⭑.ᐟ 2026
shows i watched in 2026 + thoughts (spoilers alert!)
korea (13), japan (8)
shows (14), movies (7)
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1. 20th Century Girl
Korean Movie - 2022
i don't mind sad endings if they're reasonable, but that's not the case here. in fact we don't even know how he died, which shows that the writters just threw that in an attempt to make the movie memorable. the acting was good, but the plot lacked energy and i just can't move past the ending. it was rly underwhelming
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2. A Year-End Medley
Korean Movie - 2021
such a heartwarming movie. it's nothing out of this world and there are many things happening at the same time, but each story was special in its own way. if i had watched it in the new year's eve i would've probably given it an 8
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3. Burn the House Down
Japanese Drama - 2023, 8 episodes
this started off good but quickly took a turn to the makjang route. the villain tried too hard to be one and the husband had no backbone. since when is social media needed to run a hospital? why was the nurse always wearing scrubs outside of the hospital? how did satsuki even hack makiko's account? the plot twist wasn't predictable but, with the way the last ep unfolded, it fell flat. in the end everyone lived happily ever after so the entire show became pointless
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4. Chastity High
Japanese Drama - 2024, 8 episodes
i get that having a student-teacher relationship plot was necessary but why did they have to include another one with the "it's not an issue as long as he's not a minor" pretense... the last ep made no sense, ichika was trying to sue the school and everyone was supporting her, but in the end the majority of the students agreed that romance should be banned?? still better than hierarchy
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5. Drama Special Season 15: To My Lonely Sister
Korean Special - 2024, 1 episode
the writer did an amazing job at showcasing how hard it is to deal with mental ilnesses and how it also takes a tool on the caregivers. as much as you love someone, if you don't see any improvement with your own eyes over the years, frustration starts to build up. it was beautiful to see noeul taking baby steps to ease haneul's burden. however, i think they could've explored noeul's emotions even more and the ending was abrupt. it should've been a movie
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6. Emergency Declaration
Korean Movie - 2022
korea not allowing them to land didn't make sense to me, sure it's a highly contagious and deadly virus, but they could've just established a security perimeter in the airport/military base and limit the zone's access until they had the antiviral. the airport screening scene was rly unrealistic too, if you cary any metal object in your body the machine will detect it so you need to have a medical document reporting your health issue and the object's purpose. i wish they had explored siwan's character more, he was the cause of all of this and we barely know why
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7. Escape
Japanese Drama - 2025, 10 episodes
i had such a great time watching this, 5 mins into ep1 and i was already hooked! i loved the comedy, the more dramatic arc and how they explored serious social issues without turning the show into a heavy watch or a complete mess. they were in trouble but still managed to help many ppl along the way and that was beautiful. the chemistry between the leads was amazing and i love how even when they got together, they never stopped bickering. i rarely talk about the ost, but in this case i have to bc it rly complemented the show's atmosphere. loved the 3 special eps they gave us, it rly showed how chaotic the leads are together and how they were meant for each other
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8. Hard Hit
Korean Movie - 2021
it was a very enjoyable movie and i was able to get emotionally invested thanks to the cast's amazing performance. however, i wish the ending was different. keeping seong gyu alive just so he can redeem himself won't erase all the ppl who died and what they lost due to his greediness. in the end, not only is he alive, but his family is fine too (they're not at fault, but neither were the innocent ppl so...)
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9. Love Track: Love Hotel
Korean Drama - 2025, 1 episode
it was goofy, but rly mid. there was pretty much no tension for a thriller, even if this was comedy centered. i wish we knew a bit more about the killer, why was he even in a wanted list
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10. Love Track: When We Were Wired
Korean Drama - 2025, 1 episode
it was cute, but due to its shortness you're not able to truly connect with the characters. also, i wouldn't rly consider it a romance but more like a pretty friendship. the ending was very out of pocket, the writters could've done smth better
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11. Marry My Husband: Japan
Japanese Drama - 2025, 10 episodes
there's smth off but i can't exactly pinpoint what it is. i haven't watched the korean version, but idk how they managed to make 16 eps out of this plot bc 10 feels like the perfect length. everyone's acting was amazing, but shiraishi sei was definitely the star of the show. the way she could emulate different emotions in a single face expression... what a fenomenal job. loved the ost too!
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12. Master's Daughter
Japanese Drama - 2022, 7 episodes
nothing could've prepared me for the last plot twist. i never trusted her, not even when she was trying to clear her father's name, but i'd never think of >that<... it was interesting but tbh age-wise it doesn't make much sense. i think longer eps would've had benefited the show, bc we were left with some unanswered questions
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13. River's Edge
Japanese Movie - 2018
the cinematography!!! however, this felt very bland plot wise which is crazy considering how much was going on. it's like the writer wanted to showcase various important teen issues but didn't rly know how. none of the characters was well explored, even with those interviews, and many questions were left unanswered. good acting and bgm, but way too many explicit sex scenes
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14. Sixteen Shoukougun
Japanese Drama - 2020, 8 episodes
my only issue with this show was its length bc it's way too little for the depth they wanted each character to have. i love how they explored multiple themes, from ocd and trauma to identity and sexuality, but due to the limited runtime everything ended up being too superficial. also loved to see a playboy falling for a tom-boyish girl and more than that, not changing herself for him nor forgetting her values
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15. Suicide Notes Laid on the Table
Japanese Movie - 2025
this felt like a fever dream... when i thought no one could be crazier, they just kept proving me wrong. in the scene where they were all happily singing all i could think was yall should be in therapy, not in the choir club. the last scene rly gagged me, i knew smth was off with the water sounds but i wasn't expecting that. the acting was a bit over the top at times, but i feel like it was intentional
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16. The Art of Sarah
Korean Drama - 2026, 8 episodes
i loved the first ep but unfortunately my excitement drastically declined as the story progressed. my biggest issue was the way the story unfolded, i found myself very lost at times and i had to pause multiple times to mentally organize all the events we knew so far. i like how they explored the law's grey area, but there were many plot holes that don't make sense considering this happened in 2018-onwards. maybe i set my expectations too high for this one
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17. The First Responders
Korean Drama - 2022, 12 episodes
so i did have a rly good time watching this and i liked all the cases and how most of them are connected however, i felt like smth was off throughout the entire show. it's true that i was more into the investigations, but for a drama that is trying to showcase the paramedics and firefighters' work as well, it was lacking. there were a few things that didn't make much sense and sometimes it felt like everyone was doing too much for the sake of proving smth, including doing jobs that weren't their responsibility. this ended on a major cliffhanger, so even though i wasn't planning to watch s2, i'll have to do it now
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18. The Killer: A Girl Who Deserves to Die
Korean Movie - 2022
all the action scenes were well made, i'll give you that, but the rest... the main plot wasn't well explored, blood all over the place all the time, rushed ending... everything felt very lackluster. this could've worked if they had spent more time developing the story rather than having fights every 10 secs
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19. The Price of Confession
Korean Drama - 2025, 12 episodes
first time in a while that i was able to feel eager to watch the next episode. it was so enganging that i felt sad when i finished it bc there was nothing to look forward anymore. the only disappointing thing about this drama was the villains' motives, they were so bland in comparison to rest of the plot that it almost felt like someone else had written it. i do think they could've had explored a few points a bit more, but for 12 eps they did what the main plot needed. overall a rly good thriller!
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20. Trigger
Korean Drama - 2025, 10 episodes
i don't even know what to say about this... the premise was good but the writers didn't know how to develop it. the police was incredibly frustrating, how can ppl with no connections to crime organizations come across guns on the internet but they can't. moon baek and the american guy clearly had different goals so it would've been interesting to explore that. also, his attitude at the end felt out of character. lee do had war trauma but after he shoots for the first time in a while nothing changes psychologically, which doesn't make sense
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21. Walking on Thin Ice
Korean Drama - 2025, 12 episodes
i don't remember the last time a drama got me this stressed out. i loved the plot and all the twists they kept bringing to the table until the very last ep. my only issue were the last mins, as we're left with an open ending. we hear eunsu flush down the toilet, but why was her expression right before it suggesting she'd go back to selling drugs? did james actually jump off? i'm assuming he didn't, but what happened after then? eunsu provoking taegu when they were trying to arrest him did feel a bit out of character, but i can move past that. phenomenal acting from the entire cast, specially lee youngae, and great ost (i'm obsessed with fragile life)




















