When the Camellia Blooms Korean Drama - Kang Ha Neul and Gong Hyo Jin

I started off the new year pretty great for the most part.  I had one not so great drama with the crime thriller Kill It, but then I had two amazing dramas with the rom-com thriller When the Camellia Blooms and the comedy thriller Psychopath Diary:

Kill It Korean Drama - Jang Ki Yong and NanaKill It

Kill It turned out to not really be my cup of tea. For being a crime thriller, I found it to not be very thrilling. The first half was a bit a hard to follow, I never got very emotionally invested in the show, the overall tone didn’t illicit many feels, and the story execution was lacking.

On the plus side, the production quality was very good, the series looked terrific, and there was a decent mystery. Jang Ki Yong and Nana have interesting characters and put out good performances too.

Honestly, by the time everything really started coming together, the drama was two-thirds of the way through, and I had kind of lost interest. The story seemed to kind of drag along, and it didn’t feel like much was happening. I mostly hung around since it was a shorter series. (Kill It Review)

When the Camellia Blooms Korean Drama - Kang Ha Neul and Gong Hyo JinWhen the Camellia Blooms

I loved When the Camellia Blooms! The drama is so incredibly heartwarming, and the story is populated with so many quirky and interesting characters. Kang Ha Neul and Gong Hyo Jin made such a sweet couple, and I so enjoyed watching their relationship play out.

There are lots of little story lines going on and plenty of relationships to explore in the drama. It tackles a lot of interesting topics too. There’s also a nice dark side to the drama with a small town serial killer lurking around. That added in some nice thrills and a mystery to spice up things up a bit.

At its heart, When the Camellia Blooms is a feel good drama though. I laughed so much and loved these characters. The show is written incredibly well, and it handled everything so beautifully. This drama held my attention and charmed me from start to finish. (When the Camellia Blooms Review)

Psychopath Diary

Psychopath Diary hooked me immediately with its unique twist of a pushover thinking he’s a serial killer. The drama leans towards the comedic side, but the comedy and thriller elements are integrated well and stay nicely balanced throughout the series. The comedy is a bit dark at times, but it’s so absurd that you can’t help but laugh at how ridiculous the scenarios are.

Yoon Shi Yoon was absolutely hilarious with his wannabe serial killer shenanigans and really brought the series to life. We also had excellent performances from our real serial killer, Park Sung Hoon, as well as our dedicated police officer, Jung In Sun.

The pacing was great which kept the drama engaging all the way through. There are some nice little twists and surprises throughout too. Psychopath Diary was a whole lot of fun that made me laugh a lot. It’s always great to come across such a fresh concept and see it executed so well. (Psychopath Diary Review)


So how was January for you?

Happy drama watching to everyone!

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21 responses to “Korean Drama Update for January 2020”

  1. D Avatar
    D

    Hi Kay – I also did not like ‘Kill It’. I dropped this one. Could not complete it. When the Camellia Blooms is really good. Psychopath Diary sounds good based on your review.
    I finished only two this month – Sky Castle and Save Me. I enjoyed both a lot.

    1. Kay Avatar

      Yep, Kill It just did not work for me either. Only completed it since it was short. When the Camellia Blooms was amazing though! And I did thoroughly enjoy Psychopath Diary too 🙂

      You got in two interesting ones this month. SKY Castle was a complicated watch for me, but it ended really good. And I loved Save Me! So dark and disturbing but so great. Here’s hoping we both have a good February! 🙂

      1. D Avatar
        D

        Sky Castle was an interesting watch for me too. It took me a couple of times to actually get into it. Once I got into it, I loved it but I did not quite like the ending. However, I absolutely loved Save Me. It kept me hooked from beginning to the end. I read your review before I watched it too. Your good review really prompted me. Thanks – here is to a good Feb. 🙂

        1. Kay Avatar

          It took me a while to get into SKY Castle too. For me, the first third was meh, the middle was okay, and the last third was crazy good! So at least it kept getting better for me which left a decent impression.

          Aww, I’m so glad my review gave you the push to watch Save Me. It really is such a great drama! Like you, it also hooked me from the beginning, and I loved it all the way through. It’s always fun to come across a more unique kdrama, and that one left a big impression 🙂

  2. Snow Flower Avatar
    Snow Flower

    Dramas I completed in January:

    Live Up to Your Name – Kim Nam Gil is an excellent actor, equally good in comic and dramatic scenes. In this drama he plays an oriental medicine physician from Joseon who time travels to our time and meets a heart surgeon who is not too excited about oriental medicine. The show had plenty of laughs, but also many tearjerking moments. The theme of medical ethics was a major part of the story and I liked how it was done. Plus, I learned a lot about acupuncture!

    Save Me – Dark and disturbing story about a girl whose family gets involved in a cult after tragic events. When our heroine finds herself in a desperate situation, she asks her former classmates for help. I started watching this because of Woo Do Hwan, but ended up impressed by everyone in the cast. I have never seen the main actress before, but I thought she was excellent. A great story about friendship, redemption, and making the right choice in a difficult situation.

    Currently watching:

    Crash landing on You – very addictive and so well done! I can’t wait for the next episode.
    Be melodramatic – I am slowly warming up to this. I like the friendship between the main female characters, and also the hilarious depiction of the entertainment industry.

    1. Kay Avatar

      You had a good month too! Have heard so many good things about Live Up to Your Name. I’ve only passed on it because it’s medical.

      Loved Save Me though! Everything about it was great. I hope you get to check out more of Seo Ye Ji. She’s really great, and I always enjoy her 🙂

      I’m excited to watch Crash Landing on You. As long as it doesn’t get delayed anymore, I’ll probably start it in a couple weeks. Will probably eventually give Be Melodramatic a look too since it has had a very positive reception. It’s the type of drama that’s hit or miss for me, but I’ll just have to try it to find out! hehe

      1. MyKDramaticLife Avatar
        MyKDramaticLife

        You should try Live Up to Your Name (10). It has become one of the best dramas for me.

        1. Kay Avatar

          I know I should! I hear so many great things about it and the time travel aspect is right up by alley, but I usually regret watching medical dramas 🙁

  3. Kate Avatar
    Kate

    My January was a bit up and down. I finished Love with Flaws (enjoyed more than expected), Chocolate (loved), Melo Holic (meh); and started/dropped Psychopath Diary, Romantic Doctor, and Pegasus Market. I am currently watching I Do, I Do which I’m enjoying. Waiting for your green light to start watching Crash Landing!!

    1. Kay Avatar

      Wow, you did have an up and down month! It looks like you got in a couple of good ones though with Love With Flaws and Chocolate. My month was like that too with 2 really good ones and one meh. Didn’t drop any though.

      And yay! You’re watching I Do, I Do! I’ve quite enjoyed it all the way through. Nothing revolutionary, but it was fun and easy to watch. How far in are you?

      I’ve been impatiently waiting for Crash Landing too! They went and skipped a week again a couple weeks back for Lunar New Year 😛 It looks like it’s planning to end on Feb. 16, so I’ll probably try to start it next weekend when it only has one week to go. I totally understand if you don’t want to wait though. Waiting is terrible! lol

      1. Kate Avatar
        Kate

        Yes, the waiting is terrible! Whenever I see news of delayed airings I groan 🙁 I’m only on episode 8 of I Do, I Do and like the old school nature of it. Very annoyed with the parents but what else is new! LOL! I’m worried about how it’s going to end because I think practical over romantic might be best but I get the feeling they’re trying to put the wrong two together 🙁 Will wait and see…

        1. Kay Avatar

          Yep, I was so disappointed to see more eps were getting skipped. Otherwise, I’d already be watching it!

          I also really like the old school feel of I Do, I Do. Haha, yeah, the annoying parents are definitely a common theme though. The second leads were really good in this drama. I felt like if she hadn’t of gotten pregnant, they each would have been with the others. I do like the doc a whole lot, but Lee Jang Woo is so sweet and fun in this that I couldn’t help but root for him. Luckily, it’s a drama that was just enjoyable to watch so I would have been fine either way 🙂

          1. MyKDramaticLife Avatar
            MyKDramaticLife

            What’s this fuss about I DO I DO? Are you referring to a 2012 drama of Kim Sun Ah?

          2. Kay Avatar

            Yep, that’s the I Do, I Do we’re talking about. I’ve just been watching it for the first time and have really enjoyed it 🙂

  4. MyKDramaticLife Avatar
    MyKDramaticLife

    My JANUARY 2020 was I think productive. (And I just hope this February will become more too, as I just finished today the phenomenal Mr. Sunshine)
    So here’s what my January looked like: A bone-breaking roller-coaster romance mystery, a heartwarming medical, and an all-time favorite romcom rewatch:

    >THE LAST EMPRESS (9.5/10) – Despite being a so-so (for my own insight huh.) on its first few episodes, when I got in to that remarkable episode 7 (or eps. 13-14) where Oh Sunny (Jang Na Ra) first found out the truth about his cheating husband, Emperor Lee HYuk (Shin Sung Rok) I couldn’t stop watching it till its end. I have so many things I want to say regarding this great drama, but I am gonna stop it here since it might take me forever. I also have a love-and-hate to almost all characters of the drama. Noone is ever likeable, but still that made this drama even more appealing. Their greatest portrayal to each character. I could easily gave it a perfect 10, it just so happened that I did not like the first few episodes, and a part of its finale, where I wanted to know what happened to a very important character, but it failed to tell about it. Tsk. You know what I mean, right? HAHA.

    >DOCTOR JOHN (8/10) – Knowing a Ji Sung new drama always make me happy so ever. And this one is a no exemption. Ji Sung as the title holder, Doctor Yo Han (John) has the uniquest doctor character in the Dramaland. And pairing with the fresh good actress like Lee Se Young made me want to watch this even more. On its first episodes, I feel like I am watching a Whisper (7.5/10) scenario where the male lead kept on dictating to the female lead what to do, and despite hating the idea, the female lead kept on obeying. 😀 Doctor John and the rest of the doctor characters are always good to see. But what I like the most about this medical drama is its little stories about their patients trying to escape from their pains. It was always heartwarming. The romance between Doctor John and Kang Si Young (Lee Se Young) is also one cute thing to see. Though I just hope they became a little more romantic, but what do I expect to a medical drama, AHAHAHA.

    >MARRIAGE NOT DATING (10/10) – Been watched this romantic comedy for the third time now, and it gave me the exact fulfilling feels it gave me before. It was so much fun to be able to re-watch an awesome drama that you know would give you an outstanding K-Drama feels. 🙂

    So that was my January, Kay. 🙂

    1. Kay Avatar

      You did have a great January! Oh my, I so loved The Last Empress too! It was my fav drama of 2019 🙂 So much juicy and angsty fun, hehe, And I loved seeing Sunny’s character progression throughout. You’re right, most of the characters aren’t particularly likable, but it just worked in this drama. And I do know what you mean, hehe 😉

      Glad you enjoyed Doctor John too. I haven’t seen it, but I always know to expect a great performance from Ji Sung 🙂

      I still need to watch Marriage Not Dating too. I can tell you loved it if you watched 3 times! 🙂

      1. Kate Avatar
        Kate

        I’ve watched Marriage Not Dating a few times as well, really lots of fun 🙂

        1. Kay Avatar

          I watched a few eps of it way back when it came out in 2014 but got distracted with other dramas at the time. It’s one I’ve always been meaning to go back to though.

  5. MyKDramaticLife Avatar
    MyKDramaticLife

    And here’s a glance of my February:

    > Mr. Sunshine (just done watching today)
    > Shine or Go Crazy
    > Gangnam Beauty
    > Tale of Nokdu

    Here’s my FIGHTING!!! to us all. 🙂 🙂 🙂

    1. Kay Avatar

      You’re February list looks fantastic! Loved all of the dramas 🙂 Tale of Nokdu was one of my favs in 2019. Mr. Sunshine, Shine or Go Crazy, and My ID is Gangnam Beauty were all great older ones. Hope you enjoy them! 🙂

      1. MyKDramaticLife Avatar
        MyKDramaticLife

        Thanks! 🙂

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