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Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching

More new shows! Did any of this week’s premieres grab anyone’s attention and take over a coveted spot on the watch list? There’s still another week of premieres left to go, after which I’ll probably have to drop a few shows just to keep sane. But… how to choose? Stress! –girlfriday

 

javabeans

Father, I’ll Take Care of You: I’m in a bit of a drama-watching funk these days—or should I say a drama-starting funk, to be more accurate—and can’t quite muster the energy to engage in all the new premieres, even though there are a couple shows in there I think I’ll end up enjoying. I actually find it a relief to have a show like this available at the moment, because it’s familiar, comfortable, and easy. The cute romance feels like it’s taking a mid-show breather, so right now it’s the Kim Jae-won storyline that’s got more of my interest—I still think it’s overly dramatic and wrought, but I totally felt for him when he wrestled with his rage over hating his enemies and feeling so pained to watch them being so loving to each other. Thanks to the flashbacks I want him to get his revenge, although in the current storyline I just want him to make up with his little brother and be happy.

Hwarang: I like this show, but it’s a little too light to get its claws into me, and I often take days to finish an episode because it’s so very pausable. I checked back in with my old-sageuk-loving dad about it, and it was funny-sad to hear how disappointed he was with the show, now that he’d seen it and realized it wasn’t the awesome historical epic he was hoping for in his mind. (“But it’s such a great story! It’s all true! Hwarang was so awesome and cool! This story… what did they do it?”)

Introverted Boss: Yeon Woo-jin is so perfect for this, and I’m right there with him, rooting for him. Unfortunately, I don’t love the heroine so much even though I really wished I did, though I think the concept works. I think they were trying so hard to contrast them and make their symbolic differences extra-stark that they went overboard in making her pushy in an off-putting way. I’ll still watch this, though, and hope I warm to her.

 

girlfriday

Legend of the Blue Sea: I was happy with the ending to the show, though I wished more had happened in the finale, which felt more like an extended epilogue than a full episode. Overall I wanted the mythology to be twistier, and for the past to influence the future more intricately (and vice versa), so I was disappointed that the show followed such a straight path all the way to the finish line. It wasn’t an epic romance despite the legend, but it was a sweet, satisfying rom-com that gave me warm fuzzy feelings and made me laugh out loud quite a lot.

Defendant: Oh, this one’s going to be good. It’s got a rock-solid premise, good execution that makes the thriller actually thrilling, and a great cast headlining. Ji Sung is dependably good as the prosecutor who wakes up in prison with no memory of the murder he supposedly committed, and Eom Ki-joon sends chills down my spine as the chaebol twins. Of all the new shows so far, this is the one I’m most interested in following. Someone has to bring that villain down!

Introverted Boss: This show still seems wobbly on its feet, even though there are elements that interest me enough to keep watching. The directorial style is so similar to Oh Hae-young Again that I like the show most when it deviates in any way and does something new—my favorite parts are the horror fakeouts every time someone suspects the hero of being a serial killer, or his stream of consciousness what-if interludes. The whole coffee fiasco where he couldn’t figure out how to alter his triple-shot espresso without hurting his secretary’s feelings was priceless. I guess I like the secretary more than the heroine, because all of my favorite scenes are with her.

Hwarang: But… the bromance can’t be broken already! It just started! On the upside, I really like that the focus is turning to the main bromance, which is by far the most interesting relationship in this show.

Chief Kim: I didn’t think Namgoong Min could top the weirdness and hilarity of his character in Beautiful Gong Shim, but he just might do it as Chief Kim. What a fun character and a funny drama, full of clever cuts and cheeky writing, and a totally zany sense of humor. I burst out laughing when he came to a brawl armed with helium gas and turned the mobsters into Alvin and the Chipmunks. What a nut!

Solomon’s Perjury: I’m super excited to watch the final two episodes this weekend. I hope I’m not getting my expectations too high for the resolution to all the mysteries on this show, but you can’t call a whodunit good unless it goes out with a bang, right?

 

tineybeanie

Naked Fireman: The title is a trap — the promised scenes of six-pack abs and shirtless hotties were few and far between. That being said, I actually enjoyed this short four-episode drama, although it definitely could have used more episodes to flesh out the main plot arcs, which had numerous interesting twists that could have been more fully exploited in a longer show. I was initially curious because it starred the girl who had been in the running to be SBS’s My Sassy Girl’s leading lady, Jung In-sun, and I thought that she did a pretty admirable job for her first main role. But the entire time, I was a little distracted because I thought that Jung In-sun with long hair looked exactly like Choi Jung-won… but maybe that’s just me. Overall, it was a good tide-over drama until I find my next TV addiction.

 

SailorJumun

Currently recapping: Solomon’s Perjury

Legend of the Blue Sea: You know, Blue Sea was good. It was the first thing I watched every Wednesday and Thursday, and I was always content with the characters and where the story was going. But it was never the kind of show that I would find myself thinking about hours after an episode ended. I’d actually forget about it until the next week, which is pretty unusual for me. Though the show contained plenty of goodness — a cute romance, a gripping backstory, etc. — it felt like that’s all it was trying to be: good. Not great. And it makes me sad to say that, since the drama was so hyped up. I’ll miss you for a little while, Joon-jae and Chung, but I don’t see your legend sticking with me for too long.

Hwarang: My new crack. Because there are so many colorful characters, there’s not a moment where I feel too bored. It’s just a lot of good ol’ fun, which was exactly what I asked for. I do have one complaint though and, unfortunately, it’s the romance. I’m totally Park Seo-joon biased, so I shipped Ah Ro with Sun-woo since the very beginning. The connection they had with Mak Mun was simultaneously sad and sweet, and I loved the idea that they could bond from that terrible loss. But now that they’re actually together, they seem a bit… awkward? And not the cute kind of awkward. I don’t know, is it just me?

Introverted Boss: I’m on the fence with this one. All the cute, vibrant promos got me excited for the Marriage Not Dating team’s latest rom-com, but I surprised myself by being completely turned off by our extroverted heroine. I can’t figure out if it’s because of the character or the actress. Or maybe even both. It could be that Park Hye-soo is still quiet little Eun-jae from Age of Youth in my eyes and it’s messing with my head. I want to keep watching since I love Yeon Woo-jin as the title introvert (he’s just wonderful), but I might need to step away for now and marathon later.

 
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I'm on board with taking a break from Introverted Boss until I can marathon through all the gratingly overbearing stuff. I love the lead, but the heroine is like nails-on-a-chalkboard to me, and I can't stand how Woo-Il manipulates everyone.

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I second that - I found episode 3 so hard to watch that I'm going to leave it for a bit. Hopefully all this build up will make it even more satisfying when Hwan-Ki delivers a well needed smack-down... (Keeping my fingers crossed that this happens!!!!)

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Me too! The first three episodes would've been bearable if Hwan Ki was given even the smallest victory...or if he had someone on his side. I hope we can look forward to both happening soon - Hwan Ki needs a win!

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Like nails on a chalkboard indeed. She is the main reason why I stopped at episode 2. As interesting as Hwan-gi is/might be, and just can't get past her.

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Dropped by this post to know how Introverted Boss is faring with the DB family. I think we all are in the same boat with being uncomfortable with the female lead's current state. I am really frustrated in the way she acts but I love Yoo Woo-jin so much that I want to keep holding on. Maybe this week's episode will be the deciding factor. :)

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What Javabeans said about the heroine in Introverted Boss is so true! I think they've made an interesting choice writing her in the way they did, and it's certainly rubbing me up the wrong way. It is possible to be extroverted and at the same time not completely obtuse! Hopefully she will begin to be a bit more sympathetic in episodes to come.

Also I hope it doesn't take TOO long for people to realise that it's actually Hwan-Ki who is the genius at reading people and handling PR situations. Woo-Il is the master of doing very little and somehow still getting all the credit...

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I just have a thought, WHAT IF the one who played the heroin is Park Bo Young? I think she is perfect actress to play those role. For the current actress, she have a potential, she can improve her acting, she did well in Age of Youth drama IMO.

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Park Hye Soo imo is not ready for being a leading girl yet. Or if she is up for leading role, let her do some candy and swetheart roles first. Let her be comfortable with screen and we the audiences want to see more of her.

This kind of role should be played with more experienced actress - Park Bo Young, Kim Seul Gi, or even Park Eun Bin, they will be perfect in this role. (i do think PHS and PHS actually should swift their current roles)

But PHS is not entirely bad, the character is unlikeable at the first place. Maybe just like Park So Dam in Beautiful Mind, which her character in the first few episodes was quite annoying but she finally understood the hero around epi 6 onwards.

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Typo: I do think Park Hye Soo and Park Eun Bin should swift their current roles .

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Kim Seul Gi would be awesome! Why have you never listen to us TVN? (Yes we basically just want KSG on almost anything)

I am so excited to see her back on drama in March! A bit too short and not exactly the boy we want from Splish Splash Love, but the teaser and press interview so far are lookin good.

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The two actresses from Age of Youth who are the most capable in carrying a drama or movie on their own is Han Ye-ri (can do both) and Park Eun-bin (drama).
The rest benefited from that type of setting where screen time is shared equally between them and everyone gets their turn to shine.

I'm not watching Intro...Boss yet so I have no opinion on her acting there but I'm not surprise if she is struggling as the main lead.

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It's frustrating, but for some reason, I'm just not enthusiastic about the current batch of dramas.

I recently started on Jealousy Incarnate (bit late to the game, I know) which I'm absolutely loving!

Father I'll take care of you is also an easy watch - though, I still can't stand the revenge plot. Actually, it's not so much the revenge side as it is the romance between Hyun-woo and Jung-Eun which I just can't stand. And when the romance which does do it for me takes the back seat, I find myself enjoying the family dynamics with the whole kid swapping at the forefront.

That's actually pretty much it. Goblin, I never really got into, and Legend of the Blue Sea was as enjoyable as it was easily forgettable.

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Totally agree with you on Father, I'll Take Care of You. I'm not buying into the romance between HW and JE, and I'm sad to say that I still really don't care about the two characters at all! It's really strange because I like Kim Jae Won and Lee Soo Kyung individually as actors, but I'm just not feeling it here. I find myself totally invested in the kid swapping story; when I'm not getting any LTH or PEB, that's what I look forward to seeing.

Also, Jealousy Incarnate was soo weird yet hilarious for me. Hope you continue to like it!

JB, also agree with you on Introverted Boss. Park Hye Soo's character is so irritating for me that I'm not sure if I want to keep watching.

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Jealousy Incarnate definitely falls into the weird category, but it's so comically heartwarming at the same time! I honestly didn't think I'd like the show, but I'm sat there with a huge grin on my face after each episode. My mother sat watching some of the episodes with me last night, and she was laughing her head off at all the antics between Hwa-shin and Na-ri during their shared hospital stay. And when something makes my mother cackle, it's definitely a winner in my books, lol.

Re Father I'll take of you - Couldn't agree withyou more. I love Kim Jae Won as an actor to bits, but here, his role just isn't working for me. I've not really seen the actress in anything before (I don't think) but her character really grates on me in this. Ah and yes!! The kids are adorable in their quest for future goals!! Chang-soo's choir singing took me back to Sister Act!! Loved it!

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Lee Soo Kyung was absolutely wonderul in Soulmate, but I don't like her character/acting in Father, I’ll Take Care of You. She's suppose to have a sunny, bright personality, but instead, she's childish, aegyos too much and delivers the most forced smile.

Scenes w/ Dong Hui/Sung Joon started out strong, but I personally think their story is less interesting than the story of two kids who were swapped. I'm most invested in their story of self discovery and personal growth.

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Omo, I hadn't realised she was the lead actress from Soulmate!! She was wonderful there!! Your'e right, it's definitely her character and her portrayal of it which isn't doing her any justice.

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The story of the switched (or maybe not switched? ) cousins is the most enjoyable one!

I'm really into the JE and HW couple, but I liked it better when JE had bad hair and was loud and screechy and getting arrested, but it seemed like people were really annoyed with that. She's so subdued now and runs a PPL coffeeshop (after Goblin, I started noticing PPL again and am on the lookout for subway sandwiches). Like this can't be the same girl who travelled the world.

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How could a grown woman who has traveled by herself to 150 countries be so childish and naive? Her character or the actor's representation is impossible for me to connect to. At 30 something and going to 150 countries she has to read a book about dating? I don't buy it.

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I'm actually in the same exact boat as you!! (Except I loved Goblin and am still struggling with getting over it)

I've been rewatching my past favorites (namely Master's Sun and Signal) because I have no idea what to watch of the current batch of dramas.

Then, I wanted something fresh that I've never watched before, and since everyone recommended Jealousy Incarnate, I'm watching it now and it's awesome! The plotline is unique and the characters are more complex and fascinating than what meets the eye. The acting, directing, and writing, is all on point too.

I'm really looking forward to Tomorrow With You coming up next week though! But as I wait, I'm just binging... whee!

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I'm feeling the slump too. It's not even like I'm coming off a high either...everything has just been mediocre for me (even Goblin, I know). How does one get out of this!?

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Me too! I'm on a drama-slump for a few years already. It makes me so sad. The Reply series & Weightlifting Fairy are the only amazing dramas that I actually watched till the end. The other dramas I finished are sometimes disappointing & as you said, mediocre. I can even count with my hands the dramas that I finished completely.

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It's been a few years for me too haha. I think I keep up with kdramas out of habit at this point.

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The very last drama I finished is also Reply 1994 and Weightlifting. And also Romantic Doctor Kim which is a good watch.

Havent found new crack yet and I am stuck on episode 3 of Goblin which I watch while half-dozing. It seems that I just can't get into Kim Eun Sook's dramas.

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What up slump nation!?? Lol. I'm here with y'all. I can't get myself to watch any of the new stuff. I think Kim Bok Joo and a few of the recently concluded dramas ruined me for now. I guess all that's left is to go outside and live??
I did try introverted boss but fell asleep and chief Kim just hasn't grabbed me. I've been watching biscuit teacher and star candy per Girlfriday's rec but just finding it ok. For now I'll be keeping up with the recaps and hopefully one of these dramas will be worth watching

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I am also going through a drama slump at the moment, can't really get into any of the new stuff. I am only following hwarang and solomon's perjury for now. Currently watching Queen In Hyun's Man and loving it so far. I think will keep watching older dramas and 2D1N to pass the time until something grabs my attention.

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Me too, I'm only watching 1n2d reruns, since goblin ended. Now blue sea ended too.. None of the new dramas attracted me yet... I need more gong yoo, Lee dong wook. Lee Jun ki. Boohoo... I'm just glad I get cha tae Hyun as a weekly dose on 1n2d. Thank you for staying on the show Mr cha!

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Try Solomon's perjury. Voice and Defendant seem good too.

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I check out of kdramaland during a slump and try a different culture or venue.

My recs:
Anime
Classic Western shows - I'm currently working on Star Trek
Taiwanese dramas
Japanese dramas
Movies
Books

After a few days/weeks/months, I always come back to kdramaland. I enjoy my time with other things but beginning to remember what makes kdramas home base.

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We really do take after from JB hahaha I'm in a slump-starting drama too.

Whenever I feel this way, I usually try other stuff then maybe come back to Kdramas after a few season or so. Still enjoying my weekly dosage of Kvariety Shows.

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I'm happy to realise many others are in the same boat as me, boat named drama slump. I'm not at all feeling interested to watch any new/old drama and even when I force myself out of the habit, I end up watching only 2/3 episodes for the whole day.

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Me, too. After Weightlifting Fairy, nothing is just interesting enough. ?

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Totally agree about the slump. I started a lot of dramas lately and left them half way through! The only one that I did complete and loved recently was Weightlifting fairy for their amazing chemistry.
I left DOTS, Moonlight drawn by clouds almost mid-way
Legend of the Blue Sea - after Episode 2!!
I wonder if its just me growing old!
I've been into K-dramas for 6 years now and this is the worst slump..I might take a break for a while until something remarkable like the Reply series comes my way.

The only one on my list is Goblin which I will start and hopefully not lose interset.

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My recommendations for tiding over the slump:

If you'll haven't watched these dramas do watch them. Trust me!!

Five Kids (Korean) - lengthy but well worth the time and such as easy one without the manipulative characters.

Loving, never forgetting (Chinese) - good story, good acting and not a dull moment.

Pride (Japanese) - I watched this a while ago and its still fresh in my memory as a simple love story. Well worth the time.

Leave your comments!

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Thank you for the recommendations - I've watched all of those LOL and I agree, they're great for getting out of slumps. I think I'm in the biggest slump of slump's right now (I'm in my 11th year of drama watching, this was inevitable).

I've decided on trying a western show now - Sherlock perhaps?

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I just marathoned the japanese drama We Married As A Job (Nigeru Haji...) and it was the best jdrama I've seen in years!! Watch if you like a funny romance with a beta male. Loved everyone in it and I was so sad to see it end... Highly recommended!

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I can't stand the heroine from Introverted Boss, ugh. She's not a character I can sympathize with, which is too bad. I don't know if it's the delivery of the actress or if it's with the writing (tbh I think it's a mix of both) but I really get irritated (more than I should) when the character is on the screen. I can't support her at all because she's borderline crazy, pushy, arrogant, she's a little stupid too! *sigh*

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That's why I dropped Introverted Boss early after watching their slow motion truck of doom in the ending of episode 2.

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I'm also not sure if the problem is with the writing or the actress in Introverted Boss. It feels like her character was built to be similar to Han Groo's character in Marriage Not Dating (outgoing, nosy, pushy, funny...). But I can't put my finger on whether it's because Han Groo was just better at balancing the character out or the writing is not helping the character here or whether it's just that the huge contrast between the leads is just hurting the female lead where it is painful to see her pushing and misunderstanding such a shy, introverted person with social anxiety. We sympathize with his character so much that it just elevates our annoyance with her even though under different circumstances we might not be as annoyed with her.

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I'm not watching any of the current dramas, so I look back for the old ones and start watching Heard It Through the Grapevine. Not sure if I will go through with it. It's kinda dark - I mean, not because it's supposed to be black humor but because it's literally dark. Makes it a bit hard to watch.

I also tried Saimdang. I was so disappointed... Really, I have no words to explain how sad I am for Lee Young-ae to come back with this. I was close to tear up for real while trying to watch the first episode.

I would like to try The Sound of Your Heart. I'm in search for a light-hearted drama now that Weightlifting Fairy has ended.

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If you're looking for something fun, lighthearted, and yet surprisingly fortifying, check out Twenty Again.

It's the story of an ahjumma who had her child very young. She's in her 40s now, and her husband has just asked for a divorce because he thinks she's not smart enough. She goes back to college to prove him wrong, and so many wonderful, heart-warming hijinks ensue. Throw in an old-friend-turned-college-professor who had a crush on her in his youth, and you've got a wonderful romance with a great character development arc for our non-traditional heroine.

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Oh I did watch it actually! ? I helped me a lot during a difficult time back then in 2015; I liked it a lot! Thank you for suggesting ? Nice to know another one who appreciates it as much as I do ?

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I also thought that the secretary was more fit to be the love interest GF! She has this simple face which makes you take a pause and look at her.
On the drama I think they are somewhat trying to feminize the character of the lead actor. Somehow if a girl is tomboyish I naturally like the trope, but why the same doesn't work for men? I have no idea, at least in my case that's one of the main reason. May be it works for jdramas, but not in kdramas, since here we are always used to see our heroes as either handsome chaebols, manly cops or inspectors,or whatever you name it. So to see that the male lead can't gather courage to tell the secretary to share his food was mmm not a pleasant experience. But part of the blame goes to the script too, as it didn't make me stay for the whole one hour. It didn't help either that the heroine is beyond immature.

On a different note I couldn't pick up any drama since goblin. So fellow beanies, could you kindly suggest me some new jdramas [ comedy preferred], up coming or ongoing on 2017? Anything Korean reminds me of goblin, so just to get rid of the withdrawal syndrome I need to start watching something else. So help a girl here if you could. :(

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My highest regarded jdrama at the moment is My Little Lover. I basically binged that. I couldn't think of anything else. I would be waiting for the next downtime to watch it. I laughed out loud. And almost cried at the end credits because I wouldn't be with these characters anymore. Plus, the viki comments were mostly pitch perfect for how I felt or what I was thinking.

Already planning my rewatch.

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"Anything Korean reminds me of goblin". this is so true for me too
Hence why i've been trying to watch jdrama or anime to help me with my withdrawal syndrome. I havent managed to find anything decent though... :/

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Not so interested with the current crop of kdramas after GOBLIN. Still undergoing withdrawal syndrome. Re-watching it because I need to get my dose of Gong Too awesomeness.

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You could try We married as a job/Nigeru wa haji da ga yaku ni tatsu. Everything I watched and read about this drama is really good. It also had very good ratings in Japan. I hope you enjoy it.

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Thanks @purpleowl and @dannymikegatos Thanks for the suggestions :) . I started watching my little lover, but found the hero a bit too grumpy for my taste :S. But maybe I will pick it up to see how it goes, now that I have nothing on my plate..@danny I have watched nigeru till ep 9, and then goblin happened. I guess it would be put on held for now, since I have this weird habit of not finishing certain shows.
@Millionstars
Tell me about it. May be it will take months before I can start watching another kdrama properly. For now nothing can make me glued.

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Kazoku Game: a few weeks ago, in the Open Thread people suggested this j-drama to fellow beanies who wanted to watch a drama without romance and intense on the psychological level.
It was horribly addictive: everything in me was telling me to stop watching the shocking and nightmarish fall down of this rich and very unhappy family who recruited a private teacher to help their two teenage sons , but I couldn’t convince myself at the same time to abandon them before the end.
It was all along so very unsettling and uncomfortable to watch, especially the violence which reach physical and psychological level that I rarely have seen on tv, and never described in a such credible if not realistic way. But the characters and relationship felt SO real, which is the main reason of my addiction, more than the mystery surrounding the main character.
Part of me wants to think there’s a value in the undeniable fascinating character study of a family completely falling apart under the pressure and the manipulation of someone who looks so innocent and good looking on appearances but acted almost as a non human. But part of me is also resisting so strongly to this philosophy that people can change and become stronger only through hardship!
Hard to be objective when i feel so haunted by this drama but I can deny that it’s very compelling and thrilling, even though it’s all for the wrong reasons .
Big up to the actors who were all very talented and really invested in their parts , to the writer who did an excellent adaptation , and especially to the director who found various ways to use to its full potential a very limited set.

Jealousy Incarnate: 2/24 and it will probably end here.
Romantic comedies are really not for me, no matter how pretty the cast is. They are the worst genre for modern female characters.

Voice: I started to watch for Lee Ha Na and I’m still watching only for her (she’s the best thing about this show), the male lead being just insufferable and badly acted by Jang Hyuk to the point I wish another actor was cast.
This drama is all about action and cliffanghers and sadly it affects everything: the editing which is hectic as if it wasn’t a preproduced show , the writing because characters get so little development or background that it’s becoming tiresome and difficult to watch or get invested in it. There’s also plotholes everywhere, violence against women and children especially seems gratuitous etc…
It’s a drama to consume and to forget when at heart it had the potential to be much more. I’m happy that people stopped to compare it to Signal because it was just insulting for Signal (there won’t be a drama like Signal before few years if ever, just like k-dramaland won’t produce again a new Misaeng. The only way will be to get a season 2 for both drama).

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I am also in the minority that couldn't get into Jealousy Incarnate either. I actually like a good rom/com, but I think they are really hard to do well.

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I'm in that minority too and I'm sad about it since I like the actors/actresses and I love rom/coms. I got to around ep 4. I'm hoping to revisit it in the future since so many good things were said about the drama. Maybe I need to be in a certain mood for it.

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Actually Jealousy Incarnate starts to become good AFTER around episode 4. From there, it gets better and better.

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If I can just share, things pick up really well in Jealousy around episode 5/6 - just hold on a bit longer?

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I'll second you Kay. I couldn't stand the heroine (all that chest touching thing icked me out) and then episode 3 hooked me, with the show getting better and better as it went along. It so often happens the other way around, that a show seems promising and then drags out into blah-land, that I was really appreciative of the consistent pacing and deepening interest in all the characters that I felt. It was funny as hell too. I'd say if you don't laugh at the hospital scene, though, I think in episode 3, then this drama might just not be for you.

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I haven't watched ghe whole Kazoku Game, I've only seen a few clips of it and I think it's good. Actually, I only came to know the dtama because of the actor playing the eldest brother, Kamiki Ryunosuke.

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Cool Girl, ah damn I watched kazoku game some months back, I missed your post, or we would have done some more conversations on the traumatic teaching system.
Though at the end I still somewhat admire the teacher for standing up for his students and for caring that much. But then again, end doesn't justify the means. So, 'if' he 'has' made up the whole story just to make those two kids come back to track, then I would be super mad. Then again we did see how he talked to the psycho teacher's mom, so may be it wasn't a make-believe story after all.

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I agree with you regarding the VOICE. I wish they had another actor. JH makes it a trial to watch. His laughter that he inputs every second...someone please tell the guy to stop over-acting..

I am a JI fan......lovvvvvve

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Thanks everyone for your reactions.

About Jealousy incarnate: I don't think the problem is really the show though i don't like how women are written in this genre), it's rather the fact that i have a hard time to enjoy romance and i'm only now coming to terms with it.
I fast forwaded 99% of the romantic k-drama that i've watched so far and there was really good shows on this list: my lovely kim sam soon, goong,etc...
It took me 3 attemps to watch High school king of savvy and i insisted only because i really liked a lot the lead actors/couple.
I think it will be easy for me to stay away from this genre for the time being, especially since the cable networks are spoiling us with high quality and non mainly romantic fictions.:)

@Fay: i'm happy to meet someone who feels torn too about Kazoku Game. I feel less lonely.:)
I don't think he lied because of various reasons: 1) the one that you mentioned 2) the relationship he had with his student who helped him to realize his plan. She said she remembers him only as the good teacher he was for her and i believe she was genuine in this scene). 3) the first scene of the drama when he was in the wood screaming and crying covered in blood. I believe it was real and we were allowed to see those very difficult moments for him to better understand him and how he acts in life.
Also this drama and its debatable moral wouldn't make sense if it was only a lie.

I would be curious to watch a korean adaptation of Kazoku Game.

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Nobody watching Missing 9? smh... y'all missing out....

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OMG - it's so laughably bad it's actually fun to watch. That's what I think anyway.

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Me! it's doing great for me and i love jung kyung ho and baek jin hee

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I am watching Missing 9. I am also watching Voice. I like the female lead. I like the actor who is playing the male lead, but I feel that his acting for this drama is a bit off.

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Me 2! Liking it so far. Though the details don't really make sense, I'm enjoying watching the dynamics of different relationships.

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Yes so far I still don't know where Missing 9 is headed. I like the set up for the relationship of each character. One thing is doing good is whether BJH is telling the truth about she not remembering anything, or if she is lying. I want to believe her but then I have doubts. Did she killed the girl whose necklace she is wearing?
After for episodes of Voice I don't know if I will continue to watch it. Just too much "I don't believe you, tell me the truth, show me," coming from officer Moo. And I am suspecting probably the killer will turn out to be some rich guy in power, who probably wants to have control of the whole police department. Might just stick around because of the female main lead.

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I watch two episodes of Pretty Li Hui Zhen (Chinese version of She Was Pretty) but I can't get into it. The female lead is okay at her role but male lead is too stiff.
Perhaps, I'll give it another chance once the show is over.

Love at Seventeen (Chinese) Watched three episodes and I'm hook. You can feel the chemistry between the two main leads from the start.

Sorry to all Goblin fans, but I gave it a shot and gave up after two episodes.

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I saw a glimpse of the Chinese version of She Was Pretty because my mom is watching it, woah the female lead is SO pretty!! How does anyone see her as ugly?

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I know, right?! You can definitely tell she's trying hard to be not pretty, but she totally is pretty and looks like a model.

I tried watching it but her freckles look like pen marks on my tv. I like this interpretation of the female lead (I like HJE's rendition in the kdrama too though some don't ) but the side characters aren't as funny and quirky.

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Late Morning and waiting for ep 22 of Father I'll Take Care of You.

My Shy Boss - I expected as much but it went ahead and broke that line too. Most like Hwan-Ki but in my opinion he also isn't a strong character. In the name of introvert/Extrovert they are serving whatever crap they thought of. Where they saw the definitions? on urban dictionary?

Defendant - Meh. Fairy tail story. twin siblings. 1 bad 1 good. anger, resentment and everything useless there. exchange and other taking the center stage. If it wasn't enough then we have birth secret too. This is just a daily soap. Dropped.

Chief Kim - good one with wacky humour. VIP corruption is meh so far. Accounting Fudging aka frauds demand good lawyers too.

Missing 9 - Misses the opportune time to play the humour. Still quite enjoyable.

Cruel City aka Heartless City - dropped at ep 9. It isn't something amazing at the same time it isn't bad either. Too many killings of unknown characters and a mafia that primarily depends upon sticks and punches. meh. Story has many logical issues too.

City Hunter is far more positive compare to this City mania.

Stuck at episode 09 of - Flower Boy Next Door, Dear My friends, Fair Lad Geum-Bi

Father I'll Take Care of You - Invested in Hae Sook and Change Soo story the most now. Ji Hoon also has taken a back seat. Hyun Woo deserves this pain and suffering.

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Chief Kim: I enjoyed it. I don't know why but I felt similar vibe of History of Salesman.

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Father I'll Take Care of You: I love the cousin switcheroo.

General and I: Ooooh, this has gotten really good. Twists and turns and people being smarter than I thought they were. I like.

Voice: Episode 4 really gelled everything, and I think calmed down Jang Hyuk's character. Lee HaNa is the foundation of this drama....good for her. Hope they can keep the concept going the full length of the drama and not visit stupidville.

MARS (older T-Drama): Loved it. If SE Hinton wrote a drama, this would be it though I think it is from a manga. I've never seen Meteor Garden so new to the actors. Not like any other T-drama I've seen (though that's just a few as I tend to find them over long).

I too am holding off on new dramas. I've just been burned too often, and I want them to get a bit into their run and see how things go. I know I will not pick up Introverted Boss but the Missing 9 is a possibility and unless it crashes and burns eventually Saimdang.

For those going through the k-drama blahs, it's happened to me. I switch to Japanese or Chinese shows or in one lull that lasted around 3 months, I eventually binge watched 6 seasons of The Walking Dead...so there's that.

@javabeans, you should get your dad to give a top 10 saeguk list to all of us.

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Love the idea of a top 10 saeguk list!

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Top ten sageuks according to javabeans' dad would be AWESOME!

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Agree! Brilliant idea!

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i watched s1 of twd a while back- the first ep was terrifying and epic, and then the rest of the season wasn't half as good as i expected. i'm so disappointed. :( i want a good english show, it's been so long.

mars was one of my first dramas - sooooooo good. i was madly in love with vic zhou, the mars/silence whomper just killed me. back then i could handle a lot more angst though, not any more i think.

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I love MARS - It's easily one of my favourite Taiwanese dramas (pity they don't make them like that any more) ever. It was perfectly cast, and they did justice to the manga too. It's dark, but not overwhelmingly so. I reckon I've seen it about 5 times already, and could easily re-watch it again when I'm in the mood for it. They've done a Japanese adaptation of it, but I've not had a chance to check it out yet. Might be worth the watch if they've kept it close to the manga.

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Just dropping by to comment on MARS (loved to see it pop up here): it's my favorite T-drama (along with Autumn's Concierto), usually they are pretty slapstick but this one was different, dark and lovely and basically made me love everything about it.

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what episode of General and me are you on? I started it, liked it, then it kind of dropped in interest, so I'm wondering when you say it's getting really good if I've already passed that point or there's some good stuff to come?

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I thought the first 12 or so episodes of General and I were weak in that they rushed the set up of the relationship so here we have an epic love story with no firm foundation. After that I just went with it and have been fine and content with the story (13 through 30) because I'm a sucker for a romance. However in the last 6 episodes ( 31 through 36) I see the foundation they set for all the political maneuvering has paid off in a big way. It kicked it all up a notch. The production value is still just so so and Angelababy's lipstick still looks crazy, but I'm just going with it.

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MARS is one of those dark crazy good drama. i watched it ages ago loved it and the OST is still my ringtone..

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Gosh - tough choice. If you're a die-hard Jang Hyuk fan, you'll probably like this one more, although the plot holes and editing are tending to drive me crazy. I'm preferring Defendant for all the good reasons. The story line is incredibly deep and twisted, the writing is stellar and the acting is SUPERB. How could Ji Sung get any better after Kill Me Heal Me? Defendant is it. It's a must-watch.

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Just watch both!

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+1 prefer Defendant. Please give Ji Sung award for his amazing acting here. I read Ji Sung said he does not want to bring his dark mood (because of the show) when he goes home. That's going to be tough.

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I admit to being biased to Jang Hyuk but I honestly don't see any plot holes (not major ones at least) and I've been fine with the editing.

*scratches head*

Goblin's editing was way worse at times and super choppy between scenes such that I had to read recaps to get a better idea of what was happening. (And I liked Goblin a lot!) Don't have this problem with Voice.

I admit I may be too engrossed in the nail biting excitement to think a lot about plot holes but I really don't think it's that bad.

Just my opinion ?

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I agree Michydrama. I'm enjoying Voice and haven't noticed major plot holes. The main actress is killing it; Jang Hyuk is a little too over the top but you know, I prefer that sometimes to too staid, so I'm not complaining. I AM hoping there will be some romance though because I watch kdrama primarily for romance!

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Me three, folks. I don't see plot holes, either. We're only 4 episodes in, and there's been a pretty steady amount of character development and plot exposition.

After JH's intense and buttoned-down turn in BEAUTIFUL MIND, I've been looking forward to seeing him kicking out the jams, so I'm happy. ;-)

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Me four. I dont see any major plot holes with Voice. The excitement and cliffhangers makes me yearn for more.

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Not started Voice yet, but i am biased to Jang Hyuk so comments like yours made me happy. I have seen so many comments saying that JH is overacting so on (comments that i have heard for years already). lol.

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well the only time I got distract with Jang Hyuk overacting is in the 1st half of FTLY. then again i don't blame him since it might be the direction PD want for his char. not in Voice though.

Just like KGE char.

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imo JH does overact for the first three episodes but he kind of toned it down on ep 4, which is a good thing at least for me :)
i mean other police are so heck annoying, it's a relief that JH
feels more relatable on screen now when he started to do
teamwork better with HN on the show

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Defendant. Voice have awesome cases with good acting from the victims/murderers+good strong heroin but I do think Jang Hyuk overacting a lot ,other polices is so dumb and too many plot holes

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Maybe give both shows a chance? :) At least the first two episodes? (Probably need at least a 3rd episode for Voice though. LOL) Both are really different from each other.

I'm enjoying Voice a lot. I'm Jang Hyuk biased, but I like how his character is gradually forming a team with the calm heroine. He's not even overacting that much. He did it in the first two episodes or so because of his grief/rage. It was understandable. I like seeing how the duo tackle each case and find clues to catch the culprits. Some of the other police officers may be dumb or acting dumb. But Jang Hyuk and Lee Hana's good investigative skills are cool to see.

I watched the first two episodes of Defendant. A super strong premiere. Extreme characters and dilemmas. I'm not quite hooked, but I'm intrigued by the story so I will keep watching. Ji Sung's and Eom Ki Joon's acting are soooooo awesome!

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DEFENDANT...one i am a die hard fan of ji sung..but on a strictly objective front, i will still say defendant....I seriously find it hard to watch JH in VOICE. VOICE is a good thriller...apart from JH's acting, you should watch it too.

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Hwarang: Finally the bromance kick in, the romance turn into a cute and honest relationship, we got more stories from Han-sung, and we'll most likely get an epic political struggle soon. Can't wait.

Solomon's Perjury: With most secrets revealed, I'm so ready for the big answer now.

Missing Nine: I'm getting really suspicious about all those island flashbacks we get. Is that really what happened at that time?

Can you hear my heart?: I was prepared to use FF button a lot, but this weekender turns out to be much better than what I expected. It has many warm-hearted characters, sweet relationships, lovely and touching love story, and complicated family-related conflict that I actually can get behind. 75% of the time, it left me grinning widely and all giddy or shedding happy tears. And that's always a big plus in my book. Also, it has a beautiful, satisfactory ending that fits well with its feel-good vibe. I'm so glad that my first foray to weekend drama left me with good memories.

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Can you please tell me a site where I can watch can you hear my heart? All my usual ones don't have complete subs.. :( I've been eager to see it after it was featured in the why you should watch series. With hwarang and Solomon's perjury ending and only chief Kim looking promising I need some old school charm.

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Try dramacool.

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You can watch it on kissasian.com

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NGM is great in CYHMH and the drama is filled up with pure and innocent characters whom we can only love.

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After finishing Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim last week, I decided to start binge watching Goblin, which I failed to complete because of the far too apparent dragginess that slowed down the process of the plot. Since I was binge watching, I found myself able to fast forward through most of the episode without missing much. I guessed it was a drama slump because I simply couldn't warm up to it despite the great reviews. Hence, I decided to watch some old dramas and I finished City Hall by KES and I loved it. I was surprised that I enjoyed City Hall more than Goblin and I must say City Hall is not very typical KES style because the female lead is not overly reliant on the male lead. After finishing City Hall, I rewatched Reply 1997 after 5 years and I watched it from a different perspective as I was a high schooler back then and now I'm going to.graduate from university soon. Instead of relating to the characters, I realised I was watching them nostalgically, a sing.I was watching my own past. Also, I found out what set Reply 1997 apart from 1994 and 1988. It's that the drama is driven by solely passion from the directors and scriptwriters to convey their own personal stories despite being raw and green. It's persuasive and touching. While I must say that Reply 1988 shows how much the scriptwriter and director have improved, the rawness is gone and people's expectations of it have risen so much that anything that deviates from perfection will be severely criticised upon and every mistake will be magnified and analysed.

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City Hall was my introduction to Kdramas last April while recovering from surgery. It is one of my favorites because the female lead is not your typical female in the Kdrama genre. I would recommend Punch if you are looking for another drama that has more "substance" to it than many of the rom-come. I also enjoyed Two Weeks and Shark.

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I loved City Hall. A Cinderella story for grown ups. I started crushing on Cha Seung Won. But didn't like Goblin or Descendents for their dragginess. I won't be watching any other of the writer's shows until they are finished and people can assure me they don't drag.

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My introduction to CSW was the film MY SON, with Ryu Deok-hwan. It was intense, with fantasy elements reminiscent of WELCOME TO DONGMAKGOL, which I also loved. (RDH was in that film, too.)

After watching MY NAME IS KIM SAM SOON, I took in CITY HALL -- and was floored to see CSW doing rom-com. Whoa! This fall, I marathoned THE GREATEST LOVE, and enjoyed his performance in that, too.

I liked his performance as Prince Gwanghae in HWAJUNG. He was deposed after about 25 episodes by Kim Jae-won as King In-jo -- in a role about as far removed as you can get from his turn in CAN YOU HEAR MY HEART?

I'm still working up to watching CSW in 71: INTO THE FIRE.

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Re Goblin:

Oh no! Bracing myself real hard right now... ??

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I actually enjoyed the ending(:

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Once i leave a drama i can't get back into it.

Yoona's Street's 1st 15 episodes have many ahem moments then it heavily starts to explore other characters. I'm still stuck at 27 though. @Mary helped with this show's translations. In Yoona's Street romance is low-key affair unlike many other weekend family dramas.

Goblin was like 19episodes drama. all those 1hour+ episodes. If it was done under 10episodes it would have made more sense. End was writers incapability to write anything proper. Everyone getting a happy end.rainbow everywhere.

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CatoCat, I remember you from the previous week saying you started Yoona's Street mid-way. Please share why? I'm just curious because I felt like the latter half of that show dragged a little so it's strange that you prefer the latter half.

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Mary I have only watched the 1st half- Then i already had too many of ongoing shows in my list that i had to put it on hold for 6 months. So rather than starting from 1st episode or FF 1st 25 episodes I, right away started with episode 26. I have forgotten all characters names but remember everyone's occupation and skills and what is going on in their life.

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I completely agree with you. There are many dramas i dropped after finishing the 65-75% of the episodes. Then there were the ones i completed because i wanted to see an end. Dropping a show in it last run is painful as you are reminded again and again you could have saved yourself earlier and would have spend that precious time on some other good content.

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Re: Shy Boss. I'm with you in that this is my current favorite. I can see where people are coming from in their annoyance with Heroine -- she is incredibly loud and pushy, completely convinced of her own righteousness, and her interactions with Boss are often quite painful -- however, she does not ruin the show for me as it seems she has for many others. I think her saving grace for me is the look on her face when she finally sees how misguided she has been in bulldozing the people she was trying to protect. When Secretary gives her a dose of reality after the newspaper incident. When Mom Co-worker says how awesome it was to be a legitimate part of the workforce for a night before going back to being "just a mom". Here's to hoping she will take these incidents into consideration the next time she decides to go mother hen/righteous crusader on someone's behalf.

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I don't hate her at all. I quite like her and I'm looking forward to her character development. Dramas run quite a risk, I think, when they start with a character who is bound to jar everybody's sensibilities although the whole point is she's going to change herself as she tries to change her boss. People give up almost right away. But maybe that kind of development doesn't appeal to everyone. I like the show; it's long but it's never boring Thank. God. So many recently have been deadly paced. Goblin, the prime example. I can forgive almost anything, it seems, but for goodness sakes don't bore me!

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I actually don't really hate her, and I finally think about her from different perspective. However the preview kinda ruin it for me.

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I love Kim Ok Vin, too! I wish she would get back to dramaland soon. Although, it seems like she's more a chungmuro actress and she hasn't been too active these days.

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Kinda wish LOTBS was s bit twistier too..liked the fuzzies, but it wouldn't have been bad to include a few twists. Scary to watch Voice...killer is so scary...
On an unrelated note, if the 2017 Year Review Editors Picks have a category for 'Character Deserving Its Own Drama'(think they had one in 2013) Dam-ryung and Se-hwa would be at least honorable mentions, don't ya think?

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Or maybe DB staff can make "Top 10 side characters that deserve their own drama". There are several interesting side characters just from these last 2 years.

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Like!

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as of late watching past. crime drama. rewatch heartless city, and watchimg my beautiful bride, spy, last

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I can't get excited about any drama. (So I'm rewatching "Heard it Through the Grapevine.")

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Our cable TVN is airing Reply 88 and I've been avoiding it like the plague lest my heartbreak with Jung Hwan resurfaces (it was so bad, I was down for a few weeks and swore off rewatching something that hurt so much - like a really bad breakup feeling). Then I happened to stumble on the firetruck dance scene while changing channels, then of course the wall, then Jung Hwan doing the president greeting, and THEN the mother of all, the bus... Now I'm wondering if I can stay away.

I am currently on Goblin (E13) and I wish so much that Ep 8 was actually ep 3 so i didn't have to feel quite frustrated. Almost dropped it but for the love of Gong Yoo so I trudged through it. I wished they had spent a couple whole episodes on the Goryeo time in the BEGINNING of the drama, not towards the end which would have made the flow of the story so much better. Maybe then I would have been as immersed in the tragedy of the Goblin's life. It also took me a while to warm up to him cos the writer made him so inconsistent in personality in the 1st few eps: brooding, serious warrior and then doing comedy out of the blue that it felt exaggerated and was done for the sake of having them. I def don't blame Gong Yoo cos goodness I've watched him before. It took a while but I had to make an effort to buy into the supposed personality. And the excessive flashbacks, EVERY damn episode that seemed more filler than anything. I just felt the 1st half was quite a waste. ? Plus the 2nd couple def feels more organic: they're better written with characters more fleshed out. I had read comments before that the writer tends to do better with them (didn't watch Descendants) so it seems the same here. They had a great plot to develop on only to do so on the 2nd half only. Tsk.
With that said, it did get better by Ep 8 and much more so by Ep 10. Quite a long time really. Better late than never I guess. I hope the ending's good cos am loving where I am now with the story.

I also finished 1% of Anything and thoroughly enjoyed every episode. It managed to make a well-worn plot fresh and it was all thanks to the lead couple's chemistry and the brisk plot movements, a great watch for something light and romantic.

I'm a little sad that Infinity Challenge is on a hiatus, I've taken to rewatching old eps from years back to fill the void. But hopefully they will be better than ever and it's a good time to reset since they were practically on live shoots per episode.

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i'm finally watching w, it's blowing my damn mind. i finally get what everybody was on about. almost halfway through though, and i'm scared about what's coming. what an experience, though! han hyo joo is so cute. lee jong seok is not AS good as i thought he was in earlier shows, but i also don't doubt for a second that he's a manhwa character come to life. SWOON.

i also feel the lull in current shows. hm, i think we're all burned out by all the hypey dramas and want something more chill?

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Despite its flaws "W" is the type of drama we only get once in a while, it remains one of my top favorite k-dramas so far. Also this is one of the very few dramas where an extension was actually needed.

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ty for this comment! i remember ppl losing interest in the second half. it's just so damn original!!! i love the directing, it's handled so well - i'm at the end of the episode where the no face killer's writing/creepy voice appeared and just the !!! !!! !!!!!!!! moments are soooo good. and the comedy is legit funny. and the romance is legit swoony. i'm having such a good time, and i can't even crazy marathon it because my heart needs a rest.

lol, rereading my original comment - talking about needing something chill but i'm watching freaking w.

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Happy watching :)

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I have to agree.. In the recent years, two dramas who were really (successfully) original with their concept was Signal and W.

They had flaws but the fact that they introduced the concept tried their best to sell it was a feat.

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I will always love "W," flaws and all. Always.

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W first half was truly amazing! Sadly it just went downhill from there. It's a fun watch nonetheless. Enjoy the show!

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About W
While the writing was really out of the box and awesome for the first 8 episodes, the rest went downhill.
And it will definitely NOT be remembered as Lee Jeong Suk's best role. His acting was completely expressionless and wooden (except for one scene, the one in the study with the manhwa writer), and in the last episodes his supposed feelings for her not even a bit believable.

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Haha, I second the recommendation of Naked Fireman. I didn't watch it because of the title (honestly!), but because my all-time favourite prosecutor from City Hunter was in it. It was a fun 4-episode and the ending was well done. Which is important in my book. (See rant below).

Hwarang: I thought the main bromance happened all too suddently, but never mind, fortunately Ji Dwi isn't one to take his time with relationships: 'I like you. You are my friend.' Done. An entertaining watch, though I was hoping for more depth.

Legend of the Blue Sea: Yeah, nothing spectacular, but I liked the idea that they just wanted to live ordinary lives. I'll take that ending over Le Goblin

I didn't feel like trying any of the new dramas so I went back to my list of things to watch:

Cheese in the Trap. I so loved Kim Go-Eun in this! She was much better than in Goblin. I liked her character progression too. Altogether the story was good, it had me feeling comfortably uncomfortable, showing the grey areas of human behaviour, so I didn't expect a sunshine ending. I won't say it was as bad as I had expected, except for... the time jump. Lately my endings have been spiked with amnesia, truck of doom, or a time jump. Rant over. Off to try Chief Kim and get some funny wackiness in my life.

P.S.: I was curious about the film Hyeong and thought I'd see some comic Jo Jung-Suk. Boy was I wrong. *sob*

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I was in the middle of enjoying the comical bromance in Hyung when suddenly it turned gut-wrenchingly sad. Uufff..

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Oh me too. As soon as I heard about the "three months" (dont want to say too much or I'll spoil it) I stopped watching. Not in the mood for tragedy right now.

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Ah the movie Hyeong...
After the end of goblin i was so so sad...
And i dont wanna see something sad again.
I thoughy Hyeong was funny, then the real conflict happen. Dang!
I am crying again...
But overall, the movie is good and touching

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Hooray! More who liked Naked Fireman. Don't worry WishfulToki...I didn't watch it because of the title, either. In fact, it would have pushed away my interest if it were an American drama, but you can't make the same assumptions for kdramas. Instead, it sparked my interest.

I like the main actor (City Hunter prosecutor), because in this one, he showed his comedic acting chops. I've only seen him strait-laced (which he does well, too). The actress I had seen before, but had to do a search to remind me she was a minor character in Mirror of the Witch. She does a good job being a believable character who doesn't get on my nerves. Their chemistry was definitely there.

I like the plot. Another drama where the plot and connections of the characters come full circle. A review I read recently put it well, describing the show as having a good balance of suspense and lightheartedness. It's true - sometimes, you weren't sure what genre it was, until you figured out it's both.

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I watched Hyeong last night thinking it was going to be a comedy! Well the joke is on me since I pretty much brawled my eyes out! What is it about Jo Jung Seok being sad (but brave) that just completely rips your heart out?! These feelingssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!

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It seems we have to adjust our expectations about the Introverted Boss. I also expected a comedy... and was surprised with the dark tone...
The heroine is a bulldozer, and I can't imagine that a newbie would behave like that to her boss.... but if it serves to show us her growth, why not...
Yeon Woo Jin is brilliant... I just wish the show also spent some time on the other characters (team members)... my hopes for next episodes that they will finally start working as a team....

Enjoyed Chief Kim. A lot.

And rewatching 1% of Anything (2016), this show always brings butterflies and a huge smile on my face :--)

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Legend of the Blue Sea- I remember being completely disappointed by the first episode, was it just me?? But I stuck with it until episode 17 or so, and then finished it by reading the recaps. It was mostly lighthearted and was enjoyable to watch, but as several people have mentioned it wasn't particularly memorable.

Goblin- This was a show that I was invested in. I will admit the pacing was absolutely awful, but the beautiful cinematography, a soundtrack that actually fit the story, the excellent acting, and the premise itself kept me involved. Now that it's over I can see its flaws a little bit more clearly, like how every hour+ episode only had 10 minutes of plot-moving at the end, and how the fact that I was ecstatic over Wang Yeo/ Kim Sun's ending was purely due to how the show essentially neglected them until the end.

During its airing by only problem was the use of the Joseon scenes because it was the same shot multiple times per episode, which got extremely annoying. This will probably be awful to binge watch, but I will definitely go back and re-watch my favorite scenes (like that scene where Reaper's identity was revealed? I cried every single time).

What should I watch next? I'm finishing up Arang and the Magistrate, and I love saeguks and fantasy. I tried My Shy Boss, but I ended up getting anxiety watching Hwan ki struggle through it all.

*Spoiler for Goblin: DID WANGSUN REALLY HAVE TO SUFFER THAT MUCH, WRITER-NIM? BECAUSE I CRIED EVERYTIME REAPER CRIED AND HE CRIED A LOT

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Aha, someone who loves sageuks and fantasy! :D I'm sure you will get lots of recommendations. Some ideas: Faith, My Girfriend is a Gumiho, Splish Splash Love, Gu Family Book, Queen In Hyun's Man, Sungyunkwan Scandal.

I've heard good things about Mirror of the Witch but I haven't seen it yet.

Re Goblin: definitely, I will rewatch favourite scenes (ie: tunnel walk) but never again watch the whole thing.

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I've seen Gumiho (it was adorable), Faith (again, I loved the premise but it dragged), and I've read all of the recaps for Queen In Hyun's man and have started watching it. I think I'll finish that one and possibly watch Sungyunkwan Scandal.

My problem (I have so many problems today haa) with watching Korean dramas after they air is that they're all available, so I feel like I have to watch them all at once. Then most story lines start to get repetitive or odd, and since I'm watching them back to back the inconsistencies are very noticeable (ahem Scarlet Heart). But that might just be me.

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Oh Scarlet Heart fans noticed them all right. We just didn't care :)

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I agree about Gumiho - it was quite cute, and whoa, the acting in the end scene had me at..well..had me.

And what can I say about Faith? One of my favorites - so much so that I contributed to many of the 4000+ pages of a forum about it and even made a trip to the main character's grave site in Korea!

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I watched Mirror of the Witch mainly because Kwak Si Yang was in it, but the drama kept me watching to its end. Yes, it is dark. The acting was very good. The wicked witch/shaman woman is so good at being so bad. The problem I had with it, however, was towards the end, there were inconsistencies that hi-jacked its believability for me. I know it's fantasy, and it was stringing me along for the most part, but in the end my mind was filled with too many questions, basically, "What???" "Why in the world..??" "How could that ever...??" and quite a few "No way!!"s.

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Mirror of the witch is really good, if you like your fantasy a bit dark.

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I've seen Mirror of the Witch. The first half is much better than the second half. It would have worked better as a 16 episode drama. I ended up stalling on Goblin. I agree with the list offered here; all solid dramas. When it comes to fantasy though, Arang is still the best constructed drama that I've seen. The writer of Arang is doing the Water God fantasy drama (though set in modern time) so I'm crossing my fingers.

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I'm hoping someone can clarify on this but I know that some shows air around 11pm and isn't that at bit late? Here in the states prime time shows run from 8-11pm. Just curious about why they air around 10 or 11pm

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I am guessing their prime time is 9 o clock (based on Jealousy Incarnate and how they say main achors all strive to be on 9pm news).

From dramas it also seemed that kids got home from school quite late, and not to mention the working-age who almost always have after work drink.

I just got back from Japan and man, the 11pm train the city is packed like crazy! In Australia, there would be 20 people tops.

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Have to finish Goblin but can't seem to find the will to do so. Going through that pain for Gong Yoo.
Binge-watching Oh my ghost and kinda liking it a lot. I needed some comedy.
Glad LOTBS is finally over. Don't know if I should start Oh-Hae-Young. The comments here are scary and the first episode sucked besides the prettiness that is Eric.
Also going through a Hamletian question for Introverted boss; should I or should I not???! Bummer

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Watching Oh My Ghostess because you need some comedy? Hmmm.... Yes, the first few are comical indeed, but... Be ready for some serious heartbreak which will stay with you forever. I don't think I've ever cried so much - except in Love Rain.

Goblin's ending was more than satisfactory, although the two main female leads brought unnecessary pain to themselves and their loved ones just before the happy ending. But you will feel content and smiling.

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Currently watching:

Hwarang - and loving it
Voice - like it but plot holes and normal Jang Hyuk character
Defendant - WOW! Blown away by first episode. Love it
Saimdang: Light's Diary - Loving it - beautifully shot - hope it stays good
Liked Goblin but LOVE the OST - still playing it every day
SO SO SO SO happy Legend of the Blue Sea is over. LMH carried the whole thing and did a great job. I bet he's also happy it's over!
Missing 9 is so bad it's laughable. Plot holes and inaccuracy galore. I yell at my computer every time they fish a suitcase out of the sea and open up to find neat and dry clothes. Too many scenes like this but you never fget the feeling the show is TRYING to be funny like that - which makes it not funny - only cringeworthy - but I'm a glutton for the story so will keep watching and keep face-palming.

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I kinda mad with LOTBS on how she wrote JJH's character. I watched and skipped here and there but cannot stand the plot. JJH maybe should stay away from dramaland and focus on chungmuro for the time being unless the script if worth it.

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I've been in a slump for months, and even though I'm a rom-rom gal, it's the thrillers that are bringing me out of it. I started Defendant and Voice because of Ji Sung and Jang Hyuk, and so far, I really like both shows.

I gave Introverted Boss four episodes, but I'm dropping it. I like the hero okay but none of the other characters appeal to me at all. I don't care for the style of the show either.

I really liked Namgoong Min in Beautiful Gong Shim and was looking forward to him playing another quirky character, but unfortunately, I thought the first two episodes of Chief Kim were terrible.

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I agree on Chief Kim. They went for grotesque comedy and over-the-top grimacing acting. Such a waste for a wonderful actor. And what's with the carrot coloured hair and terrible haircut? This man used to be charming and cute. It seems the producers of the show hated him somehow. I hope he changes that ridiculous hair ASAP. And I also hope that the show goes from slapstick to more serious, as it sometimes happens.

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Well hey there Sweet and Sour, we have the same opinions about these shows. It's so rare somebody likes the same things as me for the same reasons! I'm also quite liking Voice in addition to these four but I take it episode by episode because the genre is not my favorite - I don't tend to like police shows.

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Solomon's Perjury: I was soooo late in jumping on board of this show because I wasn't sure how I felt about another high school show =P the summary hinted at the shows potential, but I was turned off by the fact that my fave kid actor's character was killed off so early in the series lolll so I only checked it out of boredom, starting at the latest episode at the time (ep 7/8?) At first glance I found JiHoon intriguing, but I didn't know how to feel about him because he was so secretive and I couldn't understand why he would be the male lead. I knew the talent in the actress playing SoYeon so I figured I'd cheer her on the most... I even thought that sweet JoonYoung would be my replacement favorite guy character... but then boyyyy was I proven wrong when JiHoon bared it all in ep 8 and consistently tore my heart apart ever since. I finished ep 11 and 12-- there's no doubt AT ALL that JiHoon has my heart more than any of those wonderful kids. Awesome show and so much heart in the message that it shares. Done with grace, gentleness, and gravity that is delightful surprise for a drama centered on high school students with implications even for adulthood. A beautiful way to start 2017 =)

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+1 I finished Solomon’s Perjury also and loved it.

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I can't find ep 11-12 eng sub everywhere?! I download raw, but didn't dare to watch it without subs :(

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It's on viki right now. Ep.11 is at 95% so if you check back tomorrow it should be OK, and ep.12 at 83% so give it a couple of days more. It is unfortunate that it has such a small audience compared to fluffy idol dramas like Hwarang.
https://www.viki.com/tv/33359c-solomons-perjury

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I'm currently in a major withdrawal since most all of the shows I was watching have already ended: Weightlifting Fairy KBJ, Goblin, LoTBS, RDTK, and Solomon's Perjury (even though I haven't watched the last two episodes of this show).

The only new show that keeps me interested is Voice. I'm waiting for Tomorrow with You premiere right now. I hope that show is going to be good.

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I'm also waiting for Tomorrow with You. I need a healthy dose of melo right now.

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Good to see you, nchoe!

I'm enjoying VOICE, and also SAIMDANG. It's a blast to see Dr. Do In-bum wearing hanbok instead of his Doldam scrubs. ;-)

I'm looking forward to TOMORROW WITH YOU, too. See you in the recaps. ;-)

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I got nothing to watch after goblin and I kinda like like it...hooray!!!!...I will now be able to spent more time doing house chores. I did not watch last episode of LOTBS, I consider episode 19 as the ending. Dislike current dramas plots but I will keep visiting this thread to see which drama I should consider watching.

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Introverted Boss - I got so much hype about this. Since it's a reunion of YWJ and Marriage not Dating's team. But i've got to be honest i'm not into the heroine. I can accept a little mess of the first two episode since it's still beginning. But i can't buy the heroine. I'm really sorry to say this, but the way she pronounce her words are disturbing for me. So i might be held watching this drama and read the review further to decide whether to continue it or not.

I also got interested in the voice but i'll wait until it finished airing so i can marathon it. Finally, keep a good review dramabeans. I enjoy it very much :)

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This is interesting to me: that the way the heroine pronounces her words is off-putting to you. I have not had nearly the negative gut reaction to her as some of the commentators but I wonder if not understanding Korean at all so not paying attention to how she speaks is part of the reason I like her more than other people do?

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Interesting... I don't know Korean at all but somehow the Queen's way of speaking in Hwarang puts me off (I hear a sort of lisp). It's as if I compensate not knowing the language with more attention to tone and pitch.

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Can someone help me!
I just finished Goblin and Legend (though the story was cheesy had to agree that the cast did their best to make the plot moving.)Now its time to test other generes. I guess I had enough of the rom-com, now time to test other generes,I found Solomons Prejury, Voice and Defendend. These are good. Can anyone suggest dramas preferrably mystery thriller dramas which are complete and were to find them.
I really need some suggestions for good dramas.

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Try The Devil/Mawang. It's an old drama with Jo Jii Hoon, Shin Min Ah, and Uhm Tae Wong.

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Several title I can recommend: Signal, Bad Guys, Missing Noir M, I remember You. I think they are available in all the usual sites.

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SIGNAL!

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Thank u.... I just found Signal and Arang and found Signal having the highest ratings. Going to try it first.☺

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if you like Noir, try heartless city or My beautiful Bride if you like procedural meet melodrama kind of genre .

I'm currently on verge of finishing my beautiful Bride right now. still one episode to go and still hard to watch 1 episode left because i don't want to let go of the drama LOL

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Thanks guys?

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For a sageuk mystery thriller: ARANG AND THE MAGISTRATE. ;-)

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Definitely Heartless/Cruel City!
Way,way different from mainstream Korean dramas...a true gem of a 'drama noir' which is rare in K-Drama haven. Definitely worth watching but requires a lot of effort... so definitely not for the faint hearted.The drama is dark,creepy,moody,has many twists and turns,excellent story,casting,soundrack,directing etc.etc. Jung Kyung-Ho is an amazing actor who does justice to all genres.He outshines himself as Doctor's Son in this drama.

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"Cruel City" should be called a Jung Kyung-Ho show. He was severely injured towards the end and he finished it having to endure so much pain. Cruel indeed.

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I wish the day JKH will pick this kind of drama and type of character like this ffs. his acting is so awsome. Enough hillarious character already JKH

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No recappers watching Siamdang Light's Diary? I was hoping to get an opinion here. As expected, the show burst out of the gate with a solid ratings but I've been reading mostly negative comments from knetz.

Chief Kim is another with conflicting viewers' feedback. Some think it's very funny and some said it's terrible. I need a comedy in my drama watch but I need a good one.

Solomon's Perjury Subs weren't out for me last night so I haven't watched the last two eps. Going to skip comments here to avoid spoilers. For those who's barely started this, your patience will be rewarded. It's not a show that starts with a bang but it really gets more and more intriguing.

Missing 9 I have not watched ep 4. Did the show go off rails? I keep reading comments about plotholes and inconsistencies. I can't really tell because I keep wondering how much of it all is fabricated. So if a thing doesn't make sense, is it because the set up is fake? Or is it because Bong Hee's memory is faulty? Am I the only one having this trouble?

About the leads...I've never been crazy over Jung Kyung Ho. Maybe it's because I couldn't get into Cruel City. So it's unfortunate that his character got into a really bad start in this one to the point that I hardly laugh at any of his escapades. It's the opposite for Baek Jin Hee. I disliked her in Pride and Prejudice and couldn't finish the show. Now, I really like her as Bong Hee. Hopefully I'll like Joon Oh more.

I'm not going to start Defendant yet. I made a mistake with Voice and I don't have another set of nails.

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Saimdang : I love what i have watched so far but no loyalty guaranteed. There are 28 episodes to go, so it is still early to decide.

I like to see rookie actor Yang Se Jong more after Romantic Doctor, so i am glad i get to see more of him in this drama.

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I went to check out the bits in ep 2 where Yang Se Jong's character appeared in the past. He was very different in this compared to RDTK. I really want to see more of this guy.

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I'm with you about Missing 9. Though mostly it's because I believe in this writer. Rather than chalked it up to plot holes, I'm also more suspicious about how much of those accident was fabricated.

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Please where do you read knetz comments? I want to know what websites you can read knetz comments from

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mostly here http://kkul-jaem.blogspot.sg/

some of them are always negative but usually the better received dramas will have more positives here and there.

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+1 with solomon's perjury. I start watch when it's at 8/9 eps and love it to bits, it's a good a thing I marathoned first half episodes.

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I also loved Solomon's Perjury. Very deep issues, handled with sensitivity and courage. I think everyone would watch it, both teenagers and their parents.
I loved how layers kept being added and that, aside from what the final verdict will be (I won't say what it is), in essence they are all responsible. School officials but also all students, the leading girl with her betrayal, his friend, nobody was completely innocent, nobody completely good nor completely bad. Very skillful, impressive writing, and an impressive performance from the young male lead.

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Currently watching Chief Kim, Defendant, Missing 9 as they come out. Skimming over Hwarang.

I've fallen behind with Solomon's Perjury, am at ep 8, but this is a great mystery.

And, Misaeng, I'm at ep 6. My go to drama when I need to feel better about my job.

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Hwarang - My current drama cracks. Every week wait for Monday is a torture. The thing is, the lack of chemistry betwen the OTP is what made the romance seems awkward. It weirdly became even more palpable when they get together compratively when they were restrained. That was why I shipped Aro with Ji Dwi because there's some tension and sensuality between them but when with Sun Woo, it was too chaste and feel more like siblings. It does not feel right.

Nirvana In Fire - I am up to episode 8 and boy, I don't know if I should carry on because this drama is driving me nuts for being super BORINGGGG. I checked it because of the rave reviews but I constantly fell asleep in the mid of watching. I don't know if I have the patience to wait for pieces to come together.

The Legend of Zhen Huan - This drama is a gem. Interesting right from the get go. The thing that chinese drama always could do it right is the battle in the royal harem. Somehow when Yongzheng emperor kept pining for his first wife Wan Wan, I kept having a flashback of Ruoxi of Bu Bu Jing Xin.

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Hello there! First time commenting here… I’ve started watching k-drama around 2012. Still loving it! It keeps getting better and better. With 88 k-dramas under my belt, I believe I have decent knowledge of k dramas.
So I’m watching now:
Goblin: enjoyable only if you have nothing else to do in your life. It dragged way more than necessary. They had enough plot that was suitable for a 12 episode drama. I found myself unconsciously skipping a lot of scenes. I loved the casting for this drama though. The otp loveline seemed boring, I was more invested in the second leads. The bromance was amazing … oh and the slow motion scenes really got on my nerves, I mean it’s one thing to use it at specific moments to get the viewer’s feels but having it used every single episode, multiple times, was over the top and a big turn off.
Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim: “how do I love thee” …ohhh … that drama was just perfect, well at least for me. It didn’t infuriate me in any way, shape, or form. It sure did serve as a redemption for yoo yeon seok after the horribly boring Warm and Cozy. So in love with his acting in this. Seo hyun-jin was already one of my favorite actresses since Another Oh hae young. Teacher kim and nurse Oh left me speechless… lots of love for that drama.
The legend of the Blue Sea: so what’s the legend exactly? Well it should have been called something else. The otp were the only thing worth watching. I wished the cameo with jo jung suk was longer. It would have been more interesting. Joon jae’s family drama killed the show. The writer didn’t invest enough in the idea of the “sea”.
Weight lifting fairy: love love love
Hwarang: loving it. Love the casting, and all the side stories. The female lead is not written in an interesting way, she just seems to hang around doing nothing other than cry frequently…
I haven’t started any new dramas, any suggestions. I like all genres, except horror, so please give me your recommendations. What should I start: Chief Kim? Introverted Boss? Defendant?

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I agree with you especially on LOTBS.The writer seems like losing the idea. The show better done at episode 16.

About the new shows, not yet start the Defendant (will start a bit later since i am impatient to wait for one week for next episode).

On Introverted Boss or Chief Kim, honestly Chief Kim draw me in more. These two are supposed to be romcom, but both have some dark aspects.

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out of three i would say defendant. its more quality guarantee.

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Agreed. Go with defendant if you're in the mood for serious.
Pick Chief Kim if you'd prefer some comedy.

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Why no one watching Voice ;A;

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Yeah I am surprised too. Voice is really good.

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I'm only watching Defendant at the moment and... the acting is just amazing. Both Ji Sung and Eom Ki-joon are so good. It's just sad that there are so many deaths already and a happy ending isn't going to be possible however you look at it. I think the scriptwriter is pretty, well, "cruel" in this way. My gripe with the drama though, is the female lead character. Another idealistic, candy-like female lead. Why? Are they deliberately dumbing her down to accentuate how smart the male lead is? *sigh* Not again...

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Counting down saimdang to finish cuz i cant wait for 'while your are sleeping'. I need LJS dose asap as the current dramas bored me.

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Total drama slump now. Only watching Hwarang on ffwd. Compared to a couple of weeks ago, with weightlifting fairy, romantic Dr Kim, Blue Sea, Goblin.... All the good ones have ended!

Time to rewatch the oldies, I suppose. I just couldn't get into any of the new ones, Solomon, Missing 9, Saimdang, Chief Kim... Voice looks good but too scary, I only have time to watch TV late at night for around half hour when my kids and husband are asleep! Defendant also not my style.... I like Eom Ki Joon more as the cutie like he was in Dream High....

Here goes, 1N2D and Winter Sonata reruns (I hope it doesn't come down to the latter.... haha)

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Seem like suddenly we are out of love story. There is no drama currently focus much on romance (tomorrow with you and strong woman are not yet air)

voice - murder and such
defendant - law and such
chef kim - office and such
missing 9 - survivor and such
hwarang - power and such
introvert boss - well... introvert

rebel and saidam are both 30 epis, Im not sure i would stay for that long for a drama, even though the special episode of rebel is quite nice

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Yeah, that's my beef too. I want a love story where you really feel the attraction between the leads - the push and pull - etc. Last one that did anything for me was 1% of Something. Before that Scarlet Heart though it was ultimately unsatisfying. Weightlifting Fairy was cute. I think we might get something interesting from Introverted Boss but the wait for these two extreme characters to come closer together seems like it might take too long.

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Yep, Lobster and Goblin were disappointing on this front for me, as ultimately was Scarlet Heart. :'(

I actually think the romance detracted from 'power and such' in Hwarang, and I wouldn't mind no romance at all in Chief Kim.

For a real love story, I'm guessing we should wait for Shin Min Ah and Lee Je Hoon?

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Unfortunately I Drop both dramas Introverted Boss and Hwarang like a Hot Potato because I just can't get behind the leads Romance.

In Introverted Boss I like Park Hye-soo the actress but I hate how she plays her character. She comes up aggressive, childish and infuriating like a nagging baby sister. I personally think that she was wrongly cast for the roll and some one more mature looking and with a less EXTREAM attitude would had made this show way better.

As for Hwarang I just got bored with the leads because I never found them to have any Chemistry. This is especially sad for me because I LOVE Park Seo-joon and Go-Ara as actors and as characters in this Drama. I Just Don't like them Romantically together because they are as Boring, Awkward and Bland as well... Brother and Sister.

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I've also dropped Hwarang and Introverted Boss. Too much angst n no chemistry between the lead couple in Hwarang and the lead gal in IB annoys me too much.

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Going to finally get some rest and wait for Strong Woman Do Bong Soon and Tomorrow With You to take me out of my Drama Slump...

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My Introverted Boss / My Shy Boss

I share the same sentiment as javabeans. If it’s not because of me being originated from java—which I doubt is the reason—then the show must have forgotten something: romantic drama's viewers are mostly women and women positiones themselves through the heroine.

So before anything else, like falling in love with the hero, solving problems, fighting the hardships, etc, the viewers must love the heroine first. It’s the heroine—not the hero, not the cameo, and of course not the secretary!

This show, anyway, instead of making us react ‘she is totally like me!’ or ‘I totally can connect to her!’ it brings most of us to make this kind of reaction: ‘Even if I were her, I would never ever ever do that kind of thing.’ Not all of us, but in DB comment sections, I see most of us.
Well. The acting, the directing, the writing—I think those reasons are all responsible elements and not just one. I believe extrovercy is not the same as crossing boundaries. But the show doesn’t seem to second my opinion. It rises extrovercy to whole another level—level that irks people, actually.

However, some parts of the show keep me going on, like when former secretary slaps the heroine (metaphorically) with reality. Recently heroine also seems to subtly change, by questioning true nature of her shy boss.

In the end, what keeps me watching is because I still see chance. I wish character’s growth will not only happen to the hero, but also the heroine. He learns to break out from his shell, while she learns to look more closely at people—not just assuming things using her own standards. And the show still have plenty times to work on it.

Not to mention, we have a shy but most insightful—and also super hot—boss!! Yeo Woo-jin’s acting is totally brilliant.

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Just finished marathoning WFKMBJ, oh my, Lee Sung Kyung how adorable is she!

I just love how she embodied Kim Bok Joo - the way she talks, walks, eats, basically just every little thing she does - I cannot picture anyone else as KBJ other than her. She reminds me of Go Ara's lovely and heartful performance in Reply 1994.

Nam Joo Hyuk on the other hand is still having trouble emoting in some scenes but he made it up with his lovable character (okay so this is all due to writer nim), wonderful chemistry with LSK (take note dramaland, dating = skinship!), and his performance in episode 15. I am glad he is able to let go in his character growth's climax (when he confronted his aunty) and as a result, his ugly cry cues waterworks for me. Whilst LSK made my eye glisten lots of time throughout the drama, NJH made me sob so bad troughout the episode. I am not even a crier and I cry few times this episode.

Random thoughts while watching the last episode:
-this drama reminds me of Sassy Go Go, both are full of hearts and relatable in its coming of age story - both unfortunately have low ratings, I wonder why.
- I thought Tairyung is somewhere far that they called it long-distance relationship, but turned out it's actually just 20mins away by car *insert wack bgm*
-Who take cares of those cute bulldogs, they are always out in the winter! (pardon this crazy doglady)
-I was prepared to like Ah Young when she appeared early in the drama because her hair and facial features are similar to Oh Hae Young (even the name too!) and all the meta relationship with Lee Jae Yoon, but then she opened her mouth at that dinner when Bok Joo wasn't over Hyung yet, and I just straight away dislike her character. Never care about her story and Hyung afterwards, the actress is unfortunately quite dull too.
-I got shivers watching the final competition and graduation scene, and I realise I am so grateful of this PD and music director. They have created such a truly warm and heartfelt drama. And the colors (filter?) are just so pretty!
-I always love the writer's work and she works her magic again this time, I'll be waiting for her next work like a fangirl!
-Is it because both leads are models? The coats they wear all look super duper nice. Props to the stylists for having good sense of style.

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Watching Studio Ghibli's "The Red Turtle" for the 3rd time, my favorite animated film for 2016 is nominated for an Oscar (yay! No surprise there).
http://oscar.go.com/nominees/animated-feature-film/the-red-turtle

I highly highly highly recommend it, Studio Ghibli fans or not. You will not regret it and that is all I'm going to say about it.

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@Kiara,

Thanks for mentioning THE RED TURTLE. I didn't know that Studio Ghibli was back in production. This is wonderful news indeed. Yay!

Did Joe Hisaishi do the music?

I loved THE WIND RISES.

Are you watching it online?

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@PakalanaPikake

Red Turtle is a joint production (Japan, Belgium, France) so it's not just Studio Ghibli. The music is done by French composer Laurent Perez Del Mar.

I'm not familiar with his work since I don't watch a lot of French movies.

It's currently out in the theatre probably on limited release. I hope you'd find one close to you.

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Thanks for the details, Kiara!

Beanies in the USA can check the RED TURTLE release schedule here:

http://sonyclassics.com/theredturtle/dates.html

I'm tickled to see that I'll be able to watch it in my neck of the woods in New Jersey in a couple of weeks without having to mount an expedition to Deepest Darkest Manhattan in the dead of winter. Yay!

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I think I still remember watching k-dramas as a solution to the slump that I felt after finished When Marnie Was There and other Studio Ghibli works. The only feature films from Studio Ghibli that I still trying to bring myself to watch are Pom Poko and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. For TTotPK perhaps it’s because it’s a potential tearjerker? But personally I think no film from Studio Ghibli can come close to the Grave of Fireflies in making its viewers in deep remorse throughout the show.

Is The Red Turtle good? It doesn’t give a similar vibe to other Studio Ghibli works to me, maybe because it’s a collaboration work?

What I’m looking forward in 2017 is Mary and the Witch’s Flower. Even though it might not be a Studio Ghibli work, I hope it can carry the tradition from other Studio Ghibli films. I had seen its teaser and it did give a similar ecstatic and that makes me hopeful. Hopefully it could alleviate the drama dry spell that I feel after Goblin ended.

I wonder why K-drama never adapted a Studio Ghibli film. For beanies that had watched Studio Ghibli films, I wonder which film has a great potential to be adapted into a K-drama?

Personally I think From Up The Poppy Hill had the vibe that in tune with k-drama, hence could be translated well into k-drama?

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I wish I was into the genre outside of the US much earlier because I still consider myself a new fan.
It wasn't until "Spirited Away" and "Howl's Moving Castle" (my favorite) that got me looking at Studio Ghibli and other animated studios.
Now I'm going to look for "Grave of Fireflies" thanks to you.

Red Turtle is very good (imo) if you don't mind the lack of dialogue. It's a beautiful hand-drawn animation with mesmerizing visuals telling the story. It's mostly Michael Dudok de Wit although Takahata was part of his team.

I'll be looking out for "Mary and the Witch’s Flower" since you are more familiar with the genre than I do.
Please stop by and share after you watch it :).

I know there are some Studio Ghibli die hard fans here who would give their opinions on adaptation.

(I'm a fan of Han Suk-kyu and his voice. I hope he'd get a chance to work with Studio Ghibli in the future).

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I love Studio Ghibli and have seen everything of theirs. My favourite is Howl's Moving Castle too. Grave of the Fireflies had me cry a river. Really loved it. I was sad they decided to stop producing animated films. I will check out Red Turtle and Mary and the Witch's Flower will be in my radar now. Thanks for the mention!

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Yeah, it's hard to really like Ro-Woon in Introverted Boss. I partly think it's a problem with how the show follows Hwan-ki so closely; it's easy to sympathize with him when we're privy to his inner thoughts and know that his seemingly out-of-the-blue decisions to his employees are in fact well thought out (overly so, in fact). The characters in the show have none of that inside info, so when the boss sneaks around with a huge knife collection, pours out his coffee, or calls Ro-Woon back to the office to clean off the the table, it just looks bad to them.

To me the actress has done better with the serious scenes (she's quite a good crier) than with when she's happy or vindictive, and it doesn't help that she's only had sympathetic scenes in the past or when she's drunk. Here's hoping she gets some more character growth once she realizes her boss is not in fact a serial killer, because her brand of extrovert needs some pulling back too.

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I was thinking that too. I sympathized with Ro Woon during the funeral scene and when the neighborhood ajusshis noted she lost her cheerfulness after her sister's death. In the past scenes, you can feel what a wonderful person her sister was and how she cherished Ro Woon. Unfortunately, Her grieving self doesn't quite flow well into her nosy, disrespectful company employee self. I forget she's on a mission sometimes. kdramas haven't quite figure out how to stick a revenge driven heroine in a rom com.

RW noted that her entire family are like these nice, introverted, don't make a scene people. in some dramas, you'd probably have the parent protesting and making a scene. RW probably felt had to overcompensate. I'm introverted. When I'm at a table full of introverts, I feel like I have to be the extrovert of the introverts.

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