Surprise-Lobotomy

I'm currently nervous because I have been religiously watching You Who Came From The Stars and it ends next week. It better have a good ending or I will cry some very angry tears. I know you aren't big on popular dramas, but it's one of the better kdramas I have watched (especially love the romance.)

I've been waiting for Thursday's episode to be fully subbed before watching Wednesday's episode for the past 3 weeks now for the same reason

Prepare yourselves, I have a feeling the last 2 episodes are going to be emotional. Grab the tissues, bumpy road ahead

I just think The Heirs was aimed at a much younger audience. I can't speak for the entire show since I would never be able to sit through it, but it felt like a typical "here's some eye candy and a recycled plot" production that korean dramas are kind of notorious for.

The writer for Orange Days had some impossibly large shoes to fill. I am really not surprised - I don't think anyone will make another drama that can capture the same feeling as Orange Days, even the same writer/director. I almost always hate one girl-two guy triangles, though, because the guys are always completely spineless and the girl is rarely worth fighting for. It has to be a light triangle (one person has to be unrequited) for me to not find myself incredibly frustrated with it. Make up your mind, I don't want to watch a show about indecisive people hurting each other.

Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai is an anime, I should have been more clear, sorry.

I watched two episodes of The Heirs and hated it. It's very similar to Boys Before Flowers - maybe slightly worse because Park Shin Hye has the lead role. I really doubt the romance is done well, but there is no way I could watch it long enough to make it to any kind of romantic development.

A Gentleman's Dignity is really good, though. The bromance/friendship is done so well and it has several really good love stories. It's always one of the first kdramas I recommend. I wouldn't say it's a great watch just for the romance, but with the friendship and other subplots it is truly an excellent drama.

Well, it's from the same writer as A Gentleman's Dignity which is one of my favorites (she also wrote Secret Garden) so I would assume the romance is done pretty well. I have only been able to watch the first couple of episodes, but I think I will like it.

I'm also really enjoying s2 of Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! I'm not sure if you saw the first season, but it's an enjoyable show.

I haven't seen either of those movies, I may check them out if you say they are good. I don't mind heavy/sad themes at all, I just want them to work out in the end otherwise I often feel robbed.

I watched the first two episodes of Densha Otoko and will finish it - I thought the humor was a little over the top, though, and I don't always do well with main guys that are that painfully awkward.

I enjoyed the first two episodes quite a bit. The humor is actually registering, unlike a lot of asian romcoms where I am left staring at the screen shaking my head. Kim Sun Ah is really amusing and Cha Seung Won makes me want to grow out facial hair again. I'll let you know my real impressions when the romance starts.

The villain in Incarnation seems great, but the romance was terrible ("comical" korean interpretation of a fat girl obsessed with boy as a child, grows up and gets plastic surgery as revenge. It's awful.) Why do fat people in kdramas look like balloon animals? Prosecutor Princess did the same thing and I dropped it.

I'm going to slowly tackle some of the jdramas on my PTW list after City Hall, but I am going into them completely blind. If I discover any underrated / hidden gems I will be sure to let you know about them

First off, Secret Love is bad. It's one of the first dramas I have completed that actually had me thinking "I really didn't enjoy that.." when it finished. I guess that's what happens with kdramas on this site, they get "fangirled" and have their rating flushed way up.

I'm not sure I have any jdrama recommendations that you haven't seen - the only other one I think you haven't seen that I enjoyed was Kingyo Club, but it's a school setting and the skinship is very light.

I do think you should give both The Princess' Man and That Winter, The Wind Blows a shot. They both have great skinship and conclusive happy endings. That Winter, The Wind Blows is less melo, but I think The Princess' Man better. I might be forgetting something, I will look over my list. I had Alone in Love recommended very highly and it seems like something you'd really enjoy too, but I haven't seen it yet.

Don't worry, I have not become a 16 year old girl. Kissing is great. So are back hugs, cuddling, hand holding and deep embraces (pick her up off the ground, man!)

I had CYHMH on-hold with the intention of giving it a shot, but after completing Secret Love I've decided there is no way I could deal with another drama where Hwang Jung Eum is the lead. I also dropped Incarnation of Money because of her. I wanted to slam my head in the door, I found her that annoying..

I've decided to go with your advice and try City Hall - I wouldn't mind a good kromance since I haven't watched one since Lovers a month and a half ago. It's on viki so I will probably watch an episode or two later tonight on my tablet.

For good reason, it's amazing! :P

Well, I don't find romcoms very romantic and I think most of them I have started/dropped (way more than my list shows) are aimed at a much different audience. I prefer something more dramatic - show me the tears and the pain along with all the sweet moments, I prefer a happy balance. Most rom-coms focus on the fluff (and not even good fluff) and lack any kind of substance that really makes me feel for the characters.

I still haven't watched Nana! It's been on my to watch list forever, but I have heard that it is bittersweet/sad and I usually avoid those endings if I can. I have to be in a certain mood for it, otherwise I will be depressed for several days.

I think you misunderstood me, I was making a joke - I meant that the shows without skinship are going to play out like pornos after the camera is off because of the built-up tension. My favorite romances have been and always will be the ones with strong skinship.

I've looked at that, yes. It sounded like The Vow and I didn't enjoy that (granted, I really don't like Rachel McAdams.) Takenouchi Yukata was great in Nagareboshi, though, so it is probably something I would enjoy.

I don't know, I sometimes don't notice if there isn't much skinship - I think I have a tendency to focus on the longing and build-up of emotions more than the release of them. I'd agree with you that they are "half-baked" without it (and pretty unrealistic) but I have really enjoyed some dramas that almost completely lacked skinship (Nagareboshi being the best example.) I just assume it's probably like a cheap porno film after they finally get together.

I'm currently trying to figure out what I want to start next. I was actually considering City Hall because the last several dramas I have completed have been jdramas. I was also considering Itoshi Kimi E because it sounds like the something I would enjoy.

I just finished H2 yesterday night. The romance was pretty lousy, but I enjoyed it because I love baseball and enjoy most sports dramas quite a bit. I could use something better, though.

I do understand what KJ was trying to do, don't get me wrong, I just hate the "I'm going to protect you from being hurt by pushing you away" line of thought.

I don't think it would make sense for him not to go to prison. I mainly mean a timeskip in the progress of the relationship, e.g he makes her wait until he is released to come to terms with his feelings. I don't understand why it's so popular to have the two MCs so close to finally committing only to string out their feelings for several years in a temporary stasis. I don't think sitting around waiting for that many years is very realistic when they're hurting you by pushing you away. Most people would give up when they aren't getting anything in return.

I admit it makes more sense than some shows (see: Pride, one of the most frustrating skips for me) but I still wish he had said he would wait for her. I just couldn't help feeling like he was being a jerk and MJ certainly didn't deserve it. They fought pretty hard to be with each other only for KJ to sort of give up at the end.

I do watch movies, 3-iron is actually one of my favorites as well - I just haven't added any to my list.

I can watch something without romance in it, but it has to be really good to keep me interested. I definitely look for romance before anything else and have since I was pretty young. Honestly, I discovered dramas about 2 years ago when I was looking for animes with great romance (spoiled by Clannad / Toradora) and I was having a lot of difficulty. I like to run the emotional circuit when I watch something, and I think a captivating romance does this best.

I took lessons for both Mandarin and Korean when I was really young, but I didn't retain much at all. I was born in the United States and have lived here my entire life, but both my mother and father taught ESL when I was a child, primarily to Asian students, so I was exposed when I was really small.

I think Lovers is deeply rooted in the part of reality that I hate recognizing. I have always been too empathetic - it's not to take away from what Lovers accomplished (probably the most "real" romance I have watched) but I always find myself unable to escape from feeling all sides of a heavy triangle (and maybe without the pregnancy, the triangle wouldn't have felt as heavy to me) and I end up really feeling sorry for someone.

I was mainly referring to the prison part with YJ being out of the picture. I didn't like that KJ suddenly acts like a child (running from his feelings) and she is treated like a lost puppy waiting for her owner when her character is nothing like that. Time skips to me are one of the most unrealistic aspects of any drama and they are so common. I wonder why Asian writers feel the need to separate the MCs at the end, especially in a realistic romance like Lovers.