Author Archives: ockoala

Big Budget K-drama When the Stars Gossip with Gong Hyo Jin and Lee Min Ho Heads into Second Half of 2024 Still with No Confirmed Network or Airing Date

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

So I’ve been dum-dum-hum-de-dum-ing along expecting word of when space romance big budget K-drama When the Stars Gossip (Ask the Star) with Gong Hyo Jin and Lee Min Ho was going to get a confirmed airing date on tvN. The drama has finished filming over a year ago with principal production between April 2022 to January 2023. Now it’s become … Continue reading →

Pan Yue Ming and Dylan Wang Team Up to Crack Cold Cases in Procedural Modern C-drama Light to the Night

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

I really like C-actor Dylan Wang but I often get the sense that he’s cosplaying when I see him onscreen. In his past dramas he just came off as cosplaying a cold tech executive, a revenge driven fake eunuch, and now he’s cosplaying a grizzly young rookie cop. I didn’t mention his popularity rising turn as an abused but caring … Continue reading →

The Story of Pearl Girl with Zhao Lu Si and Liu Yu Ning Reportedly Moved Up From Q4 2024 Airing to Next Month in August

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

So this is really recent airing scheduling change rumors but we should know in the next week or two whether it’s going to happen or not. Tang dynasty drama The Story of Pearl Girl with Zhao Lu Si and Liu Yu Ning was slated for a Q4 2024 basically end of year airing which fits with the filming and post-production … Continue reading →

Previews for the Coveted 2024 September Fashion Magazine Covers Shows Dilraba Dilmurat and Xiao Zhan

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

Forget that the first half of 2024 is already over, but now it’s preview time for the fall almost like the summer is slipping by faster than ever. The Chinese fashion magazines released the previews for the most coveted annual cover which is the September edition, and normally it’s top models but sometimes top stars also get selected. This year … Continue reading →

Byun Woo Seok Returns to Korea and Mobbed at Airport After Private Security Scandal

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

This summer must feel like the best of times, the worst of times for actor Byun Woo Seok. Having a meteoric rise in popularity means heightened scrutiny and also nonstop travel and events for him. So it’s not wildly unexpected to land himself in a scandal and I just hope the resolution is handled well by him and his agency … Continue reading →

Kim Jung Hyun and Geun Sae Rok Sign on for KBS Weekend Drama Iron Family

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

I haven’t watched a weekend K-drama in years but will always remember fondly the heydays when there was always a chance to chance upon a good one. Not that the weekend dramas in recent years weren’t good but there seems to be a lack of excitement and buzz around any to make it worth checking out. Two bigger names will … Continue reading →

Woo Do Hwan the Latest Star to Join the Cast of Kim Soo Hyun’s Next Drama Knock Off

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

Please keep adding more cast members to K-drama Knock Off, this is the most entertaining casting train I can recall in years and makes for good positive news in a week full of negative stuff. Woo Do Hwan is the latest to join the 1997 period era set Knock Off, with his agency saying that he will be playing a … Continue reading →

The Byun Woo Seok Private Security Inconveniencing Travelers Scandal Heightens in South Korea as the Airport Releases Statement it Never Approved of Actions in Question

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

One of the top hates of South Korean is when the rich/powerful/famous misuse their authority. Case in point warm nuts Korea Air heiress and her Nut Rage Incident a few years back. Last weekend’s complaint against actor Byun Woo Seok and the actions of his privately hired security at the airport inconveniencing and overstepping their bounds against travelers by checking … Continue reading →

The Princess Royal with Zhang Ling He and Zhao Jin Mai Wraps Up Solid Ratings Run with Douban Ratings of 6.7

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

The 2024 summer C-dramas has been decent, better than the spring season earlier. Period rebirth palace intrigue C-drama The Princess Royal with Zhao Jin Mai and Zhang Ling He just ended its 40-episode run this weekend and the Douban ratings are also out with a mid 6.7. I think it’s probably a few points too low, this drama was really … Continue reading →

Lost You Forever Part 2 Airs to Good Viewership But Not as Strong as Part 1 Due to Slower Burn Story Cadence and Even Stronger Audience Preference for the Third Male Lead

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

The shipping wars during the drama airing for Lost You Forever is nothing compared to what it was like for the novel days. The book was much richer and deeper in detail and yielded very strong opinions on who Xiao Yao loves/should end up with. The two aren’t necessarily the same and during the novel days the shipping was vocal … Continue reading →

Traveler Lodges Complaint About Byun Woo Seok’s Excessive Security Measures at Airport

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

With K-actor Byun Woo Seok‘s exponential popularity rise this spring he’s been traveling nonstop this summer for fan meetings, magazine shoots, endorsement deals, and attending fashion shows. That means he’s in and out of airports a lot and this weekend a traveler went public that his private security detail at the airport was overly protective and made other travelers uncomfortable … Continue reading →

Yang Zi’s Next Project Confirmed to be the Daylight Produced Tibetan Plateau Set C-drama Tree of Life with Male Lead Bai Yu

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

C-actress Yang Zi is currently on the small screen with her hit C-drama Lost You Forever Part 2 and also has the filmed Tang Dynasty period drama Flourished Peony finished production. Reportedly her long filmed C-drama The Golden Hairpin will get a release in late fall of this year with the AI face swapped new male lead. Now she’s signed … Continue reading →

Xiao Zhan’s Popularity in Japan Cemented with First C-star to be Featured Cover of Annual Chinese Period Drama Issue

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

So I know which K-stars are popular in Japan but now I also know which C-stars, and it’s none other than Xiao Zhan at the top. Japan publishes an annual Chinese Period Drama Magazine issue once a year covering the past year’s period C-dramas so Japanese fans have recommendations and know what was good/popular. This year the cover model was … Continue reading →