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A Koala's Playground

I'll talk about dramas if I want to

Young warrior with armor and intense expression.

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C-actress Zhao Lu Si Resumes Activities Attending Brand Event and Cheekily Laughs Off Some Netizens Mockery of Her Seemingly Fast Recovery

A Koala's Playground Posted on January 25, 2025 by ockoalaJanuary 25, 2025
Young woman in red sweater, looking thoughtfully.

I am so happy to see Zhao Lu Si back at work looking healthy, if that is what she wants. If she wanted more time off then it sucks to be rushed back but from what can be seen onstage and her earlier SNS post, it looks more likely that she’s ready to return after a month off. She did … Continue reading →

Posted in TW & C dramas | Tagged Zhao Lu Si

First Set of Posters for Wuxia Period C-drama Go to the Mountains and Seas with Cheng Yi

A Koala's Playground Posted on January 25, 2025 by ockoalaJanuary 23, 2025
Young man in traditional Chinese outfit.

So the big three male lead period C-dramas filmed last year in 2024, only one has aired and that’s Guardians of the Dafeng with Dylan Wang which started with less than strong reviews and reception but kept getting better and ended on a high note. Now there are two more and both will likely air in the first half of … Continue reading →

Posted in TW & C dramas | Tagged Cheng Yi, Go to the Mountains and Sea, Gulinazha, Li Kai Xin

Joo Ji Hoon in Talks for the Male Lead Antagonist Role in Remarried Empress with Shin Mina and Lee Jong Seok

A Koala's Playground Posted on January 25, 2025 by ockoalaJanuary 23, 2025
Man in black suit sitting on bench.

In a real casting way and in a meta casting way, this is about as good as I can hope for with the drama adaptation of webtoon Remarried Empress coming along. This week there is news that Joo Ji Hoon is in talks to play Emperor Sovieshu, the male lead antagonist of the drama, or shall we say the BIGGEST … Continue reading →

Posted in K-dramas | Tagged Joo Ji Hoon, Lee Jong Seok, Remarried Empress, Shin Mina

First Official Poster and Preview for Netflix 1950’s Era K-drama When Life Gives You Tangerines with IU and Park Bo Gum

A Koala's Playground Posted on January 24, 2025 by ockoalaJanuary 23, 2025
Two characters standing in a blooming field.

Jeju and the 1950’s are coming for K-drama viewers in a month and a half, with Netflix announcing this week the premiere date of March 7th for When Life Gives You Tangerines. I like the idea of a cute punny drama title but this one is too punny and a mouthful, but still the drama starring IU and Park Bo … Continue reading →

Posted in K-dramas | Tagged IU, Park Bo Gum, When Life Gives You Tangerines

C-actress Dai Lu Wa is the Breakout Star of Moonlight Mystique for Her Visuals and Acting and Incurs the Ire of Female Lead Bai Lu’s Fandom

A Koala's Playground Posted on January 24, 2025 by ockoalaJanuary 24, 2025
Two women in traditional Asian attire.

So xianxia C-drama Moonlight Mystique is winding down its run and will go down as not a flop but not a hit either, got some buzz, heat, and viewership, but not enough considering the draw female lead Bai Lu was supposed to bring in. TBH the story is derivative and the lead couple don’t have strong chemistry, the male lead … Continue reading →

Posted in TW & C dramas | Tagged Bai Lu, Dai Lu Wa, Moonlight Mystique

Xiao Zhan and Zhuang Da Fei Bring Their Own Take to Iconic Wuxia Characters Guo Jing and Huang Rong in New Posters for Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Great Hero

A Koala's Playground Posted on January 23, 2025 by ockoalaJanuary 21, 2025
Two characters on horseback in historical attire.

The countdown to the 2025 lunar new year day release of C-movie Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Great Hero is garnering so much attention in C-ent, thanks to the big name director and cast along with the record setting ticket presales. New posters arrived today with leads Xiao Zhan as Guo Jing and Zhuang Da Fei as Huang Rong … Continue reading →

Posted in Films | Tagged Legend of the Condor Heroes, Xiao Zhan, Zhuang Da Fei

When the Stars Gossip Drops Out of Netflix Global Top 10 Non-English Shows and Opens with a Low 5.4 on Douban with Chinese Viewers

A Koala's Playground Posted on January 23, 2025 by ockoalaJanuary 23, 2025
Futuristic train scene with seated passengers.

The low domestic ratings of K-drama When the Stars Gossip in South Korea is now being met with the same fate in other major broadcast platforms. In the full second week of streaming since its release on Netflix, Stars is no longer in the global top 10 of non-English shows, and in the first week it placed #8 behind three … Continue reading →

Posted in K-dramas | Tagged Gong Hyo Jin, Lee Min Ho, When the Stars Gossip

Xu Kai and Zhou Ye Confirmed to Star in Period Romance C-drama A Cup of Love Starting Filming in March

A Koala's Playground Posted on January 22, 2025 by ockoalaJanuary 25, 2025
Two characters in traditional Eastern attire.

With so many period C-dramas airing between November of last year through January now it feels like the backlog of projects got released so now I’m back on the anticipation wagon for a slew of projects getting announced or starting to film. This week there is insider industry confirmation that Zhou Ye and Xu Kai will be pairing up for … Continue reading →

Posted in TW & C dramas | Tagged A Cup of Love, Xu Kai, Yi Ou Chun, Zhou Ye

C-actress Zhao Lu Si Reportedly to Resume Entertainment Activities After Hospitalization and Subsequent Hiatus

A Koala's Playground Posted on January 22, 2025 by ockoalaJanuary 21, 2025
Woman enjoying food with a dog nearby.

It’s been a quiet month of January for C-actress Zhao Lu Si after a very eventful December last month where she was hospitalized after her health deteriorated on the filming set of her drama Almost Lover and later she revealed that she was suffering from depression after she was verbally mistreated by her former agency early on in her career. … Continue reading →

Posted in TW & C dramas | Tagged Zhao Lu Si

A Tyrant’s Chef with Yoona and Lee Chae Min to Start Filming This Week on January 23rd

A Koala's Playground Posted on January 22, 2025 by ockoalaJanuary 21, 2025
Young woman with long hair, smiling.

So the timing seems off to kick start filming right before the lunar new year holiday stretch but likely this drama was already delayed after needing to re-cast the male lead. Sageuk romance A Tyrant’s Chef with Yoona and Lee Chae Min will start filming this week on January 23rd. Complaints from netizens have ended after original male lead Park … Continue reading →

Posted in K-dramas | Tagged A Tyrant's Chef, Lee Chae Min, Yoona

Guardians of the Dafeng Ends on Strong Reviews of the Drama Turning From Comedy to Delivering Pathos and Tied Up Ending

A Koala's Playground Posted on January 21, 2025 by ockoalaJanuary 21, 2025
Two warriors preparing for battle.

It’s rarer and rarer to see huge budget S+ level C-dramas as the economy is also not throw money at entertainment level it used to be, so the end of December came the first big male lead led period drama with Guardians of the Dafeng starring Dylan Wang marketed as a make or break it type of project. The early … Continue reading →

Posted in TW & C dramas | Tagged Dylan Wang, Guardians of the Dafeng, Tian Xi Wei

First Poster and Script Reading Stills for Next MBC Fri-Sat K-drama Undercover High School

A Koala's Playground Posted on January 21, 2025 by ockoalaJanuary 20, 2025
Young man holding a gun in uniform.

So of course the two most famous undercover cop in high school onscreen stories has to be Fight Back to School which launched Stephen Chow‘s career and the 21 Jump Street US series. I mention this because those two are totally different tones and takes on the idea of a top cop going back to high school undercover and I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in K-dramas | Tagged Jin Ki Joo, Seo Kang Joon, Undercover High School

Douban Opening Ratings for Yang Zi’s Flourished Peony at 7.8 Towers Over Moonlight Mystique with Bai Lu at 5.9

A Koala's Playground Posted on January 20, 2025 by ockoalaJanuary 23, 2025
Two couples in traditional Chinese attire.

So the same day premiere of two female actress led C-dramas with Flourished Peony starring Yang Zi and Bai Lu with Moonlight Mystique has a winner, and unlike last November’s female actress showdown this one is not a surprise. Peony has been trending more and gotten stronger reviews and now the opening Douban viewer voted ratings reflect that as well … Continue reading →

Posted in TW & C dramas | Tagged Ao Rui Peng, Bai Lu, Flourished Peony, Li Xian, Moonlight Mystique, Yang Zi

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Recent Posts

  • Chae Soo Bin and Kim Young Kwang Kick Off Filming for Rom-com K-drama Take Care of My Heart
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  • Modern C-drama Sniper Butterfly with Michelle Chen and Zhou Ke Yu Reportedly Doing Very Well in the Older Woman-Younger Man Romance Genre
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  • Production of The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage Makes Dylan Wang and Meng Zi Yi Joint Top Billing as Filming Slated for Q1 of 2026
  • First Poster for iQiyi Modern Romance C-drama My Queen, My Rules with Ao Rui Peng and Shen Yu Jie Gives off Sleek Sexy Vibes
  • TW-tabloids Go Wild with News that F4 is Reuniting at Concert this December in Shanghai But Without Member Ken Chu and Adding Top TW-singers Jay Chou and Ashin of Mayday as Special Guests




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  • Sirey on Modern C-drama Sniper Butterfly with Michelle Chen and Zhou Ke Yu Reportedly Doing Very Well in the Older Woman-Younger Man Romance Genre
  • Somebody on Top J-pop Star Ayumi Hamasaki’s Shanghai Concert Abruptly Cancelled Last Minute as China-Japan Political Spat Worsens
  • Kristina on Kim Hye Yoon and Park Solomon Embark on Their Own Nine-Tailed Fox and Human Rom-Com in SBS K-drama Human From Today
  • Mandy on iQiyi Airdrops Speed and Love with Yu Shu Xin and He Yu This Week as Expected Delivering an Old School Idol Romance Tableau
  • Somebody on Top J-pop Star Ayumi Hamasaki’s Shanghai Concert Abruptly Cancelled Last Minute as China-Japan Political Spat Worsens
  • Somebody on iQiyi Airdrops Speed and Love with Yu Shu Xin and He Yu This Week as Expected Delivering an Old School Idol Romance Tableau
  • Somebody on iQiyi Airdrops Speed and Love with Yu Shu Xin and He Yu This Week as Expected Delivering an Old School Idol Romance Tableau
  • Somebody on Modern C-drama Sniper Butterfly with Michelle Chen and Zhou Ke Yu Reportedly Doing Very Well in the Older Woman-Younger Man Romance Genre
  • HL on Modern Sci-Fi Romance C-drama Love on the Turquoise Land with Dilraba Dilmurat and Chen Xing Xu Wrap Uneventful Run and Nets a Relatively Low 6.2 Douban Ratings
  • HL on iQiyi Airdrops Speed and Love with Yu Shu Xin and He Yu This Week as Expected Delivering an Old School Idol Romance Tableau
  • HL on iQiyi Airdrops Speed and Love with Yu Shu Xin and He Yu This Week as Expected Delivering an Old School Idol Romance Tableau
  • HL on Modern C-drama Sniper Butterfly with Michelle Chen and Zhou Ke Yu Reportedly Doing Very Well in the Older Woman-Younger Man Romance Genre

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