To Binge Watch or Not to Binge Watch

Korean TV is laid out with anywhere from 16 to 100 plus episodes. It depends on if the drama is a normal miniseries to a weekend family series. A second season is a rare commodity in dramaland. Think along the lines of reading a book. A beginning, middle, and hoping if all goes well a decent ending will be given to the viewers. Each week viewers are given two episodes. By the time you get to the last episode, the story of these characters are done and over with. The story has ended. All the conflicts are laid to rest, the villains have been defeated, and the main couple gets their HEA ending.  With the end of the drama, viewers start looking at the next round of dramas or go on a hunt for older dramas.

Do marathons of dramas make the stories better? Are we more forgiving to the drama for the outrageous plots, over the top acting, and poor choices of directing? Or do we still expect all bells and whistles of a well rounded drama? 

It was about a year after I started watching Asian dramas for me to follow a drama currently airing in Korea. It took so long for me to watch something current due to all the catch up I had to make. Binge watching Boys to Coffee Prince to Secret Garden, I just couldn’t see past the catalog of completed dramas to watch anything currently airing. Heartstrings was the first drama that I was interested in watching live. This was probably due to finishing You’re Beautiful. After finding out who the leads where, the drama sold me to take the time to watch it every week live. 

I wasn’t overly thrilled with the over all product. The drama had its moments. A shame the drama wasn’t more yet it filled the holes I was looking for my drama need. There were lots of fluff but nothing to keep you deeply satisfy. Heartstring was a fun summer candy drama. Yet, I ponder if I would have found this drama more gratify if I had waited to watch the drama in one sitting?

Switch to Nail Shop Paris, I just binge watched this drama just a bit ago and found the drama to be a bunch of wacky fun. Nail Shop Paris is pretty absurd and odd. Nails is about a young writer who needs some help in coming up with a new story. She comes across a mysterious man who happens to work at a Nail Shop. The female lead tends to write nothing but gumihos stories due to an accident in her past with one? 

The drama is a mixed of a normal drama setting mixed with some supernatural elements. Frankly speaking, I am not sure if this was the writer’s true intentions. Nevertheless, I wholly adored the zaniness of the drama. If you get past the outlandishness of the drama, there are scenes which are not poorly written. I am not certain I would have enjoyed Nails if I had watched it live. 

Answer Me 1997, I binge watched 10 episodes which doesn’t count as watching live. I have to agree Answer Me started to lose it wits towards the end, but it still was a rock-solid show. I Hear Your Voice is another drama I walked into after binge watching the first 10 episodes. I had my doubts at the time if the drama would be to my taste. It wasn’t until I heard Dramabeans podcast, I gave the show a try. I can’t say I regret waiting to start the drama. I concur Voice had tons of heart but the courtroom was more than a joke. The courtroom was fun and entertaining, but not to be taken seriously. But did I like the dramas more since I binge watched the first part and didn’t have to wait for the new episodes? Did this change my view on the whole out come of the drama?

Kings 2 Hearts, for me, was the first drama which was over all a pretty solid drama I watch from episode 1 to the end. Kings had the moments where I wanted to bang my head against something (i.e. most of the English. Some actors were better than others), but I gave it to the writer for incorporating English. The English wasn’t horrible; in fact, it was used correctly instead for the sake of just putting it in.  English in dramas is for another day to talk about. Kings was probably the first non-binge drama which hit all the things a drama should be. Was this show just really well written and produced? 

I just binge watched Ten and it was fantastic. But was it good because I could decided to watch all the episodes when I wanted too? I guess it just depends on if the drama is interesting enough for me to want to watch it. I have started a drama and stopped due to lack of keeping my attention.  Of course, I am watching like a million things currently airing right now. Heirs, Dare, Secret, Housekeeper, Fire Goddess are just a few to name. Answer Me 1994 has just started and I feel the need to catch up. I can’t remember the most live dramas I watched at a time. I can tell you my DVR isn’t going to be happy with me added more dramas to watch. Not to mention, I still have season 2 of Ten I need to finish binge watching. 

What is my point? Are there dramas that should be binge watched or not? Is it better to watch it currently airing? It is nice to be able to watch what you want when you want. Of course, you miss out on being able to talk to others about the drama that ended like 4 weeks ago because those people are busy living in the lives of the new dramas. Sadly, the drama which ended 4 weeks ago is now just a memory to those people. Than again, there is always someone new to Dramaland and we must make sure we open our arms out to them. 

Do you binge watch dramas or do you watch them live?

Future Choice

Marry Him if You Dare hasn’t gotten a lot of press. I would have to say this is because of the hype for Heirs. To be honest Yoon Eun Hye hasn’t had a really good drama. Lie to Me was okay but it wasn’t Goong or Coffee Prince. With that being said, I hope Future Choice or whatever you want to call it will be a winner. It sounds interesting enough. 

A time traveling drama with Yoon Eun Hye’s character Mi Rae is told by her future ajumma self who time travel from 2043 to warn her younger self not to marry Lee Dong Gun’s character. She instead wants to introduce herself to Jung Yong Hwa’s character who happens to be a secret chaebol pretending to be a VJ. Now Mi Rae has to make a choice “be with the one she loves” or “the one she ought to”. 

 

First Yoon Eun Hye’s ajumma perm is just killing me. I am caught between laughing and wanting to take a flat iron to her hair. This is one of the things I love about Eun Hye. She takes chances and some of those chances mean a hair cut to get into character (looking at you Coffee Prince). I hope the perm doesn’t say to long.

I am very much interesting in finding out how the time travel myth is going to be explained. Not to mention what the fall back will be when she starts to change her future. Isn’t this going to change older ajumma Mi Rae when she makes a difference choice? The drama reminds me a little of Roswell season 2 “The End Of The World” – Future Max goes to the “present” Liz to ask for her help to get his “present” self to fall out of love with her and to fall for Tess. 

At this point, I am not sure who I want Mi Rae to fall for. I do love CNBlue and have a soft spot for Yong Hwa. You’re Beautiful made me totally want the second character to have a chance. One of the reason Heartstrings is a favorite no matter how bad the drama was. I got to love out my fantasy of Yong Hwa getting Park Shin Hye finally. I really love Lee Dong Gun in Sweet 18. I am such a sucker for that drama. Something about it that just makes me smiles. It is the trope of putting two people under one roof and seeing the fireworks or love take over. I love that trope.

I am hoping Viki gets the rights to show this drama soon. Fingers cross.

Take a look at the trailer for this drama below: 

Everyone has a Secret

Secret started up over two weeks ago and I wanted to weight in on this melo-fest.

We meet Jo Min Hyuk (Ji Sung) our handsome Chaebol who has everything from looks, breeding, and intelligence. His only flaw the drama gods gave him was a lack of kindness (Big shocker, a rude Chaebol). But this Chaebol's rudeness stems from his girlfriends probably leaving him due to her lack of funds to fit in. Of course our lead doesn't care and just wants the girl back. Sadly due to an accident, his girlfriend is killed in a hit-and run.

Meet Kang Yoo Jung (Hwang Jung Eum) who is a sweet and hard working girl (she wouldn't be a lead if she wasn't). She has basically been supporting her boyfriend Ahn Do Hoon (Bae Soo Bin) while he goes to law school. On the day he asks Yoo Jung to be his wife, he gets into a car accident. Little did both Do Hoon and Yoo Jung know the car had hit Min Hyuk's girlfriend.

 

Do Hoon's first assignment as a prosecutor is a hit-and-run case and Yoo Jung is on trial. Despite not being the one at the wheel, she takes the blame and is sent to prison for 5 years. Min Hyuk wants to make Yoo Jung's life a living hell since she took his beloved and his unborn child. While in prison Yoo Jung finds out she is with child, Do Hoon's child (well how else is Min Hyuk going to make her live hell without this trope). 

 

Shin Se Yeon is Jo Min Hyuk's family friend. Her parents and Min Hyuk want those two kids to marry. At this point, she isn't on the bandwagon to marry just because her parents say so.

I am not sure how I feel about the self-sacrificing candy. I really do like Yoo Jung as a character. She truly loves Do Hoon and willing to support him like a wife. Do Hoon is kind of stuck between a hard place and a rock (or a wrecking ball). I thought the writers would have fast-forward to 5 years and see all the changes that happen. Instead they just forward when her kid would be sent away at his two year mark. Not a lot of time has past.  I hope all her sacrificing is paid off. Please no cancer drama gods. She is about the only character I enjoy.

Do Hoon feels pretty bad since he is trying to take care of Yoo Jung's father. He knows it is his fault for the dead of the girl and unborn child. Now if he was more of a man, he would have confused to the crime. He is letting someone take the blame for the wrong he did. I don't care if he being out would do better since he is prosecutor. The fact he is trying to see Yoo Jung doesn't make me truly hate him. Wait there is still time.

Min Hyuk is just a bastard. I really don't care two figs for him. We see him as a jerk and my first impression of him didn't change with the flash backs hasn't changed that. He doesn't work hard for him money. He is "playing" around and expects to get his inheritance.  Now his whole life is going to be on getting revenge on Yoo Jung. I get this is a revenge drama but I would like to see this character grow a bit. Maybe actually work for his money and not have his head so far up his own butt. I really like Ji Sung but this is not a character I like. I really hope cancer or car accident takes him.

Revenge is a plot Koreans seem to enjoy watching. I hope there is more Revenge than just our lead being pissed. I was hoping Yoo Jung would get out wanting revenge after finding out Do Hoon has moved on and left her in the dust. Sadly, Do Hoon hasn't been a douchebag … yet. I mean there is either 16 to 20 episodes; we got time from more people to be douchbags.

I hope we get to more Secrets because only one is just so lame ...

Heirs

Heirs finally has a poster and a trailer. I don't know about you all but I am worried. The hype for this show is getting pretty big and I am not sure the ego of this drama is going to be able to live up to it. I mean it has a cast of fantastic actors and actress. I am wondering how all these people are going to get screen time and tell a interesting story we haven't seen already.

Heir will be airing Oct 9th after Master's Sun.

Click for Heir Trailer

Meme

Looks suspicious

It is about that time once again to say goodbye to the current dramas and starting looking for replacements. One drama that has peaked my interest is The Suspicious Housekeeper.

 

First off, I LOVE the creepy poster above. It kind of reminds me of a horror film waiting to happen. The white table and all those stares at the camera just is a little freaky but in such a beautiful way. The lack of food on the table just give this ominous feeling. I may not be a fan of the horror genre (I am a complete baby when it comes to scary stuff) but I am digging the beauty/eeriness of the poster.

The cast is a pretty long list of great talent from the adults to the children (Choi Ji Woo, Lee Sung Jae, Wang Ji Hye, Kim So Hyun, Chae Sang Woo and Kang Ji Woo). I am really looking forward to seeing Kim So Hyun in a full drama instead of the 1 to 2 episodes. She is someone who is going to take the drama-world by the horns the older she gets. 

This is a remake of the Kaseifu no Mita a hit Japanese drama. Everyone is calling it the Mary Poppins with a dark twist of Nanny McPhee. From what I understand this is a drama not a fantasy drama so I am not expecting any magic involved in this drama. Yet, I am looking forward to this drama coming soon. 

Air Date: 9/23 (After Golden Empire)

Trailer:

How I feel about going to work instead of watching dramas ...

If the Hong Sisters make Joo Joong Won die in The Master's Sun ...

We had a good thing going and you went and ruined it ...

 

You broke my heart and my trust ... (Yes, I am looking at you BIG)

So in the good words of Joo Joong Won ...

 

The Reall Justin Bieber ...