Eleison

Yes, kids get beaten to a pulp with blood all over the place IN A CLASSROOM with adults looking on was almost laughable. I know bullying happens and that's realistic, but the blood everywhere... and it was just a "normal" school, too. 😅 It was ridiculous.

Ouch 😅

True! Media does do a lot of dress up and for the average person who doesn't have experience of the thing, it works. For instance, I couldn't really get into Weak Hero Class 1 because I work in education, and the portrayal of school/bullying violence was so outlandishly unrealistic it just felt like a fake world that was completely made up and divorced from reality. I mean, BOFs is one level of unrealistic high school portrayal, but that drama was another. I just couldn't buy it.

And yes, the struggles with English in Episode 4 didn't help. 😂

What do you mean by "western spice"?

I can see what you mean about the slice of life and rom-com tension, but to me it's not that jarring. I think it's cozy, and I'm enjoying it way more than Welcome To Samdalri. HCCC had its flaws, but it was still very cozy (again, haha), too, and sweet.

I wonder if this is because they're trying to replicate an "American" company without much context and real experience or exposure so they're just not sticking the landing on realism in the representation here. But I just expect that sort of thing in Kdramas. They have yet to peg America or Americans in any drama I've seen. 😂

(And hey, she mentioned attending UC Berkeley instead of Stanford or Harvard--they're branching out with their Ivy League name dropping! 😂)

But I know American media does the exact same thing trying to represent other countries or people from other countries, too, so, touché, I suppose!

I'm not sure which posters you're referring to, but I'll admit it's just distracting when English is spoken poorly when you're fluent and can tell (just as I'm sure it is for someone hearing a different language spoken in a British or American show and butchered there, too).

It is just a bit annoying when the people speaking are supposed to be "good" at English, though. The scene feels forced when characters are supposed to be good at something but aren't. I get why Kdramas struggle to get good English-speaking nonKorean actors and also why Koreans speaking English in Kdramas is often quite bad, and I'm sure everyone is doing their best with the training and resources at their disposal. But that doesn't change the fact that it messes with your immersion into the story.

But I don't let it affect my experience overall, because I've learned to expect it; I just cringe and move on. 😅 It's become one of the endearing elements of Kdramas for me at this point.

It's just because Kdramas always have 2MLs, and 2MLs are usually incorporated as a foil to the ML and FL's relationship. It's such a staple part of the "drama" of most romantic K"dramas."

Do you think the chemistry is on par? Park Seo Joon just beautifully nailed the zaney, slightly dim, best bud. I suppose it's actually hard to compare since the characters are quite different. 🤷‍♀️ But I totally still get the comparison. ☺️

But based on some content I've heard about in Mask Girl, it doesn't sound very "Kdrama" but it does sound very Netflix.

I'm curious, what determines "good writing" for you when it comes to a Kdrama specifically?

I've rewatched WYWS so many times, too. 😅 I've decided it is my favorite drama. #1 in my list of 100+ dramas.

It's very long, and it took me months to watch because everyone is so unlikeable at the beginning (like all weekenders), but the last third is so good. Loved the ending and last few episodes. Very good drama!

Yes, we'll see, I guess! She's not that much older than Hae In, but I thought she was younger in CLOY. 😂

💯 It's so annoying to be reduced to hormones and sex appeal. 🙄

Yes, the nostalgia came through stronger with WTS (sometimes it felt reminiscent of Reply 1988 in that way). I'm not feeling it as much with this one, though (but those building blocks that looks like bricks from Episode 2--I totally grew up playing with those, so that felt nostalgic! 😅 Those were totally a 90's thing, even in Korea, apparently.).

So far, I also think the friend group is more convincing in this so far than WTS.

I looked her up to remind myself who she is, and now that I know, I agree with you. The thing that shocked me about her when I looked up her page, though, is that she's 40. I thought she was quite a bit younger than that! 😂

Oh, then you should watch While You Were Sleeping! Excellent drama, even though he's only the 2ML in that. He plays a very sweet charscter.

I saw So Min in My Father Is Strange and she was cute, but she's even better in this.

Ooh, have fun! Seoul is delightful!!

I kind of wished they wouldn't, though; then contrarians wouldn't have more fuel to use to claim women only watch/like this because they are "fangirls obsessed with their oppas." 🫣

And then those of us who watch it for other reasons besides Jung Hae In's beauty won't have to be subjected to their gleeful harping... *sigh*

One thing that I think works better with this than Welcome To Samdalri is that this drama doesn't tell us why she went home right away, where in WtS, we see her whole downfall and I think that was a wasted opportunity which Love Next Door handles better. It leaves more mystery for us to uncover and I think that it lands better because of it (and while this mom is also a piece of work, she's already more likeable than the mother in Welcome To Samdalri who was largely just a pill).

Definitely see why people are making the comparison, as well as to Hometown Cha Cha Cha (though I'll admit, while Jung Hae In is a good actor and doing fine so far, I think Kim Seon Ho just has the superior acting chops. A bit more versatile maybe, than Hae In? But Hae In works fine for the role so far. He's gentler and more subdued than Seon Ho, which pairs really well with the way So Min is acting and her character (I'm loving her so far); visually they also make a stunning pair ☺️).