[2026] The East Palace | 동궁

I wasn't planning on watching anything new until I was done with Human Vapor but I opened Netflix to watch and The East Palace was right there.  I clicked to see if I had placed it on my list and I saw I had not so, I did and then I read the summary...

When decades of unexplained deaths haunt the police, a spirit slayer joins a guarded court lady who hears the dead and drives out evil.

Now I have to watch an episode of this before I go on to Human Vapor.

Catching Up With What I'm Watching (Determined to Finish These)

I've been pretty bad with keeping up with everything I'm watching.  I am literally all over the place right now.   This is a list of shows I have started and have not gone back to for some time.  I may need to come back and edit this list.  I will have to start posting about them as I watch.  I started a new one today and I am planning on starting another one later (which I really shouldn't do).  As I write this, I am not sure how many I am in the middle of but I'm going to go check my watchlists and see where I am.

2026 Human Vapor
Netflix - Just starting today

2026 Pursuit of Jade |  逐玉 | Zhu Yu
Netflix - Can't recall when I started this but I'm halfway though E13

2026 My Royal Nemesis | AKA Wicked World / Brave New World | 멋진 신세계 | Meotjin Sinsegye
Netflix - Can't recall when I started this one either.  A few minutes into E02.  When I do go back, I will have to watch E01 again because I have no idea what has happened.

2018 The Last Empress | AKA An Empress's Dignity | 황후의 품격 | Hwanghuui Pumgyeok
Netflix - No idea when I started this either.  A few minutes into E01.  I may have gotten distracted and never went back to finish.

2016 The Princess Weiyoung | 锦绣未央 | Jin Xiu Wei Yang
Netflix - Already watched this one and I loved it.  I think this was my very first Cdrama.  I don't have to watch this one again but since it was my first one and it was spectacular, I want to re-watch and enjoy it all over again.  I don't need to finish this one again so I plan to watch whenever I need something familiar and I don't need to pay too much attention to.

2019 Hotel del Luna | 호텔 델루나
Netflix - Started this one when I was using someone else's Netflix account.  It's been about 2 years since I got my own and I have been lollygagging to watch this because I don't remember where I was when I stopped and I will have to go all the way back to E01.  It's fine because... IU.

2008 Gokusen | ごくせん
Netflix - One of the first Jdramas I ever watched in almost real time.  This is one of the shows that I had to wait for English subs from a dedicated fansubber.  Those people will never fully understand how much I appreciate their dedication and hard work for no money.  It was sheer love of the drama world that they wanted to share that drove them to doing it.  I am forever grateful to them for feeding my addiction and allowing me to love the Japanese people and culture as much as I do today.

2023 What Will You Do Ieyasu | どうする家康 | Dou Suru Ieyasu
The only reason I even started this show after trying to find it somewhere online was because of Matsumoto Jun.  The first actor I ever fell hard for when watching Hana Yori Dango.  Another drama I stumbled upon that I ended up loving.  It's the reason I cannot stand the Korean version and I refuse to watch any other version.  Don't get me started with my opinions if they ever attempt an American version.  I'll admit, I am not loving this one and I wasn't sure if I was going to bother to go back but I decided I need to stick to my 3 episode rule before I decide if I should abandon it or not.  This used to be on Amazon Prime but when I went back to give it another go, it was no longer available.  Further research showed no longer available in my region.  So now I am left to try and figure out where else I can watch this.  It kind of sucks because there are about 48 episodes to this drama and there's no way I would have finished all of them before they yanked it away.

2016 Fukuyado Honpo - Kyoto Love Story |  福家堂本舗-
Amazon Prime - I don't know when I started this one but I'm almost done with E02.  Another one that I will need to start back from E01 because I don't remember a darn thing about it!

2017 While You Were Sleeping | 당신이 잠든 사이에 | Dangsini Jamdeun Saie
Viki - Another one I have already watched.  I was re-watching this one because after all these years, I am not only still in love with Lee Jung Suk and Bae Suzy, but with Henry's song, "It's You".  I won't be going back to this one for a while.  I was not able to renew my subscription because I didn't have the funds but once I can afford it, I will go back.  Probably won't be until some time in 2027.

2024 Perfect Propose | パーフェクトプロポーズ | Paafekuto Puropoozu
Viki - I'm not sure if I was done with this one.  I remember the story but I don't remember the ending so I may have either been done and don't remember or almost done lol.  Another one I won't go back to until I can afford to subscribe again.

2026 Perfect Crown | AKA The 21st Century Grand Prince's Wife | 21세기 대군 부인 | 21Segi Daegun Buin
Hulu - Started I don't know when and just didn't go back.  I have to go back for this one because I love IU.  Looks like I was just minutes in on E01 so I probably started it to get on my "Continue Watching" list.

2022 Because We Forget Everything | すべて忘れてしまうから | Subete Wasurete Shimau kara 
Hulu - Abe Hiroshi.  I saw he was in this and it's the only reason I started it.  It's a good enough drama that I do want to go back to watch and finish it but it's not as great as other dramas he's done.  Still, I love his work and I'll watch him in anything.


So, I have a lot of catching up to do and while I may want to finish these all before starting new ones, that likely won't happen.  I will do my best to make sure I am posting when I start and when I continue to watch those in progress.  It will take some time for me to update the sidebars though.

Recently, I found that Paramout+ also has a few Asian dramas available.  These are the ones that are on "My List".

2024 Pyramid Game | 피라미드 게임 | Pilamideu Geim or Piramideu Geim
Synopsis from Webtoon edited by Mydramalist.com:

Once a month, students at Baekyeon Girls' High School cast their votes in a popularity poll. The result? A brutal ranking system that determines the entire social hierarchy of the school.

Seong Su Ji has just transferred and scored a zero. After starting at the bottom and becoming a target of school violence, can Su Ji make her way to the top of the pyramid? Or will she topple the game altogether?


2022 Bargain | AKA Ransom | 몸값 | Momgabs or Momgap
Synopsis from AsianWiki:

No Hyeong Su visits a motel room to see Park Ju Yeong. He is pleased with her appearance and happy to pay for her services, but a surprise is waiting for No Hyeong Su. He is soon surrounded by people who have come to buy his organs. They bargain over the price of his organs, with Park Ju Yeong conducting the auction, but an earthquake suddenly occurs. Within the collapsed building, they struggle to survive.

2024 A Bloody Lucky Day | AKA A Very Lucky Day or Unlucky Day |  운수 오진 날
Synopsis from AsianWiki:

O Taek works as a taxi driver. One day, he had a dream where a lot of pigs appeared. This type of dream is thought to bring about good luck. On that same day, he earns his usual amount of money. When he thinks about calling it a day, a man named Geum Hyeok Su asks O Taek to drive him to the port city of Mokpo. He offers a million won (~$1,000) to drive him. O Taek accepts the drive, but O Taek is not aware that Hyeok Su murdered a man, and he is planning to stow away on a boat. Meanwhile, Hwang Sun Gyu is the mother of the man who was murdered by Hyeok Su. She chases after her son's killer.

2022 Yonder | 욘더
Synopsis from Allkpop:

Set in the 2030s in the large city area of South Korea. It depicts the story of a man who lives in agony, unable to forget his wife who died of cancer. Then one day, he receives an unknown email and chooses to abandon his body to go live with his wife. It will portray a world where one can live forever without death, and will question the meaning of eternal life, death, memory and oblivion, and happiness and misery.

2024 Dreaming of a Freaking Fairy Tale | 나는 대놓고 신데렐라를 꿈꾼다
Synopsis from Mydramalist.com:

Moon Cha Min, a wealthy and arrogant CEO, has no interest in fairy tale romances. Sin Jae Rim, hoping to escape poverty and find her Prince Charming, becomes manager at his social club. As she grows more independent, their clashing worlds lead to an unexpected romance.

2024 Queen Woo | 우씨왕후
Synopsis from AsianWiki:

Woo Hui is the queen of Goguryeo. A crisis ensues when her husband, the king of Goguryeo, dies suddenly. Woo Hui becomes the target of princes and the 5 tribes who all want to gain more power. To protect her family and her tribe, she uses marriage as leverage. She struggles to marry one of her late husband's younger brothers and set them upon the throne. Woo Hui has to accomplish everything within 24 hours.

 I'd love to list my watchlists from all the other streaming sites but that's just way too many and I don't have time right now to do it.   Maybe if I take some vacation time...

[2026] Human Vapor | ガス人間 | Gas Ningen

I hadn't planned on watching this one today.  I was actually going to keep on watching Pursuit of Jade (Netflix) but I saw something about this on Facebook earlier and it sounded interesting.  I was going to add it to my watchlist and then I saw Shun Oguri is in it so I had to abandon my plans and watch at least 1 episode so it would stay on my "Continue Watching" list.

I didn't post that I was starting Pursuit of Jade because I had not intended to start that one yet.  I was again, going to watch only 1 episode so I could go back after I was done with whatever I was watching.  But I got hooked and I forgot to come and post.  I will have to go back to do that later.

When I saw the post on Facebook about Human Vapor, I had not heard anything about it.  It was purely the small summary that sounded good.  I'm not really a huge fan of Sci-Fi shows but I'm always willing to try to watch one if it sounds interesting.  The only reason for this is because I was even less of a fan of Sci-Fi shows when I stumbled upon Bloody Monday many years ago.  I think it was a year after it had already aired.  The only reason I had even bothered to read the synopsis on THAT show was because I had fallen in love with Miura Haruma when I saw him in Crows Zero 2. I ended up loving Bloody Monday and decided I'd have to start giving those kinds of dramas at least a quick look before rejecting them!  

So, once I saw Shun Oguri was in Human Vapor, I moved it to the top of my list.  Synopsis from Wiki below.  Let's go...

"A mysterious man who can turn into a gaseous form appears and calls himself "the Human Vapor". The Human Vapor kills a professor on live television and announces that he intends to kill everyone involved with an organization called "the White Center". Detective Kenji Okamoto is tasked with investigating the murders. Meanwhile, Kenji's ex-girlfriend Kyoko Kono runs her own investigation into the White Room's connection with a meteorite crash 27 years in the past and the cleanup of the contaminated crash site. Kyoko and Kenji find themselves crossing paths during their investigations as they unravel the conspiracy."

Kim Go-eun & Park Ji-hyun Dramas

KIM GO-EUN

2016 | Cheese in the Trap | WATCHED

2016-2017 | Guardian: The Lonely and Great God | WATCHED

2020 | The King: Eternal Monarch | WATCHING

2021-present | Yumi's Cells (3 seasons) | WATCHING

2022 | Little Women | WATCHED

2025 | You and Everything Else | WATCHED

2025 | The Price of Confession | WAITING

I started watching The King: Eternal Monarch twice already.  I'm going to have to start it over again because I was using someone else's Netflix account when I started it both times and now I have my own account which means I have no idea where I was up to!

I am still on S01 of Yumi's Cells.  I don't remember when I started it and I don't remember where I left off.  Going to have to work on this one since there are now 2 more seasons!

PARK JI-HYUN

2017 | Saimdang, Memoir of Colors

2017 | The King in Love

2018 | Your Honor | WATCHING

2018 | My Secret Terrius

2018 | Eun Joo's Room

2019 | Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung

2020 | Do You Like Brahms?

2021-2022 | Yumi's Cells (S01) | WATCHING

2022 | Love All Play

2022 | Reborn Rich | WATCHED

2024 | Flex X Cop

2025 | You and Everything Else | WATCHED

I'm going to have to go back and watch a little bit of Reborn Rich because I don't remember her being in that one.

I started watching Your Honor only because I LOVE Yoon Shi Yoon but I don't think I have finished the first episode.  I'll have to go back and start that again.  So, there are a total of 8 dramas she's been in that I haven't started or completed. 

So many dramas and not enough time to watch!

You and Everything Else | 은중과 상연 | COMPLETED

I finished this drama a little more than a week ago. It was so good!  

I admit the first few minutes of it was meh.  It didn't really grab me until Eun-jung meets with Sang-yeon for the first time since they stopped being friends.  Then, the news and the request.  From then on until the end, I could not stop watching.

I'm already a huge fan of Kim Go-eun; she was brilliant as Eun-jung.  I may have mentioned this before but I became a fan of hers from watching her in Goblin.  At that time she had only done one other drama, Cheese in the Trap, which I did watch and loved her in it as well even though the drama itself was just okay.  

Because of You and Everything Else, I am now a huge fan of Park Ji-hyun!  I need to make a list of the dramas and movies they both have been in and make it a point of watching.  They were so good together here.

They are in Yumi's Cells which I am currently watching, and I have no recollection of seeing Park Ji-hyun there.  Once I start watching it again, I'll have to look for her.

What Will You Do Ieyasu | どうする家康 | Dou Suru Ieyasu

 I've been wanting to see this one since I saw Matsumoto Jun was starring in it.  Unfortunately, I could not find it anywhere and without subs, I couldn't even attempt to find it available on a Japanese site.  Then a couple of weeks ago, I noticed it was on Amazon.  I went out and got snacks as I wanted to be prepared to watch as many episodes I was able to in 1 day.  There I sat, surrounded by snacks... With the remote in my hand, I logged into Amazon and added it to my watchlist.  Then I hit play.

It started to play but there were no subs.  I tried to select English subs but there were none available.  I WAS CRUSHED! I was so close to be able to finally watch this and because there were no subs, I wasn't going to be able to watch at all!

Then today, I was online checking out current Japanese dramas and someone mentioned they were looking for the subs to Dou Suru Ieyasu.  I nodded and I said to my laptop, "I am too".  Then, there was a comment below it saying how Amazon had it with subs so it's "free" if she has prime.  I wanted to comment that there were no English subs available but I decided to go look JUST IN CASE and sweet baby Jeezus, THERE WERE ENGLISH SUBS AVAILABLE!

So, guess what I'm about to do?  Correct.  I'm going to watch an episode before I go to work.

Synopsis from the official Dou Suru Ieyasu site:

A fresh take on the life of the titan Shogun who ended the age of war.

The boy was all alone. Without country, a father, and torn away from his mother. And being hostage of an "ally" clan, Takechiyo (as an adult, Ieyasu) can only imagine ending his life in quiet obscurity... BUT.

Moved by the passions of the samurai in the land of his birth (Mikawa), the young Ieyasu accepts his fate as lord of a weak nation and jumps into the fray of war! It is a world teeming with lethal shoguns like Oda Nobunaga and Takeda Shingen, each vying to take his slice of the pie and reign supreme.

What awaits him? Life-or-death danger! Miscalculation after miscalculation! Patience wearing thin!

What will you do, Ieyasu?

No backing, no resources; the only thing Ieyasu has are his strongminded vassals.

And he is faced with strongmen of which there seems no end: Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Sanada Masayuki, Ishida Mitsunari...

The result is a 62nd Taiga series that is one thrilling epic entertainment!

You and Everything Else | 은중과 상연 | Episode 01

The drama starts and we learn about a mysterious friendship between Eun Jung and Sang Yeon, a popular actress.  Eun Jung is on the phone with a friend who asks if she knows Cheon Sang Yeon and she says she does.  The friend tells her to watch the awards show from the previous night.  Eun Jung watches and she hears Sang Yeon say that Eun Jung was the source of her inspiration (or something like that).

In a flashback (when Eun Jung's friend starts to read the draft of a story she had started to write), we learn how Sang Yeon came into Eun Jung's life.  She was a transfer student from the best private school in Seoul, where she had excellent grades. 

Eun Jung went with her mother to an apartment she was going to be cleaning before the new tenants moved in.  Upon entering, Eun Jung was amazed as she had never been in an apartment before.  After getting permission from her mother, she walked around the apartment to explore. It blew her mind when she saw there were 2 bathrooms.  She opened a door and left a cute sticky note and wrote "You're so lucky".

For most of this episode, we learn about their complicated "relationship" when they were kids.  We learn about the teacher that was kind to Eun Jung and whom her first love was.  I could say more here but I'd be spoiling the story.

This episode ends with Eun Jung's friend (sorry, I didn't catch her name. I'm going to have to look it up) asking her why she suddenly stopped writing.  As they are talking, Eun Jung gets a phone call from a number she doesn't recognize.  It's Sang Yeon.  She wants to meet because she has something to tell her.

When they meet, Eun Jung seems annoyed that she agreed to meet (this is how it felt to me) and she was short with Sang Yeon when she got there.  Sang Yeon says she has something to tell her but isn't sure how to tell her.  Frustrated, Eun Jung tells her to just say it.  So she does. Sang Yeon hands her an envelope that has a plane ticket.  Sang Yeon tells her to look at the rest of what is inside.  She looks up at Sang Yeon who tells her she hopes she will help her.

When she blurted out to Eun Jung what she wanted to say I said to myself "Oh no, it's gonna be one of those dramas.

Borrowed the pics below from dramabeans.com and I added the names

You and Everything Else | 은중과 상연

I was about to start watching Alice in Borderland S02 from the beginning since S03 is due out in a little less than 2 weeks when I saw this one pop up.  Normally, I don't pay attention to the "Recently Added" show that comes up when you first log into Netflix BUT I saw Kim Eun-go was in this new one and I had to put it on my list IMMEDIATELY!  Then I had to decide if I was going to watch an episode of this OR was I going to go watch Alice as planned?  Decisions...decisions...  I've decided to watch an episode of this first.

Shiawasena Kekkon | しあわせな結婚 | Their Marriage | Episode 01

Started watching this one just because I happened to notice Sadawo Abe from Extremely Inappropriate! is in it.

This drama stars Abe Sadawo as Harada Kotaro.  He's a 50 yr old bachelor who isn't looking to get married at all.  He's a lawyer and TV personality, and he's been living alone since the death of his parents as he has no siblings.  

One day, after filming a TV spot, he collapses and is taken to the hospital.  It's laying there after surgery, listening to his roommate's family give their support, that he suddenly feels a bit lonely.  It's there at the hospital, that he meets Suzuki Neruka while on an elevator.  Something about her that he likes and eventually they end up getting married.

They live in condo complex that is owned by Neruka's family.  Her younger brother lives on the 1st floor, Neruka and Kotaro live on the 2nd floor, and her father lives on the 3rd floor.  One night, during a weekly family dinner, Kotaro comments of the watery beef stew they had.  He tells Neruka there's a diner where they have a really good watery beef stew dish.  They agree to meet for lunch there.

Kotaro arrives at the diner and he waits for his wife.  She sends him a text to let him know she has left school (she is a HS art teacher).  He starts to worry when she hasn't arrived and tries to text and call but he can't reach her.  As Neruka was leaving school, she got a call from an unknown number, which she answers.

Kotaro apologizes to the diner and leaves.  He calls his co-worker to ask him to check if there were any 40 YO females involved in a car accident because his wife didn't show up and he can't reach her.  In a panic he runs to the HS and sees it's empty.  There is nobody around.  In the meantime, Kotaro's 2 co-workers look at each other.  The one who didn't take the call mocks Kotaro for panicking and the other one says he's going to inquire because what if something has happened?

Kotaro continues to search around for his wife and while at the top of some stairs, he sees his wife in the passenger side of a car with a young guy.  She is expressionless.  Kotaro goes home.

When Neruka arrives home, she said she went to the diner but he was gone.  He says he waited for an hour and then left.  She walks towards their bedroom.  He goes after her and lets her know that if she needs anything, he can help her and she says she's going to shower.

So, looks like she has a secret.  The guy in the car looks like he could be young enough to be her son.  He's maybe in his early 20s I think.  Is that her secret?  She had a child when she was younger?  I believe that would have been a bit of a scandal for the family.  

So far, it's interesting and there is something charming about Abe Sawado. 

While You Were Sleeping | 당신이 잠든 사이에

 Blog Title Edited 2025.09.13

I have to admit I do not remember Lee Jung-eun on this drama.  She's not listed as a main character so I'm guessing maybe just a really minor role.  I'm going to have to watch this one again.  I really liked this one and I'm a fan of Lee Jong Suk and Bae Suzy.  I'll take my time watching this one because though I don't remember a lot about it, I do remember what the premise was.

This Kdrama aired in 2017 and had 16 episodes. Wiki's synopsis:

Whle You Were Sleeping is a combination of the romance, legal drama and fantasy genres, focusing on the take of three young adults who have acquired the ability to see the future through their dreams; field reporter Nam hong-joo (Bae Suzy), rookie prosecutor Jung Jae-chan (Lee Jong-suk), and police officer Han Woo-tak (Jung Hae-in).

Some of these dreams show crimes that Jae-chan has to investigate and others show disastrous events that one or more of them will have to endure.  Conflicted by these dreams, the trio collaborate with each other to prevent their ominous dreams from turning into reality and to defeat their archenemy, the corrupt lawyer, Lee Yoo-beon (Lee Sang-yeob).

I'll be looking out for Lee Jung-eun!

Heavenly Ever After | 천국보다 아름다운

Blog title edited 2025.09.15

Started watching this one just randomly.  I was going to continue watching another drama when this one caught my eye.  It sounded like a cute one.

A woman, Lee Hae-Sook and a man, Ko Nak-joon are married.  He is unable to walk so he spends his life in bed.  During a conversation they had at his bedside, Nak-joon tells her she's never been prettier than she is right now.

After Nak-joon passes away, Hae-Sook carries on with Young-ae (Hae-Sook raised her since she was a young child) until she passes away as well.

When Hae-Sook arrives in Heaven, one of the things she has to do is to let them know how old she wants to be.  She's told that once she chooses, she can't change.  She will be that age forever.  Hae-Sook thinks back to that conversation she and Nak-joon had and she decides she will stay at her present age.

The next step is to choose where she'll live.  Hae-Sook says she wants to live with her husband Nak-joon if he has also made it to Heaven.  He has!  The only way she can live with him in Heaven is if Nak-joon has also requested to live with her.  Ofc, he has so Hae-Sook goes to where Nak-joon is living.

When they finally meet up...SURPRISE!  Nak-joon chose to stay at age 30!

When I first saw young Nak-joon, he looked really familiar but I couldn't remember where I had seen him before so I had to check.  He was the strange man Mr. Gu in My Liberation Notes.  I honestly couldn't place him and I think I know why.  As Mr. Gu, he was dreary.  He never smiled and he was just kind of meh about everything.  As Nak-joon, he was a happy guy and always smiling.  BTW, he's got an absolutely gorgeous smile *swoon*!

Also in this drama is Lee Jung-eun.  She's been in quite a few dramas.  Most recently, she was part of the lead role in Miss Night and Day.  I've also seen her in Our Blues, Parasite, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, and While You Were Sleeping.

I really liked this one.  Total of 12 episodes.

Catching up with what I'm watching

 Just a quick check in to post what I am currently watching.  As soon as I have a chance I will add them to my list.

After School Doctor ~ Hokago Karte - 放課後カルテ

I don't remember when I started this one.  It's a cute one.  Any kind of drama with young kids and school is a nice drama.  Synopsis from AsianWiki:

Teacher Makino works in the health room at an elementary school as a pediatrician.  He used to work at a university hospital, but due to a new attempt to have doctors stationed at schools, he was sent to the elementary school.  There is a hidden story behind that.  

At the school, he has bushy hair and a sullen look.  He nags the students with things like "Don't sleep in the bed without my permission" and "Stay away from the health room as much as possible."  He is a doctor that complains a lot and carries an attitude, but he can spot abnormalities in children with his excellent observational eyes and he is able to save those children, their families, and sometimes even the teachers.

Makino Sensei is a pediatrician at a university hospital, but he annoys his colleagues who tell him he has no empathy for his patients.  Makino is sent to work at an elementary school.  He arrives at the school with disheveled hair and a terrible attitude.  Even so, he is serious about taking care of the kids in that school.  

Will Makino Sensei finally find that empathy within himself so he can go back to the university hospital with a new attitude?  Will his colleagues be able to see the change in him?

[2024] Perfect Propose ` パーフェクトプロポーズ | Two Episodes In

I had some catching up to do with my non Asian shows but I'm back to watching this one tonight.  I left at the end of E02 and while I can easily finish the remaining 4 tonight, I'm going to watch E03 and go back to the ones I had started on Netflix a while back. 

[2024] Perfect Propose ` パーフェクトプロポーズ

 Found this one on Viki.  It's a short 6 episode Jdrama.  I'm 3 episodes in and I love it!  It's adorable!

Synopsis from mydramalist: Hiro's so stressed out at work that he can barely have a proper meal or get some well earned sleep.  When he passes out on the sidewalk after yet another stressful day, an unfamiliar face calls out to him.  Apparently, they once promised to mary each other?  What's Kai Fukaya's deal, and why is he so insistent on assuming the role of Hiro's fiancé?

I'll probably end up finishing this one tonight.  I've no plans to do anything today because I spent last night cleaning out my closet and bedroom which was pretty dusty and today my nose is stuffed and I feel like I have a cold.  Can't stop sneezing and nose is runny.  I know better than to clean a dusty area with a mask on but last night I didn't wear one so now I'm suck with a stuffed nose and lots of sneezing.  I'll be fine by tomorrow morning ofc, for when I have to go back to work!

[2024] Hiroshige Blue ~ 広重ぶるう (Finished}

 Just got the chance to watch the 3rd and last episode of this drama.  I LOVED IT!

The main character of this one looked really familiar but I couldn't place the face.  I thought he looked like the lead from the Jdrama 101st Marriage Proposal but that one was from the early 90s so I think that actor might be too old now.  Ofc, I checked on Wiki and found out he is the dad from the Extremely Inappropriate! drama I watched on Netfilx a couple of months back.  He was great in this one.

Though I was not happy with what happened near the end, it was still a great drama.  I recommend this one.  It was only 3 episodes but it packed a lot of good stuff in those episodes.  There was no unnecessary filler garbage at all.  

I'm going to go make my lunch and I'll decide if I'm going to check NHK for a new short drama or if I'll go back to one of the others I'm in the middle of.  I also need to check Viki because I haven't been there in months.  I'm paying good money for it too so I should find something to watch there as well!

[2024] Hiroshige Blue ~ 広重ぶるう

 This is available on NHK World-Japan's site.  It's free with subs and it's only 3 episodes.
Hiroshige Blue

I know NHK offers short series like these but sometimes I forget to check what's new.  Thanks to FB, I'll be watching some reels and NHK has one about their new shows.  

Episode 1 is about 41 1/2 minutes long. Sounded interesting so I'm gonna check this out before I go back to my next drama.  If this is any good, I'll probably end up watching all 3 now.

Another Change of Plans

 I know I said Ties of Shooting Stars was going to be next and I already started it BUT I have started others since that last post. 

Though I am fairly easy to please with dramas, I realize that the speed by which I watch them, tells me how good I think they are.  I mean, I really have liked all the ones I've watched but now with so many sites and options to watch, if they don't grab me from the getgo, it might take me longer to watch them.

My first love has been and always will be Jdramas.  When I found Shiratori Reiko de Gozaimasu! 40 years ago, I never would have thought that all these decades later, I would still love them.  When I found it, it was on my local PBS station and it was 1 episode per week.  Then almost 12 years ago I started watching Kdramas which were available on a couple of sites.  A couple of years later I found the Cdramas.

When I was a kid, we had the 2 major TV stations, ABC, CBS and NBC.  Any other stations were just local junk stations that didn't really have great shows on them.  If we were lucky enough to have a really good TV set AND a good set of "rabbit ears", we could watch the UHF stations.  You could find the Spanish channels (this is where Univision & Telemundo were found before they were known as Univision and Telemundo) and other languages.  We had an inexpensive TV with cheap rabbit ears so when I watched my telenovelas, it was 90% snow.  It was difficult to make out faces though I could hear everything clearly.  On a good day (which happened to sometimes be on rainy days somehow), I could see the actors better but mostly, it was like listening to the shows on the radio like people used to do it before TV was a thing.

When cable came out there were lots of channels to choose from so we watched a lot of shows. Back then I never would have thought there would be a time when there was almost an infinite amount of content to watch.  We went from having maybe 10 channels to watch to a couple of 100 and we were in heaven.  Little did we know what the future held.

Part of the reason now that it takes me so long to watch a drama is because I have a lot of other shows I watch including a few American ones. The dramas I watch now need to grab me from ep01.  Before when there were only a few sites I could watch them on, I could sit and watch 3 episodes before deciding if I was going to stay on it or not.  I am still committed to watching at least 3 but now I take my time getting there. If a new show doesn't impress me during e01, I will shelve it for a while.  I eventually go back to watch the other 2 but I take my time on it.

Not sure I mentioned I finally finished Miss Night and Day.  It took some time precisely because I was watching other shows. I've started a new Japanese one and I'll post that info maybe later today or tomorrow.

UP NEXT: (2008) Ties of Shooting Stars ~ Ryūsei no Kizuna ~ 流星の絆

 I know I had a list of dramas that I wanted to watch an episode of and then figure out what order to watch them in.  That plan went a bit sideways when I got addicted to the 2nd drama I chose and I ended up watching all 40 episodes without touching any of the others.

Well, I went back and started watching episode 2 of Miss Night and Day until I got a phone call and I had to pause it.  While I was talking I was looking at the list of shows available of Netflix and I happened to see a "Recently Added" drama.  I recognized 2 of the 3 actors on the poster.  I had to add it to my list and watch 1 episode right away.

Ryo Nishikido was the first one I noticed.  Had a crush on him since I first saw him in 2005's 1 Litre of Tears (Ichi Rittoru no Namida).  Then I saw him in 2008's Last Friends. OMG!  He was so good in that drama but it crushed me to see the character he played.  Back in the late 00's it was still a bit difficult to find good J-dramas with subs so I watched what I could find.  Luckily, it's a rare thing to find a drama that is just so bad, I can't bring myself to finish it.  Recently saw Ryo Nishikido in this year's Extremely Inappropriate.  Shortly after I saw 1 Litre of Tears, I researched him and found out he was part of the idol group NEWS.  I was able to find several of their songs which were pretty good.  

I also recognized Kazunari Ninomiya from Arashi (by far my favorite Jpop band).  Saw him in the movie Letters from Iwo Jima and he's in the drama that is on my original list, Black Forceps. I haven't really made it a point to watch dramas he's been in but now that I have access to more Jdramas than I used to, I'm going to watch more of them. He is in a drama from 2009 called Door to Door which looks interesting.  I'm pretty sure I watched the original American version of that because the story sounds familiar. I also checked out some movies he was in and I found he was part of the Japanese version of Murder on the Orient Express from 2015 which I now have to watch!

Lastly, though I did not recognize her face, I did recognize her name.  Erika Toda.  I remember her from Gal Circle which is the 1 Jdrama that I almost gave up on after the first or second episode.  She was also in the 2nd season of Hana Yori Dango and in Taisetsu no Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta from 2011 with Miura Haruma (RIP).  She was also Misa Amane in 3 Death Note movies. I know I've seen her in at least 1 or 2 other dramas but atm, I can't remember which ones.

Synopsis: (fm Wiki)
During their childhood days, the Ariake siblings -- Koichi, Taisuke, and Shizuna, lived peacefully with their parents who owned a western restaurant named after their family name that specializes in hayashi rice.  One day, in the night, the siblings ran away from home to watch a meteor just to later find out that their parents were killed while they were gone.  The case remained unsolved due to lack of evidence and witnesses; only Taisuke has barely seen as a suspect, and a plastic umbrella with no prints was apparently left by the killer.  Leaving a great impact to the lives of the siblings, they made a promise to find the killer and kill him themselves.

There was more but I purposely did not read it in case it told me more than I wanted to see.  It sounds like a good drama.  So, I am going to finish the 2nd episode of Miss Night and Day and then I'll start this one!

(2024) The Double ~ 墨雨云间 (E02)

Wrote this a month ago shortly after I started E02 and I got so involved in it, I just couldn't stop watching the show.  With limited time to spend on it, I am on E32 of 40 I think.  Going to try and finish it off in the next week.  This is a GREAT show!  

E01 ends with Xue Li making a deal with the woman at Zhannv Hall.  Xue Li tells the woman she will take the place of Jiang Li so the woman doesn't get in trouble for beating Jiang Li to death.  Nobody has seen Jiang Li in 10 years since she arrived at Zhannv Hall so nobody knows what she looks like now.  Xue Li tells the woman she calls the shots at Zhannv Hall so no one would dare defy her.  The woman is skeptical and asks Xue Li "What is your motive?".  Xue Li tells her, "She's still better off than me.  She's the daughter of the Chief Secretariat. It's better than a peasant woman like me. Perhaps the Jiang family will remember heir daughter someday. Then I can live a life of luxury."  The woman rolls her eyes.  Xue Li asks, "Do we have a deal?".  Hidden from the woman's view is Jiang Li's maid Tong'er who is listening to everything while she holds a pair of shears in her hands.

Next scene, the woman is met by one of the girls who complains to her, "Chief, Ms. Jian still dares to lie in her bed?".  The woman smacks her. She says, "Tell everyone to butt out of Jiang Li's affairs".  The girl says "Yes".  The woman continues, "She'll be recuperating here for the next seven days."  And she walks away.

Next scene, Jiang Li is buried by Tong'er and Xue Li.  Once they're done shoveling, Tong Er tries to attack Xue Lie with the shears.  She tells her that if it wasn't for her, Jiang Li wouldn't have died.  She tells Xue Li that she's an ingrate who stole Jiang Li's identity.  She says, "Today, I'm going to kill you to avenge her ladyship!" Xue Li tries to reason with Tong'er by asking her if it's enough to kill her and the chief.  How about everyone else at Zhannv Hall who wronged her and the people who ignored her for 10 years?  Xue Li gets the shears from Tong'er and convinces her that she needs Jiang Li's identity.  Both their reputations were tainted and no one was willing to believe them but Jiang Li believed in her and she believed in Jiang Li.  Jiang Li is dead now and she can't clear her name.  She asks Tong'er to help her clear it. "They think our reputation will forever be tainted, don't they? Let's show them how you and I can clear our names".

(2024) The Double ~ 墨雨云间 (E01) - ADDITIONAL

While watching this one, I hadn't realized how late it actually was so I had to stop and get to bed.  Just finished watching the rest.

So far, it's really good.  New episodes are out on Tuesdays and they're already up to E12 so I'm going to keep watching this one.  I'll watch 2 or 3 more today and tonight will be the J-movie Drawing Closer.

(2024) The Double ~ 墨雨云间 (E01)

 My drama watching history is non existent really.  The first one I ever watched was The Princess Weiyoung and I think it was on DramaFever.  Then I watched Medical Examiner Dr. Quin (2016) which was also a really good.  That one had a total of 3 seasons but I only watched the first.  I really liked the lead girl (Jiao Junyan) so when I found out she wasn't going to be in the other 2, I decided I was probably not going to be watching those. The Double will be my third.  Aside from Tiffany Tang and her husband actor Luo Jin (Both from The Princess Weiyoung), and Jia Junyan, I don't know any other Chinese actors.  

So, here we go!

The episode starts off with some nice flute music that I really like.  A girl in a candy apple red and white outfit is running through a forest and a man in white is chasing after her.  He catches up to her, turns her around, embraces her and kisses her.  The scene turns into a girl sleeping and she is woken up by the sudden sound of thunder (haha a dream?)  She is "Xue Li, courtesy name Fangfei" 

Side note:  I had no idea what a courtesy name was so I had to look it up.  I read up on some of it but it was boring so I'm going to go back to watching the drama and leave the research for tomorrow!

Xue Li wakes up and there is a man laying down on her.  Looks like his head is resting on her stomach.  She wakes him up and when he looks at her she screams.  (maybe he's not who she thought he was?  or not the same guy from before?)  She struggles and 2 women walk in (described as Shen Ruyun and Mrs. Shen).  Shen Ruyun screams out loud.  

Next scene Xue Li is in a room and she's sitting on the floor looking like she's tired or waking up.  She's remembering someone yelling at her "You dirty and shameless bitch!"  She hears her name twice and she jumps.  Cut to her hands and you see they are tied up with chains.  She is chained to the bottom of a table or bench.  A man walks in (Shen Bingxiu, courtesy name Yurong).  Xue Li says "Dear, you're here at last.  I was set up.  Mother and Yurong are mistaken."  The man's fae is expressionless as he stares at Xue Li.  She continues, "We've been married for so many years.  You should know me."  The man reveals he has a hatchet in his right hand.  Xue Li looks at it and says "Dear. You...".  He raises the hatchet as she loudly says "You don't believe me either?"  He strikes the chain several times with the hatchet and frees her.  Tears start to flow from her eyes and he says to her "Let's go"

Next scene they're in a horse drawn carriage (I was certain that there had to be a Chinese word for this so of course I had to look it up.  It's ma che I was curious!).  Xue Li is in his arms as he opens a bottle for her and she drinks from it. (right here I am suspicious.  did he really believe her or is he just getting revenge?)  She drinks from the bottle and he watches her.  He takes the bottle, puts it down and he returns to holding her.  She closes her eyes and quickly her head goes limp. (honestly looks like he drugged her but she probably just fell asleep).  You see the ma che go off into the distance.

Next scene, Xi Li wakes up.  She's laying down in a hole with her hands tied with rope.  She sits up while Shen Bingxiu is walking towards the hole holding a lantern and a shovel. She sees him when he stands by the hole.  "You know I was set up". Shen Bingxiu stares at her.  She says "Who did it?  Was it you?".  Tears start to roll down his face.  "Or was it your mother?  Was it your sister? Shen Young, I'm not a clingly person.  One letter of divorce from you and I would be gone. But why are you so cruel?  You want to destroy my reputation and kill me here too."  Shen Bingxiu says "Xue Li, I have no choice. She could have crushed us like ants."  Xue Li asks, "Who?"  He puts the lantern down.  "Xue Li, close your eyes."  Xue Li grabs the shovel and says "Shen Yurong! How dare you do this to me? Aren't you afraid my father and brother wouldn't spare you?"  Shen gets the shovel back and says "You'll reunite with them soon enough."  Xue Li says "Shen Yurong, what happened to them?"  He says "Duke Xue was sentenced to death for corruption.  Xue Zhao ran into bandits on his way to visit you.  He died a horrible death."  "Was it your doing?" Xue Li asks.  "Was it?  Why are you doing this to me?".  He says, "I'm sorry.  I have failed you in this life." as he strikes a blow to her head and then he screams out loud in pain.

A little over 8 minutes and again, a lot has happened so far.  Going to end it right here for now so I can pay attention to the rest.

(2024) Miss Night and Day ~ 낮과 밤이 다른 그녀 (E01) - ADDITIONAL

 I didn't realize this first episode was just over 1 hr long.  I didn't check to see if they're all an hour or if it was just this first episode.  I'll check before I watch the next episode.

After this episode, the premise of this drama got a little clearer!  We see exactly who Choi Jin-hyuk is as well.  This first episode covered a lot and there were no dull moments.  I'll watch E02 tomorrow.

Next one I'm going to watch is the C-drama The Double.  The first episode is 45 minutes.  I really wanted to watch the J-movie Drawing Closer but it's 2 hrs and I won't be able to fit that in tonight.

(2024) Miss Night and Day ~ 낮과 밤이 다른 그녀 (E01)

Beginning intro was very Sailor Moonesque.  I wonder if that was just for the intro or if it'll get worked into the story somehow.

So, the story begins with a girl riding her bicycle to take a local civil servant written exam.  She gets stopped by a guy in the lobby telling her that getting a civil service job can't be done with just grit or perseverance.  The girl asks him who he is and he says he's like a miracle worker that makes the impossible possible.  The girl tells him she doesn't believe in luck or miracles.  He tells her that the world might deceive her but a miraculous business card could change her life and he hands her his card.  She looks at the card and turns it around.  It says "We never know the worth of water till the well is dry".

In the next scene, an ajumma is praying for Mi-jin to pass her civil service exam since she's taken it 8 times already and she's failed it each time.  "There's no misfortune as disastrous as this" she says.  As she finishes her sentence a cat screeches and breaks a bowl that was on the table.  The ajumma yells at the cat and we see the cat jump across a bright silhouette of the moon.

Next scene, the girl, Mi-jin is sitting on a bench with another girl and a man in between them.  A woman walks out and calls out "Jeong Min-su".  The man gets up and says "yes" and walks away.  The woman says "And Lee Mi-Jin" and both girls say "Yes!".

They are both sitting in the room and one of the female committee members says "Lee Mi-jin?" and the one girl says very enthusiastically, "Yes!".  Our Mi-jin says "Please go ahead".  The woman says "I see you're both named Lee Mi-Jin.  Lee Mi-jin one is in her 20s.  Lee Mi-jin two, in her thirties.  Let's do it this way."  Mi-jin raises her hand and says "I'm also in my 20s though".  Lee Mi-jin one looks at her and laughs.  The female committee member mumbles under her breath, "If you're 28, you're in your 30s".

Next scene, Mi-Jin is walking with her bike when she gets a text.  She has not been selected for the job.  She starts to cry and says she wonders what she'll tell her omma this time.  She reaches home and upon entering, her parents are in the living room.  Her omma has a angry scowl on her face.  Mi-jin weakly announces she's home.  Her omma yells at her "Why didn't you tell me?" Her appa says "Alright, dear.  That's enough. This calls for a celebration". Mi-jin's omma says she called the environmental department and found out she got the job and says "You should've told us that you got the job!"  Mi-jin is confused and realizes the mistake due to the other girl having the same name.  Her omma says "I can die in peace now".

In her room, she can hear her mother calling someone to tell them she got a job after 7 years.  Mi-jin takes out the card the guy gave her at the exam.

Trying to conceal who she is, she arrives at a café called "Vanessa".  She peeks in at the door while Choi jin-hyuk's character is standing there watching her.  He sighs and walks over to the doors and opens one, hitting Mi-Jin in the forehead when he does.  She falls back into his arms and when she looks up to see him he asks her if she's okay.  

Side note:  OMG he's still so damn hot!

Mi-jin is now sitting with the miracle guy.  She asks him "This isn't a scam is it?".  Choi Jin-hyuk's character hears this and takes an interest.  Miracle guy says "What do you take me for?".  Choi Jin-hyuk's character turns around to check out the guy. 

Turns out, there's a large fee Mi-jin needs to pay to get her miracle.  After convincing her that he's on the up and up, she agrees to pay it.  

Next scene miracle guy is on the phone in the bathroom.  "Be ready.  I hit the jackpot today.  I'll buy you something good.  Tell me what you want to eat."  Choi Jin-hyuk's character is in the bathroom as well and he hears everything.

We're 9:15 into the show and already a lot has happened.  I'm going to leave my little bit here.  So far, it's pretty good.

A Few Good Dramas

 I found a few good dramas over on Netflix. One each Chinese, and Korean, and 3 Japanese  One of the Japanese is a movie  

Japanese

Drawing Closer 2024 MOVIE

With only a year left to live, 17-year old Akita finds new meaning in life by bringing joy to a terminally ill girl who has just six months remaining. 

Similar theme as 2004’s Sekai no Chūshin de, Ai o Sakebu (Crying Out Love in the Center of the World) and 2005’s Ichi Rittoru no Namida (1 Litre of Tears). I am a sucker for these kinds of tearjerkers. 

Japanese

Black Forceps 2024 - 10 episodes

A brilliant surgeon with a reputation for being difficult battles his colleagues’ incompetence and a new medical device that could make him obsolete. 

This one doesn’t seem to interesting but it has Arashi’s Kazunari Ninomiya so I figured why not. 

Japanese

Public Affairs Office in the Sky - 2013 - 11 episodes 

In this inspiring romance, a former pilot and a demoted TV director meet at the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and discover new paths in life. 

A lot of the J and K dramas I’ve watched have some kind of lesson to learn about life. Lessons on how to be just a good person in general. They have a way of making you see certain things in a way that you may not have thought of before.  Inspirational dramas are full of good feels.  

Korean

Miss Night and Day 2024 - 16 episodes

Life is already hard for Mi-Jin, but add supernatural age flipping, a tough new boss…and a blooming romance?  How will she navigate her new life?

Can’t lie, I’m not crazy about the plot. Doesn’t sound great but it’s got Choi Jin-hyuk and that’s good enough for me. Since I’ve been watching dramas (early ‘90s), I don’t think I’ve ever had to bail on one. There are quite a few that I’ve seriously thought of abandoning during my “3 episode rule” but I stuck with them and they turned out to be a lot better than I thought. 

Chinese

The Double - 2024 - 40 episodes

When acts of betrayal leave her family broke, a young woman assumes a false identity and, aided by her political allies, fights for justice. 

I’ve been looking for a good Chinese drama since 2016’s The Princess Weiyoung. I think that was my first C-drama and it was so good!  I’m hoping The Double is good also. 

My plan is to watch an episode of each drama and then the movie. After the movie, I’ll decide how I want to watch the rest of the dramas.

King the Land 킹더랜드 - EPISODE 1

Netflix calls this a "limited series" but it's got 16 episodes which, to me, it's just a regular K-drama.

The show opens with a shot of "King Hotel" and then goes to various shots of men and women at job interviews for hotel concierge.  It ends with candidate 506 burying his head in his hands and telling the interviewers he's shy and he runs away.

They show candidate 511 in a waiting area and a woman comes out and yells for 511.  The candidate gets up and walks towards the interview room.  As she's walking, the heel on one of her shoes breaks off.  She picks it up and keeps going.  The interviewers are waiting and looking at her resume.  One woman asks "What's with number 511? Don't we require a bachelor's degree?"  The man sitting next to her apologizes and says there must have been a mistake during the resume screening process.  Then 511 walks in.  She walks in confidently as if she still had her other heel.  She bows and introduces herself as Cheon Sa-rang

There is silence for a while and the woman mentions she sees her hobby is playing the piano and asks if she'll play for them.  Cheon Sa-rang says "right now?"  and she is told yes.  She looks around and says there is no piano there and the woman says "I know, right?".  They stare at each other and then Sa-rang looks at both men sitting at opposite sides of the woman.  She then starts to "play" Chopsticks on air piano.  The men look up at her.  As she is singing the notes, one of them smiles.

The woman, stone faced, says "Your hobby is playing piano yet you played Chopsticks".  Sa-rang replies, "It's my hobby, not my specialty.  I'm not that good, but I enjoy playing".  The woman says "Can you smile for us?"  So she does.  Then they cut to her in a restaurant not smiling at all as she's drinking a mug of beer.  She's sitting with her friend who is using her actual chopsticks to mimic playing chopstics on air piano.  She says "You really did that?"  Sa-rang says "Yes. What else was I supposed to do?"

Four and a half minutes in and it's funny.  I'll watch 2 of these episodes tonight!

Fermat's Cuisine フェルマーの料理 (Fermat no Ryōri) - EPISODE 2

I hadn't realized that I was up to EP 2 until I saw the opening credits.

This episode centered around Gaku trying to create a dish the rest of the staff would like.  He had failed at all his attempts until he got an idea after speaking with his friend Uomi.  He had one more chance to get a majority of the staff to like his meal.  If he failed again, he would be fired.

A decent drama so far!

Fermat's Cuisine フェルマーの料理 (Fermat no Ryōri) - EPISODE 1

Opening scene, you see someone washing their face in the bathroom.  He walks out and several people say to him "Chef..." as he walks by.  He walks through the dining area of a restaurant on his way to the kitchen.  Assistants hand the check a pot where he takes a taste of the contents.  He walks to a station, tosses a pan from out of his way and begins to season what is in the pot he was given while everyone stares at him.  He walks back to the table, plates the contents of the pot and hands it to a waitress.

Another assistant places a plate with food on it next to the chef.  He doesn't look at the plate and the camera focuses on his face.  You can see him sweating.  He calls out to the assistant and tells her to "remake it".  She says "what?"  Chef tells her "It tastes wrong.  Do it now".  The assistant fights back.  "It tastes wrong?  You didn't even taste it!"  He replies "Can't you see it?".  He looks at her.  "You can can't you?"  He lifts the plate and puts it in here face "Look...LOOK!"  She jumps back and he yells "Why can't you see it?!"  The whole kitchen is staring.  He calmly says "Why can't you see it?"

They switch to a scene of a kid in school.  It's 2023.  The student is walking in the hall and narrating.  He said he wanted to become a great mathematician. They flashback to the student's birth.  His mother telling him to do what he loves and "enjoy this life" while his father sat beside them nodding in agreement.

The student says his mother passed away when he was young so it was just him and his father.  He tells us that ever since he was a child, he loved math.  He was so passionate about it, he decided he would dedicate his life to math.  His dream was to become a globally recognized mathematician.  On the last day of high school, he participated in a contest of the top math students.  It was then that he realized he would never become a mathematician and he saw his dream crumble.

Next Up

I know I'm still on the first episode of "Death Game" but I'm going to start 2 others today and then watch all 3 during the week so I can finish them.  I work 60 hours a week (40 FT and 20 PT) and I don't get a lot of free time.  Most of my free time is spent trying to get as much sleep as I can  If I can get 4 hrs overnight and 2 in the afternoon between jobs, that's pretty good.  I think 6 hrs of sleep in 24 hrs is not too bad.  When I was only working 1 FT job that was 0900-1700, it was great but my FT job now is 4 days of 1400-0000 and my PT job is 4 days 0600-1100.  I used to be able to binge watch dramas after work, while cooking, while eating and at night until about 0100.  Now I need to find time.

Dramas have changed a lot since the Hallyu wave.  I was on board maybe 2 years before it exploded.  Only a few sites were legally streaming K-dramas and they were so so good.  Then PSY got popular (in America) when "Gangnam Style" hit the US and the whole K-drama watching experience changed.  

Everyone wanted to stream K-dramas after the Hallyu wave.  At first I thought it was great but as I started to watch some of them, they weren't the same quality as they were before.  They were dropping so many new shows, it was much harder to keep up.  There are dramas that I really wanted to watch but then 2 weeks later there were more to choose from and some of those I wanted to watch.  Then a couple of weeks later, more new dramas and there were some there that I wanted to watch too.  There were just way too many and now 10 years later, there are a bunch that I had wanted to watch but had no time to fit them in.

Anyway, I'm going to watch the Netflix K-drama King the Land.  Not sure what that title means so I'm hoping it will become clear when I watch.

"Amid a tense inheritance fight, a charming heir clashes with his hardworking employee who's known for her irresistible smile -- which he cannot stand".  This sounds funny.  

The next one I'm starting is the Netflix J-drama Fermat's Cuisine.

"Giving up hope of becoming a mathematician, Gaku feels aimless until star chef Kai brings him on at his restaurant, giving him a new world to master".  This one sounds fun AND it reminds of Bambino (2007 drama with Matsumoto Jun).

Korean Movie: Josee - 조제

 I was wondering what ever happened to Nam Joo-hyuk.  Last drama I saw was last year's "Twenty Five Twenty One" which I loved.  I didn't know he had gone into the military March 2023 and is due to be released Sept 2024.  I wonder why not the full 2 years.  Gonna have to research that.

I happened upon this movie from 3 years ago on Viki.  I will watch this one tomorrow.  It's just under 2 hrs.

Death's Game - 이재, 곧 죽습니다 - Episode 1 DEATH

I love Seo In-guk.  I think he's hot and he's also a really good actor.  Even so, I did start to watch one of his dramas that I really didn't like much.  I don't think I ever made it past the first episode but I did not abandon it for good.  I plan to go back again.

So, when this drama starts, Seo In-guk is Choi Yee-Jae and you see him get shot in the head.  From there the story goes back to when he was still in school. He is on the phone with his girlfriend as he's on his way to a job interview.  After he gets off the phone with her, as he's walking to the interview, a man comes running by and kind of bumps into him as he runs out into the traffic and stands in front of a truck that strikes him and bounces him onto the sidewalk right in front of Yee-Jae.  He frantically runs over to the man.  The man grabs onto Yee Jae's arm and he dies.  Yee Jae is freaked out.  Next scene he is at the job interview and he is seated with 3 other candidates.  The scene starts off with one of the men calling Yee Jae's name and asks him to answer the question.  Yee Jae, who is still in shock, asks the man to please repeat the question and the man moves on to the next candidate.  Yee Jae fails to get the position.

Since that failure, he had a difficult time getting a job so he takes on part time work where he can so he can survive and pay off his student loan.  Seven years later, he gets the opportunity to apply for a position at the same company he failed at.  Things appear to go well but upon leaving, he gets a phone call from someone asking him if he had invested money with this guy because it seems he ended up losing all the money people had given him and he ran away.  Yee Jae loses his mind and goes to the guy's apartment and bangs on the door.  He flies into a rage and makes a scene at the complex and he gets reported to the police.  At the police station, the cop tells him there's nothing they can do about him losing his money.  He invested his money willingly believing he was going to make a profit but it ended up being a loss, under Korean law, there is nothing they can do about that.

Yee Jae believes his bad luck and shitty life goes back to when he saw that man die in front of him.  Being a failure, he decides to take his own life by jumping off a building.  Next scene, he's on an airplane but with a different face.  He freaks out and then notices a woman in sunglasses sitting across from him.  She introduces herself as Death.  She says he has sinned and he's going to be punished by dying 12 times.  His soul will enter the bodies of 12 people facing imminent death and he will end up dying regardless of which body he wakes up in.  She wants him to experience for himself how painful death can be.  If he manages to avoid the deaths that they face, he may carry on living.  If he avoids death in one of those bodies, he will live the rest of his life in that body.  Yee Jae says he doesn't want to live because life has been hell.  Death asks him if he thinks death is the end of it all.  It is only the beginning.

Angel Flight - One Final Thought...

After watching the last episode to the very end, I'm praying for another series.  The way it ended...there MUST be another series.

Angel Flight - Episode 6 - THE FINAL JOURNEY WITH HER MOTHER

 I guess part of this story is going to be what happens between Rinko and her mother.  

As this episode starts, There's a village and Rinko's mother is laying down on a bed.  She has a net all around her.  It doesn't say where she is.  It doesn't look like a hospital though.  She reaches over to grab a pen and paper but it falls to the floor.  They then cut to Rinko in a coffin.  Turns out the team is taking pictures to send to an Argentinian company to show them how they arrange bodies.  Rinko says she's uncomfortable and Nami tells her, "Just close your eyes and be dead". Lol  Nami has an idea to put the cover on and take a picture like that but she pulls her back trying to lift the lid from against the wall.

The walkie talkie in the room goes off and calls Rinko to the office. When she gets there, the staff tell Rinko her mother has passed away.  Nami tells her to go be with her.  She's asked where will she go and Rinko said "her home? the hospital?" but they tell her she's not there.  She's in Mocomoco.  Shusuke tells her it's near Lake Titicaca (in Bolivia).

This may end up being a resolution episode for Rinko and her mother.  I wonder if it'll address Nami and her fiancee.  I do hope there is a season 2.  This was a great little mini series.  Even though the stories were all heartbreaking and sad, it was well done.

I have to opine on something I read online when I was just starting out with the episode in the made up town in Africa.  Someone had a blog where they were writing about dramas.  Kind of like me but he/she was summarizing up her opinions on each episode in 1 post while I've broken down my posts per episode.  It's more organized for me that way.  Anyway, he/she mentioned how the episode in South Africa was a little racist in how black people were portrayed as terrorists.  I didn't see it that way.  There was more he/she said about it but I didn't care to read any more.  I don't think it was intentional when they did that.  

Great mini series.  I want more.

I think I'll be watching Death's Game next week!

Angel Flight - Episode 05 - NAMI VS A MOST DEVILISH WOMAN

 This episode starts out with Rinko on a bus. While on one hand she tells her mother her boss asked her to return the next day due to a job they have lined up, Nami scolds her for not having stayed with her mother.  Rinko tells her the surgery went well and her mother told her to go back to work.  While at the airport, the famous "Lily" arrives and the press hounds her.  She's a young woman, maybe in her late 30s?  I'm not really good guessing ages.  She arrives with a much much older man.  Back at the office, the team clues in Rinko on who Lily really is.  She married a much older man and days later her died.  She married another older man and he died in an accident.  They believe she more than likely killed them.  While discussing this, someone says the next deceased is about to arrive.  Someone asks from where and someone else says "Cuba".  They cut to Nami and Yuya tells her she should take a break and he'll handle it.  She tells him she's fine; he'll hurt his back.  This obviously has to with her missing fiancee.

Lily runs out of a hotel room and she runs down the hallway.  There's a flashback scene where she is strangling a man on the couch.  She runs away and goes dancing.  The team discusses what happened and it turns out he drowned in the tub.  The body was taken to the hospital and Lily is with him.  Since he's a big Moroccan VIP, Angel Hearse has been given the case.  It'll be funny if it turns out Lily is innocent and just has bad luck with men.  It's certainly looks like she's guilty but dramas have a great way of explaining things!

Nami and Rinko arrive at the hotel to go over things with Lily and she is one cold witch.  She's on the couch smoking not really caring.  Nami said she's come back to discuss the casket and Lily told her to figure it out.  Nami said she heard she didn't identify the body and Lily told her she saw him drowned in the tub, what else should she do?  Damn.  She is cold.  Seems guilty but... maybe she's not?

Angel Flight - Episode 04 - THE VIETNAMESE INTERN WHO LOVED ANIME

E03 was yet another emotional episode.  The stories at the end explaining what happened in the lives of the two deceased characters before they passed made my mouth drop.  I love this about dramas.  You watch the show but then you find out what happened before that got them to a certain point.  Japanese dramas know how to really punch you in the gut with these.

E04 starts with a guy drawing in one scene and a woman sewing in another.  The girl is then seen walking around outside and she's obviously sad.  She stops walking and you can see a tear in her eye. The guy that is drawing is drawing the sad woman and he is crying.  They cut back to the sad woman and there's a truck coming down the road.  It jumps the curb and strikes the woman.

OMG.  I thought she was going to walk in front of it (because she was sad) but turns out it was a freak accident.

In a previous episode, we learn that Rinko has a difficult relationship with her mother.  Her mother had called her and said she was having surgery.  There are forms that need to be filled out and the mother tells her she'll send them over to her if she doesn't want to go there.  Last episode, Rinko remembers her bicycle getting stuck on train tracks when she was a little girl.  The train is approaching and the guardrails are down.  Little Rinko is desperately trying to get her bike off the tracks.  I'm yelling at the TV for her to just leave it when the camera angle changes and you see the guardrail with her mother standing there just looking at little Rinko struggling.  In the beginning of this episode, they revisit the phone call about the forms.

The girl who died in Japan was Vietnamese.  The plan is to cremate her there and then send her home because it's cheaper.  The story goes to Vietnam where an older man is talking to a picture of his deceased wife.  He's asking her if she's met up with their daughter Xuan.  In the background are 2 younger kids, probably about 10 years old.  The man is their father.  They walk over to him and ask if Xuan isn't coming home.  He hugs both of them.

Nothing much has happened and already I'm dying over here because these little kids won't see their older sister again.  Man and kids lost their mother and now the eldest daughter. 

The second story is about a Japanese couple who died in the US while on tour.  Angel Hearse is hired to bring them back.  This team points out "...only those two died on the tour".  Turns out, they were not a couple after all.  They were both at the same hotel, on the same tour and working at different companies. The spouses are enroute on the same flight and they're worried "all hell might break loose".

Nami arrives in Vietnam and sees the girl.  She is given Xuan's backpack and they take us to the moment Xuan was packing that backpack before leaving.  Her father mentions how she took on a huge debt to be able to go work in Japan.  Xuan assures her father it'll be fine.  She will make a lot of money there and she'll be able to send her sibblings to school and she can buy a house for them to live in.  He tells her to be a good girl.  She hugs her brother and sister and then her father helps her put on her backpack.  He tells her to take care of herself.  She walks out the door and waves goodbye.  She walks a few steps, turns around and with a big smile, she waves to her family.  They cut back to Nami loading up Xuan's body into their suv.

Since Nami was mad at Rinko for her "attitude", she left her behind and took Mitsuko with her instead.  Rinko was paired off with Yuya to handle the spouses of the deceased coming back from the US.

Excellent episode again.  You'll learn more about why Nami is so dedicated and what she did for one of her colleagues in the past.