shiawasenohikari

Mapi's last fight scene with the OST and the cuts to In Seong being welcomed was chef's kiss. One of the best KDrama scenes ever.
P. S. : KSO is so underrated. This guy can do both comic and gray characters with finesse.

I don't think they wished to fill up the episode, I think they wanted to bank upon long pauses to subtly show that they are falling in love. However, the execution just doesn't work.

He feels every bit of the mercenary that he is playing. 😁

This! I totally feel you. Somehow, there's no sense of urgency... Don't know how else to explain, but the scenes in Eastern Country feel too languid. The frenzied moments don't feel desperate enough.

That's why he sounded a bit more natural than others.

I did, that knowing smile, LOL.

I was bothered by her internal emotions showing up on her face too easily. I wish they had relied more on her internal monologue to tell us how she felt about Azan than have her visibly reacting to his presence. Unfortunately, the depiction of a war time correspondant is not at all convincing. Meanwhile, I like how GZC plays SX, I like SX's spunk, he does come across as someone who has grown up watching his country embroiled in conflict and wishes to be of use through covering the news related to the same.

No, you are not the only one. I think they got a bit carried away in using silence as a plot device. When it's done well...

No worries! 😅

I guess we are done with "blossom" in the English titles for dramas. 😂

I concur that viewers of Japanese dramas will enjoy this one more.

I know right. In dramaland, a man and a woman cannot only be friends. I admit, I would have liked it more if SH had become KH's platonic best friend.

Preach!

True. I had gone in with no expectations only because of the retro poster. I like most of the cast from other shows. However, it was the poster that made me curious. I had assumed that like many other KDramas, they would try way too hard with the aesthetics, LOL. I couldn't have been more wrong. This is becoming one of the best KDramas I have ever watched. Love how the composition of scenes in this drama create a sense of unease. 😁 The actions of the MLs are unsettling, yet, quite realistic. These two are so well fleshed out.

Genuinely curious, is this a rhetorical question or are you planning to watch this one?
If you are planning on watching, be warned it is not your generic feel good KDrama. It has grey characters, the story telling and the scenes overall are unconventional and people in the drama behave in ways that are quite realistic, yet bewildering.

Is it not Victor who the SML punches? The guy who is a chaebol in real life.

The construction of the ending scene of Episode 8 was so damn beautiful. The way YS comes running towards KH, grabs her hand and starts off running with her in tow. The tracking shots and the OST helping to build a sense of exhilaration, a breakthrough in a relationship that neither could ever properly maintain or let go of was so well done. Them running side by side in the morning light, then through the darkness of the tunnel, and then into the light again is pretty much a metaphor for how their relationship has been till this point of time.

No worries! It's just not small towns, I swear. Toxic people anywhere can do a number on you. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Also, did you notice how he was also bracing himself, waiting with the bouquet in hand, in front of the motel, before he handed the flowers to KH and finally went in? It may be so because motels are open to "people" like him to go in. Same action, different venues and a world of difference. I loved that KH didn't yet again try to sell that he's the same as anyone else. She knows better than anyone else how nobody can stop you from looking down on yourself, not even the person who loves you.
P. S.: I feel that NIW has had the best chemistry with LSY than any of his other female leads.

Giving micro expressions when your face is fully exposed is a feat in itself, so, I was extremely impressed by CZY because we had no other non-verbal cues to go off of when he expresses joy in discovering she is Chinese, his amusement at her presumptions about the timer and his admiration at her selflessness to tell him to run away. Also, I watch the news, especially ground reports covering geopolitical conflicts. There reporters, even those who are new at the job, have a certain way of carrying/holding themselves. They are usually very swift in their movements, don't stop talking to the camera even when they can barely speak and certainly don't just present what's already visible; they give a few contextual tidbits, say how long the fight has been going on, if there's a possibility of peace talks, if there's been a previous similar incident, etc. 🤷🏻‍♀️ The director ought to have taken these subtle details into account given the fact the FL is a war correspondent.

Oh. My. God. I wasn't the only one who thought she wasn't very convincing as a news reporter who has been in the field for some time. The interaction between the two women felt so clunky. LJ is one of my favourite actresses. I blame the direction. Was wowed by CZY because acting through just the eyes is not at all easy and he did a fabulous job showing his pleasure and amusement even though his face was almost entirely covered.