Valier

Yes, Ep 24/25 was my saviour^^ Everything got better, even the ost :)

I only read your comment after I wrote mine. But you gave me the strength to at least try and watch another two episodes :)

Oh my good, I'm at the start of Ep 23 and about to explode! Can this story get any more ridiculous?? I seriously don't know if I should continue to watch this.....The overall story is good, great even, but the directing and the script are really painful at times. I don't know why she would marry the emperor or even consider marrying him. He's a whiny selfish little brat!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GiPIBHuYsA
Here Gong Yoo gives "People Inside" an interesting interview about the movie."The Crucible".

I only watched about the first half of the drama before I was bored to death and jumped to the last episode....and cried my eyes out. Eventhough I haven't watched the entire drama the last episode is soo amazing that I cried regardless. Ep 16 belongs to my Epic list!

Has this a happy ending?

If I remember correctly her ex-boyfriend does play a role, but the relationship between the main couple has other problems than him ;) So I wouldn't define it as a "strong" love triangle and definitely not as a 2nd lead romance. Give the drama a chance and watch a few episodes - you can still drop it if you don't like it :)
Hope I could help :)

I love Korean food. It's hard to come by where I live, so I tried to cook some on my own :) www.maangchi(dot)com is a great ressource for recipes.
So far I cooked:
- masses (and masses) of kimbap; it's easy to make and everybody loves it, besides you can put literally anything in it - my brother fills his with a very thick bolognese sauce and they are the best ever!!! ^^
- bibimbap with 5 different banchan; it was delicious!!! and suprisingly easy to make
- deokbokki; first try tasted a little weird, but I am going to try it again soon
- jajangmyeon; tasty!! even the ramen-like packaged ones are delicious, just add some fresh veggies and you are ready to go
- bokkeumbap (fried rice); great for leftover rice
- juk (porrige); a great recipe for days you aren't really hungry or are a little sick
- maejakgwa (ginger cookies); they are amazing! just don't put too much ginger in ;)
- kare raisu (curry with rice); more of a Japanese dish, but it's popular in Korea as well
Next I'd like to try and cook the sweet and sour pork dish they always eat with their jajang in dramas and some -jeon dishes (pancakes). Still so much to discover <3

She was really great in "Myung Wol the spy"! She fits the role perfectly!
I don't even know how often I rewatched that drama. Of course Eric is great as well :)

It's not that easy. There are very strict rules and laws about who can donate. Basically those rules exist to ensure equal chances for everyone and to prevent organ trafficking. The doctor has to make sure that the donnor follows those laws and has to report to his higher-ups whether he believes the donnor gives up his organs willingly and according to those laws. So, for this drama that means that if the doctor's report is wrong and his higher-ups find it out, they can (and will) hold him responsible. And this can easily mean the end of his career. I don't know a lot about the Japanese law system, but in my country he would face a prison sentence as well. So, of course he is going to double check the situation. And in the end it's not only about his career but also about his moral beliefs.

For your second question: If there is no family member to donate, the patient is entered into a list with all other patients that need an organ. This list is sorted by all kinds of categories (age and general health of the patient, urgency and so on). If someone with an organ donor card dies, the hospital contacts the first patient on this list and he gets the organ. This basically means that the farther down you are on that list the less likely it is for you to receive the organ. So she can't choose the person she wants to donate to. Besides I highly doubt a hospital would simply accept this kind of donation from a healthy person. It's an operation after all and has its risks. Usually only the organs of a braindead person are used. Bone marrow donations and other "non-invasive" donations excluded.

Yeah, finally a new "edition". I am already craving the next one ;)

I want to add that I don't think Korean dramas need to change in regards of the maturity level of their dramas. I don't think that any Korean considers "Playful Kiss" as a mature drama (sorry). It belongs to the idol dramas and therefore mostly targets younger people (which is nothing bad). However, there are dramas that are more targeted to the ajumma and above generations ("Last Scandal", "Iris").
And if i want something really really mature/dark, I simply leave Korea and watch a Japanese drama :D

My sentiments exactly. I love how real the main characters feel - they don't behave like some underdeveloped teenagers as "adults" so often tend to do in Dramaland. Of course they all have their issues and there are times they are irrational and petty - but that's just human nature, being over 30 doesn't mean you magically have all the answers. The drama does a great job depicting this conflict in grown-ups and let's you fall in love with the characters at the same time.

I actually read a good explanation for that somewhere. It's just for dramatic effect. Simply pushing a button is hard to notice on screen/they could be doing other things on the phone, so instead they take out the battery - making it very clear that the phone is turned off now :)
I thought this explanation makes sense and it kind of reconciled me with those scenes :) Eventhough I am glad that they hardly use it anymore :)

yes. It's from "Lie to me"

I finally finished it. I fast forwarded through most of the scenes and it still felt like forever. It isn't a really bad lakorn, just incredibly long-winded and absolutely unrealistic. Towards the end I just wanted to face-palm at almost every turn of events. I know lakorns are usually not realistic - but dear writers, please please please, let the story make some kind of sense! If not for Aum I probably wouldn't have finished it. I gave it well-meaning 5 points, because the acting was actually very good. It's entirely the writers fault!

I'd go with Korean for Beginner's.
Might give me the push I need to actually start learning the language that surounds me all day long :)

I'm already looking forward to the next post ;)

Zero and Touch Love are amazing :) For those who haven't seen Mars yet - it's a must see!

I gave it a try despite your warning.....
and oh boy did I regret it. I made it to Ep 11 before I couldn't take yet another stupid and totally out-of-place scene.

Daebak! So looking forward to this :)