2023 Watched List
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1. First Love: Hatsukoi
Japanese Drama - 2022, 9 episodes
Started: 1/1 Finished: 1/3
Visual poetry.
The story of love and fate is not new one, yet this drama was never boring or trite, instead it felt nestalgic and comforting. The pacing was leisurely but emotionally gripping. The most clever part was the intertwining tale of Mars as a metaphor for Yae and Harumichi’s relationship; with the use of color adding further depth. Even the shades varied depending on the characters’ emotional state.
There were so many beautiful details that I could go on about them, however underneath all that is a simple, moving love story with wonderful acting performances. -
2. Alchemy of Souls Season 2: Light and Shadow
Korean Drama - 2022, 10 episodes
Started: 12/17/22 Finished: 1/8
Putting aside the ridiculous writing, it just lost its spark. There were some cool scenes, but it felt like a completely different show. Our Crown Prince and Jang Uk were really the best thing about season 2. I wasn’t disappointed in Go Youn Jung’s performances as Nasku/Jin Bu Yeon, but she unfortunately doesn’t have the screen presence that Jung So Min has, and from the very start the writers never did the character justice.
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3. Prison Playbook
Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
Started: 11/21/22 Finished:1/14
A little disappointed. It was good, but not quite a good as I was led to be believe. I thought the characters were well done and I got few good laughs, but a lot of it felt very cheesy and the music really felt awkward.
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4. Island
Korean Drama - 2022, 6 episodes
Started: 12/30/22 Finished: 1/14
A pleasant surprise. The story is interesting and it feels a lot more like a fantasy than a horror/thriller which I’m always game for. The graphics are a hit or miss for me, but nothing was bad enough to take me out of the story. I think I was let down by Van and Won Mi Ho, as they felt a little one faceted and seemed to be missing that spark, but Johan really made up for it. He was complex and his story was emotional, so I’m hoping the other characters get their time too in season 2.
P.S. not a fan of splitting a drama into multiple seasons…it breaks the flow.
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5. Rainless Love in a Godless Land
Taiwanese Drama - 2021, 13 episodes
Started: 1/16/22 Finished: 1/17
Took me a full year - almost to the day - to complete. The beginning was so compelling that I blazed through it, but the pacing slowed way down and other shows kept distracting me. However, the last few episodes were mind blowing and made me wonder why I had sat on it for so long.
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6. Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist
Korean Drama - 2022, 12 episodes
Started: 8/6/22 Finished: 1/21
I put season 2 on my PTW, but I doubt I’ll ever get around to it. I just never felt connected the characters nor did I feel connection between the characters.
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7. The New Employee
Korean Drama - 2022, 7 episodes
Started: 12/28/22 Finished: 2/10
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8. Someday or One Day
Taiwanese Drama - 2019, 13 episodes
Started: 1/17 Finished: 3/15
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9. From Me to You
Japanese Drama - 2023, 12 episodes
Started: 4/8 Finished: 4/20
Good. Sweet. I’ve definitely seen worse, but I’ve seen better as well.
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10. As Long as We Both Shall Live
Japanese Movie - 2023
Watched: 11/20