After seeing my sister, my Mom decided to watch Hotel Del Luna. It feels weird because she never even tried to watch ongoing kdramas before (she only live watches GoT, Supernatural, and TWD before). She's really enjoying the show and it was really funny to see her get shocked by the ghosts, just like how she always got shocked while watching The Master's Sun before. This show reminds her of The Master's Sun minus a hottie lead (she really liked So Ji-sub) and she loves IU here just like she loved her in My Mister.

Why I never encouraged her to watch ongoing kdramas? It's because she will always ask where the next episode is every. minute. of. the. day. She's only on episode 4 now but I think she'll catch up on the latest episodes soon...

I totally understand the less demand for female centric shows and am glad that it is changing. I hope Be Melodramatic's ratings improved because they weren't as good as the show deserves and maybe that's what pulls the channels apart from such format. I will stay have to say kudos to JTBC because they have kept airing female centric shows despite less ratings . Age of Youth had low ratings but it stll secured a second season and if I'm not wrong the owner(or someone in the higher ups) praised it themselves in an interview. Also others like Woman of Dignity and now Be Melodramatic. I think WWW was infact a misfit for TVN but that instead is a sign that other channels are now openeing up to make female centric shows.

It takes two to tango. Writer Heroine did gave hard time to her boyfriend. Both surely loved each other. Long comment can be written about their relationship. One relationship gone but soon another guy pops into heroine's life. Now that's cliche. All normal kdramas actually are female centered dramas. They aim for female audience aka potential customers.

This is one funny take on kdramas -

Kdrama are literally just Shoujo shit or medical shit or mystery bait, they are all garbage only enjoyed by teen girls, housewives and Homos. Also the reason people are getting into korean is because of kpop not kdramas.

Melo Suits Me is so consistently well written. So I am 100% with you on this.

This is the only show that i'm invested in right now. AFter wasting a whole day on love alarm I'm so pissed that the webtoon took a 180 degree turn and doing something that I don't like lol.
Melo suits me is a crazy, lovely, hilarious, heartwarming drama. I love the three girls and their bonding, and the main lead girl ( and the actress playing it) is so wonderful, I wish I met her in real life haha. I just love her. We need carefree people like her around us, to be just happy. Hehe.

I really wish the dead people from the crime shows would start crossing over into HdL. The body count is pretty high in Welcome 2 Life so the hotel might need to expand. You're right, the little girl makes the show (and Rain's voice).

... this show makes me want to get up and smash things.

I've been dreaming of taking on a personal data visualization project for K-dramas. Your comment suggest I should include a chart graphing the tipping point from "hate-watching" to "rage-quitting."

Yes, what a shock that guys are in love with Kim So-hyun. I remember that when we watched her in BRING IT ON, GHOST my wife turned to me and said "can we get someone like her for our son?" I had to admit that it seemed like a good idea.

I agree that the story so far (I have only watched two episodes) could be considered a cautionary tale about apps in general. It could be at least partly a fable about the general effects of people being fixated on their phones and not seeing what is around them. As Mary noted, there is an element of addiction involved. There is a reason why I have limited myself to having only a Stupid Phone. While it does have some internet capability I do not use that.

It is nice to see that the Hong sister's have their mo-jo back- not only is the story in Hotel Del Luna not sagging in the middle but episode 12 was the best yet- real heart-wrenching moments and, in some ways the best love confessions ever, in part because they were not stated or intended as love confessions.

As for the IU fashion show- I am all for it. IU is a beautiful woman- why not play that up and add even more to a great show. But this effect is not just because of IU or the fabulous clothing- it is also because the cinematography is outstanding.
This is how you do a show right.

Designated Survivor
"... . Anyway, you can't cast the abusive stepfather from Mother and the serial killer from Come and Hug Me and not have one of them be a baddie."

LIKE SERIOUSLY.. you wrote everything that is inside my brain. Been my thoughts since Day1. Gave him a benifet of the doubt at first. LoL

Laughed out loud, LC. HDL affecting me the same way! Great post!

Hamabe Minami has made a point to be ahead of all other Young actresses. New movie with Kamiki Ryunosuke -

Shiraishi Sei is comfortably doing ahem scenes.

KOREAN -

Be Melodramatic - 8 out of 10 - Yes. it not 8/10. The writer has sharp tongue and witty. Each and every interaction is Biggest proof of it. This is the drama to go after. Among most of trash korean and chinese dramas this one shines. This is one big @#$%^&* show. yes. Meaningful life quotes to cruz missiles of insults thrown nonchalantly.

I want to hear your song - 7/10. still quite enjoyable. It works.
Cliche but works.

Devil calls your name - 7.5/10 Episode 07 and 08 and enough to show some idiots why i gave this one 7.5.
School Porn is for you. Devil is too complicated for simpletons

Alarm - trash. 3/10 dropped
Issue Makers -7/10 just 15minutes. This is what kdramaland needs.
Hotel - 4/10 1hour 23minutes for an episode. really? This one secures its place in trash category. This week was too slow, too dramatic. Nonsense piling up.

FriendZone - 6/10 - Rom-com but where is the Comedy? Heck, where is some good romance? At start i gave it 7 and out of my generosity i give i 6 but it doesn't deserve more than 4. Cliches and troupes expected but comedy was mishandled.
2 reviews
Male- more logical - i completely agree - https://sg.style.yahoo.com/review-thai-rom-com-friend-zone-deserves-ghosted-024723104.html
Female - as usual https://yp.scmp.com/entertainment/movies/article/112973/%E2%80%98friend-zone%E2%80%99-movie-review-thai-romantic-comedy-almost-little

Read Both Reviews in June.

Marathon - 3/10 trash movie. complete time waste. Sato takeu and Komatsu Nana wasted. Nana seriously needs to sit and read scripts properly.

"I Don't Love You Yet" would be "In Time With You" VIKI naming convention. I've been watching the show religiously since episode 3.

who misunderstood her adopted family. It's nice to see he got his own family during their separation too. I don't know if they're going to look for their sister soon, so it will be interesting to know how their sibling grew up.

Rookie Historian Gu Hae-ryung: I didn't expect this week's episodes to be light hearted. The king finally recognized historians worth and that they are not his enemies. I don't know what Hot Breaded Prince will do about the spy. I thought he was going to find a hint about Sa Hee when they spent time alone but it was a simple day out. She's getting closer to other characters lately, is it supposed to give other historians and Hot Breaded Prince a shocking reveal when her spy activities will be out?

When The Devil Calls Your Name: ep 7. I didn't expect so many reveals. Yi Kyung's brother is the cop, so where was he when the stepfather was hit? Did he live far away by himself? Was he serving in the army like a Beanie suggested? Also, what is the coffee manager's mission/agenda? What about Kang Ha? The short snippets of his memory we got seem to suggest something terrible happened to him.

Your comment about Hwi Young is spot on, lol. I actually thought the same thing to myself while watching.

Seriously, Parasite took a turn. I think you're right on a whole other movie being in there. A horror movie. A thriller, at least. I was so not expecting that.

@pilta—You've touched on some of the elements that make Rookie Historian Gu Gae-ryung a slightly frustrating watch for me. I love Hae-ryung's intelligence, grit and wit while the show is oozing with chemistry in every direction. Overall, the show is a skillful blend of comical and poignant moments. But that's also it's problem—I get swept up in the "moments" without having a sense of forward momentum.

Sure, I'm curious about the mysteries behind Yi Rim's "real" father, why the Crown Prince won't consummate his marriage, Mo Hwa's connection to the Dowager Queen and Hae-ryung's brother, why Counselor Min is the world's worst father, etc.

But does the series need 21 hrs to tell this story? (On Netflix, each ep. is about 63 min.) I admit that I'm not yet accustomed to the pacing; we've only just crossed the series' midpoint! (Note: I do love C-dramas with 40+ episodes. Pacing is my issue, not the episode count.)

Lastly, your description of the young prince's presence feeling blurry is quite apt. It was exciting to see him embrace leadership during the smallpox episodes. And it's charming to see him take care of Hae-ryung. I'm looking forward to more growth and action from the young prince—and everyone else!

reaction that I think he’s sort of okay now, but I don’t know. I’m not entirely convinced and haven’t fallen deep with Rim yet even though he’s an incredibly nice prince. Shin Se Kyung is awesome and pretty! Office Min totally wrecked me with tragic family story. I’m glad he decided to stick it out.

The Missing Half Episodes 1 to 16 Why am I sticking it out with frustrating shows? 😩 This is an ongoing Taiwanese drama about a trip down the memory lane. The scene opens with main leads already a couple and are preparing for their wedding ceremony. Female lead, Su Yan, got into a car accident and is in coma. Before the accident happened, she sent out password-protected emails to the people who matter to her, 5 of them including her husband, telling them her feelings that she couldn’t say out loud.

I am not a big fan of nonlinear narrative plots and that’s why I found the first 4 episodes confusing because the story goes back and forth between the past and present time. What is worse is the past also gets a past flashback that I would forget what year I was actually watching!

Episode 5 was when I started warming up to the show. I love that male lead, Lu Jin Yu, took an interest in her at first meet and he is incredibly nice to her from day 1. He reminds me of Gu Wei Yi from Put Your Head on My Shoulder. He goes through great lengths to help her and I like that he admitted he was into her when people asked how he felt about her.

Female lead’s brother, Su Minyang, is no where near Guanchao-gege of Le Coup de Foudre, but I love him! He looks after Su Yan in his own way. When the girl he likes, Juanjuan, bullies his sister, he says out loud that he’s not happy with it. My favourite line from him was when he was talking to JuanJuan, a Taekwondo athlete about his sister during their Taekwondo fight – “Why did you hit her head too hard? Weren’t you a little too harsh on her? What are we gonna do if she got brain damaged? Who’s gonna marry her? I don’t want to look after her forever” 😂😂 He loves her this way, okay.

Juanjuan – strong dislike for this girl right here, but she’s smiling a lot with Sun Minyang now and just like that I forgive her. She used to hate Minyang’s gut but in the present time, her face lights up whenever she sees him. Awww

Sun Yan – Episode 16 and I’m very frustrated with her character. I understand she didn’t come from good family background and everyday is a struggle for her, but I honestly don’t remember now what Lu Jin Yu saw in her because she’s just not good for him. She always pushes him away because Juanjuan says so and it’s breaking frustrating me more. She looks in love and comfortable with him in the present time, but I cannot stand that she’s being like this in the past – giving him cold shoulder, taking him for granted.

The flashbacks are very heavy in this series; it’s enough to drive me up the wall. But I’m still watching. 😪

In Time With You (Taiwanese Version) - I checked this series out because I am currently watching the Japanese version. Another frustrating series, but the heart of this show is simply Ariel Lin and Bolin Chen. ♥️ I fell for their chemistry that I chose to finish the show and was heavily rewarded with a much stronger chemistry at the...

end! I loved it so much when they finally got together. Li Da Ren’s song that he wrote for Chen You Qing is beautiful. I need to download that song and listen to it many times more.

I had tears in this scene as You Qing listens to his song https://youtu.be/VWal2FqbO9Y

🎵 I think I probably, probably won't love you.
I tried, tried hard not to fall for you.
That's why I let myself like you so.
That way you won't have the heart to stay away from me.

I think I hate, hate the arrogant you.
Also, the beautiful, beautiful you.
That's why I want to pretend to hate you.
So that you can't bear to leave me.
I must say, I really won't love you 🎵

This song reminded me of its Japanese version’s title and Ren’s chant to himself whenever his feelings are conflicted – “I don’t love you yet”.

In Time With You (Japanese Version) Episodes 11 and 12 - 😪 sadly after the Taiwanese version drained me good, I cannot see anyone playing these roles than Ariel Lin and Bolin Chen! These episodes had angst and frustrations in it, but I found that they lacked those emotions from the Taiwanese version. I could totally feel Da Ren’s secretly pinning for You Qing and all those times he had his mouth shut and did not do anything when she was getting back with her ex, but unfortunately I did not feel anything with Ren to Yo.

For example, that restaurant scene where Ren tells her ex what Yo is to his life felt a little underwhelming to Da Ren’s outburst of verbal attack about how You Qing always felt the need to be the centre of the universe, she was conceited, etc but he ended up taking all what he said back about her afterwards when she left!

I wish the Japanese version had included this bit from the original series – You Qing’s ex is a sore topic to Da Ren and You Qing is aware of this. She walks on eggshell around this topic. She tried to avoid telling him she had received flowers from her ex, but he ended up hearing her say it anyways when she was talking to a friend on the phone. She looked startled and scared seeing his face fell. Augh! Frustrating scenes but the feelings were there and so strong!

Also, having seen the Taiwanese version, I now know that Ren and Yo are most likely gonna get together in the very last episode 🤦‍♀️

I may be the minority. I didn’t board on any ship in Love Alarm.
I think she is very lonely and miserable that she goes to anyone that gives her attention. Am not convinced she likes anyone. She likes the idea of someone liking her. I think she needs fix her life first, forgive herself for the past or find peace. I can’t imagine living in that house. It’s just so toxic.
I do like both the leads but I like the shy one better. May be because I relate to him at age 18/19 and his introverted nature. He needed to grow up before he is able to start expressing.
I have a feeling eventually when her love alarm is going to ring it would be for the wrong person while her heart wants otherwise. Just writing my own fictional season 2.
I hate this app :). But I get it. It’s the same as getting Instagram likes. You get addicted.

I have a problem with Be Melodramatic! The characters drink too much that I pray for their kidneys! HAHAHA. Kidding aside, this show deserves all the love!

💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓

It seems I need to find time to start Melo 😁

I totally agree with you on The Wailing: It's a 10 for me too and i can't wrap my mind about why it's been so underrated when it's perfectly executed, written so brilliantly and smartly that it make possible many crazy theories and interpretations, all complex and credible while leaving everything open.
It should be a cult films like David Lynch's films are, with the same religious fervour from its fans.
Talking about it totally woke up the urge to rewatch it!

What are the problems with Be Melodramatic? I ask only because I think it is perfection. I 💕 ❤️ every bit of it.

When you finish Secret Forest/Stranger, I recommend reading this delicious, spot-on single-chapter fanfic called Nocturne. by @lilybeth84.

I think you're going to need to move to Seoul.