More Queen of Tears neckties(it’s SO GOOD to finally have a classic blockbuster kdrama that’s firing on all cylinders- and ugh Kim Soo-hyun/Kim Ji-won as a couple are amazing, chemistry 100/10)
So in love with Queen of Tears and Hae-in’s style, literally the whole drama styling, lighting and coordi team seem to be v. into gleefully showing off Kim Ji-won’s exquisite beauty
Boohoo no more Business Proposal T_T I already rewatched all the episodes it’s been a while since a romcom was this good! Also Samantha and Rachel deserve Hall of Fame status, Kim Sejeong killed it!
No Vincenzo this week but yay for BangBangCon to fill the gap (even if I’m now teary at the sight of actual crowds of fans and having post-concert depression in a way I never did for actual concerts)
Same! Plus it’s 10x more fun to watch when you know millions of other fans are doing the same thing (some of these are on dvd but it just wouldn’t feel the same to rewatch later).
I’m still in thrilled disbelief that THIS HAPPENED. As a longtime kdrama watcher, doubly so (and I really wonder how jb and gf must feel). #ParasiteMadeHistory
Goodbye to The Tale of Nokdu, the little drama that could. I hung around the final recap for the longest, but seeing the thumbnail move into \’Recently Completed\’ brought it home that it\’s over 😢
Ohmygosh I’ve been seeing your comments all over the Nokdu thread and I feel like you’re probably even more obsessed with it than I am (perhaps… I’ll fight you on that one tho ;p) wahhhh help me!! I’m SO gutted it’s over and there’s no more… I’m literally re-watching it for the 5th time in a row because I love it so much. I’ve watched and re-watched their BTS vids, interviews and radio appearances (KSH & JDY) so many times I literally know what they’re saying without subs by now and I am still so obsessed with the drama, team and of course our DongJeon couple.
Any ideas how to move on?? Or maybe we can just fangirl together???
haha sorry I’m late replying but I’m glad you love Nokdu too!
I rewatched while waiting for the final episodes, definitely going to return to Nokdu in 2020…..but to get over the withdrawal, I’ve been watching some of Jang Dong-yoon’s other dramas, including If We Were A Season and Dance Sport Girls! But I am totally open to continued fangirling here too (just sorry about late replies since I don’t log in every day).
The thing about The Tale of Nokdu is that it’s not reinventing the kdrama wheel, but it does put a fresh spin on now-hoary fusion sageuk tropes. It’s also really good at making its characters feel like people and not just trope placeholders – whether that’s Nokdu and Dong-joo, or supporting characters like the Queen.
Also, execution is everything. This is supposed to be a romance, and they cast leads who could actually pull off the more charged moments of Nokdu and Dong-joo’s relationship (that scene where he reveals himself to her at the end of episode 3? Is positively electric.)
Anyway I close out with a pic of Nokdu being cute on the swing:
(Pic 2 is Rey and Kylo Ren from Star Wars ep VII-IX)
I can certainly see it in the fact that both male leads are warped and amoral sociopaths drawn to women chosen by the gods/the Force to wield enormous power and authority, and said women feel bad about them and hope to reform them or at least restrain their worst impulses.
Also in what I call the Wrongness Chemistry ie no sane person would think these two getting together is a good idea, and any romantic feelings are certainly not mutual, but they have off-the-charts chemistry anyway.
Haven’t watch Arthdal Chronicles but this does look problematic. On another note, I was reading your theme of the month post about Chae Soo-bin’s character in Sassy Go High. It’s really well-written. Are you by chance a professional writer?
I didn’t think about it as ‘problematic’ given that neither relationship between the characters in question, is a romance – the women in both cases are aware they’re dealing with dangerous murderers who might feel some attachment to them, but aren’t to be trusted and may well kill them if they put a step wrong.
Thank you for your comments about my theme of the month post. I’m not a professional writer of any kind, though!
And yes, I know the show was flawed and in need of an editor, but it was the most interesting kdrama I’ve watched all year (antiheroes, nation-building, and conflicts between church/religious orders and state? Plus supernatural elements?) It could have been great, but I’m still furious at being cheated of any kind of resolution given that Netflix/tvn basically filmed half a drama, passed it off as a whole one, and the production is now making noises indicating that there’s not likely to be a season 2 to actually, you know, finish the damn story.
(And even if it had been a smash hit – what are the odds that they’d have been able to get the cast together again?!)
Part of the reason why I like kdramas and jdramas so much is that the stories are a closed loop within a single season – none of this cliffhangering and dragging on for years.
It’s not as if kdrama second seasons can’t work – look at Let’s Eat 2 or Age of Youth 2. But those dramas had a crucial difference, which was that the initial seasons were complete stories in themselves! I’m rather resentful that Netflix is trying to force kdramas into the seasons system, and doing it in the laziest way possible ie either chop a story in half or (as in Arthdal’s case) film only half of the intended story!
It’s doubly a shame because, despite being riddled with production issues, Arthdal Chronicles had the potential to be great and despite my complaints, it kept me hooked and invested in the characters all the way to the end. It’s maddening to see it go like this. 😡😤😝
It’s got to be the first time in kdrama history that a drama has literally ended halfway through its story. I appreciated the unpredictability of the plot (rare in a kdrama) but I wasn’t expecting it to literally have no resolution at all!
I tagged you in a potential riot post. I’ve already lodged my complaint with Netflix. The riot is actually about whether it’s worth a bean in the year end count (of course it is).
Hear, hear! I come down on the side of thinking that the pain of watching all of Arthdal + (Pain of) Open Ending make it worth well more than one Bean 😠
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
March 17, 2024 at 1:34 PM
More Queen of Tears neckties(it’s SO GOOD to finally have a classic blockbuster kdrama that’s firing on all cylinders- and ugh Kim Soo-hyun/Kim Ji-won as a couple are amazing, chemistry 100/10)
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
March 17, 2024 at 1:26 PM
So in love with Queen of Tears and Hae-in’s style, literally the whole drama styling, lighting and coordi team seem to be v. into gleefully showing off Kim Ji-won’s exquisite beauty
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
April 15, 2022 at 12:58 AM
Boohoo no more Business Proposal T_T I already rewatched all the episodes it’s been a while since a romcom was this good! Also Samantha and Rachel deserve Hall of Fame status, Kim Sejeong killed it!
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
December 1, 2021 at 8:05 AM
I am so not ready to say goodbye to this crew /cries
(also all my best dramas this year were ones I didn’t expect to love – Vincenzo, Squid Game – though that just made me cry a lot – & now WLDN)
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
April 26, 2021 at 12:35 PM
State of the downloads folder
#Vincenzo
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
April 18, 2021 at 12:37 AM
No Vincenzo this week but yay for BangBangCon to fill the gap (even if I’m now teary at the sight of actual crowds of fans and having post-concert depression in a way I never did for actual concerts)
Carolina
April 18, 2021 at 12:16 PM
I need another BBC. It’s so fun to watch them grow up on stage.
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
April 18, 2021 at 4:47 PM
Same! Plus it’s 10x more fun to watch when you know millions of other fans are doing the same thing (some of these are on dvd but it just wouldn’t feel the same to rewatch later).
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
April 11, 2021 at 2:44 PM
No Vincenzo next week NOOOOOOOO don\’t take my drama crack awayyyyy there\’s only 4 episodes left now T_T
(Elections are important though!)
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
December 1, 2020 at 11:15 AM
Ohmmmmmmyyyyyyyyggghghhhhhhhgggggggggdhdhsjsixudbslsogbdsisgshdbxidjdbdidhdifjfiri
mugyuljoie is preciousss
December 1, 2020 at 11:21 AM
💜
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
September 1, 2020 at 9:28 AM
dee23
September 1, 2020 at 12:35 PM
Wow. That is actually amazing. I’m.not even Korean and not much of a fan, why do I feel so proud? 👏👏👏
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
September 1, 2020 at 9:26 AM
So after that last post…THIS happened. I\’m SO proud T_T
(Hope everyone\’s ok, feels like a century since the voldemort virus hijacked 2020)
https://twitter.com/billboardcharts/status/130048908
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
February 10, 2020 at 9:25 AM
I’m still in thrilled disbelief that THIS HAPPENED. As a longtime kdrama watcher, doubly so (and I really wonder how jb and gf must feel). #ParasiteMadeHistory
I’m just so happy for everyone 😭😭😭
kiara
February 10, 2020 at 10:11 AM
JB and GF would post it here first thing in the morning. This is historical and deserves it’s own celebratory thread.
I miss them so much!
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
February 11, 2020 at 8:01 AM
I know!! (it has the celebratory post now)
I miss them too, I hope they’re celebrating somewhere (hopefully together).
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
February 9, 2020 at 4:39 AM
It’s been weeks and I’m still blown away by how good this is.
Now to wait for EU tour tickets to go on sale (and please not on a day I’m in the air). Or Asia dates to be announced at all…
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
December 2, 2019 at 8:12 AM
Goodbye to The Tale of Nokdu, the little drama that could. I hung around the final recap for the longest, but seeing the thumbnail move into \’Recently Completed\’ brought it home that it\’s over 😢
Bobbie
December 15, 2019 at 10:22 PM
Ohmygosh I’ve been seeing your comments all over the Nokdu thread and I feel like you’re probably even more obsessed with it than I am (perhaps… I’ll fight you on that one tho ;p) wahhhh help me!! I’m SO gutted it’s over and there’s no more… I’m literally re-watching it for the 5th time in a row because I love it so much. I’ve watched and re-watched their BTS vids, interviews and radio appearances (KSH & JDY) so many times I literally know what they’re saying without subs by now and I am still so obsessed with the drama, team and of course our DongJeon couple.
Any ideas how to move on?? Or maybe we can just fangirl together???
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
December 19, 2019 at 2:22 PM
haha sorry I’m late replying but I’m glad you love Nokdu too!
I rewatched while waiting for the final episodes, definitely going to return to Nokdu in 2020…..but to get over the withdrawal, I’ve been watching some of Jang Dong-yoon’s other dramas, including If We Were A Season and Dance Sport Girls! But I am totally open to continued fangirling here too (just sorry about late replies since I don’t log in every day).
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
December 19, 2019 at 2:23 PM
(Watching other stuff you like is an option too btw, I’m currently being distracted by BTS Bon Voyage 4 which is a fun travel show ft. BTS!)
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
November 24, 2019 at 6:27 PM
I missed the Nokdu recap threads this week 🙁
Damn sleep and work, I can\’t believe we have only 1 episode left….what am I going to watch now?
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
November 18, 2019 at 9:52 AM
Current state of the downloads folder:
samroy
November 24, 2019 at 12:39 PM
Is that Yeontan in your dp? Your folder filled with pics of BTS has made me realise it.
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
November 24, 2019 at 6:24 PM
lol yes, that is indeed a fanart of a winking Kim Yeontan in my dp!
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
November 14, 2019 at 1:49 PM
The thing about The Tale of Nokdu is that it’s not reinventing the kdrama wheel, but it does put a fresh spin on now-hoary fusion sageuk tropes. It’s also really good at making its characters feel like people and not just trope placeholders – whether that’s Nokdu and Dong-joo, or supporting characters like the Queen.
Also, execution is everything. This is supposed to be a romance, and they cast leads who could actually pull off the more charged moments of Nokdu and Dong-joo’s relationship (that scene where he reveals himself to her at the end of episode 3? Is positively electric.)
Anyway I close out with a pic of Nokdu being cute on the swing:
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
November 10, 2019 at 6:08 PM
I think this moment was when I realised this drama has fully sunk me:
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
November 8, 2019 at 10:23 AM
Literally everything about The Tale of Nokdu 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
I love it all – the OTP (that chemistry!), hyung and 2nd lead’s heel face turn, even the politics feels human.
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
September 23, 2019 at 11:41 AM
Re: Arthdal Chronicles, does anyone else feel the similarities between these two?
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
September 23, 2019 at 12:28 PM
(Pic 2 is Rey and Kylo Ren from Star Wars ep VII-IX)
I can certainly see it in the fact that both male leads are warped and amoral sociopaths drawn to women chosen by the gods/the Force to wield enormous power and authority, and said women feel bad about them and hope to reform them or at least restrain their worst impulses.
Also in what I call the Wrongness Chemistry ie no sane person would think these two getting together is a good idea, and any romantic feelings are certainly not mutual, but they have off-the-charts chemistry anyway.
zoeraindasherbenji
October 9, 2019 at 10:49 PM
Haven’t watch Arthdal Chronicles but this does look problematic. On another note, I was reading your theme of the month post about Chae Soo-bin’s character in Sassy Go High. It’s really well-written. Are you by chance a professional writer?
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
October 26, 2019 at 9:41 PM
(sorry for the late reply)
I didn’t think about it as ‘problematic’ given that neither relationship between the characters in question, is a romance – the women in both cases are aware they’re dealing with dangerous murderers who might feel some attachment to them, but aren’t to be trusted and may well kill them if they put a step wrong.
Thank you for your comments about my theme of the month post. I’m not a professional writer of any kind, though!
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
September 23, 2019 at 10:08 AM
So..anyone else as furious about the (non) ending of Arthdal Chronicles as I am?
Because DAMN YOU NETFLIX for trying to make kdramas fit the American \’seasons\’ format. That\’s not how kdramas work!
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
September 23, 2019 at 10:15 AM
And yes, I know the show was flawed and in need of an editor, but it was the most interesting kdrama I’ve watched all year (antiheroes, nation-building, and conflicts between church/religious orders and state? Plus supernatural elements?) It could have been great, but I’m still furious at being cheated of any kind of resolution given that Netflix/tvn basically filmed half a drama, passed it off as a whole one, and the production is now making noises indicating that there’s not likely to be a season 2 to actually, you know, finish the damn story.
(And even if it had been a smash hit – what are the odds that they’d have been able to get the cast together again?!)
WishfulToki
September 23, 2019 at 8:38 PM
“Netflix/tvn basically filmed half a drama, passed it off as a whole one”
This. I also feel cheated. They mentioned the possibility of multiple seasons early on but never confirmed it, acting as if it was only one season. For instance, here’s an article where they say “look forward to Tagon’s change as we reach the climax of the series”: https://www.soompi.com/article/1352530wpp/main-quartet-of-arthdal-chronicles-gathers-for-important-meeting-that-will-bring-big-changes
The meta is that they behaved as deviously as all the greedy lying characters in Arthdal.
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
September 24, 2019 at 10:52 AM
Part of the reason why I like kdramas and jdramas so much is that the stories are a closed loop within a single season – none of this cliffhangering and dragging on for years.
It’s not as if kdrama second seasons can’t work – look at Let’s Eat 2 or Age of Youth 2. But those dramas had a crucial difference, which was that the initial seasons were complete stories in themselves! I’m rather resentful that Netflix is trying to force kdramas into the seasons system, and doing it in the laziest way possible ie either chop a story in half or (as in Arthdal’s case) film only half of the intended story!
It’s doubly a shame because, despite being riddled with production issues, Arthdal Chronicles had the potential to be great and despite my complaints, it kept me hooked and invested in the characters all the way to the end. It’s maddening to see it go like this. 😡😤😝
Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)
September 23, 2019 at 10:22 AM
You: “That’s not how kdramas work!”
Netflix: “It is now!”
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
September 23, 2019 at 11:22 AM
@lordcobol I feel so cheated though 🙃
It’s got to be the first time in kdrama history that a drama has literally ended halfway through its story. I appreciated the unpredictability of the plot (rare in a kdrama) but I wasn’t expecting it to literally have no resolution at all!
AnotherMia
September 23, 2019 at 11:34 AM
DAMN CAPITALISM!
But on the other hand, more Saya!
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
September 23, 2019 at 11:44 AM
No more Saya (aka Arthdal’s Kylo Ren) though 😭
Not if they haven’t shot any more darned episodes after no. 18 @#*%^*@#ing Netflix and their seasons @#$^%*!
mugyuljoie is preciousss
September 23, 2019 at 1:54 PM
I tagged you in a potential riot post. I’ve already lodged my complaint with Netflix. The riot is actually about whether it’s worth a bean in the year end count (of course it is).
pogo - currently sailing HMS Queen of Tears
September 23, 2019 at 2:11 PM
Honestly, I have a good case for it being worth THREE beans (one for each part/season?)
I mean, if Kingdom’s 6 eps are a bean, then AC part 1-3 should each get one too!
bbstl 🧹
September 23, 2019 at 2:59 PM
Hear, hear! I come down on the side of thinking that the pain of watching all of Arthdal + (Pain of) Open Ending make it worth well more than one Bean 😠
WishfulToki
September 23, 2019 at 8:26 PM
@ndlessjoie did you lodge a complaint with Netflix?
mugyuljoie is preciousss
September 23, 2019 at 9:22 PM
Yes.
WishfulToki
September 24, 2019 at 10:00 AM
Where? How? By email? Did they reply?
mugyuljoie is preciousss
September 24, 2019 at 4:42 PM
Email to customer service. Haven’t heard a word back yet. I’ll be shocked if I do hear back.