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Connection

Four posters of upcoming K-dramas in the month of May including Uncle Samsik (Disney+), The Midnight Romance in Hagwon (tvN/Viki), The Atypical Family (tvN/Netflix) and Connection (SBS).

[UPDATED] 12 New K-dramas That Will Make You Laugh And Cry In May 2024

K-dramas + Monthly Calendar of Releases + TV

May is right around the corner and, with Queen of Tears gone, we need to find another show to obsess over, am I right? The new month is full of incredible releases, including Song Kang-ho’s very first K-drama, “Uncle Samsik” and Wi Ha-joon finally playing the romantic lead he deserves to be in “The Midnight…

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Me

Hello, beautiful people!


I'm Karen, a Korean and Japanese media critic, fan, and flag-bearer. I'm here to help you get closer to Korean and Japanese media and together, we can discover and discuss the fascinating universe of J- and K-drama, cinema, and literature.


The Blossom Review is our little corner of J- and K-drama, film and book reviews, recommendations, and musings.


Come back every week for a brand-new J- or K-drama review and J- or K-film and book article.

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What Are You Looking For?

Hello, everyone! πŸ‘‹ How are you all today? I must Hello, everyone! πŸ‘‹
How are you all today?
I must confess that I love a good ol' rom-com. I just can't resist it, I'm afraid. Oh, and I also love Chae Soo-bin. And Kim Young-kwang. So... I think it goes without saying that I had been looking forward to Netflix's Take Charge of My Heart for a very, very long time ❀️
What I found honestly fascinating about Take Charge of My Heart is how it embraced its genre wholeheartedly, how it held on to its narrative objectives, and how it kept its innocence without ever becoming dully childish.
Romantic comedies are all about patterns, about subverting or fulfilling expectations. As an audience, we’ve been trained to quickly spot its conventions β€” the meet-cute, the misunderstandings, the happy ending β€” and either rejoice in its familiar yet heartwarming beats or marvel at how our assumptions can be cleverly revamped.
Take Charge of My Heart is here to (mostly) fulfil your expectations (and, at times, subvert them). It's lighthearted, joyful, and absolutely everything a rom-com is meant to be. So, shall we talk about it together?
Our complete review of Take Charge of My Heart is now available on The Blossom Review 🌸 and our video essay is out on YouTube! I hope you stop by and share your own thoughts about the show! 
Oh, and over on Substack, we talked about the controversy surrounding Hur Jin-ho's The Assassin(s). Remember that you can find all our links in our bio! πŸ˜‰
Have a marvellous weekend ahead, and I'll see you very soon!
 #takechargeofmyheart #takechargeofmyheartedit #takechargeofmyheartkdrama #kdramaedits #koreandramareviews
Hello there! πŸ‘‹ How are you today? tvN's Four Han Hello there! πŸ‘‹
How are you today?
tvN's Four Hands, Two Sonatas came to a very successful end last Sunday and, of course, I had to talk to you all about it this week.
I must confess that I'd imagined Four Hands, Two Sonatas as a completely different series. My fellow manga/anime fans will probably get it when I say that I thought the show would be a twist on Isshiki's Forest of Piano, with a good dash of Arakawa's Your Lie in April πŸ™‚β€β†•οΈ
Well, it turns out Four Hands, Two Sonatas wanted to be something completely different. A musical melodrama of spectacular proportions, this is a story that lives and dies by its protagonists, superbly played by Song Kang and Lee Jun-young. 
Shall we talk about it together? Well, then I hope you stop by The Blossom Review 🌸 and/or YouTube tomorrow to join the discussion!
Oh, and over on Substack, I shared my own two cents on the "Korean dramas aren't the same anymore" debate. Beware: This is a deep dive! πŸ˜†
Remember that all our links can be found in our bio πŸ˜‰
Have you watched Four Hands, Two Sonatas? What did you think about it?
Have a lovely day, and I'll see you soon! 😊
#fourhandstwosonatas #fourhandstwosonatasedit #kdramaedits #koreandramareview #kdramareview
Hello, hello! πŸ‘‹ It's me again! October also mark Hello, hello! πŸ‘‹
It's me again!
October also marks the beginning of a new "kuru" (that is, television "season" in Japan), so this month is overflowing with new dramas, new seasons of old favourites, Netflix originals, international co-productions, and even remakes! πŸ₯°
Since it's almost impossible to list the 40+ new Japanese dramas coming out this autumn here, here are fifteen of the most popular ones. You can find all the others on The Blossom Review 🌸 (you can find all our links in our bio!)
I promise I'll update that list as often as possible with new titles and/or international streaming options! πŸ˜‰
If you're wondering which of these are my favourites, I'll have to say... hm... 
 1. Fuji TV's Kidnap Game, which is a co-production between Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong starring Sakaguchi Kentaro and Lee Joon-gi;
 2. NTV's Merry Berry Love. Of course, Japan-Korea combos are my cup of tea every. single. time;
 3. Fuji TV's Politica Lupin, which I'm begging for an official international release (hello, Netflix? Viki? Disney+? Anyone? πŸ™) because this is a Nogi Akiko script led by Ishihara Satomi and Takahashi Issey, my favourites!
 4. NTV's Hakone Ekiden: Our Story. I mean, look at that cast!
 5. A Calm Sea and Beautiful Days with You Season 2, because I can't get enough of the adorable Takimasas (remember that we reviewed the first season together on The Blossom Review?)
 6. TBS's LOST10. I mean, look at that cast! Part 2;
 7. Fuji TV's Extraordinary Attorney Minami, because I adore Extraordinary Attorney Woo wholeheartedly, so...
 8. Netflix's Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?, because, well, Yakusho Koji starring in a Kudo Kankuro script? Count me in a-n-y-d-a-y!
What about you? Which ones are you looking forward to the most?
Have a lovely weekend ahead, and I'll see you soon! ❀️
 #japanesedramas #japanesedramaedit #newjapanesedramas #jdramasedit #japanesedramaseries
Hello there! πŸ‘‹ Everything okay? September is com Hello there! πŸ‘‹
Everything okay?
September is coming to a close, so it's time to talk about new Korean dramas coming out in October, of course! πŸ˜‰ And what a busy month awaits! October 2026 is indeed overflowing with brilliant (and much-anticipated!) stories.
From tvN's 100 Days of Deception to Netflix's Take Charge of My Heart, from SBS's Doctor X: Mafia in White to MBC's The Perfect Lie (Dr Romantic reunion, anyone?), I have no idea where I'll find the time to watch so many new and exciting K-dramas! πŸ˜…
Which ones are you watching? To learn more, here's a reminder that our complete calendar of October releases is now available on The Blossom Review 🌸and over on Substack, we talked about Love in the Moonlight: Redrawn this week, too! Love in the Moonlight πŸŒ™ is a drama that holds a very special place in my heart, so I hope you stop by to talk about this 10th anniversary special with me.Β 
Remember that you can find all our links in our bio πŸ˜‰
I'll be back in the next few days to talk about new Japanese dramas too! Have a lovely day today! ❀️ 
#newkdramas #kdramaedit #koreandramas #kdramarecommendations #newkoreandramas
Hello, my lovelies! πŸ‘‹ Just stopping by to wish yo Hello, my lovelies! πŸ‘‹
Just stopping by to wish you all a very happy K-drama Day! ✨
Yes, it’s time for the 2026 International K-Drama Day, @viki ’s annual initiative that brings the K-drama community together to commemorate the ever-growing success of Korean televised storytelling. 
From Sept. 25th to Oct. 1st, Viki will make 10 of its most popular titles available for free to fans worldwide. Why don’t you take this opportunity to catch up on that K-drama that has been gathering dust on your watchlist forever? I’d say that this top 10 has a handful of great titles that I’m sure will make your weekend a lot more colourful β€” or thrilling if you so wish! πŸ˜‰
Our complete coverage of International K-drama Day (including my own personal recommendations πŸ˜†) is available on Substack!
Have you watched any of these titles? Would you like to watch them in the future?
I hope you have a fantastic weekend ahead! Take good care of yourself! πŸ₯°
 #kdramaday #kdramaedit #koreandrama #kdramarecommendation #kdramaday2026
Hello there! πŸ‘‹ How are you? As soon as I finishe Hello there! πŸ‘‹
How are you?
As soon as I finished the very first episode of TBS's Until the T-shirt Dries, I took a deep breath and said:
"Oh yes, that's definitely a Ubukata Miku script!" πŸ™‚β€β†•οΈ
Ubukata is one of Japan's most capable and popular scriptwriters and Until the T-shirt Dries has all the traits of her distinctive writing style. Maybe you've watched some of her other dramas before?
Until the T-shirt Dries is a unique and insightful drama -- but definitely not perfect, which broke my heart a tad, to be honest. That's what we're talking about today: our complete (and very long!) essay on Until the T-shirt Dries is now available on The Blossom Review 🌸 and our (slightly summarised) video essay is now on YouTube! πŸ˜‰
Over on Substack, we talked about International K-drama Day, too! Remember that you can find all our links in our bio! 😊 I really hope you stop by!
Have a wonderful day today and I'll see you soon!
#untilthetshirtdries #japanesedramas #japanesedramaedit #aoiyu #japanesedramaseries

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