Meineke

Love both the leads. Hope they accept!

Great article! Western adaptations are big No-no for me. Some how they just don’t get it. I also agree Korean production values are often better than other countries. But my preference would still be to turn manga/animes to jdramas and adapt manhwas into k-dramas just because they can be true to their culture without needing to make changes. That said it I would certainly watch any Korean adaptations. The ones you mentioned all sound interesting. I would especially love to see a live action version of Toradora. It’s one of my favourites.

I loved the ring exchange in the last episode. It was very sweet.

Almost finished with the drama. My first Thai drama.In general I like it but why does the FL constantly hit the ML and sometimes others around her? Violence is violence even if it's by a girl and even if you don't hit hard. I've never liked the FL in any of the adaptations but this particular trait makes her even more frustrating.

Nothing against the actress or the clothes. Some people don't care about fashion and that's perfectly fine. That said, the clothes really are ugly. I wear sweater and jeans all the time too but the cut and fitting make a big difference. Her jeans are always wierdly short and the colors badly faded. Her sweaters are a bit wierd too. In a way I think it's more realistic, just not conventional or aesthetically pleasing. I guess we're just used to seeing well dressed people all the time so when you see someone that's not, it really sticks out. Just compare the FL and any other female character on the show ( teachers, other mothers, etc). Her clothes are by far the worst.

I like her. Her most recent drama Why Her? is a good one.

Glad to see there are people who agree. I did push through Goblin but it was very tough. The episodes were ridiculously long and I just couldn’t get past the age gap + annoying FL. The only thing worth watching in that show is the second pair whom I loved. I’m so glad they went on to do Touch Your Heart after that. Unlike Goblin, that show was 100% worth watching.

Anyway, I’ll watch this show because of Seo Hyun Jin. I usually like her shows.

My journey to K dramas is very similar to yours. I started watching end of 2016 after I got tired of watching western/Indian dramas. Back then I watched mainly older dramas from 2009 - 2016. I agree that Kdramas are getting darker and too much like Western dramas. You said it perfectly, it’s the whimsical innocence/sweet/fluffy dramas that I miss. Some of the recent dramas I’ve watched that you might want to consider are the following (heart ones are especially great):

Twenty-Five Twenty-One 💜
Doom at Your Service
Curtain Call
Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (Not sad even if it seems that way for a while)
Record of Youth
True Beauty💜
Run On💜
Itaewon Class
One Spring Night💜
Touch Your Heart💜

She really needs a new stylist. Her last 2 shows have had truly terrible fashion. Takes special talent to make someone as gorgeous as her look bad. I loved her outfits in Search Www.

It's one of the best airing dramas. I look forward to it every week!

I agree that having the number of episodes it needs is a good approach. What I meant by 16 episodes model was that every drama had a predictable length and guaranteed a proper ending. But now they’re making it more like American shows which go on for endless seasons and often get cancelled before getting proper closure. The other American influences I dislike are things like procedural dramas, and also too much violence and skinship. In my opinion, those things are for grabbing attention and takes away the focus from a good story. I haven’t seen My Name, but it’s on my PTW. Glad it’s a good drama.

The Glory Season 2
A Time Called You
Doona! (2023)
King the Land
Crash Course in Romance

With every year I find the number of shows I’m interested in dwindling. I know not all of these dramas are produced by Netflix but they are definitely to blame for the Americanization of K-Dramas. I miss pre-2017 dramas that always had 1 season, 16 episodes, and were more emotional and true to Korean culture.

That could be it. Just seems very familiar. Thanks!

Agree with everything you said. I've watched both videos and think the one with the context is definitely more impactful. Thank you for making the video. I was going to make my own version but you saved me the time. Plus I would never have been able to pickup on the subtle details that you did. Is there a reason why you didn't include the future scene from the first episode? To me that was and epilogue of sorts. Anyway, you did a fantastic job.

I still can’t get over the duality of this show. On one hand I completely lost interest in the leads, it was just same things back and forth that got tedious after the first few episodes. Then there’s the romance between the side couple which just got better and better over time. Clearly the writers know how to write a good love story so why couldn't they do a better job with the leads? There’s a really nice video on YouTube that has all the John/JiWan scenes individually and together. After watching the video, I strongly believe the writers were setting up this pair right from the start. Both the chef/ Jiwan start off as such exaggerated characters. John Jang is such a dirtbag with an obnoxious attitude and tacky clothes while Jiwan is this absurdly naive girl with over the top outfits. While they both tone it down over time, you can’t help but realize that they are perfect for each other. They’re both very straightforward and bring out the best in each other. From the beginning the chef said he wanted “chemistry” and someone he could really talk to and Jiwan was exactly that. Food is an important part of his life and watching her eat his food and sincerely praising it is what makes him notice her. He’d apparently had over a 100 flings but being around Jiwan, he was constantly taken aback by how forthright she was in expressing her thoughts. Around her, he could let go of his “image” and be his real self. For Jiwan, her past trauma caused low self esteem and made her miss out on life’s experiences. Being on the show helped her make friends and learn to stand up for herself in the face of adversity. While she did all of this on her own, I think John Jang was a catalyst. The chef listened to her, respected her, and made her feel like she was worthy of love. Her desire to be with him forced her to get out of her comfort zone and make an effort to get what she wants. While looks fade, good communication and understanding is what’s needed to make lasting relationships. I think that’s what made this relationship so special. Maybe it is wish fulfillment but I want to believe that a love like this can happen in reality. If anyone wants, here's a link to the video I mentioned. Watch it and I guarantee you’ll love this couple even more: https://youtu.be/Fm4qcAcIGGk

Correct me if I'm wrong, is the exterior of the house shown in the show the same as in The Heirs.? It seems really familiar.

First half is good. The second half goes downhill except for the side couple romance and their individual stories. At least that's how it was for me. You'll know what I mean once you get to ep. 9 or 10. But I hope you end up enjoying the rest of the episodes too.

Boring and desperate. Don’t watch for leads. Watch for the side couple who are way better.

You should. That pairing makes the show worthwhile. I really hope they get a happy ending. I don’t care what happens to the leads.

Glad I'm not the only one. I'm totally rooting for the John Jang/Ji Wan. The main triangle is so boring.