Yes, beautiful Ost from Chugakusei. Don't know Hajimete so can't compare yet.

@beantown @bernadett @lixie @coolgirl @akikoz @kurama @minitwin @gledis-sotiri @mikgoo @rdturbo @spispispi

Here were are talking about
story progression
Character growth -
Outcome we the audience get
Relationships development and management

as for ost of Hajikoi, Back Number's 'Happy Birthday' is great. The lyric is so spot on how a guy feels for his one sided love. Unfortunately, there is only one MV( the short version) to listen to.
I really liked Hajikoi but not Chugakusei nikki. I lost interest in Chugakusei Nikki half way. The boy in the Chugakusei Nikki is truly a newbie so I found his acting a bit lacking. But Yokohama Ryusei of Hajikoi did a remarkable job for portraying Yuriyuri. His eyes can express his feeling!

I found them pretty different. Both were teacher - student relationship. But in Chugakusei Nikki, it was really their love story the main point, how to handle this kinds of feelings, the reaction of the people around, etc. In Hajimete, it was more about the heroine how she can find satisfaction in her life, in her job. They kind of skirted the issue about age. Personally, I prefered the cousin as male lead that the student.

Kill It

Rich Man's ___________

Poor Man's _____________

From the poster post itself i said it giving those romantic vibes. You get this feeling Even when you take off your Kdrama world spectacles.

Jun Ho is beautiful and all but violence is big -ve factor.

I'm waiting for the comments on Female characters of both shows.

What I love about it is that both lead actors seems to be pretty underrated at least compared to their peers and became leading men later than their hot compatriots (NJH and Taec - also love both too tho) and have great acting chops. I'm kind of sad that their dramas are airing around the same time.

Hopefully you haven't been affected with those office cold and sore throat germs! But if you have, I hope you feel better soon!

I was not amused that celebrity photos were just shown on TV without a word of explanation, so that the poor celebrity/ies came under suspicion of being involved, when they had simply agreed to be photographed with fans. Show and network (I think) made some weak apologies. An idea from a friend of mine ... could be that the show who irresponsibly aired those photos were hoping to garner more interest to milk it for all it's worth and then will issue a bigger apology to avoid legal comeuppance. This is the sleazy side of our beloved entertainment industry.

The news needs to start using the term "human trafficking" because when you drug someone at random and give them out to be used sexually that's what it is, not prostitution.

Hi @korfan Yes you summed up Confession right, it's going to be interesting ... more than quite! Jun Ho is wonderful once again. He is again a figure of some pathos but so different from his stint in JBL. He brings something unique to each character.

We who are watching are also asking and speculating over so many questions, based on the clues the show has dropped. You can come over to spazz with us! (Link to where we are at is below!)

Lawyer Jo Deul-ho 2 " I'm not at all worried at all about not knowing." lol I am glad it is over because it was dragging, but Go Hyun-jung was good.

@korfan,
I'm thoroughly enjoying DOCTOR PRISONER, with Namgoong Min and Kim Byung-chul in a grudge-fest that doesn't let up. Add the official corruption, cutthroat chaebols, and wall-to-wall double-crosses, and it's impossible to predict where the plot is going next. Cracktastic perfection.

I hate when you just can't go to sleep ..... especially when you're totally sleepy! This happened to me just the other day, but it wasn't due to medication. I'm blaming a vitamin capsule I took, I kid you not! I think I need to find a new supplement, because that one just had an awful effect!

I still haven't watched the second ep of Confession, but I'm certainly looking forward to it!

Yes, I've had that happen with medicine before. I can't even remember what it was, but the instructions said to take it at night, because it would make me sleepy. When I took it at night, I had the same feeling as too much caffeine in the day - tired and wanting to sleep, but jittery at the same time! I started taking in the morning instead, and that worked well. Over time I've realized how different each person's body is - how we react to medication, pain, etc., which to me means there are no "one size fits all" instructions for anything related to our bodies!

I am Asian, but still get gobsmacked every time I read or see maltreatment of women in the k-world, media, or otherwise.

Great question. Re Korean entertainment, I originally found the treatment of their celebs on variety shows like Running Man absolutely shocking. These people are forced to endure crazy things for our entertainment - they actually HIT each other, run through mud, freezing water, boiling water, eat strange things, appear in the strangest costumes, wake at odd hours, I just - have no words. It's insane. I love a lot of variety including Running Man, but I do think a lot of it takes the "Jokes" perhaps too far.

It can be difficult to see people in Dramas experiencing difficulty because of different legal standards, both in terms of everyday life (such as workplace discrimination) and in court (because of different standards of evidence and requirements to be charged much less found guilty).

That excessive drinking is not considered as a problem but something positive. Alcoholism is a dangerous sickness and it's destroying families, friendships and the alcoholic him/herself... Yes, women in society - it looks like they like just Barbie's dolls women... Love for money and gold, too much plastic (even one apple needs one plastic bag), too much brand stuff ( it's sad, but most of the goods are made for peanuts exploiting children or mistreated workers for 2 dollars per month and sold for horrible prices), too much make up and skin bleaching products used ( watching older dramas assure you it was not always like that), etc...

I am not an Asian, living in Canada, and one thing I can't accustom myself to, even after watching so many dramas, is the casual corruption, all those little bribes and blackmails in order to obtain information, get into some place etc. The latest example in the drama Love in Sadness - how could this female "police officer" get her hands on a list of customers of an upscale boutique, no questions asked - no warrant, no ID check, no "please talk to the manager" - just a couple of menacing words to the sales person, and she gets some very confidential information. This casual lawlessness, perpetuated by villains and heroes alike, makes me very uneasy.

Domestic violence showed as fact of life and even sign of loving feelings. I can't get used to it, it's immediate turn off.

This whole thread sounds sadly condescending. I find hundreds of things shocking or hard to relate in American shows, in British shows, German shows, Turkish shows, Indian shows, Japanese shows, any show... I never thought of korean shows any more shocking than ANY other show.
To me, entertainment must be taken with a grain of salt. In any country.

Please read a Korean novel "Kim Ji Young born 1982". You would understand Kwomen's situation deeply. The book will be adapted into a film.

1. Multi-generational families living together--I admire;
2. How mature adults seem to respect their parents' advice, even when it's unbalanced and irrational--I cannot understand;
3. Why no one ever calls the police when loan sharks are violent--hard to fathom;
4. How family members are responsible for others' debts--it would not happen here (US), ever;
5. What seems to be acceptance of public drunkenness--very frowned upon here; and
6. Carrying adults on your back--I want to see this in person!

Little things in dramas that I am fascinated by because they are so different from my every day life:

Being able to walk in and out of shoes without missing a step every time they go through a doorway. I wondered if this was just a Magic of TV thing since you don't want to waste valuable time watching people take their shoes on and off, but when I asked a friend who had lived in Korea for a couple years, she said that yes, real people were really able to do that. Which is just amazing.

Carrying a single glass of water on a tray. Which is not as amazing, but still very different from my boring white bread life. Even when I was a waitress, I wouldn't bring out a tray for anything less than 5 glasses. I don't even have a tray I could use at home. So posh.

Back to amazing. Being able to squat low for long periods of time. Even octogenarians. I am trying to work my way into being able to do this, but it's really tough.

Bigger thing that shocked me (that hasn't been mentioned yet):

Not taking kids from your first marriage with you to your second marriage. Now, I'm sure this is exaggerated for dramatic effect, but it happens a lot in dramaland. Kids ending up sent to an orphanage or raised by grandparents because mom got remarried. It happens often enough that it makes me wonder if it happens in real life as well. I should maybe research.

Part of why I enjoy dramas is the chance to see into a different part of the world. There are obviously lots of things that are exaggerated or made up out of whole cloth for dramatic effect, but there are also little random everyday things that go on in the background that are very different from my life. And I find them intriguing.

This is not exactly within dramas but some dramas have dealth with it ... the way beauty is spoken of, how opinions on looks are bandied about and judged publicly is a disturbing thing to me. The reason this came up was that I happened to click to watch this interview with the current Miss Korea. It's upsetting that ordinary people (girls) are made to feel inadequate and not up to standard based on looks and weight, and that it's acceptable to make rude comments about this all the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygVxTTKWvdA

I don't remember anything that fits your description last summer, but I don't even remember what I was watching then, so I'm no help. I couldn't finish WYWS either. But the soundtrack is really good. I will still listen to that. Glad to see you back! I finished Romance is a Bonus Book and I think you would really enjoy it!

Can you check if it's ms ma? I just skimmed through one or two episodes, but it's a Kdrama adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel.

Is the con-man Jang Geun-suk? Switch: Change the World aired March 28 to May 17, 2018. Han Ye-ri visited Jang Geun-suk in prison.

Radiant or Children of Nobody.

What kind of show are you in the mood for? Maybe we can recommend a classic!

Random rec: Viki picked up "The Package" (better title "The Package Vacation Trip") which is about a bunch of Korean tourists visiting France. Very much an ensemble piece about people working through their relationship issues.

Not exactly recent, but:
Smart Prison Living/Prison Playbook
On the Way to the Airport
Age of Youth 1 & 2

On my to-watch list (and supposed to be great):
Forest of Secrets
Circle
Liar Game
Life on Mars

Have you seen Hanzawa Naoki? Is it a remake of that show? I intend to check it out regardless, but will wait until the series finishes airing. I prefer to binge watch :)

I've been reading positive comments about this drama. I really want to check it out.

Hi there! Nice to meet a cat parent here. I love cats, and dogs too. There's times when I followed TV programs just because they had animals in the show LOL. I even became YunKyunSang follower after seeing his love for his cats in 3MealsADay. If you haven't, you might be interested to follow his IG.. but he's in mourning right now.. his youngest kitten had just passed away.

This is on my watch list, along with Guardian. How can I find time- is the question.

...of family by portraying family member's conflicts and reconciliation process. Younger siblings/Dongsaeng were played by Jin-sang(Oh Ji-ho, Jinsang means truly pathetic), Jung-sang(Jun Hye-bin, jungsang means normal), Hwa-sang(Lee Si-young, hwasang means useless/pain), Wae-sang(Lee Chang-yeop, waesang means credit). In addition to four siblings, there was his mother No Yang-sim(Lee Bo-hee, noyangsim means No conscience), and his wife Gan Boon-sil who was on his side to the end (Sin Dong-mi, ganboonsil means liver is missing).lol names. The show had happy ending when siblings resolved all misunderstanding in the process Poong-sang fighting his liver cancer and recovering.
To actor Yoo Joon-sang, what Mr.Poong-sang meant? "It was about the eldest brother who sacrificed himself to take care of his younger siblings and about "Knowing to apologize in earnest".

Here is Q&A session[StarNews, OSEN, 2019.03.22-23]
Q: Mr.Poong-sang ended with show's highest ratings of 22.7%, and you all went to Pusan as reward trip.
Yoo: I missed my dongsaeng already after the wrap-up party. I did "The full sun" (2000) when I was newbie, and did "My Husband Got a Family" in 2012, and feel grateful that KBS drama did well after a long while. There were over 100 people who went to the reward trip. Director Jin Hyung-wook said he couldn't fly, so we went to Pusan where we all could go. I think it was even more meaningful because many could join.
Q: As ratings' promise, you did food serving when it went over 13%, and had a book event when it went over 20%.
Yoo: I've never done volunteering as ratings' promise, but I was able to do it twice with this project. It was very meaningful and we had more than comradeship. Even though it was short 3 months, it was precious time.

Q: The drama was writer Moon Young-nam's project, which itself was buzz. How did you star in the project? (Moon is known as "great mother of makjang")
Yoo: The script was very fun when I read first time. When I read first 1-4 episodes I thought it would be enjoyable just doing what was written in the scripts, and casting was good too. All roles were so dynamic and I wondered how the writer designed these many characters to be amusing when it is hard to make just one-two people good.

Q: Writer Moon said "Exactly Poong-sang" when she first saw you.
Yoo: I feel there was image of Poong-sang in me. I've also lived as a family man from early on, so I felt relatable. Director-nim said he wanted Poong-sang having one finger dead and not using gloves when working on car maintenance. The oil stain was made naturally and I couldn't wear gloves in winter even if I wanted. As adding details like that, Poong-sang was shaped along with me. By meeting numerous people relationship was developed naturally and it became easier to act. From some point, I just acted thinking like Poong-sang. When I watched the finale broadcast, watching mother still not repentant I felt so pitiful...

...taking a rest. When we went to Pusan as reward trip, I also had temple tour in 7 places. I don't waste time.

Q: What is your goal as an actor?
Yoo: Hanging on for long time. Park In-hwan sunsaeng-nim (PS's father-in-law in the show) said "I was so thankful to you who worked with determination" during the wrap-up party- you know it is not easy for a person who passed mid 70's says such comment. One time I heard him memorizing his lines in the bathroom not to make NG. That made me teared up and I read the scripts attentively again and made resolution again.

happy together: Dec, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDEc6adYk7Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp39dz-2uB8

That was loooong! I remember enjoying 3 dramas Yoo was in- The woman who wants to marry(2004), My husband got family(2012), and Heard it through grapevine(2015). I actually felt a little sorry for Hong Eun-hee when I heard their wedding news long ago because I liked the actress.(I still remember reading how she struggled to take care of expensive sponsored purse while acting a rich girl in a weekend drama).

...bank as setup. I thought it would be proper to use stock as dramatic point to portray greed for money, but bank was right choice to convey message about the society."

Kim Sang-joong said "If I have to add, this is the drama dealing with humanism. It tells a story about the world through frame of bank, but it is story about people in the end. So I'd like to say it is humanism drama. Original was manga, but I decided even more after reading synopsis and scripts. They say drama is fake, but our drama is drama with strong reality. It is very realistic and since the story or figure in the drama can be fantasy, we can tell the story even better pinpointing properly. Within that we could make it fun and find the meaning, I thought." He summed up. "Noh Dae-ho is nobody. But when such person becomes a somebody, he can shine. Through Noh Dae-ho character I want to show whether our status is high or low, we all can become a hero."
About burden leading the show, Kim said, "Even though I feel burdened, I plan to carry it to the end. It is "coolness". There are many remake projects which didn't do well, and I think it is about time doing well."

As ratings promise, Kim said "If ratings pass over 15.5%, we agreed we all put money in savings account and give to someone in needs. We decided to make a bankbook with 1000,000 won (about $900) a person. Even if we can't make that ratings, we plan to do some nice thing for people in needs."

Yoo Dong-geun also emphasized the message of the project. "At first I hesitated because of the villain role. But actors I would be working with were all actors I wanted to meet and work together, so I joined with curiosity. The most important thing is that we could relay valuable massage through the project. It has the message "Money and power shouldn't be above people" and I joined thinking I should have courage even if it is the villain role with such message. I don't know what would happen to the CEO Kang Sam-do either. I hope people understand these people are all working with vocation, more than just amusing story."

Choi Si-ra who plays director Han Soo-ji who is workaholic and capable mentioned about her role. "I got to play a professional woman after a long while. Han Soo-ji is a character wanting to go up as high as possible in her career. She gets promotion following her boss, but she feels wavering thinking "Is the person I work with the one I can trust and follow?" Choi continued, "I want to show the part how high a woman can go up in a bank in our country. In real life I think there was bank CEO Kwon Sun-joo, so I think Han Soo-ji can be a role model showing a hope and dream "I can be like her if I try hard" to many. Actually I heard it was practically impossible a woman gets promotion in a bank or financial industry. So they say "glass ceiling is high". Not long ago in the newspaper I saved they said two women becoming deputy CEO was big deal. In that sense, I...

I'm happy for Light in Your Eyes getting that much love across the board. :) It definitely had something for everyone: slice-of-life, fantasy, wacky comedy, Plot Twist, family, romance, friendship, career/finding your purpose, even moving on from injustice... and it managed to do it seamlessly, without feeling like they're just doing a checklist of issues to tackle. ♥

I read "Light in your eyes/Radiant" was chosen as the most talked drama among all dramas aired since 2018.[OSEN, 3.26] According to gooddaycorporation analysis, Radiant made the top spot (with whopping 70%) among all 33 Mon-Tuesday dramas broadcasted (in 42 channels-huh?) since 2018, and 2nd place went to "100 Days My Prince".

Kind of surprised, since Sky Castle hit big this year and it's ratings grew just by word of mouth with very little initial fanfare.

slightly random question, but I always see great translations of interviews etc. from you here. Can I ask how you got into it? Got experience etc? I'm studying Korean and Chinese now, eventually want to go into this sort of thing, and translation... you're awesome, please do share your secrets^^

Adorable till the end.

That was certainly a strange interview and rather too much info required. Was he the only one interviewing you and did you see that there we other staff around? It sounded a little suspect.

I can't say I'm the most alert of interviewers if I have to see one person after another, but I'd usually be a bit careful how I project the image of the company.

Hope you have a happier and more fruitful time job hunting!

I recently read somewhere that managers (not recruiters) often not even bother to prepare for job interviews. I have had my fair share of those as well.

You are much better off looking a bit longer for something much better, but I understand that it might be hard sometimes, especially when you are feeling slightly desperate.

I wish you good luck, you can find a good job! :)

Good luck to you in your job hunt, @purpleteapot! I know it is wearing to look for a new job but there is a good one out there for you - hang in there! I am glad you had a better interview after that one.

Side note: You mentioned this and I am quite surprised: Then I open up this application form, and it asks for an array of personal details including religion, marital status, and even my family members' names and occupations. (Employers asking for the first two details are not outlawed in Singapore, but usually you are not required to provide it until after you accept a job offer.)

This is like glimpse into a completely different culture as mentioned in the comment thread above about what people find surprising in Korean culture as depicted in k dramas. Can I ask (if you know) why it is that you are required to provide your religion and marital status to your employers, once hired?

Meee toooo! She mentioned us!!! I was so hoping all the others might also acknowledge that we exist :-D Heh!

Sending you good luck! 🍀

As a fellow Army I am keeping my fingers crossed for you ;)