I still haven’t got around to watching Grid, but I’ve just come across two fascinating sci-fi short stories by Kim Bo-young in the magazine Clarkesworld: An Evolutionary Myth and How Alike Are We. They reminded me that a lot of sci-fi is in the form of short stories and novellas, and that the apparent truism that South Korea can’t do sci-fi might only apply to film and TV. It should also be noted that most of the episodes of the excellent SF8 are based on short stories.

How Alike Are We is set in the same kind of world as the Alien films, and hence feels more familiar. An Evolutionary Myth, on the other hand, combines hardcore sageuk and sci-fi tropes to extraordinary effect. What happens to the first-person narrator, a Goguryeo prince (I think), is by turns melancholic, haunting, funny and exhilarating. Sci-fi fans here might also be interested in the two collections of Kim's short stories currently available in English, On the Origin of Species and I’m Waiting For You.

Our Blues: One of the reasons I’ve really loved the omnibus format is that it has given the drama a real feeling of community. That really came into play with this week’s episodes. I loved everyone coming together so Eun-gi could pray to the 100 moons. I hope Dong-seok can get some kind of closure with his mother and let go of his anger.

Bloody Heart: This drama is both predictable and unpredictable. I love it! This was Queen Dowager’s week and while she’s cuckoo, I can understand what drove her to try to seize power. I guessed that the King was working with the monk, but it was still a great reveal.

Why Her?: This drama has a lot of problematic aspects, but for whatever reason, I sort of enjoy it. Oh Joo-sae is awful, but they did a good job of showing all the crap women have to put up with in the workforce. The romance is jarring and uncomfortable, with everything happening way too fast. I get she believed in him years ago, but can’t he see she’s not the same person? After Episode 3, I’m guessing the Chairman’s son and his friends were really the ones that killed Gong Chan’s stepsister.

Yumi’s Cells 2: The aftermath of the breakup was very relatable. Naughty remains my favorite cell. I’ll join the Gong Yoo club. I’m not sold on Babi yet, but I hope he will grow on me.

Insider: The first episode was pretty dry but the second episode was a little better. I don’t know if I will stick with it though. The gambling scenes aren’t interesting to me, and I’m having a hard time feeling sorry for the male lead who let himself be manipulated right into prison. The prison buzz cut was a big improvement over Kang Haneul's pre-prison hair. Hopefully, there will be more Lee You-young going forward.

Shooting Stars: Still too much melodrama this week but at least everything was resolved and the final two episodes should be more lighthearted. Yoo-sung and Ho-young were cute. I’m missing Jung-yeol. There’s been way too little of him lately.

Showtime Begins!: This week was better, with the focus on the ghosts. Ah-reum’s story was touching. The romance still does nothing for me, and I’m tired of the evil spirit nonsense.

COMPLETED
Love All Play - I got myself over the finish line somehow. Hated the mom. Wish we didn't need to have yet another injury for Tae-yang to be forgiven. But the show's worst sin, by far, was to take away Chae Jong-hyeop's smiles for most of its run 😩.

ONGOING
Our Blues - I'm glad Cho-hui and Eun-gi got their miracle.

From Now On, Showtime - I'll be sad to see the ghosts go.

Red Heart - I was losing interest but the Queen Dowager going all-in made me like it again. And what a relief to see the King not being quite as incompetent as he seemed earlier.

Shooting Stars (Ep. 11 - 14) - Binged in readiness for the finale. Lots of FF-ing through the dramatic angst. Was glad to get the laughs back at the end. Hopefully finale is similarly fun.

STARTED
Doctor Lawyer - The one I am least interested in mostly because of the boring villain. Hard to pay attention with all the transplant hearts being juggled around. Maybe flamboyant Shin Sung-rok will reignite my interest? Anyway if anyone wants a show on how money and medicine intersect, Life is a much better example.

Why Her - Liked it more than I expected. Mainly because of Seo Hyun-jin. It's interesting to see a lead FL who is, at least so far, morally grey. The romance was uninteresting.

Cleaning Up - Wanted to watch it but couldn't find good subs 🙁. What little I watched without subs seemed interesting enough.

Link - The one I liked most. It's always a good sign when I'm not rushing to fast-forward. Some of the beats are expected (such as the disappearing body) but it's still intriguing and fun and I like the lead characters.

Insider - Good. Action-packed and interesting. Let's see how Yo-han rules over the prison gambling leagues. Forgot to say this in the recap comment but Lee Yoo-young looks gorgeous and there should be MORE of her.

I finally understand why Shooting Star has so low TV ratings - because the majority of people watch online, hidden under the blanket... to not look so silly in front of others, with the constant giggles and happy smile 😄 (<-- episode 15)

Woori, (only up to ep.9) - sometimes I wish the English subtitles were more faithful to what's actually being said... like when Woori's father started addressing Raphael by My-Son-in-law, the funny was lost in translation... and did I hear correctly 'kimchi slap'?? 😄

Kiss Sixth Sense - it must have been devastating for Yeosul to see future she didn't want to see... and that all her relationships were ruined by that. And then her disbelief when she finally sees a happy future... no wonder she wanted to confirm her visions later on and her hunger for happiness was palpable (*cough* hot kisses *cough*). Still, I appreciate that they are both actually cautious and that there is more to their relationship than the visions only... and the confession during the security cameras installation was cute. 🙂 And... I like Kim Jisuk, I really do, but here... the scenes with Yoon Kyesang and Seo Jihye are so electrifying that I don't see anything and anybody else.

<b<Link - ooooh, a surprise hit for me! I'm really digging the show's vibe and I think it balances surprisingly well all the aspects of the story, being it the the romance, fantasy, comedy, mystery or murder (but then again, this is the reunion of the director and the screenwriter of I Remember You!!). Another big plus - Yeo Jingu finally has chemistry with the female lead!! 🎊 I like them both, individually and together. And then there is Grandma 😁

-Mr. Sunshine: Can I pretend this show ends at ep 22? I want to think all 5 of them are happy & alive. I still maintain the crowd-favorite butcher-turned-yakuza was perhaps more sexy in its concept than its execution. Even Eugene's military supervisor had more narrative function, by comparison.

-6th Sense: Why are we halfway done already? This drama has become my catnip. The electrifying chemistry is the first reason. The female lead kissing the heck out of the dude, not apologizing, being embarrassed and going 'ottokeeee!!!~' is the 2nd reason.

-Dream of Splendor: Liu Yifei might be the prettiest woman in Hanfu. I'm enjoying the sisterhood, but that probably won't last too long. The FL, luckily, feels like a real character and not a Mary Sue/ Anti Mary-Sue type caricature. The ML is no saint, and I love it. The unapologetic, mature, magnetic attraction b/w them is super sexy to watch. The woman's gaze of the director-writer duo is very obvious from the wound-dressing scene being observed through the diaphanous curtain on the ship.

-Our Blues: The kindest of souls outside can be monsters at home. And anybody who says otherwise can go touch grass. Instead of invalidating somebody's personal memories & experiences, and saying 'they understand.' Casting director deserves a raise for casting Kim Hye Ja as Lee Byung Hun's mum- the dento-facial similarities blow my mind.

-Yumi's Cells 2: Cannot. Wait. To. Start. This. On. Sunday. Hoorayy!
Also, Jinyoung. Your promo haircut makes you look even more like a younger Yoon Kye Sang, so can you please, stop? :P

CRICKET - 2nd TEST

1t test was good watch - root made the match and won for England - NEW England still the same - slip catching has improved - naah

2nd test - slip catches being dropped - same england. what is new.
New ZEAland in quite good position.

And i'm down on energy. This heat wave is taking good test of me - i couldn't have been able to handle any professional sport, leave alone being in the sun for hours everyday even as a spectator.

OUR BLUES (Ep 17-18): Another pair of hard watches in emotional story arc. At least there was clarity in the fishing community about respect for their elders and the symbolism of nature: the cruel sea both feeds and takes away people. Even hardened souls come to prayer at their darkest hour. It took 18 episodes to get a true happy ending to one story arc. Dong-seok’s relationship with his mother is troubling, but he has more deep seeded anger issues that projects harsh negativity on all his interactions (such as when he saw Seon-A with her child).

I expect the final episodes to have a very sad twist that rocks all of the characters.

WEDDING HELL (Ep. 7) The a la carte menu of story format continues with episode Seven, finding the groom’s gift and the misunderstandings between a selfish and sensitive man and woman.

The actors are not helping the script having any impact. This feels like an elongated K-drama special. Even with low expectations and short episodes, it still seems to drag.

CLEANING UP (Ep 1-2): I found the characters lacking in intellect and street smarts to pull off a complex insider trading scam. The set-up stories were boring and not unusual. The show is trying to connect with the current economic hardship in working class Korea but only wades into the malaise.

Variety:

SIXTH SENSE 3: Have gotten 6 of 12 episodes correct.

Shooting Stars (Series review) - Mood progression: C- / C / C- / C- / C- / D+ / C- / C-
With the entertainment industry as a backdrop, the motif of boundaries could be explored in many ways: between idols and fans (healthy stanning), between actors (reel vs real), between actors and their staff (professional vs private). So I can’t understand why we had to bloat the story with overdramatic arcs! Even without that, there’s the standard mentor mentee development arc that the show could’ve embarked on whether it’s between managers or even between actors?

Love All Play (Series review) - Mood progression: C- / D+ / D+ / D / D / D / D- / D-
Don’t. Just don’t.

Cleaning Up (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D+
Disappointing premiere: the insider trading bit would’ve sufficed, why add gambling debts, affair, bratty kids, clingy ex, another affair and more rude kids? And a 2022 show should have more nuance than rich people bad, rich people rude?

Yumi’s Cells 2 (Episode 1-2) - Mood: C+
And we’re back with round 2 with our favourite cells! The one major thing that bugged me about the 1st season was Gu Woong’s female friend, whose frustrating presence only served as a conflict point. We’ll see if the writer learns what to adapt this time round: I know some spoilers with Babi’s plot line and I’m worried to say the least. I’m praying very hard!

Link: Eat, Love, Kill (Episode 1-2) - Mood: C+
Okay, I’m buying the weirdness for now? There’s a weird parallel with Beyond Evil given that the male lead and the peeing guy (who’s considerably cleaned up in the past) starred in that drama as well which was also a whodunit. In a genre mix, the challenge will be to integrate the fantasy romance into the overarching mystery thriller: not easy at all.

Kiss Sixth Sense (Episode 5-6) - Mood: C-
We’re done with the first half of the show! I strongly doubt there’ll be anything narratively interesting in the second half when we already know there’s some childhood connection and tragic accident behind the OTP’s powers. But if you turn off your brain and watch moments like the male lead rescuing female lead from a plot device I guess it isn’t all too bad.

Showtime Begins! (Episode 13-14) - Mood: D+
The penultimate week brought about some actual world-building like the possibility of unascended spirits turning evil if their grudges were left unresolved as well as finally covering the backstories of the ghost trio but it’s kinda too little too late in my opinion? But then on the flip side we also had loads of dating filler to drag the boss fight into the finale week.

Woori the Virgin (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D+
I get what the writer’s going for with Ma Ri’s redemption arc, but I don’t think it’ll be an easy buy when it’s conveniently set up for her to presumably be the lynchpin in the fight against Chairman Kim, whose identity adds 0 value to the plot.

Shooting Stars: 7.0 Delighted Ho-young hopping up and down was the best thing this week. Too bad the rest of the show...

Why Her?: 7.5 Day 2 was a bit overdone in places.

Doctor Lawyer: 5.5 Getting tolerable after the downfall phase, although still not great. Score for the week is the average of 4.0 for day 2 and 7.0 for day 3.

From Now, Showtime!: 9.0 Hong Soo-hyun's cameo really worked, and I have an idea how they'll work that into the ending. But if her character and Dong-cheol were so in love, did Wikipedia really have to call her a "Virgin Ghost"? Actually, yes. Because kdrama.

Cleaning Up: 5.0 Premise sounded fun but show doesn't really click with me. Hint: loud debt collectors with baseball bats are not my catnip.

Link: Eat, Love, Die: 8.0

Red Heart: 7.9

Kiss Sixth Sense: 8.5

Love All Play: 7.0

Insider: __ Not especially bad, but I lost interest half way thru day 1.

And if anybody is interested in classical music, this week I also watched the performances of the Korean cellist Choi Hayoung, the fresh winner of the Queen Elisabeth competition. (Available online, the other competitors as well.)

Red Heart I didn't drop it, I'm just very behind...

Woori the Virgin I know it's an adaptation, but they should have taken into account their own format and reduced some other plots. The last episode was focused on the investigation that is the least interesting things in this show...

Link: Eat, Love, Kill Call the emergency if you hurt someone, don't put his body in a fridge...

Love All Play I didn't like how they handled the evolution of the main characters. The first part was the best part for them. But I was happy to see Chae Jong-Hyeop in a lead role, he was really good in this role.

Insider I want to try it but almost every airing show already has a dark part, not sure I'm ready for one more.

Showtime Begins! This drama had a fun plot but the execution is lacking...

Why Her? I'm not convinced by Hwang In-Yeop's acting for this one. Bae In-Hyuk is barely present 😥But Seo Hyun-Jin is stunning!

Our Blues The fact there are too many characters made me loosing interest.

Shooting Stars The last episode was cute. TS is so funny with his weird ideas.

Kiss Sixth Sense I'm not as convinced as other beanies. I found their relationship kinda forced.

Yumi's Cell 2 I'm excited to watch the first episode!

Bloody Heart – Hearts off to the Queen Dowager, brilliant move. I really like PGW’s unfolding. Watching him threaten his loml, it was emotionally jarring and conflicting but I’m left impressed. Everyone brought their A-game this week, the King and all. Can something however, take Ttonggeum somewhere we don’t have to see her ruin things, perhaps the bamboo village.

It’s Beautiful Now – I really like this one. I’m more interested in the Dolt and his pair than the rest of the sibling pair. Their progress is little yet very monumental when I look at how they behave with each other- The Innocent Dolt and his Awkward pair. I also like the vulnerability of their Dad. Even a parent is a child when with his own parent.

Our Blues – I’m waiting to see how Our Blues will play out Dong-seok and Ok-jung.

Eve – 3 episodes in and I’m loving this one. Park Byung-eun’s character Chairman Kang is rather too still or stiff here. Well he has to considering the kind of family he got himself into. And the father-in-law, who better to use as a bode for bad will. His minion, wish I could fling him off the screen, my blood boils. And that maniacal laughter is very annoying.

VIP – Were this couple beyond saving? As a matter of fact, yes.
If not for her fault flaw with the withholding forgiveness of mom, would he have opened up about his past with her? I don’t know, but I do know that fact was one thing that drew him away from her as per communication on all levels. VIP again reiterates the basic truth that a genuine relationship, romantic or not, built on anything without truth and, or honesty is a subscription to insecurities. If Sung Jun and Jung Sun decide to come back together again, I’m 100% up for it.
Many a time, we connect through grief, so it really hurt that grief tore this people apart. I guess for those who have to, we, they have to learn how to grieve and be vulnerable about it. Jung Sun clearly wasn’t okay with his invulnerability.
While his adultery wasn’t the only thing as I learned that caused the divorce, he should have waited for his wife, no matter how long. Just wait. If you do not know what to do to help, just be there. He messed up big time.

At the moment I'm watching so many shows live that I'll soon need a schedule so I don't lose track.

It's a shame there's only one episode of SHOOTING STARS left, I'm going to miss this series. Episode 15 seems to have all the funny and cute scenes that the writers couldn't fit in the previous episodes as the tone was much more serious.

In LOVE ALL PLAY the finale has played out and on the whole I am pleased with how everything was resolved.

KISS SIXTH SENSE is now halfway through and I am still thoroughly enjoying the series. I never knew there was so much to look forward to on a Wednesday.

I only looked into WHY HER? out of curiosity, but found the main female character so interesting that I will definitely keep watching.

LINK: EAT, LOVE, KILL is darker than expected, but surprisingly good for that very reason. At least so far.

I've also finished YUMI'S CELLS, so I'm now ready for season 2.

Red Heart: Plot twist, what a a fabulous one it was. I had really written off the king and I was fully content to watch Lady Jeong be fabulous. So it is nice they can both be fabulous together.

Woori the Virgin: My goodness what a mess we are in. I will be Team Raphael even if he is Chairman Kim because he is more interesting. He also treats Woori really well and I appreciate that about him. Also Woori likes him and that is enough.

Link: Cheers, YJG has chemistry with MGY. So although I was not expecting stalking, possible murder, and kidnapping I am in.

Love At Play: Tae Joon was too good and pure for most of the people in the drama including his mother. However, it ended well enough with him happy, I am content.

Insider: I did not expect this to be about gambling, but I guess it works. The corrupt prosecution blah blah. I don't really care, I am here for YYJ being fabulous.

Eve: I am reminded of Bridgerton season 2 when Edwina Sharma yelled, was I so blind? lol. La El and Yoon Kyum are always staring at each other. The fact her husband and his wife don't notice is baffling. Also that kiss was not sexy, he was inhaling her face, but I guess that was the point. I am curious as to how Eun Pyeong is going to play into this. LSY is 39 by the way, he has such a baby face.

Doctor Lawyer: Episode 3 was far better than the first two and not just because SSR is in the episode. He helped a lot though. He brought all the charm and nailed it.

Shooting Stars: This was a cute episode. however I don't understand why Tae Sung didn't just ask Han Byeol if he wanted to know about her. It was weird he asked everyone except her.

Our Blues: I do not like Dong Seok's mother. Honestly, she seems like a terrible person. He experienced a lot of trauma with her, it is really awful the way everyone is treating him.

Yu Mi's Cells: Ba Bi... wow. Role model. I want to be that honest.
The frog scene still hurts.

It's Beautiful Now: Hyun Jae acting like a protective oppa (dongsaeng) is adorable, but his noona (and hyung) are suffering because of it LOL. They should just tell him, tbh.

Shooting Stars: the couples are so freaking cute.

Wednesday 3:30pm: I love the "from friends to lovers" trope. It's the best trope. They're confortable with each other, they're funny and cute and supportive. I love this couple.

To My Star 2 (bl): Why did they break up? T.T

Link: those women need to watch How To Get Away With Murder.

KISS SIXTH SENSE: Love this drama despite the weird plot of FL to be able to see the future through kisses. So pleased to see Seo J-Hye doing a so well as leading actress, I have always loved her voice. She and Joon Kye -sang click beautifully, so I watched another one of his works, LOVE GUIDE FOR DUMPEES. Great fun - I will never be able to say Merry Christmas with a straight face again.

WOORI is another drama I really enjoy. The craziness of the over the top plot works for me, because the drama does not take itself too seriously. Firmly on team Raphael and loved his embarrassment when Woori confronted him about his womanizing in college.

Finished LOVE ALL PLAY and while there was much I did not like, the warm relationship of the Park twins made it worth watching. Tae-joon should be given a sainthood for waiting patiently for his mother to give her approval for Tae-yang, but of cause he knew the script and that all will be well in the end. From the way the mother's character is written, 'over my dead body' would have been the more likely reaction. Would he have waited that long?

RED HEART: Love the changing, unexpected alliances and the great twist with the monk. The downfall of the dowager queen will be brutal. Nice to see the king one step ahead and not in tears.

From the new dramas my favourite is LINK. Moon Ga-young and Jin-goo make such a good couple, they seem to have a natural connection. The plot is rather strange, but the cast is pulling it off.

INSIDER and DR LAWYER have a great cast, too and I cannot fault the acting, but the scripts are disappointingly predictable so far. Dr Park was always going to die and prison violence is never nice to watch. I will not book a dentist appointment, soon. Lee Geung-young seems to be omni present at the moment, always playing the same character (makes it probably easy to memorize the lines, they will be very similar). If Shin Sung-rok does not make it better I will consider dropping this one. I am also not yet sold on WHY HER, the romance feels weird, but it is early days.

Really looking forward to watching YUMIS CELLS this weekend!

A Dream of Splendor
Everyone watching is gushing about it. We need more OTPs like this and cdramaland is delivering. I'm not really into the entire story but the leads are good enough for me to continue.

Red Heart
Knew it, but didn't! This is how th3 whole show has been. It can be predictable but the journey towards that, completely unpredictable. Plus, they will add more to the shock value sth you would never predict at all. Good job show, as always.

Yumi's cells
Can't believe I haven't started it yet but DOS took all my time.

Designated Survivor: because I need more dose of Son Seok Koo. Just completed episode 1. Looks promising.

Link: i'm still trying to avoid dramas with thriller elements this year, except for Through the Darkness which i pushed myself to watch to see Kim Namgil's hair (how many times i've said this?)...and i still haven't finished it
And i admit Yeo Jingoo-Moon Gayoung pairing also what pulls me into the show. I like their chemistry, as expected. The thriller part freaks me out but they create the suspense quite well... i think?
Yeo Jingoo cries so beautifully like an art
But i wish MGY's character can feel what YJG's character feel too

A Business Proposal: if i told the 2016 myself that i'm watching an old school romcom and i'm totally enjoying it, she's going to laugh at me. I was a romcom anti-fan until few months ago
I'm grateful this show exists. I'm enjoying every second of it and so close to finish it

Ladies and gents, I HAVE FOUND MY NEW CRACK DRAMA!

drumroll

It's the currently airing historical Chinese drama A Dream of Splendor that's been lighting up the interwebz. The cinematography is stunning, the story is refreshing, and the OTP might be the best I've seen in a c-drama.

The show is a visual feast where each scene looks like a painting brought to life. The writing is wonderful, with one of the central themes being female empowerment (in ancient China no less). The FL is capable, jaded, and calm; the ML is ruthless, cynical, and caring; and the chemistry between the two of them is GOD-TIER. I'm swooning like a human emoji at their every scene. Didn't know it was possible for Liu Yifei and Chen Xiao to vibe this beautifully.

The drama is SO FRIGGIN GOOD. One of the great small pleasures in life is landing on drama crack, and boy is this show drama crack.

The weekender IT'S BEAUTIFUL NOW has been moving fairly slowly, explaining its comparably low ratings. But our relationships continued to move forward last week. Our lady lawyer came clean with our eldest brother about her fib to the producer- and he simply forgave her, proving that he may not be such a dolt after all. However, the previews for this week's episodes strongly suggest that things are truly about to change: Beginning with youngest brother finding out he has been scammed. We also know that middle brother’s future mother in law has already decided not to approve of him. In any case I continue to love our future sisters-in-law- and they are really the heart of this show.

OUR BLUES has been a great drama but we may have hit the emotional peak at the end of episode 17. The best of Korean drama will deliver wonderful moments of poignant grace and we saw this as our wonderful Captain Park led a flotilla of fishing boats out onto the water at night to deliver to a young girl the Hundred Moons that her now comatose father had promised her- at the time when we have been told that he might have to be taken off life support. She is praying and then her grandmother and the others with her are doing the same. Then cut to the very final scene when we see that instead he is being rolled down the haul - obviously on the way to the operating room instead- and we suddenly know that she is about to get the miracle she was praying for. Talk about playing with our hearts…. This weekend will see our final episodes and we will be saying good bye to this show, whose ratings continued to climb with good reason.

I finished watching the daily drama BRILLIANT HERITAGE. It was very good but severely impacted my time for seeing other shows,

My wife completed her watch of REIGN, which will be leaving Netflix in about two weeks. A well done historical drama with a few odd embellishments (Druids? Really?) that really did not much divert from the main story.

The fun continues on WOORI THE VIRGIN and SHOOTING STARS. We continue to enjoy both shows.

I ventured outside the realm of kdramas this week for some very randomly chosen romances from Japan and one from Taiwan. I think I’ll stick to kdramas, although the Taiwanese one, a dramabeans recommendation from @laurensophie and @pohonphee was very good—an engaging romance/mystery.

The two Japanese Movies:
My Teacher—an extremely off-putting film about a young high school student and a creepy older male teacher also featuring a secondary crush of an aggressive high school boy on a female teacher. Maintaining esthetic distance is not my strong suit, but I’ve dealt with men and boys like this all my professional life, and both these guys needed a visit from the Grim Reaper vengeance squad.

Ao Natsu Innocent city girl leaves empty Tokyo streets for the crowded countryside, is nearly trampled by hordes of tourists at a jammed rural festival, and entices an equally innocent country boy back to an empty pastoral alley in Tokyo, where they kiss.

And the two shows:

In-House Marriage Honey Attractive couple enters a contract marriage for obscure reasons, they fall in love immediately, and quickly consummate the marriage, actually taking of their clothes to do so. Not much drama in this one, except that for some reason at first the husband ignores his contract wife at work because its cute (?) However, it is certainly more realistic a contract marriage situation in Because This is My First Life, where the couple falls in love but only exchanges one kiss in two years, the woman leaves and comes back months later when they make love in sweaters.

Kim Wa Petto Stunningly attractive and accomplished journalist in her early 30s takes in a somewhat disturbing homeless boy who acts like he is 14, as a “pet.” Although nothing really untoward happens, sexual undertones make this an uneasy watch, with hints of both pedophilia and bestiality. I had to drop this one after a few episodes.

Some Day or One Day – as I said I enjoyed this one, although its 90 minute episodes tend to drag a bit. Here a 1990s song by Taiwanese pop star Wu Bai singlehandedly kills two people and then reincarnates them. Its about the power of popular music, especially if the song is repeated so often that it becomes very annoying.

I couldn’t help but notice that the Japanese movies/shows were all based on mangas. I’ve never read one, but maybe I don’t like mangas?

The drama's on air are okay but none of them have me hook ,line and sinker. Although beautiful now is enjoyable especially dolt and girlfriend

I can recommend three non kdrama cops/crime/mystery dramas that I have recently watched and all are on Viki US:
Cdramas:
1. MEDICAL EXAMINER: DR. QIN (2016) (20 eps.). ML Zhang Ruo Yun is amazing as Dr. Qin. I can see why he is so popular. I am trying to decide if I should follow up with his 2021 historical SWORD SNOW STRIDE also on Viki.
2. UNDER THE SKIN (2022) (20 eps.). Whoever provided the art work for this drama is terrific. A young artist is recruited to be a police forensic artist/profiler and is teamed up with a tough detective who detests the guy. You know what will happen over the course of the drama. The two MLs are terrific. Many of the stories/crimes to be solved reflect life experiences of women in contemporary China.

Jdrama:
DON’T CALL IT MYSTERY. (2022) (12 eps.). ML Suda Masaki gives a tour de force performance as a college student who winds up helping the local cops solve mysteries.

My only current kdrama watch right now is TALE OF ARANG/ARANG AND THE MAGISTRATE (2012) (Viki). I am really enjoying Lee Joon-gi and getting a sageuk fix.
I anticipate my viewing card will start to fill up next week with JINXED AT FIRST (Viki) and ALCHEMY OF SOULS (Netflix).
Later in the month will be SIG’s CAFE MINAMDANG (Netflix) and back from the dead: KBS’s DEAR M (Viki).

From Now On, Showtime I love our magical family and I'm glad we're getting the spotlight on them in the final episodes. There is such a warm chemistry with the leads (who are just too cute!!) and the ghost family. The bad guys are a drag on this drama.

Kiss Sixth Sense The OTP is holding this drama together with their sexual-tension-filled chemistry in the face of lacklustre-everything-else. I find that the supporting characters feel disconnected and the office scenes are irritating. It reminds me a bit of Dali and Gamjatang in that way. I did like how the seemingly frivolous cousin turns out to be a top medical resident with serious ambitions.

Shooting Stars (up to ep 15) The drama managed to leap over the final quarter doldrums that typically plague kdramas and handled the Yoon-woo/red-envelope threat wonderfully and quickly. Again, this drama's got a strong, relatable ensemble, and we get to see so many combos of characters vibe with each other. Each combo adds a freshness. And LOL office romance on a meta-level!

Under the skin: completed. A solid crime drama at a decent length and stood out with its focus on forensic portraits.

Bloody Heart: The Queen Dowager is such a fascinating character. While I certainly don’t agree with her, she does have my sympathy and I can kinda understand why she’s doing the things she does. That’s the essence of good character writing.

Cleaning Up: Haven’t been able to watch it properly due to lack of coherent subs, but I kinda struggled through the first episode and enjoyed what I got. Wish there’ll be some good subs soon.

Insider: The episodes were tense and action-packed, but the performances are what made me stick around. Kang Haneul remains a tour-de-force, and Lee Yoo-young is STUNNING. I wasn’t satisfied with what little of her we got and demand more. She’s so beautiful and charismatic.

Kiss Sixth Sense: Catnip for my trashy romcom tastes. The leads have sexual tension you can cut with a knife. I need them to GET IT ON ALREADY. Oh, and the second leads gotta go, they’re beyond annoying.

Link: Eat, Love, Kill: Another show perfectly catered to my tastes (so far). I’m impressed with how the disparate genres were blended together seamlessly. YJG and MGY have good chemistry so I hope they solve the “is she my twin?” conundrum quickly.

Our Blues: I’m still only watching one episode at a time. Not caught up.

Why Her?: The romance still makes my skin crawl. I’d very much be onboard with the show if only they ditched that just-waiting-to-happen ethics violation. Oh Soo-jae is honestly awful, but she’s a very interesting protagonist to follow. I also think the drama has been excellent at portraying the constant stream of bullsh*t misogyny women face in such positions.

Woori the Virgin: I’m not dropping this now, but my verdict so far is that it’s been extremely…meh. Just unmemorable and bland all-around. Sung Hoon’s face is keeping me around, but neither his acting nor the acting of the other cast is praiseworthy. Just not the energy a Jane the Virgin adaptation deserves.

Yumi’s Cells 2: Breakups are rough, I’ve been there. Yumi handled it much better than I usually do, I’m proud of her. Babi is swoony! I don’t know how I’d respond if someone was this forthcoming in their interest. And yes, reason cell, he DOES look like an idol.
Also, the Choi Min-ho and Gong Yoo clubs were ripped right from my head. Only thing missing are clubs for the remaining 4 SHINee members.

This week I couldn't turn away from The Full-time Wife Escapist. What a funny, awkward and cute drama about two individuals going about a contract marriage from a working perspective. My favorite thing about the show is the ending theme and dance, though. Again, with the cuteness. I also loved how they altered the scenes from time to time. I'm already looking forward to my first re-watch. For those of you who don't know, this is the Japanese original that later spawned the Because This Is My First Life remake. I enjoyed this one so much more.

Filling the void, I started watching Love All Play. Not on Disney since it isn't available in my region. Disney-smishney stupid-head. It's a little slow, but I like the characters and the actors. I'm really curious of the reason Taeyang seems so hated. Also, is she injured or does she only have a mountain load of guilt impeding her technical skills? To be continued...

So many shows starting, so many ending, and there are a number that are currently airing that I haven’t started yet, and BTS COMEBACK!! Also work and family ☹ so much to do!
I often wait until at least half of a show has aired, so I can watch more at once and then see the rest ongoing, but that has the big disadvantage of not being able to read recaps and Beanies’ comments as they come out…
Our Blues
What I like is that now every time someone turns up on screen I feel “ah, you went through that, I get you now…” instead of “I don’t like them, why are they so harsh/violent/depressed/overbearing/nosy…” I wonder if that will also happen with Dong Seok and Ok Dong in the last two episodes. I’m sure there will be a reason for her behaviour in the past, but will it be enough for me to justify this hostility over a lifetime?
In the last two episodes, it was clearly pointed out that friends or even family saying “I understand what you’re feeling” is obnoxious and often wrong.

Shooting Stars
I love that this show brings up dramatic storylines and wraps them up quickly, like the mother’s and smiley-boy’s. So that we get to enjoy the fun and the romance of our favorite couple and all the others… Looking forward to the final episodes today, but already regretting that it will be over so soon ;-(
Love All Play
Everything wrapped up really nicely, nothing but smiles on my face in the last 15 minutes! “100% win rate” 😊😊 And even more couples 😊 and a male couple too!!!! My only complaint: why is nobody getting back at Jun Young for ghosting her parents, her brother, her best friend and her boyfriend for THREE YEARS? I can’t get over that… Sure, now she is making up with people and even getting her mother to forgive Tae Young, but what about the past and the pain she caused for others?
Bloody Heart
Caught up to the current episodes last weekend. I do love this show and can’t understand the criticism by Beanies. The actors are brilliant, cinematography is gorgeous, music is wonderfully restrained, costumes and décor are so detailed. I did notice that they wear quilted winter hanbok, often with fur trimmings. Side note: in “cheaper” sageuks, the ornaments on royal hanbok are sometimes just painted on in silver colour, not embroidered. I’m not sure if I can tell the difference between hand embroidery and machine embroidery on TV, but the ones here certainly look very detailed and high quality.
The description and comments at the beginning had me imagining a Romeo and Juliet story, but it’s totally different. It reminds me more of a Greek tragedy, where everything is set out at the beginning: the outcome is already there in the personalities, their history, their intent and the outside conflict. You may not see or understand everything yet, but it inevitably leads to catharsis and a tragic ending. That’s why I do not expect a happy end at all…
My favorite moment was the ending of ep. 9/beginning of 10 with the meeting of chancellor Park and You...

My drama watching has been slowing down lately, but I've been having a lot of fun with From Now on, Showtime! (ep 14) and Shooting Stars (still haven't watched ep 15). Both dramas are fun and don't take themselves too seriously.
Also watched the opening week of Yumi's Cells and it's so good! Love all the inner workings, so relatable! And there's so much funny stuff going on at the Cell Village. The whole Fan / Antifan flip had me giggling, and the self-confidence graphic shenanigans and the Princess Disease, ha! Another thing I love about this drama is that it doesn't trick you, it shows you all the red flags but, like irl, you just want characters to be happy in the moment instead of doing the emotional work they really need. There's so much growth to be had, and I'm just looking forward for it!
So, all in all, my drama watching has been motivated by the FLs. Kim Go Eun, Lee Sun Kyung and Jin Ki Joo are the cutest and very amazing actors

I finished Love All Play and loved it! We had a strong start, weak middle part and an ending that was just fine, but overall I really enjoyed it a lot!! The cast was great and a pleasure to watch!

..and since I needed more of Chae Jonghyeop and his beautiful smile I binged The Witch's Diner. I did consider watching it last year already, but then didn't because of not so positive reviews. And now I found a good enough reason to watch it hehe!!
It was fine, looked really pretty but it could have been better. At least CJH looked adorable in it!

I also gave Chief Kim a go and thought it was great!
One thing though: many people's reviews are highly misleading!! xD
I went in expecting a full blown comedy office drama with a fun bromance, but there was much less comedy, much more drama and evil scheming and the bromance wasn't really a thing until the very end! lol
But all this aside, it was a great show!! Namkoong Min is a gem!

I just wanted to mention two shows that I’ve been also watching apart from the usual suspects:
1. The Smile has left your eyes: it has such a suspenseful vibe and most of the actors arevwonderful. Seo Ingook is magnetic and his chemistry with Jung Somin is really potent. I have a feeling this is going to make me cry as it progresses towards its denouement.
2. To my Star and To my Star 2 (BL): The chemistry between Son Woohyun (Oohyun) and Kim Kangmin is scorching. Son Oohyun is a force of nature on screen. I hope he gets bigger and more diverse roles in future.

Just finished Again My Life (the first Lee Jun-ki drama I've ever finished). Delighted to see the little homage at the end to Graceful Family but I can't figure out why they did it. It isn't the same network or the same writer. Before Bae Jeong-ok came in the room I guessed she was the mystery "chairwoman" since two of the Graceful Family sons were already in the room. From my heart, welcome back, Miss Han. If taking down Bae Jeong-ok is going to be Lee Jun-ki's next project, count me in.

Woori the virgin
I am really sick of the killer plot. Putting grandma into coma was unnecessary for the pace. Writers, what are you guys thinking?
Also, Kang jae interrupting Woori and Raphael’s date… apart from anticlimactic, I feel it was very rude of him. Not that the date was going spectacularly by the way… but…
I don’t know. I am kind of boring with this show. They should talk more about the baby… or at least about how much Raphael likes Woori right now…
Anyway, I am dropping it until the end.

Red sleeve cuff
Ep. 1 and I like it. This one I will watch it with my sister and my therapist. But they haven’t managed to pass ep. 1, so I am also waiting. But anyway… so far, so good. I will be a long run with more than 16 episodes!!

I just finished the cdrama The Day of Becoming You. It was an enjoyable and easy watch - perfect to start the day. I have mixed feeling about the ending…the writer tried to be clever but it felt unnecessary and pointless.

I also finished Again My Life earlier this week. This drama is the perfect exemple of an average drama. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good either. So much missed potential. I watched for Lee Joongi and I finished it for Lee Joongi. Also wtf was that last minute romance? Those two characters had ZERO chemistry. It came out of nowhere.

Anyways…I’m still watching Our Blues, which I am enjoying more and more each week, and the cdrama Love and Redemption, which is always great.

I started the second season of Hope or Dope. It’s a bit darker than the first one but I’m excited to see how our characters will get themselves out of both a murder investigation and a drug ring.

I also checked out the first 2 episodes of Eve. I don’t want there to be romance unless it is between Seo Yeji’s and Lee Sangyoeb’s characters. If not, I’ll take no romance and just revenge please.

Outside Dramaland, I’ve been obsessed with the new season of Stranger Things. I must have replayed that Vecna vs Max scene like a 100x by now. Hands down my favourite scene of the show so far. Is it July 1st already?

I am also watching Obi-wan which is really suffering from bad directing…unfortunately. The little girl playing Leia is the best part of the show in my opinion.

I also started Miss Marvel. It had a solid start, although a bit different than what I remembered from the comics. Kamala and Bruno are already so sweet.

I’m planning to start season 2 of Yumi’s Cells next week.

Ouf…where do I find the time to watch all these shows?

I've basically watched nothing but A Dream of Splendour (CDRAMA) since Wednesday... lol

Hello.. It's been a while.

Completed: Squid Game. I had to watch the show in small doses because of the violence. It's a good story but I don't get the hype.

Almost complete: Twenty-five, Twenty-one. I am so enjoying the show that I don't want it to end. Kim Tae-ri is a revelation. Her role here is so different from Mr. Sunshine. And Nam Joo-hyuk is so HANDSOME! Great pairing.

Dropped: Hotel del Luna. I loved Yeo Jin-goo in both Beyond Evil and The Crowned Clown. I can't get into this one. It's too flashy for me and perhaps, shows with supernatural elements are not for me.

Started: The Red Sleeve. I'm on the first episode and am loving it already. I tuned in to see Lee Junho's Baeksang-winning performance.

Insider. Tuned in to see Kang Ha-neul's newest. So far so good. I love him in "tough" roles as in the films New Trial and The Empire of Lust (movie sucked but his royal villain role was marvelous).

Come to think of it, KHN and LJH starred in the film Twenty with Kim Woo-bin. I hope KWB wins his Baeksang someday, too.

Sh**ting Stars ⭐️

I am loving this show so much. I just finished the last ep a moment ago, and wow show didn't disappoint. There is an old school vibe to it which I adore and truly think has been absent from Kdrama shows for quite some time. The show is easy to watch, and it deals with heavy issues re entertainment industry well. Overall, it got 10/10 from me. I used to think that nothing this year would top 2521, but this one is on par with it for me. Both are brilliant shows for different reasons.

I'm going to miss this show soooo much. I think it's one good example of ordinary thing done well. Loving its simplicity. It's in the class of its own.

What does it remind of of: Romance is a Bonus Book, Coffee Prince.

It's Beautiful Now. A good family drama with interesting characters.

Kiss Sixth Sense. A funny, sexy rom com. Can't wait to find out why our MLs have the abilities they have. Also can't wait to find out if I'm right that the bar owner is the one who broke into FLs home, and why. There has to be some reason he is shown as much as he is, don't you think?

Not sure where all the hours in the day/week have gone. Only managed to watch Kiss Sixth Sense this week and enjoyed laughing at those bunny ears.

King of Drama is the show I needed right now. Thinking Shooting Stars was kinda a Hallmark version of a behind-the curtain drama.
During the hot dry windy months in my neck of the woods, this old chestnut may get me through.
Forza Hallyu.