Unidentifiable

No no, not him. I'm talking about that character that the FL met after arriving at the capital, in the scene he's introduced he's showing off kicking a ball 35 times in a row, in episode 7 I think. He seems to have a relationship with that famous singer, and his minion was the one that the FL tricked into yelling outside Ouyang's house.

For some reason I can't find his character's name among the cast here on MDL, and I suck at recognising faces, so... All I remember is that when his name was introduced, it started with Chi

That comedic character, Chi-something is SO annoying. After episodes of his absolutely obnoxious antics, I almost dropped this. His scenes are not just a cringey attempt at comedy - they are painful. But I endured hoping it would improve, because I am incredibly invested in the main female character and I love her dynamic with Gu. Fortunately, it did get better.... but I am dreading Chi-something once again appearing on my screen, as it's probably inevitable.

Did not like that ending for episode 3. Way too sudden.
Otherwise enjoying it though

Could someone please explain to me: why does the ML have a different surname from his father? This is confusing.

I'm sorry, I'm not good at remembering the names of certain murders. Generally I remember them by how the murders actually happened. So I have no idea.

Agreed.

Yeah, because symbolically in dramas heart transplants often have the recipient spiritually represent the donor in some way. And the donor is his sister.

Those 20 minutes felt a bit like a dull prologue. Like, "Here, this is the FL. This is the world she lives in, and isn't she smart? Don't mind that you have no idea what's going on, the actual story will start soon."

After the scene that causes the blood splatters that she's wiping off in the opening, the pace picks up dramatically. This is about halfway through the first episode.

Yeah me too!

The first 20 minutes were really hard to get through, but after that - well, I barely noticed time passing as I got so absorbed.

That's a hard ask. I have yet to encounter a drama as cathartic as this. I've seen comparisons with My Mister (though I can't comment, as I keep putting that one off for some inexplicable reason) and maybe the most recent My Liberation Notes, but that one had none of the emotional clout that this does. Hmm, I found Just Between Lovers has a similar healing atmosphere, although it also has a lot of frustrating elements too.

I suggest looking into slice of life Jdramas maybe, as they often use simple realism to tell narratives that have a similar healing quality. Sadly, they tend to be harder to track down.

Legally, it's available on Iqiyi. Sadly, only the first 2 episodes are free.

Yeah I was a bit bummed too, I would've much preferred it remain platonic. But hey, at least the actors managed to pull it off very very well.

Yeah, I haven't seen it yet as I plan to wait and see if it becomes legally available where I live first. But yeah, that poster - and then all these comments about how dark it gets...

Well, you're asking someone who only really enjoys serious shows, so my perspective is a little skewed. Maybe, it starts at 8 and ends at 5? The characters are at really low points in their lives at the start, and very depressed, almost suicidal. But also, the whole thing is incredibly cathartic and healing. So, it's kind of depressing, but it doesn't leave you depressed at the end.

It's about two very different people finding sanctuary in each other, basically. Actually, now that I think about, I wouldn't call this depressing at all, even though depression is the main theme.

Also, I would rate My Liberation Notes at about a 7 for depressing levels - and it's more consistent in that it doesn't really improve a whole lot.

Not really sure, numbers aren't how I measure these things. But for the record, Lost was my favourite drama from last year.

Yep. There are all these awesome clothes in the world - and yet most people opt for incredibly boring choices. Etsuko's decision to always dress to the fullest made her so relatable. She's definitely a brilliant character.

I do appreciate how literal it is though. It's almost funny.

It's never really mentioned.

Oh! This drama was nothing compared to Lost (2021) .

Watching this, it was like - after a long and exciting day, coming home to eat a slightly unpleasant meal and then fall back into old habits because life can be dreary. Not positive, but not miserable.

Watch Lost, and it will be like crying yourself to exhaustion, only to breath a sigh of relief as those ugly feelings get expelled for good. And then realising how depressing life can be.

I'm not sure if what I just wrote made any sense. Oops.

This drama was weird. Sometimes it made me uncomfortable, and I'm not sure if I even enjoyed it much. I didn't really like any of the characters. Still, I don't feel like those 16 hours were wasted.

Not much happened, but at the same time, a lot happened.

The story feels complete to me. I feel like a season two would really drag.