At a Distance Spring is Green: I am so glad SH is asking for help. He needs it. As for the romance, I don’t particularly believe it, but whatever. I watch for SH.

Racket Boys: The way I sobbed this episode. They should not be able that much sadness and hope into an episode. My first cry was when Eun Ho looked so sad and then you realize he is clearly abusing this child. When he was about two beat those babies, I was gone. When the Halmoni died I lost it. When you find out it is the city couple helping, I cried some more. When I found out they were pregnant I cried. When they became close and she started calling her Noona, I was done. SIGH, lol.

You are my Spring: This drama keeps surprising. I loved the first part of episode one and then rolled my eyes when I thought oh 2L is a serial killer, SIGH, and I was wrong. Then I was surprised when the 2L was the childhood connection, even though that was more obvious from the beginning. All the characters are so refreshing. They are all so grounded and then when the twist with the 2L was really surprising. I am intrigued and I think I will like this.

My Roommate is a Gumiho: I quit. I just could not go on, even with only 4 episodes left.

Hospital Playlist: Ik Joon continues to be a superstore, I honestly find him genuinely hilarious. His wow was so funny. I am so happy Eun Ji got her surgery. As for Ik Soon, I don’t think she cheated on Jun Wan. I think something else happened and it obviously involves her liver. This show continues to be a delight.

Nevertheless: This episode should be fun. Lol

The Devil Judge: I really like the interpersonal relationships in this drama. Kim Min Jung continues to be a scene stealer and she is so good at ambiguous characters. I like the other relationships too. Ga On and Soo Hyun are adorable together and I love their friendship and how important it is to both of them.

Hospital 2 - I was going to write how although I still enjoy it, I find this season more scattered and with less depth... but... then episode 4 happened, continuing with the touching story of the two Moms waiting for the heart donnors for their kids... and it finished with that Joonwan's sns post (and its consequences)... and I was in tears.

(Also... any scene with Rosa and Jongsoo warms my heart 💕 More please!)

Racket Boys (Episode 11-12) - Mood: A-
It’s incredible how the third-quarter conflict played out in this show: it wasn’t sudden with foreshadowings developed in the past, wasn’t dragged out or resolved easily (I absolutely love how Coach Yoon and the boys played their part in the dismantling of the corruption!) and wasn’t something that disrupted the narrative (there’s still the smoker next week!). I love how we got the enemies-to-friends trope packaged for both the city and country Shin complete with all their tragic backstories: the show is treating its tertiary characters with respect and integrating them with the main story brilliantly!

Hospital Playlist 2 (Episode 4) - Mood: B
With Ik Sun becoming a noble idiot (bleargh), it looks like Cupid Ik Jun will need to stop operations for a while and focus on his own family (he did have those twinkly eyes when he was looking at Seok Hyung and Min Ha). I do believe that he already knew about the couple and the shock was more about why the writer pulled off this stupid trope as opposed to healthily communicating like normal adults. Bless Jun Wan though for still having the empathy to serve his patients! It’s amazing how he thought about utilising social media for good and a wonderful message for the audience to take away.

At a Distance Spring Is Green (Episode 7-8) - Mood: C
While logically speaking it made no sense narratively for the show to follow through on Soo Hyun’s suicide, I was rather invested emotionally in hoping that nothing bad happened to him that my heart went pitter-patter for a good while! The love triangles were resolved thankfully without much nonsense, however, the deeper issue remains: besides Soo Hyun, I don’t think any of the other characters sans Yeo Joon have a story, much less an interesting one. The brother trauma is decent but it was clearly delayed for penultimate week shenanigans in favour of romance: it’s a choice to say the least.

My Roommate Is a Gumiho (Episode 13-14) - Mood: D+
So the writer took the cowardly way out by just shipping Sun Woo out of the story rather than give him some proper arc that is not him moping after Dam: you can just see how lazy the narrative has become when the mountain spirit happily gives the answer to Dam and provides otherworldly protection once again (yes it’s a deus ex machina). The show could have had an interesting backstory behind the Soo Kyung and Jung Seok pairing but of course it’s yet another romance.

You Are My Spring (Episode 1-2) - Mood: B-
Ok show, you have my full attention after that cliffhanger. We’re going to see more of Yoon Park though, right?

The Devil Judge (Episode 1-2) - Mood: C
The Ga On and Yo Han pairing reminds me of Beyond Evil (good!) but the story is yet another antihero vs shadow organisation cliche (bad!).

Bossam: Steal the Fate: The finale was fine if a bit rushed. I loved the first half of the series but the second half turned into a typical sageuk with politics taking over. Put together it was an above average sageuk with a wonderful female lead. Soo-kyung and the King were the most complex, interesting characters for me. Dae-yeop’s fate made me mad. The hugs got a little old, but my interest in the romance had really waned by the end.

The Devil Judge: I am really liking this! The cinematography is really good. The opening scene set the mood. I very much approve of Ji Sung’s suits and hair. The premise is ambitious, there were some wobbles but the set up of the characters and the dystopian world was good. I can’t help but root for Yo-han to turn the righteous Gaon gray and for Yo-han and Sun-ah to have more sexually charged encounters. Looking forward to see how the writer explores the themes.

You are My Spring: What? Really, What??? I liked the beginning where the mom turned the happy fairy tales Grimm. I guess this is reverse Grimm where it starts off dark and unsettling but ends happily. I hated the lighting. The acting was flat. The twist at the end of Episode 2 was genuinely surprising, but not sure I care about the characters enough to stick around.

On the Verge of Insanity: I started out half watching this drama and now I’m totally engrossed. Who knew product proposals and HR convincing employees to take a job adequacy evaluation could be so thrilling. Han Se-gwon is such a weasel, but I enjoy watching his arrogance backfire on him. I hope he does poorly on the evaluation and Eo Hae-mi indeed gets first place and gets to join HER project.

Racket Boys: Oh my heart. Poor In-sol. Big Gran’s last words … Sobs. I’m happy for the city couple. The villainous coach was a bit much.

Hospital Playlist 2: I’m happy Eun-ji received a heart. The scene between the two moms was very good. I enjoyed Jun-wan’s social media training and what he ultimately used it for. I’m not a fan of the Ik-sun storyline. How convenient that her brother does liver transplants.

Nevertheless: Ten episodes seemed so doable but it’s only been three episodes, and I’m exhausted.

At a Distance Spring is Green: Too much focus on romance this week. I wish the drama had focused on friendships, especially Joon and Soo-hyun's. The big kid and his lackeys need to disappear.

CRICKET -

the way Australians played today. heh

Why IPL is still up?
Why India vs. England test series still 1 month away.

Why do so many people especially Americans making reaction videos on cricket - and most views+comments are from indians.they surely have a complex.

Wimbledon - yup. that guy.

Football - yup England drunk fans.

COMPLETED
Bossam - A few too many obstacles in the way of the happy ending (#DaeYeopDeservedBetter) but still a very good show all-round. Kwon Yuri was really good.

STARTED
You Are My Spring - Wasn't planning on watching this since the trailers were all over the place. But I ended up watching both episodes fairly easily. The mystery seems interesting enough and the show is shot well - esp. the childhood sequence and the way it ended was excellent. Haven't seen Kim Dong Wook in anything other than Coffee Prince so this should be a nice change.

ONGOING
Racket Boys - This week was sadder than I expected. My heart broke for In-sol 😢

My Roommate is a Gumiho - This show does so much better when it gives up on the angst and leans into the shenanigans. It was nice to see Dam take control of her destiny and get rid of that stupid red thread too.

Monthly Magazine Home - I knew where we were going with the Cutie Pie storyline but it still hurt to see Sang-soon so broken. The romantic progression on Young-won's part gave me whiplash. I'm not completely sure WHY she likes Ja-sung.

Hospital Playlist S2 - Jun-wan was really having a very bad, no good week wasn't he. Glad Eun-ji's story had a happy conclusion. The Mido & Falasol version of Let's Forget It was also really nice. I think I liked it more than the Reply 1988 version. The Ik-sun thing on the other hand seemed overly dramatic - the fake cheating break-up as well as the illness.

C-DRAMAS
Started The Flaming Heart which feels a bit like a low-rent You Are My Hero with really bad editing. But it has Gong Jun 🥰 so I'm still watching...

On the Verge of Insanity is getting better with every episode. This week's electronic device is a smart home workout machine, created by a woman whose experience of living alone has inspired her to incorporate an “Anti Solitary Death” function in her design. Raging around Eo Hae-mi’s struggle to bring her idea to fruition is a sea of shifting perceptions and alliances, showing just how great the distance is between theory and practice, between principles and real life. In the short space of eps 5 and 6, Choi Ban-seok goes from project proposal legend to “turncoat”, while Han Se-gwon, previously despised by the other team leaders, becomes one of their leaders in their campaign against the proposed competence test. The idea of the test itself is highly problematic: in theory it can prove that it’s Hae-mi, not Se-gwon, who deserves to be on the task force, but in reality it is being weaponised by HR to get rid of employees.

I hope I haven't made OTVOI sound too heavy, though, cos the fact remains that it is a very funny show with a cast that is almost uniformly adept at comedy. There are assorted hilarious ahjusshi; Moon So-ri and Cha Chung-hwa are unsurprisingly fabulous; and Kim Nam-hee is the standout among the under-40s. But most of the funniest moments involve Jung Jae-young, who can do heartbreak and fury but is above all a superlative comic actor. Listen to his delivery of lines like ‘I’m not kimchi” or “So you attend cost-efficient dinners”. Look at him curled up into a ball of mortification as he stumbles on compromising photos on someone’s tablet. Watch him execute a perfect pratfall - backwards! - when he finds something scary in a freezer. The guy really is far too good for Partners for Justice.

BOSSAM (Finale): The drama at the palace wall was too deus ex machina for me; Young Master again saving a seemingly hopeless situation, as an especially repetitive, tiring, contrived plot device. Then plot dominoes fell hastily to get to the finish line.

It was a genre that I did not have an interest in, so I came into the series with no expectations. But after the first few episodes, I, like a growing audience, was drawn into the outlaw family story. I wish it would have stayed that way throughout the series. The palace politics interfered with deeper character developments. I understand that k-viewers want their historical dramas accurate and precise so real events will take precedence. The series was well done but I thought the focus was lost after Ba-woo’s nobility arc. Chal Dol was basically written out of the show at that point.

The second leads got more interaction screen time than the Ba-woo and the princess. And that is where the series faltered; the focal point should have been on the leads’ relationship and interaction. It should have not relied on hide and seek princess story engine to show separation anxiety or tension. The ending seemed to be a rush happy one that added more questions than answers.

The best part of the show: Yuri’s acting was regal, composed and consistent with her character. It was her breakout role. Ironically, the leads showed greater chemistry during their BTS segments and post-filming YT appearances than in the show.

Variety:

SIXTH SENSE SEASON 2 (Episode 3): The restaurant shows are the hardest to find the fake business. This season there has been a hidden camera secret celebrity twist.

-At distance, Spring is green:
"Soo-nam smiles now!"
You mean Soo-hyun? Lol! I had to backtrack and try and remember his full name (Nam Soo-hyun SUNBAE) here to actually get his name 😁 given, I only binged all 8 episodes just two days ago so..hehe
But yeah, I'm really enjoying ADSIG. I've read the 1st episode recap here when it first came out and the comments were just...not vibing..like at all. Most said the ML seemed creepy or underage which I definitely don't agree. [One commentor even addressed Jun as an "underaged gay" and Sobin as a "35 years old spinster". Like Geez! How ugly are you??]
Jihoon (Jun) is actually 20/21 so very accurate to his character and creepy is the last thing I would call him. He does indulge some manipulative tactics here and there but it doesn't come from a bad place you know. I'm not saying it's right but it doesn't exactly cause harm either...that's at least for my taste. And yeah, like the most beanies are saying the friendship (brotherhood, I call it though) between YJ and SH is really adorable. And as episode 8 ended with SH in front of YJ's house and YJ understanding what it meant even though SH couldn't dare to say out loud just.....KILL ME ALREADY YOU TWO!!! That was EVERYTHING!! 🥲 Also, I do like YJxSB romance on the side. They're just adorbs!!
-Doom At Your Service:
I came for SIG, I stayed for SIG and I'm leaving with only the fondest memories of SIG! 😚😘
-Racket Boys:
I'mma start it now! 😃

@quirkycase: But those aren't Jung-won’s parents? It's his mother and her close childhood friend and friend of the family. The act like a married couple. But they are not married or a couple.

@quirkcase Jung-Won's father died in the first season, it's when his friends learn about the fact he was from a rich family. Ju Jong-Su is not his father.

At a Distance, Spring Is Green I'm still not a fan of the ML, he's very self-centered. I'm more interesting in the second lead and I would like the FL has her own story and not just being there for the ML.

Racket Boys So many emotions ths week... It made very hard to watch it in the train!

You Are My Spring Kim Dong-Wook has the perfect voice to be a psy, so soothing.

On the Verge of Insanity It's really interesting and I like the main characters. They form a great duo.

Monthly Magazine Home This drama is made of ups and downs.

My Roommate Is a Gumiho I'm just watching for the second couple and Kang Ha-Na.

Hospital Playlist 2 Noble idiocy trope... My favourite scenes are Song-Hwa and Seon-Bin's ones.

Nevertheless I'm watching it for the campus life.

The Devil Judge The first episode was weird and I don't know if I will watch the second...

Imitation Honestly, they drag Eun-Jo's story for too long now...

Falling into your Smile It reminds me Go Go Squid with the same defaults, the FL is too childish... Cheng Xiao is better an kpop idol than actress for me.

Itaewon class Ep. 8
Wow, I mean, wow.... this show blows me away.
I don't like Soo ah, nevertheless. She is like, annoying not wanting to be annoying.

Roommate gumiho
The end of ep. 14 was hot! I mean, even I felt it was hot, and usually I don't care about the romance in that way.
I know some have complain about this show, but like we said at the beginning: "the show is not taking itself seriously".
Easy solution to a problem, easy mythology about what a gumiho is or not, or how he can become human?? Even better for us!
Doom at your service wanted to be bigger and full of grandious words, but it failed to provide a story that people wanted to watch it until the end.
I am surprised how I have enjoyed this show instead since day one.
Also yes, the second male lead was a little bit of a waste, but he was annoying to start with. I am happy he decided to move on. Dam never ever liked him as to the point that even without her gumiho boyfriend, I don't think she would have liked him. They just don't match.

Anyway... I hope the finale is decent, or at least full of fluff and happy people. I need happiness, even if it is from a kdrama 😅😅😅😅😅

-Completed-
BOSSAM (16/16): One of the better sageuks in recent times, even if it didn't give me a 100% satisfactory ending. As a sageuk geek, I am happy because it gave me my fill of history. It just needed a bit more heart to go on my list of favorites. Dae-yeop deserved better. *sobs*
We're discussing the finale here if you want to join: https://www.dramabeans.com/members/wishfultoki/activity/1244606/

-Ongoing-
TWELVE NIGHTS: I checked out Ep. 1 while I was waiting for the Bossam finale (also Shin Hyun-soo has a new fan). I don't know if I can handle this kind of story but it's too early to tell.

Devil Judge: 4.0 Personifying/criticizing netizen/vigilante/e-mob "justice"!? Bitching about corruption & abuse of power (like 800,000 other shows)? Complaining about bad judges? Anyway not very interesting, and not especially believable even by kdrama standards. Likely drop.

Bossam: Steal the Fate: 6.5 I still wish they could have dumped the palace politics after a few days and focused on carrying out more bossam-ing, with the princess as a full partner. And the historical Gwanghae probably deserved better treatment than they gave him.

Voice 4: 5.5

Racket Boys: 7.5

My Roommate Is a Gumiho: 8.0

You Are My Spring: 7.6 Santa Claus pooping!? Their versions of fairy tales made for a fun start. But show seems so un-spring-time-y that I wonder if "spring" here is supposed to have one of its other meanings.

Hospital Playlist 2
I'm not liking the development with Iksun. I was never really fond of her and now the writer is not giving me a reason to like her more nor to be more invested in her relationship with Junwan. I honestly don't understand why they had to hide their relationship for so long. I can't tell if Ikjun was secretly aware of their relationship or not, but he knows for sure now. Finally!
Anyways, the highlights of this episode were definitely Eunji's heart and Jehak's social media courses.

My Roommate is a Gumiho
I am disappointed about some of the plot development around the main romance. Hyeri and Kiyong have great chemistry...but Wooyeo is not showing as much growth as I had hoped by this point in the story. It makes the issues surrounding this pairing all the more evident. I am also disappointed in what the writer decided to do with Sunwoo's character. His character was so much fun until he became one of those frustrating SML characters from classic romance Kdramas...

Move To Heaven
I finally gave in to the hype and watched this drama; and thoroughly enjoyed it. I cried almost the whole way through. The relationship between the uncle and the nephew were the heart of the show. Their dynamic brought a lot of laughter too.

While watching this drama, I was immediately reminded of a quote from the movie Me and Earl and the Dying Girl:

"...even after somebody dies, you can still keep learning about them. [Their life] can keep unfolding itself to you just as long as you pay attention to it."

Just Dance
(Aka Dance Sports Girls)
I'm really enjoying the tone and feel of this show, although the storytelling could be a bit tighter. It reminds me a bit of Cheer Up which I loved. I noticed that most of the criticism of the show stems from people not liking the main character. Shieun is indeed unlikable...but strangely, I find the fact that she is unlikeable comforting in this context. I can't quite explain it.

Nevertheless
I am looking forward in seeing the long awaited Dohyuk. Please don't be obsessed with like moths or something.

This week I could catch up with dramas because I needed and because I realized comebacks usually last just two weeks and after five years waiting for them, I know I will need contents to watch until the end of the month, so I put babes on hold.

Racket boys. This drama is such a happy pill. I’m so in love with the kids, and I really wish drama revolved completely around them. I loved when Coach Yoon broke the fourth wall and said we all should work to stop abuse in sports. I’ve seen it in so many dramas (Stove League, Run On, 18 Again) to just think of it as trope, just as school bullying. Whether it’s physical or verbal abuse, I do hope we are arriving to that point in which every person understand it’s not tolerable in any circumstance.

You are my spring. This is not exactly what I expected, tbh. I had read nothing about it but I was totally in because of Seo Hyun Jin. It’s darker than expected, I’m not pretty sure what’s happening (I’m lost with the timeline... when did the murder happen? Just the day they moved? Is the murderer the same one who killed the police officer who was Yeong-do’s donor? How can he know who have him the heart? Isn’t that illegal? If the stalker is dead how can Yoon Park be a main character? Do we have twin situation?), but I love the storytelling and the dialogues.

Hospital Playlist. I love the drama, but I’m not in love as I was with season one. This season seems to revolve around love relationships and we are missing all those little stories about patients and doctors. I sometimes feel like there is no connection between scenes and plots. To me drama is lacking consistency.

Monthly Magazine House and Gumiho are still on hold. I will try and watch some during weekend.

Currently watching:
1. Nevertheless: I love the psychological-angle the drama has. The characters are detailed enough to feel like real people, yet they are generic enough to be your story or mine. The Director is a lady, and I'm loving her 'woman's gaze' in every. single. shot.
2. Word of Honor: I really, really do not want to say goodbye to the show, therefore dreading the last 3 episodes. Also, chinese BL dramas have a track record of 'burying their gays'. Surprisingly, so far, it's been really fluffy, and I never knew a Wuxia could do it <3
3. The Day of Becoming You: How adorable is Steven Zhang in this role(s)? One of the better soul-exchange dramas. I haven't hit upon the cutesy-couple bits yet, but the chemistry and sexual tension is so palpable, lol. Also, I kinda avoid Liang Jie's dramas, but Steven really brought out the best in her! :D
4. Moonlight: Struggling to finish the last quarter of the show, because nothing new is happening, and there is only a degree of 'cute' a petulant child-like Ryan Ding can sell. That said, Esther Yu is one of the few actresses who can convincingly do sa-jiao/aegyo, and look good while doing it, without being a tad annoying. Seriously, she is so precious! <3
5. Run On: As someone who *loves* Japanese slice-of-life, I do not like k-dramas under this genre. Somehow, there is not enough bitter-sweetness and nostalgia. I also don't get the point of the plot. I won't drop this because Im Siwan's a cutie, but I'm struggling to go beyond 8th ep.
6. Begin Again: I picked this up because of Gong Jun. Hopefully it'll get better after the time-skip. A very passable drama if it wasn't for GJ. Lol. If his firefighter-drama gets better reviews, I ain't looking back at this again.
7. The Sword & Brocade: This is getting very tiresome beyond the 30th episode. It's the same version of the plot that keeps repeating in every arc. There is only so much that stunning Ming-Dynasty costumes and sets can sell. On the positive side, I was lukewarm to Seven Tan and Wallace Chung, but I love them to bits now <3
8. Sunny: The OG. Sunday Plans :')

Penthouse 3 - I'm a little behind on this. Apparently everyone on our planet has a twin! And by Penthouse's standards, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume that your twin has two more twins!

The Devil Judge - Ji Sung and Kim Min-jung in fine form here. It's one slick ride that, while unsettling, you just can't turn away from.

Bossam - Frustrating. Lots of potential, but hamstrung by repetitive, awkward plot construction and the writer's ambivalence towards class issues. She's happy to have her leads cosplay as commoners, but unwilling to let them actually be commoners, and this need to protect their "innate noble dignity" feels awfully retrograde. It also pretty much kills the romance, because her princess can't be sullied with actual, you know, desire.

Reply 1988 - Appreciating the greater focus on what Deoksun might actually want in the more recent episodes and the fact that the love triangle hasn't dominated everything. Just finished episode 17 and not sure how I feel about the time jump - will be curious to see how that plays out in the final episodes.

Hospital playlist 2 : The two moms touching story had just the realty and depth, genuine happiness and sadness packed into one person. And I hope for a miracle for both of them.
Monthly Magazine Home : I'm so so happy I picked this drama, one drama that counters all the angst from other dramas. And.......Kim Ji Suk has such an adorable smiley puppy face. The side characters are as well very engaging.
Love ft Marriage and Divorce : Now I'm itching to watch next installments as Sa Pi Young is in the know now. And did the writer just ruin Sung Won for me, better keep her character as it is, fault but righteous. No amount of ruining Song Won can make me feel for BHR.
Penthouse 3. If at all any character is to die again, not Oh Yoon Hee. For Pete's sake she is the one amongst the 3 women that JDT dreads the most. The writer better have something in place as long as no twin saga.
On the Verge of Insanity : I'm just enjoying the ride.
At a Distance, Spring is Green: I was going to push this till off airs totally , but with the comments here, I'm eager to catch up. Why would So Bin act so dumb and scared if she knew the answer to the question perfectly. That scene was at its best very annoying and the height of making her a vulnerable character, more so for a third year student.

Hospital Playlist 2: This week's episode was my favorite of S2 so far. I like the personal stories, and have been waiting and waiting for them to start ramping up. I'm looking forward to more of that next week, too, if the preview true. The relationship between the two pediatric transplant mommies has been a true highlight as well.
My Roommate is Gumiho: I haven't been able to watch episodes 13/14 yet, but I also haven't fought to make space to watch them... I'm not quitting the show, but to save myself from frustration I'll probably wait to see them when I can watch 15/16 soon after.
Nevertheless: I'm going to make sure I have time to watch today's episode no matter what. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Something in the Rain: Call it a momentary laps of sanity... I watched this one when it came out and raged with disappointment as the series when on and ruined itself. I actually really enjoyed this rewatch. I think this one makes a much better binge vs/ live watch. Sitting for a week and stewing in anger/frustration was hard, but being able to mute the mother or fast forward through all the pointless miscommunication between the OTP in episode 12-15 made it a much better show.
to.Jenny: My husband requested a show to watch together and wanted something short and sweet. This quirky gem was right up his alley. I'd forgotten that the songs would stick in my head for days after! I really love Your Song, and you cannot escape the hook in Tiramisu Cake.

NEVERTHELESS

Each episode feels so slow and so sensuous, the closeups are excruciating and unsettling --- eyes blinking, mouths opening, hands caressing, feet shuffling, breaths rasping --- everything just drags, and slows. And I don't trust the guy. I watch him with suspicion. Nabi, too, surprises me, and not in a pleasant way --- that laughter was cruel, and it proves this girl has a darkness to her, and she's going to make him pay if he hurts her...there's this feeling of dread that I get, overall, this show just disturbs me.

LOVE, MARRIAGE

This show makes me very, very angry. The characters make me scream out in rage. Most hated character --- the doctor. Followed by the mistresses. All of them. Portraying a stomach-churning breakup scene between a lying, cheating b*st*rd and a homewrecker complete with a sad, tragic lovesong playing in the background with lines that go like this: "I may not want to see you today, but who knows what will happen tomorrow? I may come back, I may not be able to give you up" --- barf.

The first 3 months of 2021 were littered with unfinished dramas. And life is too short to rage watch shite like Oh! Master. However, since mid-April, the drama gods have fully reciprocated my devotion. I continue to be all in for On the Verge of Insanity and Monthly Magazine Home.

Continuing my interest in all things related to Kim Ji-suk, I watched more of his work. I liked Timing, the bittersweet web drama romance he wrote with his old friend, Yoo In Young as part of the variety series The Romance. There's a lot of meta wrapped around this—friends around KJS and YIY are forever asking why those two don't date already; the drama they co-wrote is a friends-to-lovers story; and Ji-suk was preparing for his own friends-to-lovers love line in My Unfamiliar Family.

I power-watched My Unfamiliar Family over the 4th of July weekend. Paired with a close reading of @quirkycase's superb recaps, I cut the 20hr runtime down to 7 or so hours. I love it even though I found Dad to be dumber than a bag of hair. Friends-to-lovers is my catnip and this pairing was wonderful. Equally heartwarming was the rekindled love between the estranged sisters. And doesn't love Yoo Min Woo—the patent lawyer who I'm certain will make a wonderful law partner, husband and brother-in-law. The speakerphone conversation with his mother (Ep. 15, 50:05) is one the sweetest moments in the series.

Racket Boys: This week was had so much pain but also so much love and care. My heart hurts for In Sol, the poor boy just wants to be with boys his age and he knows how good all of the boys are. I felt so bad for him when he was crying in the car. You could see his dad feeling really bad for him. Also that Hwasun coach taking advantage of kids, especially kids of single-parent kids just makes my blood boil. I wouldn't mind him getting punched all over again by Coach Bae. Grandma's death was just so sad. It was so nice to see how she bought the kids the van. She lived a full life and I am so glad that even if most of her kids weren't nice to her, there were people who genuinely cared for her.
Imitation: This show's problem is it's one episode per week format. It makes the story move at half the speed. This show is tropey but fun tropey. Lee Jun Young is the new oppa and I honestly want I Hyun and Ri A to become a couple.

Racket Boys: Wow, filled with lots of emotion. I was very angry with Eun Jo's coach. He is a manipulator. Is it the guys fault that their parents are single parents? I waited patiently for the Legend of the White Wolf. I learnt a valuable lesson. If you base your opinion on someone based on what others say, you might never really know the person. So, know the person for yourself. I am not really good with names but i was hurt when Yoon Tae was betrayed by his friend. Very painful.

Spring at a Distance: It doesn't hurt to ask for help. We all need help at certain points of our lives.

My Roommate is a Gumiho: Finally, the relationship is out in the open and her friends are aware. SL are so cute together.

Binged Watched: The man living in our house.

I am thinking of taking a break from Korea Dramas. Though it is all I watch but I might stop for a while

Scripting Your Destiny: A fun, hilarious short drama, though the Goblin references were a bit too much and the ending left a lot to be desired. But so many good-looking guys, and I love how drama pays some heartfelt tribute to makjang drama. "Accounting of the Married" is right up there with "What's Wrong With my Mother in Law"

Qing Luo (up to ep 12): C-drama costume drama. So enjoyable and warm and I have such a crush on the male lead actor. Dude, you can act and you're super handsome! The casting is really on point. The female lead is one fierce mama (gave her kid a sedative since it's not good for him to see the assassins get killed. That's parenting!). The secondary/side characters are great too.

Truth or Dare: Another C-drama costume drama. My daily source of cute. Just can't wait until the 2 couples get together for double dates.

Going to catch up on My Roommate is a Gumiho this weekend!

My Roommate is a Gumiho (7-8): A lot happened in just two episodes. I did not expect the evil track to end so soon. And that killing looked so easy. It’s good that the bead came out early. I am excited for the new dynamics between our leads.

At a distance spring is Green (7-8): Loved the changed equation between Joon and NSH. I sense more chemistry between these two, rather than with the FL. When Joon called him Hyung and when NSH turned, that was a great scene. Also loved how Joon started cutting off the bullies and other parasites who have been taking advantage of him. I loved Young ran in this week’s episodes. She is such a badass. I ship her with NSH especially after he confessed about the past feelings without any hesitation. I wonder why we have Min Ju’s character here. Literally she has no role other than being a love struck teenager. Her character felt too flat.

Hospital Playlist (4): Great as always. The drama took a bit of serious tone this week and for upcoming episodes.

Penthouse (5) : What a gruesome episode. CSJ is really psychotic. One moment she is grateful to OYH and then kills her !!!! I am disappointed but not exactly shocked. She stayed selfish all throughout.OYH is not a likeable character but she doesn’t deserve this, And it’s even worse that they showed her body so the chances of she coming back alive is really slim. The number of bad people are increasing episode by episode and I wonder how they all are gonna get their dues. Even BJK turned gray this episode with his greed for money. The preview of episode 6 seemed even more confusing. Are they hinting a BJK-CSJ alliance and whats with the lady with the tattoo? Na Ae Gyo is back?? How is it possible for her to survive all those stabs in season 1? Waiting for ep 6 to get subbed 100% in viki.

You are my spring (1-2): I liked the overall set up. The story looks promising. Yoon Park just stole the limelight in the first two episodes. Not much of a fan of neither of the leads, their acting felt really dull here. The ending of episode 2 raised so many questions and for the time being it make me curious enough to continue watching.

Hopeful to catch up with devil judge since I did not get time to check it out last week.

Work got in the way again- so I am behind on a lot of my dramas.

Plus I now have a smartphone and am struggling to learn it. Give me time, I’ll get there.

One show we are keeping up with is MONTHLY MAGAZINE HOME, which has actually gotten better. It is now one of our favorite shows.

HOSPITAL PLAYLIST is still good and still well written. It is our favorite show. I actually like that we are seeing more about the romantic struggles of our main characters while some of the medical stories about the patients still have real impacts.

We have continued to enjoy the C-drama MOONLIGHT but I started and then dropped the C-drama comedy PRINCE CONSORT PLEASE ADVISE ME- silly and unserious is good but this was just clunky and disjointed- no other way to describe it. So for a ridiculous but fun comedy I am watching the C-drama TRUTH OR DARE.

My wife finished TIME FLIES AND YOU ARE THERE and then went on to watch the Chinese fantasy costume drama NO BOUNDARY which was really good. There is a NO BOUNDARY 2 which she ha not yet started. Instead she is now deeply immersed in the historical drama NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY which is set in the mid 1880s- and has 77 episodes- but is mesmerizing. My subscription to iQIYI is paying off.

Meanwhile my wife is just finished the final episode of BOSSAM. She liked it.

The daily drama BE MY DREAM FAMILY continues to be my daily dose of smiles. We are now more than half-way through the show and we are getting some tantalizing hints as to a much happier future in story for our almost couples- and a successful artistic future- though different from what he originally dreamed of- for our artist who has decided to give up art- even though it is what he loves. And as for our wonderful twin brother- that was this week’s cliffhanger. I am looking forward to Monday.

Devil Judge
J drama Meiji Kaika: Shinjuro Tanteicho . Meiji era detective solves murders.

Hospital Playlist 2: Ugh, I knew Joon-wan and Ik-soon were doomed! I'm so confused by her decision to lie to him. She has hurt him so badly and you know that he's going to see her at the hospital somehow when she starts treatment. He is going to be hurt all over again when he finds out she is there and didn't tell him. I bet he won't know she is sick and just thinks she came back to Seoul and didn't bother telling him. I really hope we get more of Ik-soon perspective. Her decision making is confusing and feels like she is only there to hurt Joon-wan. I don't like it!

I finished Healer and Coffee Prince! Coffee Prince is such a gem but dang it! The study abroad thing again. It kills me every time. I doesn't make sense that she had to go to Italy for 2 years. As he said, she could become a barista and they could have gotten married. (Or not gotten married but she could have stayed in Seoul). Okay, I get it! She is trying to be her own person but at the same time, she started to become her own person while still falling in love with Han-Gyul. Being in love and being your own person are not mutually exclusive. Though I feel like there might be some cultural nuances to committed relationships/marriages in Korea I'm missing as an American.

Study-abroad/long distance relationship stuff in dramas need to be done better. They are used as a plot device but typically not done well. The long distance relationship between Ik-soon and Joon-wan was realistic at first and then turned out so weird with her lying about cheating on him and then her getting liver failure. There needs to be a drama that is just about a long distance relationship or at least trying to make one work instead of as a plot device thrown in a few episodes to create drama. I want more depth out of these storylines!

Nevertheless Ep 1-3 - It seems the webtoon was even better but show is still interesting. I like how everyone seems real and there is no villain. I still think people are way too disturbed by this, maybe simply because the guy might be a manipulative jerk and FL is aware of that and might even like or need that.

Beyond Evil Ep 1 - A very boring first episode, the same as every kdrama thriller. A murder with creepy details, a serial killer, a smart hotheaded cop, a naive strict cop and many goofy cops.

Monthly Magazine - Ep 1-5 - It's not anything new but it's a simple fluffy romcom, the kind that used to be easy to find. I really like the ML and his grumpy silly remarks, I wish there was more criticism to the housing issues. Side characters are a bit flat but at least they are not boring.

Devil Judge - First episode was trying too hard to impress, some bad acting, but JS might make me try again.

You are my Spring Ep 1-2 - Another boring first episodes. Slow, confusing, over produced. This kdrama obsession with psychopaths needs a vacation.

At a Distance Spring is Green Ep 1 - I'm late to this party, I liked first ep because I don't know who are the characters and they seem different than average kdramas, not good or bad, but ordinary troubled college students.

Although I really enjoyed VOICE and enjoyed somewhat VOICE 2 I skipped VOICE 3 and now 4.
I was in the mood for a police procedural/mystery when the Taiwanese drama THE VICTIMS’ GAME (2020) on Netflix caught my eye. This is my first drama from Taiwan and I am breezing through the eight episodes. This is a Netflix production and with skipping the credits the episodes come in at around 50 minutes.

MONTHLY MAGAZINE HOME is so far the best rom com I’ve seen in ages (although I was talking to my sister about it and I’m like “and then her ex locks her in the basement so she doesn’t tell his wife…it’s a comedy I swear”). So hopefully it doesn’t fall off a cliff in the manner of Do Do Sol Sol.

I’ve been persisting with DIVORCE LAWYER IN LOVE and as @oldawyer said when I started it, it gets better. FL is awful at the start but am enjoying a lot more now (halfway).

Otherwise I’ve been revisiting some older Taiwanese dramas that are among the first I saw when I started watching dramas - LOVE NOW and LOVE AROUND. They are both exceptionally tropey (featuring my favourite thing: oops I have fallen over and landed on this bed with you) and I have deployed the FF button frequently but I still really like both of them.

lol I feel like I'm the only one watching Voice 4 and enjoying it 😅

While I'm slightly miffed that the male lead continues to be antagonistic towards Kang Kwon Joo when they first meet, Derek Cho's character is intriguing. However, I don't really know if it's Song Seung-hoon's acting, the writing, or the directing, but sometimes I think he's just a bit too intense at some points?

I'm also glad that they seem to be bringing in more of Kwon Joo's background and I'm hoping it ties into everything else that's happening. While I know it's her job to be at the center and give directions out, I do miss the good old days from the first season when she was much more hands-on with some of the investigations.

The cases always continue to be a strong point of this show if anything else, but this season is a bit too on-the-nose about the theme of 'family' that it doesn't feel as natural as other seasons. We're past the halfway point of this drama (14 episodes instead of the typical 16), so I'm hoping things ramp up in a satisfying way. I can't wait for next weeks' episodes!

PIPELINE (can be rented at Viki) Go into this film without expectations and just sit back and be entertained with a story that has something for nearly everyone. (no romance for the romantics though) The thing that struck me most about the movie was the authentic and almost sympathetic portrayal of criminal Pin dol by Seo In Guk and the anger and intensity of Lee Soo Hyuk as the bad guy. The other characters in the film seemed to float by as nearly animated characters. But Seo In Guk brought the story to life and pulled it together to make it meaningful. Sadly, the humor in the film never felt funny to me. There was always an unpleasant aftertaste to the "comedy" that I could have done without. Seo In Guk fans, go for it. I don't think you'll be disappointed as he makes Pin Dol into the kind of criminal you want to hide from the cops and feed ramen.

There’s so much to keep up with, hope I didn’t miss anything:

At a Distance, Spring is Green: Soo-hyun having friends and seeking help makes me the happiest person. I just want our main trio to be friends forever. I really didn’t expect to love this drama as much as I do.

The Devil Judge: Ji Sung and Kim Min-jung are so good. They’re magnetic onscreen and I’m really just watching for them. The themes and dystopian setting is cool, but the execution isn’t doing it for me. However, the production and sleek aesthetics are top-tier.

Gumiho: Only sticking around because there are 2 episodes left and no point in dropping it now. What an unbelievable waste of Bae In-hyuk and his character. He served no purpose and shouldn’t have been in the story in the first place. Hye-sun and Jae-jin are the only ones I truly like. At least the kiss scenes last episode were good.

Hospital Playlist: Wasting Lee Kyu-hyung’s cameo for that overly obvious reason was irritating enough, now we’re dealing with Ik-sun being a noble idiot? I still love this show with all my heart, but these are bad choices by the writer. Hopefully, we get over these troubles soon.

Imitation: Unexpectedly picked it back up one night out of boredom and was surprised by how actually good it is. Ryoc is absolutely hilarious and I really do like most of the characters. The music is also surprisingly good. This is a hidden gem and I’m glad I decided to give it a second chance.

Mine: Still have to catch up, just waiting for schedules to line up with my watch-partner.

Nevertheless: Team Chae Jong-hyeop ftw! A hot chef who remembers your birthday and your favourite dessert even a decade later *and* who still clearly likes you? This guy’s a keeper.

Racket Boys: Best show currently airing. The last episode made me genuinely upset. It’s absolutely horrifying that coaches like these are commonplace and abuse of athletes is so rampant and pervasive. I’m glad that the show pointed out how it’s a systemic issue with people along every chain of command enabling such behaviour, instead of simply one bad apple. There’s so much to praise this show about, I could go on all day.

Hospital Playlist 2: The expectation is higher than what we're getting so far. But I absolutely loved the latest band scene and the emotion in it. Hopefully the next episodes steadily get better.

Lovestruck in the City: I relate to Eun-oh way more than I want to admit lol. Jaewon keeps putting me off with his romanticizing and is like a more exasperatingly whiny Tom Hansen.

I still have Racket Boys on hold. I think if I don't get back to it this week I'll never finish it lmao.

Currently watching At a distance, Spring is Green and The Devil Judge.

I'm watching "Imitation" and I have to say I really like it. There are a few things that upset me though about how Agencies and fan have so much control over what is considered acceptable behavior for K-pop Star's and Actor's. It's sad to see that some of them spend their youth practicing with no guarantee that they'll get to debut and it seems like the stress put on many of them by family is terrible. It's heartbreaking to hear that young people are committing suicide - that is almost never happening here in the states, they don't have any where near the pressure and scrutiny. I think it's sad that they can't even date like normal people. I don't think Fans and their agencies should have that kind of control over what they do in their personal lives. It's not healthy to be alone and having to be so careful that they can't even get dinner together with a female friend without someone trying to make more out of it. I don't mean to offend anyone but I would think that it would be better if they had more freedom and less stringent rules or tradition's. Life's short, they should be able to enjoy to do with what they want in their free time. It seems like it is a lonely life. Some of these actors are almost 40 and want to get married but it seems like they have hardly dated anyone. Dating here is much simpler, more laid back.
It's just my opinion so if you disagree - let's not bash anyone just agree to disagree. I'd want my favorite stars to be happy as possible. God Bless, stay safe, take care! Much love! ♥️♥️♥️

NEVERTHELESS: Wish I could binge watch it. One show a week and I'm forgetting who people are. But enjoying all the various relationships trying to get off the ground.
TAXI DRIVER: Good but all the violence dehumanizing people for profit was really starting to get to me, so I'm taking a break while I watch something fluffy and cute
MARRIAGE NOT DATING: fluffy and cute
I've got a bunch of shows on pause--not sure when I'll get back to them, including: CRAZY PERSON IN THE AREA, THE FIERY PRIEST, and SECRET LOVE AFFAIR

After reading all of the comments this week, I conclude that there is nothing to watch.

The only show I'm personally still half-half on is Devil Judge, because I find the first episode too try-hard.