Watched in 2021

I don't even know what to rate this. I'm putting down 6.5 because that's the medium of the 6.0 -7.0 rage, which is where I'm stuck.

My main problem was with the production and special effects.. The CGI was kind of all over the place. Some of the monsters were sick, especially the the tongue vampirey one but some were just bad. And the editing was kind of strange. Sometimes it was aiming towards more realistic style but then there was some moments with this weird animated style, and then sometimes it looked like a video game. I wasn't sure where it was trying to go. (Also who decided to add Warriors by Imagine Dragons to this? Why?!)

Some elements of the story were confusing, but that comes with the genre so I'm not too caught up in it.

Honestly, the acting might be the only thing I have zero complaints about here, lol.

Definitely a slice of life drama dealing with everything you can think of, including the emotional toll of the pandemic. 

They are both kind of a mess (he's arrogant and she's just her), but it was entertaining, I guess. 

Honestly this just turned me into a giant sobbing, emotional mess by the end. 

It was okay, but didn't live up to the previous two series. 

I've reviewed this here : https://mydramalist.com/profile/deswrath/reviews/122071

I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more without the SFL (absolutely the worst) the fake queen, court politics (I didn't find that storyline very interesting at all) and one dimension villains (they didn't even try to flesh them out more). The only reason I'm rating it higher then a 6.5 is that the acting wasn't bad.

I really liked the premise & they managed to throw a few twists in there that I wasn't expecting, but I still found some of the writing a little too predictable and meh in parts. I also wasn't really sold on the acting of the ML. But there were some really heartwarming moments (mainly with the group of friends as children and Kayo's story). (Oh, and his mom is a freaking bad ass). Enjoyable but just okay.

I don't know - I feel the same way I do with this than I did with Triad Princess. All the elements are there but there is just something missing. I found the story line interesting. The production design was good (it was extremely pleasing to look at).... and the acting was okay... I don't know, lol.

"You're the most magnificent star in your life."

This is definitely a sappy feel good kind of a drama and that's why I love it so much. It's main message is about loving yourself and growing. I found myself getting more emotional involved then I thought I would be while watching this, from the characters themselves (I could write paragraphs on them, lol) and the relationships between the characters (Ha Ni and herself, Ha Ni and Yoo Hyun, and Yoo Hyun and his father among my favorite). I have too many feeling to actually review this properly, lol.

I don't know if this really deserves a 7.5 or not, it's kind of hard to judge my thoughts on this. The writing is a little at fault (although I wonder what the actual script looked like because it seems like they didn't adapt it 100%), but there are directing and editing problems I have with it as well. But the acting was great especially from Sam Lin (not surprising considering how emotional invested he was with his character). I don't know, lol.

A nice and relaxing way to spend a few hours, but it seemed a little short. The characters could have been developed more. There were also more stories they could have shown us (there were many cans), so it came off as having all the elements, but not fleshed out as much as it could have been.

Fluff, but with a bit of a mature twist (nothing graphic but they don't behave like saints. If you are looking for fish eyed kisses you aren't going to find them here, lol). He's a little kinky at times, but also clearly adores her and she knows how to use her "cuteness" to get what she wants (like her "attacks", aka sending him pictures of her being cute). I also liked how she was straight forward about what she wanted, worked hard, and knew how to spoil herself while still remaining a positive bubbly person. The ex's make an appearance but there is no drama, (one getting forgotten pretty quickly, lol), and they actually talk to each other when it comes to important things. Not award winning drama for sure but a "cute" way to spend a few hours if your looking for some fluff.

(also the male lead is only 20?! How is that even possible he looks like he's in his 30s!)

I saw that a lot of comments about this being "fluffy' and I guess that's pretty true, especially the ML's smile. lol. It was a pretty easy watch, thankfully lacking on love triangles, and obsessive SFL. I wasn't fully sold on all the business drama, especially with his childhood friends (I wish they had developed those relationships better). Oh and Ri El's dad was a full SOB (definitely could have done without that ahole). But the Santa Maria family was fun, and I liked that Ji Ah wasn't written as the typical female lead (never ditzy and like a general human being well except when she was pretending to be a robot, lol), and the ML didn't have a terrible personality for the sake of having a terrible personality (trust issues and isolation can do that to a person, never mind when those cause him to get sick), which made you want to take care of him.

Also featuring some decent acting from the foreign actors employed (not amazing by a long shot, but light years better then what I've seen before). (AKA the line delivery was actually pretty decent).

The definite highlight of the drama is the bromance, along with the side characters, the 'Avengers' aka the conman crew. The storyline was okay, along with the romance (but I kind of wish I could have seen more the second couple). I kind of feel like I have nothing else to say about this, lol.

One aspect of the last episode aside (a cliffhanger set up for a second season that didn't work at all), I really enjoyed this drama. It was actually geared towards a larger audience then a BL (definitely avoids the usually cliches). Although it doesn't really have a much of a plot line, its more of a mirror into the moments of the life of a long term gay couple who are raising their three year old son, Kai. It drives into some of the issues they've had to face not only as a couple and as parents, but as gay parents, and as gay men. The leads also have great chemistry and way it was filmed lends itself to more of a raw feeling, which worked really well with the storytelling. (It was also nice they went with the not forcing the child acting to act route).

The first half of this was pretty entertaining although the ML was a complete mess and shouldn't be treating patients (he becomes more like able later on as you get to understand he's suffering himself, although my thoughts don't really change when it comes to him seeing patients), and I have no idea what she saw in him from the start.

There is a bit of a love triangle, but I didn't mind it, because I understood what the characters were going through and it gets sorted out at the end. I didn't like his sister at first ether (she was pretty pushy), but I came to really love her by the end of the series, and actually wished I could have seen more of her, and I really liked her interactions with the SML.

However in the 12th episode they introduced a bit of cliche twist, and it turned into a makjang, and I wanted to curse that grandpa out because he was just that awful. While I did like the story line that dealt with his family and the trauma they went through, I wish it had been done differently.

Over all entertaining at first, but super frustrating towards the end.

Man, I don't know, lol. The beginning was interesting, but I found it dragging, and then a bunch of stuff happened at the end. Ji Sung was great here, you could really tell the personalities apart. I know Hwang Jung Eum is loud, but she was extra loud here, lol. And that grandmother erked me like nothing else. I don't know, lol.

One the poster is awful and really doesn't fit the drama, I don't know who decided it but anyways. This became a guilty pleasure pretty quick, lol. Sure it's a little dated (probably because it was filmed nearly four years ago), and full of cliches, but I slowly fell for the leads as they both (especially him, he was a jerk and now a cheesy idiot) grew. The last few episodes were kind of a tonal shift since I a lot of serious stuff happened. JJ was insanely annoying, but it's also clear he was going though things and there was no one watching out for him (but shout of to Hwang Chan Sung for the portrayal). I'm not about how they ended his story with In Hyung, who I didn't really hate as much as everyone else seemed to. It was frustrating watching how she seemed to get all the bad luck through out the story. Shout out to the MVP's Joon's manager and her dad

This seems to be a polarizing show but I'm not mad at it. It does remind me a lot of sitcoms I grew up watching in the US, which I think was part of the point. The laugh track was a little annoying at first (mainly because it wasn't after things I found funny, although I did find the show funny unlike other people), but I forgot about it towards the end. Some of the acting was a little rough from the newbies (especially from Shin Hyun Seung) but not enough that it was cringey. I liked seeing some diversity, and not just as cameo or guest roles, but fully fleshed out characters (it seems a little upsetting they didn't feature them in the promotions). Overall it wasn't bad, and I enjoyed watching it.

While I wasn't a fan of his kind of stalkish behavior in the beginning, he definitely grew on me with his quirks (it was go big or go home for him), and I found myself routing for them. I was glad there weren't any real love triangles, and a dash of a character that didn't conform to society, and damn most of the characters spoke English really well (fitting since she worked at an English language academy, lol).

Do I get credit for finishing it? I don't think this deserves a 6 in terms of the plot and writing, but the acting and visuals weren't bad. A lot of the dialogue went over my head it felt like they were being super poetic or something but I just didn't understand... and honestly I didn't care? Like I wasn't even the slightish bit emotionally invested in this. I was also hoping for more (clear) world building. (Things I did like thou, the visuals, the little brother, he was over the top but it was somehow charming, a actual love triangle, and not the kdrama love triangle, Uncle Kevin, not only as a character, but the fact they cast someone who could actually act in the role of a foreigner, Lee Soo Hyuk's voice).But as someone else put, boring and disappointing.

This was definitely a favorite and I was sad it ended. Lee Dam is one of the biggest reasons. She's just so true to herself though out the whole drama, and it's really refreshing to see in a FL. She's not strong all the time, but I wouldn't mess with her when she fights for the things she cares about. Another favorite element was the drama constantly calling out toxic masculinity. Normally in a drama they try to push the SML when he's just awful but this drama made it clear that he was just being annoying. Dam didn't like him and as a viewer he'd just make you uncomfortable because she found him uncomfortable. (I don't hated him, but they pointed out his behavior wasn't okay and I loved that). Then there is Do Jae Jin who doesn't care if his classmates thinks he's a simp for the women he loves and will just keep on being the sweet boyfriend. I really enjoy the sibling bonds between the friends and was glad to see the drama not going anywhere with this. The ending had a bit of kdrama cliche but it didn't last long. I also loved Hye Sun a lot, sure she could be classified as ditzy and not very bright, but damn that girl had great instincts and I loved her interactions with Jae Jin and Woo Yeo aka POX. Definitely a lighter drama, that was alot of fun to watch.

I want to make a joke about this show not being a good use of the talent (actors), lol. I don't know it was pretty empty, not much happened until the very end. I like both the leads but I felt like they really didn't have much to work with here, and often found myself wishing they built the story around the second couple (his assistant and internet star), because I felt that was much more interesting, especially given his background. I kind of got bored and had to fight to finish the last episodes. Also, the SML was absolutely awful in the beginning especially when he was trying to boss the FL lead around like he had some right over her agency, and I found the fact that he was supposed to be a doctor really hard to believe.

I've been watching a lot of dramas when I expect the second leads to become terrible toxic people at some point, but in this drama they never did. To the very end they never changed and remained the kind and positive people they were (and I really adored the friendship they had with each other), which made it pretty difficult because you wanted to route for everyone. This is how I like my love triangles, or rather a love square. It came off as very realistic. I loved the side character, especially the convenience store family, that took almost everyone in, and even the grumpiest character was somehow charming. The center of the drama was leads and how they grew as a result of meeting each other, and it developed pretty nicely as the drama went on. I found myself caring a lot more about the success of the sweets then I thought. A quiet little escape when sick (I watched this while fighting a terrible infection and it was the perfect distraction).

I know this was meant to be a short web series, but man, this really needed to be longer, lol. It could have easily been developed into a 6 or 8 full length drama instead of the little over an hour we got. There was more world building we could have seen, including the "origin", how the relationship between the leads got to were it was, the side characters, etc. Ray Chang was great. Sure he was a little silly, but there where some pretty subtle things he did that really reflected how a cat would probably act as a human. I enjoyed it but I kind of wanted more?

It's hard to review something you were really enjoying until the last episode went and ruined everything. It still leaves a bitter taste (so if you decide to watch this just skip the last episode and ask someone for spoilers, trust me). It was as if the writer didn't know how to end this - including the "twist" introduced in episode 14 that caused most of the drama in episode 16 it was such a overused trope I'm over. Ranting aside like I did enjoy it up until the last episode. 

I won't forget his "STAWP," anytime soon, lol. The comedy was pretty on point and I found myself rewatching scenes I really liked.

OST BOPS:
WOODZ - There for You
Jo Yuri - Story of Us

This drama is a lot more serious then it is presented. It stars off as just two people one who is angry at everything and another dealing with her trauma. Nothing is romanticized and both the made characters seem like real people and not drama characters, and the things they are dealing with are realistic too, which is relief from how mental illness are treated in dramas sometimes. Which is probably why I found myself angry and wanting to seek revenge against those who hurt her. They were both mismatched but somehow became a "set". It was also refreshing to see his anger not coming from toxic masculinity but from injustice. He honestly wanted to change and took the therapy seriously, even he struggled a lot. They also had a nonconforming character who was still trying to figure out who they were - Samantha, who was never treated as a joke, and how the ML was a ally in a small way, not caring how people saw them together, and calling out how everyone treated them, leading to the community to accept Samantha as well. I found them a little more interesting then the part-timer that took up a bit of the narrative. There was also the nosy apartment ladies that learned a few lessons along the way. The ending could be seen as a little tropey but made sense to the characters behaviors and what they've been through. Not a drama to watch when you want to destress but still a good watch.

Extra OST bops: Martin Smith- Happy Anding

At the length and duration of this drama (8x45min) compared to the usual k-drama (16x60min) I didn't think they'd fit in all the loose ends they introduced in the beginning but they did somehow although it was a little rushed. I think I was more invested in Jin's past then anything, so I was disappointed there wasn't enough time to dive pretty deeply into it (kind of shoved into the last two episodes) along with "the Witch's" past as well. If there had been more time her "mysterious" nature could have been played up as well. The individual stories might not been as interesting but did bring up a good point, what would you be willing to give up for happiness? I was also worried it would be too similar in vibes to MPUB or Hotel de Luna, but while I think these dramas could fit into the same universe somehow, The Witch's Diner did set itself apart. However one of the downsides of this being to so short was a lot of the rules and origins of being a 'witch' didn't get discussed. This was set up in a way that there could easily be another seasons so hopefully they could build upon that. I was also confused about Gil Young's role beyond being a lovesick puppy, but thankfully that was resolved as well.

Long story short: a little rushed and not enough world building.

Bonus OST bop: Yeseo - Fair Dish

Dropped - I thought it would be a good idea to skip ahead through a couple of episodes, and holy hell it got really bad, really quick (including twisting the SML's character just to fit the plot. The SFL was always this way). Maybe I'll try to force myself to pick this up again at a later point, or maybe it'll be one the few dropped dramas.

A lot of comments were about this being cute & fluffy, which I guess it could be... but nothing really happened? Like it was the first three episodes of a longer drama. In reality this relationship wouldn't work. I get her being passionate about her work but it doesn't really dive into her trying to find a balance between her work and her life. (But this is a jdrama and where sometimes people get married after five minutes so reality doesn't matter, lol). I don't know, I didn't really like it that much. Also it was meant to be showing both sides, but I felt like it was mostly on her side. Not a waste of time if your watching for a certain actor, but it's just over all blah.

I retain my opinion on palace power plays. I think they are boring (and pretty formulaic), but I really enjoyed the bits in the village (when he had his memory lost) and a lack of a serious love triangle.

Did I watch this for Dean Fujioka? Yes. Although it was pretty entertaining , and I liked the fact it still gave off the feeling of Sherlock Holmes without repeating the same stories.

It's hard for me to review this without comparing it to the original which is a favorite of mine. I did wish they switched it up a bit, since it really stuck pretty close to the original and I could predict almost everything. The female lead was definitely better in this drama, and I liked the team dynamics more. There were some details they did switch up which I found worked a lot better (the onion at the end & him catching on quicker). Sometimes the pace was too quick and other times it was okay. This isn't a bad show - I might have really liked a lot more if I hadn't had the story in my head already.

I wasn't expecting much from this when I started watching it, but later found myself waiting for the episodes each week. There is a age gap but for some reason it didn't feel weird? There is a major character development from the ML as the drama goes along (although he was always more a wounded puppy then a jerk). The villain who some strangely complicated reasons for her behavior. The FL isn't the typical drama lead. She stands her own.

(Less a review and more of a random mess of thoughts, lol).

Is gem the right word? I'm not sure, but it's pretty close. I always feel like people rag on those who want to leave a simple quiet life. And Gongjin is that place. I wish a place like this was real, because I'd love to live there. (A+ work for the cinematographer.) I felt like not focusing the drama fully on the leads was a great choice - without the neighbors this drama wouldn't have worked, they became such a huge reason I'd look forward to the drama every week. I'm also pleased they didn't pull the typical route with the SML. Also there were times I was wondering if they were trying to make us all ship him with the ML, I loved their weird bickering bromance. I've seen a few things with Kim Seon Ho before - but he was pretty unrecognizable here aka blending into the role so well I forgot I was actual was watching another drama with him in it at the same time.

Note: I'd rate it a little higher but there were moments when there was just tooo much sugar sweetness and I felt like the villagers gagging in the street, lol. And they very clearly over did it on the coincidences.

(Also that Domino's PP was one of cringest ones I've seen in awhile. I prefer the thinking about Subway while dying over this, lol)

Setting aside that if this was a real school it would need to be investigated because of all the kids dying at such an alarming rate, I guess this drama was alright. It is clearly designed for a younger audience so the errors could probably be excused. And I think the format didn't help - it would have been much better as 6 40 minute episodes as compared to the 12 20 minute episodes. I wasn't sold on the plot, but everything else was there.

Everytime I tired to write a viewer about this it just become a essay about the characters, and then I lost the draft, so, lets just put it this way... this was one of my favorite dramas this year. 

I would rate this higher but the corruption  was just so brazen from the beginning it was making me so annoyed. But Kim Nam Gil is great in this, if you ever had any doubts about his comedic styles, the vary of his facial expressions alone had in me tears sometimes. A lot people seemed to be a fan of Park Kyung Sun but it took me awhile to get used to her character. But that's not to say this drama wasn't enjoyable I would have just enjoyed it more if everyone wasn't just so bad and so obvious about it. 

A sweet mostly unproblematic (only for some characters homophobia) drama, with two awkward guys and their first relationship, along with a great support group of friends, and a few lessons along the way. 

I guess this was okay, but the writing was pretty weird at times and it took me awhile to catch on the time skipping. And I feel like some of the talent here was wasted at times and I wasn't sold on the romantic bits either.

This was meant to be my last drama to squeeze in before the end of the year - and it was a great choice. Sure, if these were real people I'd be concerned because they do drink way too much, lol, but it's not really not about that. It's about a group of friends that are ride or die until the end. It's about life, and admittedly made me cry a few times.