2016 Kdramas Catchup: March

So far? Kdramas in 2016 are still definitely looking up!

Getting too into a new 2016 drama can be high-risk. What do you do when it disillusions you along the way? It could turn you off your kdramas for the rest of the year!

Good thing I have no such problems with any of the new dramas I started – and finished, so far this year.

I hope this is a sign of better days ahead!

Many of us will already have a few 2016 dramas under our belt. Makes me wish I had a ‘Time-Turner’ like the one Hermione Granger had in Harry Potter.

Just so, you know, I can be a total badass and get to watch more dramas than normal time would allow.

Since that’s not happening, I’m to settle with finishing just two 2016 dramas so far (Cheese in the Trap & Moorim School), starting one new one (Descendants from the Sun), and currently following one other one – soon to be concluded One Happy Ending.

So it’s not just my blogging that’s slowed down this year: so has my viewing!

Which is why every single moment I spend on a drama has to count. When you can only spare so many hours a week for your kdrama fixation, you kinda want to make it worth the while.

But sometimes a drama just never does what you want it to! And speaking of…

When your favorite drama goes belly-up on you in the finale…

And the top pick finale of 2016 so far goes to…

Moorim School! Yes!! I’m happily a fan of this quirky drama. Just the cast, the soundtrack and that finale, whoa. One thing I definitely did with this drama, was have loads of fun!

Loved the team spirit and just the whole message of Moorim School: honor and friendship

This was one drama I couldn’t wait each week to watch. It had a lot of high points, whatever the ratings might indicate.

Fans of the drama, definitely appreciated the chance to experience such a vibrant cast and unique storyline.

Considering its premise was mostly based on fantasy, I’d say Moorim School gave us a nice taste of make-believe. That gets it a 10/10 from me.

Some dramas left most fans looking back in anger…

With Cheese in the Trap, it was a different ballgame for many. Much as I enjoyed the drama on the surface, it did raise several issues.

Such as, how do you take it when the drama starts to go differently from what you expected?

Does that signal a failure of the drama – I think not. We should always keep in mind that no matter the expectations, a drama can only do its best. Because it’s only a drama after all.

Cheese in the Trap could have been one of those 2016 greats – still, it delivered on performance if not  consistency. Ah, drama!

One Happy Ending has in its own case, been consistent all through its run; focusing on elements that got us so hooked in the first place.

Namely some romance, some laughs, some contemplation.

I like how everyone each gets a little slice of redemption in this drama. There is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ character, because every single person has a bit of a hero and a villain inside them.

Oh, and Conan O’Brien appearing in two episodes of One Happy Ending wins the drama some epic badass points!

With Descendants of the Sun, I find I’m optimistic about the paths its taking. Each episode feels fresh and even intense. The actors all have the skills to carry a storyline that still needs a whole lot of bolstering to get it to earn its label as an ‘epic drama’.

I’m eagerly waiting for this drama to really ‘wow’ me, because it certainly has the potential!

The drama doesn’t exactly get me all starry-eyed, not yet.

But I’m loving the cast, the setting (getting to watch bare-chested soldiers going on their daily run sure makes for nice scenery) and of course, the soundtrack. So, it’s a thumbs up for entertainment.

Hopefully no drama will have us wishing this to ourselves in the upcoming season!

Out with the old dramas, in with the new

Now comes a fresh juncture for drama fans, as a new leg of kdramas have already taken off. And I’m still reeling from all the excitement.

Marriage Contract, Come Back Mister and Descendants of the Sun are three new dramas I hope to follow this March. But when does anything ever go as planned with these things?

So here’s me being penitent in advance, for all the posting and viewing I might slack off on in the coming weeks (sniff).

One drama I definitely am on the lookout for, is Goodbye Mr. Black.

My revenge drama of choice in 2016, can not come too soon!

I’m captivated already by the chemistry I’m sensing between the male and female leads, and especially between the drama and me.

The last time I anticipated a drama this much, was with Oh My Venus.

Goodbye Mr. Black is going to be a lot on the darker side, and I like the stills and promos I’m seeing already. I love love a secret identity drama. The suspense levels in this drama is going to send my pulse racing, I can just tell already.

Why hello there, my soon-to-be-fave drama in March 2016!

I just know I’ll be dropping everything once Goodbye Mr. Black premiers March 16.

It promises eye candy aplenty, action, mystery, more men in uniform, and romance laced with revenge.

And apart from the riveting storyline, there’ll be more onscreen male hotness than should even be legal in one k-drama…With such actors as Kim Kang Woo, Daniel Henney, and Song Jae-Rim!

Can you picture me salivating already?

Other dramas kicking off in March:

 

Memory (March 18)
A lawyer suffering memory loss (hmm, sound familiar?), fights till the end to uphold family and personal values.

Ms. Temper & Nam Junggi (March 18)
One mild mannered employee and his more hotheaded female colleague… Looks like sparks will fly for all the wrong reasons!

Monster aka “Tyrant”(March 28) Replaces the long-running Dazzling Temptation and it’s some kind of financial thriller. Set in 1997, no less.

Neighbourhood Lawyer aka My Lawyer, Mr. Jo (March 28) A promising prosecutor loses it all when he blows the whistle after witnessing unacceptable corruption. He picks up a small local practice instead, just to show his mettle – and  protects the innocent and helpless while he’s at it.

Whew! Talk about drama variety. Here’s a whole assortment of flavors just waiting to be sampled in the coming weeks!

I’m not sure how anyone could possibly keep up this March. These dramas all promise to be really good shows, worth the look-in at least.

In fact, a few look downright impossible to miss. So who am I kidding – I’m possibly going to be cuffed to my screen, judging by all the drama goodness in store.

Looks like I’ll just have to work up my own time-travel charm after all!