This week on the DramaMeans Podcast, Mel and Ryan take a look back at a year filled with comedies, dramas, and even a little horror. We discuss what we liked, what we didn’t, and what we never want to see again.
This week on the DramaMeans Podcast, Mel and Ryan dive into 2025 Thai period series, "Shine." We see if the filmmaker’s storytelling could live up to the ambitions of a politically explosive subject matter, and the skill of their very talented cast.
Cast:
Tanwa - Mile
Trin - Apo
Krailert - Son Yuke
Naran - Euro
Victor - Peter
This week on the DramaMeans Podcast Mel and Ryan discuss why the time loop plot device of the 2025 Chinese Drama, "Mobius," was a great evolution of the Groundhog Day concept... but at the same time doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. At least from a science perspective...
Cast:
Ding Qi Qi - Bai Jing Ting
An Lan - Janice Man
Mo Yuan Zhi - Song Yang
Jiang Yu Wen - Liu Yi Jun
This week on the DramaMeans Podcast, Mel and Ryan discuss the 2025 Thai drama, "Reset," and why a main character must have a plan...even it’s a bad plan. For goodness sake, please come up with something! We also debate how romantic chemistry can sometimes skew toward creepy.
Armin - Pond
Thada - Peterpan
Thiwthit - Bom
Ren - First
Pharit - Winner
Veynai - Alexander
Janine - Intanont
Lilly - Namyard
In a DramaMeans Podcast first, Mel and Ryan discuss a French period drama that dabbles into witchcraft and religious themes. We also wonder, aloud, why Netflix’s, "Nero: The Assassin" needed to be kinda gross in order to tell their story.
Cast:
Nero - Pio Marmaï
Perla - Lili-Rose Carlier Taboury
Hortense - Alice Isaaz
La Borgne - Camille Razat
Rochemort - Louis-Do de Lencquesaing
This week on the DramaMeans Podcast Mel and Ryan take a look at past dramas to examine break up scenes done right and debate whether the 11th episode curse is truly a bad trope or just lazy writing.
This week on the DramaMeans Podcast we question whether the filmmakers behind Japanese drama, "Learning to Love," really understand their own show, while also asking whether a homeroom teacher is really responsible for her students 24/7.
Cast:
Ogawa Manami - Kimura Fumino
Kaoru (Takamori Taiga) - Murakami Raul Maito
Kawahara Yoji - Nakajima Ayumu
Machida Momoko - Tanaka Minami
Ogawa Seiji - Sakou Yoshi
Ogawa Sanae - Tsutsui Mariko
Takechiyo - Sakaguchi Ryotaro
Sakura Eita - Mikata Ryosuke
Sawaguchi Natsuki - Hayasaka Miu
This week on the DramaMeans Podcast we discuss the Thai supernatural BL thriller, "Khemjira," and debate whether scary stories need to actually be really scary. We also try to figure out how reincarnation curses work while not getting too confused along the way.
Cast:
Khem - Namping
Peem - Keng
Jet - Firstone
Charn - Tle
Ramphueng - Green
This week, the DramaMeans Podcast dissects Chinese period drama, "Coroner’s Diary," to find out whether a room full of dead bodies really put a damper on the lead actors’ romantic chemistry.
Cast:
Qin Wan / Shen Wan / Wan 'er - Landy Li
Yan Chi (7th Prince) - Ao Rui Peng
Yue Ning - Shen Yu Jie
Yan Li - Yu Cheng En
Bai Feng - Cheng Hong Xin
Fu Ling - Wan Lu Qing
DramaMeans takes a look at Japanese rock music drama Glass Heart to see if it has the rhythm of a hit, or is a tragic tone deaf flop. We also question the need to wedge romance into a story where it doesn’t belong, while simultaneously wishing for romance from Mel’s favorite “ghost ship.”
Cast:
Naoki - Satoh Takeru
Akane - Miyazaki Yu
Sho - Machida Keita
Kazushi - Shison Jun
Toya - Suda Masaki
This week on the DramaMeans Podcast, Mel and Ryan give a full check up to Korean Drama “Resident Playbook,” the follow up to the highly successful “Hospital Playlist.” We discuss the differences in character and tone throughout the series, as well as coming to the realization that perhaps not even the most seasoned doctors in the hospital… really know as much as they are letting on.
Cast:
Oh Yi Yeong - Go Youn Jung
Pyo Nam Gyeong - Shin Shi Ah
Um Jae II - Kang You Seok
Kim Sa Bi - Han Ye Ji
Koo Do Won - Jung Jun Won
The DramaMeans podcast is back to take a deep dive into the 2025 Chinese BL drama “Revenged Love.” Join us as we decide whether or not trying to seduce someone as part of an elaborate revenge plan is toxic, adorable, or somewhere in between.
Cast:
Wu Suo Wei - Zi Yu
Chi Cheng - Tian Xu Ning
Guo Cheng Yu - Zhan Xuan
Jiang Xiao Shuai - Liu Xuan Cheng
Wang Shuo - Liu Jun
Wang Zhen - Wang Yu Qiao
Yue Yue - Sun Qian Yu
In this episode of the DramaMeans Podcast, we take a serious look at the very unserious 2025 Thai Drama “Break-up Service,” which gives a new meaning to the phrase, “All’s fair in love and war.” We also discuss why sometimes a show is allowed to do everything from cheesy physical humor to over the top product placement and still be considered a quality drama.
Summary:
Desperate for work, an idealistic young woman finds employment with a company that purposely breaks up couples that are in love. To make things more complicated, she ends up teaming with the most ruthless and jaded partner the company has to offer…who just might turn out to be the man of her dreams.
Cast:
Boss - Off
Jued - Jorin
Oat - Tay
Nut - Godji
T - Foei
This week on the DramaMeans podcast, Mel and Ryan dive into the 2025 Japanese live action adaptation of “Cells at Work” to discuss whether or not the feature film lived up to the clever anime. We also ask who the target audience is for the recent trend of live action remakes of popular animations or whether it’s just a studio cash grab.
Cast:
White Blood Cell (U-1146) - Satoh Takeru
Red Blood Cell (AE3803) - Nagano Mei
NK Cell - Naka Riisa
Killer T Cell - Yamamoto Koji
Niko - Ashida Mana
Dad - Abe Sadawo
Takeda - Kato Seishiro
Summary:
An experienced white blood cell befriends a naive red blood cell as she tries to navigate her new duties delivering oxygen to the body without getting hopelessly lost. But when a mutated cell creates a dangerous cancer, it’s all hands on deck to save the body at all costs.
This week, Mel and Ryan discuss how the 2025 Cdrama, Prisoner of Beauty, was able to execute the well-known trope of enemies to lovers. But did the use of several tried and true costume drama conventions make this drama a stand-out success or a tired attempt at doing the same old thing?
Summary:
Two families form an alliance through marriage, but the bad blood between their clans leads the couple to deeply distrust each other. As they begin to grow closer and learn to find love, they realize the only way for their families to survive is to put the past aside.
Cast:
Wei Shao - Liu Yu Ning
Qiao Man - Song Zu Er
Wei Yan - Liu Duan Duan
Lady Yu Lou - Xuan Lu
This week, Mel and Ryan show appreciation for two dramas that were able to overcome the shortcomings of their source material. Yes, sometimes the TV show is better than the book…or the anime. Both Korean BL drama, "Secret Relationships" and Thai BL drama, "Top Form," do a good job of demonstrating that.
Secret Relationships Cast:
Jung Da On - Kim Jun Seo
Ju Seong Hyeon - Cha Sun Hyung
Kim Su Hyun - Cha Jung Woo
Sin Jae Min - Kim Ho Young
Top Form Cast
Akin - Boom
Jin - Smart
In this episode of the DramaMeans podcast, Mel and Ryan discuss the unorthodox love story of Hong Kong film, "Love Lies - 我談的那場戀愛."
We also advise our listeners not to take any inspiration from the film and become online scam artists in order to find love. That kind of thing only works in the movies!
Summary: A widowed doctor signs up for an online dating app and ends up falling for a hunky French engineer who always seems to say the right things. Just one problem. Her French beau is actually a scammer trying to take her for everything she's worth. But can the two find love and happiness together anyway?
Cast:
Veronica Yu - Sandra Ng 吳君如
Joe Lee - MC Zhang 張天賦
Joan - Stephy Tang 鄧麗欣
As we always say on the DramaMeans Podcast: Endings are hard. Endings are important. So did the 2025 Chinese Costume Drama Demon Hunters Romance provide us an ending that was worthy of the story and world the series created? You’ll have to hear what we think on this week’s episode. And we dive deep into our favorite trope “enemies to friends” to see if this series gave us enough team building moments for us to sink our teeth into.
Demon Hunter’s Romance (2025 - Chinese Costume Drama)
Cast:
Allen Ren
Song Zu Er
Xuan Yan
Fan Shuai Qi
Liu Ruo Gu
Liu Qi Qi