Eleison

I think they all have glimmers of promise and various endearing qualities that need to be cultivated and fostered. They sometimes do seem a bit clueless for people who've gone through med school, but you've got to start somewhere, I guess! (And from a storytelling perspective, the best Kdramas give their characters good arcs with plenty of room for growth). 😉

So true!! I find it scary, too. Sometimes I think, "How have women done it?" We don't give women enough credit for how hard pregnancy is!!

Or maybe they show that it's hard, but ultimately deeply satisfying? We'll see, I guess. :)

I just think stuff that feels faintly of propoganda can feel manipulative. So far this show doesn't feel manipulative, I can just tell there's probably something of an agenda behind it.

And I doubt they'll focus on abortion; that would be antithetical to the push to increase the birth rate, no? And it's a larger social/philosophical issue, not just a medical one, and extremely controversial, especially in a conservative culture like Korea. But we'll see, I guess!

I didn't say it was all propoganda, it just feels chosen on purpose because of the birth rate crisis, in the sense that they are choosing this topic because they seem to want to influence women's decisions/thinking about this. I don't think the topic is coincidental; I think it's intentional and that's the part that smells faintly of propaganda. I still think all of this is super important, though, so I'm glad it's getting focused on--don't get me wrong! 😉

Hopefully this desire to increase the birth rate will force Korean society/culture to empathize more with women and learn how to listen to them better.

They're just very different types of dramas. :) They're silly in different ways. Study Group has over-the-top action, Under Cover High Shcool has an over-the-top plot (in that it requires a lot of suspension of disbelief), but both are fun in their own way. :)

Hwarang doesn't have an incest plot, either. 😉 That was my point, and the only way I was comparing the dramas (this drama certainly seems to have a very different vibe!). In Hwarang, the main leads start out seeing each other as "brother" and "sister" because they grow up together. That's all I meant. I didn't explain what I meant by that, though, so I guess I left my comment open for misinterpretation, haha.

It's giving me Jane Austen's "Emma" vibes (Emma's older sister marries Knightley's younger brother, so Emma and Knightley have this close, banter-y brother sister vibe that's also really cute. lt reminds of these leads' relationship!).

She's darling, and SUCH a good actress. Not only is she beautiful, though, her mannerisms are just so cute. I've loved her since Law School (she stood out even in that support role!).

You can tell they're trying really hard to influence the birth rate. It feels a bit propoganda-y and agenda-y, but they're honestly smart to put it in media since a large population of Kdrama watchers are child-bearing aged women. 😅 And does media does influence people!

They will be revealed to not be related. It's a Kdrama. 😉

It'll probably just be another Hwarang! 😅

I think 2017 was actually my favorite year of Kdramas!

Also, I cannot see this plot as a Kdrama AT ALL. 😅

After looking at his filmogtaphy, I guess he WAS in a movie where he wore a hanbok--but that's still not a drama, though!

I've never seen Jong Suk in a costume drama of any kind--is this a first for him? I've wondered if maybe he had an aversion to acting in hanboks or something. 😅

I wonder who the screenwriter is?

Lee Jong Suk as a lawyer again--it's been so long!

Is this as melancholy as My Mister? I thought it was very well done, and beautifully acted, but it was a bit too... somber? I just thought it was so bleak and heavy; I would never rewatch it. 😅

Haha, yes!

Yes, very different dramas, even though there's superficial overlap in theme and content

It was a makjang from the beginning, though? 😅