Dramabeans Podcast #31

73 January 21, 2016January 20, 2016

by javabeans

It’s a new year, and we’re eager to get through all of our backlog so we can start fresh again! We have a lot of catching up to do in this podcast, so we did our best to speed through to cover as much as we could in a (somewhat) reasonable amount of time. It’s a longer podcast today, but there was a lot on the docket, and as always, we’ve given timestamps marking the topic changes, in the event you choose to skip some of the discussion.

Podcast #31

Running time: 1:35:38

Topics and dramas discussed:

D-Day: The ups and downs of the disaster drama, the effects, and the story choices
Sassy Go Go: What we found cute about it, and what fell a little short (6:15)
Village: Secret of Achiara: The thrills, the secrets, the acting and the overall effect of suspense and mystery (17:00)
Awl: Why this cable drama about the driest sounding topic was so riveting, and what we found compelling about the characterizations, the directing, the acting (23:42)
Bubblegum: The writing, the directing, the low-key atmosphere (38:32)
Answer Me 1988: High highs, low lows, and lots of tears. (43:20)
Oh My Venus: The bubbly cute drama that lacked for plot but had a winning lead pair (1:01:36)
Imaginary Cat: Yoo Seung-ho with a cat! (1:07:46)
Remember—Son’s War: Yoo Seung-ho with tears! Not to mention Namgoong Min’s reinvention as a villain (1:11:18)
Cheese in the Trap: We’re early days yet, but cautiously optimistic… (1:17:00)

Names mentioned:
Kim Young-kwang, Jung So-min, Ha Suk-jin, Kim Tae-hee, Jung Eun-ji, Ji-soo, Lee Won-geun, Lee Jong-seok, Kim Woo-bin, Chae Soo-bin, Jang Hee-jin, Moon Geun-young, Yook Sung-jae, Shin Eun-kyung, Kim Jae-wook, Lee Yeol-eum, Jo Seung-woo, Ohn Joo-wan, Ji Hyun-woo, Ahn Nae-sang, Hyun-woo, Yesung, Kim Hee-won, Lee Dong-wook, Jung Ryeo-won, Bae Jong-ok, Ryu Joon-yeol, Ra Mi-ran, Kim Sung-kyun, Sung Dong-il, Lee Il-hwa, Park Bo-gum, Jung Woo, Sung Shi-kyung, Lee Mi-yeon, Lee Moon-se, Lee Sun-hee, Byun Jin-sub, So Ji-sub, Yoo In-young, Jung Kyeo-woon, Yoo Seung-ho, Park Shin-hye, Park Sung-woong, Namgoong Min, Seo Kang-joon, Jung Yong-hwa, Lee Yeon-hee, Cha Seung-won

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Songs Used in Podcast (In order of use)
“오늘도 맑음” (Today is clear too) by Tearliner from the Cheese in the Trap OST
“Shooting Star” by Han Byul from the Sassy Go Go OST
“Inferno Symphony – Main Title” from the Awl OST
“너만 생각해” (Only think of you) by Yoon Gun from the Bubblegum OST
“청춘” (Youth) by Kim Feel (feat. Kim Chang-wan) from the Answer Me 1988 OST
“Beautiful Lady” by Jonghyun from the Oh My Venus OST
“Cheese in the Trap” by Twenty Years Old from the Cheese in the Trap OST
“어쩌면 좋아” (What should I do) by Cosmos Hippie from the Cheese in the Trap OST

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1 bea

January 21, 2016 at 8:03 PM

Feels like it's been a very long time since the last podcast :)

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2 Bongsookie?

January 21, 2016 at 8:05 PM

Yay! Thank you, been looking forward to this :D *off to listen*

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3 gadis

January 21, 2016 at 8:18 PM

Yay!!
Finally another podcast. Thank you, ladies..

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4 littleprince

January 21, 2016 at 8:20 PM

Thank you guys!! I love your podcasts :D

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5 Jyc

January 21, 2016 at 8:35 PM

Thank you! I missed this big time ♥ and I agree with everything you said about Sassy, Bubblegum, and most especially 1988!

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6 genuinecity

January 21, 2016 at 8:49 PM

Yippie!!! I literally squealed when I saw this post. What I love more than reading what you ladies write about dramas is when I hear you ladies talk about 'em! The longer the better, for me, so this is a treat! Can't wait to listen to it! Thank you!

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1608

May 7, 2016 at 1:25 PM

Ditto! Podcasts are my favorite. Maybe it's because we get to hear from JB and GF at the same time

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7 pigsnout

January 21, 2016 at 8:57 PM

I missed the podcasts! It's so nice to hear a Sassy Go Go song again. Even if the main Sassy Go Go music for me will always be the whistling song ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡. And I feel so happy seeing the banners with our kids on them....... Moorim School is so lacking compared to this (seriously why do these pre-filmed dramas end up being so lacking? D day, now this)

I also really loved Reply 1988 even if it had faults. The 3 mothers were better than any romance, but am I the only person who thinks the best bromance in 1988 is between Sun Woo and Taek, not Jung Hwan and Taek?

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redfox

January 21, 2016 at 10:47 PM

or it could be Jung Hwan and Taek! Or Jung Hwan and his hyung! there were lots of bromances and sistamances. Sun Woo and Taekies´ dad. Deok Sun and her friends. or mothers and daughters. and that was the point, you know. romance was not the most important thing from the start. also everyone needs at least one kindred spirit. Deok Sun and Jung Hwans´ dad were kind of that. oh and then there was Taeks´ Dad and Jin Joo.

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pigtookie

January 21, 2016 at 10:56 PM

I really liked Dong Ryong and Deok Sun's camaraderie!

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redfox

January 21, 2016 at 11:07 PM

ah, oh yeah, that too!

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A Separate Blue

January 22, 2016 at 8:22 PM

I'm new to kdramas, so can someone kindly explain to me why the ending to Answer Me 1988 is as big a controversy as people are making it out to be?

My roommate is big on kdramas, and tried to get me into them all throughout last year. I never really bought into the romances though, because they seem so similar to harlequin and telenovela stuff (only with 2 guaranteed hot guys, and really fancy production values). Burning 16 hours on 2 people falling in love via the most unbelievable routes possible seemed silly, since I could be outside getting ice cream with friends or something.

But then Answer Me '88 came along and I was HOOKED. Every character in this show was so devastatingly memorable. I'm missing everyone in the Ssangmundong neighborhood as I write this comment.

Sadly, going into the finale I felt so alone. It seemed everyone on the internet was crazy over shipping. But to me the stakes didn't seem high??? Like both JH and TK were amazing guys, so it's not like DS would make the mistake of her life by choosing the wrong guy? I could see her marrying either guy, so to me it was a win-win situation. Plus the writer developed both boys so well, that by the end I could see both doing just fine if first love didn't pan out. Maybe because I'm American, and am experiencing a cultural gap here .... but why is it a big deal if one's first love doesn't work out? I mean I've got girlfriends who go through 3-4 guys a year [not to mention the random hookups]. DS only liked/loved 3 guys her entire life. That's pretty conservative. So why are people hating on her? Also, both JH and TK are the type to never run out of prospective wives. If TK didn't end up with DS, he could have married a cute baduk player. If JH didn't end up with DS, he could have partnered up with another pretty girl and bickered with her too. It's not as if DS is the last girl alive on earth.

I really enjoyed Answer Me '88. The show honestly changed my opinion of kdramas. I like how the writer made each episode fun, but still maintained the quality of the writing. I like things that make me laugh and cry in equal measure. I know people are mad that the husband answer wasn't as obvious as it appeared to be ... but I'm so CONFUSED???

Maybe I watch too many BBC mysteries, but isn't the point of a mystery to conceal the obvious cleverly, and defect the answer with another alternative that SEEMS obvious?Why is it bad that the husband game gave us some unexpected turns? I think, narratively, it makes the show more exciting and edgy.

This latest podcast also confused me. Dramabeans was praising the show in its end of year awards and in the recaps leading up to the finale. But now that the husband hunt didn't favor one of the boys, the show suddenly sucks? As a fan of '88, it's so sad to see the show bashed about illogically.

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A Separate Blue

January 22, 2016 at 8:51 PM

Also, the comment about abusive relationships made me squirm. If abusive men are as innocuous as an unexpected plot turn, the world wouldn't have so many battered women.

again it might be the kdrama n00b in me speaking, but if Answer Me 1988 is considered abusive, somewhere out there Faulkner is laughing in his grave. What went down with '88 is like children playing with balloon animals compared to the crazy stuff good writers regularly dish out.

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redfox

January 22, 2016 at 10:35 PM

basically, I get it and I don´t.
some drama fans build up a chess board for themselves and make some character king in their minds, even when he isn´t. you cannot win the game just by making yourself believe you are winning.

in short, some people just take the drama reality too seriously, like it is life, like characters would owe them something.

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

January 23, 2016 at 6:55 AM

@A Separate Blue - I think your experience as a new kdrama viewer means you haven't yet been conditioned into expecting certain kdrama tropes to be followed to the T, because that seems to be the source of most of the rage - the fact that the writer didn't follow the expected pattern of the story.

(said pattern being that the prickly boy who was kinda-mean to the girl he liked in a pigtail-pulling way and got the most screen time at the start, MUST get the girl at the end....especially when she liked him back at one point. Never mind that she later got over it precisely because he never spoke up/she wasn't sure he liked her enough)

I agree with you that this Answer Me series is about so much more than that love line, though. Family and community/friendship are the bedrock on which the story was built,and I'm not a fan of forgetting all about it in the end to rage over a love storyline that wasn't even the main thing carrying the show.

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A Separate Blue

January 23, 2016 at 10:14 AM

Okay, so if a male character is the "main lead", he's basically guaranteed the girl? I guess that kind of makes sense ... But the reasoning is pretty sophomoric though. Very dime novel, bodice ripper, and teen romance kind of logic. You know, team Edward is surely end game just because.

But what I don't understand is why so many people consider JH the main character? Have I been watching the wrong show? Is there something wrong with me? Because I never picked up on JH being the main character (haha kdrama novice fail).

In terms of total screen time, JH, SW, and TK are pretty equal. In terms of narrative importance, the entire show is technically DS's recollection of her youth. In terms of symbolic importance, DR was just as key as the three boys. I read somewhere that DR is like the greek chorus slash writer's voice (whoever wrote that is so smart lol, thank you perceptive commenter!). And then JUNG BONG. Oh my god, Bong-bong is my favorite. Poor guy's life was running on a clock that seemed out of sync with everyone else's. He was the weirdo in danger of never assimilating into society. Still, in the end he found his place in life. I was moved by the writer's mercy. Thank you for showing us that life can be kind to a twenty-something living-with-the-parents oddball with heart disease. You can dance to different music and still lead a good life.

Basically the show was filled with rich goodness. It was long, yes, but so is the ebb and flow of life itself. If I'd spent this many hours watching a romance, I'd have regretted my life choices. But not with Answer Me. The writer taught me so many things and showed me so many beautiful characters.

On a slowish afternoon I might watch a kdrama episode with my addict roommate. But I never caught the fever because I find the typical kdrama setup so dismissive of women's intellectual capacities. Maybe it's because I'm already a college senior. But lately I've realized the world is so vast, so complicated, and so rich with strange stories and unheard ideas. People can be strangers, enemies, and friends all at once. Some comedian (sorry I forget who) once said that oppression is the deliberate eradication of nuance. In this sense I've found conventional kdramas to be incredibly oppressive ... because they encourage girls to approach the world simplistically and egocentrically. To think all the hot guys are in love with you. To build self satisfaction from male attention. To think of other girls as rivals. To think of men as first and second leads, when no man in the real world will ever be the certain first lead of your life.

Sorry, I'm rambling. But I guess this is why I LOVE answer me 1988 so much. It never made simplistic assumptions about a plot turn, and it never simplified its characters. Dramabeans may call it a terrible show, but in my heart it will always be #1.

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redfox

January 23, 2016 at 11:50 AM

the main character was time.
the time spent dreaming, cooking, waiting, worrying, playing, competing, eating, folding paper cranes, writing letters, keeping diaries, studying, being together, being apart, hesitating, acting on your instinct, running against, giving time, winning time, losing time, counting the times.

pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

January 24, 2016 at 12:47 AM

It's really not your fail at all, but as you did notice, kdramas tend to be slaves to certain storylines/story patterns for their own sake, and one of those is the rule that the guy who has a lot of screen time at the start, is probably the lead (this is also true of shoujo manga btw). I'm guilty of falling for that one myself, for that matter.

You're right that the boys had mostly equal screen time (barring Dong-ryung, whose moments in focus were sparser) but if you notice, the first few episodes mainly focused on Jung-hwan and Sun-woo, out of the boys - Taek was much less of a presence. And after Sun-woo's crush on Bora was revealed, people assumed that the other boy with the most screen time and the apparent crush on Deok-sun, MUST be the husband, never mind what happened later in the show.

But it's not just slavish trope-following that was to blame for this one - a lot of people, including me btw, took the 2015 husband's manner of speech, body language and mannerisms to be very similar to Jung-hwan's. That wasn't unreasonable either, since 2015 Husband seemed most like he could have been either Jung-hwan or Sun-woo, and after Sun-woo was ruled out, that left just Jung-hwan. There was no trace of Taek's personality or mannerisms in those early episodes, which really did confuse people since Taek's personality is such a singular one. That was a PD/writer/actor fail, and is almost as much to blame for viewer dissatisfaction, as the trope expectations.

I do agree that a lot of kdramas with the 'this guy gets the girl, just because!' mentality are a pain to watch, because more often than not the pairing isn't a result of organic storytelling or character development, it is, as you said, a 'just because'. Because so-and-so actor or actress has been hired to play 'the lead' and one of the hallmarks of a lead is, you must get the guy/girl otherwise it's an insult to their star status. Or because it's expected that a drama must have romance somewhere. It's rather rare for dramas to ditch that mentality.

hibeautiful

January 24, 2016 at 6:38 AM

@A separate blue
If Reply88 was my first kdrama I watched, I would totally feel confused or put R88 as my 1st favorite, since I'm always melted by a slice-of-life drama with good/realistic characters. But, these are my reasons why I love this show, and feel okay with the ending.

I didn't read Reply88 recaps or people's comments/discussions about it (like I always do with previous dramas), because I really wanted to enjoy all things I could get from the show "alone". I didn't expect anything from the love story. I told myself that I would try to see a bigger picture from anything, so I could be more thankful than be angry(?) when things didn't go as I'd been expecting.

When I accidentally read the spoiler of the endgame, I was upset, not because of the spoiler, but it's because I couldn't be surprised anymore like I used to. lol. (never cared about that husband hunting anyway). I love all the characters there. and, when I watched the finale, I was really sad over the fact that I can't see them anymore on my screen. I was really attached to them as a whole Reply 88 family.

This is not my first kdrama with beautiful characters, so it isn't my most favorite (Reply 1997 is the 1st on my list) ...but like you said, R88 taught us so many things.
I get why people focused more on Jungpal's closure (He won everyone's heart, including mine), but It's just sad that Reply88 is considered as a terrible show because of the last two episodes (or other reasons which will take many pages to write them down).
Well, I agree, it's screwed (I do think that there are many elements unsatisfying there), but Reply88 has been giving heartwarming reminders for me to be more kind to people, especially to my own family, since we don't know when we'll leave this world.

Probably, because I expected nothing but I got more(?). Or maybe I simply like it despite the flaws the drama has, so I get a very nice memory with Reply '88 :)

SonyaK

February 7, 2016 at 9:53 AM

I believe that the perception of Reply '88 being dissatisfying is a case of the vocal minority. As the recapping was occurring, I would frequently see many different individuals praising the story, neighborhood, characters and stating that the drama was not about the romance. They seemed to be overwhelmingly drowned out by a few spammers and a handful of various individuals who used the forums as a raging ground. Some of this carried out around the Internet, but it did seem to have a focal point here at dramabeans. On other sites, I would see intelligent, heartwarming discussions about the show sans raging.
As to the show itself, I thought it was amazing and satisfying and it has hit my top 5 of all time. It is a show I recommend to people looking to break into Kdramas to learn about Korean culture.
And just because it really irks me, I am going to state this once again... The actor who played the adult husband stated he was not told which of the boys would be the husband. Because he could not imitate the three very different boys, he simply read the script as he felt he should. If you want to blame anyone for that fiasco, we should blame Park Bo-gum and Rye Joon-Yoel for stepping up with such amazing acting and creating such phenomenally vivid characters. There is no way the PD nor writer could have known from the first episode how individual each of the boys personalities would become in the public's mind.

lemondoodle

January 24, 2016 at 9:26 PM

I agree with you. I was shipping JH/DS, but I could see how the wind was blowing when DS was just over him well before the timeskip. So, I moved on to TK, knowing it would swing back the other way too. Either guy was nice, but in the end I did feel taek just worked better for her.

I just don't like how people boiled down DS' character as nothing but vessel for JH's happiness. Even her career was supposed to be about him, and I'm just... no. And like the only way JH could be happy is DS, nothing else. It's just ridiculous. The guy was freaking happy at the end. Him not getting a "prize" doesn't mean he is pathetic.

And I'm still so totally unsure why DS get ANY hate for JH not winning her over, when he blamed himself for it. It's 100000% his fault. That's not fair.

In the end, she's her own character and her romance was not that important. The rest of the stories were more important , and that is what people should have been paying attention to.

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SonyaK

February 7, 2016 at 10:03 AM

I couldn't agree more... I loved JH's character and I loved Taek's character. I knew one of the boys would leave me broken hearted, but in no way did I once think that DS was a prize to be won. Or as you stated a vessel for someone's happiness. My ideal ending was one where DS got the choice and I felt that happened; consciously or subconsciously, she could only see and care about Taek in the end.

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superficialdramafan

January 26, 2016 at 12:47 AM

I agree. I marathoned the drama so I saw the relationship growth between the main couple. I don't see why people keep harping on about Jung Hwan losing out. For God's sake, he was the one who gave up saying "I made my choice. No need for heartbreak."

Also, I'm confused about GirlFriday saying that he didn't recognize the songs. THere was one song played in King2Hearts, one in Playful Kiss and I can't tell where the others made an appearance, but I've heard most of them in dramas and covered in song contests.

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lemondoodle

January 24, 2016 at 9:18 PM

Sun Woo and Taek were great. They had a much more open and honest relationship. Junghwan and Taek was more Junghwan feeling bad for Taek or taking care of him. Sun Woo could see Taek as a powerful figure that shouldn't' be underestimated, not just some kid. They really got each other.

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8 Ella

January 21, 2016 at 9:17 PM

Nothing about Six Flying Dragons? :(

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azkaa

January 22, 2016 at 10:14 AM

My thought as well. I anticipate scrolling down the list and not find SFD :(

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dkaoru

January 22, 2016 at 8:02 PM

i think they dont watch six flying dragons; they only cover dramas they watch

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redfox

January 22, 2016 at 10:37 PM

I mentioned it, but I dont have anything in particular I want to bring out. I just want to swim quietly in that stream.

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redfox

January 22, 2016 at 10:38 PM

oops I thought this was Open Thread

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9 blueribbon

January 21, 2016 at 9:23 PM

Yay!! I will listen to it completely later but I heard the bit about Cheese in The Trap, I have to say that in my opinion the drama surpassed the webtoon. The webtoon was kind of slow and to be sincere there were times where I couldn't stand Seol in the webtoon. I give credit to the author for giving the base to the story, but I give more credit to the scriptwriter for making it what it is, she/ he is doing a great job so far.

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blueribbon

January 21, 2016 at 9:26 PM

Also I give credit to the actors they are also doing a fantastic job, especially Kim Go-eun there is something about her acting that seems so natural, her reactions and expressions, she is really enjoyable to watch as an actress, she has a bright future in front if her.

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pigsnout

January 22, 2016 at 12:17 AM

Yes, Kim Go Eun is really the perfect Seol, there's something so natural and fresh about her acting. And her chemistry with Park Hae Jin....♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

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⭐ Sera The Ms Temper ⭐

January 22, 2016 at 12:49 AM

This girl is born to be a great actress. I have seen her movies before, she really have a bright future ahead. ;)

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10 blo

January 21, 2016 at 9:30 PM

omg you really made my night. I had stopped expecting one because of the holidays. This puts a smile on face. Thank you!

Was hoping that 6FD would be covered but I understand not everyone will want to watch such a long series.

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11 dramabird

January 21, 2016 at 10:13 PM

Enjoyed listening to this podcast ... Lots of great points! As much as I liked the cat/human dynamic in Imaginary Cat, I'm not sure I would recommend it. The "dark" at the end was too dark for me!!!!

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12 Bushra87

January 21, 2016 at 10:20 PM

Omo! New podcast! Yay! Thanks guys, been waiting for this! :D

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13 redfox

January 21, 2016 at 10:27 PM

for some reason, even if I turn the volume up, some parts are very rather inaudible for me. maybe it would be better if I downloaded, but I have no space in my computer.

I like the long episodes of AM1988 NOW, that I am re-watching, and it is funny if you watch some scenes separately from others but in the long row of other scenes they can just disappear.
I don´t have the feeling that I have seen this before cause all the background elements and the community is so much more interwoven and every character is interesting. I think you cannot concentrate on the husband hunt if you want to enjoy it. first watching, sure, you cannot follow everything and I even forgot why and how Jung Hwans´ dads hip was hurt at some point, and got confused when did this or that happen. I enjoyed it a lot though some of the performances were better and some were a little boring for me, but I won´t risk saying it.... or I will? I just think some actors just didnt have enough weight in their emotions, you know. to be a lead, at least ... and another one has it, so, naturally...?

in the end, I really liked the drama, it is WAY way better than AM1994. I loved Taekie and his dad and their relationship. and if you think about it, Sun Woo is a great character, and him and Taek´s brother cuddles are the best.

But I DIDN´T like that they played with our fear for someones´ life, with all those pills and the paranoid feeling that Taekies´ going to pass out, please don´t do it next time, we don´t need to fear for a characters life EVERY damn episode, ok.

I wish the next installment would be about the parents´ youth! didnt even Deok Sun say it, she wants to go back to the time of her parents´ youth? Maybe that´s a hint?

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14 ticklemypickle

January 21, 2016 at 10:34 PM

Jung Hwan deserved better. That will be all.

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15 fatraspberry

January 21, 2016 at 10:46 PM

yayyy!

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16 korfan

January 21, 2016 at 11:08 PM

Thanks for the podcast!

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17 SwoosieDerkins

January 21, 2016 at 11:25 PM

"I'm in a relationship with an abusive writer." LOLOL

Thanks for the podcast!

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18 Den

January 22, 2016 at 12:06 AM

Thanks for the podcast!

I'm also not watching another AM series unless they remove the husband hunt. Major. Trust. Issue. And yeah, the writer abused her power. It's my least favorite series too although it had some of my favorite characters like the Kim family (especially Jung-hwan and his mom) and Taek's dad. I'm only downloading the last two episodes because a friend asked me too. As far as I'm concerned, 18 was the last episode.

Cheese is awesome! I've watched each episode so far at least 5 times already, not counting the replays of those rewindable scenes.

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19 elric

January 22, 2016 at 1:48 AM

The way you two gushed about Awl is making me all curious about it!! Adding it to my to watch list ?

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Amilia

January 22, 2016 at 3:06 PM

Ditto!

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20 apluszee

January 22, 2016 at 2:15 AM

I haven't watched the two last episodes of AM1988. It might be a denial thing but I kinda lost my mood to watch it along the way. I've read the recaps, but just have not watched the episodes yet.

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LatteInTheMorning

January 23, 2016 at 8:56 AM

Same here. I have not watched the last two episodes as well. While I still love the story, I guess I need to agree with JB and GF saying that it had a framing problem. It is sad to nod to the statement : RYJ started as a main lead, only ended up as an extra just because the writer wanted to throw some big turn.

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lemondoodle

January 24, 2016 at 9:28 PM

He was never the main lead.

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21 Whitesttax

January 22, 2016 at 4:36 AM

It's my first podcast, can someone tell me who's who?

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ajewell

January 22, 2016 at 6:17 AM

The one who says "hi everyone" at the beginning is Javabeans (she sounds kind of far away). Girlfriday says, "Hello!" and sounds closer to the mike.

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Whitesttax

January 22, 2016 at 7:12 AM

Thank you ^^

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22 Sancheezy

January 22, 2016 at 4:45 AM

Cheese in The trap already finished all the filming, so people can just relax, enjoy and don't create any conspiracy theories ^^

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23 CaroleMcDonnell

January 22, 2016 at 7:33 AM

ooh, a podcast! Thanks! Off to listen.

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24 Chan

January 22, 2016 at 8:33 AM

I went straight to your comments on AM1988 and totally agree with what you said. I find myself thinking about the show for the past week and still felt sad for JH. Ha. I miss move on. It is just a show, right?

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25 Chan

January 22, 2016 at 8:34 AM

Opps... Error. /I must move on.

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26 coinseller

January 22, 2016 at 1:33 PM

Yay another podcast! Absolutely love listening to them!

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27 bluecow

January 22, 2016 at 1:49 PM

Thank you for the podcast! Agreed with most everything you said about the series I've watched (esp. about Oh My Venus not having enough plot to hold up conflict), and I added Awl to my watchlist :)

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28 dramawatcher

January 22, 2016 at 3:22 PM

I felt like Sassy go go did explain why the main actress went to that school though.

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dkaoru

January 22, 2016 at 7:52 PM

why did she go to that school?
I didn't quite get it, but I love Sassy Go go anyway :) it's illogically fun due to crinkle eyes and grumptopus

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pigsnout

January 22, 2016 at 9:26 PM

Yeah didn't Jung Eunji say her mother her to go to that school and so she stayed?

And Soo Ah didn't get forgiven just like that, ep 10-12 clearly say she takes a zero on her tests and Eunji and the gang say she has to earn back their trust. They saved her, but they are not stupid to just let it go with no words to her. And her mother didn't get away with it either, we know she's getting investigated for bribing the school. So I don't understand why jb/gf say Soo-ah just got away with everything, it's not like School 2015 where the villain girl never even said sorry.

I don't understand the bromance problem either, the boys were not like Lee Jong Seok and Kim Woo Bin who were trying to repair a broken friendship, they already had a strong friendship that helped them through hard times. Relationships don't need to be broken first to feel real or important.

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

January 23, 2016 at 7:04 AM

yeah, I don't get the criticisms against Sassy Go Go, that way - I mean, taking up a weird-sounding activity for a line on a college application sounds way more plausible to me than having to go to idol school to escape loan sharks, even within the world of the drama. And even staying in that school is pretty well explained within the story itself - we've seen that her mom would take her out if she found the school treating her daughter badly, but Yeon-doo knows she wants her to stay despite that. And she does have a tendency to stand her ground, which is why I can buy her leaving and then coming back. I've said it before, but I actually found it refreshing that Yeon-doo is just a regular kid and not some dirt poor Candy who needs a million part-time jobs, you CAN sympathise with a heroine who doesn't have trouble keeping a roof over her head.

(and for the last time, Soo-ah DIDN'T get away scot-free/without consequences, her midterm results are basically nullified and the kids make it clear she isn't home free, they just forgave her enough so she wouldn't, you know, kill herself)

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29 coby

January 23, 2016 at 12:11 AM

Yay! Super miss podcast

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30 cupkate

January 23, 2016 at 5:30 AM

Oh I'll watch AWL then!!

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31 cupkate

January 23, 2016 at 5:38 AM

Oh! I'm one of those few people who was satisfied about the ending. Probably because it's the first time among the franchise that I watch as the series went on (I marathoned 94 and already knew Oppa was endgame and didn't get to watch 97) that I found it really refreshing. To each his or her own I guess?

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32 Lunatic4KD

January 23, 2016 at 7:33 PM

Hey, Javabeans and Girlfriday - the thing about Seo Kang-joon is he established his really great personality in RoomMate!!!!!! That's where he came from and got attention. He was wonderful in that house. Kang-Joon and Lee Dong Wook held the place together. I didn't care for him in Sly and Single Again, which I watched before RoomMate, but I suddenly sat up and noticed him in RoomMate, especially because the other young new guy on the reality show (Park Min-Woo) proved to be slightly insecure and jealous around the quiet strength of Kang-Joon. It was a really interesting social experiment to watch. You could just tell that Kang-joon was loved and admired by everyone in the house...Poor Park Min-woo couldn't deal with it and had melt-downs - to the point where Big Brother to all, Lee Dong Wook, had to take him aside and counsel the poor kid to build him up again. I think Park Kang-joon is really proving himself in Cheese in the Trap and, with a little more maturity and some age on that face, will really shine as an actor in the future.

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33 flatbear

January 23, 2016 at 7:45 PM

yay another podcast! finally!

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34 flamingotamer

January 23, 2016 at 11:01 PM

Yay! Another podcast! Thank you! Love you guys!!

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35 yayabean

January 24, 2016 at 7:05 AM

How the heck did i miss this podcast posting even though I'm constantly checking the DB blog!!??

Nonetheless - woo-hoo.Podcast! Thank you ?

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36 its_boms

February 1, 2016 at 12:28 AM

What's crazy to me is (maybe it was to make sure he could act authentically) that I think even Ryu Jun Yeol didn't know the result and was disheartened when he found out that he wasn't the husband either... He even mentioned they even filmed scenes when he and DS went to the Lee Moon Sae concert, but chose NOT to include the scenes. So the writer could have definitely changed their minds.. just cause they can... lol and when Taek would take center stage, RJY said that the confession/goodbye to DS was his official farewell to the show- like he was starting to distance himself from there on out... BAH it still baffles me. BUT I'm so glad at how much this has boosted up the careers for many of these actors and actresses (ESPECIALLY RJY) and though it was a painful first love experience we all shared, I would totes watch it again.

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its_boms

February 1, 2016 at 12:33 AM

also- I realize. the next installment should be a reversal- Dong Il and Il Hwa as Elderly folks, remembering their prime as younger folks and rather than us guessing who the husband is, it should be us guessing who the to be wife is amongst a group of girlfriends. HA.

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37 Greenhazelia

February 5, 2016 at 10:21 PM

I really agree with you about Reply 1988, Oh My Venus and also Cheese in Trap.
I was like.. "Thank you for voicing out my mind."

Ryu Jun Yeol started as a lead and end up as an extra, also hurt my heart. Taek is great, it's not like i hate that he got the girl but i just feel very sad that they don't bring anything, any story, any conclusion for Junghwan. That so sad.

Oh my venus, well just a romantic story for So Ji Sub and Shin Min Ah to be lovey dovey XD

Cheese in Trap is the great hope for me, and looks promising.. hope that the story will end up great too ^^

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38 Alessar

March 1, 2016 at 9:12 AM

How weird... I read the site every day and somehow I never saw this one go up. It was only when I noticed it listed in the CITT recap list of links.

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39 yingception

March 15, 2016 at 2:31 AM

Thanks guys for this really interesting podcast! Just a sidenote though: one voice was much louder than the other so it was a little uncomfortable so maybe you can just modify it next time. Thanks for sharing again!

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40 Charlotte

September 6, 2017 at 2:52 PM

Re: D-Day comments. I really enjoyed this Drama. Your reviewer (the only one who'd watched it) seemed to feel there wasn't enough disaster scenes and that it turned into a hospital drama. But that was the part that drew my interest so much. Seeing the variety of personalities (greedy versus altruistic) in the staff, the man/woman on the streets, the patients and the different management & government levels was eye-opening. Both the hero & the villain was the basic humanity in each of us that's broken by disaster or made to shine. Every character, big or very small, showed us how we might all react given hardship. This gave us plenty of scope for different levels of character-growth...something Korean drama does far better for me than american dramas. Listening to the reviewers talk about D-Day as well as Sassy, I got the impression they were judging these dramas through an american filter---because in an american drama there would be a lot more disaster/action scenes...or something "thrilling" (as one reviewer commented was lacking in a drama). Precisely one of the reasons I've moved away from american tv, which lately needs to shock and awe the viewer with dark cynicism mixed with calatamous events. Actually, if we had even more characters inching their way around the streets of Seoul colliding with one disastrous event after another, it might show more buildings collapsing, but the disaster, as the sole point of tension, could eventually gets so overwhelming it becomes stale. I much prefer the depth of character korean dramas offer. For me, D-Day gave me a mix of action, emotion and spectacle that was a complete package. The same happened with Sassy in trying to understand the competition for 'specs' among students seemed inconsequential but in Korea--in their culture ...this is very real. Hard to understand from an american viewpoint but also not to be judged. Sorry, just needed to get this off my chest.

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