Beanie level: Rooftop room dweller

It may be inappropriate to discuss this now while everyone is mourning the loss of the fanwall but I’m so glad that When the Stars Gossip is right up my alley. All the wait was worthwhile. They did well by taking their time on the CGI because the show is gorgeous and people float like they actually shot it in zero gravity. But most of all I’m happy that I get to wnjoy a Seo Sook Hyang show fully after Jealousy Incarnate. It helps that the PD is the same who understands her wacky sense of humor and plays along with it. The music is also equally great as JI. I couldn’t get into Wok of Love and while Iron Family is great, I think this writer’s strong suit are these tightly written mini dramas rather than longer shows. Ep 3 and 4 sealed the deal for me and I’ll be seated every Sat Sun for this show to air.

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I may as well forgive them for the last scene but I think it was purposefully thrown there to make up for whatever the last episode was and maybe remind us why we liked this show in the first place. Underwhelming is the word. I haven’t been this disappointed in a last episode in a while. And I actually just feel bad for the actors. When kdramas were live shot it was common knowledge that actors signed up for shows having access to scripts of only 2 episodes. Recently Chinese singer/actor Liu Yu Ning also discussed how actors are give only scripts of 5 to 6 episodes before signing up for that show and that’s for cdramas which can have 40 episodes. I’ve heard a similar practice of not giving more episode scripts to actors in my local industry too so it feels like a common practice among different entertainment industries. I’m not sure if the trend has changed for kdramas considering many shows still wrap up around the time they are released but they aren’t shot in a tight schedule as they previously were. But coming back to WTPR, I can totally understand if the actors felt underwhelmed in the first 45 mins of this episode too. It was totally unnecessary and out of the left field. It’s hard to run out of content in 12 episodes but kdramas prove again and again that it’s even harder to stick the landing.

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    Yes, I have heard the same things about C-dramas, too:

    In C-dramaland, a cast member is given a novel-sized thick book that’s basically the summary and vague rundown of the overall story, but as for the actual script wherein the cast is reliant on for their character and specific scenes, it’s given to them as filming progresses, and not handed out all at once, and then the cast discusses with each other and the director on set and shares their own thoughts, interpretations, ways of acting/approaching scenes. Albeit, since C-dramas are all pre-produced, I’m not sure about the timeframe in which the cast receives their episodic scripts. At the same time, for the fact that C-dramas are pre-produced, there’s comfort in the fact that there is little to no major scrambling over script changes. Contrary, Dramas usually will film 30% more material than planned, because productions know that they will probably be asked to edit things down or edit things out depending on the restrictions place onto them when they submit their drama for review at the censorship board (part of the post-production process), and filming more will give the director more material to work with when faced with these editing requests from the government

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    I am convinced that for most dramas, the script for the first episode is the only one reviewed.

    As much as I enjoyed WTPR, the premiere episode was the only one that was exceptionally well-written. If the show had actually kept up with the thriller, complex, slightly sexy vibes of the first episode, we would have gotten a completely different show.

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      This could explain (I almost mistyped as “expain”, which might actually have been appropriate) A LOT about kdramaland. I writer could spend a year trying to cook up a fantastic 1st episode (or 2 or 3 if he/she/it believes in overkill), then relax and coast knowing that that one ep will be enough to reel in some star cast and get the show accepted by some network. In an extreme case, advance planning for the start of the next series might take priority over cooking up a good ending for the current one. 😞😢😭

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I think YYS lied to us about the romance ration in When the phone rings. The show is solving the mystery pieces one by one by the end while the romantic parts for me were their phone calls and the tension between the leads. I mean the romance has definitely progressed but like most kdramas I liked it better when they weren’t together lol.

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    Ratio*

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    You know I was thinking why I am slowly losing interest. But that being said I am glad they are together but not ‘together enough’. Have we seen them talk it all out except for saying saranghe and all? Did he tell her that he is not the grandson but actually the son? Where is the heart to heart? And also wth are they not sleeping together? Still?

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2024 has been a good drama year for me. I was finally hooked on a kdrama -Lovely Runner, after two lackluster years, I enjoyed romcoms with a classic touch – No Gain No Love and Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale. And dipped my toes in something different too – Jungnyeon. But I haven’t enjoyed any of these shows more than When The Phone Rings. It brings me back to 2011 when I discovered dramas, would squee in my room over the romance and be seated throughout for the story. This show is the highlight of the year as it has brought me back to enjoying dramas like I used to.

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When the Phone Rings ep 5 and 6 is postponed to next week 😪. This is why in life you should never get too attached to things, people, or dramas.

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    I was most looking forward to this drama this evening and what a disappointing news.
    Hope we get full set of episodes starting next week.

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      Next week only ep5 airs, then the following week ep6. They will take the schedule that had been planned for ep 7 and 8.

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        Netflix says otherwise (has episodes listed for both Fri and Sat). So I think there’s confusion around it. I’m really hoping they don’t do that, if they have to air the documentary, gives us 2 episodes on Friday.

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          I hope what Netflix says is correct. I read what I said above on Soompi.

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            So frustrating. I don’t mind skipping one week (as things are sensitive in SK now) but resume normally next week please. Can they not air the documentary this week since the slots have freed up.
            This kills the momentum.
            I should start Trunk. Looks like the perfect weekend to binge

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    Thanks for letting us know.

    The wait continues!

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I was wondering why there is so much silence on Jeongnyeon here and it seems like its the same Disney+ curse preventing people from watching it. Having watched both the premiers yesterday, I can say both of them were off to a great start. I’m kind of bummed they air on the same day because I just to watch one in a day and leave my mind with some space to think about it. But right now I know I’ll keep watching both.

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    It’s Hulu/Disney’s half a$$ed and inconsistent handling of Kdramas. Sometimes they delay the showing. Sometimes they drop all episodes after the entire series ends. Sometimes they just forget about it. Regardless- there is zero promotion.
    There has been no announcement of how they will handle Jeong Nyeon in the USA and that lack of communication shows their lack of effort.

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      That’s a pity because the show is pretty good and it would’ve elevated the watching experience if everyone was watching together.

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I hope No gain, No love sticks the landing tomorrow and before its end I want to praise the show for inserting good comedy even in the most serious scenes. Plus, giving us my new Favorite FL or possible the most favorite FL. the writer has definitely created SHY after a real person. But I don’t think if I’ve ever met such a mature, sensible, confident, caring and a woman with such high self-esteem. She’s so real yet unreal. And as much as I crush on her, it’s very hard to be like her. She’s probably the most emotionally intelligent FL character in dramaland and idk how long will we have to wait for someone like her to grace our screens again.

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This clip and the fact Shin Min Ah’s drama is airing rn reminded me of Tomorrow with You. I think I was the only person who liked the villain there. And for the exact reason mentioned in the video. He was not your usual, predictable villain and in fact, in the first few I episodes I couldn’t tell he’ll be the villain at all. And we saw how he gradually came to the point of being a villain even though he had the tendency earlier. In the context of the whole story, the villain may not have been that important but as a character itself, he was done well. Haven’t seen a villain like him in dramaland again.

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    I loved Tomorrow With You as well and, yeah, the villain was very sympathetic. I also liked the shades of grey they gave his wife, and the development she exhibited over the story

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      TwY had many flawed characters and I loved it for that. The time travel also made sense, though I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending.

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I started watching Chuno on a whim yesterday and somehow feel that dramas are not as dramatic anymore. The fact that it\’s a sageuk leads to its epic and high stakes nature but I feel generally dramas are very laid back these days, including sageuks, than they used to be. The show surprisingly does not look dated at all. I mean sure they lack the camera quality, color correction and other post production elements like filters, (some dialogues and objectification would not work today either) but I like this real, raw and grounded feel with minimal makeup. It fits the historical genre better imo. Plus since this is a 2010 drama, the happy ending virus didn\’t exist so I\’m guessing it can be deciliously tragic too. Feel free to spoil me on the ending, if it\’s the latter, I better be prepared.

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    Someone spoiled the ending for me at 70% mark and I stopped watching. I don’t think you should know 🙂
    Jang Hyuk was so intense in this role. His gazes were fire. May be I should go finish this one.

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      Jang Hyuk is definitely something else here. He looks so good. If I’m not wrong, he’s most known for this role and I can see why. Finish it with me Blueee, I don’t know how the ending will bode for me though.

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    Although I haven’t watched Chuno, I do understand what you mean. There was definitely something to the dramas of that era.

    And lol at the “happing ending virus” comment.

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      Yeah every episodes of those shows would stick and overall the show itself would also stick for a long time. The stories were stronger imo, the music was also better.

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    Chuno is my favorite drama! Jang Hyuk is something else indeed. I have watched the drama multiple times and it holds up pretty well.
    Hardboiled eggs will never be the same again after Episode 16.

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Lovely Runner, thanks for bringing the com back in our romcoms. This show was a full package for me, entertaining story, excellent chemistry, great actors and hilarious.
P.S. Tae sung was still too cool for you show.
P.P.S. I also probably like sweetness in small doses. Will recommend folks to watch the two last episodes together.

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Ep 9 was so lovely 😍. How does this show manage to change tone this smoothly from the last 2 episodes? And then there’s this OST which is wonderful.
Will Love in Spring

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    Glad to hear it was good, I was excited by it being Li Xian’s new drama, but I wasn’t sure I could handle the mortician angle that was front and center in the first few moments

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I love how each episode of Lovely Runner is packed with new information. My only wish rn is for it to remain consistently good.

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A little bit of absurdity is always expected of Park Ji Eun. She\’ll make an actress fall in love with an alien, a chaebol parachuting into NK, a mermaid and conman forming a team. There is the same flair of absurdity but in a subtle way in Queen of Tears as well and I don\’t mind it. What I do find disappointing is that after 2 eps, this show is boring. And that\’s so unlike PJE. Even if I\’ve only completed 2 of her shows, I can say that all of those including the ones I dropped were fun. But Queen of Tears is not yet. I\’ll keep watching, hoping it becomes better but the story seems very thin too.

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I\’ve heard all sorts of things for JJS when CTK began, that he\’s short, isn\’t sexy etc, but if that last walk in the rain in ep 7 is not hot then idk what is 🔥

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    I think he is, even more with the beard, although I am not into facial hair at all.
    The walk today was hot, for sure. And it was another scene that I though it is worth mentioning: in ep. 5 or 6 when he gets out of the cariage to see Hee-soo for the first time at the baduk competition. The way he got out of it, kind of wanted to show off in front of her, made me think that it was sexy.

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    I think it’s why he’s an incredible actor, he can totally choose to be sexy and charismatic when he wants like in Jealousy Incarnate.

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Love, February is here and the fanwall is so quite. I may have not contributed everytime but I loved seeing beanies posts in this half month. Can someone link to cocoa\’s original post or any other post that explains what this February trend was so that many new beanies who are excellent writers as I can see, can join in. As far as I remember it was originally about platonic love for all things but soon delved into all forms of love.

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I’ve had a rather a Loveless February but if there’s one confession that will live in my mind rent free for eternity and fuel my escapism , it will be this one.

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It\’s great to see the fanwall full of heartfelt posts again this February. For people who return here for this month, to many who are joining for the first time and the ones who are no longer here, hope you are living your best lives.

Love,
February

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Dear @db-staff I always see an older version of the site and especially the Beanies page whenever I access the site without logging in. Is that a glitch?

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    For faster response and specific help like this try emailing: [email protected]

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    You are not the only one to notice it. Even the comments section doesn’t refresh when accessing offline.

    Also, @db-staff whenever I login from mobile broswer, I successfully get logged in, but I keep seeing the “Login/Register” link instead of the “search/notifications/profile” icons until I click on a post.

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      Yeah same here. And it’s been happening for a while.

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      Same. I have to click on Beanies or another link to confirm I have logged in and to see any notifications. Happens on mobile browser.

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Okay I\’ll bite. I haven\’t watched enough kdramas this year so I intended to skip out entirely this time but I\’m seeing lots of you guys mentioning Cdramas. They are the ones giving me joy this year and the \”can\’t wait to be free and watch the new episode\” feeling. Since I\’ve never been consistent in these lists, I\’ll write them in bulk.
1. Best Female Lead
It\’s a tie between Na heed do from 2521and Yoo Jeong from Bloody Heart.
I like the former a tad bit more because NHD\’s passion and optimism for her goal inspired me to do something with my life too.
Though similarly, Yoo Jeong\’s compassion made me see things from a different perspective on a large scale. Not to forget her wits and being an incredibly smart FL that can easily outsmart two prominent men in the kingdom.
I think I need a rewatch of both shows.

2. Best Male Lead
Hands down Dongfang Qingcang from Love between Fairy and Devil.
Noone comes close especially in a year of lackluster Male leads but he would\’ve maintained the spot among strong competitors too.
It has been quite a while since I\’ve seen such a tangible character growth, not happening over night and if it does even happen because of love there is so much logic behind that. Not getting over his \”Benzou\” any soon.

Honorable Mention: Yin Zheng, New life begins: Best husband
Lu Xun, Legally Romance :Or I should say younger Lu Xun.

3. Best Womance/Bromance
For Womance: All the women in New Life Begins
This show is consciously made to reverse all tropes about women in palace. This is the best costume historical fluff drama I have seen about women and it solely focuses on female friendship and comradeship in a place where they all are strangers. Such a feel good and light breezy drama for winters. I\’m loving every bit of it.

Honorable Mentions: Na hee do and Ko Yu Rim as an excellent enemies to friends relationship.

For bromance: Dongfang Qingcang and Changheng
I know many would think DFQC and Shangque need to be here. But these were loyal comrades.
Like Na hee do and Ko Yu Rim, DFQC and Changheng were enemies, just on a very bigger scale.
These two ended up becoming friends through a very tangible and understandable route. There are two ways to go about fantasy. You can either complicate it more because there are so many leeways you can take or you can use the fantasy devices to simplify things that are difficult to show in an otherwise non fantasy drama. The show did the latter and oh so well. Not only did Changheng knew his boundaries as a second lead, he also became good friends with the Male lead. I loved both their growth arcs and how it wasn\’t one dimensional or only related to one form of love.

4. Biggest Disappointment
Love is for Suckers! You have Lee Da Hee, Choi Si Won, an interesting 4 premier episodes, what went wrong? I feel the writer originally wanted to write a low key slice of life like the first 4 episodes but was told that\’s not interesting enough. So she added the dating reality show. Or maybe the show was always a mess. I dropped it long ago but I wish I hadn\’t hoped it would be good from the beginning.

Honorable/Dishonorable mention: My Liberation Notes. I expected better, a lot better but I knew I wasn\’t going to like it from the moment they took the romantic route between the leads. Still haven\’t seen the last episode, I was just so disappointed because it could\’ve been really better.
Also She and her perfect husband: I waited 2 years to see this much lawyering? Really show?

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    Apart from the shows I haven’t watched (I.e., Love Is for Suckers, Bloody Heart, My Liberation Notes) I agree with everything you said.

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This brings back memories! While it’s only been 3 years to Arsenal Military Academy, all the funny clips still hold well. Dramaland is in need of an absolutely crazy male lead like Gu Yanzhen 😂

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    I miss Xu Kai’s eyebrows! Where is the perfect husband??? Please air it fast.

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      I no longer have any hope or anticipation lol. But Xu Kai is more inclined to doing serious shows now while crazy silly ones like Gu Yanzhen are his strong points, hopefully he gets back to doing these.

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