3GGG

Wonderful drama from start to finish. The last episode seems a little scattered, but it's still quite an enjoyable ride! I'm going to miss this drama for sure! Highly recommend!

I'm enjoying this drama a lot despite sometimes feeling that I've missed a scene or two. What I mean by that is that the jump from one scene to the next sometimes feels like a transition scene/moment was missing. So I always double-check that I'm watching the right episode. Am I the only one that feels this way?

Please do! This show needs more love!

Thank you so much for reading and commenting! I'm happy the articles have proven insightful and hope they increase your enjoyment of K-dramas! <3

Funny you should mention FGTD because I got the same vibes! Which makes sense considering they are both satires, wherein humor (absurd humor, no less) is used to make a social critique. I'm loving it so far and I hope more people give this one a chance!

I'm going to echo some of the comments here. Why is the rating so low? This is a hidden gem and I'm glad I heeded the comments and decided to give it a watch! I'm enjoying everything about it! Some of the highlights:

1. Adorable/awesome female lead who grows episode by episode. ✔
2. A complex male lead who hides behind his eccentric behavior. ✔
3. A highly entertaining & balanced relationship developed between our leads. ✔
4. Badass female support characters with presence and wit to match. ✔
5. Awesome butler (who reminds me of Batman's "Alfred") who is interesting as hell! ✔
6. Complex 2ML who isn't relegated to "pining for the female lead", but who instead has a real role in the narrative. ✔
7. Interesting way of delivering the narrative through various perspectives, showing us the dangers of preconceived notions. ✔
8. BEAUTIFUL lighting that elevates the cinematography. ✔
9. Awesome music that really heightens the emotions. Whether that be to dramatize a scene or to ridicule it! ✔
10. And as a bonus, we get some mystery regarding our FL! ✔

Which of the two male characters did you consider the main male? For me it was Wang Sik, but for many it's the Emperor.

Thank you for reading and commenting, anacouver! I'm happy you enjoyed it! And yes, this is a cue that's really hard to miss.

Thank you for your contribution, Shayri!

>Foggy mirror/murky water | there are so many examples of introspection occurring while the character is reflected on a surface, that I opted to separate that into another article: Popular Motifs in K-Dramas: Mirrors, Windows & Reflections. Having said that, I haven't yet ran into an example of a foggy mirror. If you can think of any shows that feature it, please let me know!
>Light (over or underexposed) | I've been talking with @ClaudiaMz about a collaboration to create a series regarding "colors in dramas". If we do write it, exposure (and how that affects colors and therefore the "feel" of a scene) will be included! Same for the symbolism of characters' clothing color (which is a prevalent thing in K-dramas for sure).

>Audio
I love it when they include that hi-pitch sound that externalizes the nervousness, anxiousness and/or confusion of a character. It's so unnerving, it helps create tension right away!

I'm glad you enjoyed the article, Christie! Let me know what you think about the series if you do decide to give it a try! The FL will definitely not disappoint you!

We agree in that! I don't know why that is, but I feel like CJH can't really sell "pain" when he's acting. It might be that he tends to be very dramatic when he's acting as though he's in pain, which comes across as theatrical.

Although he was much better in Devilish Joy. Or at least, I don't remember getting the impression that he looked silly while crying.

It's a gif from the character "[young] Jung Jae Chan" from "While you were Sleeping" played by the talented Nam Da Reum. I just loved that scene where he's outside in the rain when something happens to his father. It's beautifully artistic and emotionally charged!

Thank you for the comment, Seliz! I'm glad you enjoyed the addition of more examples and gifs. Yeah, in retrospect, perhaps adding more gifs to the previous articles would've been a good idea (even if it required more time). I tried adding many here as an experiment to see how it played out, so I'm glad it paid off. The reason why I was hesitant to use too many gifs was because (although I optimized them) I was afraid the article would take too long to load.

Since no one has complained about it, I'll try to include more gifs for Part 4 (the overview, where I'll show examples of various cues either shown simultaneously or in quick succession). :)

You're welcome :).

Though, on paper, I still prefer Na Wang Sik's character over the Emperor :D.

Thank you for reading and giving the drama a chance! For sure the show's worth watching for Oh Sunny alone. The showdowns between the characters are also a strong selling point. Aside from the four last episodes, this drama was a solid 9 for me. And while they wrap up could've been better and how they dealt with CJH's schedule left a lot to be desired (quite disappointing, really), at the end of the day the drama maintained a high quality and very good pace almost throughout. If you get the chance to watch it, let me know what you think about it!

On a totally unrelated note, I love your avatar!

I agree completely with the sentiment. The villains and their showdown overshadow the main characters almost every-time. Though Oh Sunny took the crown for badass of the show. She was a treat to watch. Only wished the actress could've possessed more stage presence.

I also agree about Shin Sung Rok. He was the best at selling his emotions in a very dramatic way. Sometimes he came across as cartoony (when he was trying to win Oh Sunny over, mostly) which threw me off a little. But he was still quite good in his role. The scenes were he was in pain really hit home, more so than Choi Jin Hyuk's.

My pleasure, Dori_G! Thanks for reading and I'm glad you've found the article useful. :)

Every day one learns something new :). If you want to know more:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_angle
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dutch+angle

Seriously though... the one time I was looking forward to those k-drama tropes of "miraculous surgeries that fix everything"… and instead we get our Wang Sik blow to bits :(.