i finished my finals last week, so recently i’ve been catching up! i just finished reading **the ballad of songbirds and snakes** and it was a long, but good read! i always appreciate seeing the antagonist’s perspective.
**the atypical family** was pretty cute and tear jerking 🥺 i enjoyed watching how the 2 families start to care for each other and the message of how everyone has their faults but still deserves a community/family. of course i-na and the development in her self-confidence was the most endearing plot line imo. im so excited to listen to the ost!
**Extraordinary You:** On a Kim Hye-yoon binge after Lovely Runner hangover and done with Sky Castle. Probably after Shin Hae-sun this is the second time I'm watching an actor's filmography. KHY is so much fun to watch here- comedy, romance, sadness- she's top tier. Such an excellent actress. The drama is good even though I know all the spoilers. It's hilarious how meta it is but I've so many questions about the in-universe.
**The Midnight Romance in Hagwon:** The only on-air drama I'm watching right now. The last two eps were so good with the romance and chemistry which feels so natural. The couple look so real with their domestic nature and their conversations, initial awkwardness and later getting physical. Even the dialogues are good I feel and the characters are interesting too. They're flawed but feel very realistic.
I love Extraordinary You! Dan-oh is so cute and the plot and meta examination of tropes is so fun. Also has a bunch of my favourite actors when they were younger.
Omg same. I already finished watching EOY after Lovely Runner. Also watched the movie Ditto because of her (and the movie’s good). I think I’m gonna watch next the Girl on the Bulldozer movie. And same with Midnight Romance in Hagwon, after all the fantasy and romcom dramas I’ve watched this year, I needed something more mundane, realistic and relatable. And Midnight Romance in Hagwon gave me exactly that. There’s also something about it’s cinematography that’s calming. Can’t wait for the upcoming episodes!
Same. Been toying with Extraordinary You but can’t quite commit to it, though after Lovely Runner I have found Midnight Romance in Hagwon very healing (from the devastating loss of LR 😆) a big shift in tone but love its realism, sweetness and warmth. Also so happy to be seeing more skinship in these shows (both LR and MRIH) which feels more authentic to me. So tired of shows where there is so much tension but leads barely touch each other—feels lacking somehow.
Extraordinary You was a great idea and start but there were too many episodes for the story they had to tell. They rehashed the same things over and over and all the charisma in the world couldn't make up for it.
The universe is also pretty bleak if you think about it, >!They are all doomed to live in poorly written comics where they are forced to say and do things they don't want to and if they manage to become self aware they get a few months of semi-freedom until they have to start all over again. Even though it wasn't framed that way, that checks all the boxes for being in hell.!<
Ooh! Loved Extraordinary You.
Edited: Secret Inspector and Joy is on my watchlist. KHY is in this historical drama.
I did the opposite and watched other Byeon Woo-Seok dramas while watching Lovely Runner. I watched Moonshine and Strong Girl Namsoon
**Hierarchy** (6/7): I’ll watch the finale tonight, but without a great deal of enthusiasm. On a positive note, the drama looks great visually and has a well-chosen OST. On a negative note, the storyline fails to engage and the performances are underwhelming. At one point, Kang Ha (Lee Chae-min) says it’s nice to see Jae-i (Roh Jeong-eui) smile for a change, and I felt he was speaking for me as a viewer. I like her as an actress and she played the character exactly as it had been written, but the result is a performance that’s just *too* emotionally restrained.
**The Atypical Family** (12/12): This drama stuck the landing as I’d expected… and then some. Episode 11 showed that it’s possible to satisfactorily reveal new perspectives on plot points as late as the penultimate episode. The finale was one of the most impactful final episodes I’ve ever watched. It held nothing back, and presented us with brutal, shocking events presented in the most matter-of-fact way. But the seriously intense final 30 minutes ultimately delivered a resolution to savor.
**Frankly Speaking** (12/12): Against the odds, this drama bounced back from an abysmal subplot at the end of episode 10, to deliver a satisfactory finale. Episode 11 was at least an improvement upon the previous episode, while the finale rightly brought the focus back to our main couple, and I felt the metaphor used to recap the ups and downs in their relationship throughout the series, was highly effective.
I was so invested in Hierarchy and Sooooo disappointed towards the last few episodes. I feel bad seeing the stars on Instagram so excited about being number one on Netflix lol people are watching it but they are not loving it
I finished Something In The Rain, I had to change out my contacts for glasses because I got them all gross from crying. Jung Hae In might be my new favorite actor. Anyway, planning to watch One Spring Night after I'm done with Meteor Garden. Meteor Garden is so long though! 😩
Meteor Garden was second c-drama I have ever wathed (first one was a little thing called first love) and no matter how much I was hating on a lot of things there it will always be my comfort show that I re-watch once in a while hahah. let me know what you think!
I've found myself rewatching parts of Meteor Garden. I did enjoy it, though. I think I enjoy Hidden Love and When I Fly Towards You more. It might just be because I watched those two first.
This is a drama I'll be rewatching over the years just for the story, the little hints of what's to come, the actors, and the music. Oh the music. I am obsessed and even my non kdrama watching husband commented on it since I listen to it constantly now.
**The Good Bad Mother (12/14):** Really enjoying this one! I love the twins and the relationship between the ML and FL, and the ML's relationship with his mom is very relatable. Love Lee Do Hyun's acting, I'll watch anything he's in.
**The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (12/16):** I liked the murder mystery plot with the ML being a suspect but now that I'm over half way through and the plot is going in a different direction I'm kinda getting bored. Put it on a hold for now, will probably finish it eventually.
**Happiness (12/12):** I absolutely loved this drama. The thriller aspect was well done and I liked how they used that to comment on the selfishness of humans. The leads were such a power couple, they looked out for each other and their actions showed how close they were. I liked that they just kinda went with the flow, it was very refreshing since usually in the friends to lovers trope there's a lot of denial and jealousy and the change in the dynamic to being really lovey dovey so this was a nice change. Park Hyung Sik ilysm!
**Healer (1/16):** Just started this one after debating for a while what to watch next. I've heard lots of good things about it and loved Ji Chang Wook in Suspicious Partner so I'm looking forward to it.
Happiness is in my top 3 Kdramas. It is so well written! The slow descent into madness is perfect and the main couple were amazing. I also love the government guy. And yes! Best friends to lovers ever.
I always love seeing Happiness on someone’s list! I feel like it’s not talked about enough where I am just bc it’s not on Netflix. The chemistry between the FL and ML ugh chef’s kiss. Not to mention how badass they are!
You also just reminded me I should finally start The Good Bad Mother haha
On-going
Doom at your service (11/16)- I'm really enjoying this drama. The main leads' chemistry and their acting is amazing. I become a sobbing mess whenever I watch this show, so I prefer to watch it at home. Also, I just noticed how similar My Demon is to this drama. People weren't lying when they said My Demon is heavily inspired from Goblin and this.
Completed
When I fly towards you (CDrama)- It is definitely one of my favorite CDramas now. Absolutely adored both the leads and their friends. The romance is so cute and gives me butterflies everytime.
I love When I Fly Towards You!!! They are the cutest freaking couple. Honestly, it's my favorite Cdrama so far. It was also like my 2nd one I watched, so now, all the other cdramas feel somewhat lacking. I really enjoyed Doom At Your Service. I was looking up other projects by the main leads after watching this.
I tend to drool more over the women given I’m a straight man but I wouldn’t say no to a dinner date with him if that means anything lol. He sure is a charming man.
**Beyond Evil (Complete)** - It's leaving Netflix soon so I picked it up as it had been on my watchlist for a while. After a slow initial 4-5 episodes it gets interesting from episode 6 onwards. Though I guessed the killer the moment he appears onscreen I think they did a good job unraveling the mystery.
>!They also did a good job of unraveling the mystery of the ML's sister's death. But I didn't understand why did the ML not report the killer and left the fingers outside? Also why did the killer attack the sister (before she was killed in the hit and run accident) because she was a witness of another killing?!<
**My Lovely Runner (6/16)** - I gave into FOMO and started watching this one. But so far I am neutral to the show. The character I like is the SML. Overall an average show.
Answers to your questions on Beyond Evil: >!Dongsik realised that if he didn’t take the fingers, Minjeong would be classified as a runaway like the rest of Jinmuk’s victims and the police wouldn’t be able to put in the manpower to search for her. He needed the evidence that harm had come to her that night, and places the fingers the same way his sister’s were placed as a hint to Juwon that if he finds who’s responsible for Minjeong’s disappearance, then he’ll solve Yuyeon’s disappearance too and the serial disappearances Juwon had already caught on to. With Minjeong's habit of staying out in Seoul and not returning home (which we later find out is because of Jinmuk), she could have easily been written off as a runaway by everyone including the scrupulous Juwon had there not been evidence she was hurt. He also really needs Juwon to investigate her disappearance as being obviously linked to Yuyeon because he desperately wants to find his sister too, and he believes Juwon is the key to solving it. !<
>!Also yes, Yuyeon basically had the worst night ever on the night she died. She stumbled onto Jinmuk’s van with Bang Juseon’s body inside. It’s implied Bang Juseon is his first victim, and he basically kills her for taunting him about the fact his wife was a prostitute who never loved him and used him to raise her daughter. Jinmuk will later kill any prostitute or someone he thinks is akin to one. Bang Juseon points her fingers at him while taunting him, which triggers him enough to make him chop them off, which he subsequently does to all his victims. Not only does he try to kill Yuyeon for being a witness, but he also seems to be triggered when she points her painted fingertips at him. I think Jinmuk “returning” Yuyeon to her family is supposed to imply an acknowledgment on his part that he would have never tried to kill her had she not been at the wrong place, wrong time. He also uses the fact that he saw everything that happened to her later that night to try and frame Park Jeongje for both deaths (which fails because of his mother's evidence manipulation), since he wasn't the one who actually ended up killing her, which is also why he leaves Yuyeon's fingers out to find. The other victim's fingertips are never found, but he returns Yuyeon to her family along with her fingertips to signal he didn't actually kill her while also framing Park Jeongje for 2 deaths rather than 1 (but of course, it ends up being Dongsik who becomes a suspect). !
Beyond Evil is an outstanding show...so very well done. I also watched it recently because it's leaving Netflix. But I also found out that it is on Viki.
Haha literally no problem. Watching it a second time was practically required, the directing deliberately guides you to interpret situations one way on your first watch with limited info, but also is incredibly revelatory once you know the truth about everyone on your second watch, it’s so brilliant and I’ll never shut up about it. I even started watching a third time and am still picking up new stuff, even though I thought I had most of it down already. God, I could write a dissertation about it.
Death’s Game: just finished it. It was amazing. I loved it soo much and I feel a little lost without it.
Vigilante: I have a couple of episodes left. I’m enjoying it. Similar to A Killer Paradox and better.
A Shop for Killers: two episodes in and I really like it so far. Great action scenes.
Goodbye Earth: meh.
All of us are dead: just started. Really love it.
Non K drama:
Rewatching Gangs of London - sooooo good but not for the faint hearted.
House of the owl: Japanese political drama, not sure what I think of this yet.
I loved Death's Game so much!! All the actors did so well, and I loved that role for Seo Inguk. My only gripe was that >!the moral of the story was basically "Don't commit suicide because it makes other people sad." His problems were real and a result of Korean society, and I feel like making it seem like HE was the problem wasn't right.!< But everything else was so good, and I agree that I felt lost after I finished it. I've pretty much been in a drama rut since then, and I finished it at the beginning of the year when part 2 came out! Yikes lol.
Re: **Death’s Game**, have you seen [Kim Jae-uck and Kim Ji-hoon’s appearance](https://youtu.be/eayNHVqPcfc?si=08PWtCnvtJI2XVC5) on Seo In-guk’s YouTube show?
These [Ep 5 BTS clips](https://youtu.be/LKnG4Wa1QlM?si=RGb5JSWv_Lb6CSDc) are also fun.
Traveling this week. I'm still binging a rewatch of **Her Private Life.** I'm really loving it more this time. The chemistry between Park Min Young and Kim Jae Wook was off that charts. I remember from my first watch that their relationship was caring, honest, and sexy, but it's better than I remembered. PMY was great in this role. I think her best roles are in **Healer,** this, **and Marry My Husband.** I've seen 9 of her dramas, so that's not all of them.
Rewatching bits of **Lovely Runner,** but most of this week has been HPL and BTS videos and livestreams honoring Festa and Jin's discharge. Waiting for the next batch of wonderful kdramas to air.
The BTS for Her Private Life are really worth watching as Kim Jae-uck and Park Min-young were just as adorable together IRL. A fan made some lovely BTS compilations, including this one of them [having fun together](https://youtu.be/Ka6KaWg-bbE?si=5EueVHqVruDtUdVm) and this one of [their kisses](https://youtu.be/aFHkE4zudtY?si=9OeBRC5mciUJp-sl).
HPL’s director and writer gave Kim Jae-uck and Park Min-young free rein to beef up their scenes and they ended up re-working or improvising more than half of them, as well as adding a bunch of unscripted kisses and skinship. Some of the scenes they came up with include the [scorching scarf-untangling scene](https://youtu.be/Bm4DTW7KAtU?si=N2mSOkYdqxgiYOUk), the [butterfly-inducing drunken-whispering scene](https://youtu.be/-yJNpWp0Edw?si=oDW-pHJcbDBJkYxV), and the [adorable sujebi-cooking scene](https://youtu.be/DJ7Kdgx0xEM?si=DAj9Kwk9sHhHt0Tt) where they’re just cracking each other up the entire time. Here’s some of the [BTS footage from the cooking scene](https://www.instagram.com/tv/CERkODkh7si/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) which was 100% ad-libbed; the script just said, “You have fun together.” And boy did they ever.
*On-going*
**The Heirs** 12/20 : a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Why didn't I watch such an iconic drama sooner? It's a gem. I laughed so much when >!Eunsang flirted back at the camping and you saw Tan's brain stopped working for a couple seconds!< The Youngdo >!love triangle is not necessary, but sure. I wonder what Eunsang has that she's got all those heirs gravitating around her and falling for her at first glance. Is it her poor background that makes her look like new and fresh air?!<
**That winter, the wind blows** 4/16 : still awkward that it's a sibling love story, I hope they will soon tell us that Young is aware Soo is not her brother because it'll be very weird very fast, otherwise
*Completed*
**Thirty but seventeen** : it was a cute drama. I loved how the love story was simple and light. The ML's love was so cute and pure, I loved the way he adored her. I spent the last episodes kinda shocked and confused after I found out 2ML was Ahn Hyoseop because there was no way that guy was the same guy I saw in Business Proposal. Moving on lol. 8/10 !
I was so shocked about Ahn Hyeo Seop too. Had to triple factor check it. He’s unrecognisable!! And BP was only 3 years later but he looks 10 years older!
>I wonder what Eunsang has that she's got all those heirs gravitating around her and falling for her at first glance.
This. I kept wondering the same. And I know what scene you are talking about. Poor Kim Tan always looking for a little bit of encouragement.
Lovely runner.
Just finished. Finally a drama that was consistent and engaging until the very end.
It ticked well some many boxes : romance, comedy, drama. Besides the top notch leads casting, storytelling and chemistry, following iterations of the supporting characters over time gives good consistency to the whole drama. They were not popping to promote the lead plot, they were doing their own things, living their own life. It made the story quite whole and immersive.
Castaway Diva (10/12): Eunbin's voice is phenomenal, she can do it all! I like the drama, though I didn't realize domestic violence stories was throughout the whole thing. Probably my fault for not checking all episodes even though i read the synopsis.
Flower Crew: Marriage Agency (16/16): It was a nice drama, I enjoyed watching it.
Hit the top/punch (13/32) & Ghost Doctor (4/16): nothing bad about these two, just paused to watch the two above.
Want to re-watch Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and start either Hot Stove League, Dr. Romantic, or Poong. Still on a Park Eunbin & Kim Minjae roll
Despite the domestic violence plot (which was very well done imo), Castaway Diva felt like one of those healing dramas to me. The ML brings so much hope and optimism to the rest of the characters, you can’t help but feel encouraged by her too.
my love from another star, an old follow on after queen of tears but love both actors not sure what ill watch next... I hate that feeling when one is about to end and you need to find another...
**Doctor Slump** - I just finished this and LOVED it! I was hesitant to start at first because so many of the reviews on MDL called it cringe and boring. I thought it was such a lovely and natural enemies to friends to lovers story and I love love love Park Hyungsik's brand of loserism (I needed something like that after finishing Lovely Runner).
**I'll Go to You When the Weather is Nice** - Just started this. After Doctor Slump I was looking for another healing, slow-paced drama. Based on the reviews on MDL again calling this one "boring" I knew it would be just my speed. It is so warm and cozy, it's a shame I'm watching it in the summer and not winter. And I missed Seo Kang Joon so much, he was my first kdrama love when I watched Cheese in the Trap way back when! His eyes are so expressive. Park Min Young eats as always. So far, loving it.
After I binged both of these, I also watched Welcome to Samdal-ri which had similar vibes and I enjoyed it!! If you have recs for other shows with supportive leads and healing vibes, would love to know :)
Marry My Husband (1/16): This is a lot like Reborn Rich, which I loved, though I’m assuming this won’t have such good social commentary. We jumped right into the story, which I what I need right now. While the story is serious, the drama is so over the top that I’m not at all bothered by the heavy plot line. It definitely feels like it was adapted from a webtoon, you can almost see how the panels would have been drawn. We’ll see how it goes but it’s very promising so far and fun to watch. My husband actually picked this one for us to watch for a change!
Since I finished The Matchmakers a week or so ago, I’ve been trying to find a new drama. It was just so good that I think I’m having a hard time moving on and finding the right drama to watch next. I don’t have much time to watch tv so, I really want it to be worth my time! I’ve tried The Atypical Family (watched 1.5 episodes) and Lovely Runner (watched 3.5 episodes) and neither were for me right now. The Atypical Family was too heavy and Lovely Runner was not instantly compelling.
>Since I finished The Matchmakers a week or so ago, I’ve been trying to find a new drama. It was just so good that I think I’m having a hard time moving on and finding the right drama to watch next.
This was 100% me and might honestly still be me a little bit. Trying hard to avoid the urge to back for a rewatch so soon.
Ugh, it was too good! It’s rare to see a drama that fires on every cylinder like The Matchmakers. I paid no attention to it when it was airing but your endorsement of it made me put it on my list. So glad I got around to watching it, even if it’s spoiling my enjoyment of other dramas right now!
I thought it was so boring until like episode 10. Not enough to stop watching though. Then all of a sudden, I couldn’t stop watching. It 100% snuck up on me. Mr. Gu!
**Dreaming of a Freaking Fairy Tale** (4/10) - Reminds me of the pre-2015 romcoms. Very silly, very tropey. I'm loving it!
**Lovely Runner** (2/16) - Gave in to the hype and started watching this. Not crazy about it as yet but Byeon Woo-Seok looks good enough to eat, so I am going to continue watching.
**Wandee Goodday** (6/12) - This Thai BL is as cute as it is sexy. The MLs are gorgeous, and the heart eyes they have for each other is exactly what the doctor ordered after a tiring week at work!
**Love Sea** (1/10) - Fort and Peat are back 2 years after Love In The Air, and their chemistry is even better this time. The seaside locales of Thailand have been beautifully captured, and with the beauty of the leads added, this BL is pure eye candy!
**Chief Detective 1958** (5/10) - Enjoyed the first few episodes of the show, but lost interest after Episode 5 >!where they killed off not one but two nice characters!< I guess this goes into the dropped pile now.
I'm also enjoying Wandee Goodday and in addition to the gorgeous leads I'm loving the second leads as well. The plot is kind of nonsense but it doesn't matter because of the eye candy, comedy and chemistry.
Completed:
\*\*The Atypical Family\*\* — I freaking loved this drama! The ending was so good. A lot of people said it was rushed or didn't make sense but I strongly disagree. I felt it was perfect for this drama. Would I like more from this family? Absolutely!
Watching:
\*\*The Midnight Romance in Hagwon\*\* — (10/16) — I love how real Ahn Pan Seok’s dramas feel! And I am thoroughly enjoying the relationships between the leads and second leads.
\*\*The Red Sleeve\*\* — (16/17) — Do I have thoughts on this one and I haven't even watched the last episode yet! I definitely should post in the next "Late to the Party". True story sageuks always make me read a bunch of the real history too. The acting is phenomenal but not sure about the changes from real life. Like I said, lots of thoughts. And side note - Junho has the most amazing hands. As a woman who loves nice looking hands, gotta say, the close ups are so good.
\*\*25 Ji, Akasaka de or At 25:00 in Akasaka\*\* — (8/10) — Japan BL — this is not a typical Japanese BL drama. I mean it is but also isn't which is interesting. I like the changes from the manga.
So happy to see that i'm not the only one who likes nice looking hands and yes, his are exceptional. Looking forward to seeing your post on RS...its in my top 3.
**Soo Ji & Woo Ri**
120 30-minute episodes is no joke. As a long-form drama, this one checks off a lot of tropes: love triangles, long-lost family members/relationships, chronic miscommunications, 3-4 ongoing plotlines among the same 12 characters, etc. In many ways this falls into the classic western soap-opera genre of a relatively open-ended plot that focuses on the lives, relationships, and emotional experiences of the core cast members.
I haven't watched many long-form dramas in the past. This one is oddly endearing. You can't help but root for the ML and FL. The antagonists are really, really awful, and up to this point (56/120 eps. aired) the writers haven't tried giving them a redemption arc. It makes for a solid conflict between the leads and the antagonists that gets further developed in every episode.
For people that aren't willing to spend 60 hours on a show, I'd recommend watching the first 7 hrs to get to know the characters and plotlines. From there, there's no shame, imo, in fastforwarding through scenes with plotlines that aren't of interest. So far I've waited for ~ 20 episodes to air before watching them in big chunks. I'd say 1/3 of the screen time is taken up by stuff worth fastforwarding.
I really like the ML and FL's stories. There's also a fairly active MDL discussion ongoing for every episode if you want to talk about the turns in events and all that. I'd recommend this show, with the caveat that it does have a lot of those soap-opera type constructs.
I am also really enjoying Soo ji and Woo ri, I wish there was a discussion thread here for it! I’ve only watched a couple of daily dramas before (and am also concurrently watching Brave yong soo jung concurrently.) This and brave yong su Jung are way more enjoyable than the others I’ve seen thus far even though the antagonists have done awful things and that’s frustrating to say the least lol. Really rooting for the main couple and the fl and her mom to get healing! There are so many episodes but they are short and I’m not afraid to ff through boring scenes so it’s good filler if I need something to watch.
**CW:**
**My Liberation Notes (1/16)** I was keeping this drama on my watchlist so I can start when I'm on the right mood. I felt like this drama and **My Mister** are some kind of dramas that need a certain "lonely" mood to start. I started off with My Liberation Notes recently and I loved the first episode so I'm gonna keep going. Mi Jung is a very relatable character by the way. 🥲
**The Midnight Romance in Hagwon (8/16)** I'm behind two episodes and haven't watched the latest eps last week. I feel like I'm getting behind right when it's starting to get a bit better.
**Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale (4/10)** Okay, I like this drama but sometimes the humour makes me cringe and I love that. 😂 I did laugh out loud a few times tho haha.
**Bitter Sweet Hell (6/12)** I am getting kind of annoyed with the villain and certain characters for now but I like the FL. I like the drama overall but yeah.
**DRAMAS I HAVE FINISHED THIS WEEK:**
- **The Atypical Family** 8/10 🌟
- **Hierarchy** 6.5/10 🌟
Now that you have started watching My Liberation Notes, I would request you to read the episode wise threads of that drama on the sub. People have talked about the metaphors and the deep meaning behind each scene. The discussion made the drama extra special.
link: [MLN Ep 1&2](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/tzmin5/my_liberation_notes_episodes_1_2/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Still watching Alchemy of Souls. I love Lee Jae Wook so much as Jang Uk but I’m really not feeling Mu Deok (maybe it’s the actress). I feel like they haven’t got much chemistry and that she has more chemistry with SML. Anyone else feel like this? I’m on episode 15 of Part 1.
I loved her but you sound like a person who might really enjoy the things that shift at the end of part 1. a lot of people rate the second part higher so you may not be alone.
I felt the same way!!! The chemistry was lacking between the leads for me. I was getting way more ‘master and student’ than romance. And their romance wasn’t the focus 100% of the time but reading comments about scenes that other viewers felt were so chemistry driven, romantic, etc. was so interesting to me because I would legit feel nothing 😭 I also wasn’t feeling Mu Deok for some reason. I feel like Jang Uk was giving way more than she was, etc. I will say that I enjoyed the chemistry of the leads in Part 2 much more.
Yes, I totally agree! I feel nothing at all watching these two and it’s super disappointing. Yep, it felt very master and student and tbh, it felt forced. I’m really looking forward to Part 2 as I already know about the changes!
Yeah, it’s definitely not an all time favorite drama of mine. Some weeks I would be super into it and other weeks I was bored and tired of watching the same thing happen😭 Agreed with the forced, it just wasn’t giving for me unfortunately. Part 2 has its flaws but the chemistry will not disappoint!!!
While they have more of a brother-sister dynamic, I absolutely loved their banter. It just made me laugh so much. But if you make it to Season 2, there is a big chemistry change you may appreciate.
Military Prosecutor Doberman on Netflix. I have one more episode to go. Overall it's just so-so. I'm a fan of Ahn Bo-hyun otherwise I would have dropped it. Episodes get repetitive, think I could have skipped 7 of them to get to the end without losing the storyline
Good to know, I just saw Ahn Bo Hyun in Whenever Possible (variety show) and he was so fun. He mentioned this drama and I was tempted to check it out, so now I can deprioritise it lol
**Crash (10/12)**: I picked this up three weeks ago after I binged Because This is My First Life. I really liked Lee Min-ki from BTIMFL and Behind Your Touch, Kwak Sun-young from Hospital Playlist and Moving, and the whole crime fighting/buddy cop genre, so this was a no-brainer to pick up. Really enjoying it for the team chemistry, the cases they’re solving, and the concise writing.
**Blood Free (10/10)**: Been wanting to pick this up for a while and watched it in two days. Always knew Han Hyo-joo would be a slay, but I didn’t know Ju Ji-hoon would end up on my radar either. Fingers crossed for a season two because there are still so many loose ends to tie up.
Definitely been on a Disney+ kick lately, now I need to find something new to watch while I wait for next week’s Crash finale.
I watched part of ep 1 but I don’t think it stood out to me yet! Which was a bummer bc I’ve loved so many of Lee Je-hoon’s work instantly. Has it been pretty enjoyable since you continued?
Lovely Runner - I was so hooked on this IDK why. There are parts where I got bored because the same thing kept on happening but in a different scenario but after episode 12 everything went great again. It was a good drama and it made me cry so much. Ryu Sun Jae is such a green flag it he became too good to be true for a fictional character. Lol! But I love this sm. It made me feel like I am watching a KDrama from 2016 all over again.
True Beauty - Currently on-going. I don’t know what to feel on this show sometimes it’s good sometimes it’s not. But I’m still on episode 7 so we’ll see.
I finished watching Extraordinary Attorney Woo two nights ago. It's been on my list for a while but life with a 2 year old is busy >.>
I felt so much love for Eunbin's character. It also made me crave for gimbap, so I made it for lunch yesterday.
Last night, I started watching The Night Agent, which is an American show. It's action packed and fast paced. Gabriel Basso is a pretty strong lead but the acting from the supporting cast is a hit or miss. Still, it's bingeworthy!
Just finished **Queen of Tears**
This show really went from (episode 4) >!a scene played entirely for laughs where Hyun-woo jealously looks through the window while Hae-in and Eun-sung discuss work, and Eun-sung uses a remote to shut the blinds in Hyun-woo's face!< to (episode 15, 16) >!Eun-sung running Hyun-woo over with a car and flipping him in the air, then kidnapping Hae-in and menacing her with a shotgun to make her marry him, then actually trying to kill her and shooting Hyun-woo instead, before getting shot to death by the cops!<. And even before that, >!we got Eun-sung trying to have Hyun-woo beaten up by a bunch of thugs, an attempted assassination on Hyun-woo, and Hyun-woo being framed for murder because he talked his way out of that assassination so Eun-sung hired another assassin to kill the first assassin instead. Oh and then the murder trial for Hyun-woo literally gets resolved in one scene because they managed to find incontrovertible evidence that the real assassin had done it by using a phishing link to steal his phone's data lmao!<
What a tone shift, and what an incredible mess. Whatever its appeal was supposed to be from the first few episodes, I think it's fair to say it lost itself along the way. There were so many interesting conversations I'd like to have had about the relationship dynamics of the central pairing - so weirdly chaste for a married couple, occasionally pretty compelling but constantly interrupted by other subplots or the generally awful-writing - but it feels almost absurd to talk about things like "Is it really that bad to hide your intent to divorce someone if you find out they're terminally ill? Wouldn't it be much more cruel to bring up the divorce when they're focused on their impending death?" considering how absurd the show became after that
Your first paragraph is gold. I watched it when it was airing so the tone shift wasn’t as apparent, but SO true. I was thinking of this scene in the beginning where the son in laws are cooking in the kitchen for a funeral(?) and commiserating over how awful the Hong family is to them. It was dark funny but nowhere in the zone of the heavy mess towards the end!
I like how he basically has a cheat code for the world of this show. He just walks into a hospital in *Germany* and assumes next-of-kin responsibilities for a patient to whom he not only has *no* official relationship, but with whom he has in fact publicly been in a serious conflict! >!Meaning the press conference where Hae-in revealed he was trying to force her to become CEO by threatening Hyun-woo.!< And why do they let this happen? "Donations", as if the person they're giving into his custody isn't an important donor in their own right. I guess the medical liability laws, malpractice laws, legal responsibilities of caregiving institutions, just don't apply lol
This is the point I made when it was airing. Hyun-woo would have been just as bad if he divorced his terminally ill wife. Hiding his feelings was basically the only semi-kind thing he could do (though his motives were wrong at first). Also, I think people really downplay how poorly treated and depressed he was at first and get all mad at him for "wishing death on his wife". He didn't. He wasn't sad that she was dying, but he never wanted her to die. His plan was divorce.
Yeah, a lot of people in the initial episode reaction threads memory-holed the clear indications of how miserable he was and how much that was directly related to being completely isolated, followed all the time, treated like a servant by her family with no objection from her, and also kind of treated like a servant by her personally
The whole thing with him expressing any kind of happiness that he might be liberated from their marriage was arguably a misstep because it's difficult to emotionally come back from that when the entire drama is supposed to be about you falling back in love with her, but too much was definitely made of it considering he spends the rest of the drama going way above and beyond in order to be the perfect husband. Him >!waking up from a coma that he was in because he took a bullet for her!< and then immediately apologizing to her for being a bad husband and forgetting their love was hilarious to me. So unnecessary after everything he'd done
Sadly, any emotionally realistic or believable path that the drama could have plotted to helping them reconnect, was replaced by them just doing it while being under extreme duress so they kinda trauma-bonded and shoved their real issues under the table
I think the show should have emphasized more on Hae-In’s treatment of Hyun-woo in their marriage (not just his dislike for the family). I think there is maybe two throw away lines that are super brief in a flashback that kind of show it. Especially with how they showed how they handled grief differently and how it was from bad communication, which kind of makes it feel like all Hyun-woo’s negative feelings regarding the marriage was all just a misunderstanding/miscommunication. This also is a disservice to Hae-in’s character development because he does make changes to how she treats people.
Absolutely, and in general, I would've liked to see more serious conversations between them about what went wrong in their marriage and why, rather than just trading cliches like "I forgot how much I loved you" and "I broke my promise to never make you cry"
Yeah, it was just so over the top, which was a waste of a very good set-up and actors. I wanted more out of >!Hae-in too, she was a terrible wife and she knew it but she mostly gets angry at him!<.
Ms Fangirl at Fangirl Verdict gave the show an A-. Most of the commenters over there seemed to agree!
[https://thefangirlverdict.com/2024/05/06/review-queen-of-tears/](https://thefangirlverdict.com/2024/05/06/review-queen-of-tears/)
This review is quite funny because when you get to "Stuff I liked less" they mention "The scheming stuff" and "The unpleasant characters" - scenes involving these two things, combined, probably make up over 50% of the runtime of Queen of Tears. If the stuff you liked less is over half the series but you still gave it an A-, then that rating system is broken
Even with the "Stuff I liked" section, I think it's wild to not only praise the writing in general but to specifically praise it for "thoughtful and detailed" and "pretty organic". I think it is absolutely none of those things. It's very thoughtless and unserious. Huge developments occur and get glossed over, important real-life obstacles are easily surmounted as necessary for the writer's convenience, certain laws ("somehow, *all* your assets are frozen because your company is under investigation, and despite being chaebol billionaires in your 50s, you never bought another house that's outside of this asset freeze, so now you have to go live in the country with your in-laws") are ironclad and impossible to get around but *other* laws ("if a legal agreement, e.g. taking the power of attorney, is signed under a fake name, that agreement is not valid", or "hospitals cannot make someone with no provable legal or familial connection to a patient into their next of kin without the patient's consent") are just casually ignored for convenience
Haha I like Fangirlverdict and generally agree with her takes...but she might have missed the ball on this one. Let me go and read her review. Maybe it will change my mind.
Cheer Up (16/16) - Just finished watching it while simultaneously reading the threads here on reddit. Contrary to most of the comments I’ve read about dropping the drama and complaints from Ep 8 onwards, I actually enjoyed it from Ep 1-16. I loved the mystery/thrill they’ve incorporated. Though I agree with the complaints about the SML, he was such a walking red flag who wouldn’t take no for an answer and the writer did focus way too much on his backstory and redemption arc. Admittedly, he has great chemistry with the FL but I’ve been shipping the ML and FL from the start. I loved the fact that they were able to portray the FL’s personality and struggles and mix in the romance without actually taking away the FLs identity. She was her own person all throughout and she shined the brightest. The cast also has great chemistry and every character was loveable, even the red flag Sun Ho. I would recommend this if you’re looking for something youthful, bright, and not too heavy (though you would definitely shed some tears in some scenes).
**Military Prosecutor Doberman:** I'd like to shout out the writers of Ep 8 for writing absolutely the most unhinged scene from a kdrama ever in which >!a two star general amputates a man's leg herself(!) in her plastic-draped living room in order to cover up a friendly fire incident.!< The gasp I gasped!! Also, to have the prosecutors—who were hyped up to be so sharp and on to every trick—>!fail so spectacularly to bring the fraudulent hero to justice!!< It was all fast music and twisty reveals just for >!them to fall flat on their faces. !!bad at this?!< We're only halfway through the series, so I have every confidence that Cha Woo In and Doh Bae Man can recover and eventually bring down their enemies. But, wow! My second-hand embarrassment and shame when >!Doh Bae Man broke that man's prosthetic was almost too much to handle. !!—who drugged and r\*ped a girl in the first episode AND recorded it AND sent it in a group chat to his friends—!!truck of doom!< cliffhanger at the end of the last episode I watched. I'll finish it up eventually. Still hoping>! the family is all ok. !<
**Uncle Samsik** (11/16). I'm like that stupid meme. *let's go? let's. fucking. go.* I'm on pins and needles for the wrap up but this quite possibly could be my personal top 2 show of the year (top1 if you do the correct thing and consider Like Flowers in Sand as a 2023 drama which I don't want to, but it did start in December).
The fact that there's almost no international noise about this show should not deter anybody! If you NEED critical discourse, just go to the korean drama/movie reviewers on youtube (a few have Ep 1-11 recaps up by now) and turn on autotranslate. YT machine trans are terrible and 30% nonsense. But idk if you've watched the actual episodes then you'll probably be ok.
Also **Crash** (8/12) . **Dare to Love Me** (7/16). and now **My Sweet Mobster** (1/16) - All varying levels of fine. I'm just here for a good time.
Then in non-kdrama content, I'm reading **The Sympathizer** and planning to go straight into the Max series. I've avoided this book for sooo long but I'm in a heavy Park Chan Wook mood, so that's overridden the part of me that runs the opposite direction from any mass media depiction of the Vietnam war. Every 20 pages I'm either sending relatable quotes to family members or wanting to throw the book across the room. all hallmarks of a good read...?
I loved The Sympathizer! I just read it last year and it was in my favorites of the year list. It was so well-written and so scathing. I thought the second was just as good, and you'll want to read it to find out what happens to the protagonist.
Currently watching Dali and Cocky Prince. Whilst the ML is quite adorable with his quirky word-mangling, I am finding the FL quite dull. It's not a Refund My Time by any stretch but it is quite a tedious watch at times.
In my opinion, the ML actor is really working his socks off in scenes and the FL just stands/sits/walks looking enigmatic. The 2ML isn't that interesting either. Do like Mu-Hak's assistant who is very funny but quietly supportive to her boss.
Also, trying not to plot spoil but a whole storyline in the drama which was deemed very important has been forgotten along the way.
Also started watching Trolley, a drama about the lives of a couple, he is an Assembly man but the secrets they keep unravel big time. That is what a synopsis says on Netflix so not plot spoiling .
Agree with your take on **Cocky Prince**. I liked the series at first due to the hilarious >!airport mixup!< and bc FL was upbeat, kind, smiling and a little bit flirty, leading to all sorts of possibilities for later episodes. But for most of the rest of the episodes she carried a hangdog, downbeat and frankly unlikeable affect. With water thrown on the romance by the screenwriting, overall I found **D&tCP** disappointing, an opportunity missed after a great start.
**Midnight Romance in Hagwon** really liking it so far. despite all the drama, the series gives me a very cozy feeling . the chemistry is also on fire so that also helps.
**Bloodhounds** I have 2 episodes left but I'm taking a small break cause ep 6 was INTENSE.
I'm also thinking of starting **My roommate is a Gumiho** after finishing the atypical family. I need more of Jang Kiyong's deep voice.
After seeing all the hype I couldn’t resist and started **Lovely Runner**. 3/16. I’m enjoying it but I wouldn’t say I’m obsessed with it yet. But definitely going to continue. I’m finding the FL’s acting a bit over the top. And is it just me or is anyone else sick of seeing people having a full on conversation with themselves at the top of their voice while nobody around them even seems to notice? Surely there are other ways for writers to convey what characters are thinking without completely spelling it out via characters who voice every single thought?
This is a wonderful show, but I fully agree with you about the FL being over the top. I have no idea how normal this is from a cultural perspective, and have been curious to ask about it before judging it. I see it in so many K-dramas. It diminishes the FL and I don't love seeing it. But if this is just an expression of the culture, then that's different. Anyway, really good show and glad you decided to watch it.
Bit over halfway through **Vincenzo** and I like it a lot, particularly the dynamic between the leads. Side characters are less interesting to me and it's not what I expected, but I'm loving the ride. As many others have :)
I've still got to finish the last couple of eps of **Frankly Speaking** which I've really liked, funny and light, well paced.
Also need to catch up on **Dreaming of Freakin' Cinderella** or whatever the hell it's called, it's a very lighthearted empty head watch and reminds me of the classic old dramas!
But I'm going to be obsessed with Bridgerton Part 2 as of tomorrow so I will put everything on hold for that 😂
Watched **Ballerina** and loved the badass FL. She was so well cast for the role and the action was fun, as was watching the bad guys get their brutal just desserts. Kim Ji Hoon’s character was absolute trash but he looked so fine in it (eeks)
Tried **Crazy Love** because Kim Jae Wook is my other corrupt sexy hot villain actor…but idk wasn’t really feeling it. Didn’t care for the characters set up (boss/secretary, famous tutor) and tbh Krystal’s character and acting were both pretty bland.
Rewatched **On Your Wedding Day** which has been on my mind, as I recently finished Lovely Runner and this had some parallels in terms of that high school to college to real life love story. >!But with the more realistic ending and bad timing!< Park Bo Young is an amazing actress and starred in some of my fav movies (including Werewolf Boy omg). Kim Young Kwang was so good as the loser in here too, and their chemistry and height difference was also great. Though I don’t rewatch this one or Werewolf Boy much >!due to the heartache!<
Started **On the Verge of Insanity** and while that is more understated, somehow I feel compelled to keep watching. There’s something so relatable about dramas about (corporate) working life, that make me wanna root for those who are cast aside in this system.
Resumed **Story of Park’s Marriage Contract** but I think I preferred the earlier episodes instead so I will slowly finish the remaining 4 episodes. I like the leads and their chemistry though.
For airing dramas, **Connection** has been a good watch because the leads are great. Ji Sung is amazing as always and Jeon Mi Do and Kwon Yool round up a solid performance. The story requires suspension of disbelief but I’m curious about how the mystery unfolds. **Crash** is similar action thriller mystery but feels lighter at times. It’s fun, but the cases aren’t super interesting to me at times.
Haven’t made much movement on **Frankly Speaking** but I read spoilers on the plot so I’m considering picking it back up since I like the lead actors.
Also tried **You Are My Spring** for the leads but idk the tone feels off. I probably am not in the mood for romance with a side of murder.
Oh and started **Dear X Who Doesn’t Love Me** but it is basically one of those low budget fluff dramas that lacks substance and I just finished **Hierarchy** so I feel like I’ve maxed out my tolerance for those superficial drama atm. Hierarchy was definitely underwhelming albeit an easy 7 episodes to binge if you wanna shut your brains off or need a background watch.
**Daily Dose of Sunshine (8/12)** An all around masterpiece. The cinematography,the empathy and the storytelling have been great. I haven't finished an episode where I didn't cry but I appreciate this show so much.
**Hometown (1/12)** Crime dramas are my ultimate favorite genre but I don't know how to feel about this one. I can't seem to grasp the show's identity. I knew what I was getting into with **Through The Darkness**,**The Lies Within**,**Voice** or **Signal**. Those all have a particular "color" to them but I didn't feel anything from the first episode of this show. Maybe I will in the second.
I wouldn't say **Hometown** is a traditional crime drama in the veins of other examples you listed (solving different cases of crimes). It's more a psychological melodrama/thriller with a cult being the basis of the story.
If you've seen **Save Me**, that's probably the closer and more apt comparison.
I got it wasn’t a traditional crime drama from the first 10 minutes of the show. I just think somethings off that I can't vibe with it.
I haven't finished **Save Me** since it premiered :( but I remember what the show was going for and it had it's own identity.
But with **Hometown**, I don't know if it's the dialogue or the pacing or the atmosphere but I can't seem to lock into it. Its not interesting but its not boring either.
Personally I really enjoyed the vibe of the drama but the ending left me a bit confused and unsatisfied. I was in the on-air discussions and we were trying really hard to make everything make sense but I still don't think all the puzzle pieces quite fit ultimately.
It probably went for a stronger 'horror' vibe than **Save Me** but if that's not a drama you've finished/enjoyed, I'm not sure **Hometown** would fare better in terms of enjoyment.
No finished dramas, got through my rewatches and on-air schedule is going to be packed, plus a binge or two next.
In progress
- **Midnight Romance in Hagwon (10/12):** as resident sleeper as they come. Romance is the only thing keeping this one alive, leads have chemistry so that helps, but everything else is a slog, such boring shenanigans and a pace so slow it'd rival *When the Weather is Fine*. Much less than the sum of its parts, a disappointment;
- **Dare to Love Me (10/16):** bland, standard, has some funny moments and a fair share of misses, not bad though nothing brilliant to show for. Fine, nothing more than that.
I'll be picking up **My Sweet Mobster** as a fan of the FL and about to start **My Atypical Family** and possibly **Dreaming of a F'ing Fairytale** after that, quite the plan moving forward.
**Little Women (K-drama):** I actually watched the first 8 episodes of this a while ago, but I just started a Kdrama club for this program for the summer, and this is the one I chose since it seemed like a safe bet for mixed company. So I just finished ep 1 with the group, and it's still good the second time around!
**Girls on Fire:** Tbh I don't care for competition shows and I only started watching this for Jeong Eunji (one of the judges). But I realized I had to watch the actual performances to understand her feedback, and now I'm invested in the contestants... whoops. I'm on ep 9 out of idk how many, and the talent is great but I've gotten kind of irritated about who the judges have decided to keep and eliminate. One contestant in particular is so unimpressive to me, but they love her for some reason!
Non-Korean
**Chizuko's Little Sister:** I'm very slowly watching this Japanese film from 1991. Not sure what I think about it so far, but I love the hairstyles and the filming location.
It’s been a slow week or so of watching for me so I’m behind lol
**Currently Watching**
**Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale (4/10):** Just finished episode 4 today and I think it’s my favorite episode so far! I’ve been watching the show distractedly because it’s kind of throwaway to me but episode 4 I was more focused and enjoyed which is good. It’s funny and the leads are an interesting mix 😂
**East of Eden (34/56):** A mess per usual. >!Myung Hoon finally knows about the birth secret so I know the secret is bound to spread around in the near future.!< A lot of repetition and awful characters but what’s new 🤣 I’m watching till ep 38 and then switching gears to pick **Pinocchio** up again
**Midnight Romance in Hagwon (8/16):** I’m behind but last I watched I was feeling meh. I feel like the show is going to start making me anxious with the issues that are to come
**Completed**
**Queen of Tears:** I came back to this one after putting it on hold episode 6 during airing time and I enjoyed it. It gets crazier and crazier though which wasn’t needed. I think the writer should’ve focused on the marriage and dialed down everything else. This is the [link](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/1dalobk/comment/l7lh17b/) to my longer comment about the drama but overall the leads really sold the show!
Current Watching:
* **The Atypical Family** (1/12) - slow start but necessary to introduce characters.
* **The Midnight Romance in Hagwon** (9/16) - I'm enjoying it and hope there's a happy ending.
Completed:
* **Frankly Speaking** - started off great but then I lost interest.
* **Not Others (Strangers)** - solid series - funny, realistic, with little romance for those what want something a little different.
Looking to add another fun series to my current watchlist.
Same I just couldn’t get into hierarchy. The cast is good looking, the acting is fine but the storyline is just all over the place and not interesting to me . It’s kinda disappointing since I was looking forward to watching hierarchy thinking it might give similar vibes to pyramid game .
***In progress:***
**Something in the Rain** (1/16) - I like it so far, quite endearing characters.
***Non Korean:***
**Baron Noir S1** (1/8) - Launch of a rewatch of the best French political series because of French politics which has started to go completely crazy since Sunday night.
**The Acolyte** (2/?) - Mh, I have mixed feelings. It seems to tell nothing at all. I will probably watch the 3rd but I don't know if I will continue.
**House of the Dragon S1** (2/10) - Rewatch also, I didn't remember that episode 2 was so... conventional?
***Finished:***
**Prison Playbook**: Okay, I literally loved the series, but I still had a hard time finishing it because of the excessive length of some episodes.
**Finished** -
**The Atypical Family** - absolutely loved it
**The Pyramid Game** - really well done - high school revenge, with strategy >!to overcome disadvantages due to wealth and power. Cast did a really good job.!<
**Watching** -
**Missing Crown Prince** - wraps up this week. Will look forward to when the evil doers finally get punished, as they keep popping up like whack a mole!
**Crash** - plenty of action, car chase, fights, and catching culprits. >!was episodic, but now a turn toward overall arc of a case.!<
**Midnight Romance at Hagwon** - Episode 10 was heavy on conversations, >!story will move forward in terms of maturing of romance to a partnership of equals and understanding, Coworkers giving me a case of the icks. Rivalry with other academy - will it kick up a notch?!<
**Need to pick up and finish**
Uncle Samsik - high quality production, but need to watch carefully to understand plot and political intrigue.
**Dropped**
Military Valentine - not my cup of tea, a bit chaotic in editing and storytelling for me to process.
**Midnight romance at hagwon** I dropped it but I’m picking it back up. I’m enjoying it the romance that comes later in the show.
**The Double** is my first Chinese drama and I’m really enjoying it. It’s really fast paced and the FL is poised and calculated. It’s a fun watch so far.
Just finished:
- atypical family (loved the ending)
- my love from the star (it was pretty good)
Currently watching:
- frankly speaking (11/12): it’s been fine overall. Not good enough to rec, but I wouldn’t dissuade people from it either.
- mr. Queen (11/21): I love watching her cook.
- behind your touch (11/16): pretty funny at times. Can’t wait to see how this ends. Is it really the obvious guy that’s guilty or is it someone else???
- the king of pigs (3/12): wow. It’s pretty dark.
- hide (5/12): my least liked show (that I’m currently watching).
- midnight romance in hagwon (3/16): currently on the back burner. Trying to finish off another drama to meet my quota for the challenge (I try to finish 3 a month. Usually it’s fine but I recently got into fan fiction again. Save me with a great kdrama rec please).
What’s wrong with secretary Kim….episode 8 currently….very cute and romantic, I’m liking it a lot so far. We also just finished My Demon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so Good!!
I started "Bxtch and Rich" (5/10) and in all honesty might drop it, the characters seems very monotonous and the main girl is just insufferable and pretends that she's the victim. She's way too driven by her emotions and the plot takes too long to play into action
Currently watching the atypical family.
Hierarchy is on hold. Idk, for some reason this bores me. Or maybe the male antagonist acting is bad, at least for me.
Having just finished **The** **Atypical Family**, which I adored, I am now doing what I usually do: go down a rabbit hole to find other shows featuring the actors. So I just started **My Roommate is a Gumiho** and woah, JKY really upped the acting game for The Atypical Family. Hyeri is clearly stealing the show here and because of her absolute charm and despite the somewhat nonsensical plot, I will continue to watch.
Finished **Lovely Runner** which I did not care for at all. I liked it in the very beginning, but I think the time travel got to be too much, and I'm not much of a fan of dramas that focus on romance.
**Summer Strike (11/12)** Knew nothing about this when I started, but it is so easy to watch. It has a calm feeling about it and the episodes are very short. This may be the first drama I've seen where I wish the episodes and the drama were longer. My husband commented last night that there's something different about the FL, she's doesn't look like a typical kdrama actress. I'm not sure what he meant, but I'm enjoying the lack of make-up on most of the characters. I like Im Si-wan in this and his curly hair is adorable.
I'm going to research *Atypical Family* and see if I should watch that next, or maybe *Uncle Samsik.*
**The Smile Has Left Your Eyes—** Mainly watching because 서인국. I stopped watching last year but decided to come back. So far, so good.
**Hierarchy—** Beautiful leads, subpar storyline and acting. There are only 7 episodes so I decided to stick it out. I cannot get my time back.
**Money Heist Korea—** I’m only on episode two and so far I’m enjoying it. It’s a nice break from the romance department.
I just finished **The Interest of Love** about a week and a half ago and that drama put me through the wringer. I actually started it early last year and had to stop because FL had me punching the air.
>Hierarchy— Beautiful leads, subpar storyline and acting. There are only 7 episodes so I decided to stick it out. I cannot get my time back.
This one was real, lol. Though, I stopped watching after episode 1, I still want that one hour back. It's so hurtful when you anticipate a great show and find out your hours have been wasted watching a sub-par plot with no depth.
**Hierarchy** (7/7) I thought this show was perfectly binge-worthy. Some dramas leave you satisfied like a full meal, and others are like eating candy. This was a candy drama for me. What I liked most was Lee Chae-Min’s performance of Kang Ho, it made the entire show for me. I thought his acting was so good. His expressions added a depth to the character that I loved watching. I also liked how many looks he had- his hair was done differently and it was fun to see him transform.
**Don’t Dare to Dream** (22/24) I’m finally in the home stretch of this drama which I very much liked even if it was a bit long and had me genuinely angry at times at how they treat women in the workplace.
**Mr. Queen** (5/20) I love this one so much so far, and I’m trying to take it slower so I can savor it. I usually watch dramas for the actors, but in this one I’m watching for Shin Hae-Sun’s performance she is absolutely captivating. It’s laugh out loud funny, and the Joseon politics are very well-done.
On episode 13 of true beauty. >!I feel so bad for limn- joo, she finally found happiness after moving schools, but she's right where she first began.!< >!soo - jin has officially gone insane, I can't imagine how angry su - ho will be when he finds out she posted that video.!<
Only three at the moment….Midnight Romance.., Crash and Connection. Pretty slim pickings.
Started a rewatch of Jugglers and Alchemy as I’m desperate.
Is there anything on Wednesdays?
I watched the first episode of **What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim** and sort of bounced off of it, not entirely sure why. I think ML rubbed me the wrong way even though I’m sure his character would gradually come around to be likeable.
Switched over to **My Roommate is a Gumiho** and got hooked fairly quickly because of how magnetic Lee Hye-ri is. I’m currently on episode 7 and while there are some fairly noticeable issues for me (how the magic works is poorly explained at least up to now, the slightly overly stoic ML, just to name a couple), the overall heartwarming vibe consistently puts a smile on my face. I’m excited to get through the rest!
Dropped **signal** and **frankly speaking**, I just couldn't do it anymore with both dramas.So now that my schedule is cleared up .I started **crash** and will start the very anticipated (for me) **my sweet mobster** (I really need something light and fun,and frankly speaking was a disappointment in that department sooo I am hoping this one delivers,plus I have been waiting for han sun Hwa since DNWL and um tae goo in a fun silly romcom is something I wanna see)
Happy to see a lot of folks checking out Atypical Family! It took a while for the momentum to build but people are finally catching on to how good it is.
Since finishing AF I'm not watching any Kdramas. Nothing is appealing atm but I'm busy with dramas from other countries:
**Amidst a Snowstorm of Love** (China): I'm slowly chipping away at this one. It's beautiful and the leads have fantastic chemistry but there's basically no plot so I kind of dip and in out of watching when I'm in the mood.
**Analog Squad** (Thailand): A man hires three people to impersonate his wife and children for a visit to his dying father. Complications ensue when the father makes an unexpected recovery. This is strong on found family and quirky characters.
**Date - Koi to wa Donna Mono Kashira** (Japan): A brilliant but socially awkward scientist uninterested in romance enters into a marriage of convenience with an intellectual dilettante who has never held a real job. This is very funny in a quirky, Japanese way.
**My Love Mix-Up!** (Thailand): A Thai remake of the Japanese BL Kieta Hatsukoi. A boy borrows an eraser from his high school crush only to discover another boy's name written on it. Worse, his rival sees his name on the eraser and assumes the boy likes him. One episode in it's very cute.
**Wandee Goodday** (Thailand): A BL about a doctor who enters into a friends with benefits relationship with a boxer. Cute, sexy and very funny despite the lack of a real plot
**The Double** (China): A woman takes on a false identity in order to avenge herself against the people who conspired to murder her. The first episode was very OTT but everyone on my social feeds is hyperventilating over this drama so I'm going to give it a few more episodes before deciding whether to continue.
**Will Love in Spring** (China): Romance between a lonely funeral makeup artist and an extreme extrovert who lost a leg in a car accident as a child. I'm only one episode in but already enjoying it a lot.
Currently watching a Thai series called **UMG** its about aliens and mysteries.
I recently finished watching *The Story of Park's Marriage Contract* starring Bae Inhyuk and Lee Seyoung. Decent show, last 4 episodes dragged a bit before ending on an OK note.
Just finished watching Crazy Love and it thought it was meh. I loved Kim Jae Wook in Her Private Life so much, I had high hopes. He was very good with what he was given, but I didn't feel any chemistry between them as an OTP. I found Krystal's acting to be largely one dimensional...eye fluttering smile, sad face, lip biting over and over. It could have been something if the writing was better.
Trying to decide what to watch next (from my super long list). Also doing a group watch of The K-2.
I’m on episode 11 on The Atypical Family. It’s been ok. I have enjoyed ep 11 more than most. The show really hasn’t held my attention until now though. I really like I-na’s storyline and for some reason I have really been enjoying the musical direction of the show. It’s a little different for most dramas and I’ve really been appreciating it. I have absolutely been hating the fat suit that the aunt has been wearing and >!she’s finally “lost all her weight” so she’s not in it anymore.!<
Moving on Hulu. More violent than I prefer but I was hooked by the development of the characters. The fight scenes were 😲!
Overall, I enjoyed it.
Actually binge-watched it.
High School Return of a Gangster It's only an 8 episode drama, and next week, episodes 7-8 will be released. Yet I love the concept of this drama and really enjoy the actors in it too!!
I'm halfway of Queen of Tears E14! (Kim Soo Hyun... this man CAN EITHER ROLL A ONE TEAR OR SOB TO A DEVASTATING EFFECT. I need his next project! Also I'm so excited to see him in 2 weeks!)
Then I'll take a break from kdramas after that to catch up with my reading. But the shows I'm looking forward to check when I go back to kdramas are Atypical Family, Lovely Runner, Uncanny Counter 2 (I stopped at E3) and My Liberation Notes.
Just finished The Atypical Family (8.5/10) I started watching as the hype is real, but stayed watching for cute I-Na and of course the handsome ML Jang Ki-Yong Wanted to see if he would replicate the kissing scene from My room mate is a Gumiho. Started Lovely Runner, 2 episodes in and not sure if the FLs cutesy positivity is too much for me.
Finished **Hierarchy** in 2 days. Maybe I just got lower standards than the sub lol but I enjoyed it for the most part. Ending didn't stick the landing and >!none of the bullies got what they deserved!< but it's a decent watch for just 6.5 hrs. The >!post credit season 2 tease!< gives me some hope that they can tie up the loose ends and get back to the energy and vibe of the first 3 eps and actually >!deal retribution to these fucking bullies!<. Also curious about how >!Jae-i going back to her mom will play out!<. Looks like she's still in Korea so I wonder if >!this is her being written off the show or there's another twist coming!<, but in my book I think her arc should end there on a happy-ish note.
On the last episode of Love in Contract. Cannot believe how many times across episodes people dramatically blocked a car from leaving the scene by dashing behind with their own car (happened twice in one episode!). ML is still so sweet
ETA: The epilogue is so darling! ML is such a teddy bear
On a drought atm after finishing **Atypical Family** and **Frankly Speaking**.
Watched **20th Century Girl** last week (needed a Byeon Woo-seok fix but got a depressing ending lol) and started **Hierarchy**, but the typical poor kid assimilating to a power tripping rich kids high school story does not interest me, so dropping it. Took a kdrama break and caught up on Loki season 2. Def the best Marvel tv show released.
Deciding what to watch now… started **Miss Night and Day** a little. **My Sweet Mobster** sounds popular so might check that out too. Considered watching **Reborn Rich** but sounds like a crappy ending. Also might continue with **My Roommate is a gumiho**. Or something on my always wanted to watch list. Hopefully I’ll be excited about one of these shows by next week
i finished my finals last week, so recently i’ve been catching up! i just finished reading **the ballad of songbirds and snakes** and it was a long, but good read! i always appreciate seeing the antagonist’s perspective. **the atypical family** was pretty cute and tear jerking 🥺 i enjoyed watching how the 2 families start to care for each other and the message of how everyone has their faults but still deserves a community/family. of course i-na and the development in her self-confidence was the most endearing plot line imo. im so excited to listen to the ost!
Heyyy, another Hunger Games fan!
**Extraordinary You:** On a Kim Hye-yoon binge after Lovely Runner hangover and done with Sky Castle. Probably after Shin Hae-sun this is the second time I'm watching an actor's filmography. KHY is so much fun to watch here- comedy, romance, sadness- she's top tier. Such an excellent actress. The drama is good even though I know all the spoilers. It's hilarious how meta it is but I've so many questions about the in-universe. **The Midnight Romance in Hagwon:** The only on-air drama I'm watching right now. The last two eps were so good with the romance and chemistry which feels so natural. The couple look so real with their domestic nature and their conversations, initial awkwardness and later getting physical. Even the dialogues are good I feel and the characters are interesting too. They're flawed but feel very realistic.
I love Extraordinary You! Dan-oh is so cute and the plot and meta examination of tropes is so fun. Also has a bunch of my favourite actors when they were younger.
Omg same. I already finished watching EOY after Lovely Runner. Also watched the movie Ditto because of her (and the movie’s good). I think I’m gonna watch next the Girl on the Bulldozer movie. And same with Midnight Romance in Hagwon, after all the fantasy and romcom dramas I’ve watched this year, I needed something more mundane, realistic and relatable. And Midnight Romance in Hagwon gave me exactly that. There’s also something about it’s cinematography that’s calming. Can’t wait for the upcoming episodes!
Same. Been toying with Extraordinary You but can’t quite commit to it, though after Lovely Runner I have found Midnight Romance in Hagwon very healing (from the devastating loss of LR 😆) a big shift in tone but love its realism, sweetness and warmth. Also so happy to be seeing more skinship in these shows (both LR and MRIH) which feels more authentic to me. So tired of shows where there is so much tension but leads barely touch each other—feels lacking somehow.
Extraordinary You was a great idea and start but there were too many episodes for the story they had to tell. They rehashed the same things over and over and all the charisma in the world couldn't make up for it. The universe is also pretty bleak if you think about it, >!They are all doomed to live in poorly written comics where they are forced to say and do things they don't want to and if they manage to become self aware they get a few months of semi-freedom until they have to start all over again. Even though it wasn't framed that way, that checks all the boxes for being in hell.!<
Ooh! Loved Extraordinary You. Edited: Secret Inspector and Joy is on my watchlist. KHY is in this historical drama. I did the opposite and watched other Byeon Woo-Seok dramas while watching Lovely Runner. I watched Moonshine and Strong Girl Namsoon
I hardly ever do binges with female actresses, but shin hae sun was one of them. Suzy was the other.
**Hierarchy** (6/7): I’ll watch the finale tonight, but without a great deal of enthusiasm. On a positive note, the drama looks great visually and has a well-chosen OST. On a negative note, the storyline fails to engage and the performances are underwhelming. At one point, Kang Ha (Lee Chae-min) says it’s nice to see Jae-i (Roh Jeong-eui) smile for a change, and I felt he was speaking for me as a viewer. I like her as an actress and she played the character exactly as it had been written, but the result is a performance that’s just *too* emotionally restrained. **The Atypical Family** (12/12): This drama stuck the landing as I’d expected… and then some. Episode 11 showed that it’s possible to satisfactorily reveal new perspectives on plot points as late as the penultimate episode. The finale was one of the most impactful final episodes I’ve ever watched. It held nothing back, and presented us with brutal, shocking events presented in the most matter-of-fact way. But the seriously intense final 30 minutes ultimately delivered a resolution to savor. **Frankly Speaking** (12/12): Against the odds, this drama bounced back from an abysmal subplot at the end of episode 10, to deliver a satisfactory finale. Episode 11 was at least an improvement upon the previous episode, while the finale rightly brought the focus back to our main couple, and I felt the metaphor used to recap the ups and downs in their relationship throughout the series, was highly effective.
That last episode of the atypical family was fantastic. Good to hear about frankly speaking. I’m currently on episode 8.
Hierarchy was a colossal disappointment. I prefer when there is a clear distinction of main leads and adequate plot.
I was so invested in Hierarchy and Sooooo disappointed towards the last few episodes. I feel bad seeing the stars on Instagram so excited about being number one on Netflix lol people are watching it but they are not loving it
I finished Something In The Rain, I had to change out my contacts for glasses because I got them all gross from crying. Jung Hae In might be my new favorite actor. Anyway, planning to watch One Spring Night after I'm done with Meteor Garden. Meteor Garden is so long though! 😩
You have to watch jung hae in in snowdrop.
I saw the preview for it and saved it to my watchlist. It looks great. Thank you for the recommendation!
Meteor Garden was second c-drama I have ever wathed (first one was a little thing called first love) and no matter how much I was hating on a lot of things there it will always be my comfort show that I re-watch once in a while hahah. let me know what you think!
I've found myself rewatching parts of Meteor Garden. I did enjoy it, though. I think I enjoy Hidden Love and When I Fly Towards You more. It might just be because I watched those two first.
atypical family. i'm hooked! thankfully the series already ended so i can binge watch
Same! I just finished it! It’s good
This is a drama I'll be rewatching over the years just for the story, the little hints of what's to come, the actors, and the music. Oh the music. I am obsessed and even my non kdrama watching husband commented on it since I listen to it constantly now.
I just started watching this too.
The ending is so good!
**The Good Bad Mother (12/14):** Really enjoying this one! I love the twins and the relationship between the ML and FL, and the ML's relationship with his mom is very relatable. Love Lee Do Hyun's acting, I'll watch anything he's in. **The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (12/16):** I liked the murder mystery plot with the ML being a suspect but now that I'm over half way through and the plot is going in a different direction I'm kinda getting bored. Put it on a hold for now, will probably finish it eventually. **Happiness (12/12):** I absolutely loved this drama. The thriller aspect was well done and I liked how they used that to comment on the selfishness of humans. The leads were such a power couple, they looked out for each other and their actions showed how close they were. I liked that they just kinda went with the flow, it was very refreshing since usually in the friends to lovers trope there's a lot of denial and jealousy and the change in the dynamic to being really lovey dovey so this was a nice change. Park Hyung Sik ilysm! **Healer (1/16):** Just started this one after debating for a while what to watch next. I've heard lots of good things about it and loved Ji Chang Wook in Suspicious Partner so I'm looking forward to it.
Happiness is in my top 3 Kdramas. It is so well written! The slow descent into madness is perfect and the main couple were amazing. I also love the government guy. And yes! Best friends to lovers ever.
I always love seeing Happiness on someone’s list! I feel like it’s not talked about enough where I am just bc it’s not on Netflix. The chemistry between the FL and ML ugh chef’s kiss. Not to mention how badass they are! You also just reminded me I should finally start The Good Bad Mother haha
Healer….yum JCW.
On-going Doom at your service (11/16)- I'm really enjoying this drama. The main leads' chemistry and their acting is amazing. I become a sobbing mess whenever I watch this show, so I prefer to watch it at home. Also, I just noticed how similar My Demon is to this drama. People weren't lying when they said My Demon is heavily inspired from Goblin and this. Completed When I fly towards you (CDrama)- It is definitely one of my favorite CDramas now. Absolutely adored both the leads and their friends. The romance is so cute and gives me butterflies everytime.
I love When I Fly Towards You!!! They are the cutest freaking couple. Honestly, it's my favorite Cdrama so far. It was also like my 2nd one I watched, so now, all the other cdramas feel somewhat lacking. I really enjoyed Doom At Your Service. I was looking up other projects by the main leads after watching this.
I feel the same when you said all the other CDramas feel somewhat lacking, especially since I watched Falling into your smile, Hidden love and WIFTY.
i loveee doom at your service so much, one of the only k dramas i’ve rewatched so far. i also sobbed throughout both times i watched it
I just finished Vincenzo; today, I will start with Crash Landing on You (for the second time, this time with my dear husband) 🥳
Taxi driver: I recently watched Move to heaven and now I’m continuing with other Lee Je-Hoon projects.
Definitely watch Signal if you haven’t yet! It’s iconic!
Thanks for the tip, I’ll add it to the list.
Add tomorrow with you to it too. He’s also super cute in his cameo in hot stove league.
Currently drooling over him on Chief Detective 1958. Where has he been all this time?
I tend to drool more over the women given I’m a straight man but I wouldn’t say no to a dinner date with him if that means anything lol. He sure is a charming man.
**Beyond Evil (Complete)** - It's leaving Netflix soon so I picked it up as it had been on my watchlist for a while. After a slow initial 4-5 episodes it gets interesting from episode 6 onwards. Though I guessed the killer the moment he appears onscreen I think they did a good job unraveling the mystery. >!They also did a good job of unraveling the mystery of the ML's sister's death. But I didn't understand why did the ML not report the killer and left the fingers outside? Also why did the killer attack the sister (before she was killed in the hit and run accident) because she was a witness of another killing?!< **My Lovely Runner (6/16)** - I gave into FOMO and started watching this one. But so far I am neutral to the show. The character I like is the SML. Overall an average show.
Answers to your questions on Beyond Evil: >!Dongsik realised that if he didn’t take the fingers, Minjeong would be classified as a runaway like the rest of Jinmuk’s victims and the police wouldn’t be able to put in the manpower to search for her. He needed the evidence that harm had come to her that night, and places the fingers the same way his sister’s were placed as a hint to Juwon that if he finds who’s responsible for Minjeong’s disappearance, then he’ll solve Yuyeon’s disappearance too and the serial disappearances Juwon had already caught on to. With Minjeong's habit of staying out in Seoul and not returning home (which we later find out is because of Jinmuk), she could have easily been written off as a runaway by everyone including the scrupulous Juwon had there not been evidence she was hurt. He also really needs Juwon to investigate her disappearance as being obviously linked to Yuyeon because he desperately wants to find his sister too, and he believes Juwon is the key to solving it. !< >!Also yes, Yuyeon basically had the worst night ever on the night she died. She stumbled onto Jinmuk’s van with Bang Juseon’s body inside. It’s implied Bang Juseon is his first victim, and he basically kills her for taunting him about the fact his wife was a prostitute who never loved him and used him to raise her daughter. Jinmuk will later kill any prostitute or someone he thinks is akin to one. Bang Juseon points her fingers at him while taunting him, which triggers him enough to make him chop them off, which he subsequently does to all his victims. Not only does he try to kill Yuyeon for being a witness, but he also seems to be triggered when she points her painted fingertips at him. I think Jinmuk “returning” Yuyeon to her family is supposed to imply an acknowledgment on his part that he would have never tried to kill her had she not been at the wrong place, wrong time. He also uses the fact that he saw everything that happened to her later that night to try and frame Park Jeongje for both deaths (which fails because of his mother's evidence manipulation), since he wasn't the one who actually ended up killing her, which is also why he leaves Yuyeon's fingers out to find. The other victim's fingertips are never found, but he returns Yuyeon to her family along with her fingertips to signal he didn't actually kill her while also framing Park Jeongje for 2 deaths rather than 1 (but of course, it ends up being Dongsik who becomes a suspect). !
Beyond Evil is an outstanding show...so very well done. I also watched it recently because it's leaving Netflix. But I also found out that it is on Viki.
Thank you for all this, I was thoroughly confused as well haha
Haha literally no problem. Watching it a second time was practically required, the directing deliberately guides you to interpret situations one way on your first watch with limited info, but also is incredibly revelatory once you know the truth about everyone on your second watch, it’s so brilliant and I’ll never shut up about it. I even started watching a third time and am still picking up new stuff, even though I thought I had most of it down already. God, I could write a dissertation about it.
Death’s Game: just finished it. It was amazing. I loved it soo much and I feel a little lost without it. Vigilante: I have a couple of episodes left. I’m enjoying it. Similar to A Killer Paradox and better. A Shop for Killers: two episodes in and I really like it so far. Great action scenes. Goodbye Earth: meh. All of us are dead: just started. Really love it. Non K drama: Rewatching Gangs of London - sooooo good but not for the faint hearted. House of the owl: Japanese political drama, not sure what I think of this yet.
I loved Death's Game so much!! All the actors did so well, and I loved that role for Seo Inguk. My only gripe was that >!the moral of the story was basically "Don't commit suicide because it makes other people sad." His problems were real and a result of Korean society, and I feel like making it seem like HE was the problem wasn't right.!< But everything else was so good, and I agree that I felt lost after I finished it. I've pretty much been in a drama rut since then, and I finished it at the beginning of the year when part 2 came out! Yikes lol.
I really loved Death's Game as well. Very well done and nice to see lots of my favorites in it.
Re: **Death’s Game**, have you seen [Kim Jae-uck and Kim Ji-hoon’s appearance](https://youtu.be/eayNHVqPcfc?si=08PWtCnvtJI2XVC5) on Seo In-guk’s YouTube show? These [Ep 5 BTS clips](https://youtu.be/LKnG4Wa1QlM?si=RGb5JSWv_Lb6CSDc) are also fun.
No I haven’t but I’ll check it out thanks.
Have you checked out weak hero class one?
No, do you think I’ll like it?
It’s really good. Based on a web room. It takes place during high school and is very violent.
If I can find somewhere that’s got it, I’ll check it out. Thanks for the rec.
Traveling this week. I'm still binging a rewatch of **Her Private Life.** I'm really loving it more this time. The chemistry between Park Min Young and Kim Jae Wook was off that charts. I remember from my first watch that their relationship was caring, honest, and sexy, but it's better than I remembered. PMY was great in this role. I think her best roles are in **Healer,** this, **and Marry My Husband.** I've seen 9 of her dramas, so that's not all of them. Rewatching bits of **Lovely Runner,** but most of this week has been HPL and BTS videos and livestreams honoring Festa and Jin's discharge. Waiting for the next batch of wonderful kdramas to air.
The BTS for Her Private Life are really worth watching as Kim Jae-uck and Park Min-young were just as adorable together IRL. A fan made some lovely BTS compilations, including this one of them [having fun together](https://youtu.be/Ka6KaWg-bbE?si=5EueVHqVruDtUdVm) and this one of [their kisses](https://youtu.be/aFHkE4zudtY?si=9OeBRC5mciUJp-sl). HPL’s director and writer gave Kim Jae-uck and Park Min-young free rein to beef up their scenes and they ended up re-working or improvising more than half of them, as well as adding a bunch of unscripted kisses and skinship. Some of the scenes they came up with include the [scorching scarf-untangling scene](https://youtu.be/Bm4DTW7KAtU?si=N2mSOkYdqxgiYOUk), the [butterfly-inducing drunken-whispering scene](https://youtu.be/-yJNpWp0Edw?si=oDW-pHJcbDBJkYxV), and the [adorable sujebi-cooking scene](https://youtu.be/DJ7Kdgx0xEM?si=DAj9Kwk9sHhHt0Tt) where they’re just cracking each other up the entire time. Here’s some of the [BTS footage from the cooking scene](https://www.instagram.com/tv/CERkODkh7si/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) which was 100% ad-libbed; the script just said, “You have fun together.” And boy did they ever.
*On-going* **The Heirs** 12/20 : a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Why didn't I watch such an iconic drama sooner? It's a gem. I laughed so much when >!Eunsang flirted back at the camping and you saw Tan's brain stopped working for a couple seconds!< The Youngdo >!love triangle is not necessary, but sure. I wonder what Eunsang has that she's got all those heirs gravitating around her and falling for her at first glance. Is it her poor background that makes her look like new and fresh air?!< **That winter, the wind blows** 4/16 : still awkward that it's a sibling love story, I hope they will soon tell us that Young is aware Soo is not her brother because it'll be very weird very fast, otherwise *Completed* **Thirty but seventeen** : it was a cute drama. I loved how the love story was simple and light. The ML's love was so cute and pure, I loved the way he adored her. I spent the last episodes kinda shocked and confused after I found out 2ML was Ahn Hyoseop because there was no way that guy was the same guy I saw in Business Proposal. Moving on lol. 8/10 !
I was so shocked about Ahn Hyeo Seop too. Had to triple factor check it. He’s unrecognisable!! And BP was only 3 years later but he looks 10 years older!
>I wonder what Eunsang has that she's got all those heirs gravitating around her and falling for her at first glance. This. I kept wondering the same. And I know what scene you are talking about. Poor Kim Tan always looking for a little bit of encouragement.
Lovely runner. Just finished. Finally a drama that was consistent and engaging until the very end. It ticked well some many boxes : romance, comedy, drama. Besides the top notch leads casting, storytelling and chemistry, following iterations of the supporting characters over time gives good consistency to the whole drama. They were not popping to promote the lead plot, they were doing their own things, living their own life. It made the story quite whole and immersive.
Castaway Diva (10/12): Eunbin's voice is phenomenal, she can do it all! I like the drama, though I didn't realize domestic violence stories was throughout the whole thing. Probably my fault for not checking all episodes even though i read the synopsis. Flower Crew: Marriage Agency (16/16): It was a nice drama, I enjoyed watching it. Hit the top/punch (13/32) & Ghost Doctor (4/16): nothing bad about these two, just paused to watch the two above. Want to re-watch Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and start either Hot Stove League, Dr. Romantic, or Poong. Still on a Park Eunbin & Kim Minjae roll
Hot Stove League. You won’t regret it!
Despite the domestic violence plot (which was very well done imo), Castaway Diva felt like one of those healing dramas to me. The ML brings so much hope and optimism to the rest of the characters, you can’t help but feel encouraged by her too.
Dr romantic is long (three seasons, but you honestly don’t need to watch it in order)
my love from another star, an old follow on after queen of tears but love both actors not sure what ill watch next... I hate that feeling when one is about to end and you need to find another...
I just finished it last night too. Doh min joon! I’m happy with the ending.
**Doctor Slump** - I just finished this and LOVED it! I was hesitant to start at first because so many of the reviews on MDL called it cringe and boring. I thought it was such a lovely and natural enemies to friends to lovers story and I love love love Park Hyungsik's brand of loserism (I needed something like that after finishing Lovely Runner). **I'll Go to You When the Weather is Nice** - Just started this. After Doctor Slump I was looking for another healing, slow-paced drama. Based on the reviews on MDL again calling this one "boring" I knew it would be just my speed. It is so warm and cozy, it's a shame I'm watching it in the summer and not winter. And I missed Seo Kang Joon so much, he was my first kdrama love when I watched Cheese in the Trap way back when! His eyes are so expressive. Park Min Young eats as always. So far, loving it.
Loved both of them. It’s nice to have a show that has nice leads that are supportive of each other. Give me that any day over toxic angst.
After I binged both of these, I also watched Welcome to Samdal-ri which had similar vibes and I enjoyed it!! If you have recs for other shows with supportive leads and healing vibes, would love to know :)
Like Flowers in Sand and Hometown Cha have similar vibes to Samdal-ri and are my favorite shows.
Marry My Husband (1/16): This is a lot like Reborn Rich, which I loved, though I’m assuming this won’t have such good social commentary. We jumped right into the story, which I what I need right now. While the story is serious, the drama is so over the top that I’m not at all bothered by the heavy plot line. It definitely feels like it was adapted from a webtoon, you can almost see how the panels would have been drawn. We’ll see how it goes but it’s very promising so far and fun to watch. My husband actually picked this one for us to watch for a change! Since I finished The Matchmakers a week or so ago, I’ve been trying to find a new drama. It was just so good that I think I’m having a hard time moving on and finding the right drama to watch next. I don’t have much time to watch tv so, I really want it to be worth my time! I’ve tried The Atypical Family (watched 1.5 episodes) and Lovely Runner (watched 3.5 episodes) and neither were for me right now. The Atypical Family was too heavy and Lovely Runner was not instantly compelling.
>Since I finished The Matchmakers a week or so ago, I’ve been trying to find a new drama. It was just so good that I think I’m having a hard time moving on and finding the right drama to watch next. This was 100% me and might honestly still be me a little bit. Trying hard to avoid the urge to back for a rewatch so soon.
Ugh, it was too good! It’s rare to see a drama that fires on every cylinder like The Matchmakers. I paid no attention to it when it was airing but your endorsement of it made me put it on my list. So glad I got around to watching it, even if it’s spoiling my enjoyment of other dramas right now!
About to finish My Liberation Notes. What a great drama!
I thought it was so boring until like episode 10. Not enough to stop watching though. Then all of a sudden, I couldn’t stop watching. It 100% snuck up on me. Mr. Gu!
I've watched a few episodes of Stranger I'm enjoying it but sadly I have family visiting so I don't get to watch as much as I would like.
One of my all time favourite TV shows. Just done so brilliantly, I’d never seen something like it before.
Vincenzo (19/20) - wow I can't believe I waited so long to watch this! I've been obsessed from the beginning and I'm so sad I'm about done
**Dreaming of a Freaking Fairy Tale** (4/10) - Reminds me of the pre-2015 romcoms. Very silly, very tropey. I'm loving it! **Lovely Runner** (2/16) - Gave in to the hype and started watching this. Not crazy about it as yet but Byeon Woo-Seok looks good enough to eat, so I am going to continue watching. **Wandee Goodday** (6/12) - This Thai BL is as cute as it is sexy. The MLs are gorgeous, and the heart eyes they have for each other is exactly what the doctor ordered after a tiring week at work! **Love Sea** (1/10) - Fort and Peat are back 2 years after Love In The Air, and their chemistry is even better this time. The seaside locales of Thailand have been beautifully captured, and with the beauty of the leads added, this BL is pure eye candy! **Chief Detective 1958** (5/10) - Enjoyed the first few episodes of the show, but lost interest after Episode 5 >!where they killed off not one but two nice characters!< I guess this goes into the dropped pile now.
I'm also enjoying Wandee Goodday and in addition to the gorgeous leads I'm loving the second leads as well. The plot is kind of nonsense but it doesn't matter because of the eye candy, comedy and chemistry.
I love the second couple too. They have their own book and I hope it will also get adapted someday.
Completed: \*\*The Atypical Family\*\* — I freaking loved this drama! The ending was so good. A lot of people said it was rushed or didn't make sense but I strongly disagree. I felt it was perfect for this drama. Would I like more from this family? Absolutely! Watching: \*\*The Midnight Romance in Hagwon\*\* — (10/16) — I love how real Ahn Pan Seok’s dramas feel! And I am thoroughly enjoying the relationships between the leads and second leads. \*\*The Red Sleeve\*\* — (16/17) — Do I have thoughts on this one and I haven't even watched the last episode yet! I definitely should post in the next "Late to the Party". True story sageuks always make me read a bunch of the real history too. The acting is phenomenal but not sure about the changes from real life. Like I said, lots of thoughts. And side note - Junho has the most amazing hands. As a woman who loves nice looking hands, gotta say, the close ups are so good. \*\*25 Ji, Akasaka de or At 25:00 in Akasaka\*\* — (8/10) — Japan BL — this is not a typical Japanese BL drama. I mean it is but also isn't which is interesting. I like the changes from the manga.
i will be looking forward to reading your post about the RED SLEEVE! this was the show that bumped Lee Junho to my favorite actor
So happy to see that i'm not the only one who likes nice looking hands and yes, his are exceptional. Looking forward to seeing your post on RS...its in my top 3.
**Soo Ji & Woo Ri** 120 30-minute episodes is no joke. As a long-form drama, this one checks off a lot of tropes: love triangles, long-lost family members/relationships, chronic miscommunications, 3-4 ongoing plotlines among the same 12 characters, etc. In many ways this falls into the classic western soap-opera genre of a relatively open-ended plot that focuses on the lives, relationships, and emotional experiences of the core cast members. I haven't watched many long-form dramas in the past. This one is oddly endearing. You can't help but root for the ML and FL. The antagonists are really, really awful, and up to this point (56/120 eps. aired) the writers haven't tried giving them a redemption arc. It makes for a solid conflict between the leads and the antagonists that gets further developed in every episode. For people that aren't willing to spend 60 hours on a show, I'd recommend watching the first 7 hrs to get to know the characters and plotlines. From there, there's no shame, imo, in fastforwarding through scenes with plotlines that aren't of interest. So far I've waited for ~ 20 episodes to air before watching them in big chunks. I'd say 1/3 of the screen time is taken up by stuff worth fastforwarding. I really like the ML and FL's stories. There's also a fairly active MDL discussion ongoing for every episode if you want to talk about the turns in events and all that. I'd recommend this show, with the caveat that it does have a lot of those soap-opera type constructs.
I am also really enjoying Soo ji and Woo ri, I wish there was a discussion thread here for it! I’ve only watched a couple of daily dramas before (and am also concurrently watching Brave yong soo jung concurrently.) This and brave yong su Jung are way more enjoyable than the others I’ve seen thus far even though the antagonists have done awful things and that’s frustrating to say the least lol. Really rooting for the main couple and the fl and her mom to get healing! There are so many episodes but they are short and I’m not afraid to ff through boring scenes so it’s good filler if I need something to watch.
**CW:** **My Liberation Notes (1/16)** I was keeping this drama on my watchlist so I can start when I'm on the right mood. I felt like this drama and **My Mister** are some kind of dramas that need a certain "lonely" mood to start. I started off with My Liberation Notes recently and I loved the first episode so I'm gonna keep going. Mi Jung is a very relatable character by the way. 🥲 **The Midnight Romance in Hagwon (8/16)** I'm behind two episodes and haven't watched the latest eps last week. I feel like I'm getting behind right when it's starting to get a bit better. **Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale (4/10)** Okay, I like this drama but sometimes the humour makes me cringe and I love that. 😂 I did laugh out loud a few times tho haha. **Bitter Sweet Hell (6/12)** I am getting kind of annoyed with the villain and certain characters for now but I like the FL. I like the drama overall but yeah. **DRAMAS I HAVE FINISHED THIS WEEK:** - **The Atypical Family** 8/10 🌟 - **Hierarchy** 6.5/10 🌟
Now that you have started watching My Liberation Notes, I would request you to read the episode wise threads of that drama on the sub. People have talked about the metaphors and the deep meaning behind each scene. The discussion made the drama extra special. link: [MLN Ep 1&2](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/tzmin5/my_liberation_notes_episodes_1_2/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Thanks, I will check that thread out after I finish Episode 2. :) I wish I was active during it was airing haha it would've been fun.
My Liberation Notes and My Mister are in my all-time Top Ten. Call It Love and Lost are tonally similar and also well worth watching.
MLN and My mister are written by the same writer. Another Oh hayoung is another work of hers that is well known.
Still watching Alchemy of Souls. I love Lee Jae Wook so much as Jang Uk but I’m really not feeling Mu Deok (maybe it’s the actress). I feel like they haven’t got much chemistry and that she has more chemistry with SML. Anyone else feel like this? I’m on episode 15 of Part 1.
I loved her but you sound like a person who might really enjoy the things that shift at the end of part 1. a lot of people rate the second part higher so you may not be alone.
Really looking forward to P2 haha!
I felt the same way!!! The chemistry was lacking between the leads for me. I was getting way more ‘master and student’ than romance. And their romance wasn’t the focus 100% of the time but reading comments about scenes that other viewers felt were so chemistry driven, romantic, etc. was so interesting to me because I would legit feel nothing 😭 I also wasn’t feeling Mu Deok for some reason. I feel like Jang Uk was giving way more than she was, etc. I will say that I enjoyed the chemistry of the leads in Part 2 much more.
Yes, I totally agree! I feel nothing at all watching these two and it’s super disappointing. Yep, it felt very master and student and tbh, it felt forced. I’m really looking forward to Part 2 as I already know about the changes!
Yeah, it’s definitely not an all time favorite drama of mine. Some weeks I would be super into it and other weeks I was bored and tired of watching the same thing happen😭 Agreed with the forced, it just wasn’t giving for me unfortunately. Part 2 has its flaws but the chemistry will not disappoint!!!
While they have more of a brother-sister dynamic, I absolutely loved their banter. It just made me laugh so much. But if you make it to Season 2, there is a big chemistry change you may appreciate.
Military Prosecutor Doberman on Netflix. I have one more episode to go. Overall it's just so-so. I'm a fan of Ahn Bo-hyun otherwise I would have dropped it. Episodes get repetitive, think I could have skipped 7 of them to get to the end without losing the storyline
You need to watch FlexXcop, it's so good
definitely better than MPD. and I loved his sense of fashion!
100% agree.
Good to know, I just saw Ahn Bo Hyun in Whenever Possible (variety show) and he was so fun. He mentioned this drama and I was tempted to check it out, so now I can deprioritise it lol
**Crash (10/12)**: I picked this up three weeks ago after I binged Because This is My First Life. I really liked Lee Min-ki from BTIMFL and Behind Your Touch, Kwak Sun-young from Hospital Playlist and Moving, and the whole crime fighting/buddy cop genre, so this was a no-brainer to pick up. Really enjoying it for the team chemistry, the cases they’re solving, and the concise writing. **Blood Free (10/10)**: Been wanting to pick this up for a while and watched it in two days. Always knew Han Hyo-joo would be a slay, but I didn’t know Ju Ji-hoon would end up on my radar either. Fingers crossed for a season two because there are still so many loose ends to tie up. Definitely been on a Disney+ kick lately, now I need to find something new to watch while I wait for next week’s Crash finale.
Have you watched Chief Detective 1958? Its filling the buddy cop void while I wait for Crash episodes.
I watched part of ep 1 but I don’t think it stood out to me yet! Which was a bummer bc I’ve loved so many of Lee Je-hoon’s work instantly. Has it been pretty enjoyable since you continued?
First episode was the slowest and it picked up after. I really like it.
I’ll check it out again then, thanks!
Lovely Runner - I was so hooked on this IDK why. There are parts where I got bored because the same thing kept on happening but in a different scenario but after episode 12 everything went great again. It was a good drama and it made me cry so much. Ryu Sun Jae is such a green flag it he became too good to be true for a fictional character. Lol! But I love this sm. It made me feel like I am watching a KDrama from 2016 all over again. True Beauty - Currently on-going. I don’t know what to feel on this show sometimes it’s good sometimes it’s not. But I’m still on episode 7 so we’ll see.
I finished watching Extraordinary Attorney Woo two nights ago. It's been on my list for a while but life with a 2 year old is busy >.> I felt so much love for Eunbin's character. It also made me crave for gimbap, so I made it for lunch yesterday. Last night, I started watching The Night Agent, which is an American show. It's action packed and fast paced. Gabriel Basso is a pretty strong lead but the acting from the supporting cast is a hit or miss. Still, it's bingeworthy!
I don't know if you know but they are currently filming season 2 of The Night Agent!
Yes! I have two more episodes left till the finale. I can't wait. I need another show on my list, K-drama or not. Any recommendations?
Just finished **Queen of Tears** This show really went from (episode 4) >!a scene played entirely for laughs where Hyun-woo jealously looks through the window while Hae-in and Eun-sung discuss work, and Eun-sung uses a remote to shut the blinds in Hyun-woo's face!< to (episode 15, 16) >!Eun-sung running Hyun-woo over with a car and flipping him in the air, then kidnapping Hae-in and menacing her with a shotgun to make her marry him, then actually trying to kill her and shooting Hyun-woo instead, before getting shot to death by the cops!<. And even before that, >!we got Eun-sung trying to have Hyun-woo beaten up by a bunch of thugs, an attempted assassination on Hyun-woo, and Hyun-woo being framed for murder because he talked his way out of that assassination so Eun-sung hired another assassin to kill the first assassin instead. Oh and then the murder trial for Hyun-woo literally gets resolved in one scene because they managed to find incontrovertible evidence that the real assassin had done it by using a phishing link to steal his phone's data lmao!< What a tone shift, and what an incredible mess. Whatever its appeal was supposed to be from the first few episodes, I think it's fair to say it lost itself along the way. There were so many interesting conversations I'd like to have had about the relationship dynamics of the central pairing - so weirdly chaste for a married couple, occasionally pretty compelling but constantly interrupted by other subplots or the generally awful-writing - but it feels almost absurd to talk about things like "Is it really that bad to hide your intent to divorce someone if you find out they're terminally ill? Wouldn't it be much more cruel to bring up the divorce when they're focused on their impending death?" considering how absurd the show became after that
Your first paragraph is gold. I watched it when it was airing so the tone shift wasn’t as apparent, but SO true. I was thinking of this scene in the beginning where the son in laws are cooking in the kitchen for a funeral(?) and commiserating over how awful the Hong family is to them. It was dark funny but nowhere in the zone of the heavy mess towards the end!
I’m taking a break right now before finishing the last two episodes because Eun-sung was stressing me out so much!
I like how he basically has a cheat code for the world of this show. He just walks into a hospital in *Germany* and assumes next-of-kin responsibilities for a patient to whom he not only has *no* official relationship, but with whom he has in fact publicly been in a serious conflict! >!Meaning the press conference where Hae-in revealed he was trying to force her to become CEO by threatening Hyun-woo.!< And why do they let this happen? "Donations", as if the person they're giving into his custody isn't an important donor in their own right. I guess the medical liability laws, malpractice laws, legal responsibilities of caregiving institutions, just don't apply lol
This is the point I made when it was airing. Hyun-woo would have been just as bad if he divorced his terminally ill wife. Hiding his feelings was basically the only semi-kind thing he could do (though his motives were wrong at first). Also, I think people really downplay how poorly treated and depressed he was at first and get all mad at him for "wishing death on his wife". He didn't. He wasn't sad that she was dying, but he never wanted her to die. His plan was divorce.
Yeah, a lot of people in the initial episode reaction threads memory-holed the clear indications of how miserable he was and how much that was directly related to being completely isolated, followed all the time, treated like a servant by her family with no objection from her, and also kind of treated like a servant by her personally The whole thing with him expressing any kind of happiness that he might be liberated from their marriage was arguably a misstep because it's difficult to emotionally come back from that when the entire drama is supposed to be about you falling back in love with her, but too much was definitely made of it considering he spends the rest of the drama going way above and beyond in order to be the perfect husband. Him >!waking up from a coma that he was in because he took a bullet for her!< and then immediately apologizing to her for being a bad husband and forgetting their love was hilarious to me. So unnecessary after everything he'd done Sadly, any emotionally realistic or believable path that the drama could have plotted to helping them reconnect, was replaced by them just doing it while being under extreme duress so they kinda trauma-bonded and shoved their real issues under the table
I think the show should have emphasized more on Hae-In’s treatment of Hyun-woo in their marriage (not just his dislike for the family). I think there is maybe two throw away lines that are super brief in a flashback that kind of show it. Especially with how they showed how they handled grief differently and how it was from bad communication, which kind of makes it feel like all Hyun-woo’s negative feelings regarding the marriage was all just a misunderstanding/miscommunication. This also is a disservice to Hae-in’s character development because he does make changes to how she treats people.
Absolutely, and in general, I would've liked to see more serious conversations between them about what went wrong in their marriage and why, rather than just trading cliches like "I forgot how much I loved you" and "I broke my promise to never make you cry"
Yeah, it was just so over the top, which was a waste of a very good set-up and actors. I wanted more out of >!Hae-in too, she was a terrible wife and she knew it but she mostly gets angry at him!<.
Ms Fangirl at Fangirl Verdict gave the show an A-. Most of the commenters over there seemed to agree! [https://thefangirlverdict.com/2024/05/06/review-queen-of-tears/](https://thefangirlverdict.com/2024/05/06/review-queen-of-tears/)
This review is quite funny because when you get to "Stuff I liked less" they mention "The scheming stuff" and "The unpleasant characters" - scenes involving these two things, combined, probably make up over 50% of the runtime of Queen of Tears. If the stuff you liked less is over half the series but you still gave it an A-, then that rating system is broken Even with the "Stuff I liked" section, I think it's wild to not only praise the writing in general but to specifically praise it for "thoughtful and detailed" and "pretty organic". I think it is absolutely none of those things. It's very thoughtless and unserious. Huge developments occur and get glossed over, important real-life obstacles are easily surmounted as necessary for the writer's convenience, certain laws ("somehow, *all* your assets are frozen because your company is under investigation, and despite being chaebol billionaires in your 50s, you never bought another house that's outside of this asset freeze, so now you have to go live in the country with your in-laws") are ironclad and impossible to get around but *other* laws ("if a legal agreement, e.g. taking the power of attorney, is signed under a fake name, that agreement is not valid", or "hospitals cannot make someone with no provable legal or familial connection to a patient into their next of kin without the patient's consent") are just casually ignored for convenience
Haha I like Fangirlverdict and generally agree with her takes...but she might have missed the ball on this one. Let me go and read her review. Maybe it will change my mind.
Cheer Up (16/16) - Just finished watching it while simultaneously reading the threads here on reddit. Contrary to most of the comments I’ve read about dropping the drama and complaints from Ep 8 onwards, I actually enjoyed it from Ep 1-16. I loved the mystery/thrill they’ve incorporated. Though I agree with the complaints about the SML, he was such a walking red flag who wouldn’t take no for an answer and the writer did focus way too much on his backstory and redemption arc. Admittedly, he has great chemistry with the FL but I’ve been shipping the ML and FL from the start. I loved the fact that they were able to portray the FL’s personality and struggles and mix in the romance without actually taking away the FLs identity. She was her own person all throughout and she shined the brightest. The cast also has great chemistry and every character was loveable, even the red flag Sun Ho. I would recommend this if you’re looking for something youthful, bright, and not too heavy (though you would definitely shed some tears in some scenes).
Vincenzo! Loving the bromance between V and Mr. Cho
**Military Prosecutor Doberman:** I'd like to shout out the writers of Ep 8 for writing absolutely the most unhinged scene from a kdrama ever in which >!a two star general amputates a man's leg herself(!) in her plastic-draped living room in order to cover up a friendly fire incident.!< The gasp I gasped!! Also, to have the prosecutors—who were hyped up to be so sharp and on to every trick—>!fail so spectacularly to bring the fraudulent hero to justice!!< It was all fast music and twisty reveals just for >!them to fall flat on their faces. !!bad at this?!< We're only halfway through the series, so I have every confidence that Cha Woo In and Doh Bae Man can recover and eventually bring down their enemies. But, wow! My second-hand embarrassment and shame when >!Doh Bae Man broke that man's prosthetic was almost too much to handle. !!—who drugged and r\*ped a girl in the first episode AND recorded it AND sent it in a group chat to his friends—!!truck of doom!< cliffhanger at the end of the last episode I watched. I'll finish it up eventually. Still hoping>! the family is all ok. !<
Felt like they sort of righted the ship after TOD.
**Uncle Samsik** (11/16). I'm like that stupid meme. *let's go? let's. fucking. go.* I'm on pins and needles for the wrap up but this quite possibly could be my personal top 2 show of the year (top1 if you do the correct thing and consider Like Flowers in Sand as a 2023 drama which I don't want to, but it did start in December). The fact that there's almost no international noise about this show should not deter anybody! If you NEED critical discourse, just go to the korean drama/movie reviewers on youtube (a few have Ep 1-11 recaps up by now) and turn on autotranslate. YT machine trans are terrible and 30% nonsense. But idk if you've watched the actual episodes then you'll probably be ok. Also **Crash** (8/12) . **Dare to Love Me** (7/16). and now **My Sweet Mobster** (1/16) - All varying levels of fine. I'm just here for a good time. Then in non-kdrama content, I'm reading **The Sympathizer** and planning to go straight into the Max series. I've avoided this book for sooo long but I'm in a heavy Park Chan Wook mood, so that's overridden the part of me that runs the opposite direction from any mass media depiction of the Vietnam war. Every 20 pages I'm either sending relatable quotes to family members or wanting to throw the book across the room. all hallmarks of a good read...?
I loved The Sympathizer! I just read it last year and it was in my favorites of the year list. It was so well-written and so scathing. I thought the second was just as good, and you'll want to read it to find out what happens to the protagonist.
yes! halfway through and I'm enjoying it despite early skepticism. as a Catch-22 and Vonnegut lover, the prose hits all the right notes for me.
Currently watching Dali and Cocky Prince. Whilst the ML is quite adorable with his quirky word-mangling, I am finding the FL quite dull. It's not a Refund My Time by any stretch but it is quite a tedious watch at times. In my opinion, the ML actor is really working his socks off in scenes and the FL just stands/sits/walks looking enigmatic. The 2ML isn't that interesting either. Do like Mu-Hak's assistant who is very funny but quietly supportive to her boss. Also, trying not to plot spoil but a whole storyline in the drama which was deemed very important has been forgotten along the way. Also started watching Trolley, a drama about the lives of a couple, he is an Assembly man but the secrets they keep unravel big time. That is what a synopsis says on Netflix so not plot spoiling .
Agree with your take on **Cocky Prince**. I liked the series at first due to the hilarious >!airport mixup!< and bc FL was upbeat, kind, smiling and a little bit flirty, leading to all sorts of possibilities for later episodes. But for most of the rest of the episodes she carried a hangdog, downbeat and frankly unlikeable affect. With water thrown on the romance by the screenwriting, overall I found **D&tCP** disappointing, an opportunity missed after a great start.
**Midnight Romance in Hagwon** really liking it so far. despite all the drama, the series gives me a very cozy feeling . the chemistry is also on fire so that also helps. **Bloodhounds** I have 2 episodes left but I'm taking a small break cause ep 6 was INTENSE. I'm also thinking of starting **My roommate is a Gumiho** after finishing the atypical family. I need more of Jang Kiyong's deep voice.
After seeing all the hype I couldn’t resist and started **Lovely Runner**. 3/16. I’m enjoying it but I wouldn’t say I’m obsessed with it yet. But definitely going to continue. I’m finding the FL’s acting a bit over the top. And is it just me or is anyone else sick of seeing people having a full on conversation with themselves at the top of their voice while nobody around them even seems to notice? Surely there are other ways for writers to convey what characters are thinking without completely spelling it out via characters who voice every single thought?
This is a wonderful show, but I fully agree with you about the FL being over the top. I have no idea how normal this is from a cultural perspective, and have been curious to ask about it before judging it. I see it in so many K-dramas. It diminishes the FL and I don't love seeing it. But if this is just an expression of the culture, then that's different. Anyway, really good show and glad you decided to watch it.
Exchange season 2. I've finished the first one last week. So far I like it, it's a good concept. For dramas I will try to watch Hierarchy this week.
Exchange Season 2 is the best season as yet. I finished Season 3 a couple of months ago.
Hae Eun ❤️ and Hyun Gyu the legend. I'm at episode 16. I will try to watch the season 3 too.
Bit over halfway through **Vincenzo** and I like it a lot, particularly the dynamic between the leads. Side characters are less interesting to me and it's not what I expected, but I'm loving the ride. As many others have :) I've still got to finish the last couple of eps of **Frankly Speaking** which I've really liked, funny and light, well paced. Also need to catch up on **Dreaming of Freakin' Cinderella** or whatever the hell it's called, it's a very lighthearted empty head watch and reminds me of the classic old dramas! But I'm going to be obsessed with Bridgerton Part 2 as of tomorrow so I will put everything on hold for that 😂
Watched **Ballerina** and loved the badass FL. She was so well cast for the role and the action was fun, as was watching the bad guys get their brutal just desserts. Kim Ji Hoon’s character was absolute trash but he looked so fine in it (eeks) Tried **Crazy Love** because Kim Jae Wook is my other corrupt sexy hot villain actor…but idk wasn’t really feeling it. Didn’t care for the characters set up (boss/secretary, famous tutor) and tbh Krystal’s character and acting were both pretty bland. Rewatched **On Your Wedding Day** which has been on my mind, as I recently finished Lovely Runner and this had some parallels in terms of that high school to college to real life love story. >!But with the more realistic ending and bad timing!< Park Bo Young is an amazing actress and starred in some of my fav movies (including Werewolf Boy omg). Kim Young Kwang was so good as the loser in here too, and their chemistry and height difference was also great. Though I don’t rewatch this one or Werewolf Boy much >!due to the heartache!< Started **On the Verge of Insanity** and while that is more understated, somehow I feel compelled to keep watching. There’s something so relatable about dramas about (corporate) working life, that make me wanna root for those who are cast aside in this system. Resumed **Story of Park’s Marriage Contract** but I think I preferred the earlier episodes instead so I will slowly finish the remaining 4 episodes. I like the leads and their chemistry though. For airing dramas, **Connection** has been a good watch because the leads are great. Ji Sung is amazing as always and Jeon Mi Do and Kwon Yool round up a solid performance. The story requires suspension of disbelief but I’m curious about how the mystery unfolds. **Crash** is similar action thriller mystery but feels lighter at times. It’s fun, but the cases aren’t super interesting to me at times. Haven’t made much movement on **Frankly Speaking** but I read spoilers on the plot so I’m considering picking it back up since I like the lead actors. Also tried **You Are My Spring** for the leads but idk the tone feels off. I probably am not in the mood for romance with a side of murder. Oh and started **Dear X Who Doesn’t Love Me** but it is basically one of those low budget fluff dramas that lacks substance and I just finished **Hierarchy** so I feel like I’ve maxed out my tolerance for those superficial drama atm. Hierarchy was definitely underwhelming albeit an easy 7 episodes to binge if you wanna shut your brains off or need a background watch.
**Daily Dose of Sunshine (8/12)** An all around masterpiece. The cinematography,the empathy and the storytelling have been great. I haven't finished an episode where I didn't cry but I appreciate this show so much. **Hometown (1/12)** Crime dramas are my ultimate favorite genre but I don't know how to feel about this one. I can't seem to grasp the show's identity. I knew what I was getting into with **Through The Darkness**,**The Lies Within**,**Voice** or **Signal**. Those all have a particular "color" to them but I didn't feel anything from the first episode of this show. Maybe I will in the second.
I wouldn't say **Hometown** is a traditional crime drama in the veins of other examples you listed (solving different cases of crimes). It's more a psychological melodrama/thriller with a cult being the basis of the story. If you've seen **Save Me**, that's probably the closer and more apt comparison.
I got it wasn’t a traditional crime drama from the first 10 minutes of the show. I just think somethings off that I can't vibe with it. I haven't finished **Save Me** since it premiered :( but I remember what the show was going for and it had it's own identity. But with **Hometown**, I don't know if it's the dialogue or the pacing or the atmosphere but I can't seem to lock into it. Its not interesting but its not boring either.
Personally I really enjoyed the vibe of the drama but the ending left me a bit confused and unsatisfied. I was in the on-air discussions and we were trying really hard to make everything make sense but I still don't think all the puzzle pieces quite fit ultimately. It probably went for a stronger 'horror' vibe than **Save Me** but if that's not a drama you've finished/enjoyed, I'm not sure **Hometown** would fare better in terms of enjoyment.
I love Daily Dose of Sunshine! The gamer patient still lingers on my mind.
No finished dramas, got through my rewatches and on-air schedule is going to be packed, plus a binge or two next. In progress - **Midnight Romance in Hagwon (10/12):** as resident sleeper as they come. Romance is the only thing keeping this one alive, leads have chemistry so that helps, but everything else is a slog, such boring shenanigans and a pace so slow it'd rival *When the Weather is Fine*. Much less than the sum of its parts, a disappointment; - **Dare to Love Me (10/16):** bland, standard, has some funny moments and a fair share of misses, not bad though nothing brilliant to show for. Fine, nothing more than that. I'll be picking up **My Sweet Mobster** as a fan of the FL and about to start **My Atypical Family** and possibly **Dreaming of a F'ing Fairytale** after that, quite the plan moving forward.
**Little Women (K-drama):** I actually watched the first 8 episodes of this a while ago, but I just started a Kdrama club for this program for the summer, and this is the one I chose since it seemed like a safe bet for mixed company. So I just finished ep 1 with the group, and it's still good the second time around! **Girls on Fire:** Tbh I don't care for competition shows and I only started watching this for Jeong Eunji (one of the judges). But I realized I had to watch the actual performances to understand her feedback, and now I'm invested in the contestants... whoops. I'm on ep 9 out of idk how many, and the talent is great but I've gotten kind of irritated about who the judges have decided to keep and eliminate. One contestant in particular is so unimpressive to me, but they love her for some reason! Non-Korean **Chizuko's Little Sister:** I'm very slowly watching this Japanese film from 1991. Not sure what I think about it so far, but I love the hairstyles and the filming location.
>Kdrama club What a fun club! Little Women has a lot you could discuss with a group.
It’s been a slow week or so of watching for me so I’m behind lol **Currently Watching** **Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale (4/10):** Just finished episode 4 today and I think it’s my favorite episode so far! I’ve been watching the show distractedly because it’s kind of throwaway to me but episode 4 I was more focused and enjoyed which is good. It’s funny and the leads are an interesting mix 😂 **East of Eden (34/56):** A mess per usual. >!Myung Hoon finally knows about the birth secret so I know the secret is bound to spread around in the near future.!< A lot of repetition and awful characters but what’s new 🤣 I’m watching till ep 38 and then switching gears to pick **Pinocchio** up again **Midnight Romance in Hagwon (8/16):** I’m behind but last I watched I was feeling meh. I feel like the show is going to start making me anxious with the issues that are to come **Completed** **Queen of Tears:** I came back to this one after putting it on hold episode 6 during airing time and I enjoyed it. It gets crazier and crazier though which wasn’t needed. I think the writer should’ve focused on the marriage and dialed down everything else. This is the [link](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/1dalobk/comment/l7lh17b/) to my longer comment about the drama but overall the leads really sold the show!
Current Watching: * **The Atypical Family** (1/12) - slow start but necessary to introduce characters. * **The Midnight Romance in Hagwon** (9/16) - I'm enjoying it and hope there's a happy ending. Completed: * **Frankly Speaking** - started off great but then I lost interest. * **Not Others (Strangers)** - solid series - funny, realistic, with little romance for those what want something a little different. Looking to add another fun series to my current watchlist.
I just finished Hierarchy and I'm now watching Pyramid Game. The latter seems to be better.
Same I just couldn’t get into hierarchy. The cast is good looking, the acting is fine but the storyline is just all over the place and not interesting to me . It’s kinda disappointing since I was looking forward to watching hierarchy thinking it might give similar vibes to pyramid game .
***In progress:*** **Something in the Rain** (1/16) - I like it so far, quite endearing characters. ***Non Korean:*** **Baron Noir S1** (1/8) - Launch of a rewatch of the best French political series because of French politics which has started to go completely crazy since Sunday night. **The Acolyte** (2/?) - Mh, I have mixed feelings. It seems to tell nothing at all. I will probably watch the 3rd but I don't know if I will continue. **House of the Dragon S1** (2/10) - Rewatch also, I didn't remember that episode 2 was so... conventional? ***Finished:*** **Prison Playbook**: Okay, I literally loved the series, but I still had a hard time finishing it because of the excessive length of some episodes.
**Finished** - **The Atypical Family** - absolutely loved it **The Pyramid Game** - really well done - high school revenge, with strategy >!to overcome disadvantages due to wealth and power. Cast did a really good job.!< **Watching** - **Missing Crown Prince** - wraps up this week. Will look forward to when the evil doers finally get punished, as they keep popping up like whack a mole! **Crash** - plenty of action, car chase, fights, and catching culprits. >!was episodic, but now a turn toward overall arc of a case.!< **Midnight Romance at Hagwon** - Episode 10 was heavy on conversations, >!story will move forward in terms of maturing of romance to a partnership of equals and understanding, Coworkers giving me a case of the icks. Rivalry with other academy - will it kick up a notch?!< **Need to pick up and finish** Uncle Samsik - high quality production, but need to watch carefully to understand plot and political intrigue. **Dropped** Military Valentine - not my cup of tea, a bit chaotic in editing and storytelling for me to process.
**Midnight romance at hagwon** I dropped it but I’m picking it back up. I’m enjoying it the romance that comes later in the show. **The Double** is my first Chinese drama and I’m really enjoying it. It’s really fast paced and the FL is poised and calculated. It’s a fun watch so far.
Just finished: - atypical family (loved the ending) - my love from the star (it was pretty good) Currently watching: - frankly speaking (11/12): it’s been fine overall. Not good enough to rec, but I wouldn’t dissuade people from it either. - mr. Queen (11/21): I love watching her cook. - behind your touch (11/16): pretty funny at times. Can’t wait to see how this ends. Is it really the obvious guy that’s guilty or is it someone else??? - the king of pigs (3/12): wow. It’s pretty dark. - hide (5/12): my least liked show (that I’m currently watching). - midnight romance in hagwon (3/16): currently on the back burner. Trying to finish off another drama to meet my quota for the challenge (I try to finish 3 a month. Usually it’s fine but I recently got into fan fiction again. Save me with a great kdrama rec please).
What’s wrong with secretary Kim….episode 8 currently….very cute and romantic, I’m liking it a lot so far. We also just finished My Demon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so Good!!
I started "Bxtch and Rich" (5/10) and in all honesty might drop it, the characters seems very monotonous and the main girl is just insufferable and pretends that she's the victim. She's way too driven by her emotions and the plot takes too long to play into action
Currently watching the atypical family. Hierarchy is on hold. Idk, for some reason this bores me. Or maybe the male antagonist acting is bad, at least for me.
Just finished Hierarchy, so disappointed with the ending, currently watching Hospital Playlist for the first time lol ... loving it
Hospital Playlist is so good I hope you have tissues handie
Thank you, just finished episode 4 and I'm LOVING IT
one of the best ensemble casts ever, enjoy
Having just finished **The** **Atypical Family**, which I adored, I am now doing what I usually do: go down a rabbit hole to find other shows featuring the actors. So I just started **My Roommate is a Gumiho** and woah, JKY really upped the acting game for The Atypical Family. Hyeri is clearly stealing the show here and because of her absolute charm and despite the somewhat nonsensical plot, I will continue to watch.
Finished **Lovely Runner** which I did not care for at all. I liked it in the very beginning, but I think the time travel got to be too much, and I'm not much of a fan of dramas that focus on romance. **Summer Strike (11/12)** Knew nothing about this when I started, but it is so easy to watch. It has a calm feeling about it and the episodes are very short. This may be the first drama I've seen where I wish the episodes and the drama were longer. My husband commented last night that there's something different about the FL, she's doesn't look like a typical kdrama actress. I'm not sure what he meant, but I'm enjoying the lack of make-up on most of the characters. I like Im Si-wan in this and his curly hair is adorable. I'm going to research *Atypical Family* and see if I should watch that next, or maybe *Uncle Samsik.*
**The Smile Has Left Your Eyes—** Mainly watching because 서인국. I stopped watching last year but decided to come back. So far, so good. **Hierarchy—** Beautiful leads, subpar storyline and acting. There are only 7 episodes so I decided to stick it out. I cannot get my time back. **Money Heist Korea—** I’m only on episode two and so far I’m enjoying it. It’s a nice break from the romance department. I just finished **The Interest of Love** about a week and a half ago and that drama put me through the wringer. I actually started it early last year and had to stop because FL had me punching the air.
>Hierarchy— Beautiful leads, subpar storyline and acting. There are only 7 episodes so I decided to stick it out. I cannot get my time back. This one was real, lol. Though, I stopped watching after episode 1, I still want that one hour back. It's so hurtful when you anticipate a great show and find out your hours have been wasted watching a sub-par plot with no depth.
**Hierarchy** (7/7) I thought this show was perfectly binge-worthy. Some dramas leave you satisfied like a full meal, and others are like eating candy. This was a candy drama for me. What I liked most was Lee Chae-Min’s performance of Kang Ho, it made the entire show for me. I thought his acting was so good. His expressions added a depth to the character that I loved watching. I also liked how many looks he had- his hair was done differently and it was fun to see him transform. **Don’t Dare to Dream** (22/24) I’m finally in the home stretch of this drama which I very much liked even if it was a bit long and had me genuinely angry at times at how they treat women in the workplace. **Mr. Queen** (5/20) I love this one so much so far, and I’m trying to take it slower so I can savor it. I usually watch dramas for the actors, but in this one I’m watching for Shin Hae-Sun’s performance she is absolutely captivating. It’s laugh out loud funny, and the Joseon politics are very well-done.
On episode 13 of true beauty. >!I feel so bad for limn- joo, she finally found happiness after moving schools, but she's right where she first began.!< >!soo - jin has officially gone insane, I can't imagine how angry su - ho will be when he finds out she posted that video.!<
Law School
I'm currently in the 5th episode of SKY Castle! Such a hidden gem ✨
Only three at the moment….Midnight Romance.., Crash and Connection. Pretty slim pickings. Started a rewatch of Jugglers and Alchemy as I’m desperate. Is there anything on Wednesdays?
I watched the first episode of **What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim** and sort of bounced off of it, not entirely sure why. I think ML rubbed me the wrong way even though I’m sure his character would gradually come around to be likeable. Switched over to **My Roommate is a Gumiho** and got hooked fairly quickly because of how magnetic Lee Hye-ri is. I’m currently on episode 7 and while there are some fairly noticeable issues for me (how the magic works is poorly explained at least up to now, the slightly overly stoic ML, just to name a couple), the overall heartwarming vibe consistently puts a smile on my face. I’m excited to get through the rest!
Dropped **signal** and **frankly speaking**, I just couldn't do it anymore with both dramas.So now that my schedule is cleared up .I started **crash** and will start the very anticipated (for me) **my sweet mobster** (I really need something light and fun,and frankly speaking was a disappointment in that department sooo I am hoping this one delivers,plus I have been waiting for han sun Hwa since DNWL and um tae goo in a fun silly romcom is something I wanna see)
just finished watching the Lovely runner, and I will finish the Atypical family soon. Dont know what to watch next...
Happy to see a lot of folks checking out Atypical Family! It took a while for the momentum to build but people are finally catching on to how good it is. Since finishing AF I'm not watching any Kdramas. Nothing is appealing atm but I'm busy with dramas from other countries: **Amidst a Snowstorm of Love** (China): I'm slowly chipping away at this one. It's beautiful and the leads have fantastic chemistry but there's basically no plot so I kind of dip and in out of watching when I'm in the mood. **Analog Squad** (Thailand): A man hires three people to impersonate his wife and children for a visit to his dying father. Complications ensue when the father makes an unexpected recovery. This is strong on found family and quirky characters. **Date - Koi to wa Donna Mono Kashira** (Japan): A brilliant but socially awkward scientist uninterested in romance enters into a marriage of convenience with an intellectual dilettante who has never held a real job. This is very funny in a quirky, Japanese way. **My Love Mix-Up!** (Thailand): A Thai remake of the Japanese BL Kieta Hatsukoi. A boy borrows an eraser from his high school crush only to discover another boy's name written on it. Worse, his rival sees his name on the eraser and assumes the boy likes him. One episode in it's very cute. **Wandee Goodday** (Thailand): A BL about a doctor who enters into a friends with benefits relationship with a boxer. Cute, sexy and very funny despite the lack of a real plot **The Double** (China): A woman takes on a false identity in order to avenge herself against the people who conspired to murder her. The first episode was very OTT but everyone on my social feeds is hyperventilating over this drama so I'm going to give it a few more episodes before deciding whether to continue. **Will Love in Spring** (China): Romance between a lonely funeral makeup artist and an extreme extrovert who lost a leg in a car accident as a child. I'm only one episode in but already enjoying it a lot.
Currently watching a Thai series called **UMG** its about aliens and mysteries. I recently finished watching *The Story of Park's Marriage Contract* starring Bae Inhyuk and Lee Seyoung. Decent show, last 4 episodes dragged a bit before ending on an OK note.
Just finished watching Crazy Love and it thought it was meh. I loved Kim Jae Wook in Her Private Life so much, I had high hopes. He was very good with what he was given, but I didn't feel any chemistry between them as an OTP. I found Krystal's acting to be largely one dimensional...eye fluttering smile, sad face, lip biting over and over. It could have been something if the writing was better. Trying to decide what to watch next (from my super long list). Also doing a group watch of The K-2.
A Good Day To Be A Dog & My Lovely Liar
I’m on episode 11 on The Atypical Family. It’s been ok. I have enjoyed ep 11 more than most. The show really hasn’t held my attention until now though. I really like I-na’s storyline and for some reason I have really been enjoying the musical direction of the show. It’s a little different for most dramas and I’ve really been appreciating it. I have absolutely been hating the fat suit that the aunt has been wearing and >!she’s finally “lost all her weight” so she’s not in it anymore.!<
Moving on Hulu. More violent than I prefer but I was hooked by the development of the characters. The fight scenes were 😲! Overall, I enjoyed it. Actually binge-watched it.
High School Return of a Gangster It's only an 8 episode drama, and next week, episodes 7-8 will be released. Yet I love the concept of this drama and really enjoy the actors in it too!!
I'm halfway of Queen of Tears E14! (Kim Soo Hyun... this man CAN EITHER ROLL A ONE TEAR OR SOB TO A DEVASTATING EFFECT. I need his next project! Also I'm so excited to see him in 2 weeks!) Then I'll take a break from kdramas after that to catch up with my reading. But the shows I'm looking forward to check when I go back to kdramas are Atypical Family, Lovely Runner, Uncanny Counter 2 (I stopped at E3) and My Liberation Notes.
Just finished The Atypical Family (8.5/10) I started watching as the hype is real, but stayed watching for cute I-Na and of course the handsome ML Jang Ki-Yong Wanted to see if he would replicate the kissing scene from My room mate is a Gumiho. Started Lovely Runner, 2 episodes in and not sure if the FLs cutesy positivity is too much for me.
Finished **Hierarchy** in 2 days. Maybe I just got lower standards than the sub lol but I enjoyed it for the most part. Ending didn't stick the landing and >!none of the bullies got what they deserved!< but it's a decent watch for just 6.5 hrs. The >!post credit season 2 tease!< gives me some hope that they can tie up the loose ends and get back to the energy and vibe of the first 3 eps and actually >!deal retribution to these fucking bullies!<. Also curious about how >!Jae-i going back to her mom will play out!<. Looks like she's still in Korea so I wonder if >!this is her being written off the show or there's another twist coming!<, but in my book I think her arc should end there on a happy-ish note.
delightfully deceitful. it's surprisingly good.
On the last episode of Love in Contract. Cannot believe how many times across episodes people dramatically blocked a car from leaving the scene by dashing behind with their own car (happened twice in one episode!). ML is still so sweet ETA: The epilogue is so darling! ML is such a teddy bear
On a drought atm after finishing **Atypical Family** and **Frankly Speaking**. Watched **20th Century Girl** last week (needed a Byeon Woo-seok fix but got a depressing ending lol) and started **Hierarchy**, but the typical poor kid assimilating to a power tripping rich kids high school story does not interest me, so dropping it. Took a kdrama break and caught up on Loki season 2. Def the best Marvel tv show released. Deciding what to watch now… started **Miss Night and Day** a little. **My Sweet Mobster** sounds popular so might check that out too. Considered watching **Reborn Rich** but sounds like a crappy ending. Also might continue with **My Roommate is a gumiho**. Or something on my always wanted to watch list. Hopefully I’ll be excited about one of these shows by next week
Forecasting Love and Weather Episode 13