Lee Yeon is one of the coolest male leads ever in kdrama land. I like it when the supernatural character is shown…
He has a way of bringing comfort just by being onscreen. It's hard to explain, his character just makes me feel like everything is going to be okay in the story, as long as he's there. I felt the same way about his character in Season 1. Maybe "reliable" or "steadfast" is the word I'm thinking of? Maybe also comes from the nonchalant way he breezes through life and the challenges he faces. LDW manages to make him carefree enough that's he's funny and even at times hilariously clueless (seemingly), and yet he never feels threatened by anyone or incapable of a task. And despite his nonchalance, he's never indifferent to people, and has this strong compassion underlying the carefree vibe that endears him to people. He never underestimates the stakes involved with a problem, and always responds appropriately to the seriousness of the occasion when he's called upon to do so. I think he's my favorite LDW character! I just love when we see his gumiho eyes--it makes him looks 10 times cooler. 😎
And to your point about Ji Ah (from another comment on here), I agree that you feel her presence even though she's never on screen because all the 1938 characters can see this is a different Lee Yeon than they knew, and he's different in large part because of Ji Ah. They can smell the effect she's had on him, and can't place how/why he's changed. 😂 When Shin Ju and Yeon were talking about their wives at one point it felt so weird to have two of the main MLs so detached from the possibility of romance. It was a refreshing (and unique) moment in a Kdrama!
She's not noble. The father as a magistrate is an official; which automatically puts them in upper middle class.…
Interesting! So then how does she become the most educated scholar of her town? There's a name for it, the position or reputation she held when married to Yu Rong, but I can't remember it. Someone told me about it on this thread but I've forgotten the term. Haha, do you know what I'm talking about? 😂
The Queen is the King's "head" wife and the concubines/consorts (the king has about 10 of them!) are his other…
It's now in the reviews. :) I tried showing this drama to my mom and had to create a little family tree so she could keep everyone straight, but she's never seen a sageuk before so she can't tell them apart from their facial features alone and keeps getting everyone mixed up. I've realized this is not a good watch for someone new to Asian dramas, but especially sageuks, haha. Once I figured out who the characters were and what their titles meant and how they related to each other, I tracked just fine, but if you can't even tell the characters apart then it's just plain confusing from start to finish.
Same old formula of pure ML being head over heels in love with FL. Hope they change the asian drama romance formula…
Haha, well, if you keep watching Kdramas, you'll continue to be disappointed. What you mentioned is a nonnegotiable of the Kdrama rom-com formula. It's going nowhere fast. I suppose you can try to change the formula by not watching them (since by watching them, you're supporting them)? And you'll have better luck with original Disney or Netflix Kdramas! They experiment more.
A lot of exceptional kdramas/movies in different genres also gets lower ratings despite being "true masterpieces…
Lots of great "art" and "masterpieces" aren't more popular because they fail to entertain and appeal to their audience. I'm always skeptical when people say the stuff no one watches or rarely likes are masterpieces (achem, the Oscars).
And most people don't watch Kdramas (or any film or TV) because they're great art, they watch them because they are enjoyable and entertaining. They can end up being great art, but that's usually because the creators told a good story, and a good story well-told is art. :) And that's why people liked it!
That said, Kdramas entertain in a very specific way and in a specific format. In my experience, they tend to specifically entertain people who want more restraint regarding the depiction of gratuitous sex and who like to see their entertainment champion characters who are measured by their ability to conform to or uphold important moral values like being good or just or selfless (hence the wave of popularity among those fed up with Western TV and film because it fails to appeal to them due to the evolving nature of its content). I'll concede your point about rom-coms; I think that is a somewhat valid observation, though I don't agree 100%.
Besides, I think the masterpieces that are artistic AND entertain get ironed out over time. And just because something is beautiful or entertaining to someone, or a few people, doesn't make it art. The best stuff will entertain the most people but do so in a timeless or unique way. But it takes time for these gems to emerge, and honestly, Kdramas are still such a recent format (they really didn't take off until the early 2000's, right?); it will take time for the true masterpieces to emerge, and they will be determined by the community, not just a few "truly in the know" and with "good taste."
Another way of putting this: every now and then the Oscars hit on masterpieces the populace already knew were great, not the other way around.
I always find your posts interesting and thoughtful, and like to dialogue about this stuff, so that's why I chimed in! So please see my response as an attempt at healthy discussion, not a dig.
sorry synopsis should be in spoiler why will we watch this if people have told the whole story in comments ?
I just wrote that "synopsis" to be helpful, so maybe I failed miserably (and I marked this as a "spoiler" so I don't ruffle more feathers), but I'll admit I'm confused by your comment. How did I spoil "the whole story"? I told viewers they can prepare to encounter:
1) A strong queen 2) She will try to protect her sons from evil/ambitious people at court 3) She will inspire people around her 4) She will experience tragedy (is this the point you thought was too obvious?)
I think an effective synopsis piques interest without giving specific details but still provides good context for what people are getting into so they don't feel cheated or misled. How do you think I went overboard?
1) Is Seon Woo Eun Ho still Yoo Ri, or is she a previous incarnation? It makes no sense that she would be, though, because Yoo Ri is a gumiho, and aren't they immortal?
2) If Cheon Mu Yeong is also a mountain god, how was he able to heal Eun Ho? Lee Yeon can't do that? Aren't they of similar status/power (aka former mountain gods)?
People will hate on something as great as this drama but praise repulsive cringe dramas like ‘my sweet mobster’,…
Haha, this is so similar to True Beauty, though? And Sweet Mobster was similar level of cringe to this. Both have the dorky rom-com humor found in this genre of Kdramas. 🤔
Am I the only one who doesn’t care for the high school scenes? I feel like the scenes do not add much weight,…
Yes, I started losing interest whenever the high school flashbacks happened. I didn't mind the first few in the first episodes, but in 3 and 4 they got too long.
I really wished they had toned down the mafia storylines with his brother and dad and given us more romance and…
But it was called My Sweet MOBSTER. It's a part of his character and arc. I like how much there was so it didn't feel like he was this fake philanthropist. He clawed his way out and fought dearly to have independence from his past, and they needed to show the stakes involved so we could appreciate how far he'd come, and how much he had done for all his fellow reformed ex-cons. I thought it added a richness to the story that otherwise would have felt flat and shallow.
And to your point about Ji Ah (from another comment on here), I agree that you feel her presence even though she's never on screen because all the 1938 characters can see this is a different Lee Yeon than they knew, and he's different in large part because of Ji Ah. They can smell the effect she's had on him, and can't place how/why he's changed. 😂 When Shin Ju and Yeon were talking about their wives at one point it felt so weird to have two of the main MLs so detached from the possibility of romance. It was a refreshing (and unique) moment in a Kdrama!
If you think it's wrong/irresponsible to eat meat, then, yes, this is not the show for you!
And most people don't watch Kdramas (or any film or TV) because they're great art, they watch them because they are enjoyable and entertaining. They can end up being great art, but that's usually because the creators told a good story, and a good story well-told is art. :) And that's why people liked it!
That said, Kdramas entertain in a very specific way and in a specific format. In my experience, they tend to specifically entertain people who want more restraint regarding the depiction of gratuitous sex and who like to see their entertainment champion characters who are measured by their ability to conform to or uphold important moral values like being good or just or selfless (hence the wave of popularity among those fed up with Western TV and film because it fails to appeal to them due to the evolving nature of its content). I'll concede your point about rom-coms; I think that is a somewhat valid observation, though I don't agree 100%.
Besides, I think the masterpieces that are artistic AND entertain get ironed out over time. And just because something is beautiful or entertaining to someone, or a few people, doesn't make it art. The best stuff will entertain the most people but do so in a timeless or unique way. But it takes time for these gems to emerge, and honestly, Kdramas are still such a recent format (they really didn't take off until the early 2000's, right?); it will take time for the true masterpieces to emerge, and they will be determined by the community, not just a few "truly in the know" and with "good taste."
Another way of putting this: every now and then the Oscars hit on masterpieces the populace already knew were great, not the other way around.
I always find your posts interesting and thoughtful, and like to dialogue about this stuff, so that's why I chimed in! So please see my response as an attempt at healthy discussion, not a dig.
1) A strong queen
2) She will try to protect her sons from evil/ambitious people at court
3) She will inspire people around her
4) She will experience tragedy (is this the point you thought was too obvious?)
I think an effective synopsis piques interest without giving specific details but still provides good context for what people are getting into so they don't feel cheated or misled. How do you think I went overboard?
1) Is Seon Woo Eun Ho still Yoo Ri, or is she a previous incarnation? It makes no sense that she would be, though, because Yoo Ri is a gumiho, and aren't they immortal?
2) If Cheon Mu Yeong is also a mountain god, how was he able to heal Eun Ho? Lee Yeon can't do that? Aren't they of similar status/power (aka former mountain gods)?