Marshmallow-Chocoholic

@7hearts You’ve made some really good points about the FL. It is an irksome stereotype in dramas that the “ introverted girl” doesn’t have a lot of dimension to her character because she ” doesn’t speak up" or is “ quiet” until a random backstory or moment of tension is added to spice up a storyline.

@Imaney No, I don’t really see any problems with the Lee Dam x Woo Yeo either. Like you pointed out if it had been between a high schooler x student, then it would have been a different matter as at end of the day this is romanticising grooming. However, Lee Dam is an adult. Yes, she arguably doesn’t possess the same life experience as someone as old as Woo Yeo and she can act immature for her age ( like most 20 something year olds), but she is not a child. I can understand to a certain where @MiHnn was coming from on the perspective of the “ mental age difference” at times , however, unless you know many 999 year old foxes who look physically in their 20s, it isn’t really that much of a push. I appreciate for some people the student/ professor relationship isn’t everyone’s personal taste ( I find it hard to watch this setting in high schools in dramas), however, the Lee Dam/ Woo Yeo is pretty well-done. If it was toxic or oppressive ( like the second ML) I could understand, however, both MLs are fairly respectful of one another’s boundaries.

@Monster Drinks I feel exactly the same way. I remember starting out with a lot of SIG dramas ( Hello Monster, Shopping King Louie and High School King of Savvy) when I was first watching K-dramas due to a very friend who recommended them ( as she absolutely loved his work) and then later of course with BG ( the most memorable fo me being evidently Strong Woman Do Bong Soon). In retrospect, they weren’t entirely the best when it came to scripting , however, they did have a lot soul because of the main casting or chemistry between the respected leads. As a fellow fantasy drama lover, I know exactly where you’re coming from. DAYS is one of those drama which had been sitting on my ” potentially real good” lists since last October and so the final result did leave me downhearted. It is a shame as otherwise the drama has brilliant chemistry between SIG and BG and their acting is fairly good as well , its just the problematic screenwriting. As you said, fingers crossed that we will see these two onscreen together in future works!

@Kate I understand your point.

@Kate This format doesn't appear on my screen so I am sure you can understand my misunderstanding,here.

@Kate I am sorry if I misunderstood who you were entirely directing this comment towards as it was a little ambiguous.

@Kate Your point about various genres is very true, however, this line of argument was more tailored towards the topic of argument of this drama of relationships and problems. It was not aimed to '' generalise'' the elements of South-Korean dramas and productions but rather talk and discuss about the problematic areas of relationships in K-dramas(not necessarily rom-com per say).

I’d argue that this also dependent on what a screenwriter is able to filter through by presenting key parts from the storyline into this time also . Yes, it is understandable that 12 episodes vs more than 7 years of webcomic storyline arc will never truly match up to the expectations of every fan, however, this is also the decisive decision of screenwriting which is not necessarily marked by a time limit, but the ability to adapt and write with what’s given to them.

You’re welcome . It is quite an intriguing view upon problems with more abusive portrayals relationships in Korean dramas :).

@XIIVX No, I also agree with this view upon ignoring more problematic issues of South-Korean culture with rose-tinted glasses. Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s wonderful that so many people have got into South-Korean culture in different ways or pursuing interests in South-Korean media and television, however, it is worrying to come across the minority who truly belief that everything in South-Korea is " cutesy" and see the more problematic stereotypes in K-with romanticised unhealthy attitudes as " normal”. If you ever have the time, then there is a really intriguing video called ” Abusive Behaviours in Korean Dramas” on YouTube which respectfully pulls a lot of the problems forward in detail. With Netflix K-dramas, I think personally it can be a little hit or miss when they have distribution rights; sometimes they can offer well-written storylines with poignant themes( such as Navillera), other times they can just be a big-budget extravaganzas with little sense of plot and ultimately cannon fodder.

@XIIVX I know what you’re saying and I do agree it is wrong to stereotype K-dramas constantly as " cutesy happily ever fairytales", because ultimately this does not reflect real-life. However, I do believe that watchers hold this view because they often fuelled by more " idealistic” and " romanticised" visions of relationships which they have sometimes sucked up from more stereotypical romantic K-dramas.

@Rocky This is an erroneous stereotype and is not bearing in mind how this series is distributed and age restricted on other platform sites ( such as Netflix) in different countries. In my country, this series is even accessible at the minute to preteens. This is because there are a lot of sociocultural differences and attitudes ( dependent on when you live) to South-Korea.

@XIIVX I do know where you’re coming from on this front . There have been a lot of K-dramas which have broken the mould with more controversial themes tackled in dramas.( Hogu’s Love being a prime example.)However, I do believe @Quiche and @Reta do have some points here,also . @Quiche is right that the targeted audience demographic is different. In South-Korea, the age rating of the programme is " restricted" to 19+ ( the highest age restriction on programmes in Korea- rarely used, but certainly indicating a more mature audience) , as well as being distributed to a more westernised market through a deal with Netflix. @Reta has also made a good point here about more " fluffy" K-dramas. Whilst tastes and even romantic dramas are notably changing in South-Korea with more prominent real-life themes, there is still respectfully a very conservative ideology towards the " less problematic" relationship in dramas. The idealised and romanticised pairing where everything is pretty hunky dory (until random tension or cliches are thrown in). I think this is interesting to reflect upon the viewer rating at the minute ( at the time of writing 7.8) with only the premiere episode having aired. It would seem that the storyline is sadly mistaken as a case of trying to romanticise abuse when it couldn’t be anything more opposed to this.

You do have a point about the ideology of “ occupied time” being more exaggerated than truly what happens in reality ( I.e. hence why a lot of idols can date), however, let’s not sugarcoat that the " idol" lifestyle isn’t a laissez-faire ordeal. Whilst evidently Jiang Yi is fairly successful as idols stand, there is the slightly more "rose-tinted” glasses approach here in the drama also . (No, I am not forgetting that the show did depict the problem of dieting in the drama and the vicious nature of netizens also. Honestly, kudos here to the screenwriter for tackling these subjects.) However, there were a lot of actualities which were brushed under the carpet here such as the 12 hour training sessions, regular weigh-ins, the sometimes malicious nature of fans when they find out that their " favourite" idol is dating and of course unrealistic beauty standards and expectations that idols have to live up to.

Yes, I did comment upon Shengsheng working from home and mentioned in my previous comment that she did feel guilt for not catching up with Tong Hua. I am not denying that Shengsheng didn’t work on other articles to do in between ,but , rather how on earth this girl had time to do all of this in a fairly time consuming task of working on 2-3 articles, going to work, meeting with Jiang Yi and then going for an evening meal/ day out with either Shen or Jiang Yi . ( In answer to the previous translation problem, I believe in English, the closest term that we’d probably have to " 热搜" is " a hot gossip article".)

I know it’s a untrue stereotype that the world of media is harsh and cruel and I am sure ( as you’ve already said from experience ) that life in the office as a journalist is variable, however, an old friend of mine also used to work as a reporter. Admittedly, it was a different line of work to entertainment, however, the biggest problem she told me when she was working as a journalist, was that time was a pretty precious thing- you had to arrive early and stay for the entirety of the day ( and often work overtime), proofread and then double proof check every single word before handing it to the editor a before being given 2-3 pieces to go work on during meetings which was incredibly time consuming. ( On a more funny note, let’s comment upon how fresh and healthy everyone looks- if Shengsheng really was working until late then let’s be honest. The bags under her eyes would be immense, lol .)

Again, this show isn’t meant to be the height of a realistic depiction of life as a journalist . If I wanted that, I’d invest my time again in something else. You do have a good point about the idealistic suggestion that none of the members are dating and that in reality, there would be a swarm of bodyguards stopping fans from approaching them. Let’s be honest. You wouldn’t remain celebrate for seven years without at least a couple of relationships or one-night stands. I do agree also, the idea that they can live together for 7 years without slowly wanting their own accommodation or falling out over these problems is pretty idealised.

You do have a really good point which eluded me about those articles that Tong Hua allowed. In reality, they would be so much controversy (even if the supervisor had approved it) to allow it to not spindle the reputation of the entertainment outlet. For me, an issue which really irritated me was the " female animosity" approach taken between Shengsheng and Jian Yi’s friend and crush, the entertainment reporter over him. Don’t get me wrong. It was evident to see this being used to heighten tension and drama, but for me it gets on my nerves a little that two women ( sans friends or bosses) cannot just get along like decent human beings.

@Sher1264 Typically suggesting to someone to “ look deeper” promotes that they lack intellectual awareness in order to acknowledge more poignant moments of a storyline or “appreciate” a storyline. Trust me when I say that I know what the show is trying to do on the philosophy from here. Funnily enough, I did study philosophy for two years and there are some intriguing messages presented, however, even I’m left scratching my head at some of these scenarios and actions. For me at least, they are sort of “ disconnected” away from the more intriguing elements of the show.

@Sher1264 I am going to try and appreciate that you weren’t trying to make this sound condescending to myself and others who hold different views from your own. I know what you’re trying to say here ( it is called a “ circular narrative”) , however, the intrinsic problem with DAYS by including this repetitive circle is that it goes on an incessant and circular lapse without truly connecting the dots. As someone who is studying creative writing professionally, a circular narrative works well when symbolism or links are enforced by being tied together in order to create a fulfilled and a “ complete” story for the audience. However, the constructive criticism noted by the more vocal contingency of critics does undeniably have a point-it is sporadic here in DAYS and doesn’t flow.

- Monstar - ML is an idol on a break due to an incident with an obsessed fan and attends a normal high school where he forms a band.
- Hit The Top- More fantasy-comedy, but ML is an idol from the 1990s who time travels. The series revolves around the idol industry on the sidelines.
- Dream High- Yeah, this is an oldie, but a classic due to the high profile cast. The main characters are teens who attend a music training school in order to become musicians/idols.
- Her Private Life- FL works in a museum and is a secret Kpop fan.
- Reply 1997- Retro time setting in 1990s Korea , but FL is a Kpop fan of the 1st generation band H.O.T. and surrounds her youth and life leading up to filling gaps to the present day.
( Hope that these recommendations are helpful :D!)

@Brenda Sadly, the webcomic is not available in English online , however, if you have a translation tool/ engine it is possible to read on a Korean website and translate as you go :).

@sternchen This is dependent on what you’re looking for in a show. If you’re here for merely the chemistry between the leads, aesthetic cinematography and some arbitrary philosophy dotted here and there, then it is likely that you will like it. However, if you’re here for a well-rounded plot, characters and a well throughout approach to the premise, then this might not be your taste. It is up to you personally whether you want to give it a second chance, or just drop it. Honestly, there is certainly nothing wrong with either approach :).

@Fatooz No, you’re not the only who feels this way. I’ve been on the fence with this one for awhile, however, I do agree with most comments and independent critical reviews by drama bloggers, that the storyline is a bit too sporadic and clunky by cramming in perhaps 10-15 minutes of actual necessary storyline, then the rest of the time focusing upon tedious " couple moments” which never truly build-up the storyline.