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Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching (September 14, 2024)

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…

 

mistyisles

Currently covering: Black Out

Love Next Door: I’m done with both exes, but yay for Seung-hyo finally being honest about his feelings! I’m even less excited about the random health scare (though, with a paramedic in the cast, I figured there’d be a few medical emergencies along the way), but here’s hoping it at least leads to even more honesty all around. Much as I’m still very much rooting for these two, however, I’m finding myself much more invested in the side relationships — especially Seung-hyo’s parents and Mo-eum/Dan-ho (plus his daughter, of course!).

 

Unit

Currently covering: No Gain No Love

Love Next Door: This drama is what happens when you have all the right ingredients and a trusty old recipe, but something goes wrong during the cooking process and you end up with a dish that looks good, smells good, but tastes bland. But it would appear that I’m hungry seeing how I still press “play” every week.

Cinderella at 2AM: I need more of Yoon Park (and So-jin) and less of the baby chaebol with one hand semi-permanently stuck in his pocket as he struts around the office. Must be nice to look that nice in a suit.

Seoul Busters: I’ve only seen the first episode, but it was so ridiculously fun, I loved it. The entire team is a mess, but they’re a loveable mess, and I can’t wait for their new captain to whip them into shape.

 
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Currently Watching
Seoul Busters: 🚨🔎 Lol it's disorienting to see Kim Dong-wook being GOOFY and SMILING! This is zany, and I find it hilarious - I laughed so much! If you're looking for a realistic procedural, this ain't it. It's like the Pegasus Market of mystery comedies - it also has some warmth and heart. I LOVE it!!!

No Gain No Love: ⚖️💍 Another fun week!! I don't love it (not like I loved My Sweet Mobster), but the writing and directing are sharp, making tried-and-true tropes feel fresh and new. I can see what's coming, but it still hits like a surprise. Now smarmy ex has workplace competition from hot husband (lol). I think ML has a deep, affectionate regard for FL, but is afraid to freak her out by revealing his feelings. Hopefully next week brings some development on that front, because we're already halfway done!

Romance in the House: 🏠❤️ This keeps getting better every week!! What a great set of episodes! Mi-rae and Tae-pyung's romance continues to be sweet and perfectly paced, but now they've got some new dynamics at work!! Mi-rae and Mom continue to be the heart and core of this drama, and we finally get some answers on Dad. Aww FAMILY!🥹

In other news...: Mom dropped The Beauty Inside because the characters felt shallow. She followed that up with Secret Love which she said was "excellent, even though it's a makjang." She said Ji-sung was fantastic in it - she's a big fan of his acting.

Finished:
A Good Day to Be A Dog: I really enjoyed this!! It's very weird, and dark, and fluffy, and cute. The tone will either work for you or not, but it definitely worked for me. Park Gyu-young is one of my favorite actresses, and she absolutely sparkles in this role - she's energetic and lovely, and she has fantastic chemistry with Cha Eun-woo, in my favorite role I've seen him in. Yul (the nephew), the FL's sister, and their veterinarian friend are all hilarious, supportive, and ready to do anything to help our FL. I'd seen some critiques about a tone shift, but I'd argue that darkness is there from the beginning, and it was the insane original airing schedule that messed up the thematic flow. As for darkness... imagine turning into a small dog and losing your agency if you can't fix your curse...

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...There are vicious bullies, the ML has a very believable phobia of dogs, and there's also a vengeful mountain god and tragic past-life story (very similar to the approach taken in Destined With You). But it's also filled with pastel day-glo scenes, hilarious misunderstanding, lovely moments (and kisses) between the leads, and a very sweet romance as they give each other patience and empathy as they sort out their fears: he, of being judged for his phobia; she, of being thought a monster. And once the angst of their past lives is resolved, we get an ENTIRE EPISODE of sweetness to wrap things up. I wish more dramas did that. The humor, romance, and dark elements all really clicked and balanced well for me! If you're looking for something different, I'd recommend this sweet and weird drama!

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lol, I had a toxic obsession with Secret love and it's toxicity. I loved that drama so much, so shout out to Mom.

I also like a Good day to be a Dog.

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I was a little surprised, because she's not a makjang fan! But now Secret Love is on my Watchlist, too 😁 Yay for A Good Day!!

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It’s impossible to stop watching Secret Love. It reels you in. Ji Sung 💙

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Once I passed the first four setup episodes of Secret, there was no way back, I was sooo deep.

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I didn't like Secret (aka Secret Love), but I think the most memorable performance was Bae Soo Bin's, even though his character was despicable (the ML wasn't much better, btw).

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Watching Secret is a very unique experience for me. I like none of the characters, nor its plot - but I can’t stop the binge watch until finishing the whole thing. It made me fully realise what makjang means and the spell it could cast on the audience.

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That's what happened to me with I'm sorry, I love you. I didn't like the characters but I was hooked to the drama.

But it didn't happen with Secret.
I watched it quickly (few days) only because I wanted to end it and start some other show.
I couldn't care less about the characters 😅

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Well said!

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If you enjoyed the A Good Day to be a Dog drama, I'd highly recommend the webtoon. IMO it's much better.

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I'm about a third of the way through the webtoon! I love both versions! Do you have any other webtoon recs for stories that have happy endings?

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Bitten Contract is a good webtoon in my opinion. Act like you love me is another good one.

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Thank you!

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See You in My 19th Life is very good and by the same artist

Daily JoJo is my all time favorite. It's ongoing but each season is a different couple and my favorite is S1

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Oh! Romance 101 is really wonderful, too

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Thank you for your recs!! I recently finished She Would Never Know, and am reading See You in My 19th Life, A Good Day to Be A Dog, So I Married the Anti-Fan, and Swimming Lessons for a Mermaid (essentially, mostly webtoons of dramas I've liked 👍). I've added your recommendations to my list!! Thank you!!

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COMPLETED
Your Honor - An appropriately bleak end to a show that seemed to suggest nothing is fair or just in the world. Unlikely to watch it again but the performances were great.

ONGOING
Good Partner - How tragic but true-to-life that no one took any action, in the abuse case, until it was too late.

Black Out - Well the friends were just as disgusting as expected. I have zero sympathy for the Chief - Geun-oh's death is entirely on him. All I have is rage for all these awful people.

Romance in the House - I'm glad the less interesting (non)mystery was wrapped up this week because I think the mystery of how he earned his money is going to be much more fun.

Mom's Friend's Son - I have a lot of thoughts that can't be condensed in this thread so I'll hold off judgement until this weekend's episodes.

No Gain, No Love - Lots of fun again this week. Makes my week happier when I remember odd scenes - like the CEO calling Ji-wook 'Lucifer' with zero context and then just continuing to do so lol.

Perfect Family - Wow the bio-dad is truly a piece of work isn't he? I find Sun-hui very frustrating.

STARTED
Seoul Busters - Some of the humour was cringe but there were also fun parts. Is this really 20 episodes though?!

C-DRAMAS
Completed Go East. I liked that it stayed mostly fun till the end. How refreshing to have the ML as the Consort.

Also completed Melody of Golden Age with some generous FF-ing. I doubt I'd have finished this if it wasn't for Ding Yuxi.

Planning to start Love of Nirvana today. Ren Jialun is generally great in costume dramas.

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Re Blackout: I too have zero sympathy for the Chief, his son did literally everything to confess and he fought him every step of the way, even though he was in no way responsible for Bo Young's death. Everyone in this drama is TRASH.

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Everyone in this drama is TRASH

The entire show can be summarised with this sentence really and the Chief would be on top of the trash pile 😤.

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No Gain No Love: Ji Wook is not that good looking, I know it is part of the joke, but I find it hard to laugh at because they have done it one to many times and it falls a little flat for me. That being said I am really enjoying this drama. SMN and KYD play well off of each other. So I hope it continues to be fun.

Seoul Busters: It wasn’t as funny as it could have been unfortunately, but there were a couple of moments I laughed, and one where I laughed so hard, I cried. So I think it has potential, so I will continue to watch.

Queen Woo Part 2: Wow, this was very boring. This could have been an email, lol. Or in this case a two hour movie. I thought this was 8 episodes as well. The writer tried very hard to be edgy and modern, in doing so it lost the plot and most of the edge. Meh, it is too bad because they actors were doing their best with mediocre at best writing trying to be clever.

Good Partner: There really isn’t much to say about this episode. It was sweet and we are clearly nearing the end.

Black Out: SMH, I knew they had convinced themselves that they weren’t responsible. All these people are evil and they suck. I knew Deok Mi was involved. She has been sus from the beginning. Everyone is NASTY work, but she is DIABOLICAL for also cheerfully visiting him in prison. WOW.

Romance in the House: Awwwww. We have come to the end. I hope it ends well.

Love Next Door: Hopefully we make some progress here. We can just start with communication. That would be fantastic.

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Lol Kafiyah "this could have been an email" 🤣🤣🤣

Re: Seoul Busters - I'm curious what was the scene that made you laugh that hard? For me it was the autopsy scene in episode 2 🙈

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Oh when the reporters came to the daycare/police center and Dongbang just ran into the building and left his subordinates and then they abandoned the senior police officer to bob and weave between the reporters. I was laughing so hard, I had to stop the video.

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Oh my gosh that was so funny!!! He stated running before they fully processed what was happening 🤣 And then maknae being stuck outside at the end 🤣

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😂😂😂

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Thank you so much for your report on QUEEN WOO. It looks like I will not have to subscribe to Paramount+ after all (even if it would have been temporary).

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It's a shame because the history provided an excellent setup for an epic sageuk. The crappy writing and directing, along with some of the actors not making an effort to speak with proper sageuk, especially the female lead, who is supposed to be the most essential character in the show.
I'm so disappointed. It has been a long time since we have a sageuk from the Three Kingdoms era. Goguryeo, especially, was my favorite of the 3.

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Nods head, I think the history sounds so interesting, I wish it had been put in more capable hands.

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Indeed, this story is set at the time that the Han dynasty fell, and the Three Kingdoms period begins. It is literally the historical set-up for one of the greatest of the classic Chinese novels: THE ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS, which many in China view as the very greatest work of Chinese literature. It was also a very dynamic period in the history of Goguryeo which would lead to the time when Gogureo emerged as one of the Great Powers of Asia. This is deserving of the most top-notch treatment, and it sounds like QUEEN WOO fell far short of that mark. I am truly grateful for your observations on this drama not simply because I saved money by not subscribing to Paramount+ but more importantly because I definitely would have been disappointed.

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Queen Woo is such a shame because it was a sageuk not based in Joseon after so long and the historical context is interesting enough. I will be up for watching a show on Nammu and Woo Hui too provided its not the same team on or off camera. They can only retain JCW who is the only personal in the cast that I think did justice with his character.

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Cinderella at 2AM (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D+
I don’t think the mental health twist is as smart as the show’s writer thought it would be, also, the representation is yikes. It is also sad that the ML’s characterisation is horribly bad or that the two irritating colleagues hoarded so much screen time.

Black Out (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D+
As the 2nd half of the show begins, it continues to drag as selfish dads monopolise the screen time while shady characters remain hidden in the background. At this point, I’m not sure how there’s still 6 episodes left but I pray there’s any plot twist.

No Gain No Love (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D+
While I’m happy that the FL had her moments this week, the drama has all but confirmed the upcoming makjang onslaught in the 2nd half, so I’m anticipating her going into wallflower mode. I still think the writer should run from the CEO and mom?

Love Next Door (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D
Why have one ex when you can have two? But if you thought that was the only thing the show repeated, you’re wrong: why have one mistaken affair or one person with hidden feelings when you can have two? And then there’s the stomach cancer.

Good Partner (Episode 12-13) - Mood: D
The story does feel like it’s limping to the end even though the production called up Kwak Si Yang to deliver (and it was a nice outing from him) some energy into the narrative. The whole FL finding her own path arc is frankly just overdone.

Perfect Family (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D
What in the makjang just happened this week? We have strayed so far away from the main protagonist and not in a ‘oh the switch was intentional’ but in a ‘ah shit let’s dump all this exposition and backstory for a villain that’s not even compelling’?

Romance in the House (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D
Since the murder mystery is concluded in a blink of an eye and all is well for everyone, the show now manufactures conflict with the workplace scandal and uses the dad’s past to fill the time for the finale. It’s not terrible, but there is 0 draw for me.

DNA Lover (Episode 7-8) - Mood: D-
I mean, there’s a level of stupidness one must have before literally putting one’s life at risk for some abstract notion of fate. It may be soon before Lee Tae Hwan’s character goes down the drain because he saw the episode 8 kiss. Oh well.

Bad Memory Eraser (Episode 11-12) - Mood: D-
So the ML almost drowned and the FL/SML decide to just let him recover at home with the 2FL like it’s some fever or cold? I don’t know what to comment because the FL is supposedly a doctor but yeah, I just see the forced kisses and roll my eyes.

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Fragile (1): Yeah, this is Skam, regardless of what they officially say. Everything about this show is Skam. Maybe they'll change it later, but so far, this is a Skam S1 adaptation, with that specific story & those specific characters. Even the scenes themselves feel like they come from Skam, just changed enough so it's not a literal copy-paste. This isn't a bad thing though, because Skam is a great show to adapt. And so far, I think they're doing a good job of aiming for that specific "Skam vibe", though obviously this does make the show feel quite different from the traditional Kdrama. Let's just hope they don't butcher all of the themes.

Good Partner (13-14): After the last 2 episodes were very dark, I'm glad episode 14 was a more lighthearted episode, even if it wasn't totally without heartbreak. The show also introduced yet another ferocious adversary for Eun-kyung: a door. Not sure who will win that battle, but I can't wait to find out.

No Gain No Love (5-6): Not gonna lie, this show caught me completely off guard. It wasn't on my watchlist or anything, and I only really gave it a chance because none of the other rom-coms worked for me, but I'm having the time of my life watching these episodes. It's ridiculously fun, but it still manages to make me feel emotionally attached to these characters and what they're going through. I love it.

Love Next Door (7-8): I'm still wondering what this show is trying to be. Rom-com? Slice-of-life? Melodrama? It feels like the show wants to be all of these things, but the show isn't good enough at any of these genres for this to even remotely work, making the whole thing feel unfocused and painfully mediocre as a result. And I really wish I wasn't saying this, because I really wanted to like this.

Perfect Family (9-10): It's honestly tragic how the lives of multiple good people were forever changed by the actions of one man.

Queen Woo (5-8): These 4 episodes were quite the action packed and thrilling ride, and I really enjoyed them, even if the show itself is rather flawed. The finale is pretty weird though, and didn't resolve much, instead it build up to a war that only arrives in the last 5 seconds. And yet I'm still kinda satisfied? I realized that maybe the entire show was really just about the Queen's journey to fight for what she wants, to not be a chess piece, and to ultimately accomplish her dream(s). Her original dream was to be a general, and since she accomplishes that at the end, I think that's kind of a fitting ending.

Be Melodramatic (8): I'm honestly really rooting for the actress and her manager. I love them.

Revenant (3-6): Kim Tae-ri is fantastic. Not gonna lie, her ghost/demon self was a lot of fun during the episode 5 after-party.

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WHat! Fragile Is SKAM, but without the royalties? JUst landed that show on my watchlist ... if it's on any service I can access.

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Do they have small clips during the week and characters' SoMe accounts, too?

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Yeah, considering how they ultimately decided not to make this a remake, I'm surprised at how much it's exactly like Skam. Legally, the full episodes are streaming on Kocowa. The clips are also uploaded on STUDIO X+U's Youtube page, though I've noticed that certain parts may be missing for some reason, like the opening and ending scene of episode 1. And yeah, the characters have Instagram accounts (check the pinned post of XplusU's IG if you want to find them).

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I found that they seem to be on Daily Motion, too.
I have seen the SKAM plot several times - at least twice in Norwegian, and then bits of at least four more European versions, and then SKAM Austin that was cancelled too early, in spite of some lovely characters.
The Norwegian one is still the best, but I'd love to see a Korean take on the concept. (The creator made thorough surveys before starting and then made the story based on what teenagers in her country expressed were things that weighted heavily on them in their lives. Since she was involved in Austin too, it was very different from the original, because some of the issues Austin teens encounter are very different from what Norwegian teen problems.
But when I started watching K-drama I thought that some of the aesthetics - some very bright scenes, for example - and the fact that some scenes had a lot of calm and a pacing that let you enjoy and feel what happened - that it could very well be inspired by K-dramas.

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Yeah, I've seen every season, both from the original and all of the remakes (except S11-12 of France, and S6 of Italia). I have my clear favorites, and some I really don't like, but I love seeing what every country brings to the table, and how they adapt those stories. I would've loved to see an official Korean remake, but this is better than nothing, since it's basically the same thing so far. If they're really following the same story, I'm curious as to how they'll do it.

And yeah, Austin really should've gotten a 3rd (and 4th) season. They were just starting to hit their stride, and they had a good thing going, but alas.

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I had the same reaction reading this.
I dropped Fragile after 30sec, I guess I'll have to try again. I love Skam and I love kdramas, so it's worth the try.

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No, where can that Fragile be seen?

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What is Skam?

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A popular teen drama from Norway, that was then adapted in numerous other countries. Had a rather unique format in that it took place in real-time, and clips were dropped at random moments throughout the week. Each season follows a specific character, and the characters also have social media accounts.

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LOVE NEXT DOOR (Ep 7-8) Is it a rom? Is it a com? Is it a melo? Is it a rom-com with imposter syndrome?

THE ZONE 3 (Ep 2) I went back for another try, and this episode was worse than the first. All the money was put into the set design but the story/missions were just plan dumb. I just waited for it to end like the cast.

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Damn, The Zone: Survival Mission 3 was forgettable. Seeing that you were referring to episode 2, I tried to remember what happened in it that had a set design and drew a total blank.

I only have the episode to watch but I'm not in a rush to get to it.

What do you think about the new cast members?

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It was the paper home ownership episode. The new cast members are dull and have little contribution to the show's chemistry.

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Cinderella at 2am, second episode
I commented two weeks ago that the first episode didn't impress me. Well, the second episode actually surprised me with its depth and I liked the reveals and conversations. This crisis seems to be a chance for growth of their relationship.

No Gain, No Love
This show is such a joy for me! 💃🤸‍♀️
Last time I commented on the directing, but this time I want to mention the writing - even a seemingly random scene or conversation often comes back and makes much more sense (or fun 😆) later on!
Like that interview scene at the beginning, the marriage responsibilities talk, the fitness lifting...
I also love the humour, like... ToD stopping with no problem (and that shot of the driver 😄) ...or peepholes 😂 (and oh so true!) ...and they totally got me with Baby at the end of ep6!! 🤣🤣🤣
And among all that fun, comedy and romance (yes, don't forget that PPL seat romance!) there is occasional poignancy, like when Jiwook explains why he married Haeyoung, I somehow wanted to hug him. 😘

Are You the One?, cdrama , 6eps
I got in the mood for something slower last Sunday than a kdrama and I had this one sitting in my queue for a while (the positive Beanies' reviews added a push as well), so I checked it out and I quite like it so far - Hero's Truman Show for Heroine (to catch up some enemy) is spectacularly backfiring against Hero and before he knows it this Mighty Oh So Clever Lord is falling hard for his Smart Fake Wifey 🙂.

No time for anything else (despite wanting to continue with MMF Son to form my own opinion after the Fanwall Eruption of Disappointment) <- a teacher in the beginning of a school year.

PS Anyone saw the remastered version of Kim Samsoon?

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Oooo best wishes on starting the school year, Dorotka!!! That really does make it a busy time. I hope your dramas continue to bring you joy to unwind after a day of teaching!

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Thank you!! ❤️
It is super busy, together with my own kids starting their own schools.

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I stopped unusually quickly with the 2AM thing, uncharmed. So it has depth? Is it also a bit funny? Is it a rom doom or a rom com?

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I only watched 2 episodes so far. 😅
And for me the second episode was more contemplative than a romcom, Heroine realising some truths about Hero and their past relationship. I liked this aspect.

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I quite liked at least the second set of episodes (#3-4), which also had some unexpected depths. But don't read my thoughts on the ones that come after. LOL.

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Oh, that's a shame if it went south later on. 🫥
I will try to continue, at least the next 2eps (there is also Yoon Park who I love 😊).

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Episodes 3 and 4 were actually quite good. I was thinking of dropping it but after watching 3 and 4 I changed my mind.
However, 5 and 6 have been worse, so this is a rollercoaster of quality.

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I guess I'll hold my horses for a bit more, then.

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Oh. I didn’t know where is a remastered version of Samson!! That would be nice to rewatch.

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Yes, Wavve released it on the 6th, I think, recut to 8 eps only.

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My wife really loved ARE YOU THE ONE? and recommends it to everyone, even those who normally do not watch Chinese Costume Dramas. It is one of the very best.

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That's reassuring. 🙂
It has been only 6 episodes for me, but I love how Nanny is already slowly getting on Wifey side. 😄

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I loved Nanny and her patience.

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Completely unabashedly obsessed with ‘No again No Love’ 💙💙
Everything else has been dropped. Just rewatching NGNL episodes. The more I see the more details I get. I love this FEELS!

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*No Gain No love

Oops. I am also watching RITH but I forget about it.

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That was the Rewatching slip. 😁😁

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Hah! Autocorrect made a pretty good title for another show, there. Something in the style of my lovely runner "Oh no, not again, no love!" (Either because Love is murdered by evil tax driver, or because (in alternative show) they run out of love, but in different ways in different timelines, McCartney "For No One"-style 😭 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELlLIwhvknk

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We have not yet re-watched Episodes 5 and 6 of NGNL but did re-watch the first four episodes. I guess I cannot blame work as the only reason for falling behind on other shows.

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Same, I'm planning on rewatching ep 6 this weekend

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What am I watching this very moment? I'm in Korea, it's Saturday night and Good Partner popped up on SBS. I put it on hold a couple of weeks ago, so I'm watching to kill time before Love Next Door begins. Although there will be no English subs, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to figure out what is happening even if I don't catch the precise words. Like @unit and @mistyisles, the show has problems but it's my favorite right now.

A small little side note: our cruise on the Han River was cancelled due to gov't inspections, so our guide took us on a bit of a tour near our hotel, including a stop at the KBS studios when he heard I watched k-dramas. Since it's a Saturday, there wasn't much to experience but outside the door was a big huge wall mural for Beauty and Mr. Romantic.

즐거운 하루 보내세요. ("Have a good day" - and no, I haven't learned enough Hangul to do it - I used a translator. )😊

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That reminds me of when I watched King of Dramas during my stay in Korea.
Enjoy your travels there!!

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You are in Korea during the beginning of Chuseok holiday? I did the same last year.

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We didn't plan to be here for Chuseok - it just happened that schedule at home (weddings, etc) kinda dictated the dates. In fact, it's a slight problem because certain sites are closed for the holiday so adjustments to schedule have been required.

We also didn't plan the specific hotel that our travel agent suggested - but it turns out it is featured in many kdramas. 😁

We didn't plan the trip around kdramas, but every few hours I find myself saying "oh, I remember that building/bridge/etc. from a drama - and occasionally I remember which drama.

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The same thing happened to me; I booked it in advance without knowing the holiday dates. And when I arrived, people took off the entire week instead of the 3 holiday days.

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Hoping you get to do all you planned during your stay. Enjoy ☺️

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No Love, No Gain: This is the least serious show I watch, and the most enjoyable. Yes, please. 😛🍴 I have giffed a few scenes, like, the ML getting drunk from swirling around wine. It happens! … Apparently.
Jealousy Incarnated/ Don’t Dare to Dream: Because of the triangle dilemma … and @aweebit praising Nurse Oh in the comments, reminding me how much I, too, liked her … I have been back, skimming this show. I have been so annoyed that FL went back to that guy who was repeatedly so horribly, I mean, calculatingly mean to her that I had forgotten just how much good there was in that show, how many interesting characters and weaved-in stories. I even see more nuances between the MLs, though I still by far prefer the 2ML. I am starting out with a Big Nurse Oh Appreciation Post which I am still working on, but I have quite a few gifs waiting to show little moments of the rest of the show. (Nurse Oh is played by Park Jin-joo, also the secretary in It’s Okay Not to Be Okay , if you long for her subtle, polite disrespect).
Bad Memory Eraser: This is being very dramatic right now. I am kind of liking everybody, (though admittedly I seriously don’t get 2FL’s mother) but it would be nice if they had a position between “Happy” and “Suicidal”. Preferably a position that said: “Ready to talk things through”.
Good Partners: I really like the drama, but for some reason I kinda run out of words about it. If you are contemplating watching it, it’s a fine drama, it takes up a lot of actual existing problems in relationships, and also some solutions that can make divorces a little less horrible, at least after some time. Especially for the children who never asked to be torn in and out of relationships. I know someone who said she was SO happy her parents got divorced. But even for her it was not her decision; the grownups decide about their relation, and the kids just have to take it. Worst case scenario is to love your stepparents and stepsiblings, and then losing them after years of living together, because your bio parent doesn’t like them anymore.
Love Next Door: Oh no, can we please get rid of that cheater? Sometimes you can forgive someone for cheating, but I don’t see a good reason here. She doesn’t love him that much, and he is being horrible.
Community Rewatch:
Happiness: : I love the OTP, and that little girl. I want to hear more about that immune thingummy, I want my theory to be right, or at least partially right.
Finished :
Not a K-drama:
Octordle, Strands, Connections: Honestly, spent far too much time digging into the archive of Octordle. I like crosswords, too, but the NYT ones assume more knowledge of U.S. culture than I have. Like, the names of their “foot”ball players? Seriously.
Election Debate: Debate! We like debate, we love it, oh don’t we love our debate? But nobody wants to hear...

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Election Debate: Debate! We like debate, we love it, oh don’t we love our debate? But nobody wants to hear KDRAMA when they are washing debate. WASHING the debate because, we gotta have a clean debate, don’t we? We wash debate, and we also watch it, is what I’m saying. I was just … the other day this man comes up to me … big man, strong man, tears in his eyes, and he says to me, tears pouring down his face, he says: THANK YOU Cecilie, for washing … watching the debate. SOMEBODY’S gotta do it, right? And he was … that was actually a man who had just woken up from a coma, and he was SO HAPPY. We gotta solve this problem with people being run over by trucks all the time, it can’t be right, I’m saying … look, they stand there, peacefully, like this, and WHOOOOOM comes a white truck and it’s over. OVER! I tell you, we gotta do something. I have a great plan, no more trucks! Except Red Trucks now. They come in white Trucks, and they eat all the dogs and cats, I saw a clip, they said they had eaten their cat, it’s true! And the birds … the uhm … seagulls and the canaries … and sometimes the … the eagles, amirite? Eagles and seagulls, canaries and hanaries … Hanitties … it’s true, I’ve seen it! I hear, sometimes people hold up umbrellas for others – that’s stupid, I’d never do that … but flight persho.. flight people oughta do it, and theu should fold the umbrella afterwards, they train at flight pers… flight people school so they should know how to fold an umbrella.

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wow

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About the last comment, just to make sure: It's a parody, I haven't suddenly lost my ability to finish a sentence.

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OMG. This is wonderfully, terrifyingly spot-on. Are ... are you sure you're from Denmark, and not, say, QUEENS?!?

(No disrespect to the good people of Queens, or to seagulls, umbrellas, cats, and ToDs.)

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Hrm hm ... uhm ... I watch Seth Meyers, admittedly, so I have had some help with my homework.

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So thank you, Elinor, and 😢🎭🧍[this represents me tearfully holding up my Oscar] I must thank from my heart Seth Meyers, without whom I would never ... would never have ... [is sobbingly guided from the podium]

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Sir, sir, I heard you have concepts for plans for healthcare for when people get sick after eating their neighbors cats, like nothing anyone has ever seen 🙀

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I have the best plans.

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And the best people (if by best, you mean worst) 😼

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I have the best words!

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BTW, "like nothing anyone has ever seen"
Considering people like brainworm JFK and Kristi Noem, I am not so sure.

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I love both the doctor and nurse equally. They are such a pair to foil our frustrating ML. The two of them joining the dance on stage during the wedding is forever my all time favorite kdrama scene. It’s a lift me up whenever I need one.

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The doctor is just not having it with his eternal me me me, she gets exasperated and huffs and scuffs. Nurse Oh, just puts her head on the side and almost only rolls her eyes when he doesn't see it.

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They are the yin and Yang for the ML.

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I remember I loved the 2 Mom's in Jealousy Incarnated.

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Yes, that quickly went from a tired cat fight cliché to something increasingly interesting.

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It's fascinating how different people's reactions to dramas are.
To me the second male lead in JI was maddeningly petty, manipulative, and privileged. The way he guilt-tripped everybody around him was infuriating. At least the male lead had layers, the sml was just a spoiled baby.

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Agreed - I never like the 2ML no matter how swoony he might look. He’s the real selfish guy while the 1ML is the fake mean guy.

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He was not nice to his fiancé, but to be fair, from the start he didn't imagine she had any feelings invested in him.
He fell for FL when he had heard nothing about her but that she was someone his best friend definitely did NOT want around.
To fall in love and then find out that your best friend is trying to take away the girl that he never wanted until he saw you have her ... I think it's quite fair to get angry at that. Especially since the ML kept tearing the FL down, even after this became interspersed with giving her good advice and help.

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The way I saw it the fl had stalked the ml for 3 years, overstepping every boundary despite him telling her no many many times. That in itself made me feel sympathetic to the ml since the very beginning and giving him right to talk bad about her. Yes he wasn't the most polite and lovable character, but neither was the fl. His falling for her was completely and directly caused by his being incredibly vulnerable and lonely and finding her the only person to lean on, and slowly falling for her better traits.

The sml on the other hand, started everything with lies, whether with his fiance or with his new fling, and continued to get what he wanted from everyone simply by whining "you should pity me because my parents don't get along"! Meh.

I love this show because of how it depicts unlikeable characters. The vulnerability of Hwashin, and how he could have no one to lean on is heartbreaking. I don't like the fl much. She has zero sense of boundary, and a huge sense of self pity. Her and the sml actually fit together in that respect 😄 But because I wanted Hwashin to have someone he could trust and love, she was the best at hand I guess! 😄 At least she truly loved him.

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I didn't see the SML lying to everybody. 2ML is obviously starved of real parental love, too, if that's what it takes to deserve love. He kept his parents appeaced, also because, if you talk about family problems, lying to your parents is the only way to have any autonomy in some families, it seams, but he dropped his fiancé very soon. I don't think of it as him lying; it was just something that was arranged without any emotional investment from his side, and he didn't think of it as an emotional obligation, just something his parents wanted and that he would have done if he hadn't happen to actually fall in love himself.
He was ready to do everything for the FL and first and foremost didn't have his fragile ego plastered all over the lives of everybody else all the time.
ML time and time again kept himself up by putting others down, demonstrated clearly when we met him first and he went to some random couple that had done nothing to him and basically said "How much for the girl and the shirt, and you are not a man like I am, and she is only average pretty".
He needed everybody to confirm his superior masculinity. The FL was super clumsy and didn't know normal borders, that is true, but I think it would be fine to just say that.
Have you ever been kept from leaving because a man cornered you to tell you how much he disliked you? ML does that to her, and at a time where she is not really interested in him. And also, when she is only being considerate to him and not inclined to want him, he talks for a long time to her to bring her in position for him to approach her, so he can reject her again.
This thing about having to be superior and if not, everybody else has let you down, that is one of the reasons catcalling is not just annoying, but also frightening. You never know what the reaction will be to the denial, maybe it won't just be "oh, an you are ugly and I didn't want you anyway" as it often is.

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That scene at the beginning of the show where he goes to the couple is a prime example of kdramas exaggerating everything in the first couple episodes and then toning dramatically down. I always wonder about that scene which has no similarity to the rest of the drama.

The fl did exactly the same things to the ml 3 years back, crashing his date talking and blaming constantly, talking familiarly to him in the elevator... honestly, she is no saint 😄

Let's agree to disagree 😅😄 I know @epyc2010 and I are the only beanies feeling sympathetic to Hwashin, so I am by no means trying to convince you.

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Oh, and I didn't say he lied to everyone. He started his relationship both with the fiance and with the fl with lies.

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LIVE WATCHES:

1. LOVE NEXT DOOR - Well that took a left turn... Anyway, the last two episodes were still holding my attention but what in the makjang is Writer-Nim doing?

2. ROMANCE IN THE HOUSE - This is the one drama I look forward to every week now. I'm rooting for Tae-Pyong and Mi-Rae as always!

3. ARE YOU SURE? - In the latest episode, Jimin and Jungkook continue eating their way across Sapporo, Japan. Watching them constantly makes me want to grab a snack LMAO!

4. THE OLD MAN - Season 2 has just started that Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow continue to be an engaging duo in this action-packed spy/agent series as they infiltrate Afghanistan in order to go after their adopted daughter who was kidnapped at the end of the last season.

OTHER WATCHES:

1. INTO THE DARKNESS - I decided to binge on this drama (and finish it) because it's leaving Netflix on 30 September. It's pretty good as Korea's CRIMINAL MINDS. Kim Nam-Gil is top-notch in this crime drama.

2. WITCH IN COURT - The FL is being TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) in episodes 9 - 11. Hopefully she'll get back to being enjoyable to watch again.

3. OFFICER BLACK BELT - This Kim Woo-Bin movie just dropped on Netflix and is a pleasant enough 'leave your mind at the door' actioner to spend 2 hours on.

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1. Thanks for the OFFICER BLACK BELT reminder.

2. Thoughts on KBS’s WITCH AT COURT (2017). Right off—it was my least favorite drama of 2017. That puts me in a distinct minority because fwir it was well received here. What ultimately annoyed me to distraction was the way the FL (Jung Ryeo-won) treated the ML (Yoon Hyun-min) throughout the drama.
(Background (lol maybe TMI) I came to kdramaland in 2016. My fourth kdrama was the great JTBC drama HEARTLESS CITY (2013). There I became a big fan of Jung Kyung-ho and Yoon Hyun-min. My sixth kdrama again had both those guys: JTBC’s FALLING FOR INNOCENCE (2015)).
So I jump to my fifth Yoon Hyun-min drama (with A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2016) and TUNNEL (2017) in between): WITCH AT COURT.
Here in the ML we have a medical doctor and trained psychiatrist (how many years of training did that take?) changes professions by going to law school and joining the prosecution service. Well, the FL is now the ML’s superior and instead of thinking, “what a gem I have here, a psychiatrist etc” she stereotypically treats her ‘junior’ like crap. To me it was like somehow watching a family member get abused at work.
I never bought into the romance.
Apologies. lol, I guess that is enough of a rant. You get the picture.

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Oh I forgot that I watched Officer Black Belt. Yeah, it's fine. I liked some of the fight scenes but you can definitely tell effort went into the coordination and choreography so credit where its due

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Is it better to be watching one show you love and a lot of filler, or a full week's schedule of shows that are just fine?

No Gain No Love is my current "one show" and it's been so much fun that I'm trying to stave off second-half anxiety. There are moments -- "smell of sunshine" being one -- of surprisingly poignant insight. And then you get a hilarious take on sageuk-style peeping and the exclamation point of the unexpected "baby." I cannot wait for Monday and fake newlywed hijinks!

Will be selectively fast-forwarding through the rest of Beauty and Mr. Romantic because it's too late to drop it now. At least Jin-dan finally knows the truth of his parentage. It's about time his self-importance was shattered. Pil-seung and Do-ra are nice enough people, but it's exhausting watching them deal with the irrational, self-centered, angry characters around them. The last time BMR was fun was the last time they weren't in crisis mode -- when Do-ra was the carefree Ji-yeong moving to the big city.

We finally got past the OTP misunderstanding phase of Melody of Golden Age, but the complicated court politics -- if I cared more, I'd need a chart -- probably mean there's more angst to come. The daily release schedule is nice, though.

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Your comments in BEAUTY AND MR. ROMANTIC could not be more spot on. I also have been using the FF button a fair amount. It is past time that the executives at KBS finally figured out that makjang has no place in a Weekender.

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BMR also on my fast forward list, i have to commend them on not make me ever think of giving up (side eye to LOVE NEXT DOOR). My precious bean comes in next week, whether the leads end up or not is not a piority to me, i cant wait for Jin dan downfall

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Happy Saturday, Beanies! Due to sickness I haven't really watched anything, except of few scenes here and there, so we'll talk about my current watchlist next time, OK?

MELODY OF GOLDEN AGE: I think I'm gonna drop it – I've read spoilers, and aside of few nice bits seems like writing really took a nose dive. Shame. I'll tune in for a HE tho – there will be one, right? It's not engaging enough to pull a decent tragedy

QUEEN WOO: Another “read spoilers and lol-ed hard” case. They made it this short at the expense of having a proper ending? The nerve! Doubt another season will be made. Making me wonder, where all that supposedly big budget go?

HAPPINESS (community REwatch): on hold.

“Drama news” segment (too long, Part2 next week):

- Youku conference took place, presenting 92 (!) upcoming dramas praised for variety of themes and genres. We'll see about that^^ Most prominent projects got trailers, included recently licensed KILL ME LOVE ME (Liu Xueyi, Wu Jinyan, dark historical romance) – heard the source material is WILD, kinda intrigued now how much of its insanity makers manage to slip under censors noses)))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXnYl2tU6AY

- winner of the most generic title of 2024 THE BLOSSOMING LOVE (Zhang Binbin, Sun Zhenni, xianxia romance), looking like there's significantly more fanservice than plot, but that's not necessarily a bad thing...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6ta4M0gfnU

- if you agree that drama above was named badly, wait till you hear about LONG FOR FISH wish I was kidding lmao (Chen Feiyu, Wang Yinglu, xianxia romance) – another case of dark and wild novel adapted idk how and why. Props to people for still trying, I guess? Not my cup of tea, but that dual cultivation joke was funny^^
https://youtu.be/hNsEPj0I0c4?si=LXXFcbdzC0x-B9G2

and finally inoffensively titled THE ETERNAL FRAGRANCE (Song Weilong, Ju Jingyi, erm... xianxia romance?):
https://youtu.be/Ug4ChZxYMjI?si=4kLDVmz19Leqiljq

- while on about to air – today! - train is Tencent's LOVE OF NIRVANA (Ren Jialun, Li Landi, historical romance + revenge political intrigue, supposedly with emphasis on the latter):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwnhCUxRXO0

- iQiyi's DARK NIGHT AND DAWN (Chen Zheyuan, Nie Yuan, Xing Fei, Yao Anna, Republican mystery) will air on 18th.

also Tencent's LOVE IN THE DESERT (Hani Kezi, Fang Yilun, historical spicey reverse harem) is rumored to finally happen at the end of September. Yes, trust the penguin, it never baited us before!

- TSOPG couched up their first decently looking poster, yet gave us no new trailer despite perfect opportunity to do so. Ofc, there's no need to rush, it'll only air in a month or so...
https://i.mydramalist.com/E5Zk5l_4f.jpg

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- without any fanfare (seriously – are they planning to promote the drama at least a bit? hardly anyone knows it was even being made!) CICADA passed the review under new c-title AI RU CHAN YI (lit. LOVE LIKE CICADA WINGS), soon to be licensed. Final ep count unknown, but probably 24, airing on Tencent who knows when.

- sweet celeb trivia – Wu Jinyan of THE DOUBLE fame proved that she's as idgaf confident as her famous roles by sudden announcement of her marriage to a fellow actor and apparently longterm secret boyfriend Hong Yao. Post factum. Now bitter singledom of cnetizens people are speculating whether this out-of-nowhere reveal hints pregnancy or plans for it – see, @hacja, someone IS working on solving the birthrate crisis!

- t's a wrap for ADWAD! Oh no, I'm gonna miss my daily dose of leaks from the set of this hilariously bloody mess... First a wrap up video, once again proving that cdrama definition of lighthearted romcom is different from your vanilla expectations – we have both leads dying on-screen even this early on. Which, hopefully, means we DO getting HE after all that struggle, right? Right?! Production looks great, FL is pleasantly fierce, LYN is modulating his voice depending on which persona he plays (and villainous prince got the gentler sounding one? lol), not to mention the balm to my soul - lack of creepily overdone “beauty” filter. Pls do well with post-production too!
Upd.: video is doing VERY well in China (currently over 8M views on Weibo alone and still rising), getting a lot of praise for cinematography, line delivery of leads (drama plans to mostly use on-set audio, so it's gonna be them in final cut too) and angsty intensity overall (lighthearted fun, remember?).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVFugsjMjh0

Fan translated because Linmon is slow on subs damn, dude, that's not how you prove a point!:
https://x.com/fandoestrans/status/1833717099996516723

Cute end-of-filming posters:
https://x.com/ultra_melons/status/1833787248774705445

Funny polaroids - spoilery:
https://x.com/mcg_cg/status/1833713777256071473

Even more spoilers – underwater kiss (done with CGI, because Yuning swims like a brick))). Idk how final cut will look like, but that fanmade poster is gorgeous, wow! Plus pretty OTP fancam mix not this BGM, it's cursed!:
https://x.com/ONF_IC/status/1833766219981500773

And a bit of humor – ever so practical Ning-ge pocketing (?) prop food after filming is over)))
https://x.com/fandoestrans/status/1833721716696293632

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Bonus: just as I was about to post, TSOPG also dropped ML's “profile” video, reminding me how good he looked in this show too:
https://x.com/YoukuOfficial/status/1834826249925234737

I mean:
https://x.com/LYNmiramira/status/1834836187313586666

My sincerest apologies to Tang dynasty fashion – after TLB I was very wrong about its lack of upsides...

P.S. Dear DB filter, surely I'm a hopeless sinner, but is it enough of a crime to eat my post TWICE?!

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The gap between what's worth watching and what isn't is especially stark this week.

Pachinko 2: 8.0 (ep 3 / 4) At the start of episode 4 the kid is sharpening a bamboo pole. Yes, that was a thing. Preparing bamboo spears to fight the evil Americans when they invade. Good luck with that.

Bad Memory Eraser: 5.5 But decent 👁🍬

Romance in the House: 6.0 We need a limit/quota on shows where the ML is the secret son of the boss and shows up by surprise at the FL's workplace - max one per season across all networks.

Love Next Door: __ Likely drop, but if the FL wants learn to cook, I hope she knows to avoid ingredients that increase cancer risk.

No Gain No Love 8.5 Yah, about that limit I said we need...
- OMG! A (white) truck stopped!
- I keep cluttering my HD with screenies (mostly of the 2FL's many and varied expressions) but it's better to just save the complete episodes for later rewatches.

Fragile: 1.5 Lasted 15 min into ep 1.

Seoul Busters: 8.0 Finally a Disney show that's almost Disney-like (except for all the 💩). Park Se-wan hasn't lost her touch since her stint as 3.14159 in I'm Not a Robot. The lab tech's huge list of titles/credentials was a hoot. So who needs Boredom Next Door?

Queen Woo: 3.0 (ep 5 / 8) What was the point of the new bunch of crazies that attacked the old bunch of crazies on the way to prince #4?
For an easy +1.0 to the score, next time turn the darn lights on! Then lose all the other crazies & cultists. To raise the score more, replace the writer & PD and start over from the beginning. Keep only the chess pieces.
Since they left us hanging, are they planning to hop on the trend of unearned 2nd seasons? If so, let me know if they learn from their mistakes.
Meanwhile
- Ep 8: King (in flashback) cuts off the nose of a rebellious brother who he could have killed.
- Machiavelli: Men should either be treated generously or destroyed, because they will avenge themselves for small wrongs, but for great ones they cannot.
- Show (later): Told ya so.

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Re No love no gain: Not only did it stop, it swerved out of the way as well, will wonders never cease, it can be done.

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About that quota... I would say that if all the secret sons are like Tae Pyeong and Ji Wook, we will be fine. 🤭

Seoul babysitters: I like Park Se Wan too. She's so charming.

Fragile: I lasted like 30 seconds because the song they played for that first scene was horrible.

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Reading the prompt, I realized I rarely want to throw my remote at a show. Instead, as with LOVE NEXT DOOR, I use the fast forward button. And when I skip past the many elements I disliked in these looong episodes, I ended up with a short, sweet show. Ha.

Same goes for CINDERELLA AT 2AM, which added a clunky triangle and spent far too long going around in circles. It may be realistic in breakups but isn’t so fun to watch. But no ffw’ding Yoon Park’s scenes—so much fun.

As for what I want more of? Yup, it’s NO GAIN, NO LOVE. I love my rom. And I love my com. But I really love it when comes with a side of biting social commentary. If the second half is half as good, I think I may use my remote to watch it again one day.

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After the discussion here (last week's Open Thread?) on Kim Soo-hyun, I decided to re-watch IT'S OK NOT TO BE OK. Honestly, I remembered only the MOOD of the show, not much else. (It was 2020! We were not OK.) 

And well, I could write an essay on it. (I won't.) I will still remember its vibe the best. LOL. As for the actors, while KSH was just fine (he cries so pretty), Seo Yea-ji's toxic princess or Oh Jung-se as the older brother were the roles I'll probably remember in another five years.

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The fast forward button was made for shows like LOVE NEXT DOOR and CINDERELLA AT 2AM, how else can we hate watch?

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No Gain No Love I really like the FL and her way to protect people but herself too.

Cinderella at 2AM It looks like a lot of pain for nothing for now.

Romance in the House I'm behind.

Black Out Protecting your kid is really a bad excuse.

Good Partner It's really nice to see how the relationship between our heroins grew.

Love Next Door Jung Hae-in said the 11-16 will be like a party, I guess I would have to be patient this week-end.

Seoul Busters I didn't think the investigation will last for more than one episode. There won't be a lot of them with 12 episodes. The bloopers were funny.

Queen Woo The best part of this drama was Ji Chang-wook and I'm quite sad the story wasn't about his character instead.

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QUEEN WOO should've remained the movie it was initially pitched to be.

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I liked the bloopers too! That adds to the fun and the nostalgic vibe. ☺️

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Yeah, it reminded me when I was watching Jackie Chan's movies.

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Ohhh, yeah. His movies always had the best bloopers.

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There are a lot of bad reviews about Queen Woo. It looks like I will just skip it or just watch JCW scenes.

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Currently watching:
TOMORROW (through ep. 11) - grabbed my heart from the first episode, and has both squeezed it until tears flowed (the Korean vet episode had me sobbing on an airplane as did the suicidal dog one) and soothed it with affirming statements about life.

ARE YOU THE ONE (through episode 20) - started with high hopes. But so far have been disappointed by the lack of real tension, the extremely pace, the supposedly perfect and understanding wife act of the female lead and the bland performance of the lead actor. I’m hoping things get more interesting now that the heroine has discovered the truth about who she is and that her “husband” has been lying to her the whole time. I love me a good romantic conflict!

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No Gain No Love. I'm enjoying this and it makes me look forward to Mondays and Tuesdays can't come soon enough. I think what I like most is the maturity. It's grown women who act like grown, experienced women who have conversations that are frank and confortable. Even the more romantically inexperienced writer doesn't feel like a wide eyed kid/teen who just dreams of romance. I like that people are fairly direct about their thoughts and feelings such as when Ji Uk asked Hae Young about her feelings for her ex and Hae Young said her feelings are her business and they aren't in a place where she has to explain herself to him. Ah boundaries, they make it look so easy haha. I like the comedy. It often makes me smile if not laugh out loud. Some of it is due to the contrast with the cast & the situations. For example, the scene with the CEO struggling to lift the writer or the weight was funnier to me because I've seen Bloodhounds haha. The ridiculousness is fun and the more serious moments are played well too. I just enjoy this and I hope I can continue enjoying it.

Still 17/Thirty but Seventeen. I watched this mainly for Ahn Hyo Seop. I was the first time I'm seeing the Shin Hye Sun play such an innocent type of character. So far, it's fine and nice. I do like a found family but I did feel kinda bad for the friend. He spent so long looking out for her and trying to find only to end up a stranger on the outside of her new life. I did like the line about if you're confident and sure about your feelings, there's no reason not to be calm and collected. I don't know how applicable it is to all situations but I liked it in that scene/moment.

Love Next Door. I keep meaning to mention it but I like this english title more so than "Mom's friend's son". I just think it's more fitting to the overall concept and tone of the show. The childhood friends (main couple) next doors, the neighbors (medic & reporter) next door, and comparison between the loving vs not so loving households next door.

Sh**ting Stars. Watching solely for Kim Young Dae haha and his character's manager. Aww him. His heart is in the right place haha
I seriously wouldn't think the same actor played in both No Gain No Love & Sh**ting Stars. The vibe is so different (to me). Hair really does make a difference haha

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SS: I am rewatching this while waiting for new episodes of NGNL!! GTS and his manager were adorable together. I loved all their scenes. Manager had the sweetest smile.

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Shooting Stars is one of my happiest rewatches. It's full of good performers and it's fast-paced and fun. A blues killer for me.

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Love Next Door: I'm still enjoying this drama. Seok-ryu and Seong-hyo aren't going to crack the top 100 kdrama couples, but I like seeing how their relationship rather than solely their romance grows. I really like this drama for the various interactions and themes that resonate. Also, I appreciate the sort of social/environmental awareness mentions in this drama.

Are You the One (cdrama, partway through episode 29) I love how the drama has a streak of absurdity that makes it fun, and the editing and acting really bring out the comedy. It can be over-the-top without being hamfisted. It's hilarious how the ML has managed to escape two arranged marriages with the most unexpected reasons. I shouldn't be surprised. This drama had a battle scene where the two sides were pretty much going "yo momma!"

Melody of a Golden Age (cdrama, up to ep 7) Romance + investigation drama is usually a hit with me. I liked the first episode and tried to push through 6 more until the drama can hit its stride. I couldn't get into it. Feels like a decent story proposal and outline, but the execution feels off. Sad it's not for me.

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Hi beanies!

What I am watching:

_ Cinderella at 2.am (6/10). This series has some good and some very bad moments. And amazingly all must have been written by the same person. This week the bad and cringey sequences were too much. But I like the secondary couple (Yoon Park should have more screen time. He is great), and the new character played by Lee Hyun Woo (and his smile). It was fun to see Kwon Yul in another cameo.

_ 9 end 2 outs (15/16). I really love this drama, it's very hooking, but also deep. Yesterday I watched five episodes in a row. The script is wonderful, imo. This is hands down the best "friends to lovers" I have ever watched. It's a slow burn, because feelings are not easy to understand, nor are they a switch that you can turn on and off from one moment to another.

I keep watching the anime Kotaro lives alone (4/10) and the second season of House of the Dragon (7 out of 8).

This week I have left The story of Minglan and Goryeo-Khitan War on-hold (but I like them!).
Last weekend I finished the C-drama Are you the one?, which I commented on the previous What we are watching discussion, and these days I'm seeing video edits on Insta because I really miss the main characters.

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I love 9end 2 outs!! The friends to lovers trope was so well done. I think I will rewatch it.

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It's "Friends to lovers" done in the most realistic way. I really appreciate that.

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IMHO it is the very greatest of all such romcoms- friends to lovers has never been done better or more realistically.

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Exactly. I can't understand why this drama is so underrated (7.4 in My drama list) and unknown.

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Exactly.

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9 End 2 Outs is one of those classic k-dramas I still need to check out - thanks for putting it back on my radar screen with your positive reviews!

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It has been a wonderful surprise. I'm watching it on YouTube because it isn't available in my streaming services (and it should be, because I think it deserves more fame).

I'd dare to say I like it more than other much praised shows like Because this is our first life (to mention a show that I think has some things in common).

9 end 2 outs touches several themes, being friendship the main one, imo. And of course the "thirties crisis" (at least it seems it's a crisis in South Korea).

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It has been some time since I watched it, but from what I remember I also prefer 9e2o to First Life.

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Regarding your last paragraph, Girlfriday's recaps were so cute with how much she related to the fl.

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Several characters are very relatable, even the FL's funny co-worker who is platonically in love with her swimming instructor and drools over the characters she draws 😂

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Update: Finished 9 end 2 outs. ❤️ Highly recommend. The last episode was beautiful.

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One of the best shows in my drama-watching history 👌👍

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It's very good. I have added it to My Favorites here on DB.

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It's so lovely. It's the only "friends to lovers" drama I've seen that truly was just that - no revelation that one had secretly been in love with the other all along, and real consideration of the potential risks of changing their relationship. Beautifully done. And the 2ML remains a shining example of how that relationship can be handled realistically and with real emotion on both sides.

The mid-2000s fashions were sometimes hard on the eyes, though!

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The mid-2000s fashions were sometimes hard on the eyes, though!
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Even in that, this "oldie" is less harmful to the eyes. The FL wears some strange garments, but only a few times.

And the ML outfits (jeans and t-shirts most of the time) are way better than the fashion styling of Hyun Bin in My name is Kim Sam Soon or Ji Sub in I'm sorry, I love you (in this show all the outfits in all the characters were really hard on the eyes).

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I've never heard of that show, but definitely need to check it out now! It sounds lovely

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Thanks to your campaign and finally being able to locate it I am now watching Nine end Two outs. It is going to be slow and steady as the version I have found has divided each episode into several chunks.

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