#kdrama melodrama

[consumeronionbulletin]

Still 17 / Thirty but Seventeen (2018)

Overall, I liked this melodrama / romcom though I had some quibbles.

The premise is basically: "what would it be like if you went through a coma and skipped all of your late teens and twenties and woke up 30." I've seen this in a few movies (Big, 13 Going on 30, etc.).

Those movies used unexplained magic to cause the inciting incident. But the people who made this show decided to use a horrific accident where their best friend gets killed, their family abandons them, and the main character starts the first episode confused and homeless.

This is a pretty good example of the differences between Hollywood and K-drama-land...

What Worked

There were strong performances here, but Shin Hye-sun really carried this show. The premise could easily have turned maudlin or overly cute but Shin Hye-sun kept things grounded when they needed to be, while still making you empathize with the character.

The other characters were also pretty interesting (especially Jennifer!), and the writer and actors put alot of care into making them seem real when they could easily have been boring or flat. Even the antagonists (the jealous former rival, the handsy son-of-a-client, etc.) were mostly interesting, or at least fun to hate.

What Didn't Work

They shot this by splitting the (usually) hour long episodes into 35 mins, for commercial break reasons. This caused some issues with pacing / plotting. They also liked to tease the audience by dropping clues about connections that would move the plot forward, only to have the characters suddenly turn away from the "clue" and bury it for 4-5 episodes (or more). It makes sense for them to do that, in that it keeps the audience hooked and was much more common before binging / streaming became popular, but it still annoyed the crap out of me.

I also disliked the inability for the "adults" to have a serious conversation in the first half of the drama. Again, this was mostly for plot reasons, and had some justification with the past trauma aspect of the show, but it was frustrating. Another thing I disliked was the attempted love triangle thing between Yoo Chan and Seo-ri. They did a good job of handling the arc overall, but it just didn't land for me.

The Performances

Shin Hye-sun as ("still 17") Woo Seo-ri. I loved this performance. The overall arc for the character, which is basically "poor little orphan makes good" isn't groundbreaking, but Hye-sun managed to keep the character fresh and fun to watch. And that made the moments of sadness hit even harder.

Yang Se-jong as ("poor trauma boy") Gong Woo-jin. Another good performance. I liked the chemistry he had with Hye-sun's character, but what made this work was the way Yang Se-jong managed to portray the slow change from weird mountain man shunned by society, to hardworking family man, while still keeping the core goodness of the character intact.

Ahn Hyo-seop as ("the good nephew") Yoo Chan. This guy was fun to watch, and made a great foil (comedic and emotional) for the two leads. I especially liked the way they showed his differences in language (from living overseas part-time) and his upbeat attitude overall. The show would have been much more depressing without the lighter moments that he brought to it.

Ye Ji-won as ("the housekeeper") Jennifer. This character was straight out of a Wes Anderson film, and I loved the decision to play her that way. I liked Ye Ji-won in her role as the quirky mom in Introverted Boss but this was much more fun and memorable. I don't know that kdramas really need more housekeepers with martial arts skills and an encyclopedic memory of weird facts, but I for one would enjoy more characters like that.

Jung Yoo-jin as ("noona boss") Kang Hee-soo. I liked her in Romance is a Bonus Book and it's nice to see her in a more laid-back role. Enjoyed her interactions with Seo-ri and Woo-jin.

Lee Ah-hyun as ("absent mother") Gong Hyun-jung. Not in very many episodes, but I really enjoyed the scenes she was in. Just a cool character.

Ahn Seung-gyun as ("quirky coworker") Jin Hyun. He was fun to watch, but I never understood what his deal was, other than just being young and quirky.

The Rowing Crew. These guys were fun to watch, but kind of interchangeable.

Yoon Sun-woo as ("the doctor") Kim Hyung-tae. The actor did okay with what he was given, but it was basically another fake love triangle which I didn't like, followed by some minor character stuff which was only kind of interesting.

Wang Ji-won as ("the rival") Kim Tae-rin. I have mixed feelings about the character. I liked the sort of flashback / arrested development thing, but I feel like the resolution to this was maybe too fast. But the actor did a good job and I felt some real feels at times.

The Bad Client. I hated this guy, which shows that he did a good job. A little bit of a stereotype, but (like with loansharks and fascists), I never get tired of seeing this type of guy get what's coming to him.

So-ri's Family. Not really memorable, but they did a good job for the most part.

TL; DR:

It's billed as a romcom, but it's at least equal parts melodrama. Frustrating and endearing at times, but it's worth watching just to see Shin Hye-sun and Yang Se-jong at work.

#my kdrama notes #still 17 #thirty but seventeen #kdrama melodrama #i hate love triangles

[ahsung]

SHIN HYUN BEEN & JUNG WOO SUNG for ELLE Korea, November 2023

#shin hyun been #shin hyun bin #jung woo sung #tell me that you love me #kdramaedit #kdramanetwork #asiandramanet #userdramas #dailyasiandramas #kdrama #userbbelcher #chewieblog #samblr #useryd #glamoroussource #pocedit #actors #*m #*ph #really excited for their melodrama

[moonchildicons]

Tell Me That You Love Me (Ep.1)

#사랑한다고 말해줘 #tell me that you love me #kdrama #kdramasource #kdrama daily #kdrama network #kdrama scenes #korean drama #korean series #asian drama #asiandramasource #korean actor #korean actress #jung woo sung #shin hyun been #melodrama

[whywontuluvme]

There's something about dramas like Our Liberation Notes, Call it love, Summer Strike and Tell Me that You Love me that just heal me and provide me with so much comfort.

#i would add my mister to the list too even thought it was a little too gut wretching to watch. #all these dramas hold a very special and very dear space in my heart #something about the slow moving and mundane but raw and true emotions provoked by the characters speak to me #i find pieces of myself scattered all throughout these dramas #please recommend me anymore that you might think id like!! #also the male leads in these dramas are truly the greenest flags #its so hard to find someone who truly understands and speaks my langauge of hurt and pain and love but watching these dramas makes me feel #less alone and that is why i'll cherish them as i continue this silly journey called life #kdrama #kdramas #melodramas have my heart #i forgot to add soundtrack 1 to the list!! #rant #my liberation notes #call it love #tell me that you love me #summer strike #my mister

[binging-asian-dramas]

Call It Love. 9

Story: 9

Acting: 10

Chemistry: 10

Comparable to: Just Between Lovers (kdrama) ; When the Weather is Fine (kdrama)

Flat out has to be one of the most depressing but romantic melancholy healing kdramas. Male lead’s character is written in the most whump’ness way. Don’t get me wrong female lead’s character is just as whumpy, but oofing ML is dialed up to 💯 No matter the storyline flows excellently despite some questionable editing choices. Gosh knows how many slow motion scenes this drama, if you took a shot every time there was one you’d be drunk by the end of the episode. Despite that everyone did an outstanding job, both leads chemistry was oozing on screen, I mean honestly I’m a bit bias always with Kim Young Kwang dramas. For me there’s never a drama I disliked of his. He always manages to pull off excellent dramas (still standing on that D-Day is top fav) If you love melodramas, this should definitely be a must watch!

#call it love #kdrama #hulu #disney + #kim young kwang #lee sung kyung #kim ye won #yeon je hyung #jun suk ho #sung joon #ahn hee yeon #nam ki ae #jang sung bum #seo dong won #melodrama #romantic drama #whump #slow burn #love/hate #office romance #ceo #fav #rec #❤️

[crookedfandomquill]

"Hotel King" Rewatch: Episode 1

Let’s address the elephant in the room: if I had a dollar for every time Lee Dong Wook and Lee Da Hae played love interests in a fake-out incest plotline…

Tragic backstories are like blood in the water and I am a hungry-ass shark

I’m sorry but his name being Jayden will never not be funny to me. I am from the American South and I know multiple Jaydens, all of whom are polo-wearing white boys ages 5 to 26 whose moms sell knock-off essential oils out of the backs of their minivans. I can’t take the name seriously in this context

“Is this heaven?” Oh honey no it really isn’t

Ah and the gaslighting begins. I’m remembering now that the main character in this drama is one of the more traumatized ones I’ve come across

Mmm yeah this is a good look for LDW. Not my absolute favorite (*cough* Soo Yeol *cough*) but objectively spiffy nonetheless

You know what, that party was so painfully lame that Chairman Ah saved it by falling to his death in the middle of it

Say what you will about the balls-to-the-wall plots of melodramas, but more often than not they deliver really incredible character writing. 30 minutes into the show you already know so much about Jae Won: he’s cold and full of anger, but he’s also idealistic and a bit naive (he genuinely thought Chairman Ah would acknowledge him and beg forgiveness if he just confronted him). He’s competent and driven but also completely beholden to his abusive father figure. He’s a man of few words and fewer platitudes, and the only thing sharper than the lines of his suit is his business acumen. Going back through the journey of getting to know the characters is my favorite part of any rewatch

Meanwhile, Mo Ne be sneakin’ (badly)

Gosh, imagine your beloved father has died and you make your grand return to the country by crab-walking in public, committing widespread property damage, and braining somebody with a large frozen fish 

Oh look, it’s the manager who CARRIES A HORSE WHIP??? Look, she knows her aesthetic and she’s rocking it. And no patience for guests creeping on the maids, I can’t not stan

Alright, but the fact that our lead couple starts out with him thinking she’s his secret half-sister/rival for his inheritance, and her thinking he killed her dad? It’s the messed up, angsty, weird, character-driven stuff that dreams are made of (mine, at least) 

Mo Ne really said “I want lots of money and zero responsibility” and let me tell you I felt that in my broke 20-something soul

Very strong soundtrack on this drama tbh, even if it does get repetitive after a while

Overall rewatch thoughts: I’m a ho for intrigue and this drama has so much of it, no wonder I binged the whole thing in about two days the first time around. The acting is as good as I remembered it, the secondary characters are so promising just from the first episode, and the vice chairman really makes my skin crawl. Knowing all the insane twists and turns the story takes just makes the rewatch extra fun. Safe to say that I have been thoroughly dragged back into Hotel King!

#hotel king #kdrama #lee dong wook #rewatch #love me a good melodrama #lee da hae

[naksushadows]

“If we are not from the same world, I will find you.” – Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)

#Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo #달의 연인 - 보보경심 려 #Moon Lovers #Scarlet Heart: Goryeo #riter: Jo Yoon Young #Historical #Romance #Fantasy #Melodrama #Goryeo Dynasty #Rivalry #Love/Hate Relationship #Power Struggle #kdrama series #kdrama #kdrama quotes #kdramas quotes #korean quotes #korean dramas #love story

[bublegunn]

#these two really gave 2000s Japanese melodrama vibes #kdrama #korean drama #daily dose of sunshine

[lisaken]

“What happened? You have to tell me so i can comfort you. You know, that’s my specialty.”

Episode 10

#call it love #kdrama #slice of life #melodrama #melancholy #sung kyung #young kwang #sung joon #romance #screen caps #kdrama caps #disney +

[lastofthe20thcenturygirls]

it's been so many years but i am still mad that in the k2 he didn't fall for the evil milf but her boring af step daughter :/

#my mother started the k2 recently she's a big jcw stan and how much of a disappointment that drama turned out to be just all came back #honestly they should cast ji chang wook and song yoona in a melodrama together #and make it up to me #kdrama

[aboutdoramas]

#kdramawomensweek - Day 6: Funny Girl Woman

✦ Hwang Jung Eum

#kdramawomensweek #hwang jung eum #can you hear my heart #kill me heal me #the undateables #she was pretty #lucky romance #high kick #to all the guys who loved me #golden time #she is the best in romcoms #but she is good in melodramas too #kdrama

[rehabmoharam]

The opening of this drama is the best.

#vincenzo cassano #tvn vincenzo #vincenzo #melodrama #kdrama #korean actor #love #romance #action #asian actor #asiandramanet #song joong ki #ok taecyeon #yeonbin

[tottallyana]

me watching melodrama when i was 16: ew that's sappy

me now: cries at the end of every damn episode like a baby

#melodrama #kdrama #see you in my 19th life #growing up is weird #screaming crying throwing up

[binging-asian-dramas]

The One and Only. 8

Story: 8

Acting: 10

Chemistry: 10

Comparable to: If You Wish Upon Me (kdrama) ; Doom at Your Service (kdrama) ; May I Help You (kdrama)

Definitely need a box of tissues handy for this one, even the synopsis should give you fair warning before diving in. It’s a bit of a depressing drama throughout really, nothing upbeat at all, but It’s well written and extremely well acted, both main leads were fantastic.

#the one and only #kdrama #viki #prime video #ahn eun jin #kim kyung nam #joy #kang ye won #go doo shim #jang in sub #drama #melodrama #mystery #emotional #romance

[mutereddid]

Just Between Lovers 🫧

#just between lovers #rain or shine #lee jun ho #lee junho #won jin ah #won jinah #kdramas #kdrama spoilers #kdrama #replikler #melodrama

[egost-ella-e]

My Liberation Notes 💌

#my liberation notes #my liberation diary #drama #korean #kdrama #kdrama quotes #melodrama #citação #dark academia #dark aesthetic #frases #light acadamia aesthetic #light academia #my posts #livro #quotes #dark acadamia aesthetic