Dramafever DC: Strongest Deliveryman

Strongest Deliveryman just started this past Friday and I'm lucky to get to share my thoughts on this week's episode with June, Logan (My Chingus in Dramaland) and  the delightful DeShonda.

Strongest Deliveryman Episodes 1-2 Recap: More Like Strongest Deliverywoman

The drama has a pretty solid start. The drama has done a good job of setting up the issues of all our characters in just two hours. The leads are pretty awesome right off the bat, but the second leads got some work to do. The character's backstories are told pretty fast, but we have an idea of what our characters are wanting in life. However, the delivery service is pretty cutthroat business. 

Weekly Round Up

Weekly Round Up on this week's dramas.

tvN's Criminal Minds - First Thoughts

Joseph Conrad said, “The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary.  Men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.” 

This was a quote Gideon in the original Criminal Minds series quoted and pretty much is good way to describe what to expect from this drama. A group of profilers will be profiling unsub (Unknown Subject) to solve or in some cases save their victims. 

tvN’s Criminal Minds is an adaptation of the US version. If you’re a fan of the original series you can see a lot of similarities between the two from characters and plot. Unlike the American version, the Korean has decided to add more background character stories and tension between characters right off the bat. There’s an underlying story we haven’t gotten to which is more of a dramaland thing than a crime procedural drama. 

Dramaland Seasons

It's not common place for dramaland to have second seasons, but they tend to happen to procedural dramas, such as Ten and Vampire Prosecutor. I'm still hoping for 3rd seasons of both of those mention. Considering things were left opened for both series and the connect Vampire Detective had to it's brother Prosecutor.

With the news of a second season from Voice and Mystery Queen, it got me thinking what I would like to see a second season. I've got two I would love to see a second season.

I Will Remember You was such a good drama that completely went under the radar of everyone when it was airing. The romance was sweet and the bromance was just heartbreaking. The day to day cases were interesting as it felt like a reflection on our characters. The ending was left opened as the criminals are still roaming asking the OTP to caught them. I want to see another season where the heroes are tracking down the criminals. Do the heroes need to think like them to find them?

Scarlet Heart: Ryeo is another I would love to see a second season. I'm still salty about the ending of the drama not having present day So meeting up with Ha Jin (present day Soo). There were things about the drama I was disappointed with, but I enjoyed some of the adaptations choices. This version's ending just breaks my heart. When the dramas always make comments about a second life and being better in the next one, I wished the drama would have given us that chance with Soo and So. It makes me wonder what was the point of going back in time? Maybe it was to learn from her mistakes from the past, however we'll never know as the scene was cut.

Zombies to Busan, all a board

This meme came true. Gong Yoo's reaction in Goblin watching his own movie Train to Busan was pretty much me the whole film. I have a friend who can back me up on this one. I'm not a horror fan and most of the Korean horror or thriller films scare the crap out of me. I'm considered a jumper who will jump at the smallest noise.

I've had this on my list since I saw the trailer because it looked good despite my fear of horror. However, I finally got down to watching the film.

The film has a interesting take on the zombie set up. These zombies are trying to feed but it looks like just to infect as many people as possible. They don't seem to die easy either. I liked the twist of blindness or if they can't see you, they won't come after you. Why did no one thought to take out their eyes or heck put something over their heads? I mean it would be worth a shot.

I have questions. Why was no one on the train trying to get the zombies off the train? Heck, why didn't they just open those doors in the sections of zombies to allow them to be dumb and walk out of the train? Maybe I've just thought about what I would do in case of a zombie attack.

The cast is pretty great. Seok Woo (Goog Yoo) is workaholic fund manager who's a pretty terrible father. Gong Yoo is not playing a funny charming character we've seen in Dramaland. He's a selfish man who only thinks about himself. This is clear as he gives his daughter another Wii for her birthday. Soo An is a sweet and caring child. She just wants to see her mom for her birthday. The young actress Kim Su An is adorable in the role.

Seong Kyeong (Jung Yu Mi) and Sang Hwa (Ma Dong Seok) play a married couple who have a child on the way. I love how caring these two are towards people. The interaction between them and Soo An about their unborn child is a sweet moment before chaos happens. Sang Hwa is my favorite character in the film. He is the true hero in this film for sure.

Yong Guk (Choi Woo Shik) as the young baseball player and his friend Jin Hee (Ahn So Hee) were also great. When Yong Guk had to fight his way through the section with his zombie friend, I about choked up with tears. The section holding Ji Hee while her best friend was at the door again just pulled at my heartstrings.

Kim Eui Sung known as the artist and Dad in W plays a terrible rich CEO who is just terrible. I hated him so much when he wouldn't allow the other characters to safety get in the train section. It's understandable about his fears for staying alive, but if those in the train allowed them in the other Granny wouldn't have opened the door to kill them all.

Between yelling at the TV to open doors and allow the zombies to jump off and the hiding behind a pillow or my phone, there was a lot of heart in this film. The film knew how to pull on my heartstrings and it did so often. Like when Sang Hwa holding the door or Seok Woo saying goodbye to his daughter and knowing the day she was born was the happiest of his memories. The part he fell off the train to save Soo An and Seong Kyeong just broke my heart.

I was surprised the film didn't have the sniper killing them at the end. I really thought the film would end with not a little bit of hope. The moment Soo An got to sing the song she wanted to sing for her dad is the best ending you could have hoped for when the world went to hell.

 Evaluation: Love it
I probably won't watch it again because my heart won't take it, but I did enjoy it a lot.

Princess Agents

 

It seems this year has produced a lot of interesting Chinese Dramas. It all started with Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. Fingers crossed a local theatre  near me will show Once Upon a Time (the movie version) next month. It would be pretty sweet if it was in IMAX, but I'll just be happy with it in theatres. 

I had someone on my Tumblr page asked me to do some Princess Agents meme and thought why not. I don't think my memes will explain my frustration with this drama and thought why not write a bit about it. The drama is currently still airing and has about another week of episodes. 

Princess Agents is currently making waves, but it's not living up to the hype. The story is based off a book called 11 Chu Te Gong Huang Fei by Xiao Xiang Dong Er. From my understanding, the book had elements which are banned for dramas. A lot of work had to go into the time travel change. I've heard the book is pretty good, but the rework of this drama makes me wonder the elements take out of the book is the reason why this drama is turning into a chaotic mess.

I warn you of spoilers ... Don't read more if you don't want to know.

Relive the Drama: Boys Over Flowers

Chingus in Dramaland first post is up over at Dramafever - Episodes 1 & 2: Welcome to KDramas

Goblin: The Lonely and Great God- Episodes 14-16 Recap: The Beginning of Goblin Withdrawal

Come say your finale goodbye to Goblin with Chingus in Dramaland or come catch up.

                                                                                                                                                                              | Episode 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 |

| Episode 7, 8, 9, & 10 | Episode 11, 12, & 13 | Episode 14, 15, & 16 |

Chingus in Dramaland - Goblin Recap Ep 1-6

Come stalk us over at Tumblr:

https://tachingusindramaland.tumblr.com/

Bulletin Report: Where I'm at with Dramas

Oh My Venus:

A Fan Service KDrama, but I'm not complaining. The chemistry between these two was down right hot. I was pleasantly surprised with how the drama handled the weight issue. It's wasn't preaching to starve yourself nor was it trying to say being thin was beautiful. Young Ho wanted to help Joo Eun become healthy. Joo Eun decided to work and listen to him because her health issues were related to her being over weight. In the end, she lost the weight in a natural and safe way and her health improved. 

The second leads were forget about however Joon Sung and Ji Woong were lovable. The ending with Young Ho leaving to heal was disappointing. The drama would've had a strong story narrative and OTP if Joo Eun could have been allowed into his recovery. 

It's worth checking out if your looking for a feel good drama. 

Answer Me 1988:

I think it's safe to say everyone knows my feelings on this and will not speak of this drama again.

Cheese In the Trap:

I was late to the game with this drama. I marathoned the first 8 episodes. I could see why the web comic was popular and why fans were very worry about the cast. The drama was done pretty well in those first few episodes. Of course, talking about Cheese you can't discuss this without talking about the behind the scene drama.

 You can tell when the episode starts to shift focus from Jung to In Ho. This shift in narration was very noticeable and it hurt the drama big time. The drama kept reinforcing how dark and twisted Jung without really driving deep into his narrated until the last episode. Moments which could had shed light on the reasoning behind Jung's actions toward people was instead used to support In Ho's hatred towards him. It's like the production team started to believe in In Ho's hate towards Jung until the fans pointed out their wrong. Sure the fans were right in pointing out the flaws of the drama, but the production team got the last word by flipping the bird to the fans.

Jung and Seol broke up because someone really wanted to piss people off. No really, I don't understand why these two couldn't have taken the time to talk and work things out. Oh wait, it's because the drama wasted all it's time hanging out with In Ho. All that time could have been used for Jung and Seol. The worst part is three years later and there is still no closure. It's fine if Jung understand his way of thinking was wrong and wanting to better himself. I also like how In Ho and In Ha finally understood the mistakes they made. These were all great parts of the narrate. The whole point was the relationship between Jung and Seol. The struggle and conflict isn't something to fix because it's been wasted away with other thing.

Last part to this rant, I swear is the flashback to happy times. WTF drama. If you want to leave thing open ended will they or won't they, do not include a flashback. Thanks anyways for the bird.

Should you watch it? It's a well done drama despite the BTS drama and weird choices it made. Just don't get your hopes up for the ending.

Six Flying Dragons:

I'm been ruined for historical KDramas for good. I loved Tree With Deep Roots, but for different reasons. Dragons is more action, but boy does it keep you on the edge of your seat. When you think you're bored by the on going story, that's when the drama surprises you with this weeks episode's ending. The character's are interesting and complex and towards the end of the drama there is no villain as our Dragons face off between each other. It's a sad turn of events, but one's you knew was going to happen. The OST is amazing and enhances the mood and look of the scenes. The fight scenes are outstanding and the look of drama is stunningly gorgeous.

 Whatever you are doing, stop and go start this drama. Yes it's 50 episodes, but it's worth it. Now, I got to go watch Tree With Deep Roots to see how everything connects.

One More Happy Ending:

I was surprised with a few things in this drama. First, I loved the friendship of these women. Most KDramas tend to follow the catty trope of woman. It was very refreshing to see the love and support these women had for one another. The chemistry for our leads was fantastic and made me want to throw my laptop a few times with the lack of them not being together. The drama started out not being ashamed of the adult themes it was telling. It was nice seeing these themes talked about, but it seems the drama became shy towards the end of the drama.

This drama is about friendships and relationships. It's worth the time to watch it.

Chronicle of Life:

It's been awhile since I've watched a Chinese Drama. I'm a sucker for historical ones. I think it's the costumes. They're so pretty. I came across this drama on chance. Boy, this drama is gorgeous. It has a Bu Bu Jing Xin look to it and a bit of the feeling. It may not live up to my favorite drama ever, but it did keep me hitting the next episode button. Hawick Lau is dreamy as Emperor Kang Xi. I can't say I'm surprised by the ending. It's a CDrama and I've only seen a few which ended in happier times.

 

Love Me If You Dare:

This drama totally gave me I Remember You vibes. I love psycho thrillers with a bit of romance. I was told about this little drama from a fan of the blog. (So sorry I can't remember your name) Thank you for letting me know about this gem. This would have been a good one to meme throughout the drama, but I was so suck into the story it became a lost cause to try and meme the whole drama. This is my first drama with Wallace Huo and he's amazing. He pulls off creepy and charming at the same time really well. I'm scared and in love with him at the same time. The narrative of the drama was a mystery which kept me guessing until the very end. I'm very impressed over all with this drama.

The English actors aren't the greatest, but I'm happy with the choice of the drama just letting everyone speak their own tongue. Sometimes it's harder to believe the characters are fluent in another language when they speak it. With all the build up towards the end of the drama, I've got my fingers crossed for a second season.

Perfect Couple:


I went on a Wallace Huo drama kick after Love Me If You Dare. Yuan Bao is a horrible detective and Simon would be rolling in his grave if he was born yet. The drama is super cheesy, but I love seeing the funny side of Wallace. Yuan Bao is a better character when he's funny than as the straight man. The drama is WAY too long but it was a enjoyed to watch.

The Journey of Flower:


My last drama with Wallace Huo. I know about The Imperial Doctress, but I'm waiting. Mostly, I'm not happy Wallace and Cecilia not being the OTP.  Anyhoo this drama is a fantasy historical drama and the special effect aren't very good, but if you can over look the cheesy the story isn't so bad. The story isn't winning an Oscar, but I think the reason I liked it so much is because of the ending.

*Spoilers*  Don't read unless you want to know


Bai Zi Hua is a god who's lived for a long time. He doesn't see shades of gray only black or white. In his case, it's right or wrong. Not to mention, he's kind of emotionless. Hua Qian Gu (Bone) is super sweet and an innocent. I can understand why people get annoyed with her character along the way, but for me I was okay with her. I was annoyed with Bai Zi Hua and his straight face and wishy washy when it came to Hua Qian Gu.

Yes, Bone did a horrible thing but for a good reason. I wonder what everyone would've done for Bai Zi Hua if they knew he was dying. Everyone thinks so highly of him and keep the balance in the world. Yes, I agree she should be punished, but the amount of punishment she got was pretty harsh considering she saved their savoir. Just saying.

Sure Bai Zi Hua's philosophy was changing slowly. He cared for his little Bones. He took her part of  punishment as his own. He healed her after. He evening sent a creature to save her in the wastelands.  He doth protest too much when it comes to his feelings for Bones. He totally has feelings for her and the water of emotions is proof of this.

I know there are a few people who hated the ending with Bai Zi Hua killing her one minute, wanting to die with her the next, and confessing he can't live without her. I found the scene very powerful in the moment. This was what made the drama for me.

I love seeing Bones pissed and tried. Remember she is his calamity. She's to be his greatest adversity. She's the one to test his morals. In Bai Zi Hua's mind, loving Bones is wrong and therefore is against his belief. Yet, his heart can't help but love her. She goats Bai Zi Hua into killing her which is irony as he couldn't kill her at the beginning of the drama, but could at the end.

Yes, Bai Zi Hua embraced the idea of gray being in the world. That everything wasn't just right or wrong. He finally admitted he couldn't live without his Bone. I was happy with how Bones survives. I know most are upset her memories are gone, but I think it's for the better. There's a chance they could return, but for Bones to heal she can't be depressed with love and hatred. I love when Bai Zi Hua explains this time around he will be whatever she wants his to be for her. This time she gets to defined their relationship. Teacher, lover, friend, or whatever. The point here is he's embraced his calamity and accepted the challenge to his morals. 


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That's all the drama's I've been watching lately. I will try to keep you all update on anything interesting or not. Until next time, watch more dramas.