You know that feeling when you finish a drama and immediately go looking for discussions, fan edits, memes… only to discover that hardly anyone seems to be talking about it?

I’m not necessarily talking about the best drama you’ve ever seen. Just one that left you wondering why it never seemed to get the attention you thought it deserved.

What was it for you?

I’d love to hear what made it special. Was it the acting? The story? A character you still think about? Or was it simply one of those shows that came and went without many people noticing?

Mine happens to be the same drama across two adaptations:

1. Someday or Oneday (Taiwan)
2. A Time Called You (Korea)

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Spoilers for Someday or One Day below!

Only expand this if you’ve already watched the drama or don’t mind spoilers.
Since I’m using Someday or One Day as my example, here are a few reasons it has stuck with me all these years.
One of my favorite things about it is how rewarding it is to rewatch. Once you know what’s really going on, >!you suddenly realize that so many clues were sitting right there from the very beginning. It made me appreciate just how carefully everything had been planned.!<
I also love that, even years later, I still see people comparing newer time-travel dramas to it. Whenever a new one comes out, someone inevitably asks, “Is it as good as Someday or One Day?” That’s quite a legacy to leave.
And then there’s the soundtrack. I can’t hear Last Dance anymore without immediately thinking of the drama. Some OSTs are memorable, but this one became inseparable from the story for me.

Random thing I learned while putting this post together: there’s actually an official movie that reunites the original cast and continues the story. Somehow I’d completely missed that.
Haven’t seen it yet, so no spoilers please 😎 It’s definitely moved up my watchlist now. From what I’ve read, it’s one of those films you’re meant to watch after the drama, not instead of it.

Always looking to add another hidden gem to my watchlist.

Every now and then there’s a drama that simply works for you even if you see the flaws.

The criticism doesn’t bother you because half the time you agree with it.

The writing or pacing might be uneven. There may be plot decisions that make absolutely no sense or absolutely poor special effects and cheap-looking sets/camerawork/styling - you name it.

Doesn’t matter, you still love it.

What’s your drama?

Is there a drama that you know isn’t objectively that exceptionally good, yet somehow it’s still one of your favorites?

You just like it, and no amount of fair and understandable criticism about its uneven writing and plot holes or poor visuals is going to change that, or something like that.

Which drama is it?

I don’t mean a drama that was objectively popular or highly rated. I mean one where, from your own perspective, it felt like everyone around you was talking about it, recommending it, praising it, or having a great time with it while you were sitting there wondering what you were missing.

I’ve run into this a few times and it’s always a strange feeling because sometimes I can see exactly what people like about a drama and still not feel much of anything myself. Just no real connection. But there are some dramas where I’m like, no way in hell, mate!

Which one was that drama for you?

Ever had an actor you didn’t care for at first — and then one role just flipped everything?

I’d seen Zhang Ling He in Love Between Fairy and Devil before and I barely noticed him.
Then Story of Kunning Palace, completely different.
He was unhinged, and every time he was on screen your attention just went straight to him. You couldn’t ignore him even if you tried.

And you?

Not even talking about “they improved over time,” but more like:
one performance that made you go wait… where did that come from?

Could be acting, screen presence, chemistry, whatever did it.

Drop the actor + the role that changed your mind.

One of the bigger domestic hits out of Japan recently.

The setup is simple: Ogawa Ichirō, a PE teacher from 1986, gets thrown into present-day Tokyo — straight into modern office culture, social codes, careful language, and a world built on rules he neither understands nor respects.

That’s already funny.

What gives it some more bite is that it swings both ways.
Showa-era ugliness gets exposed — bullying, macho bravado, casual sexism, emotional neglect — but modern habits also get put under the lamp: corporate theater, stiff social rituals, and people speaking like every sentence might be entered into evidence later.

This drama has full musical interludes / song sequences woven into episodes and I’m not 100% sure how I feel about those — characters break into staged numbers that comment on the story, which can sometimes pull me out. I’m not much of a musicals person.

Ichiro is the kind of father who cares deeply and expresses it terribly. That is probably what makes him work.

He barks, scolds, gets angry too quickly, says things he should not say. He carries himself with the certainty of a man who has never once stopped to ask whether he might be the problem — I wonder if that is part of the era. That men back the were simply taught to think and act that way. At the same time, there is never much doubt that he loves Junko. He would throw himself in front of a train for her. But he’s a complainer, so he would then probably complain that she made him late.
That mix is funny because it is recognizable.

Junko is not there just to react to him. She has her own edge, her own temper, her own frustrations, and enough spirit to push back when he deserves it — which is often. Their scenes work because neither is written as the “correct” one. They clash, they misunderstand each other, they get on each other’s nerves, and underneath all that there is real affection. A funny duo.

What did Japan and the world think of it?

Japan clearly took to it.
Filmarks: ~4.1 / 5
Tokyo Drama Award 2024: Excellence Award, plus wins for writing and direction

Then
MyDramaList: ~8.3 / 10

TVer: 33M+ quarterly plays

One thing I kept seeing in Japanese reactions was how often people mentioned the emotional core beneath the comedy: family, grief, regret, loneliness. So not just laughs.

Also worth noting: the musical sections seem to split people and many people had strong feeling about them.

Have you seen this one?

Our weekly watch thread is here.

A simple weekend check-in for everyone — regulars, lurkers, and first-time posters alike.

What’s on your screen right now?

A drama you’re loving?
A show you’re unsure about but still watching?
A comfort rewatch?
A film you’ve been meaning to start?
A hidden gem people should know about?

And where are you watching most these days — China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, somewhere else… or a bit of everything?

Drop what you’re watching — and if you feel like it, tell us why.

Sometimes the best recommendations come from casual mentions in threads like this.

See you here next week.