Here is my rant that I know many will not agree with.
There is a ton I don’t like about this drama, the premise of the show being centered around a start ups in a Silicon Valley like background was so fresh it had me very excited. Unfortunately that’s all that excited me. I think I’ve been too spoiled with thrilling and exciting stories like WWW, Jealousy Incarnate, the secret life of a secretary and Pinocchio. In the last 5 years there has been this wave of amazing story telling and I hoped this drama was on that wave. The most exciting moment in the drama so far has been that one NDS friends being out for revenge.
Other wise the male lead still lacking ambition by episode 10 has been a snooze fest. Then him making the female lead his dream is sweet but also unhealthy. How did the writers help the FL mature and grow out of an unhealthy dependence on the ML in the same episode they make the male lead declare her his ambition?
I know dramas are for fantasy and escape but are we really not supposed to be bothered by how a little obsessive both male leads are with her to the point that they stunted her growth up until she figured the truth out?
Now NDS is stunting his own growth. If Dal mi’s parents’ personal life were any example, one should never rely on another for their happiness. He needs to grow on his own and develop a self dependency and independence while figuring out his own ambition and dream separate from Dal mi and after achieving that should he begin to pursue her. I am less worried about her because it looks like she is on her way there already. In real life his focus on Dalmi would be a lot of pressure.
Then we have the 2nd male lead who understandably a lot of his faults likely come from being guarded and always functioning on survival instincts since he didn’t grow up in a warm and secure household. However this excuses can only go so far as a grown adult it’s time to go to therapy and work on yourself which I know is long process that is not easy but the issue is that he is currently unapologetically about his toxic characteristics. Always a jerk to Dosan and his friends, dragged Dosan into lying but only feels bad not during but after the fact. Maintains this cool bravado but doesn’t let his guard down to allow friendship and that to everyone aside from grandma.
What a waste of a rope on Stephanie because her character is unneeded in the show.
The moms storyline on the other hand has been a joy. Even though there is a lot I don’t like about the drama I’m still grateful to have something to watch
Okay, I'll try this again (third time). Can we stop misinterpreting and being overly critical of the other guy?…
I agree with you, the only fault with the drama is that the characters are too human. In real life no one is perfect the characters grew up differently especially the 2nd male lead who grew up in foster care. He is bound to have a ton of flaws compared to the average person. I think people enjoy a specific male lead or second male lead so when a different comes alone they have a hard time warming up to it.
Wow this is such an incredible article! Thank you so much for putting in the time and effort to go back and read through all the articles. This was a great read, you just inspired me to go and read articles from a few years back.
When you call 2010+ oldies :):):):) All good recommendations thank you for the post - but I think oldies are before…
I guess it depends on the person? my little sister was in kindergarden in 2012 and now has a drivers permit and works at a McDonalds, lol it’s actually what inspired me to write the article, cause she one day my mom was forcing me to take her to the park and the next she driving me around.
There seems to be a lot of debate over the growth of female leads meant to be showcased as more empowering and outspoken in the comment section. I want to make it clear that this article is not meant to put down any specific characteristics held by female leads but rather It was me writing about characters that I enjoyed watching due to their unique nature. It is completely subjective as are most Editorial articles written on MDL . In my future articles, I will make sure to highlight that they are subjective to avoid confusion. That being said I welcome hearing opinions that differ from my own and respectfully debating them but I would highly encourage those who share different opinions to write articles on their point of view and thus there will be a diversity of different points of view in editorial articles. I earnestly hope you will feel empowered to do so.
Our preferences in the portrayal of a female lead are no doubt going to be different since many users come from different cultures, ages, continents, education, and religion. A character or personality disliked by some is going to be adored by others. Such I feel is the way of human nature. What one may see as rude another might not see it the same, what one may see as success another may not see it the same. It's just human nature. I hope this can be kept in mind when debating.
Lol they definitely are crazy! I think I am realizing my definition of average is different from some. The article…
I see what you mean, I guess uniqueness is also subjective. I think being flawed makes us unique. I'm gonna use Donald Trump for an example, he is very unique, right? He also has some immature tendencies like name-calling people he doesn't like.
As much as adult like to believe that their maturity meter fills up with age I think we most of us have an immature side to us and have made some immature decision that we learn from. That's how we continue to grow even as adults.
Some of these fall under the typical "crazy"/"spoilt" female lead trope tbh So they're not very original characters…
Lol they definitely are crazy! I think I am realizing my definition of average is different from some. The article isnt discussing cliche's or original characters but characters with unique personalities or that do things in a unique way.
Like be money hungry, be alcaholic, be a massive fan girl, be stalkerish, blackmail someone by framing them for rape, be a ditzy and glam prosecutor, be a very silly, care free but responsible lawyer, have a potty mouth, etc.
I couldnt name the article "Korean Female Leads with Unique personalities and Who Make Unique Decision" wouldn't have been approved since its too long lol I wish I could have used that title instead. :D
Some people just read the title of the article and just scroll through photos then go straight to the comment…
Lol the best response is to kill them with kindness. It is a little disheartening especially considering the amount of hours that go into writing an article. However, I think as a writer it stings less if you mentally prepare yourself and accept that once you hit the submit button the article is now fair game, and everyone is entitled to their opinion.
1000% agree with you, like I mentioned in the article there is a plethora of female personalities in the world…
You are right, I should have been more specific in my title, although I did go more in detail in the intro about personalities and the actions the ladies in the list take. I do understand your point of view.
There has been an increase in number in females who are outspoken, with a difficult childhood/past and are fashionable. This is starting to become a standard which is true. I also agree that many of the ladies in my list fall into this category.
Idk If I would describe every the last three as fashionable though. Or the last two as having a difficult childhood/past.
To me Ma Hyeri, Song Ma Rin, Byung Hae Young, Sung Shi Won, and maybe even Chong Song Yi didnt seem cynical, but rather more cheerful. However, this could also be subjective.
There is a ton I don’t like about this drama, the premise of the show being centered around a start ups in a Silicon Valley like background was so fresh it had me very excited. Unfortunately that’s all that excited me. I think I’ve been too spoiled with thrilling and exciting stories like WWW, Jealousy Incarnate, the secret life of a secretary and Pinocchio.
In the last 5 years there has been this wave of amazing story telling and I hoped this drama was on that wave.
The most exciting moment in the drama so far has been that one NDS friends being out for revenge.
Other wise the male lead still lacking ambition by episode 10 has been a snooze fest. Then him making the female lead his dream is sweet but also unhealthy. How did the writers help the FL mature and grow out of an unhealthy dependence on the ML in the same episode they make the male lead declare her his ambition?
I know dramas are for fantasy and escape but are we really not supposed to be bothered by how a little obsessive both male leads are with her to the point that they stunted her growth up until she figured the truth out?
Now NDS is stunting his own growth. If Dal mi’s parents’ personal life were any example, one should never rely on another for their happiness. He needs to grow on his own and develop a self dependency and independence while figuring out his own ambition and dream separate from Dal mi and after achieving that should he begin to pursue her. I am less worried about her because it looks like she is on her way there already. In real life his focus on Dalmi would be a lot of pressure.
Then we have the 2nd male lead who understandably a lot of his faults likely come from being guarded and always functioning on survival instincts since he didn’t grow up in a warm and secure household. However this excuses can only go so far as a grown adult it’s time to go to therapy and work on yourself which I know is long process that is not easy but the issue is that he is currently unapologetically about his toxic characteristics. Always a jerk to Dosan and his friends, dragged Dosan into lying but only feels bad not during but after the fact. Maintains this cool bravado but doesn’t let his guard down to allow friendship and that to everyone aside from grandma.
What a waste of a rope on Stephanie because her character is unneeded in the show.
The moms storyline on the other hand has been a joy. Even though there is a lot I don’t like about the drama I’m still grateful to have something to watch
That being said I welcome hearing opinions that differ from my own and respectfully debating them but I would highly encourage those who share different opinions to write articles on their point of view and thus there will be a diversity of different points of view in editorial articles. I earnestly hope you will feel empowered to do so.
Our preferences in the portrayal of a female lead are no doubt going to be different since many users come from different cultures, ages, continents, education, and religion. A character or personality disliked by some is going to be adored by others. Such I feel is the way of human nature. What one may see as rude another might not see it the same, what one may see as success another may not see it the same. It's just human nature. I hope this can be kept in mind when debating.
I think being flawed makes us unique. I'm gonna use Donald Trump for an example, he is very unique, right? He also has some immature tendencies like name-calling people he doesn't like.
As much as adult like to believe that their maturity meter fills up with age I think we most of us have an immature side to us and have made some immature decision that we learn from. That's how we continue to grow even as adults.
Like be money hungry, be alcaholic, be a massive fan girl, be stalkerish,
blackmail someone by framing them for rape, be a ditzy and glam prosecutor, be a very silly, care free but responsible lawyer, have a potty mouth, etc.
I couldnt name the article "Korean Female Leads with Unique personalities and Who Make Unique Decision" wouldn't have been approved since its too long lol
I wish I could have used that title instead. :D
It is a little disheartening especially considering the amount of hours that go into writing an article. However, I think as a writer it stings less if you mentally prepare yourself and accept that once you hit the submit button the article is now fair game, and everyone is entitled to their opinion.
There has been an increase in number in females who are outspoken, with a difficult childhood/past and are fashionable. This is starting to become a standard which is true. I also agree that many of the ladies in my list fall into this category.
Idk If I would describe every the last three as fashionable though. Or the last two as having a difficult childhood/past.
To me Ma Hyeri, Song Ma Rin, Byung Hae Young, Sung Shi Won, and maybe even Chong Song Yi didnt seem cynical, but rather more cheerful. However, this could also be subjective.