Beanie level: Loan shark with a heart of gold

OUR BLOOMING YOUTH DB Group Watch/rewatch/binge-watch

Episodes 1 & 2

(Note: It is my first time watching and I am going in with zero knowledge of the plot or the characters.)

The first thing that caught my attention was the directing, so I checked and was pleasantly surprised to see the director’s filmography. They have 4 other dramas beside OBY, all 4 of which I consider extremely well made and directed. I’m intrigued.

Many things in the first episode fell a little too pat and convenient, but it’s a first episode, we need to put the plot gears in motion. The second episode was a lot better. I love how this director captures the micro expressions on so many characters’ faces, not only the main ones. Not to mention that I love how they have so many of my favorite ahjussis! 😀

This is my first time watching Jun So Ni and I’m loving her voice! It is so beautiful!

There were two things that I didn’t like as much as I wished to.

When CP was saying I did not kill my brother, with tears running down his face, it was the perfect answer for Min Jae Yi to say I didn’t kill my family either. But she didn’t, and he simply went on to repeat you are a killer. I honestly didn’t like that scene. I would have loved the similaity between them to have had striked him a bit.

Then there is the maid and that yangban. Are they the secondary couple? I find them boring and the comedy of their too long scenes jarring to the tone at this point. Hope it gets better.

On the whole, it was a very pleasant show, and I’m looking forward to the Beanie discussions.

@claire2009 @minniegupta1, @seeker @jls943, @koalatown @nefret @sonai @IsaGC @bebeswtz @mmmmm
(please add if I have missed tagging anyone)

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    I LOVED how this scene was shot completely in backlight. It was such a beautiful touch, made the scene so haunting and ethereal.

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    Also, how beautiful was this scene?? This director truly knows what they’re doing!

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    When CP was saying I did not kill my brother, with tears running down his face, it was the perfect answer for Min Jae Yi to say I didn’t kill my family either. But she didn’t, and he simply went on to repeat you are a killer.

    I have felt it too, especially in the beginning. But as the characters progressed, it made a bit of a sense. I think at that time she was letting him run his emotions. Additionally, for him, it was a rumour, but for her, Min Jay Yi’s ‘accomplice’ and her lover , confessed that she bought poison and killed the family because she wanted to run away with him. Considering she is also a woman in Joseon with non existent rights, it’s pretty much a done deal for her.
    To be very honest, Yi Hwan does not start as a likable character at all, and I loved those layers.
    I fell in love with Jeon So Nee. She is a lovely artist. SK audience took umbrage to her for some reason, and the media placed the blame of low ratings on her shoulders which I felt was so unfair. She is amazing and believable as a eunuch – she makes no effort at make up and walks like a teen kid.

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      Yes, I like that we are not supposed to like YH right away very much. Even with his burst of emotions we are still left with his hard facade. I’m looking forward to the layers to peel away!

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      I thought the first episode character exaggeration was not too over the top. Obviously when we are introduced to our characters their most unlikable qualities are exaggerated.

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    I generally find sageuks require a lot of work / focus from me as a viewer as there is so much going on.
    Minnie’s initial post was a timely reminder how important marriages and its various stages of negotiating an arranged marriage are.

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      Yes, that is part of the reason I loved how this director can capture so many emotions simultaneously. It helps the viewer so much!

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        K-dramas usually do microexpressions very well but they are all the more important in sageuks as the characters are not free to express themselves freely. Therefore I prefer my sageuks to have seasoned or at least very capable actors who can convey so much just with a title of the head or raising of eyes. 😍

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          K-dramas usually do microexpressions very well but they are all the more important in sageuks as the characters are not free to express themselves freely.

          Bingo. And this can also make Saguek watching a chore. This is where Captivating the king failed miserably (only the FL) and so did Forbidden Marriage (both).

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            I read the first half of your Sejak comment “failed miserably” and went “oh what” then read the FL part. I quite like the FL I mean I wasn’t predisposed to dislike her but sageuks are a different cup of tea than mere years in the business can teach you.
            Nothing in Jeon So Nee’s filmography could suggest her suitability for a sageuk that too in such a demanding role. Ahn Eun-jin we knew before we saw a single shot was going to kill it.
            Luckily compatibility, direction overcame uneven editing to make uri OBY FL shine.

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            To be honest Ahn Eun-jin is a head and shoulder ahead of everyone, including Jeon So Nee. She is incredible. While I am yet to see a better and a more layered crown prince than PHS who fit into that era so well you would think he was born in 1400s, Ahn Eun-jin is a hard one to top as a rebel by anyone else, including the ones in older Sagueks. I know she won’t, but she deserves an award for that role, just as PHS does for OBY.

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            I haven’t watched “Captivate the King” so I don’t dare to comment on that, but I’ve seen SSK in 2 other shows (Fashion King and Run On) and I will say although she’s not as bad as not being to emote, her range is very limited, and her expressions are usually not on-point. That’s why she rarely appeals to me.

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            her expressions are usually not on-point.

            @claire2009 Nail on the head.
            She has beautiful eyes though.

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            *not being able to emote

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        that is part of the reason I loved how this director can capture so many emotions simultaneously.

        @seeker @midnight And I think this is where OBY scores right till the end. It’s not a perfect drama by any means and as I mentioned many times, the editing could have been better and tighter and narration could have done better perhaps with more experienced Saguek writer, but it’s no better or worse than other Sagueks, with the exception of Under The Queen’s Umbrella and The Matchmakers from recent times. But where it does hold fort, and by miles over other ones is the interplay between the leads.

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    Thank you, Midnight! 🙂

    I agree with you about that scene your mentioned. I also thought it was the perfect moment to say that (“I didn’t kill my family either”), because both of them are in the same situation.

    About the secondary couple, it seems I enjoyed them more than you. I like the way Lee Tae Sun is portraying this eccentric character.

    Something I’m very grateful to this show: the Prince knows that the FL is a woman since they first met.
    (I have just finished Captivating the King and the suspension of disbelief didn’t work, no matter how much I tried 😅).

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      Limiting my comments just to ep 1-2, I found the secondary couple in the “set-up” stage which is hardly ever engaging. 😅 Even after all these years of K-drama watching I have to remind myself to “ignore” the cues of the initial episodes which are always unnecessarily exaggerated and rarely relevant. This exaggerated world building hardly serves any purpose other than making us dislike the characters. Now give me a character like the Right State Councilor – down to the business from the get-go. 😊👍

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    Regarding the second couple: I remember very well how long it took me to warm up to Kim Myung-jin. I also found his laughter rather jarring in the first two episodes.

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    Thanks a ton @midnight

    My Take (episodes 1& 2 only, and I will try to pretend I don’t know what happens next)
    OUR BLOOMING YOUTH DB Group Watch/rewatch/binge-watch

    The opening scene intrigued me. Yi Hwan’s dream, or rather his nightmare, sets the tone early on. His frustration reels you in, but you are not yet fully onboard with what he is dealing with. Is it guilt? Is it mistrust? Is it terror? What makes him such a hardened person? If he didn’t kill his brother, why is he so afraid?
    I found the trace of that faint sinister lacing his deep-toned conversations interesting. And he backs it up by his actions. From throwing out his servants who dared to gossip about him to snarking his ministers to shame for daring to test his capabilities as a Crown Prince to not showing any leniency to Min Jay Yi, even dragging her away by the injured arm, he is one step down from being borderline heartless.
    “Take off your uniform” – Jeez. That gave me a pause and a double take. Who exactly are we dealing with here?
    Then, all of a sudden, he offers her water. While he tells her it is because he fears it could be poisoned, for someone trying to keep his cards so close to his chest, I didn’t think he would endanger himself and be called to judgment by the ministers already vying for his blood by having his friend’s fiancee disguised as a male and squirrelled away in his private tent die on him at the hunting ground. Plus, the ghost was not outright trying to kill him, just playing mind games with him. So I am dead sure he knows it wasn’t poisoned, and it is an act of kindness.
    This is further strengthened when he doesn’t punish her for kicking his bodyguard (my word, that was so funny). But then he goes on to manhandle her like he would have any other soldier, just like the previous day when he had not even let her speak in the tent and ordered her tied and delivered in a cold store room. Or perhaps not. A man might have already been beaten black and blue for daring to cross him and mentioning the ghost letter he never sent.
    You get the first crack when he suddenly folds in front of her, helplessly trying to convince her he didn’t kill his brother, and you also get frustrated with him because he does not extend the same courtesy to Min Jay Yi.
    Yet when he comes back the next day, the man who had no qualms about throwing her around the night before and leaving her locked in a cold storage room lets her run her mouth and insult him with barely any pushback, only to be galvanized into action when she starts screaming like a banshee about the ghost letter.
    This tsundere Crown Prince has boggled my mind.

    Cont below –

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      I also fell in love with Min Jay Yi’s entry. She is fire, and you believe she is innocent right off the bat. There is a certain sincerity in her performance that’s endearing. But when she launches herself at the Crown Prince? That was the defining moment for me as far as period dramas go. She goes at him full swing, calling his emblazoned dragon-robbed posterior a bastard and a jerk. I remember sitting up. I had never seen it before.
      It also told me she is a bit impulsive and does not think everything through. She might be a good detective, but she is also a daredevil and obviously has gone against the norm plenty of times. After all, she was a child who trolled people crossing a river and taxed them and as far as the Crown Prince was concerned, he didn’t think she was a suitable wife for his friend (that was such a rib-tickling moment). And now we know she grew up to be a detective to boot.
      Jeon So Nee has a beautiful voice and deeply emotive eyes.
      If I could pick one moment that changed many things in the past year, it would be this dialogue: “Has Joseon ever let a woman do anything? That she is allowed, she can, and she must.” (More on that some other time.)
      The other line that stood out for me: “Loyalty isn’t for men only,” Jung Ga Ram, 1400 something AD, Joseon.
      The other couple, Kim Myung Jin and Jung Ga Ram, loved their first meeting scene. It was funny, and the way Ga-ram rejected him as her teacher was hilarious. I rewound this scene during my first watch to catch every part of her rejection dialogue. But yes, I wanted to return to Yi Hwan and Min Jay Yi right after that, and the secondary characters were distracting.
      My only complaint is that the screenplay is contrived in a few places, but there is nothing too jarring. I am fully invested in the leads, their layers, and their unconventional beginning.
      The cinematography is just beautiful. I love the wide-scope camera angles, the lighting, the earthen tones, and the efficient use of a small space to bring out the depth in both the scene and the character.

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        Last, My fangirl moment (disclaimer: developed a few episodes down through the OBY watch) – PHS’s Crown Prince walk (53.40 timestamp, episode 1). I mentioned in a previous comment how he creates a gait for every character he plays. Watch him OWN the earth he walks on as the Crown Prince Yi Hwan. Then, watch him walk in Doctor Slump, even in his most confident moments. Or even in Hwarang as another royal. It’s different.
        The other thing that struck me was his deep, layered voice. I had watched him in Hwarang and Soundtrack #1 before this; I loved him in Hwarang over everyone else, but not enough to try to find his other work. I also didn’t remember PHS having a memorable voice, and I watched Soundtrack #1 in English dub (found my way to it after Nevertheless). Like many others, he stayed at the back of my mind as someone to follow, and the only reason I started OBY was because I was on a Saguek roll then.
        So, his gravelly voice took me by surprise.
        Also, I loved the lack of strawberry lip gloss on PHS and seeing more of his natural complexion. This man has gorgeous skin; I have no idea why they make him pasty at times, though never in OBY, thankfully.

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          I fell for PHS in 2013, when he was only 22 years old, but acted like a veteran. He was amazing in Nine.

          He was later equally amazing as a side character in Heirs.

          But after that I was never taken with any of his subsequent roles. I felt writers/directors being lazy and relying on his looks, conveniently forgetting what an amazing actor he can be.

          When I read in the post that originated this group watch about his acting I was very excited to see him as I remembered him again! And wow, has he grown so much this past decade! It’s truly a joy to witness!

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            Have you watched Sirius?

            He has a double role and plays the teen years of the actor.

            I was blown away. He was years ahead and better than the actor who played the main lead. This was also when I realized he works on his characters. The twins were as different as chalk and cheese. And he had nothing to distinguish one from the other except for his eyes.

            Other than OBY, I think his Suits is another one where he shone (not counting Juror 8 as it’s a film). There was a lot he had to portray in that. Happiness too though I think Happiness was much simpler in terms of character representation.

            I do think he has been short changed in the long run. He needs a director who can say, that was great, but I need better.

            In Juror 8 bts, it seems he showed the director 17 ways he could speak a line and the director chose the one he liked the best.

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            @minniegupta1 Oh yes, it wasn’t included in his filmography I forgot to mention it. Yes, Sirius was also in 2013 and he was amazing there too.

            I unfortunately didn’t like Suits and his acting in it.

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          Here’s for you, Minnie 🙂 (Do you believe it, I lost internet connection last night due to a storm, so I went to bed early for once. I prepared those GIFs earlier this morning, and omo, they are just like the illustrations chosen for your essay ^^)

          Although you look gorgeous in the royal attire

          You’re still kind of a jerk, Your Highness

          Yes, you heard it right, no need to double-check 😅

          PS: Min Jaeyi would have made a badass girl in the modern time norms too. Got to love her.

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          I loved PHS in Suits. It’s the show I came for Jang Donggun (he was my first K-crush) but stayed for PHS. But it’s true that I wasn’t very impressed with PHS’s voice then either. It wasn’t something that would strike my at the first instant, say, like Junho’s voice. But his voice in OBY was just chef’s kiss.

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        “Has Joseon ever let a woman do anything?”

        This, and when she said in the end “I prefer to die right here.” were the two highlights of the episode for me!

        Also that little bit where we are told that the king wants power… Wow, way to turn thd tables!

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    I don’t watch 2 dramas with the same actor at the same time, so I’ll wait until I watch the last eps of Dr Slump this weekend before diving into the first 2 eps of this one. I’ll come back and read all your comments then.

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    Thank you, Midnight.

    Yes, I love Jeon Sonee’s voice too. She does have a special voice among Korean actresses. Another actress with beautiful voice is Won Jinah.

    Like you, I wasn’t impressed with Kim Myungjin during these first episodes. His laughs didn’t bother me much though. Lee Taesun looks dashing in a promotion event for the show, which took me by surprise.

    I haven’t watched any other show by this PD, but have watched 2 other shows by OBY’s writer.

    OBY is a feast of microexpressions that doesn’t always happen, even with shows having more veteran actors, so I agree that it feels like that was the deliberate focus of this PD. And thankfully, the actors from main to supporting can deliver.

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      I’m sure it’s the PD’s deliberate focus, because I loved this attention to many actors’ micro expressions at the same time in Marriage, Not Dating, and Psychopath Diary too.

      (P.s. Hancinema is the only site that also lists Another Oh Hae Young in his filmography. Maybe he was an assistant because he isn’t creditted in any other site, but if what I saw in AOHY is his touch then WOW! I actually dislike that show but have rewatched it many many times for the directing and the ml lead character.)

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        Oh, Marriage, Not Dating and Another Oh Haeyoung were directed by him too!? Thank you for the info. I watched these 2 shows. I didn’t love the former as other beanies did. Everytime I see someone praise that show, I always wonder “Did I miss something?”. Overall that show was fun, I didn’t regret watching it at all. It had entertaining moments. But what hindered my caring for the main characters was their lack of principles that showed at certain moments. Like when the OTP argued at their wedding ceremony, in front of all guests, I was like “Can you two please wait until the ceremony is done? Please show some class”. So I was quite surprised to see others find that scene hilarious. I didn’t.

        AOHY was a show I hate-watched, there wasn’t a single character I wanted to root for. It was the first time I’d watched Eric Mun and I haven’t seen anything else he was in since. But he and Seo Hyunjin had steamy kiss scenes 🙂

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        I watched Hundred Days My Prince from the PD and honestly, it does not rate too high in my likability list but I know it was quite popular. I was definitely not fan of the writer because Romance Is A Bonus Book is a deeply flawed script. So I wasn’t sure what to expect.
        Psychopath Diary has been on my watch list for a while. I probably give it a try after I catch up with all the pending shows.

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          Oh, I didn’t like HDMP much either, but that is strictly because of the script. The directing was truly flawless. Same with Duel. I wasn’t able to finish it because it was extremely hard ro watch for me, but I still believe that every scene was perfectly made.

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      @Claire2009 I adore Jeon So Nee. She was so subtle, so emotive in Soulmate . I liked her way more than Kim Da Mi, who I think is quite a competent actor even though I don’t like watching her.

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        The only time I’ve seen Kim Da Mi is Itaewon Class, but I dropped that show because it didn’t click with me, not because of her character though, although tbh I didn’t like watching her either. I realised when we watch someone long enough, they could start to grow on us, so I’m willing to watch Kim Da Mi in other shows as long as the scripts look promising.

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        They are so beautiful!!

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    Woah, so much buzz already, and I’ve only watched the first episode last night! 😆 Will join in once I watched more, but seriously: what you said about the want to binge this series because of the cliffhangers at the end of each episode rings true. How could it stop there?! How could I not have the time to continue right away?! *cue inner screaming* Will hopefully continue today or in the weekend, then tune back in here. It’s beautiful so far!!! Very excited to get to know more about all of these characters!

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      Awesome! LOL! This series is best binged watched. The wait only makes you squirrel hole into theories and expectations, not to mention that we poor live watchers were hit with ‘kiss kiss kiss’ syndrome (insert exasperated eye roll, often not caring about the actual story lol!!! At least it was true for me for a while, even though I had not watched sagueks that took kissing seriously).

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        LOL! Yes, that syndrome could overcome us from time to time. 🤔😂 I’m certainly familiar with it…

        Okay, I’m the meantime I finished watching episode 2 (and half of 3), and I’m definitely hooked. Production-wise, this is top notch, as you guys already mentioned. I’ll try to focus on things that others did not touch upon yet. Also: first time watcher alert! 🤓

        * Both supposed trusted companions of the crown prince already seem highly suspicious. Might be intentional depiction since we’re only at the beginning, but of course, (POTENTIAL SPOILER of episode 3, sorry I don’t remember if this still was in episode 2!) guardian’s uniform was the same as of the person planting secret messages within that hidden pot, that was picked up later by a palace maid. (POTENTIAL SPOILER END) And sergeant and that arrow shooting showdown? Uh…. Lots of aiming at the crown prince before that bird of prey was shot down. Highly suspicious. 🤨 (LOL, but I actually love that in sageuks, you sometimes just don’t know whom to trust in the beginning! So, I’m going in being suspicious of almost everyone.)
        * I enjoyed the weirdness of Myungjin. Looks like this character will be “in charge of comedy”. I feel like we might need it later on!
        * I really like the animated opening and the orchestral background music. There were some nice cello pieces in there…!
        * Really like the female lead, for reasons already mentioned.

        I’m looking forward to continue! 🤓

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          I like having lots of suspicious friends around in sageuks too 😁
          It makes both the subsequent betrayal and/or sacrifice the more poignant! 🤩

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            … and betrayal, there will be!!! 🫣🥺😂

            But at least I don’t have the feeling the crown prince trusts these two unquestioningly. Of course, in his position, having to wonder who passed him that dubious letter would make me highly cautious as well… 🤔

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            Oh! It’s my first watch too, so I don’t know about any betrayals! I was just talking about sageuks in general!

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            @midnight Yep, me too! 😂 I guess I have yet to watch a sageuk without some kind of betrayal arc, so my best guess is this applies here as well 🤓 (Also a first time watcher here!)

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          I like having lots of suspicious friends around in sageuks too 😁
          It makes both the subsequent betrayal and/or sacrifice the more poignant! 🤩

          @midnight I agree. It also makes you like/dislike a character more.

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          Of course, in his position, having to wonder who passed him that dubious letter would make me highly cautious as well… 🤔

          @sonai. True. That too two letters two years apart, both threatening terrible things, and it clearly states friends will betray you.
          A poisoned arrow aimed to maime, another random arrow at the same place a year later, shaman tricks to make me look like a fool, my master’s entire family butchered – I would be suspicious and paranoid too.

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I love love love that he always takes the tray from her!!

I can write essays on what this gestures conveys to me.

Credit: gleefully me

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@sonai May this gif make you giggle after a day of work!

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    👌👏♥️

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    ayy that pitching form though! not bad, not bad!! 😆

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      😆👍

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        *laughing at lunch break* Ha, this is also a good one! When was this again – after Sangsik found the polaroid and teased Won relentlessly about it? 🤣

        I can only hope Junho requested an extra stretchy suit before shooting this. It definitely wouldn’t have worked in his Yul ones! 😂

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          Wow! have you rewatched it as many times as I have or do you have a genius memory! I would never remember after one watch!

          😆😆 I have noticed that most of his suits are a lot more flexible, with much finer and thinner fabrics, than what he wore as Yul.

          Brand preference? Or season? (it was very cold during Chief Kim) Or being much slimmer himself?

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            Rest assured, I might have watched this more than once 😂 (Cannot tell you exactly how often! I revisit my favorite scenes with abundance and usually FF the whole company politics 😅)

            My best guess is the wardrobe department specifically dressed Yul in a little bit tighter fitting suits? Maybe to underline his “gluttony” even more? I can only speculate (but that’s fun!). For some reason (😂) I cannot recall, whether the suits of the other male characters were also tighter fitting in general, so might also have been fashionable then, or preference of the stylists. Gu Won’s suits look more comfortable in comparison 🤔 But you are right, fabrics might play a role, too, since the seasons were different!

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@sonai , thought you might like an addition to your gif repertoire:

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    He was so flipping happy ABOUT HER SUCCESS!! Ugh. Too cute.

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      YES!!

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        Ooooh this is lovely!!! 👏🫰👏💯
        Ha! Let me post what I found for you in a second! *rummages in GIF treasure chest*

        Interim TRS appreciation

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          You’ve already gifted me this one 😁

          Also, I feel the gleeful urge to add that “I made it” 😁

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            Ooooh awesome!!! 👏 A skill I have yet to master. Since I seldomly pop out my laptop at home I guess it’ll never happen… 🫣😅😂 So grateful you guys are keeping the fan wall alive with your creations!

            I guess there are still many, many squee-worthy giffable moments in KTL. I’m always baffled how little I can dig up on giphy for example… ☹️🤔 Wondering also why Netflix did not publish any, since they’re doing it for their other productions. Sometimes.

            (Ps: had to post the original GIF I wanted to send you in an own post, because I had to upload it here first 😅 The TRL above was “just” a “wait a minute eye candy” 😂)

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            @sonai LOL at just wait a minute eye candy! 😆

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            @sonai I only just noticed the word interim 😅
            I guess I was too giddy to take it in!

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            @midnight Thanks for a lovely start to my day! 🫰😆 And with this last one, I’m leaving for work. (But I guess I’ll be doing it in a less lavish way than he does. 🤔)

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            M, I was never under any other impression that you had made this–and part of the reason is that “only a Beanie” would ensure that Junho’s line “축하해” was entirely captured before the loop repeats 😉 IMPRESSIVE.

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            @attiton HA! Shrewd, Beanie! 😁 Thanks for the encouragement!

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    Thank you for your hard work. Your gifs are getting awesome-er. 😍♥️

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This show is so ridiculous!

Joo Won is a great actor. Although I have inexplicably disliked most of his shows up till now, but it doesn’t change the fact, that he is a great actor.

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    What an entrance! 👏 😍

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    Hope you like this drama. 🤞

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    I think this is the only drama of his I’ve thought was any good, which is strange and frustrating because I think he’s so great.

    Oh wait, I secretly love 7th Grade Civil Servant despite it being an objectively bad drama…

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    In contrast, I haven’t watched this one but I loved him in many projects. He was an absolutely adorable police officer in Ojakgyo Brothers, a very good doctor in Good Doctor, a fighter in Bridal Mask, a smoldering SML in Baker King Kim Tak-koo, and a wonderful grey-ish doctor in Yongpal.

    Contrary to LT, 7th Grade Civil Servant is the only project of his I disliked. But I think it was because of the story more than his acting.

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A pick-me-up for your Monday blues:

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I leveled up!!!

I was reading @cozybooks \’s 115-reply post, and suddenly had a tingling feeling to check! Hope you follow soon, chingu!

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Twinkling Watermelon

With the amount of love I had seen for this show I was going to discreetly avoid giving any reviews. Then I checked the recap comments and laughed out loud. So everyone knew logic wasn\’t this show\’s strong point!. It is even worse my dear @emsel , this show actively removed every single bit that might have made sense in any context! 😆

The show\’s number of plotholes was like a shooting range, they increased by the second!! I was starting to get angry by ep 8 and 9 but then I decided to forget everything about any storyline and just enjoy the emotional bits, because those were insanely good.

The acting by the two boys, and Chung Ah was amazing! The emotional scenes, the bickering, or wordless ones, between the three was in master class level.

I also loved the bond between the band mates, them and Chung Ah, and the grandmother/grandson.

I know the plotholes are simply too many to count, but I want to mention the ones that were the most unpalatable to me, taking me completely out of the show, would have dropped the show because of these at ep 8 if the two boys were even one percent less perfect in their roles.

No.1: I\’m absolutely sure that it is impossible for two 18 year olds from 2023 not to immediately catch on to each other in 1995. And I mean immediately!
Language, mannerisms, the need and habit for technology. Especially with one as impulsive as Eun Gyul, and the other one as careless as Eun Yoo.
It is impossible for teens having been born after 2000 to never ever mention anything related to internet and smart phones. They should had had many many slip-ups, showed many many frustrations. And the slip ups could be hurriedly misdirected if there was only one of them in the past, but with two of them?? The other one should have immediately caught them! Not to mention both of them were so careless that at least 4 of the characters should have caught them by ep 10!

No.2: Chung Ah instinctively reaching for a phone on more than one occasion. That is simply, emphatically, impossible for a girl having been born deaf and living with it for 18 years. And the thing that made me even more frustrated was that in the beginning it is like she has been forced to live by lip reading her whole life, later the more the friends try to communicate with her the more she reverts in this. In the end it is like she doesn\’t understand anything by lip reading.

No. 3: The show\’s terribly washed out, blurry, and dark (even in midday outside scenes!) filter. It was terrible. I kept wishing it were brighter, sharper, and more vibrant at literally every scene. How much more beautiful the emotional scenes would have been if the show had some sense of visual. I had rewatched Scent of a Woman a few days before, where you can even count the number of browns in Lee Dong Wook\’s hair. Who decided washed out means pretty in the past decade? Fire them.

There are a million more plotholes, but these three annoyed me the most, the first one because I have teenagers at home and I can take an oath of honour on it, the second one also from my personal experience,and the third one because it\’s a crime of art.

Anyway, I don\’t regret watching the boys to the end, and I will probably rewatch their scenes many many times in the future, so it is not a complete miss.

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    I’m one of the rare who didn’t like this drama because the plot didn’t make sense at all. I liked Yi-Chan and Chung-Ah’s love story and the boys were cute. But the message was wrong for me.

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      Yes I saw your comments and I agree. There was basically no message. Everything was contradictory, and if I started to think about any point I started to get angry. It was better to watch like a series of highlight reels with no rhyme and reason.

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    I think many of us at some point left the logical thinking behind the doors. 😅
    I made peace with it, also with the fact that the show was NOT about CODA.
    I don’t regret watching, it had lot of heart and I loved the actors.
    I was also OK with the ending, mainly because it showed us a world where being hearing impaired was absolutely NORMAL.
    It was a lovely fairytale. ☺️
    For something more serious I highly recommend jdrama Silent. (If you haven’t already seen it.)

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      Thank you, but I honestly don’t want to watch a serious show about CODA. It hits too close to home.

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        No no, Silent is not about CODA. The main lead is reconnecting with his old friends (and love) and coming to terms with his hearing loss. There are also interesting dialogues about communication.

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    😂😂😂

    The drama was high on EQ, but was a nonsense on the intellect scale. Quite a few of us complained about the logic, but then we all belatedly realized (I think it was around the same EP. 8-11 as you pointed out) it completely ruined the entertainment and decided to turn off the “logic” switch. Once the reasoning was shut down, the feelings went on for a rollercoaster ride. So, yeah if not for the terrific performance by the young male actors and Shin Eun Soo, this drama would flopped even if it was a light watch without serial killers.

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    “But then I decided to forget everything about any storyline and just enjoy the emotional bits, because those were insanely good.”

    I think that’s the right way to watch TW (aka. I don’t think there’s another way to watch it- and enjoy it-). The logic of the show made me angry since day 1, tbh. But the second I let that go, I really liked it.

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Veins, anyone?

Contest time: Guess the actor and the show.

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    That’s Kim Sun-ah and Lee Dong-wook learning Tango in Scent of a Woman ❤

    I’ll surely give this drama a second chance when I am strong enough to accept that sorrow is an indispensible part of life, and we can still cherish life with sadness 😢

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      Bingo! ❤️

      I have watched this show so many times that I know every single word and gesture by heart. It has its own flaws, but it is the best depiction of cancer, sorrow, and hope in the face of despair ever shown in art.

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Pregnant and doing her own stunts. Nobody like the awesome Lee Si Young!

P.s. Because @sonai would never…!

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    👀 Really she did THAT herself alongwith her baby. 🤰

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    Your gif game is awesome 👌 👏

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    …because @sonai would never…????

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      Check my previous post comments 😁

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      … pressure anyone into making GIFs!!! 🥳😅

      (But I’ll shamelessly marvel at the artistry of other Beanies capable and diligent enough to make GIFs themselves! 👏👏👏 🎩 You guys make the fan wall so enjoyable!)

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        But it makes the process so much fun when you know there are people who will praise and appreciate your labour!! 😁🤩

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        ’cause if you were pregnant, doing your own stunts…I’d caution you to be quite careful!!! 😂😎

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          That is what I keep thinking 😂 I would be screaming at her if she had been my sister! But she is not and I love her dedication! 😂 Of course knowing that she successfully gave birth to a healthy child helps too! 😅

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    Woah!!! Awesome stunt 👀 and awesome GIF 👏👏👏!!!

    I’ll need to check out this drama. It’s always impressive, if actors do their own stunts (I know I wouldn’t)! 😬🙈

    Thaaaaank yooouuu! 👏🫰👏🥳

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      The GIF turned out much faster than I had imagined. But I guess it is ok for the second homework 😁

      You’re very welcome 🤩

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        You’re a “fast” learner. 😎 Awesome!👌 So we know who to contact when we need some fast and furious gifs. **evil grin**

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        Delay between frames (so, speed) can be set on gifs…I hope your tool has that feature!!! ezgif.com does.

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          I bookmarked ezgif.com the minute you mentioned it a few days ago and I made these gif there! Thanks for the tip!

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      Soo it’s funny.. I am logged in from my work computer and it doesn’t load gif for me. So I have to go to my phone to look at those, except Jun Ho’s gif. This one here works and the one you posted yesterday worked too. I wonder what’s up. Is my work computer a fan of Jun Ho too or is it just so well tuned to my preferences that it knows I wouldn’t want to miss this!? Whatever it is, I am grateful to you for these gifs and my work computer for showing these.

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        Haha! Must be Junho, of course! 😆

        Fun aside: I guess it depends on the source URL of these gifs. Some URLs might be blocked on your work computer due to IT security policies. I think Midnight’s GIFs are uploaded on and thus served by Imgur – which may have been blocked in general on your company’s work stations. My GIFs originate from Giphy, which might not be blocked. 😉 Assuming your phone is not managed by your company, it can freely access both servers.

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          Makes sense.. I can see this one too.. Yes, Imgur is blocked at my work.. Now it’s clear Giphy is not..

          This one’s another cute one (Love Son Ye Jin too)

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Thanks to all the amazing teachers on Dramabeans, here is the first gif I have created.

One of my top most favorite scenes from any kdrama ever:

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Let me tell you a secret. Every single time I open Dramabeans the foremost thought in my mind is: Will I see another suicide news…?
Every single damn time.
It is a testament to how huge this problem is.
It just never leaves my mind. While watching dramas. While opening Dramabeans. While reading posts. While writing comments.
I wonder, is there any way to fight this?

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    I really wish the society in general wasn’t so toxic. I can’t imagine the kind of pressure K celebrities are under. A step out of line and decades of career will get ruined. People need to remember that celebrity or not these are human beings with real emotions. My heart goes out to his wife and children.

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      Sadly, it’s not just k-celebs but the society in general.. have you read about the rise in suicides by teachers there? It’s horrible 😭

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        I did and was completely shocked. They seem to be in an impossible situation. I watched Reply 1988 for the 4th time this Oct-Nov and I thought about this news about teachers and the reason behind it during one of the scenes. The teacher calls Doek Sun’s parents to complain about DS or her brother I don’t remember now, but the parents completely trust the teacher and give him / her the authority to punish their child appropriately. That kind of attitude is not present with parents now. Every parent thinks that their child can do no wrong.

        This is also the reason for all the bullying news we hear about from South Korea. If teachers don’t have a say, these bullies grow up and become more powerful inflicting more serious harm. It seems like a never ending cycle. No wonder their birth rate is the lowest it has ever been.

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        On the same note, I wish we see more main stream dramas address bullying and its implications, not in The Gloryway, extreme bullying and extreme revenge. More from slice of life genre. We do see it portrayed in many dramas, cyber bullying especially (Crash course in romance, now Samdal Ri), but I want to see it more. Want to see it as the main theme in a drama too.

        Sometimes it makes me wonder if I am contributing to this toxic culture in some way by being a consumer of their products?! Sorry for all the wild musings, but I really do wish people treated human beings with more compassion and empathy.

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    I’m even thinking about quitting dramas… how can I still watch when I know what happens? I know about the abuse and the bad conditions… what can I do to make a change? I need to do something!

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2023 ROUNDUP

Day 25 – Freestyle

Today\’s post is inspired by @seeker \’s definition of Freestyle: \”Just anything you want to talk about and share.\”

I don\’t like getting too personal with celebrities. Knowing them too much. Watching too many interviews or reality shows or behind the scenes.

I don\’t like always doubting if this is a glimpse of the real person or just scripted image, whether by reality show writers or agency managements. I don\’t like seeing them humiliated for the sake of entertainment when it feels they are too powerless to have any say in the matter. I don\’t like identifying one of their roles with their supposed real personality because that ruins their other roles for me.

(Disclaimer: 2PM is exempt from this aversion of mine because their absolutely wacky hilarious videos are what wash away my exhaustion and depression. I rarely watch their older shows because I get angry at JYP for putting those young boys through so much humiliation for the sake of entertainment and fame. But their more recent shows where they are grown up and more in command of their image are the brightest spots in my day.)

Back to the point.

I especially dislike watching female celebrities having to act too cute or too sweet or too airheaded. Or even the other far extreme: too open-minded or crude. It always feels like a facade, and it makes me sad and angry for them.

These past months I have watched lots of 2PM/Junho YouTube content and some of them inevitably also contained Im Yoona.

What struck me immediately was how smart and levelheaded she is. It was such a joy to see a young female celebrity so calm and collected and sharp-witted.
It might have to do with her being a 2nd generation idol and having a lot more agency on camera, I haven\’t seen her contemporaries in variety shows so I don\’t know, but in my humble opinion you can fake anything except intelligence.

So today\’s freestyle is in appreciation of this smart lady.

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    I ❤ your post, and your quote “you can fake anything except intelligence” is perfect. Female celebrities world over have to walk a thin line and are perhaps most misrepresented, especially when they are younger. I loved Yoona singing in the church in K2. I liked her her Big Mouth. King the Land was perhaps her peak as an actress that I have seen.

    Thank you for the mention and thank you for your post. 🥰

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    I’ve watched a couple of eps of Hyori’s Bed and Breakfast 2 and I agree that she seems indeed intelligent. An extremely smart lady, I’d assume, who also possesses beauty. Having said that, I don’t think she shines as an actress that much. 😅

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      She’s better than some other idols. *cough Cha Eun-woo and Hwang Min-hyun cough* They are charismatic while singing but as MLs, sigh one expression cannot be divided amongst them as we’ll have some leftover. Not to be rude or anything, I love them and hopefully they will have a Rowoon type turnaround.

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        I guess actors’ acting ability is more subjective than it seems.

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      I have only seen her in Prime Minister & I (2013), and movie A Year-end Medley before this and I thought her acting not particularly brilliant but never bad either. I guess it is subjective.

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        It does take a lot of guts to be out there and performing. Anyone doing that is a winner in my book. The intangible thing is – does it resonate with you. Just think of Anthony Hopkins, Kim Young-kwang and Yoona – are they all actors, yes. Do they evoke the same response in you when you think about them 🤷‍♀️

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2023 ROUNDUP

Day 24- Freestyle

Yoo Seung Ho appreciation post, honouring the best acting I saw in 2023.

Yoo Seung Ho is always an amazing actor. His 23 years of acting experience just shine through his whole being.
Still, his role in The Perfect Deal left me stunned. He was beyond perfect as the young man at the end of his rope, clutching at his humanity.

Also, I love his hair short!

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    I still have to find the time to watch this.

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    Proud to report I awarded 2 beans to THE PERFECT DEAL (Viki) for Yoo Seung-ho’s performance. I didn’t forget him this year.

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      Glad to hear it. I always have so few beans from the current year that I never participate in the bean counts. But this year King the Land and The Perfect Deal and Brain Works are driving me to show some beans of love.

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    Don’t know why he isn’t in more dramas when other less talented people keep doing dramas after dramas.

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2023 ROUNDUP

22- Best cameo

The 2 best cameos I\’ve seen this year might be 2 of the best cameos ever.

Lee Sang Yeob as Lawyer Do\’s hyung in Shooting Stars was the ultimate star of the show.
That masterful command over a character he is going to play for only a few minutes needs to be taught in acting schools. It was amazing. At the end of the scene you felt you knew this person your whole life.

The second one which has gotten waaay less buzz but was in no way inferior, was Oh Jung Se as Kim Do Wan\’s hyung near the end of My Roommate is a Gumiho. I think I rewinded and rewatched that scene 20 times! That cameo also makes you feel like you knew him for ever.

I\’m including Kang Hanuel\’s cameo in The Kidnapping Day as an honorable mention, only because it was one of the rare times he impressed me as an actor.

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2023 ROUNDUP

21- The OST you are obsessed with.

I\’m not much of a music person so I don\’t get obsessed with ost\’s, but two songs immediately caught my ear this year, both sung by Kim Ki Tae. \”We Are\” for Brain Works, and \”Back in the Game\” for Payback.

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2023 ROUNDUP

20- Favorite kiss.

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    This is my favourite from this year too, no probably all time favourite kiss from a K drama.

    4
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      I do have quite a few all time favorites, but this one is definitely in the top 10 ever.

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        You have my attention. Is there a list?

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          Haha it’s not a fixed registered list but there are a few that never leave it:

          Jealousy Incarcerate, the locker room kiss.
          Hyena, the “use me” kiss.
          Scent of a Woman, the camping tent kiss.
          Wok of Love, the “wink for me” kiss.
          Miss Korea, Lee Sung Min and Song Sun Mi kissing on the street bench.
          W, the prison kiss.
          Bubblegum, the entryway kiss.
          Gaus Electronics the “sunbae, you started it” kiss.

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    I like the one in the pool also in Bangkok.

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    I mean this sincerely: the actors did great work with these kisses. Even if they’re together in real life (no idea if they are, just saying even if they are) to make these overly directed kisses seem spontaneous, heartfelt, natural, and hot takes real skill and commitment.

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      I agree. There is a video on YouTube showing that they practiced this scene for a whole day. It truly shows the dedication and precision they give their work.

      I actually strictly avoid watching behind the scenes videos because they take the actors, and me, completely out of character and the show.
      This one video I clicked thinking it was just a clip of the show, and was immediately engrossed in how much they were talking and thinking and practicing.

      Not only it didn’t take the actors out of character for me, it elevated the scene tenfold, exactly because of what you gave mentioned.

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    What drama is this?? 👀

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    I wish I could make a gif of his asking May I… first. I’m sadly not yet that skilled.

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2023 ROUNDUP

19- Best used trope / Best subverted trope.

King the Lang was 16 hours of deliciously amazingly used tropes and subverted ones. I will mention only 2 of them:

There is something that is used a lot in kdramas, it is obviously an inherent cultural habit, but it is used so much that I see it as a trope, have seen it thousands of times, and still love it.

The way younger characters snap to attention when they realize the person in front of them is either an elder related to their love interest or an authority in their job.

I just love how in a blink of an eye they transform. They sit/stand straight, they fold their hands. Their tone, their look, their head and shoulders movements, every atom in there body changes so immediately and smoothly that it is quite obvious that it is not acted, it has been taught to them since the day they were born. Maybe that is why I always love it, because they are all so good at showing it!

King the Land had one of the best instances of this, when the friends first catch Won and Sarang kissing, and then discover who Won is. I LOVED everybody in that scene!

And my pick for a subverted trope is the after credits scene when Won tries on wedding suits instead of the bride.

(Weirdly wide screen shots because I couldn\’t find any good photos online)

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2023 ROUNDUP

18- Favorite villain.

I’m not the type to like villains. But I liked how hilariously confused and nonplussed Park Sung Hoon’s character got with Yoon Shi Yoon in Psychopath Diary.

Also the stepsister in King the Land. It was really interesting, and understandable, to see a competent, strong-willed, educated woman alone in a room full of men, still having to prove herself to her father who prefers her stepbrother although he shows no interest in the business. I thought it was a very well told point of view, without going overboard with ridiculous over-the-top chaebol rivalry and villainy.

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2023 ROUNDUP

17- Oldie (non 2023) you loved the most.

Probably My Holo Love.
Most of the older shows I watched for the first time this year had fantastic acting and directing, but I didn’t love them as a whole. My favorites this year are mostly from 2023.

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    I really enjoyed My Holo Love when I watched it… I thought it had a pretty soothing pace, and the characters had a cathartic journey.

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    There was something definitely magical about Holo. Proof … my mother loved him too. 😂

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    @vienibenmio look someone is trying to “steal” your Holo!! Shall I help you defend him or shall we all gather around for another rewatch of My Holo Love. 🥳🤣

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      Sharing is caring! Also my Holo wouldn’t look like Yoon Hyun Min you know…

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      Lol, actually I’m in love with Nan-do over Holo 😂

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        Comment was deleted

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        That first kiss with Nan-do …. oooh! I don’t remember I ever screamed that hard. 🤣

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        Actually, me too!

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        Maybe I’ll love Nan-do in a second watch, but in my first watch I never warmed up to him because I only loved Holo.

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          Nando is very “2010 kdrama male lead”. Gruff and evasive and naggy and “I’ll-die-if-she-finds-out-I-like-her”. I liked him because I knew the template very well. The show was also very simple and didn’t try to add much to the template. I can clearly see why newer drama fans wouldn’t like him as much.

          I couldn’t love Holo because that type of perfect AI makes me very uncomfortable. It’s a me problem with AI, not that Nando as a character was better than Holo as a character.

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            Very well expressed. 👏

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            See, Nan-do is imo better than the stereotypical thundered male lead because the whole premise of the story is that he thinks he’s unlovable. He programmed Holo as who he wants to be because he believes he can’t be that person, that he’s fundamentally broken. Then throughout the course of the story he learns that isn’t true, that being a human means you have flaws but are still deserving of love, even over AI that are “perfect ” That is the theme of MHL

            I also love his reactions. O fully admit that I probably wouldn’t love him as much if he weren’t played so well by Yoon Hyun-min. Dude really emotes even when he’s supposed to be cold and withdrawn, I really felt for him and just wanted him to be happy!

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            Comment was deleted

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            Ugh, stupid phone. *tsundere male lead

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            @vienibenmio very aptly analyzed and explained. 👏
            It is not that Nan-do didn’t have / understand soft emotions after all he’s the one who programed Holo. Your point about “deserving” to be loved is also spot on. YHM really aced it here.

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    Excellent choice! One of my top two all time favorites

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