blog posts or reviews or watching dramas than struggling with blogger. Also, my story Heart Murmurs is house elsewhere already because blogger wouldn't present the story as I wanted it viewed. So with some helpful advice from Kfangurl and DDee over at The Fangirl Verdict I made the choice to move.
The new site is a copy of what I currently have here. I was expecting a battle with blogger to export my information. In actuality it was extremely easy! Which was fantastic. I won't be updating this page anymore. Please, please, please come and join me at my new home!
The Drama Noona
As I have been Spiraling into this Obsession I've been keeping a list of the dramas I've watched. I'll be translating my list here to share the shows that I've loved, hated, and couldn't stop watching.
As I write reviews for the shows I've watched I'll add a rating at the end of the review and put the overall rating next to the series name here. When I'm rating a show I will be assigning it a number between 1 and 10, with 10 being out of this world amazing. Each show will be rated on the following areas: Story/Writing, Cast/Actors, OST, Sets/Costumes, and of course Feels.
This list will be maintained in the order in which I have watched the dramas and will only include completed dramas.
Boys Over Flowers (Noona's Rating = 7.4)
City Hunter (Noona's Rating = 9)
Playful Kiss (Noona's Rating = 7)
You're Beautiful (Noona's Rating = 7.8)
Heartstrings (Noona's Rating = 7.6)
It Started With a Kiss (Noona's Rating = 7.8)
They Kiss Again (Noona's Rating = 8)
Goong/Princess Hours (Noona's Rating = 9)
Me Too Flower (Noona's Rating = 7.6)
Flower Boy Ramen Shop (Noona's Rating = 7.6)
A Gentleman's Dignity (Noona's Rating = 8)
Sweet 18 (Noona's Rating = 7.6)
Coffee Prince (Noona's Rating = 9)
What's Up Fox (Noona's Rating = 7.6)
The Master's Sun (Noona's Rating = 9)
My Princess (Noona's Rating = 7)
I Need Romance (Noona's Rating = 8.2)
Vampire Prosecutor (Noona's Rating = 8)
What's Up Fox (Noona's Rating = 7.6)
The Master's Sun (Noona's Rating = 9)
My Princess (Noona's Rating = 7)
I Need Romance (Noona's Rating = 8.2)
Vampire Prosecutor (Noona's Rating = 8)
This list is for the shows I've started and am currently watching.
Running Man
Last Cinderella
This list is for shows I want to watch.
School 2013
Delightful Girl Choon Hyung
Sungkyunkwan Scandal
Secret Garden
Autumn's Concerto
Delightful Girl Choon Hyung
Sungkyunkwan Scandal
Secret Garden
Autumn's Concerto
Babyfaced Beauty
Creating Destiny
Marry Him if You Dare
Rooftop Prince
The Princess' Man
Wild Romance
Wonderful Life
Hello My Teacher/Biscuit Teacher Star Candy
The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry
I Hear Your Voice
This list is for the shows I have on hold for the moment, but do plan to finish.
This list is for the shows I have on hold for the moment, but do plan to finish.
Shut Up Flower Boy Band (11th episode)
Dream High 1 (1st episode)
Heirs (13th episode)
Good Doctor (1st episode)
Fated to Love You (15th episode)
Heirs (13th episode)
Good Doctor (1st episode)
Fated to Love You (15th episode)
This list is for the shows I've started but couldn't finish.
Goong S (10th episode)
Bachelor's Vegetable Store (1st episode)
Hong Gil Dong (1st episode)
Dream High got a lot better as it went along. Good call on dumping Bachelor's though. UGH!
ReplyDeleteI've actually been thinking about going back to watch Dream High again, I've heard so many good things about it. I think I'll give it a shot, thanks! I'm glad someone else agrees with me on Bachelor's, at the end of that first episode I was so angry I'd spent the time with it. Even though I really wanted to love it because it had Lee Kwang Soo in it.
DeleteAw. I think you'll love Sungkyunkwan Scandal! It's like Coffee Prince, Joseon edition. Since you rated Coffee Prince so highly, I'm pretty confident you'll enjoy SKKS!
ReplyDeleteI Hear Your Voice is great too, I really enjoyed that one.
Since you have a soft spot for warm fuzzies & happy endings, might I recommend Life is Beautiful & Ojakgyo Brothers? Not all family dramas are full of warm fuzzies, but these 2 rank at the top of my list of family dramas. So much feel-good awesome, you'll probably wish they were 100 episodes each ;) I thought they were both excellent night-cap dramas. Worth considering, maybe?
~ kfangurl
I keep putting Sungkyunkwan Scandal at the top of my list then someone will mention another drama that I also want to see and I change it. But I have heard such good things about it that it might just win out when I'm done with My Princess. I Hear Your Voice is also one I really want to watch.
DeleteSomeone else just recommended Ojakgyo Brothers too! I've added it to my To Watch List :) And I don't think I've heard of Life is Beautiful, I'll add that too.
Thank you for stopping in and for the recommendations!
Life is Beautiful is just wonderfully affirming and enjoyable. It's criminal how underrated it is. I totally plan to watch it again. ❤
DeleteAlso, have you considered Pasta?? It stars Gong Hyo Jin who's also in Master's Sun. It's such a sweet, cute little show. And she's got sparkling chemistry with Lee Sun Gyun. It's a small story, but I loved it. In fact, I loved it so much that I went right back to E1 when I first got to the end!
I also hafta chime in and add my vote for Dream High, coz I loved that show both times that I watched it. And I love Shut Up too, so I hope you give it another chance! ^^
~kfangurl
I love getting all these solid recommendations from you seasoned k-drama gals, it is pretty awesome. I've added Life is Beautiful and Pasta to my list. Once I finish My Princess, I'm about 6 episodes from being done, I think I'll either go back to Dream High or finish Shut Up Flower Boy Band. It wasn't that I didn't like Shut Up, it was that I felt so frustrated on their behalf and then when the snooty boy took over as their producer I got grumpy.
DeleteAw. That's the angst stretch that happens in just about every drama.. It does get better, I promise! Shut Up is on my all-time faves list. Along with Dream High. And Pasta. And Life Is Beautiful. And Ojakgyo Brothers. Lol. I seem to be pushing all my faves on you! XD I've got more, but I think I'll pause on that for now!
DeleteY'know, I used to be so much like you, in the sense that I only wanted to watch dramas with happy endings and warm fuzzies. Weirdly, I'm now much, MUCH more open to other types of endings. I even get upset if a writer shoe-horns a happy ending in when it doesn't jive with the rest of the show and therefore doesn't quite make sense.
One day, if you become more open to other types of endings & show, I've got more recommendations up my sleeve ;) Just sayin'
~kfangurl
After 14 dramas I'm getting that! Every drama so far has it too, I just need to put my grumpy pants back in the drawer and grab some chocolate and push past the angsty parts because I am realizing that its going to happen every time. I only have like 5 episodes left of Shut I might just marathon through them once I finish with My Princess because I really-really do want to see what happens and I've loved it up to this point so far. And you and Stephanie have convinced me to give Dream High another shot. But... after Shut Up... I have to watch School 2013, like bad.
DeleteI just get so emotionally invested that if it isn't a warm fuzzy by the end I'm a train wreck for at least a day after :) Though there are a few dramas out there that aren't happy endings that I'm curious about for sure. When I get over my fear of the non-happy ending I will be sure to reach out to you!
Agreed, when the writers just tack on a happy ending it makes me even angry. I'd rather the ending be natural, flow with the whole story, whether that be happy or sad.
YES YOU NEED TO WATCH SCHOOL 2013!!! Heh. I'm like making this one of my mantras to you, aren't I? XD It's my Woobie love acting out, I can't help it. Plus, now that you've shared that you love Woobie too, I feel like I'm licensed to recite that mantra..! XD
DeleteIt might take you a little while to get around to dramas without the warm fuzzy happy ending.. Particularly now that you're new-ish to kdrama, it's a great time to relish the warm fuzzy endings. In fact, I''m gonna throw a couple more shows out there for you to consider.. Have you considered My Girlfriend is a Gumiho?? It's rom-com done quite perfectly, imo. Enough comedy to make you laugh out loud, and enough romance to float your boat. And another one you might want to consider is Queen In-hyun's Man. It's SO. GOOD. Gorgeously shot, and very well-written. And an epic romance at the center. Where the male lead actually fell for the girl IN REAL LIFE while filming this. And then made a huge confession to her during the show's screening of the final episode with fans. And then she accepted his confession and they started dating and now he's in military service and they're still together. Ahhhh!!! Now you TOTALLY want to watch this drama, like, IMMEDIATELY, right?? ;D hee!
Yes Sunbae! I am going to watch School 2013!! And I’m perfectly alright with that as a mantra that you’re going to recite to me! It serves to make me more and more excited to start that show! And… My Princess is sort of dragging for me so maybe… ahem… I might just start it now.
DeleteNow that I’m watching some dramas with my husband I think I’ll be adding dramas without the warm fuzzy endings much sooner. He is a huge appreciator of stories that don’t always have the perfect ending, and if I’m watching with him it will be less of an emotional heartbreak for me. So feel free to toss out a few other suggestions when you have the time so I can make a list for the hubby to choose from.
My Girlfriend is a Gumiho is totally on the list of too watch… which I think is over a hundred dramas long now. I’ve heard so many good things about it that I really do want to give it a try. Also I’ve got Queen In-hyun’s Man in the list I saw a few trailers for it or clips or something and it looked absolutely beautiful. Now that I know the leads fell in love in real life I love it even more and I haven’t even seen it yet!
I was rather underwhelmed by My Princess towards the end too.. I loved the beginning though. It was just oodles of cute and that was what sucked me in. I can totally understand your wavering desire to continue now that you're in the later stretch though! XD
DeleteSome dramas that I think boys might take to, and which might not necessarily have warm fuzzy endings are:
-Chuno (OMG. Masterpiece. So Good.)
-Gaksital (Really, really good, I was blown away)
-Tree With Deep Roots (Fascinating, especially since it deals with the history of Hangul, and so well written!)
-King 2 Hearts (enough North-South conflict and boy-to-man sort of stuff to make a guy happy, and enough romance at the center to make both of you happy)
-Arang and the Magistrate (enough mystery and action to keep a boy happy, enough fantasy elements to be universally appealing, and enough romance to make your heart skip. And, not too bad an ending to boot)
-Nine (tightly written time travel tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat. More mentally engaging than emotionally for me, but still good)
-King of Dramas (insightful, satirical look at the k-ent industry and drama-making. Funny and unexpected at times. Ending's a touch weak, but still a worthy watch)
-History of the Salaryman (outrageously funny and satirical. I think you'd both have a fun time watching this)
And if your hubs wants more So Ji Sub, I'm told that Ghost is good. Cyber-crime sort of drama where he plays lead :)
Hope you find something in this list that your hubs would like!!
I really enjoyed the beginning of My Princess, but it just felt like they were trying to hard in the middle to dethrone her. But last night I decided that I’d just watch the last episodes because I really do want to see if she ends up as the Princess or not. I’ve got one episode left! Then I’ll watch the last 5 of Shut Up and then School 2013! I’m sure I’m going to need sponsor to help with the Woobie withdrawals when School 2013 is done.
DeleteThank you! Thank you! Thank you! For the list of drama ideas. I’ve added them to the queue I’ve built specially for the hubby to choose from. He also wants to watch Good Doctor, which I have been really wanting to see as well. But thanks to you we’ve got a very decent list of choices! I really appreciate that!
Not sure if I can call you Noona, I think we are about the same age. Came to see if you had a review on Rooftop Prince and saw that it is on your to watch list. I am on episode 15. I wanted to recommend it to you since you like fantasy. Hope you are good!
ReplyDeleteThen call me Chingu! ;) Rooftop Prince is on my list of shows to watch, it has come highly recommend, and now even more so! Thank you for stopping by.
DeleteI've recently moved the blog, I'd love to see you come and hang out at my new digs. http://thedramanoona.wordpress.com/