John Smith

I really mentioned metrics only to emphasize that every "going to be the greatest drama ever" is rarely "going to be the greatest drama ever" and never perfect. Like most commenters here, I have raised expectations based on the mains, the screenwriter, and previews. I am looking forward to actual episodes and having something substantial to comment on.
I do not really go by the ratings either, and just want my time watching dramas well spent and entertained. I think one of the best compliments you can give a drama (or anything for that matter) is that it is worth your time.

That is true. I think the tease of potential airing dates and delays only served to ramp up expectations. I have not read the novel the drama is based on, so I only have a broad idea of what it is about. I think two beautiful leads in what appears to be comfortable roles, along with a screenwriter known for popular works, and mid-range length gives me reasons to expect to enjoy the drama.

I thought it might be something along those lines. It was just so in-your-face noticeable and seemed easily remedied. Does not take anything away from a really good drama.

I know there are still over four days to go until it airs, but commenters should take it down a notch or two. On MDL, Yang Yang's highest rated drama as a main is 8.6 and 8.4 if you just use romantic dramas. For Dilraba Dilmurat, her highest as a main is also 8.6. I think it is okay to hope for a 10, but realistically expect a drama between 8 and 9. That is not a knock on the actors or the drama itself. I think we will all have a better idea of where things stand after the first batch of episodes are released. The best thing about a drama is that before it airs, anything is possible. That also means anything is possible.

It is either the art of hand carving a piece of cork in a decorative style to fit a bottle or a word used to get past censors.

This may be an odd question, but why is Smiling's hair dark in her uniform photo they use for the events when her hair is light the entire time?

Why did they have to go so hard and heavy? Gyeom was gushing about Won Young, Ja Sung was practically glowing. In true Asian drama style, being best friends means you tell the other person nothing until after something happens. Getting drunk is sort of understandable, since it seems to be the only drama way to process feelings. Getting in a traffic accident was harsh for Ja Sung, and laid up in the hospital bandaged and braced up? Not fair to Ja Sung.
I wonder if part of the breakup will have her taking care of Gyeom. The good news is that there is no evil party involved. He also has his website ID that he can still talk to Young Won in a caring way. The bad news is that Ja Sung comes across as very resolute in his actions, especially when it comes to people or things he cares about. Considering how he acted when they were together, I am looking forward to seeing how he acts now.
I do think Gyeom's friend and co-worker Jang Chan should be a bit ashamed by his actions. He continually pushed and prodded the meek Gyeom, then left him when he needed him the most, only to basically blame Ja Sung.
Noble idiocy? Just simple idiocy with Ja Sung. Anytime you "sacrifice" love, but leave yourself a path back, that is not noble. That is just hedging your bets while making everyone temporary unhappy. That goes for most dramas I have seen. You cannot say you will stop drinking chocolate milk and then keep chocolate syrup and milk in the refrigerator and expect it not to be made when those moments of weakness come.

Two of my favorite actresses are Im Soo Hyang and Kim So Yeon. I could not watch When I Was the Prettiest because it is way too melodramatic and none of the Penthouse: War In Life seasons because it was too soapy. I get my daily dose of melodramatic from the news, and save the soapiness for the waiting room of the doctor's office. As for recommendations about other Asian dramas to watch, my main fare has been romantic comedies, which probably do not fit what you are looking for. I have probably stumbled onto some heavier and emotional dramas, but I cannot recall them at the moment. I would like to add that almost any drama could be heavy and emotional depending on how much emotional investment you put into it.

Why don't they do something with a bossy CEO? Oh, wait. How about something historical, but with romance? Oh, wait. Surely there cannot be a lot of school dramas. Yeah, they do. Time travel? Overdone. Body switching? Aliens? Cats? Surely cat themed dramas must be hard to find. Wow, they got quite a few of those too.
It is really hard to be original when there are thousands of dramas out there. Why not watch a few episodes first?

That was just one set of dramas. I bet we could find a few we generally agree on. I did look at your drama list (I do not have one though), and see that it looks like you prefer more dramatic and heavier works, all from Korea. I do enjoy them from time to time, but I usually opt for something lighter. It usually ends up being a Chinese romantic comedy.

In my opinion, Backstreet Rookie is better than its rating. A drama that is rated higher than MRIAG, but not as good as the rating suggests would be It's Okay To Not Be Okay.

I think she had one scene near the beginning. His magic did not work on her so it sort of established that it might not work on Lee Dam either (which happened later). I kind of thought the same way about Kim Do Yeon. I thought she should have had more screen time.
I do think you have a point about the plot. I thought the drama had substance, but I never really expected anything deep from it. They never seemed to do more than to use humor to scratch the surface. I thought the plot was misleading. I expected the fox to human story to be more foxy when it actually turned out to be the romance that was getting foxy. I thought I was watching a "cold and distant ML warming up to a cheerful yet hapless FL" drama most of the time. I have not seen DAYS yet, but it is among the dramas I want to see as well. perhaps I will push it up so that I can make the comparison. I really do not do ratings because it tends to give a false sense about a show. I thought it was really good with the Lee Hye Ri being excellent in her role. I enjoyed the comedy more than the romance. I would recommend anyone to give it a shot and see if they like it. I have to say that I have come across lower rated dramas that I have thought were much better, but I have to point out that I have come across higher rated dramas that were not nearly as good as this one too.

Dramas are notoriously terrible at establishing motives for unreasonable actions. I hope it does not happen, but Ja Sung is sort of written into a box. Self-made wealth, no close family, few friends, and no scheming ex. Young Won does not seem like she will be getting a check from a snobby, controlling mother and Ja Sung has no one to answer to as far as we know. Young Won's family would not stop her from marrying someone rich and in love with her right? I hope they do not waste too much time with this. Keep them together, have Gyeom man up, get crushed, and move on. There are too many other stories to tell. Although, if Ja Sung is this ecstatic while in love, I wonder how he would react heartbroken.

Those are complicated questions. I think they got enough screen time to make you feel invested in their relationship. They date for a class project at first. As far as kissing, it seemed to wait until the end. If you do not like the first couple, there is probably not enough of the second couple to make up for that if that is what you are asking.

The red thread arc seemed unnecessary for the drama, and could have been taken out to give more space for the evil spirit/serial killer. It would also allowed Woo Yeo to show more of his fox side since that seemed to really be lacking as well.

I am sure they have their reasons for the wait/delay, but it needs to air sooner rather than later. It seems that expectations are getting higher every day. A drama should be judged by how good it is, not by whether or not it meets some unreal expectation. The top rated Chinese romantic comedies on MDL are closer to 8.5 than a 10.

Gyeom seems to be Ja Sung's only/closest friend. Depending on how it would be written, Ja Sung could break up to preserve the friendship. (I know it only makes sense in a drama.)

Thanks for the mention of Refresh Man. Taiwanese dramas do not always get the attention that some deserve. I rarely watch dramas more than once, but it is one I have watched again. I do think that there are an abundance of 24 episode fluffy, Chinese romantic comedies that would fit the bill for gloomy days as well.

I hope it will air before we have to add the historical genre tag to it.

I think people enjoyed the love stories, the fantasy of a finding true love, the beautiful looking people, and the comedy that allowed viewers to relax at times. I do think that there are parts of the drama that could have been better. Lee Dam's mother for instance. She just showed up once. Sun Woo could have been removed totally and just have his sister and Lee Dam's brother interact more. I thought the drama was great for what it was, but not perfect. I understand why some may not like it or find it less interesting than others. I also see why people love and adore it. I like to think of watching a drama as being in a relationship with it. If you have strong positive feelings for it, then you will want to defend it. I think that is why there can be a strong reaction to criticism. At least you backed up your criticism with observations and recommendations. It probably makes it much more palatable for people who really love the drama. Some commenters just drop a "sucks" or "greatest ever and you are a loser if you disagree" and wonder why things get combative in the comment section.