April 2020 Dramas — wine and a kdrama

Hello! Since we all are stuck at home (and if you are like me, stuck alone AND with no job!), I figured that it would be the best use of time to really focus on the blog again. I have some specific series planned, as well as some things I haven’t been able to do or work on because I was too busy during the year with work. I’m hoping that some of the posts help take your mind off things and for me as well. I’m also going to be doing more YouTube content, so if you aren’t subscribed to my channel yet, you should!

I haven’t been able to do a what I’ve been watching/what I’m excited for in the new month post in a while and thanks to the pandemic, here I am! Think of this post as the kick-off event for all of the things I have planned in April. I’ve been doing a lot more drama watching, and while I’m spending a lot of this summer catching up on older dramas and trying to make a dent in my on-hold list, there are a couple of new dramas premiering this month that I’m interested in.

But first, let’s talk about the shows that I watched during March-ish. Although I didn’t get to watch much for the first 3/4 of the month, the last couple of weeks is where I really shined.

+ completed +

My Holo Love/나 홀로 그대: Binged because it was really good (and I’ve been missing Chansung if we are honest with ourselves here). It was a Netflix show but had been pre-produced well before so when it dropped all of the episodes were available in a chunk making a binge super easy. I love the way they handled the storyline, and one of the best ways to introduce the face blindness trope into a story.
XX/엑스엑스: This small web drama was so good, and kind of wish we had more time with it. This is Hani (from EXID)’s first role, and I really think she did a great job. The characters’ interactions were nice, the tone of the show really helped work in the vibe of the bar, and there were some great character developments that not only were enjoyable, but also good to see in a drama. Give it a chance if you haven’t already.
Repeat/リピート〜運命を変える10か月〜: Repeat is the original Japanese version of the currently airing kdrama, 365 Repeat the Year, and I had been wanting to watch it because I intend to - spoiler alert - start a series where I compare jdramas vs their kdrama version. I had intended to not get to this till my contract was actually finished at the end of April, but with me being home I was exposed to more people who weren’t using the 365 Repeat hashtag and feared that I would spoil the jdrama with the kdrama and knew I needed to start it soon. I ended up binging this in about a day and a half and loved it. Is it perfect? No. But it is a time travel show, so there’s really no way to get that story right in 10 episodes. The tone was perfect, and it really spent most of its time on the event itself and not on a bunch of outside storylines which I enjoyed.
God’s Quiz: Reboot/신의 퀴즈:리부트: I started watching this one way back when it was airing but life and video issues got in the way, and have been putting off finishing it until I had the chance. No job means the time was right. I really enjoy this series. If you like Bones or Castle, you’ll like this one. Ryu Deok Hwan is A++ in this. Honestly, it’s his best role.

+ currently watching +

I’m watching a ton of dramas and they are changing rapidly so I’m just going to list them here and not explain in depth about them. Check back next month (or follow me on twitter) where I’ll spend more time on the ones that I finish/keep up with:

365: Repeat the Year (currently airing)
Hospital Playlist (currently airing)
Nobody Knows (currently airing)
When the Weather is Fine (currently airing)
Followers
Densetsu no Okasan
Rich Man, Poor Woman (original jdrama version)
Shiranakute li Koto

+ new dramas +

Not too much in terms of interest this month, but here’s the ones that have me intrigued enough to look into.

Apr 17 The King: Eternal Monarch-더 킹: 영원의 군주 // SBS (Netflix)
Is anyone not going to be watching this one? While if I’m being honest, the storyline is not super interesting to me but I am interested on how this will play out, and am expecting a lot of great cinematography (which can win me over even if I’m not down with the storyline).

Apr 20 Born Again-본 어게인 // KBS2
Mystery/melodrama/twisted fates/Jang Ki Yong/Lee Soo Hyuk. I’m into it.

Apr 27 Good Casting-굿 캐스팅 // SBS
A drama about female NIS agents? Yes please.

Apr 27 Exemplary Detective-모범형사 // jTBC (Netflix)
While I love crime dramas, crime dramas that focus too much on politics or law don’t usually win me over. I like clues, not debating over the clues to win. I don’t know how this one is going to play out, but the cast looks pretty great.

+++