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Beans of Wisdom: Sideburn amulets and army coffee

This week in Beans of Wisdom…
 
In “1% of Anything: Episode 8” comment #12, Martin J Simwaba writes:
 

Wait! I am 27yrs old, and for a man i find very fond dramas. Is that bad? Please tell me…[cause here in Zambia, Africa, mind you, watching dramas, novelas is pressumably for women but i ‘involuntarily’ find myself drawn to them everyday.] i need some convincing.

nannah replies:

I think it’s great that you love k-drama (& especially this one) I don’t know of any rule that would stop men from liking them & I think many do, so you’re not alone

So..keep watching & enjoy yourself

For me, k-dramas are a pleasure of life I wouldn’t want to give up

Reba Wechoki:

The fact that every African on the continent who likes Kdrama finds their way to the dramabeans website is a testament to how great Javabeans and the team are.And nope nothing wrong with a man liking Kdramas aren’t they all made for both men and women. Your preferences are valid to sort of steal a quote from a fellow Kenyan ?

Mermaid Scribbler adds:

And the power of story speaks to men and women. A good story is a good story. Period!
Glad you are enjoying them as much as we all do. ?

And sumi:

Rest assured that among the millions of people around the world who enjoy watching k-dramas, there are lots of men. Fidel Castro’s son, Alex, said he is a fan. I watched a show about the making of the k-pop group WINNER, and when the members (who are young, “cool” guys) were in a room that they thought was free of cameras watching them, they eagerly watched a k-drama together. There are some men who post on Dramabeans, and I’m sure there are lots more who lurk. We’ve also had male recappers in the past.

If you really enjoyed this episode, I’m guessing that means that you’re a guy with a romantic heart– and that’s a wonderful thing!

 

YY prepares to say goodbye to Moon Lovers in “Beans of Wisdom: Scarred hearts and amnesia-proof helmets” (#11):

Bye, Scarlet Heart
(Sung to John Denver’s Leaving on a Jetplane)

Got my tissue packs
I’m ready to bawl
I’m waitin’ here for this week’s show
I hate to go to sleep, such a waste of time
But the dawn is breakin’
It’s Monday morn
My laptop’s waiting
I switch it on
Already I’m so miserable
I could die

So, kiss Soo and smile for her
Tell Soo that you’ll wait for her
Hold her like you’ll never let her go
‘Cause you’re leavin’ this comin’ Tuesday
Don’t know when you’ll be back again
Oh, So, my life is over

Spi

There’s so many times I drag you around
So many times I marry someone else
I’m telling you now they don’t mean a thing
Every place I go, I’ll think of you
Every person I’d kill, I’ll stop for you
When I come back, I’ll bring your new hairpin

 

In “This Week, My Wife Will Have an Affair: Episode 1,” Rose writes in comment #8:

I think what this drama is doing a good job at, is showing us that, at the end of the day, cheating or not cheating, it is not the core of the issue.

The simple fact that their couple came to a point where she could, potentially, envisage cheating on him and that he could picture it, say a lot about how this couple is a dysfunctional one.
I, sincerely, doubt that she is cheating on him, but I think that the road he is taking will , hopefully, allow him to open his eyes about the real state of his couple.

Yes, he was happy with their couple dynamic, but was she ? She appears as the enduring type, so it is more than likely that behind her smiles, she is hiding her wounds.

I think that for our 3 “couples”, this drama will be about being able or not to feel empathy, being able to put themselves in the other person’s shoes, discover their truths and see through their eyes their reality.
And next is the following question : can he, she, they change and found a new equilibrium in their couples ?

 

And in “This Week, My Wife Will Have an Affair: Episode 2” comment #1, Nana writes:

I’m really into this show. I’m already so invested, also the acting can’t be beat. I like how everything is hinted, allowing the viewer to be in pace with our main character. The wife seems perfect, I’m not sure why I don’t see how they got married. Their life seems so artificial, am I the only one who feels this? It’s like their only connection is their son, but maybe this what happens in some marriages. I might be feeling this because I haven’t seen them have conversations.

Bubu:

I totally agree that their lives seem too artificial and they only seem to talk about their son. I know this drama is about adultery but I think more than anything else, it also shows that some couples tend to be indifferent with one another as time goes by. Hyun-woo barely has a conversation with his wife which is why he finds it so hard to question her about Michael. Even if she isn’t cheating ( I don’t think she is)-I hope he will come out to be a better man and have a more intimate marriage. Also, some women cheat just to have sex. I think the opinion that women cheating is only about emotion is wrong. If that were the case why would some women sleep with a guy if its all about the emotion. I hope this drama is able to break that stereotype. Men and women are not that different.

MapleSilver:

Sadly after eight years of marriage many couples do drift apart from each other with only their children keeping them together. That seems to be the case with our characters. We are not told why they get married in the first place other than he falls in love with her. She seems to be the cold one, not even wanting to kiss him on the lips on their wedding day. I wonder if that is meant to tell us something. But even if he starts out all lovey-dovey toward her, constant rejection from her could turn the warmest guy into a self-doubting man who will protect himself by putting a distance from his wife. We see that they both avoid sleeping in their bed, preferring to sleep with their son instead. I hope this aspect of their relationship gets explored fully as the show goes on.

 

In “On the Way to the Airport: Episode 11” comment #13, Diana asks:

To be honest, why Doo Woo didn’t see Su Ah when he was the one who drove the minibus??

Didn’t he able to see his passanger’s face from the mirror?

watching this episode made me think sometimes this world is so small, wherever you run, you’ll meet same person,..

Pebble replies:

Well, since the name of this drama is OTWTTAirport, all the significant events which coincidentally brought SA and DW together and sealed their fate must happen at the airport or be linked to it. This explains why the writer didn’t arrange for DW to recognise SA on the bus, or when he beamed the bicycle light in her path when she walked past him. Else this drama would have to be named “Journey of Destiny on the Jeju Bus” or something along the line of movie title “Driving Miss Daisy”, or “Girl on A Bicycle” lol

Klurker adds:

Lol. Or “Lovers in Malaysia,” “On the Way to the Job Interview,” “Scarlet Heels of Jeju”. Indeed, every fated reunion or breakup has to take place at the airport.

 

JC writes in comment #1 of “1% of Anything: Episode 7”:

What started as a complete frustration of ill-placed machismo has become one of my all time favorite mutually encouraging sweet OTPs. Happy beyond words the hauling around of the female lead has stopped. He is still very physical with her, but it is different…not demanding and he steps back when she says no (although that bit is more seen in ep 8). With all the episodes so far, we have an excellent contrast on how not to and how to respect a woman. My little fan heart is bursting.

Wag_a_Muffin:

I agree completely. (Except I wasn’t so upset at the beginning.) People need to be given space to learn, mature, and grow as humans. If you throw out a person (or character) every time they disappoint you, you are going to have a very small circle of associates.

I am happy for his growth. (But I have a feeling this is going to be a two steps forward, one step back kind of deal. And he’ll do stupid, macho, man-dumb things again before the end. (I will be patient with him, though.)

Mermaid Scribbler:

As a woman, it was hard for me to love the earlier version because a subtle sense of sexism seemed to creep into that show. The heroine got dragged around most of the time (although it was beautifully acted and she was endearing in many ways), the leading man stayed petulant, and I couldn’t root for her to marry him because I felt like her life would always be a sacrifice for his wants. There were even times when the boy cousins would tell their girlfriends to go inside while they fought things out like men. It just hit me all wrong.

So, I wasn’t going to watch this show, but now I am happily relieved to find that Dada holds her own without having to change her character. I doubt she’ll ever be the woman who saves the day in a fist fight, but she has some fantastic gifts/powers of patience and kindness, and she corrects what needs correcting. She holds fast to her beliefs, and it’s so refreshing to see that they balance each other in strengths and weaknesses. So much so, that I believe that they will really take care of each other. That’s good writing and acting, to make me want to root for them. Well done show!

 

Jenn shares an observation in comment #19 of “1% of Anything: Episode 7”:

I haven’t read all the comments, so someone may have pointed this out already, but in a couple episodes I’ve seen some percentage signs and think this is related to how far along the couple are falling in love with each other…

In one case, they are on a date and pass a 40% sign and it occurred to me that they are about 40% there in their relationship….if it’s deliberate, it’s a great little detail by the show’s creators!

 

Denali in comment #20:

When Jae-In agreed with Da-Hyun that “only someone less than human would lay his hands on a drunk woman”, his actions matching his words, I mentally offered a standing ovation to the writer. Thank you for stating the obvious which sadly isn’t that true in this ugly world.

 

Dean shares an observation in “The K2: Episode 11” comment #30:

Speaking of both episodes this week, I really do see why the opening credit is playing chess. The political framework and interwoven relationships of the characters are quite interesting.

It really is like playing chess, where 1 side makes a move and then the other side fires back, but each side advances further in winning the game. All the moves have been strategic and it propels the character further in the story.

Very solid week actually and very interesting cliffhanger for next week.

 

While Sua asks in “The K2: Episode 12” comment #8:

Okie this might or might not be a stupid question but.. I’m kind of confused here, so would someone mind clarifying for me please? So…. is Song Yoon-ah a villainess anymore or not?

Miranda answers:

She’s coming across as more of a learned sociopath, if such a thing exists. A product of her environment who now uses people like tools and manipulates through emotion instead of responding to it. Someone that clinical and driven can seem to be a villain. That and she’s done a hell of a lot of shady crap.

Her reactions with Je Ha are different, though – and curiously, her interaction with Master Song was also a little different. It’s like she sees them both as truthful and upright, and lets them talk back to her even when it enrages her. And with Je Ha she might actually be seeing the person she wanted all along, either to be or have by her side. During those moments she seems more like a general in a war than a villain.

She’s probably a normal woman who responded to cruelty and manipulation over time until she learned how to use it, and now seems evil. And maybe is evil.

 

In response to rentenmann’s story of letting our loved ones go in last week’s “Beans of Wisdom: Scarred hearts and amnesia-proof helmets,” PakalanaPikake writes in comment #9.2:

I haven’t watched FANTASTIC, but you post makes me want to add it to my to-watch list. It seems we’ve had similar experiences vis-a-via dealing with kinfolk with terminal illnesses. Your comments echo the process of witnessing my mother-in-law’s final bout with a brain tumor after 25 years of surgeries and radiation. She took the disease as a personal affront and was mad as hell. She was a fighter who lasted a year beyond the 6 months the docs gave her.
One of the things that helped me immensely was a small book entitled Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying, by hospice nurses Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley. Unfinished business and waiting for permission were two of the issues of concern to their dying patients. Knowing that enabled me to discern unfinished business that the family took care of for her peace of mind — moving her dead infant’s remains to the family plot. Giving permission meant telling her to do whatever she needed to do, while reassuring her that the rest of us would watch out for my father-in-law, so she could stand down.

Please don’t second-guess yourself. Giving permission to your dad was the ultimate act of compassion.

blnmom adds:

Blessings and thanks to you, and to rentenmann and capt_blackdog. I believe this will help a lot of people. In this day and age when there are so many medical advances to keep fighting a terminal illness, it is increasingly more difficult to let go when it’s time.

 

In comment #5.5 of “Jealousy Incarnate: Episode 20,” Fish N’ Chips shares a story in relation to Hwa-shin’s actions:

Getting back to understanding where HS’s coming from though, I feel like this may be because my mum’s side of the family has a mentality that’s very much like Hwa Shin’s brutal honesty. Don’t volunteer someone if you think they’re not actually up to doing it. Be honest if someone’s done a bad job, even if they’re a loved one. Never compromise your morals or judgement just because you care about someone.

For example, ever since I was a kid, I loved to write. I wrote and wrote and wrote. And I was good at poems, but stories? Not so much. From ages 10-12, my mum would tell me, every single time, without holding back, without softening the blow: “This is bad. This part is confusing. This doesn’t make sense. This dialogue is immature. You’re not very good at this.”

Never once did that make me get mad at her for “not believing in me”. My writing was sucky. My mum did love me, but she was still going to be honest about my abilities. I never once resented her or begrudged her for it- rather the opposite, I valued her honest feedback more than anything because it helped me know how good I was doing, and aim for improvement (compared to my dad, who proclaimed that anything I wrote was better than Shakespeare, nonstop, ages 10-now).

And now, my writing is good. My mum recognises it, and praises me for it, clapping her hands in delight: “This was funny! This was well worded. The flow was good here. That made me tear up!” And her praise feels 1000x better than my dad’s, because I know she is telling me all of that genuinely, without the slightest bit of exaggeration to make me feel good since I’m her loved one and she “believes” in me.

Maybe it would’ve been ‘nicer’ for HS to just believe in NR and send her out anyway, or get someone else to do his brother’s report. But good isn’t always nice.

And lying or faking confidence or turning a blind eye so that you don’t hurt someone’s feelings may seem like the ‘kinder’ thing to do on the surface, but deep down, I believe it’s demeaning and patronising to everyone involved.

A lie is still a lie at the end of the day, and while HS has many faults, dishonesty has never been one of them. Nor, frankly, do I think it’s something he has to apologise for.

 

And Ty talks about Jung-won in #5.5.3.1.3:

JW’s actions post-breakup have been a big fat NO. I’m sure we all agree that he needs to let go.

On the other hand, I don’t think his maddening jealous behaviour is all that weird. In fact, I’d say it’s been the intention of his character all along.

JW is HERA. The wife of Zeus, goddess of marriage, and pretty notorious for being jealous of all of her husband’s affairs. Man, I love it when shows/films include these allusions!

Here we have JW who is all about marriage. He’s portrayed as ideal marriage material and his main desire is to marry Na Ri (sometimes without taking her feelings into consideration, I might add). He’s Na Ri’s first boyfriend and then when HS throughs a spanner into the works, JW gets cheated on, JW gets crazy jealous. Plus, I remember we got a taste of JW’s jealous nature earlier in the show when he first found out that HS liked NR. At that point, I thought he was really not acting like boyfriend material.

So yeah. I expect this of JW’s character. Even though it’s painful to watch. Not to mention unjustified. He is in no position to accuse HS of swapping out NR.

 

Kay writes in #15:

You know…for all the times this drama highlights the immature actions of all three adults and what fools they made of themselves….there are such moments of brilliance in their characters that I absolutely love.

For example:

Hwa Shin making the swapping decision – totally sucks for Na Ri but I love how he was all about being professional. So many times, kdrama characters don’t make tough professional decisions cause we’re always dealing with chaebols or guys who do nothing but drive around in sports cars and wrist grab. I like how Hwa Shin was put in a rock and hard place and did what he thought was right.

The part where he wants to “fight it out”. I thought that was SO mature for him and didn’t expect him to think about that sort of thing.

Anyway, I’m adding Hwa Shin to my list of “absolutely awesome kdrama characters” because he’s just written so well. You want to hate him sometimes, but love him other times.

 

Zoe praises the show in #21:

God, this drama is just so good with the emotional beats, it’s crazy. That moment in the elevator, when it opens and Nari’s slumping against it, clearly exhausted and despondent and hurt, and Hwashin just watches her silently, which shifts to the wounded look in his eyes when she finally realizes he’s there and her happy mask slides back on, and she’s suddenly bright and chirpy, and he’s almost visibly desperate with how distant that makes him feel and with the realization that he can’t get to her because she’s pushing him away, is so incredibly well done. The fight about not fighting was beautiful of course, but it was truly phenomenal from the set-up onwards. I love that Nari feels like she has to be strong in front of him and not be whiny and petty and you can tell in that moment that he hates that she feels that. Just, wow.

 

In “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo: Episode 19” comment #94, YY writes:

What I learnt from watching this episode:

1. Make soap while the sun shines.
2. Behind every great man is a miserable woman.
3. A single candle is worth a thousand images.
4. “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.” – Benjamin Franklin

 

dragonsflame writes an alternative plot in comment #114:

With everybody commenting on what might have been I thought I’d put in my 2 cents.

I think that instead of trying to copy the C version they should have just adapted it.

Instead of having an unknown character from the 21st century get sent back to inhabit the body of an unknown character from Goryeo, the show could have been about a well educated chaebols daughter getting sent back to inhabit the body of Yeonwha.

It would keep the premise of the original while being able to take the story in new and hopefully more interesting directions.

You would have someone who is already used to a life of privilege as well as being a completely independent woman.

The love triangle could have been between Yo, So and herself. Wook could have been portrayed from the beginning as someone who wants the throne. Being the kings daughter Taejo would have immediately known that she had changed, so what would he and/or Jimong told her.
what would her reaction be to knowing that she is going to end up Queen and that Wook would never realize his dream.

Just a few thoughts on what might have been.

 

In comment #2 of “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo: Episode 20 (Final),” cali writes:

i think it’s safe to say that the application of mustaches is the true kiss of death of everyone in the show. within a couple episodes of donning the 소 stache any character is inflicted with madness and bull-shittery until they die in a weak sauce way (or, if you’re extra pathetic like wook, you die off screen).

moon lovers should really be called DEATH NOTE: mustache edition.
victims:
dick king dad
mu
dick king yariru
wook

the only men who survive are clean shaven. moral of the story? DON’T GROW A MUSTACHE. EVEN IF IT’S FOR CHARITY FOR NOVEMBER. YOU WILL BECOME KING OF GORYEO, GO CRAZY, AND DIE.

ok. that’s what i got out of this series. any further remarks?

Lessa adds:

This is why Jung only grew sideburns as he became older.

Sure he looks weird but hey, he’s alive.

aversive:

The power of the ugly sideburns is real.

You say clean shaven but we have Eun…

But then againim still confused. Was he a man? Or was he a boy?
Or was he somewhere in the middle like a boy-man.

Damn. That’s probably the worst superhero name ever.

aversive

Superhero/ Villain names for everybody.

Jung: Shady Sideburns
Wook: The Dead Hawk
Won: Greedy Sidey
Eun: It’s Bakehyun-Man!
Chae Ryung:Torture Taco
Yo: Guyliner Dude
Moo: Mercuric-Man
So:The One Man Army
Su: Wrong Generation Girl
Wo Hee:Correct Generation Girl (My puns are so crappy.)
Baek Ah: The Bulgarian Rose

Who else am I missing?

 

kz writes about So in #32:

That he ended up alone was really sad. Everyone had left. There was nobody else to whom he can pour his heart out. We seem to get the impression that in order to be a great monarch, you must be isolated and really experience deep loneliness. But don’t we often hear that statement “Your benevolence is great, your majesty?” That comes from the heart of a king. But what if he loses his heart in the process of owning the throne? There’s a disconnect. You can be a great king without losing your heart in the process, because it if were all politics and no emotions, how can a king extend graces, then? The heart is what feeds the soul, the life of a person. I wish they had shown that he would carry the love of Hae Soo with him throughout his lifetime. That he knew deep in his heart their love was real and was going to stand the test of time. But we don’t get that, here. We just see him all alone. It’s so sad.

 

Gehrel describes the show in #39:

Well, that’s a plot twist I didn’t anticipate!

Scarlet Heart is really a makjang drama who stole his brother’s sageuk costumes, copied his sister’s romance novel and hired his favourite pretty boys and pretty girls to act in it.

Bravo, show! You really did well for a makjang masquerading as a sageuk drama. You really fooled me. It makes sense all the ‘want to pull your hair’ scenes we’ve been given for the last 20 episodes.

Side note, I’m okay with the ending. Wasn’t perfect or as good as I wanted it to be but hey, it was an ending of some sort.

 

Hye Mi views a sad scene differently in #44:

I also hate to say this but I found So’s barging into Jung’s house and his following grief a little bit over the top, as if the PD said: ‘we’re short on time so let’s get it done in 3 minutes’, so the acting had to be made overly dramatic to make up for the lack of screen time. The result is a lack of emotional resonance for me. Yet I’ve got no prob with LJG so far and after that scene (erm apart from that hideous headpiece he wore in the scene with YH) so it’s just a minor distraction.

 

darkheart writes in comment #69:

this show really ripped my heart out of my chest and stomped on it when So realised that the little girl was his daughter but he had to turn around and walk away, leaving her in Jung’s care because he realised that Soo is right and that there is no way he can ever fully protect her in the palace.

It was so heartrending especially when the girl was clinging onto Jung and calling him father… So had already never enjoyed the mother’s love that Queen SMS lavished on Jung and now he has to endure the fact that his daughter (that child that he had so badly wanted with the love of his love) is so affectionate with Jung – who, by the way, in a cruel almost tit-for-tat though unintentional twist (when So stopped Jung from seeing their mother at her deathbed), was the person who got to hold Su while she breathed her last…

 

At least mexmax got something from the finale. In comment #121:

All I know is that now I have a great breakup line:
“If we had met in another world, and in another time, I can’t help but think how great that would have been…If only that were so, I wouldn’t fear anything. I could freely, truly, love you all I wanted.”

Definitely poetic enough to send over text. It’s like a twist on “It’s not you; it’s me” line but instead, “It’s not you or me. It’s the century we live in.” (Hint: It’s still you).

 

And CSA thinks it’s all a great drama activity in comment #211:

I think this show was about nothing, at the end nothing really happened, I mean nothing relevant, It was just a series of events, meaningless most of the time, things happened and that was all, nothing was beyond that. Applies here: “Jack of all trades, master of none”, so many characters and stories to present that they can’t develop all of them. Then, everything feels vague and superficial. I never realized what was the central plot, if there was one. Time travel?, change the future?, epic love?, reigns?, none of that was developed properly, so I don’t know. I saw betrayal and suffering, but presented in such a strange and caricaturesque form, that sometimes it felt like watching one of those comedy shows where they mock soap operas.

However, I should give credit to the show, because it was really playful and interactive, every week the audience had to fill the holes in the plot, imagine the scenes of events that happened but never showed us, try to give some logic to a total illogical characters, find the differences between the versions of the episodes. Maybe this was a way of getting the viewers involved in the story, in the narrative. Instead of writers, viewers create the story in their heads with the clues they gave them, very educational. Now that it’s finished, there may be a quest game to find the culprit of this, who was it?, the writers in the library with a pencil?, the editors in the editing room with a mouse?…This show had the base to be at least a decent story, but I don’t know what the writers and producers did, and why they did it.

 

kanz writes in “Hwarang’s beautiful warriors: Take two” comment #3:

I’m convinced yestesday’s ridiculous poster was made by an antis. Maybe KBS anti-fan. No one in his sane mind would actually approve the poster and not laughing at the hideous hairstyles and poor photoshop.

Sua:

Or maybe even a SBS supporter XDD

 

Mindy demands in comment #13:

These sure are pretty, but I want to see some badass promo material. Just because hwarang were the Silla equivalent of flower boys doesn’t mean they have to literally just be surrounded by flowers all the time!

I want to see these beautiful warriors fighting!

GIVE ME BLOOD!!!!!!!!

 

And lessa in #20:

It looks better.

But since finishing Scarlet Heart, Im going to start looking at all historical drama pretty posters with careful, doubting, anxious eyes.

 

Lola explains the indecisive heroine in “The Man Living in Our House: Episode 4” comment #4:

I don’t blame the whiplash from Soo Ae. The fact that she’s trusting Nan Gil at all is bizarre and speaks to her gut instinct about him (perhaps also some repressed memories). It’s when she’s faced with the logic of the situation that she wavers. On paper he is incredibly suspect as every man and his dog who knows about the situation has said.

If Nan Gil wasn’t so adorable, you’d have wanted her to call the cops a loooooong time ago.

 

While Growingbeautifully writes in #8:

What I like is the irony of how Deok Bong who has a father and sister, has a warped idea of family, while Nan Gil who is an orphan with possibly a gangster-like background, has a better take on what family is supposed to be. It’s sweet and funny that he really tries to play the role of daddy, especially if he would really like to be related to Na Ri in a not so fatherly way. But probably some kind of relationship is better than none, from his point of view, and so he gets to be dad and to extract all the priviliges that fathers have… from carrying Na Ri around like she’s a little girl to interrogating her suitors. Such a hoot…love it all!

I really enjoy the quirky characters and how the show hints at them having much more behind the facade for us to discover. The hero-worshipping Deok Shim, the covetous, pathetic Yeo Joo, the scheming bloodless Deok Bong and not forgetting his unsmiling Secretary Kwon who knows Nan Gil from the past.

With such intriguing characters and a great plot in a made-to-be-farcical way, what a great show this is to sink one’s teeth into! ?

 

In “Shopping King Louis: Episode 12,” redfox writes in comment #6.1.3.1:

oh my god….what if it ends with Louis having to go to the army… just like SIG…

Namu:

Omg it will be funny! it can be a new drama material
Shopping King Louis Goes to Army!

Lord Cobol:

He would buy them the best weapons ever.

rentenmann:

Or he’d buy them a bunch of light sabers. It could go either way with that kid. Hee!

ObsessedMuch:

With the uniforms made up of patches? Patch Man to the rescue literally?

Crysta:

He would spread Maxim around their camp to determine if anyone tried to sneak up on them throughout the night.

mexmax:

I want to see how many soldiers and commanders he magically transforms into butlers and maids.

 

As always, thanks for posting great comments, beanies!

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every time I read bean of wisdom I should carefully read the drama's title since I didn't watch it all,

I must remember that Jealousy Incarnate has Nari and Jung Won whose in also The Man and Louis, somehow we also have joon gi in fantastic and joon gi as the actor in Moon Lovers,
or the double Ha Seokjin in Drinking solo and in 1% of anything with different character's name,
but this state of having the same name doesn't stay for long so it's okay..

I never remember any same lead name in Kdrama before or I just miss it?

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Well while it's rare to have same name among the dramas airing at the same time, it's definitely not rare to find many drama characters share the same name.
Male names that are quite popular including:
1. Joong Won (Master's Sun, SKL, Man Living In Our House)
2. Ji Hoon
3. Tae Ho

Female names:
1. Soo Yeon (I lost count how many dramas actually use this name)
2. Ji Hye
3. Min Jung
etc

The list would be long and I don't really remember the character names unless they stand out, like Joo Joong Won in TMS, Kim Joo Won in SeGa, Cha Do Hyun/Shin Se Gi in KMHM and so on.

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Since you mentioned cha do hyun from kill me, heal me which ends up being the original name of the heroine. Also how in coffee prince the heroine posed as a man with the same name. I have to ask this. This doubt has been plaguing me for sometime now. Are korean names not gender specific? We have some names that are not gender specific here but those are rare. Most cases, you will know the gender of the person through their name.

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as I knew, it's like every other name in the world, there are names that said the person is a female or male because of the custom, the meaning of the words and trait their hope for their children, like purity/kindness/prettiness for woman and leadership/courage/brave for man,

Then we also have ambiguous name that born to resemble other things, like fate, religious influence and object like fate as in Kang Ha Neul (M) and Kim Ha Neul (F)

this is some answer to help you about Korean name
https://www.quora.com/Are-Korean-first-names-gender-neutral

https://www.quora.com/How-do-Korean-parents-pick-baby-names-in-Korean/answer/Michael-Han-2

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edit
"and object like fate sky as in Kang Ha Neul (M) and Kim Ha Neul (F)

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Thank you so much, sancheezy. :)

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I'm one of those ppl who get mixed up by their similarity of their names in a couple of ongoing shows.

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Hahha.. I like how one of our most random conversations in SKL thread was chosen for BOW. I really loved the Scarlet Heart comments about mustaches as kiss of death! At least sth funny came out of that miserable finale.

BOW is really sth I look forward to every week as it helps me catch up with brilliant comments from shows which I am not watching yet. :)

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what are we going to do, when Louis ends? where and how to get our daily dose of inspiration for silly theories and adorkable spin-off plots?

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it is like, everyone is having those deep and meaningful conversations about fate and love and loneliness etc., and then comes The Silly Squad at the end with instant coffee and lightsabers. Like a street gang raid at a royal banquet of something.

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IKR!? All our SKL comments end up in the funny territory! Even if we have one of those deep, meaningful conversations, we always end up gushing about how cute SIG is. Plus many of our very deep comments are restricted to SIG's eyes, his acting chops, his smile etc etc. The seriousness of life rarely gets in the way. Not complaining though. Living life "the Louis way" is fun :)

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If only we can like his way , stress-free, carefree n able to love the one he loves etc. But only applicable to the only chaebol heir of a big company.

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I know right? Where will I get my daily dose of Seo In-Guk?

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Hurray for Jealousy incarnate getting a mention!??
It's not too late, you can join even now!
*frantic try to increase JI ratings* ??

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*Ahem* (taps microphone). I'd like to thank the Academy...I mean, Dramabeans for adding my comment to Beans of Wisdom.

Seriously, thanks for choosing my comments. I feel seriously, ridiculously giddy.

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Like Melania I am er ...borrowing your speech :-) Thanks Dramabeans my truly original self thanks you

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Hahaha. Good one.

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Those skl comments are the best :>
Seo in guk and Jo jung seok's last week (and a half) on our screens :(

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They are the winners for me this season, for their acting and for picking the perfect role & drama to showcase their talents! I'm going to miss them & their performances the most.

SIG is especially hard to say goodbye to because I think I've gotten so used to him doing a drama every year & now I'm just supposed to let him go to army? Uhhhh, what?

At least JJS can return to dramaland within the year (please?!).

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Maybe when he went into army, ppl there would call him Louis instead of Seo In Guk. That's how a fantastic role n drama gets "imprinted" into people's mind. Or SIG can consider adding Louis as his Christian name (I don't know if he has any ??)

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*I don't know if he has any or is he a Christian?? (I'm a free thinker btw)

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I doubt that Louis would stick as much as Oska sticks with Yoon Sang Hyun. I tend to think Ingukkies´ conman persona has sticked the most this year. Every show he goes, every interview be like "You´re not trying to con me, right?" People were even suspicious of Louis originally not having a memory loss, or pretending this, pretending that - heck, conning even sticked with Louis, first he was a con victim, then he indeed put together the conman team 2.0 and pretended to have lost his memory again. but who knows... maybe he´ll be referred to the conman who went on to spend millions on a shopping spree.

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Ok right. He is more like a genius conman to me. Lol

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agree. I can't forget him as Jung-Do. it's the most memorable, skillful, and hottest character he played, in my opinion. haha

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Those Moon Lovers and SKL convo had me in stitches... LOLOLOL

I'd like to thank you for DB staff for once again pick my not-so-funny comment. You're the best, Dramabeans!!

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I love when i see other Africans on dramabeans and even knowing that I'm not weird,that there are other africans who watch K drama's.People find me VERY weird that this is all i watch, i keep trying to convince everyone Kdramas are this gem that blows you away but i don't even have one convert.
I wish i had someone i could gush with about them but oh well, i have you my fellow beanies.
Oh, I'm Kenyan/Malian living in Uganda
Hey??

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I am not an african but I get constantly judged by my brother for watching kdramas which annoys me to no end. I tried to make him watch one too but he just pointed out the plot holes to me which I had been blissfully ignorant of, lol. So I decided to just keep it to myself and enjoy my precious dramas alone because my parents are kind of conservative too. But there are times when I truly miss not having a sister (but who knows, what if she was just like my brother only different In gender, lol) but no worries, I always have beanies.

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Lol, damn those plot holes? i didnt notice them my first three years of watching kdramas, now they're all i see.I mean i watched boys over flowers like 20 times before i noticed all it's flaws.

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Speaking of plot holes, OST lyrics are not immune to non sequiturs and faulty logic. In the wake of MOON LOVERS, I marathoned SOUL MATE for the second time, partly because the OST and use of background music were so terrific, and the story itself was so inspired and well-executed. It is full of earworms that make me happy as a clam. Daebak! -- Oh, yeah -- and Shin Dong-Wook.

Three of the characters are women who work in the fact-checking and copyreading department of a newspaper. A running joke is the occupational hazard of being hyper-aware of misspellings and erroneous usage. I just about fell out of my chair during one of the obligatory scenes in a noraebang when one of the ladies, while belting out a song at the top of her lungs, suddenly started noticing the deficiencies in logic of a particular song's lyrics... LOL.

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I LOVED Soul Mate, what a swanky, lovely drama! And yes, the music! "This is is not a love sooonnnng..." That one is my favorite. So ultra lounge, so good!

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I LOVE SOUL MATE ! Have rewatched it quite a number of times, and yes, I had the OST on repeat during that phase. It is such an underrated drama. I loved how they showed the time line and how everything and everyone was connected. Brilliant drama.

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@8.1.1.1.1 rentenmann, @8.1.1.1.2 realiti,

As I see it, our excrutiatingly good taste in music and Kdramas makes us "Soul Mate Sisters"... Are there any "Soul Mate Brothers" in the house? ;-)

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I envy spouses who can watch k-dramas together. I introduced kdramas to my friend and her partner loves watching them with her. At times, he will watch without her because he can't wait for her as she finishes work later, lol. They enjoy and don't mind kdramas but aren't as passionate and hooked on as I am and so they eventually stopped watching and went back to watching American shows. Reading subtitles is probably one of the reason they faded off kdramas, as they are not used to it as I am. I have been watching things subtitled since high school (almost 15 years ago, thanks largely due to animes).

I have been wanting to get hubby to enjoy kdramas with me for a long time now, but know that some types of dramas won't suit his taste and likes blood and gore types of shows (ie Vikings). I waited until an epic drama that I thought would catch his interested came. Then came W and I thought this is it! He watched through about 4 episodes with me. He said he didn't mind it, it's not that bad, he's happy to continue watching with me BUT when we watch, he comments and bags the show so much that it ruins my experience watching it. He'll question why I laughed at a certain scene, why that character is like that, point out all these plot holes (not that I don't notice them myself but I can easily look pass them if I am enjoying the drama or I know the drama will eventually explain it later), bags the character for certain behaviours etc. I feel like I am better off just watching the drama alone, lol. I have a couple of girlfriends who enjoy kdramas but none with my dedication and passion. My sister really enjoys kdramas but she lives interstate so I'm all alone in my kdrama enjoyment. Thank goodness for places like this that allow me to gush and fan over dramas =] but I really wish I had some one to share my crazy love of kdramas with.

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@Klava I can bet that all the people judging you are hooked on watching American TV shows and it never occurs to them to wonder why they just automatically assume that the only normal viewing should be of American TV. I feel your pain but don't worry we have started a movement and one day there will be enough of us to hold a convention here in Africa just you wait :-) .

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Seriously! I have been told a million times, if I want to watch anything other than local tv, why is it not American. Though at times I just feel like throwing the cheesy-not so funny, "my life my rules", but I tell them the formats' clearly different and I can't bring myself to watch American shows and I also think kdramas are comparatively less bold, more about family, which makes me more comfortable.

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I remember the thing that appealed to me when i first started watching kdramas was i found them intelligent, i kept thinking this mainly when i was watching Secret Garden and i had this high as i went from drama to drama that i never felt with American shows AND i loved loved that handholding took so long and was so intense that when and if they kissed it was major Lol. Anyway i really liked that coz with American shows 5 minutes and there's already a sex scene granted i watched alot of HBO but it got tiresome and Korean shows were anything but.

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Exactly, I love Kdrama because of the subtlety. I get very tired of watching American series tha shows too many sex scene.
In K drama, a kiss after a 10 episode is a life time achevement in itself. The wait of having t watch the OTP plays the pull and push really gets me. I guess I am really a romantic inside.
And also, K drama is an illusion, where the world go so fast, time in Kdrama crawls hilariously slow. I still remember Autum in My Heart, where a pinky touching considered as hells get loose. Wahahaha
I think it's sweet bcause it reminds us of our first monkey love.

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in Estonia, like 69% of domestic shows are murder, beatings, threats, violence and the rest is humor for imbecils. I who grew up with quality comedies, feel so tortured by the taste of masses. so it is either blood or racism, sexism and age-discrimination. really, people do say there are well written shows but I just dont get what they see, to me they look like male-centered abuse fantasies. it is hard to believe, but actually even makjang kdramas hold women in higher regard than our shows. many kshows have a much higher standard for humor too it has become layered and cleverly disguised. for me, humor brings out the true nature of people. american shows just fall flat in every aspect in that for me. with a very narrow viewpoint on the world and an IQ of a banana like some american TV producers seem to have, you cannot really make a good joke...

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Your totally right everyone judging me is hooked on American shows, no one gets me.
Daebak, a convention, wouldn't that be great?with hyun bin, lee min hoo, park hae jin, ji chang wook....?im getting excited just thinking about it.

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Hi there... Mali has great bands, but it is so hard to get them here up North...

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Hi redfox, im glad you like the music, it's great to know they have international appeal.

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we have this folk music festival that used to have the rule not to bring african or asian music cause they wanted to center on Nordic and Celtic, but they have opened up. people are curious, I myself pressured that I want to see all the different musical instruments, how long are you gonna listen to an 11 string violin... and now lately there have been bands and singers from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali (Khaira Arby), Cameroon, Namibia, Nigeria... But I feel like Mali music somehow combines everything good from all parts of Africa. the nigerian desert blues was a bit too monotone... and the guys from Ghana were so overwhelmed they forgot their steps haha.

we have also had japanese drums and a traditional korean ensemble which were so unique. I love to look at the instruments people play and how.

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I'm Indian, my mom and dad and aunts love watching Indian dramas. Even some of my friends do too. But I personally cannot stand them.
Kdrama are like a "guilty" pleasure for me. I don't really tell anyone how much I watch them. My brothers I've mentioned it to but never invited them to watch for that reason.
Some of my Muslim friends will say they watch them but for some reason (maybe because of different taste) I like having kdramas all to myself. Beanies are enough when I need to talk about them :)

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I know right. There are just times i want to talk to someone about these amazing dramas and there's just not anyone (I'm Ghanaian). But I come to DB and I'm happy to see so many fans here.. especially fellow Africans?

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Loved all the comments. Some of them made me smile, Mexmax's 'its not you, its me' made me laugh, though I don't watch that show. Also kudos to you guys for featuring comments from all the dramas being recapped.

Also, I realized so many recaps were posted today (based on my timezone). 1% of anything, on the way to the airport, the k2, jealousy incarnate, entourage and ratings report as well as beans of wisdom . Thank you guys for working so hard even during weekend!

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yes, thank you so much, team dramabeans ^^
I had to study seven huge chapters on Project management and db provided a welcome reprieve.
Ah~ if only I was half as smart as our kdrama leads. I would finish reading this text in no time.

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Yes, thank you to dramabeans for giving us a place to not only read about dramas out there, but a place interact with others whom are just as obsessed with k-dramas. Thank you very kamsa!

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Beans of Wisdom rounds up my weekend as it comes up on Sundays late in the night where I live. Mexmax's comment on obtaining a new breakup line had me in splits. Thank you beanies for keeping this page entertaining throughout Scarlet's run.

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Mondays without Scarlet Heart~

The show is so bad but I miss is so fraking much.

What i this? Is this what we call withdrawal?

Nooooo..I miss my show (despite its atrocity)

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Its truly An honour to see my coment (question) on top, i really appreciate this, thank you guys. I.. I don't know what to say right now, except; to those who encouraged me i asked the said question, to you guys thanks.

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And now to see more of your take on episodes that move you! I find it interesting to see how different cultures react to something I enjoy. Being an Arab-American raised in the Southeast of the US, I know I probably bring different views to my comments. I look forward to seeing your viewpoints!

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Don't worry :rentenmann: i will do my best not to disappoint you, this i owe you. Though my english is lacking, iam going to take it as a challenge. Thank you

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Martin, I just wanted to say that I watch kdrama with my husband. We know some men- and a nephew - who watch. His friend at work recommended City Hunter. We started because our DIL told us they were cleaner than most American tv. And they are. He likes the ones with a plot, like Police Squad 38. No cutsie fluff shows. He likes languages, and we studied Korean at first, and now I am working on Japanese (and jdoramas) and he has started in Chinese.

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I have something for Ty:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWJFfnHNOWI
anyone remember this Eurovision gem?

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Thanks Telzey, its good to know there are more than a few men who enjoy kdramas and wow! "city hunter" it was the fourth kdrama i watched and enjoyed after my love from the stars, my girlfriend is a gumiho, and love rain. And here iam, thanks to "two weeks" i discovered dramabeans, because i only watched ep1 to ep6 and couldn't find ep7-ep16, so i looked it up and bang! There it was "Two weeks episode 7 recap; dramabeans deconstruction" hahahaha....i love this site, thank you.

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um, i THink your comment ended up in a wrong place? why does this happen so often on this site? Is it some phone thing?

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Yeah... I wonder why? Sorry;(

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Howdy, redfox! Greetings, Martin!

I have the same problem with misplacement of posts. I think it happens after I clear my cache and the input window reverts to the location of the previous item I posted; also, the text of the previous message appears in the input window, so I delete it before composing the new post. I don't know if this is of any help to you or makes any sense. It's hard to describe.

I'm using my laptop with Win7Pro and FireFox, so I don't think it's necessarily a phone issue. Is it possible that your phone automatically refreshes its screen and loses the input location in the process?

PS to Martin:
Welcome to DramaBeans, where you're in good company with Kdrama fans from all over. We're all just folks. Many of us, because of our female persuasion, are known to emit high-pitched sounds of joy on a random basis. Your pitch may vary, but I have no doubt that it will harmonize nicely. We also jump up and down with excitement, stomp our feet, tear our hair, headdesk, eat ramyun and kimchi, and cry buckets of tears. Normally not all at once...

I live in New Jersey, USA, and am old enough to be your mom. My computer scientist husband enjoys watching Kdramas occasionally. Our first show was DR. JIN, which is not great as time travel goes, but it was good enough for us to get hooked on Kdramas. Our next one was THE KING'S DAUGHTER, SU BAEK-HYANG, which we watched while it was airing via Hulu. It was my true gateway sageuk... a wonderful story with memorable characters and an understated happy ending. Because it was 108 episodes (35 min. each), it was not recapped here... but there was a very personable forum over at Soompi. Next was GU AM HEO JOON. Later I watched SIGNAL, and it was so good my husband watched it by himself (as I was already on to the next show)... He loved it. I recently watched TWO WEEKS, and loved it, too.

I don't know if you like science fiction, but there's a cyberpunk novella by Vernor Vinge that you might find interesting. It's called "True Names" -- and it's about folks who know each other only through their conversations in cyberspace... like those of us who gather here at the DramaBeans oasis. ;-)

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Oh, Im here! :D Thank you!

I always look forward to BOW because I don't watch some of the covered dramas... YET. hihi

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Oooooh, my bloodthirsty comment was chosen! Yay! It's been a while since I was chosen for Beans of Wisdom!

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I feel like i dodge a bullet when i didn't watch scarlet heart.i only watched MDBC and i even didn't watch the last 4 episodes.angsty sageuk dramas are just not my cup of tea.

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Hi grey ! High 5^^!! Me too, I didn't watch Scarlet Heart at all and I dropped the last 4 episodes of MDBC due to the serious angst that I didn't like .... also partly becos I always find difficulty to continue with historical Kdramas....I prefer modern era Kdramas !! :)

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So many great comments-- I really look forward to reading the clever, funny, perceptive, supportive, and edifying posts on BOW each week. Beanies, you warm my heart and tickle my funny bone, and for that, I love you!

@PakalanaPikake: Your recommending Final Gifts led me to order Final Journeys, Maggie Callahan's more recent book. (And I may end up reading both books.) I think I'll find it to be very helpful-- I'm grateful that you recommended it!

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Aloha, risa!

Am glad that pointer was useful to you. Final Gifts came into my life in 1996, I think... and it's still in print. I wasn't aware of Maggie Callanan's Final Journeys, but if it's anything like the first book, it will be an inspiring read. Thanks for letting me know it helped.

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Thanks, DB Staffers, for highlighting my post on providing moral support to dying loved ones... and thanks, rentenmann, for your thoughtful post that triggered it. I never know where I'm going to stumble across a tidbit of useful information... or have an opportunity to return the favor. DramaBeans is a treasure trove that encompasses far more than Korean drama and film. I'm grateful to meet so many wonderful kindred spirits from around the world here. ;-)

*waves to rentenmann, blnmom, and Pebble, et al.*

Later posts to the thread mentioned other books on related topics.

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*waves back* Howdy! I'm inauch better mental place this week, but I will still order both books. Thanks again for the help with book recommendations, everyone! ?

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Moon Lovers and their finale poems were hilarious. Highlight of that show might just be the closet poets coming out of the woodwork lamenting what could have been.

And Cali's 'stache commentary :)

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Reading through the comments of Beanies is always a pleasant sight and enjoyment (unless they are arguing/quarreling over their love for some idols/artistes/dramas - PEACE ok !!)....some comments amused me while some gave me insight as to some questions I might have after watching certain shows....thanks to all Beanies and DB Staff... kwaiting !! :) :)

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i made it onto BOW!!! -woot-

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Aww, thank you guys so much! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to see there are people who appreciated that story about mum and me during my juvenile writing years.

And while mum isn't very familiar with dramabeans, I told her about the comment being chosen yesterday and she was very pleasantly surprised. I can't thank you enough for helping me put that look on her face! ^^

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Awwww that's so sweet.

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About Moonlovers:

It's gonna be a movie!

http://www.arri.com/news/news/alexa-in-south-korea/

THE LAST PARAGRAPH SAYS IT ALL.

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@potatodrama,

Wowser! Thanks for that link!

It makes me wonder if the 20-episode drama was one big focus group to test which arcs and ending will go over best. Do I detect an international blockbuster tailored to multiple markets? Maybe this is why NBC Universal was involved?

As for the technical stuff, it was interesting to read. It sounds as if the resulting footage is better suited to viewing on a big screen rather than a laptop. Honestly, I can't imagine watching it on a handheld. (That may be my middle-aged eyes complaining.)

Technical hocus pocus alone does not an enjoyable film make. It will still have to be edited well... How are they going to distill it down from 20+ hours to 2? Or is this going to be released as a multi-part GORYEO OF THE RINGS?!? Or maybe it'll be an interactive DVD release and you can pick the arcs and endings you want to see... That would be cool.

I hope they overhaul the soundtrack while they're at it.

The possibility that MOON LOVERS could get a second chance makes me cautiously optimistic... Maybe I've completely misunderstood what the director and screenwriter were doing... but if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, it's probably a duck.

*checks DelusionMeter*

Still in mourning for what could have been...

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Whoa. I wasn't expecting to see my comment. (Thanks.)
And for anyone who's experiencing a Monday Moon Heart Ryeo jones, my alternate ending is up (and I gave dramabeans a byline.)

https://www.dramafever.com/news/k-toon-my-alternate-ending-for-scarlet-heart-ryeo/

And I know I screwed up. Su was tortured for the tea, not for the mercury. (Wow, K-Drama fans can be so anal.)

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HAHAHA! I LOVE your alternate ending. I LOVE your toons! So hilarious. I'll definitely be checking out your other toons.

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