Kathryn_51

What can I say, lol?? I was semi-hooked - to the point that I was staying up late at night to watch back-to-back episodes from 2-5. . . and then I saw the preview for Ep. 6 and it was "Oh No - NOT the company-retreat trope. Please no. " Nevertheless, I sped through quite a bit of Ep. 6, the scene of her at the bottom of the cliff was just too reminiscent of King Something (which I dropped big time at ep 6) and iirc I got thru Ep. 7 and the outcome (identity of kidnapper) is rather obvious. And I still don't like CSB (thanks for the acronym), but I really, REALLY like the male lead and the story even though much is pre-ordained. So, I'm pretty sure I will finish it but w/heavy finger on the FF button. And trust me, I probably would not stick w/it if not for your original positive and thoughtful reply. 🥰

Same here - I just recently dropped Kokowa (because gave up on the week-end soaps) but want to watch for Jin Ki Joo. Crossing fingers that it will be likeable.

Well, D*mn - I recently discontinued my Kokowa subscription because I no longer enjoyed the SBS weekend dramas. Maybe a few months from now because I 💕 Kin Ji Koo

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Last night, I finally completed Ep. 2 and I'm hooked on the STORY. Primarily because of the ML and his background/position in society/politics. I have never been a fan of Chai Soo Bin and this drama hasn't changed my opinion - but I don't DIS-like her - but the story doesn't help endear me to her to the character she portrays. Thanks to you, I will stick with it and looking forward to the rom-com to come in Ep. 6 - emphasis (from me) on the COMEDY because the "romance" is a given. And I love parents who are rotten to the core.

So, perhaps not the roller coaster of QoT, but hopefully entertaining and enough twisty plot to keep my engaged. Again, thanks for your reply. 😀

Finally found time to start this and after just 1/2 hour this is giving me "Queen of Tears" vibes - married couple, unhappy, beautiful cinematography, lots of hints of mysterious undercurrents. QoT was a roller-coaster ride but lots of amusing scenes to balance with the tension. So far, there hasn't been a smile-worthy scene. If this is 100% thriller then I might struggle to find the time to stay with it.

I glanced at this because of Jin Ki Joo and it's now on my watchlist because the synopsis sounds fun. Hope it's on a platform I can watch.

I've been too busy to watch (including a 2 week trip to Korea), but I will only watch (FF) this if Kang Hoon and Joe Hye Joo have some interesting/memorable scenes together. By "interesting", I mean good dialogue, some chemistry, etc.

I'll skip everything with Shin Hye Sun, but would enjoy a few scenes with my two favorites - if they even exist.

LND still in the Netflix Top 10. 😊

Competition - as before - are dramas that are released all at once rather than "series" release.

In-soo is going into the Korean military. 😊😭 It was bound to happen sooner or later and Yoo In-soo decided it would be "earlier. He applied for and was accepted into the Korean Air Force - glad he landed where he wished.

https://www.soompi.com/article/1694286wpp/actor-yoo-in-soo-confirms-air-force-enlistment-plans

I'm Not a Robot. But then. . . that entire drama wasn't satisfactory (to me - I gave it 6⭐), so probably not fair to her. 😊 Based on the synopsis, I'll give it a try.

Thanks for the spoilers. 😊

Me as well. . . but the cast? FL not my favorite.

Love Next Door is No. 3 on Netflix Global for it's finale weekend.

It's the only weekly episodic drama on the list - all of the others were dropped all at once. So, the other shows are on the list for a couple of weeks and disappear as new shows are released.

Nielsen is for the first airing/broadcast. LND episodes will air several times on tvN over the next week - but they don't count with the Nielsens. It's also available streaming (in Korea) on TVING and Netflix.KR - but we never see those number either.

I know nothing about Hae-in. Didn't know anything about him before this drama.

Amusing (to me) side note: when I was in Korea, the promos for his new movie (Veteran 2??) were everywhere - in the subway, in the shopping malls, on the street video screens and non-stop on television. I didn't even realize he was in it until the 3rd or 4th time I saw the promo and I told my husband - I think that's the guy in "Love Next Door". 😊

When I was in Korea (a couple of weeks ago), LND was frequently #1 on Netflix Korea - very popular w/in the country. This was in addition to Nielsens which are only for the specific first release.

Good news. LND hit its highest Nielsen ratings for the Sunday finale.

E16 2024.10.06. 8.4 (nationwide) 9.4 (Seoul)

Although I've criticized the drama and I can't recall a single scene I would re-watch (the "morning after" scene was TOO cringey/unimaginative), I was hoping this charming little drama would hit 10 - and it came close. 😊😊😊

They were still filming in late August! So, yes - definitely rushed and missing the great cinematography (I'm thinking the pool scenes especially) of the earlier episodes.

In Korea, this was marketed as a "neighborhood romance". I only talked to one Korean who had some insight into the show and he said his wife watched it because it was all about love. Not just the main couple (who she adored), but love between the adult neighbors, siblings, children.

I was looking forward to this drama for months (when JSM’s role was announced) and around the 30% point (ep. 6), I rated this 9⭐, hoping it would get 10⭐. The writer seemed to have a plan for weaving the stories together and all of the characters (except Seok-ryu at that point) were well-developed and not mere k-drama stereotype characters. I especially enjoyed the back-to-back scenes between past childhood scenes and how they repeated as adults.

But it began to get muddled around Ep 10. Cliffhangers were contrived/meaningless as they were quickly resolved. A cliff-hanger should be a CATALYST for moving the story forward or a significant plot twist. Other scenes were mis-leading (example: the implication that ML's mother was having an affair) and were nothing more than filler - they didn't add anything to the story arc. And, saddest of all, the childhood scenes disappeared - until the last episode and those scenes were the best part of Ep. 16.

I don't know how or why certain dramas are 16 episodes and why others are 12 or 14. If 16, there's usually a murder plot or family empire battle or government corruption or a spell book to create and maintain the tension. This could have been a tightly written charming/feel good 12 or 14 ep. drama. Instead, it was a very muddled charming drama that I began to FF through certain parts.

In the end: characters are still believable and loveable. The neighborhood connections continued and a new beginning for all of the "seniors". I didn't need to see a wedding (and what kind of cheat was it for the preview to show Seung-hyo in a tux at the very moment he is talking about their wedding??!!), but the "new beginning" for SH/SR should have been the newly married couple walking into the house he designed and built for her.

Cast/Acting: 10⭐
Characters: 10⭐
Cohesive writing/memorable dialogue: 6⭐
Re-watch value: 2⭐ (which saddens me because Jung So Min is my favorite kdrama actress 😥😥)

Overall: 8⭐