Total Randomness #13
Well this isn’t exactly about random connections between dramas like I’ve been wont to post in the past. This is me being really random and yet expressing frustration. I have discovered a perfect quote for my drama watching experience this year and I just thought I’d share.
Have you ever been forced to read Shakespeare? In US high school’s you’re going to find yourself reading at least one play in your English classes. I’ve had to read several. There is one particular quote in his tragedy Romeo & Juliet that really resonates with me for the 2013 year in dramas:
Romeo: O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?
And yep. That right there? Perfect summary of the dramas I’ve watched and covered this year. I feel this particularly strongly with having just completed Japanese drama Ando Lloyd. These dramas have all the makings to be good…but then they throw it all away, especially mid-way through or just at the very end. There are many factors in all of this. Bad Pacing. Bad Acting. Bad Writing. Completely Unbelievable.
It doesn’t matter the reason, it’s just how I feel. I even came away from the loveable drama The Master’s Sun with that feeling. I really thought that a great drama was killed by a plot introduced in the latter third of the series that wasn’t developed fully enough mixed with an ending that actually, to me, left a lot to be desired. But…So Ji Sub and Gong Hyo Jin…awesome. Such a great couple and great acting. It’s nice to see SJS take a break from morose melodramas. But I still feel dissatisfied in the end. Perhaps I am just too picky.
Oh, dramas that left me unsatisfied this year:
- The Master’s Sun (see above)
- Last Cinderella (still worth one watch)
- Crazy Love (don’t get me started)
- Spring Love (doomed to failure)
- Ando Lloyd (just because of that dratted ending)
Asian Addicts Anonymous 
Now I’m not going to watch Ando Lloyd….COuldn’t get through Last Cinderella. But the best thing about Crazy Love….I found you!!
I’m doing the final write up of Ando Lloyd right now. I’m just not 100% happy even though we get a happy end 😛 But it is worth the watch.
LOL, aww thanks. I’m glad I found you thanks to Crazy Love, too.
Are you serious? That was it. 9 episodes of Ando!?!! It is a mistake, right? O man, that is just messed up. I loved Spring Love and Master’s Sun, though. I liked Master’s Sun better than all the dramas this year. But Spring Love felt like it was a show from last year. I even followed it when it aired, but it wasn’t amazing at all. I liked it mostly because of Mike He’s acting. The rest of the casted characters fell short for me. They went from interesting and dynamic to one liner and even a little yandere. Most of the young people became really singularly engrossed in certain things. It kinda reminded me of the Sword and Flowers characters. I did like that the female lead was heavy, not skinny. But instead of having her persist in being insecure, they should have let her grow confidence. It was really a dismal year. And Last Cinderella, my feelings are all over the place, but yes, somehow still worth watching.
10 episodes. And #10 was a doozy.
I don’t hate Master’s Sun. I just felt that it could have been even better without introducing Mr. Ghost Whisperer who actually seemed kind of evil at first only to turn out being a misunderstood photographer. Spring Love…lost itself. It had a spark of promise that quickly stuttered out and fell flat and even Mike’s acting couldn’t save the series in the end. I totally agree with your character deductions. A very disappointing year overall. Or maybe I just chose the wrong dramas to watch and cover… I don’t know. Hands down the best drama of the year, for me? Kazoku Game. Epic awesomeness and masterful acting by the cast. That drama didn’t disappoint and did clear a lot of things up at the end. Why can’t more dramas be like that?
I haven’t watch that one. I might try it out Kazoku Game, cause I need something new to watch. Ando Llyod seemed so unfinished and rushed. When I think about it, alot of dramas seemed full of water, shallowed, or cut short. I was beyond disappointed with Marry Him If You Dare. My hours were wasted. I come back now and then to read Heirs recap, but I am sooo glad I had to sense to jump ship early. 2013 was a bad year for drama, in my opinion. Heartless City was okay. I watched Her Legend before Master’s Sun and that left me tramatised. So I did notice the useless additions towards the end in Sun, but overall I loved it. If you watch anything after Her Legend, even shows like Marry Me, Mary! will get 2x points. Sun was already cool so 12x pts for me. Jang Guk Suk is in a drama this season too. I am not expecting You’re Beautiful but after 6 eps, I don’t find it amazing. But Summer and Spring are still much better than this Fall lineup. Even in America, they are reporting that roughly every new show this Fall has been canceled with literally only one show per major tv station surviving. I read that yesterday. At least Sleepy Hollow is still running. I don’t watch a lot of tv, but I have been meaning to watch that. It’s something in the air maybe.
Looking back I also feel that way at times..but then I remember all of the amazing dramas I watched and I think they outweigh the bad ones! 😉
To be sure, I can think of some very good dramas to counteract the bad…it was just this year seemed to have me watching dramas that really disappointed me in the grand scheme of things. I have high hopes for next year being better. I’m also going to try to watch more Chinese/Taiwanese dramas. I feel I’m rather lacking in that department. Plus, I’ve been seeing MVs to some Thai dramas that look pretty good…
I have yet to watch Thai dramas. I will look forward to reading your Thai drama posts!