#why didn't they write the FL as well as the ML?

[fake-married-my-dead-fiance]

Review: The Red Sleeve

I felt like it was so unbalanced. The ML and his struggles and journey were so well written and well acted (and King Grandpa), but the FL was flat and boring and confusing and it drove me insane.

She keeps saying that she wants "freedom/choices" but the drama never makes it clear what she would be losing or gaining as a concubine. And please don't explain to me, because my problem is the drama should have explained. They did explain for the Crown Prince, I totally knew and understood his sacrifices and his state of mind, but not hers. And then even in the latter half of Ep 16 when she is a concubine, sure she can't leave the palace, but she still sees her friends a lot. She has to wait for the king, but she also used to stand around waiting for hours to give him his medicine, so... Every so often the female characters would say something about their lives sucking, but they never really got into it in a meaningful way. And just saying, "We're stuck here", I mean wasn't the FL basically stuck there as a maid? Wasn't society in general pretty restrictive for women? Just telling me every so often that life sucks isn't enough!

Even the other female characters seemed to be less well-written than the male ones. Princess Hwawan was delusional, The Evil Concubine of Evil was cruel to the FL before she even had a reason to be jealous, the King's mother was just kind of flat, The Evil Head Court Lady had a great motivation for her plots and then they ruined it by making her motivation jealousy, and then the Queen Dowager, my beautiful Queen Dowager got character assassinated in the second last episode!

I think the Queen Dowager was trying to gain some influence over the king but I hated this because it made her look petty and she was such a rational character for the whole show:

Even her fight with Princess Hwawan wasn't petty, it was about establishing her power. What was this? So dumb. Why do you keep destroying your female characters drama?

And to go on about how dumb this was, the FL could have taken this out! She had no reason to refuse to work for the Queen Dowager the second time. Her options were, explicitly:

The king will rape you

The Evil Concubine will Keep Evil-ing

Work as a Court Maid for the Queen Dowager

And she takes none of the above? I don't tell me she gave into love, she looking like someone was stabbing her the whole time she was being prepared to sleep with the king.

Uhhh.... and then her wonderful "defiance" at the end is to never tell the man she loves that she loves him? Am I supposed to find that strong of her? I mean it's a messed up relationship all around but what?

The drama also never gets into the happy parts of her life with the king, they basically skipped the whole part with her kid. Having a kid is pretty cool since her only other option was virgin. And I wouldn't bring this up, except her friend died to have a relationship, so the drama brought this up. There are clearly things the FL has gained.

I wish I liked it, I respect the people who recommended it, but it didn't work at all for me.

Minor things: loved the relationship between the senior Court Lady (Seo?) and the Chief Guard. I didn't think the group of four friends with the FL had good friend chemistry. I wish they had dwelt more on the tragedy of 12 year old concubine Hong and her shitty, shitty brother trying to be the uncle of a prince. I hated that the FL forgave him, her death was totally his fault because of his ambition.

The 30 year time jump was hilarious because no one looked 30 years older, they just gave the ML a lil beard and called it a day.

Also, after the king banished the FL and she was living with the princess, she should have just avoided the king that day. You think it would be simple enough to tell her very nice employer, "The king ordered me to stay out of his sight I need a day off." That's a royal command, her employer likes her, it shouldn't have been a problem. It just felt contrived.

And is she allowed to say no when she was recalled by the king's mother? That wasn't clear.

[slowd1ving]

PRIORITY POLLLL

my fingers are itching to write for either sunday or ratio.... yk what that means.....

HONKAI STAR RAIL MASTERLIST

MASTERLIST ・゜・NAVIGATION

1. pope!sunday + knight! m!reader: it's not everyday you're shoved into the shitty b-rated romance novel your friend read, but derailing the plot by looting this world before the fl and her ml entourage can is the least of your concerns as you fuck around and gain your own recognition. journey around the land of argo as you best monsters with your legendary sword and armies with the magic imbued with Earthen scientific loopholes! whether it be just a novel or a world in its own right, your actions are either meaningless (as it's just a novel) or meaningless (as it's truly a different world). although, such recognition comes at a price; as a newly-minted war hero against the chaotic, demonic forces, you're assigned the most dangerous male lead to guard as your next assignment - the obsessive papal figure for the order, sunday. but this too is perfect for you; might as well brush up on your theology skills in this world as you seek answers. outside his faith to ENA, second to only his absolute devotion to the female lead, there's no way you'll catch his eye like that, right?

2. cursed prince! ratio x alchemist m! reader: all knowledge comes at a price. cursed by his imperial tutor NOUS after accessing heretical material, he's fated to live entrapped in stone forever. a hundred years later, a scientist is transported to the kingdom of metis; a place where academia thrives but only the approved content. you're not sure why the hell you're in the indie rpg lament of ouroboros, but you do know it sucks and you'd rather die than come across the irritating main cast. what better way to have fun than to access the hidden side of magic through use of scientific formulae? unfortunately, the practice of alchemy is heretical to the kingdom and so you daylight as a sculptor! strange, this particular rock you started carving out of a whim looks like the deposed prince of a century back, your apprentice aventurine notes. how odd! how strange! veritas ratio is name you've never come across in-game; maybe it's because you didn't read enough lore about its stupid collectibles. regardless, every time you cast a detail - a smoother ear, a more textured iris - the ever-conscious prince ratio regains just a little more of his senses. and maybe it's your knowledge, or the intuition you possess, but something tells you there's a deeper meaning to the statue you started carving out of boredom. and what a coincidence that alchemy transmutates materials!

3. theology student! sunday x m reader (roommate au): something tells you the finicky orchestral conductor and theology student sunday quite dislikes you. is it the purse of his lips as you walk past in crooked formal wear that informs you? is it the jarring chords scraping against the fluting lilt of the strings and brasses? is it the harsh glare in his eyes as you walk past him on campus? it's perhaps the worst and unluckiest week in your life as soon as the new school year starts: your girlfriend's dumped you after her crush on the aforementioned halovian grows too pressing for her to stay quiet about, while you're assigned sunday as a roommate to rub more salt in the wound. but maybe his fluttering wings aren't as indicative of his frustration as they seem, and maybe you're not as headache-inducing as he quite imagined. when two sets of philosophies and grudges clash abruptly like this, what could possibly remain standing from the fallout?

[lavandaea]

*inhales deeply*

There's spoilers ahead so, yeah, be careful.

This weekend episodes have actually broken my soul.

He didn't even need his feelings to be reciprocate, HE JUST WANTED TO BE WITH HER.

Dear writers, some things to ask, why so much screen time to second male lead? Why create such chemistry? Such backstory? (Spoiler alert: that will make us sympathize with the supposed villain) To just fuck*ing rip his heart out and pulverize it like Grandma with the cow bones, yes, just like that.

Let me get this straight, after having been raised in an environment of violence, pain and God knows what else for God knows how long, he falls in love. He experiences ✨feelings✨ ,he puts all his trust in her like never before, he shares his past and then he gets betrayed.

I swear I never seen someone cry so with so much meaning, feeling, with so much back there.

We made progress for the last (at least) five episodes TO JUST END IT IN A SINGLE ONE.

This could have been handled a lot better in a lot of ways and about a lot of topics that I could actually write an essay.

Let's begin the the main leads.

So, in order to have some sort of feeling about ML and FL loving eachother you need to put screen time ON them. Yeah, they support eachother, they have known far before Si Oh, they are funny and a lot of things more. They even kissed and very passionately, wow.

Just one thing, Why didn't I even blink during that scene but found myself hitting the pillow and blushing when Si Oh did such mundane things as taking her home, opening doors for her, fixing her purse, hair, looking at her with those "I love you" eyes,👏feeling👏guilty👏about👏making👏her👏uncomfortable👏 with👏his👏feelings👏for👏her HELLO??, WAVING HER BACK WHILE HE WATCHED HER GO, SMILE EVERY DAMN TIME HE SAW HER?

I´ll tell you why. Because I know, thanks to you, that Si Oh was experiencing for the very first time what it's like to have human interaction that doesn't involve violence or having to be wary of everything and everyone all the time.

Even after having lived a life of shit, even after still living a life of absolute shit he still wanted to be connect, to be happy, to make her happy, to love and be loved. Moreover, I couldn't help just to feel happy for him, sad, angry, fucking rageous (not more than him, obviously).

Meanwhile, I barely know Hee Sik aka the male lead.

I remember seeing his mother once and I think that's what I understood about his private life. Sorry, I forgot about his deceased brother, that could have been a good topic to develop if it wasn't just mentioned once somewhere in the sixth chapter and left there to rot. Other than that, I know he is a cop, loves his cops friends and loves Nam Soon, also he is really loyal and good person.

Nice👍, very nice. But that's not personality or backstory, that's a job and some general traits everyone should have to live in a society and have a job where you usually do the teamwork thingy.

So, what else??

Or does the man just exist for his job and girlfriend?

It is just I simply don't understand it, you create a seriously complex character that has all kinds of potential and you want us to root for...Yeah, no. He literally could be an extra with how little and simple information we receive about him.

Even Shi Oh had some time to box being a drug dealer and full time whipped for her.

I'm just saying that you want me to suddenly dislike someone you took a considerable amount of time explaining but I have to like this good guy because you just pointed at him 👉🧍, and said, "here's the good guy, please love him"

Sorry, I cant do that.

If you haven't noticed, you just made a character I fell obliged to sympathize.

If you wanted to make him evil and hot you should have just made him evil and hot.

It worked just as well with Jang Han Seok from Vincenzo.

Not have him have "REDEMPTION" written all over him just to go with "Actually, no. He has no chance. 😃". It is for lack of a better term, frustrating. (Pointless)

Instead, maybe you should have dedicated that screen time for the construction of the main leads relationship.

Oh, yes. Another thing since we are talking about the matter.

ML and FL relationship progress got weaker and weaker since she had started to spy on Si Oh. And then one episode it was like "Oh, yeah, forgot to tell you, they are actually dating by now" Bom, a kiss. If I need a kiss to know they are in love, there's something going on back there. If a great amount of people are rooting for a couple that is not the main one, something is going on there.

Something lacking.

Scenes of them in love: well acted, nice, cute, cool, okay. But it is like picking a random romance book and start reading it ten chapters ahead, they are in love, but how did this happen??? Last time I check, they were in a friends-catching-fealings-zone.

Where's their development?

I know where is it. In the fake relationship, that it was being used just to turn Si Oh into a complete monster with probably not chance of going back.

"You have suffered a lot, yeah, I see. Anyway here's more pain. Suffer more and go cause some trouble because if not, there's, apparently, no plot"

Nice job.

I have been saying this and I will say it again, kdrama writers/directors are not ready for traumatized villains. They are afraid of them.

[starcrossed591]

CDrama Year in Review 2023

I'm still very much a CDrama beginner--I just started watching them in the summer of 2022--but since this is the first year I got into them in earnest, I figured I might as well do a year in review a la @dangermousie (whose lists I have found incredibly helpful in deciding which CDramas I really, really need to go back and watch as part of my CDrama education--so thank you!). So, without further adieu, here is my ranking of 2023 CDramas, in order of least enjoyed to most enjoyed*.

(See also: KDrama Year in Review 2023)

*Disclaimer: *not* a measure of objective quality

10. Royal Rumours: This drama was not great? Meng Zi Yi and Jeremy Tsui were fun, but the story started out messy and got messier. For some reason I still finished it, I think because I had a lingering cold and it was all my brain could handle at the time *shrug*

9. Gone with the Rain: I actually really enjoyed this one! The pacing was inconsistent, but Zhang Nan was fun as the irreverent Mo Xi, and we love a grizzled general. Special shout to the teacher who was not actually evil, just a sad lesbian whose gf disappeared on her

8. Love You Seven Times: Intriguing concept, not a strong enough FL to carry it through. The reincarnation stuff really worked for me at first, especially in their first mortal tribulation (as people, not CGI animals), but I got tired of it pretty quickly. I admit, the gifs of Ding Yu Xi as a sexy cat demon *did* pull me back in, but not enough for me to actually finish the thing, alas

7. Destined/Chang Feng Du: Started out really strong, and then stalled out on me. I think I only got up to about episode 22 or so, after their epic desert crossing and new start in a new state--they lost all narrative momentum for me there. I stopped watching and then just...didn't start again. I do, however, remain a big Bai Jing Ting fan, and will be keeping on eye out for whatever he does next

6. Hidden Love: (Contemporary) Age gap romances are hit or miss for me, but Zhao Lu Si absolutely stole/carried the show for me in this one. Although more fun imo when the main couple are in the the will-they-won't-they phase than in the family melodrama after they get together, still the only contemporary CDrama to get me to give it a go this year--and I'm glad I did

5. My Journey to You: Featuring my favorite murder girlies Esther Yu as Yun Wei Shan and Lu Yu Xiao as Shanguan Qian! Gorgeous costumes and sets, sweeping cinematography, and plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. Full disclosure, I have not actually watched the last two episodes because I got busy and then saw weird chatter about them, so I have no comment on the allegedly weird ending

4. Till the End of the Moon: Look, I know the ending wasn't ideal, but for the majority of its run, this drama owned my entire soul. It also introduced me to Bai Lu as Li Su Su, who inspired my first actual tumblr post (that wasn't a reblog) because I was so obsessed with her. And everyone knows that Tantai Jin is the CDrama ML of the year. 10/10, no regrets at letting it take over my life (and the OST my Spotify) from April to May of this year

3. The Story of Kunning Palace: More Bai Lu is always a good thing, and she's extra fun here as the transmigrated former evil empress and totally-over-your-nonsense Xiang Xue Ning here. The reverse haremness of it all totally shows why Bai Lu is the chemistry queen, especially with the princess (Liu Xie Ning) and cranky, morally grey, would-fail-gym-class strategist Xie Wie (Zhang Ling He). So glad this drama made it out of the CDrama vault and didn't languish indefinitely in censorship hell

2. A Journey to Love: Finished this one two days ago as of this writing and am still not normal about it. Ren Ruyi (Liu Shi Shi) and Ning Yuan Zhou (Liu Yu Ning) lead an exceptionally strong ensemble cast in this wuxia that explores the complicated relationships between love, duty, loyalty, loneliness, and companionship. Ruyi and Yuan Zhou are far and away one of my fave OTPs of the year, but just as compelling are the relationships between friends/brothers/fellow assassins Yu Shisan, Yuan Lu (ugh my heart), Qian Zhou, and Sun Lang. This drama definitely has one of the strongest ensemble casts of the year. And the character growth of Yang Ying from little princess abandoned in the cold palace to who she becomes by the end will stick with me for a long time. Plus another 10/10 OST!

1. Lost You Forever S1: I'm not normally a reverse harem girl, but the longing, loss, and hard resolve portrayed to perfection by Yang Zi as Xiao Yao really did it for me here. This whole drama struck an emotional chord for me, and where TTEOTM consumed my soul, LYF took over my heart. Xiao Yao's relationships with her power hungry, overprotective cousin Cang Xuan; hot snake demon Xiang Liu/playboy archery shufu Feng Feng Bei; and perfectly devoted Tushan Jing are all equally compelling to me, and while I may know who she ends up with in the end, who I *think* she should be with changes based on who's on screen at any given time. And A'Nian, my favorite bratty princess who really just needs some strong parenting, holds a special place in my heart. I know we may never get S2, and even if we do, censorship means it probably won't be what the drama makers are capable of, but I'm so glad for this little piece of absolute perfection. And, again, a top notch OST!

Fave Drama: Lost You Forever, by just a hair over A Journey to Love. See above.

Least Fave Drama: Royal Rumours--truly why did I finish this, what was past me thinking

Biggest Disappointment: 2023 is also the year I read Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir, my very first CNovel! But then I didn't even bother checking out its adaptation, Romance of a Twin Flower, because it got rid of everything that made the novel such an addicting read, including a brilliant, strategic, ice cold FL and an ML who actually kind of sucked at the beginning, only to grow on you very, very slowly over time. I'm grateful that the chatter around the drama is what brought the novel to my attention, but other than that, hard pass.

Favorite Male Character: Lots of good ones this year, but I'm gonna go with Cang Xuan (Zhang Wan Yi) from Lost You Forever. The conflict he faces between getting enough power to protect the people he loves the most and that power making him incompatible with those loved ones is so compelling, and his yearning for Xiao Yao even when she's right in front of him is wrenching. Full disclosure, I also just really love the sound of his voice

Favorite Female Character: This could easily have gone to Li Susu (TTEOTM), Xiao Yao (LYF), or Ren Ruyi (AJTL), but I'm gonna go with Bai Lu's Xiang Xue Ning in The Story of Kunning Palace. Something I really loved about this character was just how jaded Xue Ning really was, even in her second go round at life. Yeah, she wants to make amends for the harm done in her previous rise to power, but that has hardly turned her into a good--or even pleasant--person. Instead, she's incredibly skeptical and still plays most things ice cold, especially with her family. As a bonus, we got plenty of Bai Lu's fantastic side eye as she basically had to do high school all over again when she gets called into the palace despite her very best efforts not to be.

Favorite Ship: Ren Ruyi and Yuan Zhao from A Journey to Love have got to be it. They balance each other out so well, and over the course of the drama, learn to communicate effectively with each other whenever they have a problem. They also recognize that not all problems can be solved by ~love~, which makes their relationship even more compelling when they decide to prioritize each other in a way that respects what the other wants from life.

Favorite Secondary Ship: Little princess Yang Ying and Yuan Lu absolutely broke stole my heart in A Journey to Love. Doomed love even more than the main OTP, these two's youthful romance was such much fun to watch, especially as they egged their respective mentors on in their own romance. Yang Ying's recognition that her first love did not have to be her only love is also something I always love to see, even as it broke my heart that (spoiler) she and Yuan Lu never really had a chance at an HEA. Their relationship really exemplified a key theme of this drama: that you should love the people you love while they're still with you because tomorrow is never promised.

Non-2023 Dramas that I Watched: Two non-2023 dramas I watched that deserve a special shout out are Love and Redemption and The Sword and the Brocade. Love and Redemption prepared me to really appreciate the big swings that Till the End of the Moon took, and The Sword and the Brocade went a little way to filling the Story of Ming Lan shaped hole in my heart. The Sword and the Brocade also had absolutely searing critique of the concubine system, even as it featured one of the most genuinely good-hearted FLs I've seen. Would recommend both!

Most Looking Forward To: Yes, I'm a sucker and the censors (not to mention the characters) will probably break my heart, but I'm still crossing my fingers that Lost You Forever S2 will live up to the promise of part one. See above: still a CDrama beginner, have not yet had all the optimism knocked out of me. Sue me.

[renewedmotionforjudgment]

I never said I didn't like devoted MLs I love them?I just asked if it was just the ML or both and also I watch FL centered dramas almost exclusively lately and idk about girlbosses(tm) cos a girlboss and a well written female character are 2 very different things and even if the drama is about the FL idk what that has to do with a devoted OTP, even in male centric shows the MLs are devoted and also most shows are about both of them usually but ok I guess thanks for the weirdly hostile answer??

Okay, I generally make a rule not to defend or explain myself to strangers on the internet, but I don’t want to deal with the stress of packing so there’s a first time for everything. My original response was in 3 paragraphs:

Paragraph 1: I corrected your assumption about how devoted ML and devoted OTPs are not mutually exclusive.

Paragraph 2: I answered your question about Love’s Rebellion.

Paragraph 3: I gave you suggestions on what genres to watch if you don’t like devoted MLs.

I’m not sure which part is hostile. Sincerely, I don’t care whether or not you like devoted MLs as a trope. People enjoy different things! Heck, I’m watching Love’s Rebellion, a show that I find enjoyment but irritated @dangermousie to no end, and I haven’t challenged Mousie to a duel yet.

I actually do have an answer the genre conventions of female lead dramas and why they tend to have #girlboss, but that’s a long post in which I reference the Cultural Revolution and I can’t finish writing it today.

[silviakundera]

Dramas I watched in 2023

[Chinese Dramas]

My Journey to You - Wuxia. Spy games, badass ladies, subtextually homoerotic cousins. Gentle & sweet ML who melts the cold & calculated heart of FL assassin. Gorgeous setting and cinematography. Left me with a burning desire to see Zhang Ling He play more gentle babygirl MLs and Esther Yu to play more anti-heroes. Absolutely perfect to me.., if we just pretend the director didn't add a pointless cliffhanger in the last 5 min. Which is how I choose to live my life.

Story of Kunning Palace - 'rebirth' costume drama that I waited to air for like 2 years or something and then it... actually didn't disappoint? And was almost everything I wanted? 😳😲 This is THE couple for that post about the pair that need to be stuck in a neverending monogamous relationship with each other as a quarantine measure to protect everyone else.

A Journey to Love - wuxia perfection. The stand-out drama that I wasn't expecting. Murder mommy & murder daddy became an otp for the ages and all of the supporting characters were interesting and dynamic. I cared about so many more characters than I expected and never fast fowarded. Just immensely satisfying.

The Ingenious One - wuxia with a weak, scheming scholar protagonist on a revenge quest (yes, we've all heard that before!) who puts together a group to execute his cons, Leverage style. I love me a martial artist x weak scholar couple 👌. Some exciting twists & turns in this one. Both A Journey to Love and The Ingenious One are best enjoyed coming in with little to no information. Hell, skip the trailers and simply dive in!

Hidden Love - Modern drama. Top tier romance-novel-on-screen writing and acting. It felt honest and real. The coming of age arc for the FL was well done. Great brother & sister relationship that feels authentic. The ML's backstory was so heart breaking because it was never overplayed for melodramatics. Just a quiet pain, a distance and a burden he carried with him.

Road Home - Modern. "Do you remember who I am?" / "Yes. If I were to turn to ashes, I would still remember you." I am very weak for the "reunited exes", "second time around" trope when the actors are capable and the breakup wasn't a narratively convenient 'misunderstanding'. As a career woman who works very long hours, I also tend to appreciate modern drama relationships where the couple manages to stay functional & supportive while not having a lot of free time for each other. That's my version of wish fulfillment 😂. I felt like this narrative made me fully understand why they couldn't make a long distance relationship work as young adults but now they're ready and have experienced enough of the world to know that they are happier with their lives joined together than apart.

Love You Seven Times - xanxia. I wrote a whole review post (love letter) on this one, since it seems rather underrated. I feel like this one may actually end up one of my fav examples of the genre. I just sincerely bought into the couple and their mutual devotion.

The Last Immortal - xanxia. Terrible trailer but turns out to be a decent show. I'm a fan of the genre, so I'm enjoying it. (I think you do need to be, to enjoy it - it doesn't transcend or really subvert..just a solid representation of xanxia) I like both lead actors and they do a good job with the material. It's working better for me than Ancient Love Poetry and Ashes of Love. After being eager for Song of the Moon in 2022 but then being let down (I dropped that one quick), I'm very happy 2023 brought me 2 xanxia I liked.

Three Body - modern sci-fi. Book 1 of my fav sci-fi trilogy of recent years. As a novel fan first, I was pleased to see it on screen with talented actors. Eager for book 2.

Love Me, Love My Voice - modern drama with an unusual couple (2 introverts) and dubbing fandom hyper fixation. A laid back relaxation drama, to de-stress with. Minimal plot, no conflict. Just sweet slow burn relationship building, singing & audio performances. Supportive friendships.

Here We Meet Again - modern drama that suffered from sloppy editing. I mean almost incoherent editing in a couple places, like when they are counting down the days until getting married and then.. It's not mentioned again? 🙃 But I very much enjoyed the couple's chemistry. I can't say it was objectively good but it sure was compulsively watchable for some reason.

Royal Rumors - Costume drama that was so aggressively mediocre that I don't have any real explanation for not dropping it. Except I find the lead actress unspeakably alluring. Blame my hormones.

Dropped

Back to the Brink - xanxia. Great concepts but the execution didn't work for me. I'm not a fan of slapstick and wacky humor within serious subject matter. (It's the reason kdramas can be very hit or miss with me.) The amount of humor layered into AJourney to Love is basically my limit for tragicomedies. (Note: I did go read the book and it was very entertaining - the tone was much more to my taste.)

My Lethal Man - modern. Embarassing english name, but they had me in the first half, not gonna lie. Then after her identity was exposed, I wasn't feeling it idk. Sometimes it's just not that complicated.

Destined/Chang Feng Du - costume drama. idk really why I dropped. I watched about a 3rd of it and then was distracted by other shiny objects. I plan to come back to this one in 2024 and finish.

Romance of the Twin Flower - costume drama; unholy abomination of a great novel. I hope somehow, someday, the culprits pay for their crime. Need I say more?

[Korean Dramas]

Perfect Revenge Marriage - a modern rebirth tale. For the 90% of it, I was high on the love of a drama that is just what you didn't know you wanted. The camp, the dedication, the scenery chewing, the glorious evil step mother. It was magical. And then the last 2 episodes I found underwhelming. I can't really explain it, the climax just didn't hit for me. But that's very much a personal taste issue and I'd definitely recommend to all drama lovers who enjoy the genre. Seriously, the performance of evil step mommy was a master class.

King the Land - modern workplace romance. I've heard complaints that there wasn't much of plot. But tbh that was fine with me, because some dramas are simply character pieces. This was all about the personal growth of the FL and ML. I ended up invested and rooting for the ML to become a decent guy who isn't a gross classist like his dad.

Destined with You - modern reincarnation drama. I blame my lingering kdrama good feelings about King the Land for convincing me to keep powering thru this one. Such a strong start but then half-way in I began to realize it simply wasn't going to go into the direction I wanted it to. I still have no idea what they intended to communicate with that love potion subplot.

Vincenzo - modern crime drama. I was late to the party on this one. But after I got around to watching the delightful Kinnporsche, this was rec'd to me as another drama that embraced the bigger than life unreality of Fantasy Mafia™ and provides a rollicking good time. Absolutely ridiculous and compulsively watchable. 10/10.

[American]

House of the Dragon - Awful people doing awful things to each other, as a 1st act before everything goes straight to hell. Plus freaky dragon-riding fantasy incest. What's there not to like?

Fall of the House of Usher (YES i DO watch every horror drama by Mike Flanagan thx) - Was it as good as the first 3..? No. Did I still breathlessly binge it in 2 days? Yes. Awful things happening to awful people, poetically. 👌 👌

[wyllzel]

my very correct reviews of the bridgerton novels 😎

stars and spiciness (scale of 1-3) and tidbits below

please note that the following numbers are my opinion and largely exist relative to one another and to my limited understanding of the genre haha

The Duke and I (⭐ 3.5/5 +🔥): Ok I have very mixed feelings about this one haha 😞 The dub-con/non-con scene between the leads is framed as a mistake by the perpetrator (Daphne), which is good! But it's also not fully acknowledged or apologized for... which is bad... But at the same time, there's some really good things in this novel - the chemistry between the leads, Simon's persistent issues and Daphne realizing that she can't fix him overnight, Daphne recognizing her own privilege, the humor and comedic timing, Daphne's Weird Girlness...

The Viscount Who Loved Me (⭐ 4/5 +🔥🔥): Anthony as a character was very fascinating, and Kate's sororal relationship with Edwina was lovingly written! I also thought Quinn's approach to mental health as something unknowable & unpredictable was great (her descriptions of panic attacks were pretty spot-on too)

An Offer from a Gentleman (⭐ 2/5 +🔥🔥): 2 stars for Benedict chokeslamming the abusive stepmom, 0 stars for Benedict creating a toxic workplace environment 🤮

Romancing Mister Bridgerton (⭐ 4/5 +🔥): Penelope is a very interesting character, and the primary conflict being one of jealousy between the two leads was really interesting!? (ie. Colin is jealous of Penelope's success 👀)

To Sir Phillip, With Love (⭐ 5/5 +🔥🔥🔥): Really complex and I'm glad that a) Quinn allows her leads to make mistakes and b) Phillip was not insta-cured by marriage or A Woman's Healing Touch but instead had to do some self-reflection and come to conclusions on his own (with her help)

When He Was Wicked (⭐ 4.5/5 +🔥🔥🔥): 5 stars for Michael being pathetically in love, -0.5 stars for Michael being an active participant in English colonization 🫥 It's thematic, and his commentary sounded accurate to contemporary stuff I've read lmao, so I see the vision - but given that Quinn is a modern author, she should know better and it could've been handled better... The overall gothic/ghostly vibes were fascinating tho !

It's in His Kiss (⭐ 4/5 +🔥): Hyacinth is just like me fr, and Gareth was a nice change in pace from the Tall Dark And Handsome Brooding ML LOL Also the treasure hunt as a plot vehicle was fun!

sidenote but i just think it's so funny how phillip & michael each had a scene where they gave the FL an orgasm but didn't finish:

On the Way to the Wedding (⭐ 3.5/5 +🔥): Gregory is a goof and I appreciate his madly-in-love vibes, also he shot a man??!!?! A well-executed finale to such a vibrant series 👏

but to be clear, none of these books are perfect, and there are definitely tropes/moments that quinn likes playing to but that i find dicey (such as most, if not all, her male leads having "sexy" (?) anger issues lol... also she is not the best author if you're looking for a critique of english classism/imperialism lmao)

yet there are also a lot of really good and interesting things (mostly internal growth/conflict rather than external, haha) that she explores through the Bridgerton Regency Tropes Vehicle 👀

also i think it genuinely takes a hugely skillful author to write good humor / erotica, which quinn definitely excels at, so i will give her her flowers there 👍

AND it's interesting to read a modern american woman's interpretation of early 19th century upper-class english society 👀 there's some interesting things going on there w historicity and the non/necessity of accuracy 👀 and ofc american-english cultural relations haha

phillip got up and jerked off in the bathroom LOL

meanwhile michael, possibly horniest man alive, just took a cold shower lmaooo

idk why this is so funny to me

also phillip and michael get extra kudos for going down on their love interests (gareth might have as well, i can't remember, if he did then good for him too)

and i will end this post on that note lol

[lyranova]

I read all your rant about Finral and Finesse and everything, and even though I completely understand your points... I have to admit, I never felt that Vanessa and Finral were teased as a ship, but as best friends. I understand why people felt otherwise, but it wasn't my case (even today, I only feel the friendship chemistry, but I DO support those who ship them). Isn't it weird that we felt something else entirely for the bond between Vanessa and Finral?

On the other hand I was immediately totally on board for Finral and Finesse. Don't ask me why, I just find it so cute from the start. But I do agree, that it might should have been introduced a bit better and certainly sooner, maybe.

Sorry if I bother you with that. It just made me think, how different we felt about this topic, but how I can still totally understand your point and Acacias. And I totally support that. Ship Finral and Vanessa all you want, consider Finral and Finesse as friends all you want, be happy about it! I fear it's just not my cup of tea in a romantic way, but that is just my opinion. But as best friends, as Brotp, I'm all on board for it.

(Sorry that I submit, but the ask didn't let me write all of this^^')

———-

Hiya @just-a-little-fan-1793 (I wasn’t sure if the submitted post would tag you or not 😅)! I wonder why the ask box wouldn’t let you type this all out, that’s really odd 🤔, maybe Tumblr is glitching again.

No worries, not everyone views things the same way, if we did, it’d be pretty boring wouldn’t it 😆? At least that’s what my other mutuals and I say when we talk about disagreeing or we have different opinions on things! Like for example; there’s a certain Kdrama that I’ve watched and loved where a lot of people felt the FL and the ML had a bunch of chemistry and wanted the characters to get together, but I on the other hand felt that the ML and the Second FL had a lot more chemistry together (even after I rewatched it I still felt the same) and that the FL and ML were just…friends? Aquantinces? Understanding of each other? I don’t know the right word rn, but apparently the writer felt the same way because in season 2 they heavily implied the Second FL had feelings for the ML 😆!

So it really is fun where people can watch the same show and get totally different vibes from characters, ships, etc! Whether it’s kdrama’s or anime! And I think that’s something I love about fandom, you and someone else could have watched the same scene but got two completely different things from it, which makes it fun and interesting I think!

Anyway back on the topic at hand; I don’t mind Finral x Finesse 🥰, I’ll admit they’re not really one of the ships I think about a lot, but I think they can be very cute together! They really should have introduced Finesse better then they did 😔, or even hinted at her existing like my mutual @loosesodamarble said (Langris could have easily mentioned her when he saw Finral in Kiten, like Erika said, but they didn’t 😭!)

You aren’t bothering me with this! I actually enjoy talking about ships and how peoples ships are different then mine (if that makes sense, I have a killer headache so I’m not sure if I’m making much sense 😆!). I think it’s fun how differently we see the topic, and I 100% support you in shipping Finral x Finesse 🥰! If (or when tbh) they become canon in Black Clover I’ll fully support them and love them as well even though I ship Finral x Vanessa. And I support you in only seeing them as a BROTP, they certainly are best friends at the end of the day, which makes me love those two no matter what 💕!

Thanks for sending this in, I don’t know why tumblr glitched and wouldn’t let you send it in as an ask 😔. But I still enjoyed hearing your thoughts and opinion, even though they’re different from mine 🥰! I want this blog to be a safe place for everyone to voice theirt houghts and opinions whether we agree or not 😁. So thank you for sending this in 💕!

[whatisthisautumnsorcery]

Favourite Dramas of 2023!

Happy New Year everyone! I thought that I would do a Favourite Dramas of 2023 list just for fun! (I actually tried to do one last year but I got sick and by the time I was well enough to write it up it felt a bit too late to post it). I know that this list is very short and some of these dramas are less well known but I really enjoyed them so I hope other people might enjoy them too! **WARNING: SPOILERS**

Provoke - Such an amazing Republican revenge drama that was so beautifully filmed (the director was Zeng Qing Jie so of course it looked beautiful).

Good story, no filler, great acting, just a really enjoyable drama!

Back From The Brink - The only long drama that I watched this year. I really miss watching long dramas but I just don’t seem to be able to get into them for one reason or another. I think that’s why I enjoyed Back From The Brink so much because I liked all the actors and the characters and the whole plot.

I liked the lead’s chemistry too even though this drama wasn’t really romance heavy and was actually more of a “family drama”.

It was just a fun adventure drama that was also really funny XD

The tragic saga of Yan Hui's bald spot:

Baby Dragon Tian Yao:

Love For Two Lives - This drama actually aired in 2022 but I wasn’t really aware of it until recently.

This was just a really funny and silly short drama that I really enjoyed. The romance didn’t play a big role but the whole drama was so enjoyable and funny that I didn’t mind!

Nine Times Time Travel - I haven’t seen the original Korean drama that this drama is based off so I can’t compare the two but I definitely loved this Chinese version. It was so twisty-turny and there was no filler, plus I don’t think that I’ve watched a time travel show like this before.

I’m glad that I didn’t binge watch this and instead watched it in small episode batches because there was so much going on in each episode!

Love Strikes Back - I really loved this drama, it was equal parts romance and revenge and had the funniest villains!

The villains busy plotting and getting on each other's nerves:

I think I also liked this drama so much because the plot actually reminded me of my favourite drama The Legends: FL “dies”/falls into a coma for a few years and then reawakens and is hell bent on revenge and eventually realises that the ML has been in love with her the whole time and has been secretly guarding her!

Please Don't Be Moved - This drama was basically a condensed one hour drama that included so many of my favourite things: badass FL, villain ML, ROMANTICAL ROMANCE, lots of angst, beautiful cinemaography and the “FL falls into a novel” storyline!

This drama really flew under the radar, they didn't even release a proper poster for this drama and out of all the 2 min ep dramas I watched this year this one was by far my favourite!

And that's all of them! I'm looking forward to what's going to be released in 2024, hopefully a lot of the MANY dramas that are currently on my unaired-plan-to-watch list because that list is getting very long now XD

[sungbeam]

HONEY BUNCHES OF POLLINATED PETALS HELPPP 💀💀💀💀 Nearly choked when you ended with that RDJYDJ WHAT A LINE 😭

BUT IDK IF I SHOULD SPOIL [REDACTED] 🫣 but just for you I’ll give you a line from the book, “You know, when you’re as sad as I was, you love sunsets.”

I KNOW IT MIGHT SOUND KINDA CORNY BUT CONTEXT MATTERS 🤓☝️ and you’re right I just never brought it up JEFNEJFN sorry to the people for making it seem like I read as much as I used to back in ye old days 😔💔 BUT! I’m trying to get back into reading so lmk any book recs hehe cause I’m so sorry anytime I walk into a book store all I see are those corny ass Canva lookin book covers and it’s turns me off immediately 😭 not to be like “argh what happened to literature 👺” but like ARGH WHAT HAPPENED TO LITERATURE 👹👹 now all we got hyped up is Cassandra Clare like… is this who we are now… is this what we represent as a society 😔

N E WAYS MOVING ONTO A STUDY IN MONSTERS- Medusa!yn??? 🫣 also omg the preview is giving like… the intro to Mirror Mirror yk? Like the animated backstory 😳 which is a coincidence because that was onE oF My FaV MoViES???? Omg now I’m more hype PLELRJEKRNE

OK OK BUT I DID HAVE A FEW IDEAS LEMME SHARE LEMME SHARE AHEM-

1. Something like Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them and Chanhee and yn were lil vets for the beasts/monsters OR explorers that went around looking for them to document them

2. Something like Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (cause the children are seen as monsters yk-) where Chanhee or yn encounter Hollows and wants to know more abt them which leads them to the home for peculiar children or smth like that LOLOL

3. Could’ve also gone the route of Chanhee or yn making it out of a traumatizing event or smth and other ppl in the story are the real monsters

4. Could’ve also gone existential and could’ve been Chanhee and/or yn contemplating as to if they’re actually good people and what makes a good person etc etc

BASICALLY THE CURTAINS COULD’VE JUST BEEN BLUE OR THEY COULD’VE SIGNIFIED SMTH DEEPER LMAO

and EEEK Eric or Juyeon it is 🤭🤭🤭 AND STFU I COULDN’T FIND A BETTER WORD OTHER THAN BEQUEATH ATM OKAY 😭

AND PLEASEEEEE A LOVE CORNER IS JUST A LOVE TRIANGLE BUT THE MORE PROPER VER CAUSE THE MLS ARE INTERESTED IN THE FL BUT NOT INTERESTED IN EACH OTHER IF YOU CATCH MY DRIFT

Like if one of the MLs were interested in both the FL and the other ML then THAT would be a love triangle but in this case all the MLs are just attracted to the FL which makes the love triangle a ✨love corner✨

….

IF YOU WERE THINKING OF ANYTHING ELSE THEN WATCH OUT PERV I GOT MY EYES ON YOU 🤨🫵

And abt your banners, I think they’re perfect honestly 😭 it doesn’t matter if they’re more simpler or minimal, they perfectly convey the vibes of the story and honestly your banners are what attracted me to your works in the first place 😭 I thought the banners for In all your endeavours and Party people were so well done that I clicked on them AND BOY AM I GLAD I DID LOLOL

AND ABT BONES- the og ver def sounds interesting but I can also see how it would’ve been hard to write since idk why but imo it feel so hard to write dark academia like I only get the aesthetic pics but I don’t get how to translate it into words properly yk 😭 THAT’S JUST ME THO-

YES MY LOVE FOR WOO IS UNDENIABLE JUST AS MUCH AS MY LOVE FOR ERIC 😩🙏 I fell in love with Woo during Deja Vu era LOLOL right when I watched his AOTM like damnnnn I knew he was the one for me on SIGHTTTTTTT😔🙏

- Love you always my beammie weammie sugar plum honey bunches of oats paczki boo boo ba ba pookie bear 🤭, 🌷 anon

(Ps. Yes, I tried my upmost hardest to make a unique cutie name 😔🫶)

AHAHHAHAHA I ACTUALLY HAVE NO IDEA HOW I GOT TO HONEY BUNCHES OF POLLINATED PETALS 💀💀💀 this is what happens when i let my intrusive thoughts win 🤡🤣

"you know, when you're as sad as i was, you love sunsets" NOW THATS A LINE 😔 i didn't find it corny at all tbh maybe cuz i have a special place for sunsets and sunrises in (as my mother once said 💀) my black heart skfnekdmkr i def have not read the book tho so no worries abt spoilers LOL OMG PLS 😭 im literally an english major and i haven't read for fun in YEARS 😭 it's so sad, i think the only way to get me to read again is to get me to drop out of fanfic,,, like the dry spell is that bad skfnkemfk U R SO REAL FOR THAT WHY IS EVERY BOOK COVER LIKE THE SAME JUST IN DIFFERENT COLORS???? LIKE GUYS . PLEASE. GUYS /PLEASE/ wait wait hyped up cassandra clare??? that's still going on 😭😭😭😭 i thought we were over this guys skxnekdn but i honestly wouldn't know cuz im not on tiktok 💀 anyways. Booktok sucks!

omg wait 😭😭 i've actually never watched mirror mirror before don't come for me 😭😭 but im glad the similarity hypes u up even more !!! OKAY WAIT I NEED TO COMMENT ON ALL UR BRILLIANT IDEAS 🤸‍♀️🔎

AHHH A FANTASTIC BEASTS AU WHERE THEY'RE VETS OR SUMN TO THAT EFFECT WAIIIIIIT TULIP. TULIP U R ONTO SOMETHING BESTIE. THAT WOULD BE SO MUCH FUN AND SO CUTE !! it's like that one disney movie called the rescuers 😭😭 i haven't watched the full thing, but when u said little i immediately thought of that TT

ohhhh miss peregrine's au would be SUCH an interesting idea too, and i def see where the title comes into inspire that 🤔🤔 it's been awhile since i've seen that movie actually, i can't remember what my orig thoughts abt it were

humans = monsters tbh 🙁🙁 BUT ACTUALLY the fic im like writing has a lot of those elements in it of itself cuz yk they're "different" so they're treated and seen differently yk ,, and i literally start off w both yn and chanhee's separate traumas TT

AHABAHHAHAHAHHAHA THE CURTAINS COULDVE JUST BEEN BLUE OR SOMELFNSKDNDJ THATS SO FUNNY I HATE THAT I UNDERSTAND THAT 😭😭😭 but a fic that's existential? my life tbh 😎

OHHHHHHHH WAIT THAT ACTUALLY MAKES SO MUCH MORE SENSE THAN A LOVE SQUARE I TOTALLY GET IT NOW 😭😭😭 GIRL I THINK U NEED TO GET /UR/ HEAD OUT OF THE GUTTER 🤣🤡 my mind went nowhere but a corner shaped diagram 🤡

wodjoejdkejdkrj im crying if u couldn't tell 😭😭😭 PLS DONT MAKE ME BLUSH 😔 WAIT WHERE IS MY MEME—

i lurv you (´Д⊂ヽ im so happy to hear that like lemme go yell on a cliff rq 😃😃😃 LIKE WOW WHAT A COMPLIMENT CUZ SKDNKENF as long as it does what it needs to and it looks pretty then my job here is done 😎 like who needs a whole fic 😎 OOP both those fics' banners were made bc i fell in love w those pics of joong and cobie (´Д⊂ヽ i literally saw joongs lemon tree mv screenshots on pinterest and they were PERFECT and then cobie dropped those pics from the i like u stage and they were PERFECT. omg when my banners brought us together 🤩🤩🤸‍♀️🤸‍♀️

ahh yeah i think i kind of have dark academia down, i just wasn't feeling the fic after all the planning i did for it 😭😭😭 so it never made it past 1k words LMAO 💀

OKAY BUT wooyoung and eric kind of give off similar vibes, don't u think ???? cheeky, flirty mfkers 😔😔 BUT OH MY GOD. WOOYOUNGS AOTM LIVES RENT FREE IVE WATCHED IT LIKE A BILLION TIMES ITS SO ICONIC. i literally almost wrote a fic because of it 😭 i also LOVE christopher's songs, and bad just hits SO HARD TT

AHAHAHHAHAHA THE BEAMIE WEAMIE POOKIE BEAR OSFNKENDJ PLSS 💖💖 roses r red / violets r blue / im sending a heaping spoonful / of sugar (and love) to you ✨💖

[thepiinkpages]

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Reverse Harem, Magic

I have no idea how this book is good verses her other book series that I DNF'd. The writing is similar but at the same time its a bit more readable. There's still some slang in there but not too much. Theres an actual plot instead of just smut but it is just the first book so I don't want to make any assumptions.

Before I read this series I read her other book which mentions this FL and the ML and her 8 MATES... how does the girl do it. I don't know and I don't want to find out. All I know is, she needs a spa day. I can barely stand my husband, I don't know how she can stand 8 men.

The FL, Ama, is a hybrid. She's a succubus and a reaper. Hybrids are seen as less than and despite her father being The Grim Reaper himself, she's still treated like shit. What I don't get is that she's described as having pink AND silver eyes which I don't get because how the fuck does that make sense. It should've been described as silvery pink eyes not pink AND silver. On addition to that, I feel like the way she describes the outfits the FL is wearing is something that she copied from pinterest or something. It made me feel like I could also become a published author just on the authors outfit descriptions.

Enough about the bad stuff. Let's get to the good stuff. Her mates.

So, currently we only have 6 of her mates; Drayven (Reaper), Finias (City of Bones), Colt (Fallen angel), Nico (Incubus), Damien (Hellhound), Adrien (Shadow... Wielder?)

That's a lot of men and a lot of toxic air. I imagine it would be very overwhelming and it's only 6 of her 8 mates. No can do babe. Send it to the next bitch.

We don't really see alot of Colt and Nico in this book but currently my favorites are Damien and Adrien. They would make me feel safe. My least favorite is definitely Drayven. I do in fact not like the fact the he lied to her about how her kiss almost drained him and it caused her to have detrimental magic issues. That was the reason she never kissed or touched another man because she didn't want to hurt anyone again. But, in a turn of events, he lied. He just wanted everyone to stay away from her so he lied and she became a social pariah/ social reject. Say it with me everyone. TOXIC... why do i kind of like it though?... Well, it seems like my psychologist is getting another call today *insert cackle here*

Here's some quotes:

"...Do not distance yourself from me again, Ama. I don't think I can bear it..."

"...Every time I glanced into Ama's eyes, it was like being transported to another world. A world in which integrity, loyalty, and happiness were the foundations..."

I loved a good yearning man. It tugs at me small black heart. *Sigh*

[starcrossed591]

KDrama Year in Review 2023

While I watched more KDramas this year than CDramas, none of them consumed my heart and soul quite like this year's crop of CDramas did (CDrama review post here). And I dropped KDramas more readily than I have in years past, in part because there were so many more things to watch than I had time for (also I had to finish my dissertation and graduate, etc etc). Still, there were definitely some that I really, really enjoyed, so here's this year's KDrama round up:

16. My Lovely Liar: Started strong, got boring real quick. Dropped for homophobic murder plot. Still, glad to see that Hwang Min Hyn can actually act (although full disclosure, I did still enjoy him in Alchemy of Souls, wooden as that performance may be). Hoping Kim So Hyun can catch a break and get a role in a drama more worthy of her in the near future.

15. Crash Course in Romance: Excellent performances and chemistry by the ML and FL. Romance between two middle aged people instead of youths is also a treat. Dropped around ep 12 because of the unnecessary, homophobic murder plot. Pass.

14. A Good Day to Be a Dog: Surprisingly stronger than the goofy premise suggests, largely on the basis of Park Gyu-Young's performance as the FL who turns into a dog upon being kissed. Pacing problems in the third act around the origins of the whole dog curse thing. Can't say I recommend unless you're really in the mood for some shenanigans, but largely inoffensive if a little silly. (Also it turns out Cha Eun Woo *really* leveled up his kiss game for this one!)

13. Love to Hate You: Perfectly serviceable rom com. Nothing too special, but a nice weekend binge if you're in the mood for that. Also a good way to see Kim Ji-Hoon's v handsome face and that *hair* without having to deal with everything involved with his rather murderous run in Flower of Evil.

12. Joseon Attorney: A Morality: Perfectly serviceable law procedural/Joseon historical. If you don't like either of those genres your mileage may vary, but I had missed having Bona on my screen, so it worked well enough for me.

11. Welcome to Samdal-ri: I seem to like this one more than literally everyone else I know, and I fully admit that my enjoyment of this drama is more vibes-based than plot-based. I guess I have a soft spot for Shin Hye Sun yelling at people at Ji Chang Wook going a bit unhinged over a woman who ran away from him (see also: Lovestruck in the City).

10. My Demon: Very much enjoying Song Kang as a cranky demon falling in love with a human. Very tropey in the best way, and feels like a return to form for the supernatural romance genre. Remains to be seen if they'll land the ending as of this writing, but enjoying as it goes.

9. Doctor Cha: A contribution to the slate of divorce comedies I watched this year (see also: Strangers Again (KDrama) and Let's Get Divorced (JDrama)), a surprisingly touching story about growing older when you've devoted your life to someone who has not done the same for you.

8. Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow (Part 2): While Ko Joon-Yung never quite managed to replace Jung So-Min as the FL for me, I definitely still enjoyed the closer to this fun fantasy series. Special shout out to Shin Seung-Ho as Prince Go Won and his pet turtle

7. Strangers Again: I didn't see a ton about this one on tumblr as it was airing, but I found this rom com? melodrama? divorce procedural? makjang? story about relationships and why they end unexpectedly profound. I tuned in expecting mindless makjang hot mess, and instead got a thoughtful meditation on divorce. Left me feeling unexpectedly melancholy at the end, but glad I watched it.

6. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse: Very fun sageuk! Probably won't knock your socks off, but it does what it does very well. Bonus points for a B couple as compelling as the A couple. I've also been a big Kang Hoon fan since Little Women, and there are a couple of other actors in here that I'm always glad to see working.

5. Perfect Marriage Revenge: Tour de force makjang. Came out of nowhere and blew me away. Hits all the right beats, and unexpectedly fun (and was a nice break from the heaviness of My Dearest for me). This was a good year for jaded and slightly unhinged transmigrated FL's back for their #revenge (see also: Story of Kunning Palace in CDrama land), and I was here for it. Also features one of the spiciest make-out scenes of the year, 10/10 recommend

4. See You in My 19th Life: Absolutely loved this haunting, melancholy, and sometimes unexpectedly goofy reincarnation drama. I loved the webtoon and had high expectations, and this drama largely met them! The continuing relationship between sisters Ji-Eum (Shin Hye Sun) and Cho-Won (Ha Yoon Kyung) was a special highlight for me, and while Shin Hye Sun is already a never-miss for me, I'm especially looking forward to whatever Ha Yoon Kyung does next. I prefer the ending of the Webtoon to the KDrama, but I'm still delighted this drama exists and am glad I watched it.

3. The Interest of Love: Look, I loved this drama. Even though it seemed on the surface like nothing but *mess* in the interpersonal lives of these characters working at a bank on the border between a rich and poor neighborhood in Seoul, it nonetheless had some of the most searing class commentary of the year for me. I also love an FL who will (spoiler) pack up her things and disappear at the drop of a hat, even if no one else will understand her decision to do so, because she just cannot deal anymore (see also: the FL in Lovestruck in the City, whom I also love but everyone else hated). This drama kept me gleefully coming back every week in a year where not a lot of others did.

2. Call It Love: A revenge slice of life melodrama that I found unexpectedly touching in its deep melancholy. Loved not only the main couple, but the relationship between the siblings and their pharmacist bestie. A lovely character study. (Also I somehow ended up watching this at the same time as Till the End of the Moon and Li Susu as Ye Xiwu's hidden identity/revenge plot, which was unexpectedly stressful! Had a very "it's the same picture" moment despite two dramas in two genres that could not be further apart.) If you missed this one (and since it aired on Disney+, you might have--Disney+'s effects on the KDrama streaming ecosystem will be the death of me), it's worth seeking out!

1. My Dearest (Parts 1 and 2): Kind of feels like everyone has said everything there is to say about sageuk of truly epic proportions, but it blew me away as well. Epic romance? Check. Twisty political machinations? Check. Heartwarming friendships between women? Check. Strong ensemble cast? And my top FL of the year, Lady Gil-Chae, played to perfection by Ahn Eun-Jin. I've adored her since Hospital Playlist, and am delighted that she's getting the attention and the roles she deserves. Namkoong Min also a top contender for ML of the year as Lee Jang-Hyun. Part 2 dragged for me a bit in places after a nearly perfect Part 1, but such a great drama overall.

Favorite Drama of the Year: My Dearest. See above.

Favorite Female Character: I mean, it's gotta be Gil Chae from My Dearest, right? She starts out as such a spiteful, spoiled noblewoman, and then turns out to have a core of pure steel. Turns out all her conniving and strategizing, which went towards causing mischief in the village, really just needed a proper outlet. While I would never want to be in the circumstances in which she found herself, if I did, she's exactly who I would want on my side.

Favorite Male Character: Everything's coming up My Dearest this year, because this one is Lee Jang-Hyun in My Dearest as well. Checks the box for my competence kink, and has a knack for showing up just when Gil-Chae needs him, even at great personal cost. Also a smart-ass, which I probably like a bit too much in a man.

Favorite Secondary Female Character: Cho-Won from See You in My 19th Life. Her relationship with her reincarnated older sister was almost more compelling to me than the main romance sometimes, and really helped develop how the ties that bind us are not just romantic ones. Also she was just super cute

Favorite Secondary Male Character: Could have picked anyone from Team Himbo in Alchemy of Souls, but gonna have to give this one to Go Won, himbo prince of my heart

Favorite Ship: Again, it's gotta be Gil-Chae and Lee Jang-Hyun in My Dearest. Sometimes, there are drama couples that nearly cause me pain when they are apart, and these two quickly became one of them. Though their relationships is hardly functional for much of it, through all that push and pull, they ultimately learn how to show up for each other. Also, their *chemistry* is insane!

Favorite Secondary Ship: I loved Hye-Seong and Sung Joon, the B couple in Call it Love. Seeing the SFL grow more comfortable with herself after a truly shitty ending to her previous relationship was a nice respite from the hidden identity stress of the A couple in this one. I'm also a sucker for a good romance where you start to see someone you've long taken for granted differently. (Close Runner Up: Cho Won and Do-Yun in See You in My 19th Life)

Favorite Platonic Relationship: Gil-Chae, Eun-Ae, and their maids, Jong Jong and Bong Doo, in My Dearest. I loved loved loved the relationship between these women in this drama, and part of the reason the second half of the drama suffered a bit for me is because of how far it moved away from this core relationship. They were ride or die for each other more than the majority of the men in their lives, and I loved that for them.

Trope that Needs to Die: While I find murder plots in rom coms tedious at the best of times, homophobic murder plots are really not it. Quit it, y'all. It's not cute.

Dramas I Missed: Moon in the Day, The Story of Park's Marriage Contract, and Tell Me That You Love Me (grrr Disney+ on this one) are on the list for next year. I'm probably missing others.

Non-2023 Drama Spotlight: Finally went back and watched Do You Like Brahms? for a hit of Park Eun-Bin. A lovely, if also melancholy, slice of life romance that's just as much about what to do when a (career related) dream that you've worked really, really hard for just isn't going to come through as it is about the main romance. Also made me fall in love with Kim Min-Jae and his lovely deep voice, enough so that I also then went back and finally watched Dali and the Cocky Prince, which was also a treat. Recommend both.

Most Looking Forward To: I continue to yearn for a Yumi's Cells 3, and who's to say if that one will ever come through, but I'm putting it out into the universe anyway. More realistically, I'm looking forward to the surprisingly stacked line-up of sageuks coming up, including Captivating the King and Love Song for Illusion.

[gottabedramatic]

Coming back again with another list, which also happens to be an update.

Doctor slump: I left it around the 14th or 15th episode. Suddenly lost interest.

Queen of tears: My recent binge watch, loved it. I wish it was longer. I cried my eyes out at the last scene, but it was a good cry.

Recently finished:

Will love in spring – Definitely a good one. Got me thinking about my life and how I'm successfully wasting it... I think it portrayed problems like death, grief, and life with disability well. It's realistic. Emotions seem raw, true. Life isn't made only of flowers and sunshine and this drama shows that pretty well. I also loved how the main leads gradually became more caring for each other.

Fanta G Spot/Hit the spot – I felt seen?? This drama was somehow liberating. Unfortunately this drama is the only one of its kind so I'm really disappointed I couldn't find anything similar. It was refreshing, and the way they talked about nsfw topics (ironic, how they did that in their workplace haha) was actually really good. Reminded me a bit of K-movie Love and Leashes.

Also I hade a huge crush on all the main actors and actresses. They're all extremely gorgeous and I'm waiting for more of their works!!

The Legend of Sheng Li – this is what I mean when I ask for a well done happy ending in xianxia. Classic story between overpowered ML and strong (but not nearly as much as the guy) FL. Despite that, I still loved it, especially when ML started being a bit mischievous and cheeky. And shout-out to Havenly Emperor's grandson for his character development, he's done a great job. Also his sister was the whole mood when she knocked him out to take sneak peak into his memories of the main leads.

Story of Minglan – Is that how home feels? I can't believe I actually watched such long drama. There's so much to say about it... I'll probably never watch something with this vibes, feels and energy again. It was worthy of every second of my life. I'll probably rewatch it someday.

Blossoms in adversity – It was similar to: New life begins, Dream of Splendor and Destined... But kinda better. I don't know what made it better but I feel like this drama tops the aforementioned dramas. Maybe it's because I didn't see the main actors in other dramas that much so they seem more fresh.

Still, the writing, relationships and everything in between was great. Definite rewatch in the future.

Back from the brink – 39/40 ep, not sure why I'm putting the last episode on hold. I spoiled the ending for myself so I kinda know what happens. I love the chemistry, the story and just admiring the ML's beauty would be enough for me, but still I don't feel the urge to finish it.

Unknown – Great watch. The tone of the mains relationship gradually changing was done beautifully.

There are a few other dramas I started but put on hold or dropped for some reason, but let's ignore them.

Dramas I want to watch soon:

Lovely runner – only a bit over two weeks until I know if it's safe to watch it and none of the main leads dies at the end. The actor that plays ML is known for his passion for the characters that die. Apparently, because he doesn't believe in happy endings or something like that. I'm scared that I'll get attached to the characters and then the ending will be like *whoops he's/she's dead*

The Midnight Romance in Hagwon – Noona romance? SIGN ME UP AAAAA

I already watched the first episode, it has vibe of Something in the rain and One spring night, which is not that surprising when you know that the director for this drama is the same as the one for sitr and osn. Also I loved sitr and osn so I'll probably love tmrih too. AND IT'S FIRST WI HA JOON'S MALE LEAD ROLE IN ROMANCE DRAMA. I mean how this gorgeous man did not get casted for ML in romance dramas earlier??? His smile is melting me... 🫠

I think this is it. I found cdrama Fall in Love about republican era in China and the actress that played FL in the Blossoms in adversity is FL in this drama too, so I have feeling it'll be a good watch.

lots of love till the next update ❤️ 💕

Dramas I'm currently watching:

A Journey to Love – 25/40 ep

My Demon – 6/16

Didn't finish yet and not sure if I ever do:

Strong girl Nam Soon – 10/12 (on hold)

18 again – probably 4/16 (and on hold)

Only for love – around 25th episode?

Want to watch, just waiting for more episodes:

Welcome to Samdalri

The Story of Park's Marriage Contract

The Last Immortal

A Good Day to be a Dog

Moon in the Day

so yeah, no tags cuz it's just for me as a reminder (for a drama slump) that in fact I have dramas I want to watch hahsha

[he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle]

Jung Jiho is amazing, and I am SO GLAD he is the main male lead! He never pressures Sangeun, which is why she enjoys her time with him so much and why she views his house as a safe space where she can go and be comfortable. It's why she's still wanted to go there even when Jiho wouldn't be home. He's so considerate of her expressed desires too. You can tell by the way he didn't tell her about the dinner party. He also acknowledges that despite seeing each other three times a week for 5 years, they don't really know each other at all and is incredibly respectful towards her.

In contrast Kang Haejin is super irritating right now. The fact that he saw her for 5 minutes 15 years ago and somehow feels like he knows her or is entitled to her is alarming. The way he treats the women he's flirting with is atrocious, and he seems petty and self-involved in his career as well. And the way he just thrust her into the spotlight and in front of the media and paparazzi without her consent and is going to bulldoze his way into a contract with her is so selfish and disrespectful.

She'll say yes because she needs the money, just like she'll extend her contract with Jiho for the same reason. But Jiho is going to politely ask, like always. The contrast between the two couldn't be more prominent.

It's actually starting to feel like the writers aren't seriously considering a true love triangle because they're painting Haejin in such a bad light. Usually they write Second Male Leads as very appealing, which is why SML Syndrome is such a big thing. SMLs are supposed to be the obviously kind, more comfortable and down to earth option whereas stereotypical MLs have their relationship with the FL get off to a rocky enough start that it looks like the SML has a chance.

This show is unexpectedly flipping that script. Jiho is the comfortable choice. He may be socially inept, but it's endearingly so.

I'm sure they'll eventually make Haejin slightly more sympathetic, but he's off to such a bad start!

[seokwoosmole]

Thoughts on Sh**ting Stars Ep 1&2

I still laugh when it comes to that title.

I was beyond hyped for this drama as both a fan of Lee Sung Kyung and Kim Youngdae. Ever since I heard that the two of them were filming a drama, I have no idea why, but I just had this great gut instinct that they would have excellent chemistry, regardless of what the plot was about. After seeing the first 2 episodes, I'm thoroughly enjoying the plot as well. I've seen the celeb and non-celeb who hates the celeb fall in love trope before, but never in this way before. Usually the non-celeb has a friend or relative who LOVES the celeb and just doesn't see what's so great about them, or they meet them and are just put off by their behavior. But this celeb falls in love with a member of his PR team is something I've never seen before and I find it so refreshing!

I was a bit hesitant to dive in because I heard all the backlash concerning the show's treatment of Africa in the plot, and after watching, I can see why people were outraged. It was a quite ignorant and pretentious move on the writers' part, and while I see their intention in the plot, it was badly and disrespectfully executed. The whole 'one well-to-do guy "saved" the entire "poor" African continent by digging a single well' thing was disturbing enough. I'm hoping whoever incorporated these choices into the show make some kind of apology; not that it will undo anything, but at least to show some kind of understanding that they were in the wrong because it really is such a gross misrepresentation.

Aside from the ignorant writing of the Africa subplot, I do find the rest of the show very promising. I love how we're getting a sneak peek into what goes on behind the scenes with celebs. It really makes you think about all those moments a celebrity got into some kind of scandal and it was quickly corrected, and what complex actions were in motion before the "truth" was revealed to the public. I'm interested in seeing how much into detail they'll go with this concept – showing celebrities who are known to be one thing for the public but something different behind closed doors. All of the scenes with Kim Seul-Gi's character cracked me up for that exact reason.

But mostly, I am dying to know what exactly is Han Byeol and Tae Seong's relationship and what is his problem?? While I'm a big enemies to lovers fan, especially enemies-who-have-a-complicated-relationship-yet-know-each-other-very-well to lovers fan, I easily tire of the man who doesn't know how to express his feelings so hides them behind elementary school level maturity and tormenting of the woman to get her attention trope. Knowing kdramas, he has some deep-seated trauma that will explain his behavior, and I'm also curious to know what that is as well. But in the mean time, I am enjoying both Lee Sung Kyung and Kim Youngdae's performances. I just adore Lee Sung Kyung, ever since WLFKBJ. Very few actors can nail over-the-top acting without over-doing it. I just love her boldness and comical moments, but I'm also looking forward to her emotional acting, cause she does those SOOO well too. And as for Kim Youngdae, he first caught my eye in Extraordinary You, then massively impressed me in Penthouse, and I've been waiting for his first lead role ever since then. So far, I enjoy the different "levels" of his character that his acting can explore. At times, he's shown to be broody, charming, comical, and cold, and I think it was a good move for him to pick this kind of character, especially one that plays an actor, so he can better showcase his acting skills.

I'll be honest, I'm not as blown away as I was expecting to be – though it's my own fault for having extremely high expectations – and the unforeseen controversy in the writing of the plot didn't help either, but I am intrigued as to where the show is going, what the ML and FL's relationship will be like, and all of the supporting characters and cameos make the show very entertaining as well.

[letsbeoutoftouch]

Three days ago, I decided to start watching one of the Chinese dramas that had been sitting on my Netflix to-watch list for as long as I use it: 'A Love So Beautiful'.

I was (am) really excited over the Korean version because the FL is So Joo Yeon, whom I love since I watched 'Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 2' last year―she's adorable!

However, I knew that the Korean version was a remake, so I figured I should start with the Chinese one first. Besides, a few years ago one of my ex-friends told me I should watch it, and she has a pretty good taste in dramas... So, well―I succumbed. And, oh my! I'm so glad I did!

· · ·

'A Love So Beautiful' is a coming of age drama, which depicts the lives of five friends as from the moment they meet in high school up to adulthood, and how they learn about love, friendship and life in general. It especially revolves around Chen Xiaoxi (Shen Yue, from 'Meteor Garden') and Jiang Chen (Hu Yi Tian, from 'Unrequited Love').

· · ·

♡ PLOT & EPISODES:

It is a really light-hearted drama, and its plot is uncomplicated. It is ideal for when you are in the mood for something that doesn't have twists and turns, and/or whose plot doesn't require a great effort to follow. If you feel like watching a drama like that, then I really recommend you to start this one.

Although it's made up of 23 episodes (and one special episode), they are approximately 40-minutes long each. Therefore, I didn't feel that they were tiresome to watch. Also, as a person who gets distracted quite easily ―I have the attention span of a goldfish―, I must emphasise that I didnt pause it at all―except, maybe, to go and grab some snacks... And to post that screenshot with a reference to Argentina, lol.

· · ·

♡ CHARACTERS:

Xiaoxi (FL): This character is a well-known one in dramaland―the typical female lead who is really (and when I say really, I mean extremely, blindly) in love with the male lead, no matter his actions or the words that leave his mouth.

I normally find this type of character annoying (yes, I'm looking at you, Nao). I find it painful to watch that she keeps resiliently following the male lead, even when he is continuously humilliating her. Of course, if you keep in mind that she is a teenager, then you may be able to understand the way she behaves―we were all a little bit like that during our younger years... Or, at least, I know I was. However, that's hard to remember when the story depicts her to be neither a teenager nor an adult, although she is supposed to be the former. By this I don't mean that teenagers can't go through situations that may force them to 'grow up' quickly, but stuff like 'living alone with my classmate' is not a normal situation for a teen (especially, with their parents consent ¿¿¿¿¿)―that's more adult-ish.

Anyways, back to Xiaoxi.

When I think about my younger self, I think she might ―in some points― relate to Xiaoxi. Why? That's simple―because she truly acts like a teenager. For her, the problems she faces are like the end of the world, and deals with them as (most) young people would.

Amongst those problems, love is obviously included. She's devoted to the love she feels, and doesn't waver. She's always true to her feelings and to her heart―sometimes, a little too much for my liking. However, her genuiness and stubborness are two of the traits I liked the most about her.

But Xiaoxi is not entirely naïve―not all the time, at least. She stood her ground in some parts of the story, as a teenager and, mostly, as an adult. I must admit that one kick was amazing―I was lying in bed and I literally had to sit up and scream 'APLICADÍSIMA' (an Argentinian slang that, in this context, could be translated as 'nicely done').

▫ ▫ ▫

Jiang Chen (ML): Yet another typical character in dramas. He's one of those guys who barely speaks, looks serious 24/7 and, the most important thing, has feelings but is unable to show them most of the time.

I'm not going to deny that people like that do exist in real life (now that I think about it, I may be like that irl, lol), but the real problem is how they are portrayed in dramas. I mean, the fact that a person gathers all those characteristics within them does not equal to being an a*shole (again, I'm so looking at you, Uehara).

Jian Chen sometimes acts like an a*shole, I'm not going to deny that. He mostly acts like that out of jealousy, which doesn't make it right. However, he's continuously growing out of that behaviour (maybe not so much out of jealousy 🙃), and that's what I liked about this character. Even if his character doesn't entirely lose his true essence (being serious is not a bad trait per se, just to name something), it was refreshing to see that, when he's with her, he wouldn't act like he doesn't care about her at all.

▫ ▫ ▫

Wu Bosong (SML): Oh, dear. He's the sweetest. For real.

I'm not the kind of person who usually falls for the second male lead (for example, in Heirs I was always team Kim Tan, although everyone loved Young Do and shipped Eun Sang with him). However, this time, I found myself falling for Bosong really, really hard.

His character is yet another cliché―the sweet boy who's always helping the FL and has to be content with watching her from the sidelines. However, his kind and tender nature slowly captured my heart.

*spoiler alert* It broke my soul that the story was unfair to him―he deserved way better. Not only romantically speaking―all the scenes where his grandma doesn't recognise him were so, so heartbreaking. I know life isn't fair, but it is a drama! Don't make the poor boy suffer that much 😭.

However, even though I loved this character a lot, I ―by no means― shipped him and Xiaoxi. He deserved someone who would give him their entire heart―and, let's face it, Xiaoxi would never grow out of her love for Jian Chen. *end of spoiler alert*

· · ·

♡ FRIENDSHIP:

As far as I'm concerned, most people are only interested in the romantic side of dramas ―which is fine, of course―, but I'm adding this item because it was seriously one of the things I enjoyed the most about this drama.

The chemistry between the five of them is awesome. Sometimes, it's not just about how nicely the leads are to each other―I think that portraying a great friendship is equally important. After all, life is not just about romantic love―it's about all the other kinds of love, as well.

It was sweet that they not only grew up together, but also that they stayed friends even if they had other things going on in their lives. They were unconditional to each other, but that didn't just stayed in high school―it followed them to their adult lives. They still tried to find the time to meet, even if they were busy (*spoiler alert* Xiaoxi's fansigning! *end of spoiler alert*), and supported and had each other's back no matter what.

I liked how friendship was one of the main topics in the drama.

· · ·

♡ SUMMARY:

If you're looking for a cute and light coming-of-age drama (and you don't mind a school drama―i.e., dealing with the fact that they are teenagers during most of it), then A Love So Beautiful is the one for you.

Also, if you haven't ever seen a Chinese drama (and you're up to a drama with the characteristics abovementioned), then I recommend you start with this one. It's not boring, chapters are relatively short (40-minutes-long episodes are considerably shorter than Korean drama's one-hour ones).

The acting was great (again, bear in mind that the characters are teenagers!), the chemistry between the leads was good, and, if you're like me, you'll enjoy the chemistry between the entire group (*spoiler alert* although Bosong and Jian Cheng are ready to throw hands at each other like 99% of the time *end of spoiler alert*).

If you have some time, I highly recommend you to watch it!

I'm leaving the trailer here, if you want to check it out:

A Love So Beautiful is available on NETFLIX, VIKI and YOUTUBE!

· · ·

I hope you liked this 'review'. I wanted to write one since I finished the drama, but I have been busy studying for my finals.

Sending lots of love during these weird times ♡