No Gain, No Love had a lot of promise. It had a lot of classic tropes, it had Shin Min Ah, it was very progressive for a kdrama. But I think that the main issue is that this show tried to do way too much with only 12 episodes.

There were so many storylines that a lot of them didn’t get resolved at all (with Ji Uk’s parents, or her ex) or were so rushed that they had no impact at all. Even the main relationship didn’t feel developed, so it felt like it had no stakes. Kim Young Dae really didn’t work for me as a lead and he did not have great chemistry with Shin Min Ah.

Ja Yeon was adorable and I really wish she had gotten more screentime. The show tried to do too much with her character in very limited time. I liked her arc as a romance writer and would have liked that to be more of the focus. The whole murderer dad getting out of jail and coming for her was a pretty unnecessary plot line. I wanted to like her romance more than I did. The way they met was very hard to come back from and it kind of dampened their entire arc.

The third friend’s storyline was completely forgettable and uninteresting. They should have just written her out if they were going to do a shorter show. Everything with Hae-young’s ex was also very annoying and took time away from other plot points.

I could see that there were elements of Hae-young’s character arc that I would’ve liked and could’ve connected with but the show just never delved into those parts in any meaningful way. Even her relationship with her mom felt like afterthought.

After a somewhat promising start, the show really fell flat for me in the last couple episodes. I’d still say watch it if you love Shin Min Ah, but overall the drama felt pretty shallow in terms of the characters and story.

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I struggled so hard to get through Business Proposal. I skipped so many scenes because I was determined to finish it so I could rate it. I don't hate cheesiness or tons of tropes, there was just something about this that really didn't work for me.

I know a lot of people loved the second leads, but there was a conversation related to consent that bothered me so much I could barely watch the two of them after that.

The main couple I did not find very interesting and there were a couple points at which I feel that relationship would have been over. Spoiler: at one point he kicks her out of the car in the middle of nowhere, at night, without a phone while they are supposed to be on a date. Regardless of the reason, she could've died! The love triangle was also incredibly boring and I didn't care about it in the slightest.

I think the character relationships just all had deal breaking moments for me that really put me off the show. There were parts that I enjoy, because there were some scenes where the main couple had good chemistry. Her team at work was pretty entertaining to watch.

While there were some entertaining and humorous parts of the story, I found the characters shallow and relationships problematic.

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Sometimes in action or mystery stories, less is more when it comes to explanations because the more they try to explain things, the stories become less fun and it’s easy to find the plot holes. Healer definitely did not take the less is more approach and I think the story suffered for it. I almost dropped this drama so many times in the first half because I was so bored by the backstory. It took probably until episode 7 until I was more invested.

The action itself is great and it’s clear that Ji Chang Wook had a great time doing all of the stunts. The romance was also very well executed and Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young had such good chemistry. Her character getting into a love triangle with Healer and one of his other aliases was hilarious.

I ended up skipping a lot of the scenes with the main villains because it just did not feel interesting or make a lot of sense. The second male lead was also one of the weaker parts of the show as it seemed like they didn’t know what to do with him.

Everything with Healer and his team was great. The team dynamics, humor, and caring for each other. Her dad and the ex-cons he’d hired at the cafe were fun to watch and the dad was one of the sweetest drama dads ever.

I wish the show had found a way to be more mystery of the week rather than focus on this big convoluted conspiracy that’s gone back decades. Every time the show would focus on the mystery, I just wanted to go back to the main leads or see some more action sequences.

I would have dropped this drama if the romance didn’t hold my attention like it did. Ji Chang Wook really is great in both action and romance, and Healer showcased his skills in both.

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This was my first ever kdrama and is still the only one I’ve rewatched to this day. I know CLOY gets a lot of hype, but there is a reason for it!

First off, the love story is epic and very well done. The premise of the show creates the perfect opportunity for a star-crossed lovers story. I love the meet-cute, I love the grumpy-sunshine trope, I love the backstory of their paths having crossed before. Many, many shows have the storyline that the leads have known each other in the past, but I think few have executed it the way that CLOY does. One of the reasons I think it’s so successful is that it’s not a forced storyline of them knowing each other as kids or unknowingly being a part of the same traumatic event, instead it shows the ways their paths have continued to cross against all odds. This aspect of the show had a fated lovers/red thread of destiny aspect to it that I just loved.

Captain Ri is so reserved for most of the show and, yes, he is constantly saving her life, but he also displays his love through such beautiful, little acts of consideration. Se-ri is also such a fantastic female lead. It would have been easy in a show like this to have her solely be the damsel in distress who needs saving from the hero, but she also saved him multiple times. Se-ri was brave and determined, a perfect match for Captain Ri.

Another one of my favorite parts of the show is the found family dynamic she has with all of his friends. Found family is one of the best tropes and CLOY does it so well. Se-ri had her own relationship with each of the soldiers and they all loved her so much by the end of the show. All of these characters added so much needed humor to the story.

I know not everyone does, but I loved secondary couple as well. I wish they’d gotten more time on screen together. The two of them seemed like a perfect match because they both could be pretty morally grey but had such a soft spot for each other.

I love the majority of this drama but there are a couple things that keep it from being a 10 for me. The first is that I really wish the main couple had been more passionate. These two people are living never knowing when they’ll be pulled apart forever and understanding that when that happens, they’ll never see each other again, and you’re telling me that they barely touch each other?! Yeah, right. There are also several plot lines that the show spends way too much time on, which makes the episodes a lot longer than they needed to be. Dan’s mom and uncle had too much screen time, as did Se-ri’s brothers. Se-ri’s family dynamics were very confusing, especially with her dad.

Even with my minor complaints, I would still recommend just about everyone to watch this show. This is a fantastic starter drama as well and it introduces you to a lot of the most beloved tropes. CLOY was unforgettable to me.

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Enemies to lovers is possibly my favorite trope of all time and I also love fake dating, so a combination of the two was right up my alley. I was not immediately sold on the show and it took me a couple of episodes to feel invested, but I ended up loving the leads and romance. I did feel like the reasons they hated each other at the beginning felt a little bit forced and didn’t resolve in a very satisfying way but I always appreciate the tension that enemies to lovers trope brings.

The show does have a pretty progressive and feminist lens, at least by kdrama standards. The male lead is fully aware of the female lead’s past and he stands by her completely. It did bother me that the show seemed to really harp on how he was drawn to her because “she’s not like other girls”, but it did bother me a little bit less because to her, he’s also not like other guys, so at least it went both ways.

I love when dramas don’t stick to the 16 episode model and allow themselves to be shorter, but the characters backstories were not as well-developed as I would have liked. It seemed pretty obvious that her issues with men stemmed from her dad’s treatment of her mom, but it was never really explored in detail. The male lead’s issues with women seemed to stem from his mother but they seemed so extreme and then just resolved immediately, with very little explanation about how his ex played into it.

I love when dramas show adult relationships in a complex and realistic way, which this show did really well. Once they get together, the main couple is very affectionate, they communicate well, they tease each other in a very sweet and good-natured way, and they very clearly support and trust one another. I would have liked to see more of them being happy in a relationship, but I do appreciate that this was a legit rom-com, with no wild unnecessary side plots. This was a super fast watch and it was overall a great time.

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There were really great things about Tale of the Nine-Tailed and there were really bad things. Unfortunately, the show chose to focus on the things that didn’t work more often than not.

Lee Rang is hands down the best part of the show. He was such a complex character and it made him fascinating to watch. His backstory broke my heart and the actor was able to show the deep emotional wounds that even adult Rang still had. His found family with the other foxes and the little kid was so sweet, and I really wish we had gotten more of them. The problem was that Rang was more interesting than the main characters or the romance.

I have never seen Jo Bo Ah before, so maybe it was the character, but her performance fell really flat. There also was very little chemistry between her and Lee Dong Wook. After seeing Lee Dong Wook in other things, I don’t think they gave him enough to do here. The past lives romance really didn’t work and it was completely overshadowed by the terrible wigs and costumes. Lee Dong Wook is such a beautiful man and the long wig they put him in is a crime.

It was hard to get through this show and the last couple episodes were such a slog to get through. The ending of the show was very disappointing and felt like an insult to a lot of the character development.

Even though this show was a letdown, I do still want to watch 1938 because I did grow very attached to quite a few of the characters

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Style Over Substance

This drama was so promising at the beginning. The dark fairytale aesthetic was so beautiful and it had me under the impression that there might be some magical realism or even fantasy aspects to the story, which it really didn't have.

The Good:
Mun-young's wardrobe was iconic and really added to the fairytale aesthetic. The dark fairytale vibe and the incorporation of the storybooks was very visually interesting to watch.

All three lead actors had great performances and chemistry with each other. I liked how they became a little found family and she developed her own friendship with his brother. All of them staying together in this huge, gothic mansion was also a cool dynamic.

There are funny parts of the show, especially when Mun-young just has no filter.

The Bad:
The portrayal of mental health is terrible. At certain points the show tried to display empathy for people who had committed terrible crimes because of their supposed mental illness when truly mentally ill people are rarely violent to others.

The relationship between the leads just did not work for me most of the time. They did have some good chemistry, but they did not show how he developed feelings for her or why. He seemed to go from feeling disdain for her to loving her very quickly and it was a struggle to understand why his feelings had changed, especially when she did act so over-the-top towards him.

The character's backstories were so traumatic and it seemed like that was never handled with care or dealt with. Based on the title, I thought this drama would have a lot more healing in it, but that was almost never seen. I was taken aback a couple times by how little empathy was displayed towards characters experiencing trauma. Spoiler: there is one scene where Mun-young's father tries to strangle her at the psychiatric hospital and the other characters just left her on the ground and no one seemed to comfort her or make sure she was okay? Parts of Mun-young's backstory also felt so impossible that I wondered if the show really was going to have a fantasy element to it. I really wish that mental illness and trauma had been handled better in this show, as it felt a little bit like a joke.

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Yes, it's yet another show about addressing generational trauma through time travel. And I eat it up every time.

My Perfect Stranger was a little bit different because it was also trying to tie in a serial killer murder mystery. I found myself bingewatching My Perfect Stranger because I had to know what happened. The plot moved really fast and all the twists kept me intriguing. Even though I had a good time with the murder mystery aspect, I felt like there were a lot of plot holes that were not addressed and the ending didn't feel particularly satisfying. I gave it up a bit of a pass because the lead up was very fun.

The character dynamics I think worked much better than the murder mystery plot. Seeing Yoon-yeong's relationships with the young versions of her parents was a highlight. I loved seeing the friendship that she built with the young version of her mother and the way she was driven to protect her at all costs after what had happened in the future. Her antagonistic relationship with her young dad was super entertaining to watch and vacillated between being hilarious and heartbreaking. While it's not a new idea, having a character realize they'd gotten their parents wrong their whole lives is always something that gets me.

I really liked the relationship that developed between the two time travelers. I thought it developed nicely from strangers to partners in crime to friends to lovers. I do wish that we had gotten to see more of the romance, as I thought the actors had really great chemistry.

Even though I was definitely with some questions that weren't answered, My Perfect Stranger was a great watch. It balanced humor, heartbreak. romance, and intrigue very well.

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Crazy and Fun

I am not usually a fan of the very soap opera-esque dramas that have over-the-top plots and acting, but this one worked for me. I think the secret to this story is that it was overtly overdramatic and didn't try to be anything it wasn't. The villains were so wildly evil that it was comical at times. Perfect Marriage Revenge is the perfect binge watch because it's a shorter short with a super fast-paced plot that keeps you interested. It's not the most memorable show, but it was super entertaining while I was in it.

Likes: Chemistry between the main couple was great. Keeping the explanations of the time travel vague worked and kept it from overcomplicating the story. The male lead was very protective and supportive immediately, total green flag. The female lead realizing her power and finding her self confidence. The mother-in-law and family was great and I loved her and the stepmother battling it out.

Dislikes: several characters got second chances that really did not deserve them. I wanted to see her entire family punished because they all deserved it. Ending felt a little rushed. The backstory for the romance was not explained or delved into enough and I would have liked more of it. Everything with his brother was kind of bizarre and a definite weak point. I wanted more of the friendship with her, his sister, and his cousin! Seeing Yi-joo before she starts her revenge was painful to watch.

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Great Start, Weak Finish

I loved this drama so much at the beginning. I liked the focus on friendship and the chemistry between the couples. The show portrayed sexism and had a pretty progressive attitude towards sex. One of my main issues is that the show focused on the three main friends and their romances, but I only cared about two of them. I found one of these storylines to be incredibly boring and skipped most of those scenes. The last few episodes really took the show down for me, which I would have rated much higher before I saw those. The decisions that the main lead makes in the last few episodes felt really bizarre and out of character.

Likes: Soo-ji - a part of me almost wanted her and the CEO to be the main couple because I cared about them so much. The portrayal of sexism, especially that in the corporate world. The focus on female friendship. Forced proximity and contract marriage trope for the main couple. Chemistry between all the couples was great. The way that the main couple bonded over the simple things and how those became some of their greatest joys in life.

Dislikes: Ho-rang's relationship just did not work for me and there is just no way that couple would work. I was frustrated when it would switch to this storyline because it took time away from the storylines I was interested in.
Everything with Ji-ho's family felt very unsatisfying as it didn't seem to really address the issues with her dad and brother. While I liked the main couple for the most part, there were quite a few times that I didn't understand her draw to him, as he felt pretty unappealing. The last few episodes Ji-ho made some decisions that felt almost cruel and didn't make any sense.

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Jung Hae-in, the Actor You Are

I have been watching Love Next Door and wanted more Jung Hae-in in my life while I waited for new episodes. Weird choice, I know, but now I want to watch even more of his work. His performance in DP was truly fantastic.

The main character, Jun-ho, had me interested from the beginning because even though he comes off as very restrained, it was clear that he was suppressing so much anger and hurt, which you see explode out of him several times. The partnership that he had with the other DP soldier was kind of a classic buddy cop dynamic and it really saved the show from just being completely bleak. The humor that the DP team dynamic brought kept me watching because it allowed for some balance to the very tragic and horrifying elements of the story.

I didn't expect this show to take such an empathetic approach to telling the stories of deserters, so that was such a pleasant surprise. Knowing nothing about the South Korean military, the show made it so clear how systemic issues could cause people to desert.

The depictions of bullying and violence were pretty severe, but it did show how far a lot of these characters have been pushed past their breaking point. I did not expect that the show would take one of the nicest characters and have them take such a turn, but it worked so well. The last few episodes had my anxiety through the roof because I had to know what happened and I had no idea how things were going to go. Jung Hae-in's performance in the final episode gave me chills with the raw emotion that he portrayed.

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A Shop For Killers was everything that I wanted and more from an action thriller. The fight sequences in this show were great and I appreciated how many different styles of fighting it showed, so the scenes never got boring. The way the show switched back and forth between timelines was very effective and I did not mind at all that they would show scenes more than once but with added context or a new perspective.

Lee Dong Wook as Jeong Jinman was definitely the highlight of the show. I had only ever seen him in Tale of the Nine-Tailed before and that show really wasn't for me, so I did not realize how captivating he could be on screen. Even though his character is pretty morally grey, I couldn't help but root for him and I really ended up loving him. The relationship he had with his niece was very complex and interesting. The scenes of her trying to hit him were very funny and some of my favorite in the whole show. While I don't feel like all of the characters worked, I did love quite a few of the side characters, especially Min-hye, who really stole the show.

The main issue that I had with the show is that it felt like half a show. I think the choice to do 8 episodes and very clearly set it up for a needed second season instead of just doing a 16 episode season was a mistake. What they showed in the finale could have been a great place to stop for a mid-season break if they wanted to split it into two parts. I was left with so many unanswered questions at the end of the finale and it felt very unsatisfying. While I didn't hate the last episode, it just felt very rushed. I will be so sad if there isn't a season 2!

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Not to be a hater, but I’m honestly shocked this show is so positively reviewed. I didn’t know much about the plot going in, but I knew the romance was really hyped. I did not expect so much of the storyline to revolve around a ridiculous weight loss plot. The show did not handle this issue in a meaningful way at all and seemed to also ignore a lot of the disordered eating behaviors throughout the show.

Even though I did not love Bok Joo, my biggest issue was the side characters. I hated almost every character in this show. There were multiple characters depicted as being severely physically abusive but the show chose to try and make those characters sympathetic. The depiction of her coaches and teammates also felt disturbing to me, especially the way they would basically force feed her. I did not understand for a second why she continued with weightlifting, as it seemed like actual torture for her during the majority of the show.

The only reason that I kept watching the show was because of Joon Hyeong. I found this character to be so adorable and the acting performance was really good. His relationship with Bok Joo developing from friendship into something more felt organic. There were a lot of times that I felt his character was too good for Bok Joo. I had to remind myself many times that this show is meant to take place in college and not high school, because Bok Joo acted so immature. The kissing scenes felt extremely awkward as well.

Even with the sweet male lead, I don’t think I would recommend this show to anyone. I ended up needing to skip so much. If anyone has struggled with disordered eating or body image, I think this show handles all of that so poorly and I would steer clear.

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Huge Letdown

I loved season one of the uncanny counter and season two felt like a completely different show. A huge problem with this season is that they tried to make the stakes personal like they were in the first season, but it just didn’t work at all. In season one, the plot really revolved around So Mun and I was so invested in his character that it really worked. This season, they made everything revolve around side characters that were not at all compelling and that I was not attached to at all. If they wanted to do that, they should have made an existing character that we already cared about go dark, instead of trying to add on someone new.

The addition of the new counter was a huge misstep. While the plot has always been a little goofy, I feel like this character made the whole show feel really silly and changed the found family dynamics.

Maybe it’s because I did not care about Mr. Ma even a little bit, but I feel like this season did not have the emotional impact that the first one did. This season did not balance darker and lighter elements, but seemed to rotate between slapstick and action, with no real emotional weight behind any of it. I think the actor for Mr. Ma just felt like he was really not pulling off being a villain, so even those scenes felt very silly. I wish they had just made the main trio of demons be the villains of the season, as they were way more compelling and scary than Mr. Ma.

If they were going to give Ha Na a romance storyline, I wish it had been with So Mun. The introduction of so many new characters this season made it so that it was really hard to feel invested in any of them.

I skipped so much of this season and I really considered just not finishing it, but in the end I did watch all of it. This season did do a great job with a lot of the action sequences and I think those were some of the most interesting to watch. The heightened powers for the counters made for a lot of really intense fight scenes. Even though the group dynamics did feel really different, I still love a lot of these characters and feel attached to them. I do think that the show would’ve been a lot better off sticking to one season.

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I’m sure I won’t say anything that hasn’t already been said, but I had a blast watching Twinkling Watermelon. Between this show and Weak Hero Class, Choi Hyun-wook has become a must-watch actor for me and I think his character is the highlight of this show.

The time travel plot is nothing new, but what really made this show work were the characters. Eun-gyeol is possibly the least chill time traveller there has ever been but it was hilarious to just see him calling other high schoolers mom and dad immediately. His dynamic with both of his young parents was so good. The relationship between his young parents was my favorite part and I wanted so many more scenes of young Yi-Chan and Chung-ah. The friendships between all of the characters were so much fun and I loved the nineties setting.

This drama almost made it into my top five ranking, but I did have some issues with the plot. The first couple of episodes were hard for me to get into and I think all the scenes taking place in 2023 just were so much less interesting than the ones in the past. While the adult versions of his parents were fine, they were not the beloved young versions that we got from the past. Especially for his dad, I think it was very hard to see him as the same person as young Yi-Chan, even after everything he had been through. The pacing also felt pretty off, with a lot of the mysteries or secrets being drawn out really far and then the show not really having time to resolve them effectively. The show could’ve either tried to make some of the plot points less drawn out or it could’ve used a couple extra episodes. The last episode felt way too rushed as the show tried to wrap up all of the loose ends.

The characters in Twinkling Watermelon became so dear to me by the end of the show that it really did make up for most of my issues with the plot. The show is worth watching for Choi Hyun-wook’s performance alone.

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