We've been MIA for the better part of a month due to real life being insanely busy but we're glad to say that we are back and as always we've got plenty to say!
The drama season has picked up and suddenly we've found ourselves with so many good dramas to pick from. What's a girl to do with so many options…?
Our currently watching list:
What’s Up? – we’ve got our fingers crossed it’s a winner. So far soooo good!
The Color of a Woman – mindless fluff. Exactly what we need for the Christmas holidays.
Skip Beat! – we must really love Siwon and Donghae if we’re willing to put up with their awful dubbing. Aside from that, we love Ivy Chen’s leading lady and the fact that they have stayed true to the original. It’s all looking very promising.
Hold list for various reasons:
Ring Ring Bell – see bitch post below.
Office Girls – overexposed fandom is a major turn off for the Musthavesubs girls. Plus, how dare they extend this drama, when it barely had enough plot to cover its original run!?
My Love by My Side – we plan to marathon this one soon, it’s the only way we manage to get through the mid section of a long family drama.
Wish List:
Padam, Padam – everyone seems to love this drama. Plus, we’re suddenly seeing Kim Bum differently, seriously he’s looking HAWT!
Girl K – this looks ridiculously good.
Me too, Flower – we were all set to watch this one but then we read how the second half tanked. We’ve decided to leave it until we know how it all turns out at the end.
We've missed you dramaland- we're so glad to be back!
Are we alone in our total lack of interest in the upcoming Kdrama Man of Honor? It starts this week and well frankly the hype, the premise and pretty much everything else is beyond lost on our obsessive Kdrama ways.
Despite coming to the realisation that Baker King was to put it bluntly rubbish…we utterly adored it when we watched it the first time. We love to root for a worthy underdog that prevails against bratty, rich half siblings and evil parents. However, having seen the promo shots and the trailer, this looks just like Baker King but with Baseball.
The funny thing is, generally we don’t mind that this is a carbon copy of another drama because let’s face it, most Kdramas don’t really step outside the box too often and when they do it’s a hit and miss affair (49 days, anyone?). However, in this case it doesn’t help when we’re not really fans of Chun Jung Myung. Yep, we said it. How can we not like him, when he’s such a sweetheart, we hear you say? Well, we’re sure he’s a nice guy but his character in Cinderella Unni ruined him for us. Just thinking back to how much we hated that OTP and his character just makes us shudder in fury.
Also, Park Min Young is a great actress and we’ve loved her dramas in the past but there is something about her acting that makes it hard for us to completely and utterly love her/ root for her leading lady character. It’s a strange one. Mentally we know we should love her character but it always feels forced…once again people must think we’re just mad. This post isn’t called a ramble for no reason!
A drama we want to watch against our better judgement: A Thousand Day’s Promise
We know we shouldn’t. It’s a freaking melodrama about a woman that is slowly losing her memory and more importantly forgetting the man she loves but damn it, it looks so good! We might as well invest in a box of multi pack super durable tissues now to mentally prepare ourselves to cry buckets of tears. Our tear ducts have only just recovered from Scent of a Woman but hey, who said being a drama obsessive was going to be easy?
How utterly pretty does this trailer look? Also the OTP look like they’re going to be amazing together.
Currently watching rundown:
Despite our lack of posts in the last few months we have been watching dramas occasionally when we can. With life being less manic, hopefully we can blog/ recap more often because we sure do miss it when we can’t!
My Love By My Side: This is our long family drama that no one seems to be watching, which is a shame because it’s so good! If you’re looking for a more traditional Kdrama that has plenty of secrets/lies then look no further. It’s a hell of a rid.
The Musical: We’re watched five episodes so far and we still think it’s great.
Protect the Boss: we got to episode 8 and we hit the wall. It’s like all the zany, funny charm dried up and suddenly we fell out of love with it. We plan to pick it again… (hopefully).
Scent of a Woman: We were awash in our own tears as we reached our tolerance level for melodrama. So we decided to stop for awhile and watch something happier like PTB. We definitely intend to return and finish off the last few episodes because seriously we adored EVERYTHING about it. This drama made Lee Dong Wook into a man and made us love Kim Sun Ah that much more. They are definite considers for the hottest OTP of the year, their chemistry was unbelievable.
We’re off to check out the first episode of Office Girls (T) because apparently it’s super cute and has catapulted our beloved Roy Qiu into a superstar.
The one of the main reasons why we love a good old fashion Kdrama is the fact that it never disappoints in how outrageous it promises to get. We love how MLBMY has cranked it up a notch and suddenly everything has become incredibly messy with secrets and lies all being revealed in one giant gulp and you know what- we want moooore!
It's been ages since we last saw a drama where we literally finished one episode, squealed for glee at the madness on show and wanted to watch the next episode straight away.
We always loved the fact that everyone in this drama were so nicely connected but seriously, watching the prospect of Mi Sol and Seok Bin becoming family is going to be AMAZING. Especially now that Seok Bin knows the truth about his secret son. The confrontation between Seok Bin and Mi Sol didn't disappoint one bit. The tension was off the charts- all that anguish and pain was sooooo good. As much as we love the sweetpie that is So Ryong, he doesn't touch the angsty, slightly off centred Seok Bin that is in desperate need of a shrink and a shot-gun to murder his obsessive mother.
The moment where Mi Sol and Seok Bin confronted each other about their secret son was the scene that we've wanted to see from pretty much the start of the drama and luckily for us it was a good one. For us, Mi Sol’s response was vital in determining whether this drama was worth sticking around for. If she was even the slightest bit weaker or pathetic in the confrontation we would have to say goodbye drama, we didn't stick around all this time to see our leading lady wimp out on a loser that abandoned her when she needed him most. However thankfully for us, she was awesome! She was brutally honest when she proclaimed that he had no right to call himself Yeong Hoon's father when he was such a weak spineless idiot back then. Also how glad are we that she told him exactly what an evil, nasty bitch his mother was. Thank you drama writers for not making our leading lady all righteous and forgiving to those who have wronged her! We hate when leading ladies are like that- seriously, forgiveness in a drama is so dull.
We have to give it to Seok Bin's mother, just when we thought she couldn't out do herself in her evil meddling, she does something worse that makes you want to throttle her for being so mad but at the same time, she still makes us smirk at her sheer villain-like genius. The woman is on another level when it comes to scheming mothers. She makes Madame Kang in BOF look positively angelic. That said, we wondered how long she would be able to ride on the tide of evil prevailing over good in this drama. She was getting away with far too many of her evil schemes and it was getting to the point where we found ourselves groaning as we watched her getting away with something else but the fact that all of her evil plans are unwinding in one go makes it all the more exciting to watch.
OMG, how utterly great was the scene where Mi Sol stormed into Soek Bin's house and confessed to being Yeon Hoon's mother? We loved the physical tussle as Seok Bin’s mother literally tried to keep Mi Sol’s mouth shut while trying to throw her out of the house. It just added to the urgency of the situation as she realised what was going to happen. This was the scene where we went from liking the leading lady to really loving her. She risked everything to protect her mother's honour and her future happiness. As a character she was brave and reckless and it was soooo satisfying to watch Seok Bin's mother's world crumble around her as the biggest secret of the drama was realised. Loved it.
In regards to Mi Sol’s confession, we really liked the unexpected reaction from Seok Bin’s grandmother. Her reaction was grown up and rational and frankly for a Kdrama those words are hardly ever used to describe any character’s response, so it was definitely a pleasant surprise. Also her response once again highlighted the fact that this is one tightly written script and that all of the characters in this drama are connected in a manner that makes it impossible for them not to relate to one another, even when they don’t want to!
With just over 20 episodes to go…and most of the major secrets revealed already, what madness is going to be introduced to keep this drama afloat? We'll be happy as long as Mi Sol and her family avoid any life threatening illnesses or worse …death. Also if the writer happened to kill of some of the more annoying character in the drama ahem So Ryong’s grandma and Yun Jeong, we wouldn’t disapprove too much. Hehe.
It was all about episode 23! It’s as simple as that. Seriously it was sooooo good. Yes, it was nuts and Seok Bin has totally lost the plot but hell who cares when it’s this good?
Seok Bin currently holds the prize for the character you love to hate. Getting in the heavies to beat up So Ryong, while warning him off Mi Sol is so wrong. Especially when you consider the fact that his lovely wife is sitting at home waiting for his sorry arse to return. We love how the more we watch the more despicable his character becomes as his obsession with Mi Sol gets that much more twisted. Considering this drama has decided to throw caution to the wind when it comes to presenting any form of reality, we must confess we’re really excited to see how dysfunctional it will become.
The best part about Seok Bin’s transformation into a crazy stalker love rival is the fact that we know exactly where he’s coming from. We saw his innocent romance with Mi Sol, we saw how he was manipulated by his mother against his will and ultimately we know that his love for Mi Sol came from a good place. We hate dramas where you get insane love rivals that are irrational for no good reason at all. Love rivals that hardly know the lead but feel the urge to do nutty things like bankrupt their romantic rival (Scent of a woman) or frame them for a crime they didn’t commit (Delightful Girl). It’s just groan inducing and the whole time they are on screen you just want them to get hit by a truck already! From all the dramas we’ve watched in our time, it’s a definite rarity to find a solid love rival that is compelling and adds to the overall experience of a drama. Usually they’re 2D and annoying but when they are done right its great viewing- look at the love rivals in: Thank You, Baker King and Hana Yori Dango.
Poor So Ryong- the guy proposes to Mi Sol, only to be given the biggest shock of his life. You could literally see his heart break into a million pieces. We really liked his response. It was harsh, honest and most of all realistic. Despite So Ryong being a really nice guy, it’s completely understandable that he would want nothing to do with her. That said how glad are we that we only got an episode and a half of angsty So Ryong. The idea of him wrestling his conscience with what is practical against what his heart wants was really lovely viewing. We’re also glad that he’s decided to man up and protect Mi Sol against sleazy Seok Bin. At first we questioned whether So Ryong would be a strong enough lead to compete against Seok Bin but as the weeks have past, we’ve really fallen for his gentle, considerate character and the very sweet romance that has subtly bloomed between him and Mi Sol.
It’s a shame that there is bound to be trouble ahead to ruin all the happy smiles and love confessions- can’t wait! Hehehe.
How crazy will it become when Seok Bin works out who Yeon Hoon is?
Other thoughts:
-We love how long family dramas cram in the romance from all angles- it’s even better when it’s a romance we actually care about. We’re loving Mi Sol’s mother Seon Ah and Jin Gook’s romance. We’re so glad that she’s got herself a romance with such a nice guy, who happens to be instrumental in potentially ruining all of Seok Bin and Mother dearest’s greedy plans. We also like how their romance incorporates every Kdrama love scenario imaginable – disapproving mothers (in-law), manipulative friends/sisters in law, class divide- you name it this couple have it, but in this case it’s for a couple in their 40s!
-Poor Ju Ri- what an embarrassing way to find out what your OTP does for a living, especially with her judgemental mother right there to witness the shame of it all.
We’ve been completely MIA for the majority of August, real life has kept us super busy, and so we haven’t had a chance to really blog. However we’re back and more than ready to gush/rant away our thoughts on all things drama related. Yay!
Dramas that we dropped:
Heartstrings: we got to episode 10 and found that you know what? – We don’t like this drama enough to bother watching it. Aside from the OTP sharing unexpectedly hot chemistry together, the rest of the drama was just meh for us. We cared very little for the characters, the storyline was on a downward swirl of boredom and frankly we don’t know why we stuck around for so long. Maybe because it had so much potential; the first couple episodes were fresh and had a laid back feel to it but there are only so many episodes that can ride on that vibe before people get bored and demand some substance. Take Mary stayed out all night– on paper it sounded brilliant, the first couple episodes were quirky/ music centred and charming. It made us sit up excitedly in hopes that this was a winner but then it crashed and burned fast. Such a shame. Despite Mary being a disappointment, we stuck around till the end and forgave it for the most part because Jang Geum Suk and Moon Geun Young are so awesome but sadly for Heartstrings- Park Shin Hye and Yong Hwa have awhile to go before they can carry a drama with just their presence. One thing we’ll take away from Heartstrings is the fact that Yong Hwa found himself a decent acting coach and can finally put behind him the embarrassment that was his awful performance in You’re Beautiful. Shudder* He gave Ji Hoo sunbae a run for his money in the worst actor category. Muhaha.
City Hunter: We’ve got a really weird relationship with this drama. When we’re tuned in, we’re hooked but as soon as it’s over, we have very little desire to sit down and watch it ASAP. It makes no sense what so ever. Especially when you consider how much fandom there is for this drama. For us it just doesn’t have that crack factor that makes us drama obsessives. We got to episode 11 before it was shelved, simply because life got really busy and we had to make cut backs. We definitely plan to finish this drama off and will probably be watching the OTP more closely now that we know that they are a real couple. Good for them- We wouldn’t say no to Lee Min Ho either. Heheh.
Seriously, Park Min Young is such a lucky girl. So jealous.
Myung Wol the spy: How glad are we that we didn’t stick with this drama. We sat down and watched episode 1 when it first aired weeks ago but we swear we were completely and utterly bored by it. The drama felt stilted, the comedy just missed the mark and most importantly we didn’t care for any of the characters. Also from what we’ve followed through recaps- leading men that are still arseholes when you hit episode 10+ aren’t worth watching, leading men that slap their OTP definitely aren’t worth watching and well as we haven’t seen the infamous episode 13 with that bed scene- we’ll reframe from commenting.
We feel sorry for Eric, we have a feeling that he’ll be glad when filming is over. Not to mention he’ll probably be relieved to see the back of Han Ye Seul. The off scene antics seem to be more interesting than the actual drama, which is never good. In-house fighting, accidental murder, dramatic departures to the other side of the world…come on you can’t make this crap up.
Dramas we’re watching:
Scent of a woman: it’s love! This is our crack drama at the moment. It’s soooooo good. Aside from the fact that we’re going to be completely and utterly heartbroken by the time it finishes, it’s completely worth it. We can’t think of a single thing we’d change, it’s that good.
If you haven’t watched it yet- we demand you watch it NOW!
My love by my side: The drama appears to have completely lost the plot. The writer must be smoking the wacky backy because the drama has truly gone mad. Despite this fact we’re still tuned in, engrossed in the crazy antics and the twisted rationality of the majority of the characters. We know it’s wrong but still we’re obsessed.
Episode 23 was amazing but still twisted. We don’t know what is worst- the fact that we liked it because it was twisted, or in spite of that fact. Either way it’s bad. We need help.
Dramas we want to watch:
Protect the boss: It looks fun and silly, plus goofy guy with tough girl is always great viewing- see Hana Yori Dango. Also we’re hoping that this will be a great drama to balance out the angst fest that is our current drama list. Also Ji Sung and Hero had us sold on this drama before we even knew what it was about. They are both soooooo purrrty. Giggles*
Office Girls (T): We don’t really want to watch this drama- it sounds completely crap BUT it has not one but two of our favourite HOT Tdrama love rivals. Roy Qiu and James Wen in the same drama- thank you drama makers- we salute you!
We finished episode 20 and literally turned to each other and said: WTF?- Seriously did we really watch Seok Bin’s mother ask Seok Bin to have a baby only to give it away to his uncle ina desperate bid to stay in favour with the family??? Come on, how stupid is that. Drama we are disappointed.
We expected something better or at least more rational from this drama that somehow manages to maintain a sense of reality in a strictly makjung setting but really does that make sense at all?
Aside from the most random request ever, the drama has given us lots of good stuff in the form of a budding romance between Mi Sol and So Ryong. They are so sweet together! He had to fall for the most screwed up girl in town didn’t he? We generally like our Kdrama men strictly Alpha and sadly for us So Ryong is a Beta male through and through but strangely enough we still love him. We like how Mi Sol is finally seeing So Ryong in a more romantic light and we eagerly await for more OTP moments in the future.
We’ve been waiting for the love square to be properly formed for ages and here it is: we’ve got Seok Bin stalking our OTP from a distance, So Ryong getting punched for his troubles and an unexpected and seriously messy friendship between Mi Sol and Yoon Jung. Creating a friendship between Mi Sol and Yoon Jung was genius. Can’t wait to see Seok Bin’s face when he realises that his wife is friends with his baby mamma- it’s going to be priceless!
We are thoroughly enjoying how utterly crazy mother and son have become over the course of this drama. Their unreasonable claim on an estate that has no real connection to them is beyond insane but at the same time strangely fascinating and we sit there wondering what they will do next.
Prize for the most evil character goes to: Seok Bin’s mummy dearest. She has literally blackmailed and lied her way through this drama and now the woman has outdone herself by throwing away GrandmaKang’s cancer medicine! Come on that’s so screwed up. Despite her evil ways, why do we still like her? We need help.
Mi Sol’s uncle and Joo Ri are off our kill list (for now). We have to confess that we really like how their relationship has blossomed since they reunited. Two pathetic losers in love is rather funny to watch. Their morning movie date was hilarious! Also it is sweet that Mi Sol’s uncle wants to change his useless ways to be a better man for Joo Ri.
Mi Sol’s mother has got herself a romantic storyline with Seok Bin’s uncle. Yay! We love how Kdramas love to keep everyone nicely connected together and this is just the icing on the cake in ruining Seok Bin’s mother’s evil plans. Muhaha.
We’ve been lapping this drama up as soon as subs are made available and yes, we’ve still obsessed. It’s exactly how we like our long family drama- slightly screwed up, romantic and leaving you wondering how bad it could possibly get.
The time leap has firmly been established and we’re loving how everything is unfolding. Every scene between Mi Sol and Seok Bin is unbelievably intense; we literally find ourselves glued to the screen, watching their brutally honest, harsh confrontations of regret and longing. We’ve seen a few scenes between them now and let us tell you this- it doesn’t get boring! Honestly how are we suppose to evoke any type of enthusiasm for So Ryong and Mi Sol when their moments together pale in comparison? Drama what are you doing to us?
We’re surprised by how full on Seok Bin has become in his pursuit of Mi Sol- he’s even willing to get a divorce, well that is after his attempts to get Mi Sol to have an affairearned him a slap around his face. Seriously, dude what were you thinking???? He’s already offered her money three times, tried to have an affair with her and now he’s suggesting a divorce. It’s the unpredictable nature of their encounters that keep us fascinated by this couple. Plus we can’t quite hate him because he owns up to being irresponsible and bad in the past when he abandoned her. At the same times he doesn’t shy away from declaring his feelings of love and regret. There is something about a character that is so obviously flawed that we can’t help but find compelling. Damn him.
Other quick thoughts:
-So Ryung’s grandma needs to quickly and painfully die- she’s so unbelievably annoying!
-The die list currently consists of: So Ryong’s Grandma & Aunt, Mi Sol’s Uncle and Seok Bin’s little sister. UGH.
-We can’t believe we’re going to say this but we really like Seok Bin’s mother. She’s an absolute lunatic. Watching her stalk Yong Hoon at school and getting a DNA sample was insane but so funny. Also we really like her unexpected affection for a grandchild she so desperate didn’t want. Honestly her level of obsession to make Seok Bin an heir is ridiculously unhealthy and watching how far she will go is so entertaining. She’s the best type of villain: the ones that you love to hate. Muhahaha.
We finally found ourselves a long family drama this season and we’re obsessed- it’s as simple as that! My Love By My Side has all of the elements that we look for in our LFD; it’s naturally centred on a family, it’s insane, over the top and has enough makjung elements to make it crazy addictive.
The drama is from the same writer as Loving you a thousand times– a weepfest of awesomeness in our opinion. This was another drama that was absolutely nuts but written really well, so we’re confident that we are in safe hands with this writer (fingers crossed, we don’t regret our words!)
Don’t let the dull drama synopsis put you off- We know what you’re thinking: a single mother that sees the bright side to life. Yep it really does sound lame but it’s not! Trust us. The drama is presented in a realistic manner- these characters are very human; you can believe their decisions, mistakes and even their crazy actions. The drama has heart, it makes you care and want to know what happens next and most importantly we finish one episode and want to watch the next. That’s enough for us- we’re sold!
Reasons to tune in aside from the writing…
Watch it for the leading lady- Mi Sol. It’s scary to think that someone’s life could change so drastically all because of one rainy night. (Ahem, hehehe) The thing about her character we like most is the fact that she is realistic; her actions aren’t perfect but as a viewer you can relate to her and feel for her. Like all leading ladies, she’s seriously unlucky and we predicate a very bumpy road ahead of her- we can’t wait to see how crazy it all becomes before she finally gets her HEA!
Watch it for the guys- on one side we’ve got: Seok Bin aka Mi Sol’s baby daddy/impregnator. He abandoned her when she needed him most. He loves her but in the end chose to save himself rather than do the right thing and support Mi Sol. Something tells us that he’s going to regret it. The thing that makes his character compelling is the fact that we get his mixed feelings and let’s face it, the guy’s only human. We desperately want to see some Mi Sol/ Seok Bin scenes; it’s bound to be intense.
Then there is So Ryong- the leading man of the drama and all round lovely guy. Can we have one please! Seriously he’s such a sweetheart but at the same time he’s not a pushover beta male (thank goodness). We love the fact that despite the limited scenes between him and Mi Sol, they happen to share a healthy dose of chemistry together and we have a feeling that they will make a very nice couple once they finally get past all the madness that’s bound to come their way.
Watch out for Seok Bin’s mother. One word: INSANE. Her antics are irrational, obsessive and manipulative. At first we hated her but now we’re fascinated by how far she will go. She defines the word Makjung.
We would love it if we could convince at least one person to watch this drama and then hopefully join in and gush with us. Hehehe.
Sadly life has been hectic and as a result we’ve had zero time to blog, which is such a shame for us because we like nothing more than gushing endlessly about our favourite obsession. As it’s been awhile we thought we’d write up a mini-mega post about pretty much everything we’re watching/ watched in the last couple weeks.
City Hunter:
We’re going to sound like a broken record when we repeat what most of fandom have already said but we don’t care- we loving it! The twists, the turns, the oh so lovely romance- we can’t fault it! She took a bullet for him! Ahhhhhh.
Can you hear my heart?
The drama only has a couple weeks left and we’ll say it now- we’re going to miss it so much. *cries
It can’t be just us that cringes at every scene between Ma Roo and Woo Ri? Dude- get the hint, she only sees you as her brother! Honestly the scene she stayed over at his house was creeeepy.
With a just few episodes left, we really hope that crazy Madame Kang aka Dong Joo’s mother just lets her son be happy and be with the woman he loves. How cute is every scene between Dong Joo and Woo Ri, they make such a lovely couple. *Sighs
Baby-faced Beauty:
Jin Wook and So Young have to be the sweetest OTP this drama season. They are so adorable together! Sure they lack any angst and they behave like love struck pre-teens but they are so utterly charming and sweet together that we don’t care at all.
We haven’t really had the chance to blog much about this drama but we have thoroughly enjoyed watching it every week. It’s a very easy going drama with all the traditional Kdrama antics. It could have been a mundane drama but the OTP and the sweet natured charm of the drama lifts it up and makes it better. We literally groaned when the drama introduced a colour blind storyline – oh the angst and unnecessary misery for a leading lady that has suffered enough. However it was handled in a very sensitive manner and in the end allowed for the OTP to romantically develop further and enabled the leading lady to be stronger and more determined to succeed. Ultimately it was a pleasant surprise and a plot twist we thought we’d never approve of.
With two episodes left, we’ll be sad to see it finish. Also we must confess that our hearts have soften towards the love rival over the weeks and surprise, surprise the musthavesubs girls have found themselves feeling sorry for another drama love rival…damn it. It’s just that we like how he’s so upfront and sincere about his feelings but at the same time he manages to remain manly and cool in the process. How is that possible?
Other drama thoughts:
We’ve been thoroughly engrossed in My love by my side– which we love but sadly for us, no one seems to be interested in subbing this drama. Please, someone hear our cries for subs because we want more! If anyone else is watching this drama, we’d love to hear your thoughts because we’re hooked.
We also watched the first episode of Heartstrings and really enjoyed it. We definitely plan to watch more…we just have to work out a way to get more hours out of a day! If anyone has any ideas about how to do that as well, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Hehe.
musthavesubs 