HELLO everyone! Oh my gosh it’s been ages! I just checked and it seems the last time I posted on WWW was JUNE 12TH.

Going through all the shows I’ve watched since then would take a year and a day, so I’ll stick to what I’m actively watching this week.

The King’s Affection (12/20): Park Eun-bin is SO GOOD. It’s rare that I watch a sageuk, but I’m glad I started this one. It might not be the best drama in the world, but Park Eun-bin’s character and the drama and turmoil surrounding her life just has me hooked. I usually find gender-benders to not be particularly interesting, but this show is doing more interesting things with the setup than most others I’ve seen. PEB puts her whole heart into her performance, and while she is still small and pretty with a feminine face, she carries herself with such a princely grace that the lines of the gender binary truly do blur in her performance. Hwi is not a man or a woman, but just Hwi. A child who had her birthright stolen from her because she dared to be born a girl (and a twin), and then was forced into the role later in life, living in danger every moment of her life because of her body. It explores the meaning of identity and gender (and even sexuality) in such a subtle way that it seems like it’s hardly doing anything at all, but that just makes it all hurt even more somehow.

Reflection of You (10/16): I don’t have much to say about this one. It is very pretty and well-made, and I actually do find it interesting how it makes you feel for a character one minute and then detest them the next. I just thought it would be more interesting than it actually is. But man, Kim Jae-young is pretty. Very pretty. He isn’t a great actor, but he sure is pretty.

Work Later, Drink Now (8/16): I know a lot of people were turned off by the heavy drinking, but I'm not quite sure what people expected from a drama titled “Work Later, Drink Now”, LOL. I think over a decade of watching kdrama has made me immune to binge drinking scenes, so it’s really easy for me to focus on the important parts of this drama: the friendship between our girls. I’m a sucker for female-led dramas, so it’s no surprise that I’m loving this! Episode 7 made me very sad, but I’m grateful that this drama continue’s this year’s trend of gay representation not just once but twice! I’m also hoping that Eunji’s character ends up being gay, but I don’t think that’ll happen. Oh well. At least she’s an ally.

Inspector Koo (6/12): Love, love, love! I’ll be honest, I don’t think the writing of the actual plot in this is very tight, but I just adore the characterizations and the whole feel of it. I love that all the main players are women, and I’m kinda obsessed with Kim Hye-jun’s quirky craziness. Everything about this show is a little offbeat, a little weird, a little quirky, and that’s exactly what I love in my dramas. Also, that OST SLAPS!

Dr. Brain (2/6): Okay, this one is weird as well… but...

Too many shows so I'm only writing the most memorable parts

ONGOING
Jirisan - The drive-by drone shot with the fire trucks was very good. The editing and pacing of both episodes was not. Though I really felt Hyun-jo's desperation in the mountain scene.

Inspector Koo - Santa and Gyeong-su must be protected at all costs. I wonder what Santa's secret is and how it's related to Koo.

Chimera - Hate it when cops in thrillers can't make the most basic leaps of judgement. Everyone ignoring all the associations of the doctor with Lee Sang Woo is just funny at this point.

The King's Affection - Best set of episodes so far though I don't agree with the King's choices. Also the cousin makes a very unimpressive villain.

Secret Royal Inspector & Joy - The shrine scene was good. I like that we are assembling a motley crew of sorts to take on all the evil people.

Melancholia - They seem to need to rush through the past timeline - we got falling in love with Teacher, traumatic episode, Olympiad presentation and more possibility of scandals all in one episode.

The Red Sleeve Cuff - Not enough scenes of the leads together 😔 but the scene with Duk-im and the King was great. Liked the fan falling and distorting Yi San's reflection.

Now We Are Breaking Up - Did he seriously hook up with his dead brother's girlfriend without telling her he's dead and knowing she still cares for him?! And how does she NOT know he's dead! Shouldn't she worry and figure out what happened not automatically assume she's been ghosted?

C-DRAMAS
Still no time…

The King’s Affection: So now what is the question of the day. The assumption is the Prince will be forced back to the palace because the King is killed before he names the younger brother the crown prince. The question is when does grandpa find out his minion messed up and killed the wrong child. The show has surprised me so far in the way they show how people find out. So maybe grandpa won’t find out until the very end.

Secret Royal Inspector: The little scenes before the show begins are hilarious. The one in episode 3 made me laugh out loud, especially when she did her boxer shuffle. The show continues to be hilarious, Taec is in his element with the wild faces he makes. This drama is so much fun.

Reflection of You: I swear this show is a battle every episode. All these people suck, but Hae Won and the brother-in-law are especially terrible. The mother-in-law is a close second. Also the way this drama is disrespecting Ireland, What did the Irish do to deserve Irish Pub and Irish rental, lol, so bad. Half those actors are not Irish at all. As for the pen still being there after 6 years, WTF, that made me roll my eyes. This is not how memories flood back and people don’t keep pens for 6 years behind the bar, not even Michael. Lol

Hellbound: This show tried to be more clever than it actually was. There were several plot holes that didn’t make any sense. Also, it had very strong golden compass overtones, a little bit of a mother’s love protects all, and a warped view on free will. The creepiest thing about the drama was the fake baby, yikes, lol. All that to say I did actually enjoy it. The 6 episodes went by quick. I want to give a shout out to Won Ji Ah, who was spectacular as a mother going through ALL the ranges of emotions. A shoutout to Kim Hyun Joo for being a badass as well. I would love it if Lee Re stopped being in dramas with cults and did something joyful, ha.

Didn’t have time to get to Red cuff sleeve, now we are breaking up, or happiness.

Chimera: continues to be fine. Nothing special about it. It seems our detective and doctor are brothers. The mother conveniently has amnesia so that reunion will be melodramatic. I still enjoy it enough to keep watching.

Inspector Koo: Waiting for them to catch K. I think Sook wants K to exclusively work for her. So hopefully they meet up and more shenanigans happens.

I watched very little this week as I'm too busy in Real Life (and also a bit overwhelmed by all those new shows).

I started with Breaking Now because I thought it would be a fast drop. Colour me surprised when I actually reasonably liked the first episode. Jang Ki Young exceeded my expectations (which admittedly were not too high 😆) and I liked him as the professional photographer (with a sharper/rougher vibe than JKY usually lately gives). Song Hye Kyo is a bit blendish, but I am willing to stay and see where the story is heading to.

Melancholia on the other hand fared worse than I expected (the overdramatic beginning nearly stopped me watching). Also, as a former mathematician I now see why doctors usually don't watch shows about doctors... and lawyers about lawyers 😁 Still, there is Lee Dohyun who may keep me watching.

Fall in Love - oh boy, was I sooo wrong with my expectations about this show! I was prepared for an epic story during the Republic era... but this... this is F4... in uniforms!! 😂 (well, more precisely F1 vs F3) The show has a flavour of a daily with the standard ridiculous plot and logic out of the house. I will very likely drop it soon, but so far it is serving well as a mindless nightcap.

Bite Sisters - waiting for subtitles for the last episode.

Hellbound: Well, that was a disturbing six hours. It certainly used creatures from Hell to show the problems in our world, but it was rather slow and we knew so little about the characters it was hard to get invested. I had to mute the Arrowhead freakshow’s screeching. Out of Netflix’s dystopian series, I liked Squid Game and Sweet Home more.

Inspector Koo: I approve of Santa in a suit. I’m really curious about his backstory.

Happiness: The relationship between Sae-bom and Yi-hyun is hitting all of the right notes for me. One of my favorite tropes in the zombie genre is when people are trapped somewhere, so I was happy to see the apartment building locked down. All of the characters are interesting, and I’m rooting for our little foursome to survive.

Melancholia: The school politics are a yawn, but I like plant lady’s office. Yun-su is an intelligent person, she should know better than to go on a trip alone with a student, especially after the photo incident. I do like their relationship even though Seung-yoo definitely has a crush.

Secret Royal Inspector and Joy: I went from wanting to drop it but inexplicably finishing both episodes last week to inexplicably charmed this week. It’s goofy and unpolished but quirky and fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously. I loved the animations.

The King’s Affection: I was ready to drop this one after a lackluster few weeks, but this week’s episodes reeled me back in. I do think part of my enjoyment was that Ji-woon spent the majority of time on the backburner, but the reveal at the end of Episode 12 was well done. I really like the layers they have given to the King.

Reflection of You: Hae-won, Hae-won, Hae-won … Don’t mess with the kids. I’m glad Woo-jae’s memories are back.

Dr. Brain: This is getting tedious.

The Red Sleeve Cuff: The first episode was good, but I haven’t pushed play on Episode 2 even though I love Jun-ho. I think it is sageuk fatigue.

Now, We are Breaking Up: I barely made it through the first two episodes and have no desire to see more. SHK has one expression and JKY maybe has one and a half.

CRICKET -

So we have 10 world cricket tournaments in next 10 years and World Test Championships are different tournament all together.

ICC - world cup - money - how much more they want?

Big decision - USA - getting world cup matches
Namibia getting - world cup matches

20 teams world cup - wow.

Cricket boards are corrupt and have lot of political problems and many politicians switch from cricket to politics to cricket so that's that. Its really a long strategic game played in real time.

NOW WE ARE BREAKING UP (Ep 2): Somehow, I am getting a flip side vibe of “Oh My Baby” relationship. In this case, the career woman is cold hearted and not willing to have a relationship commitment while the photographer finds her to be his smitten, love prospect. In a world of divas, celebrity egos, favors and favoritism, compromise and pride it seems like the two main leads cannot leave their professional shell open to minds to the possibility of a normal life. The ending starts the story off a jagged cliff with the dead brother trope. One thing is for certain, this profitable series is a PPL monsoon.

Variety:
OUT RUN BY RUNNING MAN (Ep1/2): The Disney spin off program was a dud. The short preview showed the ultimate problem with the show: no innovative concept or ideas for it. Jong Kook and HaHa have been discussing concepts like shooting a drama or movie on past web series but those ideas are pipe dreams. They don’t have the time, talent or budget to pull off big projects. The first full episode was a name tag match with 10 young idols. But it really had no excitement or impact.

Happiness (Episode 3-4) - Mood: B-
Sae Bom’s recklessness in facing the disease despite being a trained counterterrorism officer isn’t professional: what’s worse is that her actions are clearly plot devices designed to move the plot forward! Nevertheless, the show impressed me with its commentary on the different reactions to a pandemic: I think that both Sae Bom and Tae Seok’s views have validity to them and demonstrate how grey this situation can be? It’s quite coincidental that only one building didn’t get overrun but it’s a plot convenience I’m willing to ignore. But I’m unhappy it was really a drug conspiracy: that’s so lame!

Idol: The Coup (Episode 3-4) - Mood: C+
I can understand the terminal illness trope since it does help explain CEO Ma’s decision to bring in the new CEO as well as serve a narrative purpose where the girls are left to fend themselves with new bosses that don’t have any emotional bonds to them. But I can’t ignore the makjang that was Du Ho’s car accident or the contrived history between CEO Cha and In Han or the white-knighting that In Han does for Je Na. Why couldn’t we have gone for more realistic arcs like Du Ho getting suspended for his attempted blackmail, CEO Cha struggling to meet investors’ demands and zero romance?

Let Me Be Your Knight (Episode 2) - Mood: C-
They wasted no time setting up a love triangle for Yoon Joo!

Reflection of You (Episode 11-12) - Mood: C-
I’m surprised Woo Jae wasn’t faking amnesia but the plot itself is developing into a predictable mess that just has more polish than daily dramas.

Inspector Koo (Episode 5-6) - Mood: C-
We’re halfway through the show and we’re still nowhere close to the truth behind the husband, which unfortunately is the juice tying the more interesting characters in the show.

The Red Sleeve Cuff (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D+
Will Junho’s cheekiness keep me oblivious to the stupid tiger arc going on? No, but I’m glad to pretend that that nonsense doesn’t exist when I see his eye smile.

Now We Are Breaking Up (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D
2 brothers 1 girl? This is such an interesting setup! /s

Melancholia (Episode 3-4) - Mood: D
Yes no lines were crossed but that Jeju trip was unprofessional at best and grooming at worst

The King's Affection (Episode 11-12) - Mood: D
Oh great yet another political faction going after the crown!

Chimera (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D
I sense some makjang with all those flashbacks Jae Hwan’s mom has.

Secret Royal Inspector and Joy (Episode 3-4) - Mood: F
When a Lee Joon Hyuk cameo only barely excites me, that’s not good news at all for a show that feels more like a comedy skit rather than a drama. Dropped.

Secret Royal Inspector and Joy. It’s getting so much better. This is so absurd and funny. It’s like Airplane! goes Joseon. I laughed so much at the whole Seupcheop. I’m having so much fun that I don’t care at all about FL being totally anachronistic. And… I love Taec!

Would you want a cup of coffee?. Loved episode 5 and 6. This is one of those dramas in which you ask for episodes to last longer.

Dr. Brain. I was pretty sure from episode 1 that King Mu was dead (those Flatliners vibes, beanies) and I was right. Now I wonder how many times SeWon can synchronize his brain with another dead person / cat before he loses it all. Anyway, I’m happy to see Seo Ji Hye character is getting more time onscreen. Also wonder if Yoo Teo will ever play a goodie...

Red Sleeve. Episode 2 was funny. Maybe Seyoung acting is a bit over the top, but I believe it is her way of showing us a 18 years old Deok Im. The scenes with her and Junho were hilarious, they both share an amazing chemistry and they are so pretty!!! Episode 3 got us into the politics and how hard and at the same time fragile the position of Yi San is. The scene with him and King Yeonjo inside the dragon folding screen was so touching and deep, both actors were amazing. I hope we can get to see a little bit more of the life of court ladies. History always remembers the big names, that’s why I love to have some insight into the life of those who served. Also… I love, love, love Junho!!

Jirisan. My secret pleasure. Nothing makes sense, but I’m having so much fun watching this joke I just can’t stop. Anyway, I’m not buying that the serial killer is Sung Dong Il’s character. Too obvious. Although this drama can do anything, so...

On the verge of insanity. On episode 8. Every episode is perfect. Who would think a drama about the dealing of making washings machines could be this engaging.

Mad Dog (2017).So much fun. Over the top. Unbelievable. But absolutely fun.

I tried Now we are breaking up, and I didn’t find it as bad as I thought, but I’m not in the mood for it, but I think I will watch at some point. I couldn’t catch up with Reflection of you and all its dislikable characters, hope I can do during the weekend. Also planning to watch Hellbound while I try not to avoid spoilers.

Happiness (3-4): Going great and intense.

Jirisan (6-7): Can we just have a proper reveal for what actually happened ??

Chimera (5-6): Its great and underrated.

Inspector Koo (5-6): I dont know sometimes I feel annoyed at Koo anlong with K. I am more curious abou the backstory of Santa.

Let me be you Knight (2): Its silly and full of cliches. Despite that it a good drama for timeless with some laughs. I already sense a love triangle but will it be between the 2 idols and the FL or the twins and ML ? I wonder how the twin sis will react once she get to know what's happening here. The sleepwalking sequences were funny and scary. Imagine taking a shower and suddenly sensing someone behind??

King's affection (11-12): Ahhh!!! Netflix has done dirty without showing preview for the next week. Happy that Ji woon will get to onoe the truth about Dwi. The episodes were emotional and I felt happy that Dwi has more supporters than Lady kim and the enunch. I felt bad for Hyun. His sad eyes always broke my heart. Wonder where Ga won went and if he have any part in the uncle's death. I actually do not believe that he killed himself.

Secret royal inspector & Joyi (3-4): What a wonderful set of episodes !!!! I didnot expect it to be so much fun... And I love Joy. Kim Hye yoon is wonderful and I am so much in love with Taec's goofy expressions. I also loved the interactions between the four main characters. Loved the "extraordinary You" reference. Go pal looked extremely cute in that attire !!!! Totally loving it.

IDOL: The coup (3-4): Give the girls some break. I didnot expect DH and CEO Ma to die on the same day. I am curious about the ML. Will it be the JH or the CEO?.
Loved the encounter between Hani and the CEO. Cant wait yonder the next set of episodes.

Reflection of you (11-12): Any little respect I had for HJ disappeared with this week's episodes. HW stresses me out but she is an entertainer. I mean she is the one who is pulling strings for other characters and call me evil but I actually enjoyed seeing HJ going hysterical and when her fake smiles doesn't work anymore. I feel when it comes to HJ,HW is more mad over the fact that HJ never thought the need of apologizing. Wouldn't it be a good twist if HS turns out to be the son of HJ's husband. I mean she was practically shuttling between WJ and HS. I low key expected WJ to apologize to HW when he regains memory but the preview is something else. He never learns I guess🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️

Melancholia (3-4): This show fills me with warmth. I didnot expect myself to invest my time in this, but I loved this week's episodes even more . The connection between the leads is developing. The show is handling it delicately and carefully. While FL views SY as a student I can see the shift in his case. But it felt more like admiration esp since she was the one who encourages him without binding him to any expectation shackles. The trauma sequence felt too real. Poor SY !!! The show...

The King's Affection The last scene of episode 12 was so perfect! The actors, the scenery, the meaning... I hope they will be able to make use of the calm before the storm...

Idol: The Coup It's kinda repetitive... How many times they talked about giving up in 4 episodes? Who is the male lead? The idol? With all the idols who can act, how they got one with the charisma of a shrimp? At least, there is Kwang Si-Yang :p

Secret Royal Inspector and Joy They have issue with dosing the humor. There are some really good scenes ( I liked the guy running to get help) but other are too long, like the seupcheop, it took so much time to the characters to get the meaning...

Melancholia I watched 3 episodes and I'm not really interested by the story. The FL is the only interesting character but she's kinda naive, she seems to forget she's dealing with teenagers.

The Red Sleeve Cuff I like it but for me it looks more like a fusion sageuk than an normal one because of the color filter, the tiger story, the candy FL. I think I prefer Lee Se-Young in serious role, she was incredible as Queen in The Crowned Clown.

Now We Are Breaking Up I need to watch the 3th episode.

Happiness I only watch it for our cute couple.

Let Me Be Your Knight So many tropes... and not well executed.

Bite Sisters
Thanks to dorotka and Lord Cobol, i found out about this little gem. Nothing extraordinary but good enough for a 10 episode, 10 min web drama. This shows how Kang Hanna always had the ability to carry a full show but was typecasted badly. And also who is this Male lead? Was he in Cloy? I don't remember him at all but its amazing how he's so swoony in the 1920s timeline but becomes an everyday guy in the present timeline. I mean, I wish he'd stay swoony and charming all around and the 1920s timeline to be longer but the story has to go on.
Hellbound
Completed it in a day! Loved it. But I was scared all along watching it. It's much more about human nature than supernatural creatures because humans can be more dangerous yeah.
SPOILER ALERT!
This is going to have multiple seasons so don't look out for a definite ending.
Handmade Love
Bite sisters lead me to another webdrama on TVND's youtube channel. This one is with LSH, reasonable story and a hauntingly beatiful OST that they didn't release. Though for a PPL drama about clothes, the clothes they made were worse than the ones the customers brought first.
The King's Affection
I wnat to slap the grandpa that slaps everyone. PEB is great and I'm glad our Lady Prince chose to reveal it to himself rather than him accidentally finding it out. She will become the King as the title suggests but I so want her to escape with Ji Woon.

Bite Sisters
Thanks to dorotka and Lord Cobol, i found out about this little gem. Nothing extraordinary but good enough for a 10 episode, 10 min web drama. This shows how Kang Hanna always had the ability to carry a full show but was typecasted badly. And also who is this Male lead? Was he in Cloy? I don't remember him at all but its amazing how he's so swoony in the 1920s timeline but becomes an everyday guy in the present timeline. I mean, I wish he'd stay swoony and charming all around and the 1920s timeline to be longer but the story has to go on.
Hellbound
Completed it in a day! Loved it. But I was scared all along watching it. It's much more about human nature than supernatural creatures because humans can be more dangerous yeah.
Handmade Love
Bite sisters lead me to another webdrama on TVND's youtube channel. This one is with LSH, reasonable story and a hauntingly beatiful OST that they didn't release. Though for a PPL drama about clothes, the clothes they made were worse than the ones the customers brought first.
The King's Affection
I wnat to slap the grandpa that slaps everyone. PEB is great and I'm glad our Lady Prince chose to reveal it to himself rather than him accidentally finding it out. She will become the King as the title suggests but I so want her to escape with Ji Woon.

- MELANCHOLIA (4/16): this could become one of my favorites. Ep.3 was beautiful.
I'm sorry for the kids: they should be loved by their parents just because they exist and should enjoy life and not be pressured so much. The scene with Seung-yoo, his father and the cabinet was painful to watch. And Ye-rin and Photoshop boy would be good kids if their parents were better people.
I like Yoon-soo very much, she is a good and sweet teacher who cares about education and the kids, and so far she has been able to defend herself from the toxic environment of the school and even to use the principal's ambition to make SY stay.
She should just be more careful, she should have an army of kids in tow when she meets SY, but I think she is glad she met someone who understands her passion and she enjoys his company, not in a romantic way. She seems very lonely, too.
The corruption and the way the principal shamelessly justifies privileges are so enraging.

- NOW, WABU (3/16): I'm not fond of the relationship between Jae-guk and Young-eun's former boyfriend, but the drama is watchable, I'm having fun watching it with my sister and listening to her comments (she doesn't like JKY).
I would gladly send the rich "friend" on holiday forever, she is annoying and it was rude to show up at YE's house that way.
SHK's acting during the scenes set in the past was more natural and believable.

- SECRET LOVE AFFAIR (12/16): this is intense. I've felt lots of emotions watching it. During the first episodes I thought she shouldn't allow the relationship, being the adult and the mentor; then I thought their connection through music was really special; then I completely understood her; now I fear a complete disaster for both of them.

Hellbound (Ep: 1-6 ) It quickly went from "Wow" to "totally crap". The first three episodes were done right, with right amount of thrill, curiosity and puzzle, but it quickly turned into religious cult vs rationals. If they were planning a multi season, they should have dedicated the full 6 episodes to showing the supernatural events and its repercussions on human lives and coping/survival mechanism. The last three episodes were a big yawn! At the end of it everything was pointless and confusing.

Reflection of You (Ep: 11-12) Finally, I was able to understand Hae Won's vengeance after Sun Woo defended Hui Ji's wrong doing as a mistake. Also, during the dinner scene in Ep.12, everyone were at each other's throat and the tension was crackling. The acting is easily the plus of the drama. I wonder, if it was Hae Won's plan all along to frustrate Woo Jae into regaining his memory and make him go against Hui Ji's husband. Clearly she is a master level manipulator and I can't wait to see how Hui Ji's gonna protect her current life. I want all the characters to go down in one big fall, preferrably from the cliffs of Mohr in Ireland 😑

Happiness (Ep 5) This show seems to have been inspired by Covid-19. The lethargic attitude of the characters is annoying.

Red Cuff of the Sleeve (Ep 1-2) While everyone is admiring Jun Ho, I'm loving Lee Se Young. Love her attitude and sass. The kids need to be applauded for setting ip the premise and garnering the audiences attention in first episode.

Happiness: 8.0

Red Sleeve Cuff: 7.6

Jirisan: 7.0 Is the wheelchair PPL too?

Bite Sisters: 7.0

Inspector Koo: 9.0 The writer must be a demented genius. Or, if it's based on Killing Eve, was that show like this one?

Secret Royal Inspector & Joy: 8.0 How does it manage to be fun without seeming to be "good"?

Work Later, Drink Now: 7.9

Chimera: 6.5 Not really bad, but it's the show I don't get around to until I've caught up with everything else.

Hellbound: 7.5 Well, the good news is it was fast-paced and kept my attention -- any other network probably would have padded it with tons of filler and made two seasons out of it.
Since it's from Korea, I *guess* it is a criticism of their cults and especially of witch-hunting nutizens(??) If the same show were from a different country I might have other theories. Religious intolerance, political fanaticism, dedication to the organization more than to the organization's original purpose... lots of possibilities.

King's Affection: 7.0 A good lead isn't enough to carry a so-so script. Also, well-written baddies can be interestingly or amusingly bad, not just unpleasant to watch. The late royal relative cost the show a point, and the grandfather isn't an asset.
I know this can't happen in kdramaland, but considering how identical twins work, what if the princess/twin was a non-identical twin and our "crown prince" was a completely unrelated coincidental orphan look-alike who just happened to be sent to the same temple?

Alternate Endings Game: have an accidental meeting between the real-but-looks-different twin princess and our not-a-drop-of-royal-blood female lead.

Recently Finished-
Someday Or One Day: I don't think I can limit my verbal spazz here, so I won't try. If you haven't checked out this show, go on! Try to go in blind, cuz even the synopsis is spoiler-y! The story is smart without being pretentious, & it's about as perfect as it can get! Cannot WAIT for the k-drama remake, hopefully we'll get more closure this time. Li Zi Wei & Li Da Ren (ITWY) are officially the best boyfriends from Taiwan. T_T

Tomorrow's Me will date Yesterday's You: I haven't seen a more spoilery movie (or drama) title in a while. You think you know what you're heading into, but not quite.... It's a neat little sci-fi romance! I was left a blubbering, sobbing mess after this. I'm super sad the FL in this, Komatsu Nana is officially a taken woman now! T_T HIGHLY rec'ing this movie for SD1D fans! <3

Kimi No Na Wa: Maybe it was because I watched it RIGHT after SD1D and Tomorrow's Me/ Yesterday's You.... and because of the universal adulation this one received, I had astronomically high expectations & was super let down! The emotional beats didn't quite ring for me :/ Hits that turn out to be duds for me, are a reason why I took ages to check out popular stuff like Squid Games, CLOY, TMOPB and SD1D. Fun fact, USA is remaking this, the story will take place in Chicago!

Both JIRISAN and The KINGS AFFECTION had good episodes. The forest fires in Jirisan and how the rangers have to deal with them was very well done. Very topical, too with the recent real fires in the Mediterranean and in California.

Loved THE RED SLEEVE CUFF, Jun-ho is as sharp as before and the supporting cast is just wonderful with Park Ji-young and Jang Hye-Jin as court ladies and Lee Deok-Hwa as king. It will probably become a lot more serious going forward.

Still enjoying HAPPINESS and for now MELANCHOLIA, although I am not terribly keen on the toxic, ruthless adults, trying their best to bring down a gifted person. Especially the school leaders should know better how to take care of a genius - we all know since Little Man Tate. The melancholia theme and 'reaching the bottom' does not bode well for the future of our mathematician and his teacher (with the useless fiancée). I feel very sorry for Ye-rin and the pressure she is under, I hope she can set boundaries for her parents, soon.

Between the INSPECTORS KOO and JOY, I prefer Koo, although Joy is starting to grow on me, it is nice to have something more light hearted for a change.

Dropped NOW WE ARE BREAKING UP, I could not make it through the second episode, it was just too cringe.

Lee Joon-hyuk (1984) has nailed his sageuk ‘audition’ with his cameo in the early episodes of SECRET ROYAL INSPECTOR & JOY. He seems to be a natural. I hope to see more of him in the sageuk genre. The LJH/Taec (hyung/younger ‘brother’) scenes were wonderful.

The Fiery Priest: About half way through and not certain how I feel about this one - I could see it going in directions I'd really like or directions that could make me want to break things. On the other hand, I had no idea how drop-dead gorgeous Kim Nam Gil would look in drag, so there's that.

HAPPINESS: (1-4) This continues to be a fun weekend watch for me thanks to its tight plotting, oddball but kickass female lead, and stoic, loyal male lead. The building inhabitants are often caricatures at best (ambulance chasing attorney, class-conscious self-appointed building rep, adorable sickly neighbor in need of surrogate parents, etc.) and yet I'm still completely immersed in the story and anxious to see it all play out. I also continue to enjoy the slow-burn romance between the leads.

MELANCHOLIA: (1-3) I have mixed feelings. On one hand, it's refreshing to see math so lovingly portrayed as an art more than a science, and one that can empower people as much as it can (academically and emotionally) destroy them. Or, I should say, that it's the mercenary people in charge trying to use math as a cudgel to weed out "undesirables." I also love Lee Do Hyun here so much; his character is guarded and yet hungry for love and acknowledgement and he captures the joy Seung-yoo gets from simply recognizing mathematical patterns around him in such a lovely, heartfelt way that it's impossible not to root for his happiness.

At the same time, I think the writing and directing (and the score) went too hard and fast on the romantic angle too early in the story. If I'm calculating correctly, Seung-Yoo is 18 when he meets Yoon-Soo, and although we're not told her age, I'm guessing she's somewhere in the neighborhood of 33. And, of course, she's his teacher. So although their bond is believable on a mentor/mentee level or even as intellectual comrades who both geek out over completing proofs in the middle of the night, we had two classic romantic tropes just in the first episode alone (falling into each other's arms and staring intently into each other's eyes on the train, and then an umbrella moment later). I'm not getting any hint from Yoon-Soo that she sees Seung-Yoo as anything other than a promising student who needs support, and Seung-Yoo's obvious crush on her is completely understandable. And frankly, "Secret Love Affair" is one of my all-time favorite dramas so I'm willing to let the story convince me down the road--when they're *not* teacher and student--that their relationship should be something more despite how they originally met and the age difference. But there's no reason to push it now with overtly romantics songs about soulmates. That just makes me deeply uncomfortable and takes me out of the story.

RED SLEEVE CUFF: (1-2) I'm totally into this and not sure I agree that the ending must be tragic or painfully bittersweet (like "Seven Days Queen," for example). What I appreciate is that the show openly acknowledges the soul-sucking reality of being a woman whose only purpose in life is serving the King, but still appears to be writing the court ladies as multi-faceted human beings who try to find ways to express and be themselves even within a system telling them at every turn that to survive means to serve...

Anyone watch 'b>The Red Sleeve? The storytelling is very good. Knowing histroically Uibin Seong will die due to child birth only at 34, I am expecting a beautiful tragic love story.

In the end of Episode 1, Seong slips and falls into embrace of Crown Prince San (later Jeongjo of Joseon), so beautiful and romantic, right? in the beginning of next episode, they both fall into the pond, and Seong tries to save him twice, only pull him back to the pond, twice ...

Honestly, I can't stop laughing.

I’m rewatching Healer. JCW was at his best in this one (there is no doubt why fans went crazy for him as his character(s) are so likable and he acted so well there). When you feel even better rewatching it than the first time you watched it, it really tells you something about the show. Kudos to the Healer team, you guys have done so well with this one.

🎉

Last night I finished MARRIAGE NOT DATING. It was a real comic roller coaster. Usually I'm pretty good at predicting outcomes, but they outsmarted me; the twists and turns went in very thoughtful directions I never would have imagined in a Kdrama. The last few episodes were comic genius in the way they wrapped up the relationship issues. The female lead, Han Groo, was such a dynamo, but she mysteriously dropped out of acting after only a couple of productions. Would have liked to see more of her.

Bring It On Ghost💪👻(11/16):We are more than halfway and truths finally come to light. Ghosts turn out be protecting the living instead of terrorizing them, Hyun-Ji confesses to Bong-Pal and their romance blossoms while In-Rang’s heart gets broken.💔 I actually ship Hyun-Ji more with In-Rang, but Bong-Pal is such a sweet guy that I cannot dislike our OTP. Their separation might do them some good. Hyun-Ji found out about what happened to her and her mom, which would not have felt as meaningful if Bong-Pal had been present. In the same vein Bong-Pal experienced bromance with our Ghostnet idiots as they cared for him after his hungover. He is going to need their friendship whenever he has to take on Hye-sung in the future episodes.

Real life (100/100): This one keeps uploading daily episodes of makjang quality. I hope the PD takes a few days off so that I can finally watch other stuff for a change!🙏

I am not sure what I was doing this spring when I was searching for good dramas to watch. Anyway, somehow I missed Mad for Each Other. Better late than never, so I recently "discovered" it and ended up watching it in 4 days. I thought it was fantastic- but it could have done without the trope filled episode 13 melodramatics. Sometimes I just make up slightly different endings in my mind to remember some dramas.

Secret Royal Inspector and Joy: I quite enjoy this disney-fied sageuk, especially with the animations. It's got a good mix of silly and danger. I liked how we stumbled onto the new case. I thought there was a low-budget production issue with the ghost swinging awkwardly on a rope but to my glee, it was the ploy of the band of orphans to scare people away.

A bunch of drama to finish, but yet I started a new one:

Once We Get Married: (up to ep 7) Typical chinese contract marriage/relationship stuff featuring an arrogant CEO, but the writer didn't add anything to make the story pop in any way. However, It's got 2 actors that I like from their previous work and they have a cute chemistry. And the cliches do give me a reason to roll my eyes and LOL. Probably won't finish it

We're approaching a week of feasting here in the US - we're having ramen but there is still the expectation of turkey leftovers. Noticed as I swung into full cooking mode that I had JIRISAN on while making pot stickers since it was mostly fires and shouting.
However my reward for 50 pot stickers was sitting down to ep 3 of RED SLEEVE which I watched very closely. I'm more invested in THE KING'S AFFECTION because it's wonderful but am enjoying RS.
This morning was ep 6 of WOULD YOU LIKE A COFFEE, very relaxing, and the anticipation of the next RS episode (after footie matches).

RED SLEEVE CUFF may be the best Sageuk of the year. We are loving it. The child actors in episode one were fabulous- and the adult actors later quite believable. And, because this story is actually based upon a historical novel which in turn is based upon a true story I have to give some reassurance to DaebakGrits. Remember that Koreans react with extreme anger when writers distort history: This is one Sageuk which is actually supposed to have a happy ending, or as happy as is possible given that it is politically impossible for our FL to become Queen. But she can become a concubine and did- and I have heard that she was the only woman that the king had children with- the queen and other concubines were wives in name only. So if the show ends with her funeral it will only be after a really long time skip.

SECRET ROYAL INSPECTOR AND JOY may not be the equal of RED SLEEVE but it is really not trying to be. But it is entertaining. She has also continued to enjoy THE KING’S AFFECTION. Park Eun-bin continues to be one of my favorites actresses for a reason.

Could I say how great it is that we are getting to watch 3 good Sageuks at once?

My wife binge watched the Chinese costume drama WEAVING A TALE OF LOVE and thought it very good. She is now starting ANCIENT DETECTIVE. And I made the mistake of introducing her to the J-drama SUPER RICH, and now she anxiously awaits each new episode.

Each new episode of WOULD YOU LIKE A CUP OF COFFEE? is like unwrapping a special gift. It is simply a special show.

The amnesia trope is one of my least favorite but it looks like we are about to be treated to such a story arc in the weekend family drama YOUNG LADY AND GENTLEMAN. I knew that things were going too well and no one knows better than a k-drama writer that the path of true love ne’er did run smooth so here we go. I must confess that I mind it a little less given that this gives our three secondary romances some time to catch up. The ratings for this show have been climbing and with good reason- this weekender is delivering.

I have been on a random spell of c dramas, which I don’t generally tend to like but have finished three in a row (with some support from my friend the fast forward button) - FALLING INTO YOUR SMILE, MY LITTLE HAPPINESS and GO GO SQUID. They were all pretty reasonable, although the last of the three was somewhat insane in set up, he didn’t smile at all until like episode 12, and had so many flashbacks of things that JUST happened it could have been half the length (this is not to say I didn’t enjoy it).

Kdrama wise I’ve been a bit quiet because I’ve been binge watching other things - I’ve still got the last two episodes of DALI to go, and I’m watching MY ID IS GANGNAM BEAUTY with my sister (mostly so we can commentate on Cha Eun Woo’s excellent acting 😅 ).

Meanwhile my sister is watching THE HEIRS and I keep getting random messages from her that are just long rows of laughing emojis 😂.

I hope I didn’t leave out anything. Because I am once again watching too many shows and that makes it a real possibility.

Happiness: Sae-bom’s occasional recklessness still frustrates me. Idk how she became a counterterrorism officer with that attitude. But besides that, I really am enjoying the drama more than I thought I would’ve.

Inspector Koo: Santa must be protected at all costs. He’s my new comfort character and idk what I’d do if something bad happened to him. But even other than him, I’m genuinely attached to all the characters (almost all women! how cool is that?), which never happened for me before in a kdrama action/thriller. In the spirit of Killing Eve, the show is wacky and quirky, and I the viewer couldn’t be happier.

Just Between Lovers: I missed Junho in between Red Sleeve Cuff days and Won Jin-ah is in Hellbound. Seemed as good a time as any time rewatch.

The King’s Affection: I loved, loved, loved episodes 11-12. I am so fascinated by the royal family portrayed here. They (not counting that asshole dead uncle) truly seem burdened by their power and unable to express their true selves, not just Hwi. The scenes of the King and Hwi so beautifully done and I somehow even felt bad for the King, despite the fact that he could’ve done more. And then that letter + hanbok scene later… I may have almost shed a tear or two. Jung Ji-un continues to be the perfect man and mannn does Rowoon look good in blue.

Red Sleeve Cuff: Speaking of men looking good in blue, Junho I love you. I had to start off with that. I wish episode 3 had more scenes with our leads together, but I guess the plot exists. The scene where King Yeonjo comes outside to hug Yi San was so wonderfully acted. Their relationship is layered and complex. I am also glad that we get to see the princesses, most dramas pretend like they don’t even exist so it’s nice to see a change. But that last scene where Yi San tries to hide with that hand-fan. Sir, you may be a prince but you are also a clown. I couldn’t stop laughing. Also why would you drop a perfectly good fan in the water??

Secret Royal Inspector and Joy: Speaking of Joseon and clown behaviour, this show is completely delightful. It’s such a hot mess and seems more like a comedy sketch than a real show at times but it works so well. I need Taec and Kim Hye-yoon to act as husband and wife in every town they visit. The hijinks are too good to miss. Also, that hot evil villain guy is hot and I need him to act in more things.

Would You Like a Cup of Coffee: Such a stress-free and comfort show. After finishing an episode, I actually feel relaxed and happy. Would totally recommend as a shorter, slice-of-life drama.

Operation Sparkly Tracksuit continues as I aspire to being something more than the world's worst Fan Club President.

Inspector Koo: The music and the production elements and the general dark comedy vibe of this is just fantastic. Could the writing be better? Yes it could. But I don't care at the moment because the overall production is just so good.

Secret Royal Inspector and Joy: I was one of the few who watched L's early 2021 foray into ROYAL SECRET AGENT, which was so so terrible that it kind of tipped over into hilariously awful. After admittedly only two episodes, this version (and it is basically the same show) feels like someone saw the original and tried to make it better. The writing's tighter, the humour's less broad. Yes it's still silly as hell but so much fun. I'm on board.

The King's Affection: While I generally dislike Sageuks, I do love a fusion if they nail it and Beanies they have nailed it. Kind of Take of Nokdu without the tonal inconsistencies or Rookie Historian if they leaned more into the epic tragedy of the era rather than the mundane hopefulness. Here's hoping it ends well (and I mean the show overall from a thematic and tonal standpoint, not the 'happy ever after' kind of 'ends well' because... I mean, you know...)

Finally... Dr Brain... I think that @mindy nailed it when she said it was soulless. The show is surreal and confusing and requires more hand waving than my tiny hands can handle but these are not deal breakers for me, I've been here before. No, it's that I don't care about this character. At all. The whole thing feels sterile somehow. And so I have dropped. RIP Dr Brain, I might use the recaps to get the memories of the dead.

Now, We Are Breaking Up - enjoying the tropes in this drama. It will be interesting to see how they go about her career subplot and if she'll have the courage to step away from being an on-call servant to her not-friend.
The kissing in Ep3 also seemed better than Ep1 but the build up to it sucked.

Inspector Koo - interested to see where they're going to take it. Hoping they might give me a few more crumbs to see if my theory about Santa is correct. Really hoping they drop the bad hygiene bits.

Let Me Be Your Knight - if anything, the music is good. Appreciating the band seems to stay together because business.

IDOL: The Coup - also liking the music from this drama. I hadn't quite expected by parting it would mean that. Part of me wishes they had this "parting" with their agent a few years earlier because it would have given a better reason why this group with all their potential couldn't pick themselves up in that time.

Love at Night - Got a bit "just kiss already" by episode 14. It would be better if she threw her ex-BF to the curb and left him there. The emotional blackmail he's using to keep her nearby him is gross.

Fragrance of the First Flower - I'm a bit anxious to see where this will go but I loved how it started off with a wedding between two women.

Rainless love in a godless land: I heard so many beanies talk about this Taiwanese drama here that I decided to check it out. It's my first taiwanese drama and I must say I should have waited for more episodes to come out. I like it! I like traditionnal folktales and this is well done.
Melancholia, ep 1: I checked out ep1 and I think it's not my cup of tea. Not only am I not interested in Mathematics at all, but I am also kind of tired of school politics (students, parents, teachers, school admin...). I might give ep 2 a try and if it still doesn't click, will unfortunately drop.
Secret investigator and Joy, ep1: I also haven't clicked with episode 1. Something was kind of odd. Was it the acting? Too over the top? The premise? Same old same old? I think I might be in a kdrama slump.
Now we are breaking up, ep 1: the dialogues were odd, the acting was meh, the story is another rinse and repeat, I have a hard time with both leads but especially with the ML, it reminded me of Record of youth which isn't a good thing. Still, still, it's the only one I actually want to continue, it'a very weird indeed.

I'm confused... am I really the only one who found *RED CUFF SLEEVE* very disappointing? In truth I really loved the first ep, I thought it was beautiful and very well written (those kids were incredible) so I was really ready to love it.
Then the second ep ruined everything for me. I'm the biggest fan of Junho since the JBL days so I was really looking forward to this. And even if I don't like Lee Se Young's acting I thought she was really good in the Crowned clown. But here I can't stand her and I can't stand her character. I understand that she is a free spirit and everything but I find her behaviour irritating and very inappropriate. But it's not just her... I don't feel good about Junho acting either. It feels forced. Maybe I was expecting a melodrama and this feels like a silly comedy? I don't know... I will give it another chance but I don't have much hope.
On the other hand I'm totally in love with the King's affection <3