Dramas 2019

Be Melodramatic ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Country: Korea | Year: 2019 | Episode: 16 | Channel: JTBC, Netflix

Cast: Cheon Woo Hee, Jeon Yeo Bin, Han Ji Eun, Ahn Jae Hong & Gong Myung
Plot: ​This drama tells the story of 3 women: Im Jin Joo, Lee Eun Jung and Hwang Han Joo, as they advance in life. We witness their love relationships, life struggles and how they overcome and deal with them.

Review: Loved it! The main reason that explains my passion for this drama is the that it’s super relatable and authentic. Characters are so complex and different that you won’t have any trouble identifying to one or several of them. The realism of this drama quickly grabbed my attention and made me wonder what I would do if confronted with this kind of situations. Definitely a must-see in Dramaland, that is clearly worth the watch! 

Go Go Squid ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Country: China | Year: 2019 | Episode: 41 | Channel: Tencent Video, iQIYI

Cast: Li Xian & Yang Zi
Plot: Tong Nian is a 19-year old woman who’s a genius in programming and famous for her songs online. One day, she meets CTF star Han Shang Yan, while holding the counter at her cousin’s internet café. She falls in love with him at first sight and decides to pursue him.

Review: Not going to lie, Go Go Squid ticks a lot of common tropes and/or clichés that you often see in romances. Nevertheless, you can’t help, but appreciate the fluffy love story and the overall vibe of the show. The leads are your typical ‘She fell first, but he fell harder’, so it’s really good to witness the development of their feelings, while they overcome some bumps along the way (age gap, parents’ reluctance, divergence in careers…). This drama also made me discover a new discipline named CTF (short for ‘Capture the Flag’) which is a field between eSports and cybersecurity. That was super interesting and new content for me (just like pool was in Amidst a Snowstorm of Love); and I also like it when I learn new things while being entertained. But I think what I loved the most in Go Go Squid are the values and the spirit conveyed. Main and side characters all have a story that revolves around success and failure; dreams and vain hopes; being a pioneer in a field and transmitting your passion to the next generation. There’s also a lot about friendship, camaraderie, and team spirit that are good takeaways for anyone’s every day life. So, the drama is not just a cute little romance, as the reflection behind life, growing up and moving on is quite present and valuable. All in all, I recommend it wholeheartedly! And for those who haven’t had enough of this universe, there’s a Go Go Squid 2 centered on the characters of DT and Appledog.

Graceful Family ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Country: Korea | Year: 2019 | Episode: 16 | Channel: MBN, Viki

Cast: Lim Soo Hyang & Lee Jang Woo
Plot: ​Mo Seok Hee is a wealthy heiress. She has a step-mother and two step-brothers. After her mother’s death 15 years ago, she was sent away to the US for her studies. Her mother’s death was covered and her father directly remarried. She really doesn’t get along with her step-family, who hates her and wants to take over Seok Hee’s father company. After 15 years away, she comes back to Korea, determined to take back her place as sole successor and discover the truth about her past. With the help of upright lawyer Heo Yoon Do, she fights her step-family as well as the powerful organization TOP, established by her grandfather to clear the family’s mess.

Review: Unexpectedly, this drama really got me from the first episode to the very last! It focuses on the life of a wealthy family and its internal rivalries. All the family members have their own dark secrets that are told one after the other throughout the drama. There is a certain tension and a suspenseful vibe, as we follow Mo Seok Hee’s war against her whole family. There are so many ups and downs, twists and turns, especially the final twist, that I certainly never expected! I really recommend that drama, particularly if witnessing a chaebol family’s power struggle is your thing! 

Kingdom Season 1 & Season 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Country: Korea | Year: 2019-2020 | Episode: 6 (season 1) + 6 (season 2) | Channel: Netflix

Cast: Ju Ji Hoon & Bae Doo Na
Plot: ​Set in the Joseon dynasty, Crown Prince Lee Chang is charged to put an end to an alleged plague that has broken out in the kingdom. Very quickly, he discovers that the situation is worse than a simple disease, as all inhabitants are little by little turning into zombies. Lee Chang will do everything in his power to put an end to this outbreak and find a cure. 

Review: ​I am not going to give too much information because I think this Netflix drama has a lot of twists and turns that are better seen on screen than told. I can only say how crazy it was and how much I enjoyed watching this horror drama, that has a rather unexpected theme: Zombies. I was very pleased with the idea to set such a plot during the historical period in South Korea, because this creates a whole lot more difficulties in terms of fight, defense and survival. I loved how the zombies are so different from any other kinds I have seen in different American series. All characters are also very well portrayed – Ju Ji Hoon and Bae Doo Na are amazing in their respective roles. Moreover, this drama gets its originality from the fact that it is not only centered on zombies, but it also perfectly combines suspense and thrill with palace drama. Indeed, the Queen and her father (a high-ranked magistrate) try to take over the throne in the midst of chaos. This kind of intrigue is very common in Sageuk (historical dramas) and I was amazed by how properly both genres were mixed. Highly recommended!

Love Alarm Season 1 & Season 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

Country: Korea | Year: 2019-2021 | Episode: 8 (season 1) + 6 (season 2) | Channel: Netflix

Cast: Kim So Hyun, Song Kang & Jung Ga Ram
Plot: ​A new app called Love Alarm has been recently released. It enables its users to know if someone is in love with them in a 10-meter radius. Kim Jo Jo is a high school student and didn’t download the alarm. A boy at her school Lee Hye Young has a crush on her but never confessed his feelings. Meanwhile, his best friend Hwang Sun Oh learns about it and kisses Jo Jo. 

Review: Interesting drama, even though there were some mishaps. The overall idea is fresh and innovative. Just like for any kind of AI or application, the concept at first glance seems great. However, it can easily twist relationships and that is exactly what happens with Kim Jo Jo, Lee Hye Young and Hwang Sun Oh. The trio made some poor decisions at some point, but since there are still adolescents I can understand their immaturity. I also think that the drama became a bit far-fetched passed the 4 first episodes of season. Fortunately, season 2 came and saved the disasters from season 1. All in all, I was extremely satisfied with the ending, though many might disagree with me!

The Crowned Clown ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Country: Korea | Year: 2019 | Episode: 16 | Channel: tvN

Cast: Yeo Jin Goo & Lee Se Young
Plot: ​During the Joseon era, Ha Sun is a young man belonging to a group of clowns. One day, he is taken to the palace and asked to take King Lee Hun’s place. Indeed, they have the exact same face and Lee Hun, who is a bit mad, is afraid of a possible assassination due to the current uprising.

Review: ​An excellent historical drama! This drama is actually a remake of the 2012 movie “The Masquerade” with the excellent Lee Byun Hun. I have to say, I am very pleased with this remake that really properly emphasized all the steps expected in a palace intrigue. Plus, I have to salute Yeo Jin Goo and Lee Se Young’s acting in that drama; these 2 child actors really grew up and managed to deliver a very strong performance. Bonus, it was Yeo Jin Goo’s first drama out of 3 in 2019! (counting Absolute Boyfriend and Hotel Del Luna after).

Triad Princess ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

Country: Taiwan | Year: 2019 | Episode: 6 | Channel: Netflix

Cast: Eugenie Liu & Jasper Liu
Plot: ​Angie is a 25-year old woman, daughter of a mafia boss, who wants to live an independent life. So, she decides to become the bodyguard of a famous actor she has a crush on.

Review: ​I was honestly not expecting anything from the drama, but I was rather surprised by how addictive and entertaining it turned out to be. I literally watched the 6 episodes in one day. It’s cheesy, romantic, cliché, but it’s quite agreeable to see a cute romance like that once in a while. I really liked how badass the lady is, but also how girlie and soft she can be despite her Triad background. As for Jasper Liu, he’s absolutely handsome in that drama.

Welcome 2 Life ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

Country: Korea | Year: 2019 | Episode: 16 | Channel: MBC

Cast: Rain & Im Ji Yeon
Plot: ​Lee Jae Sang works as an unscrupulous lawyer. His lack of morality pushed is ex girlfriend, Ra Shi On who is a police officer, away. After an accident, Lee Jae Sang ends up in a coma. When he wakes up, he discovers he is in another universe, in which he is an upright prosecutor, married to Ra Shi On and father of a daughter. Lee Jae Sang tries to understand what happened to him, why he changed worlds, how to go back and starts questioning his methods as a lawyer. 

Review: ​​Welcome 2 Life appeared to be at first a very typical and traditional fantasy drama about two worlds. The intrigue really grabbed my attention, because I wanted to see how Lee Jae Sang, the main character, would deal with his new life. However, the more I watched the plot in the other world, the more it started to become an action drama, in which good characters are hunting bad ones. I was a bit bored then. That’s when this AMAZING twist happened and threw me back into the drama until the very end. Mid-drama, Lee Jae Sang actually goes back to his world, taking with him everything he has learned in the other one. In that matter, he tries to do things right and it was really pleasant to see him trying to get his ex-girlfriend back. This twist was really refreshing and gave a second breath to the drama.