It was a good start to 2018 as I began my drama watching journey for the new year. I even finished the 50 episode historical Six Flying Dragons which turned out to be a pretty good ride. Then there was the sweet coming of age drama Andante, the human/robot love story I’m Not a Robot, the college friendship drama Because It’s the First Time, and supernatural crime drama Two Cops. So it ended up being three new dramas and two old dramas for a total of 5 dramas for the month of January:
Andante
Andante was such a charming story! This underrated drama shines in its simplicity and thoughtfulness. In a world of flashy and exciting dramas, Andante goes against the grain. The story itself isn’t anything revolutionary, a high school boy coming of age and learning about life, but it’s execution is wonderful.
The drama has such a low key and understated feel to it that I found incredibly warm and cozy. I just enjoyed experiencing this little town and it’s people. It had a bit more of a medical aspect to it than I would have liked as it dealt with end of life issues, but even that was handled so well in developing the characters and their stories.
Overall, Andante is one of those dramas that will definitely make you think. Some of the topics are uncomfortable, but the drama is always hopeful in it’s presentation of how precious the relationships of friends, family, and even strangers are as well as how beautiful life is. (Andante Review)
I’m Not a Robot
There really is so much to love about a drama like I’m Not a Robot. It starts out cute, but as the story thickens, it gets so good! It just gets better as it goes along. Yoo Seung Ho does what he does best and completely rips my heart out as he deals with a serious health problem, isolation, and loneliness. He brought forth every emotion with such power and thoughtfulness.
I’m Not a Robot is a very sweet love story at its heart. Yoo Seung Ho and Chae Soo Bin are super cute together. There are tons of adorable moments throughout the drama to make your heart flutter. But watching them fall in love and care for each other was the best part. This couple was so nurturing towards each other, and it was truly wonderful to see.
The story was balanced well between lighter moments and the more serious and heartbreaking ones. There’s plenty to enjoy is this lovely tale of a man who was shut off from the world who begins to break free because of one woman pretending to be a robot. (I’m Not a Robot Review)
Two Cops
Two Cops was mostly an okay watch, but at the same time it didn’t really do anything to grab me. It’s a lighter crime drama with a love triangle and that twist of the supernatural. One of the best things was the bromance between Jo Jung Suk and Kim Sun Ho as they end up sharing a body and having to work together to solve a mystery. I felt like the romance angle kind of loses it’s fizzle as the drama progresses though. It starts out very strong and intriguing, but that plot line becomes much less important and eventually falls to the wayside.
So there was definitely stuff to like in Two Cops, but it had some big issues. The slowness and lack of plot progression as well as the diminishing romance story line really took the steam out of the drama. But it’s an easy enough watch with a little bit of everything with mystery, crime, humor, and romance. It’s just too bad it didn’t do more with the excellent foundation it had to work with. (Two Cops Review)
Because It’s the First Time
I guess I’m having luck with a few simple but heartfelt dramas these days. At only 8 episodes, Because It’s the First Time is an incredibly sweet and easy watch as it explores the love and friendships of six people.
I instantly connected with all of the characters and was genuinely invested in them. They all had different issues they were dealing with in life. But no matter what they were going through, they always had each other for support. They were moving friendships that I greatly enjoyed.
Because It’s the First Time was like a cozy blanket. I just felt warm and comfortable with this group of friends. I felt the emotions with them as they experienced many firsts in life. I smiled with them and also felt their pain. It was a sweet and moving journey that left me with warm and happy feelings. (Because It’s the First Time Review)
Six Flying Dragons
Six Flying Dragons was quite a journey that was filled with action, politics, family, friendship, betrayal, heartbreak, a dash of romance, and the epic story of the founding of a nation. It has a lot to like as we get to go deep into this story of power struggles and political maneuverings. For the most part, the drama is paced well and new plot developments are frequent with multiple story arcs consistently building up tension and then delivering a satisfying resolution. Things would be set in motion during one arc that would then become prominent in the next arc. It was all laid out beautifully.
I did find the first half of the drama much more engaging than the second half though. The first half just felt more exciting and easily held my attention. My main negative was that the drama was extremely heavy on the political maneuverings which created some stretches of episodes that were slow. But even then, I found this story incredibly fascinating to watch as key players were positioned according to well laid out plans.
So overall, my journey through Six Flying Dragons was a mostly positive one. It’s a rich story with drama, betrayal, and action. Though it did have some slow spells because of the abundance of politics, the characters and story were so well done that it would always reengage me. (Six Flying Dragons Review)
So how was January for you?
Happy drama watching to everyone!
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