We Watch Challenge 2024

8th challenge complete 

Neriya 

I recommend  only-friends (bl) where it focuses on 3 different couples that addiction to substances and abuse will be shown ( personally I found ForceBook story boring)

the-murderer-and-the-toy I recommend it as it looks at student and how his life turned upside down from one mistake he took

 our-school-now(all of us are dead) its horror as it contains zombies but it was done is a realist way on how a group try to survive. The 2 romances were also great. It did a great balance of humor and darkness

Would love a crime or medical drama preferably anywhere but Korea as I want to try to watch dramas from a variety as 90% of dramas I've watched is Korean( don't mind if Korean though)

I accept dr chocolate 

7/10

I, II

Heyo Saygo! The majority of shows that I've watched are from Korea, but I have mixed in some Japanese dramas as well in the following:

1. 18 Again - amazing acting from the one and only lee do hyun. the character dynamics between the main character and his children were the best part. so heartwarming and comedic, though a bit on the slower side. (16ep x 70m)

2. Sutekina Sen Taxi - a time-travelling taxi drama. lighthearted and funny storylines, but it heavily relies on "japanese" humour, so jokes may fly over your head at times. (10 ep x 55m)

3. dele - it's about a unique occupation where the main characters' jobs are to delete all digital records of a client after they die. each ep focuses on a different client, where us viewers get to know more and more about the client's life when the mcs unravel their digital records. an engaging main duo with some unexpected twists. (8ep x 50m)

No historical dramas please! I'd prefer if it's either Korean or Japanese as well.

I accept dearuto's recommendation of The Story of Park's Marriage Contract. I love time-travel & fake dating/marriage of convenience plots, and you convinced me with their apparent chemistry! :)

Status: Completed
Rating: 10

Thoughts: Wow, I did not expect to find a new favourite, especially in a romance drama. I always thought it was plain BS that people were giggling and kicking their feet while watching romance shows, but this happened to me. Multiple times. I had to stop and squeal for a few seconds before clicking play, that's how adorable the two leads were together. I didn't even mind the plotholes in the story because I was too focused on all the fun characters. 

I'm not the biggest fan of historical dramas as evidenced by my tastes, but I loved all the sageuk elements here. It just goes to show how even your least favourite genres/tags can be great. Thank you for the rec dearuto, I enjoyed it immensely :)

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Hi dearuto 

Here are few reommendations. Let me know if you prefer something else -

1.  My Liberation Notes : A slice of life drama. The story is very realistic & simple supported by fantastic cast and acting to justify it. 
2. Exclusive Fairytale  :  A teenage love story - Absolutely fresh and hilarious (Fluff Fluff Alert xD) 
3. Pinocchio : Not your cliche story. Has bit of everything. The twists doesn't come out of blue , the chemistry between leads is good as well.

Accepted recc from Jenn - Something in the Rain.

( Thank you for the reccs. I have always heard similarities between SITR and OST. I loved One spring night so thought of giving SITR a watch.)

Thank you for the recommendation. This was a beautiful watch! 

The chemistry was great between the actors and the slow burn romance was portrayed beautifully. It was very realistic.I enjoyed the first 10 episodes of the drama thoroughly especially their honeymoon phase. 

This drama also tackles the harassment issue women face at a workplace and how FL finally takes a stand for herself and overcomes it is satisfactory.

The ML's acting was impressive. It made me believe he really loved the FL. I may be biased here as I am his fan from OSN! xD

I saw reviews comparing it to One spring night and though the setting and ML are similar I kinda disagree. 

This drama for me fell short because of the below or it would have been a solid 10!

- When the female lead was still indecisive about the ML after him reassuring her and then breaking up without having a proper conversation didn't sit well with me.

- Her mother kind of became too overbearing for me. I understand the Asian household theme they were trying to portray but I wish FL drew a line and took a stand.

OSN had the similar theme but the FL kinda woke up on time!

But again a pretty wonderful watch. 

Hello Jenn, I've been waiting for someone who is open to Thai series. I think you might like

Sweet Sensory, Thai PBS, link in the Comments or I can help. Through her new job, a blind woman starts a cooking class and becomes close friends with the teacher and the other students in the class. It's a lovely series about friends helping friends with care and respect.

55:15 Never Too Late  Five 55 year olds wake up as their 15 year old selves. There's humour as they learn how to negotiate 2020 life as teenagers, poignancy as they look at their lives, mistakes and regrets, and some stellar acting - the time frames are intertwined in the story telling and the young actors are great at embodying their characters' older selves.

My Fairy Ghost VERY short but very good and worth watching more than once IMO as there are many interconnections in meaning. Gentle love story between two women, emphasising how the support of another can help you find confidence in yourself. It reminds me of He's Coming to Me - not just in similarities between the stories but they're two of the kindest, warmest series.

For myself, I'ld prefer something Japanese or Thai, or another country that's less talked about here. Or if it's Korean or Chinese, something on the gentler side rather than the usual K- or C- stress rollercoasters :)  Not too long, under 16 or so episodes please. Open to films, short series, youth/coming of age. Mentioning that because they don't get talked about as much but maybe someone has one that they love.

Looks like I broke the thread. Apologies for that. Just rec me anything so it can get started again. Use it as a chance to talk about your favourites. Very sorry.

Thanks for the reassurance and recommendations jenn. Can the photo above be made to work for a badge or are their faces too far apart? I can rewatch to look for a suitable screen shot instead.

I accept your recommendation of Triage. Will start tomorrow because it seems a bit intense for this late in the evening :D

Status: Completed

Started: 4/4/24

Finished: 10/4/24

Rating: 5/10  I don't know, maybe I got stuck in a 3rd alternate reality time loop and watched a different series from everyone who loves it. They're certainly in the majority.

9 th drama complete 

Jenn 

I recommend zombie-100 (movie) hear me out I know you don't want any horror but it focuses more on an employee that learns to stand up for himself gaining true friendship along the way

a-bear-s-little-thing (English name higuma) if you manage to get the past that he thinks he is a bear it has cute sweet moments plus you can binge watch it in 1 day as it is 10 episodes of 5 minutes 

Mr Cinderella (Vietnamese bl) it was a slow burn romance that was really beautiful 

I need an intriguing  drama that talks about major issues in society 

I accept miracle of Teddy bear 

8/10

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Hi Jenn

It was a challenge for me to choose for you as you have watched so many. xD But here are few recommendations for you -

1. Encounter - A 16 episode drama. Its a romantic slow burn drama. I personally love this drama. 

2. Fight For my Way - A 16 episode romcom. The chemistry between the leads is nice. For me it kind of dramatically potrayed the struggle of growing up and  achieving  you dream.

3. Dali and the Cocky Prince - A 16 episode drama. Again a romantic genre with a bit of comedy. Alot of cliché troops here but I enjoyed it.

My apologies for the bad descriptions of the dramas. Let me know if you prefer something else. :))

Open for reccs. I genreally watch k& c dramas but won't mind romantic/romcom thai dramas.

Accepted Recommendation From dearuto - Mr. Queen

Hi Again Dearuto! xD Thank you for the recc! Was honestly torn between You are my Hero and Mr. Queen but had mood for romcom . So Mr. Queen it is. 

Status: Completed

Rating :  9

A perfect romcom for me! The comedy in the drama shines out for me. It is not forced and it actually makes you laugh! Though there is comedy, there are also twists and turn that keeps you hooked for 20 episodes. The acting by both the leads was phenomenal. The chemistry is undeniable. I couldn't find a flaw in FL's acting. Was seriously impressed.Overall an amazing romcom drama with a strong story line, amazing acting and beautiful OST's.

I, II, III

Hello dearuto! I hope you'll love one of these recommendations as much as I loved yours :)

1. If You Wish Upon Me - a healing drama with incredible acting, especially from ji chang wook and a new face, won ji an. an entertaining watch if you prefer character development and relationships over plot. the drama answers the question of how to really live life. (16ep x 70m)

2. Death's Game Part 1 & 2 - a fast-paced drama where you're not even able to take a breather. check out the first part to see if you're interested, but i promise you, after the ending of part 1, you'll be wanting more. (8ep x 55m)

3. Move to Heaven - centers around an autistic trauma cleaner, someone who cleans up the aftermath of a death scene to remove blood, potential infections, other fluids, and more. the drama can get you in your feels, but the main reason why this drama is so good is because of the bond and dynamic of the main trio. (10ep x 50m)

4. Vigilante - a drama that showcases the duality of nam joo hyuk's acting. it's thrilling, suspenseful, and dark, but beware of over-the-top and annoying characters. (8ep x 45m)

No historical or horror dramas please! Any country of origin is fine, but for c-dramas, I'd prefer the drama to be exceptional as I've never watched one before! If possible, I'd like it if the recommended drama(s) not be on my plan to watch list, as I want to watch something completely new and unexpected.

I accept jenn's recommendation of Bokura no Shokutaku. It's been on my ptw ever since it was announced and I've been craving some sweet and fluffy romance as of late :D

Status: Completed
Rating: 8.0

Thoughts: This was such a feel-good drama that I didn't want to end, so I deliberately watched it pretty slowly. Personally, the main protagonist did not interest me even with his backstory, but Minoru and Tane's personality made me invested :)

Thanks for the rec jenn!

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Hi Jenn 

Hope you would mind recommendations from me again. xD Let me know if you prefer something else -

1.  Fight For my Way  Or

2. Daily Dose of Sunshine Or

3. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo Or

4. A Piece of Your Mind

Open for reccs. I genreally watch k& c dramas.

Accepted Recommendation From Sweetsis - Blood

Status: Completed

Rating :  7/10 

I was very intrigued by the medical-supernatural theme drama (both being my favourite troops ) and the premise was  promising. I really liked how they tried to scientifically and medically justify the vampire-ishness rather than the same old sparkling in the sun. 

Acting was convincing for me.  Ahn Jae-hyun was a broody vampire with goofiness here and there. FL was overbearing at times but entertaining. Tbh I loved the bond between ML and his friend more than I liked ML and FL. Villains were strong.

But after episode 5/6 , I felt the plot changed. The doctor stopped treating patients. He was here and there all the time. It felt a bit draggy at times. The ending has a lot of unanswered questions which was a real disappointment for me.

Overall a strong plot with a lot of potential weakened with mediocre writing in the middle leading to a weak ending.