Hey everyone!

Like what we did for the past couple of years, we’re having guest posts from the lovely folks on Patreon, to help us take stock of our drama years, yay! 🥳

We’ll be seeing about 2 guest posts per week, and this will unfold into January 2023, and that’s perfectly ok.

My annual year-in-review, which usually comes out in December, will also come out in January (or thereabouts 😅), after all the guest posts have been published.

If you missed our earlier posts, you can check them out as follows: Ele, Natalia, JJ, Sean, j3ffc, Uyen, MC, Elaine, lotusgirl, ABV, learjet, dreamingdrama, Diasporic Chick.

Today, I’m pleased to announce that Taeho (whom we also know as David) is sharing his drama year!

Taeho started out being more of a silent supporter over on Patreon, but has been  hanging out with us a little more in the past year, which has allowed us to get to know him better – yay!

The more I get to know Taeho, the more I’m impressed and intrigued by how well-traveled he is, and how often he seems to have the opportunity to visit Korea, and even attend some of the plays and concerts that many of us only dream of. Very cool indeed. 🤩

If you’d like to know more of Taeho’s drama thoughts, you can visit his EOY for 2022 here.

Thanks Taeho, for taking the time to write this post! 😘

I hope you guys enjoy!

~ KFG ❤️

Taeho / 태호 End of Year Anti-Review

Well, not quite the anti-review of 2023. Frankly, I wasn’t sure I had something significant enough to write about dramaland for 2023.

On a recent trip this past January – Seoul, Tokyo, back to San Francisco, I saw some really good movies during my flights. The movies inspired me more than some of the Kdramas I watched, unfortunately.

Dramas

I tend to watch or look for something different in a drama – maybe a new hook, which nowadays is hard to come by.

This includes sometimes tensions between the leads with the highs and lows in a relationship – or camaraderie of the supporting cast. And throw in some good family dysfunction but at the end of the day, still love and support each other.

I’m not only looking at how a drama is acted out or what is said, but also how the actors convey the lines and emotion.

Koreans dramas, to me, have an interesting way of expressing themselves when there’s something very important to get across – here’s an example of Bae Su-ji-ssi in Doona. She starts and then crescendo’s her lines to finish the scene – very Korean way of tone in her voice:

These are all the dramas I watched in 2023.

11. XO Kitty

I didn’t particularly have high expectations based on the ads, but I did like the concept.

An American high school student is accepted into a prestigious Seoul high school – where her deceased Korean mother went. Of course, there are mysteries surrounding her mother and other plot lines.

The show had promise early on but gets lost midway through. I stopped after 6 episodes, but eventually did finish to actually write this review.

One can look at this as a classic high school drama or an overused trope, but obviously with a twist of an American right in the mix.

I do like when they speak English and Korean, but the show is mainly in English. There are several Korean actors here – the male lead is Choi Min-young-ssi, who was the younger brother of Baek In jin-ssi in 25-21.

The writer is an American – I do like some of the topics covered here, likely out of the mainstream for Korea, just a few too many plot twists for me personally. There are many funny scenes though.

The show is short, 10 episodes about ~27 minutes each. There is supposedly a Season 2.

Grade: B- (the last 1-2 episodes pull this out of C grade territory).

10. Behind your Touch

The title and ads made it hard to decipher what this show was about – touching “behinds” for 16 episodes would be really tough to watch.

Laws in Korea around such things are fairly enforced and have been only heightened in the last few years.

I traveled to Seoul and Tokyo a few times in 2023  and took the subways several times. I was very cognizant to not bump into people, let alone their behind. Invariably this happened a couple of times.

If you’re a fan of Han Ji-min, it might be worthwhile watching – it’s an atypical role for her so it was fun to see her in a different light.

Male lead is Lee Min Ki, who is also a veteran in Kdramas, plays the part pretty straight and is a good offset to HJM’s character.

How the show started theme wise changed pretty dramatically after a few episodes, I didn’t like the new genre direction – but it was still done pretty well.

There are a lot of good scenes in here, but gets lost with the plot lines I felt. The writers have a pretty good track record. They took a shot on something new for Korean audiences.

Ratings in Korea were pretty good throughout the season, in the top 5 consistently.

Grade: B-

9. The Glory Season 1 (2022)

If you’ve watched your fair share of Kdramas, you know that bullying and violence is a real thing, specifically in Korea.

It can be pervasive at just about every level in Korea culture: jobs, education/school, friends, even in families. It’s almost built into Korea’s hierarchical system that allows the person with a higher “social” status almost free rein in that relationship.

I saw this a few times even between my Korean friends.

This subject has been a hot topic and runs pretty deep. At the time of the airing, almost all my Korean friends were watching this. So I decided to join the party.

The writing is excellent. The writing and story is gripping – the vengeance theme was just very long, as well as some of the violent scenes. I ended up skipping through some of them. Season 2 came out and I did not even think about watching it.

Grade: B

8. Revenant

This isn’t my genre to watch, but I decided to watch it because it starred Kim Tae Ri and it was a topic I was pretty interested in from a Korean point of view. I think many cultures have some sort of supernatural / folklore stories.

Growing up in California, there were many I heard.

Overall it was better than I expected. The one downside is there’s no other substory outside of the supernatural plot line. And I guess it’s hard to switch behind story lines in this type of genre.

The show had intense scenes, but overall not too bad. I did feel it needed something to help lighten the mood sometimes.

One thing I noted – around Episode 5, KTR’s hair changed or was different – it shone tremendously, strange for this type of genre.

I met one of my friends in Seoul this past January. I did a double take – she had the same shine in her hair. I mumbled – your hair, uh, looks good. In my mind, I was thinking you have KTR’s hair?!

If you like Episode 1, you’ll enjoy the rest of the show. Episode was a little intense though.

Grade: B

7. DP1 (2021) and DP2 (2023)

I missed watching DP1 so I finally watched it in early 2023.

Jung Hae-In is really good but what makes this drama is the camaraderie and relationship with his fellow DP officer, Koo Kyo-hwan.

Like in The Glory, there is a fair amount of bullying and violence. Since this occurs in the military, it’s like tolerated or looked the other way within the society.

The writing is excellent and our two  leads perform exceedingly well.  There are several good story lines.

Ultimately, the drama series does have a similar plot line throughout the seasons. Still worthy of a watch. Each season is 6 episodes.

Grade: B+

6. Singles Inferno 3

I wrote about this Show in my 2022 EOY, Seasons 1 and 2.

It’s a Korean singles reality show with the premise you can’t disclose one’s age and work – which is kind of everything in Korean culture.

Some background that I think most people are aware of in Korea. Korea culturally is based on a social status or rank – which consists of family status, education, age, job title, income, where you live and what you live in, if married, and what your spouse’s family does, etc.

As a foreigner, I would also include male / female.

For me, it’s interesting and fascinating to see how Koreans interact with each other on a non-status level. Is it totally not scripted, I have no idea. I did ask a few Korean friends if they watched it, generally, they did not admit it, but yes.

This season the show ranked consistently #2 in SK viewing. The hosts are generally very good too. My host favorite is the woman in the middle.

If you’re looking for something different, this might fit the bill.

Grade: B+

5. A Time Called You

I did not see SOOD so I can’t compare that drama to A Time Called You.

Jeon Yeo-been, the main lead, did an excellent job in this role, [STRUCTURAL SPOILER] primarily managing the personalities during the show. Her range of emotions really high-lighted her acting abilities. Literally playing two, sometimes a character within a character. [END SPOILER]

Sometimes I felt there were too many time jumps and sub-plot storylines. The two male co-leads also did really well.

I would definitely re-watch this again at a later time.

Grade: B+

4. Summer Strike

After watching Glory and DP1 and DP2 back to back, I needed something a little more, umm, non-violent.

The American show name is Summer Strike – but translated from Korean is ‘I Don’t Want to Do Anything.’

A few shows in this genre have been popping up more and more – a Seoulite decides to leave on short notice and head for the countryside.

The first episode covers the why – almost immediately, one is drawn to the FL. The writer and director do a great job in showing the misery and pain of why she makes the decision to leave Seoul.

One will get a great sense of the direction of the show from watching the first one or two episodes.

This was the perfect show to make me forget The Glory and also why I love the simplicity of a show like Summer Strike.

The story line does change a bit in later episodes but keeps it within the realm of realistic for a Korean drama.The ML is Im Si-wan – he plays a different character here which I really liked. Very good supporting cast as well.

Grade: B+

3. Doona

I’ve enjoyed watching Bae Su-ji-ssi in several Kdramas, Vagabond, Start-Up, and Anna, which I happened to see right before Doona. Her roles were all really different.

Based on the premise, I was interested in how she would do this drama.

I didn’t realize she had been in a KPop group until after the drama finished so I was wondering how much acting she really did (somewhat written in jest).

The director of Doona directed Crash Landing on You (CLOY) so I had some level of confidence it would be good.

Su-ji-ssi delivers a very compelling performance and makes it look really easy. A lot of the scenes are very subtle and if you blink, you can miss some really good acting.

As somewhat expected, Su-ji-ssi’s character goes through a metamorphosis – perhaps not always for the right reason.

I enjoy this type of drama – it’s not trying so hard to have many sub-stories and it takes the time to develop the main characters.

If you like the first episode, I think you’ll enjoy the rest of the series.

Grade: B+

2. Anna (6 Episodes – non-Director’s version).

I didn’t realize there ‘s two versions until I finished the show – so just realize which one you’re watching.

From reading online, it seems the director’s cut covers more about her upbringing.

If one didn’t know anything more, one would think it’s solely a typical Kdrama written story, which it could very well be. But I believe this is based on Inventing Anna (on Netflix) which is based on a true story in America.

Back to the drama, Su-ji-ssi delivers a tour de force. She covers a wide time range of her character and goes through several transformations along her journey. I’ll plan to watch the director’s cut in a few months.

Grade: A-

1. First Love

I really loved this drama, it reminded me of watching older Japanese movies – gritty with soul. Is it an original story? Not so much. Is it well packaged as a drama? Yes.

The two leads are well known in the Japanese entertainment industry and they performed exceptionally well, the ML does seem to ham it up a bit though.

No secret on what the story line is as the title states, but reconnecting or searching for a first love, if done well, will pull at one’s heartstrings.

Of course, this is performed with Japanese flair and panache, which is a good contrast to a Kdrama.

Grade: A-

Did not Finish

There were several Dramas I didn’t finish for various reasons: Hidden Love (Eps 5), TTEOTM (Eps 2), Celebrity (Eps 3), King the Land (Eps 2), See You in my 19th Life (Eps 2). There were many fans of many of these shows so I would still try them out!

Movies

I watched several of these movies while on flights. I am surprised at the quality of the movies on international flights, at least on United airlines.

Free Chol Soo Lee (2022)

At times, a very inspirational documentary, and at other times, the reality of a Korean mother and her son that migrated to America in the 1970s.

Grade: A

Return to Seoul (2022)

This is a movie I would have watched in high school entering college, it looked cool, was French, avant-gardish and about people in their 20s.

The movie centers around a young woman, adopted by French parents, who decides on the spur of the moment to go to Seoul to find out about her birth parents. This received very high critical acclaim from critics.

Slight nudity – it’s French I guess. I skipped a couple of scenes while I was watching on the plane (no one was sitting next to me).

Grade: B+

Riceboy Sleeps (2022)

A single mother and young boy leave Korea for Canada. Somewhat based on the director / writer’s childhood.

This can be viewed in three different segments. The last ⅓ of the movie was very moving.

I only saw the first hour of the movie on my flight from Seoul to Tokyo on Korean Air. It was not available on my return flight back to the US. It took me some time to find the movie once I was home, but it was worth it.

This also received high marks from critics.

Grade: B+

The Half of It (2020)

American movie from writer Alice Wu. A beautifully written movie, the acting keeps up for the most part of it.

It’s a comedy / biting, sarcastic / coming of age movie of a high school protagonist trying to get by in a small town far across the bay from Seattle.

Grade: B+

Beyond Utopia (2023)

This is a compelling documentary about NK people trying to defect to SK.

The story revolves around a Korean pastor who helps families plan or those who end up getting in a predicament after they cross the Yulu river in China.

The documentary follows a mother trying to get her son out of NK and another family escaping trying to make it to SK.

To say it’s gripping is an understatement. It also provides a general history of NK/SK.

Grade: A

WWII Movies

I went to Tokyo In the summer of 2023 for the first time in a few years.

Entry had been mostly closed unless part of a travel group, which I was not going to do. Finally Japan opened entry just to regular travelers. I signed up pretty quickly thereafter.

About the same time, the American movie Oppenheimer was going to be released. There was much discussion in the Japanese media about the movie in general for obvious reasons.

After I came back, I re-immersed myself in several WWII movies. I ended up going back to Japan in October and then recently in January.

I have not found a lot of movies about Japan’s war transgressions in the 1930s, but certainly it invaded many countries during this time – Manchuria, French Indochina, and China.

If this isn’t your genre, feel free to skip.There are two 2023 movies that I write about below – Oppenheimer and Road to Boston.

Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)

This is a classic WWII movie leading up to the events of the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941. This was co-developed with Japan so it paints (from a cinematic and historical view) a very realistic view of events. We pretty much know what happens but the movie keeps one at the end of their seat from beginning to end.

Grade: A-.

Midway (1976)

The attack at Pearl Harbor was a huge setback for the US in more ways than one. Japan’s goal was not to force capitulation but more around signing a peace treaty – allow it to continue to invade east Asia.

Both sides were playing a high risk cat and mouse game. They would eventually meet at Midway. Historians believe this was the turning point for the Americans.

On the plus side of the movie, this is a Who’s Who of the Hollywood actors during the 1970s.

Grade: B+

Midway (2019)

Newly watched in 2023. I had mostly avoided it due primarily as it appeared to potentially be highly Hollywood-ized. After watching this, my opinion was wrong.

The one thing I really liked about this vs. Midway 1976 was that it provided background on the events leading up to Pearl Harbor.

Overall, the story was well told in an updated version of Midway, still some Hollywood story telling though.

Grade: B+

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

This is based on a true story of an American who wanted to serve in WWII but did not believe in killing or even using a weapon. The movie starts with the ML humble upbringing.

I won’t sugar coat it – this was a difficult movie to watch during the battle scenes. However, the message and belief of our ML – even during times of immeasurable violence – shines through.

Grade: A- (graphic battle scenes).

Unbroken (2014)

Similar to Hacksaw Ridge, based on a true story of an American who first endures 47 days at sea only to be captured by the Japanese and further endures torture until Japan surrended in 1945.

Truly an inspirational and uplifting story if you can make it to the end, but of course with a lot of pain and misery as well.

Grade: B+ (graphic torture scenes)

Isoroku (2011)

Based on Isoroku Yamamoto’s WWII military career. Yamamoto was known as the architect of Pearl Harbor.

History shows he did not believe in attacking the US at Pearl Harbor. Yamamoto is prominent in most WWII movies and certainly a key, if not the key figure, from the Japan military view, until his demise in 1943.

Grade: B+

Yamato (2005)

This tells the story from the Japanese point of view of the battleship Yamato’s last battle.

Yamato was billed as an indestructible battleship. The first third of the movie is the setup, which actually begins in 1999, then flashbacks to crew members who were on the Yamato.

It tells the story of Japanese farmers / fishermen who were drafted, some as young as 15/16. The movie is from the lens of those whose duty was to serve and in many cases sacrifice their lives for its country.

Grade: B+

Oppenheimer (2023)

A complicated man in a complex time. This was receiving high praise in its early reviews so decided to see it. I had thought it would be highly Hollywood’ized, to some degree it was, but overall, it was much better than I anticipated.

The movie is split up into roughly four segments. I was a little surprised how much the movie spent later in Oppenheimer’s life. Not that it wasn’t significant, but more it got into the weeds.

Grade: A-

Road to Boston (2023)

This is based mostly on a true story. The ML Im Si-wan-ssi and one of my favorite actors. The opening scene is poignant – it’s from the 1936 Olympic marathon. Fast forward to 1947 (or thereabouts) that begins Si-wan-ssi timeline in the movie.

Overall a very strong movie, but we aren’t given much background sometimes on the history of what or why some events are important – unfortunately you’ll have to know the context beforehand.

The movie picks up (finally) in the second half and is really exciting.

Grade: B+

For what it’s worth:

I asked three of my Korean friends in Seoul what they were watching in February – interesting choices.

1. My Happy Ending, Flex X Cop, Doctor Slump

2. Sweet Home, The Uncanny Counter, My Demon, Badland Hunters

3. Welcome to Samdal-ri, Gyeongseong Creature, Spring Day

I noticed in the Seoul hotels, or the ones I stay at, everyone at the front desk, etc., has a non-Korean name, typically an American/English name. It does help, but I’d prefer to at least see their Korean romanization of the name.

On a whim, I asked my Korean friend to give me a Korean first name – Taeho. I also got a last name – Kim – as a bonus. I’m not really sure I’ll use it, but I’ll try it out here.

Travel

For my trips to Tokyo, I paused my studying of Korean to learn Japanese.

I’m certainly not as proficient in Japanese as Korean, but it was fun learning. I’m setting my sights on going back to Shanghai and/or Beijing in 2024.

I’m looking forward to finally trying to learn Mandarin or Shanghainese – at least enough to get by at the airport, taxis, or barter at the markets.

2024 Drama Outlook

I’m hopeful that 2024 dramas will be much better for me personally.

There are several that appear in my wheelhouse: Captivating the King, My Demon, Welcome to Samdal-Ri, and GyeongSeong Creature.

Happy Lunar New Year / (Korean) Seollal / 설날

Much prosperity in 2024! Stay safe and healthy!

Thanks to KFG for fitting me in at the last moment for the EOY reviews. Writing this reminds me this takes time, brain power, patience, and dedication.

~Taeho