The Adam’s Family Meets The Hallyu Wave (Everything Korean)

All the up front synopsis for the new Korean Drama Atypical Family that I read on the Internet seems to be wrong. The story is not outlined as projected by news sources. Atypical Family did not meet my 15 min “love it or leave it criteria”. However, there certainly was enough hidden back story revealed to let me know that there was enough paint on the canvas to make me stick around. This story is so very complex.

Revealed in the first episode, therefore, these are no spoilers.

1. The male lead has superpowers which he feels are a curse.
2. The male lead was married to his wife, who gave birth to their first child.
3. She died in a car accident, which appears to have been caused by her.
4. He could not use his superpowers to save his wife.
5. His mother forewarned him of this pending doom.
6. The death of his wife caused his depression, which caused him to loose his superpowers.
7. The whole family has superpowers, but they all have lost them, because of modern medical diseases.
8. The female lead is actually a grifter. She has been planted into this family by a thievery gang, because the family is rich. Her sole purpose is to steal money from this rich family and to give it to the thievery gang for which she works. She thinks that the information about the family is nonsense.
9. This drama is so weird. It is so atypical from the typical Korean Drama.
10. I see the paint on the canvas and it looks like an evolving masterwork.

Mind sufficiently blown. I can’t even figure this one out. Left very intrigued. I am so excited. Episodes post Saturdays and Sundays.

@ Edit: This is such a brilliant drama, from the mind of someone who got in a perfect lane of thought. I am going to drop spoiler explanations in the comment section below, to help those who might be puzzled. Look for them.

What is a spoiler? It is when the drama is bicycling in one direction and then makes a significant turn to another direction and you reveal this. It is very rare that the first episode will contain spoilers, because the drama has not had a chance to progress forward.

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Uniquely satisfying Fantasy Chinese drama with a huge twist (a twist which I won’t reveal)

Costume & Period, Romance, Time Travel Fusion, Gaming Drama

Unique Lady is about a young lady whose life amounts to only playing video games and studying. She is distraught over her pathetic love life, and gets trapped in a video game about “finding your person” in the Sheng-Yuan Dynasty. She has to cosplay play this video game all the way through, before she can exist. She is surrounded by gorgeous men all over the place, falling in love with her. So I thought that this would be a perfect brainless down-time Chinese Drama, with the emphasis on brainless. However, surprise! Unique Lady actual has an extremely engaging and intelligent storyline, which is well written and acted. I should have known that this drama was not run-of-the-mill when I saw the Chinese actors’ firepower lined up for this drama. To add to this viewing pleasure, Unique Lady also has a Season 2. In the 24 episodes for seasons one and two, there is a fan viewing commitment time of less than 18 hours. The same goes for season 2. Therefore, the Chinese Drama Unique Lady is Korean Drama Fan Friendly.

This Drama is taken from Lascivious Lady by Orange Light Game: Adapted from the novel Haose Qianjin by Qing Lanlan

You will get massive Dual Lead Syndrome with these main suitors. I could not choose.


Actors’ Corner


The heroine of Unique Lady is Lin Lou Jing (Played by Zheng Qiu Hong or Jade from Fairyland Lovers). She has four suitors in this dating video game, all four with totally different personalities. There is a digital System Conductor, which helps guide her through her game choices. Lin Lou Jing has only five attempts at finding Mr. Right and she must find someone whom she loves and who loves her, before she can exist the game.

The main suitors for Lin Lou Jing are Zhong Wu Mei (Played by Gong Jun or Simon from Begin Again) and Liu Xiu Wen/[Prince of Qiyu] (Played by Fang Yilun or Alen, who is dead ringer for Hyun Bin and appeared in The Long Ballard).

Gong Jun has an interesting backstory. His first day at University, his teachers took one look at him and told him he should be in Chinese dramas, because of his look. He was able to change majors and was sent to acting school. And the rest is history.

You can include in the mix of people with whom to fall in love, the Third and Fourth Leads.

Jiang Xuan Yu (Played by Yu Kai Ning from Cute Programer) and Hua Ying Chi (Played by Li Hao from Douluo Continent)

Have fun.

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Embrace the Cuteness

Cast—Chae Jong Hyeop (as Kang Hu-Young) and Kim So Hyun (as Lee Hong-Ju)

I think that we are smoldering another big summer hit drama with Serendipity’s Embrace. I love the title.

Ser·en·dip·i·ty —the gift of finding valuable or agreeable things not looked for. Dictionary

Serendipity’s Embrace stars Chae Jong Hyeop and Kim So Hyun. I adore this pairing of actors. They look so natural together. I don’t catch these two acting. I feel like I am peeking in on someone else’s real life. There is strong chemistry between Chae Jong Hyeop and Kim So Hyun. Serendipity’s Embrace is absolutely a fun romantic ride.

The story

ML Kang Hu-Young is a “by the books and don’t paint outside the lines” kind of guy. FL Lee Hong-Ju feels free to express her emotions and feelings. They meet in high school, as serendipity brings them together. However, life gets in the way, as Kang Hu-Young moves to the States and becomes a very successful businessman. After 10 years, Kang Hu-Young is still the stoic man who needs to be trained how to love and Lee Hong-Ju is existing a failed relationship. One big huge point of this story is whether your recollection of the past is really to true story?

Absolutely adorable

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This is a dark light comedy romance drama

“Plankton includes plants and animals that float along at the mercy of the sea's tides and currents. Their name comes from the Greek meaning "drifter" or "wanderer."” Dictionary

Mr Plankton is a very artsy drama, which is well cast and well written. The cinematography is through the roof, with brilliant subject framing, great camera angles, and great lighting. The OST is American Melancholy.

The objective to be answered with this story line is so evident in this quote from Mr Plankton.

“Why do tragedies keep happening to those who are already suffering?” Male Lead

This is the story of two tragic lives who come together, circling in the same universe. It is great film making. With all this brilliance, one problem for me is the loads of cursing in the beginning.

Mr Plankton turns into a light comedy later on. This is not evident while viewing episode one. I don’t mind tragedies. This drama is a darker comedy, however. Mr Plankton has so many of the elements I love in a good drama. It checks a lot of boxes. There is some powerful acting in this drama. I could nominate both leads, Lee Yoo-mi and Woo Do-hwan, for a Baeksang Arts Award. I think that Woo Do-hwan may get a nomination for his performance, though.

Mr. Plankton is written by Jo-young who penned ‘Its Okay Not To Be Okay’. Even before finding this out, for me the drama had ‘Its Okay Not To Be Okay’ written all over it.

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Attitude is everything

There are hard hitting subjects sewn into the fabric of this entertaining High School drama, about the kids of the rich and super rich. The drama is Boys Over Flowers meets Weak Hero Class 1. Personally, I loved it. This school is other worldly in design. The Korean Drama has a high class flashy look and an attitude to match. This was a high octane ride.

Off the bat, there is an Assembly to introduce the new scholarship student, the odd man out in the school for the super rich. These students are so rich that they have car Valets. The drama has smoking music, interesting script, and fantastic cinematography. Young talent showed off their acting skills. All the dots of the story were connected in the end, to set-up things for Season 2.

For those who were waiting for the highly anticipated Korean Drama Hierarchy, it just hit NetFlix. There is a death covered in this Korean Drama.

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Slow moving, but delicious

Are You the One (2024) is a slow moving Chinese drama, which is listed as a Romance Drama. This drama did not meet my 15 minute ‘Love it or Leave it” metric bar. Something was off. Then I saw it. While this Chinese drama is not listed as a RomCom, there is lots of textured comedy in the production. Mentally, I was looking for a serious romance drama, but got thrown off by subtle comedic cues. I had to do a brain reset. This fixed my problem. Are You the One (2024) is a light Comedy Romance drama. This Chinese drama storyline is using a very popular trope of late, which has sworn male and female enemies at a battle face off and the female meets with an accident, which leaves her with amnesia. The male, understanding that you keep your friends close and your enemies closers, takes in the female into his abode and oftentimes pretends to be her husband. I have to admit that I like this trope very much. It has constant elements of danger present, since the female could get back her memory at any time. However, this trope allows for such a seductive launch base for accidental romance. The story is adapted from the novel "Jiao Cang", written by Kuang Shang Jia Kuang.

‘Are You the One’ stars actor Zhang Wan Yi (Lost You Forever) and actress Wang Chu Ran (Fireworks of My Heart). Zhang Wan Yi plays a loathsome character for my taste. He is a self-centered rich royal from the military who does not quite get the concept that some people are human beings. He inconsiderately and uncaringly uses the fallen lady, just seeing and opportunity to get gains and goes for it, no holds barred. Fortunately, there is lots of room for personal growth. Wang Chu Ran plays an intelligent justice fighter, who belongs to a gang of bandits. This gang is at odds with the law as they fight agsinst what they feel is injustice. In addition, she has a very interesting backstory.

Are You The One is popular right now, pulling in 9.7/10 among viewers. This is a drama you may want to add to your list of dramas to view.

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Political Mystery Thriller Romance

The original expectations for me for the Korean Drama When the Phone Rings (2024) was that this Korean drama would be a Political Mystery Thriller of the criminal kind. However, a huge plot twist has made this drama a sensual killer of the pulsating kind. I have never seen a phone be used for a tool of sensuality. OMG. Male Lead Yoo Yeon Seok will forever be remembered for that incredible first kiss in episode one of Doctor Romantic and the brush of the fingers by a lady’s skirt as he played Bad Boy Gu Dong Mae in Mr Sunshine. He is doing it again in When the Phone Rings. Yoo Yeon Seok is the originator of his signature pulsating glance, the heart has to be forced to stay still.

Yoo Yeon Seok costars with Cahe Soo Bin (I Am Not A Robot). Only two episodes in, When the Phone Rings is becoming a fan favorite already, garnering 8.7/10 on MDL. We will see if they can keep this up. ????

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The Battle of the Brained Titans

‘Melody of Golden Age’ (2024) Mystery Romance

I am excited about the new Chinese Costume Drama Melody of Golden Age. There is much attention to cinematic details in this Chinese drama, like camera angles, film and cinematography quality, and scene composition. All this is to raise the drama suspense level. The drama’s opening minutes are so eye catching.

Strong cold male with high intelligence battles with focused and fearless intelligent female.

Shen Du (Ding Yu Xi) is an illegitimate son whose intelligence and keen observation skills allows him to solve crimes easily. This has gotten him promoted to Great Chief of the Internal Imperial Guard Office. He is an expert archer with a full life and it does not have room for romance. Consequently, when the Queen keeps trying to marry him off, he scares the wits out of the prospective brides and they call off the engagement. Yan Xing is from nobility and daughter of a Concubine, but she is a trailblazer. She is the Sixth Miss of the Yan Clan. Yan Xing is a woman who takes advantage of a program advanced by the Queen. Woman are being selected for a male dominate position of Clerk of the Ministry of Justice, an investigative bureau.

The sister of Yan Xing is selected to be the next victim bride of Shen Du. When the sister runs off, Yan Xing steps in to protect the family name and becomes the bride candidate. Shen Du soon tries his old tricks again, but Yan Xing is intelligent and bold enough to call his bluff. The situation reduces to The Battle of the Brained Titans. These two learn to coexist and become a crime solving team.

Melody of Golden Age is adapted from the Webnovel ‘Chang A Tong Que Ming’, written by Feng Huang Xi. I think that Melody of Golden Age should be added to your Chinese Drama View List.

Actors

Acting since 2017, Ding Yu Xi made a big splash in the 2020 Chinese Drama hit ‘Romance of Tiger and Rose”, my first meeting with him. Ding Yu Xi has a magnetism about him. You don’t easily forget his bravado. Ding Yu Xi has “cold male” down to a science. Since 2020, Ding Yu Xi began to carve his niche in Period Dramas. His bravado works so well with this genre. Ding Yu Xi has appeared in nine Chinese Dramas since 2020, with seven dramas being costume dramas. Ding Yu Xi is shooting up the A-List meter fast.

Chinese actress Ancy Deng is a new comer too. She started acting in 2017 as well. Her status is a slow climb, landing guest, support, and main roles. Flourish in Time (2021) was a hit for Andy Deng. Melody of Golden Age (2024) is a hit for her thus far.

Interesting Note: Ding Yu Xi is a Guy’s Guy who bites his nails. He has football fingers. I find it interesting in the opening scene, a male hand model with delicate hands is used for this pivotal scene for the close up of the fingers strumming a bow. I saw his hands in Romance of Tiger and Rose.

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