Watched/Completed in 2021

This was dumb. Best Drama of 2020? Absolutely not. I think a lot of people were deprived of xianxias in 2020 and overhyped/overrated this because of it. Idk why it was so popular on MDL. Here's the thing...there were many plot holes, contradictions, and straight up bad writing. Many things were a copy and paste from other xianxias. Even the graphics team was like "we have these pre-existing renders so we're gonna reuse them...." and who could blame them. I would've done the same. Anyways, this drama was full of idiots and stubborn people. Was it worth the watch? No. It was almost 60 episodes on top of that and could've been shortened down to 30.

Here's what I did appreciate: A sassy snake, a purple fox, a spirit animal, creativity around censorship, the parallels between the two twin sisters.

MDL Watch Challenge: Xianxia ✔︎

So this drama takes place in the dubbing industry, so I actually payed attention to the sound editing and sound mixing in this one. For a dubbed drama, the sound quality was surprisingly pretty good. Other than that, the plot was pretty boring. The main couple had no chemistry. I have to blame the main actor, because he barely looked like he was in love. I actually liked the narcissistic 2nd lead more. The secondary couple was way more interesting.

This was surprisingly a nice and light watch. It does have some cliche stuff like accidental hugging and falling on top of each other, but that sort of comes with the territory. Also, it actually is relevant to the plot. How else will our cute pikachu accidently shock our ML without the element of surprise? I loved all the pikachu/pokemon references. It was a nice romance with a side of sports.

I was contemplating on giving this a 7.5 because I loved FL's monkey like behavior. Some scenes had me laughing pretty hard. Also, it has no real antagonists. Things are usually dealt with quickly. The main issue I had was that after the couple gets together, ML is possessive and jealous. Dude's a neckgrabber and it's really weird to watch. xD He was such a baby sometimes. He's also a wolf and that needs to be called out. I was not comfortable with a certain scene. The last couple of episodes were sort of boring.

Art ✔︎

I'm kind of over the super serious/intense OL thing and the first half had SO much 2nd hand embarrassment. It was like ohmahgawd I can't. (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ However, FL becomes less intense later on. I also loved the whole creative social distancing thing...oh and how she kept comparing guys to food. ^^

This was pretty boring, but it was nice and short (12-13 minutes). Not to mention, it was pretty scenic.

MDL Watch Challenge: 20 minutes or less (Time) ✔︎

I thought it was okay. I loved Puff's character and the whole taekwondo storyline. I could've cared less about ML's past/trauma. It was very cliche and an unnecessary subplot. I wasn't the biggest fan of how they concluded some things. It just felt like justice didn't get served to the extent I wanted it to. But overall, it was still kind of enjoyable. Oh and it has eye candy in the form of chiseled guys in the supporting cast. I will leave it at that.

A CEO, who can't take "no" for an answer, harasses his new secretary until she finally gives in to his advances. It probably includes one of your least favorite tropes, but it makes sense plotwise. The plot was like a 7 for me, but +0.5 for being an addicting, mindless binge.

I watched this for the main actor (Li Xiang Zhe). The FL in this drama is really shameless in the first half. It was kind of super annoying. Other than that, the plot was meh. It's mainly worth watching if you're thirsty. I'm pretty sure lifeguards don't walk around shirtless all the time like that. :P

MDL Watch Challenge: 20-30 Minutes ✔︎

I went into episode 11 like it was the end of the world because there were so many doom related comments on that episode. It wasn't that bad. xD This was really cute. I loved it.

MDL Watch Challenge: LGBTQ+ ✔︎

It was cute. The valentines and jealousy thing was hilarious.

It was pretty boring and slow paced for me.

Random Word (Dramatic) - under alternate title ✔︎

It was actually pretty decent for a makjang /soap opera type drama. The first half was a 7 for me and the 2nd half was like 5-6 range. The plot is your typical revenge cnovel with supportive ML. There are two women who play snakes in this drama and their acting was fantastic. I think a lot of people will be turned off by age gap. FL has baby face and ML looks and is much older. It took me awhile to get past it, but they make a good couple. .

Age Gap ✔︎

Marriage of convenience + cheesy romance...the combination of which is basically my type of crack. I loved every single episode.

Idol Actor ✔︎

Romantic comedy + melodrama hybrid. I forgot what I was gonna say about this since I put it on hold at ep30, but I'm gonna leave my rating as is. Story is like a 6, but +0.5 for chemistry and the quality of the drama being better than average for this genre (no dubbing).

Revenge ✔︎

I really don't have much to complain about. It was a well made live action. They took the main elements of the story and made it their own. It has well rounded characters with each character having to overcome their own hurdle. I love how they pay attention to subtle details. Last 4 episodes were kinda draggy during slump period, but last episode made up for it. The bromance is fantastic.

Is that Juck Zhang's actual voice? I could listen to him talk to for hours. *adds to Voices list*

Adapted from a Manga ✔︎

What a pity. It started off amazing, but once they deviated from the 1 case per 2 episodes setup it really began to lose its steam. There were a couple of plotholes that you just have to ignore and they never concluded some things (like the ex-husband subplot). It had an unexpectedly great OST though. Anyways, if you're a fan of the Revenge tag, this one is worth checking out. Just keep in mind that it's a makjang.

Betrayal ✔︎

It was okay and at one point I was considering giving this a 7, but then it started to turn more political. Specifically, it had a certain type of politics that I can't stand. As a result, it turned into a typical cliché plot. Anyways, love the main actress (Bai Lu). She's the reason i watched it in the first place. Too bad it was dubbed. The secondary couple had more chemistry than the main one.

China ✔︎

I'm a sucker for contract relationships so naturally I loved this, but I felt like half the drama was scenes of FL with her ex instead of with ML. Let me watch my ship in peace!

Contract Marriage ✔︎

Low budget production, cheesy, and some bad acting. However, it somehow has my type of humor so I ended up liking it.

First 5 pages of Trailers section. ✔︎

I usually avoid dramas involving affairs, but this one was so worth watching to the end. Just wow. And that last interrogation/interview...I loved how the detective went off like that with that woke message. There's just a few things you could possibly contradict if you're really looking for plotholes, but overall it's a very well made drama. (Btw, I recommend watching without reading the synopsis.)

Murder ✔︎

Some of the episodes were hilarious and others were meh for me. I loved the main cast, but some of the acting of supporting cast felt unnatural and awkward (maybe scripted is the right word...).

Students or Children (High school) ✔︎

O_O wtf...

Short movie under 30 minutes. ✔︎ 

Finally cleared this after 8 months. This is basically a historical lakorn I didn't sign up for. @__@ Seeing one's past life in one's past life sort of reminded me of Inception. Anyways, gonna delete this from my memory since it's not worth remembering for me. The last 20 minutes were the best though.

What a wonderfully, colorful drama.

I think I'm going to file this under Obsession. ✔︎ 

aayyyy, loving the new look. :) This originally started out as a 6.5 for me, but I'd say it's a solid 7.

CGI ✔︎

My god, the ML was as naive as those typical candy female leads. I can't tell if it's refreshing or annoying. The story was okay. This is the first kdrama that I actually got my dad to watch with me and complete so I gotta give it props for that. I think it had to do with the slapstick style humor.

CEO/Starting a Business ✔︎

There were some shippable cute moments. I gave the original a 5/10 so this was an improvement. Also, the SML was cute and such a sweetheart, but I kind of lost his respect when he started drinking and driving.

Remake by same country. ✔︎

Aaah, I don't know where to begin. First of all, I really liked the production, especially the set, costumes, and soundtrack. I liked the diversity in cast and dialect. I didn't like how it was dubbed even though they used the actors actual voices majority of the time. The cases weren't that appealing to me either. I saw a drama with sooo much potential, but there were a lot of missed opportunities and that was a let down. For example, for a detective/mystery drama, there wasn't much mystery to the entire plot besides the cases themselves. It could've used some suspense or build up to mystery.

Now I didn't read the original BL novel, so I wasn't disappointed with how the plot got changed. They acquired an IP with an existing fanbase knowing it was gonna attract fans regardless of it being a BL or not. I would have preffered they removed the romance entirely. I really liked the dynamic of the 3 main characters. They were more like siblings. There was Qiao Chu Sheng, the responsible "older brother", who had to deal with his immature younger siblings who constantly fought. Then there was was the scenario of the two older brothers often trying to ditch their annoying kid sister. XD I really loved it. Speaking of Chu Sheng, he was such a smooth talker that exuded manliness. *sigh* I think I got to add the actor to my Smiles that Make Me Swoon list. :P

Crime Investigation/Detective ✔︎

Argh, that ending is frustrating.

Bad Student ✔︎

Hmm, is Japan making more musicals so that idol actors can flex their talent?

Reverse Harem. ✔︎

I'm seeing a lot of low ratings for this, but I didn't read the webtoon. I didn't go in with any expectations. I appreciated this for the Extraordinary You vibes and how it made me laugh out loud a lot. There was sooooo much second hand embarrassment though. Also, not a fan of bullying, but that comes with the genre.

Adapted from a manhwa/webtoon (Korea) ✔︎

The interpreter stuff was refreshing and interesting, but the rest was meh. It had lots of toxic rich people. I'm normally not a fan of the lead actress, but I did like her in this role. ML was a bit creepy in the beginning with his politeness and mannerisms. It's almost robotic...like he was programmed to do that at a very young age and rarely strayed from the algorithm.

Country: Korea ✔︎

Interesting concept, but poor execution and SO MUCH CRINGE. Sung Hoon, please stop acting in these dramas otherwise you're only hurting yourself. >_< Anyways, it's half in Vietnamese? which is kind of cool.

Less than 8 episodes ✔︎

A proper sports drama and a solid, good bball drama. As a side note, gosh I hated doing suicides. The struggle is real. >_<

Actor with less than 5 Credits (Richard Lee) ✔︎

omg, I really loved this couple! One is book smart and the other is street smart (and a genius too). The ending was a bit corny, but it was a feel good drama nonetheless. Also, I wish the ML had a better haircut. Speaking of ML, I've officially become a Wang An Yu fan. I was pleasantly surprised to see him in Go Go Squid 2 (Dt Appledog). :D If you liked Love O2O, you might like this (it doesn't have the gaming though).

Genre: School ✔︎

The plot is a 6 for me, but this is probably really amazing for Korean sci fi standards, especially the graphics. It's a very international blockbuster type film...if you're planning on watching it, I'd suggest watching it with English [CC] as opposed to just regular English subtitles. That way the English speaking parts are subbed and it tells you what language other characters are speaking.

Genre: Sci fi ✔

Visually beautiful and it has a great cast. Story was decent. I think at some points they got caught up with being too dramatic. Idk how to explain it. Also, it irked me that people talked in a calm steady voice like all the time. Where's the emotion in it?

Mentioned in the feeds ✔︎

I love So Ji Sub, but I'm just not into these types of movies. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  It's a good movie though.

Highly Rated on Staff Member's List  ✔︎

They were really cute together. ^^ I'll watch the Director's Cut when it hits viki.

Popular Voted List ✔︎

It takes a village to raise a child. In this case, it's the entire major crimes division. A bit of an unrealistic scenario, but it's an amusing and cute concept. There was absolutely no need for this to have a pink poster. It's a murder mystery. It may be a light murder mystery, but it's still a murder mystery nonetheless. The pink poster screams fluffy romance, which the FL is cute and all, but it's only a slight romance. Too bad the last 8 episodes were draggy, otherwise it would have been a solid 7 for me.

Orphan Lead ✔︎

Eh, it was alright. The friend was my favorite character. I guess this fulfills my time travel requirement.

Time Travel ✔︎

I think I still like the original better, but this was still really funny and enjoyable. This version of Momo was definitely more spoiled for sure 

Least Watched Tag: Cohabitation ✔︎

Young ML with tiny twins is the most adorable thing. Idk, something just didn't sit right with me. I get that he's her husband, but i couldn't get past the fact that he's in a student's body. There was this mental barrier in my head that was like nope nope nope even though they were sweet together. Also, kkondae ML was really annoying in the beginning, but im glad they toned that down. I was still weirded out that a 36 year old was acting like an old man in the first place.

Twins ✔

A Korean historical hasn't made me laugh this much since Tale of Nokdu (which I rated 8.5). I couldn't help compare this to Go Princess Go though (also rated 8.5). I know it's really unfair to do so because this tried to be a proper historical whereas Go Princess Go was a parody of historicals and a cheap production at that.

Anyways, the focus was more heavy on the political drama. I don't want to say it flew over my head, but it got boring and the villains' motives for their actions just didn't sell it for me. The last episode was awesome, but felt rushed. Most of the stuff has a conclusion, but could've probably been done better. It's still a really great drama and I would totally recommended it if you're looking for a historical comedy. Just note that it's not pure comedy. 

Fantasy/Alt Timeline  ✔

Aaah, this was soo sweet. A male chases female plot done right. Dude knew what he wanted and went for it. Sure his flirting game was a bit weak in the beginning, but he picked up his game after the first few fumbles. Also, love how FL isn't totally dumb (but she did have a few dumb moments). Okay so the cons...it did get a bit boring toward the middle. The representation of main characters' careers isn't entirely accurate (not surprisingly). The secondary couple's storyline did drag a lot.

Can we talk about the jean shorts controversy? lol, secondary FL wore the same damn ugly shorts for 95% of her scenes. It was most likely due to budget constraints, but all the complaining in the comments had me cracking up. Oh and the last scene was perfect. The way the added the little doggo to the scene...too cute to handle! 

Childhood friends ✔

Finally done. It's probably a 6 for lakorn standards, but this is my least favorite adaptation. Do yourself a favor and watch the 2020 version instead...or any other version (I'm only saying 2020 cuz it's not so dated). I'm still wondering how they cut out so much and still managed to make it draggy toward the end. xD I was okay with them cutting out a lot of the story. The secondary couple storyline was always draggy to begin with so I can't nitpick on that. I'm okay with how they put a lakorn twist to it. They did the typical revenge lakorn thing. Was it necessary or original? No, but whatevs.

What I was not okay with was how they made the ML so aggressive after he becomes himself again. There was no need to manhandle FL, grab her by the arms, and shake her. It was not in the original...why would you add that? Also, the FL was less dumb unlike other versions, but I didn't really like her character in this one. In this remake she actually KNOWS the ML's identity so she can help him. In other versions, she doesn't know his identity...just that he's a rich prick and takes advantage of him. It feels less malicious.

Story remade by more than two countries. ✔︎

Not sure how I feel about that ending, but it's a unique story so I found it interesting.

Alien ✔︎

I don't want to say this was bad, but it was a waste of my time. It's very repetitive. Basically, the ML is one of those perfect husband types and tries to love his wife, and the FL keeps coming up with ways to avoid his affections and sleeping with him. This goes on for 10 EPISODES. I don't know why she doesn't tell her husband the truth or some variation of it so he would understand. He deserved to know it. Also, she treated the poor husband like crap for 10 episodes and suddenly falls deeply in love with him? I just couldn't buy into it.

If you're planning to watch this, watch the first two episodes and then skip to episode 10 or 11 and watch the rest from there.

0 Reviews ✔︎ 

Friends to Lovers ✔︎

Okay, so I actually ended up enjoying the story, but I should say I went in with low expectations and I generally am a fan of fantasies, especially those involving the the Hero's Journey storyline. It was easily a bingeable drama for me. It uses a lot of gaming concepts, so if you're into gaming dramas, you might like this.

However, I cannot give this a higher rating because it was terribly executed. The sound mixing was awful. The direction was subpar. It was very low budget and it was noticeable (I'm blaming the producers). Then there were plagiarism issues regarding the cgi opening, which makes me wonder if they were using copyrighted music for the background music as well without permission and then changed it last minute to some generic shit right before it aired. This production team was a mess. 

Over 10 Reviews ✔︎

It's a good mystery drama, it just didn't pull me in...well half the time at least. I'm not sure what I was expecting since I didn't read the synopsis before starting. It's a bit of mystery, with a bunch of crazy people, and part ghost busters. I wasn't the biggest fan of how they represented mental illness...it was sort of a stereotype version. The sidekick friend was my favorite character and I found the FL to be annoying. 

Mentioned in an Article ✔︎

I did not enjoy working on this project, but decided to go back and watch it properly anyway cuz other dramas have proven me wrong in the past. It was slightly better than my initial impression. However, this drama was not for me. It felt like literally everyone was in a one sided love. It was painful to watch. Not to mention, it's a slow paced drama and there were a lot of fillers/flashbacks. A ton of these filler scenes were probably added because the previous adaption might have excluded it and fans of the novel wanted more. Idk, I haven't read the novel nor have I seen the previous adaptation.

Anyways, Zhang Ming Rui was the best character. He was not the 2nd lead, just a really good friend. However, the dude deserves a spinoff drama for himself cuz the rest of these characters were just annoying and/or toxic.

Unrequited Love ✔︎

An indie Taiwanese drama that gives me old school jdrama vibes. It has stuff on my taboo list, but the Mature genre should've been a giveaway. It's nice and short and has none of that filler stuff.

Year 2000 - 2010 ✔︎

Surprisingly, I loved this. I went it with low expectations because it had a lower MDL score than season 1. This season is very different. There are 2 major story archs. Both are good, but I liked the first one better. I think this got a lower score cuz people felt like things weren't resolved, but I felt like this was much closer to reality.

Year 2015-2020 ✔︎

Ugh, finally finish. Let's start with the pros...I loved the main cast. Gabrielle Guan is bae. I loved the strong female lead. She is such a badass (but I feel like most historical fictions are doing this to pull in viewers). The entire Ban family is the best. That's pretty much all this drama has going for it. Other than that things just felt so generic. There's a smart ML secretly plotting revenge for something that happened in his past. I've seen it a bajillion times. I'm so over it. I struggled to get through the second half. It was just sooo boring. This should've been 20 episodes.

Strong Lead ✔︎

I think I mainly loved this for the original story. FL is kind of an unprofessional psychotherapist though. She has psychological trauma of her own that's untreated. I initially thought she was learning how to deal with it because her boss says she was his patient in the beginning and that's why she went into this field, but as you get further into the drama it doesn't seem to be the case. He was probably talking about something else. As a side note: This has a really good looking male cast. I should probably mention the guy who plays FL's younger brother looks like jailbait, but he's in his late 20s. xD

Cons: Draggy in the last 8 episodes, dubbing.

40-50 min ✔︎

You know I went in prepared given this type of storyline and was like "Hmm...this is a lot happier and cuter than I was expecting." That's the happiness right before they shred your heart (don't worry, it's probably not what you're expecting). Anyways, these two made a really cute couple.

Cohabitation ✔︎

This poor child! Gosh, this was depressing.

Top genre and Bottom genre ✔︎

lol, Lego Lee is a little too old to be playing a 17 year old student, but luckily most of the story takes place in their adulthood when they are 30. The plot is a bit cliché and has some loopholes, but I liked it. I wish they had spent more on the friendship aspect of the story and I wish FL's friends had felt more guilt. Only ML was really regretful.

Transfer Student ✔︎

Not sure why this was on my PTW, but I needed to watching something with an android in it. The story was kind of boring. The graphics were pretty good for what seemed like a low budget webdrama. The villains were totally lame.

Andriod/A.I. ✔︎

FL is pretty cute, but dumb. She fell madly in love with ML at first sight and did all this crazy stuff just to be closer to him and save him. I guess that's where my brain stopped computing. On another note, I was not expecting to see a black character in a historical, but I absolutely loved it. Contrary to what some are saying, I did not find this racist.

Akumaru is an absolute sweetheart. He and FL have a sibling like relationship. People at the time gave him a scary name because of how he looked, but if you keep watching the drama, you'll see that he is not the stereotypical black guy represented in dramas. I did not think he was a dimwit (where did people get that from? his running form was off, but that doesn't make him dumb), he was just a simple, nice person with morals. I would say it would've been racist if he was a bad guy. Akumaru is a total softy though.

30 - 40 min episodes ✔︎

Fun action comedy that is good for a Friday night. Can be a bit corny at times, but I enjoyed it. Also, you know I have a weakness for Namgoong Min's voice...

Sismance ✔︎

Not surprisingly, this was beautifully shot. It's the main reason I enjoyed the movie. Believe it or not, this is my first Wong Kar Wai film (I know...took me long enough! >_<). Anyways, I guess a lot of people went into this movie expecting it to be more about Ip Man, but it's really about Gong Er and other masters Ip Man meets throughout his life. It's also slow paced, which is so not like the other Ip Man movies. It's very much Wong Kar Wai's style, so be prepared for artsy and aesthetic over fast paced action (though there's plenty of action). I thought I was losing it because actress who plays Ip Man's wife looked like a Korean actress, but nope, that really is Song Hye Kyo! Was not expecting that. xD

Award Winning Director ✔︎

Not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I went in fully prepared for the worst knowing that this was a slap/kiss. I guess lots of people were deceived that this was going to be pure romantic comedy (imo, the promos with ML on a "throne" surrounded by 4 chicks screamed otherwise). Both ML and FL are lakorn fans, which is cute. Therefore, this drama itself was trying to be an homage to lakorn fans by including lots of popular lakorn tropes, including the controversial ones like slap/kiss and rape. (Hey, if you're a lakorn fan, if you know, you know. It's part of the melodrama package). You can call it a parody, but it's hard to make some topics funny (the nuisances of remaking old lakorns with problematic plots...there's only so much you can clean up). I can see where people lost respect for ML. He turned into an asshole (not sure by how much cuz I had to watch a couple of these episodes raw D;). Whatever, I'm used to ML idiocy and the sudden switch to becoming scum. I really loved the first couple of episodes though and I'm surprised I even loved FL's evil fake family. They're a lot more likable in this version.

I wish they could've wrapped up the story a bit better by closing the loop on these two things:
1. ML finding out FL is the maid he started falling for or learning about the first couple times he met her as Tawan.
2. FL finished telling her bedtime lakorn at some point in the story. She only told episode 1 and never mentioned anything again.

Starts with same letter as username ✔︎

Phew, caught it before it left Netflix (Thanks @The Butterfly for the reminder). Here's the thing....I liked the concept of the story and the main story arch, but most of the cases absolutely bored me. There were a few interesting ones here and there, but for the most part I had trouble getting through this series because of the boring cases.

Director/Writer You've Never Seen Before ✔︎

That was fun. Yaya is such a badass.

#Short Film
#Advertisement
#Adapted a Video Game

This hit the spot. :D I think I'm just a sucker for this trope because I still really loved season 2. The second lead is strong this season...the second female lead is also very likable. I really love how they concluded the series for both FLs. 

Substitution - Doppelganger ✔︎ 

Gotta love my family weekenders. :D I enjoyed this drama even though it didn't pass the pace test. The pacing was strong in the first half and starts to get draggy in the second. It's unfortunate because they could have opened up 2 whole storylines for the 2nd half when it came to character backstories, but only decided to reveal one of them in the last couple of episodes. Anyways, there was a new character introduction close to the middle of the series as well as a new ship taking off that I really loved and it just barely saved the 2nd half for me. The first half was great.

Large Family ✔︎

I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. The cases were so interesting. Yes, it technically has romance in it, but I would not recommend watching it solely for the romance. I should probably note that I started to lose interest a bit in the last 5 episodes cuz there was less courtroom drama and there was a change in direction. It became more of a crime drama and trying to solve cold cases from the past. It was still interesting, just not as satisfying as the law cases. There were a few unrealistic scenarios when it came to the court drama, but you're just gonna have to go with it.

Law Drama ✔︎

Cute movie with a really cute couple.

Released same year as MDL user below your post ✔︎

LOL, so bad it's kind of funny...you just gotta watch with the right group of friends to make fun of it. It can't compare to the original. The only song I liked from this one is the last one, which after looking it up, it seems to be a remake of We're All In This Together. xD

More than 25% Plan to Watch ✔︎

This was so soothing and relaxing to watch. It was humbling to see these masters restore artworks with utmost patience and care. I didn't realize there was a difference in style when it comes to western vs. eastern art restoration processes, but I'm glad they explained some of it. Plus, B-roll footage of cats just chilling and hanging out at the Imperial Palace is a nice added touch. 

Documentary ✔︎

I'd highly recommend just for the subject matter. I would not expect a film coming out of Japan to be from this perspective. It's so refreshing.

War ✔︎

Interesting concept, but very draggy drama. I'm glad I waited a year and a half to watch this because that ending was dumb. Time to start season 2.

50 min episode drama ✔︎

Well, I chose the right ship so there's that. I feel like seasons 1 and 2 could've been combined and done in like 6 episodes. There was no reason to split this into 2 seasons.

Love Triangle ✔︎

It felt like there was this void left behind from "season 1". It's a bit confusing to explain. Timeline wise, it's a prequel, but you have to also think of it as an alternate universe (even though the novels are in the same universe). The competition has changed. It's now combative robots instead of CTF (makes much more sense for on screen). Also, 70% of the cast changed, which makes it harder to follow. This season focused more on romantic plot of main couple, though there was a good chunk of fighting robots. It didn’t dive into supporting character backstories, which I missed, but it was all technically covered in s1. There was less focus on chasing dreams. It didn’t touch me as much. It was like "win competition to impress the girl" and "For China!" (Yes, we know). There was technically character growth, but it felt flat. Season 1 had really well rounded characters. As a result of this and the cast changes, I couldn't get attached to the supporting characters.

That being said, there are some things I liked better this season:
+ Cast Change: Shen Ze/Grunt. I really loved this version and his love storyline.
+ FL's dad is the best. ML's grandpa is awesome as usual and even better this season.
+ Wu Liao the A.I. robot.
+ Less flashbacks.
+ Team 98. Dumb and dumber. xD
+ I've said it before last season and I'll say it again...loved K&K's team uniforms. I wonder who the designer is cuz I'd totally buy their merch. XD

EDIT: Just realized the writer is different. THIS EXPLAINS SO MUCH.

Sequel ✔︎

This was my first vertically filmed series and it was a really cool experience. Storyline wise, I'd say it's about a 7 for me, but the way the story was narrated makes perfect sense for this style of filming. The main things I didn't like was that it was so dark. I wish there was better lighting. Also, in typical suspense fashion, they dragged out scenes to build up mystery and suspense. I don't have patience for this, but if you're into horror/thrillers you might like it because they do this a lot.

Mean Male Lead ✔︎

Another vertically filmed series. This time the story seems like an adaptation of one of those soapy chicklit cnovels. I don't want to rate this harshly because it seemed more like an experiment, but it's pretty bad. It just seems like one of those B rated cmovies that was chopped up into episodes that are 2 minutes each. There really was no reason to film this vertically. The acting is pretty bad and the fact that this style of film forces the director to do a lot of close up shots, you notice the bad acting even more cuz the audience is forced to focus on the actor's face.

Web Series ✔︎

Do you ever just watch something to vent your anger? Well I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the ML suffer in this one. It's not that he's a horrible person, but he deserved it. The plot is pretty slow and boring, not to mention frustrating. Also, three words: second lead syndrome.

First Love ✔︎

Phew, finally cleared this. Okay, the pros: Love both leads. They were both strong, intelligent, and badass. They had great chemistry together. The FL did not do that cute, naively innocent, but youthfully mischievous thing *barf*. The FL's outfits were fire. The plot was unique and interesting. I would say this drama is a gem, but...

The cons: It's so freaking long! The second half became so draggy, except maybe for the last couple episodes. They just kept dragging the palace politics. The A-chai tribe subplot was boring and unnecessarily long (like 20 episodes too many). The whole thing could've been shortened to 35-40 episodes.

I went in with low expectations because school dramas with idol actors scream oppa hype. Despite the mediocre start, I was pleasantly surprised. The further you get into the drama, the more interesting it gets. It depicts how people are so quick to judge and react without getting all the facts...how it takes 2 seconds to spread a rumor that can destroy someone. This drama is by no means perfect, but it's got a great message. I loved how the FL powered through and called people out despite her situation. I also loved the OST. I have one major gripe that I'll post below.

School Bullying  ✔︎

FL is super cute. ^^ I usually avoid dramas with terminal illness like a plague, but this was so heartwarming and wholesome. In fact, I was expecting tears from being sad, but I ended up tearing up a lot because I was just so touched by the heartwarming actions of the villagers. ♥

Medical genre + chronic or terminal illness tag. ✔︎

Congrats to the winner. I'm really happy for him. ^^ His last song was awesome. My favorite contestant got 2nd place, though I had plenty of favorites. I could've cared less for the Swings drama, but I enjoyed how this season was mostly drama free. People were a good sport about the competition and challenges.

+0.5 Gotta give it props because this was filmed during a pandemic with lots of masks, social distancing, and live streaming to make it work. Despite all that struggle, it STILL ended up being a better season than last season. 

Variety Show ✔︎

It was funny and cute. Filled with lots of parodies, so if you don't get the references, you might not get the joke.

Drama Special ✔︎

I went into this movie with no expectations. It's a little ridiculous, but I enjoyed it. I also loved that ending with the car and the couple returning. xD

Highly rated by user on same page @JChastity ✔︎

I struggled to get through this. It got a little bit better when the couple got together, but still got sucky toward the end. I eventually had to jump off Netflix to one of the illegal sites in order to speed watch and finish it. :/

Country: Taiwan ✔︎

It's pretty decent if you're a fan of the Zombies genre. I may come back and watch season 2 in October. P.s. I may have developed a crush on the main actor. >_> Takeuchi Ryoma with facial hair really hits different. xD

Mechanic ✔︎

Why are so few people talking about this web series? I absolutely loved it, but then again I am a sucker for parody dramas.  It's exactly the type of crack I signed up for. It has very witty writing and at times it reminded me of roleplay writing. The graphics are great and it has above average cinematography.  I love the framing of some of these shots.  This web series has very strong Goblin vibes (the executive producer is the writer of Goblin). Just keep in mind that it parodies the fantasy side of dramaworld.

Non human main character ✔︎

I was a big fan of the first season. This season is slightly not as as good, but it's still entertaining and refreshing. I found myself laughing out loud many times. This season has a different gang and different cast. Each person on the debate team has some sort of flaw and it ties in with one of the debate topics. I like how they guest starred actual debaters like in s1.

Genre: Friendship ✔︎

So I generally love hero's journey type of fantasy plots. I loved the fact that the protagonist was the female lead this time. The writers were on crack, but like in a good way. It definitely set up the story for a unique plot. However, the second half got draggy and it felt like you were hit with the negative side effect of doing drugs. It's definitely a unique story, I will say that.

Single Parent ✔︎

This one surprised me.  Like I said before, it's one of the many CEO dramas where ML has a traumatic past and some weird/made up disease.  It won't make sense logically if you try to analyze it, so you're just gonna have to roll with it.  That being said, it makes for a very entertaining scenario.  The first 16 episodes were really great and hilarious.  I would give it an 8/10 for this part.  The last 8 episodes were okay and that's where the drama started to lose its steam (like dramas typically do). Also, FL started doing some dumb stuff and that's where I started to lose respect for her.  It was a bit frustrating.   The ending was okay.  If you aren't a fan of the last 15 minutes, there are 2 special episodes that I highly recommend checking out afterward.

Tag: Tragic Past ✔︎

Good old body swap. It's all comedy until the credits where they interview real people. I was tearing up. xD

Parental relationship ✔︎

The foodie in me loved this. I wish I could swap lunches with someone, but I've been mostly working from home. :( My mom packs lunch for her coworker and it's cute. xD  Lots of great messages in this drama.  I love the bit at the end where they show you how to make some of the stuff (nothing too complicated). A lot of it featured seafood though, which I'm not the biggest fan of, so I'm gonna have to find substitutes.

Non romantic relationship ✔︎

I needed to watch something that was rated poorly by a watch challenge participant and I have to say I agree lol. I'm not a fan of westerns though...This movie is a modern classic. The director has a cult following. I myself am a fan of some of his other movies (I Saw the Devil and A Bittersweet Life). However, this movie along with his other works, are not for those don't like a ridiculous amount of violence. Pretty sure it didn't vibe with me cuz of the whole western thing.

+OST
+Cast 

Rated Poorly by @JJChastity ✔︎

Okay so after a rough start, this drama eventually won me over. It's an above average drama quality wise. It has very minimal dubbing and lots of scenic shooting locations too. I absolutely loved ML and his parents, especially his mom! However, this drama is not for everyone. It's slow paced and there's lots of business jargon. Most of the characters are serious and stiff (the 'robotic' comments are accurate).

30 Episodes or more ✔︎

A very low budget and poorly made adaptation. No, I would not recommend it. ML is a jerk, FL is dumb, SL is ugh but pitiful, SFL is a bitch. If you're looking for a "fish out of water" tale, go watch Legend of the Blue Sea instead.

Adapted from a Manhua ✔︎

Yet another drama about a cat from an alien planet. As far as cat dramas go, it was pretty average. It seems to bait people in using the cat drama trend, but other than the cat, it didn't have much going for it. The cat is absolutely adorable though. As a cat lover, I kind of preferred ML to stay in cat form. xD The whole romance thing is weird for me.

Also, this has to be the kinkiest cdrama i've seen in awhile. Based on my previous "weird kinks" post, it includes all the weird kinks people mentioned except eating food off of someone's face.

Talking Animal ✔︎

Great first half, okay second half. That ending was a miss for me. I'm not a PSH fan, but I liked her in this.

Genre: Thriller ✔︎

It's hard to believe this was written and directed by Namgoong Min.  Great work for his debut as a writer/director.