finished 2025

rewatched in preparation for the new season. 10 out of 10. no notes. 

rewatched 4.24.25

I mean.....10 out of 10. This drama has it all: Ghost soldiers, tomb raiding, palace intrigue, revenge, romance, intelligent characters, and most importantly a HAPPY ending. 

finished 6.6.25 

Any show would have a hard time following Class 1, and unfortunately this one can't quite match what the first season had.
It certainly needed longer and/or more episodes. Relationships were rushed and plots needed to be fleshed out better. It also lacked the emotional gut punch that the first season had, but it tried it's best and I still loved this new season. I think that this season struggled because they were trying to cram 267 chapters from the webtoon into 8 30-40 minute episodes, and frankly the webtoon didn't have a very cohesive plot and mostly just had a lot of fights and not that much emotion (at least in my opinion), so the show was a step up in that regard, even if things were rushed or lacking in some ways.
I loved seeing Sieun back on my screen (even if his story seemed to be pushed to the side a bit) and SPOILER----I'm so glad that the writers/director included Suho throughout the season and finally had him wake up in end. I just needed a hug from the two of them....which wouldn't happen because this is a Korean drama AND Sieun we're talking about here. Oh well.
Question mark on getting another season. It looked like it was kept very open at the end so if this does well enough maybe we'll get another season in three years (sobbing)

finished 4.26.25  

What a great time! So well edited and shot with fun characters. It's good that it was only ten episodes; any longer and it would've been getting old, but it was perfect!
Would be fun to see another season, but it ended really well. 

finished 2.25.25 

I had such a fun time with this drama. It was such a delight to settle in and watch this every week. No small part of my enjoyment was certainly seeing Seo Kangjoon back on my screen. He's finally in a drama that I really enjoyed and would rewatch.
The plot was overall silly and not all of the comedy worked for me, but when it did, it really did. And even though the plot was unbelievable, I didn't really care because it was fun. Frankly, that's the bottom line, this isn't meant to be super serious or realistic, it's meant to be fun and I had fun. 

finished 3.29.25 

I'm very emotional, but that might be because I just watched 56 episodes of our heroes getting beat over and over again with few wins scattered throughout before the final battle...that we do not know the outcome of.
This drama certainly has flaws. Namely, the loose plot threads that are seemingly abandoned midway through (Red Army just went home after trying to overthrow the Emperor? What was UP with the Celestial Army and their obsession with Asule? They kept telling him this was his fate. But WHAT was his fate? We'll never know). Some episodes and arcs dragged, and some plots didn't make sense. From what I understand, this drama lost its original writer halfway through, which makes sense. I'm trying my best not to think of what this drama could've been if it'd kept the OG writer (I think it might've been close to perfect if they had). 

Despite the flaws, this is one of the best cdramas I've seen.
The production is what dreams are made of. The sets, the costumes, the worldbuilding, the acting.  I love Asule a lot. He's a contrast to the rest of Novoland. He's constantly choosing kindness over violence, even when everyone else is against him. He and his friendship with the others is one of the best parts of the drama. It's just too bad that Novoland refuses to let them live in peace together, and they ultimately end up in different parts of the world, forced into choices they didn't want to make.

finished 1.29.25 

Okay. Everyone was right and I was wrong. This drama really was good. 

Big fan of the Emperor: Number 1 Zisheng and Shaoshang shipper 

finished 7.21.25 

I didn't really have expectations when I started this drama, but it immediately exceeded anything I might've expected. This drama really had me by the throat for most of it and dragged me along the different cases. I didn't even care that there were quite a lot of plot issues (Siyuan is just allowed to be a cop?? Sketchy medical practices?? Dramatics just for the hell of it??). But I could overlook those issues because I was invested in the characters immediately.  
The two leads who played the brothers were excellent and I would love to see them in another drama together. The other standout for me was Meihua. So was such an interesting character because it's clear that she loved Siyuan but also.....I do wish their relationship was allowed to be explored a little more because the scenes we got with them were fantastic.
I didn't understand the ending other than assuming it was to indicate a second season (Zhibai alive?!) but when I was reading comments most people took it to mean that Siyuan's DID had never left and his imaginary brother is still kicking around in his head which is an interesting choice on the writer's part.....just leave the poor kid alone. He literally lost everyone. Anyway. Great drama.

finished 3.1.25 

Dylan Wang having the time of his life and frankly I was too 

finished 2.5.25 

Surprisingly very good and enjoyable. Park Jinyoung my beloved 

finished 6.29.25 

I liked this drama a lot more than I thought I was going to. The plot was compelling and was showing a side of the kpop industry that I don't see very often. I do think some things got pushed to the side towards the end of the drama and the redemption arcs of some of the adults was questionable, but I still really enjoyed it. I think there might've been some issues with the FL actor towards the end of the drama (I read that she got super sick and had to be hospitalized) and I do wonder if that's why there's some weird editing in the last few episodes and the reason she wasn't in a lot of the end.

finished 1.28.25  

Cozy and comfortable. The filming was lovely and the leads were good together, but my favorite part of the drama was the relationship between the brothers. I do wish that we got to see more of the movie making process and Gyeom's life as a movie critic (along those lines, it made me a little sad that he left that part of his life behind and at the end of the drama just seemed to be wandering around, not doing much with his life)

finished 2.16.25

I had no expectations with this drama and I didn't think that I would like it (because of my lukewarm feelings towards the ML actor) but it turned out to be a lot more enjoyable and fun than I thought it would be. Certainly not a new story, but a fun/enjoyable way to tell it. 

finished 3.3.25

surprisingly a good time. some parts were silly/never explained, but i had a good time with this. i will say one of my issues was the romance. i didn't like that akane and naoki ended up together. i could be biased because i liked sakamoto better, but akane and naoki didn't click for me, and i think the main reason was their age gap seemed so big to me. it also seemed like naoki didn't really care about her in that way throughout most of the drama (there was hints of it, i will give it that), but it wasn't enough for me to root for them. 

finished 8.13.25

I wasn't actually going to watch this because I don't really like Korean medical dramas (mostly because I don't enjoy episodic shows that much anymore), but while this drama was episodic, it's characters and their stories were the driving force of the show. Jihoon's character was especially compelling. I think my favorite part of the drama was just watching others react to him.
I will say it was overly dramatic at times, but honestly, a great time.

finished 1.25.25  

I initially dropped this after ten episodes because while I was interested in certain aspects, I was getting bored with the constant family politics/drama.
I picked it back up recently and apparently just needed to keep watching because it immediately got exciting. Anyway, good first half of the drama. Excited to watch the rest! 

finished 7.8.25  

Such a soap opera but a real good time. Had interesting characters and good pacing that (for me) dropped in the last episode. If it wasn't clear before that this drama was based on a webtoon it certainly became clear when the last episode had a warzone for no reason.
But certainly was a fun watch that I looked forward to every week

finished 1.4.25 

Really pretty good. Liked both of the characters and liked that there was an overarching plot rather than just strictly slice of life. I did skip certain parts and I liked the first half of the drama more than the second. Also found myself yelling at the screen several times when justice was getting pushed under the rug. STAND UP FOR YOURSELF. Holy moly the anger I felt towards certain characters was insane. 

finished 6.29.25 

Such a bleak drama and a tough watch. I rated this 8.0, which according to my rating system means that I enjoyed it, but did I really enjoy it? I think yes, but I would've liked it better if it'd ended better.
There were parts of this drama that were so well done (ost, cinematography, Jaewook's acting, the grand prince), but other parts that fell short. For some reason the plot didn't feel completely cohesive to me, even though it was all connected. Idk. I'll be thinking of this drama for a while, which I guess mean it left an impression on me. Good or bad? Remains to be seen. 

finished 5.18.25   

It was fun  to finally have a high school drama that wasn't solely slice of life or slow. Enjoyed the characters and most of the plot. I liked the ghosts and the misfortune that followed ML, but I didn't like any of the shaman stuff.  

finished 8.14.25

A really good premise that's mostly wasted. It got really repetitive and draggy and I was kinda just skipping my way through the last few episodes.
I will say the fight in the first episode with the paint was goated. Honestly, full points for that alone 

finished 7.20.25  

I do love a good variety show! Plus it was really fun watching Kyungsoo and Kwangsoo interact with each other and everyone around them. These types of shows are the shows that I watch when I eat dinner. Just cozy and relaxing for me. 

finished 3.6.25 

Not sure why they decided to release this drama in the same year as Weak Hero season 2 AND Study Group. Because all that did was make me think about how much better both of those dramas are.
Which is not to say that this drama is bad. It's not. It has some elements that I liked and wanted to see explored (namely the family drama. aka the root of Eui Gyeom's trauma). But this is, at it's core, a school fighting/bullying drama and while some of the fights were pretty good, most of them didn't really feel earned. And again, tough act to follow with Weak Hero and Study Group.
Eui Gyeom was a character that didn't always make sense to me, but I liked and wanted to see overcome his trauma. It was fascinating to see him constantly toeing the line of going a little too far with each fight. And then he does. I thought this was such an interesting choice.....that they don't really do anything with other than attempt to set up a second season.
Speaking of, I can't believe the adults in Eui Gyeom's life took one look at him after he stomped on that kid in the end, and were like, "Hmm, I know what he needs! A prison school! Where he has to fight all the time and where even the teachers beat the kids! That'll help him get past his brother's death and his father's abuse!
Poor kid needs therapy, not a fight club school. 

finished 6.13.25

Pretty straightforward revenge drama. No real surprises for me, but well done. Some of the violence was a little too much for me and towards the end I was getting a little fatigued with all the fighting 

finished 6.7.25 

Park Hyungsik NEVER cut your hair

This drama started out really strong, but ended up dragging and being pretty messy. Also it randomly set up conflict for another season, which why?? Just end it properly. Anyway, Park Hyungsik was the best part of this drama. In the final episode when he appeared in a white shirt, sleeves rolled up, with a black vest---I gasped. 

finished 4.12.25 

Honestly, just like the first season, this drama really lacks good editing. The plot/characters are really good and interesting, it's just how information is being presented is generally really lackluster. It also has a hard time with rising action and for the most part I never really felt that much tension, other than the first handful of episodes and a few excellent scenes throughout. So the pacing is really off (maybe just for me, I don't know). 

I do want another season to finally wrap up everything that's been teased about Xiu's parentage/the in-fighting within the clans/etc. I just wonder if another season will happen because from what I understand both seasons were filmed a long while ago (I could be wrong) and I don't think this drama has done particularly well. So I guess, I wish that the writer/director had better utilized the episodes they had so they could've told a complete story.  

All of that to say, I do enjoy this drama! I just wish that it could've been told better.

finished 6.8.25 

Fun slice of life drama! I skipped most of the side stories, but this was a enjoyable and relaxing watch. I also liked that the villain stayed jealous and petty all the way through. It was nice to be able to properly dislike a character without having to feel bad for them. She obviously was a good source of conflict for the drama (which otherwise wouldn't have that much going on)

finished 1.7.25  

I finally came back to this after finishing Fangs of Fortune! It was easier to watch this time, but it still has some issues. My biggest problem was the leads. Either they were miscast or the writing wasn't doing them any favors. Especially the ML, I've liked him in other dramas, but in this one he was particularly immature and brash. He's supposed to be this charismatic and kind person (which is why everyone flocks to his side and is loyal to him) but I really never felt like that was true.
Another big problem for me was the plot/pacing. It starts slow and then gets stuck in the middle before a really exciting climax with a poor ending. I will say that at least the director/writer takes a fairly typical plot idea and unfolds it in a different way than most cdramas.
Here's the thing tho, the things I liked about this drama I'm kinda feral for. I love the world building, beautiful filming, excellent costumes and best of all the BROTHERS. They were really the best part of the drama and frankly, this writer/director should just do a drama about brothers with those two actors.

finished 1.12.25 

A solid drama for sure. The characters were fun and the pacing was good. There were just a few times that the plot was a little whacky (if I could think of a solution than why couldn't they??). Overall, decent watch 

finished 1.2.25 

I watched almost of all this last year and then dropped it, but since I only had two more episodes I finally finished it. I definitely think that some things could've been trimmed to move the story along, but honestly this was a pretty good drama. Compelling plot and interesting characters. Also happy that Bland Boy (affectionate) is taking on different roles and is doing a pretty good job. 

finished 2.4.25 

This was much more enjoyable the second time. I still think that some of the pacing was off and that certain themes/plots should've been explored better, but overall it deals with some serious and emotional problems that I liked watching play out in the college setting.
I will say the romance continually felt forced to me. It seems like the director/writer wanted to have the drama be both ways (they wanted to keep the BL aspects from the comic, but also wanted ML and FL to have a relationship). In the end, both MLs had a deeper and more interesting relationship. They problem should've just dumped the romance plot altogether and focused on the friendship between the three. 

rewatched 4.8.25 

I watched this for the first time when I was just getting into Asian dramas and had absolutely no patience for the silly and cringy plot and unlikeable characters (I orginally rated it 3.5....I really hated it lol), but now that I've been thoroughly intergrated into the kdrama world, I'm thinking I might've been a little harsh on this drama.
It's still SO dumb, but you know what, it's also a fun, mindless time. 

rewatched 5.5.25 

This is really pretty good for a Jdrama. Pretty filming and decent acting. The storyline is really intriguing to me so I'm hoping that the movie (??) will finish up the plot and give a satisfying ending

finished 5.5.25 

This was pretty good, but I just didn't feel very strongly about it one way or another. I really liked certain aspects of it (backstory and gangster stuff) but the things I liked weren't really the main storyline. 

finished 4.28.25 

It was a fun start, but I started to lose interest along the way. It's certainly my own bias, but I don't usually vibe with FL lead dramas, so that was also tough for me. 

finished 2.9.25 

This was certainly an interesting premise and I do love a psycho villain with an unhealthy interest in the main character, but ultimately the plot fell off in the end. A lot of things didn't always make sense and the gun fights got more and more unrealistic. I felt that it was a shallow look at the impact of guns on a country that doesn't allow them and that certain aspects could've been handled better.
That being said, I didn't actually feel that strongly about this drama, even if I did finish the whole thing. 

finished 8.16.25 

I like the idea of a rich guy playing cop and then actually finding his true calling, but that premise isn't sustainable for the type of drama that I would actually really like, which is NOT an episodic case of the week kind of thing. I can see why people like this, but it's not for me. I don't want to watch case of the week shows anymore. Been there done that with American/British shows (and frankly done better than kdrama who do the same).
I heard this was getting a second season. I don't think I'll be watching that. All of the things I was interested in (aka backstory with mom/dad) has been sorted already. 

finished 1.18.25  

This was an enjoyable watch, but was so low stakes (because of the fact that it's literally not real) that I didn't feel very strongly about it at all. 

finished 2.25.25

This entire drama was so half-baked. The various plots never blended together in a very cohesive way (and honestly, I think I would've liked to see the Past Lives as the main story rather than just in flashbacks.) I think this drama had a decent budget, but WHERE did they use it??? Certainly not for the horribly editing (which made the pacing so whack and was the main reason the different plots didn't work together), not for the bad wigs and poor makeup, not for most of the actors (Not you, Zhang Wanyi, you were great), not for the ost (PLEASE stop playing the same two songs over and over). 

I think I'm so annoyed by this, because like so many Cdramas this is a fairly standard plot, but this still had some elements that I hadn't seen before and would've really liked to see explored more or at least better. 

finished 3.20.25 

Kinda fun, kinda dramatic, but weirdly I couldn't stop watching. Certainly a bit trashy, considering what it's about. Eight was not a good person, but Kento has way too much charm to make anyone hate him, so even though his schemes were wrong, I couldn't help but cheer him on. Which makes the ending sort of difficult because while he gets what he deserves, it makes the entire drama obsolete in a way because in the end nothing changed.
Anyway, I can't deny that I didn't have fun because I did, but it really wasn't a great drama. 

finished 3.31.25  

What I was promised: Dark Shen Yi and twisted relationships with criminals and interesting murder cases. 

What I got: Not that. 

finished 1.1.25 

I don't watch many Thai shows, but this one looked interesting and the first couple of episodes were! I liked the idea and was interested to see where it was going. Unfortunately, it went stupid. Their leaps of logic made no sense and frankly the writers seemed like they were flying by the seat of their pants and hadn't actually come up with a solution to Leap Day.
In the end, it seemed like they didn't even solve the problem.....so what was the point of the entire drama?
Anyway, I still liked the idea and the first handful of episodes, so I'm not going to completely trash this drama. Tho, the MDL rating makes no sense. You guys......8.6? C'mon now. 

finished 8.21.25 

Yeah. I kinda only cared about Junho finally facing off with his brother and guess what didn't happen?? They gave us two more seasons only to end back where we started, plus hinting at a possible spin off set in other countries (money grab anyone?). I hope the writer/director got paid well because I heard he didn't get a lot for the first season. Anyway. 

also, Im Siwan really out here flipflopping between playing psychos and pathetic losers and then the nicest most sunshine character you've ever seen. Might need to watch Run On or Summer Strike now so that I can get my fill of when he plays nice characters 

finished 6.27.25 

Big yikes with this one. I liked it at first, but the longer it went on the more issues I had with it. The FL was really unlikable to me and it seemed like she never really grew as a character until the end, when her supposed growth came out of nowhere.
I also found the side stories boring, and I didn't like the romance. It felt forced to me, and a little weird with the huge age gap.
The only plot I really liked was the stalker plot. I wish that more dramas would get into the nitty gritty of stalker stories.

finished 1.26.25 

What can I say about this drama? One word: B O R I N G
I don't even know why I watched the whole thing. It's clear this drama had money because the production is really great and it's got hints of an interesting plot buried DEEP, but it couldn't pull through in the end. I do realize this drama is called Royal Feast but I didn't think there would be countless scenes of preparing food, eating food, talking about the food. Beyond that, the plot is meandering and there's no real rising action or climax. I also thought every single actor was stiff and not interesting to watch (yes, even you Xu Kai, my favorite). 

finished 4.6.25