Music Monday: Supporting Women's Rights and Wrongs

Happy spooky month! While I’m not doing any sort of dedicated horror related thing for this month like I have (and tried) in the past, I am focusing on getting back to creating posts more regularly. I’ve missed posting!

For the first Monday of October I thought it would be fitting to share some themed music that you can have on rotation during the month. I have a Halloween mix that is my normal go to, but I really wanted to create one that is all female.

Note: The list is varied and features level of scare/gore from mild gothic to heavy blood. Please be aware of that before watching the music videos!

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YouTube Playlist:

Spotify Playlist:

Tracklist:

+Red Velvet - Peek-A-Boo
+Dreamcatcher - Fly High
+Lee Jung Hyun - V
+Billlie - RING RING
+JeA - Dear Rude
+9MUSES - Remember
+NATURE - Girls
+DreamNote - GHOST
+LADIES CODE - Hate You
+SUNMI - You can’t sit with us
+SunnyHill - Midnight Circus
+Pink Fantasy - Poison
+DaHye - Bad Blood
+2NE1 - IT HURTS
+PIXY - Wings
+Minhye J - Knock Knock
+PURPLE KISS - Sweet Juice
+CLC - Devil
+Puer Kim -Manyo Maash
+BIBI - Animal Farm
+GFRIEND - Apple
+IU - Lost Child
+CRAXY - Poison Rose
+EXID - Every Night
+Seori - Trigger

Happy listening :)

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31 Days of Asian Horror: Shudder Picks

Shudder is one of my favorite places for streaming horror, and while they don’t have many international titles compared to the rest of the selection, they do tend to pick up some good ones. I checked out what they currently have in their lineup and picked my top picks to check out that are currently available.

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+ 0.0 MHz (Korea - 2019)

Staring Eun Ji (of APINK), this movie follows a college supernatural club that decides to stay the night at a house that is believed to be haunted and document their findings while they sleep. It’s a sort of campy trip with the familiar setup of kids doing things that lead to bad choices, a classic in horror but I enjoyed it and is definitely a good choice if you are into the supernatural/leaning towards slasher-type movies. Yoo Seon Dong directs this, if you are a fan of the second Death Bell or the drama Uncanny Counter, you might want to check this out.

+ Dead & Beautiful (Taiwan/Netherlands - 2021)

Dead & Beautiful is a co-production between Taiwan and the Netherlands. A group of hot, annoying rich kids turn into hot, annoying rich kid vampires. Technically this more supernatural/thriller than horror but I’m letting it slide for this post. It also has vampires and we all love those.

+ Evil Dead Trap (Japan - 1988)

If you are in need of a true, gory slasher look no further. A TV station sends a crew out to an abandoned place that is said to have been the set for snuff film and things go crazy.

+ Exhuma (Korea - 2024)

I’m going to make you work for this one to know what I thought about it by checking out a full podcast episode on it. Do you love shamans and letting out evil spirits? I think this might be a winner for you.

+ Lingering (Korea - 2022)

Are creepy supernatural buildings your thing with a side of weird kids? Lingering might be the movie for you. Yoo Mi's mother unexpectedly dies leaving her to care for her young sister she ends up at her mom's best friend's lake house and weird shit happens.

+ The Medium (Thailand - 2021)

I wrote a whole non-spoiler review of this one that you can find here, here’s the synopsis: The Medium follows a documentary crew as they travel to Isan in northeastern Thailand to document the life of a local shaman, Nim (Sawanee Utoomma). While there the crew notices how strange her niece, Ming (Narilya Gulmongkolpech), has been acting and starts to focus their attention on her increasing outbursts and aggression, thinking that they might be witnessing her possession by the spirit of Bayan, an ancestral God that has been possessing women in the family for generations, and who currently inhabits Nim.

+ Metamorphosis (Korea - 2019)

An evil spirit invades a family and they all start to turn on each other. The mom is played by Jang Young Nam, who is just always a good choice when you want eery and creepy.

+ Mon Mon Mon Monsters (Taiwan - 2017)

Another film I reviewed during the last 31 Days, this one was a complete shock to me. I didn’t think I’d like it as much when I clicked play but it won me over. I

+ One Cut of the Dead (Japan - 2017)

The only thing you should know going into this movie is that it’s about a film crew shooting a zombie film that just goes…bizarre. It’s so good. I loved it so much.

+ Warning: Do Not Play (Korea - 2019)

I feel like this is one of the first movies I watched on Shudder. It falls into the cursed movie genre that Asian horror loves, with a film maker trying to find a banned film to help her with her own when things go wrong. Classic caper.

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31 Days of Asian Horror: Dumplings (2004)

Welcome to the first day of the 31 Days of Asian Horror! Today we are talking about a classic movie from Hong Kong that I think deserves to be on everyone’s radar if they are into Asian horror and gastro horror, 2004’s Dumplings directed by Fruit Chan. The movie was originally part of a horror anthology Three…Extremes, and was then turned into this full-length feature. I have not seen the short yet, so I don’t know how it compares but from what I’ve read it is fairly close, leaving out a few storylines from the length. Both movies are based on a book of the same name by Lillian Lee who serves as script writer for the films.

I very much wanted to make this review as spoiler-free as possible because Dumplings is so very good and like any good movie most of it is in the reveal - but the main reveal happens fairly early on, leaving the rest of the movie to spend its time taking it to new extremes so while I won’t spoil all I will spoil some. The premise is quite simple. Mrs Li, a former actress who is not handling aging well and is in a failing and loveless marriage, finds help in Aunt Mei, a chef who makes “special” dumplings that she claims help with youth and rejuvenation. The cure isn’t fast enough for the actress and she begins asking for stronger and higher potency doses to the point of obsession. The secret ingredient being used that of fetuses - mostly those that have been aborted - making it harder to find for Aunt Mei the right type to help her client.

The movie uses several techniques to lean into the unsettling nature outside of the reveal of the special ingredient that I thought worked well to create the tension of the watch. The sound design is most unique adding to the true tone of the movie, most of it heightened in unnerving but not overpowering ways. Not a good fit for anyone who has a sensitivity to food sounds (great if that’s your ASMR thing!), but it also ups the volume on a lot of background noises of everyday life. It is also very realistic in its presentation of these edits and creates a world in which you get placated by the reality of it all as the story progresses.

The way Aunt Mei creates her dishes are (gruesome) works of art that end up looking like any other dish you would be presented with from a chef who loves their craft. Aunt Mei’s approach to it is very matter-of-fact and views it as a way of using something that has already been discarded for her benefit. It’s not unbelievable that someone would go to these extremes for their desired wants. The outward change in the person is very subtle, mirroring that of someone having lost a few pounds or even just playing around with their outward appearance with clothes and makeup. With the exception of not knowing how old Aunt Mei is (she only hints around that she’s old enough to be called an Aunt), nothing seems too fantastical. It’s all so subtle but so excruciatingly important to Mrs Li, yet the viewer sees very little difference. It’s mostly that the confidence that the dish is working is what makes Mrs Li feel like it truly is changing her on a biological level.

There are moments in the film where we see Mrs Li’s husband eat balut, a fertilized egg that has been cooked in the shell. It’s a popular dish that is not seen as something that is too taboo to eat and is a mirror to what the dumplings are. The movie uses these types of imagery to subtly focus on the inconsistencies of what is acceptable for males in society and what is not for females. At its core, the movie is about the constant pressure females have to maintain a level of youth that their male counterparts don’t have to, even at the risk of going to the darkest most extreme and harmful place. There is never a point in the movie that Mrs Li is seen as looking bad, and while her husband is unfaithful he never specifically mentions her looks or alludes to his promiscuity coming from that. Even with some of the dialogue between the two women, it highlights the internalized trauma that society has placed on women. While Aunt Mei seems like the one that has the most freedom being her own “boss” she still lives in a society where she has to look her part and has kept up this ritual for most of her life.

All-in-all I do think this is an essential movie to add to your watchlist if you haven’t already. I thought it was entertaining and it kept me on the edge of my seat in all the right horror ways. The cinematography is fantastic, and the script kept me thinking and guessing as to where we were going to go. Bai Ling and Miriam Yeung are amazing in their roles and played well off of each other in a cat-and-mouse game where the two were ultimately looking for the same sad prize: the validation of males.

While it was just taken off of Tubi so there is no free streaming place to find Dumplings, it is available on DVD and OTT places to rent. Three…Extremes is a bit easier to find and on several services for free.

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31 Days of Asian Horror: 2024

Despite my better judgment and severe lack of free time (and currently no internet at home), I’ve decided to go big this October with the return of a project I did back in 2021, 31 Days of Asian Horror. Every day this October I’ll be posting nothing but posts dedicated to Asian Horror. For the most part that means lots of reviews, but I tried to create a varied list of content. Last time I themed the days, and have decided to keep that tradition alive for this round only warping the days a bit. I had a lot of fun planning and writing posts the last time I did this, so I’m hopeful that this time around it will be just as fun. If you are into horror (or at least want some spooky content this Halloween season), be sure to check back periodically.

SCHEDULE:

+ Sunday Pairings: I’m bringing back my very poor neglected Pairing Series, highlighting movies that have remakes and comparing the two.
+ Music Mondays: Whether highlighting a group that has a spooky concept or talking about idols in spooky things, Mondays are designated to music and horror in some way.
+ Tuesday Classics: Each Tuesday I’ll be focusing on movies that I consider essentials that should be on everyone’s radar.
+ Misc Wednesdays: Since it’s the middle of the week and I will need a bit of a breather from posting every day, Wednesdays will be a little more relaxed, focusing on fun lists with lots of recs to keep your plan to watch lists full, or anything else I’m feeling on a whim.
+ Anime Thursdays: I’ll be reviewing horror animes every Thursday. I don’t watch as much anime these days so it’ll be fun picking up some new content.
+ Folklore Fridays: If you’ve been on the blog for a while you know that I’m pretty into folklore and mythology. I don’t get to dive into it as much as I want but every Friday I’ll be exploring some movies and/or shows that are tied to it and giving more background into what makes the story.
+ Drama Saturdays: Reserved for the weekend, Saturdays will highlight Asian dramas that have spooky and/or horror elements to them.

I’ve been planning this for a while, and am really excited to be doing this project again. It’s a huge time suck, but I genuinely really like talking about Asian horror. I’ve also been neglecting the blog for far too long, and wanted to breathe some life into it, and what a perfect way to do that - on a genre that generally focuses on the dead.

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Album Review: eaJ - when the rain stopped following me

I haven’t done an album review since Dreamcatcher's Apocalypse: Save Us mini-album back like two years ago, and what a perfect time to dust off the keyboard and focus on an EP that has been on repeat since the second I had access to it.

Jae’s newest EP is finally out, after teasing us with it for a while. He went the Japanese release type route with it, dropping most of the songs throughout the year so while I’ve been able to sit with most of these songs for a while, we finally got the last two tracks with this drop on the 20th when the full EP was released. I want to say I am going to be objective with this review but the truth is that I just cannot. I have a deep relationship with Jae and his music and he - both as eaJ and as Jae of DAY6 - will always be part of the reason I kept going during very dark times so there is a connection to his music that I just cannot be objective about. It is so deeply tied to my emotions and mental well being it can’t, nor do I want it to, be separate.

That being said, I truly love the songs on this album. Since going solo, I’ve generally liked his songs to various degrees. I liked his dip into a more R&B sound, but Jae has a voice that needs to live in rock and this album truly captures that. As a fan, I’m proud of his journey. As a music lover, I’m happy that he finally stopped letting the guilt of stepping on toes prevent him from making music that is truly in line with his own personal sound. I think a lot of the past music reflects the trial period where he was experimenting with sound and trying to find his own. While I did enjoy it, nothing beats where we are with this latest release, especially notable in songs like right where you left me and when the rain stops.

Overall the album is a cohesive yet still rocky journey through mental strife and worry and he bears a lot of his emotions throughout the songs in raw and vulnerable lyrics. Even with the songs that he’s had for a while (friendly fire has been played in live performances for over a year), the selections paint a picture of the ups and downs of emotions and serve as a release of the rockiness that the past four years and before have been for him. It’s been hard and sad and frustrating and with this EP we are starting to see him coming out on the other side of that storm.

This album means a lot to me and have had it playing on repeat for the past few days. Jae makes me like music again in a way that I haven’t felt in a while and I will be ever grateful he didn’t give up, that I get to be here now listening to new music with a promise of new music to come.

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01. i just want my twenties back

i want my twenties back is an incredible intro into the mindset and tone of what is to come throughout the journey of this album. It is a plead to listen to the album for what it is: an ode to needing to be able to tell out loud his story instead of being silenced for the sake of others’ comfort. I love how raw and ethereal this is, but still is produced in a way that is classically Jae. Jae plays around with different sounds and arrangements in his songs and is present in a song that would probably be produced differently and much less by another artist. It is also at its core just a boy and his guitar and for Jae that’s a huge part of his life and the reason he was where he was in his 20s.

02. mad

If I had to pick a least favorite song off the album, it might be mad. It’s a good song, I like it fine. It is less introspective in the lyrics than some of the others and while I do sense that it mimics the moment where you just can’t find the words (or maybe shouldn’t) to talk about the big feelings you have and just want to put that into action than words. I do think it compliments the other two songs that lean more pop on the album, fire and burn.

03. friendly fire

friendly fire is just a fun song overall. Another heavy pop song this one just makes you want to go for a drive and put it on while screaming the lyrics. The bridge swaying in beat is a fun juxtaposition from the very staccato notes of the rest of the song. It’s sonically fun and light and inviting, while the subject is less about being friendly and more the reflection of a very toxic relationship.

04. right where you left me (ft. Hindia)

I don’t know if I can accurately put intp words how much I love this song. This is what I want from Jae in terms of sound. The guitar line in the back, the build up into the chorus that ends in letting the instruments take over with the vocals becoming almost background to it…it all just works so well for me. Hindia was absolutely the right choice to feature in this song. When their voices come together in the second verse...chef’s kiss. I love when voices match, and Jae and Hindia blend so well together, I could listen to that part for hours and be content “I don’t even gotta say to youuuu”.

05. burn (ft. salem ilese)

Burn has some really interesting work in the producing of the song. I don’t think I’ve heard Jae talk about it, but I want to know the reasoning to add in the voice announcing the verses. salem really works well in this song. She has such an interesting voice and in some of the ways that she emphasizes syllables and it gives it such an interesting vibe. I think both voices blend well, and it’s a great example of how Jae is good at spotlighting who he is with without overpowering them.

06. when the rain stops

While right where you left me is my favorite song of all his discography, when the rain stops is my favorite on this album. Lyrically it’s such a beautiful display of where Jae is now. Musically, I think right where you left me and this one follow closely together in sound and are the heavier rock-influenced tracks of the EP. The back line is written well and has a feeling of introspection and whimsy with the topline of Jae’s very emotional vocals. It’s very dreamlike in most of the song, especially as he almost mumbles the verses out, but then explodes into the chorus. There is hope of coming out on the other side throughout the song that transcends the lyrics. What a beautiful way to end an album that is so heavy and dark in one way or another. It needed to come out of that rainy mess from the other songs into this hopeful place with room to grow while still acknowledging the past.

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Check out the album on all platforms now.

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Some interviews to check out:

• Makana Talks - A Conversation With eaJ—An Artist, Not An Idol

• Billboard Philippines - Out Of The Shadows: eaJ On Accepting The Past And Being Honest In His Latest EP

• hype - Interview: eaJ Talks New EP, Biggest Change In His Life & His Cool Tattoos

• Zach Sang Show - eaJ | Burn, Day6 Regrets, Going Solo, Truth Behind Being An Idol

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Music Highlights: 4.22.2024

At work I was thinking about how sad I was that I haven’t done these music posts in a while. And even when I tried it was only one and then I just left. I really liked doing them, but to be fair I was doing them when I was layed off and had more time to just mindlessly listen to a bunch of music. But I want to change that so maybe we can find a way to do these and work lol. Below is mostly stuff that has released fairly recently, but I will throw in some older things that I want to touch on.

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+The Poles - Stargazing

A long-time fave The Poles came out with their EP Anomalies in the oddity space. The whole album is good, but I particularly loved Stargazing.

+ Solji - Western Sky

My girl. My fave. My ult bias. One of the best singers in kpop Solji came out with a new single Western Sky. During the MBC duet festival Solji sang this with Du Jinsu and now has a studio version.

+Band Maid - Bestie

Band Maid can do no wrong in my eyes.

+eaJ - Mad

eaJ has a lot of music coming out soon (like Friendly Fire!!) and we have to wait for it, but Mad has been on repeat for the past month getting me through it.

+Seungmin - Phobia (I'm the Queen in This Life OST)

This is such a great rock ballad for Seungmin. I’d love to hear more of this from him.

+Gyuna - Lava (Hide OST)

I found this on a random TikTok (she’s the sister of one of the New Jeans girls), and instantly fell in love. I’m not watching the drama but it’s now making me want to.

+VINCIT - KO

VINCIT releases such little music that it makes things a torturous wait. The wait is over with KO

+ONEWE - Beautiful Ashes

ONEWE is finally back full-member from the military and are really aiming to take away DAY6’s hold on me. It’s a good try. A great try even. Beautiful Ashes is the title which I love, but I think my favorite on the album is Shoot It Out. Still deciding.

+Chansung - Into the Fire

Chansung has a jdrama out, a kdrama out, and he released Into the Fire single with AK-69 and Changmin. All for me.

+Jun. K - Command C+Me

And Jun. K decided he would also join by releasing the Korean version of Command C+Me

+Jun Doohee - Sway

Jun Doohee’s Bad Flower is one of my top songs of 2020, and he quickly became a new favorite. His new single is Sway and everyone should be listening to it.

+Rolling Quartz - Stand Up

Rolling Quartz also came out with new music with Stand Up.

+DAY6 - Welcome to the Show

I’m in a weird conflicted place where I absolutely loved the DAY6 comeback but am also devastated that I don’t get to hear Jae’s voice with them. This is what I get for making them the only thing that got me through my deep depressive spot during COVID. I will get through it - hopefully, but now I’m just…kinda sad and happy to see them around at the same time. Grief and emotions are weird. Sad Ending was my favorite from the album, but the title is also great.

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Music Highlights: The Grand Return

It’s Music Monday’s grand return!

Since it’s been officially over a year since my last post, I can’t play that much catch up so I focused my post today on some of the things that caught my eye over the past month or so, but I may sporadically add some of my other favorites of the year in posts going forward.

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+ 2 Day Old Sneakers - Cherokee

I absolutely love 2 Day Old Sneakers and it’s been a while since they’ve uploaded new music so it was very fun to see at the end of October it show up on Spotify.

+Lee Earth - Mouth

I’ve never listened to any of Lee Earth and that is changing. I loved how weird and psychedelic both the music and video are. It’s the perfect music to have when you just want to be in a zone, you know?

+NELL - Moon Shower

I love NELL so much that I have dedicated a full post on this blog to them, and they never disappoint when it comes to their releases.

+PLAVE - You Were Beautiful (DAY6 cover)

They always do great on their covers, but PLAVE really hits it out of the park with this one. I don’t think I’ve heard a better cover.

+King Gnu - Glass Window

Not only is the song good, but the music video is fantastic, stop motion animation that’s just weird enough - something that King Gnu. It’s one of their slower ballad-less-rock songs but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have that great emotional build they just do well.

+Stray Kids - Cover Me

Oh hi. It’s me. The person who is still obsessed with Stray Kids. Cover Me is my favorite off the album, like play on repeat in one sitting.

+DPR IAN - Don’t Go Insane

Sigh. I just love him and his music and his videos and just everything.

+Yorushika - Moonbath

What can I say about Yorushika that hasn’t already been said. They are consistent with music that I can have on repeat. It hasn’t changed in the past 5ish years since I’ve been into them

+VIVIZ - Maniac

A surprise to me (and maybe you?) I’ve been really digging VIVIZ. Maniac has caught me and now I’m here.

+Barshy - Blossom

I love her voice, and the animation in the music video is so pretty.

+OAH! - Break Up to Make Up

High school Jessie would be so into this song.

+ALEPH - Hanging in the Sky

ALEPH is another one of those artists that I’ve never not liked what they’ve produced. They always have music to wind down the day with.

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Music Highlights 5.9.2022

What is this, Jessie making a music post after almost a year of stopping them? Yes. Yes it is. Now I’m not saying that I’m guaranteeing anything, cause we all know how much of a failure I am at actually following through, but I am going to try to post roundups of the music that I’ve been into a bit more frequently than I have been. Although they can be a bit of a bore to do all the time (especially when no one is actually viewing them), I did like that it gave me the excuse to spend some time focusing on all the music that was coming out. If I don’t have these posts to do, I don’t allow myself to make the time, and I know I’m missing some good music. So, here’s to the grand return or whatever.

I didn’t know where to really start with this post, and so much of the year has passed that would make this post way too long if I was going to post all that I’ve liked since the beginning, so here’s a small sampling of the top of the top. Minus Dreamcatcher since I did a full review of the album that you can find here. I’m also switching things up and trying to ease off of things that create more work for me (no matter how small) and won’t be including what I’m looking forward to and spotlights. I hope to incorporate more full artist spotlights going forward and everyone gives out their comeback dates basically the week before they drop music now anyway. Keeping up with the dates just became a burden, and we’re trying to do that whole “working on our mental health” thing this year. Burdens are not wanted here.

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King Gnu - 逆夢
I desperately need an album like yesterday, but I will settle with singles cause it usually means an album is in the future. Maybe. While this isn’t one of my top King Gnu tracks, it incorporates a lot of what I like with King Gnu: sweeping instrumentals and vocal lines.

Suzy - Satellite
I think it’s pretty clear that Miss A was one of the first girl groups I really got into, and so I’ve always had a spot for Suzy more as a music person than an actor. While her solos can be hit or miss for me, she always does things a bit differently and you never know what type of song you are getting. Satellite has that quality. I dig its indie quality, its quietness, and the breathiness in her vocals.

Tricot - エンドロールに間に合うように
Tricot just makes songs I like to listen to and music videos I like to watch.

Solji - Fade Away
Did we expect Solji not to make this list? If your answer was yes, then you don’t know me at all. Solji could sing the ingredients label on the back of a bag of chips and it would still give me chills.

Say Sue Me - Around You
This is such a fun song. Judging by this and the other song they’ve put our recently, To Dream, their upcoming album has the potential to be a favorite of this year. Around You is catchy and poppy with a constant beat that makes you feel youthful (even when the dread of the entire world and its crappy leaders are upon you). It almost takes me out of the dark places. Almost.

Big Bang - Still Life
I kind of had given hope on seeing Big Bang do anything anymore and had accepted that fact. I think Big Bang goes in and out of different music genres really well, and Still Life kind of proves that. I actually love that this wasn’t a big dance song. It’s underrated and quiet, a good introspective of where they are at this stage in life. Whether this means nothing in the future or a new something, I’m glad we at least got a good send-off.

AleXa - Wonderland
My BFF is currently competing on the NBC music show American Song Contest and she’s obviously doing great and wonderful, but the song is also really great. It’s catchy and I think works really well for the competition cause it allows her to show off how good she really is. AleXa is highly underrated, she’s got a good voice and is a good dancer. This song is a good showcase of it.

PURPLE KISS - Pretty Psycho
I wish this was what they followed Zombie with. It’s fun and quirky and yes I’m boring and love anything spooky and carnival but it’s also just fun and incorporates all of the girls’ unique voices, a huge advantage I think PURPLE KISS has over a lot of other groups out today. MeMeMe just kind of was meh in comparison. Not bad, just not PURPLE KISS.

Lanalogue - GOBLIN
If you’ve followed any of my music posts last year you’ll know that I fell deep in love with Lanalogue’s song White Light. It was one of my top songs and I had that thing on repeat. The problem was…it was kind of the only song I really liked that they had out and then I stopped actively looking for new music. I thought that it would stay a one-off thing for me, an oddball song, but here we are with another song I really liked. I haven’t had time to listen to the entire album, but am now super excited to check it out.

Jackson Wang - Blow
Do I have to say anything really? Yes, I love it. I’m a whore for creepy carnival music, haven’t we already established that? Give me the pipe organ intro. Give me the corsets. Give me the theatrics. Give me everything.

The Poles - High Tide
The Poles is easily one of my favorite Korean indie rock groups. Hands down they always give me what I want and I can consistently count on them for albums that I can repeat and live performances that match. The entirety of this new album is fantastic and I could equally pick any of the other songs, but High Tide caught me a bit more than the others.

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Album Review: Dreamcatcher's Apocalypse: Save Us

Now that I’ve had several days to process this release, I’m finally ready to talk about Dreamcatcher’s second full album: Apocalypse: Save Us. This comeback’s theme is focused on the Earth dying and trying to save it, but the general theme of the album is a bit more relaxed. We get the usual array of Dreamcatcher b-sides, but a new and welcome switch-up is solos from every member. Not only are there solos, but each member worked on them in some capacity in the writing and producing and it overall gave a different vibe to the album as it’s less about being cohesive and more about showcasing their personal musical tastes. Overall, I really enjoyed it. I had some reservations with the main title when I first heard the preview, but it was resolved once it finally came out, and loved that we got to see such variety within the solos in music tastes. Dreamcatcher is also starting to trend towards a city pop sound in a lot of their songs, and I welcome it with open arms. All-in-all the album is fantastic and I really enjoyed it.

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01. Intro: Save Us

Dreamcatcher’s musical intros and outros always work so great with the overall theme of the album and give a fun introduction to the album itself. This one is no different with just enough creepiness to remind us that we are still listening to a Dreamcatcher album, even if a bit lighter and away from their horror elements. Little things, like adding the abrupt changing of the sound of the cassette changing, is fun and gives it a great theatrical vibe. I know not everyone loves them, and they are largely skipped, but I like to make time for them.

02. Locked Inside a Door

I feel like ‘Locked Inside a Door’ is the counterpart to the last album’s ‘Black Or White’. It’s fun with a great staccato beat which adds a bit to the overall feel of the song. Out of all the types of music they play within their b-sides, this is what fits all of their voices equally and really focuses on what they are capable of vocally. It’s a hard task to do with music, especially with a group that has clear vocal ranges, and this song lands exactly where they are all comfortable. This song allows for someone like Siyeon to be able to bring background variants with her vocal runs while others that aren’t used as much in vocal lines, like Handong’s bridge that moves into SuA’s part, bring a good union of their voices. Dreamcatcher also tends to be a good theatrical group, and it really shines when there’s a song they all can interpret vocally and have fun and get into.

03. Maison (Main Title)

My first thoughts still apply, even after the many (many) replays of this song: I had a lot of fun with it. I was worried after hearing the previews, but that quickly diminished when I pushed play. The constant rock line that stays throughout most of the song from the first note, JiU and Siyeon’s second bridge backed by a messy/crunchy piano line all combine to create this cyber-punk-without-punk vibe. It’s got video game qualities and fits the theme even without the lyrics.

Dami is a fantastic rapper, her vocal quality works so well with what she’s been able to do and while other comebacks have had some great rap sections (‘Boca’, I’m looking at you), I’ve always felt that her sections tend to get prematurely cut and feel a little awkward as a result. Not here, as this was the best rap part we’ve gotten on the main title from her. The switch to focusing Gahyeon on the higher “La Maison” part was a good direction. While I do think she still is working on her higher register and head voice (you can hear this more in the live versions of the song, as she struggles a bit), she has a way of making it haunting and not overpowering during the recording and gives a nice tone change and overall different vibe to that section that would be a bit lost without it. Combine all that with an earworm of a chorus that I’m constantly playing in my head, what’s really not to love?

04. Starlight

I really love DC’s turn into 80’s synth/city-pop. We saw this in the last mini-album Summer Holiday, and I welcome the continuation into DC’s city-pop/retro era. Out of all the groups that have been trying to get into city-pop I think DC is the underdog that is poised to take that spot. The genre fits all of their various vocal timbres extremely well in ways that you don’t expect and is a great contrast to their heavy rock-based main titles. A lot of the girls already have a higher whistle tone that is perfect for this type of music, but Dami’s parts in this song are exceptional, with her deeper contrasting richness that just melts with everything and then Handong follows matching her tone to create the perfect section. I love songs that make me feel like a specific time or place, and this song makes me feel like I’m on my roller skates just freely circling the rink without a care in the world, and even at the end the song just disappears into the air, the equivalent of a perfect fade to black. Out of all the group b-sides on this album, ‘Starlight’ takes it for me. Every time I listen to it I love it more.

05. Together

‘Together’ is a really great follow-up to ‘Starlight’. It doesn’t lean as heavily into the retro-pop as much as it - a more airy cousin - but still carries it and they both work together as a duo. I do find that where it’s lacking is that it’s a bit too repetitive and am not attached to the chorus, finding it ‘meh’ comparatively. But my absolute favorite part is Siyeon’s during the bridge. She toes the line of going into her chest voice out of the light and airy head voice but never does. I can’t begin to describe how amazing that control is. I could just repeat those 10ish seconds multiple times and not get sick of it.

06. Always

There always has to be one ballad on a DC album. I don’t have much pull to this one. It’s simple, sweet, and fine, but it doesn’t grab me like their other ballads. While I don’t think Dreamcatcher does ballads poorly in terms of technique, I do find them a bit boring on a whole (and I’m a ballad person). Maybe it’s because I find that their more theatrical or raw/upbeat emotional songs pull me in more or they all kind of stay in the same space and begin to be a bit too repetitive? Overall it’s not my favorite in terms of the overall album, but not bad in any real respect.

07. Skit: The Seven Doors

I’m a theatre person. I like the split of “acts” as we transition out of the group songs into the solo songs. It’s a fun blend of the first several songs and a hint at what we’re about to get with the solos.

08. Cherry (JiU’s Solo)

JiU’s voice is just perfection with city-pop, and am so glad that she picked this route in her solo. Her soprano voice and the way she lives in that head voice perfectly go with the wistfulness of the genre and the way she’s able to throw the notes out at the end of phrases just adds such a great addition to the background beat and adds a fun layer. ‘Cherry’ is the perfect summer song with an incredibly addictive upbeat chorus and verses that make you want to just bop your head. We got a taste of city pop JiU in ‘Starlight’ and this is the explosion of it.

09. No Dot (SuA’s Solo)

Out of all the songs, this is the one during the preview that I picked up on the most. It’s the darkest and grittiest of the solos, but perfectly SuA. It’s sexy with a great beat. I love that we get more of her rapping - which was her position in the beginning and has since been pulled out - a nice thing to hear again. SuA has a good adaptable voice and this song is a good reflection of that as she kind of plays around with a lot of musical elements, from the grungy rock to pop to a slew of other genres and it creates a messy but balanced song.

10. Entrancing (Siyeon’s Solo)

Did Siyeon give me a Final Fantasy song? Did she? I can’t get over it. It’s light and mystical and fantastical and I’m in love. Dare I say this is my favorite song off of the album? A beautiful sweeping feel combined with her higher head voice and you have the perfect combination. I feel like I need to say more if I’m declaring this as my favorite song off of the album, but I don’t know how to describe my love of it. This is a song you’d hear coming from Yoko Kanno. I don’t know what I was expecting from her, but it wasn’t this and I’m so glad to be surprised.

11. Winter (Handong’s Solo)

Handong has one of my favorite voices in the group and I was really excited for this song just so I can have a full song of her singing. Sadly, the song didn’t grab me like I thought it would. Handong’s voice is great in it, and it’s light and sweet, it’s just a bit lacking. While the song on a whole misses me a bit in its grasp, the last sections are where she truly shines in the song as she starts to wrap it up. When she transitions out of singing in Korean to Chinese - in a capella - it makes the song and is such a beautiful touch and blending of who she is.

12. For (Yoohyeon’s Solo)

I wasn’t expecting this song from Yoohyeon, I was expecting her to go a bit more pop-centered (a la Taylor Swift) knowing her love of the genre, and I kind of love that she went this direction. What other kpop album out right now has a song like this? It’s light, playful, and fun with great 50’s swing and a touch of musical theatre. I love when Yoohyeon swings up into the higher notes. It’s so pretty and light and wonderful.

13. Beauty Full (Dami’s Solo)

Who would have thought Dami would hit us with the 2000s pop-punk hit? The song is just fun. It makes you want to just jump around and dance. I just love it. I love how upbeat it is, I love that out of all the girls Dami was the one to stick closer to a rock sound but did something completely different than DC on a whole would do. I love that it’s something completely unpredictable.

14. Playground (Gahyeon’s Solo)

I was waiting for someone in the group to go the IU route and should have known that Gahyeon would rise up to the challenge. In contrast, this song is youthful and fun on the other end of the spectrum than Dami’s. Fitting for the maknae to have a song that not only is titled ‘Playground’ but feels like one. The song, more than anything else, fits her voice and we get a tone that she doesn’t normally get to play with during other DC tracks, at least not one that stands out. Gahyeon’s voice has gotten better over the years and this solo is a testament to that. Is it one of my favorite songs off the album? No, but that’s ok. You can hear how much fun she’s having with it and it adds to the song.

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2021 Dramas

While I watched a lot of 2021 dramas (a total of 40 out of the 71 I completed), I decided that there were too many older dramas that I couldn’t not include them in my top ten list of dramas watched this year. A departure from last year, which was a bad year for me to the point I had to add movies to bulk out the list. I tried to rank them, which proved hard as a group of dramas just felt like they were the same, so this list isn’t perfect in that regard but my #1 is definitively my top drama of this year.

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10. Run On - 런온 (2021): Run On was a complete surprise for me. A drama that I only picked up because we were doing an episode on sports on the podcast, and wanted to try to at least watch some of a drama before the episode. I binged it over two days. The drama is simply about how you should keep going. Whether it’s small or large, just keep moving forward. It showcased characters’ relationships beautifully and was real with the hurt that life’s events could do to you, and didn’t try to be obnoxious in its sentiment. There was not a single time I didn’t feel the chemistry between all the cast and it made me love it even more.

9. Hospital Playlist 2 - 슬기로운 의사생활++ (2021): While the second season didn’t make it up as far on my list as the first one, it still was a solid drama. Listen, if you liked the first season, you’ll probably like this one. Hospital Playlist just has a special charm, and it was carried into this season. One of the biggest changes in the story was the focus on the secondary characters. While the first season spent some time with them, this season really started to flesh out their storylines and gave them more attention as those junior doctors and interns moved up in their positions and life.

8. Coma - 코마 (2006): I have a full review of this drama that can be found here if you want a detailed look at my thoughts, but I had to include it on this year’s top list - despite it being so old (the oldest drama I watched this year). A solid horror drama about the atrocities that happened to a hospital before its closure. It kept me interested and engaged, and I had a lot of fun with it.

7. The Guest - 손: The Guest (2018): Another drama that I have a review for so I won’t go too in depth with this blurb. I kept putting off watching this one far too long, especially since I had started watching it when it was airing. I just never made the time for it, and I’m glad to use the summer to finally do that. It’s got this really great mesh of crime/investigation with horror and doesn’t focus too much on religion despite it being about exorcisms. It’s on Netflix, just go watch it.

6. Memorist - 메모리스트 (2020): Memorist came out in quite possibly the worst time of my life, and so I didn’t get a chance to watch it airing. I finally picked it up this year, and am so glad I did. I had so much fun with this drama, I couldn’t stop watching. It’s got a great mix of crime, thriller, and fantasy with the main character being able to read people’s thoughts if he touches them. The drama doesn’t spend a lot of time on this, it’s part of the world and known by all and just that alone really melds it into the overall story without bogging it down with unnecessary filler to discuss it or even make the drama more of a fantasy than it needed to be.

5. Beyond Evil - 괴물 (2021): I’m sure this is on every crime/thriller lover’s list this year, and there’s a good reason. Beyond Evil takes you on an amazing journey where you don’t know what’s going to happen. It keeps you in this uncomfortable place because you don’t know who is good and who is evil, and if you should be agreeing with what they do. It’s an interesting way to keep you in that thriller state, and Shin Ha Kyun plays his role effortlessly and at a lot of times, disturbingly. If you didn’t get around to it this year you have to make room for it soon.

4. Youth of May - 오월의 청춘 (2021): Set during the Gwangju Uprising in the 1980's, Youth of May was the story of two ill-fated lovers. It’s a sad one, not only because of the pain of the two leads, but the pain of the events that are happening around them. While their story is not real, what is happening was, and the drama made time to focus the story on the heartbreak and horror of that time in South Korean history, even if it meant taking its focus away from our main couple. Lee Do Hyun and Go Min Si were fantastic in their betrayals and had a lot of chemistry. Make sure you have tissues around, you’ll need them.

3. Sell Your Haunted House - 대박부동산 (2021): I really didn’t think I was going to like Sell Your Haunted House as much as I was going to, and by the time it ended it had shot up to the top of my list. It’s one of those dramas that make you believe it’s going to be silly or light-hearted in between all the ghosts, and yet…it isn’t. Don’t get me wrong, there is some humor, but unlike a lot of dramas it knows when the humor should be there and when it should stop. The cast was incredible and the stories - including the main one with the two main characters - had a lot of depth to it. While it is about getting rid of the ghosts that haunt places, it focuses on the pain that has kept those deceased there.

2. Move to Heaven - 무브 투 헤븐: 나는 유품정리사입니다 (2021): I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to get this drama into my watching before the end of the year, and I really made the push to focus on it. I’m glad I did, because here it is sitting at number two on my list, sometimes those last-minute rushes do pay off. Move to Heaven is about a cleaning service for those who have passed. The main character is autistic, and after the loss of his father his uncle (right out of jail) comes to be his guardian. Each episode focuses on not just the main characters’ growth, but also the story of those they help. There was not a time in my watch that I wasn’t crying, and most of the time sobbing. It’s raw, emotional, and absolutely beautiful. Beyond worth the tears.

1. Happiness - 해피니스 (2021): At this point I feel like a broken record, and if you follow me any where else you knew that this was going to be my number one drama of the year. Not only is it my number one, it’s also has secured its self as one of my favorite dramas of all time. A ten out of ten, the drama hit every mark perfectly. Perfectly crafted horror, amazingly written characters, zombies, and my favorite type of love story - it has it all and more. I don’t even know what more to say. It just makes me…happy.

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2021 Music

While it seems like I spent a lot of time devoted to music over the past year, especially on the blog with my weekly roundup of music, it was a fairly quiet music year for me. I wasn’t on top of everything and missed a lot of music towards the end of the year. It also seemed like a lot of my favorites were fairly quiet. Especially compared to last year, when there seemed to be a new online concert every week, or new live clips and singles. Maybe the pandemic is just hitting us all a lot harder this year, but things were definitely off. That doesn’t mean I didn’t listen to some really great music. On the contrary, I found some great things this year, an ult group came back, and I even added a new group or two.

Starting the post like I always do with my top ten songs of the year. I make a thread every year on Twitter where I explain my choices that you can find here.

Here they are in the order they were released:

• ‘White Light’ by Lanalogue (ft Nody Cika)

• ‘Obsessed’ by jujuland

• ‘Wonderland’ by Aimer

• ‘above the clouds’ by DAY6

• ‘OK or Not’ by 2PM

• ‘AuRoRa’ by ONEWE

• ‘BEcause’ by Dreamcatcher

• ‘SOOP’ by JENYER (ft. Heo Gayoon)

• ‘Fargo’ by TRAP

• ‘joke!’ by Se So Neon

I actually had some challenges making the list. A lot of the songs on my top 25 I really, really like so narrowing them down to ten was hard. This year I tried to keep an ongoing list of my top songs - a place for the best of the best - and while it helped in remembering songs (and not having to do go through the hundreds of songs I enjoyed over the year), I realized quickly the group was just too good. I finally came up with the list like I normally do, these are the songs that I just had on repeat the most. This list also had a good bit of songs that I fell deeply in love with the minute I heard it.

But, there must always be a winner and this year’s #1 song went to an artist who I’ve loved for years, and generally always makes their way to this list. This year that goes to Aimer with her song ‘Wonderland’. Aimer does everything I love and combines it in a way that is just artistic perfection. ‘Wonderland’ combines a rock guitar line with sweeping folk and string instrumentals and creates this really majestic song paired with her voice. It builds with intensity throughout the song’s length and echoes the lyrics perfectly. The music video is also great, with its creepy and dark Alice in Wonderland storyline that actually goes with the lyrics. If you know Aimer, the song is par for the course for her, but it held on to me all year since its release in April.

Here’s my top 25 in a full list:

While my top songs list was hard to narrow down, my album list proved even harder. This was the year of amazing full albums, and it was extremely hard for me to narrow down this list. Even as I work on this post, I’m still debating my choices. It’s interesting because I felt this year I didn’t have enough time to listen to full albums like I had the year previous. I found myself focusing on listening to all the music that was coming out for my weekly posts that I didn’t have the time to listen to more, and yet quite a few crept in and got me.

The list, in the order they were released:

-Unseen World by BAND-MAID
BAND-MAID is always going to jump to the top of my lists. They consistently put out great music, and music I love. You really can’t go wrong with them. Solid vocals, solid instruments.

Songs to check out: After Life, I Still Seek Revenge, and Sayonakidori

-Walpurgis by Aimer
Aimer does no wrong, but this album in particular is probably my favorite of hers. So many of my top songs are on this and when I want to feel all of the feelings, she’s the one I go to.

Songs to check out: SPARK-AGAIN, 季路 (kiro) and 春はゆく (haru wa Yuku)

-The Volunteers by The Volunteers
An album that is just good from top to bottom, The Volunteers went out of their way to release a phenomenal first full album. Produced by lead vocalist Baek Yerin’s label, the group debuted this year. They’ve got a great 90’s indie alt-rock vibe to them.

Songs to check out: Let me go!, Radio, and S.A.D

-Must by 2PM
2PM is back, and picking up perfectly from where they left off, giving a solid EP. If you are an older fan, you’ll appreciate the songs, but I think it also is a solid choice for new fans. The only problem with this EP is that it’s not a full album. While I had wanted that, I’m glad that it was at least an extended EP.

Songs to check out: Make It, OK or Not, On My Way, and Hold You

-Right Through Me by Even of Day
I know this might seem like sacrilege, especially seeing as DAY6’s The Book of Us: Negentropy - Chaos Swallowed Up in Love was released this year as well, and it’s not on this list. I love them, but really just fit more with the Even of Day sub-unit for the majority of the songs this year. I like what they did with this group, and I thought that this was a great follow up from their first album, The Book of Us: Gluon. It transitioned what they did in that to this well, and I think it effectively transitioned Even of Day from DAY6.

Songs to check out: WE, Right Through Me, and WALK

-COBALT by Meaningful Stone
This is the shortest EP on my list at only five songs, but I loved those songs enough to make room for it. Meaningful Stone a great indie rock singer/songwriter. Her album from last year, A Call From My Dream, caught my eye and this EP has solidly added her as a favorite.

Songs to check out: Dancing in the Rain and Fly

-Trap by TRAP
I’ll talk more about TRAP later in this post, but for now I will say that this is the top album of the year. It’s what I’ve wanted to find in Korean artists, and have been obsessed with this album since hearing it for the first time.

Songs to check out: Fargo, Surface, and New World

-Happiness, Flower by Soumbalgwang
Soumbalgwang is one of those artist that I just keep coming back to. In fact, their Fuze EP made it to last year’s list highlighting my favorite indie albums. Happiness, Flower is the type of album you want to throw on and turn up while you are driving around when you need to just drown your thoughts in nothing but music.

Songs to check out: Ember, Eve, and Happiness.

-This is NOT by Jun Doohee
When Jun Doohee’s ‘Bad Flower’ came out at the end of the last year, it immediately became a favorite, and here we are this year with a full album. His songs have that sound that you’d hear them as like a theme song for an HBO crime show, or straight out of True Blood with a great classic rock sound with a bit of grisliness (is that even a real word? I’m making it one, I’m no true music reviewer) and I am so incredibly into it.

Songs to check out: Just a Dream, Bad Flower, and Desire

-Sand by Bosudongcooler
Don’t be fooled by the fact that this album was released in November, it’s the perfect lazy beach day album. The songs make you feel like your floating on water, letting the current sway you, totally relaxed.

Songs to check out: Breath, Dani, and Rubber

One of the major comebacks in kpop for me this year was that with 2PM. 2PM has been my top kpop group for a very long time, well before I was on social media talking to anyone other than myself about dramas and music, so this felt like my first true comeback because there were people to share it with me. Since I’ve also still been unemployed, and just generally not doing well mentally, I spent a lot of the year in various stages of insomnia and being able to be up during livestreams and stages was a much needed bright light. Their comeback was great, and it was really nice to see them all together.

This was also the year that I really solidified my love of the kband ONEWE. This was something that had started last year (their song ‘Parting’ was on my top list last year), and I’ve just given in fully. Especially with DAY6 in various stages of enlistment and change - I have had time to focus on them, and they are good. I think they are fantastic with all their singles, but I’m partial to rock ballads and they are doing them well. Their song ‘Rain to Be’ was also fun. I also got into the girl group Purple Kiss, who debuted at the beginning of the year with their song ‘Ponzona’. Their discography is a bit different, they live in this world of fun darkness and I’m always partial to vocally-led groups. A lot of their songs have a jazzy quality. They also have members who are actively helping write and produce music, something that is not seen a lot. I look forward to what they do in the future.

I did find a lot of new artists in 2021, but a lot only had a few songs available and/or I didn’t make time to listen to the rest of their discography. That’s one of my missions this year and hopefully can track back to their work. But my favorite new discovery of the year hands down goes to the post-grunge band TRAP. I found them in the middle of October when their music video was released and fell hard. Their first full album, Trap, is fantastic and a no skip album from top to bottom. I’ve seriously played that album more than most of my other albums, and some of those have been out for much longer. While their one of those groups that are really hard to find things about (combine a very unsearchable name with my lack of Korean), I take any and everything I can, which their is a few things. Besides their album, they do have a couple more songs on Spotify, and a YouTube channel where they do live clips or covers and other various videos. I’m hoping to hear more from them soon, and now that they are officially on my radar that’ll be easier. If you are into grunge like I am, you’ll really like their songs.

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I think every year I talk about how I want to focus more on my favorite artists and have the intention to and every year I fail at that in some respect. I’ve been focusing a lot of my energy the last few months of 2021 focusing on what type of content I want on this blog and really looking at if some of the things that I had been doing are worth carrying into the new year. I have decided to move my weekly music highlights to Twitter posts, more loose than I had at the beginning of the year. They took too much time for me, and I felt they just weren’t as beneficial here as they could be on the timeline. Because of this, I hope I’ll be able to focus music posts on more in depth looks on my favorite artists and more album reviews.

Check out previous years: 2019 and 2020

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2022 January Premieres

January is going to be slow, and I am more than ok with that. I spent the final couple weeks of 2021 finishing up a slew of dramas and it will be nice to take a breather and maybe watch some older dramas and movies. I do suspect there will be more dramas and movies announced towards the middle of the month.

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-Korean drama The Ghost Doctor starring Rain, Uee, and Kim Bum premieres on the 3rd. The drama follows a surgeon whose spirit possesses another doctor’s body. Viki will be subbing it.

-Korean movie The Policeman’s Lineage will be released on the 5th. Starring Jo Jin Woong and Choi Woo Shik, it follows the two as cops that take on a case that uncovers police corruption.

-Chinese horror film Someone in the Room premiers in theaters on the 7th about a woman who is assaulted while home alone.

-Also on the 7th is the MBC kdrama Tracer. A mystery drama starring Im Si Wan, a chief of taxation who gets entangled with a coworker’s corruption. It’ll be airing on the streaming platform Wavve and MBC, so maybe it’ll show up on Kocowa?

-Rounding out the 7th is the Japanese live-action movie based on the manga of the same name, Bungo Stray Dogs: Beast. A man vows revenge in order to rescue his sister.

-WOWOW premieres the Japanese miniseries, Dakara Korosenakatta on the 9th. After a reporter (Tamaki Hiroshi) is given a note by a murderer he must try to stop more deaths through articles.

-On the 10th is TV Tokyo’s Kon Katsu Tantei. A mystery/comedy about a detective who is not good with women.

-Korean action movie Special Cargo, starring Park So Dam will be in theaters starting on the 12th and folloes So Dam’s character as a driver who is tasked to deliver a child.

-Netflix’s next airing jdrama, The Journalist will start on the 13th. The thriller is about a journalist who investigates government corruption. Yonekura Ryoko stars.

-Probably one of my most anticipated dramas of the month, the SBS kdrama Through the Darkness begins on the 14th. Set in the ’90’s it follows a serial killer and the police trying to stop him.

-DCU is a jdrama about a group of divers created by the Coast Guard who find evidence of crime and murders. It starts on the 16th on TBS.

-Starring an amazing cast that includes Song Kang Ho, Lee Byung Hun, and Jeon Do Yeon to name a few, the action thriller Emergency Declaration premieres on the 22nd about a detective who receives word of a terrorist attack on an airplane. It looks like Viki may have picked it up - under rental I’m sure.

-Finally dropping on Netflix is the zombie drama All of Us Are Dead following high school students stuck in their school during an outbreak. It’ll be released on the 28th (I’m assuming it’ll drop all at once).

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22 Anticipated Dramas for 2022

Last year I made a list of the dramas that I was excited for this year, and while a lot of that list didn’t end up airing because of various reasons, it was still fun to take some time to dive into the dramas that are expected to air for this coming year. I narrowed the dramas down to 22 picks. A lot have very little information on them, and I’m expecting like last year a lot will be pushed - in fact, some of the dramas on this list are from last year. While I tried to vary my picks, kdramas are really the only dramas that have the most information on what’s coming for the new year, and thus make up the majority of my list.

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-All of Us Are Dead (Netflix: January)
horror/youth/sci-fi

High school students trapped in their school during a zombie outbreak. What more to love. No official date, but it is in Netflix’s coming soon section and by all accounts should start in January. King2Hearts director Lee Jae Gyoo and screenwriter Chung Sung Il (recently LUCA: The Beginning) are attached to the drama.

-Connect
mystery/horror

More of a hope that it will be out this year, than an actual knowledge, Connect will be the first kdrama Japanese director Takashi Miike (Audition) will work on. It's about a story of a man who has a part of his body stolen by organ hunters and becomes connected with the person who receives it. Jung Hae In and Go Kyung Pyo have been cast, and if I had to guess this might be making it’s way to Netflix (both were in the recent Netflix production, D.P.).

-Deep
horror/mystery/action

There’s is very little known about this but it is adapted from the webtoon by Towoo and Kim Tae Heon of the same name and follows the story that takes place when a long-lost family returns.

-Goosebumps (Daum Kakao TV)
thriller/horror

The drama will contain short stories of the horrors that are often encountered in everyday life and props. Minho from SHINee will be starring.

-Grid (Disney+)
thriller/sci-fi

Starring Seo Kang Joon and Kim Ah Joong, as well as a slew of other notable names, Grid will be Disney+'s next kdrama after Snowdrop. It follows a mysterious entity who saved humankindi n the past, but has reappeared to help a serial killer escape. This was Kang Joon’s last drama before enlisting. Lee Soo Yeon is the screenwriter and has worked on Stranger and Life, and I have hopes that this is going to be a good one.

-Heaven and Hell: Two Psychos
thriller/mystery/comedy

A remake of a Japanese drama that aired the beginning of 2021, the drama is the story when the souls of a detective and a murder suspect swap. No cast has confirmed nor production team - really stretching on picking this one - but I think it might have a chance to be a lot of fun.

-Island (tvN)
action/thriller/horror

A drama that was scheduled last year, but because of delays and casting changes it was pushed to this year. Filming has already started with Kim Nam Gil and Lee Da Hee as leads. It was slated as a ten episode two season drama, but it might drop all at once because of delays. Island follows Mi Ho who's father assigns her to work at high school in Jeju, where evil roams free.

-Minamdang: Case Note (KBS2: May)
mystery/comedy

Another comedy. I know, who am I? I don't know, this one just looks interesting, Go Jae Hyun is the director, and I really like his previous works. It's about a profiler (played by Seo In Guk) and a suspicious cafe.

-Monstrous (tvN)
thriller/horror/supernatural

The drama follows and archaeologist (Kyo Hwan) who searches supernatural phenomena for a magazine and YouTube channel. I know I’ve said this in the past, but this one sounds like an episode of The X-Files and I am very much here for it. The cast looks great with Koo Kyo Hwan, Shin Hyun Bin, Kwak Dong Yeon, and Nam Da Reum.

-Shoutai (WOWOW: Mar 12)
thriller/mystery

The first jdrama on the list. The drama follow Keiichi (Kamenashi Kazuya) who is arrested as a suspect in a murder case but escapes.

-Snow White Must Die
mystery/drama

Two detectives go in search of mysterious incidents that happen in a village.

-Somebody (Netflix)
thriller/mystery

Somebody focuses on a social media app that leads to murder. Kim Young Kwan stars.

-Superior Day (OCN)
thriller

Despite not much a summary, the drama seems perfect for me. It follows a guy who finds out his neighbor is a serial killer. Lee Won Keun is rumored to be playing the serial killer and I just can't wait. The director is the same from Tale of the Nine-Tailed.

-The Journalist (Netflix, Jan 13)
thriller/drama

One of the jdramas that will be airing on Netflix, The Journalist is about a journalist (Yonekura Ryoko) who pursues the truth about a government corruption scandal. One of the screenwriters, Yamada Yoshitatsu, worked previously on Million Yen Women.

-The Mansion
thriller/mystery

Ji Na (Im Ji Yeon) is on a search to find her missing sister. Residents at an apartment building may know the answer.

-The Murder’s Shopping List (tvN)
thriller/mystery

Lee Kwang Soo plays a supermarket cashier who observes things that happen in his neighborhood.

-The Police Station Next to Fire Station (thriller)
drama

The drama follows a joint operation between a fire department and police force. The drama kind of sounds like one you’d find on NBC, like Station 19.

-The Youngest Son of a Conglomerate (jTBC)
thriller/fantasy

The plot for this sounds incredible. After an employee is framed for embezzlement and murdered, he is reborn as their son to seek revenge. It's directed by W/I'm Not a Robot director Jeon Dae Yun and stars Song Joong Ki.

-Thirty-Nine (jTBC: February)
drama

The only non-thriller on the list, Thirty-Nine is about three friends who met in high school and are now in their late thirties. I love a good female friendship story and with Son Ye Jin, Jeon Mi Do, and Kim Ji Hyun this can only be great.

-Through the Darkness (Jan 14)
thriller/crime

Starring Kim Nam Gil and Kim So Jin the drama is about criminal profilers, which is an automatic add for Jessie.

-Urban Myths: Tooth Worms (Netflix)
thriller/horror

The second season of the short horror anthology Goedam that aired in 2020, this has already been to a film festival so it has to show up this year. This time the cast features mostly idols.

-When the Day Breaks (jTBC: February)
mystery/crime/drama

After a body is found in a suitcase, a former forensic pathologist is suspected of the murder. The drama is an adaption of a Chinese book The Long Night by Zi Jin Chen which is also 2020 cdrama. The cast looks great including Han Seok Kyu and Jung Yu Mi and Hye Ran.

What are you looking forward to this coming year in dramaland? Let me know!

Last year’s list can be found here.

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The Silent Sea (2021)

Minor spoilers below.

For the final review of the year, I’m focusing on the drama that just dropped Christmas Eve, The Silent Sea. The Silent Sea had been one of my most anticipated dramas since it was announced and I was really happy when it finally got a premiere date. I had some other things that I needed to do the day that it was uploaded, and didn’t think that I’d end up getting around to it. And then I did…at 10:30 pm and then stayed up all night watching it. The drama follows a crew as they depart to the moon to collect samples at a research base that suffered a catastrophe years prior, in hopes to find a clue for another source of water.

On a whole, I enjoyed the drama. It wasn’t everything that I had expected or wanted, but I by no means thought it wasn’t entertaining. It kept me interested and engaged, and there was no time in my binge that I felt the need to stop to return to it later. I did find with the first two episodes we kind of got baited into thinking that the drama was going to skew much more into the horror side than it ended up being, and I would be lying if I didn’t say I was a bit sad it didn’t keep that up. There were also a few parts in the middle of the drama that I felt were a bit draggy, but with the episodes being so short the drama didn’t spend much time in that area. I do wish we got a bit more look at the other members’ lives on Earth and found that the parts we did get with Yun Ja (Gong Yoo) and Ji An (Bae Doo Na) were interesting, leaving me wanting to see more about the situation on Earth.

Kim Shi Ah who played Luna was fantastic. I thought she did well in her role as the younger version of Ashin in Ashin of the North (the prequel/side story of Kingdom) and it was nice to see her in this larger role. Being so young and carrying a role such as hers is a challenge she pulled off effortlessly. Bae Doo Na was incredible as always, as was Gong Yoo. Kim Sun Young doesn’t get many leading roles, but I’ve had a fondness for her since her character in Because This Is My First Life. I thought she was great in her role and had good chemistry with Bae Doo Na and the rest of the cast. Lee Joon was also phenomenal. I wasn’t expecting a pseudo-serial killer angle to come, especially not with his character, and the drama played it up well grounding it with the backstory of what happened at the research center previously, and his PTSD that eventually led to his decisions, and Lee Joon carried that transition well.

Some of the popular takes that I’ve heard so far about the drama have been about how slow it was and thought that it left too many unanswered questions. While I did think parts were draggy in the middle, on a whole I loved the slow burn it gave us. Especially as it started to shift to a full-blown thriller from horror, and worked with the mystery of what was going on, almost mimicking the sense of silence and stillness that outer space inherently has. I didn’t think the questions that I had needed to be explained. The drama didn’t set us up to believe that we were going to get all the answers, nor would it have been able to. In a way, it mirrored the character’s journey in the drama. Their questions were left unanswered as well. Yun Ja spends much of the first part of the drama telling Ji An to stop asking questions and keep on task to collect the samples. Answering questions was not why they were there, and the answers they do get are not the ones they want.

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Come and Hug Me (2018)

Merry Christmas!

I got the idea to review something for today a couple of days ago, and set out to find one that was not only horror or thriller, but also worked for this time of year. While I was trying to figure it out I realized there was only one true pick, and that is my personal favorite drama, Come and Hug Me. Instead of doing a traditional review on the drama, I wanted to share some of the reasons and plots that attribute to why this drama is my top drama.

Come and Hug Me is a crime thriller intertwined with a melodrama and gives a look at how the world perceives crimes and the family members of the people who perpetrate those crimes, as well as the effects they and the family members had. But at its core, it focuses on families. What it takes to be a true family and how that looks different to different people, and that blood family isn’t the only family that matters. The drama stems from one significant event that happened in the childhood of the two main leads, Namu (Jang Ki Yong) and Nak Won (Jon Ki Joo). Namu’s father murders Nak Won’s parents in front of her, and almost kills her but is stopped by Namu.

While the drama is about that and their relationship, it weaves through the aftermath of that incident as well as the reintroduction of that trauma when Namu’s father (played hauntingly by Heo Joon Ho) writes a book about the murders of all his victims bringing the case back into light after almost ten years. The drama focuses on the discussion of whether evil is made or created. Hui Jae spends his time focusing on his son, thinking he could create the evil that he is, the public shame and belittle Namu and his family labeling them because of their association with Hui Jae. Journalists spin stories to support that narrative, confirming to the public that those prejudices must be true, while the main characters are constantly fighting that stigma.

It’s an interesting study on how psychopaths can see no wrong and lack compassion, empathy, and understanding - all traits the father has - and how it applies in various ways with others in the drama: the reporters, the public, the victims’ families. The drama connects the actions of the father with the public’s response to show the real damage that can be caused to people, and how close everyone truly is to evil even when they aren’t related to that evil. When the perception is changed, the understanding will follow, and the drama tries to show the characters as they start to understand their biases. There is this great scene when the police officer Go Yi Seok, who was assigned to the case right after the murders and is looking after Namu, sees Chae Ok Hee (Namu’s stepmother) comes to take him in. He mentions something along the lines of the job making him hate and give up on people, but seeing the compassion of Ok Hee to him gave him hope. We see it happen again with the reporter Han Ji Ho seeing the relationship between Namu and Nak Won and how they hold each other up even in great sadness and burden and that even in her position as a journalist on the case, she doesn’t know all the details.

“Evil shall not wait to be proven. Evil shall prove itself.” - Hui Jae

Watching the drama a second time I didn’t realize the way they framed Namu was intentional in ways that were not what I initially thought. The drama leads one to believe it is focused on Namu as if he is a ticking bomb and at any point can stray from being good. He will somehow mess up and follow the footsteps of the father. When in fact the drama tells us clearly that it won’t happen. He’s proven numerous times with his actions and interactions with others throughout his entire life that he is not like his father, and that there should never be any doubt. The drama forces the viewer in a position of doubt even when clear information is given, showing that not only are characters in the drama susceptible to this negative thinking, the viewer is as well. It’s a neat use of that element, as it works to further the intent of the drama, but also plays up some of the thrilling aspects of the drama. It also furthers how the act of just believing in people and helping them at their lowest can turn them to the right path. Nak Won’s constant reassurance to Namu, Ok Hee (wounded) forcing herself inbetween Hyun Mo (Kim Kyung Nam) and the father’s wrath to save him. Even when Namu is about to hurt his father, it’s nothing comparable despite what the father tries to make him believe.

The stigma against non-blood-related families is prevalent everywhere, and the drama handles it beautifully. Nak Won and Moo Won (Yoon Jong Hoon) share true feelings for each other as siblings, being raised to just accept that they are family realistically and comfortably without burden. Seo Jung Yeon’s Ok Hee is my favorite kdrama mother having compassion and strength to take in not only two boys who were not hers, but the product of her failed and horrible marriage, and does so with loving arms. And while she falters a tiny bit at the beginning, she immediately sees the error of her ways. The little sister So Jin (Choi Ri) always views the two as her brothers, never questioning it or changing that stance no matter how distant they treated her. While the drama is on the surface about the murders and the two’s love story, the drama focuses on these other relationships as much as they do with the love story between the two and doesn’t try to take away from those essential storylines with those relationships. Even at the end, we see them confront their past selves to begin their journey in full healing and love in their relationship with themselves.

I can’t get enough of this drama, and this rewatch solidified my love for it as well as its position as my top drama. It’s everything I could want in a drama and more and I felt the same after seeing it again as I did the very first time I watched it. I don’t go over even half of the elements that make this drama great in this post, not mentioning other technical elements or favorite characters, this is just a glance at my love for it. I may return to at another point to give a tigher review. If you haven’t given the drama a try, maybe now is the time.

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