InspectorMegre

Had potential but failed

>>>>> Written after ep 68:
Started as not a cheap makjang but a deep psychological drama, with some great acting. It did not improve...

FL is written badly, and the actress cannot act so it is best to sideline her.. Her lines and her acting are THE EXACT SAME from ep 1 to ep 68. Finaly in ep 68 her dumb entitled behavior has consequences and she ends up in a coma - where she should stay until the end, imo bc that actress cannot act.

Other characters also do not change. Everything is just about outsmarting and outdoing each other with clever schemes

Bc of no growth in characters, and the only good guy Ha Neul regressing to be a bad guy, I dropped this drama after about ep 52 and occasionally come to take a peek.

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>>>>>Overall impression Written after ep 52:

The story is a chess game of manipulations and lies between ppl who are acting on their greed and complacency. Supposedly good characters turn corrupt, there are all kinds of messes... and eventually it seems some bad characters turn complex and some even redeeming. Or not LOL

The main purpose of this drama is to make the audience question where the line is. Are you supposed to go on a rampage spree and destroy people so that you can "revenge" that you were poor and powerless, or is there a better way.

Our female lead started as poor and powerless and exploited, but then she turned in an evil character who made so many people suffer needlessly - and DID NOT ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING EXCEPT KILLING HER FATHER .... and dragging the only moral and sane person down to her level of low cheap TOXIC dirt.... ... so now in th second half of the drama, she is starting a little differently but still with the same basic TOXIC ideas... and it is not going to end well :)

The main plot here is based on a woman - FL - doing revenge against her mother and another woman (YC). The revenge is based on GREED and BITTERNESS and BLINDNESS. She went after YC for good and proven reasons, but in a way that is .. wow destructive to sooo many ppl, including killing her father and emotionally wrecking her husband, whom she used for the revenge... and the audience found that entertaining and justified... If anything, this drama exposes the nasty in ppl.. .
And the way FL went after her mother is super ... blind.
And the way she went after the money is ... exposing the most nasty possible in every human being.

FL is pretty bad at acting and that is a real problem of the drama... and MLs are not acting too convincingly so that dampens the drama - why are drama ppl using "young and supposedly hot and popular" actors regardless of their ability to bring their character to life .... ???

I referred to Ha Neul as the ML :) I was shocked to find that SH is supposed to be ML. SH is not much on the screen, and it is pretty much flat and very ... simple character... and quite boring character and acting. We do not know anything about him!!! he is more like a tool on the side rather than a participant in the actual plot

luckily there are other characters who do pull the drama - the main ones are Chairman and Nan Suk - and

after ep 50, side characters are brought up to save the show, and it helps a lot. Hopefully the script will bring them out too - we need to see who they are.

We still got only ONE glimpse of who FL's husband really is... YC is still pretty much one-sided stupid brat ....
FL's mom was made more interesting by showing her greedy nasty side :)
the henchmen are now "waking up" etc

_____ A LOT OF INSIGHT INTO THE DRAMA CAN BE FOUND IN COMMENTS BY OPPA_ BELOW. I WILL QUOTE SOME OF IMO THE KEY POINTS:
THIS IS OPPA_COMMENT THAT SUMMARIZES THE DRAMA:
=== begin comments by OPPA_:
"In this drama, the FL didn’t choose the right or difficult path — she chose the easy one. And that’s the core of my point. Her actions weren’t empowering or revolutionary; they were simply convenient. Success without dignity or honesty doesn’t feel like success to me, and it definitely doesn’t make the character admirable or justified."

"FL did succeed in deceiving people long enough to manipulate her way into marriage with a wealthy man who would’ve never even looked at her if he knew her real identity. That’s the kind of “success” built entirely on lies. "

"those fancy outfits and that money don’t come for free. They come with anxiety, constant fear, and the pressure of maintaining a lie that grows bigger every day. Once someone chooses that easy, unethical path, they keep going deeper because turning back means facing consequences they are terrified of. It becomes a point of no return — submit to the dark side or let the truth destroy everything. And most people who choose shortcuts never plan to deal with the fallout… until it’s too late."

"there was nothing noble or romantic about Ha Neul behavior. It didn’t feel like love; it felt like pure lust and infatuation. He wasn’t protecting truth or doing what's morally right — he was driven by desire, not principles. "
==== end of comments by OPPA_ =====

>>>>>Written after ep 7 by me LOL:
This drama is so well done. The complexity makes it interesting, and the fact that FL is not a clutz as typical. FL actress is doing a great job portraying the complexity, which is also rare.

I think the description of the drama has to be changed bc it does not really fit the vibe. This is not a cheap makjang but a very serious deep psychological drama (and social commentary).

The acting is great. There are a lot of characters and they are all... shady to some degree LOL the best one is the Ha Neul but even he is shady, hiding secrets and wrongdoings of FL...

I think HN story is TOXIC AND DESTRUCTIVE...
NL story is a very toxic plot and toxic relationship with FL... He started as someone with brains and intergity, and then dragged himself down into her mud bc he "loves" her.. Capul... he does not love her for real.. it is rather ... codependent relationship... ... it is a very toxic relationship and plot...
He dragged himself down into her mud... It is like falling in love with an addict and enabling them... HN enables wrongdoings of FL and it leads into tragic outcomes..... for so many ppl. HN betrayed his best friend, enabled killing of FL's father, etc etc etc

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A typical kdrama FL is a clutz clueless loser who is taken advantage of in some way and/or lacks the skills to navigate life and is always on the bottom, taken advantage of. These losers are usually "good" characters, who are naive, insecure, etc and in fact acting as indirect villains i.e. enablers, because they allow the real villains to wreck chaos, unchecked :) So their path of redemption is to stop being enablers... and to still stay good LOL I think this plot was suitable for housewives in 1950s... or abused women...

In this drama, the FL is not an enabler :) She starts as a good but insecure naive character who is capable and keeps trying to win her life in proper ways - but there are objective obstacles to it and she lacks the luck and the know-how to move on forward - and then.... makes a bad decision out of greed and complacency, and then goes further down the easy glam shady path LOL
and then she has to return :) her redemption will be to make her designer dream come true and make money that way and leave the impersonation
I think this plot is applicable to many contemporary working woman today :)

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WRITTEN AFTER EP 52:
FL actually turned to be a very small wounded child who did all this out of greed, and justified it with revenge against her bio mom, and then blindly like a raging bull, without any thought or reason, went in to INTENTIONALLY HARM people.... And caused death of her father... and emotional breaking of her (spoiled snowflake chaebol) husband...

It was pretty pathetic.... FL has so much to grow... and the actress is not good in acting...

The plot is a real chess game of ppl playing manipulation games with each other. HOPEFULLY it results in some character growth. So far... not really :)

The characters turned out interesting... bc ... Chairman actor is so good at his camouflaged serial killer role... so sweet and polite... and then horrifying.. He added an element of a horror movie... Truly!!!!!! Although I totally admire his acting, he is scary to watch. Like watching a hungry lion monster in your face, sniffing you quietly. He is suuuuper good at his role. It does not get so much screen time bc he is one sided psychocrazy serieal killer camouflaged as a sweet loving charming person, but he steals the show as he sets the tone. HE SETS THE BASE TONE AND THE BACKGROUND FOR THE WHOLE DRAMA.

And the main villain Nan Suk actress is so good at acting and so fun to watch and listen to. The script makes her say aloud what she is thinking, so we got to "know her" and she has masterfully brought that character to life The drama is alive bc of *her*. I love watching her. That actress is so masterful in acting. Also, she is pretty and acts a lot with her face and body language and voice, and has amazing flashy wardrobe and jewelry and makeup, so she is really really really fun to watch. She is a complex character.....
So I would say these two actors carry this drama.
They made their characters totally REAL and ALIVE.

FL's dad was such an unpleasant redneck, but it turned out he was the only relatively sane and moral character... He is gone now. And it is ok. He and the acting was not enlivening the drama...

But the rest of the characters are far from moral or sane... This drama is about so many ppl making severe mistakes out of greed and/or complacency....
Now the side characters are starting to get more time and it is getting more interesting.

The only other "good" character - well USED TO BE good - Ha Neul - and I call him ML bc he is the true love interest of FL - and the actor listed as ML is doing very little - well he is a very shady one too. Out of cowardice and complacency, he stood by FL as she was doing all kinds of crimes. So he started as a moral and upright person to end up at the pit of being a pathetic partner in crime... It is a very toxic relationship as he stands by FL as she does one stupid thing after another... So now we have TWO little wounded kids collaborating in revenge... I am not sure what will happen. but.. And this actor is young too and not quite capable of showing the complexity of this character. The script too has to help him.

The "official" ML has so little screen time and is shown as one dimensional flat moma boy snowflake, and the acting is really mediocre. But perhaps could be better, there was ONE scene where he did not have any veneers (the shower scene with YC trying to seduce him) and that is the only scene where he was uncensored himself and acted well.

The drama ppl try to help these young male actors by showing them in the shower, and that is a lot nicer self therapy than getting drunk and a lot more fun to watch LOL and leads to better plots... but I think the guys should ACT more and rely less on the shower. The shower scenes are not what we are here for. It's ok to have two so far but let us work on acting.

Actually, the amazingly handsome dudes are the henchman. One is obviously some kind of heavy duty athlete and looks stunning in his business suit, and both are excellent actors as finaly they are being brought from the background and acting and more alive as as human beings. Ep 52 the heavy athletic one is shown eating and moving around .... in his business suit ... and yeah that dude has a body!!!! But what is more important, it is a body of a character that is shown ALIVE, SMART AND CARING, the ***acting*** makes it wow.

So it was fascinating to see how a totally dead character - a henchman killer just standing there stiffly with a poker face in every scene he was in - suddenly turned alive ... and now we see a PERSON! a person who physically looks amazing and has lots of feelings. That actor is amazing.

And then two shady henchman characters who helped in all kinds of murders etc turned out to be a little bit humane .... The other one is comical... but that one at least did not kill anyone that we know of so far,,,

Side note but imporatnt - this new fad of demanding that female actresses be SO THIN to the point of looking like a skeleton... One thing it does, it makes their bones be weak and their legs esp under the knee look like an O...
so putting a mini skirt on that looks hideous while walking, as the knees look so gnarly and the bones clunk around... boots make it even more visible...

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A MASTERPIECE forever - mesmerizing, hyphnotic, psychological thriller

One of my favorite art pieces ever.
An iconic kdrama about what life and love and friendship really mean. I am not going to include any spoilers because you must NOT watch spoilers before watching this.. It is a mesmerizingly hypnotic story, it is really a thriller quality.

It starts super gloomy and is quite gloomy as the plot is ... about decay - a middle aged man sees his whole life falling apart after living in drudgery misery for years...
In some ways, he is lucky, because if this misfortune had not happened, he would probably have died very unhappy in old age after wasting his whole life.... rotting miserably - drudgery work, drudgery wife ....

The main point of this kdrama for me was ML's utmost integrity and kindness...
and FL responding to it. So this drama is highly highly healing

FL character is sooooooo complex... . yet so simple... and very deep.

The acting is just AMAZING, both ML and FL actors.
It also has a few minutes of the young villain who tortures FL, that is an extremely memorable role for that actor too. I would say one of his best roles.
There are no pretty chaebols in this drama... it is all about ordinary people...

The ending is the start of season 2. Which is impossible because ML actor committed suicide. He will always be remembered for his amazing roles, and esp this one imo.

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Soapy soap trash drama, tour of dark side of Korean culture, and a GREAT fashion show

THIS DRAMA IS A WASTE OF TIME. IUNLESS YOU WANT TO WATCH A GREAT FASHION SHOW, and even then, the ratio of time at the fashion show is not worth it. I fast forwarded through 15 episodes. THIS DRAMA IS SOAPY SOAP ***** T R A S H *****

This drama is a fantastic FASHION SHOW and that is why I give it 2 stars. ML clothes and FL clothes are super cool!!! and even some others wore some amazing outfits too. A hanbok parade....

If it werent for the fashion show, this is ZERO stars drama. ....

it terms of content and acting, it is totall bologney, a 100% copy of Boys over Flowers... BUT WORSE bc this is also a copy of Playful Kiss, same FL actress, in role of a super dumb clumzy chick who chases the mean smart popular
rich boy who keeps rejecting her and abusing her...
So this drama is a lot worse than BOF, at least the FL in BioF was very smart and capable and was not chasing the ML

Abusive psychotic cruel male and a submissive STUPID pathetic female, who keeps chasing him even though he abuses her verbally, emotionally, physically, and even CHEATS in her, ... dumb FL,

FL actress who cannot even act, just puckers her lios and opens them and looks anxious and surprised... so many female actresses are forced to act like this and it is UTTERLY DISGUSTINGLY BORING

Yeah FL is cute but she is supposed to be 19 and there she is on super high heels and mini skirts, AT HOME...

PATHETIC STUPIDITY

and PATHETIC PATRIARCHY - the princess gets kicked out literally the next day after she walks around with some guy, meanwhile the prince is photographed kissing his ex and taking her around and then meeting her and talking with her, MANY times.... phew disgusting. That dude kept taking her on dates and flirting with her and meeting up with her AND IF SHE HAS GRABBED HIM, HE WOULD GO. The only reason why it stopped is bc his mother sent her overseas. The prince would have kept a side mistress forever as a "friend" he can go on dates any time he wants.

ML was a super coward, so weak, egoistical, selfish, etc

and FL was written as an enabler, as a doormat who was making him even bigger snowflake

and that impossible magical story used for brainwashing - IF YOU CATER TO YOUR COLD CRUEL MAN FOREVER, ONE DAY HE WILL BECOME NICE TO YOU. WHat trash. The Queen tried to love His Majesty for 20 years to find out he loved another woman that entire time.

This snowlake Prince was so super rude crude abusive and never spoke the truth and always got out, he deserves .... something drastic to shake his pants and get him standing up straight....

Overall, a super disgusting drama, A TOUR OF KOREAN DARK SIDE
this is totally opressive stiffling limiting and overall pathetic piece of "art" aka BRAINWASHING into some super disgusting societal prejudices

Whoever gave it that 7.8 rating is a destructive force
There is absolutely nothing positive about this drama, it teaches sheer bologney

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A great way to destress

as a dancer with plenty of time spent in perfectionist environments, I am THRILLED to see this plot LOL it sounds fun!

I have not watched the entire movie, only the trailer, and it looks amazing! And very very realistic!!!!

This women is middle aged and of lesser athletic ability, so flamenco is PERFECT for her...
She too needs to escape into right brain creativity and expressiveness....
This story happened to me too but not with flamenco LOL Flamenco is a GREAT choice for the movie!!!!

Esp since flamenco is soooooo over the top dramatic, FLASHY, and soapy LOL this is a riot :)

and very plausible bc flamenco has lots of middle aged dancers, it is not a youngster thing for fun...
flamenco is very serious, and although flirty, not lewd, it is more about asserting personal power, in a very flashy and dramatic way - "you must notice me!!!!" and it is mostly solo but you can dance in a group too or even have a partner, and it has amazing complicated steps and music, even Africans appreciate it,

Flamenco has RHYTHM and music and stomping steps... it is perfect for emoting and breaking out - any time you want - it is a solo dance.... and doesnt require jumping or lots of space, and it has no sexy moves so nobody will be alarmed to see you dance in public ...

so you can dance it in the bathroom if you want... ! you can dance it on the street, bearfoot on the grass, in the middle of public areas, ..... anywhere.... and it is relatively easy to do....

and flamenco has lots of time expressing grief and sorrow and loss and pain and hurt and dancing it out .... stomping it all out....

and lamenco is quite easy to dance, it is NOT an athletic dance... there is more technique and attitude... and it doesnt require any expensive stuff except shoes... the skirt, the top, the shawl, you can wear on the street..... the dance itself requires just a tiny bit of space so you can dance it in your cramped tiny apartment...

the music and lively and EMOTIONAL and the dance moves are EMOTIONAL, you get to express EMOTION as much as you can - totally go over the top...

so it makes perfect sense that this woman took up to flamenco

GOOD CHOICE!!!!
If she picked Latin like salsa, ballroom or tango -- which all require male partners and are overly sexualized; or belly dance - which is solo but in a room with just other women - those dances are easy to do and would fit her fitness level and she COULD realistically dance it - but then we would call her ranchy lewd and the plot of this drama would suffer....
,
if she picked jazz or swing or soemthing more lively like that then it would be unrealistically aerobic and athletic for a middle aged woman starting from zero....

If she picked zumba at the local community center or senior center LOL then it would be too adjuma lackluster.....

If she picked something very cultural, like hula or Tahitian dance or African dance then it would introduce a whole new layer of dealing with that foreign culture and tradition..

lamenco is often danced as a universal dance, many total strangers teach it as totally unrelated to the culture, solely as "exercise" ... so...... it is PERFECT for the drama

FLAMENCO WAS A PERFECT DANCE CHOICE! wow I am impressed :)

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Really fun kdrama about deep subjects

It is a kdrama for young at heart, since the place of the drama is a school, a lot of it is told from the students' perspective, and FL is a very ... naive teacher LOL

The ML actor is fantastic, he was soooo fun. His costuming was superb, the funky uncombed hair and open necktie LOL He was sooo fun to watch.

the issues presented were deep issues though, and involved corporate crime, school bullying, privileged elites, bad greedy parenting, as@ kissing to climb social hiararchy, the hierarchy itself and how even the kids participated in that willingly.

it really is a drama about intentionally creating and maintaining elites. A super deep subject camouflaged under school myths and gossips...

And the underlying story of ML's parents and what it means to be a secret agent, and a little historical lesson on Japanese occupation, etc

WHY was the drama taken off Viki and other places so fast after it finished airing?

Where is the ML actor now, he is really a fun actor, and I didnt see him since this drama. We miss him :) Come back soon

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Amnesia galore... a drama with great actors spoiled by cheap script

This drama was soooooo .... full of tropes....
and amnesia kept repeating and kept repeating... omg... that was soooo boring..

The acting was great except for the FL, that actress is young and is not quite competent of acting deeper stuff or real love,
and the actor who was her father was ... terrible. Well. his role was terrible too.

ML actor is great and I remember the drama just for him. he can act well.

This is a great review of it. This person loved this drama a lot more than I did.
https://crabbyfordramas.wordpress.com/2023/06/17/young-lady-and-gentleman-weekend-drama-recaps/

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A daily that started as decent and then stagnated

Lucia, the FL, behaved in ways that led to death of her daughter, then she takes revenge against others, without any self reflection.
Then she enjoys revenge and goes on a power trip and does many manipulative nasty things
but she is so dumb and so unfit for revenging that she keeps making serious mistakes, yet she always gets out unscratched by sheer luck

There is some good acting in here, some veterans like the CEO, some good villains like the Lawyer, some new actors coming up, like Mr Moon,

but overall, this is not the best drama out there but not the worst either - simply bc the script does not have the most tight and interesting story. If the script were more interesting, this crew would definitely make a better drama.

Character of Lucia is not quite .... intelligent, let us put it that way LOL which is ok. But the problem is that THERE IS NO CHARACTER GROWTH. THat is why I think this is a mediocre drama overall.

So perhaps this is my personal bias, perhaps someone dumb would enjoy watching Lucia and never be annoyed that she is the same person and as dumb in ep 82 as in ep 1.

The music at the start was terrible, so loud and hyperactive, but seems like around ep 70ish they changed the music to fit better with the scenes, which helped a lot

This drama is like a psychological thriller, the characters keeps scheming to outdo each other

To make the drama really interesting and quality, there has to be some inner struggle, character growth, change and improvement in people.
We never saw Lucia self reflect... We never saw Stella or anyone else self reflect.... Mr Moon did some but not enough..... Written later - Stella did self correct SOMEWHAT but we never saw her self reflect..

NOBODY HAS GROWN OR CHANGED FORWARD FROM EP 1 TO EP 82

FL WENT BACKWARDS

Lucia got a glo over and is a little more composed but she has not changed much, really. She is a little bit more confident.. but she has also become an evil person, lying and manipulating others under the pretense of "love." What she is doing to SeRi, pretending to love her while cursing her in the back. is pure evil. Lucia's inability to self reflect is a severe fault.

Later Lucia accepted Se Ri just bc she was a bio daughter LOL
Lucia is a mother for sure... but ... a really dumb one.

The whole drama was like a cartoon - the good guys kept winning by sheer luck, getting unscratched doing some reaaaaaly stupid stuff.

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1950s sexism drama. Great for those who do not think and love to watch some s#x. The plot is awful.

This drama takes the worst of kdramas combined with the worst of the West. It goes backwards to 1950s (to be precise: 1200s) concept so prevalent in older kdramas - a stupid kind and sexy damsel in distress saved by a strong, loving, loyal, rich, controling, entitled cruel man who turns all soft bc of her.

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I watched this to the end so that I can trash this trash on Dramabeans bc the requirement is to watch a drama to the end in order to comment on it.

ML is chasing FL although she doesnt want him and keeps lying. She wants him but she doesnt want to work for it, so if he insists on falling into her lap, she might consider it, but will bail out and quit at the slightest inconvenience.

He has been chasing her from like ep 1, she kept pushing him away and lying, and she trepidly consented in ep 11,12... and then brazenly lied again and quit fast in ep 13.

Yeah this game is getting old..... To lie so brazenly to someone you "love" is NOT love. To keep chasing someone who does not respond is also not love, it is a mating obsession.

This drama is not a silly frilly rom com, Where is comedy, and where is romance. It is a toxic soapy melodrama trash with too much TMI skinship to the point of sexual harassment at work - and seems like that got the 8+ rating to this drama. which is disappointing. It is Kollywood cesspool.

This is a trashy daily drama material, a makjang melo with unreasonable toxic plots. But even daily kdramas are getting sophisticated these days. Queen's House 100 ep daily is a LOT better than Dynamite Kiss (well after first 20-30 episodes LOL while FL is 100% dumb and naive and blind)

This is a comment of someone else who sums it up well:
https://kisskh.at/778830-kiss-me-for-no-reas
I would just add to that comment that FL lied AGAIN to ML's face, looking him in the eye and hurting him intentionally.

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FL is a pathetic loser, poor and choosing to stay home and not really participate in life, she is insecure, illogical, VERY WEAK, powerless "victim" (altough she has so many chances to NOT be powerless and the choice to stay powerless is hers... we are in year 2025, not 1950 or 1200.... ) and then FL decides to lie to somehow get ahead, and KEEPS LYING EVEN WHEN SHE HAS CHANCES TO CONFESS AND THERE IS NO NEED TO LIE AND LIES ARE HURTING PPL.... Then she keeps doing stupid things and he keeps saving her. In DK, she trips/falls or drowns or gets cut or somehow injured LITERALLY several times per episode, and he is always there to save her.

This kind of plot is prevalent in many kdramas and it is 10000 % sexism. The FL is a powerless weak clutz damsel in distress, and ML is a controlling knight in shining armor hot stud sugar daddy.

THE AUDIENCE ON MDL PAGE FOR DK LOVES IT. They totally defend FL and feel sorry for ML. The amount of blindly illogical comments I saw there is astounding.

I think it helps bc DK is full of s@xual scenes, they kiss or try to at least once per episode, and there are explicit bed scenes, so all of that portrays ... well... very cheap script and going in the direction of Hollywood cesspool... s@x and violence.

****** So imo this drama takes the worst of kdramas combined with the worst of the West. ******

The drama is mediocre at best.
By ep 8, the female lead has ZERO growth. There are only 14 episodes, so chances are that FL stays a damsel in distress till the end. Maybe she will have a job, and that will be her accomplishment.
ML at least learned about hormones.

ML is a bull in a mating season, all hormones and no brains. FL is a super weak person and a slimey liar who keeps lying and lying although she has plenty opportunities to confess. BUT she is eager to kiss and jump into bed. She also trips falls drowns about 10 times per episode and he saves her. She thanks him saying he is like a father to her.

This is 1950s messages about dumb women who need a man to save them. It is extreme sexist brainwashing. A small child in adult female body, and a smart rich sugar daddy who takes care of her. Without him, she dies. Literally. He saved her life at least once.

This drama has high ratings which shows many very young ppl voted on it. THe drama in reality is blah

but it has plenty kissing and racy TMI scenes...

so ... it will be popular :) for sure :) but .... it is meaningless soapy delusional trash :) Designed to make every loser out there feel like they would deserve such a dedicated, hot, rich and handsome guy like ML.

The only positive note: ML actor acts pretty well and has progressed into complex ML roles

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The plot:
ML was a controling psycho at the start, then used FL, then played with her bc she kisses hot and he wanted to bag her, then was sad when she ghosted, ... then ... later.... angry when he discovered she was married... he just discovered homones and that he cannot control neither the hormones nor roping of this woman.... he is NOT used to not being in control!!!!!! then... SHE IS AH SO CARING AND NICE.... and ML got to develop some feelings for her, and that combined with his controlling entitled nature, turned him into a BULL IN MATING SEASON, all hormones no brains.... I have seen till ep 9 and that is the situation

ML is genuinely in love after ep....?. I forget which. At first, he was just a controlling cold predator, got interested in her kiss, and he started bagging her... but then .... she disappeared and he realized HE WANTS HER BC SHE KISSED HIM HOT .. and he did not get to finish eating his pray. So he genuinely gets mad bc he wants to finish eating his pray and then gets sad bc it did not happen... and his pray is right there in front of his nose.... and this feeling of infatuation even becomes some kind of caring feeling and then a more genuine love feeling.

As they say, the path to men's heart is food LOL or ... s@x.... or ... god forbid, character LOL on top of other things

So anyways, he did show genuine care towards her but it was always bc she was yummy and he was curious JUST BC OF THAT.

SO ML turns out to be a bull in mating season, all hormones and no brains.

This is the situation before ep 9.

SO IT CATERS TO ALL IMMATURE, WEAK WOMEN THINKING ONE DAY THEY TOO CAN ROPE IN THIS KIND OF "STRONG POWERFUL RICH HANDSOME" GUY WHO WILL KEEP SAVING THEM.

NO MATTER HOW MUCH JERK HE IS, HE WILL OVERNIGHT BECOME THE BESTEST MAN IN THE WORLD *** FOR HIS WOMAN ***
there is nothing wrong with liking this concept, and practicing it in real life, that is what love is supposed to be, BUT this drama makes it happen WITHOUT ANY CHARACTER GROWTH.
ML is 12 yrs old and just discovered hormones, and FL is 3 yrs old small insecure weak powerless child. AND IT STAYS THAT WAY. Ep 9 starts with that and there is only 12 episoded.

ZERO CHARACTER GROWN IN ANYONE, EP 1-8. **** ZERO. **** THAT IS A MAIN PROBLEM WITH THIS DRAMA

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I will quote review from Oppa_: " FL lied — and that is wrong. But she lied because she felt she had no power. Meanwhile, the ML acted out of entitlement, confidence, and the authority he held over her. Those are not the same type of wrongdoing. One is a survival tactic; the other is a conscious use of power."

But this is only the tip of the iceberg.

The iceberg itself is enslavement and exploitation of women that went on for thousands of years. FL and ML in that drama are symbols of that era and that thinking.

The Asian flavor of it is a chaste damsel in distress.. Western version is a Barbie Doll s@x toy damsel in distress.. So Western media always uses and abuses filling the movies and series with explicit s#x... This drama has too many s@xual scenes - kissing or trying to, and some bed scenes that are TMI imo. This cheap stuff sells...

This drama imo combines the worst of asian version of patriarchy and Western media cesspool...

Patriarchy ruled the earth for thousands of years and basically enslaved women, 50% of population, into being slaves, working for free stuck inside home, without any money and power to control the resources. This is done so that 50% of population (males) has control of 100% of resources. THE BASIS OF JUSTIFYING THIS IS THAT A WOMAN IS TOO DUMB AND WEAK AND POWERLESS AND EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE TO EVEN SURVIVE.

Early humans were matriarchal societies, apparently, so this patriarchy started somehow... I am sure this started somehow relted bc a man has 7 times more muscle power than a woman of the same size....
indeed a man fights better with lions and indeed can haul a deer home and build a house fast... and indeed can fight intruders and indeed can provide some good s@x... so probably some horny woman let her darling take over the bed and then out of complacency let him "take care of it all for her" ... or maybe some strong guys defended their clans and thus became leaders....

and then the guys took over and matriarchy was GONE. Women became slaves. Glorified slaves LOL Glorified domestic animals... praised for producing children (aka more soldiers, work labor, and connections and influence) and for working non-stop to maintain males who just show up to rule and enjoy the privileges

IN THE PATRIARCHAL WORLD, A WOMAN IS INDEED OFFICIALLY POWERLESS... SHE IS PROPERTY OF HER FATHER AND THEN HUSBAND.... AND SURVIVES ONLY IF A MAN IS HER FRONT.

AND WOMEN RESORT TO CUNNING AND S#X TO GET WHAT THEY WANT AND NEED. bc that is the only path available. And men are thus afraid of women... and there is a huge distrust on both sides... And women fight other women in this never-ending fight to find the male who will be THE BEST ONE to protect them...

So basically we are talking animal behavior, just more complex.

But it is actually a LOT more worse bc... both men and women are manipulated and exploited. Men are taught to be cruel and heartless and emotionless bc... they too are used as pions... they are the soldiers and henchman of the elites... they are the dogs that work for the elites... without blinking an eye, they destroy and die ... at war or corporate desk.... they are bland, empty WORKER / SOLDIER ROBOTS .... ...

and women are slaves who act and do all the care, kindness and nurturing, and restore and maintain these robots... Women are slaves who act as psychiatric nurses, who do all the work producing, raising and maintatining robots, who do all the daily care, feeding, chores, that is necessary to produce and grow new robots and support and maintain the operating robots.

IT IS LIKE A FARM, OWNED AND RUN BY SOME EVIL PPL who make sure that all the robots and slaves never communicate and always distrust and harass and cheat each other, trying to rise to the top levels of robots and slaves... never letting each other escape, always dragging each other down back into the hell...

Basically, someone owns a tank of crabs, uses them as food, and fuels their instinct to drag each other down into the cauldron

And meanwhile, someone on the top pulls all the strings and abuses this army of animals they roped in to work on their behalf, That someone on the top is wealthy and privileged and manipulates the masses - since these robots and slaves are totally easy to manipulate. DK audience comments demonstrated that soooo well...

And DK is all about that. It hits all those key point of patriarchy,
As you said, ML is controlling, cruel, rich, entitled, etc totally devoid of feeling
and FL is irrational, dumb, spaced out, powerless, loser, emotional, etc AND SHE SOFTENS THE HEART OF THAT MAN AND THEY LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

That is the dream, the illusion of all slaves and robots stuck in this hierarchy All those loser women fantasize they can stay a flawed character and get a super sugar daddy to take care of them and adore them no matter how immature and flawed they are,

and all robots fantasize how they will get a stupid but sexy and kind slave who will take care of them and provide fun - s#x, attention, care, etc that will recharge them and keep them going

STUPID MEN LIKE DUMB WOMEN. THEY ARE EASY TO CONTROL

DK plays on all these tropes and that's why I called it 1950s but it is really... 1200s attitudes LOL

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Very nice and fun drama. One of the bearers of the new age in gender equality and relationships

I like this drama a lot. ML and FL are pretty equal, have great communication, and messages of the drama are very positive. Acting is pretty good, pace and script are pretty good.

It is a twist on old time kdramas. This drama often starts with an old trope, but then ends it with a totally new age ending. So old timers are probably confused - the FL starts weak and irrational... and quickly turns out very strong and helpful, there is communication and teamwork between ML-FL, it is an equal relationship between two people, he happens to be CEO and she happens to be a manager, there is no dragging of "anio!" lying and cheating plots..... whaaaat??! LOL all new stuff...

and westernized audience is left in the dust LOL bc there is no skinship or violence or "excitement" like that, drunken one night stand is considered an embarrassment and not "ok we are already familiar" LOL LOL LOL which to old times is obviously shady morality, and to these new timers, is normal.... LOL Then these new timers also expect some plasticized 20 yrs old to be the main leads LOL LOL LOL as if romance does not exist for any other age.... !!!!! what a limited world view... ! Think the famous movie Harold and Modd, or 40 Year Old Virgin....

In this drama, everything gets resolved fast, as ML-FL work well as a team, and the drama is really about them building their team trust and operation. By ep ... 10? is it 10 now? They are a well oiled successful team, and a great great couple. I really like this drama.

The drama does start with the doormat passive FL - as usual - that is the signature sexist ploy of most if not all kdramas (and cdramas and possibly others - I dont know bc I dont watch them) - but again, it metamorphoses into a relationship of equality. They help each other and they COMMUNICATE about everything.

So I think this is one of those revolutionary dramas that sets the tone for the new era. I think it is very deep, constructive and positive.

It does have some flaws, FL is dragged out as passive too long, so we missed on her varied and excellent acting of more than just that, and there is not enough COM out of rom com
But the lack of that is made up with great love scenes and chemistry between the leads, and a very tender and dear portrayal of new parents.
ML - FL PAIR IS CUTE!!!! they are just so cute!!!

Overall, I like this drama a lot. It is on the right track. It shows a new age family. A very nice way to be a family. Yay!!!! times are a-changing!

==
So... I am gonna act as a cultural and ettiquette translator and explain how to read the room.
So: ML / FL met at a drunken one night stand. They were kinda total strangers when they met. That one night stand - and esp a drunken one - is an EMBARASSING situation and THEY ARE STILL PRETTY MUCH TOTAL STRANGERS. And ashamed to look like mating dogs to each other.... AND HE IS HER BOSS.

This is not a situation of two singles having fun. She is risking being a single mom or accepting this total stranger into her life to support her baby. Those are huge changes. These two lovebirds need to make a nest first before they can have fun. Just having fun is INAPPROPRIATE.

Now, this world view totally clashes with the Western idea promoted by Western media, where one night stand is totally ok, and you become familiar with a total stranger just by sharing your private parts. Well... some other cultures would call that ... insufficient LOL I would actually call it crude :)

Bc, to really get to know someone enough to feel ffamiliar and comfortable, it takes time and effort and involves a LOT of things to share - your mind, heart, and soul, .... and yeah eventuallly the private parts. Here we also have an employee and boss... a wrong move, and single mom loses her livelihood. DONT YOU THINK THE SITUATION IS DELICATE AND REQUIRES CAUTION AND BUILDING TRUST FIRST?

But this idea seems "childish" to so many ppl here who are ranting about it in a very loud way. Please remember, you come from the Western promiscuity standards. Not everyone in the world has those standards, and certainly, they are not obliged to follow YOUR standards :)

So those of you who expect ML/FL to be suddenly super comfortable and familiar with each other in every way after a drunken one night stand .... aren't you showing ... a certain lack of sensitivity? Calling ML/FL "chaste teenagers" or something like that. Isnt't that very crude?

If you want explicit s.x skinship etc - then go watch something Hollywood. You didnt come to kdrama to watch that. You came to watch a MEANINGFUL STORY.

Western audience expects ML/FL to jump on each other instantly bc "they already had s.x so they re already familiar" but ... to a person with integrity, it happens ONLY when you get to know someone enough to feel comfortable around them. That takes time. And, these two started from an embarrassing situation of a drunken one night stand... AND, HE IS HER BOSS.... and first things first, does she keep the baby... ? esp with her mother trauma... Then... he plans to just plop into her life and support the baby... WOW that is a huge change... Who is he??? and, what happens at work???

So this drama takes 1-2 months of drama time and so these 2 people just figured out that:
- she is ok with being a mom and she is keeping the baby and her job
- he seems responsible and wants to stay
- he is a safe boss and she is not an exploitative employee
- he is good enough to be allowed to stay and hang around,
- she is good enough to handle the demands of his position i.e. she is strong enough to be a CEO's wife and handle all the gossip, politics, publicity, and official functions that goes with it
- they like each other
- their families are ok and so a marriage is ok
-- OK!!! so the "nesting permit" is obtained.
They have built enough trust in each other and are just starting to date and handling all the emergencies that happened to them.
***I think their actions match. the situation.

I think they are just starting to become a team, just starting to date, so the NEXT step would be to see them holding hands, whispering on a pillow, hugging on the sofa and going to a room. But we are not there yet.

But CAN YOU ALLOW that this is THEIR TIMELINE and that not everyone jumps on each other so fast like you see in Hollywood movies - and maybe in your own lives... ????

Well please refrain from applying YOUR standards on other people. Maybe you will learn something :)

Or else.. you gonna be stuck in Waikiki, which has NOTHING to do with Hawaii, it is just San Francisco or LA on a nice tropical beach instead of cold windy foggy beach... basically, you havent left your home at all - so why bother to travel then.... ????

==== WHY HAWAII? =====
I think I am seeing a clash of standards here, and ppl who are here to watch kdramas for their storytelling and sophistication, are trashing what they came for...
Like Hawaii -
everyone comes to Hawaii bc it is PERFECT climate and quiet green and natural, and when they get there they want 30 min hot showers, A/C, restaurants, cars, crowds, etc and basically are recreating San Francisco or LA where they ESCAPED from to rest and rejuvenate in lovely quiet natural Hawaii..... ... And so - yeah, shove all those snowflakes into Waikiki, the ghetto for tourists, and the real people go see real Hawaii.

So right now, I see people who came to sophisticated, meaningful, creative, story oriented kdramas ..... and expect Hollywood cesspool skinship etc.

I think it would be better to stop being an ignorant tourist and to actually ENJOY THE NEW LAND YOU ARE IN, ENJOY IT AS IS, INSTEAD OF TRYING TO MAKE IT INTO SOMETHING YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH - AND BORED TO DEATH WITH

==========

Generally, I forgive some amount of cringe in a drama LOL Why? Because it is to be expected :)

First: characters in a drama/movie/any story MUST START "LACKING", with flaws and/or problems lol - it has to be like that, bc there has to be serious flaws, lacking, ommissions, misdeeds, previous trauma, ongoing attack and/or misunderstandings etc etc etc etc to create the story :)
and then the drama/movie/story consists of overcoming that ....
So it is to be expected that some cringe will happen, and heavily at the start... then it should start resolving and disappearing.... (and in some cases, never be totally gone LOL )

WHERE do you draw the line how much is "dragging the cringe phase" ? That is a very personal thing. To you, this drama dragged it too much. To me this drama passed the test.

Second: it is also personal what kind of cringe the audience is willing to tolerate LOL Lazy scriptwriters like to use tropes and stereotypes, bc they are sure the audience will can accept that particular type of cringe and the drama will "sell".

Third: A common cringe in asian dramas is a weak dumb irrational loser MARGINALIZED AND POOR AND POWERLESS woman who is KIND, and an overbering controlling cold wounded RICH POWERUL man who gets healed by her kindness.... this is the cringe that Asia is willing to tolerate ... this cringe is based on sexism and women as "lesser ppl" - so you get lots of scenes of FL in confused anxious state, yelling, doing stupid things, crying, etc and ML with a poker face saving this damsel in distress from HERSELF!!! ....
(Sexism is a global disease, so in the western version of this trope, the woman is broke, pretty and willing to lay down, and you get to see a lot of s.x - related scenes and a lot of push up bras and cleaveage and car chases.)

Fourth, Asian dramas are too often sexist and use stupidity of women, esp FL, to create the plot. That is asian drama #1 fundamental flaw :) and luckily is slowly going away
It is ok to start like that, and it is great that 99.9% of kdramas have a transformational ending.

What we call "bad dramas" drag the transformation too long... And "good ones" resolve it fast. And practically all of them are a lot better than something western. kdramas at least have creative stories and plot and unique characters, and are usually about positive lifestyles and messages. So... Ii take some cringe in a kdrama rather than something meaningless, lewd and violent. So... I have to forgive some flaws in my chosen form of entertainment LOL but never give hope that it can be even better :)

Fifth: kdramas have various acting styles and means of conveying the message, and they heavily rely on comedy and making things light and making fun of various situations so that we can see what is really going on - that makes kdramas so fun - and that comedy can be very sophicated and dry, can be super polite and subtle, can be face/body language, something said, a funny camera angle, .... ... can be in so many forms, all the way to recklessly silly and exeggarated theatrical behaviors, to make sure to convey the message LOL
The point is that the auduence gets the message :) So - we the audience go along with the ride :) we watch the story presented to us and we think what is it trying to say....?

Sixth: amateur audience always wants to redo the drama they want it but it is not possible. The script writer had their own ideas. Also, the drama picks the most important points, it is NOT the real life. We do not get to see every single detail as if in real life. So chill out and allow it.

So if ML/FL were hiding and looking back - was it one of those exaggerations... or a cringe... I will check :) Also, you may have never done that, but other ppl might do that :) so it might not be unusual... Then I see you complained about not seeing a bump, etc. THAT was not importnt to the drama.. and the drama is about the first 1-3 months so realistically, there is no bump to show... I also thought with the amount and stress and anxiety, she would have miscarried five times LOL but ... it is a drama... that was not important... so ..... who cares :)

I also thought that it was abusive to ask her to drink and silly that she could not stand up to it - but I also understand that it is actually how it is in real life... ... drinkers HATE those who do not drink, the boss was super abusive to the "nobody" FL .... ... - and FL is trying to be on the friendly side of her colleagues and boss, and keep her job and a good work environment.... It was educational to see how the boss changed when she realized FL has backing.... Those are actually important and realistic messages..

This drama uses the well known tropes - the insecure weak blind loser FL ("I am gonna have a baby all on my own and keep my job and I dont need anyone") and petty controlling ML ("give me all tthese reports back on Monday") - ....... BUT IT DID NOT LAST LONG. AND IT WAS NOT TOO BAD. IT WAS REALISTIC, many ppl would go through such a phase LOL and these drama characters luckily quickly overcame it.

Imo this drama is a pioneer in gender equality and rational thinking ability and communication ability ..... it often starts with a trope - bc the audience is so used to it - but then twists it into something totally new and different, rather fast. So there was no dragging and being stuck. The development moved along really fast and it was interesting to watch for us, imo.

At the start of this drama, FL was professionally competent and had some personal cringe to start with - not too much- and pretty fast was shown as a competent strong CEO's wife material who talks things through, rationally, and helps her darling in many ways... ML was a petty spoiled arrogant brat but quickly got wiser and softer too....

In this drama, QUITE FAST, ML and FL formed a strong team in clear honest communication. THAT is precious :) ML started already from like ep 2... and FL totally turned around by ... ep .. 5? I forgot.

I dont know how many kdramas or cdramas you watched, but FL *could* have started and stayed almost to the end as a loser... and never really became strong... like in dramas Would you Marry Me, Dynamite Kiss, etc...

I remember seeing some cringe scenes like that at the start of this drama, but luckily ... this FL was totally not bad :) She got very wise very fast :) And ML too :)


So I would like to know which scenes bothered you because that will tell me where your personal line is. Everyone has a different personal line..
Like in Our Universe drama - someone saw 2-3-4 episodes, wrote a super bad review how ML is a man child, etc , and dropped the drama, all angry..... . But the man-child was used at the start for comedic and real life effects, spoiled selfish man not interested in children... BUT it got quickly reversed and by ... ep 4 or 5 for sure. ML was a very caring father figure and connected to the baby. But that bad reviewer wasnt willing to risk waiting for it LOL

So .... where you draw the line of how much cringe is too much, and how much you are willing to tolerate to get to the good stuff - is YOUR CHOICE
Btw, it is a gamble, bc sometimes good stuff just does not happen, like in Dynamite Kiss,..... and sometimes the development is so mature and wonderful, like here where she becomes true CEO's wife material and he becomes softer AND stronger

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A pretty good fun drama that could have been a 10 star drama if ...

This is a fun drama, explores some deep issues and questions about The Will of God versus our own will, our karma, our karmic duties, and what happens when we do not cooperate with the Divine ....

The drama is fun and the acting is pretty good, but it could have been and still could be a lot more fun. It could have been a 10 star drama bc the actors are great and just were not utilized properly.

The ML and FL are not shown liking each other. Either the actors just didnt feel it, and/or the director didnt force them to act it... but .. it is already Feb 18, I think ep 8 finished? and there is only 12 episodes and we havent seen enough of the romance or friendship ....

Sure they start as total strangers, then she tortures him and ruins his life and of course he is not gonna like her, however, that part of that drama DRAGS TOO LONG. She tortured him bc she was intrigued by him and kinda "owned him" and explored him and found reasons to keep appearing to him. But the drama doesnt explore that. It seems like she is just a mean person. But the fact is, she likes him and wants to make sure he noticed her - and she is using wrong methods for that. Sure, she is not aware of her feelings yet - but we the audience arent either!!!! bc the drama showed it, in a few seconds here and there. It was not enough to create tension and to convince the audience there is something romantic going on. We saw her being confused bc her hear flutters but the drama never explored that...

Lomon is really good at acting romantic scenes. ANd FL is also cute when she tries to flirt with him. That should have happened a LOT sooner.

First it should have been accidental blopers - since she liked him first and tortured him to get his attention, there should have been a LOT more "accidental" hitting on him too - WE HAD TO SEE THAT SHE WAS SOMEHOW SATISFIED THAT SHE HAD A REASON TO KEEP HANGING AROUND HIM "TO SHOW HIM" WHAT SHE CAN DO - and then it should have increased to the point where they became cognizant of their attraction, by the middle of the drama (ep 6) they should have been kinda together already

It was just too slow of a burn, and also while they didnt like each other, it was too harsh. She kinda hit on him and suggested dating, but it was so ... scientiically cold... and he just ... didnt feel anything bc she was so harsh, her tinny screaming nagging criticizing voice was irritating even to me... LOL LOL LOL

So perhaps, if they started being more friendly earlier, that would have saved the drama. This way, they are kinda jumping from enemies to lovers kinda overnight. So I think a little less of episodes on how she was misbehaving - we got it!!!!! omg we got it!!!! she was just obnoxious!!!! gnarling fox, so unplesant!!!! and he so cold and hurt.... SO LESS OF THAT - and more episodes about the two of them... I am not a script writer so I cannot say anything official, these are just some ideas.

So overall, if the plot/acting was a tad bit softer and their FRIENDLY INTERACTION and then naturally evolving into romance started earlier, it would have been a much better drama.

But - each couple is different, some jump from enemies to lovers into romance fast. If the script writer wanted to portray that, then I am not sure what kind of tricks they could use to squish the number of episodes while they are enemies, and/or to show more "cracks" in how they are officially not on the same page but are feeling attraction.

Their attraction happens just too fast and sudden and unnatural, and TOO LATE in the drama
That is a sad loss of talent, bc both actors CAN act very well.

We the audience really do not care to spend the entire drama watching two people quarreling and bickering and learning all there is to know about their character faults and personal issues... That can be shown quite well with a few selected scenes... . We want to see THE PROCESS OF TRANSFORMATION and we want to see THE RESULTS of that process.

So the old kdrama format - 1/4 for context and issues, 1/4 for starting romance, 1/4 for overcoming challenges to being together, 1/4 about putting it all together - did I get this right? I think this is usually the recipe. Sometimes it is pushed bc Part 1 is too long so putting it all together is too rushed at the end, but.. This recipe generally is a pretty good recipe that leaves the audience satisfied.

DON'T DRAG THE PAIN
SPEND A LOT OF TIME SHOWING TRANSFORMATION
is my advice here

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Trash. Fake kdrama. It is Hollywood with asian actors. A big STEAMING pile of script

This drama is a fake kdrama. it is a hollywoody Idiocracy mutt
FL and Hiro are excellent actors. ML sucks.
The drama is a BIG STEAMING PILE OF SCRIPT.
it lacks all elements of a kdrama - warmth, communication, inner work, redemption arc, sharing, family, lightness, humor, compassion, ...

it is about isolation, sleeping around, FL kisses 2ML, etc etc It is western isolation and miscomunication of egoistical ppl. And they re rich and feeling entitled.

The start of ep 1 gives the preview of what it is going to be like - a very TOXIC drama - an immature selfish FL and a very cold ML who covers up for her.
Then she had an accident and evrything changed and for like 2 episodes it looks like the drama might take off. It was fun to see different countries and actors from various countries. BUT IT WAS JUST A GIMMICK, to make up for lack of content and plot...

By ep 4 or so, THE DRAMA DIPS INTO DOODOO.
It quickly gets super boring as the characters keep getting stuck and nothing moves forward.
They never communicate. The dialogues are ... weird...
The drama time is taken by scenery and trivialities, instead of CONTENT. Nothing really happens.

BY ep ... 6? IT WAS DEEP DOODOO. I JUST FAST FORWARDED THROUGH EVERYTHING TO THE END AND IT WAS COMPLETELY CRAZY. I fast forwarded to the end just to make sure I did not miss a U-turn to sanity and could evaluate to the end.
The drama became completely totally crazy. Literally. It looks like a nightmare of someone on something. and actually a lot of it *is* a nightmare or anxiety memories and "hallucinations" - ML talks forever with the imaginary character of his FL, etc. IT IS LITERALY CRAZY

It starts looking very Hollywoody as everyone sleeps with everyone, seems like, ... FL kisses 2ML.... nobody communicates... and nothing is resolved....

THIS IS NOT A "NORMAL" KDRAMA AT ALL
this is ... a drugged nightmare about very unruly lives of several young people doing all kinds of things. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH KDRAMAS

And I am really thinking this guy was 100% correct
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1_j6izmEX4 How Netflix killed kdrama

I was thinking - what is the goal of Netflix with releasing all 12 episodes at once? so that only Netflix drama is watched?

I think Netflix, Disney and other non-korean kdramas are a lot worse that Korean kdramas, they just LACK CREATIVITY
Disney's Made in Korea is a sinister brainwashing into the power of evil

This drama is ... ??? what is it?? A SENSELESS NIGHTMARE OF REALLY WEIRD PEOPLE

I this continues, kdramas will be dead very soon. Koreans are going to lose their creativity and freedom, they cannot address what they want but have to follow american $$$$ and do as their slave master says. kdramas will not be Korean, but american made with some Korean actors.just like this drama was. This is the death of Korean culture too

For someone tired of Hollywood cesspool, this drama could even look nice, but this is not a kdrama. It is ... a slightly less of cesspool Hollywood.

I feel like I wasted time to check this drama out, but I had to check it, before I made a decision NEVER to watch anything Netflix or Disney made ever again. THIS DRAMA IS A WASTE OF TIME.

you can watch a travel program yourself and see Canada, Italy, Japan, etc

and then watch some real kdramas, made by Koreans in Korea.

======

Technicalities:

Th filming is WEIRD, they go back and forth in time and th whole drama has a nightmarish "look"
For the first several episodes, it was bearable bc there were enough "normal"scenes and it was not too difficult to pick up th plot.

I really liked the acting of FL actress and Hiro actor. Hiro is so real, it is fantastic! The actor totally nailed a Japanese spoiled brat. To the tee... . ML's brother is my fav actor from Discovery of Love and he did his part great too. I like the character of FL's manager and their relationship.

ML actor cannot act and is utterly boring to watch, the same face and demeanor from start to finish. ANd I remember seeing that exact ffacial expression and "acting" in another drama. Get him OFF.

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Cute rom com - this is teenage drama but the plot is the same as for adult dramas

The drama is again a fantasy that some really weak insecure woman magically attracts some amazing man who is her sugar daddy and totally devoted to her... and takes care of her, for the rest of his life, regardless of how shi##y she is. THAT IS THE PLOT OF MOST KDRAMAS. In adult versions, ML is often cold and cruel too, and woman is poor and powerless, and he somehow controls her financially and otherwise.
it is fascinating how this same plot is reused just with slightly differnt characters....

***** It is very stale at this point. It is the plot for long gone past - not year 2025. *****

This drama is a milder version of it... This drama is more easy to watch and unique, fun and cute bc ML is super fun, kind, bubbly person. Yes he is vain and immature but he is very open, communicative, straightforward, rambunctious, fun loving and just FUN, and he is filmed so well - scenes with him in his pink sleeping bag, dancing on the stairs when they first met in the restroom, etc it is all great comedy... Bc of him, the drama is so fun and charming, and special and unique.

And I really enjoy that actor, he CAN act and in this drama he acts..... I saw him in a recent college drama where the script killed him, the script was so boring and made him a passive quiet poker face slimey SML. What a waste of his acting talents. He is very talented.

FL is nothing special, as usual. The role is boring and flat, the acting thus has to be limited, and the plot generated by FL stupid actions is STUPID. In this drama, ML saved the day with his cheerful bubbliness and upfront mischief and huuuuge efforts. From what I can see, ML did all the work in their relationship.

SO IT IS TIRING TO WATCH A WOMAN WHO KEEPS KILLING THE RELATIONSHIP AND THE MAN WHO KEEPS TRYING, esp since that kind of scenario does NOT happen in real life often.... so the drama is kollywood, feeding some airhead fantasy to the audience.


I am watching this after the drama finished, and while Dynamite Kiss is airing. DK is a rom com that SHOULD have been a teenage drama; or in other words, the plot o this teenage drama is the same as in DK - an insecure timid FL that does nothing for the relationship but lie, cheat and run away; and a very active strong smart conident "in conrol" action-oriented ML who takes care of everything.
Very often, dramas have cruel controlling ML, like in DK, and even sexual harassment portrayed as "being hot" like in DK.

SF is such a cute drama to watch bc ML is a bubbly fun personality.... ML starts as super entitled and vain... and luckily he is a kind loving DECENT person. That is the only reason why he and the drama was so watchable and fun. ML is a super nice young man really without too much flaws. yeah he is vein and immature but he is a soft, outspoken, caring, fun-loving person. ML is *fun*


DK is irritating bc the audience sees nothign wrong with it. SF is like the training ground.... Luckily SF ML is not mean. That aspect of ML controlling FL as he has more power is often an additional component in kdramas... like in DK/
DK plot in essence is THE SAME as SF plot... except that DK ML is cruel mean autocrat.... and just adds the additional layer of adult life - work - since ML is the boss of FL and in act sexually harasses her at work. DK is a super inappropriate drama. Real "ancient history" drama. The scenes are appropriate for a saeguk, not a modern drama, as the ML puts himself very physically close to FL, touches her, tries to kiss her, pushes forward although she says no. ML in DK is a rather mean controlling person who loves toying with people. Ideal character for a gangster. SF at least did not do any sexual harassment.ML just asked to kiss and she said no and he did not push, at least in first 7 episodes.

Spirit Fingers ML is active and always chasing her but he is luckily not a mean or controlling guy. He is cute, lively and bubbly and the drama was worth watching for his antics LOL He is that really lively obnoxious teenage boy, a good kid but very rambuctious. I really enjoyed him. If would love to have a son like that.

and I loved ML actor in this role... I saw him briefly in a college level drama recently that I dropped, he was 2ML and always soooo serious and passive and quiet... it was a waste of his talent. In this drama, he gets to ACT and he is totally hillarious.

I loved how ML was filmed, all his dancing on the street, climbing stuff, etc he wrapped in the pink sleeping bag, ... He was HILARIOUS and adorable. His long legs dancing on the stairs when they first met in the restroom was so cool...

FL is frustratingly passive and weak... I was thinking omg she is a teenager but is the same type of FL character like in adult dramas... Insecure, hiding, lying, not communicating... It was unsufferable. It is just ... too much...

So when FL kept messing up, I just stopped watching. Ater ep 7, I just could not take it anymore, it was enough. Then I just fast forwarded through ep 12 to see how it ends. I saw that FL had an episode of insecurity and dumping ML in ep 10... !!!!!


It was fun to see the villain actor from One High Shchool heroes,,,, he acted the same here and there :( Not talented... ?

Mint Finger is an alcoholic... I hope she stopped. That was not a good message to the youth audience...

I like that SF trid to address home and family situations. I saw the scenes when dad came home...

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A play on stereotypes

This drama is a play on stereotypes. The older nerdy guy with glasses versus a younger frilly charmer guy on a motorcycle. The audience automatically stereotypes these two guys, regardless of what they ACTUALLY show on the screen.

FL strings both guys and acts very confused, flippant and silly - too prude towards ML and too open and without boundaries to SML. FL is unaware and irresponsible, flakey.....
The main issue is that FL is unaware of how she is driven by her hormones and unwilling to accept it - she denies that part of herself... So... the end result is that she strings two guys. SML for just attention and ML as a genuine like.

FL uses SML as a frill pill and hangs out with him without any intention to officially date, and likes ML, kisses him, and promises to go on dates with ML but stays out of getting too close - and keeps the company of SML without any obligation.

ML has never done anything unless FL was open to it - which often caused a stallmate when she pulls back - and he does not dare to call her to the carpet - and she pretends that her hormones and thoughts of marriage do not exist -
and SML barges into her space and pokes her, totally oblivious to her liking the ML and totally confident based on his long standing success as a charmer for women.

It is already ep 5 and the character flaws of all 3 are still glaring and playing out. FL is playing the SML because she still has not figured out what she wants.

There is nothing wrong with using SML for a hot and steamy SHORT relationship *** if *** the FL wanted that. But the problem is, she is not really interested in that, and already deeply likes ML So, instead of going on hot steamy dates within a LONG relationship within a stable marriage, she choses to stay confused and use the SML for attention.

The FL plays both guys. The guys are emotionally incapacitated, cannot talk things through, and do not call her to the carpet. So she keeps stringing both of them.
THE PLOT IS UNREALISTIC. In real life, both men would be gone by ep 4.

ML: a rather stiff and reserved older guy with glasses and in baggy "college student / IT guy / CEO" sports-and-outdoors clothes, the "nerd" type who owns a successful home wood furniture business; who already seriosly loved and dated for years a very glam cold woman who dumped him. he still feels pain from that relationship but seems to be on the way to 100% recovering. He is the kind of guy who falls in love deep and he does not want to sleep around. His goal is marriage,
VERSUS
the younger frilly guy has fashionable "young stud" casual clothes and a flippant attitude that a kiss means nothing and does not bind you to a person. He claims he kissed 500 people in his young life. He drives a motorcycle and is super popular with women, as he is openly a charmer. He is an actor and does bar, cafe and restaurant jobs to pay the bills, and barely succeeds. In short, a guy who seems to be living in the experimentation phase of his life, forever. We do not know much about his past or past loves yet but we have some inclinations. There is ONE mysterious woman that he still has painful feelings for and she is trying to get into his life - os it an ex, a sister, an ex-colleague actor?

So the fun part is how the audience reacts. They call ML's clothes "homeless man." The serious guy with glasses is proclaimed ugly and ppl wrote comments they dropped the drama bc ML is ugly. There are lots of comments how he is boring, stiff, has no adventure, no emotional ability / does not express, etc. How there is no chemistry or passion between him and FL, etc
And how SML is caring, there is chemistry, how he pulls out the best from FL, etc.

And what ACTUALLY happened?

ML already **LIVES** love, partnership, care and committment in his daily life. He and his best friends are business partners, and the friend is a single father with a young daughter who is very present in their lives. ML volunteers to walk dogs.

ML is good with kids, dogs, and his best friend/business partner, and he runs a successful company and has good relations with lots of customers and employees. He is a *healthy* person. Sure with some faults but that is why we need 12 episodes and FL lol for him to expand his circle of love
ML is very stable and reliable and caring person.
ML is indeed stiff and reserved, hurt by his ex, but he has potential and, when given a green light, tries in proper ways. ML never barges uninvited, and he is also assertive.

ML was honest and clearly expressed himself and his feelings to FL, attempted to kiss her twice and succeeded once, there were PLENTY hot steamy moments between them that HE initiated, he already very gently and naturally broke into her personal space and BY HER WILLING CONSENT has spent time kissing and cuddling, he volunteered to ride a train ride home with her and sleep on her shoulder, he volunteered to work with her to get closer and keeps calling her on dates.

At first, ML was official, formal and polite, and blurted stuff about marriage so FL rejected him. Then she coincidentally showed up and acted in some suspicious behaviors which triggered his ex trauma, so he rejected her. Then he decided to overcome that, and took steps, and they kissed, so now he is actively trying with her. He picked a work project with her and keeps calling her on dates.

ML is too stiff and slow, which is partially his character flaw and partially his considerate nature, as *** ML follows what FL asked for **** He never barges into her life. FL keeps rejecting him and he keeps catching her hanging out with SML - essentially going on dates with the SML.
So far, since FL is not his, ML tolerates seeing FL hanging out with SML but it pains him. FL is super flippant about OPENLY stringing two guys.

FL has a huge issue of unwillingness to talk about things openly. They kissed and FL did not want to talk about it. ML tried, but was too coward to push forward when FL acts so clueless.

In short, ML is too shy in openly DIRECTLY discussing matters of emotional closeness **if the other person seems clueless, unaware, unwilling and/or upset**. That is his main character flaw. If the other person seems somewhat agreeable and on the same page and willing to discus, he has no problems expressing himself.

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FL, god bless her, is hanging on the last thread of her hormones and barely holding herself back from jumping on ANYONE who comes close enough LOL

Someone in the audience wrote that FL is a 30 yr old woman trying to have it all before she hits the menopause ... and that totally describes her. She wasnts a fling but she wants a husband.

FL is not promiscuous nor super prude. She is an ordinary person. But she is super confused and UNABLE TO ADMIT TO HERSELF THAT HER DESIRE FOR PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH A MAN IS CONTROLLING HER LIFE BC SHE PRETENDS TO NOT HAVE THAT DESIRE.

FL is a confused snowflake who is stringing two guys. She SAYS she likes ML and she consents to going on dates with him - but - she keeps hanging out very closely with the SML, bc SML just barges into her space and she keeps easily consenting to it. And she already admitted to herself once that lust is the only thing she feels for SML. But SML keeps pushing, poking, teasing, barging into her space, and she never sets boundaries. He keeps coming into her physical space, hanging out with her, giving her motorcycle rides, etc. He is hoping to bag her, but she is using him for attention and flirting.

Meanwhile, FL also flirts - but in a deep serious way and all the way to kissing - with ML and now keeps consenting to going on dates with him - but she still keeps hanging with SML in a way that is too familiar - basically using him as a frill pill

AND THAT IS DISGUSTINGLY TOXIC - the flirting between SML and FL is so toxic - he is trying to bag her and she keeps using him as a frill pill, without any intentions to date him, while she consents to go on dates with ML when he invites her

SML consenting to that is toxic to HIMSELF, he clearly does not treat himself with respect
SML needs to grow up asap and truly value himself
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SML keeps teasing FL and poking her with a clear intent to bag her. SML is not honest, he never says how he feels. The most he revealed of himself is to give her tickets to his performance. He gets her drunk and tries to bag her; he takes a job in the only cafe nearby so that he can be close to her and insert himself into her daily life. It is his IMPOSING UPONG FL, WITHOUT HER CONSENT. He is just using her weak moments to sneak into her life. That is not how love should be in 21st century... In 21st century, he invites her to do things with him, and she consents.

What the audience calls "passionate" is a controlling and manipulative immature person, looking for new experiences. What is called "chemistry" is just lust and flirting - as the FL so astutely noticed. His job at the near cafe is actually stalking. His trying to bag a drunk person while he is 100% sober is actually an attempt at s.x without real consent. His bragging about kissing 500 women without any feeling of responsibility is a glaring admittance of having no emotional connections. In short he is a woman-eater of sorts. He is not as bad as could be, but he is not relationship material for sure.

SML has no circle of love, he is alone, he even leaves his job on a whim and gets fired, he has no sense of responsibility commitment and hard work, and he does not know how to love YET. And it's gonna take a while for him to learn it :) First, he has to want it. He does not yet :)

I do not have anything against SML as a person, he is a good person, but as a MAN, he is not a long term relationship material. SML is perfect for a fling :)
SML is ***perfect*** as a dance partner. You can fly all over the dance floor with him and flirt as much as you want. But then when the dance is over, the prince Charming will be gone too :) SML is too ... confused to be a stable long term partner.

MLis still too stiff and unexpressive to be a long term partner too. His cold ex really left impact, he is still hurting and suspicious. Also, he is weak, he has no courage to conront things that make it seem he will ail, emotionally... he cannot talk about sticky subjects... But as he opens more and investigates, ... let us see.

The director is making a grave mistake of dampening down the ML. The actor seems bored.... ML is portrayed as someone who is not very active in his moving around and speech and expression, and that gives an impression of an old and boring person. I really want to see the actor have more FUN with his role. There are so many shades of ML and I want to see them all. That actor is able of expressing complexity. So let him.
But the script... is ... need of fixing lol ML is made too lifeless to make sure the audience starts thinking about this conflict - a stable boring man versus the passionate exciting man -

the truth is, the stable man is NOT boring and is quite passionate, and the passionate man is like a match, he quickly lights and then goes dim.

So I want to see the not-boring side of the stable man. We already had hints - his taking care of dogs, camping trips and hanging at home with bf and his daughter, his interest in making art furniture, etc his active and genuine attempts and successes in kissing FL.... ML is too skinny and stooped over, so he needs to move a little more gracefully and have more muscle.

SML gives an impression of excitement because he runs and jumps and drives a motorcycle, and bc he is outgoing and keeps poking FL and barging into her personal space. But when you look into what he has to offer ... ? it is a few exciting days and some exciting s.x, something that will last a short time while he is having fun with his new and interesting toy, and will fall apart fast as soon as thre is some problem, esp with committment, and/or when he finds something / someone else new and interesting.


This drama exposes severe societal prejudices.
As time immemorial, a shy quiet guy is automatically written off :)
The shortage of eligible single men is severe in the USA and perhaps other places and women consent to all kinds of guys. African American guys are severely in short supply, then white, then Asians.
Also, it is fascinating to see what the culture of 11 million monthly users on Tinder has produced in terms of what ppl call "normal" relationships,
There are all kinds of relationship coaches online and in person in the USA, many specializing in dating men, and most such coaches are men :) There are some that imo give very bad advice, like Matt teaches playing hard to get, and some that are very legitimate, common sense, good guy coaches, like Stephan Speaks. I highly recommend Stephan Speaks free videos on youtube.

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Has potential but misses to show character growth

I am interested in Love Me bc it starts with a very fascinating situation - a lulled family that maintains the illusion of 2 "good parents" trying to act as superhumans.. which creates 2 spoiled brat kids - but on the surface, they are a great "nice family" ..... Until mother and daughter's toxicity creates an accident and results in them hating and blaming each other for 7 years.. and dad and brother exposed in their toxicity too... So this setup had a lot of potential. Like american movie Ordinary People...

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WRITTEN AFTER EP 4:

But Love Me does not work out the issues... MAGICALLY as soon as the mother dies, all these characters become open and fluid.. literally almost overnight... Hello... ! They are lucky they find more open and loving lovers, but still... there is no showing of their own inner growth.... They grow so fast and effortlessly, and it just does NOT compute...

The drama is filmed in the darkness, they need to use more light so that we can see actors' faces and facial expressions

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So fun! I love this drama! And yeah there is the thriller creepy....

Really nice and really fun LOL when the small town entered into the picture, that's when I started LOVING this drama, it is HILARIOUS and it is very heartwarming

The thriller part is there and it is really scary

I like FL and ML characters they are really great people and also match as a couple
I love the makjang of the Principal, even the village bully rapping his lawsuit LOL

I love the little kiddo, he is the cutest ever

There are sooo many scenes that are filmed in a very cool way... like... the swimming pool scene - water, then high heels in red, then black male shoes... That was cool ...

FL and ML getting together at the end of ep 6 was really cool and very different ..... very ... powerful

FL actress is amazing!!! so skilled!!!

ML actor was not such a great actor in early episodes..., very often it is obvious that he is pretending instead of BEING the character
and, I have a desire to shorten his bangs, I want to see his eyes
After ep 5 or 6 he is acting better and is starting to be convincing

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