King the land
Is the week the stress levels are raised as things start to become difficult in the work place and couple relationship?

See you in my 19th life
Why is it ending already? I will miss it but looking forward to it ending well. Jebal, jebal assumes the kneeling position and rubs hands in a pleading motion.

Cinderellas of midsummer - Japanese
One episode a week drop 😬 City young men recent graduates from top university go on a weekend trip to the seaside and have a paddle board lesson this leads to them becoming friends with some local young women.

A warmed up love -Japanese
Workplace drama; the usual traumatised young flashy CEO (issues with a childhood birthday cake, the second drama with this issue this week! I am not complaining it’s much better than dealing with car accident flashbacks) and his treatment of a rookie employee. Business proposal style food development setting.

Completed

My calorie boy - Chinese
I thought it would be fat shaming until he does an Oh my Venus fitness regime and his gorgeous true self comes out. But they actually did a good job of talking about emotional eating and turned it into a coming of age drama with growth for teachers and young people.

King the Land
This show is fully embracing its main assets, Junho and Yoona, and tries to generate as many situations of them together as possible, logic be damned. But I still somehow don't mind and my Romantic Cell is having a feast. 😊
This week we got a dating travel variety show 😄 and it worked, I may put Thailand on my travel list. 😆
Evil Sister trying to get the hotel for herself (and any actual PLOT) looks more and more like an afterthought 😆 ...and I can't help wondering whether Junho and Yoona are dating in real life (and having fun with the drama). Btw, I liked the pool kiss more than the sprinkles kiss. 😊
(And loved Grandma with the bank account.) Also, Uri Flight Attendant finally made a progress!! 🥳

19th Life
It was packed... and I feel confused... and I'm not sure I like that EVERYONE is connected through the First Life. Dealing with Greedy Mistress and Uncle was terribly anticlimactic... and Minki is getting on my nerves. I still love Aegyeong and her relationship with Jieum... and I hope that she will manage to screw the Unfair Inconsiderate Fate With Stupid Rules.

Not Others
It's nice to see Park Sunghoon in a romantic role and he and Sooyoung have a nice dynamic... but... it's the Mom and Daughter duo I'm enjoying the most right now, being it their bickering or making plans... and eating together. They are a riot 😄 and I have fun!
(Just a little warning, there is some mature content, including panty thief and some *cough* women needs *cough*).

Still watching The Way You Shine and Ancient Love Song... and I wish I had more time to catch up with Vampire Taec.

And, gasp, Lost You Forever is scheduled for July the 24th. Should I believe it??

COMPLETED
Delightfully Deceitful - Strangely enough I liked the last two episodes probably the most. The process of tying up all the loose ends and helping the Kids get their freedom felt reasonable and earned. They accepted the consequences and rebuilt their life 👏.

ONGOING
King the Land - Made me want to visit Thailand again so that's a plus, I guess?

See You in My 19th Life - These episodes decided it for me that I'm not a fan of the changes from the webtoon esp. the changes to the first life story. Also the friends being affected by illness but not enemies thing was ridiculous.

Numbers - The end of Ep. 8 was part-ridiculous/part-hilarious. I guess by 'numbers' they meant the count of dead bodies dropping like flies…

Revenant - God the way I wanted to cover my eyes in the last few minutes as I mentally screamed "DON'T OPEN THE DOORRRRR". I knew she wasn't the second-born! So I'll bet on Old Cop dying since he has clues to her real identity 😔.

Heartbeat - Very much not a fan of the ticking clock all fantasy dramas put on the leads' lives. Why can't our sweet vampire just take his sweet time falling in love with his housemate 😠. Not a fan of the re-modelling or the yellow couch either.

Miraculous Brothers - Kang San had practically nothing to do in these 2 episodes except look confused and anguished. I liked the brief glimpse we got of Ha-neul and Dong-ju as kids.

STARTED
Not Others - Liked it! Jeon Hye-jin is clearly enjoying herself here. Park Sung-hoon playing the grumpy by-the-rules guy is a plus.

C-DRAMAS
Completed The Longest Promise - The last few episodes had an excess of the xianxia specialty - 'we take turns killing and saving each other' - but still a solid show. I'm gonna take the positive spin on the ending. Xiao Zhan was excellent.

The Legend of Anle (till Ep. 17) - For once I agree with the commenters on MDL - there is far too much of fake Di Ziyuan in this show. I need them to move the plot along and start killing bad guys.

Waiting for Mysterious Lotus Casebook. Will also try out Lost You Forever.

19th Life Nothing more to say. Hope they wrap this up neatly.

King the Land Wonder how long I will last. Just give me more of cutie hoobae please. The hand holding last week was so smooth. Just give me more of that please.

Heartbeat
Show continues to deliver. Excited for the next episodes. But, can we get the original furniture back please?

Not Others
I enjoyed the first 2 episodes. The comedy worked for me. The two ladies are amazing. I hope the criminal cases are more of a background and we focus on relationships.

Fireworks on my heart(cdrama) ep 30. Finally! So nice to seem them be happy together. I loved their dates, interactions and everything. It really was nice to see them both be so happy. So domestic. And seeing Xu Qin getting so much love from Song Tan’s family is heartwarming. She really needed this family and their warmth. Thankfully Xu Qin is finally making some decisions and standing up to her parents. I don’t think they are going to let her be happy though. I hope the brother can also move on. But his whole arc with the college kid is so weird. I can’t tell if she is pursuing him or trying to use him. Not sure this drama needed 40 episodes.
That first kiss though.. Yang Yang kissing reminded me of LoveO2O. He still kisses like he is mauling the FL. Thankfully the kiss got better when he slowed down.

The way you shine (tw) Totally enjoying this show as it progresses. Absolutely love Tian Yu. I love the leads and their interactions. So relaxed and happy. Their hand holds and hugs were just so natural. And the ‘confession’ (not really) was the sweetest. I was grinning like an idiot.

Trick or Love (tw) Ep 10. Is Marcus aging backwards or what!! This is such a great role for him. I dont like cross dressing dramas and the reason isn’t that great either. After the intial two episodes, once they start interacting the show is fun! Marcus is hilarious as the cheeky, over confident, fun CEO. He manages great chemistry with anyone.
I really enjoyed how their act is actually getting revealed and the misunderstandings are hilarious. More than the main lead I am totally digging the FL’s sister and Marcus’ friend. Omg, they are hilarious. A lot happened in 10 episodes (yup, I binged) so I wonder how they will take this to 40 episodes!!

When a snail Falls in Love 2023 (Thai)
I am enjoying this a lot. They made some changes to the original and gave romance more screen time which I appreciate. The cases themselves are fine and feel familiar at times. Bie Tassapak Hsu is absolutely gorgeous!! Gosh, he looks so fine!
For
Women’s soccer World Cup
So excited !! Some dramas need to be paused or dropped. Or I just need to lose some sleep 🙃

Completed
Hidden Love(cdrama)
Sweet and cute. Would have appreciated if the relationship progression happened over a period of time. I felt like everything happened in the first 3 months...

Current/recent: I can barely keep up - I’ve never live-watched more than three shows before (even that was a stretch) and now I have five!
HeartBeat: Still the most enjoyable two hours of the week, although the goofiest bits are the best and there were fewer of them in these two episodes. The romance is developing nicely with a fine touch of ambiguity, but part of me wants this to stay focused (or unfocused) on ridiculous vampire hijinks and fish-out-of-water situations.
King the Land: Still the loooooooongest two hours of the week.
Numbers: The! Most! Dramatic! two hours of the week. I don’t know why I like this so much, except that it’s all so much. [Shakes head in character as Han Seung-jo]
See You in My 19th Life: The cracks and holes in this show are getting so big that if they were filled with water, they’d be swimming pools, too - but it’s so pretty, the angst is so angsty, and I’m in it to the end if only for resolution of the first-life mystery.
Not Others: Well, that wasn’t what I expected! The comedy is hit-or-miss so far, although it’s really funny when it hits. Jeon Hye-jin's mom character is off-putting but she’s been great in other roles so I’m waiting for her to sell it to me. Sooyoung and Park Sung-hoon are enough for me to keep watching for the moment.

Older shows:
The Uncanny Counter: Momentarily on hold because I can't keep up - I want to finish because season 2 starts next week!
Girls' Generation 1979: Trying this for a group watch but found myself FFing before the end of the first episode. It does seem cute and lively and the 1970s setting is such a contrast to that era in the US - it feels more like the early 60s.

I'm cautiously excited for the start of My Lovely Liar.

King the Land: This show is exactly the flavor of cotton candy that I like. It’s sweet, it’s fluffy, it’s pretty to look at, it’s fun to consume, and if I binged it I would most certainly be ill.

See You In My 19th Life: I’m hoping that today’s episode brings some much needed clarity about Ji-eum’s first life, and some honesty from Do-yoon.

Heartbeat Do-shik and Hae-won have been on my Not To Be Trusted list from day 1 and I fully expect this suspicion to be validated at any moment. But I also loved all the moments when our leads were a team this week, and I’m ready to find out what happened to In-hae’s dad.

Not Others Giving this a shot, though it’s not my favorite thing right out of the gate. I’m intrigued enough to keep going for now though.

Tale of the Nine-tailed I’m enjoying this a ton, probably because I love fantasy romances and devil-may-care powerful leads. But I’m also really enjoying the look into Korean folklore (have I mentioned here that I love lore of all kinds?) through Ji-ah’s job and all the wild things they are encountering. And Shin-job is the most endearing thing ever. I’m mildly obsessed with this gatekeeper song that pops up in episode 8 - enough that I wrote out the lyrics in hangeul to learn. It just has such a wonderful rhythm to it.

Finished:
Dali and Cocky Prince: What a delightful, sweet romance. I loved how straightforward the ML was about his feelings. He initially tried (and failed) to play it cool, but he never played games with the FL's heart. I also loved the fakeout with thinking they've been separated for a year, but it turns out they've only been fighting for a week while she was on a trip. More "things I loved" are on my fanwall ❤️

Ongoing:
See You In My 19th Life: I can't believe it's already the finale! This drama could have used more episodes, but 12 episodes worked in its favor for the pace. It never lagged, and always felt purposeful. It took pretty standard fantasy ingredients and kept things feeling fresh. I really liked the core ensemble, especially Ahn Bo Hyun as Seo-ha. Now that's a competent and capable hotel heir! Interestingly, I would say that I have loved the drama-watching experience more than the drama itself.

HeartBeat: Omo, could they be any more adorable?? And that awkward dinner party - haha THE SHRIMP!!!🦐 And then drunk Woo-hyeol yelling that Hae-sun was going to give him more shrimp! AND THEN In-hae punching him to bring him to his senses!! Now that's how you escalate a comic scene to P.G. Wodehouse-ian levels of farce. The cute phone call ("I'm proud of you" / "that's nice to hear") and vamp's first driving experiences were icing on the cake. It looks like the love geometry will start to heat up and collide with some fantasy angst, and you know what, that's ok with me! Some melodrama is to be expected in fantasy dramas, and as long as it ends happily, I don't mind - it adds some delicious depth (*hopefully I don't have to eat my words later*). And finally - 🎶 "I'm a vampire" 🎶 - at last, the worthy succesor to "I'm a stealer!"

Numbers: (through ep. 4) I was sold within the first 15 minutes. I love the dramatic storytelling of this morality tale, the theme of personal integrity, and the snowball effect of consequences when integrity is eroded, given up, or ignored. I think the earnestness of the writing (and the ML) are at the root of what I like. None of my knowledge areas are REMOTELY accounting-adjacent, so as far as jargon goes, it's like watching sci-fi 🤷‍♀️ But that's fine, because like Stove League did with baseball, they're making me care. I like Kim Myung Soo, I like Choi Jin Hyuk, and I keep expecting Choi Min Soo to rip off his polished facade like his gangster character in Lawless Lawyer. How can he be so menacing just adjusting his glasses? 😬 Fun times!

CRICKET -

A S H E S - Australians are completely rained on this match - this had to happen - England is doing fewer mistakes now - team selection is better - Australian top not working - middle order playing loose - Rain has made match interesting though - media has made spectacle of BAZBALL using everywhere without having much idea what it is - all vibes - this will soon become one of the word of the year.

Female T20 Cricket's quality has gone up - far better now.

TENNIS - WIMBLEDON - Good final match - good timepass for posh aka vip aka uppar class. Alcaraz can match nadal or federer in grand slam touraments if not for injuries.

Djokovic - i never seen his matches - always thought he has to catchup with both but the guy is actually ahead of both - i don't think anyone can reach near his grand slam tournaments winnings in next 19 years - he's not a tennis player but by titles achieving the outcome of one of all time great sportsman - by titles - not skills n talent.

HIDDEN LOVE (CH)—It occurred to me how unusual this drama really is. Most romance dramas have (need?) side plots and/or secondary couples to keep watchers engaged (or writers think so) and to fill in episode space, and so the ratio of OTP time to other plot is 40:60 at best. In this drama it is 70:20. And that is a testament to the writing and production, and the chemistry drenched acting between ZLS and CZY.

JOY OF LIFE (CH)—Have you loved a drama so much that you dreaded the end and yet couldn’t wait to get there? But is there a sweeter drama spot than this?
Balanced, nuanced, engaging and a thrill ride from start to finish.

Also, one of the best ML in a drama. My love may be amplified because Fan Xian reminds me of Eugenides, my favorite literary crush trickster and Master of Foolhardy Plans (™ Gen). (Any Megan Whalen Turner followers here?). But, even on his on merits he is a cut above. And he is always 10 steps ahead of everyone else ( well, except the certain few who are 10 steps ahead of him). I have added more Zhang Ruo Yun’s works to my to-watch list because he impressed and charmed the heck out of me.

SEE YOU IN MY 19th LIFE — I think the change I regret the most is the absence of balance that the webtoon achieves between playful comedy and poignant drama.

HEARTBEAT — I cannot wait for each episode now. From using the FF button liberally in the first two episodes to now being captivated: an extreme watching difference. Well done, show. You got me.

Family watch:
FORREST OF SECRETS — I just feel bad for my parents that we can only watch one episode at a time. It is fun to hear their theories, but my gag order is hard to bear. :)

IMMORTAL SONGS —There was not a new episode of our weekly KING OF MASKED SINGER so I had to fill the hole. Music sparks joy in me, reaching my essence in the purest communication. I appreciate these variety shows for deepening my knowledge of Korean music and introducing me to artists I would otherwise never meet.

LIVE WATCHING:
KING
19th LIFE
NOT OTHERS
HEARTBEAT

MY LIBERATION NOTES (Ep 1-2)
I’m glad I waited for this. The show feels so real and raw, I almost feel like I’m intruding, as if I shouldn’t be privy to their conversations. It’s so intimate and personal and beautiful…
and there is no way I can eloquently express my thoughts…
but I’m thankful…
because this drama came exactly at the moment I most needed it

I WANT TO DIE BUT I WANT TO EAT TTEOKBOKKI BY BAEK SEHEE

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book, I’m currently in the middle this and I’d like to share my favourite passage so far:

‘Art had given me faith: faith that today may not have been perfect but still a pretty good day, or faith that even after a long day of being depressed, I can still burst into laughter over something very small.’

Delightfully Deceitful (Series review) - Mood progression: C- / C / C- / C- / D+ / D / D- / D-
Yoon Park fans, I’m afraid there’s more unfortunate news for you: your man is going to be playing (yes) yet another 2nd lead role in his next project. You know, it wouldn’t be so bad if he had something to do with the character but seriously, there was nothing! And the story’s just your old evil organisation grooming and traumatising kids followed by adult revenge.

King the Land (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D+
Doing PPL for an entire country to cover the honeymoon stage of your plot, well, I don’t think anyone expected better. But it was hilarious when the writer remembered that the male flight attendant was missing and calmly inserted him in, only to let him leave like 5 seconds later like lmao. Also, the writer really went hard on pretending the plot didn’t exist this week, yikes.

Not Others (Episode 1-2) - Mood: C-
The setup is a little crude especially with regards to the hostile work environment that Jin Hee finds herself in (and it’s lame that her romance partner has such a colourful past with her) but it’s Park Sung Hoon in a good guy role so that’s a good enough reason to keep watching. The mother-daughter duo are interesting characters but the setting is one let down.

Miraculous Brothers (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D+
We’re halfway through the show and I’m still wondering why Lee Ki Woo’s character is a main role, even when logic dictates that he’ll probably be instrumental to bringing down the big bad evil that is his brother. In other news, there’s more irritating police corruption, the mother is still annoying as is our female detective with her “I’m the main character!” energy.

See You in My 19th Life (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D+
Even the show knows that it’s running out of time because the way the accident and hotel arcs wrapped up was comical? It got worse with everyone being dragged into this 1st life drama and the show is still stubbornly refusing to tell us what really happened when the finale is already knocking on our doorsteps. And of course, there was the makjang choking cliffhanger.

Heartbeat (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D+
Ah yes, he’ll die if he doesn’t drink her blood before some arbitrary timing. I’m sure she’ll offer it to him herself in the future, with the OTP fighting amongst themselves to become the bigger noble idiot. And now with this guest house, there are more characters that occupy the already bloated narrative. I’m using the fast-forward button with all the neighbourhood scenes.

See You In My 19th Life: 8.0 Then in your 20th life -- avoid shows by this writer? Try not to trip over too many plot holes? Watch every Shin Hye-sun show you can get your hands on?

Revenant: 7.5 Do not open the door. Just stay seated and watch your kdramas.

Numbers: 6.5

Not Others: 8.0 Day 1 - 😳😲😜😂 Day 2 - if it goes down the tubes later we can always hope for that asteroid from Fanletter.

Heartbeat: 8.1 Beginning of day 7 -- In-hae should have offered Hae-won her pepper spray.

Delightfully Deceitful / Beneficial Fraud: 7.5

While I'm not ready to say the FL of Heartbeat is as accomplished an actress as Shin Hye-sung or Kim Tae-ri -- let's just say that if Heartbeat selected the FL by having auditions to see who could cuss out Taecyeon the best, then they chose well.

Not Others: The mother daughte duo is cute. It reminded me a bit of Gilmore Girls in that they clearly get along and love each other, but have petty little fights.

Heartbeat: Makes my heart beat faster. I am in love with this little show. Our leads coming together is adorable. It is a slow burn in the best way. You understand why they like each other and how they are learning from each other. It is really sweet.

Delightfully deceitful: It is done and it was not delightful. It is sad because the cast is stellar. The writing though was subpar and the acting could not elevate it.

Numbers: VP Han is no officially a Supervillain, lol. It is really fantastic they have CMS as the actor because anyone else would have made this cartoonish. The amount of power he supposed has is vast and nearly omnipotent. When they said he could take over the Korean economy, I hollered. This is too much y'all and he killed the previously unknown parents, lmao.

Revenant: So the evil spirit is a teenager, previously unknown. Oooh, great plot twist. Also I cried when the detective died.

19th: SHS is very very good. That entire scene from crying to murder was stunning. The lack of recognition in her eyes, I just adore her. This drama, not so much. lol. I hope they stick the landing.

The time has come. King the Land and I are breaking up. It's not me, it's definitely you. Sniff. But I'll keep my eyes on the recaps. If you improve show, I promise, I will reconsider.

To get my Junho fix, I've started Good Manager. It's utterly unrealistic and utterly uh-mazing watching baby Junho playing the big bad. And Namgoong Min is so over-the-top fun. So excited to see him soon in My Dearest.

Still going strong with Revenant and Heartbeat, still the smartest and silliest shows in dramaland right now.

19th Life you really needed 16+ episodes to flesh out your ambitions. But let's hope you can somehow wrap up in 12.

I've been intrigued by the Beanie chatter around
Not Others. This goes to the top of the pile.