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Notes on a few random Asian drama series
Mar. 5th, 2020 12:08 amThese are brief notes on a few random Asian drama series I’ve watched besides Guardian and HIStory 3: Trapped (which I’ve gushed about endlessly on Twitter or elsewhere here). They are almost all romantic dramas of one sort or another, because I like happy endings and recently I felt like I needed plenty of them! A few of the shows below are BL and - aside from enjoying watching gorgeous men on screen - sometimes the relationship/power dynamic can be more interesting. I really do not go in for a flailing, silly woman being saved by a strong older man (aka a typical het pairing). Here goes . . .
• The King’s Avatar (2019 live version), Chinese, 40 episodes – set in the pro e-sports world; not a romance; very cleverly done with plenty of good tropes and enjoyable characters; heavily plot driven (ostracised skilful underdog fighting his way back to success); mix of live action and in-game avatar action is neat; look out for the delightful combo that is Huang Shaotian and Yu Wenzhou.
• Top Management, Korean, 16 episodes – K-pop band on the way out meets rising music star plus one disaster-prone trainee manager with a side order of supernatural ability; it's all pretty amusing; a bit less slapstick would have been nice; I surprised myself by how delightful I found the characters; I was rooting for the other guy, though!
• Tharntype, Thai, 12 episodes – not quite your typical Thai BL drama (although it is one); more in-depth and mature; the chemistry between the two lead actors is OFF THE FUCKING CHARTS; plenty of gossip that they fell in love on set but could simply be the focus on “skinship” (apparently a thing) during preparatory workshops; there are seriously unsettling parts to the portrayed relationship (non-con, violence, emotional manipulation/threats) which are skated over, but I’ve found that a bit in other Thai dramas too, and I feel it’s maybe realistic to a relationship between these particular characters; interesting that it slightly subverts the typical top/bottom Thai BL dynamic; re-watch for all the gorgeous kisses and casual physical intimacy.
• WWW: search, Korean, 16 episodes – grown-up characters; focused on super-competent (but certainly not flawless) powerful working women in their 30s; as much about the business/politics narrative as romance; main pairing gets some lovely moments; I like the older woman, younger guy dynamic; the core issue driving their angst does get a bit wearing after a while; serious badass parts (e.g. two women taking baseball bats to a fancy sports car in revenge); quite gripping.
• Love O2O, Chinese, 30 episodes – young het love story set in university; cute main characters; side female characters mainly get the annoying “girls are either screechy, scheming/bitchy or useless” treatment; strange computer game world (“marriage” as a main gameplay concept) and there’s some terrible CGI; young female lead is demure but does have gumption; alas, every time she calls her boyfriend “master” it sets my teeth on edge; for being a Chinese drama I was surprised that it deals with sex (at least a little); also surprised by a seemingly non-straight relationship.
• Theory of Love, Thai, 12 episodes – more of a typical Thai BL; stars Off and Gun (very popular pair of Thai BL actors who have their own gameshow); typical “macho, hot-tempered, volatile/violent” top paired with “small, cute, boyishly good-looking” bottom characterisation; typical storyline of one gay character in love with another character who doesn’t realise he could be anything other than straight; they’re actually quite sweet; be aware there’s A LOT of crying. [Note: This is about as low as I’ll admit to going in the Thai BL genre.]
• Her Private Life, Korean, 16 episodes – grown-ups with real jobs; actions have consequences; set in the art world; lovely competent female lead character; delightful K-pop fangirling storyline (you might also learn something too!); the male lead actor didn’t work for me but I could live with it; first time I saw an obvious case of hairstyle changing with relationship status.
• Granting You a Dreamlike Life, Chinese, 40 episodes – epic storyline about three (gangster-ish) families running 1930s Shanghai; plot is rather Days of Our Lives in its silliness; female lead is nicely go-getting; watch for the Zhu Yilong pretty; I actually have a soft spot for this show.
• Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Korean, 16 episodes – very odd, but rather enjoyable; hard to describe; superhero(ine) storyline, but also not exactly; really fun in parts; male lead character is unrealistically young, however it makes for nice dynamics in the pairing; occasional slapstick annoyed me; overall good and sweet.
• Descendants of the Sun, Korean, 16 episodes – good feisty main characters; more action than they knew what to do with (how many extreme disasters can befall one group?); very cute lead guy; cool action sequences; plenty of abs on display; lack of realism got a bit annoying (that's not how quarantine works, that's not how army chain of command works, etc); major plot twist was quite obvious; overall a decent choice.
• Bromance, Taiwanese, 18 episodes – girl brought up as a boy rom-com; slapstick is excruciating; probably best not to go here.
• My True Friend, Chinese, 40 episodes – young love triangle; I didn’t finish it; don’t go here (even for the Zhu Yilong pretty).
• The King’s Avatar (2019 live version), Chinese, 40 episodes – set in the pro e-sports world; not a romance; very cleverly done with plenty of good tropes and enjoyable characters; heavily plot driven (ostracised skilful underdog fighting his way back to success); mix of live action and in-game avatar action is neat; look out for the delightful combo that is Huang Shaotian and Yu Wenzhou.
• Top Management, Korean, 16 episodes – K-pop band on the way out meets rising music star plus one disaster-prone trainee manager with a side order of supernatural ability; it's all pretty amusing; a bit less slapstick would have been nice; I surprised myself by how delightful I found the characters; I was rooting for the other guy, though!
• Tharntype, Thai, 12 episodes – not quite your typical Thai BL drama (although it is one); more in-depth and mature; the chemistry between the two lead actors is OFF THE FUCKING CHARTS; plenty of gossip that they fell in love on set but could simply be the focus on “skinship” (apparently a thing) during preparatory workshops; there are seriously unsettling parts to the portrayed relationship (non-con, violence, emotional manipulation/threats) which are skated over, but I’ve found that a bit in other Thai dramas too, and I feel it’s maybe realistic to a relationship between these particular characters; interesting that it slightly subverts the typical top/bottom Thai BL dynamic; re-watch for all the gorgeous kisses and casual physical intimacy.
• WWW: search, Korean, 16 episodes – grown-up characters; focused on super-competent (but certainly not flawless) powerful working women in their 30s; as much about the business/politics narrative as romance; main pairing gets some lovely moments; I like the older woman, younger guy dynamic; the core issue driving their angst does get a bit wearing after a while; serious badass parts (e.g. two women taking baseball bats to a fancy sports car in revenge); quite gripping.
• Love O2O, Chinese, 30 episodes – young het love story set in university; cute main characters; side female characters mainly get the annoying “girls are either screechy, scheming/bitchy or useless” treatment; strange computer game world (“marriage” as a main gameplay concept) and there’s some terrible CGI; young female lead is demure but does have gumption; alas, every time she calls her boyfriend “master” it sets my teeth on edge; for being a Chinese drama I was surprised that it deals with sex (at least a little); also surprised by a seemingly non-straight relationship.
• Theory of Love, Thai, 12 episodes – more of a typical Thai BL; stars Off and Gun (very popular pair of Thai BL actors who have their own gameshow); typical “macho, hot-tempered, volatile/violent” top paired with “small, cute, boyishly good-looking” bottom characterisation; typical storyline of one gay character in love with another character who doesn’t realise he could be anything other than straight; they’re actually quite sweet; be aware there’s A LOT of crying. [Note: This is about as low as I’ll admit to going in the Thai BL genre.]
• Her Private Life, Korean, 16 episodes – grown-ups with real jobs; actions have consequences; set in the art world; lovely competent female lead character; delightful K-pop fangirling storyline (you might also learn something too!); the male lead actor didn’t work for me but I could live with it; first time I saw an obvious case of hairstyle changing with relationship status.
• Granting You a Dreamlike Life, Chinese, 40 episodes – epic storyline about three (gangster-ish) families running 1930s Shanghai; plot is rather Days of Our Lives in its silliness; female lead is nicely go-getting; watch for the Zhu Yilong pretty; I actually have a soft spot for this show.
• Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Korean, 16 episodes – very odd, but rather enjoyable; hard to describe; superhero(ine) storyline, but also not exactly; really fun in parts; male lead character is unrealistically young, however it makes for nice dynamics in the pairing; occasional slapstick annoyed me; overall good and sweet.
• Descendants of the Sun, Korean, 16 episodes – good feisty main characters; more action than they knew what to do with (how many extreme disasters can befall one group?); very cute lead guy; cool action sequences; plenty of abs on display; lack of realism got a bit annoying (that's not how quarantine works, that's not how army chain of command works, etc); major plot twist was quite obvious; overall a decent choice.
• Bromance, Taiwanese, 18 episodes – girl brought up as a boy rom-com; slapstick is excruciating; probably best not to go here.
• My True Friend, Chinese, 40 episodes – young love triangle; I didn’t finish it; don’t go here (even for the Zhu Yilong pretty).
