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.