Dinner - I hate the writer whenever (s)he forces the characters to do something out of their character... like Haekyung dragging a patient out of his office and publicly choking him.

Into the ring - I like Nana here, but don't like politics. Dilemma.

Lost Romance - I'm enjoying it as long as they stay in the fictional world (shower peek 😁). Boring whenever they move back to the Evil Sister world. Still missing Tiger and Rose.

Twogether E01 - Jasper Liu is cute... and innocent 😊

Backstreet Rookie - I actually quite like it?

Psycho - still impressed. With everyone and everything.

CRICKET - Yes Yes Yes

Oregairu - Yes Yes Yes

Japan -

Kotaki Brothers - 7 out of 10 - still one of the top show of 2020

Penshion - 6/10 - weird but still a watch

I was low on energy so many Japanese movies pending.

Korea -

Dinner Bait - 3/10 said in 1st week itself that show is trash and writer is a hack. Saw comments and laughed at the level of foreign audience for getting the point so late.
Gay Chef - 3/10
Convenience Store - 4/10
Election - 6/10
Milf - 3/10

China -

Mr. Honesty - 3/10 trash
Love of Summer Night - 4/10 -
Closer to You - 4/10

Its Okay Not To Be Okay: i cried at eps 4. i watched a review on youtube, he said Kangtae's mental health probably the worst between all characters and i actually agree. expecting tonight episode

Dinner Mate: siiiiiighssssss the way i hate both exes. the preview for next week is even worse. i wish both lead talk, support each other and fight together for their relationship.

Backstreet Rookie: i..... like it. i actually love it. i love the cameos, the references of other drama and the leads (both are cute) its not as bad as the other said :L

Team Bulldog: its just.. ended?

As usual...I'm watching Master in The House. The latest ep was with the CEO of Kakaogames. It was interesting to see a non-celeb as a guest. The company seems like a dream workplace. Bonus: Frodo x Shin Sung Rok scenes~~~ 🤣

And surprise surprise....I'm watching Backstreet Rookie. BR as of ep 5, is turning out to be a drama about normal people struggles. I'm rooting for both Saetbyul and Yeon Joo to find happiness and success in whatever they do. Both have different but equally sad backgrounds.

Will You Have Dinner With Me The situation with the exes is still going in circles. Both unable to move on and leave our leads alone in their bliss. The critical next step is up to DH. I think she should open up and trust HK more. Keeping secrets from HK and AY will not do her any favors. Both of them will always have her back and I hope she will see that soon. JH is unhinged and want to see him go away soon.

Its Okay To Not Be Okay - we see more of Kang Tae's story and it is heartbreaking. The leads personal traumas are slowly being peeled back for us to understand their actions. Thus, I so want our leads to find the healing they need and the love that they yearn for. Also Director-nim is spoiling us with a lot of beautiful scenes even if its shot on a rainy night. I really love how visually appealing every scene is! Plus the story in MY's current book just breaks my heart.

Bride of the Century - what makes Yi Hyun think its okay to date a woman that looks uncannily like his half-sister. Ughh. And here I thought he was the most sensible out of that family. I am happy that I am already past the breakup and heartaches scenes. So now watching their tentative reunion and waiting for the truth to be revealed.

Dinner Mate: SIGH, this show went FARRRR left these last two episodes. For why did she not call the police to take him, he had injured himself, he was clearly out of his mind, but she just let him go. Why, WHy WHYYY? Also Hae Kyung is a Psychiatrist warned that Jae Hyuk is dangerous, but I guess to be fair to him, this is why it is unethical to treat certain people, like your girlfriend's unstable ex.

My Unfamiliar family: CHAN HYUK, get your girl.❤️❤️❤️, HUZZAH.

Memorials: Nana is surprisingly charming in this role. She was a little dull in a ahem *cough cough* drama about a blue eyed assassin, but here she is showing her range. I want her to win too.

Oh My Baby: I didn't like the last two episodes. Talk about disappointing. He left her for 3 months, not 3 hours, not 3 days, 3 months. I get they already established she is willing to take people back, but WOW. I'm still pissed she took him back. Every thing after the 3 months later was annoying to me. I'm so disappointed, I thought he was much more mature than that. Bad writing, that.

It's okay not to Be Okay: I can't wait to watch this weekends episodes!!

Someday Or One Day: Easily became one of my top 10 shows. Strong writing and acting, cried alot towards the end.

Dinner Mates: They decided to go off the rails with this, but I'm still interested in the show.

It's OK Not To Be Ok: Im lowkey a superstitious person, so I don't wsnt to jinx myself since it's only been 4 episodes. But, this might end of being one of my shows of the year. Also as a bonus Seo Ye-ji is really nice to look at in this.

My Girlfriend is A Gumiho: Only watched a episode and a half, but I'm enjoying it. Probably the oldest drama I've seen, so it's interesting to me to see how much the production value for Korean shows changed so quickly.

Mob Psycho 100: I've been meaning to watch this anime for a while & once I started I binged the first season in a few hours. The animation & fight scenes are great, but I really didn't expect it to be so emotional.

It's Okay To Not Be Okay - got caught up with work and only got to watch the subbed episode 4 last Wednesday. I loved Kang-tae's laugh when Moon-young said she liked magnolias. It felt so carefree. And you bet I cried when he read Zombie Kid.

Oh My Baby - the show wrapped up nicely and gave such a heartwarming ending. I love Ha-ri's writing style in her editorial columns (first when she admitted her infertility struggles and then in the magazine's last issue) because it's simple but eloquent.

I'm re-watching Stranger and I'm surprised at all the little details I may have missed or did not quite understand from when I first watched it. Although I find myself gravitating towards romcoms for now, so I'm anticipating the premiere of Was It Lovenext week!

Will You Have Dinner With Me It became boring. The main characters lost their zest and came boring, the second leads became more annoying than at the beginning, I honestly didn't think it was possible...

Sweet Munchies They completely missed a good story. It had potential but they didn't take any risk and made a boring drama.

My Unfamiliar Family This drama is the best! No time to be bored when in fact there are not much plot, just people handling result of past choices.

Memorials It was fun. Of course, there is a childhood connection because in kdrama the 15 years of your life decide for all your life.

Oh My Baby I was kinda disapointed the message they wanted to pass with this drama. But in a general way, it was a nice story with great characters and actors.

Backstreet Rookie SB's past is so sad. Give her love !

It's Okay to Not Be Okay I'm very intrigued by the past. It would be nice to see the main characters to have a psychotherapy and not the "love is healing everything" way.

I missed a few What We Are Watching posts, so this update is more like a final review after finishing everything.😉

Mystic Pop-Up Bar: First bean of 2020! I enjoyed my month as a parttime Yook Sung-Jae fan account and had been (wrongfully) calling his relationship with Onion Man since the beginning!😂 Cinnamon roll Sr. and Jr. were the adorable beta males to their alpha female love interests and I hope to see more relationships and folklore like that in future K-dramas.😍 Suspension of disbelief was necessary, but I came for a light watch and they still nailed it in 12 episodes.

Oh My Baby: Second bean of 2020! Han Yi-Sang!❤️ The curse of the second half reared its ugly head, but I could acknowledge the angst and the heavy stuff as part of the reality of many. Dragging myself through some of the episodes was totally worth it for the motherhood and childcare topics and viewpoints it touched upon. One great thing I will remember from this K-drama is the fact that it is possible to empathize with and understand someone on the other side of the spectrum. It seems so hard in real life and yet this drama highlighted many sides with the utmost respect.👶❤️

Reply 1997: Since I am finishing this gem with my friend during the weekend, I’ll fast-forward a bit for a complete review. Despite all the love Shi-Won gets from Reply fans, it took me until the time skip happened and she had grown up to warm up to her. Jung Eun-ji turned her into a relatable character, but I know I would not get along with her teenage self. Needless to say I only got invested in the OTP when they met again. Until that point I was (bro?)shipping Ziggy and Hoya.🚢 Other highlights: 1.) Big bro Tae-Woong counselling his pupils: “instead of coveting an impossible dream, it is sometimes better to linger near your dream and be happy from that distance.” I live by that motto, and it is nice to finally see it put into words.🤔 2.) Both the teacher and Ziggy reading slash fanfiction out loud in a monotone voice.😂 I did choke on my snack when that happened and got some (un?)pleasant flashbacks. Those were the days!😅

It is that dreadful time to make up my mind again. What am I going to watch now?🤔 I guess my friend and I will pick Reply 1994 to fill the Reply 1997 spot, and I will probably start live watching Memorials to replace Oh My Baby.🗳️ For the remaining time I’ll press play at random like I did with Top Star Yoo Baek back then and see what other story will come to me.😉

The Year of Living Dangerously: 0.0 No, I didn't rewatch the 1982 movie. I'm describing 2020.

It's OK to Not ... Drive Recklessly Like They Did in Day 3: 8.5 Is Moon-young's mom really dead? If so, what about her new mystery novel? Long-lost manuscript? Is Moon-young ghost-writing for her?

Memorials / Into the Ring: 8.3 Not exactly covering new ground, but covering same-old with style. The music doesn't hurt. I've previously only seen Nana in Kill It (yawn) but she's MUCH better here.

Team Bulldog Off Duty Investigation: 7.0 for the show; only 5.5 for the finale. Premise might have legs for a season 2, which couldn't be worse than some other crime show season 2s. *cough*partnersforjustice/mysteryqueen/voice*cough*

But let's talk about the Bulldog Baddies -- an old color-blind guy and an old handicapped lady who likes quilts. Do being colorblind or having trouble walking make you a serial killer or is it just being old that does that? And there are easier ways to get fabric for a nice quilt. I know this because I work for a fabric company and the fabric is mostly for quilting projects.

Was It Love: I’m so hyped for this show! Already rewatched the 5 minute teaser countless times and ship her with the Homeroom Teacher, though I expect the Ex to be OTP.

Sweet Munchies (Episode 11-12)
I’m happy to report that this show is over even if it means Lee Hak Joo won’t appear on my screen next week: it was a nonsensical mess from start to end with the web of lies spun by Jin Sung. The queer angle of the show mostly served to bait and denigrate: there was no point of Jin Woo being gay whatsoever and Tae Wan was nothing outside of being a closeted gay (to be fair, everyone and everything were plot devices for the flimsy lie). I don’t think I would have bothered commenting on this show if not for Hak Joo’s acting so I’m thrilled he’s returning soon in Private Life!

Old School Intern (Episode 21-24)
This show is uniquely rare in the sense that it captured my heart in the first third, faltered a little in the second third but then rose like a phoenix in the last third! But looking back at the drama as a whole, one thing I found really striking was that there was a lack of nuance in many of the characterisations: many characters flipped and flopped in their actions and reactions which made the writing rather erratic in not a good way. And of course Director Koo’s arc was not good: wouldn’t Joon Soo have served the same purpose as frenemy to Yeol Chan? But otherwise the show was nice to watch.

My Unfamiliar Family (Episode 9-10)
My theory is that Kyung-ok has always been a snake from the very start as Ha Ra’s spy and that they both knew about Gun Joo’s catfishing of Eun Hee: notice how she knew about his first arrival at the office and his ex, set up the meeting for Ha Ra to rattle Eun Hee and gave Eun Hee the stinky look, taunted Eun Hee over Gun Joo’s week of disappearance, spread rumours about Eun Hee and Gun Joo at the office and helped Ha Ra return Gun Joo’s phone to him. So Gun Joo is now out of the picture for Eun Hee and Chan Hyuk will romance her, I mean, the official poster had already spoiled it.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay (Episode 3-4)
Kwak Dong Yeon, when is your lead role coming? At least you had a narrative reason for being bare unlike the male lead! After watching the second week, Moon Young remains my most narratively unlikeable character: she exists to force other characters react to her actions and also screams ‘I need male lead to cure me!’. There’s also a nice story without her: Kang Tae’s complicated feelings about Sang Tae due to their parents, Kang Tae’s forced maturing and his support system in Jae Soo and their hometown being the right place in breaking the butterfly curse as they confront it.

Also watching: Oh My Baby (Episode 15-16) / Memorials (Episode 1-4) / Will You Have Dinner With Me (Episode 21-24) / Backstreet Rookie (Episode 4-5)

OH MY BABY (finale): Calling out the noble idiot for his noble idiocy was a refreshing touch, but the end was meh. Hari taking him back after 3 months was too easy. I thought when she started up her own company with the show's title, that was the "aha!" moment: she had channeled her lost dream into her own business. The epilogue seemed to be an after-thought; fan service.
ONCE AGAIN: Only at the halfway point which is troublesome to move story lines forward. But the funniest thing was the PPL diss by Na Hee. She was eating Subway with the director and she said it was "just OK" The director prodded her; so she did an overboard, gushing, cynical anti-endorsement.
Variety:
HOW DO YOU PLAY? The actual musical stage by the group will be anti-climatic based on the members pre-debut banter.
HOUSE ON WHEELS (3/4): Gong Hyo Jin as a guest was refreshing because she was at ease since she had worked in the past with two of the hosts. It is not really a variety show as it as a relaxing meditation.
FUN RESTAURANT: I have concluded that K-actresses have so much down time that out of boredom they become great cooks.

While this year has been terrible for practically everything else, Kdramas continue to make staying at home tolerable. There have been some excellent, high-quality shows like A Piece of Your Mind, Hospital Playlist, Hyena, and I'll Find You on a Beautiful Day. There was a giant gasball of a stinker to snark over in Forest. And we can spend hours talking about what went wrong with KES and her King. Right now I am really enjoying three VERY different shows: It's OK to Not be Okay, Backstreet Rookie, and My Unfamiliar Family. At least in terms of Kdramas, it's good times.

I’m in a slump with current dramas so what better way then to watch a finished one. Currently on ep 12 of Matrimonial chaos and I’m enjoying it a lot more than I expected to. I like all four characters, each flawed in their own right but likeable. The best part of this show would have to be the relationship between Son Seok Goo and Cha Taehyun who are an absolute hoot when they are near each other, maybe they are the real soul mates. I also love that I can’t hate Seok Goo despite his character being a serial cheater because he just has this childlike like innocence that I can’t ignore.

Caught up with Unfamiliar Family and I've really loved it so far. I'm just praying for my Chan Hyuk - Eun Hee ship to sail.
Also want to start either Backstreet Rookie or It's Okay to Not be Okay even though I know binging is always a better idea!

'Oh My Baby'. Skip episode 15 entirely but watch the rest of the series. Watching episode 15 I found myself yelling at the screen "The Beanies are going to HATE this episode!" It'll be apparent why when you do watch it.

It's Okay not to be Okay- Still loving the show to the max!

Just finished watching the live stream of KING MAKER: THE CHANGE OF DESTINY on TV Chosun, which can be accessed at http://broadcast.tvchosun.com/onair/on.cstv. Even without subtitles, it looks as if the Andong Kim fortunes may finally be taking a hit -- and it's about freaking time. But since they're like a bunch of rattlesnakes who can bite even after being decapitated, I'll wait to see which shoes drop during tomorrow's episode. The show's production values are dandy, the cinematography is beautiful, and the music is top notch. The many veterans in the cast are turning in fine performances.

MY UNFAMILIAR FAMILY and IT'S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY both have me glued to the edge of my seat. I, too, have been getting HUNDRED MILLION STARS FROM THE SKY vibes from the latter, and hope that it doesn't get too dark. I'm about to watch today's episode now. As for UNFAMILIAR FAMILY, the Kim clan is uncomfortably true-to-life in its various manifestations of dysfunction. I hope they can get a group rate on therapy, because the lot of them need it. I just hope that I don't have to join them by the time it's over.

DINNER MATE, which I'm watching for the pepetually handsome and charming Song Seung-heon, is giving me indigestion. It feels as if the "excessive exes" subplot is dragging its anchor. I was ready to scream this week when Do-hee stupidly phoned Doc instead of the police when she found her apartment had been entered and trashed -- and didn't leave immediately even after he advised her to. You can't cure stupid -- or her twist on Noble Idiocy. I hate it when previously intelligent characters do dumb stuff. On the other hand, she's the only Kdrama character I can ever recall seeing who actually changed the door code after someone trespassed. I just don't understand why so many characters never change their door codes after breakups, divorces, and family meltdowns to prevent this kind of scenario. It's not like you have to call a professional locksmith to rekey a manual lock. Sheesh. -- Might this scene have been a stealth PSA (public service announcement) for public safety in the form of a cautionary tale?

KKONDAE INTERN wound up this week, and I enjoyed it. The music was great, and Kim Eung-soo was the bee's knees. This wacky show left me feeling happy. Shout-out to Noh Jong-hyun and Park Ah-in for their poignant office romance. I didn't recognize him from his turns as Ji-ho's feckless brother in BECAUSE THIS LIFE IS OUR FIRST, and the rookie detective on the team in LIFE ON MARS. He's really on my radar now.

SWEET MUNCHIES also ended its run this week after running out of plot. The music in this show was very good, however. I detested how the birthday boy was lured to his surprise party. You'd think that professional scriptwriters and PDs could have come up with a better pretext than the one they used. I wanted to smack the lot of them for giving Park Chef a heart attack on his birthday. Arrrg! -- I'll comment...

Currently Airing

IT’S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY: I think episode four finally got me hooked. Maybe what I needed to see was just some decent backstory to make me understand the characters a little more. (ep. 3-4)

I have decided to add my overall rating after a drama has ended from here on It's what I would on MDL, nothing gets a 10 btw, 9 is er special (only one got it), so 8.5 is the highest.
1. Mystic Pop-Up Bar: Eps 11-12. Yeah the ending had some faults but overall I loved it. The characters deserved their happy ending. The characters, the writing, the emotions, predictable yet well done. Would it have worked if the drama had more episodes. I don't know. Maybe they could have explored some things more or maybe they would have messed it up. Still 12 episodes seems like a good option for dramas. The main cast was so good. 8.5/10

Chicago typewriter: Eps 1-8. Ah okay this one is fun. Never seen either of the actors in anything before. I admit I find the FL a bit boring. Interesting that the actress is older but playing younger than the male leads er (I wouldn't have realised though). Also this must be the first time someone's hairstyle (Yoo Ah In's) has bothered me on a drama when generally I don't mind it cause to me it adds to the character's personality (I totally got used to PSJ's in IC). The plus is the bromance which is enjoyable. The scenes between the two guys is hilarious. Still I find the past timeline more interesting than the present. It's the romance in the present I don't like.

Recently finished:
- Kdrama, “Save Me” season 1, because Seo Ye Ji & Woo Do Hwan 😍😍😍😍

Currently watching:
- Kdrama, “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay”
- Cvariety shows, “Happy Camp”, “Great Escape” season 2

Contemplating:
- the newest season of “Three Meals a Day: Fishing Village”
- Cdrama, “We Are All Alone”, starring Qin Lan & the late Godfrey Gao (his last drama)
- going back to the world of “The Untamed” and watching the Special Edition version (yes.... despite my love—I wouldn’t call it ‘obsession’ 😅😅😏😏— for the world that this drama has created, I STILL have not watched the Special Edition yet 😅😅😅)

so thanks to the beanies over here i stumbled upon someday or one day and romance of tiger and rose during quarantine. and they have definitely become the highlight of my quarantine days and my new favorite dramas!

do beanies have any other recommendations? just a bit of a back story- i used to watch a ton of HK and taiwanese dramas, and then abandoned them about 7 years ago, and became a full on kdrama watcher. so if there’s anything i’ve been missing in the hk, china, or taiwanese scene in the past 7 years, do let me know 😂

currently watching: it's ok to not be ok

Mystic Pop Up Bar (Episodes 7-12): There was something really special about this show that I still can’t quite put my finger on. However, I can say that the rewarding character development and the thoughtful pacing of the big plot reveals definitely stood out to me. For instance, Weol-joo’s selflessness, as supported by the reveal of her motivation behind accepting her 500 year punishment, particularly resonated with me because her prickly exterior completely threw me off. I also really enjoyed the pairing of Kang-bae and Yeo-rin; they were so innocent and cute together. I truly can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a fantasy rom-com this much.

Forest of Secrets (Episodes 1-8): My eyes were glued to the screen from the first scene. Detail-oriented, brilliantly written, and thoughtfully filmed, the show continues to impress me. With each episode, the story becomes increasingly more complex, yet enticing, and I find myself suspecting different characters on a regular basis. I have to admit that this is the first time I’ve encountered a show that is willing to focus on a singular crime case for a whopping eight episodes (and possibly for the remainder of the series), but I think this just speaks to its impeccable characterization.

Its Okay not to be Okay: OMG 😍🥰😘😍 This drama keeps getting better and better. The entire drama is like a dream..

I signed up with Disney Plus just to watch Hamilton. Hamilton! Hamilton!! HAAAAAAAAAAMILTON!!! (My 15-year-old: "Finally! I can watch the Mandelorian!")

With Mystic Pop-Up Bar completed, Dinner Mate/Will You Have Dinner With Me is my only current k-drama. I'm grateful to Beanies for drawing my attention to Mystic—which ended up being unexpectedly rich and heartwarming. Also, who knew Choi Won-young was secretly a hot ahjussi all this time?

Speaking of hawt ahjussi, I have mixed feelings about Dinner Mate. I try not to let my frustration over the exes blot out the pleasures of watching Do-hee and Hae-kyung growing closer. Their first kiss, their war games, their formal/informal language issues—those were the bits I cherished this week.

BACKSTREET ROOKIE is light and fun. It continues to be a manwha brought to life and we have now seen some of Saet-byul’s backstory. The male lead’s Rastafarian friend has been toned down a bit, which is good. The ML’s present girlfriend is still manipulative but also seems to genuinely like our male lead- and the two of them at this point are trying to hold on to a relationship which is in fact doomed. This is a story where you do not have to hate the second female lead- nor feel sorry for her because there seems to be another, more suitable and acceptable, man who is interested in her. There is also another man interested in our Female lead. The second female lead’s sister will create problems. This is the stuff that good rom-coms are made of. I would recommend this show to anyone who needs a good comedy right now- which is all of us.

We watched the final episodes of OH MY BABY. Jang Na-ra is one of my favorite actresses with good reason. The final episodes were a bit jumbled to me but loose ends were tied up.

I have been trying to watch MEMORIALS (I suspect that they really meant to say MEMOS) which is better named on Viki as INTO THE RING. For two days the subtitles on episode 1 have only been 43% completed and that it just not quite enough for me as I have not yet seriously advanced in learning Korean. This is the drawback of Viki (Netflix has its drawbacks too): On the one hand the volunteer translators have a much better than normal understanding of the context and connotations of the material that they are subtitling but on the other hand- they are volunteers.

Both Missvictrix and Dramallama noted how great MY UNFAMILIAR FAMILY continues to be. Well-written and the acting is superb. I think that Missvictrix is right that we are about to see Ji-woo melt down or explode- but it is anyone’s guess as to what that story will be. And Chan-hyuk finally getting together with Eun-hee looks like it will happen- but Eun-hee will fight him off at first because otherwise how could this be the makjang-like family story that it has been until now? Finally, after enduring way too many shocks our beautiful and brilliant Eun-joo is getting back on her feet and is about to take action. This is going to be fun. Anyone who is not watching this show is really missing out.

My wife is still watching WIND AND CLOUD AND RAIN, consuming each new episode as soon as it is available. She consumes other Sageuks when they become available.

I am still loving ONCE AGAIN. But I have to say that once again a Korean stylist has messed up: Da-hee’s hair has been cut short. And my heart went out to Oppa, who’s attempt to get together with his Ex just blew up. Their story is a tragedy.