Live Watches
Mom’s Friend’s Son/Love Next Door: Bickering between our leads? Yes please. Bickering between our second leads? Hard pass. Still loving this though. I’m in a place where I’m identifying hard with the FL as she tries to figure out what she’s looking for in a career, and hoping they stay clever with the title/ending title switches.

Recent Dramas:
High School Return of a Gangster: (4 eps in) Well this is an absolute hoot! I love how absolutely terrible Deuk-pal is at pretending to be a high school student and how much he could not possibly care less if people find him different from before. I feel so awful for the real I-heon though - Sae-kyung explaining why the school violence committee is dead in the water was so heartbreaking. I can’t say I’m 100% sure of what is happening in his former gang, but I trust I’ll figure it out sooner or later. Meanwhile I’m having fun watching Yoon Chan-young strut around like he absolutely owns this school, terrible grades and all.

Older Dramas:
Happiness: (5 episodes in) I knew I was going to be more scared of the apartment people than the zombies and here we are. Scariest moment of ep 5 definitely goes to the phone filming in the supermarket - that lack of peripheral vision really freaks me out! I can’t decide if I want the crappy influencer son to die immediately or have a glorious redemption arc, but he better start on one of those paths soon!

Currently Watching
No Gain No Love ⚖️ 💍 The opening week was a hoot!!! I love the ML and the FL, and it's a delight to see Shin Min-ah again. I also love Kim Young-dae so far... it's an odd pairing, but it works!!

Romance in the House: 🏠❤️ WHOA PLOT TWIST!! Still on the fence about dad. Mom and daughter are the best and deserve only the best. Minho is lovely, his romance with the FL is ADORABLE, and they make my heart flutter. My friend caught up with this and we're having fun speculating about dad's fortune.

Love Next Door: 🙍‍♀️🙍‍♂️ I think I'm done. My favorite characters were the paramedic best friend and the journalist. I did like the vulnerable moment between the leads in the pool at the end of ep. 3, but I wish they spent more time (quietly) talking with each other, instead of loudly sniping, being mean to each other, and getting into physical altercations (that it NOT the basis for a healthy relationship). My friend is in it for the paramedic and journalist... But I think I'm out. Maybe I'll revisit it once it's done airing.

Miscellaneous:
●56% done with Welcome to Samdalri Love it. This is my kind of healing drama. (Friend loved it, too).
●38% done with The Producers aww the ML! He makes so many mistakes, poor lamb 😂
●43% done with A Good Day to Be A Dog it's so weird, and so dark, and so cute! I love Park Gyu-young in this!! I even love CEW in it! 👍
●PSA: The OST for The Starry Love, my favorite xianxia, is FINALLY on Spotify in a fan-made playlist!! I'm obsesssssssed with it!!!
●In other news... Mom watched Modern Farmer and wasn't too impressed; now she's watching Serendipity's Embrace and is also not impressed. We both find the FL pretty chilly in romance.

Finished
Like Flowers in Sand: A beautiful masterpiece and my new #1 favorite drama. Everyone so completely disappeared into their roles, including the supporting roles of residents, that it felt like watching life unfold as real people went about their lives in a real town where ssireum is the lifeblood. The cast is fantastic, as is the group of friends who connect (and reconnect) as adults...

LOVE NEXT DOOR (Ep 3-4) More background from high school with no unexpected reveals. Apparently the SUV of Doom only causes loss of dreams and not life. The show remains an average rom-com. I think the secondary characters and support cast (including the now tempered mom’s group) are carrying a lot of the show as I am just not invested in the leads or their current lives. Mo-Eum’s encounter with a version of her younger self, park girl Ji-Yoo, was great.

THE FROG (Ep 1-4) Inspired by the Korean saying "A carelessly thrown stone can kill a frog," the newest Netflix Korea series unfolds the stories of "frogs," or ordinary individuals, who are suddenly faced with terrible misfortune. It takes a while to realize that the show is edited by weaving two parallel 20-year old time lines into one story. The tension is real, the pacing has been described as “a slow burn” and the pauses bring home the gravity of their situations. The location shoots are a breath of fresh air. The show is a good example of the merger of film cinematography with k-drama formatted storytelling even though Yeong-Ha’s inter-spliced hallucinations can miss a story beat. Go Min-Si is a very good femme fatale as Seong-A.

No gain no love: I think I am one of the few who didn’t particularly care this. I was kind of bored to be honest. I am going to give it the 4 episodes count and continue or give up after that.

Queen Woo: I haven’t the faintest how accurate this drama is, probably only vaguely. However, the acting is solid and the storyline isn’t too bad. I won’t say I loved it, but it was watchable. So I will finish it out. For those who haven’t seen it, it would probably be rated R in theaters, but if you have seen anything on HBO or Starz, this is about the same, not even as bad as I have seen there. Also, still not as graphic as the show The Boyz.

Black Out: So, it is actually looking like Jung Woo didn’t do it. It seems based off Sun Oh’s painting, 4 people killed Bo Young. I believe Da Eun was killed later by the creepy doctor. I thing Jung Woo was just a casualty of coincidence. I don’t think the murders are connected at all. As for the four who killed Bo Young, I don’t think the cop was there, but I do think the nurse was there. The plot thickens, I am really enjoying the whodunit aspect of this drama. Also, all the freaking secrets coming out, smh.

Good Partner: Man, karmic punishment. The writer went all the way in this last episode. Poor Jae Hee. My heart utterly broke for her confronting her dad, and that was a hell of a punishment for both him and Sa Ra. Also, Ji Sang still kept lying to Jae Hee, smh, sir say Sa Ra had a miscarriage and that you messed up. Emotional. I liked the case of the episode too, I wish she had been able to get a divorce, but I hope that man treat Soon Rye like the Queen she is.

Romance in the House: We are in the back half. Although both Na Eun and Min Ho are average at best actors, they are totally charming me in this drama. I am enjoying their burgeoning relationship. I am also glad that Moo Jin is understanding that he needs to be a better father just as much as a better partner.

Love Next Door: So now that Seung Hyo realizes his crush has not disappeared, what will he do? Probably nothing, Lol. I wonder when Seok Ryu will realize? Here we go.

Remember when we were moaning the lack of dramas? Almost too much of a good thing with the drama overload now 😅.

ONGOING
Good Partner - Yu-na living up to her talent here but this is definitely Jang Na-ra's show. I liked the apology vs compensation debate.

Black Out - I was so frustrated with all the villagers this week. As for the mystery, right now I'm assuming 2 separate sets of killer(s).

Romance in the House - The resolution to the story with the hairdresser was actually quite moving. The ending was kinda hilarious.

Mom's Friend's Son - The Greip scenes were illogical and unnecessary but everything else - the pool scene, the bickering, the K-superstition..🥰

Your Honor - The body count for this show is off the charts. I don't know how many more massacres I can take. I guess we were all right about the Judge's wife's death.

Perfect Family - I like how the show is making us doubt everyone, including Sun-hui, esp. with scenes where you're not sure if they are memories, imagination, or reality.

STARTED
No Gain, No Love - How quirky and charming and FUNNY was this! The side characters were entertaining too. I'm SO in.

C-DRAMAS
Way behind broadcast schedule with Are You the One (up to Ep. 14) but loving it so far. Zhang Wan Yi is so wonderfully expressive.

Go East - Watched 2 episodes and it reminds me a bit of Judge Di - a motley crew coming together to form a team and triumph. Will continue.

Melody of Golden Age - Also 2 episodes in with this. Nothing particularly new in the story - bold FL vs cold ML, contract marriage, palace intrigue, etc. - but it's engaging enough to continue.

Love Andante (Series review) - Mood progression: D+ / D / D- / D-
Did they really plagiarise that ending from Crash Landing on You? To be fair, a fictional show would never show an unification arc given the reality. But of course we had that weird wild boar arc, and a classic kiss by the supporting couple?

Black Out (Episode 3-4) - Mood: C
Interesting: it seems like we were misled into thinking that Go Joon was the outsider character when the true one’s Kim Bo Ra but still, the new detective in town is still poking everything in sight despite his biases. The plot remains underwhelming as an affair, politics, harassment, obsession and guilt come into play but the characters keep it interesting.

Love Next Door (Episode 3-4) - Mood: C-
Ok, so there was a Truck of Doom in the past, the ML has had feelings for the FL for the longest time ever, the reporter had taken photos of the OTP in the past without their consent and there’s that whole Greip storyline which I think was designed in order to get the OTP into some compromising position for the cliffhanger. I’m still waiting for something interesting, y’all?

Romance in the House (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D+
We’re at the halfway mark and pretty much nothing has been revealed about the dad’s actual past as the show drags it on with the Thailand arc. I was hoping that the 2ML’s dad was an atypical CEO but the writer simply lifted from makjang book.

Good Partner (Episode 8-9) - Mood: D+
It took us half the show to finally see the male leads actually work even though they’re both lawyers but of course there’s a teaser of the next makjang arc with Woo Jin’s birth secret, foreshadowed by the procedural. Hopefully the divorce is soon?

DNA Lover (Episode 3-4) - Mood: D
Two weeks in and the show really only has one shtick up its sleeve: having its characters trying to out-crazy one another. It is kinda lame to see multiple family traumas influencing the OTP’s personalities, also, the DNA pseudoscience is just crazy.

Bad Memory Eraser (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D-
They really went there with making the little bro the villain, huh? But it’s not the glaring police incompetence that grinds my gears this week, it’s the fact that the FL’s supposedly falling in love with the ML. Really, Show? To the point of noble idiocy?

Queen Woo (1-4): Really liked these first 4 episodes. The first 2 episodes were a bit on the slower side, but I feel like the stakes really started to rise in episode 3. To say the third son is messed up is an understatement. Also, the flashbacks really make the story of the King & Queen pretty tragic, because I think they did very much care for each other (it's especially obvious from the King's side), but them actually becoming King & Queen didn't do their relationship any good (though he obviously still cared for her in the present). Can't help but wonder what could've happened if they didn't end up on the throne, and how Woo might've actually realized her dream. Anyway, really looking forward to the next 4 episodes, where we'll hopefully see the Queen accomplish her goals. I'm certainly rooting for her.

Good Partner (9-10): Honestly, aside from those last 30 seconds, episode 10 could've perfectly served as a satisfying albeit open ended closing chapter. The show suddenly got very determinded to wrap up all of the main storylines in episode 10, so I'm very curious to see what's gonna happen in the remaining 6 episodes.

Perfect Family (5-6): Funny how the parents become less suspicious while everybody else gets more suspicious. They're still creepy though.

No Gain No Love (1-2): Can the ML just be a normal guy, please? As in, please don't be secretly rich or come from a rich family. Also, please no childhood connection. I know these things are very likely to happen, but I just don't want them to happen.

Love Next Door (3-4): I really need this show to turn things around because it's losing me fast.

Be Melodramatic (1-5): Interestingly, the first 15 minutes really didn't grab me, but everything after that? Oh, yes, I love it. This show is hilarious, but it also has a lot of heart. I love these friends, and the people around them, and I really just want the best for all of them. Did I say I love this show already?

Come and Hug Me (27-28): Can the dad stop hammering people? It's stressing me out.

ARE YOU THE ONE/HIDDEN CHARM (13) —Still intelligent and still shinny and wonderful, but I think I am enjoying it a lot because I recently watched STORY OF MINGLAN, which gives me perspective for the time period. This drama is more period realistic in the portrayal of gender politics, and the way both the main leads think about gender roles is certainly not contemporary. I would not consider this a so-called “idol drama”, and this may turn off some watchers.

That said, the writing is fantastic particularly of the female characters. I cannot wait until our dear heroine takes control of her life fully and chooses forgiveness or revenge or both. Either way I am following her and hoping the ML redeems himself for the choices he made—-the initial practical reason has changed to more personal and more selfish reason.

HAPPINESS( 5)—Loving this community watch! It has been a stressful workweek and watching our pair taking down zombies and the crazies in the apartment has been relaxing. The slow build is delicious, both in the main story and romance. Still one of the best CP out there.

LOVE NEXT DOOR (2)—I am always first in line for a good bickering couple with attraction lying right under the surface, but I was surprised that the themes drew me in even more. Such as the exploration of wanting to be loved through our weaknesses, the societal expectation of perfection particularly in South Korea and parental expectations, pride vs. honesty, and the fact that child-parent relationships never end really. And then the tensions within the families and friendships that point to old wounds left festering. Let’s just say this hits me in just the right place to be entertaining and reflective.

GO EAST (9)— I knew Tan Jianci could act, but I didn’t realize his range. He is anchoring this drama for me right now and I can’t get enough of his expressions or his willingness to go there for the character. Heroic he is definitely not. 🤣

Pretty unusual premise following the bureaucratic organization responsible for being the liaison between the kingdom and foreign nationals and visitors. I get the sense that the scope will widen into inter politics too pretty soon.

My Mom's Friend's Son
I admit I expected more from the writing. The scenes leading to some major events are too simplistic and I often have to employ my suspension of disbelief (like overhearing colleagues across the corridor, cartoonish gaslighting boss... and did we really have to have a CoD on a cross walk?? 🙄🤦‍♀️). I'm even losing interest in Paramedic Friend and Reporter (and his Alien Searching Daughter) what is a shame.
What still keeps me in is Seokryu and Seunghyo and their dynamic... and how they can (and sometimes can't 😄) read each other. I liked when Seokryu was getting Seunghyo from his deep low point after his accident. And that pool scene was great (even if I was constantly thinking that the actors must be getting terribly cold 😆).
I also liked the two dads talking together... and actually even the two moms together in the car. I hope that will become more focus of the story.

No Gain, No Love
I have not been entertained this much for a long time by a first episode!! 😄
Shin Mina shining, Kim Youngdae being (beautifully) sarcastic and then they brought the Chaebol Family with (always) fantastic Lee Ilhwa ruling them all!! 😄😂
But you know when they really got me? With that Kim Hae Sook cameo. 😪❤️

Cinderella at 2am, 1ep only
I watched it shortly after No Gain, No Love and that was probably a mistake, such a stark difference. I forced myself to continue only because... Yoon Park was in it.
I tried to tune in and I finished the episode, but I'm not sure I will continue. There is an interesting topic of whether the leads' relationship can work long-term given they come from different socio-economic classes. The rest, however, didn't convince me (including the acting) and the last scene on the stairs only reminded me how much better this was done in Freaking Cinderella.

Horrible Histories Season 3🐀(6/12):Mathew!❤️Okay, I missed the other 5 too❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️. Picking it up again, years after finishing the first two seasons with my friend. Easy to sneak in some episodes in the evenings and no brainpower needed!😀

No Gain No Love I really liked Shin Min-ah's scenes but didn't really care for Kim Young-dae's ones without her.

Cinderella at 2AM I like the idea of the plot but this kind of drama rests a lot on the actors and they're not the best...

Romance in the House I'm behind. No character makes me excited to watch it.

Black Out It looks like everybody got a fixed black out.

Good Partner I liked the last client, let this poor woman being her own person and not the slave of her family!

Love Next Door It's a rom-com mixed with a healing drama. The focus is really on the characters' growth.

Queen Woo My first time I liked JCW's character in a sageuk!

Where do you go to pick up an item you need right now? The convenience store. What if you quickly need to get married to advance your career? Where do you find a bridegroom? The convenience store, of course. Thus commences NO GAIN, NO LOVE with all the trappings of a proper screwball comedy- including the satire, irony, parody and sardonic dialogue which are actually necessary elements to that long-neglected art form. We saw that in DREAMING OF A FREAKING FAIRY TALE and now we have it in this new comedy. I hope that the show can keep it up. Even more, I hope that this is a trend.

Did I mention that part of the deal that our FL has made in NO GAIN, NO LOVE involves agreeing to take in and care for a feline named Baby? Ring any bells? (hint: the original Baby was just a tad bit larger)

CINDERELLA AT 2 AM has started well with a trope busting premise that might also become another generally funny romcom.

DNA LOVER has very interesting characters which actually make it a better show than you might have expected. This too is a romcom that understands that comedy is supposed to be part of the show.

For something closer to a standard romcom we have LOVE NEXT DOOR. Friends to lovers is always a good story, maybe because it actually makes emotional sense.

My wife has really loved the currently airing Chinese Costume drama ARE YOU THE ONE? When Episodes ran out, she re-watched the Pre-Joseon Sageuk THE GREAT DOCTOR this time around as a binge watch- it was still really good. In any case she is staying current with ARE YOU THE ONE? Which is a really good show. But what to watch until the next episode becomes available? Try MELODY OF GOLDEN AGE where we have essentially a ‘temporary’ contract marriage of reluctant partners- who both like to solve mysteries and bring evildoers to justice. Will their shared interests bring them together? (OK we know the answer, but the fun is in getting there).

Our weekender has definitely entered its final story arcs. More makjang to come. I am hanging in there just to see how this all wraps up.

GOOD PARTNER has gotten even better.

Finished: Bulgasal Immortal Souls - the ending was good
Dropped: Love Next Door - boring
Movie: The Book Of Fish - lovely

LIVE WATCHES:

1. LOVE NEXT DOOR - The romance is finally taking the lead and the bickering between the ML and FL is ADORABLE!

2. ROMANCE IN THE HOUSE - I am still watching for Mi-Rae and Tae-Pyong's awkward yet warm-hearted romance and the flashes of well-timed comedy.

3. ARE YOU SURE? - I'm still mightily amused by the youngest three members of BTS on their Jeju Island holiday. And boy oh boy can Jung Kook EAT! All the hollow legs right there!

OTHER WATCHES:

1. KAOS - I'm about halfway through this modern reimagining of the Greek gods is quite entertaining. The script is sharp and the social critique is handled well. I'm saving the other half for next weekend.

2. WITCH IN COURT - I keep seeing this pop up when people ask for recommendations for feminist K-dramas that tackle the issue of violence against women. I'm on to episode 2. Not bad so far though I'm not too impressed with Writer-nim making false rape accusation by a woman a plot point in episode two because in reality, those are very much in the minority and only serves to make it even harder for rape victims to come forward without being victim-blamed and disbelieved.

OTHER NOTES:

I have a whole bunch of K-dramas I've watched and paused halfway and at some point, I will go back to them at some point. There's absolutely nothing wrong with any of them but I'm finding that these days with the limited amount of time I have outside work, it really depends on my mood.

Love Next Door - When Seung-hyo said he expected Seok-ryu of all people to understand when they had that discussion about privilege, I thought they were referring to the privilege Seok-ryu enjoyed that Seung-hyo didn't - present parents in his life. I feel that was a better contrast to the privilege Seok-ryu said he had that enabled him to want to do the swimming pool project instead of the housing home. I'll minus the ethical violation and bias against some class of people so as to be able to weigh both on an objective lens.

The accident that cost him his swimming career could have been a secondary comment, hence land a stronger impact without it (the privilege) being an entirely emotional attachment issue.

Happy Saturday and last summer day, Beanies! I'd really love to have more time for dramas this week, but alas...

ARRANGED MARRIAGE PROCEDURAL CHANG LE QU/MELODY OF GOLDEN AGE: All hail Viki for giving the show not only proper subtitles, but also a proper title! I've had careful expectations for the show, and them were bot met and not – for starters, it IS watchable (with Viki subs – don't even try Mango version, do not repeat my mistake) and even somewhat fun, but... could've been better easily? Let me explain.

Leads – all of them – are dubbed, apparently due to rush to get TV airing spot, which is a crime against humanity because DYX's manly voice would've certainly add a lot of rizz to his character. Second, plot is a bit too silly sometimes when it shouldn't be – I mean, I get FL's reluctance to see her long term crush marrying her own sister, but surely she's old enough to understand that one cannot simply walk away from imperial marriage edict citing “I don't love the bride” as a reason? That was just dumb of her, writers, you've done poor girl dirty! The trope of childhood sweethearts (but he has amnesia or something and as result falls for her all over again) doesn't bother me much, but it's kinda disappointing that FL's feelings for her eventual husband only lasted like 2-3 encounters with his grownup (admittedly far from nice, tho he has his reasons) personality and now she doesn't fancy him anymore – just when I thought it'll be more original than usual “he falls first AND harder”... Pity. Plus cases and political web are a bit wonky. But!

It's a fun show. Leads have chemistry – both actors and characters. Comedy is not stellar, but decently funny – FL's family, esp mom, are a riot. Costume designer of AJTL fame (couldn't find further info, but I'm sure drama also got the same fight choreographer – and wind machine lol) does a good job at making everyone look good, even if the difference in budgets and not enough fit men to fill those nice armors here is glaring. Angst part is still ahead, can't comment on that yet, but I trust DYX to deliver it when time comes – he's doing decently so far, even if his natural mischievous charm is still visible under Cold Broody Period Hero demeanor. FL, despite being very young, is holding her own, tho I wish her role was written more WISE as opposed to “drama smart”. I do like that everyone is super scheming – ML may be not winning “perfect hubby” award anytime soon, but he PRETENDS to be one as if his life depends on it because it does - and so far it's hard to tell who's gonna be the big bad. Not the most brilliant palace intrigue, but I've seen worse. Oh, and music is nice!

When I balance the pros and cons of Love Next Door … 🥁 jun-jun-jun 🥁 … I’m still here for the Jungs!

I’m loving the onslaught of rom-coms. And Cinderella at 2AM might become my low-stress watch after work. Just don’t become too low stress and put me to sleep, OK?

After many a years in dramaland, I’ve realized I can predict nothing. Despite liking Shin Min-a since she was a cheeky gumhio and finding Kim Young-dae rather charismatic (tho not particularly skilled), No Gain No Love wasn’t on my radar. Yet I really enjoyed the premiere episodes. While it’s too early, fighting!

Of course, I am human (or a candy?) so I hoped Queen Woo would have been a good watch. But it’s not available in my region. Boo-woo. Still, I just read background notes from @kiara. Fabulous. Thank you for tagging me. I never would have found that otherwise.

Hi beanies! I hope you are having a nice start of September.

What I am watching:

_ K-drama Cinderella at 2.am. I didn't like the first two episodes, I found them quite boring and the script didn't grab my attention. But I'll watch episodes 3 and 4, maybe it gets better.

_ K-drama Goryeo-Khitan War (7 out of 32). I know it got mixed reviews here, but I'm really enjoying it so far. I missed this kind of epic sageuks.

_ C-drama Are you the one?/Hidden Charm (31 out of 40). This show has all my heart and I don't want it to end. I love the main characters, especially the male lead (Zhang Wanyi, pleased to meet you 🤩), but she is great too. The secondary couples are not annoying (in fact they are quite charming too) and even though this drama had a very slow start, I never got bored watching it.
Episode 31 was pure Jane Austen style. This year the butterflies in my tummy are all from China.

I'm slowly watching the Japanese gourmet series Wakako Zake (2015), and the Chinese masterpiece The story of Minglan (29 out of 73).

The Frog: 6.0 (ep 3 / 4) Meh.

Bad Memory Eraser: 6.5 Meh.

Romance in the House: 6.5 Meh.

DNA Lover: 4.0 Meh. Likely drop after day 3.

Cinderella at 2 AM: 6.0 (ep 1 only) Meh. How many times can one person trip in a single episode?

No Gain No Love 7.5 Surprisingly non-horrid considering how tired of Shin Min-ah I got from Cha-cha-cha and Tomorrow With You. Meanwhile, supporting cast includes Ok-hui from Behind Your Touch, plus the lead from Cheer Up, who seems to have different ways of cheering up here.

Love Next Door: 6.6 Meh. (ep 3 only)

Queen Woo 7.0 Well, I understand the age restrictions. Forget PG-13, try PG-31. But it would have been nice to turn the lights on so we could see more of the stuff we're not supposed to see.
If don't already know how it turns out:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gogukcheon_of_Goguryeo

Pachinko 2: 8.0

Shows tagged "Meh" are possible drops depending on whether I find something better to watch and how much farther I have to go for the Bean. It's been a disappointing August.

Good Partner 🥰 ep 8-9 Random comments about the show: Divorce is really messy. Jae Hui is mature beyond her years. Ji Sang is really a dirtbag and I hope he ends up alone. Choi Sara is just a piece of work. I feel bad for Jung Woo Jin, he has a shitty father. Eun Kyung needs a hug. Yu Ri is very lucky to have such competent sunbaes to teach her the ropes. I dont mind Eun Ho as much. There were just so many complicated feelings in these episodes. I think I feel the most for the father who want to keep the relationship with the son he raised.

Perfect Family 🌞 ep3-4 there is more to the story that what happened in the past and the present timeline fire. There is another family mystery that Seon Hui need to investigate. I honestly do not want to think that her parents are bad. There must be more to the story even. Su Yeon went missing but I just do not understand her actions prior to her disappearance. She is the most suspicious person for me.

Love Next Door ep 3 First few minutes of ep3 and I recall similar theme on other dramas. Not a good sign. I read the recaps so I skipped watching this two episodes (ep3 &4)

Joy of Life S2 😊ep11-15 The fight between Fan Xian and Cheng Ze is heating up. They are both doing their best to investigate and rally support against the other camp. Of course their manuevering and actions are not as clear cut since there are other factions that they have to deal with in court. The best is the triple lunch dates in Waner's place. I am warming up to Cheng Ruo who seems smitten with his bride. The said bride seems naive to the ways of the world but she is very likeable.

Story of Kunning Palace ⭐️ep11-14 I still find this show interesting. I just put it off since I am watching other dramas of the ML. I just get whiplash seeing him here and in TPR and LR. I like how smart both the FL and ML are. The court manueverings from both sides is interesting to me.

Love Next Door: Love it. I really like how it's more than just friends-to-lovers, but about seeing the main leads as individuals trying to forge their way professionally in this next chapter of their lives. Also, I stand by Mo-eum having the right to the drink and lollipop first. I hope they'll do something more with the secondary romance than making Dan-ho rude.

Are You the One (cdrama, up to episode 13): I have a love-hate relationship with the ML and his lies, whereby he is selfishly trying to have his cake and eat it too. But I also find it pretty comical to see how the FL's sincerity and ingenuity always complicates his lies and then he has to make a mad scramble, while she sits there placidly.

Love's Rebellion (cdrama, up to episode 6): Will have to pick up the iqiyi subscription sometime to continue. I'm really enjoying this the leads, the supporting characters, color palette, and the whole dynamic. Also I love the actor (Chang Long) who plays the the young dragon lord. Whenever he shows up, I know I'm in for a fun time.

Trillion Game (Japan) : This was a lot of fun. Its manga roots are clearly visible, so you'll need your suspension of disbelief at max settings, but Meguro Ren and Imada Mio dial their screen presence up to 11 and it strikes a nice balance between gleeful amorality and earnest sweetness.

No Gain No Love: Went in with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. It's a romcom leaning more on the "com" for now, but I like the FL's character and am looking forward to seeing her open up to the possibility of nontransactional love and romance. Somehow NGNL is taking a lot of tried-and-true tropes and making them feel fresh.

Love Next Door: So ... got through the first two episodes and haven't pressed play on the next yet, although I'm meaning to. I liked the opening week although it was a little, um, frantic? But it's a show that probably needs more attention than the fast-forward-heavy viewing style I use for ...

Beauty and Mr. Romantic: Has there ever been a pair of more delusional villains so certain that they're the righteous victims? Still waiting for Jin-dan's downfall. Surely it's about to happen. Kudos to Ma-ri for demonstrating how to have a conversation with your BF after being insulted by his mother. You tell him about it, he reassures you that he's on your side, and the two of you move on. Mature youngsters for the win!

Hidden Charm/Are You the One: Latest (and maybe greatest?) in a stretch of fantastic C-drama heroines this year (following The Double and Blossoms in Adversity) and the MLs who admire them.

Melody of Golden Age: Not breaking new ground, but completely watchable costume drama with another appealing FL.

Catch the Ghost: Stumbled into this one when it started autoplaying on Amazon after NGNL (algorithm doing things right, for once). It's slotting in nicely as my crime-show palate-cleansing watch with an endearing team and socially relevant cases.

Well I am in a mood for light dramas so I watch a lot and I don't drop even when I don't enjoy them so much
_Romance in the house: I like the parents but not the kids, daughter is so full of hate that it's getting on my nerves, I don't expect her to easily forgive his father but I can't feel her emotions too, they lack background story I think?
I will keep watching though I'm not in a drop mood
_Love next door: love the actors and I keep watching because they're so cute, but whenever they mention their ages I feel uneasy, they are acting so childish, they can't be 34, can they? I think writer wanted to make a character like oh heayong in another miss oh, someone who cover her failures in life with being silly and childish but it doesn't work in this drama imo.
But I will keep watching, I want to see their love blooms!
_No gain, no love: liked it so much so far, plz stay good! Shin minah and Kim yongdea are not my favourite actors and not a match I'd recommend to any drama but magically it works, the actors and the couple both are good in this drama, how?!
_Like flower in the sands: I'm waiting for the magic to happen, 2 eps in and it's good but still not brilliant, I have high expectations.... sth like reply series or lingerie girls generation plz!

Just finished:
The Story of Kunning Palace - I love morally ambiguous leads like these two. Do they act in ways I wouldn’t condone in real life? No. But is it fun to watch? An enthusiastic yes!

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes - Such fantastic compelling performances which left me absolutely heartbroken!

Trying to decide what to watch next; Pinocchio, Eve The Moon in the Day, Celebrity or When I Fly Towards You.

A stellar week of drama watching!

Loving LOVE NEXT DOOR, and it's all because of the main leads. Gotta say, these writers must have been squirming when LOVELY RUNNER unfolded.

I cannot recall ever seeing a Shin Min-a performance I didn't like. If she was a color, it would be the color of honey. She brings a unique warmth to the screen, and it's here in NO GAIN NO LOVE. Kim Young-dae is interesting here too, unexpected and vulnerable. Very much enjoyed the first two episodes.

MELODY OF A GOLDEN AGE has captured me, and I'm watching new episodes daily -- which is saying something. Agree with Gikata that this drama should have ditched the dubbing, but I like the leads so much I'm putting up with that.

So many on Dramabeans like ARE YOU THE ONE, that I returned after initially being put off and it was worth it. Sixteen episodes in. The leads are wonderful, as are the second leads -- and are these not a creepy Empress and baby Caligula Emperor?

My happy watch of the week goes to the exuberant 2015 cdrama GO PRINCESS GO! This is the original of the wonderful remake kdrama MR. QUEEN (2020). GO PRINCESS GO! tackles a whole range of challenging issues head on. The ending, while not for everyone, is grounding and personally, I liked it very much.

Finally, NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY (2017); up to episode 8. Oh my goodness Sun Li, now I know what all the shouting is about. One of my top watches this year was A DREAM OF SPLENDOR (2022), so here I get to once again enjoy Chen Xiao. This drama is special.

QUEEN WOO: I've only watched two out of four of the available episodes, but this one is really a vibe. I'm not sure why it's captivating me so much right now, because if you break it down, there's nothing original so far sageuk-wise. But Jeon Jong-seo has incredible on-screen presence, great chemistry with JCW (who also boasts tremendous presence--even when he's fully clothed), and manages to make her character seem believably capable and utterly overwhelmed. As to the sex, ep. 1 was pretty PG-13, but then with the extended Sapphic scene, ep. 2 clearly crossed into hard R territory, but we're not at "Game of Thrones" or HBO more broadly level yet. Of the sexual scenes we've been provided so far, only the rather tame love scene between the King and Queen actually developed the plot or characters. The first one in ep. 1, with the King clearly using the nymphs-in-loin-cloths to push the Queen away, attempted to serve a purpose, but I was mostly confused as to why he thought making the Queen jealous and sad would keep her safe (and props to her for seeming to know what he was doing). The scenes with the Queen's sister and the shaman were hella weird. I mean, the sex itself was well choreographed, I guess, and the women are beautiful so there was some sensuality to be had there. But I couldn't get over a couple of things. First, I do not understand the shaman's motives. To kill the King? (maybe, but she only advised one drop of the love potion, which wouldn't have killed the King--see the still-living-fish after sister put one drop in their water), to sincerely help the sister in the hopes of finagling a promotion? (ok, but if your goal is to help the sister have amazing sex with a willing King, why seduce her first?), or simply to seduce her because she wanted to (plausible but if the sister herself was drugged by this love potion poison, and clearly fantasizing or hallucinating by the end that she was really sleeping with the King, this raises some disturbing consent issues that will likely go completely unexplored). So, in short, although I have no objection at all to kcontent (or anyregioncontent) including sex scenes (or simply acknowledging that people have had and continue to have sex and it's fine and good), so far, again with the exception of the short love scene between the King and Queen, the scenes don't feel organic to the plot and are therefore more distracting or confusing than compelling.

LOVE NEXT DOOR: This week was a little quiet, contemplative, and slow, but still enjoyable. I continue to like the dynamic between the leads, where we can see they both know there has been and continues to be attraction but they're consciously trying to cut it off before it can go anywhere real. The English is a little cringey though. As I've said before, all these casting agents need to do is fly to LA or NY or Pittsburgh, for that matter, and stand on the corner for an hour and they're bound to find unemployed actors who could...