With the end of the year approaching fast and the drama industry moving at full force, now is a perfect time to recap the last few months in dramas. To be brief, this year has been filled with some nice surprises and marked the return of the greatly missed, namely Jang Dong-gun and Kim Hee-sun and introduced the audience to a few rising talents.
To begin, let’s take a closer look at some of the current airing dramas. There’s a revenge-seeking young man, a ghost searching for her past, a blood thirsty prosecutor and a bunch of doctors at war in a hospital, while another doc falls in love with a warrior from the Goryeo Period.
Vampire Prosecutor 2: Airing on a cable network may not be the best way to attract viewers, but in the case of “Vampire Prosecutor,” it already has a dedicated fanbase after the first season. The greatly cast team of vampires and humans group up once again, and the fast-paced editing of the drama will ensure fans will continue to tune in for more episodes every week. For those who are considering picking the drama up, it may be a better idea to catch up on the original season first to get a grasp on the story and relationships between all of the characters. Warning: not responsible for Yeon Jung-hoon addiction.
My Daughter Seo-young: This current ratings king is standing strong with a solid 30% and shows no sign of slowing down. It’s receiving praise for all aspects, from the tight writing to the directing, to the casting. Granted, for a family drama like this, you either watch it or you don’t, and it seems like the Korean public loves their family production right now, which means that this is another KBS hit after You Who Rolled in Unexpectedly.
Nice Guy: Covered by fellow writer Bethany here, it certainly deserves all its hype. Sure, the story isn’t for everyone but those who enjoy the gloomy, vengeance genre, look no further than “Nice Guy.” If one is familiar with writer Lee Kyung-hee‘s previous projects, there’s no denying her style: tears and revenge. Song Joong-ki’s earlier side roles were impressive indeed, and as a fan, waiting for him to become the leading man has been one heck of a journey, and it has been well worth the wait.
Faith: Hype for this drama came and went, and so did the ratings. Needless to say, the general public is not impressed. After Lee Min-ho’s highly successful stint in City Hunter many were guaranteed to tune in for his next project, and with actress Kim Hee-seon confirmed as his costar, expectations for this drama officially hit the roof. Personally, I cannot say a lot for Faith because I stopped tuning in after two episodes. It had a potentially great storyline and great acting but unfortunately the story didn’t work for a lot of watchers, and with Arang and the Magistrate, May Queen and Nice Guy in full swing, Faith is just going to have to take a backseat.
Speaking of which, Arang and the Magistrate is one great show. It’s so funny and kudos to Lee Jun-ki for choosing such a fabulous return project. He shares a great bond with Shin Min-ah, which makes watching their story unfold captivating. Sometimes the chemistry between the two leads can make or break a drama. One of the most frustrating things is seeing a project with such potential — great writing, directing and acting — but the chemistry just falls flat. Fortunately, we don’t have chemistry issues in Arang. Who doesn’t enjoy seeing the King of Heaven and King of Hell brothers interact? Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and the show preparing its finale this week, so I’ll need to get those tissues on standby.
Let’s now fast forward to the upcoming dramas. Luckily for drama fans out there, some exciting dramas coming up and hopefully — fingers crossed! — 2012 will turn out to be a great year.
School Season 5: Another season of the hit 1999 drama of the same name? Yes please! There’s currently no revealed plot but hopefully it’ll stick to the original with a modern twist; a bunch of great looking teenagers and their problems at school — let it be dating, studying or chasing their idol dreams. Currently Kim Woo-bin and Lee Yoo-bi (both from Vampire Idol) have signed on.
Chengdam-dong Alice: Park Shi-hoo alone is enough to convince many ladies to turn on their television but alongside Moon Geun-yeong? That’s got me tuning in for sure, but the plot as it is right now isn’t too convincing. For now it’s best to stay on guard and see how the initial episodes fare.
Cheer Up Mr. Kim: Attention all The Princess’ Man fans, here’s another upcoming surprise from writer Jo Jeong-joo, starring Kim Dong-wan (of idol group Shinhwa fame), who plays a guardian for four children coming from completely different backgrounds. He’s known for his good looks among housewives as he works as a house cleaning helper. Interesting character introduction, but we’ll have to tune in to see if it’ll be a hit or a miss.
Missing You: Perhaps the most hyped upcoming December drama right now, of course, is the one with actress Yoon Eun Hye and JYJ‘s Yoochun. Judging by the involvement of writer Moon Hee-jeong, it’ll be another heart warming story, similar to that of Can You Hear My Heart?.
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How about everyone else? Dramas from the last few months you wish you could unwatch? And dramas you’re highly anticipating?
