CRICKET -

England Vs. India - slight rain and clouds delayed 1st day. annoying. Not so good bowling but 2dn day it was awesome bowling display. A 39 guy performing much better than all the other young guys shows you his level and quality. James it is. 3rd day is going on and India doesn't have much answer for Root - root is amazing.

Cloudy days - temperature below 25 and humidity hovering below 75% is too good for competitive cricket.

The Devil Judge: Aw, Yo-han and Ga-on broke up and Yo-han had a sad breakup montage and everything. Will a murderous Sun-ah and a President trying to end democracy bring them back together? My k-drama ball says yes.

Racket Boys: The final episode was as wonderful and heartwarming as the whole series. These kids are so talented. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending.

On the Verge of Insanity: So we have gone full circle with Dang Ja-young finding herself in the same kind of position Ban-seok was in at the beginning of the series. While I thought it was crappy that the company put Ban-seok on the lay off list after he saved their butt, I said before the break that he gave his technology away too easily. I felt for Ms. Dang who was just doing her job but was sacrificed when Ban-seok resorted to dishwasher terrorism.

Love (Ft. Marriage & Divorce): All you can do is laugh at the absurdity. I thought maybe the writer had matured but nope, we have Grandpa ghost possessing his granddaughter and couple swaps that may or may not be real. Obviously S3 is coming and my question is will we finally find out what happened to the guy who fell off his horse several episodes ago?

Hospital Playlist 2: Holy moly, that was a long episode, but it was a really good one. I love Rosa. Anything having to do with parents sick or growing old hits me hard.

Police University: I was about to turn it off after 20 minutes as the male lead fell in love at first sight and stalked the girl to the Police University. Then they reeled me in with the father/son relationship. I tend to like an underdog tale too.

Nevertheless: These characters have the rest of their lives to be miserable. Enjoy college. These are not the loves of their lives.

The Road: Tragedy of One: It wouldn’t surprise me if the wife planned everything. The quiet ones are suspicious.

After a two-week hiatus, ON THE VERGE OF INSANITY returns with a bang — and I mean that both literally and metaphorically. Han Se-gwon may be seething at Dang Ja-young and Choi Ban-seok at the moment, but what they did to him is nothing compared to what they do to each other in episodes 11-12. To prove her mettle and her loyalty to the company, Ja-young deliberately sacrifices the colleague she values the most. Ban-seok, at the end of his tether, shows that his friends were not really joking when they called him a “nutjob”. (In fact he seems to be one of those people who can go ballistic in a terrifyingly cold and lucid way.)

Episode 12 ends with a clever and seemingly hopeful reversal of fortunes, but we’re also reminded of the irreversible damage in R&D Team 2 (which had me sobbing into my cup of tea), and the way even intelligent people like Ja-young and Gong Jung-pil unquestioningly accept that workers must be thrown overboard to save the sinking company. I’m most worried about how and why exactly the voluntary resignation drive got cancelled, cos I don’t think Hanmyeong will let Ban-seok get away with it so easily. If Se-gwon has been posted to Changin to deal with Ban-seok, I’m going to scream...

And now for some comic highlights. Ban-seok bulldozes over Noh Byung-guk and Shin Han-soo effortlessly! (Jung Jae-young, Ahn Nae-sang and Kim Nam-hee have such great chemistry that they have been dipping into Altmanesque overlapping dialogue.) Ja-young screams abuse at Ban-seok from her balcony! The ahjusshi wave ironically at the youngsters across the company compound! The Home Workout Mirror team do endless squats to test a feature that replaces users’ heads with emoji! There are only four episodes left, which is a pity cos this show deserves at least another four. Actually, I’d happily watch 50 episodes of Hanmyeong employees’ work and home lives.

Post Racket Boys, Kim Min-jung & Seo Hyun-jin seem to be the best things in kdramaland now. Could somebody find them some writers?

Devil Judge: 8.0 AKA the "Kim Min-jung and Would Those Other Baddies Please Go Away" show. They made progress on that front in day 11, but by day 12 I was getting quite tired of some of the not-so-baddies too. Next week I'll probably be hate-watching and calling it "Devil Bean".

Racket Boys: 8.5

:The Witch’s Diner: 8.0 OK. Birth secret but no noble idiocy. I call that a win.

You Are My Spring: 6.5 I slept thru the middle of day 11, but I guess I didn't miss anything important because day 12 and the end of 11 made as much (non)sense as every other episode of every kdrama ever. Yawn.

Police Academy: 7.5 Somewhat fun in a very superficial way. Introduced characters & situation w/o being confusing, and didn't get draggy until the 2nd half of day 2, when Cha Tae-Hyun's character and the don't-deserve-another-chance bit got tiresome. We give shows 2nd, 3rd & 4th chances all the time, so why shouldn't a character get the same?

The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: 7.0

The Road: Tragedy of One: 5.5 Which word in the title can best be replaced by "makjang" to express how kdrama writers who are in a rut get more and more desperate to find over-the-top ways to make their shows stand out but only come up with more stale garbage? Sigh. If they had original ideas they could stand out without going over-the-top (Racket Boys) or else go over-the-top in fresh fun ways (Pegasus Market).
Chose one:
1 - The Makjang: Tragedy of One
1 - The Road: Makjang of One
3 - The Road: Tragedy of Makjang
4 - Makjang Road: Tragedy of One
5 - The Makjang: Makjang of Makjang
(Sorry but the end of day 3 & beginning of 4 really pissed me off)

---

The Tale of Zatoichi: 7.0 (1962 J-movie) Cheesy but in a different way than kdramas, so it's a welcome change. I saw a couple of this series decades ago and now that I have found them on the internet I may plough thru them whenever I have a kdrama shortage.

Police University I didn't like Cha Tae-Hyun's character and I have the impression that Krystal always acts the same role. I will watch the next episodes and I will see if I continue.

Racket Boys This drama was good from the start to the end! I just want to squeeze all these adorable kids! Everything was good : the place outside of Seoul, the actors, the love stories, the evolution of the characters, etc. I will miss it 😥

You Are My Spring I'm surprised to realize that we already watch 12 episodes, I didn't see the time pass with this one.

On the Verge of Insanity Waow, this week was a rollercoaster.

Hospital Playlist 2 It's not as good as the first season, but I love this group of friends. I need Kim Jun-Wan to be happy but not with Ik-Soon, please!

Nevertheless Racket Boys lovely couple gave me more butterffies in the tummy than this couple...

The Witch's Diner I think that I missed the message of the story... Nam Ji Hyun was good as usual but she wasn't really help by the rest of the casting. Chae Jong-Hyeop is super cute but really green as an actor, it was nice to see his Stove League reunion with Ha Do-Kwon. Song Ji-Hyo lacks charisma for this kind of role but her wardrobe was pretty. They had great cameo on the other hand.

The Great Shaman Ga Doo-Shim I agree with @missvictrix, the episodes should be longer! It's really a nice drama and Nam Da-Reum and Kim Sae-Ron form a good duo.

I haven't watched a kdrama in a while but decided to check out Police University and I love it so far! I'm a huge fan of Jinyoung so I'm glad to see him back again, I really like the characters and find Cha Taehyun's character to be annoying and overbearing but in a.. funny way?

I haven't finished a drama since Mr. Queen so hopefully I can stick this one through

I’ve been busy being idle during my holidays so even if I tried to keep up with dramas, I didn’t quite succeed. Still trying hard.

Racket boys. What a wonderful drama. If you haven’t watched it, I can only recommend you do. I usually don’t like teenagers drama and avoid them, but this one is such a warm and sweet drama, you can’t miss it. True, I didn’t really like the villagers part (too cartoonish for me, in contrast with how real the kids were), but it doesn’t make make me love the drama less. The Prison Playbook cameos were perfect. I’m really sad to say goodbye to this one.

You are my spring. I’m absolutely in love with this drama and I didn’t expect to love it this much, even if Seo Hyun Jin is in it (which usually means I will love the drama). Our OTP can’t be more adorkable and even the serial killer part is really well done. I still wonder why so many so called rom-coms have this serial killer subplot, as if the adorable OPT was not enough. Anyway, this week’s episodes broke my heart, because I could feel the real struggle both DaJeong and YengDo are going through.

The devil Judge. I started this drama a couple of weeks ago and I’m already on episode 11. I love it to bits. Jing Su is amazing but Kim Min Jung is a damn goddess. I always love a dystopian story so this is definitely my drama. I love how it erases interesting questions regarding what justice is in opposition to what law can do, how we as public / citizens are manipulated by the real power and how it makes you think if you really have the free willing to break that pattern. Really interesting.

The great shaman Ga Doo Shim. I gave this a chance because everyone’s favorite Nam Da Reum and I’m enjoying it. It’s sort of School Nurse Files meets Sell Your Haunted House with teenagers.

Still have to catch with Hospital Playlist, find the courage to watch the last two episodes of Monthly Magazine House and resume Gumiho.

I’ve been rewatching some feel-good dramas like Still 17, Romance is a Bonus Book and Racket Boys.

Any other suggestions/ reminders of shows with almost a complete cast of kind characters?

Argon
Well-paced, sharp, enjoyable. Loved it. Still sad the world lost Kim Joohyuk so early.

Hospital Playlist 2
- Surname, Ma. First name, Poy.
- Mama Rosa <3
- Fight! *ding*
- Mama Rosa <3
- Finally four episodes later we're moving somewhere with the whole Junwan and Iksun thing.
- Mama Rosa <3

On the Verge of Insanity: Just started! Don't have much to say yet except omg I love her flared pants.

WITCH’S DINER (Ep. 5-6): As foreshadowed, the man seeking a job by losing his fingers gets more than he originally bargained for but his endorsement of the Witch’s Diner sets in motion the cruel fate of the landlord. This episode really presses the point of Hee-Ra pushing Jin into “choosing” to be a witch. But the end game is still unclear; why does Hee-Ra need to continue to collect customer body parts? Is she following the Order or breaking it? As for Gil-Yong, his inappropriate fantasy to be with Jin has him making extremely bad choices: leaving school (and not realizing that classmate Kang Soo-Jung likes him for who he is), and becoming a one-sided, jealous, manipulating person (totally changing his nice, earnest personality). I have a suspicion that the show will go very dark. Episode 6 was the most complete episode since it dealt with one core element: presumptions are not what they seem on the surface. One person’s choice for happiness is another person’s pain. But the show still lacks clarity of purpose.

MAX HEADROOM: I re-watched most of the first Season because I stumbled upon a modern version of the show concept. MAX was a sci-fi series way ahead of its time when it premiered in the US in 1987. The hook was the CGI character Max was a “person translated as data,” i.e. an interactive, learning computer program. The series holds up because all of its futurist crazy plots (people hooked on TV screens, technology ruling people’s lives, electronic banking, designer baby genetics, news as entertainment, etc.) have come true.

What was once old can be recycled into something New. In 2021, a 31 year old computer graphics artist created a VR twitch streaming host for her channel. She is using the Unreal Engine game software to create her avatar then controls it via an Xsens motion capture suit. In terms of what the actual content CodeMiko creates on Twitch, it mostly revolves around interviews with fellow streamers and hanging out with her chat, The novelty of being the interactivity present in every broadcast. Her character is a naive, foul mouthed, ambitious and funny whose major goals in life is to be in a real computer game and make lots of money. CodeMiko has gotten so popular she joined as a host for the revived G4 Network which streams on YouTube.

I am only watching two shows You are my spring and Hospital playlist. Both shows are good.It looks like I am in bit of k-drama slump as it is taking me whole week to watch total of 3 episodes.

Racket Boys (Series review) - Mood progression: A- / B+ / A- / B+ / B+ / A- / B+ / B+ / A- / A-
This show definitely wasn’t perfect: there was the controversy early on which soured it in the eyes of many viewers and the character development was clearly lopsided in favour of certain leads over others. However, in a day and age when so many dramas fail to even write good arcs for main characters, this show was definitely a standout in terms of how it skilfully juggled the ensemble cast and integrated the village setting into the sports coming-of-age plot. The continuity and buildup was also really impressive with some clever foreshadowings within the smaller moments: I’ll miss the show.

Hospital Playlist 2 (Episode 8) - Mood: B-
Seriously, another cliffhanger with Ik Sun and Jun Wan? The show has got to stop dragging this arc out: I’m praying the photo on her phone isn’t that of Jun Wan because poor Ik Jun has had to thread the lines between family and friend for the past year already and he shouldn’t have to play nanny in their relationship. Also, is it just me or have we not had an arc for Jae Hak in this new year? It feels like the show has forgotten to feature its supporting cast alongside the patient vignettes and leading five: the new four residents have essentially become extras that have faded into the background.

You Are My Spring (Episode 11-12) - Mood: C+
With the mention at the start of the show that Young Do was the recipient of a heart transplant, I had already prepared myself for the terminal illness trope and hoped that the show would tackle it decently (if not avoiding it totally). Verdict: it’s a no. Not only did we get the cliche break-up trope (and it wasn’t even a clean one where both parties are honest!), we also have potential makjang with Ian implying some relationship between the heart donor and Da Jung? I’m digging the Ga Young and Patrick arc instead: it’ll be interesting to see if they tackle how a public image affects mental health?

The Devil Judge (Episode 11-12) - Mood: D+
With so many minor antagonists around and so little time left, it wasn’t surprising that one of them got written off. It’s a little bit more narratively believable than the chairman’s death and there was a domino effect that occurred afterwards that made some sense. However, nothing short of a miracle will save this show now that we’re headed onto the climax.

Also watching but not really:
- The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: That hug! Though I think it’s certainly rushed and wasn’t executed well.
- Blue Birthday: If that cliffhanger wasn’t a fake-out, the story will become more complex, for good or for bad.
- Nevertheless: I’m more curious about how Bit Na’s arc will end rather than Na Bi’s given the meta situation.
- The Witch’s Diner: The show was too short for any chance of sufficiently developing the CEO and Gil Yong.

Love S2 (15-16) : what the hell just happened ?? How confusing. Did the writer just shuffled the pairs like a deck of cards ??? How insane. Will there be another 16 episodes of S3 with this supposedly new pairs??? And I dont even trust this drama. If there is even a next season, I am sure the writer will show these sequences as dreams. And what was with the ghost?? Of all the people around, the ghost find it suitable to enter his granddaughter's body to take revenge? All we wanted was a badass revenge from all the wives and what have you been doing writernim ??? Was two seasons not enough for this?? The last episode felt like the preview for the next season. Was a logical ending too much to ask for ??? I am frustrated as hell 👹👹👹

You are my spring (11-12): Still watching only for Yoon Park. The leads are fine but the slow pace of drama is burning me out.

HP 2 (8): I am losing my interest. I feel like the episodes have been dragging. I did a lot of FF this week and I dont know I am getting annoyed with Ik Jun's character week by week. May be I should take a break and watch it once the series is over.

Witch's diner (5-8): And it's over. I completed it only for the bean. It was not as fun as I thought, there were a lot of loose or unnecessary plots. But I am satisfied than my expectations regarding the doubts I had from previous episodes.

Still have to checkout the two episodes of penthouse 3 , catch up on devil's judge and check out the two new dramas : Police university & check out the event. Also planning to start racket boys since the drama finished airing.

Racket Boys🏸👦👦👦👦👦👧👧(16/16): Looney and GoBaksa💖I am not going to mention anything else about this show, because I would just be parroting the other Racket Beanies. This is only my first Bean of 2021 and I am scared to start more shows with the knowledge they will not live up to this gem. SOONYEOONDAAN!!!✋✋✋✋✋

Someday or One Day - the first Taiwanese show I've watched, and an all-around fantastic one to start with. Smart screenwriting, terrific acting, a great OST and the rare show that messes with the space-time continuum in a way that doesn't go wildly off the rails or make me want to break things. Humane, bittersweet and lovely.

Police University: This drama is fine. I think I will enjoy it with the hijinks. I like the main character and his family dynamics. Although he stalked Krystal's character, he isn't creepy about it in the University. They seem to be friendly and could end up being friends before lovers, which is always good. As for the issues with his instructor, it isn't a big deal.

Racket Boys: Lovely, lovely ending. It also came full circle and I love that. I will miss our little crew.

You are my Spring: I am just glad they did the noble idiocy and breakup in episode 12. We have 4 more episodes to end on a wonderful, adorable, lovely ending.

Witch's Diner: I feel like I missed something, but it was fine. I didn't realize it was only 8 episodes until halfway through the last episode. All is well that ends well.

Hospital Playlist 2: So Ik Soon and Jun Wan have finally seen each other after a year and change. Ik Joon seems to have something to do with this. Ik Joon once again to the rescue of our Song Hwa, her guilt was so strong, but it is okay. Everyone else, going as usual. Also huzzah, that it isn't Alzheimers for Rosa, what a delightful woman.

Nevertheless: We are almost done, thankfully because I am almost done, ha.

The devil Judge: So pray tell what will bring our little family back together. Catastrophic near societal collapse and potential death. Nods head sagely, I think so.

The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: This drama is so precious. I just want to wrap it and protect it.

Oh! So interesting to hear Selena and mistyisles opinions of Police U, I will give it a try now!

Witch's Diner: It was a nice ride. I had been lamenting about the weird pace and slow development for a short drama, but I've come around to 8 episodes being a good length since the drama doesn't seem like it ever meant to satisfactorily address the point of it all. It ended on an lovely warm note. Got to compliment this drama on having a great soundtrack.

Cdrama...

Qing Luo: Finished it. Sad to say goodbye, since I had a lot of fun watching it and found the characters likable and rootable with quite a bit more heart and tenderness compared to the usual trendy costume dramas.

Unforgettable Love (up to ep 23): Just puts a smile on my face a lot even hours after I've watched it. I do think drama could have benefited from being a 20 episoder,but I love the extra time I get to see Miles Wei's attractive face.I checked out the webtoon and the drama version ML and boy are way better.

Lovely Swords Girl (ep 1-4): Low budget and everyone's line delivery felt oddly like it belongs on a stage play. Started off rough and shrill, but really gets going in episode 3 when the FL lightens up becomes the ML's protector. And the supporting characters are also funny and nice. I'm really dreading having the ML recover and becoming mentally whole again. I love his simpleton, childlike self.

You Are My Spring - when Ian Chase didn't have another scene in Episode 11 it seemed like they were leaving him in the interrogation room to sweat it out.
This series continues to be great. May I remain a bit sceptical of getting a nice ending so I don't jinx anything.

Planning to look into "Check Out the Event"

Cdramas
The trailers for Serendipity look interesting.
Crush - the ML didn't get eye surgery in the book the series was based on and I'm stuck on why they felt that it needed to be added.
You Are My Glory - sorry to the fluff as I mobilize using the ffwd button.

The Witch's Diner (Ep7-8) - I was asking for the story to move it already and moved it did in this 2 episodes. The 'duh' factor for me here is that Hee-ra's backstory is explained in less than 3 mins and I was pestering for it in the last 6 eps.....Anyway no surprises here as Jeong-jin and Gil-yong did end up being a witch & supporter as I predicted. This drama has it's charm but it's not as enjoyable as Mystic Pop Up Bar or Hotel Del Luna imo.

The Devil Judge (Ep 11-12) - Everyone are still trying to plot everyone's downfall...the saga continues....

Binge watching X-Files on weekends now and it's glorious hahahah

The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim Initially, people were saying that there was nothing new in the drama and it is an old plot, but I like how it has grown on everyone. I'm glad the drama is a hit since Kim Sae Ron was the FL in my first Kdrama. Of course Nam Da Reum is shinning on his own. Also, agree with everyone that the drama length should be 60 mins, but we are not going to get it. Hopefully in S2 (if there is one) we can get our wishes fulfilled😭😭😭

Most Chinese dramas I watch, it is the same story line. The girl falls in love with the guy, they agree to go to the same University and they fall in love.

Currently watching Our Secret (Chinese Drama). They haven't released the next episodes so I am looking for other dramas to watch.

And K-drama: Police University.

I enjoyed watching Racket Boys. It was a great drama from the beginning till the end.

Not watching anything that is airing at this time. Planning on watching Police Academy.
Currently watching:
Priest: Ep 6 - I have only begin to be invested in the story.

Finished:
1. Hyde, Jekyll, Me: 6.5/10
2. Cinderella's Sister: 6.5/10
3. Memories of The Alhambra: 7/10
You can read my reviews/thoughts about these 3 drama, which I watched for my blog as dramas that disappointed people, here:
https://allthatdrama9201424.wordpress.com/2021/08/15/dissapointing-dramas-part-1-in-progress/

We have started the C-drama UNFORGETABLE LOVE but it is on iQIYI which is on our upstairs TV. A heat wave has driven us downstairs so it is paused right now for that reason alone. The same goes for the C-drama rom-com MOONLIGHT which is really good.

We finished THE WITCH’S DINER and it was entertaining but the ending was a bit rushed. The last episodes did tie things together though.

We also finished the Chinese romcom HELLO, MR. GU. Like many Chinese romcoms it sort of petered out at the end but we still enjoyed it. The Chinese costume rom-com TRUTH OR DARE continues to be entertaining.

My wife finished watching DUOLUO CONTINENT. She thought that it was good but the ending inconclusive- as if there was an intended to have a second season. She then went on to watch UNDER THE POWER and then LOST LOVE IN TIMES, which has kept her up late. For a break from the Chinese costume dramas she also watched the twelfth series of POIROT. Nothing like some good Agatha Christie.

We are only getting one very shurt episode of THE GREAT SHAMAN GA DOO SHIM per week and Missvictrix is right- the episodes are too short.

BE MY DREAM FAMILY has returned and is once again hitting its stride. Sometimes the best of these long shows will deliver a truly wonderful, poignant moment and this week we were treated to two: Karma struck, but in a very good way, as our hapless older son Sang-baek has now been offered a restaurant by the man he kept from committing suicide. This was then followed by one of THOSE MOMENTS WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGES when the youngest son Sang-min takes Ga-Eun’s hand and leads over the stepping stones in the stream and then up the stairs- a near perfect moment symbolizing and foreshadowing the wonderful life to come.

HOSPITAL PLAYLIST 2: It's definitely still a good show which I keep watching, but maybe it's because season1 was so great, there are certain things with each of the main 5 this season that upset me, esp with JunWan and SongHwa.
First IkJun, I get that he is a very fun person to be around and he is friendly with everyone, but that was already developed in season 1. Also, apart from his scenes with SongHwa (and this is because they are pushing them for a relationship), nothing is being done with the other friends, unless its about their relationships or just pulling their hair out. What about some scenes with Uju?
SeokHyung's scenes have become very much makjang style, with his ex-wife, mum being a terrible person, and so on.
JeongWon is only there for being adorable with kids and his relationship. All his scenes are either about his relationship or leading to his relationship. It feels as though his storyline was over in season 1.
For SongHwa, there has been absolutely nothing except as a love interest for IkJun. It no longer feels as though she is one of the main 5. I'm pretty sure we know more about Gyeol and MinHa's backstory than we know of hers. Ep8 tried to give us something, but that was over in 30 min. All I can conclude from her storyline this season is that she is a good person. What happened to the woman dancing in church? Even her one main solo hobby of camping was used as a scene to deepen her loveline.
My main issue is JunWan. He has had many impactful scenes in terms of the medical aspects because of his patients but what they have made of his entire personality seems a bit harsh. He seems like a lovesick fool who is constantly depressed. Sure, he wasn't a ray of sunshine even in season 1 but he never seemed pitiful. And this is where I feel this season is lacking in terms of the bond between the friends. In season 1, when SeokHyung was having a bad time, these friends randomly showed up with some beer and snacks to cheer him up but this season no one seems to be doing anything or even talking to him because they are busy with their own lives. It feels as though these friends just come together just to practice some music and nothing else which ties the scenes together.

Re-reading all of this makes it seem as though I completely hate this season, but for some reason it isn't. I actually like the episodes and don't have a tough time watching them, but when I think of them later, I keep getting these thoughts, if that made any sense.

I've tried to comment this 3 times here. Hopefully it works this time.

Currently Airing

BLUE BIRTHDAY: I'm surprisingly quite enjoying this. The main female character has calmed down a bit (or I've gotten used to her), which makes it by far more watchable. I was initially worried they'd have the 28-year old version of the female lead crushing on the male lead's 18-year old version, but they've mostly bypassed this (mostly because the female lead is focused so hard on trying to fix everything in the past).

The story's picked up, and I still genuinely don't know who's the killer. I think the person that's most likely to be the one is a red herring (the only person who doesn't like the male lead).

This drama premise reminds me a lot of LOVE BUZZ, which is one of my favorite Korean short films. Also, Yeri reminds me of Kim Seul Gi. I think they look similar. I'm actually quite surprised by her acting. She's still green, but it works in this youth drama. Well, on to the next 2 episodes! (ep. 3-6)

YOU ARE MY SPRING: I really liked the vibe of the first episode. I was super excited about this drama before it came out but just kept putting off on starting it. Beanies kept praising it, so I finally decided to start it. We'll see if I'll continue to watch it. My interest in dramas has been incredibly low this year. (ep. 1)

I have been struggling to settle on any dramas for a few weeks now - not watching anything that’s currently airing but I’m waiting for Hometown Cha Cha Cha and One The Woman which will both be out soon / hopefully at least one is good.

Non Kdrama -
I’m watching a cdrama called Love In Time which is a semi decent version of the only story that ever seems to exist in Chinese rom coms (he is a cold CEO who is WAY too young for his position - she is a warm-hearted girl who wants to be a Writer - they get contracted married because Reasons), it has actually made me properly laugh a couple of times.

And I’ve been watching Supernatural with my sister, which is always fun.

Police University - I watched the first episode and about half of the second one. While I do like the cast, I did find the show a bit bland. Still unsure if I'll watch the rest of that second episode.

The Road: Tragedy of One - I'm liking Ji Jin-hee in this role. I've only watched the first two episodes but I wouldn't be surprised if his character's wife knows about his connection to the deceased child. And hey, actor Ahn Nae-sang is in this drama! That makes it what now ..... role #5000 this year? Heh!

The Devil Judge - You know who gets my attention during his scenes? President Heo. I don't recall ever watching the actor who plays the President in another show. The way he portrays the character is quite interesting. He's like a temperamental teenager, who says awful things, all while having a calculating streak.

The Penthouse 3 - Yes, I'm still watching this and yes, I'm still having fun with it. Ridiculousness and all! At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Joo Dan-tae has a twin .... who he thought was dead .... but isn't. *laughing*

As part of my hopefully short-lived detour into C-drama, I’ve nearly finished The Imperial Coroner which I’m loving. The FL is so well written. Her naivety is combined with smarts that are born out of a keen and fairly realistic intelligence. The ML is supernaturally smart, but deliciously believable in the same way that the original Sherlock Holmes is (not the most recent ridiculous knock offs).

Finished: New Face. Some plot holes, but everything is forgiven because Zhou Ye-wei (still my affliction continues). Not sure I’m going to be able resist another drama with him in it. I saw he was in one about Wuhan and the virus. I’m sort of half-interested to see the Chinese spin on this, so with the incentive of him being in it, my detour may last a little longer.

Racket Boys: so amazingly good - kudos to the writer, the actors, and director

Ongoing: Devil Judge, You are My Spring, Hospital Playlist.

To start asap: Into the Ring

On Hospital Playlist, I enjoy S2 as much as S1 - in fact watching each S2 episode twice. As the story and characters have set in train after S1, I do not see S2 as a ‘drama’ expecting plots after plots but rather see it as a ‘series’.

As another Beanie said, it’s like a weekly catch up with your best friends - best to have a cup of tea or glass of wine in hand for this weekly date. I never see any fillers but their day to day life. I continue to be touched by the patients’ stories (and the latest one about the security guard pushed me to tears in my two viewings). And my love for the main and side characters are no less, but getting more profound.

Fighting Dr Chu MN, it’s a long road but you are certainly driving it to full gear now. I am not a big fan of Dr Jang GY but you have to recognise her hard work making a big leap in becoming a better communicator. HP really shines in making their characters more 3-dimensional than some cookie cutters from sub-par romcom.

I honestly wish this series to go on forever. We need a show to deliver consistently while not losing its central humility. Apart from seeking thrills in thrillers, time travelling epics or romcom which disappoint you time after time, I am very glad to have HP to go back to.

Police University: New show! Likeable leads with some fun hijinks. Our professor seems like he forgot he got sent to the academy because he kept breaking rules, but comes down real hard on our ML who does the same. I don’t imagine this will turn into anything groundbreaking, but should be a fun weekly watch.

Racket Boys: 9/10 for the series - Finally got around to watching the last episode, and I was not let down. Just a great show the whole way through. Regularily tugged at the heart strings and you really got to like all the villagers as they were one big family.

The Witch’s Diner: 5.5/10 for the series - Slightly above average? May just be my love of Nam Ji Hyun though. Shorter series, which kept the pace pretty quick, but didn’t really seem to have a story that needed telling. Just bite sized bits that got thrown at the wall with some of them sticking. Other series have done it better (Mystic Pop-up Bar comes to mind as a recent example).

On the Verge of Insanity ep 11-12: I'm so happy this show is back! The intensity has ramped up again, and I continue to be surprised by our favorite checkered shirt lead. I do think Ban Seok and Ja Young will eventually reconcile by the end of the series, so I'm looking forward to how that all plays out.

Reply 1997 ep 6: I tend to prefer watching shows that are already complete, so I'm going to my backlog. I really liked Reply 1988 when I watched it a few years back (though I can't say I agreed w/ the end game for the husband in that one LOL) and am happy to say I'm having a good time with Reply 1997 too! Loving how I find myself alternating b/w laughing and crying within the span of a single episode 😂.

REFRESH MAN (Taiwan): I'm enjoying this drama thinking about how crazy it would drive Americans :) FL is truly the perfect traditional wife :)

ONCE AGAIN: the most underrated series of the year. Light and fun, it warms the heart

Monthly Magazine Home: I've made it to episode 8 and everything is perfect for now. I'm terrified to see how it ends, since many on the web have complained about the ending. ML and FL stay together I hope.

Miss Crow with Mr. Lizard (Ep 11): FL always smiles! Usual Chinese fluffy comedy.

WAIKIKI (ep 18): I hadn't laughed like that in a long time watching a show. If only Americans hadn't stopped making funny comedies because of the excesses of politically correct, they should do a remake.

been getting into cdramas lately and recently binged 2 of them!

ashes of love - brings you into a whole new world and slowly builds it up, hence the 63 episodes, but i still enjoyed it. i really fell for our OTP and i'm such a sucker for angsty love that stands against time. and i love deng lun now lol

my fated boy - honestly had no expectations walking in but this ended up stealing my heart! it's just so cute and sweet, and i love how devoted and in love the ML is with the FL. their story is just so touching! i love childhood romances, but this one took it even further with them literally growing up together. and i loved their families and how supportive they were!

I'm still on my Kdrama slump but I'm waiting for "On the Verge of Insanity" to finish and watch it in one go.
I'm watching and enjoying in Youtube the Cdrama "Serenade of Peaceful Joy" which is from the same director of "The Story of Ming Lan" (which I really liked) but not from the same writers.
I guess some people will find it boring but I like long-term historical dramas.