I loved Better Days! It was really hard to watch at times but so gripping and, despite everything, it managed to pull off a happy ending.

Uri sweet, sweet Sheng Yang 😍😍😍🥰🥰🥰

I love Xiao Zhan’s portrayal of Sheng Yang:
26-year-old young adult who's juuuuuuuuust getting his footing as an adult, but is still heavily doted on and immensely loved by his parents but who treat him with respect and appropriately for his age. Speaking of age, the thing I love about Xiao Zhan’s portrayal in this drama is how he still portrays the “dear in the headlights” parts of being a young adult still figuring out life, relationships, and the workforce, but in both cases of Xiao Zhan’s portrayal and his parents, none of them come off as infantilizing Sheng Yang, and I deeply appreciate and respect that.

Maybe that ^ was the struggle and why it took 3 years of back-and-forth between Xiao Zhan, the director, and the scriptwriter to fine tune the script in the pre-production process before cameras began rolling.

P.S. Xiao Zhan’s ears turning beet red from extreme shyness in his first kiss scene with Bai Bai He will forever be adorable 🥰

@wonhwa

The supporting couple in Imperial Coroner didn't have much romantic chemistry in my opinion, but they were a fun duo. And while they weren't detectives, I also thought they were pretty smart. I hope the second season delves deeper into them.

This week's comment is just like last week's comment since both dramas I'm watching are the 50 plus episode sort! Generally I like settling down to a long drama (like a long novel as opposed to a short story):

GREAT QUEEN SEONDEOK: The middle of this one has been a little bit of a struggle for me (I've watched 40 plus episodes). But, I have no doubt it will pick up again for me. Loving the actors.

OUR GOLDEN DAYS: First four episodes finished, 46 to go! I'm hopeful this will go interesting places. I trust this writer and I like the actors.

And she will upstage the main actress again.

EB: Aren't those credits the greatest? So interesting seeing how the hard-working actors slip up on their dialog, and the camaraderie on set with each other and the crew. While imperfect, it was still an interesting experience watching that series.

@isagc No worries. I also really liked the leads' relationship, and I liked how, rather than leaning into the opposites attract trope, it had a lead couple who were both very cerebral but not so good at all the physical or social stuff, and a secondary couple who were great at fighting, but not genius detectives.

☝️ @wonhwa
I forgot to tag you.

Bad luck with my two recent kdrama live watches. Both drops:
1. SBS’s THE WINNING TRY (Netflix) (after episode 4). I had high hopes for TWT but the actual sports (in this case rugby) took second place to the most tedious high school politics. It became apparent that TWT would not be the kdrama sports drama successor to ENA’s great LIKE FLOWERS IN SAND (2023/24) (Netflix).
2. Channel A’s MY LOVELY JOURNEY (Viki US) (20 minutes into episode 6, ripcord pulled). I have recently enjoyed several Channel A dramas (e.g. (all available at Viki US) THE WITCH, CHECK IN HANYANG and CINDERELLA AT 2AM) but MLJ just didn’t do it for me. Oddly for some maybe, but the thing that did me in was how heavy the writer (in order to move the plot) leaned on characters talking to themselves (out loud) or one way (to a dog). When in episode 6 surrogate dad O Sang Sik (in a flashback) is sitting in a public restaurant in Japan doing the talking out loud bit to himself I said, “Basta!”.

Netflix for some reason recommended to me an oldie high school sports jdrama (baseball): ROOKIES (11 episodes). Episodes 1 and 11 are long (94 min) with the others coming in at 45 minutes.
The template is: new young teacher (with baggage) is brought into a new high school and attempts to restore dignity and instill ambition into our really bad boy baseball players. I am about halfway through episode one and am just meeting the teacher and remaining players (the team is under suspension and original coach and other good players transferred out). I will stay with it and HOPEFULLY (since Japan is a baseball nation unlike SK and rugby) we will get to see some high school baseball played.

In cdramaland I recently completed two excellent crime dramas.
1. BENEATH THE UNDERTOW (19 eps.) (iQIYI). Character actor Chen Jian Bin gave an excellent performance (as a senior/mentor detective) as a total introvert. He was highly respected for his police/investigating skills but his struggles to socialize with others made for quite an interesting character.
2. IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE (Youku) (36 episodes). Another great Zhang Yi crime drama performance. ZY is now on sabbatical right now.
I really would like to take in his excellently regarded 2023 crime drama THE KNOCKOUT (39 episodes).

I have completed 12 episodes of ETERNAL BROTHERHOOD SEASON 2 (24 eps.) (IQIYI). It is keeping my interest and I still enjoy our 3 MLs. I find myself watching the credits with bts stuff and bloopers while listening to Liu Yu Ning’s beautiful ost ‘Old Friend’.

@gikata ha I assumed it was a fan edit until I saw the platform logo 😂. More power to the fans!

Her voice was a little annoying, I agree.
But I really liked her personality. And the Prince's too. It was my first time seeing both actors and I liked them.

I'm also grateful that the series isn't one of the many that spend their time making feminist proclamations without any restraint or subtlety. The feminism in the series is present through the well-written script and characters, and it doesn't feel forced.

I like her too! Looking forward to her in Chasing Jade, when it comes out.

Beyond the Bar: Very enjoyable so far. The stories are gripping, the chemistry between all the actors is great, and the production values are high.
Winning Try: Almost dropped. I will wait until the show ends now, and speed watch the remaining episodes. The melodrama is too much, the actions of the characters are infuriating, and there's not enough of the sports yet.
Delightfully Deceitful: I picked this up on a whim, and it's way better than I expected. Chun Woo Hee is an actor I've really come to enjoy. This show and Atypical Family both have her as a scamster, but she seems to really suit slightly subversive roles.
I'll check Yoona's time traveling chef show that's releasing tonight and hope it's better than Tastefully Yours (?). Also, Twelve- if and when it releases in my area.

I'm 200% sure sure platforms Douyin promo accounts are run by thirsty fangirls, because both iQiyi and Tencent's have been posting a lot of really bold stuff there lately)))

- dramas rumored to air: iQiyi's HUNTING (Wang Yang, Zhang Youhao, Yu Haoming, Deng Enxi, crime thriller) on September 3rd, iQiyi-Tencent's THE JOURNEY OF LEGEND (Cheng Yi, Gulnezer Bextiyar, wuxia) on September 6th, iQiyi's MOBIUS (Bai Jingting, Janice Man, Song Yang, sci-fi thriller) on September 17th, iQiyi's FATED HEARTS (Li Qin, Chen Zheyuan, historical mystery romance) on September 26th, Youku's LOVE IN THE CLOUDS (Hou Minghao, Lu Yuxiao, xianxia romance) in September, iQiyi's SUNSETS SECRETS REGRETS (Jing Boran, Cai Wenjing, Qin Junjie, modern romance thriller) in October.

- dramas licensed: iQiyi's DREAM OF GOLDEN YEARS (Zhou Ye, Zhai Xiaowen, retro melo).

- dramas announced: MangoTV's JIANG SHAN WEI PIN (Wu Jinyan, Chen Zheyuan, Liang Yongqi, historical political romance).

- casting rumors: MangoTV's SOLAR RAIN TODAY (Yang Chaoyue, Dong Sicheng, youth romance), iQiyi's A BEAUTIFUL DESTINY (Li Landi, Yang Yang/Zeng Shunxi/Chen Xingxu/Tan Jianci, xianxia romance), Tencent's HU SHAN WEI (Chen Duling, Ming dynasty court intrigue melo), Tencent's GOING TO RIDE THE WINDS (Yu Shuxin, Zhang Linghe, xianxia romance) – oh rly?, CONFESSION (Chen Feiyu, Deng Enxi, youth romance, platform unknown), Tencent's THE REBIRTH OF MALICIOUS EMPRESS OF THE MILITARY LINEAGE (Dilraba Dilmurat, Liu Yuning, historical revenge romance) – sure Jan, iQiyi's THE RETURN OF THE KING (Zeng Shunxi, Xia Zhiguang, He Qiu, Ao Ziyi, xuanhuan), Tencent's JIN ZHI (Zhang Jingyi/Li Yitong, Zhang Yunlong, historical romance), Tencent's XING JING SHI KE 1: FENG HUAZHENG MAO (Gong Jun, Sun Qian, crime thriller), iQiyi's MO LU KUANG HUA (Yang Mi, modern suspense), Tencent's WU MING YE HUO (Li Yitong, Ci Sha, modern mystery), A ZHI A ZHI (Song Zuer, Zeng Shunxi, Republican fantasy romance, supposedly iQiyi now), MangoTV's GENERAL CHANG NING (Meng Ziyi, Chen Xingxu, historical action romance from TPOB author) – but book sucks, Tencent's SHAN HAI CHANG LIU (Song Zuer, historical?), Youku's THE REIGN OF NORTHERN WEI (Yang Mi, Liu Xueyi, historical court intrigue) - oooh, YIN ZHE WU XING (Zhou Dongyu, Guo Jingfei, Wang Ou, modern spy thriller, platform unknown), iQiyi's ZHAO DAO TA (Liu Haocun, Yan Ni, Ma Su, modern mystery melo), Tencent's REN JIAN NUAN YANG (Zhang Jingyi, modern melo?), MangoTV's PEOPLE IN BEIJING (Huang Xuan, Tan Songyun, Republican/retro?), Tencent's WHY NOT CROSS BY BOAT (Yang Yang, Zhang Miaoyi, historical romance).

- dramas wrapped: MangoTV's LIANG CHEN MEI JIN (Ren Min,Ci Sha, historical romance), MangoTV's LIVE LONG AND PROSPER (Wang Hedi, Li Qin, Rong Zishan, Wang Duo, Zhang Yaqin, Xia Meng, xianxia), iQiyi's ROAD TO SUCCESS (Yu Shuxin, Chen Jingke, modern romance?), MangoTV's LOVE IN RED DUST (Wang Xingyue, Xu Ruohan, historical mystery romance), MangoTV's DAZZLING (Guan Xiaotong, Li Yunrui, modern romance).

Happy Saturday, Beanies!

WOW THE WORLD (c-variety): Behind for now.

A MOMENT BUT FOREVER: YA EDITION WHEN DESTINY BRINGS THE DEMON: No, for real, it's basically the same premise (plus transmigration), but with younger cast, sillier tone and less inspired directing (choppy editing, lacking flow, tho CGI is decent). This is also much more romcom-like, full of cheeky meta akin to ADWAD's. Heard that makers intentionally made the drama targeted at younger audience and boy, does it show! Unfortunately, these juvenile vibes aren't really working on me, esp considering some very dark themes explored, and the constant comparison with AMBF – the heart that drama had, the gravitas its mature leads brought - doesn't help. Still fun tho, maybe I'll catch up with it on FF later. Can see people enjoying this as palate cleanser after ADWAD – FL's character and romance here seems to be much better, not that the bar wasn't in hell or anything.

TAOIST MONK IN DEMONLAND MOONLIT REUNION: What a great production! Linmon studio never fails when it comes to visuals – if anything, this drama is absolutely gorgeous. Particularly Demon Market/Underworld: the slightly trippy architecture, the colors, the costumes, the prosthetic makeup on extras! Great and clearly expensive CGI as well. Have to admit, I'm far more impressed with FL's acting here than I was in DAFENG – she truly embodies cat-like mannerism. Xu Kai is OK, tho I firmly believe he's more suited for warm, animated roles rather that stoic ones. And in theory I should've enjoy their relationship progress – bold girl chasing shy man is very much my thing – but something feels lacking, both plot-wise and OTP-wise. It's not a complete lack of chemistry nor really bad writing, but... Idk, it's not as crackstatic as I hoped? Which is wild – never thought I would accuse PD of THE DOUBLE and GO PRINCESS GO of this! Maybe it'll find its footing later? Not that I'm hopeful.

“Drama news” segment:

- dramas aired already: nothing new.

- dramas confirmed to air: iQiyi's SHADOW LOVE (Song Yi, Cheng Lei, historical action romance) on August 24th, Tencent's GUI DUI (Hu Jun, Li Naiwen, Chen Jingke, Yuan Shanshan, Ren Bin, Song Jiateng, Republican war drama) on August 25th, MangoTV's THE DAUNTLESS YOUTHS (Zhang Kangle, Yu Ziwei, Song Fangyuan, historical youth adventure) and iQiyi's SI YANG YE SE (Yao Guanyu, Chen Siche, romance melo?) both on August 26th.

My favourite 2nd lead ladies that I root for:
1. Seo Dan (Crash Landing on You)
2. Woo Su Ji (Because This is My First Life)
3. Won In-jae (Start-up)
4. Kudo Hina/Lee Yang Hwa (Mr. Sunshine)
5. Song Hae Rin (Romance is a Bonus Book)
6. Oh Min Jung (Hi Bye, Mama!)
7. Yoo Ji-Yeon (Terius Behind Me)
8. Rachel Yoo (The Heir)
9. Choi Yoo Jin (K2)

(Still looking for my #10 😂)

Kdrama watching of my two current favorites, BEYOND THE BAR and NICE GUY, was limited by my TV inexplicably going on the fritz (waiting on tech savvy family to restore me). Stopped by MY TROUBLESOME STAR but not sure it's a keeper.

Happy watch this week goes to the dream-team cast of SUNSHINE BY MY SIDE (2023). This was such a great watch that I am bereft now that I can't watch it for the first time. What a terrific screenplay, and these gifted performers give it such lift in many memorable scenes. Special mention to Xiao Zhan and a luminous Bai Bai He in lead roles but ZX's parents, his wingman/woman, and Bai Bai He's sister and her beau are all outstanding. Now I understand why Wu Xing Jian was cast as Yan Bing Yun in JOL2, a role previously filled by XZ in JOL1. He's different, but he's a honey.

SUMMIT OF OUR YOUTH is my current favorite addiction. The whole AI discussion is over my head but something must be sinking in (right?) and leads Sun Zhen Ni and Chen Jing Ke are a fun pairing. This is a dense tale, sweet storyline and very enjoyable with excellent pacing.

THIS THRIVING LAND got bogged down in the politics of land redistribution but there is no denying the quality of this production. I'm sticking with it.

LEGEND OF THE FEMALE GENERAL. Cheng Lei is pulling me through this one as I'm increasingly uninterested in our heroine -- something is just not right about the casting here. A good production with great stunt work but it stumbles towards the finish line.

Looking forward to MOONLIT REUNION on Disney+ August 26, assuming I get my "smart" TV back up and running.

Yeah, I also loved how invested both leads in Imperial Coroner were in all things forensic, and it was great to watch a female lead who, squeaky voice dubbing aside, was so competent, calm, cool and collected in times of crisis.

@jerrykuvira I know, right? I did binge it. I honestly thought it was going to be a train wreck, so I wanted to get to the episode where the crashing began. It never materialized. I won't spoil it for you, but let me just say the tone of (almost) overwhelming sadness in the first few episodes does not permeate the entire show. It never goes entirely away but it is tempered by other feelings, such as strength, friendship, and personal exploration and growth.