Beanie level: Noble idiot

The gifs didn’t show up on my last post, here’s another attempt!
My Little Happiness: pure sweet bluff with sexy kisses and handwashing:


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So very happy to see the staying power of 18 Again on the WWW threads and fanwall in the past month or so – has it recently become available officially in more countries? I hope it comes to the US soon so everyone can enjoy the wonder that is Lee Do Hyun 🙂 and the heartwarming story (you can always find it “underground”, but nothing compares to the ease of streaming services on your TV!) 
This past weekend, I put on hold on my other dramas to binge watch a little gem called My Little Happiness. Watch this if you:

– are a fan of Put your head on my shoulder – the FL actress of that drama, Fair Xing is again great in another romcom fluff as a cheerful, and not annoying, FL.

 

– like Her Private Life for all the kissing. My Little Happiness is the first cdrama I’ve seen with this much kissing – great, passionate, realistic kissing from both leads! No dead fish eye here.

 

– like Love Lasts Forever/Koi wo tsuzuku doko made mo but hate how incompetent the FL was. Fair Xing plays a truly strong, competent, sometimes reckless but not stupidly so FL here.

 

– are a fan of romcom without annoying second leads, dragged out misunderstandings, or forced separation through noble idiocy. (We do have childhood sweethearts and an unrealistically devoted ML, however). 

 
This cute and sexy (yes! sexy! The ML knows how to tease the FL without crossing the line) drama relies entirely on the OTP chemistry, and they have that in spades. It also minimizes the usually-mundane workplace side stories that are part of romcoms like this. Is there a plot? No, not really lol Do we care? Nah. We’re here for the fluff, lots and lots of kisses, and sexy handwashing, like so:

 

(gifs credit to @herlovesfor on tumblr)

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Have you ever wished for a drama that has a compelling love triangle (or rectangle), but without the evil second female lead or the clingy second male lead?
 
Or a drama where the “cold” ML is direct but not mean, as fussy as he is kind, not always the brightest when it comes to his own feelings, but also not constantly in denial?
 
And the FL is a little bumbling but never incompetent, her manners belieavably unaffected, a Candy who has her own issues unrelated to being a Candy?
Or a drama where the main characters have their own dreams and ambitions, and can stand independently as people without being (completely) defined by their relationship to their romantic partner?
 
Or a drama where the required separation episodes have no noble idiocy, and the angst happens organically and not overly exaggerated?
 
Or a drama where there’s minimal to none of the “oops I fall on his face” tropes? (as fun and funny as those are)
Your long and most of the time impossible to fulfill wishlist will be fulfilled with a lovely little drama called Kono koi atatamemasu ka (literal: Would you like to warm up this love?), or A warmed up love.

 
The title is a little odd in English, but in Japanese, it’s a direct reference to a phrase you hear often at Japanese convenience stores, where they ask you if you’d like to “warm up” the food you buy there. This is because the industry of choice in the drama is convenience store, with an emphasis on desserts (I’m a big fan of both, so this was greatly entertaining for me personally…and I hope you too will discover the wonder that is Japanese convenience stores! And there are many delicious non-convenience store dessert making and eating scenes as well!) 
 
As usual, it was thanks to @kimbapnoona that I learned about thsi drama, and what a revelation this was. She described this drama as having the familiar Cinderella/Candy story but presented in a very thoughtful way, and all 4 main characters are so lovely that you can’t help but root for both the SFL & SML while also rooting for the main romance. I cannot agree more! 
 
I binged this drama in 2 days, it was such a lovely way to begin 2021. Highly, highly recommend this drama – it will warm up your heart too in this cold and (for many of us) lonely winter.
 
 

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    If someone told me that one of the best dramas in 2020 would be about a tsundere CEO/candy pairing who are involved in love square I would not have believed it but it is true! So many things to love about this drama and it would definitely go down as one that I love all four main characters equally including the SFL and any seasoned drama fan would understand how rare that is! 😆

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      This and Run On are prime examples of familiar stories (in the same category of “rich man poor woman”) told with heart and refreshing perspectives.

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I’m weirdly & unexpectedly invested in Run On. There’s a certain sincerity about the writing & the characters that I really love. Hope it stays good till the end!

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I’m really enjoying Mr.Queen – and this is in spite of some glaring flaws. I saw the original “Go Princess Go” a while back and while full of laughs, it was paper thin on everything else (plot, character, acting) so I had to drop it. This adaptation kept the best part – the humor – and upped the ante on everything else (I mean, the bar was low, but they did good!) I love, love, love Shin Hye Sun in this, but what else is new? Well, what’s new is this role let her exercise all of aspects she had excelled in her previous dramas: the comedic timing from “30 but 17”, the charisma from “Stranger”, the intensity/drama from “Angel’s Last Mission: Love”. It’s a masterclass in acting!
 
Episodes 3 & 4 had more cooking scenes, which I love, and more palace scheming, which I would have loved if it was a Chinese drama. Korean dramas very rarely do this well, and this is no exception. The scheming here is simplistic as usual, which should raise no ire, but this week both Jo Hwa Jin and the King’s brother made some really stupid, exasperating moves that could only be forgiven because they led to more Shin Hye Sun’s scenes.
 
In any case, the best thing about this drama right now is how we as the audience can see all of the Queen’s thoughts and motivation, her character is consistent and believalbe (well, except how good she is at history), but everyone else has a completely different view of her.
 

To the King, she’s a contemptible foe, a dangerous enigma, and (based on the preview for next week, most likely starting to be) a “cool” woman (if only he knew why she’s so cool LOOOOL).
To Jo Hwa Jin (the concubine), she’s scheming and fake.
To the cousin, she’s pure and pitiful.

^ note, none of these is really accurate lol
 
I can’t wait for all of them to find out who “she” really is (at least personality wise, if not gender wise). As for the big question about romance, so far, Jang Bong Hwan (the chef inside the queen’s body) shows no romantic feeling for the king whatsoever, but he’s starting to acknowledge the king as someone with complexity and integrity. As for the king, with how cool our queen is being, I’m certain love is in the future for him, and it’d be so hilarious for him to be rejected. My theories for the possible outcome of this romance are:

We get a BL (maybe not likely, given this is a mainstream drama)
We get an Oh My Ghostess: real queen’s soul comes back, king gets the girl he didn’t fall in love with (boooo! Given the precedent, this seems likely)
King dies early (which did happen in history) and reincarnates into 2020 as a girl, and meets Bong Hwan again!

What are your theories??

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    Better yet, the king dies and reincarnates in 2020 as a boy and Bong-hwan ends up with him! We can hope, right?

    Anyway, this little post makes me tempted to pick up this show and try to give it a go for a few more weeks.

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      that was my thought at first but they really went out of their way to portray BongHwan as a straight frat boy, it seems highly unlikely 🙁

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      yes please! “for a few more weeks” – did you see the first eps and not like it? 🙁

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        Watched the first two. I thought it was okay but not my cup of tea. SHS is great, no doubt, but I found the show uneven, especially when it moved between comedy to more serious things. Also, the humour wasn’t working for me (not sure why).

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    havent watch ep4 but ep3 with samyang ramyeon and her competition with the head chef are hilarious

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      It’s also interesting to compare and contrast the ramyeon scene from CLOY to the sequence from Mr. Queen. Someone needs to start a clip collection for “I need ramyeon!”

      Also, now that she/he has an oven, are we going to get a pizza sequence?

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        Is this…”Three meals a day, Joseon edition”??? XD

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          May be “Let’s Eat! Joseon Edition”… we just need Mr. Queen to be a bit more expansive in her descriptions of the meals she’s creating!

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    original chinese drama also has like 4 different endings 🙂

    I would like to veer towards the BL ending… in C drama, he wakes up from coma, runs out and meets the Doctor 🙂

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    btw, i couldn’t sit through go go princess..

    care to tell what is queen’s real personality?

    I thought she is nice.. and tried to commit suicide.. no?

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    I’m actually hoping that they follow the ending from the novel (which was an extremely happy ending for the hero/heroine). I was sadly disappointed in both of the endings given in Go Princess Go as neither followed the novel and both were unhappy endings.

    Of course, as explained in the novel, the heroine was actually sent to the wrong gender (male) in current day (2020) so when she transmigrated, she transmigrated into her correct gender (female).

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      oooh thanks for that info! lol I can’t tell if that’s a gender normative attempt to “normalize” the romance, OR a nod to transgenderism?

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    These days, this is the drama I love the most! The comedy is just my style! I don’t care about the ending, I’m enjoying what they are giving us^^

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Again with the late post…I finished 18 Again on Thursday as usual, and spent some time mulling over and mourning the end of this great drama (and seriously pondering an immediate rewatch!). I know some beanies already said goodbye to the drama earlier this week, but I was hoping we could mourn together here one last time (or maybe another time once Ep 16 recap goes up lol). 
 
The last week has many great moments, and full of both sad and happy tears. What this show did really well was how most emotional moments played out very naturally, and in an expected way that is not predictable or manipulative. I chalked that up to the characters being so well-drawn that we understood them as people that we know how they would act, and when they did act we empathized with them so much, we cried anyway despite knowing exactly how it would play out.
Like this scene:
 

gifs courtesy of chanikang @ tumblr
 
🙁 saw it from miles away, and still cried buckets when he started crying 🙁
 
I would argue that maybe Dae-young’s despair to return to his boy actually didn’t happen early enough. That is because the conflict that was set up early on – that he had a chance to see for himself how his life could have been without getting married and skipping college at 18, was abandonned pretty early on. He very quickly realized what we had, and he was also able to help both of his children quickly as Dae-young. Through the flashbacks, we also saw him repeatedly put his family first without any hesitation. I did wonder at times whether this would have been a more gripping and modern drama if Dae-young’s morals were a bit more grey, i.e. we could see him go around enjoying his young body a bit more, being a bit more selfish and living his life for a few episodes, until he realized that wasn’t what he wanted. The conflict there would be what was intended early on: choosing yourself/your dream, or choosing your family. 
 
That said, I really love the version of Dae-young we got: a completely devoted husband and father who very understandably for some time let the harshness of his life beat him down, and said somet things he didn’t mean and did not do some things he should have done. The main drama conflict then became “can Daeyoung figure out what he did wrong and correct it?”, which is a much less interesting conflict, but also a lot more wholesome. Funnily enough, I feel like Dae-young in this case: what would have been would have been nice, sure, but what actually happened was awesome, and I have no regret 🙂 
 
In classic romcom style, everything is neatly wrapped up and nicely tied with a bow, and I’m here for it! Dae-young got to have the career that suits him best given the circumstances he was in (I was SO happy they figured out a realistic solution for him to get back to basketball; high school coaching would have been a bit far-fetched). Da-jung got the fame and the career she worked hard for, and deserved. And Yoon Sang Hyun finally got to have his haircut! 
 
You know you’ve had a great journey with a drama when you can imagine the characters living on beyond the end of episode 16. In this dark time, it’s so heartwarming to think that many Dae-young & Da-jungs in the world might have overcome their struggles (though probably not through going back into your young body!), and bravely and happily continue on ahead.
 
This drama will live in my heart for a long time.

 

 

@13infamyss @velvetstuff @suriyana-shah @mrsz6 @flyingcolours @inkcityxx @ObsessedMuch @smaltwalt @marina @neener @manichan @dramafan12 @Jenmole @blnmom @avazilla @ayalynn123 @shichybot @Jingbee @rusnicam @irishrah @earthna @swunnie
also cc @pickleddragon if you haven’t dropped the show yet, would love to hear what you thought!

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    Haven’t watched these episodes yet. Tbh, I got sidetracked with another show and I didn’t have enough time in the week to be watching multiple shows. However, I’m looking forward to catching up on these episodes sometime later this week!

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    It was an happy ending for everyone, but it was perfect for this fairy talesque story. Normally I’m not the biggest fan of a wedding in the last episode, however here I was hoping for it and really happy they made it happen.
    There wasn’t enough of Lee Do-Hyun in the last episode, though. He was perfect in this drama! I will certainly look out for his next project (and Hwang In-Yeop’s!)…

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    I thought it would be as you said that he would enjoy his young body for a few episodes before he realizes what matters but I liked what we got. This is who Dae-young is. He never strayed. He’s always been a family guy and he loves them all. It’s just that he went through a tough time and cant help but wonder “what if?”

    I also love how each character drew a boundary they never crossed. This drama could easily be so iffy. Da-jung was kind to Ji-hoon but drew the line as soon as he showed interest. Dae-young only had his eyes on Da-jung. Shi-ah never had romantic feelings for Woo-young but treated him as a friend. Even the scenes with Da-jung and Woo-young did not make me feel uncomfortable at all. I credit this largely to Lee Do-hyun. His mannerisms, the way he talked, everything, made me see him as Dae-young and not Woo-young. I’m excited to see him grow more as an actor if he’s already this good now.

    Overall a really good drama!

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    I have the last 4 to watch still! Will circle back here after I’ve watched 🙂

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    I did like this show, yes, we all know the story but it was refreshing to just watch the development and not worry about the ending, for once. I like how the family relationships were explored and the realistic depiction that no marriage is perfect and it is always a work in progress. LDH surely is an actor to watch.

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    Such a heartwarming drama! I will definitely re-watch this when it is available to Viki or any legit site.

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    I’m usually not a fan of when a drama uses noble idiocy for no reason only to gloss over it. But, when this drama did it it did not make me mad at all. I was rooting so hard for the characters to have their happy ending that I could forgive just about anything. 18 Again was excellent from start to finish. Already missing it!

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    I found this drama healing<3 like many other drama`s they showed us how important communication is..
    Everyone did a great job.
    I`m happy they didn`t turn Ja Sung into a broken kid just because he didn`t get what he wanted. Seeing him caring made my heart melt. and god, Lee Do Hyun`s acting.. he was a blessing to my eyes..
    it was a fun ride. thank you for the tag. <3

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    Super late reply! 😭 Been busy. But what a great show this has been. I didn’t expect it to touch my heart this deeply. Lee Do Hyun and 18 Again will not be forgotten. I really enjoy growing old together stories like this.

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Seems like there’s gonna be an 11th hour noble idiocy for 18 Again 🙁 not a fan but I love Lee Do Hyun’s acting so maybe it’ll be ok!!!

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    I think the fact that they want to shield each other from their own pain is what make their marriage crumble… Even so they are a very lovely couple. Seems like the last hurdle is him getting back into his own body. He needs too!

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gifs courtesy of @chanikang on tumblr
Hello! This has been a very, very long week. I finally was able to breathe a small sigh of relief and had the mind space to watch both episodes of 18 Again yesterday. The 2 beautiful episodes again recovered some of the faith in human beings that I lost this week, when more than 66 million people in my country declared with their votes that being discrimatory against races/sexual orientation/gender/etc. etc. was ok. You don’t know how much I needed this drama, and just kdrama in general, this week.
 
The fanwall was a bit quiet on 18 Again this week, so I can’t wait to hear what you thought about these 2 eps now! 
 
OF COURSE 18 Again made me cry again (twice) this week! The bankbook diary flashback was so beautiful in its simplicity: it’s the typical child milestones that parents cherish so much, layered with Si-Ah’s realization that her parents had cared so much about her all along. Personally, I would have liked to know more about why she felt that her mom wasn’t interested in her life, or that her dad wasn’t around when she needed him. But it is satisfying to see her growing up by finally empathizing with her parents.
 

 
When Dae-young’s voice broke as he said “I will make sure to be there”, I felt my heart break with him. He really, really wanted to see his daughter as his real self, but he doesn’t even know when that will happen. I do think though as this point that we should start seeing him trying to find solutions to get back to his own self; he’s been quite passive about that so far despite clearly wanting to return.
 
Si-Ah is clearly the star of these 2 episodes. She has these great moments, AND the resolution of the baby love triangle! It was a very cute, if not very random lol, conclusion. I can’t wait to see Ji-ho’s maybe piecing together that Wooyoung is Daeyoung! Please let Lee Do Hyun act out freely his ajjushi-ness!
 
Speaking of Lee Do Hyun as an ajjushi, the final scene of ep 14 was powerful, but could have been MORE powerful if we switched to Yoon Sang Hyun halfway through the kiss so we get *all* of Hong DaeYoung.

gif @mufalo on tumblr
 
This was such a beautiful shot! And look, the moon is full again! This episode was titled “I miss you”, and was tied together wonderfully – from Si-Ah missing her dad, to Daeyoung’s inability and lost chance to say these words to Dajung when they were still together, to him finally saying it to her now, and her saying it back to him, again. (Also, how GREAT is LDH’s & KHN’s kissing???)
 
There are only 2 episodes left…I do wonder why we need the details about Jihoon’s brother’s accident…is it to set up a plausible path for Daeyoung into some kind of fulfilling employment in basketball (Jihoon might help?)? I wanna see him playing dad to his twins while still in his young body; maybe even potential drama/scandal of him dating Dajung in his young body, etc. etc. I’m totally not ready for this drama to be over! (and very, very ready for the other drama to be over…)
@13infamyss @velvetstuff @suriyana-shah @mrsz6 @flyingcolours @inkcityxx @ObsessedMuch @smaltwalt @marina @neener @manichan @dramafan12 @Jenmole @blnmom @avazilla @ayalynn123 @shichybot @Jingbee @rusnicam @irishrah @earthna @swunnie 

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    Si-ah and Dae-young got me 😭😭😭
    I’m not ready to say goodbye..not yet!

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    Ahhh I forgot the mom scenes!



    His “mistake” with Dajun brought him a whole new family – not just his own kids, but a mom as well. I just love them together!

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    I was actually expecting that the kiss would morph into YSH-KHN kiss and you are right it would have been more powerful. I was also just catching up on these episodes, as aside from the late subs, real life took over for a bit these past few days..

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      Yasss I was hoping for this. Hopefully it will do that as it continue the scene next episode.

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      I was also expecting that. But somehow I was glad it didn’t, since it made clear that Da Jung was accepting Dae Young in his young body. Which I don’t think was easy for her.

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    Yoooo I went to work with swollen eyes after watching this. I always watch during my lunch break and omg not ideal. That Si-ah scene broke me hard.

    I loveeeee LDH so much but I can’t wait until YSH’s Daeyoung is back. One more week! Hold on tight, everyone!

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      Same @earthna 😂 and it was so embarrassing to explain to my family and my coworkers why I cried the night before 😂🤣

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        Lol it’s always so awkward. I just say it’s allergies.

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          Hahaha good one! 😅 although chopping onions is my usual excuse, they know it’s because of a kdrama

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    Lee Do Hyun acting with his eyes is ace! My gosh, how can those eyes hold so much emotion? 🥺 Young dad Dae-young always gets me.

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    I watched this while my family was taking an afternoon nap because I knew I would cry, which i did, and i didn’t want them to see. The scenes with Shi Ah were beautiful and it made me sob. My dad works jn another city which is close by, so he comes home during the weekend and while talking to him yesterday, I was reminded of Dae Young and Shi Ah. This show really is something else

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    I think as teenagers, there’s always that point where we think our parents didn’t care much about us, so despite not seeing it played out, I could relate to Si-ah. I’m glad that she was able to see it for herself that her parents have been there for her in every step of her life.

    I hadn’t realize we’re entering finale week. TT__TT

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    Oh, I totally love all those gifs with Dae Young as young dad. Theses scenes made me cry really hard, Lee Do Hyun is just so amazing here. By the way, whenever I see Lee Do Hyun as young dad I get Chen vibes. Maybe it’s because Chen got to be father not too long ago and because he was really dad-material when he visited Return of Superman? Can anybody relate? On the other hand I always think about young dad Lee Do Hyun when I listen to Chen’s latest single Hello.

    And how adorable is Ja Sung for not only protecting Si Ah but also Ji Ho. I just wanted to hug him at this moment and thank him for growing up like this.

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    These two episodes owned my heart. How can the episodes continue to be good? The bank book scene totally broke me. My hubby caught me crying while watching and he asked incredulously, “Are you crying?” and I was like shut up (yes very mature of me).

    I’m not too keen on the Ji Hoon’s brother accident involving Dae Young storyline – somehow it seemed ominous (but perhaps that’s what the drama wants me think) unless of course it somehow related to him going back to his mature physical self.

    I’m not sure I’m ready to say goodbye 😭😭

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    This week was a real sobfest gah!
    From Si-Ah, to mom, to Daeyoung. Dae Young seemed to be extra sad this week, missing Si-Ah, trying to explain himself to DaJung, missing mom-in-law.

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    Powerful kiss 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

    I’m glad the car accident highlighted what a good natured-man Dae Young is through and through. Yknow with kdrama everyone is related 😅

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Two more weeks to go! I’m not ready to let this drama go, especially with the next few weeks being super stressful in the US 🙁 (I was catatonic in 2016…)
 
Anyway! This week 18 Again brought a TON of fun, a big sigh of relief, and a trademark kdrama slap (but in a good way!) What are your favorite moments this week?
 
Here’s my favorite moments from ep 11-12 of 18 Again, in more of chronological than preference order! These 2 eps got the most laughs from me so far, in a series already full of great laugh-out-loud moments. Thank you writers for making us cry buckets the weeks before 😉
 
The gutbusting baby love triangle: so turns out Ja-sung is a soft and emo idiot LOL how adorable! Ji-ho gotta step it up, he kept constantly get shown up by his “two” rivals (one real, one fake). Given what Si-ah said these 2 episodes though, I think he is the end game. Poor baby doesn’t even know he stands a real chance!
 
The otaku love “triangle”: I love love the friendship between Aerin and Deokjin. They’re so supportive of each other, and are true platonic friends (yes men and women CAN be friends!) The first cosplay scene was hilarious. I’m totally with Ms.Ok about not dating a parent when you’re a teacher, and I wish Deokjin would back off a bit. “Woo-young” is in his final year anyway, right? So just tell her you’ll wait for her till “Woo-young” graduates! 
 
Siah & her dad: Love the deviation from the movie here where Si-ah and her dad became true friends, no weird incest plot here. I wouldn’t blame her if she had a crush, I was just hoping it would have ended quickly in her realizing he was her dad, but I’m ok with this! Jeong-Eui (Si-Ah’s actress) calling Lee Do Hyun appa in the BTS clips is the cutest thing, and I can’t wait for the kids to realize how awesome their dad is. (Also how cute and touching is it that Daeyoung was SO PSYCHED to hear his daughter call him a true friend??? I am reminded of my own mother who always wants me to gossip and hang with her like a friend, but being the brat that I am, I just can’t bring myself to do it…)
 
Dajung’s very own workplace kdrama: more than her success on the show, I LOVED how her boss sneakily supported her, and how that ended up in THE most lol-worthy moment of the show, with Yoomi being BLASTED to oblivion (unfortunately by a fake storm, not a real one or a verbal one :P). Also how clever are the writers to have that little detail of her boss revealing himself to be divorced, and there was NO reaction from anyone, both viewers and their boss? The sexism is cuttingly real.
 
Our OTP: I teared up at the balcony scene (before the kiss). We can feel Da-jung’s palable regret and longing. From the preview, looks like Daeyoung is finally gonna tell Dajung in ep 13, though I really wish he had told her right then and there before swooping in for a kiss. He already kissed her the day before, why so thirsty now lol I do love that they left in the iconic GASP kiss from the movie: this drama is a masterclass in thoughtful adaptation. All the key moments and plot arcs are there, but with much more emotional and character depth, and new interesting characters and details.
 
@velvetstuff @suriyana-shah @mrsz6 @flyingcolours @inkcityxx @ObsessedMuch @smaltwalt @marina @neener @manichan @dramafan12 @Jenmole @blnmom @avazilla @ayalynn123 @shichybot @Jingbee @rusnicam @irishrah @earthna @swunnie

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    One of my favorite moments was Aerin Deokjin in the elevator. She rather let her friend die than to give him cpr. 🤣🤣

    I can’t believe this is ending in two weeks!

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    Also a great moment: I was ready to roll my eyes when she fell into the pool and the 2 guys dove in to “save” her, because it CLEARLY looked shallow – it’s our typical drama trope – but then the drama didn’t disappoint and used that as a parody scene lol it was hysterical!

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    All your points! Can’t believe we only have few eps left ;(

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    Omg thanks for the tag! I got into the drama pretty late but I love it nonetheless!

    I laughed so hard whenever Deok-jin was on screen. When they showed him dressed up at the bar with Ae-rin! HAHAHAHAHA It’s hilarious how she didn’t expect him to be dressed up like that but still hanged out with him.

    Yes to the Si-ah and Dae-young interaction. I was so scared it would go into incest territory but they’re relationship has always been wholesome so it shouldn’t be surprising it turned out this way. I’m so happy for them both!

    I loveee how Da-jung’s boss is now secretly supporting her. What great character development. Some people would just hold on to their bias and dismiss a person’s hard work but he looks at her favorably now that he saw that she’s really good at her job. And yes, that total sexism right there. tsk tsk

    So excited for next week!

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    18AGAIN IS MY FAVOURITEST DRAMA RIGHT NOW !!
    (Sorry Seungyoon-ah, I LOVE Kairos & how thrill-y it is.. but 18 Again knows how to tug at my heart while making me laugh.. while u in Kairos break my heart by getting beaten up & cheating.. Lol!)

    I may finally even rewatch a show !

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    I’m so glad Dajung finally get the support from her boss. I was always so mad about the sexism and misogyny towards her even when she was clearly really good at her job. Well, I live in a country where it’s normal to work as a mother, especially when your children are old enough to take care of themselves. So it always boggles my mind, if a woman gets hate because she is a working mother.

    I totally loved the chingu scene between Wooyoung and Shiah. Lee Do Hyun as a happy and proud dad is one of my favourites.

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    “…this drama is a masterclass in thoughtful adaptation.” 100%. I finished both episodes and thought, ‘this drama is so well put together!’ So many awesome moments.

    I absolutely loved Deokjin at the bar with his forlorn tanned face and that outfit (the train was so long 🤣🤣). And then the whole sequence afterwards including the lift – just hilarious.

    Dajung’s flustered moments had me giggling, especially when she ran from Daeyoung at the party. Hahaha! Only for her to discover that he was more interested in her daughter. Was she very slightly disappointed? I wonder.

    And like you said, Daeyoung’s happiness to be regarded as his daughter’s good friend was heartwarming. I aww’d just as much! I’d also wondered how they would get past the potentially weird daughter-father relationship, but 1) I knew it was a k-drama, so, very unlikely, and 2) Her eyes were already elsewhere. I feel for Jiho not realising that Siah really only has him in her sights. He’s the one she directly responds to the most. The others are just around her.

    Finally, the way the kiss and confession scenes at the end culminated in the multiple gasps (including mine, of course, hehe) was 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽.

    There’s just so much to love about this drama. I think one of the beanies was wondering whether these episodes were just particularly good, or simply good writing building on good writing. I think it’s both, but mostly the latter. And props to the cast. Everyone is knocking their roles out of the ballpark (apologies for the pun😅).

    5
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    Thanks for the tag. I just finished this week’s episode and again, this drama did not disapppoint. If there is a separate award for adaptation of a screenplay , this show should win.

    2
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    AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I just finished episode 13. AHHHHHHHH I need episode 14 already!!!! I cant wait. OMG.

    0
    0

I haven’t laughed this much in a long time because of a drama (in a good honest non-ironic way). The baby love triangle, the otaku pair, the payoff! I completely lost it at the Yoomi scene, after a good 15-20 minutes of non-stop laughing already. And then the last 15-20 of the episodes are so smartly written, and so touching. No one can write about regret like these writers, and very few can write comedy like this. The tight directing helps a lot as well (that dramatic interogation room parody had me rofl).

Will be back again after ep 12 to spazz with all the 18 Again peeps!

8
1

    Laughed so hard at the terrorism scene 😂 I didn’t understand it at first but oh boi the one who cause the terror and fireworks😂😂😂

    and I love how Sia bb was so nice to him and thought of his situation even though he totally put her on spot making it so awkward for her.

    I liked the divorce show scene. Dae Jung continues to be amazing. Her self reflections and how she’s never ashamed of what she is. When she knows she regrets, she admits it in a heartbeat.

    SPOILERS Ep 12 –
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    the restaurant scene 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 I loved Dae Young’s realization of what he made Dae Jung be.

    And I’m sooooo happy that I continue to like Sia’s character… ahhhh we had a nice closure to what’s been bugging us for the last 11 episodes! I mean I kinda knew she wasn’t gonna go that route but still nice to finally see it confirmed.

    1
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18 Again Ep 9-10: I feel happy and also a bit “???” about how fast some things got resolved, but at the same time there were SO MANY LOL moments in these eps. The show is also not missing a beat on the heartwarming front. I stayed up late waiting for my Internet to work just to watch these episodes, so apologies for the incoherent rambling below 😂Including VAGUE SPOILERS:
 

THE BABY LOVE TRIANGLE with the fake 4th leg: this gives me the most laughs this week. How adorably ineffective are Ja-sung and Ji-ho are. I also love that Si-Ah rememberd that her dad played her the same song. I’m imagining a “confession” scene where Si-Ah tells Wooyoung: “You…feel like my dad.” lol I think she’ll be the first to realize that he’s her dad!
 
The hospital scene: what a deft way to highlight his loneliness. A very aptly titled ep (“You only realize what you have after you lost them”).
 
Controversial opinion time: this is the first time I ff-ed any scene in this drama, and it was…Ji-hoon’ scenes 😛 He’s great but I was more eager to spend time with our lovely family. 
 
Il-kwon: this was foreshadowed from the very beginning, but he’s really the future that Ja-sung could have become. I know people have thought he seemed a bit one-dimensional so far, but I thought the bitterness disguised as contempt in his voice when he told Dae-young, Deuk-jin and Da-jung about how parents begged him for their “mere” kids, how parents were foolish to sacrifice for their kids. It had always sounded like jealousy and longing to me, and we got our confirmation in ep 9. How amazing is the writer that I even felt bad for Il-Kwon??? He deserved everything he got, but at the same time you can’t help but wish he grew up differently.
 
Stalker: ok that was weird but I’ll take it. I hope this is the end of this semi-thriller subplot. I already have Do Do Sol Sol giving me weird thriller vibe, I don’t need this drama to do that too.
 

What were your favorite moments this week??
 
@suriyana-shah @mrsz6 @flyingcolours @inkcityxx @ObsessedMuch @smaltwalt @marina @neener @manichan @dramafan12 @Jenmole @blnmom @avazilla @ayalynn123 @shichybot @Jingbee @rusnicam

10
29

    The stalker plot was a let down. I was hoping it was related to how he became younger but nope. That was super odd and unnecessary to the plot.

    Regarding Sia, maybe I’m speaking too early and this will come back and bite me, but I don’t think Sia is attracted to him as a man. There have been many circumstances where she said to Dae Young, you’re acting like a dad. So he feels like dad to her on most times. And this week shes def seeing her dad in him.

    I like how Il Kwon was more than just a character who was written to get hated. And this is why I said I like that this show has really nice characters with real-like problems making bad and good decisions. No one is being deliberately being evil. And I’m glad that this statement extends to Il Kwon’s character. And I’m glad Ja Sung is redeemable and won’t go the Il Kwon route, but I don’t want him for Sia. I like the growing friendship of Ja Sung and Shiwoo but the childhood besties have my heart. I want them together! That shouldn’t even be a competition . 😹

    I wish this week’s episodes had ended on a high note tho with so much feels like it did with ep 8. Oh wells. Next week again!

    Da Jung has met the old man who made him younger. I wonder if she would get younger too? 🤔

    4
    3

      Before we found out that Ja-sung has a crush on Si-a, I totally thought he had a crush on Si-woo! That would’ve been a nice storyline (well, maybe, although the bullying-turned-lover angle is cliched and not a great message, especially in LGBT stories).

      Is the old man the one who made Dae-young young? I don’t remember that!!

      4
      2

        Yeah it was in ep 1, he gave Dae-young the tea! Well in a way you can say Ja-sung is kinda transferring his intense emotion from one twin to another looool roundabout gay plot?

        3
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        I didn’t either until he asked her what’s your wish that my lightbulb went off and was like OOOOH!! he was the same old man from ep 1!!!!

        2
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      About the ending, have the same feeling. This drama has already delivered too many cliffhangers that turn out to be fake outs…

      1
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      I loved the parallel of Ja Sung potentially becoming Ill Kwon because it shows how choices can change your future, and Ill kwon obviously went down the wrong path. Anxiously waiting for next week

      2
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    For the baby love triangle/quadrilateral, I love how Ji-ho becomes assertive (contrary to his general personality) and Ja-sung becomes soft (contrary to his general personality) around Si-a. I’m very curious who she’ll pick, if she’ll pick anybody at all. My bet is Ji-ho, although I don’t know if I’m happy about that or not. I love the comic relief from this part of the story, although I also find it genuinely swoony in some ways as well (oh, young love!). I love that Si-a and Dae-young/Woo-young genuinely don’t seem interested in each other and how they seem puzzled by everybody constantly throwing them together as a couple.

    I have to agree that Ji-hoon’s scenes, while cute, seem like a bit of a throw-away in this drama. It’s a shame, although I love him when he’s on screen and I look forward to seeing his relationship with his neice/daughter.

    I’m just glad Ja-sung isn’t like Il-kwon. I hope he we get to see Ja-sung continue to be a good guy. I’m also hoping he becomes proper friends with Si-woo.

    On that, SI-WOO IN A RELATIONSHIP?! Sign me up. This kid is so adorable LOL. I almost feel like he’s my little brother at this point. I also love the dynamic between Woo-young and Si-woo, which is both friendly and at the same time paternal.

    My suspicion is that the stalker plot line isn’t completed. I think either (a) the stalker will want to take revenge on Woo-young and will eventually discover Woo-young’s true identity, or (b) all the pictures he’s taken of Woo-young will somehow fall into the hands of Da-jung and she’ll realize something about Woo-young’s true identity by looking through them. That’s just my guess so far though.

    I just gotta say, though, that Ae-rin and Deok-jin are the best comedic relief. I love how “You Don’t Know Men” by Buzz keeps on being played during Deok-jin’s scenes with the teacher. Now, my only question is whether Ae-rin and Deok-jin are end game or whether Deok-jin will end up with the teacher (SO MANY LOVE POLYGONS IN THIS SHOW!!!).

    6
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      Oh I don’t even know what to choose with otaku love triangle! Part of me wants the otakus together but Aerin and Deok Jin are super cute too. And I am very fond of Aerin. I have this need to protect her.

      4
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      Omg you’re so right, I love the way you described the character change in the baby love triangle! And omg yes I really hope your theory about the stalker comes true. This writer team has proven themselves to be very thoughtful with details and plot, so I hope it’s not just a throwaway.
      And yeaaahhh forgot to list the otaku love triangle in my lol moments haha Deokjin’s secretaries are the best, their commentary always makes his scenes 10x funnier. The scene at the start of ep 9 where he was arguing with Daeyoung and his secretaries watched in horror (as always) was hysterical!!!

      2
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        Also got the feeling that the stalker plot isn’t over yet, that was super weird! Glad that at least they used it to show how useful self-defence courses are (my dad taught me some when I was a kid, and I’m definitely making sure my kids learn some too) and the most important lesson: if they have a weapon… Run! 😂

        2
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    I’m not caught up yet. Just finished watching ep6 last night (but I don’t mind spoilers hee…) A part of me wants to quickly binge the rest of the episodes but a part of me wants to savour it. So far I’m still loving the episodes, plenty of funny moments that made me LoL (that scene Woo Jung “saved” Ae Rin and when the music came on, I was like 🤣, if any beanies know that ost, do let me know, it has been driving me bonkers trying to remember which drama it came from). Also loved the heartwarming scenes with the Dae Young’s dad – how he secretly visited his daughter-in-law and helped them out, etc. And the sad scenes where everyone coming to terms with the divorce. The only thing I disliked so far is the crush Ae Rin had on a high school boy – it’s really really icky but judging from the end of ep6, I hoped that storyline is put to bed going forward.

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      It was a Secret Garden parody I believe! And yeah don’t worry Dajung totally called Aerin out for it!

      3
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        Was it secret garden ost? 🤣🤣🤣 thanks for this!! I also LoL when they played the ost from Sky Castle in the earlier episode hee….

        I was so glad Da Jung called her out – I was totally repulsed by it.

        1
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      Let put your worry at ease. ep 7 was a splash of water on Aerin’s face at the discovery lol. I like how she’s totally over her “first love” and genuinely wants the best for her best girlfriend.

      RE: OST when Woo Jung saved Ae Rin – LOL! That was from Secret Garden! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzDPfdXGL-k&ab_channel=KiEpta

      I loved and hurt during the divorce scene! I loved that Dae Young knew to let go because it was for her best. He was aware that there’s no excuse to what he had said and how much he hurt Da Jung and I can’t wait for them to find their way back to love. But for now, I`m enjoying Da Jung’s character that she’s more focusing on her growth as a woman. I cried when the babies were so heartbroken over their divorce and how they didn’t show any of these to their mom. I love how they were so understanding about what happened. Anyways I was totally in the moment during the divorce scene. So heartbreakingly good.

      4
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        Thanks Famy for solving the mystery of the OST 😘😘 now my brain can take a break

        What you said about how the family handled the divorce – I can’t say it any better 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

        1
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    The stalker arc felt unnecessary and out of place but we got ” mother in law” out of it so no problem. It feels Shi Aj’s mom and grandma both are shipping her with Woo Young lol . The baby triangle is hilarious. I feel so bad for the boys. I got the most laughs out of it. I want more of Ji Hoon with his niece. He shines with her. I felt so bad for our dad when he realised he is alone in the hospital. Also I wanted to slap the announcer who brought up Seo Yeon during the interview. That’s just plain rude. Also I’m worried Da Jung’s career graph

    3
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      One thing I like about the baby love triangle is the fact that the two new actors playing the boys as well as the actress playing Si-a seem quite good.

      2
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        Oh, also, I realized that the actor who plays Ja-sung looks a lot like Ahn Jae-hyun (right???).

        0
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        All of them are doing a pretty good job which only adds to the fun

        2
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      The cop covering the CCTV with the broom is a parody from the movie Extreme Job!
      Not that I agree with physical punishment, but that guy was really asking for a good ahjumma beating 😂

      4
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    @dokutokunaneko, you ff Jihoon? I can’t! Jihoon and his cute niece deserve all the screen time in the world 💚
    Found it heartwarming how he picked up stuff from Dajung… For all his good intentions, he’s still learning how to look after the kid

    2
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      I do like their cute story, I just really wanted to get back to our main family more haha he should have his own drama! I do appreciate though that as a “second male lead” he got his own story to live in and a fully realized character 🙂

      1
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    The way DDSSLL ep 6 ended with mother, i think this show is going to be sunshine through and through..

    Probably the stalker too is jun’s stalker.. 😀 ..

    I think the show is not going to give us things at face value

    1
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    Do I have enough beans to give to this drama?!
    Dear 18 Again, don’t worry! I’ll watch many dramas and save the beans for you^_^

    1
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      Your comment made me day haha maybe I should go back to all those dramas that I dropped so I can give 18 Again the beans it deserves!!!

      1
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So happy to see the recent love for my favorite 2020 drama, 18 Again 🙂 While waiting for the sub for ep 9, I was thinking we could share our favorite moment(s) from the drama so far.
I have many, but one that was most memorable for me was the father-son hugs. The parallel of the relationships, the reconnection of both father-child pairs, the gratitude that Daeyoung felt in both hugs (grateful that he was there for his son, experiencing happiness together, and grateful that his dad got to see him play again)…all of that was just perfect.


Tagging #18Again beanies that I remember, but please join if you’re watching too! @13infamyss @mrsz6 @flyingcolours @inkcityxx @ObsessedMuch @smaltwalt @marina @neener @manichan @dramafan12 @Jenmole @blnmom @avazilla @ayalynn123 @shichybot @Jingbee @rusnicam
 

18
22

    These are my favorite scenes too.!

    2
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    I love these moments!

    2
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    I loved these scenes, too!

    I wish I knew how to make gifs. There are so many gif-able scenes in this drama.

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      I got them from tumblr (you can see the source of you click on it)! Our fellow fans make so many 😀

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      That is what I’m gonna say 😂
      I don’t know how to make gifs!

      1
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    And my eyes got full of tears again..
    So many beautiful moments💎
    Thank you

    7
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    Yup, those are my favorite scenes also!

    3
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    the gifs are wonderful :’)

    by far the best moments in this drama. It’s so rare to see father-son relationships being portrayed in dramaland and i’m so glad it’s the highlight of this show. SO HEART WARMING!!

    6
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      I love it! And I also love how we were shown different versions of that scene – of when he ran away from home. Each version became clearer why they became estranged.

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    Tearing up while looking at these gifs. This is such a beautiful drama.

    4
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    I love those too. Ah, I wanna cry again. I still think it is beautiful the way they are telling us this story. I also want to mention the bus scenes, because it shows us how much his father had to sacrifice the time with his son and family and hear things from passengers, in order bring money home. Just like he did.

    Ah, so emotional! S2.

    3
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      😭😭 that was a good scene too. I really liked that this show was legit a healing drama. No character was written to be purely evil, they were just products of their decisions – whether wrong or right. And yes this includes Choi Il Kwoo. I’m glad he’s serving for what he head done but he grew up in that envt and he didn’t have anybody to guide him through. I’m glad Ja Sung found Dae Young.

      2
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    what is this about?
    son going back in time?

    0
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    Count me in! 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️

    I’ve just started and can’t wait to get all caught up with the rest of episodes. Done with Ep3 and watching the epilogue where Dae Young sheltered his two kids from the rain already brought tears to my eyes and a twang in my heart. I’ve heard so much about Ep8 – I suspect I will be shedding buckets of tears by the end of that episode, right? I better drink more water then 💧 💦

    4
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      My most favourite epilogue ever!!! So so good. That was when I fell completely in love with the show. I love the babies’ whiskers😆

      I really like the flashback moments here. Done very well!

      2
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        They are really well-done! I love all of the epilogues (albeit I only watched up to Ep4 but I have faith that I won’t be disappointed 🙏🏼)

        1
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      Mine, too.

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    I haveeeeee so many Doku!!! You’re making me want to rem them and tear up again 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

    One of them was of course the highlight of ep 8! Everything of you mentioned about it. So so so good. The inaudible make up scene of Dae Young and his father on the court. So moving. And how he understood and forgave his father’s shortcoming

    My most favourite epilogue remains the ep 3’s. Dae Young and his babies under the umbrella. So so heartwarming.

    And auuuugh that hospital scene in ep 4 when Dae Young said “been there done that” when he saw a wailing baby in pain and we were taken back to one of the many times it happened. He cried and was in pain for her daughter😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

    And ep 5 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 when he wished her happiness and let her go😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

    Feels are overflowing.

    3
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    Any scenes with him and the twin babies for one! Their little moustaches, adoringly gazing up at Dae-young who was so embarrassed at his mistake. Then walking home in the rain with him drenched while shielding them with the umbrella. Sigh. Such beautiful memories. So precious, but as we know, all too easily forgotten IRL.

    3
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    There are so many great moments! I love anytime Da-jung kicks butt with announcing! Love that she is putting all of the mom-shamers in their place with her talent.

    1
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    One of my favorite hilarious moment was when Aerin was forced to say that faux appa was the sexiest man ever. 🤣🤣🤣

    1
    0

18 Again is giving me faith in humanities again. I suspect that this director and these writers have a deep understanding of how human relationships work, and infinite empathy towards both parents and children, no matter how old or yound they are. Best of all, they know how to convey all of this on screen. Before you read this – just know that this show still has hilarious, laugh-out-loud moments in every episode. I looked like a lunatic to my husband, laughing then crying just the next second. This show is that good.
 
[FROM HERE ON IS SPOILER! Read at your own risk…or watch the show first then come back and gush with me!]  
Crying moment 1: when Da-jung found out that Dae-young tried again to achieve his dream, but had to give up again once he found out he needed to work more to help cure his child’s sickness. I had an “aha” moment when I saw Dae-young trying to get back into basketball again. For someone as passionate about the sport as he was, it made so much sense that he didn’t give up, even if he had to wait 10 years to set aside some time to try again. Basketball was not just his passion, but his point of pride, “the only thing he’s good at” as he was often told by people. To give up this potential career, he’s giving up his dream, his pride, his identity. This is not to say his life would have been perfect if he got to play basketball, but it broke my heart- and probably Da-jung’s as well, how life itself put him in a situation where he couldn’t even afford to at least try it out. It’s an all too common story of people we know who had to give up on their dreams because of unfair disadvantages in life (most often money), and it’s even more heartbreaking because of how relateable it is. This part of the episode also illustrated why their marriage fell apart, even though Da-jung and Dae-young were a loving and supportive couple. Life wore him down, and he bottled it up, not communicating, drowning himself in drinks. Again, it’s so realistic, and so heartbreaking. 
 
Crying moment 2: this is the moment that everyone is talking about. I feel like saying anything about it will take away its magic. Let’s just say, Lee Do Hyun is an acting revelation, and these episodes were an ode to dads around the world. I cried when I saw how happy he was when Siwoo (his son) was hugging him out of joy, and him remembering the last time Siwoo did that (when he was a kid). And then I cried again when he got to hug his own dad, and said what he needed-wanted to say. My own dad had passed away a while ago, and our relationship was both complicated and distant, but somehow this episode made me understand and empathize with him more. If that’s not the power of fiction, I don’t know what is.

8
0

Omg Lee Do Hyun acting like an old man and a dad is the best thing ever. It’s so realistic and endearing!!!

10
1

18 Again: Go back couple’s director, solid source material, LEE DO HYUN (fantastic!!). Please go watch now!!!

7
2

Dinner Mate: soooo cute and romantic and mature, our OTP! My favorite role from Hand Towel oppa in a while! Meanwhile, the parallel show of How to Get Rid of Your Psycho Exes …🙄

10
0

Finally got all the brouhaha about Dinner Mate ep 8. All I can say is, OMG!!! [more thoughts in the comment in case you want to avoid spoilers] (Also why is the Korean rating for this show so low???)

4
6

    WOW so Jae-hyuk is a legit psycho. I’m so glad the show did not try to romanticize any of his obsessive antics that are usually romanticized.
    I LOVE how this show is directed. It feels so confident, assured, the pacing is great. All these strengths are amplified when this cute romcom turned into a thriller. I was biting my nails whenever Jae-hyuk was on screen! Lee Ji Hoon is doing great here – we can feel the intensity (of his delusion)! He is dangerous, and we can feel it, besides, well, literally seeing him doing dangerous things.
    I wish this was revealed a bit earlier, since quite a few Beanies dropped the show due to the annoying exes. I didn’t mind them before and didn’t care for them, but now that Jae-hyuk is set up as a thriller-type antagonist, I’m suddenly super invested! This feels like the alternate adult version of Cheese in the Trap where Seol (Do-hee) never managed to humanize Jeong (Jae-hyuk), and he just became more obsessive, more manipulative, and ultimately a danger to himself and others.
    The weak link then, is No-eul. I *think* her character is supposedly to illustrate the contrast between Hae-kyung then and now, how much better of a fit Do-hee is for him, and his own emotional growth. I just wish her character was either more interesting, or better acted.
    Last but not least, the music direction for this show is THE BOMB. It’s such great music, fits the scenes it’s in, and the beat matches the emotional rhythm of the characters. Love, love, love.

    3
    1

      Agreed that the music is great and Lee Ji-hoon is a doing a great job as this psychopath. I’m really curious if Jae-hyuk was always this way or if something happened to me (something to do with psychomimetic drugs?). The mains have great chemistry as well! Do-hee is an amazing weirdo and I know now that I will watch literally anything that has Seo Ji-hye (because she is so good in this show).

      Agreed, No-eul is poorly acted and also a really bland, contemptible character.

      3
      0

    Korean audiences are weird. They didn’t like A Piece of Your Mind and now they don’t like this show. It’s so sad because I like this show a lot! It’s fun and breezy (for the most part), Seo Ji-hye is a queen, and the main characters have great chemistry.

    2
    1

      I thought beanies didn’t like A piece of your mind either ? 😀 regardless, I thought this was a very easy-to-like show, nothing too risky or complicated, so was surprised at the low ratings. I know ratings don’t speak to quality, but would have assumed that a romcom/thriller like this would be easy watching for most people.

      1
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        I loved A Piece of Your Mind! I’m also surprised by the low ratings on this one.

        0
        0

        A piece of your mind received a lot of love from beanies, both in the comments and in the fan wall.

        1
        0

If you ignore all the cute chance encounters they had, Dinner Mate’s OTP relationship is so realistic, in the best way. They’re both adults who are serial long-term daters, who have been deeply hurt, so they made up some no-string-attached relationship to date-but-not-date. Then, because it’s a drama and we deserve magic, we have all this additional coincidences that make the relationship feel like destiny. I love it!

Second leads’ stories are still going nowhere good. I can see the writer wanting us to sympathize with them, but I just can’t.

12
3

    Their chemistry is pleasant and mature. I like how they actually *talk* with each other, and about their own thoughts and feelings. They didn’t even have to talk about the other boring stuff like their jobs, or their family drama (though that would come soon, I’m sure!) And the development of their attraction also feels very organic and adult-like: from a puzzling passerby situation to an implicit acknowledge of each other’s charm and attractiveness, to explicit acknowledgment that they enjoy each other’s company and want to meet more.

    3
    1

      So true, loved how deep their talks are! It’s lovely that both are consoled and guided by these conversations. And omg, that ending, I can’t wait for the next episode! (Keep saying this since the first ep, hahaha.)

      3
      1

        This series is so binge-worthy. If it were already complete, I’d have panda eyes by now. Just strap me to my chair, surround me with snacks and I’ll see you in three days.

        3
        0


Once in a long while, we\’re blessed with this kind of OTP where the actor & actress have a natural comfort between them offscreen that translates well onscreen, AND their characters have chemistry in the story. Sometimes I wonder what if Han Shuo had met the original Third Princess, who by all accounts seems to have been a misunderstood character (i.e. she wasn\’t evil or bratty like people said). Or, how his romance would have played out in the original script with Chuchu. But all of that is moot because like Han Shuo, I would not choose anyone but Qian Qian for him.
They just make sense together 😀

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    @13infamyss I reposted LOL Just needed everyone to see this cutie OTP!!

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      OMO!!! Thank you for reposting Doku! 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗 I’m saving that picture now! Such a happy beautiful pic 😍😍😍😍

      And yes I couldn’t agree more. There won’t be what ifs now because Han Shuo went off her script the moment he fell for Qianqian. I wouldn’t have it other way either. He came to life, made decisions of his own. Xiaoqian was his creator, but he had freedom to either choose this or that. I really enjoyed Han Shuo’s character growth. He consistently changed for the better. He chose to be a better version of himself.

      Unfortunate that Chuchu went off the trails when she came to life. I agree with Xiaoqian in the last episode, when life wasn’t fair to her, she sought revenge and revenge and hatred ate her up. I’m glad Cherry was redeemed. I really didn’t like him and I didn’t want him to be redeemed at first. And then I thought about it, he was written to serve ChuChu and did everything he could to overthrow Qianqian because he was written that way. But he came around and realized who he was better off serving as a master. He too had the freedom to either blindly serve ChuChu or see for himself the change in ChuChu that was going wrong

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    Zhao Lu Si has lost A LOT of weight 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

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      Yet there was a dialogue where she was called fat in this show. Lol what? What does even constitute fat? Amd she’s the cutest here, everyone seems to be crushing on Ryan Ding while I keep appreciating her beauty and cuteness.

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        She was perfectly fine before 😒😒😒😒
        She was so cute in “I Hear You”, co-starring Riley Wang

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A few reasons why The romance of tiger & rose is my favorite romcom this year, and probably one of my most favorites ever.

A great comedy of errors. Characters operate from very, very wrong interpretation of others\’ actions. Han Shuo saw Qian Qian saving him and concluded that she loved him lol (she needed him alive to survive). ChuChu saw QQ bet on her as the winner of the exam, only for QQ to win the exam herself, and thought QQ was belittling her (QQ threw the exam, but someone interfered). The list goes on! All these hilariously wrong interpretations are consistent with the characters\’ internal belief and personality, which makes it completely logical from their point of view, and that much funnier from our point of view. 

 

Characters are consistent, fleshed out, have motivations and goals beyond their relationships with each other. Even the wet-blanket SML has his own development arc. My only gripe was Han Shuo\’s past wasn\’t shown to us. His character was defined by his heart sickness (e.g. his anger, his motivation for getting married into Huayuan), but that of course got resolved early on. I wish we had more, but what we do know about him is still pretty great (a scheming lovesick fool). 

 

The OTP. Check out @13infamyss \’s amazing OTP gifs and you\’ll see what I mean 😀 They\’re great individually, and even better together. They struck gold with an actress who has natural charm and perfect comedic timing, and an actor who is a face genius with charisma and (growing) acting chops. 

 

The side characters. They are comedy fodders, audience-reaction-stand-ins, and loveable characters themselves – so loyal, and so dumb lol.

 

The meta-ness and self-awareness. As a fanfic writer in my teenage years, and a lifelong critical viewer of dramas, I love all the jokes at the expense of main character- who\’s a drama writer, and the tongue-in-cheek use and/or parody of popular drama tropes. Example: a character suddenly appears; Qianqian\’s \”writer council\” commented \”where did this character come from??\”, and she admitted \”I wrote him to move the plot along\”. 

Maybe none of the above is true and this drama has magic dust that made me think it\’s the best thing since sliced bread. This is my absolute crack drama of the year!

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    Oh my doku!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭 that is such a pretty, happy picture of Ryan and Lu Si! 😭😭😭😭😭 My heart hurts. They’re so beautiful.

    And I agree to all what you have pointed out!

    I am so sad I have no more new Tiger and Rose episode to watch! 😭😭😭 I spent the entire day today giffing them OTP cuz I miss them so much. 😭😭😭

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    Ohhhhh what happened to the happy OTP pic? 😭 Did you edit your post? The pic goes away when you edit your post.

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      Ughhh yeah I didn’t realize that’s what happened 🙁

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      Do you just use html tag for images if you want to insert it in between text for a post? I can try that to put the image back in!

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        I haven’t been active on DB and things might have changed but the last time I post on fanwall, the edit button didn’t work well.

        I am afraid you would need to repost if you want to include the picture.

        In those days when I post anything longer than a paragraph and especially with pictures, gifs and vid, I would use tryit editor. That way, I can see the final result before posting on the fanwall.

        Yes, you need to use html for pictures, gifs. I think DB has the function for gifs but it’s more limited and you can’t insert them randomly in your text.

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        No, you can’t add any picture back in even with html once you edited a post. That’s why if I see a mistake on my post, I delete then repost.

        You can however just post the picture in your comments! Like i did in my reply to you. Use HTML tag, the “img src” code

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    All this! I had to start another cdrama because I can’t stand waiting the next episodes!

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    spoilers pictured showed them coming to modern time..as in the script writer and the actor..

    is modern setting back yet?

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      No! I’m watching on Tencent but not paying yet. Maybe I just should Subscribe, heh?

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