I'm watching two shows I actually want to drop every episode... but... then they do something right or interesting... and I still keep watching. Like mentioning The Double Life of Veronique in Spring, my favourite movie during my college years by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski; he also did Three Colours and a very interesting Blind Chance... and thoughts provoking movies A Short Film About Love and A Short Film About Killing.

And although the villains are a biiiit cartoonish and the scenes often over the top, I keep watching Devil Judge because of all that manipulation with the public opinion (and with our / Gaon's perception... what is the truth?)... the chilling variety show aspect... and the law/moral talks between dark and jaded Yohan and pure (or not?) and naïve Gaon.

(Last days I'm also squeeing over the cdrama You Are My Glory 😊 ... and Yang Yang somehow resembles Lee Min Ho(t) 😀 And perhaps because I already passed the 30th (and even 40th 🙈) milestone, I also appreciate the contemplative parts... a genius who may have reached his dream job, but realizes it doesn't pay enough...)

CRICKET - England Vs. India test matches within few weeks. excited

USA T20 tournament started with winner getting 250k. good
female Cricket looks like more thriving in news compared to male cricket. Ukraine got new funds too. if cricket goes into Olympics then we can expect direct competition between 2 world sports - Cricket Vs. Football.

OLYMPICS - ohh Nozomi Okuhara. Nozomi is the only celebrity that i check out time to time on social media.
Badminton quarterfinal and semifinals matches demanded more action. Look at table tennis - fire all around. Hope Badminton final will be much more competitive and exciting.

Racket Boys (Episode 15) - Mood: A-
The amount of character development we got this week was so much that it’s impossible to squeal about all of them! It was amazing to see how the writer used deceptively simple conversations from the past to bring out a cathartic climax when the show needed it. I also loved the twist that Choi Mi Ja wasn’t Grandma Ome’s real name, though I wonder how the city husband found the time to take civil servant exams (please be a fakeout: that’s the comedy we deserve, writer) while living in the village. I question the decision to let Hae Kang play: an eye injury isn’t anything to scoff at, In Sol had thrown his match against Hae Kang which indicates that he’s capable and it would have been epic if Haenam won with Hae Kang watching from the benches of all things. Regardless, I’m looking forward to a really long finale: 90 minutes+?

You Are My Spring (Episode 7-8) - Mood: B-
With regards to the white rose, I think that it’s placed there by the person who’s tailing Ian to try and bait a reaction out of him so that it could be determined whether the twins had indeed swapped places somehow (Da Jung only told Chae Jun about it): poor Da Jung just happened to get caught in the crossfire. On the romance-side of the story, it isn’t quite fantastic (so many misunderstandings and I yawned when Young Do’s shirt got ripped) but it’s decent. I do wonder why Ga Young is a main character when her arc is easily comparable to the TV show for instance: maybe there’s more to it?

The Devil Judge (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D+
So Jin Joo’s character is literally there because we needed a spy for the villain: what an awful writing. Soo Hyun is also another female character who is making questionable decisions: does she expect to quell a crowd with only one gun? It looks super bleak no matter how you see it if all the show can offer is excess theatricality without any substance at all?

Also watching but not really:
- The Witch’s Diner and Nevertheless: Because Chae Jong Hyeop. Yup.

- Blue Birthday: Plot reminds me of Nine Times Time Travel with more romance focus … for now.
- The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: Nam Da Reum in a lead role! But why is it so short? :(

ONGOING
Racket Boys - Waiting for Ep. 16.

You Are My Spring - I love the lead couple SO MUCH. Haven't felt so warm and comforted in a while by a k-drama. Haven't laughed so much in a while either. The long explanatory texts after the shirt ripping were SO relatable 🤣

Monthly Magazine Home - Well I watched Ep 12-14 together which at least helped me FF through the noble idiocy nonsense at one go and made it seem marginally less annoying. In fact there were even parts that were amusing. Ui-joo/Sang-soon were always going to happen but I wish they had happened just a little earlier.

Hospital Playlist S2 - No Ep. 7 😑

STARTED
The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim - Nice enough for a web drama but not bringing anything new to the table.

C-DRAMAS
Still watching Unforgettable Love and Broker. Started Song of Youth, You Are My Glory and First Love Again. For now, First Love Again is definitely the pick of the bunch with some interesting time travel dynamics.

What we’re NOT watching: On the Verge of Insanity, cos MBC has reverted to 2 weeks’ pre-emption for the show. Arrrrrgh!

I tried a few episodes of The Uncanny Counter, but thought it was a bit all flash and no substance. At times it was also weirdly reminiscent of those terribly, terribly earnest J-dramas whose characters are always earnestly encouraging one another, or making vein-throbbingly earnest speeches. Except with added violence and gore. There are some exceptionally good things, though, like So Moon’s two friends, most of the comic moments and Moon Sook being convincingly otherworldly.

The Devil Judge: Sun-ah probably shouldn’t be booked on a speaking tour for teenage girls. Yo-han manipulated Ga-on onto his side, but I can’t help but feel like it was more trouble than it was worth.

Nevertheless: Not sure how I feel about the last episode. I can’t help but wish they’d left Jae-un’s feelings more ambiguous. They aren’t selling me on there being more than a strong sexual attraction between the two, I guess.

Racket Boys: I kind of wish they’d started the Kang Tae-seon storyline sooner, as I really like it and Kang Seung-yoon. Go city husband! Love all thee villagers.

Love (Ft. Marriage & Divorce): Why do these mistresses think the wives want to be friends with them? I really need the doctor to marry A-mi and be stuck with his crazy, childish bride battling his crazy stepmom for the rest of his life. Perfect punishment for all of them. I can’t stand the saintly pregnant mistress. This drama better not end with any of the wives taking their husbands back, but I sensed some foreshadowing.

The Witch’s Diner: If they wanted even a hint of romance between the male lead and Nam Ji-hyun’s character, why make him an high schooler.

Monthly Magazine - Ep1 -13 - This only had a plot until ep 10 and everything after that is just a filler without much logic. As romantically inexperienced as the grumpy ML was, he was still too considerate to deal with FL as an object so his behavior in ep 13 was equally irrational. The SangSoon character is supposed to be funny but it's a detestable creepy caricature, there was a single fact known about him and he exchanged an obsession over one woman for another.

Light on Me I like the main idea but the acting is a bit weird, people walk and talk in slow motion and don't seem like real teenage boys. It's nice that eps became longer and I wish we knew about the boys's families, instead we get Crazy Girl as plot device.

Nevertheless - This week it took a nosedive, the scheming playboy became another guy with mommy issues, which probably explains why he avoided close romantic relationships in this drama and put him up to be saved by the true love of a proper female. Boring and a bad idea. The possible playboy's girlfriend turned out to be a liar who only wanted to upset FL out of crazy jealousy and the lead's mothers messed up their minds as children which is why they dare to make unconventional choices in their romantic lives. Everyone else is well adjusted and simply follows the nice rules of Society. Again, some very bad ideas.

Voice 4 : so, so, good. I’ve been a fan since season 1 and this time around the show delivered too. The final episode is tonight and I am kinda sad to let this amazing show go, but I’ll be waiting for the next season if there’s any. Please have another season!

You Are My Spring : I didn’t really pay attention to the crime part but it was lovely to see the leads opening up to each other. Love the soundtracks. Their friends are hilarious.

MSG Wannabe from Hangout With Yoo : awww..the final concert brings tears to my eyes. It was a lovely and heart tugging series. All of the members were genuinely sincere and was grateful for the opportunity. And it was nice to hear new songs from SG Wannabe again. I was such a fan when they were active.

WITCH’S DINER (Ep 3): I don’t mind an episodic series so long as it moves the main characters’ stories along. This series seems more like Jin’s story. This episode did not accomplish any traction for Witch Hee-Ra’s back story or motivations. It just repeated the image of a young Jin being recruited as a young girl to be a medium or new witch. But then, it could be flashbacks on how Hee-Ra became a witch. (Do you have to recruit your successor?) The questions are beginning to pile up.

The only myth change was that the wish price is now somehow captured in glass jars to be used for future wishes. (In the past, it seemed the witch absorbed body parts, possibly a spiritual essence is needed to move to the next realm?) This episode did not resolve the guest’s wish which was odd. Also, not a big fan of epilogues explaining major facts. I would like the scripts to have more cohesion to move the story along.

Variety:
All my normal shows were pre-empted or Covid lock downed.

My YouTube feed is suddenly overwhelmed by Korean celebrity golf videos.

You are my spring: I still getting whiplash from merging of dark serial killer mystery and a rom -com. It’s cute and sweet in moment and then we are thrust into violence and trauma into next.
The acting performance are solid and even secondary characters are quite fun to watch. I just hoped I would come in terms of watching two dramas at once.
The Great Shaman: I am excited about leads but this drama does not bring anything new to table. Its short run time does not help. There is no world building, no explanation of rules and no sense of urgency about fate of Go Doo Shim.
Monthly Magazine Home: Have not recovered from whole noble idiocy thing to enjoy the drama.
I am reluctant to press play on Devil Judge , I will probably marathon it later. I don’t know what possessed me to press on Love featuring marriage and divorces , this show is still a garbage. I plead temporary insanity.

Racket Boys: We are almost at the end. I am going to miss this drama when it is gone.

You are my Spring: These were my absolute favorite episodes of this drama. They were heartbreaking and heartfelt. They showed intimacy in the best way possible. I understood why he just wanted to be friends with her because anything more could literally and figuratively break his heart. I also loved that they established a friendship first, because part of a lasting romantic relationship is friendship. Also I am now curious as to who the third person in this murder relationship is.

The witch's diner: The way that man lost his fingers was ridiculous. The knife had to be the sharpest knife in all of the universe. I am still enjoying the drama though.

Nevertheless: Is there really a love triangle if the third player is liked back? I don't think so.

The Devil Judge: So Ga on is now on his side, what is Soo hyun going to think. As for Sun ah what is she up to???

Racket Boys I'm really excited to watch the last episode and sad in the same time.

You Are My SpringI like this couple so much! All their conversations are super interesting or fun.

On the Verge of Insanity I missed it.

Monthly Magazine Home It's the last week and I feel like the story will begin sometimes...

Hospital Playlist 2 Surprisingly, I didn't miss it so much.

Nevertheless It's disapointing that the production decided to remove some Kim Min Gwi's scenes, he didn't break the law. It's not really fair for the actress neither.

Love S2 (13): I felt bad for HR in this episode. She might be self centered but when she shared the news of divorce to her mom I really felt bad. She knew that pregnancy would be the last chance to save her marriage and it's just sad that she couldn't be pregnant when she actually want it. And I felt even more bad that neither her husband nor her in laws tried to know the actual reason. They doesn't even seem to care much that she gave up all of a sudden. The doctor and the family are equally crazy. The stepmother dreams about romancing the step son now that he is divorced while the mistress asks the ex wife the permission to move with the doctor and offer to look after if the ex wife ever gets sick. This is so out of logic. There is no news on the professor yet and judging from the preview something is going bad between them. The preview looks even crazier. I have no idea how they are gonna end all this fairly and I hope they dont go for another season.

You are my spring (5): The leads are dull. Watching it only for Yoon Park.

Devil Judge (1): I am so behind this. So the first episode started slowly and it took me a while to clear the initial confusion. Ji sung's character is interesting and verdict of the trial was a clever trick. Park Jin young and KMJ are also delightful to watch. So many seasoned great actors in one frame !!! I interest hiked towards the last part of episode and I am all in for it, slowly making through the 90 min episode.

OLDER
Kingdom (5-6): watching this super slow because of the increasing workload and decreasing free time. Still hooked, still interested hopefully will finish the next season and the special episode in the coming week.

Sell your haunted house (5-16): I loved it. They managed to tie almost all the loose ends and its satisfying when a drama leaves you content and happy after its last episode. Jang Nara of course is the core of this show. She carried her character gracefully all throughout the show. Another actor worth mentioning is JYH. He did full justice to the role with maturity. I wish the for the writers to develop a second season. There are enough plots that can be used. I wonder why the show never mentioned about Jiah's father. Or did I miss it?. Overall I loved the show and can see myself rewatching this in future.
PS : I loved the truck of doom in this drama when the stalker guy was hit. Felt so satisfying....😈😈😈

As much as I despise the noble idiocy trope, I liked how Monthly Magazine Home’s OTP dealt with their feelings with the support of their friends colleagues. I also like watching Kim Ji-suk how curls his head down to envelop Jung So-min in his arms. I love a good onscreen hug.

The Witch’s Diner continues to leave me cold. The genre is really more Twilight Zone-ish horror than anything else. Friday’s episode was grim. Watching people make ill-thought wishes is uncomfortable and depressing.

On the lighter side, I was delighted by The Way of the Househusband, an anime on Netflix based on the Japanese manga Gokushufudo. Daily adventures of an ex-yakuza who is 110% devoted for caring for his wife and cat. It’s really wonderful. Love, love, love how his father-in-law and the neighborhood wives all accept him. There’s also a 10-ep. live action version too led by a very charismatic Tamaki Hiroshi. The drama includes a 10 or 11-year-old daughter. (Yes, he assures his wife that he loves her child like his own blood.)

Given that the Olympics have pre-empted our beloved On the Verge of Insanity, I’m catching snippets of the Olympics via YouTube. Ping pong, women’s weightlifting, archery. Weightlifting isn’t my bag but watching Hidilyn Diaz win Philippines’ first Olympic gold squeezed my heart. Will watch some diving and gymnastics later this weekend.

Racket Boys: 8.0 Giving us the big championship matches we didn't get in Stove League and restoring balance to the sports-kdrama universe. With a ghost.

Voice 4: 3.0

You Are My Spring: 7.0

:The Witch’s Diner: 7.0

Devil Judge: 7.0 If Kim Min-Jung ever says "I need a hug", RUN! Day 7 - the famed kdramaland Stairs of Doom strike again. Kdrama characters are awfully easy to kill that way. Considering how I am with stairs, it's good that I'm not in kdramaland. Day 8 - OMG! The president of imaginary dystopian Korea is a K-maggot.

Racket Boys: So sad it's coming to the end!

The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: I like the format 1 episode/20 min.
Ghost/evil spirit stuff is nothing new, but it's so easy to watch just 20 min. Bae Hae Sun, no matter what she plays, she is fantastic.

Please Don't Date Him: I love this little show! Very funny and cute!
I love the same nurse is everywhere and the ex-boyfriend is so pathetic, so funny.

Twelve Nights: I'm still at Ep.4. Still 2010. I like this drama but my mood is wanting more uplifting, light and fun stuff right now, so I paused it for now.

Slow going here since I've been busy.

Completed: It's Okay not to be Okay. Great beginning and FL but disappointing ending and resolution of mental health issues.
Be Melodramatic. I've enjoyed this so much and sorry to see it end. I'll probably re-watch it when I miss the great writing.

Still at it: Beyond Evil. Great writing as well.
Taxi Driver. I like that it's a series of stories.
Flower of Evil. Yes the leads are great but too much head scratching here.

Moon Embracing the Sun: New sageuks are few and far between so finally going back and watching this one. Even though it's very mainstream fusion, I'm always intrigued by Jin Soo Wan's interesting female characters and her use of queer subtext. It always feels like she really, really wants to write a show with openly queer protagonists and I hope she gets the chance someday.

Watching:

1. Hospital Playlist 2:
I liked ep6. This episode is the first episode this ss that made me feel like I am watching one in the first season. All the feelings were there: joy, heartwarming, funny moments, everything. This ep made my heart full. I loved Jun-wan a lot, especially in the scene when he asked Jung-won if he could move in with him and GY when they got married.

2. Nevertheless: I caught up with the most recent episode just a moment ago. I began this show after I had begun reading a book about codependency, and thought the show depicted a codependent woman (in my view: Na-bi) very well since the first ep. So for me, I found the story interesting because I wanted to watch it as something educational. The show surprised me all the way through, though, with its aesthetics and attention to details. In all, I think the show is very aesthetically pleasing and educational at the same time. The music is also nice. I am really liking this one despite some strange dialogues from the aunt and JE's mom in the last ep.

3. You Are My Spring: I can't really say if I like or dislike this one. Some dialogues can be triggers, but overall one of the top quality dramas out there. The suggestions from our psychiatrist sounded sound, and I like the dynamic between the two leads.

I've been looking forward to You Are My Glory since forever, and it's living up to expectations so far. Dilraba and Yang Yang are the most gorgeous pairing you can ever expect to grace your screen and that in itself is enough for me, not to mention that they are doing decent jobs in this drama (yes, even Yang Yang who cannot act has improved). What more can I ask for? Oh wait, longer episodes and faster updates!

K dramas Nevertheless E4 and Devil Judge
Rewatch C drama Eternal Love ❤️
J drama Kodoku no Gurume S9 E3
Listened to a couple audio books

I've spent most of the week watching this riveting drama out of Japan - the 2021 Olympic Games! So, not as much time for other drama watching. I have snuck some in though...
Nevertheless: I am sad that what has become one of my favorite characters is going to be mostly edited out going forward. I'm glad we got the scene where he lets Jae-eon in on what Na-bi is thinking and feeling based on his own experiences.
Vincenzo: I finally started watching this (11/20 eps in) and it has been a good laugh and so well produced. I love the big cast of characters! Ok Taecyeon has been fantastic! I'm just loving his manic energy. Jeon Yeo-bin is becoming one of my favorites. She's so different in each role she plays and I just completely fall into her acting!
Monthly Magazine Home: I have really enjoyed this one, but I'm using the Olympics as an excuse to not watch the episodes that I'm behind on so that I can watch them all at once and just zip past the late series heartbreak stuff.
Hospital Playlist: I miss you. Please come back to me.

Racket Kids: Loved Han-sol's triumph. I like this show best when it focuses on the kids - their relationships with each other, with themselves, and with their sport. I'll be sorry to say good-bye to this one after next week.

You Are My Spring: I wasn't so sure after the first week, but I was intrigued enough to continue - and I'm glad I did! This week's episodes were the best for me so far. The dynamics of all the relationships are unfolding nicely, and the way the OTP talk to each other is refreshingly non-dramatic and even realistically awkward, as are their reactions. The 'imaginings' of the friends were hilarious as well. Somehow the dark and light balance well for me.

Monthly Magazine Home: I never expected this to be more than a cookie cutter feel-good romcom with all the usual tropes, but, goodness, has it gotten boring. The noble idiocy had me FF eps 11 & 12, and I'm watching the rest at 1.5x. But I like the leads enough to finish this one out - it didn't have to be Oscar-worthy, but it could have been better for their sakes.

Hospital Playlist 2: I enjoy meeting up with our 'friends' every week, but I've so far found this season a bit underwhelming. Literally could not care less about the Winter Garden couple. That is, apparently, all that Jung-won is about, which is just...sad. What did they do to his character?! The Song-hwa/Ik-jun ship is obviously being set up to sail now, but if that gives me more U-ju then I can be okay with that.

In the meantime, I'm ridiculously proud of hometown girl Suni Lee's performance at the Olympics and have overall been enjoying watching many of the events, while still feeling conflicted that they decided to go ahead with them in the midst of the pandemic. Stay well, everyone.

Witch's Diner: The wishers seem to have got such terrible fates..though I'm hoping things would look up for Downtrodden-missing-fingers guy with that epilogue... The theatre actress story was so sad. She gave up her voice for that terrible guy. Like tsutuloo said above, it's more like the Twilight Zone horror. It definitely does not have the warm, satisfying fuzzies of Hotel del luna or Mystic Popup Bar. I'm not sure what the endgame is for Jin and the witch.

C-drama:
Truth or Dare (finished): There was a moment of dread with the star-crossed lovers twist, but that got resolved pretty quick. A fun drama if you're into the youth-oriented costume drama tropes with all those eyerolling, improbable moments. I enjoyed the double-wedding, and I'm glad the maid had the grooms double-check to make sure they're marrying the right brides.

Qing Luo (up to ep 23): A drama where I wish I was the awesome FL and was loved by the equally awesome ML. I like how things get resolved pretty quickly. Nice light drama with low stakes and lovely characters. Saving the last episode. Not ready to say goodbye.

Saving Unforgettable Love fluff for the weekend!

Kingdom: Ashin of the North The writing isn't as tight as the series. By the end of the movie, I ended up with several unanswered questions. Anyway, it seems that in Kingdom, no one is ever a full-on "good" or "bad" character.

C-Drama
Remembrance of Things Past A story about 4 friends in Beijing. It gives a bit of a Run On vibe but much less glossy and much more realistic. Ultra-realistic. Strong female. I binged through the first 7 episodes and was willing to watch episode 7 RAW even though I only know 40% of the words spoken.

Currently Airing

BLUE BIRTHDAY: It's so-so. The main character clearly does not look like someone in their late twenties, and her character is a little bit too exuberant for my tastes (considering she's also still an adult when she goes back in time). I'll continue to watch, though. The premise sounds like it could be pretty fun. Then again, it could turn out to be quite 'meh,' as there's nothing original here so far. (ep. 1-2)

I thought we would be catching up on shows because of the Olympics and instead we found ourselves watching- the Olympics. So we still have a lot to catch up on and now Viki has just posted the new show THE GREAT SHAMAN GA DOO SHIM which we are definitely going to watch.

Which did not stop us from getting hooked on watching IMITATION. Its really good.

My wife enjoyed more Chinese Costume dramas this week: THE ETERNAL LOVE and FIGHTS BREAK SPHERE (Viki titles again…). Both historical fantasy costume dramas, both good, but the first had some rom-com elements while the second is more of a pure adventure story- and could be considered Wuxia as well. She liked both of them but found FIGHTS BREAK SPHERE scary at times. And there may be a second season coming for that one. So, now she is taking a break by watching the Sageuk THE KINGS FACE.

I was really looking forward to the return of the daily drama BE MY DREAM FAMILY but the hiatus continued. I have words adequate to describe my feelings about this but should not use them here as they are language I learned while serving in the U.S. Navy. I have filled in by watching more of the silly Chinese Costume Dramas HONEY, DON’T RUN AWAY and TRUTH OR DARE. Simple fun.

And speaking of simple fun- we did get in another episode of THE WITCH’S DINER. Responding to Quirkycaes comment regarding Jin’s latent abilities my hypothesis is that Jin is indeed destined to be a witch herself.

My roomate is a gumiho (ep 9): I started this on a whim, and really liked the premise and the Female Lead. It is very rare to see a female lead young, assertive and self-confident in kdramaland. But then... I got confused. And I am still a bit confused by where it's going.
At a distance, spring is green ep 11: the bromance is the reason this is interesting. I find the characters exaggerated.
Mine ep 13: still stuck on this episode. Have not been able to move past it. The story got less and less interesting as we moved along.
Monthly home magazine ep 11: this was my weekly fluff that I loved! It was fun and funny... until they got together and it got less fun. I dont know if it's the lack of chemistry or what. Something just does not click anymore.

I usually watch only currently airing dramas.
I try to watch everything at least the first ep.1 or 2 and decide if I keep watching or not.
But recent dramas (that premiered in June/July), I dropped almost everything, I don't know... nothing really clicked except Racket Boys, On The Verge Of Insanity and HP2.
Even HP2, I am not sure about the season 2. It seems a little boring and not interesting as season 1 (in my opinion).
But many upcoming dramas in the 2nd half of 2021 sound good. Please please make me feel like "so many so little time", "I need more than 24 hours a day to watch"!

Currently Watching

1. The Witch's Diner: I still don't understand but I am watching to see how it goes.

2. Racket Boys: Can't believe it is almost over. ☹️☹️☹️☹️. Waiting for Monday.

3. You are my glory: Nice watching this. Yang Yang became my favorite Chinese Actor. I realized he acted Vanguard.

4. Started watching Reset in July.

I rarely watch a weekender from start to finish, because I feel the story could really be told in 20 episodes or so if all the filler scenes were left out. Normally, I just check in each week for a few minutes, and then only watch the last 10 episodes or so. There have been the exceptions to this, such as 5 Children and Ojakgyo Brothers, both of which I loved.
Soooo... This week I started 2012s Can We Get Married because it has some actors. What an experience! A weekender-like story, told over only 20 episodes. No filler, almost every scene dramatic and interesting. I was hooked from the first episode to the last. I highly recommend this one to fans of 50 episode stories. Be prepared for all the melodrama condensed into just 20 episodes.

Ongoing:

Ashin of the North: Gorgeous-looking cinematography and great acting by Kim Shi-ah and Jun Ji-hyun. Now give me my season 3.

The Devil Judge: Behind by a few episodes. So far however, I’m not liking how the story uses its female characters - except Sun-ah. Kim Min-jung is a gem.

Hospital Playlist: Still sad by the lack of episode 7.

Nevertheless: WE GOT A SOLJIWAN CONFESSION GUYS!! And some more drama from the resident straights of the show.

Racket Boys: I’m so unbearably attached to the characters of this show that I don’t know how I’ll let go. If they can just nail that finale, this can easily be my favourite of the year alongside Move to Heaven (Tang Jun-sang supremacy!!) and Beyond Evil. My only real complaint is that we should’ve got to see Kang Tae-sun sooner because I already love him and want to see more of him.

Finished:
At a Distance, Spring is Green: I’m still not over the fact that they forgave those asshole sunbaes. Ngl, that ruined the drama for me.

Imitation: SO CUTE! I squealed through all the last episode performances. I loved all our characters and couples. Will definitely rewatch as a comfort show in the future.
…..

As for non kdrama stuff, I’m watching The Imperial Coroner and am delighted by how great it actually is. It’s so rare to find a cdrama with such strong writing. On the flipside, there’s Falling Into Your Smile, which has awful writing - so much ableism, fatphobia and nationalism, even by cdrama standards. But I like Xu Kai so I keep hate-watching it.

I want to start Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim. It has Kim Sae-ron and Nam Da-reum as leads. That’s all the reason I need. As well as the cdrama You Are My Glory, also for the leads.

Thai-Drama
The Crown Princess: Certain discussion of beanies on Indonesian/Thai dramas led me to explore around a bit and landed up on this one. One word for it would be Wow! I loved pretty much everything in this. But in particular it was the styling that just left me in complete awe. I enjoyed the pace of this one till the last 3 episodes. This drama reiterated my commitment to dramas over movies in general. Dramas let me enjoy the universe I like for much longer.

K-Drama
Mouse: Just started but I am unnerved with this one. Too many murders in 2 episodes. I might take it slow.

C-Drama
Don't Leave after School: This is THE best school drama for me. 'A love so Beautiful' and 'Le Coup de Foudre' may step back. Episode 8 onwards it shifted from funny into heartwarming but funny is still its USP. I mean this drama threw funny even in side character's childhood memory. The subbing has slowed down at the last leg and is the only reason I have not completed it.

K-Drama
Mouse: Just started but I am already unnerved with this one. Too many murders in 2 episodes. I might take it slow.

Voice 4 has been gripping from start to finish, so I'm hoping the finale ties everything together in a satisfying way!

I've been hearing good things about Devil Judge from fellow beanies, so I might give that a go next!

non-drama related, it's also been a blast watching the Olympics~ super excited about all the upcoming track and field finals!

Just started and thoroughly enjoying the Devil Judge for its symbolism, iconography and allusions to the Nolan's Dark Knight franchise and fascism. Ji Sung is great of course and has the charisma and knack for theatricality to pull off the titular role with flair. I love how the character plays the old and new media as well as pumping the levers of power like a masterful politician. The dynamic between the two male leads reminds me of Beyond Evil. A wonderfully dark fairytale.

Also bleakly entertaining has been Voice 4. The teamwork has been great. Lee Kyu-hyung has been a great addition to the franchise. I haven't minded Song Seung-heon either.

Nothing in C dramaland seems to be working for me since the delightful The Imperial Coroner but I am still watching the latest in the Dr Qin franchise. Not the best sadly but gets incrementally better once they stop all the nutty and totally unnecessary rom com bickering. A poor handling of the romance but I like the lead actors so I took a peek at The Plough Department of the Song Dynasty (an older drama) for Zhang Yujian who doesn't feature much in the second half. It's okay overall. But for a show that's purportedly about The Plough Department, it's overcrowded. Started on Young Blood which is decent so far.

• New Face: Chinese drama about face swapping, Zhou Yiwei as a plastic surgeon, is getting lots of attention from me. And some surprisingly funny moments as he tries to find his feet in a whole new and frightening world with his new face, and when the gangsters, waiting with their baseball bats, are dancing to karaoke.

• You are My Spring: I love everything about this. What happened to those children?

• Encounter: Clueless, I never suspected this is a Noona romance. I’m only up to episode 5, but Song Hye-kyo is surprisingly tolerable (and all just before the news of her divorce broke). So far, the role hasn’t really pushed her too far out of her range, which is generally emotionless, cold and resentful. The story follows a familiar trope that I’m going to call from now on, “the troubles of the chaebol”. I’m starting to recognise this almost predatory fascination with the private lives of rl people told and retold in dramas with enough variation to avoid legal repercussions. If you were the person in question, you’d never be able to watch a drama without feeling uncomfortable. Nonetheless [a word that cannot be used innocently any more] Park Bo-gum is starting to generate some good chemistry. He’s a good actor. He was brilliant in I Remember You and he’s looking great in this. Interestingly it’s a gender reversal of the candy trope, but PBG’s character is too smart and switched on to be a real candy and SHK’s character is appropriately vulnerable and in need of rescue as a FL.

• Shopping King Louis. I’ve only watched two episodes. Oh but I laughed. I hope it keeps on like this. I’d only seen Seo In-guk in Doom and I Remember You, and I had no idea he was such a good comic actor. On the basis of two episodes, it was all spot on: that moment when he turns away from the screen and his eyes are racoon’s eyes, his attempts at escape from his over-protective bubble, his interactions with Um Hyo-sup as Kim Ho-joon, his butler, the items in the jewellery shop that call out to him, “buy me”, his first taste of Maxim Gold, and his sensitive skin. Then there's the thieving halmeoni, the black weasel from Mt Seorak, LOL I love that his house looks like Versailles and some of the scenes in the first episode hint at the Coppola Marie Antoinette (2006). Good writing, direction, and perfect timing. We’ve had two major tropes already: the truck of doom and amnesia. We’ve also got a wonderful gender role reversal here too, with the wealthy boy brought low and now a perfect candy. Best ever. This is the only way I want to take my candy.

• Devil Judge: I like this because even if it is set in a dystopian world, it’s so topical: questions of justice and populism and the independence of the judiciary.

• Racquet Boys: two more episodes to go and I don’t want to finish it. It will have a place in my heart forever. I love adolescent boys with all their faults and endearing natures.

• Hospital Playlist 2: a beautiful episode about compassion – it’s...

wow so i started watching seven day queen after hearing some good stuff from fellow beanies and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! the angst hurts so much, but it’s so good, and the emotions and everything is so complicated, so complex, so tragic but really just pulls at your heart. it’s such great storytelling, the plot moves so fast, the main leads are so good and i’m falling in love with yeon woojin all over again since marriage not dating 😭

also recently finished may of youth that also hurt so bad but felt so good 😅

do other beanies have any other recommendations for shows that “hurt so bad but are so good”??? lmao been craving melodrama lately and want to feel some angst and kinda just see a romance that stands all trials and tribulations 🥲

Mad for Each Other: I’m halfway through and I LOVE IT. Jung Woo’s a natural at comedy and has a beautiful gravitas to him that makes me (and Minkyung) feel safe. In the wrong hands his character could easily go wrong (I can say the same about Sseureki, the only other role I’ve seen him in).

We got some bts clips in lieu of Hosplay Ep 7 this week. I think my biggest problem with this season so far is how we’re not learning more about the friends? Especially Songhwa. She used to be my fave friend but it took me a season to realize I barely know her at all (is this a ShinLee thing?). And as much as I’m wg trash I also hoped to see more story from them besides the fluff.

Also, NOT ENOUGH UJU

Anyway if they keep doing these patient moments and nice song covers I’m fine.

Has a full week ever been this boring? I thank the Lord that I had my exams to occupy my head, cuz k-dramas mostly fill that part for me.
I miss Hospital Playlist 🥺🥺. But can someone help my Joon-wan? The loneliness is clearly written on his face. I just hope he will be able to shell it off one day.
The only drama that had caught my attention and deemed itself worthy enough for me to add to my bucket list all this while has been Hospital Playlist.
Can anyone please brief me about Devil Judge, from the reviews and comments I've been seeing, it seems promising. Is it worth it?
Thanks in advance.