I've been watching a lot of kdramas recently and I wanted to keep track of all my feelings, so!!
IN YOUR RADIANT SEASON: this is the first one I watched, thanks to constantly getting served reels with yeon taeseok being Mr Darcy levels of dreamy. It was a fun show, but I never really cared much for the main characters relationship and I thought the last few episodes were pretty lackluster. There were definitely moments where the show hit an emotional stride, but my feelings for it have been pretty watered down because I've watched much better shows since. Still! Yeon Taeseok remains a dreamboat and I still have delusional hopes of seeing a spinoff for him and Hayoung. (7/10)
WE ARE ALL TRYING HERE: my most beloved!!! 10/10, no notes. (But if I had notes, it'd just be a shout into the void wishing other people watched this.)
WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU TANGERINES: of the few kdramas I've watched, this easily feels like it's the uncontested best. Is it my favorite, no, but it hasn't had a single bad or boring beat. The writing is incredible, the storytelling is incredible, the cast is incredible. There isn't a single weak character. I'm only on ep 13 of 16, but I've been taking my time with it. Mostly because I don't want it to be over, but also because the show doesn't throw its emotional punches--everyyyy one has landed. I can't stress enough just how damn good it is. (10/10, too.)
REPLY 1988: I started this one because it's on every rec list ever, but I've got through 3 episodes and I'm struggling hard with wanting to continue. I don't feel interested in any of the characters. I know they probably all grow out of their immaturity but, man! It's tough to watch the whining. Unlike with WLGYT, which had a fun, fleshed out cast, I just don't care what the adults are getting up to either. So far, it's like a 4/10 but I'm willing to admit I'm judging it too early.
CRASH LANDING ON YOU: Another show I see recced everyyywhere. Lemme tell you, through the first and second episode, I laughed a lot. Not because the show is funny but because it's sooo campy. The main character literally gets sucked into a tornado while paragliding, then lands in North Korea. So!!! I watched, mouth agape, fully laughing... the bad CGI, the Sharknado vibes... I couldn't believe my eyes. But 7 episodes in, the romance has fully swayed me. Turns out, I'm just a damn sucker for a stoic man having his walls come down for a fun and charming lady who has been literally dropped into his life. This feels good in the way that fanfic does. It's not, you know, anywhere near as well-written as WLGYT, but it checks a lot of trope boxes and delivers on the romance. There's also a fun red-string-of-fate/invisible string thing happening, on top of that. Halfway through, I'd give the romance an 8.5/10 and the show itself more like a 7/10. The found family relationship with seri and the military boys is saving that from being lower. They're delightful to watch.
