Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

***

Well, another episode of me going back to join another prompt from Top Ten Tuesday. So, when I looked up the topic, it turns out it is a non-book freebie for this week. Since recently I watched a lot of series or dramas, I decided to choose this topic. Anyway, I watched a lot of Korean and Japan dramas. Here we go.

1. Still 2Gether (2020)

Well, to be honest, I never watch a Thai series before 2Gether. This time, I rewatch the series and I became really adored the story of Sarawat (Bright Vachirawit) and Tine (Win Metawin) here. In this sequel, the story is more focused on their journey as a long-term couple. There are so many sweets moment of them. One of my favourite scenes would be on the third episode of this series. Oh my goodness, Sarawat become sweeter and Tine is also being cuter.

2. Crash Course in Romance (2023)

To be honest, the reason I watched this series was because of Jung Kyungho who played Choi Chiyeol, the star teacher that admired by all of the high-school students, and also their parents. This drama is quite fresh and also funny. Therefore, we won't have to be bored. 

Maybe, the mystery part of this series is a little bit vague, but I still love the story anyway. Also, clap to Jeon Doyeon who portrayed Nam Haengseon perfectly.

3. Alchemy of Souls Season 2: Light and Shadow (2022)

Actually, I love both Seasons 1 and 2. For me, the story between Jang-uk (Lee Jae Wook) and Naksu/Bu-yeon (Go Youn Jung) is very wholesome. Even though the second season is darker than the first one, I still find a bright vibe from Jang-uk and Bu-yeon. Argh, they are so cute being together. A lot of comedic scenes that made me smile throughout the entire series. What I love the most is, how in AoS 2, every conflict for each character can be resolved well at the end.

I really would like to recommend this series because the story is very enticing and fun. 

4. Blind (2022)

Mystery? Thriller? Plot twist? If you are into that kind of thing, you should watch Blind. I've been a fan of mystery thriller drama for a while. Therefore, when my friend suggests I watch Blind, I was very excited. The story is really complicated and engaging from the very start. You could sympathize with each of the characters. 

Of course, I have to give a big applause to Ok Tae-cyeon who can portray Ryu Sungjoon well. But still, tho, I still resent Sunghoon very much. It hurts :( 

5. To My Star Season 2: Our Untold Stories (2022)

Do I have a soft spot for the sequel of a BL story? Maybe I have. To My Star 2 is the continuation of the love journey between Kang Seojoon (Son Woohyun) and Han Jiwoo (Kim Kangmin). Some incidents made Jiwoo leave Seojoon. He decided to go to the countryside. Meanwhile, Seojoon couldn't understand why Jiwoo leave him. Of course, in the middle of his career crisis, Seojoon also has to manage his life as an actor and pursue his love back.

I don't know. For me, To My Star 2 told us about a deeper relationship between Seojoon and Jiwoo. I love how they become more honest here. 

6. Mystic Pop-up Bar (2020)

Mystic Pop-up Bar is one of my all-time favourite K-dramas. It told us about a magical bar managed by Weolju (Hwang Jungeum), a hot-tempered woman who can enter someone's dream to fix their problem. In manage day by day activities, Weolju is assisted by Chef Gwi (Choi Won-young), the former Afterlife Police who voluntarily helps her.

Weolju encounters with Han Kangbae (Yook Sungjae), made her assignment so much easier. Yeah, she runs the bar to pay for her sins in the past. The Afterlife Court sent her to the Living Realm to settle the grudges of 100.000 souls and comfort them.

I love how each episode has its own stories. The interaction between Weolju, Chef Gwi, and Kangbae is also very funny. Therefore, I will never be bored watching them,

7. Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022)

I am aware that this drama doesn't have an ending that we want, but from Haedo (Kim Taeri) and Yijin (Nam Joohyuk), we can learn about friendship, dreams, and also love. To be honest, I am still very frustrated because we won't be able to see the 'now' version of Baek Yijin. But, I should admit that every episode here is totally engaging. Moreover, their soundtrack is really good. One of my favourites would be Your Existence by Wonstein.

8. Business Proposal (2022)

Business Proposal is one of the K-dramas that I watched when it was still ongoing. This is a very sweet and comedic drama. It is worth watching when you wanna relax and not think too much. Even though the plot felt very common, which is an ordinary employer who falls in love with her CEO, I just found that this drama can execute that story well.

9. Our Beloved Summer (2021)

Can I just be Ung in real life? If you want to find a good and relaxed drama, Our Beloved Summer could be your choice. It's a healing story and you can really want to be Ung in real life. I love the heartwarming stories in this drama and every layer of the stories got the resolution after all. I also love how they portrayed the life of an artist and communication consultant, a job that feels so new in the modern era (?). Lol. 

10. My Love Mix-up! (2021)

Well, My Love Mix-up! is definitely one of my all-time favourite BL dramas. Aoki (Michida Shunsuke) and Ida (Ren Megure) are your sweet couple. Their story is simple yet makes my heart warm. What I love the most about this drama is how everyone around Aoki and Ida didn't make any prejudice about their relationship. Argh, I just love Idaoki so much here.

Actually, there are more series or dramas that I want to mention, such as Tomorrow, Little Women, and also Under the Queen's Umbrella (Oh my goodness! I totally forgot about this one). But, well, maybe later I can share more about it.

So, thank you in advance for visiting. Hope you can have fun on this post and we can share more about our favourite series/drama that we watched.

Sincerely,

Ra

Image: GKIDS

Title: Weathering with You
Other Title: Tenki no Ko
Director: Makoto Shinkai
Writer: Makoto Shinkai
Duration: 1 hour 52 minutes
Date of release: 2019
Cast: Kotaro Daigo, Nana Mori, Tsubasa Honda, Sakura Kiryu

Tokyo is currently experiencing rain showers that seem to disrupt the usual pace of everyone living there to no end. Amidst this seemingly eternal downpour arrives the runaway high school student Hodaka Morishima, who struggles to financially support himself—ending up with a job at a small-time publisher. At the same time, the orphaned Hina Amano also strives to find work to sustain herself and her younger brother.

Both fates intertwine when Hodaka attempts to rescue Hina from shady men, deciding to run away together. Subsequently, Hodaka discovers that Hina has a strange yet astounding power: the ability to call out the sun whenever she prays for it. With Tokyo's unusual weather in mind, Hodaka sees the potential of this ability. He suggests that Hina should become a "sunshine girl"—someone who will clear the sky for people when they need it the most.

Things begin looking up for them at first. However, it is common knowledge that power always comes with a hefty price...

***

So, after watching Suzume, I finally decided to watch Weathering with You. To be honest, I kinda forget that I haven't watched this movie yet. Hmm, maybe I wasn't much into Shinkai's work back then.

The Story

The story began with the runaway journey of Hodaka Morishima. He went to Tokyo in order to leave his hometown which was in a rural area of Japan. 

In the middle of the trip, Hodaka witnessed a hardy storm that almost flipped the ship that he rode. Even, he almost fell into the sea if Keisuke Suga saved him. But, in that accident, Hodaka also witnessed some weather changes that made the storm away. He wondered why that could happen. 

Arriving in Tokyo, Hodaka didn't know what to do. He didn't have any money to stay and cannot apply to work because he is basically underage. When he ate at a fast-food restaurant, he met Hina Amano, a part-time girl who took an interest in him. Realizing that Hodaka is running away from home, Hina is kindhearted enough to give Hodaka a more worth its menu. 

Not knowing how to settle in Tokyo, Hodaka finally decided to call Keisuke, a guy who saved him on the ship. At first, Hodaka really hesitated to call him cause he looks sus, but having no choice, forced Hodaka to do so. Thankfully, Keisuke is not a bad guy. Actually, Keisuke runs a small occult magazine publishing company, where they investigate many urban legends related to the unusually rainy weather in Tokyo. They hear the legend of the "sunshine girl" who can control the weather. Therefore, Hodaka along with Natsumi Suga tried their best to deep dive more into that sunshine girl.

Then, one day, Hodaka met again with Hina and he finally knows that the renowned "sunshine girl" is her. Realizing that ability, Hodaka and Hina, along with Hina's brother Nagi, run a sunshine girl business. To put it simply, they can be hired to clear the sky from the rainy weather. At first, everything seems to be okay, but like the old folks say, there are always consequences for everything. 

The more frequently Hina controls the weather, the more her body becomes affected. Legend said the goddess of the weather should sacrifice herself to save the world. 

The Opinion

Well, not like in Suzume, Hodaka and Hina's relationship grow in a gradual way. Therefore, you won't find that unbelievable love at the first sight. Every character here is also interesting and their own. They have their own problem and in a way relatable to what could happen in real life.

But of course, there are some parts that somehow bothered me. Of them, I still feel that Makoto Shinkai didn't explain why Hodaka had to run away from home. Was he having a fight with his parent or something else happened in his hometown? I still don't get why he has to go to Tokyo by himself.

Aside from that, I really love their animation style. It's just beautiful. Well, I don't think Makoto Shinkai ever disappoint the viewer regarding his animation. Then, what I love the most about it is the soundtrack. I love RADWIMPS so much after listening to this movie's soundtrack.

Conclusion

Well, I don't know about it. After watching both Suzume and Weathering with You, I prefer Suzume more. I love a lot of thrill feeling that stimulates the viewers from each of the scenes in Suzume. Meanwhile, you won't find that in Weathering with You or maybe Kimi No Nawa. But, I also admit that Kimi No Nawa has its own unique plot. That plot twist still gives me a chill, tho. 

After all, Weathering with You is one of the anime movies that are worth watching. 

7 out of 10 stars.

Sincerely,
Ra

Title: Because We are Together

Author: Jitti Rain

Number of pages: 466 pages

Date of published: 26 May 2020

Tine is a very handsome student and cheerleader in college, while Sarawat is one of the campus’ most popular guys and is also in the soccer and music club. When Tine is chased by Green, who he does not reciprocate feelings for — he ends up begging Sarawat to fake date with him in order to chase Green away. Somehow, just like the tale as old as time goes — pretend somehow starts to turn into reality. However, before a "happily ever after" there is the process of falling in love, and the slow realisation that somehow they aren't pretending anymore. Somehow, they do not want to.

***

So, i don't know why I suddenly want to read the novel version for this story. I've ever watched the series before, and after reading the novel, I should give more credit for the series.

The Story

Tine is a chick guy in university. He never expected that his charm could attract Green, a guy who suddenly confess to him--and tried his best to chase him. Knowing an usual rejection won't affect Green, Tine who believes in his friends' suggestion, tried to ask Sarawat to be his fake boyfriend. 

Sarawat on the other friend is a university heartrob guy. He is extremely good looking, play guitars well, and also the football player in his faculty. A lot of girls admired him. With such an incredible popularity, Tine knows Green will give up on him if he realized that Tine and Sarawat is a thing.

Of course, it's not a flower road for Tine to make Sarawat agree. He should forced himself to join the music club even though he has zero experience on playing instrument. After all, bit by bit, Tine can soften Sarawat's attitude to him. One thing that Tine didn't realized, for Sarawat, their relationship is not just a play for Green. It's absolutely a real thing for him.

My Opinion

Where do I start? So, actually this is my first time to read the English translation from Thai book. To be very honest, I didn't know whether I got a very bad format or not, but the layout of the books is so frustrating.

Sometimes, I really confused whose talking in every dialogue. I mean, JittiRain likes to make a whole dialogue without any info who is talking. It made me rolled my eyes instantly. 

Then, if I have to compare the story with the series, I absolutely prefer the series more. I know that 2gether the series is a very dramatic, but it's more enjoyable. In the book, Sarawat's character felt so plain and annoying. I couldn't sense his admiration and love towards Tine. Meanwhile, on the series, Bright Vachirawit as Sarawat succeed to portray Sarawat in more lively way.

My opinion for Tine is also the same. The director and the scriptwriter for the series has done a great job to make the adaptation. 

In the book, the story mainly only tell about Sarawat-Tine relationship. There's no story for other couple like Type-Man and Phukong-Mil. I understand why in the series they decided ti develop the other couple's story. I believe, if it's only focused on Sarawat-Tine, the story will become stagnan and flat. Yeah, now I know why they decided to make the stories become bigger and more lively.

Tbh, when I tried to rewatch the series, Type-Man couple has their own charm and it looks wholesome a lot.

Conclusion

Well, I am awared that I read this book because I want to know the story of Wat-Tine more. Even though I prefer the series more, I know there are some parts in the novel that give us perspective about each kf the characters, especially from Sarawat's side. 

In a way, It made me want to read the special stories that is available in English version too.

But for this book, I think 3 out of 5 is enough.

Sincerely,

Ra

Image: Net

Title: My Heart Puppy
Screenwriter and Director: Jason Kim
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Romance
Stars: Yoo Yeon-seok, Cha Tae-hyun, Park Ji-hyun, Jung In-sun, Kang Shin-il
Watched on Cinepolis, Depok Town Square

“Puppy” is a film about two men with puppy-like charms and their interactions with an actual dog. A man who is about to get married going through an adventure when he sets off with his friend to drop his dog off at the pet-sitters.

Jadi, alasan aku menonton My Heart Puppy adalah karena pemain utamanya adalah Yoo Yeon-seok dan harga tiketnya di bioskop cuma 20 ribu. Aku enggak tahu juga kenapa harga tiket film ini murah banget. Padahal, aku menontonnya di Cinepolis dan sepertinya tidak sedang ada promo apa-apa. 

The Story

Jadi, cerita My Puppy bermula dari Min Soo (Yoo Yeon-seok) yang ingin menikahi pacarnya, Seong-kyeong (Jung In-sun). Akan tetapi, ternyata ada satu rahasia yang disimpan oleh Seong-kyeong, yakni alerginya terhadap air liur anjing, kalau aku tak salah ingat. 

Hal ini membuat Min Soo mengalami dilema. Semenjak kematian ibunya, Min Soo telah ditemani oleh anjing kesayangannya, seekor golden retriever bernama Rooney. Setelah mendengar fakta soal alergi Seong-kyeong, Min Soo berjanji akan mencari cara supaya Rooney bisa dirawat oleh kerabatnya yang lain.

Nah, di sinilah perjalanan Min Soo mencari pemilik pengganti Rooney dimulai. Dibantu oleh kakak sepupunya, Jin-guk (Cha Tae-hyun), Minsoo berupaya berkeliling untuk mencarikan rumah baru bagi Rooney. Sayangnya, hal ini tidaklah mudah. Belum ada satu orang pun yang menurut Min Soo cocok untuk menjadi pemilik baru Rooney. 

Jin-guk yang berjanji akan membantu Min-soo akhirnya mengusulkan supaya Min-soo bersama mencoba untuk bertemu dengan Ah-min (Kim Yoo-jung). Dari media sosialnya, terlihat kalau Ah-min memiliki ketertarikan untuk membuat shelter untuk anjing-anjing yang ada di sekitarnya. Permasalahannya, tempat Ah-min berada adalah di Pulau Jeju. Maka dari itu, Min-soo dan Jin-guk memulai perjalanan road trip mereka bersama Rooney dan kawan-kawan anjing lainnya--yang mereka temui di tengah jalan.

My opinion

Sepertinya, ini adalah film Korea pertama yang aku tonton di bioskop. Hanya berbekal ketertarikan pada sosok Andrea, aku begitu saja dengan impulsif menonton film satu ini. Menurutku, film ini cocok sekali untuk healing. Cerita seputar hewan peliharaan selalu bisa memberikan kehangatan tersendiri menurutku.

Tentu saja, bagian road trip yang dilakukan oleh Min-soo dan Jin-guk menjadi momen-momen favoritku di film ini. Seru sekali melihat interaksi antar sepupu ini yang komikal dan juga suportif. Awalnya, aku kira film ini akan berakhir sedih--bagaimanapun, biasanya film dengan hewan di dalamnya, kebanyakan tidak berakhir bahagia. Untungnya, hal itu tidak terjadi. Bahkan, Min-soo akhirnya bisa menaydari betapa pentingnya keberadaan Rooney dalam hidupnya.

Lalu, awalnya aku mengira film ini juga akan cukup fokus ke kisah romansa antara Min-soo dan Seong-kyeong. Untungnya, hal itu tidak terjadi. Jadi, film ini memang fokus pada persaudaraan antara Min-soo dan Jin-guk beserta dengan Rooney dan kawan-kawan anjing lainnya.

Harus kuakui, a lot of scenes that made me crack up are when Min-soo and Jin-guk accidentally meet a lot of dogs on the way to Jeju Island. Banyak sekali momen yang membuat kita bakal ketawa karena ketidaktegaan mereka pada anjing-anjing lucu itu. Pokoknya, menurutku film ini cute sekali.

Conclusion

Aku sih, berharapnya bakal ada banyak film semacam My Heart Puppy ini. Betul-betul film yang pas untuk healing. Kita enggak bakal diajak pusing dengan cerita yang rumit. Kita hanya perlu bersiap tertawa dan melihat gemasnya Rooney dan anjing-anjing lainnya.

Jadi, 8.5 dari 10 bintang untuk teman-teman Rooney xD

Sincerely,
Ra

Image: drakorclass

Title: Ghost Doctor
Original Title: 고스트 닥터
Director: Boo Sung Chul
Screenwriter: Kim Eun Hee
Genres: Comedy, Medical, Fantasy, Supernatural
Stars: Rain, Kim Bum, Uee, Son Na Eun, Sung Do Il
Watched on Netflix

Cha Young-Min (Rain) is a genius doctor, but he is arrogant and selfish. One day, he gets involved in an unexpected case. Due to the unexpected case, his spirit possesses another doctor's body. These two doctors are complete opposites, with opposite personalities and medical abilities.

So, for this month's Korean Culture Kdrama Class (KCKC), Ghost Doctor has been chosen. First, I didn't realize that it was Rain who played Cha Young Min. I also didn't have any expectations when watching this k-drama, but I end up enjoying it.

The Story

Cha Young Min (Rain) is a genius doctor with a specialization in cardiothoracic. Unfortunately, he is very arrogant and selfish. Then, there is Ko Seung Tak (Kim Bum) a resident doctor who also happened to be the grandson of the hospital's founder. This situation made Young Min despise Seung Tak. He believed that getting a residency position through connection is useless. Therefore, he asked Seung Tak to be placed in ER first. 

As a doctor, Youg Min only cares about his career. Meanwhile, Seung Tak got some connection with the patient's feelings. These two doctors have very different personalities. Then, an accident happened and due to this, Young Min became a coma ghost and his spirit only can possess Seung Tak's body. At first, they bicker a lot, but after that, they strike a deal to save more patients' lives.

The Opinion

Well, like I said before, I didn't have any expectations when watching this k-drama. Even, I felt that this k-drama is too dramatic when I compared it to Hospital Playlist. But well, some of the elements on it made me curious. Therefore, I start to enjoy watching it slowly.

Since the first time, I did wonder how Young Min and Seung Tak could be connected. Is there any special connection between them that made Young Min can only possess Seung Tak's body? Then, I also wondered how Chairman Jang's son plan to get what he wants. 

For me, the mystery that I am so curious is about Seung Tak's trauma. I wondered why he was so scared to do surgery on his own. Even just for treating a wound. Moreover, it has been told that Seung Tak got into an accident when he was a child and her dad passed away at that time. Did he witness some bloody accident and such when got into an accident? 

Thankfully, all of those wonderings could be answered in the few last episodes of this drama. Start from the real identity of Socrates (the ghost that knows it all at the hospital), Seung Tak's traumatic accident, and how Young Min could get that amazing skill in surgery. What I didn't expect at all is, some of the episodes made me sob, especially when Seung Tak had dinner with his mom. It was so sad to see his mom actually know all along that Seung Tak pretended that everything is alright after that accident.

Conclusion

Well, I didn't expect that the story would be a little bit complicated. I felt bored at first when watching it. I also felt a little bit annoyed when Young Min tried to use Seung Tak's body to get Sejin back. I mean... It's just unfair for Seung Tak even though he agreed to let Young Min took the advantage of his body.

After all, this is an okay drama and the premise is quite unique. I also appreciate how Seung Tak is finally can overcome his trauma and being a skillful doctor in the end. Then, what I like the most is the resolution for the three coma ghost in the series. They

Well, 7.5 out of 10 for this k-drama.

Sincerely,
Ra