Hello, beautiful people!
I'm Karen and this is The Blossom Review 🌸, our little corner of Korean and Japanese media! ✨
From Goblin to Unnatural 📺,
From Parasite to Perfect Days 🎥,
From Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop to Days at the Morisaki Bookshop 📚,
the vibrant and charming universe of Korean and Japanese TV, cinema, and literature offers an endless combination of genres and stories.
Together, let's dive into the latest J- and K-dramas, talk about our favourite J- and K-books, and explore the beauty of J- and K-cinema! From discussing that dorama you've already watched about 10 times to discovering your brand-new obsession, The Blossom Review is your go-to channel for all things Korean and Japanese!
I hope to see you here every week for a new review, recommendation, and analysis! 😊
Subscribe to join this fascinating journey through Korean and Japanese media and stop by our website, The Blossom Review, for our complete reviews, lists, and recommendations!
The Blossom Review
Hello, hello! 👋
Have you heard of TV Asahi's Just a Bit Espers? Even though it received international distribution through Netflix, scriptwriter Nogi Akiko's latest endeavour seems to have slipped under everyone's radar.
As soon as I finished the last episode of Just a Bit Espers, I felt that I needed to watch it all again. Not just because I loved those characters and their dynamics, but because such a nuanced narrative made me feel as if I'd inevitably missed some very important stuff.
Because every time you come back to Just a Bit Espers, there seems to be another question, another discussion, or another layer that you hadn’t noticed before.
Let me tell you why I think Just a Bit Espers is such a special story in this week's review! And I hope you share your own thoughts on the series (or if you'd like to give it a shot in the future) in the comments! 😉
Have a wonderful day today and a fantastic weekend ahead! ❤️
2 days ago | [YT] | 0
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The Blossom Review
Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️
Korean dramas are well-known for their romances, aren’t they? So today, I decided to find some of the most popular K-drama romances of the past year and share this little list with you.
Some of these have become my all-time favourites (you can definitely guess which ones 😂), some of these didn’t convince me, and some of these I’m still waiting to see where they are going to take us. But isn’t it fun to wholeheartedly enjoy a good ol’ (fictional) romance sometimes? 😉
Which of these have you watched? Which ones are your favourites? ✨
I hope you have a marvellous day with your loved ones!
1 week ago | [YT] | 4
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The Blossom Review
Hello there! 👋
Everything okay?
I've been a fan of scriptwriter Moon Yoo-seok's work for quite a while now. After all, Moon's debut K-drama, JTBC's Miss Hammurabi (2018), is a series I will never, ever forget as it forever stole my heart and soul 🥰
The same sharp social commentary that marked Miss Hammurabi returns with tvN's Pro Bono, a legal drama that came to a close earlier this year. With an even tighter script, Moon's social critique becomes the foundation of his narrative and the core of each and every one of his characters, establishing a story that dares to be more than just a TV series.
Moon makes Pro Bono his manifesto for a fairer and more equal society. So shall we talk about it together? 😉
You can read our complete review of tvN's Pro Bono on The Blossom Review (theblossomreview.com/tvn-pro-bono-netflix-review), or you can watch our video essay right here 👇
Have a wonderful weekend! 😊
1 week ago | [YT] | 0
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The Blossom Review
Hello, hello! 👋
How are you today?
This week, we're talking about a very, very special series: we're reviewing NTV's Chosen Home, a marvellous slice-of-life that you can watch on Netflix 🥰
Gentle and humane, Chosen Home feels like a warm hug on a cold day. It stays with you long after its last episode ends, a constant reminder of how we should all be kinder to ourselves and others.
Chosen Home is joyful, thought-provoking, and endlessly enchanting. And yes, I fell head over heels in love with these characters and their little colourful universe. Let me tell you why in our weekly review! 😉
You can read our complete review here: theblossomreview.com/ntv-chosen-home-netflix-revie… and you can watch our video essay right here 👇
Have you watched Chosen Home? Would you like to give it a try in the future? I hope you stop by and share your own thoughts on the series!
Have a fantastic weekend, and I'll see you soon! ✨
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 3
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The Blossom Review
Hello, there! 👋
It's me again! How are you today?
With K-content gaining popularity year after year, we’re bound to see more Korean stories finding their place in the sun (or on our bookshelves!). So, this week, we're talking about new Korean books coming out in English print between January and June 2026! ✨
Here are some of my favourites. For our complete list, stop by The Blossom Review: theblossomreview.com/new-2026-korean-books-january… Which ones are you looking forward to reading most? 😉
Have a lovely weekend, and I'll see you soon! ❤️
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 4
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The Blossom Review
Hello, everyone! 👋
Happy Friday! ✨️
This week, we're talking about new Japanese books coming out from January to June 2026. Believe it or not, close to 30 novels are receiving an English translation in the first half of this year! I wonder which ones you're looking forward to reading the most! 😉
Here are 10 titles I'm personally looking forward to. Why don't you stop by The Blossom Review to learn more and share your own favourites in the comments? You can find our complete list here: theblossomreview.com/new-2026-japanese-books-janua… 🥰
Tomorrow, I'll share some Korean titles with you, too, so stay tuned!
Have a lovely day! 🩷
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 5
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The Blossom Review
Hello, everyone! 👋
Are you all okay? I hope so 🙏
Believe it or not, January is already coming to an end! 😱 Where does time fly to, I wonder?
Anyway, a new month always brings new K-dramas, so we have quite a few stories to look forward to: February arrives with eight new K-dramas -- some longer, some shorter; some romantic, some dramatic. So take your pick!
Over on The Blossom Review, you'll find our monthly calendar with everything you need to know about these new releases: theblossomreview.com/new-k-dramas-coming-out-in-fe… I hope you stop by! ❤️
Oh, and over on Substack, we discussed the new 2026 Korean slate from Netflix and Disney+. If you'd like to give it a read, you can find it here: theblossomreview.substack.com/p/netflix-disney-plu…
Tomorrow, we'll be talking about new Korean and Japanese books and next week, we'll return with our weekly reviews! Stay tuned! 🥰
Have a lovely day and a marvellous weekend ahead! 😉
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 6
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The Blossom Review
Hello, everyone! 👋
How are you today?
Arguably one of the most anticipated Netflix K-originals of the past year, Can This Love Be Translated? arrived on the Tudum platform on January 16th -- and raised more than a couple of eyebrows.
Sold as a classic romantic comedy, Can This Love Be Translated? requires its audience to recalibrate its expectations halfway through its twelve-episode journey. After all, this is a narrative that blossoms in all sorts of unexpected ways (and that’s not always a good thing).
Can This Love Be Translated?, albeit flawed, was brought to life by two incredibly charismatic performers who convey the series' optimistic heart with sincerity and tenderness.
Our complete analysis of Netflix's Can This Love Be Translated? is now available on The Blossom Review (theblossomreview.com/can-this-love-be-translated-n…, and our (summarised 😂) video essay can now be found on our YouTube channel 👇
I hope you stop by and share your own thoughts on the show 😉
Have a wonderful weekend! ✨
4 weeks ago | [YT] | 2
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The Blossom Review
Hello, there! 👋
How have you been? All good? 😊
This week, we're reviewing one of my favourite Japanese dramas of 2025: TBS's Then You Try Making It!, an offbeat rom-com that you can watch on Viki.
Then You Try Making It! is the kind of show that I could watch forever and ever. This profoundly empathetic, humane, and clever story dares to defy the expectations of its genre to convey a revolutionary and timely message about equality, self-confidence, and self-reliance.
Our complete review is now out on The Blossom Review 🌸 (theblossomreview.com/tbs-then-you-try-making-it-re…, and our video essay is right here 👇
Have you watched Then You Try Making It!? What did you think about it? If you haven't, would you like to give it a shot in the future?
Have a marvellous weekend! ❤️
1 month ago | [YT] | 1
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The Blossom Review
Hello, hello! 👋
How are you?
This week, we're reviewing Netflix's Cashero, a superhero K-drama led by Lee Jun-ho. I feel that we all had really high expectations for it, but the lukewarm reception the show got after its release made me wonder if Cashero really measured up to everyone's hopes.
In our very first review of 2026, I'm sharing with you my own thoughts about the series, and I'd love to hear from you: Did you enjoy Cashero? 🤔
Have a marvellous weekend and take very good care of yourself, okay? 🙏
1 month ago | [YT] | 2
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