Our Beloved Summer

Year In Review: 2022

| kfangurl

I know, I know. This Year-In-Review is suuper late; I’ve always typically published my year-end post before 31 December each year, and now, it’s already the middle of March! 😅

If you’ve been around the blog, though, you’d know that this was because we’ve been having year-end posts from folks on Patreon, so that we can have a more wholistic look at Dramaland’s offerings, comparatively speaking.

What I mean is, I’m just one person, so there’s a limit to the number of shows I can check out in a year, even if I did nothing but watch dramas all year long.

With the community chiming in, we get to see a bigger range of dramas mentioned – and if certain shows get mentioned a lot as being really good (or really disappointing), then the rest of us know to pay extra attention. 😉

I hope that after 14 (!!) guest year-end wrap posts (they’re all listed here!), you’ve still got room in your heart for one more. 😅

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Dear kfangurl: How do I deal with drama fatigue?

| kfangurl
So. Tired. 💤

So, full disclosure, you guys. This wasn’t actually submitted as a Dear kfangurl question.

What happened was, I had written very enthusiastic episode notes for episode 1 of Twenty Five, Twenty One, over on Patreon, and Natalia had commented in response:

“Oh no. Such a great recap but it only makes even clearer what I have suspected for a while: I suffer from KDrama fatigue! I don’t feel like watching anything? Is it serious, doctor??”

..Which made me think, Hey, that would make a pretty good topic for a Dear kfangurl post!

And so, here we are. If you, or people you know, are suffering from drama fatigue, I hope this post will be at least a little bit helpful. ❤️

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Review: Our Beloved Summer

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

A slice-of-life second-chance sort of romance that manages to pack a good amount of emotional heft, despite its rather unassuming trappings.

I don’t love all of Show’s decisions, but by and large, I found this story and its characters to be thoughtfully written, and excellently delivered, such that everything comes across as raw, honest, relatable and so, so heartfelt.

The standouts are undoubtedly Choi Woo Sik and Kim Da Mi, who both inhabit their characters with so much detail and nuance, that I can’t actually picture other actors playing these characters.

Add on a very lovely, very immersive OST, and this was pretty much drama catnip, for me.

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Stories from the community: Trent’s story!

| kfangurl

If you didn’t already know, we’ve got a special series to kick off the new year! Guests posts, by patrons on Patreon, sharing their personal drama stories, mostly around the topic of “How did you get into dramas?” and “What does your first drama mean to you?” – with flexibility to go off on personal tangents, of course. 😁 Feel free to share your stories too, in the comments!

This guest series is MC‘s brainchild (thanks MC! ❤️). You can check out the earlier posts in this series as follows: MC, Sean, Shahz, JJ, Martina, Beth, Uyen, Ella & Leslie.

This is the last guest post in the series, and it’s brought to you by Trent, who, aside from Sean, is the other person whose time-bending skills I continue to marvel at. The number of dramas Trent manages to watch, while still leading a full life, continues to impress me – and he’s got lots of thoughtful observations on all of the dramas too, which also impresses me. Thanks, Trent, for making time to share your story with us!

You might also like to check out Trent’s blog, where he writes more drama thoughts!

I hope you guys enjoy!

~ KFG ❤️

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This Month On Patreon: February 2022

| kfangurl

Hi everyone! HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!!! 🥳🥳 I can hardly believe January is over! I honestly feel like 2022 has just started – but here we are, on the first day of the Lunar New Year! May this Lunar New Year bring you lots of good health, good times, good food – and good dramas! 😋🥰

This is my monthly post on:

1. What’s happening on Patreon in a given month,

2. Exactly when you can expect to see various Patreon-related reviews in the month,

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

4. 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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Early Access: Our Beloved Summer Episode 1

| kfangurl

Hi everyone!

Thanks for enjoying my Patreon episode 1 notes on Happiness!

Today, I thought I’d share my episode 1 notes on Our Beloved Summer, because, well, I’m loving the show, along with everyone who’s following along on Patreon, and I was wondering if you’d like to join us? 🤗

These are my episode 1 notes, exactly as they appear on Patreon, ie, without screenshots (I’m saving those for the actual review). I hope you all enjoy, and I hope you’ll consider joining us over on Patreon, for the rest of the discussions! ❤️

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This Month On Patreon: January 2022

| kfangurl

Hi everyone! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 🥳🥳 It’s amazing that we’re already here, in 2022! How surreal. May this year bring us all lots of good things – including happy drama things! 😉🥰

This is my monthly post on:

1. What’s happening on Patreon in a given month,

2. Exactly when you can expect to see various Patreon-related reviews in the month,

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

4. 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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Year In Review: 2021

| kfangurl

Where has 2021 gone, seriously? This was a strange year, in that it felt like time was passing really fast, but it also felt like we were stuck and frozen in time – or is that just me? 😅

I think it’s safe to say that it’s been a tough year for us all. For hanging in there; for continuing to put one foot in front of the other; for continuing to look for and appreciate the good in your world: You’ve done well, my friends. ❤️

Even though things in Dramaland have continued to evolve, there’s one thing that remains constant, and that is, our dramas are always there for us, ready to whisk us away into another world, at least for a little while; ready to introduce us to new friends, as we meet new characters; ready to offer us vicarious experiences, even if we’re in the thick of a lockdown and can’t leave our homes.

Just like it was last year, dramas helped to make life a little brighter and sweeter for me, and I hope they’ve done the same for you too. ❤️

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