Drama viewership ratings for the week of July 6-12, 2020
by SailorJumun
So many new dramas to talk about! We had five — count ’em, FIVE — premieres this week, with ratings all across the board. First, we had rom-com Men Are Men and crime drama The Good Detective both come in with 3.9 percent. This number is considered low for the former but high for the latter (due to it being a cable show and cable generally having smaller audiences).
Then, midweek, we had the premiere of Was It Love, a rom-com with a very complicated love pentagon. It brought in 2.0 percent, so about the same as Mystic Pop-up Bar, the previous drama in this timeslot. Our last premieres were over the weekend, for thrillers Graceful Friends and Train. With It’s Okay and now these two, the weekend sure is full of dark shows.
So, looking at the chart, it seems like the best performing shows either have dark themes, like The Good Detective and It’s Okay, or family themes, like My Unfamiliar Family and Once Again. Which *shrugs* makes sense to me.
Drama viewership ratings for the week of July 6-12, 2020
| Ep. # | Station | Rating | |
| Monday, July 6 | |||
| Men Are Men | 1 | KBS | 3.9% |
| Will You Have Dinner With Me | 25 | MBC | 2.3% |
| Will You Have Dinner With Me | 26 | MBC | 3.1% |
| The Good Detective | 1 | JTBC | 3.9% |
| My Unfamiliar Family | 11 | tvN | 4.4% |
| Tuesday, July 7 | |||
| Men Are Men | 2 | KBS | 4.4% |
| Will You Have Dinner With Me | 27 | MBC | 2.8% |
| Will You Have Dinner With Me | 28 | MBC | 4.0% |
| The Good Detective | 2 | JTBC | 3.8% |
| My Unfamiliar Family | 12 | tvN | 4.3% |
| Wednesday, July 8 | |||
| Memorials | 3 | KBS | 3.2% |
| Was It Love | 1 | JTBC | 2.0% |
| Thursday, July 9 | |||
| Memorials | 4 | KBS | 3.3% |
| Was It Love | 2 | JTBC | 2.2% |
| Friday, July 10 | |||
| Backstreet Rookie | 7 | SBS | 6.6% |
| Graceful Friends | 1 | JTBC | 3.2% |
| Saturday, July 11 | |||
| Once Again | 61 | KBS | 24.6% |
| Once Again | 62 | KBS | 29.6% |
| Backstreet Rookie | 8 | SBS | 8.7% |
| Graceful Friends | 2 | JTBC | 2.7% |
| Train | 1 | OCN | 1.4% |
| It’s Okay to Not Be Okay | 7 | tvN | 5.6% |
| Sunday, July 12 | |||
| Once Again | 63 | KBS | 30.3% |
| Once Again | 64 | KBS | 33.3% |
| Train | 2 | OCN | 1.4% |
| It’s Okay to Not Be Okay | 8 | tvN | 5.6% |
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1 My Jelly Couple & My Tom & Jerry Couple
July 12, 2020 at 7:00 AM
wooooohooooo, Backstreet rookies rating is so high. I thinkn it will hit double digits next week. Now its 8.7% -next week ratings will be 11% or more and it's only episode 9! Go For 20% on episode 16. The power of the leads Kim Yoo Jung and Ji Chang Wook! Best drama ever!
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mine
July 12, 2020 at 8:45 AM
will be totally shocked people if it reaches double digits. it sounds possible. I read the peak is 10%
I've read countless of comments of why Yoo Jong took this drama but after watching it, she just really good and her character started unfavourably (not sure if the fighting scene is criminality because of the comedic attempt) but she just felt so real. I haven't watch her drama because she doesn't do much but I know why people watcher, she is beautiful but the characters she plays is inspiring.
Before people talked about the 1st episode and such, you need to watch it all and understand context. There is no such things as predatory in the JCW x KYJ, in fact, JCW still doesn't see her romantically and told her about it. He doesn't show any fall in love scene and KYJ characters grows each episode.
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tyron
July 15, 2020 at 4:04 AM
Lol. BSR ratings are flop for an SBS Fri-Sat timeslot. Stop deluding yourselves. A lot of YJ fans bragged that it will hit 20% by episode 8 but look at those ratings. Still, single digit. Even in good data, they are outranked by Once Again by miles. Just goes to show that little of Korea's population cares about the drama.
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twelveoclock
July 16, 2020 at 1:41 PM
That's pretty low rating for an SBS drama in that time slot. IIRC several recent dramas in this very timeslot did better than this.
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2 bong-soo
July 12, 2020 at 7:44 AM
Here is a request I have had in the back of my mind. I can't identify everyone whose image is in the Ratings Report header. So the
Ratings Report Summer Challenge
Please identify everyone in the Ratings Report header and the drama the pic is from.
(You will be helping me out.)
Starting in the upper left corner and going clock wise to the right I count ten photos. I do know the identity of the actor in No.1. So here goes:
No. 1: Taecyon (THE GAME: TOWARDS ZERO).
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Kurama
July 12, 2020 at 8:21 AM
2. Laughter in Waikiki (season 1)
3. A Piece of Your Mind
4. Find Me in Your Memory
5. and 6. In the middle : Legend of the Blue Sea
7. The King : Eternal Monarch
8. Hyena
9. Melting Me Softly
10. Black Dog
I think.
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Radily
July 12, 2020 at 8:22 AM
No. 2: Kim Jung Hyun & Son Seung Won & Lee Yi Kyung & Jung In Sun & Go Won Hee (Welcome to Waikiki)
No. 3: Jung Hae In (A Piece of Your Mind)
No. 4: Moon Ga Young (Find Me in Your Memory)
No. 5: Jun Ji Hyun (Legend of the Blue Sea)
No. 6: Lee Min Ho (Legend of the Blue Sea)
No. 7: Woo Do Hwan (The King: Eternal Monarch)
No. 8: Kim Hye Soo & Ju Ji Hoon & Oh Gyung Hwa (Hyena)
No. 9: Won Jin Ah & Ji Chang Wook (Melting Me Softly)
No. 10: Seo Hyun Jin (Black Dog)
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bong-soo
July 12, 2020 at 9:15 AM
Thanks @kurama and @radily for the replies but I am still confused. Going backwards my guesses:
No. 10. Jun Ji-hyun (LEGEND) ?
No. 9. Woo Do-hwan (TK:EM)
No. 8. HYENA
No. 7 MELTING ME SOFTLY
No. 6. Seo Hyun-jin (BLACK DOG) ?
No. 5. LEGEND
No. 4. FIND ME IN YOUR MEMORY
No. 3. A PIECE OF YOUR MIND
No. 2. WAIKIKI
Thanks for giving it a shot. Six of the dramas I have not seen.
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Kurama
July 12, 2020 at 9:50 AM
We counted :
1, 2, 3, 4
5, 6
7, 8, 9, 10
You :
1, 2, 3, 4
10 5
9, 8, 7, 6
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bong-soo
July 12, 2020 at 10:38 AM
Lol. We got there in the end.
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3 alasecond
July 12, 2020 at 7:54 AM
so i am confused.. i watched 3 episodes, it was bad..
i haven't heard anything good
why are ratings so high for rookie star..did it improve?
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mine
July 12, 2020 at 8:39 AM
Kim Yoo Jung acting and her story is good, it's actually sad, relatable, emotional and she felt real. The rating always high after her story.
Also perhaps because drama is a series of event and characters changes, they have development, they changes and people welcome that
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kayla
July 15, 2020 at 4:06 AM
Are BSR ratings really high? Or is it just your standards?
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alasecond
July 15, 2020 at 10:11 AM
what do you mean my standards? i didn't create this ratings on my whims and subjective analysis
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4 neener ~ Inside the Magic Shop ~
July 12, 2020 at 8:26 AM
MUF has been having a steady rating. It’s a wonderful show
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mmmmm
July 12, 2020 at 9:14 AM
I wish it had higher ratings. It's a good show.
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neener ~ Inside the Magic Shop ~
July 12, 2020 at 10:49 AM
I also hoped it has higher ratings. The stable numbers proved how good it has been from the start.
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5 OldLawyer
July 12, 2020 at 9:33 AM
BACKSTREET ROOKIE is receiving the audience share it deserves as a rom-com with actual comedy in it. The acting is good and the fact that it was based upon and remains faithful to a manwha means that it tells a coherent story.
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6 Zora
July 12, 2020 at 11:39 AM
Graceful Friends is intriguing. I liked it and will definitely check out next episodes. It is probably harder to sell to younger audiences that is why ratings is not that high.
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7 theimprintonmynose
July 12, 2020 at 3:09 PM
Is it just me or IONTBO ep 7 was hella boring? I was thinking of dropping it halfway through the episode 😶 people should stop complaining that the ratings are low, I think it deserves what it's getting, maybe it's even overrated considering the plot barely moves..
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Zora
July 12, 2020 at 3:32 PM
My dear, if doesn’t suit your taste you can drop it anytime you want. It’s your choice anyway 😁
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Eolsseo
July 12, 2020 at 6:34 PM
Or they can watch it and criticize it too, still a free world after all :)
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mindy
July 12, 2020 at 3:34 PM
It's Okay's ratings might be low for a Kim Soo-hyun drama but they're perfectly fine for dramas in general nowadays. The King perfectly exemplified that big names don't always lead to big ratings these days, and KSH is the only person working on It's Okay that is a big name anyway. All things considered, these ratings are fine.
But I really don't understand where people get the idea that ratings = quality lol.
Anyway, I'm still really enjoying It's Okay. It's slow-moving, yes, but that is not a problem for me when a drama has me pulled into its world and its characters like this one does. After all, lots of people like to call my favorite drama "slow", too...
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi
July 12, 2020 at 5:30 PM
The drama or just the male lead....
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Vespertyne29
July 12, 2020 at 6:48 PM
The drama. KSH might be a hugely popular actor, but he wasn't really on my radar, as he isn't one of my favorites. The only thing I'd seen him in was YFAS, and I thought his crying was excellent, and I enjoyed the drama, but nothing about it made me add him to my "must see this actor in everything" list. In fact, I didn't look up any of his other work, and was more interested in the concept of IOTNBO than in who was in it. I didn't know the FL or any of the other actors, except for the Kim Chang-wong, who is a secondary character in many dramas, often very unlikable, as he was in recently aired FMIYM.
But after 8 episodes of an amazing portrayal of a wide range of emotions, just with his expressions, I am so impressed with him. I LOVE this story, I love the characters, I love the sets, I love the costumes/styling, and I love how the PD is directing this talented group of actors, making the most of their high skill levels.
This drama is magic to me. I haven't felt this emotionally invested in a drama - the characters, story, cinematography, soundtrack, literary allusions - since Goblin. If it keeps going as it has been, then it's going to make it into my top 5 list. It's just amazing.
I have to conclude that a visually stunning urban fantasy, with the perfect balance of humor and pathos, in the hands of talented writer, PD, cameramen, stylists, OST musicians and actors, is my sweet spot when it comes to Kdramas, just as the crude, gag comedy romcoms are what I despise the most, and sageuks, slice-of-life and thrillers fall in the middle area, and I love or hate them depending on their quality. I'm just sad that the majority of dramas seem to be the insipid to intolerably awful romcoms.
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mindy
July 12, 2020 at 7:02 PM
LT was referring to my last sentence, in which I was alluding to a different drama I am (in)famous for loving, LOL.
But I agree with your assessment on It's Okay!
Popeye
July 12, 2020 at 5:21 PM
Just dropped it, I know people who dropped it because it isn't that interesting.
Truthfully, I feel that the story and the characters has little progression and move in circle.
If you like theory and talk about it, it can be more interesting and engaging but it mostly because of other people, not that you enjoy watching it
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Vespertyne29
July 12, 2020 at 7:34 PM
I think I may have accidentally "liked" your comment, and Wendys. Don't take it personally, I could not disagree more strongly. IONTBO is the best thing I've seen since Stove League, and I'm pretty sure it will end up on my Top 5 list. I hate having to wait until next weekend for new episodes. It's amazing.
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Ayalynn
July 13, 2020 at 12:25 PM
Yeah totally amazing.
I can't wait another week!
I'm also pretty sure IONTBO is going to be one of my top 10 dramas (if not 5) of all time.
So far it's the next best thing after Stove League in 2020.
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Vespertyne29
July 13, 2020 at 3:03 PM
Comment was deleted
Vespertyne29
July 13, 2020 at 3:10 PM
OMG - I Just realized yesterday that Oh Jung-Se, the actor who is playing the autistic w/savant syndrome brother, Sang-tae, in It's Okay to Not be Okay is the SAME ACTOR who had the role of Namgoong Mim's main antagonist (the nephew of the Dream team's owner) in Stove League!
I am blown away by his acting range/abilities!
I knew I'd seen him, as well as the actors playing CEO Lee and Kang-tae's BFF, Jae-Soo, before, but he is so totally transformed in every way - looks, demeanor, speech, clothing, hair style - that I didn't even recognize him!
Looks as if OJS has more films in his resume than dramas, and plenty of both.
The talent in this drama is pretty amazing. I'm also really impressed with the director, because he's really capitalizing on the wealth of talent available to him.
Ayalynn
July 13, 2020 at 4:29 PM
I've loved Oh Jung-se's acting since 2012 drama Missing you, I'm so happy that people finally recognize how great he is.
No Gyu-tae in When Camellia Blooms, Kwon Kyung-min in Stove League, Moon Sang-tae in IOTNBO, and also Oh Jong-tae in The Good Detective (that has started last week on JTBC)
He has been busy!
dramalover4ever
July 13, 2020 at 8:58 PM
I'm so glad that I've discovered Oh Jung-se as well. I enjoyed him in Hot Stove League, but after It's OK to Not Be OK, I'm prepared to say he is brilliant, especially as his character begins to change. He's so natural.
PakalanaPikake
July 13, 2020 at 11:26 PM
@vespertyne, @ayalynn123,
Oh Jung-se played a beleaguered hospital chaebol in the sleeper BEAUTIFUL MIND with Jang Hyuk in the title role as a neurosurgeon who had been diagnosed as a child with antisocial personality disorder as the result of a brain injury. Now Oh Jung-se (and his young counterpart) is portraying an adult on the autism spectrum, and is doing it brilliantly. If you haven't watched BEAUTIFUL MIND, it is another drama that was a compelling masterpiece with low ratings when it aired in 2016 -- resulting in 2 episodes being cut. I think you would find it illuminating with regard to IT'S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY.
From the beginning, IOTNBO has also been giving me twinges of the 1975 paean to anti-authoritarianism and nonconformity, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST. I can see a definite parallel between Ko Moon-young and Randall MacMurphy. After the pillowfight, I was reminded of it even more. ;-)
As for IOTNBO, I'm approaching it as a character study, one with kishotenketsu structure. That is the Japanese name for the dramatic and literary form that is the basis for manhwa / manga, and which dates back to ancient Chinese poetry, aka 4-part structure without conflict. Because it is not the familiar 3-act structure hinging on a central conflict as underpins the vast majority of Western TV dramas and films, shows that employ it may seem boring and pointless because "nothing happens." For me, kishotenketsu was an acquired taste, but I've come to appreciate its traditional place in Korean literature and drama. Knowing this, I'm more likely to sit back and allow the story to unfold and the characterizations to emerge at their own pace while I await the inevitable twist that is inherent in the structure. Sometimes that's a tall order, especially in the case of characters who are incomprehensible, unlikable, or downright repellent, as Ko Moon-young initially appeared. I've watched enough Kdramas to know that what you see is not necessarily what you get, and that the joy is in the journey as much as the eventual revelation of the true nature of characters and their circumstances. Sometimes on the verge of dropping a drama, I adopt a "wait and see" attitude. Occasionally it pays off, and other times, the show in question turns out to be a turkey after all -- but not necessarily because of its dramatic structure.
GREASY MELO / WOK OF LOVE and CHOCOLATE are a couple of other recent shows that could be better appreciated when viewed in terms of kishotenketsu structure. I posted on it in the CHOCOLATE recaps, along with pointers to the Korean culture-specific psychological concepts jeong and hwabyung that figured heavily in WHEN THE CAMELLIA BLOOMS and MY COUNTRY: THE NEW AGE.
http://www.dramabeans.com/2020/01/chocolate-episode-10/#comment-3598524
comment #18 PakalanaPikake
January 3, 2020 at 6:23 PM
Enjoy. I hope that awareness of kishotenketsu enhances your enjoyment...
PakalanaPikake
July 13, 2020 at 11:28 PM
Oops! Truncated.
Enjoy. I hope that awareness of kishotenketsu enhances your enjoyment of Kdrama as much as it has mine. ;-)
Wendy
July 12, 2020 at 5:25 PM
Second the motion. There are some good stuffs - brothers relationship. I also like the dark theme and sociopath FL. But no matter how I try, I can’t relate to the OTP.
And for Kim Soo Hyun with reported 200 mil won per episode, this is decidedly below expectation.
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kiara
July 12, 2020 at 9:02 PM
Well, the expectation was 15% and it's way below it :(.
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Al
July 12, 2020 at 8:14 PM
Is it just me or the unregistered commentors popeye, wendy and you are the same? Lol you three have the same tone and style in writing
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Popeye
July 12, 2020 at 8:44 PM
I can vouch that I am not Wendy or the other.
Perhaps it just common criticism about the drama since people who dropped it tend to not analyze why they dropped it.
As I am unregistered, it reminds me of a how DB used to be unregistered and I think you shouldn't need to worry for the unregistered user, we can't give likes anyway. We just want to say something and not getting dozen of notification about how wrong our opinion and feeling.
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Vespertyne29
July 12, 2020 at 9:03 PM
Well, I'm registered, so I assume you aren't talking to me. But I thought the comments were about dropping another show, and then realized it was about IOTNBO, which is BY FAR the best thing airing right now, and may end up being my favorite Kdrama of the entire year. I love it that much.
The suggestion made by one of the "unregistereds," that people only "like" IOTNBO because they have "theories" about it, or because they can talk about it with other people, and would otherwise unlike it, is so ridiculous that I had to correct any accidental "liking" I gave it. As I said, I could not possibly disagree more strongly. I haven't watched a drama that made me cry this much in quite a while. And it doesn't matter whether I talk about it or not - I love everything about it.
But I will say, it's so nice to be ABLE to talk about the beauty, symbolism, cinematography, acting, how the fairy tales and/or Moon-young's books fit into to the theme of each episode, the brilliant writing, sets, costumes, directing, acting - wow. I WANT to be able to share my appreciation of those things with other people. It makes me happy to see others loving it as much as I do, not because of popular leads, but because it's deserving.
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Kwan
July 13, 2020 at 11:06 AM
The reason why dramas, from any country, are so diverse is because they all don't appeal to every viewer. You really like IOTNBO, and I quit watching it after episode 3. That doesn't mean that I think it's lacking in any way, it just doesn't appeal to me.
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dramalover4ever
July 13, 2020 at 9:00 PM
I'm enjoying that too. It's great to find people to talk about all of this with.
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8 Queen Moira
July 12, 2020 at 3:29 PM
Hello, I'm trying to figure out what all the percentages mean? Right now, it looks like Backstreet Rookie is doing a lot better than It's Okay, which sounds like a crime to me tbh lol. But I'm not sure the numbers are on the same plane as each other
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soulsearch12
July 12, 2020 at 5:34 PM
Cable dramas are pay for view so ratings of 1-2% are considered not great/but not a flop whereas on public channel it would be. 5-7% ratings are considered solid/average ratings for Cable Channels. So a 10% rating on a public channel, but a 20% and up is considered a success on (KBS/SBS/MBC). For a Cable show, 20% and up is considered blockbuster status and almost 1/5 of S.K's population :O
For BSR: Cable dramas like It's Ok to not be Ok has 4.5% ratings or so vs Backstreet Rookie which had 8.3% but the viewership is similar (1.4 million or so viewers). Crash Landing on You (21% = over 8 million viewers) similar to World of the Married. Basically a 30% rating for Once Again = 3-4 million viewers). So it might seem like BSR has the higher rating, but in actuality both are kind of on par rn.
I hope IOTNBO rises up, as its trying something new and fresh stylistically.
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Vespertyne29
July 12, 2020 at 7:27 PM
IOTNBO has been such an unexpected delight for me.
TBH, I wasn't expecting that much from it, as I didn't stan any of the actors, and didn't even know most of them (I love the actress playing the second FL's mother. She's been my favorite ajhumma since I first saw and absolutely loved her in Healer. For me, her relationship with JCW's character, and his relationship with his teacher who saved and then abandoned him, were the best parts of the show. I guess I saw Seo Yea-Ji in Lawless Lawyer, but I can only remember LJG! And while the actors playing Sang-tae (brother to KSH's character), CEO Lee, and Jae-Soo (KSH's character's BFF) look familiar to me, I can't recall what dramas I have previously seen them in).
After this drama, I'm going to look up every drama that Kim Soo-Hyun and Seo Yea-Ji have been in, and watch them all! (unless they are vulgar or gag-comedy romcoms). I heard that KSH was amazing in Secretly, Greatly, and also in The Producers, so one of those will probably be first on my list. I didn't realize how many awards he has won for acting, including some of the big Grand Prize/Daesang awards. Impressive. And for SYJ, I guess I'll finally watch Save Me, and rewatch LL.
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Lady in Red
July 13, 2020 at 7:21 AM
You have to watch him in "My Love From Another Star" and "The Moon Embracing the Sun." These are top tier dramas that star Kim Soo Hyun. My Love From Another Star is my fave Kdrama of all time and his co-star Jun Ji-Hyun was amazing in her role. The drama was a megahit, so everything she wore sold out and she had a fave snack in the drama that had people in China lining up in droves to eat it. It was a huge hit in China. The Moon Embracing the Sun is a great historical drama.....I love and still listen to the instrumental soundtrack to this day.
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Kwan
July 13, 2020 at 11:12 AM
Moon Embracing the Sun is my favorite of his, I've watched it at least three times. My Love From Another Star, comes in at my second favorite, and as you say Jun Ji Hyun makes it really worthwhile. She is one of my favorite female stars--Legend of the Blue Sea, is also one at the top of my favorite list.
Queen Moira
July 12, 2020 at 9:51 PM
Ahhh got it, thank you so much! And thanks for the examples!!
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soulsearch12
July 13, 2020 at 2:50 PM
No problem :) !
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OLakes
July 15, 2020 at 2:34 AM
Thanks so much for breaking that down! I've been trying to make sense of it - really helpful.
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9 bong-soo
July 12, 2020 at 8:08 PM
The Nielsen ratings are out for episodes 16 and 17 for little TV Chosun’s S/S sageuk: WIND, CLOUDS, AND RAIN/KING MAKER: THE CHANGE OF DESTINY:
Episode 16: 5.622%
Episode 17: 4.969%
Source:
https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Wind,_Clouds,_and_Rain/Episode_Ratings
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PakalanaPikake
July 14, 2020 at 1:11 AM
@marcusnyc20 bong-soo,
Thank you for the figures for KING MAKER: THE CHANGE OF DESTINY. I'm tickled to see it doing so well. It continues to keep me on the edge of my seat.
The revelation about Heungseon's birth date was a twist that I never saw coming, as was the role of another successful female merchant reminiscent of the one in NOKDU FLOWER. (Kudos to Park Jun-keum, whom I last saw playing the Mother From Hell in MARRY ME NOW? -- and never expected to see in a sageuk, unless you count ROOFTOP PRINCE.) Now that the worm has turned, Heungseon / Habha is as bad as his Andong Kim nemeses. He has gone from a sympathetic character to a paranoid tyrant. Maybe the following incident was a factor in his turn for the worse -- oh, wait, we're still in 1866.
German merchant’s bodysnatching expedition in 1868
https://web.archive.org/web/20150623025115/http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/07/113_69896.html
Given the actual history, at this point, I cannot see how the story can end happily for the OTP. Maybe the best we can hope for is that Choi Chun-jung's destiny is not doomed by his association with Hwa-ryun Ongju, as his natal reading portended, but by other factors. With only 2 weeks left, I'm wondering how far into King Gojong's reign the story will advance without time jumps galore. I'm hoping that it ends well before Queen Min meets her fate, as was the case with FAITH's finale long before the founding of the Joseon dynasty and Choi Young's execution.
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bong-soo
July 16, 2020 at 3:32 PM
@pakalanapikake,
Thank you for the very interesting link. I had no idea.
There has got be more to the story.
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PakalanaPikake
July 17, 2020 at 5:02 PM
@marcusnyc20 bong-soo, cc: @wishfultoki, @kiara,
You're welcome.
This may be the "more to the story" that provides background:
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/French_Campaign_against_Korea,_1866
From footnote 1 above, see Chapter 1 of doctoral thesis by Merose Hwang: The Mudang: Gendered Discourses on Shamanism in Colonial Korea, U. of Toronto (2009):
https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/32182/32/Hwang_Merose_200911_PhD_thesis.pdf
The author quotes from:
Charles Dallet, 1970. "A history of the church in Korea." Human relations area files, 49. (New Haven, Conn: Human Relations Area Files. OCLC: 32480363), 452. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
Dallet, Charles. Histoire de l’eglise de Coree (History of the church in Korea). Original volumes one through three published, Paris: Victor Palme, 1874. Reprint, Human Relations Area Files, 1954. Digitized, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 11 September 2008.
Merose Hwang mentions in passing that conservative Jo Daebi's clan was very anti-Catholic, and that she died prior to Heungseon Daewongun's severe persecution of French clergy and Joseon converts in 1866. Although the number of martyrs is given as something like 8,000, it is mentioned that 10,000 were killed -- with that figure actually meaning "innumerable," IIRC. The original reports on the status of the French Catholic mission activity in Joseon upon which Dallet drew had been smuggled out by Catholic Joseon fishermen who passed them to Catholic Chinese fisherman via an elaborate system that sounded like the manner in which Choi Chun-jung was himself spirited out of Joseon. In fact, missionaries and other Catholics were smuggled to and from Joseon exclusively by ship starting in 1836.
Although the thesis is on manshin / mudangs, there are interesting similarities and contrasts between the ways in which Neo-Confucian scholars treated Catholics, too. It's fascinating, and I think you'll find it an interesting read.
Hope you find this useful. Enjoy! ;-)
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10 Al
July 12, 2020 at 8:18 PM
Backatreet Rookie is hella boring, the ratings might just be because of the leads popularity.
Really enjoying iotnbo. It has been a long time since I cried watching kdrama. This might just be my fave kdrama of all time.
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Vespertyne29
July 12, 2020 at 8:51 PM
I'm with you on the crying. I can FEEL KSH's heartbreak and pain. His character, in particular, is so real to me, although really they all are, but his is just the one I feel the most sympathy for, because I can feel his frustration, anger, guilt, etc.
The scene where he remembers feeling unloved and rejected by his mother are so painful to watch. I really loved when he and Jae-Soo were drinking on the roof, and Jae-soo started yelling up at the stars about Kang-sae's bad mother, and my favorite ahjumma came out and defended the mom, and gave balance to the scene by pointing out how difficult it must have been for a single mother to raise a child like Sang-tae. I loved how her comment, and then Sang-tae's memory of why their mother so often took them to the restaurant to eat Kang-tae's favorite dish. helped Kang-tae remember those missing memories that showed him his mother had loved him, too. Sob.
I swear, I don't know but what KSH can depict emotional pain better than any K actor I've watched. A lot of them are very, very good, but he is outstanding at it.
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Queen Moira
July 12, 2020 at 9:59 PM
I agree!!!! I don’t think BSR is necessarily ‘bad’ in terms of plot or the characters, but it’s boring and I’m too lazy to watch something that doesn’t get me hyped up in any way at all. I think you’re right that the ratings might be because of the actors.
I’m with you 100% on It’s Okay too, it might be my fave kdrama of all time, and it’s only been 8 episodes! 😂
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Keyla
July 13, 2020 at 5:02 AM
I have to disagree with the leads popularity as the reason why BR gets good response. Ji Chang Wook is nowhere the same as Kim Soo Hyun, JCW is big internationally but he is not even in PSJ level in SK. Kim Yoo Joong does not do much drama.
Is it so hard to acknowledge that the drama has some merit and some people enjoy it?
The level of negativity towards this drama from people who preach it's okay is baffling and reeks hypocrisy. Both drama actually deal with similar theme, how you appears and judge by the bystander, just because one drama doesn't put "mental health" in the big banner doesn't mean their suffering and struggle is non existent. Sigh
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Vespertyne29
July 13, 2020 at 7:12 AM
I think the FL is a much bigger draw than JCW. She’s the one who has previously been in the Top 10 of the Forbes top South Korean Celebrities list, not JCW.
The dramas I’m watching aren’t setting records for the number of complaints filed against them by South Korean viewers for inappropriate content for the Rating, the time slot, and the advertising as a “family” drama. They also aren’t getting criticized and dropped for offensive racism and cultural appropriation
The latter are one reason why I’ll never watch this show, like I don’t buy Goya products, don’t watch Mel Gibson films, and don’t eat Papa John’s pizza. Actually, the Papa John’s comparison is a good comparison, because even if it weren’t for the racist owner, I still wouldn’t be interested in their product anyway.
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Keyla
July 13, 2020 at 10:44 AM
you miss the mark honey,
what I mean by the hypocrisy is not how better you are but how both dramas deals about judgement, how we need to see till the end and the broader view when things are happening yet people complain before even finishing the drama.
Drama is a story, it has progression and has changes yet people are unwilling to accept it for Backstreet Rookie yet preach the same idea for It's Okay.
How it's okay is about changing perception of mental health and how there is need to see a balance side, their inner side. Apparently this isn't the same for another drama because the lead isn't a bad enough to kidnap, hurt and try to murder someone, the lead isn't nasty enough and isn't fragile enough to see that people can throw back what they said, being entangled in povery is way easier than dealing with mental health, sigh.
If you think my assessment for It's okay isn't fair, it's because that's how you write for backstreet rookie, you haven't see the story till the end.
And well, who else got complains about sexual harassment and enslaving remark? I certainly havent's heard the word "slave" muttered in Backstreet Rookie.
See the story till the end and then complain as you want. If you watch 1 episode or small clips that get cut off then said some, so we can see the lack of context in your part
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Hanabi
July 13, 2020 at 3:36 PM
You wrote such a nasty comment to Keyla. I wonder why I can't reply to that. Calling people names and shaming ANY race and/or gender is such an ugly thing.
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11 Atlas
July 12, 2020 at 10:00 PM
I loved the first few episodes of IONTBO so much..the aesthetics ,acting, bgm everything..
However off lately I don't find myself waiting for the next episodes with that much fervour..I never thought this would happen ..It feels like the initial pull and magic faded away and the story has slowed down a bit ..Few things appear repititive..Maybe other dramas that I m watching are going at a better pace with interesting turns that's why. But I still like IONTBO and will continue watching it..who knows something exciting may come up in the next episodes..These were just my two cents..But I won't deny that many people are loving it and is getting warm reception..
Btw..ONCE AGAIN deserves such high ratings .. This drama is always able to keep viewers engaged throughout the episode..The writer winds up the issues within a short span of time and it doesn't feel rushed.. But Kudos to the entire cast.. Everyone has such great camaraderie..
Aannnnd Graceful Friends..I m under so much stress when I watch this drama.. Ghosshhh...you can't tell the motive behind the characters's actions..Entire time I keep guessing what must have happened and it is hella confusing..On one side you can witness the sweet bond between friends whereas there is murder ,betrayal..Overall it is a good watch..I m enjoying it so far.
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12 SheWasPrettyFTW
July 13, 2020 at 1:36 AM
Yay for Backstreet Rookie and Men Are Men!
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13 dramalover4ever
July 14, 2020 at 1:16 PM
@PakalanaPikake so interesting ... thank you for these notes on structure. I'll follow up the link. Like you, i'm prepared to wait and see how characters and story develop. I'm rarely disappointed. They so often take unpredictable twists and turns. One of the most recent examples was A Piece of Your Mind. Lots of people dropped it because they couldn't see where it was going but it turned out to be a profoundly moving riff on grief and loss and mourning.
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14 Sifimoyo
July 15, 2020 at 2:24 AM
I'm completely blown away by IONTBO. The cast is outstanding, and the story has had me in tears more than once. Am I the only one who finds the girl terrifying? I really fear for the male lead - don't you think that the smile on her face was the "smile on the face of the tiger"? and the way she slid her hand into his slightly snake-like? She's been stalking him all this time and now, finally, her prey is in her grasp. I do so hope I'm wrong!
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15 twelveoclock
July 16, 2020 at 1:40 PM
I'm eager to watch Men Are Men. It sounds like a good old fashioned drama from around a decade ago before every drama was trying too hard to be w0kE or appeal to western audience or whatever experiments they're doing recently. I hope it is a good watch.
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