Here is your Open Thread, which is here for you to chat about anything you want, whether it be drama-related or not. Nothing’s off-topic here! Spoilers may be rife, so proceed accordingly.
Netflix says "Nostalgic, Bittersweet, Emotional".
As you will see from anyone who talks about it, it is marvellously beautiful. It is also funny, but more heartbreaking than funny.
I tried to formulate the most important thing about it and it sounded to my own ears like I was describing Jane Eyre, but without Rochester, instead much sweeter, but also much poorer, Park Bo Gum.
But being as poor as can be and a woman, and still holding up the idea that you can live with dignity and even use your undeniable academic talent.
I won't spoil it for you, but while everyone says it's so heartbreaking and they cry every episode, I only cried three times in the entire drama, all related to Eun-myeong.
Okay, because yes.
I don't cry as much as a lot of wievers. But I can be sad.
I am happy to see the flashforwards, though, and that probably Park Bo Gum doesn't SPOILER .... go to sea and drown or becomes tired of her or anything.
lol. What eagle eyes you have. I didn’t know “Lee Jun-Young” was a genre.
And why him? Why not IU? Or Park Bo-Gum? Or Moon So-Ri?
I think think a more appropriate genre would have been “Epic Masterpiece”
yes me too. I don´t know why but Jun is a mood booster maybe because his characters are always energetic and sort of positive, not the harsh tsundere kind
Today was a historic day in South Korea. In an 8-0 ruling, the Constitutional Court on Friday found that impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol had committed "grave violations" by imposing martial law on Dec. 3, a standard that had determined former presidents' fate in previous impeachment cases.The ruling stated that Yoon's abuse of power in declaring martial law and other actions “constitute serious violations of the principles of democratic governance and the rule of law.”
The 114-page verdict showed that Yoon's decision to ignore the national governance structure as enshrined in the Constitution -- by deploying armed forces to the National Assembly and the election commission by imposing martial law -- threatened the stability of the democratic republic. Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae said that Yoon's legal violations were so severe that the benefit of removing the 64-year-old from his post "far outweighs the national cost of dismissal," adding Yoon had "betrayed the trust of the people" by abusing emergency power. Moon added that Yoon's martial law decree shows that he chose not to treat the National Assembly as a negotiating partner but rather as an adversary, which "undermines the foundations of democratic politics."
But the ruling also chastised the National Assembly’s conveyor belt of executive branch impeachments, all denied except Yoon’s. "However, the conflict between the executive and legislature cannot be blamed on one side alone. It is a political issue that must be resolved within the bounds of democracy. Public positions and decisions should align with constitutional principles," he said."The National Assembly should have respected minority voices and worked toward compromise with the government." Yoon is still criminally charged with insurrection.
As monumental as this insurrection was- South Korea has bigger issues on hand. It’s projected to self implode in one generation if it doesn’t turn around its birthrate.
I thought birthing is being discouraged? There's a reason why having posterity is termed the circle and cycle of life. But somehow, majority speak like it bodes more harm and detriment than otherwise.
There’s a saying in Korea, “Girls study hard so they don’t have to marry a Korean man; boys study hard so they don’t get rejected by Korean women.” This pretty much encapsulates why Korean birth rate is falling and unlikely to recover unless a lot of issues are addressed.
This is amazing. I've been so overwhelmed by the local news that I didn't see this. I get what you are saying, @lostpanda, about the birthrate. It's not like reactionary dictatorships make the birthrate go up, though. Also, every single country with anti-democratic political parties also has a bigger issue, which is climate change. The birth rate and the melting of the polar ice caps, and the spread of new illnesses from animals to people--all of these things are harder to deal with if your government decides that in an emergency, they don't need democracy.
A whole Lot of Small Talk vs. Not Small Talk Enough
These two not-a-K-drama, and I probably won’t have time tomorrow, so I telling you about these here: That J-drama, Hot Spot, Woman who learns her coworker is an alien:
In soft, almost whispered conversation 90% of the time or more, the acquaintance of a space alien colleague and the possibilities and problems it brings is discussed and fixed, an interplay of small-talk with hints of joy, disappointment, pride, bragging, insecurity, helpfulness, friendship, selfishness, fluttering gossip, sensationalism, and sometimes reading aloud of the other’s expression “You are annoyed with me.”
They make plans and help each other out, saving lives, saving face, getting back stolen goods.
The alien is very grumpy and eager to keep a low profile, but just as eager, or maybe eager-er, to be admired.
Having binged it all, the pictures of skilfully coordinated colours, pale blue, beige and white in one place, calm, brown, wooden stripes in another, and vivid orange, red and violet colours in a third place, matching my knitting, are still on display in my head.
But more than that, I am left with that murmuring sound in my head, the flicker of small-talk and big plans, something that could be the soundtrack of a Tati film. During it all, being in the middle of dramatic plans or sentimental memories, the characters often change the subject, jumping on a whim from how to save someone’s life or reputation, to what kind of snacks are their favourite, or whether they should have brought their gloves.
The quiet absurdity is fragrant of Jaque Tati and Wes Andersson.
Effing hilarious and well-told. There is no romance. Lots of female friendship. 👽🙎🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️👩🏻🦱☕☕☕☕🍩🥧🧁🍫
The Blanc Menu: 1st episode. Monstrously awkward, the guest eating alone in front of two spectators, eager to tell him how the food is best enjoyed. Everybody is at an exam; The cook hopes that the guest will enjoy the food and is anxious that he notices every detail of the culinary effort made, and the guest is an exam to notice and to say the right things, Cook and helper standing up and staring at him during the entire meal. Definitely, nobody was comfortable or really enjoyed that food, even if it tasted lovely.
👨🏻🍳🫢🍛🤣🍷
If they had sat down with the guest, clinked their glasses, expressed their own joy and suggested ways to taste it while they themselves joyfully gobbled up the best combinations of condiments, they could have had a lovely meal. 🤣❤️
Your reference of Wes Anderson in relation to the Hot Spot is, in my opinion, totally on the mark. Whimsical absurdity taken matter of factly, which then exposes how absurd some things are that we take for granted in real life, and then underneath, really meaningful, human themes--in this case, the nature of female friendship.
Wes Anderson's Atomic City, which also has a metaphoric alien, is one of my favorite recent films, exposing the ridiculousness of much of U.S. Cold War culture, while also being about a man grieving the loss of his wife.
With this film and with Hot Spot, there are times you wonder what is going on, or what the show is trying to say, but they keep you thinking all the time. But also they aren't some abstract intellectual exercise, but really charming and emotionally engaging. The last Korean show that was like this was One Day Off, which I also loved.
I loved the ridiculousness of Hot spot. It was just as funny as Brush up life. I loved the way they debated differences between super powers, aliens and time travellers as if they were every day occurrences. I dont know how the tv crew were able to stay straight faced when they conducted the interviews with the locals boasting about their own version of super powers🤣
I was expecting to find out the town was full of aliens, especially since it was the only place with that water. The fast cashier, for example, I was sure she would turn out to be full or half alien. And maybe even the skilled pee-time-assessoress!
I HAD A BREAKTHROUGH AT AERIAL YOGA! I can now hold both sides of my silk hammock, pull myself up with a jump, flip myself, hook my ankles around the silk with my legs straight, and then slide down into an inversion.
In case y'all wondering what Aerial Yoga flips (starting from a standing position) are like, here's a video:
WOOHOO! I've been struggling with this for over a year and finally I flipped ALL BY MYSELF!
(B) THIS WEEK IN KOREAN WOMEN'S NEWS
1. Petition to amend statutory rape law follows Kim Soo-hyun press conference
Following actor Kim Soo-hyun’s tearful press conference on Monday addressing his relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron, a petition to address statutory rape laws submitted to the National Assembly had gathered over 30,000 signatures in less than two days.
Calling the amendment to be coined the “Kim Soo-hyun Prevention Act,” the petitioner urged lawmakers to make an amendment to statutory rape laws to include ages 13 to 19. Currently, statutory rape laws in South Korea only protect those aged 13 to 16.
“The grooming sexual abuse committed by Hallyu star Kim Soo-hyun against then-child actor Kim Sae-ron has outraged the entire country,” wrote the petitioner. “Unfortunately, the current law only protects children aged between 13 and 16, meaning Kim Soo-hyun cannot be legally prosecuted.”
2. ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’: How Korean stories touch hearts across the globe
Netflix’s Korean drama “When Life Gives You Tangerines” has captured audiences around the world, topping the streaming platform’s global non-English TV chart.
Set in Jeju from the 1960s onwards, the series tells the story of three generations of women, with a focus on the life of Oh Ae-sun (played by singer IU), a smart yet impoverished woman who faces gender-based discrimination.
Yoon Seok-jin, a professor at Chungnam National University, said the drama delivers a family narrative that resonates regardless of nationality. “Its portrayal of mother-daughter relationships across generations especially struck a chord with younger viewers,” he said. He also noted that Ae-sun’s independent spirit, even amid numerous hardships, received strong global support.
Only 30k signatures? Glad to know it's only a minority, seems like there are a lot more people that are waiting to see how this will play out before making a jusgement. Good to see it!
The bots and trolls on my X feed disappeared in the last few days along with the many "articles" from Indian gossip social media. I guess the money ran out or people just got tired of the trickling backstabbing manufactured content coming from a shady youtuber and lost interest. It helped that his supporter is not liked in SK at the moment and got impeached. We shall see how this will play out in the courts and hopefully we will know what really happened. One such incident happened in my country a few years ago (in 2009 I beilieve) when a presidential candidate was shown in a video slapping a special needs child (that happened a few years earlier in 2004) close to the election day. He survived the scandal and became the president but it was an early lesson for all of us to not believe everything that we see. He got lucky, we were still freshave from government propaganda where they were showing lies on TV and the stores had only bones to sell in the stores. That he came to be one of the worst president ever, although I was green at that time and didn't know better, that's another story.
Happy Friday, Beanies! This week was marked by spring rains, which must've been one of the reasons we got so many “melons” (rumors) surrounding LYN's projects in one go. Other being April Fools, and damn, talk about joke not landing well... Long story short, he was rumored for 2 costume dramas, both meh (to put it mildly) plot-wise and led by actresses I don't like, both individually and esp with him. Good thing is that these rumors appear to be completely baseless for now, but ofc we'll only know for certain when he personally denies them in his next livestream. If he bothers to at all – after saying he's getting too many of them to comment on each separately not so long ago. Anyway, I'm rooting for a thriller next for him, Hengdian can wait a little more.
Other big event of the week was him filming first episodes of ZhejiangTV's THE TREASURED VOICE Season6 – music variety show famous for its collab stages between artists and infamous for its artificial controversies to get more buzz. Including, from what I gathered, highly competitive setup (singers are paired in duos to perform, but then are judged individually and only one wins the round, ouch), evil editing and panel of ridiculously nitpicky judges. All this doesn't sound very promising to me, but with Yuning's visible excitement to join and many of his musician friends also being there, we'll see if pros will eventually outweigh the cons. Initial reports say he did well and got praises, so maybe I'm worrying too much... His first two stages appear to be romantic duos with pretty ladies, heh, that's his area of expertise indeed^^ AND he's got a whole fashion show going there, bless – 4 or 5 (I think there was also a silvery suit one, but only for indoors interview) looks in 3 days! https://x.com/love03150108/status/1907659651921096727 https://x.com/nisrinazalfa94/status/1907729793321418894
I feel like this year has been very dry in terms of his OSTs so far, no? It's already Q2, but we only have a few at hand, he needs to up his game asap^^ He said he's recording some in between other gigs, let's wait and see, I mean, hear. Meanwhile have some oldie - “I choose to love you” from LOVER OR STRANGER drama. Track itself sounds hella dramatic – even without makjangy MV the vibe is pretty obvious – but he's always good at it, isn't he? Spoilery MV in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uwob0dl-_0
And subbed lyrics – the way songs starts so innocent (but we know better – never trust the music that opens with violin solo!) and then goes mad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erco5kPn9JI
Maybe we should make it a romantic night, befitting rainy weather and blossoms not only in cdrama titles everywhere. Next is a song I've just heard for a first time – even after 1.5 years of EXTENSIVE research there's still so much left to explore with this guy – Tiger Hu's “I had you”. Probably covered during his early street singing days, because he looks ridiculously babyfaced (feet “teen” acne for emphasis lol) in the video – awww, what a cutie! Extra love for no visible “beauty” filters used – I suppose it was before he installed any. Also, look at that crowd behind! Where we were, again? Oh, right, the song! Sounded great, mainly thanks to trademark new arrangement – original is far too slow and mellow for my tastes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok3OyN_h18E
There are more clips from that day and now I'm obsessed with the goal to find an entire stream's footage – look at him, what a lovely young boy! Those fluffy biteable cheeks tho... Anyway, to keeps things civil and me from carried away too much, let's focus on the song, that is Jay Chou's “Rhythm of the rain” (OST from the movie of same title, I think?). Musically I like it better than previous one, there's this nice floatiness to it – you know, when the melody is smooth but also soars? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZeGpbUHPAo
And one more – I feel like I shared this song with yall before, but there's no trace of it in my notes, so idk, maybe I just considered the possibility but then decided otherwise, that happened before. Anyway, next song is not exactly romantic – more like funny, you'll get soon what I mean – but Yuning's sexy timbre (man goes all out here, damn! ge, have mercy – it's nowhere near warm enough for cold showers yet!) upgrades the vibe a lot. Still not enough for me to unsee that riot of lyrics lol))) Li Ronghao's “Li Bai” (lit. “white plum”, famous Chinese poet), enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hwkVFCYttY
And because it gave me way too much laughter to not share with the class, watch the original song subbed – the text is genius in irony, what a gem! Great guitar as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EtC63RlP4o
This one is a little weird lyrics-wise as well, but not in a funny way anymore – as far as angsty overdramatic ballads go that's still pushing it. Unsurprisingly with the title “I shot myself” (poets and their metaphors!) from Buddha Jump ( I assume a band?). The sound is very good tho, giving Yuning an opportunity to emote the heck out of it. Two versions because I wanted to show yall the shift in his audience – from early days with a few, mostly male listeners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytMebOJuwDk
To the predebut heartthrob era when he was swarmed with smitten fangirls on a daily basis, hehe. Look at him putting up an entire acting performance to make the girlies even more emo – what a shameless showoff, tsk-tsk^^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg-jhgc_0cs
Guess that's it for today. Next week he has no official schedule (aside of his other music show airing tomorrow - let's see what it'll bring us) and is currently in back in his hometown for Qingming festival, so it probably counts as days off? Maybe he'll also lowkey record some music – that album takes centuries to be born, I swear! Better be a total masterpiece worth all the wait... Oh, and we're probably getting Carnation 5.0 somewhere this month, can't wait!
Bonuses: another, longer vlog of last week's gala, including photoshoots (so you're telling me there are pics of him lying down, but we won't see them? travesty!), backstage shenanigans (warm up “frog” sounds and Mario coin BGM got me rolling), award acceptance speech and some stretching-singing? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1llDJ9Vp2Mo
Selfies with his early (second?) single's “Beggar” songwriter from TTV recording – whoa, he's practically glowing! Lol been a while since I've seen someone call him Xiao Ning – even elders like myself((( usually just go with Ning-ge... https://x.com/AJLYN456/status/1907858969001095232
Beggar is a new song for me, so I had to look that one up ... anyhoo! All good clips this week, and high marks for LYN styling brown and blue because that totally works on him.
Being a fashion model must be mind-bending-ly boring. Ugh. I'd be so ... you got 20 minutes dude, make it work!
"Beggar" is one of his most popular songs in China, like Top5 or Top3 popular - not sure if they count solos and OSTs together or separately - but it's really famous nevertheless. I'm not the biggest fan of its sobby lyrics and generally think it's the weakest of his debut era singles, but to each their own, ofc.
He never missed when wearing blue)))
Boring AND very physically tiring. Esp the whole "changing clothes endlessly at the speed that'd make firefighters envy". Or at least that's my personal takeaway from a few runway gigs as a teenager... Can't even imagine all that PLUS posing for damn photos, yikes. No wonder he usually ends these vlog glaring bloody murder at the camera^^
Wait, what? "Or at least that's my personal takeaway from a few runway gigs as a teenager..." And?
My father was a professional photographer for over 50 years and believe me, every time the camera came out, we kids vamoosed. It just sounds so tedious to me, idk how all these celebs do it or more to the point, why would they do it. I'd rather sit through a 60 minute lecture on "Religions of the World" or equivalent.
@cliosservant1846 there's not much "and" to it, really))) When I was in middle school, my dad briefly dated a professional model, and they were lacking one girl for a performance, so after exhausting all other options she just went "hey, your kid is pretty and all legs, can I borrow her?". As a sickly homebody who rarely went out I found this an intriguing opportunity to try something new (plus skip being forced to sleep at 10pm for once) and agreed. Ngl, years of martial arts training weren't as hellish as that crash course of runway walk compressed into 1 day, ouch. Can't say the actual runway was that fun either, aside of clothes, but for a change... After few more occasions like that I rejected collective idea of making a career out of it, and that was the end. Well, mostly, since my mother used me as paid-with-goods model for her store's clothes for the years to come...
60-minutes "Religions of the world" lecture doesn't sound half-boring to me - heck, I can probably do one myself after some intense home library scrolling... See, that's why I was clearly unfit for high fashion path^^
I’ve watched a few seasons on THE TREASURED VOICE her and there—even have some of the songs downloaded on my Spotify playlist— and I like it, nitpicky judge notwithstanding.
It’s literally just the 1 judge of the 3 that’s problematic, and I find it problematic because he does what he does and says what he says to garner buzz and to steal attention for himself to make himself stand out. Like dude, you’re a grown up man, act like one, and not like an attention seeker. What he says isn’t true and constructive criticism. None of it is constructive. The other two judges started out being super unwavering stuck in their old school ways, but they’ve come around.
Lol sorry, a sort of mini rant ^ But I guess it can help you prepare yourself for what you’re getting into if you decide to try out the show for LYN
As for the artists themselves, I get why they’re excited if they get invited to join the show:
It’s another great opportunity to collaborate with other talented artists they may not get the chance to and also a great way to learn from them, bounce ideas from each other, and think outside the walls of the artists’ own artistic/signature styles a.k.a. A good opportunity for growth
I watched a snippet from one episode and I think I know which judge you're talking about, he truly stands out in a negative way. Two others being dusty conservatives doesn't inspire enthusiasm either - last time Yuning was on aggressively competitive music program like that, they wiped the floor with him because of his non-classy background, and I'm not looking forward to that mess repeating itself. He's grown up and confident enough to bite back now, ofc, but that will likely result in another crap storm online, because self-defense against seniors is rude *rolls eyes* I have no idea how it'll turn out atm, it's pretty unnerving(((
At least he'll get to sing a lot, man has been clearly itching to perform somewhere for a while now.
If LYN does it diplomatically— which I’ve seen him do on other shows no matter how much he doesn’t like the feedback— he should be fine. There have been senior singers of LYN who’ve been on the show before— repeatedly, even— who have bitten back at that judge and they’ve come out fine, and a large part is in due because even domestic viewers see the feedback from that judge as problematic (although, not sure if they feel the same sort of problematic showy vibe as me that I get from that judge).
C-pop is becoming less and less classist— thank goodness— and I’m glad it’s in part due to artists like LYN, XZ, and others who didn’t start out being in showbiz to begin with, but have had other and life experiences and previous interests and careers to keep their heads on straight and not have their egos take over. It is because of this, they have an even bigger heart to learn, to listen, and to absorb. LYN’s love for music and performance has gotten him this far, another music show with an asshat isn’t going to take him down so easily 😊 I just wished that it was the case all around for all artists— simple and genuine love for the craft and for what they do, and not the ephemeral side of things— but sadly, it’s not always like that.
I will say this though (and it might just be me, which— fair):
LYN has gotten to stop with the “Woe is me, I’m filming in Hengdian so much, I’m practically living there” schtick, joking or not. It’s a great opportunity, especially if he’s truly interested in stepping into acting more—which it looks like he is— but him always jumping to that schtick of his is a bit much. Everyone knows that filming a movie is easier than filming a drama, everyone knows that filming a contemporary drama is easier than filming a costume drama, but will actively choose to film dramas—and costume dramas at that— because they’re great learning opportunities and chances to hone one’s skills. LYN’s “woe is me” schtick complaining about filming in Hengdian so much just makes him look entitled imho
Oh, I don't really worried about him, he's got a resilience of these bouncing dolls that never stay lying down for more than 3 seconds. If he truly doubted this gig - or his ability to handle whatever he may encounter there - he just wouldn't do it, period. Can't say the same about myself tho, I'm not really looking forward to hate-watching the show where he gets mistreated. Take it as my post-AJTL era trauma...
Give him a slack - he's a hyperactive child that hates being trapped))) And his last ~3 Hengdian-stationary years were pretty rough: first covid, then broken foot, then TSOPG set where he was supposed to have some days off to rest and deal with other gigs, but crew scrapped them all one-sidedly, resulting in him having to basically forgo sleeping for weeks to still attend everything else needing attending etc. It's not that he's SO tired of costume dramas specifically - he's tired of being ordered around with little to no room for maneuver. Plus filming non-stop left him with not much time to be a singer, and he was obviously not happy about it. Ofc he has no one else to blame for juggling 2 full-time jobs simultaneously and struggling as result^^
I don't see his complaints as being entitled - he's just used to expressing maybe a bit too much of his personal takes on everything compared to other, more media-careful celebs. It never gets to the point of "ewww, idol costume dramas, I wish to do REAL cinema instead... what, another buzzy xianxia? what's the paycheck? I'm on my way!" many c-actors do on the regular with hardly any sugarcoating. He's much more honestly practical than that - any job is good, but that's not to say he cannot have his own preferences or want some variety once in a while. Plus... Watch him tone this topic down the moment he gets the modern drama role he wants - after successfully programming casting PDs into knowing what to offer to him^^ That is another aspect of it. Man doesn't have a company to negotiate these things for him, so he's pitching himself however he can. He still reads ALL his scripts - to not reject anything without a good reason. And considering that he HATES reading...
The it just might be me, then, and it might be a culture thing and just not agreeing with how he expresses things 🤷🏻♀️
Maybe even a little saturation, too, as I’ve seen him express about the same things on more than one occasion— more than a simple “few” occasions, actually— and on different platforms and different shows as well, and each time, I see how difficult and awkward (however subtle) it makes things for the MCs of the shows to have to bring everything back to focus after the shift in tone — it’s hard to watch because it’s awkward for the MCs and other participants of the show, but LYN can’t be dismissed either, since he’s also a participant on the show.
And to be clear, it’s not specifically LYN and the things he says that I’m like 🫣 Lately—well, since mid-last year, actually— it’s been quite a few people, and their fans, in C-Ent. that it’s been like this for me 🤔
@nessa idk, from my perspective he never takes it too far with his wording - I think there is a difference between "I want to stop doing costume dramas" and "I want to do something other than costume dramas for a change" - but maybe there's something important lost in translation here for non-speakers like myself. As for this repeated topic being not-so-comfortable for interviewers - this reminds me of last year (was it Spring Festival gala?) - where he sat for like an entire work day answering the same basic ass questions over and over and over for different media, trying his best to not repeat itself, all while being super tired and also sick iirc. If he could survive that with his sanity intact, then they certainly could also suffer a bit on their end from him being temporarily hyper-focused on that one thing.
Another issue is... he's 35 already. And doesn't have another decade or two to patiently wait until more diverse roles just land themselves on his lap. If he doesn't get to try himself in other genres now, in a few years he will likely lose such opportunity entirely. That's one of the reasons why the competition in his age group is so bloody atm, even in a field as vast as cdramaland. So he has both limited time frame to achieve this goal and also limited resources to work towards it on his end, leaving him with this blatant "wishing stuff loudly into existence" as the easiest tactic available. If you noticed, he's always VERY vocal and specific about his short-term goals - like attending an award show to just entertain the actual nominees with his singing and being all "you know, wouldn't it be great if next year I also got some trophy here? no pressure or bragging, ofc, just a little hope, hehe". It wouldn't work before when he was insignificant rookie, but now...
So I don't take him talking about it often as whining - maybe just a little, but he's not really the kind to pity himself much, or he wouldn't be who he is now - but more like waving "that's what I want" flag to attract attention of those who can help him with achieving it. Ofc, waving flag is not a subtle way, since it also catches the attention and elicits reactions he wouldn't want, but no method is perfect, right?
Not sure if it's the same for other actors - likely both yes and no, since not all of them have another established work field to rely on if/when acting in idol shows stops being sustainable, like he does with singing. Plus, for many of them it's also a prestige thing, since non-idol dramas are considered better, and both these actors and their fans usually make a big deal out of starring in "serious" ones... Just another artificial elitism moment in c-ent.
Yea, maybe it’s his way of presenting his situation that makes me pause 😅 Tact, essentially.
Oh, I know 😅 The backstage interviews during the bigger events in C-Ent. are brutal— as you say, same questions, just presented by different media outlets. I watch XZ’s backstage interviews for those events, and I applaud him for his patience with all of them and for being able to present, essentially, the same answers but in different ways by way of different word choice. Whew!
Contrary, I actually am loving what Cdramaland and producers are doing more and more of to try to take the stigma away from “idol” dramas— i.e, cheap, “fast fashion” dramas, dramas only produced for quick ROI and to get the name of the cast on the map, etc.— because of what dramas like “The Rise of Phoenixes” and “Joy of Life” have done in large part, imho. Both “The Rise of Phoenixes” and JoL cast “idol” actors (Zhang Ruo Yun, Li Qin, Bai Jingting), rookies (Xiao Zhan, Ji Li), middling actors/actresses (Nini), and big veteran names (Chen Dao Ming, Wu Gang,) all into a single drama and made it work, and since then, I’ve definitely seen a change in the climate of the better produced “idol” dramas (no, not like the ones that Mango produces— those are still the worse 🤣), and we have now gotten “idol” dramas that have a mixed cast of veterans and traffic actors & actresses, and I love that. Dramas like “Sunshine by My Side”, “Eternal Brotherhood”, “A Journey to Love”, “Northward”, “Ordinary Greatness”… the list is growing 😊
Wouldn't be the first time his boneless (local slang, sorry, idk how to say the same in English - simply "sharp and blunt" won't cut it) tongue gave people wrong impression... That one horribly misinterpreted quote about acting in costume dramas still haunts the man to this day. Not that he was ENTIRELY wrong tho...
There's annual "media faves" list thingy where different celebs get praised - or roasted - for how "nice" they are to the press. That one interview torture landed Yuning in the nice column last year, but I was genuinely horrified with such "acclaim" on his behalf. That's basically awarding borderline abuse victims for their compliance in the matter, ewww!
I see this attempt to murky the distinction between idol and non-idol dramas recently too, but feel like it won't be as fast and easy as (few) sane people in the industry likely hope. For starters, "elite" veteran actors crowd wouldn't like sharing their space and workload with liuliangs, and fans of latter would've also largely prefer to have THEIR fave only to ascend to that prestigious status and no one else rather than making non-idol shows more accessible to everyone. Gaslight, gatekeep, all that jazz...
@gikata
Yea, with how high of a standard Chinese artists are held at—the government literally refers to them as said government’s “civil servants” because they are the “face” of the nation on an international level, which I get— they either need a really good PR team or really need to learn and know good communication skills for themselves 😅
For dramas, I always circle back to what the actors/actresses themselves say of the situation, not so much the crowds, not so much the fans, and definitely not the die-hard (a.k.a. Delusional) fans. At the end of the day, it’s the actor/actress (and the actor/actress agency if or when the actor/actress themselves don’t have much choosing power) that has a say in what they participate in and the environment (including the people a.k.a. Their costars and ALL that comes with the costars) they want to surround themselves with. So it’s good that when JoL 2 was in production, many of the veterans chose themselves to return to the production, that they trusted in it, despite it still having a cast of liulangs in the mix. I’m happy that there are more and more dramas out there now wherein veterans are willing to step in and do the thing with liuliangs and taking back the voice of their own acting careers instead of having the fans dictate it, as this new attitude wouldn’t have worked even 6-7 years ago before the Chinese Entertainment industry crackdown. Unlike Korea, I don’t believe that the Chinese audience, nor Chinese fans, especially not Chinese fandoms, have enough power to permanently take down someone’s career. I think that ultimately can only happen with the Chinese government. I’ve seen Chinese actors and actresses do stupid things but have made it out fine if they wanted to, because the government doesn’t hold it against them even though the fans do. I’ve seen Chinese fandoms do stupid things in the name of their bias, and then said artist goes on the down low and stays quiet for a certain time as a way to make fans stop their stupidity, because the artist is more scared of things blowing out of proportion to the point wherein the government will be alarmed and something worse happens. I always just go back to the artist themselves. It also helps to keep my head on straight and my focus intact— my focus and concern will always be tunnel-visioned on the artist themselves and their well-being first and foremost and then their directive about how they want to go about their careers (which is basically just work at the end of the day)
Happy weekend Beanies and keep Beaning On!
Not a happy weekend for my parents. Last weekend, both of them lost a beloved aunt and both funerals are taking place tomorrow. My parents would have preferred to attend two funerals together, because relatives are not as comforting as a spouse. Now they each must pay their respects separately and neglect the other beloved aunt. While I suggested postponing my plans with my friend in order to attend, my parents would not hear any of it. So I am hanging out with my friend and having dinner with her parents tomorrow, to honor both aunties and life.❤️
Hugs and condolences to you and your family, Turtle 🫂
My family just went through a death— my maternal grandmother— in January 2025, and family is still not recovered from our grief. How do I know? We’ve all been getting sick on rotation or feeling some sort of level of unwell even to this day, 3 months later.
Please take care and take your time with everything. Grief has no bounds, no timeline, nor is it linear and cannot be streamlined. It just has to happen. I’m glad you still have the hang out happening for you, it may actually help a little, if anything.
As my friend very well reminded me when my grandmother first passed:
Remember to let yourself feel, don’t think that you have to hold anything in just for the sake of other people and other family
If you need anything, please let us know. Even though what we can do is limited—since we’re an online community— we at the least can help you take your mind off things, even if for just a short while, and we are definitely here for it whenever and if ever you want to share! 💞
Thank you Nessa ❤️ Mom and I plan to visit Dad's aunt at the graveyard afterwards, and we are finuring something out for mom's aunt (who will be buried farther from home).
that press conference for Kim Soo Hyun was rather useless. it did not offer any clarity to the events leading up to her suicide. only denials of responsiblity and lots of tears. did i hear he is now coined The King of Tears? cruel, yes. deserving? will we ever know the truth? is it any of our business?
the K-ent industry is brutal, the K-netizens are brutal. there are no winners in all of this. it needed to be brought to the public's attention, if in fact he was a groomer. he isn't the only one, i'm certain - but the message is for all those parents who push their children into the industry with hopes of living off of their celebriety... be careful of what you wish for.
hollywood has many tragic stories of child actors/performers who have not had a life of luxury, but a life of excess that turns into a life of spiraling into the abyss of depression, drugs and excess.
the reality show featuring YOUNG girls training to debut should be cancelled in light of how this young actress' demise has played out.
It shouldn’t just be put on hold, it should be completely scrapped altogether.
I don’t care how many people were involved in producing it— supposedly “100 people on staff”— and for once, I don’t care about the jobs of people, because all of them— all 100 of these people — must have been well and okay with the show at one point and to have been in agreement with it at some point for them to be on the production team of this sick, sick show, and that is not right. So I don’t really care if they lose this one job from this one project that shouldn’t have come to fruition in the first place
My first thought when I saw he cried at his press conference was, "But he cries so well...." Hard to know whether that was acting or sincerity. But like you say, is it any of our business?
My next thought was, "I hope he doesn't die, too." No matter how old she was when they started dating, I don't think driving him to also commit suicide is the answer. Taking her family to court is also not the answer.
That press conference was pretty much a disaster that convinced absolutely nobody. No idea what they were thinking there (but I have a lot of questions regarding KSH's entire strategy, so not really that surprising).
Will we ever know the truth? Maybe, maybe not. KSH certainly isn't going to admit it, as he only seems to admit to things when he's pushed into a corner with no way out. Though with everything that his side has admitted so far, I think disproving the grooming allegations is gonna be pretty hard (even if I'm not sure if his side is entirely aware of that).
Is it any of our business? Well, if we act like it's not, then there's yet another problematic person that gets away with his actions. Surely that can't be the answer. It's complicated, and as you said, there are no winners here. I think speaking up, consistently and repeatedly, is important. However, in making sure that this doesn't get buried, it's also important to not cross the line, which is where things get tricky, as people on both sides of this controversy have repeatedly done just that.
mainly, i was addressing that celebrities' private lives should not be any of our business. but the predatory aspect of grooming a minor is indeed worth addressing - and i also hope this does not lead of another suicide, though the netizens certainly make life impossible for those involved in scandals...
True, their private lives are none of our business. However, I do think that problematic situations like this should be brought to light, and should not be ignored. People should be held accountable for their actions.
True, we didn't need the lurid details in this case. But people just need to look at the age of the victim at that time, and understand there's no way making a decision to date a 30 something guy at that age could be "informed" . Beyond sexual abuse, we also need to look at the EMOTIONAL repercussions of grooming on the minor. Victims of grooming are often not able to move on for a long time. This fact has been ignored by the groomer and the public (or the bullies in this case), and the victim was abandoned emotionally AND financially. So those were aggravated form of injuries to her.
This case brings out the dangers of grooming, and the dangers of normalising such "relationships" as private affairs. At least, SK society realises the gravity of this situation and is talking about amending the law. However, a point of contention here - is it useful to emphasise that YOUNG GIRLS be barred from the ent-industry? Isn't that kind of saying that the victim/ potential victim bears all the responsibility to protect themselves? Sure, these girls' families should carefully guide and supervise them if it's really their dream to pursue such a carreer. But barring them from pursuing their dreams for no fault of their own? Meanwhile people who are really responsible (KSH), dodge all responsibility. Sure, I don't want him to do something stupid, but my sympathies are only with KSR and other victims of grooming/ abuse. We NEED to keep talking about this!
Very well said. I can’t believe some comments here suggest that facing the consequences of being a child groomer and (most likely) statutory rapist is “crossing the line.” This is not a win-win, loose-loose situation. This is clear as a day question of whether he groomed her and raped her as a minor. Reading some of the text messages full of sexual innuendo they exchanged when she was 15 was sickening. Both of them were fully aware about what they doing was wrong but there was one adult in that relationship (if you can call it), and it was KSH. We absolutely must not stop talking about this and get to the bottom of truth. For the justice of the victim.
It seems that the BL manwha, Heesu from Class 2 is getting a really good live drama adaptation. The title character is being played by Ahn Ji-ho. He looked so familiar--he was the child actor in Nobody Knows. Do you remember that one? I had forgotten how much I liked it and now I kind of want to rewatch it.
It's difficult to look like a cartoon character, but somehow Ji-ho is capturing the very bright-eyed, innocent look of Heesu. I like high school dramas because I like seeing people grow and resolve problems. I need more of that right now.
This warning has been around for awhile, first in Japan and now in South Korea. The one option not discussed to turn the tide is immigration to bolster population numbers. Societies such as Japan and South Korea are closed; historically hermit kingdoms; do not want to dilute their "cultures." SK only recently decided to allow low-paying nurses and nannies to work in the country.
What an emotional evening I had last night watching the last episode of When life gives you Tangerines and then episode 11 of Moon lovers Scarlet heart Ryeo ! It is the most heart wrenching episode of all. Court lady OH is so perfectly portrayed and represents the plight of women under the Emperor. No one else has a smidgen of power in reality. Prince #8, really? A selfish change of heart? Can everyone be swayed by power? IU kills it in both dramas.
Hi Beanies, my hauntings this week included finishing Tangerines (which I already miss terribly), and continuing with that Potatoes show (which has somehow managed to interest me).
I also binge-watched a jdrama called I Love You Just a Little Bit. It left me feeling annoyed, since the FL was not given the karma slap she deserved after cheating on her husband throughout the show. Oh well.
I'm watching 🥔 too. And a new reality show Heart Pairing. Binging more Moon Lovers this weekend-my reward for wrapping up a contract job (no weekend hours needed)!
I really try not to emotional affected by kpop entertainers cause investment just equals pain but sometimes I can't help it.
Sometimes I just get struck wondering why people target some celebrities. I'm not talking about anyone specifically, just in general. Why do people spend so much time and energy on people they don't like? They start rumor, they bring up old issues. They follow everything they do just to criticize it.
I swear I wrote something like this before haha.
It's just I get why some fans get so emotionally affected now. It's painful seeing people you care about targeted and nothing can be done it's done online.
Have I fallen down the parasocial rabbit hole or is this basic empathy on a human level? I'm not sure.
too many people, living only online, detachment from reality, inferiority complex and a fear of failure in attempting a positive achievement. bullying is the only thing that works for them because they fail at everything else
But too much love for one idol can turn into hate for another. We experienced some of it here recently, between the fans of Cha Eun-woo and the Rowoon ones.
There are other reasons like money or fear induced by whatever they have been indoctrinated already in schools or by TV and social media. Believe or not, there are people that are paid to post online and they are paid by various ONG's. In my country we have many Ukrainian refugees that got romanian and moldovan passports and they are very active online supporting only for those countries going into war. Sometimes I have "fun" is exposing them that they are indeed ukrainians and many even write about their various ONG efforts. They are used to create public influence and used by the government and the media to push their agenda. Which, in that particular case, is to push those countries into their conflict against Rusia at some point in the future. Of course, when that time will come they will not fight the war but move more to the west where they will continue to profit from others misery, just like they did in their country. The second reason I mentioned is one that we see it even here.
that love is actually not love, it is a hyperfixation on something outside themselves bc they cannot control their life, so they start controlling everything about their idol and so all competition that weakens the position of their idol is seen as a threat to their own worldview. It is not about the idol they love it is trying to establish self worth through someone else and experiencing all that contradicts it as an enemy
I'm sorry, but you should find someone else to talk politics here other than myself. Especially this particular case of politics. Trust me, it will get VERY unpleasant if I were to continue this discussion. We're here to have a good time chatting about dramas and celebs, aren't we?
Back to the ACTUAL topic, I wholeheartedly agree with @redfox that this kind of "fans" are obsessed and shallow and should keep their toxic devotion to themselves, positive or negative, and get help instead.
I agree with Gikata shading Ukrainians is sus, and I dont buy it either. seems like bot talk. dont infiltrate this place if you work for Russia since u dont know where I work besides library ;-)
@gikata
That will be very hard to do since I really do not care who I reply to. I look at the content of the message and not who posted it. I do the same with my likes. I also do not look to have a conversation with someone in particular, I just speak my mind and since we have a reply button, I use it. I don't care if you reply or not and frankly, I will do whatever I want as long as everyone does it. I don't think I was ever offensive towards you and I never told anyone so rudely to not write here. And my message was not about politics, it was about how trolls are influencing public opinion and I gave an example from my personal experience, one can become very traumatic for many people I know and love. My former country is a very peaceful one and about to be thrown into a conflict that has nothing to do with it. If raising awareness about how people are influenced by paid trolls, specially when it contradicts with what you have been told and what you think is the reality, is bothersome to you then you should look more into yourself and all that love and hate we have been talking about. And about the cancel culture you seem to nurture which is still the subject of the conversion, cyberbullying.
I laughed about your threat "Trust me, it will get VERY unpleasant if I were to continue this discussion." since you started your message with not wanting to have one with me. Are you sure?
@kodra then I'll have to be the one making effort to avoid engaging with you from now on since you're so unbothered to take offense at me rejecting just one particular topic politely and nicely. Also, unlike many people on the internet - you know surely better if that applies to you as well than I do, despite the hysterical claim of me "nurturing cancel culture" that I'll consider an April Fools joke - I believe I know perfectly well the difference between petty dislike for someone you've never even met and real hatred. Or gentle warning-slash-reasoning and a threat, for that matter. Have a nice day and good luck with your noble cause^^
@redfox
I don't know where you live and you know where all my family lives, including my son who is about the right age to be called into war. The difference between us is that if that will ever happen, he will be the only one affected among us, since, I assume, we all are women. If you think am a bot because I express my concern about the safety of my son, than think that way, I really don't care. If you think I am on the Rusian side, then I must tell you that you are flat wrong. For me I see rusians the same as ukrainiens, because I lived in comunism under the Soviet rule. Part of Romania became part of Rusia after the war. When the soviets came in Romania, the raping and pulgering was done by Russians and Ukrainians. To me, they are the same. My beef is with the UE and the Democrats that pushed this war for many years ago. This conflict did not start out of the blue and is not just as simple as "The Russia bad, Ukraine good" as you think it is. It started when Yeltin stepped down and the west lost the control of what they thought they had in the region. Ukraine, Romania, Moldova are just sacrificed for the unilateral dominance ideals of the globalists. If Rusia is won, the bigger and scarier conflict with China will follow. Becaue you see, they never stop. When I talk about Ukraine, I talk about the government that sold that country and not about the poor people that suffer and die.
aint nobody going to fight with you or for you or take your son into war. if you do not want to be seen as a bot bc of your weak "cover story" then stop acting like a bot and using words like globalists etc. if you are not a bot then for sure you are unnecessarily spreading tension and cliches in the wrong place (which, btw does make you a bot even if u are a real person) a bot = posting things that do not belong.
My dear @redfox I must remind you that this is not your library and you do not get to "shush" me or anyone else that has different opinions than yourself or whatever media or political party you follow. The country (and this site) I am living is still free and honours its first ammendment of its constitution. It might be hard to accept from where you are from because of the UE trying to shut free speech since there is no such ammendment in those countries. Or maybe UE is run by former bolsheviks, like your dear warmongerer Kallas, that would like to reinstate the power they had at one time over the masses. But as long as there are others that are "unnecessarily spreading tension and cliches in the wrong place" for me here, I will definitely continue to speak my mind regardless if you are calling me a bot, troll, Qanon, Maga, misogynist or whatever you think I would take offense and dissappear. "I really don't care, Margaret", were the words of our VP to a democratic agent masquerading as a journalist recently and is exactly what I think when I see you or others slander me here. So, you can either ignore me, debate me or continue to call me whatever you like, I really don't care, dear redfox.
@kodra
Except “Russia is bad and Ukraine is good” is actually true. How do I know? Russia recently killed 19 civilians, 9 of them children. A single example among many, many, many! Have you no shame or decency spinning out your conspiracy theories on a k-drama-lovers’ website?
@bomibeans
First of all, watch your language with me. Second of all, talk to me after you have read about russian speaking people burned during the maidan by the ukraininans or the thousands killed post maidan. You can watch Oliver Stone's documentary about it, if you prefer american propaganda. Third of all, there are a lot of Romanians in Ukraine because the soviets took part of our land. I know more about Ukraine pre war and after war from a lot more sources than you think. As long as I have read here, on a kdrama site, pro-ukraine propaganda, than it is ok for me to talk about it. You do not have a monopoly on what is acceptable to talk about here and which views are aloud to be talked about. This is not Ukraine nor we are living under the Biden regime, my dear, this is the free world, get used to it. Fourth of all, I don't trust ukrainian and American liberal propaganda just as much I do not trust the russian one. I am not on anyone's side, I blame everyone involved, I want this to end before it draws other countries into it. Because NATO is building its biggest station in Romania near Ukraine and because of the Black Sea, and because UE's push for maintained this war, I am afraid that Romania will be pushed into war through Moldova by the Ukrainians and Europeans and not because of Putin. I really do not care who wins but Ukraine bombarded it's people in the east since 2014 so it should lay in its bed and finish it alone, without us paying for it or fighting for it. Because Cheney, Nuland and others were present in Ukraine during the Maidan (they are on video, not russian propaganda) then it is obvious who really wanted this war. And I can even speculate that if Clinton would have won, this would have happen a lot sooner. Hence the hate and everything that happened since then by the Democratic Party.
P.S. Should I start to post about Ukraine war crimes also? Cause I can, you know, and it won't be pretty.
P.S. 2 Enough people died already, do you want more to die? How many it will make you happy? Do you wish the whole world joining in the fight? Are you having dreams going nuclear?
“I must remind you that this is not your library and you do not get to "shush" me”
Except we do, actually, because just as you’re free to spew your hateful nonsense everywhere (including the most random places and contexts), we are free to tell you exactly what we think of what you say and express our desire that you would stop.
It doesn’t mean you have to, of course, just that we wish you would. :)
On the despairing side, there is too much to recount so all I say is that we should speak truth to power whenever we can and not allow genocides, crimes against humanity and war crimes occur in our names and in our lifetimes. As humans, we are all responsible for what is happening worldwide in multitude of ways. Let’s not allow fascists, warmongers and war profiteers bring all of us in the world closer to the brink of destruction.
Is the Beanie section on this site gone for anyone else? I popped up back here after a while and it's not there anymore. The fan Wall is also gone. I mean common sense would state that it's a new site wide change, but that was one of my favorite parts of this site. So I'm kinda disappointed.
The fan wall was taken down this March. It's sad that our place of communion has now gone. No other threads can compare to it. But we are trying to stick together because of our love for DB 🙂
The sad thing is, there's not even a button for "recent comments". Search "dramabeans recent comments" or save and enter this url https://dramabeans.com/comments/.
True, the randomness was the best thing about it. It was convenient as we are all from different time zones. A new kind of week-long open space was provided for some time. Currently, "weekly squee" is the new feature. Nothing is as accessible as fan wall , but they're trying.. 😐
I'm definitely sad about this. I've been on a long drama slump, which is why I haven't been here as often. Watching "The First Frost" on Netflix & wanted to do some post about it.
I read some comments that said the open threads pretty much was what the fan wall was before it got created. So I guess it's back to being the highlight.
I'm going to try to be an adult about this, but I'm definitely sad.
@elkwesi , the WWW (what we've watched) thread on every saturday gets more views than open thread, if you want to talk about dramas. Beanies also mention their Cdramas and Jdramas there, so no worries about that. But someone like me, who's in slump most of the times, has rarely something to say there. The loss of fan wall has make me into a lurker. I just hang around, read and appreciate what others have to say 😅
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1 panshel
April 4, 2025 at 5:03 AM
Can someone click on When Life Gives You Tangerines and tell me what genres you see?
Because the "Lee Jun-young" genre is now my new favorite genre.
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DK-Drama ❤️🎄 Giffing n Space Cadetting 👼🏻🌟
April 4, 2025 at 6:01 AM
Netflix says "Nostalgic, Bittersweet, Emotional".
As you will see from anyone who talks about it, it is marvellously beautiful. It is also funny, but more heartbreaking than funny.
I tried to formulate the most important thing about it and it sounded to my own ears like I was describing Jane Eyre, but without Rochester, instead much sweeter, but also much poorer, Park Bo Gum.
But being as poor as can be and a woman, and still holding up the idea that you can live with dignity and even use your undeniable academic talent.
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DK-Drama ❤️🎄 Giffing n Space Cadetting 👼🏻🌟
April 4, 2025 at 6:04 AM
I think maybe Lee Jun Young has just come up about where I am now, episode 6. Or maybe it was already 5.
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DK-Drama ❤️🎄 Giffing n Space Cadetting 👼🏻🌟
April 4, 2025 at 6:07 AM
Hopefully the story he is involved in can end up sweeter and less bitter.
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panshel
April 4, 2025 at 6:33 AM
I won't spoil it for you, but while everyone says it's so heartbreaking and they cry every episode, I only cried three times in the entire drama, all related to Eun-myeong.
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DK-Drama ❤️🎄 Giffing n Space Cadetting 👼🏻🌟
April 4, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Okay, because yes.
I don't cry as much as a lot of wievers. But I can be sad.
I am happy to see the flashforwards, though, and that probably Park Bo Gum doesn't SPOILER .... go to sea and drown or becomes tired of her or anything.
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Lostpanda is now Sadpanda. 🪦 fanwall 🪦
April 4, 2025 at 6:06 AM
lol. What eagle eyes you have. I didn’t know “Lee Jun-Young” was a genre.
And why him? Why not IU? Or Park Bo-Gum? Or Moon So-Ri?
I think think a more appropriate genre would have been “Epic Masterpiece”
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panshel
April 4, 2025 at 6:17 AM
I was like, "Omo, is DB Staff Team Yeong-beom too?"
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redfox
April 4, 2025 at 6:23 AM
period, romance, slice-of life
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Lostpanda is now Sadpanda. 🪦 fanwall 🪦
April 4, 2025 at 6:26 AM
Looks like they just fixed it! The tags were different just 5 minutes ago. The admins are watching over us 👀
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Qingdao
April 4, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Internet Movie Data Base: Drama, Romance, History, Period, K-drama.
In Jeju, a spirited girl and a steadfast boy's island story blossoms into a lifelong tale of setbacks and triumphs, proving love endures across time.
Wikipedia: slice-of-life roma
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tccolb
April 4, 2025 at 5:29 PM
I will be watching Pump Up solely for this genre.
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panshel
April 4, 2025 at 5:59 PM
This genre is keeping us fed by releasing four dramas in the span of three months (Melo Movie, Tangerines, Weak Hero Class 2, Pump Up).
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redfox
April 5, 2025 at 4:36 AM
yes me too. I don´t know why but Jun is a mood booster maybe because his characters are always energetic and sort of positive, not the harsh tsundere kind
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2 welh
April 4, 2025 at 5:04 AM
Today was a historic day in South Korea. In an 8-0 ruling, the Constitutional Court on Friday found that impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol had committed "grave violations" by imposing martial law on Dec. 3, a standard that had determined former presidents' fate in previous impeachment cases.The ruling stated that Yoon's abuse of power in declaring martial law and other actions “constitute serious violations of the principles of democratic governance and the rule of law.”
The 114-page verdict showed that Yoon's decision to ignore the national governance structure as enshrined in the Constitution -- by deploying armed forces to the National Assembly and the election commission by imposing martial law -- threatened the stability of the democratic republic. Chief Justice Moon Hyung-bae said that Yoon's legal violations were so severe that the benefit of removing the 64-year-old from his post "far outweighs the national cost of dismissal," adding Yoon had "betrayed the trust of the people" by abusing emergency power. Moon added that Yoon's martial law decree shows that he chose not to treat the National Assembly as a negotiating partner but rather as an adversary, which "undermines the foundations of democratic politics."
But the ruling also chastised the National Assembly’s conveyor belt of executive branch impeachments, all denied except Yoon’s. "However, the conflict between the executive and legislature cannot be blamed on one side alone. It is a political issue that must be resolved within the bounds of democracy. Public positions and decisions should align with constitutional principles," he said."The National Assembly should have respected minority voices and worked toward compromise with the government." Yoon is still criminally charged with insurrection.
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Lostpanda is now Sadpanda. 🪦 fanwall 🪦
April 4, 2025 at 6:31 AM
As monumental as this insurrection was- South Korea has bigger issues on hand. It’s projected to self implode in one generation if it doesn’t turn around its birthrate.
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jerrykuvira
April 4, 2025 at 12:45 PM
I thought birthing is being discouraged? There's a reason why having posterity is termed the circle and cycle of life. But somehow, majority speak like it bodes more harm and detriment than otherwise.
Just saying.
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redfox
April 5, 2025 at 12:14 AM
the way to turn around birth rate is to accept and endorse celebrity / idol dating.
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bomibeans
April 10, 2025 at 6:03 PM
There’s a saying in Korea, “Girls study hard so they don’t have to marry a Korean man; boys study hard so they don’t get rejected by Korean women.” This pretty much encapsulates why Korean birth rate is falling and unlikely to recover unless a lot of issues are addressed.
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too_much_tv
April 4, 2025 at 11:30 AM
This is amazing. I've been so overwhelmed by the local news that I didn't see this. I get what you are saying, @lostpanda, about the birthrate. It's not like reactionary dictatorships make the birthrate go up, though. Also, every single country with anti-democratic political parties also has a bigger issue, which is climate change. The birth rate and the melting of the polar ice caps, and the spread of new illnesses from animals to people--all of these things are harder to deal with if your government decides that in an emergency, they don't need democracy.
You know?
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3 DK-Drama ❤️🎄 Giffing n Space Cadetting 👼🏻🌟
April 4, 2025 at 5:55 AM
A whole Lot of Small Talk vs. Not Small Talk Enough
These two not-a-K-drama, and I probably won’t have time tomorrow, so I telling you about these here:
That J-drama, Hot Spot, Woman who learns her coworker is an alien:
In soft, almost whispered conversation 90% of the time or more, the acquaintance of a space alien colleague and the possibilities and problems it brings is discussed and fixed, an interplay of small-talk with hints of joy, disappointment, pride, bragging, insecurity, helpfulness, friendship, selfishness, fluttering gossip, sensationalism, and sometimes reading aloud of the other’s expression “You are annoyed with me.”
They make plans and help each other out, saving lives, saving face, getting back stolen goods.
The alien is very grumpy and eager to keep a low profile, but just as eager, or maybe eager-er, to be admired.
Having binged it all, the pictures of skilfully coordinated colours, pale blue, beige and white in one place, calm, brown, wooden stripes in another, and vivid orange, red and violet colours in a third place, matching my knitting, are still on display in my head.
But more than that, I am left with that murmuring sound in my head, the flicker of small-talk and big plans, something that could be the soundtrack of a Tati film. During it all, being in the middle of dramatic plans or sentimental memories, the characters often change the subject, jumping on a whim from how to save someone’s life or reputation, to what kind of snacks are their favourite, or whether they should have brought their gloves.
The quiet absurdity is fragrant of Jaque Tati and Wes Andersson.
Effing hilarious and well-told. There is no romance. Lots of female friendship. 👽🙎🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️👩🏻🦱☕☕☕☕🍩🥧🧁🍫
The Blanc Menu: 1st episode. Monstrously awkward, the guest eating alone in front of two spectators, eager to tell him how the food is best enjoyed. Everybody is at an exam; The cook hopes that the guest will enjoy the food and is anxious that he notices every detail of the culinary effort made, and the guest is an exam to notice and to say the right things, Cook and helper standing up and staring at him during the entire meal. Definitely, nobody was comfortable or really enjoyed that food, even if it tasted lovely.
👨🏻🍳🫢🍛🤣🍷
If they had sat down with the guest, clinked their glasses, expressed their own joy and suggested ways to taste it while they themselves joyfully gobbled up the best combinations of condiments, they could have had a lovely meal. 🤣❤️
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wapz
April 4, 2025 at 9:16 AM
I just started watching Hot Spot. The absurdist humor is very reminiscent of the writer's other drama Brush Up Life. Glad to know it ends well.
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hacja
April 4, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Your reference of Wes Anderson in relation to the Hot Spot is, in my opinion, totally on the mark. Whimsical absurdity taken matter of factly, which then exposes how absurd some things are that we take for granted in real life, and then underneath, really meaningful, human themes--in this case, the nature of female friendship.
Wes Anderson's Atomic City, which also has a metaphoric alien, is one of my favorite recent films, exposing the ridiculousness of much of U.S. Cold War culture, while also being about a man grieving the loss of his wife.
With this film and with Hot Spot, there are times you wonder what is going on, or what the show is trying to say, but they keep you thinking all the time. But also they aren't some abstract intellectual exercise, but really charming and emotionally engaging. The last Korean show that was like this was One Day Off, which I also loved.
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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
April 4, 2025 at 12:41 PM
I loved the ridiculousness of Hot spot. It was just as funny as Brush up life. I loved the way they debated differences between super powers, aliens and time travellers as if they were every day occurrences. I dont know how the tv crew were able to stay straight faced when they conducted the interviews with the locals boasting about their own version of super powers🤣
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DK-Drama ❤️🎄 Giffing n Space Cadetting 👼🏻🌟
April 4, 2025 at 6:24 PM
I was expecting to find out the town was full of aliens, especially since it was the only place with that water. The fast cashier, for example, I was sure she would turn out to be full or half alien. And maybe even the skilled pee-time-assessoress!
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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
April 4, 2025 at 10:47 PM
That would have been really funny.
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4 9TailedVixen Loves Hanging Upside Down
April 4, 2025 at 6:16 AM
NOTES FROM 9TAILEDVIXEN'S 1ST WEEK OF APRIL 2025:
(A) LIFE NOTES
I HAD A BREAKTHROUGH AT AERIAL YOGA! I can now hold both sides of my silk hammock, pull myself up with a jump, flip myself, hook my ankles around the silk with my legs straight, and then slide down into an inversion.
In case y'all wondering what Aerial Yoga flips (starting from a standing position) are like, here's a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUtAaixlRJU
WOOHOO! I've been struggling with this for over a year and finally I flipped ALL BY MYSELF!
(B) THIS WEEK IN KOREAN WOMEN'S NEWS
1. Petition to amend statutory rape law follows Kim Soo-hyun press conference
Following actor Kim Soo-hyun’s tearful press conference on Monday addressing his relationship with the late Kim Sae-ron, a petition to address statutory rape laws submitted to the National Assembly had gathered over 30,000 signatures in less than two days.
Calling the amendment to be coined the “Kim Soo-hyun Prevention Act,” the petitioner urged lawmakers to make an amendment to statutory rape laws to include ages 13 to 19. Currently, statutory rape laws in South Korea only protect those aged 13 to 16.
“The grooming sexual abuse committed by Hallyu star Kim Soo-hyun against then-child actor Kim Sae-ron has outraged the entire country,” wrote the petitioner. “Unfortunately, the current law only protects children aged between 13 and 16, meaning Kim Soo-hyun cannot be legally prosecuted.”
https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10456402
2. ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’: How Korean stories touch hearts across the globe
Netflix’s Korean drama “When Life Gives You Tangerines” has captured audiences around the world, topping the streaming platform’s global non-English TV chart.
Set in Jeju from the 1960s onwards, the series tells the story of three generations of women, with a focus on the life of Oh Ae-sun (played by singer IU), a smart yet impoverished woman who faces gender-based discrimination.
Yoon Seok-jin, a professor at Chungnam National University, said the drama delivers a family narrative that resonates regardless of nationality. “Its portrayal of mother-daughter relationships across generations especially struck a chord with younger viewers,” he said. He also noted that Ae-sun’s independent spirit, even amid numerous hardships, received strong global support.
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20250330/when-life-gives-you-tangerines-shows-how-korean-stories-touch-audiences-hearts-across-the-globe
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Kodra aka Qanon something
April 4, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Only 30k signatures? Glad to know it's only a minority, seems like there are a lot more people that are waiting to see how this will play out before making a jusgement. Good to see it!
The bots and trolls on my X feed disappeared in the last few days along with the many "articles" from Indian gossip social media. I guess the money ran out or people just got tired of the trickling backstabbing manufactured content coming from a shady youtuber and lost interest. It helped that his supporter is not liked in SK at the moment and got impeached. We shall see how this will play out in the courts and hopefully we will know what really happened. One such incident happened in my country a few years ago (in 2009 I beilieve) when a presidential candidate was shown in a video slapping a special needs child (that happened a few years earlier in 2004) close to the election day. He survived the scandal and became the president but it was an early lesson for all of us to not believe everything that we see. He got lucky, we were still freshave from government propaganda where they were showing lies on TV and the stores had only bones to sell in the stores. That he came to be one of the worst president ever, although I was green at that time and didn't know better, that's another story.
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Kodra aka Qanon something
April 4, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Link to the slapping video:
https://youtu.be/8Y-ngya-0Lg?feature=shared
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5 Gikata
April 4, 2025 at 6:44 AM
Happy Friday, Beanies! This week was marked by spring rains, which must've been one of the reasons we got so many “melons” (rumors) surrounding LYN's projects in one go. Other being April Fools, and damn, talk about joke not landing well... Long story short, he was rumored for 2 costume dramas, both meh (to put it mildly) plot-wise and led by actresses I don't like, both individually and esp with him. Good thing is that these rumors appear to be completely baseless for now, but ofc we'll only know for certain when he personally denies them in his next livestream. If he bothers to at all – after saying he's getting too many of them to comment on each separately not so long ago. Anyway, I'm rooting for a thriller next for him, Hengdian can wait a little more.
Other big event of the week was him filming first episodes of ZhejiangTV's THE TREASURED VOICE Season6 – music variety show famous for its collab stages between artists and infamous for its artificial controversies to get more buzz. Including, from what I gathered, highly competitive setup (singers are paired in duos to perform, but then are judged individually and only one wins the round, ouch), evil editing and panel of ridiculously nitpicky judges. All this doesn't sound very promising to me, but with Yuning's visible excitement to join and many of his musician friends also being there, we'll see if pros will eventually outweigh the cons. Initial reports say he did well and got praises, so maybe I'm worrying too much... His first two stages appear to be romantic duos with pretty ladies, heh, that's his area of expertise indeed^^ AND he's got a whole fashion show going there, bless – 4 or 5 (I think there was also a silvery suit one, but only for indoors interview) looks in 3 days!
https://x.com/love03150108/status/1907659651921096727
https://x.com/nisrinazalfa94/status/1907729793321418894
I feel like this year has been very dry in terms of his OSTs so far, no? It's already Q2, but we only have a few at hand, he needs to up his game asap^^ He said he's recording some in between other gigs, let's wait and see, I mean, hear. Meanwhile have some oldie - “I choose to love you” from LOVER OR STRANGER drama. Track itself sounds hella dramatic – even without makjangy MV the vibe is pretty obvious – but he's always good at it, isn't he? Spoilery MV in question:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uwob0dl-_0
And subbed lyrics – the way songs starts so innocent (but we know better – never trust the music that opens with violin solo!) and then goes mad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erco5kPn9JI
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Gikata
April 4, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Maybe we should make it a romantic night, befitting rainy weather and blossoms
not only in cdrama titleseverywhere. Next is a song I've just heard for a first time – even after 1.5 years of EXTENSIVE research there's still so much left to explore with this guy – Tiger Hu's “I had you”. Probably covered during his early street singing days, because he looks ridiculously babyfaced (feet “teen” acne for emphasis lol) in the video – awww, what a cutie! Extra love for no visible “beauty” filters used – I suppose it was before he installed any. Also, look at that crowd behind! Where we were, again? Oh, right, the song! Sounded great, mainly thanks to trademark new arrangement – original is far too slow and mellow for my tastes.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok3OyN_h18E
There are more clips from that day and now I'm obsessed with the goal to find an entire stream's footage – look at him, what a lovely young boy! Those fluffy biteable cheeks tho... Anyway, to keeps things civil and me from carried away too much, let's focus on the song, that is Jay Chou's “Rhythm of the rain” (OST from the movie of same title, I think?). Musically I like it better than previous one, there's this nice floatiness to it – you know, when the melody is smooth but also soars?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZeGpbUHPAo
And one more – I feel like I shared this song with yall before, but there's no trace of it in my notes, so idk, maybe I just considered the possibility but then decided otherwise, that happened before. Anyway, next song is not exactly romantic – more like funny, you'll get soon what I mean – but Yuning's sexy timbre (man goes all out here, damn! ge, have mercy – it's nowhere near warm enough for cold showers yet!) upgrades the vibe a lot. Still not enough for me to unsee that riot of lyrics lol))) Li Ronghao's “Li Bai” (lit. “white plum”, famous Chinese poet), enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hwkVFCYttY
And because it gave me way too much laughter to not share with the class, watch the original song subbed – the text is genius in irony, what a gem! Great guitar as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EtC63RlP4o
This one is a little weird lyrics-wise as well, but not in a funny way anymore – as far as angsty overdramatic ballads go that's still pushing it. Unsurprisingly with the title “I shot myself” (poets and their metaphors!) from Buddha Jump ( I assume a band?). The sound is very good tho, giving Yuning an opportunity to emote the heck out of it. Two versions because I wanted to show yall the shift in his audience – from early days with a few, mostly male listeners:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytMebOJuwDk
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Gikata
April 4, 2025 at 6:50 AM
To the predebut heartthrob era when he was swarmed with smitten fangirls on a daily basis, hehe. Look at him putting up an entire acting performance to make the girlies even more emo – what a shameless showoff, tsk-tsk^^
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg-jhgc_0cs
Guess that's it for today. Next week he has no official schedule (aside of his other music show airing tomorrow - let's see what it'll bring us) and is currently in back in his hometown for Qingming festival, so it probably counts as days off? Maybe he'll also lowkey record some music – that album takes centuries to be born, I swear! Better be a total masterpiece worth all the wait... Oh, and we're probably getting Carnation 5.0 somewhere this month, can't wait!
Bonuses: another, longer vlog of last week's gala, including photoshoots (so you're telling me there are pics of him lying down, but we won't see them? travesty!), backstage shenanigans (warm up “frog” sounds and Mario coin BGM got me rolling), award acceptance speech and some stretching-singing?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1llDJ9Vp2Mo
Selfies with his early (second?) single's “Beggar” songwriter from TTV recording – whoa, he's practically glowing! Lol been a while since I've seen someone call him Xiao Ning – even elders
like myself(((usually just go with Ning-ge...https://x.com/AJLYN456/status/1907858969001095232
A few more pretty snaps by fans in black and white – the way his non-posing pics are always infinitely better...
https://x.com/nisrinazalfa94/status/1908011807022919706
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Gikata
April 4, 2025 at 6:51 AM
@kiara, @jillian, @zindigo, @isagc, @wonhwa, @seeker, @mochakat9, @wishfultoki, @cliosservant1846
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Clios Servant
April 4, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Beggar is a new song for me, so I had to look that one up ... anyhoo! All good clips this week, and high marks for LYN styling brown and blue because that totally works on him.
Being a fashion model must be mind-bending-ly boring. Ugh. I'd be so ... you got 20 minutes dude, make it work!
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Gikata
April 4, 2025 at 12:47 PM
"Beggar" is one of his most popular songs in China, like Top5 or Top3 popular - not sure if they count solos and OSTs together or separately - but it's really famous nevertheless. I'm not the biggest fan of its sobby lyrics and generally think it's the weakest of his debut era singles, but to each their own, ofc.
He never missed when wearing blue)))
Boring AND very physically tiring. Esp the whole "changing clothes endlessly at the speed that'd make firefighters envy". Or at least that's my personal takeaway from a few runway gigs as a teenager... Can't even imagine all that PLUS posing for damn photos, yikes. No wonder he usually ends these vlog glaring bloody murder at the camera^^
Clios Servant
April 4, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Wait, what? "Or at least that's my personal takeaway from a few runway gigs as a teenager..." And?
My father was a professional photographer for over 50 years and believe me, every time the camera came out, we kids vamoosed. It just sounds so tedious to me, idk how all these celebs do it or more to the point, why would they do it. I'd rather sit through a 60 minute lecture on "Religions of the World" or equivalent.
Gikata
April 4, 2025 at 2:04 PM
@cliosservant1846 there's not much "and" to it, really))) When I was in middle school, my dad briefly dated a professional model, and they were lacking one girl for a performance, so after exhausting all other options she just went "hey, your kid is pretty and all legs, can I borrow her?". As a sickly homebody who rarely went out I found this an intriguing opportunity to try something new (plus skip being forced to sleep at 10pm for once) and agreed. Ngl, years of martial arts training weren't as hellish as that crash course of runway walk compressed into 1 day, ouch. Can't say the actual runway was that fun either, aside of clothes, but for a change... After few more occasions like that I rejected collective idea of making a career out of it, and that was the end. Well, mostly, since my mother used me as paid-with-goods model for her store's clothes for the years to come...
60-minutes "Religions of the world" lecture doesn't sound half-boring to me - heck, I can probably do one myself after some intense home library scrolling... See, that's why I was clearly unfit for high fashion path^^
Nessa🌹
April 4, 2025 at 7:55 AM
I’ve watched a few seasons on THE TREASURED VOICE her and there—even have some of the songs downloaded on my Spotify playlist— and I like it, nitpicky judge notwithstanding.
It’s literally just the 1 judge of the 3 that’s problematic, and I find it problematic because he does what he does and says what he says to garner buzz and to steal attention for himself to make himself stand out. Like dude, you’re a grown up man, act like one, and not like an attention seeker. What he says isn’t true and constructive criticism. None of it is constructive. The other two judges started out being super unwavering stuck in their old school ways, but they’ve come around.
Lol sorry, a sort of mini rant ^ But I guess it can help you prepare yourself for what you’re getting into if you decide to try out the show for LYN
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Nessa🌹
April 4, 2025 at 7:59 AM
As for the artists themselves, I get why they’re excited if they get invited to join the show:
It’s another great opportunity to collaborate with other talented artists they may not get the chance to and also a great way to learn from them, bounce ideas from each other, and think outside the walls of the artists’ own artistic/signature styles a.k.a. A good opportunity for growth
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Gikata
April 4, 2025 at 8:22 AM
I watched a snippet from one episode and I think I know which judge you're talking about, he truly stands out in a negative way. Two others being dusty conservatives doesn't inspire enthusiasm either - last time Yuning was on aggressively competitive music program like that, they wiped the floor with him because of his non-classy background, and I'm not looking forward to that mess repeating itself. He's grown up and confident enough to bite back now, ofc, but that will likely result in another crap storm online, because self-defense against seniors is rude *rolls eyes* I have no idea how it'll turn out atm, it's pretty unnerving(((
At least he'll get to sing a lot, man has been clearly itching to perform somewhere for a while now.
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Nessa🌹
April 4, 2025 at 8:57 AM
If LYN does it diplomatically— which I’ve seen him do on other shows no matter how much he doesn’t like the feedback— he should be fine. There have been senior singers of LYN who’ve been on the show before— repeatedly, even— who have bitten back at that judge and they’ve come out fine, and a large part is in due because even domestic viewers see the feedback from that judge as problematic (although, not sure if they feel the same sort of problematic showy vibe as me that I get from that judge).
C-pop is becoming less and less classist— thank goodness— and I’m glad it’s in part due to artists like LYN, XZ, and others who didn’t start out being in showbiz to begin with, but have had other and life experiences and previous interests and careers to keep their heads on straight and not have their egos take over. It is because of this, they have an even bigger heart to learn, to listen, and to absorb. LYN’s love for music and performance has gotten him this far, another music show with an asshat isn’t going to take him down so easily 😊 I just wished that it was the case all around for all artists— simple and genuine love for the craft and for what they do, and not the ephemeral side of things— but sadly, it’s not always like that.
I will say this though (and it might just be me, which— fair):
LYN has gotten to stop with the “Woe is me, I’m filming in Hengdian so much, I’m practically living there” schtick, joking or not. It’s a great opportunity, especially if he’s truly interested in stepping into acting more—which it looks like he is— but him always jumping to that schtick of his is a bit much. Everyone knows that filming a movie is easier than filming a drama, everyone knows that filming a contemporary drama is easier than filming a costume drama, but will actively choose to film dramas—and costume dramas at that— because they’re great learning opportunities and chances to hone one’s skills. LYN’s “woe is me” schtick complaining about filming in Hengdian so much just makes him look entitled imho
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Gikata
April 4, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Oh, I don't really worried about him, he's got a resilience of these bouncing dolls that never stay lying down for more than 3 seconds. If he truly doubted this gig - or his ability to handle whatever he may encounter there - he just wouldn't do it, period. Can't say the same about myself tho, I'm not really looking forward to hate-watching the show where he gets mistreated. Take it as my post-AJTL era trauma...
Give him a slack - he's a hyperactive child that hates being trapped))) And his last ~3 Hengdian-stationary years were pretty rough: first covid, then broken foot, then TSOPG set where he was supposed to have some days off to rest and deal with other gigs, but crew scrapped them all one-sidedly, resulting in him having to basically forgo sleeping for weeks to still attend everything else needing attending etc. It's not that he's SO tired of costume dramas specifically - he's tired of being ordered around with little to no room for maneuver. Plus filming non-stop left him with not much time to be a singer, and he was obviously not happy about it. Ofc he has no one else to blame for juggling 2 full-time jobs simultaneously and struggling as result^^
I don't see his complaints as being entitled - he's just used to expressing maybe a bit too much of his personal takes on everything compared to other, more media-careful celebs. It never gets to the point of "ewww, idol costume dramas, I wish to do REAL cinema instead... what, another buzzy xianxia? what's the paycheck? I'm on my way!" many c-actors do on the regular with hardly any sugarcoating. He's much more honestly practical than that - any job is good, but that's not to say he cannot have his own preferences or want some variety once in a while. Plus... Watch him tone this topic down the moment he gets the modern drama role he wants - after successfully programming casting PDs into knowing what to offer to him^^ That is another aspect of it. Man doesn't have a company to negotiate these things for him, so he's pitching himself however he can. He still reads ALL his scripts - to not reject anything without a good reason. And considering that he HATES reading...
Nessa🌹
April 4, 2025 at 10:36 AM
The it just might be me, then, and it might be a culture thing and just not agreeing with how he expresses things 🤷🏻♀️
Maybe even a little saturation, too, as I’ve seen him express about the same things on more than one occasion— more than a simple “few” occasions, actually— and on different platforms and different shows as well, and each time, I see how difficult and awkward (however subtle) it makes things for the MCs of the shows to have to bring everything back to focus after the shift in tone — it’s hard to watch because it’s awkward for the MCs and other participants of the show, but LYN can’t be dismissed either, since he’s also a participant on the show.
And to be clear, it’s not specifically LYN and the things he says that I’m like 🫣 Lately—well, since mid-last year, actually— it’s been quite a few people, and their fans, in C-Ent. that it’s been like this for me 🤔
Gikata
April 4, 2025 at 12:17 PM
@nessa idk, from my perspective he never takes it too far with his wording - I think there is a difference between "I want to stop doing costume dramas" and "I want to do something other than costume dramas for a change" - but maybe there's something important lost in translation here for non-speakers like myself. As for this repeated topic being not-so-comfortable for interviewers - this reminds me of last year (was it Spring Festival gala?) - where he sat for like an entire work day answering the same basic ass questions over and over and over for different media, trying his best to not repeat itself, all while being super tired and also sick iirc. If he could survive that with his sanity intact, then they certainly could also suffer a bit on their end from him being temporarily hyper-focused on that one thing.
Another issue is... he's 35 already. And doesn't have another decade or two to patiently wait until more diverse roles just land themselves on his lap. If he doesn't get to try himself in other genres now, in a few years he will likely lose such opportunity entirely. That's one of the reasons why the competition in his age group is so bloody atm, even in a field as vast as cdramaland. So he has both limited time frame to achieve this goal and also limited resources to work towards it on his end, leaving him with this blatant "wishing stuff loudly into existence" as the easiest tactic available. If you noticed, he's always VERY vocal and specific about his short-term goals - like attending an award show to just entertain the actual nominees with his singing and being all "you know, wouldn't it be great if next year I also got some trophy here? no pressure or bragging, ofc, just a little hope, hehe". It wouldn't work before when he was insignificant rookie, but now...
So I don't take him talking about it often as whining - maybe just a little, but he's not really the kind to pity himself much, or he wouldn't be who he is now - but more like waving "that's what I want" flag to attract attention of those who can help him with achieving it. Ofc, waving flag is not a subtle way, since it also catches the attention and elicits reactions he wouldn't want, but no method is perfect, right?
Not sure if it's the same for other actors - likely both yes and no, since not all of them have another established work field to rely on if/when acting in idol shows stops being sustainable, like he does with singing. Plus, for many of them it's also a prestige thing, since non-idol dramas are considered better, and both these actors and their fans usually make a big deal out of starring in "serious" ones... Just another artificial elitism moment in c-ent.
Nessa🌹
April 4, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Yea, maybe it’s his way of presenting his situation that makes me pause 😅 Tact, essentially.
Oh, I know 😅 The backstage interviews during the bigger events in C-Ent. are brutal— as you say, same questions, just presented by different media outlets. I watch XZ’s backstage interviews for those events, and I applaud him for his patience with all of them and for being able to present, essentially, the same answers but in different ways by way of different word choice. Whew!
Contrary, I actually am loving what Cdramaland and producers are doing more and more of to try to take the stigma away from “idol” dramas— i.e, cheap, “fast fashion” dramas, dramas only produced for quick ROI and to get the name of the cast on the map, etc.— because of what dramas like “The Rise of Phoenixes” and “Joy of Life” have done in large part, imho. Both “The Rise of Phoenixes” and JoL cast “idol” actors (Zhang Ruo Yun, Li Qin, Bai Jingting), rookies (Xiao Zhan, Ji Li), middling actors/actresses (Nini), and big veteran names (Chen Dao Ming, Wu Gang,) all into a single drama and made it work, and since then, I’ve definitely seen a change in the climate of the better produced “idol” dramas (no, not like the ones that Mango produces— those are still the worse 🤣), and we have now gotten “idol” dramas that have a mixed cast of veterans and traffic actors & actresses, and I love that. Dramas like “Sunshine by My Side”, “Eternal Brotherhood”, “A Journey to Love”, “Northward”, “Ordinary Greatness”… the list is growing 😊
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Gikata
April 4, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Wouldn't be the first time his boneless (local slang, sorry, idk how to say the same in English - simply "sharp and blunt" won't cut it) tongue gave people wrong impression... That one horribly misinterpreted quote about acting in costume dramas still haunts the man to this day. Not that he was ENTIRELY wrong tho...
There's annual "media faves" list thingy where different celebs get praised - or roasted - for how "nice" they are to the press. That one interview torture landed Yuning in the nice column last year, but I was genuinely horrified with such "acclaim" on his behalf. That's basically awarding borderline abuse victims for their compliance in the matter, ewww!
I see this attempt to murky the distinction between idol and non-idol dramas recently too, but feel like it won't be as fast and easy as (few) sane people in the industry likely hope. For starters, "elite" veteran actors crowd wouldn't like sharing their space and workload with liuliangs, and fans of latter would've also largely prefer to have THEIR fave only to ascend to that prestigious status and no one else rather than making non-idol shows more accessible to everyone. Gaslight, gatekeep, all that jazz...
Nessa🌹
April 4, 2025 at 4:34 PM
@gikata
Yea, with how high of a standard Chinese artists are held at—the government literally refers to them as said government’s “civil servants” because they are the “face” of the nation on an international level, which I get— they either need a really good PR team or really need to learn and know good communication skills for themselves 😅
For dramas, I always circle back to what the actors/actresses themselves say of the situation, not so much the crowds, not so much the fans, and definitely not the die-hard (a.k.a. Delusional) fans. At the end of the day, it’s the actor/actress (and the actor/actress agency if or when the actor/actress themselves don’t have much choosing power) that has a say in what they participate in and the environment (including the people a.k.a. Their costars and ALL that comes with the costars) they want to surround themselves with. So it’s good that when JoL 2 was in production, many of the veterans chose themselves to return to the production, that they trusted in it, despite it still having a cast of liulangs in the mix. I’m happy that there are more and more dramas out there now wherein veterans are willing to step in and do the thing with liuliangs and taking back the voice of their own acting careers instead of having the fans dictate it, as this new attitude wouldn’t have worked even 6-7 years ago before the Chinese Entertainment industry crackdown. Unlike Korea, I don’t believe that the Chinese audience, nor Chinese fans, especially not Chinese fandoms, have enough power to permanently take down someone’s career. I think that ultimately can only happen with the Chinese government. I’ve seen Chinese actors and actresses do stupid things but have made it out fine if they wanted to, because the government doesn’t hold it against them even though the fans do. I’ve seen Chinese fandoms do stupid things in the name of their bias, and then said artist goes on the down low and stays quiet for a certain time as a way to make fans stop their stupidity, because the artist is more scared of things blowing out of proportion to the point wherein the government will be alarmed and something worse happens. I always just go back to the artist themselves. It also helps to keep my head on straight and my focus intact— my focus and concern will always be tunnel-visioned on the artist themselves and their well-being first and foremost and then their directive about how they want to go about their careers (which is basically just work at the end of the day)
6 TurtuallySarcastic
April 4, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Happy weekend Beanies and keep Beaning On!
Not a happy weekend for my parents. Last weekend, both of them lost a beloved aunt and both funerals are taking place tomorrow. My parents would have preferred to attend two funerals together, because relatives are not as comforting as a spouse. Now they each must pay their respects separately and neglect the other beloved aunt. While I suggested postponing my plans with my friend in order to attend, my parents would not hear any of it. So I am hanging out with my friend and having dinner with her parents tomorrow, to honor both aunties and life.❤️
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Clios Servant
April 4, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Oh man that's a lot for your family. Condolences.
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TurtuallySarcastic
April 5, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Thank you!❤️
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too_much_tv
April 4, 2025 at 12:36 PM
You are a good kid to reach out to your parents like that.
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TurtuallySarcastic
April 5, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Well...I still live with them, so it is more like experiencing everything on the front row. :) But thank you❤️
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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
April 4, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Sorry to hear about your loss your poor parents but what a great compromise for three of you to honour both aunts.
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TurtuallySarcastic
April 5, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Thank you!❤️
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Nessa🌹
April 4, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Hugs and condolences to you and your family, Turtle 🫂
My family just went through a death— my maternal grandmother— in January 2025, and family is still not recovered from our grief. How do I know? We’ve all been getting sick on rotation or feeling some sort of level of unwell even to this day, 3 months later.
Please take care and take your time with everything. Grief has no bounds, no timeline, nor is it linear and cannot be streamlined. It just has to happen. I’m glad you still have the hang out happening for you, it may actually help a little, if anything.
As my friend very well reminded me when my grandmother first passed:
Remember to let yourself feel, don’t think that you have to hold anything in just for the sake of other people and other family
If you need anything, please let us know. Even though what we can do is limited—since we’re an online community— we at the least can help you take your mind off things, even if for just a short while, and we are definitely here for it whenever and if ever you want to share! 💞
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TurtuallySarcastic
April 5, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Thank you Nessa ❤️ Mom and I plan to visit Dad's aunt at the graveyard afterwards, and we are finuring something out for mom's aunt (who will be buried farther from home).
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7 Kurama
April 4, 2025 at 8:57 AM
It looks like we lost some Beanies with the changes on the website... Where are @attiton and her gifs, @radily and her ratings , etc. 😥
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Isa is always time travelling
April 4, 2025 at 11:04 AM
I miss them too 😥
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8 Qingdao
April 4, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Happy Friday, Beanies! Praying for the earthquake survivors (Myanamar, Thailand, et all).
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9 spazmo
April 4, 2025 at 12:23 PM
that press conference for Kim Soo Hyun was rather useless. it did not offer any clarity to the events leading up to her suicide. only denials of responsiblity and lots of tears. did i hear he is now coined The King of Tears? cruel, yes. deserving? will we ever know the truth? is it any of our business?
the K-ent industry is brutal, the K-netizens are brutal. there are no winners in all of this. it needed to be brought to the public's attention, if in fact he was a groomer. he isn't the only one, i'm certain - but the message is for all those parents who push their children into the industry with hopes of living off of their celebriety... be careful of what you wish for.
hollywood has many tragic stories of child actors/performers who have not had a life of luxury, but a life of excess that turns into a life of spiraling into the abyss of depression, drugs and excess.
the reality show featuring YOUNG girls training to debut should be cancelled in light of how this young actress' demise has played out.
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welh
April 4, 2025 at 1:10 PM
The under 15 idol show has been put on hold despite the producers wanting to go forward.
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Nessa🌹
April 4, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Comment was deleted
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Nessa🌹
April 4, 2025 at 1:41 PM
It shouldn’t just be put on hold, it should be completely scrapped altogether.
I don’t care how many people were involved in producing it— supposedly “100 people on staff”— and for once, I don’t care about the jobs of people, because all of them— all 100 of these people — must have been well and okay with the show at one point and to have been in agreement with it at some point for them to be on the production team of this sick, sick show, and that is not right. So I don’t really care if they lose this one job from this one project that shouldn’t have come to fruition in the first place
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latebloomer
April 4, 2025 at 2:02 PM
My first thought when I saw he cried at his press conference was, "But he cries so well...." Hard to know whether that was acting or sincerity. But like you say, is it any of our business?
My next thought was, "I hope he doesn't die, too." No matter how old she was when they started dating, I don't think driving him to also commit suicide is the answer. Taking her family to court is also not the answer.
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kay4625
April 4, 2025 at 3:22 PM
That press conference was pretty much a disaster that convinced absolutely nobody. No idea what they were thinking there (but I have a lot of questions regarding KSH's entire strategy, so not really that surprising).
Will we ever know the truth? Maybe, maybe not. KSH certainly isn't going to admit it, as he only seems to admit to things when he's pushed into a corner with no way out. Though with everything that his side has admitted so far, I think disproving the grooming allegations is gonna be pretty hard (even if I'm not sure if his side is entirely aware of that).
Is it any of our business? Well, if we act like it's not, then there's yet another problematic person that gets away with his actions. Surely that can't be the answer. It's complicated, and as you said, there are no winners here. I think speaking up, consistently and repeatedly, is important. However, in making sure that this doesn't get buried, it's also important to not cross the line, which is where things get tricky, as people on both sides of this controversy have repeatedly done just that.
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spazmo
April 4, 2025 at 3:32 PM
mainly, i was addressing that celebrities' private lives should not be any of our business. but the predatory aspect of grooming a minor is indeed worth addressing - and i also hope this does not lead of another suicide, though the netizens certainly make life impossible for those involved in scandals...
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kay4625
April 4, 2025 at 4:18 PM
True, their private lives are none of our business. However, I do think that problematic situations like this should be brought to light, and should not be ignored. People should be held accountable for their actions.
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Anne18
April 4, 2025 at 9:06 PM
True, we didn't need the lurid details in this case. But people just need to look at the age of the victim at that time, and understand there's no way making a decision to date a 30 something guy at that age could be "informed" . Beyond sexual abuse, we also need to look at the EMOTIONAL repercussions of grooming on the minor. Victims of grooming are often not able to move on for a long time. This fact has been ignored by the groomer and the public (or the bullies in this case), and the victim was abandoned emotionally AND financially. So those were aggravated form of injuries to her.
This case brings out the dangers of grooming, and the dangers of normalising such "relationships" as private affairs. At least, SK society realises the gravity of this situation and is talking about amending the law. However, a point of contention here - is it useful to emphasise that YOUNG GIRLS be barred from the ent-industry? Isn't that kind of saying that the victim/ potential victim bears all the responsibility to protect themselves? Sure, these girls' families should carefully guide and supervise them if it's really their dream to pursue such a carreer. But barring them from pursuing their dreams for no fault of their own? Meanwhile people who are really responsible (KSH), dodge all responsibility. Sure, I don't want him to do something stupid, but my sympathies are only with KSR and other victims of grooming/ abuse. We NEED to keep talking about this!
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bomibeans
April 10, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Very well said. I can’t believe some comments here suggest that facing the consequences of being a child groomer and (most likely) statutory rapist is “crossing the line.” This is not a win-win, loose-loose situation. This is clear as a day question of whether he groomed her and raped her as a minor. Reading some of the text messages full of sexual innuendo they exchanged when she was 15 was sickening. Both of them were fully aware about what they doing was wrong but there was one adult in that relationship (if you can call it), and it was KSH. We absolutely must not stop talking about this and get to the bottom of truth. For the justice of the victim.
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10 too_much_tv
April 4, 2025 at 12:49 PM
It seems that the BL manwha, Heesu from Class 2 is getting a really good live drama adaptation. The title character is being played by Ahn Ji-ho. He looked so familiar--he was the child actor in Nobody Knows. Do you remember that one? I had forgotten how much I liked it and now I kind of want to rewatch it.
It's difficult to look like a cartoon character, but somehow Ji-ho is capturing the very bright-eyed, innocent look of Heesu. I like high school dramas because I like seeing people grow and resolve problems. I need more of that right now.
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11 Qingdao
April 4, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Oh, no! An interesting article on the future of South Korea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufmu1WD2TSk
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welh
April 5, 2025 at 4:51 AM
This warning has been around for awhile, first in Japan and now in South Korea. The one option not discussed to turn the tide is immigration to bolster population numbers. Societies such as Japan and South Korea are closed; historically hermit kingdoms; do not want to dilute their "cultures." SK only recently decided to allow low-paying nurses and nannies to work in the country.
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12 owl 🦉 🫰
April 4, 2025 at 4:15 PM
What an emotional evening I had last night watching the last episode of When life gives you Tangerines and then episode 11 of Moon lovers Scarlet heart Ryeo ! It is the most heart wrenching episode of all. Court lady OH is so perfectly portrayed and represents the plight of women under the Emperor. No one else has a smidgen of power in reality. Prince #8, really? A selfish change of heart? Can everyone be swayed by power? IU kills it in both dramas.
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13 Ghost of Tim (eccentric observations from a male perspective)
April 4, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Hi Beanies, my hauntings this week included finishing Tangerines (which I already miss terribly), and continuing with that Potatoes show (which has somehow managed to interest me).
I also binge-watched a jdrama called I Love You Just a Little Bit. It left me feeling annoyed, since the FL was not given the karma slap she deserved after cheating on her husband throughout the show. Oh well.
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owl 🦉 🫰
April 4, 2025 at 7:58 PM
I'm watching 🥔 too. And a new reality show Heart Pairing. Binging more Moon Lovers this weekend-my reward for wrapping up a contract job (no weekend hours needed)!
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Ghost of Tim (eccentric observations from a male perspective)
April 5, 2025 at 6:20 AM
@owl22 congrats on finishing that project!
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14 Britney
April 4, 2025 at 9:35 PM
I really try not to emotional affected by kpop entertainers cause investment just equals pain but sometimes I can't help it.
Sometimes I just get struck wondering why people target some celebrities. I'm not talking about anyone specifically, just in general. Why do people spend so much time and energy on people they don't like? They start rumor, they bring up old issues. They follow everything they do just to criticize it.
I swear I wrote something like this before haha.
It's just I get why some fans get so emotionally affected now. It's painful seeing people you care about targeted and nothing can be done it's done online.
Have I fallen down the parasocial rabbit hole or is this basic empathy on a human level? I'm not sure.
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redfox
April 4, 2025 at 11:54 PM
too many people, living only online, detachment from reality, inferiority complex and a fear of failure in attempting a positive achievement. bullying is the only thing that works for them because they fail at everything else
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Gikata
April 5, 2025 at 12:29 AM
This. To give someone or something love - even if it's just your celeb idol - one needs to have love within themselves. And these people have NONE.
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Kodra aka Qanon something
April 5, 2025 at 2:34 AM
But too much love for one idol can turn into hate for another. We experienced some of it here recently, between the fans of Cha Eun-woo and the Rowoon ones.
There are other reasons like money or fear induced by whatever they have been indoctrinated already in schools or by TV and social media. Believe or not, there are people that are paid to post online and they are paid by various ONG's. In my country we have many Ukrainian refugees that got romanian and moldovan passports and they are very active online supporting only for those countries going into war. Sometimes I have "fun" is exposing them that they are indeed ukrainians and many even write about their various ONG efforts. They are used to create public influence and used by the government and the media to push their agenda. Which, in that particular case, is to push those countries into their conflict against Rusia at some point in the future. Of course, when that time will come they will not fight the war but move more to the west where they will continue to profit from others misery, just like they did in their country. The second reason I mentioned is one that we see it even here.
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redfox
April 5, 2025 at 3:59 AM
that love is actually not love, it is a hyperfixation on something outside themselves bc they cannot control their life, so they start controlling everything about their idol and so all competition that weakens the position of their idol is seen as a threat to their own worldview. It is not about the idol they love it is trying to establish self worth through someone else and experiencing all that contradicts it as an enemy
Gikata
April 5, 2025 at 4:26 AM
I'm sorry, but you should find someone else to talk politics here other than myself. Especially this particular case of politics. Trust me, it will get VERY unpleasant if I were to continue this discussion. We're here to have a good time chatting about dramas and celebs, aren't we?
Back to the ACTUAL topic, I wholeheartedly agree with @redfox that this kind of "fans" are obsessed and shallow and should keep their toxic devotion to themselves, positive or negative, and get help instead.
redfox
April 5, 2025 at 4:39 AM
I agree with Gikata shading Ukrainians is sus, and I dont buy it either. seems like bot talk. dont infiltrate this place if you work for Russia since u dont know where I work besides library ;-)
Kodra aka Qanon something
April 5, 2025 at 5:07 AM
@gikata
That will be very hard to do since I really do not care who I reply to. I look at the content of the message and not who posted it. I do the same with my likes. I also do not look to have a conversation with someone in particular, I just speak my mind and since we have a reply button, I use it. I don't care if you reply or not and frankly, I will do whatever I want as long as everyone does it. I don't think I was ever offensive towards you and I never told anyone so rudely to not write here. And my message was not about politics, it was about how trolls are influencing public opinion and I gave an example from my personal experience, one can become very traumatic for many people I know and love. My former country is a very peaceful one and about to be thrown into a conflict that has nothing to do with it. If raising awareness about how people are influenced by paid trolls, specially when it contradicts with what you have been told and what you think is the reality, is bothersome to you then you should look more into yourself and all that love and hate we have been talking about. And about the cancel culture you seem to nurture which is still the subject of the conversion, cyberbullying.
I laughed about your threat "Trust me, it will get VERY unpleasant if I were to continue this discussion." since you started your message with not wanting to have one with me. Are you sure?
Gikata
April 5, 2025 at 5:40 AM
@kodra then I'll have to be the one making effort to avoid engaging with you from now on since you're so unbothered to take offense at me rejecting just one particular topic politely and nicely. Also, unlike many people on the internet - you know surely better if that applies to you as well than I do, despite the hysterical claim of me "nurturing cancel culture" that I'll consider an April Fools joke - I believe I know perfectly well the difference between petty dislike for someone you've never even met and real hatred. Or gentle warning-slash-reasoning and a threat, for that matter. Have a nice day and good luck with your noble cause^^
Kodra aka Qanon something
April 5, 2025 at 5:52 AM
@redfox
I don't know where you live and you know where all my family lives, including my son who is about the right age to be called into war. The difference between us is that if that will ever happen, he will be the only one affected among us, since, I assume, we all are women. If you think am a bot because I express my concern about the safety of my son, than think that way, I really don't care. If you think I am on the Rusian side, then I must tell you that you are flat wrong. For me I see rusians the same as ukrainiens, because I lived in comunism under the Soviet rule. Part of Romania became part of Rusia after the war. When the soviets came in Romania, the raping and pulgering was done by Russians and Ukrainians. To me, they are the same. My beef is with the UE and the Democrats that pushed this war for many years ago. This conflict did not start out of the blue and is not just as simple as "The Russia bad, Ukraine good" as you think it is. It started when Yeltin stepped down and the west lost the control of what they thought they had in the region. Ukraine, Romania, Moldova are just sacrificed for the unilateral dominance ideals of the globalists. If Rusia is won, the bigger and scarier conflict with China will follow. Becaue you see, they never stop. When I talk about Ukraine, I talk about the government that sold that country and not about the poor people that suffer and die.
redfox
April 5, 2025 at 6:15 AM
aint nobody going to fight with you or for you or take your son into war. if you do not want to be seen as a bot bc of your weak "cover story" then stop acting like a bot and using words like globalists etc. if you are not a bot then for sure you are unnecessarily spreading tension and cliches in the wrong place (which, btw does make you a bot even if u are a real person) a bot = posting things that do not belong.
Kodra aka Qanon something
April 6, 2025 at 5:59 AM
My dear @redfox I must remind you that this is not your library and you do not get to "shush" me or anyone else that has different opinions than yourself or whatever media or political party you follow. The country (and this site) I am living is still free and honours its first ammendment of its constitution. It might be hard to accept from where you are from because of the UE trying to shut free speech since there is no such ammendment in those countries. Or maybe UE is run by former bolsheviks, like your dear warmongerer Kallas, that would like to reinstate the power they had at one time over the masses. But as long as there are others that are "unnecessarily spreading tension and cliches in the wrong place" for me here, I will definitely continue to speak my mind regardless if you are calling me a bot, troll, Qanon, Maga, misogynist or whatever you think I would take offense and dissappear. "I really don't care, Margaret", were the words of our VP to a democratic agent masquerading as a journalist recently and is exactly what I think when I see you or others slander me here. So, you can either ignore me, debate me or continue to call me whatever you like, I really don't care, dear redfox.
bomibeans
April 10, 2025 at 6:33 PM
@kodra
Except “Russia is bad and Ukraine is good” is actually true. How do I know? Russia recently killed 19 civilians, 9 of them children. A single example among many, many, many! Have you no shame or decency spinning out your conspiracy theories on a k-drama-lovers’ website?
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/09/world/europe/ukraine-kryvyi-ri-attack.html?smid=url-share
Kodra aka Qanon something
April 10, 2025 at 9:54 PM
@bomibeans
First of all, watch your language with me. Second of all, talk to me after you have read about russian speaking people burned during the maidan by the ukraininans or the thousands killed post maidan. You can watch Oliver Stone's documentary about it, if you prefer american propaganda. Third of all, there are a lot of Romanians in Ukraine because the soviets took part of our land. I know more about Ukraine pre war and after war from a lot more sources than you think. As long as I have read here, on a kdrama site, pro-ukraine propaganda, than it is ok for me to talk about it. You do not have a monopoly on what is acceptable to talk about here and which views are aloud to be talked about. This is not Ukraine nor we are living under the Biden regime, my dear, this is the free world, get used to it. Fourth of all, I don't trust ukrainian and American liberal propaganda just as much I do not trust the russian one. I am not on anyone's side, I blame everyone involved, I want this to end before it draws other countries into it. Because NATO is building its biggest station in Romania near Ukraine and because of the Black Sea, and because UE's push for maintained this war, I am afraid that Romania will be pushed into war through Moldova by the Ukrainians and Europeans and not because of Putin. I really do not care who wins but Ukraine bombarded it's people in the east since 2014 so it should lay in its bed and finish it alone, without us paying for it or fighting for it. Because Cheney, Nuland and others were present in Ukraine during the Maidan (they are on video, not russian propaganda) then it is obvious who really wanted this war. And I can even speculate that if Clinton would have won, this would have happen a lot sooner. Hence the hate and everything that happened since then by the Democratic Party.
P.S. Should I start to post about Ukraine war crimes also? Cause I can, you know, and it won't be pretty.
P.S. 2 Enough people died already, do you want more to die? How many it will make you happy? Do you wish the whole world joining in the fight? Are you having dreams going nuclear?
diary
April 11, 2025 at 1:01 AM
“I must remind you that this is not your library and you do not get to "shush" me”
Except we do, actually, because just as you’re free to spew your hateful nonsense everywhere (including the most random places and contexts), we are free to tell you exactly what we think of what you say and express our desire that you would stop.
It doesn’t mean you have to, of course, just that we wish you would. :)
15 redfox
April 4, 2025 at 11:51 PM
kinda tired from screens
my eyes need a break
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16 DancingEmma
April 6, 2025 at 12:10 AM
A week of hope and despair: On the joyous side for the majority of people in SK, the Constitutional Court upheld Yoon’s impeachment and it was reassuring to know that at least the rule of law was upheld in SK. Wonderful celebratory pics: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/photos/20250404/the-day-south-korean-president-yoon-suk-yeol-was-impeached
A few celebs aired their views: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20250404/actors-singers-react-to-courts-decision-to-oust-yoon
Also unrelated, “ Korean Image Archive preserves visual legacy”: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/globalcommunity/20250404/korean-image-archive-preserves-visual-legacy?latest-page=1
On the despairing side, there is too much to recount so all I say is that we should speak truth to power whenever we can and not allow genocides, crimes against humanity and war crimes occur in our names and in our lifetimes. As humans, we are all responsible for what is happening worldwide in multitude of ways. Let’s not allow fascists, warmongers and war profiteers bring all of us in the world closer to the brink of destruction.
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17 ElKwesi
April 6, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Is the Beanie section on this site gone for anyone else? I popped up back here after a while and it's not there anymore. The fan Wall is also gone. I mean common sense would state that it's a new site wide change, but that was one of my favorite parts of this site. So I'm kinda disappointed.
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Anne18
April 6, 2025 at 6:31 AM
The fan wall was taken down this March. It's sad that our place of communion has now gone. No other threads can compare to it. But we are trying to stick together because of our love for DB 🙂
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ElKwesi
April 6, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Did they give a reason why? I see you can comment on the pages of the Dramas. But I don't know, I liked the randomness of the fan wall.
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Anne18
April 6, 2025 at 7:13 PM
The cost of hosting it was too high. Here is what they said: https://dramabeans.com/2025/01/notice-fan-wall-to-be-taken-down-effective-march-2025/
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Anne18
April 6, 2025 at 7:25 PM
The sad thing is, there's not even a button for "recent comments". Search "dramabeans recent comments" or save and enter this url https://dramabeans.com/comments/.
True, the randomness was the best thing about it. It was convenient as we are all from different time zones. A new kind of week-long open space was provided for some time. Currently, "weekly squee" is the new feature. Nothing is as accessible as fan wall , but they're trying.. 😐
ElKwesi
April 7, 2025 at 6:18 PM
I'm definitely sad about this. I've been on a long drama slump, which is why I haven't been here as often. Watching "The First Frost" on Netflix & wanted to do some post about it.
I read some comments that said the open threads pretty much was what the fan wall was before it got created. So I guess it's back to being the highlight.
I'm going to try to be an adult about this, but I'm definitely sad.
Anne18
April 7, 2025 at 7:40 PM
@elkwesi , the WWW (what we've watched) thread on every saturday gets more views than open thread, if you want to talk about dramas. Beanies also mention their Cdramas and Jdramas there, so no worries about that. But someone like me, who's in slump most of the times, has rarely something to say there. The loss of fan wall has make me into a lurker. I just hang around, read and appreciate what others have to say 😅
mugyuljoie is preciousss
April 9, 2025 at 5:49 AM
Yes, and with each change, it feels like less of a community to me.
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18 bbstl 🧹
April 6, 2025 at 2:51 PM
The effect of tariffs on K-beauty in the US:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/04/korean-beauty-tariff/682311/?gift=0qtcGBnlKKgMc-kbY-eVdBVlc-4IHcIecFe3_7h5f70&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
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