Korean Drama Update for September 2020

Published by

Kay

September 30, 2020

It was two dramas for the month of September. I went for crime shows this time, and they were both decent watches. It was the sci-fi crime thriller Train and the murder mystery CHIP-IN that I got in:

Train

Well, Train ended up being a mixed bag for me. There were things I liked and things I didn’t like. The positives were that I liked the overarching mystery thriller story, the sci-fi parallel worlds concept, and Yoon Shi Yoon gave a wonderful performance like he always does.

The main negative was the drama’s investigative style of storytelling, particularly in the first half, which really wasn’t to my tastes resulting in a bit of boredom. The drama gains momentum as it goes though and gets better in the second half. It had enough going for it that I’m glad I did stick around for it. (Train Review)

CHIP-IN

CHIP-IN is a classic Agatha Christie style who-did-it murder mystery. It has a straight-forward set-up with a family with a whole lot of issues coming together for a birthday dinner for the head of the family. Then there’s a murder and an investigation ensues.

It doesn’t do anything revolutionary, but it executes things fairly well. A simple murder does blossom into a much more intricate story as the drama progresses. The characters weren’t particularly likable, and this was not a drama that had me anxiously awaiting to go on to the next episode, but it still held my interest for the most part. Overall, it presented a decent murder mystery story. (CHIP-IN Review)

So how was September for you?

Happy drama watching to everyone!

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18 responses to “Korean Drama Update for September 2020”

raistlin0903
September 30, 2020
I’m going to restart Train in the weekend😊 For now I’m almost done with Flower of Evil, and have started a new older drama called Ghost, which is pretty interesting so far 😊
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1. Kay
  September 30, 2020
  I’ve heard good things about Ghost. The writer is really good from what I’ve seen. I hope your take two of Train goes well 🙂
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  1. raistlin0903
    October 1, 2020
    Well…Ghost was shortlived. There’s something wrong with the subtitles, which makes it unwatchable at the moment. They are not in sync with the series itself, so you see subtitles when nothing is being said. I reported the problem, but for the moment I simply can’t watch it. Shame, as the first two episodes were a lot of fun honestly😔
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    1. Kay
      October 1, 2020
      Aww, that’s too bad 🙁 I had a problem not too long ago when trying to watch a drama on OnDemandKorea where the second sentence of all of the subs were cut off. It was unwatchable. Reached out to support, and they said they couldn’t do anything about it for the time being. Always disappointing when errors like that happen 🙁
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      1. raistlin0903
        October 2, 2020
        Yeah, it really is disappointing, as I have to admit I quite liked the series. That said, I’m now watching The Watchers😀 So far luckily, I’m also enjoying that series! 😀
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      2. Kay
        October 2, 2020
        The Watchers sounds like a drama you would enjoy. Good luck with it! 🙂
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Snow Flower
September 30, 2020
Drama update for September 2020:
The King 2 Hearts: This drama had it all – good story, interesting characters, and excellent acting. Lee Seung Gi was particularly good as a playboy prince who becomes a wise king, but it was Jo Jung Suk’s performance as the royal bodyguard that made the drama truly special.
My Unfamiliar Family: A thoughtful slice of life drama that uses many makjang tropes (memory loss! birth secret! divorce!) to explore the relationships between family members and close friends in a sensitive way. Excellent acting performances from the entire cast.
A Piece of Your Mind: I found the story and the characters somewhat confusing in the early episodes, but liked the OTP and their healing journey a lot. Nice soundtrack too.
Flower of Evil: unexpectedly great drama! I was prepared to watch a thriller, but it was so much more than that! Lee Joon Ki totally owned the role of a husband whose identity is not his own, and Moon Chae Won was simply radiant as police detective wife torn between her love for her husband and her duty to uncover the truth.
I even wrote a piano piece inspired by the drama.
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1. Kay
  September 30, 2020
  You had a good month! Ah, I’m so happy you loved The King 2 Hearts 🙂 Such a classic, and a drama that I really enjoyed. One of Lee Seung Gi’s best roles!
  Haven’t seen My Unfamiliar Family or A Piece of Your Mind, but I’m glad you liked them 🙂
  And Flower of Evil! I’m watching that one right now and am really enjoying it. Absolutely loving the performances by Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chae Won. They are just wonderful. It’s definitely lived up to my expectations. And you wrote another piano piece for this drama too?! Your It’s Okay to Not Be Okay pieces were wonderful, so I can imagine this would be too 🙂
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2. MyKDramaticLife
  October 1, 2020
  I always wait for your monthly update too, Snow Flower. 😊
  From your list, I only have watched Piece of Your Mind and Flower of Evil. Piece of Your Mind didn’t click on me. However our main couple made up for it.
  Now, Flower of Evil (I just finished it last night! So that I could include it on my September entries. Hehe.) is a fantastic one! Despite few things I didn’t like, the amazing acting, Lee Joon Ki and Moon Chae Woon as couple, and the plot twist and character development are more than enough reasons for me to find this a great watch. My favorite this month also. 😊
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  1. Snow Flower
    October 1, 2020
    MyKDramaticLife,
    I enjoy reading your monthly updates too! I like reading what other drama fans are watching. That helps me decide what to watch, and also makes me aware of dramas that I would not have tried otherwise. I know we all have different tastes, and not all dramas click with everyone, but it is very cool to connect with other drama fans from around the world.
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D
October 2, 2020
Hi Kay – when I saw your monthly update list, I felt like this month just came and went extra fast for me. I can’t believe it is October already. In any case, drama watching does not stop of course.
I finished three dramas this month:
* Angry Mom – really enjoyed this one. Kim Hee Sun was great in it.
* Gogh, the starry night – such a short and sweet drama.
* Go Ahead (Cdrama) – this was really good. This one was my favorite drama of the month.
I am currently watching the following:
* Lie After Lie
* Record of Youth
* Tunnel
I feel like I have to watch Flower of Evil. I’m hearing so many good things about it. I do like both Lee Jun Ki and Moon Chae Won.
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1. Kay
  October 2, 2020
  I know what you mean. The time just seems to past right by! And October is now here. Oh yes, the drama watching just chugs right along.
  Ooh, Angry Mom was a fun drama. Unique and very memorable. That’s where Ji Soo first stole mine and so many others’ hearts, hehe. It sounds like Gogh, the Starry Night and Go Ahead were great watches for you too. You had a good month!
  And you’ve got a variety of dramas going on now. Tunnel was a good one that I’ve seen.
  You should give Flower of Evil a look. It takes a few eps to really settle in, but then it just gets better! I’m really loving it. Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chae Won are both fantastic too 🙂
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  1. D
    October 3, 2020
    Yes – Ji Soo was pretty awesome in this. I always check out your reviews before I pick up an old one to watch. I noticed you gave good reviews for Angry Mom and that’s why I watched it. I am watching Tunnel too now because of your good review. 🙂
    Re Flower of Evil – really? ok I should give it a go then. Thanks for the heads up that it will take a couple of episodes to settle in.
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    1. Kay
      October 3, 2020
      I hope you like Tunnel. It’s a fun one for a crime thriller 🙂
      And yes, Flower of Evil takes a bit of settling in. The first eps had me worried it was going an episodic route, but that changes fast as it was more just for getting everything set up. And you’ll probably know after 3-4 eps if you like the style of the drama and the direction the story is going with the characters.
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MyKDramaticLife
October 6, 2020
***A very very Long Post***
(My September 2020 K-Dramatic Review)
“September Full of Life, Lots of Love”
I was not able to finish all my planned to-watch dramas this month, as I was short of time watching Uncontrollably Fond (It would be included in my October entries anyway) and decided to have a break with Blood (I’m still at episode 6 on it. 🙁) and will continue it on November. My September is packed with unique living jellies, reincarnations, a stolen identity, and doctors saving lives.
So here it is.
1. To All the Guys Who Loved Me (7.5/10)
To All the Guys Who Loved Me is one of those very few romcom fantasies I found delightfully amazing on its romcom side, but felt very so-so on the overarching story of its fantasy side. Nevertheless, I had so much fun, once again, with my Romcom Queen, Hwang Jung Eum, and although I was not completely invested to the two male lead characters, Yoon Hyun Min and Seo Ji Hoon were fairly good and were both very handsome.
2. Hospital Playlist (8/10)
Hospital Playlist was a pretty fun watch overall. Having seen Yoo Yeon Seok, Jung Kyung Ho and Jo Jung Suk all in one drama makes my heart flutters. The individual storyline of our Main Five is also very interesting. And there were sorts of Reply husband-hunting style in it, as it goes along. The doctor and patient scenes were all heartwarming that they made me cry every time. The get-together of the five leads as they relax and relieve their stresses from work and sing their favorites is a bonus outing. But once again, like Reply 1988, there were styles of it that I just don’t like and is making me bored. Overall, it’s one great drama, truly.
3. Doctors (8/10)
I found our main couple, Park Shin Hye and Kim Rae Won sweet and romantic despite their age gap, and Hye Jeong’s journey to seeking out justice to her grandma’s unjust death very heartfelt, but I felt a bit short and not-very satisfied with Doctors as a medical drama. But the great acting, the directing, and occasional life-valuing moments were so enough to make Doctors a fun and memorable watch.
4. The School Nurse Files (7/10)
So unique, weirdly good, and very different.
I really enjoyed how the show started. It was very strong and fast-paced. And thus made me a bit dismayed because our leads got in to less action and adventurous moments after the first two parts.
I wondered if there’ll be a second season. But I’m positively looking forward to it if there’ll be one. 😊
5. Flower of Evil (8.5/10)
The storytelling and overarching story of Flower of Evil is a litte bit confusing and unclear, but the best acting and directing of the show made up for it, that you couldn’t contest more and just like this one beautiful show. I just loved everyone’s acting as they all got invested in their roles, thus making me got invested too to the characters and to the drama in general. I especially really liked our main couple Cha Ji Won and Do Hyu Su and their journey to trusting each other wholeheartedly. It was beautiful, wonderful and very endearing. I’d want to highlight Lee Joon Ki particularly because he just made me cry a river in this drama.
My Favorite for the Month: Flower of Evil
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And I haven’t watched K-movies this September.
So that was my K-Dramatic September 2020.
How about yours, chingu? 😊
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1. Kay
  October 13, 2020
  You had quite the variety with your September dramas 🙂 Couple of doctor dramas (which you know I won’t be watching though, lol).
  The School Nurse Files looks fun and unique.
  I still need to check out To All the Guys Who Loved Me for Hwang Jung Eum. I like both of the male leads a lot too.
  Of course, Flower of Evil would be a favorite of mine too. Loved everything about that one 🙂
  Here’s hoping Blood and Uncontrollably Fond go well for your October update 🙂
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MyKDramaticLife
October 14, 2020
Thanks.
Among these dramas, I think you have to check out School Nurse Files. I think that one is so your style.. Just saying. Hehe.
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1. Kay
  October 14, 2020
  Oh really? That’s interesting. I’ve been undecided on that one because I thought it might go the episodic route. Is there a solid overarching story to it?
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Hi, I’m Kay

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