In the spirit of closure (partly because we are getting to the end of the year, eep!), I thought I’d officially call it quits on Monthly Magazine Home.
I’d actually really looked forward to this one, but, to be brutally honest, episode 1 just didn’t appeal to me very much at all. I’d then shelved it, with vague good intentions of giving it another chance, but.. that’s not gonna happen, after all.
Here’s the quick rundown of why this one didn’t work for me, even from episode 1. 😅
I genuinely enjoy both Kim Ji Suk and Jung So Min, so when I saw that they’d starred in this little drama special together, and that it had garnered more than 10 million views, I couldn’t not give it a look.
That, and the fact that I’d recently checked out episode 1 of Monthly Magazine Home, and hadn’t been super wowed; this little drama special had felt like a nice, quick alternative way to have them on my screen.
I hafta say, Kim Ji Suk’s character in this, is definitely more quickly endearing than his character in Monthly Magazine Home, who starts out as a quintessential jerkwad type.
I wonder if I’ve stockpiled enough goodwill for him through watching this drama special, to attempt episode 2 of Monthly Magazine Home..? 🤔😅
Happy belated Thanksgiving, everyone! After a week of pre-emption, it’s time for us to dive into our discussions for episodes 3 & 4!
As before, here are the ground rules:
1. Please don’t post spoilers in the Open Thread, except for events that have happened in the show, up to this point. I repeat: no spoilers for future episodes please! We have quite a few first-time viewers among us, and we don’t want to spoil anything for anyone.
2. Discussions on this thread don’t have to close when newer threads open, just so you know! But as we progress through our group watch, please keep the discussions clear of spoilers from future episodes, so that future readers coming to this thread won’t be accidentally spoiled. Does that make sense?
Without further ado, here are my reactions to this pair of episodes; have fun in the Open Thread, everyone! ❤️
Well, my friends. It looks like I just can’t escape the lure of Jang Hyuk in Chuno, heh.
I know I said that I mostly likely wouldn’t be joining the group watch, but after all the excitement and enthusiasm we shared in the group watch announcement post, I just could not get Chuno out of my head.
I’m in, you guys.
What this means is that I’ll be sharing some episode notes with you from this rewatch, in the Open Thread posts. For the record, this is my 3rd watch.
My last watch was in 2013, when I wrote my Chuno review. I won’t be writing a new review after this watch, but any fresh thoughts and insights will be shared in the episode notes.
I hope you guys enjoy. 😊
Y’know, I just love it when the blog evolves because of you guys. ❤️
I started this blog mostly for reviews, and then added the k-love section, and the occasional Musings post.
But mostly everything else is a result of suggestions and requests from you guys. Pure Pretty, Dream Dramas, and Dear kfangurl posts, would’ve never been born on this blog if you guys hadn’t asked for and contributed to them.
And now, here’s another new thing that we’ve not had on the blog before: a group watch, with open thread discussions to go with! Exciting! 😃 Lemme tell you guys all about it, so that you can decide whether you’d like to join in the fun!
You guys might remember that I recently wondered in my review of web drama Mute, how the writer pairing came about.
I was intrigued and rather puzzled at the seemingly random and unusual partnership between Jung Jae Won / One and Kang Han Na, in penning the show, and had invited anyone who might know more, to share more information in the comments.
Huzzah! We now need wonder no longer!
Many thanks to Table122000, who’s enlightened me with the answer. ❤️
THE SHORT VERDICT:
My Unfamiliar Family is a drama that feels familiar and yet fresh at the same time, to my eyes.
It feels like a lot of the things I like in family dramas, condensed into a more efficient 16 episodes rather than a sprawling 54 episodes, presented with more polish, and sprinkled with a harder dash of reality, than the average family drama.
Show has more surprises up its sleeve than the average kdrama, which makes this almost (but not quite) feel like a soapy watch experience. Yet, at the same time, there is a solid amount to unpack with this show, which makes it feel meaty and serious.
Altogether, Show feels kind of spicy and interesting, while managing to remain raw, heart-hitting and thought-provoking, at the same time.
An unusual combination of drama flavors that makes for a refreshing watch.
Beez writes:
Dear Kfangurl, Are supporting actors too funny to ever cast as leads?
I keep waiting for my favorites – Park Jin Joo, Kim Seul Gi and my all time favorite, Kim Sung Oh to be part of an OTP or at least a single lead in their own dramas. I’ve seen all of them give snippets of really moving scenes so their acting talent is not in question. What gives?
And phl1rxd writes:
I would love to see an article on your favorite supporting actors|actresses.
There are so many that pop up in our drama world all the time, and while they are not the leads, their work is great none-the-less.
Y’know, I’d gotten to the point where I was so tired of serial killers and murders being mixed with romance (what is up with that, Dramaland?), that I was ready to give this show a hard, blind pass, just for having the audacity to mix murder with romance, again.
But, the overwhelming positive buzz around this show piqued my interest, as did the high ratings, and the glowing, persuasive comments that a number of you left me, which is how I ended up checking out this show, in spite of myself.
With 20/20 hindsight, now that I’ve emerged on the other side, do I still think Show didn’t need a serial killer murder arc? BIG YES. Did I manage to enjoy this one, despite my by-now-very-firm serial killer drama allergy? Also, yes. I guess that means Show wins, overall?
If you’ve read my recent posts, you’d probably know that of late, I’ve been bucking the trend in terms of not loving shows that everyone else seems to love.
I was really kinda bummed that even though J-drama Rich Man, Poor Woman and C-drama Shan Shan Comes To Eat are crowd favorites, they just never became one of my favorites.
Well whaddya know. I’m bucking the trend again, with this show.
But this time, it’s a happier event for me (woot!), coz while lots of folks seemed to be pretty underwhelmed by 20th Century Boy and Girl, I actually really liked this one, you guys. And I mean, in a solid, I’m-sorry-to-say-goodbye kinda way, too.
Maybe with the right lens, you might also end up liking this one. You never know?