Eleison

Also why I've never seen Pachinko. 😅 There's a fine line between "serious dramas" and dramas that deal with serious issues/ideas but don't weigh down the viewer and make them feel heavy after watching. Reply 1988 or Stranger or I Hear Your Voice or Castaway Diva deal with serious/thought-provoking issues and can pack a punch, but don't make you feel burdened or overwhelmed or more depressed than before you watched them (unlike My Mister or Mr. Sunshine, for instance). Some people (not usually me) want "serious dramas," others (me, usually 😉) want dramas that deal with serious/thought-provoking themes which still feel hopeful and lighthearted and can be enjoyed without feeling overwhelmed by sadness. (And then sometimes I want pure fluff and fun. 😂)

I don't know which type of drama When Life Gives You Tangerines is, but I know enough to stay away until it's completely done airing before I even consider dipping my toes, haha.

I don't know, Weak Hero is much darker, but I don't know if that equals "deeper and more impactful." In what way is it "deeper"? It's certainly grittier and more serious, and it addressed a lot of concerning issues, but it didn't say anything super meaningful about them besides, "school/government systems suck," "some parents are terribly selfish," "friends should stick together when life gets hard," "people can be mean and cruel" and--"did we mention life is hard?" 😅 How is that particularly deep? Study Group says just as much if not more because it adds, "Learning and growing matters" and "people can change for the better if you believe in them, root for them and sacrifice for them." The acting was stellar in Weak Hero, but the story and egregious "serious" violence didn't do it for me. I prefer Study Group because it didn't take itself too seriously.

But have you seen Weak Hero? There's no way in heck what we see in that drama (or this one) is happening in classrooms and adults are just standing by watching and going, "Eh, kids be kids." Of course I believe there's bullying in schools (that happens everywhere, and it's one of the worst parts of mass, public education), and probably violent bullying in bathrooms, in secluded areas and off-campus, but not in the middle of a classroom with adults looking on and just going 🤷‍♀️. Weak Hero is based on a webtoon just like this drama, and it's stylized fiction all the way.

You can try to prove to me otherwise, but you'll need to show me evidence that's not based in a webtoon or a Kdrama, cause neither of these reflect real life. 😉

Now that they ML and FL are working together, their interactions are much cuter and more relaxed (still extremely goofy, but so far it's working for me).

Also, the brief moment they show Yu Jeong's reaction when Hae Seong is modelling... 🤣

I feel like they're trying to make us think he's the one in cahoots with the Chairwoman, but I think it's a red herring. I do think he knows more than he's telling Hae Seong, but I don't think he's the NIS mole (especially after what happened to Hae Seong's dad).

A few more:

While You Were Sleeping
I'm Not A Robot
Oh My Venus
Dr. Romantic, Seasons 1 and 2
It's Okay To Not Be Okay
Healer
Weightligting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
At A Distance Spring Is Green
Hometown Cha Cha Cha
Our Beloved Summer
Thirty But Seventeen
Go Back Couple
Another Ms. Oh
King 2 Hearts
My Father Is Strange
Alchemy Of Souls
Sassy Go Go
When The Weather Is Fine
My Perfect Marriage Revenge
Flower Of Evil

There have been several episodes of Kdramas filmed "in the U.S." and they were dreadful, and some American/European characters in Kdramas that were also quite bad (not just as actors, but as characters), so, I don't know if I agree with you on that entirely. 😅

How does it compare?

True, they have plenty of fodder in just SK, 😅 but it might still be too soon and too close to home. 😬

Also, to be fair, not a single country portrays other countries in their entertainment media accurately. There's always cringey syerotypes and poor representation, reducing types of people to things they're not, over-simplifications and sometimes stuff that's just plain wrong. Eh, what can you do? 🤷‍♀️

It just proves media is out to entertain, not to inform. And no one wants it to do that, either. That's what they watch documentaries for. 😉

They ever-so-slightly hint at a maybe-something between the two non-fighting friends of the study group. It could be budding romance, or a special connection over not being able to fight. 😅

Both have themes of friendship and have bloody fights and have to do with bullying, but that's about where the similarities end.

I know l, right? Both martial arts in Cdramas and this are STYLIZED fighting to fit a genre that includes unique-unto-itself fighting. I guess people just didn't expect that with all the comparisons to Weak Hero (which to me still didn’t have super realistic fights, either. Someone getting beaten to a pulp in a high school classroom with adults just standing and watching and the person doing it getting off scot free? Um... realistic in whose reality?)?

True, that's a very good point, and I'm sure that has a lot to do with his ability to detach from the mindset that imprisons the high schoolers.

I just thought it was refreshing to see what it can look like for someone to not take everything in high school so seriously, and the drama did a good job showing that being distanced from the things that feel like world-ending issues when you're young helps you to not put so much stock in the "important high school" things as some are tempted to do. Not that Dong Min, Ye Na and Yu Jeong are dealing with trivial things, but I'm thinking normal high school insecurity stuff, not things that are actually serious issues like bullying and anything of that nature. And maybe this show is not that deep, but I enjoyed the contrast nonetheless.

So much of the civilized adult world is SO much better than high school, and it can give young'uns hope for the future, you know? I'n always encouraging teenagers I know how great being an adult is. Being young is overrated. 😅

Haha, thank you! It was a fun part, I just didn't get the fuss. 😋

Also, so far this show has a lot of cute things, and some not-sure-how-I-feel-about-them-yet things, but I do like how secure Hae Seong is at school beside his high school counterparts. They drama is doing a good job of showing the confidence in one's self that adulthood brings, juxtaposed against the insecurity of being in school as a teenager. In high school, EVERYTHING is high stakes and in your head every little thing can bring about the end of the world. While Hae Seong's unassuming kindness to everyone and immunity to cliques is great. I love the contrast he makes against the background of "high school."

Okay, what was up with the leaf in the water? Can someone help me out? 😅

Wow, not the typical actor bio. 😅

Very true, older dramas can be so cozy and charming! Also, not sure why, though. 😅 They have terrible hair, styling, over-acting, gimmicky comedy, sometimes stupidly toxic romances, and all kinds of negatives, but somehow they're still so fun! 💁‍♀️

The Chairwoman says a lot of not-great things... 😅

Of Season 1, or Season 2?

Haha, I'm sticking with it for now, I just like having someone to root for, and it's not been super easy to find one so far... 😏