COMPLETED
Dare to Love Me - Should have dropped it in Week 1.

ONGOING

My Sweet Mobster - Ep. 7 was so much FUN. Ep. 8 was decidedly less so but I'm not bothered by the noble idiocy. Makes sense for Ji-hwan and the way the Deers banded together for their rat/sis-in-law was adorable. Liked the conversation between Il-young and Ji-hwan. Haven't mentioned UTG yet so UTG 🥰!

Miss Night and Day - The mystery is so MEH I have to force myself to watch the scenes without the leads. Lee Jung-eun is still killing it - the game character get-up was 💯.

STARTED
Red Swan/i> - I don't know if it was the random Bollywood-ish bgm for Manila that first set me laughing or the threat letter from 'ISIS' 🤣 but it was ridiculously hilarious from beginning to end. Definitely will not drop this in Week 1 because I do NOT learn from my mistakes 💅!

WATCHLIST
Was in two minds about trying out The Whirlwind but @lovepark convinced me with her intro to the review!

C-DRAMAS
Way behind the airing schedule on all my c-dramas but I'm hanging in there!

Still watching Follow Your Heart (up to Ep. 16) - It's chugging along and I'm enjoying it for the leads. The ML's mom's character is interesting.

Still watching The Princess Royal (up to Ep. 10) - The leads are living up to the nuance needed for these characters. They need to simultaneously be teenagers and middle-aged while also plotting, scheming, and falling in love. It's great to watch!

Started As Beautiful as You (up to Ep. 4) - I'm a little tired of how modern c-dramas all look and feel the same. Xu Kai definitely feels like he just wandered over from Best Choice Ever. I'm reminded that I never did finish the original book…

Lost You Forever S2 will be out next week but I'll probably hold on till it's over because it's all a bit TOO MUCH 😅.

Currently Watching
My Sweet Mobster: 🍭🦞 Aww as if I couldn't like Ji-hwan any more... the penguin huddle and penguin facts!! The carefully made packing list!! Washing dishes together!! And the FL's absolutely adorable growing relationship with the ex-cons. The angst was so well done, too. Wrenching, but reasonable - Ji-hwan has a lot of baggage and a dangerous past. I love how heartfelt this drama is. Uhm Tae-gu is excellent, and I'm so glad they've given Han Sun-hwa more to do than just "cutesy." They're both bringing a lot of depth and nuance to their roles. P.S. Both SLs are controlling creeps who have unhealthy obsessions with the leads. P.P.S. Now THAT'S how you do a couple-tracking location app request; take notes Mr. Night and Day.

Red Swan: 🕴🦢 I tried this because of curiosity and Rain (and @seeker's hype posts 😘), and wow, that was some fun melodrama. It's a little bit like Perfect Marriage Revenge, and a bit like the Chinese webdrama Provoke, but with WAAAAY more violence and sex (which I didn't like). But what a cast!! They're all 100% committed to the draaamaaa, which made it fun. I'm not sure if I'll try next week's episodes.

Finished
Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale: 👸🌂 @attiton was 100% correct about this drama and what I'd think: what a Freaking Delight!!!! I LOOOOOVED this fractured fairytale!!!!!!!!!!! It's so funny and charming and hilarious and warm and sincere!! Finally, a role that lets Jun-young play a sweet nut-job. The humor is both warmer and sweeter than Gaus, but never saccharine (think Pegasus Market). Other Adjectives: sweet, sexy, funny, fun, kooky, cute. The messages (follow your joy; love yourself; find the one you can trust who makes you feel safe; be the prince charming of your own life; and be courageous) were surprisingly lovely. One of my faves of 2024. Totally worth the hassle of sailing the seven seas to watch it.🦜🏴‍☠️

Dare to Love Me: 🎭🪡 It was such a pleasant watch during my week. Maybe this is what a 16-episode weekender feels like? The ending was super meh; my idea was better, Lol.

In other news... Mom finished Suspicious Partner, and while she really enjoyed... *Continued

Connection - Amidst the trio baddies, I love Chi-hyun more. I wish I could say a whole lot about him but... his compassion is admirable. Amongst the three, he's the one who's the most humane and treats everyone as a worthy human and not a piece to be thrown around or a pawn on the chessboard.

Yoon-ho offed himself by overdoing things, but I do love how Jae-kyung appealed to her concern for her husband's well-being.

That slap Yoon-jin dished Tae-jin... epic. It doesn't measure up to what he did but it did bruise his ego to my satisfaction.

The teams Unit Chief, I do hope Ma'am is fine by the end of all these. Her team members are putting dent on her career. Me-thinks Chang-soo will have a credible excuse for his actions. But it had better be solid. And... Cheers to Chief for figuring out what Jae-kyung is figuring out. I always love it when writers portrays bosses of protagonists as competent people who know and do the maths with the same speed as the protagonist.

Find Me In Your Memory - Why am I struggling to watch this? I've been stuck on episode 5&6 for almost a month now. I did move a few minutes this week. Bonus point, I got to watch Ha-jin describe Jeong-hoon in ways she has only seen but not experienced from him.
And, I think her memory of that time is returning cause it seems the Han River hangout memory she shared with Ha-kyung was not with Ha-kyung but with Seo-yeon.

In my boredom and lack of zeal to watch anything this week, I watched some memorable dialogues from Tell Me That You Love Me. Both dialogues are between Jin-woo and Seo-kyung. The first being the conversation they both had when she came to his house in the rain(episode 13), and the second being the conversation they had where she told him why they broke up (episode 14).

I searched over and beyond for an English subtitle for the movie High Society (2018) but it was futile. No subs. All of them. I'll prefer a downloadable source to streaming.

Talking about movies, I watched The Fatal Encounter. I have missed sword fights in kdramas. This one has some well-done fights. Nice execution. Talk about power struggles, this one had enough in such a short time. I especially enjoyed the reversal of who holds the sword between the Grand Queen Dowager and the King. Her walk on the other lane, away from the King's path was a symbolism to show fittingly that the king had won this battle between him and her.

Jo Jung-seok is 👌👌. Now I wish Sejak allowed him flex the blade as he did here. Jung Jae-young too. I did find his character compelling. Despite between caught between duty to one cause, he captures the conflict of spies whose mind change in the course of their assignment. The king repaid his good heart towards him. I recoiled when he was shot. And I recoiled even further when I noticed it was a member of the guards who shot him.

This is my first time watching Hyun Bin. It was good.

Han Ji-min... I didn't recognize her...

The Auditors drops this weekend, please don’t disappoint like Miss night and day. Weeks have passed since I dropped this much anticipated drama after the opening weekend but I am STILL bitter.

Live watches

My Sweet Mobster
How loud was the ‘Angst is coming’ siren this week😞 I am so glad they found the lost sheep 🐑.

My Name is Gabriel
Will watch this week’s episode later

Binge watch corner
When I was the most beautiful
Complicated back stories for the main characters looking forward to seeing where this one goes.

Angels fall sometimes - Chinese
Slow watching a love story about a young man who is diagnosed with ALS as an under grad and his acceptance that he does not need to deal with this on his own.

Book corner
More days at the Morisaki bookshop - Japanese
The continuation of the niece’s interactions with the characters she met in the famous bookstore neighbourhood where her Uncle is the third generation owner of a modern classics bookstore.

Live Watches and Recent Dramas
Miss Night and Day: There are some little things I don’t love, but there always will be, and for the most part, this drama is working for me. I really like almost all of the relationships we have going on, especially our FL’s with her parents, best friend, the idol, and the parallel relationships she has with our ML. I like that the show isn’t afraid to make JI-ung the butt of the joke sometimes, whether it’s wearing his future mother-in-law’s clothes or getting accidentally kicked in the face by Mi-jin. And I like that even though Mi-jin doesn’t have a super high opinion of herself, she can still be assertive when necessary, whether it’s putting a bunch of high schoolers in their place or getting rid of a perv in an elevator.

The Atypical Family: (9 episodes in) I liked the first 4 episodes, and then episode 5 was the first time I started to really dislike our FL. Luckily, she was just acting out, we recovered quickly, and episode 8 has been my favorite so far. We could honestly drop both matriarchs off a cliff and everyone (especially me) would be much happier, but I’m steeling myself for them to get redemption arcs (or at least reasonably happy endings) that they don’t really deserve. I was expecting to love Dong-hee more than I do, but seeing her call out her mom and realizing that she is dating her toolbox fiance to simultaneously get away from her mom and finally please her made me understand and like her a lot more.

Freaking Fairy Tale Show: (7 episodes in) I’ve gone to the dark side and have no regrets. What an absolute delight! I binged the first three episodes Tuesday night (so quick to get through these!) and since then have been alternating them with TAF episodes. That is a show I find difficult to binge, and this is one that I’ll swallow whole if I let myself, so this pace works for both of them. I love our leads so much here, with their ridiculous mannerisms and amazing banter. The way Cha-min decorates is a source of unending entertainment for me, and Baek Ddong is exactly the way I like SMLs - totally unappealing 🤣. And is it just me or is there going to be steep competition for Best Kiss of the Year in a few months?

Miss Night and Day (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D+
Hmm, it feels like we’re going for the misunderstanding route in the romance aspect, to which I say that this show never did need any romance and that any triangle restricts the characterisation of the third-wheeler (the idol in this show). I’ve kinda given up on the killer/drugs thriller stuff because it’s boring no matter how they try to twist it. At least ML’s no longer a jerk?

My Sweet Mobster (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D
Well, they’ve been building up the plot device that was Kitty Gang so ultimately that resolution had to come in the form of a bloodied and battled Ji Hwan who also got arrested by Hyun Woo. The childhood connection thing is just going nowhere as Hyun Woo broods over this revelation while the OTP do the noble idiot dance. We’ll have to see how long this gets dragged.

CONNECTION (Ep 11-12) There was a lot of clarity this week without substantial proof. We now know that Joon-Seo was more involved in the high school gang’s dirty business.

The bedrock theme in the series is high school friendships are forever bonds of duty and loyalty. But that loyalty is the motivation for most of the show’s criminality is greed. We are still left with allegations and suspicions (and a few new suspects) but with no actual evidence as the high school friends full-on turn on each other.

BITTERSWEET HELL (Ep. 11-12) Episode 11 should have been the stand-alone finale as Episode 12 drifted into big brush strokes about what the series was trying to convey and by its lukewarm character futures. Clearly, Yeonwoo as Se-Na was the star of the show. She showed the widest range of emotive evil in a villain in quite a long time. The trauma of childhood abandonment is real as well as transference of blame to others. Se-Na trapped her guilt in an obsessive mind game. She could give the camera a creepy stare then in an instant smile while moving her chess pieces around the plot line like a grandmaster. Despite her connections to people who wanted to help her, she had no one who could be considered traditional “family” to ground her feelings in socially acceptable reality.

The writer tried to reconstruct the definition of “family” as the underlying motivation for the characters, including Se-Na’s disposal chess pieces. I wished that Dr. No and her MIL would have been more in synch and working together to solve the family secrets being unraveled by Se-Na. But both women were stubborn control freaks. The ending was not groundbreaking (ex, Ms. Perfect) and Episode 12 seemed like obligatory filler. The cat-and-mouse game was well written. But it did get sloppy in the end, especially the quick resolution of Do-Hyun’s kidnapping. Dr. No and MIL were not as smart as they thought they were in dealing with Se-Na.

Mama Deer and Papa Lobster: I can't get enough of our deer family! They're the cutest! ☺️

If Ji Hwan treated Ye Na with half the rudeness he treated Eun Ha on that scene, that girl wouldn't go around playing with her allergies, and by default Eun Ha wouldn't get so jealous she almost makes him choke to death. 😂 It's just a suggestion.

Graduation. Aka. 24/7 Stress In Hagwon (finale): I can't believe today we don't get another episode of this.

I'm going to miss the unique vibe this drama gives, the strong emotions it made me feel, and all the important questions and debates it created. But overall, I'm going to miss this characters so much! 🥺

Dare to Love Me (finale): it ended. 😶

Bitter Sweet Hell (1-4, dropped): kdramaland has no ability in making husbands and wtv they do or happens to them, interesting. And I don't think they made the FLs that interesting either.
It's the same copy paste. I just don't care.

I appreciate Trolley and Wonderful World even more now. 🤔

Cinderella (finale): I would've preferred this to end like Gentleman Prefer Blondes, tbh. But I liked the show overall. It was fun and simple. I loved that about it.

I'm going to miss the umbrella. It was a deeper and funnier character than both SLs combined. 😆

BONUS
We Are Lady Parts (all S2): Villian Era is my new jam!!🎸

Btw, it makes no sense we got a Britney cover (which was perfection), but not a Josie and the Pussycats cover. I'm waiting for Saira to sing "I'm a punk-rock prom queen~" 🎶

Interview with the Vampire (finale of S2): awesome season finale.

Louis is something, btw. Because if after 77 years in a marriage I find out my husband was the mastermind behind my daughter's death (and my almost-death) I would be doing more than kicking him out of the house. I would go Love Lies Bleeding on him.

Love Lies Bleeding (movie): I guess I don't know what true love is, because I wouldn't even do half of what these girls did for each other. Even if it was for my mom I would think it twice... Multiplied by infinity.

Polite Society (movie): maar daala caught me off guard but I'm not complaining about it. I was dancing with Ria right there.

After a very very busy June I finally have time to come back here. I missed reading your views (and your company) very much, Beanies.

I Think I'm Not a Hero, But I'm (aka Atypical Family) - finished
For me, this was a satisfying ending, with the highlight of Gwiju finally being at peace with the death of his Fireman Sunbae... and at peace with his past relationship with his ex-wife - those two moments were beautifully symbolically captured by placing them in the past, turning them into colours and having both of the people look at Gwiju. The moment of true healing.

The rest of the threads felt unfortunately rushed and I wish they rather left them open, being it Sauna Mom (and her sudden goodness), Hyerim (and her sudden friendship) or Donghee (and her sudden love line) - a small hint would be enough, like Donghee realising Sauna Uncle was delivering food to her with care. I also missed a message for Inna that not all thoughts running through our minds are thoughts we chose to have, we agree with or we decide to act on.
That said, I still quite liked the Show, especially for its unique approach to portrait traumas, for its unpredictability and for the visuals and music. (I also think they did well with the time travel. 🙂)

Charming Princerella - finished
This show was so much better than I expected and I basked in finally a true romcom with a lot of comedy (just a bit pity that they dropped the over the top absurdity from the earlier episodes). I liked how they made fun from the tropes and Narrator was a cherry on the top. Also, Uri Cinderella and Prince Charming just clicked, had a nice chemistry.... and showed each other the love of their families and helped to found their inner strength. I do wish we spent less time on the separation trope and more time with the Step Family, because honestly those scenes were one of the strongest, I especially loved the relationship with Second Unni, their fights an reconciliations felt so real and there was do much hidden love.

Beauty and the Mobster
Ten years ago I was not much impressed by Han Sunhwa in Marriage, not Dating, however, now I'm fascinated how good she is here and I'm especially enjoying her in the comedy parts. I'm loving the comedy aspect in general in Mobster (details like Smexy Lawyer drinking (only) coffee at the breakfast table crack me up) and I'm happy the Show still keeps it on - this week I was worried after Jihwan's pushing Eunha away that we would stay in serious waters, but luckily no! 💃 and I enjoyed the breakfast and the gang standing behind Eunha (in their petty ways), finally fully accepting her as their Sister-in-law. 🙂 And no, I don't believe a bit that Eunha doesn't love Jihwan anymore. I also think Uri Prosecutor did tell the truth and I'm here to watch his journey to reluctantly join the Deergang (they will just need to buy a bigger table 😁 ).

Teaching (in Hagwon), 12eps
I watch slowly because I have much...

WELCOME TO SAMDALRI —the best episode was the last. I enjoyed Cho Sam Dal’s story and loved how her hometown fought for her. Shin Hye Sun plus the Healer/Ahjuma hacker reunion were the best parts. The dolphin family were pretty cute too.

ANCIENT DETECTIVE (7) —The mystery is slowing gaining traction and I have a feeling not all is as it seems. But I am in a predicament with this one: everything is good so far except the extremely distracting BGM, which is pulled straight from JOY OF LIFE. Scenes from Joy of Life keep being superimposed on this drama because of it. It is the oddest drama watching experience.

I AM NOBODY —Just as good on the rewatch. I forgot how much my cheeks hurt from smiling and my stomach from laughing. But the true brilliance for me is the emotional depth underneath the humor and urban Wuxia fantasy.

HOMETOWN CHA CHA CHA (5) — Shin Mina and Kim Seonho are a winning combination. Plus Lee Sang Yi just appeared and this is the coolest love triangle I have seen in a while. Still, I am not too pleased with the village caricatures.

MY SWEET MOBSTER —I think I will have to be in the right mood to watch this one. I did like the themes about being compassionate when judging others and using second chances meaningfully.

JOY OF LIFE 1 —I have persuaded my family to watch this—my favorite drama of all time—with me. They have watched other dramas with me, but sharing a drama I adore to this extent and hoping they love it even a little is its own test of courage. Any words of wisdom, Beanies?

THE LONG BALLAD (CH) —Story is in last stretch, but my attention has been wandering. It has been a great watching experience though. I didn’t expect to be rooting for the secondary couple this much (played by Lui Yuning and Zhao Lusi). WELCOME TO SAMDALRI —the best episode was the last. I enjoyed Cho Sam Dal’s story and loved how her hometown fought for her. Shin Hye Sun plus the Healer/Ahjuma hacker reunion were the best parts. The dolphin family were pretty cute too.

ANCIENT DETECTIVE (7) —The mystery is slowing gaining traction and I have a feeling not all is as it seems. But I am in a predicament with this one: everything is good so far except the extremely distracting BGM, which is pulled straight from JOY OF LIFE. Scenes from Joy of Life keep being superimposed on this drama because of it. It is the oddest drama watching experience.

I AM NOBODY —Just as good on the rewatch. I forgot how much my cheeks hurt from smiling and my stomach from laughing. But the true brilliance for me is the emotional depth underneath the humor and urban Wuxia fantasy.

HOMETOWN CHA CHA CHA (5) — Shin Mina and Kim Seonho are a winning combination. Plus Lee Sang Yi just appeared and this is the coolest love triangle I have seen in a while. Still, I am not too pleased with the village caricatures.

MY SWEET MOBSTER —I think I will have to be in the right mood to watch this one. I did like the themes about being compassionate when...

LIVE WATCHES
Beauty and Mr. Romantic
When there are 50 episodes, not all of them can be winners. I'm looking forward to Do-ra getting her own, new life (back). I hope the writer hits it out of the park!

Bitter Sweet Hell
I tend to save these for mid-week, but it's starting to get harder to wait. Also, it recently ended its "real" run and now it's a race to finish before I'm completely spoiled about the end(s).

Lobster
This show has zero narrative complexity, frankly. It's a love story intermixed with a crime story like so many other dramas. I'm even irritated at the "pinkness now fading to ~~seriousness~~" and how they're structuring some of the characters. But it has a layer on top of that--it's somehow earnest. I'm in for the long haul.

Miss Night and Day
I can't seem to quit this drama, although I have many, many reasons to do so. Many. It's a bonafide hate watch at this point.

FROM THE RESERVES
Boy howdy, have I been on a rewatch kick this holiday week! Business Proposal, Run On, Chief Kim...such classics.This last drama is a warm-up for The Auditors...accountancy is the only really important thing in life.

Currently Watching
Connection: Writing, editing and acting are why I love this drama...
Driver 2: Still enjoying it
My Sweet Mobster: I never thought I could love watching this drama.
Red Swan: Welcome back, Rain....what a start!

Planning to watch
The Whirlwind: Love the cast and writer. Too bad, I am busy with work and caught a cold. I will start watching on tomorrow since I am off tomorrow.

Just finished
C-Drama: The Double

WATCHING
That Pink Show 🦞
What a surprising treat this continues to be. It's not just sweet, funny, and entertaining, but clever, detailed, and very well acted and directed. I love that it's telling a great story without going overboard. Can it sustain this magic for another 8 episodes? Please oh please 🙏

Til the End of the Moon c-drama 2023
Great start with some outstanding elements (particularly costumes, sets, music, sound) and a few not so good ones. But overall this moody xianxia really appeals. The best part is Luo Yunxi who is mesmerizing. Emotions ripple across his face in the must subtle ways. I frequently have to rewind to read subtitles because I can't take my eyes off him when he's on screen. The rare occasions when he smiles are disarming because he has an unexpectedly beautiful smile.

FINISHED
The Double c-drama
Just.so.good. One of those dramas that's hard to move beyond. I was enthralled for 40 episodes. I loved the ending and didn't feel that the extra "episode" (all 5 minutes of it) was necessary. And I still have the fabulous OST on daily repeat. (Listening to the unusual and gorgeous "Return Home" as I write this.)

Have a great week beanies! 🤗

WATCHING, LIKING (LOVING ACTUALLY), AND SUBSCRIBING
MY SWEET MOBSTTER This show continues to deliver, adding depth, layers (sometimes with sweaters!) and nuance in a brightly colored package. The acting has been spectacular, especially since the most impactful scenes are not scene chewing with yelling or sobbing actors. Instead, Um Tae Gu and Han Sun Hwa convey with subtle nuance in a gaze or a shift in posture the many different emotions being held at once by their characters. The range each has exhibited in this drama from charisma and cuteness unleashed (Transform! Flash Mob! Hurry Up!) to soft longing and just concealed sadness has been a sight to beyond and a tug on the heartstrings. This show is the complete package so far and if this keeps up may get all my beans (or split with Like Flowers in Sand).

REVISITED DUE TO A LACK OF OTHER CURRENT WATCHES
MARRIAGE, NOT DATING This 2014 show has lots of flaws, but the mains, Han Groo and Yeon Woo Jin (compare to Nothing Uncovered, no-don’t) deliver something that is rarely seen anymore—a comfort in their bodies and with each other. The easy skinship in this show, often in hijinks, is in stark contrast to the overly chaste treatment of touch (our hands brushed! Gasp!) in current dramas. Also, this show has the mains be imperfect (at one point, the ML gets a potbelly from eating too much chicken trying to help out the FL’s family business) which is such a relief for me from the overly perfected visusals we are given these days. It remineded that the last drama I remember a lead not having overly whitened skin was in Gu in My Liberation Notes. In any event, the show was a fun watch and a nice visit to dreamland past.

Happy Saturday, Beanies!

TOO MANY COOKS PROBLEM FOLLOW YOUR HEART: I legit have no idea what to make of this show – one episode it's hysterically fun (second wedding!), cute and engaging and in another it's an embarrassing lame waste of not just good actors/PD efforts, but also my own precious time. Like OK, I understand that LYX got injured at some point and they had to filler-up a part of the show to cover his absence/lowered mobility... But that happened A WEEK before filming wrapped, no way the whole latter third of the drama was negatively impacted by it alone. Then someone said cursed words “two screenwriters” and I finally understood... These two either have the worst talent compatibility possible or did not consult each other at all, resulting in drama gradually losing even whatever uneven steam it used to have. Shame, because it had all means to be simple yet nice entertainment.

Also whoever the hell is responsible from cutting out love scenes/kisses from a second collab drama of LYX and LOVE IS SWEET PD needs to be kicked where it hurts, how dare they! Not to mention ruined plot continuity – I can tolerate miraculous drugs and plastic surgeries (in Tang dynasty!), but potential miraculous pregnancy is clearly too much. At least annoying sis calmed down and CL's angry bird general mellowed to the cute-ish level once regaining his nose... Never knew said part of the body is THAT important to stability of male psyche, but here we are. FF to grand finale, otherwise drop.

“Drama news” segment :

- STRANGE TALES OF TANG DYNASTY 2 is coming! Presumably later this month Upd.: rumored July 11th, yay!

- seems like everyone non-Tencent is wary of LYF2, thus not many prominent dramas otherwise for July – nearly all potentially watchable stuff got pushed to August/September (I'm fine with that, still need to catch up with other things). iQiyi's lineup looks particularly promising – maybe they'll be able to finally rise from the ashes with something from it:
https://x.com/ForCdrama/status/1808383040001135062

Wait a minute – it gets better)))
https://x.com/ForCdrama/status/1809148367894667273

- Youku is ??? on the matter, while Mango will probably drop CHANG LE QU (Ding Yuxi, Deng Enxi, historical arranged marriage romance) in August. Thanks to ADWAD leaks I'm no longer triggered to see fur-donned leads in the freaking summer, so nothing to worry about... except maybe lack of plot^^ And MangoTV subs, which remain the special kind of evil.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lsBTnV-N3Q

My Sweet Mobster (through delightful Ep. 7): I'm saving the angst of Episode 8 for when I can (hopefully) chase it with more positive vibes in Episodes 9 and 10. Fervently wishing for happy endings for all the darling deerlings. It's funny -- there are some shows that are promoted as comedies, but then the acting and writing deliver such moments of poignancy that they get you in the feels even more than the so-called healing fare.

Beauty and Mr. Romantic (through Ep. 30): Ready for an upward trajectory for our amnesaic FL, who needs her memories back stat so she'll know whom to trust. Here's a hint, Do-ra: It's not your mom!

Crash (completed): Elbowed "The Player" aside in the procedural department. Thanks for the recommendation, Beanies! A fun, satisfying watch with great team dynamics.

The Player 2 (through Ep. 8): Will get back to it now that "Crash" is in the garage.

Dare to Love Me (completed): Finished for the bean. Haven't read the webtoon but am puzzled by some of the storytelling choices. The setup of the village made it impossible to reach a satisfying conclusion. Might've worked better as a time slip or with a fantastical element a la Brigadoon.

In the C-drama department, I’m anticipating the last episode (and a fraction) of The Double. It's been a great ride. Am savoring Joy of Life 2. The emperor puzzles me, though. Yes he’s a brilliant enigma, but what's his end game? Does he care about the empire? Or is he just playing the manipulation game for its sake alone and without a greater objective in mind? As Beautiful as You is off to a solid start. ML fell first but is hiding it. FL has a longtime boyfriend and no romantic interest in the ML at the moment. Looks like we're in for a very slow burn. Fingers crossed the corporate takeover/sibling rivalry storyline doesn't dominate.

Okay, I have been in a bit of a slump lately, but nevertheless…

I finished MIDNIGHT ROMANCE IN HAGWON as a binge this week, after waiting for the second half of the drama to be released before continuing. I’m happy that I did! The pace of the storytelling was really slow and the watching experience was better for me this way. I really liked this show, but I’m surprised that the romance did not win me over that much this time, as it did with other PD Ahn dramas. Still it was an interesting story about the necessity/presence of hagwons in the SK school system. And boy am I lucky I wasn’t a student then & there… The stress felt very real. 🫣 Seo Jung Yeon really is a queen though! I love her role choices. (Also like seeing many other familiar faces in this PD Ahn drama. It’s like a BBC production: „Where have I seen this actor before?“ 😂)

Continuing LOVELY LOBSTER and couldn’t be happier about it. This is my weekly dose of shoulders cheekbones really sweet but sugar-free fun. 🫰👏🫠

Ventured into cdramas a bit and started on AS BEAUTIFUL AS YOU, and might just keep on with that. I have tried to watch two other cdramas of similar storylines, but since I was so fed up with the level of miscommunication and drawn-out unnecessary conflicts between the main couple (and even worse), that I won’t even bother to tell you what these were. Eyerolls all around + fast drops. I’m having slight hopes that ABAY won’t go down this route, so fingers crossed. 🤞

Looking forward to THE AUDITORS and might have to try BITTERSWEET HELL this weekend.

Have a fun week! 🫰

Beanies I need help here🙈🙈 I started watching Go Ahead Cdrama, got 5 eps in, but the sudden return of a certain character and the drama's portrayal of blood-related relationships being an excuse to absuse and being pushy is getting on my nerves. Will it get be better or is there no development at all?

Well, Whirlwind. It took 3 episodes for me to get interested. It's all so dire and earnest, I want to slap all the main characters and tell them for heaven's sake develop a sense of humor. There's very little engaging humanity in it, the kind Park Kyung-soo used to add even to his big baddies (I'm thinking Cho Chae-hyun in Punch). I'm most happy with the two ladies -- Kim Mi-sook and Kim Hee-ae. The lead actor's hoarse whisper drives me nuts but Kim Hee-ae's whisper is, as always, intriguing. I'm halfway through. But heavy, heavy.

Miss Night & Day: 8.0

My Sweet Mobster: 8.0

Player 2 - Master of Swindlers: 6.5

Pork Cutlet - No, I haven't watched it, but the description sounds like the title was inspired by Chicken Nugget and the plot by this scene in the finale of Touch Your Behind
https://www.dramabeans.com/members/lordcobol/activity/1463300/

Midnight Romance in Hagwon (15-16): Really sad to see this show lose it's supposed main theme in the last 4 episodes, begging the question if that was even the main theme to begin with. I will sorely miss the show this was, not the show it ended up becoming.

Player 2: Master of Swindlers (9-10): Well, the President turned out to be a way more interesting character than I thought. Wasn't expecting a full flashback episode this late, but I'm glad we got it, as it lessens the main problem I had with episode 1, where it just felt like the show quickly skipped past a lot of the story. Glad we now finally have more context and backstory of everything. Hopefully this finishes strong.

Hospital Playlist 2 (3-8): Still loving pretty much everything about this, though I do feel like it's not as strong as S1 was. I also think the show struggles a bit in the romance department this season, as it seems they're great at building up romance but less great at actually showing two people in a romance. Jung-won & Gyu-wool are fine, but Jun-wan & Ik-soon quickly devolved into noble idiocy, which is a shame. Episode 8 was excellent though, so I'm hoping for a strong finish.

My Perfect Stranger (9-10): Oh, I love the whole "who's the mother" cliffhanger. Speaking of the ML's family, they're kinda on my main suspect list in regards to the killer's identity. I really do think I might have trust issues.

RED SWAN is not exactly a masterpiece. Villain MIL could have used all her money to go to finishing school to learn to be ladylike, instead of behaving like a fishwife. Rain is ok, but I can't help thinking of that other, famous bodyguard drama, it had a better FL, too.

I love the SWEET MOBSTER so much that I can even forgive noble idiocy. He is already punished at breakfast by his house mates and I am sure that the idiocy is not going to last long. I do fear that he will suffer more beatings and knife stabbing in the near future.

Ji Sung suffers admirably from drug withdrawal in CONNECTION. Still, a well written, tight thriller.

Started UNCLE SAMSIK. Well done, but watching it it needs full attention, I am not well versed in Korean post war history.

Still watching DAY AND NIGHT LADY and the traumatised celebrity.

COMPLETED:

1. THE 8TH NIGHT - Supernatural Horror K-Movie that was just okay.

2. DRAWING CLOSER - This is a lovely and contemplative Netflix J-drama about 2 teens (a boy and a girl) who both have terminal illnesses and hope their friendship helped them in their final days. Kinda like the Japanese version of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS but not as maudlin as its American counterpart.

ONGOING:

1. IT'S OKAY NOT TO BE OKAY - It took me several tries to get into this one over the past 6 months and I'm finally watching it happily. It's an interesting take on Neurodivergence and mental illness.

2. DOCTOR SLUMP and A GOOD DAY TO BE A DOG - Still slowly making my way through them on the lunchtime watch rotation.

3. MILITARY PROSECUTOR DOBERMAN - Bedtime viewing. 1 episode at a time as I can only take Ahn Boh-Hyun in small doses though I really like Jo Bo-A here.

4. SUPACELL - Excellent and action-packed Netflix series about a group of Black Londoners who discover they have superpowers.

NOTES:
- I haven't dipped my toes into any of the new dramas that are out since none of them really appeal to me.
- I've discovered that Tubi has a wide selection of older K-Dramas and K-Movie that are free to watch (though you have to put up with the occasional and well-timed ad).