K-Drama Hits or Misses: July 2018 Watch List

I love writing posts that go beyond my First Impressions articles because initial thoughts change. I’ve started my fair share of dramas, loving a few, dropping many, and also being undecided since some shows surprise you with good content on the rare or there’s an aspect about them that keeps you coming back, you know, like an unhealthy relationship you can’t seem to break off.

 
That’s why I thought, why not do a post for some transparency? So readers can get an idea of what I’m actually watching since there might be a misunderstanding out there that I watch everything I review and love them (not that people would really care for my personal K-drama list). I’ve been victim to a good premiere but run the other way when a drama clearly begins to tank or loses my interest.
 
I’ll be covering a few shows I’m currently obsessed with, having nothing but praise for them, ones I wish I could have seen heading towards doom, and ones I gave up on because of mixed feelings. They’re all shows from this year, fairly recent, and ones I have written First Impressions on, so you’ll get a good idea about how stark my present opinions are or if they’ve changed at all.
Possibly my favourite drama to have been released this year, I have nothing but good things to say about this gem of a show. The combined effort between the Writer and Director to bring a webtoon to life is noteworthy while our lead actors have incredible chemistry; had it been anyone else but Park Seo-Joon and Park Min-Young, I would be cringing in a corner. And don’t be fooled, as light as it is with its romance and comedy, it does have darker components to its story without any antagonist ever being presented. It’s simply a feel good show and one of the best Korean Rom-Coms I’ve ever seen.
What a terrifically underrated remake! The drama’s production and portrayal of someone in comatose, in a dream-like state are by far my favourite things but there are so many elements that make this drama a great watch. It has a mature feeling to it with plenty of depth and segmented crime stories that add an additional layer to the overall story. Jung Kyung-Ho’s acting is remarkable as the introverted and stoic Han Tae-Joo, winning me over with every passing episode. I really hope he wakes up or stays submerged in what will hopefully turn out to be a beautiful dream instead of a nightmare.

This drama has gone above and beyond as a humanistic series with stories and characters that tug at your heart strings. The realism conveyed through its Judges is one I won’t forget and simply knowing that a real Judge wrote about his or her experiences about what happens within the walls of a courtroom and how it impacts everyone once they walk out, makes it unique and all the more realistic and emotionally compelling. It’s a rare legal show that’s devoid of thrilling, high-stakes melodrama and grand entertaining matter, stripped down to showcase something raw and factual. 

It’s confession time I guess because I left this drama when it was announced as being pre-empted for two weeks in a row and then MBC decided to only air an episode each week because of FIFA coverage. I hate having to feel scattered with a series and confused in regards to the story (like leaving off in the middle of a good novel and then not reading it after a few weeks) since a lot can happen in between two weeks of no episodes. I recently caught up and it’s no surprise that everything about this series has me in a mess. I’m a wreckage of tears even in moments that are considered happy. Heol.

I loved everything about this drama for a solid 4-6 weeks but I noticed how it was too action-packed. Don’t get me wrong, the action scenes were executed impressively and the story is still fresh but its tendency to shift gears and drive somewhere else when it was just beginning to form deeper emotions within me made me walk away. It came down to watching this or Miss Hammurabi and I chose the latter, but who knows, I might come back to this when I have more free time.


It’s not bad, but I think the writing and the drama’s aspirations are better suited to a 2 hour film. A condensed version and movie format would have had me applauding it indefinitely if that were the case. Lee Joon-Gi and Seo Yi-Jin have an undeniable chemistry and presence together though, and they’ve created a power couple onscreen that are fatally attractive and likeable. 

The Undateables 
I like the cast and think their synergy together is well received but the drama has a tendency to mishandle its material when it comes to themes like matchmaking in contrast to the main love line. There’s just something amiss about this show especially with its writing going stale, and I can’t really peg it down to one particular thing despite the drama having some glimmering moments of comedy. This is one show that garners mixed feelings from me but for now, I’ve left it on the shelf until I’ve heard more positive things to have me coming back, although the likelihood of that is extremely slim.

Absolutely adore each of the characters and how they’ve been portrayed or written but the plot itself has me sighing in agony. The kitchen antics and restaurant war makes things a lot slower even if the breakdown of how dishes are served up are interesting segments. There’s too much going on at this point and I find my attention waning the more I watch. I had so much hope for this one but now that another food series has premiered (Let’s Eat 3) I’m walking away from this completely without considering the thought of returning. Quirky is good, but too much of it coupled with so many other ideas is simply messy.

 

Note: All other recent dramas I’ve covered in First Impressions but didn’t include in this list are ones I haven’t been watching at all. 


So what have been K-dramas you’ve picked up and dropped? Or which ones have you tuning in every week, wanting more? As readers, do these types of posts help? If you’d like to see more posts related to K-dramas like this, let us know! 

 

 
 
Watch List -> Next
 
 
 

13 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    July 25, 2018 12:18 AM
  2. Debra.J

    July 25, 2018 2:45 AM
  3. Debra.J

    July 25, 2018 2:45 AM
  4. Anonymous

    July 25, 2018 2:53 AM
  5. Debra.J

    July 25, 2018 3:01 AM
  6. Anonymous

    July 25, 2018 4:14 AM
  7. Anonymous

    July 25, 2018 12:42 PM
  8. Debra.J

    July 25, 2018 1:03 PM
  9. Debra.J

    July 25, 2018 1:05 PM
  10. Anonymous

    July 27, 2018 5:56 AM
  11. Lena

    July 30, 2018 1:57 PM
  12. Debra.J

    July 31, 2018 4:02 AM
  13. Nastassia

    August 28, 2018 10:14 PM

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