Gosh! Where did November go? I just blinked and December clocked in.
I can only take a look at one new drama this month since my schedule is loaded with holiday and year-end festivities, and dramas I’m currently following.
Monday and Tuesday:
“The Matchmakers” (16 episodes) ends on Dec 25
Wednesday and Thursday:
“A Good Day to Be a Dog” (14 episodes) ends on Jan 10
“Moon in the Day” (14 episodes) ends on Dec 14
Friday and Saturday:
“My Demon” (16 episodes) ends on Jan 20
“The Story About Park’s Marriage Contract” (12 episodes) ends on Jan 6
Saturday and Sunday:
“Castaway Diva (12 episodes) ends this weekend, Dec 3
Will probably do a rewatch of this show.
Plus, I must finish “Hidden Love” (three more episodes to go!) and start on a new Cdrama called “Only For Love” starring Dylan Wang (“Love Between Fairy and Demon”) and my favorite Bai Lu (“Till the End of the Moon” and “Forever and Ever”).
I also have to finish the dorama (or Japanese drama) called “Trillion Game.”
So, this is the “lucky” drama that caught my eye this month.
Death’s Game
Starring this blog’s perennial favorite, Seo In Guk, and and that actress from “Cinderella and Four Knights” and “Parasite,” Park So Dam.
Synopsis from soompi:
Based on the webtoon of the same name, “Death’s Game” tells the story of a man who gets more than one second chance at life after facing death. Park So Dam will play the role of Death, who sentences a man named Choi Yi Jae (Seo In Guk) to 12 cycles of life and death.
source: soompi
Lee Jae Wook (“Alchemy of Souls”), Go Yoon Jung (Naksu in “Alchemy of Souls”) and Oh Jung Se (“Uncle”) are just three of the many guest stars in this show.
Episodes: 8
Start Date: Fri, Dec 15
Airs on Fridays
Where to Watch it: Viki?
Network: TVing
So, what are you watching this month?
Remember to practice the Joy of Missing Out (or JOMO) and enjoy the Christmas season with loved ones.
So true! Where did the time go?
I will enjoy what I have, AGDTBAD, TM and MD.
I will definitely enjoy the festive season. I have lots and lots to be thankful for. ❤️🙏🏼
Thank you Queen. 🍪 🍪🍪
@agdr03,
You might like “The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract.” The heroine is a bit — how do I say this delicately? — hot-blooded? She doesn’t hesitate to show her lust for the guy. 🙂
Are you trying to lure me because of MY lust for kisses? 🤣
I will see. 😉
Are we (in my part of the world) on the 2nd day of December already??? *Sigh* so much to do, and then so many shows to have to JOMO.
I did do something unexpected show-wise though. I tried a totally unmentioned-on-this-blog, and possibly unnoticed cdrama, We Go Fast on Trust. This is a 22-episode series which showcases race cars, racing, romance, family and corporate issues. I liked the thrill of the race and the relationships, and I especially liked the ‘trust’ part in the title.
It stars the actress from Taiwan who was the lead in Someday or One Day, Alice Ke/Ko Jia Yan, as the robotic engineer (and quite convincingly) and a very pleasant Zai Zhi Lu as the racer who’s broken away from his ‘chaebol’ family. I enjoyed the likable leads and the unexpected hilarity.
It’s what I call a simple to watch show, with a solid, coherent story. We roughly know how it will end but the journey is what intrigues. What got me interested was the review by AvenueX who says this show respects the viewer. Now THAT, I like.
I’m continuing as best I can Castaway Diva and My Demon, together with my happy Rewatch Parties.
I’ve one more episode of Sono Onna Jiruba to post about and may start another J film: “My Happy Marriage”
That’s a lot!! 🙂
Sorry!!!, I had a hard time in November!. Right now I want to keep watching “Sono Onna, Jitterbug”. A gem of a story.
On the other hand I am also watching “Paripi Komei (2023)” and “My Second Ahoharu (2023)”. They are not as good as the Dramas I have been watching with @GB (sorry my dear Friend for keep you waiting!).
Looking forward to be reunited with all of you,
FGB4877
@FGB, come by whenever you can! Hope all’s well with you and that things get better this December. I’ll in and about our Jitterbug thread to read you.
@packmule3, your post to @agdr03 had me laughing over my coffee. I’ll have a peek at it, too.
Thanks for the list. I’ll stay with my November treats, with an occasional seasonal watch. This year it’s Studio Ghibli with my daughters and some Christmas favourites.
@GB – to add to your load – have you checked out Tan Jianci in ‘Love Me Love My Voice’ – a jolly rom com with sweet/twee vibes.
I have only watched the first episode.
The ML (TJ) and FL meet when, unexpectedly, he enters her Voice Chat Room while she is chatting to her friend and in raptures over a chicken and tripe/pork hotpot.
You couldn’t make it up but yes they did…How’s that for an eat-cute??
He is a famous voice dubber … he also does overnights in a hospital… not quite sure what he is doing there. I haven’t quite worked out the whole story for the perky FL either.
They both share a love of food anyway.
TJ has a great voice as you know @GB…so you may just want to check it out to enjoy his mellifluous tones. The show is making the most of his voice… it is a seriously sexy voice and there is serious foodie flirting going on in the first episode.
I have just seen a great recipe for fried aubergine’s in fish sauce… looks yum. Just watch the first episode.
I don’t know if this will grip me but I am curious about this and will try a few more episodes. It may be a pleasant diversion.
ps Some of my questions are cleared up at the end of Episode 1 – I was impatient to post and hadn’t watched the last 5 minutes.
Love Me, Love My Voice!!!
My very dear @Kate!!! Thank you sooo much. I was waiting to watch this very show but I’ve been distracted and didn’t check when it would air. I’m quite determined to watch it unless it totally flags and annoys me, but I really wanted to see and hear Tan Jian Ci again.
Would you be game to be on an open thread with me to watch this show together? 🙂
@Fern,
Studio Ghibli. I only introduced my sons to “Howl’s Moving Castle” but from there, they continued to other animations. One of my boys loved to play that dreamy piano piece from Howl, “Merry Go Round of Life.”
I like to tease @agdr03. 🙂
Awww. Same here, @FBG4877. Wish there was a drama that we could all watch ensemble.
@GB yes of course. That would slow me down.
I am trying to pace myself more.
It is a very gentle rom com… we will struggle to be profound but can enjoy the recipes and TJC’s voice!
Righty-ho @Kate! I can’t resist eat-cute!! I’m not sure if I’ll be fast or slow in watching. TJC is one of those I’d maybe like to devour *maniacal laughter!*
But I know I’d definitely love to watch food/recipes/cooking (food porn?) and hear his voice.
🍜🍲🍛🍣🍱🥪🥙🌮🥗🥘🍧🍏🍊🍇🍈🍒
@pkml3, if you see this, please open a thread for @Kate and myself for the cdrama: Love Me, Love My Voice (Food porn emojis for good measure, just in case!!!)
🍜🍲🍛🍣🍱🥪🥙🌮🥗🥘🍧🍏🍊🍇🍈🍒
@Kate and @GB, I’ll have a look – voice and food porn all in one is rather irresistible.
@packmule3, one of my daughters has collected her favourites from Studio Ghibli, but they are often on Netflix as well. Such interesting stories. Howl’s Moving Castle is a favourite. There is so much thought put into each story – not just light viewing, although they work that way as well.
@Fern, oh do join us, do!!! I ‘fell in love’ with the long-suffering demon played by Tan Jian Ci in Lost You Forever. Long to see him get the girl. This contemporary cdrama should do the trick!
TJC was great in Under the Skin too. No romance but amazing artwork, investigation, bromance…. yeah.
@GB @Kate..I have not yet looked at love me. Love my voice. But it sounds like a show. I would really like so I am most likely interested in watching it with you. As I posted on the what are we watching thread, This was a show I was waiting for but could not remember anything about it like title. Or actors.
My daughter who lives in japan is coming home for 3 weeks at christmas Along with my son and his wife who live in british columbia. So I am trying to think of an Asian movie that would interest all of us. Including my husband who has no interest whatever in asian drama.
@pkml3 @MM, @Fern @Kate
I’m not sure you can get this Show on the usual sites which you pay subscriptions for. It’s on sites like Daily Motion, Dramacool, Kissasian, WE TV… As usual a VPN will probably be needed.
@MM, this may just be the show to entice your family… music, food, romance…
@kml3 @MM, @Fern, @Kate Oh… and perhaps you can see if Viki carries “Love Me, Love My Voice” 🙂
It will be great to watch with you @Fern and @Monmor!
@GB – I have posted a Youtube link for this in the open thread.
Viki will play catch up I guess.
It’s depressing, so much dramas I would like to watch, but as soon as I practice writing, like the current days, I’m out of time. So, I’m even late here about various things: read last Pm3 article on castaway diva, same with GB last text-wall about it.
Hoppefully, Castaway diva and Perfect mariage revenge end this week.
Then, I don’t know. I’m in an urge to end to write this looong drama episode of “Bookstore where you rent my heart”. There are nice difficulties, helping to warm my motor for continuing the even more difficult W2 rewriting.
Only, I should watch a few drama between the two. I hope so. Just I finish that first, I can’t think about anything else, then pick up a drama here, so I can watch with you. Maybe “My demon”, or the popular and nice one.
I am watching Castaway Diva.
Should I start The Matchmakers and Park’s Marriage Contract?
@Snowflower,
Park’s Marriage Contract —
The script itself is low-budget, like an inexperienced writer was hired to do it. There’s no depth to the writing, like in “Castaway Diva.”
Once you dial down your expectations, and just treat it like pulp fiction written by somebody in her 20s, then it’s fine. It has funny moments. The usual 19th-century-woman-is-lost-in-21st-century tropes abound. Like, almost getting mowed down by a car, being amazed by Seoul’s infrastructure, developing a taste for choco-pies, and so on.
The male lead is cute as a puppy. Do you remember Mickey/Park YooChun from “Sungkyunkwan Scandal” (2010)? The male lead here reminded me of Park YooChun before Park YooChun’s trashy life (and toilet obsession) came out.
The actress is fine. Comedy suits her better than serious drama like “Red Sleeves.”
@WE, you’ll be glad to know that tomorrow is the finale of Perfect Marriage Revenge.
Aside from a slight lull for an episode… this show has maintained a cracking pace with just the right numbers of reveals, softer moments, passion (well we could have done with a little more per episode!) and emotional catharsis to make it excellent entertainment.
I’ll looking forward to the denouement tomorrow! Episode 11 was blistering.
@WEnchanteur, best wishes with your writing. May your muse keep you inspired and busy.
@Kate, I’m late on Mariage Revenge. Will binge 4 last episodes later.
@Fern, Thanks. Sure, it’s better that way, ideas come easely. 😉
I hope I could show you that. It’s only about 1h30 screentime.
Korean format screenplay, but using pictures (reader friendly).
Styles I don’t use often (I’m more in thrilling high-concept mind-blowing stuff):
“Fluffy slice-of-life rom-com meets mysterious crack makjang”.
Although it’s not your usual style, it sounds fabulous. And marketable, too. I hope we can all see it one day.
I have watched one episode of a ‘Journey to Love’ on IQIUI.
https://www.iq.com/album/a-journey-to-love-2023-14fwm2tmcwd?lang=en_us
It is a high quality show…one to watch!! Two spies from neighbouring states at war get caught up in adventure. Wuxia with romance and politics and intrigue,
I wonder if it will be down your alley @Grace??
The ML – I haven’t yet encountered him – is apparently stony on the outside with a ‘marshmallow heart’. OOOH sounds yummy. That’s how I like my male leads.
It led by Liu Shi Shi and Liu Yu Ning, Liu Shi Shi is an experienced actress returning to the small screen after a 6 year gap. From what I see she is an elegant and controlled performer.
Liu Yu Ning – if you saw it , you will remember as the second lead in The Long Ballad. He played a stern and surly character in that show who had a romance with Rosy Zhao’s character.
The actor gets lots of unpleasant flack from noxious fandoms for not being flower boy handsome… however, he can act and for me has that more rugged appeal that works well in these roles. I wonder too at the criticism of his looks when from a western perspective there are very popular Chinese actors with passionate fandoms who are not more good looking than he is. I think of Wang Yibo (slightly prettier perhaps) and Cheng Yi ( a delicate patrician appeal). I like both these actors btw.
Liu Yu Ning is very talented. Here he sings the opening credits for ‘Love and Redemption’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZh5oj_SvRk
@GB I’m curious about We Go Fast On Trust too mainly because of the actress from Someday or One Day. But the reviews I read talks about it being kinda slow, especially towards the end (considering it is a drama about speed and racing?).
I’m catching up with Castaway Diva, the only Kdrama I am catch up with while all the others fall far behind. November is a busy busy month with birthday parties and conference to speak at and organize, so I have been sorely missing this space as I watch all the posts go up.
@Kate,
I’m on Romance on the Farm and I think I will choose my cdrama next drama after that…say maybe a week later when I finish. AvenueX reviewed Journey to Love as a generally good drama by a director who doesn’t waste the scenes in his camera work. Looks like a good potential!
I’ve watched LiuYuNing in The Long Ballad and Be Your Own Light. He’s not bad though yes I wouldn’t say he is super handsome but he is the OST king! So many OSTs I love are sung by him.
I’m still “recovering” from completing the Story of Kunning Palace and finding a new favourite actor Zhang Ling He. @GB he’s the ChangHeng in LBFAD…and in My Journey To You that I really really love. Anyone watched it?
I’m going to catch up with Matchmakers next and all of @PM3’s posts that I have missed in Nov. Oh oh and the Unexpected Business S3 that @PM3 mentioned in a post, you got me curious
@Grace – I didn’t know that about Liu Yu Ning and OSTs – will keep an eye out for more. I will report back on his performance when I see a bit more.
You have a lot to watch! No pressure at all.
I started The Story of Kunning Palace but got distracted by another show. I gather that ZLH is very strong in this show. Do you recommend it? It sounds like it might be emotionally taxing.
@Grace and @Kate, I’ve been keeping half an eye on Kunning Palace, however with so many shows to choose from, I’ve become choosier. I listened to AvenueX’s review in her livestream and decided I’d pass. How did you find Zhang Ling He’s acting? I saw him in a few episodes of My Journey to You. Unfortunately both the Show and actors, (even Esther Yu and ZLH) left me feeling meh, so I dropped it. (I’m pretty much feeling that way about My Demon as well even after 3 episodes.)
In contrast to that, I just watched 1-2 episodes of We Go Fast on Trust and was interested in the decisions of the protagonists immediately. I’m into the 6th Episode now and still very much engaged. I’ll find out at the end if the last few episodes become too slow.
I kind of like Liu Yu Ning and all his singing of OSTs. It’s nice to have a more rugged, manly looking ML from time to time, instead of a pretty one.
I’ve started on Love Me, Love My Voice but need more time to really get into it. It’s been sweet so far… already have the meet-cute/eat-cute (LOL) which almost wasn’t!! The episodes are coming out fast and it will be hard not to binge several at one sitting!!! 😝🤩🤨🤓😎 Tan Jian Ci looks and sounds really nice and the protagonists are likable, which is a good start! If there’s anything that’s remotely not so positive to say about it… it’s that so far it’s been too sweet LOL. (I’m hard to please!!!) 😅😂🙃😇
I have just realised that Liu Shi Shi the FL in ‘Journey to Love’ was also the lead in the Chinese version of Scarlet Heart: https://www.viki.com/tv/2978c-scarlet-heart
The Chinese version preceded the Korean version.
Liu Shi Shi started off as a dancer and her skills are displayed in the first episode of Journey to Love.
@GB –
Snap! Great minds. That was my first response above – it moved between sweet and twee in the first episode.
For me it is a grower however.
I have seen 3 episodes now.
It can be enjoyed despite leaning towards the sweet as a delicious smorgasbord of taste and auditory encounters between our leads.
Lovely colour palette for this show too.
It very much takes us into the young FL’s world as she begins to get to know the ML. All her uncertainty and introspection and the wonder of blossoming romance out of nowhere – apparently…
I think it is meant to be a pretty show… I also suspect that it has a lot of cultural references and is doing some work for the Chinese Tourist board!!
@Kate, so you felt it too! Yes, there was sweetness overload, but not the irritating, cloying kind. Just that everyone is nice and there’s no real conflict yet, but we have some 28-30 episodes to layer on conflict, so I’ll enjoy the sweet and the quite quickly blossoming romance now!!!
I like that somehow Show manages to hit 4 of our 5 senses practically! I can almost smell and taste the food as well as see it and hear how it’s prepared LOL. Like FL Gu Sheng, I want to eat the food that’s being described!
Good point. It is very pretty and could well be a lure for the Tourist. See you on the LMLMV thread!
@Kate, look out for ZhouShen also, he is also the OST king too, in that he has such a huge singing range that in the songs he sings, he doesn’t sound like a male singer.
@GB, I loved Journey to You for the beautiful camera work, script wise it was meh, a lot of explaining and whispering; so I understand why you would have dropped it. The story worked for me and was bearable. But I adored their fight scenes, no other dramas do fight scenes so elegantly and is not cheesy either. The usually beautiful costumes and the whole world building was gorgeous. This is the first costume drama that exudes that very different vibe. It will always be my favourite in terms of the dark visual beauty.
On Kunning Palace, it is not up up there but I think I got invested in the characters. I found ZLH not at Wulei level like how Wulei was crazy and raged in Love Like The Galaxy…but ZLH grew on me and erm..I am being rather shallow here, quite enjoying ZLH eye candy. lol… I would say ZLH has improved in his acting but also that this character has to show a quite range of emotions like rage, craziness, jealousy, devotion, desperation, anger etc.
I honestly didn’t like the character of the ML, it didn’t quite make sense why he is so fierce with FL when he likes her so much. I prefer a ML who is not so grouchy. 😛
Actually outside the drama, I loved the synergy of the actors and went off tangent to watch their variety shows.
Woh…what’s LMLMV? Maybe I’ll go catch a clip or two to see more…
@Grace, LMLMV is the currently airing cdrama Love Me, Love My Voice starring Tan Jian Ci (the 9-headed demon in Lost You Forever) and Zhou Ye. It’s got recipes, nice voices, music/songs (a few episodes in) and of course it’s a romance. The interesting thing is that the couple don’t even know whether they’ve met before but there seems to be a great romance online and by voice.
At the moment I’m quite taken with We Go Fast On Trust as well. This one has great conflict and stress, (then catharsis) in all the car races.
Too many good shows!
For December I want to check out:
My Man Is Cupid- Rom Com starring Nana and Jang Dong Yoon. Fantasy tale of a cupid getting shot by his own arrow. On Amazon Prime Video.
Welcome to Samdalri: Rom Com with Ji Chang Wook and Shin Hye Sun. On Netflix
Death’s Game: Looks interesting, and the star-studded cast, wow! It’s on Amazon Prime.
I might check out Maestra: Strings of Truth if the reviews and viewer feedback is good. Unfortunately, this drama coming to Disney, so will not be able to easily watch.
Otherwise, will continue to watch Matchmakers, Park’s Marriage Contract, and My Demon.
@Monmor: Film recommendations for Asian Movie Night
Miss Granny- this is feel-good comedy about an elderly woman who goes out for a walk and wanders into a photo studio. Magically, she is turned into her 20 year-old self. Hilarity ensues. Available at Netflix.
The Man From Nowhere: Action-thriller about an ex-Special Forces officer who ends up trying to save a little girl from gangsters. Available at Viki.
@table122000
Thank you for the recommendations. Both sound good. The man from nowhere is when I have come across and thought About watching
Happy December! Done with Castaway Diva which was a very good production.
Will try the Philippine drama series in Netflix “Raplacing Chef Chico” set in a restaurant which features Filipino dishes. Not sure if any of those are eat-cute (love this term btw!) or if there’s a romantic angle to the story. personally, I’m interested in the dishes!
Here’s a link to the trailer.
https://youtu.be/mEehSOYaV0U?si=FU4gQ05aR3VUfmSG
🥘🍜🍛🍤🥢🥡🍶🐟🍗🧅🧄🥮🧃🥟
If I don’t find a compilation of recipes from Love Me Love My Voice eventually, I will be very cross. I’m hoping it will show up on YouTube or somewhere in the format of a little cook book. (Yes, I missed the eggplant emoji.)
It is a relief to come to the end of November watching. I can’t let Asian drama waching become stressful.
I finished Castaway Diva which I enjoyed and will probably rewatch in the future. I was not familiar with the male lead so I have some one else to add to actors I am following.
I also finished “My Pefect Marriage Revenge”. My final verdict is not in yet.
I think I had read somewhere that the FL in Castaway”learned to play the violin for “Do you like Brahms” Now I have some idea how she could do that!
I am saving up the last 2 episodes of “My Dearest” for when I am in the mood and have the time. I may watch concurrently with the final 2 episodes of “The Red sleeve”.Get all over the sad endings at once.
I am also saving up AGDTBAD and Matchmakers for after Christmas when life is more settled.
I enjoyed the 4th episode of Park’s Marrige
contract more than the first three and will keep watching. So far it does not require much focus.
I am interested in Story of Kunning Palace.
Right now my focus is “Love me Love my Voice”. And our continued group rewatches. I still need to find where to watch “Nine times Nine”.
“Song of the Bandits seems to have fallen by the wayside. Has anyone watched it?
I have a couple of Chinese dramas waiting in the wings to be finished–Destined and Mr Lizard and miss Crow. Also the Japanese dramas recently discussed here. OOOps I am going into overload!
Re; Studio Ghibli I think my daugter as a child watche most of the popular ones like Spirited Away and Howlng Castle. I watched a litle bit of Kiki’s Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke with her. She was a huge Inuyasha fan. I came to Asian drama much later than she did.
I am having a brain infarct. What was the drama about the girl who takes on her brother’s role and becomes a famous military person. I did not realize at the time that my daughter was down in the basement becoming a feminist!
MULAN
@Monmor = Arsenal Military Academy with Bai Lu and Xu Kai!
I really enjoyed that show.
@Monmor, In Mulan she takes her Dad’s role.
But that is also a great show! I love the original Disney version.
@Table122000 Miss Granny is a lot of fun! Highly recommend. I watched it with my 20-something daughter, who also liked it (and she usually never watches anything Korean with me)
@packmule3, please could you put up another thread for Love Me, Love My Voice? Perhaps 7 – 15. Viki is really making up for lost time right now.
With thanks and virtual cookies: 🍨🥧🍪🍫🍪🥮🍪🍫🍪🥧🍨
@Fern,
I opened 7 to 12. Did you see it? There’s probably something wrong with the blog again. Even I can’t see the threads after refreshing.
I’ll open 13 to 18 tonight.
It’s party after party after party in the next couple of weeks. 😔
Oh, thank you so much, @packmule3. I’ll check again. We’re having a good old chat on the thread. There are similarities with Hidden Love in that it’s a slow burn between an older man/younger university student relationship and both are inexperienced. But the thread throughout is music and the spoken word – I really am enjoying the lyrics and melodies so much.
I have a new favorite singer rapper!Tan Jian Ci. Some of his music sounds like it could be out of one and only. I wonder if he does soundtracks.
I am looking for the poster who wrote about Ailee.I had not realized she is American-Korean and this is reflected in her music. I wonder if she was one of the many musical artists who returned to Korea in the ’90s when the political situation was more(relatively) stable and cultural industries were being fostered.
Hi, Monmor. Yes, Ailee is from New Jersey. I’m not sure when she moved to Korea. She was posting on YouTube when she was in High School and got recruited.
Ah. Wikipedia says Ailee moved to South Korea in 2010.
I don’t know if this will post, but here is a cute BTS from the wrap of My Happy Marriage. The ML has such a nice voice.
@fern Taecyeon from 2pm has a fun interview, I think with Eric Nam, on utube about how he was recruited from the US.
@fern I thought I had seen her accompanying
A nineteen nineties singer On a spotify track. She would only have been 8 years old or something at that point in time. So I guess I did not have that right.
Wow, Ailee must have had a superb voice even then!
I’ve seen the Taec interview. Talk about serendipity! I love Eric Nam’s Daebak show. He is such a good interviewer.
Here it is for anyone interested: the part that @monmor refers to starts at about 5.49.
Hi everyone,
I have to give a further big thumbs up to ‘A Journey to Love’… a very entertaining wuxia romance.
I strongly recommend giving it 5 episodes to get the measure of characters ( a very good ensemble cast), beautifully choreographed martial arts sequences, compelling sharply directed plot and some wonderful comedy. The FL and ML butt heads and get to know one another through adventure and intrigue, misunderstanding, and the push pull of attraction coupled with uncertainty.
The FL and ML – are quite the power couple – complement one another perfectly in the action … she is a beautiful assassin and he is a member of the secret service. He is astute – doesn’t miss a trick – a powerful fighter and a kind soul with a winsome sense of humour. His junior colleagues love him. She is a loner. They bicker and get to know one another through their adventures.
Some wonderful role reversal between them – won’t spoil that bit of the plot…put it this way, she doesn’t hesitate to go for what she wants!
I’m on Episode 6 now and hope it keeps up the quality, pace, light and shade, great direction, humour and the entertainment value.
https://www.iq.com/album/a-journey-to-love-2023-14fwm2tmcwd?lang=en_us
@Packmule3, I started Only for Love and got almost halfway through, but my interest flagged because of the glut of higher-quality fare being released currently. Watching Only for Love, I feel the Cdrama machine has fallen into a rut. Much as I like some of Bai Lu’s and Dylan Wang’s past performances, there’s nothing fresh about this show’s script.
Speaking of Studio Ghibli, they just released a feature-length animated film in USA theaters; it was released in Japan in July. It’s The Boy and the Heron. I found this review helpful.
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-boy-and-the-heron-movie-review-2023
I heard about this. Thank you for the link. It looks superb. It’s being released the day after Christmas in the U.K.
Test.
@welmaris Thank you for this link.
@monmor, I’ve read that The Boy and the Heron is doing very well in box office numbers the first weekend of its USA release. I’m going to see it Monday with my daughters’ high school Japanese teacher, who’s became a personal friend in the years since my girls graduated. Reviews I’ve read of the film have been positive. This article presents an overview of Miyazaki’s works from an interesting perspective.
https://www.vulture.com/article/miyazaki-weird-little-guys.html
I will take a look at this article. This might be something my daughter and I can see when she is home from Japan at christmas time. Six days now and counting!
Kalo mesimeri Everyone!
I am kinda late to this party but let me write what I am watching!
1. Moon of the Day that finishes this week.
2. The Story of Park’s Contract Marriage that I really enjoy!
3. My Demon who is making us like it every week.
I have finished Sweet Home S2.
I want to watch:
– Death’s Game for Seo In Guk! It begin’s this Friday and with him he has an ensemble cast of known actors and actresses!🥰🥰
– Gyeongseong Creature with Park Seo Joon and Han So Hee.
Part 1 is coming December 22.
And I have some on my bucket list like:
– My Dearest
– The Matchmakers
– Perfect Marriage Revenge
We shall see ! Let us enjoy these beautiful days! I do hope you are all okay!
P.S. I forgot to add: “A Good day to be A Dog!|
Hi @Cleo and Everyone,
Just adding here that I’m tempted to watch “Welcome to Samdalri (2023)” because of Kim Mi Kyung and Ji Chang Wook (Healer!!). Show reunites these two characters. I don’t know if I will really start on it or not, but it’s at the back of my mind.
There were other shows that I was considering… I think a cdrama and a jdorama “My Happy Marriage”?? If I can’t recall their titles it’s probably a sign I should JOMO! 😅🤪😝
My Happy Marriage is a film, so won’t take a lot of your time.
Thank @Fern, I’ll see how my time comes and goes. 🙂
Hey Unnie!
I have noticed that one too, but my time is limited. I don’t know if I will watch it. I might or might not…
Hi Doensaeng @Cleo, I only watched two-thirds of the first Ep of SamDalri. It’s got the usual cheerful small town vibes. The set up is clear and quick. We know what’s about to happen from the middle of the first episode.
I, too, am not sure how much I’ll watch. It’s just good to see Kim Mi Kyung and Healer on the screen together again, after all these years.
I’m still deciding what (else) to watch this December, which is why I haven’t posted anything here yet.
I’m already watching The Matchmakers and Parks Marriage Contract. I recently finished Castaway Diva (which I’m going to miss…) and Perfect Marriage Revenge, which was fun but not something I’m going to think about much even in the near future.
I started My Demon, but I’m not sure I will continue unless I watch it on fast forward. [Maybe this should be a Trademarked BOD expression–WOFF–(for Watching on Fast Forward), e.g., “I’m WOFFing this one…”!] I’ll put my comments under the latest post about it.
I thought A Good Day to be a Dog was charming, but got frustrated both with the weird broadcast schedule and the dark side of the story that seems to be pressing forward, so I plan to finish it later after all episodes are out.
Death’s Game is the one of the dramas I would consider adding to my fairly light (for winter) schedule. However, I dropped both Café Minamdang and Doom at Your Service, so I don’t have high expectations at this point of a new Seo In Guk show.
The other drama I might add is Welcome to Samdal-ri only because I like dramas that have island life/haenyeos (Korean female divers) in them–but if it’s like Hometown Cha Cha, which painted small town life in pastel/cutesy tones, I probably won’t be able to stay with it.
@BethB, I love the new term–WOFFing–even if I haven’t mastered the technique. As yet I either watch a show or don’t. I suppose if I learn to WOFF, I’ll not have completely wasted my time if I make it halfway through a show and feel meh about it.
Unnie,
I think it has a healing concept and it will be easygoing, but there are so many shows to watch and on this Friday “Death’s Game” will come out and it is on my watching list that one!
So, it won’t be easy to start another one for now. We shall see though…
Thanks for the reminder @Cleo. I never keep up with what is airing when.
Now my weekends will be super full if I take on Death’s Game. It sounds quite scrumptious especially with not only Seo In Guk, but also the 2 Jae Wooks (Kim and Lee), Oh Jung Se, … and Park So Dam looks so unlike herself as Death?!?
@GB Unnie,
I am waiting for this show… *grins* Yes, there are many good actors and actresses to be on the show and I cannot wait!
After all it is only 8 episodes!
From my vantage point on Shallow Island, I watched the first three episodes of Single’s Inferno Season 3 on Netflix. It may be in the reality show genre, but past seasons of this series have had drama, and I don’t doubt that parts are scripted to some degree. Half the fun for me is watching the reactions of the panel of commentators.
I have joined you on shallow island, though I’m really only taking a dip. I am FF-ing through the PPL for the Grand Hyatt (i.e., when the couples ohhh and ahhh as they walk into their hotel rooms and exclaim over their meals there), the helicopter rides, the obligatory it’s-too-chilly-to-be-in-the-pool scenes, etc. I, too, am there mostly to hear the panel’s reactions. And I am also always amazed at the variety of things that people can do for a living–I never realized that there were people who did sea rescues 24/7!
However, I’m finding the new format of Single’s Inferno a little confusing, what with all the participants shuffling around between the two islands. I also found it jarring that participants had to choose partners for paradise right away, just based on first impressions. No wonder most of the female participants felt so compelled to have plastic surgery at such a young age (most of their breasts and cheeks look artificial) and the men spent so much time in the gym!
I wonder why they made the Inferno so much more miserable this year? Half the fun of watching the prior two seasons was seeing what delicious meals they could come up with based on their daily rations. Now they’re only chopping carrots/cucumbers and opening cans of chicken breasts! Maybe it’s to make paradise an even more compelling place…
@BethB, after two seasons, Single’s Inferno had become predictable for contestants, panelists, and viewers, so Show needed to shake up the format. But the rush to Paradise fell flat for me. The time couples spent there together lacked intensity. Nervousness was evident, but the contestants weren’t yet emotionally invested.
Show certainly casts physical types, doesn’t it? Where’s the female contestant who arrives on the island appropriately dressed in cargo pants and hiking boots? I’m getting tired already of watching the women running their fingers through their hair. And the men shown slo-mo walking with their guts sucked in and torsos flexed…they know the cameras are running.
Up to this point the contestant who annoys me the most, so is most fun to watch, is Lee Gwan Hee. I wonder why he was dismissive of his basketball career when revealing his job to his second partner in Paradise. Has he come to realize he’s not as famous as he thought? Those in the world who don’t follow Korean professional basketball don’t know him as a star: hanging his success on SI on his sporting world fame won’t work if he’s just another stranger to the other contestants. And someone like him in real life would raise lots of red flags. He is controlling, even in everyday things like what his partner tastes at a meal. I understand that in Korean culture, putting a tasty, nutritious morsel on someone’s rice is a demonstration of respect and care, but he takes it to an extreme, overriding his partner’s freedom of choice. I wonder if a reality check during the show will dissolve him into tears, as predicted by some of the panelists.
A third of a way into episode 3 of Welcome to Samdalri and struggling to feel invested in it. Extremely formulaic writing. To the point where it all feels like scenes and dialogues from past dramas woven together. As if ChatGPT wrote it. I can predict the scenes and dialogues and characters reactions. It’s also so drawn out.
It’s so superficial. Which is sad because I really wanted to find a drama that sucked me in so I could happily escape. Finished Castaway Diva before this which was excellent. And now this tropey, superficially perfect but lacking any emotional connect show so far is seeming extra lackluster in comparison.
Does it get better? Or what else has gripped people after Castaway Diva?
Thanks for the warning, @Cherie. Welcome to the blog.
@Cherie, aaah, anyway, after watching Castaway Diva, it’s a bit normal everything looks a bit bland. I’ve fun ending the kdramas I didn’t have time to finish, like 7 escape. The style is so different, that I find that good and funny.
——————————————–
Now, I have a great announce!! I don’t know where to post that, as some people who could be interested could miss it. (@Fern, if you read this)
I ended that DRAMA SCREENPLAY. It’s only the beginning (my goal wasn’t to write all the drama). But as it is, it’s fun. Not structured from a whole drama (of course, it’s a problem), but still with a coherent outline for the 4×30 minutes episodes.
It’s made like real kdrama screenplays about format, or almost.
Just I put visuals to make it more reader friendly.
LINKS to my blogs and episodes in this tweet:
https://twitter.com/EnchanteurW/status/1735496276643303828
Warning: some parts could be shocking!! But you are almost safe first episode. 🙂
Some dramas that inspired me:
– From now on, showtime! (rom-com part)
– The Penthouse, war in life. (makjang part)
– And probably many others I can’t point out.
I made that as a break, before to continue my difficult W season 2 rewriting.
But find out it wasn’t easy either, and made some progress about screenwriting.
Kalimera Everyone!
Finally, Amazon Prime has “Death’s Game” available for us too!
The first 4 episodes are up on the platform, whereas the other next four ones are going to be available at 05-01-2024.
@Packmule3 Can you please open a thread for us? Thank you in advance!
@WEnchanteur, congratulations on finishing your screenplay. I anticipate having a look. Have you sent it to any companies that produce dramas? Be careful that no one steals it from you. I hope it makes you famous!
@Fern, it doesn’t work this way. Korean screenwriters always start as assistants, during years. And anyway, I don’t aim to sell that or be a pro. And even if I wanted, I’d probably need more years of experience to do that better. It’s why I produce a visual version of the screenplay: so it can be the final product for people to read. Or like I often say it: watch it with a kind of TV illusion. My goal is to provide the feeling to watch a drama. What a good screenplay should do.
🍎🍐🍊🍋🍇🍌🍉🫐🍈🍒🍑🥛🍪🧉🌰🍺🥜🥂🎂🍎🍐🍊🍋🍇🍌🍉🫐🍈🍒🍑
Hi @pkml3, before your busy Saturday, may we ask for an Episode 1-4 thread for the newly airing Death’s Game?
@Cleo and I would like to chat about it. I just caught Ep 1 and it was loud and painful LOL.
🍎🍐🍊🍋🍇🍌🍉🫐🍈🍒🍑🥛🍪🧉🌰🍺🥜🥂🎂🍎🍐🍊🍋🍇🍌🍉🫐🍈🍒🍑
Congratulations @WE! I’ll drop by to read as usual 😉
Unnie Kalimera!
Don’t do any spoilers! I won’t be able to watch much today! 😅
OK @Cleo. I’ll just make sounds like eek aaarrr oooh LOLOL.
Folks, I’m in the middle of Ep 3 of Death game. It rocks!!! 😀 😀
😱😰😳🥵😓🫣😪😵🫠🫥
Hah! @WE, now we really need a dedicated thread for Death’s Game!!!
😱😰😳🥵😓🫣😪😵🫠🫥
Unnie!
Don’t tease me! LMAO!
@WE
At least I can handle that! 😀
Ok, @GB. 👍
@Pm3, HI, if you go here, I’ve a technical point for you:
You forgot to put this December “what are we watching” in the category.
I just watched Episode 1 of The Kidnapping Day and loved it. I am also watching Nobody Knows, a dark and intense thriller. Thinking about starting The Matchmakers.
To those who can squeeze another show into their watching schedule: I’m ten minutes into the first episode of Death’s Game on Prime Video, and Seo In Guk delivers stronger and more varied emotions in those ten minutes than in several of his previous shows combined. I say this in wonder and appreciation, as a Seo In Guk fan. If his performance in Death’s Game keeps this pace, this show may lift his career higher.
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪@Packmule3, my comment is awaiting moderation in the Death’s Game thread. I can’t think what triggered the hold.
Cdrama “A Journey to Love” with Liu Yu Ning and Liu Shi Shi has sucked me into their world. A very well made drama so far (I’m up to ep 8) where everything works well production wise.
Great:…
production valuses
character moments and conversations
choreographed fight scenes
ensemble and believable OTP
music and camerawork
story
comedy that fits in with how the characters are
It’s so nice to see characters who are more human despite their spirit power and fighting skills, having sensible as well as laughable conversations over normal concerns, and wanting to grow… and even having a growth arc from early on. The individuals in the ensemble are interesting (instead of being mere plot devices) and both the ML and FL contribute towards the quest quite equally.
This is one of those shows where we expect all our drama hours to be paid off more than fully, and we keep our fingers crossed that we end off with a smile.
Friends, it’s blessed times: I’m chaining only good dramas (or almost) !!
After Death’s game, I gave a try to Attorney Woo. But put that quickly on hold when I understood it was a procedural (each episode = a legal case).
Then I watched the excellent “Weak Hero class 1”.
And now, the most surprising:
You know I gave up hope in famous Kim Eun Sook since the average “descendants of the sun” and Goblin slowness. Then TKEM put her in a coffin in my mind, and I don’t even tried to watch what she did next.
But I was curious about “the glory”. After reading the pitch, I was thinking she could do something good here. Just because in her drama “the heirs”, there was excellent conflicts, harsh and hitting hard.
SO, I TRIED !!
I watched 3 episodes, and damn-it, it’s good!!!
Yeah, it’s harsh and first episode is fast paced.
19 Episodes into A Journey to Love and it’s still going strong, even getting more interesting and the conversations are really good.
I’m at ep11 of “the Glory” and it’s awesome.
Best drama I know from Kim Eun Sook, but also excellent in general.
I can notice so good writer tricks everywhere and it’s almost flawless.
In this, she has a specific way to transition scenes, and often short ones.
Dialogues are also good, surprising. The flow isn’t the expected one.
Director is Han Gil Ho (MOTA one), so he doesn’t put effect before the flashbacks, but the writing make it in a way we are not lost and know when it’s flashback.
I didn’t even ended the drama that I think about rewatch it.
Here’s an interesting Cdrama crossover. The ML of A Journey to Love, Liu Yuning, is a singer and composer whose music has won many top awards. He contributed songs to OSTs of many films and TV shows, including “Nostalgia,” theme song for You Are My Hero; “Fireworks and Stars,” theme song for You Are My Glory; “Unparalleled,” theme song for Who Rules the World; “A Dream of Splendor,” opening song of the drama of the same title; “Looking for You,” theme song of Love Between Fairy and Devil; “Light,” theme song for New Life Begins; “Gravity,” ending song for Flight to You; “Guest Becomes Host,” a character theme song in Nothing but You; “My World,” opening song for Till the End of the Moon; “Windbreaker,” theme song for Fireworks of My Heart; “Distant Resemblance,” opening theme song for South Wind Knows; “Offer,” opening theme song for A Journey to Love; “Don’t Dream of Cold,” also in A Journey to Love. There are many, many more, but I have only listed his work in dramas I’ve watched (a few which I dropped, but not because of the OSTs!).
@Welmaris
I enjoy what I’ve heard of Liu Yu Ning’s voice in the few that I’ve listened to over the months/years. He’s a prolific singer, winning many awards for the songs he sings. However now that I’ve watched him properly in A Journey to Love, I will get the compilations of his singing that abound online.
It seems that because his route to acting was not the ‘normal’ one in the cdrama industry, (he started off on his own as a street singer and online), he was been dissed quite a bit, but he has been training and working steadily and according to a reviewer has been improving in his acting. Certainly in this Show, I find nothing to fault in him. He’s won the All Round Artist of the Year twice with good reason.
While many comment about his ‘non-idol’ looks, I rather like that he looks so untypical. He stands out immediately, especially with his height on top of his interesting face.
After struggling to find sources and subtitles, I start “A journey to love”.
I see that everything is indicated so that no one is lost.
– The voice-over on the political situation.
– The Subtitle giving the name of Wu’s palace as you enter the scene.
– Then, classic, Subtitle of the two women’s names.
And then comes a scene that gave me a laughing fit!!!
😂😂😂
—————————————–
Episode 01 – 06:14
A man tries to rape Ru-Yi in the garden.
RU YI: Let go of me!
ABUSER: Beauty, you don’t need to serve Prince Han first.
Why don’t you serve me first?
A dart hits his neck. He collapses unconscious.
Dart fired by… Ling Long, with her blowpipe!
RU YI: Ling Long!
LING LONG: You’re a grown-up, yet you keep messing things up.
I wonder who recommended you to be a Crimson Guard.
RU YI: I wasn’t good at being a spy from the start.
If it weren’t for you, I would’ve…
LING LONG: Even so, we have to complete our mission first.
If not, all of us will die.
There are 20 White Sparrows of An’s Crimson Guard
in Capital of Wu alone.
But Prince Han only fancies you.
Make yourself presentable and see Prince Han.
Remember to bewitch him with your charm
and tell him to bring you back to his residence.
The result of the war depends solely on
whether or not you can obtain the war provision map in his father’s study.
—————————————–
Here we accumulate a Plot-contrivance + Info dump on the nose. 😅
Being abused in a busy palace area?
Just then?
While she has spy status?
A mission so important she has to seduce a king?
By some random guy?
(and not an important one, since Ling Long plans to castrate him afterwards)
Only for Ling Long to rescue her and produce the info-dump.
In this case, information they already know and have no reason to say.
This is what we call an info-dump just for the audience.
And this one is really, really, showy and under the nose!!!
The complete rundown. Master class!
It’s close enough to absurdity to have made me laugh immediately! 😂
I can abandon all shame for my own info-dump!!! 😂
So, let’s say, that gives the stakes of her mission. Still good.
But do these lines make sense? Or natural? No.
And is it effective? With the avalanche of information, I don’t think I retain much.
I think I’d have preferred to stay in the mystery and find out otherwise.
Even a flashback would have been nicer.
And if I take the first line of the man, it’s quite confusing:
“you don’t need to serve Prince Han first”
Except we can’t understand what it is about.
By the way, it’s also part of the info-dump but a bit better.
Still: an important secret spy mission and even this guy knows?
Then the dialogue, well… No way to do that in a so naive way.
First, Ling Long could ask “can’t you defend yourself?”.
Or something like that. Then, quite no way to put her lines like this.
Maybe something different, more natural, that can open a flashback.
Or just put that elsewhere.
Now, there is always the advantage: put that info-dump, so it wins time.
But I’m not sure we win such time, when we can’t memorize all that.
Well, I continue to watch ep 1 now. ^^
@GrowingBeautifully, is the reviewer you refer to AvenueX? I watched her review too. I think she made a good point that the ML character is not referred to in the script as good looking, but noted for his intelligence and martial arts skills. He’s also a leader valued by his subordinates. In my opinion, Liu Yuning is convincing in his portrayal of these facets. I also like that his character isn’t perfect: he makes mistakes, acknowledges them, then does what he can to rectify and learn from them. If he had pretty-boy looks, he might come across as too good to be true, not convincingly vulnerable, and some of the story tension would be lost. And let’s be honest: he’s not particularly hard on the eyes, but has interesting features.
Hi @Welmaris, yes, I generally find that AvenueX notes things that resonate with me. I read comments elsewhere that praised the show and so checked on what AvenueX said about it.
So far, so good. I’ve gone past the half-way mark and am still very invested in all the ‘good’ characters and in their objectives. The growth in the princess is lovely to watch. The dialogues which feature modern-day concerns with how persons are to be treated with respect, both when alive and after death are refreshing. This theme seems to run through the series as characters notice how they and others are treated by those in power and try to resolve moral conflicts and dilemmas. The characters’ quest for peace is especially striking now, in our climate of possible, greater military conflict.
I like the ideal espoused that women should be given agency, and that mysogyny is abhorrent, while at the same time characters know they use each other or allow themselves to be used, as negotiations have to be made. I watch to see if show will continue to give both male and female characters an equal chance to shine and ‘protect’ each other, instead of the usual arc the devolves to ‘strong woman becomes weak so that the man can shine’.
SPOILER
SPOILER
I was amused to see that the makeover happened to the man.
I’m watching Reborn Rich. It is excellent. Fab production and acting. The script is very clever and well-written, and has similar vibes to The Glory, which I was after as I enjoyed that too @WEnchanteur
Also watching A Good Day to be a Dog and catching up on The Matchmakers
@Hana, it’s a bit of coincidence, but before to watch The Glory, I was about to watch Reborn Rich. I changed my mind at last moment. But I’ll watch that soon. Director is Jung Dae Yun (W and King2Heart one). Also there is actor Yoon Je Moon, who was the awesome villain in King2Heart.
Else, I ended Soundtrack#2. It was a nice watch. Only thing I disliked is a bit too slow last episode and they put the first 30 minutes into 3/4 format flashback, when it wasn’t a flashback and sabotage the image.
@WE, I also finished Soundtrack #2. At least it was less frustrating and more enjoyable than #1. I was thinking the 3/4 size screen format was to say that separated from each other they were incomplete. 🙄
Anyway the ending was good and quick with the girl finally allowing the guy to help carry her load. What a relief! LOL.
@GB, yeah yeah I know. But next time, be separated and incomplete in 16/9. 😬
Yep, it was all about her: she never want someone carry her burden.
Lot of little things everywhere, details, etc, in the drama.
I like scenes when they create music. The first one when they are waiting all night.
BTW, I don’t even know what they are waiting for?
I also watched 7 first ep of “Because It’s my first life”, but put on hold.
It’s quite good but some choices make that sleepy and slooow.
@WE, the waiting all night thing was a ‘job’ she took on for a company or a person to wait in line for them to buy something.
I watched Because This Is My First Life (2018 kdrama) and liked it up til the last 2 episodes because the FL suddenly became ‘unloving’ in how she behaved towards the ML. I could not be convinced that her behaviour was acceptable. It didn’t make much sense to me.
Would you be interested in cdrama Parallel World (2023)?
https://mydramalist.com/65705-west-out-of-the-yu-men/reviews?page=2
I’m just starting on it and reviews of it sound good.
To All and anyone out here reading… would you prefer to know in advance if an ending is not going to be happy so that you can decide to drop a show, or would you prefer to never be spoiled and watch til the bitter end?
It’s a tough decision for me.
Me?
I would like to know the ending please. But you can alert those who are like @WEnchanteur by warning them “Ending SPOILER.” You can also put empty spaces or that latin text gibberish “Lorem ipsum…” before writing the spoiler.
@GB, I don’t like spoilers.
But I take easely any ending, bitter, happy, sad.
By the way, happy ending isn’t my favorite. Just I don’t like to know before.
The only ending I don’t like are the boring and slow ones.
I can’t take a look at this cdrama you mention, I’m in the middle of “Reborn Rich”.
@hana: this drama is very different of The Glory.
Only common point it’s they have no comedy. So, the tone.
Reborn Rich director work is great. About the story, it’s not an easy one to do, it needs a lot of research. It’s like a historical retrospective.
@GB,
I always read the ending of a book first, so I usually prefer to know how a drama ends in order to decide whether to start it. On the other hand, watching a well written drama unfold without knowing what’s next but still trusting the writer is one of the great pleasures of drama watching. I just finished The Kidnapping Day without reading any spoilers and loved it.
“Journey to Love” checks all the right boxes for me.I am currently enthralled around episode 34. I have caught up with “love me Love my voice” as well.
@GB @Kate and others The couple in this show has a lot more than dishwashers or small talk to talk about!😀
@MM @Kate, I do really like A Journey to Love however I’m prepared for a difficult ending. Still good, just hard to sit through. I’m taking a break now at Episode 36.
@pkml3 and Everyone who read my comment above asking if we would prefer to know (or not to know) the ending if it’s going to be ‘bad’ or ‘sad’. Would we watch knowing it was not going to be our preferred ending?
I surprised myself by choosing to go ahead to watch and found the show well worth my time. Despite the difficult bits, I may rewatch. Those who do not want to know what I’m talking about should read no further.
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
I knew the ending and gritted my teeth and watch till the bitter end. It was indeed bitter. However, I would still say this was a good show… regardless of how anyone would have preferred the ending to be. The ensemble, quality, story, production values, fight choreography, etc were good from beginning to end. The music was pleasing, the humour was loads of fun, the trajectory was unfortunate but realistic.
A Journey to Love dared to ‘upset’ their viewers with much do or die (mostly die in the last one-sixth of the series). It also tried to leave the ending mysteriously open but that felt a bit weird and I do think it was not necessary. There will be many tears if we get attached to those characters, but they chose their paths and died for what they valued. I still enjoyed them when they were on screen. Show gave us enough time to grieve over each, one at a time and move on. It was strange though that we ended up with one of the side characters from a smaller tribe to bid farewell to.
My personal rating 8/10.
Merry Christmas to you alll!!!, I might be out of sight but still wanted to say hi to you all.
Hope to be reunited with you all,
FGB4877
@kate @GB
SPoiler sort of
I finished journey to love and i’m glad I watched it. I see the very ending scene as simply a fantasy and not an open ending.
Talk about a high impact ending for the male lead.
When I was considering how it might end. I had an even worse scenario in mind so there was some relief in an honorable ending.
I had previously replied to the question of whether we want to know the ending or not. If it is sad or bad. I don’t see my response here.
If the ending is consistent with the rest of the show and not a manufactured controversy, I am usually okay with it. If it does not fit with the show then I am really upset. Or if the happy ending could easily have been Chosen, Why go with the sad one? I still remember the trauma from some of the shows from the 2000s. Where everything looks like it’s fine. And the tragedy happens in the last ten seconds of the show.
🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁
To @Packmule3 and my dear friends on BoD who celebrate at this time of year, I wish you a blessed Christmas. May your days be merry and bright, and may all your dramas delight.
Merry Christmas / Καλά Χριστούγεννα to @Packmule3 and to all my friends who celebrate it! Have an amazing time wity your loved ones!
💗🎉🎄🎀🎈
💐🌷🌻🌈🎄🎄🎄☀️🌼🌸🌹💐
Wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy and Good Christmas!
💐🌷🌻🌈🎄🎄🎄☀️🌼🌸🌹💐
Blessings to All!!
💐🌷🌻🌈🎄🎄🎄☀️🌼🌸🌹💐
@MM @pkml3 @Snow Flower @WE and everyone else who replied to my question on sad ending spoilers… this was my more detailed response which I held back.
@MM @pkml3 Yes, same with me.
I generally take any ending that makes sense. There’s good and evil and decisions that bring about consequences, hence not all endings can be full of butterflies and rainbows. I’m happy enough to accept the death of main protagonists, the lack of Happily Ever After (HEA) for couples and even open endings (because we can imagine how life continues in the drama).
I believe I take sad endings well when the tone is already giving a clue that all may not end well but hope remains. There’s a higher good, etc.
Now here comes the caveat…
However, when characters have been made sweet and lovable, when the tone has been the usual mix of bright and dark and the possibility of succeeding and coming out of the fray with most good characters in tact is largely being hinted at … then we expect a happy ending. To then find out only at the end, that the hints to a feel-good denouement deceived viewers, will anger and disappoint me.
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
That being said, I feel that A Journey to Love did give enough ‘warning’ here and there. The lyrics of a song or so did hint at an ending which might not be rosy. With the numerous occasions of treachery and treason, the ending was to be expected. It was still sad, but acceptable.
@GB I know what you mean about “this is my first life” I quite enjoyed it as well. But I had whip lash in the last two episodes. It was difficult to understand her motivatin the last two episodes. That said, I enjoyed it enough to not regret watching it.
@GB, I agree with you. A fitting ending should make sense. I don’t mind sad ending if it fits well with the overall tone of the show. Almost all of my favorite dramas have sad (but not hopeless) endings. I get irritated by sudden change of tone or character, or any writer’s decision that feels forced and does not follow the logic of the story.
The last two episodes of Because This Is My First Life definitely fall into that category. But the rest of the show is so good, and the ML is so memorable, so the show is worth rewatching.
Hi All who have watched A Journey to Love … here’s the final review that I’ve been waiting for. It of course has SPOILERS in it, so be WARNED.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2QY7_aAXvc
I agree with AvenueX.
Such a good show. What a pity. Still enjoyed it like crazy.
To everyone here, don’t you feel today’s television has exceptionally evil villans ? Look at Vincenzo. Unnecessarily gruesome violence? Random acts of cruelty such as pouring water/wine/liquids on one’s server or people one doesn’t like, slapping one’s househelp, locking away people till they die ? Handing over POISON casually and saying please die ? That’s a crime for god’s sake !
I remember an international scandal many years back that involved locking away people. It made sensational news. The world at large was shocked. Nowadays tele shows seem to think it’s “normal range of evil”.
I don’t know why but I feel so upset ! I come across random clips from a verity of dramas on Instagram (Korean and Chinese) because that’s the type of content I consume as per the algorithm. So even though I don’t watch those dramas and therefore lack context, it’s all so full of unnecessary vengeance!
Also, talk about teen violence!
My apologies for this uncalled for and totally context-less comment but I have been feeling genuinely upset at the tele !
That’s how I feel also. Tried to watch Gyeongseong Creature but the level of brutality almost made me feel sick to my stomach. They showed Japanese physicians cutting up a live, screaming person as part of an experiment/anatomy lesson in the first or second episode. I couldn’t watch past that.
Crash Course in Romance would have been a cute rom com but they had to include a serial killer. Same with Behind Your Touch, which I thought was going to be a small town romance with some detective/butt psychic stuff thrown in.
I’m wondering if it’s the influence of Netflix, trying to push kdramas more towards a regular American audience, which is accustomed to and probably numb to the violence?
“Numb to violence”. Exactly @BethB. And tele is the best example. Are American shows more violent? I won’t even count Bollywood because that’s just a dumb degree of “alpha male-ism”. Very violent, very senseless. So they’re out. But the only American shows I’ve watched are Big Bang theory, Modern family and friends. I didn’t enjoy friends much but it was a cute show. No killers, no violence, no cruelty. They don’t make shows like that anymore 😓
@GB. Thank you for posting this link. It was interesting to hear her Thoughtfully articulate what I had Only noticed in passing, Particularly her discussion of the Longqing character. And how the narrative was not well developed in the last six or so episodes. I thought I had missed some plot points but I think it was rushed And not clear. Overall though I love the show.
Thanks for the warning, @BethB.
I was going to start watching “Gyeongseong Creature” because of Park SeoJoon. But no, I don’t like to watch too much blood and gore. While I don’t think we’ll all become serial killers after watching horror movies, I do think that constant exposure to violence and brutality in our choice of entertainment desensitizes us to violence and brutality. It’s similar to how veteran viewers of romcoms are no longer enthralled by every meet-cutes, tropes, and proposals we watch because we’ve seen a variety of them.
Also, with what’s going in the world nowadays, I don’t want to go home and watch “fantastical” or imaginary savagery. Reality is horrifying and I watch kdrama to get respite from it.
Level of violence: This has been a part of Korean TV dramas since their beginnings. I think it is cultural. The casual violence towards others shocked me when I first started watching Korean dramas. Constant hitting, kicking, slapping, throwing water/drinks on people, not to mention verbal abuse. And no one says anything; they just accept it. Often depicted between parent/child, boss/employee, as well as man/woman, older kid/younger kid, so I think it is ingrained as part of their “senority” culture, power imbalance between both class and age. Korean cinema has long been an ultraviolent place. Many, many films are extremely violent. It showing up on Netflix television shows has less to to do with catering to an American audience and more to do with the Korean Producers being given more creative freedom to do as they wish for their programs as they don’t have the restrictions of Korean Network television. Just like American Producers don’t have the restrictions of American network TV at Netflix either. That’s a big reason why all of Asia want to work with Netflix. They are hands-off and give total creative control to the Producers. When Netflix started the Original programs in Japan, they were worried about creative control. Netflix told them they don’t interfere. Result: Producers of Netflix first original Japan show praised them and said how great it was to have the creative freedom. Same thing has happened with some of the Korean productions. The notable was Squid Game. Writer said he couldn’t get Squid Game made in South Korea according to his vision. SK television wasn’t interested for 10 years he tried. He was able to find a production team who brought the project to Netflix. They gave him creative control, which paid off both for him and for Netflix.
Such an enriching discussion. Thank you for your take @table122000.
I’m afraid I’m more of a @pm3 type viewer. I seek respite from real life horrors in television so I don’t like gory violence to be included in a CERTAIN genre, for ex rom com.
It’d be very silly of me to expect them to exclude violence from everything. For example, I never watched Squid game because the type of entertainment was very clear to me from the beginning and it’s silly of me to say ooo it has too much violence.
What doesn’t sit well with me is the type of “casual” violence you mentioned like throwing water, trash on people, slapping etc.
I have started “legally romance” I think this is my third watch. It is not so fresh in my mind though that I am bored. So it seems to be the right length of time since I watched it last. Fast forwarding through some of the familiar scenes to do with the other characters. I am enjoying reading the b o d threads.
Parallel World (2023)
Something is wrong with the tone or the change in disposition of the characters in this show. They were in danger, even in rather dire straits, they were not that friendly towards each other to begin with, they were frightened, threatened. They knew nothing for sure about the parallel world they were in… whether they’d be able to leave, what was truly safe or what other unknowns might attack them….
But all too soon and without any lead up, we find them comfortable, friendly with each other, at ease in their new situations… Although they say in words that they may not be able to trust some characters, and they are outnumbered, they do not seem worried.
Most strangely… the music and the actions have taken a comedic turn where there had been none before. Perhaps I zoned out and missed some parts.
Things happen, things are said, but despite the exposition, of which there is a lot, much is left unexplained. Perhaps the subs are at fault?
I continue watching with a frown of puzzlement.
@GB, you made me happy I didn’t started (or even tried to find the vod).
I think I’ll give up on “Journey” because I didn’t watched another ep.
Looks like wuxia is not my thing. But maybe also I’ve more difficulty to watch Cdramas, because I dropped “glory of special forces”, when I found that more easy to catch than “Journey”.
For now, I liked “Reset”, “The king avatar”, and could take a look at “Nirvana on fire”, because it’s a historical drama without fantasy.
Currently, I’m watching “Chicago Typewriter”.
There was nice moments of comedy, based on situation/acting and nothing forced, what I like. On episode 7, we get the idea there is a ghost.
I’m disapointed about that point, not because the drama did bad.
Just my own expectations, the mystery was so strange, that I was thinking about something really more strange than classic fantasy about ghosts. Well, more in “MOTA” style, twilight zone feeling, etc. (I just repeat in loop what I always say goshhh)
I did some W2 writing also. Final rewriting (without editing) of Ep37, 38. These one were difficult. I changed tons of time some scenes.
Currently I’m at the middle of ep39, not so bad. But will meet soon a complicated scene to rewrite, with content spread on a further episode, so I need to choose what I put now or later. Crazy puzzle.
@WE, I’m glad my review of sorts helped you decide what to do in terms of Shows to watch or drop.
Yes, Reset was good. Someday or One Day too. I didn’t have patience for Nirvana in Fire but I hear it has great strategising by the ML.
I did like Chicago Typewriter. I never thought of it as a ghost story, but I guess it was. I only remember Master’s Sun as a ghost story and a couple with Ok Taecyeon (Bring it On Ghost, Who Are You)
The time warp kdrama, Kairos, was pretty good. You watched it?
The thought of having to re-edit pages and pages of creative writing gives me pause. Indefinite pause,… hence I don’t think I’ll ever start. In what I do, I already have to edit multiple times some pages which are not exactly technical and not creative and it is soooo time-consuming.
I wish all the best in your script revisions!
@GB, editing is the most easy and the most quick. It’s mostly “trim the fat” and check there isn’t a wrong cinematic order. Maybe change a sentence here or there, or see a dialogue has a problem. Remove too much parenthesis (where you accumulate details about micro-action or feeling).
But the creative part is already over. What take really a lot of time is the rewriting, rethink entirely the scene, and the most difficult: characters reactions. Some scenes could be redone ten times with different ways for characters to speak or act. +it’s a mess, I’ve the old script and the ideas file and have to combine both, and think about new links with other scenes and episodes.
But I suppose I’m happy because writing a kdrama is EPIC !!! 😅
Different stages to feel the WOW!!!
– Ideas phase. Wow!! these ideas are awesome! 😎
– Structure phase. Wow!! so good link, order and new ideas! 😲
– Writing. Wow! Wow! Even better when written with awesome new ideas! 🥳🥳
– Rewriting. WOW WOW WOW!! I can’t believe I come up with so much even better ideas and scene order, and I could remove so much garbage and keep the best of the best. I can’t repress anymore the urge to kiss myself. 😘😂😂😂
– Sometimes some annoying messages that “hey, maybe some problem here”, but I’ve a tip: don’t worry, let’s be pragmatic, see that another day. The solution will jump by itself. 🤠
Of course I watched Kairos… 😄
Needless to say I liked a lot.
I maybe posted some comments here, pm3 did a thread, but I was late and watched after.
@WE, to me the re-thinking through part is included in what I mean by editing. So it takes a lot of time and brain-racking.
It’s good that you’re actually enjoying the whole process. That’s the main thing. 🙂
@packmule3 I saw that the main link to the blog has been hacked. I tried accessing on my tablet and iPhone and got the same NSFW text narrative (thankfully no visuals). Can still safely access the blog through comments.
I came here to comment that after sitting out most of December, I started watching Cupid is My Man. It is basically all the 2023 dramas in one: love between human and a fairy, reincarnation, past lives, karmic destinies, a character who has been turned into a dog, and a serial killer. So far the tone is light despite the killer mystery so I am going to continue to watch. Anyone else watching? It is on Prime.
@GoogTwin: I use google chrome on PC without problem.
Check the link you click is this one:
https://bitchesoverdramas.com/
If you click an icon, check in the properties it’s the right link.
Consider also it’s not a hack but a kind of automatic recognition on your system.
I don’t know what you use (android?) or you parameters.
But it looks like the system sees the word “bitches” and choose to put “NSFW”.
So looks in the setup or option menus if you can change your choices.
Do a search in google to look if other people have this kind of problem.
Like “android (or what you use) open websites NSFW error”.
@WE thank you! I accessed through the bookmark I always use , cross-checked it through google, two different devices and with vpn and without vpn and I cleared my browser to make sure it wasn’t on my end. Came up every time only on the title page or when clicking the header BOD and on both devices one of which is new (so definitely no malware). It was only the main link. All that is to say but it did not seem to be on my end but decidedly could have been. BUT it does seem to have cleared! So good news. And sorry about a fire-drill @packmule3!
I’m upset by the death of Lee Sun Kyun, and not in the mood to watch angsty dramas, so dug the Cdrama Only for Love out of my dropped list. I stopped watching because I found the script disappointing. Now I’m finding it mind-numbingly suitable for my current frame of mind.
@Welmaris – it is so sad. Not Others was my favorite drama of 2023 and I can’t help think about his wife Jeon Hye-jin (who was brilliant in her role as the mother) and their children. Heartbreaking loss.
@Good Twin @Welmaris, I didn’t believe it when I first heard about it. I thought is was a mistake, wrong person, etc. The image of him and the sound of his voice leapt to mind when I heard his name. So sad.
@GB Unnie, @Welmaris and @GoodTwin,
Kalimera. I heard it first thing in the morning when he passed away and I am heartbroken. I cannot watch or comment anything these days.
Our family watch for Christmas ended up to be the live musical Pride and Prejudice! I did not go but the rest of my family did and all reports were raving. The original romcom according to the play bill.
Penalties reaching about $7.8 million USD were being levied against Lee Sun Kyun because he was dropped from projects, completed work isn’t being released, and commercial endorsements were pulled (not just his, but his wife’s also). It seems unfair to me that such a heavy financial burden fell on him and his family when he hadn’t even been charged, much less convicted, of any crime. I understand his contracts included morality clauses, but couldn’t time have been given him to let the dust settle? Did he have to pay such an enormous price for allegedly making mistakes–in some countries considered minor–and trying to fight his blackmailers?
On a lighter note: After having dropped the Cdrama Only for Love at Episode 12 because I thought the script poorly written, I went back to the show because I wanted something I could watch mindlessly, needing consolation after the sad and frustrating news coming out of Korea the past few days. Surprisingly, the show gets better the further along it goes. Some of the things that were incomprehensible to me in earlier episodes make more sense as the plot progresses. And I’m delighted to report to @Packmule3 and other denizens of Shallow Island that there’s a hickey delivered (deposited? planted?) by Dylan Wang in his role as Shi Yan. No need to thank me for this tidbit of information.
I’m not saying I fully endorse Shi Yan’s behavior in the hickey scene in Only for Love. He was “a bit” drunk after a business dinner. He and Zheng Shuyi had only recently reconciled. He was feeling possessive and behaved a bit brutishly. But there was a bit of turnabout-is-fair-play about it. In an earlier scene, before they were reconciled, Shuyi was drunk at a charity dinner she and Shi Yan both attended, and she ended up falling into his arms. What did she do at that moment, finally in contact with him after he’d blocked her electronically and avoided her physically? She bit his neck.
I tried to watch Death’s Game since it’s gotten such good reviews but it also made me squeamish (I was braced for some violence/gore given the subject matter). I watched up until a mobster(?) is being tortured and the goons aim a corkscrew at his eye to gouge it out. I cannot watch stuff like that. (Maybe it’s because I’ve had lots of surgeries in the past and my body remembers being cut into on some subconscious level?). It is the second kdrama I’ve dropped this week (after Gyeongsong Creature).
I looked at the Cupid show on Amazon and the first episode was so dumb that I felt embarrassed for the actors, particularly the guy from Parasite.
So as of today I’m watching no dramas! (I went back to AGDTBAD, given my now-empty schedule, but it’s once a week and I think skipping a week like the other dramas). I might watch Park’s Marriage Contract after it’s done, skipping through the inanity, but I no longer look forward to it. I have been FF-ing through Singles Inferno, but don’t count that as drama watching.
So–this will be the first time since January 2020, when I started watching kdramas just before Covid, that I don’t have a drama on-queue!
BTW I looked at the previews for the upcoming January dramas and so many of them seemed either derivative (the new Park Min-Young drama’s plot sounds exactly like Perfect Marriage Revenge) or throw in too many plot points when maybe just a simple romance would do.
I might go back and look at some “classics” if I really start to yearn for something else to watch… If anyone has anything to recommend, let me know. I trust your judgement far more than viewers who simply swoon over things like Hometown Cha Cha, KTL or My Demon for the “oppas.”
FYI I still haven’t seen Mr. Sunshine or Pachinko (which I’ve started three times, but never gotten past the first half of the first episode–mainly because I was waiting for season two to come out and there’s been no word on it). So I may get to them in January finally.
PS Is See You in my First Life any good? I keep seeing viewers rave about it, but tastes vary so widely, it’s really hard to determine if it’s worth watching.
@BethB, looking back over the dramas I completed in 2023, there are some that stand out to me as being more engaging than others. They had scripts that made sense and were engrossing, good production, and excellent acting. For one reason or another they weren’t discussed much on BoD. Here’s some from 2023 I think deserve a look, if you missed them:
Love Me, Love My Voice
Miraculous Brothers
Divorce Attorney Shin
Road Home
Love to Hate You
Meet Yourself
Mr Sunshine is one of my top kdramas. The production value blew me away.