bloomingtide

Tbh, I was asking myself the same with From Now On Showtime when it aired, and asking myself right now with May I Help You as well.

TFM has the misfortune to run against big hitter on the same day so ppl's attention is.... elsewhere unfortunately. I enjoy it a lot more than AoS2 at any given day (but then again i found AoS 1 to be utter nonsense so i am not unbiased to begin with, lmao)

i watch on viki so i have to wait to be angry a second time about its standstill writing and wasted potential till tomorrow lol, but outside of the legal streaming kisskh is probs your best bet.

Basically, Taehee was finally able to let go of his guilt when he got the ring and processed it during and after the talk with Dongjoo. The way he cried in her arms. long and hard, was cathartic as if he was able to let go of so much he held inside for years. It is shown symbolically with the family picture he put back up which had been buried in his drawer before. Talking and being with his family after avoiding them for so long instead to run away any longer helped to let go of it too and shifted his focus on the guilt OTHERS had in his brother's death. He will always be plagued by what if possibilities he has failed to come to pass, but now it finally can and will quiet down to dull echoes inside instead this overbearing guilt that gnawed his insides for years.

Also pls use spoiler tags especially when you talk about the latest plot developments, thank you.

yeah as said... that DB is not boring af and so likable is all due to Siwan's acting as he is adorableness with a bit of quirk personified in these introverted roles, and can bring out DB's warm/caring side without words, and quiet/awkward charm so well. (In Run On his character could have been very dry cut but he gave him an oddball charm as well)

I really hate what they are doing with YR and basically ruin the themes and purpose of the show with keeping her so doormat-y. The actress does a good job, but they give her so little to work with, it is a shame.

It is honestly one of the most healthy, supportive and adorable lead romance dynamics i have seen in a kdrama. Their development from bickering strangers to friends to lovers is fluent and very natural and they are just... fun together. It is like watching two people getting to slowly know each other than a script the actors follow just so. However, ML deals with a lot of (buried and then resurfacing) grief, guilt and trauma issues, so don't expect it to be smooth sailing before their commitment to each other, but they are (outside a brief trauma (re)bound bit by ML around eps.9/10 where he closes off emotionally bc he dwells in dark thoughts of not deserving (to feel) any better) always always excelling in communicate their feelings, concerns and issues with each other (no matter how uncomfortable the topic) and that in a near-immediate manner as well. Natural skinship as well (holding hands, hugs... not as much as i would like in the last few eps but we will be getting there in the ending eps heh)

Conflicts are never dragged out between them but solved head on with kindness and empathy bc they listen to each other (no accusations or jumping to conclusion kdrama bs either. If someone made a mistake an apology WILL follow) They have an innate understanding for each other that goes beyond/does not need words, even and yet they use them to always ensure the other understand what they mean, feel and need. It is a very mature (as in adults behaving like adults not 19+ rated, lol bc both leads are very emotionally intelligent/empathic/able to read the room/people), down to earth dynamic of two normal people who try to love each other as best they can despite their shortcomings, fears, and past scars.

I think the only caveat i see in the latter half (eps 12-14) that their romance takes a back burner for the main plot and some heavy themes/topics/revelations, but that doesn't keep them from always supporting each other and behave like they have known e/o /dated for years already, instead of a month only at the time, heh. Oh and no breakup either of course, because they weather any problem thrown at them together with a lot of empathy/support, instead to take the easy way out and give up on each other. I love them so much <3

To give you an idea of these cuties watch these two tiktoks (first clip is from eps 6, the second from 7, which is both from their pre-dating era and yet they look/act totally married xD) :
https://www.tiktok.com/@drama.kdrama/video/7164742738716462363?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7174198877183165958
https://www.tiktok.com/@drama.kdrama/video/7167023995404045594?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7174198877183165958

At least there is that, then. Would have been really shitty and ableist otherwjse, As i am watching on viki i have to wait till tomorrow to be able to foam at my mouth in anger at pretty much everything, particularly at YR's doormatty-ness and the other characters being assholes to her because she takes the abuse without ever doing anything (than blame herself, that is) Ugh.

It is a shame bc the drama started off as so chill and warm and wholesome with themes of self-discovery/growth, but seems to be ending as a fart in the breeze without any characters having learned a thing in almost 12 hours we spent with them (except DB, maybe)

And doooone. It improved before getting a bit stupid (timejump etc) but overall with all the caveats it worked for me. Mainly the mains romance with ML being a surprisingly wholesome supportive bf and an affectionate dynamic between them, FL stopping frustrating me and finally standing up for herself and coming into her own (the message of self-love and beauty being skin deep was well done but hypocritical given SK's deeply rooted, huge lookism problem in society, and the friendship between the main group in general (fuck you soojin, i was rooting for you but then you became the most clichéd SFL possible, but yay for eps 16 redemption i guess lol)

I am surprised that the love triangle was so.... milquetoast tho. From all the million clips i saw of the drama it seemed very fierce but the boundaries/attraction were clear from the start almost. Never once did FL waver in her love for ML, wow. I really liked how respectful 2ML was toward FL as soon it became serious for him. He always respected her agency and wishes... which is raaaaare for a SML to do nowadays sadly, lol. Seojun deserved better than that regarding his personal life tho, even if his story arc was nicely tied off otherwise. As that of all the other characters. The humor worked for me in most places even as silly and over the top as it was. So yeah in the end it is still the feel good turn your brain off drama with some annoying kdrama tropes (which omission would have improved it much more tbh) and a good one-time watch.

Yeah gonna shave off two points from my score now bc it is getting beyond stupid now. Or rather it is yet another round on the carousel of circular, standstill writing we had prior in this show and nothing improved, or well, develops beyond that. Neither characters (Ji Young is complaining and treating others like shit all the time, store dude's whole character is that he is INEXPLICABLY in love with her (anyone who spent 5 minutes with that sour woman would run away fr) YR is nice to the point where she blames herself for when it rains instead of sunny weather the next day, but there is nothing else but niceness. Worse even her doormat lvl is STILL 9000 in episode 9, DB probably made the most strides in asserting himself over this controlling asshole of JY and deciding to stay in Anbok. but i think 90% of that character not being boring as hell is due to Siwan's adorableness/quirky brand of acting.) Nor plot (making the mentally disabled person the bad guy... really? Are you fucking kidding me?) Nor romance (it is very very cute, but nothing is really happening here either)

I really don't see how *any* of it can be taken to a satisfying conclusion with three episodes left by the meandering way this drama wastes its many many chances for development, be it for plot or worse even, since slice of life is so character-focused, its characters.

Nah sorry, my heart still belongs to FNOS and MIHY here, heh

he is a sad puppy who looks sadly from the distance and up close at FL because he missed his chance, and gets friendzoned 2x an episode because he has to have the mandatory quota of noticing he is SML and FL will never love him in every episode. It is his whole personality. And now he has started to disregard her own wishes and agency for his own desires. Which tbh, was the last point missing on the "cardboard cutout kdrama SML" bingo card.

the lead's chemistry and chaotic energy together is off the charts. One of the best tbh

was a decent watch till episode 10 but now it is getting dumb as hell with everything. Should have been a 12 eps drama AT BEST. Time to apply the 2x speed magic to skip thru its stupidity of characters, their complete lack of any communication and sob-backstory that is not as interesting as the drama wants you to sell it at.

Well he wasn't lying to the snake woman. He said one of your daughters will be queen. And since Sorang is her stepdaughter... heh.

i have seen so many funny scenes of the drama beforehand in kdrama compilations, but to me the funniest so far was the one where both ML's who dislike each other teamed up to cheer on Ryu Hyeong Jin so he will be scouted and leave the country (and no longer their rival for FL) The way they hugged each other as the guy made a perfect game, they were so happy and i was wheezing. Peak comedy 😂

I love the like ratio in the posts disagreeing your bad lookism opinion. On twitter we would say you got ratio'd xD

I kinda want to go back and rewatch all that character's scenes, because i am sure there are hints hidden in plain sight when you are paying attention. Since you know it is the drama's MO to not spell everything out for you and you have to pay attention to the details instead.

Fun fact; While the drama had stayed close to the webtoon till now, the ending of episode 4 deviates from it a lot from the webtoon however (in there we have her spending the night with the king without SW interfering. However nothing happened since she was ashamed of deceiving him all this time. King realized there that he loves her tho and promised her to wait for her until she is ready)

KYD makes the king a lot more of an interesting character in the drama too with his quirky brand of acting. I found him as boring as Shin Won in the webtoon tbh.

Kudos to the writing of his character/cute situations/dynamic and my love for tsundere that fall haaaard for a person that i like ML more than SML tho. It was everything else but the acting that did that however lol. It helps also that SML is a dick who is rude and just likes her to piss his former friend off of course.

The story is as standard highschool romance as it gets, just with added makeup story twist and self esteem issues and the obligatory "love yourself for who you are" message for its young target audience. Nothing what hadn't been told in various media a million times before, but if you just roll with all the nonsense it is quite enjoyable. Like a turn off brain and watch kind of thing.

Finally saw the Extraordinary You cameo and it tickled me that they are still have a stage and a shadow realm as you hear it make click and Dan-oh runs away from SML to look for Haruuuuaaaah. This was cute and i am amused that both shows share one universe haha.

Aww thank you, likewise <3

omg, this is definitely a webtoon adaptation thru and thru, it is so very cringy comic-y in places, ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ The cringe is real, if entertaining in a cheesy over the top way.

Ngl it cracks me up a little that Eun Woo's expression to everything, no matter if happy, angry or sad is: 😶😶😶 He is so baaaaad, but i just roll with it for now, lmao