Shows I Watched: July 2025

Status: Dropped

Year: 2025

Country: Korean

Genre: melo, romance

Episodes: 4/14

Plot:

Our ML is a gangster, like his father and his father's father.... He informs his boss that he wants out ( and you know that there is no actual way out in that industry), and her reunites with his first love, who is an aspiring singer.

Comments:

• I can't point out what is wrong with the drama that won't let it stick to me... I think it's the color grading choice. I don't expect it to be dark, because although it involves gangsters, it's not noir; the story is so 2010s, but the way they told it is very light-hearted (hospital paylist style). I'm not sure if there are any modern, contemporary pure melodramas that don't involve a terminal illness that would work today.
• And I think the main characters are bland.... I like Lee Dong Wook, and he is such eye candy, but I'm sorry I haven't completed most of his recent dramas, except for A Shop for Killers, and the same for Lee Sung Kyung, I only watched Dr. Romantic and IDk about the chemistry, they are unbelievably gorgeous but the chemistry is not chemistrying...
• Maybe Melo drama is not my thing, but I do enjoy the angst, longing, and the torture that the leads have to go through to be together....

Status: Dropped

Year: 2025

Country: Korean

Genre: slice of life, romance

Episodes: 6/12

Plot:

A group of young lawyers working in the same building is informed that their offices will be merged into one.

Comments:

• This is another Hospital Playlistification of a drama. A group of colleagues who are close and interact with each other, if Hospital Playlist has a band, they have a lunch session where each of the lawyers has their case that they handle for one or two episodes. 
• But here are the problems:
  • The characters are so bland, especially the leads. I think it's both the character setup and the actor's fault. The characters on paper are not interesting, and the actors playing them do not have the charm to play them. Because there is no big overall story or plot, this drama is a slice of life; you watch it for the characters, and except for their female colleague and the older colleague who got mistaken as a rich kid and bullied online for it, and the landlord.
  • The cases are not unique, or go in-depth enough for me to remember or care about the individual cases
  • No chemistry between the leads.

Status: Dropped

Year: 2025

Country: Chinese

Genre: contemporary, slice of life, youth, romance

Episodes: 18/24

Plot:

Our FL meets our ML as he moves into the village where it is housed, where both their parents worked. They became childhood sweethearts, but our main character moved to the nearby city for a better education. They reunite, but the main character acts like they don't know her.

Comments:

• I liked the child actors
• I still felt like they had chemistry... but not as much as the period drama they had. Maybe they have become too familiar with each other personally that they lost the tension to play each other's love interest, or maybe the story was from friends to lovers, and that the direction and how the story unfolded was not detailed, and felt like they were just friends until they had their kiss...
• I understand that logically, you would wonder why the FL liked the ML for years and was still attached to the ML after how he treated her when they first met, but she grew up in a very rural town where there are no people her age, let alone boys her age, and the ML was still a mystery to her, and haven't interacted with him unlike the rest of her friend group. I think that is how I justified her attachment.
• I did not understand why the ML went through financial difficulties, because even if his parents were divorced, I believe they would support him financially, at least the dad, and I would guess that the ML would put aside his pride and accept the help to enjoy his newfound freedom. And it kind of felt forced to separate the ML and the FL and to create a circumstance that they could not overcome.

Status: Completed

Year: 2025

Country: Chinese

Genre: period costume, idol, romance

Episodes: 36/36

Plot:

An unfavored princess is sent to marry a prince of a foreign country because her brother is held hostage, but through some schemes, she ends up marrying an important official.

Rating:  6.5/10

Comments:

• It was fun in the beginning, but the latter part got really confusing and a mess. The ending was....
• The storytelling fell off.
• I keep confusing the 3rd prince and the fourth prince. I know that they are different, even style-wise.
• I think the leads tried their best (especially the ML), but could not make the drama tolerable...
• And this is no hate towards the FL, but I think her makeup was overdone in this drama. I think she is beautiful, but with her thick makeup and the skin smoothing, it got too much.

Status: Completed

Year: 2025

Country: Chinese

Genre: fantasy, costume, idol, romance

Episodes: 40/40

Plot:

An actress immerses herself in her drama script and tries to survive within the world of a poorly written script, where its rules bind her. Her plan to survive, kill the ML.

Rating:  9.5/10

Comments:

• I love, love, love this drama.
• I think all the actors shone in their roles.
• I wish that it had more episodes, just because I wasn't ready to let go of the characters.

Status: Completed

Year: 2025

Country: Chinese

Genre: youth, romance

Episodes: 30/30

Plot:

Our FL moves into a new neighborhood and meets a new group of friends they go on a journey of growth and finding love.

Rating:  8/10

Comments:

• The characters felt so real, their struggles as growing teens are something I went through, so it resonated with me a lot.
• I love the chemistry.
• But the 2nd ML 2nd romance felt like a betrayal. I got attached too much with his first relationship.
• And I think it lost some of the energy in the college years, but it was still good.

Status: Completed

Year: 2025

Country: Chinese

Genre: slice of life, business

Episodes: 34/34

Plot:

It tells the story of the struggles of our ML taking over his father's business and making it a bigger and successful business.

Rating:  8/10

Comments:

• Zhang XinCheng... wow.... that's all I have to say.
• Song Zu Er... her portrayal of the character and her chemistry with Zhang Xin Cheng were great.
• The ending scene... I thought there would be more. I guess it was a full circle moment.
• It was a well-made series.

Status: Completed

Year: 2025

Country: Chinese

Genre: costume

Episodes: 24/24

Plot:

The second season of Flourished Peony.

Rating:  7/10

Comments:

• I usually watch the first season before watching the second season or part two, but I missed the timing to watch it. If not for the policies in place, it would have been better if the show had aired all at once.
• I think the two leads have done similar roles before, and they fit the roles well. But the two that surprised me are Xhang Ya Qin (this is my first time recognizing her in a role) and Wei Zhe Ming (who always played the CEO types).
• And I like how they kept the massacre of the scholars.... In most dramas, it would be a dream or the good guys win because they know the plans of the bad guys, but in this drama, it was the other way around, and it was brutal, and I thought Li Xian's character was dead. And they logically explained why he was kept alive by the villains.

Status: Completed

Year: 2025

Country: Korea

Genre: crime, mystery, thriller

Episodes: 16/16

Plot:

Our FL is a crime pathologist who is at the top of her field, but her past comes back to haunt her as her serial killer father wants to be part of her again.

Rating:  7/10

Comments:

• I liked it. It kept me on the edge of my seat and engaged.
• I hate the fact that they made the police so stupid and incompetent.

Status: Completed

Year: 2025

Country: Japanese

Genre: slice of life

Episodes: 10/10

Plot:

In a world where most households are dual-income, the FL is a rare housewife. She interacts with different people who have an opinion on how she wants to live her life.

Rating:  8/10

Comments:

• I love this drama. It tackles everyday topics of moms and dads, which can be heavy, but the writing is good enough that it doesn't make the drama too heavy with the realism.
• The lead actress did such a good job; she was so sweet. I was low-key shipping her with Dean. But I still love the main family unit.

Status: Completed

Year: 2025

Country: Korean

Genre: fantasy, romance

Episodes: 12/12

Plot:

A college student finds herself in her favorite period romance novel as a side character. She finds herself taking over the FL story and her romance with the ML.

Rating:  7/10

Comments:

• I think the drama did everything right. For me, it was fun at the beginning, but I think it lost its charm by the end. Thank god it's a 12-episode drama; it would have been better if it were 10. 
• I was surprised that the real person and the fictional character decided that they would change places, as it is not what typically happens in most dramas, because they are bound by rules, and it is inevitable that they would return to their original place.
• I think the writing could have had more depth, especially for the FL I think there was a missed opportunity to do some fun yet deep character moments.
• Overall, an enjoyable light watch.

Status: Completed

Year: 2005

Country: Korean

Genre: youth, romance

Episodes: 17/17

Plot:

Two young high schoolers are forced to marry each other to avoid scandal after being discovered in a room together. They eventually fall in love, but things get in their way, and they divorce, but reunite (our ML in college, but the FL did not because of her circumstances), with people still trying to keep them apart.

Rating:  8/10

Comments:

• I thought this drama would be so outdated, but it still holds up till now. The humor, the romance, and the angst (you cannot replicate today), and it is surprisingly mature, even with its childish setup.
• I found the FL's best friend so annoying, and the SML creepy and outright evil (this man offered the girl a scholarship to her dream school and took it away from her when he found out that the ML and the FL were together). 
• We never found the FL mother.
• The OST was sooooo gooooood.

Status: Completed

Year: 2025

Country: Japanese

Genre: period, romance

Episodes: 10/10

Plot:

Our FL is from a typical Japanese family and is told that she is getting married to a naval officer whom she has never met, and they begin their inexperienced newlywed life.

Rating:  9/10

Comments:

• It was still very cute, and when I started getting "tired" of their dynamic, they introduced the 2nd couple dynamic.
• I loved the 2nd lead couple. I am just a sucker for the type of couple they are, and I felt like their acting and chemistry hit the right spot.

Status: Completed

Year: 2025

Country: Japanese

Genre: fantasy, contemporary, romance

Episodes: 10/10

Plot:

Our FL travels back in time before she gets engaged to her trash husband and before her best friend betrays her and starts an affair with her trash husband. She vows to change her life, but learns that things happen happens it depends on who it happens to.

Rating:  8/10

Comments:

• I would say that the Japanese adaptation is a better drama, particularly in terms of writing, pacing, and character development and growth.
• I think the ML here is better than the ML because it's Satoh Takeru, even through I had concerns about his portrayal of the character would be a bit oily and greasy. But I will say I like the villains in the K drama version, though the J version is a lot better in terms of how they are written, but the portrayal of the characters was more convincing and better in the Korean. I think it's mostly because of the Japanese acting style that doesn't fit my taste, but I just remember being in awe of the acting in the Korean version.
• Although this drama did well in adapting the series, it chose to be more healing and be more about growth, but what was missing was the satisfaction I got when I saw our villains get what they deserved in the Korean version, which, in my opinion, made the K drama version feel more shallow. 
• I also liked the fact that it aired two episodes a week because, as you know, unless it's a Netflix production, Japanese dramas only air once a week, at least the full-length proper drama, so I was glad that I didn't have to torture myself for three moths just to watch a one episode a week drama for three months. 

Status: Completed

Year: 2025

Country: Korean

Genre: youth, fantasy, supernatural, romance

Episodes: 12/12

Plot:

Our FL is a high school student but is also secretly a shaman. One day, our ML comes in and she falls in love at first sight. But she foresaw that he only had a few days to live, 21 days at best, and she put her life on the line to save him.

Rating:  7/10

Comments:

• The leads have good chemistry. They were really cute. This was their second collaboration, but I did not watch their first collaboration.
• I would say that the ML did better in portraying the possessed version of the character. The FL was a little awkward.
• I wish the drama explained what the hell was going on. I got it, but it took a lot of thinking on my side to logically explain what was going on.

Status: Completed

Year: 2025

Country: Chinese

Genre: costume, mystery, idol, romance

Episodes: 38/38

Plot:

Our FL takes on another identity to find out why her family got massacred. She utilizes her medical and coroner skills to infiltrate the inner circles of the noble and royal families to uncover the truth. And her ticket is the ML who has ties to both.

Rating:  38/38

Comments:

• Well.... the only good thing about this drama is Li Landi. I love watching her on screen.
• The cases are so out there, the last one even more so. I had to turn off every brain cell I had; it was so ridiculous.
• I felt like the romance was too much and was placed and inserted into scenes that weren't supposed to ruin the "suspense"
• And they only made two of the leads competent, and everybody else is dumb. So the drama goes on in lecture mode, and the two lead characters go on lectures and scold everyone because they are not morally upright.

Status: Completed

Year: 2019

Country: Chinese

Genre: fantasy, costume, romance

Episodes: 60/60

Plot:

Our FL accidentally awakens our ML, who is the god of war. The ML is suspicious of the ML background. Regardless, they fall in love, and they face villains who want world destruction.

Rating:  8/10

Comments:

• This still made me giggle, angry, cry, and heartbroken, even though I knew the story.
• The leads are so freakin good, like this drama would have been a pain to watch with 60 episodes.
• It is just too long, with side stories.

Status: Completed

Year: 2025

Country: Korean

Genre: action

Episodes: 10/10

Plot:

Owning guns is illegal in Korea, but one day, packages arrive at select people's houses, and chaos erupts. Our ML, a former special forces marine (or something like that), meets a mysterious man who claims he also received a package, who helps him investigate the case.

Rating:  7/10

Comments:

• It had a very good start and kind of grounded. 
• I liked the acting. Kim Nam Gil and Kim Young Kwang did well.
  • But there was a problem with Kim Young Kwang's character Moon Beak. The character setup and design were a little too much.
• I said it was grounded in the beginning, but it felt unrealistic as the drama progressed. Like Kim Nam Gil is the only person who can operate in the field. Like the whole government is involved, but not really.
• I also think the focus and the direction of the drama should be about the two characters' opposing views and beliefs on guns, and that should have been the climax, when Kim Nam Gil's mentor was struggling.

Status: Currently Watching

Year: 2025

Country: Korean

Genre: weekend

Episodes: 52/54

Plot:

Two widows start on the wrong foot but gradually fall in love. The FL lost her husband and took over her late husband's makgeolli business and has four brothers-in-law. The ML is the chairman of a Hotel chain.

Rating: 6 /10

Comments:

• Like I said for the past months, I only like the main lead couple, the professor and the daughter of the arch nemesis, and the daughter of the chairman and ex-marine (but this couple was non-existent), but the rest of the cast were annoying.
• I was hoping for more drama from the ex-wife and mother of Hani.
• Was it worth the extra 4 episodes......?

Status: Currently Watching

Year: 2025

Country: Filipino

Genre: youth, romance

Episodes: 8/16

Plot:

Our FL gets a request from her crush to date the most popular boy in school, so that his ex-girlfriend won't date him.

Rating:  7/10

Comments:

• I watch it for the teen romance cringe fest.
• I find the FL charming.
• The ML is good-looking looking but his story, or I should say how it's written and being told, is very eh.

Status: Currently Watching

Year: 2025

Country: Taiwanese

Genre: slice of life, romance

Episodes: 4/7

Plot:

It tells the story of a man, his wife, his mistress, and a man who loves him one-sidedly.

Rating:  7/10

Comments:

• I hoped that the drama was more focused. I liked it when it focused on why and how the characters love, but it kept making a social commentary.
• I love Wu Kang Ren (Chris).
• This is a very explicit drama. I feel like I was peeping in their intimate moments.

Status: Currently Watching

Year: 2025

Country: Chinese

Genre:

Episodes: 4/33

Plot:

Our FL accidentally disrupts a human trafficking rescue operation, and she lands a job in the anti trafficking department.

Rating:  8/10

Comments:

• It takes on a heavy topic, and the stories are heartbreaking.
• IDK if I want to continue to watch it, because I need something else to hook me to the drama.