Dramabuds!

Things are starting to look up in Kdramaland recently, and today, Francine recaps the dramas she’s watched in the past 3 months. Here’s to a more exciting second half of the year! 🥂 Features the following shows: Anna; What’s Up; One Sunny Day; Something in the Rain; The Glory; The Good Bad Mother; Doctor Cha; Dr Romantic 3; Queenmaker; Race; One Spring Night + more Talk to us on Twitter! https://...

For marriage of convenience & cohabitation lovers, Francine discusses the similar tropes—and her similar feelings—for a Kdrama (Because This is My First Life) and a Jdrama (The Full-Time Wife Escapist) together for the first time on the podcast 💍 Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp Join our new Discord server to meet other Kdrama (and other Asian drama) lovers 💕 https://disc...

No more excuses for bad writing and poor planning in this season, and the out of character decisions made by Eun-jae in recent eps have finally crossed the line for Francine. This episode is in defense of her favorite lead in the Dr Romantic series, Cha Eun-jae (played by Lee Sung-kyung), whose character is being butchered by the writers in their most lackluster season yet. Talk to us on Twitter!...

Francine has discovered another slice-of-life gem in the Jdrama world: MY DEAR EXES/Omameda Towako and Her Three Ex-Husbands 💕 Highly recommended for anyone looking for a light and wacky drama with a lovable female lead, like the protagonists of Doctor Cha and Crash Course in Romance! Fun fact: this is written by her current favorite Jdrama writer, Sakamoto Yuji, who won the Best Screenplay award...

Is season 3 of DR ROMANTIC a worthy follow-up to one of Francine’s favorite Kdramas of all time? She weighs in on the first 10 episodes of DR ROMANTIC 3: the fresh spin on old themes, the new (and sometimes controversial) side characters, and the episodes that keep getting better and better. Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp Join our new Discord server to meet other Kdrama (...

Is Francine’s Kdrama slump finally cured? Today, she shares her first impressions on THE GOOD BAD MOTHER, a tearjerker and an acting masterclass. It has some of the best written morally grey characters she’s seen in a while, even though some scenes are VERY hard to watch 🥲 Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp Join our new Discord server to meet other Kdrama (and other Asian dr...

We’re celebrating the 100th episode of Dramabuds by talking about Francine’s ultimate love: musicals! She quickly recaps a bunch of musical dramas, the kind of music they feature, and pitches 3 of her dream musical dramas + casting 🫶 Thank you to everyone who has listened to the pod and shared it to other drama lovers! Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp Join our new Discord...

Part 2 of our Makoto Shinkai Massive Movie Review is here, and we’re finally talking about SUZUME, his latest work! Beware of major spoilers in one segment, sorry 😅 Also includes quick (and maybe controversial) reactions to the winners of the recent Baeksang Arts Awards in the intro. Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp Join our new Discord server to meet other Kdrama (and oth...

Today, Francine enters the world of movie reviews?!?! This is Part 1 of a 2-episode recording with a guest where they gush over and rant about Makoto Shinkai’s 2 major films, YOUR NAME (2016) and WEATHERING WITH YOU (2019). Next week’s episode talks about SUZUME, his latest work! Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp Join our new Discord server to meet other Kdrama (and other As...

CALL IT LOVE is proof that the romance melodrama genre isn’t dead! ❤️‍🩹 Today, Francine dives into the drama’s characters, her initial fears about the show, and how this slow melo managed to become her (current) fave drama of 2023. Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp Join our new Discord server to meet other Kdrama (and other Asian drama) lovers 💕 https://discord.gg/44gGwrSe...

On today’s episode, Francine ranks 30 couples from some of her top rated Kdramas and explains why some of them are her Dreams Come True, while others make her go…… Why Why Why……… Here’s the link if you want to do this tier list too (and share your ranking on Twitter or Discord with us!): https://tiermaker.com/create/kdrama-couples-ranking-15618775 Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabu...

Lots of love and hate in today's episode of Dramabuds! Francine’s January to March recap is full of the dramas she’s gatekeeping (for now), the actors she’s personally blacklisting, and many more hot takes on the following dramas: Dream High; Recipe for Farewell; Payback: Money and Power; Love to Hate You; The Interest of Love; Crash Course in Romance; Divorce Attorney Shin; Call It Love; The Glor...

We’re officially starting our Jdrama Journey with LIFE’S PUNCHLINE, a 2021 drama about a failed comedy group and their biggest fan. Francine talks about their amazing cast chemistry, the Kdramas that tackle similar themes of failure & change, and all the dramas and idols that gave her comfort when she needed it the most 💖 Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp Join our new D...

Part 2 of ISLAND finished airing, and……… well. 🫥 Here is Francine’s very critical (but very affectionate!) review of the entire drama, and despite its many flaws, we can see just how much the cast and staff poured into trying to make this show work— even if it didn’t. Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp Join our new Discord server to meet other Kdrama (and other Asian drama)...

After months of waiting, Part 2 of THE GLORY is finally coming on March 10! Join Francine as she recaps the first half of the show and shares her thoughts on Part 1 and her expectations for the much-anticipated Part 2 🍿  Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp Join our new Discord server to meet other Kdrama (and other Asian drama) lovers 💕 https://discord.gg/44gGwrSeN3 🌺...

Korea’s most controversial survival show series is back, and it’s as overdramatic as ever 😵‍💫 On today’s episode, Francine talks about all her favorite trainees on BOYS PLANET, the ones that Mnet clearly wants in the group, and those that they’re trying to evil edit out of the show. She also hypes up the much better ongoing survival show that deserves all this attention and buzz instead: PEAK TI...

Are you tired of romcom Kdramas but still need a romance fix? Today, Francine reviews(?) two buzz-worthy Korean dating shows from last year: Single’s Inferno 2 and Transit Love/EXchange 2— with a brief segment on Terrace House, the Japanese reality show franchise that she once LOVED, back in the day 🥺 Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp 🌺 TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (4:19) Sin...

Goodbye(?), Kdramas— Francine is finally entering the world of Jdramas ✈️  She’s kickstarting her Jdrama phase with some new selections available on Netflix: ❄️ First Love: Hatsukoi 🍚 The Makanai: Cooking For The Maiko House 🎻 Quartet Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp 🌺 TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (2:49) First Love: Hatsukoi (11:34) The Makanai: Cooking...

There are a LOT of things going on in each of the Kdramas we’re currently watching 😵‍💫  Here’s our first impressions on them, if you want to know if they’re worth checking out! You can stream Payback: Money and Power on Prime Video, Crash Course in Romance on Netflix, and Strangers Again on Viki 🍿 Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp 🌺 TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (1:59)...

ISLAND is Francine’s most recent guilty pleasure Kdrama! She’s hopeful that part 2 (coming to Prime Video on February 25) will continue to get better and better, even if Part 1 wasn’t exactly the greatest 🫣 She also rants about the recent trend of splitting Kdramas into 2 “seasons” and how much she hates it, especially for this Kdrama. Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp 🌺 &...

(feat. Francine’s thoughts on the Single’s Inferno 2 finale and the final couples 🫣) UNDER THE QUEEN’S UMBRELLA is Francine’s top 3 drama of 2022— and possibly has one of the most satisfying endings she’s watched in a long, long time in Kdramas. Today’s episode is her overdue review of the show, her favorite character moments, and her mini-rant about why not all good endings need to be happy endi...

Hello, 2023! Before we start another year of (hopefully) amazing Kdramas, let’s recognize some of Francine’s favorites from the 31 dramas she watched in 2022. Some winners are predictable, given the dramas she’s talked about loving this year, but there are some surprise winners in the mix too 🫣 She also talks briefly about some dramas that premiered in the last 2 weeks: The Interest of Love; The...

4x11 | Fourth Quarter Recap: Weak Hero Class 1, Summer Strike, Single’s Inferno 2 (?!?!?), and more Today on Dramabuds, Francine recaps the dramas she watched (and dropped) in her unproductive October to November and her ongoing Kdrama slump 😢 Features the following shows: Little Women, Under the Queen’s Umbrella, Unicorn, Yonder, Weak Hero Class 1, Mental Coach Jegal, Reborn Rich, Curtain Call,...

4x10 | Mother feat. Little Women (Reviews, Recaps, and Rants) Today, Francine reviews MOTHER (2018), the highly-acclaimed thriller melodrama that won Best Drama in the Baeksang Arts Awards in 2018. She also briefly talks about how LITTLE WOMEN, by the same writer, wasn’t exactly the masterpiece drama that she was hoping it would be 😅 Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp 🌺  fr...

4x9 | Reborn Rich (First Impressions) Francine shares her thoughts on the first 6 episodes of Korea’s hottest new drama, REBORN RICH. With a star-studded cast and the writer of DESIGNATED SURVIVOR: 60 DAYS, she talks about whether or not she’ll continue tuning in, despite the promising premise and stellar performances. Talk to us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/dramabuds_tkp 🌺  francine TIME...