Welcome to my weekly blog post where I give thoughts on dramas I’m watching but not recapping.
These are my first weekend drama reviews of 2024! I skipped last because I wasn’t feeling it.
Before the review, a quick update on my weekday recaps: I’m now recapping three different Thai BLs. The currently airing shows Pit Babe and The Sign, as well as not-that-old fan favorite Until We Meet Again. These recaps are 2 episodes at a time and go into less detail but still offer my commentary and thoughts along with the general plot.
I don’t plan to only recap Thai BL moving forward, I was just feeling it.
Onto other stuff! The last show I finished in 2023 was…
I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama – BLドラマの主演になりました クランクアップ編 – 2023
Recently aired Japanese BL-satire with 3 episodes.
A former child star gets his big break in a BL drama, unfortunately it seems like his co-star hates him. Turns out it’s quite the opposite.
I’m pleased this is the last show I finished in 2023. It was a light, funny satire of BL tropes with heart.
Our lead Aoyanagi was famous as a child but as an adult suffers from low self-esteem about his career. Our other lead Akafuji is the hot new thing, super famous and super cool. The misunderstanding/miscommunication set-up seems primed for annoying conflict with characters treating each other horribly.
Instead it was really funny. Rather than treat each other poorly, our leads desperately try to be considerate of each other. The comedy comes from knowing what they are trying to do versus what it looks like to the other person. It’s endearing and comical.
Plus, this may be the first time I’ve seen the super cool character start with the one-sided crush in a BL drama. Bonus points.
While it’s only 3 episodes, each episode is 45 minutes long. The plot moves quickly without lingering too long on any joke or conflict. Our characters get past that initial set-up and their relationship grows in a satisfying way. The BL drama within a BL drama offers some fun opportunities to satirize the silly tropes of the genre.
My main complaint is that eventually the show starts following those tropes too closely. Our unpredictable characters fall into a very predictable plot. It wasn’t terrible, but it felt like a missed opportunity.
For this reason, while it is a good drama, it isn’t particularly deep. But as long as all you want is a break from reality that leaves you with a light, happy feeling, this could be a good pick.
The first 2024 that I’ll talk about is…
Marry My Husband – 내 남편과 결혼해줘 – 2024
A currently airing Korean fantasy-revenge-romance, I’ve watched 4 of 16 episodes.
A woman trapped in a miserable marriage is betrayed and murdered by her best friend and husband. Then, she goes back in time 10 years.
If anyone deserves a second chance, it’s our poor female lead Kang Ji Won. A hard worker and kind person, she gets treated terribly by those closest to her and dies horribly. It’s not a hard sell to want to see her triumph over those who hurt her.
The way she goes back is magical and her bewilderment at her new situation is understandable. Ji Won doesn’t immediately realize what has happened and ends up in a flailing panic.
Thankfully, her boss of the time Yoo Ji Hyuk is there to help her. Repeatedly. Mysteriously.
Ji Won adapts quickly but not too quickly. She’s pre-marriage but still trapped in a relationship with her abusive-husband-to-be. She realizes this is her chance to escape her original fate. That won’t be easy though, because she still has a lot to learn about the people she once trusted.
In addition, there are some interesting rules about her time travel. The show takes us step-by-step as she works out what she can and can’t do this time around. These rules add interesting complications to the already tricky reality of escaping an abusive boyfriend.
So far it’s very well done. While all these dangers threaten her, she’s made enough progress that I’m eager to see more. Even when things were at their worst she showed hints of spirit that gave me hope and now I want to see more. I also want to see her solve some of the mysteries being hinted at and discover the truth of things she only half-remembers. And I want to see Yoo Ji Hyuk in more flattering outfits.
So how is it different from Perfect Marriage Revenge?
Since this show is airing only weeks after Perfect Marriage Revenge concluded, it’s impossible not to compare the two. In case you haven’t watched it/clicked the link to my review, here’s a short synopsis: In Perfect Marriage Revenge a woman is betrayed by her family and husband only to die immediately after. She goes back in time to a year before she married her husband and has a chance to do everything over again.
While the set-ups are extremely similar the shows are very different. Perfect Marriage Revenge is a more classic, high-drama soap opera. The families are rich and scheming for each other’s money and power. Our female lead in this show is focused on revenge and outmaneuvering her vile relatives. There’s a fairy-tale simplicity to everything. Ultimately, it’s a fun ride that moves quickly through some dramatic highs and lows, but doesn’t have much depth.
The first four episodes of Marry My Husband are more of a timey-wimey show like Love in Time or My Perfect Stranger. The female lead isn’t rich, has no relatives, and might have to outmaneuver the rules of fate as much as those who ruined her life. Revenge isn’t in the title and it hasn’t been her focus. The show moves far slower so we can fully understand the complicated situation. There has also been some painful social commentary on the reality of how a woman can get stuck in this kind of life.
For now I can recommend both. We’ll see if Marry My Husband can navigate the rules of fate to a satisfying conclusion.