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Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching

So, what are we all watching this week?

What kept you reaching for more (or agonizing when there was no more), and what made you want to throw your remote through the screen? Time to weigh in…

 

LollyPip

Currently recapping: When the Devil Calls Your Name, Arthdal Chronicles

A Moment at Eighteen: This drama, and these kids, are killing me. I love high school dramas because for me, high school was a wonderful time when I had tons of friends, was physically healthy and involved in a lot of activities, and my whole life was ahead of me. The students remind me so much of myself, with all my hopes and dreams and insecurities, and I even had a teacher very much like Mr. Oh who could always be counted on for unwavering support or a kick in the pants, whichever was needed most. But the teenage years are also drama-filled and fraught with anxiety, especially when it comes to that first love nearly all of us experience during that time, and A Moment at Eighteen captures these feelings so well. I still haven’t seen this week’s episodes, but I’m looking forward to seeing how Joon-woo and Soo-bin navigate their very new, very tender relationship, especially in light of the other challenges they’re dealing with.

Thirty But Seventeen: I’ve had a little more time on my hands than usual this past month, so I finally had a chance to pick up Thirty But Seventeen, which I’ve been meaning to watch for a solid year. It’s well worth the wait! I have a couple of episodes left, but I was utterly charmed from the first episode by the characters and their strong, loving bonds with each other. Shin Hye-sun and Yang Se-jong are perfect as Seo-ri and Woo-jin, who were both frozen emotionally for thirteen years by the same traumatic event, yet they somehow managed to find each other after all those years and fall in love. Ahn Hyo-seop as Chan has a similar maturation arc, personified by his rescued chick, which is probably one of the cutest relationships I’ve ever seen in Dramaland. And Ye Ji-won is perfectly cast as Jennifer, the housekeeper with her own past to evercome. At the point where I am, everyone still has their traumas to face and conquer, but they have become such a fiercely loyal and loving family that I have no doubt everything will turn out okay in the end.

 

mary

Currently recapping: Rookie Historian Gu Hae-ryung

Hell Is Other People: I caught the first episode with my sister and didn’t have time to watch the next because the scenes are so richly detailed, we have to pause every couple of minutes to point things out to each other. “OMG there’s a hole in the wall, I bet that’s a peephole.” “LOOK AT THE FLOOR! THERE’S A DOZEN USED DUCT TAPE CORES IN THE LANDING!” Terrifying cues aside, we were also genuinely laughing at the tiny details that remind us of our college bedspacing days like the patched up electric fan, overly chatty landlady, and awkward shared meals with more senior residents who intimidate you. I find it interesting that so far, at least from Jong-woo’s point of view, the rest of the residents are just weird. The most offensive person is the loud, obnoxious guy who bosses him around. In a normal dormitory drama, that’s the “villain” you have to deal with, but in this show, he’s an angel compared to the rest of the people in Eden’s Studio a.k.a. hell. That’s probably one of the scariest scenes to me, when the camera panned from Jong-woo sleeping in his room to Nam-bok muttering in the hallway to the Big Guy holding vigil inside his own room with a knife and a packed suitcase. If a strong guy like him is scared of Eden’s Studio, then what kind of forkery is happening in there?!

Be Melodramatic: Eun-jung… *drops to floor and sobs* Hers is definitely the hardest pain to get through. The fact that she seems the strongest person on the outside just makes the healing more difficult, because of course it’s harder to cure something you can’t see. And apart from the fact that she talks to her imaginary husband, she’s not prone to ranting, wallowing, crying, or getting drunk–things that scream “I NEED HELP” in normal adult friendships. She just… keeps functioning until she can’t. Which isn’t healthy! I’m thankful that she’s continually exposed to a person like So-min and I’m thankful for So-min’s simplemindedness. And I mean that in the most positive way possible. There’s a childlike quality to So-min that makes you drop your guard. The same way we keep answering children’s (normally considered) rude or very personal questions. There’s just nothing offensive about them. And if you’ve ever been around kids, you know they have a tendency to ask simple questions that cut through the bullshit and make you stop and reevaluate life. Which is exactly what’s happening to Eun-jung. It’s painful, but girl, we need to sanitize those wounds first and it’s going to heal and it may scar, but we promise life will be better than it is now. (Right, Show?)

Love Alarm: I am pissed that the one episode I got to watch this week is full of Gul-mi and her annoying rumor-mongering. Maybe I just don’t remember my high school days, but has anyone ever seen the “Hey, I’m ruining your girlfriend’s life and I’m a horrible person, so maybe fall in love with me instead” tactic work in real life? EVER? So why do some dramas waste a whole episode on it? I don’t know if there’s supposed to be something else to Gul-mi’s character or if it’s a failure of the writing or acting, but even with the idol trainee sobstory, she isn’t giving me conflicted feelings whatsoever. Unlike Jojo or Jang-go or even Jojo’s aunt–characters I sometimes feel bad for and want to change for the better. I wish we took some of Gul-mi’s screentime away this episode and focused more on Jojo’s reaction to being given “handouts” by Sun-oh instead. I love her conclusion to accept his kindness and see it not as buying her affection, but as a thing that someone who loves you wants to do for you. It’s a recycled conflict in the poor-girl-meets-rich-guy trope in dramaland, but Jojo’s reaction was surprisingly mature and I wish the show spent more time on it because it’s a healthy reaction that we need to be reminded of.

 
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Be Melodramatic
I really like how the drama showcases the various conversations between working colleagues as well as the revelations that come along it. We have the one-sided love trio between Hwan Dong, Da Mi and Dong Gi, the mentor & mentee for Han Joo and So Jin, the lonely duo in Hye Jung and In Jong as well as the work-date couple in Jin Joo and Beom Soo. I was worried when Hwan Dong took up the directing offer out of ex-based jealousy but so far it’s been comic relief with Hye Jung finally meeting her match at work (great!). I am really worried though for Eun Jung whose world just crashed!

Hell Is Other People
With only 10 episodes on its run, the show will have to navigate the story well and ensure no arc gets left behind. I can see two rather distinct parts for Jong Woo: one of which deals with the Eden Studios horrors (poor Jung Hwa will most likely die in a gruesome manner given the OCN tag) while the other deals with the growing pains of a young adult as he begins working life amidst a starved relationship. My most obvious worry is how’ll the writer will gel the two given the 3 deaths including 2 residents and 1 cop has already happened: the imbalance in pacing will make that task rather hard.

A Moment at Eighteen
The transitions in character for Ro Mi and Hwi Young made me raise eyebrows (I wouldn’t call them sudden per se, but I wouldn’t say they are smooth either), whereas the Random Minor outing Oh Je’s coming out certainly made me sigh a lot (goodness gracious she is coincidentally in the right places of all times). We still have zero development and screen time for 3 boys, Ji Min the noble idiot (at least there was an arc for Chan Yeol) and the preview which shows Song Hee and Hwi Young up to no good again. I don’t know if the finale will be salvageable, but I’m always up for a nice surprise.

Hotel del Luna
Judging by the rushed conclusion of Sun Bi’s arc this week, I can only conclude that the writer probably didn’t plan out enough material for it to develop smoothly over the show. I do not have a problem with dramas that have a large focus on procedurals, but when it comes at the expense of character development (we really didn’t need to wait 12 episodes before starting the staffs’ grudge resolution) I will certainly have preferred if both were mixed more evenly (Life on Mars, anyone?). Unfortunately, I don’t think Yeo Jin Goo met a great drama this time round. Till next time!

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This week has been a fun week filled with growth of our lovely drama characters.

Melo Suits Me: I love it when a show has a theme they explore in every episode and Melo Suits Me does this so well. Eun-Jung finally took the first step in opening up with her friends by asking them for a hug and her first step might have been slow but this means a lot. This show never fails to make me cry every week because of how real its story and its characters are. I love love love this show and its characters but I would love it even more if it starts to show us Hyo-bong's story! Also, can I join in their movie, beer, and chicken nights?
#IWantTheWomanOfMeloToBeHappy #ChickenAndBeerPlease

Rookie Historian: My heart broke for Rim this episode but it shattered for Hae-ryung. I know Hae-ryung loves Rim and my heart breaks for the two of them but I still like the fact that this woman sticked to her character and she still does not want to get married, lose her job, and her dream of being free. I love how this show is a historical drama but is still keeping things fresh and relevant!
#CareerWomanHaeryung

A Moment At Eighteen: I don't even remember hating Ro-mi because this week's episode made me love her even more. Now that her secret is out, she can be the real friend that she truly is. Pil-sang's growth this week is outstanding and we saw a new side of Sang-hoon! I love the growth of the teens in this show but when will the adults, except Mr. Oh, grow?
#AngelOhJe #WhenWillTheAdultsGrow #PleaseHaveBFFMomsMomentNextWeek

Let Me Hear Your Song: This show is a makjangtastic show but I'm really sad that we didn't get a lot of mystery-solving from our leads and the comedy was reduced this week. I NEED MORE SONG JAE-RIM!
#LetMeHearYourSongJaeRim

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Shows that ended this week:
Class of Lies: The ending is the way I expected it to be except I didn't expect Ki-hoon's Dad to actually do something good. Felt sad for what happened to Beom-jin but Ye-ri and Ki-hoon had growth and I'm here for it. It was exciting to watch the people in this show be bad every week but I think I wouldn't re-watch this one.
#WeNeedMoreKiHoon

Hotel Del Luna: I had so many things I wish had happened in this show and so many what-ifs but I wouldn't comment them down here because I want to remember the show as something fun as I still enjoyed it. I cried so hard in the finale while I am commuting to university and people looked at me weirdly. HAHAHAHA. It was really fun to watch this show and wait for IU every week. The best thing I got from this show? My snarky IU GIF collection and I love it.
#IUFashionShow

I didn't watch When The Devil Calls Your Name this week. I had a major exam and some papers so I had to give up a drama.

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Yes indeed I am in ur group:
#WeNeedMoreKiHoon😍😍😍😍🤩🤩🤩🤩🥰🥰🥰🥰
From his small moment as abused student in bokja club i
Find him really endearing and talented. But sadly though he is realllllllllly underrated. I hope he gets his worth. As well u must watch 😈 called it name. It is totally different from makjang and ROM com but indeed it's story is weighty and worthy of wait. Pllsssss be sure to watch this gem

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I'm watching the show but I didn't have time to watch last week's episodes. I'll catch up once I have time!

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The way you described Hae-ryung made me say, Wait, it's Search Query: WWW two hundred years ago.

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Hotel del Luna.

perhaps it wins the title of best Hong sister series for me. as a person who already experiences sad separation twice, I indeed relate to the stories.

Yes. you can't escape death, but the most important one is not to avoid it, but to savour the togetherness and be thankful that they existed in your timeline.

Hotel del Luna, thank you for the great show. IU and Yeo Jin Goo, you both rock it! I'll keep you close to my heart, perhaps for the next couple months.

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This week... I first watched the finale of Hotel de Luna. And let me tell you, I wasn't prepared for such a depressive ending. Yes, D.E.P.R.E.S.S.I.V.E. For Chan Sung. I found it terribly unfair and I cried buckets. I know, from the point of eternity his remaining 50 years are nothing... but... from Chan Sung's point of view, it's enormous amount of time living alone, only with the memories of Manwol. (And no, that dreamy / future vision didn't make me happy, it actually made me even more sad).

I'm not saying that Chan Sung and Manwol should get together via some Mago ex Machina... I actually appreciate that this time the Hong sisters had a clear vision where they were taking their story and sticked to it. But... I wanted the finale to be a bit funnier, with a bit more sparks between the main couple... and mainly with more optimistic ending. (I also missed some closure / optimistic future possibilities for Sanchez).

So... here is one of my alternative endings:

Sanchez is bringing Chan Sung to the airport and they die in a car accident...

...some years later...

...young Sanchez and Chan Sung (this time brothers) and their father (again cameo of Oh Ji Ho) are visiting a neighbour family who invited them for a dinner to get to know each other (Chan Sung's family moved in recently). They are welcomed by Seo Hee (mom). She shows them where to put shoes and coats. She stops Sanchez before he puts his shoes in a compartment "Not there, our daughter uses this." Sanchez moves to the next one. "Neither there, our daughter needs that one as well. Use one without the circle mark, please." Sanchez and father follow the instructions. Chan Sung faintly smiles as he observes a row of compartments filled with girl's shoes... and puts his shoes in a compartment with a sliced circle. The same goes with coats. Chan Sung again puts his coat deliberately under the moon sign while Bartender Kim (as a father) comes to greet them and apologizes for his daughter's quirks. Father Kim: "I try to educate her and I read her every evening about the well behaved and modest women of our history... and yet..." Mom Seo Hee: "I really don't know what we did in our past lives that we got such a difficult daughter..." They both sigh, but one can see they love their daughter dearly. They all enter the living room with a table set and papa Oh Ji Ho hands over a fruit basket... and Chan Sung hands over... the SALAD 😄 The parents apologize for their daughter who is taking her sweet time to change into the right clothes. Chan Sung excuses himself to go to the toilet. He pases a slightly open door... he returns and enters... he inspects with amused smile all the collections in the room (like idols' signatures with I Love You notes)... and then goes for the collection of luxurious car models... and without hesitation reaches for a red (fill in your favourite brand 🙂)... "Stop!" Young Manwol stands at the doors... Chan Sung turns, checks Manwol's...

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(First time my comment got cut 😆)

He pases a slightly open door... he returns and enters... he inspects with amused smile all the collections in the room (like idols' signatures with I Love You notes)... and then goes for the collection of luxurious car models... and without hesitation reaches for a red (fill in your favourite brand 🙂)... "Stop!" Young Manwol stands at the doors... Chan Sung turns, checks Manwol's outfit and says "You should add something green. We are having salad as well."

THE END.

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And then I marathoned Melo Suits Her... and guys, you were so right, it does feel like Age of Youth (laced with King of Dramas)...and it is a gem 😍 I especially love the humour, how it mixes the comedy and tragedy, the happiness and unhappiness... and my tears are often a mixture of laughter and sadness...

(I do have one problem with the show though... I somehow can't get into any other show 😆 )

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Melo Suits Her... is a gem

Yes!
I desperately want to consume the entire series in one sitting. I can't recall the last time I laughed so hard and had my eyes prick with tears in the same hour.

The series creative team looks like their fictional counterparts—a first-time writer paired with the director/writer behind Extreme Job. It's a magic pairing.

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Why you gotta kill off Sanchez? 😭😭😭
Our adorable Sanchez is the the best support character❤️

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Because I wanted them to be together again 😆

And Sanchez was my favourite character as well! 😍

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I really love their bromance. I was glad they had each other at the end. And we know they will take care of each other no matter what.

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Mother of Mine: (45-46)

I guess the rest of the episodes will focus on Sun Ja’s illness and its ramifications. It gave In Sook a reprieve by postponing her departure by 3 months. Now the tables are turned. Years ago it was Sun Ja who took care of In Suk’s daughter when she left, now is the time for In Suk to pay her debt by straightening out Sun Ja’s kids. It was ironic that the only person Sun Ja shared her news with was In Suk.

In Suk started by telling Mi Sun (the previous week’s episodes have been anything but subtle with the whole kimchi making debacle, Mi Sun’s related complaints – when she hardly ever complains to her mother in law – and her usually dense as a brick husband’s unusual insight that she will regret this when her mother dies). All of Sun Ja’s children are so preoccupied with their own problems that none of them noticed something was really wrong.

In between this and the couple moving back to the family home there hasn't been much of the cute left.

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When the Devil Calls Your Name (11-12)
Unfortunately I am not too happy with this week’s episodes. There were interesting developments such as Ha Rip temporarily going back to his real age and life (thus stopping all romantic development), the real person who hit Yi Kyung’s father revealed to be her brother (which I had guessed weeks ago), Yi Kyung (and Chung Ryul!) learning of Ha Rip’s real identity, Kang Ha learning of his own identity (and omo that twist of his abuser turning out to be his sister! Poor guy, he went there so excitedly!) and viewers understanding how someone without a soul acts with Tae Kang’s trial – BUT first of all that was cheating on the devil’s part. How can he take Ha Rip's soul (thus almost free will) away and then say he won against his father? It wasn’t a fair competition thus he failed to prove his point. I also don’t understand Manager Gong’s insistence on trying to save Tae Kang. How many humans need to be harmed for him to give up?

But most importantly what didn’t work for me was the whole truck of doom (Seriously? And even though this is a fantasy a boy who had such serious surgery days ago walking/running about is also bothering me a lot). How will the writers get out of the hole they dug themselves in? When Yi Kyung’s innocence was revealed I thought that would give Ha Rip yet another reason not to take her soul. But Tae Kang taking his soul temporarily, thus suppressing his conscious, eliminated those reasons. So now if they use Yi Kyung’s soul to bring Luka back to life or prevent his death this show will turn into another Abbys where the threat of death will lose is meaning.

I am still getting a kick from Ra In's antics as well as some of Tae Kang and Ha Rip's interactions. I love that the show continues to deliver the comedy.

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Mgr Gong trying to save his son is a reflection of Ha Rip trying to save his son. Both are willing to go to spend lives, literally. I wonder how these father’s efforts will end up?

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You are right. From the deities' point of view Luka should have died years ago, would have already been dead if there was no interference. Until I saw the trailer I had thought this was deities' way of turning things as they should have been, making them right (that they sent the truck of doom!). It would take the drama to a much darker place but that's what I was expecting, Luka's death. And I wasn't sure where we would go from there but then again, no matter what happens we never know where this drama will take us next and that is definitely to its credit!

Also, the one difference between Manager Gong and Ha Rip is Manager Gong is doing it on his own whereas the devil put the idea into Ha Rip's head. So without his interference Ha Rip wouldn't have done what he did.

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Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung (15-16)

There were cute bits as usual (Hae Ryung’s fellow female historians’ reaction to her relationship with the price and the way they treated him at that scene, LOL and the male historians’ shock and regret on learning Clerk Yi is the prince) but overall it was a somber week.

Hae Ryung had to give her love up despite Rim being willing to give up everything for her (I loved his initial uncharacteristically take charge attitude when he learned of the marriage plans). Sa Hee cried in front of the Crown Prince mirroring the time he had cried in front of her. It was a nice touch to show how none of these people had any freedom and right to choose for themselves, it’s not just the women. I understand those who pity the crown princess, but this week we saw Jin’s side. He is not just being stubborn. He had no control over his own marriage so he is trying to control the personal parts of that relationship that has been forced on him and I suspect the night he “spent” with Sa Hee was to save her from a similarly forced marriage (and I suspect not only for her sake but for his brother's sake as well).

One thing I don’t understand is why does Rim need to move out of the palace when he gets married?

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Please correct me if I am wrong but married princes traditionally live outside the palace. They visit the palace to conduct their duties. This was done to protect the crown prince in a way.

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Do they? Thanks for that. I don't watch historical dramas so all these customs and their reasoning are new to me.

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I'm worried that first refusing to transfer the general and then thwarting the Second Councillor's plans for Sa-hui may cost the crown prince his life. I suppose that would open the door to Prince Dowon becoming the crown prince.

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Oh I hope you are wrong. I don't know why but I don't expect the crown prince to die (I hope I'm right because I love Jin!). There must be other ways for Rim to become king. And also he doesn't have to be the king. In a way he shouldn't. He doesn't have the education and the experience Jin has.

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Rim has the education because he is very well read, he has the courage (see how he handles the cow pox epidemic) and he is the true royal blood. Rim is fully qualified to be king, but I don't think he wants to. He may let Jin be king if the current king dies. Rim is very considerate and he will not fight with Jin (whom he calls Hyung). This is only my prediction because I expect a happy ending for both the crown prince and dowon :-)

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@candycane
Yes, Rim has book education but do you remember the lessons Jin was getting from the ministers? I think most royal courts in the world had the best thinkers/philosophers of the time teach their crown prince specifically governance. What I meant was that Jin was being educated to rule whereas Rim wasn't. Remember he was invited to Jin's lesson only once. Rim also has experience as the regent and made better decisions (when he was given room to) than his father. This doesn't mean Rim would make a bad king, I am just saying if we think of this as a job Jin was prepared for it all his life whereas Rim wasn't. He wasn't even allowed to go out of the palace or interact with people for a very long time.

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PS. I just realized this is not the recaps so no spoiler problems here. Based on the teaser for next week Rim is the son of the previous king (which is what I suspected all along). So if/when the circumstances around his death and its connection to Saerewon or whatever its name are revealed that will open the way to the throne for Rim.

What I am wondering is how they will resolve Jin's marriage because the baddie is Councillor Min and Jin's wife is his daughter. Thinking about what happened to historian Min's wife I think Jin will be free of that marriage somehow in the end as they wouldn't want the traitor's daughter to be the mother of the future king or a prince's wife!

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I suspect the night he “spent” with Sa Hee was to save her from a similarly forced marriage (and I suspect not only for her sake but for his brother's sake as well).

Agree. I’m curious where the drama will take this thread...consequences will ripple out...

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One person may die, I wish it will be the king. The crown prince will become king. Rim can live happily & freely with GHR.

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Well I hope it's not Jin dying!

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It will not happen immediately but baddie that needs to be punished here is Councillor Min.

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if the king dies, councillor min will not be able to keep his job. Usually for a saguek to have a happy ending, all baddies will die or send to exile.

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@candycane
Depend on the king's role in the past events. If he wasn't aware of what happened I prefer Councillor Min to die as he is the main villain. I don't want him to just lose his position.

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Hotel del Luna: (15-16)

MEH. Slow week and underwhelming ending. I think I said everything I wanted to say last week and in Episode 15.

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Unstoppable High Kick (157-167)

After about 6 months it's finally over. As a sitcom this was good but I was unhappy with the way the love lines were resolved (actually I should say not resolved). I didn’t buy the Min Jeong-Min Young romance from the beginning. It always seemed one sided from Min Jeong. I didn’t find Min Young’s sudden change of feelings convincing. Then with Min Jeong’s family’s objections the tail end of the drama turned into a makjang. I had thought if they will really force that romance they should have let it fizzle out midway (before the proposal) and pursue the parallel romances of Min Young-Shin Ji and Min Jeong-Yoon Ho. Instead they take this makjang route and after all that resistance they don’t even show a scene of how Min Jeon’s mom softened. After taking it all the way there they then give that very makjang break up not because they found they are not suited to each other but because Shin Ji still loves him and got into an accident???? That was plain stupid. It was clear that if someone was to break up the engagement it was to be Min Jeong. But I wish it didn't happen this way.

They tied up many loose ends in the drama but some quite strangely. A few weeks before the end when Yoo Mi left they said that was the last they saw of her (and those narrations were mostly by the baby after he grew up) but then they randomly showed a car explosion with Yoo Mi implying she is dead and will never come back, and after that they showed her in a boat in the last episode. I didn't get the point if these scenes.

I hope they are not so bad at romance in all sitcoms. So far I’ve only watched another (Potato Star) and romances disappointed in both.

Beom got a good sendoff. Two things were also explained: why Beom was constantly in the Lee house (because his own house was so boring LOL even his mom thought so) and why he and Min Ho kept hugging (he had more negative ions then normal and gave forest vibes LOL)

I enjoyed seeing Park Min Young, Jung Il Woo in their first drama as well as Kim Beom's youth. This was the most charming Jung Il Woo I have seen and I have often wished they focused on his story more.

End with the song Shin Ji wrote

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Shinji? Is this Unstoppable High Kick season 1? Where do you watch it?

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Yes. I don't stream watch. I download... There is a website that has many Asian (most Korean) dramas as long as they are not super old.

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PS. It is called High Kick Season 1 or Unstoppable High Kick. The others have other titles so if you see "Unstoppable" somewhere it is the right one.

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Can I have a link?

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@blissfulennaira
See your wall for my response.

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Oh I realize I didn't finish my last thought. It was a nice touch that the title song turned out to be Shin Ji's composition and the drama ended with the family watching the title credits of the drama on TV together.

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18 vs 29: (2-12)

This is my next oldie (2005). It’s the story of a married couple on the verge of divorce being granted a reprieve due to the wife’s amnesia and going back from a 29 year old to 18. As all romances of this period there are meddling second leads (but not as annoying and sickeningly sweet on the outside as the one in Hong Sisters’ Delightful Girl Chan Young. There are two second male leads: one that was the husband’s competition in the couple’s high school years, the wife’s first crush. He is rather harmless. The other is an 18 year old high schooler who bonds with the wife due to their mental age being the same. He is also well-intentioned. So it is mostly the second female leads who plot and plan.

I haven’t watched Park Sun Young, the actress playing the female lead Yoo Hye Chan, before. So far I like her. She is cute and fits the character well. I have watched Ryu Soo Young who plays the male lead Kang Bong Man in Father is Strange and he was the bad guy in Love in Sadness that I have seen a few episodes of. I am not a fan. He is playing a top star and he just doesn’t have the looks or the aura and the charisma of such a character.

The best part of watching oldies for me though is to see the earlier projects and youth of actors I know and like now. I don't usually watch dramas for actors so when I am watching an oldie it's always a nice discovery to see a familiar face's younger version.

And I am loving Choi Shi Won as the high school Bong Man here. All the charisma and good looks Ryu Soo Young lacks and needs Shi Won has in spades. I have only ever seen him in She was Pretty where I had a rare Second Lead Syndrome, but then again I am not a big fan of Park Seo Joon. I have started Revolutionary Love but couldn’t stand it. So far this drama/character is my favorite for Choi Shi Won. He and high school version of the female lead are so cute and have such chemistry together that I want to watch that drama rather than the few minutes I get every week.

Also in the drama is a young Lee Sang Woo as the male lead’s mute brother who has a cutish side romance. (it’s his as well as Choi Shi Won’s very first drama!)

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I'm glad you're enjoying this! I've actually been meaning to watch it for a long time.

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I am on my last episode and will finish today. All in all I watched many worse dramas and it doesn't turn makjang like many romcoms of the time. It is light and entertaining throughout.

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That's interesting! So it doesn't follow that comedic first half, angsty second half structure then?

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@frabbycrabsis
No, the angst was short lived (1-2 episodes) and there still was comedy. The male lead and his high schooler rival's bonding was hilarious.

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Be Melodramatic. Swollen eyes cos I cried hard, I wanna hug Eun Jung TT

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Still on a Hotel Del Luna hangover. I rewatched episode 15 and 16 and still have the puffy eyes to prove it.

Started to watch Dream High because of Kim Soo Hyun and IU. Hope it’ll be a great watch to wean me off HDL. I’ve put off Be Melodramatic, and Welcome to Life because of it.

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Have fun watching Dream High! I really enjoyed it when I watched it at the beginning of this year.

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I don't understand Hell is Other People mostly because I'm too scared to watch it. Therefore I really really appreciate recP

I love love Be Melodramatic, my heart goes to EunJung but that was also the story I can relate most.

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ASHES - 4th Test. Australia way ahead. England trying to catching up. Watching it now.

Nadal - I'm getting out of Tennis. I watch Nadal because his play is similar to my style of play. That's why i love test cricket.

I don't Love You Yet - 7 out of 10. It was good watch. A bit long but still worth watch.

Chinese version is more glam fake drama. more noisy, more annoying charcters, more teenage romance hijinks. Japanese is for adult audience.

Nagi's Long Vacation - I'm starting it again because of D-addicts high ratings. Still this drama is a big drag.

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AND, LIVE - One whole comment for this Japanese drama.

It should have its own space -

> Parents die when a child - typical trope - 1
> Have a dream but fail - most main-leads have . - 2
> Teenage pregnancy - miscarriage - love lost - 3
> Father is ill and die - 4
> Husband is on for next episode - 5

GIVE IT A REST - Writer. Enough is Enough.
@coolgirl @stpauligurl @gledis-sotiri @mang

lot of shortcomings this show has. You all point it out. Because if i start then i'll turn +ve into -ve too.

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It was a very hard episode to watch (to say the least) and the previews don't look so great either.
I hope the writer has something better up their sleeve..
But I'll finish it, dammit....

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PUre - 7.5/10 Hamabe Minami is awesome here. He he he. Don't go by the genre because this show isn't serious about its tags and genres. Fun Episode 01.
Noble Guys - Noise pollution 4/10. another trash shoujo.
I'm avoiding violence shows for past 10 years. that's one big reason to watch kdrama romance trash. But do watch inbetween a good show - Like the show that will get 2nd season now.

Sagideka - 1st ep - for Fumino.
No Side Game - ep 3 - boring still quite interesting sports drama. spicy would be tom cruise's movie with renee.
Heaven - ep 3 - The humour is now getting annoying. Even hard for me to stomach it for 3 episodes.

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Heaven is full of warmth, friendship and it’s fun to watch. Hang in there, I hope you will like it.

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Korean -

Vagabond - 7.5/10 As i said last week. recent trailers i have reduced my interest and now drama looks like full of mistakes. Same old hero-heroine family issues and romance!!?
Arth - 7.5/10 is looking way better.
Im Shi Wan - Fanboys/Fangirls(mostly) Protect Him. This show with mentally ill humans is much more dangerous than having those gross spirits.
Issue Makers - 6/10 15min time pass
Devil - 7/10 Writer how much you gonna yield for heroine. Why not make her a saint now?
Hear Your Song - dragging for a while 6/10
The trash show - 4/10 - Trash writing. no logic only noise. Writer going with recent buzzwords.

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Mr. Fighting - is not for those who r in for typical romance trash. It has some quality. above average Chinese show. I'm saying it for weeks.

Be melodramatic - 8/10 - As shows progress i start to decrease the rating. Rare shows get 7.5+ after 4 weeks. this is one of them. Still quite funny and entertaining. That's why its a TV Drama and lacks that serious approach of real. The Pros of this show is its biggest week point. Writer deserves some credit for giving some personality to side characters. Still i feel writer is quite forceful with relationships makeup. There is much to criticise but i'll leave it here.

The Sand Princess - Thai - Trash as expected. Why?
Comments on Single Mother - Heroine makes excuse of hero raping her and aunt easily accepts it marry hero-heroine. Yes. There is lot more but this is enough to give an idea what the show is. I'm watching it because of Beifern.

Hotel - 6/10 This one dragged for too long. 1 hour 31 minute episodes. Audience should send hate mails and calls to Whole team and TVN. The sho made me emotional at times. yes. Writers did good job in portions. Lack of logic but atmosphere was there. Hope some fan cut all the nonsense and turn 20hours drama into 10hours.

Walk Memory - Chinese - dropped. I watched 8Episodes with skipscenes. That someone - you will get y i said its trash.

Korean romance dramas are way better than Chinese romance dramas. Its not K+rom are at good level or are good writing. Its just that CN+Rom are typical trash.
Cn rom dramas are for casuals. mostly for teens. ridiculous stories. trash execution. nonsense galore. Other CN+Rom are soap operas. So there is very much to chose from chinese romance media. Same goes for k+rom.

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Someone gave an explanation of mydramalist page too.
Here is my explanation - Yen proposed to Yo in his own way. That's his nature and Yo happily accepted that coin proposition. The result of coin toss didn't matter at all. So Director left it upto the audience to make whatever to make their own outcome. What we got at last is they are happily living together. Marriage atmost is a legal document.

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I watched Don’t Love You Yet and liked it. I did not understand what was happening about the coin toss at the end. Do you understand what that was for?

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If they get married or not. They will both lost their bet or they will both win.

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Ok thank you. That makes sense, but I did not even think of that!

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Either way, they're making a new home together.

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Mary, Eun Jung's story is so heartbraking... I cry every time her husband appears on the screen... 😢

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Hotel del Luna. The order of my favourite Hong sister's drama has not changed: 1. Master's Sun, 2. Hwayugi (A Korean Odyssey), 3. The Greatest Love. Hotel del Luna was nicely done but somehow it did not pull the right strings for me.

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The Last Empress up to ep 9 : cracktastic and I love it!!! 🧡💛💚💙🖤❤

Defendant up to ep 6: so confusing. What happened to his memory?! Who killed his family? *pulls hair*

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DEFENDANT was one of my favorites of 2017. Oh the days of ratings like that for a weeknight drama and the addition of 2 episodes.
I am not sure if you have seen episode 6 so I don’t want to spoil but the ending of that episode was powerful and memorable! If you have seen it, what do you think?

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I watched it. It came out of the blue and the kid looked so scary. I don't think he really did it but maybe he's an accomplice that went south and decided to do something to protect the girl. Huuuuu

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Yes. Totally out of the blue!

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Hotel of the Moon / IU Fashion Show: A/A: Sequel?? Will the Hong sisters spend 1,300 years locked in room 404 of some Hotel working on the script? Will it come with sh*tposts?

When the Devil Calls Your Name: A-/A-: Wait a minute! The devil has backstory 😡 ? Birth secret 🙄 ?! And he got into that business because...??? 🚚 But now our female lead with the top-quality soul has 4 people who need a miracle to un-ruin their lives -- the correct number for her to prove how great her soul is by selling it for the benefit of those she cares about without asking anything for herself. 🤔🤔🤔🤔. If I'm right, 👍 for tying everything together nicely, but 👎 for predictability.

Hell Is Other People / Strangers From Hell: F/C: Sorry. I'd rather watch paint dry than watch unpleasant people in front of walls that need painting.

Doctor John: C-/C--: The strange attraction of earlier days has faded. Getting sappy. I'm only sticking around for the medicaps.

The Great Show: B/B-: 💤 Budding Fish Cult came to an untimely but predictable end. Amusement park must have paid to get some PPL; cereal companies didn't and got blamed for kid pooping her pants.

Welcome 2 Life: B-/C: Day 9 was mostly boring & predictable. Day 10 was predictable if your memory goes back a few weeks.

Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung: B/B+:

Doctor Detective: B-/B: Still not very fun, but can't knock them too much for talking about real issues and real cases, even if they do lay it on a bit thick.

Watcher: B+/B: for ep 9-13 After recent epic fail on an attempted binge-catch-up on Moment of 18, I tried a binge-catch-up on this one. It was not an epic fail.

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AGHHH GELFLING!!!!!

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Thank you for making me laugh this morning.

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You're welcome 😂😂😂😂

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So I was ill, for most of the week, which I hate, but I binged finished Forest of Secrets and I totally loved it.

I am dying waiting for Be melodramatic , this is going to be my 11/10 show I think, and some one give me Beom soo as a boyfriend and that guitar, I will be all happy.

Hell is other people I just realised I booked a hotel room without a window because it was very cheep, the adventure begins on Monday, let's see how it goes, please be good (eh both the show and the hotel, atleast have a decent breakfast, since I am allergic to eggs, I hope I won't have the blood egg issues.

If alive, I will be back next week with what I watched... send some hearts and Beom soo to me.

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Be melodramatic: Beom soo and guitar lol. This show is just Loooove. Every character is interesting (actually everything is interesting). lol Casting conversation (where Reply mentioned) which reminded me of Na PD. When he had Youth over Flowers: Africa with Reply 88 team, he said he cast Go Kyung-pyo because he thought Go was the lead
watching first eps of Reply 88.lol (Na couldn't wait until later just in case actors' price go up with the show)

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I thought Na PD said he cast hyung Ahn Jae-hong instead of Lee Dong-hwi because he thought he was part of the main cast... BUT that whole conversation about Ahn Jae-hong's character not being as good of a director as the director of Reply series was hilarious! I love that they added the goat sound at the end, too. :)

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Welcome 2 Life: We are finally back in the real world. This has made the show marginally more interesting. I miss Bo Na though.

A Moment at Eighteen: I love this show more than words. Although it gives me huge amounts of anxiety I love every piece of it. It is honestly a perfect high school drama. I have yet to encounter any flaws in the matrix. I am glad Hwi Young is finally getting some semblance of control of his life and that is the only nice thing I can say about him.

The Great Show: I love that Wie Dae Han is always on. It is actually very funny. When he realizes something can help his political career he turns it on, I love it. Also PREGNANT, ooooooh, this will be fun.

Justice: The ending was predictable. *Shrugs shoulders*. The love story was bound to end in tragedy and it did. However, Justice was served.

Doctor Detective: It was a slough getting through this drama. To much boring and tedious politics, but I did like the real life stories at the end.

Class of Lies: It was a solid drama. My single complaint is that they really glossed over the fact that Ki-Hoon was an attempted rapist. A lot dramas treat rape really lightly and it bothers me. It is not "as bad" as murder so is usually glossed over when murder is also involved.

Graceful Family: Mo Seok Hee continues to be my favorite heroine. Style game on 100. Attitude on 200. Fabulousness at 1000.

When the Devil Calls Your Name: I don't really know where the story is going, but it is getting a little repetitive. If I hadn't already seen up to episode 12, I would drop it, but we are in it now.

Hotel Del Luna: The last two episodes were Meh for me. I think they would have been better placed in previous episodes. The drama ended in a whimper for me. As do all Hong sisters dramas, the endings are never as good as the middle parts for me. However Kim Soo Hyun's sexy cameo and IU's fabulousness make up for it.

Be Melodramatic: I haven't seen this week's episode, but this is my happy pill. 😊 💊

Arthdal Chronicles: Finally, the back six. Hopefully it is good.

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Class of Lies: I agree about Ki-hoon. btw who killed Yoo Beom Jin? Jun nailed his role as BJ- good job! and Congrats on good ratings!
Graceful Family: This is drama for Yim Soo-hyung(Mo Seok-hee). Congrats on having highest ratings among MBN dramas!

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oh on Justice: I also agree that the ending was predictable. Show was pretty much predictable without eye-opening twist.
and
Rookie Historian Gu Hae-ryung: Love this one also. I enjoy the comments on recap-I love the show giving something to think and discuss about it.

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Either he killed himself or Tae Ra's mother, idk, lol

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I just started watching Be Melodramatic and can't stop gobbling it up. I freaking love this show and every person it, a**holes included. It makes me swoon, laugh and uncomfortable all at once. I want to screen cap every other interaction and will have to come up with some strict guidelines so that I don't fall into a giphy timewarp.

I'm lightly watching Welcome 2 Life because I wanted to see the payoff for spending so much time in the alternative universe. Where was the tension? Now that he's "back," I agree that it's much more interesting to see him gutted at losing his lovely family. Jae Sang finally has something at stake beyond his pride.

Graceful Family is delicious makjang. Everyone is outrageous and horrible—all the while, dressed to the nines. While I normally find childhood connections tiresome, I'm intrigued by the link between Seok Hui and Yoon Do, especially if it makes him equally invested in finding the truth of what happened to her mother.

Note to @maryGraceful Family is missing from the current list of Wed/Thurs. shows.

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I need a cut of Welcome 2 Life that's just Jae Sang learning to be a decent human.

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I only kept up with MOMENT AT EIGHTEEN this week, as I'm still exploring Cdramaland. BLOODY ROMANCE, I like the concept, the guys are hot, side characters kick ass but heroine, gosh she isn't believable as kick as assassin at all, I'm on epi.5 and have no idea how she survived until now. Found better subs for LONGEST DAY IN CHANG'AN and now I can fully enjoy this drama, rewatched first two episodes and I'm officially hooked. Plus I started two short dramas because why not, EMPERORS AND ME seems like cute time travel rom com and WUXIN THE MONSTER KILLER, basically what the title says.

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I'm with you on Bloody Romance. The concept was cool, but I couldn't connect with the heroine at all. She frequently drove me crazy, and like you, I wondered how she was still alive. I managed to finish it anyway but barely.

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Glad that Hotel del Luna is over. I got to be okay with the romance between Man-wol and Chan-sung toward the end, but it didn't cover my overall feeling of a forced pair. The show didn't manage to convince me from the beginning why Man-wol was so adamant about why it had to be Chan-sung, and their behind-the-scene chemistry could only do so much aka they could be great as soulmates or close friends. I was more sentimental about an empty hotel than being concerned about the pair. Overall an okay show, I'm glad to see Lee Ji-eun doing great on her part and is part of a successful show in term of ratings (and high possibility of friendships behind the scene), but it's not something I would ever yearn for watching again.

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Actually, if anything, Kim Soo-hyun's appearance at the end made me miss his chemistry with her in Producers and Ending Scene, and that, I certainly want to see more of.

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Rookie historian: continues to be awesome!! Prince Rim oh dear.
Be Melodramtic: Finally caught up. Eun Sung. Argh. Am so sad yet so relieved she found out.
Doctor John: pending last week episodes
Mo18: On hold. I kinda didn’t like it went too focused on the main romance. It felt like the show promised something else and turned to a teen romance show. But Will catch up.
Gratefully family: Oh, I love this show. It gets a bit makjang whenever the step mom enters and it’s so much fun. And the female leads wardrobe and OST - totally killing it.
The Great Show - so far fun.

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Also watching Graceful (Hateful???) Family, don't know why. Crazy rich Koreans. They keep raising the level of crazy on these chaebol families. The Mo family has its own high-tech Dept. of Family Security to keep tabs on naughty family members (run by Assemblywoman Yoon from Designated Survivor ). This unit seems to have plenty to do. Looks like twisted fun to me. That crisp first episode drew me right in.

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I don't know why the end of Watcher didn't get more comments here: it was an epic success on all fronts. Satisfying character development for major and minor characters, intense plot, quiet and yet stressful pace, elegant cinematography, brilliant and subtle acting.
The conclusion delivered everything what i wanted in a cool and classy way.

It was different in tone of the successfull thrillers that come before like Secret Forest and Signal, more like an american cops shows from the 80's and 90's (like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue) but it was on the same league that those two gems of the korean tv.

The last episode was obviously opening a large door to season 2 that i will wait with a high impatience. After the confirmation of Secret Forest 2 and Signal 2, 2020 will probably be a good year for thrillers fans like me.

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Watcher was just great! I have not been in the mood for such dark dramas for a long time but I just could not look away. Luckily, thanks to my late start I was able to binge watch two thirds of the drama before I had to wait for next episodes because watching it from the start and waiting every weak for next 2 episodes must have been a torture.

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Actually, because it was dark and intense, it was good to have a break each week. I can't imagine binge watching it.

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I know that people loved this drama on DB: we even got a large recap for episodes 1 to 8 and i keep hope that the second part will be written one day, but it's always way better to read it! So thank you for joining me!

For me It's the other way: Watcher's dark mood is my favourite mood but this level of quality is less usual that i would like, even for OCN.
Often i'm forced to wait a long time between those high quality thrillers because korean tv can't seem to produce more than one or two each year.

I felt the wait left me less anxious compared to the other thrillers because it was clearly character driven. The episodes ended on a revelation that shocked us and forced us to rethink what we saw and believed before but never left the characters in a excruciating dangerous situation. It was a drama made to make you think and guess as much the characters did.
It had its fair part of action and even few torture scenes but strangely it still seems to me the most cerebral/intellectual drama made by OCN because of the central place made for the psychological development.
It wasn't spectacular but it delivered with intelligence brilliant twists and emotions. More please (i really need this 2nd season)!

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@coolgirl et al, Thanks for starting this WATCHER post.
I was off the kdrama radar from 26 Aug. to 5 Sept. so I just finished the last 2 episodes. What a terrific drama and unusual ending. Our 3 leads did not all go happily ahead with their lives. They are moving on, but. Yes, bring on season 2.

You covered the bases very well in your comments. A few quick comments:
1. I was unfamiliar with the work of both distinguished actors Han Suk-kyu and Kim Hyun-joo. They both gave excellent performances;
2. Seo Kang-joon. 5 star performance. He shined in the 3 lead format not having to carry the whole load.
This is my third SKJ drama (after AYHT and TTC) and for me (since like you I love thrillers) and action/fight scenes this is the best role I have seen him in. His physicality was outstanding. He can throw a punch and take a punch! You can tell I loved his fight scenes;
3. All three main characters were wound up tight so the emotional range for all 3 was somewhat constrained. Each of them did a great job showing how their own traumas had determined their path; and
4. Director-nim and writer-nim kept it tense right up to the epilogue. Kudos to them and the rest of the cast.

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On Han Suk-kyu, i have watched two of his past projects Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim and Tree with Deep Roots, while not being a fan of medical dramas and sageuks, and i highly recommend them.
Not only he delivers each time he's on screen an outstanding performance, he also seems to inspire writers and directors to outdid themselves when they work with him.

It might be only me but i felt that Han Suk-Kyu and Seo Kang-Joon were more the main leads of the drama, and Kim Hyun-joo a secondary lead.
Nothing to do with her performance: she was excellent but rather with how her character's arc unfolded (it looked less defined, more confusing than the other two). Also it seemed to me that Do Chi Kwang and Kim Young Goon's relationship was more central to the plot.

I agree with everything you said about Seo Kang-joon: the role was made for him and he nailed it on all fronts, displaying a large acting range and strong physical skills.

I loved too the supporting cast: Jae Sik and Soon Yeon who were so helpful to the investigation and added so much to the team on the relationship front, precisely because like you said the 3 mains weren't always allowed to express themselves.
They were well developed and relatable. They were a breath of fresh air and even added unexpected comedy and cuteness to the plot.

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@marcusnyc20 bong-soo

Han Suk-kyu is the most talented film actors of his generation. Before Song Kang-ho, Choi Min-shik and other current top veterans of Chungmuro made it big , Han was on top of his game before he got injured.
It's a real treat for fangirls like me every time he picks a drama. He is the king of improvise and Pds and writers would let him have his way.

Like @coolgirl said, TREE WITH DEEP ROOT and ROMANTIC DOCTOR KIM are good dramas but not without flaws.
TWDR is a fictional take on the creation of Hangul and it's based on a novel of the same name.
SECRET DOOR was forgettable but his scenes with Lee Won-jong was worth the watch.

I'm looking forward to ROMANTIC DOCTOR KIM 2 and his sageuk movie FORBIDDEN DREAM where he is playing King Sejong again.

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He's the king of korean actors and plays kings of Chosun: very fitting for him!

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I do random WATCHER ravings on different threads lol.
I appreciate your reviews as always. Trying to write a coherent review hurts my head.

WATCHER left the door wide open for a 2nd season. I really didn't expect that scene after the credits.

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@kiara, Lol. I know what you are saying about “trying to write a coherent review”. We are blessed to be surrounded by such talented beanies who can knock off great reviews.

Re the epilogue. I am an inveterate footnote reader (ugh!) and credit watcher. I know particularly with Asian movies sometimes a little “extra” is added so it is wise not to leave too soon. Here is a recent example.
A couple of weeks ago now I took in at the theater this summer’s Korean horror/action film THE DIVINE FURY starring Ahn Su-ki, Park Seo-joon, Choi Woo-shik and Woo Do-hwan. I enjoyed it as did a lot of folks in SK going by the box office. Hard to believe but it was my first ASK film! (Teaser: There is a lovely scene with ASK and PSJ drinking a couple of beers together.)
Anyway, after the movie ended and the credits started to roll some folks bolted from the theater. That is when a rather important epilogue was shown. I have learned to hang through the credits.

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For me, it was even before the credits: the fact that the team wasn't dismantled and the office closed. Instead Do Chi Kwang got the greenlight to continue his work by blackmailing the commissioner and even managed to pick his team members (i'm certain that he's responsible for Han Tae Joo's choice as the representative of the prosecution).
And we got too a clear direction for season 2: with Do Chi Kwang becoming so powerful that he can manage to send away the commissioner and give her a place as assembly deputy where she can cover his deeds, we really need someone to keep him in check. I wonder how much of a toll it would take on the team to watch the watcher and protect him against himself.
Season 2 has the potential to be even better!

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HOTEL LUNA: This was a great show because it was true to its premise and its own mythology. I have little to complain about the ending because it was a natural conclusion foreshadowed by the guest ghost stories. Best show of the year.
Though the writers and network stated that there was no discussion for a second season, therefore, there was no reason to add the epilogue about the Blue Moon Hotel.

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The epilogue was the best part of the finale.

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Wednesday was not a good day for my dramas, the episodes were kinda disapointing.

Let Me Hear Your Song More main couple, less orchestra's politics. If they want to focus on the orchestra, focus on the music!

A Moment at Eighteen Poor children, they all have disfonctionning parents...

Rookie Historian Gu Hae-ryung We know more about GHR but I felt that story didn't move on, because the protagonists are still in the dark.

Doctor Detective I didn't have time to watch the last 2 episodes.

Class of Lies Honestly, the end was pretty disapointing. I would have liked that Mr Temp. played a biggest role as a teacher, it was the best scenes for me. But it was just an investigation, the trial part was pretty disapointing too.

When the Devil Calls Your Name How is it fair that the demon can just take the conscience of someone when things don't work like he wants ? No new song :( At leat, they released their duet!

Be Melodramatic I agree with @mary Eun-jung's mourning is so sad to watch. I love her character!

And, Live In 5 episodes, there are too much tragedies to handle. It's hard to watch.

I don't Love You Yet The end was super cute!

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Rookie Historian - I find myself losing interest with this drama. There has been a bit of plot movement but I got lost in it and not in a good way. Maybe it's just me but there's so many plotlines being introduced here and there while forgetting some. Just watching for the sake of finishing it. Let's see if I will still like it.

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Ayyy. Deleted this one and re-uploaded. But I still have not seen the new one.

Simply, this week:
BTS clips of The Untamed
The Longest Day in Chang'an - on hold
Hell is Other People - stopped when sun sets

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You are better than me. After I completed The Untamed, I spent the rest of the week watching BTS clips, interviews, variety show, tumblr, reading Chinese tabloids...anything related to the drama and cast.

I will move on after I finish WYB's drama which I started because I thought it would be so trashy that I would get out of this state quickly. A Moment at 18 and Rookie Historian are beckoning.

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Im hardcore like that. Lolol. ... Actually, I've only seen episodes between 12 and 23. But during off times, I go to YouTube and watch behind the scenes clips as those are adorable and makes me happy compared to the episodes I've watch.

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You skipped the first eleven eps? I know some found it confusing but I thought it was quite essential to watch those eps.

I did watch YT clips in between episodes and had to stop myself from continuing because even the BTS were so addictive.

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Yess. AvenueX from YouTube says that's when the she started paying attention. I trusted her for it. And it was worked fine for me. 😁

I would have liked to see the bickering and the funness of those episodes though. I want to know if there were more flirting and long gazes the main leads had during those times.

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Nah you need to go back and watch from ep 3 at least. You're missing some of the most iconic scenes.

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Also I feel like you'll be losing the essence of WWX's personality.

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I'll try to go back. But for now, I finished ep 32. Oh so sad. I'm in the middle of ep 33, and decided to go back to ep 1, per other beanies instructions.

Maybe, I'll get the chance to see the WWX's other personality.

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I'm watching behind the scenes clip of The Untamed, even though I have not completed the drama. Heck, I started with Ep 12 as I heard the first several episodes are meh, and I think I still get the gist of it. I am currently at Ep 21. The BTS are adorbs. It gave me happiness from all the sadness in the episodes I watched.
Overall, I still find the show alright. It doesn't require my full attention, so that's good. Despite some crappy background CGI, I'm actually impressed that it doesn't bother me that much. The good CGI like the evil cultivation or the things they do with their hands are pretty darn cool. Not sure how long I'll continue to watch this, as I'm only here for the two main leads. Otherwise, I'll stick with the BTS clips.

The Longest Day in Chang'an is on hold at the moment. I'm waiting to go back to my serious mood before I finish them. I only have few more episodes left.

I started Hell is Other People. I stopped first episode as the sun was setting. I cannot watch a psychological thrill drama/film at night. The last time I did that was in March 2015. I was watching Netflix's "The Fall". I needed something light after few episodes, I clicked on Boys Over Flowers. Thus, begun my adoration for kdramas. I haven't looked back since

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Girl Cops: I'm in love. I'm so in love! Girl Cops, in a lot of ways, resembles Midnight Runners - it stars a talented, unlikely pair of actors, pairing comedy with dark drama in the best way. But what makes it that little bit better is that it's WOMEN doing the badassery! I know it was in the works long before, but it feels like the response to Burning Sun and I'm getting a little emotional just thinking about it.

KBS Drama Specials: I watched a few! Pinocchio's Nose was decent, The Taste of Curry started out promising and turned out incestuous and horrifying, The Ultimate Miracle had a subtly disturbing premise but a solid ending, and Summer Dream was a masterpiece!

Rookie Historian: The romantic angst was far more compelling than I expected it to be! Also, you know you don't care about the dark political sub-plot when a recapper has to explain it to you. Thanks, @mary~

Be Melodramatic: There are no words, so I'm just going to sit in this corner and watch the preview for episode ten until it comes out.

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I've fallen in love with KBS Drama Specials - they are my go-to watch whenever I have drama slump. I liked The Ultimate Miracle too and will check out Summer Dream. Have you seen Yeon-Woo's Summer? I watched that (and loved it) last week, with the always amazing Han Ye-Ri.

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The thing about The Ultimate Miracle is... That hospice is a cult! 😂

It was otherwise quite wholesome, but I couldn't get over that detail. I loved the heroine, though, bless her.

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Ah! I didn't read the whole thing properly! 🤦‍♀️

I haven't seen the one with Han Yeri yet, but I will know that you've said it!

Please say you've seen Forgotten Season - as a thriller author, I bet you'll love it as much as I did! 😆

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I thought Forgotten Season was the best thing I'd seen in a very long time. Amazing writing.

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I knew you would! Gosh, it just blew my mind, and I was so upset to see all the negative comments on YouTube by people who had completely missed the point.

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*puts that in my TBW file

Have you seen The Red Teacher? Jung So Min as a high school student in 80s, writing erotica. But it's about much more than that.

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Yes, @egads, I saw that one too. Red Teacher was also about the power that writing and story telling can have - how could I not like that?

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Ugh, Red Teacher was brilliant! I tried to tell Mindy about it once - she didn't know who Lee Dong-hwi was, and I was appalled, because I love him and watched it just for him! 😆

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I started watching Girl Cops this very moment, love Ra Miran, and Soo Young so far.

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Sooyoung was surprisingly great! I've never seen her so charming before, nor so funny! I think whoever subbed the film helped, because the translations were hysterical.

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Girl Cops sounds good! Where can I watch this?

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All the usual sketchy websites! 😂

If it doesn't interfere with your principles, I highly recommend you watch it somewhere~

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Be Melodramatic:
LOVE LOVE this drama. Can't get enough of our leads. Its so hard waiting for a week after every two episodes, sigh!. Eun Jung's story brought tears to my eyes :(

Moment at Eighteen:
Absolutely LOVE this drama as well. Also really liked that Jun woo was trying his best to honour his promise made to Soo bin's mom by keeping his distance. Says a lot about his character. This is how you win parents in the long run ;). Sadly we have only two episodes left :((

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Joon-woo is great, right? I really admire his integrity. It would be tempting to go behind Soo-bin’s mom’s back, but instead, he chooses to respect her wishes in spite of how much she’s looked down on him.

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Hotel De Luna - My week started with the extremely depressing HDL finale that basically occupied my entire week of drama time. I really didn’t expect to love this drama because I hated 2 previous Hong Sisters dramas and only loved the first half of Master’s Sun. Also, Jingoo was on my “pick another bad drama and I’ll stop watching you” list and IU has always been a “just cute enough for me to finish a drama but never loved you” actress. Probably the only pull was the director Oh of My Love From The Stars. Mr. Oh, now a PD, absolutely didn’t disappoint from the visual perspective. That was the first hook, then Man Wol, then Chan Sung, then their relationship that grew steadily and naturally just won over my heart. Right from the start I felt IU and Jingoo’s tight but subtle chemistry. I have not shipped an OTP so hard in years. It really made the ending a lot harder to watch. A week already and I’m still a little depressed. Overall I will say this is my favorite Hong Sisters drama, but not to their credit. I’m just glad they didn’t try “making things interesting” in their old ways (aka flop) and stuck to the HDL worldview they ripped from folklores. I fell crazily in love with the OTP Man Wol and Chan Sung, also our best oblivious friend ever Sanchez. This is my #1 drama of 2019 so far — mostly for the actors READ THIS! (I will keep posting this link because they deserve recognition.) I’m gonna miss their BTSs so badly 😭.

Rookie Historian,Be Melodramatic,Class of Lies,When Devil Calls Your Name,Mother of Mine - ⏸ I will probably catch up over the weekend and leave Arthdal Chronicles on the bench for a while.

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I'm still depressed...

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Go watch some BTS.😂
I think I’m gonna get the director’s cut so I can see every adlib and NG moment.

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Good idea! I haven't watched those yet. It's on YouTube as usual?

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The HDL finale was definitely a downer. Yet over all I loved the show.

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@lollypip, i am so glad you picked up 30 but 17!!!! Really, I am so happy for you! I wish I could watch it over again, but I am behind with other dramas and I have not much time.

This week, coming back from Tenerife and Frankfurt, I could only managed to watch the first 4 episodes of the "Great Show". I have to tell you, I didn't loved it to pieces, but I didn't hate it, and actually I want to keep watching, although it is predictable and I know he will be discovered as a liar and maybe never get to be in the Assembly. I do feel for him, but not enough to wish him success in politics, where anyway he will be become corrupted like everybody else. There is hardly a way you can be a politician and be honest and honorable.
The children are kind of ok. And in most characters there is room for growth, so we will find out.

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The GREAT SHOW is predictable- and watchable. And I am still jealous over the trip you took.

30 BUT 17 is part of the reason Shin Hye-sun is my very favorite actress.

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Be Melodramatic: I laughed and I cried. Eun Jung's awakening is so heartbreaking. I love seeing more scenes of their dating life, but it's heartbreaking. I also think that Gong Myung is killing it. That dinner scene with his girlfriend was so awkward and sad. Ending the episode on the shot of the dirty dishes really struck me, too. I love it.
Moment at Eighteen: These kids are growing so much in maturity and handling things and making hard/good decisions. It's really satisfying to watch. Plus, this is just about the cutest first love ever. I was talking to a friend whose teenage son recently got dumped and how even though it ended, it was everything she could have wanted for her son's first love experience. Every couple either breaks up or gets married. I feel like that for these kids. It doesn't have to last forever to be something really sweet and beautiful.
Love Alarm: I wasn't going to do it... But caved in and started this EVEN with the horrible cliffhanger looming. It's really well done and I am loving the cast. Even the evil cousin truly believes that she's the victim in a way that feels really true to life. I've met people like her. On episode 4, but not in a hurry since it doesn't have a conclusion yet.
Rookie Historian: I'd forgotten it was 20 episodes, so the pacing makes much more sense now. Hard to watch them suffer, but really prefer Officer Min at the end of the day. I hardly ever catch SLS. Is it sadistic that watching Dowan grieve makes me like him better? I think his sad acting is better than his wide-eyed innocent.
Hotel del Luna: I think it ended well. I liked the story but just never felt the love connection between the leads like I wanted to. I think the love story suffered because I watched it along side Love Affairs in the Afternoon. That drama had a different love that was doomed to end, but I felt the longing and desperation and giddiness at what little time was had in a more fleshed out way than in HDL. And it wasn't really a big difference in skinship that did it, since LAITA wasn't really a racy/steamy show like the title would suggest.

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Re: Hotel del Luna
If the chemistry between UI and Yeo Jin Goo had been stronger and more earthy, the story would have been even sadder. Their relationship never got to that level. Was that intentional on the part of the Hong Sisters? I am waiting for Yeo Jin Goo to be in that kind of relationship in a drama. He is a very good actor but I think that kind of relationship would be a real test for him.

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I don’t know if anything is ever intentional with the Hong Sisters. I think they have just gotten lucky, really. Their dialogue is snappy, but it’s the actors and director that brings the script to life.

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So many dramas that I was enjoying all finished-up at the same time (goodbye J-drama 'I don't love you yet'/'In time with you')! I'd be in a drama drought if it weren't for 'Melo suits me'.

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Can I make the request that next weeks header picture is the beautiful Song Jae Rim and not whoever that creepy dude is?

I am behind on all my shows, I just started on this weeks eps of Moment at 18 last night and still have to get to I Wanna Hear Your Song. Plus, I want to catch up on Arthdal before it ends.

In A Moment at 18 the scene with JW and his dad broke my heart. Just that one more person is carelessly inflicting pain on this sweet young man. The actor conveyed so much with just his expressions.
Chanyeol......I love her. I felt so bad for laughing when she finally confessed to her friends about her one sided crush.
I'm going to really miss these kids.

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Behind with all dramas, this week...

COMPLETED

- HOTEL DEL LUNA: 9,5/ 10. Just finished the last episode. It was touching. I started it for the leads, stayed because the hotel was fascinating, and finished to love everyone. What a beautiful show. I liked its many lessons.

- ENCOUNTER/BOYFRIEND: rewatch with my sister. I never get tired of this. She liked it a lot and at the end thanked me for having persuaded her to watch it. Aww, I'm so happy!

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Currently Airing

LET ME HEAR YOUR SONG: I’ve sought out too many spoilers for this drama while waiting for subs. So… not nearly as exciting watching now. (ep. 8)

ROOKIE HISTORIAN GU HAE-RYUNG: This episode got my attention (whereas the previous had not). I definitely wanted to hit ‘play’ on the next one. (ep. 5-6)

Finished Airing

HOTEL DEL LUNA: Not drawing me in nearly as much as I’d hoped. And it looks like they’re not releasing the instrumental OST so on hold it goes. (ep. 5)

LOOKOUT: So OnDemandKorea actually has decent subs (compared to Viki’s), so I may actually be able to finish this drama at some point! (ep. 23)

Non-Korean Dramas

ARSENAL MILITARY ACADEMY: This is going to be such an addicting drama. The first episode was definitely… nothing unexpected, but still a solid setup. Even though I’ve seen FMVs for this drama, I’m still unsure as to how they’re going to turn Gu Yan Zheng into a good guy. I’m really hoping all the episodes will be uploaded to YouTube so I can continue watching it! (ep. 1)

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HDL ost has instrumental music

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They only have an album of the vocal OST on Spotify and iTunes... And I didn't mean I wanted the instrumental version of those tracks. I wanted the BGM. Or maybe they didn't have one... I've only watched a few episodes, so maybe I'm mistaken with it having one.

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