Interesting topic JB & GF. Lately I have noticed people feeling more superior about watching certain shows over another. I find this laughable at best as you have clearly stated. Everyone has different tastes so don't look down on me or be condescending eg because I prefer Marriage not Dating to Yoo-Nas Street, or Joseon Gunman to IOTL (true in both instances).
Blade Man for me is better than She's so loveable. Taste once more.

Last note, I do miss the mobile version of the site. Hope it will be fixed quickly.

I absolutely love it! The cute little threesome and Miss I never thought I would like (especially her "Wow's" which I found endearing).

This is completely OT but what happened to the like button? I just noticed that it's gone.

I always love reading Odds and Ends and I think this is one of the best ones. Tastes and likes are often subjective things, we like what we like. As mentioned I think no one should have to apologize for their preference and tastes at the end of the day it's about what we enjoy. I enjoy watching dramas that are I find enjoyable (for me) that I find entertaining and I look forward to.

I've seen episode 3 & 4 and color me surprised in actually liking the show. I wanted to take a peak at the latest episodes to see where the storyline was since the first episode seem to get a lot of negative response. I'm currently watching episode 1 and can see why many did not fall in love with it off the bat. Since I enjoyed episodes 3 & 4 I'm going to continue watching. It's a show I'm intrigued by and want to see where the story takes us.

dont worry javabeans, I love ironman too. I am just so glad I am not alone.

Will all this talk about good or shame drama make me remember hairs the worst drama for the last year but I enjoy it!

"There’s no accounting for taste & Taste sure is a subjective thing"...This year's kdrama offerings have drilled that home more so than in other years.

I am still undecided about whether I like Iron Man or not, but I'm willing to give it a chance for Lee Dong Wook and Han Jung-Soo as Secretary Ko. A hodgepodge of genre combinations so random that it's kooky: a comic book/manga, a video game, a fairy tale (Snow White & 6 dwarfs?), a rom-com, science fiction, a fantasy, a melo, a mystery, etc.

Diary of a Night Watchman is peculiar and undirected with writing that is nomadic. Yet, I continue to tune in each week curious about where the story is leading and how it will end.

Right now, both dramas are puzzles to figure out and solve.

So much of what I am liking right now is not in my wheelhouse at all (Night Watchman, Yoo Na's Street, Iron man sort of) ... and then some things I expected to like I am either meh on (Three Musketeers) or pretty much hate (Discovery of Love). Right in my wheelhouse and burrowing deeper in my heart weekly are Secret Hotel and Plus Nine Boys.

Sheesh, although I lurve LDW, I haven't tried IM because of all the negativity around it. Now, I think I will give it a try. Wish me luck!

I'm finding myself enjoying Ironman too. After watching a bunch of predictable dramas it's refreshing having no idea where the drama is going. And the deadpan humor cracks me up.
On the other hand I rarely like the dramas that get high ratings in Korea.

Hmmm...I like Iron Man and Night Watchman. I must be an outlier.

Oh my...JB's statement here "be totally turned off to something despite seeing its intrinsic value."

I will apply this to my watching The Innocent Man. I saw how deep the show was, I saw how wonderful the acting was etc but dear mercy I hated that show and stopped a few episodes in because I just could not stand how melo it was(I did not know what kind of drama I was getting into). Perhaps I watched it at a time when I needed some cheering up but truth be told, I have a limit to angst/melo/tragedy when watching a series. The Innocent Man pushed me to that limit

Yes, taste is really a subjective thing.

Thanks ladies! I'll remember this when my dad gets addicted to the next makjang drama he comes across, lol.

I love Iron Man. I didn't expect it to be so funny.

Instead of strange or weird, I would describe it as creative and unconventional. The style and humor immediately reminded me of films like Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Beetlejuice.

It's unpredictable and just really fun to watch, especially the first episode. If it continues to be this good, I might even name it my favorite drama of 2014..unless Secret Door steals my heart.

I really like this show. It is keeping me interested(which is hard to do with all the dramas I've watched) and it is also surprisingly touching. The leading lady's scenes with the little boy and also her " big boys" are just great. I think watching Mr. Spoiled rotten pants come under her spell will be a hoot. Kudos to the people who pushed forward this odd little gem. Let's hope it keeps delivering the goods!

Your convos are very amusing. It's like I'm actually there listening to both of you talking.

I'm gonna give up on Iron Man though, it's just not my cup of tea.

LDW, fighting!!! :)

Taste really is subjective. I end up watching quite a lot of dramas that I know are the check-the-brain-at-the-door kind (hello TTBY and NWJ). XD

And, GF, I think Kim Heung-soo is probably the only one having a blast in Night Watchmen-- everyone gets to run around looking worried (or in the case of you-know-who, expressionless) but he gets to do all the crazy stuff. Hee. That drama is worse than a meandering Wattpad serial. I guess I'm only watching now to find out how weird the ending will be.

I'm not even sure how to start this off. I have not seen the drama but I skimmed over the recap. It didn't grab my attention so I skipped it. But I've wondered if there has been a drama that was "recommended" (forced) to the both of you for monetary reasons. And funny how you ended the talk with money. Sometimes I feel like bumping my head ail lion times when I was a baby greatly affected my brain.my comment probably (yes, more than probably) but I guess what I'm really trying to say is that are you being paid to promote the drama. I'm really cool with that, and maybe my ADHD has taken over me, but that'a what I got from this, besides LOLing with the rest of the convo. Alright too much whiskey for me.

HAH I'm not watching any of these dramas at the moment (for lack of time, BOO)--except Surplus Princess (cute! fun! laid back!), but it's funny you mention this now because it was pretty much my line of thought while watching Fated To Love You. That drama had everything I never knew I wanted in a rom-com and then turned around and did everything I despised but kept me hooked the entire way. In between rolling my eyes and furrowing my brows, I was also squealing at my OTP and crying like a baby. Taste is a funny thing. (But I don't regret anything because, boy did it give me a helluva good time.) :P

Thank you, JB and GF again, for your insightful post.

"Taste is subjective." I'm going to take that phrase to heart now and not be embarrassed or feel the need to defend the dramas (and other forms of entertainment) that I prefer. In my humble opinion, I think that most people understand that tastes are indeed subjective, but some (including me) unwittingly fall into ranking certain tastes over another (and getting a bit nasty over it) because they feel that they would be judged for their own tastes. And thus feel the need to be protective over their own tastes and to sometimes bash others'. Hence terms like "my guilty pleasures."

But in the light of taking this conversation to heart, I will admit that I enjoyed and like the drama 'You Have Fallen for Me/ Heart Beats,' actually a bit of a fan of Park Shin Hye, don't find Gong Yoo, Lee Jong Seok and Lee Soo Hyun attractive to me, don't find the 'Reply' series amazing, usually don't have problems with cute female characters, didn't like 'Okjakgyu Brothers,' and find the current Running Man episodes still fun.

Ok now let me run away from the scary and angry comments and mean time, consider watching Iron Man....

I already wanted to watch Iron Man after your second episode review JB, but now I really want to watch it. Will you please consider recapping the whole show because it really enhances the viewing pleasure :).

And thanks ever so much for another ever so funny Odds and Ends. I truly love them!

the wife is watching Iron Man just for the Wookie shower scenes .... I'm watching with her, just to see if Tony Stark will show up and destroy everything to save mankind.

I don't get it. So if I like the popular great drama like Jewels of the Palace, it's not because of my taste? But if I like the disaster like Dr. Jin, I can blame it on my personal taste? I always thought whenever you offer your opinions/thoughts on any drama, they're all based on your personal taste whether the drama is popular/good or not. I don't get when people like a really bad drama, instead of offering the reason why they like it, they just offer the defense "it's my own taste"?!?! Then I really want to ask them to show me another great popular drama they love, is it based on their own taste also? Anyway, what I try to say is whenever you like/dislike ANY drama, it's all because of your personaltaste, should be no exception. Your taste helps you to form your thoughts/opinions/comments and in short, your POV.

javabeans and girlfriday..You two are fabulous!!! Thanks for the insight...I am still in, well, recovery after a wonderful drama I will not mention because I loved it so much, so no dramas for me right now...none can compare. Thanks for your courage to like a drama and feel no shame and remain friends...dramas bring out the best of us and the ....not so best! Thanks again!!!

Taste is indeed subjective.

The thing is people often use this sentence as a way of saying there is no way to determine if something is good or bad and this is just not true.

This is something modern society taught us because for economical reasons it is great if everybody feels what they like has value, it's good and keeps them spending money on what they like. It's kind of a big subject to explore here. :)

For instance, I was enjoying Night Watchmen, but it's such a bad show. The fact that something is fun or appealing in some way for me, doesn't change the quality of the thing itself. I don't mind saying I like something that is bad. :)

I pretty much know what I like and am happy when I get it but there have been shows I've been really surprised I liked, I really liked Sly and Single Again I didn't think I would especially as a lot of people thought it was just a knock off of Emergency Couple, in comparison I really could not get into EC I didn't really like the actors all that much though I did watch it after Sly so maybe I was sick of divorced reunion romances.

oy voy, voy!
I remember seeing the intro the post about Javabeans being an iron man fan girl and laughing for 5 minutes because there's just no accounting for taste!

I agree with Girlfriday how awesome Jung Ilwoo is in Nightwatchman and how he's the only one among the main cast who can act. I am sad though how it could've been awesome given better and more experienced actors. Also faster story line would've been better. I find myself fast forwarding to Prince Wolgang parts. The saddest scenes he has is when he is with the girl--can't convince me how he'd be interested in someone who's close to a ghost in terms of the feeling department.

Redfox, you've been missed on OT.

I will have to check out Iron/Blade Man then. Other than taste, i think one could think of an objective function for our 'demand' for kdramas: Price (time), other competing goods, age, mood(season), etc, including that inexplainable factor -taste. Taste is such a damper on conversations; it is good to explore with others why we like and not like to come to an equilibrium state of 'buy', no 'buy', or 'agreeing to disagree'. Precisely i like this DB community because of the way the factors play for each one, which make for an enjoying ride in kdrama land.

It's All about taste, that's all . I watch The three musketeer because I'm yonghwa fan, but then i love the plot! love minseo, love seungpoo, love CP, and offcourse i really love the crying boy dalhyang ~ maybe JB is LDW fan so jb love to wacth IM, HA! it's that same -.-

Thank you JavaBeans! I would NEVER have given Blade Man a chance without reading this post... I know I shouldn't judge a K-drama by its promo materials, but life's short. So thanks for the advice! I didn't even watch episode 1, just started with episode 2. I've become totally drawn in! It's surrealist and idiosyncratic. I can see why lots of people don't get it. But I'm enjoying it.

I've noticed a tendency on some K-drama websites for reviewers to jump on reviews that aren't totally positive. If I don't give something 5 stars, someone tells me that "K-dramas aren't for everyone." But it's silly to pretend K-dramas are the same. And if someone's checking out K-drama for the first time, I don't want them to decide they don't like it on the basis of one episode of one show! There's a world of differences between "Boys over Flowers," and say, "That's Okay, It's Love." Room for all kinds of viewers!