COMPLETED
Several Japanese dramas since they tend to be perfectly binge-sized. Watched Don't Call it Mystery (good), Junkyouju Takatsuki Akira no Suisatsu (okay), Old Fashion Cupcake (cute), Hiromiya (adorable), and Hoshi Kara Kita Anata (okayish remake of My Love from the Stars).

ONGOING
Café Minamdang - The scenes at the CEO's villa were funny especially when he was running away from the cops. Nice to get the backstory on how Minamdang came to be.

Link - Oh how I adore this couple and the fact that they actually talk to each other.

Insider - Lots of 'gotcha' moments but they mostly worked for me. On a shallower note, dark-haired Sun-oh is 😍 (yes I know he's a murderer, shh).

Jinxed at First - Dropped without regret.

Extraordinary Attorney - I want to squish all three leads and put them in my pocket. Too cute for words.

Doctor Lawyer - I watched both episodes last week but I have no memory of them.

Why Her - Most boring romance ever. At least we are getting closer to the main mystery now. Hopefully.

Alchemy of Souls - I love Nak-su and Wook. And Nak-su and the Prince. And Nak-su and Seo-yul. This is going to be a problem.

WATCHLIST
Tracer which is fully subbed now 🙏.
Chinese drama Love Like the Galaxy. I had paused Who Rules the World. Maybe I'll finish that and follow up with LLTG as a sort of double-feature.

ALCHEMY OF SOULS (Ep 5-6) Episode 5 when Master Lee appeared at the training base gave me the flashback of the first training arc of Naruto by Master Jiraiya, an older sage who is a respected loner who has mastered skills beyond his peers. I thought he would have taken charge. But that quickly gave way to the Potter spells inside the Jin family dungeon, where Cho-Yeon’s missing sister is apparently trapped in a mirror spell. It would make Cho-Yeon much darker and evil than previously shown. Is everyone with the surname Jin evil?

It is becoming apparent that the nation’s people are very superstitious about important events (like the King’s Star) so the four families killing Naksu’s father, a constellation recorder of the King’s Star prophecy still makes no common sense except that it gives Uk para-religious justification for the throne, putting the power balance away from the royal family and back to the mage houses. It is possible Naksu’s father was soul shifted into a rage to justify his killing. It seems that at one point, the Crown and the Mages fought for control, with the powerful Jin clan ending the battle (with some special perks) to keep the peace and restore new order in the kingdom. But later some factions of the clan (Jin Mu) despise the loss and now want it back after the sick king died without an heir.

CLEANING UP (Ep. 9-10) One of the hooks to watch the series was JSM who did very well in Show Window series as 1AFL. But in this series, her role has fallen to 1BFL status with no real development. No slight to Yum Jung-Ah as Yong-Mi whose story is the overpowering driver of the episodes. Kim Jae-Hwa and JSM can deliver comedy but it has been spotty at best.

There is no gravitas on Yong-Mi’s secret being found. So what if Mr. Lee or the Captain finds out Yong-Mi was conning the insider trading group? What is he going to do? Frame her for their crimes? Kill her? That would lead to greater investigation and more serious charges. The attempt to make tension and danger about Yong-Mi’s cover being blown is overblown cliche: her simple retort is “so what?” She had the burner phone and other evidence to keep them in check. But if she gives it all up under the assumption that criminals will keep their word, she is stupid without a back-up and a plan. Both Lee and her loan shark had pity feelings for her. She should have asked her loan shark for “protection” and advice on how to deal with bad people. The hard lesson for the cleaning trio: crime does not pay. Neither does stupidity.

THE WITCH IS ALIVE (Becoming Witch) (Ep. 2) As others have remarked, an unhinged Lee Yu-Ri is the best kind of Lee Yu-Ri. The twists happened sooner than later. Ma-Ri meeting and recognizing her husband’s mistress was an easy convenience, but quickly seeking the nuclear option to destroy her husband’s reputation while keeping him from getting his prize was brilliant gambit. Until Jin-A apparently gets collateral damage.

Hee-Soo’s husband is a...

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Episode 3-4) - Mood: A-
Fantastic, all that I worried about in the 1st week about lack of nuance went out of the window with the procedurals the show gave us this week. And while there were some eye-raising moments such as Young Woo’s reenactment within her office or CEO Han’s not so innocent motivations behind hiring her, I’m really impressed by the writing which showcased the perspective of caregivers, discussion of eugenics and micro-aggressions intentional or not. As for Min Woo, it does feel like the obvious interpretation of his conversation with Myung Seok is that he’s jealous of Young Woo but somehow I sense that he might actually be asking for her to be treated as an equal? I do see a conflict brewing in the preview, so we’ll get our answers soon, but the show has actually made me become hopeful for more interesting characterisations. On the romance side, I thought it’ll be an obvious rivals-to-lovers arc between him and Su Yeon but Young Woo’s friend has kinda thrown a wrench into that. OTP: Jun Ho’s misstep with the aquarium remark made me holler in laughter, LOL.

Yumi’s Cells 2 (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D+
You know, I had a teeny smidgen of hope that there would be some twist behind Babi’s earthquake and the writer knew what she was doing playing about with the unavoidable expectations from the original webtoon, but nah, she really did go ahead with an emotional affair to set up a love triangle in the penultimate week. At this stage, it would actually be a good idea to just remain faithful to the material and force a happy ending for Yumi. Live and die by the webtoon, yeah?

Link: Eat, Love, Kill (Episode 9-10) - Mood: C-
It’s a bit awkward for me when the story of a show is clearly progressing forward and yet I’m not feeling it. The balance between the romance and the thriller isn’t working out, much less the eating part which isn’t even in the conversation. I also sense that we’ll never get a proper explanation for the Link (and no I won’t be accepting a last minute exposition)?

Cafe Minamdang (Episode 3-4) - Mood: D+
Are we really going to go from one sleazy CEO to another? There’s still the wannabe sugar-mommy who might become a really interesting factor in the future but I don’t hold much hope for the plot. As for the characters, they only provided cliff-notes backgrounds for the rag-tag team and spent so much time manufacturing events around the OTP: priorities!

Jinxed at First (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D-
This show is just missing the mark with everything it could possibly miss: the OTP gets this cliche separation scene, the fantasy gets a new character abruptly introduced in the middle of the show, marketplace fillers and rich guy nonsense.

Cleaning Up (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D-
Wow, let’s start the 2nd half of the show with a damsel in distress trope, how good would that be?

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Love it! Dramaland has been so good to me this year! This drama is doing a good job exploring the prejudices and issues people on the spectrum face without coming across as preachy. I liked how they showed some of the difficulties in raising a child on the spectrum, as well. The brief history of Hans Asperger and the reminder that just 80 years ago people with autism and other disabilities were being exterminated was chilling. I love how Jun-ho looks at Young Woo. Geu-ra-mi is an awesome friend and Kang Ki-young’s has turned out to be a good boss.

Link: Eat, Love, Kill: Love it too! Even as the storyline took a more serious turn, the drama continues to insert those unexpected bits of humor. Mom and Grandma with their weapons never fails to crack me up, and I also loved Jinhoo at aerobics and a flustered Da-hyun saying “You did well” after the kiss. Da-hyun’s a really wonderful character. She’s just what the very broken Gye-hoon needs, but it’s going to be a bumpy road.

Yumi’s Cells 2: Control Z is amusing. I don’t think Yumi was ever in love with Babi. He was a boost in confidence for her. As much as I’m always happy to see Ahn Bo-hyun on my screen, I wish both exes would go away. I’m a little put off by the pacing this season. The drama is following the webtoon, though some events have been shuffled around, but there is not enough time to properly finish out the story. Either they will change the ending or it will be incredibly rushed, and I don’t understand why when they knew this was it and could have planned accordingly. I’d rather see the drama focus on Yumi the writer and her next step in life and cut out the Babi and Woong drama.

Alchemy of Souls: The drama dragged a bit for me this week. There was too much Mu-deok/Nak-su and Yul, who is seriously bland. Crown Prince Won is fun though, and I love his scenes with Mu-deok. I liked the introduction of Master Lee too, who livened up Uk's rather tedious storyline. I’m a bit worried that the drama has too many moving parts though, that really aren’t moving. Instead of extending the drama, the Hong Sisters should concentrate on writing a tight, brisk story.

Café Minamdang: The humor in this drama reminds me of The Fiery Priest’s, which wasn’t to my taste either, but unlike with The Fiery Priest, the tone is not consistent. Everyone was wacky in that show but here only the Café Minamdang crew is wacky. When the drama shifts to the cops or bad guys, I zone out. The overarching storyline just isn’t that interesting, and I don’t think they need 18 episodes to tell it. Also, Oh Yeon-soo is seriously miscast and her character is frustrating to watch.

Insider: This week was a slog to get through. I wish they would just tell the story in linear form. The twists were not that twisty.

Never Give Up: Episodes 1-3: These episodes were okay but not terribly exciting. We’ll see how long I stick with it. Now that the storyline is set up, I’m ready for the...

Link - I still like how with the black humour (and unnatural) the show brings to attention the problems around stalking (and violence).
Armed Mom and Grandma with their special weapons never gets old 😄
And I'm so happy that Jingu finally has a good chemistry with his female lead (Moon Gayoung is generally great here!) The kiss was gooood! ☺️ Even Dahyun says so "You did well. The kiss was nice." 😄

Kiss Sixth Sense - WHAT?? (*erasing the last episode from the memory*)

Alchemy of Souls - I'm still enjoying it (and the Crown Prince is growing on me!), I just wish it were more balanced - sometimes it's meandering and scattered... and then it suddenly drops a lot of information (well, reason for a rewatch 😁 )

Loving Whales Attorney (3eps) - I love the show (all those whales scenes! Brilliant!), though... as a parent of a young adult on the spectrum (and knowing some other people on the spectrum as well), I don't find it very probable that a person with all the displayed features would be able to study and practice law (the same goes with some situations and details). But I don't mind (and yes, they also do many things right). I'm loving the show for portraying people who are special and showing the clichés and prejudices we often have... and that people outside the box also deserve respect... and 'humanism' 😁 (<-- Link). Park Eunbin is fenomenal here ❤️

Heyer's Book Club - finished Venetia. Liked it very much (despite the Noble Idiocy 😉 ). Started Cotillion.

EXTRAORDINRY ATTORNY WOO provides so much good humour. Too bad I have to wait another week for the next two episodes.

To LINK: EAT, LOVE, KILL I look forward to every Monday and Tuesday.

ALCHEMY OF SOULS would be even better if the pace picked up a bit more and the writers concentrated on the essentials.

YUMI'S CELLS 2 I liked better than the previous two episodes this week. Single Yumi is more interesting than Yumi in a relationship with Bobby.

If I hadn't already lasted so long, I'd probably have already dropped WHY HER? It's definitely not a good sign that my highlight of the last two episodes was when Soo-jae left Chan out in the rain.

Also, I watched CHOCOLATE all the way through in one go. Even though the first episodes were overly dramatic in parts, the story touched me incredibly and I can't really get away from it. Now I am looking for a comparable series.

Watching
Yumi’s cells 2
Still enjoying but not sure how they will tie up all the lose ends in the few episodes we have left. Control Z got on my nerves in the webtoon and is getting on my nerves again now.

Why her
Still watching, just as I was rejoicing getting rid of the random body drop the trailer for the next episode shows another random shock and awe event.

Moment of 18
Watched a couple of episodes.

Miracle (2022)
Waited for both episodes to drop so I can binge watch.

Dear. M
Working through the last 6 episodes.

Bravo my life (daily drama)
Behind on this weeks episodes as they have got ridiculous with the deal with one issue then the next comes in pacing.

Goo Pilsoo is not there
Comedy with slice of life. Watched the first two episodes will pace watche as it has some tense elements.

Completed:
Matrimonial chaos.
Loved this rom com it had a nice mix of sadness and traumatic backstory and laugh out loud and romantic moments. Friendships and family dynamics are played out over the 30 mins episodes. It’s the usual 16 episodes cut in half not sure why they chose this formatting

Dropped:
Jinxed at first decided I will just read recaps.

On hold:
When my love blooms, Devilish joy and Scent of a woman all paused at the point when the angst kicked up a gear.
Sungkyunkwan Scandal

SHE WOULD NEVER KNOW—It is finally legally available in my region! I am relieved I held out and cannot wait to start. I adored Won Jin Ah in Just Between Lovers and I am going to watch this mainly for her and the Beanie recommendations here. Rowoon doesn’t hurt either, to be honest.

ALCHEMY OF SOULS—I give in. I am invested. I don’t know how I am going to survive this live watch. 20 episodes. Oh, boy.

EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO-It has been a while since I stalked DB for a drama, but this one had my whole heart. I fell for Park Eun Bi’s acting the first two episodes and the writer(s) in this week’s episodes. Episode 3 was heartbreaking, but I am grateful the writer addressed the prejudice against and ignorance of people on the autism spectrum and explored the various experiences for people on the spectrum and their caregivers and loved ones. For me, seeing a fictional character I care about experience a very real struggle motivates me to learn. (Move to Heaven’s episode on international adoption devastated me so much I had to research the topic further.) Young Woo’s narration of the history of Hans Asperger and child “euthanasia” killings shocked me because I have heard and used the term “Asperger’s Syndrome” without knowing the man behind the name.

THE GOOD DETECTIVE—Twisty-turney with an odd-couple cop duo. It’s interesting to me that our heroes are just shy of being anti-heroes—their choices can tread the line and be morally suspect and yet I still want to root for them. I very curious about Ji Hyuk’s long game and how it is tied to the main case of a falsely accused man on death row. Also, the show just introduced Oh Jun Se’s character and I am reminded of how brilliant he is as an actor even as his character is making me want to throw up because he is terrifyingly amoral.

100 DAYS MY PRINCE—I am trying this again. D.O.’s deadpan delivery is giving me life.

FIND ME IN YOUR MEMORY—I am at the end and I am still enjoying this immensely although I wish our protagonists did not have so many people against them. I think we could have done without one or two dramatic plot points and been just fine. The characters are the main draw for me and what lovely characters they are. I cannot wait to finish and go back to the Shooting Stars cameo now that I know and love this couple.

Cafe Minamdang: This is starting to get good. I'm loving the crew's chemistry. Also watching Kwak Si Young in this role is hilarious, because there are certain scenes where he can't maintain his character's particular dumb look.

Link: And KISSS. Their kiss was sweet and it was real. It was also nice because for once YJG didn't seem like he was kissing his cousin. MGY is a good romantic partner.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: The case with the autistic man was straight out of the good doctor. I liked it, what I didn't like was when Myeong Seok objected, he didn't properly explain autism is a spectrum and Young Woo and that man are not the same. I also really LOVE Geurami. She is my favorite character. The fact she went straight to Min Woo instead of Jun Ho is perfect. She is the best. I also really really like how much Jun Ho likes Young Woo. The scene with the picture of the whale made me tear up, how SWEET and ADORABLE.

Insider: Things seem to be coming together nicely. He has finally met Sun Oh out in the wild. Let us see what happens next week.

Eve: So she is in love with the Chairman, interesting. The best moment in these last two episodes is when Seo Eun Pyeong said love isn't about ownership. I screamed yes, this should be emblazoned across all dramas, lol.

Doctor Lawyer: I am going to be honest I feel bad for Hyung Sung. He is currently going through. He is second fiddle to everyone in his life. Yikes

Alchemy of Souls: 8.0 Having trouble deciding which of many Jung So-min deathstare screenies I should submit to "Caption This". Paralyzed by too many good choices. Also, all that talk about "cutting off" the guy's "libido"... 😱

Doctor Lawyer: 5.5 👨‍⚕️

Why Her?: 6.0 ML should have known - rooftop rooms are for living in. Hide your stuff in the secret basement. ❓

Link: Eat, Love, Die: 6.4 🍕 💘 💀⚰

Cafe Minamdang: 6.5 ☕

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: 9.0 Sigh. Letter of Resignation. The non-romance Noble Idiocy. I guess we should Resign ourselves.
Any bets on how many awards the FL gets? 🐋🐋🐳🐳🐳🐳🐳

Jinxed At First: 7.0 Premise has lots of potential and the leads & shopkeepers range from ok to really good, but the relatives and rich people drag it down and Sam-jung seems to flip-flop according to the needs of the plot but without any logic. 🍀🐇

Cafe Minamdang Seo In-Guk 😍 The FL makes me miss the female cop in Through the Darkness.

Link: Eat, Love, Kill They finally are dating! And the plot is still moving.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo I love everything in this drama! It's nice to see the people around her acting with her.

Why Her? Seo Hyun-Jin is the only reason I watch it.

Alchemy of Souls I find it entertaining but I'm not really invested in the characters.

An intelligent scrip and beautiful acting combined is all I need and ATTORNEY WOO id one of these rare gems. The drama is incredibly thoughtful in every respect. One of my favourite parts was in ep 3, when her boss wants her on the autistic brother's case - well, because she is on the spectrum. Young-woo quite rightly points out that this does not make her more qualified to deal with this case, but she is clever enough to find the solution by asking her father for advice, since he is the one who had to find a way of dealing with her condition.
Another scene that made grin from ear to ear was when her friend was trying to find Jun-ho with the description 'tall and good looking' and went straight to another guy! To each their own and just as well so.

Starting to enjoy ALCHEMY OF SOULS more and more. The banter I was hoping for is getting better and better, not only between Uk and Mu-doek, but I also love filthy Mu-deok with the crown prince and Uk with Master Lee.

I am also still on board with YUMI'S CELLS, bracing myself for the end of her relationship with Babi.

The childhood connection of so many of the characters in LINK does not feel as much of a trope, I rather like it and it makes also sense. I read a theory somewhere that Gye-hoon's connection was never with his sister, but really with Da-hyun who was always close to his sister. Well, I am sure we will find out.

Watched the first two episodes of ANNA and was pleasantly surprised. Suzy makes quite a good fraudster!

WHY HER and DR LAWYER are becoming a yawn fest and I am also still watching JINXED, but feel that it is coming off the rails, soon.

Alchemy of Souls - The Hong Sisters haven't blown it yet. I like that it looks like the Crown Prince might not be a total jerk. We'll see.

Extraordinary Atty Woo - I checked this out due to positive reviews and am not disappointed. I am not a fan of legal dramas and much as I think the actress is wonderful, I dropped her last drama and the Brahms one. Writing will always be the winner so I think the baseball drama was the last one I made it through. I feel somewhat sure this might be another one. I actually wish they wouldn't go into who her mom is and all that stuff in a super melodramatic way so we'll see. Also, I actually like procedural shows when they are done right and this is one so far that is doing it well.

Find Me In Your Memory - I have about 90 minutes of the show left and it has gotten to be slow going. Really enjoyable for a huge chunk of the show but I think it would have been perfect as a 12 episode drama.

ALCHEMY OF SOULS: Every week I breathe a sigh of relief and say "It's still good!" I want to keep doing that. I admit that I often lose track of specific fantasy elements/rules and certain plot points (usually those not directly involving the leads) but that doesn't seem to dim my enjoyment at all. The leads are so good together (I am sorry for the first actress having to lose her job because that's painful, but like missvictrix, I can't imagine anyone other than Jung So-min in this role).

YUMI'S CELLS: I'm a bit behind, but honestly, I don't really mind or find Babi's changing emotional landscape to be that much of a betrayal. So far, I wouldn't characterize what he's doing/feeling as emotionally cheating--he'd actually have to start a relationship with another woman where he was actively connecting with her even though he knew in his heart that he was motivated to do so by attraction and romantic interest. I just think he and Yumi are not destined to be together forever, which is the way a lot of relationships go. Sometimes people feel an attraction for another person, and as long as they don't act on it while still involved with the first person, that doesn't make them a bad person. But I may change my mind after this week's episodes.

LINK: The actual mystery at the heart of the show is more unpredictable and twisty than I initially anticipated, and the tone darker as well. But it all still works, especially since so many of the main characters are likeable and the stalker is really, really NOT likeable, making for a lot of meaty dramatic tension. Loved the kiss, too, especially Da-hyun saying "Well done!" LOL.

Cafe Minamdang:
Major LOL at the scene where Seo In-Guk silently cries in the bus when he gets falsely convicted bwhahahaha
Is this drama stupid fun? YES!
Am I here for it? YESSSSSSSS!
Probably best to the watch is show drunk, most fuuuuun I’ve had in aaaages

Just over halfway through The Story of Ming Lan and really enjoying its depiction of domestic life during the Song dynasty, and the ways it highlights both the structural nightmares faced by women and the ways they learn to subvert them.

Life - What can I say. I loved all the sides of Life. A star-studded cast that really meant it. They balanced each other out quite nicely. If I found someone to add to my cast list, it’ll be Lee Kyu-hyung - A perfect came for the story and then discover an actor.
Gu Seung-hyu*Lee No-eul is the classic note that romance doesn’t have to be the main/an integral part of a drama if it doesn’t need it at all. Watching this two unfold was like watching another different side plot/drama entirely. If there’s a spin-off based on their love story, I’ll watch it.
To think bubbly Dr. Do Jae-hak in Hospital Playlist is the same evil Chairman in Life…damn! I literally wanted to yank him off the screen. Just when you think he’s doing the worst, he brings in another. Kudos to Jung Moon-sung. He’s good.

Alchemy of Souls - The stakes are really heightened now. It was quite understandable that she could see through the case but to enter Jinyowon shrine…something’s definitely coming.
Master Lee’s Fountain of youth and chaste tea was a fun highlight.
One thing though, can we have Naksu back in some mage-ic capacity. It’s drawing out without any movement at all.

Becoming Witch - What a game Ma-ri played on her husband. He’s in for a looong ride. The delight to have Chae Hee-soo’s husband actually show up only to be crushed minutes later…how could he do that to his wife?

It’s Beautiful Now - The stakes are getting higher in this too. Let the drama from the birth saga begin.
What I really don’t get is the sibling references that were dropped. Technically and otherwise, this people(Hyun-jae and Mi-rae) ain’t even siblings by blood or anyhow-wise. So how do they exactly look like or behave like siblings.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo - Parenting is no easy fit, and for some it so happens that so much more is required. Hearts to Woo Gwang-ho and the parents in ep 3. I was glad the father was able to come around later on with respect to the case.

I recently completed FLOWER OF EVIL. I'd been in the mood for something dark and romance-y, and the reviews from other beanies seemed promising, so I picked it up. I absolutely gobbled up the first half of the drama, but I do think the story faltered after Ji-won revealed she knew who Hyun-soo was. I also didn't like the ending very much; I was pissed off he forgot his wife and daughter. I'd read some comments that said his amnesia was a way for them to start anew, but they've known each other for like fourteen years and have a whole life together, starting from scratch doesn't make any sense?! Also, Hyun-soo was clearly getting his memories back so I don't really know what the point of the amnesia was. To piss me off, I guess

After that, my dark and romance-y mood continued, so I am currently watching BLACK. I'm nearing the halfway point and I'm still pretty confused, but I hope things will start to make sense at some point. The romance isn't very romance-y so far, and I'm starting to root for the SL, which usually doesn't happen to me. I did think Song Seung-heon obliviously walking across Seoul without underwear was funny lol

I decided to love myself this week, so I dropped JINXED AT FIRST. Even though I hate dropping dramas when we've reached the halfway point, nothing compels me enough to keep watching. Sadness

And the crown jewel of my life, the only currently-airing drama I'm watching is ATTORNEY WOO. This show hits all the right buttons for me and is my current obsession. The humor, characters, romance, depictions of prejudice, parenting, lawyering - I love it all. I am Young-woo, and this drama is whales.

Work seriously cut into my drama viewing this week, leaving me behind even on such fun shows as EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO and ALCHEMY OF SOULS. I cannot believe that we did not get to these shows this week. I hate it when life gets in the way of my drama watching.

At least my wife and I were able to get caught up on JINXED AT FIRST and are still enjoying it.

Our oldest son brought our Lady lawyer, and now fiancée, home to meet the parents at the end of last week’s episodes of the weekender IT'S BEAUTIFUL NOW, leaving us with one of the funniest scenes yet in this show when she spots her beloved Dolt’s mom. The sight of her trying to hide behind her man was hilarious. Meanwhile our youngest couple continue to suffer through their separation and there appear to be Birth Secret clouds on the horizon for our middle couple.

Shining Inheritance💍(14/28): If you told me during the first episode that I would end up rooting for Hwan I would have scoffed, but Lee Seung-Gi practiced customer greetings in front of a mirror and here we are.🤷‍♀️He is adorably awkward and acting like a good sport in his supposed rivalry with Eun-Sung. Eventually they will pair up and run the business together, probably, but our OTP still has half a K-drama to be in denial about this!😄

Misaeng👨‍💼(8/20): I no longer want to crawl into the screen, because Geu-Rae already knows his way around the office much better than I ever will. Not that I envy him, because office politics.🤮 I am amazed how looking into just one specific company is able to bring up all the bad experiences from all different kinds of jobs I had in the past. Baek-Ki has a lot to learn from his boss, but Kang Haneul nailed the utter awkwardness and boredom of a newbie who does not know how to make good use of his time while nobody seems to appreciate him or his talents, or so he thinks. Geu-Rae is our mascot, representing hard work that never amounts to what one expects. Fortunately, he has a good team behind him. Young-Yi might - literally- not be lucky in that department, but she is made to fly solo anyway.💪

I feel like I've hit the jackpot with having something to look forward to airing on every day except Friday.

Alchemy of Souls: The action, romance, magic, and mystery are doled out so evenhandedly. Combined that with interesting/likable characters, good chemistry, liberal amounts of humor delivered via subtly impressive line readings, directing, and music. Strong start and still pretty strong 6 episodes in. That is a lot of writing and planning. There is a palace conspiracy afoot, but it looks like Crown Prince may end up on Team Naksoo+Wook and the drama so far is careful not to bog us down with evil royals/eunuchs.

Cafe Minamdang: The roughness and the over-the-top comedy of the first week was smoothed over in week 2, so it's a lot more enjoyable to watch. I loved getting the backstory of how Han-jun became a shaman, and I love the dynamic between the Team Shaman vs the skeptical police.

Extraordinary Lawyer Woo: This one's got my heart and soul and tears. I appreciated how they pointed out that autism as a spectrum, the societal prejudices of who is worthy enough to live, microaggressions, and the struggles of the parents who have children with autism. So many favorite moments, but I loved the one when Young-woo won the case against the lying uncles. Confident and just a touch cheeky!

After suffering from availability issue (I do not have access to shows I wanted to watch : Link, Yumi's Cells2, Insider) for once, I am thankful Netflix dropped 3 shows I am enjoying now : Extraordinary Atty. Woo, Alchemy of Souls, Cafe Minandang (in that order). Now my cup is full, I can now drop Why Her and Jinxed at First.

Non K-drama : Stranger Things S4, and Umbrella Academy S3.

ALCHEMY OF SOULS - totally invested by now.

Recently watched:
ALL OF US ARE DEAD and HAPPINESS - there is no Zombie like a K-Zombie! Both will be classics in the K-Zombie subgenre.

—Still 17 (rewatch): This family is the best.
—Dear M: Redhead unnie and mr clean are super cute together.
—Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Probably my favorite show right now.
—Café Minamdang: So damn funny. I love it. This is my jam.
—School 2013 (rewatch EP 7): This show makes me cry so much, thanks god I'm watching a bunch of comedies.
—Alchemy of Souls (EP 5): Awww only her boy can help her climb that tree. No one else.
—It's Beautiful Now: Our older couple kills me. They're are my favorite couple of 2022 do far.
—Yu Mi's Cells 2: So... This season' OST is nice, right?
—Old Fashion Cupcake (jdrama): Such a heartbreaking confessions. But we got a happy ending and that's what matters.
—Cherry Magic (jdrama): LOVED IT. In my top three BLs.
—To My Star 2: Yes, JW. We forgive you.

I feel bad for not watching Link this week.

Finally watching Who Rules the World, and I'm trying not to rush through it. I want to savor Yang Yang on my screen as long as I can LOL.

Planning to start Goblin tomorrow evening with my daughter. She made me wait on it until she could watch it with me, and I had to promise I wouldn't watch eps ahead of her :P

Watching K dramas Alchemy of Souls,Attorney Wooand Jinxed at First Insider is on hold.

J drama Horimiya

I do not watch jdramas, but over the years several friends have recommended the jdrama Tokyo Girl to me, and over the weekend I finally checked it out.

The series is on Amazon (Prime) Video and consists of 11 20 minute episodes that follows a girl over 2 decades of her life from 20-something to 40-something, as she moves from her small hometown to the big city of Tokyo, with all its bright lights and allure. The show uses the FL and her peers to illustrate the many issues facing modern women as they navigate their professional and personal lives. Some of the issues are Japan-specific (Equal Employment Law of 1985), but many of the issues are universal to the modern-day working women (marriage, divorce, singledom, social expectations, loneliness, socioeconomic inequality).

The show didn't judge any of the women, just presented their stories (by breaking 4th wall) with raw honesty. The show hit painfully close to home and quite a few scenes made me wince, grimace, or tear up at how astonishingly familiar they felt.

Highly recommend watching.

So great to have two stellar dramas on my brain! Trying hard to understand the rules of Alchemy of Souls world so I re-watched all 6 episodes. Should remember that this writing team likes the obscure over the the explicit. From now on I will just let it roll over me like Modern Art.
My mid-week is brightened with anticipation about Extraordinary Attorney for Park Eun bin's inhabiting her character with warmth and intelligence. Honestly, she's the Meryl Streep of Kdramas - hasn't hit a clinker yet!
She Would Never Know/Sunbae, Don't etc just showed up on Netflix. I have been searching for that show on both Net and VIKI for months. Tedious process with such sentence long titles. Yay for more filler dramas.
Meanwhile King of Dramas makes me laugh at the snarky humor and behind the scenes insight. The male lead doesn't have gelled hair it's positively shellacked! His hair style has nothing on the SL of Shining Inheritance who is so handsome he can act his way out from under that mess.
Heyer Book Club besides the nonfic by Jennifer Kloester I have Cousin Kate; Friday's Child and Powder and Patch on my stack. Coming to think many Kdrama writers grew up on these novels!

Minamdang: where the thing that made me laugh the hardest was the Prosecutor who is compelled to over explain until the criminal will wave the white flag just to get him to stop talking.

Alchemy: wooooo, those Jins have got some STUFF in that hidden room! It looks like five Las Vegas storerooms are crammed together.
Looking forward to more story movement in the next episodes. Hoping to see Uk’s spoiled brat fiancée get some comeuppances 🤞🏼

Yumi: wondering what will happen next 🫣