Asian Addicts Anonymous

After taking a week off (from doing any blogging) for the Fourth of July, NeeNee is back with the latest Asian dramas and movies streaming on DramaFever, Netflix, and Viki.

DramaFever

Bride of the Water God, based on a popular graphic novel, stars Nam Joo Hyuk, Shin Se Kyun, Gong Myung, Krystal, and Im Ju Hwan and started streaming last week. The drama follows heir to to the Water Kingdom’s throne (and the entire Realm of the Gods), Haebak as he must complete a mission to ensure his rule. Of course, everything goes haywire and he’s unable to waken up his human servant So Ah who is a down-on-her-luck psychologist with a traumatic past (she can’t handle cold water…especially the Han River). The acting is okay. It might be better with a different cast, but hard to say. It’s not terrible. Just all right for now, but I also think this is a bit due to a kind of weird plot, too. It’s just not 100% working for me.

No more new dramas, but new movies hit last week as well, including Jo Jung Suk’s and Do Kyung Soo’s My Annoying Brother about a small-time crook who pleads for parole after his brother, a former judo athlete, is blinded and their parents pass away. While this is an excuse, can these two brothers restore a bond while the older one learns responsibility? Byun Yo Han and Park Jung Min star in the movie Tinker Ticker where a man bored with life makes bombs and sends them to people. He finally finds a person who goes through with detonating one and the two form an alliance that goes down hill as the maker cannot control his detonator. Finally, Song Kang Ho’s and Lee Na Young’s 2012 film Howling was also added last week. Two detectives search for a dog responsible for several deaths only to uncover an even more heinous crime.

Coming this Thursday and Friday, we have Yoo Seung Ho’s Kim Seondal where a swindler deceives the wealthy and powerful and sells a river. Like Yoo Yun Suk (Chilbongie!)? He stars with Im Soo Jung in Perfect Proposal where a woman working in a bar to repay a friend’s debt is offered a way out and boards a lavish yacht owned by a rich man and his son and thus begins a high-stake game of deception.

Bleak Night stars Lee Je Hoon, Jo Sung Ha, Seo Jun Young, and Park Jung Min and follows a father’s guilty struggle to find out the truth about his son’s suicide by tracking down his two best friends. 2010 film Fair Love stars Ahn Sung Ki and Lee Ha Na. Ahn is a man in his 50s whose life is dull, ordered, and insecure after a friend runs off with his savings. On his friend’s deathbed, he is tasked with looking after the man’s daughter who is in her 20s. The always-single Ahn is then confessed to by Lee and the two embark on a relationship despite a 26-year age gap. Son Ye Jin stars with Kim Myung Min in Open City about an elite group of pickpockets and the man dedicated to stopping them. Son Ye Jin in her dark role…interesting. The final addition this Friday will be Over My Dead Body starring Lee Bum Soo, Kim Ok Bin, and Ryu Seung Bum. A biotech scientist has his lab shut down and his research sold overseas…and his best friend is murdered. Lee joins forces with Kim to steal back his friend’s body to sell an invaluable microchip, but accidentally steal the Ryu’s body (he faked his own death to run from loan sharks). The three must join together to find Lee’s friend’s corpse before it’s too late.

Hulu

No new dramas or movies, but lots of new anime! Recently added we have Chronos Ruler in which a team must maintain the balance of time and keep deadly demons at bay; fans of Saikyuki (yokai, priests, and magic, oh my!) will be happy to know Saiyuki Reload Blast is now streaming; Katsugeki Touken Ranbu follows two Sword Warriors as they team up to stop the Time Renegade Army which wishes to rewrite Japan’s history; Mysterious Girlfriend X follows a young boy as he falls for his mysterious scissor-wielding classmate; No. 6 follows Shion as he is banished and arrested for murder while trying to investigate mysterious deaths; Towano Quon follows humans as they awake to find themselves prey to a sinister cyborg race; Nakaimo: My Little Sister is Among Them follows a man who must attend a new school to find a bride and claim his inheritance without choosing his little sister who is among the candidates; The Familiar of Zero F is magic hijinks and silliness as Louise and her familiar hit the halls of a renowned school to rid Louise of her nickname of Zero; BTOOM! is about how a group of BTOOM! players are stranded on a deserted island and forced to play a real-life version which means killing several people; and Broken Blade follows Rygart Arrow as he becomes the key player in a bitter civil war after being the only person who can utilize an ancient battle suit.

Netflix

Okja an original Netflix film starring Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, An Seo Hyun, Paul Dano, and Steven Yeun has been added. The movie follows a gentle giant, the girl who raised him and greedy, power-hungry adults. If you like anime, season one of original Netflix Little Witch Academia is now streaming. The anime follows the positive Akko whose outlook is the key to her and her friends’ success. Wallace Chung, Lee Jung Jae, Lang Yueting, and Lee Chae Yong star in Tik Tok (a joint South Korea/China project) where a psychologist and police officer learn of a sinister threat at a highly anticipated soccer match and must work together to stop it.

In the drama department, we have 2015 Korean drama Oh My Ghost (aka Oh My Ghostess) which stars Park Bo Young, Jo Jung Suk, Im Ju Hwan, and Kim Seul Gi. An introverted chef is possessed by an outgoing virgin ghost who attracts the attention of the culinary whiz-kid chef. Oh, and lets not forget the two work to solve the ghost’s murder. Lee Sang Hee, Park Jung Min, and After School’s Lizzy star in 2014 drama Momo Salon where an aspiring hair stylist opens her own salon which acts as a mail hub for her neighbors.

A joint Chinese-Singapore drama, Yours Fatefully, is now available. Starring Kingone Wang, Jesseca Liu, Xiang Yun, Chen Shucheng, Eelyn Kok, this drama follows two lonely singles who meet on a blind date and start to slowly know each other unaware their parents may be falling in love. Jeanette Aw, Patrick Lee, Huang Qi Ming, Sora Man, and Hong Huifang star in Spice Up where a spoiled young woman puts her cooking and tasting skills to the test to save her family’s restaurant while managing her complicated love life. I highly recommend checking out Jeanette Aw’s filmography, she’s an awesome actress.

Hu Ge fans rejoice! His 2015 drama The Disguiser is now streaming. The drama follows Ming Tai, his siblings, and shadowy partner as they strive to covertly undermine the Japanese occupiers in Shanghai and their allies. You can also watch Lee Jin Wook’s Nine: Nine Time Travels as mysterious incense allows him to travel back in time to alter the past. Now, I can finally finish watching Gap Dong! The drama follows Yoon Sang Hyun, a thug-like detective who seeks to unravel the mystery behind serial killer Gap Dong who framed his father for his murders. Enter in Kim Min Jung as a psychiatrist/psychologist (not sure which one she is) who is the only survivor Gap Dong left behind, Lee Joon who is finally being released from the mental hospital, and Kim Ji Won as a high schooler with crush on Yoon to make things more complicated.

At long last, the popular office intern drama Misaeng (aka Incomplete Life) is available. Catch Im Siwan, Kang Sora, Lee Sung Min, Kang Ha Neul, and Byun Yo Han as they navigate the treacherous waters of the cold corporate world. In Mystic Whispers, a car accident allows a woman to hear mysterious sounds. She then joins hands with a mortician to  try to listen to and help ghosts. Dive into Korean stars’ fridges and watch hybrid cooking/talk show Chef & My Fridge (aka Please Take Care of My Refrigerator).

Chen Hanwei, Rebecca Lim, Desmond Tan, and Yusuke Fukuchi star in The Truth Seekers which follows a veteran cop has he forms an agency dedicated to solving cold cases—even those related to the team members’ painful and mysterious pasts. You can catch the awesome Christopher Lee (not Saruman, btw) in The Oath which follows two doctors with two very different approaches to treating their patients. Can these two opposites learn from each other and fall in love? Or catch him, Rui En, Desmond Tan, Zheng Geping, and Zhang Zhenhuan in crime drama Against the Tide which follows a detective and psychologist as they form a crime solving team with a novelist whose work inspired a string of murders.

In Yes We Can! a frustrated businessman starts his own firm which morphs into a way of helping senior citizens refresh dying traditional trades. The drama stars Eelyn Kok, Yao Wenlong, Chen Hanwei, Chen Liping, and Rebecca Lim. If you want a drama with mostly great acting that stars the awesome Jeannette Aw, Elvin Ng, Dai Xiangyu, and Christopher Lee, then check out Breakout. Be warned, however, the plot is total crap with an annoying female lead and pretty much the death of the entire main cast. In Unriddle, a hard-nosed detective begins working with an informant to solve complex cases and discovers links to a puzzling cold case. Catch more of Elvin Ng in The Ultimatum where love and intrigue combine around two women—a champion of human rights and an ambitious businesswoman—who were switched at birth.

I’ve been wanting to watch World at Your Feet for a while as it stars Jeanette Aw and Elvin Ng and the previews looked interesting. A group of struggling individuals unite thanks to the love of soccer. The heart of the group is a reclusive widower and former coach. Catch Rain, Tiffany Tang, Luo Jin, Dilraba Dilmurat, and Yao Yichen in Diamond Lover. I don’t know if this is the special cut of the drama or not. This is kind of like 200 Pounds Beauty without the singing. Tiffany Tang is an overweight woman who was taken advantage of by her ad agency. After getting fired and into a car accident, she slims down and starts work for the CEO she idolizes.

If you like long, political Chinese historical dramas, King’s War (aka Legend of Chu and Han) is now available. Set in 210 BC after the death of Emperor Qin, two insurgent warriors fight for control of the empire. Or you can check out Qin Empire: Alliance set during the Warring States period where the Qin state ruler recruits a statesman to help enact bold reforms that transform Western China. If modern history is more your thing, check out biographical series The Legend of Bruce Lee starring Danny Chan, Michelle Lang, Ted Duran, Hazen MacIntyre, and Luyong Wang.

Viki

On July 12th, Viki will be debuting original series starring kpop group UP10TION called UP10TION, Please! where these kpop idols will tackle weekly exciting missions.

Oh, and don’t forget Im Siwan’s and Yoona’s drama The King Loves debuts on Viki on July 17th. Can’t get enough of Namgoong Min? Catch him, Kang Ye Won, Jo Jae Yoon, and Han Chae Ah in the movie Part-Time Spy. Kang stars as a woman in her mid-30s with a ton of certifications and no luck finding a full-time job. She lands a part-time gig at the NSA and makes a deal for a full-time position if she can bring down a voice phishing organization that scammed her boss.

July Chinese drama Healing Master stars Jia Nai Liang, Deng Chao, Wang Xiao Chen, and Dai Le Le. The Healing Master works to help broken up couples rekindle their love and get back together. He must compete against the Breakup Master in order to do this. When a woman becomes smitten with the Healing Master she joins his organization as her own stepsister becomes inherits the Breakup Office. And after hitting Netflix, Korean drama Magic Cell Phone comes to Viki.

It would be nice if the first season was also available, but no luck there! Viki is now streaming currently airing drama Men With Swords Season 2. This drama picks up after the assassination of the king of Yao Guang state in the Jun Tian Kingdom. Four vassals have split the kingdom into four territories to rule over.