COMPLETED
Chinese dramas Under the Skin, Be Reborn and Ordinary Greatness. Ordinary Greatness was the standout. Great performances and an easy watch despite the 38 episodes.

ONGOING
Doctor Lawyer - So now there is only one doctor who can assist in the surgery and his loyalties are suspect 🙄. The plot gets flimsier and flimsier because they keep using the same 5 people to run with everything.

Why Her - Yoon Se-pil is the most interesting character in this show. Can we have more of him and less of the plot-filler Group 8?

Link - I really wanted the stalker story to be wrapped up. Da-hyun threatening him to his face was great. Can't believe Gye-hoon just realised his feelings. Preview for next week suggests the link will reverse/ run both ways now?

Insider - I was genuinely taken aback by the Sun-oh reveal despite how violent he's always been. We still have 8 episodes to go so I hope the reveal of the full story is good.

Jinxed at First - The romance went from 0 to 60 too fast. Wish the chaebol creeps would all go away.

Alchemy of Souls - The show I'm enjoying the most along with Link. Not all the humour lands with me but Wook and Nak-su are great together and the slow hints of a tragic connection between their families means it'll only get better.

STARTED
Café Minamdang - Just okay. Going to keep watching only for SIG. Side note - the age-gap between him and the FL makes no sense.

Extraordinary Attorney - Strong start. Best of all the show is full of endearing characters. No overtly evil colleagues or competitors just a different world that Young-woo needs to navigate. Hope it stays this way. Also Kang Ki-young 💖. Totally random side note but the ML's name being Lee Jun-ho made me LOL.

Link: Eat, Love, Kill: I continue to love everything about this drama. I loved Da-hyun standing up to her stalker. I loved Mom and Grandma continuing to always have weapons in hand. I loved Jin-hoo’s reaction to the whole sordid mess. I liked the twist with Eun-jung and how it was set up in a prior episode with her seeing the news of remains found on television. I loved that Gye-hoon is finally starting to realize his feelings for Da-hyun and that he bought the doggy a dog bed.

Yumi’s Cells 2: Ahn Dae-yong’s cell village completely cracked me up. Otherwise, weird episodes. They’ve changed and shuffled things around from the webtoon so much and these episodes felt a bit jumbled. We skipped over half a year, not seeing the progression of Yumi/Babi’s relationship or Yumi’s struggles as a writer. It felt like we got more insight into Ahn Dae-yong and even Da-eun than we’ve ever gotten into Babi and definitely saw much more of ADY’s cell village. I’m not a Babi fan but it’s very weird. I wish they could have had a short third season, just six or seven episodes, instead of rushing like this.

Alchemy of Souls: It took me three tries to get through each episode because I kept falling asleep. I’m getting used to the fantasy setting but am not really invested in the characters yet. The story is going well enough so far. I would like Yul more if Minhyun was a little less wooden. The humor is hit or miss with me though I did like the chamber pot bit. I also liked the scenes between Park Jin and Dong-joo.

Café Minamdang: It took me a few tries to get through this too. I haven’t finished a SIG drama since 2016, and it doesn’t look like that will change. I thought the first two episodes were boring and the acting was too OTT. I think SIG is a very good actor but honestly, I didn’t like his acting at all here. If the episodes were supposed to be funny, they missed the boat with me, but wacky rarely works for me. I don’t know how they are going to stretch the story out for 18 episodes. Is Oh Yeon-soo’s character supposed to be the young girl in the flashbacks because if so, the casting makes no sense?

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: I really liked this! I’m sure there are issues with their portrayal of someone with autism, but think it had a lot of heart. I expected that Woo Young Woo would have to deal with intolerant coworkers but everyone was pretty likeable. Jun-ho and Young-woo were adorable with the whale talk. It was good he put up some boundaries and limited it to lunch but now he wants to talk to her and she has nothing to say lol.

Witch is Alive: The storyline isn’t revolutionary, but I like Lee Yuri best when she’s a little bit unhinged. Her haircut took some getting used to, but I decided it fits her character. I’m glad to see Lee Minyoung play a character that I don’t loathe on sight.

Insider: I was missing Sun-oh and wanting him back in the story but not like this. Cries.

Dear M: I like campus dramas. I’ve only watched two...

Hello everyone!

I've started CAFE MINAMDANG: Seo In-gook (and Oh Yeon-seo but in other dramas, not so far in this one) have great comedic timing, so I have great fun watching them on screen. But slapstick comedy reeeeally isn't my thing, so I am struggling a bit. However, I am enjoying the show so far, and trying to hang in there. Also, I don't like the special effects for Oh Yeon-seo, but it is what it is.

I just started EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO. Literally just started, so I dunno what my thoughts are.

I started as well ALCHEMY OF SOULS , but haven't continued past episode 1. I'll get back to it and see what I think.

For now, that completes my drama roster.

Money Heist: Long Title: 7.7 (ep 3/6) Printing money -- what Netflix wishes they could do right now. See news re layoffs, subscriber losses, falling stock price. But if they would just FINISH the bleeping story instead of breaking it up into separate seasons, maybe they wouldn't be losing subscribers (?)

Alchemy of Souls: 8.5 Week 2 wasn't bad, just not as magical as the first week.

Doctor Lawyer: 6.0 I've gotten tired of certain typecast baddies.

Why Her?: 7.0 More typecast baddies + a not-especially-believable romance, but Seo Hyun-jin is worth about 1 point. To answer the question "Why Her?", it's because she is the right person to cast in a show like this.

Link: Eat, Love, Die: 7.5 Soooo many people failing to kill the baddie and/or totally failing to hide the "body". Oh well, we can always hope they'll get it right in the final week. Practice makes perfect.

Cafe Minamdang: 6.5

Kiss Sixth Sense: 5.5

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: 9.0 Hard to believe it's the same actress as in King's Affection & Stove League. PEB gives a very effective depiction of autism, but I can imagine it getting old after a few weeks.

Jinxed At First: 7.6 Some weeks Jinxed (or Link) would be tops, but they had the bad luck / lack of foresight to go up against Extraordinary & Alchemy. Jinxed indeed.

Anna: 8.0 Good show but just not my thing. Likely drop. Also, Suzy doesn't have enough clout to get her new show subbed in a reasonable amount of time?? Or get quality subs? And she doesn't know to pick a title that won't give 1000 false hits when you search for it on subscene dot com 😠

CRICKET - The way england batters easily made runs and the way kiwis being slightly ahead came out with all 3 test match losses.

After 2005 Ashes this is one rare summer of runs coming too fast to turn tests into Odi.

Awesome mitchell + blundell pair giving challenge to england

ongoing test and india scoring at 5 - woah - hot hot summer

ALCHEMY OF SOULS (Ep 3-4) So Jang believes his child is not his “son,” because of the King’s soul at conception? Still unclear about such a claim, but the rumor that it may be the late King’s heir does put Young Master Uk in danger. Is there a Stars Wars style reveal at the end? ("Uk, I am your father!") For a lowly maid, Mu-Deok gets a lot of slack for being in places where she should not be; and having conversations with people of higher status that would have been considered out-of-bounds. There are so many potential love triangles being hinted at that it distracts from Naksu’s story. I feel there are more Potter themes creeping in the story arcs: the mage houses against the evil Palace mage.

CLEANING UP (Ep. 7-8) The continuation of Yong Mi hitting rock bottom then rock bottom again and again is overkill at this point. This story repetition is getting boring. Also, getting “caught” by the insiders does not mean that the cleaning ladies are going naively to take the fall. However, their collective stupidity is the issue. The only road to redemption is to go to the police with the evidence, bring down the insiders and share a cell with the Audit Dept. lady.

THE WITCH IS ALIVE (Becoming Witch) (Ep. 1) I like Lee Yu-ri when she does comedy. Jung Sang-Hoon is a good comedic actor. They should have good chemistry together, but their script lines were weak. She is very expressive and over-the-top which helps since I found the initial script arc with her husband weak. Or better said, incomplete.

You have three women friends with three big life issues circling around the dumpster fire of “What about me?” The premiere episode had three variations on old themes: cheating husband, neglectful husband, and dead? husband/insurance fraud. I like the idea of three long time girlfriends struggling with life issues at milestone age of around 40. But did the writer found a blank template from Thirty, Nine to add black comedy bits to the mix? I hope not. The early foreshadowing that one of them gets divorced, one of them becomes a mother, and the third ends up dead leads to easy speculation that there will be three twists away from the obvious. The idea of only one episode a week is going against the current distribution business model.

Cafe Minamdang: This is just fine so far. Nothing especially great to write home about except SIG. His arrogance about his looks is hilarious. I also didn't expect the lady cop to find out about their secret revenge so quickly. Finally, it is a little odd she is so much younger than him in flashbacks. She looks to be in her 30s and so does he, but she is supposedly much younger. Another beanie noted this and I totally agree.

Link: I love this drama. Da Hyun taking her power back was so wonderful. The unexpected childhood connections were wild. Eun Jung's poor sister dying. This is really really excellent.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: PEB is fantastic in this. It is the Good Doctor with a lawyer and I love it. I really especially love the whale facts. I think it is one of my favorite parts of the show, who doesn't like whales. I also always always like it when the man falls first, the drama is always the better for it.

Insider: This is reminding me of Cruel city where it out twisted itself into nonsense. He is now the insider of an insider of an insider.

Eve: Our revenge is coming to a head now. I am still not sure how illegally obtained information can be used as evidence, but here we are. Chief Secretary Seo has staked his heart now, what is going to happen. Also this show never thinks of the children, what a mess.

Doctor Lawyer: They added another layer of villainy to our already outsized villain. SIGH, it is fine. I am watching this show for Jayden and Michael.

Alchemy of Souls: I dropped it, not because it was bad, but it was just missing something for me.

Watching:
Yumi’s cells 2
Still enjoying but prepared for rocky road in next week’s episodes I thought it would be a wrap this week as we are running out of episodes.

Why her
Still watching, the sudden change in pace as the love interest storyline is developed could be lulling me into a false sense of security that there won’t be any more shock and awe random inserts of the death of the woman. However, I am already seeing hell hath no fury like man scorned with Yoonsang.

Moment of 18
Picked it back up after a break due to angst storyline becoming too much, so far I am enjoying it again, slice of life school drama, bullying and love triangle tropes. Another example of something I have seen in multiple dramas, very young children left at home to raise themselves whilst parents work long hours or away from the home for days at a time. There are so many children’s homes on the dramas so there is clearly a reference to a social care system so I am not sure how come neglect on this scale is acceptable? Examples: It’s ok to not be ok, and Our beloved summer for the young age group and teenagers looking after siblings such as The sound of magic, and Uncontrollably fond.

Miracle (2022, not sure why dramas choose to stick with a name that is already associated with another drama)

Saw this drama set in the entertainment industry mentioned on someone’s fan wall. I am so glad I looked into it as it’s going for low key feel good factor with friends to lovers and idol lifestyle tropes. It has Sh**ting stars & Imitation feel to it. Hoping as it’s released four episodes now it doesn’t tip into the change of pace and lose of charm phase that’s currently doing the rounds.

Dear. M
Found this on Viki watched the first 6 episodes looking forward to the last six when they are batch released later in the week. I like this mix of weekly releases and binge watching half a season at a time. Rom com in a university setting, love triangle and friends to lovers tropes being played out. Light watching enjoying.

Bravo my life (daily drama)
The over the top mother in law, is back in focus and currently they are playing up the joy of the early romance whilst we the audience fearfully wait for the massive train wreck looming ahead when they discover their shared link to a tragedy.

Completed:
Pachinko season one
If they had stuck to the book’s timeline and not been given the green light for any other seasons I think it would still have made an interesting drama but because they have started all the stories in parallel if they don’t finish all four seasons the audience will be left with too many unanswered questions.

20th century boy and girl
The lovely light romance that I have been looking for with the long term friendships and loving family tropes I enjoy.

Dropped: Jinxed at first didn’t bother wasting my time watching this week. I am not sure if I will pick it up after airing or just read recaps.

On hold:
When my love blooms,...

I had such a busy week that I watched very very little.

Alchemy of Souls - I like it and don't mind suspending my disbelief (no maid would behave like Mudeok). And I enjoy it even more now, because I managed to get my sons to watch with me. We are having fun 🙂 I'm surprised that Yul is much better than I expected (as a character and also Hwang Min Hyun as the actor), just wish Spring Jin Choyeon were smarter (and keep her mouth shut). Jung Uk and Mudeok are still the highlight.

Café Minamdang - the first episode was fun. Though Link sits with me better.

Planning to finish Kiss Sixth Sense, check Attorney Woo and catch up with Link, Yumi and It's Beautiful Now.

Heyer's book club: I'm entering the last quarter of Venetia.

After the last episode of KISS SIXTH SENSE I try to block out the last half hour. Nevertheless, I liked the series very much.
So that I don't have to go into Yoon Kye-sang withdrawal immediately, I'm currently watching CHOCOLATE.

My weekly highlights are now LINK: EAT, LOVE, KILL, ALCHEMY OF SOULS and EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNY WOO.

YUMI'S CELLS 2 is not quite up to it and WHY HER? I'll just finish watching now that I've started it.

I’m having a drama land dry spell as the dramas I really want to watch are unavailable in my area. Sadly, nothing currently airing has much appeal. But I am watching:
𝗬𝘂𝗺𝗶'𝘀 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 2: While I enjoy all the new cells, I’m not as invested as I was in Season 1. And tbh, sometimes I feel they cut away to the cells too much. I want to see the reactions of the actors. It’s all over the place.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗿?: I started watching ep 7 then paused. How do I say this? Why is OSJ suddenly making rookie mistakes and deferring to the men around her? Most likely I will resume this drama, but I may wait to binge at the end. The jury’s still out for me.

𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆: PEB is an acting genius! I like the storyline (so far) and the whimsical whales. I also LOVE that the CEO’s of the two biggest rival law firms are women!!! I wonder what the connection is between the CEO’s and PEB’s dad? Were they all just friends in law school or is there more . . . ? 🤔

Let’s see if my Covid brain remembers what I watched in the past two days:

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Park Eun Bin is just enchanting, the music is adorable, the rest of the cast is stellar. I was on board this show within 20 minutes, and only Goblin has held that distinction in the past.

Yumi’s Cells 2: I was confused why the random editor was stuck in the last episode. My heart was like, nooooooo, but his cells were funny at least. And Babi’s heart is swaying too. Yeah, not a fan of this week.

Link: Eat, Love Kill: Oh, how I love this show. This is definitely the Korean version of CLUE/Only murders in the building, which I love. We see how strong the maternal bonds are this week and my favorite scene has to be the confrontation scene of the stalker and everyone who wants to kill him. 😂

Jinxed at first: The “evil” family conglomerate who are out for each other as well as our male and female protagonist is growing tiresome for me. Go away already. I would rather see Seul bi vibe with the autistic boy and continue to be animated about everything around her.

Alchemy of Souls: Jung So Min (it took me a while to come up with that name just now) going in and out of her country accent is so impressive. And her chemistry with the first and second leads is so believable. I’m scared someone will die though. And the Hong’s just give me anxiety whenever I watch their shows, so that’s unfortunate.

And some BL’s which are short and easy on the covid brain:

Love in the House: I do (Taiwan): the leads are cute the secondary couple is cute, lots of skinship between each and some random ex-lover too. But totally fairy tale—that’s not how any relationship works. Sorry.

To My Star 2 (Korea, ongoing): still in the angst which started at the beginning and it’s getting old. Please have a turnaround this week, I’m begging you, show. Unfortunately, this is how relationships work (or don’t work). It’s beautifully shot as well.

Blueming (Korea): from the same director as To My Star and Where your eyes linger, so I know I like her style because I really liked those. She shows intimacy in a very natural way and the cinematography is soft and clean which I like. The story is simple, and he minor conflict is likely just the beginning of this couple figuring each other out, but again, it’s organic and realistic. My simple brain appreciates that.

I think that’s it. (You know, I’m only doing this as an exercise to stave of Alzheimer’s, which apparently is more common after covid, yay.)

Alchemy of Souls: My most look-forward-to drama. I think even if the drama ends up having a downturn, the first four episodes were not only good, but incredibly impressive - action-packed, funny, emotional, and filled with the promise of adventure. The loyalty between the leads and the support from the supporting characters are heartwarming. I'm glad ep 4 ends up with our leads setting off to a new destination for training before the Song-rim location got stale.

Cafe Minamdang: I'm on the fence about this one. It is definitely interesting and also funny enough for me to look forward to the next set of episodes, but I'm still adjusting to the tone and pace which can feel rough at times, like the writer/director wasn't sure how to tell the story. I really like OYS's character so far and am still warming up to the others.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: So utterly charmed! I thought it would be cringeworthy since I wasn't sure how the drama would handle an autistic main character, especially a female one, but everything from acting, writing, and directing and even background music and set design has been done beautifully and respectfully. It's a little too idealistic, but it's completely heartwarming.

Meant to catch up and finish Kiss Sixth Sense, but not sure now

ALCHEMY OF SOULS—Don’t break my heart, Hong Sisters. I am captivated by LJW and JSM chemistry and their characters. My favorite couples are the ones who come together—either by friendship or romance—naturally. And these two just fell into each other’s rhythm. Bring on the training! Also, the OST for this drama is haunting and sets the tone perfectly.

EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO-To sum it up: charming. Park Eun Bi is a chameleon actress and I don’t know how anyone could resist her Woo Young Woo. So far the tone is surprisingly humorous without making her a joke and shows her world quite tenderly. I was bracing myself for the worst of humanity as people reacted to her, but so far, while not always compassionate, you can see her co-workers are trying and a lot of the humor comes from the these two worlds colliding. In a way it feels as if everyone else is the fish (whale?) out of water and we are all living in her world. I can say by the end I will not more than I ever imagined I could about whales!
This is a fantastic cast of actors. I just can’t get over how compassionate Lee Junho (King Tae Oh) is (the waltz scene!) or the brilliance of Kang Ki Young as the comedic straight man or Beak Ji Won as our firm’s leader. I can say this is one drama I fell for at first sight and I think I will remain head over heels for its run.

SUITS-I was feeling PHS withdrawals after finishing HAPPINESS. I am enjoying the underdog story with the tone of a thriller. The chemistry between PHS and JDG as mentor and trainee certainly carries the show while the supporting characters bring their own color. The antagonist, Chae Geun Shik, has just enough camp to be an entertaining foil without taking all of his teeth away. I just love his imagined rivalry with Choi Kang Seok—clever writer making their family names have just the slightest difference in pronunciation—and his “woe is me” attitude. I have a feeling he will become more of a thorn in Yoen Woo’s side as the series progresses. Da Ham, though, has got to be my favorite character. She is competent, savvy, and sassy and knows her worth. She also knows how to handle Kang Seok’s egotism gracefully. She cracks me up.

EXTRAORDINARY YOU—I remember being too anxious to really enjoy this on the first watch so this second one has been a pleasure.

Jinxed at first: Be still, my mushy beating heart! I binged all 6 episodes in a day and all I have to say is We stan a non-toxic king! I'm usually into broody intense MLs but Soo Kwang has won me over. I love how they have such great chemistry though it's very G-rated so far. But I hope we get some steam soon.

Why Oh Soo Jae: A waste of a great noona romance. I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you!

Alchemy of Souls: I tend to shy away from this genre but it's so much fun and the leads have great chemistry! Also helps that it's a noona romance which is my absolute fave genre. Btw, can we talk about how awesome it is that K-dramas have flipped that whole thing about the much older sexist MLs and 'innocent' FLs??? LOVE IT!

Kiss Sixth Sense (Series review) - Mood progression: C- / D+ / C- / D / D+ / D+
As expected, the show doesn’t bother to give an explanation for the abilities coming and going as required by the story beyond some lame traumatic event caused by a villain whose intentions I didn’t bother to even learn. Then again, I can tolerate this show because of the cast: Yoon Kye Sang in particular was great to watch! But it’s so forgettable.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Episode 1-2) - Mood: B
A show starring Park Eun Bin and Kang Tae Oh written by a writer who had written autistic characters before was a combination that I never thought could go wrong, but I was definitely expecting a lot more nuance which I don’t think it delivered in the premiere. To be fair, I’m just saying it’s great and not brilliant: we’re already seeing a wide spectrum (heh) of characterisations, interesting procedurals and thought-provoking dialogues. There’s definitely some cause for concern on the romance/family arcs but I can think of ways to subvert the tropes? Writer, I hope you can too!

Yumi’s Cells 2 (Episode 7-8) - Mood: C-
Disappointed but not surprised: the writer hasn’t learnt from the failings of the first season that using external conflicts rather than internal ones for a blooming romance kinda destroys the innate quality of the script. More importantly, that also shows the writer’s inability to adapt appropriately: just because something is original doesn’t mean that it’s great!

Link: Eat, Love, Kill (Episode 7-8) - Mood: C
As much as I like the forward movement in the plot, the cliffhanger doesn’t convey anything we hadn’t already known. I also lament the fact that we’re nowhere near understanding the Link after half the show: you can’t just insert a fantasy element and only use it when it’s convenient narratively. The preview shows Da Hyun possibly obtaining the ability too?

Cafe Minamdang (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D+
A morally ambiguous lead who used to be idealistic but changed after inspiring a minor in the past, said minor growing up into a significantly different looking adult while the lead remains physically similar, and a possible romance between the lead and the now-adult minor with both of them fighting against sleazy elites: this is the third airing show with this?

Jinxed at First (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D
That kiss felt really sudden and jarring to me? But more importantly, it baffles me that Soo Gwang with his past trauma of getting murdered just walks into an abandoned house like it’s nothing. The plot feels like Where’s Wally with Seul Bi?

Cleaning Up (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D-
The scary thing is I had 0 reaction to Young Shin finding out the truth other than lamenting that there’s still 8 episodes.

Cafe Minamdang After the first 2 episodes, clearly SIG will be the reason I will watch it but at least it looks more fun than Doom At Your Service.

Link: Eat, Love, Kill I liked how every kid came back in their old town and now will finally be free from the past. And if your leads could stop turning around, I will be more than happy :p

Extraordinary Attorney Woo Park Eun-Bin is really good in this role, Hwi has competely disapeared!

Why Her? I'm just watching it for Seo Hyun-Jin because she's great. It's sad that Hwang In-Yeob is lacking in this role.

Alchemy of Souls I need more Yul and Naksu's scenes. I like Wook but not as lover for Naksu.

Kiss Sixth Sense I was expecting sexy kisses and fun scenes and got a crazy killer/stalker and boring powers instead.

Yumi's Cell 2 I didn't have time to watch the last 2 episodes.😭

Miracle The typical idol webdrama, but I like SF9 members :p

Alchemy of Souls:Trying to kill your boy and getting him in trouble is the new way to express affection I guess. LOL our leads are hilarious.

Beautiful Now: my favorite couple is gonna have a money related break up, isn't it?

"Mi-rae’s mum continues to be annoying and half the time, I just want to scream at her to relax!" Yes, she needs to chill. She's stressing me out.

Link: can they start dating already? please 🥺

Terius Behind Me(rewatch): Such an underrated gem. I love this show with all my heart. I also rewatch Ji Sub and Ki Young koko on the awards. Iconic.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Our leads are cuteeeee.

Café Minamdang: I love the siblings. They're so cute and funny. I can't hate a drama about three siblings fighting crime. I can't.

Yu Mi 2: Yu Mi and Ba Bi have been dating for a year? Why does it feel like it has been two months? I still don't feel like I know him or that I understand their dynamic as a couple.
They're gonna break up and I won't feel bad about it, tbh.

The Guest (complete): This show wasn't scary, it was sad as hell. I really enjoyed it tho.

Dear M: I really like the second couple, please don't break up.

The only dramas I really like watching just now are YUMI and LINK. I just love Yumi's cells and their emotions, the excitement, horror, anger and of cause the naughty cell. I was worried that Woong's reappearance would create a tiresome love triangle, but the writer did not disappoint and gave much needed closure instead. Will Babi remain the perfect boyfriend? Surely he must have at least one fault.

The stalker in LINK has everybody against him. Love mum, challenging the stalker, prowling the neighbourhood with her baseball bat, and grandma with the claw hammer. The daring mix of comedy, murder mystery, childhood and supernatural connection between the leads etc works surprisingly well. Good editing, switching between the boys fight past and present.

As much as I like the leads in ALCHEMY OF SOUL, I am disappointed that the Hong sisters chose Wuxia style for their drama, I do not normally watch those. I also am not sure who Wuk's father is supposed to be according to the rules of the fantasy. This is irritating, because it is fundamental to the plot. Still, Lee Jae-Wook and Jung So-min are so good and make up for the things I don't like.

JINXED is still watchable and entertaining and I am pleased that Seul-bi's ability to see the future is not the result of a childhood trauma as in KISS SIXTH SENSE. I did expect a violent threat to Minhu, but the last two episodes were still just too bad. I thought the leads tried to make the best with a poor script, but the drama should have ended with episode 10.

Caught up with DR LAWYER, but it is coming close to being dropped. I am with the judge - he should decide what he wants to be - a doctor or a lawyer. The plot is less than gripping.

Could not make it through the first episode of CAFE MINAMDANG. Don't like shaman plots and the humour does not work for me here.

But I do have high hopes for ATTORNEY WOO which I will start watching this weekend.

Kiss Sixth Sense – Talk about two misfits who share a strong emotional connection and chemistry, and are in love with each other. No derisive tone intended, they are really meant for each other and will bring out the best in themselves, and each other. Young Ye-sool was a delight to watch when she entered mama bear mode.
That said, Kim Ji-suk/Pil-yo was/were really shortchanged here. At least execution didn’t ruin his character.

When will It’s Beautiful Now unveil the birth saga? Hearts are gonna be ruined here. Kyung-ae’s husband Minhu really knows how to grate his wife when he’s supposed to be doing the opposite. I don’t know between he and Hyun Ji-heon who is more passive. Their wives married pieces of work😅.

Café Minamdang - I can’t say. How Shaman Nam is executed here is something I do not like in dramas. Not this kind of ridiculousness.

Currently on episode 4. I’m supposed to like Doctor Lawyer but unfortunately, I’m not enjoying this at all despite having two of my fav genres – medical and legal, and Shin Sung-rok. The story is great and well grounded but something’s missing. Jayden Lee kept the old evil chaebol men in check in a way I really liked but that was all. I don’t think Shin Sung-rok will help but I’m this close to dropping.
Same with Eve. I like the bleak execution but it's too bland. And Yea-ji is too slow in delivering her lines and her movements are slow likewise. It's distracting. I'm at Ep 5 but at this point, I'm more invested in So-ra than LaEl. The urge to drop this is really high.

Why Her? - Can they do something about Gong Chan’s hair. And can the boys quit revolving their conversations around Soo-jae. They should be bigger than that. They have their future to think of, and better fishes to fry.

Alchemy of Souls – I like the dynamic between Mudeok and Uk. They effortlessly branch from owner-maid to master-pupil and vice versa. And the mutual respect. It seems like we’d be getting a love pentagon here. And the Park Jin x Madame Kim angle. Watching Mu-deok threaten fire and brimstone in a weak body is a laughable oxymoron.

On the side, I watched Shadowless Sword (2005 movie) and it was cool. Watched it for the swordplay bites from YouTube and I think the romance arc later hit in even though it wasn't at the fore.

I plan to try the chinese movie Who Rules the World. Ever since Strange Heroes and the Princess Weiyoung which were so good, the zeal kinda died down. The comments about Who Rules the World has been good so...no harm in re-entering the chinese elements again.

LINK: This one is doing an excellent job portraying the reality of dealing with violence against women in an admirably relatively cliche-free way. The characterization of the stalker as both arrogant and deeply insecure showcases exactly how misogynistic men like this are: they profess how much they love women and want to protect them, but in practice, they ignore, manipulate, and then attack them when the woman says what she thinks and feels. I also like the chemistry between the leads, but right now, the romance--as hesitant and stop-and-start as it is--is probably the weakest part. And I'm still confused as to where all that food that everyone is prepping and cooking goes--those late night snacks would only use up a fraction of it.

YUMI2: I liked how they portrayed Woong coming back into Yumi's life, albeit for just a brief time. I thought it was probably just a smidge unbelievable that she was totally over him, but I get that the writers wanted to show that she's truly into Babi and he's not rebound guy. Babi is lovely, but I'm not as into their relationship as I thought I'd be. It doesn't seem natural or believable; at six months, they seem to interact with the same self-consciousness as they did at one month in. They're a bit too formal and awkward with each other for people in their 30s. But it's still a cute, fun show.

ALCHEMY: I wish I had the willpower to binge this one after it finishes airing, but I don't. Lee Jae-wook was especially impressive this week. On paper, these characters are not particularly layered, but he--and most of the cast--has found a way to make these often silly, fantastical creatures feel real. The unexpected poignancy of the scenes where he was wallowing in his father's and his surrogate father's rejection got me. This is also a show where the slowburn romance is done extremely well. For once, I'm not annoyed that the FL still has lingering feelings for her first love, and I'm glad Yul was more than a cardboard cutout in these episodes. I don't ship them, but it's always better when the SML has real personality.

EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO: I was a bit uncomfortable at first because the FL seemed too stereotypical and child-like. I was worried her idiosyncrasies would be played for laughs or cuteness, and although at times they are, the comedic moments don't feel cheap or like they are at her expense. Although it also would've been nice to have an actor who is actually on the spectrum play the lead, PEB is exceptional and will likely earn a lot of well-deserved praise for her work. This show is also well written and so lovingly crafted; I usually don't enjoy the case-based format of some medical or legal shows, but it totally works for this one and I'm excited to see what next week brings.

Our Blues: Done with 19 eps, 1 left! (I don't think anything extraordinary is going to happen in last ep) It was a nice average slice of life kdrama! I wish if their stories were intertwined rather than giving them in chapters!
Psychopath Diary: 5 eps in, pace and story is interesting so far, Yoon shi yoon is always a treat to watch! First time watching Park Sung-hoon (he's a fine actor with good screen presence, I wonder why I haven't watched him in other dramas)
extraordinary attorney woo Its extraordinary, PEB is excellent so far in portraying the character, it's light (even with law), small cases, so far so perfect!
Small and Mighty (tw drama) My first tw-drama, and I'm enjoying so far! Che bolin and Puff Kuo...
Contemplating between starting Café Minamdang or Dear M. or Insider (any suggestions, those who've watched?)
Come and Hug me A beanie has recommended me this one, paused for a while after 12th ep, 32 eps are feeling too long...

The last weekend marked the midpoint of the weekender IT'S BEAUTIFUL NOW. It appears that we are now close to The Big Reveal of the Birth Secret. Poor Yoona- she has decided that it was best if she and Soojae broke up- leading to a heartbreaking scene at the end of the 26th episode. Never forget the Idiotic Separations are not the exclusive domain of men but here it is also it is driven in part by her broken hearted future MIL’s too understandable anger. The show has also exposed some flaws in our eldest son who has a load of debt that will not be amusing to our Lady Lawyer.

My wife returned to Chinese Costume dramas with LOVE A LIFETIME (aka THE ROMANCE OF HUA RONG). It is another good one- so good that there is actually a sequel which you can watch on iQIYI. She also loved the first episodes of CAFE MINAMDANG.

My wife and I watched the next episodes of ALCHEMY OF SOULS and continue to enjoy it a lot, and not just because of Jung So-min. The Hong sisters draw inspiration for their stories from outside of Korea and in this case, they are actually giving us a Chinese Costume martial arts (Wuxia) and fantasy (Xuanhuan but not Xiaxian) drama except that in this one everyone speaks Korean. Plus, they added some ideas from the stories of King Arthur. It works, because so far at least this show has been a lot of fun.

Speaking of really fun shows I have to recommend EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO. Most lawyer shows leave me cold but this one is good. I love so many things about this show- not least because it actually gets the legal stuff right (of course in hugely simplified form- but that is a requirement of any drama and I am sure that similar things happen on medical shows). In both episodes we saw our Extraordinary Attorney pick out the central issue for the case which had been overlooked by others. In the first episode we actually saw a demonstration of the principle of Reasonable Doubt and how a defense counsel goes about showing it. In the second show we saw another important principle: That in the relationship of Attorney and Client it is the client who ultimately calls the shots- lawyers advise and advocate but it is the client who makes the decisions. The other thing I love about this show is something that I have known for a long time- That not all Autism spectrum people are inf act ‘suffering’ from a ‘disorder’. They are not disabled but rather other abled. Their neurological setup actually confers a huge advantage at times but (and perhaps this is only fair to the rest of us) comes at a price in terms of other things like lowered empathy, etc. It was wonderful to see that our attorney Woo has a classmate as a colleague- - who was jealous of her when she was in law school because no one ever got a higher score on the tests. In any case, who could not love the whales and the revolving door waltz? In any case this show is pure genius, and I can see why Park Eunbin chose it.

LINK, Eat Love Kill is my favorite drama right now. The plot is so interesting and tightly written, with clues scattered throughout (as new developments shed a different light on past scenes I've found myself scrolling through earlier episodes.) There are serious heart fluttering moments between Gye-Hoon and DaHyun, and they are both so sweet personalities at heart that I'm hoping they end up in a beautiful, healthy, non-toxic relationship despite the difficulties Gye-hoon seems to have in expressing love. The scene with everyone confronting the stalker in the restaurant was pure comedic genius (actually, any scene with grandma, mom and DaHyun are pretty much).

Alchemy of Souls- I am enjoying this drama very much. The Hong sisters get a lot of flak for inconsistent writing but the storylines are certainly different and original (I did read that some are saying Alchemy borrows too much from Chinese wuxia dramas but I haven't watched much wuxia recently to know). I'm not getting romantic vibes between Jung So Min and Jang Wook or Seo Yul but I'm watching more for the action.

I watched Us and Them (a Chinese movie from 2019) on Netflix this week and would highly recommend it. Two young people from the countryside trying to make it in the big city (Beijing) meet by chance on a train ride home for the year, then again many years later. In flashbacks we see how they come together and grow apart under the pressures of being young, ambitious, talented and in love but with no money and uncertain prospects. The movie is funny, nostalgic, introspective, sad in many places but not bitter. Zhou Dongyu has a bright, sprite-like air about her which is charming and fit her character perfectly, I would like to see more of her works.

I've finally started Yumi's Cells and I'm loving it! Not as much as S1, but I'm having fun! ^^

Also I'm still watching Insider and enjoying it as well! I think it's Kang Hangul's power mostly, because on paper it's really not a show I would normally watch ahah! But we're halfway through and I'm still as intrigued as ever, hoping it will have a satisfying resolution!

Alchemy of Souls: I keep nodding off and falling asleep on this one. I don't know why. Probably because no one is standing out and grabbing my attention. I'm going to give it another try before I drop this.

Yumi's Cell's 1: On hold. I'm falling asleep on this one as well. Maybe it's just a bad kdrama week for me. I may jump straight to S2.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Love, love, love. It got my full attention 10 minutes in. Woo Young Woo is adorable and her world so endearing.
Throw in the courtroom drama and supportive co-workers and I was sold. I suspect this will be the drama I will stick with till the very end. Also, every time "Lee Junho" was mentioned I smiled involuntarily.

This week, three dramas are fighting about being my favorite… and it looks like a had a lot of free time to watch!
Link
I’m enjoying this show a lot. Mystery, comedy, romance and a lot of beautiful food in the last two episodes – great! And it looks like their connection will work both ways later on, looking forward to that development.
Alchemy of Souls
The new drama-watching project with my best friend. Adding Star Wars to our previous Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Dr. Strange, Indiana Jones references. This show is so much fun!
Café Minamdang
Had I forgotten how much I like Seo In Guk?? The rest of the show also has great visuals: the sets, the fans, the bright colours, the rest of the cast… no wonder there are always lines in front of the café. So in the first two episodes the fake shaman and the so-called ghost are thrown together as enemies, I’m looking forward for when they start working together.
Insider
This doesn’t get easier to watch with different people at the helm or scenes outside the prison (the violence), but I’m all in…
Why Her Ep 9
So the couple are finally together. I’m surprised at myself that I’m much less invested the romance than in Soo-Jae vs. Choi Tae Gook. Their scenes together and the way they are pitting their intellect and their connections against each other is intriguing. And even I’m with the one “normal” person on the legal clinic team that asks why Soo Jae isn’t living with her friend, her mother or at a hotel but with her male student!
Yumi’s Cells 2 Ep 7+8
This show is such an easy watch, but it still gets to me. The aurora had me sitting there with a huge grin on my face, feeling really happy, and the earthquake in Ep. 8 really made me feel apprehensive and nervous. In between,
Jinxed at First
Entertaining – for even more cuteness they added us a real puppie, too!!
To My Star2
Waiting for the final episodes. I actually pounded my couch after the last two eps, because nothing was resolved...
Money Heist
Binge-watched, easily possible with those 6 episodes. I haven’t seen the original, which is probably why I liked this version. They should have used the NK-SK setup more, like the anecdote about people fixing up and selling old cars because everyone in NK wants a status symbol. We love Denver!!
Doctor Lawyer
I’m catching up on this show, up to Ep.5 now. The medicine practice is abominable. Even apart from re-using a donated heart, there’s so much wrong here – I’m trying hard to overlook it. Later on, the legal aspect was what kept me, and of course So Ji Sub and Shin Sung Rok as the charismatic antagonist.
Kiss Sixth Sense
Finished. Hated Ep.11, liked Ep.12 at first, but shook my head later… And contrary to it’s title, it ended with a really lame kiss ☹
Signal
Finished the last 4 episodes after watching this over a long stretch of time. What a great drama, and thanks for Dramabeans to recommend this over and over again. I’m even ok with the open ending.

Alchemy of Souls: today's episode (5) already shows some bad/ weird editing as some of the scenes in preview got lost or even make to the main showtime 😪. Still love their bickering scene but somehow in the middle, I felt it starts loosing its magical touch like previous 4 episodes.

Cafe Minamdang: first episode was great but totally made me off after the second episode 🥲. Had it not because KSY and Mina, perhaps I had already dropped it now. How far the age gap between the main OTP in this drama?

I wish I had time to catch up with EAW, as Park Eun Bin's acting looks so promising compared to her previous work. I am also seeing many upcoming drama in Friday Sat (weekend slot). Rating wise, it will looks so bad for certains drama. Let see how things go for this whole summer break ✌️.

Kiss Sixth Sense: I mostly enjoyed this as a 10-episode drama because of the awesome chemistry between the leads and a great deal more complex and engaging depiction of actual work than the usual workplace drama. I should have stuck with my gut feeling that it was over in all ways that counted at the end of ep. 10. I'm just going to have dramnesia about the other two episodes and pretend the first half of ep. 12 was an epilogue showing the OTP's childhood connection and source of their powers.

Alchemy of Souls: This show is giving me life right now. I don't care about the more ridiculous elements, I just want to gaze at all the pretty and revel in Jung So-min's Hwansu-level mastery of side-eye and murderous glares.

Link: Eat, Love, Kill: Binged to catch up. Holy cow! So good - the counterpoint of suspense, black comedy, grief, attraction, food porn, and dipshit shenanigans from Mom and Grandma is hitting all the right notes for me. The way the show handles womens' trauma and fear of being stalked and attacked is spot-on.

I also finished a rewatch of W - Two Worlds. I mentioned elsewhere that since I already know the thrills/suspense/romance balance and the ending, I can focus on the incredibly complex storyline and details and it’s so much more rewarding than the first time around.

Alchemy of Souls - I like it.

Link: Eat, Love, Kill - I love it. Obsessed with it. All the kids are adults now.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo - Is there anything that Park Eun-bin cant do? She went from playing a violinist, to be a king to play this amazing character that is Woo Young-Woo in what I feel like a year. That is talent. And whales, lets not forget the cute whales.

Why her - Dropped. The moment I had to watch Chan and Yoon-Sang fight about who she should call, I knew this drama was not for me anymore.

Café Minamdang - It is cool, but for some reason I cant fully get into it. I think it took me 4 days to finish just the 1st episode.

Yes, @daebakgrits, I could not believe they didn't at least give young Min-hu a ride back to the orphanage. Show, that was heartless!

I finished The Devil Judge. The last few episodes weren't as gorgeous or as exciting as the rest of it but I still enjoyed it a LOT!

I wish to watch a cute romance with lots of sharp wit and kisses, but sadly most romance shows are very boring for me these days..

Just rewatched Pretty Noona. I don't believe the time jump was 4 years - Jin A said she was turning 40 in the mountains on the overnight trip, so her saying so again doesn't mean much. My guess is a year max based on emotions still running so high and time it could take for new cafes/restaurants to be set up. Gosh that mom is just unbearable; how does she get away with it?
Have just watched the 1st 2 eps of You Are My Spring. Odd but cool. I read somewhere that there is a doppleganger trope so I expect it's the stalker guy since he's been off-ed way too early on.

Interesting: Very few beanies watching Yumi's Cells. Hmmm.

Watching Alchemy of Souls , Insider and Extraordinary Attorney Woo, PEB ❤️
Woo: Can’t wait to see more
Alchemy: Story wanders a bit, watching for Jung So-min
Insider: Behind, enough Beat downs already.

Usual mix of YouTube stuff, history, mishaps, so many fires ! On ships, theaters, hotels, trains, etc. Some film noir and kung Fu movies, audio books as well as tv episodes of Miss Marple and Maigret mysteries.

Shooting star: I was looking for something light and fun after completing my liberation notes so decided to pick this up. Well, I completed it and overall it was a "meh" show. I couldn't really go past the eye-roll inducing 🙄🙄 racism portrayed with the "Africa"/"white (Asian?) savior trope" and since it was a plot point of the drama, left me with a bitter taste and I thought was quite offending. In addition, the OTP was so boring and immature, it was cringey most times for me. I appreciated the romance between the lawyer and journalist which felt organic (both ended up being my favorite characters). That's about it.

Kiss 6th sense: havent watched this week's episodes yet, but I think it's getting better after the debacle that were episodes 7 and 8. Good call making it a 12-episodes series.

Why her? Ep 1: Seo Hyun Jin is one of my favorite actress so I will always check out whatever drama she is in. I started this though and I am still on episode 1, and not really excited about it. I will push through tho at least to episode 4 and see whether to continue or drop.

Now in wait for October and new Spy x Family episodes. No other anime is catching me in the same way.

Dr. Tang - oddly found the lack of focus on the medical procedures nice. Its a decent interim show, nothing stands out too much but the somewhat predicable story lines are a bit comforting. I just dislike her "lets try again" to her cheating husband. Just, nah.

Link (up to Ep4) - sometimes the awkward is a bit too high but otherwise everything is really nicely brought together. The mom's demand her daughter make her proud doesn't sit right, just like the way she hits her. But if she respected her decisions they'd be less conflict.

Completed: Woori The Virgin... I'm at a loss for words.. Could have been put together better or even a couple more seasons to elaborate on some things...

On going:
Why Her: let's just say i'm only watching for the FL.. She rocks!!!

Link: I'm probably the only who thinks the ML should have been re-casted. But other than that, they story line is unique in it's on way.

Jinxed at first: I have that show on pause, it's a little too cringe for me at the moment but i'm planning to pick it back up again once a couple more episodes are released.

Started: Extra-ordinary Attorney... Love, Love, LOVE it. Park Eun-bin is multi talented, I love her dramas. They way she portrays her character is genius. I was a bit hesitant about how they would pull off an autistic character but she is nailing it. You know since the autism spectrum is so wide, I wasst sure which angle they were going to take it.. I'm happy for Kang Tae Oh, this is his first time as the Lead character if i'm not mistaken.

I will eventually start watching Insider and Alchemy of souls.

Completed:
Kiss six sense. Some good moment with excellent main couple chemisty. But half the episodes are a mess. And I do agree that Ye-Sol dad was a jerk for not driving the kid back to the orphanage. They should have keep him for dinner too.
Love me if you dare (cdrama). A bit more intense and violent than expected, but good thriller.

Ongoing
Café Minamdang. Is it fun because I've read the book, or because of my bias for Seo In Guk ? I did not understand the plan but I'm all in for the ride.
Crazy love. How can a fun drama feel so slow ? The story started at ep8. It's not as good as expected.
The murder in Kairoutei (cdrama). Where is the thriller part ? Up to ep8 it mostly a slow romance.
Negociator (cdrama). Seems I was in need of Z Tao voice and brainless romance with arrogant childish CEO and competent FL.

Not watching but I have difficulties avoinding spoilers
Extraordinary Attorney Woo. I'm happy to see Kang Ki-young in what seems to be a serious role and not comic relief. The premice of the show is good, but it seems to me that the "asperger" part is exagerated.

I could feel a bit of a drama slump coming on but thankfully, I think Extraordinary Attorney Woo will be the cure.

It’s been a while since I have fallen in love with characters from the very first episode but how can you not love Youngwoo and her obsession with whales? I am amaze how she manage to connect everything back to whales. Her talent in making connections has already been proven extremely useful in her job as an attorney.
I also really like Junho. He just seems to be a genuine nice guy. He’s patient and caring, and he’s already falling for Youngwoo and I am here for this romance. Please give me an adorable slow burn show.

Anyways, I’m still watching:

Love and Redemption
I’m almost at the end. Poor Shifeng…
Poor Linglong.
Haochen and Wutong are the worst.

Yumi’s Cells
I really hope this whole Daeun story line will serve to show Yumi’s growth. Please let not have her fall victim to jealousy like in season 1. I’m also scared that the drama will follow the webtoon’s story and leave us hanging without a season 3.

Eve
I’m living off the crumbs of Eunpyung content they give us. I fear that the only outcome for his character is either corruption or death…or both. I’m hoping for neither.

I started Be Melodramatic . I’m almost halfway through but I am a bit underwhelmed. I really want to love it. I really do. However, I am having a hard time connecting to the story and most of the characters/relationships. I also saw a spoiler that bummed me out. The only relationship I am somewhat invested in is the one between the idol and her manager. Can we have more of them please? I also wish I was more invested in the core friendship too.

I had to drop Tracer because the last 3 episodes are not going to get English subs. I am not too sad about it because I had lost interest in the main storyline. I’m just a bit disappointed since I was so close to the end.

Outside of dramaland, I finished Stranger Things season 4. What a phenomenal season but can they please leave my poor Max alone? Max and Lucas are officially my favourite ship in this show. They’ve grown so much and they are so perfect for each other now. And we all know Eleven did not commission that sweet drawing, my poor Will! Also, we finally have a true villain! The wait for the final season is going to be excruciating!

I’m also watching Ms Marvel. It’s different than the original comics (which I am rereading between episodes) but I’m still enjoying it. I hope they’ll do that clone storyline in the show. It was my favourite part of the comics; it’s absolutely hilarious.

Seems like a lot of beanies are missing out on Eve. It's wayyy better than many of the currently airing dramas imo.

@unit Ultimate MacGuffin of 2022- Gye-hoon’s restaurant!

@DaebakGrits I’m totally with you about not driving little Min-hu home! I actually had a long gripe about that in my original weecap (like, who are these people?!) but then my weecap turned into such a grumpfest I cut some of my complaining (including that segment) 😆