The summer is slowly but surely coming to the end in my corner of the World... and I'm so not ready for the shorter and colder days. Especially this year I feel like needing one extra month of sun and warmth. And it seems Dimples Hometown is bringing me exactly that 💕 - the prolonged (Indian) summer. I'm here for the warmth (and dimples 😀) it gives me... and that I feel like I'm relaxing on the beach lounger... perhaps with a drink... watching the sea... and feeling the breeze on my face...

(I also finally caught up with Hospital... and Dr. Bong shined! Besides that I'm mainly living for the band scenes... and whenever the quintet is together. And hahaha 😂 that ping pong tournament had me in stitches 😂 )

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha: I really liked the first two episodes. It was comfortable and cute. Kim Sun-ho and Shin Min-ha make a pretty pair. As somebody born and raised in a small town, I could relate to both Hye-jin and the villagers. I was worried there wouldn’t be enough story for 16 episodes but it seems like there will be different subplots involving the villagers. Lee Sang-yi’s character hasn’t arrived yet either.

Police University: I was worried last week that we’d get a lot of angst with Sun-ho and Kang-hee, but thankfully, it was short-lived. They make a good pair. I liked the four students working together to help Dong-man.

Lovers of the Red Sky: I didn’t realize this was fantasy. I’m not much of a sageuk fan and especially not a fan of fantasy sageuk with demons and stuff. The CGI was not the greatest.

You Raise Me Up: I enjoyed all of the imagery – poor deflated wind man - and felt for the male lead. I can’t relate to erectile dysfunction, but I can relate to having low self-esteem and feeling like you are falling behind. I just wanted to give him a hug. The female lead and her boyfriend are awful, however. There’s no need for the female lead to use Young-shik to prove a point, the boyfriend proved that he’s not a good guy much less doctor by setting Young-shik up to be humiliated.

CRICKET -

England Vs. India - 3rd Test match - As said last week - cricket gave ti back - everything in balance now.
4TH Test - good test match going on. Batting quality of both teams isn't of high quality and even bowling from Indian side is loose but that is what made for more engaging, competitive test matches. Indian openers and Joe root has shown good quality batting. Enjoying this series and Ashes is about to start in few months and root has every opportunity to create new records.
All in all awesome Test cricket is up.

Police University: The drama continues to be fast paced. I like all the students and even the gruff constitutional law professor. However I am not a fan of Dong Man. He isn't professional, he is over dramatic, and he lacks boundaries.

Lovers of the Red Sky: I am going to keep it 100. I'm not sure I understand what is going on with the demon spirit and the blindness switching sides. I don't understand what Samshin is doing and why the demon keeps coming out and going back into people. That being said I am oddly intrigued. The leads have chemistry and the side characters are interesting enough.

Lost: I can't wait to see you. I hope it is good.

The Great Shaman Doo Shim: Woo Soo is such a swoony lead man, telling Our Doo Shim all these things. You are my future indeed. They are so cute and I'm glad they could save Il Nam.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha: I really like Hye Jin and I don't think she deserves most of the criticism she is getting. She is a bit stuck in her ways, but that makes sense. She will have growing pains, but it didn't have to be in that embarrassing way. I wish dramas would stop embarrassing female leads like that. I hope Doo Shik becomes nicer.

COMPLETED
D.P. - At times the bullying truly made my skin crawl, which I guess was the intended effect. There have been several incidents of soldiers killing colleagues in recent years and watching this made me start wondering what the actual stories were behind those incidents, whether they were also the outcome of a cycle of violence and abuse. Very good show - thought-provoking and moving.

STARTED
Hometown Cha-cha-cha - This is light and breezy and sort of exactly what I needed after watching DP. It's definitely not breaking new ground (childhood connection, trip and fall, etc.) and is very similar to the movie but I don't find that a bad thing. So far. Plus the leads are charming and I'm a sucker for fast-paced, funny bickering between leads.

The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim - Liked the method they devised to save Il-nam after his fall. But the short episodes genuinely feel like a problem. Some scenes just look so ridiculous because of how suddenly they happen - such as the way Doo-shim's mom got slapped. And then there isn't even time to properly feel for her before the story jumps ahead.

C-DRAMAS
Completed One and Only. Also binged Falling Into Your Smile and Sweet Teeth.

Still watching Song of Youth.

I was in the mood for something light so I checked out two rom-coms.
I watched both Hometown Cha cha cha and you raise me up

And yes, I was utterly surprised when I was totally (I'm hesitant to use the word 'gripped' seeing what this drama is about) hooked by You Raise Me Up.

Who would have thought that a drama about erectile dysfunction starring YSY (I'm not a huge fan) would be more touching than a drama about a seaside dentist starring Dimples Couple?

But there we are. Just goes to show that I never know beforehand what I'm going to like.

Devil Judge. I started this drama after it aired and binged it in a couple of weeks. It was fun to watch, and entertaining but I miss the drama that could have been. The very interesting questions raised about what Justice is were not totally addressed and it felt repetitive at the end. I do believe drama could have benefited from less episodes and less “I’m looking into this empty room and now I will spend five minutes remembering random scenes from previous episodes”. But even so, as I love everything dystopian, I enjoyed it and specially Ji Sung and Kim Min Jung acting. She is a goddess!!! (And by the way her ending was so out of character, imo!!!).

You are my spring. This drama goes directly to my top 2021 list. What a charming OTP we had. I just loved it. Also the way side characters were so well written. The mystery part was a bit weird, but I have to admit it was well done although a but rushed. I hadn’t watch anything with Kin Dong Wook since Coffee Prince and now it seems I will have to go through his entire filmography. My girl Set Huyn Jin deserves all awards possible. Her performance was… I’m just speechless.

The great shaman Ga Doo Shim. I’m having so much fun watching this little drama, but 20 minutes a week is too little. I always complain episodes are too long… well, this is not the case.

Hospital Playlist, I watched this week last week’s episodes and enjoyed it. This second season is nice but I keep saying I don’t have the same vibe as the first one. Even so It’s my life is one of my fave songs by Bon Jovi, so…

Police University. I decided to give this a try and I’m liking it (still on episoe 5). The only thing that drives me back a little is the fact that I can hardly believe Krystal and Jin Young are 19. Pleeeeaaaaaaaseeeeeeeee.

D.P. is a different drama. I’m liking and enjoying Jung Have In in a different role. Still on episode 4.

Red Sky. I loved it!!! I watched with no much expectations and mainly because it had been on the Viki “coming soon” list forever. I loved, loved, loved it. I hope it keeps this way.

Hometown Chachahcha. Absolutely in love with this tropey romcom. Ally said it was just like a Hallmark Christmas movie and I totally agree and I love it. Absolutely in love with BB, from a distance because he’s M’s BB.

Many thanks to all the beanies who recommended Zombie Detective, which is the perfect antidote to the post-"On the Verge of Insanity" blues. The humour is much broader than OTVOI’s, and a lot of eps1-5 isn’t terribly subtle. In fact, I’m getting the impression that the writer and PD’s approach to the show boils down to “throw everything at it and see if it sticks”. However, when it does stick, it's absolutely spot-on, like the K-poppification of zombies at the tripe stew restaurant, or our fastidious zombie hero’s revulsion at human traits and habits.

What I find rather unique about ZD is the way it emphasises human grossness to the point of… well, grossness. Sometimes the show seems almost odorously redolent of sweat, saliva, blood, dirt, rubbish and flesh both raw and cooked. If people watch K-drama for people, places and things that are clean and pretty, then it’s no wonder that ZD did so badly in the ratings. But IMO it’s a brilliant way of evoking humanity in all its disgusting glory, which in turn reflects how the zombie’s longing to be human again is constantly at odds with his new-found outsider’s perspective.

HOMETOWN CHA-CHA-CHA OF COURSE!!
I love everything about this drama, except my hatred for childhood trope is kind of itching on my love for it. The leads are cute, except our ML is a bit I know it all.
Love with exceptions, right? I just hope this drama have enough content to keep glued to my screen for the next 14 hours.

The Great Shamand and Blue Birthday have been pleasant surprises for shorter/not so hyped/low budget dramas. I think the shorter format indeed helps with having a more tight and fast paced story but it always left me feeling sad that I can't see a bit more of these characters weekly. The Great Shaman has been especially amazing with the two leads insane cute chemistry and how bold our main boys is when it comes to his love lol

D.P was such a also a good surprise. from the promo, I didnt think the drama would go that dark, but I'm happy it did. Its definitely not for everyone though, it has triggering topics and a lot of violence overall, but it never felt unnecessary imo. It showed how systematic bullying is and how it affects everybody involved for the rest of their lives. amazing performances from a great cast. the contrast to their interview promos is hilarious to me lol

Police University I wonder how those students will be able to become good police men/women with Dong-Man as a teacher... He's so bad at doing his job...

Lovers of the Red Sky I really liked the first 2 episodes. I really liked the fantasy part. They did well with the scenery.

Wednesday-Thursday : What happened to other channels? TVN is the only one that continue to air dramas without break.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha I don't know what people were expecting but for me, it's the perfect rom-com with a lot of place for the character to growth. I love the fact it's not in Seoul but near the sea. SMA and KSH have a good chemistry and they look beautiful together.

The Great Shaman They're so cute together.

You Raise Me Up It was pretty disapointing. They made the ML looking so pathetic, no need to be a psy to know where is his issue from. It would have been more interesting him being confident. Neither the urologist nor the psy acted professionaly. Saying to a patient that he should enlarge his penis is pretty mean for a doctor. They had a problem with their hair stylist too. I liked the part where the ML needs pink things to make him feeling better.

Check Out the Event Yep, both of them deserve their pain...

A Piece of Your Mind After D.P., I needed a longer drama with Jung Hae-In. This drama is so beautiful! I'm still mad at TVN >_<

Human Disqualification I'm so ready for this one! Jeon Do-Yeon looks so beautiful, it's hard to believe they are 13 years apart.

D.P. (Series review)
While the show did an excellent job highlighting the absolute brutality of institutionalised bullying and the failures in the military hierarchy (no doubt a dig at the reality of Korean conscription!), there were moments where I felt a bit let down: 1) the new captain had a personality transplant during the climax, 2) our favourite friend Truck-kun made a cameo and the protagonists definitely had plot armour recovering from a car accident in hours, 3) the police were dumbed down in order to keep the tension going. But I really enjoyed the ending: it’s not happy, not sad, not open, dramatic yet realistic.

Lovers of the Red Sky (Episode 1-2) - Mood: C
Normally, I would stay far away from sagueks because of the difficulty in writing the genre well, however, I saw that the assistant writer of Be Melodramatic was penning this script and that was enough for me to check it out. Sadly, it wasn’t the revelation I had hoped or maybe even expected it to be with the same-old tropes. Wasn’t the twisted fates of our leads more than enough drama? Why add an evil shaman and greedy prince? I also dread the upcoming triangle which will be a burden on Yang Myung’s characterisation: I hope Gong Myung won’t regret accepting this role?

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (Episode 1-2) - Mood: C-
I wasn’t very hopeful about the plot from the synopsis but even then I was still disappointed by the premiere week: they really threw all sorts of nonsense at us with everything designed to get Hye Jin into trouble so that Du Sik can save her. Talk about a literal Cinderella reference with the missing shoe! And if that wasn’t enough, the childhood connection will also help explain why he went all out of the way to help her even though he was initially mean, grand love yadda yadda yadda. Now I wonder how Lee Sang Yi will fit into all this: they aren’t so stupid as to have a love triangle, right?

Also watching but not really:
- Check Out the Event: A good end would be Song Yi staying single, nevertheless, I expect to be disappointed.
- The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: Il Nam stays alive (hopefully)! But we got stupid rich parent drama.
- Blue Birthday: Now I’m wondering if Ha Rin’s death led Seo Jun to travel back and complete the time loop.

Prison Playbook⚾👮(12/16): Spoilers: Captain Yoo and Looney fought again. Kaist and Looney fought again.😆 It also probably comes as a complete surprise that Joon-Ho is a smooth gent with the ladies. Jung Kyung-Ho of all people, who would have imagined him capable of such things?😉He also takes care of lieutenant Paeng, despite not liking him.🤗 Je-Hyuk had only one unusual condition for signing with any team. Sadly only one female GM understood that there was nothing unusual about that condition in the slightest.😤

The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim👻👧(7/12): Instant gratification at its worst, Beanies. Do not watch now. Instead, practice patience and binge once it has finished airing. Or else you will give yourself another reason to be impatient for Fridays. I will stop right here, otherwise I might lure more innocent Beanies into making the same mistake!🤫

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha🌊🦷(2/16): Being impatient about a K-drama premier date is nothing new, but actually being able to watch the first episode as it airs and enjoying it immensely? Cha3 certainly pulled it off!😊 I had been absorbing the story and all the pretty like a sponge through pink colored glasses, because the light fluff is more than needed at the moment. However, I do like the show even more after reading the recaps and the many Beanie comments that pointed out its flaws in a respectful manner. I hope the flaws will become opportunities for growth in the future episodes, and I am excited about what the next episodes will bring.😊

Hi everyone! Hope we are all doing well, and enjoying our chosen dramas.
I watched WITCH'S DINER: What a disappointing drama. That was NOT good storytelling, esp in the final episodes. The story just tapered off to that ending, without so much as...anything.

THE GREAT SHAMAN GA DOO-SIM My current happy pill. I love this drama so much. Also, is it just me, or does Nam Da-reum remind anyone else of Ji Jin-hee?

LOVERS OF THE RED SKY: I don't like this mythology. It does not make sense AND it's stupid (to me). Also, it is not a sacrifice if the sacrificial lamb doesn't choose it, kmt!! Episode 2 isn't wowing me neither.

I am also watching Slice-of-Life CDrama THE BOND and am surprised how much I have liked the first 12 episodes so far. No doubt it'll start dragging soon, but right now, it's a delight!

Hometown Cha Cha Cha: 6.5 "The Kim Sun-Ho & His Smile Show".

Lovers of the Red Sky: 8.0 Promising start. I especially liked the animation/narration at the start of day 1, which incidentally reminded me of the beginning of Faith. BUT, switching between the blind characters here and the blind master swordsman in the Zatoichi movies I've been bingeing causes mental whiplash.

The Road: Tragedy of One: __ Dropped.

So I Married an Anti-Fan: 2.5 (days 5/8) So bad it's 💤🤢🤮💤 but my shortage of Wed/Thu shows has driven me to this extreme. The script is lame, the idol male leads are annoying, but at least Soo-young is pretty.

Police Academy: 7.5

The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: 7.5

It's A Summer Film!: 8.5 (Japanese movie) 👍, but to fully appreciate it you might need to watch a Zatoichi movie first, and those might not be to every Beanie's taste.

Dramas: Nothing. Waiting for High Class premiere.

Thanks, @missvictrix, I was disappointed in Hometown Cha Cha Cha too. I feel like all the ingredients are there, but they just haven't come together yet in the right way. The interactions are either a little flat or off key. Maybe it's the directing? I also was disappointed at the harshness from KSH's character, and at how overly clueless our dentist was at the old folks' party. This is the same person who stopped to help two kids on the street.....

I binged through Hogu's Love, or Fool's Love, and I have to say, I cannot believe I missed out on the drama or that I haven't seen it mentioned before. It has some strong themes (TW: homophobia, sexual assault, gaslighting, familial manipulation), but with the exception of the homophobia I felt it handled everything amazingly and realistically. (some vague spoilers below)

The characters were absolutely charming, the various misunderstandings were for once hilarious, entertaining and plausibly understanding, and there was not so much an Idiot Hero moment as there just was a lot of strong feelings and outside shaming involved that caused the temporary breakup. I felt for the characters and I wanted to protect them and hug them and join in on the domestic bubble they had when the three main characters lived together, I almost wanted an entire series of just them three raising a baby with all the hilarity of their relationships. Even when it turned dark with the sexual assault, and it ended somewhat bittersweet, it also showed optimism for the future, where, even if many will be conservative assholes about the ordeal and it was far from over, they could lean on each other and their bigger family, and not be defined by their abusers. I am vary of the "found family" trope mostly because I feel it overused (two colleagues don't hate each other? INSTAND FOUND FAMILY for many, it's like people can't just have normal relations), but here, it felt deserved.

Lovers in the Red Sky: I am so surprised by how much I enjoyed this drama. I went in with not a lot of expectations and I was so glad that I gave this drama a shot. The supernatural outweighs the saguek and I am glad that the male lead seems to be more layered than I initially expected. I am also glad Kim Yoo Jung is starring opposite people closer to her age. I am hoping this the project which cements Ahn Hyo Seop's position as male lead material.

The Road: Tragedy of One - What was Baek Soo-hyun thinking when he decided to become a news anchor? He should've been a detective. ..... On another note, is his wife impersonating her dead twin sister? ..... And Soo-hyun's unstable brother has apparently been so obsessed with his sister-in-law, he hasn't noticed for 3 years what's really going on with his girlfriend --- I knew weeks ago she was faking it.

Penthouse 3 - By now, I'm used to everyone having nine lives on this show ..... but if Joo Dan-tae comes back from that fall then Ro-na's mom better show up again. After all, she only fell off a cliff.

D.P., oh, it was good. Binge watched in 2 sittings, although at times it was not easy to watch. Not the usual portrayal of the military police catching deserters, they seem to be concerned for what made these soldiers desert. It was good to see Jung Hae-in in a different role.

POLICE UNIVERSITY keeps up well. Great humour in it, too.

HOMETOWN CHA-CHA-CHA reminds me sometimes of My contracted husband Mr. Oh, especially the three halmoni. I am not sure about the virtue and healing powers of the country side, I thought it was already too rosy in Racket Boys. Is there now a trend towards these kind of themes? TV audience in the UK is mainly older people, younger ones hardly watch TV any more and I can tell by the programs. Still, I really like both leads and so far like the drama.

A bit disappointed with LOVERS OF THE RED SKY. I am already bored by the shaman and can guess which characters will not survive in the drama. Maybe the production pays more attention to the computer graphics than the characters. Clearly no attention to biology - I know it is a fantasy, but fruit and flowers at the same time on a peach tree is just unnecessarily stupid.

Airing:
Police University: Ep 1-2 Finally able to make time for this. One problem is I haven't payed attention to any of the characters names lol.

Finished
1. D.P: It isn't something generally tend watch but since it was only a short 6 episodes I thought I might just as well. But I am glad I did. Gives a lot to think about. A bit of a hard watch though. 8/10

2. Imitation: 11-12 I watched the last two episodes weeks afterwards, but while I had enjoyed up till then, I found the rest underwhelming. I couldn't get back the feeling I had while watching the first 10 episodes. Still for those 10 episodes alone I give this: 8/10

3. W- Two Worlds: Unexpected but I actually liked it. 8/10

4. Marry me Mary: .5 for the cute and .5 for how it ended: 7/10

5. Black Knight: What a drag for majority of the 20 episodes. 5.5/10

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha: I had some quibbles with the first two eps, but one of the first things I did this morning is check to see of the new ep dropped, so I guess I'm in for another week. I do think the leads are charming and the look of the show is bright and pretty, plus it feels like it might be a feel good happy show and that's all I want right now.

You Are My Hero: I ended up with an unexpected break from work due to a covid outbreak and spent a few of those days devouring this show. Oh, I really liked it. A few eps could of been cut down, especially if they edited the second leads storyline, but overall this was a very well paced show. It had a wonderful slow burn romance that let us see exactly why the two leads would fall for each other. It also had a good balance of time spent on the romance and time spent with the characters at their jobs and with their friends. Not a lot of kissing and nothing beyond that,and of course the leads had never been in relationships before, but once together the OTP had a really nice easy type of skinship between them. I loved how they let us see a couple laugh so much together.

Word of Honor: Part way through this fantasy. Have used some ff but overall enjoyable.

I've somewhat stalled on HP season two and hope to catch up before Thursday. I'm not sure why I've stalled as I still love these characters and their friendship.
Apparently need to check out The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim and I finally want to get to that Netflix romcom Resort to Love.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha: (ep 1-2) I like how it does the fish-of-water thing with the FL without making either FL or the townspeople caricatures. The leads anchor the story, but it looks like the townspeople will be the ones capturing our hearts. Jo Han-chul had me welling up with tears. I like dramas that showcase the supporting characters.

Queen of the Ring: Had avoided it since I wasn't sure how I felt about the plot. Kim Seulgi was the heart and soul of the miniseries. ML is a jerk but the leads have great chemistry together. FL's parents are a hoot, and I'm more jealous of her mom! than of any kdrama heroine!

Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: I really wish the episodes were longer. I really enjoying watching our duo (I get so giddy over them!), Hyun-soo, and Il Nam.

Checking out some other iQiyi dramas..and found Cupid of Chou Dynasty (up to ep 5) to be a fun, silly watch. It's got an interesting concept (the matchmaking business!) with one-dimensional, but really likable characters. Juvenile but funny and charming, and the matchmaking is nicely integrated with the plot. Reminds me a bit of those funny hong kong costume dramas from the 90s that I used to watch.

Looking forward to the next episode of Hometown Cha Cha Cha and Lovers of the Red Sky!

The Great Shaman Ga Dooshim
Nam Dareum and Kim Saeron have great chemistry. Woosoo is such a smooth flirt; it makes me laugh. "I see you. Does it mean you are my future?" Boy, stooop hahaha

Hospital Playlist 2
The last few episodes have been the best of the season. I am still not over that table tennis tournament. But...isn't it too cruel to leave us on such a cliffhanger? I'm guessing it is Ikjoon but then again they love playing games with us.

When the Weather is Fine
A couple of weeks back @missvictrix wrote an article about actors and bad first impressions. I was reminded of my everlasting bad impression of the popular actor Seo Kangjoon. I've been avoiding his work since Cheese in the Trap. The article convinced me to finally give him another chance.
Coincidently, I've been meaning to watch this drama for a while because I love slow-paced and comforting melo romances like Just Between Lovers and One Spring Night. However, I was wary of the cast (although I love Park Minyoung). I am loving this and Seo Kangjoon isn't as bad as I remembered too! I am also loving Lee Jaewook and Kim Hwanghee. They are real scene stealers despite being among the youngest cast members.

I wish there were more dramas like this (slice of life-ish romances). They seem more common in Jdramas but even there I can only name a couple titles.

Dropping Hometown Cha Cha Cha after episode 3. Personally I find the romance not so convincing. Sadly. They have chemistry that's for sure.

Waiting for Shaman Ga Doo Shim to end so I can binge! 20 minutes too short. I get too frustrated!

Lovers of The Red Sky: love the 2 episodes so far. Didn't expect the fantasy at all but I love it. But I dont understand the curse, and the demon posession at all. I kept thinking: what yje heck is going on. Nonetheless, sticking to this for now. I hope it is good until the end. It was slow on some parts but I enjoy the chemistry between the leads. Tropey heart fluttering moments.

Watching You Are My Spring. I need some good romance with slow burns.

I had proposed to see "On the verge of insanity" at once but I was hooked on the Cdrama "The ideal city" (IQIYI, has episodes VIP). If you liked "Misaeng" give it a try.
I would understand that some people consider a little boring since it´s a office drama and I am going through episode 17 and it only has the promise of a possible future romance but for me it has something essential in a long-running drama, interesting characters.

couldn't watch much because of the busy work schedule. Hope to catch the pending episodes soon.

Hometown cha cha cha (1-2): I loved it. The overall set up is refreshing and the leads are doing a good job. I felt a little bit annoyed with all the complaints by Hye jun but that's a given and I am glad she was ready to apologize. I didnot expect the childhood connection to be introduced so fast. And KSH continues to charm. He lights up my screen in all scenes. 😍😍😍 Simply Dimplified !!!!

Devil judge (15-16): Finally completed it. I enjoyed it despite the lost potential.

Tonight we get to watch the third episode of HOMETOWN CHA CHA CHA. It is well worth watching Want to know how to expand a classic movie into a full length drama? Give more attention to the side characters. That is what this writer is doing- and it works. It also means that a simple rom-coms becomes more of an ensemble show without losing the romance. It got good ratings in its premiere and it deserved them. To anyone complaining about our ML’s rudeness to our FL’ in the first episode I will simply say- watch the second episode. He is still being a little tough on her at times but he has her back like she has never had it before. Missvictrix is right about Shin Mi-na’s running outfit but our ML has a point about the halmoni’s and the need to meet them half-way. Those halmoni’s are going to be a hallmark of this show- I cannot help but think that they strongly resemble the ‘mountain grannies’ from MY HUSBAND, MR. OH.

THE GREAT SHAMAN GA DOO SHIM is unique: It is the first time I have had to complain that a show was too short.

No HOSPITAL PLAYLIST this week- and only two more episodes coming. The most recent episodes have been better than the first few in this season.

LOVERS OF THE RED SKY is really good- a little confusing at times (it is a fantasy Sageuk after all) but still a good yarn. It is hard to fail when your female lead is Kim Yoo-jung (my wife keeps remarking on how beautiful she is- which is certainly true- but to me it is her talent and obvious dedication to her craft which stands out the most). Ahn Hyo-seop is no slouch as an actor either.

BE MY DREAM FAMILY took some significant steps forward. Marriage is now in the air as the the youngest son Sang-min and his lady Ga-Eun have finally come to an understanding- although it is something that at this moment they think will simply happen in the future, not knowing that they are about to be surprised by the bad news that Mom’s cancer has returned: This will accelerate their plans significantly once that news comes out. I The 100th episode and the week ended with a sort of simple cinematic valentine. It was a really lovely way to end the week.

My wife has taken a break from her Chinese costume dramas to watch some classic BBC productions, like a version of DAVID COPPERFIELD and another of FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD plus another season of POLDARK. She is currently watching THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD. But we both enjoyed and finally finished the C-drama BEGIN AGAIN which has been one of the better Chinese Rom-coms which I have seen.

It looks like I will have to start watching the C-drama THE BOND again- so many beanies have liked it. I stopped after episode 5 and will give it another shot.

Hometown Chax3 - there was an apology which was nice to see a ML provide, especially when there was no hesitation in giving it

You Raise Me Up - the song that has the same title and is no way associated with this kdrama keeps getting into my head everytime I see the poster. Relevant to the drama, I'm pretty fed up with doctors who share and gossip about their patients to people who should know absoultely nothing about said patients. Added that the psychiatrist embarrassed him knowingly, I really wanted to tear his credientials away to make sure no other patients would be harmed by him in the future.

BL
Peach of time - wasn't really expecting the ghost thing
7 Project and Bite Me are also out

HOMETOWN CHA CHA CHA - sure they were both unevenly rude/nice etc etc but I liked it, it felt like a warm, familiar watch.

POLICE ACADEMY - I like this show so much more than I expected to (possibly because I had no expectations?). I have no time for Dong Man and his extreme unprofessionalism but I love Sun Ho. (Not going to lie, I had to check how old his actor was to see if it was appropriate for me to think he was cute 😂)

Older things -

ZOMBIE DETECTIVE is ticking along, lots of fun.

BAD COUPLE is really a blast from the past. The initial scenario (successful female magazine executive in late 30s wants a baby and decides to have one on her own) is similar to OH MY BABY but the way she goes about achieving this could not be more different (and I think really, really could not be made today). I’m fast forwarding a lot of the angst but I’m enjoying the crazy and the hair, my goodness - I cannot believe she is meant to be trendy with her initial hair.

FATHER IS STRANGE - some speed watching happening here too, but it’s pretty fun.

Hello beanies, it's been a while!

-Ongoing dramas-
LOVERS OF THE RED SKY Two episodes in, and it's not what I was expecting. I thought it would be a historical drama but it's pure fantasy. Not sure I'll continue but I will follow my 4-episode rule.

-Completed-
THE REBEL PRINCESS. Cdrama. This is my kind of drama: layered characters plotting to take over the throne, epic battles, and a strong OTP. I want my own Xiao Qi. 😍 I didn't care at all that Zhang Zi Yi played a character who is supposed to be 15 - she had the gravitas and majesty of a princess, without the whiny voice and overacting of younger actresses. This is the first drama that made me cry over horses.

THE ROMANCE OF TIGER AND ROSE. Cdrama. This is basically a story about a bad writer who falls into her own script and tries to push the characters to follow her stupid "idol historical romance". I found that funny at first and frustrating after a while. She should have realized the story changed the minute she entered the story! However, the romance is swoony and there are lots of parodies and LOL moments, so I can recommend it as a brainless watch.