Mid Year Roundup - The Drama Highlights of 2025 (So Far) (Ep.139)

Hello and welcome back to the Tea and Soju C Drama Podcast, your safe spot for C drama chatter. I'm your host, Liliana, and it's time to sit back to grab your tea and let's chat Asian dramas. In today's episode, we are going to be doing a mid year review. Before we get into that, some housekeeping. If you like the podcast, please like, share and subscribe on the platform you listen on.

That really helps the podcast reach other listeners. For more content check out Page Patreon where you can find behind the scenes first impressions, mini reviews and more. I would like to thank my patrons, our purple dinosaurs, Marta, Caitlin, Lorna, Cheryl, Racheen, Nancy, Suze, Amanda, Jane, Cindy, Valerie, Catherine, Sandra, Naz, JMHC, Haley, Maria, Nikki, Laura, Tia, Danielle, Sarah, Judy, Kel, Julia, Lt. Lovey 17, and Alan.

Thank you so much for being part of the Patreon family and even if you're just a free member, thank you to those as well. Finally, if you'd like to chat to me or find a community, check out discord, Instagram and other socials. The link will be in the episode notes. So why am I doing a mid year review?

Because I've never really done one. I tend to do a end year review and that is it. And then you know, we close out the year. But last year I kind of realized that I I got to the end of the year and I couldn't really remember the dramas that kind of aired all the way back in January and February, you know, in the earlier months of the year.

So I thought it would be fun to kind of do a mid year review where I can just kind of go through the first six months and then do the end review where I'm sure I will touch upon some of the dramas from the first six months. But overall, you know, I can talk about the year overall and I can refer back to this episode as well.

So that is the case. But I also wanted to do something slightly different where I kind of go in and I add your guys's, you know, top dramas of the year. So I sent out a message over on Discord and Instagram and asked you guys what has been your top drama so far for the six for the first six months of the year and why?

And you guys definitely raised to the challenge and replied. So the second-half of this episode is going to be your, you know, the listeners top dramas of the first half of 2025, which I think is going to be really fun. This is something that I'm also going to do in the end year review. And you know, the first half of the episode will be my choices and then the second-half will be the listeners choices. I just think it's a really nice way to include you guys in and to kind of like, you know, get a more varied drama pool, if that makes sense, because because a lot of people would have watched things that I didn't watch and, you know, vice versa. So I just hope you guys like, you know, this new format. Now.

I was doing a little bit of thinking and this year I decided I wasn't going to just rely on MDL. I was going to do a list myself and I was going to keep track of everything that I was watching. And, you know, just a it's just a very, very quick list. It's literally drama name when I finish, finished it and then what I rated it.

And so far I have finished 40 dramas altogether, which is actually not that bad for the first kind of, you know, six months of the year. Now, it's definitely not up to Part 2 where I was watching say three years ago or even 4 years ago when I was watching 150 dramas a year. You know, that's I don't think is ever going to happen again.

I think I'm going to start averaging out but about maybe 80 dramas a year, which is not that bad taking into account that the podcast itself takes a lot of my free time away. So, you know, that's not that bad. I have realized though that although I'm watching less, I am rating higher in terms. And by that, I just mean that my, the dramas that I'm actually watching and finishing are dramas that I am enjoying because I'm rating them higher, which was always, you know, my aim was to be watching more, not to be watching more, but just to be watching dramas that I was really enjoying overall rather than watching, you know, it's the famous thing of quality over quantity.

And I think I'm reaching that stage finally where I'm watching less, but what I am watching is of a higher quality to me anyways. So I'm really enjoying that aspect of it. And yeah. So let's get into this, shall we? Now, guys, these are not. I did none. But so this there is 10 dramas that I put into this list.

They are numbered, but they aren't in like order of what I liked more to what I like to less in by no means. They are literally listed in the order that I finished them because that was just the easiest one. Now these are all scored between an 8.5 and A10. There are some 10s in here not many, but there are some 10s in here. So let's get into it.

The first one I finished like literally. I think this was very early on. I think I might have finished this in January. Although this is a 2024 drama, it finished airing on December 18th, but I didn't watch it until January. So I'm counting it to me as a 2025 drama because, you know, I watched it in 2025.

So that is the Korean drama Light shop. Now this was something that aired over on Disney and Hulu. It starred Juji Hoon, Papua Young, Kim Solhyon, based on Wu Onte Gu E Jung Hoon. So this is the reason why I went in because this cast was insane. I mean, Juji Hoon and Papua Young you had me sold right there.

But then you add E Jung Hoon, who is a very actress as well, and I was like, I'm sold. But I just really liked how different this kind of drama was. It was only 8 episodes of about 15 minutes each. So I really enjoyed the fact that this was a very quick binge, but it still went fairly deep into quite a few topics within, you know, Korean society and society in general.

So I really really liked it and the MDL description just reads. The series follows the story of a group of strangers who are all having a hard time processing horrible a horrible experience from their past. Each of them is going about their normal lives when they all strangely get pulled to a light shop located at the end of a dubious alleyway.

A cautious shopkeeper guards the light shop which may contain the key to the strangers pasts present and future. I really like that description actually because it tells you what it is without telling you what it is. So I ended up really, really just enjoying this drama. I rated this a nine out of 10. So you know, I the performances were well done. The story itself was well written. They really truly utilize the full 8 episodes. So I just really, really enjoyed this one. So that is the Korean drama Light Shop. Sorry.

The next one is one that I'm not going to go too much into detail. And the reason being is I have a review for this. I freaking loved this. And again, this is one that finished in December, but I didn't get to finish it till January because I went back home and this was not available back home. So it made it a little bit impossible to kind of watch.

And that is the Chinese drama Blossom. Now this is a drama that it is 34 episodes. It is a 10 cent video production, but it is available now on We TVITE Vicki and Netflix. It stars Manxi Yi as Dao and it stars Li Yun Re as Song MO. These two had so much chemistry that it was freaking insane and I'm so glad they're going to be working together again because they truly, truly just work together.

So the story kind of follows our female lead and the MDL description reads. After a tragic life filled with betrayal and injustice, Noblewoman dots out and expectedly wakes up years in the past, armed with the memories and regrets of a previous life and a mysterious, prophetic book. Determined to change her fate and protect her family, she forges A partnership with Song Mao, a general who shares her secret of rebirth.

Together they navigate navigate a court entry, hidden conspiracies and personal vendettas, slowly building trust and affection as allies who get a second chance to right the wrongs of their first lifetime. So I love that setup. I love whenever a character gets to go back and redo their story. And this was no, you know, this was just done so incredibly well. I rated this one A9 out of 10.

I can't remember. I do I did review it. I do remember having a couple of quibbles with it, mainly with some of the supporting actors, I think. But yeah, if you want to listen more than please check out the, you know, the full review on the podcast for it. And then, you know, you can listen to more in depth review of it and that's episode 113. So, you know, scroll back and get some more info. Now the next one is love Scout.

So reviewed on the podcast and I got Nas from swing Diaries to come and review it with me. I really loved it. There was something just so incredibly special about love Scout and about these true characters falling in love. I mean, and this male lead just being the absolute sweetest guy. It's absolutely written by a male.

I mean, a male written by a female for a female audience. And I was just here because competence is sexy and this guy was incredibly competent. So I loved it. It was really good. I did have a couple of qualms with it, mainly I think because some of the storylines got a little bitch, you know, dragged out.

But I did score a 9.5 out of 10. Now this is 12 episodes. It's ACBS drama, but you can also watch it on Vicky, which is where I watched it. Apparently it's also on Apple TV and it stars Han Ji Min and E John Hawk. And I think everybody and their mother fell in love with E John Hawk after this drama because he looked so good.

And again, competence is sexy. So if you want more thoughts on this one, scroll back on the pit on the podcast feed. It is episode 118 Nas and I had a blast reviewing this one and talking about it so that this one had to go in my list. It's one of my highest rated dramas of the year. So, you know, and you know what, just as a little aside, I'm really glad that in my in the first six months of the year, I have some K dramas in here because last year was abysmal for me personally for K dramas. And K dramas have not necessarily just been hitting for me, but I have 1234 Korean dramas, you know, in this top list.

So that makes me very excited. And so Next up is I Am Nobody season 2. Now, this is something that I actually watched with my partner and it is a 13 episode of Chinese drama. It is the continuation of you know, I am nobody, just the first season, and I actually ended up rating both seasons the exact same.

Now, this drama stars Ping Yu Chang and it also stars Wang Ying Lu and Hu Hao Ming Hao and Vicky Chen. So that's like your main cast for this drama. It is a Yoku drama and I don't think there's a lot I can say about it without kind of like giving spoilers. I did, I did review this over on the Patreon feed I believe, and the second season is called I Am Nobody.

The showdown between yin and Yang. This was actually a really, really interesting story and although it was only 13 episodes, I kind of almost wish it was a little bit longer because it was a really compelling story. So but you know, it is what it is. 13 episodes was still an OK length for it. I'm excited to see a third season.

However, I do believe the third season is going to be on 10 cent rather than Yoku and they will be changing some of the cast from what I hear and specifically the character played by Wang Li Ying Liu, who is Fung Bao Bao is going to be changed. And if that is the case then I probably won't be watching it because Wang Ying Liu is just so incredibly good as Fung Bao Bao. I just don't think I could see any else in this role. So if that's the case, I'm happy to leave it where it is. This is a show where you can kind of watch, you know, independently of well, you kind of need to watch season 1 and then watch season 2.

But season 2 has kind of like an ending to it, if that makes sense. There is like an overarching plot line that kind of I'm guessing they will carry into season 3, but the plot line 4 season 2 finishes in season 2, if that makes sense. So that is I am nobody season 2. I really enjoyed it. I scored it an 8.5 out of 10 which is the same thing I rated the first season.

Now Next up is Flourished Peony. I rated this one an 8.5 out of 10 and this one is 32 episodes. I am only talking about season 1 right now, mainly because I have not finished season 2. I know it's finished airing but I have been struggling a little bit with season 2 so it is what it is. This is a Hunan TV slash Mango TV production.

Mango TV belongs to Hunan TV so it's all the same thing and this aid from January 7th 2025 to January 22nd 2025 and a lot of people are very very excited because this does Yangzu and Li Xian and these two you know they Co star together in go go squid 1. So a lot of people are very excited to see them and me too. I was very, very excited and I definitely got it. I love this.

This is very much focused on women and, you know, Yangzu's character and her storyline. Now, I will say this is a little bit more focused on the business than I was expecting it to be at first, but for me, it worked. It's not going to work for everybody. These two have such incredible chemistry. Their relationship is built really, really well. So I just really liked it.

I like that it's a drama about women reaching for their dreams and, you know, women working to get to where they want against all of these incredible harsh, you know, difficulties. So I I just really, really liked it. It's beautiful to Sarah. It is a tongue dynasty drama and it is incredibly accurate. Actually, I was looking at some of the paintings and it is very, very accurate, which I was happy for. So.

Yeah. So that is flourished Peony. And again, I did review this. It is episode 120 of T and Soju and I will be back to review Season 2 because we said in that, you know, in that first review that if Season 2 whenever season 2 came out, we would come back and I will be bringing back my guest to, you know, review flourished Peony.

So I'm very excited about that. That's going to be you get a little spoiler here. That is going to be Season 4 material. So you know, expect that. And then we have obviously this list would not be a meal list without this drama. And that is the first frost. Now the first frost came and took everybody by storm.

It is fairly highly rated over on MDL. It's got an 8.9 overall. I rated it in 10 because I freaking loved it so much. I just think I don't know what it is that makes this drama so special, but I think it's just so incredibly well written. The characters are juicy so to speak, which isn't always the case in a modern drama.

It's not always as easy to make really complex characters in modern time setting because you don't have as much as like of the outside factors as you would in a historical. So to me they did such an incredible job to make such complex characters, especially when you fan. I just think her character is misunderstood by many, but I I loved her character and Zhang Runan just played her beautifully. We have obviously by Jing Ting, you know, the hot throb that by Jing Ting is playing Sang Yan.

And like I said, I was so incredibly worried when this first kind of came out because I was like, Oh my goodness, they're not bringing the characters back. They're not bringing, you know, Victor Ma to play Sang Yan. And that is a little bit upsetting, but actually watching it, I think by Jing Ting was perfect for the role.

And I treat this as a separate drama to the first frost, like this is separate to me. And that mentality kind of made, you know, the drama really, really work for me. So I loved it. You know, it is a Yoku drama. It aired from February 18th, 2025 to March 10th, 2025. And I'm not going to say much more because you have an extremely long podcast episode for this.

It is episode 122 and 123. I recorded this with Laura and Becky and guys, we recorded this for 8 hours. I kid you not, it was a shift. We started at like 7:00 in the afternoon UK time and by the time we finished it was close to half two in the morning. It was by far my longest ever, you know, chat that I had about a drama more specifically, I think because I had so many notes.

Laura had notes, Becky had notes and we kind of just really, really vibed and talked for a really long time. So I think I think that experience as well probably reflects a little bit of, you know, my feelings towards the drama, because I whenever I think of the first frost, I think of that recording and you know how long it was and just how much fun I had. So I think that, you know, kind of reflects on the score that I gave it as well.

I think if I were to critically really analyze it, I would probably give it like a nine or a 9.5. But I. Just could not, you know, go and not give it a 10. So that is the first frost. Next up is AK drama and it is the K Drama study group. Now this actually I watched with my partner. He loved it. I loved it.

It's 10 episodes. It's a teething drama and I watched it on Vicky and it stars Han Hwang, Min Hyun, Han Jiyoun, Cha Wu, Min Jung Hyun, Shin SU Hyun, and Yun Sang Jung. Now this is basically the story about a guy who just wants to like he just wants to study. This guy just wants to study and get good grades, but he happens to be a really good fighter and he hears about this school that is meant to be really good.

And then he gets there and the school is terrible and he basically set wants to set up a study group and bullies get involved, fight to get involved. It is what it is now the fight scenes in this, which are so incredibly well recorded, like filmed, that I was here for it. I loved watching Huang Min Heun in this. The way that this guy went from like a puppy to a I'm ready to break you all into pieces was insane to me and it worked so incredibly well.

Like my partner and I were watching this together and just having the best time. So I ended up scoring this a nine out of 10. And I just overall really, really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed the storyline. I think 10 episodes was kind of like perfect for it. It worked really, really well.

So So yeah, so that is study a group. And also this is not a type of drama that I usually gravitate towards. And the fact that I rated it a nine just kind of shows like how good it was for me personally. So the next one is the Chinese drama Such a Good Love. Now this drama is going to surprise a few people that it's on, you know, my top dramas for the first half of the year.

And I think, I don't know, it's not going to be to anybody, to everybody's cup of tea because this is a very realistic kind of drama and not everybody is going to enjoy that. It's actually got a 7.5 over on MDL. I scored it an 8.5 and out of 10. So it's the drama. Such a good love and it stars Wang and Yu and Wang Yu when it's available on WE TV and Vicky. It is 26 episodes and the MDL description just reads. The story follows the epic yet ordinary love journey of an 80s born couple in Beijing.

When the most talented young man, Zo Shui, meets the most loyal and righteous young woman, Dad G, they fall deeply in love. They dream of a better future in their cramped rental room and find joy amidst hardships, supporting and cherishing each other. 18 years later, a young couple born in the 2000s stumbles upon this recording of their love story, becoming spectators and commentate commentators of this tale of youthful romance at the intersection of these two generation sparks memories and reflections on love.

Is it worth it? Do we still dare to love as they did? And I think they do like ask questions like that throughout the whole drama. And it's like, if you know something along the lines of if you know it was bound to end, would you still start it? And I really enjoyed that storyline. These two characters can be very frustrating and I think that's why people kind of, you know, didn't enjoy it as much.

I think the ending is probably one of the reasons why people downgraded it so much. For me, it kind of worked because I think it worked with the characters. It is very realistic and that's why people don't necessarily enjoy it. I did end up reviewing this one, not on the podcast, but there is a review for it on the Patreon feed where I kind of read through all my notes and talk about my feelings about this show.

And honestly, I think if you kind of like slice of life that is a little bit more frustrating sometimes and a little bit more realistic, you might enjoy this one. I overall really did. The next one will be a shocker to nobody. Nobody, because I screamed and shouted about this drama to everybody who was, you know, ready to listen to me. And that is the Chinese drama, The Prisoner of Beauty. I loved this drama so much.

This is enemies to lovers done incredibly well. This is the kind of drama that I will be sat for every single time. The chemistry was so good. The writing was so good. Like overall the pacing of the drama was good. I just loved it beginning to end like 10 out of 10 no notes kind of situation. So yeah. So this, this, I said it as soon as it finished airing. I said this is going to be in my top three for 2025. I still feel like this is going to be in my top three for 2025 as of July 18th.

We'll see what happens because you know that we still have six months of the year, but I am pretty sure this will be in my top three now. This is 36 episodes. It's a 10 cent video drama and it stars songs who are and Lou Yuning as our main characters. You know, it's the classic story of these two come from enemy families and they get into an arranged marriage and, you know, shenanigans kind of ensue enemies to lovers. I I just loved it.

It was done so incredibly well. There is a couple of things that I could probably change in terms of like the bodies of the overall story, the villains themselves, but apart from that, like I loved it. Like this story is the main couple. The main couple is the story end of I did do a review on this one and that is episode 134 and I just loved it. So if you want to listen to me, you know, talk more about it, then check out that episode.

And then lastly, but by no means least, we have AK drama and that is our unwritten soul. This to me is probably one of the best K dramas I've watched so far this year. I know guys, you are going to come for me because you will be wondering where When Life Gives You Tangerines is that look, I got spoiled at the ending of the ending.

I got spoiled literally within about half an hour of the episodes being out. The last episodes being out, I got spoiled and I got so frustrated that I got spoiled that I still have yet to finish. When Life Gives You Tangerines. I will absolutely finish it before the end of the year. But I just wanted a little bit of distance, you know, make myself forget about it and then come back and kind of finish it off because I was just so freaking annoyed.

Don't don't spoil stuff for other people, you know? And I'm usually not one to really care for spoilers, but I don't know, it just made me really frustrated And so. But back to our unwritten soul. This is a TVN drama. It is 12 episodes and it stars Park Boy young, packed Jin Yang and Ru Ru Kyung Soo. Now Park ball gum actually Park boy Young, not Park Ball gum Park boy Young actually plays twin sisters, so she plays Yumi G and Yumi Re and one of the twin sisters has a relationship with Park Jean Young's character. The other kind of has a relationship with Ru Kyung SU's. Now I was very much a fan of one of the plot, one of the twin sisters story and not as as much as the other one. So the one you know, blonde

hair. I think it's Park me Jean Yumi G. You know who has, um, you know who, who was a promising track and field athlete and then kind of that got taken away from her. I really liked her storyline much more. I loved her chemistry with Park Junie Youngs character. And I think Park, Junie Youngs character as well, was just, you know, really good.

He had really great development and I ended up enjoying that a lot. So this is all available on Netflix now. My biggest quibble with this show was how freaking long these episodes were. I mean, some of the episodes were hitting one hour 30. And I think when you have such long episodes, the episodes themselves sag in the middle because it's a movie length, but you're not telling a whole movie storyline in one episode.

So the pacing was a little bit of a problem for me, mainly because the episodes were so long. I wish they would have been shorter and just made it 16 episodes because technically that's what it is. These are like 16 episode K dramas, but they almost cut it to 12 and like make them one hour 20, which is just, you know, a little bit too long for me.

So that was probably like one of my biggest quibbles with this. But overall, I really, really enjoyed it. It's, you know, probably like I said, one of my favorite K dramas, you know, for 2025. So that is it guys. That is my top ten in no particular order, because if I were to reorder them, they would definitely not be.

They are just in the order that I watched to them. It would be like the K drama, like shop, the C drama, blossom, the K drama, love scout, the C drama. I am nobody season 2 the C drama flourished Peony season 1, the C drama, the first frost, the K drama study group, the C drama such a good love and the C drama the prisoner of beauty and then the K drama out and written soul.

So that is all the dramas for my you know, for the for my mid year review for the first six months of 2025. So now we are going on to the part of the episode where I'm going to read through, you know, what you guys sent in and your choices. So the first one is Judy KLS and they said Legend of Shanghai with the Prisoner of Beauty close behind. But yeah, I was hooked and could barely breathe. The Legend of Shanghai is one that I need to finish as well. I think it'll probably be one of my top dramas for 2025, but I need to finish it.

And I think this summer for me just isn't 1 where I want to be watching really heavy politics, which is what The Legend of Shanghai is. But I am going to be reviewing that on the podcast to season 4, so to that to come your way. But those are really good choices. And then we have Amber and she said flourish to Peony.

So, you know, I, we've already said talked about that one. We have Mia and she said a dream, a dream within a dream. I actually ended up really enjoying that one. I think it could have been shorter and that was my main problem. But overall, it's just a lot of fun watching that one. And the last 6 episodes were really, really good. We have Alika and they said Moonlight Mystique, which I reviewed on the podcast A Dream Within a Dream, 7 Relics of Ill Omen and The Best thing.

So those are all really good choices. I have watched all of those bar 7 Relics of Ill Omen which I started and I will admit I was a little bit bored so I kind of put it on on hold. But you know, again, really good choices. Then we have Sin Sin and they said first for us for sure is number one on my list.

Acting, story, cinematography, OST, the whole package. Even the bad stuff to the noble idiocy and it's true, like even the noble idiocy was good. In the first frost we have Gemma and Gemma said it's been Korean dramas for me this year. When Life Gives you Tangerines was one of those dramas that just spoke to your soul. I've never cried so much, but at the same time felt uplifted by a drama, the truest slice of life.

But for me it was dear Hong Rang that grabbed me. I'm a deep thinker and this story for me has so many discreet nuances that made this story very deep. It left me very thoughtful after each episode. Yes, it was dark, but beautifully so because it spoke to humanity. I've already rewatched it but intend to do again on my flight to Korea later this year.

On a less deep level, the fight scenes are something else. Oh, and mercy for none, The cinematography, the choreography of these those fight scenes and the simple story that delivered on excitement and revenge. And what dramas are about entertainment? I definitely want to watch that again. All 310 out of 10.

I have yet to actually watch any of those. Well, I started when Life gives you Tangerines, but we've already talked about that. So OG Drummond said favorite 2025 drama released in 2025 was First Frost. Good story, good cinematography, great relationship development. Greenest of green flags. Male lead, terrific female lead.

Thoroughly enjoyed. Favorite drama watched in 2025 regardless of release date was Light the Night. I think this is a Taiwanese drama. This is not what they said. This is what I'm saying. I'm pretty sure Light the Night is Taiwanese but I may be wrong. And the characters top to bottom were fully fleshed out, relationships were developed and explored in depth.

The mystery itself was well plotted and the format kit keeping us in the dark for a bit as to who died was novel and well executed. The cinematography, the acting were a plus. Just top notch drama. I have watched like the night. I'm just trying to think. I'm pretty sure it's a Taiwanese drama but it is actually really good drama. I did enjoy it when I watched it. Soro said my top three would be Love Scout. A light yet mature love story.

First Frost, serious issues and gripping romance at the legend of Zang Zang Hai. Superb acting and such an engaging narrative. Then we have Rory and they said when life gives you Tangerines or the art of negotiation. Enjoying marry my husband Japan right now. I'm also enjoying marry my husband Japan.

I've already spoken about it over on TikTok, but I I'm really enjoying it actually. Then we have Megan and Megan said my top three, the first frost and surprise and surprising considering my love of Bai Jing Ting. But I really love how they portrayed such complex story and more so when he fan. A lot of people saw her as week but I found her to be incredibly strong but not in your typical way. She's a really dear character to my heart and the romance of course is 10 out of 10 for me.

Secondly, or you know #2 flourished P&E which gave me the well done historical I was craving for this year. Both Yang Zhu and Li Xian excelled in their roles and I loved the friendship. And then in 3rd Legend of Zanghai, cleverly plotted and intense. Each episode mattered and worked towards the plot.

Nothing fell wasteful and I even felt sorry for for some of the baddies. Well written characters. I also loved the romance which was woven in naturally. Honorable mention to Always Home, one of my favorite comforting youth dramas. I think this is very underrated due to lesser popular actors as Leeds Northward which showed our by Lou in a different light and just what she can do acting wise and the Prisoner of Beauty with its enemies to lovers done well and a clever female lead who stays clever.

I like that she didn't have to have martial arts to best others and the leads romance was very natural progression. Also honorable mention to Begin Again which technically came out at the end of last year but ran into this year. A beautifully done drama that felt like a film I want to go back to begin again, especially because it's all filmed, or a lot of it is filmed in Macau and there's so much like Portuguese influence there. So I definitely want to go back to it. But I just want to go.

I just want to find some time where I can binge the rest of the episode. So, you know, those are all really good choices. Megan Moody Sunrise said my favorite so far this year were Guardians of the Daft Punk because it was so light hearted and fun to watch. Even though the female lead was kind of met for me.

My other favorite would be Zhang Kai and the Legend with Shao Zhan. I liked it. It's intellectual nature and production of value, and I actually ended up quite enjoying Guardians of the Darfang. I think for me personally, in the beginning it was a little bit too all over the place, as in you didn't really know what the plot was meant to be, but overall it was really good.

Like Wanker D in Guardians of the Darfang was just that role was written for him and I think the the female lead, it wasn't her fault because I've seen her in other stuff and she's good. I think it was like how she was written for sure. Then we have Ange Boo and they said the best thing see drama.

It came out just the right time for me. I agree. Like the best thing is one of those things that you watch when you just want like nothing. I don't know, when you're just needing something really, really easy to watch. That's kind of like what that drama is. We have one bookish K mom and they said the first frost hands down.

I mean, I've already raved about the first frost. You guys know, you know, my love for this show is real. We have Yan Wei Di. They said the only 2025 releases I've watched are I Am Nobody Season 2 and Filter really enjoyed them both when she was great. And I Am Nobody. I was watched Filter a couple of months after it came out and it was just what I needed because it's been a rough spring and summer.

I hope it gets better for you and I hope it's like on the way up. But I get it. Filter is one of those dramas that you can absolutely, you know, watch when you just want your brain to kind of, you know, turn down a little bit. That works perfectly for that. So Lily Jane said Umi Nu Hajimari, which I believe the English translation is where the C begins, which is I love to that drama, that Jay drama. It's not 2025 drama, but I watched it this year for 2025 dramas.

Unfortunately, there is nothing that I was really into. Perhaps Eat one Love, but I know that's a very unpopular opinion. Look, we all like what we like, you know, we gravitate towards different things and that's what makes life fun because if we were all to like the same thing, then it would just be incredibly boring to do so. And then we have Tanya and she said I've been dropping more shows than finishing in 2025, but just went through my MDL list and there are only four I've given 10 out of 10 this year.

First Frost I'm a sucker for a second chance romance and this one hit all my buttons. Everything was perfect. Chemistry between the leads, the overall cast, cinematography, OST, production, wardrobe. Good novel adaptation. Especially loved how Zhang Ru Nan portrayed Wani Fan's character. Begin again.

I loved everything about this show but especially the setting, Macau, the beautiful cinematography and the healing journeys of all the characters. Always home, such a comforting watch. It became one of my favorite youth dramas of all time. And I'll remember this trio of friends forever. Prisoner of beauty, compelling plot and one of my favorite female leads in a historical drama. All the very good choices.

And then we have 55 Sue Bears and they've said I feel Love in Pavilion is criminally underrated. Look, I have a lot of notes on Love in Pavilion and I probably will end up, you know, reviewing it at some point, whether it will be a page review or a podcast review, I'm not sure yet. And I liked it in certain points, but I think there was a lot of things that could have been done better. And that was, you know, my biggest problem. But I'm glad that you enjoyed it. And, you know, I think there is a lot of people out there who also really, really enjoyed that one Drama lover 93 put them, she said they said I'll list them by country. Korean when life gives you Tangerines. Great acting, storytelling,

writing, just everything. It's an epic slice of life, strong second to the tale of Lady Oak which stole my heart. Chinese, the prisoner of beauty. Great acting, chemistry, storytelling. I love dramas with smart leads and the enemies to lovers. Narrative was well executed. Japanese Light of my Lion a non 2025 drama that stole my heart and kept me on my toes. A slice of life drama interwoven into an intriguing mystery. I love the family at the center of the show and actively rooted for them.

Thai Mad Unicorn the only 2025 Thai show I've watched but it sucked me in from the very beginning and I enjoyed the right till the end. A classic David versus Goliath a story Taiwanese Living A non 2025 drama starring Chris Wu that kept me engaged from start to finish. Male lead is going through a crisis and decides to return home. Before making a big decision, he reconnected with his family and rediscovered why family is important. Just a great show.

I actually really want to watch Living because this was one of the highest rated dramas over on Durban from 2024. So this one is absolutely on my you know to watch list for at some point. I will get around to it at some point but I definitely, definitely want to watch it. So that is it. I think over overall, so far, we've had an OK drama here. I've had a few dramas where I've been like, Oh my gosh, this has been, you know, really good.

I feel like it's already better than 2024, especially in terms of Chinese dramas. I feel like there's more Chinese dramas that I'm watching. I do find that a lot of my choices are historical over, you know, all my top dramas. I'm way more, I'm gravitating way more towards historical, which is always fun to figure out.

But overall I think we're good. I hope that for the next 6 months we still get some really, really good, you know, whether it be regardless Chinese dramas, K dramas, Japanese dramas. I am watching a few more Japanese dramas, which I'm excited to talk about in like currently watching list next week. So so yeah, let's hope that we get a really good, you know, last half of the yeah, and that we get, you know, more and better dramas, although some of these will be hard to beat, like The Prisoner of Beauty and The First Frost for me personally will be incredibly hard to beat.

But we shall see. We shall see what you know, I see drama landed delivers this year. So that is it guys. That is the episode. I hope you guys have enjoyed it and please let me know down in the comments, whether it be on Instagram or on Spotify, you know, what has been your favorite drama for the first half of the year and why? I would love to, you know, read through some of those comments. So that is it.

I hope everything is going well for you in your corner of the world and I shall catch you next time. Bye.

Mid Year Roundup - The Drama Highlights of 2025 (So Far) (Ep.139)

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