Dramabuds!

2x14 | October - November Premieres (First Impressions) So many Kdramas to watch, too little time 😢 This week on Dramabuds, Francine shares her first impressions on all the ongoing shows she started watching recently: Now We are Breaking Up, Melancholia, Dr Brain, IDOL: The Coup and Jirisan. Feel free to send us questions that you'd like our host to discuss on the show! You can talk to us on Face...

2x12 | Should Kdramas have multiple seasons? (Ask Me Anything) More and more Kdramas have been announcing and releasing multiple seasons of their shows, something Francine strongly dislikes 😅 Today on Dramabuds, we talk about this growing trend, some Kdramas that did it well (and not-so-well), and the shows that NEED another season 👀 Features the following shows: Kingdom (2019-2020); Dr. Romanti...

2x11 | What does Slice-of-Life even mean? (Ask Me Anything) "What is slice-of-life? Are all chill shows necessarily slice-of-life? Does it have to be a workplace drama?" Today on Dramabuds, Francine talks about her favorite genre of Kdramas, slice-of-life, and the many misconceptions surrounding it. Features the following shows: Misaeng (2014); Reply 1997 (2012); Reply 1994 (2013); Reply 1988 (201...

2021 SPECIAL | Third Quarter Recap We're back with another recap of all the Kdramas that Francine watched in the last 3 months! She gives short reviews on each of them and dishes on the many (MANY) Kdramas she's looking forward to in the rest of the year. Features the following shows: Misty (2017); Into the Ring (2020); One Spring Night (2019); Racket Boys (2021); Hospital Playlist 2 (2021); Polic...

2x08 | Nevertheless + You are My Spring (Reviews, Recaps, and Rants) Join Francine and her sister, Ilene, as they host an unfiltered rant session about two recent Kdramas: NEVERTHELESS (2021), the most talked about Kdrama of the past season, and YOU ARE MY SPRING (2021), their underrated fave. Features the following shows: Nevertheless (2021); You are My Spring (2021) Feel free to send us question...

2x07 | While You Were Sleeping + writer Park Hye Ryun's dramas (Second Chances) On today's episode of Dramabuds, Francine gives WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING (2017) a second chance. She also does a deep dive into writer Park Hye Ryun's other works and how they all compare to each other. Features the following shows: While You Were Sleeping (2017); I Hear Your Voice (2013); Pinocchio (2015); Start-Up Fee...

2x06 | How are other Asian dramas different from Kdramas? (Ask Me Anything) For fans of Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, and Thai dramas: today's episode of Dramabuds talks about dramas from different Asian countries!! Francine hasn't actually watched anything aside from Kdramas, so she invited a very special guest, Panjie, for light and fun talk about Panjie's favorites. Features a lot of Kdramas, C...

2x05 | Reply 1994 (Reviews, Recaps, and Rants) Today's review features the neglected middle child of the Reply series, REPLY 1994 (2013). Surprise, surprise: it's actually Francine's favorite among the three! Today, she talks about what made her like this Kdrama (even if many didn't) and the common sickness of all the Reply shows. P.S. Is anyone interested in a full comparison episode for these sh...

2x04 | Goblin (Rewatch Retrospective) Rewatch Retrospective is a new segment on Dramabuds where Francine revisits shows she watched but hasn't reviewed before. Today's episode features GOBLIN (2016), a modern classic that was hugely popular in Korea and in the rest of the world. Francine tackles her rewatching experience, her newfound appreciation for the show, and how Goblin paved the way for fan...

2x03 | You are My Spring (First Impressions) Today's episode of Dramabuds features YOU ARE MY SPRING (2021), an ongoing Kdrama that Francine eagerly looked forward to before its premiere. To her (pleasant) surprise, it's a perfect blend of slow-burn romance with a thrilling mystery, featuring one of her favorite Kdrama actresses, Seo Hyun Jin. Features the following shows: You are My Spring (2021)...

2x02 | Hospital Playlist 2 (First Impressions) In First Impressions, Francine talks about the first few episodes of the show she's watching and what she thinks of it so far. Today's episode of Dramabuds features HOSPITAL PLAYLIST 2 (2021), the much anticipated second season of Francine's favorite Kdrama from 2020. As much as she loves the show and the cast, today she talks about her thoughts from...

2x01 | Designated Survivor: 60 Days (Reviews, Recaps and Rants) The first episode of Dramabuds Season 2 features our host's new favorite Kdrama of this year: DESIGNATED SURVIVOR: 60 DAYS (2019). She talks about the fine line between mysterious acting and ambiguous acting (aka not knowing how to act), her newfound fave protagonist, and why Korean remakes are (almost) always better than their Americ...

2021 SPECIAL | Second Quarter Recap Before we officially start Season 2 of Dramabuds, let's revisit all the shows our host has watched for the past 3 months. Be prepared for a lot more rants than usual, including but not limited to: calling Vincenzo overrated, defending Kang Ha Na (Esom's character from Taxi Driver), and giving her two cents on Song Kang's acting. Features the following shows: Pin...

1x30 | Who are your favorite Kdrama actors and actresses? (Ask Me Anything) For the final episode of Dramabuds Season 1, our host talks about all her favorite actors and actresses. Prepare for a lot of gushing, a little bit of ranting, and a fair amount of fangirling :') Features the following shows: Hyena (2020); Signal (2016); Dr Romantic (2016); Dr Romantic 2 (2020); Another Miss Oh (2017); Bla...

1x29 | What Kdramas would you recommend to new fans? (Ask Me Anything) On today's episode of Dramabuds, Francine talks about the shows she would recommend to newbies who want to get into the wonderful world of Kdramas. She talks about pandering to Western tastes, underdog stories, and the universality of good storytelling. Features the following shows: Goblin (2017); Reply 1988 (2015); Hospital Pl...

1x28 | Who are your favorite Kdrama couples? (Ask Me Anything) Today's episode features our host gushing over all her favorite Kdrama couples (spoilers on which couples are in the featured shows below 👀). She also talks about her aversion to romcoms, her friends to lovers obsession, and the very few couples that she actually rooted for while watching their shows. Features the following shows: Fig...

1x27 | I Hear Your Voice (Reviews, Recaps, and Rants) Today's episode of Dramabuds starts with our host's reactions on the winners of the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards. She then goes on to talk about I HEAR YOUR VOICE (2013), the first (and hopefully not the last) work of writer Park Hye Ryun that she genuinely enjoyed. On this episode, she talks about her new favorite 2nd lead, the pitfalls of noona...

1x26 | Dear My Friends (Reviews, Recaps, and Rants) Reviews, Recaps, and Rants are back! On today's episode, Francine talks about her current favorite Kdrama that she watched this year: DEAR MY FRIENDS (2016), a Baeksang Best Drama and Best Screenplay winner. She talks about platonic love, familial love, and her endless love for writer Noh Hee Kyung's works. Features the following shows: Dear My F...

1x25 | Who are your Baeksang bets? (Ask Me Anything) Today's episode talks about all of the nominees for the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards. Our host is joined by her sister, Ilene, and together, they discuss their personal bets for who might win in each category, the many reasons why some nominees have a good chance (while others don't), and why these award shows aren't the be all, end all of quality...

1x24 | What makes formulaic Kdramas good (or bad)? (Ask Me Anything) After finishing PINOCCHIO (2015), our host figured out that writer Park Hye Ryun's personal writing formula is both her greatest strength and the downfall of her most recent work. Today's episode features a detailed analysis on the tropes and plot devices that some Kdrama writers use, how that formula helps them deliver great wor...

1x23 | What do you watch when you’re tired of Kdramas? (Ask Me Anything) As she’s dealing with a Kdrama slump, Francine talks about all of the variety shows that have helped her pass the time. Today’s episode features a lot of variety shows, so many names of entertainers (who you may or may not know), and descriptions of funny moments that aren’t half as funny if you're not watching it (so check t...

1x22 | What makes you rewatch Kdramas? (Ask Me Anything) With the hundreds (possibly thousands?) of Kdramas to watch out there, what makes rewatching shows even worth your time? On today’s episode, Francine talks about the various Kdramas she’s planning on rewatching and the reasons why. She also delivers a soliloquy on the masterpiece that is MY MISTER (2018), and yes, she is fully aware that she...

1x21 | How do you judge Kdramas? (Ask Me Anything) Today’s episode features a new segment on Dramabuds: Ask Me Anything, where Francine answers Kdrama-related questions from the listeners (or from herself). Today is all about how she judges and forms her opinions on Kdramas and the actors/actresses that she watches. It’s long and it’s a lot, but hopefully, it explains why our host has so many opin...

2021 SPECIAL | First Quarter Recap On today's special episode of Dramabuds, Francine talks about her very productive first quarter of 2021. She gives flash reviews on the 21 shows she finished from January to March and not-so-quick thoughts on the currently ongoing shows she’s subscribed to. Potential spoilers ahead for many, many Kdramas (literally 21 shows I am so sorry).

1x20 | Be Melodramatic (Reviews, Recaps, and Rants) BE MELODRAMATIC (2019) is the perfect example of how quirky and chatty can be done perfectly right. On today’s episode, Francine discusses her favorite comedic genre, sudden epiphanies, and the benefits of complete creative control.