News bites: February 28, 2024

75 February 28, 2024February 28, 2024

News bites: February 28, 2024

by tccolb

The countdown is on for tvN’s upcoming Queen of Tears and as we cross off the days, we can bask some more in the pretty with Kim Soo-hyun (One Ordinary Day) and Kim Ji-won (My Liberation Notes) in the newest posters. Written by Park ji-eun (Crash Landing on You) with PD Jang Young-woo (Bulgasal – Immortal Souls) and PD Kim Hee-won (Soundtrack #2, Little Women) co-directing, the rom-com premieres in less than two weeks on March 9. [News1]

Jo Yeo-jung (Behind Every Star) is reviewing offers for her next project and may be returning to sageuk in MBC’s new drama The Scent of Plum Blossoms (roughly translated). Taking a closer look at the hidden hands of power in the palace in a story about a Joseon-era queenmaker, the historical is based on a novel by the same title and is currently in the early stages. [Star News]

A creepy first poster has dropped for Netflix’s Parasyte – The Grey, an action sci-fi starring Jeon So-ni (Our Blooming Youth), Gu Kyo-hwan (D.P. 2), and Lee Jung-hyun (The Family Is Coming). Adapted from Hitoshi Iwaaki’s similarly titled and acclaimed manga, the series will be launching on April 5 with writing and directing by Yeon Sang-ho (Hellbound) and Ryu Yong-jae (Money Heist Korea – Joint Economic Area) co-writing. [News1]
In contrast, a curiously intimate poster has newly come out for KBS’s Grabbed by the Collar, featuring our moody… uh… threesome: Kim Haneul (Kill Heel), Yeon Woo-jin (Daily Dose of Sunshine), and Jang Seung-jo (Death’s Game). Airing in the Monday-Tuesday slot next month, the mystery-thriller premieres on March 18. [Sports Kyunghyang]

Also on the horizon for KBS is Beauty and the Pure Guy and the second teaser has some fun with the meta, as reality melds into fiction. Headlined by Im Soo-hyang (Kokdu: Season of Deity) and Ji Hyun-woo (Young Lady and Gentleman), the weekender will be coming to our screens on March 23. [Osen]
Over on tvN’s Lovely Runner (previously Pick Up Sun-jae and Run), there’s cuteness to enjoy in the newest batch of stills with Byun Woo-seok (Strong Girl Nam-soon) and Kim Hye-yoon (Snowdrop) as our main pair. With production led by writer Lee Shi-eun (True Beauty), PD Kim Tae-yub (When My Love Blooms), and PD Yoon Jong-ho, the timeslip romance is expected to sweeten our screens in April. [Newsen]

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1 The Kdrama Enthusiast

February 28, 2024 at 9:45 PM

1. Okay, I'm not at particularly interested in Let's Get Grabbed by the Collar, but that poster is just *chef's kiss*

The lighting. The colors. The way they're posed... This poster has piqued my interest more than anything else released for this drama, so I guess I might give it a try now 😂

2. Please let Queen of Tears be good. It's by the writer behind CLOY, which I haven't watched and don't ever plan to because I find it ridiculous, but I want to be cautiously optimistic about it.

3. The title Beauty and the Pure Guy sounds positively silly and I can't believe that's what they want with. Silly sounding name aside, it's definitely not for me.

4. A timeslip romance? I like the leads but the premise doesn't interest me a bit. Sighhhhhh. I used to be able to watch any kdrama. Now I'm super picky 😞

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Seon-ha

February 29, 2024 at 4:55 AM

We have literal bedroom eyes from the King of Bedroom Eyes, Jang Seung-jo in that Collar poster...that PR team knows their stuff.

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

February 29, 2024 at 6:32 AM

re: 2, I second that! I'm rewatching The Producers in an attempt to scratch the can't-wait itch until the 9th (Park Ji-eun drama starring Kim Soo-hyun, will do) and am honestly impressed by how well it holds up, so I'm trying very hard not to pin too many expectations on Queen of Tears but there's enough reason to have hope that it'll follow in the footsteps of its drama unnies i.e. be enjoyable and a fun watch.

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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️

February 29, 2024 at 6:42 AM

I am rewatching The Producers in bite sized chunks and it is so funny, I am loving it.

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The Kdrama Enthusiast

February 29, 2024 at 12:02 PM

I really enjoyed The Producers. Kim Soo-hyun is adorable in it, and I couldn't help but root for the outwardly cold and standoffish but sweet and sensitive on the inside idol that IU plays.

Also, Park Ji-eun wrote it?? I had no idea. My optimism has just increased a great deal.

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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️

February 29, 2024 at 12:12 PM

He was so good, his little smiles when he thought he was winning with the woman he had a crush on🥰 IU’s character was funny, it was the way she was so abrupt with everyone but just melted around him that made her so adorable. If they can have that level of funny alongside the romance it will be a joy to watch.

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

February 29, 2024 at 9:45 PM

The Producers is firmly placed in my all-time Top 5 because it was so ahead of its time in ditching the usual kdrama template for whose story gets the most importance and how romance storylines are treated or resolved.

I really, truly love the fact that we all seem to have forgotten that by the kdrama standards, IU was actually the second female lead of that drama, and the exact type of character that's usually written only to be a hate figure in other dramas (cold, mean rich girl with an unrequited crush) but ended up stealing everyone's hearts because PJE actually peeled back the layers and showed us the person behind it without changing who she was. Queen of Tears looks like it's more in the 'classic kdrama' mould but I have enough faith in the writer and cast to know I can safely give it a shot.

(fun fact- IU was actually offered the lead role in QofT but turned it down, I assume that's because it clashed with her music plans)

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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️

February 29, 2024 at 10:14 PM

That pairing in Queen of tears would have been great.

Such a great point as I didn’t see IU as the second female lead because she was after the second male lead who had no chance anyway. I see it as the senior producers were the main couple and the other two were a side couple with unrequited love who could have been good together. Her antagonistic relationship with the main female lead started way before she saw her as a love rival so it fitted with her character to continue to use her position to be outrageously cheeky.

pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

February 29, 2024 at 10:32 PM

@reply1988 see that's the thing, that 'second male lead' was played by Kim Soo-hyun, who, right in the wake of YFAS, would have been the undisputed gets-the-girl male lead of any other kdrama!

The Producers really upended a lot of expectations around kdrama castings and actor status determining how things should go onscreen and who ends up with whom, and made that clear right from episode 1. I found the way it handled all 4 leads incredibly refreshing, even though some in the comments at the time were a bit confused because the drama was being so unpredictable and not hewing to kdrama loveline formula (a quality I actually think is its greatest strength, especially with Cha Tae-hyun and Gong Jyo-jin being the backbone of the drama while IU provided its heart). That's something I really apreciated about the drama, that it paid attention to the characters' lives and not just their love lines.

Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️

February 29, 2024 at 10:46 PM

Yes, you are so right that it is amazing that it was able to make it make sense that HE would be the second lead in that situation.

I am literally watching 10 minutes here and there when other dramas are not working for me and it really lifts the mood.

I can’t believe I have just registered that the nightmare Chairwoman from Queen of divorce was also the nightmare chairwoman in The Producers.

pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

February 29, 2024 at 11:56 PM

@reply1988 I still go back and listen to some of the Producers soundtrack to this day, IU's 'Heart' and the first minute of Kim Yeon-woo's To Be With You are all-time favourites, especially the latter it instantly puts a smile on my face.

(honestly the power of a good background score or soundtrack in a kdrama shouldn't be underestimated, I really really hope QoT has good ones and not something cringey or grating though I will overlook those if I like the drama otherwise)

2 redfox

February 28, 2024 at 10:26 PM

grabbed by the collar is a very outputting title.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

February 29, 2024 at 2:42 AM

💯 but the poster definitely "grabs" attention. 😂

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bong-soo

February 29, 2024 at 2:48 PM

@redfox, How does NOTHING UNCOVERED strike you in lieu of GRABBED BY THE COLLAR as a title? NOTHING UNCOVERED is the title Kocowa is now going with.

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DancingEmma

March 1, 2024 at 1:16 AM

I wonder whether the korean title, 멱살 한번 잡힙시다, has a colloquial or ironic meaning which the literal translation hasn’t manage to evoke by a long shot? Those with much stronger Korean knowledge than me should pipe up!

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bong-soo

March 1, 2024 at 1:43 PM

Interesting.
AsianWiki says the literal title is: “LET ME GRAB YOU BY THE COLLAR”.
Google translates the korean above as: “Let’s grab the neck.”
With all that, GRABBED BY THE COLLAR is probably closer to the original title than NOTHING UNCOVERED.

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3 Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️

February 28, 2024 at 11:32 PM

Why does the Queen of tears countdown continue to feel like time is going backwards?
Lovely runner sounds like it could have a Blue birthday vibe I will keep on the long list for now.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

February 29, 2024 at 2:45 AM

QoT is coming ... 🐌

Byun Woo-seok as ML - Lovely Runner has to be on watchlist. Did the "My" prefix run away!! 🕺

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Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain

February 29, 2024 at 3:11 PM

"My" is so 2023.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

February 29, 2024 at 6:18 PM

😂

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4 sonai

February 28, 2024 at 11:46 PM

The “Lovely” drama streak continues! 😂
(I wonder… do they default to these titles? Or is this title the result of a long and heated debate between the responsible people - in some sort of “situation room” full of flip chart drawings, paper clippings, post it notes, empty coffee cups and despair? That being said, I’ll potentially watch that drama either way!)

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Kurama

February 29, 2024 at 12:25 AM

The original title of the webtoon is The Best of Tomorrow.

On mydramalist, they give other names :
Also Known As: The Best of Tomorrow , Run Away With Sun Jae on Piggyback , Run Away With Seon Jae on Piggyback , Tomorrow’s #1 , Tomorrow’s Number One , Time Walking on Memory , Carry Sun Jae and Run , Lovely Runner , Loverly Runner , Tomorrow's Best.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

February 29, 2024 at 2:46 AM

And almost any of them is a better title - even Loverly Runner. 😍

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Kurama

February 29, 2024 at 2:54 AM

At least more original!

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Blue (@mayhemf)

February 29, 2024 at 3:14 AM

Right?? Any title but this has a charm and appeal. Alas they had to pick this.

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Seon-ha

February 29, 2024 at 4:57 AM

I can just see that flip chart now..with some crazed intern scribbling furiously as people shout random nouns and adjectives!!!

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sonai

February 29, 2024 at 5:29 AM

😂 „We need the ‚piggyback‘ in there somewhere!!!“

… those after work drinks sure are hard-earned.

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Kurama

February 29, 2024 at 5:31 AM

With the difference of height, piggyback would have been a good choice.

zindigo

February 29, 2024 at 4:50 AM

This one is going to be Carry Sun-Jae and Run for me. That's the title MDL used for a very long time. I think it's the cutest and most memorable. The "lovely" thing with titles lately is eye-rolling and inexplicable.

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5 Kurama

February 29, 2024 at 12:14 AM

1) At this point, I will have an overdose of teasing before the drama airing...

2) Jo Yeo-jung will have a daughter born in prison played by Jung Ji-So. I'm curious about the rest of the story.

3) Not my favorite genre... And I don't really trust SF dramas. I dropped Connected even if there was Jung Hae-In.

4) How to be Kim Haneul ?

6) I'm so excited for this one! Kim Hye-Yoon is back! And there will be Lee Seung-Hyub as a second lead (the cutie doing push-ups in his underwear on the street in Sh**ting Star).

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zindigo

February 29, 2024 at 4:52 AM

4) 😅

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welh

March 1, 2024 at 8:27 AM

Jo Yeo-jeong and Jung Ji-So are both dynamic and excellent actresses.

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6 Ziziboice

February 29, 2024 at 1:22 AM

I get "yumi cells" vibe from "lovey runner," and I'm already in. KHY YESSSSSS!
_wait! wasn't this "grabbed by collar" a normal crime_ mystery drama? Now Its poster suddenly seems.....uhm.....sexy? Are they recycling "misty" again?
_ I'm not as excited as everyone about "queen of tears." I like both leads so much, but this drama doesn't pull me in yet. I should wait and watch a couple of episodes first!

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7 jerrykuvira

February 29, 2024 at 2:04 AM

1. Please be good. And let the weeks run by quick.

2. Jo Yeo-jung? Sign me up. Saguek? Sign me again. A queen maker? Sign me thrice.

6. Wow! When My Love Blooms' PD. That's a long time ago.

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8 🌸 Seeker 🌸

February 29, 2024 at 2:55 AM

1. ⏳

2. 😍 💃 👸

3. 🙈

4. 🤔⁉️

5. 😍 😍 😍 Suddenly I'm very many interested. That teaser has "teased". 👏

6. 🤔 Will @CecilieDK watch! Then at least we can look forward to some ~~killer~~ gifs. 🙂

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zindigo

February 29, 2024 at 4:58 AM

5. I just whipped past that news point because I've become anti-weekender. Then I saw your comment. Scrolled back up, watched the preview, and now I'm all 🤔

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

February 29, 2024 at 5:32 AM

At the very least it has made me want to give it a try ... and read @Oldawyer's comments which are always refreshing. 😍

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zindigo

February 29, 2024 at 5:37 AM

I really liked Ji Hyun-Woo in Queen In-Hyun's Man and seeing him again in the teaser for the first time in a long time caused me to pause ...! I'll definitely be reading recaps and comments when it starts.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

February 29, 2024 at 5:47 AM

He's the only reason I wanted to give it a try. 😅 Ordinarily I would avoid anything the FL is in. So Ji-sub and Shin Sung-rok were the only reason I saw Doctor Lawyer. I've no idea what the FL did in the drama apart from being a prosecutor and getting a ring from So Ji-sub (which I saw in his hand) as I ffwd all her scenes / dialogues so I only know what So Ji-sub said. 😆

zindigo

February 29, 2024 at 6:55 AM

@seeker That's hilarious! 😂

OldLawyer

February 29, 2024 at 7:49 AM

I will certainly give this one a try. At least the main characters are not Chaebols and a murder mystery seems unlikely.

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

February 29, 2024 at 7:55 AM

We will "follow" you Oldawyer. 😊

9 Blue (@mayhemf)

February 29, 2024 at 3:19 AM

I am interested in “ Parasyte – The Grey”.

Grabbed by the collar - has all my attention with that poster. Jang Seung-jo‘S collar is very grab-able!
I don’t mind this title, hope they don’t change it to ‘Lovely collar’ before the show airs 😂

Lovely runner might be a cute romcom. But I am not a fan of timeslip romances. But let’s see.

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Seon-ha

February 29, 2024 at 5:02 AM

Blue, I've not seen the movie Parasite, so could I ask a question you might know the answer to? Does this Parasyte-with-a-y have anything to do with the movie--like sharing plot points or a world or anything? If so, what?

But, if not, which is what I assume (from comparing the posters anyway), is this Netflix trying to get people to watch this drama through name association? Or, like happened to @midnight, people watching Bossam when they meant to watch Bulgasal??

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diary

February 29, 2024 at 5:18 AM

I imagine the names are just a coincidence. Parasite the movie is about figurative parasites as a discussion of class. Parasyte seems to be about literal parasites. I originally thought they perhaps changed the spelling to distinguish it from the film, but turns out it’s based off of a manga called Parasyte from the 1980s.

Perhaps the people in charge of Parasyte saw Parasite and were disappointed by the lack of brain-sucking organisms and decided to adapt something a bit more literal.

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diary

February 29, 2024 at 5:25 AM

(By the way, Parasite the film really is all it’s cracked up to be—highly recommend if you’re ever in the mood for Bong’s odd, darkly humorous yet gruesome class commentary)

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Gikata

February 29, 2024 at 10:41 AM

For people too lazy to check out super old manga, there is a very recent anime adaptation - I haven't finished it (mainly because I already know the plot from manga), but from what I've seen it's well done AND true to the source material. Which is a pretty good read by itself if you're into wild concept of a pragmatic alien possessing the hand (yep, only that much lol) of a teen boy as a desperate survival measure and all the crazy stuff this unlikely coexistence results in. There is a comedy, horror, action, even a bit of romance and most importantly a deep philosophical exploration of companionship, identity, humanity and whatnot. To put it shortly, this dusty old IP has been famous till our day for a reason. Kinda similar to the movie/novel ENEMY MINE in terms of themes and vibes - I've always felt that mangaka was secretly a fan)))

... that being said, I have no idea what this new spinoff (?) is gonna be about or why even. Imo OG story covered pretty much everything that needed to be covered there.

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Blue (@mayhemf)

February 29, 2024 at 5:22 AM

The original manga series by Hitoshi Iwaaki was called ‘Parasyte’, so I guess they just kept the title.
I don’t see any relation to the movie.

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Diana Hansen

February 29, 2024 at 1:22 PM

IKR? And time slip is so 2023. But yeah, let's see! Lets take turns grabbing Seung-jo's collar, shall we? For sure they should change it to Lovely collar as Lovely is so 2024, don't ya all think?

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10 Dylan [JooJoo couple, fighting!]

February 29, 2024 at 3:58 AM

The Lovely Cinematic Universe gains another entry…. But it sounds interesting, I love timeslip stories.

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11 DK-Drama ❤️🎄 Giffing n Space Cadetting 👼🏻🌟

February 29, 2024 at 4:17 AM

Can we have Byun Woo-seok be happy for once? Please? We deserve it after Nam-soon.

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12 zindigo

February 29, 2024 at 5:15 AM

1. I really hope they haven't over-hyped this one! Also getting a little worried that it may be more dram than rom.

2. Ooh, another one I've been tracking for a while. It's exciting to see the engines starting up on production.

3. I love this cast but not the genre. A no for me.

4. That poster is moving the needle into "try" territory! It's so out-of-the-blue with all the other marketing and the deep green color is... Gorgeous? Sultry? Mysterious? All of the above?

5. I've been an avid no-weekend since last year's The Real Has Come. But after reading @seeker's comments above, and then clicking the link to watch the teaser, I'm the teensiest bit curious...

6. Normally this would be a no-brainer watch for me. But atm I'm hesitating. Is it the curse of the "Lovely" titles?

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zindigo

February 29, 2024 at 5:43 AM

4. Whoa whoa whoa... I just discovered that Kocowa is calling the collar grab show "Nothing Uncovered"

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

March 1, 2024 at 11:57 AM

🥴 and it means exactly what ⁉️

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

March 1, 2024 at 11:58 AM

Nothing Uncovered = Fully Covered?

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zindigo

March 1, 2024 at 1:53 PM

Your guess is as good as mine!

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🌸 Seeker 🌸

March 1, 2024 at 9:46 PM

Considering the mystery-thriller genre is likely to be "Everything Hidden". Really the English names are getting out of hand.

zindigo

March 2, 2024 at 6:32 AM

@seeker They should ask the subbers for suggestions!

🌸 Seeker 🌸

March 2, 2024 at 7:17 AM

^^ 💯 👏

13 welh

February 29, 2024 at 6:30 AM

Jo Yeo-jeong has not done a historical drama in 12 years. I read the premise of "The Scent of Plum Blossoms" will focus on the palace women who directly serve the king and queen. The story would focus on the servants' lives and not normal palace politics which would be a refreshing change of pace.

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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️

February 29, 2024 at 6:49 AM

Oh that would be great, I keep thinking there was a world outside of the politics and even the palace. I would a period drama where we didn’t have the palace politics front and centre. The cute found family of Poong the Joseon psychiatrist or the village community in 100 days my prince would have made great dramas without the palace issues.

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14 Ahjummaaa

February 29, 2024 at 10:25 AM

I woke up too early today, so excuse my snark. Already disappointed in Queen of Tears even before it even airs, due to the lackluster casting. I thought the food on the table in one of the posters looked more interesting than the leads. Let's hope that all my apprehension actually works to bring the drama luck and they overturn all my preconceived notions. Kim Haneul continues being cast into dramas that I continue to never want to watch. She was on Ugly Ducklings recentlys and I thought her real life self was a lot more interesting than her drama characters by far. I see why directors and writers keep casting her because she's fun and charming in person. But in dramas she lacks emotional expressiveness and depth.

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Ahjummaaa

February 29, 2024 at 10:28 AM

Note to directors and writers: never become friends with actors. It destroys your ability to be impartial. For instance, James Cameron cast his buddies in Titanic and I thought they were the weakest links in the movie.

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Minnie🫘👩🏻‍🚀Pioneer and Teacher 👩🏻‍🏫🌱🏹

February 29, 2024 at 11:55 AM

Rose and Jack??

I for one can't imagine anyone but Caprio in that role though.

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Ahjummaaa

February 29, 2024 at 5:41 PM

haha no but that's a good try. Jack was Cameron's pick from the start but Kate Winslet won that role through sheer willpower. Cameron actually wanted someone with an East Coast upper class background like Gwyneth Paltrow to play Rose. But Cameron's buddy was the guy who played the treasure hunter.

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Minnie🫘👩🏻‍🚀Pioneer and Teacher 👩🏻‍🏫🌱🏹

March 1, 2024 at 12:32 PM

Ah! The weakest link in the movie.

Ahjummaaa

March 3, 2024 at 11:28 AM

Correction: my apologies, the actress who recently appeared on Ugly Ducklings (My Little Old Boy) was Ha Ji Won, not Kim Ha Neul. All these years of drama watching and I thought they were actually one person. Someone clearly needs to pay better attention...

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15 Minnie🫘👩🏻‍🚀Pioneer and Teacher 👩🏻‍🏫🌱🏹

February 29, 2024 at 11:57 AM

I am here for Parasyte the grey. My love for Jeon So Nee transcends the grey premise and I will watch anything she is in.
Lovely Runner only because of Byun Woo-seok.
I am on the fence for QoT. Let's see.

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16 bong-soo

February 29, 2024 at 2:43 PM

No. 4. KBS’s GRABBED BY THE COLLAR:
1. US viewers there is finally some good news on availability. COLLAR is now on Kocowa’s “Coming Soon” list under the title: NOTHING UNCOVERED. Hopefully NOTHING UNCOVERED will soon appear on Viki’s “Coming Soon” list.
2. What a great poster. Kudos to whoever is responsible.

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aznative

February 29, 2024 at 6:08 PM

Oops, missed your comment @bong-soo. I'm hoping Viki will get rights for "Nothing Uncovered" too.

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bong-soo

February 29, 2024 at 6:18 PM

Next step is to hope there will be a Viki subbing team for NU.

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17 loveblossom🌸

February 29, 2024 at 5:43 PM

Queen of Tears has a lot of hype. I'm iffy about trying it though.

I've seen Jo Yeo Jung in a bunch of dramas, but haven't seen her in a sageuk. She's awesome so I would be possibly interested if I'm not all tired of sageuks by then. XD

Jang Seung Jo looks insanely hot in that poster! Now I just want to see him in a sexy romance. Not a thriller.