Eleison

I think the term for what you see in this drama is "slow burn." That said, I think the leads have great chemistry and their romance is enjoyable and satisfying to watch. Unlike Weightlifting Fairy, it's just not the main focus of the drama, nor does the progress of the romance happen quickly.

In addition to the ones shared by others, two longer ones that are excellent are Rebel: Thief Who Stole The People and Warrior Baek Dong Soo, with a big focus on friendship. Love In The Moonlight is a good, lighter one, along with Sungkyungkwan Scandal and Tale of Nokdu, all of which have cross-dressing. Moon Embracing The Sun is a classic with an excellent performance by Kim Soo Hyun. The Crowned Clown is great, too, but has a more somber tone (it has beautiful BGMs), though not as sad as Mr. Sunshine.

Korean fashion tends to be quite good and pushes global trends, so when I saw the dress and jeans I thought, "Oh please no, don't bring this back. No dresses over jeans again!" 😣 I thought this look was dead and buried for good.

Thank you both, I'll have to look at that part again. I just remember it being a weird part. 🤣

In the episode with the creepy stalker dude, they kept making it seem like Do Ha was the stalker when he wasn't, which they made clear after he was caught mistakenly. What still confused me, though, is that in the convenience store, the guy Sol Hee sees there and mistakes for the stalker really seems to be Do Ha, since we see him with a mask a lot (they even showed close ups of his face), and from what I could tell, it was him (he even drops a coke, which we see Do Ha drink a lot, as he's chasing her). If that is Do Ha, though, why on earth did he chase her? All the other times he avoids her for fear of being recognized. I thought that part was so confusing.

And Sol Hee, rather than thinking of how inappropriate that question was at that time, was just feeling insecure and frustrated about all his lies (rather than trying to understand the reason for them and wait for him to be ready to share what was behind them). It was an interesting scene because I think it's pretty easy to sympathize with both of them and where they're coming from. He didn't know how to talk about what was bothering him, and she was hurt by his deception and lashed out, pushing him even further away.

The ML is a little wooden at times, and I always want the leads to find out the cross-dressing lead's true identity quicker, since I think the deception once they begin to fall in love is so agonizing.

I've found it a little disappointing that Kdrama screenwriters rarely write FL's who are intellectual and bookish (poetic or philosophical), who can have deep conversations about profound topics (and not because it's their job (as a lawyer, for instance), but because they love to think deeply and are bright-eyed and curious) and who are invested in building a world that upholds justice and what is good/right. These types of female characters I encounter more frequently in western literature/movies/TV; think of Jo from Little Women (for a literary example) or Danielle from the Cinderella story retold in the movie Ever After, just to name a few imperfect examples off the top of my head.

But I found the closest version to this type of female character in a Kdrama in Kim Yun Hee (you have to get a few episodes in, though), and it was refreshing! I also loved the way Kim Yun Hee and Lee Seon Joon inspire, encourage and help each other to be the best versions of themselves throughout the entire drama. That interplay was lovely to watch, and it made me root for them.

I couldn't make it past the first episode without spoiling the ending so I knew I could root for the ML the rest of the drama (this is why I can't bring myself to watch Mouse). Definitely worth the hype (minus the unnecessary amnesia plot tacked on to the end).

A little rough around the edges for me, but Choi Woo Shik (and his character) are absolutely ADORABLE in this; Ho Goo's gentle, nonjudgmental support of and love for Do Hee is so heartwarming. Choi Woo Shik definitely steals the show!

While I love season one of Dr. Romantic, I think this one beats it out as my favorite season (since in season one Dong Joo just takes forever to become likeable), and still manages to be one of my all-time favorite Kdramas. So beautifully written, poignant and well-acted. I love the themes of growth through failure, doing the right thing (even when it's hard, inconvenient and unpopular) and mentorship that permeate both seasons.

My favorite quote from this series is when Cha Eun Jae mentions Koi's Law (that a fish will grow only as big as their environment allows) to the surgeon who tries to convince her to stay at the big hospital. She confidently refuses since the surgeon never nurtured her growth, and maintains that she's "outgrown" his "fish bowl" because (as Kim Sa Bu always says) "a person does as well as you trust them to do, matures as much as you care about them, and as much as they are acknowledged, they grow." Good stuff, that.

I think I've been scared off from watching this (it took me forever to get through My Father Is Strange, and my impression is it's considered one of the top tier family drama makjangs, so I think I'd never make it through this one 😅), but I'll admit I quite enjoy the liveliness and dedication of this drama's comments section. I enjoy the way many of you put things and love the banter and insightful recaps.

Just something random: when Dong Joo offers Mi Ho a place to live in Japan, the picture he showed her isn't a place in Japan at all. In fact, it's the Japanese Garden at the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino, California. It's the railroad tycoon Huntington's mansion and estate that is now a museum, gardens and research library for academics. It looked like they just used a postcard of the garden and hoped no one would notice it wasn't Japan. 🤣

This was one my first dramas and while it was entertaining and very similar to Boys Over Flowers (just as toxic and problematic), it wasn't as endearing somehow. However, there are a lot of really amazing actors who did a great job in this.

As an American, though, I found the first several episodes very painful since the English was quite bad and the actors used to play Americans were... rough.

I also got a kick out of how they made Balboa Park in San Diego seem close to Los Angeles/Hollywood in one of the episodes. I got a good laugh out of the stretching of reality there. :)

This and WIFTY were my first Cdramas. I thought HL was very cozy and I appreciated its lack of over-the-top drama and cliches or tropes that traditionally contribute to the main characters' unnecessary suffering and anguish. The leads' chemistry was indeed amazing as everyone has been saying, though it took me some time to get used to adult Sang Zhi's voice and I wasn't super into her "puppy love" phase as it felt too all-consuming. The story got much more even and interesting when he could reciprocate her feelings and she got more mature in her interactions with him.

I personally didn't care for the leads' nonchalant attitude about informing her family about their relationship (the attempt to hide their "camping trip" was so painful to watch), and while he said he was a guy with "morals" I struggled reconciling that statement with his getting so serious with Sang Zhi before making sure her parents were on board, if indeed he valued their blessing (which it seems he did). Why get their approval so late when Sang Zhi would have been hurt MUCH worse by breaking up with him after months of dating rather than at the beginning of their relationship? Jiaxu eventually handled her parents' concerns (which were mostly quite valid; also, they were so chill about the lack of communication and very level-headed in the way they dealt with the situation) very maturely and he eventually showed them he deserved her.

Overall, a very lovely watch. Though it did have a overly pristine, unrealistic, escapist quality to it that felt... strange? I can't figure out how to capture the feeling I got from it. After so many Kdramas (which are not realistic either, but in a different way) it felt glaringly other-worldly, like a made-up modern world that doesn't exist in reality.

My favorite part which I'd never seen before in a rom-com/melodrama was the way Jiaxu started pursuing her after the friend pointed out Sang Zhi might have described Jiaxu himself in her flustered attempt to tell him about her "type." I loved watching him flirt with her and get to the bottom of her feelings and watch him confirm she had fallen for him. Masterfully written and acted and very entertaining to watch!