On Episode 93 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and OG drama bestie Miguel review Move to Heaven, starring Lee Je-hoon and Tang Joon-sang. Jess and Miguel talk through this 2021 slice-of-life drama, discussing the show’s incredible writing and performances, viewing the show through the lens of an autistic character, our favorite and most memorable scenes, a breakdown of cultural nuances (rooftop apartments, the stigma surrounding orphans, gifting thermal underwear to parents, the 1995 Sampoo...
Jun 26, 2025•1 hr 39 min•Season 6Ep. 93
On Episode 92 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and Mina from the Kpop Bookshelf Podcast review The Red Sleeve, starring Lee Junho and Lee Se-young. Jess and Mina talk through this 2021 drama, discussing the show’s incredible writing and performances from its cast, the true history that inspired the story, our interpretation of the ending, a breakdown of the love story, a character study of the leads, our favorite and most memorable scenes (hello, bath scene and Junho's abs), a couple rendit...
Jun 05, 2025•1 hr 56 min•Season 6Ep. 92
On Episode 91 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and friend Carol from Kdramas Musings return for Part 2 of the Hot Takes series. In Part 2, Jess and Carol stoke the flames as they talk through more hot takes from the comments section of Jess's viral TikTok. Song Kang, Cha Eun-woo, Park Min-young, Han So-hee, tropes like childhood connection and miscommunication, old faves like rich man-poor girl and the white truck of doom, and yes, even Goblin are all on the chopping block. Did your favorit...
May 29, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Season 6Ep. 91
On Episode 90 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and friend Carol from Kdramas Musings channel the anarchy with the with Hot Takes series, the first public roasting of K-drama Land. In Part 1, Jess and Carol bring the heat as they talk through the hot takes from the comments section of Jess's viral TikTok. Byeon Woo-seok, Song Joong-ki, Park Seo-joon, Lee Min-ho, Lee Jong-suk, Bae Suzy, Jo Bo-ah, and yes, even Crash Landing on You are all on the chopping block. Did your favorite actor or top ...
May 22, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Season 6Ep. 90
On Episode 89 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and friend Caitlin from NoSleep4Dramas Blog & Podcast review the crime thriller drama Connection , starring Ji Sung, Jeon Mi-do, Kwon Yool, and more. Jess and Caitlin talk through this underrated 2024 drama, discussing the elements that made it so addictive and thrilling, the cinematography and editing that made the watch experience so tactile and visceral, the characters and performances, the depiction of drug addiction and the paranoia of...
May 08, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Season 6Ep. 89
On Episode 88 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and guests Emily and Raquel from the Play on K Podcast review the sports drama Hot Stove League , starring Namgoong Min, Park Eun-bin, and Oh Jung-se. Jess, Emily, and Raquel talk through this 2019-20 Baeksang Award winner, discussing our history with sports dramas and baseball (like, what is a stove league?), the characters and performances, the depictions of ableism with disabled characters, Oh Jung-se's Joker-esque villain, a factcheck on so...
Apr 17, 2025•1 hr 37 min•Season 6Ep. 88
On Episode 87 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Liliana from Tea & Soju Podcast is on hand to review Nothing But You , starring Wu Lei and Zhou Yu Tong. Jumping straight into spoilers, Jess and Liliana talk through this 2023 slice-of-life sports drama. The duo discuss the cast, the progression of this 10-year jiejie / noona romance, the best swoon-worthy scenes, the mommy issues, and more! GUEST: Liliana Tea & Soju Asian Drama Podcast: Available on Spotify, Google, Apple Instagram: @teaan...
Apr 03, 2025•1 hr 17 min
On Episode 86 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and guests Melissa and Nolizwe from the African Seoulmates Podcast review It's Okay to Not Be Okay , starring Kim Soo-hyun, Seo Yea-ji, and Oh Jung-se. Jess, Mel, and Noli talk through this 2020 pandemic success, discussing the themes of mental health and illness, the characters and performances, the super questionable twist, the legacy of the show in light of the recent Kim Soo-hyun scandal, and so much more. GUESTS: Melissa and Nolizwe Africa...
Mar 20, 2025•2 hr 3 min•Season 6Ep. 86
On Episode 85 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and friend Caitlin from NoSleep4Dramas Blog & Podcast review Season 2 of Pachinko , starring Kim Min-ha, Lee Min-Ho, Youn Yuh-Jung, Jin Ha, and so many more. Jess and Caitlin talk through the second season of the Apple TV+ American adaptation of the bestselling book, discussing the depiction of World War II, the juxtaposition of the past and present, the characters and timeline they found the most compelling, the questionable online fervor ...
Feb 27, 2025•2 hr 5 min•Season 6Ep. 85
On Episode 84 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, the Drama Trio is back! Jess is joined by friends Caitlin from NoSleep4Dramas Blog & Podcast and Liliana from the Tea & Soju Podcast to review The Trunk , starring Gong Yoo and Seo Hyun-Jin. Jess, Caitlin, and Liliana talk through this 2024 romance-thriller K-drama, discussing the flawed characters, the melancholia and introspective nature of the show, THOSE sex scenes that had the girlies up in arms, the online disrespect toward Gong Yoo, t...
Feb 13, 2025•1 hr 43 min•Season 6Ep. 84
On Episode 83 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and guest Carol from Kdramas Musings team up to review When the Phone Rings, starring Yoo Yeon-seok and Chae Soo-bin. Jess and Carol talk through this mega-popular 2024-25 drama, including its makjang bloodline, what went wrong (a laundry list of the illogical, plot holes the size of the Grand Canyon, too many kidnappings), favorite and least favorite characters, THOSE final two episodes, and so much more! GUEST: Carol Kdrama Musings Podcast: A...
Jan 30, 2025•1 hr 52 min•Season 6Ep. 83
The Season 6 kick-off is here! On Episode 82 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and Miguel return to talk about the worldwide phenomenon that is Squid Game Season 2, starring Lee Jung-Jae, Lee Byung-hun, Gong Yoo, Park Sung-hoon, T.O.P, and so many more! Jess and Miguel talk through the hotly anticipated season 2 of the Netflix thriller, including our general thoughts and deep dive, a Netflix rant (3 years for 7 episodes? Not paying creators??), an oral history of all the actors’ scandals, pe...
Jan 16, 2025•2 hr 21 min•Season 6Ep. 82
On Episode 81 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, the Drama Trio is on deck with Nas from the Swoon Diaries Podcast to review The Double , starring Wu Jin Yan and Wang Xing Yue. Jumping straight into spoilers, Jess, Caitlin, Liliana, Nas talk through this 2024 sleeper hit. The group talk through this cast, the amazing acting and cinematography, the revenge plots and the deliciously vicious villains, Nas’s first experience watching a C-drama, and of course, answer big questions from the listeners re...
Nov 19, 2024•1 hr 58 min•Season 5Ep. 81
On Episode 80 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and friend Caitlin from NoSleep4Dramas Blog & Podcast finish off Spooky SZN 2024 with a review of I Saw the Devil (2010), starring Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik. Jess and Caitlin discuss this unsettling and depraved movie, talking through the director, writer, cast, and performances, the cat and mouse storyline, the true crime that inspired the movie (shout out to Mimi Mizicko from Korean True Crime Podcast!), slightly different takes on t...
Oct 30, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Season 5Ep. 80
On Episode 79 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and guests Natalia and Jessie from the Certified Noonas Podcast review The Host (2006), starring Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona, and Ko Ah-sung. Jess, Natalia, and Jessie discuss this monster movie from the phenomenal director Bong Joon-ho, talking through this stellar cast and performances, the Steve Buscemi-designed creature (yes, for real), the black comedy elements and political satire, the true story that inspired the ...
Oct 18, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 5Ep. 79
On Episode 78 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and guests Jenn and Marisa from The KThree review Memoir of a Murderer (2017), starring Sul Kyung-gu, Kim Nam-gil, and Seolhyun. Jess, Jenn, and Marisa discuss this mystery thriller, talking through the other movies it reminded us of like Memento and Shutter Island , the portrayal of Alzheimer's, the lackluster performance from Seolhyun, the scenes that thrilled us or made us scratch our concave heads (IYKYK), and more. GUEST: The KThree – Jenn...
Oct 11, 2024•1 hr•Season 5Ep. 78
On Episode 77 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and friend of the pod Nas from the Swoon Diaries Podcast kick off Spooky SZN 2024 with a review of Train to Busan (2016), starring Gong Yoo, Ma Dong-seok, Choi Woo-shik, and Jung Yu-mi. Jess and Nas discuss this heart pounding and heartfelt horror flick, talking through a brief history of zombie cinema, what makes Train to Busan so critically acclaimed and special, the amazing performances, especially from child actress Kim Su-an, the themes an...
Oct 04, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 5Ep. 77
The Season 5 finale is here! On Episode 76 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and Mina from the Kpop Bookshelf Podcast review SKY Castle, starring Yum Jung-Ah, Lee Tae-Ran, Yoon Se-Ah, Oh Na-Ra, and Kim Seo-Hyung, among many others. Jess and Mina talk through this drama from 2018, discussing the show’s incredible writing and performances from its cast, why it’s in the top 5 most highly rated K-dramas ever, its satirical portrayal of South Korea’s education system, our favorite characters, a b...
Sep 26, 2024•2 hr 32 min•Season 5Ep. 76
On Episode 75 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and Liliana from the Tea & Soju Podcast review It's Okay, That's Love, starring Jo In-Sung and Kong Hyo-Jin. Jess and Liliana talk through this romance from 2014, discussing the show’s incredible writing and performances from its cast, its groundbreaking portrayal of mental illness and topics like mental health, trans issues, and consent, the chemistry between the leads, the animosity from fans of It's Okay to Not Be Okay , a breakdown of t...
Sep 12, 2024•2 hr 39 min•Season 5Ep. 75
On Episode 74 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess is joined by Daebak royalty Miguel AND Rico to review seasons 1 and 2 of the J-drama Alice in Borderland, starring Yamazaki Kento and Tsuchiya Tao, among many others. Jess, Miguel, and Rico team up to cover this 2020/22 Netflix drama, discussing the ultra violence, if K-dramas are more or less violent, comparisons to Squid Game , the themes and messages of the show, the coolest shots, our favorite characters and scenes, the best games and plot ...
Aug 29, 2024•2 hr 16 min•Season 5Ep. 74
On Episode 73 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, the Drama Trio is on deck! Jess is joined by friends Caitlin from NoSleep4Dramas Blog & Podcast and Liliana from the Tea & Soju Podcast to review Eternal Love of Dream ( aka Three Lives, Three Worlds, The Pillow Book), starring Dilraba Dilmurat and Vengo Gao. Jumping straight into spoilers, Jess, Caitlin, and Liliana talk through this ultimately disappointing 2020 sequel to Eternal Love (aka Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms). After coming togethe...
Aug 22, 2024•2 hr 23 min•Season 5Ep. 73
On Episode 72 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and guest Grace from the Afternoona Asks Podcast review the sageuk from yesteryear The Princess’s Man, starring Moon Chae-won and Park Si-hoo. Jess and Grace talk through this epic, ANGSTY romance from 2011, discussing the show’s writing, its accurate portrayal of real historical events, the cast and the scandal that rocked Park Si-hoo’s career, the hella melodramatic OST, the chemistry between the leads, a breakdown of the show and all its mos...
Aug 01, 2024•2 hr 41 min•Season 5Ep. 72
On Episode 71 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and guests Curtis from the InfatuAsian Podcast and Brandon from the Pocha Playlist Podcast review the underrated K-drama Our Blues, starring Lee Byung-hun, Kim Hye-ja, Shin Min-a, Lee Jung-eun, Kim Woo-bin, and so many more. Jess, Curtis, and Brandon talk through this delightful and stressful 2022 show, discussing the all-star ensemble cast, the cinematography and OST (hello, BTS’ Jimin!), the show’s excellent writing and handling of taboo or s...
Jul 18, 2024•1 hr 55 min•Season 5Ep. 71
On Episode 70 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and guest Pam from @pam_dramaholic on Instagram review the emotional K-drama Tomorrow, starring Kim Hee-seon, Rowoon, Lee Soo-hyuk, and Yun Ji-On. Jess and Pam carefully pick their way through this triggering 2022 show, discussing this super cool cast, Rowoon’s filmography and acting talent, the show’s religious themes, the context for cardboard collecting, lax sentencing for drunk perpetrators, and comfort women, the most memorable and impress...
Jun 27, 2024•2 hr 38 min•Season 5Ep. 70
On Episode 69 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and friend of the pod Nas from the Swoon Diaries Podcast review the vintage K-drama Autumn in My Heart, starring Song Seung-Heon and Song Hye-kyo. Jess and Nas laugh and cry their way through this classic and tragic 2000 show of yore, discussing the “Endless Love” series, the origins of so many tropes, setting as a character, and the creation of a recognizable OST, HOW INSANELY HOT SONG SEUNG-HEON IS, the phenomenon that is Won Bin (the SML to ...
Jun 20, 2024•2 hr 18 min•Season 5Ep. 69
On Episode 68 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and friend Caitlin from NoSleep4Dramas Blog & Podcast review season 1 of the crime K-drama Stranger, starring Cho Seung-Woo and Bae Doona. Jess and Caitlin talk through this amazing 2017 drama, discussing the stellar cast, how it had Jess’s head spinning and confused (in a good way), the (platonic) chemistry between the leads, the most memorable and impressive scenes, the reveals that had us stunned, and more! GUEST: Caitlin NoSleep4Dramas ...
Jun 10, 2024•1 hr 45 min•Season 5Ep. 68
On Episode 67 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and guest Becky from @dont_sue_rebecca on TikTok review the slice-of-life K-drama Because This Is My First Life, starring Lee Min-ki and Jung So-min. Jess and Becky talk through this underrated 2017 drama, discussing comfort-watch nature of it, the relatability and authenticity in the characters, the amazing ensemble cast, the chemistry between the leads (and THAT KISS), the progressive themes of feminism, consent, and belongingness, “500 Days ...
Jun 06, 2024•2 hr 12 min•Season 5Ep. 67
On Episode 66 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and guest Carol from Kdramas Musings team up to review Autumn’s Concerto, starring Vanness Wu and Ady An. Jumping straight into spoiler talk, Jess and Carol talk through this melodramatic 2009 Taiwanese drama hit, discussing the hysterical OTT plot beats and tropes (like the amnesia, for starters), the iconic cast and how outrageously hot Vanness is PLEASE, the nostalgia for these types of stories and toxic male leads, red flag moments (lost co...
May 24, 2024•2 hr 10 min•Season 5Ep. 66
On Episode 65 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and guest Sarah from Kdrama This and the Afternoona Asks Podcast review a bit of a melodramatic K-drama— The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, starring Seo In-guk and Jung So-min. Jess and Sarah talk through this 2018 drama as best they can because FOR ONCE Jess couldn’t rewatch the drama! They discuss the changes from the original 2002 J-drama, the undercurrent of incest, the chemistry between the leads, the stay-away-toxic-red-flag of Seo In-guk’s ch...
May 02, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Season 5Ep. 65
On Episode 64 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, the Drama Trio is on deck! Jess is joined by friends Caitlin from NoSleep4Dramas Blog & Podcast and Liliana from the Tea & Soju Podcast to review Meet Yourself, starring Liu Yi Fei and Li Xian. Jumping straight into spoiler talk, Jess, Caitlin, and Liliana talk through this calming slice-of-life 2023 C-drama hit, discussing the slow burn that nearly took Jess clean out, the recommended way to watch this show so the pacing works, the characte...
May 01, 2024•2 hr 16 min•Season 5Ep. 64
