I'm behind with nearly everything. And that's because I dived into Tiger and Rose and enjoy it so much! Well, it actually began when I was checking the first two episodes of Lost Romance, a Taiwanese drama about a girl who suddenly gets inside a Harlequin novel with overbearing CEO 😁 ...and I was getting bored with the first episode with all that chaebol evilling (or evil chaebolling??)... and couldn't stop thinking how Tiger and Rose was captivating from the first minute. I did finish the two episodes, but can't say I was impressed. Maybe third time will be the charm? Anyway, I then went back to Tiger and Rose and 16 episodes in I still love it. And I still think it is very well written. The first layer is a comedy, sometimes with silly situations and jokes... but I still laugh a lot (and I looove those two sidekicks of our leads!! Their expressions at the background are often gold 😁). Then there is the storytelling when the general events of the original script are kept and yet altered by the changes the heroine makes. (And vice versa, even when the heroine alters some things, the main events still happen.) I also like how everyone has different agenda and it is often fun to see how they are trying to play each other and how some actions lead to totally opposite effects.
The characters have purpose and are not abandoned randomly. Some even have their own story, like the Second Princess who is slowly turning evil because her mom hasn't given her the attention she longs for.. and the envy is eating her up. And last, but not least, there is the layer of criticizing our gender stereotypes and prejudices. To sum up, I feel that the writers know what they want to say and how and that they know where they are heading to... and respect my intelligence 😁 There is also enough laugh, love and pretty... and I love the credit songs and often find myself still watching and listening to the closing song when an episode finishes.

The Romance of Tiger and Rose: I think that this could be the biggest Chinese rom-com drama in 2020 in its genre. What makes this drama great is the chemistry between the two leads and its self-awareness about the current state in c-dramaland. The female lead, Chen Xiao Qian/Chen Qian Qian, is a scriptwriter who writes crappy drama script and when she woke up after her apparently short nap due to exhaustion working on the script, she found out that she’s stuck in her own drama script. It’s so funny to see the female lead trying to survive in her own crappy drama script with all the nonsense and illogical situation between her and the male lead (Ding Yunxi who played Han Min Xing), with all the old tropes that makes rom-com a rom-com, which is totally hilarious. The side characters are really refreshing, for example the attendants and the friends. The ending left me confused at first but then my most favourite c-drama reviewer explained why the ending turns out to be like that, I feel like all my doubts just disappear and I finally could make peace with it and accept the ending as it is. All in all, I think that this drama is worth to be watched by everyone who like rom-com. Score: 9/10

And I couldn’t wait for Kim Soo-hyun’s It’s Okay Not To Be Okay to air soon! And it’s so cool for Netflix to actually get the copyrights for this drama so I could enjoy it legally (and with good subs too)

Will You Have Dinner With Me Not sure to like the new creepy side of the story. During the last episodes, the FL was not her...

Sweet Munchies It deserves its ratings...

My Unfamiliar Family I love this show very much. So many usual tropes but well acted and directed!

Oh My Baby Yi Sang is my favourite character : his Gum Gum's family, his cuteness, doing aerobics, his will to become a father, etc.

Backstreet Rookie I liked the gender reversal and the way they kept the manhwa genre with humor and fight scene. The Sunny parody was a nice touch.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay Waiting for it impatiently.

Lost Romance Very disapointed by the story. I was expecting so much from the actors but the scenario is a mess...

I'm glad to see that Dramabeans will be recapping Backstreet Rookie because I just finished watching the first episode and I have a lot of thoughts (and they're not good ones).

I need to catch up on Mystic Pop-up Bar. I feel like I'm suffering from drama fatigue lol, so much out there but it's hard finding something that keeps my attention.

Politics + debates - real time entertainment. Far more engaging and have direct impact on your life. Enjoying politicians through rotten tomatoes at each other at the expense of their citizens. 2020 2nd half gonna be as much lively as 2019.

Japan -

High Position - 6/10 got translation. watching now. actual rating next week.
Tab Mikako's new OL show in July.

Love of Sheep and Wolf - trash. 3/10

Korea -
Diner Bait - 4/10
Gay Chef bait - 3/10
Chang Wook - 4/10
Divorce family - 4/10

China

True Colours - 6/10
Sexual Harasser Boss - 3/10
My Girl - 4/10
Parallel Love trash - 3/10

When my love blooms. Nice wrapped. It would have been much better if it only had lasted 12 episodes, the final weeks felt like a refill. Young actors were the best of it, not only the leads but all the supporting roles.

My unfamiliar family. I just don’t know what to think about ChanHyeok, because I get all kind of signals from him. Kim Ji Suk is fantastic, as always. Regarding all the mysteries and secrets, I’m willing to learn more. Also, Eun Hee, hard as it is to ignore such a sassy hunk, please read the signs and listen to your gut. He’s dangerous. A lot.

Will you have dinner with me. I was jumping on my couch like a teenager with the confession at the end of episode 8. I’ve never been this emotional while watching a drama. I find myself talking to the screen and sqeeeing every time HaeKyung is on screen. This has a name, hahahaha. Also I nearly died laughing with DoHee hiding behind the cartoon figure at the pizza restaurant, and the “subtle” references to CLOY!!

Oh my baby. I love how real is shown the struggle for HaRi and YiSang. I hate JaeYoung. A lot. He’s crossed the line in so many ways… he needs serious counseling.

Mystic Pop Up Bar. I remember the good old days when I said I would watch just because it was only 12 episodes. Now I’m crying because it’s only 12 episodes. And I will cry even more if I don’t have a happy ending. I love how the path of the episode has moved from comedy to this final episodes. I shared so many tears in episode 10… my poor Prince… my poor WolJoo.

I’ve tried to begin some old dramas but it seems I’m not in the right mood, and they’ve all suffered from the second episode curse. And this week I will begin It’s ok not to be ok. I’ve been missing Kim Soo Hyun sooooo much!

Will you have dinner with me?: When I say I was grinning from ear to ear when he was waiting to give her his card. When she rejected him, I screamed a proper melodramatic Waeeeee? Then his confession at the end of Tuesdays episode. ❤️❤️❤️❤️. I knew the name thing wouldn't be a big deal. Now as for the 2nd leads, the main leads are good enough for this drama, so drama writer FOR WHY do we have such bloody terrible 2nd leads. One is a stage 87 clinger and the other one is insane. That was disturbing. What a psycho.

My Unfamiliar Family: Tae Hyung is AWFUL. He is abusive both physically and emotionally. He is also an insane gaslighter. What an awful human. Why marry Eun Joo? She deserves better. As for Eun Hee, girl please get your whole life together. Geon Joo is a creepy stalker man with a great many issues. He cheated on his girlfriend and he is your boss. what a gross man.

Mystic Pop Up: I love this show and it's little family of dream repairers. Wol Ju is a saint. Hwang Jung Eum knocked this character out of the park. This show is truly a gem, it starts off rough and then gets polished and cut. I'm sad it is ending next week.

Oh My Baby: Ha Ri is so freaking mature. He heard him out she listened and decided their love was worth it. I love it. As for Yi Sang, he is trying. I am also glad they addressed the adoption as well as childless/free couples and couples with children. The pros and the cons. A++++ drama.

It's okay not to be okay: Please be good please be good.

Mystic Pop-up Bar (Episode 9-10)
I must say I’m quite disappointed with the way the show made it so easy for the antagonist to succeed in his evil plans by making Death his father which allowed him to easily absorb Death and presumably the Queen as well as spy on the protagonists. Also, Won Hyung’s arc is so lame for a villain and the Queen’s reappearance is lazy writing. Even without Won Hyung in the story, I believe that Gwi being the Prince who Wol Ju believed had betrayed her and Kang Bae being the soul she desperately wanted to save would have been enough dramatic tension. In this alternate story, there could be a twist where it was actually the jealous villagers who set the fire and killed Wol Ju’s mom with Gwi keeping mum of his identity as an agreement for secretly helping Wol Ju achieve her target (he killing the villagers responsible himself).

Sweet Munchies (Episode 7-8)
The picture of Tae Wan screaming on my fan wall remains very apt for describing how I felt after watching Episode 8. It is so agonising to see him headed down the road of heartbreak and devastation: just when he figured the truth out (Jin Sung isn’t even hiding it), Jin Sung’s forced gay declaration due to the ex confuses him once more and Ah Jin clarifying about Jin Woo gave him hope that he had a shot with his feelings in spite of Jin Woo’s vague warning. I don’t really like Jin Woo as his happy ending since pairing them would be a total cop out but the setup seems to point in that direction.

My Unfamiliar Family (Episode 5-6)
Someone asked me a question after this week’s episodes: ‘Radily, what would be one game-changing twist you’ll write after the Gun Joo one we had?’ My response was: ‘Well, maybe make barista’s boyfriend be Ji Woo! He also mentioned a girlfriend when Seo Young asked him! Plus he needs a secret as well.’ And then I realised what I just said and thought it was too makjang even for this drama. But who knows? I’m already feeling the Reply husband angst from that ending.

Old School Intern (Episode 17-20)
The comedy is somewhat back this week! Tae Ri being Man Sik’s daughter is one really funny twist and it does explain a lot of stuff that happened in previous episodes. But unfortunately the dirty company politics had a role to play again this week with Director Koo’s backstabbing that everyone saw from miles away, which sadly cheapens the show’s look.

Will You Have Dinner With Me (Episode 13-16)
Last week I was still thinking that No Eul was the crazier ex but this week’s episodes have totally changed my mindset: Jae Hyuk is a total psychopath himself! I theorise that he disappeared five years ago because he ruined Keanu’s life in some way then and had to go off the radar. But Keanu is also off the radar himself: is it just Jae Hyuk he’s hiding from?

Also watching: Oh My Baby (Episode 11-12)

Trot Lovers rewatch!!! Jo Geun Woo~ you're indifferent, sometimes also nosy but overall you're too sweet to be real. My heart hurts that you don't have a chance to get the girl~ ngahaha 🤣

Currently watching:
Mystic pop-up bar: I am stock-piling last 4 episodes. I think this might be my favorite supernatural k-drama of the year.
Oh My Baby : The show has become more than what was promised at the beginning. I think I should blindly trust Jang Na-ra for her choices.
Once again : It is still going strong.
Finished:
Romance of Tiger and Rose: This drama was quite a treat. The chemistry between leads was off the charts. Supporting characters – Zi Rui and Bai Ji were a hoot. The world setting could have been bit better. First 16 episodes were perfect, then it derailed a bit. Overall, it was a worth a watch.
Dropped:
Backstreet Rookie: I did not like the setup. It was too much web-toonish. Some part of it was quite offensive. I am not going to watch it further unless it dramatically improves.
Ga Doori’s Sushi Restaurant: A very weird and awkward experience. Did not even finish single episode.

Been awhile since I came on this thread.

I don’t have any kdramas on my plate. After Hospital playlist there is a huge void. Somehow nothing really worked for me. So hoping it’s ok not to be okay to get me out of this kdrama slump.

I caught up with a few cdramas.
Tiger and the Rose it wasn’t a perfect drama but I loved the set up and the OTP was adorable.
Reset Life Ryan fans here raved about this short 5 episode drama and it was totally worth all the hype.
Fox and Miss Rose I can’t say it’s great or very funny but somehow I am on the 23rd episode. I like the leads and the story itself is interesting. there is no unnecessary angst or terrible second leads. It’s a pleasant watch.

I felt like Backstreet Rookie was like watching "Strong Girl Bong Soon". I think it was the fight scenes in the begin. I was even wondering if the sisters were the twins daughters they had. I liked it. But I also wanna know how they gonna fill 16 episodes with just that.

Currently watching TKEM and trying to picture LMH playing the main in Backstreet Rookie. I cant.

Will You Have Dinner With Me?:
I agree that the words were hurtful, but I actually thought what Dohee did this week on the grand scale of things make sense. She wanted to be more than just casual "dinner mates" and wanted to break off the contract at the picnic but she backed out last minute. When she found out Haekyung is No Eul's ex, of course she backed out entirely. Dohee is the type of woman who stands up for her fellow female friends and puts her female friends before her love life. She stood up for No Eul during the debt crisis. Both of them were just starting to be come business partners who swore to support each other. When she had to pick between the guy she potentially like and the girl she promised to rise to the top together, she picked the girl.

Honestly, I don't even know how it's going to play out now that Haekyung knows Dohee's true identity and actively pursuing her. Although I do not like No Eul, I like her budding relationship with Dohee and would hate to see another bitch-fight between woman over a man. I won't even feel angry at No Eul for feeling awkward about Dohee and Haekyung dating. It's like having your colleague date you ex.

And omg Lee Ji Hoon scares me this week. Originally I thought Lee Ji Hoon went to prison for hurting the Coffee Tent dude guy, but now i'm starting to think that it's the other way around. Coffee Tent dude guy gave Lee Ji Hoon the wrong medication. The Coffee Tent dude guy's family did not die, but disowned him.

Also watching C-Drama Joy of Life. A little late, but loving every minute of it.

SOUL MECHANIC: Feel like dropping it because blatant medical-ethical lapses in story. Hard to be invested when most of the staff at the hospital are unstable.
MYSTIC POP UP BAR: Continues to be a delight. No lingering on who is who from the past life or their motivations. The ying and yang couple will probably save the day.
OH MY BABY: At least Hari has THOUGHT about adoption! JY has turned from brother/friend to stalker which is an unnecessary plot line.
ONCE AGAIN: The theme of repairing relationships is now in the forefront. The pace of the show is still good.
SNOWPIERCER (US): On a train going to no where, the plot has also gone no where. Dropped (probably should watch the movie instead.)
HOW TO BUY A FRIEND: I liked Kim So Hye in the underrated "Best Chicken," but her character here has less meat on the bone. This is a short series so the episodes quickly roll through the dark and uneven story line.

Will You Have Dinner With Me - I'm so done with both exes .... since episode 2!

Oh My Baby - I'm also completely done with Jae-young. Don't you even knock on that door, Jae-young!!

Sweet Munchies - Had to stop after episode 2 due to my own time issues .... but Tae-wan was interesting from the get go.

Soul Repairer - Still trying to wrap my head around the whole "dating my patient" situation.

Mystic Pop-Up Bar - Really enjoying this one and everyone in it! Particularly Manager Gwi!

Enjoying Old Time Intern / Kkondae Intern tremendously. The official (?) synopsis is a bit misleading, as the show isn’t about vengeance at all. The previously put-upon main character gets something like 5 minutes of lording it over the kkondae who’d abused him, after which things become a lot more interesting. Unusually, one of the show’s themes is how challenging leadership is - how difficult it is to take control without becoming tyrannical; to be fair and honest without losing control; to be accountable to those below as well as above you in the hierarchy. If that sounds too serious, let me add that Old Time Intern is one of the funniest dramas I’ve ever seen (and I bet at least half the humour has been lost in translation). I love the fact that the main character is neither SuperManager nor romantically flawed hero. Often having his mistakes exposed and regretting his own acts of kindness, he isn’t even particularly competent or cool. But he is very real, very sympathetic, and in Park Hae-jin’s vanity-free performance, absolutely hilarious.

Will You Have Dinner With Me: at this point, i dont care about the exes backstory i will hate them until the drama ends. im frustrated about Dohee's behaviour but i kinda understand because she thought Haekyung still have feelings to Noeul. but after Haekyung tells his feeling i wish she back to our confident girl and date Haekyung asap. please.
The King Eternal Monarch: i have to sit down and talk about the ending with my friend because im so confused with... everything. but our conclusion is same: its so frustrating to watch because the drama could be better and we feel sorry for the actors.
Team Bulldog Off Duty Investigation: i just watch this but im curious about Cha Taehyun's backstory (i dont even remember the lead name sigh)

Erased (Netflix life action): i loveeeee it. the whole series becomes more thrilling than the anime. i love the series focused more on the murderer and kenya. we can see satoru's struggle finding his lost memories, kenya helping him and satoru's emotion too. the ending is more satisfying too (little satoru is so so so cute)

Oh mannn @tipsymocha ‘s version of TKEM sounds real good.

Lately the korean dramas that I've just watched and completed, were to say the least disappointing. I'm going to briefly write about my opinion, here it is:

Laughter in waikiki: Yes, that drama that everyone seems to love but I just didn't. I liked it, but it wasn't the show for me. I felt like the extended episodes made the drama worse, as it dragged on with the main couple whose love I could never buy into. Friendship maybe, but love? Not so much, anyways when I'm more interested on the side characters rather than the main, then it does become a problem for me to watch a show.

Psychopathic diary: *sigh* I don't hate it but honestly I felt like I wasted my time on this. I disliked the humour, the main characters, and I felt indifferent towards the plot. The only thing good I can say about that drama would be the actor who acted as the serial killer.

@tipsymocha I'm definitely checking that Webdrama! 😊

i binged watched dinner with me.. SO SO GOOD..

SSH back in a romance drama is soooooooo good

I still need to finish Hospital Playlist (3 more eps to go). Love the drama, but the length of each episode tires me out a little and makes it hard to press start. Hopefully next week now that my obsession The romance of Tiger and Rose is over (and that I've watched it twice lol).

Dinner Mate continues to be a surprisingly low-stake engaging watch, despite No Eul - the writer doesn't seem to be trying at all to redeem her, or give her any sort of layers. I'm actually very pleasantly surprised by the turn in Jaehyuk's character. I prefer this psycho angle over some sort of noble idiocy tragic past! It makes him more interesting, a real external threat to the romance, and a chance for Lee Ji Hoon to strut his (acting) stuff. Hand Towel Oppa keeps being dreamy, and I finally got over my residual negative vibe for Seo Ji Hye from her previous bitchy SFL role.

My Girl/99 Points Girlfriend got my interest simply because it's from the writer of Tiger & Rose, because the premise sounded confusing as heck. So far, it reminds me of Kill Me Heal Me with the multiple personality angle, and with the fact that the "dark" personality being WAY more interesting than the "principle" personality. It has a few great LOL-moments, though I really can't buy the core trauma/drama driver of the show: the FL has a scar on her face and suffers PTSD from it, and for some reason the scar is still SUPER visible 10 years later? (ok, I know someone who had a face scarred with a knife in real life and let me tell you, it fades). This show will require a huge suspension of belief and some eyeroll at the "drama", but cute and funny if you're in the mood for something like that.

Oops! The King is in love, or alternatively, Wish I was the star and you the moon. @kimbapnoona told me about the title and I checked it out to see if it is as stupid/funny as the title makes it sound, and was very pleasantly surprised to find that it is funny,  not stupid, and actually really well made for a seemingly low-budget drama. There's a solid plot with high stake in place as well. I've only seen 2 out of 24 eps, so hope that it'll stay good till the end!

After finishing Tiger & Rose 2 weeks ago (with a binge till 3am! for the early VVIP release), I felt so empty that I've cycled through a bunch of similarly-sounding dramas and not many stick :/ Here's some semi-informed opinion in case you're looking to do the same.

To Get Her: similar premise to T&R, this time both ML & FL got stuck in a game. They're a couple in real life, and a married couple in the game, but FL is the evil second lead whereas ML is the main character! And he doesn't remember who she is! She has to get them both out of the game, has only 3 "lives", and if she dies in...

Dear My Friends- Picked it up after it recently released on Netflix. God! I have no idea how this absolute gem of drama missed my radar all these years. Too good!
Also when you put in a bunch of seasoned, experienced actors, it just shows!!!!
Can Jo In Sung, sign up some drama? I miss seeing his pretty face in dramaland.

Backstreet Rookie - I tried. For my love of JCW I tried. But my cheese and fluff material tolerance seems to have gone down exponentially over the past few years.
But having said that for the sake of JCW I hope this one is better than his last goof of drama and hope for him atleast this fares better.

I finished the Taiwan drama A Thousand Goodnights this week and want to recommend it to Beanies as a really low-key but beautiful drama. Lots of beautiful aerial shots of Taiwan, and a sweet story. It encompassed a feeling of nostalgia for the old ways that are disappearing - small town living and relationships, and figuring out how to be true to yourself in your life path.

On the K-drama front, I'm watching Unfamiliar Family (love it), Oh My Baby (finally gave it a try this week and love it - laugh out loud funny - am mid-episode 8 now). Also watching Mystic Pop-Up Bar.

This maybe the only Saturday WWW where we get a Ji Chang-wook
two-for: his image up at the header and at the beginning of the post.

His latest drama seems to be bringing out comments from unregistered beanies which is good.

Here is my PSA: PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:
“Unregistered” beanies please seriously consider registering. It makes reading your comments easier on the eyes for some of us. Thank you.

Am watching a whole lot more of C-dramas than k-dramas this week.

The k-dramas that I'm still following or planning to start are:
- Mystic Pop-up Bar: am still enjoying this.
-Nokdu is finally on Netflix. So I'm planning to continue where I left off.
- I can't wait to watch Its okay to not be okay! Really excited for that one.

C-dramas:
- The Romance of Tiger and rose: I watched the 1st ep last weekend and got HOOKED! So I binge-watched all the eps this week. I really enjoyed it. In fact, I feel like rewatching it all over again. It's hilarious and romantic and the chemistry between the leads is just *chef's kiss*.
- Just an encore: I needed my Ding Yuxi fix after Tiger and Rose so I decided to watch this one. Enjoyed this one too! Although the FL can be quite annoying at times imo.
- then I watched When We Were Young and omg I love this one so much! It reminds me a lot of the Reply series which I am a huge fan of. Its really so good. But the ending kinda left me feeling unsatisfied though. But still it was a really good one. Its a perfect blend of nostalgia and slice-of-life. & the male lead, Hou Minghao, is so cute! He reminds me of Rowoon actually. A baby-face version of Rowoon. Lol
- so now I'm starting on Cambrian Period because of Hou Minghao. Have only watched the 1st ep though so I can't form much of an opinion yet.

The King: Eternal... Season 2: 😜.😜 In which Gon & Tae-eul go universe-hopping and stop to play on a claw machine, unaware that they are in the Mystic Pop-up universe and it's THAT claw machine -- the one that dispenses conception dreams.

Good Casting: 7.0 Finally over. Thank goodness I won't have to suffer any more Woo-won. More like Woo-lost.

Good Casting Season 2: 😜.😜 The Hunt for White Collar and it's many minions, known as White Collar Workers. Basically, white collar workers are Minions of Evil.

Mystic Pop-up Bar: 9.0

Team Bulldog Off Duty Investigation: 7.5 The crime & investigation side is ok; gets stale when they try to add emotional weight by using old family tragedy.

Memorist: 6.5 Catch-up day 5 thru 7.

Backstreet Rookie: 👎.👎 Was planning to watch this until I saw the reactions to day 1. Could this show set a record for "most star power but fewest Beanies watching" ?