COMPLETED
What Comes After Love - I wish we'd gotten more conversations between the leads instead of the just the small restaurant meet-up and the final scene. So much of what was said in voiceover was what they should have been saying to each other. It made the happy ending feel unearned.

ONGOING
The Judge from Hell - The mythology is all over the place and there is no real explanation for people's actions - why is Bael okay with killing both Da-on and Justitia all of a sudden??

Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born - The pansori performance was excellent and I liked that it was given room to breathe. In comparison the rest of the scenes felt quite artificial - esp. the random and extremely unnecessary slap-fest that ended the week.

A Virtuous Business - The backward thinking here doesn't feel oppressive - maybe because it's time and place appropriate but also because our Awesome Foursome never let it bring them down for long. They are determined to do their work and do it well and it's downright inspirational.

Dong-jae… - The throwback to the former prosecutor Kang was really nice. I love how the mystery is unravelling piece by piece.

Seoul Busters - Dongbang Gang FTW! Yoo-bin becoming progressively more immersed in the gangster act, and the rest of the team more confused, was so funny.

Family by Choice - I've figured out the solution! Don't watch San-ha's mom's scenes at all! Just watch the family and the kids together and it feels like a whole other show!

C-DRAMAS
The Rise of Ning (up to Ep. 29) - This story is very slow and steady. There are no big mysteries but it's progressing at an even, likeable pace. I find all the characters interesting.

Kill Me, Love Me (up to Ep. 21) - This was quite OTT fun in the beginning even if most of the scenes had screaming or laughing in place of actual dialogue. Now it’s decidedly less fun (I did laugh when the king toppled over seconds after he finally heard the truth about the Crown Prince). Anyway Liu Xue-yi 🔥🔥.

Dear Hyeri: This is one of the worst written dramas. There is absolutely nothing healing about it and it is clear the writer knows nothing about DID. Hyun Oh is the worst ML in a long time. He ignored her for 6 months, 6 months. Their relationship is incredibly unhealthy and he needs therapy more than she does. I don’t know why I am watching, but the bean I am getting from this. SMH

Dongjae: The mystery has begun. The writing is tight and everything is slowly connecting. I’m excited.

Family by Choice: The mothers are genuinely awful in this drama. All of them, wow. That being said I am rooting for them to grow up still loving each other. The two dads are also great. Plus the romance has begun.

What Comes After Love: I will finish this off this weekend. I still don’t want them to end up together, his lack of communication is Appalling.

A virtuous Business: I lurve this drama so so much. The sisterhood is so nice to see, especially among older women. I love that each of them is different as well. I’m looking forward to the rest of this drama.

The Judge from Hell: I hope episode 10 is explained because it didn’t make sense or I didn’t understand. We only have 4 episodes left, so we shall see.

Jeongnyeon: I really enjoy this drama too. I am rooting for Jeongnyeon.

Hellbound: Will try to watch this weekend.

Fragile (7): Su Ho taking care of a cat was not on my bingo card, but that was the most adorable thing I've seen all week. I get why A Ra is hesitant, but Su Ho being a player seems more of a preconception than the actual truth. He genuinely seems like a good and nice guy. Also, I really liked the scene between Ji Yu and her mom. They haven't exactly had the best relationship, so hopefully that'll change now. And in the never-ending mystery of "who the heck does Kang San like", him avoiding Mi Na's kiss does seem to rule her out, but I just hope she won't be left with a broken heart. Regardless, hopefully episode 8 proves to be a satisfying finale.

Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born (3-4): I loved everything about that trainee performance. Kim Tae-ri and Shin Ye-eun are fantastic here. Their rivalry is great too. And while the way she treats Jeongnyeon isn't exactly right, I do feel for Yeong-seo. But you also get the feeling that, just maybe, both of them might lift each other up and make it together… if they don't end up killing each other first that is. I'm certainly rooting for both of them.

What Comes After Love (6): I should've known they were going to drag this out until the last second. Now, I don't necessarily mind this, and I did enjoy the episode, but it was pretty obvious they were stalling. Waiting until the end obviously means everything about their reconciled relationship is left open, but maybe that's the point, even if I do wish we knew more like in which country they were gonna live now. Regardless, I hope our leads have grown enough so history won't repeat itself.

The Judge From Hell (9-10): We interrupt our regularly scheduled case of the week format for… really just another villain of the week. Yeah, I guess it's technically connected to the overarching storyline, but that doesn't really amount to much. This wouldn't really be a problem, except this whole thing just made me realize that the show doesn't even come close to reaching it's full potential. This whole Paimon demon comes completely out of nowhere, but the idea is interesting, especially with the century long rivalry with Justitia. Now what does the show do with this? Absolutely nothing. So much potential… wasted. Sure, the fight was cool, but much like the "revenge" scenes, this really just feels like style over substance. And as much as I like those scenes, it just isn't enough anymore. I need this show to stop focusing on these weekly stories with no substance and start focusing more on the overarching stories that do have it.

Iron Family
Mwuahaha, this show is a comedy gold and makes me laugh every week. Uri Hidden Writernim may be a sweet boy completely smitten with Darim, but he is also a complete moron stupidly causing a big trouble and chaos in his future in-law family. And Kim Junghyun is excellent, as always. Not that the rest of the actors would be lacking, I'm enjoying everyone... and so am I the writing, winking banknotes included.

Dog Knows Everything
I found this week a bit weak, but I still enjoyed the old quartet. And despite guessing the truth behind the Funeral Case, it still got me teary and sentimental.

Virtuous Business
Sometimes I get the feeling I'm watching Sunny, the adult version. 🙂

I was planning to also watch Family by Choice... but then because I read kfangurl's review of No Gain, No Love I decided to juuuust quickly (ha!) check the first episode again 😊.... I had enough self control to not click on episode 2 (yes, I also don't know how I managed 😁)... but then... then I somehow clicked on the Jiwan and Chef John cut version (from Love Is For Suckers)... and there went all my self control and I just couldn't stop, their story is so good. ❤️

Life has been busy lately, so my watching has been more sporadic and I've not been able to keep up with live watching.

Family By Choice: (1) 👨‍👧‍👦👨‍👦I enjoyed the opening ep, but I think I'm not in the mood for a family melodrama right now. I'll save this to watch later.

Dog Knows Everything: (5-8) 🦮 It's so low-angst and relaxing. Extremely pleasant. BUT I cried plenty with ep. 7. And OH MY GOSH that fakeout in ep. 8, and then the makjang meltdown!! 😆

Seoul Busters: (10-11) 🚨 I'm behind because I don't want it to end 😭 I love our sweet and funny Scooby gang SO MUCH. I'm consistently laughing out loud - this is my fun watch of the week!

A Poem A Day: (1-3) ✍️ This is a lovely slice-of-life! I've been surprised how much I identify with the FL. It's interesting going into it knowing about the fan wars and the OTP outcome. I'm a Dr. Ye Liner 😉 Going slow because I'm preferring action/ comedy/ mystery dramas at the moment.

Cafe Minamdang: (1-4) 🪭 Way more fun than I expected! It's like a darker, Kdrama version of the live-action Scooby Doo movies. It's also super funny! I've read recaps and reactions about this one, and I know the critiques, but WOW what a fantastic first few episodes. There's Seo In-guk in all his chaotic glory; hilarious hacker sis; goofy (handsome) sidekick; maknae is the vampire with beautiful eyes; even FL's intro is epic. Also, that OST by Gwangil Jo?? Fire!! 🔥

Designated Survivor: 60 Days: (1-7) ⚖️ Gripping!! This is really tense and really good. And what an amazing cast! I haven't seen the American original, and I've managed to stay spoiler-free, so I'm having fun theorizing. I'm watching this like a modern sageuk because that's what it feels like: we start with a coup and a scholar is suddenly thrust on the throne. His advisors try to help him navigate the factions, but everyone's motivations are opaque and both parties would likely prefer him to stay a puppet ruler until they can place their own king on the throne. Riveting so far. I don't really trust anyone except his personal secretary, the new press secretary, and the character played by Kang Han-na. Question: are Chief of Staff and The Whirlwind similar/any good?

Judge From Hell: 9.0 Ep 10 ended on a rather demonic cliffhanger. If I had been able to find emojis for cliffs and coathangers you'd be looking at them now. Then ep 11 took the easy way out - a bit of a letdown but the rest of the episode made up for it.
- Whenever Bael comes onscreen I keep thinking of the Spiderman theme.
- Also "Stop hitting him. I have to hit him too" Then kicks him while he's down.

A Virtuous Business: 7.5 Week two didn't quite repeat the magic (or at least novelty) of week 1. Kim So-yeon is almost as impressive here as in Tot9T 1938.

Jeong-Nyeon: The Star is Born: 8.0 Hard to believe the famous handsome "prince" is the same actress I've been seeing in Pachinko. Day 4 had nice alternate versions of the standard catch-the-FL-who-trips and try-on-all-the-clothes routines we have all seen so many times.

Dongjae, the Good or the Bastard: 7.5 Crooked prosecutors in shows like this could have neat crossovers with Judge From Hell.

Hellbound 2: 4.0 Episode 1 only.

Dog Knows Everything: 8.0

Seoul Busters: 8.0 (ep 13/16)

DOG KNOWS EVERYTHING (Ep. 9-10) Episode 9 was a well constructed episode about down on their luck losers. Chae-Mu is basically abandoned by his son and family because he brings nothing financially to the table. But they change when they hear Chae-Mu won the lottery. The other loser element was Ki-Dong ditching his audition while he pines for Se-Kyung. He just cannot man-up.

Episode 10 deals with growing old and making mistakes. Everyone has known an endearing prankster in their lives who despite their teasing is a valuable friend. Next weekend seems to go towards reconciliation.

A VIRTUOUS BUSINESS (Ep 3-4) Episode 3 turned off the light humor to focus in on darkness of Korean women being disposal objects. Jeong-suk’s cheating husband is a family repeat as her mother had the indignity of her father bringing his mistress home with him.

Episode 4 turns up the disdain on those perceived to be lower in class. Our ladies business is getting more public backlash. Woman are clearly second class citizens and orphans third class at best. And the town ladies have their own biased pecking order. At least Jeong-suk stood up to them with her right to survive. I still like this program even as it veers away from comedy towards slice of life.

I'm a little out of sync with Dear Hyeri and What Comes After Love. They keep singing All You Need Is Love and I keep hearing Sometimes, Baby, Love Just Ain't Enough. But I haven't seen the last episodes of either yet. I can be convinced otherwise. Maybe.

However, I'm no cynic. I love the blooming feelings of the male lead in A Virtuous Business. We have a lots of possible pairings in Iron Family as well as the delightful haraboji and his noona. Who'd think I'd be rooting for a HEA for a murderous demon and a policeman in The Judge From Hell? I desperately want at least one queer romance in Jeongnyeon. And lastly, the male lead's feelings in Family By Choice are sitting better with me than they did in the OG. It's something.

Dog Knows Everything (Episode 9-10) - Mood: B
The show tried really hard to top the insanity that was last week’s episodes: while I do think it fell short in the procedurals, I really liked how the show is spotlighting so many different characters (and it’s not just even the leads). It’s going to be very bittersweet saying goodbye to this show next week, but I’m thrilled that we’re seeing Nam Yoon Su return for more after his extended cameo at the start. I don’t think the show will ever explain how Soon Jae and Sophie could suddenly talk with each other and that’s totally okay but you never know: this show really thrives at flipping expectations and then some.

The Judge from Hell (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D
Oh great, yet another demon from Hell who’s after our leads. And we do get the classic cliffhanger where the OTP survives an attack from the villain, but then just stays there long enough for one of them to shield the other from getting killed. Sigh.

Dear Hyeri (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D-
As the show hits a new low, I shall think positively for Kang Hoon: the boxing scene could help him gain new fans! I also hope he’ll act with Kang Sang Jun in another project: the real life connections made here might help later on?

Live Watches
Judge from Hell: I think the weakest part of this drama might be the mythology that they’ve set up. I would rather they just made up regal sounding names for all the demons and angels instead of using names from actual mythologies and cultures. I think you can build a good world by taking little bits of stories from all over the place, but it feels carelessly ripped off rather than referenced here. That said, I like a lot of things that they are doing with the story even if I don’t like the exact method they are using, and I could watch PSH be irreverent, KJY be sad, and Kim Ah-young be unhinged for a while.

Recent Dramas:
Midnight Romance in Hagwon: (finished!) I never thought I’d find the inner workings of a hagwon so interesting. I loved the FL’s journey into rediscovering her original motivations and dreams, and quite liked the ML’s journey into taking responsibility for his desires and becoming the teacher he would have wanted as a kid. The villains were satisfying (and went down in a satisfying way), the side couple was cute and sweet, and I kind of want the sweet husband who ran the late night restaurant to be my fairy godmother. He certainly was one for all the Team Daechi characters in this drama!
Live Watches
Judge from Hell: I think the weakest part of this drama might be the mythology that they’ve set up. I would rather they just made up regal sounding names for all the demons and angels instead of using names from actual mythologies and cultures. I think you can build a good world by taking little bits of stories from all over the place, but it feels carelessly ripped off rather than referenced here. That said, I like a lot of things that they are doing with the story even if I don’t like the exact method they are using, and I could watch PSH be irreverent, KJY be sad, and Kim Ah-young be unhinged for a while.

Recent Dramas:
Midnight Romance in Hagwon: (finished!) I never thought I’d find the inner workings of a hagwon so interesting. I loved the FL’s journey into rediscovering her original motivations and dreams, and quite liked the ML’s journey into taking responsibility for his desires and becoming the teacher he would have wanted as a kid. The villains were satisfying (and went down in a satisfying way), the side couple was cute and sweet, and I kind of want the sweet husband who ran the late night restaurant to be my fairy godmother. He certainly was one for all the Team Daechi characters in this drama!

Jeongnyeon: episode 5 & 6 are coming out later today, i'm really enjoying this despite the there only being queer subtext and not canon queer text.

Dongjae: you know what, this is everything I hoped for! I'm a little sad it has less episodes than stranger though.

Doubt: I couldn't keep watching past episode 1 yet, but I have the entire next week free, so it's time for a binge :).

9-1-1: (not a kdrama) latest episode was fun, but I do hope we get some more story focus on other castmembers and not just torture bathena and henren with new problems.

Alien Stage: (korean animation) just like I imagined, it broke my heart. The song we got out of it is a banger though! I've been listening to it on repeat. Luckily we will get a few more songs before the project ends.

It's halloween soon! Got any movie/show recs for me (korean or otherwise)?

I think this is the perfect time to start watching revenant. I actually downloaded it a while ago because my wifi sucks really bad lately and I always have one show downloaded for the times I'm bored and out of wifi!

Dear Hye-ri: I did not like how episode 10 ended. I did not like ML before, I like him less now. He keeps using her to massage his ego also after having cried in his teenage room, and I know very well it’s fictional, but still, how would Hye-ri suddenly get to trust him and feel safe with him after more than eight years negligence? I wrote a good deal about it in the hangout and I made a gif about my feelings. (The drawing represents “a K-drama Fan” – it doesn’t look like me at all).
Virtuous Business: The condemnation of people around our heroines is interesting and menacing. I imagined they showed the women as socially incompetent idiots to let us follow them while they discovered ways to be better, but the fact that running around in the street shouting that you want people to write down their sexual fantasies for you will usually not stop a conflict and make them open to your business, so to speak, was not conveyed as much as that it is a good idea to give them free underpants.
I love Im Chul-soo more every time I see him, now as Park Jong-sun, the kind husband. Wonder if our heroes will take their wares to other cities and make their hometown miss them?
:
Tomorrow: Rowoon does sweet so well – apart from that, I remembered it as if he actually got a 9 to 5 job in the afterlife and clocked out and went home like a normal worker. In real life, everyday. That’s not what happens, though. The story is not a romance, but the ending hints at the possibility.
Semantic Error: Still a lovely show. Rewatched it. Noticed a thing about their “Veggie” game. Seriously? 🍆🎃🥕 Giffed.
:
Not a K-drama:
Sex Education season 4: Awesome. But also a bit sad. Less realistic, it seemed to me, than previous seasons.
USA politics: Not very encouraging to hear someone with a considerate number of followers repeatedly express his admiration for dictators, including especially Putin and Hitler. Please remember to vote for something less horrifying, and help others to do the same. Please.

I'll pick up Dear Hyeri next week. The hangout for this week spared me from getting passionately angry at both main leads. If reading spiked me like that, don't know what watching will do. I'll just watch 9-12 next week.

The week didn't just go by without watching though...

Iron Family - The children tore their Mom to pieces. But, I am not feeling bad about their reactions either. I especially liked that the siblings didn't back down when Da-rim came to see them both even though Cha-rim didn't even try to be gracious a little about it.

To our chaebol side, there's surely some history between Bong-hee and Jiseung. That man sure knows how to steel his face. Bong-hee sending a pillow his head and him keeping his reaction in check made me laugh out.

I'm glad Darim will get to see her eyesight restored. The grandparents though...they are a case😂😂.

I continue to enjoy DOG KNOWS EVERYTHING and THE JUDGE FROM HELL.

My wife is watching the Chinese Costume drama FATEFUL LOVE. She loves mysteries and devoured the thirteenth season of DEATH IN PARADISE this last week. But perhaps her most interesting watch was the award-winning Japanese movie PERFECT DAYS. It is hard to describe it but it was really good. And on Prime she has enjoyed a superior Russian Costume drama in SOPHIA, the story of the daughter of the last Byzantine Emperor who married Ivan III of Russia (and was the grandmother of Ivan the Terrible).

Our FL got her miracle on IRON FAMILY this last week- thanks to her Grandparents and her mom’s willingness to go to prison after recovering the rest of the loot. What a stark contrast we have in this mom compared to the awful mothers who dominated the weekenders of the past year (and sucked all the blood out of their daughters and the audience as well). Hopefully this mom will see a happier ending- she deserves one. However, this situation sets up a potential conflict with the three police officer characters in this show: Our FL’s Oppa, his wonderful fiancée and his nice future mother-in-law. Meanwhile we got word that our 2ML is the love child of our Chairman, the stepfather of our ML- but Chairman himself does not know who his child is- just that he has one. Our FL’s aunt is being dumped by her cheating husband who wants to leave her with nothing: Hopefully her parents and her sister will finally learn what is happening and dip into their stash to pony up a cool 100 million won to buy her a really good divorce lawyer. Yet, oddly enough, one of the best developments this last week was our FL finding out that our (secretly rich through his own efforts- but he inherited his money-making abilities from our Chairman) 2 ML simply sees her as his little sister and has no romantic interest in her at all. This is good because it means that she can move on from her crush. But this raises an important question: Is our ML really good enough for her?

Three weeks into the new daily MY MERRY MARRIAGE and there are still no marriages in sight. Who came up with the title for this show? Netflix?

Happy Saturday, Beanies!

KILL ME LOVE ME: Week later I still cling to my original stance about the show – it lacks balance in vibe/pace, rendering all actors efforts and plot's good points underutilized. Like that absolute humiliation conga scene in Ep13 – if you know, you know – that deserves to be in drama textbooks as an example of daring twists and amazing acting, but was eventually buried under mediocrity of what came after. It's still watchable enough, but whatever potential for greatness this story has, I don't think it'll ever fully realize. Like I don't mind few episodes of basically idyllic country vacation romcom – heavens know, poor leads needed that! - but it should've FEEL earned emotionally, not just logically, and happen at the right moment in the story. And yet... Speeding up back into action and political intrigue improved the pace, but not much. All in all, show overall is just not strong enough in its entirety – be it writing, supporting cast or directing, there are clear holes everywhere and this ain't Swiss cheese for that to be a good thing!

MELODY JOURNEY (c-variety): Last “standard” episode of it, nooo! I'm gonna miss it so much, pls renew for another season and bring LYN (and everyone) back! Perhaps because it was ending, the demos selection and overall mood were highly sentimental – more on that next week when I'll cover grand finale – I didn't recall such amount of tearjerker songs in any episode prior. Ofc, being all in the feels didn't stop these gremlins from their fave game “get on Joker Xue's nerves” - someone pls gift him with a calming tea asap! - including LYN with his epic 18 seconds “pick me, bro! bye” pitch that had everyone rolling. Spoiler – he got rejected for such disrespect, serves him right lol))) Maybe they'll finally get to work together in S2, if that ever happens... I believe show did fairly well rating-wise and cast seemed to enjoy it big time, so hopefully.

Also now I want LYN and LDD in one of those “going shopping with limited budget” varieties because these two are already genius scammers hagglers/manipulators/problem solvers on their own, imagine what they could do together! Yo, Tencent, I'm giving you this idea to promote TPOB totally for free, take it and thank me with drama's release, can you?

LIVE WATCHES:

1. FAMILY BY CHOICE - This week's episodes continue with ALL THE FEELS! And it looks like the San Ha-Jo Won ship is about to sail! But Writer-Nim seems to really dislike women though - every single female character except Jo Won (and maybe Dal) are such negative and unlikeable characters and stereotypes.

2. AGATHA ALL ALONG - This week's episode was FANTASTIC (and heartbreaking)! Lillia's final stand is one for the books.

3. THE JUDGE FROM HELL - Bit-Na and crew are still my weekly dose of supernatural drama and they left us on a cliffhanger. Hopefully this week's episodes will do that cliffhanger justice.

4. A VIRTUOUS BUSINESS - This is shaping up to be one of my top feminist dramas this year. And the ML is getting to be one of my favourite 2024 drama MLs next to Baek-Du from LIKE FLOWERS IN SAND.

OTHER WATCHES

KNIGHT FLOWER - Netflix in my region just released this and since I'm not quite ready for the high drama of MY DEAREST, I decided to try this out. The first 2 episodes totally hooked me from the laughs to the unsubtle jabs at the Joseon patriarchy. Honey Lee definitely carries the series.

Aaaaand that's about it for me.

Finished binge-ing My Sweet Mobster and it was so sweet it has placed itself as my favourite 2024 romcom and one of my favourite romcoms of all time alongside Perfume~ 😆

Currently watching:
1) The Judge From Hell - Bitna is my favourite Park Shin Hye character out of all her dramas I've watched.
2) Jeongnyeon - didn't expect to get hooked with this but it's fun
3) Seoul Busters - drama is funny with likeable characters. I like how supportive the team is and they complement each other.

Also finished What Comes After Love. I blazed through ep 6. Not a big fan of the drama, I stayed mostly for SakaKen. After ep 6, I'm surprised to say best character was Kanna: who stayed true to herself, spoke her mind and even pushed Jungo to act.

Dear Hyeri I have difficulties to understand Eun-ho as a character.

Family by Choice I didn't remember every female character was so awful in GA, I wonder if this remake accentuated this side of the story.

A Virtuous Business I'm still laughing after this survey with the cop.

Doubt I didn't like Oh Jung-Hwan from the violent crimes team at the beginning but now he looks like the normal one.

The Judge from Hell I felt like the love story is forced.

Jeongnyeon - The Star is Born I have the feeling to watch a Shonen with a FL instead of a ML.

What Comes After Love It looks like they could heal their past wounds, regrets and frustrating. But I'm still wondering how it will work in the future...

Seoul Busters They're so funny! I really like this team.

Love in the Big City It didn't feel like a Kdrama except the fact it was in Seoul. I'm not convinced by the fact they used 4 PDs for 8 episodes. But it was nice to have a realistic story even it wasn't the one I wished.

Our Beautiful Summer It's fun to get 2 of our past badminton players in a new drama! These 3 brothers are touching, loosing your twin in this way must have been devastating. The way adult can make the FL feeling so lonely... It's so frustrated!

A Virtuous Business & Jeongnyeon: I'm not sure what cosmic alignments led to these shows airing at the same time, but so far it's awesome to have two dramas packed with great actresses that are laser-focused on their female characters and willing to venture into risky territory. While the underlying plot structure of both shows (underdogs make good by breaking the norms) is fairly conventional so far, the fact that both have a very specific sense of time and place that isn't "modern Seoul" helps them to feel fresh in a drama landscape that often feels like it's recycling the same tropes over and over. Obviously both shows could crash and burn down the line, but right now I'm thrilled to be enjoying watching current k-dramas again.

My own main comment is being reviewed 😢 What have I done wrong?
Maybe it's because I mentioned someone who says bad things, and mentioned those bad things?

This week was a fun mix of dramas: Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Taiwanese!

Finished...

What Comes After Love k- and j-drama crossover
As moody as I anticipated, and they managed to keep the tone throughout. The story felt realistic, but I needed a bit more convincing of the depth of their relationship originally, as well as a bit more detail about the FL's new relationship. Without that, the ending felt like a bit of a cop out, tbh. Although this didn't hit every note just right, overall, I enjoyed it.

Snowy Night, Timeless Love c-drama
I didn't love it, but I liked it well enough. In particular, the segments filmed in real snow and the many beautifully framed scenes throughout were quite appealing. I quietly enjoyed the slow burn romance and the sweet portrayals by the leads. Unfortunately, the bad CGI never stopped being distracting, the music was mundane and overused, and the FL's frequently featured fingernails were notably awful. Just why?

Still watching...

Rainless Love in a Godless Land t-drama 3/13
This jumped out at me while scrolling for something vaguely Halloween-y. I remembered beanies having some good things to say about it, and once again, beanies for the win! This is an unusual and compelling story, and I'm really enjoying it.

Kill Me, Love Me c-drama 11/32
KMLM started out as promised - intense, edgy, and rather exciting - until suddenly it wasn't. Still, I find the (now) predictable story and the cinematography worth watching because the acting is so good. The sets and costumes are beautiful. Plus the leads are as visually stunning as I've ever seen them.

Looking forward to the non-angsty Brewing Love next month 🙂🍻

Have a great week everyone! 🤗

I just have so much to catch up with. only ep 1 on Dog Knows everything, want to start Dongjae, but found Virtuous business really not my thing because there is not anything I can relate to.

cannot wait for the Ma Dong Seok and Seo In Guk reunion in 12. meaning I really cannot wait so bad that I want to go to Korea and sit in the filming location.

Hi beanies!

What I'm watching:

_ Dear Hyeri (10/12). Even though I'm frustrated with the way some things are being addressed, I still think this is a very interesting drama. And it's leading to long discussions on line, which is always good.

_ Dog knows everything (10/12). This nice show is coming to its end. I think it could have a second season, if main lead's health allows it, of course.

_ What comes after love (3/6). It's not perfect, but I love it. And the music is wonderful, I never skip the ending credits.

_ Grand Prince (5/20). It didn't have a good start, but I'm glad I didn't drop it because episode 5 had some great moments, for instance the sequence of the theatre performance that ML (Yoon Shi Yoon) and his bodyguard played in order to sneak in FL's family house.
And the confession scene was lovely too ("we'll be lovers who are friends"... aww 🥰).

_ C-drama Rise of Ning (17/40). A very good surprise, this show. It's way better than I initially thought. Zhang Wanyi is so gorgeous in this drama that it's even distracting.

Finished:

_ Shōgun (very good visuals, production design and music, but I think it could have had more intensity in some scenes).

_ The second season of Tsuiraku JK to Haijin Kyoshi. (I'm sure there will be a third season. This sensei is so cute!).

Drowning in work and election anxiety, I haven't found much that either holds my attention or is worth making time to watch. But I'm trying! I figure that if things go the way I fear here in the US, I'll desperately need the escape that dramas provide. So, with that in mind:

DEAR HYERI: I had to drop this halfway through. The ML, actor and character, really didn't do it for me. It's also a terribly sad drama, and although the writers clearly meant for the central love story to be healing, I found it stilted and inauthentic. It's not so much for me that the ML is a jerk, as others find him, but that he and their relationship (pre, during, and post DID) didn't feel remotely real or relatable to me.

JUDGE FROM HELL: I like both Jae-Young Kim and PSH, and am happy for PSH especially that she clearly relished playing such a fun role. But the drama itself isn't surprising or suspenseful enough for me, and the burgeoning love story too subtle. But I might re-visit this one later.

JEONGNYEON: I know nothing about the webtoon, so can't speak to any changes, and I'm not very far into the second episode, but the pansori scenes are electric. This drama is also beautifully shot. Kim Tae-ri is brilliant as usual, but she's definitely playing the entire drama as if it's pansori, with exaggerated line readings and facial expressions. But it totally works.

VIRTUOUS BUSINESS: I avoided watching this at first because I wasn't sure I could withstand the prudish or violent reactions, rooted in sexism, that would surely emerge right at the start. But after reading a lot of positive reaction to the drama here on DB, I started watching with one hand on the remote. But I never once hit the FF button, even when the FL's mom and landlady started spewing their vitriol in the face of the FL's explanation of why she's forced to do what she's doing. Note, too, that the men are judgmental and mocking, too, but it's sadly the women who are often truly cruel, even when they, like the mother, know all too well what damage submissive, patriarchal values do. Anyway, the show keeps me coming back for more because the FL is a naturally reserved person, but with a core of steel who speaks her truth quietly and clearly and gets done what needs doing. I love her and all the women working together to try and have lives and identities outside of their families and children.

WHAT COMES AFTER LOVE: I just started this, but it's lovely so far. Lee Se Young is really impressive and the ML is interesting to watch. I know there's a world of hurt coming, but the lightness in the opening episode gives me hope that this won't end up being a painful distraction.

Currently Watching:
LOVE NEXT DOOR (1-7) - So far I’m liking our second leads and their interactions the best. I’m not feeling the weird and mildly abusive relationship between our primary characters at all. I am enjoying their mothers’ long term friendship. It’s always sweet to see the older characters get some screen time with their relationships.

WHAT COMES AFTER LOVE (1) - This has the most generic Hallmark-like title I have trouble remembering, but I’m so excited it’s finally aired. Ever since Eye Love You, I’ve been on the look out for more cross-cultural romances. But so far this one seems much more serious and melancholy. Lee Se Young is so talented at drawing me into her character’s emotional state and her leading man is beautiful eye candy.

Finished:
WHAT COMES AFTER LOVE - Sadly, I’m not part of the cool kids club that loved this drama. It was waaayy too slow for me and the majority of the characters frustrated me. Their overall lack of communication as well as the long silent scenes of staring and walking bored me stiff. I could not connect to these characters at all aside from our hero who really tugged my heart strings.

CHEAT ON ME IF YOU CAN- Such a fun, offbeat show! I loved the heroine who was smarter than everyone, played her cards close to her chest and kept everyone including me guessing. Although it was a bit hard to believe that she was oblivious to her husband’s cheating. They unfolding clues regarding the mystery around the actress death was well drawn out across the episodes. This is my third Kim Young Dae drama in the past month and I really enjoyed his secret agent character here as it was different then his usual.

Good week of non-angsty drama watching, as we head into cooler weather.

WELCOME TO SAMDAL-RI, ep. 12. Really good production values in this series, super sharp camera. Ji Chang-wook impresses me here. I like the way his grounded character constantly undercuts Shin Hye-sun's unhinged character and keeps her emotionally honest. Kdrama world continues to want to put this actor in a box, and he's just not having it. Respect for his team, and for him; he'll take on any role, big or small, and in the process he's growing as a performer.

FOREVER AND EVER (2021) ep. 26. My happy watch of the week goes to FOREVER AND EVER and the risk-defying team who conceived and produced a matched set pair of dramas (with ONE AND ONLY) -- this is complex storytelling well done. While I like Bai Lu in TTEOTM, it's really Luo Yun Xi's show. In FOREVER AND EVER I begin to understand why viewers love Bai Lu as an actress. And, Ren Jia Lun convincingly pulls off the tricky role of an emotionally repressed character. They use their own voices (no cdrama dubbing) which I vastly prefer as lending authenticity to their performances. Special mention to the terrific Ci Sha as wingman attorney and lovely little Wang Rui Xin in a difficult but crucial role. (Heeded many Dramabeans contributor warnings and put off ONE AND ONLY for another, braver day.)

Glad to see someone discovering Psychopath Diary! What a gem that was.

Judge from Hell: I'm sad that we only have 4 more episodes. It feels like the story just got started, especially with Bael being okay with sending some 3rd rate demon after our leads - which seems to add another thread to this. Justitia is still killing it!

Virtuous Business: The most endearing drama. I love seeing the ladies develop their sales skills every week. I love how when it seems like things are going one step back, it then goes 2 steps forward.

Iron Family Halfway through episode 8. I had to pause when the dry cleaner was catching on fire. The stress of watching that money burn is too much even if the drama had funky rock music playing in the background to make it funny. If the ML suspect it had gone through the wash, he should have gone home and let the flint dry and refill lighter fluid.

This has been the longest spell- 3 weeks- of not watching *any* TV, let alone Kdrama, that I've had since pandemic lockdowns.
I'm in an intensive patisserie course, which leaves me utterly exhausted at the end of my 12 hour days, so I pretty much come home, shovel some food in and collapse into bed.
Nothing has caught my attention either. I literally slept through the last ep of Love Next Door, and that's been the last show I caught recently. I had an off day today, so thought I'd start What comes after Love - slept through ep 1 and gave up .. so this too on ice for the moment. Waiting for the brewing show with Kim Se Jeong, but this also possibly after it airs a few eps.
So exhausted!!