Thank you for your company on Saturdays of 2021, Beanies ❤😘 ... and happy watching and discussing in the year 2022! 🎉

Happy New Year, Beanies! Wish you all health, happiness and lots of good dramas in 2022 🎊🎉!

COMPLETED
Secret Royal Inspector & Joy - Cute last episode - you know after all the stabbings were done (RIP Bead Boy) - but what the hell was with the king's death. I wish more of the show had retained the lighthearted vibe. The bloopers reel was cute.

Melancholia - Another show that should have kept more of the vibe of the last episode. Why couldn't we have more Adventures of 3Cut and Hardy (and how they fall in love) and less Crazy Bonsai Lady.

ONGOING
Our Beloved Summer - This show makes me feel too many things.

Moonshine - There were a few filler scenes but that was still some rapid plot progress yay. There seems to be some childhood trauma (and connection?) we seem to be moving towards.

Now We Are Breaking Up - Still (in the process of) breaking up.

Bad and Crazy - Managed to catch yesterday's episode and I was right about Gye-shik being corrupt! Should I be happy about this or unimpressed by the predictability?

The Red Sleeve Cuff - Decided to save it for this weekend so the new year will start with lots and lots of pain 🙃.

STARTED
The Silent Sea - Only managed to get through the first episode and I'm interested enough to keep going. I missed Gong Yoo and Bae Doona!

Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to watch The One and Only this week (subtitle delay drives me really crazy!). I’ve seen some lukewarm responses on the fanwall though: feels like I may be in for some disappointment?

Bad and Crazy (Episode 3-4) - Mood: D+
With the introduction of yet another over-the-top villain in the drug dealers and the death of the assemblyman, the plot just isn’t very engaging (and it still won’t be even if they add some sad backstory about how Korea had abandoned the dealers in their youth, causing them to declare revenge on the nation and so on). I’m also frustrated at the repetition of the good guys getting framed: first it was the girl’s senior, then the young cop and now the girl? The fake psychiatrist is right when he advised Soo Yeol to rest because DID is not a laughing matter even if the show is portraying it otherwise.

Bulgasal: Immortal Souls (Episode 3-4) - Mood: C-
I guess I can give the show one week to convince me we’re not dealing with a cliche power-greedy supervillain here? But I’m finding myself pretty disengaged rather than intrigued with the fantasy elements: the guy is a sword, say what?

Moonshine (Episode 3-4) - Mood: D+
Oh great Nam Young has secret family heritage and childhood trauma? But his expose is a fresh breath of air for a plot development! There’s potential for him to be a great frenemy with Lee Pyo but that dumb love triangle might ruin it.

School 2021 (Episode 11-12) - Mood: D+
That baby twist with Ave Maria playing in the background certainly had me raising my eyes! But then they shoved the death in for a lazy cliffhanger, sigh.

Our Beloved Summer (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D
Classic episode 8 kiss and all but there’s 0 innovation in this plot with the way the 2nd leads pushed forward this week.

The Red Sleeve Cuff (Episode 13-15) - Mood: D
The only way that ending is acceptable to me is if Deok Im accepted Yi San to get away from her abusive master. That being said, Deok Ro’s villain arc was more palatable than the Court Lady’s one so yay?

Melancholia (Episode 15-16) - Mood progression: D / D / D / D- / D- / D- / D- / D-
I was so close to giving the tiniest praise for not forcing a romance but then they ruined it in the closing scene! Oh well.

Now We Are Breaking Up (Episode 12-13) - Mood: D-
That Jimmy + Olivier double conflict combo to rock the second lead couple is such incredibly stupid writing!

NOW WE ARE BREAKING UP (Ep. 12) I only watched one episode this week to get it back on normal back to back shows. The show runners are trying really hard with the overt symbolism; JK rock climbing to achieve his goal with YE was a terrible metaphor. The more attempts to explain love, the writer stumbles only on how badly love ends: divorce, death, obsession, regret and heartbreak. And I don’t like the inference that the cause is that all mothers are bad.

The leads continue to say they love each other, but do not show it one bit. They can talk about it but do not show anything to confirm it. It is like watching two people slowly sink into a pit of quicksand. The invisible push-pull of breaking up makes the leads motivation boring and dull.

Netizens did give the show some flak for glorifying cancer weight loss as a positive for a runway model. It was a hail mary try to give a likable character a moment in the spotlight. YE’s bold plan to save the brand without JK’s help was an unrealistic happy ending to show her independence (work over love). Otherwise, the show is still stuck in its neutral angst.

SHOW WINDOW (Ep 1-2): I did not realize that this show was also set in the fashion world. It is so much better than NWABU. The story unfolds faster with foundational character development. Lee Sung Jae plays a fashion house director Shin Myung Sup who married into the family business. His wife, Song Yoon Ah as Han Sun Joo, has rejected a company position under her domineering mother. Jeon So Min plays young freelance fashion designer/art teacher Yoon Mi Ra. JSM is most known now as a cast member on Running Man, but she was first an actress who can carry a show like in her various drama specials. SYA has a very animated acting style which is a good contrast between JSM’s emotive style. The show starts off quickly with a wedding renewal ceremony that backtracks into a sordid history of infidelity.

The selfish husband with low self-esteem tight ropes between two women with guilt baggage about affairs, infidelity and death. But Mi Ra has been carefully crafting herself as the replacement wife when she gets the support from the most unlikely person. The scenes are crisp and the action is moving along at a fast pace which may not be sustainable. So far, enjoyable, but it is not getting the attention it probably deserves.

COWBOY BEBOP (Anime): Netflix quickly killed off its live action version of this seminal anime series. Hollywood never learns that live action takes on great animation rarely turn out well. (Cough cough, GHOST IN THE SHELL). I put in the first disc of the anime - - - the original series still holds up well which is hard to do with an episodic serial show.

A very happy new year to all beanies! May this be a good year, filled with good things, dreams come true, and lots of good dramas to watch!!!

The only kdrama I'm currently watching is BULGASAL, and it's making me grumpy because it's internal logic is weak, and I don't particularly like any of the characters. I'm not quite hate-watching yet, but I am afraid I will get there soon.

I finished CDrama LUOYANG a few days ago and..... I am still in disbelief at the ending. WHAT?! Siuch a brilliant run, and THIS is the ending we get? Ughhhhh. But all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it, with the exception of Song Yi's utterly useless character. They coulda reduced the drama by 10 episodes alone just removing her scenes.

I also finally finished JDorama CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM LOVE.....and I'm not sure what the whole point was, or what the team wanted us to take away from the drama. Sigh.

Anyway, here's to great viewing in 2022!!

Our Beloved Summer: I liked seeing all of the parallels between past and present. I appreciate Woong’s life philosophies. The kiss scene was beautifully shot. NJ really grew on me this week. I know Ji-woong has a crush on YS, but his best friend dated her for five years. It's just a no go.

Uncle: I liked Joon-hyuk and his bar crew pulling a sting and the teacher’s scenes at the bar. Karma better hit the mom leader hard.

Bulgasal: Immortal Souls: Hello, Lee Joon! He makes a mighty fine villain. Predictably, he appears to be the Big Bad, responsible for all of the killings. Now, we will undoubtedly get Hwal protecting Sang-eon and the two falling in love, which I’m not keen on.

The One and Only: This drama continues to be very weird, and I really don’t know what they will do for 16 episodes. I don’t know how I feel about In-sook and Woo-cheon (the childhood connection was not necessary). Woo-cheon is very child-like. While I appreciate his love for dogs, it’s not going to make me forget that he kills people for a living.

Secret Royal Inspector and Joy: Killing Tae-soo and his friends was really unnecessary. I finished the drama because the characters were likeable, but the drama lost its spark.

Young Lady and Gentlemen: I thought the initial amnesia storyline was well done but amnesia of the amnesia? Come on! Young-guk apparently lost his brain cells too because he knew Se-ra lied, but he just accepted her new lies without even trying to match up her story with others. I don’t see the need for dragging this out as there is plenty of potential drama with Dan-ah becoming a stepmom and the Anna Kim mess.

CRICKET -

Ashes - Australia has won it. Root couldn't achieve anything not the ashes, not the most runs and then losing so pathetically.
I really really felt disappointed.
India Vs. Australia test matchs have becomes far far more competitive and interesting compared to this meek display of low quality cricket.

Red Sleeve: Ready to finish up a mostly solid drama. This has pushed Junho past "idol actor" diss even though I think he's been solid in several previous projects. Also, love the gal that plays the queen is finally getting more recognition. She is one of those actresses who does good work for years but never seems to get a lot of big breaks.

The One and Only: I don't care that all the people in the hospice look healthy as can be, I'm just going to go with the flow. The dude seems like the John Cusack character on Gross Pointe Blank. "If I show up, there's probably a reason I'm here".

Moonshine: The first week was fine but kind of rote, but I have high hopes after episode 4 that we will have a bromance with the lead guy asking for death over being the CP's tutor. I like the I-really-don't-like-this-guy style bromance ala Flower of Evil.

Young Lady and A Gentleman: I am picky about the wkend dramas. I have had the pain of going off one around episode 34. I waited a while to jump in but finally did. This one does well with the leads being super charming, the story being total soap opera, oodles of coincidences etc. Where this really works is the pacing is very quick and the humor. The mistress shining her gold bars and talking to "her babies" amuses me. These shows start getting repetitive around episode 30 so I hope this avoids that.

Our Beloved Summer I'm not sure what I want with this couple : happy together? Happy with someone else?

The One and Only This drama is pretty weird but makes me curious.

Secret Royal Inspector and Joy There were too many episodes for so little story... I really like Kim Hye-Yoon as an actress, but she lacks in the romance part. The best part of this drama was the BTS scenes, the casting was really funny.

School 2021 I saw Park In-Hwan die or loose his mind in 3 different dramas... Can he have a happy ending once? Otherwise, the second characters are still more interesting and better acted. I was surprised that Kim Yo-Han won an award for this role...

The Red Sleeve Cuff The PD had to stop them for the bed scene, I guess they really want to reach 15% :p

Let Me Be Your Knight I have no idea why I'm still watching it.

Bad and Crazy K is cute and funny.

The Silent Sea Like a lot of S-FI dramas, the writting is weak, but the actors and the production were pretty good.

A Moment of Romance Shin Ye Eun has a gift for choosing the worst romance dramas.

Part -time Mello It was a cute web drama.

Currently Watching/ Finished this week:
1. Kieta Hatsukoi- How cool, adorable, and woke was Ida? Can I get one of him in for a belated Christmas-package, Dear Santa? :D Aoki was squishable too. Wasted potential cuz we don't see them make-out T_T
2. f4: Thailand- I promised myself I wouldn't touch this till April when it finishes airing. Hah. I'm completely sold after the making-video & the lyrics of the theme track. Two eps in, and I'm already drowning in all the OG feels. No, I'm still NOWHERE near being over the story. The only thing that can top this, would be next year's NANA from China :')
3. Luoyang- Huang Xuan brings out my inner competence-kink, he's THAT good of an actor. I have major heart-eyes for him rn, and that's saying a LOT because the drama also stars Wang Yibo as one of the leading trio. The plot's pretty standard, however the rich visuals has sucked me in. Talk about a different kind of eye-candy!
4. The Red Sleeves- I'm REALLY missing Lee Deok-Hwa, I hated and LOVED his Yeongjo at the same time; like any other hardcore Confucian character! Unpopular take, but Junho rocked the shit out of the Navy Blue. I'm liking they have dialed up the heat now, but worried 5 eps not enough to show the remaining 6 years of Deok-Im's life..
5. Mystic Pop Up Bar- I came in for the episodic heart-warming, and stayed for the touching back-story! Sad to say goodbye to the UwU SeungJae... overall, a nice, wholesome watch, and I truly think nobody does a good maternal character like Hwang Eum Jung does!
6. Snowdrop- Umm, I admit the set-up is very gas-lighty to the democracy protestors in the country, but I LOVE the setup, although the lead's dads & their background, is a little too much of an overkill. Hae-In doing single handed pushups awakens the feral inside me. Su-Ho even is made to climb into 'Juliet' Yeong-Ro's room via a window. Hahah! xD
7. Bad n Crazy- I'm having more fun than I thought I would. The violence is whack. Has K become a little less crazy in the last 2 episodes though? :P 1/3rd way into the show, and already 2 bad-guys have been taken down, so I like the pace, I guess?

Semi-dropped?
8. Melancholia- Couldn't squeeze in last week's episodes and I have zero motivations to watch. I'm not even invested in the endgame, and the side characters are plain awful. I want my 10 hours back. Dropped in favor of Hae-In! <3

Adding next week/ soon-ish
-Uncle: Oh Jung Sae. Do we need another reason? People are surprised with the talent they have roped in for a seemingly, normal script!
-Rainless Love: Great, I was waiting to binge on this, but I accidentally spoiled myself on the 'giant Greg-Hsu cameo' spoiler. Just great! -_-

Our Beloved Summer - I’m blank on this one, but I enjoy the story as it unfolds. Mr. Jang has sealed himself as a second male lead I might root for but I know won’t get the girl. And for Ji-Ung, what a poor soul.

Snowdrop – I’m stuck in for Yoo Inna, and Yoon Se-ah really impressed me in this one.

Show Window – I’ve watched so many cheating Kdramas this year I puked at this one after ep 1, and I second guessing watching TWOTM. Excess sugar isn’t good for one I guess. Currently at episode 6 and its good, and happy I didn’t drop it. And give this an award for pace. It moves quite quickly.

Red Sleeve Cuff – So we are finally where we should be some episodes behind. With several deaths, beautiful in their own way, each one having an agency of how they moved on to the afterlife. It was freaking exciting seeing the King scare our heroine to the bones for the first time.

Bad and Crazy – It got me angry 13 minutes into the premiere episode, I had to suspend watching. I guess the fast forward button did a great deal of a job in there. Post the beginning, I definitely enjoyed a bad and crazy treat plus ride.

Moonshine – No candy heroine is something I pray this maintains.

Finally completed The Road Tragedy of One and I must say, while the reveal was actually grand, it fell long overdue. Cha Seo-Young was right all along. Ji Jin-hee was running in Undercover, and he never stopped running in TRTOO, I got tired. His next role better has him at peace with the world from start to finish.

Our Beloved Summer: Stull continues to be my favorite.

The one and only: only gotten through 2 episodes because of the delay, but I enjoy the weirdness of it all. A murderer falling in love with a terminal patient.

Slow internet has delayed everything else. So will watch after vacation.

Bad and Crazy: 7.5

Bulgasal: Immortal Souls: 7.4

Moonshine: 6.6

Secret Royal Inspector & Joy: 6.5 Boring mandatory clean-up-the-loose-ends kdrama ending. A Joseon scholar blows off his career as an official to run a restaurant!? Good thing that sentence ended with "rant" because I'd rather believe in zombies and time travel.

I find it interesting that there seems to be a general consensus that The One and Only is a weird show. It does give an odd vibe to it that I can't quite put my finger on. But I like the three ladies together and am also really curious as to what type of story they're trying tell. I don't see how this will all come together. I'm definitely intrigued though.

I'm also thoroughly enjoying Our Beloved Summer. This week I realized there's not much plot besides Ung and Yeonsu's relationship but the hour speeds by without me realizing it. Looks like they'll avoid each other again in the next episode but hopefully it'll end with some progress.

Also...I'm very behind on The Red Sleeve. *hides from Junho* And with the beanie posts I've seen I'm not sure I'll have the motivation to catch up. 🤔

I'm really enjoying The One and Only, and even have convinced my mom and husband to watch with me. I love the three women and their developing relationship/teamwork, and how different things carry across episodes (like a dead person's phone). All the main characters have been hurt a lot in their lives, and seem like they will at least be having a chance at some satisfaction in their lives. I also love the developing relationships involving the grandma.

THE ONE AND ONLY: This is so good so far. Despite centering around the impending death of its three main protagonists, as well as the murder of an abusive dad, it also has enough humor and lightness to balance everything out. I love the hospice setting, all the nuns (especially the boy crazy one), and although we're only just getting to know them, the patients, too. The friendship between the three women also seems to be unfolding naturally. As for the OTP, we did get two very obvious romantic tropes right away (one saving the other as children and love at first sight) but because the FL is terminally ill and the ML doesn't appear to be neurotypical, they're working for me.

RED SLEEVE: Last week's three episodes were intense and hard to watch at times. But what I continue to like and admire about this show is that the protagonists are flawed, especially by modern standards, and yet they both remain sympathetic. For instance, I completely understood Deok-im's anger at San's deception and him appearing to put politics over her friends' lives; at the same time, I understood why he was hurt and angry over her lack of trust in him and attempts to involve the Queen. I know some were frustrated with Deok-im hurting San by lying to him about never seeing him as a man, but again, he is still very much a product of his environment and not able to understand her fear of losing herself if she becomes his concubine. So her frustration and desire for self preservation is understandable. San kissing her in anger and Deok-im repeatedly rejecting him also made me uncomfortable. And yet, even though the writing isn't afraid to make them unlikeable sometimes, when they finally reconciled it made sense and felt right. Deok-im received the respect she wanted from him (not an apology, but true gratitude and understanding) and he received the acknowledgment of her love that he craved (all it took was a quick sleeve grab and he ran with it, lol). I know that historically there was no longterm happy ending for these two, and I don't think the show will gloss over that, but I will be watching this until the very last scene anyway.

BULGASAL: Not a top-tier drama, but it's definitely finding its footing and delivering some satisfying twists.

OUR BELOVED SUMMER: As I posted elsewhere, as much as I love the OTP's chemistry and want them to work things out, it's also clear that they have a lot of work to do to communicate way, way better if they want to make it. And again, I really appreciate how this drama doesn't try to reinvent the genre, or come up with some convoluted plot. Its simplicity is what makes it so wonderful.

Happy New Year dear Beanies! May 2022 bring us good things and more shows to enjoy!

The Red Sleeve Cuff - I haven't watched the final two episodes, but I'll get to them a bit later today. A bit disappointed that I had to see character Deok Ro in one more episode, but at least he set the record straight.

Bad and Crazy - Ok, so, after struggling to get through the first two episodes, I gave episode 3 a chance. I've concluded I kind of only like K. That's it. Maybe I just like the actor playing K and not K himself.
Unfortunately, I'm not sticking around with this one to find out exactly.

Artificial City - Another chaebol family showing us what a harmonious and loving family dynamic is all about .... you know, trafficking in secrets, threats, cheating, and oh yeah, pulling a rifle on your daughter-in-law, because hey, who doesn't do that, right?

Watched the first 4 episodes of Moonshine, it’s ok. I also started watching Secret Royal Inspector & Joy. Can’t say either one is doing much for me. I like the casts, the stories aren’t anything special.

Watched a Japanese mini drama,Higuma, a bear cub works at a seafood company. The actor, Shigeoka Daiki, does a wonderful job as the bear.

Gave up on trying to keep up with current dramas to watch something old. I picked Beautiful Gong-shim, I'm on Episode 7. Its an easy, predictable and cute watch.. nothing great though. I prefer Namgoong Min in his recent non-romantic roles more! But how horrible is the sister in this show? Shes giving the mother in Something in the Rain some serious competition!

In 2021 dramas, I was watching Squid Game with a friend so I have to wait until shes free to continue.. really enjoying that one.

Also watched Yumi's Cells and haven't been able to move past Episode 10. The cells and the overthinking are all creative and cute, but on the outside Yumi comes across as very desperate and frustrating. Also shes falling for the second guy a bit too easily.. even with the smallest compliments, her feelings are changing. I know its a webtoon format but few filler episodes feel very out of place.. its too late to complete for the Bean.. but I will watch the upcoming seasons too. Even so, there are few extremely funny and memorable scenes involving the cells and Yumi's reactions to the confusion in her mind that Kim Go-eun has shown really well.

Happy New Year to all!
Still in retro mode..so much to catch up on.
I AM NOT A ROBOT: I loved the first half of this. It looked like the writers might be setting up for a satire on the male ideal of perfect womanhood. I was a little disappointed they didn’t take that and run with it. In the second half, they pretty much abandoned spunky-high energy-inventor woman and turned her into traditional consoler/comforter/bad-aid-applier woman and spent way too much time on “who will be CEO?” The whole show was PG-10, and parts came off to me as adolescent although the characters were in their late twenties. Seung-Ho & Chae Soo-Bin were great together, especially CSB who I didn’t care for at all in A Piece of Your Mind. Despite flaws, all in all a pretty good show.

RUN ON: Started watching this based on rec from Beanie last week as one of the year’s favorites. By episode 4, I’m hooked. We’ll see.

Life on Mars - I really don't do blood and guts so I watched this with my eyes half closed. I enjoyed the ride though, but the implications of the ending didn't really hit me until later. I do wish they had gone a different route. The final message is a dangerous one if someone really took it to heart and took it to the extremes like the ML did.

Well, I just finished watching the finale of THE RED SLEEVE. A pile of used tissues is by my side. My throat feels hoarse. My voice is gone. I feel extremely exhausted. I just want to sleep it off.

If you know, you know.

I've got a lot to say about this drama, and how beautiful yet utterly frustrating it was, but I'm just too drained to type it out. Maybe later.

Finished Secret Royal Inspector and Joy. The drama was entertaining till “Royal Inspector’s death”, after that it lost its steam.
Melancholia- FFed through most of last two episodes. It was tiring and uninspiring.
Our Beloved Summer – The show I am enjoying the most. I am okay with them getting back together or splitting forever. Both options can result in a meaningful journey.
One and Only – I liked first two episodes but felt that later two were letdown. I think show could have been more meaningful without contract killer and shadow organization angle.

🎆Happy New Year! 🎆

Bring It On Ghost💪👻(16/16): Yoon Doo-joon cameo!❤️As this was the last episode, everything got settled the way it should be for a happy ending. Except for Hye-sung.💔The evil ghost got destroyed in the end, but I found it incredibly unfair that human Hye-sung had to serve jailtime for crimes that he did not actually commit. The show claims that he is guilty because he intented to kill and became possessed as a result, but somehow I do not buy that theory. This is probably my Kwon Yul bias speaking, because this episode his character showed glimpses of humanity. After a deluge of Kwon Yul villain characters I want a good egg character for a change!😤

Healer🕶️(10/20):🎵Ohh my loooove, I’m all yoouuurs…🎵Halfway already? It feels like I just started watching!😲I totally get why everyone loves this show to bits, but I’ll keep this short: Young-Shin stood out at that awesome press conference hijacking.🔥I am not talking about the red dress -no matter how much I would love to covet it- but about her bravery. Try behaving like a badass when you suffer from major trauma and frequent panic attacks and you will live on as a badass forever.🤩

F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers⭐(2/16): Last week I wondered when and what I would be able to start watching next, but I never expected it to be this soon and a Thai drama on top of that!😁This is my second adaptation after watching Meteor Garden (2001) like 15 years or so ago, but the story is that infamous that I already have some clues as to what to expect. I am surprised and carefully excited about broadening my horizons, though! I have watched some enjoyable Taiwanese and Japanese shows, but I usually stick to K-dramas. Gorya sure did change my mind!😊

The only drama I could make time for over the Christmas festivities was the RED SLEEVE CUFF, it is such a good drama. Will I need tissues tonight for the final? Delighted that it made an almost clean sweep at the awards, all are well deserved.

Otherwise I managed to catch up with drama endings of MELANCHOLA and ROYAL INSPECTOR. I agree that there was too much of weird Bonsai lady in Melancholia and not enough of maths. I think there could have been a better drama with these very good actors (especially Bonsai lady). Royal Inspector remained an easy and enjoyable watch. I was so pleased that nobody fell off the cliff this time!

Still scratching my head with SNOWDROP. Several actors have been given lines to make clear that the spy was never himself using the cover of a student protestor. Will that be enough to take the heat out of the controversy? Probably not. But it is clearly fiction with the absurd hostage situation of the girls dorm. As tense as it is, I just cannot take that seriously. Dorm matron is still my favourite, I like cold and calculating Jung Hae-in and Jang Seung-jo as team 1 leader is growing on me, too.

Just finished Red Sleeve. Whew boy...that was a lot. Not going to spoil it - all I'll say is, what a MASTERPIECE. And sooo good to see Lee Soon Jae, who is the OG Yeongjo to me (this is not me choosing between his and Lee Deok Hwa's portrayals- that's illegal). Damn, now I need a good, wholy fictional sageuk romance that's not a comedy/fantasy/tragedy to wash down the bitterness of real history... (Can't believe I'm saying this, but I guess something like Moon That Embraces the Sun without the bad lead female acting and silly writing).

Completed

Mad Dog
I wish I liked it more than I did but I did not care much about the main plot. The Mad Dog crew was great and it was their relationships that I enjoyed the most. I was particularly invested in Woo Dohwan's and Ryu Hwayoung's characters but the last scene was a let down. I wish they had hinted at the status of their relationship differently. A woman can dress however she likes and she does not need a man to cover her up (e.i. her legs) unless she asks to be covered up.

The Silent Sea
Overall, I really enjoyed this sci-fi drama. Something about it reminded me of one of my favourite sci-fi movie, Alien. I found the premise really interesting. I also thought they did well production-wise with the budget they had (moonwalk aside lol). Some landscape shots of the moon were beautiful and conveyed well the desolation. However, the characterization was its weakest point. I believe that if the drama had stronger characterization, most (if not all) of its plot holes would be fixed or at least not as apparent.

Hawkeye
My first Disney+ Marvel series. I always had a soft spot for Hawkeye. He was my favourite original Avengers along with Black Widow. Thus, I really enjoyed this series. Hailee Steinfeld and Florence Pugh were the highlights.

The Door Into Summer
I wish the movie would have focused on cat Pete and robot Pete. They were the best part by far. The rest of the story was meh.

Watching

Our Beloved Summer
I love love this. I have no criticism so far. I hope the second half will be just as good as the first. This is exactly the kind of rom-com I love and the cast, the characters, the ost...I absolutely loved all of it.

The Red Sleeve
I am torn. As a sageuk, this drama is wonderful! As a romance...I'm not so sure. I find interesting that they chose to portray the power imbalance in San and Deokim's relationship instead of brushing over it or ignoring it. However, as a result, it makes San unsympathetic. I can't say that I can root for this romance fully. It's realistic to its time and the nature of the relationship but I don't like how that kind of behaviour is being romanticize. Aside from that, I am looking forward to the last two episodes this weekend. I might not be San's biggest fan but I am still loving Junho in this role.

I watched one of the stories (there are 3 in total; I watched the middle one: episodes 3-5) from the TVING drama Adult Trainee. I enjoyed episodes 3 and 4. They were silly and fun. But then episode 5 revealed some seriously weak writing. I still don't understand why Namho didn't just talk to Yura. It was just bad communication for the sake of bad communication. The scriptwriter barely tried to provide an explanation for it. I might check out the other two stories when I'm bored.

A couple of weeks off and a rainy period in California (yay!) meant that not only did I spend way too much time writing very un-insightful comments on this site, but also my wife and binge watched a lot of Netflix—not all kdramas, sad to say—too much Nordic noir, my wife’s favorite. If my pious Swedish grandparents had known there were that many sexually depraved serial killers running around Scandinavia, they would have immigrated a lot sooner!

Since I am liking Our Beloved Summer, I looked into the previous vehicle for Kim Dam-mi and Choi-Woo Shik, The Witch, Part 1, Subversion. I understand this was quite popular, so most of you will already know the action hinges on a group of children who for some reason were given brain implants, probably because their parents wanted to get them into Harvard. This gave them superpowers, but also made them blood thirsty and violent—again, perfect for Harvard. I have to admit, I didn’t really follow the details, but Kim Dam-mi did not seem that suited to her role here. Of course, making a convincing transition from demure farm girl to violent superpowered avenger would challenge any actor. (Although, come to think of it, when my daughter entered high school she gave a convincing portrayal!) Choi-Woo Shik, on the other hand, had an easier acting job, and was appropriately threatening as a menacing mutant. I’m afraid I’ll never find out exactly what happens , because I’m not planning on watching part 2. Perhaps others can fill me in—I don’t think my enjoyment of the so-called “plot” will be damaged by spoilers.

We ushered in the new year last night by trying to finish off Vicenzo, but gave out with 4 episodes to go. Its very entertaining, but it just goes on a little long for me. Parts of it are very clever—the covid like pillow left as a threat in the bed, instead of the legendary bloody horses head of the Godfather; and the bus of thugs turning back after one tested positive were sadly amusing references to our current circumstances. I also liked the shoutout to Les Miserables and the really funny use of economic theories as “proof” that the brother was too dumb to be CEO. (I have a close friend who is an economist.)

But I much preferred the somewhat similar Hyena, where the very appealing (ahem!) Kim Hye-Soo is the heroine-mastermind, and her sidekick is also well played by Ju Ji-Hoon, with great chemistry between them. Also, even though it’s something of a comedy, I’m not a big fan of Vicenzo’s message it “takes brutal evil to beat brutal evil.” Hyena’s message that “it takes slightly corrupt good to defeat evil” is better although that slogan is a little harder to remember.

Anyway, I watched other things as well, but I won’t go on, (and on!) Happy New Year, and I sincerely appreciate how much I’ve learned from you all!

I am watching The Red Sleeve Cuff, and despite my frustrations about the weird Fairy Palace thing, as well as how long Deok Im denied Yi San (like, I totally understand her reasons! I guess the pacing/direction could have been a bit better to make it less repetitive and more understanding), the series also has elements that I keep loving. Like the friendship between the female characters, how the women in various subleties talk about how difficult it is being a woman at the time, even in the palace, the downsides of concubinage in a more quiet, lonely way than I have seen previously, and more.

Once, I read in Wikipedia that the woman the protagonist is based on did reject the king multiple times, and only agreed after he had punished her servant/friend. It is gone now, so it might not have been accurate information, but if it was, the last episodes made me thinkg the one who wrote the show read that and thought "man, how would she be able to live as concubine when she rejected the king thrice" and wrote an interesting story.

I prefer the early parts more, where we saw her use her connections and smarts to help the prince, but also protect those she felt needed protection, mostly the court ladies and maids. Later it became a bit more somber, which makes sense since the king no longer needed to be protected like before, and this is not a drama where they pit jealous women against each other (I mean, the chief court lady was jealous, I guess, but in the end the only one she truly hurt was the king), so there was not much else to do.

Pacing could be better, I feel, and I do not know the rewatchability, but I enjoyed it!

Finished Imitation, liked it, part of it were way too ideal but there was a healing moment in them. and somehow also, characters didnt klose themselves daydreaming, the kept their hear cool, no overdramatic reactions or slapping or anything. Also that friendships and teamships are as important as romantic relationships. In the end the CEO of NOG (eggnog? ) was a bit caricature evil, but then, there are even slimier, more repulsive tycoons out there in the world so it was in a way a mild representation. if there is someone out there like Ji Hak though, please be president of the world. I have a theory they all overworked and died and and it was actually idol heaven / afterlife.
I´m not watching any of the current dramas. cause I have a lot to think about myself and just, some developments that were to be expected of sorts but still also unlikely to a degree, yet they happened. and I gotta take a stand about it. it is kind of a trust dive issue.

Im still thinking about starting Silent Sea. the reviews are so mixed. I would rather keep perhaps a hopeful delusion than be disappointed. but then, people in the korean culture club at the library might ask me!

Happy New Year to all! 🥰

Our Beloved Summer This is the only drama I am fully invested in right now. My heart is torn whenever one or the other runs away or says something untrue. Aaahhh and then Ung takes another step to her. That kiss on a pretty hill during a rain shower!!! Sooo beautifully shot! Now patiently waiting for Monday to roll around so I can watch what happens next.

The Silent Sea tried watching this but could not get past around halfway of ep1 even if it has Gong Yoo and Bae Doona. Does it get better?

I am a little later making a posting here because of 1. The Rose Parade and 2. The Citrus Bowl. In addition, the last day has been dominated by technical issues with my new modem/router. Because I do not subscribe to ESPN the Citrus Bowl was my last College Football game for the year- and I am not a big fan of the NFL, even usually skipping the Superbowl. It was a good close game and fun to watch.

My wife found the C-drama fantasy RATTAN- and binge-watched it. She was practically hypnotized by it. It had some of the best cinematography that I have seen for a while and obviously a really compelling story. Then she found HE IS PSYCHOMETRIC and I cannot peel her away long enough to watch the final two episodes of RED SLEEVE, which has been a truly wonderful drama. Of course, now that she has finished 2007 sageuk LEE SAN- WIND OF THE PALACE we actually know what happens to our main characters in any case so the suspense is gone but we will still watch the last two episodes of RED SLEEVE very soon. We also now have a couple more episodes pending of episodes of the new Sageuk THE KING OF TEARS, LEE BANG WON.

When I have had some time I have been watching an older weekender: SEO YOUNG, MY DAUGHTER. It is pretty good.

I did manage to catch her at the right time to finish the final episodes of SECRET ROYAL INSPECTOR AND JOY. It was a fun show to the end. But we are now behind on several shows including MOONSHINE and OUR BELOVED SUMMER. I have also not yet seen the next episodes of UNCLE. But sometime during this weekend I will finish the final episode of the Japanese rom-com BEWITCHED BY MY SEXY BOYFRIEND.

Ratings continue to climb for the weekender YOUNG LADY AND GENTLEMAN. The really good family dramas show us development in the side characters as well as the main ones. This week we saw wonderful growth in Se-chan, our Gentleman’s middle child. We see this young boy crying as he overhears our Young Lady telling his father that she must leave because of their situation- as he is engaged to Chief Jo (he was tricked into that). Then we see the crying boy enter his room still helplessly crying at the tragic knowledge that his dad and Dan Dan really loved each other. And then, in mid-soliloquy we see him change- or rather suddenly hear a dramatic change in his tone: He has decided to do something about it. This is the moment when we see the young boy become a young man- still a child and his plans will still be childish- but now a young man who is taking charge of his own future, at least to the extent that he can. He enlists the aid of little brother (but not big sister, because she is experiencing puberty “and even Aliens can’t defeat Puberty”- a line for the ages). Their initial scheme actually works but our newly minted young man knows this is just the first battle. However, two other side romances have already either hit a wall or are about to go off the rails. Did I mention that our Young Lady’s baby mama (who no...

Our Beloved Summer: LOL that kidnapping! And OMG the kiss! This isn't a dialogue-heavy drama - story is told in the quiet moments, the looks in the characters' eyes, the acting, the directing, camera angles, and a soundtrack that makes my heart ache! I can see the hearts in the actors' eyes. Lots of endearing characters.

Secret Royal Inspector & Joy: Done! It was a cute ride with a lot of great character moments and relationships/friendships. I think it delivered what it was set out to do. The Joseon equivalents of the instagram influencer and squid game references in the last ep were hilarious! I'm really sad about Tae-seo and his friends though. Got my eye on actor, Lee Jae-kyoon. I hope he does another sageuk soon.

Now, We Are Breaking Up - plz break up already

Bulgasal - The setup remains interesting and after Ep4 it was interesting to think of all the ways the three of them could be in a confusing grudge-cycle.

Our Beloved Summer - I wonder if there is more to the writer and Ji-ung than just co-workers who don't like each other. Too young to be his mom though, right?

Let Me Be Your Knight - 2x the wait

Rainless Love in a Godless Land - don't want it to end

F4:Thailand - After seeing shows like Kakegurui & DP, the bullying seems a bit "tame". Which I guess makes sense as none of the F4 seem terribly interested in it or aren't the smartest cookie.

Happy New Year all! Here’s hoping there are lots of great dramas this year! As for some of what I’m watching:

The Silent Sea: 6.5/10 - finished this one after binging it over two days, and I did enjoy it quite a bit. But it had some basic flaws that I felt were holding it back. Not enough reason to care for our characters was a big one. The actors did the best with what they had, and with such a stellar cast, their best was good, but I felt just a few steps more for each of our leads would have gone and pushed this over the top. A solid show with some good ideas and great tension that didn’t live up to my personal expectations.

Bulgasal: I’m still really behind our ML’s plight and struggle. Dude has had a ROUGH life, and it seems to continue to pile on. Having watched up to episode 5 at this point I’m glad a lot of the points are converging and things are moving at a pretty good clip. So much so that I’m a little curious how they’re going to drag this out for (what I assume) is gonna be the standard 16 episodes?

Secret Royal Inspector and Joy: 7/10 - Fun series that won’t blow any minds but if you’re in the mood for some fun characters and dastardly villains could fill the void. Our leads were pretty standard, but the ensemble meshed real well and elevated the basic material.

The One and Only: What a hard show to classify. You know you’re going in to this one and the leads aren’t making it out, so the tissue box is at the ready. I suppose we’ll have to see if the journey gives us some solace before the end.

I actually binged a few non kdramas over new years, Cobra Kai season 4 and Ted Lasso and they were as great as I knew they would be. Cobra Kai is very good at hitting that nostalgia button for me. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Karate Kid movies, but they were a part of my childhood, so I went in not expecting much from this continuation and it’s grown into a favourite of mine. Comedy mixed with the right amount of heart and drama. And speaking of…Wow Ted Lasso is GOOD. I’d heard it won some awards but I went in with no expectations and just ended up watching both seasons in a handful of days. Jason Sudeikis was the only cast member I’m familiar with, and he’s amazing, but the rest of the cast is just blowing my mind. Not a weak link in the bunch.

Secret Royal Inspector (EP 3): I started this show because I'm rewatching Waikiki and I needed more Lee Yi Kyung. I like his scenes with Myung Soo, they're cute and funny.

Uncle (EP 6): I wonder if their going to leave our uncle unconscious for more than one episode. He has the cards to destroy Diamond mom: the crazy dude, not calling 119... Plus, he need more scenes with th teacher, they're adorable.

Bad and Crazy (EP 4): Seeing K act serious (the rooftop scene) was kinda scary but he only spoke facts, tbh.

The One and Only (EP 2): I don't know how I feel about this show yet.

Our Beloved Summer (EP 6): I need to see what happens after that kiss. Monday were are you??

The Red Sleeve (EP 14): After watching 20 minutes of episode 15 I stopped it and played 'Run the world (girls)' by Beyonce 3 times. I think I'll finished that episode tomorrow and watch ep 16.

Kingdom (EP 3): Watching it with my bestie. We were shipping Doo Na's character with the officer but that dude totally bailed after proposing.

You Are My Spring: Five eps in. I like it. I'm enjoying all the different relationships, not just the romance though terribly sweet, and am curious about our sociopath twins. The twin part is creepier than I expected which makes it jar slightly against the sweet romance, but I am definitely going to finish this one.

Bossam: This flew right under my radar until I saw Beanies talking about it in the year end posts. I just finished the first ep and am going right to the second when done writing this. I know there where mixed reviews, but hopeful for a solid show. I like our two leads and the little boy an awful lot already.

Coffee Prince. Finally starting a rewatch of this. It will be a slow re watch, maybe an ep a week. I forgot how gross some of the humor was, that black bean noodle scene 🤢, but also how it made me laugh like our heroine just piggy backing the men. Gong Yoo is just so charismatic here even starting off as a bit of a punk.

Other than these I plan to start Five Enough and Seo Young, My Daughter. If I stick with them may take the year to watch, lol. I just feel like some multi character and family type shows.
Also, I do want to add Imitation in.

Mostly though I'm thinking of going back to how I first watched dramas. Not caring too much about keeping up with all the new ones, but going as my mood strikes. If I want to watch several shows one or two eps a week or only focus on one show until done it's all good. Though more balance than when I used to glom everything as a new viewer as I want to focus on reading more again too.

Happy New Year! Here's to 2022 and another year of "Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching". My favorite-favorite DB segment!

💜Beanies💚, stay healthy💜

Our Beloved Summer: After that ep 6 ending, I was slightly let down by the next episode but I don't want to complain too much. I'm staying for our main leads' wonderful chemistry and for Woong (with all his pettiness, ambitious non-ambition, and his love for drawing), who has quickly become one of my favourite kdrama characters.

I'm also reading the webtoon (which is a first for me!) and it's sooo cute.

I kind of parked Snowdrop and officially dropped Melancholia. The only other show I'm watching is Loki. Time travel and multiverses have never looked more overwhelming.

Our Beloved Summer. Love the way it is unpeeling our characters layer by layer. Ung grabbling Yeon-su's hand in his sleep was one of the most beautiful things I've seen - full of longing. Bring on Monday!

Red Sleeve. So, over 3 hours to get through the last 2 eps, and how the actors managed to cry so much was something else... Overall, loved the drama, although San and Deok-im as crown prince and his spunky court lady in the early episodes remains the highlight. When he became king, too many frustrating moments of, "Actually, what DO the two of you want???" for me. Still have little idea why the head court lady's secret society was introduced and then forgotten in the space of an episode... But LJH and LSY have firmly placed themselves on my radar now.

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. Used the time over Xmas/New Year to watch this as so many refer to it as a "classic" and wanted to see what the fuss was. Liked the overall pacing of the story, LOVED the ost whenever someone died, moments of brilliance, a fair amount of ff-ing towards the end as too much time spent on close-ups of people's faces ("she-is-now-angry", "he-is-now-hurt") which became wearying. But glad I watched it.

@DaebakGrits Agree with you regarding the elder brother. I think he was the reason I must have dropped this show from the episode where he makes that comment during the book reading or whatever that event was. Your comment reminded me of the show, went back and watched it all. When I was watching it the first time, the brother was unbearable and intolerable, I would be cursing him to get lost from my screen. He annoyed me much with his 'much suffering and so I deserve everything I want' vibe.

No body watch Win the Future with Chen Kun in it?
I love the relationship between FL and ML, there is always such a playfulness in it makes me want to major squeeee...

I knew Red Sleeve finale would be sad ending but didn't expect myself to cry buckets in the first day of 2022. I went through a whole box of tissues (ok it wasn't full to begin with but still...). Both of San and Deok-im are victims of their circumstances and and thus struggle all their lives to balance between their desires and responsibilities. I'm glad they at least have some true moments of happiness, albeit short-lived. The show definitely has flaws and could have done better, especially with the pacing and the Fairy Palace arc. But it has also made me contemplate many things about history and human condition, and that's a great achievement imo. Junho and ‎Lee Se-Young were excellent in Red Sleeve and I look forward to their next projects.

Melancholia: staggered through to the end. What a dreary drama don’t know why I stuck with it, it went downhill after the first few episodes.
Red Sleeve: absolutely loved this up to penultimate episode. Had no idea the King was originally an Idol, seen him in two other shows and he continues to be excellent. I thought the whole cast of this show were excellent but one episode too many.

Now we are breaking up: well, get in with it! The FL is very unconvincing, she can be so much better than this Such a disappointment!

Our beloved summer: Excellent!

Let me be your Knight: fluffy, ridiculous and adorable.

Snow Drop: I’m really sorry about the politics, but I think this is brilliant, if in an un-KDrama way.

Yay! First update for 2022.

Finished SECRET ROYAL INSPECTOR AND JOY (5/10) - it was a fun watch if you just want a light and chill show although I didn’t expect Bead Boy and friends to die unnecessarily. That was a bit intense after all the comedy. I wish I could visit the island and try those dumplings.

I’m enjoying SNOWDROP but I’m afraid to find out how this would end. With our leads being on opposing sides, should we expect an ending like CLOY? This is why I don’t like following an ongoing show. The anticipation is killing me!

RAINLESS LOVE - still have not moved on but as the series is done, I’ll look into binge watching this.

WORK LATER, DRINK NOW - currently on episode 9 and while I love the friendship our leads have together, I guess I miss watching a show with action. A word of caution: don’t watch this show hungry. Lol. All the food makes me crave samgyeup and soju.