Hi there

How are you?
I have been busy with some health issues, tests, they took so much blood I was thinking maybe orders by Gwi... and ultrasound. but all is clear it is just we have only one break at work in 11 hours and I dont eat often enough so my stomach starts eating itself. eww. maybe I should watch less dramas cause every time I look at the screen they are eating and that gets the stomach started again... I have to eat 4 times a day. and no coffee :-(

MIGHT BE SPOILERS SINCE THERE ARE NO RECAPS YET.
anyway, I am sort of irritated at She Was Pretty. they are all a lot more stupid now. Like, you were slow, Seung joon, too slow. Blame yourself that you didnt get it. And with that I really don´t feel he deserves Hye Jin. Or that Hye Jin should accept him so easily. It is not about second leads, it is just about fairness. on the other hand, if you meet your real long gone friends I do suppose it gets you all emo.
But still...I am not quite satisfied nor impressed. The hints should have been enough, and don´t give me the "but the puzzle piece"... or "he had pressure on him". That´s not an excuse not to state the obvious, or ASK, or just say: I am confused, I thought THAT person was my friend but she doesnt seem like it, instead YOU remind me of my friend, am I crazy or am I right? ah, but I guess he is not me, I tend to jump at people like that and spook them. and Ha Ri, if your bubble was popped, blame yourself. really you dragged it for too long. plus, Hye Jin... too quick to admit you like him. from being awkward to being in love. and becoming the irrational idiot day after! it doesnt een make sense in the context of the usual kdrama idiotism. gah many things are bugging me, but as long as Shin Hyuk and all the editors keep being so cute and crazy, whatever. I´ll just look past anything those lost friends are doing. none of them deserve their current standing, I am just not buying the smoothness of the results.

POSSIBLE SPOILER OVER

I watched the japanese Liar Game at last, it was at parts very over the top and the calculations were even more confusing, but what I liked it was more visible how Akiyama was forming the strategy. he didnt just walk up and say he has a way to win, there was some observing and strategic moves...

Question: if you could form a "Superleague" of kdrama actors, like the team of teams, who would you put there and what would be their mission?
(inspired by the unbelievable ahjumma cast in the coming Dear My Friends, ridiculous sequence of words though)

Lee Sang-yoon as Cha Hyun-seok is the greatest thing that happens in my dramaland!! ?

I mean.. seriously.. he's the most adorable awesome character ever! LSY is the perfect cast for this. Oh shoot, now I'm grinning from ear to ear again.

Just started on 'Twenty Again' early this week and finished it in few days. It has easily become one of my all time fave and I think I'll watch it again and again whenever I need a quick happy fix.

Back to Lee Sang-yoon, he's really quite a late bloomer. From MDSY to Liar Game and now this. I'm so looking forward to more of him.

Can you think of any other actor who fits a drama character perfectly?

Watching the latest episode of She Was Pretty, I have to say I'm happy that Hari is still Hyejin's first priority. I'm glad that the writer treat their relationship as important as the romance. I kind of understand why Hyejin still believe in Hari even after all that mess. Their relationship is deeper and tighter than a simple friendship, Hari is Hyejin's family and vice versa. And it's not that easy to severe such a ties. You can't just disown your 'sister' for a mere boy's problem. Even if the problem is actually more complicated than that, their lifelong relationship is still far more important for Haejin.
Why did I have a feeling that Ten's identity will play an important role in the next episodes??

@pogo wrote a very impressive review of Sassy Go Go last week which had me persuaded. The first episode did not really get me hooked immediately, but from the second episode onwards, things are gathering momentum and I’m starting to fall in love with it. The gutsy demeanor of Yeon-doo reminded me of Makiko Esumi in the comic jdrama series Shomuni which also hilariously mocked elitism through the struggle of the underdog.

Last week the 2nd lead syndrome was being raised due to Kim Shin-hyuk in She Was Pretty, and there was also discussion about passionate love versus stable love. I was ruminating on this, and here is my take. I rarely have 2nd lead syndrome except for these four dramas which hit me real hard:
Mary stayed out All Night - Mae-ri(Moon Geun-young) choosing Mu-gyul(Jang Keun-suk) over Jung-in(Kim Jae-wook)

Hong Gil Dong - Yi-nok(Sung Yu-ri) choosing Gil-dong (Kang Ji-hwan) over Chng-hwi (Jang Keun-suk)

To the Beautiful You - Jae-hee(Sulli) choosing Tae-joon(Choi Minho) over Eun-gyeol(Lee Hyun-woo)

Mirae’s Choice - Mi-rae(Yoon Eun-hye) choosing Kim Shin(Lee Dong-gun) over Se-joo(Jung Yong-hwa) – ok, this is somewhat debatable

I have nothing against the main leads, and I actually like all of them, but what irks me is seeing the girl indulging her full attention to the whims and fancies of her love interest, supporting and helping him in every possible way and nursing his every wound, while totally oblivious to the 2nd lead who is always there for her in time of need or when she gets hurt by the capricious mood swings and unexplained tantrums of the male lead.

In MSOAN, the term “EuriYeoja” (meaning faithful and loyal girl) is used on Mae-ri, which perfectly describes such total devotion to love. I feel very sorry for the pathetic second lead who is being cast aside to lick his own wounds, not even receiving a tiny wee-bit of “Euri” from the girl though he is exhibiting 100% “Euri” behavour towards her. Shouldn’t the lead at least do more to earn his keep? Being a "Euriyeoja" is sure to be very tough in the long run, so I rather the girl forgo her passionate love towards the male lead for the stable love of the 2nd lead. Though I also like Jang Keun-suk, I couldn’t help but feel very sorry for Kim Jae Wook’s character in MSOAN that I rather Mae-ri chose him. I loved the scene in which he sat beside Mae-ri on the floor in the bookshop, and went gaga when he showed Mae-ri her room with wall high bookshelves filled up with all her favorite books.

Probably most will not agree with me, but if there is anyone who has suffered from 2nd lead syndrome, please share your views, it will be great to hear what you have to say.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

Currently watching "she was pretty" as the rest of the drama world, and while there's some bumpy places here and there, I can truthfully say I've enjoyed it this far

I need help deciding whether or not to start D-Day. I've heard that the first couple of episodes are bad, but I didnt know if they got better later and is worth watching now. Thanks!

Hello all! My current drama feels:

Twenty Again - I liked it. I can't say I loved it because I'm not sure I'll remember much of it in a year. However it was very cute, an easy watch with some great characters. It didn't make me mad at all, progressed how I hoped it would, and ended the way I expected haha. Lee Sangyoon and Choi Jiwoo were great, but I'd really like to see more of No Younghak and Jin Kijoo. I found them much more interesting to watch than Naeun and Kim Minjae (though that's possibly because of their characters). Speaking of Minjae:

Because It's the First Time - I'm really enjoying this. Again it's lowkey, but it's a drama that feels surprisingly realistic (for a drama). The six main characters are all intriguing so far (Kim Minjae is doing better here). I like the format of making three 15 minute eps in a row every week, because each little ep feels self-contained yet links really well to the next one. Would recommend if you want a cute coming-of-age drama to watch, even if it is low on conflict.

She Was Pretty - I have been loving it from about ep 5-10. But I'm really worried about how they're going to fill in the last episodes. Ep 11 was already irritating me thanks to Hyejin's noble idiocy and mopey Shinhyuk. Pleaseeeee don't let this drag on for another 5 episodes. Focus on getting Hari and Shinhyuk together, or getting The Most to no. 1, or your Ten/chaebol mysteries instead of trying to push arbitrary hurdles in the main couple's path. And kisses please! I'm waiting patiently!

Sassy Go Go - Is different to what I was expecting and I'm not sure whether it's better or worse. I'm glad we're /finally/ getting to the cheerleading. All the adult stuff bores me, aside from cheerleading teacher x maths teacher. (Although one thing that bugs me about that is the way they introduced cheerleading teacher, as if she was ugly? Like I'm still mad about that. It took me like a week to understand that's what they meant...) I'm worried about where they're going with love triangles, because do we really need all three male leads falling for Yeondoo? I would say Yeondoo/Yeol is so obvious that having a love triangle is boring BUT there's the problem with their parents, so I'm not sure how they're going to resolve that. It seems a shame that the parents would have to give up their relationship for the kids (and also awkward). I'm rooting for Hajoon x Sooah (you know, once she goes through her character development). I feel like they were planning to go with Dongjae x Sooah, but might have decided that wasn't really working? Anyway let's have Hajoon x happiness at least (I wouldn't say no to a Jisoo kiss scene either....).

Village - I've only watched two episodes, because the subs I watched for episode 2 were rubbish. I might wait until it's over to finish it so I can binge, because at the moment it's not really demanding my attention. I'm not sure I really care about any of the characters that...

Hi Everyone!

I hope you are all doing well today.

I have to run off for a couple of hours, lots of things to do today, but I just wanted to stop by and say "hi!"

Watched this week:

Finally finished Yong-pal and continued waching Hwajeong. I think I just have 6 more episodes to go.

That's about it for now. ....... Everyone take care, have a great day and happy drama-watching!

Kimchi is full of bacteria AND viruses??! Certainly learned something from this article!

Another week done, and Sassy Go Go continues to steal my heart and induce equal amounts of squee (SO MUCH SQUEE, that couple! God bless whoever's idea it was to combine Lee Won-geun and Jung Eun-ji!) and heartache (poor Teacher Yang, they really put him through the wringer this week - not saying more because the ep 6 recap isn't out yet). And I loved that this week had Ha-joon actually opening his eyes to Yeon-doo being more than just some weird girl his bff likes.

It's a real shame it's not doing well ratings-wise, because it's an underrated little gem and I wish the team that came up with it could get the rewards they deserve. It's all the things I love about school dramas, and I love that it's a story where people actually TALK to each other instead of playing noble idiot. (and OOF that hug!!! and the banana milk!)

Also, Yeol/Yeon-doo have to go into end-of-year Best Couple nominations. That chemistry is too good for them not to. And while we have all been squeeing madly over his smiles, I have to give her credit for being so endearing and natural onscreen that no one ever doubts for a second WHY he's fallen for her (and it's not just because she's pretty).

Six Flying Dragons - started on this one from ep 5 onwards, and I think I like it. I really enjoy the cast, and as for Shin Se-kyung, she could be better but she's not unbearable. It does make me wish they'd scored their original choice of Baek Jin-hee for the role, though. SSK is ok but Baek Jin-hee would have slayed.

Happy Friday!
I like the new top 10 thread by JB, because it gives me a chance to review what I have watched. I hardly have that chance, being so busy catching up with airing dramas which just keeps coming. I am surprised I can not remember endings, sometimes even plots for many shows (No wonder I can't get 'Name That Drama' even for the ones I watched. Well I can always blame on getting old).

Drama-wise,
Six flying dragons: I am glad they made this as fantasy Sageuk because these historical figures were used enough in previous dramas. I wanted to see something different and I think I got my wish. And even though the story is all over the place and tone is not consistant, I find it is quite enjoyable. This also feels like 4 young stars' acting competiton/showcase- all are doing great (love Byun Yo-han).

At first I thought 50 eps are too long, but considering there are 6 leads, 50 eps don't feel too long. I can watch Moo-hyul for 10 eps, Bang-ji for 10, Boon-yi for 10, listen to Jung Do-jeon/KMM's voice for 10, and watch Bang-won and his bodyguard Young-kyu's bickering for 10. I can do away with Lee Seong-gye because I love Yoo Dong-geun's Lee Seong-gye in Jung DoJeon too much. lol

Innkeeper/Master of Trade: I am very disappinted with Innkeeper so far- Too much crying and frustration for my liking. I wanted to see hero's success story (like now- at least a little). I have been watching the show frustrated, and now WTH with love triangle! I don't even like the lead Jang Hyuk here - which is just sad.
I hoped the show was like SangDo, which had a humble, sincere and serious man working hard to become the most sucessful merchant in late Joseon. Sigh.

She was pretty: I also enjoy She was pretty and Sassy Go go. But I admit SWP got less fun after Hye-jin's make over and all the reveals.

Korean Site DaEum has a voting going on 'If I am Hwang Jungeum/Hae-jin, who do I choose.. Park SuJoon(Sung-joon) vs Choi SiWon(Joon-hyuk). Out of total 16,710 votes, 52% went to Choi SiWon and 48% went to Park SuJoon.
Me? CSW. keke How about you?
(btw They reported the richest idol in real-life is Choi SiWon)

Oh another real couple a show created- Lee Chun-ah and Lee Gi-woo(yeah for second male lead!) from Flower boy ramen shop - they look good. It is happy birthday(10/23) for Lee Gi-woo.

Hey there, fellow drama-lovers!

How goes?

All is well here -- am so psyched. This ESL class has been such a blessing for me. And tomorrow Sukja -- my fave lady from the ESL class-- has a dinner party and well..am super-psyched and hoping to be up on al my korean etiquette. She's also promsed to make tteokbeoki for me. I asked her what i should bring for dinner and she said "Just bring yourself, you are the gift." Ah, she is such a sweetie!

Made a mistake and tried to watch American TV. Apparently being away from it for a while made me even more thin-skinned about the self-righteous rudeness of American cops, doctors, lawyers, doctors. I'm used to bad people being rude, not good guys. K-drama, you're to be blamed.

Finished the first round of flash fiction judging. I was given the fantasies and fairy tales to judge and I will only say that folks shouldn't go mocking a genre unless they understand it and can do it well. Seriously! It took a w hole lotta patience for me not to in sult some writers who obviously were way too impressed with their imagination and heir cynicism. Red riding hood catching grandma in bed with the wolfman? I think not. It was like..seriously, folks? Aaargh, don't let me go on or I'll just fume.

Luckily I happened upon some super healing real fairy tale movies and stories and got reset. ;-) Still waiting for The Piper to be subbed. But i totallyl loved 11 am with my cutie Daniel Choi.

Dramas:

I'll just say I have learned to push through on some flaky dramas before deciding to give them up. Cause..you never know.

Achiara: Ah me! My new crack. Despite the mopey acting of the main actress and the writers making her so dumb. Am really loving the older cop. Wow he is sooo good! A slow burn hero in the making. So was rich guy's younger daughter stolen from some other woman? Or was Kim Hye Jin the daughter of chaebol's wife? Who else's daughter could she be? Anyone else laughed when young cop asked himself, "How many Kim Hye Jin's are there in the world?"

Speaking of Kim Hye Jin: Am so glad i returned to She was pretty. Siwon is so adorable. And I am seriously hoping the weird editor-ess and the young guy end up together.

All about my mom: Dang! So many secrets, so many lies. And of course I'm utterlly hooked.

Flying dragons: Liking it a lot as well.

Glamorous Temptation: Very makjangy..so yeah, it hits a makjang craving apparently. Now that we know everyone in that chaebol family is nuts, nowMom is gambling?

D-day: kinda dull. Not sure what it's missing but am not gonna sit around analyzing it. I will just say that when nurse Administrator left the parking lot without finding her son I thought the writers were pushing the heroism trope a bit much. Lady may be responsible and stressed but she is not that NEEDED.

That's all, i think. Happy weekend, all. -C

Hi All and Happy OT!

One more week to go and it's the end of another month!

I was thinking of the romance tropes that happily I seem to see less of, although they do still pop up, but not as much as before. Have we ever had a comprehensive list of them before?... You know those couple scenes where their 'lurve' is being shown? Let's see, there's the ...

- run like crazy through the hospital to find the other half who is sick/had an accident

- run and shout through crowds in the airport to catch the other half who's flying away

- being the one to take care of sickly fevered other half with wet towels and porridge

- the De Rigueur piggyback ride

- the wipe off drool/food from lips with fingers or a kiss (aww or yucks???)

- the pull other half into a sudden hug to save them from the vehicle of doom

- the catching of other half in a half/full hug, or both ending up horizontal when they somehow fall artistically and in slow motion

- the accidental 'nekkid' scene which only rarely ever gets referred to again

- the forced close proximity scene when the couple has to hide

- the fond look at other half who is sleeping, which may be coupled with covering them with blankets and stroking hair or brows, etc.

- the gift of shoes (boy gives girl) that the girl is supposed to wear when she 'comes to' him.

There must be more which I can't recall .... What would our romance dramas be like without them? And yet, how many of them are ever likely to happen to us? :)