Join us for our annual Year End Review of Korean and other Asian dramas for 2025! As with our previous year end episodes, Sarah and Grace are joined by Afternoona Delight Patreon guests to discuss the drama year. We are delighted to be joined by Kate B and Jimmy this year. In this Part 2 episode, Jimmy and Grace discuss their faves, their misses, and the winners of their own drama awards.
Hope you have fun reliving 2025 with us!
Other podcast episodes mentioned in this episode:
Afternoona Delight - Our Blues
Korean History for Kdrama Viewers Part 1
Spoiler alerts:
Spoilers for Love Alarm at 8:10-9:20
Spoilers for Dear Hongrang at 1:18:12-1:20:24
Join us for our annual Year End review of Korean and other Asian dramas for 2025! As per previous episodes, Grace and Sarah are joined by an Afternoona Delight Patreon guest to discuss their drama year. We are delighted to be joined by Kate B and Jimmy this year and in this part 1 episode, Kate B and Sarah discuss their faves, their misses and the winners of their own drama awards.
Have fun reliving 2025 with us!
Show Notes
Podcast Episodes mentioned
2024's Year End Reviews Part 1 and Part 2
2025 Chinese Drama review with Tea and Soju Podcast
Our Unwritten Seoul Deep Dive
First Love Deep Dive
Kate B's Instagram @mixedcheesehoagie_
For the third year, we are welcoming back Liliana from Tea and Soju Podcast to discuss all things Chinese dramas in 2025. This has been a great year for Chinese dramas so we are discussing some of our faves. Liliana also highlights some dramas we may have missed, tells us about Zhao Lusi's 2025 and what to look forward to for 2026.
Show Notes:
Restaurants in London:
My Old Place, Liverpool St
Previous Podcasts mentioned:
2024 Year End CDrama Review with Tea and Soju Pod
Chinese Dramas 101 with Tea and Soju Pod
First Frost Deep Dive
History of Wuxia
Nirvana in Fire meme
Chinese Dramas mentioned:
Meet Yourself (Li Xian)
Will Love in Spring (Li Xian)
First Frost
Prisoner of Beauty
Mobius
Love's Ambition
Love in the Clouds
Popular Dramas in China
Dramas for 2026
Social media links for Tea and Soju
Tea and Soju Podcast on Instagram and Linktree for all platforms
Sarah and Grace are back together to discuss our mutual favorite 2025 K-drama to date, the slice of life rom-com Our Unwritten Seoul. If you have not seen this drama yet, join us as we discuss the meaningful themes, thoughtful details, and story-telling devices that made this drama so relatable and impactful, in the spoiler-free section. And if you've watched, relive the drama with us as we heap praise on the incredible acting performances delivered by the stellar ensemble cast, get misty-eyed while sharing our favorite moving scenes, and squee over the adorkable romances.
K-Drama Comps
Reply 1988
Our Beloved Summer
Our Blues
Do You Like Brahms?
#kdramapodcast #kdramapodcasts #kdramas #koreandrama #koreandramapodcast #korean #asiandrama #asiandramapodcast
Konnichiwa! Welcome to our latest episode, and our first Deep Dive for a Japanese Drama. We are discussing the 2022 Japanese drama First Love, starrring Satoh Takeru and Mitsushima Hikari and inspired by the songs by Hitada Ukaru. We are delighted to welcome Amy, from our sister podcast Afternoona Delight as well as fellow Patreon Gavin on to the show to disucss all the things we loved about this drama - and we really loved this drama!
If you haven't yet seen this, join us for the first section of our podcast when we discuss it spoiler-free to see if it might be for you. Or if you've already watched join us to chat the drama feels, whose performances we loved, spaghetti naporitan and roundabouts!
Show Notes
To check out Gavin's previous podcasts with us:
A Costuming Conversation with Gavin Dietz
Sungkyungkwan Scandal - A Confucian Deep Dive
KDrama 2024 so far - A Catchup with guests
Sarah and Grace tackle the first in a planned series of episodes covering Korean History for fans of KDramas. We discuss the first "Korean" nations, starting with Gojoseon, then working our way through the Three Kingdoms period, touching on Unified/Late Silla, and concluding with the short-lived Later Three Kingdoms. We also talk about historical (aka sageuk) KDramas set in these various periods, including ones we both have and have not watched.
Dramas mentioned:
Arthdal Chronicles
The Bride of Habaek
Jumong
Gwanggaeto the Great Conqueror
The Legend
Yeon Kaesomun
My Only Love Song
River Where the Moon Rises
Queen Woo
Mr. Queen
The King’s Daughter, Soo Baek Hyang
Ballad of Seodong
Gyebaek
King of Legend
Hwarang: the Poet Warrior Youth
Queen Seondeok
Dream of the Emperor
Dae Jo Yeong
The King: Eternal Monarch
Emperor of the Sea
How have we already gotten to the third quarter of 2025? Relive the third quarter in dramas with Sarah and Afternoona Delight Patreon guests Laura and Debra. We discuss our favourite dramas of the year, performances that wowed us and dramas we ended up dropping. Sarah discusses how KDramas have been missing the mark for her and what dramas have been working instead.
Show Notes
To listen to the previous quarterly review episodes please check these:
First quarter 2025 in dramas - with Erin & Cate
Second quarter 2025 in dramas - with Kalena and Shannon
We are delighted to be covering another Chinese drama deep dive - and this time it's the 2023 drama Till the End of the Moon, which is an epic Xianxia Fantasy Historical. Sarah is joined by special guests Corinne from Sex, Love, Literature podcast and fellow Afternoona Delight Patreon, Carolien.
If you haven't watched and wonder if this might be for you, check out our spoiler-free intro to see if demon red flag heroes are for you or not. And if you've seen, relive all the blood gushes, the love/hate, enemies to lovers romance and listen to us discuss THAT ending.
Show Notes:
Love Like the Galaxy Deep dive on Afternoona Delight with Corinne
Gyeongseong Creature on Afternoona Delight with Carolien
Corinne Cdrama comps:
Carolien's book rec comp:
Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay
EmmaB Video edit for Till the The End of the Moon
Carolien Instragram @caromuis
Sex Love Literature website | tumblr | instagram
Sarah and Grace had a great time catching up and answering listener questions in this AMA episode. We chat about the impact of Kpop Demon Hunters and compare notes on our summer kpop concert experiences. We answer questions about Korean and Chinese naming conventions, the concept of Jeong, what goes into a Chinese wedding ceremony, and much more!
Other podcast episodes mentioned on this episode:
Afternoona Asks: Intro to Korean Language
Afternoona Asks: Second quarter review
Afternoona Asks: Art of Negotiation
Afternoona Delight Dear Hongrang Review
Sarah loved the Chinese Drama Prisoner of Beauty so got fellow Patreon fans Heather and Nicole on the podcast to discuss this 2025 historical drama which starred Liu Yuning and Song Zu Er. This is a romance drama with plenty of levity with a real focus on the leads arranged marriage. Hear more about it in our non spoiler section to see if this drama might work for you.
Or if you've already seen and want to relive what we loved about the drama, as well as some disagreements on other key characters in the show, check out this episode and let us know how you found it on our socials!
Show Notes:
Moon Lovers Scarlet Heart Ryeo - Sarah's Deep dive podcast
Dear Hongrang - Afternoona Delight Deep dive
2521 - Afternoona Delight = Sarah's Deep Dive podcast
Liu Yuning - Love Between Fairy & Devil OST track
Liu Yuning - Till the End of the Moon OST Track
Reddit post on different naming conventions in Chinese dramas
It's already been a half year of dramas for 2025 - Sarah is joined by Patreon guests Kalena and Shannon to chat through the second quarter of Korean dramas so far. Join us on our quick run through of our favourite dramas, performances as well as the ones who could have done better and ones we dropped entirely.
If you've not managed to watch some dramas yet you can also check out how we found these dramas before starting!
Dramas covered that include spoilers - with timestamps so you can avoid spoilers (other dramas are covered but without spoilers)
Squid Game 3 - 20.48
Our Unwritten Seoul - 25.02 - 34.30
Mercy for None - 1:45:42 - 1:48.05
Show Notes
Kalena Intro Podcast - Seo In Guk Fanmeet
1st Quarter Review with Erin and Cate
Art of Negotiation Deep Dive podcast
Sarah and Grace had a lovely time chatting through what makes K-dramas special in this short primer geared toward new and curious potential viewers. We discuss what a K-drama is, the genres that K-dramas do well, and give a brief overview of K-drama history. We also give recommendations for viewers who are just starting out, as well as those who have already dipped their toes in the water and are wondering where to head next.
Dramas mentioned:
Hospital Playlist (Netflix)
Residents Playbook (Netflix)
Pachinko (Apple TV)
Taxi Driver (Viki)
Signal (Viki)
Yumi's Cells (Viki)
Crash Landing on You (Netflix)
Reply 1988 (Netflix)
Prison Playbook (Netflix)
Hometown Chachacha (Netflix)
Mr. Queen (Netflix)
Moving (Disney+/Hulu)
Tomorrow (Netflix)
Dae Jang Geum/Jewel in the Palace (Viki)
My Mister (Netflix)
Misaeng (Netflix)
Our Blues (Netflix)
25 21 (Netflix)
Racket Boys (Netflix)
Goblin/Guardian: the Great and Lonely God (Viki)
My Dearest (Netflix & Viki)
Call It Love (Disney+)
One Spring Night (Viki)
Never Have I Ever (Netflix)
Love to Hate You (Netflix)
Business Proposal (Netflix)
Lovely Runner (Viki)
Coffee Prince (Viki)
Go Back Couple (Viki)
Touch Your Heart (Viki)
Squid Game (Netflix)
Death's Game (Amazon Prime)
Uncanny Counter (Netflix)
D.P. (Netflix)
A Shop for Killers (Disney+)
Bad and Crazy (Netflix)
I Am Not a Robot (Viki in US/Netflix in UK)
Twinkling Watermelon (Viki)
Alchemy of Souls (Netflix)
Doom at Your Service (Netflix)
Something in the Rain (Netflix)
Still 17 (Viki)
Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born (Hulu/Disney+)
When Life Gives You Tangerines (Netflix)
Strong Woman Bongsoon (Viki)
Happiness (Netflix)
Fated to Love You (Viki)
One More Happy Ending (Viki)
Good Partner (Viki)
Healer (Viki in US/Netflix in UK)
Other media mentioned:
The Power of Pop Culture in “Reply 1988” | The New Yorker
Oshin: The gritty Japanese drama that gripped the world
Sarah is joined by fellow Patreon guests Katie & Charlotte for a deep dive of the 2025 drama, The Art of Negotiation. This drama stars Lee Jehoon and was a bit of of a niche drama for Western audiences - but we think it needs much greater love. It's available on Viki. All three of us love this director, Ahn Pan Seok - who also directed Something in the Rain, One Spring Night and Secret Love Affair. This corporate drama doesn't feature a romance but has much of what we love about this Director's dramas. Check out the spoiler-free intro to see if this drama is for you if you haven't watched, or if you have seen or don't mind being spoiled join us for the full podcast! We hope those of you who also enjoyed this drama feel like we did it justice!
Show Notes
To hear Katie's previous episode and her intro check out the podcast.
For the Afternoona Delight podcast on My Beautiful Man listen to the episode.
Sarah also covered the drama Something In the Rain on Afternoona Delight
We were delighted to chat about Culinary Class Wars with returning guest Lisa. We discussed what made the 2024 Netflix food competition so entertaining and unique, who our favorites were among the chefs battling it out to make their names known, what foods we most wanted to eat, and how we would like to refine the next season (hopefully it's not derailed by Chef Paik's ongoing business and legal troubles!). We also talked about various Korean and Chinese food words in our language section.
You can find Lisa on YouTube as Army Auntie and on Instagram as @chibifromouterspace
To get a bit more of an introduction to Lisa, listen to our JSA and Korean American Experiences of Hallyu episode.
Reality/variety/cooking shows mentioned in this episode:
Singles Inferno
Physical 100
Siren: Survive the Island
Iron Chef
Top Chef
Great British Bake Off
Running Man
You Quiz on the Block
Rented in Finland
Love After Divorce
Master Chef
Peak Time
Foods mentioned in this episode:
Japchae - stir fried glass noodles
Naengmyeon - cold noodles
Kalguksu - knife cut noodle soup
Jeon - batter dipped and pan fried meat or vegetables
Gyejang - raw marinated crab
Biji jigae - soy pulp left over from tofu-making process, made into a stew
Dongpo rou - braised pork belly from Hangzhou
Malatang - Sichuanese numbing spice hot pot
Babaocai/Palbochae - Chinese "eight treasures" dish that contains various vegetables, seafood and meat
Bibimbap - rice mixed with stir fried vegetables, meat, and a fried egg (several unique varieties were showcased, including seafood)
Dim sum - Cantonese dumplings
Gim - roasted laver (often marketed as seaweed snacks in Western countries)
We discuss the 2024 Korean Drama The Atypical Family with guest Lindsay. All three of us love this quirky fantasy drama and enjoyed deep diving what made it such a compelling watch for us. Listen to find out why we receommend this drama, discuss how we think it handled time travel and what stood out for us.
To listen to Lindsay's first episode with us check out our Learning Korean with Lindsay episode
Grace had a wonderful time chatting with friend and guest Robert about their respective trips to South Korea earlier this year. They discussed highlights and let downs, yummy and interesting food and drinks they tried, and the virtues and pitfalls of intensive planning versus flying by the seat of your pants. They reflected on the changes they have noticed over several visits to South Korea and talked about hopes and plans for future trips there. They also recommended helpful apps and websites, gave travel tips, and, in the language section, suggested useful Korean phrases to learn.
Dramas Mentioned:
Can We Get Married (2012)
Coffee Prince (2007)
The Tale of Lady Ok (2024)
Itaewon Class (2020)
City Hunter (2011)
Healer (2014)
The K2 (2016)
Vagabond (2019)
Arthdal Chronicles (2019)
I Am Not a Robot (2017)
One Spring Night (2019)
Lovely Runner (2024)
Places and activities mentioned
- Hannamdong (한남동) (Seoul)
- Seoul Forest and Atelier Street just north of it (Seoul)
- Cafe streets, e.g. Cheongsudang (청수당) bakery and Soha Salt Pond in Ikseondong (익선동) (Seoul)
- Leeum Museum (리움 미술관) (Seoul)
- Gentle Monster eyewear shop and Nudake cafe in Dosan Park (Seoul)
- Hongdae and Ryse Hotel (Seoul)
- The National Museum of Korea (Seoul)
- Night walk along Cheonggyecheon, starting at DDP and ending in Myeongdong, with a stop for dessert at Gwangjang market (Seoul)
- Namsan hike, including Whitestone Gallery and Komfortabel cafe + cable car (Seoul)
- Night walk among Silla dynasty sites, including burial mounds and the oldest standing astronomical observatory in Asia, Cheomseongdae (첨성대) (Gyeongju)
- Bulguksa temple complex (Gyeongju)
- Gyeongju National Museum (Gyeongju)
- Hwangnidan-gil 황리단길 cafe street (Gyeongju)
- Seodaemun Prison History Hall (Seoul)
- Nagwon Musical Instrument Arcade (Seoul)
- Daejanggeum Park (Yongin)
- Korean Folk Village (Yongin)
- Suwon Hwaseong Fortress wall walk (Suwon)
- Yongyeon Garden Suwon Hwaseong Fortress (Suwon)
- Hwaseong Haenggung (Suwon)
- Suwon fried chicken street (Suwon)
- Inspire Entertainment Resort (Incheon)
- Apgujeong Rodeo Street (Seoul)
- Insadong culture street (Seoul)
- Hyundai Department Store Yeouido (Seoul)
- Lotte World Tower - Seoul Sky (Seoul)
- Seongsudong (Seoul)
- Starfield Library at the Coex Mall (Seoul)
- Danbam - restaurant/bar from Itaewon Class (Seoul)
Food, drinks, and restaurants mentioned:
- Gabojeong Hanwoo galbi restaurant (가보정) - also had excellent banchan (Suwon)
- Suwon Fried Chicken Street
- Hanjeongsik style meal - table covered in banchan
- Gyejang (계장) marinated crab
- Hotteok (호떡) - filled flatbread
- Ggwabegi - twisty donut
- Dakgalbi (닭갈비) - spicy chicken stir fried with veggies, tteok, and sometimes cheese. Bbandak Bbandak (빤닭빤닭) in Myeongdong
- Chimaek (chicken + beer) at BB.Q Chicken
- Myeongdong Kyoja (명동교자) - Bib Gourmand gyoza restaurant
- Mr. Ahn's Craft Makgeolli (안씨 막걸리) in Itaewon (이태원)
- Sool Gallery in Bukchon
- Alice and other cocktail bars in Cheongdamdong (청담동)
Apps and websites mentioned:
- Catchtable - for restaurant reservations
- VisitKorea website - to verify business details
- Naver Maps for navigation and directions + Google Maps to look up place names in Korean
- Uber - for calling cabs (more familiar for westerners, and just as effective as Kakao T)
Introducing our first Chinese Drama Deep Dive on Afternoona Asks, wher we cover the 2025 romance drama The First Frost. Sarah is delighted to be joined by Afternoona Delight Patreon guests Tania and Kortney to discuss this popular drama. We give a spoiler-free intro to the drama so if you're interested in hearing what we liked and recommend about The First Frost check this section out. After a short Chinese langauge section we get into the nitty-gritty of what we liked and didn't like so much about this drama, how we found the romance and relationship and did we think it stuck the landing?
Show Notes:
Kortney's Dramas:
Hometown Cha Cha (Sarah's deep dive with the Afternoona Delight podcast)
Love Like the Galaxy (Sarah's deep dive with Corinne from SexLoveLit Podcast and Gavin on the Afternoona Delight podcast)
Guardians of the Dafeng
Fireworks of my Heart
Only for Love
Love Languages description
Love Languages in Zhu Yi dramas
Hidden Love - Love Language reel
Sex Love Literature podcast on Red and Green Flags as a trope, which Sarah guested on.
Crafting Social Media links:
Tania - @tania.ho on Instagram, Tania on Ravelry
Kortney - @kortneyskrafts on Instagram
Sarah - @knitcrochetrepeat on Instagram, Sarah on Ravelry
Join Sarah and special Patreon guests Erin and Cate as they discuss the drama year so far in 2025. What Korean and Chinese dramas have they been watching and which dramas have they enjoyed, which have been dropped and who have had the standout performances so far?
We do touch on spoilers for some of the dramas that we discuss, so please see below for the timestamps of each drama so you can skip ahead if you don't wish to be spoiled:
34.44 The First Frost
36.40 When Life Gives you Tangerines
40.00 Love Scout
43.52 Undercover High School
44.24 Study Group
49.45 Trauma Code: Heroes on Call
55.35 When The Stars Gossip
1:01:00 My Dearest Nemesis
1:08:42 Motel California
1:16:38 Check In Hanyang (no spoilers)
1:26.34 Melo Movie
(The remainder of the dramas discussed have no spoilers)
To hear Erin's first episode with us check out our Afternoona Asks podcast
To hear the My Liberation Notes Deep Dive Sarah did with Lia, check it out on the Afternoona Delight podcast
We're back with part two of our Introduction to Korean Food! Sarah, Grace, and guest Susan continue to discuss favorite foods, including what we want to eat when we go to Korea, what we like to make at home, non-spicy options, and favorite ramyeons. We also discuss Korean food creators we enjoy and make recommendations about possible easy points of entry for listeners who want to try their own hands at making Korean food. In the language section, we discuss food-related Korean phrases.
Korean food mentioned in this episode:
kalguksu
mul naengmyeon
kongguksu
mandu guk
tteokguk
sujebi (Susan's rec here)
tteokbokki
kimchi (soondubu) chigae
doenjang chigae
baek kimchi
mul kimchi
yeolmu kimchi
nabak kimchi
galbi tang
seolleongtang
samgyetang
gukbab
pajeon
jangjorim
myeolchi bokkeum
oemuk bokkeum (oemuk is sometimes called odeng, a remnant of Japanese language imperialism)
dongchimi kimchi/noodles
japchae
jjajangmyeon
galbijjim
gamjatang
gopchang
껍데기 구이 / kkeopdegi gui
kimbap
pajeon
Paldo Bibim Men
Shin Ramyeon
Samyang Ramyeon
Shin Red Fire Spicy Beef
Buldak Carbonara
Korean food creators we follow:
Maangchi
Korean Bapsang
POV husband
crazykoreancooking
MyKoreanKitchen
BeyondKimchee
The Korean Vegan
Chef Ed Lee
Pierre Sang
Cookim
Hooni kim
Hayden Kim
Other content mentioned in this episode:
Enhypen Heeseung's ramyeon egg hack at 17min in. Or at 30:50 in this video, which is a whole presentation about ramyeon that he puts on for Soobin of TXT
Sarah's favorite ramyeon egg hack
Folded kimbap recipe from Korean Bapsang
Jinga Gomtang from H Mart (Grace's go-to soup base)
And last but not least, find Susan on Instagram @josuhome
Sarah and Grace were thrilled to have fellow Afternoona Delight Patreon member Susan on as a guest to discuss a favorite topic: Korean food. We chat about how we were each introduced to Korean food, what it consists of and its signature characteristics, how we have seen its popularity and influence grow, for better or worse, and how accurately it is portrayed in Korean dramas. This ended up being an extended conversation--what with tangents about memorable foods eaten on trips to Korea, all time favorite Korean dishes, and ones we still have on our foodie bucket list--so we have split it into two parts. We hope you enjoy listening to us talk about Korean food as much as we enjoyed discussing it!
Korean shows mentioned in this episode:
Goblin aka Guardian: The Great and Lonely God
Mr. Queen
Hospital Playlist
My Dearest
Death's Game
Reply 1988
Singles' Inferno
I Live Alone
Crash Course in Romance
A further introduction to our guest, Susan, can be found here:
Afternoona Delight: Across Borders and Beyond K-Dramas
The review of green onion Chex mentioned in this episode
Some banchan recipes recently posted on Instagram, here, here, and here
