Eleison

...But the makjang version!

I'm only a little way into Episode 7, but it feels like the second couple is starting to feel La La Land-esque (even though they never officially dated).

Also, Hye Ri is famous for her kiss with Bogum in Reply 1988. I guess she goes all out!

Meet Yourself

😅😅😅

This made me laugh because you pegged (with deadly accuracy) a subset of drama watchers on MDL that drive me bonkers. 😅

I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to post in response to the people you describe: "Um, Kdrama romcoms without love triangles are like beaches without sand. Do they exist? I'm sure they do. But going to a beach and complaining about the sand is a pointless gripe... because beaches with sand will not stop being a thing."

Yeah, figuring our where your taste aligns (or not) with the majority is a helpful metric of its own. I like how we can use this site in different ways to learn more about our taste and preferences. I've found it very helpful, and it's actually quite fascinating. 😏 I also just love engaging thoughtful people about dramas as well as their preferences. I always learn a lot.

I see what you mean, but I don't mind curating like this! 😅 It takes the wind out of my sails to start, and then ultimately drop, lots of dramas. I've gotten to the point where I've seen a lot of the finished dramas that I want to, and I usually try to pick nonairing dramas because I can get a much better sense for the overall quality when a drama is done airing. It's fun to discuss with people while watching, but it's not fun for me to discuss a bad drama or a drama that's starting to hardcore diappoint me. 😅

I've seen most of the best dramas (Cdrama/Kdrama) that are available that I've wanted to see at this point, and while there are a few stragglers (Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Hospital Playlist, When Life Gives You Tangerines, etc.) that I'm waiting on for the right mood to take me (or for it to become available in my region, like with 18 Again), now I've gotten pickier since I have the good ones to compare the new ones to.

Almost any drama I've tried with unknown/obscure writers or directors (or who have ambiguous results) I've not liked or they did not leave much of an impression on me.

Unlike those who think the ratings on MDL are garbage and inaccurate, I have a growing trust for the majority opinion as expressed through rating, comments, reviews and popularity (with a few caveats). I usually get a pretty good sense for what I will get, and after accessing the resources for viewer feedback on MDL pages, I usually like the dramas I pick using those metrics (but I can't do that with airing dramas, so I am more likely to stumble on a dud if I try them before the "word is out" on it; and a drama hyped at the beginning of airing means nothing because so many dramas start strong and slide down into mediocre or lame). I'm also not one of those viewers who can watch a drama simply because they like a lead or because the actors are pretty. I need an engaging, cohesive story and thoughtful character development/arcs or, I'm out. 😅

The main couple is really cute, but man, some of the side characters are absolutely INSUFFERABLE (namely, Tan Hong and Lu Qian Qian. They made my blood boil. 😤).

The setting is really fun, and the story is sweet and cozy, if a bit cheesy/basic at times. The MC is cute, and the ML's buddies are loyal and determined. There were some loose threads (what happened to Shenggong and Tan Hong?), but overall it was heartwarming.

A gripe, though: why do they mention (ad nauseum) that the FL is a college student?

Okay, so sure, maybe in the 80's in China it was super uncommon for a girl to go to college (I have no idea, but let's assume), but the way it's pulled out to "explain things" feels akin to something like thia, "She's got a superpower," so of course she can do X, Y, and Z in a way no one in the village can.

Umm... I'm not sure that's QUITE how college degrees work? And many of the "skills" she exhibits are so diverse that there's no one "degree" that trains you with that much breadth. I think it'd be better if they made it clear (less often) that she's smart (first of all), and has had somewhat more access to knowledge/resources than everyone else in the village which would give her something of an edge in SOME ways, but it doesn't suddenly make someone an industry genius at all these varied skills.

Anyway, I enjoyed how the main leads grew in respect and admiration for each other, supporting each other in their dreams and endeavors with minimal drama and miscommunication. A sweet watch!

He ran off with my heart! Eun Gyeol's pretty darling, too, if we're comparing. 😏

I loved how Eun Gyeol cried over his young parents' suffering and struggles. Such a lovely character (one of my favorite MLs of all time!).

It ends happily, but Episode 16 packs an emotional gut punch. 😅

So... the drama is not pretending to show realistic solutions to real-world problems; it's leaning into satire which goes too far to shock the audience and make a point (like in Jonathan's Swift's "Modest Proposal" from the 1700's, he proposed they "make bags out of Irish baby skin since they're already dying of starvation anyway--at least the dying babies/corpses can be put to productive use"... to help shock the British into seeing how they were exploiting the Irish, etc.).

This drama does something similar by giving back to bullies what they dished out to their victims in extreme ways. It's trying to show the harm of what the bullies did, to teach, to bring awareness, to entertain, AND help people see that whatever strategies are being used currently in Korea (and the bureaucracy involved) are not working (I believe all or most of the cases are based on actual scenarios victims suffered in school settings).

He doesn't play ML roles for big dramas, from what I've seen. The biggest role he had in a really big drama was While You Were Sleeping, and he was the villain in that one. 😅

I thought he must be awful due to the comments, too, but I'm not quite sure why everyone's getting into such a tizzy about him. I think he made some mistakes (as does she, but in different ways), so while I thought he could have done better, I don't think he was dreadful or anything. There are some parts where it feels a bit like they leave an unexplained gap in HOW things end up happening the way they do, but so far it's alright. Of course, your safest bet is to wait until it finishes to find out since it's at this point dramas usually take a nosedive.

He's the 3rd ML, and not a villain.

I felt that way about her in Crash Landing On You, too. It's the only drama I ever saw her in besides this one.

I also like that he didn't let her off the hook after the one night. "Nah, you can't just jump into bed with me and then expect to dip." 😅 And it's a very playful way that he's not letting her get away with it.

I got a kick out of Lee Sang Yeob's acting when the 3FL confesses desperately to her coworker (to get him off the show), "I slept with him." And then he mouths silently (in English) in response, "Wooowww." 😅

He's shocked at her just laying it all bare (in more ways than one, I guess!).

The way this couple is going about things is not my cup of tea, but LSY is just a great actor. He's also not afraid to take on nonstereotypical, un-ML-like roles. While I'd love to see him in more ML roles, I respect his versatility.

The writer and director don't have any notable dramas or a great track record... so, probably a pass unless people say it's good after it's done airing. I get more and more skeptical of dramas landing these days. Only some writers/directors are able to nail it, and they usually are the ones with successful, well-liked dramas under their belt. I find myself sticking to those writers or directors more because I'm not as worried I'll waste my time.