River: SIGH. I don’t know if it is because of Ji Soo leaving or because it was part of the script from the beginning, but this thing with Geon wanting to marry her is incredibly stupid. The only chemistry between Geon and Ga Jin is sibling chemistry. There is nothing romantic about it, ick nast. Geon has FARRRR more chemistry with Mo Young. They have a great heat together and instead we are wasting it on a triangle that not only doesn’t make sense, but worse adds absolutely nothing to the storyline. It slows the plot and bores the audience to tears, if they don’t pick up by next week, I am out.

L.U.C.A: Well….it began well enough and then it ended. I really have no idea what to say here. That was an ending, the person who dies is not who I expected to die. I am not sure I understand the point the writer was trying to make. Maybe that monsters are not created they are made. I don’t know weird drama. I would like to see KRW and LDH in a better written drama in the future though.

Sisyphus: This is a dumb drama. LOL. It is a terrible nonsense, ridiculous, and dumb drama. However I cannot for the life of me seem to let go. I have embraced the foolish and stopped asking “What” and saying “that doesn’t make any sense.” I am now along for the ride. Also Jae- Sun is adorable. The romance happening between Tae sul and Seo Hae is interesting and I don’t hate it. Lol

Vincenzo: This is my happy pill. I will die on the hill that SJK is the most charming actor in Hallyu, because he is hot hot in this role. It should be ridiculous, but he brings charm and the straight man to Jeon yeo Bin’s crazy. Also I’m kind of happy to say I am not mad at Taec, he is doing a fine job here. I have a strong love for him and he is honestly do a good job in this drama.

Love Alarm 2: I forgot how angsty this drama is. Lol, I was like my God young people nothing is that dramatic. I still kind of like though, lol.

Vincenzo - I still like it and it makes me laugh, I just need to adjust a bit as I'm missing Lawyer Dad who grounded the show. (I somehow also want the music director to only use the classical music).

Sunbae - this is a rare case when I liked the second half more than the first one, probably because the makjang parts toned down 😆 ... and I was absorbing all loving moments between the couple like a sponge 🙈 (Rowoon was Extraordinarily Swoony 😊), though I still think that it was the right decision of Songah to go to Europe.
I loved Hyunseung's family (his Niece! 💕) and the siblings' regular meetings. I was also fond of the KLAR team (and I liked the CEO). The character who touched me the most, however, was Second Noona. Her story was heartbreaking... and she has my admiration for dispite her pain still loving and freeing her husband.

Hana Kimi - we finished the rewatch with my teenage sons. They are both into manga, thus understand the special and sometimes over-the-top style... and we were all having such a fun. 🙂 I watched it 10-12 years ago for the first time and I would say it was even better the second time. Only... why are the actors suddenly looking so young???? 😆

Came back to My Little Happiness as I needed something soothing. It's sweet and happy. My current me likes it 🙂

Dropped Heroic Husband as I heard the second half is dragging and that they plan second season... the episodes I saw were not engaging enough for me to make such a commitment.

Finally checked Sword and Brocade and I reasonably liked the first episode. Only the male lead from Little Happiness is there as well and it's a bit jarring... I will have to wait till I finish Happiness I guess.

Looking forward to Butterfly Ballet... and Nana.

CRICKET -

4th test match was another disappointment and so was 1st T2O

this made for everything - https://twitter.com/MrDMurphy/status/1369351043885174784

village cricket - Europe

River where the moon rises. Such a big mess. The whole editing JiSoo’s scenes made the episodes so weird and poor Na In Woo trying to blend in the footage. I will give the drama next week to see if I can stay with it because we will have scenes reshot and maybe less nonsense. Also, the writing is sooooo poor, specially Pyongang… what was all that “everyone who has committed a crime must be punished because they’ve betrayed the country”? Says the former assassin who risked her life to save her assassins friends, and who wanted to kill dad-king because he was the worst person in Goguryeo?

Sisyphus: The myth. Still not making sense but watching because of CSW and PSH. I will never get tired of saying how much I love them together. I don’t try to make sense of anything, because I can’t understand characters like Chairman Kim willing to destroy a country just to get his wife her medicine but then deciding to commit suicide or Sigma also wanting to destroy the country. This lazy writing is killing me.

Vincenzo. This show is fun. A total mess and nonsense, but I’m having fun which is what I ask of a drama. I’m waiting for HanSeo’s twist and wonder why JoonWoo is making all that fuss playing a double character. Agent Ahn is becoming my favourite character in the drama so far.

Not yet 30. Simple and fluffy. Easy watch of 20 minutes episodes. Honestly I hope SeungYoo is not endgame to JiWon. Also, I am the only one who thought 24 years old was a girl?

I finished 18 Again and loved it, LDH was the center of the drama and wow, I need more of him, the whole cast was fantastic but he nailed all the roles: the teenager, the troubled father toddlers, the man realizing how much he missed his family, he was mature, ingenuous, funny and sad at the same time. That opening scene in episode 16 with him crying “I want to go back, please” broke my heart. Just wow.

I also finished Secret love affair. Even with YIA and Kim Hee Ae amazing performances, I had to mainly FF the last six episodes of the drama: the makjang and the angst was too much for me. I’ll just stick to the amazing leads.

Vincenzo: This drama is fun! The courtroom antics and Agent Ahn’s Vincenzo love made me laugh.

Mouse: I thought they would draw out the reveals, but we know the identities of the major players and everything is pointing to the doctor as the serial killer though with 16 episodes left, I’m sure things are not as straightforward as they appear. Is Lee Seung-gi’s character the mouse or snake? Also, I don’t trust the PD. She has a connection to both the Headhunter and his son and is working with the cops. Fishy.

Beyond Evil: Wow, lots of movement in Episode 7, some questions answered about Dong-sik. The new question now: Is Jin-mook the only killer because we are only halfway through?

Sisyphus: The wonderful Kim Byung-chul finally arrives, and yet I’m bored. I wanted ridiculous and fun but got ridiculous and boring instead. I spent most of Episode 8 thinking about all of the ways future nuked Korea makes no sense, not that anything makes sense.

Love Alarm 2: I watched Episode 1 before realizing I never finished Season 1. Whoops. I don’t think I’ll be finishing Season 2 either. I hate the bright filter. I’m not sure I care for Kim So-hyun's acting. Maybe it is just the roles she’s chosen.

River Where the Moon Rises: I gave this drama one more chance but the writing and directing continues to be downright bad. Ga-jin should be a kickass character but instead she’s boring, dumb and annoyingly full of herself.

LUCA: The Beginning: Well, that was … something. I expected Zi-oh to be the one to die, sacrificing himself to save his family, but instead he went full dark side. Hated that the nice cop died.

Love (Ft. Marriage & Divorce): I guess the writer really is planning a second season as there is no way anything can be wrapped up in two episodes. This drama has the most unnatural dialogue.

I forgot to share a link to this awesome Vincenzo behind the scenes video and how they shot the "Italy" scenes https://twitter.com/heejaediary/status/1370377082069417985

Sisyphus: The Myth (Episode 7-8) - Mood: C-
Sun’s characterisation as the lovesick puppy is weird considering he had just met Seo Hae for a few days at max within the drama’s timeline: in contrast, we can understand how family drives Tae Sul / Seo Hae / Tae San into action, with the conflicting goals providing some good drama. The inner optimist in me thinks that there could be a big twist where he’s the younger version of Sigma but the outer pessimist in me believes that romance will be shoehorned into the 2nd half. I wonder how much the Asia Mart CEO knows given his subscription to fatalism: he seems to be aware of the time loop?

Beyond Evil (Episode 5-6) - Mood: B-
Is it just me or is there more to Han Joo Won’s background? It appears that the show’s pushing him as the outsider who isn’t beholden to the emotional bonds that chain all the Manyang villagers and is hence in the position to expose all the dirty secrets everyone has kept hidden. However, what troubles me is that Lee Geum Hwa’s death only explains why he is so intent on catching the murderer now but doesn’t explain what had made him go to the extent of using bait: it’s not going to look good on characterisation if there isn’t more to it. We also need interesting motivations for all the murders!

Hello? It's Me! (Episode 7-8) - Mood: B-
Objectively speaking, there are only two things that worry me about the story going into the second half: 1) The aunt as a possible company takeover villain, 2) Resolving young Han Ni’s time travel. There might be a few other details like the avalanche of side characters (mart owners, shaman, loan shark) that risk being pointless in the plot or the love triangle that continues to grow but I feel mildy optimistic that the show can tackle those satisfactorily. Subjectively speaking, I’ll say this has unexpectedly been an absolute delight! This week’s highlights included Yoo Hyun’s super wild imagination.

Completed:
Sunbae, Don’t Put on That Lipstick - Mood progression: D / D / D / D / D+ / D / D- / D-
L.U.C.A.: The Beginning - Mood progression: D+ / C- / D+ / D- / D- / D-
(Both shows … the less spoken the better.)

Still plan to start Mouse and catch up on Vincenzo when I’m free … hopefully I won’t find myself in the position to drop them.

Marrryyyy, hiiiiii!!!! 💕💕💕
I have similar thoughts about Hello... I also love Haraboji... and yes, we have to protect Jieun and her husband at all costs!! 😍

Sisyphus: Still at it. Can't drop it now since I'm half way through. I will hate the romantic arc, if that's coming up. Very unprofessional for a bodyguard.

River where the Moon Rises: I truly miss Ji Soo as Ondal. I thought his face and mannerisms perfectly portrayed what could be "The Fool". But I do like Na In Woo. Lee Ji-hoon does not disappoint and is one of the reasons I'm still tuned in. Bits and pieces of Kang Ha-neul are always welcome!

It's OK not to be OK: I am loving Seo Yea-ji.

River Where the Moon Rises I think I will drop it. The story is meh, I don't like the main characters and everything is a big mess.

Sunbae, Don’t Put on That Lipstick I want more dramas like this! No big villain or conflicts, just characters who take decisions and have to assume the consequences. The end was very satisfying and I will miss it on Monday. Now, I need to know if Rowoon has accepted this project with Park Eun Bin!

Sisyphus I'm behind...

Mouse So you're specialized in serial killers and you think that an amusement park is a good place for a meeting in the middle of the night?

Beyond Evil In this drama, YJG's character chose his murderer and then tried to connect evidences to him instead of the opposite...

Vincenzo I have a lot of fun to watch it, every character is crazy!

Love Alarm 2 It was pretty boring. The FL still continued to lie to everybody, the main couple had no chemistry and looked so awkward... And I hate the excuse "If I hadn't invented it, someone else would have".

Will You Leave It's cute.

River Where the Moon Rises: pretty much only watching this for Mo-yong and snark right now. I admire the speed of the Na In-woo editing, but it made for some awfully awkward episodes this week. Our princess comes across as very bumbling "I'm from Corporate, I'm here to help" this week, Geon has (let's hope momentarily) lost his mind about her, and Mo-yong is pretty much the only one able to read the room and the winds and stay a step ahead.

Sisyphus: at this point, I'm pretty sure I'll watch the entirety of the drama and absolutely still have no clue what it's about. There are waaaay too many Men In Black constantly appearing out of, like, everywhere, but I love every scene that PSH and CSW are in together and...I don't know, it's fun for me.

Youn's Kitchen, S2: it all looks delicious, they're all adorable with great camaraderie, and my favorite part has to be where a tourist asks Park Seo-joon if he's "a famous Korean TV star," and he panickily mumbles, "No, no...." and runs away from the table. See also: Lee Seo-jin's dimples.

How to Be Thirty: cute, easy and fun with the trio's friendship a delight and the highlight for me.

Dr. Romantic 2: as with most sequels, I prefer season 1, but I needed something a bit formulaic and easy to watch - and both seasons deliver a nice dose of cozy heartwarming simplicity.

Ongoing
Beyond Evil (Ep 5-7) - Very satisfying end to Ep 7 but there is just too much TALKING in this show and not enough action.

Vincenzo - I have so much FUN watching this show. Even when it's not laugh out loud funny, it makes me smile. I also really like the tenants'-found-family-that-could.

Sunbae - It's over. Finally. And I didn't even get to see the Director's wedding. He would have CRIED again 😭

River Where the Moon Rises - They ruined Geon. The best character. We are not amused 😑

Sisyphus - I still like it. Sort of. I just wish I could feel more invested in the future timeline. Also Seo-hae's magical plot armour makes all the action scenes meaningless.

Mouse - This show mows through its characters like grass. Have lost count of how many have died so far. Even the victims seem to be trying their damnedest to get killed. At least it makes the super-long episodes fly by. Also has great episode endings. My kind of thriller.

C-dramas
Completed My Heroic Husband and Love Unexpected and the less said about both the better. But as a warning, Love Unexpected may have the dumbest, most annoying FL ever, even by cdrama standards.
Word of Honor - The novel is almost fully translated now so have paused this till I finish the book.
Lots of new shows I'm interested in but not started yet - You Are My Hero, Don't Think of Interrupting My Studies among them.

-completed-

SHE WOULD NEVER KNOW - (watched:complete/ratings:3/10) So basically, Song-ah had to “toss” Hyun-seung away to realize that she “actually” loved him…like, what???? Seriously???? I have no words literally…I always knew that something was off with Song-ah (lack of affection, love), but never knew that she would be such a b*tch. Such a disappointing drama, I regret watching this trash, except for Hyun-seung (Ro-woon, I liked you in Extraordinary You, but now I became your fan!).

KOI WA TSUZUKU YO DOKOMADE MO - (watched:complete/ratings:10/10) I was desperate for a great romance kdrama, but I didn’t find any good at the moment (eagerly waiting for Nana and Lee Min-ki’s upcoming drama). So I decided to rewatch Koi with Sato Takeru (been a fan since Q10 and Beck/wow its been 10 years). What can I say; I fall in love with this dorama every time I watch it! I’ve finally found my healing pill for hard times.

RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON - (watched:complete/ratings:7/10) A good animated canon Disney movie. I found many similarities between Raya and Moana (strong and fierce female lead/lack of romantic interests/friendship and family above all else/even their hair is similar). Is it me or the human Sisu looks exactly like Awkwafina the voice actress? I bet they made this character with Awkwafina in mind (the expressions and the personality is so Awkwafina, even the smile!)…Anyway, good movie and now I can’t wait for Encanto to be released in the Fall.

-ongoing-

RIVER WHERE THE MOON RISES - (watched:ep8/ratings:-/10) There’s nothing much that I can say about this week of River. The production and staff/actors are doing their best to save this show after Ji-soo’s scandal/mess. So I decided not to rate the last two episodes. But there’s one thing that I am looking forward to: Na In-woo!!! Bring on the swoon!!!

Love Alarm 2: I loved it. I liked that guy from Season 1 and I thought they did a great job of showing how young love can sometimes be too much, too soon. The whole "too heavy" teddy bear could apply to Jojo's past, but also to her relationship with Sun-ho.
Someday or One Day: I actually picked this one up and put it back down a couple of times over the past year. There's always so much praise for it, and I needed to get past my travel to the past and become a high schooler fatigue... OK. Once Li Zi Wei got into the car crash, I was like - WHAT??? THIS is why everyone talks about who amazing this show is! It took me by delightful surprise and from that point on, I was hooked. I might have liked a more fleshed out ending, but I was satisfied.
Sisyphus: I like it! It's bananas, but I'm here for it.
Hello? It's Me!: Bring on the noona romance. I love watching goofy Kim Young-kwang fall in love. I also like Bahn Hani getting her mojo back.
Sunbae... Lipstick: I liked how everything wrapped. It was a satisfying finale with everyone making peace in their own way.

TIMES: (EP 5-6): We have gotten to the point where the time travel twists need a show rule explanation. The first two episodes dealt with Predestination Paradox, what you did in the past to stop something will actually cause the past to happen. You cannot change fate. The outcome will always be the same. Then in the second two episodes, the writer shifted to a different butterfly effect type of outcome which begins to drastically alter the past and the future. The last episode twist does not fit into either category.

This starts to get annoying; my pet peeve is that so long a sci-fi series sets it own rules (however crazy they may seem) and follows them, I am fine. But when a series starts with a premise then does not follow any rules, I get too distracted with the story flaws to deeply like the show. If the show is going the parallel universe route, then clearly state it (it would be the easiest cop-out NOT to explain the effects on the characters). Times needs to set some clarity on this issue.

Hello Me: 7.0 Wish they would lay off Anthony's lactose intolerance instead of trying to milk it for all it's worth.

Love Alarm 2: 8.0 Someone within 10 meters has more to say in a reply.

Sisyphus: The Myth: 8.0 Explanations. Things are starting to make sense, except...(see reply)

Times: 9.0 Twists that make sense! Except maybe the preview for next week.

River Where the Moon Rises: 7.0

Vincenzo: 8.5

Beyond Evil: 7.5 Day 7 was the best yet.

L.U.C.A: The Beginning: 5.0 The Ending.

Mouse: __ Dropped. I just don't have the even-care-about-nature-vs-nurture gene.

Income Taxes: 4.0 As in past years seasons, long on suspense and horror but very little logic, humor, character development, etc. Plot is totally predictable.

River where moon rises: On hold for now. I did tune in for episode 7 and started browsing my phone within few minutes. There are 20 episodes. I am not going to make 14-hour commitment to this show unless it improves dramatically.
She would never know : They did wrap the show nicely. Even though not everyone got their happy ending, they got closure and moved to better place in their life.
I did not love the show but it did hold my interest for 16 episodes.
Hello Me: I do find little Ha-ni obnoxious most of the time but I do like older Ha-ni, ex-chaebol and Grandpa. I just don’t get Oh Ji-en’s mom’s motivation. It’s not like she lacks money, prestige. Why she is bent on ruining her family?
Love featuring marriage and divorce: The show is weird and facing is quite odd. The rate at which the story is progressing, I don’t think we will get satisfying ending. The upside is I don’t really root for any of the characters except 50’s family and they have made their choice by throwing father out.
Sisyphus the myth: I find it quite boring? I don’t think action sequences in future add much to the story. The bad guys even in future are incompetent. Around 100 soldiers could not shoot a single person but Seo-hae’s every bullet hit the target. Come on show, you should not make Seo-hae awesome by making other people incompetent and one-dimensional.

Unexpected Business is hilariously unedited and we get to watch minutes of Tae Hyun fumbling with checkout 101. (Well, he didn’t take the basic course of payment options, that is. Or inventory check. Guess that why the “ unexpected” is in the title. ) The townsfolk are impatient but tolerant, haha. I want a rolled omelette pan after watching In Sung make them with some skill. I hope the business survives the “ help.”

I regret watching 18 AGAIN because now that I’ve finished it I’m left with a serious case of LDH’s withdrawal. This drama is such a gem! It manages to have me in stitches one minute and bawl my eyes out in the next and I didn’t mind it at all! This one has become the second drama besides Reply 1988 I’d see myself rewatching several times because I enjoy all the stories and all the characters. What a treat! I really hope to see Lee Do-Huyn on my screen again in a similar story with as much heart and weight. He’s my new-found Kdrama crush. Such a talent!

maaaaaaary!!! *waves maniacally* 🙋🏼‍♀️ So good to see you and read you!
I’m not sure what “yeet” means, but I’d like to fling young HaNi against a brick wall, is that close to the same thing? She’s so inconsistent, as you point out, and ugh, her aegyo 😖 I’m having a hard time to keep watching the show.

In a few minutes I am off to get my first dose of Covid 19 vaccine. Yippee.

My wife stumbled across LOVE IN THE MOONLIGHT and really loved it. She thinks that Kim Yoo-jung is a fabulous actress (which is true) and when she is in the mood I plan to re-watch CLEAN WITH PASSION FOR NOW with her. She will be thrilled when the historical fantasy RED SKY comes out- it is the kind of show she loves. I picked up the first half of JEWEL IN THE PALACE from the library and now she is immersed in that, which means that this week Chinese Costume Dramas have taken a temporary back seat.

This week brought us the final episodes of SHE WILL NEVER KNOW (aka SUNBAE, DON’T PUT ON THAT LIPSTICK) and we were left with a very pleasing picture as our OTP are getting married but dramatically it felt a bit off. It was way too easy for Song-ah to get Hyun-seung back- and eldest sister should already have been married at least two years before the finale.

Other than this I have to say I am in a bit of a slump, simply going back to watch parts of favorite shows from the past. There is a new weekender starting this weekend but it will be some time before it is up on Viki. In the meantime I am still waiting for the upcoming OH MASTER (the title actually refers to the female lead rather than the male one, hence its alternative very awkward title OH MY LADYLORD), LAW SCHOOL and NAVILLERA.

NAVILLERA will be on Netflix by the end of this week. I have loved ballet since my parents took me to see a performance of SWAN LAKE when I was eight years old.

Vincenzo 6/20 : Glad I picked it up after the 1st episode. I think I can just turn off my brain and just enjoy the drama. I initialy thought that romance is unnecessary but the leads chemistry is good and pleasant. Will catch both the episodes on monday.
Sweet home: completed. Started for Lee do hyun. If anyone can make that hairstyle work it's him. Overall I liked the drama, monsters, suspense. I really like these kind of apocalyptic shows. I just watched the whole drama with my hand over my mouth.
Hello, me: 3/16 picked it up after everyone is gushing about the show. Still feeling kind of meh but huge improvement from the first episode. Episodes are going by fast and I'm watching it if I have nothing else to watch.
Running man : So I have resorted to watching running man for lee do hyun and since he appeared 4 times since last year watched all the 4 episodes. The best is the first one when he did the little hammer dance. So so cute!!!
Maybe I'll watch prison playbook or beyond evil for him next. Miss you lee do hyun. Come back to dramaland fast.

I am in home quarantine since 5 days after testing positive for Covid so I could watch only few episodes this week and hopefully might catch up after a week.

Love ft marriage and divorce (13-14): Even more fillers. I sense a possibility of a second season. I hated SH all through this series, but the last episode showed what made him attracted to another lady. I mean I knew HR is dominant but throwing your husband out of the bedroom when he is sick so that you won't catch a cold is seriously a heartless move. Not to mention how she didnot even bothered to ask if he need anything. I wonder if she was the one who got sick and SH treated her the same way will she accept it? No she will end up complaining about how uncaring her husband is. Although SH could have man up and opposed her, her actions were still bad. She even complained to her colleague that SH doesn't have anything to offer other than his youth. But what does she has to offer? She was not even ready to compromise atleast once for him so how can she expect him to return the care which she doesn't give him? Cheating was still bad but HR was not a good wife either. I am still confused about the doctor's reason to cheat.

TRWTMR (7-8): I feel bad for the team and I appreciate the efforts their efforts to continue the show no matter what. In woo seems to be confused possibly because of the less time he got for understanding the character. I am still on board for this. The story focused on the palace politics this week but it still didnot move forward. The previews look good and I hope we get some development in the plot next week.

Beyond evil (5-6): I like the way the story is going, making us doubt each character.

Douluo continent (29-31): I enjoyed the first round battle esp how ZZJ faced 3 opponents. I loved the slow development of the bond between her and DMB. I am getting a bit bored with the MC. Tang San js powerful and I like him in fight scenes but when not fighting he just repeats the same thing so much. And coming to the FL she is just like a glue that sticks to Tang San. I understand that she loyal to him but it's frustrating not to have atleast one scene without her struck to his side ?🤦‍♀️

Not yet 30 (4): I liked how starightford the FL lead was regarding her feelings towards the ML. I mean how casually she asked him if he is interested to sleep with her and the even casual discussion about it with her friends. So far I am getting serious bad vibes from the ML. I wonder who the other girl was.

Love Alarm 2 (SPOILERS):
Just finished up the season and you know what? I'm satisfied. Sure a lot of Jojo's actions were selfish and did I agree with them? Not always. Did I understand and empathise with why she made those choices? Absolutely. Girl has trauma up the wazoo and is only 23, still growing and learning. Also that marathon? I ugly cried omg. The only arc I cared about truly was hers and her managing to find some semblance of peace amongst the damage forced upon her.

Also the leads were so soft, goodness were they soft. Attraction wasn't at the forefront of their chemistry but warmth certainly was and the photo shoot at the beginning absolutely had me hoping .(could have done without the high exposure, my eyes dude)

I do wish they had gone a little deeper into Sun-Ho's and his Mum's changing relationship - i feel like we only ever brushed the surface and I wanted MORE.

Vincenzo:
Picked this up this week! I adore the female lead, she's an absolute whack-job and I am here and staying for it.

Always felt that Taecyeon was a bit green acting wise so it has been an absolute pleasure watching him nail this role. Also Vincenzo is exceptionally bad at pretending he wasn't in the mafia if that is, in fact, what he was going for XD

Hello? It's Me!:
Choi Kang Hee continues to be adorable and amazing - Anthony is still very much unnecessary. What on earth is going on with Grandma, is it just the dementia or something else?????