Watched/Completed in 2023

It had a dream casting, but it was sooo slow paced that I barely survived. A lot of the plot had elements from dramas/movies I've seen before, specifically the movie Ghost.

A frustratingly dumb drama about two grown adults who do not know how to communicate with each other. Whether they choose to do it or not is no one's business but their own as long as they communicate about it with one another. It had a couple of cringe and 2nd hand embarrassing moments. It was not worth the watch. The only reason I finished it was cuz it was short. Glad they sort of matured by the end...expect to be facepalming yourself throughout the drama.

Kind of frustrated because it had such a strong start and really good pacing in the first half. It was also very entertaining with the whole world building and new sets/cgi. Some concepts were still familiar, but at least they didn't reuse the same heavenly palace cgi like other xianxias. Unfortunately, the original script writer got fired just before the halfway mark and then another scriptwriter came in (although they were the original novel writer). It just wasn't the same after that. It got very draggy with a lot of lazy writing. No need for people to think out loud that much. If you're confused, just skip to ep38. They retell the whole backstory (cliff notes version) in linear form. The third arc with the baby dragon was pretty cute, but again still kind of draggy with a lot of dumb decision making. The villains were pretty flat and annoying with their one track obsession. Also, I didn't like the inconsistency of people's powers. One minute they're invincible and then the next they're taken out by a single blow. The main couple was pretty cute together, but there's also the fact the ML might have stabbed FL in the heart multiple times.  :):

Went into this blind and it ended up being on my taboo list because the infidelity theme. Other than that, ML has a whole bunch of other red flags that made my blood boil. FL doesn't even follow her own advice of voicing her opinion, which is very frustrating. I ended up hate watching through most of it.

It's basically daily airing soap opera trash disguised as a weekend family drama. While I have lower standards for weekend family makjangs, they still have higher standards than the daily airing stuff. This drama did not meet those standards. What a pity. It had a very strong start with so much potential. In the beginning, ML and FL first meet as kids and eventually become friends as a North Korean and South Korean. This concept and childhood arc was so unique. The drama also tries to show the difficulties defectors face in South Korea, such as discrimination and being scammed. I'm not sure it reached its goal of spreading a positive image for North Korean defectors. The villains were ridiculously shameless, too shameless in my opinion. The moms were also too much. It used its fair share of trashy makjang tropes. It was an emotional roller coaster, but not in a good way. It made my blood boil, increased my blood pressure, and possibly induced a lot of stress. I will give them credit for avoiding cancer and dementia (though there's a bit of amnesia). They also had some diagnoses that were rare for makjangs, which was refreshing.

Did we even watch the same drama?? To be fair, this drama is more SciFi than it is Horror/Supernatural so I must have had different expectations. The show is episodic and reminded me of The X-Files or Black Mirror. Those shows may be good, but they really can't hold my attention beyond a few episodes. Also, this drama got a bit too much for me toward the end when they started touching on God, religion, and science. I'm going to file this under "not my cup of tea." Only a few of the cases interested me.

Season 2 was not needed nor was it good. They should have just made a movie special or a 1-2 episode special instead. On the plus side, I really liked the graphics and the makeup (specifically for that tar covered look). One of the actors really stood out in his role as one of the villains. I also loved that they kept the tradition of wearing suits for the finale going.

Villain Caring for Animal ✔

Tap into your immature side with this silly thriller/comedy. No, it's not slapstick, but it's kind of got some pervy, childish humor (nothing too weird though). It's pretty fun and didn't take itself seriously, though it got a bit dark toward the end. FL is a veterinarian, so there are plenty of adorable animals to look out for. I also liked how the OST was composed primarily of hip hop songs. I'd say it's a light drama even though it's a mystery/thriller.

Vet ✔

Decent sports drama. It started off slow and serious and got better once they got into the sports part of it. I didn't care much for the romance, but when it comes to sports dramas I'm more invested in the sports storyline than the romance anyway. The antagonist storyline was also a bit lame and cliche. It had a few slow moments, but I enjoyed it overall.

CIS Character ✔

I really wanted to like this because I loved the whole demon theme and the demons featured in the tavern. However, there were a few things that made me struggle to keep my attention. It's low budget, semi-episodic, and has crappy subs (the timing anyway). I rarely pay attention to makeup, but once I started focusing on the terrible application of the ghostly white foundation, this drama lost me. As for the plot, yes the bromance is very strong, but the concept has been done many times before in which a troubled customer comes to a bar/restaurant and is offered a drink/dish that usually resolves their problem or eases their trouble.

Animal Turns into a Human ✔

*sigh* I'm sad that this is over. It's not the best supernatural mystery drama out there, but it was exactly what I was in the mood for. ML is just a carefree, likable dude that genuinely cares about people. FL may be super annoying for the first few episodes, but she becomes likable after that. The show is a supernatural murder mystery drama, in which our ghost seeing male lead happens to stumble across deaths of various kinds. The drama is semi episodic with each case closing out in about 2 episodes. I would say this drama isn't too intense, but it gets more serious in the 2nd half. On another note, the OST is pretty good. I also really liked the green makeup they used for the ghosts...it was semi creepy and different.  

Low budget minidrama that's a guilty pleasure romance. ML is a walking red flag (or is he?). It's an angsty supernatural romance with a toxic ML. It is decent for its genre, especially if you know what you signed up for. It took me a few episodes to get into it, but i enjoyed it. P.S. ML likes to bite.

Here's what I like so far: Solid production, great cast, fast action, direction, scenic shots, cgi, fantastic OST, FL's hair (random lol), FL's outfits.

What I dislike so far: FL needs to be saved too damn much. We are halfway through the drama and it feels like it is just getting started. There are so many things left to be discovered.

Exorcism ✔

The second half was so draggy and boring. They literally spent an ENTIRE EPISODE with FL just meditating and she STILL could not unlock her powers smh. What a pity. The biggest flaw of this series was the flow of the story. This should've been a movie or a 4 ep. miniseries instead. Just cut out the subplots and focus on the main story instead. I know they left room open for a 2nd season, but I probably won't watch if there is one. Anyways, I loved everything from a technical perspective, but my issue was the writing.

Average score: 6

Religious Leader ✔

Cool concept, but unfortunately it's a low budget webdrama...an older one too at that. The script felt like it had unnatural dialogue. I'm not sure wth was up with the villain. He had no real reason to be villaining.

s2 Rating: 5/10

This season was a drag. I forced myself to complete it.

Saying goodbye to my dinner time show. I thought it was a pretty great live action adaptation. They spent $18 million PER EPISODE so it better have been good. XD Some actors were better than others. Luffy's casting was spot on in my opinion. Of course, there's also Makenyu stealing hearts on screen. Some of the villains might've been silly (but not too far off from anime tbh). I think in the end, this captured that awesome adventure feeling that it intended to. I'm going to miss this group of friends. Until next season then.

p.s. I was watching this with my mom and she went from "what is this nonsense?" in the beginning to "one more episode" by the end.

By the Sea ✔

Badass FL. It's grimy and gory. I guess I just wasn't in the mood for grimy atm. In a way it reminded me of Kill Bill, but with less iconic music. The soundtrack was all western music, which felt odd. Casting was pretty good. I'm going to need Kim Ji Hoon to play a non villain in his next role. kthnx.

I wouldn't really recommend unless you're absolutely bored. ML1 is dumb and always lands himself into some real estate trouble. ML2 always helps him out and solves the case...the house is usually not haunted. The drama is mostly "episodic" though the cases might not last 1 episode cuz they are short. -0.5 for abrupt cliffhanger ending. If you're doing multiple seasons, the season should have some sort of conclusion.

Conclusion: Rewatch Sell Your Haunted House instead.

Finally a drama that had my heart beating intensely. It was actually kind of creepy. The story was interesting. I loved the cinematography and direction. It has the same director as F4 Thailand, Gifted, and ThirTEEN Terrors. The sound mixing was great and perfectly matched the scenes and movements. Overall, you can tell that everyone behind the scenes really made an effort. Now for the uncomfortable stuff...unfortunately, the FL is an underage high school senior and ML is her fake substitute teacher. There's that awkward student/teacher relationship territory this hovers around, even though they are just hanging out and not romantically involved. It really pushes the limits with them temporarily living together and ML jokingly flirting/teasing with her. Also, there are a couple of scenes with ML shirtless or showing his chest, which is mainly meant as fanservice for the audience, but it's really weird with his "student" around him. Honestly, the whole thing isn't that bad, but it's like an uncomfortable annoyance like a small pebble in your shoe. The drama is great otherwise, not to mention SHORT.

On a Rooftop ✔

Fun watch. I loved ML's character growth by the end. I was not expecting to see so much of ML's butt. @__@

First half was pretty entertaining and hilarious. FL is adorable. Then it does the typical kdrama thing where 2nd half is a bit more depressing. They add in a bunch of filler scenes, spend more time on annoying characters no one cares about, and add in a psycho killer (because no supernatural romcom would be complete without one). FL's coworkers were super annoying. ML's dad was also annoying. The whole bully storyline was very makjang like. Also, the drama kind of glosses over the fact that ML is two-timing, which made him less likable. Well, they give an explanation, but it was dumb...why not clarify to begin with? They also glossed over some subtle bullying stuff. That being said, it's still a solid entertaining watch if you're a supernatural romcom fan. Though, it does have some major holes regarding the connection of characters in Joseon time period vs. current day. There were so many missed opportunities. Also, what was up with that mysterious ending? I NEED MORE ANSWERS.

The soundtrack was headbang worthy. It took me a couple of episodes to get into it due to the world building, but I was hooked. It's a supernatural drama involving people with various powers. It was totally my cup of tea. There were a few slow moments that had me nodding off, but overall it's really great. If you like anime, there's a high chance you'll like this drama. I hope this gets subbed elsewhere cuz the Youku subs were way too fast.

Children's fairytale story. I was not expecting this to be somewhat a musical.

Pretty good. :) Like most people are saying, I enjoyed the cinematography and the romance. It felt a bit rushed toward the end, but it's a decent production for cramming the story into a movie.

Not enough spookyness for me, but it had some cute romantic scenes. Wth was up wit that ending?

This could've easily been a one episode special, but they had to torture me with 3 min episodes instead. It reminded me of a locked room murder mystery meets the game Clue. I have no clue why they decided to make it "spooky". I didn't care much for the main characters either.

This was surprisingly a decent murder mystery drama, especially for chistorical standards. It may be that I've been watching a bunch of terrible dramas back to back that made this one seem great, but for the most part I enjoyed it. Decent mystery, supernatural element in the form of super smell, shippable main characters (though romance is not main storyline), and one or two good twists. The last few episodes were a bit draggy which was expected.

It's actually pretty amazing and intense. The only crappy thing is that it ends with a major cliffhanger. Other than that, I'd highly recommend it for October horror content. There were also a couple of things my brain kept getting stuck on...but I know a lot had to do with me being American.

Cop Male Lead ✔

I don't know why I was sleeping on this series. It's a silly and fun watch.  The comedy is better than average for its genre.  It had a few slow moments, but overall I loved.

Idk, this feels like 7/10 for me. It had an amazing "adult" cast playing the older generation. I love the entire parents storyline. I wasn't a fan of the high school part of the story and how the storytelling was done. It was nonlinear, but it was sloppy. It was all over the place with all of these characters and side stories. The protagonist of the story didn't even feel like the protagonist. It felt like he got overshadowed by everyone else. You can argue there are multiple mains, but the drama started and ended with the same character who ultimately changed the most from the beginning to the end. Conclusion: Mainly worth the watch for the amazing star studded cast, but writing is not the best. First few episodes had some good transitions.

It's actually pretty good for low budget mini drama standards. I think I'm just a bit burnt out when it comes to them though. I knew about ghost brides, but this drama featured 3 other f**ked up rituals, one of which was called/translated "female baptism". It was not as wholesome as it sounds. @__@  The drama's theme was basically about some of the horrible customs that were imposed on women in the past...thankfully not common ones. It also did a decent job of being spooky.

This is actually the sequel to Go Princess Go, in which the FL of this drama is the daughter of the couple from GPG. The beginning had a great start with the first two episodes having the same creativity and originality as GPG. However, then it became your average chinese historical romcom. It makes sense that it has a completely different English title because the story is completely different, though the concept of the main character being trapped in a different world is the same. I didn't have any issues with the plot, but the problem was that it was sooo draggy. I'm sure a lot of people lost their patience because of it. What should have been a 12 episode drama was actually 30. Also, the similar humor from GPG didn't really go beyond the first few episodes. It could be due to censorship, but I think the writers just weren't the same. This writer is not experienced in writing comedies.

I just needed something brainless to watch. The contract marriage was a bonus. It hit the spot for me. The rating could possibly be a 7 since it's a solid drama. Realistically, it's more of a 6.5. They kept repeating things as a look back or retelling from another perspective. It started to get a bit old, but it's a super short watch so it wasn't too big of a deal.

7.5 for the plot, but probably an 8 for cdrama standards. It took a while for me to get into the story since the beginning has a slow build up introducing the plot and the world building. Once the gang gets together and mysteries unravel, the story gets more interesting. The lead cast is amazing as expected. My favorite characters were FL and, of course, the rooster. There were a lot of unique creatures. It was an interesting world nonetheless.

Award Winning Actress ✔

I mainly loved the relationship between kidnapper and kidnapee. It is the biggest reason I kept watching until the end. Some people said the cops were incompetent. I disagree. Lead cop was intelligent and figured out what was really happening pretty quickly. It was also nice to see Park Sung Hoon in this role. ^^ The show was kind of predictable if you watch many shows from this genre. I guess for me a lot of things didn't add up personality wise. Strange motives that made this whole plot seem kind of dumb. I loved all the good guys though.

The latest guilty pleasure romance set as a period revenge drama. Lots of steamy kisses and great chemistry. The revenge is satisfying. FL is not afraid to get her hands dirty. The main annoying thing is that there were a lot of flashbacks.

Somehow I missed this drama when I was on a 2023 Horror/Supernatural watching spree last month. This drama is a pretty mediocre, but fun and dumb vampire drama. It's got a campy and cute side to it. I'd say it's a light watch if you're looking for a not too serious vampire drama. It made me smile a bunch of times. The ending is super predictable with the villain. Don’t expect anything amazing. It's just a fun vampire themed drama with flaws. In the end, it was worth the watch if you're looking for vampire comedy.

This romance sort of falls under "weird Japan". However, the plot got me curious and it's still a contract relationship so it was too hard to resist checking out. At the end of the day, I think this is a decent time pass drama. It has its weird moments. I'm glad these two could make their relationship work without conforming to certain roles. One thing that annoyed me was how much of a slob FL was. It's okay to be messy, but this was on another level. It's not that hard to do certain errands around the house. Anyways, there's some character growth by the end so that helped.

"It's not a loincloth, it's a mawashi!" This drama is a lighter more fun take on the introduction of the sport. It is the second sumo wrestling drama I've watched this year. This one covers the more modern version of the sport on a collegiate level. It has female wrestlers, which I was happy to see because they are less covered when it comes to the traditional men's only sport. The main character ends up joining the sumo team in order to graduate. He clearly doesn't care for the sport and is only there for the credits. The captain of the team is a girl who is super passionate about the sport and a strong wrestler. Unfortunately, she doesn't get many opportunities to compete and is often ignored by the team's alumni, who often only want to focus on the poorly performing men's team. Both of them have their own challenges that they need to learn how to face. Together they work together to first build a men's team and then bring the sumo club back to its glory days. Sumo is a strange world full of traditions, but I liked how this drama covered it from a modern sports perspective.

It's a slice of life with a slow start. It took me a few episodes to warm up to it. In a way it reminded me of Hospital Playlist with the daily interactions of the psych unit staff (but with less depressing cases). It's accurately depicts what it's like working at a psych hospital/unit. I also liked how they showed things from multiple perspectives, not just staff. What they didn't cover are patients who come in for substance abuse and addiction. I think it's because S. Korea treats drugs as a criminal problem rather than a public health one. One of the nurses had a mom with a gambling problem. I wish they would have shown her getting treated (though she wouldn't fall under an acute inpatient). While they show a lot of people recovering, in reality it is more like a revolving door with patients returning after a while...unless they have a proper support system outside the hospital. Nurses not having time to be friendly or invested with patients is true. That's why some places actually hire staff to be their friends (which is what my mom does for a living). Overall, I think this drama did a fantastic job of showing what it's like to work this unit when it comes to the crazy situations, the dangers, and nuances you have to deal with.

Healing, Suicide ✔

I watched it on the plane. It was pretty bad and generic. It wasn't even worth remembering tbh.

A strange story about two outcasts meeting and falling in love. I couldn't properly ship them due to FL being in high school (but it's not a red flag romance). I liked some of the songs on the soundtrack.

A strange story about two outcasts meeting and falling in love. I couldn't properly ship them due to FL being in high school (but it's not a red flag romance). I liked some of the songs on the soundtrack.

It is your classic political drama complete with corruption and conspiracy. The supernatural concept in this drama has been done plenty of times before, but at the end of the day, this political thriller kept me entertained. ML is played by one of my favorite actors. The soundtrack is decent. The last episode hit a little too close to home when it covered the media.

Cellphone ✔

This drama had two parts to it. The first part reminded me a lot of the movie Coda, except instead of trying to get into Burklee, the main character is trying to break into the k-music industry. It was incredibly touching and moving, especially because it focuses on the struggles of being a coda (hearing child of deaf adults). The second part is your typical high school time travel drama in which the main character goes back in time and meets his/her parents in their youth. (Side note: the calling your high school parents "mom" and "dad" joke in dramas got old about 5 years ago.) Anyways, this part of the story was pretty generic with the father/son duo and the band shenanigans. However, the mother/son duo part of the story was so touching. Unfortunately, there weren't many scenes with the mom.

The switching back and forth between timelines almost gave me a headache. They did NOT do a good job of differentiating between the two eras. The 90s didn't really look or feel like the 90s to me. Also, there were a couple of slipups like the type of headphones the mom used. Other than that, the last episode was simply wonderful. Most of the songs were okay (mostly covers, so nothing really stuck out to me). I don't think they utilized any deaf actors, which if you're going to capitalize on the deaf and their stories, you would think they'd have some representation...Anyways, those are my two cents.

Bromance ✔

Just like people are experiencing superhero fatigue, I think I'm experiencing xianxia fatigue. That being said, this wasn't bad. It's a fun twist to the three lives romance trope. Some lives were funnier than others. They added some funny twists to keep things interesting instead of repeating the same scenario. My favorite life was unfortunately the shortest. I thought they'd evenly split the lives timing wise, but that was not the case. The pacing was pretty decent. Keep in mind, you're going to have to fast forward quite a bit. At one point I was skipping minutes at a time (when I'm usually a 10 sec fast-forwarder) and I didn't miss much. There's only so much I can take of people blasting each other with powers for so long. These fights are so boring (like I said, I'm suffering from xianxia and cgi fatigue). This drama managed to make me laugh and kept me interested. I'd say it's worth the watch. Note: I have not read the novel so I was watching this with a fresh pair of eyes. I'm sure the novel is a lot better.

Reincarnation ✔

It had a slow start, which caused me to fall asleep a lot while watching this series. Tbh, it didn't seem all that spectacular compared to other crime dramas. At one point it does get a lot better with a couple of fun twists. However, the ending was super disappointing and left a lot of things unfinished or open for a second season. It had the potential for so much more. At the end of the day, this wasn't worth the watch for me. As a side note, I really loved some of the songs from the soundtrack.

Part 1 complete. I won't say much about the plot, except that FL continues to annoy me. However, I'm tremendously proud of her character growth and how much she's matured. This drama (at least for this part) does not have any corrupt, greedy, scheming old men, which is what makes it so refreshing for a historical. The acting is exceptional, especially ML, who is killng it in his role.

Historical Fiction ✔

The first half of part 2 was like this epic war drama, which a war drama hasn't pulled me this in since Battle of Changsha. The second half was more of a political drama or chess match between powers at play. Some of this stuff we've seen before, but I still maintain my opinion about this drama being refreshing because it avoids the greedy corrupt official/mastermind trope. The FL continued to frustrate me due to her stubbornness and pride, but she is much more likable than in the beginning of the drama. The second half of this part also gets draggy with some filler scenes (that extra episode extension did not help). People would sometimes talk so slowly to be dramatic and it was starting to be too much (I was itching to switch to an illegal site so I could watch it with faster playback speed). Some of the dialogue was beautiful. I would say the script is fantastic for majority of the drama. There were a couple makjang tropes toward the end that made me go wtf. The acting was phenomenal, especially NGM who acted his ass off in what seemed like an Oscar worthy performance (I'm not being biased...it's one of his best roles). The drama just seemed a bit sloppy toward the end, but overall a fantastic drama.

Unpopular opinion: I could have done without the heavy emphasis on the romance.

In a Field ✔

+ Some of the race scenes are interesting, but there are too few compared to the rest of the drama.
+ I was lowkey crushing on the SML.
- The business part of the drama was so boring and unfortunately there's a lot of it.
- FL was incredibly dull.
- Plot was super draggy. This could've been 10-12 episodes.
- Chinese propaganda and patriotism. It caused the plot to randomly focus on electric cars.
- It was cringey, but not in a good way.
- There were just a lot of dumb things that I couldn't get passed.
- I couldn't get into the romance, plus there's the fake kiss with the very obvious camera tricks...if you're going to do this, don't include kisses at all. I'm fine with hugs.

I mainly checked this out for KYK, but all three main actors are very talented, versatile actors that are known for slipping in and out of good guy and bad guy roles. I knew this drama was going to play out in an interesting way since I wouldn't have to worry about typecasting. Overall, I liked how the story played out. This drama felt like a movie disguised as a drama, hence I would've preferred for it to be a bit shorter. That's not to say it was draggy or anything. For this type of genre, it was alright. If you are familiar with neo noirs, you might find it a bit repetitive or predictable, but it's pretty solid.

It was pretty cringey at first, but then I started watching it as its own thing and forgot about the original drama version. This one still had its fun moments. Not sure how to rate this cuz it came out over 10 years ago...maybe a 7 for its time.

This was so average, idk what else to say. I appreciate the character growth of FL. There were also some random cameos of stars from way back when.  Other than that, it's not really all that memorable.

I know I'm going to be 100% biased about this drama because of the cats. It's a story about the cat distribution at work. ML has no "real" job and is boxer aiming to increase his level so he can fight across the world. An injury cuts his dream short. Meanwhile his brother brings home two cats and so ML ends taking care of them (even though he is not a cat person).  The movie shows the typical story of someone who did not want cats who ends up loving them anyway.  There is sort of a parallel between one of the cats and ML's story. Also there's character growth because ML learns how to be responsible in order to take care of the cats.

Keeping in mind that episodic dramas are rarely my cup of tea and I'm lowkey burnt out over law procedurals, this just barely makes a 7 for me. The first half was a 6 and the second half was an 8. Idk why I liked the second half better. Maybe it was because there were better cases, maybe I finally warmed up to the drama, or maybe the main two characters finally started to gel as a team. I can't quite put my finger on it. The last episode seemed a bit off, but the drama was mostly worth the watch. I'm gonna miss this lawfirm gang.

Went into this blind. I thought it was going to be about some math genius, but apparently it's about boxing. ^^;; Not that I'm complaining. I love a good sports movie. This one turned out to be funnier than expected. I also really loved the training montages. It was just a fun and wholesome sports movie.

Your typical disaster type movie reminiscent of 90s disaster films. If you've seen one, you've seen them all. Nothing too memorable. Some things were a bit overdramatic to the point that it made some parts of the plot seem silly, especially in a post 9/11 world. The irony is this is a post 9/11 film.

Poster: Building ✔

Binge watched this with low expectations and can confirm...this was bad. An amnesiac FL shows up in Gangnam in search of her biological parents, except an imposter has taken her place. Sound familiar? That's because they took a standard makjang plot and added superpowers and drugs/crime to it. Thankfully that makjang plot didn't last long, but this drama was a mess as a whole. It really boils down to a fish out of water story, which is so different to s1. You can't even call FL dumb or naive because of it, but it irritated me all the same. ML is a decent guy. It's just that these two were more like friends. I didn't feel the chemistry at all. Maybe it was the acting or maybe it was just edited out. There was a bit of growth on FL's side, but not enough to make this feel complete. Plus there was all this random family drama that got annoying. I feel like the mom got more screentime than the daughter. Although I liked the mom, the drama's name is literally Strong Girl NAMSOON. The villain was probably the most well rounded character in the entire drama. I actually was rooting for him for a bit. There was also the fact that there was a bit of an incomplete ending since it seems like the writer is trying to expand the franchise. The writer hinted at s3 featuring another extended family member...if it's going to be as bad as s2, please don't make it.

Superhero FL ✔

Idk why I loved this so much. It was a wholesome and inspirational drama about a startup company. It *almost* made me want to quit my job and join a startup company. However, I know that working at one is a lot more work than it seems. This is straight up a business drama. If you do not like them, this drama is not for you. Do not watch solely for the romance. It is just a minimal part of the story, but it was just enough for me since it added a nice touch to the story. FL is super cute. I also loved the precious "old man". Iykyk.

Simple and cute school drama. ML has one of those gentle anime voices (and yes, I found it hella attractive too ?). I totally added the voice actor to my Voices list. What's unique about this drama is that ML walks around with a paper bag over his head and everyone respects his personal space. It's pretty wholesome to see. You also get to a see a young Sakurada Dori in a dress. :P

This was so mid and cliché. Sure, it had a FEW cute and fluffy moments, but the ending was so boring and draggy that I wanted to be put out of my misery. One thing I liked is the sweet and precious MIL though.

Oh boy, this was super cringe. Idk where to begin. They literally copy and pasted some things from the untamed. Unfortunately it's super low budget with bad dubbing and sound mixing.

Custom List ✔

I would say this is a light and fun watch due to the whole music theme and heartwarming elements. However, a second major theme of this drama is abuse (both physical and emotional). Most of the abuse stuff happens in ep1, so if you can get passed it, you'll survive the worst of it. Of course there is a villain of the story. Maybe this was overdramatized, but it's a drama after all. I really loved some of the symbolism in this drama. The lead actress would occasionally slip back into her Woo Young Woo style of acting from her previous role, but it was mostly in the beginning of the series. Maybe accents don't suit her...idk. Other than that, I very much enjoyed the drama. There was enough happiness to balance the darkness, though the flow of the story might've been a bit off. Sometimes, I kind of wanted to say "Pick a genre and stick to it!"

On an Island ✔

A low budget makjang drama with somewhat subpar acting and a very common makjang revenge plot. However, it was still a fun ride, especially if you're a fan of makjang revenge storylines. There's the added bonus that it contains my favorite contract marriage trope. The way they dressed ML was a travesty. I suspect it's because Sung Hoon either gained weight or bulked up and they were trying to hide that fact. But director was also choosing unflattering angles which didn't help. Almost all his outfits were annoying to look at (except beach day 1 when he showed up in a simple white shirt and jeans). Lead actress kind of reminded me of Shin Hye Sun (probably cuz of the similar hairstyle) so there's that. It made me feel nostalgic for Five Enough, though the plot is completely unrelated. Anyways, this plot is objectively around a 6, but bumping up because of a few things.

1. I am biased when it comes to contract marriage plots. I love them so much and it was a nice touch to this drama.
2. This drama was worth the watch for me. Although it lands under the makjang trash genre, it was entertaining.
3. I stayed up until 6am bingewatching it.
4. Everyday at work I tell one of my non drama watching coworkers the plot to the latest drama I'm watching. He was sooo intrigued by this drama (even though it's plot is fairly common in makjang world) that he was totally looking it up and all the actors lol. I was like 'Really? Of all the dramas i talk about...this one peeked your interest?'

Slight Comedy ✔

These two are so cute together. ML is so freaking precious. He may look like a scary gangster, but he has the heart of a marshmallow. This drama was super educational. I learned so much about the visually impaired and it answered so many questions I had about blind people. The one thing I liked is that it featured different types of blind people and it showed you how they see from their perspective. One thing I found odd was that in FL's school for the blind, they didn't have braille on their school signs. Maybe they did and I didn't catch it. There was also a lgbt character I loved. I sort of had mixed feelings about his ending cuz I was secretly hoping he was bi so that my ship could end up together, but what he chose vs what he said had me confused. Whatever floats his boat I guess. The plot is probably around a 7 or 7.5, but it blended the "educational" part of the drama so well that I'm lumping this under my highly recommended dramas.

Educational ✔

Nothing really memorable about this one. It's low budget and cringe. If you're going to watch, I wouldn't recommend watching on youtube so that you can enjoy the music properly.

A very wholesome drama about a calligrapher who finds himself living on an island in a remote village. The overall story felt like a 7, but the more and more I watched this drama, the more I became attached to the villagers. The little girl Naru was my favorite character. She literally stole the show. I would give this drama a 10/10 just for her. Sometimes you just strike gold in the child actor department and it just skyrockets your drama to success. This child actress was incredibly talented and so was the little girl who played Hina. This drama did a great job of depicting kids as kids. I love the bond that ML and Naru form together. It's really hard to describe their relationship...it sort of changes as the drama progresses. Speaking of progress, ML's character growth by the end of the drama was very satisfactory. Also, it was just fun to see whatever calligraphy work they would come up with.

Child Actress ✔

This was painful, but like in a good way. The heartache toward the end had me tearing up. These two were clearly meant for each other. Plus, I love myself a good contract marriage drama. There were a couple of frustrating things. ML was almost always a step too late. FL was annoyingly self sacrificing. I don't think she really grew from this experience either. Whether these annoying factors outweighed the contract marriage plot, I guess that's for you to decide.

*For me, the annoying "ex comes back" trope kind of ruined the drama for me. Although I love contract marriage, I don't think this was worth the watch. It was still an enjoyable watch for most of the drama before the exes started showing up.

The poster deceivingly makes you think it's a romantic comedy with a contract marriage plot, but it's really just another one of those forced marriage melodrama lakorns. It was one step away from being a slap/kiss. ML is possessive and two faced (all smiles in front of the public, but treats FL like crap when they're alone). He only treats her nicely when she's asleep or unconscious so his feelings won't get caught. It reminded me of DV, but it wasn't DV. The lakorn is very repetitive and could’ve been condensed to 10 episodes or less. FL is weak and a damsel in distress. There's only so many times ML needs to save her from being raped before it gets old (and it got old very fast). The only thing I liked were the sheep and the kids (who were probably better off in America with their bio dad). The wildest and funniest part was how ML got FL to marry him. The most interesting character was sadly the villain. The bottom line is there are better lakorns out there with similar plots. This was just poorly executed.

Just a simple and sweet family drama about a guy who has to learn how to be a dad. The little girl is adorable. There are a few spooky things because of the whole ghost theme, but it's really not that scary. The last few episodes were a bit slow or maybe it felt that way cuz there was less focus on the kid, but overall it was a stress free watch.

Right off the bat you can tell the cinematography is gorgeous. It also has some great music. It's a high production drama where a lot of thought was put into it. As for the plot, I'd say it's about a 6. I kept falling asleep. Maybe it's cuz I was sick while watching it. I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and boosting to a 7.

Just a pure and cute drama about a grown man and his secret love for all things cute. If you're an adult, it's pretty relatable regardless of gender, but I think guys have it tougher. I guess it depends on where you work and who you hang out with. Although if I want to be taken seriously as a working professional, I still feel the need to downplay my love of cute things. I limit the amount of cute things at my work station (which is now mostly cat themed cuz I feel like that's more acceptable). It took my a while for me to feel comfortable talking about things I love, but my closest coworkers are now aware of my love of Cookie Monster and Asian Dramas. :3

MDL User: virgievirgie (2020) ✔

There were so much fouling at this world cup lol. Where was the ref? Anyways, I mainly watched for the sports and PSJ oppa. It's a bit cheesy and cringey at times, but I found it to be an enjoyable feel good movie. Some of the players could've been a bit more well rounded, but they probably kept things simple in the interest of time.

Inspired by Real Event ✔

I went into this blind and was pleasantly surprised. I thought I had this drama all figured out, but it keeps changing. The first episode leads you to believe it's a sports drama. I really loved the direction of this episode because it does a great job of depicting the differences between the two girls from their training to their upbringing. Then it sort of becomes a fight drama, which I was also on board with. I think at the end of the day this drama is about survival. The main character is this poor girl who just cannot get a break. She has to fight this unfair world. There is a good amount of social commentary. They didn't flat out explain some stuff but they were alluding to it*. (*There's not much japanese society and government can do about child abuse and runaways. The movie Shoplifters is a good example.)  The ending was a bit silly, but overall I liked it and the direction.

Just a wholesome movie about an important dog doing important work. Yes, there's a chance I'm being 100% biased, but it's hard not to love this movie.

Domesticated Animal ✔

It had potential, but ended up being boring, draggy, and a bit repetitive, especially with the flashbacks. It would have done way better as a 4-6 episode drama special instead. This was very average, but more on the bad side of average.

Popular Male Leady ✔

Your average Chinese romcom. The first episodes were pretty cringe, but it got a bit better after FL quit. It's a decent time pass watch. I mainly loved the music and the fluffy kitty. It was also nice to see some of the behind the scenes of what it's like to be a scriptwriter and other film stuff. As for the romance, there were a lot more kisses than I was expecting...there might be some controversial romance stuff too so be prepared for that. The drama could've been condensed and there were a few small things that irked me, but if you go in with low expectations it's not too bad. These dramas have lower standards to begin with.

This is one of those "so bad, it's funny" dramas. It was pretty entertaining. The alternative title is "Love Strikes Back" and I think it's more appropriate title for all the slapping that went on. This drama is full of clowns, the biggest being the 2ML. He was the funniest and most ridiculous character. It's not bad if you go in with low expectations expecting a trashy, cheap makjang.

Cohabitation ✔

It was a torture to finish, but I survived. I can see how the original source material would've been popular. FL was put in amusing awkward situations, mostly of her own doing. Unfortunately this plot was dragged into oblivion. It should have been 16 episodes, not 36. Not even Bai Lu or other cast couldn't save this, which is sad because it had some big name actors, even for some supporting roles. It was a waste of talent really. The financial reporting interviews were boring af. It was a mind numbing business drama about electric car batteries and chips blah blah blah. News flash, China. No one cares about your electric cars when we're trying to watch a romance (this is like the third drama this year smh). Anyways, there was a ton of misunderstandings between main couple. The back and forth between these two was painful. However, I enjoyed the interactions between the two leads. The bickering and the teasing was amusing. I also liked couples B and C.

Romantic Ride on a Horse ✔

This was a strange movie, or at least it starts off strange. Don't let it weird you out because things will eventually become all clear. I can't talk about this movie without giving away spoilers, but I'll try. It starts off with a single mom and her son, who's around middle school age. One day he starts acting really strange and these strange behaviors keep occurring. The concerned mother is determined to get to the bottom of the cause. We as the audience learn about the situation as events unfold. It is told from multiple perspectives. This is a critically acclaimed movie. The screenwriter x director are well known. The story touches on some subjects without getting preachy. I guess I wasn't as impressed because there were a lot of frustrations and misunderstandings.

*-----SPOILER------*

I think at the end of the day, what frustrated me the most is that is that nothing was really resolved. The only thing is that we as an audience come out of the movie with much more clarity on the situation. The kid clearly needed to see a guidance counselor (which I don't think the school had) and a psychiatrist.

Award Winning Writer ✔

This story is a classic. I remember reading the manga way back. I recently tried watching the anime cuz they added it to Netflix, but it was soooo slow paced. I had to drop. The drama is much more fast paced, which was a welcome relief. Honestly, I liked it and this group of friends. It's a bit slice of life, which usually isn't my cup of tea. The only thing I found odd is that the FL is gorgeous. She does not seem scary or creepy at all like how her character should be in the beginning. Her classmates calling her Sadako made little sense other than the name similarities. It was like one of those lost in translation moments, but instead it's lost in adaptation. They should’ve used Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge for inspiration. Anyways, I loved the music.

Celebration ✔

An intriguing mystery/suspense/thriller with many turns. The acting is really good and there are some well written characters.

One of the most forgettable xianxias I've ever watched. I would use this as my bedtime drama because it would knock me out. This poor FL had one miserable life after another. ML is so unimpressive with all his memory loss/amnesia thing going on. If you manage to sit through all of their lives, the ending has one of the most disappointing conclusions.

*-----SPOILER------*

You're telling me all this heartbreak and devastation could've been avoided with that one tweak? This drama was such a waste of my time. Also, I took a one week break from this drama and come back. FL is pregnant. I was like how did I miss/forget them doing the deed? But it turns out they never showed it.  We are to assume she got pregnant during their short time living in the woods together.

This drama is a loose adaptation of Rich Man, Poor Woman. They made a lot of changes so if you're watching it as a remake, you might not be as impressed. However, they made 2 or 3 major changes to the story that I actually kind of liked. They also made it a bit more romance focused. It was a decent adaptation for Thai audiences. That being said, one of the changes they made is that they simplified the business drama to something Thai audiences are more familiar with: a family business succession drama. Therefore, the business part of this drama is highly boring. All the startup stuff that appealed to me in the original was lost here. Neither leads appear as intelligent as they were in the original either. If you're watching this without seeing any other adaptations, this will seem like your average Thai business romance drama, expect there's an unusual face prosopagnosia twist and less catfights.

This reminded me of a cross between the show 24, Bourne Identity, and a random food themed Christmas movie. I didn't really care for the restaurant storyline or the guy looking for his dog, but the other stuff was interesting. The restaurant sort of tied all the storylines together, but there was a lot of dumb humor for the restaurant scenes and the restaurant staff was pretty dumb. The other purpose was to tie the story in with Christmas and give the drama some sort of wholesome element. It still felt really out of place compared to the two other stories.

So freaking hilarious. Super cringe fantasies with some second hand embarrassment, not to mention the intentional overacting. It's so cringe it's funny. FL is a bit on the delulu side. Idk what to say. I don't think I'd be able to watch this with anyone around (group watch or not). Anyways, thanks for the laughs. I had fun. XD Not quite Ase to Sekken level but still entertaining. Might bump it up to 7.5 because it had a legit story with character growth.

Trailers Section ✔