OUR BLUES (Ep. 9-10) There was a study a long time ago about why people watched very depressing shows: it was thought that it made the viewer’s life seem better. If the OUR BLUES lesson to why the main characters are miserable and angry because the environment they grew up in was miserable and angry, then pile on the misery. Really, everyone is their own worst enemy. Do you have to hit rock bottom to look up and view your circumstances differently? Seon-Ah sabotaged her chance for custody. She should have started therapy and had more interaction with her son then running away to Jeju. People in their right mind would think that way; even her lawyer should have given her such basic life advice prior to the trial. But again, some people won’t listen - - - especially since it appears Seon-Ah had no support system around her. Her self-isolation (her own island) was her ultimate doom.

Dong Seok comes off as trying to be the white knight, but he is really clueless with women, or clearly Seon-Ah. She told him she was over him after she left Jeju - - - and she meant it. But he continues to cross that boundary without thinking. In the end, he will just go home to wallow in his own illusion of losing his first love.

Ho-sik and In-Gwon’s reconciliation was too quick and too out of character. I felt the teenage love story was wrapped up too nicely for all the destructive, abusive and emotional turmoil leading up to episode 10.

Captain Joon’ and Young-Ok’s relationship is slowly out in the open. It probably will be the next couple segment. This one feels more real than the previous arcs. I expect Young -Ok’s true back story will reveal her horrible life issues which I think contains a secret child.

KILLER’S SHOPPING LIST (Ep. 5-6) All indications pointed to Yul’s dad, Cheon-Kyu, as a suspect with access to the apartments but then Meat’s obsessive and dark drawings came to the surface along with his feelings toward Veggie. But those fake outs are coming fast and furious. I think those are diversions to the real, cleverly hidden in plain sight, clues about the killer. Poor Yul knows everything but she is afraid to tell anyone. The neighborhood is filled with dangerous people with their own agendas. The overt PPL is really annoying.

Variety:

SIXTH SENSE 3 (Ep) Torn between two choices, I guessed right this time.

HOW DO YOU PLAY? I really wanted to see more actresses in the mix, but I think some of the star performers are musical actresses based upon their range and story style. Really looking for the reveal.

PROBLEM CHILD IN THE HOUSE: KJK is trying to run the show as a variety series instead of a talk show. But now it is moving toward being a KJK dating show.

I went completely blind into Woori as I didn't watch the previous versions and only knew the basic premise. Being it the new Monday-Tuesday drama, I did sort of expect a similar energy as had Business Proposal and/or the crazyness of Crazy Love... however... the first episode was rather underwhelming (except the hospital scene... and the purple convertible 😁). Luckily episode 2 was much much better and I enjoyed all that screenwriter talk and the general makjang parody, absurd turns and villainess on a wheelchair included 😁 (and I couldn't not remember the famous What's Wrong With My Mother-In-Law? 😄 (from Search: WWW)).

Beautiful Now - I looooove the Lawyeress (Haejun) and any scene she is in; her inner comments are comedy gold... and so are the interactions with Dolt Yoonjae 😄 (who seems to be a bit on the spectrum). I also love the friendship with Hyunjae and their mutual frankness... and teasing 🙂
(Plus she is a capable CEO of her company.) As for the Snake, even if she finally might have had some good intentions, it doesn't stop me from considering starting a crowdfounding for buying her a ticket to the Moon. One-way only.

Liberation - I have no idea where this show is going to, especially after the sliiiiiìghtly surrealistic episode 10 (which felt like a transformation from My Ajusshi to Oh Haeyoung Again 😉). Though I also like the unpredictability (even if it's introducing frog confetti 😆)... and that the show makes me pause and think... and feel... like that talk about the suicide of Mr. Gu's partner... I had to stop watching for a moment (and SSK is good).
My only quibble: I missed the Liberation Club.

Red Heart: WOOOF, this drama. The director builds tension really well in this drama. I fully expected to wait until next week to see them meeting. The look on both their faces. The left counselor is diabolical. He is playing a completely different game from everyone else and still beating them. The preview for next week implies he never had a niece or was just going to pass some random as his niece. I am wondering why that play though. What a gloriously acted mess and we are not even at the half way break. The heartbreak I am expecting is already giving me pangs.

Woori the Virgin: This was fine. Raphael was literally the only one who left the decision up to her, left her bodily autonomy, and had the most to lose. Everyone else infantilized her or tried to use her. I am glad she found her voice in all of this.

Love at Play: I just knew his sister was going to come and ruin the joy. Park Ji Hyun as @missvictrix has stated has yet to play a nice character. I just recently remembered she was awful in Do you like Brahms? And she seems to be up to the same shenanigans here. I care more about the Park couple but I also worry for Yoomin and Junghwan. Yoomin has clearly really liked him from the beginning and he is attracted to her, he wants to date, but Joon Young is back and ready for damage. She is annoying because she is a grown woman who made poor choices, blaming Tae Yang doesn’t make any sense. She was wallowing for 3 years, causing worry to her family, and ghosting her boyfriend. That is annoying and hopefully it will last only the next two episodes.

Again my life: We learned the grim reaper’s oppa is Tae Sub’s hired hit man. Yikes, with tragic backstory to boot, I assume Tae Sub will have had something to do with that fire. The rest of the episode was more of the same. I still don’t find the company stuff interesting. Maybe tomorrow’s episode will be better.

Shooting Stars: This drama would really be one of my faves if they stop mentioning Africa completely, just kill it with fire. He made him his father, sir, WHAT?? SIGH. Anyway I did laugh at the rest of the shenanigans. Han Byeol and the CEO made me belly laugh. Their high fives and little dances were golden. Tae Sung was also in fine form. Him quoting from different dramas was so funny. Then my main boo Jung Yeol just earnestly trying to help him out, I really just adore him. I will also note the lawyer was smooth in asking her out, I said go ahead and do the flirty thing.

Our Blues: Who will this week focus on?

My liberation Notes: I hope it gets backs to form, episode 10 was very weird. It is still my happy place.

Showtime Begins!: PHJ is the weakest link here. I am only staying for JKJ and the ghosts, honestly they are really carrying the show.

CRICKET - stokes captain mccullum coach - woah - When do England goona give more opportunities to local guys. kiwis to safas to irish to scots everyone plays for England.

Female leagues of t20 is getting some boost but i don't think it can turn into a big market if quality of sport is too low.

Under 19 males teams can beat professional adult females teams too easily. That gap between skills an muscle power is just too big.

The only sport where you this gap the smallest is badminton.
Same for tennis - elite - glamorous but not exciting.

So much for a tv drama on badminton when audience can't even name a single player of that demography. Leave alone having knowledge of tournaments.

100 became a hit among among kids and female audience because of promotion and its marketing was female audience find cricket difficult so will clean the math. yeah typical math joke.

Our Blues: I hope Sun-ah commits to therapy. I feel for her, but she’s really not stable enough to have custody of her son right now.

My Liberation Notes: I didn’t like the turn of events this week. Gu’s background was predictable. His relationship with Mi-jung feels a little too romanticized. Chang-hee has always been my least favorite but the car stuff felt cartoonish.

Bloody Heart: This drama has such a juicy setup. I hope the writing can do it justice because the acting and directing are definitely solid. I’m excited and scared to see Yoo Jung in the middle of the Palace power struggle.

Woori the Virgin: I barely made it through the first episode. While the story beats were the same, it lacks the humor and charm of Jane the Virgin. How could the adaptation leave out the Narrator, by far the best “character” in Jane the Virgin? This drama was lifeless without his funny remarks and trolling. Jane was spunky but Woori has no personality. Im Soo-hyang and Sung Hoon are pretty bad actors.

Shooting Stars: I’m liking this more and more, minus the romance. I continue to love Jung Yeol. Yu-na and her CEO crack me up.

Love All Play: I’m a week behind and it’s still cute. I really dislike everyone but the leads though.

Showtime Begins!: I’m glad the angst was resolved quickly. The ghosts are always fun.

The Killer’s Shopping List: I have no idea who the killer might be.

Green Mothers’ Club: So Louis’ adopted sister is either Jin-ha’s twin or doppelganger? I’m guessing that is the answer to why he left Eun-pyo for Jin-ha. No wonder Jin-ha was so screwed up. I like Eun-pyo and Chun-hui together, but if I were Eun-pyo, I could never trust her or her daughter again. The creepy director’s wife takes the worst mom award this week for not listening to her kids.

ONGOING
Red Heart - Knew we were heading here when we didn't see the niece's face last week. The last few minutes until they come face-to-face were great. Still doesn't make sense that the King basically did nothing with regard to Jung's attempted and then actual kidnapping.

Love All Play - Well here comes the angst. I find everything other than the central romance overdramatic and sort of ridiculous - Junghwan and the racket thing was just flat-out unprofessional.

Shooting Stars - It's funny. The office shippers' club is kind of cute.

Tomorrow - Well that was a brutal set of episodes with Ryung-gu's mom.

Again My Life - Nice to see things sort of not working out for Hee-woo last week. Need more push from the antagonist to make this interesting. Don't care at all for Hee-a.

From Now On, Showtime - I knew the police chief was hiding the truth. What a relief to see the misunderstanding cleared quickly.

My Liberation Notes - Tae-hoon's sister needs to get a grip and stop expecting martyrdom from him. Ending was a surprise - have we time-skipped or will we continue where we left off?

Our Blues - I'm actually glad Seon-a didn't get custody at this time. Hopefully the road from here on out will be better for her.

C-DRAMAS
Still behind on Who Rules the World 😭.

Annyeong beanies! After a long K-drama drought, I found myself having too many on my plate.

Love All Play: The one that has my heart! 493% of it! Obviously it’s not the best out there but it’s the best for me. The story just resonates with me and makes me FEEL things. And the OTP is just too adorable, I want to keep them safe in my pocket. I wish more sites would use the literal translation - Going to You at a Speed of 493km (I’m glad Disney+ did) - isn’t it more romantic than Love All Play (what does that even mean?)

My Liberation Notes: Not an easy watch but I like it enough to continue watching. I find Mr. Gu the most compelling character - having Son Seok-Koo played him perhaps skewed my interest/partiality but it is just so mesmerising to watch him.

My Bloody Heart: The cinematography is just breathtakingly beautiful. Jang Hyuk is just being his usual acting self but it’s my first time watching Lee Joon and I have to say, I’m intrigued by him. I’m also quite taken with his voice and I find his portrayal of a king (like the way he walks) seems different from the usual Joseon kings but then again, I don’t watch enough sagueks to be 100% certain.

From Now On, Showtime!: I always have a soft spot for Jin Ki-Joo and I find the three ghosts entertaining. Of all the kdramas that I’m watching, this is low on my list but I like it enough to continue watching it (so far).

As if the above four dramas are not enough, I am also watching currently airing C-dramas, Who Rules the World and Be Reborn . I’m also enjoying both these dramas very much!

Until next time, i wish you well beanies! Annyeong

SHOOTING STARS: Currently the show I'm looking forward to every weekend. This morning I woke up and immediately checked to see if Viki had already released the next episode with English subtitles. The show is just fun and that's what I need right now. There may be a little more angst in the next episodes, but I'm sure the humor will clearly prevail.

LOVE ALL PLAY: The Park couple is just cute. But for the next episodes I expect much more drama, the storm is coming up.

WOORI THE VIRGIN: The show doesn't have it easy with me, since I loved the American version. During the first two episodes I was constantly making comparisons and the remake didn't always come off well. Nevertheless, I will probably keep watching - if only because Sung Hoon is a feast for the eyes.

VOICE: I've been watching this drama for almost two weeks now. I thought the first few episodes were great, but in the middle the tension sometimes waned. Unfortunately, because I knew the cast, I had a suspicion from the beginning who the killer would be or not be.

Our Blues - Binged ep 3 through 10 and once again the recaps didn’t save eye from going wet while watching. In-kwon’s arc was the final straw to what Ho-sik’s started – minutes of self reflection. This two are one united front. Captain Jungjun has this subtle smile, the exact way I wish I could smile. And Lee Jung-eun is selling the free spirit aura. Her fluidity with the younger casts is…admirable. Dong-seok and Sun-ah's arc was really powerful. Strong friend/love power.

My Liberation Notes - I am on the lookout for Daddy Yeom’s arc, his time to shine. He’s appended his stamp on his potential in-law.
What happens to Chang-hee and A-reum’s dynamic now that he’s leveled up? It’s time to confirm the comments his friend made on why he is so uncomfortable with her.
Mi-jung is really crazy. I share Mr Gu’s look. Who the hell describes such a gory thing with fine detail while taking in snack? Gu is right to be scared of her. We never know how many times she has murdered people in her head – all the pun intended.
Ki-jung - Boss Jin-woo’s stare better not be for nothing. And Gyeong-sun needs to cut her some slack. Her devotion to her niece is worthy. People make that conscious sacrifice for family everyday and it’s no easy one. Still, the lady kept apologizing yet she tore her to pieces. And she should have stood up to those insecure colleagues. She’s not responsible for the diversion of attention of Jin-woo from them when they are the ones in a relationship with him and him not with them.

Green Mothers Club - Parents fighting using their children’s education as a weapon definitely isn’t a treat. While I enjoyed the weaponizing and comeuppance in the beginning episodes, at this point it is really toxic. Young-mi was right. Even though I do not share her sentiments for the sake of the drama, I had to agree to this one. Both parties might end up regretting weaponizing their kids, despite who wins in the end.

My Liberation Notes: I have mixed feelings about this so far (through episode 7). I'm enjoying the unconventional set up and dry humor, but it feels a bit like the writer decided to do a spin-off on My Ahjussi but focused entirely on the sibling dynamics, and honestly, the sibling dynamics were my least favorite part of that show. On the plus side though, this is the first time I've been able to convince my husband to watch a k-drama with me in years, so there's that.

The Sound of Magic: 8.5 (eps 4/6) Well, it was interesting/mysterious enough to make me want to keep coming back for more, and short enough to make that not a burden. And they mostly (about 85%) nailed the ending.

From Now, Showtime!: 8.0

Again My Life: 5.5 For my next mutant baby drama, the suicide-prevention squad had to stop people from committing suicide by inconveniencing the baddie of this show.

Tomorrow: 7.5 Day 12: If all the people in crisis are tied with those threads of fate, can we assume that non-suicidal people are also tied to those close to them? Do these threads last more than one generation? Then after a couple dozen generations everything would be a giant tangled ball of yarn? Day 13: They laid it on really thick, but parts of it were effective enough to raise the score for the week by 1.5. #SnowyRoad

Shooting Stars: 7.0 The supporting cast & side stories continue to be the best parts.

Red Heart: 6.5 Story is "environmentally friendly" and still hasn't jelled for me but getting a bit better. Jang Hyuk is slightly less suddenly shouty, so I'm less inclined to call him Jang Yuck. Kang Han-na lives up to expectations, but (flame suit on) she looks better with modern clotes and hair, so tossing her back into Joseon is a waste of eye candy.

Love All Play: 6.6

Killer's Shopping List: 7.8

Still watching the Cdrama A Girl Like Me. The conspiracy shenanigans are starting make the show drag a bit, but I'm still enjoying it.

Also watching the Cdrama Moonlight. Same ML as Romance of Tiger and Rose, and he's great here as well. Both leads need to grow up a bit in the romance department and learn how to properly COMMUNICATE. I love them, but gee whiz!

3 eps to go of Tale of the Nine-Tailed. I've enjoyed it all so far, but dreading the last 3 eps because even though I know what's coming, my heart ain't ready yet.

Rewatching Oh My Venus. This one and Moonlight are my feel-good dramas after watching TotNT and to wash away the annoyance of the political stuff in A Girl Like Me.

Red Heart Me during this drama : oh the costumes are pretty, the places are so beautiful, I love the lights and at the end of the episode so what happened in the story?

Woori the Virgin I think it will be a fun makjang.

Love All Play I'm kinda disapointed by the badminton parts but the couples are super cute.

The Killer's Shopping List So many secrets!

Tomorrow This drama is focused on the characters of each story and not on the main cast. They are played by great actors. But now, we will get our Grim Reaper couple's story and it will be sad...

Showtime Begins! Now she knows the truth about the villain spirit, they will be able to catch it together!

Again My Life How the actress get the chance to be the new partner of Nam Goong-Min's future drama... One wasn't enough?

Our Blues So many unhappy adults...

Shooting Stars After 7 episodes, the main couple doesn't share anything in the present... It's all in the past. Fortunatly, the rest is pretty fun except there are very creepy people around the ML like the actress, the maid, the guy in the cemetery... I love both Kang Yoo-Sung, the oldest is smart and helpful, the youngest is hot and cute at the same time.

My Liberation Notes I love it so much!

Can anyone confirm that Yeo Jin-goo’s upcoming tvN drama LINK: EAT, LOVE, DIE is going to Disney plus? If so that will be a bummer for US viewers.
Further coming attractions, Wikipedia reports that Lee Jong-suk’s upcoming MBC drama BIG MOUSE is also going to Disney plus.

I guess I will be passing on both these dramas like I currently am with BLOODY HEART.

The three dramas I really loved this week are BLOODY HEART, LIBERATION, and LOVE ALL PLAY.

BLOODY HEART has all the obvious attributes of a great sageuk--powerhouse acting; gorgeous sets, costumes, and cinematography; and a tight plot. But I'm impressed mostly with the pacing. The constant tension is delicious and rewarded at just the right moments to keep me tuning in. I love the little reveals along the way, too--like the existence and position of the Left Minister's son--and the fact that the characters are written as intelligent people who may be jockeying for power, position, or safety but also seem energized by the whole process.

Finally, one thing I've longed for in sageuks but which is often impossible due to historical constraints is a central romantic partnership where the characters can work together to achieve their goals. The power and gender dynamics of the day usually mean this is very hard to pull off, even in the fully fictional settings, but here I think it could unfold in a gripping and believable way.

LIBERATION is just so satisfying on every level. I agree that ep. 10 had some bizarre moments but I didn't feel like I was suddenly watching a different show. It's simply that the characters have all been so emotionally repressed up to this point, and now it's as if everyone is just exploding with feelings and desires. As always, Mi-jung and Gu had me riveted. This is certainly an unconventional (and completely chaste) love affair, but it's really resonating with me.

LOVE ALL PLAY is a delight; the hour just speeds by. I love how the central couple interacts and they feel more real to me than many young couples in kdramas. They're just happy together and getting (believably) closer with every plot turn. Of course, the sister is about to throw a huge complication in everyone's lives and I am a bit nervous about the turn the writing will take.

I also enjoy SHOOTING STARS and SHOWTIME. They're both silly, but well-paced, with actors who seem to be reveling in rather than resisting the absurdity of the plots.

I didn't watch the whole of the latest episodes of OUR BLUES. I cannot deny that this is an extremely well-made show, and I appreciate that it's taking an unconventional approach to telling various types of love stories, but the abject misery at the heart of many of these stories has taken its toll on me as a viewer. I admire this show, but I don't really like watching it.

SHOOTING STARS is fun- we are looking forward to the next episodes.

Two more good episodes of OUR BLUES, a show that simply leaves us amazed.

Progress continues to be made and lost in the stories of our three future couples in the new weekender IT'S BEAUTIFUL NOW. Eldest son has responded to his growing interest in our lady lawyer with- a very tentative step forward. He is a good man but, as she says, he really is a dolt- except insisting on casual dating is in fact perfectly appropriate, not that he is any good at it- in fact, still a dolt and she even expresses her frustration with him. Which at this point is a good thing because how else will he learn? Meanwhile his scheming Ex has given middle brother a priceless gift: The realization that he has fallen in love with our beautiful divorcee, which is how this last weekend's episodes ended with his wonderful confession to her.

For those who liked the J-drama MIDNIGHT DINER (That would be my entire family for instance) and also the wonderful WOULD YOU LIKE A CUP OF COFFEE? There is now on Viki a nice new J-drama ROKUHOUDOU COLORFUL DAYS- a drama with some of the same spirit as the later show.

My wife really loved Chinese Costume Drama GOODBYE MY PRINCESS. She also loved her new IU CD, being a big fan- so she followed the C-drama by finally watching the K-drama MY AHJUSSI, where IU gave a top notch performance.

We did finally manage to get caught up with the most recent episodes of the excellent FROM NOW ON, SHOWTIME but I have to confess that we have not even started WOORI THE VIRGIN.

I am also planning on watching the J-drama comedy OH MY BOSS! LOVE NOT INCLUDED as the female lead is a favorite actress of mine. I also keep meaning to watch the C-drama MASTER OF MY OWN- if I can ever get to it.

I am also wishing that my wife and I could legally watch RED HEART.

Shooting Stars: Easy to turn off the brain and watch. I am a fan of shows that show you behind the curtain of the entertainment world. (The French Netflix show Call My Agent is good for this though I am behind on it.) I actually like the lead love line. I think we are slowly getting to understand their whole vibe so it kind of works for me thus far. It's just not that serious.

Showtime Begins: Another fun, easy to watch show. PHJ plays this type of character very well.

My Liberation Notes: I feel like everything is gonna hit the fan this weekend for all the characters so we'll see. The actor who plays the dad hardly says a word but I think it is such a great role.

Tomorrow: I came back from being out of town for a few weeks and this is the show that I can't get back into. Not dropped but I'm contemplating my options.

Because This Is My First Life🐌🏠🐈(16/16): I get why everyone loved the 14 episodes and some loved the last two as well, while others did not. Won-Seok and Ho-Rang would have been better off as friends, especially after that beautiful post- break-up phone call. I acknowledge all 16 episodes, but I am a bit disappointed in Ji-Ho. There were instances in the earlier episodes when she would speak up for herself while most would remain silent, and she would inspire me whenever she did. In the end however, she just silently left and waited for Se-Hee to come to some realizations himself. She is not wrong about those realizations, but I felt it would have been better to talk to Se-Hee about this first. Se-Hee of all people would have understood and respected whatever decision she made for herself and their relationship and that way the guy would not have to suffer all this ghosting and heartbreak. Speaking of Se-Hee: It says a lot about society that one of the main reasons why many characters consider Se-Hee to be a weird person is that he draws boundaries for himself and respects them at all times.

Shining Inheritance💍(6/28): Once upon a time, when Lee Seung-Gi was still a baby actor…🤣His character Hwan is so full of pity for himself that I could devote my entire pity portion to female lead Eun-Sung. The poor girl has to endure a lot, and it made the first few episodes a hard watch. Our future OTP started living together just now, and I cannot wait for Hwan to find out that love is a lot more powerful than self-pity.🤣

My Liberation Notes: I'm curious what this mysterious skip forward and ominous warming about "asshole boyfriends" means. The last 2 episodes cemented for me that my favorite character is Ki Jeong. I just love her and watching her grow is facination.
The Sound of Magic: I was underwhelmed. I thought the FL did a great job and I could really feel the heart break of her young life. Everything else was a bit much for me. The singing felt weird. Ji Chang Wook looked weird. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
Sh**ting Stars: I like this one a lot. It's wacky and fun. It reminds me of She Was Pretty or more recently Yumi's Cells with its office crew and tone. I'm not expecting anything ground breaking, so I think that helps.
Showtime: I had low expectations, and I can pick this one up and put it back down easily. I just adore Jin Ki-joo and she's in full force with all the OTT expressions in this one.
Let's Eat 2: I caught a few episodes of this one and thoroughly enjoyed revisiting these characters, but it made me crave Korean food like crazy!! Luckily, my family loves it when I make kimchi soup for dinner. Yum!

Temporary hiatus in work and my wife being laid up with knee problems has meant a tv watching binge, moving through content at an alarming pace, so thank you so much to Dramabeans and all those, particularly yesterday, who suggested shows that they liked. We are going to start tonight to binge through them!

I have two recommendations myself. First, a viewing tip: do not watch All Blues while using an exercise bike. You will start pedaling slower and slower, and soon you will slumped over the handlebars, having lost your incentive, realizing that it doesn't matter if you remain in shape. We all die anyway.
But a much happier recommendation is the the Japanese show Don't Call it Mystery. Hat tip to @marcusnyc20 for bringing my attention to this show. Its episodic structure means that not all of the scenarios are equally compelling, but I just love the concept of a Sherlock Holmes like character using empathy rather than cold rationality to solve cases. That plus the gratification of happy ending romances has kept me pedaling this week!

My Liberation Notes (Episode 9-10) - Mood: B
I’m sorry but I don’t understand why they had to add the rival gang as a haunting ghost in Gu’s past: his story would’ve had the same impact if it was just about him having survivor’s guilt? But Chang Hee’s arc saved this week’s episodes: I hollered in laughter when he finally got to live his dream. Not sure how I feel about a possible love triangle for Gi Jeong.

The Killer's Shopping List (Episode 5-6) - Mood: C+
Is Yul’s dad a domestic abuser, a serial murderer, both or neither? With Yul’s mom being a supposed foreigner, all signs point to him but I can’t help but feel that he’s innocent given Yul’s level of comfort with him. Part of me wishes the show had given Nunchucks Grandpa the same arc as Fish (suspect turned ally!), but I guess that’s hoping beyond hope now.

Shooting Stars (Episode 5-6) - Mood: C-
My interest in this show is inversely related to the amount of screen time Tae Sung has: it’s such a cliche archetype, he having a golden heart underneath the man child exterior who plays around with his feelings. And that’s not considering the family trauma! Is the reporter’s arc going to be solely cameo driven? That’s bad. But the lawyer is more redundant?

Woori the Virgin (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D+
Too many cooks spoil the broth is a perfect phrase to review the premiere (and probably this whole show frankly): it’s a bit lame thinking you can innovate on makjang but this writer went for overkill. Just imagine if the second leads weren’t there and 0 company/police drama: we could’ve had fun with the drama within a drama! But we got murder and drugs?

Showtime Begins! (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D+
Here we go again with the judging the child for their parent’s actions trope (also a classic 2nd male lead jealousy move we’ve seen before) or the damsel in distress cliche (for god’s sake, she’s a cop and doesn’t call for backup) or the very convenient device that resolves the misunderstanding. Evil spirit’s just a classic villain: this writer certainly didn’t learn.

Love All Play (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D
Wow, that cliffhanger’s a serious downer: Jun Young’s return means that we’ll be heading into angsty territory. And the preview already shows her dictating Tae Joon’s life: I hope he comes clean to Tae Yang before she inevitably finds out?

Tomorrow (Episode 11-12) - Mood: D
Yet another week passes us by and we’re still not any closer to finding out the backstory that’s been teased for ages: it doesn’t feel great watching this drag on. Ryung Gu’s arc was rushed to an end this week, Jun Woong, he ain’t got one?

Green Mothers’ Club (Episode 11-12) - Mood: D-
A twin?! At this stage?! Wasn’t Jin Ha’s murder itself more than enough? Y’all, that better be a flashback. But I doubt it.

Sound of Magic: Dropped. This was a disappointment, and the most disappointing Netflix kdrama I've watched yet. The set design and special effects were beautiful, the singing was good, but the story lacked depth and structure and meandered. Ji Changwook was perfectly cast and he's such a great actor, but he couldn't save this show.

Recent watches would be MCU's Moon Knight, which just ended. I loved the fresh way it took the story. Goes to show that the MCU still has so many stories to tell despite now being in Phase 4.
Just finished bingeing Lé Coup De Foudre. I've been meaning to watch this since I've read beanies rave about it but the episode count scared me. Turns out I binged it's 35 episodes in only a span of 3 days. Lol! I love how easy of watch it is and I do love the OTPs. ☺️😍
So current ongoing shows I'm watching would be Shooting Stars and Spy x Family - which are both such dopamine fixes! I'm loving the dynamics of the characters on SS, from the OTPs to the cameos. It's just constant laughter on that one. SF is of course just too adorable for words. Excited for Anya's 1st day in school. ☺️❤️

Love All Play - This is quite a gem so bit anxious about the returning character. Hopefully the angst dial doesn't go to 10. Need all the cheeky smiles instead.

From Now, Showtime - For some reason, at first, this was reminding me of "Sell Your Haunted House" despite the fact the two shows don't seem alike at all.

My Liberation Diary - letting myself fall behind so I can binge it

Shooting Stars - that epilogue was heartbreaking after seeing her co-workers get so excited during the interview. After that I was really happy for her that she moved on from her crush (or at least it looks like she has). But now I don't want them to get together lol.
Now if Yoo-Sung was the ML :)

KINNPORSCHE: A Thai BL drama on IQIYI. Too obsessed to watch anything else. It's an excellent production in every area, for any genre, not just BL. Very cinematic, good story, great writing, directing, acting, music (I even heard some Vivaldi), great comedic timing. Warning: though beautifully done, I'd say it's x rated in the "intimate" scenes.
Is it my imagination, or does VIKI seem to carry less K dramas and more Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai dramas? Not that that's a bad thing, just wondering what's going on.

From Now On, Showtime: Ugh, first it's the child actors, now the canine actors - the kdrama industry is so good at picking them out. I'm so glad we got the past angst out of the way and had the characters make up all within an episode instead of dragging it out. Just a fun, zippy watch with lots of likable characters. Cha-woong and Seul-hae are so cute and shippable!

Shooting Stars (up to ep 7) Lots of fun and getting better with each episode. Ep 7 really brought in the max combo of wacky, and "yes, that is too true" situations and reactions that bring in the LOL. Also another drama with strong leads, supporting characters, AND guest characters.

Tomorrow (up to ep 13) The streak of good episodes continue! I think if the drama cut out suicide prevention as the focus and just focus on the general theme of healing and making amends, I think the drama would have been less clunky.

Legally Romance (up to ep 23) C-drama. Seems like the timeline is accelerating, and I suspect the female lead will wake up from her coma soon, which I'm dreading. The drama started off with the usual archetypes, but the drama does a really good job at showing us the layers and being positive that anyone can change.

Master of My Own (up to ep 10) C-drama. Been binging this. It's billed as an office romance and presents Tan Song-yun and Lin Geng-xin as the lead actors, but it's really about the FL's (Ning Meng's) professional journey. I love the "this motherf#$&er" reaction on her face whenever the ML acts like a condescending POS, which is often.

My Liberation Notes: I love everyone individually, not the relationships they are tied to. Maybe their struggles are relatable but their relationships don't sound like a good idea. I'm perplexed, especially after ep 11.

Red Heart/Bloody Heart: Excellent! I love me some political intrigue that includes the female lead and male lead in it rather than running on the side as a filler in a romcom. The leads are so smart. Nothing is really predictable.

Who rules the world: This type of Cdramas are my brainless fun but I need to give the show credit for two things. Firstly, the female lead is the male lead's equal and also comes to his aid if he comes to her's too. The story is also fine but heavily on the male lead's side. Secondly, for reigniting my fondness for Yang Yang. It's weird I only like this guy when I watch his drama, not in between. His acting has improved over the years but I'm definitely not talking about that.

Again My Life: This time-travel harem fix-it AU is alright, but I’ve read better on AO3.

Bloody Heart: I am SO AFRIAD of making judgment calls this early into a show (*cough*TRS*cough*). But goddamn this show is awesome. Every single character is compelling and complicated in the best way possible. The tension in each scene…

It’s Beautiful Now: Wholesome compared to the rest of the fare, but enjoyable. Good family dramas always have a soft spot in my heart. Hae-jun is a hoot.

Love All Play: Not looking forward to the inevitable angst now that Joon-young is back. I just want my cuties to be happy!

My Liberation Notes: The last part of episode 10 confused the hell out of me, but I have unwavering faith in Park Hae-young. She’s never let me down before. Watching Son Seok-ku weekly has been one hell of a privilege. He’s magnetic and I can’t look away.

Our Blues: Paused, but not dropped. A lot to catch up on and didn’t feel like prioritizing these heavy episodes.

Shooting Stars: Episode 7 was HYSTERICAL. It’s a damn shame the racism (CAN THEY PLEASE STOP MENTIONING AFRICA???) and single instance of “comedic” sexual harassment makes it an immediate “not recommended” for me because the rest of the show is actually fun.

Showtime Begins!: The writer has my eternal gratitude in showing that, yes, it is possible for leads to quickly communicate and resolve misunderstandings. The ghosts are the best and Jin Ki-joo is gorgeous.

The Sound of Magic: Only watched episode 1 so far. I’m happy to see Choi Sung-eun but not yet convinced by Ji Chang-wook. He’s creepy and not in a good, intentionally-meant way.

Tomorrow: Haven’t watched the newest episodes yet, but I’m only here for the Ryeon + Joong-gil backstory.

Who Rules the World: About halfway caught up now and I’m still loving it. I wish Bai Fengxi’s royal identity (I’m positive she’s Princess Xiyun) was also revealed by now, but I think the show can continue the momentum.

Woori the Virgin: Missing a certain sassy narrator, but I liked how they Koreanized the material while keeping (some) themes regarding Catholicism and women’s bodily autonomy. I wish the latter topic wasn’t so immediately relevant. Sung Hoon is hot!

Tomorrow - episode 14, finaaaaallllllllly!!!! We have back story!!!!!

Our Blues - sorry, couldn't get into Dong-seok and Sun-ah. FFing this more than I want to. Jumping between stories all the time is trying my patience...

Our Liberation Notes - just has so many things to ponder. CH's thoughts on the calmness of being alone was beautiful; KJ's incredible reaction to being told not to shave her head - a million emotions across her face in 5 seconds! It's compelling.

Slowly going through Pachinko - it's so beautifully produced! And so far, although they've played with the structure of the book, the story is staying true - yay! LMH is not working for me, but everyone else is fabulous.

Finished All of Us are Dead (having left it till I had time and the mood). Great set of new actors ahead, and I just kept thinking, "They must have had SO MUCH FUN filming this!" It must have taken hours: every time someone said cut, they must have had to take 20 minutes to simply pick themselves all up, laugh like crazy at themselves, and reset the take. Agree with other Beanies on the review that story was sloppy (especially certain deaths and arcs) but it was a good effort from the kids!

I have two lists those I am actively watching consistently and those that are on hold until I am in the right frame of mind to start again. Sometimes this may be a couple of days and sometimes I delay for months. I prefer to binge watch but recently I have added some weekly shows as well as those I can binge.

Active
Love All Play: waiting with baited breathe for episode 9. It’s my current favourite for storyline and characters. I think it is the mix of 25, 21 for the relationship, Racket boys for team getting to know and trust each other with team members at different stages of engagement despite their skill level and At a distance, Spring is green for back story influencing the leads behaviour.

I love the ‘Park twins’ relationship as the story unfolds. Not loving the three year abandon everyone festering over the end of a career and left behind sibling feeling insufficient replacement when compared to the shining sibling. Also not feeling the group emotional bullying based on rumours alone.

Shooting stars: currently waiting for episode 8 to have subs. This is my go to mood lifter and replaced Business Proposal which did this really well. I don’t take it seriously which means I tolerate even the ridiculous sending him to Timbuktu separation troupe. I love the behind the scenes element of the support behind the stars.

Bravo, my life (2022): this has the same name as an older drama and has gone with the old school 4000 😊 episodes as it’s on daily from now until autumn. Currently awaiting episode 23 as election campaign commandeered the time slot for three episodes. This has gone for the annoying mothers troupe trying to control their adult children’s lives including choosing their partners. The second female leads mum is such a weak character she adds nothing financially or emotionally to the family but brings trouble every time she speaks. She just wants to return to her golden era of being a rich wife or she will settle for rich mother in law.

Level up: Episode 10 this is ok but 8I choose it because it was shorter so I thought it would get rid of the padding but there are only two episodes left and the annoying boss is only just showing a softer side and the second female lead in the love triangle is still being annoying.

Find me in your memory episode 8
This started out strong but more recently I have been disappointed with the unrealistic plot. They had bodyguards appear in one episode and disappear with no explanation. They won’t call the police for support but will do their own investigation even though there is evidence it’s similar to a case where where someone died. The popular and recognisable actress wanders around the streets on her own all the time despite the move to keep her location safe. The previous murderer is in a secure hospital but has access to his post without anyone vetting/confiscating/alerting police when it clearly contains highly suspicious content. I am not sure whether to put on hold short...

I’ve been in isolation so I’ve watching a lot of stuff but only in short bursts because a) I’ve been sick and b) my kids are also in isolation with me 😅 .

I’m not watching any of the currently airing dramas but there are a few that look like I might pick them up. I’m putting off trying Sh**ting Stars (seriously, that title - every time I think it’s an ‘it’ they’re blocking not a ‘oo’) because I’m currently watching ABOUT TIME (interesting idea, depressingly executed) and ROMANTIC DOCTOR 2 (Not as good as the first one but not terrible) and I feel like three dramas with the same actress is a bridge too far 😅.

I’ve been watching and enjoying WE MARRIED AS A JOB (jdrama), and have managed to get my husband watching this too. The downside is my housekeeping looks dreadful by comparison 😂

I’ve also been watching Lee Seung gi’s new YouTube show Human Table - the most recent episode they had their first guest …and then lost the main audio recording so they had to do some creative editing 😅 - but I actually think I like it more than the quite serious vibe of the other episodes, it’s more fun.

Approximately, In order I should dropping:

Tomorrow:
My dedication to a crackship is almost as intense as Joon Gil's is to his wife.
Finally getting to the highly anticipated backstory in Episode 14 made me feel like ranting and nitpicking this show to death just slightly less for the time being, but not enough to make me rate it any higher overall. Junwoong is the most pointless character in existence.

Bloody Heart:
... Hmmmmmmmm it's ok? But I don't love it yet, and I have a lot of concerns about its direction and writing, and despite everyone praising the cinematography, which undoubtedly is PRETTY, I have yet to be won over by it in any outstanding way by its contribution to visual storytelling or symbolism.
It's nice to watch a sageuk again though.

LAP:
Pretty sure this is gonna go trad kdrama with how it deals with its angst, despite or maybe because of the good lines near the end of episode 10. OTP is cute, and I love Taejun the most, but I swing a lot for everyone and everything else between "everybody is annoying af" to "neutral but at least I laughed".
Also it needs RACKET BOYS' sport/action director so bad.

MLN:
*extremely vague and non committal comment here*
... You know... it'd probably be better with zombies, tbh...

Shooting Stars:
Not technically excellent in a lot of ways, and does not contain a lot of true virtue worth praising, but it's hitting every cracktastic sweet spot for me right now and I want more of it every week, which is really all I could ask of, and wanted from it. Scream laughed at EP 7 multiple times.

Showtime:
Not as technically proficient as I wanted it to be, has some structural and editing issues for example, especially in comparison to several of its familial predecessors. But as far as the story goes, this is my favourite out of everything, and I really enjoy it despite everything. Kinda completely unsurprising there in a lot of ways though, because this is like my genre bread and butter.

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Other:

Grid: Sorry to everyone waiting for my consensus on this; I still haven't had time to get to the last two episodes, I've been playing mental, spiritual and drama catch up all week.

Our Blues: DROPPED Ep 5.

To Pick Up: Monstrous? Rose Mansion? Murderer's Shopping List?
Or take a break because I want to be more genuinely invested in stuff and not just watching for the sake of it.

Entertainer (Rewatch)
I am rewatching this with my therapist and my sister, and we are having a blast.
Honestly, now I understand why some people said that we had here a forced OTP, and definitively the romance is like... Not necessary.
But in everything else, I always enjoy this drama a lot. It is rewarding and it makes me cry, even if I don't want to.

Woori the virgin
I don't think this drama is or will be good. And I know the premise very well, and I don't particularly enjoy the female lead actress... On the other hand, Sung Hoon is very ok for me...
That being said: I think the drama won't be a failure either... The idea of falling in love after getting pregnant by accident is pretty charming. And also, this is a good acting excercise for the actors involved... Let's face it, not every drama is a hit, but for the cast, it is a job, and they learn by doing it.

MY LIBERATION NOTES - Chang Hee is in the Zen zone!
QUEEN IN HYUN'S MAN - as fresh as ever!

Bloody Heart : Before the drama began, I was worried about the writing, the writer did such a good job so far to make the drama entertaining and intriguing in every eps. yes, it's somehow predictable but also addictive to me.

My Liberation Notes : I'm still at ep 5 but I will catch them all soon. So far so good.