April Watched

This month was for me to finish whatever I had started. It means that with some dramas, I was in such a hurry to finish them, so I could start watching new things. But honestly, I wasn't ready to separate from some other kdramas.

How was your April? Let me know if you agree or disagree with my opinions!

First impression: I was very excited, the premise and first two episodes seemed fun

Last impression: skip, skip skip, skip...

Synopsis: Baek Soo-Jung works as the leader of a planning team at Yongsung Department Store. She is a hard worker and is recognised for her top performance at her job. One day, she meets Ban Joo-Yeon for the first time in 16 years. When Baek Soo-Jung was in her teens, she first met Ban Joo-Yeon through an online game. He used the game ID of "Black Dragon". That time has remained one of the worst memories in her life. In his teens, Ban Joo-Yeon first met Baek Soo-Jung, who used the game ID "Strawberry." He fell in love with her and she was his first love, but as soon as he confessed his feelings to her, she dumped him. This was the first taste of bitterness in his life. (Mydramalist)

At first, it was fun, and the gaming world that we were let into reminded me of Love O2O. However, after those episodes, we never got back into the gaming world, fairly so, I guess.

The biggest thing that bothered me about this romance drama is the complete lack of chemistry. Ban Ju Yeon, even after 16 years, still acts like a child, even though he has to be a serious director of the team.

It wasn't about liking comics or having the taste buds of a child, but his mannerisms. I get that the way he acts is supposed to be comical, but I saw it as a child being with an adult.

His stubbornness, his pouting at every word she said. Rather than falling in love, I got an ick.

It reminded me a bit of Park Seo Joon in What's Wrong With Secretary Kim, but there he was less childish. He was more clueless about how real life works, while Ban Ju Yeon was cringey.

The secondary couple was way better. They both were mature, even with some cowardly moments in between. They had a cute romance, and you could see that they're on the same level.

The plot of the drama is also kind of meh. There are plans to finish, evil grandma and some secret office dating, but somehow none of that was exciting.

The evil grandma did annoy me a lot, and was an interesting character. The office romance wasn't exciting because the chemistry between the leads and the projects that they worked on wasn't clear enough to root for something.

I get that this was a simple rom-com, light-hearted drama or whatever you want to call it, but it was boring. Even the acting is a bit weird. I love both of the actors, but sometimes the delivery of lines was robotic. I could tell that they were just telling their lines rather than seeing Su Jeong or Ju Yeon in front.

4.5/10

First impression: I'm glad they cast some other actors who don't look like teenagers

Last impression: What did this drama turn into?

Synopsis: Jung Hae Seong is an elite NIS agent facing demotion. To get out of this, he gets sent to Byeongmun High School to locate gold bars that were hidden when the school was built. Posing as a student, he uncovers the school's corruption and with the help of others, fights against it. (Mydramalist)

The first few episodes were fun, we got mysteries to solve and fun interactions with Hae Seong and other students. It was amusing. Also, the obvious, that Seo Kang Joon doesn't look like a high schooler, was dealt with nicely, and it made sense.

My favourite part of the early episodes was the school mysteries they had to solve to get to the gold. Even then, some stupid decisions were made. Hae Seong is not a careful person, though he is supposed to be smart and works as a secret agent.

Because I still liked the story, I let it slide, but that happened way too many times.

In the middle, the story got quite boring. I was still invested in the mystery, but not so much in the secondary characters (maybe except for some students).

The romance was okayish, but there was not much to go with it. The childhood connection was lazy writing to make the leads become closer faster.

Finally, the ending was a disaster. I can deal with boredom, but the last two episodes have become nonsensical. It's okay if I watch Makjang, and I get this kind of plot, but this was supposed to be a normal drama.

It was also so predictable. I could see who would die and what would happen next, before it happened later in the episodes.

By the end of the drama, I felt like I had lost all the fun of watching it.

4/10

First impression: I wanted to do nothing but watch this drama after the first episode

Last impression: Emotionally exhausted, but the warmth I got from it was worth it

Synopsis: Ae-Sun and Gwan-Sik were born in Jeju, South Korea, in the 1950s. Ae-Sun is a rebellious girl and a lover of books, but she is unable to attend school due to her poor family background. She expresses her feelings freely without hiding anything. Gwan-Sik is a sincere and diligent young man. He doesn’t talk that much. Gwan-Sik loves only Ae-Sun and respects her. (Mydramalist)

Slice-of-life dramas are always hit or miss for me. Sometimes, they're too slow, sometimes I can't relate, and other times, they become the drama of the year.

When Life Gives You Tangerines will stay with me for a long time. I have cried with the characters and laughed with them so much that it's hard to let go. It felt like I was there throughout the years, and now, when it came to an end, I feel empty.

This drama gave some words to my feelings about complicated relationships with my parents. Sometimes you want to say thank you, but let out a frustration. How imperfect we all are, and we're all trying to grow, to be just a bit better.

I enjoyed the generational view on the topic, too. It was interesting to see how Ae Sun changed/stayed the same from her mother. The time when Gwan Sik realised that his son had grown up, and was now the one nagging his son about the hairstyle.

It had given the drama so much warmth and had me looking back at my own parents. Are they that different from me? What kind of paths did they decide to take, and why?

The actors and characters were phenomenal. I was there watching their every move, listening to their every word (when I could hear them through my crying).

For now, I'm still recovering from the ending that we got. It's always sad when something like this ends.

10/10

First impression: A lot of confusion until... Damn...

Last impression: I loved the actors

Synopsis: Choi Deok Hui is the best neurosurgeon in the world. In the past, he had a pupil named Jung Se Ok. She was a promising and gifted doctor, but during an operation, Deok Hui permanently kicked her out of the operating room. Se Ok now works as a shadow doctor in an illegal operating room. Somehow, she meets her ex-teacher, Deok Hui, again. These two crazy but gifted neurosurgeons confront each other and grow through that. (Mydramalist)

The premise of the drama was quite interesting. Two doctors who are crazy, hating each other because of something that happened.

After the first episode was finished, I was intrigued by the story and where it would go. However, to my sadness and not surprisingly, it was a mess. There is no real backstory as to why characters act the way they do.

There is nothing much going on in the drama.

It's a mix between medical drama and crime. It lacked the medical stuff, though; crime was more interesting.

The actors need to be praised and complimented. Their performance was a saving grace for the drama. Park Eun Bin stepped out of her comfort zone to portray a genius neurosurgeon who is crazy. I think it was my first time seeing Sul Kyung Gu, and he was amazing in his role as a mentor.

Everyone was great with the roles, but their character needed purpose, which I didn't see.

I get that the drama has only 8 episodes and is trying to do a lot, but then maybe something else needs to be cut?

(Mild spoilers) The ending suggests that there might be a second season, so maybe they could've done something more and added something later. Honestly, I don't even know what they would show in the second season, so I'm not sure if I would tune in.

6/10

First impression: I'm just happy to see Gong Myung back on my screen

Last impression: Finally, after 6 hours, I can stop crying

Synopsis: Jung Hui Wan is a 24-year-old woman who doesn't have the will to live. She lives her life as a recluse. One day, her childhood friend, Kim Ram Woo, appears when he died 4 years ago. He announces that she is going to die after a week, so this was her last chance to have fun and say goodbye to everyone. (Mydramalist)

This is the time when you come into drama without any expectations, and it just blows you out.

I didn't expect to feel such strong emotions with a short drama, but they did amazingly. The characters were lovable. The outgoing female lead who's always in everyone's business with a shy male lead. It's a great combo.

Especially when it turns out that she's now depressed and he's dead.

This is a short story, but I also liked how the viewers get a bit of insight into what other characters are feeling, what they are doing. For example, the book club girls were on screen for such a short time, but so memorable and funny.

The storyline is great too. It grips you by the heart and never really lets go. It is a heartbreaking but also a healing story that a lot of people who have lost someone might recognise themselves in.

It's hard to say anything without spoiling, but I recommend watching it.

10/10