2010’s Rewind|Dramas from 2013

Hello luvs. I’m really sorry for my inactivity and delays in posting. I’ve basically been sick with the flu. I also had some personal things. Right after Christmas, I found out that my older cousin passed away from cancer. I wasn’t close to her, but I just saw her during my last visit to Thailand. I vividly remember her grasping onto my hands in the hospital room. So I was feeling alot of things. Then sadly right after the New Year began, I found out my grandpa in Thailand found out he had cancer and needed emergency surgery. I’m close to him, and literally stay with him whenever I stay in Bangkok. I love my grandpa alot. So I was feeling alot of things. I felt alot of fear, anxiety, worry, and stress. That’s why I needed to take a break to just deal with everything. I needed some time to process everything…and I wanted wasn’t in the right headspace to write anything. It was a rough start to the new year, but I just wanna thank everyone for their kindness and patience. I do plan on finishing the Rewind posts and posting other things. It’s just probably going to take me a bit more time.

So that being said, let’s continue with the 2010’s Rewind. You can check out the previous posts as well: [2010], [2011], and [2012]. As you know there are tons of big dramas. I’m the type to just watch what I think I’ll like or stumble upon. So I’ll only be talking about the memorable dramas in terms of what I’ve watched.

SPEC～零～|SPEC~ZERO~ (JP)

Synopsis (credit: Asian Wiki):

High school student Saya Toma (Erika Toda) lost her parents and younger brother in an airplane accident.  Detective Akio Kondo (Yu Tokui) came and told her “your family has a high possibility that they were killed by people who have spec.” That was the first time she heard of “spec”.

6 years later, Saya Toma, who has never forgotten what the Detective said, decides to become a detective. She returns to Japan after receiving training by the FBI in the United States. Saya Toma is assigned to work unsolved cases in the Public Security Bureau.

Meanwhile, because of Satoshi Chii’s (Yuu Shirota) scheme, Juichi Ninomae (Ryunosuke Kamiki) considers Saya Toma his parents’ enemy and tries to push her to the edge. Satoshi Chii’s scheme has also caused Saya Toma and Juichi Ninomae to forget that they are brother and sister. The siblings are headed to a life-staking  fight. A girl named Maho Ueno (Umika Kawashima) becomes involved in their fight. To protect Maho Ueno, Saya Toma uses “spec”. 

This TV movie special is actually a prequel to Toma and Sebumi aspect of the franchise. It kind of shows a bit of their past. It also shows how Toma meets Nonomura and joins the Unidentified Crimes Unit. It’s basically leading up to the moment right before Toma and Sebumi meet. There’s actually a manga of this too. I admit that out of the entire series, this wasn’t exactly my favorite. It’s not awful. It does have alot of the silliness and comedy that I loved. There’s also alot of interesting new information. However, it just didn’t leave as much of an impression on me as the drama, movies, or other special did. Also I tend to feel an annoyance when Asian series randomly place foreigners in thinking that all foreigners are the same. Just the whole, “Any foreigner will do. No one will notice.” I notice. Most of the time, they don’t even act very well… Like Nancy does not sound like the native New Yorker she’s supposed to be. Her acting and the lines are just awkward sounding too. It’s not just this drama though. Alot of Asian media (dramas, movies, anime —Detective Conan, looking at you) does it.

이웃집 꽃미남|Flower Boys Next Door (KR)

Synopsis (credit: d-addicts):
After a traumatic experience in high school, Go Dok Mi has become a shut-in, rarely venturing outside her house and living off freelance editing work that she can do from home. She has a crush on the man living across the street, who she spies upon using binoculars. One day, his guest (Enrique Geum) catches her in the act, and her reclusive way of life comes to an end.

I have a whole post where I talked about this drama [here]. So you know how much I loved this series. It was a cute and fluffy rom-com that was based on a webtoon. It also starred Park Shin Hye and Yoon Si Yoon, two of my K-drama crushes. However, what I really loved about this drama was how I could relate to it. Especially how I could relate to Dok Mi’s character and her feelings. This drama deals with trauma and mental health. It’s not just a cute and silly rom-com.

“To that woman, a scar was like falling into the deep water. All the onlookers who don’t know the depth of the scars keep asking why she can’t just pull herself out of the water. There are too many people who are oblivious and belittle the stranger’s scars.”

Go Dok Mi

I loved how it was a journey to Dok Mi opening up and learning to love herself. I love the things that Dok Mi writes. It’s really beautiful, poetic, and relateable. I’ve had some similar emotions and trauma. For me, it was cathartic to see a character I could relate to, and to see her growth too.

“‘What is your truth? Tell me honestly.’ Whenever someone asked her that…she would always keep her mouth shut. When unwrapped from it’s wrapping paper of lies, the truth is not a sweet candy or chocolate that appears with a flourish. In the way that skin is needed to protect blood and flesh, she needed lies to cover her truth. More than being honest and exposing her scars, pasting a bright smile on her face and lying…felt safer for her…”

Go Dok Mi

You all know I love human dramas. I love to get into people’s psychology, struggles, and growth. I thought this was a drama that portrayed that so well. It dealt with some serious aspects, but also had alot of light hearted moments. It’s silly, and full of funny characters. Like the editor is me when I’m being a fangirl. So overall, it was super enjoyable. This drama is definitely in my top 10 K-Dramas, and it will forever have a special place in my heart.

굿 닥터|Good Doctor (KR)

Synopsis (credit: d-addicts):
A medical drama about a man with autistic disorder, who has mentality of 10-year-old, overcomes bias and discrimination by the society and becomes a pediatrician by utilizing his exceptional abilities that the illness brings.–KBS World

Park Shi Ohn is autistic disorder and a savant syndrome. Although he has the mentality of a 10 year old, he has amazing ability of 3D visualisation of the human anatomy and memory of everything he reads. His ability gives him the exceptional skills as a paediatrician specialist however due to discrimination by society, he has to overcome all these to succeed. He was also abused by his father and abandoned by his mother. Worse is he also feels at fault that his brother died. Will he overcome all these discrimination? Will he also find love? Will he find acceptance?

I’ve briefly talked about this drama in my opinion post about western remakes [here]. You’ve heard about ABC’s [The Good Doctor], right? Well, it’s a remake of the incredibly popular Korean drama, Good Doctor. I am typically not into medical dramas. I actually didn’t even watch this the year it aired. I gave it a try a few years later because of a friend’s recommendation. Also, I liked Joo Won. It turned out to be really interesting. I think I loved it because I love an underdog story. Joo Won’s acting is superb. Shi Ohn is a likeable character. You can see he’s making an effort to show that he’s just as good as anyone else. So you can’t help but want to cheer him on and see him succeed. It’s sweet and emotional. The original is much sweeter, brighter, and fluffier than the American remake. However, I enjoyed this one alot. While I liked the remake, I still think the original is the best version. It’s a beautiful human story, so I definitely recommend this one.

주군의 태양|Master’s Sun (KR)

Synopsis (credit: My Drama List):
Joo Joong Won is the stingy and greedy CEO of Kingdom, a conglomerate that includes a major department store and hotel. He meets the gloomy Tae Gong Shil, who started seeing ghosts after an accident. Their lives take a new turn as they work together to deal with the terror and sadness brought about by the spirits, while delving into a kidnapping incident in Joong Won’s past. And unknowingly, they fell in love with each other.

So this was probably one of my most favorite K-Dramas. It was a bit different for me considering how this drama had older actors in it. It was a supernatural/horror and rom-com kind of series. I basically started it because of that supernatural aspect. You should know I love my supernatural and horror shit. I also had hella second lead syndrome cuz Seo In Guk’s character was hella adorable. Seriously, swoooon.

My K-Drama circle basically started bonding over that. All the characters had their unique charms though. Like the secretary guy was also that really sweet and lovable ajusshi character. So that’s what kept it interesting. There was also a bit of mystery. Plus, Infinite’s L (Myung Soo) kind of had a cameo in it. Despite being it’s supernatural and horror aspects, there were lots of cute moments. There were lots of funny moments too with Joong Won’s iconic “Go away!” The OST was solid too, since it featured legendary K-R&B Queen Tasha Yoon Mi Rae (aka Tiger JK’s wifey). SISTAR’s Hyolyn also contributed to the OST as well.

수상한 가정부|The Suspicious Housekeeper (KR)

Synopsis (credit: d-addicts):
A drama about a housekeeper Park Bok Nyeo, who gets hired to work for a family which has just lost its mother, leaving just the father and four children. But, she’s strange. She is unsociable housekeeper who is perfect in what she does around the house but doesn’t smile or show her feelings due to her mysterious past. Bok Nyeo will help the family healing process and rebuild their bonds.

This is the Korean remake of the Japanese drama, 家政婦のミタ/I’m Mita, Your Housekeeper. I mentioned this in the [2011 Rewind] post. I watched the Korean version because I am a fan of Kim So Hyun. It’s basically the same story, but I wanted to see how differently it would be portrayed. Not gonna lie, I don’t remember it too much at the moment. However, I think I was interested because K-Dramas do tend to have a higher budget and more polished look than it’s J-Drama counterparts. Especially during that time. Don’t hate me. That’s just the observation I’ve made over the years.

구가의 서|Gu Family Book/Kang Chi, The Beginning (KR)

Synopsis (credit: My Drama List):
Choi Kang Chi, born as a half-human-half-mythical-creature, goes through struggles in order to live more like a human than anyone else despite not being able to become human. He is the son of Gu Wol Ryung, the guardian spirit of Jiri Mountain, and Yoon Seo Hwa, an ordinary human. Choi Kang Chi later was raised by adopted family. He grows up as an outspoken character who’s full of curiosity and one day, he realizes that he’s a half-human-half-beast through a certain incident and starts living his second life. While going through the struggles, he met Dam Yeo Wool who is a master of martial arts and archery at a young age and then, they both fall in love with each other.

OOH. I remember this drama. I remember binge watching this alot. I started it because, again, I was a hella K-Pop fangirl. I was interested in it because of Bae Suzy from Miss A, and because of Lee Seung Gi. I typically am not into sageuk, or period dramas. However, I was in it for the two leads. Also, I was intrigued by the supernatural and mythical aspects. This drama might be a bit difficult to get into because it was a slow build up. This drama had a sorted complicated story because it has two parts: Kang Chi’s parents’ love story, and then Kang Chi’s own story. I remember being invested in the drama. However, I also remember being incredibly annoyed and angry too. Like…all I can say is there are some evil motherfuckers in this drama. I’m looking at you Mofo Jo. Also, there are some really DUMB, like “BITCH. WTF?? WHY??? WHY YOU GOTTA BE LIKE THAT?? YOU SO STUPID!!” dumb. There were some moments where things, or actions really, made no logical sense. There were alot of times I was just like, “BRUH! WTF?? *Shaking my hands up*” I have a love-hate relationship with this drama. While I was hella invested in it, I wouldn’t say it’s in my top 10 though.

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