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Open Thread #778

Happy Friday everyone!

Here is your Open Thread, which is here for you to chat about anything you want, whether it be drama-related or not. Nothing’s off-topic here! Spoilers may be rife, so proceed accordingly.

 
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What do you mean when you talk about “chemistry” between two actors? We talk about it a lot here on Dramabeans, and I finally thought about it and realized I don’t really know what a lot of people mean by that. Sometimes I think a couple is great, and then other Beanies comment that they have no chemistry together. (Which is totally fine, it just makes me more curious!)

I think for me, chemistry mostly comes down to actors and writing. Having good actors who seem natural together (can be combative also, but still believable) is super key, but good actors also can’t make up for bad writing. If a line is bad, it’s still kinda bad when a good actor tries to make the most of it. That said, I’m a pretty friendly drama-watcher, so if you’re scoring a 7/10 or so on acting, characters, and lines, that combined with the right soundtrack will make me forget a lot of faults!

So I think that’s what I mean when I talk about chemistry, but I’m interested to hear what other people think. How do two actors achieve chemistry with each other? Is it their acting skill? The writing? The direction? An aspect of the story between them? Some ineffable quality about each of them that makes them equal more than the sum of their parts? Something else? Talk to me.

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Good writing plus an actor/actress that doesn't measure up can't evoke chemistry. Bad writing plus good acting can still do a bit of damage control. When we talk of chemistry, it's usually in the romance category and there are actors and actresses who knows how to pull such chemistry irrespective of the writing. So to your question...
How natural do the actors act. Are they stiff when shooting the scenes that are meant to convey a brewing romance or they flow with the mood.
Another is the actors strength. There are some class of actors and actresses that it takes someone of like strength to match the chemistry so it doesn't come of as an unbalanced scale. If there's as much as 1.) an unbalance which now 2.) happens to be so glaring you can see it literally, chemistry is gone.
Another angle is when there is actually good acting , writing and direction but one of the leads isn't buying or selling the romance,like we had in Remarriage and Desires between Kim Hee-sun and Lee Hyun-Wook. Lee Hyun-Wook was selling but Kim Hee-sun wasn't buying at all.

But there are actors whom good writing and good acting can't save in the romance section but only skillful direction can save. For example, I haven't seen much directors use Kim Ji-suk's facial swoon to sell a romantic chemistry, it's always the writing and his acting but his romantic smile doesn't. I recall that in Monthly Magazine Home he was said to have sibling chemistry than romance chemistry with Jung So-min but that's just the way he smiles and he can't help it. My Unfamiliar Family kind of utilized and honed his smile wrt his romance when it came to direction so it came off as romantic care instead of familial care.

I don't think we have that much issues with bromances, sismances and chemistry between family members.

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I like your point about balance. I think that's true that if you have one side performing way more naturally than the other, it can be pretty jarring.

I'm not sure I know what you mean about "buying" and "selling" though. Do you mean that one of the characters doesn't seem as into the relationship as the other one? If so, would you say this is more a product of the acting, the storyline leading up to that point, or something else?

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Buying and selling occurs when one person is not into the relationship written into the story. 'Selling' is the person giving off the romantic vibes and chemistry.
And you're right, it's more of the actor than the writing if not entirely on the actor especially when the writing is clear on where it is going.

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When I think of good chemistry, whether between actors or people irl, I think of people who seem to think along the same wavelength and who "fit" with each other. That is, if they seem natural and their banter goes smoothly, touches seem natural, speech is easy and not stilted or awkward. I think it is a result of two people having open and friendly personalities, similar senses of humor and timing, and an ease with each other. There is definitely a little je-ne-sais-quoi in the mix too, something intangible that just makes it work.

Where actors are concerned, I generally attribute good chemistry to the actors' actual personalities, not necessarily that it is something they can force.

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Oh wow, so by your definition they could be doomed from the start no matter how good they are! Do you have examples of this going particularly right or particularly wrong?

I think your points about people "fitting" with each other are probably right, but I'm less sure about the people needing open and friendly personalities. I think there are plenty of instances where one person in the relationship (romantic, friendship, etc.) is more open, and the other is more broody, quiet, or closed off, and they can still have chemistry.

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When I read your question, I thought it would be easy to answer, but it isn't! I couldn't think of any particular definition except to say I know it when I feel it. So, chemistry must (at least for me) evoke a feeling or emotion. Then one scene in particular came to mind which is in Empress Ki when the characters played by JCW and HJW are riding horses along the beach and I went back and watched it to see why that came to mind. Aside from the actors, the horses, the beach, it was the music that really evoked a feeling in me. So, I think music is one of the key components. I wonder if chemistry is a somewhat undefinable quality that we just know when we feel it?

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You're right with the music angle. Little wonder we remember some OTP's when their music score comes on spontaneously.

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This is why I wanted to explore this topic! It's a term that gets thrown around quite a lot and I honestly find it confusing!

Ooh, I haven't seen this drama (but would love to) but I'm so happy you gave an example. I think the feelings that we get during scenes are a good indicator of chemistry, but I'm not sure if they are all that it actually is (does that make sense?), or if it's coming from somewhere else. It's all very mysterious haha!

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Then perhaps it is the intersection between an emotional and intellectual response? If that is true, then, I would wonder if you (the viewer) needs to feel comfortable with character interactions to experience the chemistry? The only problem with that is there are some pretty awful characters that have good chemistry (My Liberation Diary would be an example of that as you have a drunk man that can be violent having good/interesting chemistry with the actress). I don't know, I still go back to it is a personal response (mostly emotional) to all the components in the drama that make us feel something (actors, editing, etc). Dramas are a commercial endeavor, but it is also an art. Good art should make you feel and think (in my opinion, anyway). But, whatever it is, I'm happy when I experience it!!!! Empress Ki is a pretty great drama---but long if you like that kind of thing! Good luck finding the answer! I can't wait to read all of the responses!

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An unforgettable scene. Beautiful and arguably his only happy moment.

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Really beautiful, so memorable.

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I think the chemistry is the human part where nobody has a real control. It depends on the actors' personality, their own experience, the age gap, etc.

If the actors are confortable and friendly with each others, it often shows on the screen.

But actors who never really date, the romance scenes tend to lack. For example Park Shin-Hye, she was a good actress in the other scenes but her kiss scenes often lacked before.

Sometimes, with the Korean sunbae-hoobae type of relationship, it can be more difficult to create a natural relationship on screen.

After the writting and directing are important too. I think Park Seo-Joon is great for the romance part. But in Itaewon Class, his character was written with no interest in the FL but suddenly it changed at the end. So I think he couldn't make it work with the sudden change of character. I had the same issue with Yoo Yeon-Seok in Hospital Playlist. He had a lot of chemistry with his last partners but in the whole season 1 of HP, his character showed no interest in GW and it didn't work when suddenly he was written like he fell in love with her.

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I think I get what you mean about "chemistry is the human part" but shouldn't a good actor be able to fake that part?

I think you're spot on with things like age gap and actors who have never really dated in real life. It's definitely harder to pull off a believable relationship if you've never experienced one (this is an actual plotline in Touch Your Heart/Reach of Sincerity!). And totally agree that the relationship can't come out of left field. I haven't seen Itaewon Class or Hospital Playlist, but I had the same complaint of Min-woo and Sunshine's relationship in Extraordinary Attorney recently. Not super believable if we haven't been getting hints of it through the rest of the show.

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Yes, it's their job. But I think it's why people talk about chemistry. Some couples work very well together when others just work. All of them are doing their job, but for some reasons the result is not the same. In French, we use the word alchemy, I think it gives the mysterious part of it, it's not an exact science :p

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but ---- Park Seo Joon is supreme at romance!! the problem in Itaewon Class, i believe, was that the young actress was outweighted in experience, and she showed her intimidation. she was so STIFF during the romance part and her response (lack thereof) to his kiss was a travesty!!!

how could she not ENJOY a kiss from Park Seo Joon????

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For me is exactly what you said "having good actors who seem natural together". I don't care about the script, direction or anything, just the actors.

Innocent Man was crazy but I loved Chae Won unnie and Joon Ki together. If they don't do another drama together soon maybe I'll rewatch that one LOL (even though I still have nightmares of Joon Ki's make up).

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I'd second this. If their body language doesn't appear to be what you'd consider natural in the setting, such as comfortable in intimacy, passionate about the other person, etc. then it doesn't seem like the two actually share that relationship.

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I can think of one OTP which have great body language together. Please watch Live Up to Your Name. Kim Nam-Gil and Kim Ah-joong have chemistry through the roof.

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This has a lot to do with age too. I love watching seasoned actors around 40 years old, because they still look young enough to sell a conventional love story, and are actually old enough to have a hell of experience around filming sets and crews and different genres and actors. It truly shows in their ease and body language.

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Exactly.
I love it when they look so good together they make you wonder if they're dating in real life, that means they did their job.

It's been years but I still can't get over MBC' couples of 2016. SWLouie, W and WFKim Bok Joo gave us such wonderful ships. I started looking for the behind the scenes after watching the shows just to see if there was any hint of them actually dating in RL. 😂 They were that good.
I mean, who didn't love the red carpet kiss or the jail kiss? They're iconic.

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Oh.. I think you have given the aptest description of chemistry for me- the OTP that makes you wonder if they are or soon-to-be dating irl.

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I've always found chemistry completely subjective. Lots of times beanies gush about a couple's chemistry while I find none, and vise versa.

So I have come to the conclusion that it is not a set-in-stone observation.
It is just like different people have different impressions on us, it is the same for different actors, not only they have different impressions on us viewers, but also on each other as people. And then these actors go on and have a relationship, any kind of relationship, on screen. Their level of ease, spark, animosity, caution, openness, or any other energy between them, which is in essence their chemistry, will have different impressions on us viewers.

Chemistry isn't only for romantic couples. Chemistry must exist between every two people in a show to have the best result, and impression, (have I said impression enough already??) on audiences.

To answer your last question, I don't think it is easy to answer just how.
Sometimes actors just don't like each other, are uneasy, shy, mentally or even physically unsynched, or they aren't comfortable with the writer, the director...
Some things just can't be helped or changed by sheer will. And these energies, basically the chemistry, unconsciously affect the viewers' perception of them.

Age, experience, naturally friendly or energetic disposition, more openness, things like these all probably help in increasing chemistry. And it can probably be achieved by hard work and practice, but I don't think it is a simple step, or decision just to take going from this show to their next work.

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Yeah I agree it’s subjective. I’ve definitely seen people gushing about wonderful chemistry while I’ve been like “are you kidding me?” - and the reverse. Sometimes I think people see what they want to see 😅

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This is so true. I've had the 'are you kidding me?' many times here.
'Sometimes people see what they want to see'. I think this is based on if it is their 'came for the actor' in the otp. That alone takes away objectivity 😅.

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I've always considered the ability to create chemistry in direct sync with the possession of charm with the individual. If you know how to charm, creating chemistry with anyone not inclined to hostility is a piece of cake. I've always considered charm to be easily defined as the ability to make people comfortable in your presence. And the thing about chemistry, it really only needs one sender and one receiver to work. Having two (or one emotionally influenced), that's what we call 'a sizzle'.😏

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I also agree with this. One example I can think of is Kim Nam-gil. I think his charm makes it so easy for me to root for him and his FLs in various projects. I can’t say the same for Kim Seon-ho BB because I’m guilty of seeing no faults in his acting. 😅

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Well, this question is too difficult for me to answer. And I can see that many have given their two cents here, so I’ll refrain from trying to answer this.

But what interests me in this sub-thread is whether chemistry is totally subjective. In the list below, I will list some OTPs I found having great chemistry in the drama they were in together. If anyone of you think any of these OTPs do not actually have chemistry, do let me know. My assumption right now is that great chemistry is quite objective:

1. Live Up to Your Name (Kim Nam-Gil and Kim Ah-joong)
2. Dali and the Cocky Prince (Kim Min-jae and the FL I can’t remember her name)
3. Another Oh Hae-young (Erik and Seo Hyun-jin)
4. Romantic Doctor 1 (Seo Hyun-jin and Yoo Yeon-suk)
5. The second lead couple in Another Oh Hae-young (Kim Ji-seok and the actress I can’t rem her name)
6. Hometown Cha Cha Cha (Kim Seon-ho 😍 and Shin Min-ah)
7. My Unfamiliar Family (Kim Ji-suk and Han Ye-ri)
8. Forest of Secrets 1 (Bae Doo-na and Cho Seung-woo)
9. Coffee Prince (Yoon Eun-hye and Gong Yoo

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No. 4: ZERO chemistry!

No. 5: Weird siblings vibe. No romantic chemistry at all.

Agree with 1, 3, and 9.
No comment on 8 because they did have great chemistry, but to me it felt completely platonic. Then it became romantic in season 2.

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Haven't watched the rest by the way.

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I found the lead couple in Hometown Cha Cha Cha very flat; I didn’t really buy their romance at all.

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Yes! I could see them acting their roles instead of being their characters, and it was distracting. There are situations in which that kind of knowing wink at the audience works (Good Job, for example) but this wasn't it. Of course I despised that whole drama so everything about it makes my teeth itch.

It's funny, that's the only show on @mmmmm 's list I've seen. I keep meaning to get around to LUTYN.

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I’ve started but got distracted on LUTYN about two episodes in which isn’t a great sign; I’ve not seen My Unfamiliar Family or Forest of Secrets but of all the others Hometown Cha stood out to me as one I didn’t get the same vibe.

I think it really shows how much is in the eye of the beholder.

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Same. At the time, it was hyped because of the actors prior works. I think it lacked something for me in regards to their pairing. I thought individually there were fine, but together a bit non-descript.

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@mmmmm I agree with all of these except for 6 and 8 (for the reasons stated by @midnight), although I must confess I can't remember 5. Especially memorable are 1 and 3. But let's be frank, isn't chemistry about the sense of sexual attraction that the actors convey. Hotness. 🔥 🔥 🔥

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Oh My Hotness!

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#9 and #8 💚💚💚

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I love that you gave a bunch of examples! But I think I've joined Team Subjective. I agree about 1 and 3, and I liked the couple in 6 and can remember moments of great chemistry, though I'm not sure it would stand out from others for me. I totally disagree about 5, even though I liked them for the most part. But when they finally kissed (after all that agonizing) it seemed exaggerated and forced and weird to me. Haven't seen the others.

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Thanks for everyone’s two cents, and I’m now inclined to agree with @jorobertson that great chemistry come from the sense of sexual attraction the actors convey based on general agreement that 1 and 3 have great chemistry. These two stand out from the rest because the OTPs have great body language and strong sense of sexual attraction compared to the rest. And they can be seen as dating irl, if I may add.

I still believe that great chemistry is quite objective, whereas chemistry, alone, is subjective.

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I do think that finding great chemistry in pairs of actors is partly subjective. But none of the dramas you listed were ones that struck me that much for good chemistry. I thought Doom at your Service was zero chemistry. Yet I've seen that same male actor have fantastic chemistry with Shopping King Louis and 100 Million Stars. I feel that there are many who would disagree with my assessment though.

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I agree! I like SIG a lot! But Doom at your service was a lot of pretty without soul for me. His chemistry with Nam ji hyun in Shopping King was superb. And the 100 million stars (in spite of changing the ending) was not my most favourite because they changed the ending and the nature of the story but they had a real chemistry.

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I am not an expert. What I see for on-screen chemistry is, it is like the exposure triangle in photography: acting , directing and the script. Each of them matters.
And I also think casting director should also take some of the credits as well. (Though I am not sure that there are separate casting director role in K drama production.) That's for the presentation.
What audience sees is totally up to themselves. Sometimes, I find an OTP very cheesy but my sister is loving the pair.
Apart from chemistry, I usually don't like watching actors who literally seem like they are acting (if you know what i mean).

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I don’t mind actors who seem like they are acting IF the overall piece is falling into so-bad-it’s-good territory; but otherwise agree with this. It’s distracting.

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I think you're right - if you're into the romance (or bromance, or frenemy, or friendship, or whatever it is), then the characters have chemistry for you. That's why I think the soundtrack can have an influence too. If the soundtrack is helping to pull the right emotional strings at the right times, I think it's more likely that I'll see chemistry in a pair.

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Two extremes. Watch the couple together in 'Now We Are Breaking Up', then watch the couple together in 'Something In The Rain'. In one the actors are merely reciting dialog, looking into the middle distance rather than interacting with their partner. In the other the pair are engaged and aware of each other, obviously enjoying being in each other's company.

A third example is the recent drama 'Monthly Magazine Home'. The series was supposed to have been a romance but, especially on the actress's part, strong 'sibling' energy was being given off. She engaged with her costar well enough but there was a wall between the pair that 'romance' was never going to penetrate.

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Agree with Something in the rain being off the charts chemistry they captured it perfectly in those first episodes.

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I dropped the Something in the rain after 5 or 6 episodes but the chemistry was not a joke!

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Yes, if we had awards for the most annoying female lead she would win it for me. She even beats the trope I hate the most; the second female lead who clings to a male lead who has underlined that he is not interested.

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ROFL! I agree. It was a hard watch.

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It reminds me of magnets. It is where two pieces of the halves either try to run away or pull at each other like crazy. It is the lack of any friction/interaction which makes it lukewarm in my eyes.

I am not sure I can describe what makes it. Sexual tension, attractions, fascination, adoration, intensity. The sum of all the parts is never equal to it's total.

And this is true for more than just ML/FL pairing. Here are a few examples which are not conventional lover's pairing but have an crazy chemistry for me.

1. Devil Judge (Ji sung and Park jin young)
2. School 2013 - Kim woo bin and Lee Jong suk
3. Beyond evil - Shin Ha kyun and Yeo jin goo.

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I totally agree it doesn't need to be a romantic pairing. I haven't seen the first two but give two thumbs up to the third!

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I skimmed through School 2015 a few days ago, and had a good laugh when I recognized Kim Min-kyu as one of the unnamed swimmers on the swimming team. It's always fun to spot now popular faces as side characters/extras during a rewatch marathon, or whenever I watch an old drama for the first time.

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Like Shin Hye Sun in School 2013!
That show if full of stars.

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my personal fave of spotting popular face as side characters was spotting Yoona in 9 End 2 Outs in my first watch of that drama, i was like woaah Yoona in maybe her debut year as an actress keke..and felt so nostalgic since now she's a leading lady already :)

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Ha, I just watched that - I think that was her debut! Her snotty little bitch character was totally punchable and I almost never say that about a woman, so I guess she did her job well. 😆

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We often bemoan about how Korean drama producers are becoming more Westernized in their business plans. Squid Game's 6 Emmy awards pushes companies towards second or third show seasons in order to try to create Hollywood "franchise" brands.

But often the first to rush into the new frontier often get burned.

JYP Entertainment, the talent mill owned by singer-songwriter Park Jin-young, has overtaken rival showbiz giant CJ ENM in terms of Korean market capitalization. JYP is mainly a traditional artist representation company.

Because of the success of Parasite, CJ ENM is an entertainment behemoth has quickly grown to 130 affiliated companies including the acquisition of a majority stake Hollywood production company, Endeavor Content, for $775 million US.

While JYP's operating profit is a hefty 35.8 percent, more than three times bigger than its rivals. CJ ENM's operating margin was just 4.7 percent.

Analysts said JYP is not interested in branching out beyond music production and talent management and was the best-performing entertainment stock in the first half of 2022.

CJ ENM's earnings outlook, by contrast, is cloudy as losses continue at Hollywood studio Endeavor Content, which it acquired last year, and streaming service Tving.

Bigger is not always better. When large entertainment firms have sudden downswings or losses, their business model calls for drastic re-organization just as Netflix continues to terminate staff and seek new revenue sources to off-set subscription losses. One would expect CJ ENM, a major Korean entertainment player, to cut back or change its business model soon which could impact the type of Korean shows it will produce.

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Thank you as always for your insightful comments and knowledge. It helps me understand things I know little about.

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That makes no sense because these same companies have always come and gone, made money and didn't long before the rise of kdramas and music groups from Korea became popular in the West.

Stop blaming it on 'Westernized' when your favorites make mistakes. You ain't their gatekeeper and they are telling you, to your face, they want worldwide money and are taking chances to get it.

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Yes, and as far as I know CJ ENM has been branching out like mad for at least the last 15 years.

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Tbh, if not Hollywood it was China/Japans industries Korea was trying to break into. When Thadd happened, it was perceived to kill their market. But Netflix happened. It’s the trend rn, who knows how long it’ll say but the producers, content makers, & actors surely don’t mind the $$/global attention.

Reminds me when Ju Ji Hoon said last yr, that while K content is expanding globally now the $$ hasn’t increased to the actors and crew. Wonder if unions will be made now to support cast/crew? That’ll be the most positive thing to occur Western wise to Korean productions.

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JYP and CJ ENM are in completely different categories in K entertainment industry, aren't they? Can we compare them like this?

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hahaha - beauty of health. wo't be much up till December 1st week.

December - +ve month so no matter gonna be active for sure.

I didn't realise the decline in health as was busy with everything else of human world,but body is in pretty bad shape and i'll continue with my foolish moves and actions - change slightly.

It isn't fight on - It's being a fool. If health allows will become active.

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I need a simple murder-free romcom desperately.

Shopping Wang Louie writer-nim, WF Kim Bok Joo writer-nim, Waikiki writer-nim, Fight For My Way writer-nim I'm calling you all!! Come and save me. 🥺

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Hum... Shopping Wang Louie writer gave us Do Do Sol Sol La Sol, I wouldn't count on her.

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Nah, I believe she learned from her mistakes 😂
SWL and Terius are great dramas, so I really want more shows from that writer.
Let's just pretend DDSSLLS doesn't exists. 😉

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Why everyone dislikes DDSSLLS that much 😅😅😅
Although it wasn't that great drama and I don't love both LJW and GAR chemistry that much, but I don't hate it either.
Perhaps this is just a drama where I just watch in one-go and might forget about every details of it. Never watch Terius and SWL, so this writernim didn't do much for me 😅.

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Because I found it pretty bad? 😅

The ML lied and ran away during the whole drama. So not someone I wanted to root for. And the end was the worst part.

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You should watch Terius and SWL. They're so adorable dramas!

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It was a just ok drama and then the ending utterly insulted the intelligence of the viewer.

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I wasn't a fan of Terius, but there were good moments. But I really disliked DDSSLS and I prefer avoid this writer 😅

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Oh, I get it. For you it's so-so drama plus a bad one.
Yep, better a avoid her. Hehe.

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I agree with tabong! I also want a simple murder-free romcom. The world is full of horrible things & I want a distraction.
Right now my favorite show is Be Melodramatic. More of this type please!

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Be Melo is the best!!!

I think the only murder-free show right now is OUA Small Town, but I have second lead syndrome so I can't actually enjoy it in peace. 😅
I'm doomed.

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Yes jumping in on the Be Melo fan club. It has the right balance of Rom and Com. Have you seen The Best Hit? that is another back in the day rom com with the added twist of time travel.

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I am loving Young actors retreat, it is really funny. Last week they had two episodes it looks like from this week it is only one per week. It is the highlight of my week.

If it is not on Viki in your area it should be available on the free app HiTV. It has pop up ads but they are safe and can be dismissed easily.

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Just watch latest episode too. So sad they have 1 episode this week (it is bcoz of Chuseok holiday in SK?)

Glad my Viki subsciption are worth in-a-while then 😆.

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I think it was two to get it started as episode one was just getting the teams to the venue so they needed to show the second one to finish setting the scene. Now they can do one episode a week as things are established and they will be able to show a couple of games and the bonding over time.

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Finished watching I'll come to you when the weather is fine... in 2 days 😅!
Came for LJW, but stay for the storyline. Love their village vibes and bookclub.
Although SKJ is not my fav actor, PMY surely did her part well (but not her best work, I guess). Part of my depression will say that this drama should be avoid at any cost (when reading the Seob journal)...the warm isn't so much about main OTP but it's bearable until the end.

Sadly Netflix didn't promote much warm drama...once in a while, I do let myself enjoy this genre where I don't have to think much of it. Still waiting for AHS and JYB new drama to be airing soon.

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Sad story in parts but the book club was so sweet. I quite like these slow stories this one was pretty heavy particularly with the female leads family story but the small town get togethers were really nice.

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I have a controversial question to ask… How do you beanies feel about K actors that get caught up in scandals? If it turns out to be true, do you believe they deserve a second chance at a comeback? I'm asking because there's a lot of actors who get caught up in some heinous stuff… I believe that it depends on the situation but SK tends to be really harsh when it comes to brand reputations. Their system is kind of like Guilty before proven innocent instead of the other way around… There is one Actor that i'm hoping can make a comeback despite of his past and that's Ji-soo, he was the SML in Strong woman Do Bong Soon. I've read what he did was true but idk if there is any hope for his return at all. It's ashame because he is someone that has a lot of potential… (He got caught up in a bullying scandal and some other crazy things, but it was all when he was in middle school I believe, not really sure).

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My attitude, I can forgive but I won't forget.
I don't have to build sort of any special attachment towards any actor, actress, idol in SK as everyone is entitled to their own life. They reap what they sow.
As long the storyline is good enough, it would be fine for me.
Any sort of feeling attachment including hatred, condemnation, love... it will tolls your heart.

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Totally depends on the scandal for me. A lot of the scandals I hear about don't really seem like scandals at all, and others are nasty rumors that later turn out not to be true. I have no issue watching actors making a comeback after situations like that.

If they committed an actual crime, especially if it harmed someone else, then I'd rather not watch them in anything. Events that are long over are harder, especially if they were very young at the time. But if they did lasting damage, I can totally understand people not wanting to watch something that that person is in. And that's probably not a risk most people who do casting are willing to take. I don't know any details about your bullying example, but maybe for me it would depend how bad it was? Some nasty comments when you were 12 is one thing, but a sustained tormenting of someone might be another. The first I could probably forgive (which of us wasn't a jerk sometimes at that age?) but the second would be harder for me to understand.

I do agree that Korea seems to assume guilt in these situations, and I wish we could get all the facts before we cancel peoples' careers.

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Well, I just read the full story now because I only read bits and pieces on instagram.. Sadly, he was a menace to his peers... I hope he learns from his mistakes.

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That's rough. It's hard because I want people to be able to earn a living, but I also don't want to condone that kind of behavior. I hope he does something to try to make up for it. If he tried to make amends in a sustained way, and showed over time that he had changed and was sorry for the way he acted, I would reconsider supporting a comeback.

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Yeah same here, I read the victim(s) don't want an apology but said if he continues to act, they'd prefer his name to be school bully actor Ji soo..

This gets me wondering how many of our favorite actors live a double life or how many of them did horrible things and got away with it. You never know what goes on behind closed doors or behind the squeaky clean images people portray (That goes for everyone) Def a scary world we live in..

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Depends on the 'scandal'. I think Korea uses that term very loosely - two consenting adults dating is also a 'scandal' 🙄. Similarly 'bullying' covers a spectrum. There's a good post on r/KDRAMA on school violence which talks about how the term bullying might diminish the severity of the crime in a lot of these cases.

A broad line I'd drawn for myself was to not watch anything starring people convicted of or credibly accused of sexual crimes - can't watch stuff with Kang Ji-hwan or Park Si-hoo for example. But I've watched 4 Lee Kyung-young dramas this year so I guess I'm not as rigid on those boundaries as I'd like to believe 🤷‍♀️.

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I think it's more on the he's in about half the kdramas on and fittingly he is always the bad guy. life experience perhaps? it's hard to get away from watching things with him in it.

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Yup. I mean when I first saw him in Secret Forest/ Stranger I thought he was really good. But then I looked him up and just sighed because what was I supposed to do - not watch Stranger ever again??

Agree about the life experience 😑.

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It is a lot easier to avoid dramas if someone is the lead. But LKY being a character actor, i do end up watching because I start drama for the leads. And then realise, he is in it.
I do hope his time away in jail (a very small duration) and time away from dramas/movies, made him repent his actions and that he is a changed man now. I can only hope that.

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Very true. That's why it's easier to avoid the dramas of the leads I named thankfully.

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Like others I think it depends on what the scandal was - and often if it was really true. It seems like every now and then there’s a big internet pile-on and a lot of extra details get added with not a lot of fact checking (not just related to SK celebrities).

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I think you can. But then you should always remember that actors are actors. You don’t really know who they are more than the fictional characters they play. If forgiving makes you feel good and can have fun watching their work again, I think you should. But if you really can’t forgive them because their wrong doing is too bad, it’s ok, too. There is no right thing wrong thing to do about this. You just do what you feel you want to do.

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Exactly my sentiment here...they are actors and we are not knowing a whole true story other than what they potrayed in drama. It was always a 3-side on each story and no one can judge apart from those who closely involved.

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I am watching Today’s webtoon and I have realised over the weeks that there is not one song on the OST that I really like and I think that is part of the reason I am just watching for the bean now. The two things that take the enjoyment away if I don't find the story or characters that interesting is the music and if the male lead is not working for me. Am I on my own or do others have certain criteria that will lead to them earning beans reluctantly?

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I forgot to say the other reason this show is not working for me is the consistent ad breaks. It’s just over 20 mins in and I thought they haven’t had the ad break yet and she walks into the kitchen and I immediately thought oh here it comes. I paused to write this knowing even if this isn’t the time for the spotlight, at some point in this episode at least one of the main sponsors will be interrupting the story.

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I agree, if I can't get behind a certain actor, I try to power through it if the other actors are doing a fine job or if the story is good. The OST has to be a solid selection, I believe it helps amp up the scene and the emotions trying to be conveyed in that moment.. But theres also the ffw button lol

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I know when I am not into a drama when I am ffw through the noble idiot moping around the house, slow walking etc bitter crying scenes.

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Sounds exhausting hahaha!

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What a bummer! I am very attuned to soundtracks and listen to them often, so I think this would be jarring for me too. I don't think that I've ever had a soundtrack for a drama that I've watched be a complete dud for me, but there are definitely some where I only like one song, or am only into the instrumental tracks.

I think the characters are a really big deal for me. I need someone to cheer for or someone that I find really interesting in some other way, and the dramas I struggle with are the ones where that doesn't really happen.

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The instrumentals are so good I didn't really notice them until Yumi’s cells then I started to notice them more. Most of my deep work sound track are the instrumentals from a handful of dramas that instantly take me to the moments in the drama I first heard them or just give a warm glow from the feel of the drama.

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Find it very hard to watch family drama/ toxic family members and unprofessional/ abusive behaviour in a professional setting. Forecasting Love and Weather, for example, had tonnes of both and it was my most reluctant bean this year. Somehow dragged myself over the line.

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I was with you on that one. I am adding reluctant bean as another category to the list, so loving these hard earned bean categories😊

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Love Between Fairy and Devil! Loving this c-drama just released on NETFLIX. Great chemistry between the leads. Story flowing perfectly. Not all the episodes available yet, seems like they are releasing 4 a week? Hope Drama Beans Peeps are enjoying also!

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All 36 episodes are available on Viki if you can access it.

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I don't have Viki yet. I'm holding out to subscribe after I run through all the Netflix shows first. Already paying for HBO, DIsney, Netflix and Apple. Hoping Viki has some kind of Black Friday deal here in the states in November, then I will subscribe. There are a ton of shows on VIki I want to watch. I've never seen Goblin or DOTS.

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Viki is my consistent subscription and the others it depends on the show. They have the best mix of the new and old that I want to watch.

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iQIYI also has all Love Between Fairy and Devil (and the animated version). Appears to be free up to episode 31.

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They have animated version? Wow 😍
I love their drawing/manga style in the intro.

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The live action intro is great!

I heard the live action was a closer adaption to the novel than the animated version. So far the animated version has more body-swap hijinks.

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Based on live comments I read on IQiyi Chinese site, animation is closer than drama.

The original novel is short. Not enough to "fill" number of eps planned for drama. Storylines and characters were added or changed.

Instead of intermittent body swapping, both souls cohabitate DFQC's body for quite some time. This would demand a great deal of physical acting skills from ML actor while diminishing screen time for FL actress. Many cdramas serve multiple purposes. Telling a good story is often not the main purpose.

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A couple of days ago it wasn’t on Netflix in my region! I will check it again tmr if they have it already.

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Netflix US has 20 episodes so far; they appear to be releasing 2/day. It looks cute but after listening to the FL's voice for 30 seconds, I am sincerely hoping a dubbed version becomes available and I have never said that about any drama ever.

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Y, tough to get over that baby voice.

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But this is the dubbed version. However, the female lead uses her own voice. I always face difficulty with Esther Yu's voice and it always grows on me. Give it another try, in this show specifically it is also slightly worked on in post production for her character(and that makes sense in the story). It improves later. But yes I know for some people, they can never get over it.

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@wapzy, thanks for letting me know her voice gets better later, although I still may not be able to tolerate it until it does. I meant dubbed into English, which I realize is unlikely. I literally NEVER choose dubbing over subtitles if there's a choice, but I could be one of those people who never gets over it.

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For some reason, soft sweet young girly voices are more preferred even in real life. It's expected for dumb-cute-sweet female characters. Similarly there are narrow ranges of expected voices for mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, villain, and etc.

Due to production conditions and some cast members not being well-trained in acting and line delivery (and sometimes pure simple unprofessionalism), live-capturing sounds good enough for the final product is often not possible. Apparently the FL actress has good enough pronunciation and line delivery to dub herself. Dylan Wang is very lacking in both so he had to be dubbed.

A recent regulation demands that born and live in China actors should use their own voices in dramas, or pay out of their own pockets for dubbing. Period cdramas may go through a long rough patch with literally terrible-sounding characters, for those who understand or demand perfect Mandarin.

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I went through a phase of avoiding Chinese dramas as I can’t stand women who put on a baby voice thinking it’s cute. I couldn’t understand why that voice was in every drama.

Someone told me the voices are often dubbed due to regional accents etc so I assume someone is purposefully hiring the same voice over actress and others are copying her style to get the work!

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This is one of the best cdramas out there right now of this type. And I'm actually on my second watch and it's as good as the first.
Also the OST in this one is TOP NOTCH!!!

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If netflix doesn't release the rest of the episodes soon I will start rewatch. So glad there is not the antagonistic second female lead like Ashes of Love and Eternal Love.

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Yay to rewatches Jo. I'm rewatching it too rn. Can't get over it.

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Yes, just start watching C-drama again after a very loooooonnnnngggg time.
My last Cdrama was Legend of Condor Lovers.

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Oh I thought they were releasing 2 episodes daily everywhere. That means there's only a week till it is fully released there. It is fully available on Viki and Iqiyi but with their VIP subscriptions. It's also on the dark site as every other show is.

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So I’m thinking of watching Bossam because Jung Il Woo, but my track record with sageuks is not great. Is it worth giving it a go?

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I think it's one of the better sageuks in recent memory if only because it deals with slightly different issues and the setting is mostly outside the palace. The way the main leads' relationship develops is also believable.

But like most sageuks it's too long (20 episodes!) and drags after a point. I'd say give it a try if only for some excellent work by both Il-woo and Yu-ri.

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20 episodes is not too bad; I got further than that through Six Flying Dragons (which I need to finish one day).

Maybe I’ll wait till Good Job is over then give it a try.

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I know its dragging but Six Flying Dragon is a great sageuk for me.
Although I might not remember half story of it (especially in middle part) but the ending is great!
Owh,I missed my sageuk era which having 60 and above episodes 😆😆😆.

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I was enjoying 6FD but it left Netflix and I wasn’t keen enough to watch it with constant ads on YouTube. I think it might be on Viki in my region now so I’ll have to find where I was up to/start again one of these days.

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Bossam seems to focus more of the love story in the first half of the series and then politics in the second half.

I'll admit I didn't like Jung Il Woo's character. He came off as someone who's nice deep down but has a real chip on his shoulder. He would constantly say mean/awful things when angry and got angry easily/often. I didn't enjoy watching his son navigate through his mood swings.

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What have you tried watching? I loved Bossam—loved the music, actors, cinematography, all of it. But I like sageuks in general. I love Jung Il-woo too.

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I can’t even remember what I’ve tried because I usually give up one or two episodes in. I made it halfway through Six Flying Dragons and only stopped because it went off Netflix; and I finished Gu Family Book but that doesn’t count 😅. Maybe I’ll give Bossam a go once Good Job finishes.

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I found interesting questions in this OT and spent a good time here. I have a 3 days weekend and no plans at all. Living alone can be sweet and sour at times. Luckily, the weather is pleasant these days so, I might go a day trip and visit a new place.
Happy weekend everyone!

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I love the variety of topics that get covered in this thread and this week was particularly interesting.

A day trip sounds great, hope you find somewhere nice to go. In the UK everything will be shut on the unexpected bank holiday Monday so people will need to be creative to find things to do in nature/visiting friends etc. if they are not planning on watching the historical event.

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Yes, Monday is a no-go day. I'll just stay at home and watch it online.

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If you ever want a watch buddy to share notes with as we are in the same time zone let me know by replying to the latest post on my fan wall at that point and I will set up a specific show post. It depends on whether we have the same taste of course and whether you are a binge or live watcher. I compared notes on Sleepeeer hit with someone else on my fan wall as I like to chat about the shows not being covered too. I usually post what I am watching weekly.

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@reply1988 great idea if we are watching the same drama. I'll pass up your latest post since I'm not watching it. but will keep an eye on them.

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So I finally watched Eve and I have questions:

Was the drama sponsored by a makeup brand promoting sparkly eye shadow?
How could wardrobe choose such unsuitable clothing for an actress as beautiful as Seo Ye Ji?
Why did the male lead‘s facial expression remain the same throughout the entire show? He looked angry and confused for the entire drama.

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I haven't watched EVE but your note on brand promotion and sparkly eye shadow had me LOL.

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Is it just me or has this site gotten more reviewers or extra funding lately? I was amiss for a bit, but I’ve noticed that compared to last year there are more drama being reviewed? Like majority of the popular dramas to the more niche ones have gotten reviewed/re-caps

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I think it’s under new management.

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Ah ok. I'm guessing they didn't disclose who is funding the new site. Thanks!

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