ONGOING
Black Out - The rare show where it ends on somebody being shot and you want to cheer ✨!

Mom's Friend's Son - They sorted out 30 years of marital strife in what seemed like 2 days?? At least the leads were cute this week.

No Gain, No Love - That fight and the making up 🔥. Gyu-hyun needs to be in time-out - parental issues are not an excuse for being an a**hole.

Seoul Busters - This show moves like a sloth. There were some funny bits but the neo-baby-boomer thing went on for SO long.

STARTED
The Judge from Hell - Fun. A little too much violence but still fun. On we go!

WATCHLIST
Planning to watch What Comes After Love (even though I'm allergic to melodrama) because Sakaguchi Kentaro 🥰.

C-DRAMAS
Love of Nirvana - I'm only up to Ep. 14 right now but I'm liking this more and more. Of course it's the usual palace intrigue with a back-story of injustice and revenge but the component parts are more interesting and less typical.

Started the rather unfortunately named You Are My Lover Friend. Already feeling a lot more of the friends-to-lovers vibe I wanted from Love Next Door (there's even a pomegranate/'seok-ryu' tree!). Probably helps that the leads are long-time friends IRL.

Might start She and Her Girls if I can find the time.

Live watches

No gain, no love
💛 This drama’s run time feels too short but I much prefer this feeling over the disappointment when a much loved drama starts to drag after a fun start. I have loved that the challenges the couple have faced have not been so annoying or over the top unnecessary that they ruin the story which is my main source of annoyance with most supposedly fun dramas. I will miss this show so much.

I doubt the spin off will be able to touch it as a drama within a drama is hard to pull off but it would be great if it can keep the elements that make No gain, no love such a joy to watch. I really hope it ends well and the drama writer can continue to perfect their skills with their next drama.

Love next door
Looking forward to the relationship finally being out in the open and the reactions of others getting used to the two of them being together will be dealt with quickly. I am waiting to see which of the excellent plot line suggestions from the beanies will show up in this week’s episodes.

DNA lover
😬 why murder in a silly low level drama? It has taken the shine right off especially as it’s now front and centre alongside the chancer second female lead.

Pachinko
I continue to enjoy the journey.

Tiger with wings - Japanese
🥰 This drama ends when this week’s episodes drop. We made it through some challenging times and it’s been fun seeing our trainee lawyers growing up and having a significant impact on those they met in their personal and professional lives.

Binge watch corner

Ode to my father - film
Film that shows a man and his friend growing up during the turbulent post war years in Korea. Funny and sad in parts, really heart wrenching scenes as the family pines for the two members lost during a war time evacuation.

O’PENing Our beautiful summer - mini drama
2 episodes about a family with quadruplets who experience a traumatic event.
Coming of age family drama. So glad I found this, like KBS specials I love this style of storytelling.

The skill of remarriage - film

This could have been titled Talking over food as two friends meet up and discuss the woes of life when working in the creative field. A film maker is scouting for locations and an idea to make a debut film and a painter has decided to stop painting and make a living teaching and running a cafe in a tourist town. It is like a play with several short scenes in scenic venues it is an interesting look at relationships after 30.

Two outs in the Nineth Inning
Finally found a place to watch whole episodes so will report back if I can complete it. Some classic dramas I can get into with no problems and others just don’t pull me in. I struggle if I can’t connect with the female lead’s character, Scent of a woman was one I dragged myself through. Flower boy next door is another one that has great reviews from beanies but despite several attempts I have failed to get past the first couple of episodes. All three of these dramas...

Cinderella at 2AM (Series review) - Mood progression: C / C- / D+ / C- / D+
Given that the 2nd leads transitioned from an arranged marriage to true love, it would’ve been narratively more intriguing if the OTP transitioned from true love to an arranged marriage. But the show’s writer chose to uphold the sanctity of love like most other romance shows and there was no hope overcoming the plot device of a mom. Oh well, what could it have been?

Bad Memory Eraser (Series review) - Mood progression: C- / D+ / D / D- / D- / D- / D- / D-
I’m kinda glad Lee Jong Won’s career has developed to a point where he can (hopefully) avoid scripts like this. I’m also glad that Yang Hye Ji has a new weekend show premiering today to wash this away. To better projects I hope!

The Judge from Hell (Episode 1-2) - Mood: C+
That was much better than what I had expected! But I remain apprehensive because the shady politician family and actual Bit Na reek of the usual boring cliches, unless the writer surprises me. For now, I’ll be enjoying the fantasy as long as I can.

Black Out (Episode 10-11) - Mood: C-
Not gonna lie, that ending shot (pun intended) shook me cause I believed Jung Woo managed to defuse the situation. I’m a tad underwhelmed that it took the cliffhanger to get me excited, but I’ll ride the wave of adrenaline as the pacing picks up?

Dear Hyeri (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D
There’s Kang Hoon, Kang Sang Joon and Shin Hye Sun and you make them do forced kisses. Like wtf is the writer thinking? And then I thought Joo Yeon was the sane one for snapping at Hye Ri for the sexual assault but it somehow turned him on and suddenly she’s hearing his trauma dump at his house and she’s comforting him. I can’t with it.

No Gain No Love (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D
After the character assassination last week, the writer doubles down on the horrific writing and tries to sugarcoat all of the makjang developments. Of course the FL finds out the ML’s secrets by accident. Of course there’s a murderer on the loose.

Love Next Door (Episode 11-12) - Mood: D
I get that with 4 more episodes to go, both couples cannot be happily dating and kissing and ahem concurrently, but it’s so obvious with the Antarctica plot device and how Dan Ho will realise his feelings. Of course the OTP hides their relationship.

DNA Lover (Episode 11-12) - Mood: D-
Initially, I thought the ML did the noble idiot breakup because he realised there’s a serial killer around him but nope, it’s just self pity on a whim. Of course, the murderer’s targeting the FL even though she’s done nothing? Don’t touch the firefighter!

Dear Hyeri: A very strange show. I hope it becomes clearer in the next few episodes.

No Gain No love: Well, we are at the end. How will it resolve itself? There are so many unanswered questions. Plus, the spin off isn’t really a spin off at all.

What comes after love?: Stories told in this manner usually lose emotional impact for me. Because I feel like they haven’t given me enough time to be sad that they broke up because they just got together. The drama is just fine for now, but I need to know the characters better to be heartbroken for them. I prefer more linear storytelling.

Black Out: I need Justitia to come to Mucheon and get all of these people. She will easily get half her 20 in no time. These people are just BEYOND toxic landfills. I’m glad Dong Min killed Choo Ho. I hope Heung Soo gets his comeuppance too. Just awful awful people, but the acting is top tier, I believe all of them.

The Judge from hell: PSH continues to be so much fun in this. Justitia laughing at how bad the kid’s drawing was, was so funny. The utter pettiness between the two is also hilarious. When he flashed that cross at her, I laughed. Lol

Love Next Door: More meandering for 1 hour and 15 mins. 10 mins of progress, I can’t wait.

Fragile (3): Oh, that scene with Su Ho kissing some girl and then looking right into A Ra's eyes (who doesn't seem amused)… Are we setting up Korean Noorhelm? Because I'm not complaining. However, with my Skam knowledge, I thought Su Ho would be revealed to be Mi Na's mystery boyfriend, but she seemed very excited to see him kissing that girl, so that doesn't really work. So, who's the mystery boyfriend? I did see a theory of it being Do Ha, which would actually make sense. Do Ha has certainly set his sights on Ji Yu though. He certainly has a lot of game, and he kinda has this cool but mysterious personality, so I can't blame people for falling for that, but I don't trust him one bit though. This is gonna get very messy if Mi Na's boyfriend is indeed Do Ha though, especially since it seems like she's about to sleep with him. Speaking off things getting messy, Kang San saw Ji Yu having diner with Do Ha, so that should be interesting. Bring on the drama!

Gyeongseong Creature S1 (8-10) & S2 (1-7): S2 is a very enjoyable & action-packed ride, but the further I got into the season, the more it became clear that this season is really just repeating the same mistakes as S1. So much, basically everything, feels underdeveloped. With the ML, there's a big story as to what happened between S1 & 2. Hope you weren't expecting to see any of that, because instead we get amnesia! The FL starts off strong, but she completely fizzles out by the end. I liked how she called him out on the outdated "stay behind because a man needs to protect a woman" trope... except then she quickly gets depowered and the finale devolves into a "how will he save her" situation. Seung-jo is interesting... too bad most of the interesting things happen off-screen. So many things are told to us, and most of it is never shown (or properly explained for that matter). I don't think the show ever fully succeeded at the "epic romance" angle either, but Park Seo-joon & Han So-hee are absolutely phenomenal here and carry the entire thing on their backs. Oh, and that after-credits scene? Is this really where they want to end the story? Or do they seriously want a third season? But why though?

What Comes After Love (1-2): Depression. That's the answer. Anyway, let's cry in advance, because I really don't see this having a happy ending.

The Judge From Hell (1-2): I love Park Shin-hye here. It's very enjoyable, but I can easily see this show going completely off the rails, and not in a good way. Hopefully that doesn't happen.

No Gain No Love (9-10): I love how this shows remains crazy and hilarious despite the story getting more dramatic. Let's see if this holds for next week though, because episode 10 basically left both couples in shambles.

Love Next Door (11-12): Since everything is a fake-out, what's the next one gonna be? Pregnancy? Serial killer? Another disease?

Revenant (7-9): I've never wished...

Recent Dramas:
My Sweet Mobster: (finished!) I enjoyed this but I don’t think it will stick with me very long. Based on Beanie hype I was expecting the romance to be swoonier, the prosecutor to be less annoying, and the found family to be more endearing. I think overall it was a decent story, but I could definitely shave it down to 12 episodes and no one would miss much. Although Lee Joon is in my running for best cameo of the year!

Older Dramas:
Happiness: (finished!) Seo-yoon lived! Actually, most people lived, which is pretty unheard of for a zombie show. Our leads were definitely the highlight, and the scene where Sae-bom talks I-hyun down from his episode is one for the books. I dearly wish Andrew had been a late-stage zombie instead of an actual serial killer, which this drama did not need, but other than that I had a great time!

Live Watches
Mom’s Friend’s Son/Love Next Door: These episodes were more disappointing for me. I wasn’t a fan of ML’s family’s storyline, and it was only partially saved by the fact that his mom doesn’t actually have dementia. I thought Seok-ryu’s confession could have been more impactful, but at least they’ve had some legitimate communication by the end. I also thought Mo-eum, who had been doing really well, came on SO strong with her “What if I was your daughter’s mom” line, so I’m hoping we can come back from that too. I don’t hate it by any means, but the shine has worn off for sure.

Judge from Hell: I’ve been looking forward to this one and like to stay up to date with ratings hits, just to see if my opinion agrees with the lovely people of Korea, so I started it this week. It’s fun! I haven’t caught up with this week’s episodes yet, and I always feel conflicted when people are being possessed, but I definitely like it enough to keep going. Bets on whether the whole thing actually is a delusion Kang Bit-na is having?

K-action Movie of the Week
Veteran: Wow they really gave us a villain in this one! The absolute epitome of spoiled chaebol heir with a chip on his shoulder who has never had to face consequences for anything in his entire life. His brutality toward everyone was hard to watch, but y’all know there’s no redemption for a man who beats his dog like that. Honestly my favorite scene might have been when our detective’s wife was offered a bribe to control her husband and she said she already owned the bag and then unpacked all the money right there in the cafe! The Ma Dong-seok cameo was also perfect, as all MDS cameos are.

Judge From Hell: 9.0 Guess they don't blur out supernatural knives, no matter how many people they kill -- the special effects experts put too much work into them. Whatever, just as long as they don't blur out Park Shin-hye. How much effort did some experts put into her?
- She needs to off 20 baddies and it's only 14 episodes??! She might need a 2nd season to get to them all. Finally a show that might both need a sequel and be worthy of one, but it's SBS so we probably won't get it. Where's Netflix when we need them?

Bad Memory Eraser: 5.0 At least it's over. Now where's my Bad Memory Eraser when I need it?

No Gain No Love 8.0 Do we also need a quota system so that no more than one show per season can have a character's father kill another character's father?
- And probably a very unpopular opinion, but a foster-noona romance is a bit creepy compared to the standard kdrama Noona Romance With Childhood Connection.

Dear Hyeri: 7.5 SHIN HYE-SUN!! And some kind of story? I don't know what kinds of mysteries the show intends to tease us with, but the mystery that urgently needs solving is -- how does she get the twice-daily major hair style changes?? Especially since they apparently happen while she's asleep?
- Oh, and somebody in Kdramaland finally got a phone that didn't die when she was trapped and needed to make an urgent call! #notakoreanphone?
- Hyeri looks too much like Gussi (the witness dog in Dog Knows).

Seoul Busters: 7.5

Dog Knows Everything: 8.0 Why does "Sophie" talk with a man's voice?

Pachinko 2: 7.5

Gyeongseong Creature s2: 4.0 (ep 1 / 2) Sigh. If I'm even checking out a beginning of the sequel to a meh show, I must have too much time on my hands and I'm going to ding their score as my alt-boycott. My standard routine is to boycott sequels if the first season wasn't good enough to earn one. Gyeongseong 1 flunks that test.

It's odd I got so many likes last WWW when I had so little to say. Since I'm saying so much more this week I should get more likes, right?

Anyone else highly anticipating Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born?? The costumes look incredible in the posters, I hope they look just as good in the kdrama! Kim Tae Ri's costume look especially amazing. I love the mint green (I hope this color is named that?) on her!!

Here are the posters: https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/1fkyzxn/tvn_jeongnyeon_the_star_is_born_character_poster/

I'm going on a four day trip in mid october and now I need to decide on 1-2 dramas I download so I can watch them in case there is no wifi lol (it's in a forest) but I still need to decide what to watch xD. But what if I choose bad kdrama and don't have anything to watch?? Should I just rewatch a favorite kdrama instead? Well I still have some time lol.

currently watching:

Jirisan: i'm almost finished with this. I know the reviews were negative, but I really enjoyed the ride. Maybe it's because the topic of rescue interests me so much & the actors/characters are also great! I like that there is so little romance too.

the Frog: I just started this, I heard this compared to Strangers from Hell in terms of horror, but i'm not convinced any kdrama can give me the same eerie feeling again!

finished: the 8 show. I actually liked it, my favorite episode was the last one despite a lot of people hating the ending. I do wish they started showing the characters backstories earlier. Maybe have the episodes a little longer and then introduce the character in the first ten minutes. I thought they would do that in the beginning, they also had the first few seconds of an episode dedicated to a character picking their card, so why not extent that?

Honestly I thought this would be a lot more gorey based on the reviews, some people made it seem like this show was torture porn, but I found it quite tame and i've seen shows with more wholesome plots be more graphic than that lol.

I have heard the webtoons are better so i'm checking both of them out! I'm guessing they will have more time for character development. I often find myself thinking kdrama with 8 episodes tend to be bare bones and rush towards the end. The pacing was fine in this one though!

ARE YOU THE ONE/HIDDEN CHARM —Sublime. Simply and utterly complete. I would recommend the drama for mature watchers, mature meaning someone who understands that we humans are a mixed bag of weakness and strengths, faults and virtues. And as much as the premise is fantastical the relationships are grounded and real—warts and all. The main couple is in my list of all time favorite CPs ever and the secondary couples were excellent as well.

I appreciate the exploration of choices and destiny as the characters, particularly the women, seek to redraw their destinies while navigating how to do so with integrity. No one character is evil but there are certain ones who are self-centered which leads them to make unwise choices that lead to their downfall.

The one weakness I would give you a heads up about is the main villain. His story and conclusion falls flat for me with regard to acting and directing.

MOM’S FREIND’s SON/LOVE NEXT DOOR (11)— Wonstein’s OST, the romantic hiccups, the rekindling of Seung-Hyo’s parent’s relationship, and the “junk food” kiss. It was an enjoyable watch this week. I can forgive a lot when a drama wears its heart on its sleeve so I am still invested in these characters and ready to continue the journey.

THE PRINCESS ROYAL(30) — What a gorgeous OST!

I am still watching for Zhao Jin Mai, who plays the princess. Unfortunately, while her story is vibrant the male lead’s story flounders and he becomes almost a secondary character. Maybe this will change?

The second chance storyline is fun and doesn’t go the way I was expecting. I do give props for the drama for showing us how and why the main leads are better together—not only for themselves but for the change that ripples into other lives.

The reveal the comes about halfway through, which the audience can see a mile off but that side-swipes the characters, adds the right amount of dramatic tension.

My favorite relationship, surprisingly, is the main lead’s and his long-suffering servant who is played by a character actor with impeccable comedic timing (He was a scene stealer in Go East too).

Dear Hyeri I need more episodes to understand how things work. But Kang Hoon is really good in this role :D

No Gain No Love Finally the secret is out.

Black Out The justice is so slow and frustrating that I was disapointed the father didn't shoot the Chief...

The Judge from Hell It looks like they will have a fun relationship now he understood she can't kill him :p

Love Next Door The secret won't last with their parents!

What Comes After Love Japan is quite magical for this kind of story. I want to go back!

Seoul Busters I think for this kind of drama, Special Labor Inspector was better.

Fragile This drama is so slow... The FL is quite boring.

Good Partners It's over and I won't miss it. The best part was clearly the relationship between the FLs.

Cinderella 2 am I still think better actors could have made this story more lovely.

LIVE WATCHES:

1. LOVE NEXT DOOR - The latest 2 episodes were all over the place. Our OTP's ship sailed in the loveliest scene in field of sunflowers under a Cerulean blue sky and we have the new "Do you want to eat Ramyeon?" in the form of "Do you want to have banana milk with me?"

2. AGATHA ALL ALONG - I'm really enjoying this series right now. It's such an awesome witch story! Definitely worth a watch if you like Marvel stuff and supernatural tales.

3. THE JUDGE FROM HELL - Shin Hye-Sun chews the scenery here and her supporting cast ain't all that bad either. I really liked that the first murderer she despatched to Hell is a domestic abuser who deserved everything she put him through.

And that's about it - work's been super busy and is only ramping up to be BUSIER in October so I've had to put a bunch of dramas on pause until November.

CINDERELLA AT 2AM ended, not with a bang, nor a whimper, but a…umm…a soft sigh? It won’t end up in my year-end highlights but I’m glad I watched it.

But what did start with a bang? THE JUDGE FROM HELL. It won’t be everyone’s cuppa but I had enough fun to overlook its faults. While it's early days yet, episode #3 was in the same vein. Plus, JYK began working his charms so🤞🏽.

What’s waaay rarer is a show going strong as it enters the home stretch. Let’s go NO GAIN NO LOVE, let’s go! (Is the 2ML really putting off folks on the entire show?)

As for LOVE NEXT DOOR, it limps along. Its occasional charms still visible to me even if they are bogged down by the plot soup.

WHAT COMES AFTER LOVE is another kind of slow...mo. I appreciated all that melancholic beauty (and the youthful joys) yet I wasn’t fully able to connect. Perhaps it's the braided timeline...

And like many a Beanie, I thought DEAR HYERI was all over the place. I’m hoping it’ll settle into its groove in the next episodes. (But it’s good it’s not getting a recap. I wouldn’t want to be that recapper. 😅)

I also watched the first episode of NOTHING BUT YOU. I haven’t seen an American rom-com in ages. After so many kdramas, it was a bit of a shock to see two people openly flirt in the first episode—not the 16th! But honestly, it was surprisingly charming. Will keep watching to see if it keeps it up.

Hi beanies! October is almost here and full of new shows 😄

What I'm watching:

_ Dog knows everything (1/12). It seems it can be quite entertaining and a good choice for watching on air. It's very different from other shows I'm watching and even though the humor doesn't always work, I like the cast of veteran actors.

_ Missing: The other side. Season 1 (10/12). Hmmm... now I understand why this drama is not more popular. It's quite bland. It's a thriller but it's not hooking enough, in fact the plot is quite predictable, and I see the director and writer try to move the audience many times but I'm not moved (I know other people are).
But it's not boring, and there are some nice, special moments. Maybe the last two episodes I have not watched yet are the best part.

_ C-drama Forever and Ever (20/30). I'm really enjoying this sequel of One and Only. The characters are different but somehow they are the same. It's exciting when there are references to the first drama. It's a sweet (but not over-sweet) and relaxing slice-of-life, but I think it should be watched after One and Only.

What I have finished:

_ Cinderella at 2am.
From now on, the uneven drama par excellence. I'll remember the good moments and the OST.

I'm looking forward to binge-watching What comes after love in a few weeks.

No Gain No Love. I just enjoy watching this show. I wish it had higher ratings and more promotion because I think it's been a good and fun story.

Seoul Busters. It's hard for me to say anything about this show. Sometimes the comedy works for me, sometimes it doesn't. Like I laughed at the legend of his potent sperm and luck. I didn't laugh at the stuff with the HQ team such as them falling over like dominos. I like the way our home team handled the case (though I must've missed something because why did he suspect him of being colorblind or was he going to test everyone on that?). I kinda mixed the way the captain's play out but it makes sense to not overuse it. I get that it would annoying in reality but I like his know it all moments. I think each case is somehow gonna be related to the team so that's 2 down and 3 to go. I wonder what other kinds of cases are in store.

The Judge from Hell. I do not understand Hulu's scheduling. I thought this aired on Wednesdays because that's when I saw it on Hulu but said it aired on Saturday. Meanwhile there is no new episodes listed. How are people supposed to find the show like that?

Anywho, I wasn't as enthalled with the first 2 episodes as others were (though I did watch episode 2 after seeing some comments about the comeuppence. That was interesting and disturbing; to have the swapped position of abuser and victim like that). Sidenote: the actor who played the abusive boyfriend has an interesting face. He really can look extremely creepy & uncomfortable and then could look kinda disarming. Again, made the abuse scenes all the more affecting to me.

Love Next Door. I almost forgot to mention it.

Cinderella at 2PM Episode 1&2 - I totally fell in love with this. All of the tropes. I totally forgot Yoon Park was starring in this until last week it suddenly pricked my brain out of nowhere. Learning that So-jin is casted as Shi-won's wife Lee Min-jin, I only have one question: Where is So-jin? I have not seen her character yet but I can already think about the drama her character will bring thanks to the hassle Chairwoman Kim mentioned her to be.
I'll fight to take my time to enjoy this particular story, bit by bit.

Dear Hyeri - Right from inception, this feels like a personal letter from Eun-ho to Hyeri for living the joyous life Eun-ho lost out on living. I think this new persona came to being recently. It hasn't been for long.

A detail that particularly struck me was that we see the contrast to the opening scenes we watched where Hyun-oh gave opposite or dismissive responses to the questions she asked. So I am left asking which part of Eun-ho are we looking at? Was the last scene of episode 2 the actual conversation that took place? If it is, it changes a few things I thought about Eun-ho. Not negative things, just observations that are now seen in a different light.

My wife and I really love the Monday-Tuesday show NO GAIN, NO LOVE. This last week’s episodes were, however, a bit darker and tougher.

Netflix put on a dramatization of Tony Hillerman’s DARK WINDS and my wife really enjoyed it (she has read every Tony Hillerman novel). She has continued to enjoy the Chinese Costume drama LOVE OF NIRVANA but also loved (and binge watched) the older Kdrama LOVERS OF MUSIC.

She also continues to look forward to each new episode on Prime of THE RINGS OF POWER

I love Jung So-min so why have I not been able to keep watching LOVE NEXT DOOR?

On the other hand, I enjoyed the first two episodes of the new sitcom DOG KNOWS EVERYTHING.

I also enjoyed CINDERELLA AT 2 AM but actually found that the secondary romance between our 2ML and our 2FL had more authenticity than the main romance: Two Chaebol arranged marriage partners who finally fall in love with each other- but was it a case of our 2ML finally getting the girl or, perhaps, that our 2 FL finally got her guy? Either way it was charming.

No one can really match the skill and talent of Shin Hye-sun so it came as little surprise when I quickly got drawn into DEAR HYERI.

This last week I watched the final episodes of BEAUTY AND MR. ROMANTIC. This weekender began with real promise and even a new way of handling a fifty episode show, but was marred by too many unpleasant (or worse) characters and too much violence. Even the central love story largely lost its footing. In fact, the only romance that made sense and was fit for a weekender was the side romance of the FL’s younger brother and the ML’s younger sister- and too little time was devoted to fleshing that out. We had yet another awful mother for the FL: Between this show and the one before we have now been subjected to an entire year of mother’s exploiting their daughters. At least in the previous weekender we had a basically decent and even in most ways admirable 2ML who deserved a far better story than the one that the lazy writer was willing to give him. In BMR the 2ML was simply psychotic. We can only hope for better things from IRON FAMILY which begins tonight. The question that needs to be answered is whether the executives at KBS have yet remembered that a Weekender is supposed to be a family ensemble drama. I am crossing my fingers and hoping for better.

CURRENTLY WATCHING
LOVE NEXT DOOR Having much spent of the past few weeks sitting in a hospital with a sick parent, this show has become my only current watch. Having no expectations about what the show was supposed to be, the show has turned out to one of showing a relationship over time—sort of like the movie Boyhood, with moments of their lives throughout the years, showing the development and depth of the mains’ relationship as well as showing the complexity of family relationships where the parents aren’t perfect or evil. There are many moments that have hit hard for me, whether it’s with frustrated parents, parents being frustrated, or the evolution of a long-standing friendship. This show is somehow bringing me comfort and company during this time, and I stand by and with it.

PUT ON HOLD
NO GAIN NO LOVE In my current state, I haven’t been able to watch anything with chaebols or murders. May return later.

BLACK OUT and the police chief who is an expert in manipulation and persuasion and never taking responsibility for anything. Unfortunately for him it doesn't work on detective No, he can play this game! Excellent drama and acting.

Started SEOL BUSTERS. It so much fun, love the comedy, even the toilet humour is acceptable. Kim Dong-Wook's facial expressions and the way he raises his eyebrows are hilarious, as is the hunt for dinosaur toys, the thinking chair, Min-Seo pointing out to the chief that he is a boring know-it-all, etc. So many lol moments.

The production for PACHINKO 2 is still very good. The first season was more mesmerizing, but this is also how he story in the book develops.

ML had it coming in NO GAIN NO LOVE, but we are nearing the end and a little more tension between the leads was expected.

The first episode of WHAT COMES AFTER LOVE was a pleasant surprise. The title did not recommend this drama to me, but the two leads are very good so far. I like the mix of Japanese and Korean. I watched Sakguchi Kentaro in the ridiculous fake marriage drama and like him much better here.

Watched 2 episodes of JUDGE FROM HELL. I like Park Shin-Hye in this role, she sparkles, but the story itself has more than a few weaknesses. I will keep watching, though. The cliff-hanger was unexpected.

Not much to say about LOVE NEXT DOOR other than that the writing is not getting any better, unsurprisingly.

No Gain No Love: Of course it wasn't going to be smooth sailing all the way until the end for any of the couples on this show, but I have faith NGNL will find a way to stick the landing even though there's a lot to do considering only two episodes are left. For once a late-appearing murderer doesn't seem terribly out of place — the foreshadowing was there from the beginning. Should Ji-uk have come clean to Hae-young about their connection earlier -- especially when he had a truck-of-doom-sized opportunity to do so when she was expressing her fears about her mother having been alone after she moved out? Yes, he should have. But one thing I like about NGNL's characters is their imperfections. They make mistakes, some more serious than others, but they also try to learn from their missteps. So I'm trusting our OTP to find a way back to each other as the three sisters and two half-brothers come together to form a better type of family. Mr. Jang can be part of it too. 

Judge From Hell: That was a lot of violence for two episodes. I would like to explore more of the supernatural storyline (if it's coherent) because otherwise what — apart from her killer wardrobe and attitude — separates the demon judge from any other vigilante?

What Comes After Love: I watched the premiere episode right after Judge From Hell ... and talk about tonal whiplash. The leads are beautiful, the cinematography is beautiful, the writing is beautiful, and this drama is going to make me cry. My heart was pounding at the airport scene even though I knew what was coming. If the show title is posing a question, saudade might be the answer. 

Love of Nirvana: It’s battle and betrayal (again) time. Although the stakes are higher now, I miss the one-on-one mind games of the earlier episodes. 

Finished - CATCH THE GHOST - Well-written mysteries and just the right amount of suspense and tension balanced out with the lighter moments. Kim Seon Ho does a great job as a compassionate and thoughtful cop. But, I found the female lead extremely frustrating. She’s got a lot of great qualities, but her stubbornness and recklessness that neglects the consequences to others really bothered me.

Watching - NO GAIN NO LOVE - I’m playing catch up and am on episode 8. I’m loving this lighthearted rom com that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Plus, I always find Shin Min A adorable in this type of role and am thrilled to see her back on the screen. I could care less about the second lead romance and wish I felt more of a connection between the sisters.

Starting - DINNER MATE - I’ve never heard of this one before, but the premise of a man and woman who agree to meet for platonic dinners has me intrigued.

Happy Saturday, Beanies!

JUDGE FROM HELL: PSH is having the time of her life playing crazy eyed demoness wrecking havoc in mortal world for hellish justice, but outside of her devil may care antics I found the plot, characters and execution very raw and unengaging. Not gonna continue with it probably.

HAPPINESS (community REwatch): To think of it, demon judge and zombie cop would make a great Halloween couple theme, esp if you add vampire prosecutor third-wheel to the mix)))

“Drama news” segment (iQiyi conference overdose):

- lying penguin Tencent must've checked calendar and realized they're long overdue to drop hot summer flick LOVE IN THE DESERT (Hani Kezi, Fang Yilun, historical romance) - 29th that is, finally! Eyebrow (and other body parts) raising trailer included:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAjU8ADB7BE

- also rumored to air: Tencent's BO GACK LOVER (Li Yunrui, Xu Ruohan, modern romance) on October 10th, iQiyi's SNOWY NIGHT TIMELESS LOVE (Li Qin, Zeng Shunxi, wuxia romance) on the same date, Tencent's THE RISE OF NING (Zhang Wanyi, Ren Min, historical romance) on October 12th, Mango's ROMANCE IN THE ALLEY (Yan Ni, Li Guangjie, Guo Xiaodong, Jiang Xin, Fan Chengcheng, Guan Xiaotong, Wang Anyu, family melo set in 1970s) in early November AND iQiyi's THE DEMON HUNTER'S ROMANCE (Ren Jialun, Song Zuer, xianxia romance) in late October.
https://x.com/ForCdrama/status/1839553237126680934

- someone else did the trailer/poster compilation and I'm ETERNALLY thankful for that lol))) Certain videos are fan uploads because platform took their sweet time to do it, so I'll add link to official channel where most of them are already up, just scroll down a bit:
https://www.avirtualvoyage.net/2024/09/new-promotional-trailers-and-posters-for-upcoming-cdramas-at-the-2024-iqiyi-ijoy-conference.html
https://www.youtube.com/@iQIYIofficial/videos

- drama announcements from the platform while at it: iQiyi's FAMILY BUSINESS (Yang Zi, Han Dongjun, that one Ming dynasty businesswoman saga I talked about before), MALE NURSE (Hu Ge, medical melo?), TALES OF A THOUSAND ISLANDS (environment + romance, no cast yet).

- plus Tencent's THE EPOCH OF MIYU (Wallace Chung, Zhu Zhu, Li Meng, melodrama) – been a while since I've heard about his shows, huh.

- drama/casting rumors: Tencent's SAN XIAN MI HUI/THREE LINE REINCARNATION (Meng Ziyi, Wang Hongyi, thriller?), iQiyi's YI ZHEN CHUN HUA/A PILLOW OF SPRING FLOWERS (Zhou Keyu, Xu Ruohan, historical romance), Tencent's FANG YUAN BA BAI MI/800 METERS (Ding Yongdai, Xu Kai, thriller), iQiyi's ORDINARY GREATNESS 2 (Zhang Ruoyun, Bai Lu, basically all cast from S1, police propaganda drama), iQiyi's WAR AND PEOPLE (Li Xian, Jing Tian, revolution drama?), THERE'S NO ONE LIKE U (Lu Yuxiao, He Yu, modern romance, platform unknown).

Happy weekend beanies ♥♥♥
No Gain No Love is my favorite and The Judge from Hell is crawling its way into my favorites as well.
Black Out is getting better but I am sick and tired of those awful people getting away with their crimes.
Dear Hyeri is confusing. I don't know what to say about it but I will likely continue watching.
Love Next Door is my biggest disappointment for the year and I can't wait for it to end.

Welcome to Samdalri 2/16

I love the scenery and the camera work, and I LOVE Ji Chang Wook's incredibly natural acting. At times it feels like a filming crew just crashed his real neighborhood and started shooting candid clips!

But I don't like anything else yet. The lack of communication and sincerity, and the passive aggressiveness frustrates me. I'll keep watching and see.

Love Next Door Didn't get towatch til late in the week so it's nice to be treated to Seung-hyo's parents' resolution. Amazing what some communication and a doctor's appt can do! "Alzheimer's...that's not it.." Seung-hyo and Seok-ryu's dating transition was a bit frustrating to watch, but the drama seems aware enough when they're being dum-dums and have them learn to be better after stumbling. "The windows are so close, you can trip and kiss each other" - LOL! something not outside of the realm of possibility in asian dramas.

Go East Been binging this cdrama. Up to episode 20. A little nonsensical at times, but very entertaining, easy to watch, and gets better with each episode. It's a cross between a workplace comedy and an investigation series (complete with the requisite "go undercover in a cult" case) - two genres I love. I like the characters, the comedy, and the various costumes and "cultures" (since the setting is pretty much a department of state office that handles foreign relations)

Kdrama slump week for me, but still watching LOVE NEXT DOOR and NO GAIN NO LOVE. If my Hulu carries JUDGE FROM HELL, may dip in.

Happy watch of the week goes to Luo Yunxi for "I was born to be heartless" scene in episode 21, time stamp 37 minutes, TILL THE END OF THE MOON (2023). Watch the hands. This is such a fullsome performance by an actor who thinks deeply about his characters. And, of course, it doesn't work without Bai Lu as his foil. I bow to both.

TTEOTM has opened up a new category of drama for me: dramas that qualify for a PhD thesis. I know theses have been written on CRASH LANDING ON YOU (2019) and deservedly so because of the show's impact on an international audience. But I'm not in-the-know enough to be aware of same for TTEOTM. After 22 episodes, I'm thinking of restarting this incredibly rich viewing experience. Like Old Lawyer said last week, it transcends to another plain. It defies categorization. Abundant thanks to Gikata for pushing me to move forward with TTEOTM. Like NIRVANA IN FIRE, (I believe Alluvial recommended to me) it's high art -- and I mean that as profound praise. If any of you know of a smart arts student looking for a thesis topic, my gift to you.

As a respite this week, I dabbled in Jerry Yan with THE HOSPITAL (2006) and LOVING, NEVER FORGETTING (2014). Impressed. Any Dramabeans contributors want to give a read on THE FORBIDDEN FLOWER (2023)?

Good Partner 🥰 ep 16 *finale* it was a satisfying ending overall. Some characters got the reset they needed to reach a personal and professional growth. Some learned to deal with obstacles in their lives. The couple undergoing divorce this episode learned a valuable lesson in communication that helped resolve their grudges which lead to reconciliation. While my dear Woo Jin need a hug! I like this episode's guests especially

Perfect Family 🌞 ep 11-12 *finale* In every episode I watched I had various speculations on where this story will go. But I tried to steer away from the parents being *evil* since I do not see any reason why they would do so. I am glad that it wasn't the case. And that it was the most suspicious character that was at fault. I enjoyed every episodes twists and turns but it did lag in the previous week's episodes. The full episode backstory ruined the momentum but it managed to pick it up in the end.

Seoul Busters 🦖🦕 ep7-8 the episodes and time just flew by in watching the latrst episodes. We get to know more about another member of the motley crew. This time its Jung Hwan and his background. The case they tackled this week is the kidnapping of a cute little girl. They were challenged in finding the culprit until they dug deeper on who had the possible motives for the crime.

The Judge From Hell 👠ep 1-2 All of my dramas have ended so decided to start a new one. I have been on the fence with this but decided to still watch to see how it goes. And....I really like Park Shin Hye in this! Gasp! I know! It feels like a breath of fresh air from the candy roles she has been known for. I am all for her Kang Bit Na/Justitia role. I also enjoyed the cameos of Oh Nara and Shin Sung Rok. They were both gorgeously styled for their characters. I am not sure where we go from how ep2 ended. I hope it will be an interesting one.

Story of Kunning Palace 🎶ep 31-38 *finale* I can't help but want to see what happens next. One thing after the other kept on happening building up the tension between the leads and also the political forces around them. I admit to softening up to Xie Wei in these episodes. I have learned to accept that he is a more suitable match for the FL. There was nothing wrong with ZZ and YL, they are great men. A heart just wants what a heart wants. Both guys were very graceful accepting she loved someone else which made me respect them more. Also the complicated plan concoted by our ML lead to a satisfying conclusion. It was without its own hiccups but they prevailed. This drama made me like it even more than TPR because it has better court intrigues and I like all main characters.

Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventures ep1-3 I saw this on Netflix and decided to give it a try. I like the willful Princess ZhaoHua. Her battle with the other princess, Siwan, reminds me of other cdramas I have seen. I knew she wasnt the goody-to-shoes she portrayed herself to be. But what I...

Still loving 'No Gain, No Love'. And if episode 9 (sponsored by the Busan Tourist Board) was disappointingly lacking in trope subversion, episode 10 made up for it.

Started 'Black Out', and ended up bingeing my way through to episode 11. Oh, my. Fabulously twisty plotting. A whole web of wickedness.

I held off watching this initially because I thought the tone would be too dark, but after reading here last week that 'Black Out' had a woman director, I thought I would give it a go. And although it is intense - if you watched it last thing, you probably wouldn't sleep - it is not grim. There is a trio of really sympathetic characters at its heart.

'The Judge from Hell'. It was a lot better than I was expecting, and I managed two episodes. But the violence is probably going to be too much for me.

C-drama. I have been trying to watch 'Imperial Coroner', and I can see why it is so popular, but I really struggle to enjoy C-dramas with child-like female leads. Cool competent female leads are my thing.

NGNL of course. Gonna rewatch eps 9 and 10 before Monday!

DNA Lover: Eh, I might as well finish it at this point. I'll only be happy if she ends up with the 2ML, which I doubt will happen

Hi Beanies, hope you'll are enjoying the weekend and are in good health.

Ongoing

What Comes After Love
Oh my the acting was so natural for a minute I was like - Are they in love? I don't know why they broke up and hoping for a happy ending.

The Devil Judge
Fun watch with interesting dynamics.

Dog knows everything
Loved the super seniors taking the centre stage. Highly recommended for a fun, sharp and imaginative ride.

Love Next Door
Glad that SH parents misunderstanding was resolved and we got a cute romance from them.

DNA Lover
All most there and not bothered how this will end…..off to finale.