Noona Is Watching - Reviews

Finished 2024-05

Truly a masterpiece from start to finish. Some incredible twists at the beginning that take the plot to somewhere completely new. The fantasy is handled so well in developing the love story and tension. SML borders on second lead syndrome, but they are the only drama to handle that role properly imo. Honestly perfect. Not a single episode or plot point I didn’t like. 

Favourite quote: “It will rain tomorrow. Then as you wait for the rain to stop, live another day. If you keep this up, there might a come a day when life doesn’t seem so miserable.”

Tags: time travel, love triangle, idol drama, rom com, serial killer villain, mental health and disability themes

Finished 2023-08

I will never recover from this drama. I cried and laughed and fell so in love with the entire cast. The friendship between the two female leads is beautiful. Nam Joo-hyuk the actor that you are. That ending will be permanently etched on my heart. Another incredible display of how talented female writers are in kdramas.

Favourite line: “It’s love. I love you, Hee-do. I don’t need a rainbow.” 

Tags: melodrama, sports, friends to lovers

Finished 2023-07

Cried my eyes out. Park Bo Young is too cute. The whole premise is so good and they do such a good job pacing it and throwing in twists to keep it interesting. Also has made me a huge Seo In Guk stan, the man is crazy talented at playing a villain with a heart of gold.

Favourite line: "Love me to the point that you will want to destroy the world for me." 

Tags: fantasy, melodrama, enemies to lovers

Finished 2023-09

There has never been a better revenge drama. Succession meets time travel fantasy meets enemies to lovers romcom meets 90s period piece. Song Joong Ki absolutely nails it once again.

Favourite line: "There are 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year. They say time is fair to everyone. However, time isn’t fair. Just like everything else in this world." 

Tags: revenge, enemies to lovers, time travel, 90s

Finished 2023-07 

Despite being traumatized by the ending, this is still one of my fave dramas. The acting. The fight choreography. The romance. 10000/10. Pil-do might be one of my favourite male leads ever. I love me a soft boy who would do anything to protect his strong, independent woman.

Favourite line: "Is life supposed to be fun?" 

Tags: revenge, action, enemies to lovers, gangs vs cops

Finished 2023 -07 

So rewatchable. Truly the coziest kdrama out there. A great start into noona romances too. Also the line where she talks about how it was so nice to be called by her name, instead of “mom”, “honey”, “you” really stays in my heart. Also started my obsession with Jong-Suk.

Favourite line: "Instead of 'I love you,' soseki natsume said, 'the moon is beautiful." 

Tags: friends to lovers, noona romance, workplace romance, romcom, love triangle

Finished 2023-08 

Absolute perfection. Jun Ho is the new standard. Deals with autism in a surprisingly modern way. Some interesting episodes on feminism in the workplace too.

Favourite line: "All my thoughts tend to center around me, so I make people close to me lonely. I don’t know when or why I do that. And I don’t know what I can do to stop it." 

Tags: legal drama, autism, workplace romance

Finished 2024-05 

So good that I had to stop and take a break at ep. 14 because I didn't want it to end. The closest I've ever seen to a truly romance thriller genre. The romance between this married couple - despite one of them potentially being a psychopath murderer lol - is literally one of the most adorable and authentic in any drama I've seen. This drama has definitely given me an unhealthy bias for Lee Jong Gi soooo...

Favourite line: "He is the father of my child. He is my family. He is my person. He has a wife who will stand by his side no matter what happens." 

Tags: married couple, serial killer thriller, detective drama

Finished 2024-03-03 

Incredible directing. Best acting performance of the year surely from Jo Jung Suk. Perfect if you liked Kings Affection. So much tension, little bit gay in a great way, and the palace politics are actually so interesting. All the characters are very morally grey and make for such interesting stories. 

Favourite quote: “I love to win but I cannot put up with boredom.” 

Tags: FL disguised as man, historical drama, enemies to lovers

Finished 2023-06 

Female gaze times a million. And the supporting cast is one of my faves (except for the TAs, they were boring as all hell). It’s also one of the few kdramas that tackle a relationship that’s kind of “friends with benefits” and you can very much tell it was written by a woman.

I get why some people really don’t like this one, but I’m a big believer in not needing the main characters to be good people for it to be a good piece of art. Everyone is very flawed in this (nearing on toxic), but it tells a lot of important stories that I really connected with.

Favourite line: "I know it will cause me pain again. Nevertheless..." 

Tags: friends with benefits, college drama, red flag ml, love triangle

Finished 2024-03 

Baseball is life. Definitely the best sports drama out there, although it’s a close race with Love All Play. This drama has no romance, so I was really surprised that it hooked me so much. But the drama is amazing. The villains are so good. And mostly I just love this goddamn sport man. Even if you don’t like sport, I think you’ll enjoy the twists and turns and found family dynamics of this one. Also Park Eun Bin never misses. 

Favourite quote: "Everyone's situation is different, we all fight with the resources that are available to us. If we start listing excuses, we'll lose again in the same situation." 

Tags: sport drama, found family, no romance

Finished 2023-07 

This was a slow start for me because I found the main female lead so annoying at first. But trust me she grows on you. Literally one of my fave dramas now. The emotions are SO real, I was crying constantly. Very attached to this little trio now. And the parallels of the beginning and ending are soooo good. All the characters have so much character growth, some of the best writing I’ve seen in a kdrama.

Favourite line: "Your body is honest. When you're in physical pain, you cry. But the heart is a liar. It stays quiet even when it's hurting." 

Tags: enemies to lovers, autism, mental health

Finished 2023-10 

Absolutely binged this. Such a fun watch. The lore is really cool too. My only thing is I LOVED the female lead from S1 and it felt weird not to have her in the second season. Also second season felt a bit rushed on the ending. Otherwise perfection.

Favourite line: "If you stabe me, then I wil die as the one who released the assassin. If you withdraw your sword, I will make you another promise." 

Tags: fantasy, enemies to allies to lovers, magic, love triangle

Finished 2024-04 

Incredible binge watch. Only 10 episodes, and all about 40 min or less. They don't get distracted by any unnecessary side stories and really just focus on the characters. Both the ML and FL are incredible, and the secondary couple is just as cute. I will forever remember the look that he gives her when she finally says I love you back. A great mix of comedy and swoony romance.

Favourite line: "I can stand other people hating me, but I can’t live with hating myself." 

Tags: enemies to lovers, idol drama, fake dating, badass FL x soft boi ML

The most beautiful little love story. No angst, no tension. Just blissful first love with a happy ending. Super slow burn so keeps you invested. Love the male lead's character development, from shy and quiet to confident and smiling all because of her. The friends are also so cute and amazing. Second romance is perfect. It's essentially 2521 with a happy ending.

Favourite quote: "The charm of youth is never about getting what you want, but about every unexpect tomorrow and every person you meet by chance."

Tags: friends to lovers, shy ml/quirky fl, high school to college years, fluff no angst

Incredible coming of age story. I rewatch it constantly. I put off watching it at first because of the description of the age gap. But honestly they handle it so well and their relationship becomes so beautiful and healthy. Definitely one of the healthiest relationship I've ever seen portrayed in a drama.

Favourite quote: "Am I really getting old now? Why are my parents no longer here?"

Tags: age gap, fl falls first, highschool crush to lovers, high school to college years

Finished 2023-08 

Too cute for it’s own good. Male lead is adorable. Only docking points for some of the weird mentions of the female lead’s weight and her being ‘ugly’. Otherwise the perfect drama. Great for a light watch as there isn’t much drama between the couple really, they communicate well and most of the tension is in their family and career.

Favourite line: "You fool, I like you. Not as a friend, but as a woman. If I don't see you, I get curious. If you're depressed, I get upset. If you smile, it makes me happy. If you're sick, I get worried. It's driving me crazy. It means I like you, doesn't it?" 

Tags: friends to lovers, childhood friends, sports drama, college drama, romcom

Finished 2023-09 

Beautiful. So sad. Chemistry is insane between the main leads. I cried so much. Also the friendships between all the characters are really great. The plot too is amazing. Only docking it a half point because some of the military propaganda is a bit much for me, otherwise perfect.

Favourite line: "Regarding the kiss, what should I do? Should I apologize for that? Should I confess my feeling to you?" 

Tags: exes to lovers, military drama, melodrama

Very addicting, plot is crazy fun. Leads have so much chemistry. Some episodes ran on a bit though. 

Tags: revenge, legal drama, workplace romance 

Love the premise. Essentially a gayer Mulan plotline. Rowoon is cute AND badass. Also can’t believe this is the same Park Eun Bin as Attorney Woo?? The range!!! 

Tags: fl disguised as a man, historical drama, kinda gay 

Only docking a point because Taejun’s whole family deserved the shit beat out of them instead of a stupid redemption arc. Otherwise the perfect romance angst. Taejun is THE green flag. 

Tags: sports drama, college drama, partners to lovers 

Really good, really funny. Just wish the ending was more gay. 

Tags: body swap, time travel, historical drama, comedy 

I can’t believe how underrated this one is. First love triangle story that actually had me questioning who I wanted to be endgame. The male leads are written so beautifully and they are both so complex and interesting. And the female lead has you rooting for her so much. I also really loved how they wrote such an insecure male lead, the character development was amazing to watch and Nam Joo Hyuk crushed it as per usual. 

Tags: workplace romance, paid to date you, love triangle 

Really really good. I always thought it would be interesting to get a zombie story post pandemic. I just think some of the directing wasn’t great near the end. Some of the scenes just needed to hit a bit harder for me, considering I know how good this cast is in other dramas.

 Tags: zombies, friends to lovers, fake married, cohabitation 

If you like Grey's Anatomy for the crazy end of season events, this is the show for you. Wil ride, amazing chemistry with the leads, loveable found family. 

Tags: medical drama, found family, rivals to lovers 

Same review as Season 2 really as I binged them together. But this season has some major WHUMP stuff in it and a wayyyy bigger budget which is fun.

Tags: medical drama, found family, rivals to lovers 

If you like Grey's Anatomy for the relationships and friendship however, this is the show for you. Medical stuff is sometimes boring in this one, but the found family and ships 100% make up for it. Also there's like 100 episodes of behind the scenes to watch and the cast is too cute. 

Tags: friends to lovers, slow burn romance, medical drama, found family, ensemble cast, music 

Honestly even cuter than season 1. I love this show so much. I dunno why people didn't like this season as much, I loved finally getting to see the couples get together and I think the medical stuff is slightly more interesting in this season.

Tags: friends to lovers, slow burn romance, medical drama, found family, ensemble cast, music 

Really underrated! Double the friends with benefits to lovers trope. Very risque for a kdrama, and some really mature and modern themes around feminism and sex.

Tags: mature rating, friends with benefits to lovers, sex positive 

I’m such a sucker for a heist narrative. Really great found family of robin hood thieves. Great action, romance, drama. It’s got it all. Seriously underrated. Also loved all the interesting political unification stuff. Hoping for another season, I need my slow burn Rio x Tokyo plssss

Tags: action thriller, bank heist, political drama, Korea unification, romance sub plots, found family

Honestly didn't realise it was two parts. Both were great!

Tags: action thriller, bank heist, political drama, Korea unification, romance sub plots, found family

Perfect little action thriller. Sweet teen romance on the stage of brutal violence. Both the leads are incredible in this, both in the action and drama and in the humour bits. Easy watch as its only 8 episodes, 30 min each. 

Tags: mature rating, assassin’s, teen romance, first love, mental health and suicide, badass female lead

Beautiful. Short. Simple. Some of my favourite leads. Great winter watch if you’re feeling like some cozy, friends to lovers vibes. 

Tags: friends to lovers, winter, music 

Loved the first 10 episodes. But felt it didn't wrap up great, especially with the romance. What an absolute waste of a great romance setup. And a waste of Chae Jong-hyeop!

Tags: stranded on a desert island, music, childhood friends, finding your first love 

It's good, but kind of burnt out on revenge dramas with time travel. Villains were great though and Na In Woo is adorable. 

Tags: time travel, revenge, ml falls first 

The tension between these leads is unmatched. Also just a gorgeous show. Little too dramatic for me. Like after the tenth time they just missed each other, I wanted to pull my hair out. But damn can these two act.

Tags: romance drama, historical, fated love 

Part two was even bigger on the they just almostttt meet. Painful. But the ending is good! Also desperate for a little epilogue in the last episode. 

Tags: romance drama, historical, fated love 

I love Jo Jung Suk, and with Park Bo Young??? Match made in heaven. I’m desperate for them to get on screen together again. Fun fantasy elements. Both characters have so many flaws but they develop so well. 

Tags: enemies to lovers (ish), ghost possession, restaurant drama 

For the Hometown Cha Cha Cha fans for sure. Definitely under utilized Ji Chang Wook (where are the epic kisses pls), but overall the leads had incredible chemistry. 2nd ML was annoying as hell though. Give all the awards to the little girl. 

Tags: friends to lovers, exes to lovers, love triangle, middle-aged drama 

Super cute. SO much chemistry. Bit too melodramatic for me and the second female lead is a bit one-dimensional. Really funny though and a decent legal drama. 

Tags: legal drama, enemies to lovers, workplace romance, cohabitation 

Enemies to lovers plus a fake relationship to hide your bestie is gay. It's mostly really fun and silly, the FL is one of my favourite korean actors, but it falls a part a bit in the middle of the season. Would have been saved with more scenes with Do Han and exploring what it means to be gay in Korea. Even just more scenes where he's happy. Great finale and fluff throughout for our main leads though. 

Tags: Enemies to lovers, fake wedding, beard for my gay best friend, idol story 

Really great premise and the chemistry of the leads is unmatched. Don’t be fooled by the branding, this is very much more of a rom com than a melodrama. Really liked the directing too, beautiful show. 

Tags: time travel, shared fate, workplace romance 

You know I love a good revenge thriller. Very good series, incredibly gritty for a high school drama. Twist at the end was kind of meh though. And also wish there was more romance as the leads were so cute. 

Tags: little to no romance, high school drama, revenge 

Really great premise. The main trio are all so good. I just think some of the romance drama near the end was a bit annoying. Shoulda been like 3 episodes shorter, just got a bit tiresome. 

Tags: shared fate, fantasy (ish), legal drama 

Very cute friends to lovers. Great chemistry between the leads. Very similar vibe to Weighlifting Kim Bok Joo, just wish the last episode was a bit more impactful. 

Tags: friends to lovers, sports, college friends 

Very cute and fluffy. Love both leads. Liked how there was no unnecessary drama between them. Really healthy relationship. Just not my favourite plot of all time, hasn’t hooked me like other shows. 

Tags: workplace romance, chaebol ml, hotel management 

Definitely hooks you. Starts to drag in the last 5 episodes with too much melodrama. But I loved how they switched it up mid-way through. Really engaging. Also the chemistry with the leads is unreal, makes sense that they’re married in real life now. 

Tags: found family, north korea, enemies to lovers, melodrama 

Very solid fantasy romance. Found it a bit boring though in the middle. Kim Young Dae is defs underrated though. Hopefully this will kickstart him as a lead now. 

Tags: fantasy, loved each other in a past life, revenge, enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers again 

It's very nearly perfect. Super fluffy, sweet, and chemistry off the charts. Spoiled after Hidden Love, as the last few episodes just got a bit too dramatic and would have liked more episodes with them together. Final episode was a treat though!

Like 90% fluff. Also cool to see the behind the scenes of k actor management. Lee Song Kyung literally plays enemies to friends to lovers perfectly. Nearly same love story as Dr Romantic and Bok Joo, love to see it. 

Tags: enemies to friends to lovers, college friends, acting drama 

It’s pretty good, but very trope-y. If you like a chaebol romance or workplace romance you’ll love it. It just didn’t surprise me that much, so very middle of the road. One of the few times that I actually was more obsessed with the secondary love story than the main. 

Tags: workplace romance, fl pretending to be someone else 

Kind of ridiculous but surprisingly deep and heartwarming. Loved the chemistry of all the couples. 

Tags: sex positive, queer secondary couple, friends with benefits, taiwanese 

This show really surprised me after a few episodes. The characters are all so very morally grey, but it really builds to something unique. Chemistry really gets going near the end. My main issues with the show are around the use of a fat suit (hire big girls! you can do it kdramas!) and the redemption arc they gave to some truly evil characters. A really fun ride nonetheless, with some very interesting themes around mental health. I am also now obsessed with the female lead’s filmography, she’s sooooo freaking good. 

Tags: superheroes, mental health, eating disorder, enemies to lovers, time travel

Another drama where the chemistry of the leads really carry the show. Also Rowoon is so talented. I like the premise, but the execution was kinda messy and the first few episodes kinda drag until they let Rowoon being a goofy boi. Must watch though if you love fluff and soft bois. 

Tags: enemies to lovers, love potion, fantasy, past life, betrayal 

Despite wanting to rewatch this show constantly, it is kind of a hot mess. Really fun though, just the plot is like a yo-yo. Insane chemistry with the leads. 

Tags: fantasy, love across universes (webtoon comes to life) 

Great show and then the last episode is just like really a bummer. The main couple are super cute though and I like the jumping back to the beach town. Good summer watch! Not sure I really like the mockumentary style, but it’s quite cute. 

Tags: mockumentary, short episodes, summer romance, exes to lovers 

The beginning and middle are really good and cute. Ending is just kind of rushed and feels a bit disjointed from the plot. Overall fun rom com though!

Tags: rom com, enemies to lovers, kpop idol

It’s very cute, but just way too fluffy for me, especially near the end. It’s a good light watch if you’re looking for something like that. Highly recommend watching the behind the scenes of this series too, because Park Hung Sik is just so in love with Park Bo Young and it’s adorable. 

Tags: workplace romance, superpowers, comedy 

This was my very first drama so I really need to rewatch it as I don’t know if my review is just because it’s aged in my brain. But it’s very cute, very wholesome. Supporting cast is incredible. My only real issue with it is I don’t love the female lead as much as I like other leads, just didn’t root for her as much as I would have liked. 

Tags: small town, enemies to lovers, found family 

Bit boring, but the chemistry is unreal between the leads. Really good twist near the beginning that still sticks with me. Also love seeing Song Kang as little puppy dog heart of gold boi. 

Tags: noona romance, workplace romance

Love the premise and the leads are amazing. Female lead in particular nails the role. Just a bit too melodramatic for me. Another one where the side characters really make the show, especially her sister. 

Tags: past lives, childhood friends, murder mystery 

Great action thriller, the political plot had me the whole time. Suzy never misses. But it ended on a cliffhanger and I wish I’d known that before. Especially since Season 2 hasn’t been announced ? Otherwise the romance is great, ML is incredible. 

Tags: action romance, enemies to lovers, spy thriller

I think this drama is a bit overhyped, but I still binged it pretty quick. I’ll be honest, though I loved the main couple, I skipped over almost every other side plot because they were so boring. But Gong Yoo is great in this and we know I love a kdrama that’s a little gay, so still definitely a drama I’d revisit in the future I think. 

Tags: FL pretending to be a man, kinda gay, rom com, office romance

Kinda just meh. Like it was cute and fun but nothing special. Female lead was really good though. Also I do like the plot around face blindness, just not super memorable as a show in general. 

Tags: mystery, ml shut in 

Too cringe and immature for me I think. Interesting premise though. Song Kang is really good in it (although he plays a massive red flag again lol), I just really didn’t like the other male lead to be honest. 

Tags: love triangle, fated love, fantasy (ish), red flag ml