Backstreet Rookie: Episodes 5-6 Open Thread

95 July 5, 2020July 5, 2020

by missvictrix

Much of this week’s action spawns from a simple, ubiquitous drama act: a piggyback ride. It’s almost funny how a piggyback can stir this much plot, but it’s rather appropriate for a drama like Backstreet Rookie. It makes our characters question motives, relationships, reputations — and it has some big repercussions for our store manager and his part-timer.

EPISODES 5-6 WEECAP

Last week we ended with Saet-byul’s congratulatory bouquet and the granting of her wish for the now-infamous piggyback by Dae-hyun — wacky and ridiculous, yes, but it kinda works. She monkey-clings to him in a way that reminded me of Lee Min-jung on Lee Min-ho in Boys Before Flowers. But what’s important, of course, is that Yeon-joo walks in during said piggyback, and witnessing this not only fans the flames of their unspoken rivalry, but makes Yeon-joo question her relationship with Dae-hyun even further.

Turns out, questioning that dating relationship is actually a good thing. Dae-hyun and Yeon-joo are both trying to keep their relationship going, but it feels so forced, and like it’s more about effort and intention than it is a byproduct of affection, attraction, trust, and so on.

I’m torn here — they obviously want to be together, and are fighting to keep their relationship, but I don’t really think they’re that great as a couple. Even so, Yeon-joo fends off the advances of Seung-joon, and Dae-hyun is willing to accept the humiliation Yeon-joo’s mother heaps on him. But of course the biggest issue coming between them is Saet-byul.

It’s interesting that at this point in the story, Dae-hyun has absolutely no interest in Saet-byul, and has fallen into this protective older brother role that’s quite sweet (now that she’s proven herself and he’s less terrified by her). Still, it’s important that even the mere presence of Saet-byul in the store brings up conflicts in the Dae-hyun/Yeon-joo relationship. Perhaps the problems were there before and just needed a catalyst to come to the surface?

The piggyback might cause relationship mayhem for Dae-hyun, but for Saet-byul, she’s on cloud nine — until the iljin gang that she flattened in the ladies room last week come back for vengeance. With a 2×4.

Thankfully, in a drama like Backstreet Rookie there’s no blood and no damage — but Dae-hyun winds up rushing Saet-byul to the ER anyway. As he tells her, “You got hit on the head but you have appendicitis.” It’s for the comedy, surely, but it also brings the two a little closer, because for as much as Dae-hyun wants to ask Saet-byul to quit (and thus kill the friction she’s creating in his relationship), he can’t bring himself to do it.

While our characters are at the hospital, who is conveniently available to watch the store but Dal-shik? Just when I was ready to forgive the show for its awful introduction of Dal-shik during the premiere week — boy, they really outdid themselves when he has a random encounter with a Black customer. (This is actually Awetairus, a Nigerian man who’s something of a name in Korea due to the success of his son, model Han Hyun-min.)

I don’t want to detail the scene here, but suffice it to say there’s a major problem with how this drama is choosing to portray Black people (and particularly Jamaican culture and reggae). It’s as upsetting as it is unfortunate — and anytime Dal-shik appears onscreen I find myself bracing for impact and pre-cringing. At this point, I wouldn’t mind a peek into our PD’s brain to be able to qualify our problematic Dal-shik a little better.

For all the gallstones this drama gives, there are also some sweet moments this week, and it wouldn’t be fair to only talk about what’s problematic about Backstreet Rookie, and not mention what it’s doing well. For instance, one of my favorite moments this week was when Dae-hyun’s mom (Kim Sun-young — what a chameleon she is!) washes Saet-byul’s hair for her in the hospital. It’s such a warm and loving act for a girl that has been motherless and on her own for so long. I also love how these two seem to “get” each other — in Backstreet Rookie, weird recognize weird.

The other strength of the show, for me, is definitely the banter between Dae-hyun and Saet-byul. He’s still treating her like an annoying kid sister at this point, and it makes their interactions all the more silly. They’re particularly great when silently fighting through the store windows (via gestures and lip-reading), or when Dae-hyun is trying to “subtly” coach her through her Employee of the Month interview to get her to promote the store in the way he wants.

Just when our duo is beginning to understand each other and their relationship as store manager and part-timer stabilizes, Saet-byul decides to pull the plug. Yeon-joo has asked her to stop making waves in their relationship, but it’s the weariness and conflict that she seeing in Dae-hyun that makes her tell him she’s quitting her position at the store. More than noble idiocy, I’m liking Saet-byul’s maturity here — the fact that she is putting Dae-hyun’s happiness above her own says a lot. I’m sure she’ll be rewarded for that by the end of our tale.

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1 Kadie

July 5, 2020 at 5:47 PM

Honestly I have to stop watching because of this racist portrayal of Black people. It is too much even with the things that are decent.

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Screentime

July 5, 2020 at 8:20 PM

If you are going to drop the racism charge, at least be specific about how it is racist. Otherwise there is no way for others to learn from how you see it or engage

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Paroma

July 6, 2020 at 12:53 PM

There's actually been a lot of discussion about how the portrayal is racist, but it's easy to miss that on DB, where the discussions haven't been very widespread.

There are certain very insidious stereotypes associated with Black people in Korea - much of which has been adopted from western media, which for the longest time have only shown Black people as a handful of caricatures.

Dal-shik's character is offensive from the very first frame. He dons black face - google the actor if you wanna check his real skintone - and wears his hair in dreads that are shown to be so dirty that flies live in it. That's the general tone associated with this character - he is 'dirty', 'lustful', 'primitive' looking, and a 'thing'. The 'thing' comment was from Saet-byul, until Dae-hyun informed her that he's actually Korean. One wonder how that makes Dal-shik less of a 'thing', unless the message is that it's okay to call African people that.

And this is just the first two episodes.

I can genuinely say that without Dal-shik and the underlying message of Black people being 'less than human', I would have been thoroughly enjoying Saet-byul's determination to win Dae-hyun. (Reservations about age-diff aside, the two do make a pretty good pair.)

But it's really, really hard to keep mentally erasing these scenes with Dal-shik when the PD and writer clearly think that this character belongs in their narrative.

So, I understand the ones who're giving up on it.

I want to leave a link to this excellent essay @saya wrote about the issues of minorities being portrayed only as the sum of their racist stereotypes.
https://dramasoverflowers.net/2020/07/06/diversity-in-dramaland-k-dramas-and-racial-stereotypes/#more-1683

If you're interested in why this hitting some viewers so strongly, give it a read.

Thanks!

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palopi

July 6, 2020 at 5:36 PM

This isn't a blackface, it's not to emulate or replace black people in any way.
Blackface imply the costplaying as black people or african people and this character catchphrases is "I am originally Korean", he didn't even identify as Nigerian or any other black/african native.
Pretending that his skin isn't Korean or Asian is way more racist than anything I read in this thread.
His skin change throughout the drama based on lighting and many Asian can get tanned easily, this outrage reminds me on how Asian-American, especially the one living in the US is called out for tanning their skin when they simply just tan and have their skin changed depending on the sun, like many other Asian.
He looks especially dark when he is on his drawing chamber because it's dark and he is lighter in covenience store because there is a lot of bright light.
His unhygine is pointed whenever he lied about being shower and because he didn't shower every day.
It isn't to demeaning him but to say that he needs to wash more often.

Regarding dread, with so many culture has dread without even correlating it to black culture, does it even makes sense to have an outrage?
I understand about Cultural appropriation but that's for something sacred, something that is deemed to have social staus even for the said culture, like disrespecting their God that they don't even do.
Even in Man Who Dies to Live, it's about how they short the UAE country not there and only with bad stereotype and identifying as "authentic" or "original", it's not about them wearing hijab but about them pretending the girls as Muslim girl with all the prostitute stereotype, even when the garment used is spesifically not for that

Now more onto dreads, logically it doesn't make sense and unsustainable.
There are more ethnicity that has it without even thinking that it black wannabe and it's a hairstyle.
People are against it because they was marginalised using it so other people can't use it wto get praised, that wiill just create exclusivity aka, judging people based on their look,
what if the said person is mixed, even they don't look mixed, is that okay?
there is so many gray area in hairstyle because what this outrage wants is just to drag people down, revenge and not actually wants to up each other,
because black people are not accepted with dreads, everyone should not,
replace dreads with any other things and that's what you call a discriminatory behaviour.

Saying that this character makes "black people inhuman" dismiss how he repeteadly said he is Korean, he never identify as anything else than Korean
this is more of commentrary of korean people than black people,
learn context and stop judging just based in picture and 2 episode of 16 episodes drama, this scream ignorant an refuse to see it till the end and just want "outrage"

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KSKalways

July 17, 2020 at 5:40 AM

say what you want. it is what it is:
distasteful and racist.
But hey, let's spend more time justifying poor choices.

candilane

July 9, 2020 at 5:34 AM

I also cannot get into the drama due to the portrayal of the " Reggae" character... If you like it, that's fine but do not pretend its not a problem. Do you remember Mr. Yunioshi from Breakfast at Tiffanys? or Long Duck Dong from Sixteen Candles? These horrible racist portrayals of Asians? This reggae character bears a striking resemblance to those tropes. The difference is its being played in the 21st century so in many ways the portrayal is worse. If one knew anything at all about black people, they would know they are the most genetically diverse group with different skin tones, hair textures, height, weight, etc. Also, people with messy dreads are usually not black, black people actually wash and maintain their dreads 😂... so if you are a foreigner watching it, its very weird and very unrealistic. I am not " angry" per se but I can't endorse it. It just so cringey, I mean who writes characters like these in the 21st century. Look at Itaewon Class, there was nothing wrong with Kim Toni portrayal, he was a real fleshed out character, and he had dreads. To each their own, common sense its really common anymore so I have low expectations in that regard.

I also have a hard time getting into it because I dont like Saet Byul that much. I mean she is going after a man in a relationship, flirting with him, asking for piggyback rides, trying to get close to him when she knows he has a woman. She has handsome available men who are interested in her but she is going after someone else's man. 🤨😏... Yes, I just cant get into it.. Bet this wont be on Netflix anytime soon.. lol.. Netflix knows what it is.

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Palopi

July 5, 2020 at 10:04 PM

Racist become catch one phrase that has lost its meaning in the internet.
Some people called it cultural appropriation which on some degree can makes sense and here we have people with the high remark "racist", have we learn about not judging people or demeaning people just by their appearance?
Oh no, remark it as racist and then cancel it

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tayywurrr

July 6, 2020 at 11:07 AM

I feel the same! It is also sad that so many do not see a problem with it!

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MikeyD signed up

July 6, 2020 at 12:38 PM

The podcast Dramas Over Flowers was appalled by the racism in this series too and they went on at some length cataloging their grievances.

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2 Zestileigh

July 5, 2020 at 5:56 PM

This show has, arguably, one of the worst side plots of any I've ever seen. To the degree I don't think I'd feel comfortable recommending the show.

Which is a shame! Because I love everything else about this show. It's super sweet and I love these characters and their family/friend dynamics.

These last few episodes I particularly loved that hair-washing scene, especially after it followed the mom getting a late-night call about Saet-byul in the hospital and she made such a motherly comment, "I should've paid more attention when she said her stomach hurt". It was just so remarkably sweet.
😭🤧

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Paroma

July 6, 2020 at 12:57 PM

Aah, I feel that way too. I like the other characters of the show so much, I just don't understand why the PD & writer and determined to ruin my joy by focusing so heavily on this disturbing portrayal.

(And because I'm plugging this everywhere - anyone confused about why this portrayal of Dal-shik is problematic, please go read my friend's essay here:

https://dramasoverflowers.net/2020/07/06/diversity-in-dramaland-k-dramas-and-racial-stereotypes/#more-1683)

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3 Ayalynn

July 5, 2020 at 6:27 PM

This drama is a mess!
I wanted to like it so bad but I'll have to drop it...
But I really loved the Dae-hyun’s mom washes Saet-byul’s hair scene.
It was so sweet and real. It made me cry.
Kim Sun-young is such an amazing actress!

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4 gem28

July 5, 2020 at 7:40 PM

Its lee Min Jung, small correction not Kim Min Jung

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5 OldLawyer

July 5, 2020 at 8:17 PM

Misvictrix is right to point out that Saet-byul's quitting is not noble idiocy but a genuine decision to help Dae-hyun and put him first. Noble Idiocy is always based upon a foolish assumption about what the loved one wants or needs. Here it really is what Dae-hyun needs even though it hurts Dae-hyun to do this and it means that she may never have him for her own. But it also means that she really does care for him- this is not just some sort of foolish romantic fantasy which she has- though it may have started that way.

But it is also the smartest thing that she can do. She has earned his trust and now has executed a strategic retreat. It may be subconscious but by taking herself out of the situation she allows the doomed relationship between Yeon-joo and Dae-hyun to die a natural death- as it now surely will. Both Yeon-joo and Dae-hyun want this to work- so intervening at this point is actually the surest way for Saet-byul to fail to ultimately win Dae-hyun's heart.

The key thing for me is that Saet-byul may have started with a romantic fantasy of of Dae-hyun but now she has come to know him- and she cares about the real Dae-hyun.

I am not as negative about Yeon-joo as I was at the beginning- she may be spoiled but she works hard, is dedicated in her work and is good at her job. She is smart- and does not want to dependent upon her privileged background. That may even be why she wants to keep dating Dae-hyun as she is not looking to advance through an "advantageous" marriage to, for instance, someone like Director Do. Clearly her family and director Do's family are trying to push them together and I would enthusiastic about it if it weren't for the fact that Director Do simply does not seem to actually want Yeon-joo. He seems to be acting towards her out of a sense of obligation. This is hardly the grounds for romance and passion. I think that Yeon-joo deserves better than this.

As for Dal-shik we actually learned a lot about him this week. His emulation of Jamaican themes is certainly not intended by him to be a in any way a mockery. On the contrary, he has adopted them out of sincere admiration, because they appeal to his romantic nature. And it is that last fact which was brought home to us this week as we find that his 'erotic' webtoon has been criticized by both his editor and his compatriot for being insufficiently pornographic. His response is that he wants to do Romance, not pornography.

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Screentime

July 5, 2020 at 10:24 PM

Dal-Shik is a deliberate visual rather that literary metaphor which is normal for manga/webtoons.

Yes, even the parts that people are perceiving and describing as 'dirty’. The dirt is a visual manifestation of how negatively people perceive him - because of what he does not who he is. Remember SK Drama culture has a long history of even looking down at people who sell alcohol - in a drama verse wall to wall with drinking (Marriage not Dating).

In this SK Drama power/money hierarchal world, it also infers a lot about DH who has never thought of turning his back on his friend who is on the fringes even though his work and girlfriend are naturally drawing him to a world that shuns that life and its participants. To Yeon-Joo's mother Dae-Hyun is and will forever be just delivery guy and she purposely cast him as such attempting to making him feel beneath her and her daughter..

I like dramalover4ever (@jorobertson) idea that Dal-shik is "the actual writer is indulging in self parody". In that way DS is no different to nearly every wrap artist with a song "I am the Best". The webtoon writer has given him so many layers of false bravado (including the dream to be the best webtoon artist, and the greatest dancer, and erotic, and...). Yet to 'normal' society as a producer of online erotic webtoon he is an outsider at best.

The one thing hint Dal-Sik is potentially all his bravado is that as a published webtoon artist (not self published) he may actually be doing quite well.

Of course, this discussion of al-Sik as a device is different to whether the portrayal of Dal-Sik is successful or that it transitioned well from the webtoon to the screen. Those are different critiques.

PS. If DS is actually the writer engaging in self-parody, then it is really interesting how whenever the writer needs a magic solve in the story, they literally insert their parody-self to solve it and move the story along (OMG, no one to watch the store when Yeon-Joo invites Saet-Byul on her date with DY...magically Dal-shik appears - solved)

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OldLawyer

July 5, 2020 at 11:27 PM

Thank you for that insightful post. I too saw dramalover4ever's post and thought that there may be something to the self-parody idea. I am not a expert on the manwha form but appreciate how the visual aspect can indeed create a "visual metaphor".

Initially I was quite annoyed with Dal-shik but decided to accept him as simply a leftover from the manwha. In other words, as a less successful adaptation from the manwha to the screen. I now admit that your main point provides a very rational explanation for the purpose of this keeping character in the drama: It is to show how much more tolerant Dae-hyun is of people who do not conform to Korean social expectations. As you put it he does not turn his back on his friend who lives on the fringes. He not only rescues the helpless but befriends the friendless.

Your point about his abilities as a webtoon writer is also good. Long ago Ring Lardner wrote a set of stories about a fictional professional baseball player who was ALMOST as good as he thought he was. Dal-shik seems to fall into this category- good enough to earn some money at it, but not really one of the greats.

There is a purpose then to Dal-shik's character- which is to shed a light on Dae-hyun's character. Saet-byul also does not really conform to standard Korean social conventions. But because Dae-hyun is more than normally tolerant of individual differences it is possible for him to ultimately accept Saet-byul as the person that she is. There is, of course, a moral lesson in this for all of us.

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Vespertyne29

July 6, 2020 at 12:14 PM

Your insistence on defending this show is very disappointing to me.

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OldLawyer

July 6, 2020 at 12:39 PM

This show needs no defending. I am discussing what is in fact a good comedy, valuable to us all in a time when we need good comedies.

Paroma

July 6, 2020 at 1:10 PM

That's an interesting point. And you're definitely correct in inferring that Dae-hyun's relationship with Dal-shik tells us a lot about how accepting Dae-hyun can be. Also, I agree that writer characters like Dal-shik usually tend to be author-inserts, exploring issues of writerly ambitions vs worldly realities.

But just because Dal-shik is a metaphor for the dirtier side of society that's shunned by people even as it's exploited by them, the same point could have easily been made without the black face and the flies-in-the-hair stuff. That's just... disappointing in 2020. And I'm pretty sure the original webtoon was popular because of Saet-byul and Dae-hyun - not Dal-shik. So, a more aware adaptation would just have kept his erotica writing persona without the problematic cultural messages about Black people in SK.

Also, excellent point about Dae-hyun's position in society and how choosing Yeon-joo would move him out of the current circle, but would run counter to his nature!

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OldLawyer

July 6, 2020 at 1:38 PM

Dal-shik is not in black-face. Many Koreans use skin whitening creams to make themselves lighter skinned- it is possible that Dal-shik has simply forgone that and what we are seeing is simply the contrast. He may have used a product to make himself look somewhat darker.

Many people have objected to the way in which Black people are being portrayed. But Dal-shik is not a black person. He is a Korean who so deeply admires a specific black culture that he has chosen to emulate them. Far from demeaning black people the message being sent is the exact opposite- that black people have some ideas and ways of doing things that may be worth adopting. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all.

The flies in the hair part is simply a leftover artifact from the manwha that I could do without as well. Not everything in a manwha translates well to the screen.

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mindy

July 6, 2020 at 1:55 PM

You and many other commenters really don't understand what cultural appropriation (and, in this drama's case, ridicule) is no matter how many times people try to explain. I think you're just being willfully ignorant at this point.

Screentime

July 5, 2020 at 11:06 PM

@oldawyer
It's like with the death of Saet-Byul's father her entire world became adult over night. The last thing she could hold onto that didn't have to be adult was her crush.

Once she acted to realise her affection for Dae-Hyun she has had to realise the limit of those feelings as they but up against reality. DY's mother washing of her hair, Yeon-Joo laying it out for her, her world must again be swirling.

Shout out to Kim Sun-Young as DY's mother. She always brings something special to her roles.

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OldLawyer

July 5, 2020 at 11:40 PM

Kim Sn-young is always good.

You may be right that her crush was something that she could hold onto as she navigates the adult world. But I think that her crush stemmed from a subconscious awareness that she had met a very decent man who had principles and cares for others.

You are of course, suggesting that now the crush is gone- and you are right. She has had a chance to get to know Dae-hyun so the fantasy had to evaporate. But what has replaced it is far more solid and real- she now cares about a real person and not just an image. She has indeed acknowledged that he loves another and she is not going to try to change that. As you put it- she has butted up against the realities of the situation and has decided to do that right thing.

Misvictrix hopes that in the end she will be rewarded for this. So do I. I will be really disappointed if she is not. Saet-byul and Dae-hyun are such decent people that they each deserve to have someone who is as decent as they are in their lives- and they each bring complementary strengths tat mean that they would fit well together.

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palopi

July 6, 2020 at 5:42 PM

In Man Who Dies to Live, it's about how they show the UAE country without being there and only with bad stereotype and identifying as "authentic" or "original", it's not about them wearing hijab but about them pretending the girls as Muslim girl with all the prostitute stereotype, even when the garment used is specifically not for that. The girls in the drama is implied as local and exotic local but in this drama, he is explicitly Korean, original and none other.

The girls is one off things, in this drama, the character even has character development and get questioned about his fascination to reggae which he thought as romantic.
This discussion can only be concluded as the drama ends and taking conclusion from a snippet of drama without taking the full journey is how we as society, really didn't progress

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OldLawyer

July 6, 2020 at 7:40 PM

I was unable to continue to watch THE MAN WHO DIES TO LIVE for the reasons that you mentioned. I think that if a show is going to show us "real" characters from another country and culture they have some obligation to accuracy. Your example of a show that strayed far from that principle- which is simply the moral value of truth- is a very good one.

But the character being assassinated by the naysayers is not Black or Jamaican. He cannot be a figure that ridicules either- because he is, as you said, explicitly Korean. There is a group of people who ARE being ridiculed through him- And they too are Korean: Specifically it is Korea's off the charts hyper-fans who have been in satirized in other shows as well (see HER SECRET LIFE as an example). There is a suggestion that the author of the manwha may be engaged in self-parody - he may be a really big fan of Bob Marley and the Wailers as well as other Reggae groups.

The show has several times gone out of its way to emphasize that Dal-shik is NOT Black nor Jamaican- and so his character logically cannot be seen as ridiculing or demeaning them- because it is not about them. It is mind-boggling that there are people who cannot see this.

6 maryxiah

July 5, 2020 at 8:28 PM

Episode 6 is better in terms of character development but this show is still riddled with problematic issues, it's hard not to watch it with a cringe on my face. I did, however, enjoy Saet Byul's interaction with Dae Hyun's mom, it's a little heartbreaking to hear Saet Byul choking up her words. Also, Kim Min Kyu, who's Park Bo Gum's lookalike is giving me modern MDBC feels when he's with Saet Byul. I need these two in a project soon.

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Kairoskat 💐

July 5, 2020 at 8:41 PM

Kim Min Gyu was too cute, I like his hibiscus flowers gift. I find it uniquely him, instead of giving the usual roses or lilies. And...KMG needs his own romcom asap.

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maryxiah

July 5, 2020 at 8:57 PM

I love the hibiscus flowers gift too. I googled the meaning of the flower immediately after puppy was giving Saet Byul a sheepish smile. Apparently it stands for eternity, aww, puppy wants an eternal connection to Saet Byul.

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OldLawyer

July 5, 2020 at 11:44 PM

Of course puppy wants that. He has had a crush on her for years. He is, of course, our second male lead. He is also not at a place in his career where he is even allowed to indulge in his crush.

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Kairoskat 💐

July 5, 2020 at 11:48 PM

Nooo...he's a cameo. Which breaks my heart even more. Jiwook-ssiiii don't dissappear~~~

maryxiah

July 5, 2020 at 11:57 PM

Sad he's not even a second lead. I agree that he's not gonna make it with Saet Byul with his career on the rise anyway. I want these two in another project as lovebirds asap.

7 dramafan100

July 5, 2020 at 8:30 PM

I was the one who felt the racism charge in this drama was overblown - I honestly, in the early episodes, did not consider dreads worn by a guy who likes reggae to be racism. But after this episode, I must say, I cringed a lot. It bothered me quite a bit. Especially, I could not fathom the Nigeria Jamaica connection. Clearly, writers have no clue what they are saying...So, I stand corrected.

My cringe aside, I still think writers do not mean it as racist - I actually think they are doing this for comedy. I hope someone tells them one of these days.

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maryxiah

July 5, 2020 at 8:49 PM

I do not consider Dal Shik's dreadlocks or love for Reggae as racism, but the fact that they portrayed his character as a dirty and sleazy black guy is offputting and offensive. Humor at the expense of one's race is racism and not funny, this wouldn't be a big deal if Dal Shik is portrayed as your average Korean joe.

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zzthorn

July 5, 2020 at 9:48 PM

@dramafan100 and @maryxiah when I watched the drama, I did not see Dal Shik as anything but a Korean guy emulating a Bob Marley character. I didn't see Dal Shik as a black man at all. He just seemed to be someone who admired the culture and was in awe of it and tried to identify himself with that culture. In the very, very brief cameo with an authentic Black man, I saw nothing racist there. Perhaps some ignorance or maybe not even that, maybe just a brief encounter between two different cultures that accepted and cared about each other as humans, differences and all. Obviously the authentic black guy saw that the Korean guy was a "wanna be," someone of a race and ethnicity similar to his own. (all Asians aren't Korean, all Black people are not Africans --- but other cultures are not necessarily sophisticated enough to distinguish that, and that's okay) Maybe it is a little cringe worthy, but not in a racist way... more like in a naive immature way. I really find it difficult to consider this drama racist at all.

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maryxiah

July 5, 2020 at 11:31 PM

It's a matter of perspective. I agree that there's nothing wrong with Dal Shik embracing another culture and trying to identify himself with that culture, however, the way they portrayed his character with a certain appearance of a race/culture is appalling. Dal Shik doesn't identify himself as black and repeatedly inserts that he's full Korean, but it's clear how people perceive him in the drama due to his appearance. I think it's rather disrespectful to include a certain representation of a culture/race and make fun of it without proper knowledge of it.

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Beverly

July 5, 2020 at 11:38 PM

That makes it worse. You shouldn't be able to try someone's race or culture on as a costume that you can then shed when you need to.

maryxiah

July 5, 2020 at 11:51 PM

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maryxiah

July 5, 2020 at 11:54 PM

@bcampbell1662

That's not what I meant at all. For example, I love Korean makeup and hairstyling so if I emulate them, does that make me Korean? I think it'd be worst if Dal Shik says, "Oh yeah, I'm (other race)."

Beverly

July 6, 2020 at 12:05 AM

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Beverly

July 6, 2020 at 12:15 AM

@maryxiah I'm not saying he should call himself jamaican or identify as a black man.
The fact that there might even be any confusion over whether he is korean or not shows, to me how much this flirts with black face, which Korea has a long history with.
But also he can take off any aspect that is confusing people and be accepted as a Korean man.
I wasnt disagreeing with you.

maryxiah

July 6, 2020 at 8:01 PM

@bcampbell1662

I see. Thank you for clarifying. I think Korea will never learn its lesson when it comes to racism, if anything I feel they're actually using it as a mean of promoting the show, even negative press is press.

zzthorn

July 7, 2020 at 7:30 AM

@beverly To be honest, being "able to try someone's race or culture on as a costume that you can then shed..." is one of the ways that humans learn about themselves and about others. (particularly am speaking about culture here, not race) At a very young age, children do it. They dress up and imagine and play with identity and experience and pretend. As people grow into adolescents it still goes on, but often shows up in a variety of different ways from themed cliques to demonstrations of "individuality" (which often looks a lot alike). And as adults? Every "borrow" from someone else's culture for a henna tattoo, a yoga session, wear a questionable Halloween costume, or a host of other things. I guess what I am trying to say is that a certain amount of exploration into other cultures is good and natural. I don't think Dal Shik's disrespect is intentional. And for the purposes of the drama, it seems more to me to be about the fallible Korean man simply displaying his awe of a different culture than purposefully intending disrespect of a culture. There's a huge difference between disrespect and racism, especially when that disrespect may be unintentional on the part of the person displaying it.

Beverly

July 7, 2020 at 8:07 AM

@zzthorn Says wrote a wonderful article that addresses what makes this character so problematic.
It's been posted several times but if you havent seen it I'll link it.

https://dramasoverflowers.net/2020/07/06/diversity-in-dramaland-k-dramas-and-racial-stereotypes/

Screentime

July 5, 2020 at 9:58 PM

A number of African countries (including Nigeria) have sizeable Rastafarian movements. Nigeria also boasts a number of major reggae artists and music scene. (Someone may know more detail).

So we have 2 Rastas (or just reggae fans) meeting in SK...If you have ever travelled, the number of times you bond with the most unlikely people just because you share something in common. Heck, the number of people you meet while abroad from your home country gets a little freaky. Somehow, your accent just seams to travel through any amount of background noise.

So 2 rastas bonding because one is singing Bob Marley.

Not saying it is well done or the character works in the transition from webtoon to screen - that is a different discussion.

(This is part of a post in "What we are watching" this week)

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Keyla

July 5, 2020 at 10:02 PM

Think if the Nigerian guy is Korean and they bond with KPop.

When they met, dalhik start singing Bob Marley song and the guy responded.

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Beverly

July 5, 2020 at 11:41 PM

I think many of us on here appreciate Korean culture, but unless we are Korean I hope we do not show our admiration for it by putting on hanboks and talking with what we think is a Korean accent.

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OldLawyer

July 5, 2020 at 11:46 PM

I doubt that I would look that good in a hanbok anyway.

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Beverly

July 5, 2020 at 11:50 PM

True, but I also doubt you'd be that disrespectful to turn your favorite actors into caricatures.

Hanabi

July 6, 2020 at 12:24 AM

My brother studied in Korea as an exchange student. Do you know what the Korean university made my brother and the other non Koreans do? They made them wear Hanboks. Obviously, they don't see westerners wearing their traditional clothes as something bad. It is so ridiculous to me that wearing other culture's clothes with an honest and appreciative heart is frowned up on in the states.

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Beverly

July 6, 2020 at 12:42 AM

So in Korea his university had him wear a hanbok. Ok.
But I'm not seeing the comparison to cultural appropriation, caricatures, or black face?

And in regards to the states their are many articles and think pieces about why appropriation is so harmful.

Screentime

July 6, 2020 at 12:31 AM

Wow. That really cuts out some major culture that has spread globally.

Rap artist around the world have been and to some extent are still influenced by the US (even K, J and C rappers) that includes clothes and mannerisms. If you strip it back, symphony orchestras world over are essentially cover bands of dead Europeans and nearly every orchestra takes on and mimicks the style norms. Cosplay and Otaku deep engagement is part and parcel of belonging. Sure SK drama fans don't dress up (but there is lots of food copiers). Kpop fandom has a section who dance and fan chant just as their Korean counterparts do.

How different cultural movements signify inclusion is different to each (particularly when it is mixed with a religious/social movement - which is the case with Rastafarianism). For some its just engaging, for others the language and mannerisms are part of the engagement.

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Beverly

July 6, 2020 at 12:59 AM

No actually it isn't. But I dont think you want to even entertain the idea that this character or that appropriation in general can be or is harmful.
I think we will be just talking in circles and exhausting ourselves. At least I find it exhausting.

This is a small excerpt that from a speech by Jessi Williams. A great speech, but this little part touches on this topic with in a more concise and eloquent way and with more knowledge than I ever could.

"We’ve been floating this country on credit for centuries, yo, and we’re done watching and waiting while this invention called whiteness uses and abuses us, burying black people out of sight and out of mind while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil – black gold, ghettoizing and demeaning our creations then stealing them, gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit. The thing is though… the thing is that just because we’re magic doesn’t mean we’re not real."

Beverly

July 6, 2020 at 1:21 AM

That speech is by Jesse Williams. I want to get his name right and I cant edit.
It is after one in the morning here and my phone has Jesse saved as a co worker spells it and I didn't catch it.

LemonyLite

July 6, 2020 at 1:21 AM

First of all: I agree with you.

A note about the Hanbok though because I know what people will comment:
When I was in Korea, many of my Korean friends invited me to wear a Hanbok and although I personally did not feel comfortable accepting that invitation, I think it would have been fine for me to accept it. I saw lots of foreigners wearing it and Koreans generally didn't seem to mind but they tended to be happy to share their culture in that way.
In that situation I think it is totally fine to wear one.

But if I started wearing one in my everyday life that would be a different situation, especially if I started darkening my very light skin, dyed my hair black, spoke with a phoney Korean accent or slipped Korean phrases into my speech.
Most importantly, the key difference is how the cultural owners of this style of dress feel. Their feelings on foreigners wearing it make all the difference.

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Beverly

July 6, 2020 at 1:55 AM

Thank you for the clarification. And your last paragraph is such a great point.
I looked up some articles on wearing a Hanbok as a tourist.

Palopi

July 6, 2020 at 2:51 AM

I think it's disrespectful to think that everything that emulate the US Black/African America as Black wannabe, racist and etc.

US is not the only places African Live but the only places that doesn't let people wear other culture accessories.

When you go to Nigeria, Barbados, Ghana and other African country, they ask you to wear their country traditional dresses and love it.

If you ligthen your skin, died your hair black, spoke Korean but identify as your own self ,people just see you as fan, the degree or cringe and obsessiveness will varies, like those people who get surgery like kpop artist. If you identify as "black", that's the problem

Both the Nigerian man and Dalshik isn't Jamaican, yet only his fascination is problematic,the Nigerian man also dresses not as his own identity.

Just because someone is ofdended doesn't make it right, it's not about feeling but discrimination that certain things has moral banned by the virtue of their skin and birth.

If you watch the drama, his skin isn't even darkened, it depends on the light and that colours exist, Asian isn't all white peachy fair skin and he get called dirty because he has bad hygiene, from his hair to his toe.

Paroma

July 6, 2020 at 1:14 PM

+1000000000

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ayan-ife

July 7, 2020 at 3:56 AM

This just reminds me of people thinking all East Asians are Chinese,some people cant even differentiate them,e.g,am watching a kdrama and someone is like,oo,u watch Chinese dramas and am like no a Korean drama and they are like are they not all the same. I've given up in correcting them. My point is ,is that Racism??

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Jig

July 9, 2020 at 7:12 PM

People do often get stereotyping confused with racism, but both are equally bad. It's more ignorance than viciousness usually, but assuming that an entire continent of people are the exact same because to an outsider they have similar skin tones is wrong. Those same people wouldn't ever group together all of their own continent as one, but since they are outside looking in they don't want to bother seeing that a different continent has just as diverse of a population as their own does.
And sigh, I have that conversation all the time, too.

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Jig

July 9, 2020 at 7:55 PM

The saddest part is the scene with the Nigerian character could have been a turning point and used as a means for Dal-shik to change. He makes an honest mistake by connecting Jamaica with Nigeria. The Nigerian man could have corrected him and they have an honest conversation about why they have a shared interest and the best way to actually show appreciation. If the writers really needed to they could throw in a fart joke in the middle to remind us this is a comedy. Then Dal-shik starts to lose the dreads and clothing to just being someone who jams to the songs and has posters in his room.
What a lost opportunity.

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8 Kurama

July 5, 2020 at 9:15 PM

I was proud of SB in this episode! She had to take of her sister when she was sick and she took the good decision for the best of DH. It's why the scene with DH's mother was touching, it's always SB who takes care of people. I'm happy she had 2 good friends to help her and an adorable Puppy.

For DH-YJ's relationship, they lived it in secret for 2 years without really sharing it with people around them. They never quarrel. It looks like they had a "superficial" relationship, without sharing their feelings, their burden to each other. And now, her mother and SB are showing them all of that. It was interesting to see the piggyback being the trigger.

For Dal Shik, I don't really care because until now he doesn't really have a direct connection with the story, so I think they should give more substance. I see him like Yax in Zootopia.

The paraodies are fun to watch : Ghost, Top Gun (poor DH's family, having a sister and brother-in-law who don't hesitate to con them), the fight with the mantis :D I really like the special effects!

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Keyla

July 5, 2020 at 9:43 PM

I see myself in Daehyun and Yoonjoo relationship, I also see many couple do this. They fall in love, like each other, get together but didn't see anything beyond that. They know they have different social status and some other problems but they just want to be together for now. It's hard to talk about what you can't do when you want it. Yoonjoo words to Saetbyul makes me see her as just another girl who can't muster her courage to say what she wants to her mother. She likes Daehyun but she also doesn't know how to be together, many couple is like this. They only find out that they want to live in different city, they don't like living near their in-law, they don't like their partner job after they have to address the topic, that's not because their love or affection is fake but because that's how heart works, it's an incredibly common things, getting together without want to address how they'll be together later.
We aren't mega rich like yoonjoo but what this couple faces is as nuance we many other couple who didn't think through and have to make sudden decision because they've avoid address the real issue.

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Jig

July 9, 2020 at 8:03 PM

Since Yeon-joo and Daehyun met at headquarters, I wonder if Yeon-joo thought he would be more ambitious and didn't see the class difference being a problem originally. By the time Daehyun quit to be a convenience store worker, she had already fell for his character but just doesn't know how to reconcile her own internalized prejudices along with fighting her mother's. She needs to own up to her own misconceptions in order for their relationship to work.

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9 froyo

July 5, 2020 at 10:18 PM

Daehyun and Yeonjoo relationship is more complicated than i thought when i watch 1 and 2 episodes. he should have talk to her in the first place after he did that photoshoot because she will see it sooner or later. but i dont agree with her dont wanna listen when he wanna explain. i dont agree with her when she asked Saetbyul to stop working. is it really Saetbyul's fault tho?

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Screentime

July 5, 2020 at 10:35 PM

It is really hard to discuss Ep5 & Ep6 in the same thread as they are so different.

Ep5 kept giving me echoes of Coffee Prince and then I noticed how much of the story in Ep5 felt more reminiscent of classic SK Dramas that a 2020 drama.

Ep6 was such a surprise in how it changed pace. Watching how the elastic band of relationships is stretched to breaking point. Not by massive events, just people behaving/reacting normally to the small little things...only for their walls to be amplified by events leading to consequences they never intended. The drama gave it time to just play out naturally.

We often look at relationships as robust, but this episode acknowledged how fragile they can be. Also showing it takes real courage to keep relationships ticking over the little bumps. Finally giving Yeon-Joo some fleshing out and something to work with.

Not what I was expecting from this show at this stage.

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Jig

July 9, 2020 at 7:47 PM

I really like Yeon-joo and it's interesting to see that the ML is the one usually in the wrong instead of the typical "evil" 2nd female lead. She's been open with him, yet he has lied to her (intentionally and unintentionally) multiple times throughout the series. He should have come clean immediately about how all 3 of them had to do a piggyback ride. It would have been such an easy thing to do and she most likely would have understood, yet he was a coward and just hoped things would stay a secret.
I think from her perspective, it is easy to think Saetbyul is the catalyst for their problems. So far she's seen Daehyun abandoning her to go drinking with Saetbyul, him taking Saetbyul's side in the fight (after the fact), Daehyun and Saetbyul texting each other, both bonding over running the store, Daehyun giving her a piggyback ride, etc. Any woman could easily get jealous over such acts, especially when Daehyun hasn't been completely honest. Also, I think Daehyun and Yeonjoo realize that to save their relationship they need to distance themselves from negative variables. Daehyun himself can't leave the store and Yeonjoo can't dump her family so the easiest variable to remove is Saetbyul. Yeonjoo just had the guts to do it before Daehyun did. I think Saetbyul also recognized Yeonjoo's sincerity. This wasn't some clingy second lead, but someone who genuinely has a claim on Daehyun and wants to make it work. As much as Saetbyul hopes they break up, she realizes that she has to let them figure things out and not be the one to blame if things don't work out.

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froyo

July 10, 2020 at 11:54 AM

i think rather than saving their relationship, YJ trying to shift blame to SB because their relationship didnt work. i know DH is wrong, but YJ didnt even try to listen to his side of story is wrong too. they already dated for 2 years YJ should have know that DH is a decent person so. thats why i said both are wrong imo.

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Jig

July 10, 2020 at 12:50 PM

True. I didn't mean to paint her as perfect. I just meant that her jealousy stems from legitimate sources. Communication of course is always key and while DH's communication is really what has caused the problems, he has tried to fix them. YJ has to be willing to listen or it just shows that she doesn't really want to resolve the problems as much as she thinks she does and needs to consider breaking up.

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10 dramalover4ever

July 6, 2020 at 3:24 AM

In reply to Screentime and Old Lawyer, I watched Han Dal-shik more closely than ever in these two episodes He always shows up conveniently, almost magically, to mind the store when required. His being there makes it possible for everyone else to leave, coincidentally so the story can progress. He enables the story. He seems meta to me.

Also if you think about things from Han Dal-shik's perspective: he was very hungry and couldn't afford a good meal in this episode. He was also getting bad comments from readers because his work wasn't erotic enough (the opposite of what's happening with BR) . Finally his boss was on his case, and all he wanted was to write romances.

I wonder if he Is telling us that he is an impoverished webtoon writer whose work is unappreciated? In light of all the criticism BR is getting, you can see why he'd feel sorry for himself. He really is in an unfortunate slump. I want everyone to give him a break, and someone to take him out for a meal!

But I guess that still leaves us with the big question about using characteristics of ethnicity to embody rejection and marginalisation....

BTW I tried to find some more details about the actual writer of the webtoon, but I can't find anything other than this from wikipedia: It is based on the 2016–2017 webtoon Convenience Store Saet-byul written by Hwalhwasan and illustrated by Geumsagong. I wanted to read the webtoon to see if Han Dal-shik is a character in it or if he is specially created for BR. Does anyone know anything about the real webtoon writer or illustrator? (BTW The screenwriter of BR is Son Geun-joo, a woman)

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wapz

July 6, 2020 at 2:58 PM

I remember reading an article where it was commented that Dal Shik is not in the webtoon at all. He is a character made for the show and perhaps the real webtoon writer hasn't dramatized/written this show hence, they are not related to this character at all.

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dramalover4ever

July 6, 2020 at 3:33 PM

OK, so he's a creation of the current screenplay. Interesting. People are putting his representation down to clueless Korean racism.

It seems so wrong footed, on the part of the screen writer and director, especially after Itaewon Class, and that's why I wanted to think about it more and try to work out how he works within the story. I was especially mindful of the role the same actor plays in the Fiery Priest - the guy with the bobbed hair. As an actor, he's noted for his physical acting and his amazing hair. In one scene in BR he also riffs off the actor he bullies in the Fiery Priest. (Both BR and FP have the same director, Myoungwoo Lee.)

All of this made me wonder what else was going on with this character. What are they using him to say? (As I've written above.) I find it hard to believe that the director and screen writer have been so tone deaf.

But when it all comes down to it, if people of colour respond to Dal-shik as racist, then his character is. It's their right to call BR out.

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11 ayan-ife

July 6, 2020 at 5:50 AM

It's funny that racism is the reason why some people want the drama down and I am Nigerian but didn't actually notice any racism in the 1st episode, the only thing that actually made me cringe was the scene where he was writing his manhwa ,it wasn't until I didn't actually understand why people were actually complaining,though I did understand why the scene with the black man was strange because there was simply no connection.

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palopi

July 6, 2020 at 5:47 PM

Because people don't actually want to to know about the character story, they just want to dragged other down because it makes them more highly moral,
people talking racism in this drama completely dismiss this drama point of view of how convenience store is the only store that didn't discriminate people based on their appearance because everyone has backstory,
people don't actually watch it and just chiming to outrage culture while people who actually watch it prefer to comment when it ended

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12 tayywurrr

July 6, 2020 at 11:06 AM

I had to stop watching because of Dal Shik's character. It's so sad because I really love JCW but I will have to wait for his next project and pray that I won't have to sit through more awful stereotypes of black people to do so. Thank you for your timely recaps because I can see how the story progresses without having to watch!

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13 Vespertyne29

July 6, 2020 at 12:11 PM

A thought provoking, informative read that makes its point with clarity and precision, even (hopefully) for those who claim not to see the problem, and appear unable to recognize overt, much less insidious, racism. (Which, unfortunately, appears to be most people using this blog to discuss kdramas).

https://dramasoverflowers.net/2020/07/06/diversity-in-dramaland-k-dramas-and-racial-stereotypes/

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14 gem28

July 6, 2020 at 1:58 PM

I have stopped commenting here because I find it quite nauseating that we are in 2020 and people refuse to acknowledge blackface or appropriation simply because it makes the drama watching uncomfortable. I am glad the recappers here called it out though. Dal Shik has been and remains problematic. This show does have good things going on for it but he isn't one of it. And simply turning a blind eye and writing essays on him won't make it non-problematic.

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Vespertyne29

July 6, 2020 at 2:24 PM

Most people I know have expressed their unhappiness by dropping the show. The response here has been disappointing, and I doubt that would be the case were this place like it used to be. It’s really gone downhill, both in terms of the quality of the recaps and variety /quality of dramas recapped, and in the discussions in the comment section.

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mindy

July 6, 2020 at 2:40 PM

I don't know what you mean by "used to be", but similar discourse happened back when Man Who Dies to Live aired 3 years ago. Check the premiere recap.

I think you'll note that the recapper there also brushed the issue of cultural appropriation under the rug with just a one-line mention, and it was much more of a central part of that premiere than it was in Backstreet Rookie. Similarly, you get arguments in the comments with people not understanding what the big deal was.

The difference there was that JB stepped in and commented. Even though she addressed the issue of cultural appropriation, even she said that their decision to drop the recaps for the show was primarily due to the fact that subbed sources were pulling the drama and there wouldn't be any places available to watch it subbed. It wasn't because of the mockery the show made of another culture.

I appreciate @missvictrix taking the time to address the issue in this recap. I truly believe Dramabeans is doing their best with what resources they have to provide us with content and a place to discuss the dramas we all have so much to say about. There are things I wish they would do differently, and I certainly miss JB and GF's vibrant voices, but I'm grateful for the existence of this website. They've been recapping an incredible number and variety of dramas lately, and I thank them for it.

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wapz

July 6, 2020 at 4:58 PM

I just checked that recap because of your comment and it's sad how things haven't changed much. "This isn't a big deal to this isn't cultural appropriation". The common theme remains that people who aren't directly related to the issue may not understand the offense it lays on someone who is and how deep rooted issues this kind of representation can lead to while portraying an image of a race.

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Vespertyne29

July 6, 2020 at 10:23 PM

Thanks for the info that the site has always skirted racial (and perhaps anti- LGBT) issues. But the quality of dramas recapped, as well as the recap content, has markedly dropped Just in the few years I’ve been following. The best info I get here is from people who are watching Cdramas, and have good recs.

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palopi

July 6, 2020 at 5:49 PM

people don't actually watch it and just chiming to outrage culture while people who actually watch it prefer to comment when it ended, this is 16 episode drama and out of all drama, this doesn't get the treatment of "let's see where this character taking us"

in man who dies to live, the characters is one off, that's why it's more offensive because they aren't character, just props that enhance bad stereotype, in this drama, he is given a real treatment as character

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gem28

July 6, 2020 at 7:05 PM

No, it doesn't, it remains offensive....and kindly you're not not watching it because I called out blackface and cultural appropriation somewhere else....I don't have to love every aspect of a show for my opinion to be valid. The central theme and characters are compelling, there's smart writing, good acting but none of that makes Dal Shik unproblematic, period!

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Vespertyne29

July 6, 2020 at 10:24 PM

Thank you, Karen.

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15 sumi

July 6, 2020 at 4:16 PM

I have to say, I am surprised at how well I am enjoying this show, given that I can really talk myself into watching another Ji ChangWook one after the last disaster-of-a-show-that-shall-not-be-named! But I some back here every week even more so to read the viewer comments about the whole age-gap issue between ML/FL. Interesting, I am also currently watching The K2, so this is a very interesting study in viewers' acceptance of age differences when the younger one in the relationship is ML vs. FL. Now, in K2 - I totally get that Wookie had more chemistry with Song Yoon-aH than with the FL, but if you look at Wookie's and Song Yoon-ah's age gap, that was 14 years, compared to only 12 yrs between him and Kim Yoo-jung. But there were so many people who were saying a noona-romance would have been better for the K2 plot (admittedly, I am only on episode 13 of K2, so don't know if the whole thing crashed and burned in the last episode, like you know what in 2019!). So, as an outside observer, this is an interesting contradiction to see, maybe driven by some cultural norms? And people are talking about how the BR cinematography about Kim Yoo-jung's body is not "family-friendly" (am NOT talking about those webtoon drawing scene- what the heck was that???!!). But to be honest, some of the "business" outfits that FLs in k-dramas wear to the office would be considered very inappropriate here in the US workspace (man, those skirts are way too short sometimes!) But ironically, Kim Yoo-jung's outfit in BR would raise no eyebrows here, given that she is in her 20s. So, again, maybe this is a case of how viewers in SoKo have a different perspective on this show vs. how it is received outside SoKo. I am just happy that there are no cryogenics of any kind involved in the production of this one, that's all!

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OldLawyer

July 6, 2020 at 4:38 PM

The age difference in the characters in this show is only seven years- not really that much, and even less so when you consider that the female lead has had to grow up too fast after her father died and her aunt essentially chased her and her sister out because they did not bring in enough money.

Kim Yoojung's outfits would raise no eyebrows in Korea if she did not have such a beautiful body. But the prudes who complain there are used to having actresses with such a curvy body being hidden by baggy clothing. That would actually go against the spirit of a manwha because the drawings do not do that. So. to keep the manwha spirit they dress her in clothing that actually fits- and does not hide her curves. It is entirely appropriate to do so but is also different from what the audience usually sees.

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palopi

July 6, 2020 at 5:53 PM

Kim yoo joong outfit backlash is just over sensitive people who can't see that their child actress has grown up with curve.

Kim Sae Ron wear more tight and revealing outfit in leverage and no one bats an eye because they don't watch her when she is younger,

I may just register my account, I didn't because I don't like notification but people are becoming ridiculous with their outrage

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OldLawyer

July 6, 2020 at 7:08 PM

Please do register your account.

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ayan-ife

July 7, 2020 at 4:03 AM

That's what I was thinking too,I mean I read a comment somewhere saying their school skirts were too short and I was like oo really,is this the first kdrama with uniforms.

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16 C

July 7, 2020 at 2:32 AM

This is the one of the best drama of the Year. Im glad that he chose this project as his comeback drama. The Male and Female leads acting performances are great. The chemistry is awesome. This drama is highly recommended. I am looking forward to episode 7 of It's okay to Not Be Okay.

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17 Jingbee

July 7, 2020 at 10:24 PM

In Dinner Mate , there is this character, who also is portrayed as dirty, smelly. There was a scene where he seemed to be doing something gross while watching an exercise show (was actually exercising only). He is a Korean character, and he is fat. For some reason, there is not much outrage there when it actually can also be called out for fat-shaming. And yet, people seem to accept that it is funny (it is not, by the way), or at least accept that his character does not relate it to the rest of the fat people in the world (I am one of them). So either we be consistent, and call it an outrage too, or just be ready to accept that a character like that in a drama or a movie does not mean it is a parody of the rest of humanity with similar features . Yes, both characters are not funny , cringey even, (writers should stop making comedy out of people's oddity or difference) but people should be able to watch this (or not) free from judgement from anyone else.

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fluffy

July 8, 2020 at 8:52 AM

if you saw it, and it's a big deal to you, why didn't you call it out

100% sure many of the people who don't like the racism in Rookie haven't seen Dinner Mate, or even heard of this fat guy scene.

personally, I never even heard of "Dinner Mate" before I read your comment.

the argument you make for consistency is so spurious.

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fluffy

July 8, 2020 at 8:55 AM

"nobody was outraged at the dirty fat guy, so you're not allowed to be outraged at the dirty blackface guy "

does that really make sense?

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amruta1009

July 8, 2020 at 11:14 AM

Comment was deleted

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18 Vespertyne29

July 9, 2020 at 6:56 PM

“According to a representative of the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KOCSC), this is the greatest number of civil complaints received in the last year for a television program. Moreover, this is one of the greatest numbers of complaints ever received for a television program in general.”

https://www.ohkdramas.com/backstreet-rookie-under-review-by-korea-communications-standards-commission-because-of-the-sexually-suggestive-scenes/

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19 Moonlight

July 10, 2020 at 9:26 PM

I am extremely proud of Ji Chang Wook and Kim Yoo Jung's drama choices for this is the best drama ive seen in 2020.
Good Job, my sweet jelly couple. Hoping to hear this news- Ji Chang Wook and Kim Yoo Jung are dating! that would be my Happiest Day

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