Random Series

Just to let you know so you can manage your expectations, the series is not about lovey dovey, and cutesy romance.
While it has romance, it is much more about the exploration of modern relationships through 3 different friends,
So, the overall tone is leaning lightharted, but the issues and topics discussed are actually serious.

In my opinion "Because This is My First Life" is by far her best role, and the series itself is also very good even if it wasn't a rating hit.

I know a lot of similar situation in real life.
While often there is no money exchanged , there is a compensation in different ways (shopping, made up stories about special discounts, expensive gifts, etc)

I think they said it is only 1 year. If that is the case, that is nothing. It passes quickly.

While some of what you say is true, it is not entirely accurate, or true.

Don't you think it is equally strange that a drama will have a very high rating after just few episodes?
I would say what usually happen is that lots of people who like the series just go on and rated very highly, I guess in hope for more people to watch?
But, probably the majority of people just wait until it ends and then rate it. And those, on the whole will not be as in love with a series as those early ones, and therfore the average will ultimately, and naturally decrease.

For example, I like this series, and I am enjoying it. I think it is good, but when it comes to rating, it is somewhere between 7 and 7.5.
I don't hate it, or I am against it. I just don't think it deserves 8 plus. Sometimes things are simple. There is no conspiracy.

Alchemy of Souls has an amazing start, but it drags a LOT. 30 episodes for what could have been a standard 16-20 episodes.
That said, it is enjoyable overall.

I can't remember in which episode, but everything will be explained.
I don't know whether you genuinely feel "hate" towards the character, or this is just a figure of speech, and it is more like dislike.
Personally, I didn't hate her or disliked her at any point. Yes, I questioned some of her behaviour, but on the whole, I had understanding for her.

"Many" is a subjective thing I am afraid.
All I can say is that there is a certain amount of sadness and angst. And there is melodrama.
There has been wide range of reaction to that. Some have thought it was too much, and some (like me) felt that it wasn't, because it all made sense. If anything, I wanted more.

I am sorry if my answer is not a simple yes, or no, but it is really hard to know your tolernace level.
But, If you are looking for "Business Proposal" type of drama, then this is not it.

Burger with onion rings is a delicious meal :)
On a serious note, originality is overrated in my opinion. It is not the idea or novelty that makes dramas good.
The execution is far more important.
Furthermore, this is a drama about life (not sci-fi or fantasy). Is there any human interaction that hasn't been already explored?
By the way, it is perfectly fine if you don't like it, or even you think it is bad, but the "we have seen this before" is what I am objecting to, because almost everything has been seen before in one way or another.

I completely agree that well argued stuff is more engagging. I even seek those ones.
I should have added that they don't affect me negatively, but sometimes they influence my opinion.

As for the overblown stuff, I like your description about sharing the same space :). I find them more of annoyance, but they never have an influence on me, or I think about them while watching.

I would actually argue the opposite to the phenomen you described.
In many ways one liners and completely over the top comments are very easy to discard.
On the other hand, a well argued and constructive criticism bound to linger and stay in the mind longer (including my own internal criticism). At least in my own experience.

Agreed, but I think this was done as a replacement for the break up.
You know, just when everything seems resolved, there is one last problem.

I think instead of the traditional break up we got the mothers fight as the last obstacle.

Well, we can't be sure it is Google, and therfore we can't use their salary and benefits. We can't assume the most favourable scenario.
But, lets not get bogged down which company it is. The point still stands. If you are American, how about other big companies, but not the A tier? And is it the same for foreigners?

Personally, I think it is something the writer just didn't pay attention to. American writers often get sticks for poor portrayal of other countries (and rightly so), but to be fair, most writers everywhere are pretty bad when it comes to other countries. Just a bunch of stereotypes. Korean writers are no better really. I mean, they still treat Africa as a country.
It is a well known fact that medical bills are expensive in USA, so she probably didn't bother doing a research about companies and benefits in relation to position.

Random thoughts:

* I didn't see the daughter thing coming although I wondred why in the flashback he never mentoned daughter, but I didn't dwell on it, and I was surprised when I heard the little girl say "appa"
* Seok Ryu financial situation continue to be very ambigious one. 10 years in a managerial job in higly prestigious company must pay very well. Also, she had scholarship, and her boyfriend was rich. But, she doesn't seem to have any significant money. A daughter like her in an Asian society would certainly offered to help her parents. So, where her money has gone? The only thing I can think of are medical bills. I don't understand the details of health insurance in America despite watching gazillion shows and movies lol.
Alternatively, the writer is just ignoring the issue and asking us to "let it slide just this one time" lool.
* Why she doesn't use her father restaurant to try some dishes? I just can't fathom why nobody even mentioned it? It just doesn't make sense to me. I get she wants independence and proove herself. But, can't she at least try their restaurant while she is applying?
*Her struggle to find a job is very believable though. She needs to tone down her CV.

Overall it was really nice episode though.

Seung Hyo : Let's tell everybody we are dating.
Seok Ryu: If we do, it will be hard to have sex.
Seung Hyo : Let's keep it secret.

LOL

You have watched almost 100 kdrama, this is bound to happen.
Try to mix genres and countries (maybe some Western dramas so they are very different).

Yes, I did.
A very good series that I liked a lot.
E8 was probably my favourite. It put my heart in a washing machine at maximum speed :). I cried and cried and cried lol

Lovely two episodes. Not as good as the few before them, but more crowd pleasing.

I have to say though it is becoming embarassing now for Kdramas to treat Africa as a country. At best, this is very ignorant. I don't want to speculate at the alternatives, because none is good.
The husbad crying in the hospital was an extra level of cringe.
..and the whole wife memory thing being brushed this way was *rolling my eyes*

Anyway, I still enjoyed these episodes.

You are making few points:

1. There are many reasons why people keep watching a series they don't enjoy. Some are "completionist". When they start something, they feel the need to finish it. You see this in the book community as well.
Another reason can be something akin to gambling. When gamblers start loosing, many of them don't cut their losses and leave, but they keep playing in hope of recouping their money. In case of dramas, people invested several hours and they keep hoping that the series will get better (from their pov).
Also, some watch series because of various commitments.

2. On this one I tend to largely agree with you. There is no need to drag down other dramas, but I must say that there are ocassions when comparison is required. But 90% of the time what we see on MDL is just negative mentioning.