Kasia Krakowianka

 After never ending adaptations of Jane Austen, 10th Kingdom, Star Trek Voyager, The Lord of the Ring and Detective Murdoch Mysteries (19 seasons/years so far😉), I settled into costume/historical/social commentary/mystery genre-as long as it was well, long. Started watching c and k dramas seriously while recuperating from the surgery. Prefer historical productions and cheesy romance with comedy to fantasy or contemporary Chinese propaganda, but there is more and more daring, innovative and honest modern dramas coming out of China these days, sometimes at the cost of people's livelihood.  Fascinated by how the movie industry evolved in Mainland under CCP and terrified what they do to the actors without any guise of decency. 

I give 10 only for perfect acting, original or well-developed story/characters, well planned and executed production, skilled cinematography/visuals, tone and mood of the drama, overall educational value (references to history, social commentary, moral/spiritual development, support for human dignity) and OST (both songs and instrumentals for the BGM) that is part of the cinematic landscape and narrative. Any of the above missing and I subtract the points. If something falls below 6.5 I usually drop. 1/10 is reserved for things that I consider a mutant that needs to die on its own without anyone witnessing it.

In 2026, as good vertical dramas were so numerous that MDL could not catch up with listing them (and fans were adding the titles on the ml or fl pages), I started logging all the dramas seen on YT, Reelxia (RIP as of May'26), IQIYI and other sources. 357 titles as of 11/1/26. I do hope to stop watching once my MDL clock/counter reaches 365 days of my life spent in Asian entertainment 😆