Welcome to my weekly blog post where I give thoughts on dramas I’m watching but not recapping.

This week I recapped through episode 7 of On A Starry Night/Hoshi Furu Yoru ni and episode 3 of the Thai slice-of-life BL Moonlight Chicken.

This week I finished:

Call It Love – 사랑이라 말해요 – 2023 

A recently aired modern Korean melodrama with 16 episodes.

Up through episode 12, this show was on track to be an all-time favorite and possibly the first Korean drama I recap on this website. Then the last 4 episodes happened. They weren’t legendarily bad or anything like that, but they spoiled the show for me and knocked it out of rewatch territory. What can I say, endings are important to me. 

First, a character that I wasn’t loving started acting in ways I found horrible, but were apparently supposed to be positive changes as they only continued to act that way and never seemed to apologize or reflect. 

Then a hated trope appeared, and as usual, I couldn’t figure out the character logic behind it. It seems designed to illicit a response from the audience which is the kind of manipulation I resent from creators.

There are plenty of people for whom this probably won’t spoil the show, possibly the same people who liked Summer Strike when I found the characters like nails on a chalkboard. And for 12 episodes I was caught up by the fascinating characters, the melancholy tone, the strong yearning and the consistent characters. It came so close to being a beloved show, so it’s one I probably won’t revisit but may recommend to others.

I started watching:

Our Dining Table  – 僕らの食卓 – 2023 (Pictured)

A currently airing Japanese BL drama, I’ve watched 2 episodes.

A lonely salaryman’s life is changed when he meets a pair of brothers and starts cooking and eating with them on the weekend.

This drama is based on a manga I’ve read that is available in English! The first two episodes are very close to the plot of the comic, which is sweet and slow and warm with not a lot of angst. 

I’m always good for a romance with a little culinary love mixed in, and this one is fun because our lead doesn’t make anything fancy, he cobbles together what he can from stuff in the fridge.

The two leads are bringing the characters from the comic to life, the salaryman is quiet and socially withdrawn and the older brother more comfortable and direct. They aren’t over the top or extreme but feel more like real people than some Japanese BL characters. I’m hoping it sticks to the plot of the manga, which isn’t conflict-free but stays mellow and healing. 

Right now this is one of the shows that I wish were being released faster, while I’m also enjoying savoring it like a giant nigiri with salmon at the center.

If you’re interested in purchasing the comic version of Our Dining Table in English it’s available from Amazon.