Oh dear, that could be a bit startling. 🤣

But yes, by verticals I mean those dramas that are basically YouTube shorts stitched together into a story. The titles are all very much like this, so I can see how they could get mixed in with AV content.

Very vertical drama styled - some exec has been on tiktok too much.

#ChinguChallenge prompt 24: Love Story

How could I choose... except i can: the love between the leads of the #cdrama Fake It Til You Make It is an incredibly good story.

Yes, there is a lot of work stuff (SO MUCH work stuff) but the two of them and their mature, respectful relationship... swoon.

I really enjoyed how unserious but somehow heartfelt it was. I think that didn't land for a lot of people, but it was absolutely my style. Also, the chaotic team-family energy charmed me to bits.

Thank you! This whole confession and kiss is so good.

I'm such a millennial when it comes to YouTube - I can never find the actual clips I want 😭

It makes my heart sing... their whole story is just 🥰 heart-eyes everywhere!

It is enjoyable. Song Qi and Ji Shu's optimist meets pessimist friction is great.

I will caution that the couple she 'ships' is pretty tedious but using ffw on those scenes doesn't take away from the mains' story. And it gets crunchy 'explaining' the transmigration at the end, but I still love it.

Not in this clip: her briefly smooching him first in response to his confession, and then freaking out.

That is actually an important element of the charm of this scene but I couldn't track down a clip with the whole thing 😞

#ChinguChallenge prompt 23: kiss

There are hot kisses and romantic kisses, but one that sticks with me is the first kiss in the #kdrama Sh**ting Stars. Our leads are crossing the line from a 10+ year friendship into something new and it's awkwardly beautiful.

youtu.be/NcN5fvKpY3A?...

This was definitely in the running for my #ChinguChallenge prompt 23. Damn fine kissing.

#ChinguChallenge prompt 22

Of the thousands of characters I have adored or hated since I started watching dramas, my favourite is Song Yan Qi from the #cdrama To Ship Someone.

She's capable, determined, and kind. She owns her mistakes, works hard, and is a hopeless romantic. Of course I love her.

I found this hilarious. It was so over the top that it almost looped back around into a meta-textual joke about sandwich chain PPL. I'm still not sure it wasn't?

Oh. Oh, yes please!! Keep that wild dynamic their characters had and I'd be glued to this show.

Ugh.. autocorrect. SECRETARY Bai Wants to Resign. Not secret.

Oddly, I have never seen the entirety of either Antifan or To Ship.
For Antifan, I was so offput by the abusive relationship of the second leads in the first episode that I ffwded all their scenes.
In TSS, reviews said the in-novel ship was tedious and unnecessary to enjoy the show so I skipped it.

#ChinguChallenge prompt 21

I rewatch depending on my mood, to the point that my husband will say "is this a <show name> day?"

Some of my most frequent are the #cdrama To Ship Someone, the #kdrama So I Married the Antifan, and minidramas My Piggy Boss and Secret Bai Wants to Resign Every Day.

I was not interested in the shoehorned-in romance at all. It would have been better without that. The brothers were amazing and the team dynamics were fun. No need for kissy-kissy-feels.

Image from the cdrama Pursuit of Jade of a Zhang Ling He in an elaborate cream and black outfit, with his hair and makeup perfectly styled, with caption that reads "He looks hygienic. (Photo: Weibo/Zhanglinghez)"

I think the writer demonstrated a keen understanding of the audience with the caption here: "He looks hygienic"

The ending was bonkers. I was enjoying it and then episode six was like they accidentally filmed a script from a different drama.

#ChinguChallenge prompt 20: reality show

I haven't watched many of these, but I really enjoyed the first series of the Korean escape room style show Agents of Mystery with a bunch of actors, comedians, and a Kpop star. The team had great chemistry and the puzzles were fun.

#ChinguChallenge prompt 19: Comfort/Healing Drama

My favourite drama that is both comforting for me and involves many characters healing is the #kdrama Mystic Pop Up Bar.

I love these weirdos and their awkwardly generous hearts.

I know it was based on a manga but I don't know how much of the manga's stories the show covered. I am hopeful there are more stories to tell.
Both lead actors seem pretty busy, though, so that's a factor.

I can see the comparison. It had an off-centre sense of humour and that tinge of sadness in the beauty which is very jdrama.

I really enjoyed this, which surprised me because slow and gentle is not my preferred speed for dramas. It was so wonderful to me because Lee Na Young gave a truly beautiful performance.

He's a gem! Picks good roles and does great work with them. The praise is well deserved.

#ChinguChallenge prompt 18

There's many PPL that amuse me (like the tonkatsu chain where they have to saw through a massive slab of fried meat that's been in nearly every kdrama this past year) but I love this cdrama staple: the green box of cold medicine that often leads to a cute caregiving scene

#ChinguChallenge prompt 17 (I finally caught up!)

I do enjoy a gritty mystery story, but I think the quirky mystery #jdrama Usotoki Rhetoric features my favourite crime-solving duo.

They're just so odd and their little found family is so lovely. I would watch many more seasons of this show!

I did finish it, but there were stretches in the third quarter where I was barely paying attention. I felt it went around the same path a few too many laps and I got bored. They resolved things sweetly but I had to push through to get there.

I've just started it this week and she is impossible to look away from!

Today's drama update with the husband:

Me: her stepmother is trying to poison her.
Him: didn't she just frame her so she was buried alive?
Me: no, that was her mother in law.
Him: what? that's a lot.

Yep. That's #cdrama for you.