November and December 2024 Drama Reviews

November and December 2024 Drama Reviews

Dear Hyeri

This drama is about Joo Eun-Ho (Shin Hae-Sun) who is struggling as an announcer and feels like she has to keep working harder and harder to be recognized. She works with her ex-boyfriend Jung Hyun-O (Lee Jin-Uk) who is a talented announcer and she has always felt she doesn’t measure up compared to him and he broke up with her. She has trauma which has led to her developing another personality called Joo Hye-Ri who is the complete opposite of her and finds pleasure in simple joys. She works as a parking attendant and even has a crush on someone.

This is a different kind of drama and really kept me on my toes because I had trouble predicting what was going to happen next in this drama. I liked how quirky and weird it was because it kept me engaged and even when it didn’t go exactly where I wanted it to I was somewhat content with just watching it unfold. I think this is the first drama in a while made me want to cry and could make me empathize with the main character. I think the drama did a good job as I could feel connected to Eun-Ho and made my heart break for her at times. The acting was so good in the drama and Shin Hae Sun doesn’t disappoint with her acting and playing two roles. I think this drama did a good job showing how trauma affects you, it can feel sudden but really it has been a slow drip of pain to lead you to the point of the breakdown. How some simple things like listening to someones sad story that feels to close can send you into a complete melt down.

I didn’t like how little time that Hyeri got in the drama and the drama made it seem like she was going to come back at some point but I feel like we never got a closure with the character. I wonder if they didn’t want people to like her too much because she wasn’t exactly real and they wanted us to care more about Eun-Ho. So I think it was a bit of a misleading drama when they made it seem it was about her having a second personality and they didn’t really explain how she really fixed the problem. I also kinda hated Jung Hyun-O through most of the drama, he broke up with her for the most ridiculous reason and it just didn’t even make sense.

I don’t even know how long she could have dated him without even being curious about where he lives and what was going in his life. It doesn’t really seem very plausible in reality. I hate in dramas when the main lead decides something and doesn’t communicate the problem but just keeps them in the dark and doesn’t give them the option to voice their own thoughts on the problem. I would have been more satisfied if Eun-Ho would have left in the dust and stopped putting up with his hot and cold moments and just cut him off. If you are going to act like a child then don’t come looking for a relationship. Anyway I wish he would have had a bigger or more exciting secret that would have kept them apart in way that seems more realistic. I wish they would have played around more with the dual personalities more in this drama, it would have made it more exciting instead of feeling more like filler episodes.

I did appreciate the deeper meaning behind the drama alongside a romance. This is a quirky, weird and emotional style of drama that really kept you guessing. I think it left you wanting more of a conclusion but it really didn’t follow a typical pattern for kdramas. It felt fresh and exciting even if I still desired more of the drama.

What Comes After Love

This drama is about Hong (Lee Se-Young) who is Korean and goes to Japan to study against her family’s wishes. She meets Jungo and they fall in love with each other and they try to make a relationship work and she finds herself feeling lonely and misunderstood and they break up. Five years later they meet again in Korea and she is confused by this encounter as she is planning to get married.

I didn’t love this drama it just didn’t feel like there was much too the story line. It felt somewhat weak and I guess the problems where a big deal to the characters but as the audience it was somewhat boring. I get that emotions are tricky and if you feel like someone isn’t making any effort in a relationship it means the end of it. I just felt like it was kinda weak when he came back and they don’t even have one proper conversation. I mean they never even contacted each other again after that and just cause they meet after all this time it is enough to make the connection. I find time and distance makes your connection to other people weaker and it won’t make it stronger and you basically have learned to live without those people. You don’t really need them anymore, she had moved on and I find it hard to believe from the simple interactions it was enough to change her mind.

I guess him writing the book might have more of an impact but we don’t even get to hear much of the book and I wish they could have used that more to bridge a connection for them. I also don’t quite understand when they are given another chance in love, I mean how can you not feel insecure that when the tough gets going you will have the same scenario play out. They didn’t really make us feel like Jungo had the reason to do that to Hong and there is literally no reason we should cheer him on, just cause he felt bad and wrote a book. I don’t know it seems like a very immature love to me and wasn’t that exciting.

It did have beautiful cinematography and they did do a good job in portraying how they have changed over time. It was interesting to see how she tried to fit into the Japanese culture and how living in a different country was hard for her. I think they did a good job in showing her loneliness and the impact for the partner that is living in a different country and making the sacrifice. I felt bad for her but I also thought like girl go out there and make some of your own friends, surely going to school would have helped her find some friends. Instead of running all the time she could have tried to meet other people and enjoy herself. He was at fault also in this scenario but I don’t like that she was so dependent on him.

I think it was an interesting drama but it just didn’t have much to it and it is only 6 episodes so that might be why they had to keep it more simplistic. The ending also felt abrupt and left it up to our imagination of what was going to happen in the future. I didn’t hate it but it definitely felt there was some loose ends that didn’t get tied up. It was a simple short romance that was somewhat enjoyable.

Family By Choice

This drama is about Yoo Joo-Won (Jung Chae-Yeon) was a young girl she always wanted an older brother and when a dysfunctional family move in above them she gets her wish. Kim San-Ha (Hwang In-Yeop) and his Father become part of Joo-Won’t family. It also stars Hae-Joon (Bae Hyun-Sung) who also becomes part of the family. They have an unusual family but they don’t care and will always support each other and they help each other through life. Circumstances change for them after high school and Joo-Won is separated from them for 10 years but when they come back they want to go back to being that close family. This drama is based on a popular chinese drama with the title Go Ahead, I haven’t watched it but this drama does make me want to go and check it out. I really like these family and friendship dramas and they I feel like it adds something more special than just a typical romance drama. It makes my heart feel full when people find each other and can be family to each other even if they aren’t actually related.

Honestly this concept isn’t that hard for North American culture to accept and we love the idea of adoption and adding people to our family so I still find it strange how South Korea views adoption. They act like it is such a miracle that you could love a kid you adopted. They are so weird about it and so blunt about how they feel about it. I don’t think I will ever understand this type of thinking, I mean so many people want to adopt and find a child to love but it almost seems impossible where I live. Even worldwide it seems almost impossible and also extremely expensive to be able to even adopt from other countries.

I absolutely hated the people around Hae-Joon kept reminding him he was adopted and that he needed to make it up to his adopted Father. The drama was positive in trying to change people’s opinion of adoption but I felt bad for his character throughout the drama. The drama is full of heartwarming loving family moments that would sometimes remind me of Reply 1988 where they seemed like family in their neighborhood. I really enjoyed their high school years probably the most and how they would tease and take care of each other and all the shenanigans they got into.

There was many frustrating moments especially with San-Ha’s mother and I don’t think she deserved anything from him in the end. She was so toxic and honestly deserves worst mother award and I don’t think he should have to do anything for or with her. The ending was good but the father’s relationship at the end seemed weird and out of pocket for me. It seemed really rushed and I didn’t really get the romantic vibes from him. I would have preferred a focus on something else for the ending.

Overall this was a pretty entertaining drama that didn’t seem predictable and was always a fun time to watch! I really enjoyed this family romantic comedy drama!

Upcoming Dramas

Face Me

It is about a top plastic surgeon that is only interested on working on superficial surgeries to do with enhancing beauty but he starts getting involved with a detective and a criminal case. He starts getting dragged into the investigations and has to volunteer his skills with victims of crimes. He has some deep wounds himself and the detective starts digging and finding herself and they start getting involved with each other more and more.

Brewing Love

This drama is about a young woman who was a former member of the special forces of the military and has been working as a salesperson for beer company. She did whatever it took to get the job done and is very good at whatever come her way and is well respected in her company. She finds out her branch of the company is going to close and the only way to save her branch is to convince a stubborn brewmaster to come and make a beer for their company. The brewmaster is a very sensitive individual and has the ability to feel what people around him are feeling, he doesn’t want to work with any company but she won’t give up and will do anything to convince him to join the company.

Parole Examiner Lee

It is about a man who is a parole examiner who believes in justice he tries to stop inmates from exploiting the parole system through money or connections. He instead will help those that have been treated unjustly. He works with a detective and a loan shark to fight against a family business heir that acts like is above the law.

Love Your Enemy

It is about a man and woman that have always had a connection with each other while growing up with even having the same name “Ji Won” and there families have been feuding for a long time. They get separated and meet again as adults working at their alma mater.