BROKER (2022): It had an interesting premise with an A-list cast but the film failed to hit the high notes or rich, completed story line. Korean dramas often do “found family” concept well. BROKER was an attempt to pull it off with a gang of baby brokers, the abandoned mother and child. The broker’s backstories and troubles were not well defined; IU as the mother was subdued to the point of being a shadow character; and the police officers on their trail were not fully realized characters. Direct character motivations were lacking. The main story tries to wrap up quickly at the end with a hidden twist revealed but we are left with more questions than finality. What I have seen lately in movies is the director’s overuse of darkness to obscure scenes. The lightning in the early part of the movie was really problematic; it failed to convey a mood of despair or depression. It was just annoying. The movie had a lot of hype as a “found family” film but that element in the end was lacking. An average film.

YouTube: It appears that traditional talk shows have migrated to the video podcast format.

Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum:
His interviews with JONATHAN FRAKES and BRENT SPINER, Data from Star Trek, were very good.

The Real Has Come - I adjusted my viewing lenses (the drama is more extreme than I expected after the decent first week) and there is enough fun for me to still continue. I like the budding friendship between the leads... and I'm interested in the growth of the secondary couple of Step-Noona & BIL.

Divorce Attorney - I dropped 39 after 1 episode, but this drama kept me engaged till the end. Yes, there could have been more of some characters (and a playdate of the 2 boys!) and I wish MIL did more for Juhwa if she loved her so much... but I still loved the drama and found it above average. The heart always was the friendship of the main trio and I liked that even with the secondary characters, the friendship was more important than love lines (I especially liked that Seojin stayed as a friend). The second heart was Sunghan's love for his Nephew and his determination to fight for Giyoung's happiness. I'm glad he succeeded (and Stepmom got what she deserved - the loss of her power and of her husband's affection).

Call It Love - introspective and unexpectedly good (especially Lee Sungkyung's acting was a big surprise for me). My introverted heart really enjoyed this drama (although I also admit to occasional speeding through some very loooong scenes 😅). Just a bit too much of the braking up phase and time-jumps this week. Well, at least we got the last 2 seconds 😁 (and I will rewatch the earlier dating bits to fill up my DJ&JW happy moments jar 😍).

Deborah - oooh, Soohyuk, you should have told her you loved her and that you wanted to be with her... and give her the da*n ring!
Anyway, I actually think that Deborah and Soohyuk do have a chance to become a good couple, she seems to be more herself around him and he may need her current straightforwardness (I hope she will keep it!) to re-evaluate his love communication.
Love Kippeum, of course 💕

Till the End of the Moon - it is addictive and I ran through the 12 episodes rather fast. And yet, I still think that Fairy and Devil is (so far) the better show, simpler but with more depth.

Call It Love (Series review) - Mood progression: C- / C- / D+ / D+ / D+ / D / D / D
Of course Dong Jin’s greedy mom gets some conscience during the finale week: this is exactly what we describe as a brain transplant cliche that has happened to countless villains. But there was never any narrative potential for this drama once it made itself clear that it wasn’t going to be any different from any tragic romance melodrama we’ve already seen out there, also, there wasn’t anything outstanding in the supporting characters or the side arcs. Unlike some Beanies, I wasn’t terribly impressed by the directing or the acting: I greatly prefer execution that would accentuate characterisation or development.

Stealer: The Treasure Keeper (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D+
As one unrealistic vigilante show ends, another one pops up to continue the cringe. Both leads have classic family traumas to motivate them into action while the villains are just inexplicably obsessed over a collection of coins? But I guess it’s easy to watch as long as you don’t really think too hard about it, which is unfortunately not an easy thing for me to do. We’ll see.

Bora! Deborah (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D
So the female lead gets cheated on by their partner while the male lead gets the respectful break up scene? And of course, this was all just a plot device so that he’ll hate her for indirectly causing it, leading up to the enemies to lovers trope saga. I also don’t think the show will say anything meaningful about love: that’s ok, but the comedy isn’t even holding the show up.

The Secret Romantic Guesthouse (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D+
Personally, I’m less than thrilled for the plot to follow only the classic main lead childhood connection fated love trope, but I appreciate that the writer isn’t dragging the identity out. The show’s setting up a political snoozefest for the 2nd half which I absolutely hate but I did sign up for it so I’ll hope they’ll be able to pull a surprise. The romance doesn’t keep me invested.

Taxi Driver 2 (Episode 13-14) - Mood: D-
When Go Eun asked Do Gi incredulously how he managed to find the pen recorder while being drugged, I was screaming at the screen because that was ridiculous even by this show’s standards? But then again, the writer took their own sweet time with the repetitive procedurals and was forced to rush this arc given that the show is ending next week. Thankfully, it’ll end.

Paper Moon: Couldn't find it subbed, 🥲.

Bora! Deborah!: I really liked it. This is looking like it will be a really fun drama.

Stealer: The treasure Keeper: I think it is trying to be some kind of satire or parody of Healer, but it isn't really funny, ha. They even have the same cop. That being said I actually enjoyed the first couple of episodes, despite not laughing, it was a fun romp.

Call it Love: All is well that ends well. It was a nice ending, I would have liked a little more, but it was lovely nonetheless. The acting, the story, and direction was top notch. What a fabulous drama, just wonderful.

Queenmaker: I freaking love it. Kim Hee A does drama best and she is very good in this. It has some plot issues and Lee Gyeong Young is in every drama, as evil, my God sir, STOP. Aside from that, I'm loving her chemistry with Moon So Ri is top notch.

Bait: Fine

Joseon Attorney: Also fine, but I watch for the OTP because they are adorable.

I’m watching Alchemy of Souls atm ss1.
Having a blast so far.
Seo Yul is just my type. So calm. So sweet.

🥰🥰🥰

The Secret Romantic Guesthouse It's not fantastic but pretty entertaining.

Our Blooming Youth There were good moments but overall, it was kinda boring. They had all the elements to make a good story but the investigation and the love story were far too slow.

Bora! Deborah The first 2 episodes were fun. Chansung is as a cheater, again.

Stealer: The Treasure Keeper I want to try it.

Joseon Attorney WDH and Bora are cute but I'm not convinced by the rest.

Taxi Driver 2 I hope the good ratings won't give them the idea of the 3rd season because this one is already less good than the first one.

Bait Part 2 I prefered when it was about Schrödinger cat, it was more interesting. But I really like JGS in this role.

Divorce Attorney Shin It was a nice drama but a little bit too superficial, they could have developped more the characters.

Queenmaker They reunited a lot of charismatic actresses! But not a lot of them have a likable role.

CRICKET - Not interested in all these t20 leagues - i don't think t20 as a good cricket - it's all the game of money.

ofcourse - it generate employment for thousands - that's the only +ve i see in it.

I'm always for test cricket

cricket is't a sport - it's art, chess, politics, fun aka real presentation of life itself.

waiting - A S H E S - this summer

What I am watching:

_ Eun Joo's room (5 out of 12). Agree with Dramaddictally. It is a very nice drama. Slice-of-life in its purest form and it is relaxing watching them doing DIY and cleaning up (my house is a disaster as Eun Joo's room in the beginning but fortunately without the mold XD).

- Secret Romantic Guesthouse (8 out of 18). Addictive is the word. I keep enjoying it.

- Bora Deborah! (2 out of 14). It's funny and I like the script so far. I needed to watch a drama which made me laugh because I've been watching more serious shows lately.

_ Six Flying Dragons (22 out of 50). I'm enjoying it more now that at the beginning. The first 13 episodes were a bit dragging.

𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗜𝗧 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 - I have not been so vested in a drama since 25-21 and Red Sleeve. Lee Sung-kyung and Kim Young-kwang were incredible. My only complaint is the sadness and separation lasted a tad too long for me.
𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗧 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗖 𝗚𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘 - I’m enjoying the mystery of the Jade Dust. Even though we think we now know his identity, I’m sure there are more surprises in store.
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗛𝗔𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 - Less screaming and hitting, please. I like the scenes where our leads are together, so, let’s move onto that contract marriage. Pali, pali.
𝗕𝗢-𝗥𝗔, 𝗗𝗘𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗔𝗛 - Not sure how I feel about this one. I’ll give it another week.
𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗘𝗡𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗥 - After watching two episodes, all I can say is INTENSE! For a minute I thought Kim Hee Ae was repeating her role as flunky to the rich Oh Hye Won in Secret Love Affair. But I think she’s going to jump ship. That chaebol family she works for is evil.

COMPLETED
Divorce Attorney Shin - I will come back to this to watch the scenes with the 3 friends + So-yeon but not much else.

Our Blooming Youth - Yet another show which did not need to be 20 episodes. The schemes of the villains didn't make sense and our investigation team weren't very good investigators. There were cute moments between the leads but that was all.

ONGOING
Secret Romantic Guesthouse - I believe nothing this show says anymore and that's the fun part!

STARTED
Stealer - Not quite as caper-ish as I hoped but liked the small bits of humour. P.S. I'm still laughing at the 'Gran View Hotel' that's certainly catering to a very specific clientele 😂.

Bo-ra! Deborah - This was fun. I'm looking forward to next week.

C-DRAMAS
Completed Nothing But You. Just an absolutely adorable lead couple. Wu Lei was too cute for words.

Enjoying Till the End of the Moon.

So I started watching the newest Spongebob movie this afternoon (because let's be real, no-one's too old for Spongebob) AND there's a musical bit about a third in featuring Snoop Dogg. The vocals for the song kicked in and I'm vibing because it's a bop but my brain keeps snagging on this one voice which sounds SO familiar - it sounds like Kihyun from Monsta X. He's got a bit of a distinct voice as well so there I am literally replaying the scene over and over again, being like I must be tripping, but I googled afterwards and found out - IT ACTUALLY WAS MONSTA X?! What a wild collab, Snoop Dogg x Monsta X for a Spongebob movie 😂

Anyways, it's a great movie, very funny and entertaining and also quite touching (it had me tearing up a bit because it was sweet)! Killer soundtrack also with such a wide array of artists like Tyga, Becky G and J Balvin. Would 10/10 recommend to watch if you haven't already!!

Joseon Attorney: 7.5 So a courtesan fakes her death using pig's blood hidden in her wig!? Piece of cake. You could hide anything in a typical Joseon courtesan wig -- even the rest of the cake. And don't get me started on their hats.

Taxi Driver s2: 6.0 Some of the takedowns are fun, but the plot and villains are pretty lame, and now they're trying too hard to outdo every other kdrama ever... I've become a bit of a Pyo Ye-jin fan mostly because of her other current show -- she and my Quest for Beans are the only reasons I'm still watching.

Secret Romantic Guesthouse: 7.0

Our Blooming Youth: 6.0 for the week. 7.0 for the show. 8.5 for Pyo Ye-jin. Some people hated day 19. I thought it was brilliant -- compared to day 20, that is. What fish eggs did the writer eat before doing the scripts for the final week?

Bora! Deborah: 8.0 Like a Park Min-young show but with a better lead actress -- one with possibly better taste in real-world boyfriends. Bonus points for the mind-reading a couple minutes into day 2.

Stealer: The Treasure Keeper: 7.5

Call It Real Estate Fraud Love: 5.0 Still FF-ing.

Watching K dramas

Oasis Time for the OTP to have quality time.
Please end the Eternal Love Triangle
Time for the evil doers to get their comeuppance.

Secret Romantic Guesthouse The show is fun to watch .Some romance, swordplay , not too much court stuff, but they do have a crazy king.

The Real Has Come I like Baek Jin-Hee
Be My Dream Family Like it.

J drama: Nagatan to Aoto: Ichika no Ryourijou Kitchen knife meets green pepper. (Ep3/10)

In Kyoto, soon after the war, Ichika strives to save her family's long established ryoten restaurant from financial crisis. In order to do so, she marries Yamaguchi Amane, who is 15 years younger, in a marriage of convenience.

C drama:
The Autumn Ballad

YouTube : Maigret tv episodes and audiobooks. Yard work. Everything is in bloom, bees, birds, lovely the humidity hasn’t kicked in , yet, lol.

Call it Love : the revelation at the end of episode 13 started wit her apology and ended with his consolation in front of that house was so unexpected and heart wrenching. Out of all emotion I thought he is going to have and let out once he know the truth, never I imagined a sentence “right now, I’m just sad” would be enough to describe it all. The way KYK delivered it was so honest, calm yet there was deep sorrow so clear seen in his eyes. The emotion that shown isn’t out of suppression of feeling but maturity and understanding of well grown adult and that is what I like the most about his character. He grew really well despite an undesirable childhood. He is not bottling up everything in silence, he is silent because he already made peace out of it, find a way to go on with life and chose not to be defined by the character of his mother. I also like how the story wrap up. They take their distance to give themselves and WJ’s family some time to comprehend and reflect on everything. And at the end, they met again with what I believe serenity in their heart and support from families who are as precious to them. Againc this is another level of maturity shown from both sides. And also the fact the story start with revenge and end up with forgiveness is something that is not common to preach about and maybe this is the most important lesson they remind us which is to live is to let go what is eating you inside.

Joseon Attorney : I’m enjoying the ride. The story isn’t to heavy and the WDH wittines is always a delight to watch. Bo Na voice is so dreamy it’s like music for the ears. I don’t think it will mater if she is nagging for hours I could listen to her all day.

Oasis : Me : “How much sorrow and injustice you want Do Hak to endure?” Writer : “Yes.”. i stopped and hasn’t yet continuing watching the moment Do Hak father is dead. Don’t dare to go on.

I’m on drama slump right now. Nothing interest me but at the end of month we will have Lee Do Hyun and Romantic Dr. Kim coming back so I guess I’ll go out soon. Hope both drama will be as good as I want it to be.

—Bo Ra, Deborah: fun show. I hope at least one character grows on me next week tho, comedy alone won't do it for me.
—Secret Romantic Guesthouse: I bet that San is Yi Seol and Si Yeol is the Watchman. 😎 No, wait. I bet that next week I'm gonna be confused again. 🤣
—The Real Has Come: ... I have such a bad feeling. I feel like Yeon Doo is going to suffer more this week.

Variety shows.

—New World: I think Hee Chul and bad luck are synonyms now. Poor man.
—HyeMiLeeYeChaePa: I won't stop saying it: I love these girls, and they're so freaking hilarious. They make my day, no, week.
Peak Time: I can't believe 23h is gone for such a stupid reason. 🥺
—No Math School Trip: Finally JH was able to eat properly lol. So happy for him.
—Master in the House 2: I'm loving the classes.

The Starry Love - up to ep 27. Going slow with this one. I'm enjoying it, but it's not crack like LBFAD.

Finished My Fated Boy. I enjoyed the drama a lot more once the leads got together. Loved the friendship between the three ladies, and the bratty fangirl's turn-around actually made me not despise her anymore.

Finished Shanai Marriage Honey. I kinda have two minds about this one. On the one hand, I liked the overall story, the ML was HOT, and the skinship was off the charts. I've just never been a fan of grown women who put on a naive, clueless, kawaii face in the workplace.

Finished Hi Venus yesterday. Fantastic drama, absolutely loved it! And bless their hearts, I could tell they tried really hard to incorporate the PSA's and moral lessons into the script as seamlessly as possible.

I'm on the fence about watching Till the End of the Moon. The translated novel has some pretty harsh reviews which makes me very wary.

This week I've set aside everything other than 2 shows in order to not get overwhelmed. Still ended up a royal mess anyway)))

OUR BLOOMING YOUTH: All is well that ends well, as saying goes. Unfortunately, I expected more than just lacking subtlety lecture about morals and last minute happy ending, so this one is for "might rewatch on FF when I'm in the mood" list, not among all time favorites for sure. Hyungsik's OST was lovely, but I hope his next one hits harder (and we won't have to wait another 6 years for it). Same with sageuks overall - just give him a strongly written one finally, third time MUST be a charm! Once I'll recover from the show below I'll binge some of his old dramas.

TILL THE END OF THE MOON: The fire, the madness, the obsession))) I borderline loved it last week, but now I'm ready for full worshiping. Somehow drama keeps subverting my expectations (or lack of thereof) at every turn. This week was largely dedicated to a certain arc I thought will be just there to give leads valuable lessons™, plant some Chekhov's guns for later and punch audience in the gut with extremely cliche tearjerker... I mean, ANOTHER stuffy, overly busy with his duties and too proper to function near a living woman ML? SFL so bitchy that the whole internet celebrated her eventual downfall with drinks and dancing circles? Older than dirt poor communication kills classic kind of tragedy? These are things I usually run away at my best speed from))) Yet here it worked, and how! Characters and plot managed to outgrow the cliches they started as in such an epic fashion that I bawled all the way till tomato face phase in Ep17-18, damn. Battle scenes were impressive too - I'm still not 100% feeling modern xianxia style of fighting with CGI overdose, but the budget, effort (costumes! choreo! teamwork!) and time put into it here was something else.

But the real deal here is OTP, and I was so happy to have them return in their main personas. Demon-god-in-making and his murderous wifey are forever a riot, especially together - no one does it like them))) I even went to check snippets from leads' previous drama to confirm whether it's actors or characters that are responsible for magic we've got here - turns out it's both. Their chemistry is the stuff of legends, I think I've found my second golden cdrama couple. Individual acting (where was this man with his thousands expressions and bewitching eyes all my life?), supporting characters and hellish roller-coaster of a story don't hurt either. What a feeling, esp since I wasn't into any hit show for ages. I need a popcorn for this. And drinks. And stitching kit for my poor heart)))

So many new dramas!
Only Yo In-na can play a female character as in TOUCH MY HEART and BORA! DEBORAH in such a charming way. She is also adorably cheeky - showing Soo-hyuk the one finger without a ring! Mid-week is saved now.

STEALER looks like a mix of HEALER and TAXI DRIVER. Entertaining and watchable, but noting really new - actuallly no! I have never seen a secret tunnel lined with empty junk food packets.

CALL IT LOVE ended well after the unnecessary, typical break off and time jump. A drama that I will miss.

OASIS is gearing up for the downfall of the villains and the reveal of the birth secret. At last a drama that uses and does time jumps well.

TAXI DRIVER has always pushed the credibility line very hard, but may have crossed the line now. But I love Park Ho-san as top villain the bishop.

JOSEON ATTORNEY with Lady Hong to the rescue! Not the best drama ever, but very enjoyable.

Recently finished:

VIP - I was prompted to move this to the top of my list by the recent “favorite Jang Na-Ra dramas” column. (I will watch anything she’s in, no matter the genre, plot, or ratings.) The huge love for this show among the Dramabeans faithful was not misplaced! There was so much to appreciate: the way the slow reveals and misdirections mirrored the way things unfold in real life; the nuanced portrayals of relationships in their many forms and complexities; painting characters in subtle colors, rather than in black and white; the willingness to leave some plot threads open-ended; and—above all—the bravura performances of the entire cast, especially Jang Na-Ra and Lee Chung-Ah.

MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE - Another British detective series set in Victorian London. I had high hopes for this show, as it featured a strong female lead and what at first appeared to be great chemistry with the ML. But I quickly became disenchanted by the predictable plots, lack of character development, and FL’s obnoxious personality—why did anybody like her, much less want to help her? I’m not sure why I watched all three seasons to the end…maybe I just needed something painless and brainless after all the “sturm und drang” of VIP. BTW— If you’re looking for a good crime drama set in the same time and place, try RIPPER STREET, starring Matthew MacFayden.

Currently watching:

DIVORCE ATTORNEY SHIN - Eight episodes completed. So far, I agree with the general consensus that the best thing about the show is the three-way bromance. I hope the remaining episodes reveal how/when they first met, and how their friendship developed. At this point, I can’t see a plausible explanation as to why Sung-Han gave up the piano (clearly his life’s passion) to become an attorney. It’s an odd way to avenge his sister, if that turns out to be his motivation.

I'm so jealous you get to see "Eun-joon's Room," Dramaddictally! I've hunted high and low for a subbed version for years.

CALL IT LOVE: I agree that the ending wasn't as masterful as the rest of the drama, but at least the story didn't end ambiguously. Like others, though, I wish we could have seen a more clear-cut resolution to the conflict, and a few additional scenes of happy, smiling Woo-joo and Dong-jin. I did love the second couple a lot, though, and their arc ended in a very satisfying way. Overall, this was definitely my favorite romantic melo since "Do You Like Brahms?" and gave me new appreciation for all the actors involved. I will definitely seek out the future work of this creative team as well.

OBY: I'm not going to say much about the ending as I lost interest in this show at about the ep 15 mark, but the kiss was nice, PHY looks good in period garb, and the script needed another round of edits. That's all I've got.

TRUE TO LOVE (BORA! DEBORAH): This may be due to the fact that I have an ear infection and was in pain when I watched the first two episodes, but I found this one unexpectedly tedious. Yes, it's great that there's nary a serial killer in sight, but the writing isn't as bubbly or fun as I thought it would be. Bo-ra's obsession with getting a ring from her boyfriend was off-putting and went on too long, and I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be understanding about the negative depiction of marriage from the SFL and her husband. I like the ML and think the interactions between him and Bo-ra show some promise, so I'll try at least one more episodes. But this is one show I fear Yoo In-na's tremendous charm and screen presence may not save for me.

SECRET ROMANTIC GUESTHOUSE: This show does keep us guessing about the true identity of the prince, but that's merely a bonus for me. OBY taught me that unless the central mystery is completely asinine, I will accept it happily, as long as the romantic elements are strong. In OBY they weren't, but in this one, they are, and I'm enjoying watching all the relationships develop. It doesn't hurt that the backdrop to all the romance is comprised of high stakes conflict (a murderous, psycho kind searching for an enemy who will now be right by his side; a sister in hiding getting closer to a man who may have been involved in the death of her fiancee; a parentless and threatened innkeeper falling in love with that enemy and struggling to protect that secret). It's all so juicy, angsty, and fun.

JOSEON ATTORNEY: So happy I went back to one this week because even with ear infection distraction, I got into the story. I love WDH here--although admittedly, when it comes to him impressing me, there's not much he needs to do other than show up and say words--and Bona is great, too. The plot is still a bit . . . meh, I guess, but it's still clicking.

THE REAL HAS COME: I still don't get this title, but for a weekender, this one is solid. It's no...

In the middle of a rewatch of Just Between Lovers, prompted by mentions in other threads. It's my first rewatch of this show (I don't normally rewatch sad). It's beautiful, music is perfect, some exquisite acting just with pensive looks, not overdone with dialog.