KevinToronto

I realise this will be too far down for most people to bother reading, but I have to respond.

First, I wrote South Korea; I did not say South Koreans, as I am fully aware that plastic surgery tourism is a big thing.

Second, if you scroll down to the 4th paragraph of the piece you will come across this:
"South Korea is the country with the highest per-person percentage of plastic surgeries in the world. In South Korea, it is estimated that the rate of plastic surgery is approximately 1 in 25, with women being the largest demographic getting plastic surgery. South Korea is followed by Argentina and Brazil."

Third, having watched quite a few Chinese dramas, I am aware of the "surgically enhanced faces".

Not certain where the need to reference Chinese dramas comes from. However, if you go to this World Population Review link (https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/plastic-surgery-by-country), you will read that South Korea has the highest per capita percentage of plastic surgeries in the world.

I agree that Man from Nowhere has a very similar premise and story line. In fact, after the first two episodes of this series, I re-watched the film because of the similarity.

Another film with a similar premise is Hitman: Agent Jun. However, it is much lighter in tone and definitely does not "take itself seriously". Personally, I love the part where his wife "takes on" the bad guy's henchmen".

Yes, you are watching the same drama but with different perspectives.

"I guess with popularity comes hate, it’s normal. they’re prolly mad a pretty plastic face is not winning this year."

I sincerely hope that you appreciate the exquisite irony of commenting about popularity resulting in hate, and then exhibiting your own version of hate/contempt towards people who apparently like pretty plastic faces.

Under Article II the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide (ratified by the UN General Assembly in 1948), genocide is defined as:
any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
-- Killing members of the group;
-- Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
-- Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
-- Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
-- Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

What has happened in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem , along with Southern Lebanon, fits the above definition. It is most definitely not a lie.

There is a post by iiyuan (about 10 hours ago) that explains how this has happened. Interestingly, I cannot see Oppa_and_chingu's response when signed in, because they have blocked me. I presume that I will be classed as one of the "haters". The only problem is that I do not rate any shows on here, including this one.

I think that you will find it better to wait until all episodes have been released and you can binge it.

Simple answer is that it has nothing to do with Israel or Palestine.

The problem/issue is that the part of the background for Park Jin Cheol is that he was involved in 3 airstrikes against Palestine. There is confusion/dispute on whether he prevented or took part (translation failure). This backstory is in the original webtoon (published in 2021) and was transferred to the series.

After the first 2 episodes, a fellow member (Travellerr0) posted that they were very upset with the inclusion of this fact, especially as it was a throw-away part of the backstory of a secondary character. Travellerr0 is Palestinian and has lost family and friends over the past years. I supported them in this position, as did others. Indeed, I consider what is happening in Gaza as ethnic cleansing and war crimes; therefore, it has no part in an entertainment show, no matter how small a part.

Subsequently, those of us who objected to this reference have been subjected to denigrating commentary and attacks. Personally, I have been called
"obsessed" and a "stalker", and told to get a life.

Bottom line, if you like a fast moving, rather violent programme, then this is good. Just remember that not everyone can enjoy it in the same way.

If you have not read the webtoon, how can you possibly be certain that the show is even remotely an accurate adaptation of the original story?

Just to clarify, Oppa _and_chingu is not taking things personally; they are making things personal.

For the record, the profile was create on July 2. It is not the only one that was created after the first two episodes were aired, and the concern over the reference to Palestine (and Pakistan) was raised by other people.

I completely agree. Actually, I would also state that what has been happening in East Jerusalem and the West Bank is equally appalling.

However, we can, and must, state that both the October 7th events and the Israeli retaliation were and are abhorrent and barbaric.

I only have one account; this one. And nowhere did I say that I was dropping the drama.

And, I already have a life, thank you very much.

"Maybe stop harassing actors, stop spreading misinformation, and put your energy into actually helping the cause you claim to care about. "

First, I have not and never will harass an actor, or any public figure, no matter how much I might disagree with their stated position.

Second, I do not believe that I have spread misinformation, but am willing to re-consider if you can show me examples.

Third, we do not know each other personally, so you do not know what action I have taken. For example, I have had a monthly donation to Amnesty International taken from my credit card for the past 40 years. It started in Hong Kong and continued when I moved to Canada,

Respectfully, it was the story that brought real politics into the discussion. If you scroll through the older comments, you will see several by the profile, Travellerr0, who is Palestinian. They wrote this 4 days ago:
"For me, this is about principle. Even if some people are using this controversy to promote another drama, that doesn't change the issue itself. Your favorite drama losing the top spot isn't comparable to people watching their real-life suffering become part of a fictional backstory. Those are two completely different things."

I fully support this position, especially as it was a throw-away line about a secondary character.

Many have pointed out that the show is based on a old webtoon. That is true, it was published in 2021 (in Korean) and in 2022 (in English). Given the abhorrent events of October 7th, 2023 and the equally abhorrent revenge inflicted on the civilian population of Gaza subsequently, the fact that the writer and producers did not change the reference is staggeringly tone-deaf and unprofessional.

Let me take this opportunity to address the profile, ibisfeather. Although I doubt they will see this comment. They have blocked two accounts, "which have been inactive for years to the point where there is history of only one show being watched, and it isnt this one that they are complaining about." And, my account appears to be one of them.

Sorry to burst their bubble, but just because I do not list the shows I am watching should not be taken to mean that I have not been active on the site. Nor, am I a bot or am I using my granny's account. I thank them, regardless, because I realised that the account incorrectly listed me a female.

To be honest, I was being sarcastic, while pointing out that there are brand new accounts that are being created to merely stir the pot.

It would appear that Director-General Ri Eung Ryeong has decided to join the discussion. Although I think his "handle" should be Scarface rather than Journey3195.

I think that you might have misunderstood what I wrote, because I think we actually agree.

The events on October 7th, 2023 were abhorrent and barbaric. The people who took part and planned them should be brought to justice. Indeed, I believe many already have.

However, these were not the actions of the Palestinian people as a whole. The civilians in Gaza must not be collectively punished for the horrific crimes of a relative few.

The targeting of civilian infrastructure, innocent civilians (especially women and children), medical personnel and hospitals, journalists, and aid workers are all crimes against humanity under international law, and war crimes under the Geneva Conventions.

The events of 9/11 were equally barbaric, and the citizens of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria continue to suffer the consequences of the response by the U.S. and its allies. I must note that the country whose citizens made up the bulk of the 9/11 hijackers (and the mastermind) is considered a key partner of the U.S.A., and has never suffered as a result of 9/11 attacks.

I agree that we should do more research before jumping to conclusions. And, yes, translation is not an exact science; there is interpretation involved. However, prevention and intervention are not synonymous. One can intervene to prevent something or one can intervene to cause something.

For me, this whole sequence started when I responded to a post by Travellerr0 around 2 days ago. They are Palestinian and wrote the following:
"Even though I was outside Palestine during this period, I have lost friends, teachers, and family members in this war. The atrocities are ongoing, and our pain is not fictional or symbolic—it is a reality that continues every single day."
and
"Our suffering should never be used as a tool to serve anyone's political agenda or to add depth to a fictional character. Stories inspired by real tragedies carry a responsibility to treat those experiences with care and respect."

I responded in support of these statements. The disrespectful, throw-away nature of the reference was utterly unnecessary. I hope that we can all agree that there are some subjects that should only be part of a show or film when they are the story or fundamental to the story.

Let's get one thing abundantly clear, what happened on October 7, 2023 was barbaric and anyone who who was involved, in any way, should be brought to justice. However, it was not committed by the entire Palestinian population of Gaza.

That stipulated, you have called on people to mass report the profile "Rose". Can you show where this profile states support for the perpetrators of October 7th?

And, perhaps you can also explain why you have not called for the mass reporting of the profile, mooc, who wrote this yesterday:
"Complete extermination of Palestine is the only right thing to do."