Dramas – 2023 Completed

This is a lot to digest, even for me. The bullying scenes in The Glory are extremely brutal to say the least. The revenge part is what keeps the story digestible and thrilling.

The bullying and revenge storyline and Lee Dohyun's character backstory are very disconnected as of now and so far only feels like a happening that makes up for the majority of his character. I get that it has shaped and traumatised him, making it easier for him to support our female lead, but it makes me feel like he is disconnected from the main story a lot as I see no connection between his backstory and the main story. For the majority of this season, Lee Dohyun's character feels like he belongs in a different drama. In a few scenes in the last couple of episodes we get a taste of his importance to the main story, but so far his character seems distant. But it is a good change of pace (story wise) to take a break from the main story for short periods of time from time to time.

I'm talking mainly about Lee Dohyun since he's one of my favourite actors. Despite the critique I gave his character, his acting in The Glory is great as always (the scene where he got so excited by the message she sent him that he jumped out of his seat and threw his phone at his coworker while debating over if he was dreaming or not was really funny lol. I enjoy seeing him playing different types of roles (but it seems like a noona crush again, although he is her senior and says he's older than he looks + born in 1989 lol). I'd love to see him play a villain role sometime in the future (like how Wi Hajoon did it really well in Midnight!). The scene where he imagines killing the person he hates as well as the scenes with is visions showed me that he's more than capable of nailing such a role.

It's annoying that this drama as well was split into 2 parts, but since I'm enjoying it, all I can do is to wait patiently for part 2.

Season 2 was better than season 1! I think it's mainly because of the character development all characters have gone through. In my comment on season 1 I said that the characters faded in the light of the story, but in season 2 I think that the characters carried the drama. I especially think that Uk's character got more depth; many people say he carried the drama all by himself (but I think all characters did).

I don't usually watch fantasy shows. I think they are confusing. I have to say that I'm a bit lost in Alchemy of Souls as well. We barely get any information on how the magic system works and how the magical objects exists. But I guess it was ruled out as not important. It would be kind of boring if there were too many details, but I want to add some rules to it tbh.

I started watching Alchemy of Souls season 2 past midnight on New Years eve. Contrary to season 1, I loved season 2 from the very first episode. It was a great start to the year!

I will rewatch season 1 and season 2 in the future for sure :)

Rewatched January 9th. List: Dramas I've Rewatched.

I wanted to show Alyssa Semantic Error since I've come to like it so much, so we binge watched it together online. Alyssa said that Semantic Error is now her favourite KBL ^^ so I'm very happy about that!

I loved rewatching it again as well of course (I've become a big fan of Jaechan lately~). I will definitely rewatch Semantic Error again in the future. It is, after all, one of my favourite KBLs as well ^^

This drama was very difficult for me to watch because of my health anxiety and contamination OCD. I tried watching it by myself last year but I couldn't even make it through the first episode after I saw the Ji Sooheon hospital scene. But me and my parents wanted to watch another drama together and for some reason this was one of the options I gave, and they chose this one. It was still very difficult to watch, I got anxiety more than a couple of times from watching this drama. But it was a good drama. 

But I still don't understand how they never were affected by the violence they experienced. Like– Chanmi didn't even seem to care that she almost got killed twice, and she didn't have any feelings of guilt or confusion over assaulting Kook Jihyun. Sooheon weren't any different. Maybe he was shocked for a minute but that was it. It was as if they were used to that kind of violence already. It was the biggest reason why this drama seemed so fake.

I have to say, although I hate his character, my favourite character was actually Gi Osung. It's not because I stand beside him or anything, I just think he's a well made character and the actor did a really good job at portraying his wicked personality.

(Spoiler) Then we see the villainisation of DID in media yet again. I'm far from an expert and I'm also someone who enjoys watching dramas like Kill Me Heal Me, but I do feel bad for the people who are actually struggling with DID seeing them portrayed in this way in media. How did he even develop DID in the first place??

I complained a lot but it really was entertaining and also especially enjoyable to watch it with my parents. Maybe I would consider rewatching it in the future when my mental health is better.

I didn't know that I could enjoy a drama that takes place at a workplace most of the time and especially a company that makes cosmetics which I know little to nothing about. It didn't take long for me to grow fond of the characters. I liked the drama this much because of the characters, they made it unique~ It was quite short but I think it's just the right amount of episodes that this drama needed (I don't like filler most of the time). I binged it in one day and it was a good way to distract myself from real life.

I have to say tho (once again) I'm so very veeery veeeery veeeeeeery tired of the lovers separated trope...! It's just sad, boring, cliché and cheap storytelling. I might've given this drama a higher rating if they'd removed this trope.

I don't know if I would rewatch it, but it's still a really good drama for a one time watch :)

Rewatched January 13th – 21st. List: Dramas I've Rewatched.

I watched it together with my parents this time. I still like it a lot. I love that it's a character driven story with so diverse and complex characters. Shieun has potential for a spot on my favourite characters list.

I have rewatched the first and last episode many times but this was the first time I rewatched it completely from beginning to end. I will definitely rewatch it again!

It was calm yet emotional with well made characters and a classic Japanese style story with a twist. I felt like every episode was the same so after episode 8 I started to get a bit tired of it. I felt like the female lead and the 2nd male lead kept telling the male lead the same thing every episode. When Nana and the sign language teacher's story started to unfold I was more invested in them than in the main couple.

The acting was good. I've seen Kawaguchi Haruna, Kaho and Kazama Shunsuke in multiple dramas before, but I have only previously seen Meguro Ren in Kieta Hatsukoi. I love Kieta Hatsukoi but mostly because of Aoki, so it was nice to see Ren's talents in Silent. He is a really skilled actor and he really shines in this drama.

I probably won't rewatch this, but it was nice :)

Rewatched January 19th – 23rd. List: Dramas I've Rewatched.

Healer is definitely my nr.1 comfort drama. I'm always so happy when I watch it! I love it so much that I cry ;–; lol. No matter the hardships I go through in life, I can always count on Healer to completely distract me from reality. At this moment in time I really needed Healer and it gave me comfort to continue moving forward.

I really love Ji Changwook seriously~ ㅠㅠ and I love him as Healer. Wookie is one of my favourite actors and Healer is one of my favourite characters. I love Healer's sass, confidence, tsundere cuteness and his warm solid heart of gold; all in all his whole personality. I aspire to possess his level of confidence and his I–don't–give–a–f*ck energy. I feel like I'm close to reaching it when I'm tired of people (believe it or not, people call me scary sometimes. But that's just because I'm strict and a straight to the point type of person). Anyway–

I was 12 when Healer came out and I watched Healer for the first time during my 16th birthday in 2018. Since then I've rewatched Healer 4 times (this time being the 4th) and I still love it just as much as, or even more than, the first time I saw it. I will definitely rewatch it again <3

p.s. I'm looking forward to The Worst of Evil :)

"죽음이 모든 것을 끝내는 것은 아니다"

Even though I've been aware of If You Wish Upon Me for a while now, I've been hesitant to start it due to my anxiety. But having recently rewatched Healer and being aware that Ji Changwook plays the male lead in this drama as well, I decided to give the first episode a go.

The mental health part of the drama is what peaked my interest (even before it aired) in the first place (except for Wookie lol). Gyeore's journey and character development is what made me love this drama so much. Ji Changwook is such a talented actor. He made me feel his depression as well as his happiness. Gyeore's story touched me and I cried in many episodes because of him. Sadly, I could relate to his feelings of depression.

I like the meaning of the tattoo: "death doesn't mean that everything is ending". As someone who struggles with health anxiety and OCD but still has the life quote "don't take life too seriously" whilst simultaneously believing in reincarnation and the afterlife, I needed to watch this drama. It was okay to watch it this time. Idk if it's because of Wookie or that I mainly focused on Gyeore, but I binge watched it without any anxiety over the health stuff.

I say it went well, but I think that the only way I could rewatch this is if my anxiety improves. It's a really amazing drama and even if I was only able to watch it this one time, it's fine :)

Rewatched January 26th – 28th. List: Dramas I've Rewatched.

I've tried to rewatch Suspicious Partner more than a couple of times in the past but I never completely rewatched all of it until now. I'm currently doing a Ji Changwook marathon, we'll see how long it lasts :)

Suspicious Partner is the best the first time you watch it. If you enjoy it then you won't mind the slow plot progression and unnecessary conflicts towards the end of the drama. It's a good mix of thriller and romcom + we get to see Wookie with his hair up and wearing glasses~ ^^

I really hate that the cheaters are two of the main leads tho and there is some dubious consent in this drama (you can't consent if you're drunk, but the leads don't seem to take it in a very negative way so I guess this is a case where it might be ok).

I half understand why people dislike the female lead, but I don't. I actually feel really bad for her and can relate to her a bit. Besides the communication issues, which makes her seem quite frustrating at times, she is a good person. I think a lot of people take Ji Changwook's character's side a lot since he's Ji Changwook and always put on that cute confused expression, but to be honest he does the exact same thing as her and has hurt the female lead a lot on top of that as well. I don't think that she deserves the hate she gets from some of the viewers.

But besides my critique, Suspicious Partner is a good drama and I might rewatch this in a couple of years :)

Hmm... it was a lot better than expected. Every episode was entertaining and I binged all of it (only fast forwarded some of the scenes of the 2nd couple). It's a cute drama with a simple concept yet it's able to tell an entertaining story within its small universe. The story was also very pure with quite a few cgi scenes; I think it can be suitable for younger audiences. The intro was also very cute.

Let's touch on the controversies first: I'm not gonna speak on the racism because I have little knowledge in that area, but let's discuss the age gap. 12 years can seem a lot, especially when you are younger. But my grandparents had a 12 year age gap and I'm really thankful for that because otherwise my mother wouldn't have been born and I wouldn't exist to write this personal review. So I'm understanding of that, but I feel like the characters lacked romantic chemistry possibly because of that. There was a clear wall for Ji Changwook that he didn't cross, I could tell. For their chemistry on other levels it was great, but I don't think the actors pulled off the romantic chemistry. The scene where they had the most chemistry was the dancing scene in episode 2/3.

Wookie's acting was great in Backstreet Rookie as well! He never fails to impress me. Every character he plays feels like completely different people. His role as Daehyun was very cute and innocent, and it's curious to see the difference between this character and his character in If You Wish Upon Me. I did feel really sad for Daehyun tho when it came to his ex–girlfriend. Both here and in Suspicious Partner... seriously, poor guy...

I was happy whilst watching and it almost felt like I became a part of their little universe. Maybe I'll rewatch it if I'm feeling down.

Rewatched January 31st – February 1st. List: Dramas I've Rewatched.

"Since when did this world become a place where even dreams have to meet a standard?"
– 윤아이

I liked this drama more than the first time I watched it. The first time I was quite set on finding out if he really was a magician or not, but this time I realised that it doesn't matter because that's not the message of this beautiful story. This time I focused on the characters more.

I relate. I didn't like the asphalt I was walking on. I actually used that phrase (when I was younger) when describing what it felt like: walking on asphalt. It brought me deeper and deeper into depression to the point where I didn't want to live anymore. I stepped to the side and watched as the others kept walking past me. I was pushed onto the asphalt a couple of times after that but I stepped off every time. Now I haven't walked on it for years.

The quote at the top: subconsciously I/others have a standard for my dream. Even though what I do is creative work, the "right" way to do it is to study for it and make money from it. A lot of people don't consider what I do as working, but I do. No, I don't have the right education. No, I don't earn any money (yet). But it's what I want to do. It's amazing to have something that you want to do. Because of these standards, I doubt myself and wonder if I did the right thing. But like 일등, I don't want to go back to how it used to be. Because that road leads to death.

Ji Changwook has once again moved me with his acting. I cried so much this time.

This is so well made! From the acting to the visuals to the story and the OST, everything was great. The main character is perfect for this story; his personality as well as his looks are just what this story needed. Although the story is good as it is, it's because of him that the drama is so entertaining to watch.

I'm not the type of person who gets scared of blood, murder or even cannibalism. I'm more afraid of supernatural horror. It's been a while since I watched horror but it was good.

Hope they announce the 2nd season soon because (spoiler) that cliffhanger...

Rewatched February 2nd – 5th. List: Dramas I've Rewatched.

It's not bad, but it's not good either. But The K2 is definitely the drama with Ji Changwook's best action scenes (yes, topping Healer. He is so cool as Jaeha istg)!

I'm still all for Jaeha x Raniya. It's such a good backstory for Jaeha. And I most definitely think that this drama would've been better without the romance between Jaeha and Anna. The scenes with Anna were draggy; I disliked her scenes even more during this rewatch. She has close to 0% personality with her only character trait being an airhead damsel in destress (I'm so mean lol). She is like the blandest broth in a vegetable soup. Jaeha's personality changed pretty drastically when he was with Anna and it doesn't really make sense to me; he's an inconsistent character.

Choi Yuujin and her secretary are so much more entertaining to watch. They are evil people but you still like them. And Jaeha's chemistry with Choi Yuujin was strong! I'm not talking romantic.

Jaeha's character is okay. He doesn't have THAT much personality tbh. He has a nice backstory and is a revenge driven rebellious tsundere who gets obsessed with that damsel in destress. Like I mentioned earlier, the action scenes are 10/10! But besides this he isn't the brightest character. He is like strawberry ice cream: not my favourite but still a nice desert.

Character evaluation by me:
Jaeha: 7/10
Anna: 2/10
Choi Yuujin: 8,5/10
Secretary Kim: 7/10

Will probably only rewatch this if I get really Wookie deprived in the future.

The majority of the drama is very entertaining and fun. The characters are good, the story has a nice premise and the acting is great. Although it should be common sense but, opposed to Backstreet Rookie, Melting Me Softly grabs the opportunities in the drama i.e. characters do what I expect them to do (lol) and what seems right for both the characters and the story. But I can definitely see where it's lacking.

First of all, the mystery. It wasn't developed properly. This has the lamest, most boring and uncreative villain I've ever seen as well as a stupid righthand man with no personality. Seems like the person who wrote this wanted to write a sci–fi but didn't want to research science for it (lol  sounds like me). It was a mess to say the least. I think that it was definitely possible to remove some filler scenes and substitute it with a more developed mystery storyline.

Yes that's right, filler, plot holes, strange cuts, and additional flaws to both story and character development are no strangers to Melting Me Softly. You have to like the characters and actors to care about the drama when you notice these, especially during the last few episodes. But there are times when you feel frustrated with some characters. Even Miran strayed a bit from her original character during the last couple of episodes.

Despite my critique I would consider rewatching this if I feel Wookie deprived lol.

p.s. I want to see more of Ji Changwook in glasses please~ ^^
Cue Can't Take My Eyes off You~

When I watched the first episode I was not impressed and ended up dropping it, but after watching I'm A Slacker on YouTube and hearing Wookie saying he was really happy whilst filming this made me give Lovestruck in the City another chance. I'm really glad I did!

I love that it's a character driven story with lots of internal conflict. It being filmed in interview style made the drama feel more intimate with a stronger connection to the characters. The focus on the characters made the drama feel relaxing with its simple, but not ordinary, storyline.

But now, let's discuss Eunoh. It's emphasised many times that she's the bad girl, the mean girl, the person in the wrong, and that's 100% true. I felt so bad for Jaewon! He fell for a con artist. Yes, she had valid reasons but that's no excuse for how much she hurt him. Ji Changwook just keeps getting screwed over in every single drama/movie he's in istg!

But they were so unbelievably cute together! Their chemistry was amazing! I don't think I've ever felt THIS jealous of a relationship before. Wookie truly looks so happy throughout the whole drama~ This might be the best chemistry he has had with a female lead from what I've seen so far (along with his chemistry with Nam Jihyun from Suspicious Partner)!

It really was too short; I wish it was longer ㅠㅠ But like I've probably said before, I think it being short makes the drama better since that means there is no filler. I wish to rewatch this sometime in the future :)

How do I feel about this drama? I don't know... First of all, right from the start we find out that she's the type of woman who would cheat on others. Now, I can't pretend to know too much since I've never dated, but even though the person "deserved it", that's just an excuse to make a bad act look less severe. With her being super strong and good at fighting also feeds into the stereotypical strong woman trope which (although it's not bad) I'm a bit tired of. It's like the drama wants to promote feminism, but it doesn't come across as well as it could've in my eyes. I feel like anti–feminists will keep their mindset if they saw this.

The drama was easy to binge despite this. It's fun and upbeat; vibes from A Business Proposal. It feels like a Thai drama style Kdrama with the sound effects, quick storytelling and the slightly childish vibes, yet it's directed to teens/young adults. It was a bit different than I expected, but it was enjoyable.

I've seen the most important 4 actors/actresses after the two main leads in shows before, but I've never seen a drama with the two mains before. Yes, they were cute, but it's not the best acting I've seen tbh. Kim Jihoon and Kim Sungryung on the other hand I'm impressed by as I've seen them in some of my favourite dramas before.

I can see myself rewatching this as it is quite a good distractor from reality. It's entertaining and easy to enjoy, but I can't bring myself to give it a higher score than 7,5 I'm afraid.

Rewatched February 16th – 17th. List: Dramas I've Rewatched.

I was reminded of my favourite lunatic, Baek Heesung, when I saw Kim Jihoon in Love to Hate You and decided to rewatch Flower of Evil now that it's on Netflix in Sweden.

I still like it a lot! And I still can't give it a lower rating than 10/10. It has brilliant and detailed storytelling, and lots of amazing and complex characters. I like almost everything about the drama; I have yet to create something better lol. (Spoiler) And it also has a great antagonist! I fell in love with Kim Jihoon's acting in this drama from the first time I watched it! He is so creepy, it's amazing. I love in episode 15 when Do Hyunsu is beating up Baek Heesung and Baek Heesung screams "Stop! It hurts!". It just makes you look down on him... idk the right way to explain this feeling...

Take this in a positive way: I look forward to the day when I watch a drama that beats my top 10. For now, these seem to have set places.

Rewatched February 18th – 19th. List: Dramas I've Rewatched.

I had to rewatch this before starting part 2 because I'd probably forgotten some important detail otherwise. Turns out I remembered more than what I expected, but it was still enjoyable to rewatch part 1.

Berlin is still my favourite character followed by Denver. I love the confidence that Berlin has. He is the scariest and most violent out of them, but he's smart and knows what he's doing, has fantastic leadership capabilities and he's very consistent. Minus the violence, I feel like I would behave like him if I was in a situation like this (and had less anxiety). My true personality is very harsh actually. It's because I'm brutally honest. As for Denver, I love his purity is all. Nairobi is also cute. I do like the North Korean task force leader and the depute director for the Mint as well. The others I care less about. I'm very uninterested in Seon Woojin, her private life, and the Professor (especially their romance). Like Berlin said, the Professor is too naïve.

Well then, I'm off to watch part 2 :)

Now I've finally completed the whole series! I still feel like it was a bad move to split it in two (same with many other dramas), I think the series would've gotten a higher rating had it been like that.

The 2nd part was slightly better than the 1st part. We finally found out/understood the true reason as to why they decided to rob the Mint. A story where everyone is an antihero. I like the characters more than the story. Tbh, this type of story isn't my style. It's not necessarily the plot, rather it's due to all the unimportant characters: the hostages that weren't part of the main or the supporting cast. It's the same with terrorist shows or mass murder etc. Taking the right to live their life the way they want to from people, it makes me nauseous.

One thing that did annoy me a little is the fact that we only now find out that the Professor has people working with him outside the Mint as well. He could've easily asked them for help during many occasions in part 1.

Berlin is still my favourite character and I still like all the others I mentioned in part 1 as well. I'm glad Berlin survived 'til the end. Also, it's fun that Miseon named herself Stockholm, haha ^^

It was nice to watch the series as a whole this time. I was quite unhappy the first time when I only watched part 1 last year due to my anxiety. Now I'm suffering from depression a bit and still my anxiety is plaguing me. It's my birthday tomorrow and I'm not happy. But this was a good distraction from reality. Maybe I'd rewatch it in the future.

"괜찮아. 아무것도 아냐. 네가 아무것도 아니라고 생각하면, 아무것도 아니야."

It was really nice. Depressing yet peaceful and heartwarming. The story was emotional and the acting was fantastic. I felt their depression deeply. It's difficult to write how I feel about this drama; I think it's better to experience it yourself. One will understand when they feel the emotions of the story and characters.

Most characters were likeable. Although the side stories were a bit less interesting than the main story, they were still enjoyable; I didn't want to skip them. Many of the characters had some kind of depression it felt like. We just experience our two main lead's emotions the most. Although our situations are completely different, I felt like I related to Donghoon's depression the most, it just felt similar (but that could just be because he's the main character).

I'm struggling with depression at the moment and am in desperate need to cry so that I can feel better. I hoped My Mister could make me cry. The last episode did. But I couldn't cry for long because the tissues ran out lol so I don't know if it made a difference, haha ^^;

I don't think I would rewatch this but it was a good drama.

p.s. Lee Sunkyun's voice is really nice to listen to. They did a good job at choosing him as the main lead (since she has to listen to him a lot).

Waaa~ >.< this was so nice! Definitely not your typical BL. It deals with many very heavy topics actually, in midst of the cuteness, but it works for My School President!

The acting and chemistry from both Fourth and Gemini were great! Fourth is especially talented! His acting moved me many times, even making me cry once. And his smile~ >.< aahhh~ he is a very beautiful young man. I loved both of their characters. I just love confident people (you can get away with doing the cringiest thing if you're doing it with confidence)! I love love love when it's about bands and music. Many others thinks it's cliché, but I love it. Tinn was such a ball of sunshine as well! I love how whipped he is for Gun, tehe~ ^^ And Tiw!!!! Omg... he was such a kindhearted soul; loved him so much.

I also want to applaud the parents of this drama! They are such lovely people! Gun's mum being the most warmhearted woman, Tinn's mum being such a protecting and caring mother, and Tinn's father delivering so many big brain lines I almost cried from the things he said.

This is a very rewatchable drama! I actually started watching this in the beginning of January, but I couldn't keep up with watching it on air this time, so I ended up bingeing it now that it has finished airing. But I enjoyed rewatching it from the beginning just as much as I loved watching the first few episodes the first time I saw them, if not more. I could definitely see myself rewatching this more than a couple of times :)

Then I guess I'm off to watch Moonlight Chicken now so that I can watch more of these lovely boys, as well as seeing FirstKhao and EarthMix again ^^ (what a perfect combination of pairings in one drama!)

Fantastic! Loved it from the very first episode! It has a great story, gorgeous visuals, nice calming music, detailed and relatable characters, and flawless acting! It's so well made it's hard to believe there even exists a drama like this! I'm 100% serious!

The only reason as to why this didn't get a 10/10 from me is because I was more invested in the side couple and side characters than our two main leads romance. It's not that it wasn't interesting, and I love EarthMix!! it's just that Li Ming x Heart... and Alan... my heart belongs to them >.< Alan and Wen's love story made me emotional and made me care a lot about Alan because First is such an amazing actor.

Li Ming x Heart... omg... I love them so much~! ㅠㅠ All their scenes (even when they weren't together) were my favourites. I can't believe that this is their first series... their acting is seriously flawless, especially Fourth! His character is so different from MSP, but I love him more as Li Ming, he suits him. I cried during many of his scenes (as well as the ones with Jim's past relationship). He's one of the best actors I've ever seen! (I just hope I can look past Safe House s4... I saw unfortunately... wish I could unsee... I'm always behind First)

Anyway, loved Moonlight Chicken and Li Ming x Heart is officially one of my favourite couples of all time!! ^^ Would rewatch their scenes if I rewatch.

p.s. I was confused about the intro song since it sounded like Chinese yet a bit off, but then I thought maybe it's just sung by someone who's Thai and I was right, hehe~ they sung it together aww <3

It was good. But since I have a bad memory, I feel like I enjoyed it less because it was split in two, which is a shame.

I'm happy that Dohyuni's character became important in this part. He seemed so distant from the main story in part 1, but in part 2 we see some connections. I feel like I would've understood them better if I watched the two back to back tho. It's a bit of a let down that he had to be paired with yet another woman with an age gap so wide she could almost be his mother. But that's just in real life, not in this story. And ahhh I LOVED the last thing he said to that sh*t murderer in the last episode: "If I wanted to save animals, I would've become a vet. If I wanted to save the devil, I would've become a pastor. I only save people. That oath only applies when I'm saving people" omg...

Even though I have things to say about it, I don't want to talk about the bullying so I'm not going to.

So, it was good and I was entertained all the way, but I think it was a miss to not watch them back to back. Maybe I'll rewatch it sometime in the future, and then maybe I'll raise the score.

p.s. don't take this the wrong way, but I was highkey hoping that Dohyuni's character would turn evil and murder someone. I just want to see him play a antagonistic character is all.

This was not good... poorly written story, 2D dialogue, music that doesn't fit the scenes, filler, plot holes, badly edited, mostly plain characters and I can tell that they didn't revise it because there are so many more mistakes... yet, why was it entertaining?

The first time I saw Phuwin was in The Gifted s2 where he became my favourite character for that season. As for the pairing, I tried watching Fish Upon the Sky over a year ago but didn't like it. Here in Never Let Me Go I can see what a beautiful man Pond is. He's good at acting the romantic scenes. Phuwin is a bit awkward, but the two have chemistry.

Most characters I did not like. Actually, I only liked Palm and Chopper. Palm's mother and Maggie said some nice things, but they didn't have enough screen time for me to build a connection with them. Palm is kind and competent, but my complaint is that he lacks personality. His personality is being there for Neung; protecting and loving him. I think I liked Palm because of Pond's acting. Chopper is best boy. He is a fleshed out character and arguably has the best storyline in the series. Chopper delivered some proper lines at times as well in midst of the stale dialogue.

The storyline is so freaking ridiculous and most of the characters make no sense, but it was entertaining enough to complete nonetheless. Would I rewatch it? Most likely not. Would I watch a different drama with the same pairings? Sure, why not.

Bad but entertaining. Now, why do I think that? What stands out the most is how confusing it was. It felt like skipping past the pages that weren't loading when reading a manga online; holes of guessing. That doesn't have to be a bad thing, but I don't like it. Then it's the production with the lighting and the overly dragged out scenes of silence. This realistic film style is ok, but it's not fit for BL; they didn't pull it off. Then the characters: their roundabout ways of saying things, the avoiding each other (istg it's not just lack of communication it's more like no communication at all), and how the side characters have to tell the main characters what to do/think and not have them discover it on their own. But the worst thing is the way they (spoiler) baited us into believing he was dead, hinting at it in the very first scene and then completely shoving it in our faces in ep 7 before being like "jkjk he's alive don't worry"... –_–;

Maybe my expectations were too high even though I barely had any. I don't understand why this currently has such a high rating. My only guess is the level of intimacy shown and one of the lead's vague sad backstory and depression. The characters were truly bland and it even had the b*tchy ex–girlfriend character, the sh*t guy friend (and he was f*cking forgiven somehow ugh) and the fat friend character... The mains' no–communication romance was exhausting...

A couple of positives: the romantic scenes were cute and there was character development. But besides that... nothing.

I have seen better.

I liked it. I took a break from watching dramas for a while but then I stumbled upon Dearest and decided to give it a try. It wasn't original or too special and I was a little unsatisfied with the ending, but the case was engaging and I liked the characters.

I'll probably not rewatch it but I will keep myself updated on the actors and their future projects :)

A beautiful story about not giving up on your dreams. It has the classic Jdrama spirit of doing your best in the way only you yourself can, but the characters in Kimi no Hana ni Naru felt so warm; there is something special about this drama.

The last two episodes brought me to tears and they just kept falling. I haven't cried over a drama in a long time. I felt excited during every episode and I was captivated by the group and our female lead. I liked all of the main characters and I'm happy to see the lgbtq+ representation. I've discovered that I'm a very main lead loving fan so my favourite character was Takahashi Fumiya's character, Dan. Takahashi Fumiya was the reason I picked up this drama because I really liked him in Dearest, and the reason I took an interest in Dearest was because his face was the thumbnail on Netflix, haha ^^ Like with the majority of the actors I like, I took an interest because of his looks but I fell for his acting. I think that the two characters I've seen him play were acted really well; they truly are different people. I look forward to seeing more of him.

I had hoped for a little bit more romance, but their chemistry was enough especially on Takahashi Fumiya's part. I didn't think a hanamaru could be so cute and romantic, haha ^^ (Spoiler) I don't know if you can see their relationship as an open ending or not. I'm very tired of the negative sides of famous lead x unfamous lead relationships. This time as well, I'm left with this uncomfortable feeling. But they were so cute together for the time they could spend together. It's not a student x teacher romance which I'm thankful for. It didn't feel weird that they had that status for a brief period of time.

This was a really nice drama and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Takahashi Fumiya's work.

This was really nice~ Quite calming actually. I expected to like it before I started watching and I'm happy that it lived up to those expectations. It was really short and I wish it was longer, but it being short adds to the calming feeling so it works in this case. But I would've liked to have more of a conclusion. I guess it having an ending like this makes you feel like their story continues even though we aren't watching which, once again, adds to the peacefulness of this drama.

This Jdrama as well, I picked it up because of Takahashi Fumiya. But I'm not biased when I say that I enjoyed his storyline the most. It's especially this storyline that I want a conclusion to. I think that making a drama of only his storyline would be really good! His storyline in Muchuu sa Kimi ni is like a more dramatic Kimi ni Todoke but with a male lead instead of a female lead. I think it would be really interesting to explore it more.

So yes, a very calming and peaceful Jdrama that has many poetic lines and pretty scenery, with interesting and likeable characters that makes you engaged in the story.

Rewatched May 11th – 12th. List: Dramas I've Rewatched.

I recently watched a movie with Tanaka Kei and then I remembered that Ossan's Love exist so I decided to rewatch it.

The comedy is what keeps this drama together for me. If it didn't have comedy it would've been weird and I wouldn't have liked it. Forced kisses, unwanted attention and skinship, a couple of inappropriate comments and just pure frustration with Haruta, this is how the drama looks without comedy. Japanese comedy isn't for everyone and I can agree that if you don't find Haruta cute and funny then you will cringe from his eccentric and energetic personality. But my favourite humour is Japanese humour. The comedy also covers up their lack of romantic chemistry. Yes, so anyway, comedy is a must for Ossan's Love or else it would be bad.

This Jdrama is almost like an "old" classic in my drama discovery journey since I first watched it years ago. I will definitely rewatch it in the future again :)

Kazoku Game x 3 Nen A Gumi x zombie + sociopathic children – flavour + Takahashi Fumiya + Tanaka Kei = Sensei wo Kesu Houteishiki

Wtf did I just watch? I got excited when I saw that Fumiya and Kei star in the same drama and was intrigued by the synopsis so I started watching this on a whim but like– What?? This was really bad but good at the same time. It feels like the equation I wrote above but like the idea came from an 11 year old because I get vibes from when me and my friends made horror movies together when we were preteens. And what's with the life lessons in this? Lol they're like half right half wrong in my eyes and I hope no one follows them. The acting was great tho and I loved seeing Fumiya as a two faced crazy sociopath haha I love when actors can play roles like this amidst their cute/romantic roles in other dramas. And I just completed rewatching Ossan's Love yesterday and to see Tanaka Kei rise from the dead?? And that ending????? Scheiße...

This was wild to say the least and I can't see myself rewatching this to enjoy it (yes).

This is another guilty pleasure drama for me because, although it's an awful concept, I quite enjoy the popular/good looking guy falls for unpopular/"unattractive" girl trope with the girl having a glow–up but then the guy is like "I like you no matter how you look" (even though they didn't look until she got pretty but oh well ^^;). But I was quite surprised to see her love interest rejecting her in that way and remaining the male lead. Usually you have this first love guy who rejects the girl and says she's ugly which gives her a trauma but then there's this more popular/cooler guy who comes in and falls for her for who she is (although this could just be a 2nd lead) and then her first love changes his mind and wants to date her because she's conventionally attractive now but she rejects him because he's sh*t and decides to date the new guy instead and it's happily ever after, you know? But in Seishun Cinderella there is no 2nd guy. It's only the first love guy who rejects her by calling her ugly. Well, it turns out he had his "reasons" (even though they weren't really solved) and he was a cute bean on the inside... but still! Other than that, it was a really classic shoujo romance style Jdrama. Not the best, but still worth a watch.

(Spoilers) The time travel/parallel world travelling was quite nice. I liked that it all had to do with the photo. A bit sad it was seen as just a strange shared daydream rather than a proper reunification, but it's not the first story that has ended like this so I'm used to it.

The acting was good and the chemistry was nice. I recognise the actor who plays the male lead and that other important guy.

Not the first drama I would think of rewatching (even within the genre) but it was worth a watch for sure :)

Incredible. My eyes are blurry. This was so beautifully ugly. I'm not gay nor would I call myself a hardcore fujoshi, yet this story touched me deeply. It's heavy, it's wholesome, it's dark, it's cute... and it's heart wrenching.

I'm trying to write a story with a gay main character who later in the story will enter a relationship with another man. I've been told to write love as love, that it doesn't matter what genders are involved, so I'm trying to do just that. But I've never been in a relationship before, so just writing about love in the first place is difficult. I'm afraid to mess it up and offend someone. People are very sensitive nowadays and I can't tell anyone not to be because I don't know the feeling. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to be in the lgbtq+ community or not. I'm a demigirl, I have had a crush on a woman before and I've had many dreams where I've dated a woman (although all except for one made me feel uncomfortable) but I'm mainly attracted to guys so I don't dare to call myself bisexual or anything because except for that one woman I haven't had a crush on a woman after that... I'm not even talking about the drama anymore... ^^;

I can relate to the feeling of depression and feeling exhausted.

The acting was perfect. The actors who plays the male and the female lead were perfect. I'm careful with that word "perfect" but they deserve it. The Queen soundtrack was excellent. The story was wrapped up well with no loose ends too.

Fantastic.

It was cute. Nothing new, but still good. Although many others don't like it, I'm a fan of the body switch trope. I liked the characters. It was easy to watch as well; everything was simple. I liked the actor who plays Papa, he was funny ^^ Ah! Papa is from Ossan's Love! I thought he looked familiar~

Not much else to say. It was nice :)

It was really good! It's been a while since I saw a Taiwanese drama. But I recognised some actors: Vivian, Fandy and Lin He Xuan. It seems I've seen Tseng Jing Hua as well before, only I didn't recognise him.

To me it felt like they took some inspiration from Kdramas with the same theme (but it could be the other way around as well). I'm thinking of Tomorrow and Alchemy of Souls the most. But I didn't like Tomorrow at all (from the few episodes I saw). This drama is a lot better! I cried twice, every case was so emotional. I like that it's calligraphy. There was some humour in this as well that made me chuckle a few times. It was a good balance of all its genres and themes with likeable characters and nice character development (I especially liked our main protagonist, he might be one of my favourite characters ever; relatable personality). It was amazingly crafted with stunning visuals and special effects.

I can see myself rewatch this sometime in the future when I've forgotten the details of the cases. It was a very short drama which is always both a pity and a blessing when it comes to thingsI like. I would've liked it to be just a couple of episodes longer, but if it was filler then it would affect the score so it wouldn't be a good idea.

Liked it a lot :)

Rewatched May 27th. List: Dramas I've Rewatched.

I'm in a drama slump/sad atm, but I've been trying to get into a drama; starting one and liking it yet I don't have the energy to complete it, or I can't get past the first 10 minutes. So I decided to try and rewatch this Jdrama and luckily I ended up completing it :)

I love this drama a lot. It's very fun and cute, and also easy to watch. One could compare it to Kieta Hatsukoi in a sense, but I think this drama is even easier to watch (and I believe it's shorter as well).

I don't have much more to say because I don't have the energy to put my appreciation and thoughts for this drama into words. But I really like this drama a lot and this will definitely not be the last time I'm rewatching it! ^^

I liked this a lot! The acting was really good and I really liked the story. Both the characters and the story have surprisingly a lot of depth despite this being a short K-BL, which I love to see! It has flaws. In the two last episodes there were a lot of things and situations that I normally don't enjoy watching, but for some reason my score for this drama (9/10 right now) won't budge anyway. I just liked the characters and their chemistry too much to care about the slightly unsatisfying ending with the many tropes I don't like. The score might be a bit generous, but my enjoyment was at 100% throughout the whole drama and I was never bored.

Hope to rewatch it in the future!

P.S. archery is really cool!

Rewatched March 6th – June 1st. List: Dramas I've Rewatched.

Bad Buddy is my favourite Thai drama and BL. I watched it 5 times last year and now I've rewatched it yet again. It may seem like it took really long to rewatch it this time when you look at the dates above, but it's just because I couldn't complete the last episode until now. I watched all other episodes together but then when it became time for the last episode I couldn't complete it at that time because I knew I would cry my eyes out and I didn't want to~ It's been almost 3 months since then and although I expected to tear up this time (even though it's been so long) I thought that maybe I could withstand crying. But I was wrong... The tears kept falling and I didn't even watch a whole episode (there was 3/4th of an episode left). I decided to watch it now because I saw that the Our Sky Bad Buddy episode is out; I should watch them soon too.

I love Bad Buddy and PatPran a lot and I don't think I have much more to say. I will definitely rewatch it many more times! <3

I've been spoiled the ending a long time ago so I knew somewhat what I got myself into. Thus I wasn't taken aback by the ending and made sure not to get too attached to the characters.

The storyline has a similar feel to what I was expecting too. It was good :) But the characters I was not prepared for. It's obvious by the poster how our main character's personalities are, but they still weren't exactly how I expected them to be. If I'm allowed to critisise this, I didn't like anyone expect for Yu Xigu in the beginning of the drama. I didn't like how they bullied him and I really disliked how both Xiang Haoting and Sun Boxiang were hitting on their partners. They were aggressive and possessive and high key stalkers. If it was me I would've called the police... But yes, they were really cute, both couples, when they were together. The actors had great chemistry and the characters definitely got better as the story progressed.

So yeah, not my favourite. But it was alright :)

Btw, they had really weird pillows in the drama. Those dog ones and that lettuce one that random guy had in the classroom for some reason, haha ^^;

This was really nice and cute! I usually don't watch these types of Chinese dramas that are only sweet romances because I easily get bored, but I got intrigued by the poster and it isn't too long so I decided to give it a go. I'm glad I did! Although I did loose a bit of interest somewhere in the 2nd half of the drama so I put it on–hold for a couple of weeks, watching some other dramas in between, before I picked it up once again, remembering that I actually really like this one.

It wasn't purely sweet romance in this. They had the really interesting concept of her older brother's heart being given to his family and her knowing it which made her treat him really well from the start, keeping him in the dark about it. It definitely made it more interesting.

But I think that the reason I started to loose interest for a while was because the drama kept having clichés and they kept increasing as the story progressed. Cohabitation, fake injury, university trouble, leaving in the middle of spying on the other person talking with someone else thus mistaking them for being in love with someone else, the only one bed trope, and many more. On top of this there were more annoying misunderstandings after the first one (which was interesting) was solved. Those common misunderstandings you often see in dramaland. But luckily, except for the misunderstanding and fake injury clichés, I don't usually mind the others too much :)

It was really enjoyable to watch anyway, despite my harsher critique. I could see myself rewatching this sometime for sure ^^

This was so much better than what I was expecting! It has depth, it's cute, it's funny, it has mystery elements and the best thing is that there was no dramatic scandal over them dating in the end!! I'm so tired of that; those dramas make me so sad, so I'm super happy that this one is different! ^^

There were so many two faced people in this tho! I was shocked to see so many! Reminded me of my own story I'm writing. Hope it will turn out alright for me too. It made the story a lot more interesting!

The characters were really likeable and all the couples were extremely adorable! Loved them all!! They were all so cute!! >.< I really loved the enemies to lovers couple Yoona x Jaehyun! They were so fun to watch ^^ I also loved how the lawyer and the reporter ended up together as well as the Hoyeong x Yoosung couple, they were perfect matches for each other. Of course I loved our main lead couple as well! I haven't watched a drama where the chemistry between the couples were so good for all of the pairings before!

I want to talk about Gong Taesung a bit extra. Loved him a lot! He's definitely one of my all time favourite characters now! I loved his personality so much! Give me a boyfriend with a personality like his please!! ㅠㅠ I'm lonely~

My only minor complaint is that it felt a bit fake at times. When I watch a drama I want to escape from reality, but sometimes it didn't work in this drama. I think the main reason is because the drama shooting scenes in the drama were almost exactly like how the "reality" was shot. But I must've gotten used to it because I forgot about it towards the end.

Loved this a lot and can definitely see myself rewatching this in the future! (I've used a lot of exclamation marks, haha ^^)

It was really good! I binged the first 7 episodes in one day and then watched the last one first thing in the morning. Just like many other Netflix Kdramas, this one was really well made as well. Partly the short format, the visuals and the thrilling vibes. But something that was different is that this one isn't split in two nor do I think it will get a 2nd season! I'm happy about that because I'm so tired of Netflix splitting Kdramas in two.

It's a typical corruption + action story but it's one of the better ones. I was engaged the whole time. I got confused a couple of times with the smart talk, but I've experienced worse and I still understood what was going on so it didn't matter much. (Spoiler) I expected the guy with the pregnant wife to die (it was obvious from his setup) but I didn't expect almost all of them to die tbh.

Liked the characters too. The bromance was great! Love when they are morally grey and antihero/antivillain type characters. Lot's of famous actors in this as well. Liked our main character Geonwoo the most of course. He was such a sweet bean even though he was so violent (that morally grey violence you know). He was just so cute. His voice is so nice as well~ Woo Dohwan is a very beautiful man. I've only seen him in Save Me before so I recognised him, but that was years ago and I barely remember anything of that drama. His performance in Bloodhounds definitely displays his good points really well. Idk much about boxing, but they both looked professional. Those muscles too, wow. I'm not very into muscles (nobody asked), but you can tell they worked hard on their bodies.

I can definitely see myself rewatching this in the future :)

This was such a nice watch. Just pure cuteness. It's definitely one of the better BLs out there right now. Will 100% rewatch it in the future. I've been listening to the outro non-stop for the past few days as I was waiting for the final episode to air.

I've heard about the manga before but I've never read it. After having watched this drama I will definitely have to check it out. But I might wait a bit longer as it's still ongoing.

I haven't completed a drama since June (now it's November). I think it's the longest gap of time between two dramas since I started watching them in 2016. I've been working on my own story and I've felt like anime and especially manga/manhwa give me more inspiration as I'm writing a graphic novel, so I've been on MAL a lot instead. I've also been going through some stuff, but enough about that.

He says Ryuji is his type but isn't he everyone's type?

Meh :/ It's a common one with the cliché misunderstanding. The story was really plain and boring, the characters were meh but their chemistry was on the more positive side at least. That is the only reason I can se why this has a high rating from others. Personally, I think it was bland. I feel let down as I had expected SOMETHING different than the usual... It's like The Eighth Sense all over again... *sigh*

My heart hurts </3

I watched this together with my parents, saying two actors that I like star as the leads. It was good. I love hidden identity stories and Park Junmo hid his identity so well. I predicted a lot of stuff, but there were a few things that took me by surprise. The most surprising things are how dark grey Junmo was as a character, and that I came to like Haeryeon a lot. I guess I got what I expected, but I think I forgot what my expectations were as I kept watching (maybe it's due to having read a lot of manga/manhwa recently as well) so I still experienced new emotions as I watched (idk how else to describe this).

(Spoiler) The ending did everything it needed to do and I feel satisfied. But oh my did it make me sad. Tbh I didn't have any strong emotions towards Gichul as a character, but when I saw him sitting in their house looking at their picture... ow... I would've cried had I watched this alone.

It doesn't feel like a drama I would rewatch unless I feel Wookie deprived, but I enjoyed watching it a lot. Sometimes when I watch dramas with my parents I have days where I want to skip, but not with The Worst of Evil. I had a good time :)

This was really good! It reminded me a lot of my current favourite Kdrama 18 Again. Twinkling Watermelon felt like a softer version of 18 Again. Obviously since it's time manipulation but also it's probably because the actor, Ryeoun, who plays the son in 18 Again is the same actor who plays Eungyeol in this drama :)

I believe that Twinkling Watermelon deserves the high score it has. I could probably have given it a higher rating as well, but maybe it's because I don't watch too many dramas these days, I think the timing... But despite that, 9/10 is good enough I think.

(Spoiler) I really liked that the last episode was so positive after he traveled back to 2023. I especially liked that it seemed like Yichan understood that Eungyeol actually did time travel and that his son is the same bandmate he had in 1995.

Out of curiosity I checked out the score of the webtoon before I started watching Vigilante. Comparing the low score the webtoon has with the high score the drama currently has gave me mixed emotions before starting it. Now having completed it I'm still carrying those mixed emotions.

First of all, it's basic and extra unrealistic even amongst the unrealistic dramas I've seen. It felt very "webtoon"; fictional world. It lessened the immersion in the story.

The 2nd thing is the message. It's not the first story with an antivillain as the main character and I am a fan of some of them, but none are my favourites. Antiheroes are more my style. Seeing Vigilante brutally murder people right away definitely set the tone for the story. But the antivillain stories I like the most, the protagonist gets caught in the end. I enjoy anitivillains more as side characters rather than the protagonist because it's easier to like them. I really hope people don't take the message of Vigilante to heart. Murder is bad! We all agree on that, right?

So that brings me to the 3rd thing: the ending. Not a fan. The last episode started off strong but then it fell flat towards the end. (Spoilers) His friend took the fall for him? Ugh. The evil police chief got away? Ew. And then it just has some open ending?? Sigh.

Lots of complaints but despite all of them, Vigilante was addicting and I enjoyed watching it. Cho Kangok was my favourite character for his high energy and eccentric yet positive personality ;p

Rewatched November 29th – December 1st. List: Dramas I've Rewatched.

Since season 2 is finally here, I decided to rewatch Sweet Home once again. I like it just the same as always. The only difference is that I have read Bastard (후레자식) now and it's become one of my favourite manhwa. I'm planning on reading Sweet Home as well (since they are drawn by the same artist), I just haven't gotten to it yet.

I still cry when I see that debree fall onto Dohyuni as he looks at their family photo in the last episode. Ahh...

Hmm... Aha... Ok... Well, this wasn't how I wished it would be. The first 3 episodes were good! The Hyunsu + Sangwook mereged with that other guy, it was fun! I liked those 3 a lot because it was a direct continuation of season 1. Although it was a bit disaster themed, I felt at home with the cast that I like. But then...

Time skip! Favourite girl dead, Hyunsu went MIA and now we're in a stadium... I liked the addition of good boy soldier Park Chanyoung and though boy soldier Kim Younghoo (+ his friends), but the other new cast I didn't care about. So then obviously it got boring for me... Oh and that annoying child... ugh...

I kept holding onto hope that my Dohyuni, Eunhyuk, would come back! They hinted to it in the beginning so I though it wouldn't take long, but no. See you in summer! ㅠㅠ

But the graphics have definitely improved a lot. It looked more expensive than season 1. But I kind of liked the season 1 graphics in a different way.

So season 2 was a bit of a let down. I said in 2021 when I watched season 1 for the first time that I wouldn't rewatch it, but then I did so anyway. I'm sticking with the same statement that I probably won't rewatch season 2, but I will watch season 3, especially since Dohyuni will come back.

Yes~ Eunbin <3

Dramas are getting more and more creative with their settings. It still has common drama tropes, but I can't remember having seen a drama where the main character was stuck on an island for 15 years (a couple of movies tho). Anyway, the mix of new and classic is a trend I see nowadays, with Kdramas especially.

I had SLS during the first few episodes. It was kind of obvious who Kiho was but the 2nd lead was so kind and precious. But as focus shifted to the real Kiho, the SLS was forgotten.

Park Eunbin is one of my favourite actresses~ She's so talented and pretty <3 I've seen N in quite a few dramas before and I've known him as an idol before that when I discovered VIXX. N is an amazing actor and he did great in Castaway Diva! As for Chae Jonghyeop I haven't seen too many dramas with him yet so I haven't payed too much attention to him. But I liked him in this drama and his smile is really pretty as well ^^ I'll keep an eye out for his next projects :)

I can't see myself rewatch this anytime soon, but it was really good :)

Although this is not a drama, since I have some thoughts about this I want to include it on this list.

I most often don't enjoy music survival shows which is why I watched this first now and not last year. I've had a soft spot for &Team ever since I heard Under the Skin and I watched a few videos on YouTube (like &routine and q&a stuff I think) last year, and I picked my bias/ichiban Yuma as well. But I've been preoccupied with other things and my interest for kpop/jpop has lessened since a few years back, so I didn't bother becoming a fan. But a couple of weeks ago I was bored, browsing YouTube, and stumbled across the War Cry MV. It's been on replay ever since. So I thought to myself that I should watch their survival show like I did with Enhypen. Now I've seen it.

Survival shows are quite problamatic, I've felt it since I–Land. Like why are the adults laughing when JO is crying? Anyway, I became fond of Gaku and our actor Yejun, and I was charmed by Hayate and Hikaru. I hope they will debut sometime soon <3

But ah... Nicholas... Why didn't I notice him in I–Land? I have fallen for ♡ Nicholas ♡ he is the closest person to my ideal type I've ever seen~ hahaha ^^ All of him: looks, personality and qualities I value; my ideal type >.<

I will continue to support &Team and I hope for the best for the others as well :)