Season's Greetings, Beanies 🎄❄🎇! Hope everyone has a wonderful last week of the year! My drama week -

ONGOING
The Matchmakers - I'm watching the last 3 episodes together on Monday as a demonstration of my iron will power 😂.

A Good Day to Be a Dog - Everything about this curse and the past life is so irrational. What does Bo-gyeom even achieve with the memory erasure?!

My Man is Cupid - I'm glad the cops finally know who the real witness is. That was frustrating to watch (though maybe realistic? 🤔). Also Show, we all know the real 1000th time was when she returned to pick up the photo and met ML 💅.

Didn't manage to watch My Demon, The Story of Park's Marriage Contract, or Welcome to Samdal-ri so I have a ton of episodes to catch-up on now. I'd say thank god for the holidays but they always end up being even busier than normal days 😅.

STARTED
Started Like Flowers in Sand and it's interesting. I've always liked the glimpses of ssireum I've gotten in k-variety so this should be fun (minus the match-fixing nonsense - is it impossible to make sports dramas without them?? 🙄)

C-DRAMAS
Completed A Journey to Love. Watched the last 10 episodes at one go and maybe that's why I disliked the ending even more than others 😬.

Also completed Love Me, Love My Voice - more food and travel show vibes.

Tell Me that you love Me: I continue to love Mo Eun and Jin Woo’s interactions. You can tell they take genuine joy in their interactions together. Her family’s reactions are gross and I am glad it doesn’t dampen or cause struggle in her feelings for him. Ji Yu and Mo Dam’s relationship is relativity unsparky, lol, that isn’t a word, but there is no there there with them. So I don’t really care about that, but outside of the weirdo dance they have happening, Ji Yu is delightful. I also really like Song Seo Kyung, she seems like a genuinely kind person who is trying her best. So I appreciate her in a sea of jealous exes, inappropriate crushes, and annoying 2M/FLs.

The Matchmakers: These last two episodes kind of bored me, I only watched for my fav couple Oraboni and Sam Soon. Everything else was a little tedious for me.

Like Flowers in the Sand: JDY’s character is so earnest here in the sweetness way, but also a little slow, lol. I like learning about sports I was unaware of, so this is fun for me. Here is to Du Shik and Baek doo being the soul mates he believes them to be.

A Good Day to Be a Dog: I don’t get this punishment, it has been hundreds of years. Didn’t you punish them while alive, why punish them now. SIGH, it has really soured what was originally cuteness and kisses. It is now just weird.

My Demon: Sexy love, all the things we do, got be sprung, got me running back to you, ooh I love making love to you…….(in my Neyo voice). This latest episode was cute, but now my annoyance with the 2L has arisen. I get why Seok Hun is worried, I do, a demon. I get it, but sir, why especially with Ga Yeong. SIGH, I would rather he had been the one trying to kill her, this is just tedious.

The story of Park’s Marriage Contract: This drama continues to be my joy. Our leads and second leads are just so wonderful together, not even Haraboji can break them apart. They will persevere and stick to each other’s sides.

Gyeongseong Creature: The creature was not what I expected. The rest of the drama is rather slow. The character development is lacking too. It is a weird juxtaposition of bad character development and little to no movement in the greater plot, hmm, I am only 4 episodes in, but I feel like I should care more about the characters and I just don’t, but I’ll keep watching, maybe it gets better.

Soundtrack #2: It was fine, great kisses though. The actors did their best with what was given, but it was rather shallow though.

Maestra: Strings of Truth: LEAVE Se Eum alone. Leave her to her music and orchestra. CEO, go away, she doesn’t want you. As for her husband, try not to be a liability sir.

Welcome to Samdal Ri: My other sunshine show. I am glad Samdal can move on and rebuild herself again. I am not sure she needs Yong Pil for that, but he will be there, as will poor poor Sang Do, who doesn’t stand a single chance.
My man is Cupid: I have no idea what is happening in this show. The Raiden looking guy disappeared. Now we...

LIVE WATCHES
The Matchmakers
I'm going to be directly honest with you all. I've still not watched episodes 14-15. I have seen the preview for episode 16. I will be back in touch on Christmas Day about whether or not I'll be on Dramabeans anymore or if I've quit watching K-dramas forever. OK, no, not that dramatic. OK, wait, yes, that dramatic.

My Demon
Super, SUPER disappointed in Friday's episode. I may be in the "Silent Watch" (which is right next to, but not the same as the "Hate Watch") category for the rest of the run, unless they turn it around from being a second-rate HeartBeat clone back into being the funny, self-deprecating farce it was at the beginning.

The Story of Park's Marriage Contract
It was cute yesterday, folks! I think it might continue being cute-ish until the end?? I don’t hate the step-mom rehabilitation twist…that was sort of good? I am being swayed to understanding TSoPMC as a sweet show that should simply not be taken too seriously, and it, in return, won’t take itself too seriously either.

LYOL (not even skimming for the gifs)
Dropped until @dorotka insists I return. Maybe writernim will get it together.

Welcome to Samdal-ri
I really liked episode 6, people!! That puts me and @kafiyah-bello into a little company of, well, just the two of us. Wouldn’t it be great if the rest of the episodes were sweet and cute and healing, and our characters grew and changed, and we all have a happy ending?

FROM THE RESERVES
W
Done! Not earth-shattering, but delightful all the same. My favorite parts were...when our ML got to know our FL again, and fell in love with her...again.

My Liberation Notes
I started, I started!!! I really liked the first episode, and I rarely am hooked this fast...so, here...we...goooo!!!! I have off until next Friday!! Let’s GIT IT!

Life has been busy (yay!), so less progress on dramas this past week.

The Story of Park's Marriage Contract: Remains FLIPPIN' ADORABLE. Bae In-hyuk as a sweet boi in love is the best. 🥰

The Matchmakers: Remains on pause (ep. 3) until I learn how it ends. I need to mentally/emotionally prepare myself for the rest of this journey. 🥹

The Crowned Clown: (through ep. 6) Remains SUPER DUPER stressful, but also excellent. Every other scene is an "oh shizzle" moment. 😬😱

Miscellaneous
● My mom watched and enjoyed Arang and the Magistrate - she loved Lee Joon-gi and liked the ending. I told her how he does all his own stunts, and she was impressed. Yay!!!!
● I watched the first episode of Dragons of Wonderhatch that just showed up on Disney+... I knew nothing about it, but really liked the first ep - it's very dreamy.
● Also watched the first episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians - I thought it was really good!! Hopefully the rest will be, too! My hopes are higher since Rick Riordan was part of the whole process of adapting, writing, and producing. Fingers crossed!

Ongoing

Like Flowers in sand
I absolutely love Jang Dong Yoon here. There is something so adorable about the way he talks and smiles, yet he makes you feel his pain even when he says nothing.
He has gained weight for this role and he actually makes me believe he is a wrestler.
I am no expert in Korean dialects, but I feel his is near perfect.
I loved the first two episodes. It captured the small town vibe very well and the camera work is brilliant.

My Demon : Give us a happy ending show. That’s all I ask. And keep the wild dog gang in the plot.

Death’s Game ready for the next drop!

Welcome to Samdal-ri Episode 5/6 turned out to be much better. I think the self discovery part might be better from this point onwards. Can we not have this stupid love triangle please??!!

My man is Cupid I am confused about the killing. So is the killer killing anyone who talks to FL?? ep 7 had me all confused. And I hate the Cupid roommates. They are awful. Just awful. people who can’t clean up after themselves are the worst.

Derailment (cdrama) :
A time travel parallel universe drama. I was skeptical when I started but by episode 4 I quite liked it. The production is good and camera work and music I like that the FL is strong and determined to find a way back. She was a ‘heiress’ but now is left with 500 yuan in a new world. She picks herself up, is willing to work, is careful with money and is determined to find a way back. Even though the ML is looking out for her and helping her, she really tries to stand on her own feet and doesn’t cling on to him and doesn’t want to leave too many traces.
It’s hilarious when her ‘heiress’ mode acts up and her body language is on point. Liu Hao Cun is truly amazing here. I love her acting. She conveys so much with just her body language.
Lin Yi is supposed to be a bit enigmatic initially but he just looks stiff. But, by episode 4 he gets better and you see more of his emotions by Ep 6. 
It’s 30 episodes in total so hopefully there are no draggy parts in the middle. Fingers crossed they resolve the time travel well.

Dropped

Who Ruled the world I lasted till Ep 23. But it started to drag. Too much politics and too little leads time.

Park Marriage contract : Didn’t feel like continuing. It’s too disjointed and I am not emotionally invested in the leads however cute they might be together. I will just watch the gifs on the fan wall.

A good day to be a dog : I saw upto the kiss. I saw the tongue. No reason to continue.

Finished

Night Has Come was such a solid watch. The ending went full Black Mirror which is a vibe.There’s defs gaps in terms of the rules of the game but could easily overlook those because the story was unique & entertaining - if gaps in logic is a means to a worthwhile end then I don’t mind in the slightest. Acting also 10/10, everyone sold their roles so realistically that watching the cast premiere press conference video felt quite jarring.

Sweet Home 2 Probably the slowest watch I’ve done in AGES/ever but for good reason. Season 1 was great for its own reasons, and season 2 was fantastic for another set of reasons. My only qualms; though I understand why, there wasn’t enough Hyun-su this season and secondly the BewhY track from S1 was so elite so was hoping for something similar this time round too but :(. Anyways posted my rambles in the hangout: https://www.dramabeans.com/2023/12/sweet-home-2-drama-hangout/#comment-4151067

Soundtrack #2 went in for a simple rom-com and it ended up being a deeper introspection into relationships, including a doozy trip down my own memory lane. Ending is weak but I’ve decided to fill in the gaps with imagination to make it work.

Current Watches

Also a little sad because usually at this point every year I’m on a massive Christmas movie binge of all the cringy hallmark and Netflix romcoms, but this year I’ve not even felt a little inclined to start because it doesn’t feel like December is December-ing properly 😭 I think a lot of people in the neighbourhood feel the same way because there’s a distinct lack of yard decorations this year - it is funny to think though that I’ve conditioned my brain into needing little triggers like seeing fairy lights and reindeers around me to indicate that it’s Christmas, and without those cues I’m suddenly feeling lost 😂

My Demon (9/16) 🥰 ❤️ 💕 I am BUZZING 🥰 ❤️ 💕

Tell Me That You Love Me (3/16) and I’m really, really, really loving how SOFT and SUMMER this feels for me right now. It’s like the drama version of soaking in warm summer sunshine

Yu Yu Hakusho just started watching this with my brother because I’ve seen nothing but hype for it on the internet.

The Dog Show (11/14) ngl, this show was the best when it was light and fluffy and fun and cute and now we’re going into angst but like unnecessary angst and tone switch ups and I’m not a fan. This week was a bit of a miss imo and I didn’t love it BUT looking at previews maybe next week might get back on track for me.

Live Watches
The Matchmakers: Pins and needles, y’all. Pins and needles. I really need this to end happily, and I need more scenes with Shi-yeol and Du-ri. But these episodes were beautiful, as usual, and it made my heart ache to see Jung-woo and Soon-deok go through a marriage ceremony together. Almost as much as it made me laugh to see how each of the younger Maeng sisters reacted to being in the newlywed rooms with their respective beloveds!

My Demon: Ahhhhh! They are so cute together! “I love insignificant things!” 🤭 I don’t really know what chaebol-sister’s plan was, but I bet Gu-won would love some copies of those photos. I appreciate the creepiness of the reveal of one of our baddies, but I’m disappointed a little that it wasn’t Seok-hoon. The second leads are the only thing that I’m not enjoying as much as I could be in this drama, so I was hoping to remove one from second lead status altogether.

Older Dramas
Twinkling Watermelon: (up to episode 11) This is shaping up to be such a great drama. I find myself very hot or cold with Eun-yoo (I get that she’s in a dark place, but is that a reason to be super flippant with everyone else’s lives too?) but my favorite times are when she’s struggling with her growing feelings for a person she assumes is an old man! Cheong-ah is obviously amazing, and I love the bromance too, despite (and maybe a little because of) it’s innate immaturity.

Park's Contract, 8eps
It is cute and simple and I liked Bae Inhyuk in biege. 😊 Though sometimes it feels that even 12 episodes is too many 😅 - that curling and ice cream kiss were rather random even for my fangirl heart.
I still want to hope that Evil Step Mom actually is not evil, especially when it looks that Grandpa is much more sinister (and less loving) now. But I'm afraid the show will not go there.

Demon, 8eps
The humour is one of the major pulls for me and the gangsters again delivered... with their hospital visit and 5m distance measurement. 😄
I also like the quiet moments between the leads (they so obviously care for each other) and I wonder what happens now when Guwon is sort of back to being human.

Samdal-ri
Sometimes I'm shaking my head at the antics of the 5 when they are together, they behave more like teenagers than 30+ adults. But then I remember how our high school reunions look like. 😁
Episode 6 was good, with Samdal facing Weasel Assistant... and her fears of being the actual cause of the suicidal attempt... (even if I still have difficulties to believe that NOBODY stood by Samdal).
I'm also somehow interested in Incompetent Ex-husband... and I love Hayul. ❤️

Hyoshim
I was again on the verge of dropping it, but it seems that Hyoshim will FINALLY move out.
Staying also for Taehee and Mirim.

Tell Me That You Love Me
I like it, but I also have to admit that Twinkling Watermelon and especially jdrama Silent had me better (and deeper) connected - here I actually feel much more connected to Friend and his deaf wife than to the main couple (even if I like them and wish them well). Friend and Brother love line is disappointing and Brother was sooo ruuude to Main Couple, that was not like him. On the other hand, I quite like Second Female Lead so far. The best scenes are the dinner times with the main couple, the friend and his deaf wife... and it reminds me of my early days when I was meeting the family of my husband and wasn't able to speak the language yet. Well done.

Dog Day
I still haven't watched episode 10...

Soundtrack 2
It was quite good... but the last 5 minutes.

I also watched 5 episodes of Journey To Love, but then I heard some spoilers about the ending 😬 and switched to Derailment - only 2 episodes in, but I'm curious enough to continue, are we in parallel worlds or a computer game?

Tell Me That You Love Me - What can't I say about this. This is one drama that I don't want anyone who doesn't love it to watch. It is proving to be amongst the one dramas I'll recommend only to people who know good drama.
The disappointment written on Mo-eun's father's face, however unpalatable to watch, was relatable and kinda valid. I kind of liked that they let it play out that way. I hope they can use this medium to address a valid concern of concerned family members like Mo-eun's minus Mo-dam. I could understand the father's reaction but not his.

Happiness Battle - I finally completed this. I don't know how Jang Mi-ho lost common sense and went into the car with Mr. Kang.

Welcome To Samdalri EP 3&4 - I knew the silence of her mom was killing Sam-dal. I thought her mom was being considerate of Sam-dal by not asking questions especially after she had read the articles online. I thought same about Yong-pil and the other 3 guys. They had, just like her mom, read the articles but refrained from asking her questions out of consideration to her, to not hurt her feelings. When Sam-dal broke down and blasted the guys as to the way they were being careful around her, it changed the perspective of how I perceived their consideration. It was hurting her so much that the people she wants to explain herself to do not even want to hear her tell her side of the story.

TOP 10 OF 2023

BRUSH UP LIFE - 7.5 out of 10
WAVES - Listen to Me - 7 out of 10
Barakamon - 6/10
Fence - 7 out of 10
The half Man - 7 out of 10
Meet Yourself - 6 out of 10
The Road to Ordinary - 7 out of 10
Don't Waste Your Time, Lovers - 6.5/10
One Piece - 6/10
Hold my Hand at sunset - 6.5/10

Soundtrack #2 (Series review)
It was cute to see Noh Sang Hyun on the small screen again after Behind Every Star. Yeah, that’s it.

The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D+
Yikes, despite the best efforts by both Awesome Secretary and Marvellous Sa Wol (I bellowed in laughter seeing her just go for the kiss in the dark), the story insists on dragging itself down with noble idiocy and cringe-inducing villainy. Also, I feel a bit sad for Yoo Seon Ho: Tae Min has done nearly nothing all show long and Sung Pyo feels more like a lead to me?

Welcome to Samdal-ri (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D
Huh, as though the power abuse plot device wasn’t bad enough on its own, they decided to expand on it with plagiarism? It boggles me as to why the writer ever thought this arc needed development? And then of course, there’s bad blood between the parents which likely caused the breakup, mother has some terminal illness, annoying reporter, love triangle, that sucks.

My Man Is Cupid (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D
Whatever little levity the show had with the senior cop calling Sang Hyuk hyung and the incredulous reactions from the rest of the cops was quickly overshadowed by the love triangle. Also, how many people must die before the cops realise there is some information leak regarding the witnesses? All this talk about the perfect cover-up makes me think the culprit is a cop.

A Good Day to Be a Dog (Episode 11) - Mood: D
So amnesia, huh. But the bigger tragedy is that Yul didn’t even get one second of screen time in this episode! And while it’s important to develop what is now arguably the main plot now, there was so much repetition and filler in the past life scenes (not to mention the agonising scheduling) that I was left brooding about the onslaught of past lives in this batch of dramas.

My Demon (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D-
Now, the story is just spiralling downwards: there’s a difference between the angst being generated by external factors vs it being generated by internal troubles and the writing’s demonstrating exactly what not to do when building tension. Sure, so much beauty to appreciate in that kiss, but I’m kind of tired knowing it’s filler dating scenes and killer nonsense coming up?

@mary
Hiiii! 🙋‍♀️
Long time no see!
Hope all is fine with you! 😘❤️

Goryeo Kitan War: 7.0 Showing those fools from My Dearest the right way to deal with pesky foreign intruders from the north.

My Demon: 7.4 🦟🦟 So vampires are just overglorified mosquitoes? Too bad the mosquito emoji doesn't seem very recognizable.

Park's Marriage Contract: 7.5 Show likes its headbutts.

Death's Game: 8.0 (ep 3 / 4) It's improving as it goes, unlike so many other shows. The "I see dead people" in ep 3 was cool.

Matchmakers: 8.0

Good Day to Be a Dog: 5.0

Gyeongseong Creature: 6.5 (ep 1 / 2)

WELCOME TO SAMDAL-RI (Ep 5-6) We get a good episode about Samdal’s four friends. Yong-Pil and Sang-do both had romantic feelings for her since they were young but since they were shy and she was bold nothing truly happened. I liked that Samdal put Yong Pil in his place about “knowing” her when she changed so much in the last 8 years (4 boyfriends; 10x salary). But then again, it did not stop the friends for sticking up for her against the reporter. But then the series reverts Samdal back to a scared little girl which is totally opposite her successful career personality. I got the eerie feeling that Yong Pil wants Samdal to return to Jeju after giving up her dream career so she will be more dependent upon him (a subterfuge to get her back in his arms). To be perfectly honest, Sang-do is probably more the gentlemen and a better fit for Samdal than Yong Pil. But that story line will never happen, just because.

Ha-Yul has the most common sense in the entire show. She does not the village because of the superstitious and gossipy elders who pity her because her father died young. She was right: it was no one fault when his time was up (which probably will foreshadow the resolution of the hatred of Sang-Tae toward Mi-ja.)

This week story ended very flat with the hard sell that Yong Pil still pines for Samdal (but he did nothing to change that for 8 long years). She moved on; he did not. His constant appearances and hovering around her appear noble but he has a clear ulterior motive. At this point, Samdal giving up, returning to the village and getting back with Yong-Pil would be the “failure” that she dreaded her entire life. The real failure would be to give up her photography career.

TELL ME THAT YOU LOVE ME (Ep 7-8) I like that the show uses childhood flashbacks like Hide N Seek to show the lasting impressions on Jinwoo’s personality. Emotionally, he liked being alone but at the same time he wanted to be found. This show has great character maturity and communication skills. The first seven minutes of Episode 8 were more masterful “showing and not telling” the story. JW and SK were a very cute campus couple. You could tell the trust and communication (even the silent moments) was real. The show continues to hit the mark that communication takes many forms: language, signs, body language, written words and silence. There is also a shadow theme that one has to confront their problems: the high school bully victim standing up to fight his abuser is another rarity in k-dramas but when I was growing up, it was the only way to earn respect and stop bully behavior.

There were so many good couple moments: SK and JW in college; Modam and Ji-Yu trying to communicate their feelings; Ki-Hyun and So-Hee’s lovely marital life; and the end ME and JW reaffirming their connection.

A GOOD DAY TO BE A DOG (Ep. 11) The Mountain God plays all his cards and power to emotionally abuse Hae-Na’s family. I thought the worst for uncle last episode, but...

Kim Yoo-jung is my wife’s very favorite K-drama actress and that means that I am having to pause watching MY DEMON until her eyes adjust sufficiently to read subtitles comfortably again (the second cataract surgery was just a few days ago). THE MATCHMAKERS and THE STORY OF PARK’S MARRIAGE CONTRACT are also on hold for the same reason. Which is a shame because all three of these are good shows.

Shin Hye-sun is my very favorite K-drama actress and so I am not pausing my watch of WELCOME TO SAMDAL-RI. And, while my wife has a quite surprising tolerance for battle scenes, I am also not pausing my watch of THE GORYEO-KHITAN WAR.

Because much of what my wife normally watches is not presently available to her, I went ahead with a (temporary) subscription to Disney+. She finally got to see THE MANDALORIAN, binge watched the whole thing and loved it. My wife will be able to see the live action versions of ALADDIN and MULAN and is really enjoying THE YOUNG INDIANA JONES. A temporary subscription is (somewhat) worth it but I can officially report (indignantly) that most of the Kdramas which Disney picked up are STILL not available in the US. There are good reasons why I am not a fan of the Disney Corporation.

My very favorite show right now continues to be the daily UNPREDICTABLE FAMILY. The writer is a genius. Is there such a thing as a gentle melo comedy romance? This past week saw a number of situations which would have been painful to watch in other dramas and there were moments of angst, as an old misunderstanding continued to do its damage, but somehow the show handled these in such a way that we did not end up hating the characters- we can even still like them and in fact cheer for all of them. The painful things were not so painful simply because they were not portrayed in an over-the-top fashion but rather as perfectly understandable and all too human. There are also still scenes which bring a smile to your face. This show maintains its balance and continues to draw us further in. I am looking forward to next week when half-brothers and sisters will begin to meet each other.

Our weekender, LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE, is now at its exact midpoint. The tone has shifted considerably from where it was to something more in line with the title, although we still have a long way to go. There were positive things beginning to happen but, at the same time, I still viscerally dislike some of the characters, like the moms of both our FL and our 2ML, to name just two. The concept of the show is a good one and circumstances beyond the control of the writer plagued the first half, but the show may finally be getting its footing despite a number of flawed characters- ratings are starting to tick up for a reason.
Mary is right about Gwan-hee on SINGLES INFERNO 3. But I wonder how long this can hold up? His situation may blow up next week.

FINISHED:

Now that my Christmas baking and jam-making are all done, I'm settling in for 3 days of just catching up on both sleep and K-Dramas.

1. MYSTIC POP-UP BAR - This was okay and one of the K-Dramas I have seen that handles reincarnation tropes quite well. I did like the ending - it was quite fitting for the 3 lead characters as family. Unlike some K-Drama endings, this one feels like the characters EARNED it within the story.

ONGOING:

1. MY DEMON - Aaaaah! Ms. Wireless Charger and Mr Pokemon never fail to amuse as a dynamic duo. Marital bickering and That Kiss made this week's episodes awesome!

2. WELCOME TO SAMDAL-RI - The pacing is still off. And we need the OTP to begin their romance, not a love triangle to form. But I will keep watching anyway.

JUST STARTED:

1. GYEONGSEONG CREATURE - Are the film reviewers watching the same drama as me? I'm on to episode 2 and so far it's fine. Park Seo-Joon and Han So-Hee are just fine starring opposite each other. There isn't bags of chemistry but is still works fine, especially since there's no romance on the horizon.

2. I also will be resuming W: TWO WORLDS soon. Hoping to finish it over the long Christmas weekend.

Tell Me That You Love Me I'm only interested in Jin-Woo and Seo-Kyung's story. It looks they really need closure about what happened in the past. I like to see them communicating, how smooth it is and how it's about everything and not only him being deaf. I could have liked the main couple but Shin Hyun-Bin is so bring on screen...

The Matchmakers The last 2 episodes were great with our different couples finally getting married! The last one will be our main couple I hope.

Like Flowers in Sand I didn't specially like or dislike it. There were too many characters I don't really care about... And why a murder?!?

A Good Day to Be a Dog The past story is so boring... This drama has not only an issue with its schedule but writing and acting too.

Welcome to Samdal-ri I think it's becoming a drama I watch only for JCW...

The Story of Park's Marriage Contract The present to fix the past? It sounds weird... The past story is not really interesting neither. I wish to see Yeon-Woo handling her modern life and the couple, the rest...

My Demon It's fun and pretty. Song Kang is quite convincing as a puppy in love more than a dangerous demon.

Maestra: Strings of Truth I watch the first 2 episodes and I'm not sure... I just want classical music.

Soundtrack #2 Not really better than the first one.

Gyeongseong Creature I want to try it!

Death's Game A good casting but in a poor story...

My Man is Cupid Dramabeans will stop ignoring this mess by the end!

When the Weather is Fine

Finished. Although writing and directing were consistently good, it was a show that became harder and harder for me to watch, and I confess that Lee Jae Wook's character was the only reason I finished it. That good, honest, simple boy needed his happy ending. And to a girl who knew his worth. It was so sweet and cute that he had looked after all the town's people the whole series, and everybody helped him in the end.

There were 2 things that really angered me about PMY's character.
One, that she so cruelly and relentlessly teased SKJ's character because of his diary, and how long he had loved her.
And two, when she so dismissively rejected KYD's confession and later as dismissively told him that she knows he hadn't love her for too long because she knows the eyes of a person who has. Who are you to judge another person's heart. Especially the boy who singlehandedly saved you from being an outcast after that scandal. And confessed to you immediately after he saw you again after years. I wasn't on his side, but I was very angry with how she treated him.

These and many other clues told me that she is an extremely self-centered and selfish person, which from the writing point of view was very consistent and well-done, but I'm glad I had Lee Jae Wook's character to look forward to, because I couldn't root for her.

Behind Your Touch

Finished. The writing of the show was terrible. It was like it was written by a 10 year old child. Was there not even one cctv camera in the whole building of a national assemblyman's office?? This was just one of the ridiculous plotholes.

The male lead, and the cops were horribly bad at their jobs. As was mentioned by a character: "Being this incompetent at being a cop is in itself a crime!"

The body count was atrocious. And the fact that each one of them was a person who we were made to know/like/root for made the show progressively more infuriating.

BUT! (pun intended!) To make up for all that, the directing and the characterizations were amazing! It was such a treat to slowly know and care for so many side characters despite none of them being perfectly good and sweet people. It was so easy to watch when you like so many characters, even though you want to bang your head on the table with that writing! Of course that same plus point, made the body count that much more horrible. (I can't help sliding a jibe in here at Heartbeat which its too many unlikeable characters was one of the reasons I dropped it)

I don't know what I'm going to watch next. I really liked Twinkling Watermelon's first episode, but it somehow didn't stay in my mind enough to remember to play ep 2... I haven't recovered from Brave Citizen yet to try My Lovely Boxer... I'm waiting for Park's Marriage Contract to finish before trying it... Maybe I should just rewatch old favorites until I'm revived again!

Current/recent:

The Matchmakers: The most well-plotted, well-written, well-acted show of 2023. The complex story and multiple narrative threads have been so neatly woven and so nearly drawn together that a resolution worthy of the narrative, whatever that may be, actually seems plausible. It’s amazing to have gotten through episode 15 and have the ending feel entirely unpredictable, leaving open possibilities of either a happy-ever-after or a not-so-much that would be equally well-supported by what the show has built. I can’t guess which way all these strands will be wound up in the end. I’m hoping for the OTP to end up together and also willing to accept that if we don’t get that, the show will not in any way be cheating us. Monday, come sooner!

My Demon: That was a fine realization/admission of feelings and kiss, but adding the sprinkler was too much. Demon is rapidly turning into a frail human - now what will they do for another 4 weeks? Once again saving both episodes for tonight, because the cliffhangers have been killers.

Like Flowers In Sand: Hmmm, that was a mysterious and intriguing start - despite the inevitable murder subplot already rearing its tired, disheveled head. I can’t see any reason to give a fig about the FL yet, but Jang Dong-yoon’s ML is enough of an ennui-plagued yet down-to-earth oddball that I’d stay around for a while to see how his life goes.

My Man Is Cupid: This show is terrible. I have no idea what’s going on. Of course I’ll keep watching!

Soundtrack #2: Someone really looked at the ending of Not Others and said, “yup, sounds about right, let’s go with that”? Is not growing, not learning, and gaining some self-awareness but doing nothing with it a new trope? This was so promising and so sweet through episodes 1-5 that the ending leaves even more of a sour taste.

Death’s Game: Saving most of it for holiday downtime. I can’t say this show is good, but it sure is a wild ride.

Park’s Marriage Contract: Dropped. The leads are super cute but don't have an iota of common sense between them, and they can’t make up for the annoying corporate stuff and incoherent plot. To be fair, this show did advertise from the start that the chaebol power struggle was going to be a major element but even that part doesn’t make much sense.

A Good Day to Be a Dog: Time to admit to myself that I’ve dropped this. I hear there was a kiss; maybe I’ll go back and watch that.

Older shows: LOL, still no time - but if my current watches keep spinning out and crashing into the sidewalls, I’ll have plenty of time slots to fill.

So, my 2023 of kdrama, for better or for worse is full of missed expectations. (1) Almost all dramas of this year that I liked are shows I started to watch without excitement. Mostly because at first I didn’t like the genre, the main casts or the synopsis, but surprisingly the stories gone beyond my expectation its crushing my prejudice (Call it Love, Moving, Twinkling Watermelon, Revenant). On other side most of dramas that I eagerly waited for ended up being (2) just mediocre (A Time Called You, Dr. Romantic S3, Daily Dose of Sunshine, Castaway Diva) or (3) Tad dissapointing (Interest of Love, D. P. S2, Worst of Evil).

I think too many dramas were out in 2023 I couldn’t keep up despite being able to watch so many shows. And as kdramas started to gain more global attention and have higher budget they capable to upgrading so much in picture quality and CGI, but why do I feel the scripts quality were declining? They focus so much about how it looks on the screen (which is important) but the scripts (which at leats for me, the most important thing about a drama) appear not as significant or being taken care so much less than the visual. Anyway, I hope I am meaningfully busy enough to the point I’ll watch so much less drama but a lot more good shows in 2024.

Tell Me That You Love Me : I think the pd has a thing with architecture because I remember on how much I love Woong’s house on Our Beloved Summer and I do feel the same with JW‘s and ME’s on this show. For the show itself, it is a very little bit too slow for me, but so far it’s good. I love how the FL never treated the ML as someone with disablity. She is capable of showing empathy without pity toward him and the relationship she offers whether it is friendship or romantic are genuine and come out naturally. And despite the ML awareness of how his disability could be inconvenience for others, he doesn’t shut himself from other people and socializing. He might be introverted and so careful on creating relations but he is not the kind of person who throw himself a pity party or blaming the world and built a wall after being misunderstood because of his deafness. He understand the burden he has to bear and make peace about it. And, I never know Jung Woo Sung has such a beautiful smile. When he smiles while playing those piano I wonder how much it takes for Shin Hyun Been to keep her heart in its place. Also, since FL and Yo Han definitely will be in friendzone forever, may I take him?

Welcome to Salmdari : I’ll give this a 7 so far. It’s okay but not yet gripping. I still see some potential it probably could go so much better in the future especially with the main leads reconciliation that hasn’t take off yet and possible romance stories of the older and younger sister.

Good Day to be A Dog : it’s a light watch. Something that just passing by without needed to be think of too much. I think the best part of the show is Yul. This teenanger and the vet are the only adults in this show...

A Journey To Love ep 27-40 oh my goodness so much has happened. Everything has been turned upside down. Regardless of everything that went down, I still love this show. It has been hints numeroustimes that it may not be a sweet ending for everyone. I get why it has to be this way. I love all of the main characters and some of the supporting characters. I appreciate the care that was given to the character development of key individuals that I learned to love. This is only one of the few shows that as soon as it ended, I wanted to rewatch and join the characters in their journey. ❤️😭💝

The Story of Park's Marriage Contract ep7-8 Confessions,noble idiocy, corporate trouble and kisses. I love all the scenes between our OTP and their besties. I just love Bae In Hyuk and Lee Se Young in this. I am not sure though who is the big bad, I think it is still his stepmom. Isn't it?

My Demon ep7-8 Gu Won's security in Sunwol is so lax. Anyone can just come in and snoop around. I still love this show despite some quibbles. Similar trajectory story-wise with TSPMC. This show just has better flow to the story.

Live Your Own Lifeep 24-25 skipped this week

The Matchmakers ep 14-15 the shenanigans before the triple wedding was just as fun. I enjoyed the manuevering behind the scenes to make sure this event is a success. One episode to go.

My Happy Marriage ep 5-12 when is season 2 for this show? Or at least sequel to the live action movie. I need to know what will happen to Kiyoka and Miyo.

Behind on several shows , tried a couple of newer ones
Views subject to change
Matchmakers Final Ep 🫣
Dog ShowAngry Tiger Man Curse Show
LYOL 1/2 through, life is still rotten , lol 😂
PMCGrandpa is evil ! ? Need to watch other ep.
My DemonHave yet to watch
Gyeongseong Monster Ep1 😐 not sure about this .
Sand Flower Wrestling Show No too bad I wish they had put all the eps out.
Death Game One and done . Seemed more of a demon than Death.
Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Lone C drama
I need a good Japanese drama.
Another OS update and the adblocker works again 🥰

The Matchmakers: This is the rare show that manages to keep the story moving while also giving all the key characters and relationships time to develop and grow. It's quite well done and I'm looking forward to the final episode. On a totally random note, is the character of Jung Woo reading as autistic to anyone else? Because if he was a student in one of my classes, I'd absolutely be checking to see if he had a special accommodations form.

My Demon: Ridiculously trope-y, but in a fun, self-aware way. Why yes, I do occasionally just want to bask in over-the-top neo-80's styling.

My Demon: Paused at the end of episode 7. I want to like this and there are many likable bits, but am having trouble getting into it. May pick it up later Want to comment that Gu-won took a whole bunch of useless crap to Do-hee's apartment, but not the important demon manual. *facepalm*

Story of Park's Marriage Contract: TWO Dol-swes. Makes me want a robot vac. It really reminds me of the older days of watching kdrama rom-coms but at a faster pace. Hits the emotional and humorous notes well. I also love the teamwork between the characters. The stepmother's scenes are finally interesting and watchable. I am curious as to what the connection is supposed to be between the fates of the present day and Old Joseon.

Matchmakers: Where the penultimate episode ends up being one of the best episodes in a series full of great episodes. We have emotional moments and high-stakes hijinx! The excitement of pulling off a triple wedding with only one of the scheduled pairs present and gaslighting all the attendees using the first night was incredible. Also the whole thing was so beautifully shot. The choice to use only instrumentals was a great one. I love the BGM in this series.

Welcome to Samdalri: Progress! Sam-dal's confrontation with liar liar pants on fire Eun-joo where she was relieved of her guilt regarding the suicide attempt and where she was pretty much "go and take the designs and bf. don't need either of them" was pretty badass.

Live your own life: Only watching it for Mirim and Hyo-jun. Frustrated with how everyone became more frustrating as we progress since I'm sure the final episode of a weekend family drama is pretty much required to end in a we're-a-harmonious-family note.

Ancient Detective: C-drama. Finished! Loved it. Actors, costumes, fight scenes, costumes, plot, comedy - all incredible! Cliffhanger of an ending with no season 2, but also a good stopping point. I think it was really obvious what the reveal about the ML's identity was going to be, but the actual reveal was surprising in how all the clues and threads along the way tied together

Continuing
Live your Own Life
I wish she would

Unpredictabe Family
SFL is completely unhinged. Family secrets coming out and FL has some serious heartache with all the smearing SFL is doing

A good day to be a dog
I am trying to find a good day to watch it. So much reluctance

My Demon
Watching it mostly for the oh so pretty leads

Starting
Friends
I needed something familiar and comforting so I went back to my comfort food. LOL.

Currently watching:

1. Tell Me that You Love Me: So far, I’m liking this one a lot, and I look forward to watching next eps every week.

2. Single Inferno 3: Like @mary, Gwan-hi turns out to be a super red flag (like the Fox lady). At first, I think he had really good chemistry with Hye-seon, but the more I saw him the more I think Hye-seon is better off without him. He is a player in every sense of the word. But even when I don’t like him, I’d hate to be anywhere near the Fox Lady.

Marriage Not Dating👰❌👫(13/16): Gosh episode 12 was frustrating.
Episode 11 ended with Yeo-Reum hugging Jang-Mi. Red flag because Jang-Mi does not want him or his skin ship at that time.😒 Bigger red flag because he did so on purpose in front of her mother-in-law, ’because he likes her’. Ah yes dude, your selfish desperation will certainly sway her.🙄 Hugest red flag because he gets to literally walk away without any repercussions and starts living out his dreams.😠

Jang-Mi on the other hand…whether her parents, in-laws, love interests, friends or foes are fighting her or each other, directly or indirectly the blame and consequences are placed entirely on her.🤨 I think I am furious about this because lately I notice it often in fiction. Love really is not enough to start a relationship, guys! And Yeo-Reum does not even have that!😤