A new year, a whole new set of Asian dramas to look forward to! Welcome to the first WWW of 2017! We have some good kdramas; some weird cdramas mixed with good cdramas; half the time I don't even know with twdramas because sometimes I think, "Oooh, this sounds cool," and the rest of the time I think, "WHO WOULD WATCH THAT IT SOUNDS DEADLY DULL," but we have a couple for you to check out; aaaand no HKdramas.
KOREAN:
~ Fireman AKA 'Naked Fireman'
Empress: I'm dying...I just cannot understand...I...what...*cracks up again*
Ambassador: City Hunter's gloriously tragic prosecutor LEE JOON HYUK, and since it's SK the modeling storyline can't be TOO BAD and I can look past the title- I'm interested enough to watch it... but I'm still cackling.
Unni: NO. *headdesk* NO!
~ Chief Kim
Empress: ....Nam Goong Min makes me a little curious...but not curious enough to watch it at the moment.
Ambassador: Nam Goong Min and Nam Sang Mi sounds like an interesting combo. The writer wrote Blood and God's Quiz- which I liked but wasn't terribly compelling- so given that + what this plot is so far, naaaah. Far too many 2016 dramas for me to catch up on first. The director did Page Turner, Empress.
Unni: Intersting but I am not really jumping up and down. I have better things.
~ Missing 9
Empress: Kang Ha Neul had me curious....Jung Kyung Ho Had me also
curious but in a totally different way because he didn't seem like he'd
fit the original story...then I found out the writer of Bad Guys was
involved and it had possibly switched from comedy to thriller - I am
absolutely going to check it out, and see if anything good manages to
come from the mess that was this drama's making.
Ambassador: Nooooot really. I was interested when it was called Picnic and was going to be a kpop band on a desert island- because I adore Swiss Family Robinson stories. Then when it was renamed Gaia but the same plot and also KANG HA NEUL, I was definitely intrigued but I'm not any longer. I'll check it out if the buzz is good but otherwise I'll focus on finishing my backlogged 2016 dramas.
Unni: Okay, I've seen clips and I go between being fascinated and horrified but I am sitting on the fence.
~ Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People AKA Rebel Hong Gil Dong
Empress: I have been forever meaning to watch one of the many Hong Gil
Dong stories...this might be finally the one I watch. I was actually
less interested in it when Ji Sung was considering it, but now that he's
safely in Defendent where I wanted him, I can be excited for this one
again. XD
Ambassador: YESSSSS. I'VE BEEN KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THIS DRAMA AND CAN'T WAIT. YOON KYUN SANG AS HONG GIL DONG AND KIM SANG JOONG AS HIS FATHER.
Unni: I AM ALWAYS UP FOR THESE KINDS OF STORIES!!!!!
~ Defendant
Empress: hahahahah YES. I haven't managed to get through Entertainment
yet...Ji Sung was horrendously miscast in that...but I am still in awe
of him from Kill Me, Heal Me.
Ambassador: Ji Sung, Yuri, and Kim Min Suk in a prison break thriller. ABSOLUTELY WATCHING IT. Ji Sung is going to kill this role, I can already feel it.
Unni: Interested...maybe.
~ Saimdang, Light's Diary
Empress: I'm curious...time travel dramas either seem to be REALLY GOOD
or really NOT (Queen In Hyun's Man is one of my favorite romances;
Signal one of my favorite dramas...Moon Lovers...well...) so I might
check it out if I can.
Ambassador: After I get done fuming that this drama apparently gets 30 episodes and SCARLET HEART RYEO ONLY GOT 20 then yes, I'll probably check it out at some point, but it's not at the top of my list. Kim Mi Kyung is in it, and she tends to pick great roles (Ahjumma or Lady Kim, anyone?).
Unni: I'll probably check this out and either get in our get out, I saw ads for this one in Korea and it really caught my interest.
~ Voice
Empress: I have been liking the teaser trailers, and enjoyed a lot of
the OCN dramas I've seen. AUGH, I'm still overwhelmed with 2016 dramas,
and wanting to watch all of these does not bode well for my 2017 list...
Ambassador: It looks pretty intriguing, OCN usually has good dramas and this is Jang Hyuk + Yesung and Baek Sung Hyun as secondary/minor characters so it's definitely going on my list. The idea of tracking a person by voice alone is fascinating. Multiple times I've recognized an actor in a drama by their voice more than their face so I'm really interested in this one.
Unni: This sounds really interesting. I'll check it out and see where it goes.
~ Introvert Boss
Empress: This is an odd drama that I've somehow managed to see mentioned in so many places I felt like it was already airing.
Ambassador: Introvert vs Extrovert in a work place sounds hilarious but it's not something I immediately jump for. Maybe at some point.
Unni: I keep hearing this is really cute, it reminds me a little of a Taiwanese drama I loved...I'll be checking this one out.
~ Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon
Empress: ...I am literally watching Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo,
which is adorable and has me howling but which I can't picture being
repeated with Park Bo Young. WHY do dramas come in groups like this? I
like Weightlifting Fairy just fine, and don't feel like watching another
version.
Ambassador: This one comes out at the end of the month or early next month and as a result there is little info on it yet but it sounds...odd? *scratches it off list*
Unni: SIGN ME UP I AM ON A STRONG WOMAN STREAK. YES PLEASE AND THANK YOU!
~ Justice Team
Empress: Not much there, but 4 episode minidramas are nice to have around. (MINUS NUDE FIREMAN MODELS MAKES THEM EVEN NICER.)
Ambassador: Messed up synopsis but enough to persuade me to try 4 episodes and Lee Joon Hyuk again apparently. I'm glad he finished his weekend makjang drama so he is taking on other projects now. HUZZAH.
Unni: Yay for short dramas, I'll probably check it out for fun and see where it goes.
CHINESE:
~ Pretty Li Hui Zhen
Empress: *CRINGES* AHem. We're gonna finish SWP. But no way am I
touching a Chinese version with a ten foot pole. Siwon was the only
redeeming feature. XD
Ambassador: HEH, China's She Was Pretty. Well, since the Empress and I still have to finish watching SWP together and since we spend most of our time watching it yelling annoyance at everyone except for Siwon's character, NO. I'm not sitting through the Chinese version. There is only so much stupidity the human brain can handle before going insane or shutting down. At least I now know how to torture some certain kinds of people... 'sit down and watch all 16 hours of this right now'. (Obviously this does not apply to those who would like the drama.)
Unni: I couldn't finish the Korean one...how am I going to do the Chinese one?
~ The General and I
Empress: XD It could be describing any number of cdramas. I am intrigued
by it (and the other any number)...but I am also buried under a
mountain of kdrama...
Ambassador: The plot sounds pretty cdrama typical but I have a weakness for this kind of plot- especially when one is a prince-general and another is a strategist. There are a lot of names I know in this one: Angelababy, Madina Memet, Sun Yi Zhou, Wallace Chung. There's been a lot of buzz around it online. *adds it to list*
Unni: Um.......I wasn't going to watch it...and then I did....this is seriously one of the best things ever.
~ Magic Star
Empress: This sounds like a video game...did I mention my impending suffocation by kdramas?
Ambassador: The plot sounds pretty standard wuxia. I'd be more likely to check it out for the actors than the plot: the detestable villain and fun third lead from Tornado Girl/Whirlwind Girl 2... but still, it's not very likely you'll find me watching this one.
Unni: I love stars! I don't like magic....wuxia fighting I only like in historical drama's so far...soooo no.
~ Love, Life, & Lie
Empress: Whatever happened to Live, Love, Laugh...I am not intrigued.
Ambassador: Ehhhh, too much standard rom com fare for me.
Unni: Bad motto for life.
~ Xun Zhao Qian Shi Zhi Lu
Empress: Okay, more intriguing..though I think I'd like to repeat what I
said earlier about Time Travel...and maybe wait and see if the
Ambassador ever gets around to it and what she thinks. XD
Ambassador: This though, makes my ears perk up. Time travel mixed with a backstory mystery? *adds it to end of list*
Unni: Not terribly interested.
~ Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossom
Empress: Okay, based on a novel...a weird title that I actually
completely love, unlike most "different" titles...it feels a bit
melodrama, but sometimes I'm very much in the mood for that.
Ambassador: I've been planning to watch this one for a long time. The title is beautiful, I've heard good things about the novel and now the drama plot, plus it stars Yang Mi, Mark Chao and Dilireba Dimurat. Count me in!
Unni: This is really interesting, I might have to check this one out.
~ The Chronicles of a Town Called Jian
Empress: This reminds me of The Devi/Mawang, which is a drama I am
positive I will like, once I get through the first 2 episodes. (Right up
there with Heartless City and My Beautiful Bride and Bad Guys.) If this
is a Chinese version of that, I am intrigued. If it's tarot cards and
supernatural happenings...nope.
Ambassador: Hmmm, it depends. Generally I avoid anything with the use of tarot cards, but Asia tends to do that kind of thing differently, and the plot is just interesting enough that I might check it out. Victoria, Yang Yang and Jiang Jin Fu star, and all three are good actors.
Unni: *sees magic* *backs away slowllllllly*
TAIWAN
~ Close Your Eyes Before It's Dark
Empress: I...haven't actually ever watched anything Taiwanese not a
rom-com...well, I guess MARS was a little more on the dramatic/suspense
side - and it creeped me right out a few times...so, while this is 7
episodes long and sounds exactly up my alley as far as dark,
suspenseful, psychologically intriguing dramas go...I'm going to start
it warily. XD
Ambassador: Sounds like a mix of one episode of Vampire Detective and White Christmas. *sticks it firmly on list*
Unni: *sees what these two compare it to and run for cover*
~ The X Family 2
Empress: As is...nope.
Ambassador: *squints at it* Whatever a Fenglongtie is, I think I want one to put on my brothers. That said, I didn't see any of the other 6-8 dramas in the series and I won't be watching this one.
Empress: *dying* yeah, maybe if we could get a few Fenglongties, I'd watch it.
Unni: Just no.....
Empress: Cheers to wherever BHB goes in the next year!
Ambassador: Hear hear, and we look forward to bringing you more reviews, WWWs, and other posts about the wonderful world of Asian drama!
HAPPY 2017!!
