Next on Omona's to-watch list: upcoming Kdramas in March 2022

[broadcities]

Can you believe it's almost March? We're entering spring this month with a wide variety of kdramas: we've got youth dealing drugs, we've got Korean-Japan historical relations, we've got fake relationship tropes... And that's not even half of it!

Opinions are mine and should be taken lightly as they are just my first impressions. Other thoughts are welcomed!

Previous posts: Kdramas in January | Kdramas in February

I marked trailers with English subtitles with an asterisk (*)

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Crazy Love

Release date: March 7, KBS2 & Disney+
Runtime: Monday & Tuesday
Cast: Kim Jae Wook, Krystal, Ha Joon, Lim Won Hee, Lee Si UnPlot: No Go-Jin (Kim Jae-Wook) is the most popular mathematics instructor in the private education field and he is the CEO of GOTOP Education. Even though he has only a high school level education, he has achieved all of his success due to his extreme intelligence. He seems like a perfect man with a handsome appearance, high IQ, and wealth. He is also narcissistic. One day, he is suddenly warned that he will be murdered.
Lee Shin-A (Krystal) works as No Go-Jin’s secretary. She is a diligent and responsible employee. Due to her quiet and introverted personality, she has little presence with her boss No Go-Jin and her colleagues at work. Her colleagues begin to recognize her, because she has worked for the notorious No Go-Jin for more than 1 year. She then learns that she does not have much time left to live.Will I watch? From what I've seen in the teasers, Krystal and Kim Jae Wook will tackle the fake marriage trope for this drama. I could love that trope, but not when it's combined with possible murder and terminal illness. Still waiting for the day that Krystal will choose a drama that I actually want to watch!

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A Superior Day*

Release date: March 13, OCN
Runtime: Sunday
Cast: Jin Goo, Ha Do Kwon, Lee Won GeunPlot: Lee Ho-Cheol (Jin Goo) works as a firefighter. He is your typical head of household, who loves his wife and daughter. Recently, the media covers an unsolved serial killer case. The case has nothing to do with Lee Ho-Cheol, but he receives a text message that states "I will let you know who the serial killer is" and a photo. The photo is of a man holding a knife covered with blood and he is next to a murdered person.
Lee Ho-Cheol notices that the man holding the bloody knife is Kwon Shi-Woo (Lee Won-Geun), who lives next door to him. Lee Ho-Cheol receives another text message that states "Kill Kwon Shi-Woo within 24 hours. If you don't, you will not see your daughter again." Lee Ho-Cheol discovers that his daughter is now missing.
Meanwhile, the person who sent the text message is Bae Tae-Jin (Ha Do-Kwon). He is a hired killer, who chases after serial killer Kwon Shi-Woo. Bae Tae-Jin schemes a plan to kill Kwon Shi-Woo by using Lee Ho-Cheol.
Kwon Shi-Woo (Lee Won-Geun) looks like a kind young man with a handsome appearance, but he is a psychopath. He feels a sense of superiority by killing people.Will I watch? I won't watch this drama because 1) it sounds too stressful and 2) I'm still watching Through the Darkness. If you're into the thriller genre, this could be a good option!

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Why her?*

Release date: March 18, RakutenViki, Viu, SBS
Runtime: Friday, Saturday
Cast: Seo Hyun Jin, Hwang In Yeop, Heo Jun HoPlot: Oh Soo-Jae (Seo Hyun-Jin) is a lawyer, talented enough to become the youngest partner at TK Law Firm. The law firm is widely considered as the best in South Korea. Oh Soo-Jae is driven by her desire to win cases and also her self-righteous principles. She has lived her life to achieve success, but she gets involved in an unexpected case and she gets demoted to work as an adjunct professor at a law school.
At the law school, Oh Soo-Jae meets Gong Chan (Hwang In-Yeop). He is a student there. Gong Chan has experienced a painful past, but he still has a warm heart. He falls in love with Oh Soo-Jae and he would do anything for her.
Meanwhile, Choi Tae-Kook (Heo Jun-Ho) is the chairman of TK Law Firm. He would do anything to satisfy his desires, even if it's illegal or immoral.Will I watch? What's it with Kdramas pairing young men and women in position of power? Maybe they will complicate their relationship, but personally I am not tuning in for a romance between a university professor and her student. It's unfortunate, because the rest of the role could be a good, challenging role for Seo Hyun Jin.

[Eng Sub] Tomorrow Highlight (2/2) #SF9 #ROWOON #TOMORROW pic.twitter.com/L7cPJb8xTV
- Growing톨 ꈍ◡ꈍ (@sillyme0707) February 8, 2022

Tomorrow*
TW: this drama deals with themes of suicide

Release date: March 25, MBC
Runtime: Friday & Saturday
Cast: Kim Hee Seon, Rowoon, Lee Soo Hyuk, Yun Ji On, Kim Chae EunPlot: Choi Joon-Woong (Ro Woon) looks for a job, but it hard for him to get hired. Except for that, he seems like a perfect guy. He graduated from a prestigious university and he has wealthy parents. One night, he accidentally meets angels of death Gu Ryeon (Kim Hee-Seon) and Im Ryoog-Gu (Yun Ji On). The two death angels belong to a crisis management team. Gu Ryeon is the leader and Im Ryoog-Gu is a member. Their objective is to save suicidal people. Soon, Choi Joon-Woong becomes a new member of the crisis management team.
Will I watch? Perceptive users will know that I am Rowoon's #2 fan here on Omona (top spot goes to kyungwons), so yes, I will tune in for this drama to see Rowoon tackle a non-romantic, possibly more comedic role. But even if he wouldn't have starred in the drama, I would probably have wanted to watch it. It seems like a drama in the same vein of The Uncanny Counter and Mystic Pop-Up Bar, where the drama tells the stories and hardships of Korean people. I am also curious how this drama will set itself apart from the previously mentioned dramas.

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Juvenile Delinquency*

Release date: 25 March, OllehTV, Seezn
Runtime: Friday
Cast: Won Ji An, Yoon Chan Young, Yoon Hyun Soo, Han Se Jin, Yang Seo HyunPlot: 18-year-old Kyung Da-Jung (Won Ji-An) has been used as a drug mule by her own parents. One day, she attempts to make a delivery, but something goes wrong. She runs away and hides in the countryside. There, she meets teenagers Gong Yoon-Tak (Yoon Chan-Young), Gong Yoon-Jae (Yoon Hyun-Soo), Kim Kook-Hee (Han Se-Jin) and Hong Ae-Ran (Yang Seo-Hyun). Kyung Da-Jung also finds a hemp field.
Gong Yoon-Tak lives with his father and two younger siblings, including Gong Yoon-Jae. He is actually the one who takes care of his family. His life is quiet and ordinary, but due to Kyung Da-Jung’s appearance, he gets involved in many incidents.Will I watch? I think watching this outside of Korea might be difficult considering that this drama will be airing on an OTT platform. Nevertheless, the topic is quite novel for korean dramas, so I am curious how this drama will address it.

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Pachinko*
Please find the Omona post for this trailer here

Release date: March 25, AppleTV+
Runtime: Friday
Cast: Youn Yuh Jung, Lee Min Ho, Jin Ha, Kim Min HaPlot: Kim Sun-Ja was born and raised in Busan, Korea, when Korea was under Japanese rule. She fell in love with a man named Koh Han-Su. When she learned that Koh Han-Su was married to another woman, she was already pregnant. She is devastated by her situation. A church priest named Baek Isak saves her by marrying her. She and Baek Isak then move to Japan. There, she gives birth to her child. Life for Koreans living in Japan at that time was not easy. As they experience contempt and discrimination at times, they struggle to survive.
Will I watch? Despite some reservations about Lee Min Ho in this role (but also looking forward to being surprised by him!), I am really looking forward to this drama. I have read Pachinko a few years ago and have learned about Korean history in Japan a lot from the story so I wonder how they will adapt to story to the small screen. Cinematographically, the trailer looks stunning!

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Soundtrack #1
Please find the Omona post for this trailer here

Release date: March ??? (exact date unknown), Disney+
Runtime: Unknown, this drama is so mysterious!!
Cast: Park Hyun Sik, Han So HeePlot: Han Sun-Woo (Park Hyung-Sik) is a rookie photographer. He doesn’t talk much, but he is a kind and warm-hearted man. He is friends with Lee Eun-Soo (Han So-Hee). They have been close friends for 20 years. Meanwhile, Lee Eun-Soo works as a lyricist to make living. She has a honest and bright personality.
Due to a reason, Han Sun-Woo and Lee Eun-Soo begin to live together at the same house for 2 weeks. Staying together, their relationship develops romantically.Will I watch? Oh, so best friends to roommates to lovers trope with Park Hyun Sik & Han So Hee? Yes, I will be asking my friend if I can use their Disney+ subscription for this...

Also note that Kill Heel (discussed in the February post) will be airing on March 9th because of Covid delays.

Source: Video: @sillyme0707, Kdrama Zone 1, 2, Viu Singapore, AppleTV, VikiGlobalTV, Disney Plus Korea | Drama info: AsianWiki 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | Other sources: DailyEconomics via Soompi

What are you currently watching, Omona? Any recs? And which dramas do you think you'll be taking on?

mods, was this post submitted? i got an error message...