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Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching

So, what are we all watching this week?

What kept you reaching for more (or agonizing when there was no more), and what made you want to throw your remote through the screen? Time to weigh in…

stroopwafel

Monthly Magazine Home: I feel a little deflated by the last episode, so I’m just going to focus on what I really enjoyed throughout the drama: Jung So-min, Kim Ji-suk, and getting to see into various homes all over Korea. Ultimately when the romances let me down with weak writing, the drama excelled when it focused on homes, and that’s what will remain with me.

The Road: Tragedy of One: I was so looking forward to this premiere because I love Ji Jin-hee, Yoon Se-ah and Kim Hye-eun so much, but I was so bored by the first episode that it took me about three sittings to finish the whole thing. The camerawork was distractingly bad (much like Chun Ho-jin’s satoori); it just made me feel like I was on the verge of vertigo. If the intent was to get across a claustrophobic, paranoid vibe, it didn’t work.

 

abirdword

Love Alarm: I hit the end of the first season, and I’m amused by how much I like Sun-ho, and how that feeling is driven by my total dislike of his whole approach to life. I have no doubt that he has real feelings for Jo-jo, but the way he goes about it, man. Doesn’t notice her until his best friend shows interest, kisses her knowing she has a boyfriend, and then the super clinginess once they’re together. In real life, he would be one big red flag. And yet, I really like him. Not so much that I’m not totally rooting for the obviously doomed Hye-young, but enough to want to see some more magic between him and Jo-jo in season two.

 

missvictrix

Currently weecapping: Nevertheless, You Are My Spring

The Road: Tragedy of One: Kind of disappointed with this premiere. With an extremely long 90-minute first episode, I feel like I should have left it way more excited and intrigued. Ji Jin-hee is the bomb, but so far this drama just feels like stylish storytelling without any actual storytelling substance (even though Ji Jin-hee did his best to convince me). That being said, the ending few scenes were quite strong, so maybe there’s hope?

The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim: I liked our developments in the next episode, with granny possessing Woo-soo, and Woo-soo’s newfound ghost-seeing ability. I’m loving Kim Sae-ron more and more in this role, too. The bandaid, the ’tude! But these little teaspoons they call episodes are not working for me. I’m getting three scenes an episode when I’m supposed to get thirty three scenes. Might have to wait for the whole thing to drop before I continue.

 

quirkycase

Currently recapping: The Devil Judge

The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim: What a fun little drama! I tried this on a whim but really liked the first three episodes. I’ve been in the mood for something light and fun, and this might be it.

Hospital Playlist 2: Something is definitely going on with Jung-won’s mom. I get that no one wants her to worry but brushing off her concerns isn’t helpful in the long run. I think we’re in for some angst next week since it seems multiple of our doctors’ parents aren’t faring well.

 
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You are my Spring: These last two episodes somewhat lost the verve of episode 7-8 but they were still enjoyable. Ga Yeong telling Young Do to read the room was so funny. “Why are still here?” Was so funny. Nam Gyu Ri is really funny is this. She is adorable, kind of annoying, but sweet. It is hilarious. As for Dr. Chase, I don’t think he did it unless along with being a twin he also has multiple-personality disorder. That was be too much I think, so I’ll stick to drugged and set up. That poor woman. As for our adorable couple, they continue to be great together. They are one of my favorite kdrama couples this year. Utterly delightful.

Hospital Playlist: I liked the song choice this episode. Nothing much happened really. The underlying theme of having empathy for patients continued, even the rude ones. Gyeol Wool missing the church date was always going to happen, the heavy hinting really must stop. So was Rosa’s Alzheimer diagnosis. As for Jun Wan finding out that Ik Soon was home, Ik Joon did not play that off well, and maybe he didn’t want to, to be fair. However, Jun Wan was so shocked he didn’t even notice Ik Joon was silent. Ik Joon continues to be a delight, his crush on Song Hwa has clearly continued unabated.

The Witch’s Diner: Tim King being a cheater was very obvious, the only thing I wasn’t sure about initially was whether he had a wife or a girlfriend, but his silence in the car affirmed that he had a wife. As for a possible reference with a just out of school (because he dropped out) high schooler, WHY?. I understand Chae Jong Hyeop is older than Nam Ji Hyn in real life, but in the drama that is not the case. Let us not do this show. As for the witch, Idk what her end game is, so I am just watching.

Nevertheless: Do Hyeok you sweet sweet boy do not get hurt by these two fools in lust. You deserve better.

The Devil Judge: We are in the back 8 now, what will happen next.

Racket Boys: Hopefully we will finish you this upcoming week.

The Great Shaman Doo Shim: This was so cute. I like the leads here.

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“ So was Rosa’s Alzheimer diagnosis. “

It’s so bad I keep hopping it’s a curable brain cancer! 🥺🥺🥺🥺

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Hoping, not hopping! My kingdom for an edit button!

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COMPLETED
Monthly Magazine Home - I am so irritated with the ending I can't even rant properly. This cast deserved a better, less tropey show.

ONGOING
Racket Boys - More Olympics pre-emptions. More waiting for Ep. 16.

You Are My Spring - SHJ was perfect in the breakdown scene. Also loved the way the scene with the shadows and the child versions of the leads was shot.

Hospital Playlist S2 - Does anybody else feel depressed watching this show? A lot of the scenes feel very relatable and true to life and that is depressing as hell. The scene with the bun for example was just so sad but so real. I wanted to give Jun-wan a giant hug. Also Yun-bok. And Rosa oof. (P.S. I would have loved U-ju's dance but as a long time Run BTS fan I have PTSD about the tomato song 😭)

The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim - Not sure what to comment on one 20 minute episode per week 🤔 The fact that the Principal (probably) killed grandma and is keeping the spirit captive was interesting though.

C-DRAMAS
Still watching Unforgettable Love, Broker, Song of Youth, You Are My Glory and First Love Again 😅. Started My Queen too since my kdrama plate is a little empty right now.

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I paused even the little the Olympics left me from the kdramas... because...

...You Are My Glory completely sucked me in. And while I watched Love O2O more for the friendships, now it is the main couple which gets all my love and attention (and I get impatient whenever they are not central). I reached the separation period (Yu Tu, my heart bleeds for you, your struggles and loneliness) and I can't wait for the time they will be together again!

...and then... I got into Promise Cinderella... and it is finally a manga done right! I was amused by episode 1... and it definitely helps that the heroine is no Doormat!

...and... I found this little c-webdrama called The Other Half of Me and You (youtube) and it is so funny! A perpetual Playboy gets into a woman dominated world where the gender roles are completely switched. The show is mainly making fun from (and pointing fingers at) the society clichés... though... some of the gender reversals are also here and there a biiit uncomfortable to watch (like the consequent and constant wearing of the tight shorts) and reminds me that even in my Western society some things which need to go are still prevalent.

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This year 2 shoujo chosen well to be made into a live-action
Promise Cinderella and Renai Mangaka.

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I personally didn't like RM and dropped it after ep1. PC on the other hand positively surprised me... and so far I'm staying.

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both heroines have shown the typical qualities of shoujo one so am not much +ve about that.

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@dorotka
PC is not perfect and you can totally see its shoujo manga roots. However, it is interesting in that it is one of the few 'fairytale' shows that does first recreate the status of females in fairytales.

Sure, it's never going to stand up to any level of plot analysis but it is resolved enough to clearly state it as a precondition.

Interestingly this fairytale starts by showing the flaws in its own genre - The story wrapping in the dangers of such expectations about romance when it buts up against life. But our willingness to be swept along also showing how hard it is for us to break those notions.

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Me too, I can't bear to see them separated in You are my Glory. I fast-forward it when they are not together

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Also hooked on Your are my Glory. Binged a couple of episodes to see them reunite only to get stuck on ep 19 that hasn't been subbed yet. Great feeling.

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Hospital Playlist 2 (Episode 7) - Mood: B-
As feared, Jun Wan found about Ik Sun’s return to Korea by accident in classic lame drama fashion: at least she wasn’t talking about her own liver over the phone that time? But now I’m interested to see if this writer will handle the reveal of her liver issue in a cliche manner or not: I used to not have to worry about the writing but oh well. Case in point: why do we have Gyu Wool sending that stupid non-message during the failed proposal or Min Ha facing a mean mother-in-law trope? The campground scene was an absolute filler scene to please the shippers: Ik Jun already confessed previously.

You Are My Spring (Episode 9-10) - Mood: C+
While I think some mystique is desired or even necessary for a thriller in the initial weeks, this show has already passed the halfway point and it’s starting to go down the path where the romance is no longer gelling well with the mystery. I’m a bit annoyed that the show essentially replaced one unknown figure with another, used the shadow organisation trope as a crutch (like I get that there’s bad stuff going on but for what purpose?) and left us a cliffhanger that has 0 relation to our leads. Yes, the kiss is awesome and Ga Young’s drama in a drama is ok but it’s pretty nondescript in my opinion?

The Devil Judge (Episode 9-10) - Mood: C-
While I appreciate the criticism of nationalism and right-wing politics, it feels like it could have been done more subtly: I don’t think such social critique works when it’s blasted in our faces like that with all the caricatures on display. Also, we really shouldn’t be seeing Soo Hyun as a damsel in distress but yes it happened twice this week. Isn’t she an ace cop?!

Also watching but not really:
- The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: Hopefully the setup is over and we can get some ghostbuster action soon!
- Blue Birthday: My guess is that someone has to be dead in the present time to maintain the natural order?
- Nevertheless: Making out in Do Hyeok’s guesthouse of all places? Really?
- The Witch’s Diner: Why do I get the weird feeling that Witch and CEO are Jin and Gil Yong in the future?

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Re HP. Jung Kyung-ho’s Jun-wan continues to be the best. The best scene in episode 7 and a throwback to season one was where Jun-wan delivered bad news to the mother of a very sick child. Just watching him read the charts on the computer you could feel with him what he was thinking.
As far as the Ik-sun story line goes it lost me with the introduction of noble idiocy.
Then we get Gyu-wool. C’mon. It is too difficult to say to your boyfriend: “Jeong-won, I just got a call. My mom’s been in a bad accident and is going into surgery now. I am heading home to the hospital now. I will call you when I get there and find out what’s going on”. Please.
Writer-nim I know it is kind of late but less romance and more medicine.

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And more friendship and learning.

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Frankly it's a big red flag that Gyu-wool couldn't tell her BF that her mum is in hospital and in need of surgery. It's not a believable action coming from someone in long term relationship. I'm not sure who to blame, Gyu-Wool character or the writers for forcing unnecessary conflict.

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On the other hand, her character's biggest issue is inability to communicate well, which he knows.

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And there seems to be an element of domestic violence which could have made Gw the person she is - a big but silent blocker in her life.

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For me, Jun-Wan in his apartment alone with an almost empty fridge was the most powerful scene in this episode. Which says something about this season’s writing.

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About Witch’s diner, I feel the same. But I really really like our young haksen but I have lots of wishes:

- the witch needed to be someone charismatic. Someone like IU in hotel del Luna or our lawyer from Hyena?
- something is missing in the entertainment quotient! Our noona is nice but she gives in to the temptation of the witch and getting revenge so easily? She is tempted to eat chocolate even when she knows that it is dangerous? I mean show me how she is tempted to it…
- stories are a bit cliched but they are not able to do the midnight diner magic!

I want magic but magic storytelling like HP!
Please redeem yourself, show!

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The Devil Judge: The racist immigrant rhetoric was oh so familiar. I liked Ga-on’s strategy of showing the defendant to be a pathetic loser.

The Road: Tragedy of One: If someone has threatened to kidnap your kid, stay with your kid! I expected the twist at the end of Episode 1, but not the one at the end of Episode 2 though I probably should have, in retrospect. It was hard keeping everyone straight, there are so many characters, and new ones just kept coming.

Nevertheless: Sol and the roommates who feel like they are in a different show are the only characters I like. Potato Boy is okay too, but he needs to move on from Na-bi.

Hospital Playlist 2: Kind of a slow, disjointed episode. I don’t like this Rosa storyline. Ik-jun gets on my nerves.

Love (Ft. Marriage & Divorce): I don’t see how this can wrap up in two episodes. Don’t make me hate watch a third season. I enjoyed Hye-ryoung’s revenge. It will probably come back to bite her, but since I don’t like her or any of the husband’s bunch, it amused me.

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Agree with you on Love (Ft. Marriage & Divorce). I mean if a third season comes , I know I wont be able to resist from hate watching it and end up ranting about it here.

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If this season ends with the cheaters and mistresses not getting their just deserts, I might be out. There is only so much I can take.

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I guess SH and his mistress kind off got their karma hit after HR's press conference. I am waiting to see the doctor's arc. He is the worst among cheaters and deserves a bigger hit.

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One season of Love (Ft. Marriage & Divorce) was enough for me. Such handsome men, such sh*** behaviour, What else could happen but a prolonged tease?

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Love (Ft. Marriage & Divorce): Given where the story threads are, the ambition for a 3rd season is obvious. What I don’t have a feel for is whether it has sold well enough to get the 3rd season.

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It's getting record ratings for Tv Chosun, earning 14.8% for Episode 15. I think a 3rd season is pretty much guaranteed.

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Given the record-breaking ratings and that ending that made me SCREAM with laughter, a season 3 is guaranteed.

And I'll inexplicably be watching.

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Just finished watching the S2 final episode. Yes, I’ll be watching S3. The final minutes had me just laughing out loud and shaking my head.

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BTW, I think the ending is a HUGE bit of trolling, red herrings galore.

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Oh gosh, that ending. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. The writing has its moments but is mostly terrible and getting more and more insane, yet I'll probably watch S3 too.

Some of my earliest memories are watching Days of Our Lives. Darn you mom and grandma for my addiction to soaps!

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I never really understood what they mean by makjang but now I get it. In my 7 years of Kdrama life, I have never seen such an outrageous ending😂😂

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If that ending is real, you know S3 will be the breakdown and we won't actually get to the ending until S4. Shakes head.

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CRICKET -

England Vs. india - Day 4 - quite good match going on. Not high quality cricket but enough to make you feel invested. Enjoying the annoyance of rain and clouds and then some play and then back to bad light to stop play.

Olympics - It was ok ok. 1st time ever didn't watch most of it live.

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JAPAN - actors - ill - delaying shooting.

Promise Cinderella - 7/10 - manga to live-action. shoujo so be ready to see more and more of nonsense and annoyance circumstances, actions and events. So far nothing new, nothing special. Mangaka toned down the shoujo and that was a well made decision. This drama reminds of your dramas of 2005. You now are a good acquaintance with the story and characters but do ask the question do we need it in 2021? Its for some light fun and giggles but as you expect from a shoujo not a high quality product.

Hakozume - 4/10 - its boring and bereft of any character. This manga's anime is announced and 1st trailer of it looked really good. I'm of the opinion this was better suited to be an anime than having a tv drama. Nagano mei tries hard to be cute with that voice makeovers and silly actions but nope it doesn't work.
paravi need to tone down their thrust - each show has some kind affairs and a few raunchy scenes.

wowow - needs to tone down their thrust of blood. Intentionally pick manga's that have main character knife in hand and rest of the time spent who did it.

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KOREA -

doctor brother is the one moving this edgy teens stale tiktok or reels. writer is playig the same trick of side characters uttering anything to make them attractive but those side characters are no better than rants. everyone is farcical in this story. The only engaging matter is also stretched for too long.

The other show has heroine playing porn all day with her voice. And dumb storyline. Writer being smart with the type of events but then goes ahead and makes a variety show out of it. What's the purpose of this vulgar display of events? Well, writer has dumb down the stuff for the audience level and there can't be done anything about it. At the same time writer wants appear a sophisticated identity with the issues brought forward and how they resemble the present human society. Nope. you can't have both. You are a low class servant afterall.

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K dramas : Devil Judge & The Road: Tragedy of One
C drama: Eternal Love (Rewatch)
J dramas: Rising Jakuchu (SP), Kodoku no Gurume Season 9 E4, Kare Naru Ichizoku /The Grand Family (2021)

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Hyouchakusha: A naked handsome man drifts ashore on the coast . Three high school girls who happened to discover this man, post a video of him on social media lol

He has lost his memory yet draws prophetic pictures and people start turning up dead. Oh and a cult pays his hospital bills and cares for him.

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Racket Boys I'm not ready to say goodbye but I'm so impatient to see the last episode.

You Are My Spring The couple is great and I'm still interested in the mystery. The last BTS were pretty funny.

On the Verge of Insanity I missed it. It was fun to see Mister Spander Suit in You Are My Spring instead.

Monthly Magazine Home Waow, this show was really bad. The homes were looking good. The characters were borderline and didn't really grow up...

Hospital Playlist 2 I missed Heo Seon-Bin, she's the only one female intern who acts as an adult...

Nevertheless Fortunately, there are only 10 episodes because I don't think I could have hold 8 mores episodes...

The Great Shaman It's fun for now. I like the casting.

The Witch’s Diner In French, we said "l'habit ne fait pas le moine" meaning the clothes do not make the man. Song Ji-Hyo has really nice clothes and make-up but she lacks the charisma she needs for this kind of role...

Crush A cdrama pretty lovely.

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guy being a teacher forced assistance, help and protection of a fangirl aka heroine not makes for a something lovely.

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I'm sorry, my English is not really good, so I'm not sure to understand what you wrote...

The couple is lovely even if the past events are not.

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Your English is very good!

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Thank You :)

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My lovely Kuma. Kuma is the name for my future 🧄. 🤣

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Hey! I started with Crush today too ( 2 episodes so far). Thankfully the hero seems just introvert-ish rather than a snob. I like how Braille was incorporated in the show. It reminds me of how I want schools to teach every kid sign language. I am not 100% sold on heroine though. Maybe they are showing how we too tend to behave around differently-abled.

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I'm not sure why they choose psychology for her studies because she lacks of understanding of the situations. For a normal person, it's okay, she's learning and I guess she makes the mistakes everyone could make with a blind person. But because of her studies, she shouldn't... It's kinda my issue but I like her.

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You are right. I had not considered the psychology aspect. I hope we too get to learn the proper behaviour and etiquettes from the show.

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Hey! I started watching crush too. I liked wang peng in my girlfriend is an alien so I was looking forward to it but…
(1) their first meeting was weird! She actually goes and sits next to a musician playing and starts singing??
(2) the music keeps making me think that something will go wrong.
(3) it hasn’t made me squeal with happiness or emotion, yet!
(4) there are too many places where I don’t understand the characters. Our FL shows emotion but why, am not sure ( example: when she hears him play the piano… she gets creases on her forehead and then the hero is using a pin for Braille and out of frustration drops it. I didn’t get the frustration or the anger or the feels!)

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@noone I have dropped it. I disliked how she kept coming in that piano room without making any noise. So impolite. You are not playing hideNseek Also, how she unnecessarily helps him. He can search and find that pin or pick that notebook he dropped, let him be independent.
Their first meeting that you talked about. I made such a shocked/ wierded out face at that. A man is playin violin, you go next to him and instead of appreciating his music, puts on headphones. Next you are singing out loud in further disrespect.

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@dumplings I have been Watching it on fast forward mode! I wanted a nice romance but sometimes people try too hard and spoil it.

Btw if you want some cute fun then day of becoming you is good until episode 15/16 when they confess to each other. The sound effects, steven zhang and the actress can act though her role is sort of limited.

I also started first love again. I like the ML, the FL is cute but I feel can’t act. I really want a buddy to watch it with and analyze it… is it just me who doesn’t get the love angle but finds the time travel part intriguing and is it really a take on the time traveller’s wife? I have been searching forums for some space to discuss this and get some recommendations for good old romances :)

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And this week I have been eating dumplings and more dumplings, so like I have said before… your name makes me happy 😃 @dumplings

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@noone Dumplings and more dumplings sounds like some well spent days. Now I want to eat some too, its raining here right now and I find the weather perfect for some dumplings.

I had watched a bit of 'The day of becoming you'. Steven Zhang's 'Skate into Love' was also good till many episodes (I have not completed it though).
My few recommemdation:
In C-Dramas 'Le Coup de Foudre' is quite special to me. The leads ended up getting married in real life too. This year 'You are my Hero' was quite like by many (Police and Doctor romance). However my personal favourite this year so far for me is 'Don't Leave after School'. I felt it did funny part really well. Romance is subtle but quite cute. In K-Dramas 'Touch your heart' was a very cute rom-com a few years ago.

Oh! You have watched Time Traveller's wife. It was such a magical movie. Ofcourse with sad ending.

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@dumplings I watched a lot of skate into love but not all of it… that is my story with most Cdramas :D
I think when she becomes he in the day of becoming you, is cute! The way the actress does fangirling… ohhh! I thought their confession was heart warming but after that, the next episode was a bit of a filler and then I lost interest though I did watch the last episode. I so wish the director had something nice in the last 8 episodes too… the leads were really good and I like Zhang!
I recently watched Le Coup, not all of it. I do like the leads and the show really sets the brother-sister goals high! I just found the insta effect a bit too much at times but otherwise it is a soothing drama. I did FF at times but that is because I am not too patient.

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And no I haven’t watched the film, the time traveller’s wife but I think I have read the book. Anyway, I was looking for something and found an old old Chinese drama with the cheese in the trap hero in it, it was fun though like all melodramas had a heroine who could really get on my nerves :D

Let me check don’t leave after school.

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I totally agree with you on Song Ji-hyo.
Monthly Magazine Home was disappointing, I dropped it a couple of weeks ago...

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I held off on Witch for that very reason. I've been waiting to hear if she had redeemed herself after Was It Love? Clearly not.

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How do you watch so many shows at the same time. I'm impressed. Then again I'm probably not that efficient with my time.

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For now, I'm on vacation and it's raining... When I'm working, I watched in the train to the work. I have 2 hours of commuting (I don't know if it's the good word) by day.
Two dramas were stopped or slowed down by the JO, HP and Nevertheless have only one episode by week, Shaman is 20 minutes long episode, so it's not so hard.

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You Are My Spring: Loving every second of this show. The acting, the cinematography, the transitions, the OST, everything about this drama has made me fall so hard.

Hospital Playlist 2: I'm a little underwhelmed by this season. It feels uneven by episode and not much seems to be happening. But at the same time, I enjoy the comfort in familiarity, and I'm hoping things pick up.

Monthly Magazine Home: hey, 2001 called and it wants its drama back.

Racket Kids: was super bummed by the extra week's wait. So looking forward to finally seeing how it wraps, but I've be sad to see it end. One of my favorite watches of the year so far.

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hey, 2001 called and it wants its drama back.

😂😂😂

My alternate title for Monthly Magazine Home is Fool Me Once, Shame on You; Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me. I had forgiven Show for the noble idiocy and actually liked its exploration of longing & regret during the OTP's separation. But the last 15 minutes of Ep. 16 were unforgivable.

It's ironic that the FL was played by Jung So-min. I remember how the comment thread for Because This Is My First Life exploded with rage and incredulity at her character's "trip to Mongolia."

This time around, I'm too exhausted to rant.

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I’m wondering if I should give up on Jung So Min dramas, or at least watching them live. I love Playful Kiss but everything else I’ve seen since then seems determined to throw away my goodwill.

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'Unforgivable' is exactly the right word. I was meh about the first round of noble idiocy, and I never expected this drama to be anything extra, but it turned into a trope stew and the ending was truly beyond terrible. My sympathy to the cast. After the magic that was My Unfamiliar Family, I'm really disappointed for Kim Ji-seok.

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My Unfamiliar Family really was magic.

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I’m so glad I didn’t watch this one then. If Twinnie even said it was a disappointment for KJS, I’d stay away from it at all costs.

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Indeed - spare yourself, Twin!

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Dropped it long ago, but I was one of the many disappointed with how the writer destroyed her character in BTLIOF.... Yeah, right, trip to Mongolia! It was so stupid, absurd and out of the blue!!! Now here, I don't even want to watch... did she needed three years in order to buy her own house???
Anyway. She is an excellent actress, but lately hasn't had any luck choosing good scripts...

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The Mongolia trip was a big hideous stain on my love for BTLIOF 😩

I like Jung Somin but none of her following dramas including this one interests me. Guess we’ll have to wait again…

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WITCH’S DINER (Ep 4): For a supernatural show, the writing is quite superficial. The singer’s plight was not really a granted wish but a curse. Is Hee-Ra’s magic more fraudulent than kind? Then, there is the apparent un-clever trope of the rich young lady saved by the downtrodden homeless loser that changes his life. In Ep. 4, we do get a hint that Jin’s mother made a wish which has cursed her daughter, Jin, making her a probable witch. To vent a little, this is nothing like Hotel de Luna, which had rich weekly stories of closure and compassion. It is also not like Mystic Pop Up Bar that had its hook of saving souls in order to redeem the FL. The writing in TWD is inconsistent, bland and thin so I don’t think the actors have very much to work with. At the halfway point, we still do not have the true motivations or mythology reasons for Hee-Ra’s behavior.

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This is disappointing to hear. I was looking forward to this one but barely got through the first episode after two tries. I was hoping it would pick up, but seems I’ll end up giving it a miss.

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I agree, I agree.

I want some Hotel Del Luna magic. I do like the actress playing Jin and the actor playing the schoolboy! But the writing and direction. :(

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The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: 7.0 Have high hopes but it hasn't proven itself yet. Also, suicides are because of demons and not society?? At least they'll have a LOT of demons to dispose of.

You Are My Spring: 7.0 I like it enough to sort-of-watch but not enough to rewind to catch what I miss when I fall asleep. Without Seo Hyun-jin I'd be long gone.

The Road: Tragedy of One: 6.5 Overly typical crime show.

:The Witch’s Diner: 6.5

Devil Judge: 7.0

Voice 4: 3.0 And in the last 20 minutes they tried to set up a richly undeserved season 5 with yet another big conspiracy. I hate them, but I'll probably watch that one too 😖😬😧 If only the writer had superhearing like the FL so she could hear me grumble.

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I like your last sentence of Voice 4 hahahah

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Voice 4 (Ep 13&14) - Good performance by Lee Kyu-hyung as the villain though I somehow think that having him morphed into one of his multiple personas by popping some neck bones a bit over the top hahaha....I can't say the same about Le Ha-na's role. It's like she just stare ahead while delivering her lines most of the time here. Overall I was thinking that Voice was a police procedural helmed by a heroine with special hearing abilities but V4 is telling me otherwise. If there is a V5 please named it as Awaken 2 instead since the story will go that way :P

The Witch's Diner (Ep 4&6) - Still doesn't reveal much about SJH's witch character. I hope there will be some new revelations in the next episodes as the story isn't really moving right now....

The Devil Judge (Ep 9&10) - It's a truly dystopian world that I have no comments about this drama......yes it's Ji-sung's fault that I'm watching this :P

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Moon Embracing the Sun: Finally watched this all these years later, and I get why it was a huge hit. It doesn't break new ground but the characters are compelling, it's packed with young rising stars, and it understands the basics of plot mechanics. Am I the only one though who wanted Wun to end up with one of the princes?

Someday or One Day (Taiwan): Through 6 episodes this is a lovely, intricately plotted gem of a show. Also has a great soundtrack.

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Penthouse 3 (8): Can we just have two episodes like the previous seasons so the end will be here soon? As someone who have been watching the series from the very first season, it's getting physically and mentally exhausting even for me to watch it. I have spent my good 40+ hrs on this which stops me from dropping it. And now with the extended episode numbers it's been a struggle to watch it. The story has been going logic less in this season. I mean how the hell Logan is alive , walking, talking , hugging all in one piece after that bombing? That too in how much time?? 6 months??? I mean atleast make it 1% realistic by making him lose a limb or atleast a burn mark??? So now the makers want us to believe that Logan's family was like 5 steps ahead of CSJ? I hope we get a satisfactory explanation for that in the coming episodes.
The star of this episode was of course SK. The acting was so on point a d phenomenal. She expresses well the remorse, the guilt and loved how she was brave enough in all the scenes. As much as I like Logan and SSR as a fighting team, I am not into their romance. Its feels weird. I mean he is like the step brother of her dead daughter for God's sake !!!!
And finally are you writers telling us that the whole disdain CSJ had for SSR was because of a pecan pie??? 🙄🙄🙄

Witch's diner (4): I dont know what I am watching. Its lagging, painfully slow and there are no developments. We only get to see people making bad choices without being patient enough to wait for the opportunities to come. I got so pissed off when the lady of the episode chose her boyfriend above her dreams. And see the result?? Call me evil but girl you really had it coming. May be it's my prejudice talking here, but I felt SJH struggling to contain her expression in this episode esp when she ordered the boy for the beans. You know the extra dilation of her eyes and contorting facial muscles...

Love S2 (14): How it took HR only one fine press conference to change my sympathy towards her. I kind off loved the revenge part though. The series had hinted several times how she is eyeing Mr seo and at times I felt a bit of chemistry between them too but this is ridiculous. And above that we have Pi young too possibly eyeing him.??? And per the preview she is not gonna let HR beat her to it ??? What a crazy plot. With only 2 episodes left I wonder how they will end all this. Please dont go for another season because I know I will check it out and end up ranting about it.😶😶

You are my spring (6-10) : I should say, I was about to drop this but thought to give one more chance at ep 6 and I am glad I stayed. I felt the leads were dull before but they have been growing on me and the way their relation progressed was depicted so realistically. From flirting , hesitation and finally to that kiss, the drama has done a really good job with regards to their relation. Just as the recapped mentioned in the open thread, the whole kissing scene was shot so...

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Just as the recapper mentioned in the open thread, the whole kissing scene was shot so well I mean it looked so beautiful. Even so the major reason I am continuing this is Yoon Park and the mystery around his character. How things are correlated and who he is actually?. I am also appreciate the way the drama is developing its side charclacrer arcs. You dont see that kind of fair treatment of side characters in all dramas.

New shaman (1-2): Nothing new. But I like the leads so and it's short. So might stay on board for this

Devil judge(2-3): I am loving it. The story telling and the evil squashing. I am so behind this, but will finish it for sure.

HP 2 (7) : The episodes are taking a serious turn now. I knew there has to be something wrong with Rosa when she mentioned she has been forgetful recently. Felt bad seeing how lonely Jun wan is. Hope he gets a girl atleast by the end of season. I actually don't want him to end up with Ik sun. I mean I dont know , she kind of irked me throughout this season.

Tragedy one: Gonna be my weekend watch while waiting for penthouse 3 and witch's diner to get 100% subbed in viki

OLDER
Kingdom 2 (1-6): Finished it and what a series man. There are very rare cases where the second season of a well received show does good and that's the case here. I personally felt second season has more story as compared to the first season. The queen sitting calmly in the midst of an apocalypse and smirking creepily was spine chilling. And the ending ... although I knew about JJH is in the series it still didnt reduce the effect her appearance made. Literally cannot wait for the next season. A little bit unhappy that Chang gave up his throne.

PS: The best scene was how chang cracked open the ice using zombie head. That scene felt visually too good.

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Pecan pie??? I really don’t want to press start on this again, sigh!

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1. Nevertheless: This should have been a 6-ep mini-series instead of a bloated and watered down 10-ep watch. It's become agonizingly repetitive, and lost it's indie-charm from the first 3 episodes. Also, did the cinematographer/ editing team get changed midway? :O
2. Unforgettable Love: Miles Wei again proves he rocks suits, glasses and the science-nerd better than anyone else. Also, cute kid gets cuter when he starts speaking. Aww <3 Tropey, but can't resist cute kid dressed as MW's mini-me in every scene quite literally :D
3. Kikazaru Koi ni wa Riyuu ga Atte: Man, this for every c/k drama watcher who thinks j-dorama aren't as pretty to look at (hah!). This one's got everything- a fashion influencer (& stunning fashun!), social commentary on SNS, an architectural beauty of a (share)house, lots of impromptu house-parties with delicious fusion-food, a doggo who's the biggest OTP shipper, and some mandatory seaside village scenes (like old Taiwanese dramas). Ugh, this one has me by the heart, and is such a wholesome watch!!! Bonus point, it's an original script written & directed by women. Wish more people gave this one a try :)
4. Moonlight: Kinda dropped this for the Day of Becoming You, but I'm continuing this for Ryan and Esther, the two cuties! This is one of those rare ones, I wish had kept those manga-vibes, but sadly got diluted to 36 eps.
5. Better Days: On a Zhou Dongyu filmography-trip... so this is my Sunday-movie plans. Really looking forward to it cuz it was on an Oscar Nomination this year! :D

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I really liked Kikazaru Koi ni wa Riyuu ga Atte!

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Hoshino Gen’s Fushigi is such a bop, and I’ve been listening to it non-stop. Also, following Kouji the dog, and Mameshiba Mashiba on instagram! Heh, I got in in late, but I also got in deep with this one! xD

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I agree on everything on Nevertheless. To watch its preview and to watch its entire episode is the same. Those monologues have become a bit grating. I am not an ASMR type of a person. It would have been better had it been a Playboy plot.

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I had high hopes with this one, esp with the sound and visual design. They let us down the moment they ditched the playboy-plot. The only redemption I see is a last-minute red-herring/ wild-card so I have a prayer-circle for that __/\__

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Maybe like how Bob keeps saying - NaBi will be the playboy. Lol. Or serial killer or Leader of the Butterfly cult.

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I loved Kikazaru Koi ni wa Riyuu ga Atte. A lovely gem of a drama and the OTP was delightful.

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Hidden gem indeed... wish it didn't go under the radar as much as it did T_T

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Started Kikazaru Koi ni wa Riyuu ga Atte
Nice, glad you mentioned it .

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Where can I watch Kikazaru Koi ni wa Riyuu ga Atte legally?

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https://furritsubs.livejournal.com/20202.html
The legal site, hosted by the fansubber! ^^ Hope you love it as much as we do! <3

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Ahhh, thank you very much! ❤️

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I love love love Better Days!! The directing and acting were both great and the story, although it deals with heavy themes, is one that I always feel the urge to revisit.

Make sure to watch the mid-credit scenes.

I’m also curious what you thought of the film.

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I was watching Monthly Magazine but got stalled when noble idiocy hit. Now, I've read how it ended and, yeah, not going back. To be honest, when I was watching it wasn't a favorite by any stretch of the imagination, but I didn't actively hate it until I was just kind of tired of it all. Jung So-min, please choose something I'll really like and want to watch for your next project.

Next we have Hospital Playlist 2. I'm bored, annoyed, fast-forwarding through the playlist portions and the cutesy couple stuff, and still wondering what exactly is the plotline here and where did the central throughline of their friendships go? I've already full on skipped one episode and can't seem to find the will to press play this week, so I think I've dropped.

You Are My Spring is the one. I like the chemistry of the cast. I like how it looks. I like the pacing. I like the mystery and the romance. I think I might finish this drama. Shocking, I know.

Anything else I should pick up to fill in the gaps? I'm usually a sucker for straight-up romcoms but they've been a huge disappointment lately, so if you know of a good one give me a recommendation. No noble idiocy, please.

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Racket Boys! It's fun and full of lovely kids.

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On the Verge of Insanity is superb, @egads. It's not exactly a romance, though there's a current of something between two leads. A quick scan of the fan commentary has this in common: Nobody expected a show about home appliances to be so funny, so thrilling and just so goddamn good. And who doesn't love a cunning, ambitious female lead with a good heart? Not to mention a smart ML with high EQ and an enviable collection of plaid shirts. Everyone is good in this show.

Ep. 11 returns to Viki next Wednesday.

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Ah yes, how could I forget! I agree with everything @tsutsuloo said. It's so good. And hilarious.

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It's about home appliances? LOL. I'll check it out because I do love a good plaid shirt.

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I've heard such good things about this but have been waiting for it get off its extended hiatus to start it. Glad to hear it's finally returning.

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I can't remember the last time I looked forward to Wednesday this much.

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I'm going to have to check this one out. The premise didn't grab me, but I'm hearing so many good things from beanies about it - and I need some hilarious.

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Yep - I too will recommend this show for all the same reasons @tsutsuloo wrote above.
I've been slowly binging it all for the past week and I really like it.
And yes, the plaid shirts are nice too!

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It's on my list.

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In terms of recommendations, I just finished Crossroad Bistro which goes on my very very short list of cdramas that I liked. Group of friends invest in a restaurant. Not really a romcom but all about female friendship and relationships. And it looks great.

It's on iq.com

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oooh, female friendships are good. And if it's a cdrama that you recommend I'm confident that I won't be squicked out or annoyed by the relationships. Thanks.

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Squick? I want to go to there but need to understand how to use it correctly.

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Squicky: A feeling that something is icky, uncomfortable, or unpleasant. Usually a distasteful situation.*

*definition from egad's brain and not necessarily universal

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@egads—I love it.

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I can promise you there is no squicky behaviour - such as stalking or emotional abuse framed as either Cute or True Love.

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This gives me an inkling you might like The remembrance of the things past . Female centric, raw, crisp and concise storytelling at 12 eps. Yep, it's a c-drama, and a 'serious' attempt at drama-making!

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Ah yes, I had a look at the opening ep of that because it sounded just like my thing!

But I could only find it with subs that looked Google Translated and that made little sense. Where did you watch it?

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Mango Tv's website (mgtv)... the subs are wonky, but I'm really picky about subs, so even the most well-translated ones appear tragic to me. So far, 2 eps in, and I'm doing okay :)

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I've become a serial dropper this year. I didn't last long with Monthly Magazine. I swear HP2 is playing the long game betting that we'll all hang around for HP3 where they'll finally give us what we want.

I'm starting You Are My Spring but will quickly bail if the ending is as bad as Monthly Magazine.

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I don't have the patience to sit for a long game that leads to HP3. If I wanted long game dramas I would be watching an American show. Hmmph.

So far YAMS is miles and miles and miles better than Monthly Magazine ever was. My only worry is that the ML's storyline has the potential to end in a less than optimal way, but I really really really hope the writer doesn't do that to us him.

I've been a serial dropper for the last two years. It's been bad. Real bad.

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I'm still with HP thanks to Jung Kyoung Ho.

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I thought they announced that there is no HP 3?

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I have no idea really. I thought they originally talked about 3 seasons?

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https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/the-life-list-five-things-to-know-about-hospital-playlist-2

“ Though the creative team behind Hospital Playlist originally toyed with the idea, there are currently no plans for a third season.

Director Shin says: "(Three seasons) is the sort of timeline we originally had in mind. This is my first attempt at a seasonal series so I've come across a lot of new challenges and limitations. There are a lot of pros, but also some cons that we were not able to foresee.

"I've told the cast members a third season is not definite, so they can feel free to schedule whatever projects they want to do."

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@hebang Then my expectation for this season have increased tremendously because this season is a real downer so far.

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@ndlessjoie the story threads for many of the main characters just don’t make sense to me. It’s like they suffered personality transplants (at least partial) between S1 and S2. The thing troubling me now is that given the remaining episodes, I’m not sure there’s enough time to recover our beloved S1. Characters. Sigh.

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@hebang Agreed.

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Shaman Girl — J'adore Kim Sae-Ron. And pretty much everything else about the drama. But the bite-sized episodes are annoying. And EP3 started too far back from where EP2 ended, making it even shorter.

Witch's Diner — Song Ji Hyo has the fun witchy role but she's not doing much with it. She just widens her eyes (are those contacts?) to come off intimidating and is trying to channel her inner KMY but alas.
I feel like Jin jumped too fast into that relationship. She was just supposed to return the pen — which I'm sure he dropped on purpose — not date the guy. I knew he was shady the moment I saw him. And the preview doesn't look good.
High school boy needs to find his own purpose in life, not follow an older woman around like a lovesick puppy. This one has the longer episodes I want from Shaman Girl but it's progressing way too slow. From the way things are going, I'm guessing Jin might become a witch through which Hee-ra will break her curse?

Marriage Lyrics — Just holding out for the comeuppance.

Really slim pickings in dramaland these days. Sigh.

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I just caught the first three episodes of The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim and agree that episode overlap feels like a bit much. I guess it's not meant to be binged. (Seriously, though—the first two minutes of a 19 min. show are a replay of the previous episode's last moments.)

Shaman made me nostalgic for School Nurse Files. I rewatched Ep. 5, which featured Eun-young's middle school desk mate, Kang Sun. Would their story be different if each had known they could both see the spirit world?

I was surprised to see there were already six episodes of The Witch's Diner. Did they drop two episodes this week or did I miss something last week? Like you, I'm frustrated by the progression and don't feel much inspired to continue.

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D-Day - Had I watched this drama in normal times I don't think I would have appreciated much. But viewing this drama with the pandemic perspective made me like it a lot. I binged it away in 3 days. When it comes to disasters I expect(ed) the entire humanity to rise up to be together - all the divisions of society forgotten. But the pandemic revealed that is not the case. Like in real life some doctors went all out to save others despite suffering personal loss, while some just played politics or tried to play safe. Some citizens proved to be superheroes while some stayed selfish still. It was a wonderful drama to watch. Only the politician here was kept in grey with redemption at last but in real life many were in the darkest black shade.

The romance was a sub-plot and I loved the type of couple they (Kim Young Kwang and Jung So-min) made. You know the type of couple where the boy would pull the pigtails of the girl he likes in kindergarden but punch any other kid who tries to bully her. And the girl too is the one who will pull his hair right back but is the first one to offer candy when he scrapes his knee. And then they marry as soon as they turn 18. Yes, that type of couple vibes I got.

Jung So-Min's Saturi was so cute.

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Also if anyone kind-of wants to watch what we had assumed Nevertheless to be you can watch 'Romanced' mini series on Youtube. Channel - Real ending. Its completed.

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I think you need to have watched previous web dramas to get used to 'The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim'. 20 minutes an episode feels too short, but it was the same in the recent 'How to Be Thirty' too. That's just how long these things are.

I had watched the premiere of 'On The Verge of Insanity', then set it aside to watch other stuff - all of which disappointed me, so I came back to OTVOI and binged my way through (I assume) half the season.

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I forgot to mention, I'm working my way through season 1 of the Thai series 'The Girl From Nowhere' (Netflix). The series plays rather like school-based 'Twilight Zone' episodes. It can get rather unnerving at times.

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I have only watched the trailer and if I remember correctly some MVs of 'That girl from Nowhere' and I will say Nanno was extremely scary.

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I have that show on my watchlist but haven't started it yet. You are describing it as I imagined it to be.
It looks pretty deliciously dark.....

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Despite the Olympics we finished watching IMITATION- in fact we stayed up very late to do it. The last episode was a bit disjointed but on the whole this was a very fun show.

We also watched the first two episodes of THE GREAT SHAMAN GA DOO SHIM, and would have watched the third by now but subtitles are still not quite complete. Quirkycase is right- this is a fun show.

We have now completed MONTHLY MAGAZINE HOME and Jung So-min once again did well, but could someone explain to the writer that the final three year plus separation was utter lunatic idiocy? Seriously- don’t do that again. And the motivation for it made absolutely no sense at all. Stroopwafel is right about how deflating the last episode was- it was not quite as bad as DDSSLLS but it was a disappointment. Miso is right- it was irritating and this splendid cast- all of whom did so well- deserved better writing. You could actually tell that Jung So-min thought so- her performance in the last episode in no way matched what we had seen before because she clearly thought that her character would never pull the stunt that was written for her.

After finishing THE KING’S FACE (another drama set around the great Korean national calamity that was the Imjin War) my wife has returned to her beloved Chinese Costume Dramas- this time watching DUOLUO CONTINENT.

She also watched the wonderful, if at times intense, JAMAICA INN (the original Alfred Hitchcock version). BTW- did you know that there really is a Jamaica Inn in Cornwall?

Meanwhile my son discovered that the Chinese Fantasy costume drama LOVE AND DESTINY is just one of a trilogy- and started watching ETERNAL LOVE aka TEN MILES OF PEACH BLOSSOMS. He says the love story is great but the battle scenes are terrible. So he has set that show aside for now and is watching THE MOON BRIGHTENS FOR YOU- it apparently has much better battle scenes. He also says that visually, in terms of CGI and cinematography, LOVE AND DESTINY is much better than ETERNAL LOVE. He may be right but I cannot help but wonder if his judgement is not effected by the fact that he is hopelessly enamored of Ni Ni, the FL in LOVE AND DESTINY.

We are still behind on other shows. We have not yet watched the fifth episode of THE WITCH’S DINER or even the next episode of HOSPITAL PLAYLIST.

Waiting for BE MY DREAM FAMILY to return I continued to watch more of the light Chinese Costume Dramas HONEY, DON’T RUN AWAY and TRUTH OR DARE. I have also begun YOU ARE MY GLORY and it is good.

But finally, after a two and a half week hiatus, BE MY DREAM FAMILY has returned. It was nice to have it back.

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Fair warning :Duolou continent is a fine watch except for its ending. The development of the plot was well but towards the end I guess the writer ran out of options that it felt so incomplete. The magical and mythical vibes are what make this series watchable.

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Completely agree re MMH. I have to believe that the cast didn't see the whole script, or they would never have signed onto a project that ends like that.

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It's hard not to be completely enamored by NiNi, she's a goddess, and a total girl-crush! <3 In defense of TMOPB, L&D was kinda made as a better, more 'improved' version of TMOPB, because the director felt like TMOPB 'wasn't enough'. Also, shot a year later, L&D had a higher budget because the team was coming right out of the success of Ten Miles.
Infact, the Moon Brightens is an even more recent production, (2020)... and that's when even cheaper-budget dramas had better CGI teams.
For CGI and post-production, I'd have to say the recently released Ancient Love Poetry is the winner. Mindblowing CGI (they had Tencent's visual designers & graphics team work on the post-prod!)... so I hope your son checks that out someday <3

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Enjoying YOU ARE MY SPRING still very much. I really like the cinematography, especially the building set up, containing the home for Da-jeong, work place of Young-Do and of cause the lovely rooftop terrace all in one. The mystery of who Dr Chase is and what his considerable issues are, will hopefully soon be given more time in the drama, now that the main leads have their happy romance.

Still mixed feelings about THE DEVIL JUDGE. I have seen Kim Min-Jung playing more interesting villains before, she can do it very well, but her character here is more childish than creepy. President Heo is much more fun and it is easy to guess who the actor's role model is.

Does it really require three more episodes of NEVERTHELESS for Do-hyuk to understand and accept that the one Na-bi likes is Jae-un?

Cannot wait for VERGE OF INSANITY to resume. The writer of MONTHLY MAGAZINE HOME should have a look at how to write a gripping drama even about the production of home appliances!

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I daresay that every scene in YAMS looks like an art piece. The lighting, the set, the colors, everything is just so artistic and breathtakingly beautiful.

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It's Saturday yet I'm impatient On the Verge of Insanity! I used to call that day of the week "Wednesday."

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Hospital Playlist 2: Simply put, the writing this season makes me anxious. Kyungho continues to be phenomenal, but how much longer are we to see Junwan like this? The second half preview showed a table tennis competition between GS/Ikjun and CS/Junwan so I’m looking forward to that one in the next who knows when weeks.

PS I liked Jeongwon’s boring mandu joke.

Argon: This show has been on my list for ages, and for some reason I randomly tapped play on the first episode this week. It reminds me of Spotlight. I have a soft spot for journalism shows, especially in this fake news era, and so far I’m enjoying it. Bit painful to see Kim Joohyuk though.

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I also tried to pick up where I left off with Nevertheless’ first ep but I can’t. The cast isn’t doing it for me.

Was also bummed not to find On the Verge of Insanity in Viu. I’m not in the mood to deal with the ads in less legal sites…

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I like journo shows and find both Spotlight and Argon immensely enjoyable. On KJH, it’s sad …

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I'm looking to start Argon too.

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I'm nearly finished and I absolutely recommend it.

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What I have been watching this week... is the Olympics. 😂

It's a great escape when you can't do much about the situation around you. It's also much fun to watch it with Beans/family. I'm always happy for those that won and feel proud of everyone that did their best in the competition. Their dedication and willpower were something to behold. Bravo to Team World.

About Kdramas, what I'm watching are:

1. YAMS: I like that both leads have a group of really great friends around them. Nobody is perfect here, but they're so real and relatable. I found the mystery part nerve-racking, but it's good that it doesn't play a big role in the story. Seo Hyun-jin has shown her acting chops here in many scenes. The scene I loved the most is the scene when she broke down in tears and screamed in front of the ML before asking him to go get her some teokpokki. Cute, isn't she?

2. Hospital Playlist2: Now, I think I really have problems with this one. I can't believe it has the same writer-PD duo of that of the first ss. Many subplots felt disjointed, and the stories are all-over-the-place. Too many unbelievable and forced lovelines. (May I just add how much I dislike Seok-kyung's mom?) Everything feels .. forced. However, it also has that feeling of comfort, so I think I will stick with it until the end despite how disappointed I am.

3. Nevertheless: I'm liking this one a lot so far, no matter how dysfunctional the relationship between the main leads is. I am truly amazed by how great Han So-hee is as an actor: She is both super beautiful and talented. I like everything in this show: Cinematography, music, characters, costume, sets. I just want more of Sol and Jiwan as I think their relationship is a breath of fresh air and it's a delight to see this portrayed so beautifully and naturally in a K drama.

4. Gilmore Girls ss1: Now this is my real comfort show. I slowly watch its episodes, and I'm very happy so far. It brings me so much comfort. I love the intro song, too. Never skipped that.

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I love almost all the music in Gilmore Girls.

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Prison Playbook⚾👮 (8/16): It annoyed me how everyone would keep telling and assuming Je Hyuk would continue with baseball a few episodes ago, simply because the guy himself needed a short break from it and had enough on his plate already. Fortunately they were right and it has been heartwarming to see them all cheer him on now that Je Hyuk is ready to continue. They even brought back beloved Tiramisu Cake.☺️

Jung Hae-In can do creepy well.😮Fortunately what I did perceive as creepy at first turned out to be a cynical inmate behaving like an angry teenager as soon as I found out what happened to him. And he has to share a cell with Looney!😁 On that note: Super Color Power!🤣 It is my first time watching Looney as well and oh my god his real voice!😱

The last inmate I am honoring today is Dr. Ko. It is simply barbaric what his company did/will do to him and the actor is perfectly cast. He also plays the city husband in Racket Boys and both character are stepford smilers that just silently break your heart.💔

Speaking of Racket Boys, I really need to watch episode 15 before the last episode airs!🤫

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Looney is the star of this show for me. The drama's writing is very good indeed, although I was a little surprised to see that so many of the inmates in that cell turned out to be jailed unjustly. That is something I liked so much about Orange is the new Black, that the women were all guilty of the crimes, but they were shown as human beings as well with all their failings and flaws.

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I have not seen Orange is the new Black, so I cannot compare, but I think the unjustly jailed inmates serve more as a reflection of the corruptcy behind it, so it was not as surprising to me for that reason. You do make an excellent point, though!😀

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Racket Boys has a lot of Prison Playbook actors!
- Jean Valjean = Kang Tae-Seon
- Kim Je-Hyeok (Park Hae-Soo) = Coach Lee
- Kaiseuteu (Park Ho-San)
- Beobja (Kim Sung-Cheol)
- Doctor Go (Jung Min-Sung)
- Prison governor (Ahn Sang-Woo) = Mr No

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Shame on me, I had not recognised Kaiseuteu!😱🤦‍♀️

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He was only in the first episode of Racket Boys, I think.

His bickering with Looney is fun too! WHen they eat, the others protect their food :p

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Hospital Playlist 2:
Patients stories seem a lot shallower than season 1.
UGH Rosa's storyline... I hate it!
I'm like, is this Navillera? Is she going to do ballet soon?
Finally somebody @missh said it, Ik-jun gets on my nerves too.
Maybe just me, but I don't like the way he talks to U-ju every time in season 2.
He is trying so hard to be funny/over the top, just like when Jeong-won is talking to his pediatric patients or Gyeo-Wool, trying so hard to be nice/over the top.
(I hated the way Jun-Wan talked to Ik-sun also, I know it was supposed to be too nice to her but I really didn't like it. Hope they won't get back together)

I am thinking of dropping this drama since new dramas are coming soon.

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I'm not dropping it (yet?)... however, I'm definitely not loving it (as I did season one) either...

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Korea: Still waiting for Racket Boys. The Witch's Diner and the Great Dom Shim.

China: Completed Reset in July. It made me fall in love with Gala Zhang. I started watching the Best of you in my mind.

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Busy week so I'm behind on my dramas.

Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim (only ep 1-2): I liked it a lot and just wished the episodes were longer.

Witch's diner: Poor Jin! I wish this was a longer series since it still feels like the story is just getting started and the pacing feels off. I'm sort of coming around to the accepting that wishes' consequences after seeing missing fingers guy happy and the landlady story (though I was seriously annoyed with her for a wish that I felt was incredibly selfish).

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I have been watching mostly Olympics, partly because I like the Olympics and partly because I just can’t settle on any dramas right now.

I did watch the movie What Happened To Mr Cha? which was pretty funny - I only know Cha In-pyo from the times he was on Master In The House so I’m sure there was even more meta that went over my head but even so made me laugh. Would recommend.

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I heard Kwon Yuri is going to cameo in Racket Boys next Monday.
She was absolutely fantastic in Bossam. It would be nice to see her again!

Of course I'm already looking forward to the last episode of Racket Boys without her cameo, but now looking forward to it even more.
But at the same time, I'm so not ready to say good-bye...😭

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Hi guys,

why is covid mentioned in no Korean show? Is there any directive or law in this regard? In fact, given the bad situation with the pandemic, I agree with the choice because I want entertainment and not depression when I watch TV.

However, if the pandemic were to continue for years, it would be really strange not to have any kdrama talking about it. What do you think about it?

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I think it’s kind of nice to have the escapism but at this point they probably need to start including it, I imagine there’ll be at least another couple of years before things are more the way they were. I can remember seeing a couple of references to it in Please Don’t Date Him but otherwise everything I’ve seen seems pretty pandemic free.

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Weekend drama Revolutionary Sisters included the pandemic in the storyline and frankly it was a mess. Masks were not worn correctly, which took me out of the scenes. Netizens were complaining. They stopped mentioning the pandemic, and I don't think they even bother with the masks anymore.

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I think incorrect mask wearing/social distancing etc would actually be a problem, with role modelling the wrong thing - so maybe safer to leave it out entirely.

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Yeah, dramas aren't going to have actors wear masks during speaking scenes or stand six feet apart. I think it's probably best if they continue to ignore the pandemic or just have vague references to it.

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It was a plot device in an episode of Vincenzo, so it's obviously not forbidden.

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Vincenzo subtly mentioned it a few times. There were some jokes about social distancing, and references to getting one’s temperature taken before going someplace. I was surprised by this because I haven’t seen it anywhere else.

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it wasn't mentioned but was shown and made as a trope in Vincenzo.

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You Are My Spring - Been awhile since a drama has kept the same enthusiasm for me to watch the next episode until ep 10. Enjoying how the dark, light, deep, and fluffy come together.
The Witch's Diner - Part of me is hesitant on the next episode since it looks like its lining up to break-the-cutie.

c-drama
Broker - missed a week, err 2 weeks? Its sad how her "no" seemed to make everyone aggressively against her being a workaholic single woman when they'd been fine with it up until that point.
You Are My Glory - play the game again. Hopefully the next episode isn't the ML still missing the FL and barely a scene of the FL.
Unforgettable Love - behind here too. I started wanting to see that the SML and SFL get together instead of either of them try to mess with the MC relationship. Highly doubt that ends up happening.

BL
The Yearbook - If Phob had just told Nut what was happening in the first place.
Golden Blood - no, just no. Dropped.
Hometown's Embrace - meh, fleshing out characters instead of having too many may have managed to make me care more
Be Loved in House: I Do - lol, was not expecting a special but thankfully there was one because ep 12 was too rushed.

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Imitation: finished - it's saying something important (I've written about it on my fan wall)
Encounter: finished - cannot express my disappointment

Ongoing the same as everyone else: Racket Boys, Nevertheless, Hospital Playlist -
Apart from RB (love), I'm not enthralled by any.

Invested in You are My Spring and The Road: Tragedy of One (possibly) because I long for a meaty mystery.

As part of my Zhou Yiwei addiction, New Face (it's a pity I have to watch it on D***), but I watched a great Chinese film with him in it: Dying to Survive. It took me ages to get into it and it seemed gritty and almost repellent, but it turned out to be "based on the real-life story of Lu Yong (陆勇), a Chinese leukemia patient who smuggled cheap but unproven cancer medicine from India for 1,000 Chinese cancer sufferers in 2004." No words to convey how moving it was at the end. Highly recommended.

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Glad to see another Zhou Yiwei addict on DB <3

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Seriously sold. Big discovery today is that I can watch the rest of New Face on YouTube. Do you have any recommendations? I've seen Longest Day, Liberation, The Rebel Princess (as far as I could handle), Dying to Survive, and The Great Shaolin. I'm looking towards Tribes and Empires and/or a movie in which he has a ML.

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Definitely Tribes & Empires! He's so hot in it! Infact, I watched most of the acting variety show he ended up winning (on Zhang Ziyi's team) after which she recruited him as the ML for the Rebel Princess. He's *so* good!

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Thanks. That will be next. I've been doing the same on YT without English subs. His range is amazing. Did you see where he performed the suicide pact with her, except he faked it? His silent scream? He is so very very good.

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I decided to watch Secret (2013) since I've heard a lot of good things about Ji Sung and Hwang Jung Eum's chemistry in that drama (and I was experiencing withdrawal of this pairing after rewatching KMHM 😂).

So here's my rambling on the experience:
Secret became pretty addictive after I got through the 1st few eps that I ended up binging it in a few days lol! Also, I have to say Bae Soo Bin was a pleasant surprise. I haven't seen him in anything before, so I didn't have much on an impression initially. Eventually, I got invested in seeing his character's descent to evil and looked forward to everything biting him back in the end.

In regards to the main romance, I had trouble understanding MY's sudden change in feelings. His treatment toward YJ kind of took a 180 once she was out of jail. He wasn't overtly loving until toward the end (, but I found his transition from cruelty to kindness rather quick? There was a gradual realization that she wasn't the true preparator of the hit-and-run, but his initial menace had immensely diluted right after she was released. In that regard, I wished there was more development b/w the OTP, bc I couldn't quite grasp MY's drastic shift in gears. Perhaps the time YJ spent in jail alleviated some of that anger/made him reconsider that it was misdirected hatred, but I'm not fully sure.

On the other hand, I ended up finding SY and DH's "romance" increasingly toxic. He loved her for what she represented; she wanted to use him to provoke MY. It just turned into a vicious cycle where both continuously brought out the worst in each other. It definitely made for an interesting contrast to MY and YJ's relationship, which was turning into a healthier, and mutually supportive dynamic as the episodes went by.

To sum it up, Secret was a fun ride I didn't regret. Some of the events were over the top and kind of the insane, but it led to some edge of the seat moments that made me really curious to see how things would play out. I also enjoyed the way all the details came together and did not see that twist at the end with DH's mom.

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*did not see that twist with DH's mom coming.

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It was one of my earliest dramas. I know what you mean about the 180 degree turn. I remember two scenes that stand out in my mind as marking his change. 1. When he dressed her up in red and she was humiliated and her scar was exposed. 2. When he made her read Wuthering Heights and he feel asleep when she was sitting at the desk in his study. In the first, his feelings start to change. He pities her and I guess does not want to treat like the other people. In the second, he surprises himself because he lets go and sleeps when she is there. You can see him go through stages of grief and he takes his anger out on her, but then he starts to see her separately from all of that. I think beanies had lots of issues with him, but I was immersed in it.
I will always remember him looking for his stillborn child. Just heartbreaking. And the moment when she shows Bae Soo-bin's character what he missed out on was powerful. I was beginning to suspect the twist BTW. This was the beginning of my Ji Sung viewing fest.

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Chinese:
The king's avatar
I got curious since so many good
comments were posted when this show aired that I had it on my wish list and finally I watched it. Very addictive!!!! I really enjoyed the graphics more than I imagine I would, and I was very surprised to learn about esports aand little bit more. It turns out these kind of competitions really exist!
Not that I didn't know anything, I also watched "Go go squid", and Love 020 but... well, in regard to video games, and online games I am mostly ignorant.

Dropped:
monthly magazine home
Can you believe I dropped in the episode of the confession?
I know things were bad later, because of the comments in this thread, but I was bored even before noble idiocy. The confession, fellows... was boring and anticlimatic. But mostly, the thing is I couldn't buy the romance between our OTP, even though I love both artists.

On hold:
my fellow citizen
I am on ep. 29 out of 36.... I am sooo close, I have to finish. It's just that... real life takes place.
But I am enjoying this drama a lot, it makes me laugh and the actions sequences are also entertaining.
My only problem is that I cannot condone Siwon' character for lying that much. I know it is the main core of our plot, he is a conman. But I still cannot praise him as if it's right to lie to your spouse for so long. No, not even once... because once the trust is broken, it is very difficult to repair it. I don't know if it's possible.....

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MY FELLOW CITIZENS is a classic. Ultimately the lie does get resolved, as it must.

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Like last week, I'm only watching You Are My Glory. I have some issues with the lack of screen time for our main couple. They need to be in the same scene! I've never seen such a visual feast so please just let them be together, I can watch their faces forever. On a more serious note, I feel the show is not capturing the core group of viewers like me, and I really think romance should be at the forefront, not Yu Tu's career. Some people claim that this adds some depth to the drama, but it doesn't, so stick with what it really is. The previews for next week's episodes are exactly what I want. I'm looking forward to Monday.

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Watching HOSPITAL PLAYLIST 2 with a bemused sense of detachment over the huge emotional investment fans have for their ships. Quite a lot of "lateral bullying" between different groups. Perhaps it's because I'm reading "If I Had Your Face" by Frances Cha in which one character expresses her opinion that she knows absolutely no one who resembles any of the typical characters in Korean dramas. Giving myself a couple days before I start to read "Kim Ji Young, Born 1982", but think I may need something lighter.
Getting my sage fix with HAECHI which has a couple strong female characters but is mostly men shouting and fighting. Love the supportive friends but wary of the contrived romance.
Enjoyed the first two eps of high school shaman show so I'll stick.
Just started SOME DAY or ONE DAY this morning and that may be the palette cleanser I'm needing before the tsunami of premiers at the end of this month. Based on Beanie recommendations I'll add On the Verge of Insanity to my list. A comedy would be good right about now.

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Oh and..... I love indie international films because I yearn to understand other cultures. Since I know nothing about west Texas football and I liked the OST, I tuned in to Friday Night Lights. Putting a dare out there. Watch the BEST first ep ever (on Netflix). Just sayin'.

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Thanks for mentioning the Frances Cha book, I had not heard of it before 👏🏽

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@jossie4cheryl, Alluvial_Fan,
I can definitely recommend HAECHI (2019) (Viki US). It is a commitment to go all 24/48 episodes. There were many wonderful performances but since you are also watching HP you are in a great position to contrast the performances of Jung Moon-sung in both. For his portrayal of Yi Tan in HAECHI JMS received the award for “Best Male Character” at the 2019 SBS Drama Awards. It was a gutsy choice considering the character he played.
Those who only know JMS from his role of Do Jae-hak in HP have no idea how nasty he can get if the role calls for it.
(Apologies if that is a spoiler.)
I love his relationship with Jung Kyung-ho in HP.

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Agree agree, JMS portrayal of a seriously psycho Buddhist in Haechi is in such stark contrast to his happy unicorn in HP. In a single day I can see a sinister creepy smile in Haechi and an openhearted happy smile in HP. I'm pacing myself with the Haechi watch because there are some wonderful character actors chewing up the scenery. Feel like I'm crawling out of a long K-drama slump so thanks for the encouragement!

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YOU ARE MY GLORY: I love this to bits! I'm forcing myself to watch a single episode every day, but it is truly lovely and the OTP is to die for, more so since I've already fallen in love with them through the novel.

SCRIPTING YOUR DESTINY: I totally binged this over the weekend and it was so good. This is how you make drama involving gods (looking at you, Doom at your service). I didn't like the ending but it wasn't badly written, it just tore my heart apart. The repercussions over the years to come is just unbearably heart rendering.

MOONLIGHT: I totally love the 1.25 play speed at iqiyi! I felt the show lost a lot of momentum around ep 20 and the romance of both couples is boring. I do still appreciate the differences displayed in those relationships though and the focus on career for the female lead is refreshing. So I have a couple of episodes to go and have no intention of dropping it. Ryan Ding is also amazing.

BLOODY ROMANCE: I finally finished this drama and rambled a bit about in the open thread, so I don't feel the need to repeat. Except for one thing. Wang Duo, the new bright star on my acting heaven. 😍
I simply can't wait for the sequel to Ying-yang master: a dream of eternity.

I really need to finish SELL YOUR HAUNTED HOUSE. Unwillingly dropped it at episode 14 (Why is final week so hard for me to complete? I drop a lot of shows at ep 14 without meaning to) but I feel it deserves the bean, so fighting!

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The final two episodes of SELL YOUR HAUNTED HOUSE did not disappoint.

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Monthly Magazine Home: 5/10 - A bit below average. I really liked our leads, despite the rocky start for our ML (they leaned into that jerk trope a little hard). And the side characters were mostly fine too. Where it lost me was the re using tropes over and over. Noble idiocy, leaving each other what…like 3 or 4 times? Everyone finding everything out by overhearing/eavesdropping/messages incorrectly sent. I’m not even going to attempt to count how many times that happened. If it was a drinking game, I’d be dead. Jung So-min, please pick another good project I can rave about to others :)

In any case, this was a bit disappointing, but didn’t offend me with it’s horribleness like Oh! My Master, or Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol. I got my bean, moving on.

Devil Judge: Our latest episode was definitely an emotional gut punch. Hurt feelings all around, with sides of vengeance. Things are kicking into to high gear going into the last couple of weeks of episodes though. Can’t wait to see the president get his dose of comeuppance.

The Road: Tragedy of One: Loooong episodes. The cast is so loaded with talent, I had to tune in. It’s not gripping me yet, as there’s no one to really route for, but I’ll keep watching for now.

Unforgettable Love: 8/10 - Been a while since I finished off a Cdrama, and I saw this one mentioned a while back so I gave it a shot. Fairly standard setup, but the leads were so charming it pulled me through all the way. The ending seemed rushed as they just decided things were fixed so they were fixed, or fixed quickly offscreen. But a meh ending doesn’t negate the fun I had with it beforehand.

Don’t Leave After School: 8/10 - Another fun Cdrama. School settings seem to be my favourite as A Love So Beautiful is still my favourite Cdrama but this one was filled with loveable characters. Also a bit of a rushed ending, with a time skip. As a random aside, Chinese drama dubbing is rough. I’m not a fan of dubs in general, but they’re so prevalent it’s hard to escape in Chinese dramaland.

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Moorim School : Currently repeating this series. I love the storyline so much! Watched it because of Seo Ye Ji, end up falling for Lee Hyun Woo (what's his most recent drama?)

Good thing I watched It's Okay Not to Be Okay first, so I can understand that was Seo Ye Ji acting few years back.

The Good Shaman : Another interesting fresh kdrama for me. I love light kdrama that focuses on storyline (not just loveline), and strong female lead character. Hopefully this drama will consistently be interesting.

Devil's Judge : Episode 9 & 10 are quite slow paced. Currently dragging my hubby to join me finish episode 11 & 12

Racket Boys : This series is light and fun. It's sad for me to part from it. So I kept delaying finishing the final episode.

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ON THE VERGE OF INSANITY Fans:
Yesterday’s episode 11 is now available subbed on Viki US.

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