Beanie level: Eunuch in drag

I finished Eye Love You. It felt like a live-action Studio Ghibli story (the OST helped). Chae Jong-hyeop is so good in this, as is the rest of the cast. Highly recommended!

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Eye Love You is Jdrama but it features Chae Jong-hyeop. Netflix has released the first 5 episodes and the last ones are coming April 14th. Don’t miss this hidden gem!

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    April 14th? Are you kidding me?! I was hoping for March 31. Sigh. 😉 No wonder Netflix doesn’t show the upcoming episodes or release dates yet.

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    Oh, lots of folks have been creeped out by this one, Tim…are you enjoying it? Others have taken issues specifically with the way the lead relationship is being oddly balanced. We all know it’s J-drama…but what are your thoughts there?

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      Creepy? I’m not seeing/feeling it, but perhaps it’s due to my eccentric eyes (remember, I loved Doona too!)

      My take: the FL has serious self-esteem issues that is deflecting the ML’s overtures (and her romantic life in general). In episode 5 we finally see the romantic triangle emerge, since she gets to read the mind of the 2ML (who she has great loyalty/friendship with) and realizes he loves her. And then there is the (yet-to-be revealed) past history trope between her and the ML that only the old professor knows about. It all seems pretty harmless and rather charming to me. It’s obvious that TBS didn’t give the show a huge budget to produce this, and I think they’ve done a remarkable job with what they had. It’s possible the last 5 episodes coming up could torpedo things, but I’m not getting that vibe from this show.

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        Hmm. Well, is the FL similarly self-aware of her own “messed-up-ed-ness” as Doona? If so, I might give this one a go once all the episodes have dropped…

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          @attiton yes, the FL definitely knows she has esteem issues, but she struggles to find the courage to overcome them. There have been many scenes of her friend giving her encouragement in this regard. She is taking steps (albeit little ones) to build romantic confidence. This FL is a sweet person (unlike Doona), and this is made clear by her only using her mind-reading power to protect her company and herself.

          I’ll definitely post my final thoughts/recommendation here after I see the last of the show next month.

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      I like this and don’t find it creepy at all. I think he’s a golden retriever and gives love despite his it’s received. And she does like him, but has a lot of insecurities.

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    I’m so mad we don’t get the rest until next month. I’m really enjoying this one.

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Meet Me After School Apologies, beanies. I have been distracted by binge-watching this Jdrama, which is a very slow moving train wreck. “Like a moth to the flame”, I got hooked on it.

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    Enjoy the ride!
    (I liked the first part, not the rest. But I may be in the minority. 😅)

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      @dorotka The ending insinuates a hopeful outcome, so in fairness I should say this show is only a minor train wreck. Nevertheless, it was excruciating to watch the FL and ML purposely self-distruct their lives for love. I type “love”, not “LOVE”, because this show never convinced me that the love they shared was worth the terribly high price they both paid to finally be together (especially the FL).

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        I don’t remember too much from the show now, but I found what I wrote in 2020 about it:

        I did reasonably like the first episodes (but that slap), how they portrayed the first love awakening of Akira and how Hijiri was trying to do her best as a teacher figure… but then the show changed into a makjang and I got frustrated with the overhonest martyr Hajiri… and even more with the Mothers. I think part of my frustration stems from a cultural difference (where I live 18yr-olds are legal adults) and part (a big part) from my beliefs about what is good parenting. Also… why was everyone so interfering?? Anyway, rant short, I personally think they should cut out most of the second part (which was more less a repeat of the beginning) and more concentrate on the inner problems of the couple (and their age difference)… and on showing me why I should root for the couple, why these two are such a good fit and should be together (the poems in the first part was a good start).

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    I remember that I loved it. I think it was really interesting because it was wrong and they didn’t deny it. But the actors had a great chemistry and in a certain way I wanted them to be happy.

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      @kurama good to read your comments on this show. It is 9 years old, but it was just recently released on Netflix NA, so I could watch it now. While the ML never denied his feelings, I struggled because the FL did, in fact, deny her feelings many times. Not until the final few episodes did she fully surrender and openly acknowledge it to everyone – thus triggering her final societal Seppuku. I, too, wanted them to be happy, but the cost just seemed too high. Yet, I realize “the heart wants what the heart wants”.

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        But the FL didn’t really have the choice. A teacher-student relationship is wrong. She loved her job. She had someone in her life too. She was loosing a lot because of her feelings.

        It’s nice that Netflix is adding Jdramas!

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    So funny reading all the takes on jdramas on the beanie fan page right now. 😂

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      @alley-le so I am not the only one? If so, that makes me feel better.

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        They suck people in. As terrible (by popular opinion) as they may be. 😆 I’m a Japanese BL fan. Honestly, find their communication better than in heterosexual shows. And several watching Eye Love You for one very obvious reason and only one, at least the only reason I’m watching it. But one of the second leads looks just like a friend of mine which is weirding me out a bit.

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My Name is Loh Kiwan Beanies, don’t miss this film! Song Joong-ki is so, so good in these salt-of-the-earth roles. Here is some more background on the film. Recommended!

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My Name is Loh Kiwan is being released on March 1st on Netflix. The trailer looks good, and the story location (Belgium) is interesting. I just hope SJK delivers.

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Doctor Slump E4. To my eccentric eyes, this scene of Park Shin-hye’s dexterity with alcohol rivals her scenes with her applique-covered assault rifle in Sisyphus.

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Some of us have noticed the trend of cherry blossoms appearing in kdramas. Something about them speaks to our souls. I took this photo last March, when I saw them blooming in Washington D.C.

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I have not seen Ma Dong-seok (aka Don Lee) in quite a while. He is now starring in Netflix’s Badland Hunters, and once again displaying his tough-yet-gentle hero persona.

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    Just popping in to see how you’re doing as it has been quiet on the western front for a while. Are you lacking dramas you can engage or busy with life or both?

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      Hi @reply1988 ! I have been watching several K and J dramas these last few months, but have also been quite busy lately in real life (oops, that is a misnomer for a ghost!). Thank you for asking. 😊

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        Good to know all is well and you have still found time for dramas! Which J dramas have you seen recently? They have been a bit hit and miss for me. I have loved Dr Storks, Worst to first, and You, me and Bach. Fermat’s cusine, Oh my boss, love not included, On a starry night, and Trillion Game were ok.

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          🙀 …. I found Trillion Game more than ok! 👌 Oh! well maybe not the drama, or the story or whatever random con they were pulling. 😅
          Seriously how can this be just okay.

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            Check out Dr Storks and Silent then we can chat. I liked it at the time, it was great how all the actions were connected and got them to the end goal but it’s just not in the love league like Dr Storks or Worst to first. Have you seen Dr Storks?

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          I stumbled onto Trillion Game because it has the same leads as My Happy Marriage. 😀 J-dramas are extremely deep and impactful and hence not always compatible with my emotional boundaries.  Dr. Storks and Silence are unfortunately not my cuppa. 🤷‍♀️ Mianhaeyo.

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    My partner and I enjoyed the heck out of this movie last weekend, but we did not find it… good. I will never get tired of Ma Dong-seok in roles like this though, and the action sequences were great!

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Geongseong Creature E9. This show is more than it appears to be! Stay the course!

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Welcome to Samdal-ri E7. “That scene” when your heart breaks for the 2nd male lead…. (and yes, your friendly ghost is still here haunting you…)

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Daily Dose of Sunshine E10. Aigoo! Here I go again with an eccentric crush, this time for Gong Min Jung. Her many fantastic supporting roles have accumulated to win my heart.

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Daily Dose of Sunshine E2. @radily is right, this show is the Real Deal. I see a combo of Hospital Playlist and It’s Ok Not to Be Ok. Also: who is this cameo? Suzy?

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Castaway Diva E3. Oftentimes my eccentricity inexplicably draws me to the shining talent of a rising star – even someone in a supporting role. This time, it is Moon Woo-jin.

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Strong Girl Nam-soon E8. Ah, such magical ghostly beauty! Just what I needed to drive lingering images of Suzy from my brain. What a Halloween treat! 🎃

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🎃 Happy Halloween 🎃 from your friendly ghost. Yes, my bluish-purple eye is still here, watching and learning, from beneath my new Eunuch in drag attire. 😉

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Some beanies (myself included) really liked seeing the band Nerd Connection in E8 of Doona. I finally found a video of “Hollywood Movie Star”, the song they performed.

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Castaway Diva E1. I was hoping this guy waiting for Mok-ha at the station was wearing a military uniform, but upon closer study it appears to be a professional work uniform. 😞

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    Oh. I thought it was military uniform too.
    I don’t expect them to be accurate but I assume they wanted to say he finished his mandatory military service.

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      Yes, I thought the same thing. It still could be a military uniform, but the 4 buttons on the sleeves lead me to believe otherwise. I hope I am wrong, but it probably doesn’t matter for the story. I just sometimes find myself getting eccentrically anal about this type of detail. 😣

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        The uniform read “Navy Band” to me.

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          I also thought it was Korean Navy, but didn’t we see Bo-gul get seasick on the ride to the island? It would seem odd for him to have served in the navy and suffer from seasickness.

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            Wasn’t Woo-Hak the one who was sea sick? Which made logical sense to me that he isn;t Ki Ho

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            No, it’s Woo-tak who gets seasick – Bo-geol is the one who regularly volunteers for the island clean-ups and voluntold his brother to come along. And it’s Ki-ho, who for the moment we are assuming is now Bo-geol, who waited at the train station.

            People who tend to get seasick can and do still serve in the US Navy – I don’t know about S. Korea.

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            *Woo-hak. It always takes me some time to get used to a new set of names, for both actors and characters. Woo-tak was Jung Hae-in’s SML character in While You Were Sleeping from the same PD.

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            @mayhemf @Elinor you are correct, I got the character names switched.

            We are being thrown lots of bait, but how much of it are real clues? Too little info to connect the dots (yet), but it’s fun to speculate.

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            @mayhemf @Elinor @Seeker here is a thought: Bo-gul is really Ki-ho, but he had to change his name when he eventually ran off to live with his mother’s family in Seoul. He had to change this name to elude his abusive, ex-cop father – who he knows is trying to hunt him down. He wants to reveal his identity to Mok-ha, but cannot, because he knows it could eventually lead to his father finding him. This is my Halloween-enhanced ghostly prophesy (but don’t put alot of stock in it!!) 😜

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            @GhostofTim It’s an entire shoal of red herrings. There are lots of fishy things going on here, not least of which is the repeated use of fish as something other than food. On the land side, that deodeok wine is a real thing! 😖 I wonder if it’s going to be a continuing metaphor for Ran-joo or if that was a one-time (PPL?) cameo.

            I do love this stage of a drama, when there are far more clues than answers and we’re madly scrambling to figure out what’s significant, and it’s being done well here.

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            Comment was deleted

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            @GhostofTim I agree you’ve got hold of the right end of the stick with that theory (to the extent that a ghostly hand can grasp anything). Do your prophetic powers always increase at this haunted time of year? Can you take advantage of them to make a few won in the stock market?

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            Bo-geol as Ki-ho has definitely more merit because “drama logic”. Also as you rightly said in order to hide from his father he is afraid to even give a hint to Mok-ha.
            As he said earlier, be so successful that no one can touch you. I have a feeling that we will get more clues and he may hint or Mok-ha may find out when she interacts with him some more.

            It would be highly improbable for Woo-hak to be Ki-ho. I put down her “you have the same vibe as Ki-ho” comment to be how brothers give similar vibes.

            That look on Bo-geol face in the epilogue when Woo-hak said he would do for Mok-ha what Ki-ho would do was quite telling.

            Why is no one one comparing the writing of Ki-ho on that note with the Kang brothers. Surely, as a reporter first thing Woo-hak would do is to compare his or his brother’s writing. Maybe it will be revealed later.

            For now Bo-geol as Ki-ho seems more plausible.

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            @GhostofTim

            Sold. I nomu nomu chuae your theory.
            Please allow me to add my two penny and let us go down this rabbit hole:
            – Woo-hak is actually Ki-ho… but amnesia.
            – Bo-geol is helping to secretly look for Mok-ha by volunteering to clean islands.
            – Woo-hak falls for Mok-ha but misunderstands that Bo-geol is Ki-ho and respectfully withdraws.
            – Bo-geol falls for Mok-ha but feels guilty because he is not the real Ki-ho and respectfully withdraws.
            – Mok-ha becomes a famous singer and lives happily ever after with wait for it Ran-joo because she is her mother or sister!!

            Ottoke??

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            Comment was deleted

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            @seeker I delete my comment just previous to this one because it wasn’t what I wanted to say. First, to your very interesting speculation of:
            – Woo-hak is actually Ki-ho… but amnesia.
            – Bo-geol is helping to secretly look for Mok-ha by volunteering to clean islands.
            – Woo-hak falls for Mok-ha but misunderstands that Bo-geol is Ki-ho and respectfully withdraws.
            – Bo-geol falls for Mok-ha but feels guilty because he is not the real Ki-ho and respectfully withdraws.
            – Mok-ha becomes a famous singer and lives happily ever after with wait for it Ran-joo because she is her mother or sister!!

            I think (as was suggested by some others) we are probably over-complicating this plot, but nevertheless I really like your scenario here. It explains the clues we have seen and feels right for this kind of show. I just hope if this is the direction we are headed, we do see “respectful withdrawals” and not Trucks/Boats of Doom.

            I never expected this simple post about a possible military uniform to lead down such a Rabbit Hole!

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            @GhostofTim

            Hahaha. Moral of the story – ask Beanies for theories at your own peril. 🚩 🚫  🐂

            No worries, its all good. See dramas you like, chat about what you want to discuss and just have FUN!

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          I think it’s pretty clear that Woo-hak can’t be Ki-ho if he really lost his memories before high school, because why would he keep going to the spot Mok-ha was supposed to meet Ran-joo even as an adult if he didn’t remember!

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            @mindy this is great analysis, and is most likely a solid clue. However, let this ghost play Devil’s Advocate for a minute. It’s possible that we see two different men going to the station to look for her. It is Woo-hak who goes up until the time of his injury, then we see Bo-gul taking his place. Why? Well, Woo-hak has confided to Bo-gul of the need to periodically look for Mok-ha at the station, and after his injury Bo-gul feels obligated to help his (foster) brother continue the search.

            Your explanation does make more sense, but we are discussing a kdrama…

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            @ghostoftim Oh god.

            I’m just gonna sit back and let the drama do its thing 😭

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            @mindy @Seeker @Elinor @mayhemf Mindy, I know, right? It’s a mess. I was just prophesizing to you guys that “Bo-gul is really Ki-ho” and then you triggered something that led me to the thought “What if Woo-hak really is Ki-ho, but he told Bo-gul the whole backstory, and Bo-gul has been secretly helping look for Mok-ha after Woo-hak lost his memory?”

            Moral of story: don’t buy stocks based on what a ghost shares on the internet! >😄

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            LOL, Tim.. I don’t know how to react to the beanie theories and analysis. I honestly don’t think the writer wrote this to be so intelligent. Most of me thinks that beanies are over thinking and over analysing things that the writer themselves might not have thought about ; )
            Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun to read all this. But, I am just going to go with the flow.

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Castaway Diva E1. The superb acting of 14-year-old Moon Woo-jin is stuck my brain. I really, really hope we see more of him via flashbacks in the remaining episodes. 🤞

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Castaway Diva E1. I cannot remember an episode 1 that ripped me open this much with its beauty and horror. This ghost needed tissues, you may too.

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Eccentric ghosts do silly things at Halloween (like sing bad karaoke). I tried an old song with lyrics that make me think of a Won-jun singing to Doona.

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