Watching :

Mon-Tue : Doubtful Victory ❤ and Just Between Lovers (beautiful place)
Wed-Thu : I'm not a Robot (only for the cuteness and skip all of the company politic)
Sat-Sun : Hwayugi (Lee Seung Gi !)

I'm quite left behind the latest episodes of JBL and IANAR and had planned to marathon them in the new year holiday. But what to do when my superior said we have to come to work in the last day of 2017 (!) 😭 sometimes working in a hospital is too hard..

JUST. BETWEEN. LOVERS. <3 <3 <3 <3

Final What We’re Watching of 2017! It has been a great year being a part of this community, thank you everyone. ❤️️

I am only watching one ongoing drama: Just Between Lovers. I would have watched it anyway for Junho, but I am pleasantly surprised by how GOOD it is so far. I really like the quirky friend in the wheelchair (btw I don’t remember a drama that dealt with disability before?) If there is any weak side, it is the second leads: their story is bland (so far), and Kang Hana could vary her face expression and do something other than be angry all the time. But everything else, the cinematography, the music, the pace, the main leads, I absolutely ADORE. And yes, I like men who eat carrots too, particularly if it's Junho.😋

On the side, I finally decided to pick up Girls Generation 1979. I’m at episode 3, and so far, it has delivered a mix of ROFL, second-hand embarrassment, cringe-in-sympathy, anger at the unfairness of a patriarchal home, cute friendships and a bit of mystery. I like it.

Finally, I have to give an honorable mention to my mother, who has put my week to shame. She is recovering from influenza, and therefore binge-watched Beethoven Virus (haha) Jackpot (I caught a glimpse of some electric acting, need to check this out), and today I found her on episode 12 of Six Flying Dragons... And here’s me hardly managing to watch one drama.😂

But it’s better this way: my 2018 intention is to have a healthy kdrama diet. You shouldn’t see me watching more than 1-2 shows at a time, so that I will have time to do other things and bring some order to my life. Choose dramas wisely and live well. Happy New Year everyone! 🤗

Just Between Lovers is my crack drama of the moment. I can’t say how many times I’ve watched this pearl of a drama - raw and subbed. The acting and plot are really nuanced and subtle, so I keep finding different things to appreciate about it.

I like that they’re dealing with architecture and buildings instead of the conventional professions like doctors, cops or lawyers. And that they’re really no outright villains in the plot. Even the “jerk” CEO is layered, vulnerable and hurting.

Hwayugi is a nice distraction, I’m a bit sad about the extra week wait to watch episodes 3 and 4. But I hope the cast and crew are safe and accident free.

Still enjoying the three prime time Weds & Thurs dramas, but I’m liking Nothing To Lose more than Black Knight or I’m Not A Robot as the latter two are notoriously thin on plot. They all have stellar acting which keeps me vested each week.

Andante is the only weekend drama I’m watching, and it ends in two weeks. Big Sigh. At least I’ll have Hwayugi to replace it, and it promises to be good.🙊

Just dropping it here that Prison Playbook has cured me from my slump and ALL IS WELL IN THE MY WORLD

Wise Prison Break: Current obsession even though I’m still adapting to the long hours. It’s an awesome character-driven show even though they have slow plots going on. But still awesome anyway as I’m so invested in all the characters. The visitation hours at the prison made me cry this week.

I’m Not a Robot: Oh the angst is so good this week, and Yoo Seung Ho owns me the moment he flips his fingers. 💔 I seriously want to hug him. Can’t imagine how broke he will be when he realised how much lies have been accumulating around him as we speak. Sigh.

Just Between Lovers: Melodrama is totally not my forte. This drama really needs me to be in the right mood and don’t think I’m quite ready to be emotionally invested with the show. BUT, I have no idea why I kept watching every time new episode is out LOL. Probably because I have a thing when it comes to scruffily-beaten hero and adorably honest heroine.

Jugglers: Lemme be honest and say that I shamelessly stayed for Daniel Choi’s hands.

Two Cops (up to episode 18): My interest in it has waned. I think it's got some good moments, but I also think it's getting less cohesive.

I am not a robot (up to episode 12): An adorable drama, but it's also a drama that I watch passively. I want Min-Kyu to know Jia is a real girl, but I'm dreading the moment he finds out that Jia and the whole Santa Maria team has tricked him.

Jugglers (up to episode 7): I alternate between annoyed and curious. I'm starting to really like the Yul and Jung-Ae pairing (even though I feel impatient with them as individuals) and am hoping they'll win the Boss award even though they don't have a snowflake's chance in hell.

Hwayugi: I enjoyed episode 1 and fell in love with it by the end of ep 2. The cinematography and directing (including music direction) could be better for something featuring LSG and CSW, but I think for now, I'm only hoping for a safe production environment for everyone.

Wise Prison Life (up to ep 3): May take me months to finish it. I find that when I start an episode, I'm thoroughly immersed and fascinated. But once I end the episode, I don't have the energy or inclination to pick up the next episode.

Master's Sun: I enjoyed it the first time around, and I think I actually like it better on rewatch (up to ep 8 now). Originally, I wasn't too into the odd OTP and the contrived way they're put together, but now I'm just rolling with it and even relishing it at times. The cases-of-the-week were emotionally engaging, and the music and direction were also on-point.

I share Javabeans feelings on My Golden Life: this drama is SO cold, that you can't really get attached to the characters or be concerned what happened to them. The twists follow twists and erase what happened not a long time ago to the characters at the cost of consistency and credibility.

After finishing Argon and very much enjoying this superb underrated little gem, i tried Nine nine times time travel but i'm blocked at episode 2. Something about the main actors rub me the wrong way and the story seems too simplistic. Also the drama doesn't seem to have a real heart.

However Japanese drama are very surprisingly taking the top of my list of best drama of the year: Erased on Netflix totally stole the spotlight in my heart to Secret Forest and i'm watching the last episodes of Quartet, which is so good that i must pinch myself to confirm that it's real.

Finished: While you were Sleeping. It was ok. Started: Hwayugi. I love this staff.

Hi! Can someone recommend me a drama that has the same vibe as Wise Prison Life? :)

Glad to hear the talented Seo Ji-hye is as reliable and compelling as usual.
Although I have a beef with dramaland for casting CF princes and princesses over talents, our underrated actors do give life and attention to lesser characters.

Hats off to our talented actors who are still stuck in 2nd leads and small roles. Eom Ki-joon, Yoo Jun-sang, Yoo Jae-myung, Han Ye-ri, Honey Lee, Lim Ju-hwan, Seo Ji-hye, Kang Han-na, Lee Se-young etc.
Maybe 2018 would be much kinder.

INAR: Really enjoying the development and the full engagement of the cast. Most of the gender switch/hidden identity dramas use various other devices for the discovery. Coffee Prince was unique in that Eun Chan was the one to confess her "deception" to Han Gyul. I would really like it if they could make INAR take a similar path - where the heroine takes the initiative rather than constructing some kind of scenario for an accidental revelation. This drama has done a very good job developing human characters and this would be the icing on the cake. It seems the writer is struggling to find plot devices that would justify her ongoing deception (probably leading up to noble idiocy) and it would just be nice if they made her take the honest path instead.

Jugglers: Also enjoying this a lot - despite some misgivings around Ep3-4. I wonder how are they going to reconcile this "relationship with my boss" issue? Maybe it is finally time for YY to leave the company and be an independent "juggler". The writers haven't written themselves into any moral quagmires yet and I anticipate (or fervently hope) they'll figure this one out rather than just gloss over it.

Hwayugi - So far very well done. It didn't waste any time and went straight into the story helped by the JttW references, no doubt. Personally, it is too early to discern how or what will become the main story arc, other than it will likely involve romance. Balancing action, character development, the supernatural mythology and keeping a coherent story going will be a delicate job. I am looking forward to a well crafted drama but semi fearful that it will collapse into an unholy mess.

Black Knight - ehhh...stopped watching after Ep5. Probably just a bit of backlog from holiday activities but I'm not feeling much desire to pick it up again. If I am being generous, KRW's character is forceful and confident while SSK's is genuinely insecure and unsure. But tonally at times, KRW appears more like a stalker and SSK a little envious and self pitying. It is a bit off-putting.

Pleassssseeee watch Just Between Lovers! It's so beautiful from the writing to the directing to the acting. It really is intoxicating to watch. It's one of those stories that really opens up your eyes to the world and makes you see the people in front of you with. Again please watch!
Smart Prison Living as well. Such a good story. It feels so simple but yet so compelling. It's so rich in characters; it makes you see the beauty in these so flawed characters. They are inmates who have done bad things but maybe just maybe that is not always the full story. It really shows the complexity of life and how u things are always grey and not black and white.

Just Between Lovers: Beautiful. An emotional journey for both the characters and audience.
Someone mentioned the little moments, and for me, the little moments in Episodes 5 and 6 that stood out had to do with shoes: Mom and son's shoes side by side at the home of the old lady with dementia. Gang Doo noticing the new, white shoes on the boy in the ice cream shop, and then kind of shuffling his own old, dirty shoes. Gang Doo seeing those same new, white shoes now dirty and in the most horrifying of situations. Gang Doo desperately digging a shoe out of he mud in the midst of a PTSD episode.

I'm Not A Robot: The angst has arrived.

«This show can be silly, but they always do a good job of bringing it back to an emotional center that keeps it grounded», THIS, Girlfriday, is the reason why I keep on watching this show.. I mean, of course it also has some cuteness and some laughs, and Yoo Seung-ho is pretty (at least for me), but I like the fact that the show developes so much depth over a problem that doesn't really exist (she not being a robot), and the reason why she cannot tell, and the need and the longing (his), and the FEELINGS!!
Poor Min kyu, I want his misery to end.
I have to keep watching, I need to know what will happen and how.

Among all dramas I watch currently (4 Mon-Tue shows, 4 Wed-Thu shows and 3 Weekend shows-Yeah, I don't have time to do anything else), my favorites are-
1. Just between Lovers
2. Smart prison living.
(I have to watch them raw because I just can't wait)

shows that I watch-
Jugglers:Show got more interesting with CW's back story.Yes i noticed Daniel Choi’s hands.
Two Cops:Enjoyed Prison episode when Su-chang felt right at home
Mysterious Il-seung:Papa Jones fighting! (How did you win over Subway). Two NIS agents are my fav.
Just Between Lovers: LOVE LOVE LOVE. Won Jin-ah is gem.
Black Knight: Such odd show. Motocycle scene was absurd. Best thing:Seo Ji-hye is my girl crush since Sindon days.
I'm Not a Robot: Cute, and Recap is the best
Nothing to Lose: I hoped this show to be cute(disappointed) but Yeon Woo-jin looks perfect as judge.
Smart Prison Living: Love every character, but episode is too long.
Money Flower: Plot is slower than I hoped but I love the show. Jang Hyuk is perfect for the role (even without his signiture laughter).
Bad Guys: Too much action/violence. Wating for more bromance.
Hwayugi: Fun but I will be fine with less puffing-out ghosts
Glad they pre-empty some shows so that I can watch some more shows. lol

I'm really really really sad dramabeans is not recapping "Just Between Lovers" the drama is simple yet so beautiful, the acting , direction, cinematography, everything about the drama is so good. Plus I love how the roles are a bit reversed lol

Honestly this drama season has been a slow one for me so if you guys have any recommendations of current or previously aired dramas I will appreciate it, because now I have the time to marathon shows.

Just Between Lovers: I LOVE LOVE this drama. It doesn't bring anything new to the table you have your tragic event and traumatized adult characters but the chemistry between the leads is great. It has so many cute moments and Junho as well as Won Jin a are doing a great job at playing the characters. Right now they are friends moving into lovers and honestly I can't wait until they are head over heels for each other. I just hope the upcoming reveals don't drag and don't ruin the momentum between the main characters.

Go Back Couple: I started watching this show but stopped watching it in early episodes. To the insistence of my friend I continued it and I have to say that to me it was one of the best shows of the year. My friend did warned me that she felt that too much time was spend with the second leads and that that was one of the things she didn't like too much, and while I have to agree I feel that it was necessary for the leads. This is what helped them understand that they couldn't live without each other. Also the relationships explored between parents and children was great, the last three episodes made a crying mess but I still left the show smiling and somewhat satisfied. I say somewhat because the ending did feel a bit rushed but I still don't regret watching it. I feel like Jang Na-ra has generally a good eye and judgement for scripts so now I think that I will have to keep an eye on her future shows, also please give me more Son Ho-Jun in the future preferably in a romantic comedy.

Jugglers: I have been waiting a long time for Daniel Choi to be in another romantic comedy and honestly so far I feel the wait was worth it. It is rare for a show, mainly rom-coms to make me care about other characters other than the leads but I can honestly say I like all the characters except for the "villains" of course. I have seen some comments (not particularly here) where they have said this show is sexist because it portrays woman as secretaries and all I have to say is...really? -_-. Most of the dramas I have watched usually have a male character portrayed as an assistant. Also female secretaries exist and just because they don't fall into what people don't see as ideal they shouldn't be shunned or hidden as if they were a taboo. It's a job and people need jobs to survive, also I think the show does a good job at showing the struggles assistants go through. Anyway the main leads are also doing a great job and the comedy is not too exaggerated, they make little things seem hilarious and honestly that is what I love about this show.

I am not a Robot: so cute and fuzzy!!! Felt so bad for our favourite Director!

Just between Lovers: Amazing show and I love the main characters.

Hwayugi: funny and interesting at the same time. Love the work of the Hong Sisters. Hope they will do a proper editing and keep staff and crew save from now on. Praying for the staffer that got injured.

Black Knight: I like it but it is a bit weird...it just switches between weird (what's with the ballet sequences??!) and cute and nice. Not sure what to expect.

I've put aside Wise Prison Life (for now! I'm on episode 8) to catch up on j-dramas, and I Just finished Kahogo no Kahoko, which was really cute... I feel like it's the type of drama that I should dislike, but I really enjoyed it. Will move onto something angstier next.

Just Between Lovers, makes me wants to re-watch Chief Kim
Smart Prison Living, I'm loving their love-hate relationships
Jugglers, still watching for Daniel Choi
I am not a Robot
20th Century Boy and Girl

I’m Not A Robot | "I wish that robot was human."
This show is great. All the characters are interesting. The production values are stellar (my God, the cinematography is incredible). The balance of humor and heartbreak is perfect. Love, love this show.

Jugglers | "Yoon-yi is someone I want to trust."
The office scene where Chi-won imagined all the ways Yoon-yi takes care of him was lovely. But his wrist grab—and the way he tugged her away from her date—was a deep turn off. Yech.

Hwayugi | "I made a sauce."
The production values aren’t up to snuff here. The ghost-related CGI is beyond cheesy. But I’m loving the chemistry amongst the leads, the music and the fashion. I want to wear all the dark clothes worn by my sexy ahjussi Cha Seung-won. And I lurve our naughty monkey’s pimpin’ style.

Nothing to Lose | "I love you both to death, but I don’t think the three of us should hang out and get attached."
To paraphrase @ladyjaye, it’s a great cast in search of a better show. For the past three weeks, I’ve been scrubbing through the show, pausing on the Dong-ha scenes.

‘Just Between Lovers’ is a wonderful show with a lovely OST. Why aren’t you talking about it more?