It’s been a while since I last wrote a WAWW thread that I needed to dust off my memory banks to remember what I included in them. Synopsis, cast, number of episodes, start date, air date, where to watch it, original network. Did I miss anything?
I’ll continue keeping an eye on these shows released in July.
1. Spooky in Love
Starring Park EunBin (“Castaway Diva”) and Yang SeJong (“Still 17”)
Episodes: 12, the 5th episode is on Saturday
Airs on the weekend
Where to Watch it: Netflix
Network: tVN
2. The Apartment Job
Starring Ji Sung (“Kill me, Heal Me”) and Ha YoonKyoung (she’s the admin assistant in “Undercover Miss Hong”)
Episodes: 12, the 7th episode is on Saturday
Airs on the weekend, too
Where to Watch it: Netflix
Network: jTBC
3. Teach You a Lesson
There was a big buzz about this kdrama while I was in SK. But I wanted some sort of emotional distance in order to critique it.
Starring Kim MooYul and Jin KiJoo
Episodes: 10, all episodes are out
Where to Watch it: Netflix
Network: Netflix
4. Dream to You
I tried to watch this for Hyeri, but the male actor Hwang InYoup just turns me off. I admit that I never saw what fangirls found attractive about him in “True Beauty” but the nail in the coffin for him in this kdrama was the scene in Episode 1 when his character walked on stage in heels.
What the heck??? Is the costume designer his anti?
5. A Bona Fide Killer
I want to get my bad-ass-protagonist fix after “Agent Kim Reactivated” ended.
Starring Gong HyoJin (“Master’s Sun”) and Jung JuWon (never heard of him, but I’m sure I’ve seen him somewhere)
Episodes: 14, premiering tomorrow, Friday, July 31
Airs on Fridays and Saturdays
Where to Watch it: Viki and Kocowa
Network: MBC
This August kdrama interests me because I fell in love with the Korean countryside. I’ll ignore that she’s a prosecutor.
1. Our Sticky Love
“Our Sticky Love” is a sweet romantic comedy that follows Go Eun Sae (Ha Young), an amnesiac prosecutor who suddenly finds herself living under the same roof with Jang Tae Ha (Jung Hae In), a boxing coach who claims he’s her boyfriend. Set in a quiet countryside village lined with yeot (traditional Korean taffy) shops, their unexpected cohabitation sparks a quirky, heart-fluttering romance that’s as sweet—and sticky—as its setting.
Source: soompi
Cast: Jung HaeIn (“Love Next Door”) and Ha Young (never heard of her)
Episodes: 12
Start Date: Friday, August 7, I think all episodes will drop at once
Where to Watch it: Netflix
Network: Netflix
As for cdramas, I’m open to suggestions.
What about you? What are you all watching this month?
Thanks for these Queen 🥰
I’m watching Spooky In Love and trying to finish The First Jasmine.
I want to watch Dream To You because of Hyeri. 😆
I will definitely watch Our Sticky Love. ☺️
What’s with the kdrama titles? 😂
I’ll look for a cdrama after I finish TFJ.
How far along are you with “The First Jasmine”? Have you reached Episode 32? If my memory serves me right that’s where I stopped and skipped to Episode 40. Lol. I can join you.
“Sticky” Love? I don’t know if it has something to do with the guy being too needy and clingy. Or that they’re stuck in an awkward situation that they have no choice but to grin and bear it. Or that she’s wearing lots of bandage on her fingers in the trailer. Lol.
I think I’m only up to episode 19 of TFJ 😂 I’ll confirm with you.
You skipped it again??? 😂
Yeah the sticky 😂
I started “Spooky In Love” because of Yang Se Jong.
@Snowflower, I don’t know if I like Yang SeJong or his portrayal of his character GangUk. To me, GangUk is good specimen of a man-child. He’s a decent, high-minded, by-the-book sort of man. Yet he’s also awkward, a scaredy-cat, and a grandma’s boy.
But I do like both YSJ and GU more than Lee MinKi and his character in “Spellbound.”
I hope the storytelling doesn’t go south midway through the series.
@agdr03,
Ep 19?
Spoilers.
It’s the episode after Prince Li is found dead after a suspicious fire in the Eastern Palace. The Empress Dowager tasks the villainous Marquis to arrest everyone connected to Prince Li. One of those arrested is Mo Xiuyao’s military personnel because he’s falsely accused of associating with Prince Li by the Vice-Governor. So XiuYao personally beat up the Vice-Governor. XiuYao must have felt good, being able to kick the corrupt official, though he is going against the strict orders of our heroine Ye Li (or Ah-Li as XiuYao calls her) not to use or tire his legs.
Lol. The thing is Ah-Li lovingly prepared a medicinal hot pack for his yet-to-heal leg (it’s his right leg, IIRC) but he goes out to kick the Vice-Governor with the same leg. If I were Ah-Li, I would be annoyed.
Ah-Li doesn’t believe that Prince Li is dead so she sets off to investigates the Eastern Palace on her own. But she’s followed by her young admirer (I forgot his name). They find Prince Li’s escape route but are chased by men upon exiting the tunnel.
I just watched the silliest film, Wild Sing, 1 hr and 49mins. But I laughed so hard. It may not be so funny if you dont know the actors who are more or less usually in more serious productions. I am always intimidated by parodies in another language but these guys have such a good time! Oh Jung Se with lots of facial hair, Park Ji Hyun With bad table manners and an appetite for junk food, Shin Ha Kyun as a shameless villain, Uhm Tae Goo whose facial expressions totally cracked me up, and Kang Dong Won with a wig that really went too far.
I watched “teach you a lesson” as everybody talk about it. It’s disappointing. Ok, the thematics are good, and it’s based, but the drama itself is more like a western show than kdrama. Formulaic, procedural, not a “first episode of kdrama” but a “pilot episode” feeling. Sure, this episode is well done, engineered I’d say, clicking all the check you need to build a pilot episode. Then “one week = one case”, until last episodes, solving the “background long term plot”. It’s often unrealistic but two of the cases were interesting, thanks to take the time to develop them (half an hour of the episode).
Right now, I’m watching “We are all trying here”. Same writer than “liberation notes” (that I didn’t watch fully for reason not linked to its quality), and it’s even better. Just sometimes, a bit of slow pace, but anything else is top writing. It’s sharp, sarcastic, full of awesome lines. It’s the same feeling than famous older french movies, “comedies de moeurs” (many from the 70s, 80s), about the ironical comedy and the conflicts. If you are ready to plundge into this kind of thick and on-the-ground story, it’s good. Don’t expect fluffy rom-com or usual tone of many other kdramas.
Dear @WE, We Are All Trying Here was one of the best shows I have watched this year, beginning to end.
One or two people here also watched it at the time.
I know everyone is a little tired of long Cdramas..
But yet.
I have started Blossoms of Power from the very beginning all over again. It is rare for me to do this. A butterfly onto the next flower, that,s me.
But BoP is pretty special once you get past the first few episodes. Not a show that puts all the excitement upfront. The exact reverse.
MM and I have decided on our summer/fall rewatch. It will be an old favorite, The Beauty Inside. (Lee Min Ki! Park Min Young! plenty of fun cameos/guest roles for the FL’s transformations).
The writer, Im Me A Ri, will be the writer for one of Ji Chang Wook’s next: Human x Gumiho.
About Teach You A Lesson, I think there must be so many teachers out there in the world struggling under the pressures of being nice and good all the time that as one big mob they gloried in this revenge fantasy for teachers.
(I was a teacher and even though I hate vigilante shows I felt satisfied after this one. Cant say I enjoyed it, really, but looked forward to every episode)
One topic many people can agree on. the education system is broken and no one knows what to do about it.
I haven’t visited this forum in a long time. There was a period in my life when I wasn’t watching Asian dramas, or any TV. To sum up the last several months:
–Health concern, which after long waits for appointments and testing became…
–Cancer diagnosis
–Surgery, which removed all the cancer, but left me with…
–Paralyzed vocal cord, which took 4-1/2 months to reawaken
–Continued making music by learning how to play handbells
–Planned and took 21-day solo trip to South Korea, to celebrate being cancer free
Last night I started The East Palace to see if I could bear watching it despite the horror genre, and got hooked. The grotesque apparitions don’t frighten me because I’m too intrigued by their production. The storyline keeps me engaged with unexpected twists. The three lead actors turn in excellent performances, even when their characters are villainous or morally ambiguous. The young ML and FL have a tense dynamic between them which isn’t romantic, but the development of regard and partnership despite how they frustrate one another. The dynamic between the young FL and her father is fraught: both are strong willed and clever.
I watched up to Episode 27, then was put off by the scriptwriter drop a plot bomb by having people act out of character. Those who were usually perceptive put themselves at the mercy of someone they’d previously found suspicious, behaving as if they didn’t have a worry in the world. I’m less surprised that a get-together went south than that they had one at all, without cautions in place.
Oops. I meant to clarify that I watched to Episode 27 of The First Jasmine. The East Palace is only eight episodes in total.
Thanks for this Queen. ☺️
I’m starting episode 20 now. I like that A-Yao is starting to care more about A-li and that he is especially worried after talking to the doctor that checked A-li.
Yes, by healing his legs he really owes her his life 😄
The weirdest comment just popped up on the BoP pages; I want to keep it short but I am feeling a little hot under the collar.
Many of the souls on BOD have cried enough kdrama tears to fill a small swimming pool. The end of BoP (Ep36) has a return-from-the-dead-four-years-later scene, just one. The ML says “I’m back” and adds a bit about the season. (for me very LBFAD)
There was a strong current of repetitive online hooha about how the ending wasnt explained enough, or too short, or not enough babies or not enough kisses or not enough about how his body was snuck out of the capitol a few eps earlier. I didnt get it. The new little 5-year-old emperor runs around being precocious in 36, and there is even an ‘extra’ episode 37, where everything is explained.
I thought the ending was perfect as is, without any final ‘explanation’ of fake deaths, resultant power-sharing and parenting. The show was almost a prequel to the child’s reign, about all that his parents went through to create a stable empire for him. About their love and their scheming.
A lot of BoP oddly follows various kdrama rules, even though its a pretty standard costume cdrama (the birth of a new hybrid genre?). The dramatic return of the ML was signposted just enough to make one yearn for it in the middle of a fine palace-finale/volcanic-eruption during eps 32-36.
One soul said they didnt understand why the ML had to disappear at all! I was explaining why, if the mortally ill ML/Crown Prince had stayed around to inherit the throne while the current Emperor was dying, then his wife and child would have been in even more danger.
I was told that this was my implied opinion and asked to back it up (!!!??). I was lucky that Jeremy Xu (a tragic villain in this show) and his show-brother had had a conversation about this exact possible danger way back in Ep9 (and that I actually still remembered it).
What got to me was that I was just stating the obvious if you know drama plots, or at minimum exploring my understanding of the plot’s various possible outcomes.
Not an opinion for some idiotic fanfight, but an understanding.
Arent we allowed to understand anymore?
ps. the weirdest thing is that this is a drama where everything is explained 2-3 times by various characters, most notably in the first 5 eps, so it feels a little babyish to begin with. But an easy low-key watch…we have to defend our ‘opinions’?
I tried watching the new workplace romance that replaced ‘See You at Work Tomorrow’ but I fell asleep at Ep 1.
In the end I’ll just rewatch ‘Pinocchio’ which is so good, nothing much among the new shows can hold a candle against it. I’m being spoilt by PHR dramas!!!
I loooooovvve Our Sticky Love!!!🥰 it’s not perfect and I will not ask questions but I thought it was funny, warm, violent, emotional, great characters, perfect casting, great confession from the couple and the best round up for a great ending!!! It was very satisfying!!! 😍😍😍
I really like Jung HaeIn here. 🥰
This is the best out of all the country town kdramas. ☺️
Spooky In Love is really fun to watch. It is, as promised, a crisp, professional chaebol turn.
I am waiting for the new kdrama season in October. And beyond. Modern K-rom-com has run into a temporary rut, so new sageuk and fantasy promise relief.
Still appreciating the Pinocchio (’14) rewatch.
My other rewatch, The Beauty Inside (’18) wears extremely well, a timeless classic on the silly but cool side of things. The airplane company settings, the fashion!, the wacky supporting characters…reminds me of the initial impact of kdrama’s absurdist, surreal but deeply sentimental edge.
Thinking about a rewatch of We Are All Trying Here, which has remained indelible, with small perfect bits floating to mind often.
Given that I am a viki watcher and still educating myself in cdrama trends I have been watching:
Whispers of Fate (’25) for wuxia trends (essentially now they are kid’s shows) and its poppy steampunk paddle/winged steamer boats,
You Have My Heart (’26) to strengthen my sense that a big trend in Chinese horror is on the horizon,
and surprisingly, The Beauty of Resilience (’23). Even tho xianxia is so not my thing (yards and yards and yards of synthetic fabrics! tacky romance advice!), I was curious about the two ‘veteran’ stalwart x-leads in tBoR, Ju JIng Yi and ‘Fiction’ Guo. The plot and pacing are decent and unpretentious, and the CGI/fighting is a little better than usual.
About Chinese horror, the problem for my watching is that there is a lot of aesthetic history to digest, so I am trying to get ahead of the trend.
Actually, given East Palace’s popularity, kdrama on streamers may exhibit more of the same in kdrama horror soon.
I loved Exhuma, a film, and in retrospect, East Palace looks better than at the time. I am a little claustrophobic, so if you have seen the show you can imagine the scratch marks left on my armchair by my fingernails. Hoping for more shows in the open air.
Cdrama on viki alert!
The Shadow Sovereign just dropt in the US. A BiliBili production, 18 eps @30mins.ea., Snow Kong (PoJ) and Li Hong Yi.
Following various connections to a long review on Your Heart Is Mine, I have been informed that BiliBili is now producing quality shorter dramas, vs. IQIYI which has a very peculiar pyramidal financial strategy of throwing a lot of money at bigger and bigger productions.
@GB, I don’t watch enough new dramas to confirm whether overall script quality is declining. So far I’ve only noticed it in rom-coms, along with an increase in “American-style pilot episode” dramas followed by procedural episodes. And were those even the good rom-coms? At least the ones that are hyped on MDL — but are there other worthwhile ones out there?
In any case, that doesn’t solve the problem, even if we go back to older dramas. We’ve set the bar very high regarding the required quality, and often with top-tier writers — whether the most famous ones, the most experienced, or those who pulled off a real screenwriting feat.
Moreover, the dramas we’ve chosen have something iconic about them, a distinctive quality that sets them apart from the rest. I mentioned a record for “Remember: War of the Son”: the unprecedented number of obstacles in a single drama. Even a drama like “Imaginary Cat”, which is clearly less refined in terms of plot complexity, still had strong distinctive markers “the most cute and adorable drama”, “with a cat thinking”. Choosing a drama worth rewatching for a rewatch party isn’t easy, and due to lack of time, I don’t watch enough dramas to expand that list.
I have no idea which direction we should take. Maybe focus on well-known writers or the very best ones?
For example, the writing duo Jang Young-chul and Jung Kyung-soon. The problem is that their best drama is “Empress Ki”, which has 51 episodes. “Big Mouth” is shorter, but far from being their best work. “Incarnation of Money” could be a good choice — it’s especially funny.
Kim Eun-sook, the most famous screenwriter, has written some dramas I don’t like, BUT I have two in mind that are worth the detour: “On Air” (about the world of drama production, featuring a silly screenwriter character she modeled after herself) and “The Glory”, which is intense, remarkable for its unexpected dialogue, and features complex flashback editing.
Park Ji-eun, whose dramas are extremely popular (“Crash Landing on You”, “Queen of Tears”). She knows how to deliver success, but from my point of view, I haven’t seen anything extraordinary. Maybe “My love from the stars”?
Kang Eun-kyung (“King of Baking”, “Dr. Romantic”). I have good memories of “Dr. Romantic”. If you pay attention, you can feel the plot device in every medical case, designed to reveal something about one of the characters.
Kim Soon-ok, the queen of makjang and creator of the “crack makjang” style. It’s a type of drama we rarely discuss here. “The Penthouse” has the markers of a drama that offers something unique from a screenwriting perspective. It’s furiously funny on a second-degree level (there’s a self-parodic side to it). It’s tightly structured — every episode has to hit its targets — and yet there isn’t a single dead scene. Every scene is dramatic (or even over-dramatic). No other writer manages to do that, not even our favorites. Even a Song Jae-jung drama has a few moments of breathing room (for exposition, for a transition, etc.).
Park Hae-young has a unique style. Unfortunately I haven’t watched “My Mister”, which is considered her best. I didn’t finish “Liberation Notes”. The dialogue was delicious in “We Are All Trying Here”, but I noticed some significant slowdowns here and there.
Leaving the screenwriter aside, a few dramas stand out in my memory:
“From Now On, Showtime!” — I no longer remember the screenplay quality, but the actors turned it into something incredibly funny.
“Iris” — it was filmed both as a movie and a drama. I remember some non-linear narration moments and a unique tone for a K-drama, modeled after the American series 24.
“The King 2 Hearts” — I don’t remember the screenplay clearly, but the drama was breathtaking. A few moments were poorly executed because of the special effects and insufficient budget for the military scenes.
“Fashion King” — the drama everyone hates, yet written by an excellent screenwriter from the older generation. I rewatched episode 1 yesterday and was blown away by the quality of the script. Not complex montage like Park Hye-ryun, but the cause-and-effect chain of events, the transitions, and the ability to corner the characters in order to drive the story forward.
“Jang Ok-jung” — I love this drama, but I question the screenplay quality. It has that fast-paced narration typical of older historical dramas, something we’ve never really discussed. There’s also an early scene, almost undetectable, that comes back like a boomerang around episode 13.
Hi @WE, I’ve also watched fewer dramas and the ones I did watch do not have the same calibre of script. They are ‘entertainment’ with some points of discussion, more likely on the plot and not much else.
What do you think of watching not for the writer but in order to point out what is lacking as well as what is good? Both recent as well as older dramas can be selected.
In the list of shows you’ve mentioned, I have watched a few and may only wish to rewatch a very few like The King 2 Hearts and My Love from the Stars… ie, nothing with too much suffering or revenge like My Glory. From Now on Showtime seemed rather silly to me, Iris was serious…
I did not watch the following: Incarnation of Money, but it it’s a black comedy so that will be interesting. Jang Ok Jung I gather you would like because of Kim Tae Hee,… it sounds passably okay. I may even consider the Penthouse franchise for it’s OTT-ness.
So it’s back to the drawing board or to the Excel list of shows that we had. I did really want to watch Signal 2, but it does not appear to have any new airing date since the controversy over Jo Jin Woong broke. 🙂
So new dramas that may not be good or the oldies?
@GB, I already don’t want to watch bad dramas, so you think… rewatch them? 😂
I already got everything I needed about bad writing from some dramas I watched once (“my demon”) or even watched twice (“hospital playlist”, a true gold mine about what to never do in a screenplay, a masterful lesson, woo!, I have goosebumps just to think about that now, but ok Maggot Girl was still great, my only hope in this!). 😂
@WE, one writer stands out to me on your list: Park Ji Eun.
There are plenty of shows which she has written I would like to watch.
One special reason is that she is the writer for a show due to come out next year with Kim Go Eun, Kang Dong Won and other good actors. A sageuk/dfantasy so you may not be so excited by that. It doesnt have an english name yet, but you can see it on PJE’s listing on MDL.
I am an unrepentant fan of Queen of Tears.
Since I am doing a private rehabilitative retrospective of Kim Soo Hyun’s work, there is some overlap with a list of her shows (QoT, and My Love from the Star).
I think The Producers also looks good and would love to watch Legend of the Blue Sea all the way through.
Are all of these well-written @WE?
Fashion King sounds fun. I like the idea of Dongdaemun market districy. I have a subscription to kocowa so it is available to me.
One of my first projects was to watch the Hong sisters’ shows. Are they badly written, @WE?
I learned the vocabulary of kdrama from that watch. I have seen all of them except two: Couple or trouble and Hong Gil Hong.
I hesitate to suggest any because of the famous completely weird Hong Sisters non-endings.
I will be quiet after this suggestion, which is once again, not for a show I have seen, but for one I want to watch, of the appropriate length, writer etc.
There is Jin Soo Wan, who wrote Chicago typewriter, Twinkling Watermelon, and lots of earlier work that looks good.
But in particular I keep meaning to watch Moon embracing the Sun, how about that?
MM and I did a (re)watch of Jang Ok Jung already this year. I suppose it would be easy to actually rewatch it. It was great. Kim Tae Hee was great. Yooh Ah In, who is returning to work, was the king to end all kings.
Hi @WE, I’ve asked you a question on MDL!!!
@IB I’m open to suggestions as to watching shows for the first time and am thinking of a suggestion of my own, but hang on a bit.
Thanks for the quick review of Jang Ok Jung. I’ve become rather slow and picky over shows nowadays. I find it hard to continue if something or other in the early episodes bother me.
I tried again to watch My Bias My Boss since @pkml3 has Ep 8 comments on it. I’m only at Ep 1 and find the FL too immature, such a drunken clutz… more along those lines. I’m not sure I will watch Ep 2. Maybe only to see her grow up and for the romance that is sure to come.
I’ve yet to watch the latest ep of Spooky … somehow I did not feel compelled to watch the minute it dropped.
Same here on the Spooky finale.
@IF: legend of the sea, it’s very funny at the start, and I was hooked until the end, while I was aware what I was watching was often bad. Accumulation of stuff, everything at once, reincarnation, magic ability of ML (not even had an impact after), sirene with super-strengh (huh?), etc.
The producers: I didn’t watch, but I should, I like the thematic.
My love from the stars: I watched a long time ago, I remember last episode gave me an indigestion of cheese. But first episode is very well done.
Hong’s sisters: we know them well here, as Pm3 likes what they do. I noticed they are good at first episodes, but there is always a hole later, in their dramas. Can be Alchemy of soul, My girl, Hotel del Luna. There is a moment when it’s boring, more or less. (I forced myself to end Hotel del luna, had to watch last episode in three times). So, it’s kind of writers I’d be happy to rewatch few episodes, but not the whole drama. It’s what I did: first 20 minutes of Master Sun are great.
A little shamefaced to say I am joining in with the brazen-faced romance women out there and am addicted to
The Early Spring. four small words. Jing. Bo. Ran. Wow. He is a great actor, but what the director has done for him here will pay the rent for years to come as a mature, well….
But also, excellent script, actors, cinematography, you name it.
Inappropriate workplace romance definitely not my thing, but at least here it isnt papered over with sentimentality; it is problematic as all hell. The characters struggle with it, the leads delight in endlessly explosive revelatory moments.
@GB: I know I’m in love with the main actress of Jang Ok Jung. (well, you know that too, hey hey, I never had hide it, I’m a poor man succombing for a “femme fatale”, one of my favorite archetype).
But I find the drama still great about twists, and from female point of view: The King, with actor Yoo Ha In. And really, if I could fall in love with main actress, I think any woman would fall in love with the King. So, somehow, balance is preserved.
Also, I find the FL journey great, and a real challenge for the actress. She changes so much from what she’s at the beginning and what she becomes later. Some people said Kim Tae Hee isn’t a good actress (yes, in the old times people were saying that, jalous of her beauty). But here she gives proof than she can do such a complicated role to perfection. I would add: it’s like a character perfect for her, sometimes it happens, you have a character, and BONG! the actress is the perfection incarnation of that character. Some crazy luck here.
The confrontation in the palace are so good and so sneaky. It’s the situation (queen vs concubine) that Queen In Hyun’s man establishes for a drama. At this time, Song Jae-Jung drama was made before, but taking into consideration many dramas or movies with Jang Ok Jung and the epic fighting Concubine Vs Queen. Then we get those epic fighting in Jang Ok Jung (and everything with a polite tone, respecting the tradition of the court, no one will say “go fuck yourself”, LOL, no, using poetic (but harsh) language.
(sorry for my bad english, I didn’t used translator).
Dear Friends, happy to read you all!
I have been in a rewatch phase. At this moment “Okaeri Mone (2021)” is my Soul Food.
On the other hand Aoi No Usagi the Fansubber have allowed me into her Tumblr Community so have had the pleasure to watch “Someday, in Zero Gravity (Itsuka, Mujuryoku no Sora de – 2025)” which I still want to complete once Aoi-san posts all episodes.
A little synopsis: A group of Ladies in their 30s that were a close knit group in their school days (when they were part of the Astronomy Club), reunite at that age to create then launch an artificial satellite. Of course Life has gotten in the way of their dreams, so learning to make space in their lives to learn to dream again makes for a hard start, but with the sageness to make said dreams come true is is an incredibly uplifting watch.
Also plan to rewatch “Hirayasumi (2025)” about a part-time worker living with his Art student cousin. His Bare Minimum approach makes us question about what is truly important, and sometimes the people in contact with him tend to return to their roots and what they really love.
Since both series are in Aoi’s private Community, I consider them to be hard to find and as such, a privilege… so I hesitate to recommend them.
In the Anime Area, I am enjoying the new release of “Ghost in the Shell (2026)” since I have heard that it sticks closer to the Author’s Manga and hence his original wiew.
“Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You (2026)” about an office worker that enjoys having a smoke with a beautiful Supermarket worker Lady that is the real person behind his cashier crush (he is a little bit dim in some areas, so he doesn’t get that the soft-spoken cashier and the blunt – maybe even abrasive – Lady in front of him are the same person). Maybe Love starts as the desire to know each other and enjoy their company.
That’s all for now. These have been very interesting months for us.
Hope to keep reading you! Read you soon!
About KTH in Jang Ok Jung
Hi @WE, yes we know that we know which actress you’re ‘in love’ with. I will take your word for it that there are great twists in the show.
Perhaps this particular show allowed KTH to showcase her acting range, whereas other shows just needed a pretty face. I believe I saw her in Yong Pal (I did not like the show. She left no impression on me) and was sweet in My Princess.
About the actress being the perfect incarnation of the character… at least their interests aligned. KTH graduated from fashion design and the character was also a fashion designer.
The synopsis tells me that this version of the Jang Ok Jung story is about her before she became the troublesome concubine. Yes court politics and conversations are full of polite but deadly minefields and traps.
If you will consider rewatching it, I may do a concurrent first watch and come along for the ride. 😜
My Dear @FGB, it’s always good to know that you’re watching and rewatching jdoramas. Unfortunately I find it hard to make time for dramas and have not watched a jdorama for a couple of years now.
I trust you are well and that things are stable for you. Take care of yourself, and know that you are in my thoughts.
I publish here the Baeksang Arts Awards about screenwriting. There are few times when I can’t be agree (mostly in recent years, I think “Moving” was crap and hospital playlist too which I give the award of worst screenplay ever). Else it’s worth seeing that list and get a watching list, at least for curiosity of what was considered the best writing for each year.
1991 (27e)
Winner: Park Jung-ran — Balsam Under the Wool (울밑에 선 봉선화, KBS1)
1992 (28e)
Winner: Yang Geun-seung — Love on a Jujube Tree (대추나무 사랑걸렸네)
1993 (29e)
Winner: Im Choong — Ilchul Peak (일출봉, MBC)
1994 (30e)
Winner: Kim Jung-soo — My Mother’s Sea (엄마의 바다)
1995 (31e)
Winner: Lee Geum-rim — When I Miss You (당신이 그리워질때, KBS)
Winner: Song Ji-na — Sandglass (모래시계, SBS)
1996 (32e)
Winner: Moon Young-nam — Even if the Wind Blows (바람은 불어도, KBS)
1997 (33e)
Winner: Son Young-mok — A Faraway Country (머나먼 나라, KBS)
1998 (34e)
Winner: Park Jung-ran — Offspring (새끼, SBS)
1999 (35e)
Winner: Noh Hee-kyung — Lie (거짓말, KBS)
2000 (36e)
Winner: Jung Sung-joo — Roses and Beansprouts (장미와 콩나물, MBC)
2001 (37e)
Winner: Kim Soo-hyun — The Aspen Tree (은사시나무, SBS)
Jung Sung-joo — Mother / Ajumma (아줌마, MBC)
Oh Soo-yun — Autumn in My Heart (가을동화, KBS2)
2002 (38e)
Winner: Kim Jung-soo — Her House (그 여자네 집, MBC)
2003 (39e)
Winner: In Jung-ok — Ruler of Your Own World (네 멋대로 해라, MBC)
Lee Hwan-kyung — Rustic Period (야인시대, SBS)
2004 (40e)
Winner: Kim Ki-ho — Something Happened in Bali (발리에서 생긴 일, SBS)
2005 (41e)
Winner: Kim Eun-sook, Kang Eun-jung — Lovers in Paris (파리의 연인, SBS)
In Jung-ok — Ireland (아일랜드, MBC)
Lee Kyung-hee — I’m Sorry, I Love You (미안하다, 사랑한다, KBS2)
2006 (42e)
Winner: Kim Do-woo — My Name Is Kim Sam-soon (내 이름은 김삼순, MBC)
Lee Jung-sun — Be Strong, Geum-soon! (굳세어라 금순아, MBC)
Moon Young-nam — My Rosy Life (장밋빛 인생, KBS2)
2007 (43e)
Winner: Choi Wan-kyu, Jung Hyung-soo — Jumong (주몽, MBC)
Choi Soon-shik — Please Come Back, Soon-ae (돌아와요 순애씨, SBS)
Hong Jung-eun, Hong Mi-ran — Couple or Trouble (환상의 커플, MBC)
Lee Han-ho, Jung Sung-hee — Seoul 1945 (서울 1945, KBS1)
Yoon Sun-joo — Hwang Jini (황진이, KBS2)
2008 (44e)
Winner: Lee Kyung-hee — Thank You (고맙습니다, MBC)
Hwang Eun-kyung — New Heart (뉴하트, MBC)
Jung Yoo-kyung — In-soon Is Pretty (인순이는 예쁘다, KBS2)
Kim Soo-hyun — My Husband’s Woman (내 남자의 여자, SBS)
Lee Jung-ah — Coffee Prince (커피프린스 1호점, MBC)
2009 (45e)
Winner: Yoo Hyun-mi — The Scale of Providence (신의 저울, SBS)
Hong Jin-ah, Hong Ja-ram — Beethoven Virus (베토벤 바이러스, MBC)
Kim Eun-sook — On Air (온에어, SBS)
Kim Soo-hyun — Mom’s Dead Upset (엄마가 뿔났다, KBS2)
Moon Hee-jung — Last Scandal (내 생애 마지막 스캔들, MBC)
2010 (46e)
Winner: Chun Sung-il — The Slave Hunters (추노, KBS2)
Kim Young-hyun, Park Sang-yeon — Queen Seondeok (선덕여왕, MBC)
Park Ji-eun — Queen of Housewives (내조의 여왕, MBC)
Shin Jae-won, Lee Ji-hyang, Choi Yi-rang, Lee Jae-yoon — Tamra, the Island (탐나는도다, MBC)
So Hyun-kyung — Brilliant Legacy (찬란한 유산, SBS)
2011 (47e)
Winner: Kim Eun-sook — Secret Garden (시크릿 가든, SBS)
Jang Young-chul — Giant (자이언트, SBS)
Jung Ha-yeon — Flames of Desire (욕망의 불꽃, MBC)
Kang Eun-kyung — Bread, Love and Dreams (제빵왕 김탁구, KBS2)
Kim Gyu-wan — Cinderella’s Sister (신데렐라 언니, KBS2)
2012 (48e)
Winner: Kim Young-hyun, Park Sang-yeon — Deep Rooted Tree (뿌리깊은 나무, SBS)
Choi Wan-kyu — Lights and Shadows (빛과 그림자, MBC)
Hong Mi-ran, Hong Jung-eun — The Greatest Love (최고의 사랑, MBC)
Jo Jung-joo, Kim Wook — The Princess’ Man (공주의 남자, KBS2)
Yoon Kyung-ah — Brain (브레인, KBS2)
2013 (49e)
Winner: Park Kyung-soo — The Chaser (추적자, SBS)
Choi Hee-ra — Golden Time (골든타임, MBC)
Ha Myung-hee — Can We Get Married? (우리가 결혼할 수 있을까, JTBC)
Lee Woo-jung — Reply 1997 (응답하라 1997, tvN)
Park Ji-eun — My Husband Got a Family (넝쿨째 굴러온 당신, KBS2)
2014 (50e)
Winner: Jung Sung-joo — Secret Love Affair (밀회, JTBC)
Ha Myung-hee — One Warm Word (따뜻한 말 한마디, SBS)
Park Ji-eun — My Love from the Star (별에서 온 그대, SBS)
Kim Ji-woo — Shark / Don’t Look Back (상어, KBS2)
Lee Woo-jung — Reply 1994 (응답하라 1994, tvN)
2015 (51e)
Winner: Park Kyung-soo — Punch (펀치, SBS)
Jin Soo-wan — Kill Me, Heal Me (킬미힐미, MBC)
Jung Sung-joo — Heard It Through the Grapevine (풍문으로 들었소, SBS)
Kim Woon-kyung — Yuna’s Street (유나의 거리, JTBC)
Noh Hee-kyung — It’s Okay, That’s Love (괜찮아, 사랑이야, SBS)
2016 (52e)
Winner: Kim Eun-hee — Signal (시그널, tvN)
Kim Eun-sook, Kim Won-seok — Descendants of the Sun (태양의 후예, KBS2)
Kim Young-hyun, Park Sang-yeon — Six Flying Dragons (육룡이 나르샤, SBS)
Lee Woo-jung — Reply 1988 (응답하라 1988, tvN)
Yang Hee-seung — Oh My Ghost (오 나의 귀신님, tvN)
2017 (53e)
Winner: Noh Hee-kyung — Dear My Friends (디어 마이 프렌즈, tvN)
Kim Eun-sook — Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (도깨비, tvN)
Kang Eun-kyung — Dr. Romantic (낭만닥터 김사부, SBS)
Park Hae-young — Another Miss Oh (또! 오해영, tvN)
Song Jae-jung — W (더블유, MBC)
2018 (54e)
Winner: Lee Soo-yeon — Stranger (비밀의 숲, tvN)
Baek Mi-kyung — The Lady in Dignity (품위있는 그녀, JTBC)
Lim Sang-choon — Fight for My Way (쌈 마이웨이, KBS2)
Jung Bo-hoon — Prison Playbook (슬기로운 감빵생활, tvN)
Jeong Seo-kyeong — Mother (마더, tvN)
2019 (55e)
Winner: Park Hae-young — My Mister (나의 아저씨, tvN)
Lee Nam-kyu, Kim Soo-jin — The Light in Your Eyes (눈이 부시게, JTBC)
Kim Eun-sook — Mr. Sunshine (미스터 션샤인, tvN)
Do Hyun-jung — Children of Nobody (붉은 달 푸른 해, MBC)
Yoo Hyun-mi — SKY Castle (SKY 캐슬, JTBC)
2020 (56e)
Winner: Lim Sang-choon — When the Camellia Blooms (동백꽃 필 무렵, KBS2)
Kim Roo-ri — Hyena (하이에나, SBS)
Park Ji-eun — Crash Landing on You (사랑의 불시착, tvN)
Lee Shin-hwa — Hot Stove League (스토브리그, SBS)
Lee Woo-jung — Hospital Playlist (슬기로운 의사생활, tvN)
2021 (57e)
Winner: Kim Su-jin — Beyond Evil (괴물, JTBC)
Kim Eun-jung — My Unfamiliar Family (가족입니다, tvN)
Yoo Jung-hee — Flower of Evil (악의 꽃, tvN)
Jo Yong — It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (사이코지만 괜찮아, tvN)
Ha Myung-hee — Record of Youth (청춘기록, tvN)
2022 (58e)
Winner: Kim Min-seok — Juvenile Justice (소년심판, Netflix)
Kim Hong-ki, Park Nu-ri, Choi Sung-jin, Yoon Sung-ho — Political Fever (Wavve)
Baek Mi-kyung — Mine (마인, tvN)
Lee Na-eun — Our Beloved Summer (그 해 우리는, SBS)
Hwang Dong-hyuk — Squid Game (오징어 게임, Netflix)
2023 (59e)
Winner: Park Hae-young — My Liberation Notes (나의 해방일지, JTBC)
Kim Eun-sook — The Glory (더 글로리, Netflix)
Moon Ji-won — Extraordinary Attorney Woo (이상한 변호사 우영우, ENA)
Jeong Seo-kyung — Little Women (작은 아씨들, tvN)
Hong Jung-eun, Hong Mi-ran — Alchemy of Souls (환혼, tvN)
2024 (60e)
Winner: Kang Full — Moving (무빙, Disney+)
Kim Eun-hee — Revenant (악귀, SBS)
Bae Se-young — The Good Bad Mother (나쁜엄마, JTBC)
Lee Nam-gyu, Oh Bo-hyun, Kim Da-hee — Daily Dose of Sunshine (정신병동에도 아침이 와요, Netflix)
Lim Dae-hyung, Jeon Go-woon — LTNS (TVING)
2025 (61e)
Winner: Lim Sang-choon — When Life Gives You Tangerines (폭싹 속았수다, Netflix)
Kim Jung-min — Family Matters (가족계획, Coupang Play)
Park Ji-sook — The Tale of Lady Ok (옥씨부인전, JTBC)
Lee Si-eun — Lovely Runner (선재 업고 튀어, tvN)
Choi Yu-na — Good Partner (굿파트너, SBS)
2026 (62e)
Winner: Song Hye-jin — You and Everything Else (은중과 상연, Netflix)
Kwon Jong-gwan — The Price of Confession (자백의 대가, Netflix)
Lee Kang — Our Unwritten Seoul (미지의 서울, tvN)
Lee Sun — To My Beloved Thief (은애하는 도적님아, KBS2)
Chu Song-yeon — The Art of Sarah (레이디 두아, Netflix)
@WE,
Thank you for the list. I see many great dramas on it, including my all time favorite, The Slave Hunters.
I am still watching Spooky In Love. I also started Four Hands Two Sonatas. Could not say no to a piano drama!
@SnowFlower: yes, I watched some of them, like “Slave Hunters”. I think they consider something more general than just the screenplay. Can be how important is the thematic and how well it’s made, like “Tree with deep roots” about the creation of Hangul. It would need to dig about what they say about their choices.
I suppose you already watched Secret Love Affair and Page turner. 😉
Thanks @WE, this is a good resource. I have watched rather few of these shows (maybe 26?) and may have tried another 5-10 and gave up without completing them. Based on your sentiments about those 2 winners that you despise, I wonder what the criteria is to get a Baeksang for Writing. Did it have to be mainly popular? I asked AI…
It tells us:
“Winning the Baeksang Arts Awards for Best Screenplay in the television category depends on professional merit, artistic quality, and a rigorous expert-judging process rather than public popularity.
Eligibility Criteria
Release Window: The K-drama must have aired or been released between April 1 of the previous year and March 31 of the award year.
Format: The series must consist of at least four episodes.
For ongoing or long-running serialized shows, at least one-third of the total episodes must have aired by the evaluation deadline.
Platforms: Content broadcast via terrestrial networks, general programming channels, cable, or streaming/OTT and web platforms are all fully eligible.
Judging and Evaluation Standards
Expert Panel: A preliminary survey of industry professionals (such as producers, critics, and media experts) helps assemble a reference pool of candidates.
Professional Jury: A rigorous final evaluation is conducted by a panel of professional judges appointed for the television sector.Core
Qualities: The judges assess scripts based on structural integrity, depth of narrative, character development, originality, and overall cultural or artistic impact.”
@WE,
I have watched Secret Love Affair and Page Turner, and loved both. Secret Love Affair is the best piano drama so far.
Four Hands is promising. The actors are good. My pet peeve about classical music dramas is the idea that “real musicians don’t play from sheet music, they follow their heart.” So far I have not encountered this idea, so I keep my fingers crossed.
Hi@WE, still stuck into looking at dramas.
Just started On Air. It passed the 2 minute test. Interesting office scene, actors and industry, I want to see more.
A looong time ago — so no women in the first scene? Its a man’s man’s world in old SK.
@IF: Funny this two minutes test. I don’t do it, but sometimes I’m hit by the very first scene.
I rewatched first part of episode 1: it uses a cold open (it’s how we call that? not sure), but cold in the way there is no music during lot of scenes. It creates a feeling of “it’s now, it’s live”. Lot of conflicts in big rooms with lot of echo.
Indeed there are lot of men in the production company, but very fast we meet two main actresses, so “an actress” and “a screenwriter” (it’s the character making me to want to rewatch because she’s funny).
The dialogues are dense, People speaks a lot and fast, and I had to stop using my french version (too long lines) and restart from an english version I auto-translated (not as good, but it helps me).
So what do the writer here: gives lot of information, but instead to do a flat expo, hides it in dramatic scenes with arguments. It’s still hard to catch everything. The writer chooses to do that instead of something 100% realistic, as for example: I can’t make sens of why the president of the other company comes here to create a scandal about the actress, when it’s probably not new that she has now another manager now, then the scene doesn’t feel natural, but at least the job is done and it’s dramatic and conflictual. Or it’s just me who missed something, I had to rewatch further to check that.