On the Verge of Insanity: I ship Choi Ban-seok and Dang Ja-young more than I do couples in most romances. They make a good team. I loved Han Se-gwon’s face when they outsmarted him, but of course, he’s planning to screw them all over. He’s such a turd. A weak and insecure man. I love the Shin siblings. Mr. Shin had two of my favorite moments of the week when he quickly fled from the lunch from hell and started a Ban-seok chant of his own at the team dinner.

The Devil Judge: Farewell, Soo-hyun. I knew you were a goner from the very first episode. Yo-han went hardcore with the public execution plan.

Police University: I’m liking this drama a lot more than I thought I would. It’s light and fun and fast-paced. There’s already been a confession, the Yoon-Bird reveal and Dong-man and Sun-ho starting to work together. So far, it’s balancing the investigation, Police University and romance plots fairly well. Speaking of the romance, it is actually kind of adorable. Please no real triangle.

Hospital Playlist 2: Table tennis was fun. I liked the message that nurses, radiologists, ER staff, etc are important too. I feel for the ahjumma who watches U-ju: Ik-jun and Ik-sun are both annoying. I’m neutral about the other couples but Ik-sun and Jun-wan are a giant no for me.

Nevertheless: I wish they had followed the webtoon. It sounded like a more interesting story. I liked the confrontation in the rain, but Na-bi and Jae-un need to go their separate ways. I don’t want an ending with them meeting three or five years later either.

Hospital Playlist 2 (Episode 9) - Mood: B
It’s disappointing to see that the table tennis festival ended up being comic relief after it was hyped up in the preview (I think that some moments away from work would shake up the monotony of medical procedurals) but I was excited that the ER department finally got an episode featuring them! It was also a similar parallel with the NICU nurses and I would always love to see more characters shine in the spotlight. However, the romance continues to worry me: after the show used Yun Bok to mock the shippers, I was confused when they showed Geon having a crush on Gyu Wool. No triangles!

You Are My Spring (Episode 13-14) - Mood: C
What was the point of breaking up if you’re just going to reunite the next episode? I don’t get why this has to happen in every single romance-focused show! Also, I don’t understand why they had to reinforce this grandiose love between Da Jung and Young Do with the childhood connection when their relationship had practically nothing to do with it. The plot continues to be fragmented with the mystery becoming a side arc that the writer’s forcing into the lighter moments: I’m of the opinion that Da Jung’s speech to Ian might as well have been rephrased off Young Do’s one at the police station.

The Devil Judge (Episode 13-14) - Mood: D
I was wondering why the romance was suddenly rushed out of nowhere and of course it had to be short-lived love: Soo Hyun as a character was written with so little detail as compared to the other leads that her death wasn’t impactful for me emotionally. It must sting terribly for Park Gyu Young: this show was her first major leading role and I would say it did her acting career no favours when she was simply given very little to work with and minimal scenes alongside her costars. She does have another upcoming drama to prove that she has the skills and I hope that’ll work out for her!

Also watching but not really:
- The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: All the classmates sans Il Nam are terribly written. A waste of screen time!
- Blue Birthday: Predictable twist aside, now I’m wondering who the original time traveller was.
- Nevertheless: Tonight’s the finale! I wonder what message will the writer send with the conclusion.
- Check Out the Event: Noble idiocy, clingy ex, love triangle and a drunken mistake! Pretty mindless watch.

I'm busy with family visits and gatherings (after 1 year!!)... thus just quickly sharing my love for the cdrama Crush 😊💕
(I especially like all those details about the life of a visually impaired person)

CRICKET - one heck of a week it was. Awesome for the real cricket - the test cricket. 2 awesome test matches. Not high quality cricket but surely exciting and entertaining cricket.

England Vs. India - Oh what a beautiful test match it was and surely it had the sort of outcome that was expected. 5 days and yet the match went into last hour for any possible outcome for both teams. This last hour of 5th day can become really confusing for both teams competing. A time when a draw is as much of importance as a win.
Awesome match it was with more sledging o the 4th and 5th day.

West Indies vs. Pak - Another awesome test match that i couldn't watch live. Lack of broadcasters and you just can't keep on buying this and that online platform's package for the sake of watching a sport of a specific region. ICC surely needs to work on that. spending 50-100$ per year for Test cricket across the world is must to grow the cricket.

As for the match - Tailenders batting and Pak very much near victory but its West Indies that won the match. Roach said he's the tail and won their team a match. West indies are performing well in test cricket and they are one of the top contenders of this years World t20 cup.

I was dreading the return of Han Se-gwon in ON THE VERGE OF INSANITY eps13-14. But although we do get more of his stupid and infuriating behaviour:

(1) Mercifully, it is kept well within one and a half episodes. (Btw that business with Ja-young’s dad didn’t impress me at all. Se-gwon’s guilt is as superficial as everything else about him, especially in comparison with the spontaneous practical kindness of Jung-ah and Ban-seok.)

(2) His return is used to illuminate other characters and situations, such as Han Seung-ki’s utter lack of interest in the quality of both Hanmyeong appliances and Hanmyeong employees; Ban-seok’s near-masochistic determination to complete the project; and the advantages and limits of having a competent, impartial centre director.

(3) His unstoppable arseholery is tempered by some of the funniest scenes so far. Only a proper recap would do them justice, but my favourite is ep14’s opening sequence, a tour-de-force that starts with Ban-seok arguing with his mum like an overgrown schoolboy and ends with Se-gwon in a bathtub. In between we have a range of comedy styles: Lee Sang-yeob’s full-blown drunk acting; Jung Jae-young's minimalist approach with just his face and his oven-gloved hands; and Moon So-ri and Cha Chung-hwa’s commentary on Se-gwon’s journey to the bathroom. Running through it all is Ban-seok’s mum’s yukgaejang in a pink pot: a source of visual, physical, verbal and even romantic comedy. (Besides “yukgaejang”, “Mary” also gets bandied about rather hilariously in ep13.)

Police University: I like the way that although the show isn't episodic, they make a lesson of the episode kind of thing. It helps show the growth of our lead. Krystal's character is still kind of flat to me though. However, I am excited for buddy cop moves. I also highly doubt the villain is the con law professor this early on.

You are my Spring: Thank God we finished that separation. They are back to adorkable goodness.

Hospital Playlist 2: This episode fell a little flat for me. Ik Joon still continues to be my favorite though. I also get they wanted to highlight the other side characters, but I wish they had set it up better. We also really really need to dead the concept of continued persistent pursuing of someone will get them to like you. It is unhealthy and semi stalkerish. Also wildly inappropriate especially in a workplace setting.

Nevertheless: We are finally in the last episode. Let us see if she does the right thing and remains single or chooses one of these boys.

The Devil Judge: Will we find out who killed Soo Hyun? What happened at the church? Or will we still have questions and out anti-hero remain an antihero.

Devil Judge: 6.0 Well, at least our lady detective friend finally contributed to the story.

Police Academy: 7.5 On Mondays, You Are My Spring may be the better show (or at least the most ambitious), but this is the one I'm eager to watch (despite Jessica's RBF) ...

You Are My Spring: 6.5... and this is the one I keep falling asleep in front of.
But will Young-do need another heart transplant? Who should be the donor?
Would a pshrink like Young-do diagnose the show as having multiple personality disorder?

The Road: Tragedy of One: 5.0 Would somebody please premier some good shows so I don't have to kill time watching this?

The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: 7.0 It grieves me to say this, but Kim Sae-ron was more impressive as a waif child actress. Go watch Man From Nowhere if you don't know what I mean.

It's a sad week when Police Academy leads my ratings.

Prison Playbook⚾👮 (9/16): The previous episode I really felt bad for Dr. Ko and how his company made him responsible for their mess. It turns out the guy does not need my sympathy: he made it pretty clear to his higher-ups that he would not make that mistake twice!👏 His plan was even Lieutenant Paeng- approved!☺️

Speaking of good lieutenants, JoonHo might not like his job for valid reasons, but he is another good egg. Just as I was about to swear at the inmate who disrespected the priest, JoonHo exploded as expected. Jung Kyoung-Ho really does silent rage very well, you just know from one shot that he will reach his limit within the same episode.👍

Lieutenants outrank sergeants in many ways, just ask captain Yoo about what his subordinate did.😡 I am willing to let this slide because Lee Sang-Yi plays baddies so well, but he better be a sweetheart in Hometown ChaChaCha!😤

On the Verge of Insanity: Boy am I enjoying this. I'm only on episode 5. It's like a grown-up Misaeng with a dry sense of humor. I love how Choi Ban-seok's mind works and how Dang Ja-young is starting to respect him more!

Hospital Playlist 2: Lots of wacky, lovely, cute moments. Dr Bong finally gets more screen time (he's so well-cast) and I loved his little talk with his Lil Mermaid resident.

You know who else needs a little talk? EVERYONE ELSE

The next time someone asks "Are you okay?" I don't wanna hear another "Yes I'm fine." YOU ALL NEED A PROPER TALK

Even my own mother cursed at least 3 times at the tv during the entire bus ride scene alone (yes she's a Jun-wan stan now)

Okay. Other than that, I still love you Hosplay. I hope they'll release the (properly sung) band song.

Police University Cha Tae-Hyun's character went from head slaps to tolerable, so I guess it's a plus. The story of his colleague who knew that he was in danger but didn't have all the informations and now has amnesia... No doubt, it's a Kdrama.

You Are My Spring I didn't really like the 13th episode but fortunately, there was the 14th and it was great!

On the Verge of Insanity I would like to see Shin Han-Soo resuming his bad habits and sticking a fork in Han Se-Kwon's hand.

Hospital Playlist 2 The way they chose to drag Jun-Wan-Ik-Soon's relationship is annoying. She lied to him during 2 years, can we move on to something else? The characters are ~40 years old but in the love department we got teenagers, it's frustrating, especially since the author decided to focus the story on love stories.

Nevertheless Yeah, it's almost the end \o/

Check Out the Event The FL was pretty insufferable and I had difficulties to recognize Mina, she's so thin now.

The Great Shaman I understand why Doo-Shim acts like that but the episodes are short and there are only 12 of them, so could she evolve a little faster? Because Woo-Soo went from not knowing the existence of the ghosts to talking to them and asking them for advices...

I'm really excited for D.P. the next week!

I have been out of town so am behind on everything and re-evaluating.

On the Verge of Insanity: This is my favorite drama right now. I worked in offices for years but, for some reason, that never turned me off to office dramas. It takes a little bit of writing skill to make getting a washing machine fixed a dramatic theme. One of my favorite moments so far is when the manager who was being let go voiced that he knew HR gal's job was a tough one and they bowed to each other.

You Are My Spring: I am on episode 11 and hearing about what is going on, I think I might just pick up the last few episodes. Healing dramas tend not to rate well in Korea so it's like the writers decide to add in serial killers and all that crap, and I'm just over it. Go with 9 episodes and write the genre you want.

I've already forgotten the name...Magazine House something or other: I really liked this rom/com but I came back from 2 weeks away to people being really mad at the ending. I spoiled it and I'm out. It was nothing new or innovative but I laughed and was having a good time...the male lead dancing at the gym still puts a smile on my face. But I'm over getting ridiculous endings with one of my least favorite tropes after the love triangle and that's the I'm Gonna Go Find Myself and Not Contact Anyone For a Ridiculous Length of Time In An Age Where Staying In Touch Is Super Easy.

I will probably look into Police Univ and The Great Shaman eventually.

HOSPITAL PLAYLIST 2. Great shoutout this episode for emergency room doctors and nurses. Dr. Bong Gwang-hyun (Choi Young-joon) and his staff got to shine. I loved how my favorite Jun-wan when asked when was the most critical moment in a patient’s care (one that both he and Ik-jun performed emergency surgery on) thought about it and answered that the most critical moment for the patient was when he arrived in the emergency room. The emergency room doctors and nurses saved that man’s life so that he could make it to surgery.

(Ed. comment. I really wish there had been more stuff like the above in HP 2 and less of the romantic plots.)

Penthouse 3 (9-11): Another set of chaotic episodes. Sometimes I feel like I should have waited for the series to get over and binge watch it because the one episode per week is the real torture.
Kim so Yeon owned episode 11. What an acting. And the ending was unexpected. I went from laughing at the scene where she was dangling from the chandelier to utter shock when it fell and supposedly killed her. That was really quick. I wonder why they chose to end her arc like this with three episodes still left. I believe HYC will survive. The daughter -mother bonding moment between EB and CSJ was so sad esp since CSJ was looking so happy. Despite remembering everything, EB chose to protect her mother and it made me think, had other people around CSJ chose to be sincere with her, may be she might have been good. CSJ deserve to be punished but at the end of the day I can't help feeling bad for her.
I am relieved that fake Dan Tae is alive atleast for now because let's be frank this show's strength are the villains and without them I really can't watch the show esp now it has 2 extra episodes. I mean who will watch 3 1 hr+ episodes of only SSR and Logan. Definitely not me. Even the thought is so boring.
We got a glimpse of the reason behind real Dan Tae's father's death. He was a bad man and looting someone's hard earned money is unacceptable. We got to see why fake Dan Tae is the way he is, though that's not to enough justify all the gruesome things he has done to others.
I read theories about a possible return of OYH in future episode and I wish they stay as theories. Apart from a reunion with RN, what other contribution can her return give to the plot?

You are my spring (13-14): Finally the mystery part is not so much of a mystery anymore. I still have questions and hopefully we will get answers to all of it next week. I am happy that the break up didnot last long and how they both supported each other at multiple occasions.

Great Shaman (3-5): Ah why cant we have more this ??? It's so entertaining and the story telling is crisp. I wish it was longer and this one episode per week is just killing me.

Police university (1-4): I love it. The story might not be new but it has everything that catch your attention. Dong man got a bit if realization and I appreciate that. Sun ho is adorable and I am really waiting to see his growth now that he decided to join dongman.

HP 2 (9): A better episode finally. The whole TT sequence was nice and I sense a teeny tiny development in the two long awaited ships. The length of the episode is still a bumper ( 1 hr 44 min !!!).

Check the event (1): I lasted apptox. 30 min before dozing off. Dropping it.

Devil Judge (5-14): Finally caught up with this. It's been a long cat and mouse game. And I am curious how everything is gonna wrapped up.

OLDER
Racket boys (1-16): Such a heartwarming show. I totally enjoyed. I have ranted enough about it on my fan wall so I won't say much...

Mad Dog - watched this because I loved the writing of Beyond Evil, and boy, this screenwriter definitely has a set of narrative structures and themes that she likes. This was pretty solid, but it felt a bit like watching a dress rehearsal for Beyond Evil - a lot of the same plot points and character devices were there, although in slightly different arrangements and everything felt slicker, trope-ier and a bit more "surface". Fun, with a good ensemble cast, but despite the abundance of trauma porn it doesn't quite land its big emotional beats.

WITCH’S DINER (Ep. 7-8/Finale): There are shows where the story structure messes up the actual story. TWD is one of those shows. From the very beginning, the show seemed off. SJH lead character had less lines and screen time than Jin. Hee-Ra’s character merely was a mysterious presence. The writer/director/producer made the choice that would flow through Jin. I think that was a mistake; the show should have started with Episode 7 and Hee-Ra’s story being fully developed to clearly define the foundational links between all the characters instead of random bits of information sparsely shared throughout the episodes to show a parallel fate. Then the viewers could experience the true nature of the character actions in real time instead of flashback conclusions. Instead, though it is hard to believe, the 8 episode series was drawn out by filler side stories instead of using them to build a complete story mythology like in Hotel de Luna or Mystic Pop Up Bar. This show had all the elements of being a very good show, but the execution was poor. In the end we were given a large gift box to open, and when we pulled out all the bits of packing materials only to find a small child’s puzzle of trope pieces. It is one of those shows that you knew could have been better if better choices were made by those in charge.

1. One & Only: I wanted a drama that could convince me Ren Jialun is swoony, and this is the perfect one! Anticipating the angst, separation and tragedy... and awaiting part 2 (modern-day reincarnation). Bai Lu and RJL make an adorable CP <3
2. Begin Again: Started watching it from ep 24, where I dropped it. Not even Gong Jun could make me go on. But, but.... enter cute baobei, and I'm SOLD. Such a smarty-pants and a complete charmer this 5-year old is! Plot beyond ep 26 reminds me Autumn's Concerto and Xiao Le. I'll finish this one for the kiddo!
3. Unforgettable Love: Speaking of cute kids who ship their parents... XiaoBao became 10X cuter once he started speaking! :3 Also, Miles Wei in glasses & suits! <3
4. Nevertheless: I wish they stuck to the webtoon. I wish they could continue with the artsy, indie-movie vibes from the first 3 episodes. I'd like to say it became cliche, but that's not even the case with the main CP. I really don't know where they're headed with the finale.
5. Word of Honor: Will finally try to get over my attachment issues and try to finish this one (last 3 eps). Somehow, with the fandom, it never really felt like it got finished. I'm trying hard to say goodbye to it! T_T
6. Us & Them: On a Zhou Dongyu cinematography binge for my weekends! She deserves every bit of the hype! Also, Jing Boran is Bae! <3

VERGE OF INSANITY is insanely good. Let's see what else comes up in the next few months, but it could be my favourite drama of the year. Loved seeing Mr. Shin fleeing the lunch from hell! Thumbs up for Lee Sang-Yeob's performance as the miserable douchebag Han Se-Gwon. Cannot wait for his final fall.

POLICE UNIVERSITY is much more enjoyable than expected. The paintball battle was great fun, as well as Kang Sun-Ho picking up and using Yong Doon-Man's interrogation technique to find the anonymous poster.

YOU ARE MY SPRING felt really long and drawn out. Would have preferred to see more of Ian Chase. The childhood connection between the main leads is not really necessary and feels tropey.

I am more happy than many others that the electric chair was cut off power. I did not trust Yo-han to stop before the execution really happened, he went too far. Even if Ga-On played into the hands of the monsters, he is hanging on to his humanity, despite his grief and anger.

We are really enjoying POLICE UNIVERSITY. There have been so many reveals early on that we have been set up for a much deeper than normal drama. Had THE WITCH’S DINER done its reveals up front instead of at the end it would have been a far better show for it.

ABSOLUTE BOYFRIEND is a lighter show than POLICE UNIVERSITY but very watchable.

We are also watching the C-drama UNFORGETABLE LOVE .

Having finished the wonderful Chinese Costume drama LOST LOVE IN TIMES my wife is now watching the fantasy/Sageuk MIRROR OF THE WITCH which she describes as “intense”.

I am still managing to wedge in an ocasional episode of the delightful Chinese costume rom-com TRUTH OR DARE.

Meanwhile, we are only getting one very short episode of THE GREAT SHAMAN GA DOO SHIM per week- so why was Viki only able to get this week's episode only 89% subbed? But this is still such a good show, I just wish there was more of it.

BE MY DREAM FAMILY continues to be my go to substitute for a weekender. I am actually worried though that there may not be enough episodes left for us to see our couples flourish- we may have to have a triple wedding to get them all in.

And now we are looking forward to SEASIDE VILLAGE CHA CHA CHA. Netflix put out a nice teaser/trailer and it really does look like it will be good.

I held off and savored Ep. 13-14 of On the Verge of Insanity Friday night. I love this show so much. As work dramas go, it’s surprisingly thrilling and unparalleled in its relatability and dry humor. The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim is my only other kdrama—a tasty morsel.

Anybody else catch Renai Mangaka? It’s a recent 11-part contract relationship/found family Japanese drama with a fun twist. MDL describes the concept as a reclusive manga artist hiring a woman to be his “pseudo-romance partner.” More accurately, Karibe Seiichiro asks Kuon Aiko to be his romantic amanuensis. He dictates specific romantic scenarios for her with other men and asks her to report on her dates, which he adapts to his manga series. At the same time, they form a found family with his young nephew, whom he's raising after the death of the boy's father. The humor is broad, as to be expected, but there’s a lot of warmth and the bickering affection between the leads is cute.

I've also watched all but the first episode of Modern Love on Amazon Prime. Inspired by stories from The New York Times Modern Love section, this season's stories offer a rich diversity of love—lost, potential, friend zoned, first, brief, rekindled, betrayed and more. I've been working my way backwards from 8 to 1 and have enjoyed them all.

For my next work drama, I’ll dive into The Ideal City, the latest cdrama starring the great Sun Li, Mark Chao and Yu He Wei (he was masterful as the FL’s cunning father in Rebel Princess). iQiyi has 22 episodes out of 40. Casting Sun Li pretty much tells audiences that this project is high quality. Looking forward to it and will likely learn something about architecture and cost engineering!

Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: Should have waited till all the episodes were released and then binged. The weekly wait for a 19 minute episode is tough! One of the few dramas where I feel like it needs to be 3 times longer than it is. I love watching Woo Soo and Doo Shim (and even that rare minute we get with the student ghost that hangs around Doo Shim). Woo Soo is such a nice kid!

C-drama...

Lovely Swords Girl (up to 11): The ML and SML being so cute with each other and them being on board for being a thruple was hilarious! As I dreaded and expected, the ML eventually regained his full mental faculties and, like the FL, I mourn losing the cute Xiao Xiu Xiu that we both fell in love with. Love the in-laws (looks like they will have their own lovelines) and love how there aren't any psychotic love rivals.

Unforgettable Love (done): So glad the ML insisted the FL go to Germany and pursue her dreams and they were able to maintain a long distance relationship for the months she was gone! It can be done! I wish the drama didn't have such a blandly dramatic english title. This is a likable, fluffy watch with lovely characters and one of the cutest child actors ever.

Since I last posted on Dramabean over two weeks ago, I have watched the 2020 Netflix kdrama Extracurricular. I enjoyed it a lot more than expected considering the dark subject matter. Really well done with a great antihero.

Hospital Playlist 2
The last episode was my favourite of the season so far. The table tennis tournament was so much fun. It was so funny how Ikjun and his partner got to the finale without actually having to win a game hahaha. I also loved the less heavy handed approach to the episode's "lesson" about the unsung heroes of the ER. It was a great homage to the ER personnel, but it was also realistic in the way it showed that sometimes you don't always get the recognition you deserve. We never saw the patient and his family thank the frustrated ER resident for instance. However, we did get that wonderful talk between him and the ER doctor.

The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim
A love a short drama! This show has been fun so far. Nam Dareum and Kim Saeron are a great pair. The romance seem a little rushed due to time constraint but, so far, it is adorable nonetheless. However, does anyone know who is doing that evil spirit voice? The voice sound familiar and it is bothering me.

My friend got a recommendation to watch the hyped Chinese drama Falling Into Your Smile. Instead of watching it herself, she just told me to watch it. It's cute and easy to watch. I'm not liking it as much as others seem to love it. However, I enjoy it's E-Sport setting since I have never watched anything about the sport. I'm also unfamiliar with the kind of video game they are playing (something like Leagues of Legend) so I'm learning a lot of new terms.

I'm off to watch the last episode of Nevertheless. I'm resisting the urge of looking up spoilers because I know that if I am unhappy with said spoiler, I will never get around to finishing the drama.

You Are My Spring - continues to be enjoyable. There really isn't a need to have a childhood connection, cute but do people really remember that one time at the hospital they encircled a plant with cigarette butts? While I didn't like the break-up than make-up, but crossing the road with a green walk signal was A+
Glad to see the side characters getting their own subplots :)

And waiting for the next set of kdramas that will hit in twoish weeks.

C-dramas:
One & Only - I wonder why the FL didn't return to her home when they went off for battle and returned when they did

BL:
Love Area - he really needs to demand his money back
The Yearbook - on hold until its all out

On The Verge Of Insanity - Currently at episode 5. I loved how CBS shined with the way he helped with each ones projects. It just edifies how competent he is. He's ambitious and is not afraid of new things, but he also knows what things he shouldn't dabble into yet. DaJungs move with the labor sack and all was pure classic office political move, one I so much loved, hope she shines through.

You Are My Spring - I had to binge ep 8-14 in one day and all I could feel was :I can't get enough of this. This wonderful piece pulled my heartstrings, is it that gentle dance scene, or the kiss, or the fact she knew of the breakup and did it for him, or the friendship between the 3 guys(which happens to be how I dream to grow), or even Ian Chase's story. Everything tugged my strings, and now I'm waiting for the finale.

Hospital Playlist 2 - My best news would be Joonwan and Iksoon not becoming endgame, cause I'd puke, that guy is too adorable and delicate to break him to that extent, I hope it was resolved with episode 9, no screensaver should reverse JoonWans mind. Kim Had Sook playing in SeokHyungs place last week, I squealed at my screen. Plus the several finger hearts I've dashed at our characters.

PentHouse 3 - Hilarious laughter is all I have for this drama for its hijinks. I just want them to pull one stunt, Oh Yoon Hee coming back. That is the one resurrection I'd watch that I'll suspend all my sense for.

Imitation: thanks @missvictrix for raving about this little gem of the show. I binge-watched this and absolutely loved it! I really like how it tapped into the entertaiment industry, and how it made me really see that idols are real passionate first and above all else.

At a distance, spring is green: i have been struggling to pick this back up. But I am finally on the last episode. I somewhat enjoyed watching it. It was interesting to see mental health addressed (physical abuse, depression, suicidal thoughts...) though I would have appreciated the intervention of a mental health professional at some point; I always love to see mental health talked abt on tv. The bromance was the highlight for me; this was really a story about how two people who seem completely different can be friends and make each other better, and even heal each other. I didn't really get Jun's Hyung until the end (and the fact that it was played by Na In Woo did not help: i have a hard time connecting with this actor). I could not understand the justification of him protecting Jun by making his life miserable. It did not make sense to me and it's a flaw of the writing. Also, I think the mom's character was a bit exaggerated. Is it really possible for a Mom to despise her own son that much? Overall, I think it was a nice watch!

Hospital playlist 2 ep 7: still enjoying my favorite doctors. I am still catching up, so trying my best to avoid spoilers. The episodes are so long, I feel like I never have time to watch an episode in one sitting and HP is one of those dramas I just have to savor in one go.

On hold and trying my best to finish (I want those beans!!! Lol): Mine, Monthly Magazine Home (I thinkg for this one I'll just let it go), My roomate is a gumiho

Next on my list: you are my spring

K dramas Devil Judge and The Road
J drama Kodoku no Gurume Season 9 E6
C drama Demi Gods & Semi Devils

Old B&W Crime Noir B movie The Naked Street Anthony Quinn as a gangster, pretty convincing, the story is a bit cheesy though, lol.

Old comedy The Million Pound Note Gregory Peck in this adaptation of Mark Twain’s story. Funny, wholesome movie.

Finding dramaland to be kinda empty right now before all the hyped premieres.

Check Out the Event: One episode and there’s already enough clingy-stalker exes, noble idiocy and love triangles to last the whole show. But I’m continuing because there isn’t much else to watch that I’m in the mood for. Also I almost didn’t recognize Minah at times - she’s lost so much weight, it’s a little worrying. I typically dislike commenting on an actor’s physical appearance, but she looks so different.

The Devil Judge: Little behind because I want to watch episodes 15-16 together. Soo-hyun’s entire role was such a waste of Park Gyu-young’s talents. I saw her death coming from a mile away, so the fridging left me cold. Don’t you love it when a female character - whose entire existence already revolves around a man - is further sacrificed for said man’s emotional arc and nothing else?

Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim: Agreeing with everyone that it’s too short. Everything else about it is delightful and I love it. Hopefully we get a second season.

Hospital Playlist 2: Love that the ER department got an episode. Dr. Bong finally getting some of the spotlight he deserves. Jun-wan continues to be the star of the season.

Nevertheless: Only few shows can make me this overwhelmingly grateful I’m not heterosexual as this one does, good riddance. Still love Soljiwan though. Dramaland’s Year of the Lesbians continues.
…..
For non-kdrama stuff, I’m loving You Are My Glory, which is giving me all the romcom feels I’m missing from Korea at the moment. The chemistry between Dilireba and Yang Yang (who is actually good in this drama) is palpable and I really like them as a couple. So much pretty! I also started Crush and liked the two episodes I saw. I hope the quality keeps up.

You Are My Spring: is making me feel many things, a)most primarily that Seo Hyun-jin needs All the Awards and b) that I'm kind of crushing myself on nerdy adorable Dr Ju.

Hospital Playlist 2: this and last week were more interesting episodes for me, though I still find it surprising that even with nearly 2 hrs the story struggles to move our characters forward consistently. I'm still not quite sure what's "off" about this season, but I do still enjoy it, if maybe not as in love as I was with S1. One thing I can definitely do without: the Jun-wan/Ik-sun drag out. Yawn.

Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: my only complaint is that we get a single 20-min episode each week. I've taken to watching every/other so that at least I get 2 in one go. This is a little gem in a nutshell.

Police University: I'm struggling to get through the first 2 eps, and I fear this may be a drop for me.

I recently completed Racket Boys, which has my whole heart entire, and the sweet slice-of-life tw-drama Yong-Jiu Grocery Store which has one of the very best confessions I've ever witnessed in a drama. A show with a lot of heart and a wonderful ensemble cast. I want to visit that town stat.

I’ve not been able to settle on much lately, but I have started watching ZOMBIE DETECTIVE with my sister - I’d previously seen the first episode but not more. It seems fun so far, the first episode we were playing “where have I seen this actor before?” - Um, Mouse, Mouse, Gu Family Book, Vagabond, You’re All Surrounded, Busted 2, something of a Lee Seung Gi theme 😅 anyway, off to a good start.

I’ve also started INTO THE RING again, I think I got to about episode 10 last time but I remember nothing so back to the beginning. Also so far, so good.

Otherwise I have mostly been watching (fast forwarding) cdramas. I find them hard to watch, they are very same-y and very seldom do they act like actual people. I finished LOVE IN TIME, which was ok - I mostly ff from about episode 10 and watched the secondary couple, but I did actually make it the end which is more than I think I’ll be able to say for SHE IS THE ONE. It started out with a good contract marriage/runaway bride premise but deteriorated rapidly - nothing about the lead’s relationship makes sense and I find it extremely hard to believe the hero is a successful CEO because he seems completely devoid of common sense/strategy/ability to read the room. Anyway. I don’t recommend it.

After damaging my ankle in an off-trail hike, I'm now fully wrapped, iced and ensconced in front of the big screen TV. Hubby and I finished ALONE: Arctic Survival last night (it will make your problems feel kinda petty) and we will begin Sandra Oh's THE CHAIR tonight. She is such a wonderfully nuanced actor and we hear good things about the script. Hubby's dad was a college dean and hub has worked in academia his whole life so we hope for some skewering of major egos.
Following Beanie enthusiasm, I dove into ON the VERGE of INSANITY and I'm hooked. The workplace is such a rich vein for exploring human interactions and this show has great potential.
Still loving GREAT SHAMAN but will pause to let the subbers catch up. Meanwhile the deliciously observant Australian author Lianne Moriarty's NINE PERFECT STRANGERS has begun showing on US cable. The book was very enjoyable so fingers crossed for screen adaptation.

Some of the comments here were for the previous week/s episode

The Devil Judge I like the dynamics between YoHan and Gaon. And I enjoy GaOn thaw the hearts of everyone in that mansion. I just feel really bad for Elijah and I hope she communicate better with her uncle. I have a hard time liking Soo Hyun especially with her latest stunt. Come on woman, you have a minor with you. You think to show off and face those rowdy troublemakers by yourself. (Okay this comment is a bit old but I will keep my comment on the latest episodes next week)

Beyond Evil I am seriously loving this show. It is really well written and the leads are absolutely excellent. I can't say more without giving spoilers away. I only have four episodes left, that epilogue though ib ep12. I knew he had a hand in that crime!

You Are My Spring I am enjoying watching this show because of how cute Young Do and Da Jeong are. There is progress and just love their slow burn romance. Ga Yeong is also very precious. Hopefully she and Patrick will work out. I am not enjoying the killer twins storyline as much though and I am getting my romance fix on this show.

Bossam I watched the final episode finally. I may or may have not glossed over certain scenes. I may watch the episode again to get the real feel but for now I like how it ended. I really like BaWoo and the Princess, and only wanted what was best for them. With the political situation at that time, that was the only way to give them a HEA i suppose.

HP2 my biggest takeaway from this episode was that cute camping weekend between Song Hwa and Ik Jun (plus an unusually contemplative Uju), and that scene with Seok Hyeong's Mom and Minha. The latter was very interesting

Undercover This is a more high stakes but less serial killer-y version of FoE. I have been watching this on and off for the past few weeks partly because of Yeon Woo Jin and Ji Jin Hee. But mostly I want to know how the leads will deal with the double identity of the husband. Yoo Seon Ho is also a revelation since I realized that he also plays the ghost Hyun Soo in the show below. There were scenes with the baddies that I mostly gloss over but I pay attention when its the leads on the screen. I really can not imagine why Suk Kyu would go so far with the deception and so long. I felt mostly bad for his father and not being able to spend a ton of time with him and the grandkids.

The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim I love Kim Sae Ron and Nam Da Reum so its a no brainer for me to check this out. The short episode length is a bit frustrating since its like watching only one episode a week (like Imitation). Despite that I will stick with this since I love the genre. I just wish the episodes were longer so I can see more of the leads.

Sixth Sense 2 i really like this show. Looking forward to this every week since I binged the first 5 episodes. The ladies are such a rambunctious bunch that its so...

I am in Drama slump.

Can someone or anyone recommend a C-drama for me to watch?

I feel empty. ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️

On the Verge of Insanity ep 13-14: I'm sad that next week is finale week, because I've been having such a blast with this drama. CBS has been worn thin from HSG's impossible task this week (tho lets be real, the poor man has been forced to deal with fiasco after fiasco since episode 1). I'm glad that he was able to reconcile with DJY and rely on her. They make an unstoppable team, and I'm going to dearly miss this pair :').

Mystic Pop-up Bar completed: An unlikely trio, but one of the best trios as the family unit dynamics b/w the three worked incredibly well! The grudge of the week allowed for all types of stories to be told, but what I really enjoyed about them was how carefully crafted they were. From the way each character reacted differently toward each case, we got to learn more about our characters' backstories and perspectives as well. Case of the week storytelling has the potential to feel fragmented at times, so I'm happy with how cohesive it was in this show.

However, I did feel like the ending felt rushed. The villain was glaringly underdeveloped and some of the resolutions felt like they were solved too easily/quickly. There were also some logistical gaps in how the fantastical powers worked at times. I think a few more episodes would've helped, but overall the show was a fun ride that grabbed me emotionally.

As a side note, it's funny that Hwang Jung Eum has gotten to work w/ Choi Won Young in this drama, since it's another reunion w/ the Kill Me, Heal Me cast (last time, it was She Was Pretty w/ Park Seo Joon) 😂!

After my rather long hiatus, I resumed VINCENZO and have since then fallen in love all over again. Mainly with agent Ahn, he's cute as a button. Kim Sung Cheol's cameo was also golden, I kept finding myself humming Tiramisu Cake all the time. The violence is too over the top in my opinion but Taecyeon is handling the dual personality expressions of Joon-woo remarkably well.

YOU ARE MY GLORY is still sweet and heart warming, but I fast-forwarded the un-necessarily lengthy space-equipment sequences. They were boring and mostly didn't add anything to the story.

FLAVOUR, IT'S YOURS has been sitting on my watch-list for some time. I found the premise a bit novel but was seriously disappointed with the male lead in the beginning, the female lead throughout and that the second lead was so easily forgiven for trying to actively kill the female lead.

At bit vexed at this, I alternated with MOONLIGHT, who's giving the male lead some delayed character development in it's final episodes. Although the stalker celebrity is easily fast-forwarded, the change in Zhou Chuan is most welcome, if not slightly over-due.

The finally brings us to FEEL AT EASE MR. LING, a drama with an unexpectedly grounded relationship between the leads, complete with sizzling kisses, misunderstandings and actual communication and trust. The second leads are doing their best killing my buzz but this OTP may be one of the strongest in my book.

Now, completely off-topic, I discovered AKMU just before the summer set in and I'm stanning them like crazy. Watching live performances on youtube have taken a lot of time from dramas these couple of weeks. So happy NAKKA is doing well on the charts. It is a masterpiece.

Police University: Love this series so much! It doesn't drag any plot, it's mysterious yet funny. If you're on episode 1 and find it boring, be still my friend.

When I was at episode 1, it was boring for me and I was kind of annoyed with Sun Ho who kept getting in Dong Man's investigation (without him knowing) I just watched this drama while doing other work.

Eventually, this series starts to pick the pace by episode 3. I fast-forwarded the bullying scenes; I can't stand Dong Man at that moment. But I think I'll repeat that episode seeing that they resolve things between them quite beautifully.

Shaman Do Shim : Such a super sweet series, but it's too short. Only 20 minutes per week? But love that the girl's character is strong headed

Devil's Judge : JUST. WOW! Episode 15 was amazing. Somehow I think the finale can be better (although I can't think of any other possible solution)

My First First Love: Stop at the point when I realize Do-Hyun will lose the girl. What a cliche. Why must the drama show the sweetness of Do-Hyun if Song-I will eventually end up with Tae-O.

Regarding boy-girl childhood best friend theme; I hope there will be a k-drama about how these best friends handle things when they grow up and fall in love with other people (not with each other)

Like My Private Life, but with less kissing scenes 😬😅

Currently watching

1. Voice Season 4 - This show is AMAZING. i love voice series, but my most favorite season was 1 and now this season is quickly becoming my favorite. Keeps me on the edge of my seat. Will miss this show once it ends. One of the best dramas this year.

2. Police University : This show is adorable, funny and quite thrilling at the same time. I love the fact that we have a focus on a lead who is in his youth yet he doesnt have a dream at all. I am liking how the show captures the moments which tickles his heart and desire , whether it is liking a person , or whether him achieving something for his team etc. The kid is going to go a long way and he is going to become a super cop at the end. I am glad he is learning a lot from the people around him. I also love the duo Dong-man and Sun Ho. Both has such a similar personality.

3. 18 Again - Gave a miss to this drama when it was airing, because I thought it would be very much melo. But nope, I was completely wrong. Such a great drama this is and I am loving it to bits. I am savoring each episode and not in the mood to rush. I love the endings of each episode. It gives such heartwarming messages and the overlapping moments are quite beautiful.

I'm also in a bit of a slump time because emotionally I'm really picky about what I'm watching lately. So after the one thread of late brought up both W: Two Worlds and Queen In-Hyun's Man, I flipped a coin and did yet another rewatch of W, and it was just long enough since my last rewatch that it was an easy breezy watch.

I'm not sad to see Nevertheless end, but I also enjoyed it despite wishing a few things went differently as the filming not holding to the earlier more intimate feeling uncomfortably close focus. I haven't read the webtoon, so the changes didn't affect me as they might have it I'd read it.

I did recently marathon all the available Netflix Kingdom bits that are out, but don't think I've mentioned them. Overall, it's ok and I might watch the last when it comes out to see how they end it. I want more from it, but I don't have watcher's regret.

Radiant Office was another marathon first time watch. (We had just bought our house when it came out, so finally got around to it.) It was fun, but the usual ML cringe from office RomCom. I think because I watched it for the first time so soon after Monthly House, I could see parallels with the struggles of job seekers in Seoul.

Also finally got around to watching The Spies Who Loved Me (also marathoned), and it was enjoyable. The end was predictable, but I honestly understood why they did go that way.