The best for now are the Bulgari rings in Queen of Tears!

The worst... I don't remember having TKEM's moments in 2024 dramas.

Protein coffee!!

In 2024, my votes are...

₩ Most Adorable PPL: Dol Swe the robot vacuum cleaner in The Story of Park's Marriage Contract

₩ Most Surprising Need for PPL: Korean-grown bell peppers in The Story of Park's Marriage Contract

₩ Most Effective PPL: Whatever Jang Dong-yoon was selling as Kim Baek-du in Like Flowers in Sand

₩ Most Unneccessary PPL: Jinro Chamisul soju

₩ Guilty-Google-Secret PPL: The clear bottled soju that's been popping up recently, wondering what was up with that. In the US anyway, it's zero sugar soju. I suppose that's good to know if you want to know whether or not the character in question is watching their carbs while drinking themselves under the table.

And, finally, on a related note...

₩ Most Criminal PPL: The bonafide diet drink PPL associated with jokey Size ZERO Christian-themed diet book in My Demon. Outrageous.

Tao Kae Noi Big Roll Grilled Seaweed from Wedding Impossible. It was fine when Ji-han grabbed one off the craft services table on Ah-jung's film set, but it made no sense when Chae-won and Ah-jung whipped out a box of them as drinking snacks.

I recently watched Taxi Driver for the first time. And that energy drink must be really amazing. Honestly, that was just weird how and how many times it got dialogue.

Hanam Pig in Queen of Tears ep 11. It was weird that the two families suddenly went to a restaurant in the midst of all things.

I don't think I'll ever get tired of chocolate or caffeinated ads in general. Just watching Would You Like A Cup of Coffee sent me on a coffee drinking trip for a period of 4 months.

PPL moments that stood out this year? I don't think they exist. But one did stand out. I don't know if that dragon necklace Hae-in wore is for PPL, but it made a lasting impression. I'm guessing it is a luxury targeted at a specific set of people.

What made me cringe? None. PPL is the last thing I notice in kdramas. But there are PPLs that make me cringe because it is done right in my face: health packs. The package bag, the placing of the pack itself and when taking it are done literally in my face. And there's this uneasy talk that's clearly having no place in the ongoing conversation. I'm guessing some writers are incapable of writing PPLs into their scripts and make it a continuous sequence. I believe even the PPL brand we do not like the most will not make one cringe if it is well introduced and bided goodbye.

What made me grab my phone and Google?
The culprit is Subway. I was a few months old when I finally knew the meaning of the Subway PPL complaints beanies threw here and there. I always thought they were complaining about subway, as in train stations being advertised to citizens to board. And I was wondering why that would be a problem. So imagine my learning moment when I found out Subway was about food and drinks PPL. I then began thinking about the dramas that beanies complained about Subway ppl and how I completely misunderstood their cries.
Now, I notice a subway PPL immediately I see one. The latest I've seen is Queen of Tears episode 11: Baek Hyun-woo and his trio.

- Those giant grapes are scary...

- I'm very happy to see that Subways is back in business! XD I miss Maxim coffee and red ginseng :P And just hate Topiko... seriously, enough!

- And I always laugh when FL receive those tiffany boxes and they go "cute!". Seriously girl, it's a Tiffany, you can do better! XD

Kopiko 😬 with the first suck and the person makes a comment about instantly feeling rejuvenated.

Coffee sweets closely followed by chocolate with a coffee centre comes at the top of the list of products that should NEVER have been thought about let alone made it to production🤢

I giggle at the grapes every time. No one has found an organic way to insert them into a scene yet.

I really like that Roger Vivier white embellished shoes that Hyun Woo gifter Hae In in Queen of Tears. The Bulgari rings are also great.

Not a fan of the Kopiko candies. I have tried those and it does not replace an actual cup of coffee.

I think I've grown desensitized to PPLs, my mind just laughs at how prominent they are (for those dramas who don't do a good job at keeping it lowkey/blending it into the script) these days.

I think the best PPL is the return of Subway, frequently seen in Queen Of Tears. The amount of times they've had it has me wondering how they arent sick and tired of it already.

And the award for -
Most Jarring PPL The Salmon Protein Chips in Marry my Husband . Because when you are tired and would love something to eat, you don't want actual food, you want Salmon Protein Chips! Bonus points to the actors for being able to keep a straight face while eating them
Most Effective PPL The icecream shop in A Korean Odyssey Because I love icecream, and I would be in that shop tomorrow if it existed in my country. Also, it was a refreshing change from all the Coffee shop PPL
Most Ignored PPL All that coffee shop PPL mentioned above. Chains that don't exist in my country, selling a product I don't want. But I am very grateful that they give many productions an outside filming set for low or no budget, meaning the dramas are not always stuck in a studio.
Most bewildering PPL That mositurising stick that they get actors to run over their face and neck. Why is their skin so dry? Is it genetics, or the weather, or the geography? Or do they have a shiny face cultural that is alien to my western put-powder-on-so-you-do-not-shine culture?
Most pervasive ppl The cars. It's easy to take for granted as part of the plot, but even a well off middle income doctor is unlikely to be able to afford a Maserati. (I liked the bicycle in My love from a Star though. I guess they were not able to find a big car PPL deal for that)
Most fascinating PPL The PPL that does not exist- the coffee breaks that don't show any brand, the fashion clothing with fictional branding-You can see the bones of the drama, scenes that were written for the sales team to sell for PPL slots. Dramas that have a lot of empty slots/fake branding did not have as much money for production/rewrites/are not doing as well, and it often shows in more than just the PPL.
The best PPL Anything that fits the story and doesnt put in stupid marketing phrases. Am loving the PPL in QoT at the moment, I hope it doesnt go too overboard in the last episodes. I can cope with Subway ads if I don't also have the actors telling me how tasty it is.

Don't know about 2024, but I'll always chuckle at how Welcome to Waikiki satirized PPL by having Joon-ki do ever more ridiculous things because they were filming the last scene of the drama and they'd forgotten to shoot a whole bunch of ppl.

I came close to buying a stylish green Delonghi electric kettle that I'd seen in several Kdramas, but it didn't have a multiple temperature settings feature. I found it odd because this particular model appears to be sold on the Japanese market; the more delicate teas favored there are meant to be steeped at a lower temperature than black teas. So I went with function over form and bought a Cuisinart model. Using water at the proper temperature really does make a difference when I'm making a cup of green or oolong tea.

I'm really concerned about Korean health. How are they getting enough protein- there are thousands of chickens crying because no one is eating Fried Chicken. A couple of years ago it was the only way to meet a friend, mix beer and soji, or eat pizza was with Fried Chicken. The are doomed!!!

I don’t know about 2024, but the one Kdrama PPL that will always stay with me is the bling bling Jimmy Choo heels that Jun Ji Hyun wore on “My Love from Another Star” and also how that drama— in my PERSONAL memory— basically started the whole fried chicken PPL trend in K-dramas XD 😆

Is the Kopiko candy in blister packs any different compared to the individually wrapped ones? Because the blister packs are a tad more expensive I think.

I think the one that stuck for me, and made me want to check it out was the glow stick from Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Everyone in the series had one in their purse and I was like - what is that magic stick?