Author: Rahul M

In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in what’s new in J-pop. With that in mind, here’s where you come in: I’m one person with one set of musical preferences, so please embed any other new J-pop tracks you’ve enjoyed in the comments so we can get a fuller spectrum each week. *And…

Get ready for sparks to fly on the next episode of “Law and The City”! tvN’s “Law and The City” is a new drama that follows five associate attorneys—Ahn Ju Hyeong (Lee Jong Suk), Kang Hui Ji (Mun Ka Young), Cho Chang Won (Kang You Seok), Bae Mun Jeong (Ryu Hye Young), and Ha Sang Gi (Im Seong Jae)—as they navigate the challenges and triumphs of their daily lives. These salaried lawyers, employed by law firms, commute each day to the bustling legal district of Seocho. Spoilers On the first episode of “Law and The City,” Kang Hui Ji began…

On the next episode of “Salon de Holmes,” Lee Jae Kyoon will be taken into police custody! ENA’s “Salon de Holmes” is a comedy-action drama about four women—a sharp-witted sleuth, a former ace detective, an insurance queen, and a part-time job expert—who live in the same apartment complex. Together, they team up to take down the troublemakers plaguing their community. Spoilers Previously on “Salon de Holmes,” Gong Mi Ri (Lee Si Young)’s past trauma was reawakened due to a crime reminiscent of the serial killer “Ribbon Man,” who murdered her best friend 22 years ago before vanishing without a trace…

Netflix’s upcoming film “Wall to Wall” has unveiled its main poster and trailer! “Wall to Wall” is an unpredictable thriller that tells the story of Woo Sung (Kang Ha Neul), a young man who succeeded in buying his own home but is plagued by mysterious noises from neighboring floors. The new poster features Woo Sung struggling with the unidentified noise, visibly worn out and removing his earplugs in frustration. Also pictured are Jin Ho (Seo Hyun Woo), the stern-faced neighbor living directly above him, and Eun Hwa (Yeom Hye Ran), the president of the residents’ association, who lives in the…

Upcoming teen horror movie “The Ghost Game” has unveiled its first poster and trailer! Directed by Son Dong Wan, “The Ghost Game” is a mystery horror movie that follows Ja Young (Red Velvet’s Kim Ye Rim [Yeri]) and her classmates as they attempt to film mediumistic activities for a video contest—only to encounter a terrifying curse that spirals out of control. The newly released poster sets a chilling tone, featuring red star enclosed within a circle against a dark backdrop, with five fingers ominously pointing toward the center. The caption at the bottom reads, “An irreversible curse has begun,” teasing…

Two new dramas got off to promising starts last night! On July 5, Lee Jong Suk and Mun Ka Young’s new tvN drama “Law and The City” aired its highly-anticipated premiere. According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode of the series took first place in its time slot across all cable channels with an average nationwide rating of 4.6 percent. “Law and The City” also premiered to higher viewership ratings than its predecessor “Our Unwritten Seoul” (the drama that previously occupied its time slot), which kicked off on an average nationwide rating of 3.6 percent back in May. Meanwhile, MBN’s…

The much-awaited C-drama “Reborn” is finally here, and I couldn’t be more excited. Set in 2007, “Reborn” follows 16-year-old Qiao Qing Yu (Zhang Jing Yi), who relocates with her family from the quiet town of Shunyun to the bustling city of Huanzhou after rumors surrounding her sister Qiao Bei Yu’s (Wo You) mysterious death force them to start over. Determined to uncover the truth and move forward, Qing Yu begins to dig into the past, with unexpected help from her new classmate, the quiet and brooding Ming Sheng (Zhou Yi Ran). As they investigate, long-buried secrets start to unravel, revealing…

On the third episode of SBS’s idol survival show “B:MY BOYZ,” the final results of Round 1 were revealed! “B:MY BOYZ” is a new boy group survival show in which top idols participate directly in choosing which contestants (known as “B:GINNERS”) make the final debut lineup. The first official round of competition was a “concept battle” in which the contestants split up into five teams to cover various hit songs by NCT, the show’s first “top idol.” The contestants surviving the first round of eliminations and advancing to the second round were determined 30 percent by the votes of the…

Prior to their comeback at the end of the month, One Pact released an EP of solo songs from each of the members. I won’t be writing about most of them since I don’t have much to say, but Jong Woo’s solo Passout instantly caught my ear and now it has a special video to add a visual element. I’ve mentioned before that I have two goals for K-pop in 2025. First, I’d like a huge spike in energy — upbeat instrumentals and an end to this muted phase we find ourselves in. Second, (and even more important) is a…

Mun Ka Young will make a strong first impression on her fellow attorneys in “Law and The City”! tvN’s “Law and The City” is a new drama that follows five associate attorneys—Ahn Ju Hyeong (Lee Jong Suk), Kang Hui Ji (Mun Ka Young), Cho Chang Won (Kang You Seok), Bae Mun Jeong (Ryu Hye Young), and Ha Sang Gi (Im Seong Jae)—as they navigate the challenges and triumphs of their daily lives. These salaried lawyers, employed by law firms, commute each day to the bustling legal district of Seocho. In the upcoming first episode of the drama, rookie lawyer Kang…