End of Year Drama Review – 2012

Another year down and another end of year post – Thanks for everyone that dropped by and read our fangirling, ranting and rambles this year. We thought this post would be short and sweet but by the time we had gathered all of our thoughts on 2012’s drama offerings we had somehow created this mega drama post that sort of took on a life of it’s own, so we hope you enjoy it and of course, please feel free to add your own thoughts, it’s always more fun with company!

2012 was a really busy year for us. We didn’t watch as much as we wanted and certainly didn’t blog as often as we wish we could. Which is a shame because we adore nothing more than sitting down and fangirling our way through dramas. Having less time to dedicate to our habit and becoming more picky over the years has meant that we have physically watched fewer dramas this year and have found that we have shelved more dramas than ever before.

This years offerings have been a lovely combination of the good, the bad and the dramas you wish you could erase from your memory. With cable dramas holding their hold and giving the mainstream networks a run for their money, we’re pleased with the vast number of options we’ve had this year as well as a positive shift towards dramas pushing the boundaries in terms of genres and plots on offer, which is always a good thing in our book. With two of our favorite dramas of 2012 coming from cable networks, we certainly look forward to see what they can offer us next year, so come on cable give us some goodies in 2013!

Below is our list of noteworthy dramas we’ve assembled from everything we’ve seen and shelved in 2012.

Completed dramas in 2012:

Korean dramas:

Answer Me 1997 – The jewel in our 2012 drama crown

Despite completing this drama very recently it still finished off the year as our favourite drama of 2012.

For us Answer Me 1997 felt like it was made with so much love. The writing is heartfelt, seamless and by the time it ended we knew we had finished something special. Something that would stay with us for a very long time. As drama viewers we watch plenty of dramas throughout the year all in anticipation that it will be ‘the one’ and guess what folks, Answer Me 1997 is it!

Funny, romantic, sweet and old school in the best way possible. Watch it, you will love it.

Wild Romance – the prize for the worst hair cut goes to….

Okay, this drama was all over the place. At first it was pee your pants hilarious. It was wacky, zany and so much fun to watch. We didn’t know that Lee Dong Wook was capable of being so funny and more importantly who knew that he could work a porno moustache but he did! Sadly, the drama took a dark, moody twist where the lead lost her spunk and became all needy and pathetic and the story went from silly fun to downright creepy with a crazy stalker.

The genre change gave us a little whiplash but despite that, the drama is well worth checking out especially if you’re a Lee Dong Wook fan.

Me too, flower – Our messy pick of the year

Technically this drama was a mess. The plot fell apart towards the end and the characters lost their spark. However, the OTP kept us coming back week after week. We loved them, they felt like a real couple to us. They were two very screwed up characters that came together and were somehow functional as a couple. When everything else was a mess in this drama, this couple somehow made it alright. Both actors were brilliant, especially Yoon Shi Yoon. He was all wrong for the part but  he managed to carry this mountain of mess and made it work.

If you’re looking for an unexpectedly good OTP then look no further.

Nice Guy – The prize for the most screwed up couple goes to…

This drama was dark, depressing and intense. The writing, the acting and the way it was filmed was brilliant. That said, what was wrong with every single character in this drama???!!! Our heads hurt trying to rationalize their insane actions and there were multiple times when we wanted to punch a few of these characters in the face.

Reasons to tune in: Song Joong Ki

We’ve waited for so long to see him as a leading man in a drama and he delivered in spectacular fashion. Of course he was all kinds of hot but his acting was also wonderful. We look forward to his future projects where hopefully he doesn’t annoy the hell out of us.

If you like your dramas dysfunctional and screwed up in perfect Kdrama style, this one ticks all the right boxes.

Queen In Hyun’s Man – A nearly perfect moment in time

Nearly but not quite there.

2012 is most certainly the year of the time travelling drama and this drama is definitely up there as one to watch. We loved everything about this drama, it was beautifully executed, the OTP owned us completely and the plot was excellent throughout its run and then came that ending. Sighs* It was almost too good to be true and we were hoping that this would be that rare drama that was perfect but sadly the ending left a distinctly bitter taste in our mouths.

A lot of people loved the ending but for us it felt like a cope out. It was far too convenient and it killed some of the magic for us.

Don’t get us wrong, we gave this drama 9.5 out of 10, so we’re not going to complain that much, it’s just that it was sooooo close to being that perfect drama for us. The rare gem that we would love forever and having seen so many dramas of the years now, it’s no easy challenge to fall in that category.

Watch this drama, you won’t regret it, in our opinion it is one of the best romantic dramas to come out in a long time.

A Gentleman’s Dignity – Overgrown boys, bratty sisters who needed a slap and the realisation that we have no idea why we bothered tuning in…

Seriously, thinking back now, we don’t know what drew us to watch this Ahjussi drama where pretty much nothing happened across 20 episodes.

All we can really remember about this drama is our very strong desire to murder Im Me Ah Ri. She was a freaking grown woman that acted like a spoilt brat that cried and stomped her feet throughout the drama’s run. Groan*

The drama has left no real impact on us as viewers and there are no real moments that stick out from the dramas run.

Would we recommend it??? We’re not sure, we can’t actually remember.

Japanese Dramas:

Rich Man, Poor Woman – Our unexpected crush goes to…

This was our favourite (and only completed) Jdrama of 2012. It reminded us exactly why we love Jdramas and that maybe we shouldn’t give up on them just yet.

As well as being our favourite Jdrama, it also opened our eyes to Oguri Shun – why, why have we failed to notice this guy before???

The winner for unexpected crush of the year most definitely goes to Oguri Shun. He oozed chemistry, charm and strangely worked dodgy haircuts. Trust us, this drama has made fangirls out of us. heheh.

Back to the drama – the story was a simple love story between a socially awkward millionaire genius and a smart graduate who happened to end up working together and of course falling in love. The plot and the execution of the story was nothing to write home back but it was a pleasure to tune into every week. We were comfortable in the knowledge that the drama would make us smile and satisfy our  fluffy drama needs in the best way possible.

If you’re looking for a decent Jdrama look no further, this one will steal your heart.

Taiwanese Dramas:

Skip Beat! – Our surprise delight of the year

Who would have thought that this would be the only Tdrama we completed in 2012? Definitely not us!

The drama had so much going against it – a very loyal and obsessive fan base for the manga, two Korean actors in a Tdrama – wtf?, terrible dubbing and our expectations in the gutter before we even began.

The drama wasn’t a ratings winner but we adored it. Once the drama fixed the dubbing issue and found their feet, this drama was great fun. Ivey Chen was fantastic as the crazy but lovable leading lady and Siwon made us even bigger fangirls after his brilliant performance as Ren/ Du He Lian. He played cold and damaged so well. Considering he could only act using his facial expressions, he was pretty wonderful.

When a drama has a broody Siwon and Donghae looking hot being bad – what are you waiting for?

Shelved Dramas:

Miss Rose – Another Roy Qiu drama we just couldn’t finish..

We know, we know, what is wrong with us? It’s not you Roy, it’s just everything else that ruins it for us!

Why are all of Roy’s leading ladies so hesitate to fall in love with this HOT HOT man? Why do we have to sit through so many episodes watching these annoying leading ladies cry over past loves or cry over the fact that they are scared/ poor/ stupid???

We were so excited by this drama but it got draggy so quickly. We wanted to love it but we just couldn’t.

We have no doubt we will one day finish a Roy drama but until then we’re more than happy  to keep watching perving our way through all of his dramas until we find one. heheh

Shut up flower boy band – The best cameo in a drama goes to…

Oh, Lee Min Ki you came and went so quickly but we’re pretty sure that you made everyone that watched miss you just a little bit.

Not completing this drama is strictly an oversight on our part. All of the ten episodes we completed were brilliant. The drama was so good we made a freaking GIF out of the famous hug scene and considering we’re incredibly technically challenged that’s definitely saying something!

Life happened and we just never got around to finishing the drama. Maybe this drama will be in next year’s review or may be not…

I need Romance 2012 – When love rivals make you switch off

We switched off for one reason only – the loval rival made us want to vomit into the nearest waste basket. He was so sickly sweet and was such a soppy puppy that we just wanted to kick him. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t for the fact that he shared ZERO chemistry with the leading lady. How is that possible – two attractive, young actors and still they failed to generate any chemistry between them- none, zero, zilch, how???

The King 2 Hearts – We know what you’re thinking, are we mad???

Yes, yes, we hold our hands up and question our sanity and poor taste in dramas for not having the desire to complete this drama. It just didn’t click for us. We didn’t have that emotional connection with the characters and as a result didn’t really care what happened to them.

Plus, watching the leading man shot his OTP in the chest sort of kills the romance for us. Just saying…

Big – The biggest disappointment of the year?? Possibly, maybe, yes…

How is it possible that the Hong Sisters could make such a boring drama???

Why did Gong Yoo  have to look so damn hot in this drama?

 (you’re welcome)

For that reason alone, we’re gutted this drama was a complete waste of time. Sob*

Other notable dramas for 2012:

Rooftop Prince – The other time travel drama

 

What is with his horrible hair???

It was a toss up between this and Queen In Hyun’s Man at the time and we picked the latter. Frankly was there any point starting another time travel drama after you’ve completed something that was so nearly perfect? Anything we watched after that epic, romantic drama would have just been crap.

Gaksital/ The Moon that embraces the Sun – When leading men turn you off…

Sorry Kim Soo Hyun and Joo Won, we’re just not fans.

 

 

– We’re sorry!!!!!

It’s the strangest thing. Pretty much everyone loves these guys with a passion but we just need to know their name is attached to drama and it’s a pass from us.

Maybe we will grow out of it like we did with Hyun Bin but until then it will take something seriously special to make us tune in or a shiny sequined tracksuit…

Time Slip Dr. Jin – We found the car wreck of the year

Thankfully we saved ourselves from this nightmare. We confess that it was endless fun reading the hilarious bitching and disgust at this poor excuse of a drama. Muhahah.

Final rambles for 2012

As you can probably tell from this post, this year hasn’t treated us too badly but of course heres hoping 2013 gives us a few more drama gems worth fangirling about.

Thanks for popping by and joining us in our rambles this year, we hope you return in 2013.

Happy New Year everyone!

Love,

The Musthavesubs girls, xoxo

Skip Beat! Series Thoughts

We were complete suckers for this drama and we are totally gutted that it’s ended. We even delayed watching the last episode because we didn’t want it to end so soon. Sob* Yes, we know what you’re thinking- what losers! Hahaha. We won’t deny it, it’s true.

We’ve read quite a lot of grumbles about the ending and in our opinion we thought it was as good as it could be considering the actual manga hasn’t finished yet and the drama’s arc ended at a random point in the actual manga.

For us, the most important thing about the ending was the fact that it remained faithful(ish) to the original manga but still satisfied our fangirl ways. We got a kiss didn’t we- sure the kiss was in her mind but still it was an actual physical kiss between the OTP (that is more than we got in I am Legend and It’s okay, Daddy’s girl). We also got an admission of feelings from them separately. For us, we felt that the ending was hopeful and uplifting but most of all, it made us want to watch more. Why can’t this drama become an annual thing? We would happily tune in every year and watch these awesome characters evolve. The ending was so obviously geared towards establishing a sequel and we know for a fact that if this drama was more popular, we would have easily got one. Now that is saying something considering how much we hate anything resembling a drama extension, sequel ect. Damn it, why do we always fall for the unpopular dramas that make us miserable when they end… Alias anyone?

A couple weeks ago we moaned about the slow progress on the romance front between Gong Xi and Lian but after episodes 13-15, how glad are we that we waited for all the good stuff to come all at once. The role play scene at Lian’s house was so hot! We had to fan our faces when Lian asked Gong Xi if she wanted him to teach her how to kiss. Heeeee.

We have to hand it to Siwon, the dude stepped it up a gear. He was rather stiff at the start of the drama but he came into the role really well. He managed to convey the cold, damaged side perfectly while presenting his unexpected crush on Gong Xi in a realistic manner. You could totally believe his feelings for her and watching him deal with them was a delight because he looked so damn cute when he was conflicted.

We also liked how Gong Xi realised she had feelings for Lian. She was oblivious for so long and then suddenly she had feelings she couldn’t work out. We like how she was the one that missed him when Dark Moon ended and more interestingly she was the one that envisioned their kiss. The writer gradually built it up and it felt like a natural development over the course of the drama rather than a last minute job to satisfy the masses.

Small grumbles in a sea of gushes:

We would have liked to have seen more of Shang…only a little more though. The oh so brief moments between Shang and Gong Xi left us wanting more of the same. We loved their hostile tension, the fact that you could see their shared history written all over their faces whenever they looked at each other and most importantly we loved how we spent the majority of the time wishing Gong Xi would punch him in the face one moment and make out with him the next. As much as we adored Lian and Gong Xi together, Shang and Gong Xi stole the show in every scene they shared.

We would have liked more Qin and Gong Xi time as well. Personally, we didn’t like the fact that Gong Xi already had some random friend that worked at the restaurant with her because it defeated the purpose of having a character like Qin. Qin is purposed to be Gong Xi’s first real friend and that is why Gong Xi is so over the top and possessive of her. Putting this fact aside, we loved watching their friendship develop throughout the course of the drama. We were worried when we heard that Bianca Bai was playing this role, just because Bianca always played that miserable love rival that annoyed the hell out of us. Plus we felt that Ivy and Bianca would look odd together. However, we were pleasantly surprised on all fronts. Bianca was brilliant as the abrasive but funny best friend and their interactions were so much fun to watch.

The CGI graphics were also quite funny. When we say funny, we mean bad. Thankfully this drama wasn’t afraid to laugh at itself because otherwise it would be quite embarrassing.

Finally, we have to mention the dubbing issue. The first few episodes were soooooo bad. We can’t help but feel that an actor’s voice and their ability to present their emotions through talking/ shouting ect is a vital tool to their craft. For us, dubbing totally takes away from the impact an actor can have in their role and it makes us wonder what Siwon and Donghae would have been capable of if they didn’t have that barrier impacting them.

Props go to the two actors, especially Siwon who did a fantastic job in the second half of the drama. We can’t help but think that you would have twice as much work to do when you lose the ability to speak as an actor, especially when you have to present such complicated feelings with just your eyes and physical gestures. He has really impressed us and we look forward to seeing him in his next drama- this time as an actor rather than just eye candy as we shamefully did in the past…. Well can you blame us? He’s hot.

Okay, back to more gushes (Sorry for those people looking for an impartial review)

We adored Ivy Chen’s depiction of Gong Xi. She had the perfect balance of presenting someone that was utterly insane but managed to be remain totally lovable throughout. She made us laugh a lot with her dark twisted thoughts.

Funniest scene in the drama is still the bike scene – where she ordered her evil spirits to park her bike for her while she got ready to face Shang. It was soooo funny; we must have been laughing for about 15 minutes straight.

For those people that thought she was annoying and over the top – you can talk to the hand because we thought she was a brilliant leading lady and was a breath of fresh air in a dramaland where all the leading ladies seem to be far too similar to each other.

Okay, so we loved the characters, the writing- especially how it followed the original story pretty well and the way the drama was produced. We could watch Gong Xi with anyone in the drama all day, everyday – that is how much we loved her and finally even though we’ve heard that Solo song a million time already… it’s still good.

The drama was an unexpected treat for us and we are so glad we stuck around till the end.

If you are looking for a decent Tdrama with laughs, lovable characters and that isn’t totally dragged out until you want to pull your hair out… then look no further.

How much we liked it: 9/10

How good is it technically: 8/10 – we would have given it more if it wasn’t for the dodgy dubbing issue.

Drama rambles

Our two weeks in the sun were amazing. However sadly for us, we’ve returned with a bad case of the holiday blues and a healthy dose of real life, courtesy of work and school- Sob*

As a result, we haven’t had nearly enough time to watch anything at all. All we can do is read everyone else’s gushes about all the new dramas that have come out and as terrible drama addicts – we want them all so badly! Damn it.

Okay, we lied when we said we haven’t watched anything at all – come on, two weeks without internet, you better believe we’re sitting down watching TV as soon as the jetlag has gone. Hehehe.

We watched the first episode of The King 2 Hearts and yep, we’re sold.

We don’t know how far the storyline can really go but we loved the leading lady Hang Ah – her introduction was awesome. She’s hard core tough but she’s very much a girly girl, with her hopes of the perfect guy, plus her perving on hot men and desire for romance. She sounds like one of us.

Who else thought that Ha Ji Won looked hot in a uniform? Seriously, she is looking so good in this drama – we sense a girl crush coming.

The leading man Jae Ah is more of a stereotypical character than we hoped. Bratty, self-entitled and yes, a little on the annoying side. Naturally, it’s all about the journey and watching them learn to be better as individuals and as a OTP but still… haven’t we seen this character a million times before? We hear he gets better, plus the additional bonus of hot chemistry helps. One thing we liked about his character was his reckless streak. He’s got that crazy, dare-devil quality to his personality which we really like. It makes him spontaneous and dangerous and well that’s always fun to watch.

We liked the pace of the drama and the balance of the genres explored. It never veered too far into comedy territory or got too intense for us. Hopefully it doesn’t get too bogged down in the politics and instead focuses on what we really want to see – plenty of hot OTP action.

Strangely enough, the drama wasn’t an instant obsession for us as it was for a lot of people but hopefully we can join the gushing brigade after a few more episodes.  

Skip Beat! Episode 11 and 12

All we have to say is: hooray for progress!

Yay, Lian has finally realised that he crushes on Gong Xi but naturally, she is completely oblivious to it all. The girl must be blind or completely dumb because you better believe we’d be right in there if Siwon turned that smouldering glare on us. Hehehe.

Who else would love a season two? Sign us up now. We’re going to miss this drama when it ends; it’s been lovely viewing for the last few months. It’s definitely made us fans of Ivy Chen and an even bigger fangirls of the delectable Siwon and Donghae.

Me too, Flower:

We watched a few episodes of Me too, Flower and despite the obvious fact that the drama is on the messy side and is completely random at times, we’re hooked. We love how utterly damaged the OTP are. The leading lady is the epitome of an anti-heroine. She’s as far away from plucky and lovable as you can get and you know what? We love it. She’s damaged and screwed up and for good reason as well. It’s such a refreshing change to see a character like her as a leading lady. Yoon Shi Yoon is holding his own as well. Yes, he looks far too young for this role but we can look past this fact because his chemistry with Lee Ji Ah is unbelievably hot. Every scene between the OTP has us completely hooked and engrossed.

Their moments together are never wasted. Their conversations, their actions, even the way they look at each other feels so realistic and when you’re watching them, we can believe that these two are the OTP. They are the only reason why we’re tuned in, we can’t resist a messy, intense OTP and in our opinion this drama has the makings of an epic couple.

No way in a million years would we have thought that Yoon Shi Yoon and Lee Ji Ah would be such a great OTP.

Now that we’re back, we plan to blog regularly. There are far too many dramas to watch, so there will be plenty to rant/ gush about.  

Also, we plan to finish off our 30 day challenge – even if it kills us!

It’s good to be back 🙂

Skip Beat! Episode 11

For us, the best thing about episode 11 was the oh too brief moment between Shang and Gong Xi at the start of the episode. It was a rare, sweet moment where these two characters were completely honest about their feelings without any malice at all. He confided his thoughts so openly and you could clearly see how their relationship impacted him as children. Of course Shang had to go ahead and ruin it by acting like an idiot but still for that brief moment we were completely hooked by them. It’s the knowledge that he is affected by her so much and  the fact that she can’t quite ignore him that keeps us engaged in their moments. They also have that shared history which is reflected in how tactile they are with each other and they way they look at each other that peaks our interest. Plus, it helps that this couple share really great chemistry, dare we say it better than the dramas OTP…

 

As much as we love Lian and Gong Xi together, they need to move forward faster! Yes, the manga has them dancing around each other for what feels like a million volumes but this is a 13 episode drama and we demand something, anything. It would be such a shame if the drama finished without any romantic progress- we would feel cheated, damn it. Tdramas know how to deliver on the romantic front and well to end a tdrama without even a kiss would be unacceptable.

Come on drama, please don’t disappoint us!

While we’re waiting for the OTP to get their act together, we have to confess we really enjoyed all the brooding and jealous looks from Lian and also all that HOT fan service.

As fangirls of the worst kind – we approve!

Skip Beat! – Episode 10

Episode 10 was sooooooo good!

Best.Episode.So.Far.

We could happily watch Shang and Gong Xi all day long. All that tension, hatred and underlined chemistry was to die for. It was just so much fun watching them bounce off each other. Their relationship couldn’t be more different from Lian and Gong Xi; who are cute to watch but we confess Shang and Gong Xi have us obsessed. When there are so many conflicting emotions in one relationship you know it’s going to be good viewing. We loved the way he looked at her, the way he couldn’t help but think about her and most importantly the fact he didn’t care about personal space at all. Hehehe, it was all so good!

 

Maybe it’s because Donghae and Ivy Chen have good chemistry together but we like how their relationship has a more romantic slant to it than the manga. We really liked the idea that he was just as affected by their relationship as she was, which was reflected in the way he would think about her when they were together in the past and the fact he referred to her as his childhood sweetheart. It gives more depth to their relationship and ultimately it gives Gong Xi’s quest for revenge more weight because it doesn’t appear to be that pathetic one sided love that she believed it to be all this time. 

Other than loving our much anticipated Shang and Gong Xi airtime, we have to say Gong Xi and her evil spirits made us laugh a lot in this episode. Who else laughed their butts off at the bike sequence at the start? It was so funny.

We think we’re going to be really sad when this drama ends. It’s been such an unexpected pleasure to watch. Sob*

Fluffy Drama Round Up

While we wait impatiently for Shut up flower: Boy Band and Wild Romance, we thought we’d ramble about our fluffy drama selection we’re currently watching.

Hungry!

Okay, we admit it; we watched it because we think Mukai Osamu is hot. Look at him- that smile, that hair… how’s a girl to resist?

We’ve fallen into this trap before where we’ve tuned in to a drama that is more often than not completely rubbish all because we crush on the leading man. Yep, we regret it every time but sadly for us weak willed girls, we doubt it will be the last time.

Who else watched Gokusen 3 for Miura Haruma or Down with Love for Jerry Yan?

 Yum!

In regards to Hungry! It’s strictly average. It’s not sure what it really wants to be – a food drama, a rock drama and human drama…? Confused is more like it. It’s your typical breezy J drama where the characters gradually learn things and are better people by the time we reach the drama finale.  The drama also happens to have great food porn. Seriously, it all looks sooo good. Plus, who doesn’t like the idea of watching a hot guy rock out with his cool band and then watch him whip you up a delicious meal afterwards?

We enjoyed the first couple episodes, it was easy going, funny and we confess we have a soft spot for Mukai Osamu ever since we watched him in Hotoru 2. Just in case you’re wondering whether to watch Hotoru 2, we’ll save you some time by telling you straight: don’t, it’s bad, really bad. That sequel should never have been made and for the shame of it, we can’t believe we watched all of it! Embarrassed cries*

Skip Beat!

Why don’t people like this drama?

Yes, it’s slow and Ivy Chen’s Gong Xi is over the top but so is the manga. We love the fact that the writer has stayed so close to the manga and the anime and has successfully captivated the essence of what makes Skip Beat! so great.

What a difference redubbing has made, it’s amazing. We are no longer fixated by Siwon’s mouth moving strangely but instead, we’ve relaxed enough to enjoy the drama as a whole.  We love Siwon’s depiction of Ren. It’s exactly how we hoped it would be. He’s stern and serious but he can’t hide the fact that Gong Xi get’s under his skin. Their interactions are pretty great to watch as well. You can feel the tension and the chemistry between the two characters.  Yes, it’s a slow simmer but when it’s got the right amount of chemistry, we’re more than happy to wait.

Bianca Bai is the biggest surprise for us in Skip Beat! For once she’s not playing that annoying, pathetic love rival that you want to push off a cliff. Instead, she’s got the stern, sarcastic reluctant friend down perfectly.

Then there is Donghae’s Shang – we want to beat him up everytime he’s on screen but at the same time he makes us grin like crazy fangirls. Damn him.

Mid Week Rambles

Sherlock+ Dr. Watson = Best OTP on TV.

Sherlock returns to TV on Sunday! We are so excited; we’ve thoroughly missed this show and couldn’t be more pleased. The cliff hanger at the end of season 1 was amazing and we’ve been desperate for more ever since.

We wonder if Sherlock will get a real OTP this season. Now that would be interesting, watching someone so socially awkward handle something like romance. Although we wouldn’t be too upset if he didn’t because as we all know, he always has Dr. Watson…

Oh the bromance. Heeee.

What’s Up? : Random thoughts while we impatiently wait for episodes 7/8 to be subbed.

 We have carefully watched the beginning sequence of episode 1 and all of our main characters are accounted for, so who’s funeral are they going to???

We’re just glad that it’s not Jae Hun. We wouldn’t have been that bothered if Chae Young died but we guess we can’t always get what we want. Honestly, what a manipulative, scheming brat. Why bother going to university if you don’t plan to learn anything in the first place. We can’t wait for her to be found out for being the fake she is. We do love a healthy dose of karma in our dramas.

Also, surely it’s not just us that thinks that the actor that plays Soo Bin has the strangest face in dramaland?

Skip Beat! – first impressions

Watching Siwon and Donghae in Skip Beat is distracting. It’s like an out of body experience, it’s hard to focus on the acting or drama because we’re too busy watching Siwon’s mouth move strangely, followed swiftly by words that clearly don’t belong to him.

We knew it would be annoying but still…

Aside from the dodgy dubbing which we hear will be re-dubbed soon, the rest of the drama is moving along really nicely. As we have mentioned before Ivy Chen is brilliant as our vengeful leading lady. The story is driven solely by her and her quest for revenge and luckily for us, Ivy is great as Gong Xi. We can believe her sense of betrayal and her heartbreak, so we’re more than happy to watch her do what she has to, to get her revenge.

We know we shouldn’t but we have to admit we really like Donghae’s Shang. What is wrong with us, we always like the baddies? It’s only because Gong Xi and Shang bounce off each other really well and you can physically see their animosity. Watching them fight is going to be lots of fun throughout the season as we know she’ll occasionally get the upper hand over him and finally wipe that smug look off his face. Muhaha.     

Who doesn’t love a good underdog story, especially when the leading lady is absolutely mad!

Belated Merry Christmas to everyone

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!

Mid Week Rambles

December seems so far away:

Skip Beat! promos are out and Oooh lala, Siwon and Donghae look HAWT! We can’t wait for December to come.

We’re really hoping that Siwon doesn’t give us a boring depiction of Ren. It’s so easily done with such a complicated character, who often communicates more through his facial expressions than his words. Also we hope that Ivy Chen does well by Kyoko. We love how nutty and evil she is but at the same time she’s so lovable as a character. This Tdrama production better not get imaginative with the manga facts like they did with Hana Yori Dango, or else someone will surely pay!

We’re not going to lie; we’re scared by the prospect of this drama being dubbed. Dubbed dramas have to be the most distracting and annoying dramas to watch ever. We’ve got our fingers crossed that they do a  good job because this manga is so loved that it could get ugly if it’s butchered on screen.

Don’t do this to us T-dramas, you were our only hope…

What was episode 12 of Office Girls all about? Seriously, we’re going to pretend that the episode didn’t happen. It was a complete mess; there was no structure, theme or  real progress. It felt like it was made up of lots of gags (not always funny) badly put together. OG is better than that.

Not even our hesitant OTP could keep us interested. Their date felt contrived and made you question what the hell are they waiting for? They have both acknowledged they like each other, there aren’t any misunderstandings holding them back, so why so cautious?  

Come on QZQ- it’s time to man up and show us why we love you.

Ring Ring Bell episode 7 didn’t fare much better. This was the first time since watching this drama where we were unsatisfied by pretty much everything and everyone. We hoped that our OTP working and dating together would provide us with oodles of cute OTP moments and cement our feelings for this couple that never fail to make us smile. However, we were sadly mistaken. The whole set up infuriated us and made us want to shake Xiao Xiang for being so pathetic.

Okay, we’re annoyed at Kia Jai for giving her a job in enemy territory and telling her to get on with it. No support, no job title, not even a flipping desk! He treated her like an object that he thought he’d play with and see how it turns out. However, what’s worse is the fact that she accepted the position and she allowed herself to be treated so poorly by his employees. Where is our leading lady’s pride?

Naturally, she won over her enemies and earned their acceptance in predicable fashion but still…
We like our leading ladies strong and confident – Xiao Xiang needs to get some self esteem pronto and stop being such a loser!

Flower Boy Raman Shop

There is so much fandom surrounding this drama, everyone seems to love it but we’re not sure…
We hate Noona love with a passion, its groan inducing boring for us to watch. However on the other hand we LOVE Jung Il Woo- then again so doesn’t? Plus we like the idea of a tough, former trouble maker as the leading lady.

 Damn that smile.

  To watch or not to watch -that is the question?