Hotel del Luna: A/A-: I have too many things to say about this show:
Day 1: Not sure if this is Master's Sun 2.0 or a late Master's Sun Beta, but I'm looking forward to some ghosts-of-the-week. (It was descended from an early version of M's Sun either way).
Day 2: Totally enjoying the IU fashion show. All the fancy clothes are her reward for My Mister. And I guess there's a hotel and something about ghosts?
Costumes: After all the shows where the poor person has expensive designer clothes & handbags, it's a nice change to see a lead in debt from overspending on that stuff :)

Level Up: D/C-: I wanted to like this show. The FL impressed me in Master's Sun and I've been watching out for her ever since. But the dialogue was so lame I couldn't even finish day 1.

Watcher: B+/B+:

Designated Survivor: A-/C-: Liked it, and the obnoxious pushy warmonger general is gone, but they were jerking us around with a fake loss of communication. That kind of writing cannot go unpunished and I'm dinging the how-good-it-was score partly because I can't give a low how-I-liked-it score to Kang Ha-na's pretty face.

Investigative Couple / Partners for Justice: B+/B+: Finishing strong. Or at least making the baddie's mental illness less prominent.

Justice: D+/B: Not necessarily bad, if you like melo & big conspiracies. Not my thing.

Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung: A-/A: Premise didn't sound interesting, but day 1 was lots of fun and to make fun of. Shin Se-kyung is better in light-hearted/funny/over-the-top than in serious/melo, so they're playing to her strength. And I should have known where they were going when they cast her, because show-runners must know her strength too. Then day 2 was less funny and more palace-y.

Class of Lies: D+/B: How many times to we have to say it? Don't touch the bloody murder weapon!!!!! Day 1 was good, day 2 was a mix of stale he's-been-wronged/framed + high-school-bullying.

Doctor Detective: A-/B+: It's a Still, Mary Me reunion with the lead and the cleaver lady from Wok of Love/Greasy Melo. It seems someone Still, Married Her, but it didn't work out.

Doctor John: B/B: But, why is Doctor John a prisoner instead of, you know, a john???

Search Query: WWW: This week has been both frustrating and fun for our Puppy Seol Ji-hwan and Cha Hyun. After making us sad on episode 13, these two made us happy and proud for facing their feelings for each other on episode 14. That kiss was so hot and intense my mind went into flames. We got an increased screentime for our favorite couple, our favorite makjang has ended, and it seems like Unicorn and Barro will join forces for the good, especially now that Ga-gyeong and Brian are leading Unicorn and Barro, respectively. Ga-gyeong and her husband continue to surprise us with their reverse relationship with them starting to get close with one another after deciding to divorce. At this point, I don't think I'll still root for Mo-gun and Ta-mi's relationship because I find myself rooting for Ga-gyeong and her husband.
Rating: 11/10 for Seol Ji-Hwan and Cha Hyun, 11/10 for the women, and 99999999/10 for the smiling puppy Ji-hwan

Perfume: I thought the show was going on the way I expected it to go, but this week's episode surprised me in a good way. Yi-do continues to be the sweetest guy for Jae-hee as herself and as Ye-rin. The revelation felt shocking but satisfying. Now all we need is for Jaehee's husband to get punished and for Jaehee to continue to love, appreciate, and accept herself for who she really is.
Rating: 11/10 for SSR and 10/10 for the message.

Surplus Princess: This 2014 drama was sooooo much fun to watch because of the ensemble and the show itself. We've got a curious pervert mermaid, Jo Bo-ah, her prince that has face blindness before it became cool, Song Jae-rim, keyboard maestro, On Joo-Hwan, fetus Nam Joo-hyuk, and the mukhang bj who is amazing in every way, Kim Seul-gi. I honestly don't know what else to say about this drama except it was really fun to watch. I'm looking forward to watching eps 6-10 to see how this fun show goes.
Rating: 11/10 for Song Jae-rim's edible apple bottom and 11/10 for the pop culture references

This week I have been sucked into two shows. One I was eagerly anticipating and it hasn't disappointed so far... and one I didn't expect to like, but fell for the underdog hero and now can't leave him.

Hotel de Luna (or del Luna??? What's with that spelling? For better Korean pronunciation to avoid the "R"... or is it just completely wrong (de la Luna)? 😆)... is charming right from the first episode with its hotel world between Life and Death where wandering ghosts are being comforted so they can leave for HEAVEN 😊. Though I'm still curious what happens to bad / evil ghosts... can they come to the hotel as well? Or they can only stay in the human world... and chase the landlady... and now Chan Sung? 😆

Speaking of Chan Sung, I have to admit I wasn't sold on Yeo Jingu during the first episode... but by the end of episode 2 he grew on me and I could even see some chemistry with IU. I hope they will use it and not waste it like with Kang Sora and Yoo Yeon Seok in Warm and Cozy (I'm still bitter about it).

IU on the other hand I liked right from the beginning as the badass landlady with stopped time (and yes, all that wardrobe!!)... and I'm looking forward to reveal more layers of her character... and her personal story.

I also liked the introduction of the other characters... and I'm ready to dive into the stories of the hotel "guests"... though... manager Noh... 😢

All in all I'm a happy watcher and keeping my fingers crossed that the show stays good till the end. If there is anything to nitpick about, I miss a bit the Hongs' typical humour and word plays (or is it lost in translation?)... though I do like the running joke of conning Chan Sung into eating at some famous place... or do shopping. 😄

NOKDU FLOWER: Completed. Hands down my favourite drama of 2019 and best sageuk of the last two years. Everything was perfect. I’m gutted that it was dropped from recaps. Could we get a series review at least DB Overlords? Please? *gives best puppy eyes*

JACKPOT (Ep. 18): Well, after Nokdu the bar has been raised very high, so I can’t forgive Jackpot for taking a great premise, dressing it with beautiful sets and camera-work, hiring great actors, but then turning lazy with the writing. What in the world, has everyone inhaled opium in their incense? Why is everyone out to save the villain?

And that’s it. I’m all rom-commed out, so I am going to sit back and wait for the next sageuk, or maybe watch HAECHI or ROOKIE HISTORIAN in the meantime. @mary’s review has practically convinced me to try that fusion sageuk baby.

It’s been kind of a weird week, and so hot and humid that I feel like I’ve been trapped inside. So, what did I watch while avoiding the grossness that is the outside air right now?

Perfume: I gotta say I’m glad I stuck with this one after the traumatizing first couple of episodes. However, if Min Jae Hee, in the form of Ha Jae Sook, is not endgame here, I will be furious. I’ve also decided that I want Ha Jae Sook, Esom, and Kim Seul-gi to star in Charlie’s Angel type detective show. However, there is no “Charlie,” but rather Lee El, or Bae Doo-na as their mysterious boss.

Go Go Squid: Substance? No. Do I care? No. The K&K doofs are adorable, and this week the drama finally really showed us that Tong Nian is not just a dumb love struck girl. She’s got some serious computer programming skills, and when Han Shang Yan realized she’s probably smarter than him, that’s when he went in for the kiss, only to be thwarted by his aforementioned team of doofuses. (Is the plural doofuses or doofusi?) Anyway, Wu Bai’s bank balance is seriously regretting his impulse during that hilarious double blind date. Han Shang Yan has absolutely no impulse control when it comes to giving Tong Nian what she wants.

Boss and Me: Well, Go Go Squid led me down a rabbit hole of translated Chinese novels, which then led me to this drama based on the book by same author who wrote the novel Love O2O is based on, add in a bit of insomnia, and I watched it all. I don’t recommend you do the same. First, what is up with the boss’ weird fun fur wardrobe? If I had a CEO boss of a large conglomerate who on the regular wore furry leopard print collars, or full on furry leopard print shirts to the office, I would not be able to take him seriously. Second, this is typical candy and seemingly cold boss stuff here, an inane love triangle, and a company that regularly hires employees based on their rare blood type so they’re handy in case one of the family needs a blood transfusion. I mean, that’s totally ethical, right?

Hotel del Luna: Four years of Spanish in school, and decades later I don’t know if the del is correct, and I don’t really care. What I do know is that this is pretty, IU’s resting bitch face, and amazing styling are wonderful, the concept is interesting if a regurgitation of many past dramas, and yet, it felt a bit soulless to me. I’ll likely give it two more episodes, and then evaluate my will to continue.

Class of Lies: Can I just say how much I hated the opening scene? Dear media across all platforms, please stop making the murder of young women so stylistically sensual and visually beautiful. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Additionally, the shift from this voyeuristic fantasy to the comedic introduction of the ML was jarring. Due to outside forces, I had to stop watching about 15 minutes in, and I haven’t gone back. I will because I hope once they move to the school setting I won’t be angry at...

How was Class of Lies’s premiere, Beanies? I didn’t have enough real-life time to catch it, though it is my pick from all the shows starting this week. WWW’s finale is next week and I’ll have to play catch up on that too.

Designated Survivor: 60 Days
I’m almost certain that Na Kyung’s fiancé is the anonymous tipper: he is the only one who could have known about the incriminating evidence on his phone as well as the location of her house, though his motives are certainly suspect with him staying off the grid and keeping his identity hidden. On another note, I find myself getting bored whenever the plot heads into the ‘who is the bomber’ moments: I like the growth arcs more, whether it be Moo Jin grasping politics or his team becoming more cohesive. Sorry Lee Joon Hyuk, your acting is great, but I like the other characters more.

Hotel del Luna
The premiere has me feeling mixed. On one hand, I liked how they developed how Chan Sung was fated to take over as the new manager of the hotel (I do wonder what happened to his dad after the hospital bed scene) and why there was a need for a human manager for a ghost hotel. On the other hand, we’re already getting the fated past connection & a tragic backstory for Man Wol: reincarnation theories aside, him being the key to her freedom feels like a gender-flipped Goblin. I hope the writers focus on better material such as him adjusting his hotelier skills for servicing ghosts.

oh, Mary, I love your view of Rookie Historian Gu Hae-ryung

Investigation Couple 2: We are in the final episodes of the drama. No Min Woo is still rather bland as a villain, but out team is doing a great job ramping up the tension. I hope it ends as an entertaining show and doesn't squander itself.

Designated Survivor 60 Days: I am genuinely enjoying the show. Although it is more politics and less action. They are slowly unraveling the mystery of our new Congressman and it's looking great.

Justice: Well aren't we just shades of a deep dark gray. The connections are coming out and the lines are drawn.I am liking the characters. CJH's character's lack of character is coming to really bite him in the ass. All the karma he is getting for callously defending bad people is coming for him. One small note, Kdramas really need to work on the real trauma rape victims go through because they still haven't quite gotten it right yet.

Rookie Historian: Ummmm, I tried the first episode and I feel like I see where it is going and I'm meh about it, so I passed on the second episode.

Doctor Detective: A female GENIUSSSSSS, yasss. Now first let me say Kwak Do Yeon is a true true talent, even knowing bad things were going to happen to him (because he wasn't listed in the billing), it still hurt me when it did. I heard he may be getting a leading role and I am super excited for him. I am really liking the UDC team. Bong Tae Gyu once again shines, he is really an excellent actor, he imbues empathy and cynicism really well. Park Jin Hee is also pretty fabulous herself as a genius doctor being held back by her rather psychopathic ex-in laws. This is going to be fun.

Class of Lies: These high school dramas are so edgy. My high school life was not this dramatic. It reminds me a bit of Euphoria in that it is about teenagers completely wiling out. I am liking it and I hope we get some justice for Han Su.

Search Query: Hyeon and Ji-Hwan, I squealed. That kiss was HOT. Hello, get it get it, 😆 . I was like FINALLY. They are so cute and I am so happy that they finally got together. Her excitement at the kiss at the end of his drama was hilarious. Her subsequent jealousy was equally funny. They are my favorite ship and I am glad it has sailed. As for Ga Kyung and Jin Woo, the ending of their marriage was so sad. I cried right along with her. I hope they find each other again because there is clearly a great deal of love there. We have two more eps, so fingers crossed they get to love each other. As for Ta Mi and Mo Gun, shrugs. I still don't know why they got together in the first place, so the fact that they are broken up is unsurprising. My question is will the writer find some way to get them back together or keep them broken apart. They were cute together, but that break up was inevitable based on their wants. As for Da In, I dislike her. I hate hate it when one character confesses his/her feelings to an unavailable character. It is selfish, stupid, and nonsensical. One Spring Night had that right, just...

The only kdrama I feel passionately about (now that One Spring Night has ended) is Designated Survivor. What the show gets so, so right is the upright moral man at the center of a crisis.....I could watch this forever.

Otherwise, I'm off the k-grid still. I love the dorama Lupins Daughter to the same extent that I loath Hotel Del Luna. Cdrama Go-Go Squid is adorably squishy, and Before We Were Married is my can't wait for it drama right now.

SKY Castle up to ep 15
How much I wanted to love this. I ended up merely liking it, and even that was not to an enough level.
The pacing was so tight. Directing, cinematography, acting and music was brilliant and so in sync. Writing too...was great, but it became plain lazy at some points (I'm not talking about the final ep, which is whole another story), which happened often enough to make me sighing with dissapointment. You know, even though 90% marks for a test makes you happy, 98% makes you raging mad, right? Same here.
Characterizations didn't add up for many of the important characters.
.

Lee Soo-im

I don't know whether they wanted to show her goodness in our faces or what. From the get go, she made me shake my head, when she arrived with 3 polythene-wrapped rice cakes in a plastic bag for her new neighbours, without even bothering to clean her mud-caked nails. I mean, what a great 1st impression! You're delivering FOOD, lady. Even I would've been disgusted.
Then she plain overstepped at the Book Club, blatantly announcing it's a comedy. She continued with the overstepping, then being plain ignorant and stupid, to the point I thought this Goody goody saviour-of-the-Castle might end up being the one who needed saving from Coach Kim. I was surprised when even her flawless husband never made an effort to correct her, but ENCOURAGED her.
Luckily they redeemed her towards the end.

Yeh-seo

Everything about her character is understandable, but I'd never not be startled how easily K-drama characters could be brainwashed. In that meditation room, when Coach Kim starts whispering, my reaction would've been: "Wth teacher? Whom do you think you're to force your ideas into my head? And stop with circling around me and whispering, it's just wrong and creepy!"
And especially with an arrogant character like Yeh-seo, I was very sad to see that she actually didn't possess enough self-confidence and inner voice to think the same thing and resist the brainwashing. How weak and fragile her mind should be, just like Coach said?

Hye-na

She's the most paradoxical, it was infuriating. You'd think living with such a sweet mom would've taught her one or two things about understanding and compassion, despite the hard life they led. But no, right after mom died, Hye-na turned into a monster-in-making, which was a character trait probably hidden inside her all along. She would've made a perfect future Coach Kim, a sociopath.
And for a character who was supposed to be so intelligent and smart, Hye-na acted so reckless and stupid sometimes. "Blinded by her young age and ambition" might be a plausible excuse, but just barely. In the end, I had nothing else but to think she brought her fate upon herself.

Se-ri

You committed a 62 000$ fraud, fooled your relatives, and say her father's pyramid-obsession is what made her like that? Nah, I'm not buying it girl, even though your father is...

CRICKET - A++ Yes the rareest of the rating i give any media 9.5 out of 10.
Wimbledon - 8 out of 10
Badminton - One sided match Nozomi Okuhara 7 out of 10

JAPANESE - always the 1st post

I DON'T LOVE YOU YET - 8 out of 10. Watched in 1 go. Such natural relationship both have. a bit fast pace with lacking logic. want to see more of hero's profession.

Runway 24 - 7 out of 10. this is where a Japanese drama easily scores over other regions. Even in Chinese dramas heroines are showcased in various professions unlike kdramas.

I WON'T WORK OVERTIME - 8.5 out of 10. throughly enjoying the episodes. you can see why its a drama when each event results into positive outcome. In real life no one has that much luck.

Coffee & Vanilla - 3.5 Trash. romance rape. good companion of rom k+cn dramas. enough to frustrate and anger you. idiot heroine.

Fujoshi - 7.5 out of 10. I have some expectations from it.

Afro Tanaka - boring

Perfume
It's going the way I hope it will but never expected it will do. Each episode manages to surprise me in a good way. I have no complaints so far for staying on this train ride. It started bumpy but now the view is spectacular. Only 2 stops left to the final destination. I have hopes that it will be as awesome as the series have been.

Rating: 12/10 for SSR coz its him, 11/10 for GWH and HJS, 10/10 for the message it has told over 28 episodes.

Let's walk the flowery path to a beautiful end!! 가자!!

Bom Bam: It's over, noooo! My babies, I'll miss you~

Doctor Detective: And the Cameo of the Year award goes to Kwak Dong-yeon in this familiar but vitally important drama about corruption, rich bastards getting their way, and everyday tragedies. I can see this one going under the radar, but I love it so far.

Rookie Historian Gu Hae-ryung; This is cute so far! And charming! Not to mention, fusion sageuks are easy on the brain, so I can see myself watching this for a while. May I just say, though, that Cha eun-woo's widow's peak is more distracting than ever?

The Best Hit: Rewatch! And yes, Yoon Shi-yoon is still the best.

Now I understand your love for SJR, mary. Song Jae-rim's applebutt will always be legendary.

Hotel de Luna: Like it so far but Ive been on a super like this drama then drop so i dunno yet maybe too early to tell

Rookie Historian: same. I like it now but will it save my slump?

I havent moved past Ep2 for Designated Survivor & Chief of Staff.

WWW: skipping scenes just to stick around Scarlett and Seol Ji Hwan 😬

At this point Im never going to have enough beans for the year end count 😂

PDX101 is done, so I am looking forward to watching future variety shows 💕 I wasnt invested in the PD48 line up & flowery concept.

Trying to find a Japanese show to like. So far just hanging on the reboot of Fruits Basket anime. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I have too many dramas on my plate now!

WWW: The Lee Jae-Wook fan club is going strong! Love everything about the show. 8.5/10

Watcher: Give me a good thriller and am on it. At Ep 3, am still liking it. I like the pace and the characters so far. 7.5/10

Rookie Historian Gu Hae-ryung: Its light and easy. This might be the fun show I needed. 7/10

Level Up: I usually need one show to unwind. Not much thinking to do here. I expected it to be bad, but I actually ended up liking it. Its not too trope-y, so far. 6/10

Coming up:
Doctor John: Yes! ready to start this weekend.

Dropped:
Class of Lies: I didn't last 20 min of Episode 1.

Dr. John: Strong premiere. Ji Sung's character is smart and determined, but even without knowing the details of the case that put him in prison, I can see why people might fear him. Ji Sung was giving me Shin Se-gi/Ahn Yo na vibes with the attitude lol. I liked Lee Se-young's character too.

Watcher: I feel like I'm missing a lot, but I really like the team even if I don't trust any of them.

Designated Survivor: Part of me doesn't want Park Moo jin to run for President, yet I think he would be a far better President than the other contenders. I love Secretary Cha or maybe just Son Seok-koo.

Search: WWW: It was time for Ta-mi and Mo-gun to break up and Ji-hwan and Cha hyun to get together.

Hotel Del Luna: I like IU's wardrobe and that's about it.

What's Wrong With My Mother In Law? I love Min Jae's confession - "I don't care if you are my brother's MIL or an alien, let's go all the way!" cues 360 degrees kiss *swoon*
This is the best noona romance i've seen! After all, if one can fall in love with a robot or a 400 years old alien, what's a 30 year age gap?

I really enjoy reading other Beanie's comments on the 6 (!!) premieres this week since I haven't the time to start any of them yet. I'll have a lot to catch up on!

So, finally I am trying to get some work done in between fangirling for Lee Jae wook!
WWW Lee Jae Wook and Scarlett 💓💓💓 and all the women being badass 💓💓💓💓💓💓, I am satisfied with the development of relationship of Ga Gyeong and her husband but on the other hand my heart keeps on breaking 💔💔 for Park Morgan, somehow I was not okay with him understanding that the two women whom he wanted to love and be loved from are not okay with who he is, they want him to have a better future ??
Some how he painted both the women as scarificing their happiness for his miserable and traumatic future? I mean just be honest ladies, part of the reason for both of them to abandon Morgan is also that they are just scared of responsibility and being selfish for their needs. There is nothing wrong in being selfish but don't put the blame on your boys future, can you?
Innocent Witness This heart warming and well made movie, I loved it, totally.
Doctor John The opening, I loved it. Ji sung never disappoints!
Hotel Del Luna Dropped after ep1, I was thoroughly bored!

Go Go Squid - 😍 There’s something about this drama that’s making me go crazy about it and I still do not have any clue what to this day. I was struggling to get past episode 2 last week and was so close to dropping this show, but I really liked the scenes in the opening song and that’s what made forced to just sit and watch the rest of that episode.............. and next thing I knew I was already on episode 10 and it was already 3AM.... like whut just happened?! 😮😮😮

The plot didn’t hold me interest and so did the characters. It’s about online games competition. Girl fell love at first sight with the guy who’s pretty much 😠 in whatever he does. I was uncomfortable with how she worked her way to get his attention - she’s stalking; she’s wailing if she doesn’t get what she wants. And I totally 🙄 at the reveal that their families knew each other and the fake girlfriend plot that followed. And this is why it remains a mystery to me how 10 episodes flew by in one sitting and surprisingly I didn’t fast forward anything!

The show tried to justify her stalking and brat behaviour - she’s a child prodigy who doesn’t know anything outside the world of computer engineering. She’s started university at 15 and is now going postgrad at 19. She’s super smart and this love at first sight is so new to her that she didn’t know how to handle it. Once I turned a blind eye and accepted the plot as is, I warmed up to her character and Gun’s tsundere character was even a faster warm up to me.

They actually make a good couple.

I’m on episode 18 now and I’m in love with this drama their relationship with Gun sigh I can’t decide what... maybe I’m actually in love with this drama as a whole. I have too many unexplainable feelings about this drama!

Squid, though so obsess with Gun, is an adorable brainy kid. And Gun has that maternal instinct to him to look after kids and that’s probably what made him attached to her and his eyes subconsciously follow her, wherever she goes, whatever she does. I think the breakup affected him more than he thought he knew. One of the noteworthy scenes was when he named his several shortcomings and how all his time is dedicated to CTF and K&K kids; he doesn’t have much time to be with her, but even so... did she still want to break up with him?? Eeep! My heart stopped! Lol Squid stalling to answer was making him lose his momentum. I think he must be under the impression she’d ask him to get back with him right away. So when she hesitated to answer, he made another approach - “or do you want time to think about it?” - approach that implies that he doesn’t want her giving up on him and to please accept everything about him, the good and the bad, all of him!! 😭 ♥️

Anyways now that they’re officially together, I really like that Gun makes a lot of effort in their relationship. It’s definitely not a one-sided feeling. He likes her so much as much as Squid is to him. Whenever he smiles, I...