TV Series & Korean Dramas Recap Part III

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Some time has passed since my last post recapping the TV series and Korean dramas that I watched during the pandemic. I've decided to officially make this an ongoing series on my blog because I think I will be watching more shows in the future, and it's always fun to write something like this once in a while. I will do a recap post once I've watch enough shows; and in this one, I will be sharing my thoughts and opinion on 9 TV series/Korean dramas that I've watched from mid-2021 until early-2022.😊

Title: Loki
Genre: Action-Adventure, Fantasy
No. of episodes: 6
Year of Release: 2021
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Marvel continue to release more TV series and of course I couldn't miss watching any of them because my husband is an avid Marvel fan. The first show on this list is Loki. I was highly anticipating this show because the trailer looks amazing and I personally think that Loki is a very interesting character—because he has a lot of tricks and schemes up his sleeve. Unfortunately, this series doesn't really live up to my expectations. I feel like the plot is a little bit confusing and I have no idea where the story is going. I heard that there's going to be another season of this show, so hopefully it's going to be better than this one.

Title: Kingdom (킹덤)

Genre: Historical, Horror/Thriller

No. of episodes: 12

Year of Release: 2019-2020

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I watched the movie Kingdom: Ashin of the North with my husband one day and I immediately put the original series into my watchlist. I literally binge-watched 2 seasons in only a few days. It was that addicting! Everything felt so intense and gripping that I'm literally on the edge of my seat the whole time! I also love the historical setting and political intrigue in which people are fighting for power in the midst of the zombie outbreak. The casts in this series did an incredible job portraying each of the characters—especially the antagonists. The ending of season 2 hints at the possibility of season 3, but we don't know when it will be released. If there's indeed another season to this series, I will definitely watch it! 😆

Title: Money Heist (La casa de papel)

Genre: Crime Drama

No. of episodes: 41

Year of Release: 2017-2021

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My first time watching a TV show in Spanish! I started binge-watching this series so I can watch the new season together with my husband. The first heist was fun to watch but I found myself liking the second one better because Alicia Sierra is able to outsmart the Professor—which I love. There are also a lot of unexpected moments in the second heist which makes everything feels a bit more intense and intriguing. I also love how each characters in this show have their own flaws and weaknesses—which can easily break the team apart. Bonus point of watching this show is learning Spanish—although the ones stuck in my head are the swear words because they are constantly repeated throughout the show 🤣.

Title: Squid Game (오징어 게임)

Genre: Survival, Thriller

No. of episodes: 9

Year of Release: 2021

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This Korean drama is so hyped up when it was released. I think at some point Squid Game became a trend that's known around the world. I was personally intrigued by the trailer of this show because the concept looks very unique and nothing like I've ever seen before. In the end, it was a pretty satisfying show to watch—I love how the story plays on human selfishness and their conscience; but I can't say that it's my favorite show. I don't really like how in the end there are a lot of questions left unanswered. I know that a lot of people like open-ending because they can make up their own theories, but this one is just too confusing for me. Some people are hoping for a second season to this show, but I don't think it's going to happen 🤷

Title: My Name (마이 네임)

Genre: Action, Crime

No. of episodes: 8

Year of Release: 2021

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Now this Korean drama was such a pleasant surprise—because I started watching this without any expectation and it ended up blowing my mind. I was especially amazed at Han So-hee's (한소희) performance here, because she successfully portrayed the emotions that her character is going through and she nailed the actions scenes as well (I found out later that she trained with professional martial arts directors and gained 10kg of muscle for this role). The show is gripping and action-packed from start to finish. Park Hee-soon (박희순), who played the role of the big boss, is also an amazing character that kept us questioning his sincerity. Highly recommend for those who love action. 👍

Title: Hawkeye

Genre: Action-Adventure, Superhero

No. of episodes: 6

Year of Release: 2021

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Among Marvel superheroes, Hawkeye is actually one of my favorites because I always have a soft spot for archers; that's why I was extremely excited when he finally gets his own TV show! In this series, Hawkeye meets Kate Bishop (played by Hailee Steinfeld)—a young girl who ended up becoming his protégé. I absolutely love their chemistry and Kate is just hilarious. Compared to the other Marvel TV series, this one is the most lighthearted and it feels like watching a family Christmas movie. I was also very thrilled to see Yelena Belova (played by Florence Pugh) and her scenes together with Kate are truly the best! The two of them are badass women and I'd love to see them both in future works!

Title: Our Beloved Summer (그 해 우리는)

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Drama

No. of episodes: 16

Year of Release: 2021-2022

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Here's a recent favorite that I finished watching together with my husband earlier this year. I truly adore this show and the characters! Choi Woo-shik (최우식) and Kim Da-mi (김다미) portrayed their roles perfectly and I think they did an incredible job relaying the emotions through the screen. This drama made me laugh, made me cry, and there are a lot of moments that made me go 'Awww~' 🥰—it was an emotional roller-coaster. The plot is relatively simple, but the story is told beautifully—revealing the mystery slowly until we finally grasp the whole situation and what the characters had been through. I was also very pleased to see the characters' growth and how they learned from their past mistakes. Love this one so much! ❤️

Title: The Silent Sea (고요의 바다)

Genre: Science-Fiction, Thriller

No. of episodes: 8

Year of Release: 2021

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Another series that I had a really high expectation for but unfortunately it ended up disappointing me. I think this is the first time I'm watching a Sci-fi Korean drama. I have to admit that the concept of the story is really good and promising, but somehow I feel like the execution fell short. I wasn't emotionally invested in the characters and the moments that are supposed to be intense kind of failed to make me feel that way 🤷. Despite everything, I'm still curious to find out how the story is going to end—that's why I watched all 8 episodes. Aside from that, I think the casts did a great job in portraying the characters. I just don't really like the way this drama is directed, I guess 🤔

Title: All of Us Are Dead (지금 우리 학교는)

Genre: Horror, Zombie Apocalypse

No. of episodes: 12

Year of Release: 2022

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Last one on this list is another zombie K-drama—which is quite surprising because I don't usually watch anything zombie-related. This one is fascinating because it focuses on a bunch of students at school where the zombie outbreak started, so the characters are a bit childish at times. I really admire Lee Cheong-san's (played by Yoon Chan-young 윤찬영) character because he's so brave and always steps up when everyone else is scared. His scene at the library evading all the zombies is one my favorites—he's so swift and agile! I also love when the archers show up! They look so cool when they shoot arrows through the zombies' heads. Overall, it's a captivating story about friendship and survival that made me question humanity.

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And that's the end of this post! I had so much fun writing this post because it made me relive the moments when I watched each one of these shows. I recently watched the first few episodes of Forecasting Love and Weather (기상청 사람들) and Thirty-Nine (서른, 아홉), but I'm not sure whether I'll continue watching them or not—because they don't really piqued my interest. As always, if you have any TV series or Korean dramas that you'd like to recommend, feel free to write them in the comments below so I can check them out 😉. I hope you're all staying safe and healthy! See you in the next one 👋

by.stefaniesugia♥ .