Drama Spotlight: Pride
This list consists of the sequels that debuted this year:
Possibly the most anticipated sequel of the year was Full House Take 2. It stars No Min Woo and Hwang Jun Eum, with Park Ki Woong filling out our love triangle; expectations ran high. Plagued by awful hair and hilarious clothes, Full House Take 2, the tale of a K-pop duo and their stylist, aired to tepid reviews. It didn't have the same feel as its namesake and turned our to be one of those dramas people either loved or hated. Despite the cheese, I thought it was a lot of fun and though it doesn't make it onto my personal 2012 top ten dramas list, if you've enjoyed dramas like You're Beautiful and Boys Over Flowers, then Full House Take 2 is certainly worth a watch.
What goes better together than peanut butter and chocolate? Vampirism and judicial power! (take that Reese's) The only direct sequel on our list continued the tale of the coolest vampire to come out of Korea, Prosecutor Min Tae Yeon, who, let's face it, TOTALLY wins in a hypothetical fight between him and Edward Cullen. TEAM MIN! FTW! It really seems as though the production team listened to fans on this, and used that to make it even better than the first. This sequel is darker thank its predecessor and focused more on the origin of Min. VP2 kept fans excited and in a suspense throughout its eleven episode run. It left many with a strong desire for Vampire Prosecutor 3. Reading the reviews has me ready to go finish VP1, so I can watch this!
Chronicling the lifelong ups and downs of a couple, Seok Hyun and Yol Mae, I Need Romance 2012 follows the same basic formula as the 2011 installment. Despite having a pretty good idea from the outset where this was headed, I still really enjoyed this drama. At one point, I even started to question if my assumptions about the conclusion would be right. It had a bit more mystery than its predecessor, and despite following a very similar story arc, came away with a much different vibe. Both 2011 and 2012 are worth a watch; especially if you are in the mood for a more... adult romance.
Kpop icon, JYP, made his directorial debut in this rating FLOP of a musical. Dream High 2 didn't resemble the original much beyond setting and a cast of very attractive young Kpop stars. This outing pitted established acts against music students of varying ability and focused a lot of the mixing of those two worlds. As to be expected with a young and inexperienced cast, most of the acting left a lot to be desired and the writing could have been better. Many viewers were displeased with the ending. I, however, liked it--more than the first, in fact. It was cute and funny, and different than what I expected from a Dream High sequel in a good way.
Wrapping up the year in Korean drama sequels, perennial favorites, God's Quiz and High Kick, both got a third season this year. Also, after a decade in the classics bin, School (Hakgyo), has a new season which started airing at the beginning of December titled, School 2013. Talking about all these sequels is going to have me scouring the interwebz for hints that my favorite dramas of 2012 might get a sequel too!
What did you think of 2012's dramas so far? Comment below or look forward to the next YIR :D
Up next: 2012 Time Travel Dramas
