Eleison

I would also say that the MLs are both closely allied to the Emperors and his special agent, if you will, in both. Jiang Li and Shao Sheng are also a bit similar though, as you've pointed out, one is super educated, refined and smart and the other is uneducated but still smart though a little wild and rougher around the edges. 😂 They're always outsmarting everyone (and resourceful), which also makes them feel similar.

That's not true, necessarily! It's just that the super popular dramas' comments sections always attract more contrarians and trolls (especially for several months after it finishes airing), and I think it's just cause they get way more traffic and so you just get way more people, hence a higher number of unpleasant ones. 😐

The more underrated dramas have much more pleasant threads to participate in, and much more cozy communal spaces in which to discuss and chat.

I wish I could have saved @coolforthesummer's review so I could repost it. 😥

I thought so, too, but it's real. Look up an interview with him. You'll be surprised!

It wasn't that kind of drama, though? It was always more of a cute, fluffy-type romance. Not a passionate one.

Wait until Episode 3. There's a scene that did me in, and it had to do with his raspy voice...

Awwwww, this whole drama was just DARLING.

Everyone was so endearing (except for the determined-to-be-baddies mobsters)--from Ji Hwan to Eun Ha, to all of Ji Hwan's deeply devoted little "brothers" to Mi Ho and even Ye Na and Hyun Woo (I actually liked him, and I thought he was also important to the plot, unlike a lot of 2MLs who just exist for angst; he reminded me a lot of the 2ML from I Can Hear Your Voice).

One of my favorite supporting casts I've ever seen (all with fantastic chemistry and a blast to watch), with a sweetie pie ML devoted to treating everyone around him with dignity and respect and winning over all those who no one else thought was worth their time due to his overflowing compassion, and a bright-eyed FL determined to see the cup half full, to look for the good in others and bring out their best.

Such a great drama! I for one DIDN'T think the second half was slow, nor did I think Episode 15 out of place. I think it was perfectly fitting, and the whole drama was well-paced with consistent themes threaded throughout that were satisfyingly concluded and a strong script.

If you don't mind cheesy rom-com humor, then you'll most likely LOVE this!

(And it didn't have a serial killer subplot! 🥳)

That would be nice!

The cheesy, even cringy, humor of Korean rom-com dramas is definitely not for everyone. So yeah, I get it!

But as to the ML's voice, I thought it was affected at first, too, so I looked up interviews of the actor and discovered... it's his real voice! 😂

I didn't care for all the poor communication between the FL and ML, but to be fair, it's written into the premise in a better way than most dramas. It's clear the ML is a newb at romance, so he fails epically (and adorably) at wooing and dating his beloved. But he's so cute about it and always growing through it that you can't help but love him despite all his mistakes.

WIFTY (this drama) and Hidden Love proved to me you can do romance and slice-of-life/coming of age genres without over-the-top angst or huge dramatic setbacks to characters' relationships/life circumstances.

You CAN actually write a sweet story about sweet characters growing together (without toxic side/supporting characters to derail things) and it can still remain perfectly interesting, and manage to hold your attention. 👏👏👏

I thought Episode 4 was better than 3, but I didn't care for the long flashbacks of the MC from their high school days. Especially since the FL says she didn't remember those memories and they didn't seem to mean much to her. 🤔

I DO think the FL's friends are all gems. The way Hye Ji bounced back from losing her first love to the way she rallied all their friends to help Hu Yeong... I thought that was adorable. She's such a sweet friend!

I guess he's going to be 5th wheeling.

In the flashback scene between the 2ML and the FL In Episode 4 (I think it was in 4) I really liked him and their interactions. The actor totally sold how smitten he was. But present day 2ML... nope. He's a schmuck.

Seo Tae Pyeong to Yang Hui: "Do you know what the difference is between you and Ji Hwan? You always take and steal what you want from others, but Ji Hwan can convince his opponent to give it to him. That's why he's better than you'll ever be!" (I paraphrase)

This quote! 😧 The dad is such a manipulative gaslighter. I wondered why Ji Hwan was so intimidated by him. After seeing his father try to convince him he's really a thug deep down, and seeing how he went about trying to persuade him, I understood.

Some said that it was boring that Ji Hwan was always good-hearted and never truly a mobster, but they do imply he bought into his dad's lies for a portion of his life. And niw he's trying to make up for them. Poor Ji Hwan!

I would have loved to see more of how and why he decided to turn his back on the mobster life and go straight.

YES. I wanted to scoop him up and put him in my pocket after that scene! 😂 (I don't mean this in a creepy way, he was just so lovable that he felt like a cute little kid!)

Ah, anecdotal evidence? I see.

The only Jdrama I've seen is Hana Yori Dango (it had some good parts, though I prefer the Thai BOFs and Korean cause it was my first BOFs), and I've seen clips from some, read things about them and looked at synopses and they usually don't pique my interest. Maybe I'll try one of your gangster ones someday, though. :)

Don't have Viki? What if you do a free trial and watch it that way? I'm with you, I don't like unofficial sites either.

Ooooh, tell me your secret! How did you find out that all those who rated it high are only rating it high due to Woo Seok?! I'd love to know so I can make sure to avoid dramas rated in a similar manner moving forward.

The whole Thirsty Deer crew + the MC all have fantastic chemistry. Either they really practiced the seamless interactions to make it feel super convincing, the actors just really felt comfortable with one another, or they let the actors with comedic talent spearhead ad lib and improv to give their scenes convincing spontaneity and enthusiasm. Or all of the above, maybe!