This Month On Patreon: December 2023

It’s the 1st of December, everyone! I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that 2023 is almost over; like, what?? 😱

In this month’s post, I cover:

1. A personal update: how I’m doing, post-surgery

2. Why I’m on Patreon, and why I hope you’ll consider supporting me on Patreon;

3. Which Patreon-related reviews are due this month;

4. What shows I’m considering for coverage on Patreon, to replace shows that have completed their cycles, and

5. What you can expect, as a patron.

I hope you guys find this helpful &/or informative, and I hope you’ll consider supporting me on Patreon! ❤️

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Review: A Time Called You

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Overall, I’d say that Show is a reasonably solid remake of its source material, Taiwanese drama Someday Or One Day (SOOD).

It doesn’t quite capture all of the magic of SOOD, but it does make everything easier to process and digest, comparatively speaking, and it does so while being very pretty to look at, since Show’s production values are extremely polished, and its cast, very good-looking.

If you had trouble getting into SOOD, perhaps because you find it hard to dial into the vibe of Taiwanese dramas, or perhaps because you find it hard to watch dramas that aren’t Korean, then this is a drama that would likely work well for you.

Also, if you found it difficult to keep up with all the twists, turns and developments in SOOD, this show could also work well for you.

I’ll explain why, in the rest of this review.

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Review: My Journey To You [China]

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show is, for a good stretch, dark, stylish drama crack that I inhaled with glee.

I found the story and the story world fascinating, I felt invested in our main characters, and it felt like Show had a solid, smart grip on the story that it wanted to tell. I genuinely loved all the twists and turns that Show served up in each rollercoaster of an episode.

However, I do think that Show’s weaknesses become more apparent, when you get into the later episodes. Sometimes plot logic took a beating; sometimes details didn’t add up completely. Also, I feel like Show’s handling of the finale is likely to be divisive.

All that said, I found this to be a solid ride, overall, and don’t regret investing my drama hours – and my feelings! And my brain cells! – in this one.

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Flash Review: Go Ahead [China]

I finally understand why so many of you recommended Go Ahead to me, you guys.

It’s taken me a while to get around to checking it out (I was intimidated by the 40-episode length, and I was also always distracted by newer, shinier dramas coming out all the time), but I’ve finally watched it, and I finally geddit. 😍

Thanks to my recent semi-hiatus, when I was recovering from surgery (AND covid too, at one point 😭), I found myself well-positioned to marathon a drama, in that stretch of time when I was well enough to watch stuff, but not quite well enough to write about it.

I picked Go Ahead for my marathon, because of how highly recommended it’s been, from so many people, and, you guys, I love it. So, SO much. ❤️

If you like slice-of-life / family dramas / found family stories, this one is right up there, along with the best ones I’ve seen.

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Dropped: Lost You Forever [China]

Let me just state upfront, that there are a lot – like, seriously, A LOT – of people who love this drama.

This show was hugely buzzy and popular when it aired – so buzzy, in fact, that FOMO was the whole reason I checked out this show in the first place 😅 – and I don’t want you to think that just because I’m calling it quits on this show, that this drama isn’t any good.

There’s quite a chunk of good stuff in here, honestly. It’s just not for me, I think.

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Review: Moving

THE SHORT VERDICT:

I think it’s safe to say that Moving is quite the remarkable drama.

Not only are the production values top-tier, the directing is thoughtful and intentional, the writing is tight, and the acting is all-around pretty darn excellent.

Add on the fact that we have quite the star-studded large cast, and doesn’t it seem like this show really is the product of all the stars aligning to create an amazing end product?

My absolute favorite thing about this show is that it is as tender, heartfelt and emotionally engaging, as it is slick, polished and gritty. I found it impossible not to care about these characters, and that, to me, is Show’s best trait and biggest accomplishment.

Highly recommend, even if you’re not typically into dramas that feature superpowers &/or blood/violence.

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Dropped: Love Is An Accident [China]

I was really hoping that this one would work out for me, because I found the premise cute, and the initial episodes promising, but.. it just wasn’t meant to be, I guess. 😅

12 episodes in, I’m calling it quits on this one, and I’m gonna attempt to lay it all out here in this post, so that you can hopefully figure out whether this one’s for you, even though it’s not for me.

For reference, I do think that Sean and phl1rxd liked this one a lot, so if your drama taste vibes fairly similarly with theirs, then, maybe..?

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Open Thread: Move To Heaven Episodes 9 & 10

Welcome to the Open Thread, everyone! Thanks for joining in on this group watch of this very special show! ❤️

As I mentioned in my announcement post, these are my notes, exactly as they appear on Patreon.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little group watch-cum-experiment!

Without further ado, here are my reactions to this set of episodes; have fun in the Open Thread, everyone! ❤️

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Review: My Lovely Liar

THE SHORT VERDICT:

On the upside, Show starts out really strong, with a fun premise that pops, and an OTP that works together really well.

Basically, Kim So Hyun and Minhyun are adorable together, and this was THE highlight of my watch.

Somewhere along the way, however, it does feel like Show loses its handle on things, somewhat, and the balance between fun, breezy rom-com and angsty murder backstory gets thrown out of whack, at least to my eyes.

Show does manage to tie everything together for the finish line, but I do still wish that Show could have managed to stay as strong, in its middle and finale stretch, as it had been in its opening episodes.

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Open Thread: Move To Heaven Episodes 7 & 8

Welcome to the Open Thread, everyone! Thanks for joining in on this group watch of this very special show! ❤️

As I mentioned in my announcement post, these are my notes, exactly as they appear on Patreon.

ZERO SPOILER POLICY

We will be adopting a ZERO SPOILER POLICY for this Open Thread, except for events that have happened in the show, up to this point.

This includes, but is not limited to, how characters &/or relationships develop, later in the show.

The spoiler tags don’t work in email notifications, therefore, please take note that WE WILL NOT BE USING SPOILER TAGS FOR THIS OPEN THREAD. 

We need to protect the innocent! 😉

Without further ado, here are my reactions to this set of episodes; have fun in the Open Thread, everyone! ❤️

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