I'm Moving!

Hi everyone, from now on you'll be able to find me here: Crabby For Drama (wordpress.com)

I'm sad to let Blogger go, I've gotten quite comfortable here, but it felt like time to try something more challenging. I don't have anything particularly ceremonious to say, so basically just head over there if you want to see new stuff from me. I'll leave the old stuff here unless I decide to carry the especially good ones over. Okay, bye!

KBS Drama Specials 2020

Hooray! After last year, in which only four episodes were made available with subtitles, I was worried about whether I would be able to watch the KBS Drama Specials at all this year. Luckily, Kocowa has stepped in to sub them! I've really missed watching these, and I've missed reviewing them. This year is a good one - rife with unique stories, complicated protagonists and really interesting themes - so without further ado, here are my thoughts on this year's specials!

Was It Love? No, It Was Not.

Okay, so I almost didn't finish this post because I knew I couldn't form a cohesive take-down of Was It Love. The issues with the drama come from so many different directions. But I need to put something out there to warn people away from this show, so instead this post is structured one issue per paragraph. It's different from my usual style, but what's wrong with that, right? So let me break down the (consistently) worst drama of the year and why it was so bad. (Also, this blog post will entirely use pictures of Song Ji-hyo's face, because it makes me laugh.)

Last Cinderella: The Fairytale We Needed

Once upon a time there was a kind, brave and generous woman. Because she acted more like an old man than a woman, the world told her that no-one would ever fall in love with her. The woman liked who she was - she didn't want to change! But she was also very lonely. One day, a snake disguised as a young man approached her. He planned to win her love and then abandon her. As he planned, the kind and generous woman came to love him. However, it was impossible for the snake not to love the woman too. Miraculously, her kind heart affected him and the snake transformed into a real man. The two of them lived ever after.

Why I Adore Age of Youth 2

Subverting Tropes in Haru Found by Chance

Welcome to my little corner of Pensive Purgatory - I've been thinking about Haru Found by Chance (or Extraordinary You, if you're a sheep) a whole lot since it started airing, and now these thoughts need to come out. I have three essays planned, but for starters, let's talk about how it subverts rom-com tropes, and tropes associated with Korean dramas in general. You can imagine, that as a story about storytelling, Haru Found by Chance is about as meta-fictional as it can get. The first half focuses on this consistently, while the second half is more preoccupied with seeing through the narrative stakes. Nevertheless, there is still plenty to say, so shall we dance?

A Few Words on You From the Stars

(This is a format I've invented to make reviews more straight-forward if I feel like doing them, which also works better with my busy, busy schedule. So enjoy a blunter, better-polished version of one of my earliest reviews.)

Exit (Movie Review)

Exit is one of those films that I didn't think I would be watching. From the posters, it seemed very unclear what the film was aiming to accomplish. Yes, the casting of Jo Jung-suk a certain extent of quality, but knowing how he dabbles with genres, I had the idea in my head that this film would probably be a hit or miss experience for me. Well... It was a hit.

Hotel Del Luna: First Impressions

I have to admit, I initially had no intention to watch Hotel Del Luna. Yet here we are. The history behind the drama was enough to turn me off - namely, that the Hong Sisters, writers responsible for fun romcoms in the past, but more recently attached to atrocities like Hwayugi, were penning the series. After being so thoroughly burned by them, I was going to avoid this drama. But hey, I caved, and here's what I thought of the first episode.

A Few Words on Let's Eat 3

A Few Words on Thirty But Seventeen

Me in the Trap

Last summer, I was really sick with Tonsillitis. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep. It's the most ill I've ever been, and I realise that makes me very fortunate but I was still feeling pretty sorry for myself. It was then that I, bedridden and emotional, decided on a whim to re-watch Cheese in the Trap.

Mini Reviews: Romance 2019

I'm back! This is the longest hiatus I've taken since starting my blog (life got in the way), but I'm back and excited to upload more. To start, here's some mini reviews for the romance dramas I struggle to talk about. This is probably one of my favourite features - short and snappy, and something I can update whenever I like. Enjoy!

A Few Words on Rooftop Prince

(This is a format I've invented to make reviews more straight-forward if I feel like doing them, which also works better with my busy, busy schedule. So enjoy a blunter, better-polished version of one of my earliest reviews.)

A Few Words on Cinderella's Sister

(This is a format I've invented to make reviews more straight-forward if I feel like doing them, which also works better with my busy, busy schedule. So enjoy a blunter, better-polished version of one of my earliest reviews.)

Romcom-mon Sense Deficiency

There's a large difference in how romance is presented between cultures - today, I want to take a look at how romance dramas are marketed in Korea, and what it means for TV in general. In recent years, a pattern of behaviour has appeared that I've created a term to describe: Romcom-mon Sense Deficiency.

The Hong Sisters Marathon (Reupload)

What really got me into writing on this blog was my Hong Sisters Marathon back in 2016. When I look back on those reviews now, I cringe. Firstly because my writing style has improved in leaps and bounds since then, but also because I've become more critical and perceptive. Rather than just characters and story, I write about all sorts of things now. Because of that, I've decided to take down my old reviews and summarise them here, with my updated opinion of each of these dramas now. If reading this makes you desperate to go and read the original reviews, I'll keep them up another week, no matter how basic or disingenuous they are.

Dramas That Don't Promote Toxic Masculinity

The archetypes for characters in romance stories have been set in stone for as long as the term 'Hallyu Wave' has been in operation. The male lead will be prickly, sometimes downright cruel, but often will have a heart of gold. The second male lead, the one who's chances with the girl are about 0.000001%, is the sweet and caring one who's always there to listen to her. Look at some of the Hong Sisters dramas for proof - hell, even some of my favourite dramas aren't completely immune to such stereotypes (Thirty but Seventeen, Drinking Solo, Hana Kimi to name just a few). To be honest, I think these models are popular for a less-than stellar reason.

I was wrong! (Gangnam Beauty)

When I provided a mini-review of My ID is Gangnam Beauty in the summer of last year, I'll admit it was somewhat disingenuous. Opinions on the drama were split right down the middle, me favouring the side that screamed it was awful and offensive, but the review I wrote was non-committal. I wanted to avoid upsetting anyone. I actually never watched the first episode, which prompted me to re-watch the majority of the show and finally finish it. As for how I feel about it now... I've changed my mind. Gangnam Beauty is not a terrible drama - whilst I think it had trouble attempting to address every social issue it wanted to effectively, it was a damn good try.

Swing Kids Analysis: War, Freedom and Magic Shoes

I've fallen in love. Swing Kids is a fucking masterpiece, and I'm head-over-heels, madly, passionately in love with it. It's too rich thematically for me to do justice to it in a full review, so I've decided to take a few of the greatest scenes and pull them apart by themselves. Today, I have the 'Modern Love' dance scene, between Do Kyung-soo and Park Hye-soo.