Thanks for the details on SLINGSHOT, @linda-palapala. Without redemption and/or justice, I'd just get depressed after watching it, which I need like a hole in the head. Knowing this makes it much more appealing. Hau'oli Makahiki Hou! ;-)

@linda-palapala,
I must have seen clips from THE NAKED KITCHEN a couple of years ago, and probably read a couple of reviews, too. I just finished watching it, thanks to your prompting, and agree with your description. It's rather strange, like a twist on ANTIQUE BAKERY. JJH is definitely the one with demonic charm in this flick. And I can't get over how young Shin Min-a looks.

@pakalanapikake: In the end, I'd put Slingshot right up there with Mawang.

@coolgirl,
Thank you for clarifying the root cause of the villain's psychological condition in SLINGSHOT. If it's a nicely done character study, I can dig it. I'm a sucker for tragic heroes with emotional trauma. That includes antiheroes such as LOOKOUT's Jang Do-han.

Actually, I found Mo Tae-goo to be a horrifyingly tragic character. His fascination with Goethe's poem "Erlkönig" made my blood run cold, and prompted me to discuss it the recap thread. Talk about cautionary tales (the poem and MTG's character arc). -- Thanks again. ;-)

@coolgirl,

I meant to thank you for your earlier comments on STORY OF A MAN and Kim Kang-woo's portrayal from 2017. Your post prompted a nice set of replies, and caught my eye. I saved them in my to-watch list. ;-)

Should any other SLINGSHOT fans be interested:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/02/top-10-favorite-dramas-of-all-time/comment-page-4/#comment-2696346

Thanks again. ;-)

@pakalanapikake
I agree with @linda-palapala and @coolgirl, his character is not scary at all. He's a genius who was supposedly not capable to love, but one person whom he genuinely love left him. The hero in Story of A Man, Kim Shin, my favorite K-drama lead ever, also have similar fate like Do Woo. I'm afraid if I talk more I will give too much spoiler 😄
Please let me know when you start to watch it, I would love to know your opinion and insights.

@manohira, mano is asking for trouble
January 1, 2019 at 6:37 AM

Thanks for your comments on Do Woo. He sounds at first blush a bit reminiscent of Jang Hyuk's character Lee Young-o in BEAUTIFUL MIND.

It will be a while before I start watching SLINGSHOT (just started JUMONG), but I'm making a note to touch base with you when I do. I'll probably mention it in What We're Watching. Thanks again for sharing your insights. ;-)

Wow, nice analysis - I've been looking for it online but can't find it anywhere. Would love to watch it again.

@pakalanapikake
Thanks for the throw back to the 10 top favourites drama list: i completely forgot about this thread and it was nice to read what i wrote at that time!

I'm happy that the discussions made you want to watch SOAM.
I hope your expectations will be met. But even without knowing your taste: if you enjoy psychological thrillers, you should like it.
Like @manohira said, it would be very nice to read your thoughts on the drama.
We are lucky because SOAM has recaps on DB for the 20 episodes. At the time, DB was still a blog and Javabeans doing alone the recaps.
The down side is that it didn't attract viewers, and we had very few comments. If you want to post in this section, let me know: i will gladly post with you here to revive it.:)

Mo Tae Gu's life on one hand can seem indeed unfair in the sense that if his mental illness was treated, maybe he would taken a different path.
Do Woo's character is a sort of answer to that: he got to be treated but still chose a dark path and made the wrong choices despite having find someone to love and being loved (which for me brings a conclusion too the last conversation between Kwon Joo and Tae Gu).
In the end, both men were the sole responsibles of the decisions they made and had to assume the full consequences of it.

@LindaPalapala
Sadly SOAM disappeared with Dramafever. I didn't check Viki, but it might be worth to confirm it.
I'm watching it on my local k-drama streaming site but they don't have english subtitles, so it has no interest for you. :(

@coolgirl January 1, 2019 at 8:55 AM

Re: your top 10 favorite dramas list, it wasn't the only post I saved from that discussion thread. It was posted about 10 months before I watched MAWANG, which was sort of a watershed event for me because revenge stories aren't usually my cup of tea. My Kdrama viewing can thus be divided into Before MAWANG and After MAWANG. LOL!

I enjoy psychological character studies, but not necessarily thrillers. Being scared out of a year's growth isn't my idea of a good time. But examinations of nature vs. nurture, intellect vs. emotions, the role of free will and conscience, the influence of relationships on attitudes and behaviors, and other such topics are interesting to me. As are fate, karma, and other aspects of metaphysics.

Thanks for alerting me to javabeans's recaps for STORY OF A MAN. Those threads are the logical places to post comments. I'll give you a heads-up when I get around to watching, but it will be a while.

Re: Mo Tae-goo, on some level, he chose to do what he did. Not everyone who was brutalized as a child the way he was turns into a serial killer. Some people even develop greater empathy for others.

Thanks again for your thoughts. I probably won't get to watch SOAM before ITEM premieres in February. But I appreciate this discussion because I now know to anticipate a couple of strong performances.

@coolgirl @pakalanapikake At the bottom of this thread re before MAWANG and after MAWANG. Like SOAM, I wish more people had understood Mawang as more than a detective revenge not-romance story. Some of these dramas have low ratings or low viewership because it didn't have a happy "guy gets the girl" ending.

*beams approvingly at @sicarius*

That's the spirit! Geronimo!

@yyishere YY, I didn't get around to finalizing my 2018 DIY Beanie Awards... but I can tell you that you were at the top of my list:

Best Performance as a Geographical Feature:
@yyishere YY as The Island – TOP STAR YOO-BAEK

Your portrayal has been not only moving, but as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar. And the show is only now nearing its halfway point, so it's not too late for viewers to tune in and observe your artistry, and warmly supportive chemistry with the cast, including boats. Hwaiting, YY!!

Hmmm. I may have to post them after all... ;-)

@sicarius, since you hinted, I'll post the stats on my fan wall. Stay tuned. ;-)

And yes, I did watch other older dramas besides MAWANG. ;-)