Right now, I’m watching W: Two Worlds Apart and I’ve decide to post the game I’m playing called “My Guess Who the Murderous Culprit Is.” And for episode 7, I think it’s… the unnamed, 185 cm tall, sophomore, nationally ranked shooter that Yeon drew.
Here me out…
Somebody’s jealous for Yeon’s attention.
If everything is coming alive, why not the drawings of a pubescent Yeon-Joo, the very drawings that would be replaced with our comic hero.
Right now, I’m watching W: Two Worlds Apart and I’ve decide to post the game I’m playing called “My Guess Who the Murderous Culprit Is.” And for episode 6, I think it’s… the metaverse.
Here me out…
His face did that TV static thing.
Here’s the problem. No one has ever connected the metaverse with analog broadcasting. We don’t know what power/energy/force is allowing the 2 worlds to collide but it’s a stretch that its radio waves. I don’t think it works but I’ll give them creative liberties.
Right now, I’m watching W: Two Worlds Apart and I’ve decide to post the game I’m playing called “My Guess Who the Murderous Culprit Is.” And for episode 5, I think it’s… well, nobody? and can I say that is the biggest letdown.
Nah, we’re not going out without a rant!
You’re telling me this author didn’t have an inkling of an idea who the culprit was?!?! None?! Just nothing?! I can understand having an ambiguous villain at the start and then solidifying one later on- I think that’s bad storytelling but I’m no New York Times Best Selling Author. But to spend years crafting this character and to write 33 volumes… he’s never contemplated that someone or something worthwhile might come after him for a grand finale of good vs. evil? Nah! No! This is embarassing. Someone needs to remind this guy (Sung-Moo) what his profession is. It’s storytelling and you can’t end a story without confronting the conflict you intiated your story with.
Oooh, yeah, there’s lots of scope for fury at The Author. Isn’t lazy writing a drama-watcher’s biggest pet peeve? It’s fun watching you have fun! You’re reminding me (not that I need reminding) how much I love W. Might be time for yet another rewatch.
How many rewatch did you do already?
Me, I can’t give a number, many times. Just I rewatched only once previous year.
By the way: on my wall page, you can find the link to season 2. I think you could like it, as it’s really the same kind of mind-blowing feeling than season 1. New mysteries and phenomena, plot-twists, feeling your skin goes goose-bump. Too bad I couldn’t use music, but you can hear it in your mind on some scenes.
About “who is the killer identity”.
I loved the idea and the scene. During first watching (binge watch in 2017), I didn’t have time to think a lot, so was surprised by the plot-twist. And the scene is well executed. Kang Chul ask Sung-Moo to draw the face… He takes his stylus ready to draw… suspens… Then finally put it away. “no one, the killer doesn’t exist”.
DUMMMM!!! Yet another mind-blow in this endless series of strokes of genius that is this drama. It makes sens from Sung-Moo point of view, just traumatize the hero and give him a motivation. And about resolution? Don’t care!!! Pure plot-device!!
Then I’d like to comment more about that, but it would be a spoiler for our host. So I say nothing more.
I watched it over the vacations. Knowing almost nothing about the writer or the story. Just Lee Jong Suk. I was Ok for this actor but not much. And the pitch: someone going into a webtoon. The kind of thing I’m hooked on, but I wasn’t very motivated because I know it’s a kdrama. And so it would surely be light, without much logic, a bit like other fantasy rom-com.
But I quickly got hooked, and here’s how I felt during first watching:
– Episode 1. The basic premise is absurd, but it’s cool… Until… The heroine sees “To be continued”. WOW! Here, I knew… I’m not watching something ordinary. This hits hard with intelligence. Followed by the scene where she sees herself in the manhwa, with manhwa/real cuts. Wow!
– Episode 2. Wow!!!! So good. The excellent slap – kiss scene. The logic of the temporal difference between worlds that depends on the logic of the manhwa story. But is everything taken so seriously in the drama? Is it really sci-fi or an unstable fantasy?
– Episode 3: The scene where Yeon-Joo explains to Soo-Bong how the manhwa works. Here, I’d guessed, but the explanation is proof of concept. The drama is solid about logic. From there, I’m just addicted to watch the rest.
– Then I take mind-blow after mind-blow. The epic feeling that this drama was written for me!! ahah!!!
– Episode 8. At this point, I’m so blown away that I realize: I’ve never seen anything better on TV. (discounting old classics like Twilight Zone or The Prisoner, because it’s impossible to really compare)
– And then… I watched the whole thing without sleeping. 16 hours of drama without stopping!!!! Of course, I watched it again afterwards.
That’s the point. Sung-Moo is a bad storyteller. In a ITW, journalist asked to Song Jae-Jung (writer of W) how she rates the quality of Sung-Moo’s W manhwa. Her answer: 2/5 ! 😅
Yes, that is exactly the point of the story. It’s a dig at writers who start to write without having any idea of how to end it, and then their story suddenly becomes a lot more popular than they bargained for, and they have to continue in the same haphazard style, hoping for an idea to strike at the opportune moment, or in the case of a manhwa, probably for a reader to give them a good idea to use!
Yet the manhwa is super popular! But in the wrong way.
A bit like a hollow overhyped drama. lol.
It also gives us the idea that heroine Yeon-Joo doesn’t have a great taste for manhwas either, nor does her surgery professor.
We don’t see the whole manhwa, but we can guess that it’s certainly hollow.
An endless series of investigations and fights.
No romance, since Oh Sung-Moo doesn’t like that. Episode 2, assistant Yoon-Hee points this out, when the episode is published even though they haven’t finished it.
Since the majority of the KDrama audience praises this show, I thought everyone saw Sung-Moo as representation of a reveared author. I didn’t see it as a dig before but now I do.
Thank you.
I’m not sure that the general opinion is so favorable about this drama. And even about the scriptwriter. She has a rather cerebral style that is unusual for kdramas. But as before watching kdramas, I mostly watched fantasy or science-fiction films and series. (The Twilight Zone, Inception, Cube) or anything cerebral (Sherlock holmes, Death Note, Liar Game), I was immediately hooked.
I always assume that someone watching this might not like it.
People posting reviews always give lots of reasons. But often I find that they haven’t understood what they’ve seen, and have missed the sheer genius of the work. Not to mention the excellence of the screenplay. (scene order, cuts, pace, intrinsic quality of the scenes, etc.). However, I understand better those who don’t like it because it doesn’t fit their mental scheme or taste.
Right now, I’m watching W: Two Worlds Apart and I’ve decide to post the game I’m playing called “My Guess Who the Murderous Culprit Is.” And for episode 4, I think its… the mean lawyer… who is the assassin the dad hired.
Here me out…
He already has some beef with Kang Cheol so… why not!
(I kinda missed why, though. He didn’t seem too important the first time I saw him so I kinda disregarded his subtitles. Rookie mistake.)
Right now, I’m watching W: Two Worlds Apart and I’ve decide to post the game I’m playing called “My Guess Who the Murderous Culprit Is.” And for episode 3, I think its… an assassin the dad hired.
Here me out…
The dad is losing control over the comic. He doesn’t have the power to kill randomly. So he must persuade a creation of his comic to do his will, likely bribing him with a lot of moolah.
But the money isn’t enough. The assassin wants power and prestige. So the dad convinces him he could rule all of Seoul in 2 years time…
…but that also isn’t enough. He wants to be the greatest sorcerer IN THE WORRRLLLLDDD. So the genie gives Aladdin his last… wait a minute. Did the mad-man just become Jafar from Disney’s Aladdin? Oops
JK. This culprit is probably satisfied with the money.
Finally I can answer without risk of giving a spoiler.
At this point of the story you know for sure:
– Oh Sung-Moo control the killer. He’s a manhwa character like the others.
– However, we don’t know the secret identity of the killer.
Various clues:
– The killer kills the hero family Ep1, obviously the manhwa author did that.
– Killer in a truck (we see the face sizzle in Ep4 flashback). Truck drawed by Sung-Moo.
– Killer trying to kill Kang Chul in the penthouse Ep3. It fails. Then Sung-Moo in rage destroy his tablet.
Right now, I’m watching W: Two Worlds Apart and I’ve decide to post the game I’m playing called “My Guess Who the Murderous Culprit Is.” And for episode 2, I think its… the dad.
Here me out…
He’s so moody, how could it not be him. Maybe, he sees his comic as refined art and the world just wants digestible pop culture. It’s too popular that he can’t love it like he used to. (Seems like a weak excuse to me but I think I’ve heard actual artists use that line. #eyeroll) Nonetheless, he seems tortured by his creation; he just wants to be done with it.
(I don’t think he originally saw himself as the villain but his inner demons are convincing him more everyday.)
In episode 3 (oh sung-moo on TV show), it ends with a sentence about Sherlock Holmes.
I think the writer have read that, as her style is also this kind of brainy stuff.
Ahem *clears throat* on this issue I have theories.
When this show aired, I made a tshirt that said, “your only antagonist is yourself”. Because my theory is that Dad was such a hack writer that the antagonist was poorly conceived and characterised and so was essentially an aspect of himself. He was guilty of bad writing, essentially, so the lead character is being figuratively chased by the author himself.
Right now, I’m watching W: Two Worlds Apart. I usually post my episode highlights and letdowns but I thought it would be more fun to post the game I’m playing, instead. The game is “My Guess Who the Murderous Culprit Is.” And for episode 1, I think its… the Ukrainian.
Here me out…
Who else could it be? He is an expert shooter. He has a grudge against Kang Cheol who won the Olympic event. He lost to a kid. He’s lame and he knows it. Even in 2016, things were not looking up for Ukraine and to lose an Olympic event would not boost morale for the country. The Ukrainian felt guilt, dishonor, humiliation… and he chose murder.
Then he went home and fought in the Russo-Ukrainian War where he still disappointed his country cause they’re still fighting that to this day.
End of Year Round-up 28. Most Disappointing Drama: “Doona!”
Of all the shows I watched in 2023, the show that disappointed me the most was “Doona!”. Somewhere I got the idea that the show would be sweet and silly. A normal guy sees his life turn upside down when he discovers his housemate is a superstar. I imagined the guy being caught in embarrassing situations while the paparazzi looked on. Or he has to go on crazy errands cause he’s the only one who can leave undetected. There was neither sweet nor silly in this show. The relationship between Won Jun and Doona screamed ‘unhealthy’ the entire time. Was it a bad story? (hesitant) Well, not really. Every once in a while, we need to hear those stories about tortured souls who are stubborn about carrying their burdens. I think the show had a point. It’s just not a point I was prepared to invest my time in because I thought I was getting something different.
End of Year Round-up 27. Longest 1st Half High – “Extraordinary Attorney Woo”
If you experience KDramas like me, then you’re aware of the 1st Half High, when the story is fresh, characters are their brightest, script is intelligent and everything seems to be worth our time. Then the 2nd Half Let Down happens with unnecessary drama, irrational characters, outrageous plots, and the script tries to accomplish too much or too little (usually the former).
“Extraordinary Attorney Woo” has a consistent pace that isn’t trying too much or too little all at once. It’s manageable. I guess it’s because it’s more procedural than others. A new case is what motivates the new episode, not what any character does. There’ve been some bum episodes but most have a strength of either legal argument or character development. I haven’t seen this long of a 1st Half High in awhile.
In fact, I started to really like the show after the first half. Maybe because the main characters were more developed, and the story was more about them. And I’m not really into procedurals, so I enjoyed more the second half (less cases, more time for the main characters to do other things).
End of Year Round-up 26. Most Unnecessary Subplot – “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”
Sure, I can argue how the backstory kinda works, now that I’ve finished the show, but as I was watching it, I was super confused by the lack of logic in everything. Even now, I still have questions.
-Young Joon has scars from being tied up. Why doesn’t Mi So?
-Young Joon tries to persuade and encourage a stranger to prevent suicide. Yeah, that’s something every 8 year old knows how to do.
-Both Mi So and Young Joon have romanticized the morning after their kidnapping (their marriage pact) so much so that they want to spend their lives with the 1 person who will always remind them of that night’s trauma which has gone untreated. Raise your hand if you think that’s a good idea (No one should be raising their hand).
Questions aside though, the present day becomes worthless when the backstory is revealed. Young Joon essentially overworks Mi So for 9 years and constantly devalues her and her needs then claims all of it as a selfless act of love. Do you get how much that doesn’t make sense? Seriously? We’re just gonna pretend all of Young’s inexcusable selfishness and apathetic lifestyle is actually a declaration of love? Who is buying that? What terrible writing! Young Joon should’ve had only latent feelings for Mi So before her resignation, in order for the story to have impact. Young Joon has to grow; if he begins the show as a narcissist, then let him grow out of narcissism into selflessness. But the backstory begs us to pretend he was never a narcissist. He was always upright and honorable. Even when they were young, he was a guardian angel. Where’s the growth in that? Young Joon has to value Mi So separate from any history or childhood connection. Once he values her, his feelings begin to grow, and it’s those feelings, not a traumatic flashback, that bring out the new Young Joon as a selfless, humble suitor. It is the adult Young Joon, not an 8 year old, that romanticizes our leading lady. Mi So’s feelings also must grow organically in the present. Whatever childhood fantasies she kept from the night of the kidnapping, they should not compare with the very mature relationship in front of her right now. Once she witnesses the lengths Young Joon goes to treasure her, as he’s never treasured her before, she discovers he values her as a woman, not just a secretary. She falls in love with a tangible man, not a preschool pinky promise. All of that is ruined with the stupid backstory.
I mean, there’s no excusing most of Secretary Kim, but I think the idea was that Young-joon had to put the needs of his family first…that is, he had to protect the ridiculous pretense that it was his brother–the one who was so cruel to him, riiiiight??–who went through that experience and not him at the cost of every other damn thing.
Still doesn’t make sense–except perhaps as a form of filial-piety-noble-idiocy?? Young-joon had to pretend, for his whole life, that he hadn’t gone through that harrowing experience, also all the while, he was protecting Mi-so from remembering it, and also protecting his brother from (I don’t know) not realizing how crazy he actually was…while also thinking his parents were nuts for not knowing he knew.
Like I say, there’s not much to defend, but I think you need to through the filial piety angle in there to see why Young-joon didn’t just come clean from the start–and also why his feelings couldn’t “grow” and needed to always have been there??
End of Year Round-up 25. Best Game I Played- “Song of the Bandits”
Besides writing down what I like or didn’t like in each show, I try to make the show personal to me. I play games. I create a game in the first few episodes and hope it continues throughout the show. The game I played with “Song of the Bandits” was ‘How many websites do I visit to understand this show.’ I know…lengthy title. It occurred to me that I asked ‘what,’ ‘why,’ and ‘who’ roughly every 10 min of each episode. I spent 3x times longer than the show trying to answer those questions. This was a brand new history that I had never heard before and the show wasn’t exactly educational in nature. You should have seen me when I ended the first episode; I was like a deer in headlights! I had NO idea what was going on. I don’t normally have to visit wikipedia to watch a KDrama but I was on wikipedia A LOT. So I morphed it into a game. Grand total: 33.
This is a brilliant game/new category! I looked up a lot for Bandits and I dropped it after one episode! My Most Researched drama this year was definitely My Dearest.
End of Year Round-up 24. Biggest Laugh – “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”
I have a very American sense of humor. Let me state that from the get-go. So what I recorded as my biggest laugh was a moment from the 7th episode of “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”. Imagine, if you will. Mi So and coworkers are in the countryside for a work retreat. On their way, a mosquito truck drives by leaving behind a fog. Out of the fog, emerges… in slow motion… with seductive smolder… and confident strut… Park Seo Joon. Time is halted. Our attention is nowhere but on a handsome face. We lose our breath watching him appear from the smoke. He is danger and protection as the same time. We forget where we are until…
We snap back to reality when an older couple passes in front of the attractive CEO complaining, quite loudly, how much they hate the mosquito fog and how it burns their eyes. That was peak comedy.
End of Year Round-up 23. Favorite Discovered Actor – Kang Ki Young
When I say ‘discovered’, I don’t mean I was the first in the world to applaud a new talent. ‘Discovered’ means I watched this actor for the first time. This year my Favorite Discovered Actor was Kang Ki Young. I watched him as an awkward comedic side character in ”What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim” and then as a cool collected lawyer in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo”. He’s got versatility. I’m really excited to see more of him.
Right! It’s nice to have a villain just be pretty in some ways and not in others, otherwise everyone ends up falling for them instead of the leads! *coughShi-ohcough*
End of Year Round-up 17. Oldie I Loved the Most – \”Extraordinary Attorney Woo\”
It\’s been a whirlwind with this show. I started it in May. Lost access to Netflix cause of password sharing. Had an opportunity to finish it in July & August while traveling, but my schedule was very jam-packed. That was unexpected. When I finally got home, I started my own Netflix account but began to watch shows airing this year.
I still haven\’t finished it. I\’m halfway through and making so much effort to finish it before Christmas. With that being said. It\’s still my favorite of the year. The script has hit a few bum notes here and there but the project is refreshing and well done. I\’m going to post my belated \”Male and Female Leads\” selections when I\’m closer to finishing but, you can bet, they\’re from this show.
End of Year Round-up 13. Learned From My Mistakes: \”The Escape of the Seven: War for Survival\”
I looked up the definition for \’makjang\’ just a fews days before the show aired. If you had asked me back in April, I would\’ve told you that I was pretty excited about this show. It was going to be a Watch Challenge; a different genre but with some familiar faces. After looking up \’makjang\’, however, nerves started to creep in. And, boy, I was right. The plot was… hmm… was there a plot? These characters were created with 0 substance. Highschooler with phantom pregnancy delivers baby all by herself with no complications? Yeah, sure. Why does Da Mi purposefully make enemies on day 1 of new school? She couldn\’t possibly see a benefit to that. Why does La Hui not even try to fake maternal care? Why does Do Hyeok try to confront Jin Mo, repeatedly, with minimal effort? Like, try harder, Do Hyeok! Maybe these questions and more are to be answered later in the show but I don\’t have time for that. Koreans are already more expressive than American or British actors but the amount of irrational over-acting in just the first episode was bonkers. I can\’t connect anything in this show with any semblance of reality… which is why I\’ll never watch makjang, if I can help it.
Luckily I missed this bus, even though it has some good actors but boarded the Perfect Marriage Revenge makjang on speed Truck which thankfully doomed only the evil gang. 🤣
I did have a low-key appreciation for makjang but PMR kind of increased those manifold so I’m not sure how / if I will be able to appreciate another makjang (side eyeing Marry My Husband) anytime soon.
KDrama End of Year Round-up 1. First Drama Completed – \”What\’s Wrong with Secretary Kim\”
A lot of 1sts with this one. The 1st show I completed in 2023. The 1st show I ever gave an episode rating of 10 (the highest). The 1st show I ever gave an episode rating of 1 (the lowest). The 1st show I started posting my thoughts and reactions on this site (scroll down further to find those). My 1st \’Popular-in-the-Kdrama-Community\’ show. And my 1st exposure to Park Seo Joon. While its not a stunning favorite of mine, I\’m not mad I watched it. I would really like to travel back in time, slap a few writers in the writers room, then workshop a different middle and ending to the show. (Sarcastically) Cheers to great beginnings!
Doona! Review Episode 7 Highlights
1. I Ra and male dormmate celebrating a successful \’Ex Put-down\’
2. Let\’s just digest this shirt, for a sec. \”Rock is Dead. But we never gonna give you up. This is my way. Corporate R & R\” Essentially, A solely owned corporation wants to invest in its employee\’s physical, mental, and emotional wellness and their solution is to honor the fading trends of classic Rock n\’ Roll music via Rickrolling.
3. Doona is repairing her friendship with her bandmate. That\’s good
Letdowns
1.Here\’s the thing… I only understand halves of their attraction but its the opposite halves from each other. I don\’t know why Won Jun fell in love but I can see why she did. He is stability and calmness when she needs it. On the other end, I don\’t know why Doona is maintaining the affection but I can see why Won Jun is cause he\’s convinced himself its a thrill.
Doona! Review Episode 8 Highlights
1. Jin Ju is the best. We do not deserve her.
2. I guess we can be glad that Doona is owning up to her desire to perform
Letdowns
1. This was kinda a mess of an episode. I\’m not sure what the script did to progress character and plot. Everyone was kinda stagnant from beginning to end.
Doona! Review Episode 9 Highlights
1. Her apartment has a great view
Letdowns
1. That\’s how it ends? Really?
2. If Doona ran away from the entertainment industry, why was it ok to return when nothing had changed? Whether she needed to or not, she didn\’t evolve or grow to adapt to industry pressures. The entertainment industry didn\’t change; it\’s still the threat that was implied throughout the show. Why is her career suddenly approachable when before it was the monster?
Doona! Review Ep 4
Highlights
1. Karate chop in the larynx
Let Downs
1. There was hardly any congruency between this ep and the last.
2. She\’s a leach.
Doona! Review Ep 5
Highlights
1. Found this show\’s \”Joel\”. A \”Joel\” is similar to \’Second Lead Syndrome\’ just more Fifth Lead; I used the name before I started watching KDramas. A Se Hun romance is not a priority of mine but he doesn\’t deserve to be abandoned like that.
2. Good for Jin Ju for disowning her father but I\’d like more information on that story.
Letdowns
1. Idiots. All of them.
2. Won is such a grouch cause now he\’s got all these women who want him! Boo-hoo. That\’s what you get when you have no boundaries and you emotionally flirt with three women, leading them all on.
Doona! Review Ep 6
Highlights
1. The misunderstanding that I Ra likes one dormmate instead of the other.
2. I Ra: (through gritted teeth) \”Point Taken\”
3. Jin Ju: \”I hope Doona dumps you\” Me: Amen sista!
4. Doona refuses to let Won Jun take her hand at the end of the ep. I love it but I don\’t think I\’m supposed to love it.
Letdowns
1. I just gagged the whole cabin-love-making scene.
Doona is best viewed realistically and not as a wacky comedy. There is no comedy here.
The realistic lens:
Being an idol can be depressing. You are a “product” and you must abide by harsh unyielding rules. Doona is depressed and rebelling. Everyone including her company and her toxic mother treats her like a product that is losing its value.
View this as a healing drama where Doona’s initially frivolous relationship with a student- starts to become real. The subject of her “joke” of a relationship, Won Jun, is hurt and confused by all of this. Doona is confused and conflicted as well and it’s clear that a therapist could have helped her navigate her thoughts.
View this as a healing drama where Doona, whom once had Zero real friends, engages in a friend group for the first time.
If you want to gain an understanding of idol depression- watch Persona Sulli episode 2. These interviews of Sulli right before her suicide are gut wrenching. When the interviewer asks her what she wishes for- she doesn’t ask for material items (no fancy cars or houses)- she wishes for a therapist and she wishes that she could date. She’s trapped in the only version of the world that she knows. Think of Sulli as a real life version of Doona (minus the suicide). Rebellion seems natural for anybody.
Finally, who else is better fit to play the role of an idol other than Bae Suzy. I wonder how much Doona that she personally had to live through.
@jlharv Google html formatting. You just add some formatting text before and after the intended text and viola. Feel free to experiment on your fan wall. If you screw up, you can delete stuff on your fan wall.
Doona! Review Ep 1
Highlights
1. Jin Ju seems like a healthy relationship
2. Cue ‘A Walk to Remember’ quote: “Promise not to fall in love with me”
3. He doesn’t curse. He better hold to that.
Let Downs
1. Who’s brilliant idea was it to give Doona a front depth bob, plus bangs then full hair?
2. Oh, she annoys me.
Doona! Review Ep 2
Highlights
1. From what I witnessed… Won Jun didn’t feel anything, his heart didn’t pound.
2. Koreans are known for drinking. So why do I feel that Koreans are the worst at acting drunk? Their acting drunk looks like the performance of a 12 year old in their school play.
Letdowns
1. You met this girl less than 2 weeks ago. You are not obligated to answer her calls. She is a spoiled brat and he should recognize that immediately.
Doona! Review Ep 3
Highlights
1. I’ll say it if no one else will… Won Jun and Jin Ju are a great couple.
2. They were more thorough with their punishment towards the stalker than the police would be.
Letdowns
1. Doona either wants to flirt with Won Jun or help him flirt with Jin Ju. But I can’t tell which one is her primary goal.
2. This is not the comedy I thought it was gonna be.
jlharv
January 30, 2024 at 9:25 PM
Right now, I’m watching W: Two Worlds Apart and I’ve decide to post the game I’m playing called “My Guess Who the Murderous Culprit Is.” And for episode 7, I think it’s… the unnamed, 185 cm tall, sophomore, nationally ranked shooter that Yeon drew.
Here me out…
Somebody’s jealous for Yeon’s attention.
If everything is coming alive, why not the drawings of a pubescent Yeon-Joo, the very drawings that would be replaced with our comic hero.
jlharv
January 30, 2024 at 9:24 PM
Right now, I’m watching W: Two Worlds Apart and I’ve decide to post the game I’m playing called “My Guess Who the Murderous Culprit Is.” And for episode 6, I think it’s… the metaverse.
Here me out…
His face did that TV static thing.
Here’s the problem. No one has ever connected the metaverse with analog broadcasting. We don’t know what power/energy/force is allowing the 2 worlds to collide but it’s a stretch that its radio waves. I don’t think it works but I’ll give them creative liberties.
jlharv
January 27, 2024 at 8:23 PM
Right now, I’m watching W: Two Worlds Apart and I’ve decide to post the game I’m playing called “My Guess Who the Murderous Culprit Is.” And for episode 5, I think it’s… well, nobody? and can I say that is the biggest letdown.
Nah, we’re not going out without a rant!
You’re telling me this author didn’t have an inkling of an idea who the culprit was?!?! None?! Just nothing?! I can understand having an ambiguous villain at the start and then solidifying one later on- I think that’s bad storytelling but I’m no New York Times Best Selling Author. But to spend years crafting this character and to write 33 volumes… he’s never contemplated that someone or something worthwhile might come after him for a grand finale of good vs. evil? Nah! No! This is embarassing. Someone needs to remind this guy (Sung-Moo) what his profession is. It’s storytelling and you can’t end a story without confronting the conflict you intiated your story with.
Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain
January 27, 2024 at 8:30 PM
Oooh, yeah, there’s lots of scope for fury at The Author. Isn’t lazy writing a drama-watcher’s biggest pet peeve? It’s fun watching you have fun! You’re reminding me (not that I need reminding) how much I love W. Might be time for yet another rewatch.
jlharv
January 27, 2024 at 8:56 PM
I am enjoying the sci-fi-ness, the most. I’m a few episodes ahead of 5 and I think its getting better.
WEnchanteur
January 27, 2024 at 10:04 PM
How many rewatch did you do already?
Me, I can’t give a number, many times. Just I rewatched only once previous year.
By the way: on my wall page, you can find the link to season 2. I think you could like it, as it’s really the same kind of mind-blowing feeling than season 1. New mysteries and phenomena, plot-twists, feeling your skin goes goose-bump. Too bad I couldn’t use music, but you can hear it in your mind on some scenes.
About “who is the killer identity”.
I loved the idea and the scene. During first watching (binge watch in 2017), I didn’t have time to think a lot, so was surprised by the plot-twist. And the scene is well executed. Kang Chul ask Sung-Moo to draw the face… He takes his stylus ready to draw… suspens… Then finally put it away. “no one, the killer doesn’t exist”.
DUMMMM!!! Yet another mind-blow in this endless series of strokes of genius that is this drama. It makes sens from Sung-Moo point of view, just traumatize the hero and give him a motivation. And about resolution? Don’t care!!! Pure plot-device!!
Then I’d like to comment more about that, but it would be a spoiler for our host. So I say nothing more.
jlharv
January 28, 2024 at 12:56 PM
First time watching it. I’m on episode 8. I can’t binge so I try to watch 2 eps a week. Sometimes 3, if I’m daring.
WEnchanteur
January 28, 2024 at 4:26 PM
I watched it over the vacations. Knowing almost nothing about the writer or the story. Just Lee Jong Suk. I was Ok for this actor but not much. And the pitch: someone going into a webtoon. The kind of thing I’m hooked on, but I wasn’t very motivated because I know it’s a kdrama. And so it would surely be light, without much logic, a bit like other fantasy rom-com.
But I quickly got hooked, and here’s how I felt during first watching:
– Episode 1. The basic premise is absurd, but it’s cool… Until… The heroine sees “To be continued”. WOW! Here, I knew… I’m not watching something ordinary. This hits hard with intelligence. Followed by the scene where she sees herself in the manhwa, with manhwa/real cuts. Wow!
– Episode 2. Wow!!!! So good. The excellent slap – kiss scene. The logic of the temporal difference between worlds that depends on the logic of the manhwa story. But is everything taken so seriously in the drama? Is it really sci-fi or an unstable fantasy?
– Episode 3: The scene where Yeon-Joo explains to Soo-Bong how the manhwa works. Here, I’d guessed, but the explanation is proof of concept. The drama is solid about logic. From there, I’m just addicted to watch the rest.
– Then I take mind-blow after mind-blow. The epic feeling that this drama was written for me!! ahah!!!
– Episode 8. At this point, I’m so blown away that I realize: I’ve never seen anything better on TV. (discounting old classics like Twilight Zone or The Prisoner, because it’s impossible to really compare)
– And then… I watched the whole thing without sleeping. 16 hours of drama without stopping!!!! Of course, I watched it again afterwards.
WEnchanteur
January 27, 2024 at 10:08 PM
That’s the point. Sung-Moo is a bad storyteller. In a ITW, journalist asked to Song Jae-Jung (writer of W) how she rates the quality of Sung-Moo’s W manhwa. Her answer: 2/5 ! 😅
Midnight
January 27, 2024 at 10:52 PM
Yes, that is exactly the point of the story. It’s a dig at writers who start to write without having any idea of how to end it, and then their story suddenly becomes a lot more popular than they bargained for, and they have to continue in the same haphazard style, hoping for an idea to strike at the opportune moment, or in the case of a manhwa, probably for a reader to give them a good idea to use!
WEnchanteur
January 27, 2024 at 11:21 PM
Yet the manhwa is super popular! But in the wrong way.
A bit like a hollow overhyped drama. lol.
It also gives us the idea that heroine Yeon-Joo doesn’t have a great taste for manhwas either, nor does her surgery professor.
We don’t see the whole manhwa, but we can guess that it’s certainly hollow.
An endless series of investigations and fights.
No romance, since Oh Sung-Moo doesn’t like that. Episode 2, assistant Yoon-Hee points this out, when the episode is published even though they haven’t finished it.
jlharv
January 28, 2024 at 12:45 PM
“Hollow”. The perfect word for this manhwa.
jlharv
January 28, 2024 at 12:54 PM
Since the majority of the KDrama audience praises this show, I thought everyone saw Sung-Moo as representation of a reveared author. I didn’t see it as a dig before but now I do.
Thank you.
WEnchanteur
January 28, 2024 at 4:08 PM
I’m not sure that the general opinion is so favorable about this drama. And even about the scriptwriter. She has a rather cerebral style that is unusual for kdramas. But as before watching kdramas, I mostly watched fantasy or science-fiction films and series. (The Twilight Zone, Inception, Cube) or anything cerebral (Sherlock holmes, Death Note, Liar Game), I was immediately hooked.
I always assume that someone watching this might not like it.
People posting reviews always give lots of reasons. But often I find that they haven’t understood what they’ve seen, and have missed the sheer genius of the work. Not to mention the excellence of the screenplay. (scene order, cuts, pace, intrinsic quality of the scenes, etc.). However, I understand better those who don’t like it because it doesn’t fit their mental scheme or taste.
jlharv
January 25, 2024 at 7:44 PM
Right now, I’m watching W: Two Worlds Apart and I’ve decide to post the game I’m playing called “My Guess Who the Murderous Culprit Is.” And for episode 4, I think its… the mean lawyer… who is the assassin the dad hired.
Here me out…
He already has some beef with Kang Cheol so… why not!
(I kinda missed why, though. He didn’t seem too important the first time I saw him so I kinda disregarded his subtitles. Rookie mistake.)
🌸 Seeker 🌸
January 25, 2024 at 8:21 PM
So … why not!
Absolutely 💯 agree with that!
WEnchanteur
January 25, 2024 at 10:43 PM
Hi again. Don’t read the link I posted in the other forum. It’s from episode 13. So a spoiler.
jlharv
January 25, 2024 at 7:35 PM
Right now, I’m watching W: Two Worlds Apart and I’ve decide to post the game I’m playing called “My Guess Who the Murderous Culprit Is.” And for episode 3, I think its… an assassin the dad hired.
Here me out…
The dad is losing control over the comic. He doesn’t have the power to kill randomly. So he must persuade a creation of his comic to do his will, likely bribing him with a lot of moolah.
But the money isn’t enough. The assassin wants power and prestige. So the dad convinces him he could rule all of Seoul in 2 years time…
…but that also isn’t enough. He wants to be the greatest sorcerer IN THE WORRRLLLLDDD. So the genie gives Aladdin his last… wait a minute. Did the mad-man just become Jafar from Disney’s Aladdin? Oops
JK. This culprit is probably satisfied with the money.
🌸 Seeker 🌸
January 25, 2024 at 8:22 PM
💸 Good to know Dad was making soooo much money!!
WEnchanteur
January 26, 2024 at 8:43 PM
Finally I can answer without risk of giving a spoiler.
At this point of the story you know for sure:
– Oh Sung-Moo control the killer. He’s a manhwa character like the others.
– However, we don’t know the secret identity of the killer.
Various clues:
– The killer kills the hero family Ep1, obviously the manhwa author did that.
– Killer in a truck (we see the face sizzle in Ep4 flashback). Truck drawed by Sung-Moo.
– Killer trying to kill Kang Chul in the penthouse Ep3. It fails. Then Sung-Moo in rage destroy his tablet.
jlharv
January 19, 2024 at 10:26 PM
Right now, I’m watching W: Two Worlds Apart and I’ve decide to post the game I’m playing called “My Guess Who the Murderous Culprit Is.” And for episode 2, I think its… the dad.
Here me out…
He’s so moody, how could it not be him. Maybe, he sees his comic as refined art and the world just wants digestible pop culture. It’s too popular that he can’t love it like he used to. (Seems like a weak excuse to me but I think I’ve heard actual artists use that line. #eyeroll) Nonetheless, he seems tortured by his creation; he just wants to be done with it.
(I don’t think he originally saw himself as the villain but his inner demons are convincing him more everyday.)
🌸 Seeker 🌸
January 19, 2024 at 11:23 PM
He sounds like Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. 🧐
WEnchanteur
January 25, 2024 at 10:54 PM
In episode 3 (oh sung-moo on TV show), it ends with a sentence about Sherlock Holmes.
I think the writer have read that, as her style is also this kind of brainy stuff.
LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
January 19, 2024 at 11:42 PM
Ahem *clears throat* on this issue I have theories.
When this show aired, I made a tshirt that said, “your only antagonist is yourself”. Because my theory is that Dad was such a hack writer that the antagonist was poorly conceived and characterised and so was essentially an aspect of himself. He was guilty of bad writing, essentially, so the lead character is being figuratively chased by the author himself.
🌸 Seeker 🌸
January 20, 2024 at 1:56 AM
😳 sounds legit!
*pretending to have not seen the drama*
WEnchanteur
January 25, 2024 at 10:59 PM
Comment was deleted
jlharv
January 19, 2024 at 10:23 PM
Right now, I’m watching W: Two Worlds Apart. I usually post my episode highlights and letdowns but I thought it would be more fun to post the game I’m playing, instead. The game is “My Guess Who the Murderous Culprit Is.” And for episode 1, I think its… the Ukrainian.
Here me out…
Who else could it be? He is an expert shooter. He has a grudge against Kang Cheol who won the Olympic event. He lost to a kid. He’s lame and he knows it. Even in 2016, things were not looking up for Ukraine and to lose an Olympic event would not boost morale for the country. The Ukrainian felt guilt, dishonor, humiliation… and he chose murder.
Then he went home and fought in the Russo-Ukrainian War where he still disappointed his country cause they’re still fighting that to this day.
🌸 Seeker 🌸
January 19, 2024 at 11:28 PM
Awesome game … I hope you get a new culprit for each episode. 👍👏
WEnchanteur
January 25, 2024 at 10:56 PM
Kudos for your hypothesis about the other shooter.
You’ll see why later, in another episode.
jlharv
December 28, 2023 at 9:20 AM
End of Year Round-up
28. Most Disappointing Drama: “Doona!”
Of all the shows I watched in 2023, the show that disappointed me the most was “Doona!”. Somewhere I got the idea that the show would be sweet and silly. A normal guy sees his life turn upside down when he discovers his housemate is a superstar. I imagined the guy being caught in embarrassing situations while the paparazzi looked on. Or he has to go on crazy errands cause he’s the only one who can leave undetected. There was neither sweet nor silly in this show. The relationship between Won Jun and Doona screamed ‘unhealthy’ the entire time. Was it a bad story? (hesitant) Well, not really. Every once in a while, we need to hear those stories about tortured souls who are stubborn about carrying their burdens. I think the show had a point. It’s just not a point I was prepared to invest my time in because I thought I was getting something different.
Midnight
December 28, 2023 at 12:12 PM
For the description you’ve given, you might like 2009 drama That Fool.
jlharv
December 27, 2023 at 5:16 PM
End of Year Round-up
27. Longest 1st Half High – “Extraordinary Attorney Woo”
If you experience KDramas like me, then you’re aware of the 1st Half High, when the story is fresh, characters are their brightest, script is intelligent and everything seems to be worth our time. Then the 2nd Half Let Down happens with unnecessary drama, irrational characters, outrageous plots, and the script tries to accomplish too much or too little (usually the former).
“Extraordinary Attorney Woo” has a consistent pace that isn’t trying too much or too little all at once. It’s manageable. I guess it’s because it’s more procedural than others. A new case is what motivates the new episode, not what any character does. There’ve been some bum episodes but most have a strength of either legal argument or character development. I haven’t seen this long of a 1st Half High in awhile.
Isa is always time travelling
December 27, 2023 at 11:37 PM
In fact, I started to really like the show after the first half. Maybe because the main characters were more developed, and the story was more about them. And I’m not really into procedurals, so I enjoyed more the second half (less cases, more time for the main characters to do other things).
jlharv
December 26, 2023 at 10:22 AM
End of Year Round-up
26. Most Unnecessary Subplot – “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”
Sure, I can argue how the backstory kinda works, now that I’ve finished the show, but as I was watching it, I was super confused by the lack of logic in everything. Even now, I still have questions.
-Young Joon has scars from being tied up. Why doesn’t Mi So?
-Young Joon tries to persuade and encourage a stranger to prevent suicide. Yeah, that’s something every 8 year old knows how to do.
-Both Mi So and Young Joon have romanticized the morning after their kidnapping (their marriage pact) so much so that they want to spend their lives with the 1 person who will always remind them of that night’s trauma which has gone untreated. Raise your hand if you think that’s a good idea (No one should be raising their hand).
Questions aside though, the present day becomes worthless when the backstory is revealed. Young Joon essentially overworks Mi So for 9 years and constantly devalues her and her needs then claims all of it as a selfless act of love. Do you get how much that doesn’t make sense? Seriously? We’re just gonna pretend all of Young’s inexcusable selfishness and apathetic lifestyle is actually a declaration of love? Who is buying that? What terrible writing! Young Joon should’ve had only latent feelings for Mi So before her resignation, in order for the story to have impact. Young Joon has to grow; if he begins the show as a narcissist, then let him grow out of narcissism into selflessness. But the backstory begs us to pretend he was never a narcissist. He was always upright and honorable. Even when they were young, he was a guardian angel. Where’s the growth in that? Young Joon has to value Mi So separate from any history or childhood connection. Once he values her, his feelings begin to grow, and it’s those feelings, not a traumatic flashback, that bring out the new Young Joon as a selfless, humble suitor. It is the adult Young Joon, not an 8 year old, that romanticizes our leading lady. Mi So’s feelings also must grow organically in the present. Whatever childhood fantasies she kept from the night of the kidnapping, they should not compare with the very mature relationship in front of her right now. Once she witnesses the lengths Young Joon goes to treasure her, as he’s never treasured her before, she discovers he values her as a woman, not just a secretary. She falls in love with a tangible man, not a preschool pinky promise. All of that is ruined with the stupid backstory.
Seon-ha
December 26, 2023 at 10:43 AM
I mean, there’s no excusing most of Secretary Kim, but I think the idea was that Young-joon had to put the needs of his family first…that is, he had to protect the ridiculous pretense that it was his brother–the one who was so cruel to him, riiiiight??–who went through that experience and not him at the cost of every other damn thing.
Still doesn’t make sense–except perhaps as a form of filial-piety-noble-idiocy?? Young-joon had to pretend, for his whole life, that he hadn’t gone through that harrowing experience, also all the while, he was protecting Mi-so from remembering it, and also protecting his brother from (I don’t know) not realizing how crazy he actually was…while also thinking his parents were nuts for not knowing he knew.
Like I say, there’s not much to defend, but I think you need to through the filial piety angle in there to see why Young-joon didn’t just come clean from the start–and also why his feelings couldn’t “grow” and needed to always have been there??
jlharv
December 25, 2023 at 9:21 PM
End of Year Round-up
25. Best Game I Played- “Song of the Bandits”
Besides writing down what I like or didn’t like in each show, I try to make the show personal to me. I play games. I create a game in the first few episodes and hope it continues throughout the show. The game I played with “Song of the Bandits” was ‘How many websites do I visit to understand this show.’ I know…lengthy title. It occurred to me that I asked ‘what,’ ‘why,’ and ‘who’ roughly every 10 min of each episode. I spent 3x times longer than the show trying to answer those questions. This was a brand new history that I had never heard before and the show wasn’t exactly educational in nature. You should have seen me when I ended the first episode; I was like a deer in headlights! I had NO idea what was going on. I don’t normally have to visit wikipedia to watch a KDrama but I was on wikipedia A LOT. So I morphed it into a game. Grand total: 33.
🌸 Seeker 🌸
December 25, 2023 at 9:39 PM
That is such a FUN take on Song of the Bandits. 😀 👏
Midnight
December 25, 2023 at 9:52 PM
33!!! I applaud your remarkable perseverance!
bbstl 🧹
December 26, 2023 at 9:35 AM
This is a brilliant game/new category! I looked up a lot for Bandits and I dropped it after one episode! My Most Researched drama this year was definitely My Dearest.
jlharv
December 24, 2023 at 5:05 PM
End of Year Round-up
24. Biggest Laugh – “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”
I have a very American sense of humor. Let me state that from the get-go. So what I recorded as my biggest laugh was a moment from the 7th episode of “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim”. Imagine, if you will. Mi So and coworkers are in the countryside for a work retreat. On their way, a mosquito truck drives by leaving behind a fog. Out of the fog, emerges… in slow motion… with seductive smolder… and confident strut… Park Seo Joon. Time is halted. Our attention is nowhere but on a handsome face. We lose our breath watching him appear from the smoke. He is danger and protection as the same time. We forget where we are until…
We snap back to reality when an older couple passes in front of the attractive CEO complaining, quite loudly, how much they hate the mosquito fog and how it burns their eyes. That was peak comedy.
🌸 Seeker 🌸
December 24, 2023 at 8:58 PM
… aaaannndd life goes on. I totally get it. 🤣
jlharv
December 23, 2023 at 9:56 PM
End of Year Round-up
23. Favorite Discovered Actor – Kang Ki Young
When I say ‘discovered’, I don’t mean I was the first in the world to applaud a new talent. ‘Discovered’ means I watched this actor for the first time. This year my Favorite Discovered Actor was Kang Ki Young. I watched him as an awkward comedic side character in ”What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim” and then as a cool collected lawyer in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo”. He’s got versatility. I’m really excited to see more of him.
Kitsune Moon
December 24, 2023 at 3:46 AM
and as a bad guy in *Uncanny counter 2*
Seon-ha
December 24, 2023 at 5:22 AM
…in which you can definitely see “more” of him 😉:
Kitsune Moon
December 24, 2023 at 6:22 AM
yeah, but that awful fake mullet!!! *covers eyes*
Seon-ha
December 24, 2023 at 6:27 AM
Sure, but that’s how you know he’s the VILLAIN! 🤣
Unaspirated
December 24, 2023 at 9:32 AM
Right! It’s nice to have a villain just be pretty in some ways and not in others, otherwise everyone ends up falling for them instead of the leads! *coughShi-ohcough*
Kitsune Moon
December 25, 2023 at 9:37 AM
traditionally, the villain always has a goatee!
Seon-ha
December 25, 2023 at 10:32 AM
Isn’t a mullet like a goatee for your neck???
@jls943 too 🙂
jlharv
December 24, 2023 at 4:58 PM
I didn’t have time to watch Uncanny Counter 1, so I couldn’t watch Uncanny Counter 2, but its on “The List”.
jlharv
December 19, 2023 at 9:39 PM
I don’t mean to be a nudge but why do shows from the 2nd half of 2023 have no images in the ‘MY SHOWS’ tab?
tabong
December 19, 2023 at 10:42 PM
It’s not only the second half, all 2023 shows are like this! Except for the ones that started late 2022 and finished this year.
Isa is always time travelling
December 20, 2023 at 12:09 AM
I noticed it several months ago. I thought that was a bug but it’s happening to all of us so It must be there is no banner for 2023 dramas yet.
🌸 Seeker 🌸
December 20, 2023 at 6:46 AM
Perhaps an email to hello at dramabeans dot com may be useful.
jlharv
December 17, 2023 at 1:44 PM
End of Year Round-up
17. Oldie I Loved the Most – \”Extraordinary Attorney Woo\”
It\’s been a whirlwind with this show. I started it in May. Lost access to Netflix cause of password sharing. Had an opportunity to finish it in July & August while traveling, but my schedule was very jam-packed. That was unexpected. When I finally got home, I started my own Netflix account but began to watch shows airing this year.
I still haven\’t finished it. I\’m halfway through and making so much effort to finish it before Christmas. With that being said. It\’s still my favorite of the year. The script has hit a few bum notes here and there but the project is refreshing and well done. I\’m going to post my belated \”Male and Female Leads\” selections when I\’m closer to finishing but, you can bet, they\’re from this show.
jlharv
December 13, 2023 at 7:44 PM
End of Year Round-up
13. Learned From My Mistakes: \”The Escape of the Seven: War for Survival\”
I looked up the definition for \’makjang\’ just a fews days before the show aired. If you had asked me back in April, I would\’ve told you that I was pretty excited about this show. It was going to be a Watch Challenge; a different genre but with some familiar faces. After looking up \’makjang\’, however, nerves started to creep in. And, boy, I was right. The plot was… hmm… was there a plot? These characters were created with 0 substance. Highschooler with phantom pregnancy delivers baby all by herself with no complications? Yeah, sure. Why does Da Mi purposefully make enemies on day 1 of new school? She couldn\’t possibly see a benefit to that. Why does La Hui not even try to fake maternal care? Why does Do Hyeok try to confront Jin Mo, repeatedly, with minimal effort? Like, try harder, Do Hyeok! Maybe these questions and more are to be answered later in the show but I don\’t have time for that. Koreans are already more expressive than American or British actors but the amount of irrational over-acting in just the first episode was bonkers. I can\’t connect anything in this show with any semblance of reality… which is why I\’ll never watch makjang, if I can help it.
🌸 Seeker 🌸
December 13, 2023 at 8:28 PM
Luckily I missed this bus, even though it has some good actors but boarded the Perfect Marriage Revenge makjang on speed Truck which thankfully doomed only the evil gang. 🤣
I did have a low-key appreciation for makjang but PMR kind of increased those manifold so I’m not sure how / if I will be able to appreciate another makjang (side eyeing Marry My Husband) anytime soon.
jlharv
December 1, 2023 at 5:07 PM
KDrama End of Year Round-up
1. First Drama Completed – \”What\’s Wrong with Secretary Kim\”
A lot of 1sts with this one. The 1st show I completed in 2023. The 1st show I ever gave an episode rating of 10 (the highest). The 1st show I ever gave an episode rating of 1 (the lowest). The 1st show I started posting my thoughts and reactions on this site (scroll down further to find those). My 1st \’Popular-in-the-Kdrama-Community\’ show. And my 1st exposure to Park Seo Joon. While its not a stunning favorite of mine, I\’m not mad I watched it. I would really like to travel back in time, slap a few writers in the writers room, then workshop a different middle and ending to the show. (Sarcastically) Cheers to great beginnings!
🌸 Seeker 🌸
December 1, 2023 at 10:53 PM
The writers could so do with some kimchi and kelp on their faces.
jlharv
December 2, 2023 at 4:24 PM
Question… is there a published schedule for the #2023Roundup? Everyone seems to be on a different prompt than what I’ve got scheduled.
🌸 Seeker 🌸
December 2, 2023 at 6:46 PM
This is Eazal’s list of questions for Round Up 2023.
https://www.dramabeans.com/members/eazal/activity/1494788/
There are no rules in RoundUp and this is Eazal’s explanation:
https://www.dramabeans.com/members/eazal/activity/1273572/
Just have fun and post as you want.
jlharv
November 30, 2023 at 8:24 PM
Doona! Review Episode 7
Highlights
1. I Ra and male dormmate celebrating a successful \’Ex Put-down\’
2. Let\’s just digest this shirt, for a sec. \”Rock is Dead. But we never gonna give you up. This is my way. Corporate R & R\” Essentially, A solely owned corporation wants to invest in its employee\’s physical, mental, and emotional wellness and their solution is to honor the fading trends of classic Rock n\’ Roll music via Rickrolling.
3. Doona is repairing her friendship with her bandmate. That\’s good
Letdowns
1.Here\’s the thing… I only understand halves of their attraction but its the opposite halves from each other. I don\’t know why Won Jun fell in love but I can see why she did. He is stability and calmness when she needs it. On the other end, I don\’t know why Doona is maintaining the affection but I can see why Won Jun is cause he\’s convinced himself its a thrill.
Doona! Review Episode 8
Highlights
1. Jin Ju is the best. We do not deserve her.
2. I guess we can be glad that Doona is owning up to her desire to perform
Letdowns
1. This was kinda a mess of an episode. I\’m not sure what the script did to progress character and plot. Everyone was kinda stagnant from beginning to end.
Doona! Review Episode 9
Highlights
1. Her apartment has a great view
Letdowns
1. That\’s how it ends? Really?
2. If Doona ran away from the entertainment industry, why was it ok to return when nothing had changed? Whether she needed to or not, she didn\’t evolve or grow to adapt to industry pressures. The entertainment industry didn\’t change; it\’s still the threat that was implied throughout the show. Why is her career suddenly approachable when before it was the monster?
jlharv
November 27, 2023 at 7:38 PM
Doona! Review Ep 4
Highlights
1. Karate chop in the larynx
Let Downs
1. There was hardly any congruency between this ep and the last.
2. She\’s a leach.
Doona! Review Ep 5
Highlights
1. Found this show\’s \”Joel\”. A \”Joel\” is similar to \’Second Lead Syndrome\’ just more Fifth Lead; I used the name before I started watching KDramas. A Se Hun romance is not a priority of mine but he doesn\’t deserve to be abandoned like that.
2. Good for Jin Ju for disowning her father but I\’d like more information on that story.
Letdowns
1. Idiots. All of them.
2. Won is such a grouch cause now he\’s got all these women who want him! Boo-hoo. That\’s what you get when you have no boundaries and you emotionally flirt with three women, leading them all on.
Doona! Review Ep 6
Highlights
1. The misunderstanding that I Ra likes one dormmate instead of the other.
2. I Ra: (through gritted teeth) \”Point Taken\”
3. Jin Ju: \”I hope Doona dumps you\” Me: Amen sista!
4. Doona refuses to let Won Jun take her hand at the end of the ep. I love it but I don\’t think I\’m supposed to love it.
Letdowns
1. I just gagged the whole cabin-love-making scene.
Lostpanda is celebrating My Ajusshi 💔
November 27, 2023 at 8:09 PM
Doona is best viewed realistically and not as a wacky comedy. There is no comedy here.
The realistic lens:
Being an idol can be depressing. You are a “product” and you must abide by harsh unyielding rules. Doona is depressed and rebelling. Everyone including her company and her toxic mother treats her like a product that is losing its value.
View this as a healing drama where Doona’s initially frivolous relationship with a student- starts to become real. The subject of her “joke” of a relationship, Won Jun, is hurt and confused by all of this. Doona is confused and conflicted as well and it’s clear that a therapist could have helped her navigate her thoughts.
View this as a healing drama where Doona, whom once had Zero real friends, engages in a friend group for the first time.
If you want to gain an understanding of idol depression- watch Persona Sulli episode 2. These interviews of Sulli right before her suicide are gut wrenching. When the interviewer asks her what she wishes for- she doesn’t ask for material items (no fancy cars or houses)- she wishes for a therapist and she wishes that she could date. She’s trapped in the only version of the world that she knows. Think of Sulli as a real life version of Doona (minus the suicide). Rebellion seems natural for anybody.
Finally, who else is better fit to play the role of an idol other than Bae Suzy. I wonder how much Doona that she personally had to live through.
jlharv
November 27, 2023 at 9:36 PM
May I ask, how did you made your font bold in the comment?
Lostpanda is celebrating My Ajusshi 💔
November 27, 2023 at 11:37 PM
@jlharv Google html formatting. You just add some formatting text before and after the intended text and viola. Feel free to experiment on your fan wall. If you screw up, you can delete stuff on your fan wall.
owl 🦉 🫰
November 27, 2023 at 9:14 PM
The karate chop was awesome!
jlharv
November 27, 2023 at 7:14 PM
Doona! Review Ep 1
Highlights
1. Jin Ju seems like a healthy relationship
2. Cue ‘A Walk to Remember’ quote: “Promise not to fall in love with me”
3. He doesn’t curse. He better hold to that.
Let Downs
1. Who’s brilliant idea was it to give Doona a front depth bob, plus bangs then full hair?
2. Oh, she annoys me.
Doona! Review Ep 2
Highlights
1. From what I witnessed… Won Jun didn’t feel anything, his heart didn’t pound.
2. Koreans are known for drinking. So why do I feel that Koreans are the worst at acting drunk? Their acting drunk looks like the performance of a 12 year old in their school play.
Letdowns
1. You met this girl less than 2 weeks ago. You are not obligated to answer her calls. She is a spoiled brat and he should recognize that immediately.
Doona! Review Ep 3
Highlights
1. I’ll say it if no one else will… Won Jun and Jin Ju are a great couple.
2. They were more thorough with their punishment towards the stalker than the police would be.
Letdowns
1. Doona either wants to flirt with Won Jun or help him flirt with Jin Ju. But I can’t tell which one is her primary goal.
2. This is not the comedy I thought it was gonna be.
parkchuna 🍉
November 27, 2023 at 7:29 PM
There is no comedy here..not much fun too..