#Hwayugi nice drama

[dramaaddict]

With all the problems that are still unsettled in AOS2, do I have absolute faith in Hong Sisters that they'll be able to fix everything properly in the last 4 episodes?

NOT AT ALL.

Hotel Del Luna was fine. I binged it and the ending makes sense BUT

I watched Hwayugi while it was airing and like now, I was completely obsessed with it. It was my mental support. And they messed it up SO BADLY in the last two episodes it completely devastated me. And I will ALWAYS remember that. I cried so hard after the finale not just because I was sad but because WTF was that ending...

Now, I didn't finished AOS1 so I only know the generally plot after ep 12 and I'm really really enjoying AOS2 but after ep 4 and the amnesia plot is still unresolved I got so worried that I started to get deja vu from Hwayugi days.

And after worrying for days, I decided, I'm just gonna enjoy the ride. I won't care too deeply about what's gonna happen anymore. I'm just gonna have fun watching it and not think about all the mess. Even if everyone dies at the end, I'll still be enjoying it. After all, the scene where Yul imagining kill Yeong with himself was so nice to watch, even if it was real, I'd still love it. Nothing can hurt me anymore. I'm invincible.

(Reminder that they also wrote BIG 2012, a drama so disastrous not even the presence of Gong Yoo can save it.)

[fluorescencefuture]

Hwayugi / A Korean Odyssey Episode 3 Thoughts

Overall Feelings About the Show So Far

Good god, why did they put so many effects without the budget for them

This is the worst Wukong outfit design I have ever seen

Why is every episode 1 hour 30 minutes I mean episiode 1 and 2 could've totally been one episode just saying

Not really feeling the chemistry yet

K-dramas use Vine boom sound effects and I cannot take anything seriously because of that

I’m saying it now, I hate the soundtrack

I use Samsung phones so I feel a visceral reaction every time I hear the ringtones in K-dramas. That Morning Glory alarm will forever haunt me

The Main Leads

Wukong couldn't just blow on blood to get rid of it in the original but it's not out of character for him or the novel to pull a bullshit power out of nowhere so I’m cool with it. He can also magically control traffic now, which I accept as canon

I don't like Samjang that much. I feel like they haven't quite struck the balance between headstrong and put together with bewildered and scared of the magical realm. I mean the latter is really accurate to Sanzang in the book but Sanzang in the book is horrible so

Is it the actress? I really don't vibe with the character of Samjang but looking at it again I feel like the script are totally fine. I think it might actually just be a miscast actress, or odd direction

Ehh, the double tsundere thing isn't really working as well as it did in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, the other K-drama I half-watched

Honestly I wish they went the A Chinese Odyssey route and used White Bone Demon or Original Character Do Not Steal for Wukong's love interest because a version of Sanzang is too obvious of a choice for me and also this one’s kinda boring

Guanyin would totally have a version of the headband that inflicts emotional pain ahah. Making someone fall in love with you by using a device (like a love potion or gadget) is a trope I find egh but it's a little less awful here since Samjang didn't know it would do that and Wukong still has some free will

Rejecting his love gives him physical pain, wonderful. And hey, they've got that part right, the only wounds that actually hurt Wukong are emotional ones. And also Red Boy's fire

The Supporting Cast

I honestly really love Mr. Lee, the employee guy. He doesn’t deserve to be caught up in this.

"Even someone as boring as dogs and cows can become a celebrity?" he says unknowingly to the dog and cow demons

Demon Bull King is kind of overacted at times but he can be funny too

"Sha Wujing tweeted that Bull Demon King found Samjang" oh my god, he got destroyed by Twitter

That "time travel doppleganger" photo, I love that. And the dog demon secretary pointing at the fluffy doggo and going "hey it me!"

Oh shit, imperial Japanese flag, we in the occupation?! And the lady who got shot in front of him was Princess Iron Fan? Holy shit, that's one hell of a backstory for Demon Bull King

Bro, he loves his wife :'(

So DBK's plan was to hire Samjang to make Wukong do exorcisms and he would take the credit? That's...brained. Not small-brained or big-brained, just brained.

Hey look, it's the OG trio all together. ...It doesn't feel the same

Okay even if Bajie is too attractive he's still the same old Bajie inside so it's all good. DBK calls him out on being a coward, ahah. I also love that Bajie's still delusional over his power level compared to Wukong

Little Things I Liked

Wukong dropping off a monkey plush for her to hang out with when she's alone, that's fantastic. "This is Sun Wukong Jr. If he makes you cringe, please take this bracelet off me."

Wukong points out that he lived on a volcano island and actually though, is that why Wukong liked the snowfall so much in that one arc of the book? It never crossed my mind that being from a rather tropical region, he'd of course be a little sensitive to winter cold and amazed by snowfall in general

Wukong parks like a douche which is totally in character since he'd just walk into places and tie the horse up without any permission

"I don't have to take my heart out and show you right?" He can actually physically do that by the way

Wukong stocked the fridge full of Tupperwares of sauces and side dishes for when he eats Samjang I love that

What is that wand thing he's wielding? Is that what the staff is in Korean interpretations?

How are you still cold you bitch you're wearing that ugly ass fur coat all the time

Y'know, it is pretty nice to see a modern Journey to the West that focuses on exorcising more modern type ghosts and demons, I mean that'd be Wukong's best job in modern time

Turns around in bed, Wukong lying in a "paint me like your French girls" pose, he goes "Hey", I should steal that and turn it into a gag comic ahah

In this episode Wukong goes “Damn bitch, you live like this?” and “Alone on a Saturday night? God, you’re pathetic”

Demon Bull King implying that Stephen Chow and Angelina Jolie are demons

Who's this peacock demon?! There's no peacocks in Journey to the West! But for real heh, an Indian animal, keep referencing the original book please

That episode had more shit going on than the previous two, thank god for that cause the last two did NOT need three hours. I mean, this one's still too long but at least shit's happening.

[backhugtrope]

백년의 신부

ok bride of the century was so good. but like, “good” in a ridiculous makjang melo way. i actually slowed down my binge watching 3/4 of the way through because i didn’t want it to be over so quickly

- there’s just SO MUCH going on. birth secrets, arranged marriages, meddling mothers, dopplegangers, murders, prophetic dreams, ghosts, curses.......cake eating contests

- lee hong ki as a cold chaebol lead? i wasn’t sure at first but he made it work! he sings on the ost too and there was a moment where his character on-screen turned away as the song kicked in, and i thought he’d started singing lol. with this drama it wouldn’t have surprised me tbh. in fact he SHOULD have sung. but jung hae in was the idol instead because why not i guess

- sung hyuk (aka general winter/summer fairy) as the 2nd male lead was weird. not cuz of the hwayugi connection but bc he like. fell in love with his sister’s doppleganger. i just could NOT get on board with that, even though they weren’t related she looked identical to his sister?? weird vibes man

- there was one scene where hongki bought a cake and claimed it was an organic mango cake but the fruit on it was GREEN and that irrationally annoyed me (i like cake okay, i notice these things)

- i almost forgot about the restaurant. it’s the flower boy ramyun shop! i love it when i recognise a set or location from another drama

- the noble idiocy followed by the time jump at the end was sooo dumb. why did she even have to leave, and why was he fine with it? plus she was pregnant?? thanks to that fully clothed honeymoon nap presumably... and she still left? despite that, everything got wrapped up nicely at the end. well what’s a kdrama without some noble idiocy and a time jump anyway? and the last episode was pretty satisfying (it ended with them leaving their baby with the aforementioned ghost and wandering off to plant a tree, fyi). 

what i’m saying is you should definitely watch this drama. just mentally check out beforehand and suspend any disbelief (dunno about u but i do this before starting any new drama anyway) and you’ll have a great time.

[kdramaxoxo]

With the spiral of Dodosolsollalasol and Start Up, I’m feeling very let down by Netflix weekly episode shows. I’m tempted to only watch a show once the season is complete. I’ll miss a lot of the buzz but I’m sick of investing in a show to have it fizzle out into a bad ending. I think I’ve lost my kdrama mojo. What’s your recommendation to get my mojo back? Something fun and humourous. I’m looking forward to Tale of the Nine tailed- but please tell me it’s better than Goblin, which I did not love

Don’t forget the Record Of Youth disaster D:

Honestly same anon. I’ve always had this feeling that Netflix doesn’t really understand what makes a good traditional K-Drama and this past couple months has really proven it to me. I resent Netflix regarding K-dramas, because they take shows away from more affordable platforms that love asian dramas with all their hearts like Viki does. Netflix wants to have every kind of drama to keep their general subscribers, but they don’t really care about k-dramas or the niche viewers who normally watch them in my opinion (yes, I’m being very dramatic about this with literally no proof).

If a show isn’t your traditional k-drama setup or style like Extracurricular, Hospital Playlist or The School Nurse Files, Netflix does fine. But if you present them with a traditional trope-y set up, or slice of life romcom that k-dramas are usually so great at, man can they really mess it up. And the thing about these high quality, top actor casted shows Netflix gets the rights to (or fund so they can be “originals”) is that they are usually really long and they don’t fall apart until after episode 8 which means you waste over 10 hours before realizing you’re watching a very poorly written drama. 

And if you’re not like me and you are loving Netflix K-dramas, I’m not mad at you - I’m just jealous :P

Ok, I got that out of my system sorry for the rant!

I recommend Tale of The Nine Tailed anon! It’s on viki and it’s been pretty fun to watch so far! It’s not perfect, but the characters are all really great. I don’t really think it’s anything like Goblin - it’s more like Mystic Pop Up Bar and Hwayugi had a baby?

If you’re looking for something sweet and ridiculous (and short!), I recommend Cherry Magic! (it’s a jdrama technically called 30-sai made Doutei dato Mahoutsukai ni narerurashii) and you can watch that on dr*m*cool or dr*m*nice. It’s short and really sweet and full of pining and angst but also laughs! I look forward to it every week over any of the k-dramas I’m watching right now.

Don’t worry about losing your K-Drama Mojo. Just take a break from Netflix K-dramas like I’m going to do! Maybe add in a few jdramas in the meantime or watch a few classics you know you love. 

[kbandtrash]

Dramas We’ve Watched

(Will update) (Also not serious reviews) (Rachel feels bad about giving less than 10/10s for some reason)

Hwarang

Rachel: 12/10

Every character is chaotic stupid but the drama itself is lawful good aligned

Megan: 12/10

The plot is the best and the characters are all the best and there is nothing awful about it... so, that’s that

(Mom: 8,9/10

She loves the creativity and appreciated the artistic stretch of how it was so modern but technically not)

W

Rachel: 10/10

A whole heckin roller coaster wow you get the goriest most intense violence and the softest sweetest romance all in one package

(Mom: 10/10

*chuckles and sighs* that one was really cool. Scary and intense, really fun to watch, almost like a comic book! It blew my mind pretty much)

Cheese in the Trap

Rachel: 12/10

Not gonna lie all 12 of the points are for my love for Baek In Ho

Megan: 11/10

Yes. But the ending made me die inside. But still, much yes

(Mom: 8/10

Not as good as the other ones, but has it’s own vibe to it so you can’t compare it to anything. I appreciated the subtle mental issues everyone was dealing with)

The Third Charm

Rachel: 7/10

I love Seo Kang Joon and his character more than life itself but I hated that he and Young Jae never talked to each other they just stayed mad until something catastrophic happened

Watcher

Rachel: 8/10

Seo! Kang! Joon! And the plot was incredible too like I honestly never saw anything coming at any point

The Best Chicken

Rachel: 9/10

Adorable. So sweet. Seunghyub is the love of my life but his character’s little brother became so too. Andrew Kang also

Familiar Wife

Rachel: 10/10

Very conflicted about the morality of it all but that’s not the point. Let Me Show You by N.Flying is and also very sweet soft romance and also the second male lead has my heart plus happy endings all around

Hwayugi (A Korean Odyssey)

Rachel: 11/10

Season 2 please I need more of literally every character and storyline

Megan: 10/10

Epic. Absolutely incredible. The dragon made me cackle. The peddler’s grandson is hot. Magic is the best but also the haircuts need some help. Also don’t forget the octopus he’s the best

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

Rachel: 10/10

Softness and sweetness embodied even though she’s a rough and tough weightlifter. Also Jaehyun’s 3 scenes

Megan: 12/10

Heck yes everyone was so wonderful and we love their chaotic energy

Heirs

Rachel: 3.5/10

A number representing the number of characters I could stand

Megan: 7/10

The characters were all the worst except for a select few that made me happy, and the plot was pretty okay

Reply 1997

Rachel: 7/10

They played everything up as much as they physically could but like honestly it was pretty cute

Cinderella and Four Knights

Rachel: 11/10

Hi guys I'm bi wow I’ll take 10 of everyone except Jungshin I’ll take a full baker’s dozen thank you

Megan: 9/10

Plot is pretty good, I like the characters some/most of the time. Love interest bleh. I’m not funny but the drama is. I liked laughing at bad characters and smiling at horrible characters

I’ll Go to You When the Weather is Nice

Rachel: 10/10

Cinematic masterpiece and believe it or not I’m not just saying that because Seo Kang Joon was in it

Bring it On, Ghost

Rachel 10/10

Did I know what I was getting into?? No not at all but wow that was probably like the most fun I’ve had watching a drama

Goblin (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God)

Rachel: 12/10

I don’t have words. I’m sorry there are none to say I just. Wow

Are You Human, Too?

Rachel: 11/10

The game is how many times can I fall in love with Seo Kang Joon and I don’t know if I’m winning or losing

Meow, The Secret Boy

Rachel: 5/10

@ all the side characters/plotlines/romances: do your backs hurt from carrying the entire drama?

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

Rachel: 12/10

Do Bong Soon of Dobong-dong, game developer, protector of women, and leader of high school punks. Ahn Minhyuk, trophy husband. Excellent could not have wanted anything more

Strangers from Hell

Rachel: ???/10

I hate horror and stress of any kind but it would be a crime to deny how extremely well-written that was

Mini Web Dramas (Link Coming Soon)

[cococassey]

Kdrama: Hwayugi (A Korean Odyssey)

Rating: 8.5 / 10

I'm so glad I finished this after putting it on hold for years! This has to be one of the most creative Hong sisters drama in years. I want to pick up cdramas for some time now because they always have dramas about deities, monsters, and immortal love, while you find this rare in kdramas where it's usually supernatural- lite.

There's even a scene where it looks like it came from a xianxia (cdrama) and I wanted to watch that show! I've heard of the tale of Chinese odyssey for a long time, and I'm amazed by how the Hong sisters made that story into a modern Korean twist complete with a memorable love story.

They made me like and appreciate each of the characters. I'm first also iffy about the love potion aspect of the geumganggo, but in the end it was executed in a satisfying manner. What is not satisfying is that ending , but oh well kdrama writers do not want us to have nice things. I'm not as mad as others, maybe because I'm already spoiled by it, I hated how they executed the death, but I'm ok with the ending overall.

I wished Lee Seung Gi and Oh Yeon Seo have more of a sizzling chemistry, but they portrayed their characters well, esp. LSG he embodied Son Oh Gong's cranky, playful monkey really well, a twist on the bad boy falling for the good girl trope.

LSG and Cha Seung Won as Ma Wang have great chemistry though, no wonder this is their 2nd drama. Their love hate bromance and cohabitation hijinks were so comical and cannot be missed. Lee Se Yeong playing as dual character really shone here.

The drama does go on a bit too long, but I don't mind hanging out with this special ragtag group of monsters. It was so much fun. When you leave the drama missing all the characters from adorable Oh Jeong to capricious Pal Gye, you know the drama has done its job well.

[binging-asian-dramas]

A Korean Odyssey. Aka Hwayugi. 9

Story: 8

Acting: 10

Music: 7

Chemistry: 10

The drama just completely fell apart near the last half of the series. And that ending oof. Nonetheless I still love this show so much to the point I can overlook the worst bits. I love anything supernatural so this show holds a nice place in my charts. And Lee Seung-Gi is the best so......

[danahmbisyosangdoktora]

Wow, I’m ten months behind in this supposed “drama list” ??? LOL why did I even try? I should just accept the fact that I am no longer capable of maintaining this blog. Just kidding! Of course... I still have to do this! 

Here’s the many dramas I have watched for the past months I’ve been... away... and working (wew! you know, I’m employed *winks*... but can still watch ofc ofc #asiandramaislife)

NOTE: I’m not gonna include the plot anymore because it takes so much characters and effort. Also I don’t have much luxury of time to rephrase each of them (because we don’t tolerate copy-paste here). I mean I only get them from Wiki! Anyway...

FEBRUARY Let’s Fight Ghost Rating: ★★★★☆ | Moderate plot Country: South Korea Genre: Horror, Mystery, Romantic Comedy No. of Episodes: 16 Thoughts: Watched this because of my number one bae, Kim So-hyun!!! This has been on my list since time immemorial but only decided to watch it this year and month. This is a breather from my usual high school drama (because I so dig this theme/genre) since it includes some uh, supernatural elements. Over-all, it was wrapped up nicely and the drama is such a good mix of different... flavors, be it horror, mystery, romance and comedy... I must say. Finished Watching: February 02, 2019 

Witch’s Love Rating: ★★★☆☆ | Light plot Country: South Korea No. of Episodes:12 Genre: Romantic Comedy, Fantasy Thoughts: I LITERALLY WATCHED THIS BECAUSE I SAW A CLIP ON FB AND THOUGHT THE LEAD ROLE GUY WAS CHANYEOL!!! #clown. It’s my first time to see Yoon So-Hee in a lead role. The last I saw her was in the Ruler: Master of the Mask. The drama is cute! I really ship the main actors!!! It’s kind of confusing in the middle but soon, you’ll get a hang of it... or is it just me?  Finished Watching: February 07, 2019.

SKY Castle Rating: ★★★★★ | Heavy plot Country: South Korea No. of Episodes: 20 + special Genre: Satire, Drama, Black Comedy, Family, School Thoughts: I HAVE NEVER SEEN A DRAMA THIS HEAVY??? Maybe it’s just me?? Coz this is the first time I shifted from the usual mood and age of the actors I watch??? I’ve only been seeing tweets about this drama during it’s airing that said “it’s a must-watch” and the like so I literally got curious and watched it. I don’t remember how exactly I felt during the earlier parts of the drama but I’m sure I never dropped it/delayed it until I was able to keep up with the weekly release of episodes. It’s a total page-turner if it is compared to a book. I really like how it was able to portray the side of education that most people with not-so-obsessed-with-merit-parents don’t understand; the manipulation, the strict competition and the emotional impact it brings to the family ganoin. I love how each family has their own issue and how it all got twisted together (I’m that obsessed with angst). It could really be just me because it’s my first time but I totes recommend!!!!!! Finished Watching: February 11, 2019

On Your Wedding Day (Movie) Rating: ★★ ☆☆☆ | Light plot Country: South Korea Genre: Melodrama, Romance Thoughts: Meh. Just kidding! I watched this during one of my night duties together with my workmate. She was actually the one who’s watching, naki-panood lang ako lol the plot really didn’t appeal to me... or because my attention wasn’t on it full time because I remember we stopped for a moment because I had to work hehe anyway, as someone who fancies... tragedies, it’s nice to see a drama which deviates from the usual happy ending of lead roles.  Finished Watching: February 20, 2019

MARCH Hwayugi Rating: ★★★★☆ | Moderate Plot Country: South Korea No. of Episodes: 20 Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy, Horror Thoughts: I remember watching this because I was in the mood for a supernatural theme.This has been on my list since its release too but only found the mood to watch this month. It’s the right amount of every genre, I love how it turned out. I watched this alongside four other dramas hahaha la lung, just to put it out there. 

I wasn’t able to note what date I exactly finished this though.

Romance is a Bonus Book Rating: ★★★★☆ | Light plot Country: South Korea No. of Episodes: 16 Genre: Comedy, Romance, Life, Drama Thoughts: Watched this when it’s on-going because it’s my number one oppa and nation’s boyfriend, LJS! I was actually surprised he was paired with a noona but ofc ofc, he was able to carry it. I was kilig the entire time! This is actually very close to my heart; aside from it being the last drama of LJS before enlisting, he was actually a Chief Editor!!! He’s really out there outdoing the man of my dreams by taking all roles/professions I like for my man and myself be it a journalist, a doctor, a lawyer/prosecutor and here, an editor. It’s actually not that deep? It focused on how one found love in the middle of career development and adulting. I really admire Jong Suk’s character here because he’s not the type to shove his feelings to the woman and respected whatever decisions she has. Finished Watching: March 29, 2019

Cart (Movie) Rating: ★★★★☆ | Moderate plot Country: South Korea Genre: Life, Drama, Family Thoughts: This was just one of my ‘catching-up-with-EXO-dramas’ moment. Okay, I cried. The plot isn’t perfect but it’s super powerful, it was able to speak volumes. It’s not enough (for a movie) but it was able to talk about the struggle of the working class and was able to show the wicked side of employers and how the upper class together with the media and the government handle situations such as workers’ protest. Just a little eye-opener to those who can’t seem to understand this matter. Finished Watching: March 29, 2019

JUNE Criminal Minds Rating: ★★★★☆ | Moderate plot Country: South Korea No. of Episodes: 20  Genre: Action, Mystery, Detective Thoughts: I was randomly watching tvN via SKY Cable (yes free promo) when I stumbled upon its episode 12. My mom joined me and we got hooked and curious, she asked me to search for the drama so we can watch it from the start. I think this was the first time that I watched an investigative drama. Not sure if Terius Behind Me and Strong Woman Bong Soon count so this was probably a first. Also, based on my little research, there are cases incorporated in the drama that actually happened in real life in Korea. I really love this! Finished Watching: June 09, 2019

Her Private Life Rating: ★★★★★ | Light plot Country: South Korea No. of Episodes: 16 Genre: Comedy, Romance Thoughts: I HAVE NEVER RELATED TO A DRAMA SO BAD AS I DID HERE!!! Of course, it’s a fangirl’s story!!! This was a bit anticipated by stan twitter and I’m one of them. Watched this while it’s on-going. Although the fangirl life was put aside in the middle of the plot to give way for the romance, I was glad someone thought of making a drama out of a fangirl’s perspective. I must say, Deok Mi is one hell of a fangirl! I can only dream of being on her level. Of course, that’s understandable because her character is a masternim.

To conclude my thought on this drama in two words: SANA ALL! Finished Watching: June 10, 2019

Put Your Head On My Shoulders Rating: ★★★★☆ | Light plot Country: China  No. of Episodes: 24 Genre: Youth, School, Romance, Comedy Thoughts: My coming-of-age and high school romance fix! This was one of the many “Facebook made me watch this” because again, I saw a clip of this drama on FB and got curious so I watched it! Haha I seriously can make a list of this sort though. I was lucky to be able to catch it while it’s on-going hahaha so much for #TeamOnGoing. It’s cute, tamang kilig ba. Finished Watching: June 21, 2019

It’s not a lot because I only watch whenever I’m off duty, whenever I get off from work or whenever I can squeeze it during work hours while waiting for blood work he he he 

Some people ask how I manage watching this lot. 

Answer: just watch a lot. 

The past months, I realize I’ve been watching a minimum of five dramas at the same time. Since most of the dramas I watch are all on-going, it’s not that hard to watch all of them. I watch either which ever drama updates first or what I feel watching first. Actually, each drama has their own schedules naman... one drama I watch either updates on Wed/Thu, another Thu/Fri then one on Fri/Sat and so on kaya it’s really not that hard. It’s also the reason why I get to watch completed dramas because each episodes only run for maximum of 1 hour and 30 minutes so let’s say, 4 on-going dramas with 2 episode-updates wont really take a day for me to finish. Remember, we have seven days in a week! So while waiting for the on-going dramas to update, that’s when I watch the completed ones. I only mentally schedule my on-going and completed dramas so I can watch them all equally and just in time when I can still retain what happened on the last episode I left off. Pero there are also times when I like the completed drama so much, I finish it in two days. I stopped finishing dramas in 24hrs because I have commitment issues, ayoko yung iniiwan ako agad cHAROT HAHAHA ANUDAW 

Anyway, ayun lang naman! Let’s see each other again for the other half of this year’s Drama List!

[chiveburger]

I’m only a few episodes into a korean odyssey and I KNOW I’m 3 years late, and I’ve said this before but the writer who wrote this must have some giant galaxy brain. the drama talks about a modern world monkey king who falls in love with sanzhang, but they write the story in such a intricate way. the original monkey king story originated from china in the 16th century, but the writer of hwayugi designed the characters and their relationships so nicely. I can’t explain without writing a long essay about it, but in all the remakes of monkey king I’ve seen they follow the original plot where the sun wukong, zhu baije, sha wujing accompany tang sanzhang on a journey. they manage to incorporate ALL these characters into the drama, and even important aspects like monkey king’s golden ring, the 5-finger mountain he’s trapped under affectionately remade into the 5 candles he needs samjang to blow out. I’m watching it dubbed in cantonese, and all the motifs fit so well with the chinese language BECAUSE they wrote it following the stories. I don’t think this drama gets the credit it deserves simply because not a lot of people have watched, read or grown up with the original monkey king stories. everything from seunggi’s rambunctious attitude, to the demon’s attraction to samjang’s flesh, and everything else comes from the novels that have dated back to the song dynasty. I don’t expect anybody to go back and watch or read any monkey king material, but I’ve grown up with the chinese movies, remakes and stories so seeing it played out in such a unique fantasy drama is so cool.

[arilimbrick]

Hotel Del Luna...

Hong Sisters finally delivered. I’m not mad at the ending. It was wonderful and fitting. They even took the edge off a bit with the after credits scene. If only we could have had something closer to this for Hwayugi. If only Big and Couple or Trouble were better dramas. If only The Master’s Sun, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and You’re Beautiful didn’t have such lukewarm endings for otherwise perfect dramas. Then maybe, just maybe I could watch a Hong Sisters drama and not wait for the rug to be pulled out from under me.

Hotel Del Luna was perfect. Things were wrapped up nicely. I don’t even care about the over explanations. Didn’t ruin it. The important thing was that the ending was a great ending for a great drama. I laughed and sobbed the entire time. The soundtrack was perfect, the cast was perfect, the storyline was perfect. I haven’t missed a drama this thoroughly since Goblin.

Now please, for the love of everything holy (and unholy) give us the Hotel Blue Moon with Kim Soo Hyun.

[dramasauce]

@snikkiml In my personal opinion. Kdramas and Cdramas are very different. It might just be me, but they don't feel the same very often. So you should think of them separately. Beware, you might not ever like kdramas or rarely like them but you have to go in with an open mind!

Since you are limited to Netflix here’s my recommendations (BEWARE: Netflix’s options are SEVERELY limited. They have the High Standard, costly dramas, but mostly they have low budget web dramas that are cringey too. I used the nice budget options. I’m just going to assume you’re using the american netflix and that’s where my knowledge is(that’s what I have) because other countries have different/better options.

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon-rated pretty high in the fandom for good reason. I had a hard time with the female lead but the lead male outshines its really good. (Closest in similarity to a cdrama on this list)

Age of Youth (Hello My Twenties)-its a group drama with a great female cast and I didn’t watch the second season because of actress changes. But the first season I really enjoyed.

My Only Love Song-Historical/time travel but it was really good. I dont usually like time travel OR Korean historicals so...

This side of the list feels more Adult Geared:

Romance is a Bonus Book-I have not watched this one but many seem to like it.

Something in the Rain (Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food)-I would not recommend this drama. But, its beautifully shot, the relationship is hot, and the lead male is great. But the villain of this drama was too much.

A Korean Odyssey (Hwayugi)-Beware of tragedy, but another high budget beautifully shot drama, good romance.

Beating Again-I really like this one. It has its sad moments, it has its funny, there could be a little more romance but overall it was solid.

That Winter, The Wind Blows-I haven’t watched yet, but it is on my to watch list. It has cohabitation which I think you like, but it’s a melo so it’s not really humorous.

One Spring Night-The male lead from Pretty Noona, he always picks beautifully shot shows, but the female leads are always... not my favorites. I haven’t watched this one but I hear its okay.

[fantaserye]

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[kdramaxoxo]

Hi! I'm just getting into K-dramas and since we seem to have similar tastes (nice heroes! Awesome heroines!) I was hoping to ask for some recs? I like shows that have a strong romance thread, but also other action/fantasy/scifi/mystery/horror plotty elements to it. I like straight rom coms, too, but get a little bored watching them all in a row and want a change. Something like Healer, W: Two Worlds, Suspicious Partner, Descendants of the Sun, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon etc. Thanks so much!

Yayyy! Welcome to K-dramas! It sounds like you’ve seen quite a few which is awesome (you’re probably just a step away from becoming 100% obsessed like me :P ) 

Romance K-dramas with: fantasy/sci-fi/mystery/horror with soft boys and strong girls

Splash Splash Love: it’s a super cute mini drama where a girl accidentally travels to ancient goryeo and starts working for the king. it’s a fun historical mashup and her cell phone has a working battery. Just saying I love when ancient figures have to deal with modern technology.

The Best Hit: This one is hard to watch on any paid services but I loved it. I’m confused why it wasn’t as popular with the fandom but… A 90′s kpop idol travels to the future and befriends his son, and reunites with his old friends. Yoon Shi Yoon is HILARIOUS and I loved the slice of life goofy vibe.

He Is Psychometric: To be honest, I was surprised that I liked this show as much as I did! I actually don’t like crime dramas but it was funny and sweet. I loved all of the ladies!! The lead is a kid who has psychic powers and wants to help solve crimes. 

Angel’s Last Mission: Love: (warning: not a comedy) An adorable angel falls in love with a cold rich ex-ballerina. I love the reverse trope of the girl being the rude one and it was pretty good overall. The leading lady is played by Shin Hye Sun who is one of my favorite actresses. She can out act anyone anytime!

Come and Hug Me: (warning: not a comedy) Ok, this is a hard watch BUT. A boys father murders his childhood loves entire family. Fast forward to everyone trying to live normal lives while the murder haunts them. I cried in every episode and the main’s love story was so beautiful. I know it wasn’t perfect, but every time i hear a song from the soundtrack I tear up.

While You Were Sleeping: I barely remember this drama, but it did have a really cute trio of leads. A girl can see the future and pairs up with a cop and a prosecutor to prevent/solve crimes (i think). It’s been a while since I saw it lol.

Chicago Typewriter: Everyone is probably so sick of me recommending this but it’s great and is about a group of people who are tied by past lives in Japanese occupied Korea. 

Legend of the Blue Sea: This is a highly flawed drama but I thought it was pretty cute. A mermaid falls in love with a human (lee min ho so obviously!) and silliness ensues. The mermaid is freakin awesome - her bffs are a 5 year old and a homeless lady - LOVE. The villain story was a tad annoying.

Goblin: So, you didn’t mention this one on your list and if you haven’t seen it, I think you should. It’s pretty much the most famous k-drama in the last few years and so many shows reference it. A goblin is forced to room the earth until he finds a bride who can remove the sword in his chest. Real Talk: a goblin and a grim reaper become roomies while their love interests are also super funny and interesting? Some say it’s slow moving and they’re not wrong, but I loved it.

Oh My Ghostess: A shy reclusive girl who works under a jerky chef gets possessed by a sex hungry ghost. it’s a really fun restaurant setting and this is one of my faves. 

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes: (warning: not a comedy)  This is a seriously creepy and unusual k-drama with mystery elements. I LOVED it but it’s not light and fluffy. Amazing actors and there’s really no other k-drama like it.

Hwayugi/ A Korean Oddysey: A women who can see spirits curses a monkey god, binding them together. There are tons of other interesting gods and godesses, and i LOVED the zombie/pig ship (this just sounds like gibberish doesn’ it?)  It’s super fantasy and fun BUT I did find it very long-winded personally. I fast forwarded through a lot of the talking…I’m mostly mentioning it because my friends who love fantasy really liked it and it fits your interests.

[milkbts]

♡ Disclaimer  ♡ Words: 3k

My Letterboxd - I rate movies  My TVTime - I rate K-dramas and any series that I watch.

♡ Context:

A Korean Odyssey (Hwayugi) is a romantic comedy & fantasy tv-series loosely based on the Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West’. 

♡ Main Cast:

Lee Seung-Gi as Son O-Gong, Cha Seung-Won as Woo Whee & Oh Yeon-Seo as Jin Sun-Mi

♡ Description:

The drama is about Son O-Gong and Jin Sun-Mi who meet under strange circumstances. Jin Sun-Mi has been able to see ghosts her entire life. When she was younger, she tried to help a demon king recover a precious artifact but instead, accidentally lets Son O-Gong out from his invisible house in the middle of the woods when he tricks her to do so as only a human can free him. Jin Sun-Mi, a naive child, becomes punished from this by being given the title “Samjang”. Jokes on both of them though as they meet again because of a deal they made long ago, but, you’ll have to see for yourself.  

♡ Ratings: IMDb (8.4/10), MyDramaList (8.4/10)  ♡ My Opinion: 9/10 -This drama was really good actually and I’d recommend it to anyone. (I started watching this with my friend as it’s our favourite pass time at sleepovers - so if you’re looking for a good time, watch this.) -Good acting -The story is good and I never found it slow or boring

♡ Context:

Age Of Youth (also known as Hello, My Twenties!) is a coming of age and romance drama. 

♡ Main Cast:

Season 1 - Han Ye-Ri as Yoon Jin-Myung, Han Seung-Yeon as Jung Ye-Eun, Park Eun-Bin as Song Ji-Won, Ryu Hwa-Young as Kang Yi-Na & Park Hye-Soo as Yoo Eun-Jae

Season 2 -  Han Ye-Ri as Yoon Jin-Myung, Han Seung-Yeon as Jung Ye-Eun, Park Eun-Bin as Song Ji-Won, Ryu Hwa-Young as Kang Yi-Na (only for special appearance), Ji-Woo as Yoo Eun-Jae & Choi A-Ra as Jo Eun

♡ Description:

Age Of Youth is about five female housemates who live together at the Belle Epoque. While strangers at first, they are able to bond and connect over the traumas they experienced while growing up and face challenges together. There are two seasons and some character changes in the second season.

♡ Ratings: IMBd (8.3/10), MyDramaList (8.8/10)

♡ My Opinion: 7/10 -I did really like Age of Youth and I think it’s a good drama for you to start watching if you are new to dramas.  -I give this drama a 7 out of 10, only because I’ve seen better ones suited towards my tastes. -Good actors but annoying they changed so much

♡ Context:

Black is a romance, thriller, fantasy, & comedy K-drama. 

♡ Main Cast:

Song Seung-Heon as Black & Han Moo-Gang & Go Ara as Kang Ha-Ram

♡ Description:

Black is the story of a Grim Reaper who is ordered to track down his partner who escaped to the mortal realm. In the process of this, he meets Kang Ha-Ram who can see the shadows of death despite being a mortal woman. This complicates things especially after he finds a case from 20 years ago and falls in love with Ha-Ram in the process. Supernatural rules against involvement in human affairs were meant to be broken, right?

♡ Ratings: IMBd (8.2/10), MyDramaList (8.3/10)

♡ My Opinion: 9/10 -One of my favourite K-Drama’s and I highly recommend this to anyone. -It gets a bit dark at times though so I suggest having a light comedy to watch afterward. -Good actors and they have nice chemistry in my opinion -Story is easy to follow

♡ Context:

Blood is a rom-com, action & suspense K-drama. 

♡ Main Cast:

Ahn Jae-Hyeon as Park Ji-Sang, Ku Hye-Sun as Yoo Ri-Ta & Ji Jin-Hee as Lee Jae-Wook

♡ Description:

Park Ji Sang is a doctor who works in the best cancer research hospital in the country. He is a great doctor because of his knowledge of the human anatomy and he’s a vampire... Despite him seeming cold and unfeeling, he has a soft heart and has experienced the inner pain of wanting to be close with people but without knowing how. He has very high morals and believes highly in the sanctity of human life so he suppresses his thirst for blood to save human lives; Unfortunately, he isn’t the only vampire and not all of them agree in his way of thinking. Among his colleagues is Yoo Ri Ta, a hotshot physician who entered medical school at the age of only 17 while simultaneously being the niece of the chairman.

♡ Ratings: IMBd (7.1/10), MyDramaList (7.5/10) 

♡ My Opinion: 8/10 -It took me a while to finish this drama but I lose interest quite easily so it isn’t anything to do with the quality of this drama. -My original interest in this drama came from the actress Ku Hye-sun as she was one of the main characters in Boys Over Flowers (next review). -The chemistry between the main actors, Ku Hye-sun and Ahn Jae-Hyun is really good (and they’re married in real life!). -This drama handles romance and everything pretty well however if you’re looking for a drama with a lot of fangirl moments then I suggest something else -(but this did have some good romance moments).

♡ Context:

Boys Over Flowers is a romance & a very, very dramatic drama.

♡ Main Cast:

Lee Min-Ho as Koo Jun-Pyo, Ku Hye-Seon as Geum Jan-Di, Kim Hyun-Joong as Yun Ji-Hu, Kim Beom as So Lee-Jeong & Kim Jun as Song Woo-Bin.

♡ Description:

At a famous high school for the incredibly rich, this love story is focussed on Geum Jan-di and the members of F4 - a gang of 4 handsome and rich men lead by Gu/Koo Jun-pyo. Jan-di is a poor girl with a poor family. She gets rewarded for a good deed and gets the chance to attend this high school. Here, she meets the infamous F4 group and is joined by Jun-pyo who is a spoiled heir to world-leading conglomerate ‘Shinwa’. Their love story travels from Seoul to New Caledonia to even Macau.

♡ Ratings: IMBd (8.1/10), MyDramaList (8/10)

♡ My Opinion: 8/10 -My friend and I watched this drama together as it’s said to be the OG K-drama, it’s like the orientation to the world of Korean Dramas.  -Many reviews hated it but this drama was fun to scream at when the characters made poor decisions -This made me cry (not surprising as a lot of these have made me cry) but this one is the most memorable to me because of the good times I had watching it; so I recommend this drama to anyone who firsts asks me for K-drama recs.   -Starts off slow but once you get into it you’ll have the time of your life.

♡ Context: 

Click Your Heart is a mini-series and romance drama.

♡ Main Cast: 

Kwon Mi Na as Mina, Baek Ju Ho as Ju Ho, Kang Cha Ni as Cha Ni, Kim Ro Woon as Ro Woon & Lee Da Won as Lee Da Won.

♡ Description:

Mina is a high-school student who must choose between an athlete, an ‘intellectual’, a ‘loner’ and a dancer. The episodes set these meetings up and you can click an episode that follows on from that - the episode you click is a different guy that she can choose, so you can literally Click Your Heart.

♡ Ratings: IMDb (6.6/10), MyDramaList (7.4/10)

♡ My Opinion: 6/10  -Good if you wanna experience what a k-drama is like -Too short for me and I prefer normal dramas -Quick to watch though -The acting wasn’t that bad

♡ Context:

Dream Knight is a romance/fantasy drama which centers around friendship.

♡ Main Cast:

Song Ha Yoon as Joo In Hyung & Got 7 - JB (himself), Mark (himself), Park Jin Young (himself), Jackson Wang (himself), BamBam (himself), Kim Yu Gyeom (himself) & Choi Young Jae (himself).

♡ Description:

A young girl called Joo In Hyung who suffers from her past has her life turned around when she unexpectedly meets a group of mysterious men.

♡ Ratings: IMDb (6.8/10), MyDramaList (7.5/10)

♡ My Opinion: 6/10  -Same as Click Your Heart to me honestly -It’s more of a friendship drama and a coming of age drama in my opinion -The acting isn’t too bad -Good for a quick watch & if you are just starting watching dramas and don’t know what genre you like yet 

♡ Context:

Good Morning Call is a Japanese Drama based on the manga series “Guddo Moningu Koru” by Yue Takasuka. Good Morning Call is a romance, friendship, and coming of age drama.

♡ Main Cast:

Fukuhara Haruka as Yoshikawa Nao & Shiraishi Shunya as Uehara Hisashi

♡ Description:

A young girl called Nao decides to stay behind and live by herself when her parents leave to inherit her grandfather’s farm in the countryside. When she moves into her new apartment, she meets Uehara, a popular- super hot boy who goes to the same school as her. They realize they have both rented the same apartment and when they go to the company it’s unexpectedly closed down and the rent has gone up dramatically. Nao and Uehara decide to live together as flatmates so neither of them has to go home.

♡ Ratings: IMDb (7.9/10), MyDramaList (7.8/10)

♡ My Opinion: 9/10 -One of the first dramas I watched and I really loved it -It’s dramatic, romantic and both actors have good chemistry. -There are now 2 seasons on Netflix & the second season didn’t disappoint. -It had fangirling worthy moments and moments to make you really feel for the characters. -WatCh tHiS 

♡ Context:

Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo is based on the manga Itazura Na Kiss by Kaoru Tada. Mischievous Kiss is a romantic comedy Japanese drama.

♡ Main Cast:

Yahagi Honoka as Aihara Kotoko, Furukawa Yuki as Irie Naoki & Yamada Yuki as Ikezawa Kinnosuke

♡ Description:

At a high school entrance ceremony, Kotoko falls in love with Naoki whilst he gives a speech. She decides to confess her feelings via love letter. Unfortunately Naoki - a popular boy everyone is in-love with - turns her down saying “I don’t like dumb women.” One day Kotoko’s house is completely damaged by a meteorite and the house will not be re-built for a while, Kotoko’s dad decides to stay with a friend who happens to be Naoki’s father...

♡ Ratings: IMDb (7.9/10), MyDramaList (8.1/10)

♡ My Opinion: 8/10 -One of the first dramas I watched -It has 2 seasons and I liked it because of the build-up in a romance between both characters -Naoki’s character is cold which is literally my favourite kind because I know he's a softie -Kotoko and Naoki have good chemistry & the acting was very good in my opinion -The story was NEVER boring for me, the writers had really fun ways to make the story go along so I applaud them for that & recommend this drama (it’s very dramatic, VERY).

♡ Context: Noble, My Love is a romantic comedy K-Drama.

♡ Main Cast: 

Sung Hoon as Lee Kang Hoon & Kim Jae Kyung as Cha Yoon Seo

♡ Description: 

Kang Hoon is the CEO of the world’s largest company ‘D.O.L’. One day, he is kidnapped and escapes from his kidnappers but is badly injured. Luckily, he passes out in front of an animal hospital. Yeon Seo (veterinarian) finds him and attends to his wounds.

♡ Ratings: IMDb (7.1/10), MyDramaList (7.9/10)

♡ My Opinion: 7/10 -Most k-dramas have something dark going on behind the love that happens but this drama doesn’t -Many reviews I read were against this drama but my friend and I adored it because of how simple yet entertaining the story-line was. -It has good fluff moments and is good if you don’t like dark subjects in your Korean dramas or tv in general -A good drama to watch after an intense one :)

♡ Context:

Oh My Ghostess is a romantic comedy with supernatural elements including the food genre.

♡ Main Cast:

Park Bo Young as Na Bong Soon, Kim Seul Gi as Shin Sun Ae, Jo Jung Suk as Kang Seon Woo & Im Joo Hwan as Choi Seong Jae

♡ Description:

Bong-sun is a shy young woman who is possessed by a confident ghost of a lustful virgin. Bong-sun works as an assistant and has a crush on her boss. She makes a deal with the ghost as her grandmother was a shaman so from a young age she has been able to see ghosts. They agree that the ghost will help Bong-sun get her boss’s attention if she helps her pass over to the after-life before her time runs out.

♡ Ratings: IMDb (8.2/10), MyDramaList (/10)

♡ My Opinion: 8/10 -Was difficult for me to get into but I thoroughly enjoyed it -It has cute moments & the acting is great -Basically just watch this 

♡ Context:

One More Time is a romance and friendship drama (also known as The Day After We Parted)

♡ Main Cast: 

L as Yoo Tak & Yoon So Hee as Da In

♡ Description:

Yoo Tak is the leader and vocalist of an indie band called One More Time. He’s been maintaining the band for around 10 years but they haven’t acheived their dreams yet and aren’t getting any younger. Yoo Tak begins to take for granted his friends and girlfriend but a young grim reaper has something to say about that. She puts him in a time loop and he has to continue living the same day over and over again until he learns what is really important.

♡ Ratings: IMDb (6.8/10), MyDramaList (7.7/10)

♡ My Opinion: 8/10 -I liked the angst and sadness in this and the life lessons in it -The acting was really good -It isn’t boring and it’s quick to watch -The ending confused me but I liked the deeper meaning :)

♡ Context: 

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (also known as Strong Girl Bong Soon) is an action, comedy, romance & supernatural k-drama

♡ Main Cast: 

Park Bo Young as Do Bong Soon, Park Hyungsik as Ahn Min Hyuk & Ji Soo as In Gook Doo

♡ Description: 

Bong Soon is a young woman who is kind, honest and has superhuman strength... Her family has been gifted Herculean strength from birth to be used for the greater good. If the power is abused it is taken away. While standing up for herself to a group of gang members, Ahn Min Hyuk - who has never trusted the police - witnesses the entire ordeal and asks Bong Soon to be his bodyguard. She agrees and the two fall in love, but the world has different plans in mind for the pair.

♡ Ratings: IMDb (8.3/10), MyDramaList (8.8/10) 

♡ My Opinion: 9.5 -I like the chemistry between the actors in real life AND in the drama. They make a good team. -The balance between all the fluff and romance with the danger is really well done -This is one of my favourite K-drama's  -Watch this Drama if you want clear skin and a new love for yourself

♡ Context:

Switched is a Japanese supernatural and suspense drama

♡ Main Cast:

Tomita Miu as Umnie Zenko, Kiyohara Kaya as Kohinata Ayumi, Kamiyama Tomohiro as Mizumoto Koushirou & Shigeoka Daiki as Kaga Shunpei

♡ Description:

A suicidal teenage girl swaps bodies with a popular girl in her class - but she has no intention of switching back.

♡ Ratings: IMDb (7.2/10), MyDramaList (8.2/10)

♡ My Opinion: 7/10 -For a drama that isn't suited to my tastes, this one really impressed me. -The acting it takes to be able to pull off a successful bodyswap is extremely difficult and the actresses acting in this drama is immaculate. -This has a lot of angst, considering the suicide references, but is a good drama. -This J-Drama has only been given a 7 out of ten because of the plot (which is still great but not my type) but the acting I'd say is the best here.

♡ Context:

The Girl Who Sees Scents (also commonly referred to as The Girl Who Sees Smells & based on the webcomic 'Naemsaereul Boneun Sonyeo) is a romantic comedy with supernatural genres.

♡ Main Cast:

Park Yoo Chun as Choi Moo Gak, Shin Se Kyung as Oh Cho Rim & Nam Goong Min as Kwon Jae Hee

♡ Description:

Officer Choi Moo Gak lost his younger sister to a serial killer and lost his ability to taste, smell and feel any pain whatsoever. Oh Cho Rim, the only witness to the murder case, lost her memory but gained the ability to see smells.

♡ Ratings: IMDb (7.3/10), MyDramaList (8.1/10)

♡ My Opinion: 9/10 -Damn actor Nam Goong Min is hot -The serial killer is also a great fucking idea -The acting is decent and the actors have great fluffy moments -This drama was so addicting for me which is why it has such a high rating -I also really appreciated the ending, something that doesn't usually happen with me and dramas. -This is a must watch

♡ Context:

The Great Seducer (also known as Tempted) is a friendship and romance Melo-k-drama

♡ Main Cast:

Woo Do Hwan as Kwon Si Hyun, Joy as Eun Tae Hee, Moon Ga Young as Choi Soo Hi & Kim Min Jae as Lee Se Joo

♡ Description:

The Great Seducer depicts rich young men and women in their twenties who discover their feelings of love for one another while playing a dangerous bet involved with love. Kwon Si Hyun makes a bet with his friends that he can seduce Eun Tae Hee, who believes that people who are swayed too easily by love are stupid. After Tae Hee meets Si Hyun, her view of love changes and Si Hyun's heart becomes less ice-cold. Secrets become hard to keep as Si Hyun falls deeper in love with Eun Tae Hee.

♡ Ratings: IMDb (7.1/10), MyDramaList (7.6/10)

♡ My Opinion: 10/10 -I LOVE THIS DRAMA SO MUCH OKAY -MY FRIEND AND I STARTED THIS TOGETHER I LOVED IT -THE ACTING IS SO GOOD AND I LOVE WOO DO HWAN AND JOY (red velvet) -Joy's acting has improved a lot and her character is lovely and relatable -The drama is literally my aesthetic and the toxic friend groups and angst of this drama is what I thrive off -Watch. This. You. Cowards. -I could write essays upon essays about this, but tumblr won't allow that...

[somuchkdrama]

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho

Episodes 3 & 4

Dae Woong the Man-Child

@rocknghorss: Daewoong is such a frustrating man-child!!! I get that Miho is.. screwing up his game with noona but why can't he treat her more nicely?

@dramajib: I think he's being plenty nice as it is actually. Like he could just ditch her entirely, but he's put up with her (until now anyway). Mostly out of fear, but still. It's not just noona she's screwing up for him, basically since he met her he's got no money, can't go home for (misguided) fear of her eating his family, he's discovered that most of his friends were fake friends..

rocknghorss: I know :( I'm just biased...

dramajib: Ahahahaha aren't we all. 

That whole ship thing at the end of episode 3 took me by surprise though, I was like... Dae Woong is a selfish manchild, sure, but he hasn't been MEAN up to this point. And that was really mean

rocknghorss: it was! He'd had a pretty disappointing day, but still, that was downright mean.  I guess from his point of view, everything was Miho's fault. So why not? Especially since as far as he knows, the water can't actually hurt her.

dramajib: It's awful. I hope he gets very contrite and fixes it somehow. Preferably NOT by diving in the water and swimming after the boat and getting pneumonia

rocknghorss: Lol.

The Greatest Love Story: Aunt and Elevator Guy

rocknghorss: Speaking of fixing things, I like how Miho is inadvertently fixing Daewoong's relationship with his Grandpa

dramajib: And helping his aunt and the elevator guy

rocknghorss: Oh yes lol. Although! I was a bit confused about why elevator guy thought that aunt was married?

dramajib: In the previous episode, when she runs away cos she thinks his daughter is his gf, he sees her standing in front of the mannequin at the men's underwear section of the department store, and when the sales woman asks her if she's buying undies for her husband she says yes, cos embarrassed

rocknghorss: Oh. I'm glad you remembered, b/c I was completely lost.  That said, I was quite amused just how EXTRA they both are. The soft lit sunset behind elevator man as he was (I guess) wallowing in despair was ridiculous and I loved it.

dramajib: It's so cheesy I can't stand it but I also simultaneously love it

Dramajib Goes Off On Noona

dramajib: Kristin have you finished episode 3? I haven't watched 4 yet but I have an itch to talk about noona and all her noona issues

rocknghorss: I’m down for discussing noona (and continuing to call everyone by their title rather than their name for the rest of the drama lol) whenever

dramajib: Hahaha sorry I'm just useless with names!

rocknghorss: No worries Ekta :) It’s all good! I can’t be bothered to learn names of characters nowadays... I’m too lazy

rocknghorss: I was wishing the other day that Seunggi’s character had a shorter name lol

@triangularlily: Doesn't Miho just call him Woong a lot of the time?

rocknghorss: Ooh you’re right.  Kristin you’re awesome. My thumbs thank you lol

triangularlily: Hahaha you’re welcome.

<note: at this point some of us hadn’t yet finished watching episode 4…>

dramajib: Since we're all done with three: KRISTIN, I TAKE BACK everything I said about noona. What a cunt!

rocknghorss: LOL

triangularlily: LMAO EKTA.

triangularlily: Like she is horrible but I kind of like her actually? When she is tired of waiting for Woong so she just drives away??

rocknghorss: Man-child Woong and Noona kinda deserve each other right now…

triangularlily: I guess I like that she isn’t like bending over backwards to get the guy like a lot of second leads do she is like super confident and scheming about it instead. But maybe I will take back my words too cause I really don’t remember her character at all

dramajib: I was SO PISSED with noona's dress scheme in episode 3, hence my indignation. Like, fine, I was all on her side at first because it IS ridiculous the way Dae Woong is behaving out of the blue and not giving legit reasons. I did love how she drove away.

But when she pulled the dress thing, when she KNEW she wasn't wearing that dress, and she let him lose his chance at auditioning, she lost me as a fan cos that's just cruel. You know this is the big break he's been working towards, and if you really cared about him you wouldn't sabotage that just to throw shade on your competition

rocknghorss: I both hated and enjoyed her pettiness.  Just like Kristin said, I kinda liked that unlike many “villainous” second female leads, she was unrepentantly nasty to her “competition” and wasn’t shy about it. I hated it of course, because it was just gross and had the consequence of more meanness thrown Miho’s way

<...some time later…>

dramajib: Okay I just finished episode 4, and I'm wavering again about Noona. Like, everything she says to Dae Woong about wanting him to be clear about his feelings is totally valid and fair. But the way she behaves about getting this lead role in the film is horrendous - and I don't quite understand why she calls him when she finds out that Mi Ho is the girl elevator guy had his eyes on

Hip Hop Guy, Guest Starring Ma Wang

dramajib: I am epicly confused by incongruent hip hop ost second male lead's deal. Is he just trying to restore balance? Kill Mi Ho? Steal her bead? Is he falling in love with her? Like what is going on there

rocknghorss: I’m watching 4 now. When you guys watched it did it seem like the monk knew that hip-hop guy was some sort of Demon Hunter/supernatural being?

triangularlily: Hmmm idk like he seemed very matter of fact about it like oh u can put the fox back nice!

rocknghorss: Right? It was kind of weird but I guess if the monk does actually believe in a nine tailed fox, why wouldn’t he believe that some random veterinarian could bring the fox back to the painting? Lol

dramajib: I love that his name is now hip hop guy. We’re so good at naming characters

rocknghorss: Lol. We are

dramajib: But didn’t Mi Ho call him a fake monk?

rocknghorss: Ooh, you’re right! But maybe that was supposed to be an insult, since he’s been keeping her captive in the painting?

dramajib: Yeah, that’s what I thought at first too. Also cos he keeps telling her story potentially incorrectly?

triangularlily: Oh true yeah

dramajib: Maybe hip hop guy gave them the painting in the first place? Cos he also gave them to the temple dog to guard it?

rocknghorss: I don’t know guys. Hip-hop guy’s backstory is the most confusing so far

dramajib: Right?? Cos I’m like.. Who even is this guy? He’s been passing as human since before Mi Ho got trapped in the painting, which means the girl he killed was even before that, so is he like in exile now? Is he good? Bad? On a different moral scale altogether?

triangularlily: I’m really trying to remember but can’t

dramajib: lol not the most memorable villain I guess. If he even counts as a villain.

triangularlily: I think he’s technically the second male lead lol

rocknghorss: Hm. Maybe he’s being punished like in Hwayugi.  The way Iron Fan was?

dramajib: Oh noooo the Iron Fan thing was TRAGIC I don’t want to sit through that again!! Ma Wang being mopey in his little throne room ugh

rocknghorss: Ugh yeah. Everything about Hwayugi was tragic.

dramajib: Well not everything. Ma Wang’s fashion gave me life

triangularlily: Lmao

rocknghorss: Lolol Fashion was good, it’s true. But how is he the second lead if he’s trying to kill/capture Miho is what I want to know

triangularlily: Lmao

dramajib: Well he loved Mi Ho’s lookalike, so I can see him starting to grow fond of Mi Ho. And like, try to keep spiritual beings together instead of letting her fraternize with humans

triangularlily: Yeah I think its something that develops and maybe we should talk more after u finish 4 Marie

triangularlily: Cause there is some development in that area in ep 4

rocknghorss: Ah. Oky doky!

<...some more time later…>

rocknghorss: I finally finished episode 4 you guys! And started episode five!

rocknghorss: And I find it super cute that the way the audience is supposed to know Miho is falling in ~love~ is that she wants to feed/eat with Woong, not just freeload off him

dramajib: I love her interaction with the neighbourhood mean girl ahjumma. And the whole hunting down coupons thing

rocknghorss: Yes! Mean girl ahjumma was hilarious.  Her voice was perfect lol

dramajib: Did finishing episode 4 give you any further insight into hip-hop guy?

rocknghorss: Ehhh. Hip hop guy is pitiful. I’d like to understand why his role appears to be “monster hunter” because that was still not cleared up unless I missed something.  But I can definitely see why he’s billed as the second male lead. He’s got it bad for her, in his own way

dramajib: I assume we get more of his back story? Because as it stands, it seems like the way he's hunting her down is probably the big plot point, and I don't really get it yet either

rocknghorss: I think we do? I can’t really remember.  He seems to lack a lot of urgency in getting her back to the temple tho.  Like if it was that big of a deal why is he slowing around and letting her decide on her to go back?

triangularlily: Yeah I cant remember either I think we do

triangularlily: *get more backstory I mean

dramajib: At first it seemed like he'd been waiting to catch her forever. Then it seemed like he was guarding society and making sure she's safely locked up. Now it's like he's hunting her for his own pleasure. So confused

rocknghorss: That’s exactly why I said hip hop Guy was pitiful btw. I think he likes her or is confusing her with her previous incarnation(??) and is struggling not to confuse his feelings for the other girl with Miho. So he’s got this artificial choice of duty or love, but he doesn’t even know Miho really.

triangularlily: Yeah he also has been by himself for so long. Like the whole can’t make human connection thing

rocknghorss: Yeah!

dramajib: The connection thing - was living with humans his choice, or forced on him? And if it was his choice, he's also chosen to live isolated, soooo… Not that I don't feel bad for him, I'm just being contrary for the sake of it

triangularlily: Yeah I just mean I can see how he became a bit twisted is all

dramajib: That whole scene where he's sitting with her in his house and telling her what her options are was sad. But I also don't trust him so I'm like... Are you just telling her things so that she'll choose to do what you want her to?

Ending On A Less Angsty Note

dramajib: But I also love that grandpa loves Mi Ho without even meeting her yet

rocknghorss: Yupo.  He’s just super enamored that someone was able to make his grandson grow up.  Grandpa doesn’t want much lol Also! I like that he doesn’t rib Aunt too much about her crush. Even though she’s wayyy too into it (again apparently lol)

dramajib: Lol aunt and elevator guy are great though. I can't wait for his daughter to find out that Dae Woong is going to be her cousin

triangularlily: Looool I didn't think about that

rocknghorss: Hah

[oceanspray5]

Hwayugi x Laughter in Waikiki Crossover

So I can't get over Hwayugi and just randomly a headcanon or two struck my mind yesterday while moping about the lack of content to satisfy my withdrawals with. It’s frustrating how nothing, not even the other dramas I’m wtaching are letting me get over it. I'm watching Eulachacha Waikiki (and That Man Oh Soo) these days so that prompted the following crossover headcanons to enter my idle but should be studying for exams brain :

So the landlady of the Waikiki building is getting sick and tired of the delays in rent payment by the resident Waikiki squad. Despite the fact Seo Jin has a job now and Dong Gu is part of the directing team of that new movie, the rent still starts to fall behind. The others help with their part time jobs and other income sources but it still isn't a completely steady system of payment yet.

Cue a rich businessman seeing the Waikiki building and thinking it's an excellent place to set up a branch of his fancy spa chain. The building is airy and spacious and will do quite nicely. 

He talks to the landlady, promises her more rent than she has set already and since she knows he's wealthy she is assured there won't be any issues regarding delay of payment either. Despite her being semi understanding of the situation with the Waikiki squad, she just can't forgo this opportunity and tells them she's kicking them out as soon as the details between her and the business man are finalized.

Now Waikiki squad is obviously in a panic. They have nowhere to go. They have no way to pay the base rent let alone challenge the rent the business man is willing to pay monthly. They all have a lot to lose if they are uprooted now just when they are starting off so well. 

Seo Jin could lose her journalism job if she is unable to come to work due to complications. Dong Gu could too especially after finally getting it in the field he loves and his happy to work in. Filming schedules are tight after all. Yoon Ah won't have a way to fulfill her dream of being a pastry chef or get a job if she can't attend her classes and Baby Sol can't be expected to survive on the streets with the adults. She deserves better. Soo Ah and Du Shik's part time job doesn't pay enough either for them to be able to support the group of 6 plus growing baby. Jun Ki also has no solid acting jobs lined up either. Apartment rent is high enough as it is for single or double roomed apartments even in the cheapest parts of town.

So what do they do ? Decide to turn away the business man from buying the building of course. How to do it ? A little research on the businessman shows that he's very superstitious and has very firm beliefs on positive and negative spirits influencing life. Light bulb moment for Jun Ki. Another recklessly ridiculous plan is born which by all logical means has about 20 different chances to fail and get them in trouble. But it's the squad’s only hope left and they can’t give up without a fight so Lights. Camera. ACTION !

They shoot a video where they spot a "ghost" in the building. It goes back and forth between the rooms. Makes noises and knocks over things and even causes baby Sol to burst into tears (she's an excellent actress in the making) despite the adults "not being able to see it".

Things are significantly easier in setting up a fake ghostly spirit when you have a director friend, a model friend who is good at costume and makeup, an actor friend, a screenwriter friend, a journalist who is able to pick apart flaws despite being a little blindsided at times and motivational support friend who cooks real good to keep their energy up and who’s baby is readily available to participate in aforementioned shenanigans.

A lot of quick shooting, editing and a sleepless night later, the residents of Waikiki greet the pompous businessman who treats them like nobodies without jobs and acts as if the building is already his. The landlady is with him and comments on their haggard and exhausted appearances. Cue the acting.

"Yes we haven't slept in days." "There's so much noise in the night." "Sol even wakes up crying during the day." "We think there's a ghost here. Even the guests have complained."

The landlady brushes it off but Dong Gu says he has proof. He set up his camera to observe the room all night and indeed some strange thing is moving around. The businessman becomes curious. Dong Gu continues: We have nowhere to go so we have learnt to live with it and not complain. But would the businessman like to take a look ?

Yes the businessman would and he is immediately fooled by the footage. The extra practice Dong Gu got from his mentors in the directing team were a lifesaver and Jun Ki's fellow actor friend also managed to be a great help by making it appear as if there were more than one ghosts in the apartment. A nicely timed vase crash seals the deal.

Even the landlady is fooled ! She decides she doesn't want to be the owner of this place anymore. The occupants don't pay rent on time and she wishes to no longer deal with them. She would turn them out but the fact of the property being haunted makes it near impossible to have anyone else consider occupying it especially now that the businessman has refused and seemed determined to inform his colleagues of this haunted building. Wanting to rid herself of the building altogether, the landlady calls the one real estate agency known for dealing with haunted buildings. Han Bit Real Estate.

The Secretary informs them that he will come and inspect the building soon with his CEO. The next week, after a couple of meetings with the landlady later, Lee Han Joo and a newly returned from the underworld CEO Jin Seon Mi go to inspect the building.

Han Joo cried when he found out his Seon Mi wasn't dead and now respects and is so extremely loyal to Son Oh Gong. While not being told the truth, Han Joo knows that Son Oh Gong didn't rest until he found Seon Mi. The truth is altered so that Han Joo assumes Seon Mi had been an unidentified patient in a hospital far away from both her village and Seoul and Son Oh Gong didn't rest until he found her (because as far as Han Joo knew, her body wasn't found). Instead of finding the remains of a dead Jin Seon Mi, Son Oh Gong brought back an alive and healthy Jin Seon Mi who he is more protective of than ever before.

Seon Mi knows there are no spirits or ghosts in the building the moment she steps into the Waikiki Guesthouse. However she goes along with the insistence of the residents and decides to watch the footage Dong Gu captured. Han Joo believes it at once but Seon Mi has to hide a very huge grin as she sees the attempts of the Waikiki squad at trying to keep the building from being rented out and bought by the businessman. The landlady had informed Seon Mi of all the details of the lost opportunity and Seon Mi realizes the elaborate prank at once.

She doesn't stay very long, however it's still longer than usual as she takes time to get to know about the Waikiki residents who are in awe of this businesswoman who isn't much older than them but a successful CEO who seems to be living a happy life if her genuine dimpled smile from her mouth to her eyes is any indication. They become even more shocked when Son Oh Gong also decides to invite himself over because, as he tells an amused Seon Mi, "I missed you so bad I thought I would die if I didn't see you !"

Back to being an unemployed nutjob (though he still decided to keep the nice penthouse), Son Oh Gong spends a lot of his time with Seon Mi or watching Cooking shows on Ma Wang’s TV. Much of his time also goes into corrupting his pseudo younger brother Hong Hae Ah at the new Lucifer Hotel and teaching him all the things that make Ma Wang tick. He also keeps up his constant visits to General Frost and Sa Oh Jeong.

However the public doesn't know that and still think he is the CEO of M Group. Thus the jaws of the Waikiki residents drop when they see him come in just to visit the real estate CEO inspecting their house. He shamelessly kisses her on the forehead in front of everyone, holds her hand, intertwining their fingers in the process and then tells her to continue her work.

Han Joo apologizes quietly on behalf of Son Oh Gong and Seon Mi. He elaborates a summary of his CEO having been thought to be dead a while back and only recently returning because of CEO Son's tireless efforts to find her. They were to be married and still are to be soon. The shock and fear factor hasn't faded yet so the couple are still very much in, what can best be described as, their ‘Honeymoon phase.’

Ultimately Seon Mi decides to buy the Waikiki building, not becuase it actually is haunted but becuase she can see there is a family living there who would do everything and anything for each other. They are just trying to get by and make a living while following their dreams as well.

This family is completely normal yet they are also struggling and having a hard time surviving in this cruel world. They aren't alone and don't deserve to be either. So Seon Mi signs the contract with the landlady and becomes the new landlady of the Waikiki Guesthouse. The old landlady leaves with a muttered warning to watch out for the residents and their lack of timely rent payment.

Seon Mi then tells the Waikiki squad that she indeed knows there are no ghosts here and it was just a prank and trick of the cameras. She is willing to be flexible in terms of rent, going so far as to lower it for the Waikiki residents since she has more money than she already needs.

The group of friends is very shocked and are left speechless at her kindness towards them and, like Han Joo, become very "Salute Salute" towards her. Son Oh Gong, who has been playing Peekaboo with baby Sol (secretly of course, he can't get caught being so soft or Seon Mi will never stop teasing him) finally decides that he's had enough of the real estate talk. (“Han Joo can explain the rest to them.”) He wants more fluffy pink cotton clouds to eat and takes Seon Mi to leave first. This just leaves the Waikiki squad even more bewildered at the naturalness of Seon Mi's kindness and her lack of expectations of anything in return.

They turn to Han Joo for an explanation and he just shrugs in response saying his CEO has always been odd, and things around her got odder still after Son Oh Gong entered her life. However, his CEO has always been kind-hearted despite life's toughness been thrown at her since childhood. She has suffered through things Han Joo doesn't know and neither does he expect to understand either but his CEO has always been ready to help him, going so far as to giving him the CEO position and all her wealth in her will when she was presumed dead. (A position Han Joo readily handed back because she would always be better at it than he could be and the real estate agency was hers after all).

The Waikiki squad is even more in awe of this very mysterious woman and her mysterious fiance who gave so much yet expected nothing in return. They thank her every time she comes over and a complimentary basket of Yoon Ah's best muffins arrive every other week at Han Bit Real Estate. 

A good friendship forms between Seon Mi and the Waikiki residents, especially with Yoon Ah. Son Oh Gong and Dong Gu share a lot in common in terms of personality so they also get along quite well. Shenanigans occur a lot. 

Eventually, Du Shik pieces together bits and pieces of Seon Mi’s life and writes a hit internet novella based on her story. Most of it is fiction but a unknowingly Du Shik gets a lot of the plot accurate as well. Eventually, after many requests Du Shik writes a Season 2 where the story of Son Oh Gong’s character faces the trials of the underworld and his and Seon Mi’s character make a dramatic escape. 

Producers wish to make it into a movie for which Du Shik will write the script. Dong Gu gets to direct and Jun Ki finally gets more than just a minor role in a movie and makes his big breakthrough. Yoon Ah finishes her baking course, gets a license and opens a bakery also in a building that is Hanbit Real Estate property and is able to secure a good future for Sol.

When the Waikiki squad finally is able to make it (slowly but surely) and they fulfill at least part of their dreams, they take the Seon Mi and her family out to dinner. After all, she was the one who gave them their breakthrough through her kindness. They provide her with premiere tickets to the movie of her story, random gifts expressing their friendship and even babysitting services sometimes when no one in the demon squad is available to take care of the OTP's son. 

And thus, Jin Seon Mi makes the lives of six young adults and a baby so much better by showing them kindness when they need it most. Seon Mi realizes after observing them that there is no such thing as a ‘normal’ family. Every family is odd in its own way, struggle together and suffer too. It makes her that much more happier about her own husband and child. All her life she wanted to be normal until she didn’t. Now, despite having understood long ago normal isn't all that it’s cut out to be, she feels even happier when she’s with her family and friends. She is exactly where she belongs. Her well deserved Happily Ever After which the Hong Sisters stole from us...

This... got much MUCH more longer than I expected. Ah well. I hope it was enjoyable.

Thank you @riya-in-the-valley @belladonna2018 and @hwayuugi for supporting the idea.

I’m thinking of writing up random cutesy Hwayugi (AU) headcanons too because you can never have too much of Son Oh Gong and Jin Seon Mi and the rest of the characters in the Hwayugi verse (this time non crossover). If you’re interested in reading them then please let me know so I don’t feel like I’m just shouting into the void ;_; Validation is important for us writers...