PrettyCarEye

What it leaves most viewers feeling is TORMENT! How is that a good thing??? If you're gonna bloody kill him, let him stay dead rather than toy with people's emotions!!! I certainly DON'T think these type of endings are good or original in any way! It's a cop out & shows a severe lack of respect for viewers! #smh I know everyone is gonna disagree with me, but #shrug oh well ...

To each their own!
But I can't respect the creative process of writers who pull these idiotic stunts! Or perhaps the joke is on the viewers who fall for it! I just don't understand WHY they'd go out of their way to convince you that the character is dead then tease you with false hope that he is alive. Because he is NOT alive. It was always their intention for the character to be DEAD. That's why they killed him in the first place. Only the naive fall for the ploy that somehow .... he's really alive! He's not. Convincing yourself otherwise is just wishful thinking. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I always smh at viewers who bawl & wail about these endings when you can predict most k dramas (depending on the genre they fall in) as the sun raises!

Cruel City

Genger, you're too biased to think about this rationally. The guy is DEAD! These idiot crime writers just love patronizing their viewers, that's why they end these dramas with quasi open endings that's really not open at all. Come on, you're smarter than to fall for this nonsense!

It's wishful thinking. The guy is DEAD. I didn't watch the show but I'll tell you how I know. Because it's the same type of crapshot ending in every drama of the crime/thriller genre! First they lead you to believe the guy is dead then they make stupid hints at his POSSIBLE survival ... leaving everyone in utter confusion & pretty much grasping at imaginary straws. Why the f*** do they do that??? They pulled the same shit in CC. If he isn't dead why make such a strong suggestion that he is? Because he IS! Whoever that 3rd person is it isn't him.

Why these goddamned writers torment viewers with these stupid smoke & mirror endings is beyond me. It's creative cruelty of the highest order. I'm sooo glad I didn't waste my time watching this show!

Without even watching the show I'd say it's wishful thinking! The guy is DEAD! It's the same type of crapshot ending in every drama of this genre. Why these goddamned writers continue to torment viewers with these stupid smoke & mirror endings is beyond me. First they lead you to believe the guy is dead then they hint at his survival ... leaving us in utter confusion, grasping at imaginary straws. They pulled the same shit in CC. If that isn't creative cruelty of the highest order I don't know what else is. So glad I didn't waste my time watching this show!

Lovers seems to be hit or miss for many people. Among those I've recommended it to, it's pretty much been an even split. Apparently the crime/gangster backdrop is not to everyone's taste, but given that I love crime (esp anything having to do with gangster/yakuza) this was right up my alley. City Hall was very enjoyable, but the politics bored me so that's perhaps why I enjoyed it a bit less than Lovers. Then again now that I think about it, when it comes to the romance it's difficult to say which one I loved more.

I loved that in City Hall the romance was so straightforward (no hocus pocus, no stupidity, no childishness, no playing hard to get ... just two adults who liked each other & simply got on with it), but I really really loved the emotionally charged sexual chemistry in Lovers. I could FEEL the build up of longing in the characters, the desperate passion they couldn't ignore no matter how hard they tried. I haven't seen anything quite as potent before or since.

I like discussing people's experience with this drama so I hope you'll humour me & let me know in what way did Mi Joo become weak towards the end? You've made me very curious since I think Mi Joo is such a practical woman. That's what I loved about her. I found it refreshing that she wasn't full of misplaced pride like a lot of drama heroines, but asked for or accepted help when she needed it.

I'll keep Scent of a Woman in mind, but right now I'm not in the mood for a disease drama. True be told I don't know that I ever will be, but in the unlikely event that I do, I'll prioritize Scent.

Princess' Man is progressing well. I'm not super hooked, but there's just enough happening to keep me curious. I actually like that it doesn't keep me up at night! :)
What's up next for you?

// edited

Hey Marcia, long time. How you been? You're not a very talkative one are you? :) You used to be somewhat active on the feeds (in conversation I mean) but not so much any longer. What happened?

I noticed that you recently completed Cruel Winter Blues. It's a movie I want to watch sometime in the near future, but I haven't been able to find it on my usual sites. It wasn't on AT the last time I checked either. Can you tell me where did you watch it?

Ah somebody changed it. That's more like it! Love this new pic of him!

I know the feeling. I was caught by surprise with my very first drama. At the time I didn't know what 'melodrama' in Asian dramas meant. I watched the show & found myself depressed for about 2 weeks after the viewing.

So does that mean you no longer watch airing dramas?
I have to say one reason I don't watch them myself is because I never know what sort of curve ball the writers are going to throw us. First you think it's going one way & then things suddenly change. I really hate that! Look at Marry Him if You Dare. I didn't watch it (I'm glad I didn't) but I have a lot of friends who were bitterly disappointed.

Oh, btw, you didn't answer my question about NINE. Is it really a happy ending? A lot of people says it's an open ending, which in my opinion is sometimes worse than an outrightly sad ending.

You're welcome, my dear icyqueen! Hopefully it will keep your interest until the end. And yes the actress isn't world class but I found Jin Joo to be quite cute in a good way. I can't remember growing frustrated with her at any point. I like that she was sweet & had ambition. I just loooved her relationship with Jung Woo. Normally I like bad boy type heroes, but Jung Woo is just a real gem, isn't he?

Haha!
Dongsæng, who knew you were so naughty! Your unnie is very proud!!! hahaha

icyqueen, how is the progress with Golden Bride? You're infamous for not updating your lists so I'm not sure if you're really still on ep 1 or not. Hope you're slowly getting out of your internet rut. I know how it feels!

Ha! I find the costumes a little weird. Probably because I'm used to seeing the actors (esp the younger ones) in modern attire & settings. Seeing them in historical settings kinda throws me off, but doesn't affect my enjoyment (or lack thereof) of the show.

We seem to like (and dislike) a lot of the same things. Do you have any good recs that you'd like to share?

I do plan to catch up with Thrones at some point. Just not in the mood right now. I also still need to watch the final season of Spartacus.

So are you residing in Tanzania right now or are you just from there but live somewhere else?

Hi, sorry for the late reply!

Ok, so you're satisfied with the ending of Nine? Hmm... that's a good sign then given that you're a fellow happy ender like me! :)

I can be flexible. While I do prefer a nice, romantic happy ending the most, I can also be satisfied with a hopeful or bittersweet ending. Just as long as no one dies or is going to die sometime in the foreseeable future (for eg, a terminally ill protagonist may not die on screen, but you know s/he will pass soon due to the illness).

What about you, can you tolerate non-happy endings at all or are they a complete no go? What genres do you tend to prefer? This is a question I ask everyone I speak to because it helps to understand the person's tastes better.

Hey Patty, sorry for the late reply. I'm sooo happy you loved Chunhyang! It's such a beautiful story & a rarity that a love story in Korean folklore has a happy ending. More times than not they tend to concede to unbearably tragedy. The singing of the narrative was so original ... I'm been trying to come up with a way to produce a film in like fashion! As for the actress, I don't know. Maybe she retired from acting? I know the actor is currently starring in God's Gift - 14 Days, a drama I don't plan to watch because Lee Bo Young's acting annoys me enough to blacklist her shows. He's a big theatre/movie star in Korea. Apparently he only does dramas on the side, once in a blue moon.

I haven't started Ice World yet. I need to finish the other J-drama I'm currently watching, but it's slow going. The story about an engaged teacher having an affair with his student is interesting enough but the pacing doesn't motivate you to watch the next episode immediately. I paused it to watch Secret Garden & now I'm watching Princess' Man. At this rate I don't know when I'll finish it.

Speaking of PM, so far it's good. Lots of political scheming as is to be expected in a sageuk, but I like it. I'm worried the romance bit may turn out to be the kind I don't like but I'll reserve judgment until it's done.

Good luck with Beautiful Days! Somehow, with very few exceptions, I'm not motivated to watch older k-dramas because I get the feeling most of them are full of unnecessary melodrama, silliness & absurd trivialities. Interestingly it's the opposite when it comes to Japanese dramas. I tend to like their older shows more than the contemporary ones because they're better developed & more mature in tone overall.

Your updates are really making me look forward to Phoenix!

I've heard A LOT about Scent of a Woman! Friends have been trying to get me to watch that show since I joined the site ... but I just can't! I can't watch a drama with a tragic ending no matter how life affirming it is.

Unbeknownst to me my very 1st drama was a melo about terminal illness. I loved it, but it left me depressed for days! I was already a little depressed when I started it so I guess that precipitated my feelings. I can tolerate tragic endings in movies bcuz I invest less time in the characters & tend not to internalize their problems. With dramas I prefer happy endings or hopeful/bittersweet endings. I just can't bear to see people, fictional or real, suffer over extended periods of time. So I try to avoid dramas like these.

What's the verdict on Lovers? I've started Princess' Man. I like it, but don't know if this will continue.

Whoa, that's A LOT of books!!! Love it, looks similar to my house!
What are they comprised of? If I should take a guess I'd say romance & fantasy ... am I right?

Anyway, just popping by your profile after seeing your convo with Boanerges about King of Dramas. It's on my priority list to watch (heard nothing but praise for it), but I'll probably watch Missing You first, which I remember you rec'ed to me long ago.