finished in 2023

Maybe I only like this one so much because I watched it weekly, but I really loved this. It has all sageuk things I like without the major angst (cough the red sleeve cough) and unhappy ending. Loved the leads and their relationship. It's about the YEARNING. 

Finished: 4.11.23

Zhang Ping my beloved. 

Truly a great cdrama. Enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. Actually one of the best cdramas I've seen. 

Finished 9.21.23

cdramas coming out swinging in the last half of 2023!
i had so much fun with this one and was never bored (barely skipped scenes too!). loved the main character(s) and how smart they were. the writers gave me pretty much everything i wanted in a story like this. one of my favorite chinese dramas of the year. 

finished 12.10.23

Yun Xiang you will always be famous

Finished 10.8.23

Slow start for me, but I stuck around because I'd heard good things and because it's only 15 episodes. So glad I did. Worth the watch. Acting, plot, etc. is all amazing. 

Finished 2.3.23

rewatched (skipped all cops/passenger backstory) 12.21.23

Such a delight! Loved this whole thing! The crime solving trio was amazing and so much fun to watch (especially Yi Yong  and Guang Yan. They had me rolling so many times). The balance of comedy and heart wrenching drama was perfect and the ending especially had me at the edge of my seat. The only thing I would say is that, while well done, I don't really like episodic shows. Tho this one did tie all the stories together nicely at the end.
Even tho it doesn't need it, I would love to come back to these characters with another season, but as it is, I'm content with how this ended. 

Finished 5.16.23

Ending out the year with a good one! Li Lianhua you'll always be my absolute favorite liar. 

finished 12.31.23

Started last year and then put it on hold until last week when I finally finished it. I do wish that the past and present storylines blended a little better (I ended up enjoying the past more), but still really loved it. 

Han Seju is a FASHION icon, and that's all I have to say about that 

Finished 2.10.23

Heists!! I had a lot of fun with this one. Loved the smart main characters and the family drama mixed within the heists. Season 2 when???

Finished 3.12.23

This being a short drama definitely made the filmmakers move the story at a good pace, which I was really pleased about because I think that in 60 episode long cdramas way too much time is spent on longing looks and uselessly explaining something (ONCE AGAIN) that the audience already knows. That being said, I actually do wish that this drama was a little longer. I think the story could've used a little bit more meat and depth, but the best part of it (the romance) was well done.
I also thought the filming/cinematography was really pretty something that I think kinda lacks in some cdramas I've seen.

Finished 9.2.23 

Rewatched this because I love Yoo Seungho and wanted to watch something he was in. Really liked it a lot more the second time. Mostly because I was just in it to enjoy the story and not really think too hard about all the missed opportunities the plot had. 

Rewatched 7.13.23 

Second time watching dramas seem to make me love them more than the first and that's certainly the case with this one. Knowing what I was getting into and not expecting anything more (like I was the first time) made me love this a lot more. It's definitely a comfort drama at this point. 

Rewatched 11.7.23

Honestly, was a bit of a gem. I went into it thinking that it would be really low quality with cringy scenes/music, but it was so much better than expected. Of course, things were still a little silly and cringe, but overall had a great time with this.
I do wish certain plot ideas were actually explored instead of just hinted at (tbh there were a lot of plot things that felt a little half-assed). I wish that the show had done more with Seolchan's adoption/abandonment issues, the crazy stalker girl who assaulted him (like he's a minor?? And everyone just sorta brushed it to the side), and the fact that he's super indifferent to his members and they treat him with gloved hands for some reason. All that aside, it was fun seeing an idol thrown into a normal setting where he's forced to adapt. 

Finished 5.14.23

Jun Kyung had maybe two facial expressions throughout this whole show, but the absolute chokehold he had on me is actually crazy. That scene during the fashion show when Jun Kyung is just staring at Ari? Yeah. Made me go insane.

Finished 8.6.23

had no idea what to expect when i first heard about this drama and was pleasantly surprised by how engaging it was. i really liked the main plots (could've done without the other rando plats). it did start to lose me towards the end, and i wish that the ML could've been a little better acted. he wasn't horrible, but i think in the hands of a seasoned actor, we could've gotten a lot more depth to him. i liked the main couple. they had the same vibe and didn't give unnecessary angst. 

finished 9.21.23 

me before watching: i've never seen lee sang yeob before in my life. i don't even know who he is 

me after watching: lee sang yeob might be the most handsome man i've ever seen in my life 

Honestly, a lot better than I thought it'd be. There were some slow moments, but I enjoyed most of the plot and really liked the slowburn romance. I do have some beef with the ending (even tho the pacing was really good--something that lacks in final episodes). I guess I just wanted to see a little more resolution with the gambling ring and actually see Tae Young and Kwon Sook BE in love (and not just in the last two minutes). But beyond that, it was a really solid drama. 

Finished 10.19.23

I really liked this drama, but I wasn't obsessed with it. It's definitely a solid drama all the way through and has a good ending. 

finished 11.22.23 

A fun little rom com with good chemistry between the leads. Nothing too crazy about it. Obviously, there were things that dragged/could've been cut, especially towards the end, but I enjoyed myself with this one. 

Finished 4.14.23

took me a long time to finish this because it started to drag towards the end and there were too many people just standing around talking. but i enjoyed most of it a lot. 

finished 7.12.23

cute slice of life with MURDER 

Finished 9.7.23

I really liked a lot about it, but there were certain storylines that I didn't care about and skipped (most of the parents and the friends). I thought the portrayal of the friendship/family was really really good and that was the best part. 

Finished 9.19.23 

Basically this drama has everything that I love in a serial killer show, but for some reason I really couldn't get invested in it. I think this was due to not liking the main characters all that much, even though I think they're strong characters, I just didn't vibe with them. 

Finished 6.2.23

decent and well made, but needed more episodes to flesh out characters, relationships, and story. tho, i love jiyong's number one fanboy. he was great. 

finished 11.29.23 

i was pretty excited for this and it didn't exactly disappoint. it was a little surface level as far as plot, but i guess i shouldn't have expected more. the fighting and acting was outstanding and i loved the bromance between the two mains. also i got to see woo dohwan again. so that's a bonus for me. 

finished 6.17.23

the kids were so dumb in this for real. but enjoyable for what it was. 

finished 12.20.23 

Sehun's character was really the heart of the whole thing. Loved his relationship with Joon Hee and the whole element of found family. Didn't really like the 2023 storyline or the attempted love triangle. Should've cut both of those elements and kept the focus on the two boys, then this would've been a banger of a show. 

Finished 5.31.23

Truly not the best drama, but I had fun with it anyway. Main problem was the balancing act better the idol plot and the Evil One plot. Both plots were underdeveloped and needed to balance together better. Also, needed to cut waaaay down on Rembrary not knowing what he's doing as an idol. Second hand embarrassment was getting out of hand.
But Rembrary, Dal, and the Grim Reaper trio were so much fun when they were together!

ji chang wook is back in action babyyyy 

finished 10.28.23

Qi Yan really spent half of the almost 50 episodes lounging around in a flowy robes acting like a Victorian child dying of consumption. 10/10 for that alone! 

Finished 8.4.23 

For it's length and ambitious plot, this drama was really well done. Great production and acting, but lacked in some aspects (mostly the villain. he was so basic). Most of the show was just me screaming about how cool Kim Woobin looked. 

Finished 5.21.23

Nothing much to say about this one. Pretty standard, but I always enjoy dramas that are centered around people in the public eye. 

Finished 2.8.23

hyunsoo will always be my favorite. shame he was hardly in this season. especially when he's supposed to be the main character. 

finished 12.2.23

pretty decent. a little boring at times. i also wish that some of the themes were better developed, but i liked it overall. 

Finished 4.22.23

I stopped and started this one a few times. I seem to do that a lot with cdramas. I thought this was a fun/interesting plot with some elements that made me insane, but while all the plot points were connected they still felt a little disjointed to me at times (which is prolly why I stopped watching a few times). But I enjoyed the main characters and there were some really good episodes. 

Finished 5.3.23

I'm a sucker for the idol/industry kdramas, so while I wasn't that into this drama at first, I quickly got sucked in and ignored all the things that didn't make sense. Truly not that good, but I enjoyed myself. Also, SUHO my goodness. 

Finished 3.19.23

definitely a solid drama all the way through, but i didn't really connect with it or get too invested. i really liked the found family aspect and i liked the drama with kiho and his dad, but otherwise i sorta skipped my way through it. 

finished 12.6.23 

this was such a fun idea that was poorly executed. the FL was really really bad and really bogged down the whole show for me. i've said it once, i'll say it again: ji chang-wook is so hot in this show and FOR WHAT 

Finished 4.23.22

took me forever to finish this. it started out fun and silly, but dragged on for waaaay too long. i skipped my way through the last two episodes. 

finished 6.24.23

Fun start with a really interesting premise, but I quickly lost interest and stopped watching for a while. I think it gets a little lost in it's own plot without actually giving enough development and time for certain characters and plot points. But at least Yoo Seung Ho killed it as usual. 

Finished 2.17.23

Idk I love shows like this. Just some of my favorite boys having fun together. 

finished 11.22.23 

Enjoyed the start of this, but quickly got bored and ended up taking forever to finally watch the last few episodes. 

Finished 1.27.23

the concept of this drama is so interesting and right up my alley, but i just think that the execution was so boring. usually i like slice of life and slower dramas, but this one just wasn't it for me. which is a shame because the leads had great chemistry and i liked both of them. 

finished 6.30.23

I usually really enjoy idol dramas and this one was enjoyable enough, but not my favorite. While it dealt with some more serious/realistic topics it also dragged. And the love triangle that never actually paned out was kinda weird. Like, why make such a big deal out of it if you were never planning on actually giving it a conclusion. 

Finished 8.17.23

I thought I was gonna love this drama, but I ended up being disappointed. I think the humor and modern aspects weren't for me and kinda dragged it all down. 

finished 6.30.23

This was a bit of a trial for me to finish (almost 60 episodes?!) and I think I only pushed through because I like Cheng Yi. I liked the overall plot and some of the characters, but truly at least 20 episodes could've been cut. If they'd done that, the plot would've been tighter and it would've flowed nicer (seriously, I don't need to be told by the characters an important plot thing over and over and over). 

Also Sifeng coughed up blood at least once an episode. Poor guy went THROUGH IT for the entire drama. 

Lastly, Sifeng: exists
Everyone else except Bailing: falls in love (platonic or otherwise) 

Finished 9.3.23 

I really enjoyed the first part and when the second part started airing I was looking forward to each new episode, but towards the end I just lost almost all interest to continue and truly skipped my way through the last 2 episodes. I'm not sure why it completely lost me there at the end, but one thing I do know is that the villain in this show absolutely sucked. Not for one second was I afraid of him and what he would do. He was just a weak character and was honestly really hard to watch. 

Finished 5.11.23

took me a long time to finish. I liked most of it, but it was fairly average for this type of show and I didn't particularly care for the leads. 

Finished 6.27.23

This took me SO LONG to finish. I really liked the concept and the start of it, but it really got bogged down halfway through. At this point, I don't even remember why I stopped watching for so long, but when I came back to it, I wasn't as invested as I was in the beginning.
I wish that a story like this could be allowed to be more realistic and gritty, but I think that's what this drama wanted (and it would've benefited from that!) but because they couldn't/didn't do that, some scenes ended up being a little silly. 

Finished 12.22.23

Pretty funny start. Loved Seo Joon. But the ending was so boring with no conflict/driving force that I basically skipped the last 4 episodes just to get to the end. 

Finished 2.26.23

fun little drama. wish that it was developed better and the characters were given more depth, but over fun and low commitment. 

Finished 6.4.23

I enjoyed most of it, but also skipped a ton (mostly the older actor parts...especially the secondary characters plotlines). I did like to see the character growth at the end, but it was way too long with a lot of wasted time. Plus I thought that pretty much non of the actors had good chemistry with each other which made it harder to enjoy. 

Finished 7.21.23

My main issue with this drama is hard to pinpoint. It really has so many elements that I really love, but I think the problem was that certain storylines got pushed to the side a little (Supernatural Boy). This wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but the rest of the story (or maybe cast) just couldn't bring the plot through to the end. I'm not sure if it's because the actors couldn't quite carry the show or if it's something else (not saying they're bad actors). Some things just weren't developed enough and the ending truly felt like they were trying to set things up for another season (even though they did conclude the murder plot). 

Finished 9.6.23

I didn't like this as much as the first season. It felt like a completely different show and didn't seem as grounded in reality as the first season. But I liked seeing the gang all back together. 

Finished 7.30.23

started out strong. loved the curse of the red hand. but very quickly most of the things i liked went away. plus (nothing against them) but i don't particularly like either of the leads so they weren't enough to keep me that interested. i did finish it, but mostly skipped through the last two episodes. 

finished 10.14.23

Lowkey obsessed with this idea, but this drama just isn't it. They take this compelling and fairytale like idea and throw it in the trash. Okay, it's not that bad, but they did the very least with this whole thing. They should've made the tone of the show darker and leaned into the idea of these four boys being held captive and the trauma that comes from that. 

Finished 4.16.23