Be With You (Chinese Drama, Youtube Eng Sub)
A cartoonist, our heroine is warned by her good friend and publishing manager that if she fails yet again to produce a work that would satisfy her young female readers’ romantic fantasies then she would be fired. Sincerely unable to fathom what it feels like to fall in love, our heroine finally discovers a way to save her career when an accidental encounter with our hero makes her little heart skips a beat. Promptly basing her male lead in her new comic on the handsome professor she just met, our heroine’s next assignment is to do whatever she can to stay by our hero’s side so she can find more material for her comic.
The story on the surface doesn’t seem like anything to write home about, but I am actually liking this one quite a bit. Both of our leads have a sort of very “straight to the point” side to their personality so I am finding that quite refreshing. The chemistry between our two leads seems a bit awkward at first which I think is on purpose given that both of them are super newbies when it comes to feeling basic attraction for the opposite sex, but no fear because their chemistry improves drastically by the second episode.
The Silent Criminal (Chinese Drama, Viki)
A lowly town investigator, our hero unwittingly walked right into the battle between the rich and powerful when he investigated the death of an imperial guard. Also investigating the murder, our other male lead is an imperial guard who is a superb fighter from a mysterious noble background. At first at odds with one another, our two male leads eventually realize that only by teaming up can they fight the corruption around them.
Going by the trailer, I had assumed this one was on the more serious and epic side so I was pleasantly surprised by the heavy comedic vibe once I checked it out. You wouldn’t be able to tell by the poster and trailers, but according to the show’s reviewers, while there is obviously plenty of bromance between our two male leads there will also be a romance line for our hero.
Twisted Fate of Love (Chinese Drama, Viki)
A female general, our heroine died after fighting in vain for eight years to save her country from total destruction that started with the betrayal of a villainous official. Her spirit sent back in time with a body created from a lotus that will heal itself once immersed in water, our heroine is given a chance to save her beloved country again. As it happens, our hero is none other than the villainous official our heroine has vowed to kill.
This one’s pacing is quite fast and the story draws you in right away. My only issue thus far with the story is our heroine is surprisingly naive and lacking as a fighter for someone who has been a general for eight whole years. That one glaring plot hole aside, the cast and the overall story does seem fairly solid.
Healer of Children (Chinese Drama, Youtube Eng Sub)
Growing up in a small rural town, our heroine is very grateful for the precious opportunity she has been given to be an exchange doctor of a prestigious big hospital. Clueless that her rare opportunity was given by the hospital’s director and that the whole hospital is buzzing with the rumor that the new exchange doctor must have some impressive background, our heroine is busy trying to convince our hero- the best surgeon in the hospital, to not send her packing.
Kinda your stereotypical medical drama but this one has a fairly laid back vibe so I am actually finding it to be a pretty easy watch. I am ten episodes in and I am not really seeing any signs of romance yet between our two leads…but I can’t see one not happening with this particular pairing.
Awaken (Korean Drama, Viki)
Namgung Min’s new crime suspense drama where he plays a detective leading his team to capture an elusive killer who seems to have the ability to get his victims to kill themselves. The show has a bit of a supernatural vibe to it which just adds to the suspense. Namgung Min looks great in this one and his playful innocent smile at the most inopportune time makes his character so awesome. I have too little brain cell to burn to figure out suspense stories so I was mostly confused throughout the first two episodes but I still liked it quite a bit.
Just to See You (Chinese Drama, Youtube Eng Sub)
This one looks like a makjang heaven. Our two leads will meet in England as complete strangers but then ends up getting engaged to cement their two family’s business alliance. Mistakenly believing that they are simply friends coming together for their mutual benefits, it will take a slew of second leads and conspiracies to convince them otherwise.
I was really put off by how clueless and immature the heroine’s character was in the first episode until I realized towards the end that she was supposed to be a teen. Well, a teen in the sense she just graduated from high school, which in Chinese society is like she just finished junior high. The problem was while our heroine looked young and beautiful she definitely didn’t look like a teen. The issue was made worse by the fact that our two second leads who were supposed to be her classmates thus the same age as her, looked even less like young adults. Fortunately, the “young” heroine part of the story should be short so I think the weird off balance feel won’t last too long.
You Complete Me (Chinese Drama, Viki or Youtube Eng Sub)
The memory of his father jumping off a building to his death, our hero, a business elite with an impressive resume has carefully planned a revenge against the company that had wronged his father. Everything seems to be going exactly as our hero had planned but the one thing that he didn’t plan on is falling in love with our heroine– the daughter of his enemy.
Hmm…I know the synopsis sounds a bit boring as revenge stories go but this one is actually a decent watch and the two leads have good chemistry together. I would go into this one expecting more along the line of a career drama instead of a revenge story though. Obviously, the whole revenge thing is an important part of the story but quite a bit of the story is focused on our heroine building her own career as a headhunter.
Cheat On Me, If You Can (Korean Drama, Viki)
Despite being a divorce attorney, Attorney Kang is known as the “nation’s husband” for his sweet devotion to his equally famous crime novel writer wife. Gifted with a keen sense of smell and eyesight, our heroine spends her days dreaming up ways to commit murders…for her novel. Having been informed both privately and publicly by his wife that she would rather become a widow than to divorce if he was to cheat on her, Attorney Kang strives for perfection in covering up his track whenever he cheats…which is often.
As a general rule, I dislike dramas that focus most of their storyline on spouse cheating but I am getting a feeling that this one will become one of the few exceptions. Let’s just say, after watching the first two episodes I was left with the feeling of amazement that I found a cheating drama hilarious AND a very healthy respect for Attorney Kang who dares to cheat on his wife.
Invisible Life (Chinese Drama, Viki)
On the day our heroine received the great news that she has been promoted at work she also found out that her long time boyfriend has been cheating on her. Still dealing with her heartbreak, our heroine is nonetheless determined to prove herself to her very picky boss. Working closely with one another, our two leads eventually fall in love but are forced to hide their relationship and subsequent marriage due to the fact that their work does not allow in-office romance.
I thought the first four episodes were decent but it looks like most of the story will be focused on how our heroine manages to balance her career and family after marriage so I can’t see myself following this one.
True Beauty (Korean Drama, Viki)
Having been an ugly duckling all her life, our heroine is finally able to live the life of a swan in her new school after she mastered the art of makeup. Despite earning the title “goddess” in her new school, our heroine is well aware that she is still the same ugly duckling once the makeup comes off. Horrified when our hero, the idol of her school, accidentally sees her without makeup, our heroine is desperate to do whatever she can to convince our hero to keep her secret.
The first half of the first episode felt a bit slow and somewhat awkward but that’s probably just me since I usually find school bullying scenes that way. Fortunately, this show really grew on me once our heroine moved to her new school. This one is based on a webtoon and I am really liking the manga vibe…especially the squeal worthy scenes between our two leads.
All text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com