KDrama to Miss: 100 Days My Prince (2018)

 

100 Days My Prince (2018)

Grade: C+

16 Episodes, 60 minutes each

Viewing Platform: Netflix

Lee Yul is the crown prince, but not by his own choosing. His father plotted a coup and overthrew the king when Yul was a child, ripping Yul away from his childhood love, Yoon Yi-seo. However, the king cannot rest easy: his right-hand man, the vice-premier Kim Cha-eon, has his own designs for power in the kingdom. Meanwhile, Yi-seo has assumed the life of a commoner after her noble-born father was slaughtered in the coup and her older brother went missing. What happens in the palace when Yul is attacked while on a diplomatic mission and declared dead? How will the crown prince's decree that every bachelor and old maid in the kingdom get married to help end the drought impact Yi-seo's plans to find her brother? And what happens when the crown prince loses his memories?

*Way too tragic for my taste. The costumes are done well, and the music & camerawork are good quality, but I just don't like the dramas where so many of the characters are miserable and or die! The second male lead was a bit confusing as a character as well; he joked when I expected seriousness, and because he kept his motives so close to the vest, he never really felt like a “good guy.” I know now that TV shows are often written on the fly, compared to planned movie scripts, but it was glaringly evident in this show, which makes it harder for the viewer to achieve that “suspension of disbelief” and really get into the story. Not a terrible drama, but definitely not one that I'd watch again.*

India Film to Miss: Good Newwz (2019)

 

Good Newwz (2019) 

Viewing Platform: Amazon Prime

Varun and Deepti Batra have been trying to conceive for nearly 6 years, and the constant hinting from well-meaning family and friends has put a strain on their relationship. Varun's sister finally suggests they meet with a fertility specialist, who suggests in vitro fertilizaiton (IFV). Varun is skeptical about the entire endeavor, mocking the pamphlets and whining about his contribution, but Deepti convinces him to cooperate. Less than two weeks after the embryo is implanted, Varun and Deepti are called back to the clinic, with some astonishing and disturbing news: the lab technicians mixed up the sperm samples with another couple whose last name is also Batra! Will the couples try another round of IVF, or keep trying on their own? If both couples move forward with the mismatched genetic material, what does this mean for their families and their babies' futures??

*The premise is quite interesting; any time a story has these kinds of improbable, yet not entirely impossible scenarios, it draws the listener in and allows them to engage on a meaningful level. This is probably the best aspect of the film. The characters do consider abortion, but luckily the writers do not go that direction, instead valuing life. I didn't love the musical numbers, and some of the humor didn't translate well (I think some of the wordplay was between English, Hindi, and a third language I couldn't distinguish from Hindi, so those jokes were lost on me). I wouldn't watch this again, not because it was particularly bad, but because it was just "meh."*

ChDrama to Maybe Watch: Accidentally in Love (2018)

 (Chinese Drama) 

Accidentally in Love (2018)

Grade: C+

30 episodes, 30 minutes each

Viewing Platform: Netflix

Heiress Chen Qingqing is being forced into an arranged marriage, but after a dream-visit from her deceased parents, Qingqing decides to attend the same college where her parents met. While dodging her grandfather's henchmen, she runs into famous idol singer Situ Feng – who then uses her to disrupt his father's marriage, with Feng declaring he is engaged to the now disguised, scruffy-looking Qingqing. What happens when Qingqing and Feng realize they're attending the same school? Will the resident “mean girls” manage to drive Qingqing away before she finds out more about her parents, or will her grandpa find her and drag her back home? And how will Feng take to constantly being paired up with the outspoken, dorky-looking Qingqing?

*This is probably one of the better Chinese dramas I've watched. The lip-synched dialogue is not as annoying as usual, and it has a more sincere feel overall (compared to the times it felt like the script was written by a bunch of “suits” sitting in a board room, simply checking the boxes off for common/popular tropes). It did feel a bit juvenile with all the high school type antics, but the writers managed to give at least some depth to the characters. I disliked the inclusion of an F-bomb and a couple suicide attempts; it brought a darkness to the drama that didn't quite fit. I also didn't like how the “bad guy” treated the [rather flat] female best friend; he never became likable. Bright colors, decent music; possibly worth at least one viewing, but I wouldn't watch again.*

KDrama to Miss: Was It Love? (2020)

 

Was It Love? (2020)

Grade: C-

16 Episodes, 1 hr each

Viewing Platform: Netflix

Single mom Noh Ae-jung lives with her mother and young teen daughter and is striving to follow her dream to become a top movie producer. Her boss at the tiny production company Thumb Film tricks Ae-jung into co-signing a billion-won debt and goes into hiding, leaving Ae-jung with an impossible problem to solve. Meanwhile, her daughter is starting to wonder who her father might be when she stumbles across some clues that point toward Ha-nee's school PE teacher and possibly a famous actor. What happens when Ae-jung finds a contract for the production rights of a vastly popular yet vengeful novelist? Will the scary loan shark coming after her settle on a new deal, one where he actually gives her MORE money to invest in her movie idea, as long as she signs on his favorite actor?

*This kdrama is basically the plot to “Mama Mia!” if it were fleshed out into a miniseries, which sounds cute at first, but it turns out to be pretty sad and unnecessarily dramatic. This doesn't follow the traditional kdrama formula, and they included some pretty big swear words (annoying, and not true to kdramas). I couldn't stand how “progressive” Ae-jung's character is in * spoiler alert * refusing to let the father know about their daughter. Let's say she's right and the daughter doesn't really need him – what about HIS need to BE a father/have a daughter to love and care for? Such a selfish perspective fostered by her ignorant mother. It would be a different situation if he purposely ignored her for all that time, but he didn't even know she existed! And then they had to do the trope of a 1-2 year separation for the two leads – that is a traditional kdrama thing, but I hate it. A separation like that isn't healthy; if they love each other, they should stay and work out their problems, together! There's also some hinting that one of the other characters had an abortion, which, while she seems to regret it, it still feels like just more western/worldly influences creeping in to further destroy the original charm of the kdrama. I won't watch this again, nor would I recommend it – despite their use of the really cool Cranberries song, “Dreams.”*

Kdrama to Miss: My Sassy Girl (2017)

 

My Sassy Girl (2017)

Grade: C

16 Episodes, 1 hr each

Viewing Platform: Netflix

Hye-myung, the princess of Joseon, often sneaks out of the palace to drink and carouse – very unacceptable behavior for royalty. When the returning young scholar Gyeon Woo bumps into the princess (unaware of her station) on one of her drunken escapades and saves her from trouble, she repays his courtesy by barfing on him and then accusing him of attempting to rape her! What happens when Gyeon Woo discovers the real reason behind the princess sneaking around? Will it jeopardize his new prestigious position as the crown prince's instructor?

*Too much politics, not enough romance! The costumes and colors are very bright, and there are a few funny moments, but in all my years of reading and watching TV/movies, I have NEVER come across such an impotent, ineffectual king! The bad guys walk all over him for YEARS, and I never see the king do anything to try and shift the power back into his own hands! Not only that, the first two-thirds of the show are about how the naughty princess keeps sneaking out of the palace, but by the end, she's outside whenever she feels like it and nobody says “boo.” She also becomes exponentially less “sassy” as the drama unfolds, and I'm tired of the feminist endings where the girl doesn't want to get married because she wants to be “fulfilled” before she commits to the guy. Plus, it's clearly freezing during their night shots, with snow on the ground in many scenes, yet we're supposed to believe the princess has access to a palace garden in full summer bloom. (It was clearly a greenhouse; there are even a few scenes where you can catch glimpses of the modern structure.) The villains are disposed of much too quickly as well; it's disproportionate to the grief they caused. I wouldn't watch this again.*

KDrama to Maybe Watch: Hospital Playlist (2020-2021)

 

Hospital Playlist

Grade: B-

2 Seasons, 24 Episodes (total), 90-120 minutes each
Viewing Platform: Netflix

Five doctors who met in medical school are still friends today, all working in various departments at the large Seoul hospital, Yuljae. Introverted, soft-spoken Yang Seok-hyeong, OBGYN, is divorced and a bit of a mama's boy. The youngest of his siblings, all of whom became priests or nuns, Ahn Jeong-won is a pediatric surgeon with a sweet, kind nature, perfect for the children he treats. Nerdy yet confident Chae Song-hwa is the only girl in the group, and she is a neurosurgeon who loves camping on her days off. Then there is the aloof, seemingly cold Kim Jun-wan, the heart surgeon who secretly has a soft heart himself. Lee Ik-jun is a fun-loving, highly intelligent, mischievous yet personable guy, raising his son by himself while his wife is off working in another country, and he is one of the best liver-transplant surgeons around.  

*This is an unusual drama as it departs from the typical kdrama formula in two big ways: One, the format of the writing doesn't have a clear beginning and end. Two, there is a second season with the same cast. As a result, it is a very slow-moving drama. The medical emergencies give it some excitement, but then there came a point where it was feeling less genuine and more manipulative – like the writers were trying to force the audience to have these deeply stirring emotional experiences in order to keep them watching, not just because of the storyline (it is a hospital, so there are lots of life & death situations). It's also amusing that the group of friends started a band and the show includes covers of popular Korean songs (as well as an American rock song). Not a bad show, but not a favorite, either.*

Kdrama to Maybe Watch: Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)

 

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)

Grade: B-

16 Episodes, 75 minutes each

Viewing Platform: Netflix

Dentist Yoon Hye-jin is blacklisted in the city when she calls out her boss for pushing unnecessary and expensive dental procedures on their patients. She then decides to open her own practice at the sleepy seaside town Gongjin – a familiar, calm place she had visited a few times in the past. Hye-jin soon has a few run-ins with the area chief, Hong Du-sik – a young man content with working all kinds of odd jobs for minimum wage. What happens when feelings start to develop between the two? Will the close-knit community approve of the city-minded dentist? And what happens when a blossoming relationship dredges up trauma from Du-sik's past?

*This kdrama definitely has a slower pace, and the humor isn't a major focus for these writers. The background character stories are interesting enough, though the last couple episodes are HIGHLY emotional, as death, suicide, and other trauma are explored. Hye-jin's wardrobe is a total throwback to the 90s, with big, bulky-fitting clothes and clashing color tones; several other characters have baggy, unflattering clothes as well. The scenery is pretty, and the soundtrack is nice, but again, the story evokes a large emotional response from the viewer, which wasn't my favorite. Worth at least one viewing, though.*