Korean Dramas I want to check out in May:

Dare to Love Me (Viki) I need a good rom-com. Hopefully, this is it!
The Atypical Family (Netflix)
Dreaming of F** Cinderella (Paramount+)

I will wait to see reviews and audience feedback for:
Frankly Speaking – Not sure the premise for this one
Midnight Romance in Hagwon (Viki)- I’m not a fan of age gap romance, so I’ll wait on this one. If it gets major buzz I might check it out.

Chinese Dramas I want to check out in May:

Will Love In Spring (Viki)- I like the ML actor, and the plot looks interesting. The FL character is disabled, which is unusual. I like a well done “healing” drama. Hopefully, this one will be so.

My Divine Emissary (Youku YouTube Channel)- Chinese remake of K Drama “Splash, Splash Love.” I really liked the original Korean drama, so it will be interesting to see this China version. The original was 2 episodes. This is 24 eps, so there will be changes to fill up all of that extra time. Hopefully, the story quality won’t be bad because of it.

Otherwise, I will be watching “Lovely Runner” on Viki. I’m not a fan of time-travel dramas, but everyone has been raving about how cute and funny this show is, so I am going to check it out.

🎁🎈🎏🎀🪄🪅🎊🎉🪭🏮🎁🎈🎏🎀🪄🪅🎊🎉🪭🏮
@pkml3
Yes, good idea … there are still a few of us who are starting to watch Will Love in Spring (WLIS). I’m thinking that a separate threads for groups of episodes will be better so that we do not worry about spoiling the show for others.

Perhaps with 21 episodes we can break them up into 4 threads of 4 with the 5th thread for 5 episodes?

Thank you, @packmule3. I am watching Lovely Runner and Will Love in Spring. I want to finish Eye Love You. The Cinderella drama you mention looks funny. I would like a very ironic version of these stories with lots of twists. Let’s hope it delivers. Actually anything with Ji Sung and Jeon Mi Do seems like worth investigating, so I’ll watch a trailer for that, too. Thank you for mentioning it.

hi everyone. i started watching Frankly Speaking because it’s Kang Han-na’s first lead role in a rom-com drama. if you’re hesitating to watch this, Go Kyung-pyo’s character here is different from his character in Love In Contract. the first two episodes are fun to watch and the i think the story is easy to understand/follow. i have to warn though, their meet cute is kind of gross, so you might have to skip it, and the male lead’s antics will give you a strong feeling of secondhand embarassment. it’s either you’ll laugh a lot or cringe, or both 😅. story-wise, other netizens say that this is a bit similar to the movie Liar, Liar starring Jim Carrey.

Hello Dear @Kelley, @Table, @Welmaris, @Monmor, @Fern, @PkMl3 and especially @GrowingBeautifully?, How are you all?.

Last month I hoarded a lot of my favourite JDramas and JMovies (along some recommendations from @GB).

* “Okaeri Mone (2021)”. A traumatized schoolgirl that was in the mainland during the 2011 grows up painfully aware of her impotence. She eventually becomes a top class weather analyst. All the people around her are gripped by trauma in different degrees. They all have to mend their wounds and learn to live the best they can with them.

It was a rewatch, In fact, this time I studied it… wrote my notes using a notebook and a pen!. Since it is an Asadora (120 episodes 15 minutes each) they had time to flesh out characters. If you ever have the time and disposition, it is highly recommended. Fell in love with it all over again!.

* “Diary (Japan – 2018)”. There is a good story about an adult child getting to know the parent she always misunderstood before she passes away due to a brain accident. Regrettably that story was overshadowed with all the Makjang. Can’t recommend at all.

This month I have been mostly on an Anime diet.

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@plml3, Perhaps you are not able to see our posts again? I’ve 2 posts (with lots of emojis on the top line) above on this thread asking if we can have 2 different threads (or more). Did you see them? You usually respond when you do notice our requests. 🙂

Wishing @Cleo and all BoD friends who celebrate holy days by the Orthodox calendar a blessed Easter. Christos anesti!

@GB, “Caution, Hazardous Wife!” 😉 . That said my Internet connection once I changed my old modem-router of 18 years it has been smooth like butter so I haven’t recurred to these shows… for now at least! 😉

Thanks to another blog, The Fangirl Verdict, I saw a notice for a cdrama that sounds interesting. At least it’s one in the mystery genre that I like. I will check this out.

Credit to @kfangurl of The Fangirl Verdict who compiled the info here which I’m merely copy and pasting.

‘Synopsis:
“Female journalist He Shan was invited to attend Fei Ke’s memorial service, along with five other strangers who each had an unknown connection to Fei Ke.

They soon discovered that they all knew different versions of Fei Ke, leaving them to question who he really was. Together, they retraced their memories and gradually uncovered the truth about Fei Ke.”

Episodes: 10
Starts date : May 6, 2024
Airs On: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Starring: Zhou Yi Ran, Jing Bo Ran
Original Network: Youku’

I will continue enjoying Lovely Runner and Signal.
I will try Dare to Love Me too!
Dreaming of Cinde f***ing rella may be fun…

Hello @GB… Any “no spoiler” thread would need a seperate thread per episode. For example, what is the CURRENT EPISODE as on 8th April, 2024 won’t be current episode on 6th of May, 2024. If the discussion keeps flowing even episode to episode, soon it’d be same as normal thread. So for each set of episodes, there’ll need to be a “no spoilers” thread. A single thread may not serve the purpose.

There is a slight catch here also. For example, we consider a “no spoilers thread ep 4-5″ any drama. Then should the discussion between restricted to ep 2-3 or one can include ep 4-5 as well ? Because if one does that and someone hasn’t watched ep 4-5 as yet, it again becomes a spoiler.

Usually, none of us know for sure what’ll happen in any drama beyond the current episode even if it’s based on a previous litrature work. The only type of content that is a sure shot spoiler for a FUTURE EPISODE unreleased as on date is the pre-release clip from official network. TvN has a set schedule of pre release clips. For Mon and Tue drama they do one pre release on Friday and one on Monday. These are short one minute clip that have nothing to do with plot. TvN doesn’t want viewers to know what’ll happen in the episode else who will tune in ?

Apart from those official pre release clips, everything else is speculative TILL an episode ACTUALLY releases. In which case any ‘no spoilers” thread will need a time bound rule (presumably by GMT or KST) given all of us are in geographically different locations. The episode will be released in a DIFFERENT time for me vs you. Thus, I could comment after watching a CURRENT EPISODE on the no spoilers thread but you could STILL be waiting for it to release in your location.

@GB, yes, it is logistically very difficult for a private blog like @pm3’s. Therefore, even large forums like reddit introduce black highlights for spoilers because restrictions based on episode number / current ep are not effective. That can’t be done here and you will STILL have the problem of whether to include current episode or not. Of course, ultimately it’s @pm3’s call ❤️

Ah. The beauty in simplicity. I agree with @Fern. Please accept a 🍪 Fern for this beautiful solution.

I definitely don’t mind spoilers in any form. My tele viewing is not that serious. But if there is a majority that do, I’m afraid I’ll refrain from much commentry.

Whenever one speculates, there is always a certain probability that it’ll be incorrect based on the very nature of it being a speculation. Pre-releases are meant to entice audience and not give away plot in my opinion.

My entire point of being at BoD is the fun in theories, speculation of where the writer is going with the clues that we have and analysis. I have enjoyed this group since 2018-2019 when “the great seducer” Kdrama was released.

@Fern I agree with you. This blog is very valuable to me. To be clear, I do not mind analysis,Speculation, Theorizing Or sharing of personal information or cultural information. I have participated in all of this.

My sole objection Is being exposed to information that has not yet been presented in the aired episodes. I can seek out that information if I want it. I do avoid reading spoilers and clicking on links that might be spoilers for me. It becomes problematic For me when the discussion evolves Into one that includes a discussion of information that has not yet been presented in aired episodes.

So what I am asking for is a space where I can join in the speculation, theorizing and analysis Without learning something about the show that I would prefer to see unfold in an episode. The only waste of time I was referring to is speculation based on poor
Evidence.

Hello Everyone! Happy beautiful May! (It’s gorgeous here on the west coast). I’ve dropped everything I started lately except Wedding Impossible which was good until it sputtered at the end. I’m hoping to join the Signal rewatch party but I slept through the first one (oh well). Frankly Speaking seems promising as a comedy. The exposition of the characters and plot has been effortless – it immediately drew me in to the fictional newsroom and variety show writer land. I’m a sucker for Cinderella tales (there are about 7 Japanese titles with Cinderella in the title on Viki – I watched three of them so far) so I will check out Cinde ….. out. I will watch at least the first episode to Atypical Family to see Jang Ki-yong. I also want to watch Will Love In Spring as I like the two leads. I bailed on Best Choice Ever near the end when the mom ran away – I was totally over her antics but kudos to the actress who played her and the dad – they were totally believable.

Just listened to a podcast on Chinese language in cdramas – so interesting. They said Chinese is very concise but nuanced. And very complex and beautiful sentiments can be conveyed in just a few characters which makes it difficult to translate into English which is wordier. Also explained why characters say “I like you” when we would expect an “I love you” – which is apparently not really used very often. And explained the word for a mother’s love of a child includes love but also elements of aching, pain and worry. I found it really fascinating. This podcast has also made me think about Confucian themes in dramas and how that is reflected in the family dynamics we see in cdramas and kdramas. Afternoona asks is the podcast if anyone is interested.

@packmule3 – loved the ChatGPT introduction. I lasted Chat to write a poem about CLOY. A half second later it produced the following – which won’t win any prizes but surprisingly picked up on key plot point of a soldier and an heiress and north vs south:

“In lands where destinies entwine,
“Crash Landing on You” paints a line.
A tale of love so pure and rare,
In winds of fate, hearts declare.

Across divides of war and peace,
Two souls entwined, their love’s increase.
From sky to earth, their journey binds,
A love so true, the heart reminds.

A soldier’s duty, a heiress’ charm,
Their worlds collide, hearts ring alarm.
Through trials deep and dangers near,
Love’s beacon shines, dispelling fear.

In North and South, a bridge they build,
With laughter, tears, and love fulfilled.
A story woven, hearts unite,
In “Crash Landing on You’s starlight.

Through laughter, tears, and heart’s embrace,
Their love defies both time and space.
A masterpiece of love’s sweet song,
In hearts forever, it belongs.”

@Fern – yes! My boyfriend IPhone now has some competition. I have actually found it useful tool for de-escalating emotion in tough conversations. It responds neutrally or positively which helps take the heat out of difficult conversations. I’m not expressing it that well but it is a fun to tool to play around with.

@Fern I like it! I bet we will see an Artificial Intelligence Cyrano type story in the near future if it is not already out there.

After listening to a couple of episodes of that podcast, it made me think of the cdrama Beloved Life. It took place in a maternity ward and starred Victoria Song. It had some challenging themes/melodrama but was interesting from a cultural perspective because some of the issues were so different than you would see in a western medical drama. I never saw much written about Beloved Life. I am curious if anyone here watched it.

Hello everyone. I’ve been reading your comments about the dramas you’ll be watching this month, and I notice that “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon” hasn’t been mentioned much. Only Table122000 commented that they prefer to wait for audience feedback before deciding to watch it (a great idea).

May I ask why this drama isn’t attracting much attention? While I do plan to watch it, personally, it’s not among my favorites because I feel it will be a very slow-paced story, and I’m not really into those kinds of stories. But I wanted to know your overall opinion.

Thank you very much.

Oh my goodness I love To the Wonder so much! I’m enchanted.

@Fern IQIYI but it is also on third party streaming sites. 5 episodes have been released. If you can find it I think you’ll really enjoy it.

😃🧇🍳🥓☕🥪🍒🍌🍏🥛🍪🥑🧇🍳🥓☕🥪🍒🍌🍏🥛🍪🥑😃

Hi @pkml3, once again, more requests cometh … please check if posts by @Monmor have ended up in spam.

Please open the next thread for the Signal Rewatch too!!!

Much thanks!

😃🧇🍳🥓☕🥪🍒🍌🍏🥛🍪🥑🧇🍳🥓☕🥪🍒🍌🍏🥛🍪🥑😃

@Growing Beautifully, I have quickly watched as much as I can see of Teasing Master Takagi-san (I can only see 7 episodes so far). You are right – it’s a slow mover. You know how the generalisation that says girls mature much more quickly than boys? It seems the case here. Poor guy just can’t win, can’t figure it out – they seem ill-matched in my opinion. She is simply loads more intelligent than he is. And the FL seems borderline cruel to torment him and never let him triumph in anything. I suppose some would find that she is preparing him, intentionally or not, to improve himself or his reactions but it’s almost hard to watch.

I did like when they exchanged Christmas presents and agreed that both could win the happiness contest. And I liked that their teacher who seemed so strict, actually could see and understand everything that was happening. He gave the ML good advice, which the ML could act upon.

Have you been able to see from episode 8 onwards?

I’ll check now to see if episode 8 is up yet for the site I’m using. Thanks for the heads up, @Growing Beautifully. It occurs to me that if this drama is aimed at teens, it may be the reason the adult episodes are minimal.

@Good Twin, @Fern, I’ve picked up To The Wonder … breezing into Episode 7!!! Heartily watchable. Thanks for reviewing it here and encouraging us to watch it.

@Welmaris 😂 (there is an actual drama with that title). I hope to see them tonight. I tried last night and looked through my camera lens as well to see if it was capturing what naked eye cannot ….but too much light pollution. I’ll drive up into the hills tonight. It is amazing that we get to see them this far south (California).

@GTwin, @Welmaris @GB! We saw a tinge of aurora borealis from our house! We will try to drive up to a higher place with less light pollution to see the colors better later tonight!!! What a magical event.

Deal! I’ll watch Dreaming of Cinde F Rella with you. 😃

I only have Lovely Runner for now. I still have to give my goodbye to QOT. 😃

@Good Twin, @Fern and everyone who’s watched To The Wonder.

Do we know why this is called ‘To The Wonder’? I was wondering! LOL.

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

What struck me most about this show besides the fact that it’s shot in Xinjiang is how natural everything and everyone looks. The scenery just is there … all exactly as is and beautiful. Nothing and no one looks made up. Blemishes are not hidden. Skin exposed to so much sun really looked it. There’s an air of everything wholesome and fresh in the scenes that are located outside the city or in the grasslands.

The other thing is how at home everyone looked. The Han Chinese had some difficulty understanding everything that was said in Kazakh and Mongolian and Wen Xiu when she first arrived was like a fish out of water, but after a couple of episodes everyone looked so settled and at peace. They looked like real herders of sheep, camels and horses. I was so completely convinced.

Accolades to the ML, Yu Shi, who not only rode the horse like a local but managed to speak in Kazakh throughout the series and who managed to make his Chinese sound like it was spoken by a non-Chinese.

The plot was simple and interactions were heartfelt. I liked the growth of Mum Zhang Feng Xia from being a somewhat dismissive mum to one who showed her real concern for Wen Xiu, and from being a heartbroken widow to a woman who would not take crap from a man just because she missed being in love. Loved how she dealt with Granny who had dementia that comes and goes and the good joke of how granny kept missing the fireworks.

The other attractive thing about this show is how everything slows down. There’s no traffic, no office hours to keep, sometimes no visible neighbours even. There’s Internet only in certain places in the city and the rest of the time, there may or may not be electricity in the wild, open spaces or grasslands. Wen Xiu could not type her stories but wrote them by hand on paper or bark. There’s no TV, no signal so no smartphones or social media, but there are interesting people who still manage to share the latest news through their own grapevine within a day!

I liked the generosity of the people, the mutual give and take, the insights into some bits of culture of the nomads and the depiction of inevitable change and the need to accept it. It was lovely to watch the ups and downs and let the healing go on with time and patience.

And the romances were depicted so matter-of-factly and sweetly, the communication so simple and clear. And the getting together of people was, again, so natural. Even among that diverse multi-cultural community and in sparsely populated lands, people could find each other and fall in love. 🙂 If I had to rate this, I’d make it 8/10.

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@pkml3, I may have double posted! Please check if one of my comments is in moderation and if another is in spam. My apologies for the trouble!

I’ve started watching Regeneration and am on Episode 4. It’s a drama in a different style. It reminded me of an Agatha Christie ‘locked room mystery’ like ‘And Then There Were None’ where a selected group of people are gathered and trapped. Their host was a Mr U. N Owen (aka Unknown)… guess what, this story’s host

However we don’t even know if there’s been murder, and we don’t know what’s going on except that we come to hear and see how a bunch of strangers are connected through a person who charmed them all. The execution feels more Western than the usual cdrama style, however it works. It’s easy to keep on watching.

It’s good that there are just 10 episodes, each of which is slightly less than an hour long.

Sorry, I didn’t realise that when I got interrupted, I didn’t complete my sentence…

Guess what this story’s host’s name is? “Fei Ke” … I’m sure you can put the right spin to why. LOL.

Queen of tears:
It’s quite nice it fails very quickly so I can drop before getting angry.
First episode starts well, but about 30 minutes later we get:
– Awful and terrible over-the-top not-funny grotesque comedy.
Wooo. I could as well finish Strong Woman Nam Soon instead.
I felt this like an insult to my intelligence. DROPPED.
+ Writer on banning list.

@GB – Yes to all you said about To The Wonder. It was lovely. The washboard, the soap, the love tent outside the yurt, the gossip telegraph, the camels, the Gobi desert, the sheep being served for dinner, the symbolism of the horse head. It was such a gentle beautiful series. If I knew how to make GIFs the ML deserves a few. He was quite dashing with his long hair and bun with the bow and arrow.

@GB, I realize I’m in a bad condition.
Every drama I watch let me indifferent recently.
I put them on-hold for no reason, more or less dropped.
Like I’m jaded with anything, it’s not even bad dramas.

I tried “My Name” with actress Han So-Hee.
It’s good, but I could watch what happens next or not, I don’t care.
I completed “Parasyte the Grey” in this way.

Then I’m not patient. Queen of tears could be good, but the bad comedy is a red flag. I’m worried it’ll be like that all the way. It’s also something more: the tone of the drama. I dislike the tone, it’s the same of many other dramas, this kind of “cliched drama” tone.

Maybe I shouldn’t worry and continue to do what I do… starting dramas, maybe never finish them… until I find one I’m hooked on.

@WE, I also seem to be dropping dramas faster and am wary of those with many episodes. I find myself trying out short dramas like ‘To The Wonder’ and ‘Regeneration’. At least the time invested is not so much. Generally I find shorter dramas pretty good.

I’m waiting now for the subs of ‘Teasing Master Takagi-san’. It probably won’t be your ‘cup of tea’ but it just kept me watching to see if the boy would ever be able to successfully tease the girl or avoid being teased by her. I also wanted to see them as adults.

Hi

@GB
@pkml3
@Fern
@Hana
@WEnchanteur

YOU ALL MUST take a peek at “BRANDING IN SEONGSU”
(at least first 3-4 eps .. it’s a SHORT DRAMA .. just 21 eps total and each is about 25 min long)

I discovered an incredibly good actress doing an incredible uncommon FL role, in this show and there is this actor LOMON who fits the ML role to the T.
(Am a big fan of bad-ass FLs especially if they come with a greyscale)

There is gender / body switch BUT done for a SOLID reason (one of the best fit reasons to propel character arc forward).

It’s also a drama that did not shy away from usually uncommon representations of ‘drag queen’ / female sexuality and all that beautifully riding on a tale of whodunnit plus exploring the ethics of ‘branding – marketing’ ..
A fantastic END and wrap.

I hope ya’ll take a look.

I have finished watching
“SWEET AND COLD”

The SUPER-TALENTED Wang Zi Wen (aka Olivia) of “THREE BODY” fame where she plays Wen Jie’s younger version (blew my mind) and Jin Han (aka Kim? Han) are the Leads.

An enviable cast of top of the line actors as supporting cast …

It’s them in the skin of well carved roles that lifted the Drama and makes for a great watch ..
What pulled it down : the screenplay needed 10 more drafts .. and an editor to show up the holes and weaknesses ..

The Drama with HIGH POTENTIAL got SO LITTLE LOVE.
The Drama opened SO MANY TABS .. and the “screen hanged” .. You’d need to return it to the workshop if you could for reboot.

I still didn’t dump it NOT curse it BECAUSE the set up of the first 8-10 eps were such pleasure .. and then pleasure was low .. but one could nap use the loo and kinda get back in .. the end left me wide open mouthed (like wteff) .. which I decided to turn into a YAWN and decided to turn in for the night.

WOKAY I got some great tasty morsels (YUMMY SUPER FL role, the sort I enjoy – and some SERIOUS HEAT from the Lead’s exothermic reactions – well not ALL of the drama was evenly WLIS level of pleasure quotient) and BY JOVE .. Lastly: IT WASN’T QOT!!!!

QOT has become my cuss word (since it robbed the top spot away from far far superior and classier dramas).

Regeneration
This is on Youku, Viki, Netflix and feels like a cross between a British and American whodunit with a Chinese cast. It reminded me of other western style crime-mystery-thriller shows, and yet felt different: a fresh twist on a tried-and-true style of storytelling?

The mystery set-up was good although not unexpected and the questions we are invited to ask included: was there a crime? What crime? Who, why, what is true… It gives what is both expected and unexpected, familiar and different, and the plot twists that are crucial to make this a good little series. At 10 episodes (2 more to air!!!) it’s a fun watch.

@Good Twin, oh absolutely watch for Jing Boran!! He’s got an unusual face and in this show, he’s totally like an anti-hero … sorta … kinda … I’m watching the last two episodes to know just how ‘anti’ and just how much of a ‘hero’ he is LOL.

A review of “To The Wonder”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5jDiBWgkLk an unusual show with an unusual review from AvenueX. 🙂

I’m about to start the 3rd episode of To the Wonder. The drama certainly has a different feel and the atmosphere and aesthetic of the scenes is marvelous. Thank you to those who recommended it.

Joy of Life 2 has begun. We enter again into a story within a story where the characters, especially Fan Xian are larger than life and rather a lot of fun to watch. This is going to be a busy, busy May!!!

Ah, it’s not Rugal, it’s “LUCA the beggining”.
The drama that never got a sequel, lol!

@Fern. Nope. No attention! Only one reader, leaving comments. Then I see some activity on statistic board, so maybe some other people read, but as long as there is no comment, I can’t be sure. And I think if someone did, there would be a comment.

Only other person I know to read and liked it is a girl on MDL, but leaving no comment. Just say me she liked, and had read first part up to episode 27. I said her I would send her a message for what’s next. And I won’t do it until I complete the rewriting.

It’s very frustrating to not get all. About my usual reader, he have difficulties to follow the story, as I publish my rewritten episodes over time. While in my mind and the way it’s written, it’s full “to be continued”, cliffhanger every episode.

So, when GB had read episode 1, I said her: wait I end everything before going further. It’s a story you don’t want to loose of sight, as it’s a complex one, like was W season 1. It’s more easy to understand than W season 1 (more explanation), but still challenging when you play the theory game. Even if I think it’s more easy on reading than watching a drama, because screenplay have mostly essential informations, and it’s more easy to catch them.

Thanks, @agdr03. She looks great. What a lot of fans she has all over the world!

Another feature from South Korea I saw during SIFF was Iron Mask, starring Joo Jong Hyuk. He’s currently appearing in Frankly Speaking. The storyline of Iron Mask doesn’t break new ground, but I enjoyed watching it to learn more about the sport of kendo. Before the film was screened at SIFF, we in the theater were treated to a live demonstration of kendo. Director/Writer Kim Sung Hwan spoke after the film during a Q&A session. I took photos, but I don’t know how to insert them on this blog.

I believe Iron Mask is still on the festival circuit, and doesn’t yet have an international distribution deal. https://www.siff.net/festival/iron-mask

There was an article posted at MDL about Dreaming of Cinder F**** Rella, It seems the official title of the drama has changed to “Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale” and will premiere May 31 on Paramount+.
https://mydramalist.com/article/pyo-ye-jin-lee-jun-young-s-dreaming-of-a-freaking-fairytale-depicts-realistic-concerns-of-women

Hi, BethB. I’m enjoying Lovely Runner atm. The Cinde fxxxing Rella show has had its title changed to “Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale” and will start on 31 May.

Like you, Lovely Runner is the only show I’m watching from those being looked at on BoD. Someone recommended the C-drama To The Wonder, which I enjoyed as a very unusually styled compact drama; nearly a biopic, nearly a documentary. Short and aesthetically pleasing.

I’m watching The Atypical Family on Netflix and I think I’m going it alone. 🤓😆

It was part of an ITW. Here the full version:
https://n.news.naver.com/article/036/0000047900?sid=103

The latest interview of Song Jae-Jung, and so far, the best one.
She even talk about her creative process.
If you open it with google chrome, there should be an option to auto-translate.
If not, set on this option in the browser parameters.

@WE merci beaucoup. J’ai aimé lire ce que SJJ a dit / thanks very much, I enjoyed reading what SJJ said.

So we can look forward to ‘Go West’. It sounds like more of the same great twisty tales that she comes up with. Intriguing that she sees a scenario and then writes from that idea.

It sounds like the way I’d do it too… a messy, disorganised way, without labeled drawers in my brains!!!

@Fern, I don’t know, but the title “go west” and the visual make me imagine this concept, because I was thinking about that last month about a sci-fi story:

– Humans find a way to travel faster than light. Scientists create a small black hole, then “dissolve it”. The black energy expands in another dimension, where ships can travel. It doesn’t look like space, but like a dark ocean, and the feeling to travel here is similar to the ships on a real sea. This sea and this dimension is full of danger, and it could be a travel similar to Ulysse Odysseus.

Here my idea, because I think in a future, travelling into space could be similar to sailing. Just I do it more poetic with more sailing feeling.

About “Go West”. Such a title makes me then think: it’s like when Christophe Colomb discovers an new land: american. He had to travel west.
Then in the drama, where go the first expediction faster than light? “Go west”. They can’t say “up, down, or 40 light years in a galaxy”, because the way to navigate thougth space-time is like sailing.

If this isn’t the idea of the drama, then well, just keep it in my personal cave, lol!

@GB: Yeah you see in this ITW, it’s what I talk sometimes, using some “maybe”, but here (except the thousand drawers), I’ve got a similar process, like her. She doesn’t force ideas. Just she have the material anywhere in mind, maybe deep. But when she have a concept, then, “things connect”. Idea avalanche, or idea storm. Content connect itself. It’s a kind of miracle, but it’s obvious.

Above too much links and coherence, it’s impossible for a story to be forced or calculated. To get her perfect “multi contextual scene”, it depends on too much “lucky” factors, if we see the relation it has with every other part of the story. And each part is also its small miracle. So, it’s the magic of the mind and ability to link, creating something alive, a perfect and complex organism, and you couldn’t create it on purpose with a narrow mind. It has to born as a whole.

Now, I have maybe drawers too, but can’t see it so well. I feel like I’m more messy. By the way, I doubt I could write so well from a concept I create myself.

@Fern,

How is The Atypical Family? I am almost finished with The Queen Of Tears and Lovely Runner, so I am wondering what to watch next.

After lovely runner, I had an urge to continue with The time travel reincarnation genre.. I am watching Chicago Typewriter for the third or fourth time. It has been long enough since I last watched it that I am seeing all sorts of things I don’t remember and did not even notice at the time.

I started watching it on youtube and it came to a halt after the fourth episode or the third. Disappointing but I did find a not as good alternative.

Apparently it is on viki but not in my region. If anyone has words to the wise about where to watch It.I would appreciate it. Vpn is my friend.

After a big chunk of my May was consumed by the Seattle International Film Festival, both in person and virtual, I’ve gotten back to my usual K- C- and J-drama watching. I tried picking up the Cdrama To the Wonder where I’d left off, but my memory was so rusty that I started it again from the beginning. I’m glad I did, because this relatively short (eight 45-minute episodes) Chinese drama is a gem. Rewatching made me realize that the script builds the story arc skillfully, even down to details like the female lead straightening a portrait hanging on a wall. (It was of a young Virginia Woolf.)

Last night I finished The Legend of ShenLi. The final few episodes threw in a lot of backstory, then a quickie story arc for a side character. And Show couldn’t resist adding some gender bender action. Still, from my seat on Shallow Island, I enjoyed seeing the lead couple not waste opportunities to kiss. I was also highly amused when the male lead, whose role required him to exercise restraint, said to the female lead in the final episode: “My divine power is much diminished, but still, this is the body of a former god. [With a grin, he pulls the FL onto his lap.] You should know that I’ve recovered.” [And he punctuates that sentiment with a knowing half smile.] All that was lacking was a fan-service shower scene.

@Packmule3, would you give Knight Flower 👍 or not? I recall you were planning to watch it while on planes. I note that Blossoms in Adversity rates a few points higher on MDL.

Dear @packmule3, please may we have a ‘What are we watching in June?’ thread? I’m trying to figure out what is worthwhile for the next month or so. With many thanks and cookies, 🍪🍹🍦🍓🍒🍉🍪🍹🍦🍓🍒🍉🍪

Is there a place on Shallow Island for Wi Ha Joon? Asking for a friend 😳. #Midnight Romance