EtoileNoire

I marvel at the ineptitude of the police & prosecutors in Kdramas. They leave a suspect in custody with his cell phone? No biggie. A minor whose only parent is in a coma? Leave her unprotected. The only copy of the case files gets burned; the original journal is stolen. They don't have locked archives or safes? How sway.

I’m moving to Korea & taking up a life of crime there. Something tells me that with careful preparation & failsafes, crime does pay.

Regarding the story, I dislike the way Chef and the father talk to the FL. These series need to stop normalizing verbal & emotional abuse as OK if it's done out of something called love.

Having said that, Chef and Seo Yoo Kyung were the highlight of the show and made me believe in them and their relationship.

I don't dislike Gong Hyo Jin, but she plays the same character - with variations on a theme - in everything I've seen her in. It would be nice to see her play a character who is "large and in charge" of her life, or a vixen who uses men & discards them, or a murderer, or anything else really.

Lee Sun Kyun almost always portrays a man betrayed by the woman he loves, but to his credit, the characters are all different while sharing that common life event. In conclusion, I'm really watching this for him. That's it.

Some similarity with the upcoming "One the Woman": https://mydramalist.com/683767-wonder-woman

I feel the series is weaker toward the end when it becomes more about the romance and less about the leads doing things together, i.e. kicking ass & taking names. Still quite enjoyable overall.

Wow! I did not see Yumeaki becoming so obsessively jealous.

RJY is really beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in anything before.

I thought he was wonderful in Erased. Hope to see more from him in the future.

I live for the moment when Rie bitch slapped Satoshi for being an indecisive freeloader. We need more of this energy to hold dudes accuntable.

Sakura definitely had more chemistry with Rintaro. Their interactions were the most enjoyable parts of the series. As for the ending, while I am firmly Team Tachibana, I would have been OK with the more daring polyandry. I have no doubt Sakura could handle them both.

Team Tachibana!

And he is rocking those cardigans. He makes them look sexy.

Sakura's sofa is gorgeous. I want one.

Thanks for your response. Maybe a part two focused on Jdramas?

Your article barely touched on Jdramas. Despite Kdramas targeting international audiences more, you prefer Jdramas. Is it due to the more realistic depictions of a wider range of topics? The brisker pace? The shorter seasons? What influence does anime have, if any, on Jdramas? Do those features - arguably - make Jdramas more appealing to a broader audience despite being made for the Japanese market?

Why does Se Joo remind me of Chuck Bass?

Bless you for this.

Yes, FL looks to be 43 rather than 33, while ML looks 23.

Well! The synopsis sells this series short. So far, it is very much a workplace drama with a whip smart female lead, a very intelligent right-hand man, simmering chemistry between the two, and a hint of romance. I love it so far (episode 6). The story is well-paced too at the moment.

I'm going to have to adopt your strategy of seeking out lower rated dramas.

In the plot summary, should “persisted” be “resisted” instead? The former makes no sense.

ETA: The synopsis of the original film, of which this is a remake, is much better (https://mydramalist.com/11218-a-distant-cry-from-spring).

I agree with all of your points. The low-budget cinematography compounded with poor quality video of free sites is the only thing keeping me from watching more J-Dramas.

This was hard to watch because it was so realistic. As much as I understood Nagata and even sympathized with him, it is best to keep as far as possible from romantic entanglements with people like him. They cannot be fixed and you should never feel bad about letting them go.

I agree. Also the fact that Netflix series aren’t drawn out to 16 episodes or more with useless filler is a real plus. Not only does it make for more meaningful & engaging narratives, it shows respect for the viewer.