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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…

stroopwafel

True Beauty: There’s no F4 or Candy character, but there was a lot that reminded me of Boys Before Flowers. There’s the high school setting, a sprinkle of over the top acting, and plotlines that are predictable. That said, it was still a fun watch it’s the sort of drama that leans into its own cuteness and cheesiness. It kind of feels like a very old school drama that’s been remastered for 2020. Moon Ga-young was so adorable that she almost made me forget how one-dimensional Cha Eun-woo can be (emphasis on almost). This might be the light, easy watch I need these days though and I’m curious to see what happens with Moon Ga-young’s character.

 

missvictrix

Currently weecapping: Mr. Queen

Get Revenge: It’s week 3 of this drama and my fervor is lessening, not because I don’t believe it in, but because it’s getting mighty episodic, and there’s nothing that turns me off faster. While I really like the overall set-up and idea of revenge for the downtrodden, I don’t want a “case a week” set-up. I want (wanted?) a gooey revenge story with lots of character depth. I didn’t get it this week, since this week our hero and heroine barely had any time to interact. Do better next week, okay, Show?

Cheat on me, If You Can: Struggling. I love Jo Yeo-jung in anything, and the NIS angle with Kim Young-dae was super fun (CRUSH ALERT!)… but again, I’m not getting enough deep overarching story yet to grab me. I want/need more interactions between our characters. I want to believe something important and compelling is happening beside murder fake-outs. Do better next week, okay, Show?

 

selena

The Uncanny Counter: Everyone heading into the afterlife to fight for their newest recruit was my favorite thing ever. So Moon is so loved by everyone he’s surrounded by, which makes me happy. The solid relationships written into this show are what I’m ultimately here for. Whenever the Counters fly through the air, it looks so fake that I automatically burst out laughing. It’d normally be a drawback, but…it somehow just works here and I’ve accepted that our curly haired cuties are just being pulled by invisible forces in awkward ways. Pfft.

 
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Hi, Beanies! Long time no What We're Watching!

Talking about every drama I've watched since my last WWW post would take up too much room and too much brain power, so I'll stick to what I've watched this week.

Start-Up (16/16): I'm one of the people who actually thinks that this was a pretty solid finale. This show wasn't perfect, but I think the worst part of the show was not the show itself but the fanwars surrounding it. Wow, way to ruin a drama-watching experience. I wish I had watched this in a vacuum. I think I would hace enjoyed it a lot more. That said, the show wasn't perfect, and I do wish the writer had leaned less into the love triangle and more into the development of the female characters. However, those faults are common in dramaland, so I don't really hold it against the show. Overall, my feelings at the end were mostly positive and I really enjoyed watching the finale.

The Uncanny Counter (4/16): While I really enjoyed the premiere week of this show, this second week lost me a bit. All of the over-the-top violence, especially at school where the bullies looked like they were 40 years old, was just... Lol. Where are the teachers?!

True Beauty (1/16): Dropped. Like a hot potato. I knew I wouldn't like this one, but it was even worse than I thought it would be. By the time the show tried to make a comedic moment out of the heroine sending her mom a suicide voicemail, I was out, but for some reason decides to finish up the episode to give the show a fair chance. I laughed one whole time during the episode's hour and sixteen minute runtime. Other than that moment, the show completely missed the mark with its comedy. Cha Eun-woo is as wooden as ever playing the exact same character (but even more unlikeable this time). Moon Ga-young isn't as funny as she's trying to be (although that may be largely the director's fault). There are a few things in this show that have potential, but it's just all bogged down by how much of it is just... Bad.

I plan on catching Hush and Mr. Queen this week, but I also started rewatching Into the Ring! How is it that I love this show even MORE the second time around?! Nana is so fabulous in this role, and I love the world this team created. This is one of those shows where the directing, writing, and acting are in perfect harmony, and they create a world that is uniquely their own. It makes me laugh and it makes my heart ache, sometimes at the same time, and I love it for it. I'm so worried that I won't love Nana as much in her next drama as I love her as Goo Se-ra. 🤞

Also slowly watching Crash Landing On You with a group of friends virtually, and... It's fine. I just can't seem to connect to the story at all, and it's kind of sad that my friends are all super-fangirling over Hyun Bin and I'm sitting here just thinking "Yeah... He's fine...". I have nothing AGAINST the show, but it's just not working for me...

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Seeing my friends get so excited is by far the most fun part of the experience for me.

See you in a couple weeks, Beanies! 💖

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I totally agree with you about Start Up. I really never connected with the show, in fact I didn't like episodes 1 and 2, for instance, but thought about the great potential the story had and stuck with it. But the worst thing was that fan war... I got detached on episode 9 and just watched quite coldly, tbh. I just think it could have been much better and yes, female characters deserved much more screen time and development.

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I also wasn't super into the first episodes, but the second week really roped me in, and then the show never quite had that pull for me for the rest of its run. Nevertheless, I did enjoy it overall, and I kinda miss it this weekend!

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Start up was cute.

I couldn't connect to Crash Landing on You either. Omg there was a scene where Hyun Bin made a frowning puppy face or whatever the fuck you call it. It tok a me a week probably to watch the next episode. It's one of those weird things that irk you unreasonably and Crash Landing on You was one of those shows followed by Record of Youth.

Also, Cha Eun Woo is just not it. Not for me. Not in this role. As if my opinion matters but I'm putting it out there. Maybe.. um.. experiment a little?

I started Into The Ring!

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Oh gosh, the pout... I saw people post about it online so I knew it was coming, and I STILL was kinda like "wth" when I saw it, LOL. My friends loved it, though, and so did lots of people, so I guess we're in the minority, haha.

Oh, I hope you enjoy Into the Ring!

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Omg I love it! Its so..shall I say..eccentric? I love Nana and the guy too!

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Yep, also dropped True Beauty because it was pretty boring. Would like to know WHICH miraculous makeup can cover up the zits completely that not even any bumps show???

Anyone ever noticed how accessible building rooftops are in dramas? With as high a suicide rate as S Korea has I hope this isn't true IRL!!!!

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And every single "secret" meeting has to take place on a rooftop. And then they get tossed off. You would think they would learn after about 340 murders disguised as suicides.

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Whatever magical foundation she used, I want, LOL.

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I totally agree with you about True Beauty. I was done when they turned a suicide attempt into a "meet cute" and then made the aftermath comedic. Does the mother never listen to her voicemail?

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Right?! I wonder if the mom will ever listen to it, or if it will just never be mentioned again. I'm assuming the latter, as it was just used as a plot device and nothing else. 🙃

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RE: The Uncanny Counter

..."Lol. Where are the teachers?!"...

You know its an issue when there is a universal word for it -"wang-ta". Once you read the stories - dramas, no matter how brutal, really are just a weak sanitised version of the reality.

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Yay for Into the Ring rewatch! Thank you for previewing others for me. I was fairly bored with Crash Landing, except for the North Korean villagers, duckling crew, and our odd second couple (and her mother, of course). Hyun Bin grew on me in this one, but not enough that I would've watched the show if I hadn't live watched. Perhaps you should just imagine @yyishere and her toothpicks every time you see him onscreen.

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I almost forgot - I really enjoyed Start Up too and managed to avoid most of the acerbic comments until I was sure how much I liked it. I've noticed more fanwars lately in the comment sections when young well known actors are in the cast. Whether it's fighting over which male character is the best, or which woman loves the one male the most, it really does distract from the drama discussions.

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Hi, Mindy, welcome back! 🙋

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Cha Eun-woo is competing with Lee Min Ho this year for who has the most stiff acting.

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Start-Up (Series review) - Mood: D
Alex? Plot device. The two workers who left Nature Morning for Injae Company at the start? Might as well have been an extra. Twin hackers? Plot device. Manager Park? Filler. Sandbox CEO? Filler. Do San’s cousin? Plot device. His parents? Mom is filler, dad is plot device. Won Family? Plot device. Sisters’ mother? No comment on her arc. Grandma? I’m quite disappointed she didn’t apologise for a 15 year lie but I guess there were more important things in the story. Yong San? Plot device. Sa Ha & Chul San? Cliche side couple. Ji Pyung? Cliche 2nd male lead. In Jae? You telling me she’s a lead?

True Beauty (Episode 1-2) - Mood: B-
My ID is Gangnam Beauty round 2 let’s go! It’s the same actors, same subject matter, same characterisations, same thematic issues, same setups, but one thing this show has for itself is the backstory that ties both the male leads together. Friendships broken up by tragedies and misplaced blame has been done before so the execution of it matters a lot here, though my fear is that it might get overrun by a love triangle which has claimed its latest victim not that long ago. I also worry about the 2nd female lead whose purpose is unclear so far: please don’t be a backstabber, just don’t.

The Uncanny Counter (Episode 3-4) - Mood: B-
If the show focuses more on the backstories of the Counters and less on the irritatingly predictable villain setups, I’ll be a significantly more engaged viewer. I was really annoyed when they showed that both Scissors Stabber and Mayor are having daddy issues because it so blatantly telegraphs the next evil spirit candidate as the Mayor’s son since he’s also having them (I just assumed that Mayor is an evil spirit given the setup of the city being filled with corruption). I noticed that the spirits have the opposite gender as compared to their respective Counters: wonder if there’s more behind that.

Awaken (Episode 3-4) - Mood: C+
This show doesn’t really need a romance when there’s a thrilling whodunit going on but the writer still decided to shove it down our throats with Hye Won, who is unprofessional with the multiple instances of workplace violence and also just plain rude when she projected her own crush onto Jung Woo. It’s also cringe to see the two guys in the special team be so awkward around the sexual innuendos when they’re already adults: please, you’re on a stakeout, not a team retreat, so don’t be squealing about your boss’s love life. And yeah, Jamie is a FBI agent but somehow still becomes a Damsel?

Also watching:
Live On (Episode 4) - Mood: D, It’s bad when the villain is revealed and my first reaction is ‘who are you?’.
Cheat on Me, If You Can (Episode 3-4) - Mood: B, Weirdness in all the right way with promising complexity.
The Spies Who Loved Me (Episode 13-14) - Mood: C, Tinker escapes to be the finale’s placeholder baddie.

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I finally went back and finished Brahms. And I liked it. Very very much. Even the angsty episodes. I think even those episodes were very well written and felt organic and true to our introvert couple. I could totally see the piling of external (that terrible professor, those gossips) and inner carrier struggles, Joon Young's closing off with his family matters, misinterpretations of the situations and gestures... and bad timing... and I understood why Song Ah made that decision. It was just too much. It hurt too much. I'm happy though that they did find way back to each other and that at the end of the show they are happier in their lives... and happy and shining together. (And I'm sure Song Ah will gently push Joon Young to express his own preferences and wishes 😀)

If I should nitpick, I missed apology from Jung Kyung (she misled Song Ah on purpose) and I missed some good inspirational music teachers.... though... there is hope in Jung Kyung , I really really liked her as a teacher.

From other shows I only managed Cheat on Me and I'm totally enjoying its humour... and our Annoyed Secret Agent 😁 I'm also having flashbacks of Spy Myungwol, the first 4 episodes were brilliant then... I just hope that Cheat Me will have better trajectory and stays true to the tone and storytelling it has now.

Queen Cheorin today 💕

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I also understood why Song ah would break up with Joon young, I admired her for being able to pick herself over him, although she really loved him all along, but it was necessary.
Now, the show overall very good. Particularly, I hated these teachers, and the excessively attention the writer gave to these teachers, which I felt brought no benefits to the plot... overall.... But anyway... It is difficult to find a perfect show where you also can enjoy secondary characters' arcs whether they are good or evil.

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CRICKET - Not so exciting start of Cricket December. Want more fight from both sides.
Newzealand Vs. West indies - Kiwis way better

Australia Vs. India - Waiting for a few good fights.

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JAPAN -

Haru and Ao's LunchBox - 4/10 - manga to live-action. Far far better manga. Tv drama looked pretty cheap on all fronts. Good source but bad execution.

30 years of Virginity makes you a wizard - 6/10 . machida Keita is making this manga to live-action such a nice watch or else this cringefest of fluff doesn't deserve as much as i have given it.

The Kings of Laughter - 7/10 - mamiya shotaro looks good. As expected manga to live-action. 1st episode was pretty good. Thankfully atlast we got its translation. Manzai from the Boke-Tsu pair part works well and i really enjoyed the episode. Hope it gets rest of episodes translated too.

Remo love - 7/10 starting to look now as usual romance drama?

Do You Want to Warm up this Love - 6/10 - Typical romance drama getting more traction than deserve. manga to live-action.

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I have only time on sundays to catch up with numerous media so behind on all others - yet was able to watch which i shouldn't have watched in December - Manga to Live-action

Typical Japanese manga genre - game survival

Alice in Borderland - 7.5/10 - awesome show. Kento progressed as an actor(yeah i can call him an actor now) Netflix Japan management is good. Good usage of lockdown by director and claps for team for utilising 2020 opportunity so nicely. I consider December +ve so didn't want to watched the violence but watched all episodes in 1 go. Source is good so outcome as a drama has come out good.
Must watch show and maybe maybe added into my top 10 of 2020.

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Mr. tsutsuloo and our son started watching Alice in Borderland last night. I'll catch up to them this weekend because it's a rare opportunity to watch an Asian drama with my whole family. We see movies together but everyone has different tastes in TV.

I think the Shibuya setting is the real draw for Mr. tsutsuloo, who lived in Japan for a brief time. Was this filmed during pandemic lockdown or did they use sets?

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That show certainly isn't for kids. too much blood here and there and in between 2-3 sex scenes.
extra fanservice of girls in bikinis.
I don't think most of its shoot in lockdown but surely some footage of it is.
It was mostly shot before lockdown but some footage surely is added from lockdown. Rest is good CGI and editing. There are few scenes where CGI looked totally cheap but overall product is good.

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I was surprised to see youtube live chat had someone talk about turkish and pakistani tv shows - most probably that identity was national of either of those countries and named 2 shows that are total preachy soap opera but really addictive in the eyes of ahjummas.

Korea -

Barterstall - 3/10 was vomit through and trough. This is what i call waste of resources. That 3 involves the employment generated.

Shut Up - Typical korean drama predictable 1st episode. Still the 1st episode wasn't half bad and compared to other Korean media of 2020 it was still in above average range. Its 1st week so new makeup makes you look shinny. The reality will come out in next 2 weeks. Heroine has that convenient but upsetting muh event so be up with that nonsense for long.

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Ha! Turkish dizi aren't just for ahjummas, you know. I read somewhere that dizi (a special genre that's immersed in the outside world) now have the highest international penetration of any country's media. Last New Year's Eve, I started with Netflix's beautiful and thrilling Atiye/The Gift, which just completed its 2nd 8-part season. Slowly building up my strength to watch Black Money Love, which clocks in at 167 episodes.

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China -

The Centimeter of Love - 6.5/10 Google translations are always fun. Typical chinese romance drama which more of is a family drama and more and more of which is dramatic illogical nonsense. As typical of a Chinese drama everyone has a good outcome. everyone changes, mistakes and characters conveniently improve. Personality changes is the casual joke. Everyone is forgiven. amends are made. Happy happy moments for everyone. No consistency in writing whatsoever.
The way problems are sorted and solved makes you see yeah this is one fictional drama.
Go for the main couple aka Main male and female lead. Others parts are quite interesting but the way they are presented reeks of cheap Publicity and low quality writing.

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Start Up.It’s over. I never really got close to the drama, and the shipping wars definitely drove me away form it. Not even my endless love to NJH could make this drama work for me but I understand why so many people did. And I discovered Dimples, although I’m a bit tired of him too, as I am tired of almost everything regarding the drama.

The Uncanny Counter. Second week was even better than first week. I love So Mun and his to besties. I have the feeling that all counters are connected, not only Mun and MoTak.

Kairos. I like so much the transitions in this second part of the drama. I’m willing to see how our gang is gathering and working together in both timelines. It’s time they decide to change their destinies for good. I’m also wondering what effects will have the fact that DoKyun found out about HyunChae treason.

Awaken. Distracting detective makes it sometimes difficult to follow the story, NGM is VERY distracting. I’m also intrigued about the story: which of our three traumatized kids is the mind behind the murders? Is it even one of them? I also like the humor and the teasing / tension between Det. Do and Jaime Leighton.

I also continue my watching of Six Flying Dragons although not many episodes this week. Main reason how much I’m loving My strange hero. I’m still amazed at how many BokSoos an episode can have and I have this question: Is Park Ah In specialized in annoying roles? I’ve seen her in Descendants of the Sun, Mr. Sunshine, Never Twice and now this. And in all of them she deserved a kimchi slap.

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My endless love for NJH still persists. I've been obsessed for years and just cannot seem to shake it off. It's gotten worse.

Also, School Nurse Files > Start Up.

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It's gotten worse.

Oh no, my dear. It has merely deepened.

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I thought I would never like Nam Joo-hyuk after School 2015 - the last year has been a really pleasant surprise!

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What about Weightlifting Fairy? 🧐

My favorite Kdrama of all time.

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I really liked him in that, but I thought it was just lucky casting, not the start of a trend 😆

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I have some difficulties with Park Ah In too. I dropped Vagabond so mayby I could like her in this one... but not sure, for me she always overacts.

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I just kind of gave up on Start Up. First few episodes had me hooked, but then it just kind of drifted off into.. into what exactly? Lost interest and will probably never finish it.

Loving Kairos - my only problem is that sometimes I miss the date changes and get confused for a few seconds. However, the mother drives me nuts with her refusal to talk, like that is going to make it all OK.

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I got confused a lot of times too. When Da Bin was kidnapped, it was easier to follow the different timelines and stories but after...

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Yes. They should make the time changes clearer. Often they show the date in the lower left, but it's small print and not there for long. And watching the corner of the screen for that all the time distracts me from whatever we're supposed to be paying attention to.

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BOKSOO! Gosh I love Boksoo so much. He is the best.

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...as I am tired of almost everything regarding the drama.

I haven't even started it and I'm already tired of it. I think I'm going to wait until the new year to binge this one.

I've decide to start Awaken in the meantime, since Spies is wrapping up this week, and I'm getting entrenched in Stove League so will be good to keep the relay going with a live watch.

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I'm really liking Awaken so far, but this kind of show can go epic or down hill in a minute. If the acting is solid I don't mind it going downhill (as in Flower of Evil), and it is.

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Another drama watching week but a slow one
Start-up - Completed and bemoaned the wasted potential of the show
Spied Who Loved Me - Fast-forwarded through both episodes coz it was getting wayyy too melodramatic and the previews suggest it'll only get worse in finale week
Awaken - Caught up on all 4 episodes - I'm sticking around for Namkoong Min but this show is not gripping enough for a thriller
Uncanny Counter - Loved week 1 but week 2 was ridiculously over the top with the school violence. hope we've laid that story to rest
True Beauty - Started and then stopped because everything about it was offending me not least the "ugly-fication" of MGY
Delayed Justice - After the news about one of the leads, i was expecting it to be postponed in spite of what the production team promised and it seems it was. At least i couldn't find the episode anywhere?
Kairos - Paused until it ends because I CANNOT take the suspense

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1. Start-Up: Finished with happiness. Perhaps I'm among a few who kinda enjoyed the fan war LoL. I love Dimples and almost everything about the show because Dimples is in it. Love his relationship with halmoni. I think for me it's the show about love triangle with AI and business-related backdrop and occasional morals or life lessons from the production team. It was a really fun experience that left me a bit exhausted and satisfied at the same time.

2. Waikiki 2: Still watching (13/16). There have been numerous scenes that I actually laughed out loud. This is a must-watch when you had a bad day or when your spirit is low. I never thought I was gonna like it this much, but it turned out that I really did.

3. When the Weather is Fine: Rewatch (1/16). Just the opening song made my heart beat slower. It's a good feeling indeed.

To-watch next:

1. You Drive Me Crazy: KSH is in it, period. The FL looks nice and seems like they have really good chemistry. Besides, it's only 4 episodes and that should be a good thing.

2. Strongest Delivery Man or 100 Days My Prince: KSH is in them, but I just can't seem to be able to feel the ML's charm in both shows.. so we'll see.

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I never shared the keen interest for DO. I always feel like I'm watching an angry teenager. So it was good for his role in I Remember You, in 100 Days My Prince, it didn't work for me. I was so sad because I love Nam Ji Hyun.

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Ah.. an insightful comment thank you. Me neither; I don’t know but I saw him only once in It’s Okay That’s Love and didn’t particularly like him in there. For the record I stopped watching the show somewhere around episode 8. Didn’t get why others said it was so good though.

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Your obsession will be stronger after You Drive Me Crazy :p

He's good in Cach the Ghost too.

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What an encouragement! 🥰

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You Drive Me Crazy is lovely and so is KSH in it. I'd suggest Strongest Deliveryman over 100 Days since you get a lot more KSH. He also makes a problematic character likeable, though his quirky role in 100 Days was also pretty funny.

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Thank you 😊. As many have actually recommended Strongest Delivery Man I think that’ll be my next watch. I just like him so much when he turns an otherwise annoying character into someone grumpily charming. That’s my catnip I suppose.

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Now I know.. I have some problem with men with curly hair, guess that’s why I find ML’s appearance so off-putting 😅. I’m now willing to turn a blind eye on that though I do hope he will change his hairstyle sometime later in the show. 🤣

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Lol yeah that hair was certainly a choice by Go Kyung-pyo. But he's generally very likeable too!

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Strongest Deliveryman has more KSH for sure, and once again he plays a part that I think needed him to play it. KSH's character in anyone else's hands would not have been good. But the con is (for me) Chae Soo Bin. She's a pill I had to swallow to watch it, but it was worth it at the end.

100 Days my Prince was on my list for a long time because Nam Ji Hyun is downright my favorite K-drama herionce because of the incredible warmth she brings to every character she plays. Plus it has my other crush Kim Jae Young in a cool role as well. KSH's presence gave me the last push to watch it and I'm glad I did. Too much DO, but the story is interesting. I went it spoiled on the sad stuff that happens (thank god) so I didn't allow myself to be emotionally engaged in the series but it's a good watch.

Would therefore recommend watching both, but the one I'd recommend watching before either of these is Two Cops. That's my favorite of KSH's stuff so far.

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Really? Like the one he is playing with Jo Jung-suk? Hmm.. cop stuff has never gained my interest, but thank you for the recommendation! Now I have a long list of his past projects to watch. What a year! 🥰

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Yes, both of them play really well against each other and it's a lovely story and excellent ending. Wholeheartedly recommend it.

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Oh yeah Two Cops was pretty good too! The funny thing is I had watched all of KSH's shows before he became so famous, including Catch the Ghost. So now my friends keep recommending his shows to me but I have to break it to them that I have already seen it all 😅

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Aww..☺️ I wish I could say the same but I just can't! Start-Up is my introduction to KSH and I'm glad I discovered him there. Now days seem brighter and I'm enjoying watching for any updates of him -whether they be on the professional or personal front.

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START UP had fan wars because there was so much to it- it could really be seen from many perspectives, and the huge number of comments was proof of that. I think some people became angry simply because it did not always go the way that they expected or wanted- not realizing that the writer was actually remaining true to the source of the story and had appreciated the deeper lessons of it.

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I actually considered it a success as it aroused strong feelings from the audience. I also feel like I began to appreciate Suzy's acting much more as I think she has done her part very well. Though I might not like some of her character's traits, I think she portrayed her character well and hers became more likeable every episode. Though I really like HJP there, the heart wants what it wants so I completely understood her when her heart went to DS.

For me, this show is the most successful Kdrama shows in 2020 in terms of investments. Though the overall rating wasn't that high, it has been the talk of the town in many countries. I heard that people in Indonesia and perhaps in the Philippines too took it pretty seriously and the show was super popular there. 😌

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With regard to 100 Days My Prince. D.O. does fine in most of the drama where he seems to be playing on his own vibe in his idol group (basically as a grump). When it got more angsty toward the end is when he stopped working for me (and the writing) and the ff thing happened. He and the actress had a sweet chemistry though so I don't regret checking it out.

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Thank you! That's exactly what's happening to me.... I have no idea of D.O.'s personality in real life or his singing career.. I have never seen him performing so I can't compare, but the problem for me is the writing. I am ready to FF those parts you mentioned😅

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I put the Weather soundtrack on repeat yesterday while working on a project, and it definitely brought down my stress level. ❤

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That’s one magical thing about it. The world needs things similar to this you know 😉.

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Beware of the relaxing effect of the playlist though! It always puts me to sleep whenever I listen to it. 😅

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I actually loved DO in 100 Days My Prince. I started it for KSH but kept watching for DO. The OTP has some common tropes but they're super cute. Seon Ho's character there is alright but he's gorgeous in a hanbok.

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I can't believe I'm saying this but I found KSH gorgeous in everything. ☺️

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Hey I won't judge. I never thought I'd be that person calling someone gorgeous but here we are.

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The Uncanny Counter: I love this show so so so much. His friends sobbing tears of joy that he could walk. His new counter family defending him. His grandparents so excited he could walk. I've never cried so many happy tears in a drama. This show is my happy pill. My catnip is family shows, so all I get is joy from this!!!

Awaken: I still don't really know what is happening, lol. However it is entertaining and intriguing enough that I will keep watching.

Kairos: We are in the homestretch now. I am excited to see what happens. Happily everyone is in the know now, no more ignorance, our heroes are on the same page. Huzzah

Penthouse: Dropped. I couldn't do it anymore. lol

Cheat on me or Die: I like how weird this drama is. It is understated yet over the top. I like that the FL is a genius but they don't really talk about it.I like the utter randomness of the NIS following her, it is so bizzare. I can't wait until everything implodes.

True Beauty: It reminds me of Boys over Flowers too, but BOF is a terrible drama, it is entertaining the first time when you don't know better and then you realize how awful the male leads are except Kim Bum. I think Moon Ga Young is excellent in this, she is very believable. However the male lead is both a terrible actor and a terrible lead, so I am out.

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We have TUC, AWAKEN and KAIROS in common and I am with you on all three.
Slightly behind on AWAKEN because I rewatched episodes 1 and 2. I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything which I probably still did. I did laugh at the scene right after the whole ‘misdirection’ piece where all three cars of cops went right by our FBI person pinning the suspect to the ground and didn’t notice a thing.

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Yeah, lol.

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I'm surprised how emotional The Uncanny Counter makes me feel. The trio of childhood friends is extraordinary. (Sharing cake after her first period! They're brothers!) I look forward to learning more about the Counters' and Hosts' backstories too.

Also—I kid you not—I looked for tracksuits online. I'm looking for something cozy and stylish—I don't want to look like I've given up. My colleagues and I aren't going back to campus for at least another six–nine months so I may as well enjoy exploring alternative work pajamas.

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May I recommend Jung Geumja's
(Kim Hyesoo) amazing Puma models in Hyena? In red, yellow or green, all of them look amazing

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Thank you for reminding me how Kim Hye-soo's fashion in Hyena was unlike any other in 2020. This photo gallery at Metro Style shows how her character layered tracksuits under constructed jackets (slides 21-23).

I can't get over how sexy that woman is. The swagger. The legs for days. That jawline. I even venture to say Kim Hye-soo has BDE.

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She's stunning! I'm afraid I'd look like a crazy lady if I tried the jacket over tracksuit look, but on her everything looks cool and unique 😍

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The Uncanny Counter will be the only drama that can make me look up tracksuits. LOL. Loved the emotional whallop it packs, not to mention the fight scenes are good, too.

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The quality (and quantity) of the fight scenes in TUC have been top notch. Kudos to the four leads for being in great shape. The fight scene that opened episode one may be the best fight scene I have scene since LAWLESS LAWYER. Whoever the fight coordinator is on TUC is doing a great job. Now my big hope is that that person can keep all four leads from serious injury.

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Right. And they don't use doubles for the stunts! Speaking of great shape, maaannn.. that ahjussi is ripped!

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Go back to the early aughts and go for juicy couture.😜

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Oh please, no more words on butts! LOL.

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How could you possibly drop Penthouse? It is a true gem of max makjang and over the top cliches and tropes. It's like the Mystery Science Theater 3000 but for k--dramas.

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Sometimes it is just too much. I quit the other drama from this writer too, but I understand, lol. Everything is so dramatic and not in a fun way.

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Kairos: I’ve said this before, but this drama is a rollercoaster ride, and I love it. It’s so well executed. Each week adds new twists that keep the story moving. I love that the leads are allowed to be smart.

Uncanny Counter: Episode 4 spent too much time away from the Counters, and the plot involving the Counters was frustrating. I do love So Moon and his friends.

Awaken: There comes a moment with a drama where you are just done, and Seolhyun's character punching NGM's and assaulting others was that moment for me.

Cheat On Me, If You Can: Now that I adjusted my expectations for this drama, I'm enjoying it a bit more but there are still issues. I don't care what the story ends up being with the college girl, I hate it. I do find Jo Yeo-jeong's character somewhat entertaining, but I really need her to already know her husband is a cheater and just enjoy torturing him.

True Beauty: I dislike the premise but tried to have an open mind. My verdict: Not cute or funny. There are so many issues and plot holes, I don't know where to begin. I wish this was a different show that would really delve into the emotional effects of bullying and living in a beauty-obsessed society, but it is what it is.

Start-Up: The ending was nice.

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What impresses me about Kairos so far is how few plot holes there are with all the timeline changes.

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Kairos The mum waited for her daughter to be dead for finally thought she should reveal the truth. Blackmailing someone who already killed a lot of person before is never a good idea...

Live On Nothing is happening and there are a lot of slow motions that don't help...

Awaken It's more a psychologic war than a hunt for a murderer.

True Beauty Extraordinary You was fun because they did well all the webtoon clichés. Oh Nam Ju was the typical ML but with a touch of humor that made him more interesting. The ML in TB is just the typical ML and CEW doesn't bring anything to the role. MGY is really good in this role, she's so charming.

The Spies Who Loved Me I don't like how they're making everyone feeling pity for Derek. I don't think he deserves the pity. He always knew what he's doing and didn't want to change it.

Hush The first episode introduced a lot of characters... too many for my brain.

The Uncanny Counter The school bullying was overdone but I really like how the team is working together. There is already a strong and warm connection between the members.

Mr. Queen It looks fun, I'm excited to test it.

Start-Up I'm surprised how people feelings about this drama was influenced by the comments. I think there were worst comments sections that didn't really talk about the drama anymore. I don't really let myself affected by other comments, I read them and if I disagree, I just read the next one. For the drama, I think it could have been better but I really liked the theme and the surroundings.

Please Don't Date Him It's a fun and simple story.

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Kairos - the mother is the one character in that show that makes me want to break out a baseball bat and pound some sense into her head. Dealing with a guy that kills almost for fun, and she thinks she can protect her daughter. Delusional.

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Yeah, me too! I mean HR showed a lot of signs that she needed the truth and that she won't give up. But the mother thought that running away will stop her daughter? I mean it's so normal that your very sick mother disapears without a trace and recieve a lot of money...

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Thank you for summing up exactly how I feel about Derek so succinctly. Not only doesn't he change it, but he spoons out just enough truth at a time to placate everyone, and (sorry) that is fundamentally a very manipulative move.

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I'm happy to know that I'm not the only one feeling like this!

I was kinda frustrated with the 2 last episodes because I was feeling sadness for JH who lost his mentor, who was father figure for him, and he's helping the woman he loves to save her husband... He's so lonely :(

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Oh, he his. It makes me so sad because, while JH definitely made mistakes when he and AR were married, he's learned from that and is doing things differently now. It's heartbreaking because you know he's helping AR because he loves her - his motivation is to do what makes her happy, even if it hurts him. And he has no expectations of her, whereas I feel like Derek's primary driver (at least up til now) has been to not lose AR, and that's leading to questionable behaviors.

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*he is, not his. 🙄

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True Beauty : It is very shoujo manga-ish drama.
The standard trope filled high school drama with
1. A very clumsy female lead who trips over herself every few seconds. I lost count on how many times she fell down. (It’s not cute. She has serious balance issues that need medical help. In real world such person would end up in hospital with concussion.)
2. A very tsundere bordering on wooden male lead with family issues.
3. Standard group of friends- a bubbly girl and a cool girl.
4. Very manga-ish school where all school is obsessed with ML and SML.
Still all hope is not lost yet. MGY is trying her best. ML and FML bond over genuine love of horror comics. We can see they can have real connection. He is not abusive like f4, heirs, extraordinary you universe. (That’s low bar but this is a manhaw.)
Cheat on me if you can :
Still trying to figure it out. I am intrigued by FML and baffled by her husband. Nothing feels cohesive for now. Hopefully there is overarching story which will tie everything together.
The Uncanny Counter:
Loved the friendship between our high school trio and bonding between Unni gang. Those are the most shining moments of the drama.

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True beauty seems to be a pastiche of my Gangnam ID... ML included 🙄🙄🙄🙄

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CHEAT ON ME: (EP 3-4) The show did some quick twists in this week. First, it showed that Yeo-Joo and Woo-sung have a playful and affectionate relationship. But it also seems she has a bipolar personality. Second, the stalker to secret agent reveal of Soo-ho was unexpected.

It seems the story will interweave Yeo-joo first controversial cult novel (and probable betrayal of Soo-jung), revenge by unseen actors, her bipolar personality with her husband and work, her method writing by observing real events to base her characters on (like cheating husband and potential pawn Mi-rae the college student, who seems too innocent) and some sort of national security risk (for which Yeo-joo is the bait for Director Ma's plan).

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I am feeling an extreme kdrama drought post IONTBO. The only drama I enjoy currently is thai series my forever sunshine

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Yes! IOTNBO does that.

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Same here! Tried so many things but it's still so strong

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The New York Times Best of 2020 Television list includes IOTNBO as "an archly clever series about an imperious, emotionally challenged children's book author and an impossibly noble health care worker". Always fun to look at Kdramas through another lens. The article's writer, Mike Hale, also has Kingdom on his list.

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Uncanny Counter: This shows does a wonderful job blending the action and the emotional. I didn't expect to shed so many tears from feeling so touched at some scenes. I love our Counter family and how they've adopted So Moon. I had expected them to flip their lid at So Moon getting into trouble, but they were surprisingly understanding and were willing to teach him the nuances. I love his friends and his grandparents too. Those weirdly old-looking high school bullies though make my blood boil and it seems very comic-book/manga-ish that there never seem to be any teachers around at the school (drama is based on a webtoon, so not too surprising).

Cheat on me if you can: Only the first two. I enjoyed how interesting and weird it is, and I get a kick out of Woo-sung being scared of being caught by Yeo-joo, whom I suspect married the husband just to use him for her writing material. The drama doesn't get me wanting to pick up the next episode right away though (not a bad thing). May be one of those shows that I'll just end up watching at a leisurely pace.

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1. Start up: 10/10. Loved it, love, love, loved it so much. Best drama this year. Loved all the character development. I am going to miss the characters so much. Do San is one of the best male lead ever. I found even the development of the female leads satisfactory. This drama made me cry so much too. I think I might have cried enough to last me for a year. Honestly for most others this drama was worse in the middle but to me the story just became better. I don't think I would have loved the character so much otherwise. I will miss the other characters too, the whole group. Like that was found family we got from the drama which wasn't much appreciated. Honestly I am so used to people talking about bromance that even I wanted this drama to have it. But really I came to get annoyed by, then hate the SML. I ended up accepting the character in the end and he finally (almost) redeemed himself in my eyes. Also I don't want to hear the phrase 'good boy' ever again cause it sounds like the new 'nice guy' with the way people insisted he deserved the girl despite her having 0 interest in him romantically. In the end it feels like they just wanted JP not his happiness but for him to end up with 'the girl' and Do San's unhappiness. Thankfully I didn't see much of that here on DB. Honestly I rarely see people fight over female leads this way. Do people have fan wars over female characters? If they do is it to this level? Do they suddenly hate love triangles with such a passion? Cause I don't see that. If the SFL had pulled even half the stuff the SML had pulled here they would have absolutely hated her. I have actually seen SFLs get hated on for way way less. It's insane. Honestly tired of the Tsundre/toxic male leads. I don't want any Ji Pyung's ever again but plenty of Do Sans. People deserve more characters they can relate to and I have never seen someone as relatable as Do San.

2. Uncanny counter: Ep 1-4. Another found family. Like this year is dramas full of them and I love it so much. A bit too voilent at times but I am really liking the drama.

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Tail of the nine tailed: Ep 13. I planned on finishing it this week but could not.

Search: Eps 7-10 Rating: 7.5/10 I managed to enjoy it somewhat. I guess my sister will love this.

Extracurricular: Eps 5-10 Rating: 8. Finished it in just two days. I am sure there's a lot I could say about this but it's actually the reason why I can't.

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I also enjoyed Search... somehow!

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I liked Extracurricular a lot!

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I forgot
3. Kairos: Ep 9. The drama keeps on surprising me with its twists.

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It would be a 10/10 if the second male lead wasn't there lol I said it

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The drama would be so perfect I don't think I could handle it. But the writer needed a foil and JP was the foil.

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Do San without the melodrama and love triangle mess. Just being adorable and dorky and growing with Dal Mi. They didn't even need the romance. It couldn't come way later.

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Could've*

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It would have been a different drama but this is not it. And for me this now is pretty amazing. Plenty of stuff that made me love the character probably would not even have happened if it wasn't for this. Anyway I actually wanted there to be this role reversal when it comes to the male leads. Everytime you have dramas where the SFL is considered a bitch and what not. So I wanted people to hate the second male lead for a change. But ofcourse people are somehow more forgiving of the male leads for far worse sins than the female leads. So I wanted this yet even I ended up disappointed it had this. And that I blame it on the promise of a bromance. (And yeah also JP's backstory which made me reach for crumbs to try and like the character) But what? DS respected JP at the start and hung on to his every word but JP disliked and was harsh to DS from the start so what bromance? Episode 3 was good for that but that's it. I feel like a fool never again. Suddenly JP had interest in DM and then suddenly he started looking at DS as his rival. DS was the only person to ever really apologize to Dal Mi and blame no one else for the lies that he wasn't the only one responsible for and tried to make amends for it. The analysis for the episodes and the characters is all there out there but I doubt anyone would care to read. It's been a tiring 5 weeks for me.

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I thought Do San was really relatable as well. He was vulnerable and sensitive which I really enjoyed.

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HJP constantly annoyed me.

Also, is Dal Mi stupid to pick HJP over Alex in the beginning as the mentor because HJP helped her in the speech? I mean....

Small things that just bothered me.

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It was not stupid for Dal-mi to pick JP over Alex. It was actually her emotional intelligence sensing that Alex's motivations were not in line with what she wanted. Alex proved her right when he tricked Sam-san on Demo day.

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I doubt she sensed that at all lol

Her explanation for why she chose HJP just wasn't solid enough lol

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You are right- that is why I said it was based on emotional intelligence, which we used to refer to as simply intuition. But she made the correct choice.

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Alex was the best thing that ever happened to Do-san, Chul-san, and Yong-san.

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But not to Dal-mi and Sa-ha. Alex is an interesting character- he is fundamentally amoral yet, in his own way a man of integrity. He misled and even lied to the Sam-san team BUT in his own mind he was fair to them because he paid them a very good price for Samsan Tech- well above its true value- as JP pointed out.

The three years spent in San Francisco gave the Samsan men confidence- so in this sense your comment is true.

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But they turned out fine. Dal-mi became a COO and CEO, and Sa-ha can get a job at any law firm, and they got money as Samsan Tech shareholders. Without Alex, Do-san would've never developed a self-driving system at 2STO, and Tarzan would've never won the smart city bid.

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If Dal-mi were so emotionally intelligent, then why didn't she see through Alex's trick and not sign the contract with 2STO?

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Because she was in love with Do-san at that point and her judgment was impaired.

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I'm forever grateful she was blinded by love because 2STO is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

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People are going to think I am mental for this but whatever. Btw people disappointed with my rating if you must know 10 is for dramas that make me feel all the feels. This drama did it. It also has to have something special Start up had it. Catch the Ghost had it. You want more objective ratings from me dramas at 9.5 and less is where you are better off looking.

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Who cares what people think ???
And why do you think that's how people will think of you 🤔🤔

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Who cares what other people thinks? You liked the drama and that's enough. I loved how you spread your love for it in the wall. It didn't work for me, but hey, it doesn't have to work the same way for everybody.
People loved Sky Castle and I know I will never be able to finish it.

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I wasn't able to lol

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It's okay! People like different things! Some Kdramas really strike a chord with you and it remains.

I'm happy you liked Start Up!

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You expressed your hate and love for a drama and a character, that is ok. You are not mental just because of that. So are the people who loved the characters you hated and hated the characters you loved. They are also not mental. Even if it is annoying , respect for each other’s choices and preference should still prevail.

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I have no problem people liking one character over the other. And I respect people's opinions. Still there's one thing I can't agree with. And I also find that part creepy and wrong. Not only were they shipping two characters who were mentor and mentee. They were also shipping them based on the letters he wrote when he was 18 and she was 12 while pretending to be her age. Not only was she a tween (born in 1989 same as ML while SL had a 6 years age difference) he was almost an adult at 18 years old an in any other country not Korea he legally would be. And I definitely did not like that people were talking about how one of the letters he wrote to her was romantic and even worse that it means he cared about her in any way that was romantic when he wrote them. Because of he did he was a creep. Hitting on said mentee is already enough. And I can't believe it was Beanies who I thought knew better. Those who would even be critical if a character in a fantasy or sci fi who knew the female character as a child or even as much as went back in time and met her as a child. No I have no problem with them not shipping two leads but here the SLS was misguided. No I am not here to argue. I said what I said.

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TRUE BEAUTY - The only reason this caught my eye in the first place was because of all the positive comments I read about Moon Ga-young, plus I liked her character in Live Up To Your Name. Otherwise, I would normally stay far, far away from high school romance dramas. But for this one, I enjoyed the visual and situational humour of the premier week episodes. MGY does awkward adorkable and earnestly sincere FL well, and you feel with her as she repeatedly suffers the pain of acute rejection, humiliation and bullying for her looks.

I thought the premier week showed the roots of FL's battered self-esteem and built up the stakes quite well. I I understood and sympathised with her desperation to keep her secret hidden from her new friends and schoolmates at all cost.

I'm pretty neutral about the romance side of things but I am definitely interested to see how FL continues to keep her glamourous side and her self-perceived ugly side compartmentalised and hidden. I appreciate the irony in how she catches the attention of Lee Su-ho (Cha Eun-woo) and Han Seo-joon (Hwang In-yub) who are depicted as the school's top two most visual male students, not because of her looks, but because she's avoiding and running away from them all the time, in contrast with the swooning swarms of school girls who follow them wherever they go. Based on the first two episodes, True Beauty is the kind of uncomplicated and humourous watch I'm looking for at the moment, so I'll be tuning in next week.

MORE THAN FRIENDS - After the break, things got rather busy for me and I still haven't watched the last four episodes.

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I'm sorry 😅
How's molder
I just couldn't resist

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@waadmay Mulder's off chasing a lead on a possible Tooms sighting, despite my skepticism that Tooms survived getting squished like a grape by the elevator ;-)

(also, nice to meet a fellow X-phile here!)

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I believe
Nice to meet you too 💜💜

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True Beauty:
There's a lot of problematic thinking in this drama and I can't tell whether it's from the drama or from the source.

1. Suicide
No, you don't get to guilt someone into staying alive or scold someone for thinking of taking their own lives. The drama seems to lack basic understanding of suicide and depression and is only using it as a trope. (Someday or One Day, a Taiwanese drama, [spoiler] handled this topic very delicately. It probably is the most nuance depiction of depression ever in dramaland.)

2. Beauty
I don't know how they are going to get themselves out of this mess. Although the whole point is to uplift those who feels "ugly", it seems that the "ugliness" ends up being the joke here in this drama. Even in it's depiction of the bully scene. The brother actually makes me cringe. How can he do that to his sister?

Despite all of this, I'm still sticking it out to see where this will go.

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Uncanny Counter: 8.3

Startup: 7.7 The ending was a bit sappy in places, but they didn't officially blow it.

Fly Dragon / Delayed Justice: 6.5

Spies Who Loved Me: 8.1 From the previews, they might not even botch the finale.

True Beauty: 1.3 I lasted 13 minutes.

Cheat on Me If You Can: 7.9 Better this week.

Kairos: 8.0

Awaken: 8.5

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1.3 😂

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I laughed at this too.

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