gingerkiss

Thanks so much! It's great to know it's better than what I expected. Haha. Okay, at least I am less afraid to watch it now.

I took a break after part 1 and only watched 2 episodes of part 2. As much as I love part 1, I was afraid to watch part 2. I probably will hold off till the entire drama ends to binge-watch but can someone tell me if the palace bullying is bad? How's the angst overall?

Hahaha...yes, I wondered too. I haven't seen him put anything in his mouth and wondered how he managed to survive without food.

If you like this genre, then yes, definitely worth watching. I love the 2 episodes so far and have even rewatched. I like that while it is a melo and does explore existential struggles, the message is hopeful. Some melos, like one that was rather popular, while interesting, kind of left me hanging at the end wondering what message it was trying to convey.

Yeah...looks like some bad blood. Expecting some outburst when the truth is out.

Very curious about the relationship between Kang Tae Shik and Yoon Gyeo Rye. Don't think they're father and son cos they have different surnames. But in the childhood scene, YGR called dad. I don't think he was calling KTS though.

Are you sure it is boring? It's pretty fast paced for a melo. Maybe it's just you. I don't think the pace will get any quicker for your sake. And the dog I think will be around for awhile so I suggest you watch something else than get mad watching this.

I like! They managed to bring in a number of characters to the story in one episode and I'm interested to learn more about their backstories. It's hardly boring for a melodrama. The storyline so far makes me care for the characters and want to know more about them.

Yup yup...adorable is the word. She's an adorable fairy and her voice suits her character.

I guess those who have issues with the FL's voice are more auditory learners. Most of them can be affected a lot by sounds. It's like the sound of a chair being dragged affects one but not the other. I'm more of a visual learner so sounds don't affect me as much. I personally have no issue with FL's voice cos it suits her character.

Anyway, am loving this drama thus far. The story is interesting and appeals to me. Also the ML and FL looks great together. But I also like the SML. LOL.

I'm with you about people who make generic comments about his choices. And about Healer, I remember someone posted this comment on a forum: that it is unfair to benchmark all his dramas against Healer cos that's like a very high-quality drama. If that's the benchmark, then very few dramas (whether JCW in it or not) can match the quality. I think there's some truth there. If you benchmark his dramas with what's out there, they're not bad at all. At best, they're mediocre but there are a few that are exceptionally good especially the recent ones.

Personally, I like Healer but the ones I love are Lovestruck and TSOM. Those 2 dramas were different and were very interesting for me. I like both K2 and Suspicious Partner (not exceptionally) but I know many loved them. Melting was probably the only one that I dislike and will not recommend. Yet, I was surprised there are viewers who genuinely like that drama. And I also want to say that those who slammed Backstreet Rookie, well, 2 years later, the show topped 10 across so many countries for almost 3 weeks already on Netflix. At one point, it almost reached Top 10 global (ranked 11) and definitely ranked Top 10 global for non-English shows. What does that say? To me, this drama was mediocre, not bad, and is a fun watch. But the questions I have for the haters: How can a bad drama be popular 2 years later and even ranked better than newer shows?

I guess some people who always criticize his choices just wants to see him as the cool, badass alpha male full of action. No doubt I like to watch him in those action dramas but I thank him for selecting dorky, silly roles too. It's fun to watch how he brings those roles to life! What I appreciate most about JCW is he always look different for each drama...some actors keep to the same hairstyle and sometimes that itself is a drawback cos I can't differentiate them from their previous role(s).

On the other hand, I highly doubt those who say things like "disappointed with past choices" or "shitty scripts" (disguised as prayer) are fans. They don't follow his work and their comments totally sound like they are just trying to stir shit here to bring down his new drama.

Yeah, and disguising as fans. Too sick. Real fans only make objective comments and not sweeping statements.

Wow. This comment section has become rather toxic. JCW's last 2 dramas were good. TSOM was a global success and many people love Lovestruck, especially the Koreans! Yet, some people want to make it sound as if JCW makes bad dramas only. I think these are anti-fans.

Glad you enjoyed it! So happy that this drama stayed on as Top 10 in many countries for more than 2 weeks already.

I watched IS till ep 8 but don't find it compelling.

Ah ok...I might have remembered incorrectly then. Haha...that's why I wrote initially 8.5 or higher cos I cannot remember the exact number. But it was still very high...totally unexpected.

Yes, it has lowered. If I remember correctly, it opened with an 8.8 then dropped till 8.1 now.

Yeah, I think this drama is more fun and interesting.

Douban rating is 7.4. I would like it to be higher as the standard of this production is comparable with A Dream of Splendour which opened with an 8.5 or higher rating. But still, that's really not bad considering how many of the dramas have really lower rating.

So 2 years after Backstreet Rookie first debuted on iQiYi, Viki and other free platforms, it make its way to Netflix on 15 July. Today, it ranks 12th as top TV shows on Netflix globally and Top 10 in 19 countries (as at 23 July). At one point, it was even ranked 11th globally, well ahead of other newer TV shows that have just debuted recently or are airing. Isn't that amazing for a show people call bad? Congratulations to the Backstreet Rookie cast and production team!