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Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching (May 13, 2023)

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…

 

missvictrix

Currently covering: Finland Papa, Race

Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938: This is soooo much more campy than I was expecting, but I love campy action filled with humor and one-liners, so I enjoyed the premiere episodes a lot. Yeon and Rang going around together in their vests is endlessly enjoyable. That being said, it felt like a wild goose chase of one plot string leading to the next but not actually getting anywhere. Like passing through quick video game levels (get stone, save rang, use sword, retrieve pipe, etc.) it was rewarding in its swiftness and non-lingering attitude, but it might start to get old without any foundation to the story. Then again, maybe I should just sit back and enjoy the bromance.

 

mistyisles

Currently covering: Stealer: The Treasure Keeper, The Secret Romantic Guesthouse

Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938: I totally meant to go back and get a refresher on what happened in Season 1 before starting this. That didn’t happen. But I’m thinking that’s not necessarily a bad thing — it makes it easier to enjoy the story this season is telling without feeling as attached to the way things were before (especially in terms of Rang’s character growth getting a total reset). All that to say, I’m having fun in multiple ways: the show is entertaining in and of itself, every so often I get an epiphany of “Oh yeah, THAT’S who that is!”, and we get to explore Rang and Yeon’s complicated bromance all over again.

 

DaebakGrits

Currently covering: Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938

Doctor Cha: Finally found the time to catch up on some of the newest dramas! Initially, I hesitated to watch this particular drama because I’m not keen on watching a marriage fall apart, but once I started Doctor Cha, I couldn’t stop! It’s so delightful, but waiting so long for her to find out about her husband’s affair and love child has been torture! I need her to divorce his butt so she can get a little somthing-something going on with Dr. Dreamboat.

My Perfect Stranger: Love the cast and the premise, but dramas that mess with timey-wimey stuff like this make me worried that the ending won’t be the one I want. (Thanks, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. I’m forever scarred.)

 

solstices

Currently covering: Joseon Attorney

The Secret Romantic Guesthouse: The Shi-yeol angst is breaking my heart T___T It was so painful to watch the realization dawn on him that he’d inadvertently been the reason behind Hong-joo’s years of suffering and isolation. Their unwilling separation absolutely gutted me, since it was the first time Shi-yeol was able to make a decision for himself, and he did it not for his own sake but hers. Also, I love how this story is playing out, with so many tropes averted or even subverted — the brothers joining hands, the queen dowager forgiving their deceit, Ban-ya and Hwa-ryung being such strong women and supportive allies. I’d feared the show might end up as yet another trite love story, but instead its emotional core is firmly anchored in the three boys’ friendship. It’s so satisfying watching them come together despite their differences, because of the bonds they’ve forged and the loyalty they share. Now I’m just hoping they all make it out happy and alive — don’t let us down, Show!

Finland Papa: My Honey10 (or should I say Nia?) heart is happy! It’s so much fun watching Kim Woo-seok be his teasing, tsundere self. I love the trio’s friendship and the found family ensemble, but most of all I love how the drama understands that less is more. It really allows the characters and their heartfelt emotions to shine, with its understated moments, beautiful cinematography and soothing soundtrack. Thoughtfully curated in its sentimental simplicity, the drama feels like the perfect scoop of bite-sized magic.

 

Dramaddictally

Currently covering: Doctor Cha, All That We Loved

Finland Papa: It’s impressive that we didn’t know anything about the “family members” last week, and yet, in just one hour of introductions this week, I found each of their stories really moving. All of their issues are relatable (depression, abandonment, regret), and I especially liked the story about hula dancing — and how just having something to look forward to can be the best means of survival. Even though the show is kind of like a fairy tale, it’s surprisingly real at its emotional core.

 
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Bora!/True to Love: The leads’ makeup conversation was great this week, and I think I’m enjoying Bomi and Jinho’s relationship more than most folks are. The voiceovers continue to be a delight to me.

The Good Bad Mother: The cancer seems like too much in an already busy drama, but whatever. I would honestly just watch a show where Kang-ho and Mi-joo were adorable and in love the whole time, figuring out their lives together.

Call it Love: Ugh, this was so good. I understand some folks wanting a bit more time at the end, but honestly I just don’t want to mess with such a good thing. The fact that we got to see them both smiling in the end even as they still longed for each other was beautiful.

The Silent Sea: I think this show was a love child between the Doctor Who episode The Waters of Mars and the 2007 movie Sunshine. But, not in a bad way. It was just 8 short episodes, but I think it worked because the whole thing happened over such a short timeline and in an enclosed space. Bae Doona was great as usual, but I wish they’d given Gong Yoo a little bit more to work with. He was totally believable as a stoic, competent leader who is cautious but a loving father, but I think he was underutilized. I wish we could have had more scenes with him and Luna - she could have brought out his fatherly instincts and they could have had a sweet but short relationship that would have made the ending hit a little harder. Still, totally enjoyable.

Taxi Driver: Lee Je-hoon is hilarious and amazing in this, as I suspected he would be. I don’t know how to feel about the leader of their little band of vigilantes - he seems like the most ambiguous one and I can’t quite decide about him - but I love pretty much everyone else. I think the dweeby substitute teacher is my favorite Do-ki persona so far. The way his face shifted so thoroughly from aghast victim to bored and in control was beautiful to watch.

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Gong Yoo sleep walked this role. I agree, it had great potential to show his emotional side and bonding. I quite enjoyed Silent Sea.

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I'm thinking about how many dramas I would have loved instead of liked with an ending similar to Call It Love. Sometimes all we need is a quick scene of the couple on their way to happiness with each other!

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Don’t get me started on Silent Sea- the show with more holes than a Swiss cheese! My family and I watched this together around Christmas some years ago, and boy it’s become somewhat of a comedy. We decided that it was an ambitious project and everyone did their best. But there were so many scenes that we couldn’t stop nitpicking, and the end! Oh we agreed that GY decided that it was enough, hence the ending scene which was so utterly out of nowhere it was so funny. So memorable.

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I abhor screenwriters who feel endings must be realistic and a good person must die. That's the worst thing you can do to viewer, kill off a character that you've grown fond of. There's enough death in the real world. We don't need that part of life so clearly reflected in drama land.

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Dr Cha
Eunso is badass for revealing the truth. Though I didn't like her double game and animosity towards Yirang. And on one hand I understand the children trying to protect Jungsook from the hurt (and to give her first time to properly heal and have enough energy to fulfill her dream), but on the other hand, Jungsook should know and make her own decisions, especially with such a cheating scum as a husband (Inho blaming Jungsook for lying to the family about the art school was such an irony!). Btw, whoever casted Kim Byung Chul as Inho was a genius. It's a delight to watch him (and hate him as Inho 😁).

Bora Deborah
The pattern seems to stay the same - I don't like the odd episode and like the even one. I also still like Yoo Inna (and dislike the husband) and I finally found out who Bora reminds me of - the famous Bridget Jones. 😄

The rest is on hold because I marathoned Kim Sabu 2. I loved it, warts and all, and Ahn Hyoseop was rather good there.

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I am feeling your absence over at The Real Has Come hangout, @dorotka! Have you put it on pause for the time being?

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Oh, that's sweet!
Kim Sabu 2 took most of my watching time, but I'm planning to catch up soon and then come back to the hangout (I don't want to be spoilt before that 😅).

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Good plan. But you really have been missed.

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I will return, I promise. 🤗

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Kim Byung-chul is doing a perfect job with this character. You really get such a visceral reaction when you see him. It is such a contrast with what we saw from him in PEGASUS MARKET- where he was also great. He has real skills.

Eunso's truth ambush was indeed one for the ages. Her jealousy of Yi-rang is so palpable. But the story of the half-sisters is not over, and one wonders where the writer will take that tale going forward.

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I am currently in the middle of Kim Sabu 2 and I have been impressed by Ahn Hyoseop in this role. Coming after Business Proposal, I knew he had some range, but he really played the disillusioned, broken character with enough nuance that it affected me. The scene when he is essentially selling himself to Kim Sabu. Gah.

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He did very well there. 💓

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I am watching season 1 right now. 😔

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ONGOING
Secret Romantic Guesthouse - Noble idiocy and leaving the villain alive? What are you doing show??

My Perfect Stranger - Much improved week 2 though we need to get our leads communicating more.

Stealer - The puzzle scenes were fun even if the puzzles themselves were pretty lame. We better get the fun back for finale week.

Bo-ra! Deborah - That line about Auschwitz should have been left in the drafts.

The Good Bad Mother - Young-soon's life has already featured 2 trucks of doom and now she gets terminal cancer too 😒.

STARTED
Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938 - This show only works if you completely ignore S1. Still, staring at Kim Beom in suits is a pleasant way to pass the time.

C-DRAMAS
Completed Till the End of the Moon, which was true addictive goodness till the end. While the forced editing down to 40 episodes was confusing, it did make for a no-filler, pedal-to-the-metal show.

Paused The Ingenious One due to lack of time.

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Yes, I cringed so hard about the holocaust comparison. YIKES.

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It was totally out of line. Dramaland, just imagine a FL saying this about the comfort women that were slaves to the Japanese. The drama would have been banned.
That line was BIG mistake.

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You are so right about that Auschwitz line in "Bora." Not sure how that got past the editors. I understand what the writers were going for there, but you just don't compare concentration camp survivors trying to get through each day in any way they can with someone wanting to look good for his/her ex. Just a tone deaf analogy.

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Since Bora herself is being made fun of here, I think what the writer was trying for was a joke about how pop relationship psychology trivializes serious books like Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. If you look at it that way, this reference might be tone deaf, but its also a pretty damning critique of the self-help industry.

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That's a generous take on it. I guess Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy would have been too obscure.

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Yes. In fact I hadn't even thought about Anatomy of Melancholy since graduate school, years which are now the subject of nostalgic time travel dramas. Looking up Project Gutenberg's version, I see one blurb on it (from the 18th century) calls Anatomy of Melancholy "a book once the favourite of the learned and the witty" which is why, @elinor I'm sure it came to your mind!

Back to the failed attempt in Bora for humor, the reason that reference was a disaster was that we are supposed to be sympathetic to Bora as a smart woman whose problem was that she was totally deluded about relationships. If the line referring to Frankl had been put in the mouth of someone who viewers could contemptuously sneer at, then it would be less jarring.

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DR. CHA (Ep. 7-8): Many netizens were upset with the Crohn’s disease patient story line that contained misinformation (which happens a lot in dramas) about the disease and mental health complications. The producers apologized for it.

As for Cha’s dangerous rooftop counseling, I do believe both Seo and Kim went overboard: Seo’s reaction that she could have been hurt and Kim’s public embrace. The onion is being peeled too slowly for everyone to understand the inter-connected, bad, and strange affairs. Seo is a narcissist who has convinced everyone his way is the only way. In Episode 7, there was a fleeting moment where I wanted to see a Truck of Doom when he attacked and attempted to destroy I-Rang’s dreams. But it seems everyone, including the daughters, can leverage the family’s secret to their advantage. I do like that Cha learned of the betrayal on her own; I don’t like Kim’s forward advances.

Cha learning about her son’s relationship should have put her on her own medical internship flashback with Seo. Maybe that is why she kept quiet.

I do have an issue with MIL transferring a building (not marital home?) to Cha’s name without her knowledge and mortgaging it to the hilt for an investment scheme. This is mortgage fraud--- making Cha liable as the building owner in case of default. For a family sensitive to public reputation and honor, the hypocrisy is overwhelming.

BLACK KNIGHT (Ep. 1) So it is MAD MAX UPS DRIVER playing Robin Hood. OK.

The opening episode was more about environment SFX than clear back stories. We know that Deliveryman 5-8 is a folk hero who wanders around an area like The Fringe from MAX HEADROOM. The science is off. The idea that anyone in an arid, oxygen deprived land can take off their mask and kung fu fight 6 men to submission without breaking a sweat is pretty unbelievable. Breathing air containing 6 to 10 percent oxygen results in nausea, vomiting, lethargic movements, and perhaps unconsciousness. But I guess the fight scenes were the only way the writer thought to show how dangerous this world is and the typical disparity between the classes. However, the world building information is still too scant to see if this series has the sci-fi foundation to succeed. So far, it is nothing I haven’t seen before.

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do they have like a basket where we can leave our brains when we watch this?

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It would easily be shown by any competent lawyer that our Dr. Cha had no knowledge or participation in the investment scheme, so the only potential loss to Dr. Cha would be the building itself- which was not hers to begin with.

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Yes, in US and western courts. But Korea uses a unique document seal procedure. If someone seals a legal document with a seal registration certificate, the document is binding on the person even if used by a third party. In that manner, a person does not have a defense of unauthorized use. In the past, I believe a few actors got into trouble because their agencies that held their seals to sign legal contracts on their behalf.

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It is highly unlikely that someone would ultimately be held liable for the unauthorized use of a seal when said seal had not been placed in the care of the alleged agent to be used for any purpose at all- just for safekeeping. The actors in question had given the agencies their seals along with a contract that appointed their agencies to act as their agent. Even in that situation there were probably legal consequences for the agents in question for violation of their fiduciary duties.

The equivalent in our society to the situation here would be getting a notary to notarize a forged signature. Remember that our Dr. Cha never signed an agent contract with her mother-in-law. If the mother-in-law forged such a contract this might take a bit more evidence, but it could probably be proven by skillful counsel. If MIL has done this, then she has committed two felonies rather than one.

Why do I believe that this has to be so? Because the personal seal system would break down without serious criminal law protections against such misuse- essentially just getting hold of a seal would permit anything and that could not be tolerated.

That the actors you mentioned got into trouble because their agents misused their seals is nothing new: It is just another example of the danger of malfeasance in any trust relationship, whether we call the fiduciary an agent, a trustee, a guardian or an executor, this danger has always existed and will always exist and will continue to provide lawyers with paying work.

To make Dr. Cha personally liable beyond losing a building she never owned the burden is actually going to be on the creditors to prove that her mother-in-law was actually her agent. The moment that Dr. Cha testifies as to how the seal was created and that it was simply entrusted to her mother-in-law's care for safekeeping they are in trouble. There would be further testimony that she was not even aware of the existence of the building until she sought a loan. Had she followed the banker's advice to take out a second mortgage on the building then she would have effectively ratified what her MIL had done but, fortunately, she chose not to do so.

The reality is that what her mother-in-law was depending on was that, if the investment scheme went south her daughter-in-law would say nothing in order to 'protect the family' while ultimately it would be her son who actually paid for her fraud. That is why mother-in-law is deeply upset by her son's affair and why the revelation of the existence of a third grandchild brings her great fear rather than joy. She is now potentially in danger of going to prison precisely because her son has betrayed her daughter-in-law who no longer has any rational reason to remain loyal to the family.

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The perfect Stranger: I continue to enjoy this drama. It got the sharing of information out of the way early on, Thank the lord. I like the chemistry between the two leads and I love love the relationship between Yoon Young and her mother.

Bora!Deborah: Awww our leads are becoming friends. I like that for them. It seems like everyone is finally getting some form of closure, they are all need it to start a new. As for our married couple, they need communication and couples therapy because who forgoes sex to meet up with a friend, smh.

The Good Bad Mother: She isn't a particularly good mother and I really hope she works on that before she dies from cancer. Mi Joo is my favorite!!

Stealer: I'm a stealer, lol, continues to be delightful.

Black Knight: It was fine. It was missing character development and motivations though. We don't truly know any of our characters that well. What is the importance of mutants, why did that man need his blood, how did 5-8 become the strongest? How did he form his organization? etc etc.

Race: Also just fine, they are all so bland to me, there is no spice and the chemistry is almost non existent, but Moon So Ri will be more visible in the next episodes, so I'm hoping it gets better.

Kim Sabu: 😍

Joseon Attorney: Almost to the end.

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I how bad mum faces how bad she’s been and how much her attitude hurt her son. No matter how much she suffers from her cancer, it’s no excuse for her to treat his disable son that way. She should work things out to make sure his future is ensured. Work on something useful, woman! If you are going to die make sure you work out your son will be looked after.
Oh, I dislike her so much!

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Finland Papa
I will miss it but I am so glad we finally get to see what is going on with the cafe owner. My theory is that dad and grandmother set it up and used her future husband Woohyun. I am not sure what the connection is with his dad but because, she cut off all ties with him after her father’s death it became a secret only to be revealed when she was ready to handle it.

The Good Bad Mother
Is this the show where the impact of an ‘ends justify the means’ approach will be shown in all its terribleness. We have so many examples of it, a loving mum withdrawing her affection to raise her child to have access to the parts of society where money and power have the loudest voices. A prosecutor turned politician who drives his daughter to the brink of insanity in order to gain command of the country. A gangster who will destroy anyone and anything in order to live the lifestyle of the rich so he can pursue his love of baseball.

All that we loved.
After the fake out, we see more of the reason for the brotherly closeness between them and the potential for the boys’ relationship to become strained beyond repair. As they recover from the operation it was surprising that alcohol would not have been considered a no go zone as they wouldn’t want to make their one remaining kidney have to do so much work filtering out the toxins from the home brew.

What is with the current crop of dramas not providing pre views? This is the third show that has left me hanging.

Race
I am not sure about this one it is creatively shot and edited with the best transitions and opening shots for the scenes. It has some interesting examples of work situations and colleagues. They have the hangout run by a friend and like all such hangouts never seems to have other customers so not sure how they keep it running.

The wind blows
This melo came highly recommended by a beanie and I can see that it has the potential to be a real tearjerker. I am on the home stretch so bracing myself. I am disappointed that the storyline to hasten the divorce was included as it was beyond ridiculous and didn’t really fit with the feel of the drama. I just fast forwarded through it. I also did not like the glossing over of the ex wife’s disruption of his routine leading to a significant incident taking place that sped up his decline. Other than that a really thoughtful reflection of the issues that arise with the early onset of dementia for the person living with dementia and those around them.

Completed
Brush up life - Japanese comedy about earning a way to return as a human the funny side of reincarnation. I enjoyed it.

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Film
We couldn’t become adults - Japanese
Showed the encounters and choices that influenced the main lead’s life. It started with the current day then goes back a few years at a time showing key events that led to the opening scene. Every scene they showed someone smoking and some sex scenes.
I didn’t really enjoy it.

Audio Books:
At the end of the Matinee by Keiichiro Hirano. I wondered if the author was a bitter Beatles fan as the female lead is called Yoko and it’s a love story between her and a musician who loses his mojo and becomes overwhelmed by his love for her. He even records an album at the Abbey Road studios…

It’s the only book where I have suddenly been pulled out of the story because a character’s outrageous behaviours made me think of the second female lead traits in a Korean drama. Later another scene had the same effect when two men were having a conversation in a hotel and ended up discussing the improvement in massage chairs as they sample the latest versions. It’s a book with Japanese characters and refers to significant events in the time frame of the book in Japan and the USA. I have rarely seen J dramas do PPL in the style of K dramas so I wondered whether the author was subtly pitching for it to become a drama. It would make a great k drama.

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On Friday, my nieces stopped by my work. They had gone to a local library book sale. They got 27 books for $20. Many were current, but never checked out, library books and novels.

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Wow, bargain! I hope they enjoy reading them all.

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I really like your theory about the Finland Papa cafe!☺️

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My Perfect Stranger I like our main characters and I'm intrigued by the story.

The Secret Romantic Guesthouse I'm disapointed they made Shi-Yeol being ashamed and leaving at the worst moment. He deserved better.

Bora! Deborah For a dating coach, she's really bad at handling her own life.

Finland Papa I don't specially like it. I thought I woud love it because healing stories with a founded family are the best. But in this case, the different stories sound cliché, the flashbacks are overused and the mysterious man acts in a very creepy way.

Joseon Attorney At this point, it's just for the bean.

Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 3 The 2 interns are hilarious.

Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 Kim Bum with short hair in a vest is the best part.

Race I didn't understand why her CEO allowed herself to be humiliated like this when she already knew she won't win it...

Black Knight A comet touched the Earth, some continents went under water but the country that was surrounded around 80% by water survided...

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Dr. Cha - I’m on ep 3 and so far so good. That husband and mil duo, can’t wait for them to get theirs!

Black Knight - A little weird. Don’t think too much about it.

Till the End of the Moon - I’m on ep 12, and I’m not feeling it. Not feeling the chemistry or curiosity to continue. Maybe everyone hyped it up too much and the expectations were high.

Back From the Brink - I recently read the novel so I remember the characters and story. The drama is far what I expected. The cgi is soooo bad. Hopefully the story and chemistry makes up for it.

Blood of Youth - Finished! This is probably my favorite drama of the year so far. It is soo good. Love love the 3 male leads.

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My perfect stranger (ep.4). So our leads have decided to trust each other and try and solve a mystery. They only need to connect the dots to understand how much their stories are connected. As everyone said on the weeps, I also love the sweet relation YYooYoung has with her mum, getting to know the person she was before she was her mum, and also her relation with her dad. I know she wants to hate him because he never behaved as a dad, but let’s be honest, teenager HeeSeob is just a sweetheart.

Bora! Deborah (ep. 10). I’m still here for YIN. I’m glad the drama thought, as I ddi, that the kiss was a bit too early, because this week we’ve seen our leads dealing with it. It was also refreshing seeing a ML going through trouble with a break up. So far SuHyuk had been very stoic about it, and it felt like he understood what he had done wrong in his relation, but we’ve never seen him actually suffering or trying to overcome the situation. It was only on episode 10 that he decided to get rid of her ex things, realizing he needed a closure, just in time for ex-girlfriend to show up and give him a wedding invitation with the sole aim to hurt him. Sorry, but that girl is pure trash. She just wanted to get married to anyone. Literally ANYONE to say to the world she is a (very unhappy) married woman. It’s barely a couple of months that she broke up with a guy she’s been dating for years and… she’s getting married. She obviously was seeing two men at a time, and girl, that is trash.

Good bad mother (ep.6). I hate the cancer plot, and honestly the revenge plot. Young Soon turning back to her bad parenting because she’s learning she’s going to die is just awful. She really deserves her son despise. And adorable as 7 yo KangHo is, I can’t forget he’s hurt so many people in his way to revenge, I’m not sure I want him back. Anyway, both LDH and AEJ are delivering impressive performances.

Tale of the nine tailed: 1938 (ep.2). I’m here for the pretty boys. Kim Bum and Lee Dong Wook in tailored suits. I just don’t need a plot or any sense in time traveling. Bring everything you have, drama, I’m just enjoying the view.

Doctor Romantic 3. (Ep. 4). I was not going to watch this season, because I’ve already watched Doldam being Doldam for two seasons, but here I am. I roll my eyes at the baddies, the stereotypes and the tropes, but I just can’t stop watching. Kim Saba, I love you.

Doctor Cha (ep.6). I binged this over the week. I wasn’t going to watch either, because it feel makjangish, but I just couldn’t stop playing the following episode every time. I’m having so much fun while watching this, and I’m all for a woman who decides she is a woman before a mum and a house (and a maid, because that is what she’s been treated for the last 20 years).

Planning to try Race and Black night, although don’t ask me where I will find the time!

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I just learnt about the incident involving the actor who plays the antagonist in Romantic Doctor 3 and my desire to watch it kind of diminished. I will still watch it though. I think?

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I was about to drop it because I really hate to watch a drama with LKY, but also if I have to avoid all dramas he is in, I would be too limited, i’m afraid. I struggle every time, and every time I ponder if I should go on or not. Right now I am going on. But still… always hard.

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After a rather meh few months, things are looking up with two time travel shows. I have finally travelled forward in time to a period when not all kdramas are mediocre :)

Doctor Romantic 3: 6.0

Joseon Attorney: A Morality: 7.0 The trials were starting to all seem the same and got tiresome. Day 13 changed things up a bit but now it seems like we are in for another trial real soon now.

All That We Loved: __ Well, didn't love the first 5 minutes. Since the premise didn't sound interesting and beanie comments didn't seem enthusiastic that's all the chance I gave it.

Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938: 9.0 😊🤣😂😭 But how is he going to keep that phone charged back in 1938?

My Perfect Stranger: 8.0

Secret Romantic Guesthouse: 5.5 2nd-lead noble idiocy. The watchman is broken up over having killed the original betrothed of the woman he loves -- but he preemptively got rid of his competition and I expect it will turn out well for him.

Bora! Deborah / True to Love: 7.0 Yoo In-na and Sojin and... and... Help me out here, there must be some other things to like. Because even they aren't quite enough.

Stealer: The Treasure Keeper: 6.5 Were those revolving head kimono dolls supposed to remind us of the giant doll in Squid Games? Or supposed to make our heads spin at the logic of it all?

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Dr. Cha - I'm up for Jung-seok's decision with respect to her husband's affair. But I hope forgiveness or understanding is nowhere lurking in the corner.

My Perfect Stranger - Anything but the leads messing with the anti-guys and spilling future information on them or speaking in premonitions. One of the rules of time-travel - keep your information to yourself.

Tale of the Nine-tailed Ep 1 - I liked it.

I've been too choked to watch Bora! Deborah, Finland Papa and TSRG. But, I really do not understand the wrong burden of guilt weighing down on Shi-yeol, or why the hell did they decide to kill off Hwa-ryung. Did that plot point really have to play out?
I hope to catch everything up in time to enjoy the finale next week. Shi-yeol and Hong-joo better come out alive...,and together.

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The Secret Romantic Guesthouse (Episode 15-16) - Mood: D
You know, since this show has 18 episodes, I was expecting some mind blowing plot twist where Jang’s son wasn’t killed by Si Yeol and instead was Si Yeol’s watchman predecessor who got killed in action protecting San, with that fateful night also being a tragic one for Si Yeol since he lost his friend. The song Si Yeol hummed previously was a secret code of friendship: I fantasised about it being a turning point in which Jang realises tragically that he’s been hunting down his son’s best friend, leading him to turn against the king and maybe sacrifice himself to kill the king’s guard? That would’ve been so good! Sigh.

The Good Bad Mother (Episode 5-6) - Mood: C-
No matter how much I like Lee Do Hyun, that’s way too much makjang with a Truck of Doom and terminal illness! It baffles me as to why they even added the nuisance that is the trot singer character when Young Soon’s noble idiocy will be taking center stage next week. And I couldn’t care less for the villains, even if I found the henchman duo morbidly hilarious.

Doctor Cha (Episode 7-8) - Mood: C-
Major oof that both son and daughter (especially the son) elected not to tell Dr Cha about the affair when they found out: it just stings when they’re in a position where they should interfere unlike Roy Kim. Last week, I prematurely celebrated about the possibility that we’re 100% getting a divorce: now I have to eat my words given that horrible preview? Why, show, why?!

Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D+
After watching the 1st episode, I was hopeful that this might turn out to be a sequel that’s better than the 1st season? It felt like we traded a one-note villain and romance for frenemies and bromance! But that hope dissipated after the 2nd episode: female lead is obsessed, fire guy has lame revenge origin story and there’s the Japanese demon being the one-note villain.

All That We Loved (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D
Was there a need to add school bullying into the picture when we’ve already got terminal illness and a love triangle listed in the synopsis? Even without the kleptomaniac So Yeon (who’s managed to hide it given that she’s become an actress?), just Dr. Go’s identity was enough. Did the transplant donor sacrifice himself for the donee or was the latter doomed regardless?

My Perfect Stranger (Episode 3-4) - Mood: D+
While it’s good that the leads won’t be withholding information from each other any longer, it still sucks for the viewers who have known everything and will be waiting one more week for the characters to play catch up? Personally, I’m disappointed that the car fix was a fake out: it’s 2021 and not 1987 that holds the answers, especially if you’re changing 1987’s timeline?

Stealer: The Treasure Keeper (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D
Bora! Deborah (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D-

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Joseon Attorney
Since it’s been almost a week since I saw the episodes, I only remember Woo Do Hwan, beautiful orchestral music, a wonderful shot from above for the last scene (nowadays possible with drones) and unusual hanbok: a green skirt with a black transparent jacket- which reminded me of the unique modern hanbok fashion in Mystic Pop Up Bar.
Romantic Guesthouse
The dramatic week-before-last-episodes where everyone isn’t thorough enough and acts as if they have all the time in the world while the king is not dead yet!!! And letting your enemies live!!!
Bo Ra! Deborah
I have nothing much to say, my favorites are JU-NE and Bora’s sister as a couple (“No, I don’t really believe in fate, it was just an opener to find the courage to talk to you.”).
Doctor Cha
I like this drama and the Korean watchers do, too! These episodes were great, funny and moving. What I liked best were the relatable reactions to the reveals: mother-in-law gets angry and aggressive, daughter is actually relieved to know that her father is the trash bag he acts like, son has to throw up; Jung-Sook shakes, doesn’t know what to do with her hands and body, gets up, sits down, shivers, cries: that was great acting!
Dr Romantic S3
Loved last week’s episodes, love Lee Hong Nae as the new doctor (remember him as an evil ghost in The Uncanny Counter), hate the villain – but we do need “a bad person” as a contrast, and I have a feeling that he’s going to change, too.
The Good Bad Mother
7-year-old Lee Do Hyun is a treat to watch, the playful romance with Mi Joo is wonderful, and then he changes suddenly and becomes ice cold – great acting in all his personas. I do have a problem with the overblown comedy (the trot composer and the face mask…) – sure it’s fun, but the contrast is sometimes grating. And now we’re in for more tragedy. Did it have to be terminal cancer again??? Mother shouldn’t get compassion for being ill while still being abusive to her son. She treats her pigs with more consideration than him!
Bonus: OST song by Melomance, AoS reunion, Kim Ji Woong guest role and the real 7-year-olds 😊
My Perfect Stranger
So I’m getting into the 80ies nostalgia now and recognize not only the hairdos and accessories, but the cut of the clothes (I sewed some of my own back then) 😊 But why would you not talk openly about your story and your agenda when you are in such an extreme situation, stranded in the past and knowing that terrible crimes are going to happen? Anyhow, I like the storyline, acting and the pace and will continue to watch.
Stranger
Again, travel for work, download a Netflix drama. This was on my watchlist the longest. I’ve seen Cho Seung Woo from Life, but almost didn’t recognize him from Divorce Attorney Shin. It deserves all the praise, but I do have to be very attentive not to miss anything!
Love Revolution
I watch this in between airing dramas and am drawing it out on purpose, so...

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so I keep having something to look forward to.
KDrama friend project:
Loving Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938, our only worry is when do we get to meet to continue watching this! If there’s time left, we continue Cherry Magic and Cool Doji Danji.

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Funny you mention the new dr in Dr Romantic S3. I recognised him right away as the nameless evil in The Uncanny Encounter and thought he’s going to be an evil doctor here.

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On Air:

_ Secret Romantic Guesthouse (16 out of 18). What I wish is a happy ending for all of them, I don't mind who gets the throne, I only want they can enjoy life from now on, because all of them have faced too many hardships in their early lives.

_ Bora Deborah (10 out of 14).
Episode 10 has been specially great because the relationship between the leads has improved a lot. I love how they need each other even though they are trying hard to define their relationship (Mulder and Scully, Leo and Winslet? XD).

_ Finland Papa (4 out of 6). Not much to say. Well, I loved that the "false son" is sharing messages with his sister. It was cute and unexpected.

_ All that we loved (1 out of 8). 🤔

Old dramas:

_ Six Flying Dragons (29 out of 50). I feel that the pace of this drama is getting faster since episode 25. Love the fighting scenes.

Western:

_ The Mandalorian Season 3 (6 out of 8). Just after finishing Boba Fett series, of course. Luke training Grogu was 💕

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—Love Story In Harvard (rewatch): I love this show so much, I even know the OST by heart.
Long live the touchdown kiss. It's so lame (but meaningful) it's iconic. 👌? 👌

—The King: EM (dropped): This would've worked so much better as a BL.
The whole plot and the romance would've been better. I think the male characters had an interesting dynamic/relationship and the actors had nice chemistry. It would've been a nice friends to lovers trope, and the story could've been about them protecting their kingdom from the evil uncle, with the help of their 2019/Republic of Korea versions.
Idk, I just think anything would've been more fun than... Yeah.

Btw, isn't this guy (the ML) like the worst king in kdrama history? And we were saying that San (Yi Seol) has messy priorities, well, the guy from this show goes beyond that.

—My Perfect Stranger: I'm just going with the vibe since this show is exactly my style. 😎

—Race (EP1): Nice intro. I like all the characters already, they're cute and passionate. The ML really did her dirty tho, I'm really trying to understand why he didn't say anything.

—The Secret Romantic Guesthouse (EP15): I didn't watch EP16 because I feel like it's better to binge watch the whole finale, but I'm so scared. Anything can happen.

—Dr Kkondae, I mean, Dr Romantic 2 (dropped): I couldn't stop rolling my eyes when Kim Sa Bu was talking about morals and stuff to a kid that almost got killed because he didn't have money to pay his debt. LOL I was like "wow, someone wants a job because they need money, what a crime. Rich coming from the dude that sat still for 30min even when multiple emergency patients were dying in front of his eyes".

—Stealer (EP2): it's fun, but hard to binge watch. At least for me.

—IOTNBOkay (rewatch): the show healed me. Again.

—9T 1938: I really hope they stop mentioning Yeon's "wife" (Ji Ah) because I'm trying my best to separate both seasons and enjoy this second part as an independent story.

—TOT9Tailed (rewatch): Season 2 made me feel salty, so I rewatched some parts of the first season and know I'm more salty. LOL

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Finished the found family C-drama Go Ahead and my take away is that somebody on that writing team has mommy issues. The female characters in the mother generation were, from bad to worse: a parasitic stage mom, a noble idiot who hid her jail time, a complete control freak and a flat out psychopath. The only good mom was the dead one. Please K-remake writing team, you can do better than that.
Having sat through that drama I decided I would give Reply 1988 another try (she admitted sheepishly). I know, I know its a classic. I started on Ep 1 again and realized why I dropped it before - all the screaming, shouting and fighting. I grew up in a big noisy family and always sought out the quiet places. However I am determined to turn the volume down and committed to watch it to the end. Hwighting!
The C-drama Till the End of the Moon will never make it on my completed list, despite the fact that I was sort-of enjoying it. I thought I was so allergy muddle-headed that I couldn't make sense of the climax of the plot. Turns out not many watchers could figure out those last 5 episodes. Another promising drama cut up into hash in order to comply with the new episode number rules.
Late night recharge after an overly-social week The Love You Give Me is an entirely predictable, trope laden rom-(com?) brain bubblegum that features the cutest kid to appear on my screen in a long while. Redheads in China? Is that genetically possible?
Given my pollen allergies, I'm saving My Perfect Stranger for another season seeing as how I'm mentally allergic to time travel.

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I dropped Love you give me. Yea it was cute. The kid was sweet and I liked the tropes too. But after a point it just felt like it’s struggling without a story.

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I personally know some peeps who dropped Reply 1988 in the early episodes, citing it was boring. But then the rave reviews would pique their curiosity and would give it another try, and by episode 4 (for sure), they have fallen hard for this drama.

I am glad you are picking up on this drama. This is a gem. Enjoy!

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Episode 3 of Reply 1988 is where all the fun really starts-- hang in there!

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The volume in Reply 1988 tends to the loud, for sure. In fact, my mother had to stop for the same reason.
It does get quieter--or the I became more desensitized?--as the story goes along.

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GA: All the moms, esp the ML’s, made me unable to continue the show. I think I only have 7 eps to go until it’s finished. That woman is a parasite.

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I made it to episode 34 of Till the End of the Moon and then decided to wait to watch the last six episodes together. Now, I'm not sure if I'll continue. I did originally defend the show against some of its harshest critics, and I still think it's no worse than other Xianxia dramas I've seen (I'm not a big fan of the genre). However, reactions to the ending made me think it wasn't worth finishing it, and I was a bit disappointed that the main character was still saddled with the bad devil fetus stigma as an immortal. It just made me feel that the plot wasn't going anywhere I wanted it to go, and the constant villainy and suffering wore me out. I actually liked that the drama did not exceed 40 episodes, which is usually too long for me, and I was surprisingly entertained up until the end, when it all started to seem a bit redundant. If the characters ultimately succumb to an unfair fate, what's the point? Did other viewers find some meaning to it all?

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Based on the few English translated opinions, best I can figure is that the FL was "underwritten". Being kind here. Apparently, in the novel, she was a fully realized, nuanced goddess-person but that characterization never made it to the script. She was a gal on a mission.
The "I will choose my own destiny" aspect for the ML was sacrificed in favor of more battles, red dye syrup out the mouth and CG opportunities. Like you, I enjoyed the drama although I admit to FF-ing through many scenes. Maybe next time, eh?

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GOOD BAD MOTHER: Although not without its flaws, this show is the one I'm enjoying the most right now. LDH is amazing, of course, as he truly inhabits the character of a grown man going through life with only his childhood knowledge. But I also love the character of Mi-joo; I've always liked this actress (she was really good in "The One and Only" which very few people watched) and she's pulling me in with her genuine performance. And those twins are painfully adorable! I was put off by the cancer twist at first, but after reading some Beanie comments and re-thinking it, I'm more open to the fat that it's going to accelerate the plot. Also, I really love the villain's henchmen and their goofy closet hiding, manure buying antics.

BORA: I hated episode nine with a fiery passion, but then loved episode 10. The thing this show does well is the conciliatory conversation, although it's too bad it's always preceded by Bora acting the fool. When Bora finally was honest to Soo-hyuk and told him exactly how ambivalent and, frankly, scared she's feeling about either growing closer to or losing him (not to mention exploring any kind of attraction) she was so much more believable and likeable. Prior to that, she seemed either unbelievably emotionally immature or mean to Soo-hyuk; he was absolutely right to call her out on the fact that she only thinks about her own feelings and insecrurities, never his. I also did not expect Yu-ri to be this manipulative, although Soo-hyuk really should have just answered her question about whether or not he ever loved her, especially since I'm not sure I know the answer and would like to.

DR. ROMANTIC: Behind on this, but I'm already tired of the main antagonist, both actor and character. I really dislike the kind of stoic, manipulative paternalism he represents and the actor never plays nuance.

FINLAND PAPA: Not wild about the surveillance culture of the workplace, even if the boss has good intentions. This show would have been better to watch in the winter, because there is so much scenic eye candy, and the soundtrack is very cozy. I hope the main protagonists meet next week because even though this is a very short drama, it feels like their inevitable reunion has dragged out too long.

I tried the first 20 minutes of RACE and just couldn't get into it. I liked MY PERFECT STRANGER, but also couldn't get into it this week. Last night, gave BLACK NIGHT about 10 minutes because Kim Woo-bin, but I am really just not a sci-fi person. In non-kdrama news, I think "Charlotte" is the best Bridgerton universe installment yet even though it's a very bittersweet story all the way through. I also think the casting directors for this show deserve all the awards; they find little known, extremely talented (not to mention gorgeous) actors who inhabit these roles perfectly.

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Do they alternate the writers for Bora between the episodes?? 😄
(I always want to drop it during the odd ones.)

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This explains everything

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I just finished Charlotte a moment ago and I LOVED it! Well it has too many sex scenes for my liking (but ofc we can watch them as some educational materials), but I really really loved the ending! I have never watched Bridgerton, but I really liked this one.

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Alchemy of Souls: I loved the central couple in both its versions and how their experience as outcast misfits gave them a shared contempt for social norms and freed them to use pretty much any strategy to challenge and defend each other. What I loved less was the awkward transition between the show's two parts. Nothing about the last episode of part 1 or the mysterious 3 years in between made any sense, not just on a "magical" level but on a character level. I hate it when writers take away the agency of their characters or force them to act in out-of-character ways in order to shove the plot in a particular direction, and it was especially annoying in this case because I could actually see Naksu choosing to stab Uk to unleash his full range of powers. That moment also encapsulated my bigger frustration with the show. It felt like it wanted to be both safe and fun and edgy and subversive. It wanted to show the rot in the social structures but it didn't want its characters to really overturn them. Once the "few bad apples" were eliminated, everyone could be comfortably reabsorbed into the status quo and the genuine danger represented by Uk and Cho Yeong could morph into "cute couple quirks". I wish the show had had the guts to unleash the full anarchic energy of its leads as readily as it unleashed its firebird.

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I watched it as a cartoon: I turned my brain off. 😅

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I started watching it that way, but found the dynamic between the leads genuinely compelling (in different ways in each season). Some of that was good acting, but it was also how they were written as awkward, angry, impulsive, and willing to sacrifice pretty much anything, including their dignity, for their goals. I the show to embrace that moral ambiguity and messiness more instead of defaulting to "heroes save the world from the nasty bad guys".

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I've been on a Lee Jun-Hyuk streak lately. Fell hard for him in Dark Hole, his heart fluttering blend of oppa-detective with piercing eyes who will go to the ends of the earth to protect you is so comforting. Recommend his Naked Fireman (what a title!!!) a short and sweet 4 episode drama. I just finished 365: Repeat the Year, another hit as well. Currently watching A Poem A Day. He shines in the detective/medical niche so well. Sigh, wish I could find someone like his character in real life. This guy never gets to sit down in his dramas, he's always on the move.

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He is my beloved baby!! I fell for him in City Hall in 2009 and never looked back!

Question: how horrory is Dark Hole? I absolutely can't handle horror and anything zombie-like.

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Me too! And his part in City Hunter affected my daughters so much they can't watch it again. I bring it up, and they just say "...prosecutor!..."

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I, on the other hand, fast forwarded to his scenes on every rewatch! 😄 But I know exactly what you mean!

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Oh, I was trying so hard to get into City Hunter for Lee Jun-Hyk's sake, but the two leads kept getting in the way lol. They're so distracting haha. The female lead wasn't my cup of tea, so I may have to try again by fast forwarding their scenes. Oh no, what happened to the prosecutor?

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I always have a soft spot for him because of City Hall - it’s an odd side character: raw, green but ambitious. These traits continue into his roles in Forest of Secrets / Stranger and Designated Survivor. Now looking forward to the new spinoff from Stranger in which weasel will be the lead!

Naked Fireman is a good short piece.

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it’s an odd side character: raw, green but ambitious.

EXACTLY. It is a character that could, in the hands of a seasoned character, providing the male lead was anyone but Cha Seung Won, overshadow him completely. He was still fascinating and memorable as it was.

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BUT who can overshadow Cha Sheung Won?!? His Jo Gook in City Hall is the most mesmerising and romantic lead in my book.

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That is what I'm saying 😁 , NOBODY could overshadow Cha Seung Won!

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Sigh I wish Cha Seung-won had done more dramas. I've enjoyed every drama of his that I've watched. Hope he stays young and healthy forever.

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You know, this is so strange but City Hall is one of my favorite dramas ever, both for the screenplay and the lead actors (best pairing!) The funny thing is that I don't remember Lee Jun-Hyuk's role in it at all! I must have been completely distracted/mesmerized by Cha Seung-won! I still listen to the soundtrack from City Hall and it brings back the feels every time. What a memorable drama.

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Oh, he was CSW's assistant who first betrayed him and then came back to him.

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ah, good question re: Dark Hole. this was at the tail end of a string of horror/zombie/exorcism dramas I watched after putting them off for a long time because like you, I am scared of scary dramas too. After watching all these scary dramas in a row, I kinda grew a thick skin. Dark Hole wasn't the scariest of the ones I've watched. Actually, I went through it so fast that I don't even remember much of the details, except of course that Lee Jun-Hyuk stole my heart. If I remember correctly, Dark Hole had a meaningful message, it was more of a battle between good and evil. It was easy to watch because both the male and female leads were very good. They carried the show, and they will help to lead you through any scary parts as well. Good luck, hope you give it a try! The ending was good too.

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TELL ME WHAT YOU SAW: Watched 4 episodes and can't go on. What I love about Korean cop shows is that they are usually amazing at telling me immediately who these people are, how they work, and make me feel for them. I have watched 4 eps and don't know, or feel, anything about these people, except that they are all conceited and rude.

THE GOOD DETECTIVE: This show on the other hand did the important parts well, but is very boring. I finished episode 5 after many days and have no real urge to click on ep 6. I wish it was more procedural than just one case of an innocent inmate who practically EVERYBODY is trying to prove guilty. The rival team right beside them seeing and hearing and ruining everything was ridiculous at first and is now becoming frustrating.

AT A DISTANCE THE SPRING IS GREEN: I started this show at the recommendation of @lapislazulii when I fell for Bae In Hyuk in My Roommate is a Gumiho, and I liked it very much.
The back stories, and some side characters were unnecessarily over-dramatic and excessive but the core story was very sweet and heartwarming.

Non Korean:

GACATTA: Watched this 1993 American movie for the first time, and now I have an unrelenting voice in my head repeating that I had either watched it 30 years ago and forgotten it, or watched a very similar movie. That legs lengthening scene was wildly familiar!

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I absolutely loved At a distance, spring is green. The actings, characters, their relationships, the perfect ending, the OST, the slice-of-life mood...
A "feel good" or comfort drama for me. I binge-watched it a few months ago and last week a friend of mine watched it in two days and loved it a lot too.

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It seems I will have to pick up AT A DISTANCE. I also fell for Bae In Hyuk in GUMIHO.

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High five! And do watch it. He is the best part of the show.

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Park Ji Hoon is really talented too. I have watched him here and in Weak Hero Class 1 and I'm looking forward to watching him in other dramas (old or new).

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He was adorable in Love Revolution, which was the first time I saw him.

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Typo: *Gattaca!

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I am in the process of trying to catch up and wrap up two historical dramas and then take a short sabbatical from kdrama series and focus on films I have queued up and return to the cdrama 2020 ‘Light On’ crime dramas available on iQIYI. They are all 12 episodes and I have watched 3 of the 5 (KIDNAPPING GAME, THE BAD KIDS, and CRIMSON RIVER). That leaves SISYPHUS and THE LONG NIGHT to finish the year. I jumped ahead in the series and watched one that recently aired in China: THIRTEEN YEARS OF DUST (24 eps). I have enjoyed all of them.
My two historical dramas that I want to finish are:
1. Cdrama: JOY OF LIFE (2019) (Viki US) 34 of 46 episodes watched. Wonderful cast and ML Zhang Ruo Yun continues to amaze me. I love his work.
2. JOSEON ATTORNEY (Viki US). I pick up at episode 10. Woo Do-hwan is giving a tour de force performance.
Side bar. As I observed the shirtless WDH in a couple of scenes in episode 7 (one was a wrestling match he impulsively entered during a festival) I had a thought along the lines, “Yes, he has been training for those boxing scenes in his upcoming BLOODHOUNDS on Netflix”.
Check out the recent BLOODHOUNDS trailer and you can confirm my thought. That is the WDH post military drama I have been waiting for.

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WDH was already pretty muscular in My Country (not that I remember the first episode bath scene so well :p )

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In JA WDH’s physique is the same as when he appeared in that scene in MY COUNTRY (2019) (Netflix US). He has obviously kept himself in shape since then and through his Army days etc.
One comparison I found interesting in that MC scene was that Yang Se-jong (also looking in great shape at the time) looked broader across the chest than WDH.

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Joy of Life is so fun, and they've finally, finally begun to film season 2 (with pretty much all of the original cast)!

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That is very good news.

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BAD KIDS is on my watch list after indirectly discovering its existence form UNDER THE SKIN. I just have to find a good way to watch it since I am not subscribed to IQIYI.

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Both are terrific. UTS (2022) is available on both iQIYI and Viki US whereas it appears THE BAD KIDS is only legally available on iQIYI. I hope you can watch it somehow.

O/T. Late in 2022 I subscribed to iQIYI so I could watch the uniformed police slice of life cdrama ORDINARY GREATNESS (2022). I loved it. (The lovely ost is on my fan wall).

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Current/recent:
Bora! Deborah: I wasn’t sure why I was still watching - I was enjoying Yoo In-na’s performance and Yoon Hyun-min’s wry, amused reactions and not much else. And then episodes 9 and 10 came along and this show suddenly turned into the bittersweet comedy-with-feels it should always have been. I’m going to forget almost everything that came before and hope this turn for the better lasts another 4 episodes.

Older stuff:
Stranger (Forest of Secrets) 1: I can’t say enough good things about this show. It’s gripping. The actors are fantastic.

Do You Like Brahms? through ep. 8: I’m not sure what to make of this. On the one hand, the classical music setting is lovely and fresh; on the other, it’s a pretext for a whole new set of clichés plus some old familiar ones (conductors and professors must be arrogant, temperamental assholes; men are natural geniuses at music while women struggle, practice more, work harder, and still fall short; child prodigies are secretly abused; SFLs are bitter backbiting bitches, etc.). I do love Park Eun-bin and it seems like Kim Min-jae got a lead role worthy of his talents in this one, but the relentless insecurity and self-pity displayed by every main character are a drag. I’ll keep going, though wary of warnings that it gets super-angsty later.

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One interesting thing for me about BRAHMS (2020) (I agree with your spot on analysis.) was that in a way it was a ppl for gorgeous Steinway pianos which were manufactured in Astoria, Queens, NY not far from where I was living at the time.
I even checked out the Steinway Spirio player piano that one professor had in his office. (The cost for that piano currently starts at around (US) $122,000 and goes up from there.)

As you no doubt have noticed Kim Min-jae’s character of Park Joon-young is wrapped super uptight. That makes his performance in his following drama DALI (2021) so delightful (to me in any case). He let it all hang out as Moo-hak. Bravado and flashy suits. He was great. Probably my favorite performance of his.

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It's so sad that Steinways are pretty much unaffordable unless a chaebol falls in love with me and buys one for me. On the other hand, there's news articles about how schools sometimes have to throw out perfectly good grand pianos because they don't have the time/staff to find a buyer.

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That is right- prowl the second hand market.

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The trick is finding the right second-hand piano - used enough to be discounted but new enough to have many years of use left in it. Pianos, unlike many stringed instruments, do not generally get better with age and have a relatively short useful life - maybe a few decades, maybe less if they've been moved a lot, played intensively, or kept in less-than-ideal conditions (damp, temperature extremes, etc.). I still feel sad about letting go of our lovely, ornate, and once wonderful-sounding 1905 upright grand, but over many years it just got too old for serious playing and wouldn't stay in tune for more than a month. The best scenario is one from some ambitious well-off household who buy more piano than they need for Junior's lessons and give up after a few years of him/her refusing to practice. 😂

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Elinor has made some very sound points. My late father was a piano major for the first half of his college carreer (He then realized that he would never be another Vladimir Horowitz and changed majors) so my experience in this area is semi-vicarious as I and the piano parted ways after only a single year. He owned a grand piano for over forty years- and it was very well taken care of- so whoever it went to next got an instrument that was still very playable if aging.

My only additional suggestion is to see if you have a friend who has a very good ear and actually play it while the friend listens (after a careful inspection of the entire instrument, of course.). The sound will tell the difference. The more of an expert your friend is the better.

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I think Stranger was either my first k-drama or the first one that really drew me in. I loved it. I just thought it was hilarious that they had to come up with such an elaborate reason for a man to be emotionally repressed.

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In response to your comments on Do You Like Brahms, I'm hoping the upcoming classical music Kdrama with Lee Young Ae is an improvement. Hopefully it'll exclude these ridiculous clichés.

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SOMETHING IN THE RAIN: Eps 1-6. Revisiting SITR because it’s leaving Netflix May 25. The first half dozen episodes are lovely, although uneven. Seo Joon-hee, self-assured tech guy just returned from the US, has modern ideas about relationships that make traditional, submissive Jin-a uncomfortable even while she is attracted to him. That part is strong, and I love the way their characters are drawn. The screen lights up when they are on it, but the corporate coffee workers story seems to me relatively lackluster and the writers of Something in the Rain make heavy weather of too many different taboos: noona romance, office sexual harassment, filial disobedience, marrying down, etc. And I’m only at ep. 7.

Noona romance month!
SHOOTING THE STARS (2002): I liked this drama, which starts out as a simple tale about a pretty-much-a-mess woman who, along with her brother, takes in an aspiring young actor with severe dyslexia. A sweet noona romance evolves with Jeon Do-Yeon & Zo In-Sung exuberantly throwing themselves into it. Lee Seo-Jin makes a great villain. Also I appreciated the dyslexia angle. The writers show how crippling dyslexia can be, and the ML realistically does not make an overnight leap into literacy.

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I’m not watching a lot right now - looking forward to the next batch.

The only full-on watch is Kim Sabu. I just love him and the Doldam family. In fact, I rewatched Christmas in August for the nth times last week. Han Suk-kyu is so versatile and this is among my all-time favourite Kmovies that I re-watch it like once a year.

Still ‘following’ The Real Has Come but Miss Jiang is too makjiang to my taste. I’m looking forward to the friendship transitioning to love of the main couple - and more of the maknae couple development.

Will go back watching Family: The Unbreakable Bond now that the back story is now revealed! It’s really misleading that this was promoted as a family comedy that set the wrong expectation among audience. Thanks to @mellowarmadillo for persevering!

The Unbreakable Bond said it all about what the drama is about.

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The maknaes in THE REAL HAS COME! have the potential to be such a fun story.

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Yes, the maknae storyline is the one that I’m very curious about - how will the writers manage to get them to fall for each other?

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I actually have a fun idea: TK's younger sister Gong Yoo-myung has apparently just been given the job that SD's little brother lost out on- but even she is an intern for the first three months. The job involves assisting and working with 'influencers'. Dong-wook's smart little girl has been working to become one- just the sort of newbie hat an intern might be assigned to- and because parental consent would be required, she would have to meet Daddy. Awkward - but fun.

Just a fun idea, of course. But that would get them into a daily interaction over our very entrepreneurial Oh Soo-gyeom. No longer would they be meeting by chance or by choice- now it would be by utter necessity.

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Omo, this is the best idea ever!!! I really hope this is what happens! Our little Soo Gyeong is just wonderful - she really shone in episode 16, bringing our beloved characters closer together.💗 So many of the adults could learn a thing or two from her!😅

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Have you seen the previews for episode 18, @oldawyer? I was ridiculously excited when I saw the short clip (that you’ll know I’m referencing once you’ve seen it)! I’m starting to suspect you own some kind of weekender/daily drama crystal ball!! What else is it telling you?🔮

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I do know what you are talking about and am actually very happy to report that I do not have a functioning crystal ball because what would be the fun in that? Instead, I just put some facts together and asked "what would be a fun way for Yoo-myung to find out that he is indeed a father and even have to deal with him as a father? I noted this as a possibility because it seems to fit this writer's approach- which is a combination of comedy and makjang that I am coming to appreciate as the show progresses.

For proof that my crystal ball is on the fritz just look at Uncle's reaction to learning that TK is not the father at the beginning of episode 17: Instead of shock and outrage, as I expected, he was extremely happy with TK, deciding that TK was a truly good and honorable man. It reminded me of the 1995 romantic movie A WALK IN THE CLOUDS starring Keanu Reeves and Aitana Sanchez-Gijon. And really TK is precisely that kind of man- only he just does not know it yet.

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Just doing a little dance over here, to celebrate having your company in The Real Has Come and Family: The Unbreakable Bond hangouts!😁💃🏻🪩

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I want someone to sit Hong Joo down and explain to her that it was her fiance's father who put his death in motion. Without Shi-Yeol, Joseon would be stuck with the horrible king forever. Complex, but that's the reality.

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There are so many things to tell her :
- Her fiancé was trying to execute an unarmed boy
- His target had royal blood
- The watchman didn't kill him when he got the first occasion
- It's Tae-Hwa who made her as a ghost, she could have lived normally after it, they weren't married yet.

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Watching K dramas

Secret Royal Loveshack
Oh no, we need a king and a queen ? With two episodes left, not sure how they wrap this up .

Good bad Mom not sure where drama wants us to look.
Cute couple reunite with kids (daddy tbd) ?
Revenge drama with crooked pols?
Thug that killed your father wants to adopt you ?
I like the cast, most of the characters, not sure of the story .

C drama
The Ingenious One

Various YouTube, WWII stuff.

I need something good to watch.

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Secret Royal Loveshack? "It's a little old place where, we can get together, love shack baby!"

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I know it old never happen, but I’d like to see the cast do a version of Love Shack, while in character 😂

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Fan video idea!

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Decided to give C drama Under The Skin a try.

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Loved this week's STEALER with the creepy Japanese dolls and the riddles solving. The drama has a good balance of tension, action and making fun of itself at the same time. Great entertainment.

DR CHA is also very good at that, mixing comedy and makjang in a very clever way. One of my favourite dramas just now.

Lee Do-hyun shines in GOOD BAD MOTHER, I love his child-like persona and the his rapport with the twins. Best scene of the drama so far is the two goons bursting out of the wardrobe to fight of the knifeman and Kang-ho's expression at that. Mum not believing his tale was great, too. The villagers and their side plot is getting annoying. I just wish the masked lady would disappear.

Kim Sabo needs to come off the pedestal his staff have placed him on and he knows it. It will be painful to watch, but they cannot rely on him for ever. DR ROMANTIC will have to retire, he is old enough now.

Yo In-na is still the one to carry this drama. I probably would not watch it without her cheeky charm.

Scifi and time travel are my least favourite drama categories. I gave both PERFECT STRANGER and BLACK KNIGHT a chance, but both confirmed what I do not like about them. I really like the actors, but not the stories. Sorry and good bye.

I still enjoy JOSEON ATTORNEY, RACE looks promising, but I am not fully sold on it yet. I am not impressed with the way Yoon-Jo is running her PR business, I would not want to work for her. TALE OF THE NINE TAILED is as over the top as expected from Lee Dong-Wook, he is one of the few who can pull it off, and I am still hanging in there.

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I also think this series is about Kim Sabu trying to ensure that Doldam will run even without him...

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I was thinking whether the team had ideas for S4, but looks like they are wrapping up the story of the core character.

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“Kim Sabo needs to come off the pedestal his staff have placed him on and he knows it.”

Exactly the point of S3. It gave me a chuckle that he has Plan A, B, and C to get his team working for the new Trauma Centre under Cha. Nonetheless for me, the thing I wanted most out of this season is the growth of the two new interns. They are so different from the talents we’ve seen in S1 and 2. Not yet!

It’s a progress though that they initiate how to better their ultrasound reading skills LOL!

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Though they go a bit extreme with the interns/young doctors and I have sometimes problems to keep my suspension of disbelief. Like: an intern diagnosing patients in ER with ultrasound he can't read... or a doctor falling asleep in the operation theatre. 😅 On the other hand, it's then really nice to see them to become competent... and idealistic, of course! 😁😁

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Playing video game in the toilet while on duty - but this is Gen Z, actually not far off the mark.

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I've been intermittently watching Till The End of The Moon because it is so addictive despite being so depressing and the female lead being so thick. Luo Yun Xi and Bai Lu are among my favourite actors and I might've dropped the drama by now if it wasn't for their amazing acting in sheer exasperation over the FL. Everything except for the FL is well done. The CGI is amazing, Leo is pure love and it is never dull. I have ten episodes to go and am dying to read the novel after I'm done.

Speaking of novels, I happened upon the audio drama of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation after finishing the anime and by God, it is exquisite. The detail of the novel, awesome voice acting and soundtrack. I've never been into audio books but here on out, I will be. I just hope I'll be able to find equally interesting books to listen to.

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I paused End of Moon at episode 12 and I think I will leave it like that... and wait for Story of Kunning Palace instead.

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My wife and I love DR. CHA. It is definitely my favorite show right now. It would probably be my wife’s favorite show if it were not for the Chinese Costume fantasy TILL THE END OF THE MOON, which has been fantastic.

I have been enjoying the Jdrama romcom OUSAMA NI SASAU KUSURIYUBI but there is just one episode per week, so it is a slow watch. Jdrama romcoms are either hit or miss but this one seems to have just the right balance.

Ms. Jang Se-rin just refuses to go away on the THE REAL HAS COME! but there are a lot of things happening beyond her dogged pursuit of the ML (Prediction: in order to dodge the latest incoming bullet our leads will decide that they actually must register their marriage after all). We are finally seeing the other family stories develop, something that was much neglected in the previous weekender. Our FL and her wonderful mother-in-law have developed a real bond and some of the same can be said for our ML and his MIL as well. The maknae’s of the two families continue to run into each other- and still have no idea that they are in-laws. Our once divorcing couple have decided to remain together in order to coparent their coming baby- and are actually starting to become friends. A hint was just dropped that FL’s uncle may have a secret child that he has not been aware of. In short there are a lot of stories that are being woven together in a skillful fashion and that is what makes for a good weekender.

I am still watching BORA! DEBORAH and I still think that the character of Sojin’s husband is simply too stupid to be believable. On the other hand the side story of Bomi and Jinho is simply so sweet and I have realized that it serves a purpose: It is the contrast with our other couples and their baggage.

My wife and I have one episode left of the Chinese Costume Drama MISS CHUN IS A LITIGATOR. Not great drama, certainly not on the same level as TILL THE END OF THE MOON but a fun watch.

THE GOOD BAD MOTHER is a good show and so is FINLAND PAPA.

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We just finished Memorist in a streak and with strong desire to fast forward. I normally like detective shows, but this one did not pull me in. The absence of cases of the week, and the long flashbacks introducing somebodies from the past without link to the rest until one or more additional episodes made a dull ensemble. The avenger team was good, but way too scarce.
I would have dropped this drama without my friend love for Yoo Seung Ho. Downside of synchronised viewing.

We already started our next watch together : Sell your haunted house. Jang Na Ra is great, and it looks like fun.

I'll comment tomorrow when we'll have finished Where the stars land.

I'm also at the end of Chicago typewriter which is easily the best of the bunch, but it does not play in the same category. Acting, music, filmography... everything is so rich and well done.

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I really loved Sell Your Haunted House.

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Jang Nara was indeed great in Daebak Realty. I also liked her Secretary... and the teamwork... and wouldn't mind a second season.

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So we finished Where the stars land and it was not the train wreck that I expected after @eazal , @minkathedreamer and @suzeso remark last week.
Sure, there is way to much (noble) idiocy, but that's not the only drama with a non-sense ending.
So it was not a great drama, but it was not bad either.
And in the end, its note is higher (not much) that Memorist's one because I was more attached to the side personages.

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Agree. It was not a great drama but not that bad either. I remember I described it as mediocre, especially as compared to Move To Heaven which was a great drama with great acting by LJH.

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I have not seen More to heaven yet. Slice of life dramas are not what appeals most to me. But now that I have warmed up to the ML it is higher than previously on the next dramas list. I might watch it in the next 12 months...

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Move To Heaven has comedic scenes to, if that helps. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it when you get to watch it.

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*comedic scenes too

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I just checked what is the position of Move to heaven on my next dramas list... the good news is that it's in the top 10%. The harsh reality is that it is 63rd. With a current drama-viewing rate of 27 per year... it will take me 28 months to start it, provided there is not too many dramas that skip the line. I won't hold my breath...
2 things might push it up : if I fall (more) in love with Lee Je Hoon after Signal (36); or if Netflix Germany annonce that it will leave the catalogue, prompting my viewing partner interest.
Too many dramas, not enought time.

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I understand this kind of frustration. I have more than 150 dramas to watch. I really envy those who started watching k-dramas many years ago XD

Pd: I think that Move to Heaven (which is on my list too) is a 100% Netflix produced drama, so I don't think it is going to leave the catalogue.

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@isagc I'm happy to have discovered Dramaland (and Dramabeans).

That's almost a pity that the drama will not leave Netflix... we watched Prison playbook for this availability reason, and that was a very good move. (I'm writing very silly things today)

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What I’ve been watching this week:

The Real Has Come Still watching and enjoying!

The Secret Romantic Guest House Much better and more emotional and suspenseful this week. I’m now much more invested in the ending.

Finland Papa: This one has acquired a plot! I’m starting to like it.

Doctor Cha: Started it on Friday after Youtube bombarded me with excerpts. It’s really good!

Watched Merry Happy Ending and Love Mate, the two Korean BLs I watched last week. I also watched some free episodes of the Japanese BL Our Dining Table.

I also watched some of the videos from this channel, K-drama Research Institute, on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kdramaresearchinstitute/videos There are only six of them. I liked them!

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I have A LOT to say this week, so beware the heated rant below)))
TILL THE END OF THE MOON: aka Tantai Jin: Dead and loving it
Oh, how I loved this show despite its many flaws, inconsistencies, beyond imagination backstage drama and whatnot... Yet after the finale it feels like the relationship we had were abusive to the core. The worst part? I still love it and have no intention to ever let this feeling go. Perhaps that was the point? Anyway, I will NEVER forgive writers for turning this story into yet another controversial overkill tragedy posing like an open ending as not to enrage viewers too much. Because - surprise! - we're still very much enraged, and that's to put it VERY mildly. Catharsis? Justice? Satisfaction? Nah, who needs that when you can make a propaganda-heavy speech about greater good! The biggest insult to an injury? Trying to fool us claiming that ML was HAPPY to do what he did. Yeah, as we didn't spent latter half of Ep39 being told in giant neon caps what he actually wanted if he had any REAL choice. The gall of claiming the whole story was not about "power of love" but "collective effort of saving the world" is truly laughable - if not for one man's love, all these efforts would be futile. One thing doesn't exclude another in this case, but sure, anything will do in order to calm the well deserved backlash. As a literature major I can go on about structure of a proper tragedy, definition of messianic archetype and how writing in TTEOTM failed in both aspects for much longer... Maybe next time when I'm less pissed and soul-crushed (har).

Rant about finale aside, last 4 episodes were quite good - not as good as Eps1-30 ofc, but still decent, and in this drama decent=awesome. ML's showdown with OG!Devil God (is that what therapists mean by accepting your inner demons?), extremely pleasurable to watch beating of FL's bio-dad, demon wedding and arguably the saddest love scene ever (love REALLY hurts here!) - so many things to not miss. Final battle was a bit meh, but it was just there to stall time for a real main event so it's ok. The amount of loose ends tho... Damn you, stupid regulations!

Anyway, I have no regrets of watching this show all the way till the bitter end. It reminded me that my stupid extreme empathy is still intact even after so many numbing pains and losses lately, it gave me joy and tears, it proved to me that xianxia dramas can be unironically outstanding, it introduced me to the treasure that is LYX... I'm happy and grateful for all that. Farewell, crow boy, you are so loved and missed! Hope you'll get a good rest (someone should write a fanfic of other gods babying you as a team's new youngest in nirvana) and against all odds will eventually find your way home to have that happy trophy matrilocal husband's life you absolutely deserve.

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With TTEOTM's dark spell lifted I've finally managed to try other shows, and while they gave me a little healing, can't say any of them were truly moving and gripping... Which is, probably, a good thing given the amount of heartbreak needed to be band-aided.

TALE OF THE NINE-TAILED 1938: The fun one. Nothing and no one here takes itself too seriously and I appreciate that so much! Visuals are great, camp is delicious, horror is horrifying, pace is very decent so far and The Bromance and chemistry between everyone serves! Brb watching Ep3)))

THE INGENIOUS ONE: The calming one. Kinda reminds me of Ancient Detective in terms of vibe. If I were to define show's genre, it'll be a business intrigue revenge wuxia, and just like AD its main strength lies not in twists and super smart strategies, but something much more delicate and hard to pinpoint, almost like a lingering pleasant aftertaste. There are cool fights (mostly thanks to directing, but that's fine too), battles of wits, heartfelt humor, poignant drama and 3 (maybe 4) different romances that don't clash in annoying way of forced fanservice. Acting really shines too - one of the rare cases where supporting characters don't give in to leads in the slightest. Instead of worrying about characters' fate I'm just slowly and lazily enjoying the ride and many little details, like ML's weak and clumsy image being reflected in his slightly too big and sloppy robes...

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Part of your frustration with the (actually great) Chinese Fantasy Costume drama that you just finished may stem from the fact that it original production was cut down by a rumored 30% in part because of the censorship bureaucracy.

Also, the original novel may have had some of the difficulties you mention. It was clearly written from a different point of view. After all the title of that novel apparently translates as "Black Moonlight Guaranteed Bad Ending".

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I'm aware, but this knowledge is hardly comforting. As if cutting episodes, which greatly messed up pacing and characterization, particularly in the last arc, wasn't enough! How am I supposed to accept original novel's very satisfactory happy ending (some kind soul on MDL translated these chapters for people like me who didn't read the whole thing) after titular BE takes place AND the fact that leaked script of a drama had a happy ending too, albeit short? We were literally 1 (!) scene away from a BILLION times better conclusion! There are organic, well-earned tragedies and then there are ones that exist simply for cheap shock value of "subverting viewers' expectations". Aka not trusting your story enough to make a desired impact by itself. Because sure, the biggest xianxia of the current decade totally needed some additional buzz from wtf finale! *sarcasm alert* The only thing this ending succeeded at was uniting fans of the drama and source material - after a month of heated fights over which version is better both camps feel equally cheated now)))

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The Part 2 is really not happening then?

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That is my understanding.

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Nope, sadly. I believe it was the initial plan to divide the show in two instead of cutting so much, but then came out new regulation about there having to be 3 to 6 months gap between parts and the rest is history... I can't really blame producers in this case, tho personally I'd be willing to wait even longer for a proper uncut version(((

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So, to sum up- and borrowing from your obviously superior knowledge of the drama and its background- you have had the same reaction to TILL THE END OF THE MOON as I had to BUSINESS PROPOSAL: It was a really good show, but it would have been even better if more attention had been paid to the source material. Instead, someone decided to 'adjust' the story to give some sort of 'added appeal' or 'buzz'.

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Yes, I can't really find any other logical reason to do that after more or less faithfully adapting such a big chunk of novel's plot. Honestly I was mostly fine with the changes as script seems to improve many things from source material that even its hardcore fans found not so great (i.e. dream arc there apparently was nowhere near as moving and crucial to the main plot), but the later arc - Eps30-40 - was really too messy overall and adjustments there didn't stick the landing. Not just the ending that was clearly far superior in the novel, but also other things, like second leads' romance which, honestly, made ZERO sense narratively - their story should've been wrapped up and buried in Ep29. That screentime could've been used to smooth the rough edges from cuts instead. And if people are still doubting the intentionally controversial ending, then how about the fact that show's OTT platform made a last minute decision to reschedule ANOTHER romantic xianxia to air at the very same day of TTEOTM's finale? When all the other platforms delayed their own fantasy dramas to not rival with its massive popularity? Oh, they KNEW what they were doing. Tho, hopefully, the backlash exceeded their expectations... Maybe it'll be a lesson for someone. It certainly was for me - I'll never start any xianxia again without fully expecting it to scoop my heart out with a rusty dull spoon)))

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Finland Papa is confusing me. There doesn't seem to be a story arc, just a collection of rather tepid scenes. Is the story actually going anywhere?

Bora! Deborah is my happy place this season.

The C-drama 'Girlfriend' is the messiest agglomeration of problematic tropes and stock characters I've ever seen. Why am I watching this? Perhaps because I don't actively *hate* it, which is a low bar to clear.

Still slowly rewatching the drama 'Misty', I remain amazed by the writing. I did hit on the single line in the series that annoyed me when I first heard it where the heroine said she's 37 years old. Honey, you're a senior news presenter at a major network nearing retirement being played by a 46 year old actress. You're not 37 no matter what the timeline demands.

And there are several new dramas that I haven't been able to get past the first