One week without a K-drama watch. I found most current Korean variety shows overly repetitive (which may be the reason their overall ratings are in decline.)

THE MAXX (1995): This MTV “Oddities” series started mainstream acceptance of many stylish adult animations. THE MAXX was a graphic novel style anime with a gritty, psychological, and mysterious story line. It still works as the story reveals itself like onion peeling one layer at a time. The animation story board style is outdated by modern technology but it still retains a nostalgic vibe.

STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS (Season 1/Ep 1): After Roddenberry helmed series, the spin-offs have been hit or miss, but mostly disappointing to core fans (which I am one.) Paramount released the first full season of this prequel series for free as a bridge new viewers to the second season. Well, after the pilot episode, I am not going along for the ride. The story was not engaging, the acting was stiff and the dialog terrible. I don’t like how the show runners try to unnecessarily force younger versions of iconic characters on us.

It's finally King the Land and See You in My 19th Life day 🥳💃!

COMPLETED
Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938 - Would never have said this before S2 but I'd actually love a S3 as long as we get more of Hong-joo and the fox brothers.

ONGOING
My Perfect Stranger - I'm really curious whether this will stick the landing with a satisfactory, plot-hole free ending 🤔.

Delightfully Deceitful - Slightly more interested in these characters now.

C-DRAMAS
Completed Here We Meet Again. Lots of cute and funny moments. Could have done with fewer misunderstandings. Vin Zhang is 🔥.

All caught up with The Youth Memories and will complete it this weekend.

Planning to watch the slew of new dramas starting this week - Destined, Hidden Love, and Snow Eagle Lord.

Sound Candy
The picture quality seems really hazy. I thought I needed an appointment at the opticians but I assume it’s intentional as the focus is on sound not vision.

The girl downstairs - anime Chinese
Watching in prep for Korean live action version due out later this year. The pictures used for the end credits are really nice and I prefer that style to the styling of the anime.

Romance by romance
Webdrama friends to lovers, complete with contract relationships and fake dates.

Completed
Race
Loved it, drama of 2023 for me.

Oh! Youngshim
…

Pegasus market
Loved it. Really fun watch.

Miracle: Letter to the president Korean film 2021
Based on a true story where villagers campaign for a train station because the only way to get to town is to walk on the active train line. The danger comes from the tunnels, and bridges over the river because there is no where for them to stand safely when unscheduled freight trains come through. Really sad in parts but has a positive outcome and a love story family rebuilding element. The actor playing the teen genius was 34 when it released and unlike the pretty boys really did look like a man reminded me of the man in Thirty but 17.

Il Mare Korean Film picture quality was not good 2000
A beautiful fantasy romance of two people communicating via letters even though they exist in two different eras two years apart.

Audio Books:
Nervous conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga a coming of age tale covering gender, class and cultural identity set in late 1960 before Zimbabwe got its new name.

The pachinko parlour by Elisa Shua Dusapin about a French Korean woman taking her grandparents back to Korea after 50+ years

CRICKET - Summer - Test Cricket

World Test Championship - Australia won - bad batting one more time from indian batsman - good pitch

A S H E S - oh yeah - what nice start - flat pitches won't do - clouds and rainy days make match fun but pitch need to have something for bowlers too, especially these new duke balls are even more bat friendly

JOE ROOT - fab 4 - 10 100s behind -within 15 months has more 100s than 2 and same as smith - what a majestic run this has been for root.

JIMMY - 40 - still doing medium fast - fast bowling puts so much pressure on body - so 20 years test bowling - is a huge huge achievement

@sifimayo https://twitter.com/VitalityBlast/status/1669809880306421760

The Way You Are (Taiwan)
This feels like a good old melo including Family Tragedy and Loan Sharks and Heroine becoming poor and turning into a Candy (on a scooter). Caring Hero has a trauma, of course, and coincidentally meets Heroine, a lot (=FATE!).

My Marvellous Fable, 3eps
This one is interesting and quite atypical for a cdrama - a meak Hero is hired as an editor to a famous eccentric writer (Heroine). They embark on a long journey to Heroine's hometown (some measly 2000 km) and Heroine starts telling (and Editor taping) her new book during the ride. The first story she tells reminds me of Poe, but there must be also hidden a real snippet of Heroine's past as we later see some of the characters existing in real life. Is it this time the Heroine who has a trauma? 😁

Oh no! Here comes trouble (Taiwan)
I watched the second episode and still don't know whether I like it and/or am in the right mood. Sometimes it's interesting and sometimes I want to drop it, but then there is a moment which totally grabs my heart, like the glimmer of grief in Mom's eyes.

Still continuing with The Real Has Come... and CAN'T WAIT for the new weekend dramas!!! Finally!! 🥳

Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 (Series review) - Mood progression: D+ / D+ / C- / C- / D+ / D+
It’s funny how at one point I was absolutely confident that we had a sequel that was better than its predecessor, but then it all spectacularly imploded as the show inexplicably decided to drag its main narrative arc into a teased third season? Even without the lacklustre Japanese imperialism backdrop, the main characters left much to be desired. Fan service is no story.

Oh! Young-shim (Series review) - Mood progression: D / D / D- / D- / D-
We all wished that this was the show Love is for Suckers ever wanted to be but of course there was only bitterness and disappointment waiting for us. Not even my affection for Lee Min Jae’s developing career could salvage this: it was just nonsense. I guess the one good thing about this show is that it’s only 10 episodes, even if it’s 10 episodes too long.

Delightfully Deceitful (Episode 5-6) - Mood: C-
Of course, everyone and their father are tied to this evil organisation: it wouldn’t be a k-drama otherwise? The writer seems intent on dragging out said connection for the probation officer but especially the psychiatrist in particular: could be one of the biggest payoffs or one of the biggest letdowns, we’ll find out soon enough, if not, the show will start to lose my interest.

My Perfect Stranger (Episode 13-14) - Mood: C+
There has to be some point in showing an angry Yoo Seob especially if they were going to reveal Hae Joon’s dad anyway: it might have to do with Soon Ae’s feelings of betrayal in the future? We assumed she was talking to her killer but maybe not? Anyway, the killer being the person who repaired the time travelling car does complicate things: let’s hope the finale sticks?

Sh**ting Stars -- Finished. This is one of the most ✨️adorable✨️ rom-coms ever, and now my second favorite rom-com! I'm surprised at how much I liked all the secondary and side characters. What a delight to enjoy so many nice people in one drama! It felt like the cast enjoyed themselves, too. One of the things I really appreciated with the writing was how straightforward the main characters were, and that so many things were dealt with head-on by talking them through. Two thumbs up!👍👍The angst felt appropriate to the setting of the story, and it provided depth to what would otherwise have been only saccharine-sweet. And the ending was very sweet. A really enjoyable watching experience!

Bring It On, Ghost -- Finished. I wasn't prepared for how cute the romance is in this! While Taecyeon's ML character initially tries to deny it, he's adorably pleased to have the ghost FL as a roommate and confidante in his lonely life. As icing on the cake, Kang Ki Young's chaotic ghost club bro duo is hilarious. The self-defense and karaoke scenes in ep. 14 were GOLD. Can Kang Ki Young just be in everything?? (*Disclaimer: I used FF through all the murdery stuff and anything else too scary for me, which was roughly 30-40% of the drama, and this affected how cute I found this - i.e., very*).

Dealing with Call it Love withdrawals by listening to the OST on repeat (still upset that D+ REFUSES TO RELEASE instrumental OSTs 😠). Excited to start See You In My 19th Life and King the Land!!!! WOO!

C-dramas --
Sword Snow Stride: Finished. Wow, what a cool show. The ML is a fantastic character; complex and nuanced. When he's pushed into making a choice, he asks, why not both - or neither? The final battle that brings all his awesome siblings together is great. While set up for a second season that will likely never happen, it's still satisfying. Also, I don't think it was dubbed? I highly recommend if you're up for a martial arts/wuxia drama.
Back From the Brink: Ongoing. Oh my goodness, I'm really enjoying the dynamic between our steady, stoic, earnest dragon, and his feisty FL. He's more wise and she's more street-smart, but they're both endearingly naive. It's cheesy in the best possible way.

I’ve had to put most dramas that I was watching on hold because I’ve started a new course and things are ramping up at work, so when I’m not studying or working, I’m sleeping because my body hasn’t gotten used to this new routine just yet.

Because of that, the only drama I’m currently watching is F4 Thailand (14/16) - which I promise I’ll shut up about eventually, but I really, really, REALLY (really!!) LOVE this show and will hands down recommend it (just trust me!!!) to everyone and anyone, regardless of whether or not you’ve seen the other BoF adaptations. My favourite part of this experience, aside from the stellar drama itself, is the experience of getting used to the rhythm of a new language. I’m not sure how to express this properly or if it sounds stupid, but the process of understanding the tones, sound and musicality (is that a word?) of a new language just makes my brain tingle. It’s like going to a new country and learning how to orient yourself and understand the vibe and feel of the place, and that whole process just stimulates your brain in a good way - or at least it does for me. Thai isn’t a language that I’ve heard often around me and the only other Thai media I’ve consumed is a movie (Crazy Thing Called Love - get on it & watch if you haven’t already!!), so I’ve really liked this process of slowly becoming acclimatised to the flow and expression of Thai (I also really like the way the language sounds, it’s quite pretty and musical!). I don’t know the technical terms for this because I’m not a linguist or anything close, but yes I just really like hearing new languages and understanding their unique forms of expression in the sound and rhythm, and being able to do that through this drama has been a really refreshing and enjoyable experience!

I wish I had the superpower to just learn languages in an instant though - every time I hear a new language for the first time, I fall in love with some aspect of it and wish I could learn it instantaneously but then I’m too lazy to put in the effort. BUT in saying that, I have actively been trying to learn Korean for a while now, trying my best to not give up when things get a little hard, and it’s been going pretty good so far! So if I can reach this goal, it’ll give me some confidence for other languages too!

My Perfect Stranger: Goodness, the whodunit really gave us a conundrum. I still kind of think it is his mother, but who knows. I am kind of annoyed they waited until the last two episodes though. That being said I am glad the leads haven't had a kiss, they don't have that kind of chemistry, but I think their slow and warm friendship to romance fits beautifully in the story.

Delightfully Deceitful: It is getting better, but it is still missing a reason. They are trying to make the FL a psychopath, but honestly she just seems focused on revenge to the exclusion of all else. Everyone has betrayed her most of her life, why should she trust anyone. I get it. However, her easy adaption to conning and her 4th wall breaks are still terrible and I want them to stop.

Race: All is well that ends well. I wish the romance had been better though. I think the show stuck the landing in terms of the office part, but gave really short shrift to everything.

King the land: Junho😍😍😍😍.

See you in My 19th life: Shin Hye Sun 😍😍😍😍.

JAPAN - all these low quality 23 min episode dramas are aimed at teenagers who got into other regions cliche media

yankees are up this summer - media doing good both tv and cinema

victory in court - 4.5/10 - such a waste

i'm interested in hirose's upcoming drama

@chibi8535 that's i said that drama is too japanese even for citizens.

About Sunday Night - 6/10 - good one

Currently:
Oh! Youngshim - I wanted something I can turn my head off and watch and that's exactly what this was. It could have been better though. I thought "not to compete is to compete". O! Y didn't even bother to be anything, just waltzing through everything as they pleased.
Moon Woo-jin's cameo = something I liked in the finale.

Tale of the Nine Tailed : Had Rang be left without his loml, I'm come to the network armed with "pitchforks and tears".
I'm scratching my head around everything Moo-young and I'll just leave it be.

My Perfect Stranger : I like it when there are checks and balances, or when there exists an external influence holding a body of government *fondly remembering why I watched Undercover* or corporation accountable. I'll watch anything having that premise. MPS did that this week with the press forcing the police to be accountable.
Yeon-woo being the culprit is equal to Swiss cheese so imma simply wait. Monday is not far away anymore.

Delightfully Deceitful Ep 4: Here I was, worried for Moo-young. Alas! Mr. Moo-young has it under control.
Bonus point - a Moo-young I can root for.

Happiness Battle Ep 5: So they were sisters by marriage. Wow! Just wow!
I like that Mi-ho doesn't give a damn to the moms. But her subordinate really needs to dial things down a notch.
Sowon-omma gives me more eerie vibes than all the other moms.
Someone get Lee Kyu-han back into the story as soon as possible.

I'll be critically deciding whether to jump on King the Land's ship while counting down to See You in My 19th Life.

On a beanie's fanwall mention, I checked out Il Maré. It was a gripping watch. And, Lee Jung-jae looked really good in his younger years.

Rewatched :

Kiss Sixth Sense Ep 5-12: I was only going to watch snippets here and there but ended up watching it scene by scene, episode by episode. That last episode remains chaotic even though it's a rewatch.
The ending though. Did she regain her ability after that final kiss? Her eyes and countenance changed immediately they kissed and that's where the show thought to draw the curtain. I'm left guessing whether or not she gained hers back.

Monthly Magazine Home Ep 8 : That mid-season kiss. "I'm glad. Thank you for being home". How much I must have missed that line.

This one is not a rewatch. I had unordered snippets of Seo Hyun-Jin in You Are My Spring and used that time to sneak at Kim Dong-wook. That dance to Leslie Cheung's piece doesn't fail to get me giddy anytime. And, thier break-up was sad to watch.

Past Projects:

Family : The Unbreakable Bond : I don't know where this should be since it only recently it aired. The subs after ep 2 were perfect, so it wasn't so bad after all. I think the initial subs made me think the writing and direction was haphazard. Big thanks to those who subbed it into English.
Every other thing was perfect.
One pet peeve though. Did they really have to kill Kim Nam-hae's character. My...

FIGHT MY WAY (Ep 1)
So seeing this drama popping up on dramabeans lately made me curious to rewatch it. Gotta say so far it still holds up, but lol after recently watching BO-RA! DEBORAH where we actually see a normal(ish) timeline of a breakup, FIGHT MY WAY is definitely on steroids.

Not only do we see our FL being cheated on, we find out her cheater boyfriend and the ‘other woman' are expecting. This is peak kdrama and I’m loving every minute of it! Obviously if not for the comedy this would be sad, but hey the show doesn’t let you linger or even let you think, in the next scene our FL is getting pats from our ML so yeah all good I suppose 😉

TALE OF THE NINE TAILED (Ep 12-16) & TALE OF THE NINE TAILED 1938 (Ep 9-12)
The difference between the ending of S1 and S2 is astounding. I had to force myself to finish S1, it shouldn’t have been 16 episodes and the final episode dragged, the fact it was 80mins didn’t help.

So yeah I was a little concerned when I saw the final episode of S2 being around the same length. But oh boy was I wrong! It was such rollicking good fun and I smiled so much it physically hurt! I don’t know how they created this magic and I’m not even sure if this can be replicated for S3 but everything just worked. Yes there are plot holes and inconsistencies but none of it matters, the characters are iconic and have great chemistry, the story is super super fun and it’s fucking gorgeous and very aesthetically pleasing okay?

I mean the scene where Rang goes full fox mode is a sight to see, Kim Bum being sexy as hell and imo overtaking Lee Jae-wook’s performance in ALCHEMY Of SOULS S2. I’m just gonna say it TOTNT1938 far exceeds AoS S2 and is in my top 2 kdramas so far this year.

Yeon being Yeon is also by far one of my favourite things, he is charming and very very sly. Honestly, Yeon being a free agent in S2 really gave him the depth and complexity that was missing in S1. Sorry but the whole fated romance didn’t work for me and weakened the more compelling aspects of Yeon.

Hong-joo is perfect and I have nothing else to add other than Kim So-yeon was a standout and that’s a feat considering everyone else was also amazing!

Rounding out our trio, I would be remiss to not mention Moo-young, a softie who has no problem killing but he really is a softie and I say this with no sarcasm

Anyway thanks TALE OF THE NINE TAILED 1938! You were a blast!

tonight i only have Eddy with me an no nine tales. i cant. should we have a dramabeans sleepover so we will not feel lonely?

Delightfully Deceitful: Getting the backstory now and wow, the title is waaay off the mark. Anyways, the hour always goes by fast when I'm watching this and it has been entertaining and riveting. And I set a higher bar when I have to seek a drama out from unofficial streaming source. I'm enjoying the heck out of this.

Back from the Brink (cdrama, up to episode 36): The journey is almost over. That really flew right by. 36 episodes in and it is holding together really well as an action adventure fantasy romance. I feel like this is a case where the sum is greater than its parts.

To Ship Someone (cdrama binge up to ep 15): I think this works better as a binge with a bit of FF-ing as the FL can be irritating sometimes. The drama is riding a nice tension between supporting the need to give it your all to and recognizing that sometimes things don't work out. I really enjoy the meta references to the cliches in the fictional world while the leads' "real" world is also chock full of cliches.

I'm behind on The Real Has Come, so will be catching up on it today and more binging for the long weekend.

I'm feeling tempted to pick up Tale of the Nine-tailed 1938 after feeling sort of blah about the first season. Sounds like it's a lot more fun!

Current/recent:
My Perfect Stranger: It’s frustrating that we can’t yet see the future effects of all this 1987 mucking about. I’d prefer a time-travel plot with more time travel. Hae-joon’s dad seemed suspicious from the start. Did his mom disappear because she traveled forward in time, and stayed there? Or was she kidnapped to 2021 (by Dad?) and killed there?
Divorce Attorney Shin: I clicked ‘play’ on this accidentally - fumblefingers on the TV remote - and to my surprise I liked it enough to keep going. I expected to hate the drunken trot singing, but (maybe it’s the pain meds) it made me laugh instead. I paid no attention to the cases other than the first and last, just enjoyed the characters and the bro banter. “Talk to me in emojis if you find Korean too hard.” 😆
King the Land and See You in My 19th Life: starting these right after breakfast.

Older stuff:
Eun-joo’s Room: Pleasant enough, but a bit underpowered.
Nine: Nine Time Travels: Finished this and loved it. Not that it’s perfect, but the central time-travel conceit, which is my catnip, very nearly is.
KBS 2018 drama special Review Notebook of My Embarrassing Days: an hour-long rice crispy treat - sweet, noisy, and insubstantial.

9 Tailed 1938: So much fun. I hope we will see the puppy in season 3!

Giant: I'm at the end of this on episode 57. Now I have to decide on what to watch after this. So much withdrawal and transition issues after long dramas! This has been a really good watch for me. I feel like it sets the stage for a greater understanding of so many drama themes---particularly something I see in historical dramas all the time which is the theme of good governance and "working for the people".

Honestly, I'm just waiting for KTL and SYIM19L to drop. And is there a better shorthand than SYIM19L? It's longer than some full drama names.
Race a really solid drama with a somewhat underwhelming end. I know Disney frustrates a lot of folks, but if you like plucky heroines and slice-of-life office dramas, solid friendships and slow burn friends to lovers arcs, I'd recommend a watch. One of the better ones this year.
My Perfect Stranger Oh, that mystery plot twist was good. I have no idea how they're going to resolve this satisfactorily. Romance continues to be lame, much to the lament of my KDW-loving heart.
I tried watching Shopping King Louis. I read old Beanie rave reviews, but I just wanted to tell the FL to run girl. Otherwise you'll end up spending half your life like Dr Cha taking care of this man-child.
Now, back to the wait.

Giant- finished Episode 46. This is the final stretch, so I expect Big Emotional Moments to occur more frequently.

Random observations from the Giant dramaverse:
Fashion and technology change, but the hospital gowns remain the same.
I miss the soulful ballads performed at The Royal Club. So much better than the 80s synth pop.

No K, C, or J dramas this week.
All this week I went down the rabbit hole that is the assassination of President John F Kennedy.
OMG ! So much going on.

CIA, FBI, Secret Service , Office Of Naval Intelligence, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Texas, Texas Oil Men, Cuba, Bay Of Pigs,Castro, Communists, LSD experiments, Homosexuals, J Edgar Hoover,Lee H Oswald, Robert F Kennedy, Mafia, Blackmail, Power, Jackie O, Dallas Texas, John Connally, Jack Ruby, Officer JD Tippit

So many lies, manipulation, and false narratives.

Finished Fight For My Way. Solid drama, great acting all around. Did FF through some of the second couple’s scenes but loved the main romance. PSJ knocked it out of the park AGAIN. I did get a bit frustrated when Ae Ra forced him to choose between her and his dream, but then again I could understand where she was coming from.

Started The King: Eternal Monarch. This is one of those dramas where I think I’mma have to see for myself.
Episode 1 - I am SO CONFUSED.
Episode 2 - Dude. A bit too soon to be proposing.
Episode 3 - I am still SO CONFUSED.

Spoilers Ahead.

Back from the Brink
Overall I’m of two minds about this drama: on one hand, I couldn’t help comparing it to the novel and I found areas of the drama lacking. On the other hand, I also couldn’t help loving the drama to bits in spite of its flaws. I don’t mind when a drama deviates from a novel if the deviations make sense, but I feel the drama would’ve been more solid with a few tweaks.

What I liked: Adored Neo Hou as Tian Yao. Took a while for Zhou Ye to grow on me, but she did. Liked all of the side characters, especially the phantom spirit queen - her counterpart in the novel was irritating. While I prefer the ultimate big bad from the novel, I didn’t mind the changes in the drama in that regard. I also appreciate that Su Ying and Fu Yin were not given redemption arcs and died unrepentant.

What I didn’t like: Like most viewers, I disliked the out-of-character behavior of Tian Yau in episode 16 and thought it was just a cheap plot device used to extend the drama. And like most others, I didn’t care for Bai Xiao Shengs’s sudden infatuation for Yan Hui; it felt forced.

A minor gripe is that the story of Su Ying and Mu Sheng was handled better in the novel. In the novel, the two were a couple many years ago. When she found his reincarnation, he was a scholar and already married to the nine-tailed fox princess (and knew what she was). That’s when Su Ying becomes obsessed. The drama failed to provide an explanation for their separation and Mu Sheng losing his memories and marrying someone else. I wish the drama hadn’t changed their story, but since they did, there needed to be some kind of dialogue or flashback or something to explain what happened between them.

It sounds like I didn’t like the drama but I enjoyed it a lot. I just see where it could’ve been better, and that makes me a bit sad.

Find Yourself
Spent too much time annoyed with the SML. To be honest, at times he was funny and had chemistry with the FL, and I did like his relationship with his niece. But let me expose my hypocritical self here…when it’s the ML acting this way to win the FL from another guy, I totally root for him 😅 I think the main issue I had with the SML was that I just wanted more Song Wei Long 😏

I appreciate that the drama tried to give a comparison to the main noona romance by pairing up the FL’s brother and Esther Yu’s character, and while I could...

This week was a low week for dramas. Foxy ended and nothing excited me after that. Dropped almost most new dramas I tried.

The Way you Shine (twdrama) : Tropey yet had me interested. A devastated FL, divorced by husband, traumatized male lead, nice SML but is somehow linked to FL devastations etc etc. I will be continuing. I hope the ML grows on me. This is the first time I am seeing him.

Love is Sweet (cdrama) : I just watched for the leads Leo and Bai Lu had great chemistry. I FF-Ed the workplace details. I dropped once the noble idiocy started to show its ugly head. Still an entertaining watch just for the leads.

Long Night (cdrama) : Great start. Paused at Ep 3. Will continue.

Will be starting two dramas today as the rest of the folks here.

Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938: 8.5 Eagerly awaiting the fated season 3. You cannot win against Fate. Or foxes.

Doctor Romantic 3: 7.0 The non-medical-emergency, non-gory bits seem contrived and lame. Fortunately, day 15 was mostly emergencies

My Perfect Stranger: 9.0 😲😲😲

Delightfully Deceitful / Beneficial Fraud: 8.0

Bait (aka Decoy), season 2: 5.5 I didn't love season 1 and I hate split seasons, so I wasn't in a hurry to get around to this, but I had some extra time and decided it would be a shame to waste the half-bean I had already earned.

Inspector Koo: 8.5 Rewatch days (1/6). Yummy dessert after Bait/Decoy broccoli.

I liked the earlier episodes of Bloodhounds. I think the boxing scenes were very impressive. I expected the show to be brutal (and I thought I can handle gory just fine), but it was hard for me to continue by episode 6. The thought of our good bad guys and haraboji in looming danger gives a heavy feeling. It is stressing me out, but I’m just 2 episodes away, so might as well endure it and finish it (after pausing for a break every now and then for a brighter drama).

Hot Stove League - My stress reliever from Bloodhounds! I am so happy I started this drama right after finishing Misaeng. It saved me from a drama slump. It is sooo good! And I’m not even a baseball fan. (Heck, I’m just learning the basics of baseball as I watch this show.) Another drama added to my favorite list.

Dr. Romantic 3 - I love everything about this show. Looking forward to the finale later. I will miss the Doldam family. 🥺

Dr Romantic S3
I haven’t seen the final episodes yet, but we are building up for a grand finale. I’m already sad to let go of this drama and have to remind myself that I can rewatch any drama anytime!
My Perfect Stranger
The bets are on: is the currently teased culprit really the murderer? I don’t think so…
Finished Race
The most realistic office life I’ve seen in a drama, and the best thing about it was that it was centered around women. The romance was lukewarm for all the pairings… sealing being a couple with a handshake? And being a couple consisted in going out to eat or for walks a couple of times? Well, all of these people put their career way before their personal life and relationships, so I guess that’s fitting.
Bloodhounds
This was different from my expectations (sports/boxing), and I enjoyed it more for that. The bromance was wonderful to watch! Small complaints: again, the revenge was way too easy in the end, and the happy ending was cut too short.
Finished 25, 21
Since I was prepared for the ending, I didn’t mind it at all and actually could enjoy it. My favorite things in this drama were the girls’ friendship, the OST and fencing.
KDrama friend project:
Finished Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 - that finale had way too much of everything, that would have been enough for 4 episodes! But sooo much fun… even without BTS clips or the actor’s social media, it was tangible how much everyone enjoyed filming this show. Manifesting a season 3!! Besides that, we watched lots of BTS content since it’s their 10th anniversary this week, so we had no time for other dramas.

Finished
Race and liked the drama overall as a whole but it dint have much of impact other than YoonJo whome i loved being the unconventional self reliant female lead... who doesnt depend on male lead or second male lead for her life decisions.

watching
i started Something in the rain (cause i liked Encounter upon my rewatch so thought to pick it up too) and i am kind of liking it... its way too slow for my liking and i tend to stop a day or 2 in between and then start again... but i find it decent drama. just hoping it wont let me pull my hair by the end.

waiting for
King the land, See you in 19th life
but not sure if Netflix will show in my country but fingets crossed that it does.

and till then i am just staring at my Netflix homepage if King the land drops soon.

TALE OF THE NINE-TAILED 1938 was far better than I would have expected. My wife loved it. She is a big fan of nine-tailed foxes and mermaids so the writers definitely catered to her tastes with this one.

This week saw me hang in there and complete my watch of OH! YOUNG-SHIN. I am not quite sure why I did so other than that many other dramas simply did not appeal to me right now, which should change with the start of SEE YOU IN MY 19TH LIFE and KING THE LAND. Both start today! (that is worth at least a Yippee)

Fortunately, I have a weekender to watch as a continuing part of my drama life. Last week’s episodes of THE REAL HAS COME had some surprises. Whoever would have expected to see our FL and her older sister in law crying in each other’s arms? What a delight seeing our 2FL suddenly out of balance with the reappearance of the 2ML. This Weekender does not lack for intertwining plotlines- if anything there are so many that some of our potential side romances, like the story of Macknae and the Young Father, are getting only a little screen time right now. When tonight’s episode ends we will be at exactly the halfway point for this drama and it will be interesting to see where things stand then.

I have also been watching the daily APPLE OF MY EYE. So far it is a pleasant watch.

My wife completed her recovery from the Chinese Costume fantasy TILL THE END OF THE MOON by starting the Chinese Historical Costume drama RUYI’S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE. This is a serious undertaking in itself- it has 87 episodes. She has watched long costume dramas before so that does not necessarily faze her and so far, already twenty plus episodes in (in two days) she says it is really good. She was not quite ready to start a fantasy again so a historical drama is a good alternative. She is watching it on Amazon Prime, but it can also be found on Viki. It may be a struggle to tear her away to watch SEE YOU IN MY 19TH LIFE and KING THE LAND with me.

My Perfect Stranger This drama could have maintained the suspense until the end! The couple is super cute.

Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 3 The last episode was very frustrating. The strike didn't make sense, so every character involved made me angry. Protecting their rights? He didn't make them overworked or something like this. He just gave one rule to follow. If they disagreed when he did, they could leave the Trauma Center and switch places with somebody.

Race It was a nice drama. I prefer She Would Never Know from the same PD because the characters had a better evolution but the office part was really interesting in Race.

The Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 It was entertaining and beautiful.

Waiting for King the Land and See You in My 19th Life!

KING THE LAND in one hour!!

The Good Bad Mother : Overall, it was quite decent for me. It wasn’t a heavy drama though it has some tears jerking moment and the ending was kinda okay too. The best part is the twins for me. They are the only accident that is beautiful ever happened to the lead couple.

Bloodhounds : Characters 8.5/10. I really like the brothers. Both have different personalities and fighting styles yet they complement and supporting each other. Sang Yi with his footwork and fast jab is more calculative and realistic as a person and Do Hwan with his powerful blow is so pure and an idealist but both are brave, selfless and strong they are willing to sacrifice for other people. I’d give the directing 7/10 because the action was good but sports car and ninja bike for tailing? Nah. Also, I think they should have present the 2 main lead stories equally instead of leaning heavier toward WDH’s character. They underplaying LSY’s. I think they could show us more about LSY’s character especially in the action scenes. I really like his style and want to see more of him. The writing? 2/10. Really, if not because the acting and action scenes the story is as holey as donuts. Rich guy with no alarm system in his house? Or gangster attacking cafe and no report to the police by neighbors? Wine after attacking enemy? Jeez. Also I hate the writer for killing half of the team in one episode. I can fully enjoy the drama only after episode 6. Last 2 episodes is the same drama with different genre which I can handle better because of the additional comedy and I know it’s winning time for the heroines. Up until 6 I was having a hard time binge watching because I have low tolerance to suspense and I know some good guys would die. I don’t mind season 2, but can we have different writer, please? Also, who else thinking the sashimi ahjussi is hhoott? He reminds me of Park Hee Soon in My Name.

Delightfully Deceitful : I like how the FL sometimes (or most of the time) is so unpleasant and kinda hard to tolerate. The writer is staying true to the character she created which is a psycopath and don’t justifying or sugar coating the ugly traits the character have like narcissism and lack of emphaty. So far this is a fun ride though this show still not gripping me while it moving forward deeper into the story. As if the drama itself have a big picture of where the story will go or unfold, yet they don’t have clear destination yet. Something is missing.

I finally finished TILL THE END OF THE MOON and it was a gloriously beautiful ride. Without LYX I've wouldn't have liked it half as much, not even sure if I'd had finished it. He is absolutely magnetic and deserves award upon award for this performance. The FL was by far the biggest problem of the show and if it wasn't for Bai Lu, I'd hate her instead of rolling my eyes at her. But I loved how everything was connected.
Ah! The eyes rolls, the side eyes. The eyeliner. Great make-up artist, that.

THE LOVE YOU GIVE ME is cute and has the cutest little five-year-old spouting way too clever lines for someone his age. I couldn't care less about the side couples but the leads are great together.

CIRCLE OF LOVE: This is nonsensical and I'd never put up with it if it was a regular length drama but the leads have great chemistry.

GRANDMASTER OF DEMONIC CULTIVATION (audio drama): Gaah! The voice actors are incredible. It makes it all worth it having to get up at 5.30.

Waiting for KING THE LAND to be available in my region.

Maybe Disney has seen the light? Several unavailable dramas have popped up on Hulu. I’m finally watching Link and they even put Dr. Romantic 3 in progress there. Might even try Family. If Disney could just have a consistent policy about showing kdramas internationally, I would forgive them for buying up so much of the market.

Link is very watchable although it feels so last year to have so much murder and secrets. Pretty sure I have picked out the sister and the friend who told on his dad. Not that it’s hard when there are only so many characters. Not sure what is the point with the stalker’s sister (she seems to manic to really be his sister?) so I’m curious to see where that goes.

Finished: Bloodhounds: 7.5/10
The Heavenly idol: 8/10
Beyond Evil (Finally): 8/10

Ongoing: Sound Candy: Up to ep 4. eh
Love Tractor: Ep 4. fine
Bitch x Rich: Ep 6. fine
Battle for Happiness: Ep 6 Good
Delightfully Deceitful: ep 6 don't know what to think of this show...

Others:
I intend to finish Ugly Alert and What happens to my Family by next month no matter what it's been like two years. Halfway through both.
My fair lady: finished ep 1
Bad Prosecutor: Barely started.
Buisness Proposal: Last 3 eps left
Family: The unbreakable bond: On the second episode rn. Having fun.
Tale of the nine Tailed 2: Only finished first ep. My Rang hate feels so silly now.

Dropped:
I am not a Robot: This was boring sorry.
Chief Kim: Had to drop because of that darned...

I am rewatching BRAIN WORKS and loving it even more this time around.
Apart from the baddy whom I'm completely fast-forwarding, (his scenes are unfortunately very crucial to the story and Haru's storyline so I didn't ff any of it the first watch. But this time I know what is happening and I'm not tolerating that beast again) , most of the leads are so complete and alive that I want to rewind and rewatch every scene. Even the characters involved in the cases which are all deliberately unconventional feel very real. I truly love this show.

I also watched IL MARE after seeing some beanies mentioning it. The Lake House has always been a favorite movie of mine so I have been rather hesitant to watch the original. But I did and I'm so glad that I did!
Now I know why @javabeans is obsessed and smitten with Lee Jung-jae! I have seen him act many times but never fell for him like I did in IL MARE!
The actors, the characters, the sets, the relationships, the story telling, the timelines, nearly everything was so so SO better than the American remake, EXCEPT the ending.

Time travel and similar tropes are my catnip but I always have reservations when the story ends with one of the leads already completely in love and the other one not remembering anything. I don't have a problem if this happens in the middle or beginning of the story (like in W, or Familiar Wife) where I can watch them tell the other one their past, and start a new story. My problem is when this is where the story ends. In some of the stories I can make myself believe that the other one will suddenly dream or remember their past. But I can't do that with IL MARE. Especially because at that particular time she was going through an emotional vulnerable time and I didn't like seeing him appearing in front of her home. So I very much prefer The Lake House's ending, where she tells him to meet her in 2 years. But still, the rest of the movie was BEAUTIFUL!