August Dramas
Another month has passed, and I actually watched and completed a good amount of dramas.
+ completed dramas +
We had a themed episode this month on the podcast all on horror that I was super excited about and kind of ran with that…but for the rest of the month I was pretty quiet because I honestly ran out of steam.
Strangers From Hell - 타인은 지옥이다: So very good. Everyone’s acting was on point on this one. The twists and turns and the suspense and tension of everything is great, unnerving and just as confusing as it is for the main character. If you are looking for a creepy horror this is it.
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay - 사이코지만 괜찮아: This one was primed to be a top drama for the year, yet fell flat for me at the end when they chose a path with a character that I didn’t like. (spoiler: I absolutely HATED the decision to make her mother an actual character who wasn’t dead. And kept her fairy tale like. I even told myself at the begining of the series that if this was an actual horror story, she would be the killer. It’s a very cliched horror trope, but the drama never needed to be a horror past using it as a way to represent the health issues of the patients. At that point in the series all the fantastical elements have lived in the minds of the sufferer, so there was a clear distinction as to what was real and what it felt like to be in the mind of the sufferer. Having her not only become real, but not in a grounded in reality character just felt like such a punch in the gut towards how beautiful the mental health aspects were presented within the story. Sigh.) All the actor’s performances where amazing, and the three developed such a beautiful relationship. I still love most of the series
Eerie: I picked up this Filipino movie just browsing Netflix one night. It was pretty good, nothing spectacular but I did enjoy it for what it was. I’m more of an atmospheric/supernatural horror lover, and this one had that. It’s a Netflix original, so this should be accessible to most and on the platform for a while.
Under the Miracle Cherry Tree - 僕だけが17歳の世界で: I really wish Viki hadn’t chosen to sub this like it was airing (when the series had been done for months) because it would have been a great binge. But I sadly chose to start it second week in and had to wait. I really enjoyed the story, and while the main plot is between the two leads and their love story, they really integrated the relationship of the entire friend group in well and never down played that. Which I always appreciate.
Stranger - 비밀의 숲: I binged this series to get it done before the premiere of the second season…and have yet to even pick it up. Stranger is a good show with solid acting, but most of it is not what I’m into. I like my murder with a side…sprinkle of corruption. Stranger is not that. Basically ep ~13-15 was the best part of the series for me.
Ishi No Mayu - 石の繭 殺人分析班: I have had this series on my radar for a while and just felt like a binge. Was the killer super easy to figure out within the first episode? Absolutely. But there is a possibility that others won’t pick up on it, and other than that I really liked it. There are a couple more seasons that I plan to pick up soon.
Soul - 혼: Oh. I loved this. Objectively it’s not really well written nor acted and the plot is a little iffy. But those ending ~10ish minute deaths are just so good like any other campy horror movie. I had so much fun watching it, and that’s really all that matters. These are just dramas anyways.
Ghost Theater TV - 劇場霊からの招待: Not the best, but the episodes are short and kind of easy to throw on and watch a couple of episodes and leave. I think this is a good choice for those who want something creepy, but are a little more sensitive to scares. It’s got a mid-day cable tv Alfred Hitchcock Presents type feel to it.
Ju-On Origins - 呪怨：呪いの家: For the most part I enjoyed this series. It’s part of the Grudge universe, focusing on the house and all that happens to lead to other events. You don’t need to watch the movies to watch this. It is creepy, and the last half of the series does get a little more gruesome and out there. It’s a Netflix original series as well.
Tokyo Vampire Hotel - 東京ヴァンパイアホテル: Oh how I loooooved this. It’s the best kind of satirical camp that is aware of how off the wall it is and knows what it’s doing. It starts off at a level from the first ten minutes of episode one and keeps up at that. Lots of blood. Lots of gore. But lots of symbolism. Love.
Goedam - 도시괴담: Despite the episodes being extremely short (5-7ish minutes long), I enjoyed this series. I wanted more from the episodes, but I also don’t think that the stories were that drastically effected because of the short length. It’s an easy binge if you are looking for another Netflix horror series. It’s also just dropped.
Horror Stories - 무서운 이야기: I randomly picked up this movie one night while waiting for some random music show. It had been on my list, but kind of put it off. Think 1001 Arabian Nights, but the stories are horror stories. Not a lot of stories, so it kind of almost sets itself up as anthology with an over arching storyline of a high school girl having been kidnapped by a serial killer who just wants to get some sleep with horror. That storyline is the worst part about it, but I did like the difference in each of the stories.
+ currently watching +
My currently watching is a little weird. I have some things that are on hold but not because I can control, and also some are ones that I have in the background that I’m picking up episodes here and there when I feel like it. I’ve also haven’t been watching much Asian dramas and doing other things (hello Dreamcatcher/DAY6 comebacks paired with 2PM anniversary), so I really slowed down on my watching after the themed podcast. I go through ups and downs with my watching, you should know this by now.
Denetsu no Okasan (jdrama)
Lucifer (kdrama)
The Victims’ Game (tdrama)
Who killed Tokuyama Daigoro? (jdrama)
+ new dramas +
This month is going to be a little weird in what I’ll be watching. I’ve started a rewatch of Buffy, and been doing things that require not looking at subtitles as well as watching some secret things for…reasons. Also, with a lot of dramas being put on hold some of these might not even happen or the dates might change slightly, but here are some of the ones that I’m interested in:
Sep 1 Amanza - 아만자 // Daum Kakao TV
I think this is fantasy? But also a melo? I don’t know. But it has Jisoo, so if I can get my hands on it I’ll give it a go.
Sep 1 Erased - 僕だけがいない街 (anime) // Netflix
I’ve watched the drama version of this (also on Netflix) and really enjoyed it, so when I saw that it would be on Netflix this month I figured I’d give it a go to see how it compares to the live action version.
Sep 1 The Promised Neverland - 約束のネバーランド (anime) // Netflix
This anime has actually been on my list for a while, and am shocked that it showed up in the What’s New. I never get that lucky with animes and Netflix.
Sep 7 The Zombie Detective - 좀비탐정 // KBS2 (Kocowa)
I’ve been on a horror kick and it isn’t stopping till after Halloween. I just love it so much, and trying to get into the fall season early is what is helping me get by these days. This one might not keep my interest after the first episode (since it is a comedy) but I still want to give it a shot.
Sep 8 #Alive - #살아있다 // Netflix
Oh look, second zombie thing on this list! This movie came out only a couple of months ago and Netflix has picked it up, thankfully. From what I’ve heard it seems pretty good and a little bit of different take on zombie films.
+++