Red Heart: It ended fine. All the actors did a great job. The show was visually stunning, kudos to the cinematographer and the director. However, the thing that was missing was a deeper plot. Everything was a bit shallow and not as developed as it could have been.

Woori the Virgin: Blah, meh, mediocre. The drama has some moments, but overall it was not good. The last two episodes especially just dragged for no reason.

Link: This show actually gets better. I usually hate when the woman likes the man first, but in this case watching Gye Hoon struggle with his feelings is kind of hilarious. Sir, not everything is how she is feeling. This is one of the few times the childhood connection makes sense because they both moved back home. I am still not convinced that he is feeling her feelings at all. I think his sister is somewhere around. That being said the best characters are Bok Hee and Chun ok(umma and halmoni). They are so entertaining and such utter messes. Their restaurant is considered nasty but they still remain open despite that and don’t change their cooking habits. Lol

Insider: I was going to drop this week if he didn’t keep getting beat up. It was getting tedious and didn’t make the plot interesting. We finally moved on from that and I was intrigued a little bit. I’m not sure why I keep watching, this show is missing something too, but keeps me just intrigued enough. Hmmm.

Eve: So does she like the chairman I’m not sure, but does she empathize with him, yes. I am not sure what the fake mom’s issue with her new path is. What is she trying to accomplish? I am not sure how illegally obtained evidence can be used in a lawsuit. Also I feel so bad for the daughters in this drama, Bo Ra and Da Bi. Oh won’t they think of the children.

Kiss Sixth Sense: We definitely got kisses, lol, everywhere and all the time. I am not really sure how his sickness works, but he seemed fine. It was interesting that her mom knew who he was and was pleasantly surprised to see him. That was a nice change from mom’s disliking the new boyfriend.

Money Heist Korea: The removed the reason why I stopped the original one because they realized how stupid it was and I really appreciate the Korean writers for that. In the original at the end of episode 1, Tokyo said I didn’t realize the police would shoot back after we shot at them. In the kdrama, they gave the thieves bulletproof vests because they recognized that the police shoot back when you shoot at them. I’ve only seen the first episode, but I enjoyed it enough to continue.

Doctor Lawyer: I really like SSR in this, so will continue watching. I can’t tell if he really likes Yoo Na or is messing with the Goos, but it is really worth it. His contempt for Hyun Sung is hilarious.

Alchemy of Souls: I look forward to our assassin teaching our wayward winter season.

Anna: I’ll check this out too, maybe it will be good. lol

Money Heist: Long Title: 7.5 (ep 1/2) No childhood connections so far, just Kim Yun-jin from Lost and Shiri. I call that a pretty good trade :)

Doctor Lawyer: 7.0 Watch out! There might be earrings in the trope salad.

Alchemy of Souls: 9.5 Crab legs!

Why Her?: 7.5 Does the title mean "Why is the smart FL the stupid reckless one who always needs rescuing?" or just "Why is it her that gets framed and arrested?".

Link: Eat, Love, Die: 7.5

Red Heart: 7.0

Kiss Sixth Sense: 7.0
Jinxed At First: 8.5
Because just 1 show with an FL who can see the future if she has the right physical contact simply isn't enough. And sadly, I don't foresee a future in which I have physical contact with either of them.

Bloody Heart was a satisfying ending save for Lee Tae’s gloating about PGW’s death. But it happens to be one of those dramas that would have benefitted from a 2 if not 4 episode extension. Impressive characterizations by Jang Hyuk, Kang Hanna(fitting drama for her first female lead role) and Park Ji-Yeon.

Kiss Sixth Sense - ‘Good one walking away Pil-yo. Ye-sool isn’t it for you anymore.’
With all the highly sensual innuendo that was thisk, it is time to say goodbye to this hot next week. Oh Seungtaek deserves better than Howoo’s cold shoulder.

Why Her? Ep 2 – Damn! What a premise. Watching this alongside You Are My Spring is a Seo Hyun-Jin excess sugar. I really hope Choi Joowon Ji Seunghyun isn’t totally like his father.
Hitting the play button on this one this week I do not regret. Doctor Lawyer is next.

It’s Beautiful Now - There is no enough Dolt Couple this week. IBN looks like it is slowly veering into the melo genre with the fallout with Soojae and the ticking time bomb in the form of Jin Su-jeong. I know what I feel about Hyun Mi-rae’s mom, but I don’t know what to envisage at all. She is written and portrayed(in the good hands of Park Ji-young) with this strong sense of character which I both admire and respect that I hope she doesn’t descend into anti- territory.
Even though Soojae is remorseful enough, I hope Kyung-ae has more pep talk in store for him. He hurt her the most. His remorse shouldn’t prevent him from receiving the chastise that was/is coming for him.

Alchemy of Souls - I will always check a Hongs' drama, because their dramas are part of my early years of drama-watching... and because I will forever have them connected with Javabeans and Girfriday (and their witty recaps and explanations of the word plays and hidden meanings). Alchemy self is not bad, but... I personally would put less focus on the special effects (sometimes they are a bit too much for me, less is sometimes more) and put more focus on the substance. And add more of the witty dialogues which used to be such a trademark of Hongs' dramas. So far I'm here mainly for the main couple, the fearless assassin in a weak body and the Winter Master who is much smarter than he shows. (And for Kippeum, because I loved her in Shooting Star. 💕 )

Yumi's Cells 2 (4ep) - they portray the first romantic stages so well! I have constantly butterflies. Tongue Cells' tango was perfect 😄
Yumi's resignation shocked me and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Link - how is this show so good at making me laugh at one moment (grandma massaging her cheeks after the forced smiling 😂 ) and shiver with fear at another moment (everything with the Stalker). And then even include well the romance... and mystery - btw, I'm starting thinking that all the town people are shifty not because they did something wrong, but because they didn't do something they think could have changed little Gye Young's fate. Like the piano teacher who probably feels guilty, because he did NOT take Gye Young in his car (and thinks he could have saved her if he did). Or... did the village somehow had to choose between Dahyun and Gye Young?? 😱 I don't know and I like how the show keeps me guessing. I'm just a biiiiit disappointed that the Stalker didn't *meet* more of the villagers on his way out of the fridge 😁
Also, I do admire Dahyun for actively trying to do something with her fears (like the self-defence practice), just why, WHYYYYY is she walking alone in a dark alley when she KNOWS the Stalker is alive and close??

Kiss Sixth Sense - I'm so glad we are back to funny... and kisses 😁 I was laughing with so many remarks ('Don't try to seduce me' when Cha Minho wore THAT suit) and the Love Plan Using the 5 Senses was a cherry on the top 😂🤣😂

Red Heart: One of those dramas where the acting, directing and writing comes together to make something really wonderful. The drama stuck the landing, and I thought everyone got a fitting ending. I actually found palace politics exciting, for once. I really loved how the PD focused on ceremony, like the daily dressing of the King and Queen and officials walking in formation.

Yumi’s Cells 2: It was good to see Woong again. I felt bad for him even though his pride had gotten in the way. He may not have been the best boyfriend, but he was a better written character IMO. He felt like a real guy, with his pride and algorithm and Lustasaurus. I can’t relate to Babi. He is too perfect, a fantasy boyfriend, and his cell village doesn’t reveal anything about his personality. What’s his Prime Cell? It’s a little boring, even with all the kissing. I want to root for Yumi and Babi but they need to develop his character, give him flaws and more of an internal and external life. The visit from Yumi’s parents was a little cliché and just served to show Babi’s perfectness once again.

Alchemy of Souls: There’s a reason I don’t watch Chinese wuxia dramas. I found the fighting and costumes/hair pretty cheesy. I really liked the actress playing Nak-su. I wish we could have kept her. The banter was pretty good. That’s one thing the Hong Sisters do well. They have trouble writing a tight, cohesive story, however, and rumors that they think they need 30 episodes instead of 20 doesn’t inspire confidence.

Link: Eat, Love, Kill: I just started Link this week and have already gobbled up the first four episodes. It’s so good! I love the black comedy and neighborhood full of suspicious people. How could I not love a show that has the heroine threaten to kill the hero after confessing to murder and has the inept grandma -mother duo contracted for murder at an aerobics class. Moon Ga-young has always been a favorite of mine and I even don’t mind Yeo Jin-goo here.

Money Heist Korea: First impression after watching the first episode: I’d have probably enjoyed it more if I hadn’t watched the original. I couldn’t help comparing, and the Korean version came up short in the acting and writing. Just like I thought, Yoo Ji-tae was miscast as the Professor. He’s too bland and the glasses are not enough to make him feel like the smartest person in the room. I’m not sure about Park Hae-soo as Berlin either. The rest seem okay though their introductions were cheesy. I like what they did with Tokyo.

Jinxed at First: While they may not be the strongest actors ever Na In Woo and Seolhyun are cute together. Seul-bi adjusting to the outside world is fun. It looks like the cousin may be the villain and Min-ho will be spared? This is an easy watch now, but I forsee myself dropping it when the angst hits.

Why Her?: Another week ending with Soo-jae putting herself in danger while on the phone with Chan. I’m over it. I thought Soo-jae’s backstory worked but Soo-jae wanting...

COMPLETED
Red Heart - I found the dowager queen and Gye-won far more compelling than the leads. Their story was always going to end in tragedy but it still felt depressing to watch.

ONGOING
Doctor Lawyer - This show has a lot of exposition and repeated scenes. The intense stare-downs between the leads or between Yihan and Jayden are laughable. At least the FL knows the truth now. Not sure why they couldn't have this conversation any time in the last 5 years…

Why Her - They made Soo-jae dumb and I'm so annoyed. Chan and Yoon-sang are irritating and have zero respect for Soo-jae's agency.

Link - End of Ep. 5 was heartbreaking. The leads are very good together. The only jarring part was the weird attempt at repartee between Gye-hoon and the violent cop. Don't care if he's the piano teacher's son - men like him should not be in uniform and making him seem like 'actually a nice guy' is weird.

Insider - Loved the card game and the multiple layers of scamming. Hope Sun-oh comes back soon. He's been the best part of the show so far.

Jinxed at First - The more the past gets revealed the creepier it gets. They kept Seul-bi's father imprisoned too? And the nurse has been institutionalised? Min-joon is definitely going to go dark-side - his character is interesting but the actor is too expressionless. Seul-bi meanwhile has the opposite problem - the manic pixie energy is too much.

STARTED
Alchemy of Souls - What a good start. Wook and Naksu have crackling chemistry and the set-up is fun. Only sour note was the way Do-hwa and OG Mu-deok were dispensed with - maybe we'll get their story later?

Planning to watch Money Heist, Extraordinary Attorney and Café Minamdang next week. If they're good, Doctor Lawyer and Jinxed at First will both be unceremoniously dumped.

It's slowly turning into stress that I always have to remember to select the right country with VPN and not get mixed up with my three streaming platforms.

The last two episodes of KISS SIX SENTH have ensured that I have been able to block out the previous two for the most part, thankfully. They have been the highlight of the series so far.

LINK: EAT, LOVE, KILL is getting more and more interesting and exciting.

YUMI'S CELLS 2 is good to watch in between.

WHY HER? The more the romance progresses, the more I lose interest in this series, although the rest is still good.

ALCHEMY OF SOULS had two surprisingly entertaining first episodes. I will definitely keep watching.

I also started watching MY LIBERATION NOTES in between. Very relaxing and yet so true.

For @midnight and other G.Heyer's lovers:
Sylvester (book) report - I enjoyed the book, despite my occasional struggle with the slang (English is not my first language). I think my favourite part was when they were first together because of the snow storm... and my favourite character surprisingly is not any of the leads, but Tom. I have to admit that the writing and humour of Jane Austen is more my cup of tea, though I also think that despite a fairly simple plot, Heyer's dialogues and observations can run deeper. What next? Cotillion? 🙂

Hyun Jae is Beautiful: Soo Jae cries, I cry.
Mom saying she's scared of Yoo Na was devastating. She has the right to feel that way (I would've feel the same, tbh) but at the same time I know Yoo Na is just a good girl, so it feels so wrong to hear everything the mom said about her. I just can't. Last week was so damn sad.
Ps. Big bros need to work on their comforting skills, a lot. Thanks god, Yoo Na was there for Soo Jae.

Yu Mi 2: Thanks to Isa now I'm questioning everything 😂 I was fine with the couple, but I'm not sure anymore...

Link (EP5): I love our leads. They're so cute together.

Alchemy of Souls: The fights are so much better at 1,5x speed. I'm loving the comedy and the romance.

The Guest (EP13): I knew that ahjussi was sus since day 1. I knew something was off with him the minute he didn't want to exorcize Hwa Pyeong (as a kid) when he obviously was possessed. And I understand Mateo was on denial and all, but saying Hwa Pyeong was Park Il Do was wrooooong. So freaking wrong. I'm hurt and disappointed.
If they kill shaman ahjussi I'm gonna get mad. They need to stop killing everyone in Hwa Pyeong's life.

FIND ME IN YOUR MEMORY—After watching Shooting Stars, I was curious about this one. I am not one to binge-watch dramas on the first watch, yet I cannot stop watching. The mix of rom-com and mystery suits my mood perfectly. I know that the contrived situations to get our couple in the same space is not the cleverest writing, but I actually love that EVERYONE is a matchmaker in this world. Ha!
Moon Ga Young is just as charming here as she is in her other works. As for the couple, the WAY they look at each other (and they are “fake” dating right now) gets me every time. This is my first time seeing Kim Dong Wook and I am finding his character quite swoony. Seeing him trying to resist but slowly falling for Ha Jin is my catnip. Add in Kim Seul Gi, Yoon Jong Hoon, Young Nam Jang (WLFKBJ!) and other standouts and I just want to give the casting director a gold star.

ALCHEMY OF SOULS—Take about a swoony couple. There have been many comments on the last scene of episode two for good reason. There is something rather asymmetrical about them as individuals—they both do not fit the mold of their world—and yet they feel symmetrical to each other. Does that make sense?

HAPPINESS—the humans continue to scare me much more than the infected Zombies. Also, I understand why there were several Beanies who said Yi Hyun and Sae Bom are one of the better couples. They have a slow-burn understated romance without typical of rom-com hijinks. The romance is a more mature one based in unshakable teamwork, mutual respect, and love.
But the draw continues to be the characters—as much as I want to throw a couple of them off the apartment roof—and the look into how people act and react in extremes. Honestly, pre-COVID, I would not have understood this drama nor appreciated the themes. What makes us human and when do we loose our humanity? Can we bear the costs of selfishness and self-interest?

PLAYFUL KISS—I think Jung So Min has blown me away this week. I had a yen to check out one of her earliest works. I have a soft spot for this drama in spite of its flaws because it was my first Kdrma and literally changed my life. Watching it again four years later with the knowledge and experience I have gained in Korean language and culture makes this re-watch a fun one. I am catching and understanding so much that passed over my head before. For example, Bong Joon Gu speaks in Satoori and sang a trot song! Still, I am thankful for the FF button.

ALCHEMY OF SOULS (Ep 1-2) It is like a sageuk is merged with a Hong Kong martial arts film with borrowed elements from Harry Potter and Naruto with some Karate Kid training/bonding in the future. In the beginning we are given a lot of information but little context (like the writers know in their own heads that it makes sense). We have four spellcaster families who are part of a long, semi-forgotten revenge plot against the weak king who tricked a soul change to begat an heir, now shunned by his own world. We have the skilled outsider mage who will carry out her master’s plan but she is conveniently soul swapped into a weak body. The actual soul shifting principle is actually getting in the way of the premise. Episode 2 begins early the quasi-palace politics and power grabs that usually grind a story to a halt. Naksu’s rebel group may be secretly controlled by the elders of one of a mage clans.

WEDDING HELL (Ep. 10- 12) It was promoted as a rom-com but really was better as a long advertisement for elopement. Each wedding planning point was a template for the same lack of communication, apologies and stress. Both the FL and ML could not carry the load of making a vanilla script better than average at best. Only the father-in-laws had any common sense but their screen time was limited. For comedy, there was very little and it was flat. For romance, it was weak and stereotyped to being uninventive. Solving the couple’s clear communication and emotional issues by saying “I love you” does not bode well for a happy future.

I really thought the previews would have been presented the viewer with the AFTER marriage struggles during the post marriage honeymoon period, when the lovers’ facades begin to crumble and real personalities come to the surface, i.e. all the traditional wedding stress is nothing compared to false expectations of marriage. The wedding shoot break up scene was as close as we got to some reality, but that was swept under the rug to white wash a happy ending.

CLEANING UP (Ep.5-6) The plot with the insider group is very dull and misses the point. Getting caught is not the issue with them, Yong Mi has the perfect cover, as a cleaning lady, to defuse the situation. But her crew is naive and not street smart enough to leverage their position over people they fear. The story clearly is now centered around Yong-Mi. Every time she hits rock bottom, life digs her a deeper hole to fall into. She risks everything only to have the money she needs to get her life back on track taken away from her. The story repetition is getting boring.

Variety:

SIXTH SENSE 3: I got the final episode, to end the season with a record of 6-8. There was no hint of a fourth season (I do not know if the ratings were any better than the prior two series).

HOLE IN LOVE (Ep 1): I found this show by accident. It checks off many producer show boxes: South Korea’s current golf obsession, couple culture, and dating shows. Six strangers in their late 20s...

Woori the Virgin (Series review) - Mood progression: D+ / D+ / D+ / D+ / D+ / D- / D-
It’s an absolute irony when they espoused principles of a main drama character having relatable dialogue and actions, like we didn’t just watch Kang Jae hide evidence as a cop in the earlier episodes or Raphael forcing a proposal just last week. Woori should’ve just ended up single because her values didn’t gel with anyone but this writer has no innovation.

Yumi’s Cells 2 (Episode 5-6) - Mood: C
Good news: Woong’s reentry into Yumi’s story created less trouble than I had expected it to though I think a competent writer would have thought of a more innovative way for his arc (well, at least there’s no Sae Yi nonsense). Bad news: in the preview lies yet another external romance obstacle in the form of the Jeju girl (subvert the usual cliches, please?). I also note that the parent arc is total filler but it’s not offensive I guess. I do feel like there’s been so little of Babi’s cells?

Link: Eat, Love, Kill (Episode 5-6) - Mood: C+
Even though I can continue to suspend my disbelief over the stalker being alive after being run over by a taxi when he’s already bleeding out, the more frustrating thing is that the arc drags out the reveal for Gye Young’s case, what with the corpse that was found in the stalker’s house or even who bludgeoned him that night. Maybe the best case scenario’s a reveal of the Link between stalker and his sister: that might possibly reveal some clues to explain the 18-year mystery?

Kiss Sixth Sense (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D+
Really? We’re not going to even bother about the overdramatic stalker arc and drag it into the finale week? Well, it’s no fun to have all fluff without the substance even if the make-out scene looks great, but I guess since 2 episodes drop at once for this show I can liberally use the fast forward button to skip expected nonsense? As for the rest of the plot, 2nd leads being each other’s consolation prize is predictable, though at least I’ve no idea what will happen for side couple?

Also watched: Jinxed at First / Cleaning Up

Red heart: Kudos to Kang Hanna for her first lead role.. and the writers too for making the characters layered and palace politics interesting.

Insider: Jang Sun Oh is coming back right?? Loved the chemistry and dynamics he has with Kang Haneul. The actor (Kang Young seok) is so good.. why have I not noticed him before?

Just realised my comments are all on actors/ actresses with Kang in their surname. Heh

Alchemy of Souls: I will always check out a Hong Sisters drama as The Masters Sun and Greatest Romance are favs of mine. They are others I've enjoyed but aren't as cracktastic. However, when it comes to more of their supernatural shows, I have trust issues after the drama before Hotel de Luna. It started great, like Alchemy, but went sideways half way in. I dropped Hotel de Luna which was a hit for them because it was missing that crackiness that I like and the leads weren't doing much for me.

Alchemy is working for me on the leads, the pacing and the world building so I'll take it and hope it doesn't go the way of the drama whose name I can't remember and am too lazy to look up.

I went out of town and came back and now I have lost motivation to jump back into dramas that I was actually enjoying. I don't get why this happens but there it is; however, it is over 100 outside so it might be a good weekend to get back into Ghost Doctor and Showtime.

Alchemy of souls
The xianxia-wuxia style is totally working for me. I watch similar cdramas to simply get suck in the world and disconnect from everything else. Like many others, I want to see the original Naksu back too. Go yoon Jung managed to make such an impact in such a small time.

Red Heart
Concluded well. I'm satisfied and idk when I'll be able to watch sth like this again. Please dramaland, have more grey and smart characters.

Yumi's cells 2
Hmmm. Not sure about Babi. I'm not onboard the Yumi Babi ship.

1. Money Heist Korea: Why is Yoo Ji-Tae so charming, but as the Professor, he has zero charisma? The actress for Tokyo is going to be the next Netflix muse, like the Squid Games girl. The plot-twists were shocking, great and exciting enough for me to fist-pump in the air. Need ep 7-12 stat. Also, Denver! <3

2. The Time Traveler's Wife: You can adapt every little detail from the book, get one of the hottest & fittest dudes to play your ML, can get the author on the production board, and still go so horribly wrong. The dialogue-writer needs to be replaced by not just someone who's read the book but also has enough respect for the source material.

3. Yumi's Cells: Watching Woong on my screen is weird, since I'm already midway into giving my heart to Babi. Am I emotionally cheating? Why are Babi's cells Mexican? I have questions! :P

4. 6th sense Kiss: That should feel climactic, but it does not. Everything just went downhill after ep 6. Meh.

5. Dream of Splendor: Pretty People Torture Porn. Excellent. Chen Xiao is too smoldering and Liu Yifei is too pretty to quit this now.

Aww!! Cute cells in the cover today!!! XD
Probably a sign I should finally start Yumi's Cells!! Soon!! Ahaha!

Instead this week I watched When The Weather Is Fine, while waiting for ongoing shows.
Recently I've been unlucky with fan-favorite dramas, I can't seem to find them as enjoyable as expected.
Like in this case. The show is fine, a few things I disliked (mostly the domestic abuse plot, the way it was handled) but overall it was ok, yet I could never really warm up to the characters, so it didn't do much for me in the end.

I haven't had the chance to check the new Insider eps yet, so I'm looking forward to that!

RED HEART: I'm so used to final episodes letting me down or merely being forgettable that it took me a couple of days to fully realize that this one nailed it. Everything wrapped up in keeping with the ambivalent tone of the show, and all the characters got what they deserved. And the actors did exceptional work, as did the director and cinematographer. Occasionally, the dialogue-- especially in the romantic scenes--was lacking, but that final line from Tae referring to Jung as both his sanctuary and the sword over his head was sublime.

ALCHEMY OF SOULS: A pure delight from the humor to the chemistry to the luscious colors. The only thing lacking for me so far is the ML's hair. I fully expect this show to start to spin its wheels and fall apart around the halfway point, but I'd love to be wrong.

KISS SIX SENSE: It's back to being cracky. I'm still here for the ML--he's so delightfully weird and oddly sexy--but it was the FL's week to finally reveal why these men would fall so hard for her. I'll miss this one, but I also am glad it's only 12 episodes, because that's really all it needs to tell the story.

YUMI'S CELLS: This is an incredibly well done show, but sometimes, I forget I'm watching characters in their early thirties and not 20s. That's because some of Babi and Yumi's interactions seem more fitting for younger, less experienced people. I mean, her hair grew out, which would take months, and not only haven't they managed to sleep together yet (even though they both clearly want to) they still seem kindof awkward and self conscious around each other. That said, I'm not sure I see these two together forever, but their relationship is definitely sweet and exactly what Yumi needs right now.

LINK: This one easily could've been a dumpster fire, and yes, it's totally unbelievable that stalker dude was able to come to after a serious head injury, get himself out of that fridge after several hours, then get hit by a car, and yet magically survive. I'm rolling with it, though, because the show keeps me guessing (what is *up* with that young cop guy?) and the leads have excellent chemistry.

After finishing Sh**ting Stars, I didn't find any airing shows interesting for me to watch, so I decided to give this one ago. I'm late to the party, but better late than never.

Finished:
1. My Ajusshi (My Mister): Wow, what a ride. It was a very depressing show with the hint of light at the end of this (very long) tunnel. This made it to the list of the shows I binged in the shortest time. The reason isn't because it was so good I couldn't stop, but more of I couldn't stop because I wanted resolutions to this doom and gloom as fast as I could. 😅 My suggestion to everyone is that though I also consider this a masterpiece, if the first few eps aren't to your liking, you should stop watching and perhaps come back when you feel like it. If you watch until eps 6-8 already, it's highly recommended you continue to the finish line. I think the show was most depressing around these eps. Finishing the show and knowing the resolutions of all characters is worth everything, and it will remove you from the doom and gloom you should feel around two thirds of the show.

Now, for the show itself, it was a very hard watch for me. As mentioned above, I finished it partly for the sake of my sanity, but I also agree that it liberated me in some ways. I guess one of the many reasons people like this one is because we all struggle in different ways, so we can identify with at least one or many of the characters. I think one great message that the show conveys is that we seem to be prone to feel ashamed of something about us, so when that kind of shame is gotten rid of by perhaps someone loving us and accepting us despite that, we can begin to really "live" again. The show delivered many messages that are sure to tug at people's heartstrings. It was a hard watch; nonetheless, it was a good watch.

I think this show will age well as there are many things that many characters did which I couldn't really point out why they did them but somehow know that I will understand this better in the future when I have more experience about life. The show is so real in that sense. The actors and actresses were all fantastic. It's a classic and a masterpiece for sure.

Last but not least, how come IU is this talented? I just learnt recently that one of the most beautiful songs used in the show was actually penned by her: Dear Moon. 🥰

Money Heist Korea: Binged this. Objectively, this remake is good, but unfortunately the original was masterful so the remake will suffer in comparison. The show needed more ambitious directing to inject something fresh into the remake, and they could've done more with the One Korea concept.

Jeon Jongseo as Tokyo is everything a girl crush is made of. I love her so much.

At the half way point- almost- The weekender IT'S BEAUTIFUL NOW finally turned into a true weekender. While our two older brothers enjoyed their double date our younger brother has been devastated at being conned by his long time friend- and Yoona, our youngest future bride has finally spilled the beans on their proposed fake marriage- to the future mother in law who was truly in love with her. We were long overdue for some real trauma and angst and now it is upon us. Of course, our youngest brother had to do the complete Noble Idiocy thing- first confess his love to Yoona and then, in the next breath break up with her because he is not good enough for her. As I said, the entire package of Noble Idiocy. Not to mention just plain idiocy on top of that: Excuse me, Maknae, but you have an older brother who is a good lawyer and you are not talking to him about the Fraud? And I agree with Unit about the plight of Yoona- Soo-jae’s mom was really in love with her and now that has predictably turned to deep anger: This will take a lot of time to resolve, and you can bet it won’t be over in just a few episodes. On the positive side the Apartment Prize has been withdrawn by our Trio of Elders and this is a good healthy thing.

My wife and I watched the first two episodes of ALCHEMY OF SOULS and really liked it. The cinematography is great, Jung Somin was good as always and the male lead even better. It has a lot of the flavor of a Chinese fantasy costume drama- the similarities are quite striking: This story may be set in another age, but it is NOT a Fantasy Sageuk like LOVERS OF THE RED SKY. In fact, it is not necessarily even set in Korea, but in another place (the geography is kept deliberately vague). The visual effects are also a match for a Chinese Fantasy. In any case it started really well and can only hope that it will sustain this same high level.

We also watched the first two episodes of JINXED AT FIRST and loved it.

My wife returned to her beloved Chinese Costume Dramas with a watch of MISS TRUTH, now fully available on Viki. This is a mystery show with some parallels to the fabulous IMPERIAL CORONER- and apparently almost as good because she was essentially mesmerized the entire time that she binge-watched it.

After that she wanted something lighter and the Chinese costume drama LADY IN BUTCHER’S HOUSE filled that bill. She has really enjoyed it. I have been watching the light (but more modern) Chinese romcom TIME TO FALL IN LOVE.

WOORI THE VIRGIN sort of fizzled out at the end. We can say that we finished it.

For something different I have also occasionally been watching the J-drama OH MY BOSS! LOVE NOT INCLUDED. Think of it as THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA but redone as a romcom.

Someday I hope to be able to watch RED HEART legally. I hear that Kang Hanna was splendid in her first lead role, just as I expected that she would be.

Completed: Twenty-five Twenty-one.

Watching:

The Red Sleeve. On episode four but I don't know why I'm getting bored after the FL lead finally learned the true identity of the ML.

Insider. I understand why there isn't a lot of people watching this show. But the cast is incredibly good. It has a complicated storyline because of all the backstabbing in a prison setting, large cast, and card games; but I am enjoying it in small doses. Quite a shock to see Kang Ha-neul all beat up here after seeing him as a clean-cut dork in When the Camellia Blooms and debonair-looking in The Heirs and Misaeng.

This week, I’m getting an overload of seriously good acting. I’m not complaining…
Bloody Heart
A wonderful drama. The happy ending was beautiful, for the first time we saw Tae smiling freely with his son in his arms. And finally, the worthy queen is on the throne and is doing her best for the country. Gye Won’s and Ga Yeon’s ending was well motivated and filmed, too, I loved that setting in the birch forest. But is it strange that I wouldn’t have been unhappy with a sad ending? Yoo Jung ascending the throne, the king dying tragically in her arms, the queen and Park Gye Won ruling the country with a system of checks and balances. For me, this was the first sageuk where I was really interested in the political plot, the love story took second place to that (even though I loved Tae’s tears and anguished face!).
Link
I’m really impressed with how Yeo Jin Goo shows feeling those foreign emotions. Of course, showing emotions that aren’t your own is an actor’s job, but that tiny moment of surprise and trying to get a grip on himself when he gets overwhelmed is fabulous. Especially the crying scene at the end of Ep.5 was great. I also love how quickly the show switches flavors, from scary to funny to emotional to foodie! Our leading couple is so into each other already, they even wear matching clothes 😉I am scared more of the stalker’s sister than of him, and I’m getting a little fed up with omma and halmeoni, they’re too over the top for me (do halmeonis with short hair have to wear those really ugly beanies?? It was the same in Woori…) I’m sure the childhood connection will involve most people we see now, and I’m pretty sure it will turn out that omma and halmeoni didn’t really kill anyone…
Insider
Has Kang Ha Neul ever played a tormented sageuk king? He looked just like one in several scenes… Again, a lot of violence and nasty torture scenes, I really was relieved when they started to play cards. Those games really drew me in, I’m even trying to understand Texas Hold’Em and their way of cheating… You couldn’t learn those skills in handling the cards in 3 weeks, though, and also not come out of a “training session” in a prison cell with 5 opponents unharmed! Sun Oh’s archenemy was really scary, also #2, but they’re both dealt with, right? That was maybe a little too easy? But money makes the prison world go round… Thankfully, at the end of Ep. 6 Yo-Han’s wounds were healed up and the drama is moving out of the prison, so Yo Han and Sun Oh can meet again!
Why Her Ep 7
I’m watching this with the mindset of Oh Soo Jae as the ML and Gong Chan as the FL in a conventional legal thriller, like Again My Life or Lawless Lawyer. No-one would complain about the ML softening up with the FL, especially if they have a back story or childhood connection. Gong Chan is the person who is always there for her and looking out for her, no one else does that. Also, no one criticizes an age gap where the ML is older, or a relationship where the ML is in the power...

Yumi’s Cells 2
Still enjoying it.

Jinxed at first
Not enjoying giving it one more week if no improvement I am walking away for good.

Why her
I regularly shout at the screen why are people treating female lead like she is is not capable but then end up shaking my head when seeing her act like she is not capable.😒

When my love blooms
Loving this recommendation from one of the Beanies exactly my kind of drama, finally. Hoping it stays that way.

Scent of a woman
Enjoying this oldie also a recommendation from a Beanie.

Devilish Joy
Enjoying this oldie.

Bravo, My life
Continues to be ok as a daily driver.

Sungkyunkwan Scandel
On pause now that I am watching When my love blooms.

I'm watching The Devil Judge. The show is insanely gorgeous. Everything from the cinematography, to styling, setting, acting, music, is simply beautiful. It takes my breath away many times during each episode.

This role seems tailor-made for Ji Sung. It is making the most of his particular style of acting.
I have been a fan of Ji Sung for nearly 15 years. Still, I'm the first to agree that his acting isn't always very modern. He is often too theatrical, too intense, too dramatic. This sometimes fits the role, but unfortunately usually doesn't. Here, it is PERFECT.

This is the third time I am watching Jin Young in a drama. His acting has been quite good every time imho. But here he is more than great at depicting a young man teetering on the brink of greyness.

I don't know how I would have felt if I had gone in completely blind, or had watched live trying to guess everybody's agenda for a week. As it is, I skimmed through first and last episodes' comments and got a basic understanding of a dystopian Korea, and over the top, grey characters. This has helped a lot with not trying to guess anything, and just enjoying the incredibly pretty show.

Alchemy of Souls (1-2): Loved it to pieces!! Gorgeous, fun, and leads that you can feel invested in. First time in a while when I finished an episode and immediately went back to watch it again. I'm miffed that the production did such a poor job promoting it, especially since this type of fantasy sageuk is rare in kdramas. I really enjoy it in cdramas, so glad to see it in a kdrama.

Wolf Princess (finished): A cdrama I started last year. It's a cute watch with mostly likable, engaging characters, but should have only been 18 ep instead of 24. I like how the ML isn't the usual beautiful guy, but is sort of rascally.

Chong Ming Wei (up to ep 6) Cdrama historical mystery. Interesting and I like the ML, but I was expecting more? Maybe the short episodes are messing with the rhythm?

Kiss Sixth Sense - skipped this week. I think I will wait for all 4 last episodes to air so I can watch just the OTP scenes because they are seriously what makes the drama watchable. The non-OTP scenes are too irritating.

Sh**ting Stars: I fear going into episode 13 as a break between our leads seems to rear it's ugly head. But I shall plow through as our lovely reporter/lawyer duo is on the rise.

Who Rules the World: Continues to be an effortless watch a couple of nights a week. Prince Chang continues to be a scene stealer. I really hope the actor get good opportunities because of this show as I find him absolutely compelling not matter what scene he's in.

A Dream of Splendor: The chemistry between the leads is not everything I love about this show, but it is what I will remember the most after it's over. But the banter, the clever FL and the sheer beauty of the show keeps me glued to the screen.

Trying to divert my attention to something other than doom scrolling and being somewhat successful. Maybe?

Ms. Marvel - Haven't found Marvel movies interesting for awhile now hence not really paying much attention to D+, but Ms. Marvel is fun. Feel mixed about the immediate "ok, pull the fire alarm" at the wedding because honestly I don't know why they didn't just grab for the bangle after they saved her from the drone.

FamilyXSpy - This continues to make my Saturday. Gotta love Anya. Poor exhausted Twilight.

Link:ELK - Up to episode 2. How was that a meal? It was just three tester pieces.
They need a sprinkler system for the public urination spot because ew. Too gross to be funny. No way that smell doesn't get into his building.

Check Out - Episode 0 made me think the series would be different than everyone getting back with their cheating ex and then cheating on them. Why did Nine ghost D if he was then going to go through all this trouble to try and get with him?

Triage - I was hoping they would shift from the original time loop to another one AND it looks like that is going to happen and I'm so happy.

A Dream of Splendor - ah, the angst episodes. One day a series will have people who had good communication retain their good communication at and past the 69% marker.

The Blue Whisper - don't like that she's fooling him for her personal gain. I'm abusing the ffd button a bit too much with this series.

Wedding Hell (1-12): Not a big series but it was so realistic. It addressed all the common issues a typical "about to marry couple" face during wedding preparations.

Alchemy of souls (1): Way better than my expectations. Go Yoon Jung is so good as Nakshu and I am sad to see her go. I just wish she stays as such instead of the soul swapping (I know thats the main theme of the story but ....). I mean the character presence she imparted was so huge that when the scene shifted to JSM, I felt so meh !!! I am not a fan of JSM although i do agree she handles comedy fine. But I am sure how much convincing she will be in the intense scenes. I hope they show us the backstory of Nakshu.

The series is visually stunning and I hope the spark stays all throughout the series unlike the typical Hong sisters' drama where they lost the spark after about 10 episodes.

Not many airing dramas available in my region, so I've been catching up with recently aired ones:
Moonshine ( ep. 10): what a pleasant little sageuk! Love it that they didn't drag out the noble idiocy and are solving the double love triangle without it even being a thing for the main leads. Also, a sageuk centered on working people instead of court intriguers and generals is refreshing.
Our Blues(ep. 7): I started this one on a whim, and I'm loving it. Mostly, it's the Three Meals a Day relaxing feel of watching people (some of them stratospherically handsome and well groomed strolling around in ahjumma pants) doing manual work. Besides, some of the themes talk to me.
Airing dramas:
Yumi's Cells: going to catch up with eps. 5 and 6 today. Absolutely in love with Kim Go Eun as Yumi.
Jinxed at first (eps. 3 and 4): they are going for extreme fluff and likeable support characters, which are both up my alley and give me the endurance to put up with a lot of nonsense. I'm intrigued

Red Heart The direction and cinematography were the best things in this drama. The acting was really good too. For the story, I think that the story would have been better with more episodes as they were kids to better understand each character in the present and feel more empathy for the reasons they act like this.

Woori the Virgin It was a big miss by the writer.

Link: Eat, Love, Kill YJG and MGY are great together. They are the main reason I watch it because I don't really care about the past.

Jinxed at First I was thinking to test the episodes 3 and 4 after the recap, but no, I don't like the actors enough for that.

Why Her? I really liked Hwang In Yup in True Beauty more than Cha Eun-Woo. But as a lead in Soung of Magic and this one, I don't like him anymore. He's not bad but his scenes have no impact, he looks pretty bland when he shares with Seo Hyun-Jin when she's stunning. It's sad because the rest is pretty good.

Alchemy of Souls Except the hairstyle and clothes, I liked the first 2 episodes. I'm intrigued but scared by the number of episodes...

Yumi's Cell 2 Naughty and Hunger Cells are still my favourite :p

Kiss Sixth Sense I dont' really care about this drama. The so expected scene was like a wet firecracker because the characters weren't natural, they were too conscious of it. I don't like how their past connection plays such a role in their relationship, it's too convenient. At the end, it's Pil Yo who made the FL finally change her way to act. The poor guy had to wait for 3 years to show her she missinterpreted her visions.

Completed
Once Again: I somehow missed Lee Sang Yi and dove into this knowing that I'll get to see him for 100 episodes. No regrets. Ended up liking everyone including alcoholic diva mum and childish sis in law. Lee Jung Eun is great as usual and I'm fast becoming a fan

Dear My Friends: I got frustrated, laughed and cried together with the seniors in this drama. It's also scared me on the on the many problems facing older people and I hope I have the same kind of friendship and support in my life.

Watching
Alchemy of Souls (Ep 1&2) : So far so good. Got to admit it hasn't completely sucked me in yet but I'm loving Jung So Min in this.

To start
Yumi's Cells S1&2: Heard too much about the adorable cells and have to check this out for myself

Been forever since I sat and wrote on my recently watched kdramas.Too many I have seen and completed but it is strange when it is the streaming provider original productions I seem to take way to long to actually watch them. Especially,those with very violent and very out there storylines. Needless to say I resting watchlist is way too long.

With now the mouse also in the game and me having everything legally and rightly located in Asia I have access to most kdramas but there is still only 24hours in a day.
Currently watching ones- Alchemy of Souls - loving it. Kinda sad most kdrama casts all are younger than me these days,but well I will just enjoy them,seeing I was right there at the beginning of the Hong Sisters rise in kdramahood.From My girl to the others. sat thru thanks Hong Sisters.This fantasy element has not offended anyone yet but we are only 4 episodes in.

Link - Another fantasy esque dramawith young cast.It really helps me feel young with them.Look forward to Mondays to see this one.

Kiss Sixth Sense -Oh dear this one with leads around my age makes me feel love is possible even if you put career or others more important , someone special can find you somehow.12episodes are just right and thanks Disney,this one I finished/will finish.

Jinxed At first -may or may not continue if the other weekday dramas becomes way more interesting likevthe ones startting this week.

Sweet Home -Yes I am only gotten on this till ep4. Very weird looking monsters.Not zombies for sure.

Cleaning Up-.Almost 15 of being a housewife then you divorce and become a low wage employee from being a middle class citizen.#Worldisunfair,#alimonysupportnonexistent, gets me boiling. But she did get into s hole with her gambling habit.white colar crimes at its best and crimes do pay only if you smart enough but really for poorer ones another form of gambling.

Killer Shopping List -Finally complleted this weekend,love it when the community are tight knit and 8episodes was just right.

The red sleeve is beautiful. I like that it's mostly history accurate, though it's a bit to "folks museum" for my friend.
Kiss sixth sense was way better this week than the previous. I don't care about the childhood connexion, I just want more of the main couple. And maybe some news on the second couple that was forgotten.
Taxi driver is intense, so in pause for the moment.
Modern hijinx are substantiated with Crazy love.
I finished the light funny Time to fall in love. Childish and troppey, good escapism.
Started The murder in Kairoutei. First 4 ep are good, i'm waiting for the subs.
And on a whim started Love me if you dare and I love it. I'm hooked, and bingwatched 12 ep. FL is a bit of a doormat, but the oblivious ML is my crack.

Yumi`s cells 2: As someone have written already, Babi character is written dull compared to Woong`s character. Drama is showing his cells world way too less compared to Woong. Maybe it is because viewers were intended to focus more on Yumi`s writer journey more than romance this season?
Alchemy: This drama is written just like Chinese Wuxia. i am surprised they didn`t add blood spitting part lol. And I can already see so much angst coming in later episodes. Chinese wuxia xianxia always starts light with ML FL bickering, one having born talent, master pupil relationship etc. In the end so much angst over misunderstanding, sacrificing silently for each other, trying to save one another from doom, birth secrets etc. In this drama Probably ML will try to save FL from becoming zombie like figure or die as stone. I will drop this for now and see how it goes from comments