Missed my Once upon a small town sunshine boost this week 😞

Young Actors retreat❤️
Episode 6
I can’t believe it’s the last day of the retreat they worked them hard during this weekend. The shouting game was the highlight of this week.

Seasons of Blossom
So so sweet to see the handholding in plain sight. Unrequited love colleague is heading in the direction usually occupied by the annoying female second lead. We really don’t need it in this drama and it is the character I dislike the most in any love triangle.

Love is for suckers
Loving this because finally we have a ‘does what it says on the tin’ rom com drama. Been waiting for the longest time. The familiar meet up place is becoming one of the main characters in dramas these days especially if it’s run by friends or parents. This show’s venue joins the ranks of Cheer up (2022) Law cafe, Business proposal, Hi, bye mama, Our beloved summer, Soundtrack #1, 20th century boy and girl, Playful kiss, Yumi’s cells, Thirty nine…

Mental coach Jegal
Continuing to love the team work and so glad to see the two coachees were supporting each other in Gil’s, thankfully short lived, absence.

Gaus electronics
Much better interactions this week bullying toned right down so it looks like we can stay for the duration.

Love in Contract
The pacing is all over the place in this show but I finally started to see humour popping up more regularly and a reason to connect with the romance storyline. Poor Gwangnam, I really felt it for him this week, he needs a decent friend not random sex with strangers to feel better.

Cheer up
Enjoyed the start but will need to see if the mystery remains Scooby doo style rather than proper scary to see if I can watch and/or fast forward or follow from the safe distance of the weecap.

Three bold siblings
This week will determine if I follow consistently or just dip in and out when I want something to watch. I don’t get what stopped Taejoo from following through with her plan to avoid evil grandmother and her toxic conversations. Also I am confused how they think causing public humiliation to a has been star will bringing Taejoo closure through revenge and still boost Sangjoon’s career.

One dollar lawyer
Had to fast forward to avoid any scariness so not as connected to the characters this week. May drop if they don’t move on to another case by the end of episode 6.
It looks like the beginning of a love triangle was being set up in 5 but I am hoping both men have been friend zoned.

One day or someday Taiwanese
Episode 4 Having finally survived the overplaying of the theme song I have been sucked into the fantasy story and watching eagerly to see how it plays out

Little Women: Lots of twists and turns this week. I didn’t expect Park Jae-sang to die in the penultimate week but Sang-ah was always the ultimate villain anyway. I’m glad In-hye and Hyo-rin ran away together. I thought their devotion to each other was touching. Maybe they can come back when everything is all over and Hyo-rin can be the fourth sister.

Glitch: Episodes 1-4: It starts off a bit slow but the writing has funny moments and the directing choices elevate the material. I like Jeon Yeo-bin and Nana in their roles. I wish it lost the cult angle and was straight up sci-fi but Koreans have an obsession with cults.

Gaus Electronics: They had me at the parachute scene. I love the absurd. The humor reminds me of the kind of humor in Work Later, Drink Now and Pegasus Market, which is right up my alley. Kwak Dong-yeon plays the hapless, eager beaver well.

May it Please the Court: A little too much time spent on Gi-do and the overarching murder mystery this week. I just want to watch Chak-hee and Si-baek bicker and have interesting cases of the week. The chain letter was funny.

Love is For Suckers: This has more depth than I was expecting. I really liked the scene where the blind date told the ML off for being rude. The characters feel like people in their 30’s moreso than in most kdramas. I enjoy the more adult humor; the penis fish had me doing a double take lol.

Love in Contract: I enjoyed this week’s episodes more than the previous four. I love socially awkward Ji-ho. I still don’t like Kang Hae-jin. He has zero boundaries. I just want Ji-ho and Kwang-nam to be happy.

Bad Prosecutor: Boring. I barely made it through the first episode.

Cheer Up: I watched Episode 1 but don’t really feel like continuing. Nothing really stood out to me, and I didn’t care for either the mystery or the characters.

The Empire: This week was pretty boring. My eyes glaze over when they talk about Christmas Fund. I hope the mistress is the one in the body bag, but it could be great-grandma or the daughter. I do think it was pretty funny how many people knew about the affair despite the professor thinking he was so slick.

Three Brave Siblings: Four episodes with flashbacks of 40 year olds playing college age was too much. I don’t know what is going on with Im Joo-hwan, maybe he was miscast, but he is weirdly jovial. It doesn’t suit him. None of the characters or couples are very appealing. I really dislike the moms and sisters. KBS needs to work on casting. There is not a Lee Se-hee or Lee Sang-yi in this cast.

I need to catch up on The Golden Spoon.

Dropped: Bad Prosecutor - Feels like the wrong type of crazy and Ha Joon’s typecast as villain again.

Also watching:
- Seasons of Blossom (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D+
- Cheer Up (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D
- Love is for Suckers (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D+

Unicorn (Series review)
While the overall drama was thematically more relevant than anything Start-Up could’ve dreamed of being, its brand of absurdist humour reminded me of Pegasus Market and I couldn’t help but compare: this drama didn’t have the subtlety in its jokes or a strong narrative foundation relatively speaking. Even considering that it was branded as a sitcom rather than a show, I found the script disjointed and incohesive initially. But I grew to enjoy the randomness that was Maccom even if the introduction of Magneta kinda destroyed Jay’s arc and needlessly complicated the finale.

Gaus Electronics (Episode 1-2) - Mood: C
Kwak Dong Yeon in a lead role? Sign me up! There are some major weaknesses in the show particularly for the characterisation of the female characters: both Na Rae and Gang Mi just pale in comparison to Sang Sik and Ma Tan. I think continuing the first love arc was a big mistake: it should’ve been a cameo with her leaving with Yoon Bak!

The Golden Spoon (Episode 3-4) - Mood: C-
It really sucks to see yet another second female lead reduced into an antagonist again: the writer should’ve introduced more variety by having a character who altruistically used the golden spoon: maybe someone who used it to save a life and sacrificed themselves (or a reverse Na Ra)? I get the propaganda of not being greedy but one character’s enough.

Love in Contract (Episode 5-6) - Mood: C-
I’m sure I’m not the only one whose mind is drifting away when it’s not Sang Eun or Ji Ho or Gwang Nam on the screen: Gwang Nam’s arc in particular is carrying the show’s narrative substance by itself? It’s funny how the same cliffhanger (Sang Eun open-eyed in total shock, Ji Ho with the subtle jealousy) from last week got me squealing instead this week.

Blind (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D+
With hilariously incompetent members like the spectacled cop, it’s no wonder that Sung Joon’s become a lone wolf: his trusted partner is handicapped by the traitor while the team leader is suspended by the corrupt chief. Baek fridging his own wife randomly was a really confusing narrative choice? I’ve seen this he’s-the-killer song and dance before: yawn!

Little Women (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D
Besides the lazy repetition of the cliffhanger from last week (I was about to swear if Won Sang Woo died for nothing!), I also see that the writer kinda pulled the sending abroad card when it comes to Hyo Jin and In Hye which was one more disappointment because hello main character? It’s quite bad when you know the story could’ve ended with 2 gunshots.

Gaus - not everything made me laugh when I was watching the first episode and I was unsure about continuing... but... then they introduced Chaebol with his special Tintin hairstyle and I was in stitches 😂 From that moment I embraced all the special humour and absurdity (parachute? Suuuure 🤣) and I'm enjoying the ride.

Surprisingly I'm also enjoying Cheer Up, much more than I was expecting. Could be mainly because of the spunky Heroine who seems to be a bit of a Candy but definitely not a Doormat. And because of my weakness for Bae Inhyuk. 😊

Seasons of Blossom - my heart nearly exploded during that one scene on the rooftop 🥰

Still watching Love in Contract (and still being a member of Jiho's funclub). Planning to check Love Is For Suckers.

Whenever there is not much to watch I postpone this entry another week in order to cover more later. Real life also added some weeks. Woops.

Shining Inheritance💍(28/28): Grandmother collapsed and nearly got dismissed from her position. She did reconcile with Hwan and became closer with him again. Jun-Se and Seung-Mi got rejected by our OTP members. Evil stepmom lost Eun-Woo again. Dad finally appeared in front of Eun-Sung, they reunited with Eun-Woo and the problems got resolved. A lot happened in the last six episodes that I think could have been paced better over the whole 28 episodes, but Hwan makes more than up for it. His love of self-pity used to be the only pairing I could get behind at the beginning, but character development! Now I am annoyed we did not get more romantic moments between him and Eun-Sung, he was very serious about it!☺️

Mystic Pop-Up Bar Rewatch🍶(12/12): This one still holds up! Going into detail about the story feels redundant: you either have seen it and are well aware, or I am saving you from spoilers. Speaking of spoilers, it is so much fun knowing where to look for the signs that I missed back when it aired in 2020. This little gem was a great comfort during the lockdown and a great reminder these past few weeks. Sometimes all you need is a nice drink with some good company.🥰

The Law Café⚖️☕(10/16): After Shining Inheritance I was in need of romcoms and more Lee Seung-Gi. I should have known it would be too good to be true. Kim Seul-Gi is barely present and the plot thrives on Noble Idiocy and over-the-top antics that do not always work well for me. Bless Lee Se-Young and Lee Sung-Gi for working their acting magic on the story and turning it into an enjoyable performance. Whenever something falls flat for me, I just have to watch Seung-Gi’s expressions to get invested again. The guy can pine, nag or judge all he wants and I gobble it all up!😁

Love In Contract❤️📄(6/16): Does Ji-Ho actually need speech therapy? The man snarks fluently with Hae-Jin.😆This show was supposed to be a romcom afterthought in my schedule, but during the first episode it somehow transformed into the highlight of my week. Probably the Go Gyung-Pyo bias reacting.🤭Speaking of high lights…the lights in the stairway that kept switching off!😂 Why jump up and down like Sang-Eun or lazily wave like Hae-Jin to switch them on again, when you can perform like Ji-Ho? Honestly, I barely paid attention to their contract negotiations, because I could not stop laughing.🤣 Also, can we find a nice gentleman and supportive environment for Gwang-Nam please?🙏🏻

Love Between Fairy and Devil - finished.
I started this show partly because I missed Alchemy... and like Mudok, the Devil is an anti-hero starting with a heart full of Revenge and No Mercy slowly changing and allowing Love and Friendships to bloom. His journey was the highlight for me (Dylan Wang was excellent!) and I laughed and cried and felt so much for the Devil (his mourning for Fairy devastated me). The love between Fairy and Devil is of course central, but I quite liked the growing respect and friendship between Devil and our second male lead Changheng... and the complicated relationship of Devil and his brother. The show is not perfect, especially the side stories could be tighter and better written... and I'm also no fan of predetermined fate and those predestined trials and sufferings... but... the messages about love and evil in our hearts were quite well done. I was also glad that the show ended on a happy note (and that the final fight was not a devastating war between the clans, but all tribes joining the forces to beat the Evil Spirit). All in all I definitely don't regret spending my time with this drama. And although I was not obsessed with it, it is still lingering with me.

The Empire - Now that’s how you handle an affair. Han Hye-ryul really had the greatest composure during that scene. Put them in their place. I do want it to be a bluff when she said she won’t confront Geun-woo. I want her to confront him.
Is that man really her dad? I understand that you are not party to your daughter’s politics but to participate in endangering her like that, right after he warned someone not to come after him if they want to get at her. Its…I don’t know…a bit confusing. Not to talk of the way he minimized his daughters morals in front of his right hand guy at the law firm. Who sells their kids like objects? How did he even get into Director Ham’s skirts?

Good Job and Unicorn remained laughfests down to the end. I do hope to see more of Lee Jun-hyuk in his next project. Even Na-hee got way more screen time than he did.

May It Please The Court - Tease me all you want, you need more than those red herrings to convince me of Shi-baek being the bad guy. I refuse to be shaken.
I find it really nice that Shi-baek’s legal method (his empathy and connection to the clients) is rubbing off on Chak-hee and she’s getting jealous of it. A change of environment was what she needed all this time. Jangsan air is and was really bad for her. She didn’t recognize herself now that she’s on the other side of things.

Love in Contract - Ji-ho has my heart over and over. Sang-eun’s first love is Ji-ho 🤭. That kiss…I really find their connection subtle yet strong.

Love is For Suckers - Another show that has my heart in strings. Completely.

Little Women - Sang-ah has changed. Like 720° change. It’s confusing yet interesting. The three sisters gave it their all this week. In-hye’s psyche being able to withstand the effect of Sang-ah’s made my day.
Choi Do-il’s wardrobe is sending me one step towards the cloth shop.

Three Siblings Bravery - I know for sure that I’m seeing this through to the end, but I need more.

One Dollar Lawyer - Some big question. How does Ji-hun afford his suits? And where’s Lee Chung-ah?
One Dollar Lawyer is a fun watch. I do want another courtroom session.

I hope to pick up Bad Prosecutor and possibly little doses of Glitch.

The Law Cafe and Glitch They both have the same psy :p

Cheer Up I'm happy that the FL is not totally a Candy.

Mental Coach Jegal I really liked the main characters. I need the athletes to be happy far from the politics.

Love is for Suckers There is nothing new in this story but it's fun.

Gaus Electronics Poor Kwak Dong-Yeon and his little pure heart.

The Golden Spoon I'm not fond of the ML, I don't like how he manipulates everyone around him.

One Dollar Lawyer NGM is married!

Little Women I'm happy there are only 12 episodes because it's pretty intense.

Seasons of Blossom I would like this drama changes for Orange's story, it would be less hurtful to watch.

May It Please the Court The story is very confusing. There are the politics between the couple, the murders, the heroes but the ML didn't have so many scenes in the last 2 episodes except bringing coffee to FL who didn't really deserve them...

Young Actors' Retreat By choosing Kwak Dong-Yeon for the water game, they agreed with what always thought, he was the second lead in Moonlight and not Ji-Young :p The trio was the best part! It's nice to see the actors bonding together.

Currently watching: Love in Contract (it's interesting how she's with Hae-jin when she's always tired); Love is for Suckers (in for just episode 1 but it looks promising); The Golden Spoon (hope he realizes his life was better even without money); One Dollar Lawyer (now they've got a murder case!); Little Women (hope they get In-hye back soon); Bad Prosecutor (also just one episode in, still under consideration if I will continue). Just trying to fill up on beans for the year-end beanie count :)

Law Café Ep.6
The Car of Doom and it’s physical consequences (minor injuries on both hands? No way…) were totally ridiculous. But the emotional development between our couple and also their family was great to watch, the shaman story was funny and Jo Han Chul seems to have the time of his life playing the over-the-top crazy chaebol, his outfits are even more outrageous than the FL’s…
Little Women
Final weekend already… The last two episodes were great and I’m looking forward to the finale.
Blind Ep.6
Sometimes this feels like an Agatha Christie closed room mystery, with the suspicious jurors and trying to find out who the 5 kids from the past are. But then you see this horrible bunch of misogynistic, violent, ruthless, corrupt child abusers or the horrible parents and it gets really painful to watch. The relationship between the brothers is intriguing, and I still trust no-one in this drama, not even our only ray of hope, the FL social worker.
Youth MT Ep.4
So much fun to watch!
Seasons of Blossom:
Love this drama and it’s sad atmosphere in the storyline, music, lighting, colourways…
One Dollar Lawyer Ep.4
Our lawyers main job seems to be to look stunning in suits and sunglasses, and he does a little pro-bono attorney work on the side. And to model checkered suits – just imagine anyone you know wearing those, they all would look awful and old-fashioned. Loved when he changed into “something I can move in” and came back wearing another complete suit with shirt and tie😉. Also the hair issue 😊 I totally fell in love when he was walking hand in hand with the child and touched up his hair! Business Proposal grandpa is back and wonderful, too. Show, please don’t bring in a serial murder or corruption on a huge scale, you’re fine as you are.
Love Is For Suckers Ep.2
Got sucked into this by an article on Soompi and really liked the first two episodes. Another fun adult romcom, and I hope it stays adult later on (looking at you Kiss Sixth Sense…)
Love In Contract
Caught up on this, how great is it to be able to watch 6 episodes in a row! I liked Ep. 6 best so far, it had everything – conflict, communication, romance, SLS… and the promised Mo/Wed/Fr and Tue/Wed/Sat thing is finally in place.
180 Degrees Longitude Passing Through Us – Finished
This is a short Thai BL, but totally different from others, starting with the title. It’s an artistic chamber piece about 3 people, filmed in a gorgeous, modern house in the country, written and directed by the same person. The music, the colorways, the location, the symbolism, the dialogue, the acting – everything is thought out and goes together to show their inner feelings. A wonderful slow, sad drama with a message, and I highly recommend it.
KDrama friend projects:
Golden Spoon and The Scholar Who Walks the Night.

Tooooooo many dramas!

Little Women, ep10: still loving it. Still not entirely sure who's on whose side because the writer is having waaaay too much fun leading us down the wrong path, but I am really wanting to know how it will all end!

Golden Spoon, ep5: Taeyoung, noooooooo! He can't go back to that awful family. I'm hoping that the vague memories of family he has will push him into action. Why can't Seungcheun and Taeyoung team up, writer-nim?

One Dollar Lawyer, ep5: NGM is a legend, but this is a show that plods a little. Good story, but it's taking 60 mins to tell a 30 min story.

Glitch, ep5: bonkers, but kind of compelling. The reveal at the end of ep5 was good - not entirely unexpected, but still good!

Law Cafe, ep10: probably just in it for the bean now. I find overly-protective men sooooooooooo off-putting and the stuff Jeongho was up to was too much. But then there's a common theme in this drama: people doing stuff that is criminal/damaging/offensive and it being billed as comedy/cute/justifiable. Grrrrr.

Young Actors' Retreat: their half-jest at breakfast about getting more air time was revealing. As was the fact that HIY really is hopeless at pretty much everything! Not really become a fan of PBG based on the projects of his I've seen, but I really respect his awareness of, and care for, others.

Cheer Up: not sure why I like this as much as I do, but I do. Maybe because it's comfortingly "normal K-drama", doesn't require me to think and isn't about the law.

Bad Prosecutor: will give it the benefit of next week, but it's not good enough to demand my attention. Just made me aware that DO's pretty short!

I am on the road this week so I only had time to watch episode 3 of Haeundae Lovers. I am still enjoying the old school look and feel. JYJ should do more comedy leads.

Gaus Electronics: 8.0

One Dollar Lawyer: 7.5

Law Cafe: 5.0 Seriously? Standing in the middle of the street like a couple of retarded vehicle-of-doom magnets? Couldn't they have had her get hit by a falling piano or something? Maybe a fragment of the asteroid the U.S. just smashed something into?

Cheer Up: 6.5 Not great but it's now the show I look forward to the most. That has nothing to do with the prospect of hot cheerleaders dancing around. I swear.

May It Please the Court: 6.5

Love Is For Suckers: 8.5 The writer's sense of humor 🤣. Pleasant surprise, since the only other show of hers I've seen was Joseon Survival. I don't recall that one trying hard to be funny before it got crushed by the ML's scandal.

Love in Contract: 7.5 How much does the writer actually know (or care) about cat allergies?

Bad Prosecutor Kdrama: 👎 Really bad. Well-chosen title. Out after one episode.

Glitch: 👎 Netflix did me a favor by making the first ep uninteresting enough to rescue my Friday and leave me time to catch up on other shows.

Three very different dramas have just the right level of weirdness for me, GAUS ELETRONICS, GLITCH and CHEER UP. Kwak Dong-yeon and the rest of the cast has me in stitches and I love how unpredictable the next turn of events/mishaps is. The chaebol heir parachuting to work being run over by a car after the landing is weird comedy gold. It is not for the first time that I have noticed similarities between English and Korean humour.

Even though Scifi is not my favourite genre, I would check out any drama from the writer of EXTRACURRICULAR - and I am not disappointed even after only the first episode. There are finally aliens in a Scifi, but are they real?

Only managed 1/2 episode of CHEER UP and I love the costumes, they are so over the top, but strangely attractive. Luckily the recap gave the explanation - they are in the style of the to me previously unknown Korean designer Andre Kim. I looked him up and his designs are fabulous! The rookie actors are doing ok as well.

Can't wait to finally find out which side Do-il is on in LITTLE WOMEN.

The plot in MY IT PLEASE THE COURT is at last thickening, I really like Jung Ryeo-won in this drama and how her character is coming face to face with the fall out of her previous work.

ONE DOLLAR LAWYER is nice to watch, but LAW CAFE less and less so, the ridiculous truck of doom scene was just too silly, although I like Jo Han-jul's villain.

Not sure whether I like that there is more than one GOLDEN SPOON in the drama. The story is certainly not what I thought it would be.

LOVE IS FOR SUCKERS looks good so far.

Literally the only thing I watched this week was Never Give Up, which I finished yesterday. (I was traveling last weekend which accounts for my slower-than-normal pace.)

BUT, it has been a long time since I watched a drama as heartwarming as this one. They explored so many relationships, obviously starting and ending with the bromance between our two leads, but I also loved the ones between Pil-su and his wife, between Man-geum and pretty much everyone, and between Pil-su and Eun-ho (what a rollercoaster this one turned out to be!). I laughed and smiled the whole way through the finale, except when I was crying for like two minutes there in the middle.

I loved that Pil-su's struggle was never one of character, just of circumstance. Sometimes he makes the wrong decision, but it's never for the wrong reason. And I adored watching Seok's growth into humility and and compassion as he tried to honor the vision of his business and make it successful at the same time.

Shout out to Seul-gi, who remained a favorite throughout! The subtle whiffs of romance were the perfect amount, and I was so excited we got to meet her dad, who was exactly as awesome as I suspected he would be!

Gaus Electronics *6/10*
Solid start, and I came for our ML. Humour is a bit hit or miss for me so far, hence the score. Can’t imagine this one blows any minds, but makes me chuckle.

Love in Contract *7/10*
PMY usually picks good projects, whether from a commercial or story standpoint though they rarely happen in the same show. I’m not sure with this one. The tone is a bit odd, and nothing here is firing on all cylinders but I’m still watching.

Love is for Suckers *7.5/10*
Lee Da-Hee as the FML, yeeeeees. Choi Si-won is also usually charming, and he continues to be here. Long time friends to lovers is a trope I can get behind, and we’ve already got some sparks with a flash forward showing the future (though hopefully not TOO far in the future). It’s good, if not excellent after the first two episodes and I’ll be looking forward to next week!

The Golden Spoon *7/10*
I like all the leads, and it’s a fairly unique premise that could go in various different ways. Good so far but the ambiguity works both for and against it. They could take it in an interesting direction…or they could lean hard into the cliches and sort of drop the ball. Just ekes it’s way into ‘good’ territory on my scale where 5 is average.

One Dollar Lawyer *8/10* Greeeeat.
The anime style opening was a surprise (and delight!) and really fits the show itself. I love the cast, and they all seem to be having a good time. No mustache twirling villains and some fun shenanigans mean I’m really enjoying this one. Namkoong Min is always great, so I had no doubt he would continue crushing it. I’m also really enjoying Kim Ji-Eun as the FL. She’s not being given anything heavy or super dramatic, but her constant reactions do crack me up.

Bad Prosecutor *6.5/10*
No expectations going in, and it was above average in it’s opening episodes. Plucky ML who’s morally grey to get the cartoon bad guys can be fun, but rarely elevates to greatness. Not a show I’m chomping at the bit to see, but I’ll keep watching for at least a second week.

Mental Coach Jegal *8.5/10*
Probably my favourite show right now. Our ML is charming and I’m a fan of him helping others heal while dealing with his own issues and the world constantly kicking his feet out from under him. This one has a few villains that would normally have me rolling my eyes, but actually comes off as depressingly possible with how corrupt certain sports organizations can be. It’s great to see our FL gaining confidence and actually getting some of that mental support she so desperately needs.

Love Between Fairy and Devil *8/10*
It popped up on Netflix and I decided to give it a shot. I’m about 17 or so episodes in now, and I’ll be honest, the first few episodes were pretty rough. Our FL was a bit blandly nice and generic but it’s winning me over. The world is getting fleshed out and characters are evolving as layers are peeled back. Very different from most the...

For the first time ever, I'm watching a bunch of dramas that are actually on the air right now. Usually, I have the mental bandwidth to maybe watch one, lol.

I jokingly said I was going to watch every current legal drama since they are all on the air at the same time for some reason, so I'm watching The Empire of Law, The Law Café, May It Please the Court, and of couse, One Dollar Lawyer, lol. Unexpectedly, I'm also enjoying all these dramas, but for a different reason for each one.

I'm also watching Love In Contract which turned out to be quite different than the fluffy fake-marriage drama I thought it was going to be based on the trailer and the title sequence.

Up to ep 20 of Love Between Fairy and Devil and it's my current crack drama. I can sense the coming angst and I know it's gonna hurt so good.

Started the Cdrama Le Coup de Foudre after reading the novel, and I'm glad the drama kept the interview/memory format from the novel. Enjoyed the novel a lot and so far I really like the drama.

My list is getting fuller and fuller, so many series that fit into my prey scheme that I don't have time at all to deal with dramas that only partially entertain me.

My personal favourite is still THE LAW CAFÉ. The special preview for episodes 11/12 makes me all jittery.

CHEER UP started with two good episodes that made me want more. I found the FL in particular refreshing and very likeable.

LOVE IS FOR SUCKERS also got off to a promising start. I especially like that the two main characters are in their mid-30s and in the thick of life.

It's a shame that LITTLE WOMEN ends tomorrow. I will miss the roller coaster ride with all the twists and turns.

This week, MAY IT PLEASE THE COURT had me laughing in tears at times. The criminal case also became even more exciting.

I'm through with GLITCH by now. The series was okay, but I will have forgotten it quickly.

Dropped LOVE IN CONTRACT. Originally I was going to watch two more episodes until I made up my mind, but I didn't have time because I wanted to watch the better dramas first, then I forgot all about it. For me a hint that I shouldn't invest more time.

TRACER--Since Viki picked it up I finally get to watch this. Due to Misaeng, I am going to always give any project with Im Si Wan a chance. I am drawn in by the story and acting and haven't been ff anything except the excessive work place violence (awful). It is well-written, but some of the directorial or editorial choices make me scratch my head and throw me out of the drama for a moment. However, the real gem is Im Si Wan who is absolutely charming as Hwang Dong Joo, who comes with tactical brilliance and sarcastic repartee to seek his revenge. It is extremely satisfying to watch him and his team take down the corrupt cronies one at a time.

FIGHT SONG (Japan)--adorable love story that starts off with a pragmatic contract that can't hide how suited these two are for each other. And there is a lovely found family that is at the center of heroine's support network. My favorite aspect though is the FL. She is very much her own person and has a refreshing maturity. Plus! We actually have a mature conversation between the couple about consent (in this case she educates him about the non-romantic nature of an ambush kiss) and drama vs. reality. Wow! I had to pick up my jaw. There is something about the realness and earnestness of (many) Jdramas that I gravitate toward.

BAD PROSECUTOR, LOVE IS FOR SUCKERS--watched the first episodes of each and I think I will continue. I am wearied by the prevalence of corrupt officials, but intrigued by D.O. in this role--he really is a chameleon actor. The later was fun, but I am so not a fan of Western (specifically British and American)-over dramatic dating "reality" shows that rely on sensationalism and salacious scandal. I was not a fan of seeing that aspect in the work of the other PD; I just hope it is not brought into the main storyline when the FL helms "Kingdom of Love". But perhaps the writer has set up the other PD as a rather obvious foil for our FL. I will give it a chance.

Thanks to beanie buzz, I watched Ghost Doctor this week and it was just the brom-com I didn’t know I needed in my life. I haven’t loved a male friendship as much as this since Chief Kim.💗 You know, we get lovely sisterhood dramas, but not enough brom-coms or platonic-coms. K-ent, please fulfil my wish!

It was my first time seeing Rain in a drama, and I thought he was excellent! He has a real charisma/compelling onscreen presence. I guess I wasn’t expecting it! Kim Beom was great too but I’m not sure he pulled off being possessed by Rain’s character as well as he could have. Some actors (like Ji Sung) can convey being a different character so subtly, but those are big shoes to fill and KB did well overall. The love lines in this show were a bit superfluous, so I wish they had either developed them more, or made them more peripheral. The way they actually played out made the FLs very one-dimensional and under-utilised.

I started Love is for Suckers and I love seeing the lives of (late) thirtysomethings portrayed. The innuendo is good fun and so far, I’m intrigued enough to want to stay. I just wish it could be a full on platonic-friends-com, and explore how such good friends transition through that stage of life without falling in love with each other. For example, what happens to their friendship once one of them gets married - can they maintain the depth of their platonic love? Or what if they both choose to stay single - how does that friendship and companionship grow and/or change over time?

I also started Good Job and whilst it’s not blowing me away, it’s good fun! Lots of suspension of disbelief needed, but once I let go of any expectation of realism, I could enjoy it, and find myself wanting to binge it.

LITTLE WOMEN: Still breathtakingly good. This show is a master class in how to keep up the adrenaline rushes while not sacrificing character integrity, so although I'm a little nervous about how it will all end, I (mostly) trust the writers to not screw it up. I'll miss the stunning cinematography the most.

LOVE IN CONTRACT: I watched the first four episodes and although I love both the male leads, I'm really struggling with suspending disbelief when it comes to the FL's (completely improbable) profession. But the bigger problem is that I just don't like Park Min-Young's character. I find her to be super unrelatable, even by kdrama standards. The intense foregrounding of her extreme beauty in nearly every scene borders on fetishization (did we need those two workout scenes, especially the second one with the hanging ribbon thing-ie?), but I also just don't feel for her at all, even with her lonely orphan backstory. She's rude and haughty a lot of the time, especially with Kim Jae-young's character, and he clearly has no chance with her. Even with her best friend (whose appearance sometimes--but not always-- tempers the casual homophobia of other parts of the show and is poignant when the focus is on his inability to connect with his sisters) I find her to be a bit of an empty vessel. Go Kyung-pyo's character is the most interesting and sympathetic, but I think he deserves better than to end up with the woman who he first saw in his courtroom multiple times (and yet we're supposed to believe she didn't remotely recognize him). I'll probably watch another episode or two, but I'm not loving this.

LAW CAFE: In contrast, I really like the FL in this one (as well as the ML) and this week was no exception, even with her shutting out the ML this week. This isn't an amazing romcom, but it just works for me.

GOLDEN SPOON: The suspense factor in this one is way more intense than I was expecting, and there's a hopelessness running through the stories that makes me sad. But it also means that this drama has a lot of depth, and yet is still fun. I have no idea what will happen, and I love that.

CHEER UP: I watched the first 15 minutes but it didn't grab me. I was hoping for more melancholy tone (like "Love All Play," which I loved) but it's so relentlessly bright and shiny. I might try it again later but I'm not in a hurry to do so.

MAY IT PLEASE THE COURT: I like the female inspector who is putting the pieces together. The leads continue to be charming and funny together (loved that chain email!) although I started to get a bit bored with the whatever is going on with her old boss and his wife.

Love in Contract - Go Kyung-pyo as Ji-ho is fantastic. His scenes are great even when he isn't saying anything.

Love is for Suckers - A fun watch with, surprisingly, a lot of relatable stuff.

One Dollar Lawyer - I'm still wondering if we'll ever find out where our one dollar lawyer lives! On a different note, I want all of the sunglasses Namgoong Min is wearing in this drama!

One Dollar Lawyer. Too bad, too bad. I haven't said "a twinkie without a filling" for a while but it's apt here. Where's the Chief Kim/Fiery Priest/Vincenzo writer when NGM needs him?

Our newest favorite on-air show is GAUS ELECTRONICS. Two episodes in but it seems possible that the lesson of BUSINESS PROPOSAL may have sunk in- real comedy makes for a good show. Here’s hoping the writer can keep it up.

Of course, LOVE IS FOR SUCKERS is also a new favorite. I thought that pairing Choi Siwon and Lee Dahee in a friends to lovers romcom should be a surefire hit- and it looks like it will be. So much was packed into the first two episodes: Our wrier is looking to write a complex plot that will fill all of the episodes.

My wife returned to her beloved Chinese Costume Dramas with LOVE BETWEEN FAIRY AND DEVIL and, after a really intense binge watch, concluded that it is simply fantastic. She went on to watch ETERNAL LOVE 3 which she says is simply weird (and not nearly as good as LOVE BETWEEN FAIRY AND DEVIL).

She has continued her watch of THE RINGS OF POWER on Amazon.

She is also still hooked on LITTLE WOMEN. “It keeps getting crazier” So, of course she loves it. Score one for Netflix.

The new weekender THREE BOLD SIBLINGS is off to a promising start, though ratings were relatively low for the first episodes. It is a slow start- which is ok- but so much of the first four episodes was taken up concentrating on the ML and FL that most of the other chracters have simply not really been fleshed out yet. We will see how this goes but I expect that we may see more of the rest of the characters in future episodes. One interesting development: It appears that our youngest sibling, the beautiful Pilates Instructor really is two-timing. Frankly, I like it when we have a very flawed selfish character rather than just a sweet, sympathetic one and we will have fun watching that situation blow up. On a more positive note: Our ML has finally found a route to helping our FL- and it is one that places them on a path to an eventual re-union. But not before we get lots of angst as well as a warring families scenario.

Unit, I too once stalled out about mid-way through watching MY HUSBAND GOT A FAMILY and I am still not sure why. I really should go back and check it out again.

Namkoon Min is once again delivering a good performance in ONE DOLLAR LAWYER. I liked her grandfather’s reasoning for sending the FL to intern with our titular one dollar lawyer. Grandpa definitely knows what he is doing: He not only wants his granddaughter to learn skills she will get no-where else but, even more important- to develop the heart for good lawyering.

I finally finished the C-drama CUTE PROGRAMMER. It was mostly good but, at thirty episodes, it was simply too long with too many added tropes thrown in to simply lengthen the show.

I lasted through one episode of BAD PROSECUTOR, and I am out. The writing is a deplorable waste of the talent of our leads. But other people like it so maybe it is just me. I am usually not that fond of most legal shows so that may be part of it too.

Recently finished:

Good Job: Fun watch. Great cast.

Here's My Plan: This is from 2021 with just 4 episodes. A really wonderful and challenging watch. A psychological portrait of forgiveness and healing. Great cast. Highly recommend.

Love in Contract: Just about 2 episodes in. I think if there weren't so many k-dramas from the past and coming out new I would keep watching this. But, I'm not hooked yet.

Ongoing:
I made a promise to myself that I would finish the dramas that I was nearly done with but somehow I lost my desire to watch. My weekend plan:

Red Sleeve: Just a few episodes to go. I really enjoy historical works, but this one just didn't grab me. I know people loved it, so with only about 3 episodes left, I promised myself to finish. Maybe I'll change my mind.

It's Okay Not to be Okay. Also just a few episodes left to finish. I think I found this one distracting because I didn't like how the stories of the patients were handled. I kinda think this one is overrated but maybe I'll change my mind once I get through the last few episodes.

Attorney Woo: I've never been a fan of Law shows and episodic shows, and this is both. I left it halfway and got distracted by other more interesting dramas (to me). This show reminds me of The Good Doctor (it seems like almost the same show). I dropped the Good Doctor and never looked back.

Meanwhile, back in the non-Korean drama world: I'm watching She Hulk witch is lots of fun. And, I am up to season 4 of Stranger Things. It doesn't have the magic of the early seasons, but I'm still mostly enjoying.

Happy watching everyone!!!

Watching K dramas, Little Women, Cheer Up, Golden Spoon and Glitch. I did try Love is for Suckers , didn’t work for me.
Still working on Ojakgyo Brothers

J drama 13 Lords of the Shogun .
I did watch an old Japanese musical, First Love of Okon (1958), a fox spirit is caught in a trap. She pleads for a woodcutter to save her.
She repays the woodcutter by saving his beloved from the clutches of a corrupt official. Enjoyable as characters break into song throughout. Had a feel of a children's film.

C dramas City of Streamer & Love and Redemption

Work Later, Drink Now: Loved it so much! Binged it. I haven't LOLed continuously so much. I also cried a good portion. I lost my dad a few years ago and So Hee's drunken rambling at the funeral resonated with me so much. Wonderfully cast and great cast chemistry. Ji-yeon is fascinating as both the simpleton and genius. Now all the other dramas seem to pale in comparison.

Good Job: One episode left. I think this either needed to be an 8 episoder or be one of those dramas that you just binge when you're sick and stuck in bed or when you have a repetitive craft project. The protagonists are likable so I want to finish for them!

May It Please the Court: the cases and the serial killer are nothing new. Seeing Chak-hee's growth and her interactions with Si-baek are really keeping this drama interesting and a Wed and Thursday must-watch-immediately.

Love in Contract (up to ep 5): Not sure if I can last 16 episodes. I can see why the leads chose this drama based on script since it is off-kilter rom-com with a female lead that has an interesting past, but I think it is being directed too much as a regular rom-com sometimes? Can't put my finger on it.

Three Bold Siblings: I'm watching mainly for Tae-joo. I'm rooting for her. And I like the theme presented of the burdens of being the oldest daughter and can't wait to see TJ and the male lead's mom bond over it one day. I like Im Joo Hwan, but I find the male lead character sort of off-putting and oblivious.

Gaus Electronics: Enjoying the absurdity, though it hasn't hit must-watch territory for me. I loved the Yoon Park cameo in the first episode.

Little Women Ep 11. Another breathless episode but I love how greed and its consequences is laid bare to wrap up this exceptional drama. The minute the sounds of heels walking into the court, my jaws dropped and I knew who’s walking in….. Can’t wait for the finale and I hope all three sisters will be there. I miss In-hye.

Could I be shallow for saying how swoony Choi Do-il is - or how Wi Ha-John nails that three second tenderness in an episode he’s almost not there?!

I am looking forward to Love in contract. I was on vacation so I have yet to start watching.

Love in Contact: Ep 5 was a little slow, but Ep 6 was so great. The most awkward/ hilarious dinner party!

The Untamed: I’m on ep 29 and the plot is picking up, so I’m glad I stuck with it. Wish the two leads had more screen time together, but maybe in the post-flashback episodes.

Cheer Up: Watched the first episode and enjoyed it, though confused by the cheer routines (the go to moves seem more like a stage musician?). Am going to wait to see how the balance between mystery and uni drama shakes down before I watch more.

Love is for suckers: Wow, an adult, charming, rom com? I’m delighted!

Night of Love With You: In my current phase of minidramas, I found this absolute gem of a show this week and I'm still hung up on it. So funny and clever, I love the way they made fun of a lot of tropes. The FL was great, I hope to see her in more dramas.

Fall in Love: I am so in love with Tan Xuanlin and Mo Wanqing, they are definitely among my most favorite leads in a drama ever for being smarter than every one else in the room.

Kiss Goblin: So cute and an entertaining watch.

Maid's Revenge: I've had it up to here with the FLs stupidity and the MLs pride but it's still entertaining and the interactions between the leads are on fire.

A Dream of Splendor (ep24): I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about the prime minister, but to me, he's mostly a father wanting to establish a connection to his son and he's adorable when he's making heart-eyes at Quinfan. Miss Song on the other hand... That character is really starting to grate on me with her lofty ways.

Fight For My Way: I finally got around to watching the last episode and it didn't disappoint. Loved this drama and a lot of the characters. Great pacing and character development.

Commun watch Tell me your wish. We are up to ep11 and my love for Wookie is just stronger than my uninterest for these storylines.
I prefer kdrama that makes me laught, so I feel a bit deceived by Love in contract. Even if I've also fell for Ji Ho, I though this show would be more comedy. Anyhow, it's my first time watching Go Kyung Pyo and I love the way he says things like Honey I'm hungry or I waited all evening for you.
Stanger is my need to concentrate drama of the moment. I enjoy it slowly.
The Girl Who Sees Scents is on the contrary a drama that I forward through. I just want the fun and cute, even if both are light.
I finished cdrama Crush. So cute. And the music is so good.
There is nothing that get my attention in the music of the kdramas i'm watching. Such a pity.

W: one of those shows I rewatch every year. I didn't know I missed oppa's voice so much. I'm gonna have to watch Big Mouth I guess.
Once Again -BL- (Finale): I actually thought they where going to call the police or something. He literally died for no reason. It was so simple to save him.
3BSibilings: Dang, the maknae is bold indeed. I thought he was gonna break up with her.
Seasons of Blossom: Just when I was happy that everyone was quiet about them being a fake couple, Jae Min asks the question. 😂 Just let it be ma boy, they're cute as hell.
Law Cafe (EP 7): I want more romance ^^
The Best Mistake (EP 9): cute as hell.
Once Upon a Small Town (Finale): I miss shows like this. Simple and cute. I feel like rewatching Top Star Yoo Baek now.
Golden Spoon: this show is 100% my jam.
Gaus Electronics: this one is 200% my jam.
1k Won Lawyer (EP 2): NGM ahjussi is so extra lol.
The Love in Your Eyes: I like the leads a lot. And I love uri haraboji, best wingman ever.
Takara-kun and Amagi-kun -BL-: communication people. That thing exists.
Love is for Suckers: I am a sucker. When OUASmall Town finished I got scared, but now I have other romcom, yay!
Beautiful Love, Beautiful Life (EP8): I love the sister.
Bad Prosecutor (EP1): Is it going to be like Fiery Priest? It's giving me those vibes. I love comedy so I'm in.

I think The Story of Xing Fu is the best show of 2022 (although I haven't seen My Liberation Notes yet). A magnificent portrait of the clash between tradition and progress, morality and compromise.

I'm enjoying also Once We Get Married (7,5), Dear M (6), To Fly With You (7), I will find you a better home (8), Young Lady and a Gentleman (7 because of Da Hee... but tooooo long), Our Blues (8), Octogenarians and the 90s (7,5), Yumi 2 (6), Young actors Retreat (8), Remembrance of things past (8,5).

Peacefully abandoned Law Cafe after an episode.

Love is For Suckers: This is the first show in which I’ve seen Siwon and damn, is he charming! And I love Lee Da-hee. In her previous roles, the best thing about her has been how she shows the cracks in her façade. In this show, she has almost no façade - it’s all cracks and I love the self-doubting human that shines through.

Love in Contract has me hooked despite its weird tonal shifts. I was pleased to see more of what makes Hae-jin tick and less of Mi-ho, who is the least interesting thing about this show.

I’m also watching One Dollar Lawyer - I wish it moved a little faster but I could look at Namgoong Min’s suits, sunglasses, and self-satisfied smiles all day. I'm rooting for no romance, just quirky cases.

Older stuff: I tried Boyfriend, aka Encounter. I enjoyed the first episode, hated the second, and dropped it. I went in blind and didn’t know about the tired old it-turns-out-she’s-his-boss scenario. I’ve also started Are You Human Too? At least I don’t dislike it yet.

Youth MT is fun and addicting. I didn't realize I was missing the Itaewon OST and cast this much. Bring back memories. I binged through so many episodes.

I tried an episode of Love in Contract, but didn't like the makjang background story for the FL nor the mystery they were trying to build for the ML. I was just looking for light and fluffy.

One Dollar Lawyer (Ep 5-6): I like that there are some points to ponder behind the murder case. Every decision made initially thought to be good for another person might not turn out that way :( On the bright side there seems to be a The Veil + Awaken cast reunion with Ji-hoon's backstory. Hope there's more reveal as to how he ended up being a $1 lawyer

The Golden Spoon (Ep 5-6): I can only say that these two are filler eps and I'm getting a bit annoyed with the 3 & then 1 meal with the golden spoon soul swap thing....it's getting ridiculous.

Glitch (Ep 1-10): It tells the story of Ji-hyo who seems to lead a mundane life on the surface but in fact being plagued by what she thought she saw over the years (yes the baseball hat wearing alien :P). Things started to get chaotic when she seek help from a wacky group of alien enthusiasts to look for her missing boyfriend. This lead to the discovery of what happened to her when she was young and why she seem to not remember her UFO obsessed youth self plus the only friend that she had at the time.
Glitch is a well paced story with a well written main character that is Ji-hyo. Jeon Yeo-been and Nana's performance is good here but I'm not overly enthusiastic about the overall storyline. Having a good 95% of the whole story debunking the belief and then the last 10 mins maybe telling you that it is indeed real is a bummer for me :P

Kim Ji Eun must have strong connections with some big companies...how the heck is she landing lead roles after lead roles when her acting is mediocre. Baek Mari can be such a kickarse character if it were played by another actress. Other than her, I'm enjoying $1 Lawyer.

I started 'Love in Contract' as a distraction while waiting for the last 2 eps of 'Little Women.' I didn't expect to like it so much that I watched all 6 eps in a single sitting. Park Min-young is stellar as usual but I must say Go Kyung-pyo's character is doing the heavy lift here. I almost want to skip the TTS parts and just move ahead to MWF. Writers should be recognized for effective cliffhangers -- really got me to click Next after each ep! I was sorely frustrated when I got to the end of ep 6.

While waiting for the ep 7, I thought I'd pick up 'Legal Cafe' as distraction. I've been seeing good press about it on my feeds, so my expectations were high. But it didn't hit me as bad as 'Love in Contract.' This is one of those dramas that I don't bother to rewind when I miss the subtitles. I'm loving Lee Se-young's hairstyle here. It softened her jaw and made her look sophisticated. Huge jump from her character in that sad historical drama the title of which escapes me now.