Not enamoured of any of last week's premieres for now but at least I have more dramas to watch 🤗!

COMPLETED
Like Flowers in Sand - I'd love more time with our band of grown-up kids but I'm happy with what we got. Baek-du was a shining character and JDY did a great job with him.

ONGOING
Knight Flower - Finally the reveal! The show has been doing a very good job telling mini-stories in each week's episodes.

Sejak - I'm assuming this is all a plan by the King to root out the poisoner(s) and eventually hand over the throne to the Prince Royal, just like the late King wanted. The male disguise for Hee-soo has gone beyond the suspension of disbelief at this point.

STARTED
The Chaebol-Cop Show (Yes that's what I'm calling it!) - The FL was frankly being a bad cop in Ep. 1. Yi-soo is funny but I'm not sure how far the chaebol shenanigans can take this.

Doctor Slump - Found it hard to focus whenever the leads weren't on screen but they're looking good together so far.

Queen of Divorce - Chaebols…evil…corruption 😴. Praying this gets better next week with the full team on-board.

C-DRAMAS
Still watching Stories of Youth and Love. Everyone in this show is in desperate need of therapy.

Started Amidst a Snowstorm of Love yesterday. Other than the location change, it adheres quite closely to the novel. I like the general vibe of this a lot - feels very real.

Live watches:

Queen of divorce
I love that I can finally watch a rom com that has a murder mystery element and not be stressed out by it. I am looking forward to next week’s episodes to see the gang at work.
This week, people in my neighbourhood four streets away would have heard my reaction to the outrageous behaviour of the female leads ex husband!

Dr Slump
Looking forward to today’s episode. Hope the mix of fun and serious remains well balanced.

Between him and her
We continue to get backstory on the friendship group and the male lead finally wakes up to the fact that drinking and moping about won’t pay his bills or bring happiness.

Ao Haru ride 2 - Japanese
School romance drama

Our love triangle - webdrama
University romance

Completed

Eunjoo’s room/Dear my room 2018
Sweet drama showing the impact of toxic work environments on a person’s energy levels and ability to take care of themselves and their home environment.

Bingewatch corner:
Misaeng: Incomplete Life
Just started this classic drama

The hope -Chinese
Just started this one as so many beanies have mentioned decided to try it.

The Producers
This is a lovely palate cleanser so many funny elements within each episode. Watching a few mins of an episode when needed lifts my mood every time. Very few dramas are guaranteed to do this no matter the episode.

I am noticing there were a lot more actors showing their natural darker skin tone on screen then. Why the trend to hiding behind foundations several shades lighter than the natural skin tone?

Webtoon corner:
Second lead syndrome still loving this Webtoon enough to buy fast passes.

Book club:

All the light we can not see
Sad to listen to a World War Two story knowing across the globe this is still the reality for too many people.

Live Watches
Doctor Slump: I really loved the premiere week. With a Park Hyung-sik (who would already be enough) and a FL with possibly the most relatable storyline I’ve yet encountered in a kdrama, I’m in for the duration.

Like Flowers in Sand: I’m happy I saved episode 11 to watch with the finale. What a totally endearing ML/friend group/drama overall. I was so relieved that they made the culprit someone we didn’t really care about (we’ve been burned way too many times before!), but jeesh, even the match-fixer looked pretty reasonable and kind compared to him. Part of me wants to spend more time with the childhood friends and with the adorable trio of brothers, but really I’m just grateful that they gave us the ending our characters deserved. I can imagine the rest. ☺️

Older Dramas
Coffee Prince: (5 episodes in) This might be the oldest drama I have a real desire to watch, so this week I decided to give it a go. Also, I wanted to see Lee Sun-kyun from back before anyone imagined he would be associated with so much tragedy. I wanted to reclaim him a little bit. I think it’s working - the part in episode 4 when Eun-chan admits to him that Han-gyeol thinks she’s a man and asks him to keep her secret had me laughing so hard. The way the drama was filmed takes some getting used to, and I don’t have the benefit of nostalgia, but I can totally see why this was a huge hit at the time. It’s fun to see all these famous actors back when they were so much younger, and I am strapped in and ready for the falling-in-love-angst to really get going!

LIKE FLOWERS IN THE SAND—Usually if I love a drama my fingers itch to share my thoughts, but this time I am simply enjoying the satisfaction of finishing this beautiful drama. It will go in my top 5 favorite dramas. It was a joy to experience—and I use this word intentionally because it was more than a watch. This drama knew its strengths and stuck to them, just as Kim Baek Du did.

BLOOD OF YOUTH (CH)—I was sold in the first episode when the main character, who is also an inn keeper (or appears to be), calmly calculates the cost of the destruction to his inn as a martial arts battle rages inside. A buddy journey through the martial arts world that is holding every second of my attention so far.

OH NO, HERE COMES TROUBLE! (TW) —Wow! This has turned out to be not only very entertaining but also full of heart. The supernatural element is fascinating with a premise on the power of words and their ability to heal, which is a personal value of mine. The stories are heartbreaking and there is such catharsis when their story is told and resolved. Plus the humor provides a good balance to the heavier elements. Probably my favorite mother-son relationship as well.

BE YOUR LIGHT (CH)—enjoyable first episode but then in the second the FL is kidnapped and the police pressure her to not press charges because the kidnappers didn’t harm her. It got my blood boiling particularly because I don’t think the writer disagrees. Ugh!
If anyone has watched this, can you let me know if this is worth the watch if I can calm down about this?

OTHERWISE

Still watching reaction videos to IU’s LOVE WINS ALL and still reaching for the tissues. Uhm Tae Hwa directed this. His movie “Concert Utopia” is Korea’s submission for this year’s Academy Awards. If his visual storytelling in that movie is anything like it is in this MV, I understand why.

Like Flowers in Sand (Series review) - Mood progression: C / C / C+ / C / C+ / C+
While the plot relied way too much on the murder in a small town conspiracy as the backdrop behind a childhood romance, I do feel the show had its moments at times with Baek Du’s arc? Too bad it wasn’t about him navigating a quarter-life crisis having just been forced into retirement from sports with support coming from Seok Hui and Jin Su as he takes his next step forward with or without ssireum in his life: that would’ve been a winner in my book. Instead, we got how Du Sik affected him and his personality: though it was well executed romance and all, this was a show that had the potential to go beyond that.

Marry My Husband (Episode 9-10) - Mood: C-
It’s an interesting strategy to begin the 2nd half with all of the emotional highs as the villains get their dues as the OTP kiss away, but with 6 episodes to go a lot can go narratively wrong. Anyway, this show finally got my interest this week with Joo Ran: now that she admitted she’s a pushover, I’m curious to find out if she can find in her to divorce her worthless husband.

Knight Flower (Epsiode 5-6) - Mood: D+
Hmm, the more I watch this, the less I’m enthused about the buildup to the leads discovering that their families were ruined by the same person and for narratively boring motivations at that. I guess at least we won’t have to endure any more of the Chastity Gate nonsense now that the arc is closed? But if Yeo Hwa’s husband has appeared, her brother isn’t too far away.

Doctor Slump (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D+
I don’t know, didn’t we just finish a show where someone successful in their career gets framed by their colleague and then reunites with their past lover? Sure, there are differences, but I do feel like we went from sloppy writing to sloppy writing. So I’m not really optimistic about the main plot in any way, though Yoon Park’s character seems somewhat promising?

Flex X Cop (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D+
Of course both leads have traumatic pasts with their parents with the ML being a rich son having daddy issues while the FL is an incompetent cop who’s also working class: that’s one way to tell us that zero thought was placed into any characters. With politics and drugs involved, there’s 0 chance of a good plot: all I hope is Kwak Si Yang not being the bad guy?

A Shop for Killers (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D
Wow, my opinion of this show plummeted this week. First, how does Bale manage to survive a gun shot, a knife stab and an explosion all at once? Second, how coincidental is it that Jung Min happens upon the website of someone whose niece was terrorised by his younger self? Third, am I supposed to buy a plot where the main villain is bad because he’s a psychopath?

LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE (Ep 36-37) Still slogging through the bad factual writing, major plot pivots and unlikeable characters.

CAPTIVATING THE KING (Ep. 1-2) I could not get past the premise that everyone in the series could not tell Shin Se-Kyung was a woman baduk player. She looked absolutely the same in both men’s and women’s hanbok. One would think the noble and merchant class would know who she is pretending to be. The cast has a lot of good character actors, but this one falls into a HOLD category for me. I am not looking for a basic palace politics drama.

Flex x Cop: 7.0 I didn't ROFL on day 2, but there was a fair amount of grinning. There was less grinning in day 3 but it was still watchable.

Knight Flower: 7.5

Captivating the King: 6.5 "Originality" in Kdramaland -- they have the wounded lead slide down into the magic healing stream instead of falling off a cliff into the magic healing river. Start of a new trend????

Dr. Slump: 6.4

Goryeo Kitan War: 5.5

Love Song for Illusion: 4.5 Parts are OK-ish, but the scenes with the shape-shifting sorcerer are about as unwatchable as you can get without making me drop immediately. What were the writer & PD thinking?

A Shop for Killers: 7.0 It's been a long time since a show I liked has had such a disappointing week. Much of it was too dark, literally. The whole mercenary bit just didn't click with me. And when will they learn to finish off the bleeping baddies when they have a chance?

Queen of Divorce: 6.6 Wrongly convicted. Family member murdered. Reunite with past love. Evil mother in law. Where have haven't I seen this before?

LTNS: 6.5 Glad I watched it, but also glad it was only 6 episodes. I'm not sure I could have stood them much longer. But for what it's worth, even though my hair is thinning, I'm not taking any hair loss medications :)

Marry My Husband: I really enjoy everything about this drama except the romance. That being said I am hoping to warm up to them, so I can like all of the drama. I enjoy our two villains; they are both so awful in the best way. The actors are killing their roles and they are probably my favorite part.

Queen of Divorce: I blame myself fully for disliking this drama. I didn’t like the first, second, or third suicide/murder. It completely ruined the drama for me. The villains are cartoon characters. I think if I had less expectations, I would have enjoyed it, but I have to let this go, alas.

LTNS: SIGH. Lol. I actually really enjoyed this drama. It is a fairly realistic look at terrible people getting their comeuppance and then being drawn back to each other. Esom and Ahn Jae Hong were fantastic in this.

Flex X Cop: I am continuing to love this drama. I really really hope for Isoo’s sake that Seung Ju is actually a good brother to him. The scene of them at the bar was genuinely really sweet.

Doctor Slump: I loved the first two episodes, so I am hoping it continues in that vein.

Captivating the King: I loved the twist of the revenge through baduk on the despot king. I am excited to see what is next.

Captivating the King - Daebak! Daebak! It went down so fast. So many events were woven in into the 3rd and 4th episodes, the 4th especially.
I wasn't expecting it but I was relieved to see the Queen's brother off the screen.
Lonely Lee In playing Baduk by himself...ooof 😣.
I love identity of Hee-soo's return - a familiar name plus her surname. Kang Mungwoo is a surefire way to prick and pique Lee In - remind him of his teacher and his favorite Baduk opponent. There's no way he'd piece things together. With her identity still undiscovered, she's hiding in Lee In's plain sight.

Sejak is my most looked forward too drama in the current runs.

Live Your Own Life - No Anchorlady Soo-kyung this week. That was a low point.
Inasmuch as I am glad Advisor Choi is coming back to center stage, I'm wary about the worms that'll come out of the cans - if the writer doesn't forget the narrative of the detective who was on the accident case.
Tae-min really needs to get his head together.
I loved how they brought him up to speed and he's now met Grandma as well. Props to LYOL for that.

Love Illusion in Song EP 5 - The character that interests me the most is the Grand Prince(majorly) and the Crown Princess(minor). The rest of the cast? Not so much.

Marry My Husband - Min-hwan is drama. Soo-min is higher drama.
Spend his money and break up the engagement was so satisfying.
The romance that's actually high up my interest is Joo-ran and Seok-joon. The writers had better not be teasing me with the whole thing.

Goryeo-Khitan War - The whole FIL going to Khitan had me worried and combing through history. I guess his time has come.
This drama is too faithful to history for my liking. Characters I don't like get to remain on my screen for too long and time and the sleazy ones remain in the court shouting "your grace is immeasurable, Payha. Please kill us Choona".
The Queen's uncle better meet his end somehow. I dislike that man.

Knight Flower - So this is for 12 episodes. I'm guessing the speed isn't going to go down.
DIL Baek really shocked me, not in the negative sense. She embodies the very example other DIL widows of her time strive to emulate but still let's us know that she wants things. I salute the writer for using the very epitome of elegant grace to tell that story. Had they introduced another random DIL, it wouldn't have struck beyond how it did.

I spent much of the weekend rewatching bits of Her Private Life and many episodes of Gwanggaeto, the Great Conqueror. I love Gogoryeo themed dramas. We don't have a lot of them anymore. Maybe because most of the stories have been told. I should complete this in a few weeks though. Her Private Life has some very hand-touchy moments - memorable, romantic or both.

Amazing Troubleshooters - I expected more and I got less. It was an underwhelming premiere. There's this jarring dissonance between the...

Chaebol - 2 eps
This is much better than I expected.
It makes me laugh (the car keys cabinet together with the small car models of cars Chaebol owns 😄) and yet there are glimpses of vulnerability… and sadness. I like the butler... and hope that Hyung stays good till the very end.

Slump
The introduction didn’t impress me with the abusive prof, family fights, the brother slacker, the suspicious anesthesiologist and the court case... and I think even the TOD was rolling its lights when he was doing a cameo at that cross walk. BUT I liked samchun and his noodle shop and I absolutely loooooved dorky Yoon Park. 😍 I can't wait for his empty clinic to get inhabited by our leads and l want to see the birth and follow the growth of the (at first reluctant but then blooming) friendship among the trio.

Queen of Divorce - ep 1 only
I'm not sure if I want to watch an awful chaebol family using the Heroine, throwing her into the prison and take away her child. (How can the (ex)husband claim he still loves her when he cheats on her and does so many terrible things??). What may keep me watching is Kang Kiyoung as the righteous prosecutor who enjoys NOT listening to the corrupt higher-ups (yes!)... and the first minutes promising a future badass heroine with a team. And Kim Sunyoung as the probable founder of the team.

Marry My Husband
This was such a satisfying week!
Both Jiwon and Jihyuk are finally daring to do more. Jiwon on full speed and boy was it satisfying to see her break the engagement off at the family dinner, judo-flip Minhwan down, use the infidelity and throw and break that fake ring.
Jihyuk is doing baby steps in comparison, but I'm happy he is waking up and allowing himself to live. And my introverted heart was melting when he asked to hold Jiwon's hand... and then nearly exploded when all his suppressed feelings and longing and desire to live and love transformed into that kiss. 💋
Another satisfying part was uri smexy HR boss Seokjoon dealing with the villains (and with manager Kim). I love his dry humour. 😁 (Just please, don't push the cancer to Jooran, Show!!)
I'm also enjoying the sibling interactions of Jihyuk and Heeyeon. And then we have the villains and especially Sumin is fascinating. I wonder whether her obsession with Jiwon has something to do with Jiwon's mom and the reason she left?

COMPLETED:

LIKE FLOWERS IN SAND:I adored this drama and thanks to his wonderful portrayal of Baek-Du, Jang Dong-Yoon is now one of my favourite K-Drama actors.

LIVE WATCHES:

1. A SHOP FOR KILLERS - I continue enjoying this action-thriller and *cough* the bonus of the unexpected Lee Dong-Wook Oppa shirtless scene.

2. QUEEN OF DIVORCE - So far, so good. I hope the FL gets her ultimate revenge against her Ex-Husband and Ex-MIL Who Did Her Dirty. And Kang Ki-Young is doing just fine in his first ML role.

3. THE APOTHECARY DIAIRES - This anime continues to delight me while I wait for the second season of MY HAPPY MARRIAGE.

JUST STARTED AND UNSURE IF I'M CONTINUING:

I've taken a peek into BEYOND EVIL and MONEY HEIST: KOREA JOINT ECONOMIC AREA. Jury's still out on them even though the acting's pretty good.

ON ICE:

I am putting MY DEMON and WELCOME TO SAMDAL-RI on ice for when I feel in the mood for Romance. I think I lost momentum when I had to stop watching most stuff for about a month in order to finish pre-sabbatical prep.

Knight Flower: Full identities for the OTP are in the open and I’m all for it. There’s so much intrigue and danger around them that they need to trust each other and work together. Hope the humor stays intact even as the stakes rise.

Shop for Killers: Oof -- Episodes 5 and 6 were where all the violence we hadn't seen yet was hanging out. Appreciated Jian's resourcefulness in dealing with Jeong-min (such a little $#%@) and flashbacks to how Min-hye and Pasin became Jin-man's trusted allies. But what’s the deal with the mercenaries? Is the mall really that valuable to them?

Queen of Divorce: Have seen only Episode 1, but wasn't thrilled that there have already been two murders disguised as suicides. Taking out the FL's loving mother? Come on! That's literally overkill. However, I'll stick around (for now) for KKY and the promise of action-comedy teamwork.

Flex X Cop: Bringing new meaning to “over the top.” Hoping it finds a good blend of conflict and cooperation as the leads clash with each other and the crooks they’re catching.

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love: I've been swept away. I could watch Leo Wu and Angel Zhao looking at each other all day. There's something wonderfully quiet yet heartfelt about this show. I love that it was shot on location and the natural light and settings. It's giving me immersive, calming "Meet Yourself" vibes.

My Boss: The leads are finally dating! As two romance newbies, they're really adorable. Appreciate that they both have room to grow -- him in learning to be a considerate boyfriend while respecting her independence at work; her in gaining self-confidence and experience in her law practice.

I Am Nobody: Watched the episode devoted to the history of one of the younger villains and, yikes, I did not have magic blood transfusion on my show bingo card. He definitely had reason to hold a giant grudge against the power-hungry family elder.

Both Marry My Husband and Knight Flower are my fun dramas (with a solid side of darkness). In the former, I can't take my eyes off the most delicious female antagonist; in the latter, the most dimplicious female protagonist.

Like Flowers in Sand was a lovely little change of pace between these high octane shows. I'm gonna miss it. I'm not sure about the new mid-week show Queen of Divorce. I'll give it a few more episodes.

As for the weekend, PHS is adorable as expected in Doctor Slump, but I found it easier to relate to a woman facing career burnout. PSH, she did well. Flex x Cop has been surprisingly fun. I laughed out loud as the ML explained how dirty chaebol family politics worked as each member walked into the precinct for the smackdown. I'm gonna pop the popcorn for future episodes.

I had dropped Captivating the King, but beanie chatter made me pick it up again. And I'm so glad. The following episodes were just gripping, even the palace politics. But then, at the end the ML had an inexplicable change of character and the least-believable cross-dressing FL in the history of Joseon returned from the dead (almost literally). I'll still tune in, but whaeee?

Lastly, I caught Orange Days, a dorama, because my drama buddy said it was decent and Netflix would not stop throwing it in my face. And, it's aged relatively well. I quite liked the prickly deaf FL and the green flag ML.

Love Song for Illusion I don't follow this show really very serisouly, so I always need time to know which ML is on the screen because the actor did nothing to separate them. I don't understand why the FL fell in love with the boring Prince, he's so useless...

Marry My Husband I really hope nobody else will get cancer instead of Ji-Won because it won't make sense and if it's her colleague, what is the message? If you are miserable, cancer will find you?

Like Flowers in Sand Baek-Du was a lovely character with a big heart which made this drama so warm. But his journey as a late blossom flower or the murder were a little bit disapointing. I'm happy he won for once, but I think the after was more important. For the murderer, it didn't make sense at all he could live quietly with this kind of impulses.

Queen of Divorce I want to try it but I wasn't in the mood of setting the awful character for the revenge plot.

Between Him and Her This drama is so slow... The ML is so boring.

Doctor Slump I'm excited to watch the next episodes because the first two were like a long intro.

Knight Flower I'm quite bored by the plot. The leads scenes are very repetitive.

Flex x Cop When they work together, things are pretty smooth.

Captivating the King I don't like how the FL is so judgy. She had a privileged life and never had to take serious decisions...

A Shop for Killers I really like the uncle is alive because otherwise he was really stupid and naive...

LTNS I found this drama really bad. An original direction doesn't make a bad story in a good one. The characters were bad and stupid and there was no reason they ended back together except the fact it was a Kdrama.

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love (Cdrama) the set-up of their encounter was so weird. Who leaves for 2 Months in foreign country without a hotel? Who stares a girl through a window in the middle of a snowstorm? You can't really see her... But it's nice to see Finland in a drama.

Queen of Divorce: Finally a legal drama after a long while!
Marry My Husband: The wait for the romance has paid off...At least, I know there is enough story for this drama, as the revenge is still ongoing....
Goryeo-Khitan: Please let it be more politics and war, instead of romance.
Knight Flower: One of the most satisfying dramas that I am currently watching aside from Marry My Husband.
Captivating the King: I am captivated..... Other dramas: Dr Storks (Japanese) Oldie and one of my favorite dramas: Love Story in Harvard.

I'm about to downshift my watching this week to address life stuff, so I'll likely be behind on most shows for a bit. So I'll be extra verbose today 😉

COMPLETED
Like Flowers in Sand: A thoroughly satisfying drama that was both nostalgic and comforting. It wasn't perfect, but really, what drama is? This one was high up there in terms of overall enjoyment and memorability. Jang Dong-Yoon has really hit his stride and I truly hope that this is a springboard to even better shows for this wonderful cast. Special nod to yet another batch of terrific child actors. And a small but notable soundtrack. 💐

LIVE WATCHING
Knight Flower: What's not to love here? I'm thrilled that the drama and comedy are still being balanced well. LHN and LJW are wowing me with their facial expressions, and their fizzy chemistry. The dialogue is sharp and funny. And I'm appreciating the well-developed side characters too. Watching both episodes together tonight. Can't wait!

Captivating the King: I'm really impressed with this production, the quality of the story and script, and the depth of the acting. It feels like I'm holding my breath while watching. There are just layers and layers of emotion and heartbreak, each one vivid and palpable. It's been a while since I've watched a tragic ending, but we may be heading that way with this one. I'm still all in. Jong is, not surprisingly, charismatic AF. And this is the best I've seen Shin. 👍👍

Marry My Husband: I like the way current events are morphing from the original. It will be fun to see how the new timeline plays out. The acting continues to be stronger than I expected, which is half the battle in a production like this imo.

Love Song for Illusion: Yes, I'm STILL enjoying this, but the bar admittedly is low. The big question in my mind is whether the CP is truly inhabited by an evil spirit (he doesn't seem that evil) or whether it's a split personality situation (which would be logical given the way his father treated him). I'm aware this is apparently clearer in the webtoon, but I want to be surprised by the drama's take!

Flex X Cop: While mostly predictable, this show is also more fun, and the characters better written, than I anticipated. I also like the edgy production design. I'm really hoping they're not going to have the FL go undercover as a model, triggering the ML's romantic interest in her (instead of him being attracted to her street smarts, kickass fighting skills, and admirable work ethic). Basically, this is pure fun, yet controlled enough to not be over-the-top.

Doctor Slump: I finally watched the first episode and found myself totally stressed out by the situation they're in. The terrifying fall from grace. The depression denial. The insane pressure that Koreans experience in order to survive in their culture. It feels too real (more real than Samdal-ri), and I need my k-drama to be more escapist than...

Knight Flower - really good at mixing the humor with some serious intrigue and social commentary

Captivating The King - I don't know where this is going, but I am in board. Like @lordcobol I think the only way for Prince Jinhan to solve the murder of his brother was to become the king himself.

I got my first job after graduating and idk how you guys watch so much. This 9-5 thing doesn’t leave much time to do anything, let alone watch dramas 😭😭 but here’s what I managed to watch:

Eye Love You (1/10) - Japanese drama starring Chad Jong-hyeop! His smiles are adorable as always and the FL is so cute. The story’s not anything new per se, but it was very light and chill. The production value was so high for a jdrama. All in all, very excited to see where this romcom goes.

Marry My Husband (10/16) - I’m only in for the revenge and the amazing acting the evil second leads are doing. The romance ain’t doing anything for me.

Living no Matsunaga-san (3/10) - if you ignore that he’s 29 and she’s 17, it’s a really cute romcom. But who keeps adapting these cursed shoujo mangas? And who keeps writing these cursed shoujo mangas?

Doctor Slump (2/16) - I simply love it! Amazing start to a drama. The two leads are so funny together and FL’s woes at least are very relatable. Idk, I was also very drawn by the story itself.

Koisuru Keigo 24-ji (1/10) - Love me a good bodyguard romance. The FL is a bit annoying (seems like Jdramas are taking a page out of cdramas’ book) but I like their chemistry and even the mandatory murder mystery storyline is interesting so far…

I'm finally watching "My Dearest" which I've been keeping on hold. I'm on episode 6 and I really don't understand how it can maintain this amazing quality for another 14 episodes. I haven't been so passionate about a kdrama since My Mister.

Marry My Husband is my crack drama. I've missed having one of those :)

Started Dr. Slump. Not thrilled with the way the malpractice stuff was handled, but loving the leads' interactions. I'm in it for them anyway.

Started Amidst a Snowstorm of Love yesterday. So far so good. Same author as Love Me Love My Voice - loved the romance in that drama but the travelogue and cooking scenes were overused to stretch the drama out much longer than it needed to be. I hope this drama doesn't suffer the same way.

Up to ep 5 of Matchmakers and ep 12 of the 2018 remake of Meteor Garden.

Work is crazy at the moment, so I need escapist fun when I finally collapse on the sofa. MR QUEEN served that up quite nicely, which is why I happily binged through the show! Shin Hye-Sun is really amazing in this role, which I thought throughout the show - and then even more towards the end (don’t want to give spoilers for those who haven’t seen). Really, really good overall, and very enjoyable ensemble comedy!

Live watches…
KNIGHT FLOWER - it’s a tough one. While I love the fun and romantic moments, the seriously dark topics really get to me. It’s kinda like I feel bad laughing in the next moment when I was fuming with rage just a second before. 🤔😅 Maybe I need to rest this one for a bit, to watch when I am less „on the edge“ 👀…

DR SLUMP - love it. I hope it continues well after a very good start. Fingers crossed, both hands.

… and more escapism brought to you by the occasional BUSINESS PROPOSAL fast rewatch. Excuse my snort-laughing! („Are you sure you are a regular in this café?“ - „Why yes, Café Rainbow. I go there every day!“ 🤣🤣🤣)

Long time no see. Updating my watching list.

Last week I finished My Demon and My boyfriend is a Cupid. Similar silly dramas I enjoyed although Cupid solved the supernatural being loving a human way better. Enjoyed them both, and guilty admiring I probably enjoy much better Cupid.

Marry my husband (ep. 10). I’m not really attached to ML, I usually like NIW, but here he’s just playing the tall guy. One of the things I love the most about the drama is Soo Min character. You know, I don’t like her, but in a drama where every character is an sterotype (the cheating boyfriend, the misogynist boss, the lovely SIL, the non recognized hardworking, the chaebol grandad, the first love, the evil mum, the dedicated dececesed dad), to have a different antagonist is kind of refreshing? It’s not that she needs to have everything JiWon has, but that she wants her to be happy about handling it to her, even her life. And of course the best thing about the drama is cool Secretary Lee in a motorbike.

Like Flowers in sand (ep. 12). This wasn’t a perfect drama but I will give it a 10 and I know for sure (same as last year I knew with The Interest of Love) that this drama will be in my top 3 this year. Watching it along Cupid made my love for Jang Dong Yoon skyrocket, making Bank Doo one of my favorite ML ever, I think only after EunSeob. Also I think I found my 2024 crush in Lee Jae Joon. Can I have a spin off with JinSu confessing his love to MiRa?

Doctor Slump (ep. 2). Loved it, but after all it’s Hyungsik and there is no other that can be as cute as him. I’m not a fan of depression being diagnosed with filling in one test, but I liked that for once it was the FL self awareness that made her have the consultation and decided her mental health was the first thing she should take her in her life. As for the mystery behind JeongWoo fall, not really interested, but needed for them to reunite. So far, so good.

My happy ending (ep. 12). So let me say this… so she was raped by her best friend’s boyfriend and her husband seeks revenge because she got pregnant, and her best friend seeks revenge because she lost her baby and also her raping boyfriend… A-ha… I see… All these people are insane and not JaeWon and I can’t be sorry to see Soon Young is dead even if he´s AhRi’s dad. And just like I said before, nice to see a lead realizing her mental issues and seeking for help.

Captivating the King (ep. 4). I think my sageuk draught will be over with this one. I wish the King were the real antagonist here, but that would be too much for a kdrama starring JJS.

I got bored with Between him and her (ep. 5) and dropped it. Nothing happening in 5 episodes in a row it’s too much even for me, a person who loves dramas in which nothing really happen.

A Journey to Love: I absolutely adored this. For a period-show fangirl, it hit all the right marks - the epic sword fights, the political intrigue, a cast full of compelling characters (the princess's arc was particularly awesome), the romance, the joy, and and, yes, even the sorrow. The central couple is one of my all time favorites - I love the cold female lead-warm male lead combo, the fact that they're both world-weary, experienced adults with no illusions about purity and propriety, and the way that their bond stems from the fact that they've finally found someone both skilled enough to be an equal, but damaged enough to see the vulnerability and pain lurking underneath each other's outer strength. I also don't know what the Chinese netizens were smoking because Liu Yu Ning is hot as all holy hell in this. While there is a lot of plot crammed into the final episodes, and I would have been happy for more scenes of our leads making beautiful babies together instead of getting stabbed with sharp objects, it was clear from the opening scenes that the writer was less interested in crafting a traditional romance than in exploring the dangers of cruel, corrupt, arbitrary leaders and of blind allegiance to them. It's a brutal take-down of hyper-masculine, wolf-warrior tactics, and through the character of Ning Yuan Zhou, it suggests that genuinely caring about your subordinates and putting their welfare above your own self-aggrandizement is not just more humane but vastly more effective as well. More shows like this one please!

I did not see this twist about the identify of the new stranger in town in KNIGHT FLOWER coming, but I love it. Most fun drama to watch just now.

Started FLEX X COPS and it is another great fun ride. Hilariously over the top, but the acting is spot on. Love the gentle police chief and also that Park Ji-hyun has finally been offered another role than the antagonistic SFL, I like her a lot so far.

Sad to say good-bye to FLOWERS IN SAND, what a beautiful watch this was throughout.

CAPTIVATING THE KING went up several gears! Great performance again from Jo Jung-suk ( as I had hoped for all along). I do not really believe that he is as cold and greedy for the title as he appears to be, but he is certainly calculating.

The best thing about QUEEN OF DIVORCE is that there is no time travel. So far it looks like a standard revenge drama, no surprises or anything that says 'watch me'. Will watch two more episodes just for Kang Ki-young.

I would have dropped MARRY MY HUSBAND were it not for the two villains. Soo-min is becoming a more and more interesting character, her motivation seems to be not greed, but a much more complex mental disorder. Song Ha-yoon is excellent here.

Started DR SLUMP and find it quite old fashioned and at times too sentimental, although the bickering between the leads is quite fun to watch, especially the head flicking scene.

Oh, the twists and cliff hangers on SHOPFOR KILLERS - not for the faint hearted!

Knight Flower (up to ep 6): The plot is not that interesting, but the drama really knows to keep the humor and energy levels up and it's got the right casting. There is a confidence to the execution that I like.

Shop for Killers (up to ep 4): Overall, the drama has been riveting and I like how the drama integrates the past with the present. Gruff uncle Lee Dong Wook with the tiny scar on his face is the hottest version of himself. My only reservation is that I can't get why Jin Man would run such a business. Hopefully, we'll learn more later. The child actress who played young Ji An was insanely good.

Queen of Divorce: First episode was a slog and staple makjang intro but second episode was better. It's watchable enough, and I like having a potato-chip-y watch in the middle of the week. Can't wait for the revenging!

My Boss: My charming cdrama rom-com watch that makes me smile. Except for one misstep of an episode where the ML pulled some dumbass "I like her but too proud to admit it first so I will bully her until she cries" crap, the drama and the couple has been able to go through the usual tropes in a pleasant manner. I love the FL's coworkers. They're not only supportive but are funny in their own right.

Love is all: low budget costume cdrama web series with a bit of an investigation-drama angle featuring the FL from My Boss. Tried before and thought I'd try again. It's as dumb and juvenile as a I remembered, but I was able to turn off my brain even more this time, so it's been a fun watch while I do other stuff. At least there are a lot of nice characters.

I think I may pick up Like Flowers in the Sand now that I know it ends well.

Did NOT watch Live Your Own Life this week and didn't miss it. May just tune in for the final episode to find out what happens to everyone.