bloomingtide

The scene with the great spirit doing his whole menacing "HOW DARE YOU" spiel only to force ML to work with his beloved idol and the bet with the kid and dog had me in stitches. I love the humor of this show so much 😂

I understand makjang as cheap, overblown melodrama and this drama is definitely NOT that. I find it relatable and poignant in large parts as underneath the fantasy/supernatural elements there is a lot of social commentary packed into these episodes. Each client is different, means different stories every (two) episodes, but it does have a red thread going thru it all in form of the backstories of the main characters and their development. I think if Mystic Pop Up Bar and Hotel Del Luna had a child this drama would be the result tbh, lol.

Minor nitpick: While the modern songs (aka those with lyrics) are really beautiful, they are very unsuited for a historical drama, imo. It does pull me out of the story/illusion of it being set in Joseon of the 16th century when there is a slow kpop-ish ballad in the background playing, ngl.

It's weird how ppl here expect the whole story and reason why the main leads and their dynamic are like they are after only five episodes to be fully laid out. Like... we still have ELEVEN more to go and as such ample time to dig into their motivation and background, but in order to do that you gotta establish the characters and their dynamics "in the present" FIRST. We are at this stage now imo, with some added dynamic upheaval that things may not be or stay as they were prior. These last words of him in the recent eps sure gave/will give her some food for thoughts, heh.

But yeah, while i am curious to see why he has a crush on her for so long without acting on it or why they are at this weird love/hate impasse, maybe have some patience people? We are not even halfway thru the show so it is reeeeally weird to see ppl complain about that lol. (Plus it is a more traditional comedy romcom drama with, for example, edited in fire effects coming out of their eyes when they are angry, so i don't actually expect the story to get *that* deep in the first place, lmao.)

They are both more serious shows, with Tomorrow also having a lot of social commentary (talking about topics such as bullying, ED's, poverty, SA, victim blaming, loneliness etc) while AML is more action-y and about the corruption of the system. I personally vibe more with Tomorrow tbh as it makes me reflect over its stories told (and cry at times) while AML is more popcorn-y action flick I can consume without much thinking. So i am rather eeeh about the latter, tbh.

I loved the main couple but god this was painful to get thru, especially in the latter half when the novelty of her transformations had worn off and the drama did a steep dive, ass first, into full blown makjang with ~~traaagiiiiic~~ subplots 🙄🙄🙄 and ofc the mandatory romcom drama breakup™️ in between that felt way more stupid and unnecessary than in other dramas. Which is saying something...

Still watchable drama overall imo but only with a twitchy finger on the ⏩ button 🥱😅

I feel the best part of this drama was ML having a cute bunny smile. Everything else is trite/cliche, dragged out for too long and an utter snorefest. I love romcom but this is one without any substance or interesting characters and as such very hard to get thru 16 meandering episodes.

Worst of all imo, the main couple behaved like a bunch of blushing teenager scandalized by the mere thought of holding hands instead of adults in a relationship. Everything about it felt awkward and not in a cute, endearing way. My eyes did hurt from rolling so much afterwards. That is if I could stay awake long enough to react, of course 😴

This is once more a case where I look at the ratings and am baffled by it being as high as it is. In the end it comes down to personal taste sure, but there are a lot better romcom dramas out there that are actually worth the time investment tbh 😅

Yeah Tae Sung being so exhausted he couldn't stay awake is for example a representation of the reality of drama shooting where shooting hours are veeeeery long and the rest for the actors in between miniscule. Particularly for the main leads.

It also takes a lot after Mystic Pop Up Bar, imo. Same vibe with the Jamadeung-like after life department.

No problem, Mr. Queen was one of the first historical dramas i watched and it is definitely not your typical sageuk🤭😂 (Hence why i think it is more "beginner-friendly" than others, so to speak)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p1snIbAN4E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGuMFsgYl8Y

I would say to start with Mr. Queen, then. It is light and comedic enough with serious moments and politics sprinkled in, and has lovable characters/well written plot (don't be scared by the synopsis, it will all make seeeense haha). Bloody heart is way more serious, political focused drama with an intricate web of plots/intrigues that may feel overwhelming starting out in this genre, and it has only rare moments of levity, if at all. Defintely in the more "advanced lvl" of sageuks🤭

Also can rec Moonshine, Love in the Moonlight, Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency and Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung as good, more light (romance-y) historical dramas to watch :) The Crowned Clown is great too, but like Bloody Hearts it is a more serious, politicky one with romance sprinkled in.

Use your web browser and a good adblocker when visiting sites like dramacool etc and you will have zero issues tbh. On mobile, the brave browser is pretty good in blocking most of the crap too, but i generally watch dramas on these sites only on my PC

His idea of flirting 💀 it kills meeeee 😂 "Think of me as a pet dog" when he follows her around like one, lmao.

I know this character only for 1 1/2 episodes but I looooove him already, so awkward yet so wholesome and precious, bless.

here is a helpful glossary of sageuk terms, for the non-sageuk veterans in this comment section (joining us) hehe:

https://thetalkingcupboard.com/resources/sageuk-glossary/

Can relate because fun fact: The one drama that brought me into the kdrama rabbit hole was "the king's affection" so i basically started my journey with a sageuk, so yeaaah the terminology and all the subplots were hella confusing at times😂 But now months later i am like a sageuk pro haha. This drama pulled me in like Mr. Queen and The Crowned Clown did, ngl. The acting is already top notch *chefkiss* and no scene seems wasted.

Oh same, i was like thinking the whole first episode... "oh no this ends in tragedy" then i rewatched and noticed they are diffferent people lmao. The way they jumped back and forth in time for the story didn't make it exactly easy to clear up the confusion tho😳

I like that this is a drama where the male lead falls hard and fast first and is basically an awkward little puppy about it, while FL first impressions are 'god what a weirdo' bc he messes up his words completely in front of her due to nervousness 😆 It is an interesting dynamic and more realistic than the usual ultra smooth ML in other dramas. Definitely gonna continue watching to see how it develops 😊

Don't hold your breath seeing that rookie cops still isn't available outside of Asia and that drama ended long ago. Disney + does not give a single fuck about international distribution it seems. Your best chance to see it is using sites like dramacool etc atm tbh

Watched it for Kim Jung Hyun tbh, but also loved the main gang and romance. Bit too long and draggy (especially in the latter half) with episodes spanning in parts over 110 minutes length that could have been a lot more concise without losing much. Still enjoyed my watch but Gu Seung Jun deserved better tbh.

Oh yeah noticed that, as Sobong said in Mr. Queen "the palace is a battlefield. Don't let your guards down and show no mercy. Slaughter party." xD Ngl i after reading the synopsis I expected the king to be the baddie this time around but it does not seem to be the case. Huh. But i expect him having to do a lot of shady af things in order to survive in the palace tho. We will see. Excellent start nowever, very intriguing and well acted.