King the Land Korean Drama - Junho and Yoona

Well, look at this!  I actually completed 2 dramas in October! It brought me the family comedy spy drama Family: The Unbreakable Bond which was a decent watch overall and the romantic comedy King the Land which was a good one. Here’s how it went:

Family Korean Drama - Jang Hyuk, Jang Na Ra, Lee Soon JaeFamily: The Unbreakable Bond

Family: The Unbreakable Bond was an interesting drama to say the least. Of course, the main reason I had to check this series out was because of the reunion of Jang Hyuk and Jang Na Ra. I love this couple, and getting to see them on screen together again was a delight.

The drama had two sides with a family comedy element that had lots of fun family hi-jinks and then a spy action story. The spy story initially felt weak, but as we went deeper, it was more complex. It was surprisingly dark, but it was done well enough. Tonally, the drama felt very uneven which gave it an odd feel, and the drama as a whole was a bit sloppy.

So, in the end, Family: The Unbreakable Bond was a nice enough watch. Jang Hyuk and Jang Na Ra are definitely the standouts and both put in fantastic performances. (Family: The Unbreakable Bond Review)

King the Land Korean Drama - Junho and YoonaKing the Land

King the Land is like a romp through cotton candy land in the drama world. This is a feel good romance at its best. It’s also pretty much the definition of a kdrama rom-com. Fairly standard but light and comforting with a bit of a fairy tale feel. There is some family business conflict to add a bit of angst, but for the most part, the drama is light.

Junho and Yoona have a fun chemistry with lots of great moments between them. If you like your romances sweet with a dash of maturity, than this one is for you!

So overall, I really enjoyed King the Land. It doesn’t do anything new, but it does what a rom-com needs to do by delivering a heart-fluttering romance that oozes with sweetness, just enough story to keep a good pace, and a great cast to deliver the fun. (King the Land Review)


So how was October for you?

Happy drama watching to everyone!

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14 responses to “Korean Drama Update for October 2023”

  1. kdramachickblog Avatar

    Finished:

    Destined with you – my favorite for the month. Enjoyed more than I was expecting to. Some of the decisions made by the FL were ultra annoying but kdrama writers tend to assume women need to be perpetually saved so I guess I just have to go along with it or I’d never watch kdramas. Otherwise the romance and fantasy/backstory were positives. I love both leads usually but didn’t think this was the best pairing. The height difference was a bit distracting.

    Doona – my second favorite for the month. Just 9 50-minute episodes all available at once on netflix so easy binge over a few days. A bit slow paced in the latter half and I was uneasy with the ending until I read some reviews and realized I’d missed some important clues to the actual ending so that helped my enjoyment of the way the story was told. The chemistry between the leads was perfect. Highly recommend, Kay, if you’re looking for something quick.

    Not others – just 12 episodes and no romance (hint of it by the end but not really enough if you’re looking for romance) but the relationship between the mom and daughter was interesting. The actress who played the mom was fantastic. It was a good watch but I wouldn’t rave about it.

    My Lovely Boxer – I’m a bit conflicted about this one. The acting and directing were top notch but the backdrop of the boxing/sports betting/sports agent was not interesting to me in the least. I struggled to finish it because I really wanted to see how things would turn out and was hoping for more in the romance department but felt disappointed. They spent so much time with the sports fixing issue and very little time developing the relationship between the FL/ML that putting them together in the end didn’t make much sense. And even more annoying, the redemption arc for the abusive father didn’t sit well with me. Where’s the white truck of doom when you need one.

    Gogh, The Starry Night – short 20 minute episodes made this a quick watch. Liked the cast but the story was fairly blah and too much in the workplace to enjoy.

    Homemade love story – finally finished the 50 episodes. I really loved the cast in general but most of the stories were not interesting. By the end I just fast forwarded through some of the side stories and was happy to be finished with it. I have enjoyed a lot of these types of dramas and missed the group by the end but this is not one of them.

    Turn To Me Mukai-Kun – a J drama focused on people’s attitudes about marriage mainly told from the ML’s confused perspective about women who don’t want to get married. Felt a bit like a long lecture with the many quiet soliloquies from everyone’s perspectives. Interesting if you find that kind of thing interesting on a cultural level, as I think it’s something Japan is grappling with, but boring if looking for something entertaining.

    Dropped:

    The Date of Marriage – a J drama that I dropped early on as I found the cutesy behaviour/voice of the FL too tough to take.

    Currently watching:

    Twinkling Watermelon – 10 eps in, excellent so far.
    A Good day to be a dog – will need to wait for this one to complete its run, feels like 1 episode every few weeks. No way to keep momentum on something like that.
    Castaway Diva – 2 eps in, so far so good.
    My Dearest – only halfway through the 1st episode but have heard so many good things about it, looking forward to it.

    1. Kay Avatar

      That’s quite a list! Destined With You sounds fun. I’ve been undecided on that one but may have to add it to my list. Doona definitely sounds right up my alley so I’ll have to check it out. I love both the leads and know they’ll have great chemistry 🙂

      And you finished Homemade Love Story! I’m still interested in that, but if I ever do watch it, I would probably be using the fast forward button a lot myself, lol

      Definitely let me know how Twinkling Watermelon goes. I love time travel, and it does look fun. Castaway Diva is a must watch for me.

      I know I would love My Dearest, but it looks so sad! It might be too much for me. Good luck with it 🙂

      1. kdramachickblog Avatar

        I wouldn’t put Homemade Love Story on my recommend list. You really have to like a long drawn out series and uninteresting side stories LOL!

        Castaway Diva has been uneven for me so far. Really strong beginning but this week’s episodes felt like filler which is concerning since it’s so early. Definitely will keep watching but not on par with something like Twinkling Watermelon which hasn’t yet missed a step.

        My Dearest is definitely must watch! And yes, tissues at the ready. You know I seriously can’t stand sad stories but I’m a sucker for a period piece based on historical events. This one is purely fictional but with the historical backdrop it’s like Jack/Rose/Titanic. I’m learning so much about that period in history and an engaging love story with chemistry in spades. I didn’t much love the FL early on but I adore her now (7 episodes in). Can’t wait to see where this all goes.

        1. Kay Avatar

          Haha, yeah, that does seem like what most of the family/weekend type dramas are…long and drawn out with uninteresting side stories 😂 Honestly, I’m mostly interested in it for the leads. Probably won’t be watching it anytime soon though, hehe.

          I know you don’t gravitate towards the sad shows, so I was a bit surprised you picked up My Dearest. And there you go using all kinds of pretty words to suck me in…historical romance with great chemistry? Jack/Rose/Titanic? How can I pass that up?? The question is, am I ready to bust out the tissues? Hmm…😅

          1. Kate Avatar

            2 episodes left to go on My Dearest and loving it more now than I could have imagined. I’m bracing myself as I don’t know which way they’re gonna go and I’m not holding out much hope but my goodness, has this been an epic ride. Must watch!

          2. beez Avatar

            Please let us know if it’s worth the watch. Namgoong min is not one of my favorites and so I didn’t know if I wanted to start something that would obviously require a box of tissues on standby. I’m okay even if it’s not a happy ending if it’s worth it to tell the story (like Mr. Sunshine was worth it but Shine or Go Crazy was not (although, of course, Shine or Go Crazy has Jang Hyuk so I would’ve watched it anyway no matter what) but… I’m rambling and babbling but you’ll probably get my drift. 😊

          3. Kate Avatar

            I totally get your drift! I honestly feel the same about Namgoong Min. I’ve seen him in quite a few things and I don’t see what so many others see but in this one he’s definitely worth the watch and has great chemistry with Ahn Eun-jin. The FL’s journey is more interesting/impressive than the ML for me considering I didn’t think much of the character in the early episodes. I enjoy a period drama when there’s a basis in history which this one has, otherwise, so many period dramas are just political machinations and those bore me. (Unless it’s a straight up rom-com which I’ll watch no matter what 😉

            I liked Mr. Sunshine despite the heavy story but the episodes were too long and made it feel draggy. I tried Shine or Go Crazy purely for Jang Hyuk but eventually dropped halfway cuz I just couldn’t get into the story and when I found out where it was headed I just couldn’t stick with it. The finale of My Dearest is top priority the minute it’s available for viewing this weekend – I’ll keep you posted!!

          4. Kate Avatar

            Thankfully it was a happy ending! I wasn’t expecting it considering that the writers put that couple through the ringer. I have a few criticisms for sure about the way things played out but overall I’d say My Dearest was worth the watch!

          5. beez Avatar

            I’ve been missing a good Saeguk but without demons or ghosts so I’ll have to check it out.

          6. Kay Avatar

            Oooh, that’s sounds soooo good! It certainly looks epic with a romance that could end tragically 😧 I’m glad you’ve loved it so much. Good luck with the end!

  2. Snow Flower Avatar
    Snow Flower

    Dramas finished in October 2023:

    Behind Your Touch – totally ridiculous premise and lots of plot holes, but lee Min Ki and Han Ji Min made it work somehow.

    Song Of The Bandits – I wish Netflix would release this as the 20 episode drama it was meant to be.

    1. Kay Avatar

      Sounds like a decent month. I heard lots of mixed things about Behind Your Touch, so I’m glad you enjoyed it. I haven’t heard much about Song of the Bandits though.

      1. beez Avatar

        Song of the Bandits is just WOW! You can tell it’s epic despite the fact that you can also tell some things are missing. Kim Nam gil said in an interview that they cut it down from 20 episodes. It’s amazing how certain cast can just make things stand out. I do not give recommendations unless I’m totally smitten with a show and Song of the Bandits is “IT”. By the way, I just watched the Taiwanese movie Marry My Dead Body today and it is heartfelt and hilarious and I recommend that also.

        1. Kay Avatar

          Oooh, that is a glowing review for Song of the Bandits! I thought the trailer looked pretty epic, so it’s good to hear that’s how the drama actually felt. I know what you mean about how a cast can sort of elevate a drama too. I’ll have to look into it more 🙂

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