COMPLETED
Alchemy of Souls - Looking forward to December!

ONGOING
Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist - If Wol's death is not fake that was quite an ending.

Adamas - Loved Ep. 11. Because it was obvious the real bomb was under a car, I thought it was Soo-hyun's car and was mentally screaming at him not to go to SIH 😂. Glad I was wrong about that lol. Also glad Hye-soo found out the truth. Hope there'll be more for her to do now than just speaking mysteriously.

Good Job - Some scenes are cute. Some scenes go on for too long - the amount of time spent arguing with Oh Ah-ra when she could have just given the name 🙄. Jin-mo still my favourite.

Big Mouth - We've done a round-robin of suspecting every single character already. Let's move on to taking down Big Mouse from now on please.

Today's Webtoon - I think this should have been 12 episodes and had a sharper focus on the team itself.

The Good Detective S2 - Another should-have-been-12-episodes drama. Na-na was interesting when Tae-ho existed because they played so well off each other. Now she just seems like any other kdrama villain.

I did nothing else than binging Alchemy this week. I had 10 episodes left and it was a ride.
(And I'm exhausted. 😅 )

I think the binging helped smoothing the rough and incomplete edges (I also enjoyed the slower and funnier parts 😁 ) and I could better see some of the main storylines, like the Naksu's journey from vengeance and isolation to friends and love.

I enjoyed the show and the colourful set of characters, the Crown Prince being my favourite 😍 ...and Uk and Naksu were often brilliantly brilliant together as two gifted mags, even if sometimes a biiiiiit extreme. 😁 However, I was not happy with episodes 19 and 20. I wish they did things differently and I was especially annoyed with THE BELLS - it looked like a cheap deus ex machina. They should have shown it earlier and establish the rules how they work, some hard search for them wouldn't hurt either (nor some harder way of using them, an infinite perimeter is a bit too much 🙄).

I didn't mind the tragic finale (I was embracing myself for it through all those rosy wedding preparations) even if it was devastating to see everything destroyed (families, alliances, friendships, love) and how cruel life was to Naksu again. I only wish we arrived there a bit differently and with better foreshadowing.

For Part 2, I hope Uk will remember the few seconds of Naksu being herself and piece the truth together. And I want Uk and Crown Prince to team up and finally smash the Poisonous Serpent Jinmu into nothingness!

Alchemy of Souls: 9.0 They had a lot to cover in the final week, providing a big finish for season 1 and setting up some huge conflict for s2, so they made the episodes so long it seemed like they would last until the start of the next season. But much of it was time well spent. Jung So-min had her chance to be badass and we got some chuckles too. Impotence/testing :) Rings/fiancées :)

Unicorn: 3.4 It took me 6 days to get thru 34 minutes before I gave up. It didn't seem offensively bad or anything, but every time I watched a couple minutes I found something else I'd rather do.

Today's Webtoon: 6.5 Death secrets are not an improvement over birth secrets. The corporate politics aren't great either.

Big Mouth: 7.0

Poong the Joseon Psychiatrist: 5.0

Good Job: 8.0 Harmless fun and my post-alchemy favorite. But what kind of transporter beam / wormhole / bat tunnel does he use to get from his skyscraper office to the bat cave & lawyer's office in the other building? Good thing we're not supposed to take any of it seriously.

Meanwhile, XKCD had an unusually good one
https://xkcd.com/2666/

Shining Inheritance💍(22/28): Hwan is brooding, and not out of self-pity! He is actually brooding because of other people! He worries and wants to know more about grandma and how she met Eun-Sung. Of course he also broods about Eun-Sung, because why won’t she accept his love? I jest, but you just have to root for Seung-Gi, you know? Any other actor would have made me cringe and roll my eyes at the angst, but his charm is too strong!🤭

Horrible Histories Season 2🐀(12/12): They should not have made a season 2… is something you would never hear me say about this one! Season 1 was figuring everything out, but now our show has found its footing and it shows. The songs are more memorable, the sketches a lot funnier and the facts a lot more interesting! My friend and I will probably continue with season 3 after Mystic Pop-Up Bar.😀

Mystic Pop-Up Bar Rewatch🍶 (1/12): This is my first K-drama rewatch, because why watch something you already know, especially when there is so much still to discover? I did, however, underestimate the power of memory loss. You might remember how a show made you feel, or the main plot lines and spoilers, but there are so many details that make a show that you cannot possible recall everything. A rewatch is an opportunity to rediscover them, and maybe even see them in a different light. Case in point: I do acknowledge Ahjuicy Manager Gwi from his first entrance onwards this time!😉

ALCHEMY OF SOULS (Ep.19-20) : I have vented enough on the recap page about the finale: slow, boring, tedious character interactions, nothing got RESOLVED. In fact, there are now more fundamental questions than answers.

Confusion is the worst kind of ending.

THE WITCH IS ALIVE (Becoming Witch) (Ep.10) The first part of the episode reminded the viewers how awful the 3 FL’s men have been to them. The dinner scene around the table where no one would eat (thinking poison) was very funny and very telling.

Woo-Bin confesses that he stayed away for five years in order to collect “his” insurance money. No amnesia. No noble idiocy. Pure greed. He is a hapless fool for money. He could have cut a “deal” with the gangster to get back all their money. But no, he must think half the scam is his. Jin-A has only two resolutions left: get “her” money back and “kill” her husband.

Mu-Young is not a complete dope but he is still a jerk. He knows Hee Soo needs to go to the hospital but he cannot man-up enough to throw her over his shoulder and take her there. Hee Soo’s fragile mental state shows how badly she thinks her life was a miserable failure; anything growing in her body is “her baby.” Just like in 39, a terminal lead wants to control the end of their life, but Hee-Soo’s story resonates more than pining over a past emotional affair.

Ma-Ri showed that she still cared about Nak-Gu. She wanted to keep their family together. She even expressed a hope of forgiveness, but Nak-Gu’s reaction was to pull the shotgun trigger not once but multiple times. That was the final straw. She and the Oracle used Go-Eun’s phone to lure both of them to a far away tourist bridge for a literal “guilt” free cliffhanger.

TODAY’S WEBTOON (Ep. 9-10) The series has gotten more somber. The clues were quick to tell that Jun-yeong’s sister worked at Gingertoons and his family blamed the company for her death. But the meeting with the uncle who took all his parents insurance money and his sister’s pay leads to more questions - - - how does Jun-yeoung afford to stay in his large house. Weekly house parties cannot pay all the bills. The clues were also quick to confirm that Pomme’s stalker was her male assistant. The writer is putting multiple betrayal bombs on Jun-yeong to explode to hurt the team and its chances for survival.

From the early humor of a happy work family to survivors in a life boat on stormy seas, Neon webtoons seems to be adrift in artist’s tragic lives and situations more than running an fun entertainment business. It is going to be hard to loop back to the happy work family beginning.

STOCK STRUCK (Ep. 5-6) More lessons about stock investing but our gang of investors continue to hit road bumps. Mi-Seo’s “stock” attachment to Sun-Woo seems to get closer but she still has a boyfriend . . . who called her but not appear at her house. Is that an omen for the ultimate breakup (even though she wants him back?) Sun-Woo’s criminal past is about to be...

Adamas: Another exciting and tense week. Finally, the brothers briefly share a scene again. I love Woo-shin and have come to really like the Soo-hyun and Seo-hee partnership. I enjoyed Hye-soo asking for her “gift.”

Good Job: This drama has turned out to be quite fun. Jin-mo acting as the wind sock and cosplaying a SWAT man, complete with a team of cardboard silhouettes were my favorite moments. Se-ra and Sun-woo acting as a newlywed couple was my third favorite. I don’t even care about the plot, which is pretty weak, because the drama is silly fun. Se-ra and her super vision having a connection to Sun-woo’s mom’s murder was annoyingly predictable, however.

Today’s Webtoon: I know everyone is connected in kdramas, but I wasn’t crazy about Jun-young’s dead sister being connected to Gingertoon, especially since her death had nothing to do with Man-cheol.

Alchemy of Souls: I think the final two episodes set the stage for a potentially interesting Part 2 but were too long and had to much filler and exposition. I’m most disappointed in what they did with the Crown Prince and the fact that Jin Mu, the most boring villain ever, is still alive and twirling his mustache.

CRICKET - woah - today a good day of cricket.

Zimbabwe won the match against Australia in Australia - 1st time ever.
Once it was such a strong team even then they never won any match and Cricket Australia for long didn't even liked to invite ZIM for any tour. Majestic this win is.

Just a few weeks back India was about to lose a match against ZIM too. They have lost so much talent and corruption took care of rest but still have that heart for cricket - team as well as citizens.

Sri Lanka Vs. Bangladesh - Meme Match lived upto its potential. Spicy press conferences to social media posts to doing so many mistakes that turned match into such an exciting affair.

Cricket world cup is approaching so real fun is about to unveil

New Zealand Cricket isn't having good 2022.

Big Mouth (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D+
For a character that was featured in posters, Joo Hee’s arc appears to be very simple: 1) she happily pretends that the illegal experiments just didn’t happen, 2) she’s used as a pawn for Do Ha’s revenge, 3) she wrestles with Ji Hoon and 3 rats for power. I did think there could’ve been a hidden side but she got drugged so probably no twist to be had. I don’t like that the show went the obvious route with Do Ha being the one to frame Big Mouse as the thief of NR Forum’s cash but it was inevitable given his personal revenge. I’m kinda sad that Do Ha is probably also an antagonist but that’s life.

Update after Episode 11: Show already did a Big Mouse cliffhanger reveal scene with the warden and is repeating it for the room leader now, this is honestly becoming irritating. Is the writer’s only one trick pony Big Mouse’s identity? Lame.

Today’s Webtoon (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D
It’s so agonisingly predictable that I feel sorry for the writer? I’ll laugh if I can predict some things correctly: 1) Ae Ri did not die mainly because of the current Neon employees but rather because of Hye Mi, 2) Pomme’s stalker’s just her own male assistant, 3) Youngtoon buys over Neon but the whole webtoon team quits Neon together and brings their current roster of artists into a new company. I don’t understand why the writer thought a leeching parent trope as a plot device to induce drama was a great idea: of course it’s coincidentally timed as Jun Young got his hands on some critical data.

Update after Episode 11: So Ae Ri’s death was no one’s fault (White Truck of Doom) and of course the scummy uncle is one to blame everyone but himself. I guess it’s better than it being due to Director Heo but the arc was useless anyway.

Adamas (Episode 11-12) - Mood: D-
Oh Dae Hwan has been released from this show! I’m so glad that he can now move on to greener pastures but on the other hand he sadly won’t receive as much pay as the rest of the cast: they will have to suffer for 2 more weeks!

Also watch: Unicorn / Good Job

Didn't watch too much this week because I binge-watched Homemade Love Story (50 episodes)! Done with Alchemy of Souls which makes me wonder why (with so many mages around) Jin Mu was never caught. I love Mu-deok so I'm still on the fence if I'll watch Season 2. Watching It's Beautiful Now and I hope the conflict between the brothers will be resolved, tho I think Hae-jun being critical of Hyun-jae will be blamed on pregnancy hormones.

@missvictrix oh, I totally get you with AoS, I finished watching yesterday night and this morning I did nothing else then trying to put together some at least a bit coherent comment 😅 One thing is sure, many of the characters are still staying with me. And is not it good that the show makes us comment and think (and feel) so much? 🙂

I’m generally a pretty conscientious and attentive viewer, but with Good Job I’m just letting the murdered mother, nasty chaebol and childhood trauma wash over me. The main thing I’m getting from the show is the LOLs that seem to come from nowhere and hence are twice as hilarious. Also, is it just me or are Viki’s subs for this show sharper than usual?

I need new dramas !

Alchemy of Souls Too much questions for no answer... It was disapointing from the beginning to the end for me. The show was interesting in the first minutes with the great fight, the use of powers then became 90% of fillers.

Good Job This show wasn't so serious and it was good like this. But the childhood connection with the memory loss are so cliché. It really killed a big part of my interest in this story.

If You Wish Upon Me I will drop it. There is nothing interesting between the leads, the love story that doesn't make any sense, the patients... It's all cliché without feelings for me.

Today's Webtoon So many stories in the same time. At least, there is material for 16 episodes.

The Good Detective 2 In the first season and this one, it's really the team that makes it interesting, their bond, and not the investigation.

Little Women Really excited to watch it for Kim Go-Eun and Nam Ji-Hyun!

Europe Outsite Your Tent The last episode was kinda disapointing. It's weird to watch Koreans ride a bike and eat Korean food when they are in Italy where there are so many things to do... Sirmione is such a beautiful town for example.

Am I amongst the few who wanted Assistant Editor Seok to take the job in Today’s Webtoon more than him having to stay, especially after he heard what would be the fate of Neon and Youngtoon. He should have taken the job and defend his comrades from a stronger position. I’m warming up to PD Kwon. I’m not a person for his methods but I can’t fault it either. His sacrifice enables the others work on their interests. He sending the documents to Joon-young both caught me off guard and gave him a big raise in character.
I know the CEO isn’t falling for Heo’s antics and she puts him in his place at appropriate times, but someone from Webtoon give him a two by four on the head. I’m sorry Ha Do-kwon.
So now we have the angst that’ll cause the fallout. Whatever you do, do not sell out the team if you still wanna remain in my good books Joon-young.

It’s Beautiful Now : What are you trying to do with Kyung-ae? Don’t reduce her to what she’s not. Her husband does not stop teasing her even on important matters and putting her under the bridge at any given occasion, and her father-in-law albeit unintentionally makes her feel second place for most of the time now. She’s been the one keeping the family together when Haraboji and Min-hu had their little disagreement despite being hurt so why make it seem like she’s whining. Lee Min-hu needs a plank on the head for his behavior. And that Aunt needs her mouth covered with duct tape and acagon whenever Kyung-ae is involved.

Alchemy of Souls : The ending left more questions than answers which is expected, but some questions should have been answered. Naksu has heard twice, both in direct conversations that it takes a powerful priestess to rein in the powers of a mage so why, why didn’t Naksu find the reason for her mage block and why she feels dizzy in Jinyowon? 19 episodes and no nothing of such.
A wedding occurred, but a black bloody wedding. I’m ecstatic to see what the incident will turn sweet puppy Dang-gu and gentle Cho-yeon into. I do love Dang-gu’s new look in the preview for season 2. That face lacks sweetness.

Unicorn - Wow! Lots of laughs is all o have for this. Linking neurowaves to hair perming 🤦🏽😅. What the?

Good Job - Bring in all the hijinks.

Adamas - I’m blown away with everyone’s performance – Chairman Kwon, Dragon Lady Kwon who I’m not ready to see the last of, Woo-shin, Soo-hyun, Hye-soo.

GOOD JOB is my new guilty pleasure, I enjoy the bickering of the leads.

ADAMS continues to provide the necessary suspense. I look forward to new twists and surprises every week.

I'm also still watching IF YOU WISH UPON ME and TODAY'S WEBTOON.

Because I couldn't get enough of it, I just watched HOSPITAL PLAYLIST 1 + 2 again.

I've put POONG, THE JOSEON PSYCHIATRIST on hold for now, I'm too busy at the moment.

As there are a few new dramas starting next week I will be able to put some of the older dramas on hold as there should be an on air drama most week days.

Poong Joseon Psychiatrist
I can’t believe it’s finishing next week I have enjoyed it so much. The two leads have grown a lot and the found family are lovely. Campaigning hard for the cartoon character to have a cartoon death scene like in the roadrunner cartoon he could combine a cliff of doom fall with a heavy item falling on his body so he is squashed flat and his death scene will be a permanent landmark to use as a message to others that crime does not pay.

Mimicus

This is an interesting web drama with battles in the adult world which spill into the idol world. The teens have the usual teen angst of group bullying, trying to find a space in the world, friends to lovers and blossoming friendships.

Today’s webtoon
Evil greedy Uncle 😡playing mind games. I am so not happy, I was proper shouting at the tv. I hope he gets a harsh wake up call.

If you wish upon me
I am glad the dark violent side is limited and we have ramped up the healing for Gyeorye.

The best hit
This one passed me by. I kept reading the synopsis but it didn’t call my name but then I saw a video on Youtube which showed clips from the drama with Cha Eunwoo, I was in. Turns out it was his debut drama. So glad I found it it’s my type of show and has so many familiar faces.

Twelve nights
Loving the slow paced, character and dialogue led dramas like this one, reminds me of Would you like a cup of coffee and I’ll come to you when the weather is fine. I found it by chance and I am really enjoying it.

Moonlight
Watching this Chinese rom com, slowly.

Completed:
Sleeper Hit
Japanese version of Today’s webtoon. I really enjoyed watching alongside it the Korean version. It was a lot of strong points and I would recommend it. It finished after 10 episodes and had the publishing element and book sales which added an alternative perspective but most of the artists and their stories were the same as the Korean version just handled in a different way.

On hold:

Playful Kiss
Healer

When my love blooms
Devilish joy
Sungkyunkwan Scandal
Your honour
Cheer up
In time with you Japanese

Today’s webtoon (10-11): Okay. So I did not expect the Noona mystery to be solved this quick though I am happy that our ML got the closure he needed hopefully. The story is scattered in all directions and I wonder how they will end everything with only few episodes left.

Good job (1-4): Its fun although the FL ‘s friend pissed me off in third episode esp with that hospital scene. I did a lot of FF but I guess this might grow on me in the coming episodes. I am a lot more curious regarding the mystery around the necklace and its been a while I have seen JIW in anything.

OLDER
Eve (1-10): I expected something and got a very different version. I am not much of a SYJ fan and I haven’t completed any of her series. The farthest I have seen is IOTNBO (having dropped it at around ep 6). The premise sounded interesting but I am having issues with the story’s direction and have a hunch how its gonna end. SYJ is supposed to be seducing the ML but all I can think of when I see her on screen is how unhealthy she looks and it doesn’t help that the ML is always having a constipated expression no matter what. Not to say how bad their chemistry is.

And the winner is love (1): I loved both Luo Yunxi and chen Yuqi in Ashes of love so I was excited to find them in lead roles. Not exactly a great start but I might stick on with it because I love the leads.

Jinxed at first (1-16): I will be honest. I lasted around 8 episodes before running out of patience and I ended the series by reading the weecaps. It had an interesting premise but the story got so messed up in between and not say I did not like the FL much. I remember watching the actress in Moonlovers but I did not like her acting here. So much contradictions and the attempt to redeem Chairman Sun did not work out.

Alchemy of Souls: I commented at length in the ep 19-20 thread, but I thought the episodes were pretty solid -romantic, intense, and riveting- with the assumption that we'll be getting some answers in part 2. I really enjoyed the themes of power and greed. But i still struggle to understand why we need 10 more episodes to put away Jin Mu.

Good Job: Enjoyable, nicely paced with great lead chemistry and a bit of that run-of-the-mill old school pure kdrama rom-com vibe, but lacks a certain stickiness? I can't remember what's going on, but I'm in it for the ride.

Poong Josen Psychiatrist Yikes, that poor maid. Please let it be a fake-out. This makes me hate the palace crap even more. Going to miss the little family and the cute, but not-in-your-face, pairing of Kim Hyang Gi and Kim Min-jae. No news about when the next season is happening.

Autumn Ballad (binging 23/34; cdrama): The first 15 ep. were a fantastic cross between Story of MingLan x trendy idol drama x mystery. I appreciated how the writing went a different track and didn't try to make the FL charming. And the FL and ML had sizzling chemistry together and don't look like they just stepped out of acting school.

Then it got weird. I didn't think much of it until I read the spoilers and the drama goes off the rails for the 2nd half. Deaths, sexual assaults, a fake marriage, etc....They stopped the series of mysteries and the 2nd half is all about what happens when the ML's archenemy targeted the FL's family and ruined them all because the ML was engaged to FL's little sister. Little sis's story also really went off the rails so much that the writer even apologized.

I'm still continuing because they packed a lot of cute, if filler-y OTP scenes due to the contrived, fake marriage subplot. Just FF through the other stuff.

Love between fairy and devil
Best xanxia I've ever watched but it was also much more than fantasy and romance. It was a drama well done with a strong message at core. Can't forget it yet.
Alchemy of souls
Trying really hard to catch up to this but LBFD has my mind still in its firm grasp. Doesn't help that both are fantasy dramas so there's inevitable comparison of what AOS could've been but I'm intrigued to know what the strong reaction about this is.

Good Job I really like all the sillyness this show brings. In a typical romcom fashion, I like the progression on the tension between our lead otp. Jin Mo is stealing the scene with that finale lol. I didnt realize that their operation had a limited budget. I expected since we have a chaebol detective that they can go all out.
Law School I can't believe that I didnt get to this show sooner. I now understand why it was so popular. I really like the whodunit game and the slow reveals per episode.
If You Wish Upon Me this is temporarily on hold but I will get to this soonm
today's Webtoon i really feel bad for Artist Shin and know he is so lucky to have PD Ma Eum on his side. I also like the friendhsip between her and Joon Young. He needs ot now that they rrvealed the identity of that mysterious girl in the background.
Love Between Fairy and Devil this is my first chinese fantasy drama and I say I love the costumes. Dylan Wang looks gorgeous in period costume and long hair. I didnt watch Meteor Garden so I had to look him up since he looked familiar. I have a few quibbles like the weird sudden episode endings but so far loving the story.
Alchemy of Souls it has ended. I can't say I like the ending since there were no clear resolution on the storylines I am interested in. I just want Won not to go dark, Yul to be happy and BuYeon to find her family.

Alchemy of Souls – I loved this straight through. I love our OTP and our side characters and the lore and history. I love the themes of parent/child interactions, of choosing to gain or hold onto power or to let it go, and that often making a decision – any decision – is better than inaction. I’m happy with how part 1 ended and ready to watch part 2 with my spiky eyeliner and Naksu-blue scarf in December.

Our Beloved Summer – Just blasted through this one because I couldn’t stop. The OTP was so adorable, and I loved seeing them figure their relationship out a second time. My only complaint with the ending was the secondary couple, because have they seriously been dancing around each other for 2+ years before they become a thing? But that’s pretty minor and pales in comparison to the love I have for Ung and Yeon-su. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go listen to the soundtrack on repeat.

This week I watched You Drive Me Crazy, a 2018 rom-com miniseries that managed to pack a lot of mediocrity into 4 short episodes. I've decided Kim Seon-ho just isn't my jam - this is the third (fourth?) drama I've seen him in and I feel nothing. He's an adequate actor but no more than that, and the relentless focus PDs put on his prettiness and particularly his lips is squirmy rather than sexy to me. The too-drunk-to-consent sex in that show is also NOT my jam. I’m slowly working my way through Goblin (it's not drudgery, I like it, just lots of RL going on) and started Good Job, which is old-school caper-y fun so far and which I'll probably continue. It feels like it would be better as a binge, but I NEED something lighthearted to look forward to right now.

There was also some show that started with an 'A' - the name will come back to me in a minute.

Good Job: You don't actually need all that much when you have leads that are great together. It's just an easy watch and the actors actually look like they are having a good time.

Today's Webtoon: Corporate politics aren't always boring but they are in this drama and it is the main weak point. I think they should have focused more on the webtoon world with various artists. One of my favorite relationships is between the creator of Peeve webtoon and the assistant who let his frustration fall into envy and resentment which culminated in vandalism. K-drama does a lot of over-the-top bad people but this is more down-to-earth at what envy does to a person and I liked the arc where the assistant accepted things, apologized and moved on. I actually have been happy to see the relationship between the two continue.

Poong: I actually have really enjoyed this drama. It has managed to balance the drama and comedy well.

Love Like Galaxy: It was good but not as good as everyone is saying imho. There was plenty of filler and eventually they started making the lead female a bit preachy and know-it-all and it grated. But, again, when you have leads with chemistry like this...yeah! Also, best empress, emperor and consort ever. Also, when her family came to her rescue, it was awesome especially to see mom in action. Definitely one of the better C-dramas but the first half worked for me better than the second.

Love Between Fairy and Devil (C-drama) - I'm in the early episodes on this so it's fine and has its charms but people are raving about it so I assume it gets better. I've seen so many of these type dramas so this will live and die on the lead couple.

Viki Comments: I don't always have them on because "where are the subtitles" gets old but I've been enjoying them recently and this was a fav comment on Galaxy drama, " I am convinced these people would be less cranky with memory foam pillows". I just laughed because I call them cinder block pillows; they look soooo uncomfortable.

Little Women Ep 1
Intense, dark, and unsettling. I wish it’s a Netflix series that I can watch the whole drama in one go.

It does have the very familiar Little Women elements - the rich and mean great aunt, Laurie in Kang Hoon, for example. The three sisters have traces of the original characters but with a twist. An intriguing and exhilarating watch for sure, coming from this writer and director combo. It’s more Money Flower than Vincenzo though - and the writer certainly doesn’t disappoint from what I’ve seen in this first episode.

Alchemy of Souls. I'm at episode 5 and I think I'm going to drop this. Somehow I find it tiresome. And fantasy is never my favorite genre.

My Mister. I'm savoring this show. I love the "romance" between the washed-up director and the actress. It is so weird and touching. He's the one playing hard to get. My heart breaks for the bar keep. She has a heart of gold but can't be with the one she loves. And the wife, I understand her situation.

I'm waiting for Little Women to drop in my region. This will replace AoS.

It's about time for me to watch Stranger again after indulging in Here To Heart, a sappy and cheese Cdrama where the stellar Zhang Han and Janine Chang and their off the charts chemistry were what made me persevere through 48 episodes.

i find it hard to imagine Park Hye Eun (Sun in Adamas) as Mu Deok in Alchemy of Souls... she's so icky/weird/twisted as Sun. i'm glad she didn't stay on AoS, but i can't figure out WHY they had cast her in the first place...

Is it a slump, is it the weather?

Today's Webtoon (I forget where I am, ep 4?) - the pacing and subject matter feels somewhat nostaglic. Somewhat worried about the kid getting to into his webtoon.

Good job (Ep1) - yay for the return of Jung Il-Woo and Kwon Yuri. I really want to know more about Sa Na-Hee!

Love Between Fairy and Devil - second time is the charm :) Love the opening song, they really did great with its OST.

My wife and I love the new show GOOD JOB. Missvictrix has described it perfectly: Silly and fun. It is one of those shows that you can enjoy precisely because it does not take itself seriously. Our leads are wonderful- and yes, they should get married, period. But our side characters are also well done as well. But Lord Cobol asked the question I too need answered: How does our ML get from Stately Wayne Manor to the Bat Cave located underneath his lawyer friend’s office? It is indeed a good thing that we are not supposed to take any of this seriously.

We are also still enjoying TODAY’S WEBTOON.

The weekender IT'S BEAUTIFUL NOW is winding down- with the writer having found a very nice way of starting the re-union of Yoona and our youngest brother- Soo-jae has really come through for her and her family- with some help from his brother the lawyer (see, we lawyers are really useful to have around- at least from time to time). Do we maybe get a third wedding after all? Plus, the beginning of the reveal of our oldest Daughter in Law’s pregnancy. I agree with Unit about how Kyung-ae’s frustration should be more obvious to all, but I have a feeling that the discovery that she is about to become a grandmother may go a long way to ameliorating that by putting it in a different perspective.

My wife has also been enjoying POONG, THE JOSEON PSYCHIATRIST.

TODAY’S WEBTOON is a re-make of the J-drama named SLEEPEEER HIT on Viki. My wife binge-watched it and loved it.

We also finally finished JINXED AT FIRST. The final episode was a bit bemusing- and an unusual but perhaps fitting use of the amnesia idea. But followed by a few very lovely minutes of happily-ever-after as well.

This week my wife watched the 56th and final episode of LOVE LIKE THE GALAXY. A great Chinese Costume drama of the ‘historical’ type. She thought very highly of it and would recommend it to anyone as one of her all-time favorites. She also watched PRINCESS AGENTS and continues to enjoy IMMORTAL SAMSARA. She plans to take a break from her beloved Chinese Costume dramas to watch Amazon's LORD OF THE RINGS prequel THE RINGS OF POWER which she has very much been looking forward to. I may watch too but I am also one of those who is a bit skeptical about this one. We have Amazon Prime so at least there will be no additional charge for watching.

My thanks to my fellow Beanies for alerting me to the charming J-drama MARY ME! I am enjoying it. The relatively short episodes fit well with my presently too busy schedule.

Alchemy of Souls: I really wish there wasn't this 3 month break in between parts! Need to know what happens next because how does she get her body back? I hope Yul doesn't get shafted in part 2 cause the love triangle is finished.

But silver lining is that we got Little Women. I need to scream about it since I just finished episode 1 and it's fantastic.

ALCHEMY OF SOULS: Brace yourself: I'm going to praise the Hong sisters. Those final two episodes of Part I were fantastic--tense, exciting, heartbreaking, romantic, surprising, and even with all the tragedy, somehow still (mostly) fun. I wasn't surprised at the turn things took--the story clearly set up that Mu-Deok would "kill" Yuk--but I was shocked at how quickly and devastatingly it unfolded. It was also devastating to watch the return of the manipulated and hypnotized assassin; I really felt for Mu-Deok in those scenes because she was so clearly a pawn of evil men who want power for themselves. That was the most tragic part for me. I also loved the goodbye scene between Yul and Mu-Deok (the dialogue was lovely) and hope he finds happiness in the next installment.

GOOD JOB: I just love this. It's light, genuinely funny, and all the actors mesh perfectly together. As I mentioned elsewhere I love when a drama doesn't try to be anything it's not. "Good Job" doesn't pretend to have a complicated plot or thematic depth, and that's precisely why it can get away with plot holes and moments that defy the rules of physics. I hope this one stays true to itself all the way through.

I've dipped in and out of "If You Wish Upon Me" and think JJW is doing well, but unfortunately, this one isn't working for me. I think "The One and Only" did this type of plot better. Unfortunately, even though I think the writers are trying to honor death and they dying, it all feels emotionally hollow. There's nothing particularly *wrong* with the drama or the writing, I guess, but for reasons I can't quite pinpoint, it never touches my heart. A missed opportunity all around.

ALCHEMY - I enjoyed it. My biggest gripe with the final wasn’t anything that happened, it was just that it was really awkwardly paced (I think they should have scattered the elders love story a bit better throughout the show generally, instead of front loading one episode with it). My husband watched the whole thing! Tbh I think he enjoyed more than I did, so I’m looking forward to December.

Other than that I’m watching GOOD JOB, which is good fun and just the kind of thing I feel like watching right now.

I also started watching MY LOVE FROM THE STARS with my sister which neither of us have seen before, and I’m enjoying it this far although I have to say: 400 years on earth and he hasn’t worked out that the towel is for AFTER the shower, not while you’re in it?

Only watching Wish upon me. Not perfect healing drama… but it is ok. I am enjoying watching Wookie.
There are many other dramas I want to watch, or start watching, even old shows now: Hospital Playlist, A piece of your mind, Navillera, so many others… But I don’t have time… ☹ Sad beanie… She doesn’t have time for the shows. :/

Watched K film Decision To Leave I liked it. Had a film noire sort of feel, the detective and the femme fatal.

Finished rewatch of J drama Sleeper Hit

Watching J drama The 13 Lords of the Shogun , almost out of subbed Eps. :(

Finished J drama Lost Man Found I liked it, story has two halves, 1st is an actor’s struggle to make it as an actor. 2nd half, he reestablishes contact with his older brother.

Watching C drama Liu Yong Pursues The Case . Pretty Good, a court official is “demoted” and sent to a far off province. It’s a ruse, he is investigating corruption. He has a beautiful female coroner as his assistant, much to the chagrin of his princess wife. Lighter than most C dramas.
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Stuck on last 4 episodes of Love Like The Galaxy

Watching J drama Cinecon e Ikou!, easy to watch, about the employees of a Cinemaplex movie house.

Have watched a couple episodes of K drama Good Job, J drama
Kateikyoushi no Torako strictly for Ai Hashimoto as a Mary Poppins-esque private tutor.

Little Women: Ladies and gents, I HAVE FOUND MY NEW CRACK DRAMA. That pilot episode was PERFECTION. My god, the quality was astounding. I'm going to be camped out in the recap threads.

Big Mouth (Ep 11 & 12) - Whoa Big Mouse is an uncle?? :P Where's that Jerry? Is that the last of Big Mouse with the end scene of Ep 12? Can wait for the next episodes :)

Adamas (Ep 11& 12) - Did not expect the loyal housekeeper to do the opposite and so lame at that considering her past cunning schemes. So it's revealed that all things behind the scenes are orchestrated by the big boss all in the name of getting back the real Adamas. I'm curious as to what the twins are going to do next and how far will Hye-soo going to go for revenge.....

Poong: I like this drama way more than I thought I would. the found family is a trope I love, but the historical setting is a hit or miss so I'm surprised how I'm not that bothered by the mystery/politics and still enjoying the good parts. I don't mind about the loveline tbh, I would enjoy the drama the same if they were just friends/partners.

If You Wish: I decided to watch after reading a couple of weecaps. there's nothing amazing in this drama, but its also not bad? ji changwook and sooyoung have good chemistry and I like how their romance has been built, but the story itself doesn't have any charm or spark to make the drama stand out imo. nice watch, but I don't think it will be that memorable at all.

It's Beautiful Now: still loving this weekend drama despite everything. yoonjae and haejun are by far the best couple and actually look like a married couple while mirae and hyunjae still look like they just started dating. there's something still awkward between them (like.. they're still too polite around each other?). it's interesting to see the family dynamics between everyone now that they have this big and confusing family tree. it looks like the drama is hinting at yuna and soojae being a couple again (I mean, I know they're literally in the drama poster for a reason lol) and I honestly think it will be a bit too fast if they go there. even if they just go back to being bf and gf - no marriage - I still think the same bcs they spent too much time away from each other. I never though she would give a chance to another guy, but I still think the 3 of them ending the drama as friends is the best solution, but considering this is a weekend drama, I think they will get back together to bring the whole story full circle (they were the first couple after all).

Little Women: I will wait for the recap post, but for now.... stylish dramas, as I expected from this PD. the story is not hitting the right notes for me, but I already expected that. I'm watching mainly for the pd and some actors. and because wi hajoon is too sexy.

I couldn’t bring myself to watch the final 30 minutes of Alchemy of Souls in the end…I just didn’t want to see everything go to pot and have a cliffhanger looming over me for 3 months. I am weaker than I thought!😅 So for now, I am satisfied, and will be annoyed at the late introduction of those blasted bells. I mean, why hadn’t they used them with all the other soul shifters, if they had that card up their sleeve?!🤦🏻‍♀️

I dropped Cafe Minamdang a while ago, once I saw where things were headed via the weecaps, and picked up High School King of Savvy to fill the SIG gap. It’s not great, I’m struggling to finish it, and the FL character drives me a bit mad, but SIG is excellent in it, and it’s fun to see Kang Ki Young playing a hilarious friend (his specialty, although I’m happy he’s had the chance to break out of that in Extraordinary Attorney Woo!). Also, I’m pleased to see Lee Soo Hyuk get more screen time after coming across him in Tomorrow. For me, he has quite a compelling presence, even though I’m not sure why (and whether it’s his acting). What it did make me think is that I feel a bit sad for actors whose ‘look’ is broody. I wish they got to smile and laugh more!

The weekly wait between episodes of AoS made me want to see more Jung So Min on my screen, and being one of the few humans on Earth who did not like and could not finish Because This Is My First Life, I opted to try Playful Kiss instead. BIG Mistake. It was awful, but I watched all of it for some reason, and I hate myself for it. Please don’t do this to yourself. I think I was trying to understand why the FL would love the ML in such a devoted and unwavering way, and I never did.

The one show I picked up recently that I actually enjoyed was The Uncanny Counter. It wasn’t perfect, and I wish it was more episodic because so few shows manage to have one big baddie remain compelling for the entire run of a show, but I loved the premise, the found family featuring characters of many ages, and the acting. Yoo Joon Sang (who plays Park Jin in AoS) is excellent in it, and the role allowed him so much more breadth to show off his acting chops. It made me wish that the Hong sisters had written the elders in AoS with more nuance - Park Jin, Heo Yeom and Jin Mu could all be more layered and interesting (but there are just too many characters in AoS, I think).

So now I’m trying to decide what to watch next. Not sure yet what I fancy so I’ll probably read reviews and recaps until I land on something I’m instinctively drawn to watch. I don’t have a Viki subscription, so the adverts are a pain, but I might try Yumi’s Cells (S1)…