nice to watch

__*KBS.Drama.Special.2022.E04.Like.Otters*__ -8.5/10 -:kmovie;

nice school romance about two half-adults from problematic families
FL from twinkling watermelon showed quite different personality which was quite nice to watch too.
Truthfully I didnt cared much for ML story at least I didnt found him unique in any way. That kind of character I seen ton of times.
Kinda introvert being carried away by extroverted girl.

__*plot*__ - ML and FL are classmates which dont talk together much and both got family problems and both carry resignation letter to end their school days. Both of them discover it and starts to notice each other.

__*genre*__ - romance

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niche slice of life from mostly woman viewpoint in ancient china

__*The Story of Ming Lan (2018)*__ -8,5/10 cdrama

good but sadly its just too long.
first part of drama was very good and niche in style :slice of life from noble female courtyards in ancient china:
sadly second part of drama went to quite classic fight for throne fight for power in noble houses and intrigues.
[this theme is used too many times in historical dramas and in this drama it was quite averagely done].

Still this drama did quite good job on character development .. at least for some characters.

__*plot*__ - FL is kid of third unfavored concubine from noble house. Sadly her mother is pregnant and falls dead due to intrigues of other wife. FL ends up being raised by paternal grandmother. Growing up, she learns to hide her true self and use cunning methods in order to survive in family where members are plotting against each other and where no actual familial love exists.

ML is second son of marquis household who is supposed to inherit, but falls victim to tricks of his family members to lose all.
Story is about FL and ML growing up from kids to adults and going through their first love and all kind of different troubles just to meet each other and form complete pair.

__*genre*__ - historical, romance

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sport romance, with some family drama

Love All Play (2022) -9/10 kdrama

very nice sport themed romance drama with nice comedy vibe. Vibe is little alike to 2521.
Story goes around friendship, sport, some past trouble drama, overcoming mental and phys problem etc. Overall this drama didnt really have any slow of literally boring part at least for me.
There was always something happening, when main leads stagnated, side characters story picked up and their story was quite interesting too.

plot - FL was golden medalist and well known badminton genius, but she left this sport in hurry under unclear reasons leaving behind just bunch of gossips. Now 3 years later she couldnt take it anymore and decided to return to her loved sport knowing she will have to face the past.

genre - sport, comedy, romance

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sweet romance story

Amidst a Snowstorm of Love (2024) - 9/10 -cdrama

this drama is somewhere between 8,5/9 at least for me I decided to give it 9. Its for example very alike by vibe and story to drama Love Me, Love My Voice (2023) but I liked Love me .... more.

Drama is full of cute and romantic scenes + friendship and sportmanship got big space here too.

picking pool/nineball/snooker etc as sport around which will this drama go was good and bad choice at once. Firstly its good since story-setting of washed of pro player, training and playing at pubs in foreign city is interesting and quite realistic. At other hand this sport isnt very entertaining for watchers. At least better than watching others play chess or such.

Male lead character is on more unique side and makes this drama quite enjoyable if I had to describe it he seems :tough on outside, tender on inside:. As for female lead character she is more inverted :cute/tender on outside and tough in inside:

plot- Former professional snooker genius ML met the popular nine-ball player FL on a rare snowstorm night in city of foreign country. ML fell for FL at first sight and decided to do all he can to pursue FL and make her his girlfriend. As wheel of fate is quite fickle he finds out that FL he fell for is sister of his former snooker rival.

genre - romance, sport

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Welcome to army

__*Glory of Special Forces (2022)*__ - 8,5/10 -cdrama

not mine type of drama, but I guess if you really want pure military themed drama without big romance. This drama is must to watch.

Acting is great and evidently this drama got quite big budget.

Most of drama story is about training, military drills and all kinds of PTSD plus time from time some real action.

Of course its cdrama expect alot patriotism. But I guess all military themed movies/dramas got a lot of it we just tend to ignore it from USA movies.

__*plot*__ - Story of ambitious young man from military family wanting to go in steps of his father and join most elite chinese spec ops. As young guy trained from small age and always better than others he is arrogant and self-conceited with lack of teamwork sense. These attributes hits hard againts military code and need be weathered off by his supperiors, before he can become true soldier.

__*genre*__ - military, action

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S2 is finishing touch to whole drama

Hospital Playlist [S1+S2] - 9/10 -kdrama

firstly its rating for both series at once. There really no point rating them individually. Since S1 series is slower and ends with alot things open and un-complete at least S2 completes it nicely.

I know new generation maybe wont know, but I find Hospital playlist quite alike to USA sitcom Friends[1994].
Why do I compare it to such even though it got quite different format is because of how nice friendhip dynamic this drama got going on.
With each main lead having own role in this friends circle.

This drama is about group of 40y longtime friends going through their lives and their problems together and time from time getting help from their close-knit friendship.

Practically every main lead will have their romance plot and even though its not some hot stuff its still nicely done.

plot - story of five doctors working at same hospital which are close-knit friends from university years. Going through their everyday problems with patients in hospital, work and their family or romance.

genre - hospital, friendship, comedy, romance

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prepare to see both series at once or rather dont start

Hospital Playlist [S1+S2] - 9/10 -kdrama

firstly its rating for both series at once. There really no point rating them individually. Since S1 series is slower and ends with alot things open and un-complete at least S2 completes it nicely.

I know new generation maybe wont know, but I find Hospital playlist quite alike to USA sitcom Friends[1994].
Why do I compare it to such even though it got quite different format is because of how nice friendhip dynamic this drama got going on.
With each main lead having own role in this friends circle.

This drama is about group of 40y longtime friends going through their lives and their problems together and time from time getting help from their close-knit friendship.

Practically every main lead will have their romance plot and even though its not some hot stuff its still nicely done.

plot - story of five doctors working at same hospital which are close-knit friends from university years. Going through their everyday problems with patients in hospital, work and their family or romance.

genre - hospital, friendship, comedy, romance

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classic XianXia story, but with good actors

The Last Immortal (2023) - 8,5/10 -cdrama

yeah classic XianXia... this drama felt too long. Story even though it was gradually progressing , here was quite lot parts I just tolerated rather than enjoyed.

Shortly put. For me this drama was always around average[8] and above average[8,5] .... based on episodes some was boring some was nice. At the end I guess I enjoyed more episodes than Iepisodes I felt bored for. Moreover it got few mine favs actors which is + too.

Story felt overly complicated, but its predecessor[Ancient Love Poetry] had alike complicated story too.

plot - shortly put ML is immortal from god descent and only true god in immortal world. He is lazy and incompetent, partly by choice. FL is not even born yet but she is hatching as new demigod phoenix. ML caused problem with FL birth and FL's spirit dissipated. ML is grounded to fobidden zone till FL's rebirth. ML finds egg of magical beast[FLs soul] in forbidden zone and hatches it. FLs becomes magical pet of ML and their mutual fate can start.

genre -XianXia, romance

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good start, good drama, but story is very unoriginal

Destined (2023) - 8,5/10 -cdrama

historical cdrama witth quite nice and :unusual: start of :forced marriage: and hate/love relationship.
Still in middle and end drama it goes to old thousand times used :fight for throne and court intrigues:

main leads personality changes in course of the story to better. As for chemistry between all pairs. Its good but its lacks something.

plot - ML is notorious son of provincial wealthiest family[Gu family]. FL is is only legitimate daughter of former merchant, sadly her father dotes on concubine and she lives in :hell: together with her mother. FL tries to marry into famous scholar family of city to run from oppression, but unluckily she crosses way with ML and pisses him off. ML in his prankish retaliation publicly confessed his love for her and destroyed her :honor: that way + closed her chance to marry into scholar family. Sadly for ML his parents heard of it and made him marry her, partly too cause Emperor tried to force marriage between ML and princess in attempt to :steal: their family wealth that way.

genre - romance, historical, wuxia

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Acting and dialogues is all what matters, worth watching

Drama Special Season 13: Let's Meet in an Unfamiliar - 9/10 -short kmovie

very nice low cost romance movie with about 1 hour watchtime.

I love this type of low cost movie. Where people are practically in same place whole time. Such movies are free from most distractions and you can focus on story, dialogues and acting quality.

plot - FL and ML are two unfortunate souls which got COVID-19 and ended up being quarantined in treatment center. They both are in separate :cells: and to get rid of boredom they talk to each other through window. This way they get familiar with each other without seeing their faces, just by knowing their voice and their stories.

genre - romance

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well made story of rekindling an old flame

Our Beloved Summer - 8,5/10 kdrama

firstly I am in kinda drama slump now and to even start this one I had to force myself. It was really good, but I cant say it saved me from slump.
Drama at start tends to skip between past and present timeline, but its done quite well.

This drama got really high quality story which is quite on :ordinary life side:. I mean characters backstory aint really ordinary like silver spoon, celebrity, :single parent family child etc. But happenings in this drama are modestly ordinary at least if you compare it to most kdramas.
Chemistry... yeah it was there, but again not in some passionate or cute way[was cute sometimes].
Yeah this drama will show you more of relationship based on old feelings which still lasts and some kind of spiritual solace between main leads.

plot - at high school ML and FL was part of documentary which became successful thanks their very different school social standing and personality which resulted in nonstop clashes and bickering through whole documentary. Later on they ended up as couple for five years just to go through hard break up.
Now 10 years after documentary aired it became viral again and both leads was pushed into joining new documentary about their life now. Will such sudden meet up after 5 years from break up, spark a fire between main leads again?

genre - romance, school, love/hate. second chance

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love and break up story which should be posible just in asia

One Spring Night (2019) -8,5/10 -kdrama

I really loved soundtrack in this one. Mainly Rachael Yamagata songs. They used them very often for alike situations in drama which made it quite consistent and easy to point out.

In this drama I very often felt cultural differences and how :traditional mindset: can fuck up life even drama.

Its quite mature piece and at start I liked maturenes of ML and FL. At start ML was quite decisive and made clear-cut in relationships. At same time FL had mindset to do all right.
Sadly it didnt went like that for long. FL got irresolute and lacked braveness. ML coulnt keep his stance either. Whole drama ended in way :true love: vs whole world.

At some times characters was acting quite mature and made nice and right decisions., but there was time when you as watcher know its bad decision and I believe even main characters knew its bad decision still they went with it cause they wasnt brave enough to push it through opposition.

plot - FL is dating for long time with one guy, but their relationship lacks spark. FL ends up being asked to marry her boyfriend, but she gets cold feet and decides for some kinda :soft break up:.
Meanwhile she meets ML and starts feeling something for him. ML is pharmacist which likes FL, but he is single father and in eyes of public unsuited for relationship.
+- Its story about FL and ML getting together though FL still didnt decisively broke up with her boyfriend and they will have to brave through opposition of FL family, mainly father.

genre - romance

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slice of life high school - college - work drama

My Calorie Boy - 9/10 cdrama

after long time its first high school youth drama I really enjoyed.

Usually its hard for me empathize with highschoolers since its been too long when I was living student life moreover asian schools are quite different to European ones.

this drama is slice of life which changes main focus as story progress it starts with friendship bonding continues with romance seeking later on future path picking and getting through obstacles like tests and parents and this way it continues.

Romance part is quite slowburn mainly cause protagonists are young and writer evidently wanted mix relationships its why he went to usual route of main leads miscommunications and being dumb to their own feelings.

plot - ML comes to highschool as new transfer student he is quite fatso and foodie but top student . Right first day he meets FL and becomes her classmate,desk-mate and friend. ML and FL both gets crush on their classmates. ML and FL makes pact which will help them with their romance life. ML helps FL with studies meanwhile FL helps ML with weight loss.

genre - youth, school, romance, slice of life

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nice story which can live though test of time

The Classic (2003) - 8,5/10 kmovie

story is nice two generation romance. +- its about daughter reading love letters of her mother and learning about her school romance
Of course drama got another storyline which is daughters current romance.

Overall even this movie is quite old it was funny and melodramatic at same time. Whole movie got about 2 hours, but more or less first 1,5hours is slow storytelling for both timelines an last 30 mins are climax of whole movie which connects both timelines together.

plot - FL[1968] is daughter of high official, but one summer she was at vacation viciting her uncle in countryside and found her first love[ML[1968]]. Later on they both meet at Seul, but into their love comes third guy which is officially engaged to FL[1968]. Continues their lovestory.
FL[200X] is daughter of first FL[1968] she manages to read her loveleters from past. FL[200X] loves ML[200X] which is quite popular guy at school which is together with her best friend. FL[200X] got nothing else to do than secretly love ML[200X] from far away.

genre - romance, melodrama

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cute, homely romance

__*Once Upon a Small Town (2022)*__ 8,5/10 -kdrama

ok story is pretty basic and even its same rating from me I think Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021) did a bit better for this theme. At least even it got tag comedy at MDL I didnt found much of it here + it was almost one man show. Meanwhile hometown got excelent support roles.

this drama was very much carried by main female lead[Joy], like through drama I think I grew affection for women in uniform which I am sure I never had.

Ok enough joking truthfully her cute, klutz, smiling image doesnt really fit for policewoman work[like who would respect her?] still for work in small village it may work. Still her role was most enjoyable to watch in this drama.

__*plot*__ - ML works as a veterinarian in Seoul. He is popular for his face, but he is classic introverted guy which hates hassle. One day he got serious call from his grandfather from countryside. In hurry he arrives there just to discover he was pranked into being director of vet clinic in that countryside for half year in stead of his grandfather which goes on trip around world with his grandmother. In this countryside he meet super nosy pokicewoman which for some reason shows alot around him but at same time seems to have beef with him.

__*genre*__ - romance

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