I would call this week a week of unsatisfactory endings (and I haven't even watched Weather yet! 😆 )

Business Proposal - how, just how could they make the last episodes this boring??!! Where was Archaeopteryx? And where in did they hide the original Grandpa?? I was so ready for the Grandchild from That Night and Double Wedding... but alas we got some Grumpy Obstacling Grandpa and Separation 😒 Can't wait for @DaebakGrits 's alternative ending 🤩

25-21 - oh, Yijin, you totally messed up... you closed off, didn't communicate, did not share your fears and traumas... made decisions on your own... and basically put Heedo out of your life. The split-up was inevitable and I was impressed how Heedo was mature enough to see it, name it and call it.

Though... I'm not sure how much the 9/11 arc with Yijin descending into depression was really necessary - I think they would very likely break up anyway (with less dramatic events) as the nature of the careers they chose required all their time and energy at that time and there was nothing much left for the relationship self. This was a huge difference between them and Yurim and Jiwoong (who were also both more willing to find ways how to be together). It was also clear that Yurim had always been #1 for Jiwoong 🙂 (and I'm sure that even as the CEO of a successful company he wouldn't have a problem to postpone an important meeting for being with Yurim if necessary). Yijin had his priorities elsewhere. Thus, the break-up self, although sad, didn't make me upset. What did make me dissatisfied was the chosen course afterwards. I would gladly exchange some kdrama we-have-just-missed-each-other moments (and some current time line moments) for more development after the break-up, being it their personal lives (and how they could (or couldn't) be perfectly happy without each other)... or their relationship self - for 14 episodes a very strong connection has been built... and then basically totally lost. I personally would prefer showing how their deep connection changed form... and they still could somehow support each other... (and maybe... maybe when they matured and settled and their careers were not as hectic and demanding... maybe then they would find the love-form of lovers again 🙂). I still loved the drama and there were so many good moments (and Kim Taeri could sell any emotion and growing stage of Heedo; just a pity she didn't play her older self as well). I only wish the last episodes left me with more satisfying feelings.

Twenty Five Twenty One: This drama was amazing from start to finish. I was satisfied with the ending. Hee-do and Yoo-rim’s tearful hug after the Madrid match might have been my favorite scene in the whole series. I’m so glad that I got to spend eight weeks with all of these wonderful characters.

Business Proposal: One thing I appreciated about this drama was how it subverted or made fun of tropes. Unfortunately, it stopped doing that well before the final week and the finale was just a boring tropefest with all the humor zapped out of it. Grandpa’s last minute health scare and the one year separation was groanworthy. Why spend the whole drama showing his commentary on his favorite drama just to have him act like the typical disapproving drama chaebol? The two leading ladies were great but the drama as a whole was disappointing.

Forecasting Love and Weather: This drama has just kind of been there for me, never eliciting strong emotions, but man, I hated the ending. Most of the couples should have broken up, especially Forecaster Um and his wife and Yoo-jin and Ki-jun. Babies do not fix troubled marriages! Ugh. The cancer redemption arc for Shi-woo’s dad was ridiculous. I love Park Min-young but this was her worst role and Song Kang needs to learn some new facial expressions.

Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce): Just when you think this drama has reached peak ridiculousness, it throws in an animated mind meld that somehow hypnotized Sa-hyun into seeing Song Won in Hye-ryung and apparently making him forget she was dead? The writer and PD were tripping on something. I know Hye-ryung is selfish, materialistic and conniving, but I really dislike this storyline for her.

Green Mothers' Club: This feels like a mashup of several recent dramas, like High Class and Reflection of You. Nobody’s particularly interesting or likeable, especially Eun-pyo. Lady, don’t just sit there when someone asks you a question and get control of your kids because they are brats. I’ll give it a couple more episodes.

Tomorrow: I really want to like this but while I think they are trying to handle the topic of suicide with care, I am uncomfortable with the drama glossing over mental health issues. The bullying victim in Episode 2 clearly had PTSD but a hug and some tough love was all she needed? No.

It’s Beautiful Now: The first week was kind of dry but hopefully the marriage competition shakes it up. After two weekenders with a lot of shouting and dysfunction, it is nice to have two fairly normal families at the forefront. Yoon Shi-yoon’s hair is dreadful. I blame it for the state of his career.

Rest:
F4 Thailand - this was Ren's episode to shine. His Dream was not only about Gorya, but also about his longing for a quiet life, perhaps in a private clinic in the countryside... which he can't have in reality. A very touching scene (and the actor improved so much!).
(*cough* I'm also fully admitting that I totally enjoyed Ren in the PPL *cough * 😆)

Crazy Love - this, this is what I wanted from episode 8! The crazy is back as well and that Pillow Fight was epic! 😂 And we got the Potatoe Talk! 😄 (just noticed that Noh Go Jin and Dokko Jin are quite similar names 😁) I'm happy that I can still look forward to Mondays even after Business Proposal finished. 🙂

COMPLETED
Forecasting Love and Weather - I think I've ranted enough. Meh.

Twenty-five Twenty-one - I thought the ending was weak and the present timeline superfluous. They could have ended it in 2009 and achieved the same results. But I still cried my heart out during the bus stop and retirement scenes. This show was glorious when it got things right and it really got emotions right. Thanks for the memories.

Business Proposal - Went from mocking/ subverting tropes to just repeating them. Rushed ending didn't help. But it was still fun and a good way to start the week.

STARTED
Tomorrow - Really liked the start. Since it's an adaption, the world-building seems assured and strong. But I want more Lee Soo-hyuk.

ONGOING
Crazy Love - This is the only fun left on Mondays now that BP's done. Can't wait for more hijinks. Only wish Se-gi and Soo-young were more interesting. Side note - I love the way Go-jin's been styled with purple, red, teal suits 💯.

Grid - What is the endgame here? We find out everything about the Ghost - doubt that'll happen in 2 episodes - or is it to just catch Man-ok and the Ghost and leave it at that??

PLANNING TO WATCH
Again My Life, Our Blues and My Liberation Notes - the week has become a bit lopsided now that I'll be watching 4 shows Friday through Sunday 😵.

C-DRAMAS
Completed Legally Romance. Like most C-dramas, it was slightly longer than it needed to be but still a really good show. Love leads who just go for what they want.

JAPAN -

Mentally Strong Shirakawa-san - 6/10 - manga to live-action. smile. if you want. That one good dialogue from the 1st episode. I don't think this kind of manga need any tv drama or anything. waste of resources.

Honest Real Estate - 6/10 - Yamapi. Low budget tv drama. another real estate japanese drama and all the tricks with very casual i can only speak truth meme.

Year after year Japanese tv drama system has pretty much moved onto manga to live-action system. original stories are few and lack depth. Where are all the writers? No one interested in humanities and arts anymore?

Also every season now feels the same - same shoujo romance lineup, in between niche low budget show, then already seen out themes, come back to police action. Needs lots of improvement. lots of.

@daebakgrits I also loved Seol Inah in both dramas 💕 Though after BP I think comedy might be her forte and hope to see her soon in something funny again 🙂

Business Proposal: I appreciate that the drama showed technology is around for people in long distance relationships, but what a missed opportunity to have grandpa face the reality of his makjang drama. Oh and the awkward sex scene in episode 15; I still can't figure out if it was supposed to be or bad directing.

25/21: Dropped at episode 5. I am hesitant to admit, but I am one of those people who don't like the Replay series and this is giving me that vibe. I'm out.

Tomorrow: In some ways it's standard grim reaper territory but the pacing is done well. I just can't watch bullying so I have to ff through that.

Forecasting: I finished it up and it was fine. I like the nod to the woman telling her husband, don't study...this is ok. It surprised me as it seemed a nod to the concept of the stay-at-home dad/house husband. I enjoyed the drama through the first 10 episodes and then it faltered. It ended fine but never totally recovered from ep 11 & 12.

One the Woman: I am thinking about this show but I keep seeing it is only good for the first 8 to 10 episodes. See my Forecasting comment...I just need to know if it is a total mess through the second half so I know what I am getting into or I should avoid. Thoughts??

BUSINESS PROPOSAL (Ep 11-12) The second lead chemistry and story gave us the best twist so far: YS’s father being supportive then a full blown negative. It was not as jarring as Grandpa’s behavior. The car accident/injury was an unnecessary fizzle for me; it really did not do much but add some more unreality into the story. Whether TM had a broken or sprained arm, he is not lifting HR no matter how hormonally amped he is at the moment. I really liked the Grandpa hospital room interaction with HR, but we did not see them truly bond and accept each other. The last episodes lost most of the comedic edge. Both relationships seemed to have stalled at engagement. It seems like we watched two different dramas sewn together at the mid-point of the series. The ending seemed unfinished, especially for the second lead couple. The show was light and fun, but as with the dominant trend the past few years, it could have ended better.

Variety:
THE SIXTH SENSE 3: Well, I got 2 of the first 3 episodes right.

Anime:
KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE (1989): It has been a looooong time since I saw this classic anime. When I saw a BR/DVD copy at the local department store, I picked it up. It still holds up fairly well. And nothing beats hand drawn animation.

King of Tears. Surprise, surprise. This takes me out of my 7 years' sageuk slump. I'm watching with so much tension you'd think I'd never seen this story before (I've seen maybe 4 versions of it). I like that it concentrates on the Yi family strife and the marriage, though it does end up short-changing the politics. I can't say enough about the two female leads: Park Jin-hee and Ye Ji-won. Both go from devoted pillars of the family to hard-charging queens, emoting like Shakespeareans. Park Jin-hee as Lady Min makes quite a character, steely strong and warmly supportive. The breakdown of the marriage is like a punch in the stomach. "Ruling together ". . . oops. She was so wise till then. There it all goes.

A powerful well-written drama with echoes of the old epic KBS sageuks, right down to the historical narration (writing credit to Lee Jung-woo, no other drama credits listed). More than two thumbs up if I had 'em.

25, 21 I didn't have issue with the end the writer chose but more with the way they adressed it. We didn't have so many cute and lovely moments for our couple...

FLAW It was really a boring drama with flat characters.

Business Proposal I don't understand writers... They could give us a wedding and grandchildren for the funny Grandpa but they gave us illness and one year separation instead. Why?

Military Prosecutor Doberman I like how they work as a team now. Bold is still the cutest!

Green Mothers' Club I watched the first episode and even if I know that it's better to watch 4 episodes before deciding to drop it, I couldn't motive myself to watch the second.

Tomorrow This drama always makes me go from laughter to tears and vice versa. I like the dynamism of the camera work. The epilogues are so funny.

Soundtrack#1 If there weren't only 4 episodes, I would have already dropped it.

F4 The episode of last week was really good. I'm kinda sad and excited for the last episode.

I need to try : Again My Life, Our Blues, My Liberation Notes

Business Proposal (Series review) - Mood progression: D+ / C- / C- / C- / D+ / D+
As compared to the first half of the show, I do think my spazzing over the cast’s chemistry definitely cooled off a little: I see it as the classic issue whereby the plot is too empty and the writer has 0 idea where to take it to once the romance is on. The finale was stacked with so many nauseatingly bad writing moments that the HEA ending didn’t even matter?

Twenty Five Twenty One (Series review) - Mood progression: C / C / C- / D+ / C- / C / D+ / C-
It’s clear what the Search: WWW writer was aiming to emulate with the coming-of-age focus paired with shots from the future that hold the answers to a romance mystery involving the female lead. I’m surprised that the writer was brave enough to not pull a forced happy ending for the OTP, though whoever titled the show should 100% be fired now.

Forecasting Love and Weather (Series review) - Mood progression: D / D- / D- / D- / D / D+ / D / D
Funny as it might sound, there were moments throughout the 2nd half where I wasn’t genuinely facepalming at the plot that the writer had conjured up. But this show is really an example of how to shoot yourself in the foot right at the start: the affair made the 1st half needlessly dramatic and prevented what could’ve been insight over rebound relationships?

Tomorrow (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D+
For a show that’s tackling a particularly sensitive topic such as suicide, it’s badly missing the mark on how support can be provided to those who are pushed to the limits: fear tactics, blunt talk and momentary laughter are all useless if the person’s struggle isn’t recognised and dealt with by a therapist. Writer didn’t research and it shows in the shallowness.

Green Mothers’ Club (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D+
What a disappointment of a mash-up between High Class and Reflection of You! But funnily enough, I did finish those two shows and ironically I might just do that again? I think it’s interesting to see how Eun Pyo develops.

Grid (Episode 8) - Mood: C
With 2 episodes left to go, a narrative reset couldn’t have come at a worst time: it’s going to be a mad dash till the end of the show. At this stage, I’m still wondering why Eo Jin’s a main lead: I feel like he’s got the biggest secret of them all.

A Superior Day (Episode 4) - Mood: D-
So Shi Woo got a hold of Soo Ah because he happens to coincidentally be in the carpark when she somehow escaped? And I will never get tired of being annoyed of the trope where cops get killed because they follow a known psychopath?

Crazy Love (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D-
What’s the point of hiding the diary’s contents from the viewers when it’s predictable? We’re already in the second half and the writer only cares about the OTP: what about why Se Gi’s betraying Go Jin? Soo Young’s writing is just pathetic.

Can't get enough of CRAZY LOVE. Kim Jae-wook and Krystal are so good together - a nice unexpected surprise. I am all in for a crazy romance.

PACHINKO is a gem! Jin Ha and Kim Min-ha and all the other actors are so good, the cinematography outstanding. Even the time jumps do not disrupt the flow of the story. Well done.

With new dramas starting, hopefully there is enough distraction to quickly forget about the cluster of unsatisfying recent endings. 25-21 never made the case that the main couple needed to break up and did the writer of BUSINESS PROPOSAL suddenly suffer from amnesia and forgot all her humour and wit? Unintentionally funny was the bedroom scene, they both looked really nervous, but maybe that is also realistic for a first sexual encounter.

SOUNDTRACK feels very much like a short story, it is different, slightly sketchy, but I quite like it.

Lots of terrible school bullying in KING OF PIGS and TOMORROW. I am getting more and more drawn into King of Pigs and Kim Dong Wook's disturbingly good performance as a killer, but Tomorrow is lacking something, not yet sure what it is. I will give it a little more time.

Likely to drop GREEN MOTHER'S CLUB (dislike the subject and the plot so far), if the other new dramas are any good.

Twenty-Five, Twenty-One: 9.0 The Un-Kdrama? The OTP was a nOTP. Yi-jin's seniors in the local news dept and New York were un-kdramaishly nice. The Americans weren't bad actors and weren't playing jerks. No greedy chaebol villains... At least we had a bit of a birth secret, since we don't know who Min-chae's daddy is.

Tomorrow: 4.5 I hope nobody thinks this show is their happy pill. Just 4.0 for day 2, because bullying scenes are my least favorite part of kdramaland. If day 1 hadn't been good I would have dropped it early in this ep, but the retribution was ok when they finally got to it. Toilet humor is another of my not-favorite things, so the epilogue left a stain on the score sheet for the day. I'm sticking around mostly because I expect all the suicidal folks will have different reasons, so I hope not to see much more bullying. Day 4: Well, the epilog was good but it seemed like the rest of the episode was designed around some fried chicken that we didn't get to see -- that's lame even by k-PPL standards.

A Superior Day: 4.6 Just not A Superior Show. Dropped 6 min into day 4.

A Business Proposal: 7.5 For the week - it got less wacky and more like an ordinary kdrama. 8.5 for the show overall.

Crazy Love: 7.0

Military Prosecutor Doberman: 7.0

Grid: 7.5

Pachinko: 8.0 It wouldn't surprise if some award shows later have Sun-ja up against Sun-ja for best actress.

Again My Life: 4.0 The opening was bad in the normal must.glorify.Lee.Joon.Gi way. I suspect he has "Dramatic Entrance" in his contracts. And this show treats overdone stale kdrama tropes in exactly the way Business Proposal didn't.

25 21: They're some few shows that came into my life with perfect timing, and 25 21 is one of them. I'm so thankful this show exists. I loved it with all my heart. I can't even describe how I feel about this show.

Hee Do is one of my favorite FLs, and Yi Jin is probably the first ML that has made me swoon for real. I love those two.

The first half of the show I didn't want them to be a couple. I totally loved their relationship and romance kinda ruins things? So I wanted them to be platonic and support each other no matter what, how, when or where. In the "present" there was a scene of HD's mom saying she was going to meet Yi Jin and I thought that meant HD and YJ were still in touch or something.

They became a couple and I was fine with that but then when they started to drift apart I started thinking "maybe, if they weren't a couple things would've been different?" I remember the first time he disappeared when he came back they were there for each other, but this time she couldn't comfort him and he couldn't support her. He came back from hell and she had a competition but they couldn't do anything to help. That totally broke my heart.

I don't understand romance so maybe I can't see what others see (while half of the characters were shipping them I was screaming "stop"), for me they were perfect without it. And if you really need the romance why couldn't they break up, some time apart, and then be a rainbow again?

Nana (anime): I started watching this before binge watching 25 21 and I was loving it, but now I have 0 emotional energy to watch another bittersweet story. On hold for now.

Tomorrow: I'm distracted about how everyone in this show looks so damn good. A fashion show or a kdrama? Who knows. I'm loving RW's character and his dinamic with everyone. I kinda hate how they do their job so I'm really glad he's there to bring some empathy and warm.

I'm sure I watched another stuff this week but I don't remember anything, binge watching 25 21 in two days was a bad idea, I guess. It's the only thing I can think of rn. 😂 I don't regret it tho.

Business Proposal: Could have used more time to flesh out the ending and throw in more harabeoji x Hari BFF scenes, but I'm good with what we have. I'm gonna miss starting my week with this show.

Twenty Five, Twenty One: (1) The Madrid match was aaamazing (and beautifully directed, like all the fencing scenes), my heart broke when they finally got to hug each other. (2) I don't think miscommunication or distance was the problem between Yijin and Heedo at all. Each used to be what the other needed in those earlier years, but people change. Even friendships die like this. No big conflict, just a slow quiet realization that they don't quite fit in each other's lives in a permanent way. It doesn't erase the fact that they were once the most significant part of each other's life. (3) Although I did think the ending ran a little bit longer than it should have, it's an impressive drama that religiously stuck to its theme til the end. (4) That said, I might never rewatch this drama.

Avengers Social Club: So I wanted to watch a completed drama and picked this one on a whim, because it seemed like a total opposite of the dramas I've been watching, and I am very much loving it! I liked Jun in Love and Leashes so I was pretty happy to see him and his precious grin here.

25/21: I've already posted extensive thoughts on the ending, but DaebakGrits, I completely agree with your take about present-day Hee-do and the sizeable drag those scenes had on the story. Still, even though I wish it had ended differently, this was clearly an exceptional show, a showcase for excellent acting and dialogue, and a lovely and bittersweet ode to a certain type of idealized youth and first love. I think it's also a great example of when a writer ends up undermining their own purpose by making one part of the story so powerful and emotionally affecting that the ultimate lesson falls flat.

TOMORROW: I'm not sure about this one. The unflinching portrayal of bullying and suicide is, on one hand, admirable as they didn't shrink away from showing the reality of the pain and devastation. On the other hand, it was excruciating to watch those scenes in ep. 2 and I'm not sure I can take episode upon episode of similar darkness and despair. The world building and fantasy elements also seem to be pretty standard to me. The cast is definitely great, although there's not enough Lee Soo-Hyuk yet (right now, the chemistry between him and ‎Kim Hee-Seon is probably the main thing that will have me tuning in this weekend). Also, this is a good role for Rowoon, especially since it's not a romantic one (at least so far). As such, he's more relaxed and endearingly earnest. Again, though, I'm not sure I'll end up committing to this one.

BUSINESS PROPOSAL: I wasn't as let down by the finale as others were, but I also wasn't as infatuated with the show to begin with. I mean, I really enjoyed and happily slurped up its trope-laden fan service fun, but I never saw it doing anything that remarkable. So the ending seemed perfectly fitting to me.

LOVE & WEATHER: A perfectly fine drama that didn't quite do any of its many plotlines justice, and ended up giving a surprisingly and probably unintentionally bleak view of marriage. Perhaps due to the sheer volume of stories, none of the central issues and conflicts were fully explored in a satisfying way, and although I liked the main couple well enough, they never captured my heart. I see why PMY picked this one, but for me, it's one of those dramas that never realized its potential and although not awful, could have been so much more interesting than it was. Shout-out to Yoon Park's performance--he made a rather unlikeable and weak character more nuanced and interesting than he had a right to be.

CRAZY LOVE: Two great episodes this week. The leads finally seem like fully rounded characters and their burgeoning feelings are leading to fun and surprisingly touching scenes of connection.

MILITARY PROSECUTOR: Best scene this week was the video chat with Do Bae Min showing off the dog to the FL (why can't I ever remember her name, lol?). Still not loving the way the show frames larger issues of abuse and sexual assault, but the relationship between the leads--based on shared trauma and...

2521: I wasn't that sad they broke up, but I was sad that the breakup led to them no longer being friends and platonic soulmates. Sure they still care about each other over the years and don't bear any ill will, but the loss of friendship hurt. I wish they had cut the present-day scenes, which gave us an unrecognizable Hee-do and hinted at how she ended up marrying a guy who is absent a lot. Still, this is such a beautiful drama. That Madrid hug was one of the most touching moments I've ever seen.

Business Proposal Fun and well-paced from beginning to end. I did wish the ending shot would be of the 2 couples on another double date. I don't have much to say about it except this will be one that I recommend to people who want the kdrama rom-com experience without the boring corporate and melodramatic stuff to bog things down. The opposition and separation tropes were handled nicely and quickly.

Forecasting Love and Weather Had been an easy, breezy watch, though I think the drama went a little too breezy with giving undeserving characters ridiculously happy endings and glossed over things, like workplace assault. I'm glad the more likable characters also got happy endings. I like how this drama showcased both the leads and the supporting characters. Should have been 12 ep max though. Too many filler drama in the last quarter.

Crazy Love Amazing pillow fight! I thought it was a dream at first! But the drama sort of slowed down for me since I'm tired of scenes that don't have either leads. I totally get why Go jin would fall for Si-na but am puzzled why Si-na would want to stick around him.

Tomorrow Still on the fence. Ep 2 was hard to watch cuz of the extended bullying scenes and because of how the Gu Ryeon handled the victim. Ep 3 was more interesting and Jun-woong really grounds it.

Twenty Five Twenty one!
I'm at episode 14, but where should I stop watching and savour the good stuff? 15? Im chickening out, help!

My wife and I both really loved BUSINESS PROPOSAL but the final two episodes were comparatively flat, There were some really good moments but it is hard to see why the writer seems to have missed so many opportunities to continue to tell a truly brilliant rom-com story. This has still been one of my favorite shows in a long time but watching the show was like watching a great Olympic performance by a top gymnast- who fails to stick the landing. It is actually more disappointing in a way than watching a mediocre show: It was still good, but it could have been great and should have been.

Our favorite haraboji is back! This time he is the grandpa in the new weekender IT'S BEAUTIFUL NOW. The first episodes of a weekender are always introductory- and this one seems fairly standard faire but definitely watchable. We shall see what the writer does with IT'S BEAUTIFUL NOW.

My wife loved the recently aired Chinese Costume drama NI CHANG. She also loved the new C-drama suspense/thriller UNDER THE SKIN. Suspense/thrillers are not my cup of tea but she often enjoys them- the hook in this case being that the ML is a painter (My wife also paints)- I may not have watched this one but I have certainly gotten to hear a lot about it and am confident in saying that this must be a really good drama if you like crime, mystery, suspense thrillers. Having finished one Chinese Costume Drama she is now on to another- GENERAL AND I. She is hooked on that one.

The thirty-two episode tragedy KING OF TEARS continues. We are enjoying this sageuk tremendously.

I and my wife are looking forward to seeing FROM NOW, SHOWTIME! Which will be carried on Viki, as will SHOOTING STARS. On Netflix OUR BLUES has started and we will watch the first episode later today.

Odd for me to disagree but I was not as disappointed in ABP's finale. I suppose I'm being benevolent because the first 10 eps were so cracky and fun. Also thought 25-21's ending was the strongest part of the show.
Watching my son sniffle through a heartbroken New Years Eve, I asked him if he thought he was the only person in the world to go through this torment. Nearly every human being throughout history, in all cultures around the world has suffered the pain of a messy breakup/unrequited love. It is what unites us.
Master's Sun has me totally hooked. Love reading girlFriday's and javabeans' recaps. Those guy hairstyles of 2012 are a hoot but it's the dilution of tropes with honest conversation that really floors me. Favorite ghost (so far) is trashcan-ajusshi.
Me and my allergies are going to settle in with a pot of tea to the next eps of Pachinko and Tomorrow with the hopes that both will settle into their respective grooves. Since this afternoon's weather will feature high winds (pollen a-plenty) I'll be checking out Our Blues and Liberation Notes as well.

Never thought I’d be recommending Tomorrow, a fantasy show on suicide prevention, but I guess anything goes in the world of k-dramas. For those who are leery, as I was, of a subject that we have painful personal experiences with, let me reassure you that the 3 episodes I’ve seen have an appeal something akin to medical emergency shows, where the team frantically works to save the patient. As far as the fantasy element, there is the dark humor of the office rivalry of one of grim reapers working to stop deaths vs. a team eager to escort the dead to hell, with the death team better funded than the salvation team. We’ll see what, if anything develops in this one.

On another, non k-drama note, my wife and I had temporary access to HBO and watched a Space rom-com, Moonshot, that was one of the lightest, most content devoid movies we’ve ever seen, with two stereotyped Southern-California romantic leads—the brilliant young Asian woman who had a rigid plan, and the goofy, not that bright surfer dude who wants to escape his humdrum life and experience new things. But both characters are really attractive in a non-glamourous way, and do a great job in selling the move from irritation to affection. So unlike, say, cheesy Hallmark romances, where I’m often actually rooting for the couple to end separate after hurling bitter recriminations at each other, I ended this one smiling and kind of uplifted.

I’m not sure why I, a cranky man in his 60s, likes this familiar romance format so much, but I’m too old for any serious self-analysis. I even have trouble making sense of the bittersweet recollections of my youthful first love as a champion fencer!

2521: Binged the whole show last week in time for the finale. One of the best coming-of-age-stories I've seen and it hit me in the feels. I think this one will become a classic, and people's opinions on will shift as they age. After the finale, I spend days reflecting on my own youth and the passage of time. One needs time to absorb a drama like 2521 so I'm going on drama break for a bit. It's hard to jump straight into another drama right now. Been listening to 2521 OST on repeat, especially the Jaurim song.

Business Proposal: I had a lot of fun with this drama, even if I found something lacking in the main couple's love story. The male lead lacked the necessary charisma. I liked the second couple better.

May I also name an older drama? I finished Flower of Evil the other day and thought it was great. If anyone has comparable tips, keep them coming. Happy to go with serial killer theme.

Bade goodbye to to shows Business Proposal and FLAW.

Business Proposal - The ending feels like cheating. While we weren't denied skin ship ( I'm looking at you You Are My Spring), we were denied not one but two weddings.

Forecasting Love and Weather - If it's the professional side of this drama, I'd give a perfect score. Finally, finally, the show gives us a competent Director Jin whom we should have seen earlier on. And everyone is in a good place. Forecaster Um, Ki-jun and Yu-jin, Assistant Kim, even Assistant Director Oh's husband became more reasonable. And if there's anything I loved about Shi-woo's arc, it's the relationship he got to forge with his father as FLAW concluded. And to my fav Penguin Couple goodbye. Never have I been fed a soo innocent male character - heart, mind, and all.

Began Green Mothers Club - This isn't what I was billing for, but I'm definitely watching cause the story is interesting.

King of Pigs - Damn! Damn!! Damn!!! Those kids are pure mini devils if not full grown, and that homeroom teacher is one of the worse of all. Clearly Kim Cheol died and the reminder of it began this rollercoaster of events. But who or what caused his death? Perhaps the kids, and or the adults who stood by passively but we're in support of it.

Soundtrack - The OST of this short film week in week out proves true to it's title.

I'm turning off my phone, hiding under the covers, and watching Healer for the first time. OMG, you guys, everything everyone here ever said about it was right. See you all in a week.

Military Prosecutor Doberman - in general enjoyable, though they're not having enough scenes with Bolt. There does seem to be plot holes here and there which makes the writing feel like its being pushed through a checklist.

Tomorrow - love the epilogues. Can't wait for more backstory about each team member.

25 21
This is why I love DB. I saw everything in the last episode coming from far and I was satisfied with the breakup but not with the overall conclusion. I couldn't really put a finger on it, why was that happening. However, after reading everyone's comments I could understand that it has to do with the execution, the change in personality traits and also NJH and KTR one upping their characters from paper to screen. The last episode didn't feel as whole as the rest of the show but still all of the show was a good watch.

Business Proposal
Needed a good 15 to 20 minutes extra to wrap everything with a ribbon. Would've really liked Grandpa meeting in-laws at the chicken shop.

My Liberation Notes
I'm digging the first episode and Kim Ji won's character is painfully relatable. The struggles of an introvert... ugh.

Our Blues
I think this will be the lighter drama on weekends. For now I like all characters they have shown and they all blend in seamlessly.

Grid
Only watching it because it's unpredictable and I have already wateched 8 hours of it. I can bear 2 more.

I'm watching a lot of shows with bullying scenes lately. From short scenes to longer ones to a really stark focus on brutal cases. I keep reflecting back on my own childhood. My memories are faded. I wasn't popular. I wasn't bullied really, picked on yes. I think about other students who had been picked on and I hope they're doing okay now. Never witnessed anything like the ones I'm seeing now. The extreme extent of the bullying in these Korean dramas just blows my mind and breaks my heart.

Tomorrow EP 3 - Still liking the balance of seriousness and humor. I knew Ryung Gu would be petty about Jun Woong's fake photo, heh. I also knew the dad would resort to suicide the moment I saw his life insurance papers. I wonder if they'll save him in time because that would be a major change on Jae Soo's past. I think they will and then they will have to face the consequences at Jumadeung. The epilogues are a great touch to lift up the mood a bit.

Again My Life EP 1 - Standard fare so far. The beginning scenes all about Kim Hee Woo (Lee Junki's character) wasn't interesting. He was an overconfident, passionate lawyer that acted rashly. It was all typical and the drama sorta moved quickly through the base story. I don't care about the villain either. I don't even know what were his crimes. I was hoping they would explain how the magic/fantasy worked with Hee Woo coming back to life. Maybe the explanation will come later. Lee Jun Ki fit the image of a young college student perfectly lol. His emotional moments with his parents were great. I hope they make it. But again, playing with the past. I wonder if he won't be able to change that major event in his life and if he's limited to certain things he can change in his mission to take down the villain.

The King of Pigs EP 5-6 - Subs are slower here, but thankful for them. Wanted to watched this drama for Kim Dong Wook and he certainly doesn't disappoint. He's soooo good at that unsettling, stoic look. The mystery and suspense has been super thrilling. There is a lot of violence. Poor Kyung Min and Jong Suk went from being influenced and attacked by the bullies to now meeting a psychopath. Initially, I was glad that they had a classmate ally. But Cheolie was not normal. His ways were not right. Kyung Min's mental breakdown and current state is due to Cheolie. He had to have died in the past. I was shocked that the 8th grade bullies were part of a hierarchy where the 9th graders also bullied them when really, it shouldn't have been that shocking. I guess the actions of the 8th graders were so horrible that I couldn't believe there were even more bullies.

I commented already on Business Proposal and Crazy Love in their respective threads.

Marriage Contract: I inhaled around 8 episodes of this and it was wonderful. However it deals with some heavy topics and I had to take a break, am getting back to it soon. The leads are really great individually and together. I'm especially loving Uee's character.

To help lighten things up I then inhaled around 8 episodes of Business Proposal. I love the humor and lack of too much angst. Kim Se Jeong really shines here. Besides the getting drunk and sleeping in parks this feels like such an adult role if that makes sense. I love that she enjoys her job, is competent at it, and has such positive interactions with her co workers. Really love the friendship between her and her bf too.

These two have been a great duo to watch together. I'm hoping to finish them before starting on the new crop of dramas.

I didn't know Liberation Notes was by the My Ahjussi writer so that's at the top, but also Our Blues and Again My Life.

Lol I've heard so many things about the ending of Twenty-Five, Twenty-one... I probably won't watch this show, which could totally bite me in the butt later on... because I'm just now watching a few shows like that and wish I'd ignored the comments.

Doom At Your Service: Oh my goodness. This was so much better than I thought it would be. I don't normally like romcoms (they often feel cheesy and the production quality isn't my favorite) so I bowed out of DAYS before even giving it a shot because of comments I read online. I'm kicking myself. It was so good! I especially liked the cinematography and the humor in the show. Also, it made me think deeper about life.

My Roommate is a Gumiho I feel like this one had the opposite problem for me: it had a better reception, but I wasn't impressed by the promo or the vibe the drama presented. I finally gave it another shot after finishing Doom (dangerous, because it had a high standard to live up to). While I wasn't in love with the tone for the first few episodes, Hye-Ri was actually the one who won me over because oh my gosh, she is such a literal college student. I spent a few years in Korea as a missionary and lol I feel like I met so many people just like her character. It's not as deep as DAYS and has a bit more childish tone, but it's cute!

Partners for Justice: For whatever reason, I had the impression that this was a low budget crime drama series. I wasn't totally wrong. The Korean-American toxicologist bugged me so much. But I liked most of the other characters, and it was a breezy "case of the week" watch.

Again My Life: I can't wait to try this one out. My husband and I met while watching Flower of Evil together, and I'm hoping to get him hooked on this one because it's the same actor. He says he doesn't follow specific actors. We'll see.

Moon Knight: Lol I did a double take when I realized that Poe Dameron in Star Wars, Duke Leito Atreides in Dune and Marc Spector in Moon Knight are all the same guy. What an actor.

I think that's about it, I'm happy to have found a few great rom-coms after a drought.

Twenty Five, Twenty One: 9/10 for the series - Such a good show, and I watched so many of the episodes more than once waiting for next week to come. Our leads were electric and charming and funny and heartbreaking. If it wasn’t for a so/so ending I’d probably be singing about this show from the rooftops. All the side characters were great, and there weren’t any of those usual “evil for evil’s sake” people just to add drama. They all had believable struggles and motivations. It’ll definitely be getting some beans come the end of 2022.

Business Proposal: 7.5/10 for the series - Started out so fun and cracky. The fun graphic overlays, the BFF relationships between both sets of friends. Family was interesting and quirky on both sides and they were just having fun dunking on tropes…but then in the last 2 episodes they decided WE need tropes too. Might as well double down on boring ones like fathers/grandfathers being against their kids relationships. Oof. Still a solid, fun show, but I wish they could have stuck the landing…which seems to be a recurring theme this week huh?

Forecasting Love and Weather: 6.5/10 for the series - Here’s a show that should have been better than it was. I liked the cast, it was shot competently, and the soundtrack was fine. Unfortunately the whole didn’t add up to the sum of the parts. Oddly enough, the ending actually hit the right notes for me. There were some last minute turns I could have done without (Baby solves everything right? Cancer to make a horrible person change) but it elicited the right amount of emotion out of me regardless.

Tomorrow: Kim Hee-Sun is still a delight. Her deadpan straight man reactions to our puppy dog ML are hilarious. The chicken suits and her being ragdolled had me laughing out loud.

Business Proposal: I finished this one also this week. Loved it from the beginning it really was my happy pill for awhile. However, the last few episodes and the ending leave much to be desired! I really enjoyed the second lead couple more Seol-In-A and Kim MinGyu mostly I just liked their characters more. I felt like the romance between the leads Ha-ri and Tae-Moo was not believable at all or maybe it was just boring to watch. Like others I was hoping for a double wedding at the end but instead we got a really strange bed scene/grandpa illness/one year separation. Seemed like the writer ran out of ideas and the ending lacked the fun of the beginning.

Forecasting Love & Weather: Found it boring from the beginning and dropped it!
Thirty -Nine: Again boring from the start couldn't make it to ep2! Dropped!

Romance Is A Bonus Book: Didn't have time to digest this one few years back when it aired but I can see why it was popular! It's definitely a pleasant watch! I find myself really liking the main lead characters Lee Na-Young and Lee Jong-Suk and hoping for Lee Na-Young to succeed and find herself in the workplace!

Was It Love: This is another frivolous fun watch! I like most of the characters but ofc Song Ji-Hyo shines once again! I'm not so convinced that she likes any of the male leads yet I'm about 10 episodes in at this point. Like most I'm eager to know who is the father of her daughter No Ha-Nee.

Tomorrow: I checked out the first two episodes this week and its pretty good so far! Rowoon is cute and quirky but I like his honesty and earnestness in helping the suicidal cases and feel that Kim Hee-Sun and her team need Rowoon desperately as her tactics in saving people is hard around the edges! The bullying scenes are unbearable to watch and hope that's the last case they will face with bullying. Bullying culture is the one thing that is so shocking and disturbing in Korean society. I live in Toronto, Canada and yes there is bullying here but when I was in high-school never seen any bullying to that extreme extent as displayed in kdrama world. Even if it happens there was always an adult that you could go to for help! The teachers in my school would never accept that type of behaviour in their classrooms. But I went to school in the 90s lol we didn't have the internet and social media ruling over our lives and causing unnecessary division, insecurity and comparison!

Currently also re-watching Welcome to Waikiki season 1 and I love this drama so much for its genius comedy style! I laugh endlessly in each episode!

Saw Everything Everywhere All At Once with my husband this morning. Loved it. Is it too early to start Michelle Yeoh's award campaign? Still picking up the pieces of my awestruck brain.

I want to give a shoutout to whomever the user was that talked about 'I Do, I Do' on a "What are we watching post" from a 2 weeks ago or so ago? I can't find that post! From what I remember, the show was really mature for its time it came out. The way it handled issues of woman's role after giving birth, and workplace, alongside a noona romance as well. The 2nd leads were really supportive and multi dimensional characters. I like that there wasn't a villain, and I also liked that even being pregnant, the FL didn't diminish her femininity as well.