unnursvanablog

[unnursvanablog]

Been re-watching Misaeng these days and even as more than a decade has passed I am still ugly crying over Sales Team Three.

[unnursvanablog]

What also stands out a lot in the J-drama version of Marry My Husband is the lasting impact of the pandemic on both Misa's and Wataru's minds. Just because they have a second chance doesn't mean everything will be better; they have to consciously choose their next steps as working people to ensure they fare well when the storm passes.

Hence, I loved the slight nudges to the booming tapioca industry in a decade in the first episode by Misa, the mention of the rise in popularity and prices of Japanese whisky on the international market in a few years, Misa being proactive in getting the deal with the grape cultivators because she missed out on it in the first life, her creating marketing plans to accommodate future growth of Instagram as consumer base, and the callback to Wataru's family business cutting its ties with loyal brand ambassador restaurants to tackle the post-pandemic business loss.

While I loved the K-drama, the economics of their situation were limited to Minhwa losing his shares and investment. The J-drama feels more authentic and grounded in reality despite being a fantasy. Misa and Wataru have to be proactive every waking moment, not just to alter their fate but also to prepare for the shutdown that will wash over them.

Time will move irrespective of their individual fate changes for better or worse. In the grand scheme of things, the COVID-19 virus will spread, and they will have to endure it all over again.

[unnursvanablog]

The Prisoner of Beauty / cdrama review.

This is a review of the cdrama The Prisoner of Beauty with little to no spoilers.

At is' core this is a gentle love story filled with some soap opera-political to keep things going and entertaining enough without stealing the scene from the main couple. The narrative takes us carefully from hatred to complexity, jealousy to love and understanding with the wonderful and complex inner world of the characters, as well as slow but entertaining court politics and family dynamics that seem believable enough for the time in which the drama takes place.

The melonocolic, calm tone that overlies the story, slowly but surely builds up to the larger and more complex moments of the story, is beautiful and not at all too overwhelming so that other happier moments and humor can shine within the story and not make things too dreary or too slow.

The drama manages to figure out when to dile up the dramtics, when to give the supporting characters their chance to shine, introduce new characters and plots without leaving taking from the fact that the slow inner politics and family drama and love story, as well as the slow resolution of all the characters and moments, are at the center of the story.

The pace of the story is somewhat slow but steady, just like in the main love story, but it works for the tale that is being told. The drama has a tendency to get a bit too soapy and simplicity with politics, which gets a bit too repetitive as the story goes along.

But the dramatic, not too serious and soapy court politics also made it a lot of fun and very entertaining, and often addictive watch – especially in the second half, where the plotting isn't as strong. The drama always gives the characters permission to drive the narrative forward with their mishaps and actions, which is good.

Each character has their own burden to carry, their inner devil and complex story, and everyone seems to have something to do with the story. The characters' reason for why they're doing what they're doing works logically enough for the inner logic of the story that was being told.

The heart of the story always remains the quiet, tender and domestic, homely atmosphere that accompanied the love story and makes the drama very charming, even though it makes can feel a bit long-winded at times. But the characters' slow-burning love and longing for each other was absolutely my cup of tea when it comes to romance.

The sets, costumes, and cinematography were also very lush and gorgeous and the few fight scenes we did get were fun and exciting to watch, even though they never took up too much of the story despite how much war there was within the narrative. This is often a harsh and unpredictable world, and the drama doesn't really scrape off it, without making it seem completely brutal or just to have bloodshed just to surprise or shock the audience.

The development of the plot and the slightly too easy to defeat 'villains' within the story became a bit too uneven in parts and the politics and some of the side plots were a bit too cliché, repetitive and not the clever which make the narrative drop a little towards the end, even if it’s entertaining, but the quiet desire, sincerity, heartfelt talks between the main couple was the main lifeline of the drama and the beating heart of it all and the chemistry between the actors was so fantastic that it made this a very fun watching experience and very bingeable.

[unnursvanablog]

sword bf 💜⚔️

[unnursvanablog]

I am on ep 26 of A Dream within a Dream atm (I am watching it on viki idk where you guys are watching to be on ep 31) and it's so perplexing because nothing makes sense, the characters are so stilted and 90% of their actions make no sense. Like things just happen because the plot needs it to. Miscommunication and stuff. It's madening. And yet somehow I am very much entertained AND frustrated at the same time.

Like I paused The Princess's Gambit in order to catch up on it, even if things started to really go downhill around ep 20.

The actors have chemistry even if their characters don't if that makes sense and I want the leads to get a duover with actually compitant script.

And I am now convinced I should pick up Prisioner of Beauty.

[unnursvanablog]

After about a month I have finally picked up another currently airing cdrama that I saw people talking about on here and I then saw on viki. And it's funny that now both the Korean drama and the Chinese drama that I am watching both feature women that get transported into a novel or a drama where they seems to be destined to be with the male lead no matter what.

Except I enjoy the very zany way Dream Within a Dream is presenting that sort of plot to First Night with a Duke is doing it. Although both have that sort of quirky, over-the-top and cliché plot going on but Dream Within a Dream is going going full throttle with the over-the-top-ness and very much poking fun at other idol cdramas that have come before it and the over used tropes which is just so much fun… even if you don't understand all the references and parodies and such.

And I just think that the fact that the main character hates the plot and thinks it's stupid (because it is) is just so much fun.

And both of these dramas will end at a very similar time, in the middle of July which is wild because Dream Within a Dream is like 40 episodes while the other is like 12 (which isn't enough… as one can see with the lack of buildup and the fact that the leads seem to have just fallen for each other because the plot needs to).

But those sort of comparisons aside… these two episodes that I watched were a wild, laugh-out-loud, ride. The way she kept on dying in the first episode while trying to change the plot genuinely made me laugh out loud… which is not an easy feat because I am not really a very laugh-out-loud person. I will mostly just chuckle at things at best of times.

This is my first time watching her but based on this drama alone Li Yi Tong is a great comedic actress. The expressions, the sound effects and everything could so easily become a nuisance and like annoyingly overused but for this drama it kinda just works.

The plot is insane and nonsensical… but that is the point. And that is what makes it fun. I am so entertained and just in awe at the things that are happening. And while I worry about it getting boggled down by drama and not being able to keep up this momentum in the second half (since these dramas often loose a lot of steam towards the end) I am going to very much enjoy myself until it does… or doesn't it will be able to stick the landing.

Or maybe it can be like Love Game in Eastern Fantasy and I just enjoy the characters and the main couple so much that I kinda don't mind how much nonsense the plot has become. Time can only tell .

[unnursvanablog]

“you didn’t understand the plot” oh no i understood it just fine, i just didn’t like it.

[unnursvanablog]

Me when I realized there's only one more episode after this week and no more Javie Martzoukas and S19 in general

[unnursvanablog]

me when i'm pondering perhaps even considering

[unnursvanablog]

that's it. that's the show.

[unnursvanablog]

one might think that since this is a big budget, very popular Netflix show that the white, rich foreigners in Squid Game were played by better actors... but nope. It's as bad as it is in most kdramas.

[unnursvanablog]

they could at least have made in a deserter from the army! Also, why are all the damn backstories just sort of info dumped on us like that.

Can we all just ignore the "fake marine" thing and pretend Dae-Ho really is a traumatized Ex marine

What the shuck was that writing?!

[unnursvanablog]

My motivation for watching Squid Game 3 ended with Kang Ha Neul dying... as I suspected.

[unnursvanablog]

All the TV shows I watched in 2025 / first half.

and that I thought of them...

Vigdís: sure, it’s well-acted and well-made shows and sure it is a cool idea for a story about this icon of a woman, but the story just went over the story way to quickly and therefore it was very difficult to connect properly with the characters. The story just goes from one thing to the next and never really stops. You can't get a good sense of anything or why the characters are doing what they're doing. Because things just happen because they need to. When the Phone Rings: This was a real soap opera, high drama sort of drama that was so intense, captivating and addictive tv watching experience. I couldn't get enough, and the main couple just had this explosive chemistry. I was constantly surprised and shocked by the story and just had a great time.

Blossom: the first episode to the last, this story was full of thrilling incidents, soapy drama, action and a good, easy-on-the-eyes romance that was absolutely fascinating to watch. I would have happily taken a few more episodes to watch the main characters just stare at each other full of desire and longing. And the politics was fun, even though it wasn't always very smart, and made the story exciting.

The Tale of Lady OK: It started off well and I have to say that I was quite impressed and curious about the setting as it is rare that we get such a historical drama that doesn't take place in Hanyang or revolve around royalty. But around the middle, the story started to get very very repetitive, everything went in a little too many circles, so at some point the story just started to feel super long and redundant.

The Queen Who Crowns: Well, when you've watched Six Flying Dragons and My Country, both of which give such epic versions of Lee Bang Won's story, this story isn't going to do too much. I appreciated the attempt to make it more about the female characters who were barely present in those other dramas and put them in the lead role here, but still I thought the story was a little too hasty put together and too fast-paced so that the depth of the characters was not there.

The Double: After Blossom, I was determined to keep that momentum going and pick up another cdrama that I had heard good things about from my kdrama bloggers. And while The Double started out strong, with a very intriguing female character that's easy to stick with but then it lost its momentum too quickly, and the story loses a bit of steam as we get further into it. The story occasionally picks up again but always gets a little too longwinded and the buildup to things is weak. Everything is solved in a way that is too simple, and romance did nothing for me.

The Perfect Match: someone described it as Pride & Prejudice but with the focuses on all the Bennet sisters except for what the story takes place in ancient China and I think that manages to describe this drama pretty well. I adored the friendship and cooperation between the sisters and how the story focused on telling their story. Some of the love stories or marriages were more exciting than others, but did I enjoy them all one way or another. Although love story no. 2 and 3 were my absolute favorites.

Love Game in Eastern Fantasy: Started out fun and managed to keep up the momentum and be a rather fun and whimsical fantasy for quite a long time, but towards the end it starts to drop a bit, and the story middles a bit until the end. It does help that the main couple is really cute together and with good chemistry between them.

Adolescence: I know people expected the story to almost force feed them a proper resolution to a very important issue in our society and present the themes of the story in a very black and white way to comfort them. But this is just supposed to make you think. It's an amazing, personal story that shows really well how society reacts and fails our young boys. We are in a society that doesn't set them any boundaries because 'boys will be boys' and they don't mean it… until they do.

When Life Gives You Tangerines: A heartbreaking family story that will make you cry and want to call your parents just to hear their voice. The story captures those fleeting moments of joy, resilience and sorrow that life has, tugging at your heartstrings and never truly letting go of you. Just an absolute masterpiece.

Undercover High School: The story itself was pretty stupid, but at the same time very entertaining and funny. The actors gave it their all, no matter how silly it was, and I was really enjoying myself.

The White Lotus, s3: Interesting characters and a plot about people's greed. It is always quite interesting to see the story slowly take on a bigger and shadier form as the series progresses. It's not my favorite series of Thite Lotus, but I thought it was a lot of fun.

The Leopard: I thought it was a bit long-winded, even though it was only five episodes. And by the end, I had stopped caring. But the show was stunning to watch.

Hot Spot: I thought this jdrama was somewhat funny, with interesting characters and an original story, but it got a little too repetitive at times and dragged a bit.

Miss Austen: A sweet little costume drama from the UK that was enjoyable enough to watch but didn't really hit me in the feels.

Friendly Rivalry: I was hoping for something slightly better story-wise. Both main characters were okay and edgy in their own try-hardish way, but the story felt a bit uneven as the narrative both felt too fast and too slow at the same time. Melody of Golden Age: Some of the side storylines were a bit boring, as well as some of the supporting characters. And the mysteries they were solving were often way too drawn-out and a bit stupid, as it was just an excuse for the main couple to work together and for the main character to save the girl and for her to tend to his wounds. It got really repetitive after a whole, but the main characters had very good chemistry between them – which was the saving grace of the drama. It could have been like 10 episodes shorter than it was.

Dear Hongrang:  So hunting, so suspenseful with fun fight scenes and interesting characters. It is a very dramatic and soapy story that tends to get a little too heavy but is at the same time very moving and beautiful.

The Hunted Palace: A cheerful, fun and light little drama that doesn't take itself too seriously with some interesting folklore-elements and lively characters. Not particularly deep and the romance didn't do anything for me, but I enjoyed it.

Tastefully Yours: While this drama has all the right ingredients for a very good slice-of-life romcom, it lacks proper structure and pacing. Things just happen. The drama is in a bit of a hurry to get everything done and doesn't dwell too long on anything, which makes it seem frivolous and somewhat underdeveloped. Kdramas should not be 10 episodes. It just doesn't work for the slow progression that that sort of storytelling is used to.

Love in Pavilion: A beautiful and mythical story with great fight scenes, special effects and an interesting lore, but the second half gets a bit too long-winded and I felt that the story lacked a bit of focus in parts due to how many characters there were. The structure could have been better and character moments felt lacking at times because of it. It took me a long time to finish it.

TV show I didn't bother to finish:

Fangs of Fortune: The drama had this tendency to explain so many of the mysteries and backstories of the characters with flashbacks and it frustrated me so much. I felt like the drama was constantly telling me things instead of showing me them or letting the story just explain things to me as the story progresses. Even with the main romance, I felt like the drama just said; "Oh, yes they love each other" instead of showing me how they fell in love. Things just... happened... just because it had to. Asura: I just thought it was way too slow. A lot of characters and very slow. Sometimes I'm in the mood for just that, but often not.

When the Weather is Fine: Sweet and low-key but at times a little too dull for me. Our female lead just felt too gloomy and stuck in the past, and I felt that made the story not. I couldn't take it anymore around the middle of the drama.

Doctor Who: I simply don’t think I care anymore. There is so little heart left.

[unnursvanablog]

TOP 15 SONGS OF 2025 / first half.

SEULGI - Baby, Not Baby

IVE - REBEL HEART

Lady Gaga - Abracadabra

Marina - CUNTISSIMO

CHUNG HA - STRESS

Sarah Toscano - Amarcord

Infinite - Dangerous

The Kolors - TU CON CHI FAI L'AMORE

Lexie Liu - POP GIRL

Bess, Käärijä - Kaistaa

Achille Lauro - Incoscienti giovani

GFRIEND - Season of Memories

STAYC - BEBE

Rescene - Glow Up

OH MY GIRL - Oh My

[unnursvanablog]

when one drama ends another one starts... or something like that. And while my 2nd gen kpop heart sings a bit at the thought of another soshipm paring I must admit that Seohyun and Taecyeon were never really a paring that I expected to see. IDK if anyone shipped them back in the day. I mostly just remember people shipping Taec with Yoona or even Jessica.

The First Night with the Duke is a very sort of pastel, silly delight that really doesn't really take itself too seriously as the fushion sageuk that it is.

The first episodes does a whole lot of expositions and some clunky setups of the story. There is whole lot of text introducing each new character we meet and the main character telling us things because she knows about this world already from her favorite novel.

It is a very fun setup and I must say that our main girl isn't all too bumbed about being in the Joseon style world despite being from our modern world. But I guess the glow of being in your favorite novel and not having present day responsibilties might fade away once it doesn't become like pure escapism for her.

And I definetly found it odd that she was such a shut in… from the brief moment we got of her in her present day and quite isolated how perky and social she becomes reletivly quickly. I get that just being in another place can do that to ya and I think that is a glimps of her old self, but if you have isolated yourself from the world… it does take time for you to get back out there.

But I definetly wish it was explored just a bit more. Like her struggle to adapt. Like I would feel lost without my phone… but considering this is only 12 epsides (whyyyyyyyy) perhaps you just can't go into such details… the plot must go on!

Taec and Seohyun don't have a sizzling chemistry to me, but both are quite fine in their respected roles, and the chemistry thing could come later. And it also could be contributed that they know each other from the idol days so it's awkward to be all 'acting like we are in love' sort of thing.

The prince is a very standard cold-blooded male lead that is hiding behind a strong face and a façade. I think the first episode does manage to set him up as this assassin of the king that is quietly struggling with his place in the world. Like he yearns to be with others but he can't because he has to be this strong, silent killer. And the drama does a very good job conveying that with shots such as him walking in the shadows and looking in on the lit up streets where the people are. As our main girl rightfully points out since she has read his whole character arc and growth.

The second episode flowed way better as a story.

But then again I have never really found Taec too convincing in romantic role. He is fine… but he is also just sort of there. He does his job, he says his lines and he looks good doing it… but there aren't too many emotions behind those eyes when he is acting in very romantic or dramatic scenes. I

Or that has been my problem with him in the past. And while I don't think Seohyun is the best out of the soshi actresses (that would be Yuri) I do think she is very decent and has a very warm presence on my screen. She is like a grade above Teac when it comes to acting imho but she has never truly wowed me.

Like they are both just sort of doing their job. Which is fine for a drama such as this. It's passible. It's fun, it's colorful and quirky. It's a drama you can kinda just turn your brain off. I did have fun watching it to be sure and I will probably enjoy it in a similar way that I enjoyed The Haunted Palace. But it's not blowing my socks off.

But will I finish it? most likely. I kinda don't have any other kdrama that I am watching atm with Tastefully Yours AND The Haunted Palace ending... except for Our Unwritten Seoul but that one ends in like three weeks time or something (curse those short kdramas... finishing a currently airing kdramas used to take like three months) and I am not currently watching any cdramas.

Idk if I have another new and upcoming drama, that is on my radar, until Agust. And I am a fan of both soshi and 2pm...

[unnursvanablog]

My main takeaways from Tastefully Yours is

Kang Ha Neul should be cast in more romcoms.

Bring back 16 episode romcoms and kdramas, please.

Certainly Tastefully Yours had all the correct ingridence for a very good slice-of-life style romcom, it has all of the right moments and character beats so while it works just fine as a 10 episode romcom there is a certain buildup to things that is lacking to make those moment truly land. The drama is in a bit of a hurry to get to all of the things that need to happen, so it doesn't linger too long on anything making it feel rushed and a bit underdeveloped. Everything is resolved just a little too quickly and it's those moments of stillness within kdramas that often really tends to make those feelings and emotions flourish.

Just imagine if we could have gotten more Hometown cha cha cha sort of pacing or something with a longer episode run. With 10 episodes everything felt surface level, even if it was cute and enjoyable. But we didn't really get any big moments or the emotions didn't get to shine too much through, despite the awesome performances of the cast, because things were just moving from one things to the next... because it had to. It didn't have time for much.

like the stuff about the mom and all of that stuff would be so much better if the drama had the time to set it up, if we got like a whole episode arc exploring it.