Beanie level: Errand boy

Wow! Squid Game is #1 in the U.S. today. I never thought I’d see a k-drama in that position.

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    It’s #2 in Canada too. Very surprising.

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      I’m surprised it is that high but not surprised it’s doing so well, even with non-kdrama fans since the game of survival genre is popular. It gives me some Money Heist vibes too, the original non-English worldwide hit for Netflix.

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        Haven’t seen it yet but I did get Money Heist vibes from it too. Must move it up my list now!

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    It’s #2 in the UK. Wow

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    Just finished it – the hype is deserved. I would welcome a S2 because it will be contextualised as opposed our going into S1 blank.

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#2020Roundup

Day 20 – The cameo that blew your mind.

Kwon Yul in My Unfamiliar Family. I still want my Min-woo and Eun-joo spin-off.

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#2020Roundup

Day 18 – The drama you want to rant about.

I don’t really have anything to rant about. There were certainly dramas that went off the rails – DDSSLLS, I’m looking at you, but the dramas I was invested in were all satisfying.

Day 19 – Most memorable scene.

Too many scenes to count in My Unfamiliar Family, but I’ll go with Eun-joo and Tae-hyung’s confrontation in Episode 6.

After Ji-won tells him to run away and never come back in Episode 11 of Flower of Evil, Hyun-soo breaks down on the side of the road, telling Ji-won he wants to go home.

After poisoning the dishes each prepared in Episode 12 of My Dangerous Wife, Shim Jae-kyung and Kim Yoon-chul engage in a battle of wills, trying not to poison themselves while taking turns sampling the food.

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    I really really really agree re the scene in episode 11 of Flower of Evil. That was an awesome, emotionally-charged scene and an amazing performance by LJG and MCW.

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Day 17 – Drama that made you emotional.

This year had several dramas that made me emotional: My Unfamiliar Family, Flower of Evil, Black Dog. Two moments in I’ll Go To You When the Weather is Nice gave it the top spot, however:

The new bike seat scene where an upset Hwi told Eun-seob he was her brother and she had liked him since she was born.

The scene where Eun-seob gave his mother a birthday gift: A scarf with “To the mom I love” embroidered on it by Eun-seob.

My sister and brother-in-law fostered and then adopted my niece and nephew so anything dealing with adoptive families gives my tear ducts a workout, but these were also just really great, emotional scenes.

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#2020RoundUp.

Day 16 – Best quote / one-liner.

“I think it’s better to be weird than to be ordinary.”
(In Pyo from The School Nurse Files).

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#2020Roundup

Day 13 – Most fashionable / elegant character in a drama.

Ko Moon-young, for sure.

Day 14 – The drama that could have been but wasn’t… (if only they listened beanies!)

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay

Day 15 – Those secondary characters you will never forget: SL, villain, kids…(for better or worse).

Shim Myung-yeo and Im Hwi from I’ll Go To You When the Weather is Nice

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    Both Shim Myung-yeo and Im Hwi are very refreshingly interesting characters. I love them too myself.

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#2020Roundup

Day 12: The “oldie” (not 2020) you loved the most.

Dear My Friends, such a beautiful, heartwarming and heartbreaking story of old friends.

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    So beautiful – I hope I’m still hitting the beach and doing sleepovers with my friends late in life, too!

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#2020Roundup

Day 11- The crush you discovered in 2020.

Technically, I have been crushing on Kim Seon-ho since 1N2D S4 premiered a year ago so he doesn’t count.

So my crush is Lee Jun-ki, someone that I was neutral about before but went “I get it now” in 2020.

Runner Up: Shin-Sung-Rok, not my type at all but currently really working for me in Kairos.

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#2020Roundup

Day 9 – The drama you watched just because and ended up loving.

Birthcare Center: An underrated gem about the struggles new moms face.

Runner Up: United Effort to Accomplish One Thing

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    I think I should give another chance to Birthcare Center. I dropped in the middle of episode 3… nothing made much sense, but I’ve read more beanies saying it was worth it.

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      It’s not for everyone, but I thought it was very smart and funny.

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#2020Roundup

Day 8 – The OTP you didn’t think you’ll adore.

Goo Se-ra and Gong Myung from Into the Ring/Memorials. This drama wasn’t even on my radar, and what I had seen of Nana in other projects hadn’t impressed me. She had great chemistry with Park Sung-hoon, however, and the couple was adorable, weird, honest and supportive.

Runner up is Do Hyun-soo/Baek Hee-sung and Cha Ji-won from Flower of Evil. Lee Joon-ki and Moon Chae-won also had great chemistry and while Flower of Evil sputtered, they always made me believe that this couple had a connection that could overcome anything.

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#2020Roundup

Day 6 – The drama you know you will rewatch.

Memorials/Into the Ring

Checks all the boxes for a rewatch: Adorably weird OTP, lots of kisses, fun side characters, engaging storyline, and interesting direction.

The School Nurse Files

There was so much symbolism and details I missed the first time around plus six episodes makes it easily bingeable.

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#2020RoundUp

DAY-5– Drama you finished for the bean.

The King: Eternal Monarch. Beanies’ discussions and Kim Kyung-nam helped get me to the end.

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Day 4 – The drama you couldn’t finish.

I don’t drop very many dramas, and I almost never drop them with only a few episodes to go, but I dropped both “Hi Bye, Mama!” and “Itaewon Class” at Episode 14. There was a lot about “Hi Bye, Mama!” I liked but the drama draaaaged and focused more on the grieving process than the healing. I read the recaps for the final two episodes but was too exhausted to ever press play.

There were things I liked in “Itaewon Class” but they were long gone by the time jump.

I dropped “Record of Youth” at Episode 2. I just didn’t care about anyone or anything.

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#2020Roundup

Day 2 – Female lead you will never forget

Goo Se-ra from Memorials/Into the Ring. The Garden Tiger Moth threw her hat in the ring for a paycheck but ended up fighting for the people. While she may not have racked up many wins, she left her mark, inspiring the people around her.

Kim Eun-joo from My Unfamiliar Family. Big Noona was a polarizing character, but I loved her for her complexity. She could have been no more than the typical Ice Queen – distant, harsh, lacking sympathy – but a loving, resentful, sometimes irrational, deeply human heart beat inside. I still want a spin-off with Min-woo and a happier but no less sharp-tongued, Eun-joo.

Honorable Mentions:
Kim Eun-hee from My Unfamiliar Family
Jung Geum-ja from Hyena
Go Ha-Neul from Black Dog

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    I think one of my only regrets with MUF is that we didn’t get more Min-woo time, though it made sense because EJ’s arc was not about him. But that spin-off would be wonderful.

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    I love your two choices. I loved far more Big Noona than Small Noona, even if the latter was supposed to be the kinder character.

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      I loved Eunjoo’s and Eunhee’s interactions 💚 Like at the beginning, when Eunhee sticks by Eunjoo when she sees her going through a hard time, and then when they’re in bed and Eunhee keeps on nagging for intel and cuddling unnie. And the moments they gang up against maknae are pure family gold 🤣

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    Big Noona was my favourite female character in MUF – so much more layered and interesting than the others!

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#2020RoundUp

DAY 1 – Male lead you will never forget

Im Eun-seob from When the Weather is Fine. A gentle, quiet booklover who looks GOOD in sweaters is my ideal man.

Oh Ji-soo from Extracurricular. I empathized with Ji-soo’s dream of going to college and living an ordinary life and raged and despaired as he made one bad choice after another until he was completely lost.

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    EunSeob is probably one of the warmest and nicest ML ever. And it has nothing to do with the fact I adore SKJ, hehe.

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    Oh, the sweaters! So much pretty and cozy knittwear in this drama 💚

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This was hard. I should get my memory checked or at least start writing things down. But here it goes:
10% Misaeng
10% Live
10% Dear My Friends
10% Just Between Lovers
10% Extracurricular
10% Reply 1997
10% My Ahjussi
10% Healer
10% My Unfamiliar Family
10% Sky Castle
Honorable mentions: Matrimonial Chaos, Coffee Prince, Children of Nobody, Black Dog, The Greatest Love, Age of Youth, Kill Me Heal Me, Shopping King Louis, Fight My Way, I’ll Go to You When the Weather is Fine.

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    Drama chingu here!
    I got 80% 😁
    I still haven’t finished SKY and Extracurricular.

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    Comment was deleted

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    10% here (Healer), haven’t seen most of the rest.

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    40% here. I haven’t watched most of the shows you mentioned, but I got almost all your honorable mentions 🙂

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    Ooh! 60% and 2 of your hons. list! Live is on my watch list.

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    Omg 0% for your top 10… and only 3 from your honourable mentions. Got to watch more dramas! 😛

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I almost never post on the Fan Wall, but I have to show my appreciation for My Unfamiliar Family, one of the rare dramas that was wonderful from beginning to end. I’m going to miss Sang Shik and his Miss Sook, cheery Eun Hee and patient Chan Hyuk, polarizing Eun Joo and maknae Ji Woo. It was a ride full of miscommunication and frustration but also love and the meaning of family. Now … Please give me a spinoff with Eun Joo and Min Woo.

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#30DayDramaChallenge
I did not have the discipline to do this daily nor can I make up my mind that quickly so I’m going to answer these in one post. I’m also too lazy to write explanations.
1. Favorite Kdrama
Misaeng. Just Between Lovers. Reply 1997. Healer.
2. Favorite Cdrama
I haven’t watched very many, but I’ll say Le Coupe de Foudre.
3. Favorite JDrama
None
4. First Drama Ever Watched
Coffee Prince
5. Favorite Male Lead
Geu-rae from Misaeng. Lee Gang Doo from Just Between Lovers. Dong-man from Fight My Way
6. Favorite Female Lead
Lee Ji-an from My Ahjussi
7. Best OTP
Moon Soo and Gang Doo from Just Between Lovers. Shi Won and Yoon Yoon-je from Reply 1997.
8. Worst OTP
Hye Sung and Soo-ha from I Can Hear Your Voice.
9. Favorite Secondary Couple
Oh Yang-chon and Ahn Jang-mi from Live.
10. Best Kiss
Coffee Prince. Healer.
11. Worst Kiss
Too many to pick just one
12. Drama That You Can Watch Over and Over
Healer.
13. Overrated Drama
Goblin. Descendents of the Sun. *Ducks* Forest of Secrets. Signal.
14. Underrated Drama
Live. Matrimonial Chaos. Familiar Wife. Black Dog.
15. Best Drama Villain
Um Ki-Joon played a a pretty good villain in Defendant.
16. Worst Drama Villain
Most villains in sageuks.
17. Drama That Deserves a S2
I would watch S2 of Be Melodramatic.
18. Drama with SLS
I don’t think I’ve ever had SLS.
19. Drama with Squad Goals
Special Labor Inspector Jo.
20. Drama that Made You Cry
Live. The Light in Your Eyes
21. Drama that Made you Laugh
Special Labor Inspector Jo. Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung
22. Drama with the Best Ending
My Ahjussi. Live. Misaeng. Extracurricular.
23. Drama with a Terrible Ending
Because This Life is Our First
24. Best Drama OST
“Adult” by Sondia from My Ahjussi. “I Open My Eyes” by Zitten from Just Between Lovers. Auditory Hallucination from Kill Me, Heal Me.
25. Best Drama Family
Byun family in Father is Strange
26. Best Drama Bromance
Reply 1997. Shut Up Flower Boy Band.
27. Drama Cliché You Never Tire Of
Friends to Lovers. Contract Relationships. Handholding. Piggy backs.
28. Drama Cliché you Can’t Stand
Separations during which characters in love forget how to call, text, email.
29. Best Drama Confession
Han Gyul to Eun Chan in Coffee Prince: “I’ll say this just once, so listen to me. I like you. Whether you’re a man, or an alien… I don’t care anymore. I tried getting rid of my feelings, but I couldn’t… So let’s go, as far as we can go.”
30. Recently Finished Drama
Extracurricular. Hospital Playlist.

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RIP Kim Joo Hyuk
I just heard the sad news. Season 3 was my first exposure to 2d1n and Kim Joo Hyuk, and I fell in love with both. He seemed like such a genuine person. Prayers to his loved ones.

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