Bring it on, drama gods! We’re ready for the next big hit in drama land.
1. Bossam – Stealing Fate
Do I want another sageuk after “River Where the Moon Rises”? This one is set in Joseon period so at least the costumes will be prettier.
This is a long summary (practically an essay!) from soompi:
Set in the Joseon dynasty, “Bossam – Stealing Fate” is a new historical drama starring Jung Il Woo as Ba Woo, a rogue with a mysterious identity who accidentally kidnaps a princess. Girls’ Generation’s Yuri will star as Soo Kyung, the princess in question, who is the widowed daughter of King Gwanghae.
In the newly released poster, the dangerous aura of the rough-around-the-edges Ba Woo and the dark, almost sorrowful look in his eyes hints at the character’s tragic past. Although Ba Woo was born an aristocrat, his entire family died at the hands of the scheming Lee Yi Chum (played by Lee Jae Yong), who happens to be Soo Kyung’s father-in-law.
After barely escaping with his life, Ba Woo has been hiding his true identity to stay alive, and he has since resorted to all sorts of illegal jobs in order to make ends meet.
Meanwhile, the pure-hearted and resolute Soo Kyung exudes an air of elegance and dignity despite the ups and downs of her turbulent life. After being married off to Lee Yi Chum’s son in a political deal, Soo Kyung unexpectedly became a widow when, in a tragic twist of fate, her husband died before their wedding night.
Against all odds, these two very different characters wind up crossing paths when Ba Woo accidentally kidnaps the unfortunate Soo Kyung—but while they initially get off on the wrong foot, they soon find strength in each other as they join forces to overcome their hardships together.
source: soompi/bossam
My biggest problem with the show is that its title will constantly give me hunger pangs. “Bossam” is a boiled pork wrap.
Cast: Jung Il Woo and Yuri
I don’t have to think twice about picking up Jung Il Woo’s dramas because he always portrays ethical male leads. However, I tend to drop his dramas after the 10th episode because his “goody-two-shoes” characters are too predictable. He doesn’t seem to venture out of his comfort zone when I’m dying to see him play a Korean version Jason Voorhees.
Is that you under the mask, Jung Il Woo?
As for Yuri, she comes across as standoffish and introverted. Playing a haughty princess shouldn’t be difficult for her. But hmmmm… I wonder who will provide the charm and levity in this drama when the leads are either bland or uptight?
Episodes: 20. Ugh! Here we go again with these 20-episode dramas!!
Start Date: May 1
Airs on Saturdays and Sundays
Where to watch it? Viki
Network: MBN
2. Doom At Your Service
Since “forced cohabitation” always end up with hijinks, I’m looking forward to this fantasy romcom. (This had better be a romcom!)
The synopsis from mydramalist:
Tak Dong Kyung has been working hard ever since her parents passed away. Her life seemed more stable after working as a web novel editor for 6 years, but then she gets diagnosed with a brain cancer. She blames her unlucky life and wishes to curse everything to disappear, which unintentionally calls Myeol Mang, a messenger between humans and gods, to appear. He says that he can grant her wishes. As her last hope, she makes a contract with Myeol Mang for a hundred days to live how she wants, risking her everything.
source: dramalist
Cast: Seo In Guk and Park Bo Young
I’ll always have a soft spot for Seo In Guk because of his role in Reply 1997, but I admit to putting a lid on him for two years after he skipped his mandatory military service due to a (dubious) illness. Had he served, he would have been gone for two years so I ignored his activities and pretended that he didn’t exist for the same amount of time. But now he’s back and I’m ready to let bygones be bygones.
Park Bo Young. Let me see whether her aegyo will be tolerable this time or not. She almost led me to diabetic coma in “Strong Woman Do BongSoon.”
Retire that aegyo already! You’re 31 years old, sweetheart.
Episodes: 16
Start Date: May 10
Airs on Mondays and Tuesdays
Where to watch it? Viki
Network: tvN
3. My Roommate Is a Gumiho
The plot sounds like a rip-off of “My Girlfriend is a Gumiho” but I’m watching this for the former “Start-Up” actors who played Youngsan and InJae.
The synopsis from soompi:
Based on a webtoon, “My Roommate Is Gumiho” is about a 22-year-old college student named Lee Dam (Hyeri), who accidentally swallows the marble of a 999-year-old male gumiho (a mythological nine-tailed fox) named Shin Woo Yeo (Jang Ki Yong). If a human swallows a gumiho‘s marble, they can only live for one year, and then the marble will break—preventing the gumiho from ever becoming human. As they try to figure out a way to remove the marble from Lee Dam’s body before the year is up, Shin Woo Yeo suggests the two move in together.
source: soompi: my roommate is a gumiho
Cast: Jang Ki Yong and Hyeri
Jang Ki Yong. He was in “Search: WWW” and I heard he made the ahjummas swoon. Let him try to melt my heart.
Hyeri hasn’t had a hit since Reply 1988. Enough said.
But I’m willing to watch this show since its director Park Joon Hwa was behind some hits like “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?” “Because This is My First Life,” and “Bring It On, Ghost.”
Episodes: 16
Start Date: May 26
Airs on Wednesdays and Thursdays
Where to watch it? iQiyi – oh gosh! Not another streaming site!
Network: tvN
4. You Are My Hero
lol. I still haven’t decided on the Chinese drama for this month. But I’m perfectly fine re-watching and blogging about “You Are My Hero” for now. lol.
@packmule3, I’ll go with whatever the group decides. I’ll watch Jung Il Woo in anything. I liked Sweet Munchies and learned from watching reality/variety shows that he can really cook.And as you know, there’s something about a man who cooks…
Thanks for picking out some shows for us @pkml3. I will probably go in for “Doom”, but I’m slightly curious about the JIW sageuk because he looks like he lost so much weight, at least in his face. Looks a right scoundrel with that facial hair! LOL.
I’ll go with the flow, @packmule3. I’m nearly finished with YAMH because the episodes are shorter than kdramas, so easy to fit into gaps in the household routine. Plus I love the OTP.
Yes, ahem. Jang Ki Yong in WWW. ☀️🌡️ But it was that type of role, mind you.
There’s this one Move To Heaven on Netflix which is on my radar. Out May 14.
https://youtu.be/80XSCaQIlko
Youth of May. Out May 3. Hello Captain Firefly. Hopefully he survives this one. 😂. Not sure if I will watch. Looks interesting.
https://youtu.be/-sLjcB3lbCA
Nothing that fundamentally appeals to me.
Historical: this can be bingewatched later.
My Roommate is a gumiho: Again?!
Doom at your service : nice pitch but I feel the pshiiiit.
CDrama : I have no way to see them.
Now I’m just waiting for June, because… Season 3 of The Penthouse !
If you want to splurge on it, there’s still some time to catch up on the other two seasons, during May. Impossible to get bored on this 😉
Joo Dan-Tesque. 🙂
I remind that this drama is not just a makjang, it’s a crack-makjang. Unique style of this scriptwriter since The Last Empress, consisting in mixing extreme makjang, subtle self-parody (or sometimes not so subtle), dark-comedy, ultra-fast pace, full blast of the actors, or even on rare occasion volontary irrealistic choices.
The drama explodes all the ratings because : Permanent second degree (appreciated by a part of the audience), and first degree powerful enough to be caught without even wanting it (appreciated by the older audience). Many fan theories also, but I never read that, I don’t want accidental Spoilers.
Compared to the old makjang, the realization is princely and the content super-dense, without additional scenes. The director is totally involved and knows the style inside out (it was the same as on Last Empress). In addition to the script, he also adds his ideas, often very good, producing the perfect explosive chemical reaction. The same goes for the actors. All these people play a lot with humor, but still go all-in in the over-dramatism (part of the fun). The writer said she found the perfect team.
Of course, it’s very difficult to find morally clean characters, it’s all about irony and the art of painting disgusting people portraits. It is a drama that can be savored with gastronomy.
There are also a lot of Easter Eggs but I try to avoid analyzing and being surprised by the crazy plot-twists.
For those who watch, or do not intend to watch, here is a video (light spoiler) with comical rendering (background music) of the favorite actress of the drama, Kim So Yeon :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT_NWAptUGo&list=LL&index=1
Hey hey, I pervert this blog with crack-majkang. 🙂
Ok, I’m completely hooked on this drama, more than Sisyphus or anything else since years. It’s big and great. I’m over-enthousiastic in makjang proportions. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hmmm @WE, I do wonder how DOES actress Kim So Yeon maintain her vocal chords? She’d really lose her voice in real life if she has to do so much er … raised voice acting… and for hours, if there are many re-shoots, and so many episodes of it. I was exhausted watching and listening to her and stopped the clip half-way through. *phew!*
@GB, it’s normal, it’s a compilation ! She don’t do this all the time. 🙂
She got some of the most famous scenes of the drama. I can’t say it’s because the scene or her acting. But should be both the acting and the character. Unbelievable performance.
In the special episode, we see the actress is the more kind woman of the actors group, very gentle and sensitive, low and soft voice. It’s a bit crazy. 😉
By the way, there is no weak performance of the actors in this. You can check the cast. Uhm Ki Joon get is best role too.
Seo in Guk – Shopoholic Louis, Reply 1997, The Smile Has Left Her Eyes – such different characters and he was absolutely convincing in each. Really looking forward to his next drama since he seems to have a knack for picking good ones.
All in on You Are My Hero. Xing Kelei will be the name of my next dog 😍 It’s a great name!
Agree with WEnchanteur, Penthouse is on another level. Beyond Sky Castle. The actresses and Uhm Ki Joon are really giving us high quality acting. Have you watched UKJ in the innocent defendant. He was crazy there too. And UKJ’s in musical as well❤
KSY has definitely grown to be the best actress. I fell in love with her in Iris and she performed really well subsequently. Secret Mother is really good too. KSY worked together with Song Yoonah, another of my favorite actress i.e. the lady boss in K2.🤭
I am waiting for the Devilish Judge. Currently on Law School & How to get away with murder. Probably take a peek at Jang Nara’s drama cos she looks awesome!
By the way, our Dr. Bae from HP S1 is in the Doom drama, the pretty girl who’s getting attention from 2 guys! Way to go Shin Do Hyeon!
Seo In Guk was also in “High School King of Savvy,” (2014) a Noona romance.
That’s when I begin to notice how repressed some of these screenwriters really are when they project their puerile fantasies onto their characters. 🤦♀️ I began shunning Noona kdramas after that because, for me, the script is essentially a fanfic.
I can’t help thinking that the ahjumma screenwriter wrote the female protagonist as her avatar. Since the ahjumma screenwriter can’t realistically appeal to a handsome young hot actor, she pens a script wherein her avatar, the lead female, wins the heart of the hottie. 😂
@Packmule3,
In this case, it’s not a nonna romance, it’s an ajhumma romance. 🙂
I wonder if Kim Eun Sook didn’t do that in her surprisingly good drama “On Air” too. Not for the romance, but for the main character, it feels like she’s the whimsical and childish writer of the story! As I know you like this writer sometimes, I can advise you this drama. This character is funny, people argues for silly reasons. And it’s the best “drama about dramas” I know. ^^
@Miracle23,
I don’t know what you’re talking about UKJ and “musical”. I don’t know of any drama named that.
He was an actor I liked for other roles in the past, but I have a memory of Defendant to watch now 😉
I knew Kim Seo Yeon in the drama “Falling for innocence”, which is interesting by its basic situation. The romance between the two leads seems to be impossible because everything opposes them. But I forgot that it was her, so much her acting in Penthouse is amazing.
SKY Castle and World of the married were very good dramas. More satyric than makjang. They are stories that we take seriously, certainly intense but with measure. And we are not laughing at all in this! Although they are striking, you can’t really strike a harder blow than Penthouse and its frantic pace. Everything feels more giant in there. We know that there is the winning combination that we very rarely find, providing a lot of fun. 🙂
@packmule3 High School King of Saavy creeped me out 🤮
I’ve just picked up Sell Your Haunted House and I must say it’s pretty good. In one short episode it’s clear what’s going on and the motives of our psychic protagonists. I like Jang Nara’s styling in this show and the fact that she hardly smiles. The running scene was well done, it almost looked like she was doing parkour over walls. Impressive for that small woman.
And Jung Yong Hwa seems to have ‘grown up’ since his Heartstrings and Musketeer days, at least he certainly looks more mature. I just realised that every show he’s been in, I’ve watched, and it wasn’t on purpose, honest!
Two episodes in and it’s a fun watch and interesting to boot. How and why the two, end up as a team flow naturally and logically. It’s nice to have a show to watch while waiting for the ‘big one’.
:: ೖ(⑅σ̑ᴗσ̑)ೖ ::
@WE, Uhm Ki Joon also plays in musical just like Cho Seung Woo. Recently, he played in Monte Cristo musical, together with another actor, Shin Sung Rok.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/musicalholic21.wordpress.com/2020/09/27/trans-200926-the-final-casting-lineup-for-the-musical-monte-cristo-has-been-completed/amp/
Kim So Yeon was the naive spoil rich girl ala 100 pound beauty met Legally Blonde in a drama, Prosecutor Princess. She was fun with all her cute pinky stationery😂
Yes! I was pleasantly surprised with “Sell Your Haunted House.” I’ll have to find time to finish my review today.
But I’m working on my list of upcoming noona romances first.
@pkml3 Oooh great! I’m feeling lazy and thought of just watching SYHH without analysing it too much. But once you start reviewing, it just gets me going LOLOL. *small sigh*
꒰⁎ᵉ̷͈ ॣ꒵ ॢᵉ̷͈⁎꒱໊
GB wrote,
“I’m feeling lazy and thought of just watching SYHH without analysing it too much. But once you start reviewing, it just gets me going’
lol. Stress, @GB! You just gave me stress. I only intended to write a light review; now I’ve to think harder or you’ll be disappointed. 🙂
I’m here to relieve you of your stress with a comment full of sourness. 🎃
I haven’t posted one in a while, it’s today. 😤
SYHH is nothing more than a procedural (episodic) show or almost.
An episode = A little story solved, which I often don’t care about. 😴
There is of course, I suppose, the purring story of the main protagonists, at a snail’s pace. 🐌
The thing built around PlotA, then plotB and eventually plotC simultaneously, but without chronological hyperlinks. PlotA being the small story of the day.
All of it well framed and conforming.
In other words: TV drama hell. 🥵
Except for Inspector Columbo, of course. 🕵️♂️
The basic recipe that teaches nothing, at least in my view, boring to death. 💀
And as if by chance, it’s again with a ghost story. 👻 All the ghost dramas or almost are rotten by this. But not only! There is also the “A-Team” drama, very boring too. 💤 The team that can do almost anything, even spy on a conversation in my toilet. (so a monologue with myself, since I go to the toilet alone, or almost 💩). Which makes me drop this drama before having seen the first episode, but also Taxi Driver, at the rate of “2 episodes = 1 case solved”. Especially since I’ve seen excerpts on this A-Team. Little music with snare drum rolls while the operation goes on like clockwork. 🥁
This kind of content doesn’t deserve even 1% of your brain activity. 🐸
So relax and use 1%, while eating peanuts. 🥜🥜🥜
😄
I’m laughing at @GB’s comment because I feel the same. 😂
If @PM3 is writing about a kdrama and I’m watching it, I’d better do my “homework” and open the “critique” eyes. 👁 no pressure though, just fun!
SIG didn’t skip army. He shaved his head and went there but they sent him back because of his ankle. I’m exciting to watch him in a new drama but I didn’t like A PBY’s drama since a long time now… I want her to try something new when there is no fantastic elements and she won’t have to act cute. But it can’t be worse than Abyss.
Bossam’s plot about widows during Joseon area is interesting. I’m curious about it.
If I love cohabitation plot, I really don’t like Hyeri’s acting and JKY was meh in his last dramas. WWW was good because of the great actresses, not him.
Sell Your Haunted House is fun. This drama is consistent with its world building.
@packmule3 and @GB, Love SYHH and Jang Nara in a role where she can stretch her acting chops. She’s nowlooking like an action star. Her new look also will help her get through her forties because unlike actors, actresses have to transition intoolder roles atan earlier age. I think of Gong Hyo-jin in The Producers, Crazy Romance Hit and Run Squad, even Camelias. AndI look at Ha Ji-wan in Chocolate. She still excells at action. So I’m all for putting noonas in a new light. And Youn Yuh-jung certainly made ahjummas look different. I’m also thinking of Helen Mirren in Red. After all, women actors should be able to work and make money too as they age!
Hi WEnchanteur, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes I watch for the actor. I’m in this for Jang Nara.She’s moving away from vulnerble rom com roles and cutesy pie. If the vehicle is notup to your standards, I read you loud snd clear. But for me, when I read, it doesn’t have to be Tolstoy all the time. Sometimes I just want to be amused or to enjoy the visuals or just like the lead. So I’m going to sail off to superficial island with this show. However, one caveat; To my knowledge K Dramas that start out “light” sometimes have a sneaky way of packing a punch later on. So I’ll be watching and enjoyingnour FL’s boot collection, her ghost mom and of course, waiting for her back story.
And also the one thing I know about all manner of Asian drama, so many shows, so little time. Therefore, I would praise you for being selective and alerting Bitches with similar taste to skip this drama.
@pkml3, @Janey, @Old American Lady, @WEnchanteur
@pkml3 you had me laughing so hard. We’re giving each other stress!!! Yes @Janey, (I imagine) and I normally just relax and watch without going the extra steps (well maybe just 1 step?) to look for more than a basic, pleasing story and characters. Then when @pkml3 watches the show and reviews it, I start wondering how I missed all that LOLOL. And so I take more steps, and more… it’s too funny!!
So no stress, please!!! Keep the review super light.
@OAL and @WE
Yes, it depends on what we enter a show, looking for. I entered SYHH without expecting much and was surprised that it was more than I expected. The characters are quirky but serious and not cutesy. The tasks are scary or serious but attended to with aplomb and great effectiveness. The logic is given us through much showing and less telling, and so far ‘makes sense’.
The pace is good with nary a dull moment, and each happening aids our understanding and propels the plot forward. I see light at the end for the characters, who have begun in shades of grey and in darkness. Our FL after all has a painful memory to unravel, and does most of her real business at night, while our ML is wasting his full potential, and buries himself in fraud when there are truths to uncover. And so I look forward to how the characters develop, with a childhood meeting trope that is used a little differently.
I agree with @OAL that Asian dramas, and kdramas especially, end up being much deeper, often giving us more of a comment or message to think about, although they began light and fluffy. This seems to often give the bonus payback after we’ve committed our 16++ hours to a series.
So … errr… no stress EVERYONE, just enjoy the show!!
@GB @AOL
I know, I force a little, with voluntary bad faith. 🙂
It’s true that as a generality I don’t like procedurals.
But I have seen a few that I liked, at least in part. Even in the list of those about ghosts. 🙂
Already, there can be some good comedy, very funny.
And I have no real opinion on SYHH or Taxi Driver, since I haven’t even watched the first episode!!! It’s just not on my priority list, as I’m already overloaded.
Now that I’ve given this explanation, PM3 will stress more. ^^
If SYHH is structured a bit like Hotel Del Luna, it should be fine.
My guess:
Main characters dealing with cases. Each case has a connection to their personality. There is a path through the list of cases making the characters progress.
I’m looking forward to Doom At Your Service and So I Married The Anti-Fan. I am so ready for a Korean romantic comedy. (Please be good, shows! Don’t let me down!)
For Chinese drama, I am watching the light rom coms. Just finished historical rom com Hold On My Lady. Plot is similar to Fake Princess in that FL is a bandit forced into a contract marriage. Best Part of all: only 4 episodes long! Yes I said Four Episodes. You can watch the drama with English subtitles at MGTV Drama YouTube Channel. All links working USA.
Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0PsHrQxhYwR2KQfwYxKEVf3h-66xsPKO
I am looking forward to Bossam and Youth of May.
Others shows starting airing :
– Law School (difficulty: track information about investigation during airing)
– Dark Hole (kind of “resident evil” horror action, I’ll take a look)
– Undercover (look like maried couple versus corrupted world)
– So I Married the Anti-Fan (romcom, the pitch is good, I will try it)
Maybee I will watch Sell Your Hounted House and Law School. Ohh also So I married the anti fan.. lately I’ve been watching Soo Young, I think she has a potential.. so I wanna check her performance in this romcom drama..
Oh is there anyone here who plan to watch Move To Heaven, I copied this plot synopsis from AsianWiki:
Geu-Roo (Tang Joon-Sang) is a young man with Asperger syndrome. He works for his father’s business “Move To Heaven.” Their job is to arrange items left by deceased people. One day, Geu-Roo’s own father dies. Gue-Roo is left alone, but his uncle Sang-Koo (Lee Je-Hoon) suddenly appears in front of him. Sang-Koo is a cold man. He was a martial artist who fought in underground matches. He went to prison because of what happened at his fight. Sang-Koo now becomes Geu-Roo’s guardian. They run “Move To Heaven” together.
(Will be aired on Netflix this May)
It sounds interesting too..
I plan to watch Move to Heaven. Thanks for the info @nrllee and @moonstar. I read an article before about a person who cleans up the homes of Japanese elderly folks who passed away. I did not know there’s also a similar type of work in SK.
@Janey, I think I’ll start Move to Heaven, just because it may be what I need to motivate me to continue my pandemic clear-out!
Off topic: More seriously, there are charity shops in the UK that benefit hospices. Some offer clearance services, so it may be a similar thing. It always seems strange but not morbid, that someone’s precious belongings last longer than the person but may not be wanted by relatives or friends.
Hi @Fern, I’ll also try Move to Heaven. Like Itx# Okay to NotBe Okay,there is a character whois autistic. I alsays hope that the depiction of the character is not sensationalized-sometimes with too many meltdowns. Autism is a spectrum and will find people who are autistic who seem like most people and some who are profoundly disabled who self stimulate by bangjng their heads, requiring them wearing helmets. I would think that given the description of the drama the charactervwith autism will fall somewhere between the edtremes. I can oredict that at some point the autistic character will have a big meltdown. it would be nice if stleast one drama with anautistic character would not show a meltdown because there is so much more that can be sId about this condition. I think peoplevremembrf those but in a way, this guves autism a bad name. And it dehumanizes these people.
@Old American Lady, it’s probably too much to hope for no meltdowns in a drama, but if it does happen I would also hope it could be done sensitively.
@OAL and @Fern
I too feel the same way about our neural diverse community. Right now I’m working temporarily with a young person with ASD. So much to learn from them and about them. I’d like to watch this show too.
I think I will give Move to Heaven a go.
Moviewise – I saw Super Me is coming up in Netflix. Link to the trailer below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHMTsWgZuvs
Reminds me a little of Memories of Alhambra which I have just started watching. The male lead was in another Taiwanese movie that I enjoyed called “Our Times”. Have you watched it before? First love type of movie. I found it on youtube.
@Viva This movie is really nice but I didn’t like the fact they didn’t chose the same actors for the young and adult parts. It’s like I didn’t get closure. It was kinda frustrating.
Hi All, I am definitely going to watch Move to Heaven because of my interest in the depiction of ASD.I also am going to watch Bossam because of Jung Il-woo (I like this actor a lot) and am watching Jang Nara for the same reason but also because she’s in a role that takes her out of her comfort zone. Am rooting for her here because she can transition into meatier more serious roles and action here. I dipped into I Married an Anti-Fan just for:fun. After two episodesI want more. Sometimes you just need a rom com.
I am hoping that Netflix doesn’t Americanize K Dramas. I don’t entirely think they can. They also have a heavy investment in all manner of Asian,African, European, Anzac, and Latin American content. In order to keep such a diverse offering,not all dramas can be multi-season. Some programs, as they say in the States,jump the shark after too many seasons. That means they lose their edge and judt dkn’t have it anymore. And that’s good. Stand Alones are good. It’s like movies. Some become franchises until they too lose their edge. A lot become remakes starring and changing settings/costumes/actorsfor each generation. Disney does it with their cartoons to live action. And the funny thing is that international copies of originals are all over the place. I’ve watched a k drama copy of a c drama. There were thankfully fewer episodes of the k drama, and there were differences in settings, but I found similar amounts of pleasure in each. And here’s another funny-shows like Shameless, All inthe Family,In Treatment,The Masked Singer, The Good Doctor, Homeland, Euphoria and The Baker and the Beauty are all American adaptations of foreign shows from the UK,Korea and Israel. The Magnificent Seven is the American version of The Seven Samurai and you could go on ad infinitem looking how each industry copies, edits and makes pallatable for the country they’re in, other countries’ original works. And some would say, it all goes back to Shakespeare (who may have copied from the Greeks). So, in tne immortal words of @packmulee, “Enjoy the show”.
@Sayaris I watched a few K versions of first love so it is interesting to watch a Taiwanese take of it. I hope you enjoyed the first love part. 🙂
@Old American Lady I felt the strength of K Dramas is their depiction on all kinds of love. I also hope Netflix will not/cannot change the selling point. As for K drama multi-seasons, Stranger is one that I hope to see season 3. Otherwise yes many stories are good to be left standalone.
Thanks for the lists for May. 🙂
I’ll try Move To Heaven because it’s on Netflix.
I’m not sure about the other ones but I’m going to watch You Are My Hero after The Long Ballad. It’s finishing this week so that’s good. I had to stop on The Blessed Girl as the romance is so slow. hahahah
Oh by the way, why is Yang Yang being moved over? LOL! Can I please have the password for that?
Ha! I completely forgot that that You Are My Hero post had a password. I’ll remove it shortly. I had to put a password because I wasn’t finished looking for the screenshots.
I can’t remember my passwords either. lol. I’m on admin mode most of the time so I bypass the password command.
Knowing me, I probably put something weird and irrelevant like Olympian, Bellydancer, or Superfudge.
hahaha thank you! @Fern and I tried the old password and it didn’t work so we said, it must be a new one. 🙂
I’ll definitely be joining the re-watch for HP though but I’ll have to read back on when exactly it is. hehehhe
Yes please. I would really like to read your post on “You are My Hero” @PM3. I can’t believe I’m at ep35! It’s such a pleasant and easy watch with level headed and loveable OTP and second couples. Is there a kdrama with a similar type of story where we can just enjoy the couple and their growth and relationship?
Hi @agdr03, glad to know that you would like to join in the HP rewatch. I believe it should be this Saturday but the time has to be shifted to be earlier or it will be at an ungodly hour for you, I believe.
We are waiting for news on when it will start and how to access it as it’s likely to be password protected.
@GB 😘 yeah, hopefully it’ll be ok. If not I’ll try to join anyway. ☺️
Let’s wait for QoBOD to give us information. ☺️
@Janey, from what I understand you are looking for a kdrama :
– that is not a romcom.
– that doesn’t have an exaggerated number of plots.
– that focuses on the love story.
This is not so easy to find. I can list the kdramas that have the most believable love story, but there are often many other dramatic events. There are all the ones I haven’t watched as well, such as “It’s Okay, That’s Love” which is often quoted by fans of the genre.
I can only propose the kdrama that gave me the strongest impression of a credible love story, an old one: “Love Story In Harvard”.
It is not a comedy. It will not be free of some dramatic situations, but treated in a more natural and realistic way than a drama like Stairway to Heaven, for example. These elements reinforce the sentimental story very well, by the way. Melodramatic, but not over-dramatic.
One day I came across this parody website:
https://en.mediamass.net/culture/love-story-in-harvard/best-of-all-time.html
It made me laugh a lot, because I understood what was implied in the article. I don’t know if the humorist who wrote the article has watched the drama. If he does, he would be surprised at how enjoyable the drama, without being revolutionary, is to watch.
The password for the rewatch is already with @miracle23 and @nrllee. They’re finalizing the list of people who’ll get the password. 🙂
You should be hearing from them soon.
As you can tell from the interest for the rewatch, GB, the actual Season 2 will be hectic. Both Flower Gardeners and Winter Gardeners will be watching this blog. Right now, I’m inclined to post everything during Season 2 with a password because:
a. Some of the original FGs are still traumatized by the attacks from WGs. If you think Start Up fans of JP were crazy, wait till you see the WGs. They bring crazy to a whole new level.
b. Posting everything twice, i.e., one for FGs and one for lurkers, clutters up my blog.
c. This blog is the safe space for FGers. Why do I have to cater to demands of non-FGers for equal access? 🤪
Access to Season 2 Discussion will be determined by Rewatch sessions. But access to Rewatch session is determined by participation on these Throwback Thursday posts.
That’s why I’ve been encouraging lurkers and newbies to participate in these Throwback Thursday posts. 😂 The original FGers must feel comfortable with their presence in their midst. Otherwise, it isn’t a safe space anymore.
I wholeheartedly agree with protecting S2 with a password. 👍🏻
I am currently watching the Long ballad. Chinese historical Drama available on youtube and viki Do you happen to have this on your list? Its good 👍
@WE – thanks for the recommendations! I started Love Story In Harvard ep1 and it’s interesting. The ML is LUCA ang SML is the evil TKEM uncle! They looked so young then! Now that I access to older kdramas, I may carve out some time for the oldies but goodies.
@Janey,
OOohh damn! I recently learned that the ML was LUCA’s.I was already amazed.
But on top of that, the other guy is the bad guy from TKEM?!!! 😲
That’s crazy, you just learned that to me. 🙃
Do you have a tip on how to watch the old dramas? I’m interested!!! 😉
From a woman’s point of view, like you find Kim Rae Won younger?
And Lee Jung Jin ? Which one is more attractive?
I am unable to evaluate as a man. I noticed that there was a shower scene in episode 1 to attract the crowd. 🙂 🙂 🙂
With an actress like Kim Tae Hee, it helps a lot for me. I had already seen the actress in IRIS and Jang Ok Jung. And each time, she gave me the impression to be the most credible in sentimental stories without comedy. Having become an afficionado of the actress, I went through her various dramas. Even the ones where she was known as a bad actress (she had many harsh comments in a distant past). Indeed, in Nine Tailed Fox, she is not that good, but not worse than the rest of the cast. Although this drama was filmed after Stairway to Heaven, and in which she played the villain very well. However, the same year, she shot Love Story In Harvard. And there, I fell as crazy as for Jang Ok Jung. LSIH is the drama where she asserts her acting talent for good, in my opinion.
The first episode does not contain any dramatic situation as you can see. It’s fun to watch because the story is focused on the main plot, and lots of exciting situations along the way.
– Of course, the fact that the ML meets a girl rather… humm humm. (both exciting but at the same time terrible). 😏
– The ML’s reactions are believable. He is attracted but with the difficulties of dealing with the situation. So, a whole lot of awkwardness. Desire and frustration.
– To make matters worse, this is not the time to become obsessed with a girl, when he already has problems focusing on his studies.
– The problems with his economics teacher. 😅
– Start of a quite conflictual friendship. 😉
– Kim Tae Hee, as is often the case, and that’s what I like, is the perfectly unattainable dream woman. With a real talent for beating the hot and cold and sending the ML to the ropes. This kind of disdain is almost natural with her. (yes I’m a masochist, I like to suffer along with the ML, because I also fall under her spell). 💔
– The FL who looks pretty sassy. The bar scene was just perfect, with small details like when she say goodbye to a previous guy. She’s driving the ML crazy. It’s so easy to identify with him, ha ha! 🤪
– Plus, she shows up at the end of the episode looking super classy. 😍
There’s so much interesting information on this thread. Thank you everyone.
I’m already watching Taxi Driver and it suits me very well. The occupation of the female villain leaves me blinking, but there it is, where there is a market there is a supplier, and Cha Ji-Yeon adds considerable spice to the action. I’m all for dark heroes, and I think Lee Je-Hoon is a very fine actor, so I’ll keep on with this.
Also I have begun Sell your Haunted House, and already I’m relishing its quirky premise. On the other hand, after one episode of Youth of May I feel it’s not for me, and I’ve gone off historical dramas, so Bossam is out.
However, I’ll be very pleased to join any threads that open and that I can join. I greatly enjoy the intelligent and courteous style of Bitches Over Drama.
Hi @Juriel. Great, you’re watching SYHH too. It should be on tonight but I’ll only get it a bit later after it gets subbed. I’m not sure how popular it is. If it’s popular, (I don’t know how to interpret the ratings LOL) the subs will come out earlier.
I’m enjoying it still. I thought it might go the procedural way, or be quite predictable, however it’s not as predictable as expected. We’re almost at the half-way mark now and so I expect some spanners to be thrown into the works to create more conflict.
What is good is that we’re slowly getting more backstory so that we can appreciate our main characters a bit more. I hope show will surprise us. Oh, and I don’t need a noona romance, although I expect show will head that way in the 2nd half. They are becoming a better team just the way they are.
Hello Ladies and Gentz!
I am already watching the Taxi Driver as @Juriel said above. The messages on that Series are of importance and I was so furious with the “bad” people in the story that was said in episodes 5-8.
I have to say that I will watch “Move to Heaven” for Lee Je-Hoon. He is amazing in TD. I also like Pyo Ye-Jin, she is a revelation in her role. Last time I saw her was on : “What’s wrong with Secretary Kim?” and I am impressed!
Also, I wanted to see “Sell Your Haunted House” but it is not open on Viki for us and I have a pass. I already have on my watch list “Doom at your Service.” It seems that it has potential.
I am currently watching: “Forest” and it is interesting in a light way.
It is the first time I am watching Park Hae-Jin perform, and I like the depth of his role.
“Navillera” became available for us yesterday and “Vincenzo” will be open on Sunday. Still, the amount of spoilers for us that we didn’t watch Vincenzo were tremendous. Seriously people! Why should I see screenshots or videos about two specific scenes in Episode 19 + 20?
My endless list is still endless and I have to catch up on HP as well…
P.S. I do hope you are all okay! I have to read more content on the blog! 🙂
I watched the first 2 episodes of Bossam and liked it a lot. I hope for a mix of romance and intrigue with a happy ending.
The first episode of Youth of May had a lot of potential too. I am getting the vibes of classic melodramas which means that body count is to be expected. But how can I say no to a story about good- looking people living in troubled times?
Hi there @Cleo, I hope you’re doing well too!
Thanks for mentioning what you’ll be watching. Except for Sell Your Haunted House, which takes several hours to be subbed, I’m not watching anything new. I hope you can get to watch it soon. It’s not really scary, is both serious and light, and brings on the satisfaction of righting wrongs.
I looked up Forest and it sounds like another forced cohabitation shows which I generally like. So I’ll check that out. At 32 episodes, it should keep me busy!!
I don’t think I can stomach a show with bad people, so I’ll not touch Taxi Driver.
I’m also waiting for Move to Heaven because it will be heartwarming. I expect to cry many tears during that watch and I’m also waiting for Doom at Your Service. Once these shows start, I will be SO BUSY! LOL.
Catch ya later! (｀∀´)ゝ”
:: ೖ(⑅σ̑ᴗσ̑)ೖ ::
Hi, Am I crazy or are there just too many tempting new dramas out there. I’m retired but if I spend my time watching, I’ll have no life! So far, started Bossam,Law School, Sell Your Haunted House. Finished Vincenzo and Navillera (enjoyed both). My big problem-KDrama addiction. Not ready to go to rehab…
@OAL I know exactly what you mean. I used to be much more addicted. There was a time I watched concurrently, something like 6 kdramas. The only thing that kept me from going under was that I didn’t go deeply into analysing every single one of them.
Yes, good shows seem to come in spates. Either there’s nothing much or there’s just too many to catch up with.
I guess it helps now that I’ve become pickier and am able to drop shows a lot. I’m no longer a completist, especially for shows that don’t engage me after the first 2 episodes. That was why Hospital Playlist was touch and go for me. It didn’t have the hook in it that would have compelled me to continue watching. I took my chances because I read the comments here and found the in depth analyses. Also, I wanted to try and get into Season 2, and for that, I felt I had to watch enough of S1, in order to appreciate it. Now I guess I’m somewhat intrigued by what S2 will bring.
I look forward to seeing you here, avoiding rehab together!
I feel the urgency to make a quick check-up on the recent dramas.
I tested 3 dramas, with a certain number of episodes.
2 ep – So I Married an Anti-Fan : the promising pitch is not fully exploited. The drama is outdated but not only. Because even outdated dramas can work. Flat, tense acting performances (fake crying), so little originality that everything is hollow. Not funny either. The comedy is provided by cat noises submerging the soundtrack continuously. Unbearable. There’s just a good set up of the elements and situation, but without ever pushing things as far as they should be to be exciting. So, particularly boring. There are only two antagonistic characters that could be interesting (actors Hwang Chan Sung, and Yoo Seo Jin who we may not see again). The lack of intensity in the conflicts makes it seem like the two leads are going to hug each other as early as the next episode. My doctor checked the tension of the drama: 2 of tension. The drama is urgently hospitalized for anemia.
1 ep – Sell Your Haunted House: even more disappointing. Copy and paste of all the previous ghost dramas in less good. Of necessity, procedural (episodic). Female character similar to the one in Hotel Del Luna but less funny and as unlovable (at least in episode 1). Baddass girl cliché perhaps. But above all, the lack of originality of the content makes the drama useless. Déjà vu! Sterile, sometimes noisy and even depressing. Most of the scenes were boring. I had to force and struggle a lot to get to the end of the episode. I noticed one good scene, when the heroine goes to sleep next to her ghost mother, with a very good background music. The ghost CGI is done as well as the previous dramas, so, unable to scare. This makes the first scene immediately ridiculous, where Let’s Fight Ghost got away with turning it into a comedy. Another interesting scene is the confusion between the police siren and the mother’s ghost. Still, the narrative is understandable, good direction and acceptable acting. Otherwise, terribly boring and optional.
5 ep – Taxi Driver: with an episodic + A-team base, this drama already has -75% handicapping before even I watch the first episode.
AND YET!!!
No time to cogitate if I find the drama good or bad, the drama is self imposed.
It’s really good!
On all aspects, cinematography, intelligence of the script.
Shot like a movie, and written like a movie.
On the surface, the drama seems very serious, the abusive situations are pushed as far as possible, as it must be to generate rage in the audience. But nevertheless, this drama hides a lot of comedy. The drama avoids any forced comedy, it is especially funny in the dark comedy and irony register.
Filled with subtle funny elements, such as: the improbable HQ of the cab (a kind of batcave), the 80’s music that discreetly gives some passages a K2000 flavor, the extreme caricature of the villains, the accuity and conciseness of the dialogues.
Some of the characters are so cynical that it is funny (the woman who sells insurance).
There are also the scenes where the hero takes a role to approach the enemy: hilarious.
When I say it’s written like a movie, it’s because the writer pushes the research to get the best out of the potential of a dialogue. He exploits situations, and after turning the possibilities upside down, delivers punchy, often unpredictable dialogue. I have already noted several surprising and amusing lines.
The cab scenes have a cinematic style similar to some movies, I will have a hard time describing exactly, but when you see it, you will know.
Here, the drama turns the episodic aspect to its advantage, regularly unpacking a whole clique of new villains, all more abominable than the previous ones.
I’m not looking at the moral or immoral aspect of what’s on offer. I note that SBS has rated this drama for age 19 and up. Which is a good idea, it’s a little too disturbing for a mainstream TV show. The audience is warned, it’s more cinema type content than TV. And Korean cinema can be much more disturbing, with movies like Old Boy.
Kalimera my lovely @GB,
I am really impressed with Taxi Driver. It started as webtoon and it is really good.
The themes on the series are: bullying in a workplace but also in school, exploitation, and several more.
I am watching it with pleasure I mean episodes 3-4 where brilliant, but also the story in 5-8 is very touching but also disturbing, because of the ramifications.
Still, I am enjoying it. It is good to see in the end a card with the telephone numbers of several helping lines according with the case they Rainbow team was working on. It gives the audience a strong message.
@Cleo
I’m glad to know that you’ve got yourself a great watch with Taxi Driver. Will you be able to join us with the Hospital Playlist rewatch?
@GB,
I will try… 🙂 Ι might be lurking, until I watch it completely.
@Cleo, even after I’ve watched everything and read most of the posts on it, I will still most likely lurk more than usual. There are questions up in the air that I hope a rewatch and re-read will help to answer, but I’m thinking it will be S2 that will enlighten us more, and hopefully answer those questions. ⁽(◍˃̵͈̑ᴗ˂̵͈̑)⁽
@GB,
You are right. That’s why I am kinda quiet about it.
I haven’t had the time to read all the articles about it and I want to.
HP: Can someone give me a spoiler?
Why are the teams called “Garden”? And why “Flower” and “Winter”?
If I understood correctly, it’s about saying which guy should go with one girl and not another. Or something like that.
I guess season 2 is going to say which team will win?
What are the winters gonna do if they lose, are they gonna hate the writer?
Or maybe the writer will change the script for fear of being harassed, lol!
@WE I asked the same question and @nrllee answered me here:
https://bitchesoverdramas.com/2021/04/29/throwback-thursday-hp-ep-2-the-songs/
Please look for her post at April 29, 2021 at 6:53am.
I also asked why Jeong Won is called PG for short and it’s because he’s a psychic guy when it comes to Songhwa’s needs.
@GB, thanks.
So there is man called Jeong Won. (mean Garden)
A woman called Song Hwa. (mean Flower)
Another woman called Gyeo UI. (mean Winter)
HUGE SPOILER HERE :
Everyone knows that nothing grows in a garden in winter, but otherwise a flower grows in a garden.
And what grows in the garden…
It is the looooooove….. in the heart of man.
Ah ah ah! Flower win!
Problem solved. Sorry for spoiling the ending. 🙂
@WE Heheheh! Thanks for the spoiler. One would have thought it was obvious but … well …
If you can possibly find the time, do read up on the posts on HP. Many nuggets of gold (ie important info) to help us on the way to appreciating the show. May I presume that you’ll be joining us for the rewatch?
Okay, Regarding HP, I am a FG-er too…( Just started watching Episode 1 )
Nope, I don’t want to know more, I just like the gal.First impressions matter! *winks*
For purposes of honesty, I’m team flower gardener so take this as you will. Fast thought-Our Winter Garden doctor was covered in msaggots. Maggots kill by eating spoiled food/plant life. If the maggots somehow invaded her body with eggs,she’ll be a romantic goner. She also seems to be a tad slovenly-I worry that her hygeine leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps the maggot episode was a clue. My other fast thought is that she isn’t a good doctor. She has horrible bedside manner and apart from tne maggot episode, she doesn’t seem to be technically proficient. My impression of her isthat if she was still a school girl, she’dbe copying the smart girls’homework. Waiting for season 2 to find out the denoument and hopd that I won’t be screaming at my tv when the finale airs….
@AOL,
(south park mode on)
Is this drama that trashy, or is it just that situation? (≧∀≦)
Suddenly, I’m interested. ヽ(^□^｡)ノ
The winter girl has maggots. Nooo!!! ew! ugh! 🤢
This is horrible, how could she be the heroine of the romance? 🤢
And this poor man is going to put his tool in a maggot nest? 🤮
Winter Girl as I imagine her now, without having watched the drama :
@WEnchanteur, She doesn’t have maggots but in an early scene she cleaned maggots off a patient with her bare hands. That’s how we meet her if I remember correctly. She is not a lead role.She’s a supporting actress. The fans have pitted her against the lead actress who plays Songhwa, who is the epitome of kindness and class. If you watch season one you’ll get it. And the winter gardeners are shipping maggot girl with Andrea/would be priest but the flower gardeners want him to be with Songhwa. Ergo the nasty shipping wars of last season that created see horrible and hostile acts against the flower gardeners of this blog. So that is why there is a great effort to keep the flower gardeners safe here. It is sad when fandoms behave badly and just become trolls. That’s why certain shows comments are password protected.Bope this helps.
A
V
@GB, how could I rewatch when I didn’t watch at all?!
Watch this drama, it’s like I’m still in school, and I’m forced to do homework in my least favorite subject.
Since I finished all the episodes of Taxi Driver, and I’m in a hole (not the head to watch anything seriously), I did a test on episode 2. In the mode, I don’t care, I have only this to do, it doesn’t matter, I might as well laugh about it or watch it without worrying.
༼⌐■ل͜■༽
Here is the result after 10 minutes:
———————————————
1:10 – Starts right off by talking about things or people that aren’t there, that you don’t see or that you’ve never seen.
(｡･益･)ゞ
At least one more situation like this before the first 5 minutes are up.
Overloaded dialogues, world record words per minute.
〈⸅̨᷇͞͞ˬ̵̮̑̉⸅̮̖᷆͵̸ͥ͛˒ͥͥ
2:30 – We see the person we were talking about before. But I hadn’t been able to memorize that name out of nowhere. I only noticed it when I replayed the scene.
In fact, I can’t even understand what I’m seeing anymore. I have to read so many boring subtitles that I can’t see anything anymore, I get confused while reading. It’s so boring that I end up missing subtitles anyway because I can’t keep my concentration.
(ʘ ل͟├┬┴┬┴
4:10 – Here she is talking about a random person’s surgery… Who ?
4:40 – The doctor didn’t do the lumbar drain, and I don’t even know why.
༼ง=ಠ益ಠ=༽ง
6:15 – A person might die: fake crying and comical music. These extras are playing horribly, or worse, being asked to play like this…
I guess it was a “comedy scene”, the kind that is… nerve-wracking and ulcerating.
(╬ﾟ◥益◤ﾟ) ╬ﾟ
At this rate, I might as well watch Vincenzo.
8:00 – all this interminable dialogue about some meaningless situation is sinking me as surely as if some mafioso had stuck my feet in a slab of concrete and thrown me into a lake.
Worst dialogue in history since the invention of theater in prehistoric caves covered with mud paintings.
༼༼;; ;°;ਊ°;༽
10:00 – I’m having an insane fit of laughter at the absurdity of what I’m doing watching this episode. AHhahA haA AhhA Ahh NooOooo I’m not crazy, don’t lock me up Ahahhha.
(•ؔ༎ຶළॆؔ༎ຶ)
10:10 – Bonus. She say she broke up with Professor Ah.
Who is it already, Ah? Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah. ༼ ु⠁⃘ཫ ⠁⃘༽ु˒˒
———————————————
Is it really reasonable to insist?
Have you thought about how much negativity and annoyance I naturally produce in my surroundings under these conditions? I unintentionally posted a comment or two on another website, and I counted at least 37 times the word “toxic” in the replies.
(ᇂ_ᇂ|||)
@AOL : I didn’t understand anything, but it’s ok. 🙂 🙂 🙂
I hope you watched the video from 2:00 on, it’s the funniest part. ^^
Maybe it would be better to talk about Maggot Garden from now on, since I see that you naturally used the expression “maggot girl”. It really did come out on its own! Ah ah ah!
I don’t know anything about drama, but I can still help to add more painfulness for the maggot gardeners. I’m stupid and stubborn from birth. 🙂
@WE you are too funny. Yes I forgot that you had great difficulty with Episode 1 and dropped the show. To get you to rewatch is to ask of you great penance for sins as yet uncommitted LOL. You’ll commit those sins when you curse and swear every couple of minutes, especially from Ep 1-3. It only gets ‘clearer’ and more like a story being told from Ep 4.
I absolve you from the need to shackle yourself, as if that matters LOL.
@GB, I finished episode 2, it was difficult.
But not being in the mood to see anything else, it’s ok.
I of course took lots of notes on everything that infuriated me. lol!
I just have to accept that this is how it is to calm me down. 🙂
My karma sent me this drama to teach me patience. 🙂
The main point of rewatch for me is the friendship and the pleasure of sharing a moment online here. That’s maybe more important than my interest in the drama. 😉
@WE we share the reason for the rewatch or first watch, whichever it may be for you.
hahaha WE!
it’s unfortunate that drama like Hospital Playlist might not be your cup of tea. I imagine your funny comments and analysis would give more “colors” on the rewatch party or season 2 threads..
@Janey, Fern, GB, OAL, agdr03, Viva, Cleo
I’m glad that you all will watch Move to Heaven, I’m planning to watch it too.. if it’s a good drama and interesting enough to follow, I hope we can share about it later..
@WE – thanks for taking one for the team! All for the love of BoD rewatch experience!! LOL! I do hope we’ll be allowed to have the HP passcode. Like @GB, we enjoy the readings and homework.
Thanks for the notes on KTH, it’s my first time to watch her. I’m curious about Jang Ok Jung and I like Yo Ah In (my top 3 fave actors) so that’s on my watch list. I’m finally using dramacool website with an ad blocker browser – you probably have them in your repository already.
I was going to try I Married an Anti-fan but will shelve it for now and will enjoy some of the older dramas.
@Cleo – It’s good you’ve found a good one you like with Taxi Driver. I am taking a break from vigilante type justice after Vincenzo but will check it out later. The concept and story approach seems unique.
@WE – “if you can’t beat them, join them!” LOL!!! All for the love of BoD rewatch experience, right? Thanks for the KTH notes, first time to watch her. I’m interested to see Jang Ok Jung as I like Yo Ah In, he’s such a good actor.
@Moonstar – yup, May 14 for Move to Heaven. Coming soon.
@moonstar512,
Apparently, this has already started.
It’s a kind of parody of packmule3 articles. You know, those humorous websites that purposely create fake news that makes no sense, but written in the same style as the real articles? This looks like that.
@Janey,
Yo Ah In is an actor I really like. Very easy to identify with. Deep voice, viril, charismatic, not really cute and marked face. Outstanding acting skills. Jang Ok Jung is in my top 10. I’ve seen it twice, but there are many scenes that I’ve seen 10 times. The first half hour is very concentrated, not so easy to follow, and there is some good scenes, one wonderfull one in the pack. Some foreshadowing also, I remember two flashback later from this content. Then there is about an hour of childhood. Not too long, for a 24 episode historical drama. It becomes excellent from episode 6 onwards. There is all the power of the classical narration that we don’t find in recent historical dramas. With a nervous cutting of scenes, energetic and clear background music to punctuate the dramatic intensity.
But LSIH, what about it? And what your secret for getting the classics ? 😉
@WE – I’m in ep2 of LSIH. I’ve been doing more reading this week than kdrama watching and doing homework. Hahaha! Hopefully can catch up to more eps this weekend.
I’ve finally dared to use website vs streaming apps. Watchasian.cc with an ad blocker worked for me. Chinese dramas are also there! And movies, too!
@WE – LSIH I’m on ep2, hopefully can catch up during the weekend.
I’ve finally dared to use website which worked well with browser that minimizes ads. Drama cool has lots of old and new kdrama and movies, including C dramas.
@Janey, my daughter noticed me watching dramacool with all of the annoying adverts. She said, Hold on; installed an ad blocker and improved my quality of life. 🤓😄
@WEnchanteur, it’s worth having a try. I can’t remember which ad blocker she used, but it takes but a moment.
Kalimera everyone!
I started watching Hospital Playlist last night and I have to say that I really enjoyed the first two episodes!
🙂
@Janey @Fern, Thanks, I will use this, if I can’t find raw.
I prefer raw because it’s better quality. 😉
@Cleo, you are blessed. 😉
@WEnchanteur,
Of course I am blessed… 😉
@Fern and everyone who’d like ad blockers. I use the Browser, ‘Brave’ that blocks adds automatically. Such a relief! ‘Opera’ does too, but “Brave’ seems to load everything faster.
@Cleo That’s true, and we are all blessed to be together on this site.
♡✧( ु•⌄• )
I’m glad you’ve watched and liked the first 2 episodes. That’s better than me, for I was grumbling that I didn’t ‘get it’ when I first watched without reading up much about it. This show requires so much ‘homework’!!! LOL.
Hey my lovely @GB!
Of course we are all blessed!
To be honest with you I just went for it. I didn’t expect anything.
I have only read the first two posts @packmule3 posted and today I am goint to the TT
I also have to say that I really like Yoo Yeon Seon. So, it was a bonus! LMAO.
@Cleo if TO is The Office, what is TT?
(ღ✪ｖ✪)｡o○
@GB,
Throwback Thursdays = TT. ! 😀
The reason why Cleo is blessed is because she enjoy HP. 😉
Are you that blessed too, GB ? 🙂 🙂 🙂
@WEnchanteur,
Just saying, I am blessed in general, and not only when I watch a k-drama…
@WE, I’m more blessed by having fun reading the posts than I am in watching S1, but I think I’ll be more and more blessed as I learn to appreciate what I’m seeing better. Also, I’m in it to prepare for S2. So that’s a blessing too!
@WE it is very funny to read your unique take and interpretation on HP! @GB and @WE I like Hospital Playlist and Reply 1988 because I admire their friendship. My worldview is that people are too busy with tasks from life/work/family these days, the way those friends always have time to support and care for each other is very heart-warming to watch. Agree with @moonstar512, WE’s comments will add lots of fun in the rewatch! We know him and his sense of humour!
I haven’t found anything engaging recently, which is good in away so I can take a break. I am casually watching some older shows that I don’t have any urgency to chase after. The only new show I would like to try is Move to Heaven. I will find out what you think next week. 🙂
Yes @Cleo we are so blessed here 🙂 By the way, it’s so hard to avoid Vincenzo’s media coverage. It is everywhere! I always have to look away to avoid spoiler in case I ever go back to pick up that show again.
@Viva,
I didn’t have to know two or three things about it. Still, what can we do?
I will begin it but not now. I have to finish other series first!
I do hope you are okay!
This is a non-spoilery review of kdrama Forest (2020) (or it might also be called Mysterious Forest). One descriptive word I might use for Forest is that it is interesting.
There’s so much that’s going on, there are several diverse groups with their own objectives and somehow, they end up overlapping and it all comes together, and it works.
There also seem to be several concurrent themes, such as the conservation of the forest, being a go-getter in a man-made world vs being real in nature, coming to terms with or healing traumas, corporate machinations, healthcare concerns and emergency rescues. And of course there’s romance.
More interesting: the hero is an anti-hero. Park Hae Jin does not mind appearing at his worst as well as at his most handsome. The romance manages to veer off love triangles and be somewhat unpredictable.
Strangely, I find that I don’t know what I want the anti-hero to do in terms of winning in business. What does it mean to be a good guy… is a question to ask. I’m totally invested in all the sub-plots and find everything making sense. The romantic OSTs are actually very, very romantic (the lyrics are in English) and the forest scenery is very beautiful.
I wonder why we get so many lovely shots of the camera facing upwards through the trees to the skies. I believe we are to consider reaching upwards towards more than what meets the eye or what the protagonists are so focused on. And there are, of course, the usual kdrama great character interactions that bring diverse people together, usually unwillingly to begin with.
I look forward to lots of character growth for our leads, and even for our second leads, and lots of healing as well.
Oh and I forgot to mention that we even get to see Park Hae Jin cook and tell us about edible mountain plants LOL.
@Cleo I’ve come to Ep 27 ++ of Forest and unfortunately the promise of a show that can engage me to the end, may not be fulfilled with this show. I don’t know if you’ve managed to watch it, however I’ve found that it has problems with editing and too much filler that just diffuses the tension. I feel show would have done better at just 24 episodes.
I do like some aspects of the romance, but I felt that too much time was spent on dates, against a backdrop of corruption, danger to health, rescues and as yet unresolved traumas. I may just FFD watch to complete it but even that I do reluctantly.
I may totally change tack and watch a Chinese Animation or donghua instead. A friend of mine recommends The Legend of Tang/The Legend of Exorcism, S1, which is short (at 13 episodes) and completed and fully subbed.
Kalimera my lovely @GB,
Regarding Forest, we have completed watching Episode 22, but I didn’t have the chance to continue watching it further. You are right that is kinda slow and has fillers. I will try to watch two episodes per day or per two days in order to finish it somehow.
I have to check this title you gave me. So far I am trying to be up to date with the Taxi Driver…
Hi @Cleo
Try this YT link for the donghua first episode. I hope you can watch it here. The figures etc look like gaming figures but quite nicely rendered.
I decided to drop How to get away with murder. Was at S3. The students’ antics are getting to my nerve, not to mention things spiralling endlessly lmao.
Watched ep. 1 of Jang Nara in ghostly drama. Her mom is scary. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I jumped a bit when she first appeared. The guy? Dunno. Look a bit like Nam Goong Min.
I need to pick up Law School again since I stopped when I watched HTGAWM.
I need something crazy fun. 🤔🤔🤔
“Mr Doom at Your Service” is starting tonight. As long as Park Boyoung doesn’t overkill with her aegyo, I’ll stick around.
“Sell Your Haunted House” is only scary in the first episode. But you’ll get accustomed to seeing the vengeful ghosts as pathetic creatures. Just lowered the volume when she enters a haunted house and fast forward. 😂
Thank you @GB!
I will have a look and I will tell you how it will goes!
Hello everyone!
Regarding “Move to Heaven”, I found this very enlightening interview.
You should watch it!
Yes @Cleo I am definitely watching this one. ❤️ It was on my radar after I read the synopsis. I need something like this after Navillera.
Hey @nrllee!
I am waiting for it as well! I really like that Tang Joon-Sang, the youngest soldier in CLOY, is playing a kid with Aspergers.
I feel like he will shine in this role!
I was very touched by Oh Jung-Se’s portrayal of a person within the spectrum in It’s okay to Not be Okay / Psycho but it’s okay.
For me, It is one of the reasons I want to watch these series. 🙂
Thanks @Cleo. That was a very good interview with input even from a real ‘trauma cleaner’. He wrote an essay/book which inspired the show. I’ve never heard of this ‘job’ before. As they say in the interview, we will watch to empathise with loads of tissues ready!! 😭 😀 😃
You are welcome @GB!
I think that we need those tissues already… 🙁
I enjoyed how mature both the main leads were answering about a subject they haven’t heard before.
Also, the PD expained in a very lengthy way about the book and how he wanted to make justice to it!
Yay! Doom at Your Service starts tonight!! Just seeing the poster of Seo In Guk and Park Bo Young got me excited. 😃 😄
Yes. “Move to Heaven” is on my list, too. I’ll open a thread for us. 👍
Thank you @Packmule3!
My pleasure, @Cleopatra. 🌷
@Packmule3,
Lots of cookies!
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🌻🧁
@Cleo – thanks for the video link on “Move to Heaven”. Lots of background info there and it’s based on a book. Glad we will have a thread on it, @PM3!
@WE – just want to give an update on LSIH. I was on ep5 but I hit pause. It was ok but not tugging at my heartstrings. I started getting annoyed with the instrumental music when the OTP get together and KTH keeps on smiling despite everything that’s happening to her. She may be channeling the model
Immigrant persona with her attitude.
So I shifted to watch Jang Ok Jung and it’s a different vibe. Now I’m hooked and binged over the weekend (up to ep9 now). Hahaha! The acting is deeper and OTP tension/connection is more palpable. The palace politics is complicated and many characters make it complex but it’s not boring. So High probability of finishing this one ahead of of LSIH!
@Janey,
Ah ah ah! You surprise me a lot!
For LISH, I have difficulties to understand your judgement, because I haven’t rewatch this specific part of the drama. Later, it’s worth to reach episode 7 or 8 (I don’t know which one). And then it becomes more intense. Anyway, this is my opinion, other people liked the second part less. For my part, it’s the best. It’s deeper!
But I also think that Jang Ok Jung is much better done. The comparison is hardly possible. Both leads are so strong! Any man can fall in love with Kim Tae Hee, and any woman with Yoo Ah In, in a drama like this. The involvement of the viewer is so easy. And even in the opposite role: I don’t know how much you identify with Ok Jung, but for me, it was very easy to put myself in Suk Jong’s place. Finally a king who is not passive and is frighteningly smart! The political intrigues are good because the pace is fast and intense. And they involve a lot of mindgame.
By the time you reach episode 9, you’ve already seen several iconic scenes such as the washhouse. “Watch closely, this sky is going to fall for you”. 🙂
This is just the beginning of a series of events and iconic scenes that will get stronger and stronger. Episode 10 is fabulous. This drama is magic. It makes us vibrate emotionally for good! 😉
@WE – I feel the same, finally seeing a sageuk king that deserves the title and YAI makes him more fabulous and compelling! I have not watched a lot of sageuk dramas but most of what I’ve seen, the kings were lame and mainly figureheads. This is so different, even his grief for his lwife (marriage of political convenience) is moving. I’m just reveling in his performance. KTH is no pushover either. They both tug at my emotional heartstrings and gut as I watch. I know what you mean on ep9 in the wash house!
@Janey,
Yoo Ah In is not the cute guy in a kpop band with pink hair. 😉
I like his confidence, his deep voice and his marked face.
He’s ready to put his feet in the water, and if I were him, I’d even be ready to put my feet in the shit for a woman like Ok Jung. 🙂
I advise you not to read any historical articles before you finish the drama. Indeed, the characters are real. Jang Ok Jung, aka Hui Bin, is one of the most famous Korean historical characters. Many incredible events taking place during the drama are real! Avoid historical… spoilers. ^^
Thanks for the tip @WE! I try not read up on kdramas prior watching so that I can assess my visceral connection with it first (without cheating, as you would say!). And if folks enjoy (or not) and want to share their thoughts along the way, that makes the watching experience richer. Something that is healthily encouraged in BoD! For HP as an example, I already have my personal connection to it when I watched last year and learning more about the other details is fascinating and fun bonus!
My complaint on JOJ – enough with the animal metaphors already! Hahaha! I get what it means but the menagerie is growing but some are killed off.
It’s amazing this story is based on real life people!
So many dramas,so little time.If you’re stressed by all the drama choices, and want to watch something in one sitting, with a running time of 110 minutes, check out the 2018 movie, On Your Wedding Day. It stars Park Bo-young of the iconic Strong Girl Bong-Soon and the surprising Kim Young-kwang, late of Hello Me. I didn’t expect to cry viewing this movie but I did. It’s the story of a friendship between a woman and a man over more than a decade and their impact on one another. I saw a clip on YouTube that sparked my interest and found it on Viki. It had depth that I didn’t expect. And the leads worked off each other so well even though our male lead towers over our female lead. There is something to be said for great scene partners. That’s my recommendation for the time challenged-where you might have time to kill.
@Janey,
Zoo metaphors. 😂
I really like this because it’s not that easy to do. It certainly draws on a lot of proverbs, quotes, philosophy, or poetry. The characters use this reflexively, as if it were a typical turn of phrase in their historical culture. When writing a story, I wonder how to put this kind of thing in. I wouldn’t be able to, I don’t have the cultural references to do it.
Without using animals, there are also many other dialogues that use other metaphors. This is an important point of this drama: no matter how angry people are, they still follow a etiquette of conduct. No rudeness. The scathing retorts come through with savory dialectical turns. Courtesy, but also merciless courtesy. This is battle poetry. Watching a drama like this takes me to another dimension. I am fascinated by the dialogues, like a gourmet going to a 5-star restaurant. 🤤
But even in contemporary dramas, we find this inclination. The idea of a very civilized society. Always polite. Some turns of language are surprising, or not so easy to interpret. 🧐
For example, in a drama, for a scene where a person causes an unacceptable and very serious wrong to another person, you certainly heard that:
– I will never forgive you.
It doesn’t seem like much of an answer. Just that? In a Hollywood movie, there would be the worst insults. Not here. Because some notions are very important in Korean society. Such as promises or forgiveness. Refusing to forgive someone is therefore very serious. More serious than an insult or shouting.
There is often another way, when a character has caused a wrong and has remorse impossible to overcome:
– I forbid you to forgive me.
All the strangeness of Korean language, especially in historical dramas, adds a lot of charm.
You also have this surprising twist, when two people are enemies.
– If you do this again, I won’t sit still.
It sounds like something benign, yet it’s one of the most serious threats of retaliation!
We were talking a bit about this with GB on another topic, it’s how a drama can be enjoyed on multiple levels of reading. Sometimes, there is even the big game! The drama that can be enjoyed on all levels of reading.
Dialogue finesse, acting, emotional power, narration, structural complexity, foreshadowing, philosophical or psychological depth, plot-twists, cerebral mind-blowing or mind-games.
@WE @Janey mention of dramas that can be enjoyed on multiple levels got me thinking fondly of Healer.
I enjoyed it for the ‘secret agent style’ disguises and derring-do of Healer, versus the comedy of Healer with Ahjumma. On the story level there was much plot of past and present that unraveled smoothly. Character-wise there was so much to be invested in, once again with adults who had been traumatised or abandoned as children. The romance was lovely with a comedic, ironic twist. The ending twist too was a heart in mouth moment and the end was appropriate and satisfying. The main flaw might have been that the bad guy didn’t get his comeuppance as one would like, but he didn’t get off scot free either. Consistent, developed and likable characters, and great team work really hit the spot for me with this show.
Healer is on my watchlist since years. 🙂
I forgot it. I’m sure I’ll watch it, but I don’t know when.
@GrowingBeautifully Healer is still one of my favourite drama! I loved the past stories with the group of friends, the action, hte humor, the love story, etc.
WEnchanteur,
Same here! Healer is on my list, too. Maybe we should watch it together and have a running commentary like we do with during Rewatch. Maybe after the HP rewatch is done next month? 😂
@pm3, It would be my pleasure. 😉
If I don’t put more energy into it, I feel like I will never watch this drama. I don’t know why it stubbornly doesn’t want to be watched when it looks nice. ^^
However, I am unable to do a first watch and comment at the same time. It would be necessary to think of another trick. Add to that knowing myself, the drama is likely to be binge-watched in 3 days if it’s exciting.
Maybe some kind of commentary thread in the Vincenzo style?
As you can see, the threads are starting to go in all directions. For lack of anything else to do, I scatter my Hospital Playlist comments all over the place, just because I find some cool scenes I want to report.
We started talking about Jang Ok Jung with Janey. It would have made more sense to be done on Soompi or MDL, but since we found the opportunity to meet here to talk about it, naturally, we fill the topic with a lot of things that have nothing to do with its original theme. Sorry about that.
@packmule3 and @WEnchanteur, I’ve heard very good things about Healer as well. It would be nice to have a co-watch or a thread.
@Fern, @pkml3, @WE, @Sayaris
Ooh! That would be lovely to have a Healer watch party with this community. I don’t mind rewatching it while it will be a first watch for others. Thanks for offering it @pkml3. We can tentatively time it for after the HP1 rewatch or after the HP2 party. I’m not sure if everyone can manage to do 2 new shows at the same time, and come on here as well.
I’ll be sooooo interested to see what everyone thinks of Healer. A friend who’s done drama production before called it a solid show. Not perfect, but solid. 😆
🙂No need to apologize. I don’t mind when conversations veer off-topic. To me, it gives the blog a “front porch” ambiance where neighbors can just drop by, and sit on the wicker chairs or the porch swing, and chat (or gossip).
I believe the “stay on topic” rule is necessary for big open forums like Dramabeans, soompi, and Reddit because of the sheer number of posters. But the posters on this blog are “pre-selected.” For the most part, I only let people in who *I think* will get along well with others, understand the quirkiness of this blog, and can discuss things without breaking down in tears when people disagree with them. 😂 That’s my major problem with soompi. Whenever I posed a different opinion (and that happened 0.0001% of the time lol), strangers assumed they were being personally attacked when I didn’t even know them from Adam.
I realized I was dealing with ❄️ snowflakes. How can we have an intelligent discourse when majority of the posters are so emotional about their oppas and “One True Pair” shipping that any opposing opinion about the CHARACTER is considered “bashing.”
Plus, I wasn’t interested in:
a. drooling over the male actors’ muscles, abdomens, dimples, and shower scenes 🤦♀️
b. stalking their social media to see whether they were dating their co-stars,
c. fantasizing about the lead actor as my “baby’s daddy” or something as silly.
I admit though that my obsessive compulsive disorder wanted to create a thread for every drama mentioned. But I restrained myself because I didn’t want to be sucked into monitoring the threads. 😂
Okay.
Just please remind me @GB first week of June that after the HP1 rewatch, we’ll have a Healer rewatch. Last HP rewatch is June 12 so anytime after that is good.
Maybe we don’t have to do all episodes?
Anyway, we have time to plan this.
Ahhh so there’s gonna be Healer rewatch. Ji Chang Wook, the once upon a time of mine😂😂😂 Enjoy the show! It’s a good show.😊
As it is a rewatch, I will first binge-watch alone before. 🙂
I like Ji Chang Wook too. And Park Min Young is almost always Ok.
I don’t know what’s happening on Soompi, but it’s strange.
The traffic seems to have decreased by 80%.
There are no more super long threads for dramas.
Even a drama like Taxi Driver has no more than a dozen pages.
🙂 I don’t know what’s happening either at soompi, WEnchanteur. The last I heard from a reliable source 🥷🏻(ninja emoji) was a moderator left in a huff and deleted her account.
The curious thing about her departure was that threads SHE started were also deleted too. If she did delete them, then she was a bigger narcissist than I originally suspected. The threads weren’t HER hard work alone. The other posters contributed to them, too, with their artwork, their essays, their fangirling. The threads weren’t HERS to delete.
Her moment of spite would have been so laughably melodramatic if it weren’t so unprofessional.
Reminds me of a disgruntled employee destroying her cubicle and her work-issued laptop.
Oh well.
@Miracle23, you just made me laugh. Be careful. 😈😉😆
Okie dokie @pkml3. We’ll see what we can manage. If it’s going to be a rewatch, then friends here will need time to watch it one time first.
Healer is 20 episodes long, but no filler, as far as I can recall.
Did I read there’s going to be a Healer rewatch?!!! It’s one of the first kdramas I watched and liked. 👏 👏 👏 count me in please.
TBH, this is the only site I engage and share my kdrama thoughts. Thanks for letting us use the “front porch” @PM3.
• I recently tried to watch “I Married an Anti Fan”–I was looking for something light and rom-com-y, but I’ve decided to drop it after four episodes. There just isn’t enough plot there for me. In the show, they are taping a reality show that looks like it’s going to be really boring. Especially in the episodes concentrating on the reality show, they are going through the motions without the action furthering any kind of story. And I find both the FL and ML unlikeable (although the ML is worse). I’m not rooting for either and I don’t care if they get together. There are so many other shows to watch instead right now.
• I have watched the first four episodes of Bossam and am really impressed–it’s visually beautiful and also keeping my interest. It’s rare to watch a k-drama where I have no idea how it will end up or even what will happen in the next episode. (For example, in Mr. Queen I knew the chef would eventually have to go back to the modern day. And in True Beauty I knew which ML the FL was destined for–like clockwork they broke up at the 3/4th mark, etc.) They are in a situation I cannot see a solution to, even in their immediate future, which keeps me guessing and keeps me watching.
• I’m looking forward to Doom at Your Service because I love SIG in Shopping King Louis. (I’ll probably finish Atlantic Crossing first).
• Youth of May looks promising but I’m not sure I can watch it because I worry it will be depressing. I’ve been trying to avoid depressing shows during the pandemic.
• The non k-drama show I’m watching right now is Atlantic Crossing. It was on PBS/Masterpiece Theatre a few weeks ago (I’m watching it via PBS Passport). I thought it was going to be a show about a rich/noble woman being harbored by FDR during WWII, so couldn’t imagine where the drama was going to be, and I didn’t gravitate towards it while it aired. But it turns out that the first two episodes were about the harrowing escape of the royal family from Norway during the German invasion. Beautifully filmed and acted, great era costumes, and lots of lovely Scandinavian scenery.
Not surprising. There is a narcissistic, proprietary aspect to all these volunteer actions. I will cite a case, related to the fan-sub scene.
In France, there were many fan-sub teams. And it was a kind of miniature war between the different teams. What the fan-subbers feared was that someone would steal their work. Work, which in fact they were already producing from an English fan-sub. It was not a direct Korean-French translation. As a result, these teams were only doing hard-sub. The result: re-encoded dramas with poor picture quality. And on top of that, very unprofessional subtitles, with a too low position on the picture, unreadable fonts and even abject colors. So dirty that I prefer to download good quality raw, english subtitle soft sub file, and auto-translate it with google.
The hard-sub was the way to avoid theft.
When these teams were forced to limit their production because of the paid offers, they also had to stop offering their drama sub on licensed dramas. Result: thousands and thousands of hours of lost work. One team did the Empress Ki sub. It’s lost forever. If instead of being clinging to their pride, these teams had done soft-sub from the beginning, all their hard work would still be useful today, and uploaded on subscene. This is what happens when motivation is skewed.
@Packmule3 & @GB,
I am in for Healer rewatch! Yeah! 🥳
Yay @Janey and @Cleo! I’m so happy to see enthusiasm for good old Healer. I’m wondering how to carve out time to do live watches and rewatches as well. LOL.
I enjoyed Healer. I watched it after “discovering” Hi Chang-wook in Empress Ki. He’s totally different in Healer(mark of a good actor) and the two other in main lead’s were great. Park Min-young played against type and was quite affecting-no spoilers from me. And You Ji-Tae had an interesting pivotal role. And for us ahjummas, there’s the incomparable Kim Mi-Kyung. She slays it.There’s lots to recommend it. I suggest that it be watched during a drama lull. It’s fun and worth it as nd is better savored.
Yeah @OldAmericanLady omniscient Ahjumma computer genius was my favourite character. I loved how she munched on gimbap whilst dishing out pithy running commentary/advice to JCW. Good times. 🥰
Oh I love Healer too! It was a good watch for me. And yes I love Ahjumma and remember her sushi mat is very important to her!
@GB @WE the multiple levels of writing reminds me of Sisyphus. One layer could be taking it as it is. One layer is to treat it as a deviation of the Greek myth of Sisyphus. One layer could be focusing the many positive messages. Hence the three layers can arrive to the endings we have discussed here in BOD.
I am enjoying Memories of the Alhambra so far! I am up to ep4. My quick thoughts with light spoiler:
With the way the events unfolding, I start to wonder if the characters I am watching are the avatars of the game. (otherwise how do they get injured “in real life”). Once I finished more episodes, I will be at the stage to read more of PM3’s excellent articles. Can’t wait to watch more to work out why the game and real life are merging. I could totally binge this if work and life is not in the way. I suppose they do keep me away from being too addicted so that’s good 🙂
I think I will give Doom at Your Service a go too. I tried 15 minutes last night and want to continue…
@Fern, I have to thread carefully on 🤭🤭🤭 Ahjumma hacker is awesome, don’t you think? (purposely changing topic to save my sorry a**) 🤣🤣🤣🤣
The biggest inspiration I got from this drama is that I hope one day to open a small coffee shop and have my own little office space inside just like FL’s dad 😊
Hi @Janey @Cleo @OAL @nrllee @Viva
It will be so great to rewatch/watch Healer together, and with @pkml3 @WE @Sayaris and @Fern, plus I’m sure others who join in later, we’ll have a veritably large community to chat with. I’m getting excited!
@OAL yes, this was the definitive show for me where Ji Chang Wook is concerned. I’ve followed him on JCW’s Kitchen ever since. https://jichangwookkitchen.com/
Healer and Lovestruck in the City, and maybe Suspicious Partner are the shows where I liked his characters best, and the stories didn’t get me rolling my eyes. I hope he gets more good roles in good stories! And JCW’s kitchen has a link to him taking on a role in “Annarasumanara / The Sound of Magic” a ‘sentimental music drama’? I’ll probably catch this one!
https://jichangwookkitchen.com/2021/04/15/drama-ji-chang-wook-confirms-role-in-netflix-drama-annarasumanara/#more-33470
@nrllee my other ‘name’ is Ahjumma LOL. Not because I’m any good with the computer or at hacking, but because I liked her character so much. She was soooo awesome, so full of love (couched as hard love) and with a backstory of her own.
@Viva The stories that have drawn some of the most comments from me I’d believe are those with the multi-level writing. So rich, so much to discover, and it was so great to come here to meet others who are enraptured about discovering the same along with me.
I probably need to rewatch MoAlhambra with an eye for something different. I recall being annoyed by something or other and stopped truly watching it. 😉
Catch ya’ll later!
@GB – I can feel your excitement for the Healer rewatch! Ohhhh it will be so much fun with the BoD crowd. I will have to do some homework prep since I did not watch it with the BoD “lens” way back. Hahaha!
Ahjumma techie rocks and I also like Yoo Ji Tae’s big brother role. He does well in this character type like in “Mad Dog”.
@Janey, you and me both! I have to go back and put on BOD lenses for a show that is 6-7 years old!!! LOL.
@Viva,
I’m won’t give away a Spoiler, but episode 5 of MOTA contains one of the two best scenes in the drama. The kind of thing that writer Song Jae-Jung is one of the very few writers to produce. Even if I look for this in other dramas, I have difficulties to find examples.
– In Sisyphus, there was the final scene of episode 8 which is the closest thing to it.
– In Kairos, there is also a scene like that. Since it’s towards the end of the drama, I won’t give a Spoiler.
We were talking about dramas that have multiple levels of reading, but here, this is the scene that has multiple levels of reading. Suddenly a lot of elements are intertwined at this particular moment of the drama. Use of the fantastic concept + Strong emotional charge + Double meaning. The appearance of such a scene is always a scenaristic miracle, because the number of different causes to lead to it is very high. We can see this as a Synchronicity (in the Jung sense).
For the explanations you are looking for in the drama, there are some that are clearly given. However, I prefer to warn you to avoid any disappointment: some of them will not be easy to decipher. Others are a bit too fast. The drama is rather built like an episode of Twilight Zone. In Twilight Zone, there is no explanation, it is what follows from the supernatural phenomenon that is at stake, not its cause. I had the impression that the writer was more stingy than in W. Or maybe it’s just that I know this drama much better.
As you are a regular reader of this blog or of dramas like Sisyphus, I am sure you will find many solutions by yourself. Otherwise, there are pm3’s articles. 😉
Healer: this is great. This drama motivates everyone!
I can’t wait to see it.
The title alone is quite a story.
After “Hospital Playlist”, I’m going to need to heal with “Healer”. 🙂
Well, I just finished watching the C-Dramas “The Sword and the Brocade” & “Word of Honor” both of which I enjoyed and recommend; was at a loss for what to watch next, so I appreciate all the suggestions.
I liked “The Sword and the Brocade” because it had a slow-burn romance where the ML & FL come to trust and respect each other. The FL is smart & resourceful. Most of all, the drama didn’t fantasize or sugarcoat about womens’ situation in ancient China.
And “Word of Honor” the Leads acting off each other was excellent. You need to watch to judge for yourself. It is a wuxia and what they call a BL or bromance drama, not my usual cup of tea, but I loved it.
I must be in the minority–I tried to watch Healer a couple of months ago and it just didn’t grab me. I gave it seven episodes before I bailed. Part of the problem, for me, was that it was 20 episodes and I couldn’t imagine watching 13 more episodes of it. (Although the first episode is fun and exciting…) I might give it another chance if BOD watches it together.
No worries @BethB. No one show fits everyone the same. I know that there were some dissenting views even when it aired. I thought it had to do with the fact that those who liked it, touted it far too much or tried to ‘force’ others to like it or to agree with them… the same sort of stuff of fanwars. So some people didn’t like Healer even without watching it because they’d been bullied.
Take the show on its own merits. If it doesn’t engage you then that’s fine too.
Hey my lovely @GB,
Kalimera! Yes, I am happy that we are going to watch Healer all together!
I have really enjoyed the series, we have discussed before, when I was actually watching the series…!
So, let the Healer rewatch party begins! I am glad that many of us is excited about it!
Hi @Cleo, yes, it’s always nice to not be alone while enjoying a show.
When you said:
Did you mean that you discussed it before with another group or did we discuss it before in 2014-2015??
@GB,
Back in December 2020, I was watching it and I wrote it in a similar thread here in B.O.D. and we discussed about it. 🙂
@Miracle23, I haven’t seen it yet, so can’t comment, but I like the idea of an ahjumma hacker. 😄🙈😄🙈
@Cleo, Slipped my mind!!
@GB,
It’s okay! 🙂
Hey @WEnchanteur @GB – I finished Memories of the Alhambra! I must say I have totally changed my view on reading random negative reviews online now. More than a year ago, I ignored this show because someone said in their reviews to pass it. Now I have experienced it myself, I found the mysteries in the show engaging, the timeline is clear and the scenery is beautiful! The ending is fitting for a sci fic/mystery show. I do not agree with the negative views describing the show has confusing plot and disappointing ending like I read before.
Spoiler starts:
To me, the mysteries to solve in this drama are: Is Jin Woo hallucinating? Where is Se Ju? How could Hyeong Seok and Jeong Hun die? By around ep 10 when they turned on/off the server and the attackers appeared/disappeared along with it, it is clear that Jin Woo is not hallucinating. There is some sort of magical element involved. Jin Woo has hinted to us in his dialogue in the end of episode 2 there is magic in Alhambra, this game is enchanted.
The way they shoot the taxi parting scene of Jin Woo and Hee Ju at the end of episode 14 did make me wonder if that was their last scene together. The way he gazed at Hee Ju in the leaving taxi, was too sad and too long for a normal goodbye. I felt that without knowing the ending. The show was very successful in conveying that emotion to me. Another scene I like is when Jin Woo has to kill the “bugs” one by one, letting go of his best friend turned enemy, teacher and loyal comrade and eventually himself.
When I look back on the show with the benefit of hindsight, there is an emphasis on the church throughout the story. At first, I didn’t notice it as it is not a surprise to see Hyeong Seok’s memorial service in a church setting. Then, the large picture of the church in J One office, which seems out of place as an office art work, got my attention. After ep 14, we see the church again. There is a strong focus on Christ on the cross in ep 15 and 16. It is possible that the writer was hinting to us throughout the show that the way out of this game is for Jin Woo to sacrifice himself (but we never saw Jin Woo’s dead body)
I thought the writer is quite clear in a way that she made Se Ju never got to level 100. That’s why he could not pass the key to Emma and deleted the bug Marco like Jin Woo could for his enemy/allies.
The show potentially wants us to go through an emotional roller-coaster by hearing Se Ju said that Jin Woo was deleted when he wasn’t in the right frame of mind. It was about a year later, he told us about the instant dungeon which leads to an interpretation of a happy ending.
As for the ending, I thought it is quite clear to me Jin Woo is coming back. Otherwise, why would Se Ju explain to us that the master can hide in an instant dungeon that is invisible to others. He then thought Jin Woo could still be alive. No one has found Jin Woo’s body, just like no one found Se Ju’s. Contrast to the bodies of Hyeong Seok, Jeong Hun, Professor Cha and Marco, which were all found nearby eventually within a timeframe of a year. Jin Woo also has a habit of saving other users, that is exactly what that person in the shadow does.
I wonder why they set the game in Alhambra. What so magical about the place? I will continue to read up @pm3’s articles and see if it is covered. Thank you very much for those articles! Even though I didn’t read the posts when the show was on air, reading the articles as I go makes the viewing experience so much richer. I like that article about Swarovski! Haha! I notice TVN does push a lot of Swarovski product placements in their shows.
@WE I recalled you might have comments about the similarities of Sisyphus and MoTA. Let me go back to read those.
Spoiler ends.
Sci Fic do bring out a lot of polarising views. I truly experience that after two sci fic shows. Take the negative reviews with a pinch of salt, it is up to me to try out a show and decide for myself.
I’m glad you enjoyed MoTA @Viva. I didn’t do a proper first watch of it, so I may have to rewatch it one day.
Yes, we cannot just take reviewers’ opinions at all times. It also depends on who the reviewers are. Most usual viewers have some criteria that they are looking for or prefer for an easy watch. Shows that require more work will not be positively reviewed. 😉
I liked Memories of the Alhambra.
To me, Alhambra is significant because it was the crossroad of three faiths: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. For Christianity, it’s where Christopher Columbus was given permission by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to sail westward (instead of east) to go to China and India, and he discovered the Americas. You could say Christopher Columbus is the reason that this part of the world became Christian and was opened up to European exploration and colonization.
Based on faith alone, that is, faith in God who would deliver him safe passage, as well as faith that his theory that the “world is round” was correct, he embarked on his journey.
That’s why I said in my writings that faith is the primary theme of this kdrama. Then, I explained the nuances of trust, belief and faith. I also explained why the ending was most appropriate because it tested the viewers’ trust/belief/faith on JinWoo’s return. And I also explained why the subber got the last words wrong on Ep 16 at 1:01:06. The subber translated the writer’s epigram on the show as “Trust is the magic that changes the world, not technology.”
🙂
No. It isn’t “trust.” Trust is too elementary, too basic, too simplistic. The correct word is FAITH. Faith changes the world, not technology. Just like it did Christopher Columbus in 1492. And it could be faith in a Supreme Being, or faith in oneself like JinWoo had faith he would end the game, and/or faith in mankind, like JinWoo had faith that he would be discovered in the end by Heejoo, his IT, and the others.
I thought MoA was a very intellectual, cerebral, philosophical sort of drama. It isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, and that’s fine.
@pm3, I hadn’t discovered this blog when I watched MOA and initially watched the drama for it’s stars Hyun Bin and Park Shin Hye. I liked it a lot for it’s setting(I went to Granada when I was a young woman in my twenties-it seems like Korean variety shows like to go to Spain too). I also like a good puzzle and sci Fi.I thought it was a commentary on virtual reality and given holograms, deep fakes and AI, there was a lot to digest. The gaming element was also commentary because do many moviess are based on video games. It would put this drama in cult status. it was very thought provoking. It couldn’t be viewed at face value. And it was a stretch for the actors. Hyun Bin didn’t play a straight up hero. I am now going to go back and read the comments on this site. Wish I had been aware of them for my initial watch.