This Siti Never Sleeps At Night

Up all night so you know what to watch, read, and hear

Tag Archives: TVSeries


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🛑[Drop Report]: Can This Love Be Translated? – 8/12

The Breakup Moment: If you have read my Weekly Watchlist post, I gave this show a 🦋 rating. I had to pull the plug at Episode 8 when I felt that the mental health issue of the female lead was taken too lightly for me to continue.

💤 Why I’m Choosing Sleep Over This:

  • The “Wait, What?” Factor: The use of dissociative identity disorder (DID) as a plot device for a romantic story or even a rom-com is incredibly insensitive. What happened in Episode 8 really made zero sense to me!
  • Character Chemistry: I don’t have a problem with the two main characters – Joo Ho Jin and Cha Mu Hee. They actually look good together. It’s the usage of Do Ra Mi appearing for no reason at most times is what pissing me off.
  • The Pace: Okay, it is way too slow. When you see the main couple about to get it together, plot twists – it’s either Shin Ji Sun, Hiro or Do Ra Mi. There’s only so much that I can take as a viewer.

📉 The “Sleepy Scale” at the Time of Death:

  • Rating: 🦋 Heart-Flutter (Well, it was heart-fluttering until it was absolutely not. Instead, it became 😠)
  • Verdict: Not worth my blood pressure going up.

🌙 The Deep Dive (Why it went wrong)

Spoiler Alert: This section contains details up to Episode 8.

  • The Do Ra Mi Problem: I understand that Cha Mu Hee had a traumatic experience that led her to have DID. Do Ra Mi is her alter. I get it. Do Ra Mi appearing to protect her during overwhelming experiences like the event with her horrible family. Understandable. But why did she just appear when Cha Mu Hee ask into the mirror? “What will Do Ra Mi do now when I close my eyes?” or something along those lines. What? And Do Ra Mi proceeded to strut her way to Hiro and kiss him? Look, I don’t have DID but what is traumatic or overwhelming about the so-called date with Hiro? Cha Mu Hee already apologized for not remembering and partly not being able to understand him. Maybe it is overwhelming for Cha Mu Hee. But as a viewer of a drama, it is too light-hearted of a situation for an alter to come out. In this case, I felt that Do Ra Mi is just being used as a plot device to make a romance story between her and Hiro. That makes no sense!
  • Plot Twists: I am okay with slow burn. And most people who like this show commented about the slow burn. Sure, totally understandable. But the amount of twists and turns of this show is like that road that Joo Ho Jin drove in Canada in one of the episodes. Everytime the two main characters looked like they were about to get it together, someone or something would just come up and spoil the plans. And then it’s back to these two just staring teary-eyed at each other. Like really? I signed up for a rom-com and not driving down the winding roads of the relationship of these two.

🔄️ The “Watch This Instead” Recommendation

Since we’re not watching this anymore, here is what you should put on your screen instead:

  • If you want to watch a show that treat DID in a less light-hearted way: United States of Tara (though do note that it is more on the extreme side and realistically, such extreme cases are rare) or It’s Okay, That’s Love (one of the side characters have DID and the show did do a little more justice to people struggling with mental health).
  • If you want to watch Kim Seon Ho: The Childe. I know it’s a not a drama but a movie. But he really surprised me here.
  • If you want to watch Go Youn Jung: Moving or Sweet Home.

💬 What do you think?

Am I being too hard? Does it make sense after Episode 8 or was I right to save my sleep? Let me know!

Stay awake with me (or not),
Siti


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📺 TV Review: Wind Up (2026) – ☕🦋

Season/Episodes Covered: Season 1, Episodes 1-50

Quick Spark: A promising high school baseball player struggled with yips, putting his sports career in jeopardy. A mysterious transfer student appeared to help.

The Hook: It’s an almost 2-min duration for each episode. There are 50 episodes, which makes the whole drama to be 100 mins. Not even 2 hours. Very easy to consume with it’s TikTok/YouTube Shorts/Instagram Story format. The only problem? You have to pay to watch all 50 episodes or you will wait. Fortunately, for those who are reading this, yours truly paid to watch all 50 episodes. That’s the hook. If you set your settings to the default, the next episode will just play automatically. This format works for me. Though, I wish it’s longer. The director is the same one for Move To Heaven. That might clue you in on what to expect for this bromantic drama. I will not spoil it.

Character Chemistry: Both Jeno and Jaemin are members from the K-pop group, NCT or the sub-unit, NCT Dream. And they have both been known by fans as best friends and even twins. So, there is no doubt about their chemistry. But how’s their acting as their characters? They are not Jeno and Jaemin here. But Woo Jin and Tae Hee. It’s Jeno’s first time as an actor. On the other hand, it’s not Jaemin’s first foray in the acting world. For Jaemin, he’s also been known as the doppelganger of Nam Goong Min. And he does prove that he should be getting more acting offers. Jeno, for a first-timer, does quite well portraying his character. As fans would know, this man does not have an angry bone in his body. But Woo Jin is almost always angry. For good reasons. He does well in acting with his eyes. On stage, he has been known to be quite expressive. And he does the same here. And both of them together? Heartbreakingly sweet. This is supposed to be a bromance drama. Honestly speaking, as a BL watcher, this is toeing the line between bromance and BL. It’s a very thin line.

Pacing Check: It’s 2 mins each episode for 50 episodes. It’s not slow and it’s definitely very quick. I really wish it’s longer. If it’s a full-fledged drama – 12 or 16 episodes – I think the director would be able to flesh out each character more. Delve a little deeper with their back-story. But even with this short drama, the director did manage to touch a little bit of it without it being awkward. Each one makes sense. The flow is actually quite okay as well. I hope that if it does really well in Kitz app, the director would consider doing a full-fledged drama of it. It is a good coming-of-age youth sports drama that is worth to be shown outside of the Kitz app.

Final Sleepy Rating: ☕🦋 Wide Awake and Heart-Flutter (It’s a bittersweet drama that’s good for a late-night binge)

Status: Completed

Notable mention: The director mentioned that this work comes full circle for him working with SM Entertainment. He was the director for EXO’s music video, For Life. And worked with D.O. from EXO for Bad Prosecutor. Wind Up is his third work with SM’s artistes.

Stay awake with me,
Siti


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📺 TV Review: Pro Bono (2025) – ☕

Season/Episodes Covered: Season 1, Episodes 1-12

Quick Spark: A beloved judge was framed and demoted to work with a pro bono team, fighting for the voiceless.

The Hook: At the very beginning, it is kinda slow. But once it hits Episode 2, it gets interesting. Kang Da Wit was at the top as a beloved judge. Now, he has to lead a team of pro bono attorneys. Pro bono, if you don’t know, is voluntary and free. So, essentially, he was doing free work after earning a lot possibly as a judge. Each case the team takes on is intriguing. Initially, the cases seem simple. But the moment Da Wit digs deep into each case, simple is not it. And most times, they are fighting against the powerful people in the society. From having a stray dog as a client, to a child that’s trying to fight against God. From a pretty foreign wife who wants a divorce to a K-pop idol. Each case looks silly on paper and not worth Da Wit’s time. But once he and his team get into each case, it’s more complex than it looks. And with all of that, he is also trying to figure out who frames him. So, you just want to keep clicking on that “Next episode”.

Character Chemistry: I love the growth of each character. Each member of the team has a presumption of Da Wit being an attention seeker. But once they work with and learn from him, he’s not what he is made out to be. And what they learn from him is what helps him in the end. Despite their presumption, they use what they learn from him to help him dig the truth. Which is honestly cute. At the same time, working with them, Da Wit remembers the reason why he wants to be an attorney – to help with the less powerful and the voiceless. The part of society he was from. You can clearly see the teamwork and how Da Wit brings out the best from each of them. What I’m actually really glad of is that there’s no romance. There are some moments between Da Wit and Jung In but that was due to their past relationship. I’m also glad they didn’t make Da Wit and Gi Ppeum into a romantic couple and just keep it as a team leader and the smart right hand woman.

Pacing Check: Was it slow in the beginning? Yes. Did it pick up after Episode 1? Yes. So, you just have to endure one episode before things get interesting to watch. There are only 12 episodes and each case, aside from Da Wit’s own, takes about two episodes max. So, each case does get enough time for you to get into it emotionally. The one about the child who was suing God was quite heartbreaking. I was sobbing.

Final Sleepy Rating: ☕ Wide Awake (Just makes you click that “Next episode”)

Status: Completed

Notable mention: Someone said this somewhere and I agree. Jung Kyung Ho does not have your typical leading man looks but he sure can carry off male lead roles well.

Stay awake with me,
Siti


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📺 TV Review: Taxi Driver 3 (2025) – ⚡

Season/Episodes Covered: Season 3, Episodes 1-16

Quick Spark: Our Rainbow Taxi gang is back again to save the world. One cosplay at a time.

The Hook: This is the one TV show which I watched while it was still ongoing. I’m the usual gal who likes to binge a show. But this one? This one I can’t binge. I had to watch it as it airs because it is that good and deserves all my patience. The show really knows how to grab the audience’s attention. The cases are interesting and some are inspired by true crimes. The way they resolve these cases are creative as well. In one episode, Kim Do Gi pretended to be a manager of a K-pop idol girl group and danced during the rehearsal for a music show. This famously happened before with Apink when one of their members had another schedule and their manager replaced her during rehearsal.

Character Chemistry: The characters and the cast members are like a family. The cast said so themselves. As a viewer, their chemistry can be seen through the screen as well. You can’t think of anyone else acting as their characters. You wouldn’t want to replace Lee Je Hoon as Kim Do Gi. You probably can’t think of anyone else fitting to play Mr. Jang other than Kim Eui Sang. And I know someone else was supposed to be playing Ahn Go Eun. But Pyo Ye Jin fit that role so much now that I don’t think viewers can see anyone else playing her. If there’s another season (which I felt there will be), it will always be these 5 cast members.

Pacing Check: Each of the cases that the gang took on has 2 episodes each with the exception of one the cases. That one had 3 episodes. And it’s enough for me. The writer did a good job in ensuring that the cases are resolved as quickly as possible. As a viewer, our attention span and interest is quite short. If it drags on longer, we can get bored.

Final Sleepy Rating: ⚡Electric (Keep the binge going!)

Status: Completed (or waiting for Season 4)

Notable mention: The cast members won awards recently while the show was still ongoing. Not only them. Even the guest actor won an award. That’s how good this show is.

Stay awake with me,
Siti


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🌈📺 TV Review: Ball Boy Tactics (2025) – 🦋

So🔥I had to keep this under wraps! Click here to read the full review!

Season/Episodes Covered: Season 1, Episodes 1-8

The Hook: I’m going to be real honest here. Among the Korean BLs I’ve watched so far, this one is the spiciest. There’s a whole 5-min bed scene that I was so shocked I had to pause. And then I felt awkward about the pause because I felt like a third-wheel so I continued. And when I continued, I was kicking and giggling like the fujoshi that I am.

Character Chemistry: The main couple – Kwon Jeong U and Han Ji Won – are so dang cute.

They weren’t awkward (especially the spicy bed scene) though I do wish that the writers flesh their story out more. Not the spicy bed scene. That’s 5 whole minutes and it’s more than enough. There were some time/scene skips that I wish were added. These would keep the story of this couple a little more cohesive. It’s none of the two actors’ fault though. More of the writer’s – not sure if they were short of time. Now, I really wish for a second season of this show. Why? The second “couple” – Byeon Seung Jin and Yang Eun O.

They are, of course, besties. Yet, I really suspect that Eun O doesn’t feel that being a bestie is enough for him. He’s hinted that he likes Seung Jin as more than a friend. But Seung Jin is an idiot (Eun O said so, not me). So, dear writer of the show, please have a second season. And this time, make it 16 episodes. So much more can be written for Jeong U and Ji Won. Jeong U is a star player of a basketball team and Ji Won being a former national gymnast. The writer did touch the angsty part of their relationship around that topic of being in the public eye. But I really want the writer to dig deeper there. What if the hidden relationship is not enough? Particularly for Jeong U. I don’t think he likes being in the closet. Ji Won, though, knew how it feels like to be a former national athlete and the fallout of being one. And of course, our second “couple” – how Eun O is going to drop the bomb on Seung Jin? I feel like there can be some yearning and angst between these two. There’s a little hint of it in the last episode.

Pacing Check: It’s quite okay. But I do feel that some scenes were just too fast. Some time or scene skips that made me feel a little confused as a viewer. So, personally, while 8 episodes is okay, 16 episodes or slightly more than 8 episodes would have been best. So, Season 2, please.

Final Sleepy Rating: 🦋 (Heart-Flutter but also 🔥)

Status: Completed

Notable mention: The man acting as Jeong U is so damn HOT. And, I like my men in glasses so here’s a screenshot of him being in one.

Stay awake with me,
Siti


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📺 Variety Review: Chef & My Fridge – ☕

The Premise: Chef & My Fridge (also known as Please Take Care of my Refrigerator) is a South Korean variety show that invites 8 well-known chefs and 2 celebrity guests. In each episode, a pair of chefs will compete against each other to cook ingredients that come from the fridges of the guests within 15 minutes, in accordance to their orders (and tastebuds). Every episode, chaos usually ensues in the kitchen with the help of the equally chaotic hosts. It’s a long-running cooking variety show since 2014. It stopped in 2019 but rebooted on both JTBC and Netflix.

The Sleepy Scale Verdict: ☕I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard for every single episode. In fact, I used this show as my comfort show in between watching TV series, documentaries or movies. You would usually think Michelin-starred chefs are uppity. But no, these chefs are super hilarious. It truly increases their likeability. Chefs who participated in Culinary Class Wars even find this show to be more difficult. I can understand. Who would think you can cook some fine-dining food in 15 minutes? Not them either. The hilarity usually comes from that time limit and the name of the dish that the chefs come up with – like Su-Su-Su-Su-Super Udon with the Supernova dance from aespa.

The Standout Episode: I think the Su-su-su-su-Super Udon episode is Episode 7 on Netflix. Chef Hoyoung is usually the one coming up with these hilarious names for dishes and dancing to it. So, any episode that he’s in is entertaining. Anytime Chef Kim Poong comes on, just know that it’s going to be wild. And if you want some eye-candy, Chef Son Jong Won will provide you just that. So, it really depends on your mood for the day.

Watchability: You can just watch any episode. You don’t actually have to start from the very first season. If you like a certain celebrity like J-Hope, then you can just skip to those specific episodes.

Stay awake with me,
Siti


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🌈📺 TV Review: Secret Relationships (2025) – 🦋

⚠️ Spoiler Alert! Too much feels! Click below to reveal the full review and my fave moments!

Season/Episodes Covered: Season 1, Episodes 1-8

The Hook: I’m a sucker for yearning. And it’s not just on the main character’s side, Daon. But also on Seong Hyun’s side. His desperation when Daon pushed him away just tears me up. Boy was desperately wanting to be by Daon’s side 😭 Even if it meant he could die (he almost did). There are also yearning from the other two characters, Jae Min and Su Hyeon, but more psychotic. Imagine Daon as Cinderella, Seong Hyun is the Prince Charming and Jae Min and Su Hyeon are the stepsisters who were trying to get in their way.

Character Chemistry: Jun Seo (who played Daon) has chemistry with all three guys. Even if one of them acted as a psychopath and the other is a red flag who needs anger management therapy. Jun Seo and Sun Hyung (who played Seon Hyeong) are just so cutieful. It’s the enemies-to-lovers trope. Daon and Seon Hyung hated each other’s guts and then care and love started to form later. Seon Hyung fell first but Daon? Daon fell later but harder.

Pacing Check: It’s just 8 episodes and each episode is about 30 minutes. Of course, there’s the whole: “Wouldn’t it feel like Seon Hyung fall too fast in love with Daon?” Honestly? Daon is so pretty I’d be surprised if Seon Hyung took ages to fall for this man. Hello… he even cried prettily.

In terms of the plot twists, I was not surprised by Jae Min’s actual character. I was able to guess that something was wrong with that man from the first episode. But the one that got me surprised was the relationship between Su Hyeon and Daon. I didn’t expect that. Some people might say that the last episode is kind of weird but Jae Min is a psycho. Am I surprised that took a turn? No.

Final Sleepy Rating: 🦋 (Heart-Flutter but also 😭)

Status: Completed

Stay awake with me,
Siti


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Awake & Rebranding: Why I’m Back to Late-Night Reviewing

Okay, I’m just going to come up and say I was lazy, alright? Maybe lazy is not the right word. Work got to me and I forgot what I truly love to do – writing. Life of a Certified Corporate Girlie 😔

But I’m back now. It’s not because I’m unemployed. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen soon. Reality check: Retrenchment is starting to be common in this part of the world. So, anxiety is there. I just missed writing. I missed yapping to whoever who reads my blog – whether one agrees with my reviews or not. I was craving for some good yearning dramas or movies and Japanese BL came up tops in this category. I need some place to share them. Then I remembered: This blog (lol)

I wanted something that’s a little more “me” rather than the usual template that this site offers. Thus, the aesthetic shift. I will also write casually. I mean, I have been doing so. But rather than the “professional, writing-for-a-news-outlet” style, I will be leaning towards “chatting-with-friends-over-a-bucket-of-popcorn” style.

No one pointed this out. I noticed myself lol. I find that the past “design” (if you can even say that lol) and structure was a little messy. So, I decided that it’s time to organize this. Make everything flow and in theme. And with that, let me introduce to you: The Sleepy Scale!

I will be rating my reviews using the below icons

  • ⚡ Electric
  • ☕ Wide Awake
  • 🦋 Heart-Flutter
  • ☁️ Cozy / Daydreaming
  • 🥱 Drowsy
  • 😴 Snooze
  • 🕯️ The Midnight Oil

I explained it in detail here. Aside from being in theme, it hopefully answers the ultimate question: Is it worth staying up for?

I will still be reviewing movies, TV shows, books and music. That is still the same. You will see some other icons like trigger warning and such just so you know what you’re in for. And with that, I will also be reviewing more BL movies and shows. I have got to admit this: I’ve been watching BL movies and shows but not writing about them. But, let’s be honest, some of the BL movies and shows out there are quite good. Some of the actors branch out further into non-BL movies and shows. One won an award recently as well – Choo Young Woo from You Make Me Dance. But if you are a little sensitive about this part of content, I will be putting a rainbow icon.

I have also added a little touch on the sidebar – Siti’s Midnight List! This is a list that I’m currently watching, reading or listening. I also added those that are in my radar.

If you have any recommendations, feel free to comment and I’ll add to the list.

If you like what you see and you can’t wait to see what’s in store in this humble blog of mine, please subscribe!

Stay awake with me,
Siti

P.S.: I’m a slow and steady reviewer! I focus on finishing a story completely before giving it a final Sleepy Scale rating so you can always expect an honest, full-picture review here