Happy weekend, Beanies!

ONGOING
Queen of Divorce - The writer knows only one way of moving plot forward - violence and murder - the part-timer's death being the worst example. At this point I've lost count of how many people the villains have murdered/ almost murdered/ are trying to murder.

The Chaebol-Cop Show - Why would you meet a murderous hypnotist alone? Why is a double murderer allowed to meet people in a lounge?!

Sejak - So glad the King and Hee-soo are finally (finally!) on the same page.

Doctor Slump - I'm happy our leads are healing (and together!) but I'm also wondering where the story will go for 6 more episodes.

STARTED
Wedding Impossible - Even though it's trope-y, I was surprised by a few scenes and how quickly they happened. Like the drunken run-in with Grandpa. Seems fun enough, will be nice to see the ML taken down a few pegs.

WATCHLIST
Didn't get around to it mid-week but will start The Impossible Heir (rare instance of the Eng name being better!) over the weekend.

C-DRAMAS
Tried out White Cat Legend. It started off fun but started dragging by Ep. 12 or so. Needed a lot more of the cat IMO. Dropped.

Started Pegasus. Haven't seen the original movie but the first episode was fun. The racing scenes are nicely done. Also nice to see the Hikaru no Go besties here!

LIVE WATCHES

The Impossible Heir
I haven’t seen two opening episodes of a drama this gripping in quite some time. I did not fast-forward one, single scene of these first two episodes...I even rewound (like it was a tape) a few scenes on my first watch to make sure I got some of the plot points right. This interest even extends to the opening sequence (a delight that @missvictrix also called our attention to)--it's weekender-style amazing!!!

Another thing, perhaps more controversially, that I loved about Impossible Heir is how it mirrors--or perhaps refracts--the setup of Itaewon Class, but with more interesting character interactions. I love long-game revenge dramas with looots of interpersonal backstabbing and betrayal, I guess!! Bring it on.

I also woke up this morning to see episodes 3-4 already posted on Hulu!! What's the release schedule supposed to be, again???

Queen of Divorce
Quite liked episode 10!!! I want the final week to go out with a BANG. It's not the best drama...but the outrageous styling of the FL and the hot villain keeps me from being very angry about it.

FxC
Waiting for the next episode to drop so I can have two hours alone with this delightful drama.

Dr. Slump
I gotta say. It's fine. That's all. I feel the feeling of "fan service" even more now than at the beginning. Many will love that!!

LYOL
Talking on the weekly posts about this drama with other Beanies is a sheer delight. It almost makes me want to stay on for the next weekender, despite the entire lack of Ha Joon. Not that he's been a rel draw in recent weeks...Team TM!!! 😉

CRICKET -

New Zealand vs. Australia - Kiwis couldn't win t20s but had chance and here, the tests, which kiwis rarely win against Australia - let go such beautiful opportunity.

You are letting last guys make 116 runs, if not for that - New Zealand could have been at top - in very good position. It is more of emotional trouble for kiwi boys than skill or talent trouble. Anything can happen in cricket so let's see what happens tomorrow

Wagner deserves to be in this match.

England Vs. India - Bazball - bluh bluh bluh - these guys talk too much - outcome is - they have lost the matches. heh. surely poms had many good hours and they actually could have won, but, they let it go - rare rare opportunity and they just wasted it. All the talk of bazball and then it is proper same test cricket that actually bring +ve outcome for your team.

Test Cricket - lot's of talk in 2024 and you can expect some good and +ve decisions this time around from big 3 - India Australia and England - u hope for this.

Female League - T20 - woah - going good - female players are being paid good and crowd is good too.

Cricket is more an international sport so leagues taking control will make it more troublesome for international teams and it already appearing so - only thing you can do is control these leagues.

LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE (Ep. 44-45) The weekender is stumbling to the finish line by stumbling over the law, physics and accident reconstruction principles; characters having personality transplants halfway through episodes, the insistent blame game, and dead end birth secrets. All of the couples are struggling to bail water on their own ships.

SHOGUN (FX) (Ep. 1) American television networks used to air large scale, star studded, cinematic miniseries, usually based on best selling novels. FX spent a lot of money on set designs and period pieces for this remake of this 1980 series. I did not mind the subtitles for Japanese and I understood using English instead of Portuguese was for an American audience to understand. However, the episode was very long for a work night. And I did not realize episode 2 was shown right after. Not worth buying a stream subscription to watch it.

APARTMENT 404 (Variety) Another Jae Suk crew show ( Cha Tae Hyun, Kim Jennie, Lee Jung Ha, Oh Na Ra, Yang Se Chan) doing a BUSTED type mystery show but with Running Man spies. The stories are based on real events in Korean history. The pilot was OK but since two hosts actually knew the plot from the beginning it was not as compelling as other crime shows. The second episode about 1980s illegal private tutoring had some twists but it is still hard for the viewer to figure out the “game” from the clues.

Live Watches
Doctor Slump: Still watching, still loving. I’m at the point that I just want to absorb (and rewatch). I’m thinking of starting this one again as soon as it finishes.

Older Dramas
Sungkyungkwan Scandal: (up to episode 8) Despite spending a looooong time on an archery competition, I’m having a lot of fun with this one! Sun-jun actually ended up being a pretty okay teacher for someone who started his instruction by shouting “Again!” over and over completely unhelpfully. But I loved when we got to see the dream team drawn up comic-book style for the competition! Made the whole thing worth it. From now on I’ll refer to the ML and FL as the “main couple” because the real OTP is obviously Yong-ha and Jae-shin who are now vying to see who will be my favorite character in the end. I just can’t decide between the cheeky grin or soft-hearted scowl. ☺️

The Kidnapping Day (up to episode 2) Started a rewatch with my partner this week and I’m excited to revisit this found family!

Completed
Ready, Set, love (thai): I think this was one of the better productions I have seen in Thai dramas. They tried to add a lot of plot for 6 episodes. They should just stuck to rigged games and emotions of the people in the farm, instead of adding tortured mothers etc. The ending felt too convenient. Did the govt not find out where they were living? Looks like they set up for season 2.
P.s it was so funny to watch audience who came to watch the final suddenly turned to a mob and had all the ‘posters’ handy to start a revolt. Guess they came with fangirling posters and protest posters just in case 😂

Ongoing

Doctor Slump : A bit annoyed with all the over-hearing, but I continue to like the leads and their growth. Looking forward to some dating this week.

Queen of divorce Oh Min Seok! A chaebol remarrying his ex wasn’t supposed to be this good. lol. it was!! This is the drama I want to watch. Sorry solutions teams, you guys did something too dumb to ignore. Really? A cigarette break for a murderer you are interrogating?
So are we handing out one murder each to momma and son?

Shop for Killers : 5/8. That basement fight scene with Min Hye was intense!! Excellent action choreography! Finally getting the backstory.

Impossible Heir :
Look who got Hulu subscription! Working hard to make the best of it. Inspite of my issues with the writing and story telling, I did enjoy the two episodes. And a lot of credit goes to the 2 main leads. They are a joy to watch. Now that LJW (Tae Ho) is suited up, I am looking forward to more corporate wickedness. Qn - Where does chaebol daddy buy his shirts? My google search says Ali express $30 😂

Wedding Impossible :
I enjoyed the premiere. Ep 2 turned out to be so much fun. I love the FL. Watching the

Shogun : Intense! I watched only one episode but it was quite intense. Also, a lot of characters and events happening, it was kinda hard to keep up. Overall, production was brilliant.
It does feel like a stress watch. The English pilot swearing is a bit annoying.

Exploration method of Love (cdrama) :
I started this on a whim. Another drama of twins with one of them being an actor and another sister taking her place. But I love the FL. She is a phd in geology and so badass. I love how affected the ML is. They leads have good chemistry. Totally FFing second leads.

Wonderful world is not on Hulu US. Anyone else found it??

Wedding Impossible: I tried, but I don’t think it is for me, even reading the comments in the recap, it is still a pass. I think it is mostly the ML, he just looks uncomfortable to me, so even though he is supposed to be arrogant, I can see him acting, so it takes me out of every scene he is in. It doesn’t help the FL completely outclasses him, so it is very jarring. Maybe, I will try his next drama.

The Impossible Heir: Lots of impossibles, lol. I saw a beanie commented that Tae Ho might be the impossible heir, and I agree and believe it. I hope it happens, hehe. That being said I enjoyed the first two episodes. Thankfully the FL’s acting improved in the 2nd episode, but maybe it is because we see more of her. Regardless I look forward to the rest of drama.

Wonderful World: It was not what I expected, but I should have known Kim Nam Joo would bring the high level angst. It is what she does best. I look forward to the rest of this drama and I really hope it ends better than Misty.

Flex x Cop: I am so “happy” for lack of a better world, that his mother’s death isn’t a conspiracy or big murder mystery. It keeps the story moving. He does have to come to terms with the fact that his mother willing slept with a married man, she is not all innocent in the situation. His father should have also known better, even if he loved her, to not keep her as his mistress. It was a mess all around that resulted in death and the biggest victim was Isoo. I am glad he is back in it though.

Dr. Slump: Back to cuteness and lots more WTFs, lol

Captivating the King: The ANGST is at an end on Sunday, let’s see this ending. Hwaiting JJS.

AHHHH The Red Sleeve: What a wonderfully sad drama, glad you are back in it @javabeans

Wedding Impossible (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D
Wow, that setup was so bad. So FL has a sob story and money problems while the ML has a dysfunctional family alongside childhood trauma. There are supporting characters to fill time and the show throws in alcohol to advance the plot and have some random comedy scene. It seems like Do Han’s sexuality is being exploited as a plot device and well that’s interesting.

Flex X Cop (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D
They were already stretching the limit with hypnosis, but an untrained Yi Soo who was able to UNO reverse it onto a trained hypnotist? That’s hilarious. And then Yi Soo willingly undergoes hypnosis under them in prison? What made him think that’s a smart thing to do? And of course Kwak Si Yang looks to be playing another villain again, sigh. I was a bit hopeful!

Doctor Slump (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D
Why are the 2nd leads repeatedly being used as conduits to transfer information between the OTP to move the story along, instead of developing their own arcs separate from the main romance? I don’t even need love between the single parents, it can be a very interesting narrative about them finding support in each other. And guess what, that’s actually a better story.

Branding in Seongsu (Episode 13-16) - Mood: D
So we’re going into the penultimate week clueless as to what causes the switch (I mean, showing two random shots of that temple doesn’t count) and now the ML is like, I’m part of this mystery too? This is just over-complicated at this point. As for the 2nd leads, I’m totally baffled by the way the 2ML is being written. The 2FL is a plot device, yeah, but he’s not even that!

Chaebol, up to ep 8
This is still comedy gold, from Matchmaking Mom peeking behind the fence to the cooperation at the Cop's family dinner... or Butler on the bike bringing the respirator masks... or Chaebol being princess carried by his frenemy colleague. The more then hits the emerging truth about the death of Chaebol's Mom.

Slump
I'm not much fan of the healing shortcuts and premature operations, but I like the leads together and I love the supportive Noodle Uncle. Also, Park Shinhye finally has a decent kiss. 🙂

Queen of Divorce
The writing is still on the weaker side, but, ha, it was very satisfying seeing Sara giving back to Chairwoman.
But, Dorotka, you silly thing, you didn't protect your kasseumi (가슴) well. Here is Kang Kiyoung kissing the Heroine, but you are instead more excited about Oh Minseok moving his eyebrow and his Noh Yul Seong happily giving reasons why he needs to remarry Sara. And then Sara going undercover to his house. (Just why, whyyyy didn’t they use the bedroom scene moooore??).

Wedding Impossible
I think this is a case of very low expectations turning into a very pleasant surprise. I'm enjoying this one a lot and it reminds me of Business Proposal... or some older dramas like Shining Inheritance or Personal Taste (or maybe even Flower Boy Ramyun Shop). There is one tiny difference though, the Heroine feels incredibly real... and the main actress is fascinating. I can’t take my eyes off her and enjoy every second of her delivery.

I'm slowly catching up with Unpredictable Family and they finally addressed the one year age difference between step brothers which had puzzled me since the beginning. And I'm still there with the gang watching Live Your Own Life. The end is in sight and I want a happyend for Taehee!!

Wedding Impossible
The fun part of my week has been extended with the arrival of this drama

Dr slump
Looking forward to this week’s episodes, it’s so good to still be enjoying a series at this late stage. I will miss it when it ends but in the mean time will continue to enjoy each episode.

The impossible heir
The dark part of my week has been extended with this gripping but dark tale.

Queen of divorce
I spent too much time feeling stressed by the risks being taken by Solution staff and those they were supposed to be protecting. I hope we tie up loose ends with the evil law firm being investigated by honest prosecutors in episode 11 and then we can finish on a really light note in episode 12. The body count has been much higher than expected and cast a dark shadow on the fun elements of the drama.

Between Him & Her
I felt it was a borderline case of a man taking credit for a woman’s idea with a token acknowledgement of where the idea originated. Some developments within the main couple and the friendship group.

Eye love you -Japanese
Sad times.

Book club:
The tale of Genji - Japanese classic from 11th century

It's official. I'll be entering a drama slump soon.

Captivating the King - Okay. I didn't know what Lee In's game plan was when he gave Chu Dal-ha those options. I thought option 2 was a death sentence in hiding.
Lee In has my definite approval. I liked how he managed the whole interrogation and what-nots.
I also liked that his expository discussion with Hee-soo revealed that everything that happened were things he wished for but didn't have the strength to do so. And I quite understand him. As King, even though we know he's the sovereign, without the support of his ministers, there's only so much he can do. Unless he resorts to anarchy of course. With a minister like Kim Je-nam and the nudge from the late Queen, making his nephew Crown Prince became a possibility. Had he pushed for it with his own strength alone, it would be met with great opposition and who knows if a bloodbath won't ensue.

I went to watch episode 8 ending and 9's beginning and I think I can say they did get under the sheets. I know a stab wound meant to kill is enough to send her into a huge medical crisis but I won't be surprised if she's fighting for 2.

Flex x Cop: 8.0 So we all like it because we've been hypnotized? And add one to your count of people who fail to make extra copies of the USB with the important info. Back up your stuff, people.

Captivating the King: 7.0 Day 13: all this fuss about the item that was lost -- and for once it wasn't a USB with the evidence 😲😲😲. Day 14 - getting predictable.

Dr. Slump: 7.5 I will never get tired of Park Shin-hye making faces, and it's too bad she didn't have much chance to do that in other shows I've seen her in -- trying to imagine how to work something like her shower-head struggle into Sisyphus or Alhambra, and not getting very far.
The rest of the show is rather predictable/tropey/bland.

Goryeo Kitan War: 6.0

Wedding Impossible: 7.5 We have the servant/sidekicks from Park's Marriage (Sa-wol!!!) and Captivating the King. And some other people. And something about some marriage.

Love Song for Illusion: 5.0 bean⌚

Queen of Divorce: 7.0 Tip of the Day: Never wear anything distinctive or limited-edition while committing a crime.

Impossible Heir: 6.0 Nothing terrible, but nothing especially great either, except for some decent screenie opportunities.

Pyramid Game: 3.4 Out after 34 minutes. I guess they're attempting a metaphor for Korean society as a whole, but bullying is one of my least favorite things to watch, so I vote it an "F".

Wonderful World: 5.5 Sigh. Another crooked politician and a coverup. The 807,214th ones I seen this week. And a dead kid, as if S. Korea has any kids to spare.

Shogun: 6.5 Based on the 1975 James Clavell novel (which I have)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Dgun_(novel)
and thus a remake of the old Richard Chamberlain miniseries (which I saw). So far I like this series less than the book or the older series, but I like the actual history of the time period even more, although it might be hard for a foreign production to cover that without looking like a pale repeat of about 800,000 Japanese TV shows (some of which I have seen).

Anyhow, the novel was inspired by William Adams(aka Miura Anjin). The love interest in the novel is based loosely on Hosokawa Gracia. "Toranaga" is of course Tokugawa Ieyasu, "Ishido" is Ishida Mitsunari, etc, etc, etc. Wikipedia has articles.

Currently Watching

The Impossible Heir: 👑 (First 10 minutes of ep. 1) Hmmm... super melodramatic, heavy on the DRAMATIC. Lee Jae-wook is doing the absolute most. This seems like it might be a very mid drama, but with the MLs elevating it by giving 110% to literally every scene? But not sure if I'm in the mood for something this dark and heavy right now, so, PAUSED.

Wedding Impossible: 🤵‍♂️👰‍♀️(ep. 1) Fun!! I needed something light and inconsequential, and this is delivering. As others have mentioned, the FL actress is FABULOUS, and is like a real person who accidentally stumbled into the midst of a made-for-tv movie cast.

Flex x Cop: 🕵‍♂️ (ep. 9) This is so much fun!!! I love the "case of the week" format and the team's dynamic. It reminds me a bit of the only two American murder-y shows I've liked: Castle, and Psych. I'm intrigued by the ML's unfolding past and trauma... is it going to be as simple as it seems? I doubt it. I like the "noir, but make it 60s" vibe and visual style, the music, and the sound editing.

Older Watching

The Matchmakers: 🦆❤️🦆 (ep. 14) Almost done! This has been so lovely, and has been gentle on my heart when I've really needed it. I feel like the whole thing was crafted with such a gentle hand.

My Man is Cupid: 🧚‍♂️ (11-12) not great; some disorientingly odd editing choices, but also a fun, mindless watch.

Variety Shows

Apartment 404: 🏢 (1-2) I love variety shows, but rarely have the time to watch them. This showed up on Prime, so I gave it a try. I love the concept! It's led by Yoo Jae-suk, the variety show king, and includes Cha Tae-hyun, Jennie from BLACKPINK (a reunion with Yoo Jae-suk from Village Survival: The Eight), and Lee Jeong-ha (@attiton!!!!), who the others sometimes call Bongseok 🥹 The cast members work in groups of three to solve a mystery in an apartment complex. The mysteries are based on real-life cases, and they solve them in an immersive set that's an actual apartment building. It's a bit like Busted and <The Great Escape, and seems like it will continue to be very fun!!!

Starting:
Branding in Seongsu: I am at episode 15, and this show continues to surprise and intrigue. I see a lot of beanies calling it boring and dropping out. Or “messy”, which it definitely is, but not just for us viewers, it’s a huge mess for the poor characters in that world, too. Never been so engaged in a workplace drama before.
According to Dramalist, there is 24 half-hour episodes planned. Yayh, on weekdays! Perfect combi with Dr. Slump! Glad it’s four episodes in a week; It is too exciting and also complex and hard to keep all the questions in my sieve mind with too long between drops.
I so hope this lands well, picking up the many threads – the lovers, friends, and enemies in the periphery of the OTP, and giving a good reason for the whole conundrum. My favourite theory is that it is actually a kind of rabbit god, or nature itself, that manifested and entered the game.
Watching Continued:
Doctor Slump: I am still excited by this show; it’s diving into the workings of some very common mental health problems, and of manipulative exploitation of especially neurodivergent people. And from that, rejection sensitivity. It stays silly funny and seriously and deeply moving, and some people take issues with that, but not me.
I giffed something; https://www.dramabeans.com/members/CecilieDK/activity/1541160/
Finished:
Boys over Flowers: Watched this infamous show and had a lot of opinions, especially compared to Meteor Garden 2018 that I only now found out was Chinese. I had a lot of opinions about that, and I giffed them. Generally, I’m saying that Lee Min Ho is doing chaebol A-hole marvellously, that I like Dylan Wang a lot more, cuz cute. Also: The Rosy Starling. That I never liked the Meteor Garden FL – and less for each episode, because I got nauseous from all the willed cutie-pie naivety – that the BOF FL Gu Hye Seon surprised med with how fun she was, I found the stomping, chumping, chewing FL really fun, as opposed to the FL in Meteor Garden. + honorable mention of the FL’s little brother, who was a total charmer and played brown-nosing so funnily.
Starting and finishing:
Page Turner: Nice show. Smart. (Except everyone would know that being a musician is one of the career options that are least affected by becoming blind. Amirite, Stevie Wonder? Ray Charles? Actually, it used to be a typical career choice of poor blind people, Blind Willie Johnson). (Also, except how was one character depicted as having the mind of a five-year-old? Couldn't it have been made so he was more like just a happy teenager? If such a thing exists.
Didn’t really like the ending, - I guess I wanted to see a direction forward for our long-legged kindergardener type, too. But that's me being childish, right there.
Not a K-drama:
Zom 100 (J-Drama): I saw...

Finished My Happy Ending, and I’m very pleased with this show and it’s ending. A story of growth and with a very decided stance on mental illness and how people deserve to be treated. Jang Nara was fantastic, the rest of the cast too. And I appreciate that our heroine’s healing extends to the possibility of another love in her life.
Finished Knight Flower last week, and it was great from start to ending. Have you seen Lee Jong Won with his long hair in real life? Even more swoon worthy than in an officer’s outfit… Lee Ho Nee (alias Honey from her “husband”) was perfect for this role.
Finished Love Song For Illusion - a lot of screaming, pain and tears in the last episodes, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.
Sejak/Captivating The King gave me a bit too many enraged / sly / tearful stares last week, I’m glad it will end soon. Why do I not mind that with the show above but with this one? I guess it’s the
Now I get Branding in Seongsu: instead of the usual romcom serial killer in the middle, they gave us the horror/thriller element right at the beginning; we got that over with for now and can enjoy the comedy and romance. I love the chemistry, the teasing, the side couples and the completely different fashion sense of both souls in the respective bodies!
Can Between Him And Her head toward a happy ending, after all this “if it was broken once, it will break again”? I’m all for romance and happy endings, but this is more realistic than most romance dramas, and reigniting this relationship does not really sound like a good idea to me. But maybe they need to try, since both obviously aren’t over the breakup yet. And they have two more episodes to go now (12 Ep. instead of 10). I hate 1 episode a week schedules!!
Flex x Cop is just a fun watch.
Started Wedding Impossible and like it a lot; if only Moon Sang Min /Ji-Han wouldn’t look so awfully young! I find it hard to see an accomplished team leader in him.
In between (also known as middle of the week) I picked up Bossam: Steal The Fate from my long WTW-list – again, it’s so relaxing to watch a drama where you know that it’s good, and you always can watch “just one more episode”!
KDrama friend project: We are separately watching and enjoying Doctor Slump. Most important when we met last week was the last episode of Suga’s Suchwita. Then another episode of Arthdal: Sword of Aramun, and with all the talking, laughing, kpop news (IU’s fantastic MVs and more…) and eating in between, our time together was gone like nothing! This week I’m going to suggest watching The Impossible Heir together. I found the first episode great; it has German subtitles, and my friend loves Lee Jae Wook since AoS. What I liked most was the chemistry between both MLs, they were great together from the start.

While waiting for DR SLUMP and QUEEN OF DIVORCE to finish dropping all episodes, I am just kinda coasting along with:

CURRENTLY WATCHING:

1. A KILLER PARADOX. It's okay so far - the leads are competent and who know Son Seok-Ku would look so sexy with a beard?!

2. The new Netflix adaptation of AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER. It's pretty good so far. "MY CABBAGES!!!!!!" Hahahahahahahahahahaha!

3. SOMEBODY FEED PHIL. Hands down the best food travel series of the past 5 years. This time around Phil takes us to India, Japan, Iceland etc. Gotta love his dad humour and the warm and respectful take he has on every new food he eats. Different from Anthony Bourdain but equally as good.

I'm getting inspired to make Icelandic style Cinnamon Rolls now...

REWATCHING:

1. HAPPINESS. This is such an underrated Zombie K-Drama with Park Hyung-Sik and Han Hyo-Joo hitting it out of the ballpark.

LOST INTEREST

1. FLEX X COP. The ML is seriously irritating me as much as he is irritating the FL and life's too short to watch irritating men on screen.

Currently Watching:
Captivating the King: Final week before i bid it goodbye.
Impossible Heir: While I agreed that it is not as gripping emotionally yet, somehow I find it tough to resist an underdog story, especially when I love business or corporate thrillers, like Reborn Rich. Waiting for backstabbing, revenge and corporate rivalries and machinations.
Queen of Divorce: Love the leads but the drama could be better.
Wonderful World: Spellbound by Kim Nam Joo's comeback role as a mother who lost her son. I am going to continue watching this drama as I don't want to wait another 6 years, just to watch her.
Goryeo-Khitan War: Still loving this long and epic saeguk.

Old dramas:
Crash Landing On You: One more week before Queen of Tears start..I do miss how the writer writes wonderful male leads and also side-characters.

Knight Flower🥷(12/12): First Bean of 2024 has been earned!🥳 Originally not on my radar…with a bit of a slow start…and then I was as besotted with the show as our officer with our heroine.😊Speaking of the handsome devil. Sir Park Soo Ho, get back into your lane right this instant and stay there!😤The year has barely started, you cannot apply for favorite male lead just yet…🤫

Marry My Husband💙(16/16): Second Bean of 2024 has been earned!🥳While I finished this one to earn the Bean and to kill my curiosity, its former half certainly had me glued to the screen. I saw parallels between Ji-Won and myself and cheered her on as she tried to live a different life. To me, she felt more like another perfect and rich Park Min-Young doll that stooped down to the level of her enemies in the end. I am probably biased because I have some knowledge of the webtoon and the huge differences they made to the K-drama. Anyways, beefcake snuck in a lot of smiles and glances at his beloved cheesecake, so it is not all that bad!🥰

Doctor Slump🧑‍⚕️(5/16): Ever since the fan wall mentioned Haneul as a fellow person on the spectrum I cannot unsee it. Maybe I am reading too much into it, but it makes our female lead more fun and relatable either way. Poor Jung-Woo has nightmares and panic attacks and I just want to hug and comfort him. I keep repeating myself every week, but I’m simply enjoying our OTP as they support each other or bicker non-stop.😊

Hi beanies!

What I am watching:

_ Knight Flower (10/12). I am enjoying this so much! It's funny, cute, and interesting. It manages to makes me smile a lot, and even laugh. It's well written, each episode leaves me wanting to watch the next one. I love the epilogues too.

_ Captivating the King (6 / 16). I wanted to watch this at the same pace that Knight Flower (I started both on the same day) but while KF was charming and hooking and I'm always in the mood for it, watching CTK is being almost a chore so far. I don't say it's not a good show (it is), but the main couple don't interest me enough, I can't empathize with them, and their scenes are uncomfortable to watch. Maybe this changes in the next episodes. I think some of the secondary characters are interesting, though. I guess I'm rooting for the wrong guy.

_ Death's Game (4/8). Wow. What a ride! I'm loving this drama. Everything is amazing.

_ Wedding Impossible (2/12). I Iiked the second episode more than the first one. I wish this drama was more "pretty" to watch (editing, cinematography...) and there were some catchy songs, but the good thing is I like the main characters enough to keep watching it. I hope we don't have too many sucession politics/scheming scenes. I'm here for the romance and I'm looking forward to it.

What I have finished:

_ My happy ending. At last it ended! It's not bad, but while I enjoyed the show up to the episode 10, the rest was hard to watch. Jang Na Ra was great. I don't know if I could have finished this story without her as the FL.

_ Love song for illusion. The script was a mess. At least I think the last episode was good and entertaining. The best things in this drama are Park Ji Hoon's acting and the OST (I love all the songs!).

_ UK. All the creatures great and small. Season 3. This show is a happy place. I'm waiting for the fourth season. I'll watch it soon.

Love Song for Illusion. Oh boy, I do not know what to say about this. I emotionally dropped it at episode 11/12 but then when I finished the final episode, I thought maybe I should rewatch it from the beginning haha. Like maybe knowing how it ended would make seeing it from the beginning hit differently or make more sense. One thing that I don't think will change no matter how much I watch this is my respect for Park Jihoon because this is clearly a challenging role. The physicality, the stress on his throat, playing two different personalities. It's alot and I think he did a decent job. There were definitely times when I wondered what this whole thing would've been like with older actors or more experienced actors but I also saw this as a learning and training experience for them.

Ilgimae. This is the oldest kdrama I've watched so far. I watched this after attempting Scholar Who Walks the Night. I couldn't get into Scholar but Ilgimae draw me in immediately because of the cheesy comedy and action. I was surprised by the sex jokes because I'm always surprised by sex and/or sexuality being referenced in kdramas. I got teary over the deaths and I don't know what to make of the ending. During the early episodes, I was a skotch distracted by the prettiness of Lee Joon Gi haha. I kept thinking of The King & The Clown (even though that was years before this) and thinking I could see why he had the flower boy image. I could see it in this too but eventually I started seeing traces of the actor he would come to be. I liked the moments when you can see the character's brain working so I thought that was cool.

Apartment 404. I had no idea the maknae was Bong Seok from Moving until they mentioned it during the show (plus he's wearing a puffy yellow jacket haha. I wonder if that was an intentionally reference to Moving even though he was supposed to be dressed like Seo Taiji). I thought it wasn't all that funny (though I laughed more at the end of the episode) or maybe it just didn't hit (for me) because it felt distinctly korean at times such as when they were talking about locations and games which made them laugh and I was just lost. While watching, I also thought of Busted and thought of how quickly things might've been solved if Park Min Young was apart of the cast haha

Wedding Impossible (2/12) - I don’t quite *like* most of the characters and I can’t grasp the plot, but by God, I am enjoying it. It’s just so fun but messy. It’s giving old school kdrama in 2024 kdrama’s clothes.

Shogun (2/10) - masterpiece, there are no other words to describe it. 🔥🔥🔥Amazing acting, writing, set design, costume, cultural authenticity… if it continues like this, it might be one of my fav shows this year if not of all time. Think the entertainment and vibes of The Last Kingdom but with the writing and prestige drama aspects of early Game of Thrones.

The Impossible Heir (2/12) - where is the underdog rags to riches chaebol intrigue I was promised? The bromance, the friendship, the teamwork? Less stupid love triangle pls and more corporate politics pls (cannot believe I said that)

Living no Matsunaga (8/10) - I really enjoy this and I don’t want it to end… I was genuinely happy we got a confession too… 😭😭