The shows quality has degraded to other childish cdrama, cause it was so good till episode 16, and okay till 18,…
His maturity at the beginning was a façade. Anything to get the seat/ his dad's approval.
He probably figured out about Yan's deception pretty early into the relationship too so thay's why he was a very sophisticated partner-with the old money charming vibe. Didn't it feel almost creepy how well put together he was? He was too perfect.
Once his father disappointed him again and Yan found out the truth, he no longer had to wear a mask. Once he realized his mistakes (both with the parents, Haochan, and Yan), he decided to let go of his ego and simply try to win everything back with his true self.
(That being said, I'm guessing even Haoming wasn't aware how far he would go to win what he lost- even if it made him look rediculous🙈)
I dedicated my whole weekend to it, and after watching, I gotta say, even after Glass Heart, I didn't see Japan…
Jdramas, physical intimacy, and quality story telling don't always go hand in hand from what I've noticed in my limited experience. Most of the jdramas I've personally enjoyed the most barely have any PDA between the MC but you can still feel their love- it's almost poetic🙈
(That being said, I've seen a few jdramas that had a lot of physocal intimacy between the MC that did amazingly well too- just not as much as the former)🙈
You can look at it in that way if you want an ominous ending but given the whole point of the drama is "learning to love", I feel like they would have wanted the drama to end in a more optimistic note. Even Taiga's mum tries to breakfree from her abusive husband by the end of the drama and the Manager has firmly retired from his host life.
Perhaps you can interpret it as ending a chapter doesn't mean everything ends but it's only the start of a new beginning? Kind of like a phoenix, you are reborn stronger. So even if you are still in the same situation, you are now able to handle things better? Like with Manami's mum and Taiga's learning disability?
Did you watch the last episode? Spoilers ahead if you did not🤫
One thing we see throughout the series is the mum's rather obsessive habit of working on her herb/ pot plants on the kitchen counter- particularly whenever the dad is around. In today's episode, the mother finally snapped and requested a divorce. As part of this she uprooted all the plants she had worked so hard on. At the end of the episode, after a few months we see that the mum has finally found independence in her marriage. She's now the breadwinner while the dad tends to the house and kitchen. The camera at the end focuses on one of the pots- within you see a new sprout is growing.
To me personally the whole pot plant saga signifies how sometimes no matter how hard you try to protect something, you need to learn to let go of it if it's too toxic- from spending so much time tending to the plants to simply uprooting them in the end (i.e. the mum's complacency to the dad's toxic control over Manami's life/ Manami bending to her parents' will/ Taiga and his mum's situation). The sprout at the end signifies that it's never the end- there's always a chance for something new (i.e. the mum's new job/ the dad being a house husband/ Manami's and Taiga's future/ Kahawara letting go of his toxic life and starting fresh in NYC).
It’s hard to take the review ratings seriously when a drama like When the Phone Rings manages to keep balanced…
WTPR didn't get balanced reviews - they went through huge mass downvoting over an error with Netflix- attracting non drama viewers and bot accounts too😅😅😅
In fact coincidentally shortly after this incident, MDL added the the following message in the comments section.
"kisskh is a space for respectful and thoughtful discussion. Harassment, hate speech, personal attacks, and inappropriate language are not allowed and may result in content removal or account action. Please keep things kind and civil"
Seee this is the issue - he doesn’t have anybody to bro with unless they are on his payroll/ psychotic about…
Ikr?! I guess it helps that we know how privileged her crazy sister is.
Ngl for the first 8 or so episodes i was wondering why were they spending so much time on the introduction seeing as usually second chance dramas begin with the divorce but after ep 13 it made more sense. You need to truly understand what they went through to truly appreciate the characters (and root for them).
Seee this is the issue - he doesn’t have anybody to bro with unless they are on his payroll/ psychotic about…
Honestly i can't imagine CZY as a villain (FL's pov of him as an enemy)- he doesn't have that companding factor I guess- too 👼? At least in the few dramas i've seen🙈🙈🙈
The plot sounds interesting but 38 episodes sound too long to just bare with it🙈 How far have you watched?
Seee this is the issue - he doesn’t have anybody to bro with unless they are on his payroll/ psychotic about…
Totally agree with you on this! The thing with second chance marriage dramas is that writers have to balance the "red" with the "green"...it's a delicate line if crossed, it could mess up the whole story. With this drama, I think the balance is good. The MC is perfect for eachother. They are both calculating and opportunistic but aren't inherently evil. All Yan wants is love and is willing to do ANYTHING for it and Hyeomin just wants his dad's approval/ protect his heart from 🤑Yan. Yan is his dream girl- he pretty much confessed it while revealing his "diabolical" plan (low key reminded me of a reverse Mr Darcy confession situation honestly🤭🤭🤭). It's just that his ego was bruised because he didn't believe Yan did it out of love. It's understandable seeing as in his world, gold diggers make more sense than erm...love diggers🙈
To Yan's credit, as desperate as she is, she knows her worth so she doesn't take Hyeomin's shit just for the sake of hoping she can change him. I really love that about her. She's starving for love but isn't willing to ruin her self respect for anybody.👏👏👏👏
Hyeochan- honestly I feel so bad for him. I'm almost afraid to see the episode everything gets revealed. 🥲🥲🥲 I did love how there was so much foreshadowing. The way how obsessed Ms Yu was to protect her son Hyeomin, did not reconcile with the mother who treated her younger son like an after thought. Same with Mr Shen. Everything made sense the moment they showed the crazy sister at the kid's school. The fact that his situation mirrors Yan's (only much much worse since at least Yan had her grandmother's love) is really amazing.
About the ex- i think it was her age and upbringing that could have factored in her death? Very irresponsible but a very young heirress who probably got pampered all her life may have found early motherhood suffocating? The chance to reclaim her old life even for a few hours may have clouded her judgement. I'm glad that they revealed that they broke up loooong before her death. At least Hyeomin wasn't forced to let go off his ex. The crazy sister though....she seriously needs to be brought back to reality🤦♀️
Seee this is the issue - he doesn’t have anybody to bro with unless they are on his payroll/ psychotic about…
47?🙈 Which scene is this from? I binged over 10 eos in one sitting today so my brain is buffering😂 Haha i get what you mean! I was so impatient to see their scenes together i may have skipped a few scenes that I thought were not important🙈
Subber is on vacation based on their website. Can't wait till Makoto finds out about him 🙈
👋👋👋
Reset truly surprised me too! I just tried it out of boredom....safe to say it blew my mind🙈 Honestly it's been BJT's year for me seeing as I discovered him through First Frost, met again through Reset...and again through Mobius- it's like a quarterly dose. Makes me wonder if there'll be another appearance by December 🤭
Twelve Letters- i love your hypothesis! I know many dislike Shen for his attitude but I couldn't help sympathising his situation so the fact that he no longer exists felt rather hallow🥲 Haha even I low key shipped them! It would be nice to imagine they'd all cross paths again. I guess C-dramas have humbled my C-expectations because I was just so glad they confirmed the new timeline that it didn't even occur to me that I wanted more (we did get a few sneakpeaks through the end credits too if i remember correctly🙈).
Year of female generals and ultimate besties- yessssss!!!! I didn't even realize that this was a popular thrope until recently🙈 I still didn't get a chance to watch SL yet but you've now made me even more curious🤭🤭🤭 I like slow burn romances since I tend to lose interest once couples get together. Like with "Blossom", everybody raves about it, but I kind of lost interest after ep 21 or so- their chemistry and visuals were on fire but the plot got a bit boring after they got married🙈🙈🙈
Speed- who could resist Keanu Reeves in it??🙈🙈🙈 Even I watched it decades ago but I still remember it. Was so disappointed when he didn't appear in the sequel 🥲 Speaking of KR, there's supposed to be a new movie-"Good Fortune"- haven't watched it but his teaser looked fun🙊
Khemjira- yes, think it would be better to binge it once it ends. The cultural similarities are interesting specially since there are things you've seen in passing all your life but through Thai BLs I've learnt the significance behind so many things (kind of ironic since BLs are kind of taboo over here🤪).
OMG you watched MARE?!?!?! I've been waaaaaiting to find somebody who has watched it🙈 I actually got to know Tao thanks to it. Ironically I nearly skipped AIB because I thought AIB had 100+ 1hr episodes...I'd mixed the two.🤦♀️
Artists with skeletons in their closets- totally agree with you on this. I wasn't even aware of most of the scandals/ shipper wars until I joined MDL and later X. IG feels so innocent now- sooo blissfully ignorant (at least my algorithm).
I totally get your confusion with Hunger Games and hating dystopia- we are in the same boat 🙈 I looooooved the Hunger Games trilogy (books+movies) but didn't really get into Divergent. I liked the first movie but somebody spoiled the ending so I kind of lost interest after that 🤪 AIB isn't exactly Dystopian. It may feel like that but it leans more into philosophy. To keep it short-"a discussion on Life and Death" in the guise of a Dystopian backdrop?
Thanks for the many C-mini series suggestions! I'll check them out! 😊 I did try "Spring Fever" awhile back but I found it a little too unserious (as of ep 2 or 3) so I put it on hold. Does it get better?
Anpan- It's really interesting but it can get too emotional at times so do not get too invested on some of the male characters (Hint- the drama covers the 30s and 40s IYKYK🫠).
Haha funny you should mention "Love Ambition"- just started it yesterday! I loved ZLS in Hidden Love and with all the news that's been revolving about her lately, I just had to check it out. Not familiar with the ML but so far the drama is interesting. I'm not sure if I have come across the second couple yet (i'm in ep 3 atm) but I'll keep an eye out for them!
Actors and their english names- this really surprised me when I first came across Luo Yunxi- almost gaslit myself into thinking that Leo and Luo were 2 different actors🤦♀️
Besotted- yep, nothing over here as well. I liked "Bon Appetit Your Majesty" but I find the hype abit too exaggerated since it reminded me of King the Land (in my defence I'm not a victim of Moon Lovers)🙈
"Learning to Love" will wrap up this weekend on NF. Did you watch the last episode? I've been trying to resist it but it's difficult knowing that the episode is available online. Fun fact, the Fiancé is in Anpan too in a similar role (but he's a green flag in it so the contrasting characters was a fun albeit a bit bittersweet experience)🐒
2 
He probably figured out about Yan's deception pretty early into the relationship too so thay's why he was a very sophisticated partner-with the old money charming vibe. Didn't it feel almost creepy how well put together he was? He was too perfect.
Once his father disappointed him again and Yan found out the truth, he no longer had to wear a mask. Once he realized his mistakes (both with the parents, Haochan, and Yan), he decided to let go of his ego and simply try to win everything back with his true self.
(That being said, I'm guessing even Haoming wasn't aware how far he would go to win what he lost- even if it made him look rediculous🙈)
Can't be that different right? Did they ever mention the names of the plants at all?
(That being said, I've seen a few jdramas that had a lot of physocal intimacy between the MC that did amazingly well too- just not as much as the former)🙈
Even Taiga's mum tries to breakfree from her abusive husband by the end of the drama and the Manager has firmly retired from his host life.
Perhaps you can interpret it as ending a chapter doesn't mean everything ends but it's only the start of a new beginning? Kind of like a phoenix, you are reborn stronger. So even if you are still in the same situation, you are now able to handle things better? Like with Manami's mum and Taiga's learning disability?
One thing we see throughout the series is the mum's rather obsessive habit of working on her herb/ pot plants on the kitchen counter- particularly whenever the dad is around. In today's episode, the mother finally snapped and requested a divorce. As part of this she uprooted all the plants she had worked so hard on. At the end of the episode, after a few months we see that the mum has finally found independence in her marriage. She's now the breadwinner while the dad tends to the house and kitchen. The camera at the end focuses on one of the pots- within you see a new sprout is growing.
To me personally the whole pot plant saga signifies how sometimes no matter how hard you try to protect something, you need to learn to let go of it if it's too toxic- from spending so much time tending to the plants to simply uprooting them in the end (i.e. the mum's complacency to the dad's toxic control over Manami's life/ Manami bending to her parents' will/ Taiga and his mum's situation).
The sprout at the end signifies that it's never the end- there's always a chance for something new (i.e. the mum's new job/ the dad being a house husband/ Manami's and Taiga's future/ Kahawara letting go of his toxic life and starting fresh in NYC).
I just find it rather poetic.
In fact coincidentally shortly after this incident, MDL added the the following message in the comments section.
"kisskh is a space for respectful and thoughtful discussion. Harassment, hate speech, personal attacks, and inappropriate language are not allowed and may result in content removal or account action. Please keep things kind and civil"
Ngl for the first 8 or so episodes i was wondering why were they spending so much time on the introduction seeing as usually second chance dramas begin with the divorce but after ep 13 it made more sense. You need to truly understand what they went through to truly appreciate the characters (and root for them).
The plot sounds interesting but 38 episodes sound too long to just bare with it🙈
How far have you watched?
Given the hurdles Yan had to jump through to marry him, I highly doubt the parents would have accepted the baby just because Hyeomin "trusts" the ex.
Is Fated Hearts good?
To Yan's credit, as desperate as she is, she knows her worth so she doesn't take Hyeomin's shit just for the sake of hoping she can change him. I really love that about her. She's starving for love but isn't willing to ruin her self respect for anybody.👏👏👏👏
Hyeochan- honestly I feel so bad for him. I'm almost afraid to see the episode everything gets revealed. 🥲🥲🥲
I did love how there was so much foreshadowing. The way how obsessed Ms Yu was to protect her son Hyeomin, did not reconcile with the mother who treated her younger son like an after thought. Same with Mr Shen. Everything made sense the moment they showed the crazy sister at the kid's school. The fact that his situation mirrors Yan's (only much much worse since at least Yan had her grandmother's love) is really amazing.
About the ex- i think it was her age and upbringing that could have factored in her death? Very irresponsible but a very young heirress who probably got pampered all her life may have found early motherhood suffocating? The chance to reclaim her old life even for a few hours may have clouded her judgement. I'm glad that they revealed that they broke up loooong before her death. At least Hyeomin wasn't forced to let go off his ex. The crazy sister though....she seriously needs to be brought back to reality🤦♀️
Haha i get what you mean! I was so impatient to see their scenes together i may have skipped a few scenes that I thought were not important🙈
PS: IKR?! No Worries!😂
Reset truly surprised me too! I just tried it out of boredom....safe to say it blew my mind🙈
Honestly it's been BJT's year for me seeing as I discovered him through First Frost, met again through Reset...and again through Mobius- it's like a quarterly dose. Makes me wonder if there'll be another appearance by December 🤭
Twelve Letters- i love your hypothesis! I know many dislike Shen for his attitude but I couldn't help sympathising his situation so the fact that he no longer exists felt rather hallow🥲
Haha even I low key shipped them! It would be nice to imagine they'd all cross paths again. I guess C-dramas have humbled my C-expectations because I was just so glad they confirmed the new timeline that it didn't even occur to me that I wanted more (we did get a few sneakpeaks through the end credits too if i remember correctly🙈).
Year of female generals and ultimate besties- yessssss!!!! I didn't even realize that this was a popular thrope until recently🙈
I still didn't get a chance to watch SL yet but you've now made me even more curious🤭🤭🤭
I like slow burn romances since I tend to lose interest once couples get together. Like with "Blossom", everybody raves about it, but I kind of lost interest after ep 21 or so- their chemistry and visuals were on fire but the plot got a bit boring after they got married🙈🙈🙈
Speed- who could resist Keanu Reeves in it??🙈🙈🙈 Even I watched it decades ago but I still remember it. Was so disappointed when he didn't appear in the sequel 🥲
Speaking of KR, there's supposed to be a new movie-"Good Fortune"- haven't watched it but his teaser looked fun🙊
Khemjira- yes, think it would be better to binge it once it ends. The cultural similarities are interesting specially since there are things you've seen in passing all your life but through Thai BLs I've learnt the significance behind so many things (kind of ironic since BLs are kind of taboo over here🤪).
OMG you watched MARE?!?!?! I've been waaaaaiting to find somebody who has watched it🙈 I actually got to know Tao thanks to it. Ironically I nearly skipped AIB because I thought AIB had 100+ 1hr episodes...I'd mixed the two.🤦♀️
Artists with skeletons in their closets- totally agree with you on this. I wasn't even aware of most of the scandals/ shipper wars until I joined MDL and later X. IG feels so innocent now- sooo blissfully ignorant (at least my algorithm).
I totally get your confusion with Hunger Games and hating dystopia- we are in the same boat 🙈 I looooooved the Hunger Games trilogy (books+movies) but didn't really get into Divergent. I liked the first movie but somebody spoiled the ending so I kind of lost interest after that 🤪
AIB isn't exactly Dystopian. It may feel like that but it leans more into philosophy. To keep it short-"a discussion on Life and Death" in the guise of a Dystopian backdrop?
Thanks for the many C-mini series suggestions! I'll check them out! 😊
I did try "Spring Fever" awhile back but I found it a little too unserious (as of ep 2 or 3) so I put it on hold. Does it get better?
Anpan- It's really interesting but it can get too emotional at times so do not get too invested on some of the male characters (Hint- the drama covers the 30s and 40s IYKYK🫠).
Haha funny you should mention "Love Ambition"- just started it yesterday! I loved ZLS in Hidden Love and with all the news that's been revolving about her lately, I just had to check it out. Not familiar with the ML but so far the drama is interesting. I'm not sure if I have come across the second couple yet (i'm in ep 3 atm) but I'll keep an eye out for them!
Actors and their english names- this really surprised me when I first came across Luo Yunxi- almost gaslit myself into thinking that Leo and Luo were 2 different actors🤦♀️
Besotted- yep, nothing over here as well. I liked "Bon Appetit Your Majesty" but I find the hype abit too exaggerated since it reminded me of King the Land (in my defence I'm not a victim of Moon Lovers)🙈
"Learning to Love" will wrap up this weekend on NF. Did you watch the last episode? I've been trying to resist it but it's difficult knowing that the episode is available online. Fun fact, the Fiancé is in Anpan too in a similar role (but he's a green flag in it so the contrasting characters was a fun albeit a bit bittersweet experience)🐒