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[Drama Chat] The drama you couldn’t love even though you wanted to

Last week’s Drama Chat was so much fun, we’re taking a new twist on it this week with the inverse of last week’s topic.

Living and breathing in dramaland sometimes means encountering the YMMV factor — in other words, though consensus is generally a good measuring stick for judging a drama’s worth, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes there’s a drama that everyone raves about — it’s a hit, it has legions of fans, and everyone is swept into its magic — except you.

Have you been there? For me, that drama is Vincenzo. I recognize its worth and its unique color, but man, I had to force myself to watch it, and eventually gave up. It now sits on my list of Dramas I Couldn’t Love Even Though I Wanted To.
 

What’s the one drama everyone else loved but you couldn’t (even though you wanted to)?

 
Let the chatting begin!
 
Thanks to Ga and @LaurenSophie for the prompt

 
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I usually tune out if I don't like a drama. There have been just a few that I persevered through because other beanies seemed to enjoy them so much. I watched but never understood the Beanie love for Shopping King Louie and I Hear Your Voice. The one I tried a couple of times to get into, but gave up by episode 4 was High School King of Savvy. The secretary was so uninteresting, but really it was Seo In-guk. I know he's a good actor but his characters usually turn me off.

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I agree with you on Seo In Guk. I first saw him in R97 and liked him a lot, but disliked every character he played after that. I have stopped watching his dramas

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A couple others have mentioned It's Okay to Not be Okay. I watched the first episode and was disturbed by the mind control/multiple personality motifs in the introduction--monarch butterflies, etc. Plus you have the storyline of a caregiver falling in love with a patient. A patient who has some serious personality disorder issues. Just, no.

Age of youth got a lot of love here in Dramabeans and that is why I watched it. I did finish it, but at the end I had to ask myself, Would I want to be one of these girls? Would I want to hang out with these girls? Would they want me to hang out with them? The answer to all those questions is No. I mainly felt sorry for these girls apparently having no one older and more experienced to turn to for advice while going through the messes they created for themselves. It would make any mother's heart ache.

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Lol your analysis of Age of Youth makes me laugh. I haven't seen the whole drama, but from what I know of it I have to agree--I hope that's not offensive to those who feel they have a similar personality to theirs.

I also agree with IONTBO. I wanted to like the drama. I like dramas that depict mental health issues and are about flawed people. This was... something different.

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I could not watch vincenzo beyond ep 6. Over-the-top comedy with many plot holes. Am I the only one who find it weird that the villain can successfully kill everbody in the show except ML and FL??
FL's comedy is horrendous. I heard the same woman is the heroine for the korean remake of Someday or one day. I hope she improves her acting there.

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It was Vagabond for me. Lee Seung-gi was screaming so much throughout the drama that it ruined for me.

The other dramas I didn't enjoy as much as other were:

Fight for my way
Suspicious partner
Her private life
Signal

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You're the first person to mention Fight For My Way that I've seen! Do you mind sharing why?

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It's not that the drama was bad, I did finish it but it just fell really flat for me and I'm aware that I'm probably the only one with this opinion.

I also think that I started watching it with high expectations because of how much everyone praised it so I ended up not liking it as much as everyone else. I did think that the leads were a bit too eccentric😅 if that makes sense.

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Ahhh yeah that totally makes sense^^ I can see that! Thanks for sharing :)

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It is soooo comforting to find someone else who disliked Fight for my Way! I hated it.

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Isn't it the worst when you hate a drama everyone else loves? I feel that way about 2521 and I have yet to find anyone who doesn't love it. It's a lonely place to be. Lol.

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It really is lol

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You From Another Star. I watched the whole thing but it took me a while to power through it. I just didn't feel engaged by the OTP, even though I really like both leads. The relationship between the ML and the FL's brother made me laugh in a good way, though. And I thought Kim Soo-hyun's Golden Goose sneaks were cool enough that I bought myself a pair, so . . .

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I made it! Everyone's opinions were so interesting! I wasn't expecting to see so many people who disliked the following dramas (which I am a fan of):

Just Between Lovers
What's Wrong with Secretary Kim

The former I wasn't even aware that it was a well loved drama to begin with. I thought it went mostly under the radar, but that is probably because I was out of the country when it aired and didn't have access at the time.

What's Wrong with Secretary Kim I also watched after it aired, and I really liked how strong the female lead was. I would have questioned more when she fell in love with the Male Lead, except that this whole thing started because she decided to quit.

Others that I was expecting but really enjoyed hearing the dissenting opinion (I personally loved them): Signal, Forest of Secrets, Hospital Playlist, The Red Sleeve Cuff, I'm not a Robot, Healer... I'm sure there were more, but those are the ones I remembered.

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Hmm... I don't think there are any dramas out there that haven't been mentioned that I also really didn't like. But let's peruse mydramalist and see what I can see.

My rules: it had to get a 5 or less out of 10 stars.

1. The Fiery Priest - just got around to watching this recently... it was ok, but I mostly just got bored. Also, it took a while before the FL was likeable. And a lot of the comedy just didn't do it for me.

2. City Hunter - this one was super popular with DB back in the day as a precursor to Healer, but Healer is far and away a better drama for me.

3. Coffee Prince - I talked about this earlier, but I have serious problems with the FL not revealing her true gender to the ML earlier in the show (at least once he confessed!)

4. Aarang and the Magistrate - Not a super fan... the depiction of the gods was kind of cheesy and I'm not a super huge Shin Min A fan tbh (but I love Lee Joon Gi, so that's sad for me)

Special Mentions: Mrs. Cop (I don't recall this drama being super loved, so I didn't include it on the actual list... but I love cop shows so I was surprised I didn't like it)

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I never understood the love for City Hunter - both leads felt terribly miscast and the screenwriting was alarming. The only character I found remotely interesting was the prosecutor and we all know how that ended.

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City Hunter : as a person who liked the manga/anime, I couldn't take this seriously. And PMY was really miscasted, she never was credible as a bodyguard. I think the success rested more on the fact they dated than the drama itself.

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The Fiery Priest was VERY boring.

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Thank you. I just... I couldn't. but I recall it having a fairly warm reception here on DB, so I thought I might ask well add it to the list^^ I don't know how popular it was in Korea/in general, though.

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For me, it's Live Up To Your Name and Fiery Priest. After failing to watch past ep 5 of both shows, I figured out that I have a bias against Kim Nam-gil, probably due to the damaging effect of his Bi-dam days. I recognize him as a competent actor but his acting sadly doesn't appeal to me in any way.

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I totally have actors like that. Jo Jung Suk, for me, is a big one. He can totally act, and I actually don't mind him in a few things... but he's just not my favorite (I actually feel bad because he really can act).

@db-staff can we have a drama chat for...
1. actors we really like (we tend to follow their projects, and they choose good ones)
2. actors we don't like and don't really know why (or maybe we do)
3. actors we want to like, but they just seem to pick really bad projects

Thanks!!

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I’m SO SHOCKED.

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But to be fair, the weakest scenes of his in LUTYN were his had scenes. I wasn’t too sure but at the time I thought perhaps the character wasn’t that sad? Anyway, I realized just now that your opinion about him acting sad is interesting. I’ll watch him more closely in sad scenes from now on.

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I know a lot of beanies love KNG so I expect your reaction haha. Imo KNG is excellent in anti-hero/villain roles but he as the protagonist is just a big nope for me 😅

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So many people are going to hate me.
1) What's wrong with secretary kim. I have no idea why but It was such a chore to finish.
2) Boys over flowers ( still haven't finished it, 4 years and counting)
3) Crash landing on you ( I like the clothes more than I like the people. I am still on episode ten )
4) Healer ( I fast forwarded a lot of it)
5) She would never know. (I like Rowoon and won jina but I dropped it after two episodes)

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L.U.C.A. woof. I love Lee Da-Hee, but this was just a straight dog from episode 1. The male lead had the emotional range of statue, the plotting was sloppy at best, none of the characters kept a clear objective or personality for more than 2 episodes at a time. Characters consistently made just baffling decisions every episode that seemed to happen solely because there were more episodes to fill... yuck

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Lol I have such conflicting feelings about this drama. On the one hand, I thought it was a brilliant idea and I really liked the acting. One the other hand, they made SUCH weird decisions. On the other hand, I thought they made a cute OTP... and on the other hand, I was so upset it ended the way it did.

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I'm not mentioning dramas that I felt had specific shortcomings: there are plenty of those but that's not the question. Just a few that I felt I ought to love but just liked or was meh about.

Into the Ring. I watched it right to the end but it just never caught fire for me.
Record of Youth promised - and kept on promising - but didn't deliver.
Guardian - a fantasy of this sort ought to be right up my alley but it took a definite effort to finish it. Same for Sell Your Haunted House.

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Jirisan - I was so ready for this! Everything about it sounded great and totally up my alley. So.much.potential. You know what woulda been great? Not-so-helpful mountain wanderer actually being helpful. Psychosomatic injuries, a weird serial killer angle, and idiotic mountain people. The people part can't be avoided; they're everywhere. The entire show could've been slice of life park ranger drama with some episodic capers and I would've been totally happy. Or a supernatural mountain murder mystery... onboard. It was doing too much very badly. Worst of all? It's going to make me come out of fan fiction writing hiatus just talking about this show again.

Dali and Cocky Prince - Hated Dali more each episode. I wanted her to be more plucky, a little more independent, a little smarter. Or maybe I just wanted more of the gamjatang prince and his wacky family. Definitely needed more art and crazy artists. I may rewatch; there were some decent parts here and there.

Now We're Breaking Up - It had everything I wanted: sexy people, fashion, and decadence. Um no. The fashion in Young Lady and Gentleman is more on point than it was in this show. Was it just me, or did Song Hye-Kyo take a step backwards every time Jang Ki-yong approached her? Their kisses were hard to watch. NWBU should've been a comedy with the second lead couple. I would've totally watched that show with a smile.

So now I'm hate-watching Sponsor, which should be as over the top as its music. Or a darker, more revenge-driven... something. Lee Ji-hoon and Koa Ja-sung are kinda acting circles around the other actors, but all in all, I can't sympathize any of these characters.

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Lawless lawer.
The begining was good. And then it felt flat. or dejavu. Maybe I watched it too soon after Vincenzo that did almost the same but in more intense way (and better visuals).

It was my first Lee Joong Gi drama, and it seriously decreased the watching priorities of his other. Then we watched Flower of evil and discovered another actor, or the effect than a good director can have.

I'm quite new in dramaland (14 months), so there are a lot of "classics" that I have not seen.
But I have no desire at all to watch the populars Goblin, Heirs, Coffee prince, W two worlds, or more recent Our beloved summer, 21-25.

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We're in the same boat on this one. I tried to watch Vincenzo when it first began airing and couldn't. Till date, I haven't gotten past episode 2, and I had to fast-forward a lot to get there.

Then there's Hotel Del Luna. Man, I wanted to love this drama so much that it's still on my watch list, even though the last time I tried to watch it was over two years ago.

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Reluctant to write this, but yeah... It's Healer for me. Tried twice before, but dropped it eventually. But I kind of like ok 😆 with Big which least favourite on DB. I know I'm weird.Hahaha😆

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Ok, before I begin the list, I want to clarify that these shows are on
here because I didn't like more than just 1 episode. There's a whole another list I maintain where the show was good until like the final episode (looking at you, DOTS!). But here's the list for me where shows made me want to watch it less with each passing week (and apologies in advance if I offend fans of any of these shows)
1. Vincenzo - I have bene a Song Joong-ki fan since DOTS, but found this one too slapstick.
2. Dol Dol Sol Sol La La Sol - I have had a crush on Lee Jae Wook since MoA, and thought he deserved to be the ML in Extraordinary You, but then they put him as ML in something like this!
3. Hospital Playlist, season 2 - Season 1 was perfect, but felt they could have made so much more out of season 2, esp. the long-awaited romance between the Song-Hwa and Ik-Jun.
4. Itaewon Class - again, a HUGE PSJ fan, but didn't like the story or some of the character development (or lack thereof).
5. Record of Youth - I know it's supposed to be PBG's farewell to fans before going into military service, but there was no real storyline or gripping drama in this.
6. Run on - see above. I easily get RoY and Run on even confused, because they were both so blah!
7. Melting me Softly - I can't even get into why! I am that upset about this whenever I think of it.
8. Vagabond.
9. Rugal - I am silly for Choi Jin Hyuk's dimples, but even those didn't make this drama berable.
10. Anything with Lee Min Ho - in fact, I am girding and trying to talk myself into watching Pachinko because I really don't want to not like it (especially after loving the book!).

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Secret Garden for me. When it first came out, I wasn't really interested in the plot even with the body swap/supernatural element. I waited about few years after airing to try it out. But I couldn't get past episode 2 because of how the ML was one of the annoying jerk and I just could not stand it. I did like the female lead though. Tried again last year, but the ML really did grate on my nerves to the point that I could not get finish episode 5.
Vincenzo was another one. When I first watched it, I thought it was one thing (the action in first 10 minutes). It was the tonal whiplash that I dropped after episode 2. But I did rewatch it all the way through last year. It did get better after putting a manga/mahwa lens to get used to the whiplash. Even after I finished it, I still didn't love as much as others did. I liked how the villain was just as smart as the hero, the FL got better as the story went on, I ended liking the tenets more than expected.

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Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

Aside from the OTP's chemistry, everything about this drama ranged from mediocre to ridiculously bad, especially the comedy.

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2521. I was looking forward to it because I like Name Joo Hjuk but I couldn't stand it. The only thing I liked was the ending everyone hated! Please don't hurt me. I've already been flamed on Reddit for the World's Most Unpopular Opinion.ol.

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I did not come back tomorrow... *sigh*

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Are you feeling better at least?

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Mostly? Kind of? It's been a rough two weeks and I've been in a dry writing space for three going four months so ...
Thanks for asking though!

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hahaha just basically google "Dramabeans users favorite dramas" and that will be what I couldnt get into. but kinda didnt want to either tho.

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Surprisingly, those big budget productions can be disappointing and others are hidden gems.

I 'hate-watched' these until the bitter end: Silent Sea, Hellbound, Snowdrop, My Name, King Eternal Monarch, Vincenzo, Boys Over Flowers, Bride of Haebak, Memories of Alhambra, Hymn of Death.

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