PrettyCarEye

True. However, I can 100% guarantee you that I have far more education than the lot of you silly gooses on MDL. Just the mere fact that neither of you (you being you & the commenter above) triggered, feeble minded numbskulls possessed the rational thinking or comprehension skills to understand my comment in context of the issue raised by the OP (KuroFan) ... proves that whatever education you both received was a dismal failure. The mirror is reflecting your images, my friend. Not mine.

Oh, and before either of you try to act slick ... the plural of goose is geese. ;)

Smdh, you're a child. Sit down and be quiet when grown folks are talking.

I noticed that we share similar ratings for shows we have in common ... so we may be of like minds on the issue of what makes a "good" romance/drama.

Look, I'll be the first to admit that MDL attracts a lot of weirdos & toxic fandoms. I've been active on this site since 2012. That's how I know noona romances aren't the only ones that get hate. In fact, I would argue noona romances get a lot more positive attention and praise than the opposite.

I specifically remember when Goblin came out how up in arms people were about the age gap. However, just 2 years prior Secret Love Affair was a massive hit on MDL & there was a HUGE age gap in that (20 years!!!). Contrary to your belief, THIS is usually the trend on MDL, not the other way around. Noona romance is a niche genre with a very dedicated & vocal fanbase. Fans of the sub-genre far outweigh its haters. This is why it is my belief that you're projecting your own biases & insecurities onto other people. Since you dislike oppa/ahjussi romances JUST for being oppa/ahjussi romances (because apparently you don't think young adults can make their own decisions about who they date), you automatically assume others have the same bias as you.

Have noona romances attracted some hate watchers and voters, I'm sure they have (as do many other niche genres). But the ones you describe sound like outliers, esp in their level of vitriol, & not a majority. I don't think even viewers who might not be 100% onboard with noona romances would downvote SOLELY on the fact that it is a noona romance. It would most likely be because fans of the MLs are disappointed when they don't get any good chemistry between him & the FL. Apparently the chemistry between the leads in SLA was so good people just kinda forgot about or simply overlooked the *TWENTY* year age gap. Imagine that. 20 years. But here you are complaining that people hate on noona romances because of "bias". If a whole community of fans rooting for a middle aged woman to be with a young man the same age as her son isn't the highest form of "bias", then I don't know what is.

In SHK's dramas the age gap isn't even that large, certainly not as large as SLA, but people end up disliking them anyway because SHK is a cold fish. She can't seem to create the type of palpable chemistry with the MLs that the (mainly female) audiences crave. So her romance dramas end up becoming a target for ridicule.

You seem to have a particular sensitivity about noona romances & the fact that others may not like them as much as you do. Likely because you're insecure in your own preferences so you project those insecurities onto other viewers. When in truth your preference is MORE tolerated on this site far more than its opposite counterpart.

I took a look at your list and noticed that you tend to be far more generous in your ratings than me. Therefore, if the chemistry was off for you, a generous viewer, it doesn't bode well for being any better for me, a very fastidious viewer...

I'm not sure if you're responding to my comment or MrsQueen's, but I think I kind of see where you're coming from...? MDL attracts a lot of weirdos ... it's kinda not nice to say that, but it's the truth. It's the reason why for the last couple of years (I've been around since 2012), I've been less active on here because it can be a really frustrating & toxic place. People will down rate a drama for the silliest reasons. While I have my favourite actors just like everyone else, I will not & have not given them a pass when they produce bad work. I don't care how much I like them. That's why my average drama rating is around 6 because most dramas that I watch are just mediocre to me, but have raving reviews and ratings on this site. I have very objective markers for what I deem as believable chemistry in a romance drama & if the drama doesn't meet those requirements, I probably won't start it or give it a good rating if I did. It will have very little to do with whether I have a "crush" on the actor or not, that's for darn sure. lol

Ugh, well that's disappointing...

Or maybe, just maybe people thought it was a crappy drama & you're the one who is biased and paranoid about everyone hating noona romances for illegitimate reasons?

SHK, esp in most of her later dramas, is known for being a very one note romantic lead. She tends to play the same cold, standoffish character over and over. She doesnt seem to challenge herself outside of her comfort zone & people pick up on that and are tired of the same ole sam ole. Furthermore, she tends to get paired up with some of the most attractive & beloved MLs. People are, therefore, looking for a sweet, passionate romance with a lot of feels. But her dramas almost never deliver in this department. They're dull & passionless. The kisses are paltry, the feels don't make you feel. So of course people get annoyed when she keeps getting cast against these amazing MLs & things just fall flat.

Moreover, even if some people dislike noona romances, so what??? They're allowed to because everyone has their preferences and yes, biases. I'm sure you do. Since you apparently love noona romances so much I bet you secretly hate on oppa romances. Maybe that's why you think everyone downvoted this drama solely on the basis of it being a noona romance ... because that is what YOU do & so you automatically think everyone behaves the same way? That's not always the case though. I'm not particularly a fan of noona romances myself, but I've never downvoted a drama for that reason alone. In fact I've never down voted a noona romance at all because I don't bother watching them. So I'm living proof that there are viewers on here who don't care. And I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I remember when Goblin dropped; it got A LOT of hate comments because of the age gap. Go and read the drama page around the time it was released. It's all there in black & white. The point is age gap dramas always get some hate, whichever way it swings. So you need to relax and not take things so personally. If you like noona romances, go ahead and enjoy them, but stop perceiving negative bias where there is likely none. There are many popular noona romances with ratings of 7.5 & above on MDL: Secret Love Affair, Witch's Romance, My Lovely Sam Soon, I Do I Do ... to name a few. I know MDL ratings can be dubious at times, but I also know for sure that noona romances have a very robust fanbase on this site. This drama was likely just a bad drama, hence the poor rating.

How is the romance in this? Any good kisses? I've always wanted to see Jang Ki Yong in a good, mature (as in not silly, over the top) romance drama because he's so good looking & hot to me, and I just like his vibe, but the ones he's done so far have not been my cup of tea. I've been holding out, hoping this would be the show where he would make me sigh in blissful happiness because for once, he's been paired with a FL that seems appropriate for him. Compared to all his other romance dramas where I didn't like any of the FLs at all. So someone, please spoil me on this particular question so I know if I should invest my time in this or not. Please & thanks! :)

Whuttt? This is a Korean drama, they always have to overcomplicate things. lol

Ok, I'm not sure if everyone singing this drama's praises have seen the same show I did because this was, quite frankly, horribly made on so many levels. The show had all the elements of a good crime noir - gangsters, dark themes, brotherhood, romance - but just wasn't able to bring it home. It lacked grit, intensity and atmosphere. The protagonists and their gangster nemeses came across as caricatures. The lead guy, Joseph Chang, fit his role well & his performance wasn't over the top like some of the other actors, but he was let down by a severely ill-crafted script. He & his sidekick, Xiao Sha, could have been great leading men, but their potential was squandered in this convoluted hot mess of a show.

The ONE fight scene (can you believe it, one fight scene ... in a gangster, crime show) that was in the drama was by far THE worst I've ever seen anywhere outside of a low budget student flick. It was absolutely laughable. Like, seriously, was this production so broke that they couldn't hire a proper fight coordinator to make the scene more believable??? You literally had grown ass men stabbing & throwing punches at air, flailing around & tripping over themselves like hapless schoolgirls with their target less than a foot right in front of them. It was a spectacular trainwreck of a scene!

But that's not even the worse part. The worse part is the fact that the story is super convoluted & hard to decipher. I had no idea wtf was going most of the time. I love stories that are puzzles, I really do, but there is an art to crafting stories where the audience has to unravel the puzzle. This writer/director was not skilled at it. It seemed the writer's only aim was to confuse & frustrate the audience in some failed attempt at ... well, I don't know what he was attempting but it sure as heck was in no way "art".

Creative writing 101: show, don't tell. You can recognize a shitty script when the characters have to explain the plot to you through monologue or dialogue. This is a dead give away that somebody doesn't know what the hell they were doing. I got bored & put this drama down too many times to count as a result. Between the confusing plot, the lack of intensity and atmosphere, the poor acting from almost everyone except the ML & his love rival, I just couldn't find anything redeemable about this drama. Nothing. I pretty much had to force myself to finish it & I couldn't wait til it was over. It pains me to give this such a harch review because I really really wanted to like it, but it is what it is. 5/10

Loh Kiwan, and SJK's portrayal of him, is a sympathetic figure. He's a decent guy caught in a bad situation & he hung in there. The movie I think had a good message at its core about perserverence, sacrifice and never giving up. Great. They had enough material to work with regarding Kiwan's struggle & the sweet romance he had with Marie. I don't know what all that other stuff was about. The gangster stuff was just too extra & felt out of place within the overarching theme of the story. The gangsters also came across as cartoonish. Marie by all accounts had a very serious problem (I wont say what so as not to spoil), but that was just glossed over like it was nothing. Something you can just get over like the flu. Smdh. Man, Koreans just love their melodrama, don't they? Every emotion has to be amplified and overdramatised. All this said, it wasn't a bad movie. Good acting from SJK & the Korean cast (the "Belgian" cast were amateurs & it showed). I didn't feel like I wasted my time in watching it, but it's just lamentable, and sometimes laughable, how extra Koreans can be in their shows & movies. Telling a simple story based on one core theme is just not a concept to them; they have to add in the maniacal villain, the everpresent white truck, terminal illness ... you name it, it's in it. LOL. Anyway, SJK still has that babyface although he's a man pushing 40. Doesn't seem like he's ever going to outgrow that boyish cuteness of his, not that I'm complaining. 7/10

I'll probably give it a bit higher rating than 4.5, simply because I found Loh Kiwan & SJK's portrayal of him a sympathetic figure, but I totally agree with your review. They had enough material to work with regarding his struggle & his romance with Marie. All that gangster stuff was just too extra. Felt out of place and unnecessary, not mention a little amateurish. Also Marie was by all accounts a serious intravaneous drug addict, but that was just glossed over like it was nothing. Something you can just get over like the flu. Smdh. But you know, Koreans love their melodrama, everything has to be amplified and overdramatised.

What do you mean?

"Just curious, how do Asians "go out of their way to align themselves to whiteness as much as possible"?"

Well, answer the question that was implied when I made this statement first. Have they not???

"With my knowledge, many races have wanted to be accepted by Whites. I don't believe it only applies to Asians."

I never said other races didn't. And I never said it only applied to Asians. The TOPIC is about Asians, so I spoke about Asians. You making a very poor attempt to deflect away from the argument I actually made & presenting your own perceptions as my argument. That is making an counter argument in bad faith. Stop it. Don't even try it because I am not the one to be gaslit into what spin you're trying to put on this dialogue. Read what I wrote again & address what I actually said.

"Nowadays some people like to argue that just because Asians are perceived to be more successful than other ethnic groups, they're more privileged. Personally I disagree with this statement. "

You did the same thing here again. Disagreeing with a point I never made. Nowhere in my post above did I say what you claim I said. In fact I said the exact opposite! I never said other ethnic groups see Asians as privileged because Asians are "more successful". What I actually said or implied in my post is that ASIANS, themselves, see it as a privilege to align themselves to whiteness. And no where did I associate the measuring stick of "privilege" to being successful because success is not exclusive to white people. When I said "aligning themselves to whiteness" I was talking more about white ideals, values & mindsets and being apart of the white power structure.
So, again, address what I actually say and don't project your prejudices onto me because we all know when you're talking about "other races & other ethnic groups" who you apparently think are less successful & thus apparently jealous of Asians, you're referring to black people. Just go ahead and say black people and stop with the BS.

Oh, you want to deny it??? But you wrote this, didn't you???
"However, I do believe ONE big factor that contributes to success is education culture. In Asia, discipline and tradition is strongly emphasized and upheld in comparison to other ethnic groups."

You have the audacity to imply in your commentary that I am playing to a stereotype about Asians, but that didn't stop you from doing the same about black people. Tsk!

"Then there's also the model minority myth. The perception that Asians are equated with whiteness and excluded from race stems from this myth. "

A myth that was created by white people to shame & malign black people, all in an effort to cover up their racism & undermining against blacks. And a myth to which many Asians attached themselves & perpetuated BECAUSE they want to align themselves with the white power structure. You all sure as heck weren't denying the "model minority" label when it was making the rounds on all major media outlets, were ya???

You can educate me about nothing. Unlike you, I have a very good understanding of both YOUR culture (assuming you're Asian), MY culture & white culture. You, on the other hand, clearly lack knowledge about the broader cultural ramifications between whites & blacks and history. And before you come at me with nonsense about intracultural issues in the black community. Don't bother. Really don't. Because that is irrelevant & straw man argument, often used to deflect away from broader societial issues that disadvantages some groups whilst privileging others.

"It supports the idea that Asians are super successful and don't face racism and discrimination like other people of color, but in reality Asians communities are diverse, and often face discrimination and struggles too."

See, because this is the way you think (that black people don't know this), you're projecting your prejudices onto me again. You probably think this way in the opposite direction toward black people, so you think this is also how I, a black person, think about Asians (that they don't experience racism & discrimination). However, I don't think like you. I understand human nature. I understand power & culture. If you originate from an Asian country I have probably visited there or lived there. I am on a website that specializes in Asian entertainment, for the past 12 years. How many black shows from worldwide sources have you watched? How many black countries have you lived in? Do you even know any black people outside of mere acquaintances? If anyone knows how to recognize discrimination, racism & struggle, it's black people. So you don't have to tell me that Asian people struggle too. WE KNOW, because we live it & see it every day. But a lot of Asian people, just like the whites they want to be so much alike, will never try to understand the black experience. No, this condescending so-called response of yours is often the Asian attitude toward black people: default to stereotypes & ignorance. Well you can keep those & come back to me when you want to have real converstation with intellectual integrity.

I can see you have a very naive view of politics. How can I tell this? Because you, and I imagine with a straight face, associate "Globalists" with ... what did you say? "peace with the rest of the world, and engage in trade, rather than war?"

Excuse me a sec while I laugh my f**king ass off.

And not only that, you also seem to have a healthy dose of paranoia about imaginery disasters ( which are not likely to happen). This is the usual scaremongering tactics the Democratic party employs to manipulate its constituents ... about pretty much everything, in order to stay in power & you've fallen for it hook line and sinker. I suggest you free yourself from being a slave to bought & paid for MSM and seek out independent media which don't only view the world from one, narrow perspective - the imperialistic global north.

Now, I am by no means an expert in politics, but let me school you on a few things. Globalism is NOT even remotely about peace instead of war & trade. It is in fact the exact opposite. Imperialism, neo-colonialism, white/western hegemy. A unipolar world in which the US government appoints itself as leader of the world & bully other countries into accepting them or slaughter them if they dont.

Globalists do the exact opposite to creating peace. They create proxy war after proxy war & plunge us constantly into forever wars where they slaughter MILLIONS OF CIVILIANS to gain control of other nations natural resources. The United States government is the biggest terrorist in the world with the blood of multiple millions of black & brown peoples blood on its hands. Don't believe me, let me give you some numbers: over 3 MILLION civilians slaughtered in the Vietnam War, over 1 MILLION in Iraq based on a LIE, close to 200 000, if not far more, massacred in Afghanisation. The illegal overthrow of the government of Libya for NO REASON AT ALL (because nobody really knows why Gaddafi was assassinated!!!), plunging one of the most prosperous countries on the African continent into widespread devastion & poverty. Al Quaeda & ISIS, terrorists every Western media say?? ALL created & funded by the CIA & who have killed thousands upon thousands of civilians in Syria & Lebanon.

In Africa, the CIA on the authority of the US government have assassinated COUNTLESS revolutionary African leaders who wanted to cut ties with the West due to their exploitative & colonialistic policies in Africa - Lumumba, Sankara, Veczy to name a few, plunging their countries into a constant state of destabilization from which they can never emerge. Why? So they can install puppet governments & STEAL the natural resources of the land to further enrich themselves & keep a stronghold on the hegemonic ambitions. But I guess this is the type of "trade" & "peace" you're talking about? ::sideeye::

Let's fast forward today. WE ARE ON THE BRINK OF WORLD WAR 3 & it is all the US goverment's fault. Why??? Because the US has been spoiling for a full on war with Russia for DECADES and so they constantly renege on deals with Russia (Minsk accords) & act provocatively in ways that make Russia feels threatened. Victoria Nuland, that demonic b*tch, overthrew the democratically elected President of Ukraine, triggering the Russo-Ukraine war of 2014 & up today! Then when Russia fights back (by invading Ukraine to try and get control of the situation) they paint the narrative that oh ... Putin is a brutal dictator, a butcher who invaded a soreign country. Now look, I am not here trying to defend Putin! All of these bastards are the same at the end of the day. But what I am trying put across to you is the BLATANT HYPOCRISY of US foreign policy. The US cannot be trusted. Their #1 aim is to oppress & suppress the development of the Global South to keep themselves on top. They are a bunch of scrupleless, evil, wicked liars who will throw its allies under the bus for its own benefit.

The US in its proxy war against Russia has sent to the slaughter an estimated 500 000 Ukrainian men!!! FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND. In a war that they KNEW under no circumstances that Ukraine can win. They did this by LYING & MANIPULATING Zelensky with promises that Ukraine will be able to be a part of the "COOL" kids' club, which is NATO. Listen to me, THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN!!! UKRAINE will never become a member of NATO. Why??? Because this is a HARD red line for Russia & doing so will plunge us into NUCLEAR WAR. The US knows this yet they continue to mislead the Ukrainians with this pipe dream, all whilst 500 000 Ukrainian men are being sent to the slaughter. But it doesn't matter ... because "no Americans lives were lost", right? Those are not my words, those are GENOCIDE Joe's words.

Speaking of Genocides the US is funding a genocidical war in occupied Palestine, where 98% of all causualities so far are helpless men, women & children. Almost 45 000 slaughtered with US bombs. Babies being blown into half. Old people being burnt alive.

Oh, but according to you Biden is "trying to effect change in Israel, without abandoning the Iraeli people". Oh, ok! I guess it's okay to just MASSACRE innocent Palestinians so as not to "abandon" Israel. Because just like the Ukrainians, Palestinian lives don't matter.

Pathetic, is what your arguments are. Pathetic, in the wider scheme of what's going on geopolitically! You have NO idea what you're talking about, ma'am. Yet here you are spreading hairbrained conspiracy theories about Trump, when the leader of the Democratic Party & the President of the United States, is literally charging us straight toward WW3 & Nuclear War. Educate yourself please! No matter who is in power, with US hegemonic, imperialist mindset, we're all screwed!

Thank you, kind of you to say. :)
Overall, it probably does deserve a 7, but I gave it a 9 out of 10 because I loved the first 8 episodes so so much. For me they were absolute perfection in terms of what I look for in a romance drama. While I tend to err on the side of a lower rating if a drama takes such a drastic and disastrous turn, I completely blocked the last 4 - 3 episodes out of my mind, as if they were a totally separate drama. In my head the show ended at episode 8, maybe episode 9. So it was easier to justify & keep the 9 rating. That might change, though, if I ever rewatch the drama at some point.

So spot on! Your review sums up exactly how I feel about this drama, even down to the comparisons to k & c dramas. Heck, even our ratings are the same! :) I always say it, when the Japanese decide to do a really good romance, they go all in! And it's almost shocking to see sometimes because I'm sooo used to their shows, and dramas in general, being void of romance, or the romance is toxic as heck or barely there ... and cringey & awkward when it comes to displays of affection & intimacy. But this show! It checks all the boxes of how I am always complaining a romance should be depicted. I ended up enjoying so much more than I anticipated! :)

LOL!!!

Couldn't agree more. Golden Empire is absolutely one of the best dramas I've ever seen, if not THE best. Love this writer!