Marshmallow-Chocoholic

It is sort of undeniable to compare certain elements lol but so long as they are able to learn from previous strengths and pitfalls in fantasy dramas , then this has the potential to be good.

As a lot of people have pointed out already in the comment section, the drama seems to be trying to imitate predecessors such as ‘ Mystic Pop Up Bar’ or ‘ Witch’s Love’ with a more macabre ‘ Hotel Del Luna’ twist. This doesn’t mean the drama is bad or disappointing per say - the first few episodes made a really good job with establishing the main cast of characters, the plot is intriguing enough, the acting isn’t too bad and there is a good assortment of potentially brilliant character development. What the drama really needs to do is to be able to stick out with some originality is learning from the strengths and pitfalls of past fantasy dramas, not least being able to establish good chemistry between the characters as well as being able to explore and develop their sense of identity and backstory in good time also.

Definitely is an unusual recent pattern for K-dramas. Even less than 2-3 years ago, seeing a smoking scene would’ve been deterred by some action of a main character, blurred out by censors or the rating would have immediately skyrocketed. This seems to indicate that even in a short space of time, attitudes towards smoking have changed a lot by it no longer remaining such a “ risky” threat or issue especially for younger South-Korean youths. Therefore including these scenes of characters with a cigarette or an actor smoking onscreen is no longer such a problem to include in mainstream dramas and channel productions.

Unlikely to happen, but it feels as though this show could just do with a really good reboot by another network. Don’t get me wrong. There are some elements such as the acting front and the palette cinematography which KBS have really hit the mark with their drama version of ‘ At A Distance, Spring Is Green’. However controversies aside, the storyline just doesn’t have the same spark of life as the webcomic. Potentially intriguing characters are bogged down with lacklustre pairings or motiveless reasons, with very little sense of a build-up of chemistry or character development, and there have been times where the storyline truly just hits a rut in the middle of episodes due to slow pacing. It truly is a shame that the drama hasn’t had more to offer us as viewers.

It isn’t inherently unheard of for more recent K-dramas to have intimate scenes, but it depends a lot on the production and channel. Often K-dramas have always had a bit of a rep for being more conservative with these types of scenes in mainstream romance shows. ( Hence why there are a lot of mixed comments and responses about the nature of these scenes.)

That’s a disturbing yet intriguing thought. In terms of the series like a lot of dystopian settings, I believe “ The Devil Judge” is just supposed to be set “ in the not too distant future”. However on a more realistic note, there are many scientific/ mathematic models carried out through simulations and predictions by scientists towards probable causes of society crumbling down. Intriguingly it is reckoned if a scenario like this did cause instability, society and governments would turn to ruin and anarchy would take rise in less than 3-4 weeks.

I get what you mean but I think one of the biggest things that the storyline is trying to show is that attraction is not always necessarily built upon healthy development. In reality a lot of individuals find themselves in this position of “ casual dating” or sexual intimacy and struggle to get past those stages of something more. Nabi seems aware that it’s too good to be true as she seems to have been in this position with her past relationship trauma before, but she still yearns for something more and cannot quite reach it . I suppose that even in the webcomic we only really get one side of the picture with Nabi and little about why JE sleeps around and targets different girls around campus so much. ( It would have been interesting to have found out of this was embodied in the ideologies he was raised with, or something more.) However the other side of the coin is that JE isn’t really supposed to be anything more than a “ moral lesson” for Nabi towards the problem of fickle relationships ( hence the butterfly symbolism ; forever out of reach, and too good to be true).

Whilst “ Nevertheless” does have the romance tag, the storyline is supposed to convey a more “ problematic, realistic, toxic and psychologically complex” romantic pairing between the main leads Nabi and Jae Eon . The storyline is based upon a popular webcomic which presents similarly profound messages about more “ realistic” relationship attributes including the concepts of sexual intimacy, negative emotions and emotional , mental and verbal abuse. So long as the series doesn’t stray from the webcomic ( which it hasn’t done too much so far), then you should expect a happy ending in a more bittersweet way. However if you’re here for a sugary sweet romance between the leads , then this might not be for you.

Admittedly, My Roommate Is A Gumiho has several notable different storyline directions ( not least being based on a webcomic unlike ), but I do agree it is very unusual for TVN to clash an airing period with similar-style genre dramas. This would sort of seem to suggest that TVN didn’t want to delay the airing schedule for future projects and slotted them in at the same time in order to avoid problems.

No need to apologise :)! It is nice to come across someone who is able to define and critique their views also. I maintain the same ideology as you; I will discuss a drama based upon how someone can articulate their argument. It doesn’t matter to me if someone doesn’t feel the same way ( in fact I’ve come across a lot of people who don’t necessarily see eye to eye with me on watching shows, but can present really strong and intriguing arguments), it is what they can present as an argument . It really is a shame in my books about Mi Joo. She has the potential to be a well fleshed-out character , but is ultimately reduced to the equivalent of cannon fodder by the screenwriter. I enjoy the drama for similar reasons also :). Whilst I must be honest by saying that I’m critical with So Bin as a written character and her relationship with Joon, I love the enticement of Joon and Soo Hyun’s friendship and even Young Ran is a fairly likeable character . Hopefully the ending will close off some of these more prolific writing issues, but sadly I believe that it is incredibly doubtful that they will do so either.

I agree entirely. I appreciate everyone has different feelings, but it is amazing the amount of people who are quick to jump to her defence with being a “ well-written” character. Having a crush on someone is not a crime in itself, but it is hard to truly understand where we can see Mi Joo’s growth at all in this series. Yes, she had a difficult breakup and I have heard the argument by certain watchers that it may have been the case that ( similar to Joon), Mi Joo suffers from emotional neglect causing her to commit herself to needing to be constantly loved by others , but even this is never explained or even offered as an adequate reasoning tactic at all in the series. In fact, I don’t think it’s possible to pick out much about Mi Joo’s backstory , interactions with her feelings or past apart from her introduction as the “ rich girl” archetype in the beginning of the series. I’m glad that I’m not the only one who saw that ineffable reasoning by the screenwriter for Mi Joo’s feelings aside from “ he gave me a drink and is good looking “. I would understand if the screenwriter had started on this front but allowed it as a stepping stone for Mi Joo to learn more about Soo Hyun and their social and economic differences from one another by talking to Young Ran, or at least attempt to develop a platonic friendship with him first in order to allow her to mature or sort out her feelings, but instead Mi Joo just comes across as a fractious school girl with unrequited feelings for Soo Hyun . This is a sad reality as Woo Da Vi is actually a really good actress and is even delivering a brilliant performance here , it is just her onscreen persona which is the issue . I’m not entirely sure if Mi Joo is as bad in the webcomic as I’ve only read a little, but there are some major differences with her character especially as she’s only a side character in the webcomic storyline.

No and that’s understandable. However, a lot of people in healthy relationships would define being able to talk or share their feelings with their significant other as a sign of mutual trust and symbiotic respect. This isn’t saying that Joon should load a colossal weight of emotional trauma onto So Bin, but so far their relationship has very much been defined as So Bin as the emotional band aid for when Joon is “ upset” or “ wants to talk about something”, but rarely getting into the actual root problem, offering solutions or even just reciprocating the same conducted behaviour for So Bin with her own heavy weight outside of when it was “ necessary for the storyline”.

Mi Joo for a major proportion of the series( hence why I added up until recent episodes) fitted the archetype of someone with “ unrequited feelings” ( or alternatively unreciprocated feelings) for Soo Hyun. If you want definitive proof of this then look up “ unrequited” in the Oxford English Dictionary and it will be defined as” ( of a feeling, especially love ) not returned”. I believe that this is case and point even in the recent episode when her feelings were not reciprocated by the rejection of Soo Hyun to go out with her and return mutual feelings hence why Mi Joo is supposed to embody the typical trope of the “ girl with unrequited feelings who is hopeless in ever having them returned”. It is a classic ideology of romance stories throughout the world and has existed for millenniums . I could go on and on about the amount of psychological and philosophical studies which have been carried out into one-sided love and feelings. Even psychologist Eric Berne commented that unrequited love can often be more problematic for the individual by saying “ Some say that one-sided love is better than none, but like half a loaf of bread, it is likely to grow hard and moldy sooner”. “Obsession”(, or if you want to call it “ infatuation”, ) is not necessarily the same as unrequited love, however, it is often attributed as a common sign of one-sided feelings of the experiencer towards the object of their affections. Personally speaking, I think Mi Joo’s conducted behaviour is on the mild side compared to some of the more “ neurotic” attitudes of female leads in recent years. Nevertheless, it is evident to see where certain individuals raised red flags in early episodes about Mi Joo’s conveyed actions verging upon obsessive and unhealthy. There is often said to be a fine line between a crush and obsession, yet Mi Joo could often just put her toes across that line at times with certain acts nearly verging upon idiosyncratic behaviour . I am not angered by the fact that Mi Joo was promoted from a side character, to a main lead in the series just that poor-writing seems to stereotype a lot of the female leads notably in this series and their own feelings as fickle; Mi Joo does not exist for any other entertainment as the “ hopeless lover” and even then just accepts her rejection pretty much ( aside from her infatuation over the course of a majority of the series with Soo Hyun) and this was a similar case and point also with So Bin’s pretty much “ life-long” crush on Chan Ki being happily put to the side for going out with Joon. This is just bad and incompetent writing at its height.

Agreed entirely. You can imagine if it had been produced by any other network than KBS, it may not have entirely followed every page of the webcomic, but there would have been more poignancy towards transcending certain aspects of the webcomic’s themes than the network burying their head in the sand towards these issues.

I suppose you’re addressing my point that certain watchers aren’t mad on her as a result of her characterisation . There seems to be several main critiques on Mi Joo by viewers in this camp; the first few episodes seemed to have established Mi Joo in the direction of good development. She’s struggled with a past breakup, a difficult relationship and seemed to suggest that she’d mature, learn that love is not the only way to happiness through focusing more upon making friends with SB YR, or even just struggling again to get back into having feelings for someone after such a traumatic incident. Then what do you know, she’s head over heels in love again with her unrequited feelings towards SH. There is the argument evidently that this is a sign of trauma in itself by the fact that Mi Joo ( similar to YJ) comes from a wealthy background but lacks storge and makes up for it in other ways. However unlike YJ, Mi Joo hasn’t had this opportunity for the storyline at all to provide any insight or motive either through backstory, relationships ( sans with her roommates and SH) and deeper development into her character. As a consequence up until recent episodes, Mi Joo could often seem fractious or immature by her unhealthy obsessiveness over SH, and more annoyingly everything with Mi Joo’s character entirely revolving around her feelings for him rather than her greater sense of calling as a character. Of course there is the unfair critique by some viewers that she is “ a bad character because she subverts SH’s sexuality and is only a side character in the webcomic ” but for a majority it isn’t really a case of attacking the character, just rather the questionable decisions of the screenwriter.

There seems to always be several main contingencies after an episode airs on this platform; watchers who have come across/ read the original webcomic and are avid fans of the original storyline ( putting a candle against everything which isn’t the same), those who couldn’t care less and are just watching the drama and then a minority who can see both sides of the picture . Personally I’m in the latter camp. I’ve always maintained than a drama and a webcomic are standalone works in their own right. Admittedly whilst I have my own qualms about the drama ( not because of the webcomic) from a writing perspective, I do think that I can understand why certain watchers may be a little bitter with erasing the “ gay” element of Soo Hyun’s character . LGBTQ+ representations have been fairly positive over the past few years in South-Korean media and productions, so to see this eliminated does put some watchers on a downer. However perhaps it is important to consider that KBS has respectively always been a “conservative” production channel, so from the get-go it would have been surprising if this had been included at all.

I don’t think people are really attacking her for being “ selfish” , just her character development.

I suppose a lot of this respectfully boils down to personal taste and experience from K-dramas. Talking personally here, I don’t really “ hate” Mi Joo for being an asset present with the SH being “ straight” direction of the storyline. For me it’s the direction of her character. I’ve seen a myriad of Mi-Joo style characters in second FLs over the years who are the basis of being the “ fool in love” archetype and lack a greater sense of calling outside of romantic pairings. I respect if your opinion differs and you like Mi Joo, but to each their own I suppose .

I think a lot of people have mixed feelings towards Mi Joo for several main reasons; 1) Even by having a “ crush” , with her unrequited feelings towards SH a lot of original webcomic readers are irked by this direction ( due to SH’s sexuality being ignored even over her crush , and Mi Joo not having such a prominent role nor feelings for SH in the original storyline), 2) Her “obsessive “ nature- I’ll be honest in saying personally Mi Joo doesn’t seem as neurotic as some second female leads towards entirely being a “ creepy stalker” , however, a lot of Mi Joo’s presented attitude is often conveyed as unhealthy for some watchers. Finally there’s the major point with her poor character development. When she’s introduced there was certain poignance about Mi Joo’s breakup possibly allowing her to grow or learn from her experiences, yet she seems to be stuck in a constant rut of having to be in love. It is understandable that this is the point of “ At A Distance, Spring is Green”. They’re youths learning the highs and lows of reality and are meant to be flawed. However, Mi Joo’s one motivated aim just seems to be to fall for men. Whilst it was sweet to see Mi Joo grow closer to her roommates and not go down the typical route of being nasty with Young Ran , there have been no real pointers to signify that unlike YJ, SH and even NSH, she’s had greater development or maturation as a character. There’s nothing to put together about Mi Joo’s past, backstory , journey to self-respect or even learning to develop a greater sense of meaning for her feelings. ( By at least understanding more about SH even from YR outside of “ he’s good looking and nice and gave me a drink”). Whilst we should acknowledge that each character in this show has their own flaws and strengths, it does become prominent for some viewers that Mi Joo isn’t as well-rounded as other characters by only existing as the archetypical “ second female lead with a big fat crush on the second male lead”. Of course this isn’t a crime in itself but it is evident where contempt grows towards not necessarily Mi Joo per say, but the screenwriter for prosaic development.

I have nothing against age gaps either but I think it is very dependent for me on the “ gap” we are talking about. An age gap between adults in a healthy and overt relationship , understandable. An age gap between someone who is a child and an adult , then there are undeniably going to be some red flags. I did point this out in my comment beforehand that the ML wasn’t attracted to the FL in any way during the beginning of the series, however, it’s important to remember that some individuals may percept this as grooming or uncomfortable as it isn’t necessarily always the case that someone is “ attracted” to a minor, but easing them into false security by giving them attention or acting as a mentor figure. As it happens, I personally don’t really see it this way and my criticism comes from elsewhere ( the ML showing no interest and then the FL’s nearly neurotic obsession with him), however, some individuals in my social circle who have watched this show have picked up on this element beforehand.