It's a New Year

It's a new year and I think everyone is hoping this one will be better than the last. Even last year's dramas were lacking. If anything, I think this will be a year of reflection and acceptance, which may not necessarily bring wonders at this moment, but will make everything that much more meaningful for years to come.

I'm Not a Robot

I find it hilarious that Min Gyu thought Aji 3 had "deep learned" to fall in love with him. When you think about it, Ji Ah did "deep learn" affection for Min Gyu. In a way, all of our emotions and thoughts are processed by our bodies, which makes Ji Ah no different from Aji 3. It's a really strange concept. I also thought it was hilarious when Ji Ah defending Min Gyu in  her polka dotted disguise. She did all of that, but her brother and ex knew it was her anyways. And then it was heartbreaking when he wished she could be human. I can only imagine how heartbreaking the next handful of episodes will be when he finds out that she is, indeed, human  and has been deceiving him this whole time. And they do need to tell him eventually. I really hope they don't put it off for too long, that's just bad plot development. He may have a severe allergic reaction, but the bandaid has to be ripped off at some point.

Temperature of Love

Can Hong Ah just leave? She wants everything her way, she's ungrateful, and can't stand watching anything positive happening in anyone else's life. Won Joon is so cute and Hong Ah doesn't deserve him. I hope he sticks with the sommelier Soo Jung through the end of the series. Also, I know Hyun Soo is doing "research" for her drama, but I feel like she goes to Good Soup everyday. Is that the only  restaurant in Seoul? Then again, if she and Jung Sun's mom didn't go there, they would have no customers. They spend all day prepping and cooking and who is that food going to? Also, whenever Hyun Soo speaks to Jung Sun she always complains about how she hasn't seen him in forever, but it's always like 2 scenes after the last time they saw each other. I know technically it's been a few days, but it doesn't feel that way. It's starting to annoy me, along with many other components of this drama. But apparently it ends well, so I'm hanging on.

Hwayugi

This show took on a much darker tone than I thought it would. I thought it would be colorful and bright. I also didn't necessarily like the final casting when it was announced. I got really excited when I thought Park Bo Gum might star. I'm also not a huge fan of Lee Seung Gi or Oh Yeon Seo, though I do absolutely love Cha Seung Won. I think maybe I haven't seen projects of Seung Gi or Yeon Seo's that highlighted them in the best way. Because after seeing the first couple of episodes, I think they work quite well. Most of all, I love their interactions with each other. And I cannot believe that there was a kiss in the second episode. While I will always welcome that, I do think this one was unnecessary and strangely placed. I'm still getting used to the mythology and the rules of the Taoist gods and demons, so some situations and events are confusing for me. I would actually be interested in reading the original Journey to the West series, but I have don't have the time or the patience for that!

I do feel like Hwayugi is trying too hard to be the second Goblin. I don't think it's a coincidence that it's airing at about the same time of the year. It has the same sweeping, grand, darkly magical set up. I do think, however, that the production team is having trouble keeping up with that package. Goblin threw a lot into its premiere episode, but there wasn't a great deal of action after that. Hwayugi seems to be involving high production costs for much longer. It worries be that even by the second episode, those costs are already starting to show. I think that disaster sheds light on the serious issues the Korean television system is starting to face. Staff are stretching themselves too thin to try and get these episodes on air within a week, it's not stable. It's really sad because Hwayugi could be really great. I'm really excited about it. But everyone involved needs to be respected and treated like a human being if the drama is going to fulfill its potential.

Nothing to Lose

It feels like the romance is going nowhere. Han Joon is going to express his love for Jung Joo to everyone except for Jung Joo. And Eui Hyun is going to feel guilty his best friend forever. They're haunted by their parents' mistakes. I would still like Jin Myung's side of the story cleared up. How is it possible that he can't remember raping and murdering a girl while drunk? Does he really not remember anything? And is knowing the truth about her husband the only thing professor Yoo is guilty of? I feel like we've been aware that she knows how awful her husband is for a while now. But there's something so creepy about her, I feel like there must be more she's responsible for. Also, I have a really hard time viewing Jin Myung as a villain because I always see that actor as the grumpy, albeit kind ahjussi in every drama.