Short/Web Dramas

Completed 2021.01.15

Not bad for a CF considering how much PPL was shoved into it.  Taecyeon's episode was the highlight for me personally since it contained the most meta/references.

Completed 2021.03.11

Cute mini romance story with a lovely OST.

Completed 2021.06.09

A short two episode drama that does a fantastic job of capturing the magic of Yi Yuk Sa's poems in the context of the Korean independence movement and his personal involvement in that movement. The story is heartbreaking yet filled with a sense of hope -- which I think is the magic of his poems.

I can't say that my Korean (language and culture) is good enough to really understand the poems, but this short definitely felt moving for me.

Completed 2021.04.29

This little drama is a mini-course on kdrama tropes, especially tropes in the makjang genre. We got birth secrets, traumatic childhood pasts, hospitalized parents, unrequited love, loan sharks, revenge, and much more.

Overall, not the strongest drama out there and my biggest personal disappointment is the underutilization of the Jeju setting. I feel like the drama did very little to highlight what Jeju has to offer and make me want to go there.

Completed 2021.01.26

Short revenge story that's fairly straightforward in terms of plot development but excels in execution. I really really love this director's use of space and architecture to frame the shots in ways to highlight the story and emotions. Also, stellar acting by the FL. The OST/BGM is fantastic too. 

Completed 2021.04.07

Mostly cute and sweet rom-com that went by quickly. The first episode is actually the weakest since the set up was slightly awkward but once the story gets going in earnest, the characters are easy to root for and the romance inevitable.

Completed 2021.04.03

A lovely short drama. The ending is a bit rushed but considering it length and the strength of the previous buildup, the foundation was strong enough for viewers to infer the plot developments that happened off screen. 

Cute story with an interesting take on the grim reaper mythology.

Interesting set up and story but could have used a bit more finesse to flush out the details and characters.

FL is somewhat of an anti-hero type of character.

Silly, fluffy romance that doesn't quite subvert tropes but is fun in a campy sort of way.

Just don't expect a masterpiece.

The fantasy setup of the story needs a bit more time to really work so the short length of the drama is a detriment to making it really work -- though there is no guarantee that a longer length drama would have been good.

However, I contend that any makjang lovers should watch this just for the snippets of the drama within the drama because that drama is fantastic.

Decently interesting vampire set up but a story that kind of goes no where and just feels like a bunch of random scenes thrown together.

Completed 2021.09.08

Fun short drama that has an interesting concept which is executed fairly well for its length.

Super enjoyable romance story that makes excellent use of its entire runtime.

Completed 2021.10.03

This one is great for how it tackles themes of prejudice but an utter failure in its portrayal of medical ethics where it glorifies or romanticizes certain actions that are major, major red flags for a health professional. This dichotomy made it a weird watch where on the one hand I was totally cheering for the ML and the steps he takes to combat prejudice but on the other I was totally weirded out by the romantic relationship and not rooting for it at all. Overall, I think still worth a watch for the way it addresses certain prejudices in society but it's probably best to keep in mind that there is severe distortion of what is acceptable behavior from a health professional.

Completed 2021.08.16

I really enjoyed this drama for its premise and life lessons.

I basically dragged myself through this one just to see how a short web drama would treat the time travel element (not well). Story, characters, and even acting was on the weak side though the moments of the lead couple being cute is a tiny bit of redemption. It did have a few catchy OST songs that made it nice as background music, which is the reason I managed to finish.

This web drama had some really, really cute moments but the story went slightly all over the pace and a bit too makjang. Probably a decent quick binge for a web drama, just don't think too hard and focus on the cute youngsters.

Super predictable drama where 5 out of the 6.5 points I've given are basically for Park Hee Soon's criminally good turn as a crime ring boss.