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Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching

Four shows premiered this week and I already feel hopelessly behind! Sometimes this dramaland machine feels like it moves way too fast to possibly keep abreast of it all… but then of course then there are stretches when it feels like nothing is interesting, so I suppose I’ll take death by gluttony over starved boredom. –javabeans

 

javabeans

Currently recapping: Seven Day Queen

Father Is Strange: All this time I just wanted the dad secret revealed so Joong-hee and Mi-young could be a happy couple, but when the truth blew up in everyone’s faces I felt humbled and shallow, because I had never considered what it would mean in terms of betrayal of trust, and how Joong-hee would feel. Or maybe it’s that this show handled that betrayal and grief so well that it felt emotionally powerful rather than just another plot device. I’m excited for this last stretch of episodes—it feels like everything’s ramping up and getting extra exciting.

Reunited Worlds: I didn’t know what to expect of the fantasy element, but I was pleasantly surprised by it—it’s like The Best Hit with superpowers. I really enjoyed the structuring of the show in how it wove the flashbacks into the present storyline, which got us the necessary backstory but also gave us gratifying glimpses into the future (rather than doing the typical format of starting off an episode or two in the past, then skipping to the future). I don’t know if this show will break my heart down the line, but it’s so cute and breezy now that I’m eager for more.

The Best Hit: I’m a week behind, but for once I’m glad about it because it feels like I have extra episodes to enjoy before having to send off this show. I’m surprised with how much I don’t really care about Hyun-jae’s time-travel mechanism or whether he goes back (mostly because I don’t want him to go back), and because of that it feels like I could just watch this setup go on for a lot longer, where he’s the odd man out making his way in the future. Can we start the clamoring for Season 2 now?

Bride of the Water God 2017: There are a lot of scenes and interactions I really enjoy in this show, mostly when Ha-baek is being deadpan or when So-ah flails, and I’ve had a number of laugh-out-loud moments. Where the show feels a little off, though, is that I think the overall flow needs work—the scenes may be entertaining as standalones, but I feel like they’re sort of stacked next to each other like sequential vignettes, and I want to feel more like we’re heading in a direction with a clear building of energy and tension.

Man Who Dies to Live: This is almost too campy to be watchable for me, but I’m not writing it off yet because that’s what I thought of Shopping King Louis at first, before its over-the-top corniness mellowed and what initially felt random and strange turned into delightful quirky humor. Maybe that’s asking for too much here, although Choi Min-soo is certainly working it. I’m pretty sure he’s nuts in real life, but I bet you’ve never met a more entertaining brand of crazy.

 

girlfriday

Currently recapping: Seven Day Queen

School 2017: This new season feels a lot like School 2013 and the old-school School, with its classroom full of troubled kids and their everyday concerns. I was pleasantly surprised by Kim Se-jung, who’s bubbly and very likable, and right away the kind of endearing underdog you want to root for. I already like how bad boy Kim Jung-hyun acts like he doesn’t care about her, and yet always shows up when she needs him. On his bad boy motorcycle, of course. Some things just never change.

Reunited Worlds: The drama did a good job of establishing how integral Yeo Jin-gu was to his family and friends, so that we understood right away how they could’ve fallen apart without him. The overall tone is very breezy and light, but I like the show better during the darker, mysterious moments. I like that there’s a murder mystery to solve, and that we’re not quite sure how dangerous Yeo Jin-gu’s sudden superpowers are. I’m sure I’m being set up for heartbreak in this one, but what can I do?

Bride of the Water God 2017: I’m not getting epic godly vibes from Gong Myung or Krystal, so whenever they’re whining like two bratty children around Ha-baek, I have a hard time focusing on the mythology, which is a shame. At least the lead couple is growing on me. They’re not deep either, but I like the pairing in a light, rom-comy way.

Duel: This show has pacing issues, but the clones are so damn interesting, and the drama does a good job of having them constantly grapple with their own existence, wondering if they have the same right to live as other people do, and whether having the memories of the original human they were cloned from means that they have a duty to take the place of the husband or father that he was. It’s totally mind-bendy, but I’m glad they went there.

The Best Hit: I did not expect this to be the drama that made me cry this week, but here I am, crying like a baby. I think because this show has been so loosey goosey with its plot, I had a very real fear that nothing would get resolved in the end, but I’m glad to see that Hyun-jae has matured despite himself, and that he’s actually thinking about how his actions affect others for a change. I mean, I can’t believe it didn’t occur to him until now that he has to go back to the past in order for Ji-hoon to be born, but hey, points for learning, however slowly!

 

HeadsNo2

My Sassy Girl: Just throwing this out there—what if you had your actual hero be Ghost Mask, rather than having him be a black hole where meaningful plot movement goes to die? I’m still completely baffled that the one major thing our hero was responsible for is a mistake he made when he was a kid, which he subsequently forgot about, which then became the Biggest Deal Ever. This entire show was so busy living in the past while circling around the same event over and over again that it forgot to live in the present. Or, y’know, be entertaining.

The King Loves: I have such mixed feelings about this show, but not in a bad way. I don’t know if it’s intentional or not, but it’s giving me nostalgic vibes for the stuff I used to like in dramas without trying so hard at it. This is a weird thing to note, but it reminds me of how safe dramaland is, when we can have a love triangle and the two men in it innocuously sleeping on both sides of the heroine just to keep her warm. Maybe it’s that I’m a sucker for a good old fashioned love triangle, and it’s been a while since we’ve had one that even pretended to matter.

Woman of Dignity: It only took ten episodes, but the plot picked up! Or I have Drama Stockholm Syndrome. I honestly can’t tell anymore.

Man Who Dies to Live: What a freaking bizarre concept, but I’m kind of digging it. But hot damn, is Choi Min-soo charismatic enough to get away with murder (except for that time he had to be fed his lines in Sword and Flower, which was its own kind of murder). It’s about time he was given an entire show to carry, but how on earth did this pitch meeting go? “Guys, guys, okay, we’re going to have a Korean billionaire oil tycoon in this fictional Arabian kingdom, he’s going to break the fourth wall, and we’ll base a cliffhanger around whether he’s going to accidentally hit on his daughter.” Everyone Else: “What, why?” “He’ll be played by Choi Min-soo.” Everyone Else: “SHUT UP AND TAKE OUR MONEY.”

Reunited Worlds: I went into this show well and truly blind, having only known that Yeo Jin-gu would be in a high school uniform again. It’s charming enough and interesting enough, what with the supernatural aspect going on, but after two episodes (or four, however this new counting system is going), I’m not dying to know what happens next. There wasn’t enough emotional impact for me when our hero was “reunited” with those who thought he was dead, which seems like a strangely missed opportunity, unless they’re deliberately trying to keep the tone of the show lighter than the subject matter.

Forest of Secrets: Still the best thing on television.

 

chickachunga

Forest of Secrets: Sounding like a broken record here, but I’m still loving this show, and I’m in denial that it’ll be ending soon. Dong-jae cracks me up with his calculating face, and I still ♥ everything about Shi-mok and Yeo-jin. This is definitely my favorite drama of 2017, and I’d even go so far as to call it the best drama of 2017 (even though the year isn’t over yet!).

 
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Seven Day Queen: My main is quite starting to torture me with a little sugar. I’ve been trying so hard to understand the king because I pity him but that is not the case anymore because he’s slowly losing all the sanity he has. So happy that the Prince and CK finally consummated their marriage, that’s what I’m referring ‘a little sugar’ in this very intense couple of episodes. And I wouldn’t dare not to mention, Seo Noh! ☹ My heart is still aching thinking what happened to him. I so like his character. WHY??! I can feel that it’ll be much heavier next week since we are running close to the finale of this wonderful show. Am I ready to say goodbye? Big NOOO!

The King Loves: I love the start of this show! And of course I get to see Im Si Wan again so what more can I say? HAHA! I like the bromance but I know it’s not meant to last that long. The only thing that I’m not that convinced with; in this show is the story of San being hidden to protect her which I actually explained in the latest recap of the show but other than that, nothing to complain so far.

The Best Hit: I can’t believe that we’ll soon need to say goodbye to Da Bong and these very entertaining cast and show. Please don’t go! I just hope they can end it smoothly and wishing for happiness for all the characters since they deserve it but I think it’s too much to ask for everyone to be happy. Will HJ stay or go back to the past? My biggest question right now.

My Sassy Girl: Not the perfect show but it was a fun ride. Thank you! There’s too much to polish in the story that never happened but there are also great scenes to remember. The chemistry between the leads is much better as friends for me, Prince Dalhan and Princess Hye Myung has even more chemistry than them just to say. I will miss master doggy and our very cute Prince the most!!!

Bride of the Water God: I’m loving this show! I like how they are showing the powers of our gods and how the story is going so far. I’m still not in the boat of the leads but I think I’m getting there, there are just moments when I don’t feel SSK’s acting but I know she’s trying her best and it is still bearable so bring it on! Too many questions has been opened this week, is Hoo Ye also a god? Where are the stones? Where is the other god(forgot his name lol)? What happened to So Ah’s dad? Etc etc. I will patiently wait for the answers.

Reunited Worlds: First, I’m so happy is YJG is already back!!! Can’t get enough of him! And this show, what a start! I got hooked as early as the first episode. Too much feels while watching it and the scene when he died I literally cried especially when Jung Won ran to change his portrait. I know I will love this show right from the very start but I didn’t know it’ll be this hard. I thought my Wed and Thurs is already complete with Seven Day Queen but with this show, it’s a blast!

School 2017: I watched the first episode but it doesn’t give me a strong punch. It’s good but that’s the problem, it’s...

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Wow that's a lotta shows you're watching!

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With series from other country as well. Oh, how I love my life! :)

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Hahah! You are living the life of a drama addict after all! ?? we all are! ?

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Oh yes! :D Making life a rollercoaster ride with dramas. HAHA!

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So sad that we won't be seeing Da Bong next week ?

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IKR! :( I just watched the latest episode like 2mins ago and still wiping my tears off.

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Wed-Thu is more interesting than Mon-Tue. I like MWDTL. RW is gonna be much sadder than I first thought.

WOD has 8% this week, out of curiosity I watch it. It gives mea very strong Desperate Housewives vibe.

SF is still the best. 7DQ is good but really sad.

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secret forest is love ♥♥♥

started reunited worlds and was pleasantly surprised, i cried buckets for the first two episodes (can't believe i'm attached already), i'm really looking forward to finding out how young-in and young-join are living since we still haven't been introduced to them in 2017 yet. i've got to agree with Heads that the reunions haven't actually had that much of an oomph especially between sung hae-cheol and hae-sung but i think once he realises that his brother is really back we can get the tissues ready.

not sure if i want to start man who dies to live... should i just skip to the part when choi min-soo comes back to korea?

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My flood gate of tears burst when Hae-sung told Jung-won everything was not her fault and she cried a silent tear. I can't even begin to imagine how much pain she was in, letting everything weighed her down for so long, blaming herself for his death, and simply not living. I hope Jung-won can come out of her self-blame after this and properly cherish herself because she deserves it, and she owes it to herself to love herself more. *cries

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I caught up on Seven Day Queen and dragged my mother into watching it with me. I had a lot of explaining to do, and things always happen pretty fast! Whew!

Also finished My Sassy Girl with my mom. We both had a 'that's it?' look at the end. Bland.

I am waiting to finish all 4 episodes of The Best Hit tonight. Part of me doesn't want to because and the other part is desperately hoping it'll be good!!

Finally, I watched the first two episodes of School 2017: Bad boy Mori on motorcycle in the first five minutes. Check. Heroine who is bottom of the class again. Check. Love the former, disappointed with the latter (I know it's because she's an artist, but couldn't she be y'know, a few spots above and care just a little bit for her grades?) The whole school seems like a prison, which doesn't feel very realistic to me, but I'm going to give this show a good try. For Mori.

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Maybe we should start 'Mori Fan Club' here. lol. ?

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We should, and not to sound shallow but Mori rinsing his body with tap water in School 2017 is so damn hot, I'm not watching the show but that scene had me glued to the screen, drooling. Not kidding.

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lmao. I have to keep reminding myself that this is high school's drama ?

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I know it's a high school drama, but Mori is way past legal age so I don't feel guilty for gawking, ahem, admiring the beauty of his fine body.

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I hope in his next drama he will act as an adult. I want to see him in suit!

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Mori is the only factor that motivates me to finish the first 2 episodes. The girl character is a little bland and typical. Mori and the golden boy are much more interesting. Mori manseh! ,,,,

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Lol, we even got a shower scene. Total fan service for our Mori fan club \^O^/

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It reminded me of SIG's scene in Reply1997

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Can I join the Mori Fan Club too?
Btw, who's Kim Jung-hyun? HAHA XD

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Yes the more the merrier ???

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??yayyy

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You're a member when you know who Mori is.

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Ikr! Who's Kim Jung Hyun? Lol

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HAHAHA

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Please accept my membership application ?

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I love that everyone still calls him Mori ha. I do too because I never remember the actor's name. Bad Boy Mori is damn fine!

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I remember his name, it's just that he suits Mori 1000x better than Kim Jung-hyun. And he looks like a Mori, damn hot Mori, bad boy Mori, handsome Mori and everything Mori.

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I feel closer with him by calling him Mori!

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Hahaha, I totally agree, you guys. It's like, I know I've loved him since his pre-Mori, Jealousy Incarnate days...but why does it feel like he's just always been Mori to me?

Haha, I think the fan club has long since begun ;)

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i'm in for moriiii
i also always forget about his real name,,,
always remember his character in rebel ?

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Ahhhh and here I was, wondering in which drama that he acted as Mori, so it was Rebel. Another reason to continue watching it, then!

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Currently watching:
Forest of Secrets - the mystery!
Duel - the clones duh
School - the nostalgia (or probs the badboy)
The King Loves - the surprising chemistry
Reunited worlds - the bangs ?
Goghs starry night - the fluff
(Thanks @sia for the recommend)

Kinda behind on seven day queen and the best hit.

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you are welcome! glad you are enjoying it!! (saw the post by chance)

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I'm watching Father is Strange and Forest of Secrets, can't wait for the next week and the next episode of both the shows.

Am unsure about Bride of the Water God, the female lead acts weird, the show feels disjointed and the God on earth pitiable. The comic elements are fun and what still keeps me watching, but it seems to lack that zing which pulls you and tempts you to watch the next epi as soon as it is released.

Just got caught up with all the epis of The Best Hit and I'm kinda annoyed with Hyun Jae and the female character. Like if he is supposed to go back then why did he make some stupid decisions in 2017?!! The latest epi is really sad on many fronts.

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I agree with you on BOTWG, while I enjoy the Habaek antics, and his dialogues are mostly what I look forward to each week lol, but the heroine is really hard to connect to. Also, while I don't have any strong reaction against Gong Myong, and Krystal's god and goddess roles, because the drama depends strongly on these 4 characters, they really needed actors with more caliber maybe, or it could be that the script is lacking. I just wished the main OTP had a better connection, as for now, SSK is really frustrating to watch.

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I have low tolerance for bitchy, haughty, 'nose-in-the-air' kind of second lead characters. They all look like clones, the same roles, same character, the same behavior kinda in an assembly line :P I also dislike tragedies which this show might turn out to be going by what has been shown so far. Habek and his underling are the saving grace and give us some comic respite.

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The still at the top of the post.. which drama is it from?

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Man who dies to live

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Only watching The Best Hit and Forest Of Secrets at the moment.

Wanted to watch Man Who dies To Live, but thanks to internet complaints MBC took the drama off from VIU and every other subbing site.
And I get it. MBC finally has a hit show that did not need a big budget, of course they're not going to re-edit it to please international fans.
However I hope that this Head-in-the-sand thing does not go on for other occasions :)

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MWDTL is controversial. It's clear MBC doesn't want to lose international viewers because many muslims also watch K-dramas and are K-pop fans. If the writer doesn't want to correct the whole nonsense he/she wrote, MBC better takes the drama from their slot. No space for ignorance.

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"And I get it. MBC finally has a hit show that did not need a big budget, of course they're not going to re-edit it to please international fans."

It was in context to MBC getting the show out of international fans's hands. All of SK's tv stations care only about ratings, they couldn't care less about offending as long as they get money.
Just watch all the "blackface controversies" , all their apologies are just so they can get it over with.

"However I hope that this Head-in-the-sand thing does not go on for other occasions :)"
This part was in my post too.

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A little correction- it's not about 'pleasing' the international fans, its about 'not offending' their culture, language and religion.

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"And I get it. MBC finally has a hit show that did not need a big budget, of course they're not going to re-edit it to please international fans."

It was in context to MBC getting the show out of international fans's hands. All of SK's tv stations care only about ratings, they couldn't care less about offending as long as they get money.
Just watch all the "blackface controversies" , all their apologies are just so they can get it over with.

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Just shows once again that the inability to use Google to research even basic facts can be a bad thing.

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Thank you for the downvotes BTW. It feels nice to know I get judged for saying that I understand they will never let go of their "golden egg" to please international fans when they are winning the ratings game.
Also very good to know that no one read my " However I hope that this Head-in-the-sand thing does not go on for other occasions" part of the comment. Thanks guys :)

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I only watched Bride of Habaek episode 5 this week. I like Krystal and Gong Myung's characters more than Nam Joo Hyuk and Shin Se Kyung's. The pacing is a little slow but it's bearable. Overall, it's not bad but also not great.

I will probably begin Reunited Worlds soon. Excited to see Yeo Jin Gu again!

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Not ready to say goodbye to The Best Hit ? Da bong needs to back to new project asap ??

School 2017 - More Mori is the better for me.

The King Loves - I don't want to fangirl boys who are around 10 years younger but that's what happened lol. Nam Da Reum & Yoon Chan Young - is it possible to have a drama with these two as the main leads, not as the younger parts. I prefer sageuk but modern drama still OK. Well maybe few more years ?

I think Forest of Secrets took over my soul because I can't seem to really love other drama atm and this might be a good thing for me.

Started Bad Thief Good Thief but still stuck at epi 7. I'm going to really take time with this drama because I know this writer's style.

Re-watching King's Daughter but I'll also take time with it since I already watched it before. It is just to satisfy my sageuk craving.

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I have to agree on the taking over soul comment, I can't love anything else at the moment BUT Secret Forest, that's just how awesome it is. And I'm in denial that it's ending in 2 weeks, I'll try to watch only 15 minutes of the next few episodes for a couple of weeks to last longer. Am I crazy? I say not!

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Lol, I wish I could do this! but I think my curiosity to know what happens next and who the killer is, will get the better of me! :P

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Yeah, that's what I say every week, but before I know it, I finish 2 episodes in one sitting. Can't.stop.watching.

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You won't be able to do so because the curiousity will be killing you.. lol

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Yeah, imma be like "5 more minutes, just 5 more minutes" and then 2 hours gone in a flash.

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Haha true.

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This is so me LOL "okay I'll just wait til the intense scene goes out" when the situation finally calms down "wait I need to get my dosage of Shi-mok and Yeo-jin moment before I stop watching".

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Nam Da Reum and Yoon Chan Young are 5 years younger than me haha. It doesn't stop me from being a proud noona fan. I'm waiting for them to stare together in other sageuks !

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To stare together in other sageuk? Yes!

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Forest of Secret is ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ Best drama of the last decade so far!
MWDTL ??????

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Forest is by far the best k-drama for a very long time. In fact it beats 95% of US dramas.

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Forest of Secrets: Still the best thing on television.

Forest of Secrets: Sounding like a broken record here, but I’m still loving this show, and I’m in denial that it’ll be ending soon. Dong-jae cracks me up with his calculating face, and I still ♥ everything about Shi-mok and Yeo-jin. This is definitely my favorite drama of 2017, and I’d even go so far as to call it the best drama of 2017 (even though the year isn’t over yet!).

I concur!!!!! Everything about this drama just screams awesome and I find myself mind blown and excited at every episode ending, which is weird because this is my least favorite genre. Jo Seung-woo and Bae Doo-na are such a winning combo, I can't imagine this show without them. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

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I don't know how I'll be able to move on from this show.
Ever since all the other dramas I was watching ended, I haven't been able to really get into anything else. And I even dropped some. FOS is TOO good.
I'm also in denial about its end, but it definitely is my favorite show of the year as well

I did check out the premiere for Reunited Worlds, and I liked it...so I might pick that up when FOS ends (that is, if I'm still alive)

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Woman of Dignity : I'm ready to see Ah Jin kicking Jae Suck out !

The King Loves : Goryeo is my favorite period for sageuk because I love the settings and the clothes more than the Joseon's ones. I was not affected by the main cast's beauty in their previous works but I have to admit the pretty is strong in this one ! I'm getting strong 6FD vibe with the two child actors ! They will both have a great career like Yeo Jin Goo

Reunited Worlds : My favorite of this week's premiere.

Duel : Binged watched until ep 6. Yang Se Jong's performance is superb.

School 2017 : I had no expectation so I enjoyed quite a lot this premiere. I'm hoping for a focus on characters' friendships rather than on a love triangle.

The Best Hit : Binge watched until ep 10. I like the humor and the CEO YJ is such a goofy villain. I love him and his chair.

Bride of the Water God : I'm not sure why I'm still watching this show but I enjoy the humor.

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@mango … how do you make your titles bold in the comments? Do you code it? Or do you copy and paste from Word or something to keep that formatting? Thanks in advance! ツ

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HTML codes - not all work, but most do https://www.w3schools.com/html/html_formatting.asp

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<b>bold text here</b>

<em>italics here</em>

<blockquote>blockquote here</blockquote>

Take note of the / in the closing tags.

Don't bother about the other html codes, most of them won't work and the different rules about closing tags usually confuses beanies, causing unclosed formatting all over the place :(

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Other Beanies already replied ^^ I hope you can finally use bold text !

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The Best Hit: I wish for happy ending and no matter how I think it would be difficult for Kim Da Bong fate but never say never..

Father Is Strange: The love occurs between Joong Hee and Mi Young is sweet but sad. A simply beautiful love story.

Forest of Secret: So, the killer is actually the Hwang Shi-Mok team member ? Does it confirm? I mean... maybe it's just a trait? lol

Duel: Since Mi Rae is Dr Lee's daughter I guess I have to end my wishful-thinking for her and Sung-Joon to have another love lines. But probably I can have bromance between Sung-Joon & Sung-Hoon? Or... Maybe not! Sung-Hoon is already broken *sigh*

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Forest of Secret: So, the killer is actually the Hwang Shi-Mok team member ? Does it confirm? I mean... maybe it's just a trait? lol

It's not confirmed whether he killed Moo-sung, but he's definitely the one who kidnapped Kwon Min-ah/Kim Ga-young because she remembered his tattoo. But he didn't kill her and planned intricate plan for her to be discovered alive, I'm hoping he's not capable of murder because I actually like this special investigation team. Seo Dong-jae is another suspicious suspect because Min-ah reacted strongly to him. I wouldn't put it behind me that Kim Jung-bon might be the mastermind of all these, he seems to be everywhere when it comes to the case, coincidence much?

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I like this guy when he comes clean to Hwang Shi-Mok that he's digging Shi-mok past. I think that he's more decent than Seo Dong-Jae lol

I would put a bet that Lee Chang-Joon is someone more deeper and darker. He becomes a puppet for his Father in law... Who knows that actually he's doing in purpose lol

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Lee Chang-joon is corrupt and ambitious, that I'm sure of, but I'm not sure if he's capable of murder. I just find it sad that honor, family, and friendship seem to mean nothing to him, he was ready to throw his friend under the bus just to save his own ass.

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If someone is corrupt and ambitious like Lee Chang-joon... I guess killing somebody just an appendix in his records? No?

Even Seo Dong-jae tempted to silence Young Eun-Soo and Kim Woo-Kyun tried to kill Kwon Min-ah/Kim Ga-young.

In Forest of Secret... People are living in 'Animal Kindom' lol

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" Just throwing this out there—what if you had your actual hero be Ghost Mask, rather than having him be a black hole where meaningful plot movement goes to die?"

Yes! A thousand times yes! Just when I thought I settled into the zany over the top humor, the show dive into another direction. I want Joo Won's cute face and not mopey ones. Even the Ghost Mask turn out anti-climatic, was it just to parody Gaksital? Gyun Woo looked zoned out and so did I.

BOTWG I like Gong Myung in Drinking Solo but he's pretty acting the same here. I heard he was good in Individualist Ji Young so I was expecting some growth, hmmm. The most enjoyable is still our water god Haebak with hapless So Ah and Haebak with NSR. I find myself just watching their scenes and tuning out the rest.

SDQ Seo NooOOOOOOOO!!!!

Reunited Worlds I don't cry. Very seldom do. But I did at Hae Sung's funeral. I love Yeo Jin Goo and Chae Yeon, I wouldn't mind watching them in the entire length. The drama is beautifully shot and lovely in many ways except for one let down. I cannot understand the scene where Hae Sung reunited with Jung Won. I was like WTH??!!! It's one of those rare moments where I wish YJG would stop smiling.

School 2017 Kim Jung Hyun is my latest discovery. Why so cute? I am enjoying the story too and the leads.

Man Who Dies To Live I am not sure if I will watch episode 2. However, it must have gotten better since JB and HeadsNo2 aren't writing it off.

Forest of Secrets I'll join @chickachunga in calling it the best drama of 2017 even though the year isn't over! D-1 to subbed episode!

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I cannot understand the scene where Hae Sung reunited with Jung Won. I was like WTH??!!! It's one of those rare moments where I wish YJG would stop smiling.

I understand it though, and he did explain it to Jung-won in one scene, he's missing that 12 years and so to him, it felt like just yesterday they met and not a day passed by since then. Hae-sung was just glad to meet the love of his life at 18, even though everyone else grew up, he's still an 18 years old boy.

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I agree with your comment about Reunited Worlds. That scene was so heartbreaking! T _ T
And you're right, I would have loved to see more of Chae Yeon because I love her as Jung Won. While I don't dislike the future Jung Won, I also don't see Chae Yeon's Jung Won in her. I feel like she's a different character. Is this because 12 years have passed and she's grown up and lost a loved one? If it is, I would love to see the old Jung Won again as she was fiesty and full of spirit. I guess she will be the first to undergo Hae Sung's 'healing' process! XD

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Hae Sung's funeral was the saddest scene I watched this week, especially because it's raining too. I love his scene with Jung Chae Yeon too. I think his scene with the adult Jung Won is purposely made as quite awkward because of the huge age gap but I also can't really understand their reunion scene. It seemed pretty fast at least for me. I'm afraid this drama will not have sufficient materials because the first week seemed to have a fast pace. But I'll be positive on this one if it means I can see YJG's smile more.

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I was looking forward to this post to know what everyone thought of the new shows. I caught the first episodes of reunited worlds and the king loves. They both were so beautifully shot. I feel like kdramas have notched up their production values. All the dramas I am watching seems to be stylish and sleek/beautiful in their own settings. The king loves in particular felt so rich and colourful. I haven't watched a drama in goryeo setting yet. Also, I suprisingly liked yoona in the first episode though I tuned in for Im Shi wan. So, I think I am going to stick with this one.

The two dramas that I am watching with full focus are seven day queen and forest of secrets. I love them both despite the fact one hurts my heart and the other kills my brain and can't believe both are going to end soon. I am also watching bride of the water god, even though it's not bad, i still don't care about any of the characters that much except maybe for nam soo ri who is the best sidekick ever.

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LOL, I also like Nam soo ri.
But to be honest, I am watching that drama because of Nam Joo Hyuk. He is just beautiful!
The plot is also interesting, but very confusing. I am not sure I will understand, I am focussing on Ha baek trying to adapt to the Earth and recover his powers...
And I wish So ha will have a piece of happiness either alive or maybe even dead... maybe she will become a constelation or something like that, just like we have read in mythology books about certain characters!!! LOL
We will find out!!

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I think Man Who Dies to Live is a very stupid show. It offended Arabians and muslims. Seriously I hate it when people make fun with a certain culture or religion which is so disrespectful. In one scene they even showed viewers two Middle East ladies in bikini wearing hijab like SERIOUSLY?? Writer-nim are you kidding me? Hijab is an identity of women in Islam and it's an order of our God. I'm a muslim and feel so sad about this. Many people in the world don't know the true Islam and this drama making the situation worse by depicting Arab (which muslim is majority there) and muslim/Islam very wrongly. It's good to be creative and productive but the writer shouldn't make other culture or religion or nationality as joke. It's 2017 and most people are very aware of human rights.

Sigh~ I ended up ranting here. I'm sorry.

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Same here. I'm surprised the 2 team beanies didn't even mention anything about it up there.

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Even though I'm not religious, I totally agree that this show is insulting millions of people around the world! I hope at least DB stop promoting this insulting show...

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When I'm about to start to watch this drama I have a lot of doubt in my mind. How good the writer knew about Arabian culture? We saw a lot of controversy when production people acted too smart in portrait Arabian culture and Moslem in their movie/drama.

In Korea sometimes controversy will become a noisy marketing in promoting the show but I don't think it works when they offended other culture or religion.

My point is.. Let's have respect to others culture and especially their religion because if Arabian produce a movie/drama and put Korean culture in wrong way, Korean would feel offensive as well, right?

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Let's have respect to others culture and especially their religion because if Arabian produce a movie/drama and put Korean culture in wrong way, Korean would feel offensive as well, right?----
Inna exactly, why not keep it clean/ noncontroversial? :/ I object to believe that anyone who can write a drama doesn't have the minimum sense to present a culture unless it was intentional. I guess he/she got lazy.

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You might be surprised how much of this sort of thing is in Middle East movies, shows, and everyday life. http://www.cairoscene.com/LifeStyle/The-Reality-of-Racism-in-Egypt

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Yes, I agree with you. We must respect others' culture or religion or any difference between individuals or groups so people can live together in peace.

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What!?! I got a downvote for gave my point of view about respecting people culture and religion? Well, for who-downvote-me then you should know that even MBC posted an official apology on Twitter.

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Arab does not equal Muslim, nor does Muslim = Arab. Two different things. But the fact that the writer failed to know even that basic fact is sad.

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Also not that it matters, but I found the drama awfully boring. I didn't find any humor in the ridicule of the cultural aspects, or the way the count (?) [LOL there is no count in Arab countries, it was meant for Russia I think? Before world war happened?] was talking or delivering his lines was over the top, and couldn't grab my interest. I will give it a pass.
At least the productions should have done the research right.

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tbh I don't really care about other dramas as long as I don't watch it but in this case I'm offended too because I am a moslem and they'd better do some research first about Arabian or Moslems, and what is hijab meant to be.
Just because it's not the writer's country/culture/religion doesn't mean he/she could make such a scene which they think is funny.

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That bikini scene :( It was so ridiculous I actually had to rewind to make sure my eye didn't fail me..

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Screen cap alone for that scene offended me already, and I'm not Arab/Muslim what more for Arabs and/or Muslims

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im totally agreed with you, im a muslim as well..luckily i didnt started yet to watch that horrible drama.

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FYI, MBC takedown MWDtL from Kocowa, OnDemandKorea, and Viu, but they're still selling at their VOD service at iMBC HDMall and Pooq.

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Have you seen their "gag scenes"? Or have you read about the tons of blackface controversies??
SK people like that type of humor. They enjoy it when people make fun of other cultures, otherwise it would not have almost 10% ratings.
All the comments on Naver are about "it's only fun" "people are exaggerating" .
They are never going to change, and now that international fans are complaining they only took the drama out of the subbing sites. The show is getting high ratings for them, the best hope is that they don't extend it.

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So beautifully said. Thank you @autumnrain !! I nearly teared up.

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Currently watching Bride of the Water God, School 2017, Reunited Worlds and Suspicious Partner.

I'm really enjoying the deadpan humour in BOTWG and I hope the show doesn't lose this in the later episodes. Ha-baek trying to be authoritative is the funniest thing ever because So ah doesn't really listen to him and he also knows that. Humour aside, I like how these two are constantly there for each other, and that Ha-baek has grown so much in the past episodes…enough to really listen to So ah and promise to protect her (that copy/paste promise was the cutest thing ever!).

There is a lot of things in School 2017 that isn't very believable. One of the things is the lining up at the cafeteria according to grade/rank. Is this really true? I can't believe that they discriminate students according to their grades! Aside from that, I'm really enjoying all the characters and the everyday struggles they face. As for the mystery element, I'm getting a feeling that it's a female student. The two leads are most probably red herrings. I'm liking them equally, but I guess bad boy Mori has almost won me over!

Reunited Worlds is sooo beautiful and heartbreaking. Yeo Jin-gu is absolutely shining in this role and I can't wait to see how he is going to change the present lives of his family and friends. I'm not really sold on the restaurant scenes, and the second lead hasn't really convinced me as to why he likes Jung Won. I'm mostly invested in Hae Sung's storyline and I want to see how the rest of his family members are getting along with their lives…so that he can find them and bring them together like the big softie he is! <3

Suspicious Partner was fun in the beginning, but it's kind of draggy where I'm up to. I'm mostly sticking around for the team of lawyers because they're all so hilarious! The main couple are still in the 'I like you but not gonna tell you that just yet' stage and it's kind of tiring. I hope the speed picks up and I'm looking forward to learning more about the killer and why he does what he does (i.e. motivation).

Looking forward to starting Forest of Secrets and The Best Hit.
SO excited for Criminal Minds, Falsify and Strongest Deliveryman.

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The Best Hit: Can we start the clamoring for Season 2 now?
I'll join you @javabeans

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I'm joining you guys! Lol

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Where do we sign up the petition? Count me in!

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You know when an actor is good when you forget that they're acting when you watch a drama.

You know when a drama is good when your heart is filled with joy and becomes more fluffly (? hahaha know it's not the right word but couldn't think of the more appropriate word to use).

Secret Forest is a good drama as I almost always forget the fact that the actors are acting and there are very few, if any, loopholes in the story. As far as it goes, every discovery is able to be explained by what happened before that, as well as the actors' history, characteristics and gestures. I don't know if there is going to be any drama which beats FoS this year for me, but right now all I can say is that FoS has set the bar so high!

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Gosh I totally feel you on the whole Joong Hee dilema on Father Is Strange. I felt the most annoyed at the Joong Hee and Mi Young characters at the begining of the drama but now I ship them the hardest. haha. I truly can feel the pain JH is going through after he found out the truth and I am so angry at the mother for her selfishness to cover up the secret for the sake of her own kids, but what about the other kid? He had to live for 35 years waiting for his Dad because he never knew his Dad died. I felt so sad when he said he waited every X'mas and B'day for his dad to come see him. My heart just broke for him.

And I also kept thinking how it will pan out. I know he will not have the heart to report the parents for identity theft. If he does not, then he and MY can't be together (everyone already thinks she is his sister). If he did report them, the parents would have to go to jail l (and I just can't see that happening, not to mention I don't think Hye Young would allow that to happen). I just don't know how it will go.

I wish there was more angst between JH and MY before she finds out cos I love me some faux siblings angst. That trope never gets old (for me). Of course all the other storylines are so well written that I enjoy watching all them too!

I know there are not a lot of people who watch this show here as I rarely read any write-ups or comments about it. But I also never thought this would be the show that I look forward the most to every week.

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Well, you know, i actually wanted to wacht Persevere Goo Hae Ra, but now with your comment, I won´t.
i am looking for a nice drama, but haven´t really found any.
And those airing don´t feel complete for me.
They are ok, anyway... but not yet in my heart.

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Not watching any of the premieres this week but good to hear it's entertaining enough, guess I'll give Man Who Dies To Live, Reunited Worlds, and School 2017 a try in few weeks (or when it has ended) because I cannot stand cliffhangers.

I will definitely be watching Forest Of Secret soon!

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Watch Secret Forest NOW! 'Nuff said.

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I feel like Seven Day Queen has been ruling my heart, while Forest of Secrets has my brain occupied all week, and it's taking a bit of time to feel engaged in the new batch.

I managed to get my friends hooked on Circle before (part of the reason I sacrificed being part of the recaps) and now FoS too and we spent the whole afternoon today just sipping tea, reading comments on the ep 12 recap, and discussing. So much fun! I'm really happy to have a show mentally engaging enough to distract me from the dagger 7DQ just plunged straight through my heart this week.

Catching up on The Best Hit! Aw, I have some issues with the show, but JB made me realize that I'm probably just upset about not getting more of it. There are just some arcs I want so much more of. I'm not ready to say goodbye. Also catching up on Father is Strange.

I really enjoyed aspects about a lot of the premieres, but am not fully invested in anything yet. I came ready to fall in love with Reunited Worlds and I totally did...to an extent. I think I had weirdly high expectations or something, because it hasn't perfectly come together for me. Still, I just adore this premise, Yeo Jin-goo, and all the story potential this has!

The King Loves is the opposite case. I came in pretty wary, despite the recent news about Song Ji-na, simply because I really wasn't sure about this love triangle having chemistry. However, I found myself pleasantly surprised because of this misgiving. It isn't flawless, but it's a lot more engaging than expected. And, I admit, I'm finding the setting/time period super refreshing and could almost watch for that and the beautiful scenery alone!

As for School 2017, well, there's actually a lot I REALLY like about it, but it also has quite a few ridiculous things going on. Did I mention I don't care? Haha, I like taking it as seriously as our heroine's comic. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a Mori with a cheeky sense of humor ;)

I'm honestly waiting for Strongest Deliveryman though! Think this could be my next fav.

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When it comes to sageuk, Song Ji-na is much better off tackling more serious issues based on the Occupational era.
Beside "Daemang," none of her other sageuks came close to the quality of her original work like "Sandglass" and "Eyes of Dawn." Director Kim Jong-hak should be credited for the success of those 2 masterpieces too.

As much as I love the genre I can't stand the fake straight up romance in sageuks.

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Maybe it's because I wasn't around to witness her decline over decades, but I have such a hard time believing that the modern day Song Ji-na is the same person who wrote Eyes of Dawn and Sandglass. Where did all that talent go?

It's the same for a lot of PD's and writers whose best days are behind them tbh. For example, after hearing the news that she was going to work with Kim Gyu-tae yet again, I think it's finally time to let Noh Hee-kyung go. And now I always have this fear that the system will break the people who still believe in doing good work with little to no reward, like Park Yeon-seon or Ahn Pan-seok.

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I can let go of Song Ji-na but I'm going to have a hard time letting go of Noh Hee-kyung.
I know her writing has been affected by the broadcast stations but she is still better than most of the writers out there.
What is it about Kim Gyu-tae that makes her keep working with him? I just don't get it.

I'd feel better having Park Yeon-seon or Ahn Pan-seok with jTBC than any other broadcast station.
I'm hoping Park Kyung-Soo will join them. I just don't like how SBS keep changing his original work.

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I just don't get how someone like Noh Hee-kyung, with so much talent (and so many masterpieces under her belt!), can internalize the idea that she's the problem and she's the one who needs to change, not the people she's working with. And even when she's not bending over backwards for Kim Kyu-tae (who is the worst), she's still stuck with people who don't get her. I couldn't get past one episode of Dear My Friends because the tacky, jaunty overproduction infuriated me so much. It was like a child scribbling over pages of a book.

The thing that makes me feel hopeful about Park Kyung-soo is that his dramas have been ratings successes. Park Yeon-seon hasn't done well in the ratings since Alone in Love, and KBS tried to force her into a box for Wild Romance (but she didn't let them because she's that cool haha). But I agree, if she stays at jTBC, they won't mess with her. And at least she seems to take this stuff in stride, rather than let it get to her.

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This is probably why I didn't necessarily get that much more excited for this when I heard about her involvement. I'm someone who's still loved some of her more recent works such as Healer, What's Up, Story of a Man along with her classics, but I've just never gotten into her sageuks. Not to mention, she always seems to get main casts for them that I care slightly less about so that doesn't help my interest level.

Haha, Heads actually pinpointed why I'm enjoying this a bit more than expected though. That + the fact that Im Shi-wan's character is an anti-hero, which I think could make the drama/romance more compelling down the line and not as predictable as it seems at the outset. I admit, right now I can't even pinpoint why I'm this intrigued to see where the story goes. I'm not all that emotionally invested yet.

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Yes, the casting for her shows hasn't been as well balanced like her older shows.

I have a love hate relationship with writer Kim Yeong-hyeon but she is very good at casting great talents to headline her shows.

I haven't seen any of the new shows so I don't have much to say yet.

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Watching and enjoying Duel, The Best Hit, and Forest of Secrets as usual.

Starting School 2017 this week and I'm pleasantly surprised that I like it more than I though I would. It gave me a sense of nostalgia that I don't usually get from other school drama. Many characters seems like the usual mix you get from youth drama, but with a hint of differences here and there. For now, it's enough to keep my interest and I hope it stays enjoyable throughout the drama.

-Crime Scene 3: Eps 12. Finale eps. ?? I love the outrageous backstories for our criminal this week. And as usual, it's always such a treat to watch the cast playing themselves. So many inside jokes flying around and they get to poke fun at characters they've been playing before. This season might not be as exciting and laugh-out-loud funny as the previous season, but it certainly has its own charm. I will miss it. They'll make the 4th season, right? Right??

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I'm hoping for season 4 as well! And this time they better cast Jinho since the beginning or I'm going to burn JTBC :D

I love that the reason behind the murder is so silly and outrageous I just laughed out loud and cared very little about the murder itself haha. But the level of the makjang quality for the (fake) backstory of the suspects are so weird and stupid lol Every time they exaggerate something I always laughed along with them

True, this season didn't do as good as season 2 in terms of cast, but looking at the ratings, it's truly possible to have season 4 and I hope this time all the casts from season 2 back again! They're the perfect casts I think

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Man Who Lives To Die was such a huge disappointment honestly. As a Muslim alot of the scenes in the episodes bothered and it felt like my religion was being mocked somehow ? You can tell the writers/producers didn't do their research properly . And it's such a shame because I was looking forward to the drama. I hope they realize what they're doing wrong and apologize. And change future episodes.

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And honestly you'd think people would have learned to stay away from sensitive topics such as religion and using them as comedy fodder etc. I mean it's 2017 people. Come on let's not do this yeah?

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@la plume good comment man. I'm not even an atheist. I am not against god but i do am against all these religions. They are literally the mafia.

As for above comment - FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION does exist in DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES. And what kind of god can't even taken a shred of criticism?
Yeah they didn't research even the basic things(culture and customs) and if they are borrowing a character from a certain region and trying to show something associated with that region they should done the proper job. Everything else is fiction and they all the right to portray the way the want to.

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Excuse me how am I the mafia? I am a muslim woman who wears the hijab and veils. Am I not allowed to criticize others that portray what I consider an act of worship, into something ignorant??? No where on this planet will you find someone who wears a hijab walking around men in a bikini like that. There was no need for that hijab at all if they were gonna be wearing bikinis. And also for your freedom of expression point, what on earth are you talking about that God can't take criticism? I am all for freedom of expression but NOT when it is against someone else's belief's. This is my religion, that's sacred to me, so yes I understand not everyone feels the same way as me. But if you can't understand it, instead of commenting rude comments you should should try and understand where we are coming from . Thank you.

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MBC already apologized in their Twitter account, but we still don't know if they will change the future episodes. Let's see...

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They won't. That's why they cut it from the subbing sites.

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But I do think that there is no religion in the world deserve to be mocked. ☺

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Every religion deserves to be mocked. Most of the misery in the world is due to these religions.
If good of something can be praised then its right to criticize the bad things associated with it.

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@catocat and @laplume I'm not religious at all, but I believe showing woman in bikini wearing hijab and flirting with a man is not criticizing a religious beliefs...but more insulting people who practice that belife, it's very similar to insulting people for their skin color or sexual preference... I'm ok when you logically challenge a religious beliefs, but insulting people in such loosy way is so dumb... CMS was always my favorite actor but I'm not sue if I'll ever watch him in anything...

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Most of the misery in this world due to ignorance and human's greed. No religion deserves to be mocked. If you don't have anything to praise, don't mock either.

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I saw the picture/scene in the problem and I think this is sensitive to Muslim because the scene depicted is the bad generalisation that is been getting mockery on and on again about Muslim and the headscarf.

The ridicule and what people do about headscarf is something that baffled me because the big resonance is that "woman who wears that is submissive and weak" no matter where country they are coming from, they must be an oppressed woman.

Then they show a scene when it used just an accessory even when many Muslim doesn't think headscarf is mandatory. People do not wear a headscarf like that and there is no need for that. They can do the entire scene with the women in a bikini and I think people will be okay with that.

---- "It is actually very surprising given their contents that religion hasn't been parodied more"----
It's not surprising for me cause the parody will be more accepted if it did to educate, to move into a better acceptance and by people who practice the religion themselves.
So many parodies are done by degrading the follower and the religion without understanding.
Most of the people didn't do it with good intention, they didn't do it to know more or listening or learn but mostly do it to show that they are better than "the religious people" which in the application make them behave like an ass.

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from your story I believe that you must be through a lot, you made such a big decision despite of your family and all. You already think and discussed about a lot of things, and I'm highly respecting you because of that :)
But the thing is we're all korean drama fans here, while watch 'few scenes' of MWDFL some people (including me) become a bit sensitive about 'things' of our religion being jokes, and yes for some people we might seem to make a fuss about a mere thing.
I'm sorry if my words kinda rude toward anyone here, but hey, we're all friends in this sns guys :)

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@laplume
-- As I said above, respect of people but not of religions as far as I'm concerned.---

I understand that you respected people's choices but I think what happens today is not something as ideal as you pointed out. What happens is that people mocked you for admitting your religion or belittle you because you are religious which are something they don't need to do. They way people did is also with mocking the people who follow it without even care about the religion.

--- Can believers understand unbelievers and vice-versa? ---

I think it has the potential if people understand that they don't have the authorities to know if someone will enter the heaven of not [with the assumption that heaven exist]. It's not a lost cause that people will accept each other but bad portrayal by people who know nothing perpetuates the idea that the follower of a religion is a moron and it's okay to make fun of them.

my problem with your comment is that you say
= We give it too much energy and importance and it's really not worth fighting about. =

maybe you don't think it's worth fighting for but the reality is people get the end of the stick because of their religion without them offending anyone.
People get asked to throw off their religious identity, even as simple as wearing a cross to something more fundamental as wear a hijab without them doing anything to other people.

it's not about me getting mockery to my head as you said in
= If you're confident in yourself and who you are, you shouldn't be touched by any mockery that doesn't relate to something you can't choose =

it because the stereotyping with bad intention harm people they are representing, simply because it's not the truth.
For me personally, I know they are wrong but how about other people that didn't know my religion and believe that it's the right representation because all people did it? Then we see what happen now, people mocked other and use their identity as a joke or just a symbol because that "pieces" represent them.

= It doesn't mean I particularly enjoy religions being made fun off, but I honestly don't care and I don't see why people do.
----
I think Hard Rock is the type of music that make people's ears bleed, you think that Pop is always insipid.
Do I see you as somebody crazy because of your taste? No. But that doesn't mean I can't make fun of Hard Rock and their weird hairdos or whatever clychés is attached to it if I want to=

This is contradictory, you don't enjoy a mockery yet you think it's okay [if you want] to make fun of someone creation just because you didn't enjoy it?

isn't that going out of your way for people that do nothing to you? [since the assumption is you didn't like hard rock]
"I think Hard Rock is the type of music that make people's ears bleed"

does your ears really bleed and does someone come off to you and pushed you to you to like hard rock?

In this assumption,...

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... I didn't do that in my comment and you assume that all people that like hard rock will do that to you.

This is contradictory, you don't enjoy a mockery yet you think it's okay to make fun of something that people enjoy, just because you didn't enjoy it? and you make fun of it because you thought it's stupid? without them doing anything to a pop song you like.

isn't that going out of your way for people that do nothing to you? [since the assumption is you didn't like hard rock]

Sadly, this is what many people do, perpetuating and trying to do something they don't understand because they don't like it, use this symbol or pieces to representing people they don't know just because what other people believe is not important to them. They start the fire and isn't the right reaction is people that they supposedly representing calling them out for that.

= I feel lucky I don't have to pretend to believe in something I don't though I occasionally still have to defend myself =

my conclusion is no one should defend why they believe on something but rather explaining why they choose to believe.

Just like what happens to you, the religious people and the Muslim now for no reason has to defending themselves rather than explaining why they choose that, what people do now is coming to their face and give them accusation based on popular agenda. So calling a bad portrayal of someone is not something that is not worth fighting for. It's worth it.

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@laplume
then yeah we have to agree to disagree,

I think religion is worth talking because it's one way of life for people, religion influences many things from holiday to architecture and with talking with good mind about it, a better understanding would be achieved.

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And yet many religions openly mock other religions...

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I'm, more or less, a part of that culture. I'm relucant to mention my religion here because I don't want to be judged by my religion alone, I practice my religion in private, and I need that to find some peace. I probably won't continue watch the drama because on-your-face kind of humor doesn't suit me. While I don't get offended by the drama itself, I can see why some people do. But you know what makes my blood boil, the comment people make after they watch the drama.

Why do they think they can judge people, especially women, based on their cloths, the way they want to dress their selve? They lump these women wearing hijab together as brainwashed human being, like they can't think for them selves, who support the culture that has relegate them to be a second class citizen. While in fact some women are forced to wear hijab, some are not. If somehow one day they choose to not wear hijab any more, well it is not any body's bussiness, except the woman, herself. My feminist self can't take this kind of thing. Women should support each other, not put each other down.

I think this kind of wide spread stereotype is one that can be happeing if MBC don't acknowledge, some voice from their own audience.

"Yeon-ja: They say women are their own worst enemy.
Yeo-jin: Women who agree with that saying must have been treating other women as their enemies, don't they?"
- Forest of Secret

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A lot of people don't seem to understand the difference between culture and religion. There are many countries with a lot of Muslims where the hijab is NOT commonly worn.

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Btw, the hijab is cultural and not religious as far as Islam is concerned----
Lol @laplume it is not cultural, for reference look at the holy book verse 24:31.
First off,out of all places, its funny we are discussing this topic on DB. For me religion is quite personal, I won't even say it is religion, so long story short (as I don't want to debate over this topic, since your to yours and mine to mine), just that I would say that Yes it hurts to see my religion being ridiculed, since it is something close to my heart like someone I love, for example, my mom, or my best friend, so the same way it hurts when I see that the practice that I follow is being wrongly portrayed here. If anybody have fun mocking mine or anyone else's religion then thats up to them, but by doing so, they shouldn't state that it is the right thing to do.

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@laplume nope it isn't cultural. For any believer woman it is a divine command, I don't know what are the shows/ teachers you are listening to, but it has been decreed for all the women who have chosen to follow the faith. 'Put your headveil over your chest', it has been told literally, (you can check the dictionary of linguistics to see the details) it is not just about the hair but erm.. I don't want to spam here. I just shared these tidbits since you raised the question. Sorry all.
Also I don't understand what you meant by this,
'Nobody said it was the right thing to do, only that they had the right to do it'
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So you think it's okay to make joke of religion? That was the whole point of what I said. Maybe someone doesn't believe it, but why hurt other's sentiment?
Anyway that's the main reason I said I don't want to debate over it, since I have no point to prove. But just had to say, I'm amazed that the posters here have said so many beautiful things about respecting each other and their practice. I think world is still a better place to live at.

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La plume: Because some women look prettier wearing hijab ? Which women don't want to look pretty? Hijab means no bad hair day. Ha, ha, ha. It is practical really. I think many women in my country wear hijab because yeah religious reason and also practicality.

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Had we not lived in our current geopolitical world, I would probably not care less about this drama and its depiction of Muslim's culture (or rather its continuous conflation between arabs culture and islam). However, we live in a world that has undergone decades of dehumanization of Muslims which allows (most of) the world to discount the value of life of Muslims as ordinary humans. Many of us will probably think it's just popular media, who cares? But culture, arts and media matters. Take 24 TV series for example who frequently cited as to be helping normalizing torture to the extent that Amnesty International had to officially condemned it. Or Birth of the Nation movie which caused a spike in violence against black people in the cities where they were screened and was suggested to help the second coming of the KKK. This type of show that perpetuates the stereotype about muslims and their culture as backward, barbaric, not respecting women etc helped making it seems ok to have these people to be droned, bombed or ignored as they crossed the ocean to flee wars and violence in their home countries. Afterall, thanks to these kind of shows and mainstream media these people are just "swarms", "skittles" or "collateral damage".

I see the value of slaughtering the proverbial sacred cows by parodying religion such as Monty Python. However, there is this rule of comedy on sensitive issues that I mostly use to determine whether the joke is palatable or not, that is: you should be punching up, not down. And the ordinary moslems (excluding those religious fanatics and gulf state despots) are currently among the most powerless group in many parts of the world, in particular those who reside in western countries. Had this drama felt like it's punching up (making fun of the despots or religious fanatics), I am probably fine with it (try watch Four Lions for a hillarious comedy of this sort making fun of the fanatics). But as far as I can see the comedy is borne out of ignorance rather than intentional critique. The drama is steeped in such off-putting orientalism that I just cant believe it's still being produced in this day and age when you could just google things to at least get some basic ideas of the culture where the story based on. Edward Said is probably rolling in his grave.

For all of these reasons, this drama is a big no no for me and I am completely fine with people complaining about it. It's not because Islam is special, but because this type of show provides so little value (except if you're into mean spirited jokes about other cultures) and can be feeding into more tensions that the world currently does not need more of. Let me put it this way, it's not enough that the moslems have been bombed, driven away from home, being subjected to racism and discrimination and forced to live under many tyrants that were propped up by western countries, and now you also want to insult their religion and culture which are probably the...

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