Beanie level: Water maid

#2021DramaSummary
Hello, Me: This oddball little show is a hug in drama form. Heartwarming & inspiring, it’s a touching reminder that even if we aren’t who we expect to be, we can always grow & change

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#2021DramaSummary
Mad For Each Other: Overlooked and underappreciated! A crazy mix of humor, trauma, & healing with a big dose of heart. On paper this shouldn’t really work so well, but what a gem!

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One year later and Crash Landing on You is still as amazing as I remember it! 🤣 😭 🥰 ❤️

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Run On: (cont.) The only thing that felt slightly off was Dan-Ah’s story at the end. I can’t help but feel they changed what was originally planned for her, and what we got didn’t entirely work, IMO.

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    Same. That was the only thing I didn’t like about the drama and I’m still trying to understand…

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      Glad I’m not the only one! All of her talk of endings and not enough time, and clearly some serious illness runs in the family – I can only guess that they originally planned for Dan-Ah to die but backed out. Her breaking up with Yeong-Hwa would have made more sense knowing that she wanted to spare him the pain, or something along those lines, but as it was… I couldn’t help but wonder why she didn’t ask for a temporary separation of some sort while she dealt with the company and family politics in the aftermath of her father’s death. I guess basically I just felt like the show made a really big deal out of something that really didn’t justify it. It was all wonderfully acted, of course, but I felt like I was missing something important and feel somewhat unsatisfied because of it.

      And why didn’t we get to see that big Seo family meeting where Dan-Ah and adorable Tae-Woong outmaneuvered Fake Oppa? I would’ve loved to watch them unite as siblings to wipe the smugness off Myung-Min’s face (as much as is possible, lol).

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        I always felt like time, and along with that pace was a theme for both Dan-ah and Yeong-hwa. For example, he was always trying to move so fast, whereas she was much more cautious and moderate in her pace. The “marathon” of their relationship was often about them not running at the same pace. There’s a scene with SG & MJ when they’re out for a run where he tells her that if she falls behind, he’ll wait for her, so she doesn’t have to worry. I felt like that’s what YH does when he tells her that he knows time is the most precious thing for her – she needs time to run her race. And he realizes that it’s not always a sprint. But, like SG, his painting felt like he was waiting for her (or at least the chance), and in the end it did feel like they were finally at the same pace together.

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#2021DramaSummary
Run On: Truly excellent. An honest, refreshing take on many standard Drama tropes. Talented cast, especially Siwan & SSK. A true delight watching Sun-Gyum grow into a real boy, lol

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#2021DramaSummary
Argon: A really great, insightful show. Painfully relevant & refreshingly different from most dramas. Excellent cast – RIP Kim Joo-Hyuk 🙁 He & Park Won-Song were the standouts to me

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    Agreed – Argon is terrific and Kim Joo-Hyuk as good as ever.

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#2021DramaSummary
When the Camellia Blooms: Started strong & grew increasingly frustrating as it stretched on – too many genres jumbled together. Loved Ja-young, Yong-shik, & the Ajumma Justice Squad!

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    I watched this recently and got increasingly angry with ALL THE MOTHERS!!! Ja-Young was the absolute star of the show.

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      Yeah, how many times do we have to hear YS’s mom screaming that DB wasn’t good enough for her son? Enough is enough already! Especially after she started being nasty about – and to – Pil-Gu. I would love to watch Ja-Young star in a show of her own!

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Watched the first 3 episodes of Uncanny Counter but had to drop it – just too much violence for me. 🙁 Now rewatching Mystic Pop-Up Bar, one of my very favorite dramas! Manager Gwi ❤️

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    I finished but it was campy. The staffs im sowwry. Ugh.
    And i really find the old lady white lighter or whatever she was gross.

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      The parts that weren’t super violent kept reminding me of Mystic Pop-up Bar except not as well done, so I decided not to waste my time watching something I didn’t like and just rewatch the show I loved instead.

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    Manager Gwi! 🙂

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      🥰 Manager Gwi, onion chopper and evil spirit hunter extraordinaire! He’s one of my very favorite characters of any show! I just love him. 💖

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Diary of a Prosecutor: (cont.) Any other Brooklyn 99 viewers notice the similarities of Lee & Cha’s feud to Holt/Wuntch? The pettiness between both pairs was a delight to watch.

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    Nine-nine!

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      Cheers to the 99th precinct!

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        I’ll watch this drama because of your post!

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          Cool! 😀 I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The slice-of-life, more episodic feel of it gave it a bit of similarity to B99 in my mind, too. And as you watch, just imagine Lee and Cha saying all of the insults that Holt and Wuntch have said – they totally fit!

          (Besides, anything with Lee Sun-Kyun is worth a watch, right?)

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    What a line!

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#2021DramaSummary
Diary of a Prosecutor: Wonderful little slice-of-life show, a refreshing change from most dramas. Lee Sun-Kyun is such a master, even in a nominally ensemble show he\’s a standout.

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    A great watch. LSK is brilliant.

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      He really is. Most actors lean toward overplaying things, but he’s so masterful at underplaying things to great effect. He just impresses me every time I watch him (not to mention that voice…)

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        He’s right up the top for me. Loved him in everything I’ve seen him in. In My Ajussi especially. I’d like to find an earlier film that he was in, Paju. Have you seen it?

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          I haven’t seen that, unfortunately. All of my K-viewing is currently through Netflix, which has a decent selection of Korean dramas but nearly zero films. I will keep an eye open for it though!

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#2021DramaSummary
Bring it on, Ghost: Fun enough, but I didn\’t get pulled into this one the way I normally do. Really did not like the animal cruelty in ep.4, that was really upsetting to watch. ☹️

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#2021DramaSummary
My Holo Love: Didn\’t know what to expect going in but this was outstanding. I love character-driven stories & this really delved into our leads with a fresh take on AI tech. So good!

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    I liked it when I binged watched last year, and the chemistry between the leads was great.

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      Agreed! They had great chemistry – and Yoon Hyun-min differentiated Holo and Nan-do so well that he sparked with Ko Sung-hee in separate but very definite ways!

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    MHL! 💚💚

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    I actually recommend this one to someone without actually watching it! I have it on my list and have heard great things about it!

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      I bet you’ll love it when you get to watch! My initial thought was “meh” when I first read the summary but the show won me over pretty quickly.

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    The chemistry between the leads was so good! It carried the entire plot for me.

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      It really was excellent chemistry! The story was interesting on its own but the leads made the show.

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#2021DramaSummary
Space Sweepers: This crazy movie was a lot of fun. A fresh take on a familiar concept. Loved Dorothy and her relationships with the crew, & loved the mix of languages, too. Sequel?

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Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung: (cont.) GHR\’s final speech to king & entire scene of the Wailing Protest both gave me chills, & will stay with me for a long time. Among the best things I\’ve ever seen.

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Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung: (cont.) Enjoyed the examination of historical issues – such as equality, healthcare, truth, integrity, etc, – made more poignant by their continued relevance today

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Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung: (cont.) And such beautiful scenery too! Loved seeing an active female lead paired with a more passive male lead. Very refreshing & welcome change for Dramaland.

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#2021DramaSummary
Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung: Fantastic show! My first sageuk – didn\’t know if I\’d like it going in, but I really fell in love with this one. Excellent cast, interesting characters

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    I loved this show too. Some other fun sagueks: Moonlight Drawn by Clouds, Tale of Nokdu, The King Loves.

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      Thanks for the recs! 🙂 I’ve heard of most of them, I’ll have to check them out.

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#2021DramaSummary
Bride of the Water God: Lots of fun but it could have been really special w/ more Divine Realm & backstory. Lim Ju-Hwan=standout. Super jealous of Habaek\’s godly hair and eyeliner.

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    Really? It was so bad for me that Nam Joo Hyuk dropped out of my top 5 bias list

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      Maybe because I went in with low expectations and mostly for the eye candy (and yes, the wig/ eyeliner combo was definitely a factor). Nothing wrong with being shallow once in a while, right?

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        Maybe because I have read the manhwa and the drama fell short of it. The drama was an absolute disappointment compared to the manhwa

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          Ah, that’s understandable since I understand they are very different apart from both featuring a water god named Habaek.

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    I thought it was fun, too. Ridiculous, wiplashy, sometimes awkward and paper thin, but I was highly entertained. Can’t really put my finger on it, but I was. Sometimes that’s just the kind of k-ent I’m looking for. 😄

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      Yeah, maybe it was the magical combination of complete absurdity that didn’t try to be anything else. You have to just give into the ridiculousness of it! 😀

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#2020DramaSummary
My Ajusshi: Oh, this drama. It breaks your heart and heals it simultaneously. Simple yet distinctive, weighty yet refreshing… I could go on & on. Lee Sun-Kyun is truly a master.

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The King – Eternal Monarch (cont.) – Raise your hands if you\’d love a Eun-Seob/Jo Young spinoff! Shin-jae and Jangmi can tag along too. Loved the grouchy/adorable puppy dynamic going with those four.

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