2010’s Rewind|Dramas from 2016
Hello, hello luvs!~ I do, once again, apologize for the slow posts. I originally aimed to get these Rewind posts done by the end of January…but I’ve been stuck adulting… It’s been a long and exhausting week… It’ll take me awhile, but know that I’m determined to see things through!~ Anyways, your girl is back to continue the 2010’s Rewind!
Today we’ll be covering 2016! Oooh! I remember 2016… It was a year of alot of disappointing dramas for me and K-Drama Circle… Again, I know there are tons of huuuuge drama titles. However, some of them just weren’t my kinda thing so I never watched them. So as y’all know, I’ll only be talking about dramas I did watch, and the ones that left some sort of impression on me! You also know that this is all just my observations and opinions~
You can also catch the previous Rewind posts here: [2010], [2011], [2012], [2013], [2014], and [2015].
쓸쓸하고 찬란하神 – 도깨비 |Goblin: The Lonely and Great God (KR)
Synopsis:
Kim Shin was an unbeatable and popular war general in Goryeo (Ancient Korea). After defeating his enemies and claiming victory on the battle field, he returns home. Instead of being welcomed warmly, Kim Shin and his army are greeted very coldly by the palace. He is called a criminal, to which he demands to meet with the young King. Refusing to back down and intent on meeting with Wang Yeo, Kim Shin’s men and the some villagers are shot and killed by the palace guards. After reaching Wang Yeo, Kim Shin is told that more people will die if he takes another step towards the King. The Queen tells him not to worry about her and to press on. As he continues on, the Queen and people he knows are killed before him. Soon after, he too is struck down. However, Kim Shin is brought back to life by God. He has become a Goblin, an immortal being with godly powers. However, this gift is also a curse for his previous sins and the bloodshed he’s caused. He is cursed to see his loved ones die as he continues having to live a lonely and immortal life. The only chance he has at death and ending his curse, is when he finds the Goblin’s Bride.
900 years later in present-day Korea, there is a high school girl named Ji Eun-Tak. She is the legendary Goblin’s Bride that Kim Shin has been waiting for. Due to being the Goblin’s Bride, Eun-Tak is able to see spirits and is very aware of the supernatural. Eun-Tak lives a lonely life of misfortune. She’s mistreated by her cousins and aunt who don’t care for her and only want the fortune Eun-Tak’s mother left behind. She’s also mistreated by classmates and is a loner. Despite her misfortunes, she has a rather bright and positive personality. Her life starts to change not only after meeting Kim Shin. Her life changes more as she also meets the Grim Reaper and Sunny.
Okay, I think you all know by now that this is my all time favorite drama series. This is my S-Tier drama. Like, I’ve re-watched it at least 5-6 times. I’ve talked about this drama soooo many times, like [here]. Honestly, it’s become my basis of what a good drama should be. This drama really raised the bar.
2015-2016 drama season was pretty abysmal for K-Drama Circle. We were often hyped about different series, but ultimately let down. However, we agreed that Goblin (aka Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) was the drama that saved 2016. We honestly hadn’t been so fired up about a drama in such a long time. As y’all know, I typically don’t watch many dramas with older leads. I also typically hate dramas that have a large age gap between the leads. Typically, K-Drama Circle also just likes to enjoy the drama…but we also love to shit talk about it too. Y’all. We were so drawn in. We’d watch it and live message each other. We hung onto every moment of the drama. We’d also have lengthy discussions and theorize what would happen. We were hella invested. We were also shook, because we honestly couldn’t really find anything to shit talk about.
The series was probably the first and only drama series that we could deem nearly perfect! I loved the beautiful, yet pure, love story aspect. It had romance, it had comedy, it had tragedy, it had action, and even a beautiful bromance. The acting was superb, and the chemistry was amazing! We loved how quirky and interesting the characters were. You could really appreciate and love every character. Even the supporting characters stood out on their own. We loved how we could relate to everyone. The story was so interesting, the cinematography was absolutely stunning, and the music was perfect. The soundtrack was solid. You all know I love music. It’s honestly absolutely beautiful and fit the series so well.
Seriously, I loved the drama so much. I’ve re-watched it so many times, yet never get bored of it. I think the most interesting thing about it is that I actually start to pick up on little things that I missed out before. There were some huge hints smack dab in my face. I just thought it was so incredibly beautiful, and I appreciate it even more now that I’ve noticed the little details. Honestly, I’m probably going to re-watch it again now LOL
“Every moment I spent with you shined. Because the weather was good, because the weather was bad, and because the weather was good enough. I love every moment of it.”
-Kim Shin/Goblin
시그널|Signal (KR)
Synopsis (credit: Drama Wiki):
A walkie-talkie in the present somehow picks up signals from a detective in the past, Lee Jae Han (Jo Jin Woong). Police profiler Park Hae Young (Lee Je Hoon) finds this walkie-talkie and uses it to help solve cold cases. Detective Cha Soo Hyun (Kim Hye Soo), who was once a rookie at Lee Jae Han’s station, leads the cold-case team. Thanks to Park Hae Young (and Lee Jae Han), the team solves infamous cold cases. But communicating with the past has consequences.
I actually haven’t finished this one yet. I actually had started watching the Japanese remake a few months ago. I loved that alot. So I really wanted to watch the original Korean series. I’m still in the beginning of it, but I like this one alot. Y’all know I love my crime and detective/mystery kind of stuff. The idea of two people in two different timelines communicating is really interesting. It kind of reminded me of Il Mare, but not in the romance genre. Again, I’m still on episode 2 or 3. However, it is interesting. I can see why people liked it. I definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a more mature series, or if you love crime and detective/mystery series.
치즈인더트랩 |Cheese In The Trap (KR)
Synopsis:
The series explores the life and relationships between a group of university students; Particularly focusing on the difficult relationship between Hong Seol and Yoo Jung. Hong Seol is an independent and hard-working university student just trying to do her best. Seol has no choice since her parents seem to only fawn over her younger brother. She deals with alot of pressure from her family, and with various issues at school. Yoo Jung is Seol’s sunbae(upperclassman/senior; Korean equivalent of senpai). He’s rich, handsome, popular, seemingly kind, and well mannered. He seems to live a perfect life, but is really rather manipulative and displays psychopathic tendencies. However, Seol doesn’t trust him and is the only one who doesn’t believe in his act. She sees right through his facade. The feeling seems to be mutual as Jung seems colder to Seol. They both had rather awful first impressions of each other. After taking time off of school for a while due to several issues and Jung, Seol returns to her studies. She’s suddenly running into Jung quite alot, who is unexpectedly nice to her and asks her on a date.
OOF. I have a love-hate relationship for this drama. I’ve talked about it [here]. Honestly, the premise of the show was good. It’s based on a webtoon of the same name. It was basically supposed to explore the lives of some college kids, and their perceptions of one another. The actors were good actors. The production was pretty good, and the OST was pretty nice too. Although, I did have some issues about the actors…but it was just because I found Park Hae Jin to be too old to be playing a college senior. I also love Lee Sung Kyung…but sometimes she was a little too extra for me. I did love Kim Go Eun. She was actually really good at acting. However, I had some issues with her character (we’re gonna get into that in a bit).
This drama would’ve actually been in my list of pretty decent dramas. However, there’s one thing that makes me keep it off that list. That’s the toxic relationship between Seol and Jung. Jung was very possessive and manipulative. He could be sweet at times, but he was the epitome of a toxic boyfriend. He literally caused bad shit to happen to Seol, and didn’t really own up to the responsibility of his actions. I mean…I literally have a whole post about it. I could go on ages about it…so honestly…just go read my rant over there lol. If he actually had character development, I probably wouldn’t have been as mad. However, he was ultimately a static character who continued some really alarming and toxic behavior. I was also just super perturbed by how people were okay with it. I could relate to Seol, and I really felt for her. However, it killed me to see her make excuses to try to gloss over or accept Jung’s actions. Like, y’all…that’s not good for you. Know that you’re worth so much more and shouldn’t have to subject yourself to that.
Despite being very perturbed and vehemently hating that aspect of the drama, there was some good to it. The reason why this drama made an impact on me, is because of Baek In Ho. First of all Seo Kang Jun is a cutie. However, I really loved his character development. He really grew, and I think that’s the beauty of a good story. Also, one of the main reasons why this drama made a big impression on me was because this is a perfect Second Lead Syndrome drama. For real…the second lead feels were strong fam. Baek In Ho comes off as a thug at first. He’s a bit rough on the edges. However, he really is a nice and caring guy. I actually loved that he never said or acted like he was entitled to Seol. I loved that despite his feelings, he cared for her well-being as a friend. Honestly, he was a good friend too. It was those moments that I really enjoyed. My all time favorite scene is when he’s concerned about her stalker situation. So he’s walking her home. She’s kind of dazed and nearly walks into a pole, but he looks out for her. The thing that really struck my heart with second lead feels was when he gave her a bag of self-defense items. The guy was just genuinely concerned about her and wanted to make sure she’d be safe. That, is a true lead fam.
勇者ヨシヒコと導かれし七人| The Hero Yoshihiko And The Seven Chosen Ones (JP)
Synopsis (credit: Asian Wiki):
Hundreds of years after Yoshihiko (Takayuki Yamada) saved the world from the God of Darkness Desutaku, the world changes into the dark age again. Yoshihiko and his group are revived by Buddha’s power and travel all over the world. Can they save the world again?
Y’all already know that I loved this series. Again, it’s a live action parody of Dragon Quest. I love that they’re still up to their hilarious antics. I love that they still use cheap sets and props. It’s the charm of the series, and I wouldn’t change it. Like, y’all. I was super, super excited when I heard that there would be a third season. Seriously, it’s one of my all time favorite series. I love how they parodied Parasyte, Final Fantasy, and Evangelion too LOL
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