1. If you don’t have post grad and even if you start with well paying job you will eventually have to pursue a higher degree (it becomes a hygiene factor)
2. Also, how well is well paying job in developing country .. will MBA give you a better well paying job.. does it open up doors to various industries.. etc
think long term and your vision (e.g. if you want to be a coder and stay a coder then if you have a job in google or FB.. go ahead.. MBA can come a few years later)
My heart has been dumbed down by brain for the last 8 years. It’s useless and I now have a talent to delude myself into thinking that whatever decision I make, is the one my heart is going for.
If the cambridge MBA is online, then I don’t think it is a wise option. The experience you get from learning face to face at abroad is not same as getting educated through virtual classes.
If you are financially well off (not be too much of a burden to your parents in the long run), then try MBA, so the loan interest can be covered to an extent with your parents support.
If you are looking to settle elsewhere than your home country, look at the opportunities the degree can provide in the preferred country. There are degrees that take 3 years and some just a year, but by the time you finish it should be of value.
Higher degrees from reputable universities are useful and important for many reasons but I am very cynical of MBAs as a rule of thumb given what many of them teach and don’t teach students. The latter of which includes the significance of ethics and why it shouldn’t just be window-dressing, genuine sustainability and not engaging in environmental destruction. Please think carefully before taking on that tuition loan to do an MBA.
Honestly, I see MBA as a summer school for adults.
The only reason why I want to do it, is because it would be an entry in UK market. Considering that their graduates are making on average 70k (which with UK tax is net 42k), I am now wondering whether I will be selling myself in slavery for the next few years just to pay off the debt.
I also am nearly sure, the median salary for post grads is maybe 10k lower than the noted number.
Meanwhile, there’s the old suggestion to just toss a coin. Not that you’ll do what the coin says — because you’ll suddenly know what you are hoping for as soon as the coin is in the air 🙂
Whenever I make a big decision, I think about which will give me more regrets! And then I choose the option where even if it doesn’t go exactly as planned, I won’t regret choosing it.
I would also do the math. I know in the US, doing an MBA and getting into a job puts you at a higher pay bracket and over the period of time it adds up. Not sure how much of financial benefit you get from the MBA. Also factor the job opp/visa situation once you graduate, because you don’t want to be stuck with a huge loan and without a job.
Going to a different country and studying gives you a good perspective and experience. If you can afford it, I think it worth the experience. You also get to experience another country.
I do basically the same. I pretend that I’ve picked one and then think hard about how I feel about it. Then reverse.
Or I pretend the situation is for my best friend and what would I tell her to do?
Good luck! Either way, your life will happen!
(That being said, 14% is a lot)
My local bank wouldn’t give me a grace period & let me finish the studies and would probably go more for 20% interest rate. Thus, I am going for the only international (American really) provider.
Tbh, I am glad y’all are pointing out how high the interest rate is. I am considering whether my reluctance is motivated by fear, but at the same time, there is a fine line between a common sense and irrational fear.
Here in the U. S. we have people who have ruined their lives because they took out student loans, didn’t get a good enough job, are still paying off the loans and can’t afford to even think about kids.
So don’t just think about the upside — what’s the worst case downside?
Or go to Youtube and check out John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight recent bit about student loans.
FWIW, my first job after college was teaching English overseas (in Taiwan). It didn’t pay much and was a waste in terms of long-term job prospects, but I’m still glad I did it because of the experiences & perspective it gave me (and my eventual career change worked out fine).
I can only tell you what I would do or tell my kids.
I would take the job, 14% interest is huge, I would run away from it as fast as I could. If you really want an MBA you will be able to do it later, some companies might pay some of it (my husband’s company paid for half of the tuition much later in his career). Take the job, get the experience and save your money to pay the tuition later if you really want the MBA.
Honestly, that’s what I am thinking about now too. I am only 26 and the UK market is terrible although I desperately wanted to move in there (mostly for theatre, ballet and pretty guys). At the same time, I am worried I might be unable to get such a scholarship down the line. Rejecting Cambridge also feels terribly wrong.
Yeah, UK is great, I will give you that. I know what a name like Cambridge means, my son finished at King’s College after a year at Cornell where he had a scholarship (he wanted to go in London where many of his friends went) . But I made sure that I paid the tuition after my experience with student loans so that he would be free all his life. You are very young and these schools are not all what they are propped up to be. I think that being independently financial when you are young is very important.
You have to do the math (without living expenses you will need 70k pounds for a year at Cambridge and living expenses will be 18k). For a 35k loan at 10% you will need to pay around 400 pounds per month if you pay it in 10 years. More at 14%, less if you pay it in 20 years. If you think that it will help you get a better paying job and a secure one for the entire time you will pay the loan, go for it, it’s only one year. But don’t forget that these schools will offer the same scholarships later on also, specially for an MBA. Also, think about the events in the world right now, with latest terror attack in Moscow. Not to scare you but the world is not that stable right now.
I will probably ask for a deferred admit. Doubt the scholarship would move to the next year, but as you said, there are other schools and other years too.
Yeah. I am thinking of doing exactly that. To be honest, even if it is granted, I doubt they would give me the scholarship the next year. On one hand, if they do, paying 12k even with a crazy interest sounds doable with a Cambridge degree.
Are you ready to move to a developing country? If yes, then for now, I would take the job. But only if you feel you can adjust in that country and its work culture.
And here is my reason.
If MBA is what you want, getting it from anywhere will work, including online MBAs or the ones with night/weekend classes. I have tons of friends who have MBA from MIT and Boston College, and then those who have the online ones from say, a State college. combined with experience, they offer you the same job options, minus the tall tuition fees you incur. Networking and creating a good resume that sells your telent the best makes up for lack of brand name. I am speaking completely from my experience. However, if you are considering Masters in a specific field, then in-person degree from a reputed college is best.
I live in a developing country (at this point, I wonder if Georgia should even be considered one tbh), so I would not have to cover any additional costs or adept to the new environment.
The problem is more the low (?) probability of paying the debt with such a high interest rate in already expensive UK.
What do you want to do with the MBA? If it’s Finance, then you’ll make the money back +++. If it’s Fine Arts Administration, then probably not so much 🙁
I graduated with a US MBA from another good / well known program (Duke) in 2022. Also had admits to Northwestern (Kellogg) and Dartmouth (Tuck) with varying amounts of scholarship (these are other good (?) US MBA programs). All this to say, let me know if you want to chat about the MBA, job market and options 🙂 I may not know much about the European situation but I can definitely speak to the MBA and its value and whether it may be right for you. No pressure either way – I’m sure you’ve spoken to multiple folks during the application process already.
Hi! Thank you very much for your offer. I will definitely take you up on it next year, if you’ll allow me (I promise I won’t be annoying and will limit the conversation to only ten minutes).
Given that London has similar living costs but significantly lower salaries, shifting focus to the US seems to be the most sensible option. At the same time, if I apply immediately after getting a new job, it might give the impression that I’m a job hopper.
And though this comes late, congratulations! Even as someone who didn’t plan to apply to US programs, I’ve heard praises of all three.
Once in a blue moon, when I rewatch dramas that are 6 to 12 years old, I check out the Dramabeans recaps. There, I sometimes see a comment written by an overly passionate, black-and-white thinking kid with bad grammar. Then, I accidentally glance at the username of this unauthorized user and realize it’s me. Embarrassed, I look at the replies under my comment. The replies are always eloquently written, discuss a few of my points, don’t judge my grammar, and generally take my opinion seriously.
So, I guess I want to thank all the users for treating me kindly all those years because that allowed me to improve my English and comfortably grow out of being that overly passionate and simplistic kid without feeling ashamed of myself.
Love,
February
On a less cute note, I once wrote a page-long comment in Russian, and people ate me alive because I used the letter “o” instead of “a”.
On an even less cute note, in the past year, I joined a theater discussion page. There, nearly instinctively, I started writing my reviews of the performances I have seen. I am not sure if the directors of said plays are everyone’s godfather, but GOD, these people would readily deport me from my country if it was their choice. Even judging the performance’s length is taken as a grand insult to the almighty.
The other day, people there bullied this guy for arrogantly going to see Macbeth without having read the play prior to watching the performance. Apparently, had he read it, he would not have felt the characters were badly flashed out on stage *eye roll*.
Thank you! Consuming KDramas and Fanfiction, and participating in this community definitely made a significant chunk of this hardwork extremely enjoyable.
Scene from the Russian biographical movie ‘Leto’ (2019), starring Teo Yoo as the Soviet rock musician Tsoi.
I went into the movie expecting an overly dramatic story of greatness in a world of mortals (I generally dislike biopics). However, I ended up with a film where the youth are trying to find footing in a world that doesn’t even provide a foundation, and where relying on the achievements of others feels ridiculous in the context of their environment.
I’m not sure when Tae Ho was hit in the head hard enough to undergo a personality change, but I hope it remains this way. He has been incredibly lovable in the recent episodes!
This personality change need to stay. He endured a lot to get to this point. An embarrasing injury at the gym because of his arrogance and he was beaten by thugs
His luck changed too, he has a drinking session with Hyo-shim. 😌
The drinking session goes much smoother than their training sessions.😊
Both of them relax and let their hair down.
Tae-min’s ego however, is dealt a staggering blow 😂
Hyo-shin tells him no more meals and I don’t want to socialize outside of work . Only to witness Hyo-shin dropping an intoxicated Tae-Ho off. 😂
The guy who suddenly decided he likes Hyo Shim and is somewhat weird about it vs the fellow underdog.
Actually, what does everyone (@dorotka ; @johnb@jillian ) think about Young Shin’s rejection to Tae Min? Did she understand his intentions and expressed her disinterest? Was she asking him to stop confusing her?
I think Hyo Shim was not interested in TM at all outside of work. Her rejection of meeting him outside for meals make her uncomfortable and he was also confusing with his intentions. She is drawing the line to keep their relationship professional.
Hyo-shim wasn’t interested in his meals or meeting him outside of work , that sounds like a rejection although she is coming from a work ethics angle
Just as Tae-min didn’t want to be mistaken as a woman beater , (Hyo-shin had bruise from the loanshark) , Hyo-shim doesn’t want to be seen being wined and dined by a customer .
I actually think the writer of King of The Land would have been good if only she wasn\’t so hell bent on following every single trope possible.
I love the show\’s anti-capitalism conversations (even though they are a bit too on the nose), ML being reminded of his privilege, him learning and growing from there and even his inability to play hard to get. The show organically building up their relationship in episode five and giving them a very realistic confrontation was nice to see. Unfortunately, the writer remembered that the ML has not once saved the very capable and independent FL so now he gotta do that with his personal helicopter. Yeah.
I stopped the show to whine and then I clicked continue and God. Suffering through that trope was worth it! The jump was so ridiculous. Before the next episode promo, I thought he just missed the landing and jumped into abyss.
For a second, I sincerely believed the next episode would open up with the helicopter and Sa Rang looking for him because the dramatic idiot suddenly decided he is a Batman
I see what you mean but I think some tropes should just be left in the past. Or if you have to do it, at least make it believable. The whole set-up leading to her fall made zero sense. Why would they send their top employees to do such random tasks? Seems like there’s very little work to do at the actual hotel 😂
At this point, I laugh at the scenes that I am not supposed to laugh at.
Like the FL being SO astonished at seeing the ML looking … exactly the same way but with his hair up.
Even him acting jealous in the airport didn’t make sense. First she humiliated you then you saw her poo and then you hate her smile and now you love her? Da f
I came to say that! 😂😂😂
She had her hair down and she was not in her uniform, in high pointy heels dragging her suitcase like it was an ad!
Surely those shoes are best for travel!
Kdrama female leads are always at the level of professionalism in which they run three kms to get their boss\’s guest the right cup of coffee, walk with a broken heel, and *checks notes* physically assault a client.
Drastically increasing the speed on a treadmill would very much mess up one’s knee (and it is not even the worst case scenario). I don’t see why just giving the letter was not enough. Yeah. and why was she so impressed by a Royal Suite? She literally works there.
The show is a perfect example of why I am not the fan of Enemies to Lovers trope. The writers are often too lazy to write down the “enemies” part that would be in character for both of the leads.
Please don’t blame the trope for the stupidity in that script kkk. Enemies to lovers, like any other trope, is famous for it’s own merit and can work great!
Yes, I think writer-nims might mistaken crime witch cute. FLs will look cheap and not likable when they commit a crime, writer-nims. It’s not cute, it’s a crime.
My apologises if my “likes” for your old post started you 😅 I’ve just re-read TAXI DRIVER series reviews and noticed you commented on DB from as far as FASHION KING was recapped (sorry again if I am mistaken, but pls put all your blame on that tractor driver at the last pic 😂). Your reviews of TD2 gave me an impression that you have a soft spot for LJH as I do, so I just want to say Hi 😚 And it’s always nice to see a “veteran” account on DB 😊.
Hi! I must like LJH a lot because I LOVED Fashion King (did you? did anyone else?).
I joined Dramabeans approximately 11 years ago. On old recaps, I sometimes stumble upon some overly passionate comment with terrible grammar and one point I agree with and find out that yeah, the dramatic kid writing that was me.
There was a time when beanies didn’t have registered accounts but had to comment as “guest”, wasn’t it? I joined DB in 2020 I think, but I remember reading recaps from DB years ago. I just wasn’t aware of the existence of other contents in this kdrama community then.
No, I didn’t love Fashion King, I actually didn’t finish it. If I had more time, maybe I could try to finish it, but I’m sure I wouldn’t enjoy it by all means. I believe there are few beanies who liked/loved FK as you did. There are other shows disliked by the majority of beanies that I like too.
A whole village gangs up against a single woman who dared to *checks notes* move to that area. I wish drama writers dropped that trope. It was not pleasant to see in Hometown Cha Cha Cha and it is anger inducing in Summer Strike.
It’s absolutely infuriating esp. because stuff like this is generally always aimed at women in k-dramas. When the Camellia Blooms had something similar too.
On the other hand, a new man moving into town will be followed by slow-mo montages of everyone swooning over how hot and/or competent he is.
I made a CAMELLIA reference earlier that it took Dong-baek (Gong Hyo-jin) years to be finally accepted by the marinated crab ladies so I expected it would take time for Yeo-reum to be accepted by the locals.
SUMMER STRIKE may come off to some (promo wise) as the biggest bait and switch since THE THIRD CHARM (2018).
That is exactly who I stopped Hometown. When they had to nerve to police what she wore when she was running was enough for me. Then the ML was the absolute worst and the fact they were the end game was really crappy to. When I brought this up, several beanies were telling me I did not get it and were contorting themselves to justify this behavior. But they all changed their tune with the ML was a douche to another male in the series and all of a sudden ML was a problem. Huh.
All of this! I wish I’d had the sense to stop watching Homecha – I despised almost everything about it except the scenery, but especially the judgy local ajummas and the ML. @miso2019, I haven’t seen enough dramas to realize this is yet another misogynist trope but now that you mention it, I’ll add it to the long list of reasons I just dropped this show after ep. 3.
It has been more than a year since I watched Hometown Cha (×3), but I do not recollect the villagers going out of their way to chase the FL from the town or fool her, even though they judged her “city girl” attitude and the ML viewed her as a prickly porcupine that needs to calm down. At least in that show they gave the FL a chance to showcase her skills and capabilities, but in “Summer Strike” the FL gets snubbed even before she gets to hold a proper conversation. Absolutely terrible writing.
I don’t like it either, but I also think it wasn’t that bad for me in Homecha. It’s true I didn’t like the townspeople at first, but the truth is that all of them had a good (or at least a proper) heart. There are reasons behind their somewhat nasty behaviors that will be uncovered later on in the story, but these behaviors were not received well by FL simply because she’s been brought up differently.
I can’t make any comment on Summer Strike because I have no legal access to watch it, which is the case for more and more Kdramas for me. *sighs*
It was mostly tolerable, but there was this episode when the neighbourhood lady starts terrible rumours about FL but the FL is supposed to forgive her & move on cause the woman lost her child and the only instant she feels well is when ~~she gossips~~. That was it. That was literally the shows explanation.
I’d rather not see the trope, but as a small town girl, the townspeople in HomeCha rang pretty true to me. I guess Summer Strike doesn’t bother me too much either. The son and woman with the dog ganged up against the FL, but most of the people have been fine.
The man she rents an apartment from slut-shamed her because her house got vandalized. The kids got into her house and broke the water system.
It is at least half of the villagers we were introduced to so far.
My kdrama superpower is ignoring the existence of every annoying side plot. With that said, I am currently loving Love Contact. The main couple is adorable and FL’s best friend does a good job having a life of his own. I also find it refreshing that there is no useless SML and no one has a confusing childhood backstory.
Being picked out of a lineup at an orphanage and raised by an employee to be “the perfect chaebol young lady” isn’t a confusing childhood backstory? Where are the purported parents? Why isn’t the family in touch/looking for her? For that matter, where are the real parents? I’d be confused but then again, I’m only here for GKP 😉
Does no one else have a problem with Extraordinary Lee Young Woo? For starters I dislike how the only media portrayal of Autism is when it is at the end of the spectrum. There is no such thing as a mild Autism on screens.
Secondly, at least, 1 in 100 kids have Autism. It IS pretty common. Was Young Woo, our invented protagonist, really the first Autistic person who got a law degree? Really? The mass media\’s one note depiction of Autism is the reason why a lot of people with ASD are getting told that they don\’t ~~ look ~~ autistic.
That will all be fine and good, but I hate how shows like this one somehow make it sound as if one of the symptoms of Autism is…you guessed, being a genius. Cause no way will an audience care about and cheer for a person with an autism if they don\’t have a superpower
i havent watched this show but planning to start soon. and i can feel you for sure as i had same feeling about Its okay not to be Okay as to how wrongly Bipolar Disorder was depicted in it.
But i have to just share my 2 cents not autism related but in general about stories we see on screen.. all stories when put on screen are exaggerated/grand/too good kind of cause if not it would look like story of normal people like you n me.. like someone next door. And viewers would not be attracted to it cause their isnt much drama to that grand depiction… hence its either too good or too bad nothing in between…
only good thing is it gets the discussion rolling.. that more people will search abt autism (or bipolar disorder after Its okay not to be okay.. i hated that show for how wrong bipolar was depicted hence dropped it)
Bringing this up reminds me of how Our Blues portrayed Down Syndrome as something no one on Jeju island (including the 20-something generation) was familiar with, and associated having DS with negative prejudice. I will say they did a fairly good job attempting to dispel the prejudices, and Jung Eun-Hye, an actress with Down Syndrome, was cast to play played the role Young-Hee.
I could actually buy that somewhat, maybe not being familiar with it but not being around anybody with DS, considering how disabilities seem to be treated in SK. I live in a fairly small town in the U.S. and I had never seen anybody with Down Syndrome until I moved to a bigger place for college. I did grow up seeing people with Down Syndrome on television, but I doubt that is common in SK. I’m not sure it was common with autism either. I mentioned the actress Oh Yoonah and her son in the EAW episode thread and how she received a lot of praise for bringing her son out and putting a face to autism.
I seem to recall in one of the early episodes someone said it was extremely rare for an autistic person to also be a genius, not that it was a normal byproduct of the condition.
That may have been me. I’ve cared for and coached a few people on the spectrum. I’m not an expert by any means, but being an autistic savant (which is what Young woo is depicted as being) is super rare. Episode 3 makes this abundantly clear. Young girls that I’ve seen on the spectrum also do a better job at masking their symptoms, but in periods of high stress, it typically manifests itself in more obvious ways. Episode 3 also educates the viewer on how and when and the historical background where autism was first described. The discussion on recap 1 also mentioned this and why Asperger’s is not a term that should be used to describe higher functioning autism. I’m glad it was mentioned.
The shows about Autism somehow end up going to the genius route pretty often tho. They don’t say it is a byproduct, but the idea is still there.
The good doctor, rain man, this one, dozens of other shows with Autistic leads depict them as geniuses. Why is it even needed? Couldn’t Young Woo not being one and still have a successful career? Would her condition really make it impossible for her to be hired in a law firm? Wouldn’t simple dedication and hard work not being enough?
I hated how her dad even finds out that she is a genius ~~. It happens on the EXACT same day when the doctor tells her father she might have an Autism. It read like “sure, his daughter might not be like majority of other kids, but look, she is a genius. That MUST make her existence fine now”.
“Would her condition really make it impossible for her to be hired in a law firm? Wouldn’t simple dedication and hard work not being enough?”
Young Woo could still be hired in a law firm, but I think that it would be a hard sell for any firm to hire her as an attorney, especially when dedication and hard work isn’t enough for neurotypicals to get hired as associates, much less become partners. This is based on my own country but employment assistance schemes for the neurodiverse here tend to lean towards blue-collar jobs, if it’s a white-collar job it tends to be a non-client facing position. And that’s even for companies which are openly practicing inclusive hiring.
“I hated how her dad even finds out that she is a genius ~~. It happens on the EXACT same day when the doctor tells her father she might have an Autism.”
I do agree that the setup is a bit rushed, though I think that prolonging it any further would have made it detrimental in holding onto viewers’ attention: it isn’t a documentary after all and timelines do have to get condensed in a drama. But if I was in charge of the show, I might have just cut the diagnosis scene and sprinkled it as a flashback scene later on, as the show did when covering the father’s experience taking care of Young Woo.
This is such an important point. I think it’s the same philosophy with anything that is going to be added to the storyline to cover ‘difference’.
It’s rare they will employ someone with the actual condition like in Our blues. Dementia is the only bad thing that happens when you get older, brain tumours lead to short life expectancy you will operate as your normal self and then suddenly you will deteriorate and die. All accidents lead to random short term memory loss or a coma that you suddenly come out of but then you are fine.
It’s a shame that they treat conditions as a pick and mix rather than as you say having someone who happens to have the condition just going about daily life and having the usual events of a drama happen to them.
I think in My dear friends they tried to do this with the many elements of adjustment and prejudice about physical and mental health and the aging process by looking at relationships dynamics across the board. Having the adult son reminding his mum to pack her incontinence pads in such a matter of fact way was a nice touch.
As a parent of a child with ASD, I think this show is able to address autism well. She maybe a savant in memorizing the law and whale facts but she is still handicapped as she has yet to learn how to make these facts functional. Exactly the struggles of an autistic person. Episode 3 also tackled that this is indeed a spectrum and her case is extremely rare. They also emphasized that each case is unique, which is true. While I do agree that the industry usually features stories about savants only, but I think that is true about show business in general, as stories are mostly about the extraordinary 1% of us.
“Secondly, at least, 1 in 100 kids have Autism. It IS pretty common. Was Young Woo, our invented protagonist, really the first Autistic person who got a law degree?”
It could be that she’s the first one to openly admit that she’s autistic, not that she’s necessarily the first autistic lawyer. I don’t think the show will ever talk about masking because Young Woo has never dabbled in that, but I do hope we do meet someone who’s masked enough to appear neurotypical sometime within the show. I also think that will be a significant factor when I rate the show at the end.
“That will all be fine and good, but I hate how shows like this one somehow make it sound as if one of the symptoms of Autism is…you guessed, being a genius.”
To be fair, the fact that the main character is a lawyer does imply some level of intellectual prowess, because it’s quite unrealistic that someone on the lower end of the spectrum could even become a lawyer in the first place, particularly when you consider the verbal and argumentative skills required for the job. I don’t necessarily disagree that the over-featuring of savant autism is good representation for the spectrum, but they are already showing different people with autism so it’s not like they’re pigeonholing on the “geniuses”. Would it have been better if they featured someone who’s just an “average” lawyer and/or didn’t openly disclose their condition? Yes! But I think it’s a rarity for even the standard neurotypical show to feature an “average” character regardless of profession so it’s a general problem with mass media.
I feel like I am at that stage when I am finally ready to understand and talk about how I feel about this show.
I absolutely hated My Liberation Notes. The show was basically the diary that the writer wrote by a recommendation from her therapist. The characters didn\’t have conversations. They simply recreated the lines in the notebook. It was relatable but in the same way that one liners on Facebook are. Every second line was worth being screenshotted and posted. The whole show was like that. Characters felt alone even when they were \”talking\” to each other. Because as I mentioned the show was a writer\’s diary adapted on a screen, it lacked comprehension and a straight line of thinking, something that is necessary for the show. Your opinions are hectic and all over the place, they also change by an hour and that is exactly how this show is.
One minute the father tells his children that it is okay for them to stay single and that they are strong enough to do that and the next minute, the older daughter ( to whom that was addressed) stays in a relationship that makes her feel small cause the idea of the breakup is too painful for her.
I love all the cast members so I am happy about its success, but geez. I definitely deserved better than watching Chang Hee randomly talk about a movie for 5 minutes while his friend was doing….whatever he was doing.
His friend was Googling the movie on his phone so he could quickly read a summary of it, and better relate to what Change Hee was saying during that long speech, but yeah – I hear where you are coming from. Park Hae-yeong (the writer) definitely has a unique style that sets her apart from other writers. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
In the beginning the friend was shaking a branch…? And then he was reading the summary.
Regarding the writing, was that a thing in her previous works as well? Maybe in Another Oh Hae Young? I have only watched My Mister and did that when it came out, so I might be mistaken, but at least for Dong Hoon and Ji Ah we knew what they felt without them telling us directly.
@nerdy I watched “Another Oh Hae Young” (it’s when I began crushing on Seo Hyun-jin, but that’s off-topic). In my opinion, it was written very well, but it is not written in the same style as MLN. Inspiration is a fickle and fleeting mistress, and writers accept it wherever they can find it – be it through tried-and-true formulas or through personal diaries from therapy sessions. Here is a mental game you might try: pretend for a moment you didn’t know the backstory of where Park Hae-yeong got her inspiration for writing MLN. Would you still feel the same way about the writing? Or would you feel differently?
Actually, I never understood what Dong Hoon felt. To me, he always seemed like a man treading right on the cheating line. His quivering smile, his tentative movements, his side looks, everything felt like he was hoping for something to happen without taking the first step, and then it didn’t. But I never knew if that was the case or not. This uncertainty is the reason I disliked that show.
I haven’t watched MLN so I’m not saying that I would have prefered to have heard his thoughts. It just hit me as very interesting that I disliked the writer’s other show for exactly the opposite reason.
I feel you. I had major issues with it, especially the second half. It romanticized the heck out of unhealthy relationships. Just browsing forums for a few minutes and seeing people gush over Gu, wishing for him and MJ to get married and have babies, makes me want to throw something. I hear you about the dialogue. People talked and talked but in a way nobody in real life talks. It ended up feeling pretentious.
Pretentious. Yes. That is the right word. Apperantly the writer has spent 4 years writing the screenplay. After i heard that, for the first time in my life, I thought “gosh. I wish the writer didn’t put that much effort in it”. Some parts just felt like a result of major overthinking, as if a perfectly comprehensive text was written and then someone decided “hey, I also wanna say this, let’s squeeze it in” and “nah, this part is not quoting worthy, let’s cut it out”.
Honestly, I can’t argue or agree with you on Mr. Gu and Mi Jeong. I don’t think the writer fully understood the mental gymnastics that a person needs to be in relationship with someone with such issues. Mi Jeong somehow did a great job in helping him. Her amazing sensitivity and understanding of what should be said was simply unbelievable. The fact that a woman would listen to her lover talk about how he is hearing things and then laugh at his story on alcoholism is just something I can not understand. She didn’t even once ask him to stop drinking. I didn’t support the relationship or hate it solely because it seemed like a graphic designer had a PhD in psychology and knew exactly how to handle her partner’s addiction.
@missh Good point. As much as I did like the writing, it wasn’t perfect. I think I’m currently seduced by it’s uniqueness, but I also am starting to feel that seduction begin to fade. I am beginning to think that the writing was propped up (more than a little) by excellent acting, direction, and cinematography. Remove those things and could the writing stand on it’s own? I think maybe not. I have been leaving reviews of the shows I’ve finished, but I will wait a few days before reviewing MLN, to let my thoughts settle.
I’d never say My Liberation Notes pretentious, at all. The beauty of this unique drama is how the story is told from the perspective of each character (who is flawed in one way or another) – without judgement. So, whether the MJ-Gu relationship is healthy or not, or has been romanticised, is purely our own verdict as the audience. You can totally decide for yourself whether you think it is a beautiful relationship or unhealthy. Just like some Beanies think the Yeom family is toxic while others see it tightly-knit but never let their emotion flow up to the surface until tragedy strikes. Your verdict depends on your personal experience and belief, and I don’t think the drama has channelled or spoon-fed a particular message urging our acceptance of its premise, like what most other conventional dramas do.
What I could say is that the writer-PD team seem to have returned to the root of their earlier collaboration, aka, I Live in Cheongdamdong, after their commercial success in other dramas. That is, focus on ordinary folks who all have their own stories. ILICDD from 2011 is about a family struggling financially, socially, and emotionally in the super wealthy CDD neighbourhood. It’s a 100+ ep sitcom which is laughing out funny in one minute and then gut wrenching next. There is no central plot per se but it does speak to me and resonates with me – just like MLN. Both dramas are slice of life with us audience being witness to the ebbs and flows of those characters.
To me, My Liberation Notes is a rare treasure – some kind of drama that I can return whenever I need a mind cleansing. Of course, the whole production from cast to crew, music, cinematography elevates the whole experience. But it’s the writing that underpins its awesomeness. ILICDD didn’t even have one big star but just the amazing Kim Hye-ja headlining it with a raft of newbies (including the very very green Lee Sang-yeob) and character actors. Both dramas, to me, are 10/10 – same as My Ajusshi.
Lastly, I am pleased that – after the successive acclaims of the rather dramatic Another OHY and the intricate My Ajusshi – Park Hae-young is delivering us this quiet introspective piece. I’m forever grateful.
I watched the first 10 eps and it’s pretentious. It has a great mood, actors, direction but it’s also very superficial. It’s a drama that cares about the message and not the story itself, the writer knows the result and effect she wants to achieve but doesn’t have the talent to write the story in a way that seems natural. That’s why I got bored and haven’t finished yet. That ep 10 was the worst so far, even the previously nice characters started to act in a very unrealistic and contradictory manner just to move plot.
My Ahjussi had many issues but at least the 2 main characters were consistently good.
But what’s wrong with that? A writer can’t make a show about her own liberation diary? why?
About Ki Jeong, maybe her finale isn’t what some of us wanted, but it makes sense according to her character. I know real people like her, so trust me, just a random advice from her father wasn’t going to make her change her perspective.
Actually, I don’t know anyone that does wtv their parents tell them, so I don’t think it’s a mistake from the writer, it’s just normal.
Anyway, we don’t even know what’s going to happen next. Life is long, maybe she breaks up with him in the future, who knows. She wanted someone (anyone) to love in the winter, and she got that person. She can keep growing and changing and making decisions/mistakes.
I know people always wants writers to make characters/relationships “perfect” by the end, but I think shows in the slice of life genre shouldn’t be like that, because it isn’t realistic. I’m pretty sure that if there were a drama showing any of our lives from 2019 til now, it would be similar to the feeling you’re getting from MLN. Because people are like that. People choose bad relationships, people can feel “alone” even when they’re talking to others, people change opinions, people don’t do what their parents want, etc.
I think that’s the whole point of the show tbh.
Maybe your story or life experience is totally different and that’s why you can’t like the show, but I can assure you that MLN makes sense and feels right for other people, and it fits perfectly the genre “slice of life”.
And yes, most people don’t talk like the leads in the show, but I don’t know why that’s a problem, like that’s literally the writer’s job. Make things sound right, better. Son Seok Gu says in interviews that he didn’t like changing the lines because that would ruin the poetic feeling of the show. I think he’s right.
If it sounds pretencious… well, I think the writer has the right to write her show that way.
I was enjoying the commentary over at the MLN Soompi Forum, full of wisdom including some ex-Beanies there. So many wonderful observations there that I can’t quote all of them here but this – from a K-YouTuber – goes to my heart:
“ The reason this show resonates deeply with so many viewers is that the star of this show is YOU, the viewer. You can see yourself in these characters who are struggling with this world that can be full of carelessness and hatred.”
My Liberation Notes is perhaps not written for everyone. However, as an older person with more than a fair share of life lessons, it speaks to me in ways no other dramas do.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Just reading the chat below has had me crying with laughter as I could literally picture a book club type setting with people sitting around sharing thoughts on this drama and the writer’s process. It was pure gold. I didn’t even watch the show but this is the reason I joined the community.
I think, I will stay passive aggressive about that show for at least another week. For those 8 weeks I sincerely thought I liked MLN and now that the magic of good casting/directing faded away, I am left feeling deceived.
Good for you for not watching the show. I mean it.
It sounds like you need to employ your self care package what do you usually do when this happens to distract you from the disappointment? I like you have given yourself a week to be vex and then you will dust yourself down and move on. I hate that feeling when you realise that you were filling in the gaps and now you are not papering over the cracks any more there is a mess staring back at you.
What’s your replacement drama?
Just watched the first episode of Jirisan. Currently, the biggest mystery is how the director of this one is the same guy who directed Goblin, Mr Sunshine, and Secret Love.
I get why the main lead in the Veil needed a six pack, but other than him, I don’t even think a great body should be a must. I would rather actors stay healthy than kill themselves over a useless shower scene.
🤣🤣This again fits with a conversation I was having with other beanies. I think it must be the most embarrassing bit of their job and they must hate it.
Words can’t explain how much I hated that show, mainly because I had high expectations of it. Plus, watching the female lead was extremely frustrating.
I am a huge Osamu Dazai fan and even if I know that No Longer Human was a inspiration for the show, I still feel that Lost is a huge insult to that work. In the book, money was the one thing main lead never lacked growing up. In fact, majority of his guilt and confusion streamed from the fact that he was the son of the affluent politician. Smart and good looking, with every opportunity at his feet – he was supposed to be happy, but wasn’t. That was what made his character so interesting.
When you have financial problems, you work on a shitty job, you are looked down by the people around you and you see your old father dragging heavy cupboards at night because he can’t retire – you can’t be happy. Happiness is not a choice here and thus, your personality doesn’t make any difference in how alienated and lonely you feel. The show doesn’t give any room for character study because any person in the same situation would have felt the same way.
– The writing is also kinda strange. First of all, why is the female lead so goddamn pathetic? I was understanding of her, but apperantly she could sue the person who hurt her? She also considers suicide by jumping from the roof of the BUILDING IN WHICH HER BELOVED DAD LIVES. Suicide is wrong and all, but making your dad see your corpse is just extra cruel?
That’s the thing. She lost her child and her life sucks. ANYONE in that situation would be depressed. I am angry that because the writer made the situation so terrible it doesn’t leave space for a character to exist.
E.g you are dying from hunger and you eat bread because that is the only available food. What does you eating it say about you? Nothing really.
But let’s there are dozens of sorts of food in front you and you chose bread. Your choice here says that you love the bread the most. Or you were in the mood for bread. Or maybe you just always start eating with one bite of bread. Either way, your personality here flashes at least to some degree.
No Longer Human was a great book because of how complex the writing was for its main lead and his depression. Here the character is boiled down to the status of victim of circumstances.
That’s the whole point of the show. She is depressed. After having lost her child and her job, she lost her sense of purpose in life. She feels like a loser who disappointed her father.
People who are depressed and choose to commit suicide are in no position to think about others or what mess their suicide would create or who they would hurt. They need help.
I think the creators said it wasn’t inspired by No longer Human but had a similar name. Not sure though. But atleast this show has made me curious for No longer human.
I get your point though, especially after reading the synopsis of No longer human (tho I’m not sure if the depression there didn’t stem from the assault) and I think for the drama they created these situations for a dramatic purpose. It’s sometimes hard to convey on screen if someone’s unhappiness stems from less dramatic reasons and kdramas do that a lot, adding layers of reasons. I feel jdramas on the other hand work on simpler themes and may have pulled that off.
I don’t even watch Penthouse, but the bizarre YouTube recommendations and unlimited hilarious comments sincerely make me hope that this show never ends.
The young workaholic man disappears without a trace. He doesn\’t even get a funeral. His girlfriend, whose only family member can\’t recognise her, sticks with him till the end and it will probably take her years to admit that he is dead.
Some sociopath writes that story and thinks \”yup, that\’s a rom-com\”.
What horrified me the most was that Joo-in apparently learned to love and to “chart her own life” (or something) by having had Bi-soo, his angst and his mysterious condition inflicted on her.
Gimme a break! Joo-in was living and loving her heart out way before Bi-soo entered her life. .
More you think about it it gets more tragic. She loves her mom who isn’t always “there” and now she loves and talks to the guy who is definitely not there.
I also feel like Bi Soo’s life work will be ruined by his successor, who decided to give the show a second season.
Can’t agree with you more. I could only think about the legal implications of someone just disappearing. And they labeled this as a romcom.
I will never trust this writer again.
Just watched the trailer for the king: eternal monarch.
I should say, I am deeply impressed by Lee Min Ho. This guy has been acting since 2006 and his acting is still so bad.
🤣🤣I wish there was a way to bookmark Beanies because following doesn’t seem to do anything at least not on my iPad. I need to work my way through your posts because your sense of humour is out there. I just need to remember not to eat or drink while reading and this is my 5 minutes of daily fun! I never sprayed food or drink from laughing until I started watching K dramas and the unexpected humour gets me every time.
The guy makes a computer which talks like his first love. She even knows the same things as original.
His dead love didn’t agree on that. If it wasn’t for the directing and dreamy Jung Hae In this show could be in genre horror.
The show is so creepy when you
actually think about it. I can’t even imagine what would happen to the recently widowed husband when he finds out about this AI.
I haven’t watched this week’s episodes, but I can only say that only APOYM wished to come close to Black Mirror.
I only hope this week’s episodes can mend last week.
nerdy
March 25, 2024 at 9:55 AM
Trying to decide between a job that will pay well in a developing country and a Cambridge MBA with 50% tuition fee loan (14% interest).
My headache is hitting its peak and even in dreams I am considering my options.
I have involved nearly everyone I know and I am still at loss.
alasecond
March 25, 2024 at 9:58 AM
mba.. higher degree always helps + brand name..
1. If you don’t have post grad and even if you start with well paying job you will eventually have to pursue a higher degree (it becomes a hygiene factor)
2. Also, how well is well paying job in developing country .. will MBA give you a better well paying job.. does it open up doors to various industries.. etc
think long term and your vision (e.g. if you want to be a coder and stay a coder then if you have a job in google or FB.. go ahead.. MBA can come a few years later)
Ghost of Tim (eccentric observations from a male perspective)
March 25, 2024 at 10:02 AM
Follow your heart.
nerdy
March 25, 2024 at 1:21 PM
My heart has been dumbed down by brain for the last 8 years. It’s useless and I now have a talent to delude myself into thinking that whatever decision I make, is the one my heart is going for.
emsel
March 25, 2024 at 10:50 AM
If the cambridge MBA is online, then I don’t think it is a wise option. The experience you get from learning face to face at abroad is not same as getting educated through virtual classes.
If you are financially well off (not be too much of a burden to your parents in the long run), then try MBA, so the loan interest can be covered to an extent with your parents support.
If you are looking to settle elsewhere than your home country, look at the opportunities the degree can provide in the preferred country. There are degrees that take 3 years and some just a year, but by the time you finish it should be of value.
nerdy
March 25, 2024 at 1:19 PM
Yeah. That’s also a factor I am considering. It’s not an online MBA.
My only family is my mom who makes just enough to live on her own, thus, she can’t financially support my decision.
DancingEmma
March 25, 2024 at 10:53 AM
Higher degrees from reputable universities are useful and important for many reasons but I am very cynical of MBAs as a rule of thumb given what many of them teach and don’t teach students. The latter of which includes the significance of ethics and why it shouldn’t just be window-dressing, genuine sustainability and not engaging in environmental destruction. Please think carefully before taking on that tuition loan to do an MBA.
nerdy
March 25, 2024 at 1:16 PM
Honestly, I see MBA as a summer school for adults.
The only reason why I want to do it, is because it would be an entry in UK market. Considering that their graduates are making on average 70k (which with UK tax is net 42k), I am now wondering whether I will be selling myself in slavery for the next few years just to pay off the debt.
I also am nearly sure, the median salary for post grads is maybe 10k lower than the noted number.
Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)
March 25, 2024 at 1:46 PM
Think of what MBAs did to Boeing.
Meanwhile, there’s the old suggestion to just toss a coin. Not that you’ll do what the coin says — because you’ll suddenly know what you are hoping for as soon as the coin is in the air 🙂
Blue (@mayhemf)
March 25, 2024 at 11:10 AM
Whenever I make a big decision, I think about which will give me more regrets! And then I choose the option where even if it doesn’t go exactly as planned, I won’t regret choosing it.
I would also do the math. I know in the US, doing an MBA and getting into a job puts you at a higher pay bracket and over the period of time it adds up. Not sure how much of financial benefit you get from the MBA. Also factor the job opp/visa situation once you graduate, because you don’t want to be stuck with a huge loan and without a job.
Going to a different country and studying gives you a good perspective and experience. If you can afford it, I think it worth the experience. You also get to experience another country.
Good luck without whatever you choose.
bbstl 🧹
March 25, 2024 at 11:34 AM
I do basically the same. I pretend that I’ve picked one and then think hard about how I feel about it. Then reverse.
Or I pretend the situation is for my best friend and what would I tell her to do?
Good luck! Either way, your life will happen!
(That being said, 14% is a lot)
Blue (@mayhemf)
March 25, 2024 at 11:57 AM
Yeah 14% is high even for this loan shark. Not sure how UK works. A loan from a bank might be lower I would think?
nerdy
March 25, 2024 at 1:12 PM
My local bank wouldn’t give me a grace period & let me finish the studies and would probably go more for 20% interest rate. Thus, I am going for the only international (American really) provider.
Tbh, I am glad y’all are pointing out how high the interest rate is. I am considering whether my reluctance is motivated by fear, but at the same time, there is a fine line between a common sense and irrational fear.
Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)
March 25, 2024 at 2:01 PM
Here in the U. S. we have people who have ruined their lives because they took out student loans, didn’t get a good enough job, are still paying off the loans and can’t afford to even think about kids.
So don’t just think about the upside — what’s the worst case downside?
Or go to Youtube and check out John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight recent bit about student loans.
FWIW, my first job after college was teaching English overseas (in Taiwan). It didn’t pay much and was a waste in terms of long-term job prospects, but I’m still glad I did it because of the experiences & perspective it gave me (and my eventual career change worked out fine).
Kodra aka Qanon something
March 25, 2024 at 11:32 AM
I can only tell you what I would do or tell my kids.
I would take the job, 14% interest is huge, I would run away from it as fast as I could. If you really want an MBA you will be able to do it later, some companies might pay some of it (my husband’s company paid for half of the tuition much later in his career). Take the job, get the experience and save your money to pay the tuition later if you really want the MBA.
nerdy
March 25, 2024 at 1:08 PM
Honestly, that’s what I am thinking about now too. I am only 26 and the UK market is terrible although I desperately wanted to move in there (mostly for theatre, ballet and pretty guys). At the same time, I am worried I might be unable to get such a scholarship down the line. Rejecting Cambridge also feels terribly wrong.
Kodra aka Qanon something
March 25, 2024 at 2:01 PM
Yeah, UK is great, I will give you that. I know what a name like Cambridge means, my son finished at King’s College after a year at Cornell where he had a scholarship (he wanted to go in London where many of his friends went) . But I made sure that I paid the tuition after my experience with student loans so that he would be free all his life. You are very young and these schools are not all what they are propped up to be. I think that being independently financial when you are young is very important.
You have to do the math (without living expenses you will need 70k pounds for a year at Cambridge and living expenses will be 18k). For a 35k loan at 10% you will need to pay around 400 pounds per month if you pay it in 10 years. More at 14%, less if you pay it in 20 years. If you think that it will help you get a better paying job and a secure one for the entire time you will pay the loan, go for it, it’s only one year. But don’t forget that these schools will offer the same scholarships later on also, specially for an MBA. Also, think about the events in the world right now, with latest terror attack in Moscow. Not to scare you but the world is not that stable right now.
nerdy
March 25, 2024 at 3:32 PM
Thank you for your thoughtful words.
I will probably ask for a deferred admit. Doubt the scholarship would move to the next year, but as you said, there are other schools and other years too.
bbstl 🧹
March 25, 2024 at 2:57 PM
Perhaps you can get a deferred admit to Cambridge?
nerdy
March 25, 2024 at 3:21 PM
Yeah. I am thinking of doing exactly that. To be honest, even if it is granted, I doubt they would give me the scholarship the next year. On one hand, if they do, paying 12k even with a crazy interest sounds doable with a Cambridge degree.
Minnie🫘👩🏻🚀Pioneer and Teacher 👩🏻🏫🌱🏹
March 25, 2024 at 4:33 PM
OK…it’s a tough choice.
Are you ready to move to a developing country? If yes, then for now, I would take the job. But only if you feel you can adjust in that country and its work culture.
And here is my reason.
If MBA is what you want, getting it from anywhere will work, including online MBAs or the ones with night/weekend classes. I have tons of friends who have MBA from MIT and Boston College, and then those who have the online ones from say, a State college. combined with experience, they offer you the same job options, minus the tall tuition fees you incur. Networking and creating a good resume that sells your telent the best makes up for lack of brand name. I am speaking completely from my experience. However, if you are considering Masters in a specific field, then in-person degree from a reputed college is best.
nerdy
March 25, 2024 at 4:46 PM
I live in a developing country (at this point, I wonder if Georgia should even be considered one tbh), so I would not have to cover any additional costs or adept to the new environment.
The problem is more the low (?) probability of paying the debt with such a high interest rate in already expensive UK.
bbstl 🧹
March 25, 2024 at 6:32 PM
What do you want to do with the MBA? If it’s Finance, then you’ll make the money back +++. If it’s Fine Arts Administration, then probably not so much 🙁
Minnie🫘👩🏻🚀Pioneer and Teacher 👩🏻🏫🌱🏹
March 25, 2024 at 6:35 PM
I agree. In the long run, the payoff is not equal to the cost incurred, at least in my experience.
greenfields
March 25, 2024 at 9:35 PM
Hey nerdy! Congrats on the admit! Amazing job !!!
I graduated with a US MBA from another good / well known program (Duke) in 2022. Also had admits to Northwestern (Kellogg) and Dartmouth (Tuck) with varying amounts of scholarship (these are other good (?) US MBA programs). All this to say, let me know if you want to chat about the MBA, job market and options 🙂 I may not know much about the European situation but I can definitely speak to the MBA and its value and whether it may be right for you. No pressure either way – I’m sure you’ve spoken to multiple folks during the application process already.
nerdy
March 26, 2024 at 3:25 AM
Hi! Thank you very much for your offer. I will definitely take you up on it next year, if you’ll allow me (I promise I won’t be annoying and will limit the conversation to only ten minutes).
Given that London has similar living costs but significantly lower salaries, shifting focus to the US seems to be the most sensible option. At the same time, if I apply immediately after getting a new job, it might give the impression that I’m a job hopper.
And though this comes late, congratulations! Even as someone who didn’t plan to apply to US programs, I’ve heard praises of all three.
Minnie🫘👩🏻🚀Pioneer and Teacher 👩🏻🏫🌱🏹
March 26, 2024 at 5:13 AM
@greenfields Congratulations! Just curious – what made you choose Duke over Kellogg?
nerdy
February 6, 2024 at 12:22 PM
Once in a blue moon, when I rewatch dramas that are 6 to 12 years old, I check out the Dramabeans recaps. There, I sometimes see a comment written by an overly passionate, black-and-white thinking kid with bad grammar. Then, I accidentally glance at the username of this unauthorized user and realize it’s me. Embarrassed, I look at the replies under my comment. The replies are always eloquently written, discuss a few of my points, don’t judge my grammar, and generally take my opinion seriously.
So, I guess I want to thank all the users for treating me kindly all those years because that allowed me to improve my English and comfortably grow out of being that overly passionate and simplistic kid without feeling ashamed of myself.
Love,
February
On a less cute note, I once wrote a page-long comment in Russian, and people ate me alive because I used the letter “o” instead of “a”.
nerdy
February 6, 2024 at 12:39 PM
On an even less cute note, in the past year, I joined a theater discussion page. There, nearly instinctively, I started writing my reviews of the performances I have seen. I am not sure if the directors of said plays are everyone’s godfather, but GOD, these people would readily deport me from my country if it was their choice. Even judging the performance’s length is taken as a grand insult to the almighty.
nerdy
February 6, 2024 at 12:54 PM
The other day, people there bullied this guy for arrogantly going to see Macbeth without having read the play prior to watching the performance. Apparently, had he read it, he would not have felt the characters were badly flashed out on stage *eye roll*.
Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain
February 6, 2024 at 1:19 PM
❤❤❤❤❤❤
I sometimes read really old threads, too. I always enjoy spotting comments from beanies who are still here.
emsel
February 6, 2024 at 6:27 PM
If you were to tell me english isn’t your native language, I would be surprised. Kudos to your hardwork in learning a different language!
nerdy
February 7, 2024 at 1:43 AM
Thank you! Consuming KDramas and Fanfiction, and participating in this community definitely made a significant chunk of this hardwork extremely enjoyable.
Cecee is done DramaQueening
February 7, 2024 at 3:55 AM
Okay, can someone please explain to me what this all Love February trope is about?
Healer’s
February 7, 2024 at 4:18 AM
It’s a “tradition” initiated by a Beanie a few years ago
https://www.dramabeans.com/2019/06/community-love-february/
nerdy
February 7, 2024 at 5:58 AM
*I have no clue and I am hoping I did it right.*
mmmmm
February 7, 2024 at 9:49 AM
You did it wonderfully right. Thank you for your post. 🤗
bbstl 🧹
February 7, 2024 at 9:49 AM
❤️❤️❤️
🌸 Seeker 🌸
February 8, 2024 at 1:42 PM
Thank you for sharing your inspirational journey on DB.
May your joys always outweigh your troubles.
Keep on Beaning!! ❤🥳
🌸 Seeker 🌸
February 9, 2024 at 12:46 PM
Can I request you to please go to @cozybooks‘ post on “what does DB mean to you” and share a link to your post.
Please feel free to elaborate / modify your post. Also please participate in the discussion or any part thereof that you enjoy. 😊
This is the link to Cozy’s post.
https://www.dramabeans.com/members/cozybooks/activity/1532710/
nerdy
February 10, 2024 at 5:58 AM
Will do. Thank you for remembering about me! <3
🌸 Seeker 🌸
February 10, 2024 at 6:42 AM
❤
nerdy
November 23, 2023 at 9:18 AM
Scene from the Russian biographical movie ‘Leto’ (2019), starring Teo Yoo as the Soviet rock musician Tsoi.
I went into the movie expecting an overly dramatic story of greatness in a world of mortals (I generally dislike biopics). However, I ended up with a film where the youth are trying to find footing in a world that doesn’t even provide a foundation, and where relying on the achievements of others feels ridiculous in the context of their environment.
Teo Yoo’s Tsoi was also there.
nerdy
October 30, 2023 at 3:32 AM
I’m not sure when Tae Ho was hit in the head hard enough to undergo a personality change, but I hope it remains this way. He has been incredibly lovable in the recent episodes!
nerdy
October 30, 2023 at 3:33 AM
and he even apologized!!!!
jillian
October 30, 2023 at 5:06 AM
This personality change need to stay. He endured a lot to get to this point. An embarrasing injury at the gym because of his arrogance and he was beaten by thugs
john
October 30, 2023 at 6:13 AM
His luck changed too, he has a drinking session with Hyo-shim. 😌
The drinking session goes much smoother than their training sessions.😊
Both of them relax and let their hair down.
Tae-min’s ego however, is dealt a staggering blow 😂
Hyo-shin tells him no more meals and I don’t want to socialize outside of work . Only to witness Hyo-shin dropping an intoxicated Tae-Ho off. 😂
Dorotka
October 30, 2023 at 7:33 AM
Hyoshim’s choice:
Formal steak-dinner (and speech) with Taemin X drinking somaek (and slipping into banmal) with Taeho.
Difficult?? 😄
alasecond
October 30, 2023 at 7:45 AM
which drama is this
Dorotka
October 30, 2023 at 8:14 AM
@alasecond
It’s a weekender Live Your Own Life.
nerdy
October 30, 2023 at 9:39 AM
The guy who suddenly decided he likes Hyo Shim and is somewhat weird about it vs the fellow underdog.
Actually, what does everyone (@dorotka ; @johnb @jillian ) think about Young Shin’s rejection to Tae Min? Did she understand his intentions and expressed her disinterest? Was she asking him to stop confusing her?
jillian
October 30, 2023 at 5:48 PM
I think Hyo Shim was not interested in TM at all outside of work. Her rejection of meeting him outside for meals make her uncomfortable and he was also confusing with his intentions. She is drawing the line to keep their relationship professional.
Dorotka
October 30, 2023 at 7:30 AM
The magic of somaek 😄
john
October 30, 2023 at 10:14 AM
Hyo-shim wasn’t interested in his meals or meeting him outside of work , that sounds like a rejection although she is coming from a work ethics angle
Just as Tae-min didn’t want to be mistaken as a woman beater , (Hyo-shin had bruise from the loanshark) , Hyo-shim doesn’t want to be seen being wined and dined by a customer .
nerdy
July 1, 2023 at 3:02 PM
I actually think the writer of King of The Land would have been good if only she wasn\’t so hell bent on following every single trope possible.
I love the show\’s anti-capitalism conversations (even though they are a bit too on the nose), ML being reminded of his privilege, him learning and growing from there and even his inability to play hard to get. The show organically building up their relationship in episode five and giving them a very realistic confrontation was nice to see. Unfortunately, the writer remembered that the ML has not once saved the very capable and independent FL so now he gotta do that with his personal helicopter. Yeah.
Blue (@mayhemf)
July 1, 2023 at 3:05 PM
Lol. And he jumped!! He freaking jumped!
I was so expecting him to come down in a rope. Would have been dramatic.
nerdy
July 1, 2023 at 3:17 PM
I stopped the show to whine and then I clicked continue and God. Suffering through that trope was worth it! The jump was so ridiculous. Before the next episode promo, I thought he just missed the landing and jumped into abyss.
nerdy
July 1, 2023 at 3:22 PM
For a second, I sincerely believed the next episode would open up with the helicopter and Sa Rang looking for him because the dramatic idiot suddenly decided he is a Batman
alasecond
July 1, 2023 at 9:33 PM
This drama is literally copy paste of pre-2010 dramas.. every thing..and it is still bad
Dorotka
July 2, 2023 at 3:50 AM
It was so ridiculously over the top that maybe it is the opposite, the writer is aware and is making fun of those clichés 😄
kadota
July 3, 2023 at 4:03 AM
I see what you mean but I think some tropes should just be left in the past. Or if you have to do it, at least make it believable. The whole set-up leading to her fall made zero sense. Why would they send their top employees to do such random tasks? Seems like there’s very little work to do at the actual hotel 😂
nerdy
June 19, 2023 at 2:59 AM
At this point, I laugh at the scenes that I am not supposed to laugh at.
Like the FL being SO astonished at seeing the ML looking … exactly the same way but with his hair up.
Blue (@mayhemf)
June 19, 2023 at 4:02 AM
IKR!! Even the suit was similar. Guess backlighting and jeju background made all the difference.
RenOIshi
June 19, 2023 at 7:12 AM
Even him acting jealous in the airport didn’t make sense. First she humiliated you then you saw her poo and then you hate her smile and now you love her? Da f
nerdy
June 19, 2023 at 7:29 AM
Oh, come on. That reaction was very realistic. After all, she had her hair down.
Blue (@mayhemf)
June 19, 2023 at 8:25 AM
I came to say that! 😂😂😂
She had her hair down and she was not in her uniform, in high pointy heels dragging her suitcase like it was an ad!
Surely those shoes are best for travel!
bbstl 🧹
June 19, 2023 at 8:25 AM
🤣🤣🤣 yep, that vaulted her right out of “never my type” territory
RenOIshi
June 20, 2023 at 4:00 AM
🤣🤣🤣
KS stuck on 🥰 Aegiya KHAAJA🥰
June 19, 2023 at 11:56 AM
his hair up
her hair down
and bingo we have found are soulmates thanks to Hair Stylist🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
nerdy
June 17, 2023 at 3:34 PM
Kdrama female leads are always at the level of professionalism in which they run three kms to get their boss\’s guest the right cup of coffee, walk with a broken heel, and *checks notes* physically assault a client.
nerdy
June 17, 2023 at 3:48 PM
Drastically increasing the speed on a treadmill would very much mess up one’s knee (and it is not even the worst case scenario). I don’t see why just giving the letter was not enough. Yeah. and why was she so impressed by a Royal Suite? She literally works there.
The show is a perfect example of why I am not the fan of Enemies to Lovers trope. The writers are often too lazy to write down the “enemies” part that would be in character for both of the leads.
Lixie
June 18, 2023 at 7:07 AM
Please don’t blame the trope for the stupidity in that script kkk. Enemies to lovers, like any other trope, is famous for it’s own merit and can work great!
bbstl 🧹
June 17, 2023 at 6:47 PM
I laughed/🙄 when she broke a heel less than 2 minutes in 🤦🏼♀️
mmmmm
June 18, 2023 at 3:11 AM
Yes, I think writer-nims might mistaken crime witch cute. FLs will look cheap and not likable when they commit a crime, writer-nims. It’s not cute, it’s a crime.
nerdy
March 27, 2023 at 5:36 AM
@lapislazulii your post awakened my inner meme creator.
lapislazulii
March 27, 2023 at 1:11 PM
Omg these are too good, especially tractor driver 😂
Healer’s
August 31, 2023 at 1:19 AM
My apologises if my “likes” for your old post started you 😅 I’ve just re-read TAXI DRIVER series reviews and noticed you commented on DB from as far as FASHION KING was recapped (sorry again if I am mistaken, but pls put all your blame on that tractor driver at the last pic 😂). Your reviews of TD2 gave me an impression that you have a soft spot for LJH as I do, so I just want to say Hi 😚 And it’s always nice to see a “veteran” account on DB 😊.
nerdy
August 31, 2023 at 5:26 AM
Hi! I must like LJH a lot because I LOVED Fashion King (did you? did anyone else?).
I joined Dramabeans approximately 11 years ago. On old recaps, I sometimes stumble upon some overly passionate comment with terrible grammar and one point I agree with and find out that yeah, the dramatic kid writing that was me.
Healer’s
August 31, 2023 at 6:34 AM
There was a time when beanies didn’t have registered accounts but had to comment as “guest”, wasn’t it? I joined DB in 2020 I think, but I remember reading recaps from DB years ago. I just wasn’t aware of the existence of other contents in this kdrama community then.
No, I didn’t love Fashion King, I actually didn’t finish it. If I had more time, maybe I could try to finish it, but I’m sure I wouldn’t enjoy it by all means. I believe there are few beanies who liked/loved FK as you did. There are other shows disliked by the majority of beanies that I like too.
nerdy
November 29, 2022 at 6:11 AM
A whole village gangs up against a single woman who dared to *checks notes* move to that area. I wish drama writers dropped that trope. It was not pleasant to see in Hometown Cha Cha Cha and it is anger inducing in Summer Strike.
nerdy
November 29, 2022 at 6:14 AM
I should be enjoying the scenery, instead of wishing to burn that whole village down.
miso
November 29, 2022 at 6:17 AM
It’s absolutely infuriating esp. because stuff like this is generally always aimed at women in k-dramas. When the Camellia Blooms had something similar too.
On the other hand, a new man moving into town will be followed by slow-mo montages of everyone swooning over how hot and/or competent he is.
owl 🦉 🫰
November 29, 2022 at 12:00 PM
Yes, it was an issue in When the Camellia Blooms – came to mind right away when I read nerdy’s post.
bong-soo
November 29, 2022 at 3:46 PM
I made a CAMELLIA reference earlier that it took Dong-baek (Gong Hyo-jin) years to be finally accepted by the marinated crab ladies so I expected it would take time for Yeo-reum to be accepted by the locals.
SUMMER STRIKE may come off to some (promo wise) as the biggest bait and switch since THE THIRD CHARM (2018).
larelle79
November 29, 2022 at 8:01 AM
That is exactly who I stopped Hometown. When they had to nerve to police what she wore when she was running was enough for me. Then the ML was the absolute worst and the fact they were the end game was really crappy to. When I brought this up, several beanies were telling me I did not get it and were contorting themselves to justify this behavior. But they all changed their tune with the ML was a douche to another male in the series and all of a sudden ML was a problem. Huh.
Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain
November 29, 2022 at 9:09 AM
All of this! I wish I’d had the sense to stop watching Homecha – I despised almost everything about it except the scenery, but especially the judgy local ajummas and the ML. @miso2019, I haven’t seen enough dramas to realize this is yet another misogynist trope but now that you mention it, I’ll add it to the long list of reasons I just dropped this show after ep. 3.
emsel
November 29, 2022 at 9:46 AM
It has been more than a year since I watched Hometown Cha (×3), but I do not recollect the villagers going out of their way to chase the FL from the town or fool her, even though they judged her “city girl” attitude and the ML viewed her as a prickly porcupine that needs to calm down. At least in that show they gave the FL a chance to showcase her skills and capabilities, but in “Summer Strike” the FL gets snubbed even before she gets to hold a proper conversation. Absolutely terrible writing.
mmmmm
November 29, 2022 at 10:01 AM
I don’t like it either, but I also think it wasn’t that bad for me in Homecha. It’s true I didn’t like the townspeople at first, but the truth is that all of them had a good (or at least a proper) heart. There are reasons behind their somewhat nasty behaviors that will be uncovered later on in the story, but these behaviors were not received well by FL simply because she’s been brought up differently.
I can’t make any comment on Summer Strike because I have no legal access to watch it, which is the case for more and more Kdramas for me. *sighs*
nerdy
November 29, 2022 at 1:57 PM
It was mostly tolerable, but there was this episode when the neighbourhood lady starts terrible rumours about FL but the FL is supposed to forgive her & move on cause the woman lost her child and the only instant she feels well is when ~~she gossips~~. That was it. That was literally the shows explanation.
Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain
November 29, 2022 at 4:35 PM
Ugh, yes. Isn’t she also the one who constantly hits people, and they’re supposed to tolerate it for the same reason?
miss h
November 29, 2022 at 10:57 AM
I’d rather not see the trope, but as a small town girl, the townspeople in HomeCha rang pretty true to me. I guess Summer Strike doesn’t bother me too much either. The son and woman with the dog ganged up against the FL, but most of the people have been fine.
nerdy
November 29, 2022 at 2:09 PM
The man she rents an apartment from slut-shamed her because her house got vandalized. The kids got into her house and broke the water system.
It is at least half of the villagers we were introduced to so far.
tabong
November 30, 2022 at 10:56 AM
I couldn’t watch Cha Cha Cha because of that. I didn’t have one character I liked besides the FL.
nerdy
September 29, 2022 at 1:26 PM
My kdrama superpower is ignoring the existence of every annoying side plot. With that said, I am currently loving Love Contact. The main couple is adorable and FL’s best friend does a good job having a life of his own. I also find it refreshing that there is no useless SML and no one has a confusing childhood backstory.
P.S Look at ML and his little liquor chocolate!
Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
September 29, 2022 at 4:46 PM
🤣 love it
bbstl 🧹
September 29, 2022 at 6:47 PM
Being picked out of a lineup at an orphanage and raised by an employee to be “the perfect chaebol young lady” isn’t a confusing childhood backstory? Where are the purported parents? Why isn’t the family in touch/looking for her? For that matter, where are the real parents? I’d be confused but then again, I’m only here for GKP 😉
nerdy
July 8, 2022 at 10:23 AM
Does no one else have a problem with Extraordinary Lee Young Woo? For starters I dislike how the only media portrayal of Autism is when it is at the end of the spectrum. There is no such thing as a mild Autism on screens.
Secondly, at least, 1 in 100 kids have Autism. It IS pretty common. Was Young Woo, our invented protagonist, really the first Autistic person who got a law degree? Really? The mass media\’s one note depiction of Autism is the reason why a lot of people with ASD are getting told that they don\’t ~~ look ~~ autistic.
That will all be fine and good, but I hate how shows like this one somehow make it sound as if one of the symptoms of Autism is…you guessed, being a genius. Cause no way will an audience care about and cheer for a person with an autism if they don\’t have a superpower
KS stuck on 🥰 Aegiya KHAAJA🥰
July 8, 2022 at 10:30 AM
i havent watched this show but planning to start soon. and i can feel you for sure as i had same feeling about Its okay not to be Okay as to how wrongly Bipolar Disorder was depicted in it.
But i have to just share my 2 cents not autism related but in general about stories we see on screen.. all stories when put on screen are exaggerated/grand/too good kind of cause if not it would look like story of normal people like you n me.. like someone next door. And viewers would not be attracted to it cause their isnt much drama to that grand depiction… hence its either too good or too bad nothing in between…
only good thing is it gets the discussion rolling.. that more people will search abt autism (or bipolar disorder after Its okay not to be okay.. i hated that show for how wrong bipolar was depicted hence dropped it)
owl 🦉 🫰
July 8, 2022 at 11:34 AM
Bringing this up reminds me of how Our Blues portrayed Down Syndrome as something no one on Jeju island (including the 20-something generation) was familiar with, and associated having DS with negative prejudice. I will say they did a fairly good job attempting to dispel the prejudices, and Jung Eun-Hye, an actress with Down Syndrome, was cast to play played the role Young-Hee.
miss h
July 8, 2022 at 12:15 PM
I could actually buy that somewhat, maybe not being familiar with it but not being around anybody with DS, considering how disabilities seem to be treated in SK. I live in a fairly small town in the U.S. and I had never seen anybody with Down Syndrome until I moved to a bigger place for college. I did grow up seeing people with Down Syndrome on television, but I doubt that is common in SK. I’m not sure it was common with autism either. I mentioned the actress Oh Yoonah and her son in the EAW episode thread and how she received a lot of praise for bringing her son out and putting a face to autism.
Ghost of Tim (eccentric observations from a male perspective)
July 8, 2022 at 10:55 AM
I seem to recall in one of the early episodes someone said it was extremely rare for an autistic person to also be a genius, not that it was a normal byproduct of the condition.
Ally
July 9, 2022 at 9:49 AM
That may have been me. I’ve cared for and coached a few people on the spectrum. I’m not an expert by any means, but being an autistic savant (which is what Young woo is depicted as being) is super rare. Episode 3 makes this abundantly clear. Young girls that I’ve seen on the spectrum also do a better job at masking their symptoms, but in periods of high stress, it typically manifests itself in more obvious ways. Episode 3 also educates the viewer on how and when and the historical background where autism was first described. The discussion on recap 1 also mentioned this and why Asperger’s is not a term that should be used to describe higher functioning autism. I’m glad it was mentioned.
CasualDramaFan
July 8, 2022 at 10:56 AM
They do address it in episode 3. The show emphasize that case of Woo Young Woo is special and it is not common. Please watch episode 3.
Ghost of Tim (eccentric observations from a male perspective)
July 8, 2022 at 11:00 AM
@sspat yes, E3 is where I remember hearing it said.
nerdy
July 8, 2022 at 12:28 PM
The shows about Autism somehow end up going to the genius route pretty often tho. They don’t say it is a byproduct, but the idea is still there.
The good doctor, rain man, this one, dozens of other shows with Autistic leads depict them as geniuses. Why is it even needed? Couldn’t Young Woo not being one and still have a successful career? Would her condition really make it impossible for her to be hired in a law firm? Wouldn’t simple dedication and hard work not being enough?
I hated how her dad even finds out that she is a genius ~~. It happens on the EXACT same day when the doctor tells her father she might have an Autism. It read like “sure, his daughter might not be like majority of other kids, but look, she is a genius. That MUST make her existence fine now”.
Radily
July 8, 2022 at 6:20 PM
“Would her condition really make it impossible for her to be hired in a law firm? Wouldn’t simple dedication and hard work not being enough?”
Young Woo could still be hired in a law firm, but I think that it would be a hard sell for any firm to hire her as an attorney, especially when dedication and hard work isn’t enough for neurotypicals to get hired as associates, much less become partners. This is based on my own country but employment assistance schemes for the neurodiverse here tend to lean towards blue-collar jobs, if it’s a white-collar job it tends to be a non-client facing position. And that’s even for companies which are openly practicing inclusive hiring.
“I hated how her dad even finds out that she is a genius ~~. It happens on the EXACT same day when the doctor tells her father she might have an Autism.”
I do agree that the setup is a bit rushed, though I think that prolonging it any further would have made it detrimental in holding onto viewers’ attention: it isn’t a documentary after all and timelines do have to get condensed in a drama. But if I was in charge of the show, I might have just cut the diagnosis scene and sprinkled it as a flashback scene later on, as the show did when covering the father’s experience taking care of Young Woo.
Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
July 8, 2022 at 11:15 AM
This is such an important point. I think it’s the same philosophy with anything that is going to be added to the storyline to cover ‘difference’.
It’s rare they will employ someone with the actual condition like in Our blues. Dementia is the only bad thing that happens when you get older, brain tumours lead to short life expectancy you will operate as your normal self and then suddenly you will deteriorate and die. All accidents lead to random short term memory loss or a coma that you suddenly come out of but then you are fine.
It’s a shame that they treat conditions as a pick and mix rather than as you say having someone who happens to have the condition just going about daily life and having the usual events of a drama happen to them.
I think in My dear friends they tried to do this with the many elements of adjustment and prejudice about physical and mental health and the aging process by looking at relationships dynamics across the board. Having the adult son reminding his mum to pack her incontinence pads in such a matter of fact way was a nice touch.
Ghost of Tim (eccentric observations from a male perspective)
July 8, 2022 at 11:36 AM
Comment was deleted
Kurama
July 8, 2022 at 1:15 PM
It’s the same in every Kdrama for every leads : the genius doctor, the genius lawyer, the genius CEO, etc. It’s not only for people with autism.
In this case, I don’t think they portrayed her as a genius but with a good memory and a different way to perceive things.
Jingbee
July 8, 2022 at 2:48 PM
As a parent of a child with ASD, I think this show is able to address autism well. She maybe a savant in memorizing the law and whale facts but she is still handicapped as she has yet to learn how to make these facts functional. Exactly the struggles of an autistic person. Episode 3 also tackled that this is indeed a spectrum and her case is extremely rare. They also emphasized that each case is unique, which is true. While I do agree that the industry usually features stories about savants only, but I think that is true about show business in general, as stories are mostly about the extraordinary 1% of us.
Radily
July 8, 2022 at 5:56 PM
“Secondly, at least, 1 in 100 kids have Autism. It IS pretty common. Was Young Woo, our invented protagonist, really the first Autistic person who got a law degree?”
It could be that she’s the first one to openly admit that she’s autistic, not that she’s necessarily the first autistic lawyer. I don’t think the show will ever talk about masking because Young Woo has never dabbled in that, but I do hope we do meet someone who’s masked enough to appear neurotypical sometime within the show. I also think that will be a significant factor when I rate the show at the end.
“That will all be fine and good, but I hate how shows like this one somehow make it sound as if one of the symptoms of Autism is…you guessed, being a genius.”
To be fair, the fact that the main character is a lawyer does imply some level of intellectual prowess, because it’s quite unrealistic that someone on the lower end of the spectrum could even become a lawyer in the first place, particularly when you consider the verbal and argumentative skills required for the job. I don’t necessarily disagree that the over-featuring of savant autism is good representation for the spectrum, but they are already showing different people with autism so it’s not like they’re pigeonholing on the “geniuses”. Would it have been better if they featured someone who’s just an “average” lawyer and/or didn’t openly disclose their condition? Yes! But I think it’s a rarity for even the standard neurotypical show to feature an “average” character regardless of profession so it’s a general problem with mass media.
nerdy
May 29, 2022 at 12:36 PM
I feel like I am at that stage when I am finally ready to understand and talk about how I feel about this show.
I absolutely hated My Liberation Notes. The show was basically the diary that the writer wrote by a recommendation from her therapist. The characters didn\’t have conversations. They simply recreated the lines in the notebook. It was relatable but in the same way that one liners on Facebook are. Every second line was worth being screenshotted and posted. The whole show was like that. Characters felt alone even when they were \”talking\” to each other. Because as I mentioned the show was a writer\’s diary adapted on a screen, it lacked comprehension and a straight line of thinking, something that is necessary for the show. Your opinions are hectic and all over the place, they also change by an hour and that is exactly how this show is.
One minute the father tells his children that it is okay for them to stay single and that they are strong enough to do that and the next minute, the older daughter ( to whom that was addressed) stays in a relationship that makes her feel small cause the idea of the breakup is too painful for her.
nerdy
May 29, 2022 at 12:38 PM
I love all the cast members so I am happy about its success, but geez. I definitely deserved better than watching Chang Hee randomly talk about a movie for 5 minutes while his friend was doing….whatever he was doing.
Ghost of Tim (eccentric observations from a male perspective)
May 29, 2022 at 3:08 PM
His friend was Googling the movie on his phone so he could quickly read a summary of it, and better relate to what Change Hee was saying during that long speech, but yeah – I hear where you are coming from. Park Hae-yeong (the writer) definitely has a unique style that sets her apart from other writers. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
nerdy
May 29, 2022 at 5:22 PM
In the beginning the friend was shaking a branch…? And then he was reading the summary.
Regarding the writing, was that a thing in her previous works as well? Maybe in Another Oh Hae Young? I have only watched My Mister and did that when it came out, so I might be mistaken, but at least for Dong Hoon and Ji Ah we knew what they felt without them telling us directly.
Ghost of Tim (eccentric observations from a male perspective)
May 29, 2022 at 9:44 PM
@nerdy I watched “Another Oh Hae Young” (it’s when I began crushing on Seo Hyun-jin, but that’s off-topic). In my opinion, it was written very well, but it is not written in the same style as MLN. Inspiration is a fickle and fleeting mistress, and writers accept it wherever they can find it – be it through tried-and-true formulas or through personal diaries from therapy sessions. Here is a mental game you might try: pretend for a moment you didn’t know the backstory of where Park Hae-yeong got her inspiration for writing MLN. Would you still feel the same way about the writing? Or would you feel differently?
Midnight
May 30, 2022 at 2:50 AM
Actually, I never understood what Dong Hoon felt. To me, he always seemed like a man treading right on the cheating line. His quivering smile, his tentative movements, his side looks, everything felt like he was hoping for something to happen without taking the first step, and then it didn’t. But I never knew if that was the case or not. This uncertainty is the reason I disliked that show.
Midnight
May 30, 2022 at 2:52 AM
I haven’t watched MLN so I’m not saying that I would have prefered to have heard his thoughts. It just hit me as very interesting that I disliked the writer’s other show for exactly the opposite reason.
miss h
May 29, 2022 at 3:48 PM
I feel you. I had major issues with it, especially the second half. It romanticized the heck out of unhealthy relationships. Just browsing forums for a few minutes and seeing people gush over Gu, wishing for him and MJ to get married and have babies, makes me want to throw something. I hear you about the dialogue. People talked and talked but in a way nobody in real life talks. It ended up feeling pretentious.
nerdy
May 29, 2022 at 5:21 PM
Pretentious. Yes. That is the right word. Apperantly the writer has spent 4 years writing the screenplay. After i heard that, for the first time in my life, I thought “gosh. I wish the writer didn’t put that much effort in it”. Some parts just felt like a result of major overthinking, as if a perfectly comprehensive text was written and then someone decided “hey, I also wanna say this, let’s squeeze it in” and “nah, this part is not quoting worthy, let’s cut it out”.
Honestly, I can’t argue or agree with you on Mr. Gu and Mi Jeong. I don’t think the writer fully understood the mental gymnastics that a person needs to be in relationship with someone with such issues. Mi Jeong somehow did a great job in helping him. Her amazing sensitivity and understanding of what should be said was simply unbelievable. The fact that a woman would listen to her lover talk about how he is hearing things and then laugh at his story on alcoholism is just something I can not understand. She didn’t even once ask him to stop drinking. I didn’t support the relationship or hate it solely because it seemed like a graphic designer had a PhD in psychology and knew exactly how to handle her partner’s addiction.
Ghost of Tim (eccentric observations from a male perspective)
May 29, 2022 at 9:58 PM
@missh Good point. As much as I did like the writing, it wasn’t perfect. I think I’m currently seduced by it’s uniqueness, but I also am starting to feel that seduction begin to fade. I am beginning to think that the writing was propped up (more than a little) by excellent acting, direction, and cinematography. Remove those things and could the writing stand on it’s own? I think maybe not. I have been leaving reviews of the shows I’ve finished, but I will wait a few days before reviewing MLN, to let my thoughts settle.
PYC
May 30, 2022 at 6:35 AM
I’d never say My Liberation Notes pretentious, at all. The beauty of this unique drama is how the story is told from the perspective of each character (who is flawed in one way or another) – without judgement. So, whether the MJ-Gu relationship is healthy or not, or has been romanticised, is purely our own verdict as the audience. You can totally decide for yourself whether you think it is a beautiful relationship or unhealthy. Just like some Beanies think the Yeom family is toxic while others see it tightly-knit but never let their emotion flow up to the surface until tragedy strikes. Your verdict depends on your personal experience and belief, and I don’t think the drama has channelled or spoon-fed a particular message urging our acceptance of its premise, like what most other conventional dramas do.
What I could say is that the writer-PD team seem to have returned to the root of their earlier collaboration, aka, I Live in Cheongdamdong, after their commercial success in other dramas. That is, focus on ordinary folks who all have their own stories. ILICDD from 2011 is about a family struggling financially, socially, and emotionally in the super wealthy CDD neighbourhood. It’s a 100+ ep sitcom which is laughing out funny in one minute and then gut wrenching next. There is no central plot per se but it does speak to me and resonates with me – just like MLN. Both dramas are slice of life with us audience being witness to the ebbs and flows of those characters.
To me, My Liberation Notes is a rare treasure – some kind of drama that I can return whenever I need a mind cleansing. Of course, the whole production from cast to crew, music, cinematography elevates the whole experience. But it’s the writing that underpins its awesomeness. ILICDD didn’t even have one big star but just the amazing Kim Hye-ja headlining it with a raft of newbies (including the very very green Lee Sang-yeob) and character actors. Both dramas, to me, are 10/10 – same as My Ajusshi.
Lastly, I am pleased that – after the successive acclaims of the rather dramatic Another OHY and the intricate My Ajusshi – Park Hae-young is delivering us this quiet introspective piece. I’m forever grateful.
Lixie
May 30, 2022 at 7:03 AM
I watched the first 10 eps and it’s pretentious. It has a great mood, actors, direction but it’s also very superficial. It’s a drama that cares about the message and not the story itself, the writer knows the result and effect she wants to achieve but doesn’t have the talent to write the story in a way that seems natural. That’s why I got bored and haven’t finished yet. That ep 10 was the worst so far, even the previously nice characters started to act in a very unrealistic and contradictory manner just to move plot.
My Ahjussi had many issues but at least the 2 main characters were consistently good.
tabong
May 30, 2022 at 11:22 AM
But what’s wrong with that? A writer can’t make a show about her own liberation diary? why?
About Ki Jeong, maybe her finale isn’t what some of us wanted, but it makes sense according to her character. I know real people like her, so trust me, just a random advice from her father wasn’t going to make her change her perspective.
Actually, I don’t know anyone that does wtv their parents tell them, so I don’t think it’s a mistake from the writer, it’s just normal.
Anyway, we don’t even know what’s going to happen next. Life is long, maybe she breaks up with him in the future, who knows. She wanted someone (anyone) to love in the winter, and she got that person. She can keep growing and changing and making decisions/mistakes.
I know people always wants writers to make characters/relationships “perfect” by the end, but I think shows in the slice of life genre shouldn’t be like that, because it isn’t realistic. I’m pretty sure that if there were a drama showing any of our lives from 2019 til now, it would be similar to the feeling you’re getting from MLN. Because people are like that. People choose bad relationships, people can feel “alone” even when they’re talking to others, people change opinions, people don’t do what their parents want, etc.
I think that’s the whole point of the show tbh.
Maybe your story or life experience is totally different and that’s why you can’t like the show, but I can assure you that MLN makes sense and feels right for other people, and it fits perfectly the genre “slice of life”.
And yes, most people don’t talk like the leads in the show, but I don’t know why that’s a problem, like that’s literally the writer’s job. Make things sound right, better. Son Seok Gu says in interviews that he didn’t like changing the lines because that would ruin the poetic feeling of the show. I think he’s right.
If it sounds pretencious… well, I think the writer has the right to write her show that way.
PYC
May 31, 2022 at 6:03 AM
I was enjoying the commentary over at the MLN Soompi Forum, full of wisdom including some ex-Beanies there. So many wonderful observations there that I can’t quote all of them here but this – from a K-YouTuber – goes to my heart:
“ The reason this show resonates deeply with so many viewers is that the star of this show is YOU, the viewer. You can see yourself in these characters who are struggling with this world that can be full of carelessness and hatred.”
My Liberation Notes is perhaps not written for everyone. However, as an older person with more than a fair share of life lessons, it speaks to me in ways no other dramas do.
tabong
May 31, 2022 at 11:26 AM
You said what I meant but better (and shorter), thank you! ^^
Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
June 3, 2022 at 6:43 AM
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Just reading the chat below has had me crying with laughter as I could literally picture a book club type setting with people sitting around sharing thoughts on this drama and the writer’s process. It was pure gold. I didn’t even watch the show but this is the reason I joined the community.
nerdy
June 3, 2022 at 9:35 AM
I think, I will stay passive aggressive about that show for at least another week. For those 8 weeks I sincerely thought I liked MLN and now that the magic of good casting/directing faded away, I am left feeling deceived.
Good for you for not watching the show. I mean it.
Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
June 3, 2022 at 9:50 AM
It sounds like you need to employ your self care package what do you usually do when this happens to distract you from the disappointment? I like you have given yourself a week to be vex and then you will dust yourself down and move on. I hate that feeling when you realise that you were filling in the gaps and now you are not papering over the cracks any more there is a mess staring back at you.
What’s your replacement drama?
nerdy
October 24, 2021 at 11:18 AM
Just watched the first episode of Jirisan. Currently, the biggest mystery is how the director of this one is the same guy who directed Goblin, Mr Sunshine, and Secret Love.
nerdy
September 24, 2021 at 6:45 AM
I like to think that the moment kdrama actors get confirmed for the main lead role they pack up, say goodbye to family and friends and move to a gym.
\”Shower scenes -here I come\” -they say.
Karmen ~ 🍜🏢🎭 ~ 📚☔🦋 ~ 🪂🌱💘 ~ ✨🍊💫 ~
September 24, 2021 at 9:49 AM
🤣 🤣 🤣
BC
September 25, 2021 at 4:36 AM
Eating only steamed breast of chicken, protein shakes, etc. What an unhealthy way of getting too much of high level of steroids.
nerdy
September 25, 2021 at 4:53 AM
I get why the main lead in the Veil needed a six pack, but other than him, I don’t even think a great body should be a must. I would rather actors stay healthy than kill themselves over a useless shower scene.
Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
June 3, 2022 at 6:44 AM
🤣🤣This again fits with a conversation I was having with other beanies. I think it must be the most embarrassing bit of their job and they must hate it.
nerdy
September 7, 2021 at 4:13 AM
Lost is a torture porn which fully misunderstands No Longer Human and boils down all the character problems to the lack of money and power.
Spoilers below
nerdy
September 7, 2021 at 4:13 AM
Words can’t explain how much I hated that show, mainly because I had high expectations of it. Plus, watching the female lead was extremely frustrating.
I am a huge Osamu Dazai fan and even if I know that No Longer Human was a inspiration for the show, I still feel that Lost is a huge insult to that work. In the book, money was the one thing main lead never lacked growing up. In fact, majority of his guilt and confusion streamed from the fact that he was the son of the affluent politician. Smart and good looking, with every opportunity at his feet – he was supposed to be happy, but wasn’t. That was what made his character so interesting.
When you have financial problems, you work on a shitty job, you are looked down by the people around you and you see your old father dragging heavy cupboards at night because he can’t retire – you can’t be happy. Happiness is not a choice here and thus, your personality doesn’t make any difference in how alienated and lonely you feel. The show doesn’t give any room for character study because any person in the same situation would have felt the same way.
– The writing is also kinda strange. First of all, why is the female lead so goddamn pathetic? I was understanding of her, but apperantly she could sue the person who hurt her? She also considers suicide by jumping from the roof of the BUILDING IN WHICH HER BELOVED DAD LIVES. Suicide is wrong and all, but making your dad see your corpse is just extra cruel?
Kurama
September 7, 2021 at 4:29 AM
She lost her child, so I guess she’s not really herself anymore.
nerdy
September 7, 2021 at 8:07 AM
That’s the thing. She lost her child and her life sucks. ANYONE in that situation would be depressed. I am angry that because the writer made the situation so terrible it doesn’t leave space for a character to exist.
E.g you are dying from hunger and you eat bread because that is the only available food. What does you eating it say about you? Nothing really.
But let’s there are dozens of sorts of food in front you and you chose bread. Your choice here says that you love the bread the most. Or you were in the mood for bread. Or maybe you just always start eating with one bite of bread. Either way, your personality here flashes at least to some degree.
No Longer Human was a great book because of how complex the writing was for its main lead and his depression. Here the character is boiled down to the status of victim of circumstances.
Blue (@mayhemf)
September 7, 2021 at 5:00 AM
That’s the whole point of the show. She is depressed. After having lost her child and her job, she lost her sense of purpose in life. She feels like a loser who disappointed her father.
People who are depressed and choose to commit suicide are in no position to think about others or what mess their suicide would create or who they would hurt. They need help.
wapz
September 7, 2021 at 1:44 PM
I think the creators said it wasn’t inspired by No longer Human but had a similar name. Not sure though. But atleast this show has made me curious for No longer human.
wapz
September 7, 2021 at 1:49 PM
I get your point though, especially after reading the synopsis of No longer human (tho I’m not sure if the depression there didn’t stem from the assault) and I think for the drama they created these situations for a dramatic purpose. It’s sometimes hard to convey on screen if someone’s unhappiness stems from less dramatic reasons and kdramas do that a lot, adding layers of reasons. I feel jdramas on the other hand work on simpler themes and may have pulled that off.
nerdy
August 29, 2021 at 3:19 PM
I admit, I smiled and waved back.
mmmmm
August 30, 2021 at 7:06 AM
☺️🥰😍
purplesheesh
August 30, 2021 at 6:50 PM
Siri, play Michael Jackson’s “You are not alone”
Hahahaha!
nerdy
June 11, 2021 at 7:30 AM
I don’t even watch Penthouse, but the bizarre YouTube recommendations and unlimited hilarious comments sincerely make me hope that this show never ends.
nerdy
June 11, 2021 at 7:33 AM
My favourite joke to this date, probably seen on Dramabeans,
“at this point , we will find out that murdered Park Seol A had a sister named Park Seol B”.
korfan
June 11, 2021 at 6:06 PM
I wouldn’t be surprised if this were true!
nerdy
May 14, 2021 at 2:12 AM
The young workaholic man disappears without a trace. He doesn\’t even get a funeral. His girlfriend, whose only family member can\’t recognise her, sticks with him till the end and it will probably take her years to admit that he is dead.
Some sociopath writes that story and thinks \”yup, that\’s a rom-com\”.
parkchuna 🍉
May 14, 2021 at 4:05 AM
What’s the drama?
nerdy
May 14, 2021 at 4:50 AM
Oh! Master
No need to watch it. You don’t need that in life.
bbstl 🧹
May 14, 2021 at 7:34 AM
aiieeeee! That’s what happened? Oy 🤦🏼♀️
knewbie
May 14, 2021 at 5:31 AM
What horrified me the most was that Joo-in apparently learned to love and to “chart her own life” (or something) by having had Bi-soo, his angst and his mysterious condition inflicted on her.
Gimme a break! Joo-in was living and loving her heart out way before Bi-soo entered her life. .
nerdy
May 14, 2021 at 6:25 AM
More you think about it it gets more tragic. She loves her mom who isn’t always “there” and now she loves and talks to the guy who is definitely not there.
I also feel like Bi Soo’s life work will be ruined by his successor, who decided to give the show a second season.
egads aka Dame Maggie
May 14, 2021 at 6:28 AM
It’s the two people she loves most that disappear on her that makes this story horrific. Will be actively avoiding this writer from now on.
Lucy🦋 | Hyun Bins First Love
May 14, 2021 at 1:57 PM
Oh good I dropped it after 4 eps in
mugyuljoie is preciousss
May 14, 2021 at 11:38 PM
Two for me. I win!!! 😆
Lucy🦋 | Hyun Bins First Love
May 15, 2021 at 1:45 AM
haha yess u do
Eazal
May 15, 2021 at 1:37 AM
Can’t agree with you more. I could only think about the legal implications of someone just disappearing. And they labeled this as a romcom.
I will never trust this writer again.
nerdy
April 17, 2020 at 3:35 AM
Just watched the trailer for the king: eternal monarch.
I should say, I am deeply impressed by Lee Min Ho. This guy has been acting since 2006 and his acting is still so bad.
Cindy Mahri
April 17, 2020 at 3:55 AM
😂😂😂
bbstl 🧹
April 17, 2020 at 7:00 AM
Ahhhh, that just made me laugh so hard 😂
parkchuna 🍉
April 17, 2020 at 8:45 AM
ditto! I imagine if i was drinking it would’ve burst out 😂😂
Eazal
April 17, 2020 at 12:48 PM
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
You’re lucky that minoz don’t visit the fan wall.
And I have to say: he was good in Faith, he knows how to act!
Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
June 3, 2022 at 10:01 AM
🤣🤣I wish there was a way to bookmark Beanies because following doesn’t seem to do anything at least not on my iPad. I need to work my way through your posts because your sense of humour is out there. I just need to remember not to eat or drink while reading and this is my 5 minutes of daily fun! I never sprayed food or drink from laughing until I started watching K dramas and the unexpected humour gets me every time.
nerdy
June 3, 2022 at 12:20 PM
That’s very nice to hear. Thank you ❤️
nerdy
March 31, 2020 at 6:53 AM
Does anyone feel like A Piece of Your Mind is a sweet and quite episode of Black Mirror?
nerdy
March 31, 2020 at 6:56 AM
The guy makes a computer which talks like his first love. She even knows the same things as original.
His dead love didn’t agree on that. If it wasn’t for the directing and dreamy Jung Hae In this show could be in genre horror.
parkchuna 🍉
March 31, 2020 at 8:28 AM
When Ji Soo the AI started talking like real Ji Soo my freak-o-meter just went bust.
nerdy
April 1, 2020 at 5:05 AM
The show is so creepy when you
actually think about it. I can’t even imagine what would happen to the recently widowed husband when he finds out about this AI.
Eazal
March 31, 2020 at 9:20 AM
I haven’t watched this week’s episodes, but I can only say that only APOYM wished to come close to Black Mirror.
I only hope this week’s episodes can mend last week.