2025 watched list

Last year when asked how I liked my dramas, I said "smart". Blossom is here to prove me right because nothing beats a screenwriter that knows what they are doing and where they are going with a story. Add to that a healthy relationship between the leads, and you got gold.

Full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/418836

Sweet Bean broke me a little bit but I understand it needed to do so in order to build me up again. This was yet another solid slice of life story from japanese cinema (they are experts on the genre) on how the we take for granted life.

Full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/417090

Review will be written after watching Part 2.

Doctor Baek must be one of Kim Sabu's protégé (iykyk) because he's here to kicks bureaucracy's ass and remind his colleagues what their profession it's all about but not in a preach-y way but with heart and action.

Full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/424224

Perfect Match is the wonderful blend between Northern Song Dynasty, Austen and Alcott. A cdrama about the relationship between sisters as they try to help their family make a living and find love in a society that frowns at women for being independent.

Full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/428754

Motel California had all the right elements to be a great drama about the lasting effects of trauma, repressed emotions and lack of communication. Instead, it decided to get on my nerves until the very last second in favour of melodrama instead of actual character development.

Full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/429656

Director Yoo knew what he was doing behind the camera and when casting, all the actors have an impeccable chemistry, delivering some very unnerving performances. This is not a kdrama I would recommend to everybody but Unmasked is a solid production.

Full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/431886

Mark my words: Study Group will be in most people's TOP 10 kdrama by the end of this year. It made me holler, cry and laugh. This story belongs in the same category as MOVING and Weak Hero Class 1. So, stay in school and join Gamin's club.

Full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/431872

A really, really good drama. I can't recommend it enough.

A Familiar Stranger is a solid mini cdrama with a good story, camera work and performances. I wish it would have been longer!

Full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/437736

A disaster.

Full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/439764

It was okay.

I enjoyed SiJin. The drama was fast-paced and it never dragged, but overall the story it was trying to tell wasn't properly fleshed out. Add that to some technical issues, such as editing, and the cdrama suffers in its development.

Full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/443086

The Quirky And The Charming has the right amount of everything, making it the perfect lighthearted romcom if you are looking for something to slow down and relax.

Full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/444002

Dear Hongrang is an engaging and entertaining kdrama.

Full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/456232

The Prisoner Of Beauty was a great watch and incredible engaging thanks to the proper development of the story and world building. The performances were impressive, particularly from the leads. The fighting scenes really entertaining and well choreographed. The comedy peak, the romance sexy.

Be Passionately In Love is one of this year’s best written YA dramas. It has really strong characters and their development is really well done, not narratively driven but by giving them choices. This was a really easy and heartwarming watch.

Feud delivers a thematically solid exploration about the consequences of our actions as we go through life. This was an engaging watch, and I recommend it.

Full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/467516

Reborn is a soft and powerful screaming denunciation, told through the female gaze, about women's marginalization and discrimination, toxic filial obligation and its consequences on a promising young woman. Perfectly balanced with a beautiful budding romance and friendship.

Full review: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/471050

The First Frost reminds us about the importance of being earnest and teaches how you don't need to be healed in order to be loved or, perhaps most importantly, to love yourself.

FULL REVIEW: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/473712

DROPPED.

I have never, in all my Dramaland years, had a more love-hate relationship with a drama. Ever. I think it's the writing. Around episode 15 there's some developments that makes the audience to look forward to what's next but then, the drama finds ways to keep the leads apart the entire time and it only hinders the story and characters.

This was a rather mild watch. It had a good start but lost momentum when it dispersed from the leads’ relationship and never fully developed the motivations behind the main “villain”. So, the stakes were never there. I am, overall, disappointed as the leads had great chemistry and I was looking forward to see them play it off as they worked cases together. But that barely happened.

It’s impossible not to compare this version with the original source material that, thank to its sixteen episodes, had enough room to let the story breath and the characters grow.

This was a very good adaptation. So much so that the japanese version made the story its own with a change of tone and storytelling that made the emotional development much more rich and less over the top than the original korean drama.

Very cute drama.

This is a solid period romance drama, but all through my watching I felt conflicted. The story asks you to suspend all knowledge of Japan's 20th century history and I don't think that's the way to go.

FULL REVIEW: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/479364

This was an okay drama.

It's been a while since I had so much fun with a jdrama. Second season, please?

FULL REVIEW: https://kisskh.at/profile/namjhyuns/review/482188

The second part of Flourished Peony engaged me in the story as much as the first part. It was worth the wait but I do think the division caused some issues for the character and plot’s development. Still, very good!

I really needed this type of sexy modern romance between two adults that are putting the effort to make their relationship work. When life comes at them, they communicate insecurities and emotions, making sure to come out on the other side stronger.

DROPPED. I feel like this drama had great promise but it doesn't live up to it. The story is all over the place for the most part and there's something off the character's development.

Cheng Lei gives a really good performance, which only makes it more obvious that Zhou Ye was not ready for this kinda of role, yet. Her contemporary work is great but she's clearly struggling with historical dramas. I am cheering for her future projects, tho, and hoping to see her grow as an actress.