JenL

Hello! Late to the game, but I've finished the first part! How could I not when Lee Jae Wook was in this???  Really loved his role too. Funny seeing an Alechmy of Souls reunion here though oddly spread out! Also loved seeing the rest of the biig names including Lee Do Hyun...the story was surprisingly smoothly acted given how many people were playing the same character. 

Is the second part out yet? 

I will watch this btw! I don't mind Park Shin Hye though she's definitely a bit stiff in romantic roles. I love Park Hyung Sik though  I don't often watch medical dramas, but I'll give it a go

On 12/29/2023 at 5:40 AM, Tofu said:

I have decided to adopt this jealous man. 

Yesssss! I'm glad you see the beauty in Steven Noh! I always found it hard to believe that Kim Go Eun's character in Pachinko choose Lee Min Ho (in her heart) over Steven Noh. Like girl are you blind?

On 12/29/2023 at 5:35 PM, mademoiselle said:

The fans said it was from an action scene in DWY

Not worth it in my opinion. How is his new project The Matchmakers? Should I watch it? I do like Choi Yi Hyun. I'm not a big lover of historical dramas though as you know 

Happy New Year everyone! I feel like it's been a little while since I checked in - It's been very busy socially this year already 

Also I haven't watched any dramas because a work mate convinced me to watch Singles Inferno and while I hate reality TV, it was like crack -  the fake dating lives of a bunch of conventionally attractive strangers is so oddly addictive  I don't know why I wasted my time watching 3 girls go after Gwan Hee who was neither good looking nor charismatic. 

Anyway, I wasted precious drama watching time watching that, but sometimes you just need something that involves no thinking  

What's everyone watching at the moment??? I see a lot of good dramas about to come out! I'm probably going to watch Doctor Slump (Sorry @mademoiselle!) and looking forward to the rest of Death's Game and  A Killer Paradox...what else is good at the moment???

On 12/6/2023 at 11:52 PM, SilverMoonTea said:

Too many kisses , against the economic rules. When there is scarcity it's become more desirable lols.

Hahaha This is how I feel too. If too mushy, I'm slightly sick of the romance. If teasing the romance, I'm more likely to become more addicted 

On 12/7/2023 at 11:17 PM, mademoiselle said:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzFS-JOP1qG/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

This is for @JenL and @Chocolate. I forgot if @SilverMoonTea adopted him or not...

 

Mannnn so cheesy ...but like my fangirl heart really approves this   Taecyeon was probably my strongest adoption last year and that was not god tier. But he's still pretty cuteeee 

On 12/28/2023 at 2:15 AM, SilverMoonTea said:

@JenLnot much only 24 oppas But I felt like this year no strong attachment to anyone. I think JDY is the cutest perhaps haha....

 

@Darkarcana Long time not talk, yes also shocked with LSK. Tbh I was slightly judging him too, not so much on drugs but on his possible cheating. Because he looked like 100% family man in Train to Siberia. But I guess its also a reminder to myself that everyone making mistake in their life. 

Hahahaha only 24 Oppas?! Hope your KPIs are higher this year!  Yeah 2023 was definitely a year of 'no strong attachements' ...Hope this year brings you more attractive Oppas though!

On 12/7/2023 at 11:26 PM, SilverMoonTea said:

I also forgot did I or not 😆 Ok I did and can't even finish his drama 😅

I think you did adopt him and then unadopted him 

On 12/8/2023 at 12:29 AM, Tofu said:

 

@mademoiselle I look at my list every year and think I should unadopt a few of them too. I realize later that I like the character they played but into the actor as much. 

I definitely mistake wayyy too many actors for the characters they play...but still, they sit in the lower adoption tiers till the next good drama they do comes along 

On 12/8/2023 at 9:18 AM, mademoiselle said:

@Tofu

From the last 3-4 years list, I feel like un-adopting Kim Seon Ho, Choi Bo Min, Tang Jun Sang, Yang Yang, Lee Jun Ho, Lee Soo Hyuk, Kim Min Gyu. Lei Lei is in grave danger, too. Not even sure I should keep Kim Beom now that the spell of him being a fox is over.   Reason being there is no love. LOL

 

Hahaha Kim Min Gyu and Kim Seon Ho are also unadopted for me, though they were already on very weak tiers. 

But your list is brutal ...so many getting the axe 

On 12/8/2023 at 12:17 PM, Tofu said:

@mademoiselle I think I adopt oppas, but it's really the VIP oppas I care about. Do you have someone else on your VIP island besides Rowoon? 

 

Me too!!! There's only a handful that I care about 

On 12/28/2023 at 9:17 AM, mademoiselle said:

Even though Rowoon is my VIP oppa, but I'm definitely not his VIP fan. Sharp eyes fans would go through fire to observe him under the microscope. Thanks to them, I get to know how bad his injury to his arm is now. They said it was from a sword fight scene in Destined With You. Since then, he's been wearing nothing but long sleeve to conceal the scar from public eyes.

 

Oh no hope his injury got better!!!  That looks like quite a big scar

On 12/28/2023 at 9:17 AM, mademoiselle said:

 

@abs-oluteM I only have 2 adoption this year, too. Kim Beom and Chen Zhe Yuan. Though I would say Kim Beom is dropping quick in the list 😅, which is why now I'm reluctant to adopt too many, and hence Chae Jong Hyeop hadn't made the cut... need something more solid from him.

Sad that Chae Jong Hyeop did not make the list. One day, he'll get under your skin the way he has for @Tofu and me. I died when he wore that uniform. Can we please have a drama of him as a navy officer or something? 

On 12/28/2023 at 9:17 AM, mademoiselle said:

Do they have behind the scenes for this scene? Wouldn't mind checking it out. I tagged you somewhere too re: Ethan Ruan talking about his butt with his co-star. Tell me you saw that!

Hahaha they probably do have some sort of behind the scenes. I have to admit my balance has been off last year - I barely watched any Taiwanese dramas or BTS last year. But hoping to get back into the sync of things espcially with the Alice/Jasper/Paul drama coming out this year 

Hahahaha I probably need money management help! Things are so expensive in my city!!! 

I use to spend like this  but now my usually state when I see the cost of things is this 

My tip is, if it's safe and easy to use Facebook marketplace, it's worth trying to look for things you need there first before buying new. Many times I've found books and clothes there, brand new with tags or original packaging for only 20%/ 30% / 50% of the original price. Sometimes you have to travel a bit to pick it up. But it was so helpful the other day when I needed to get something to wear for a wedding with a colour theme (pink). I didn't have any clothes in that colour but found a decent formal dress, originally $120, for $30. It was brand new with tags and the girl only lived 1 street away from me. It helped to save money and was good for the envrionment 

Topic 12: Who was your favourite character?

My favourite characters were all people who tried hard and had super positive outlooks even when things were bleak! I think it's because they inspire me! 

Tied for #1: Gun Woo and Woo Jin of Bloodhounds. Things got so so so bleak in that drama. That bloody episode killed me (Well it killed everyone in the drama almost). But the next scene you see them back up and training again to get back at the bad guys. I loved that fighting spirit and sense of brotherhood. I wish I had that level of resilience when things get tough 

#2: Nam Soon of Strong Woman Nam Soon. I enjoyed her happy-go-lucky ways and her ability to connect with everyone, even the villain. There's something about that kind of attitude that makes you smile and wish she was your friend.

On 12/22/2023 at 4:56 PM, mademoiselle said:

Hmm yeah, just say it you guys persevered for beautiful suave Rowoon.  

Hahaha ok I definitely continued on with Destined with You for Rowoon. In a suit. Being clingy 

Didn't perservere for you at all 

On 12/22/2023 at 4:56 PM, mademoiselle said:

 

@JenL Did you watch Soundtrack 2? It has that actor you liked from Pachinko.

I'm actually watching it now! I still think he's pretty, but his character is a little immature. I feel sorry for him though because so far the breakup with the girlfriend in the past does not make sense. Have you watched this season @mademoiselle or did you skip it because the actors didn't interest you? The first season was Park Hyung Sik right? I love him but for some reason couldn't get into the pairing so skipped it. Will you watch Park Hyung Sik's nnew drama with Park Shin Hye??? (Was it you that said this was not your ideal pairing?) 

On 12/25/2023 at 10:09 PM, abs-oluteM said:

I am actually watching this. I downloaded some episodes on my app during my trip. Yet to finish though I got spoiled on the ending. ML is Steve Noh - I also like him which is why I am watching it ahahah...

 

Hello everyone! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. 

14 hours ago, Tofu said:

 

@abs-oluteM I just finished watching Soundtrack #2 and I started it for the same reason too -- Noh Sang Hyun. Haha! He is a very handsome guy and I thought the character of Suho matched him well. I wasn't a fan of the reason used (which was the same one as the first time) for their second break up. I wished we had more of the FL's POV. The ending also seemed a bit abrupt. They had almost an entire episode to wrap up the storyline and it just felt a little meh. 

 

Yayyy! Finally someone else who is a fan of Steve Noh...he was a hot pastor in Pachinko. Almost made me want to be religious  Oh damn, just read the spoilers in @Tofu's answer. I will pretend I dnon't know what's going to happen 

On 12/26/2023 at 11:07 PM, mademoiselle said:

I'm actually unsure whether I liked these characters because the characters were played by handsome actors, or it's because the characters itself. Hahaha! 😅

This is how I feel when I adopt an Oppa...do I like him because he's hot or because he's a good person or because his character was those things? 

48 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

IKR ...his features are just wonderful. He is ready for ML roles hahahaah.

The last episode wasted a lot time ...

He is a very handsome man with a jawline 

On 12/15/2023 at 4:59 PM, mademoiselle said:

Castaway Diva - Park Eun Bin & Cha Hak Yeon. I like Woo Hak and did wish we could clone Mok Ha for him.

Now you know how I feel in every drama where I have strong second lead syndrome  I just want to clone them. Why won't anyone let me find love for the second lead?! 

On 12/18/2023 at 1:58 AM, SilverMoonTea said:

Maybe not to be ban, but every drama is having past lives trope right now and it's getting a bit tiring. 

 

And I'm also not so into sickness being brought up into the plot, I'm watching drama to get relax and this theme kinda stressed me out? Eventhough everyone was saying I like pale and sickly ML

 

Hahaha I agree with you. Past lives has been getting way annoying. I feel like it's the new version of childhood friends. I get that they like to show that people are destined for each other...but please at least make it make sense and don't use it in just any drama 

I've also always disliked illnesses in dramas. It's one of the worst tropes. When everyone was obsessed with 1 litre of tears, I was like nope, not for me. I did make the mistake of watching this Taiwanese drama called Starlight with Jerry Yan where hhe has a terminal illness. I find the thing that bothers me is often not the illness, but the noble idiocy performed when someone becomes ill in the drama. It's all too overly dramatic and stresses me out 

On 12/18/2023 at 12:59 AM, rocher22 said:

Topic 5 : What drama did not meet expectation.

 

My Lovely Liar,  Bloodhounds, Duty After School..

 

Oh no, why did Bloodhounds not meet expectations? Was it the ending?  I really liked that drama. Except it had a lacklustre ending after the bloody episode. 

On 12/18/2023 at 3:46 PM, themarchioness said:

I actually still don't mind this trope when it is central to the plot, but a lot of times, these days, you'll have a drama where the leads meet in their adult life, go through a perfectly fine story to get to the end of the drama, and so when that end "twist" is added, it just feels extraneous.  If it doesn't add anything to the story or their relationship, I think a drama is better off leaving it out.  It doesn't make it any cuter, meaningful, or whatnot.  If anything, it just joins a host of other dramas who've done the same.

Yessss, I totally agree with this! It goes for the they-knew-each-other-in-theiir-past-lives trope as well. If it doesn't add anything importannt to the storyline it's just corny and overused these days. I think it use to be orginial or suprising or touching. Now it's just a bit of a cliche 

On 12/19/2023 at 3:56 AM, abs-oluteM said:

Worst trope to ban - love triangle cuz I hate having SLS . I usually root for the ML, but of late I don’t know what’s happening to me 🤣🤣🤣. Did get @SilverMoonTea’s syndrome? 

I think we've swapped positions. I'm usually constantly second lead loving, but this year I don't think I've been in that position. It's been weird liking the main lead all the time 

On 12/20/2023 at 9:47 PM, mademoiselle said:

Who was the best villain?

 

1. Bloodhounds - Park Sung Woong

2. The Good Bad Mother - Ra Mi Ran

 

Park Sung Woong's villain in Bloodhounds is the typical villains in shows where he's cruel and kills etc. What makes him the best out of the lot this year is his portrayal of his character done very well. Super evil and cruel, down to even killing a pregnant woman.

Good answer. I was revolted by the Bloodhounds gangsters, but also couldn't look away the whole time. It was super cruel and super violent...but that's what makes the character the bbest of the villains. Haha I don't know if I'd consider Ra Mi Ran a villain, but when she was a bad mother, she was terrible. I actually really disliked her and felt uncomfortable at times. I get the Asian parenting, but it was too extreme! 

It's been awhile since I visited the Oppa thread! I'm just here to be sad about Lee Sun Kyun's passing especially since he was one of my favourite ahjussi's (as I mentioned this year when I finally watched My Mister)  I feel like it was really sudden, but I guess I hadn't been following the news in Korea which apparently villefied him for the drug investigations. While I'm not condoning drugs or hanging out with bar hostesses (his excuse), if it was only weed, I feel like they were way harsh on him. I wish there was less of a love or hate culture in Korea - it's not healthy for the mentality of the people. Anyway, it just made me sad because I enjoyed so many of his dramas and movies and he was quite young too. Not evenn 50 yet 

But I'll move on to other topics since it's been awhile...

How many Oppas have you confirmed to have adopted this year @SilverMoonTea? If you came to a total a few pages ago, please let me know which page of this thread to read  

I don't think I had many in 2023 and all were mild adoptions (not VIP/ God tier):

1. Shin Ha Jae 

2. Woo Do Hyun

3. TaecYeon

I think that's it!  Lee Sun Kyun (if you counted ahjussis?)

You know what I'm excited for in 2024? This might excite @Tofu too. Jasper Liu is in a drama opposite Alice Ke and Paul Fu is second lead??? I saw the early interviews and I'm looking forward to it. Not sure when it's being released though. I miss Greg Hsu and Alice Ke days though. Nothing beats the banter of those 2  But I like that Greg Hsu is doing other fun and daring roles. Haha I don't think I ever responded to your reactions @mademoiselle, but I laughed soooo hard at Greg's pole dancing in Marry My Dead Body - I'm proud of my Oppa taking on weird roles 

Merry Christmas everyone! Gotta catch up on my questions 

Q 11) Who was the best villain?

Although I thought he was super toxic, like @stroppyse and @Tofu and @mademoiselle, I felt sorry for Ryu Shi-Oh (Byeon Woo-Seok) in Strong Woman Nam Soon. I didn't really ship him with Nam Soon because he was so toxic. But I also felt like the story really painted him as a very lonely villain - no one in that world ever really understood him or bothered to try to redeem him. And I think the story was pretty brutal in that Nam Soon seemed almost to understand him when she said that line about him being lost. But then at the end, everything unravelled without her ever trying to appeal to his good nature. Maybe it wouldn't have worked. But maybe it would have because he seemed to have genuinely liked her despite being an evil guy. And she could have used that to coax him out of his plans. But she sort of fought fire with fire and brushed him off as evil forever 

I guess only the audience gets to see Ryu Si Oh's vulnerable and lonely sides. Was he evil? Yes. But it felt like no one really took stock of all the things that made him evil and no one ever gave him a chance to change his ways 

Q 10 ) What is a trope that should be banned?

Noble idiocy - At least the level of noble idiocy that was exhibitied in Heartbeat where the undeserving second lead won out 

Past Live - I feel like it's been overdone ever since Goblin and this year's worst offender for me was Destined with You. If only they'd woven the past lives story into the main story that actually made sense! 

And not exactly a trope, but it might as well be:

Removing good character storylines because an actor has been in a scandal - I feel like some dramas this year were really affected by this. For example, Kim Sae Ron pretty much disppeared at the end of Bloodhounds without any explaination and it really bothered me because they could have just included a scene or 2 to tie up the storyline. But it seemed like they didn't want to even try to make her character look redeemable in any way to punish her. I also thought that they had to introduce a new 'romance' for Do Ha Na in the Uncanny Counter 2 because they had vaguely hinted at flirting or possible romance for So Mun and Ha Na in the first series which they no longer wanted due to Jo Byeong Kyu's scanndal recovery. And I mean, maybe I'm just reading into it because the Uncanny Counter does have a source webtune and maybe it does follow the storyline, but it felt like they wanted to sqush any possibly of a romance in s2 by giving her that boring romance which didn't make much sense. 

I think I missed a question  But I'm too lazy to go back and look for which one!

Here are all the ones I haven't done: 

Q8) A drama you wish you hadn't watched

So this might not come as a surprise if you know me and my taste, although it might also come and a surprise if you watched this drama without watching the original. I didn't enjoy a A Time Called You and I guess it's expected because I loved the original so much. I guess the disappointment and lack of chemistry was too much for me? I wouldn't say it killed me to watch it - it's probably good to know from a critiquing perspective. But I didn't really enjoy it per se 

Q9) A Doomed Romance You Were Shipping Anyway

SO. This year I had very few second lead ships which is surpising. But my answer is a bit weird - my couple was a main couple that did technically end up together BUT because of the dumb ending, it still became a doomed romance that I was shipping hard!!! So it's Sun Woo Hyeol and Joo In Hae of Heartbeat. I'll put the spoilers in a spoiler tag as to why they're doomed

On 12/12/2023 at 8:21 AM, Tofu said:

@JenL I agreed that Destined With You was a bit patchy. I enjoyed it at first, got bored in the middle, and it picked up again towards the end. If a couple gets together too early, I start losing interest especially if there's no storyline to keep me invested. This is how I felt with DWY, but I persevered for @mademoiselle. 

 

Hahahahahahaha!!! I'll pick only one from each country of dramas I watched. 

 

Hahaha I had the same feelings - I was unsure at first, but then really enjoyed it, but then lost interest again (or felt cringe for certain scenes). I also persevered for @mademoiselle (But really, it was proba bly for Rowoon ) Speaking of which I was recently surprised when I found out someone at work watches Korean dramas (they're quite hipster and so I didn't expect them to be interested)...but they love it. And they love Rowoon too - they thought he was very handsome and also really enjoyed She Would Never Know...haha your man is converting people into drama watching, Mademoiselle!

On 12/13/2023 at 7:36 PM, mademoiselle said:

 

I'm with @SilverMoonTea on this one, another vote to King The Land. Same reasons as previously mentioned. I watched more episodes than Tea did, and each time, I kept brainwashing myself that it will get better. It did not. Male lead character was all talk, no action, or the actions happened behind the scenes. I think I dropped it after they went to promote Thailand, but "watch it" through other Havenites' updates. I honestly want to interview the actors and ask them if they thought this is a good script (don't tell me it has high ratings so it does not matter). That does not justify a "good" project.

@SilverMoonTea @mademoiselle I'm very glad I never watched this one! I thought I had missed out when it was being hyped but reading Tea's words I'm really glad I didn't get started on that because it sounds like something I would have hated. 

Now to answer some questions: 

Q4: Which Kdramas did not meet expectations?

I don't think it was a particularly great drama year for me, so there might be...a few. A lot of these are not 100% terrible, however, that might be worse because they should have leaned into the strengths instead of created the outlined weaknesses.

Taxi Driver 2 / Deluxe Taxi 2 - Not going to lie, I was soooo disappointed in the second series. In the first season, the personal revange stories of the taxi crew and the episodic stories of the victims were amazing . The comedy was also on point and the cat and mouse storyline with Esom's character was all woven together nicely. However with the second series, there was something missing. It felt like a lot of the episodic stories were overly dramatic/ less belivable? I cant quite pinpoint it, but I didn't feel as deeply drawn to all the victim's stories. The comedy was overly slapticky and wasn't as sharp or witty as the first season and the lack of balance (ie. overdoing the goofy scenes) took away from the cool-vigilente-justice persona of Kim Do Ki. Without the personal need for revenge or being chased by the police, the series lost it's edge and didn't have as much momentum or excitement especially as @mademoiselle pointed out, it was really obvious who the bad guy was and there was no big plot twist otherwise. Was the series terrible annd unwatchable? No, but because the first series was amazing, this paled very badly in comparison.

Black Knight - I love sci fi/ dystopian dramas and this series had so much promise as a more unique environmental dystopian series. But it didn't really do much in the end. The story was overly straightward and then it ended. Perhaps it's because there was only 6 episodes. But I found it to be really lacklustre with an obvious bad guy, which is a shame because they had built up this cool world with lots of interesting characters. Also I believe Esom had given up doing Taxi Driver 2 to do this drama and it turned out to be just as so-so as the other 

Heartbeat - I really, really liked the couple in this, so it's not all bad. I'll remember it for the things I loved about it. And it started out with a lot of promise for me.. I mean, it had so many interesting elements and made use of a lot of vampire folklore . It'd also been while since there was a vampire Kdrama. However, the storyline became more and more lacklustre as the series continued. There was wayyy too much focus on the second leads (several episodes). And instead of trying to find a solution to the issues raiised, the main characters (well, really the Kdrama wirter) just gave up. Tragically, it ended up with the worst kind of ending (ie. an ending to rival Dodosolsollalasol and Monthly Magazine Home which had 2 of the worst Kdrama endings I've seen in every way). 

A Time Called You - I'm not sure if this should be on the list because I had very little expectations for this drama to begin with, given it was a remake of a Taiwanese drama that was not only well loved across Asia, but also had won multiple awards. Having seen and loved the source drama, it was disappointing to see them re-create the same story without the heart and playfulness of the original characters. It was very aesthetiic and pretty for sure. The actors did also try, given how much pressure was on them. It also followed the main story closely in a lot of ways, but it was rather mechanical and didn't quite capture the chemistry, the deep love and pain of the main characters nor did it capture the nostalgia for the era of the late 90's.

Destined with You (Sorry @mademoiselle) - Again, I really really liked some elements of this drama - This was one of the best performances I've seen of Rowoon, proving hiis ability in both tsundere and comedic roles. He also looked mighty, mighty fine in a suit all day  I just didn't think the storytelling was utilised to the best of it's ability. There was a lot of unneccessary focus on the  Rowoon's mum & dad & friend stoyline and Boss' romances which was neither funny nor thought provoking = they were all pretty cringe. The bad guy's storyline kind of dragged on for too long. I also didn't think the past lives storyline was woven in very eloquently. It's like sometimes, all of a sudden, they would dream about or remember their past lives for no good reason. Where is the cause end effect??? I do like how they seemed to explore the ambigiousness of whether magic/shamanism actually works. But it would have been nice if they had summarised that point a bit (without doing so, I felt like it caused a lot of confusion. But maybe they wanted people to think about it their own). All in all, I just wish they'd made the overall story better 

Hahah this is a long answer, but I just needed to get this off my chest. Thanks @stroppyse for asking this cathartic question.

Q5: Who was the best Appa/ Omma?

Appa -THE STEPDAD from Cast Away Diva !!!  Honestly, who else would sacrifice their career and life and almost end up in jail for identity theft becauuse he was trying to protect his family (Even though it wasn't his own biological kids, he looked after them in such a caring ad gentle way). 

Omma - Hahaha, I didn't want to keep reverting back to Strong Woman Nam Soon, but I just loved the mother in that. She was just the most over the top character and super, super extra as a person. But she was also a doting mother. I mean given how cool and rich she was, If I was searching for my mother, I'd totally be happy if it turned out to be her 

Q6: Which drama had the best family/ squad?

I think I'll have to go with Castaway Diva - I loved seeing Chae Jong Hyeop and Park Eun Bin casually playing around with N. Everyone seemed super relaxed and laughed a lot which transalated to good on-screen family vibes. Even the scenes with the stalker dad in the behind the scenes was pretty funny.

On 12/8/2023 at 9:28 AM, mademoiselle said:

@abs-oluteM @JenL I actually liked Where Star Land when it was airing. And to clarify, it wasn't because of Rowoon (he didn't get adopted here). Yes, people dropped the drama because they were annoyed with Chae Soo Bin's character. They were too quick to judge. They didn't want to give her character a chance to grow! And it was only a couple of episodes at the start, too! She was totally fine and awesome after that. It was the same with A Piece of Your Mind. If I hadn't endured 6 episodes of bloody Jisoo, I'd not have seen the good parts of Chae Soo Bin and Jung Hae In's relationship.

Yeah I totally agree. I liked the drama and thought that Chae Soon Bin's character was really only annoying in th first few episodes. It wasn't like it was half the series or anything like that. Anyway she developed quite a bit. But I guess some people just drop dramas really quickly  I tend to stick it out unless I really don't like it (The only drama that I dropped in recent years like hotcakes was More Than Friends)

On 12/8/2023 at 10:19 AM, SilverMoonTea said:

 

I'll be preparing  to watch with. But hope you guys sorted it out on 12 episodes, I can't do 40 eps 

Hahahaha, 12 episode dramas are the only way to go. If it's longer than 12 episodes of me and @Tofu fighting in a love triangle, then I'll just let Tofu have the guy and I'll turn into the sad mopey second lead 

13 hours ago, Tofu said:

Hahahaha! I would just give in because I avoid anything that's stressful. 

Nah, I feel like you and I like so many Oppas that we'd probably end up liking a whole bunch of the same guys and would end up with one each. No love triangle needed! 

On 12/7/2023 at 3:02 AM, abs-oluteM said:

Taste can be very subjective. Personally this wasn't so bad. I watched it as an ongoing drama and yes, I was annoyed with Chae Soo Bin character at first but I think it was alright later.

Hahahaha, yeah, I was confused! But maybe I heard from the people who were so annoyed at Chae Soo Bin's character that they dropped the drama and never watched the good bits. I guess Lee Je Hoon's character was also a little annoying at times towards the end when he wouldn't listen to his mentor and was like, I just want to be a normal guy so she'll like me (she already liked him and would have preferred he was not going to die trying to be a 'normal guy'). 

But on the whole, it was a pretty enjoyable drama with a good mix of action, mystery, romance  and I had a lot of fun watching it!!! 

BTW, I would like to change my answer to this: 

A Drama you wished you'd watched sooner

I HAVE A BIGGER REGRET. I wished I'd watched Alice in Borderland sooner!!!! I love death grames as a genre and I don't know why I didn't feel like watching it sooner when it was in full hype. I think I probably had a lot on when it came out. Luckily I still had my sister to watch it with. And it was a good topic to chat about with a guy-I-used-to-like 

@SilverMoonTea It's because I finished Alice in Borderland that I went through to other japanese seres like Turn to me Mukai Kun and Zom100 ...and that's how I came to adopt Eiji Asako! Like Taiwanese series, Japanese series have also improved heaps and become so much smoother and less cringey. 

Your favourite relationship in a drama

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I didn't have any drama couples I was really into this year. No pairing I was obsessive about. Again Park Bo Young and Park Hyung Sik's married Min Min and Bong Bong cameo was probably the greatest romance moment of this year  (I laugh but I'm not joking ) ALSO another reunion I loved was Alice and Greg for the Someday or One Day movie. 

Hmmm, but if I had to pick from all the couples I've seen this year, I'd say Nam Soon and Hee Sik from Strong Woman Nam Soon was cute and Ki Ho and Mok Ha had a good overall storyline and kisssss  Park Eun Bin and Chae Jong Hyeop looked soooo comfortable and cute off-screen, though their characters had such a muted romance on-screen, which is opposite to how she was with Kang Tae Oh in Extraordinary Attorney Woo Young Woo 

On 12/7/2023 at 3:02 AM, abs-oluteM said:

With regards to Question 4, I am not sure if this sort of relationship should be celebrated ahahah but my favorite one is a rather dark and twisted relationship between two men in Evilives because their constant trust and distrust of each other drove the plot of the show and made such a good watch. SHK as we know is a brilliant actor but KYK was creepy good here too. I put the synopsis here 

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Han Dong Soo is a livelihood lawyer. He randomly picks a prisoner to visit and picks up a case. He is usually rational and reasonable, but deep within his mind exists a dark side. Something triggers him to cross the line and step into the world of evil. His younger half-brother is Han Beom Jae. Han Beom Jae works at a second-hand computer shop and he also acts as a case broker for Han Dong-soo, bringing him clients. One day, Han Beom Jae notices that Han Dong Soo has changed since he brought him a case. That case involves Seo Do Young who is the #2 ranked member of a crime organization. He is a former baseball player and appears nothing like a typical gangster. Behind his handsome looks, he hides a cruel and unpredictable madness.

And no, this is not a BL drama ahhahaah but check out this MV of them

 

Hahaha, I'm tempted to check this out for the favourite couple now 

Also do I spy Shing Jae Ha?  I love that man even though he played wayyyy too many evil characters this year. 

On 12/6/2023 at 11:23 AM, SilverMoonTea said:

@Tofuisnt that one of your crush too? I think Tofu and Jenl will definitely go for same man if they meet irl 😆

 

It got translated so maybe one of the day I will check this. I do like Haru, she's amazing, have quite broad range of emotions. 

On 12/6/2023 at 1:04 PM, Tofu said:

Hahaha! It appears @JenL and I have very similar taste. 

 

This year, I am grateful that a lot of streaming services picked up Korean dramas. I would say a good portion of the dramas I watched was because it's on Netflix or Hulu. I didn't have to use a third party streaming website for that many dramas. 

Hahahaha @Tofu just has good tastes, that's why we often like the same oppas   

I think we do like a lot of the same ones though don't we - Chae Jong Hyeop, Lee Jae Wook, Jasper Liu... and now Eiji Asako  I'm sure there's more I've forgotten. 

Could you imagine if we did like the same guy in real life ?! It'd be me and Tofu in a Kdrama love triangle  

On 12/5/2023 at 12:02 PM, OsmanthusTea said:

Tale of The Nine Tailed 1938, I watched it few weeks after it done airing. I was enjoying it so much and laughing my ass off, ALONE......

Ahhh so relatable!  I've been behind in my drama watching this year...everyone has finished spazzing about the episodes and I'm still like 3 episodes behind 

On 12/5/2023 at 12:48 PM, mademoiselle said:

Q3 – None.

 

None for me because I have been the guinea pig for others in trying out new dramas.

Hahaha it's because you're too up to date 

You're like my drama watching guru - if I need to check if a drama is worth watching, I always consult you 

@Tofu look! 

Man I never watched all the behind the scenes for this while it was airing, so I'm playing catch up...Is it just me, but do Chae Jong Hyeop and Park Eun Bin have better chemistry off screen than their characters?! Not particularly shipping or anything like that, but they look so chatty with each other in real life  ......haha they feel closer than their characters were  Maybe it's coz they both keep laughing so much

I'm here and catching up!

What Drama brought you joy?

Strong woman Nam Soon! Especially the Park Bo Young Park Hyung Sik cameo!!! 

I think the strong girl series is just so fun. It made me laugh a lot because it's so silly and wholesome and cute. It's probably closer to one of my favourite series this year as I don't think I found anything compellingly addictive.I also loved the Park Park cameo because who else could have brought so much chemistry to a reunion. I want them in another drama. 

A Drama you watched and enjoyed without any recommendations

There was this Japanese drama called Turn to me, Mukai-Kun which I picked up because I was bored and Netflix showed me a snippet which looked fun (Haha wait. Does that mean Netflix recommended to me?! I mean no one here recommended it to me). And it turned out to me great! Super relatable and funny and very reflective of modern dating. I loved the two main actors - Haru is so cool and pretty and she was great at being both independent and sassy, but also a little insecure. Was totaly crushing on Eiji Akaso 

@SilverMoonTea you would be proud that I watched a Japanese drama! Have you seen this one before??? I highly recommend if you haven't also very cute mild, mild romance

A Drama you wished you'd watched sooner

I finally watched both My Mister and Where Stars Land this year? There's always dramas that you miss the year they come out or because you weren't interested in the story at the time but you change yoour mind later on. I'd heard 'bad things about Where Stars Land  for awhile so avoided it even though it had 2 actors I really liked (both Lee Je Hoon and Chae Soo Bin). But I finally watched it and it was great - fast paced and enntertaining and not that irritating! Gotta take people's opinions with a grain of salt sometimes. 

On 12/4/2023 at 7:23 PM, mademoiselle said:

 

What do you guys think of that scene where Ki Ho left the restaurant upon seeing Mok Ha and Chae Ho? I think it is a sign that he knows Chae Ho likes Mok Ha and wanted to let Hyung have that time with her.

 

I felt like Ki Ho was always perceptive of this, although he would never hurt his brother by saying coz he was the reserved one. But I also thiink he was slightly sad about the thought too? 

On 12/4/2023 at 10:35 PM, Mizv said:

He’s a man.  What can we expect 

Hahahaha. Well played 

On 12/4/2023 at 11:33 PM, ktcjdrama said:

  Okay, I need to take back what I said... Assuming every month of cleaning uninhabited island, 15 years he could only cover 180 islands. 

Pardon my ignorance... lol...

 

Man I did not think Korea was so full of islands either. I'm also full of ignorance 

15 minutes ago, SilverMoonTea said:

Yep no haha I got irritated as the pair not as what I want 😆 I meant if in beginning they don't show so much bonding with WH then I'll be fine. I almost there actually left 2 more episodes haha.. 

 

Hahaha look, that's good effort for you. I'm surprised you made it this far 

I don't think I've ever paid any attention to Jang Dong Yoon - I'll check out the trailer and think about it 

On 11/22/2023 at 10:42 PM, ktcjdrama said:

 I won't say I adopted him as oppa... but I'm a big fan since WWW when I discovered he was Marco. I have watched all his dramas, and movie Kill Bok Soon

Why you no adopt LJW?  Nah, all good. More for me! 

But you're good! I actually still haven't seen Kill Bok Soon yet! Maybe that's what I'll watch tomorrow. I have nothing now that both my dramas have ended.. But LJW's Death Games starts soon!

On 11/24/2023 at 3:38 AM, ktcjdrama said:

 just tag me... oppa or not... it's easy to sell dramas (and oppas) to me. Furry little things, muscular beings, alpha females, angsty melos, lost aliens or lone ghosts... Just that not sure why, am not too into heavy (=violent) dramas this year. 

Yeah I'm a fan of those dramas too. But like violence between equal parties. Love a good gangster film. I can't stand abuse. Had to cover my eyes in Castaway Diva when the dads were abusive 

On 11/27/2023 at 3:24 AM, Tofu said:

 

Maybe he talked so much about he'd like there to be romance that the scriptwriter wrote it in. All, if not most, of his interviews were during filming. Haha! 

 

Hahaha considering he's so shy, he might be like Jasper - Jasper use to have to talk himself out of it when there was a romance cene otherwise he'd overthink and be nervous 

On 12/4/2023 at 4:16 AM, abs-oluteM said:

One final note about President Lee and Ran Joo - theirs had always been a complicated relationship. They started off as agent - artist to partners to lovers. And even though Lee was depicted as the "bad guy" here from time to time, I think you need someone like him to run the business and build it. RanJoo in her anger said that without her , he'd be nothing. Truth is artists like RJ , MoRae and even MokHa are disposable. President Lee would have found success even if it wasn't RanJoo he had started his agency with. 

I feel like this storyline was pretty unsatisfying though. Not sure why, but it felt like they were just so toxic for each other. I don't know if I'd believe he'd give up his shares in the end either. It seemed rather rushed for me? 

On 12/4/2023 at 6:21 AM, Tofu said:

 

Their smiles! 

 

Credit

They both reached their dreams. 

 

Credit

 

I'm going to miss all the Chae Jong Hyeop gifs now that this has finished! 

On 12/4/2023 at 1:00 PM, gilaswan said:

 

And was it implied at the end that Ki-ho and Mok Ha got married? This writer’s characters always get married. hahaha. And it was nice to see the reporter from Pinocchio and prosecutor from WYWS. I love how she brings her former characters back always. She’s got an entire universe going!

I think if not married, pretty close since she addressed them like her in laws! Maybe it would be ok because she debuted as an older star too 

On 11/21/2023 at 9:49 PM, mademoiselle said:

 

@JenL So the criteria of you never ever have SLS is that the Oppa has to be in God's tier. Never say never, though! There is always that dark horse.

 

ahaha I don't know if I ever responded to this but.... Anyone who plays second lead and manages to topple by God-Tier level of Oppas (Lee Jae Wook, Chae Jong Hyeop, Lee Je Hoon, Jasper Liu etc) probably deserves their spot in God-Tier too 

I don't think it's happened yet though 

On 11/21/2023 at 9:49 PM, mademoiselle said:

With Lee Jae Wook, he's done a lot more varieties of characters and in some memorable dramas, either as cameos or supporting roles compared to Chae Jong Hyeop. For example, LJW was Marco in Memories of the Alhambra. He was a nobody then, and it's his debut, but I managed to remember him. Obviously, when I first found out that it was the same guy in EY and Search: WWW, I was surprised because he looked so different as Marco. And I think that's why he made a stronger impression. Not to mention at the time I was into Zinu (Hyun Bin), and he was kind of riding on Hyun Bin's name as the new actor from HB's agency. He was also memorable in Search: WWW for his drama in a drama's scenarios. That said, his own dramas where he's the male leads were not as memorable/successful. I hope his upcoming one with Lee Se Young will be good. Did you watch his cameo in Kill Bok Soon?

 

With Chae Jong Hyeop, I recognise his charm since the beginning, but he just hasn't been in The One drama where I really love and make me go 🤩. So, no, he hasn't been adopted yet. Let's see how it goes by the end of this drama. I'm swooning at his dimples and smiles, but I'm waiting for him to flutter my heart, if that makes sense. I hope the writer gives Bo Geol more depth and chance to shine. Usually, the actors become popular after appearing in Park Hye Ryun's dramas.

Yep, I think Lee Jae Wook has picked more challenging and nunaced characters and stronger drama projects overall.. But sometimes I wonder if that's because he's had more opportunities presented to him. It seems he's always been quite a strong actor with quite a fast career trajectory, so maybe he got offered better dramas to pick from compared to Chae Jong Hyeop who has had a slower, (but steady) rise up. 

I've pretty much liked all his dramas - I think DDSSLLS wasn't extremely popular, but those who loved it, really loved it. However, much of that drama and even promotional things around that drama have been burried. I haven't even complained about this yet, but my translated Behind the Scenes videos which have been up since the drama aired got taken down for copyright by KBS  As for Alchemy of Souls this was really popular - although at the time there were riddiculous fan wars because of Jung So Min being changed out. But Even now, I still get people contacting me about LJW because they saw Alechmy of Souls!!!

As for Chae Jong Hyeop, did Ki Ho make you want to adopt him @mademoiselle??? Not sure if his charm has pulled you over th way it has with me and @Tofu. To date though, my favourite Chae Jong Hyeop project is still Witch's Diner. That was also a very mild romance (she spent half it in love with that other guy ) But he had he puppy charm on full blast in that series and I couldn't resist 

On 11/21/2023 at 9:49 PM, mademoiselle said:

Yes, I agree, this drama will have a mild romance too.

Mild, it was, but at least there was a good kiss in this one 

On 11/21/2023 at 10:06 PM, SilverMoonTea said:

I think I might be able to finish this and tortured myself in the process 😅

Did you finish this one Tea???  I'm guessing no?

Episode 12 - Finale!

I thought it was pretty good pacing to the end of the series with a really well rounded happy ending  

It was so heart warming to see the Lee family all hanging together and sharing a meal. And I loved how they showed all their photos, especially that cute couple photo of Ki Ho and Mok Ha. I was also a big fan of that explaination that Mok Ha gave to Ran Joo about why she didn't stress about not being not being #1. I feel like Mok Ha's experiences on the island were what made her character so enjyoable to watch - I liked her pearls of wisdom about being grateful and living life one step at a time rather than worrying over things outside one's control etc. I'm happy that Ki Ho and Mok Ha ended up together despite Chae Jong Hyeop's lies about there being no romance on every variety show haha. I think it was pretty mild, but there was just enough to make things work for a happy ending. I thought the playful scene on the rooftop was quite cute - something about the way Ki Ho did that playful nudge when he sat down next to her and the way Mok Ha jumped on him to grab her notebook 

Although I didn't get second lead syndrome, I grew to have a soft spot for Chae Ho. At first his weirdness was confusing to me, but then as the drama went on, I was charmed by his quirkiness and talkativeness. I think, aside from the fact the main lead of Chae Jong Hyeop which meant that I was doomed to like the lead from the start, I idn't get SLS because the writer balanced the character's stories. Even though Mok Ha had a lot of moments with Woo Hak/ Chae Ho, the pull from all the heartwretching events with Ki Ho, very touching backstory meant that it felt more that Mok Ha and Ki Ho belonged together. Often SLS develops because the second lead has both the tragic backstory AND a lot of good moments with the female lead, but FL still brushes off second lead for aloof first lead. I think it balanced out because Chae Ho's main reason for liking Mok Ha was, as he said himself, because he thought he was Ki Ho 

I did have to suspend disbelief a few times in this ending, but then again, this is a drama about a girl who survived 15 years on a desserted island to become a pop star, so not unexpected  I agree with @abs-oluteM that it seemed weird that they didn't get some form of punishment as I think in real life they wouldn't have gotten off quite so slightly. However, it seemed like even the prosecutors and other policeman were creeped out by the real dad, so maybe there were enough circumstances for them to let them off with a warning. What I actually found less easy to believe was that President Lee decided he'd give up his shares if he was wrong...also that he seemed to turn a new leaf for no real reason?  I mean, I don't think he was an all out villain, although he was a jerk, but I just don't feel like he'd suddenly stop being greedy for no reason? It just seemed a little too convenient that he'd suddenly had an epiphany for no reason. I mean I know him and Ran Joo had a long and complicated relationship and that he wasn't always bad towards her...but he did often seem to let money get the better of him, so I didn't buy his sudden change of heart. 

The other thing I couldn't quite believe was that the dad managed to get off being punished when there was dashcam footage of him putting the wasps nest into the car. That's attemtped murder!!! It seemed so unfar that he never got punished for that at least (not to mention the years of domestic abuse and other bad behaviour)...But in a way, I think the drama was trying to show he was a deeply troubled person who caused his own unhappiness and lonliness - and that was punishment enough for him, although he was never fully aware of his actions on himself. 

I liked how the stepdad survived - like @gilaswan I was worried about it being a main arterie, but thought the likely outcome was that he'd survive since it seemed like Chae Ho wasn't even sure what had happened when his dad had been injured, meaning that it wasn't likely that bio father had slashed the neck too deeply. Anyway, it would have been too sad if he didn't seeing as he was an all around good person 

All in all, a fun drama with a good childhood love story, and a good plot to follow