Requests?

Well I'm feeling indecisive what I want to review next. See where it says "My Dramas Master List: REQUESTS HERE!" under Home up there on the right side? ↗

If you go there it's a list of everything I've watched or am in the process of watching. If you see a drama title that you've been wanting to see and wish I had a review for, go ahead and ask. I need some motivation! Thanks for your help, loves! ♥

Saw this on Amazon. Relatable... I might need one now! 

Devilish Joy / Devilish Charm 마성의 기쁨

♥♥♥♥/♥ 

TITLE: Devilish Joy / Devilish Charm 마성의 기쁨 
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: September 05 - October 25, 2018 
WIKI: asianwiki.com/Devilish_Charm 
SEASONS/EPISODES: 1ssn/16eps
US AVAILABILITY (as of 2019-01-01): Viki 

Gong Ma Sung is a brain doctor who gets brain damage and loses his memory... how's that for an interesting plot? The day leading up to his accident, he meets (in a case of mistaken identity) and falls in love with Joo Gi Bbeum, an actress who has run away from a photoshoot. They spend the day avoiding her staff and then share a kiss. It's getting late though and she has to go check in with her staff, but promises to come right back. Gi Bbeum has trouble sneaking out again after going back, and Ma Sung kills time while he waits by getting a tattoo on his hand of a flower he was telling Gi Bbeum means "memories." Something to commemorate this sudden love story? While he's in the tattoo shop though, he overhears a plot to do harm to Gi Bbeum and runs out to stop it and save her, chasing the villains up and down random streets until he crosses a street where he gets hit by the speeding truck of Kdrama Doom, spends a very long time in a coma, and loses his memory every night while he's asleep of that whole day and every day that comes after. Meanwhile Gi Bbeum was finally able to sneak out again and Ma Sung is nowhere to be seen. While he lies bleeding on the street a few blocks away, she thinks he was toying with her and stood her up, and goes to drink her broken heart away. Unfortunately the villains slip her a roofie and due to twisted circumstances she winds up being blamed for a person's death and losing her entire career. 

Thus, in the span of one day, they meet, fall in love, and are parted. Gong Ma Sung loses his short-term memory and Joo Gi Bbeum loses her fame and career, and they both lose touch with one another for 3 years. When they meet again by accident, Ma Sung doesn't know he's ever seen her before in his life and acts like a stuck up jerk. Gi Bbeum thinks he toyed with her on purpose so many years ago and can't believe he doesn't seem to remember her at all now! Meeting her again triggers something in Ma Sung however and as he continues to run into her, he begins to wake up each day with snippets and flashes of memory of Gi Bbeum. Why can he only remember this one annoying woman?! Despite his best efforts to forget her, each day his memories of her are the only ones he has, driving him to seek her out again and again, and the recent memories of Gi Bbeum are starting to even trigger tiny fragments of memory from that day so long ago when they met and fell in love.
Can they recover from all the lost time and lost memories? Can they unravel the secrets of that fateful day and clear Gi Bbeum's name? 

Cast/ Characters/ Acting: 

Choi Jin Hyuk is one of my favorite actors, ever since I saw him in Gu Family Book. His portrayal of Gong Ma Sung in Devilish Joy was so good. Gong Ma Sung is at times in the deepest grief and absolutely terrified, doesn't know who to trust, finding out friends/family are enemies and strangers are friends... and all the while he maintains a confident and self-assured air, convincing not only the world but also those closest to him that nothing at all is wrong with him. It takes a good actor to portray a character with these layers and not make them too understated nor too obvious.
Song Ha Yoon did a good job playing Joo Gi Bbeum. The character was sweet initially, when she first met and fell in love with Ma Sung, but after the flash-forward, she was quite annoying for a while, IMPO. She was displaced and disgraced and this seemed to have somewhat crippled her previously sweet and kindhearted personality and left her a bit... not sure what the words I'm looking for here are... maybe desperate and self-depreciating. It does come back, after she spends some time with Ma Sung and gets over the abandonment issues a bit.
Honestly our lead couple looked really awkward with their height difference as often as they looked really cute because of it, IMPO. It looked especially awkward when they were kissing, like her neck might snap from craning it so hard, and like he might be becoming a hunchback. Okay I might be exaggerating a little...
Hoya played Ma Song's beloved younger cousin Sung Ki Joon, whose mom thinks he should inherit the family business instead of Ma Sung. Ki Joon doesn't want to run a large corporation however, he wants to be a star. He starts his own company behind his mom's back and basically this character is hilarious. He's a puppy. A goofball. Sweet and mostly happy but at times moody and petulant. It's impossible not to love his character. He adores his cousin Ma Sung. He's got a mad crush on Gi Bbeum for the longest time, having acted opposite her once long ago before Ma Sung fell in love with her and lost his memories! But Ki Joon eventually winds up falling for actress Lee Ha Im instead! Hoya seemed quite natural in this part, I thought he did very well.
Lee Joo Yeon perfectly plays Lee Ha Im, Gi Bbeum's rival actress. Ha Im's heart isn't in the acting so much these days as she really just wants to get married and settle down. The most appealing prospect at first sight is Gong Ma Sung. When she gets accidentally locked in a wine cellar with Ma Sung's feisty younger cousin, they both annoy each other half to death, but they wind up being attracted to each other despite their protestations. They both play hard to get, much to each other's annoyance (and interest), and their little flirting/anti-flirting moments became something I looked forward to when the main characters' story was in less cheerful spots. While the character Ha Im annoyed me from time to time, Lee Joo Yeon's acting was good. I appreciated how she played this character who seemed to not even know herself very well, coming across as a stuck up brat but then showing a slip of a vulnerable side when Ki Joon came into the picture.

Writing and directing:
Overall it was a very interesting story. Not 100% unique to have a character with short term memory loss, but the way they formed this story it was pretty unique and I appreciated the side stories too.
I found a few places in the storyline to feel a bit out of place. Thankfully the actors and actresses did such a good job that they covered well for any oddnesses in the plot. 

However, the ending was also very "out there" as far as believability, and not even the great acting could save it entirely from leaving a few questions in my mind. Maybe if they'd explained what happened a bit better, I wouldn't feel like it was quite so farfetched, and would have been able to enjoy the sweetness a little less distractedly. 

Happy Ending Factor? 

9 out of 10 Happy Ending Points. 

(SPOILER SECTION! SKIP to Final Summary if you don't want to know how it ends!) 

All the good-guys get a happy ending or good resolution or are pointed in the direction of a happy ending in the future. So why only 9 and not a perfect 10? Because, trust me, I'm a total stickler for a happy ending, but when there's literally no logical or sane way to expect a happy ending and then you get one, you want it explained well and believably, right? If you don't like endings that are happy despite being impossible to be happy and they don't explain very much (if at all) the whys and hows involved in getting from "impossible" to "happy-ever-after" then you may be bothered by this ending. It's not as unexplained as, say, the unexplained-ness of the ends of Goblin, or Habaek, or When Time Stopped... and I'm eternally thankful that it's nowhere near the level of weirdness, loose ends, and unexplained everything that Evergreen was(!!) but it was still not as satisfying of an explanation as I would have liked, so I can't give it a perfect 10. Someone did have to have amnesia, but hey that's technically what the whole drama is about not just a plot device for a happy ending, at least nobody had to die and be reincarnated, right?
Basically we viewers find out not too far into the drama that Ma Sung's brain is literally dying a slow death from the accident trauma, and the more strain it's under from remembering things, the faster it will atrophy and die. I.e. the closer he gets to remembering things that could solve both the mystery of his accident and the mystery of what happened to Gi Bbeum that day (and clear her name once and for all), the closer he comes to his inevitable death. Not only that but as is the case with almost every good vs. evil story out there, the closer Ma Sung comes to ferreting out the villains, the more the villains resolve to destroy both him and Gi Bbeum. Ma Sung won't give up and leave his love a falsely-accused social outcast and his tenacity in clinging to his love for her is what will kill him for certain in the end because it's what triggers the memories. By the end, he catches all the villains, clears his beloved Gi Bbeum's name, and goes off to die alone. Some long time later he shows back up and we find out he found medical help for his condition in a foreign country and now his prognosis has reversed: He can't remember Gi Bbeum specifically but he's able to retain more and more of his memory each day until one day he goes home to Korea and has to meet and remember Gi Bbeum all over again. Again again. But this time he's not dying? And they live happily ever after? But none of that is really explained. The ending is sweet and romantic, I cried happy tears, but the not explaining drives me a little nutty, like how we went from his memories are killing him, the more he remembers the more his brain dies, to oh hey he's cured-ish but back to square 1 with the amnesia thing, but don't worry this time his memories won't kill him. 

Final Summary: 

This drama was certainly a more serious drama, not a lot in the way of overt fluff. Basically all the cheerful silly fluff after the first episode was carried by Hoya's character, and even he had some heartbreak moments to cry over. It was a satisfying romance, the chemistry was good, and the acting was good. I would watch it again, so I'm glad it looks like Viki is going to be picking it up! I would recommend it to my sister or friend. I think it wouldn't have held the interest of my husband or daughter however, so I wouldn't suggest it for teens or guys. The plot was more romance and mystery than action and comedy. We get so many of the classic Kdrama cliches: The White Truck Of Doom, Amnesia, Crying in the Rain, Kissing in the Rain, Hero saves damsel from gang of thugs, Someone thinks someone is dead but then they're not, Major romantic misunderstanding, Second lead who never stood a chance but broke our viewer-hearts a little, The LMC is rich and the LFC is poor... and probably more I didn't think of because it's 3am my time. Not to mention, Choi Jin Hyuk's smile is a show-stopper, every time. Like some people when they smile it makes you happy all the way to your toes just to see it, and Choi Jin Hyuk is one of those people who has that kind of smile. 

Check out {Devilish Joy} on Viki! 
Check out the OST on Spotify!
(Above links based on US availability. Dramas may not be available on certain sites for certain countries. It depends who acquired the license for a specific drama for your country and who did not. Drama may be available on Netflix in your country but not even show up in mine, so check there if you have a Netflix acct. Ditto for Viki- may be available in your country but not mine. Click HERE for a list of legal Kdrama streaming sites and what countries they work in.) 

Upcoming, Airing, Completed, and New Free Dramas! (As of 12/30/2018)

What's new in the drama world? New dramas, new episodes, newly completed dramas, and newly FREE to watch!

Highlights:

Well it looks like Kocowa has a couple new dramas coming next week, and Viki has a new drama starting this Wednesday. "The Best Chicken" looks like something I need on my watch list. See the list below for more details!

The last episode of Feel Good To Die / Happy if You Died was uploaded on streaming sites December 27th, and the last episode of Twelve Nights on the 28th! So if you have a paid subscription you're probably good to go, but if not you'll likely have to wait a few weeks for the remaining episodes to go free.

Twelve Nights, Love Alert, Mama Fairy and The Woodcutter, and Just Dance are all complete now, for those who have paid access to Kocowa and/or Viki (see list below for details).

November dramas Bad Papa, Where Stars Land, Ms. Ma Nemesis, and Heart Surgeons have all aged up to FREE* on Viki, and all but Ms. Ma, Nemesis are free* on Kocowa. :D

Unfortunately for those who don't pay for Kocowa it looks like Kocowa is keeping Terrius for paid subscribers only, so if you were holding out for it to go to free, I suspect you're out of luck. :( FTR though, I subscribed to Kocowa just for Terrius and I haven't regretted it. If you're considering getting Kocowa, they're getting 2 new Kdramas starting the second week in January, and it doesn't look like Viki is going to be getting the same dramas.

And last but not least, 2017 movie Star Next Door coming to Viki (with Standard membership) January 1st! Check out the other upcoming Korean dramas and movie additions below!


~Upcoming Dramas~
The Best Chicken
Who, What, Why?: A Romantic Comedy starring Park Sun Ho, Kim So Hye, and Joo Woo Jae. Park Choi Go wants to open the ultimate chicken restaurant. Seo Bo Ah refuses to leave the bath house she inherited from her grandfather even though it's about to be turned into a chicken restaurant, and winds up working for the new owner. Andrew Kang was a promising chef until unfortunate events left him homeless. Can Park Choi Go and his 2 misfit employees succeed? More here.
When?: Starts January 2nd.
Where?: Viki (VStandard).

My Lawyer Mr. Jo 2: Crime and Punishment
Who, What, Why?: Edit Jan 2nd- Soompi has a little about it HERE.
When?: Starts January 7th.
Where?: Kocowa (paid).

Liver or Die
Who, What, Why?: Lee Poong Sang is a lonely middle aged man who has spent his whole life raising his 4 younger siblings. Even now as adults he struggles to keep most of them out of trouble.
When?: Starts January 9th.
Where?: Kocowa (paid).


~Airing Dramas~
My Healing Love
Most recent episode: #44 of the projected 80 half-hour episodes
Complete/binge-ready: on or after April 7th.
You can find it on: Kocowa (1-32 free, 33-34 paid) or Viki (1-32 free, 33-34 VPlus). ONDemandKorea has it free, condensed into hour-long episodes, but no English subtitles.

My Only One
Most recent episode: #62 of the projected 100 half-hour episodes
Complete/binge-ready: on or after March 9th.
and you can pick up where you left off on: Kocowa (1-50 free, 51-62 paid) or Viki (1-50 free, 51-62 VPlus). ONDemandKorea has it free, condensed into hour-long episodes, but no English subtitles.

A Pledge To God
Most recent episode: #20 of 48 half-hour episodes.
Complete/binge-ready: on or after February 16th.
You can find it on: Kocowa (1-8 free, 9-20 paid) or Viki (1-8 free, 9-20 VPlus). ONDemandKorea has it free, condensed into hour-long episodes, but no English subtitles.

Fate and Fury
Most recent episode: #12 of 40 half-hour episodes.
Complete/binge-ready: on or after February 16th.
You can find it on: Kocowa (paid) or Viki (1-4 free, 5-12 VStandard).

The Last Empress
Most recent episode: #24 of 48 half-hour episodes.
Complete/binge-ready: on or after February 7th.
You can find it on: Kocowa (1-12 free, 13-24 paid) or Viki (1-12 free, 13-24 VStandard). ONDemandKorea has it free, condensed into hour-long episodes, but no English subtitles.

My Strange Hero
Most recent episode: #12 of 32 half-hour episodes.
Complete/binge-ready: on or after February 4th.
You can find it on: Kocowa (paid) or Viki (VPlus). ONDemandKorea has it free, condensed into hour-long episodes, but no English subtitles.

Less Than Evil/ Bad Detective
Most recent episode: #16 of 32 half-hour episodes.
Complete/binge-ready: on or after January 28th.
You can find it on: Kocowa (1-4 free, 5-16 paid) or Viki (1-4 free, 5-16 VPlus). ONDemandKorea has it free, condensed into hour-long episodes, but no English subtitles.

Dae Jang Guem Is Watching/Oh My Grandma
Most recent episode: #12 of 16
Complete/binge-ready: on or after January 24th.
You can find it on: Kocowa (Up to ep. #9 free, 10-12 paid) or Viki (Up to ep. #9 free, 10-12 VPlus). ONDemandKorea has all current episodes free but no English subtitles.

Encounter
Most recent episode: #8 of 16
Complete/binge-ready: on or after January 24th.
You can find it on: Viki (1-4 free, 5-8 VStandard).

Memories of the Alhambra
Most recent episode: #10 of 16
Complete/binge-ready: on or after January 20th.
You can find it on: Netflix - New episodes every Saturday and Sunday.

Coffee, Do Me A Favor / Coffee, Please
Most recent episode: #9 of 16
Complete/binge-ready: on or after January 19th.
You can find it on: Viki (1-3 free, 4-9 VStandard).

Children of Nobody
Most recent episode: #22 of 32 half-hour episodes.
Complete/binge-ready: on or after January 16th.
You can find it on: Kocowa (1-12 free, 13-22 paid) or Viki (1-12 free, 13-22 Plus). ONDemandKorea has it free, condensed into hour-long episodes, but no English subtitles.

~Completed Dramas~ 

Twelve Nights
Most recent episode: #12 of 12
Complete/binge-ready: Complete since 12/28/2018. :)
You can find it on: Viki (1-9 free, 10-12 VStandard).

Feel Good To Die/Happy If You Died
Most recent episode: #32 of 32 half-hour episodes.
Complete/binge-ready: Complete since 12/27/2018. :)
You can find it on: Kocowa (1-20 free, 20-32 paid) or Viki (1-20 free, 20-32 VPlus). ONDemandKorea has it free, condensed into 16 hour-long episodes but no English subtitles.

Just Dance
Most recent episode: #16 of 16
Complete/binge-ready: Complete since 12/25/2018. :)
You can find it on: Kocowa (1-4 free, 5-16 paid) or Viki (1-4 free, 5-16 VPlus). ONDemandKorea has it free, condensed into 8 hour-long episodes, but no English subtitles.

Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter
Most recent episode: #16 of 16
Complete/binge-ready: Complete since 12/25/2018. :)
You can find it on: Viki (1-10 free, 11-16 VStandard).

Love Alert / Fluttering Warning
Most recent episode: #16 of 16
Complete/binge-ready: Complete since 12/20/2018. :)
You can find it on: Viki (1-12 free, 13-16 VStandard).

Terius Behind Me / My Secret Terrius
Most recent episode: #32 of 32
Complete/binge-ready: Complete since 11/15/2018. :)
You can find it on: Kocowa (paid).

~FREE* Completed Dramas~
Bad Papa
Most recent episode: #32 of 32
Complete/binge-ready: Complete since 11/27/2018. :)
You can find it on: Kocowa (FREE) or Viki (FREE).

Where Stars Land
Most recent episode: #32 of 32
Complete/binge-ready: Complete since 11/26/2018. :)
You can find it on: Kocowa (paid) or Viki (FREE).

Ms. Ma, Nemesis
Most recent episode: #32 of 32
Complete/binge-ready: Complete since 11/24/2018. :)
You can find it on: Kocowa (FREE) or Viki (FREE).

Heart Surgeons / Two Lives One Heart
Most recent episode: #32 of 32
Complete/binge-ready: Complete since 11/15/2018. :)
You can find it on: Kocowa (FREE) or Viki (FREE).


Completed Dramas Viki is picking up:
September-October 2018 Korean drama Devilish Joy, but no upload start date is mentioned nor whether it will start out Standard or Plus.
2014 and 2015 Korean mini series Love Cells 1 & 2 are listed as coming soon also, but no details. I think it was a Naver web drama and both seasons spanned 2 weeks each, but I didn't get to see it the first time around. I was still somewhat new to Kdramas then and you probably know what that's like: so many you want to watch and not enough time to see it all!

Older movies Viki is picking up:
2017 Korean movie Star Next Door: for those who have Viki Standard it appears you can watch it for the New Year.
2016 Korean movie Mood Of The Day - no details.
2016 Korean movie Familyhood - no details.
2015 Korean movie Assassination - no details.
2015 Korean movie Northern Limit Line - no details.
2014 Korean movie Kundo: Age of the Rampant - no details.
2012 Korean movie Love On Air - no details.
2011 Korean movie Always - no details.

*All mentions of dramas/episodes/movies being FREE to watch refer only to what's available in the US where I live. I'm sorry to my international readers that it would be prohibitively complicated and time consuming for me to find out the availability of every drama for every country. :( I hope you can easily find the dramas you want to see wherever you live!

My Dramas-in-Progress List (Updated 12/28/2018)

Korean:
Memories of the Alhambra . Watched 1 of 16. 
Black Knight . Watched ? of 20. 
Cheese In The Trap . Watched 5 of 17. *
Emperor: Owner of the Mask . Watched 28 of 40.
Girl Who Sees Smells / Sensory Couple . Watched 7 of 16.
Goong . Watched 15 of 24.
Gunman in Joseon . Watched 9 of 22. 
Hwayugi . Watched 7? of 20. 
Just Between Lovers . Watched ? of 16. 
My Sassy Girl . Watched 7 of 32
Rooftop Prince . Watched 3 of 20.
Scholar Who Walks The Night . Watched 4 of 20.
Shopping King Louie / Shopaholic Louis . Watched 14 of 16.
Something In The Rain . Watched 3 of 16. *
Sungkyunkwan Scandal . Watched 1 of 20.
Time Slip Dr. Jin . Watched 11 of 22.
Where Stars Land . Watched 20 of 30? 
Your House Helper . Watched 1 of 32.
 When Time Stopped . COMPLETED Jackpot / Daebak . COMPLETED
Still 17 . COMPLETED
My ID Is Gangnam Beauty . COMPLETED
Terius Behind Me . COMPLETED
Devilish Joy . COMPLETED
109 Strange Things . COMPLETED 

Japanese:

Frankenstein's Love . COMPLETED 

Chinese:

Sweet Dreams . Watched 36 of 48.

Across The Ocean To See You . Watched 16 of 44.

The Love Knot / Moonshine and Valentine . Watched 22 of 25. 

Taiwanese:

The Perfect Match . COMPLETED
Absolute Boyfriend . 2 of ? 

* = Dramas I might not ever finish because I heard it ended badly, or it was annoying or boring me so I won't be prioritizing watching them.


Dramas I might not ever be ABLE to finish because of exclusivity + Dramageddon. :'(
Lovely Love Lie . Watched 6 of 16.
Miss Hammurabi . Watched 3 of 16.
Iron Man / Blade Man . Watched 13 of 18.
Beauty Inside . Currently airing. Watched 1 of 2 avail./16 ttl.
Laughter In Waikiki . Watched 4 of 20.
Scarlet Heart Ryeo . Watched 6 of 20.
A Clinic On The Sea (Japan) . Watched 2? of ?
Easy Fortune Happy Life (Taiwan) . Watched 11 of 17.

100 Days My Prince [백일의 낭군님] (Dramas You Can't Stream Legally in the US, post #1)

Since the demise of Drama Fever, there have been several dramas that I was really wanting to review which aren't available legally anymore on any streaming site that I know of for US fans. Most of my readers are in the US, as am I, so at first I was just bummed and thought I would just skip reviewing them altogether. I changed my mind however, because I really do want to review them even though you can't get them here anymore, because I DO actually have readers in some other countries. So on the chance that those readers can get it in their country, I will write reviews after all.
(UPDATE: Viki does now have this drama available for US viewers! Hooray!)

♥♥♥♥/♥ 

TITLE: 100 Days My Prince / 100 Days' Husband [백일의 낭군님]
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: September 10 to October 30, 2018 
WIKI: asianwiki.com/100_Days_My_Prince
SEASONS/EPISODES: 1 / 16 
US AVAILABILITY (as of 2020-03-04): Viki Standard

Crown Prince Lee Yul is the victim of an assassination plot but instead of dead he winds up with amnesia in a small rural village, where he's forced to marry a woman who claims his name is WonDeuk and that she's his fiancee. Not understanding how the world works after his sheltered upbringing, "WonDeuk" gets into trouble with a loan shark. Needing to earn money to pay back his debt, he and his wife start "Solutions Agency" where they solve problems and do odd jobs for money. Eventually all secrets have to come out though, and the amnesiac prince isn't the only one with a secret identity. Meanwhile back in the palace, those involved in the prince's assassination are getting away with murder. 

Basic plot intro: 

Crown Prince Lee Yul has been miserable since childhood. He was only the son of a noble (but of royal descent) when he met Yoon YiSa the feisty little daughter of a nobleman. The young boy fell in love with her almost at first sight. Wanting to better himself for her drove him to study harder to be a more educated and better person. He confessed his love for YiSa and swore to marry her. Before their love story could even begin though, her family was assassinated before his eyes and Lee Yul found out his own father was involved. Kim ChaEon is the puppetmaster behind it all, having convinced Lee Yul's father to replace the king and then using that to control him through the years, so they framed YiSa's father as a traitor to the crown. To add to the pain, Kim ChaEon convinced Yul's father to send his wife (Yul's mother) away when he becomes king, for political reasons, and as soon as she's away Kim ChaEon has her killed also. Kim ChaEon tells his new puppet king that the thing he wants most as a reward for making him king is an arranged marriage between his daughter and the new little prince Yul. Lee Yul grows up hating his father for the deaths of his beloved and his mother, and living as a cold and miserable crown prince who shuns anything that brings joy.
Meanwhile YiSa and her brother survived the initial slaughter of their family, barely, but they were separated when her brother hid her and led the soldiers chasing them away. YiSa was adopted by a kindhearted and loving stepfather and raised as a peasant named HongShim in a small rural village. She still holds out hope that her brother is alive and will find her someday.
When the crown princess' father, Kim ChaEon, finds out his daughter (who is the wife-in-name-only of prince Yul) is pregnant, he's livid. Prince Yul has never touched her and he has never made that a national secret by any means: basically the whole palace knows the marriage has never been consummated. If she can't get prince Yul into bed within a short enough amount of time to cover up her infidelity, daddy will just have to get rid of the prince so there will be no one to contest the child's paternity. The palace occupants pressuring the prince to consummate his marriage using the excuse of balancing nature so it will rain has only resulted in the stubborn and contrary prince Yul declaring that he can't balance nature alone so EVERYONE in the kingdom of marrying age will also have to marry, so as to more thoroughly balance nature. *giggle* When Prince Yul finds out his bride-in-name-only is pregnant, he is stuck with the riddle of how best to extricate himself from his unfaithful and unwanted bride, as well as solve yet another mystery: who has been slowly poisoning him for years. Prince Yul is also realizing that Kim ChaEon is the puppetmaster behind many awful things, and tries to reach out to his father. The king unfortunately becomes defensive rather than listening, and orders Yul to attend the rain festival, which Yul knows will put his life in danger.
Sure enough, masked assassins show up on the journey through the mountains and attempt to slaughter the crown prince and everyone with him. His closest friend and personal guard makes prince Yul change his clothes to trick the assassins, and thus in the confusion the person who is wounded and fell over the edge of the mountain is not realized to be the prince! Waking up with amnesia in a rural village, Yul is told he's someone named WonDeuk and that he's engaged to a woman named HongShim, whom he will have to marry IMMEDIATELY due to the crown prince's order that all unmarried adults be wed by that evening. 

Flow and sequence: 

In the first few episodes; see Basic Plot Intro above.
First main story arc: WonDeuk (prince Yul) and HongShim (YiSa) spend 100 days getting to know each other and falling in love in natural and gradual way.
Second main story arc: Things are coming to a head in the palace and "WonDeuk" aka Prince Yul is found and dragged back to the palace against his will. Still only having fragments of his memory and unsure of who his enemies are within the palace, he must search for clues secretively.
Third main story arc: The final battle is approaching... Prince Yul must outsmart his enemies and fight for his own happiness and the safety of those he loves.
Ending. See the spoiler section if you wanna know how that pans out. 

Cast/ Characters/ Acting: 

So many delightful characters! EXO's D.O (Do KyungSoo) makes a very convincing prince Yul. His acting can make you snort a giggle at his character's straightfaced denial of facts, or fight back tears of sympathy at the obvious pain and sadness in his eyes. His chemistry with Nam JiHyun who plays YiSa/HongShim is good (so much so that I had a hard time feeling too much of that dreaded second lead syndrome for the likable Jung JeJoon, played by Kim SeonHo), and the kiss scenes are verrrrrry good... hehe... Heo JeongMin plays a lovable dork similar to his role in Evergreen (That Man Oh Soo). Kim JaeYoung as the tormented assassin MooYeon who unwillingly works for Kim ChaEon. Speaking of whom, Cho SungHa is convincingly clever and evil in the role of that villain. Han SoHee is convincing and sympathetic as the unfaithful crown princess. One of my favorite side roles was Ji MinHyuk as crown prince Yul's younger half-brother, prince SeoWon. He never harbored ill will toward anyone and was a seldom-seen but still memorable and likable character. 

Writing and directing: 

Although some of the political nuances were *left unexplained, we figured it out well enough to understand the story as the drama went on. Over all it was a much more complicated plot than I expected- in a good way. The characters were more nuanced and the plot twists more numerous, also. I expected the "100 days" to monopolize most of the timeline and was at first just surprised when it was only a part of a larger plot, but later was actually glad they did it how they did because the story was so much deeper and richer. I loved the character development of Prince Yul during his time as WonDeuk, and I was pleased with how YiSa/HongShim and Magistrate Jung JeYoon were both true to their morals and didn't compromise those in the end (even if they wavered at first) even to keep or win the person they loved. Sometimes I feel like drama writers compromise established character qualities later in order to further the plot, and I'm glad they didn't do that for this one. It's believable for a character to waver in the face of potentially losing what they love or want, but it's not believable for them to go against their established character qualities without a significant driving force + angst over the decision + regret/remorse afterward and I see too many dramas where that is completely ignored for the sake of a plot device.
*I feel I should explain what would be the most confusing instance if you didn't know this already; when someone was named a traitor to the crown, their entire family was ordered to die along with them or be sold into slavery, even the children. The beginning of the drama may seem confusing if you don't know this because YiSa's father is framed for treason but the soldiers are ordered to kill his young children too, chasing them into the mountains, and Prince Yul grows up assuming they were all killed that night. Later, HongShim can't just come back and say "oh hey by the way I'm Yoon YiSa and I'm not dead!" because unless she was officially pardoned first, or her father's name was cleared, she could be immediately executed as the daughter of a traitor. This is why she is very careful not to be recognized or found, and why she doesn't out herself to gain access to Prince Yul at any point in the story. 

Other: 

My one pet peeve about this drama was actually the synopsis as found on wikis and streaming sites: They keep saying HongShim founded and ran the first detective agency in Joseon. Firstly, what she founded was something like "Solutions Agency" which was more like your local dirty jobs/ handy man sort of business and she made "WonDeuk" run it to repay his debt. One job was collecting leeches to sell, one was retrieving a valuable that had been dropped in poo, one was carrying water, one was posing as a suitor, several involved finding something that had been dropped on the road in travel (which simply required retracing the path and picking it up, no detective work needed), and often it was just transporting things around town... no actual detective work was involved at any point that I recall. I kept waiting for it and waiting for it. Lol! I thought maybe they would be detectives to find out WonDeuk's true identity as Prince Yul but nope. The only time detective-anything was even mentioned was in the very first episode when child-Yul said he would play detective to find out who that girl (YiSa) was. If that translation is right then detectives were already a thing long before YiSa grew up and started her fake-hubby's dirty jobs business. 

Happy Ending Factor?
We lose a few characters I was sad to see go, and several characters got a way better ending than they deserved, however our main couple survives everything this drama throws at them, and overall I give it a happy ending rating of 4 out of 5.

(SPOILER SECTION! SKIP to Final Summary if you don't want to know how it ends!) 

It's a long road but the clever Prince Yul eventually regains his memory and defeats the evil Kim ChaEon, even showing mercy to his lesser enemies for the sake of his beloved YiSa. He thwarts a war and pursues his beloved long after a man any less loyal and stubborn would have given up. It's a beautiful story and all the actors and actresses played their parts fittingly. 

Final Summary: 

I wish so bad this was still available in the US! Alas, Drama Fever had exclusivity on this one here and now Drama Fever is gone. I'm still holding out hope that Viki will pick this one up! It was such a great story. I would totally watch it again, if any of the US streaming sites ever get the license! 

Check out the 100 Days My Prince OST on Spotify! 

100 Days My Prince on Viki!
(Dramas may not be available on certain sites for certain countries. It depends who acquired the license for a specific drama for your country and who did not. Drama may be available on Netflix in your country but not even show up in mine, so check there if you have a Netflix acct. Ditto for Viki- may be available in your country but not mine. Click HERE for a list of legal Kdrama streaming sites and what countries they work in.)

If all else fails and you're desperate to know how the story goes, there's always the recaps on DramaBeans. ;) 

5 KDramas You Can Binge-Watch FREE in the US

1. Descendants Of The Sun
   Review
   Watch on Kocowa
   Watch on Viki
   Watch on ONDemandKorea
   
2. Orange Marmalade
   Review
   Watch on Kocowa
   Watch on Viki
   Watch on ONDemandKorea (English subtitles not available)
   
3. To The Beautiful You
   Review
   Watch on Kocowa
   Watch on Viki
   
4. You're Beautiful
   -When her twin Go Mi Nam needs someone to cover for him with his Kpop boyband for a while, Go Mi Nyeo leaves the convent where she grew up, cuts her hair, and disguises herself as her brother. Can such a sheltered and naieve girl make it in the Kpop industry without anyone finding out? Especially when she's sharing a house with her brother's bandmates... Starring Jang Geun Suk, Park Shin Hye, Lee Hong Ki (of FTIsland), and Jung Yong Hwa.
   Watch on Kocowa
   Watch on Viki
   Watch on ONDemandKorea (English subtitles not available)
   
5. I Hear Your Voice
   Review
   Watch on Kocowa
   Watch on Viki
   Watch on ONDemandKorea (English subtitles not available)

Orange Marmalade [오렌지 마말레이드]

♥♥♥/♥♥ 

TITLE: Orange Marmalade [오렌지 마말레이드] 
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 2015, May 15 - July 24 
WIKI: asianwiki.com/Orange_Marmalade 
SEASONS/EPISODES: 1 / 12 
US AVAILABILITY (as of 2018-11-09): Viki (free w/ads), KOCOWA (free w/ads), ONDemandKorea (free w/ads, no Eng Subs) 

Orange Marmalade is a drama based on a webtoon (which you can read HERE if you're inclined) about a teenaged vampire girl and a teenaged human boy who fall in love. Before you dismiss it with "Oh so like Twilight but reverse the genders" ... well no not really. I mean it's a vampire story so there are similarities by nature, but instead of werewolves and Volturi we've got school bullies and prejudiced mob-mentality humans. And a mini historical drama sandwiched into the middle of the modern one. Orange Marmalade certainly seems to want to make more of a social justice statement. 

Ahh where to start? I have mixed opinions on this drama. 
First of all, I did read the webtoon, but I didn't want to spoil the webtoon by watching the drama first nor spoil the drama by reading the webtoon first, so I read/watched simultaneously. I shouldn't have worried: the two are vastly different. You won't give much (if anything) away by reading/watching one at a time, they are that different. 
I liked the female characters better in the webtoon, and the male characters better in the drama. I couldn't relate or feel sympathetic for second-lead Shihoo in the webtoon but Lee Jong Hyun's portrayal of Shihoo in the drama ripped my heart out and stomped on it a few times. The main male lead Jae Min was even more likeable as played by Yeo Jin Goo than the webtoon version. I know some would disagree with that but here's why I feel this way: To me, Jaemin in the webtoon was almost bipolar in his actions. Hot and then cold (back and forth from the extreme of being a complete stalker to not being able to stand the thought of Ma Ri) at the slightest provocation. I felt the extremes in his behavioral swings were unrealistic in the webtoon, but the drama dowplayed the extreme-ness a little bit, making the character of Jaemin more realistic. The downside of this was that he appears to have less noticeable character development during the course of the drama. Straight up comparing his first episode behavior with his last episode behavior you can see a change, but over the entire drama it's barely noticeable. 

Unlike the male characters, Ma Ri (played by Seol Hyun) as well as her various friends and enemies, were all so bland in the drama compared to the webtoon. Ma Ri for example was more bold and plainspoken in the webtoon, but in the drama she was not like that until the end; in the beginning she was a timid, shy, and cowering. I don't have a problem with a female character who isn't loud, bossy, and outspoken personally so it didn't bother me. I'm not one of those females who looks down on other females who have a "quieter" personality, but I'll admit that for the sake of dramatic effect I liked the dynamic of Ma Ri's don't-care attitude in the webtoon and kind of missed it in the early episodes of the drama. 

I liked the storyline of the drama better than the webtoon, especially the addition of the historical backstory, though it was a bit disconcerting to be watching a modern highschool drama for 4 episodes, then a historical drama for 5 episodes, then a modern highschool drama for the last 3 episodes. Halfway through the historical episodes I wondered if I was going to remember the modern storyline well enough to know what was going on when they switched back. Thankfully there were flashbacks to help reorient the viewer to the modern storyline so that wasn't a problem. If you don't like historicals, you could probably skip episodes 5-9 and still not be *too* lost for the ending. (A happy ending for most of the characters by the way.) :) 

Check out Orange Marmalade on Viki!
Check out Orange Marmalade on Kocowa!
Check out Orange Marmalade on ONDemandKorea (no English subs on this one though)! 
Check out the Orange Marmalade OST on Spotify!
(Above links based on US availability. Dramas may not be available on certain sites for certain countries. It depends who acquired the license for a specific drama for your country and who did not. Drama may be available on Netflix in your country but not even show up in mine, so check there if you have a Netflix acct. Ditto for Viki- may be available in your country but not mine. Click HERE for a list of legal Kdrama streaming sites and what countries they work in.)

***NOTE for those watching on Viki:
I will warn you that the timed comments on this drama on Viki.com were exceptionally obnoxious. Repeatedly asking if the comments are a live chat. (No but wouldn't that be nice, then the annoying comments would actually eventually go away.) The people (there were so many of them) who somehow missed that JaeMin is the male lead (HOW do you even miss that?!) and thus is destined to end up with Ma Ri, and decided that if they whine and complain loudly and obnoxiously in the comments then Ma Ri will wind up with Shihoo instead... They even went so far as to bully and hate on the young actor Yeo Jin Goo in the lowest and most classless manner as though being hateful would change the story. Then there are always the perverts who just say gross things for no real reason, the trolls who mention BTS not because they truly love or hate them but because they know it will incite a comment war between those who do, and those who spend endless portions of the drama arguing about what other Korean celebrities the actors each supposedly look like. (They look like themselves. Seriously. Most of the time I can't even see the similarity and I wonder if these people just basically think all Asians look the same so when they notice a feature seems barely-sorta-vaguely uniquely similar between 2 celebs they get so excited they want to brag from the rooftops that they have noticed a characteristic that these two share that is *gasp* different than allllll the other Asians!)
If you are a sort of emotional vampire yourself, one who gets off on contentious internet strife, then keep the comments on: you'll love it. Have fun charging up your happy little troll battery. If you'd rather watch it in peace however, I suggest you hide the comments for this drama. ;)