CRICKET - Woah - CRICKET TEST CHAMPIONSHIP 6 teams are fighting for to be in the final. the 1st ever test championship finalists India
and Kiwis are struggling and need to perform + hope for some outcomes of other teams tours going their way.
the 1st test championship had criteria troubles which made it less fair and same troubles are up this time around too.
2 teams are ahead and 4 teams have to catch up with them. no competition is actually a 6 way fight. wow.
So much for not being competitive.
I'm really enjoying this world test championship's drama. Kiwis by losing to bangladesh got a big -ve but kiwis by drawing 1st test against india contained the situation. Now both need to win atleast 6 mAtches to have a chance for the final.

This is test cricket for you.

Twenty Five Twenty One: The first two episodes exceeded my expectations. Hee-do is a delightful heroine and had me laughing at her antics. My favorite scene was the umbrella fight. Yi-jin is thoughtful and mature. In two episodes, I can already see how these two would be good for each other as friends and later lovers.

Forecasting Love and Weather: I like Park Min-young enough to give this another week, but I struggled with the first two episodes. I do think weather forecasting is interesting but making Song Kang’s character a smiley, self-righteous weather genius who knows more than all of the experienced employees was not the way to go. Making the second leads completely irredeemable cheaters was also not the way to go. Song Kang’s styling was also a poor choice. He looks like a student and the monotonous way he delivers his lines still drives me nuts. If we get more of the PMY who told off the ex, the drama may at least stay watchable.

Thirty-Nine: I was underwhelmed but liked it enough to continue watching. I liked the three women and their friendship. They have good chemistry. I think too much time was spent on Son Ye-jin and Yeon Woo-jin. IMO they are boring and don’t have much chemistry. While I don’t condone emotional affairs, I think Jeon Mi-do’s character is compelling. Why did they have to give her the terminal illness plot? Mi-jo’s sister was my favorite character.

Ghost Doctor: The plot got moving this week. I’m glad Seung-tak is finally training to be a real doctor.

2D1N: Na In-woo certainly had one of the most memorable entrances to the show. I like his enthusiasm.

I checked 3 premiering dramas... and I enjoyed them in a completely reversed order than I expected.

The drama I was looking forward to the most was Thirty Nine. Sadly, it's the drama I feel the least connected to... and I may actually even drop it. The way the story is being told just doesn't work for me (a bit superficial? And scripted?)... and didn't make me interested in the characters and their current situations (a sabbatical to play golf??), neither in their professions (beauty clinic 😒 ...yawn). It doesn't help that whenever I see Jeon Mido, I just miss Songhwa (Hospital Playlist)... and that I wish that Chan Young would be paired with her actor (Kim Kwon! 💕) and THIS would be the noona romance. (I also can't say I'm excited about the Death Arc.) If I stay, it is because of Unni (from Daebak Realty) and Yeon Woojin (and his adopted sister Ahn Sohee).

Twenty Five Twenty One - I expected to like it and I did like it 🙂 It made me laugh (Manneken Pis... street fight with the umbrella 😄) and Kim Taeri is a ball of energy 🙂 And Nam Joohyuk is good, like Dazzling good... and I feel for Yijin and wish him finding happiness. (Also... fencing is much more interesting than... beauty clinic 😁)

So... the show I enjoyed more than I expected was Forecasting Love - Song Kang's charm usually doesn't work much on me and I had my doubts about his role here... but I surprisingly enjoyed the pairing with Park Min Young and they were much better together than I feared. Then there is Park Min Young self and yes, I know she can spark and be loveable in the classic rom-coms, but as an actress, I prefer her here (or in New Leaf), where she can show more of her acting range... like that crumbling when she found out the truth... or the showdown with her ex in the lobby 😁. Yoon Park, on the other hand, I prefer in other roles than being a scumbag (PD in Radio Romance 😍). (BTW, if anyone thinks that the Ex is too over the top, I have friends with ex-partners who were even worse, sadly.) There are things which make me pause, like I'm not enthusiastic about the (rebound) switch of partners. But then we have Mom Kim Mi Kyung 💕 ...and director Kwon Haehyo... and I'm definitely tuned for next episodes.
(Also, weather forecasting sounds much more interesting than... beauty clinic 😁😁)

Grid (Episode 1) - Mood: B-
It’s hard to give a verdict when the setup is still in progress but I liked it. Just don’t go Sisyphus on us, please?

Thirty-Nine (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D+
With that star cast and the promotional materials featuring friendship, this was the easiest thing to get hyped for, even with that pesky terminal illness cliche appearing in the later teasers. But why, just why, did the writer make Chan Young as a mistress? I can come up with a better setup: Jin Seok’s wife has a terminal illness (oh what a nice twist that would have been) and wants him to move on and not let their child grow up without a mother. Also, what’s the use of having a narrative hook if you’re revealing who died in the second episode? Yeon Woo Jin surprisingly seems rather flat.

Twenty Five Twenty One (Episode 1-2) - Mood: C
Cautiously optimistic: that’s how I would describe my feelings after watching the premiere. Nam Joo Hyuk as a lead always worries me since he’s an actor who’ll get outshined by others if the writing just isn’t to standard. The setup was fairly decent until the rich-poor, talent-hard work, effervescent-ice cold divide appeared between the two fencers: couldn’t we just have a rivals but friends dynamic without the history? I’m also hesitant about the Reply-style narrative with the guessing game about Hee Do’s present life. But I really want to like this show! Just avoid love triangles please.

Forecasting Love and Weather (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D
In order for me to consider recommending this show when it finishes, it’s first hurdle is ensuring that the plot isn’t some random occupation pasted on the same-old romance tropes. Well, it didn’t even attempt that and there’s already other obstacles it has given itself, of which the most worrying one is having two adulterers in the main cast: like honestly how do you go from there in terms of characterisation? (Poor Yoon Park, he’s far too talented for this!) And that one night stand: I just can’t. Dong Han’s arc of how forecaster work affects family: now that’s ok. But it’s not the main plot?

Rookie Cops (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D
What a pathetic plot device making Sun Yu go for overseas studies! And then to make matters worse, they used it for a stupid confession: wouldn’t it be refreshing to have Joo Chan acknowledge that he missed his timing and graciously let Eun Kang go? And if I haven’t facepalmed enough, Seung Hyun overhears her response and misunderstands! Following that, he then sexually assaults her in the phone booth. Or not, because the editor just fumbled the episode 8 kiss? I did enjoy how Han Na was completely “I would very much like to be excluded from this narrative!” with the embittered cop.

Ghost Doctor (Episode 13-14) - Mood: D
Yeah, no. That hired hit is a terrible penultimate week cliffhanger.

ALL OF US ARE DEAD (Ep 2-6) It is hard to weave flashbacks into a good pace of a show, but AOUAD seems to be doing a good enough job. I think the student dialog has been good and smart. However, the repetitive parkour action sequences are starting to get stale. There is enough sci-fi backstory to make the virus and its mutations believable but the slow roll of the backstories and information needs to speed up.

THIRTY, NINE (Ep 1-2) It is even harder for a writer to start the story at the End then try to maintain a light, silly and hopeful drama when the viewers know that there is a bitter climax ahead. All three main lead actresses showed their acting charms. Each has their own personal barrier to overcome. They really truly look like old friends doing their parts. It is almost a too perfect friendship premise to pull in an audience that is still in pandemic lock down mode. But the hard turn on the fate trope was not a very good Ep. 1 ending, especially after a one-night stand. And the “everyone is connected to each other” ending of Ep 2 seemed too forced to hammer home the trope. It seems viewers are 50-50 on the show’s early major spoiler and how it will affect the story telling to the end of the series.

Variety:

YOU QUIZ ON THE BLOCK: I saw the raw clips and read the news stories about SYJ's appearance. She had not done a variety show since the end of 2019. She had not been on television since CLOY ended two years ago. Her long film hiatus corresponded with her secret but profitable public relationship with HB. She has done nothing except CFs (about 15; HB peaked at 25) for the past two years. She said she came on the program because of Jae-Suk in order to promote her new work, but it really turned into more of a retirement retrospective of her career than promotion for Thirty, Nine.

Finally my drama plate is full again!

ONGOING
Ghost Doctor - Finally we get some focus on Seung-tak. Wish this had happened earlier. There was a great mentor-mentee story hiding in this madness if they hadn't insisted on playing the 'will he die' game for so long. Anyway only one more week to go!

Rookie Cops - This week had a lot of cute moments (flustered Lee Shin-young is very cute!) and of course the mandatory sports festival which is a staple of any college story. Chae Soo-bin is adorable as always.

STARTED
Forecasting Love and Weather - Obnoxious hoobae, cheating exes and gossipy colleagues - the show is full of unlikeable characters. I think this might be the end of my Song Kang experiment. Probably a drop - depends on this weekend.

Twenty-five Twenty-one - Even without the daughter named 'Kim' this was a pleasant surprise. Loved both the leads and the setting. Looking forward to more.

Thirty-nine - Remember when I was complaining about terminal illness? The show decided to top that with adultery 🙄. Can't decide who I found more annoying - Jeon Mi-do's or Lee Mu-saeng's character. Rest of the drama was good especially the trio of women - I finished both episodes in a blink. I'm still wary of the writer so will take it as I go. Meanwhile I'll watch the Yeon Woo-jin scenes a few more times 🥰.

Grid - Not sure I understood everything and kdrama sci-fi has been a let-down for me generally. Still will keep watching. Only problem is why is it one episode a week. Thirty-nine has 12 episodes but will end a month earlier!

No Moonshine, Through the Darkness or Tracer 😑.

Ghost Doctor - hanging in there to find out what's going to happen to the other two coma ghosts, but I feel the fun premise has begun to lose it's shine. The "cliff-hanger" at the end of ep14 was so not a cliff-hanger my eyes nearly rolled out of their sockets...

Twenty Five Twenty One - strong start and a really interesting premise. Like our OTP a great deal (although I really want to tie back our heroine's hair properly every time she's fencing - seriously, that's got to be a distraction when competing...)

Forecasting Love and Weather - I'll stick around for a bit longer, but a lot of things were irritating. Our OTP just don't make sense to me and so a one night stand in ep2 just had me mumbling, "Wha-at?" Hot mess... Can PMY make this work through the sheer strength of her acting ability?

Through the Darkness - just started a catch-up, but after just 2 episodes, it's compelling! It's a well-crafted narrative - information is added at just the right minute (and in the right way) so that you quickly build up a fairly strong picture of what's going on (and what should be going on and why it's not). Liking this!

Wok of Love - watching this to keep working through LJH's back catalogue. I am not someone who uses the word "cute" a lot, but I will hand it to our OTP here. Quite a bit of ff-ing through the financial bits, the lost mother bits and the intensely irritating mother of the FL, but I genuinely wanted to eat every dish they cooked up in the kitchen... Pretty entertaining underdog story, nicely tied up at the end.

Thirty-NineThere were good points and bad ones. I didn't like that Kim Seon-U was connected to everybody-thing around Mi-Jo (orphanage, Rachmaninov, both other male characters, hospital). I didn't like their one night stand neither (but I note the new ramen "Do you want to see my peonies"). But I think their relationship became better in the second episode. For now, I'm the most interest by Chan-Young, her relationship is the one that raises questions about cheating, friendship, etc.

Through the Darkness I missed it. Olympic games stole my Kdrama and our medal!

Twenty Five Twenty One Kim Tae-Ri was great! I loved her character, her energy, dorkyness, stubborness. I'm not so interested by the ML now. I just want to see the girls becoming friends and forming a great team.

Forecasting Love and Weather If I'm happy with a new environment for a workplace, it wasn't as good as I was hoping for. They made it too dramatic. I'm not fond of any characters for now.

Rookie Cops I kinda liked the episode 7 and 8. But I would have liked they adressed more their futur job in the Police. It's pretty superficial for now. We got more informations about the first scene, Kim Tak would have been a good ML, I prefer Lee Shin-Young and he's the little brother 😥. Poor Kwak Si-Yang, he should have known that he couldn't trust Son Chang-Min for undercover mission, ask Jung Kyoung-Ho!

Grid It was a good introduction but nothing more for now. I'm curious why Disney+ decided to release their both Kdramas on Wednesday...

F4 Thailand I liked the Gucci pictures with Gorya and Ren. I usually don't like this brand but they looked pretty good.

Watched the premiere of the 3 shows and 2521 have my heart. Kim Tae-ri is amazing and her comedic timing? Hilariously good!

39 - Yeon Woo-jin! I like you but that hair is hideous. Not a fan of where the show is going but I like the leads enough to continue watching however, a drop is a big possibility.

Forecasting - I am not sure I’m gonna continue with this one.

Uncle - finally finished it. The Uncle-nephew relationship was heartwarming but it kinda dragged on in the last 4 episodes esp that heart problem thing. Overall, it was a good drama.

Inspector Koo - K is damn good. And can’t wait to know more about Santa, too many mystery there.

This week, I dabbled into a critically acclaimed k-film – Juror 8. And yes, it deserved all the praise it got. Moon So-ri was really great as a judge, and when she stood up to her superior, yay! Jo Han-chul as usual was really sketchy (I’m looking at you Vincenzo) so the relief when he turned out to be a neutral guy, and then a good guy. Yeah, relief. Then the ruling, then the tears and loving chastising that followed the ruling, Juror 8 pull the emotions totally.

Moonshine (Ep 10) – CRS Shim was always not straight, so I was not surprised, but I wasn’t expecting him to be a total douchebag. Be the actual person who breaks the law you proposed to the king without any restraints. That aside, Ro-seo is the female lead I’d like to keep seeing on my screen.

About recent premieres, Thirty Nines silliness was enjoyed, and mature at the same; Grid was a bit convoluted but I liked the world building and the security system employed was… I was definitely blown off; Forecasting Love and Weather and Twenty Five Twenty One are the next ones to nail.

Because This Is My First Life🐌🏠🐈(8/16): Our OTP is married and the lines are starting to blur for them. Bok-Nam played his part to make that happen, but I am not convinced that he is actually evil. I hope the next episodes clear this up so that Ji-Ho can put him in his place and appreciate him as a coworker going forward. Se-Hee and Su-Ji are still flawless and Sang-Gu and Won-Seok keep trying to do better. Ho-Rang keeps bothering me. She claims to be ready for marriage and motherhood, but acts like a spoiled brat and does not communicate properly. It is annoying to watch and also harmful for her current and future relationships.🤔

F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers⭐(8/16): I finally got the sexual assault from the original anime blocked, show. There was no need to resort to physical violence that goes unaddressed to refresh my memory.😤The reminder I did like was Gorya (and her mom) standing up to our big bad.👏There were more anime reminders I could do without, but it looks like this adaptation plans to sprinkle them over multiple episodes and in between other plotlines. This does wonders for the pacing, because you can see where the plotlines originated and the show needs less time to dwell on them. Friendship and love are in the air though: we got our quartet eating in front of the television, our playboy hanging out with his future love interest, and last but not least: our whipped sap counting down to his birthday to see our female lead first.😘

Twenty-Five Twenty-One🤺(2/16): I am still on the fence (ha!) about this one, but it has more to do with my mood and less with the show. I mean, this show gives us some sports drama, nineties flashbacks and all these young people and their potential friendships and relationships to root for!☺️On paper there is nothing wrong with this uplifting drama full of heart, and I hope episodes 3 and 4 will either bring me fully onboard or else pinpoint what is missing for me. If I can convince myself to actually press play, that is.🙏🏻

Thirty, Nine - Emphasis on the comma. I enjoyed the first two episodes. I love the women characters. As for the affair, SIGH. Chan Young what is you doing girl? You are clearly having an affair that doesn't do anything for you. That poor woman he married deserves better and Jin seok is clearly TRASH. I am also glad there is no mystery as to who is dying. I love the way they met and that they have been friends for years. It is also a very nice look at adoption that turned out well.

Rookie Cops: This drama is cute. CSB is still doing all the heavy lifting between her and Kang Daniel, but it is fun to watch. As for the everyone being interconnected, SIGH, kdramas, lol, but it is fine.

Grid: The first episode is fine, but knowing Lee Soo Yeon it is just going to get better. I am excited for the rest.

25-21: I get to watch the first three episodes today, I was waiting for a friend, so excited to try this.

Forecasting Love and Weather: I don't love this drama, but I also don't outright hate. So I'll give it until these next 2 episodes to decide properly.

Tracer: Waiting on subs from the tax payer sub team. Episode 5 is out, so will watch that. Hwaiting!!!

Law School (2021)
The first half of this drama is far better than the second half, it also fails to stick its landing unfortunately, despite this , it was highly entertaining and worth watching for Kim Myung-min's performance alone.

Devil Judge (2021)
Ji Sung is probably the only actor who could pull of such an over the top and intentionally campy performance with style, Kim Min-Jung was still the MVP of this drama though, she was an excellent villain.

The Good Detective (2020)
A solid if somewhat tropey and predictable crime drama, recommended for fans of police procedurals and mysteries.

One the woman (2021)
Could not make it past episode 3 absolutely terrible

I don't love you yet: For a surprisingly 'japanese' original story, I never really liked the original T-drama (not a fan of the actress & the tragic print quality). The 2019-version was everything I dreamt of from a 'You Drive Me Crazy' kind of a bittersweet story, and this didn't disappoint. If I tell you everybody needs an 'Ishida Ren' in their life... trust me you do! <3 I love how the story has been adapted to japanese sensibilities & the visual similarity of the actors with the original, was such a sweet touch! This is the OG of all friends-to-lover drama. T_T Though the translation of the title, doesn't even begin to convey the amount of heartbreak [ 'boku wa mada kimi o aisanai koto ga dekiru' translates literally to 'i'm still able to be NOT in love with you' which is infinitely sadder than 'i don't love you yet' ]. Yeah, I'm still mad at the translation.

25-21: Speaking of 'japanese dramas not set in japan' , this reminds of 25-21. Just like upcoming j-drama 'First love, Hatsukoi' paying homage to Utada Hikaru 's classic songs, 25-21 is named after Jaurim's hit from 2013, written nostalgically about their own youth. They also got the rights to the song as their title-track! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrB-fJn-3w4
I LOVE every bit of this drama, and tbh, in my head, this already is the k-drama remake of SD1D that we fans deserved, (instead of the other official one) I'm 2 episodes away from making a full-blown mix-cut. Been immune to NJH's charms, but dear god, did I slip a little! xD 25-21 is promising to say the least, though I feel I would have been more invested had they 'aged-up' Kim Tae Ri in 2021 as a 40 y/o (also b/c we'd get to see NJH's Yi-Jin in his mid-40's) 😭

f4 thailand: I find my interest dwindling, and not because it's the 5th adaptation I'm watching. As a standalone, they are doing a fantastic job with the remake & the cast is super-easy on the eyes. I'm just so over dog-blood story arcs with evil mom-in-laws, I guess? :P

Euphoria: Finally gave into the hype and binged everything in one-night. The movie-esque cinematography & Zendaya's acting have kept me riveted, the plot- not so much (predictable). Labrinth's soundtrack is iconic, and will continue being iconic for a long time to come! ^^ I'm wondering if Korea HBO will pick this up for a remake, esp after the Money Heist announcement.

Sex Education: Basically Euphoria Lite. And underage sex dealt with much more tastefully. The British humor is the magical touch. It's funny to see almost identical character setups that Euphoria uses... but the trajectory is so much more wholesome! :'D

39: Still waiting for more eps to drop before I binge, but spoilers. everywhere.

The Red Sleeve Cuff: Finally watching this, and while the plot structure is a bit amorphous, there are two things I really like so far (through episode 13). First, the show allows all its characters to be messy, complicated and human, unlike many sageuks that slot folks into "evil reactionaries" and "noble reformers". Everyone has an agenda, but everyone also has believable motives and actual feelings. Secondly, it's gusty enough to acknowledge that you can't really have a consenting, equal, romantic relationship if one person is the master and the other is essentially a slave. I don't know if it will stick to its guns on this one, but I'm impressed it's resisted the "every maid should be overjoyed to be favored by a prince" narrative so far.

Forecasting Love and Lust Geometry: 4.0 The non-weather-y parts are not my cup of stagnant rainwater. But at least I still have one good show to watch Mon/Tue.

Twenty-Five, Twenty-One: 8.5 But 10.5 for the umbrella fencing in day 1, which besides being funny looked more believable than a lot of what tries to pass as real swordfighting elsewhere. I may or may not have rewatched that a few many times. Impressive that 30-ish Kim Tae-ri can be credible as a high school kid.

Ghost Doctor: 7.0

Moonshine: ...

Rookie Cops: 6.5 Trying to be heart-warming or something, but having the girl be all clumsy and hurt her foot and need a piggy-back ride is just too kdrama be permitted anywhere near an effective episode.

Grid: 7.5 Only one episode per week? 😠😞

Thirty-Nine: (N/R) The premise didn't interest me, but I started anyway and only lasted about 4 minutes before I decided to move on to something more compelling and arguably less sleep-inducing...

Income Taxes: 2.021 The early forms episodes are totally stale and predictable. And why do they keep renewing this every year when its ratings are so low?

The Autumn Ballad - continues to be very binge-able. It would be nice if the FL had a bit more patience, but this being her weak point is relatable. There is also something about her not really taking her mom's advice that will probably bother her later. Not too excited about what's being written for QM atm.

F4 Thailand - Some of the best moments are the PPL. The boys watching TV and eating reminded me of Ouran... so now I want the weirdest of cross-overs.

February seems to a time for BL, can't complain about it - First Love Again, Kissable Lips, Semantic Error, In Your Heart, Love Stage, Physical Therapy, Paint with Love, You're My Sky, Not Me, Enchante, and Something in My Room. Wow, did I miss any?

I'm grounded.
Netflix in my region hasn't got a single one of the shows that premiered last week 😭 I'm resenting every week I'm going to have to wait until I have Kim Taeri's face on my screen, while everybody else seems to be loving 25, 21. I hate you too, Netflix 😠

This week I finished Our beloved summer and absolutely loved it. So much character growth. And, for once, forced separation trope made sense and was handled realistically (and hilariously). I knew it ever since I read Spirit Fingers webtoon that this drama wouldn't let me down as long as it kept the original spirit 💚

Since I'm stuck with dramas that finished airing, I watched a bit more of Devil Judge. On episode 8, now. This is so crazy and over the top, expensive looking and wildly exaggerated, and that's exactly why I'm loving it 😂 And the costumes, wow! Of course, Jeong Seonha's - Kim Minjung, everybody's crush - evilness is delightful, and the callbacks to reality (the President's demagogic rhetoric, the misuse of public opinion, the disregard for the lawful judicial process, extremists egged on online, and so on) make the drama more engaging, a bit in the same way The Handmaid's Tale was frighteningly believable.
I'm enjoying this so much that I'm even amused by Jisung's fastidious hairstyling. Really, even in the scenes he's wearing his hair down casually, it looks like every single hair was carefully blown and meticulously put in place. This said, dude has a great face.
I'm also planning to go to the dark side to watch Grid, but I may wait out the until ep 2 is out too

Thirty Nine (Ep 1&2) - A good start to the series. MiChanJoo are basically a riot and such a delight to watch. True to it's summary that this show will be about the friends and how they navigate through life, love and loss. Speaking of loss it's good that the series tackle this early on because from the narration, I felt that this is where their story actually starts. Can't wait for next episodes :)

Grid (Ep 1) - Can't tell much from the 1st episode but I'll stick around to see what's Lee Si-young's character is all about.

Into The Darkness - Waiting for it to comeback...

Tracer - Will re-watch with proper subs (thanks for the beanie who provided the link) :)

FORECASTING LOVE & WEATHER is our new favorite show. Love squares are so much better than love triangles- even Shakespeare understood that - see the young Athenians in A MIDSUMMER’S NIGHT DREAM. And we are little less prudish than is usual in a K-drama rom-com- in the first episode our FL sees her fiancé in bed with the ML’s girlfriend (and SFL)- who dumps ML just weeks before marrying the SML. In the second episode our ML and FL have already gone to bed together- and not just to sleep given that they wake up naked. FL is embarrassed but ML is suitably delighted- as he should be. Park Min-young is doing a noona romance very well. And I love that our second leads are shown for the true scumbags that they are- there is no ambiguity here. We can love hating them both and can say that they both deserve each other. No danger of second lead syndrome here. When the Shaman tells FL’s mom that someday FL will thank the SML for breaking up with her- we can only heartily agree.

I have continued to slowly watch BRIDE OF THE CENTURY, in part because of the Olympics. I am also watching THE VIRTUAL BRIDE.

We are also slowly watching the C-drama CUPID’S KITCHEN. Very slowly but we are enjoying it. I first watched Ethan Juan in the original version of FATED TO LOVE YOU. He was very good then but better now. This show is a rom-com and it stays light, but he definitely is portraying the angst of his character- a brilliant chef who is suffering from a progressive nerve disorder- very well.

There was only one episode again this week for YOUNG LADY AND GENTLEMAN. We got to see that there is something far worse than the idiotic Noble Separation, and that is a separation forced by family authority, in this case our Young Lady’s father. He has let his accumulated prejudices, anger and deep resentment cloud his judgment to the point where he is wreaking havoc not only with Dan Dan but the children she has come to love and even his wife - who is not only Dan Dan’s legal mother but her real mother in everything but biology: It is odd but it is as much her weaknesses and faults as her love for her family that allows mom to see the situation a lot more clearly and practically than her husband. But now things are coming to a head and with this weekend comes The Big Reveal to Dan Dan that will change everything- and in the end for the better for all.

My wife completed her watch of the Chinese costume drama SECRET OF THE THREE KINGDOMS and really liked it a lot. She went on to watch THE TAOISM GRANDMASTER which she loved for its unique cinematography, good acting and above all for its superior plot. After that she decided that a break is in order and she is now watching the K-drama fantasy HWAYUGI, which is a much lighter show. All of this watching was, of course, sandwiched around the Olympics.

JTBC’s FORECASTING LOVE AND WEATHER (Netflix US). Ratings for the first two episodes: 4.5% and 5.4%.
This drama is definitely getting mixed reviews (more negative than positive I would say) in the early returns here on DB. A few thoughts.
The director comes from CAMELLIA and AYHT?
The writer for me is the unknown factor. Kang Eun-kyun is listed as creator. These must be some of the reasons that besides the leads a number of well known character actors/actresses are part of the cast.

SONG KANG. He is getting some criticism for his performance in the first two episodes. In a way it reminds me of the criticism Kim Min-jae received for the early episodes of DALI.
I shared this Soompi article of Jan. 26 already but I think if folks had read this before watching the first two episodes they might have understood SK’s approach to this drama and why he has short hair. (Answer. It is cut short intentionally to accent his youth. Maybe not the best decision but that is the way it is.):
https://www.soompi.com/article/1510213wpp/song-kang-shares-reason-for-choosing-forecasting-love-and-weather-the-charms-of-his-new-character-and-more

I am speculating here but after being wrapped up so tight in BRAHMS I am sure KMJ chose DALI because he could cut loose.
My only SK a drama is NAVILLERA. I skipped NEVERTHELESS (I didn’t think it was a good fit for him.). I thought he gave a terrific performance in NAVILLERA but he also played a guy wrapped uptight. Reading the script for FL&W maybe he thought now he can let loose a bit. One thing I like about his portrayal of Lee Shi-woo in FL&W is that he is not mean spirited unlike the other ML if you will. He crashes his ex’s wedding and runs of with the bouquet with a big smile. I mean how can you not like that.
One final thought. The writing will be key. I am concerned like others that there may not be enough here to fill 16 episodes. Based on the writing (and acting) so far we all have had reactions positive/negative to the leads at least and maybe that is an accomplishment for the writer.
Oh after all that I enjoyed the first two episodes and will be staying on lol.

FORECASTING LOVE & WEATHER: I liked a lot about this, including the science. The writers did their homework on weather forecasting and the high stakes involved, and therefore why the characters would be under pressure. Well done. I liked the parallels between missed signals in weather vs. between people. It was not unrealistic that two intense people working together, both lonely and hurt would wind up drunk and in bed. It happens. Park Min Young brings out the best in every co-star, including SK. I liked that Song Kang‘s character was goofy and immature until almost the end of episode 2, when he showed another dimension of himself in the bedroom, turning her BS back on her and signalling that he was not going to take crap from her. So far, looks pretty good.

CHUNO/SLAVE HUNTERS: I heard so much about this, I had to see it, so watching a couple episodes a week. It’s been rough sledding not being Korean, knowing the history or understanding the references or the costumes or who is who, but…fighting! I will persevere, if only to see anti-gravity man Jang Hyuk curl his lip and fling himself into the air.

A lot of kdrama this week--I'm trying but falling short on keeping up on the shows everybody else is watching, so I appreciate all the comments allowing me to prioritize. In addition to two of the new shows, my wife and I on Valentine’s Day began watching a Dramabeans favorite, the Healer, and just finished its 20 episodes last night. I mention this for any of you youngsters out there—after you make a miraculous recovery from the terminal illness of turning 40, when you reach age 60 you can anticipate a romantic future of dozing off in front of the tv with your partner.
For my wife and I, watching the Healer was indeed romantic, because it allowed us to relive the heady early days of our marriage, when we were beating up bad guys with our martial arts skills, doing parkour over parking garage ramps, and stealthily roaming the streets defending the freedom of the press.
Actually, besides being quite an enjoyable, well-put together if not profound action/adventure show, the Healer is romantic enough, thanks to Park Min Young. That’s why I know that she will eventually throw off the mask of her current undercover role as a subdued, jilted administrator and emerge at just the right time to save a struggling k-romance about Weather Bureau employees.

There was one minor spousal conflict caused by the show. You might recall that the Healer for a time hides in plain sight working beside the woman he loves, because she did not see him but rather only touched and kissed him. So that brought up a little debate as to how much physical contact it would take for my wife and I to recognize each other. She was quite disappointed when I said I just don’t think hand holding would be enough, but I immediately assured her that if she pressed close shielding me from the blows of thugs I’d recognize her immediately, even in the dark. Marital crisis averted!

New dramas, thank goodness, and all are very watchable even if they are not perfect.
The bit that stuck with me in TWENTY FIVE was the mother asking her daughter in disbelief: 'Do you not have a dream?' And the daughter's answer: 'No.' I sometimes look at young people and think that my youth was simpler (no social media or mobile phones!) and I can well believe that it is more difficult now to have a dream. Enough with nostalgia, Episode 2 was better than the first one and I am looking forward to this weekend.

I a curious about where FORECASTING LOVE is going to go. It is as difficult as forecasting the weather! I hope for some interesting and surprising developments.

Will finish GHOST DOCTOR, but find the whole plot and execution meh. Worse for ROOLIE COPS, not sure I will bother next week. The whole production feels rookie, the plot predictable and boring, the acting amateurish, even the singing and dancing made me cringe - it should not be so, I believe the ML is an idol.

Compare this to the brilliant performance of two other idols in LEADS AND LEASHES! I want to see more from these two.

Love the cast of THIRTY-NINE so much, but am apprehensive about the terminal illness. I am not sure I buy the platonic mistress angle (for 10 years), sounds unbelievable.

February 19, 2022 at 8:37 AM
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Twenty Five, Twenty One : I’m in for Bona, been liking her since GG 1979. I never have a deep look on KTR works (watch Mr. Sunshine for 1 or 2 eps and then drop it) but to be honest, i dont really fond of the way she acted out the character in first two episodes of this drama. She is shouting/ screaming/ yelling too much. I’m not really sure if it’s the way she chose to play her character or just bad acting. But she got the comedic timing quite fine, that is a good one. Story? Not yet convinced, but overall it was a pretty good ride. I’m still hopeful for the next episodes.

Thirty-Nine : For every wrong thing about CY and JS relationship, the borderline affair, the fact CY keep asking him to divorce his wife, the audacity of JS who is trying hard to keep CY by his side, why do I invest so much into their story? Why can’t I hate them? What is this heartache and pity i felt while watching them?

And MJ, I know her bond with CY is so strong, and I understand when someone you really loves terminally ill, you will be deeply sad about it. But, why is she crying in that office as if someone has just died? Her cries feels like “jinx” to someone who still alive.

Olympics are over (ladies figure skating was more makjang than any kdrama 😵‍💫. No one can beat the Russians when it comes to DRAMA.) and I'm starting new kdramas during my down time on this vacation.

2521 Enjoying the 90s vibe of the show. Surprisingly, NJH is the stronger lead right now. KTR is one of my favorite actresses but she's making me go 😬😐 with her screechy take on a bratty teenager. Hopefully her take improves once her character ages up.

39 Haven't started this yet but saw the spoilers. Is it confirmed someone dies or is it going to be a red herring / misdiagnosis and the show will go PSYCH last minute?

I have been in a bit of drama slump for the past few 2 months. Also with real life being a villain these days, I have been watching few dramas here and there with FF button for help. I guess the new batch of dramas might help me recover from the slump.

Bulgasal: It was addictive in the beginning but somewhere I got bored but was curious about the past. They really made sure to show us that only in the final episode. Most of it made sense. The final episode had too much blood. Apart from the monotonic acting from the candy FL, everything else was tolerable in the drama and I would definitely recommend it. Overall it's a decent watch.

Snowdrop: The hostage situation was dragged too much and honestly they could have reduced the episode numbers. Yo In -na's character was interesting and other characters didnot created much impact. I dont know if it's actually the acting or just my view, Ji soo's acting felt so plain. I will definitely tread carefully before picking up her drama in future.

User not found: It was short. Loved the real Min Jae and the character development of Min Jae 2.

Weather forecast (1-2): Surprise, Surprise. I was planning to hate watch this but I actually enjoyed the first two episodes. I am not much of a fan of PMY. Her acting is fine and I had enjoyed the lighter tone of most of her dramas. Like when you need a light watch after a hectic day, her dramas are perfect.
I dont like Song Kang's acting too.
I mean he is not horrible but he is also not good either.Not to mention the horrible butterfly trauma of his last drama ( which drained me of my patience and I ended up dropping it around ep 5 or 6). I decided to give it a chance mostly for Yoon park and I find it good so far. Esp how PMY handled Yoon park's charcter in front of a whole audience. I cheered so hard for her in that scene. The final part of the episode was a surprise. 🔥🔥🔥

Twenty five , twenty one (1): I did not enjoy it. It's on hold for the time being until the time skip.

A PIECE OF YOUR MIND: I like this a lot. The first two episodes felt kinda like being thrown into the middle but ep 4 was a total game changer. This drama has the same feel as I'll see you when the weather is fine, it makes me feel warm an cosy and is perfect with a cup of tea.

TRUE BEAUTY: Continuing on with my breakfast show, Han Seo-joon has firmly secured a place in my heart forever. He's just the cutest thing. I really like Ju-gyeong's siblings, they're just over-flowing with confidence in themselves. It cracks me up that the sister behaves like an over-bearing male lead.

After reading some recommendations here last week (thanks, guys!), I decided to check out Netflix's LOVE AND LEASHES. I don't get why they changed the name. In hangul, the title reads Moral Sense and I find it very aptly named. The movie portrays the developing relationship between the leads with a great deal of respect for boundaries as well as curiosity and a hefty dose of sexual tension.

Twenty One Twenty Five- This show has captured my heart completely. Each and every scene of the 90's is so worth watching and its so joyful and colourful despite the issues at that time. I love the leads . Their friendship is on another level. I really like Na Hee Do our main girl. She is so reckless yet so full of warmth and she is such a happy pill. I like Baek Yi Jin too and i cant wait how he get back up on his own foot and this time earn with hardwork. I should have waited until all episodes aired to binge watch, but i just couldnt wait to watch it now. The drawback is that i need to wait for each episode for such a beautiful drama.

39
I didn’t know I missed Yeon Woojin that much...
Not a fan of the storylines, especially Chanyoung-Jinseok, but I will probably stick around because of the casts

2 Days 1 Night
Na Inwoo is beyond cute. He’s really a fan of the members and the show. I can’t wait to see Jongmin-Ravi-Inwoo crazy antics.

Through The Darkness
Please come back soon...

I'm at my bestie's house, yesterday we finished Kingdom. We really liked the show.

Today we're watching Single's Inferno. Beanies this is soooo fun. 😂😂 We have the most hilarious nicknames for the characters and if you want to know where do we stand about the ships, we're literally the female MC with short hair. Since "el peludo" betrayed "la natural" (and us), now we're invested in Ji Ah's love triangle.

My husband Got A Family (EP 54): our FL and her mother in law making a list of rules and including to say nice things about each other (and going to the movies) as one of those rules was so cute. I loved it!
And I love Gwi Nam adoptive parents!

I don't want this show to end is the only thing I can watch while getting ready or while doing chores. I don't want to search for another family drama, I love this one😔
Ps. Yu Bin and Il Suk have the best platonic relationship in kdrama history. They are the most supportive and adorable couple of the show, and they're not a couple.

I'm currently watching:

- Thirty-nine; I like the chemistry between the three main characters and the tone of the drama despite the cancer diagnosis. I hope they will keep the light tone and use it to celebrate life, love and above all friendship.

- Itoshii Uso: Yasashii Yami; it's a Japanese drama that I'm enjoying very much. Usually I don't like thriller and mystery drama but this one is really good. Every episode keeps me in suspense and is not violent at all.

I completed Reset last week with my family. I found it simultaneously thrilling and off-putting. It's not often one sees PPL for a nation's massive surveillance apparatus. I guess it's different from the usual face mask.

Currently, I'm relishing Takahashi Issei's aroace comedy, Koisenu Futari (Two People Who Can't Fall in Love). English subs are available on Twitter through @KaizenSubs, up to Ep. 4. I really love the care the production team has taken with getting the details right.

Apparently I have a Contract Marriage kink. Half the time mr. tsutsuloo asks what I'm watching, I describe it as a contract marriage. This morning, he mentioned a dream about a young Geneviève Bujold. I perked up, "Ooh. I have a copy of her TV movie The Paper Wedding. It's a contract marriage to help — ... Huh."

Forecasting love and weather: Park Min Young is the queen of romcom but I don't think that this is going to work. And this time I know exactly why: the ML 🙄😏. He is very weirdly written, a genius in weather forecasting huh? He is just not an interesting character. And his acting is still too green, I dnt think he can pull it off. Finally, he is just not an interesting character. The episodes felt flat. For PMY, I will give it 2 more episodes next week and will decide on whether to drop it or not.
Moonshine: I dropped it at ep 8 and decided to follow the recaps. At this point of the story, I am no longer interested in the story nor in the characters. So sad the potential wasted!

Continuing the Nokdu Flower rewatch. So difficult yet so compelling.

I am also watching 25, 21.

Currently watching

Tracer
Solomon's Perjury Rewatch
Twenty-Five Twenty-One

I can't seem to get my thoughts in order today. I'm simply going to say that I ABSOLUTELY LOVETwenty-Five Twenty-One. It has the potential of becoming a favourite.

I'm waiting on "Weather" and "21" until there are at least five episodes of each, so I watched LOVE and LEASHES, and it was a very pleasant surprise. I consider myself open-minded and of the "whatever two consenting adults want to do in private is none of my business and totally cool," but realized I hold many stereotypical (and mistaken) beliefs about BDSM--for instance, that S/M relationships are always sexual in nature. I therefore loved the way the drama looped in some actual instruction and reality checks about this world. It was also genuinely funny and sweet with no draggy moments.

The only plot point I questioned was the ML having his collar shipped to his work address. But I'm willing to suspend disbelief on that one.

The actors also did a great job as well. I'm sure at times it must have felt a bit uncomfortable to explore these characters' predilections, but they brought these two people to life in a way that was both loving and respectful. And they had great chemistry, too.

Some quality stuff, but man I wish the Olympics would go away so I can get back to my regularily scheduled kdrama’ing.

Twenty Five, Twenty One: So GOOD. I gushed about it on the post about the show’s first two episodes, but I’m shocked at how much the initial 2 episodes pulled me in. The FL and ML are both crushing it, and the supporting cast is amazing too. It’s funny, heartbreaking, and every character has their own charm. Watched episode 3 today and it’s continuing the excellence.

Forecasting Weather and Love: I thought the initial episodes were…fine. It was really cathartic to see our FL tell off her dirt bag ex in front of everyone, but it seems he’ll be sticking around to be universally awful so we’ll see if that becomes more grating than interesting. Park Min-young is great as usual but I’m not hooked yet. Average viewing thus far.

39: The main trio is fun, and their interactions are great, but I’m not sure what kind of show we’re getting here. Is it going to be dealing with the impending grief? Also the affair definitely rubs me the wrong way, and I’m not a huge fan of that plot device. I definitely find it hard to sympathize with cheaters. I’ll definitely give this one a few more episodes at least, based on the cast alone but I could see me dropping this one at some point.

Grid: A setup episode. Loaded with talented actors/actresses and nothing was bad, but a bit lukewarm on the first episode. The potential is definitely there however. Is this one going to be only once a week? If so I might have to wait for it to finish, or at least get a batch of episodes out first.

Non Kdrama goodness:

Legend of Vox Machina: Animated D&D goodness, and the first season is finished! Really enjoyed the show and can recommend even to those not familiar with Critical Role.

Reacher: With Vox Machina finished, and some of the kdramas I’m watching on hiatus due to the olympics I picked up this show as a random watch. Solid stuff with fun characters. Not going to blow anyone’s mind, but if you like this genre I can recommend.

Peacemaker: Also finished this week. What a weird, surprisingly good show! James Gunn is a master of making people like strange obscure characters, and he pulls it off again here. He’s definitely got a unique style, but if you’re into his other works I’d check this one out.

There has been a question I wanna ask lately.
As I have been watching Novoland : Pearl Eclipse after Red Sleeve has ended, there is a plot device I found similar in most historical dramas.

In novoland, emperor is dissatisfied that his current consort ( the sister of his dead beloved empress ) is similar to his beloved and angry when he sees her.

In Red Sleeve, we have been told that next concubine selection needs to be held again cause ,San is angry with the fact women from first selection process are similar to Deok Im in a way.

****
My question may be strange.

Why do you think they are angry.

Because when they can't still forget their dead wife and someone uses that affection to become close to them?

Because they need to remarry before certain time has been passed to forget about their dead wife.

Through the Darkness--I really like shows like this. My brain gets a workout when I watch whodunits.

I was really looking forward to the 3 shows premiering on Netflix, in this order:
1) Thirty Nine...because Son Yejin, Jeon Mido
2) Forecasting Weather...because Park Minyoung is queen of romcom
3) Twenty Five, Twenty One...because I did not like Nam Joohyuk in Startup

But....I ended up enjoying #3 the most! It's charming and I'm already invested in the characters. The FL is 30 in real life but how is she so convincing as a teenager? :)

Sadly, I really wanted to like Thirty Nine but I can't. The pacing is off. The friendships seem fabricated, they're trying too hard to act like BFFs. It makes me miss Hospital Playlist - now those friends are way more convincing. And the men...ugh, what's the deal with the affair? Really not what I expected from this drama.

Forecasting weather - I did enjoy the weather Forecasting but not Song Kang. Sorry his haircut makes him look like a high school kid. He's way too smiley. It seems he's hit a wall in his acting. I did enjoy him in Sweet Home and Navillera tho.

I’m watching bits and pieces of stuff at the moment - a couple of older non kdrama things with my sister (Love Now (Taiwan) and Dawson’s Creek (US)….mostly I’m just hanging out for Joey and Pacey to get together because Dawson is ugh. I’m trying to remember how we all felt about Dawson’s Creek at the time it first aired because they do not feel like real teenagers to me now at all.)

Otherwise I’m working my way through TRUE BEAUTY which is pleasantly surprisingly good. It’s made me actually laugh out loud several times. My biggest gripe (besides that she’s actually not a hideous troll - which might be on purpose?) is that whenever Cha Eun Woo’s character has to be serious he puts on his serious voice and it’s a bit like Batman 😅

Otherwise I’m just planning what to make my husband watch with me because it’s my turn to force him to watch something pick the show next. Suggestions welcome - it doesn’t have to action-y or anything stereotypical manly, he is a willing watcher of rom-coms and period dramas. I’m contemplating The Greatest Love as it doesn’t suffer as badly as many dramas from the quality drop in the last third.

Basking in the delight of having new dramas to watch. Interesting that both 39 and Forecasting feature a hasty leap into bed for the potential OTPs. That was a K-whiplash move especially compared to the old days of holding hands by ep 7 followed by first kiss in ep 8!
I'm all for consentual adulting, but it will be fascinating to see where plot goes. Hoping 25-21 doesn't follow suite for a few years yet. Is this the Netflix effect or the Nevertheless effect??
Watched reflections of myself in a darkened screen through half of Memorist and finally just skipped to the end. That plot was twisty and fun but the reliance on darkness to obscure the action was ultimately tedious. Started watching Youn's Kitchen 2 and will be making japchae for lunch today.
Returning to my first love, which is film - especially international films, I made a careful spreadsheet of all the Oscar nominees in an effort to watch as many as I can. Since it's a 45 minute drive to a theater, I have to be strategic. Decided against making hubby sit through 3 hours of Drive My Car but I'll happily watch on streaming. We're heading out for The Worst Person in the World , a film from Norway about a young woman and her choices. I've powered through Power of the Dog just for Jane Campion and it is a masterclass. Not particularly enjoyable but beautifully filmed. Still trying to find Book of Fish on a legal site, any ideas? Love me some beautiful black and white.
Will pay to watch Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom a film from Bhutan to round out an enjoyable day of drama catch up.

Our Beloved Summer : Rewatching this after few minutes into Thirty-Nine. I guess I'm dropping Thirty-Nine. Da Mi & Woo Shik and all of the supporting casts (even Da Mi's work colleagues) are so adorable to watch that I don't skip any scene. I still sobs and laughed like it's the first time I'm watching this series.

Rookie Cop: The other boys shine better than the male lead, especially Kim Tak. I hope there'll be a bit development between Tak & A-Ri. Eun Kang's girlfriends are hilarious especially Joo Young & A-Ri.

Ghost Doctor : Can't believe I'm able to continue watching this.