Favourite dramas

This has got to be my favourite C drama of all time. It warms my heart just remembering Zhao Jiangyue and Gu Jiaxin's love story, and seeing the ups and downs their relationship goes through to reach an end point. I really relate to Zhao's highly motivated and high-achieving persona, so perhaps that's why I loved her so much! 

Also, Gina Jin and Wang Ziyi sing the opening song together - I think it's a bop!

This was my first drama years ago. I wasn't a watcher, more a reader so it's very special to me. My cousin said she enjoyed it, and recommended this and a Turkish drama (No: 309) to me. I couldn't finish the Turkish drama because the subs were incomplete, but I binged this under the covers at a sleepover at their house when the girls fell asleep!

The hidden identity and the mysteries that the reporters have to chase are what I really loved, and I appreciated the slight romance, as well as all the characters whether main or supporting. This is also the first drama I watched with Jin Kyung, who became the first actor ever whose work I actively searched for! Hence why I watched Blood, which I did not like - but that's an explanation for another time!

Look, there's a reason I've rewatched it twice to date (Sept '23). The journalism plot is interesting, there's stuff which happens in their work which is fascinating, and the fact that romance is an incidental side thing that develops over time and that they do work is nice! I didn't really know what to feel about Onoe at the start, but I grew to like him later. Similar with Kaburagi, though who doesn't love an aloof photographer.

I can't help but love it! The sass, the friends (especially Choi Yuna - she can step on me!) truly make this what it is. Not to mention this had some lovely scenes and angst. This was the first drama I remember noticing the lighting and the symbolism was lovely. I'm a programmer and a sucker for enemies to lovers so I'm probably biased.

Also, the music is memorable and energetic - I've coded to it many times!

It damn well deserves the 10, more than any other show I can currently think of! Japanese food dramas are really in a class of their own, and I'm definitely gonna end up rewatching this one!

5/12/23 - I don't know how I forgot to add this one. After an awful day today, I'm rewatching this today because the pretty desserts and the comforting, inspirational messages are just what I need today!

This will make it the 5th drama I've rewatched, and its easily bingeable too, with 5 episodes of about 25mins according to MDL, so a little over 2 hours!

This is my new favourite J drama, because all the characters charmed me. I mean, one's a hacker and another's a police officer, but both are icons. Despite predicting the second half pretty accurately, I was captivated by the characters and the actors are so good I'm going to watch their other stuff! The music was also really good, to the point I have the OST playlist on loop.

This was a beautiful story of women, by women, for women! Showcasing the different views on their sexualities of the younger lesbian and her aunt, as well as the women around them, this is a heartwarming window into their lives mainly based in a small café named for a sapphic icon (Emily Dickinson)!

This is a sweet little ad for tea which warmed my heart. I'm not expecting a Season 2 any time soon, but I'm ok with what we got. Lee Yu Ri is super pretty!

This was a fun little thing to watch, and it really pulled through with the obvious couple despite the lack of kiss. This is a couple who killed me with sweetness and the actresses are gorgeous! Both also feature in Nv Er Hong which I plant to watch soon!

(lol, plant to watch! clocked 5/12/23)

So beautiful! Here's why!

I loved how complex and dramatic it was. The censored romance was a bonus, because the women were just wonderful at showing their love for each other in subtle ways. With characters who interact so captivatingly, and easy banter between the main actresses and a character who I did not expect to become such a favourite of mine later, I can't help but love this one! :D

Beautiful OST, a woman in STEM who's timid but not naive, and a hotshot racer who's arrogant but loveable, as well as wonderful friends and family! 

I saw a comment saying 'The sex appeal that woman has' referring to Engfa, and I wholeheartedly agree. The story of Meena and Charlotte captivated me with their cute moments and shyness around each other, and the friends were amazing!

Becky and Freen were part of what kept me watching Secret Crush on You, but when I found out they had done GAP, I flew to watch it. They really didn't disappoint, with amazing chemistry and quite a bit of spice! What I really appreciated was how sweet they were to each other, with lots of fluff and seeing how Sam (Freen's character) really is a cinnamon roll when you get to know her!

The premise for this was amazing: Pran (Nanon) and Pat (Ohm) with their enemies to friends to enemies to frenemies etc had me captivated. I truly think the Ohm and Nanon gave justice to their characters, and appreciated the complex dynamics between different characters. The final revelation of why the family feud exists was so unexpected to me.

Also, the fact there's a GL side couple was a huge plus! Ink and Pa warmed my hearts, and they even made it as my profile picture for a while! Milk and Love aren't given much, but with what time they had, they stole my hearts and made me look forward to 23.5 which will be their full GL!

Look, if you've seen my feeds posts, you'll know I put it on hold halfway through, and came back to it later. I was going to rewatch it before I added it here, but watching episode 3 and onwards really convinced me to put this here.

Okay, they're not perfect. They act like dickheads occasionally, with Teh especially pissing me off and being the main reason I put it on hold for a while, but they're teenagers. Billikin especially pulls off the confusion Teh experiences so well, and while there are parts which may seem weird, teenagers are weird! 

The cinematography and the symbolism of their colours are just beautiful! It's really the simple things that make this drama, and I fully understand the hype. It's not one I originally loved, but I love it for the beautiful emotions it put me through, and the symbolism, even if I can't rave about much else. Will I hype it? To an extent, yes, but not as much as the others on this list. Will it have a special place in my heart? Yes, but different to the other dramas where I loved the protagonists. Billikin and PP make their characters relatable but not always lovable, and I'll treasure how in real life, not everyone changes the way you want them to. I'll also remember how chock full of symbolism this was, and how Teh and Oh-aew could really communicate so much without saying a single word.

I'll preface by saying this. KinnPorsche is a BL. But that wasn't the main draw, and that is why I think it's so  spectacular. Apo plays Porsche, a fiercely caring brother who starts working as Kinn's bodyguard when duty compels him to do so. Porsche is such a funny character, but also badass as feck! Mile does a great job at showing us that Kinn really isn't a character to hate, and I grew to like this mafia heir over time. There's mystery, there's drama, there are even epic shootouts. If you want an action drama with a bonus of romance - and LGBTQ+ romance at that! - then this is for you. Though I'll warn you - it's not all fluff and sunshine with the couples! There's a solid amount of spice which justifies the rating, and one can argue much about the dynamics of the relationships if they were in real life. 

I appreciate how I can't be sure what to feel about our villains. Indeed, later on in the series, I loved how dark and murky things and characters were. 

This also has a banging OST, which you can find on Spotify at this link. The opening song was what convinced me to keep going with this series and not delay it further and I'm very glad! It is definitely part of my favourite OSTs!!!

https://open.spotify.com/album/5kE18ppdumcQB6Lvphp7Nm?si=CJpl_8tQRWC95_JO0G8_Bg

Funnily enough, I watched this because I heard a Jeff Satur song, searched for his other songs, then discovered his song (and he himself!) was in KP!