2020's salt and pepper

maybe not my favorite season - more because the season feel kinda all over the place and kinda tries to repeat the 'hits' of the previous season. it still fun though and also [spoiler alert] finally another successful great release after a long season! <3 

another fun thing is that there are so many unexpected moments happen and the costumes? this season is the peak of the madness of the series lmao.

a really cool movie in term of the cinematography and action. the movie opened with first person point of view that really reminded me with video game.  also, the choreography for the action really looked awesome.

kim ok-vin truly killed this movie <3

but, the downside is... the character development felt kinda imbalanced, beside the main heroine, the other characters felt kinda just placed there for the development of the story. this didn't mean that the acting department is bad tho, in fact - it's solid, it just that the way the story was told and the editing was done really didn't do justice.

the first drama that i finished this year! 

first of all, this drama will definitely be a more awesome experience if you had watched goblin beforehand (even if you don't, it will still an awesome experience too) and the conclusion i came after watching those two dramas: pairing lee dong-wook and yoo in-na are really some kind of magic work.

this drama is some kind of saccharine overload with some hints of spices here and there without really killing the sweetness. the relationship is awesome tbh - the otp communicated a lot and trusting each other. beside the main otp, the drama also serves another two otps that are: 1. hilariously relatable, 2. kinda melodramatic but will find its way to make it up.

it's definitely a rom-com done right. the romantic part is super adorable, the comedy is done well without overly exaggerating. there is a little noble idiocy too... which personally for me, rather than hating it - makes my love for the otp even stronger since they really make you want to support each other ;;;; it also the part that successfully made me tear up a little bit.

for those who wanted some light watch, this is such a recommendation and believe me: you'll definitely think that pairing lee dong-wook and yoo in-na are really some kind of magic that will successfully make you smiling from ear to ear or just crying with them.

i haven't seen jung woo-sung's projects that much so seeing him in this movie is such a delight and i miss seeing kim hyang-gi...

welp, about this movie... it's honestly really beautiful, thoughtful, and so carefully executed. i learnt a lot in this movie. it's definitely a movie that will left you for thinking after you watched it. 

my words can't do justice about how awesome this film is, really.

not a bad film, but not a good film either. coming from one of the oldest ocn's series, bad guys is honestly not a big favorite of mine although i love the concept and... ma dong-seok... he's still this magnet that will definitely pull me in.

the story is basically like two or three episodes being compacted into a movie and like most of action flicks, so don't really expect to see some big character development like that. it's still enjoyable with a little comedy here and there, but beside that - the movie still retains what you know about the series (so watching the first season will be definitely appreciated) and beside that, it's still enjoyable... just don't expect a lot.

the first thing that pulled me in: lee hyun-wook! he's definitely a gem and he's really awesome here.

the movie's concept of having a faceless character that can morph into everyone else is the double-edge sword for this movie. on one side, it's really unique and awesome since this character can basically be everyone - almost like a blank canvas... i said 'almost' since this character wasn't perfectly blank. but on the other hand, as the ending came, it really made you confused.... the transition, the twists - all came so quick and kinda mess the good rhythm that the movie had built previously. it built up so nicely and smartly until the ending... too much and too quick, really.

the concept is awesome... it just that the execution kinda left more to be desired. (also... sean... nope. this is not his best performance, honestly. i didn't enjoy his performance here.)

i kinda expected the film would be much more since most of the reviews and the hype looked pretty nice, but eh... it's kinda meh. the story didn't really go anywhere but beside that, the action with all the climbing is pretty awesome and kinda one of a kind.

it's probably fun for some, but it just not really my taste. the comedy didn't really hit all the note for me, sadly.

....now, this is madness. 

a movie that should be watched by yourself directly to understand it.

welcome back, our teacher!

at first sight, this drama successfully retained a lot of things from the first season. the place still looked the same and even most of the actors who played as the members of doldam hospital also returned! so, kudos for that? yay!

if there is a bad thing, it's probably the development of the main characters. i loved sung-kyung's eun-jae but oh my goodness her character kinda stop the developing towards the end and the story of woo-jin was probably the least favorite between all the main characters of the series because it really felt repetitive. tbh, eun-jae and woo-jin really reminded me of dong-joo and seo-jung. the story kinda felt the same, but those two and eun-jae's were definitely executed better.

another bad thing: this season is really heavy on the hospital politics and from all of the hospitals, it was doldam.... if there wasn't any enough "strong baits" or kim sabu, i probably dropped this halfway. the fight on the first season was somehow bearable but this one, there wasn't any episode without not fighting about "how to take care of doldam" which was so useless to discuss of.  even this portion took off most of the "interesting" parts like the talks between the staffs or even the operation scenes which were the highlight of the first season.

this season kinda left a bad taste, but i still want to see another season of it... to see kim sabu again and in-bum. his appearance was short but enough to become baits for me ;___;

oooooh the divine move, the story seemed like it's about baduk but in reality, this is a crime/action revenge film, y'all.

is this a continuation from the first film? nope. it has the same format with the first one, but it is somehow "connected" to the first one without heavily referenced it. you can definitely watch this before the first one, but watch the first one, y'all - it's a cool movie.

this one is darker than the first film, kinda horror-ish (especially on the jangsung shaman's section). the movie is actually not bad, but just left more to be desired. kinda hoping to see the characters to be developed much more like the first film, but well, it's an action film so don't hope a lot. 

for a final verdict: not bad, it's fun!

p.s: glad to see you again, do-hwan! <3

heyya the variety show-ARG hybrid! 

busted! came again with second season and this time we saw kwang-soo left the story. his lost kinda made the team quieter? since there was nobody to make some big chaos with jae-suk beisde jong-min and his weird antics. lee seung-gi started to make an appearance from the middle of the season so there was some waiting until he actually appeared.

this season saw quite a lot of improvement from the first season. the story sections felt richer, the stages had more variations and the NPCs were definitely wilder and had so many antics lmao. the rule of "the game" still on the questionable side, but still tolerable. another improvement (or probably not) was the number of plot twists on this season... like holy moly, wow. some were on the "i see it coming" side, one was on the "you should have more visible clues!", and there were also on the "wtf? but it was hilarious" side. you probably will love/hate it, but i probably on the side that love most of the twists.

this season followed the story of a serial killer and definitely it saw an improvement of the story sections since it made every episodes become more strongly connected with each one and there were recurring characters that gave more clues as the story went on (really felt like NPCs, right?). love it, yet still left more to be desired.

for a final verdict, this season makes me love busted! more and its' attempt to mix and match between variety show & storytelling. it's fun, it's light and easy to understand, yet engaging at the same time. also: i appreciate having lee seung-gi and kim min-jae on this season.. so fun to see them!

another side projects of na pd with one of my favorite besties: mino and p.o <3

it's mainly a show about fashion, but you have two kiddos from NJTTW so what you expect? it's fashion meets comedy, ofc! the show can be found on youtube and each episode runs around 20 minutes, so it's a really easy watch (as well super fun!).

the show is for those who enjoy and wants to see more mino and p.o which i can really see how both of them really compliment each other and just... hilarious lmao. it's a fashion show, but they are so into the skits HAHAHAHA. it's also a show who probably wants to see "fashion", it's really interesting and they do take time to research the topics tho. the challenges are really out of the world (some of them - especially the double events, LMAO), but that what makes it so fun!

is it worth the wait from the first season? absolutely. this season sees a lot of reveal, surprises, hello and farewell to a lot of characters. there is so many (pun and not pun intended) bloodsheds on this season more than the first one. 

it's still a really entertaining and intense watch. the action is great although the scale is kinda toned down for this season. for the characters, probably i don't see a lot of improvement or major changes in that section since 6 episodes (and each episodes run below one hour!) are really not enough for it.

definitely will be tuning for third season although i'm not really sure what to expect for the next season? heh.

no wonder why this is one of everybody's top favorites. it's kinda slice of life? and sets in prison? it's odd and i love it so much. 

the comedy is one of the best in kdrama tbh and when it comes to all the feels - this drama doesn't come to play, it hits right to the heart. i laughed a lot and cried a lot with this drama. 

although it's kinda slow and the first two episodes really served as the setting to the story, the third episode is where your patience after watching the first two episodes will be paid. don't afraid with the duration, once you set in - the monstrous duration won't be felt at all.

it's a must watch!

the thing that stands out the most for this movie is: the scenery. it really feels straight out coming out from game, so beautifully designed and arranged. to say that "it happened near future", the movie really does it so well. the scenery and the scoring for this movie really stand out.

but what doesn't really working is the story. the builtup is awesome, but after that, it kinda feels flat and let some ends to be loose. the action scenes? really cool, not complaining that. but the story, not so much.

a fun movie to watch anyway - enjoy the ride!

i probably should have watched this after watching stranger but.... nah, that's fine. it's still a good introduction to the writer...

it's more of a hospital/office politics meets slice-of-life? dunno. this drama is kinda weird, anyway. not in a bad way. nope.  the story isn't bad since i think it actually understands what it wants to convey, but it's just that, so many loose ends? it's fun to analyze here and there, but in the end, it just lets you decide what it actually means. the characters....that's what stands out for me honestly. so many good (re: cool) characters... the unreadable gu seung-hyo, the silent ye brothers (tbh these two? i love them and their story is too heartbreaking), the charismatic dr. joo kyung-moon, and the fierce dr. oh se-hwa. 

it's still an enjoyable title to watch, but definitely not for everyone - it's really on the "like it or leave it".

*standing applause*

now, i understand all the hype back in 2017 about this drama. no wonder why it's so well-received and so well-liked. it's fun, y'all. i definitely had been warming up with stories about investigating corruption lately - to mention some, whisper and watcher. and then... come secret forest / stranger and boom! oh man this drama is addictive. i can't stop watching it.

this drama is so well-executed and well-written. since i was introduced to life first and then, stranger... i can say that this writer definitely has a knack for writing really interesting characters: "the brain" hwang shi-mok (definitely my fave), "the heart" han yeo-jin, "the questionable" lee chang-joon (a truly, truly awesome character), "the joker" seo dong-jae, and "the fierce" young eun-soo. beside yeo-jin, it's hard to 100% trust them and yet you still want to understand their motivation and what will they do after steps. 

the story is truly not for the lazy: it's asking for your full attention and let you to guess and analyze as well at the same time. it doesn't rely on shocking plot twists a lot, but on subtle hints most of the time, that may change the outcome of each event. since the drama is already 3 years old, i definitely already get spoiled for major events... but it's not a hindrance for me to still enjoying the story to the maximum (but please, don't look up for any major spoilers! )

to conclude: it's a really, really awesome drama. those who love complex stories and characters, love good written thrillers - are invited to watch it.

i know second season will be coming soon..... yes?

it's an example of a really stable drama from beginning to the end. between the "wise life" series: this and prison playbook, i can definitely say that this is an easier watch than prison playbook.  it sets on the hospital,  all the characters are charming on their way, and if there is a "big" plotline for each main character: mostly related to the romance, beside seok-hyung's story. love the focus on friendship and family, but the romantic side plot slowly creeps until it becomes the "main" in the end. maybe this is what makes me still prefer prison playbook's story than this one - i am on the side that doesn't really into those sides.

it's on the lighthearted slice of life side and lack of big conflicts, making it easy to watch and easy to love. also: a lot of surprises! those who had seen reply 1988 and prison playbook will definitely have a fun time to see some faces returning back <3

another thing that i love so much: the music! each episodes have their own "song of the day" and you should see it on your own why it's so loved. it's the thing that stands out so much for hospital playlist.

can't wait for 2021! <3

a movie that i watched because i was in a mood to watch an old movie... and it's a good choice, tbh. it has two plotlines, but the best developing plotline is definitely the mom's story and boy, it's a bittersweet one. 

it's kinda slow, but it's definitely worth to actually take time and sit to enjoy the story. 

p.s: son ye-jin really doesn't change after years... she's still so pretty until today oh my goodness. and jo seung-woo & jo in-sung? you can definitely see how young they were on this movie.... i really didn't realize how old this movie was......

in a heartbeat i know: this is going to be one of the best underrated of the year.

this drama didn't cause that much buzz while it aired so thankfully... i didn't get spoiled at all while watching this. it's a drama that stay fun from the beginning and till the end, it's like riding a nonstop rollercoaster with so little time to take a breath. the choice of going 12 episodes for this title really works: i saw no fillers scenes and the story stayed really tight from beginning to end (although i felt the story kinda falter near the end, but not too much).

the premise is simple, but the execution deserves an A+. the cinematography and the editing (especially those pretty transitions!) of this drama were so good, really good. love the casts and the characters as well! (thanks dramalords for lee joon-hyuk playing a really sweet, not-shady-at-all character in this one LMAO and nam ji-hyun for playing such a fierce, brave yet super lovable character! <3 )

i'm honestly surprised about how unexpectedly good this drama is. really recommended!

p.s: this drama has one of the best otp from non-romance drama, y'all should see hyung-jo and ga-hyun asap!

truly drama for the patient ones.... not expecting that this drama is really that fun. it's heavy on politics with spy-ish intrigue? at first, the agent's story was more fun for me but as it went, the story from the blue house finally caught up to be so intriguing. 

i couldn't count how many my head went mad watching this drama because everybody seems to be so tense with each other LMAO. but man, this drama has so many interesting characters! from park moo-jin that surprisingly has one of the best character development i ever saw in the drama, oh young-seok (oh hi, lee joon-hyuk playing another shady character again! lmao) as the character that you should learn "why he is like that" and like 80% source of my anger watching this drama [pft], the cool yet unpredictable secretary cha, and assemblywoman yoon who keep the drama interesting with her continuous unpredictable moves.

a must-watch! it's intriguing and man, it's fun af.

i watched it on a slow-marathon... to accompany those heavier dramas that i watched earlier and to think it again, it's not a bad idea. this drama, like a poem a day, has no antagonist at all - if there is one, it's probably "the secret" that yu-ri keeps by herself almost most of the time.

although it has no antagonist, this drama is going really, really slow. this drama emphasizes heavily on the relationship between the characters and the moment they're going through is not an easy watch either. to say it's a tearjerking drama... definitely proper. 

it's a drama about using the time given to you to the fullest, cherishing the life, saying hello and goodbye to your beloved person, and lastly - to love our mothers. it's a beautiful drama.

so.... i watched the first half back when it was airing and watched the second half... on 2020. the first half is honestly more fun than the second half... the fun that i saw on the first half kinda sizzled on the second half since the plot went from "going undercover on widow's village" to "revealing the birth secret".  it's not bad, just kinda... eh? [but at least that ending... no complain]

if you happen to see jang dong-yoon for the first time through this drama, welcome! he really did well on this drama and his chemistry with kim so-hyun? adorable. 

is it a must watch? if you like rom-com with action flicks... this is definitely for you.

first thai series that i finished watching! 

the series consists of short stories which only have two similarities: it has nanno and it surrounds people on school (either teacher or student). this series is unsurprisingly dark and... mad. nanno herself is such an enigmatic character - she kinda reminds me of ai enma (hell girl) but being the one who orchestrates all the madness by herself.  my favorite stories are definitely "lost and found", "wonderwall", and "hi-so" - must watch!

it's such a good series, tbh.

i left this drama on 2018 since i couldn't get over cross that aired before this and when it aired, i saw shipping war [probably too gentle to be called one] on the horizon so... it has reasons for me to put it on hold... till this year.

after watching hospital playlist, i kinda feel that this drama has the same theme with it but instead of going "light" like hospital playlist - it has this slightly "bluer" and "gentler" mood rather than hospital playlist. also, instead of going with music, this drama is going with poems that are so, so pretty. it's like the writers choose the poems first and build stories from it.

about the love triangle, nope. it's even too gentle to be called as "love triangle". it's the "love triangle" that i can easily side - no surprise but i'm definitely standing on woo bo-young x ye jae-wook. two characters that really light up the dramas: bo-young is such an admirable girl that you can't help but loving her and supporting her, her empathic heart really pulls me in, y'know... and the other is ye jae-wook, the introvert who comes off from being so "untouchable" to  "man i can't handle his dorkiness" - his development is really subtle, but it's really rewarding to see him opening up slowly and moving on from his pain... thanks to bo-young T____T their relationship is also super cute [it's really cute] and it's really healthy TT although they're developing so slowly.

this drama also has its' fair share of comedy and heartwarming moments too, making it such an easy and light watch. it's probably going to be boring for some since it has almost unexistent big conflicts and it's progressing really slowly, but it really worth a watch.

*standing applause*

one of the biggest surprises of the year for me, honestly. it was a drama that really off the radar for me, but once i watched it: "that's it, this is my favorite!"

the drama has a light story - it doesn't need too much thinking, even the guessing "who is who" is easy since the hints are so obvious. the flow is constant until the last four episodes where the past stories and revealing "who is who" take the lead. the last four episodes really pack a lot of punches for those who love the lil' family. to mention: yep, the trope of "found family" is here and for those who are suckers of this trope, you're definitely going to love it so much. another thing, it's a drama with beautiful CGs, man. although they don't appear that often, but when they appear, they are really cool and executed so smoothly! and please, please watch the opening/intro of this drama if you happen to see this on netflix: it's really beautiful.

the chemistry between wol-ju [hwang jung-eum], kang-bae [yook sung-jae], and gwibanjang [choi won-young] is really fun to see and probably the thing that i love the most about this drama <3 

a must-watch for this year!

[p.s: yep, it's another reunion of kill me, heal me's cast again after previously seen on she was pretty between hwang jung-eum and park seo-joon. this time: it's hwang jung-eum and choi won-young! <3]

it's a drama meets sitcom! this drama was adapted from the same-titled webtoon (but i haven't read it, so i came with no expectation).

it's a pretty light drama, easy to watch and if the comedy suits your taste, you'll probably love it (i rated it quite low since some of the comedies were either hard hit or hard miss for me, i'm kinda picky..). also, keep your eyes for surprises here and there!

i honestly wanted to watch it ongoing while it aired but because the time didn't allow it, i just able to enjoy one of the biggest surprises i ever saw in my kdrama watching experience: the drama saw dramatic rises in the rating until it became the top-rated drama cable (until finally overtaken by the world of the married). it's a drama that writes history on its own.

the story didn't sound like it will hook you right away, the casts? you probably have seen them before but they rarely become the leads... but everything really changed once you watch it. it's a pretty bleak drama, with satire here and there, about the riches and the education system. it may don't sound that interesting, but once you watch it: you'll be really in for such a journey. most of the characters are not perfectly likable, but you will understand why they act like that. it's so beautifully executed and almost flawless.

also, we all lie? that soundtrack is *chef's kiss* really memorable. 

p.s: i watched it on netflix and throughout the whole 20 episodes, i didn't skip the intro at all only because i want to hear we all lie through the intro...... it's another record, really.

this drama with its' extra-dorky team that has its' own weird antics came out on equally weird times... definitely coming out as one of my top favorites this year.

it's a procedural drama so expect to see case-by-case instead of having a big plotline that will span over the episodes and although this is a "team", this drama went into a different way of trying to show the teamwork. also, although it is an OCN's drama and even has the "dramatic cinema" label, this drama is surprisingly "lighter" compared to your usual OCN's drama due to its' capability of balancing the thrill from the investigating the cases with the comedy from the characters' weird antics... and the comedy didn't even feel exaggerated to the point ruin the feel of the story because the drama understood when to go full-on serious and when it didn't need to. another favorite thing: this drama has a bunch of unexpected twists that you probably never see in other crime dramas.

p.s: one of the writers of this drama is the same writer who wrote missing noir m! i am super glad to see this writer come again!!!!<3

*chef's kiss* it's one hell of a journey.

i don't watch revenge drama that often but man, this is good. it reminded me of my all-time favorite revenge drama - the slingshot... both dramas have such tightly-written story and equally mad characters on both hero and villain's side. but, doctor prisoner has an additional party that keeps the story's swinging here and there in dir. sun [kim byung-chul] - a really welcomed addition that keeps the story unpredictable.

simply said, this drama is like a continuous act of trying to outsmart each other. the first half saw na yi-je [namgoong min] tried to defeating dir. sun and the second half, which admittedly where everything felt like riding a nonstop rollercoaster, consisted of na yi-je tried to defeating the real goliath of the story: lee jae-joon [choi won-young]. the second half is when the story really get really fun. 

i really had fun watching these three actors... those three were really awesome here and special shoutout for choi won-young with his execution of lee jae-joon... it's really detailed and really awesome. it's probably my favorite of his antagonist role up to date.

a must watch for those who love an engaging revenge drama from start to end.