Beanie level: The Goblin’s underpants

Once in a blue moon, when I rewatch dramas that are 6 to 12 years old, I check out the Dramabeans recaps. There, I sometimes see a comment written by an overly passionate, black-and-white thinking kid with bad grammar. Then, I accidentally glance at the username of this unauthorized user and realize it’s me. Embarrassed, I look at the replies under my comment. The replies are always eloquently written, discuss a few of my points, don’t judge my grammar, and generally take my opinion seriously.

So, I guess I want to thank all the users for treating me kindly all those years because that allowed me to improve my English and comfortably grow out of being that overly passionate and simplistic kid without feeling ashamed of myself.

Love,
February

On a less cute note, I once wrote a page-long comment in Russian, and people ate me alive because I used the letter “o” instead of “a”.

32
14

    On an even less cute note, in the past year, I joined a theater discussion page. There, nearly instinctively, I started writing my reviews of the performances I have seen. I am not sure if the directors of said plays are everyone’s godfather, but GOD, these people would readily deport me from my country if it was their choice. Even judging the performance’s length is taken as a grand insult to the almighty.

    5
    1

      The other day, people there bullied this guy for arrogantly going to see Macbeth without having read the play prior to watching the performance. Apparently, had he read it, he would not have felt the characters were badly flashed out on stage *eye roll*.

      5
      0

    ❤❤❤❤❤❤

    I sometimes read really old threads, too. I always enjoy spotting comments from beanies who are still here.

    12
    0

    If you were to tell me english isn’t your native language, I would be surprised. Kudos to your hardwork in learning a different language!

    9
    1

      Thank you! Consuming KDramas and Fanfiction, and participating in this community definitely made a significant chunk of this hardwork extremely enjoyable.

      5
      0

    Okay, can someone please explain to me what this all Love February trope is about?

    2
    2

    ❤️❤️❤️

    2
    0

    Thank you for sharing your inspirational journey on DB.
    May your joys always outweigh your troubles.
    Keep on Beaning!! ❤🥳

    1
    0

    Can I request you to please go to @cozybooks‘ post on “what does DB mean to you” and share a link to your post.

    Please feel free to elaborate / modify your post. Also please participate in the discussion or any part thereof that you enjoy. 😊

    This is the link to Cozy’s post.

    https://www.dramabeans.com/members/cozybooks/activity/1532710/

    1
    1

I feel that at this stage, we need to agree on a name for a new trope. I’m referring to the trope where a villain, who was either abused in childhood or is portrayed sympathetically, ends up committing suicide because the writer doesn’t know how to handle their character. The trope has given Truck of Doom run for its money this year.

6
2

Scene from the Russian biographical movie ‘Leto’ (2019), starring Teo Yoo as the Soviet rock musician Tsoi.

I went into the movie expecting an overly dramatic story of greatness in a world of mortals (I generally dislike biopics). However, I ended up with a film where the youth are trying to find footing in a world that doesn’t even provide a foundation, and where relying on the achievements of others feels ridiculous in the context of their environment.

Teo Yoo’s Tsoi was also there.

8
0

I’m not sure when Tae Ho was hit in the head hard enough to undergo a personality change, but I hope it remains this way. He has been incredibly lovable in the recent episodes!

9
10

    and he even apologized!!!!

    3
    2

      This personality change need to stay. He endured a lot to get to this point. An embarrasing injury at the gym because of his arrogance and he was beaten by thugs

      4
      1

        His luck changed too, he has a drinking session with Hyo-shim. 😌
        The drinking session goes much smoother than their training sessions.😊
        Both of them relax and let their hair down.

        Tae-min’s ego however, is dealt a staggering blow 😂

        Hyo-shin tells him no more meals and I don’t want to socialize outside of work . Only to witness Hyo-shin dropping an intoxicated Tae-Ho off. 😂

        4
        1

          Hyoshim’s choice:
          Formal steak-dinner (and speech) with Taemin X drinking somaek (and slipping into banmal) with Taeho.

          Difficult?? 😄

          1
          3

            which drama is this

            0
            0

            @alasecond
            It’s a weekender Live Your Own Life.

            0
            0

            The guy who suddenly decided he likes Hyo Shim and is somewhat weird about it vs the fellow underdog.

            Actually, what does everyone (@dorotka ; @johnb @jillian ) think about Young Shin’s rejection to Tae Min? Did she understand his intentions and expressed her disinterest? Was she asking him to stop confusing her?

            1
            0

      I think Hyo Shim was not interested in TM at all outside of work. Her rejection of meeting him outside for meals make her uncomfortable and he was also confusing with his intentions. She is drawing the line to keep their relationship professional.

      1
      0

    The magic of somaek 😄

    3
    0

    Hyo-shim wasn’t interested in his meals or meeting him outside of work , that sounds like a rejection although she is coming from a work ethics angle

    Just as Tae-min didn’t want to be mistaken as a woman beater , (Hyo-shin had bruise from the loanshark) , Hyo-shim doesn’t want to be seen being wined and dined by a customer .

    2
    0

Just watched Behind Your Touch and I am AMAZED. How does one get such cast with that script? The humour being \”lol, she touched his ass\” was distasteful, sure, but from the summary it was expected. Half episode being a filler was what put me off. Hey, wanna listen to that aunt\’s love story? Here you go. Let\’s also have a shaman ritual because why not.

5
2

    I am still standing by the opinion that if leads genders were reversed the show would be EXTREMELY uncomfortable to watch.

    3
    0

    I watched the first minutes, out of curiosity. This must be the first time that the age of the actresses playing teenagers has taken me out of the show, and everything else seems so… silly 😅 .
    I think I’ won’t watch it, unless it gets lots of love and good reviews.

    2
    0

I actually think the writer of King of The Land would have been good if only she wasn\’t so hell bent on following every single trope possible.
I love the show\’s anti-capitalism conversations (even though they are a bit too on the nose), ML being reminded of his privilege, him learning and growing from there and even his inability to play hard to get. The show organically building up their relationship in episode five and giving them a very realistic confrontation was nice to see. Unfortunately, the writer remembered that the ML has not once saved the very capable and independent FL so now he gotta do that with his personal helicopter. Yeah.

7
6

    Lol. And he jumped!! He freaking jumped!
    I was so expecting him to come down in a rope. Would have been dramatic.

    1
    1

      I stopped the show to whine and then I clicked continue and God. Suffering through that trope was worth it! The jump was so ridiculous. Before the next episode promo, I thought he just missed the landing and jumped into abyss.

      0
      1

        For a second, I sincerely believed the next episode would open up with the helicopter and Sa Rang looking for him because the dramatic idiot suddenly decided he is a Batman

        1
        0

    This drama is literally copy paste of pre-2010 dramas.. every thing..and it is still bad

    1
    0

    It was so ridiculously over the top that maybe it is the opposite, the writer is aware and is making fun of those clichés 😄

    3
    1

      I see what you mean but I think some tropes should just be left in the past. Or if you have to do it, at least make it believable. The whole set-up leading to her fall made zero sense. Why would they send their top employees to do such random tasks? Seems like there’s very little work to do at the actual hotel 😂

      0
      0

At this point, I laugh at the scenes that I am not supposed to laugh at.
Like the FL being SO astonished at seeing the ML looking … exactly the same way but with his hair up.

14
7

    IKR!! Even the suit was similar. Guess backlighting and jeju background made all the difference.

    5
    0

    Even him acting jealous in the airport didn’t make sense. First she humiliated you then you saw her poo and then you hate her smile and now you love her? Da f

    7
    1

      Oh, come on. That reaction was very realistic. After all, she had her hair down.

      3
      3

        I came to say that! 😂😂😂
        She had her hair down and she was not in her uniform, in high pointy heels dragging her suitcase like it was an ad!
        Surely those shoes are best for travel!

        2
        0

        🤣🤣🤣 yep, that vaulted her right out of “never my type” territory

        3
        0

        🤣🤣🤣

        0
        0

    his hair up
    her hair down

    and bingo we have found are soulmates thanks to Hair Stylist🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

    4
    0

Kdrama female leads are always at the level of professionalism in which they run three kms to get their boss\’s guest the right cup of coffee, walk with a broken heel, and *checks notes* physically assault a client.

6
4

    Drastically increasing the speed on a treadmill would very much mess up one’s knee (and it is not even the worst case scenario). I don’t see why just giving the letter was not enough. Yeah. and why was she so impressed by a Royal Suite? She literally works there.

    The show is a perfect example of why I am not the fan of Enemies to Lovers trope. The writers are often too lazy to write down the “enemies” part that would be in character for both of the leads.

    6
    1

      Please don’t blame the trope for the stupidity in that script kkk. Enemies to lovers, like any other trope, is famous for it’s own merit and can work great!

      0
      0

    I laughed/🙄 when she broke a heel less than 2 minutes in 🤦🏼‍♀️

    4
    0

    Yes, I think writer-nims might mistaken crime witch cute. FLs will look cheap and not likable when they commit a crime, writer-nims. It’s not cute, it’s a crime.

    3
    0

@lapislazulii your post awakened my inner meme creator.

6
4

    Omg these are too good, especially tractor driver 😂

    3
    0

    My apologises if my “likes” for your old post started you 😅 I’ve just re-read TAXI DRIVER series reviews and noticed you commented on DB from as far as FASHION KING was recapped (sorry again if I am mistaken, but pls put all your blame on that tractor driver at the last pic 😂). Your reviews of TD2 gave me an impression that you have a soft spot for LJH as I do, so I just want to say Hi 😚 And it’s always nice to see a “veteran” account on DB 😊.

    1
    1

      Hi! I must like LJH a lot because I LOVED Fashion King (did you? did anyone else?).

      I joined Dramabeans approximately 11 years ago. On old recaps, I sometimes stumble upon some overly passionate comment with terrible grammar and one point I agree with and find out that yeah, the dramatic kid writing that was me.

      1
      1

        There was a time when beanies didn’t have registered accounts but had to comment as “guest”, wasn’t it? I joined DB in 2020 I think, but I remember reading recaps from DB years ago. I just wasn’t aware of the existence of other contents in this kdrama community then.

        No, I didn’t love Fashion King, I actually didn’t finish it. If I had more time, maybe I could try to finish it, but I’m sure I wouldn’t enjoy it by all means. I believe there are few beanies who liked/loved FK as you did. There are other shows disliked by the majority of beanies that I like too.

        1
        0

A whole village gangs up against a single woman who dared to *checks notes* move to that area. I wish drama writers dropped that trope. It was not pleasant to see in Hometown Cha Cha Cha and it is anger inducing in Summer Strike.

5
13

    I should be enjoying the scenery, instead of wishing to burn that whole village down.

    8
    0

    It’s absolutely infuriating esp. because stuff like this is generally always aimed at women in k-dramas. When the Camellia Blooms had something similar too.

    On the other hand, a new man moving into town will be followed by slow-mo montages of everyone swooning over how hot and/or competent he is.

    9
    1

      Yes, it was an issue in When the Camellia Blooms – came to mind right away when I read nerdy’s post.

      3
      1

        I made a CAMELLIA reference earlier that it took Dong-baek (Gong Hyo-jin) years to be finally accepted by the marinated crab ladies so I expected it would take time for Yeo-reum to be accepted by the locals.
        SUMMER STRIKE may come off to some (promo wise) as the biggest bait and switch since THE THIRD CHARM (2018).

        3
        0

    That is exactly who I stopped Hometown. When they had to nerve to police what she wore when she was running was enough for me. Then the ML was the absolute worst and the fact they were the end game was really crappy to. When I brought this up, several beanies were telling me I did not get it and were contorting themselves to justify this behavior. But they all changed their tune with the ML was a douche to another male in the series and all of a sudden ML was a problem. Huh.

    3
    0

    All of this! I wish I’d had the sense to stop watching Homecha – I despised almost everything about it except the scenery, but especially the judgy local ajummas and the ML. @miso2019, I haven’t seen enough dramas to realize this is yet another misogynist trope but now that you mention it, I’ll add it to the long list of reasons I just dropped this show after ep. 3.

    3
    0

    It has been more than a year since I watched Hometown Cha (×3), but I do not recollect the villagers going out of their way to chase the FL from the town or fool her, even though they judged her “city girl” attitude and the ML viewed her as a prickly porcupine that needs to calm down. At least in that show they gave the FL a chance to showcase her skills and capabilities, but in “Summer Strike” the FL gets snubbed even before she gets to hold a proper conversation. Absolutely terrible writing.

    4
    0

    I don’t like it either, but I also think it wasn’t that bad for me in Homecha. It’s true I didn’t like the townspeople at first, but the truth is that all of them had a good (or at least a proper) heart. There are reasons behind their somewhat nasty behaviors that will be uncovered later on in the story, but these behaviors were not received well by FL simply because she’s been brought up differently.

    I can’t make any comment on Summer Strike because I have no legal access to watch it, which is the case for more and more Kdramas for me. *sighs*

    0
    1

      It was mostly tolerable, but there was this episode when the neighbourhood lady starts terrible rumours about FL but the FL is supposed to forgive her & move on cause the woman lost her child and the only instant she feels well is when ~~she gossips~~. That was it. That was literally the shows explanation.

      2
      1

    I’d rather not see the trope, but as a small town girl, the townspeople in HomeCha rang pretty true to me. I guess Summer Strike doesn’t bother me too much either. The son and woman with the dog ganged up against the FL, but most of the people have been fine.

    1
    1

      The man she rents an apartment from slut-shamed her because her house got vandalized. The kids got into her house and broke the water system.
      It is at least half of the villagers we were introduced to so far.

      2
      0

    I couldn’t watch Cha Cha Cha because of that. I didn’t have one character I liked besides the FL.

    1
    0

My kdrama superpower is ignoring the existence of every annoying side plot. With that said, I am currently loving Love Contact. The main couple is adorable and FL’s best friend does a good job having a life of his own. I also find it refreshing that there is no useless SML and no one has a confusing childhood backstory.

P.S Look at ML and his little liquor chocolate!

5
2

    🤣 love it

    1
    0

    Being picked out of a lineup at an orphanage and raised by an employee to be “the perfect chaebol young lady” isn’t a confusing childhood backstory? Where are the purported parents? Why isn’t the family in touch/looking for her? For that matter, where are the real parents? I’d be confused but then again, I’m only here for GKP 😉

    6
    0

Does no one else have a problem with Extraordinary Lee Young Woo? For starters I dislike how the only media portrayal of Autism is when it is at the end of the spectrum. There is no such thing as a mild Autism on screens.

Secondly, at least, 1 in 100 kids have Autism. It IS pretty common. Was Young Woo, our invented protagonist, really the first Autistic person who got a law degree? Really? The mass media\’s one note depiction of Autism is the reason why a lot of people with ASD are getting told that they don\’t ~~ look ~~ autistic.

That will all be fine and good, but I hate how shows like this one somehow make it sound as if one of the symptoms of Autism is…you guessed, being a genius. Cause no way will an audience care about and cheer for a person with an autism if they don\’t have a superpower

3
14

    i havent watched this show but planning to start soon. and i can feel you for sure as i had same feeling about Its okay not to be Okay as to how wrongly Bipolar Disorder was depicted in it.
    But i have to just share my 2 cents not autism related but in general about stories we see on screen.. all stories when put on screen are exaggerated/grand/too good kind of cause if not it would look like story of normal people like you n me.. like someone next door. And viewers would not be attracted to it cause their isnt much drama to that grand depiction… hence its either too good or too bad nothing in between…

    only good thing is it gets the discussion rolling.. that more people will search abt autism (or bipolar disorder after Its okay not to be okay.. i hated that show for how wrong bipolar was depicted hence dropped it)

    6
    1

      Bringing this up reminds me of how Our Blues portrayed Down Syndrome as something no one on Jeju island (including the 20-something generation) was familiar with, and associated having DS with negative prejudice. I will say they did a fairly good job attempting to dispel the prejudices, and Jung Eun-Hye, an actress with Down Syndrome, was cast to play played the role Young-Hee.

      3
      1

        I could actually buy that somewhat, maybe not being familiar with it but not being around anybody with DS, considering how disabilities seem to be treated in SK. I live in a fairly small town in the U.S. and I had never seen anybody with Down Syndrome until I moved to a bigger place for college. I did grow up seeing people with Down Syndrome on television, but I doubt that is common in SK. I’m not sure it was common with autism either. I mentioned the actress Oh Yoonah and her son in the EAW episode thread and how she received a lot of praise for bringing her son out and putting a face to autism.

        4
        0

    I seem to recall in one of the early episodes someone said it was extremely rare for an autistic person to also be a genius, not that it was a normal byproduct of the condition.

    5
    1

      That may have been me. I’ve cared for and coached a few people on the spectrum. I’m not an expert by any means, but being an autistic savant (which is what Young woo is depicted as being) is super rare. Episode 3 makes this abundantly clear. Young girls that I’ve seen on the spectrum also do a better job at masking their symptoms, but in periods of high stress, it typically manifests itself in more obvious ways. Episode 3 also educates the viewer on how and when and the historical background where autism was first described. The discussion on recap 1 also mentioned this and why Asperger’s is not a term that should be used to describe higher functioning autism. I’m glad it was mentioned.

      2
      0

    They do address it in episode 3. The show emphasize that case of Woo Young Woo is special and it is not common. Please watch episode 3.

    7
    2

      @sspat yes, E3 is where I remember hearing it said.

      0
      0

      The shows about Autism somehow end up going to the genius route pretty often tho. They don’t say it is a byproduct, but the idea is still there.

      The good doctor, rain man, this one, dozens of other shows with Autistic leads depict them as geniuses. Why is it even needed? Couldn’t Young Woo not being one and still have a successful career? Would her condition really make it impossible for her to be hired in a law firm? Wouldn’t simple dedication and hard work not being enough?

      I hated how her dad even finds out that she is a genius ~~. It happens on the EXACT same day when the doctor tells her father she might have an Autism. It read like “sure, his daughter might not be like majority of other kids, but look, she is a genius. That MUST make her existence fine now”.

      0
      1

        “Would her condition really make it impossible for her to be hired in a law firm? Wouldn’t simple dedication and hard work not being enough?”

        Young Woo could still be hired in a law firm, but I think that it would be a hard sell for any firm to hire her as an attorney, especially when dedication and hard work isn’t enough for neurotypicals to get hired as associates, much less become partners. This is based on my own country but employment assistance schemes for the neurodiverse here tend to lean towards blue-collar jobs, if it’s a white-collar job it tends to be a non-client facing position. And that’s even for companies which are openly practicing inclusive hiring.

        “I hated how her dad even finds out that she is a genius ~~. It happens on the EXACT same day when the doctor tells her father she might have an Autism.”

        I do agree that the setup is a bit rushed, though I think that prolonging it any further would have made it detrimental in holding onto viewers’ attention: it isn’t a documentary after all and timelines do have to get condensed in a drama. But if I was in charge of the show, I might have just cut the diagnosis scene and sprinkled it as a flashback scene later on, as the show did when covering the father’s experience taking care of Young Woo.

        4
        0

    This is such an important point. I think it’s the same philosophy with anything that is going to be added to the storyline to cover ‘difference’.

    It’s rare they will employ someone with the actual condition like in Our blues. Dementia is the only bad thing that happens when you get older, brain tumours lead to short life expectancy you will operate as your normal self and then suddenly you will deteriorate and die. All accidents lead to random short term memory loss or a coma that you suddenly come out of but then you are fine.

    It’s a shame that they treat conditions as a pick and mix rather than as you say having someone who happens to have the condition just going about daily life and having the usual events of a drama happen to them.

    I think in My dear friends they tried to do this with the many elements of adjustment and prejudice about physical and mental health and the aging process by looking at relationships dynamics across the board. Having the adult son reminding his mum to pack her incontinence pads in such a matter of fact way was a nice touch.

    1
    1

    It’s the same in every Kdrama for every leads : the genius doctor, the genius lawyer, the genius CEO, etc. It’s not only for people with autism.

    In this case, I don’t think they portrayed her as a genius but with a good memory and a different way to perceive things.

    8
    0

    As a parent of a child with ASD, I think this show is able to address autism well. She maybe a savant in memorizing the law and whale facts but she is still handicapped as she has yet to learn how to make these facts functional. Exactly the struggles of an autistic person. Episode 3 also tackled that this is indeed a spectrum and her case is extremely rare. They also emphasized that each case is unique, which is true. While I do agree that the industry usually features stories about savants only, but I think that is true about show business in general, as stories are mostly about the extraordinary 1% of us.

    12
    0

    “Secondly, at least, 1 in 100 kids have Autism. It IS pretty common. Was Young Woo, our invented protagonist, really the first Autistic person who got a law degree?”

    It could be that she’s the first one to openly admit that she’s autistic, not that she’s necessarily the first autistic lawyer. I don’t think the show will ever talk about masking because Young Woo has never dabbled in that, but I do hope we do meet someone who’s masked enough to appear neurotypical sometime within the show. I also think that will be a significant factor when I rate the show at the end.

    “That will all be fine and good, but I hate how shows like this one somehow make it sound as if one of the symptoms of Autism is…you guessed, being a genius.”

    To be fair, the fact that the main character is a lawyer does imply some level of intellectual prowess, because it’s quite unrealistic that someone on the lower end of the spectrum could even become a lawyer in the first place, particularly when you consider the verbal and argumentative skills required for the job. I don’t necessarily disagree that the over-featuring of savant autism is good representation for the spectrum, but they are already showing different people with autism so it’s not like they’re pigeonholing on the “geniuses”. Would it have been better if they featured someone who’s just an “average” lawyer and/or didn’t openly disclose their condition? Yes! But I think it’s a rarity for even the standard neurotypical show to feature an “average” character regardless of profession so it’s a general problem with mass media.

    9
    0

I feel like I am at that stage when I am finally ready to understand and talk about how I feel about this show.

I absolutely hated My Liberation Notes. The show was basically the diary that the writer wrote by a recommendation from her therapist. The characters didn\’t have conversations. They simply recreated the lines in the notebook. It was relatable but in the same way that one liners on Facebook are. Every second line was worth being screenshotted and posted. The whole show was like that. Characters felt alone even when they were \”talking\” to each other. Because as I mentioned the show was a writer\’s diary adapted on a screen, it lacked comprehension and a straight line of thinking, something that is necessary for the show. Your opinions are hectic and all over the place, they also change by an hour and that is exactly how this show is.

One minute the father tells his children that it is okay for them to stay single and that they are strong enough to do that and the next minute, the older daughter ( to whom that was addressed) stays in a relationship that makes her feel small cause the idea of the breakup is too painful for her.

7
17

    I love all the cast members so I am happy about its success, but geez. I definitely deserved better than watching Chang Hee randomly talk about a movie for 5 minutes while his friend was doing….whatever he was doing.

    4
    1

      His friend was Googling the movie on his phone so he could quickly read a summary of it, and better relate to what Change Hee was saying during that long speech, but yeah – I hear where you are coming from. Park Hae-yeong (the writer) definitely has a unique style that sets her apart from other writers. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

      0
      1

        In the beginning the friend was shaking a branch…? And then he was reading the summary.

        Regarding the writing, was that a thing in her previous works as well? Maybe in Another Oh Hae Young? I have only watched My Mister and did that when it came out, so I might be mistaken, but at least for Dong Hoon and Ji Ah we knew what they felt without them telling us directly.

        0
        2

          @nerdy I watched “Another Oh Hae Young” (it’s when I began crushing on Seo Hyun-jin, but that’s off-topic). In my opinion, it was written very well, but it is not written in the same style as MLN. Inspiration is a fickle and fleeting mistress, and writers accept it wherever they can find it – be it through tried-and-true formulas or through personal diaries from therapy sessions. Here is a mental game you might try: pretend for a moment you didn’t know the backstory of where Park Hae-yeong got her inspiration for writing MLN. Would you still feel the same way about the writing? Or would you feel differently?

          2
          0

          Actually, I never understood what Dong Hoon felt. To me, he always seemed like a man treading right on the cheating line. His quivering smile, his tentative movements, his side looks, everything felt like he was hoping for something to happen without taking the first step, and then it didn’t. But I never knew if that was the case or not. This uncertainty is the reason I disliked that show.

          0
          1

            I haven’t watched MLN so I’m not saying that I would have prefered to have heard his thoughts. It just hit me as very interesting that I disliked the writer’s other show for exactly the opposite reason.

            1
            0

    I feel you. I had major issues with it, especially the second half. It romanticized the heck out of unhealthy relationships. Just browsing forums for a few minutes and seeing people gush over Gu, wishing for him and MJ to get married and have babies, makes me want to throw something. I hear you about the dialogue. People talked and talked but in a way nobody in real life talks. It ended up feeling pretentious.

    5
    2

      Pretentious. Yes. That is the right word. Apperantly the writer has spent 4 years writing the screenplay. After i heard that, for the first time in my life, I thought “gosh. I wish the writer didn’t put that much effort in it”. Some parts just felt like a result of major overthinking, as if a perfectly comprehensive text was written and then someone decided “hey, I also wanna say this, let’s squeeze it in” and “nah, this part is not quoting worthy, let’s cut it out”.

      Honestly, I can’t argue or agree with you on Mr. Gu and Mi Jeong. I don’t think the writer fully understood the mental gymnastics that a person needs to be in relationship with someone with such issues. Mi Jeong somehow did a great job in helping him. Her amazing sensitivity and understanding of what should be said was simply unbelievable. The fact that a woman would listen to her lover talk about how he is hearing things and then laugh at his story on alcoholism is just something I can not understand. She didn’t even once ask him to stop drinking. I didn’t support the relationship or hate it solely because it seemed like a graphic designer had a PhD in psychology and knew exactly how to handle her partner’s addiction.

      2
      0

      @missh Good point. As much as I did like the writing, it wasn’t perfect. I think I’m currently seduced by it’s uniqueness, but I also am starting to feel that seduction begin to fade. I am beginning to think that the writing was propped up (more than a little) by excellent acting, direction, and cinematography. Remove those things and could the writing stand on it’s own? I think maybe not. I have been leaving reviews of the shows I’ve finished, but I will wait a few days before reviewing MLN, to let my thoughts settle.

      3
      0

    I’d never say My Liberation Notes pretentious, at all. The beauty of this unique drama is how the story is told from the perspective of each character (who is flawed in one way or another) – without judgement. So, whether the MJ-Gu relationship is healthy or not, or has been romanticised, is purely our own verdict as the audience. You can totally decide for yourself whether you think it is a beautiful relationship or unhealthy. Just like some Beanies think the Yeom family is toxic while others see it tightly-knit but never let their emotion flow up to the surface until tragedy strikes. Your verdict depends on your personal experience and belief, and I don’t think the drama has channelled or spoon-fed a particular message urging our acceptance of its premise, like what most other conventional dramas do.

    What I could say is that the writer-PD team seem to have returned to the root of their earlier collaboration, aka, I Live in Cheongdamdong, after their commercial success in other dramas. That is, focus on ordinary folks who all have their own stories. ILICDD from 2011 is about a family struggling financially, socially, and emotionally in the super wealthy CDD neighbourhood. It’s a 100+ ep sitcom which is laughing out funny in one minute and then gut wrenching next. There is no central plot per se but it does speak to me and resonates with me – just like MLN. Both dramas are slice of life with us audience being witness to the ebbs and flows of those characters.

    To me, My Liberation Notes is a rare treasure – some kind of drama that I can return whenever I need a mind cleansing. Of course, the whole production from cast to crew, music, cinematography elevates the whole experience. But it’s the writing that underpins its awesomeness. ILICDD didn’t even have one big star but just the amazing Kim Hye-ja headlining it with a raft of newbies (including the very very green Lee Sang-yeob) and character actors. Both dramas, to me, are 10/10 – same as My Ajusshi.

    Lastly, I am pleased that – after the successive acclaims of the rather dramatic Another OHY and the intricate My Ajusshi – Park Hae-young is delivering us this quiet introspective piece. I’m forever grateful.

    3
    0

    I watched the first 10 eps and it’s pretentious. It has a great mood, actors, direction but it’s also very superficial. It’s a drama that cares about the message and not the story itself, the writer knows the result and effect she wants to achieve but doesn’t have the talent to write the story in a way that seems natural. That’s why I got bored and haven’t finished yet. That ep 10 was the worst so far, even the previously nice characters started to act in a very unrealistic and contradictory manner just to move plot.
    My Ahjussi had many issues but at least the 2 main characters were consistently good.

    5
    0

    But what’s wrong with that? A writer can’t make a show about her own liberation diary? why?

    About Ki Jeong, maybe her finale isn’t what some of us wanted, but it makes sense according to her character. I know real people like her, so trust me, just a random advice from her father wasn’t going to make her change her perspective.
    Actually, I don’t know anyone that does wtv their parents tell them, so I don’t think it’s a mistake from the writer, it’s just normal.

    Anyway, we don’t even know what’s going to happen next. Life is long, maybe she breaks up with him in the future, who knows. She wanted someone (anyone) to love in the winter, and she got that person. She can keep growing and changing and making decisions/mistakes.

    I know people always wants writers to make characters/relationships “perfect” by the end, but I think shows in the slice of life genre shouldn’t be like that, because it isn’t realistic. I’m pretty sure that if there were a drama showing any of our lives from 2019 til now, it would be similar to the feeling you’re getting from MLN. Because people are like that. People choose bad relationships, people can feel “alone” even when they’re talking to others, people change opinions, people don’t do what their parents want, etc.

    I think that’s the whole point of the show tbh.

    Maybe your story or life experience is totally different and that’s why you can’t like the show, but I can assure you that MLN makes sense and feels right for other people, and it fits perfectly the genre “slice of life”.

    And yes, most people don’t talk like the leads in the show, but I don’t know why that’s a problem, like that’s literally the writer’s job. Make things sound right, better. Son Seok Gu says in interviews that he didn’t like changing the lines because that would ruin the poetic feeling of the show. I think he’s right.
    If it sounds pretencious… well, I think the writer has the right to write her show that way.

    4
    1

      I was enjoying the commentary over at the MLN Soompi Forum, full of wisdom including some ex-Beanies there. So many wonderful observations there that I can’t quote all of them here but this – from a K-YouTuber – goes to my heart:

      “ The reason this show resonates deeply with so many viewers is that the star of this show is YOU, the viewer. You can see yourself in these characters who are struggling with this world that can be full of carelessness and hatred.”

      My Liberation Notes is perhaps not written for everyone. However, as an older person with more than a fair share of life lessons, it speaks to me in ways no other dramas do.

      2
      1

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Just reading the chat below has had me crying with laughter as I could literally picture a book club type setting with people sitting around sharing thoughts on this drama and the writer’s process. It was pure gold. I didn’t even watch the show but this is the reason I joined the community.

    1
    1

      I think, I will stay passive aggressive about that show for at least another week. For those 8 weeks I sincerely thought I liked MLN and now that the magic of good casting/directing faded away, I am left feeling deceived.

      Good for you for not watching the show. I mean it.

      1
      1

        It sounds like you need to employ your self care package what do you usually do when this happens to distract you from the disappointment? I like you have given yourself a week to be vex and then you will dust yourself down and move on. I hate that feeling when you realise that you were filling in the gaps and now you are not papering over the cracks any more there is a mess staring back at you.
        What’s your replacement drama?

        0
        0

Just watched the first episode of Jirisan. Currently, the biggest mystery is how the director of this one is the same guy who directed Goblin, Mr Sunshine, and Secret Love.

6
0

I like to think that the moment kdrama actors get confirmed for the main lead role they pack up, say goodbye to family and friends and move to a gym.

\”Shower scenes -here I come\” -they say.

14
4

Lost is a torture porn which fully misunderstands No Longer Human and boils down all the character problems to the lack of money and power.

Spoilers below

0
6

    Words can’t explain how much I hated that show, mainly because I had high expectations of it. Plus, watching the female lead was extremely frustrating.

    I am a huge Osamu Dazai fan and even if I know that No Longer Human was a inspiration for the show, I still feel that Lost is a huge insult to that work. In the book, money was the one thing main lead never lacked growing up. In fact, majority of his guilt and confusion streamed from the fact that he was the son of the affluent politician. Smart and good looking, with every opportunity at his feet – he was supposed to be happy, but wasn’t. That was what made his character so interesting.

    When you have financial problems, you work on a shitty job, you are looked down by the people around you and you see your old father dragging heavy cupboards at night because he can’t retire – you can’t be happy. Happiness is not a choice here and thus, your personality doesn’t make any difference in how alienated and lonely you feel. The show doesn’t give any room for character study because any person in the same situation would have felt the same way.

    – The writing is also kinda strange. First of all, why is the female lead so goddamn pathetic? I was understanding of her, but apperantly she could sue the person who hurt her? She also considers suicide by jumping from the roof of the BUILDING IN WHICH HER BELOVED DAD LIVES. Suicide is wrong and all, but making your dad see your corpse is just extra cruel?

    1
    2

      She lost her child, so I guess she’s not really herself anymore.

      0
      1

        That’s the thing. She lost her child and her life sucks. ANYONE in that situation would be depressed. I am angry that because the writer made the situation so terrible it doesn’t leave space for a character to exist.

        E.g you are dying from hunger and you eat bread because that is the only available food. What does you eating it say about you? Nothing really.

        But let’s there are dozens of sorts of food in front you and you chose bread. Your choice here says that you love the bread the most. Or you were in the mood for bread. Or maybe you just always start eating with one bite of bread. Either way, your personality here flashes at least to some degree.

        No Longer Human was a great book because of how complex the writing was for its main lead and his depression. Here the character is boiled down to the status of victim of circumstances.

        1
        0

      That’s the whole point of the show. She is depressed. After having lost her child and her job, she lost her sense of purpose in life. She feels like a loser who disappointed her father.
      People who are depressed and choose to commit suicide are in no position to think about others or what mess their suicide would create or who they would hurt. They need help.

      5
      0

    I think the creators said it wasn’t inspired by No longer Human but had a similar name. Not sure though. But atleast this show has made me curious for No longer human.

    1
    1

      I get your point though, especially after reading the synopsis of No longer human (tho I’m not sure if the depression there didn’t stem from the assault) and I think for the drama they created these situations for a dramatic purpose. It’s sometimes hard to convey on screen if someone’s unhappiness stems from less dramatic reasons and kdramas do that a lot, adding layers of reasons. I feel jdramas on the other hand work on simpler themes and may have pulled that off.

      1
      0

I admit, I smiled and waved back.

15
2

I don’t even watch Penthouse, but the bizarre YouTube recommendations and unlimited hilarious comments sincerely make me hope that this show never ends.

5
2

    My favourite joke to this date, probably seen on Dramabeans,

    “at this point , we will find out that murdered Park Seol A had a sister named Park Seol B”.

    5
    1

The young workaholic man disappears without a trace. He doesn\’t even get a funeral. His girlfriend, whose only family member can\’t recognise her, sticks with him till the end and it will probably take her years to admit that he is dead.

Some sociopath writes that story and thinks \”yup, that\’s a rom-com\”.

15
10

    What’s the drama?

    1
    1

    What horrified me the most was that Joo-in apparently learned to love and to “chart her own life” (or something) by having had Bi-soo, his angst and his mysterious condition inflicted on her.

    Gimme a break! Joo-in was living and loving her heart out way before Bi-soo entered her life. .

    7
    1

      More you think about it it gets more tragic. She loves her mom who isn’t always “there” and now she loves and talks to the guy who is definitely not there.

      I also feel like Bi Soo’s life work will be ruined by his successor, who decided to give the show a second season.

      4
      1

        It’s the two people she loves most that disappear on her that makes this story horrific. Will be actively avoiding this writer from now on.

        8
        0

    Oh good I dropped it after 4 eps in

    4
    1

    Can’t agree with you more. I could only think about the legal implications of someone just disappearing. And they labeled this as a romcom.
    I will never trust this writer again.

    2
    0

Just watched the trailer for the king: eternal monarch.
I should say, I am deeply impressed by Lee Min Ho. This guy has been acting since 2006 and his acting is still so bad.

20
6

    😂😂😂

    5
    0

    Ahhhh, that just made me laugh so hard 😂

    4
    1

    🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
    You’re lucky that minoz don’t visit the fan wall.
    And I have to say: he was good in Faith, he knows how to act!

    0
    0

    🤣🤣I wish there was a way to bookmark Beanies because following doesn’t seem to do anything at least not on my iPad. I need to work my way through your posts because your sense of humour is out there. I just need to remember not to eat or drink while reading and this is my 5 minutes of daily fun! I never sprayed food or drink from laughing until I started watching K dramas and the unexpected humour gets me every time.

    0
    1