Beanie level: Chaebol’s poor doppelganger

People hated on DramaFever so much…but it was me, her, and her Roku app against the world for YEARS

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    Losing dramafever was traumatic.
    I remember that when Viki became “Rakuten Viki” I got scared it meant it was going to disappear too.

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    I am of the minority and didn’t actually like the subs from Dramafever 😅 I found them to generic and vague and couldn’t specifically encompass the actual meanings of what was really being said in the Kdrama dialogues

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Watching Korean & Japanese dramas simultaneously will really have you noticing the veneers on the Korean actors 1000% more.

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    What is a veneer?

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      I think it’s to do with making teeth look perfect.

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      It’s facets that are put on the email of the teeth to look “better”, it changes the shade, structure, position and shape of the original tooth. It’s irreversible.

      There were articles about young idols who had some veneer when it didn’t look they needed them in the first place…

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    japanese have the crooked teeth. they frown on cosmetic surgery (tho i suspect some have things done) and braces are usually applied later, when stars become very popular (kimura takuya, among others)…

    don’t understand why, they drink so much green tea – their teeth are brown… but never blazingly bright or straight. which i don’t understand… coffee affects teeth more, right? i grew up drinking green tea, but when espresso hit — brown stained teeth galore… and the korean population is always drinking “americanos” or “lattes” now.

    what’s the problem… geezemaneeze…

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fell for a fake april fool’s casting announcement let this day be over

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This casting?! Oh let’s f*cking go…

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Signal was literally my first drama. The lives I have lived since then… girl it’s been AGES.

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Feel like a grumpy hag saying this, but lord, some of these young male actors are being promoted to main lead way too quickly. You used to have to spend years slumping it as second lead or roughing it in negative budget web dramas before you were trusted to deliver as a lead. Too many casting announcements lately consist of a phenomenal veteran actress in their prime paired with an incredibly green \”it boy\”. I\’m supportive of casting directors taking a chance on rookie actors, but god, I\’d like them to have more in their credits than just Singles Inferno.

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    They’re not doing them any favours either, they’re not ready for it and they never get the experience they need to become good actors. But then they’re not investing in them, they’re just sucking them dry early and throwing them away for the next one.

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      So true, they leave them vulnerable to criticism and then they can use that as the excuse to move on to the next one.

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        The number of “social media” followers is deciding the next new ML now apparently. 🤦‍♀️🙈

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          Gosh that is ridiculous. I guess as so much is about marketing and sponsorship they have to go where the money is and idols and good looking actors win every time. The majority female audience must have an influence, although demographics wise most are ajummas so the older/experienced actors are a bigger pull than the powers that be think.

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            The sheer quantity of dramas being made require a larger number of actors and veteran actors can do only a handful in one year.
            Rather than having a total newbie actor headline a drama it seems a safer bet commercially to have an idol with a ready-made fan base.
            As @leetennant astutely points out it is not doing them any favors.

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          When you know that it’s easy to buy followers…

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          Hit dramas have proven that veteran actors still reign supreme in dramaland.
          I assume that casting young, popular, and inexperienced actors is more cost-effective as they attract sponsors and commercials that help finance the drama.

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          That’s exactly what is happening. Even newbies have more followers and appear on more Insta/Viki videos than veteran actors.

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        It’s like they came up with their new variety survival shows for newbies. Whoever survives these flops and manage to build a career will be the winner!

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    Join the grumpy club! I don’t bother watching or just cringed through it for the veterans.

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    But it always has been the case. It’s not a new thing like Hyun Bin, Joo Ji-Hoon, etc. And it’s the same for young actresses with older actors.

    I wish just they choose good actor and make chemistry test before…

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I don’t know what I expected going into the first episode of Death’s Game,.. but it wasn’t all of that

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    Right? I had the same experience a few days ago. No one can complain that this show is moving too slowly!

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This dude looks like the love child amalgamation of soooo many other male actors. I’ve had like eight names run through my head just looking at this.

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Really don\’t want to watch any squid game but the S2 cast sounds delish…

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Drama title changes are so funny sometimes, like tell me how \”Cheongdam International High School\” turned into \”Bitch X Rich\”

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    Same with the translations.
    I’m still wondering who chose the translation for “My Prefect Stranger”. That’s not what the Korean title says and it doesn’t go with the vibe of the drama.

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Yay, four more years of half seasons and an oversaturation of crime/gore 😐

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Is it just me, or has the makeup in dramas started to look worse lately? Seeing a lot of cakey foundation and unblended jawlines recently.

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    Yeah, it really ruins some of the immersion. Especially when it’s a drama that’s going for a more gritty/realistic tone and you can tell the ML just got patted down with some CC cream. Too many dramas use color grading/filters that wash out actors skin to begin with, it drives me crazy seeing them with a face and neck that are completely different undertones on top of it.

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    Maybe it’s the quality of the video that’s becoming too high??? XD
    Lets us see all the tiny details (and possible imperfections too)

    (But I’m not sure, as I haven’t been watching much stuff these days, really ><)

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Watched the first 2 eps of The Secret Romantic Guesthouse and there\’s something that feels very \”I would\’ve watched this on the Disney Channel when I was 11\” about it.

\”Fun team mystery solving!\”
\”THREE hot cuties for her to choose from!\”
\”Loosely choreographed action and slapstick comedy!\”

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    True, but that’s better than saying it’s something you wouldn’t have watched on DIsney Channel when you were eleven.

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    Totally agree. It seems a funny k-drama which can be enjoyed for younger audiences too. That isn’t necessarily a negative quality, in my opinion.

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      Oh yeah, definitely not an inherent negative. Just skews a bit younger than I was expecting. If kdrama’s other recent “light” offerings are any to go by, I’m sure it’ll veer into unnecessary seriousness and dramatics in its coming weeks anyway 🙄

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More actors should employ the Im Siwan method of alternating between dainty soft boyfriend to bloody crazed murder man role to role. That\’s how you build range baby.

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    I have a weird problem that even when he is being the soft boyfriend I’m scared of his eyes. I always feel like he is a psychopath faking being soft. Why!

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I have not rated nearly a single jdrama I\’ve watched in the past year below an 8.5 on MDL. Need kdramas to learn a thing from them and stop ruining themselves with runtimes they don\’t have enough story for. Stuff like The Heavenly Idol would be way better suited for a 30-45 min runtime, 8-10 episode format.

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    What jdramas have you been watchin?

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    Ikr! Jdramas have a talent for tight storytelling and somehow they manage to fit it all in 23 minutes. I dont know why it’s 23, but it works ~ maybe 3 mins is the intro n ending song. the episode count is also offbeat, ranging anywhere from 4 to 7, 10 or more..

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    It’s been a while since Ive indulged in a jdrama, but I’ve watched over 40. I loved Date, AGitl and Theee Sweethearts (Sukina Hitoga Trukoto), Code Blue, Summer Nude, Siakoy no Rikon, Bad Boys, Last Cinderella, Woman (sad), Wakamonotachi (Eita), Terrace House (dating show), Mondai no Ara Restaurant. Well, there’s a few.
    Do you have more tecent ones that are good?

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Vaguely keeping up with shows you\’re not watching yourself can be so weird cause some will seem like they\’re 80% over in two weeks, and others will feel like they\’ve been on air for five months.

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    I know exactly what you mean!!! That’s so wild seeing it written & also knowing others feel the same, because I’ve always felt that and never actually thought or knew how to express that vibe hahaha

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Been hearing good things about Call It Love, but that pink/purple filter they\’re using is a crime against humanity. I don\’t think I could stand looking at it.

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    Same. I skimmed the first two episodes to see if I could tolerate it, and – NOPE. I suspect lots of people do not love it, and I wonder if it will be dialed back in later episodes if the production team finds that it reduces viewer numbers.

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      It’s just… who could’ve thought that it looked good? Who gave it the okay? It’s so egregious.

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      I think it’s a Disney+ release so probably pre-produced? I don’t think the pink is going away and so I’m going to stay away 😅.

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        I think you’re right that it’s pre-produced. The filter is likely just a color overlay applied digitally in post-production, and removing it could be as simple as un-selecting it in the video editing program – but I fear you’re correct and we’re stuck with it (or rather, stuck with having to stay away).

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Oh, Heavenly Idol is STUPID in the good way, I\’m gonna have fun with this one.

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Being off work for the holidays in December made me too euphoric/optimistic about the volume of dramas I could watch. I\’m back to scheduling in single episodes like doctor appointments throughout the week 😭

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    Haha the realistic aftermath of holidays! An episode in the evenings will have to sustain you ✌🏻 I can relate~

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All these season 2 and 3 announcements are getting a little out of hand, there\’s a handful that make sense of course, but some stories are meant to be contained.

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    I know right. I get that for a few shows, a second season is possible but I tend to stay away from dramas that will have multiple seasons. What’s more annoying are the parts. Dividing one show into two parts for more clout and viewership. This trend serms exploitative.

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      Unfortunately that’s how their operating model works. They need to keep subscribers. And they think seasons will keep people from maintaining their monthly subscription.
      But kdrama folks will subscribe as long as they keep getting new dramas/episodes every month. the dramas with weekly episodes by themselves take care of this problem for them. Plus there is no shortage of new content in kdrama.
      I feel they are missing the point here.
      But I don’t know what is their true reasoning though.
      I feel this trend is getting worse now. I tend not to start shows which have parts. Glory for eg. If it were 2 episodes a week I am positive I would have seen that drama.

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