[Drama 2020] Once Again, 한번다녀왔습니다

[yukiyukiku]

in regard with LMJ's acting, it may because  of NH's blunt & a bit stoic character

if i recall LMJ's past project, her acting was not as much as wooden as in Once Again

so perhaps because of NH's character that she must portray

 

[Louis]

Nahee and Gyujin's arc is just so boring to watch. Being the main stars, their story should have moved a lot already. I hope it doesn't drag until the end, and I hope Nahee doesn't end up with the director who comes across as quite smug. Dahee's arc and Gahee's arc are much better and heart warming.

[Silverlining93]

1 hour ago, yukiyukiku said:

in regard with LMJ's acting, it may because  of NH's blunt & a bit stoic character

if i recall LMJ's past project, her acting was not as much as wooden as in Once Again

so perhaps because of NH's character that she must portray

 

She's good in come back mister and  i think her acting  is excellent in once again..

when she told her mom about the miscarriage thing, she delivered it very well, I feel her pain too

[kiefshi1056]

 

[nat_phoenix88]

I agree. NH and GJ plot isn't as interesting as Sadon couple. I thought they would keep bickering each other, as their charm. But the additional love line with church noona and sunbae? Errrr.. I don't really like both. Now, I just keep waiting for Sadon couple scene. I guess, even Mr.Yang-OJ-CY triangle love is gonna be more entertaining and funnier. Because CY will compete against OJ.

[kiefshi1056]

Now Jaesuk trying to avoid Daehee, but i believe he can't stop thinking & looking at her picture remember he took a lot of her photo in NAMSAN Tower . But this time Daehee will be the one miss his company. But with Daehee's mindset i dont think she will give in. But writernim can u make Daehee caught in accident that will make Jaesuk crazy worried and will rush to Daehee side then everybody (Daehee's family) will be suspicious of Jaesuk action. If they would cast a cameo actress as jaesuk's first love , i hope they would do one for Daehee too We need to be Fair and Square

Writernim i have lots of idea/suggestion /proposal/recommendation/tip/motion/proposition for our Sadon Couple. Feel free to ask

Team #Jaehee FIGHTING!!!!!

[dramaninja]

Give it time this dram has a long way top go still, this stuff usual happens with long dramas like this. They have eps focusing on other things besides the leads.

[Katsuragi]

11 hours ago, jelly said:

Man the show really downgraded or diminished the screen time of Gyujin and Nahee. 

 

 

 

There are a couple of Korean news reporting the missing screen time and narrative of GJ and NH because audience was flooding the TV naver page with complains and negative comments: 

https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=609&aid=0000286394

 

From the comments I read on Saturday night, they only have the screen time of 2 minutes 39 seconds, or something like that...some drama fans even accuse KBS for cheating LSY and LMJ and using their names as baits (these two are indeed bigger names). Fans were angry *not* only because of the reduced screen time for consecutive several weeks, but also because of the crappy writing--it keeps replaying jealousy, while without any attempt to address the issues in communication, mother-in-law, and miscarriage...At this point, both LMJ and LSY are more like special appearances. lol

 

They also find the role of Boyoung "stuffy" (don't know how to translate) and "foxy." And they strongly disagree with Alex's character due to Alex's DUI record in real life.  They claim him to be "greasy"...(it's my literal translation) I don't quite agree with their views. I am okay with Boyoung and Alex. Alex's role is in fact well played and he has great lines. It's just that LMJ and LSY have great chemistry so it's difficult to make an alternative pairing in the same drama. 

 

As for LMJ's acting, I see mostly praise and positive comments, which is quite an exception because Korean fans liked to pick on her in the past, esp with her speech. Some comments I've read are quite funny. For instance, in the scene where NH gets drunk and corrects the director for forcing everyone for drinking gatherings, the most upvoted comment writes, "Lee Byung Hun has succeed" ....I mean it's ridiculous in a way because Korean audience attribute her good acting to the tutelage of her husband. Whether you agree with LBH's personal life or not, he is in reality one top actor in SK. Some already have a positive view of her because she is willing to play a role in a weekend drama with target audience of ajumma.  (I think they didn't know that LMJ shoot to stardom because of the weekend drama Smile You). They like the fact that she shows up in a family drama and apparently she doesn't have "celebrity disease." In the scene where she finally reveals her pain to her mother, audience is in awe of her acting, saying that they didn't know that she is this good.  

 

I don't find her acting "flat"--I am actually happy that she chooses a different character this time because she has never played a dorky and wooden role in the past.

 

I am no longer confident with the writer 양희승 Yang Hee-seung. I mean the triangle between the two aunts and the Boss is turning into a total farce and makjang. The problem is that Yang did not write  Soonpoong Clinic (the most famous family drama in Korean TV history) alone--the main write is Shin Dong-ik if I remember correctly. Judging from Yang's past dramas ,he is really good at penning Kdrama romance that goes through a familiar trajectory:  chance encounters, friendship turned budding romance, pining or self-denial,  confession,  rejection, conflict, jealousy, and reconciliation. That's why sadon CP is so appealing. However, he is not as good in penning the fallout and aftermath of the marriage life. Repeating the same kind of jealous-driven narrative for a divorced couple simply doesn't work for a family drama of 100 episodes. I don't like Familiar Wife he writes( Go Back Couple for me is far more superior) but at least there are far more meatier contents in Familiar Wife.

 

Anyway. At least the writer is making Sadon shippers happy.   The guy playing SJ is very talented and I am happy that he gets recognition he deserves. And Maybe Korean ajumma enjoy the triangle between the two aunts and boss yang? Ultimately they are the ones who decide the rating. I will take a break from this drama at this point. Till then.

 

1 hour ago, dramaninja said:

Give it time this dram has a long way top go still, this stuff usual happens with long dramas like this. They have eps focusing on other things besides the leads.

 

 

Hmm...It has been weeks with a minimum of screen time and meaningless plot. ..it is noted by Korean audience that there is literally no development after Nahee moves out except to replicate the jealousy trope ad infinitum. 

 

Family drama, esp.KBS weekend drama, is a genre by itself, requiring an commendable set of crafts in writing. The writer needs to create a delicate balancing act between all different characters, between cliches of romance, family dynamics, and the current social issues. Yang Hee-seung wrote High School King of Savvy which I LOVE, and Oh My Ghost and Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo are also cute. Sadon CP is so well written and you can find some similar patterns between Sadon CP and the love stories she wrote in her early works. I thought this drama will touch on the issue of divorce (SK has one of the highest divorce rates) but then she seems to be more interested in proliferating new romances rather than examining the issues. It's probably because romance is what she is really good at.

 

I personally appreciate the storyline of how the old brother's ex-wife has to cope with the two kids-- I don't care for the older brother and his company though--and I also like the depiction of the relationship between Gahee and her son. I just wish there were more. Anyway. Everyone has their own cup of tea. 

[emerald ox]

I never watch a weekend drama with 100 episodes, I'm guessing the writers are wrapping up stories with other casts in the current episodes or in the next few weeks. NH and GJ will get more screen time towards the end of the drama, I hope. But the ratings are surprisingly consistently high.  

 

I agree that there isn’t much plot between them now. The longing or lingering feeling between NH and GJ need to be addressed too. NH said about her inferiority seeing GJ happily spending time with BY and her kid, when in fact GJ also felt the same way seeing another man with better characters (the interim director) chasing NH. As an outsider, one would think NH should get pregnant and provide GJ a family to make him happy, and GJ should be cool-headed and pours NH love and attention to make her happy. Long-lasting relationship isn’t as simple as this when you can’t give what the other wants/needs. It is really heartbreaking to see GJ being supportive to NH and the director, and that NH showing poker face in front of GJ, BY and her kid. But I guess that’s how divorced couples move on but still being friends?

 

@Katsuragi It seems that fans/netizens often associate actors off-screen to their characters they play in drama/TV. Is this normal?

 

[marrez1]

Regarding the screen time of our two lead, I will say that it is only these last two episodes we have not seen them, really just these last two episodes otherwise since the beginning I find that they have a good screentime 
Now where I find that it does not go at all, it is their stories because it is obvious that they must get back together but their stories do not progress, from the beginning it stagnates it is a shame, but as said the comment above,it maybe because  :  to wrap up the stories of others and focus on the leads towards the end of the drama so maybe 60 episodes there

[Katsuragi]

1 hour ago, emerald ox said:

I never watch a weekend drama with 100 episodes, I'm guessing the writers are wrapping up stories with other casts in the current episodes or in the next few weeks. NH and GJ will get more screen time towards the end of the drama, I hope. But the ratings are surprisingly consistently high.  

 

@Katsuragi It seems that fans/netizens often associate actors off-screen to their characters they play in drama/TV. Is this normal?

 

 

 

Well. KBS weekend drama consistently have high ratings though. It's KBS' "staple" with a royal following, like my mom. lol, who has been watching KBS weekend drama for as long as I remember. That's how I get into family/weekend dramas. Once Again is doing well in terms of ratings, but it's not like My Golden Life, another KBS weekend drama, which reached upper-30s in ratings very earlier on ( like episode 16) and eventually broke 45% in the finale.

 

I actually thought the leads to be Chun Ho Jin and Cha Hwa-Yeon, judging from the sequence each character is introduced in the opening: (Chun Ho Ji, Cha Hwa-Heon together, then Lee Minjung, and then Lee Sang-Yeob). It's normal that some characters will have more screen time than others but as I said earlier, but a good weekend drama writer knows how to put multiple lines--both the main and subplot-- into action simultaneously regardless of the screen time. At this point. GJ/NH are mostly like "fillers" or props.

 

Korean netizens' comments can be aggravating. It's really unfair to judge the character of the director by the history of Alex. But then I think they are just angry at the lack of the real interaction between GJ/NH. 

 

@marrez1  The complaints about the stagnant writing and screen time have started weeks ago though. Initially, I just saw few comments, but then the criticisms are just getting louder and gaining momentum this week with less than 5 minutes of screen time. That's why there are news reports. I don't mind so much about the diminished screen time than the poor or non-writing, to say the least. 

 

It's not the end of the world--it's just a drama compared to everything happening in the world. Hopefully LSY and LMJ will collaborate in another drama.

 

 

[emerald ox]

57 minutes ago, jelly said:

Speaking of, in the previews for next wk, everyone in the hospital knows NH has moved on. And he's hugged by his worker, and yet again, GJ plays it off. Grr!

 

The trend for NH-GJ's relationship is now predictable and we can already see what's coming based on the preview! Their dialogues are not that meaningful but thanks to LSY and LMJ's facial expression, I decided to keep watching this drama. It would be a shame to see their acting talents go to waste due to 'boring' lines and arc.

[rocher22]

it was so innocent...poor HS...

[cp23]

So the main lead is MIA, he is starring in another drama,Good Casting. Can't be in two places at once.

[cuplik]

If this drama is still filming, I still have hope that the writer will put NaHee and sunbae together since a lot of people thinks they are more compatible. NaHee can joke around him, speak her mind, be spoiled and be herself with the sunbae. Just because LMJ and LSY are the main leads, doesn't mean they have to be together at the end, it might be a nice ending and might be the original intent but if the writer can't solve their stubbornness, family issue (MILs), communication issues and maybe some personalities issues (GJ's nagging, NH's bluntness, etc), please just pair them each with someone else! Be it the sunbae and the noona, or someone totally new. Sometimes only love is not enough to survive a relationship & marriage. The show can end with both NH & GJ truly in peace with each other & be just friends/coworkers only without any lingering feeling/jealousy and move forward with their respective partners. Maybe be a 'good' in-laws for JS & DH.

 

NH already took one step forward so hopefully GJ will too soon. Though he is barely seen "really" talking to the noona. All we got to see is him interacting with the kids mostly, with the noona around. How did the noona get attracted to someone she barely get to talk to in depth? Just an old feeling from the past? 

 

I also become to hate the love triangle between meat shop ahjussi, kimbab lady, and fried chicken lady. Just pick one already, dude. And when the writer will get the brother & sister reunited? I want to see the sister introduction & inclusion in the family. The family will need a bigger dinner table to include JS (at some point), kimbab lady and maybe the meat shop ahjussi (if he ends up with one of the sisters. The ladies might turn their back on him once they know they are in-laws and he's been flaking both ladies).

 

I laughed when NH pushed DH's hand on the mouse during the exam result announcement because DH kept delaying it. It was so NaHee, so impatient. Hahahahaha.

[the girl who!]

12 hours ago, Katsuragi said:

 

Spoiler

There are a couple of Korean news reporting the missing screen time and narrative of GJ and NH because audience was flooding the TV naver page with complains and negative comments: 

https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=609&aid=0000286394

 

From the comments I read on Saturday night, they only have the screen time of 2 minutes 39 seconds, or something like that...some drama fans even accuse KBS for cheating LSY and LMJ and using their names as baits (these two are indeed bigger names). Fans were angry *not* only because of the reduced screen time for consecutive several weeks, but also because of the crappy writing--it keeps replaying jealousy, while without any attempt to address the issues in communication, mother-in-law, and miscarriage...At this point, both LMJ and LSY are more like special appearances. lol

 

They also find the role of Boyoung "stuffy" (don't know how to translate) and "foxy." And they strongly disagree with Alex's character due to Alex's DUI record in real life.  They claim him to be "greasy"...(it's my literal translation) I don't quite agree with their views. I am okay with Boyoung and Alex. Alex's role is in fact well played and he has great lines. It's just that LMJ and LSY have great chemistry so it's difficult to make an alternative pairing in the same drama. 

 

As for LMJ's acting, I see mostly praise and positive comments, which is quite an exception because Korean fans liked to pick on her in the past, esp with her speech. Some comments I've read are quite funny. For instance, in the scene where NH gets drunk and corrects the director for forcing everyone for drinking gatherings, the most upvoted comment writes, "Lee Byung Hun has succeed" ....I mean it's ridiculous in a way because Korean audience attribute her good acting to the tutelage of her husband. Whether you agree with LBH's personal life or not, he is in reality one top actor in SK. Some already have a positive view of her because she is willing to play a role in a weekend drama with target audience of ajumma.  (I think they didn't know that LMJ shoot to stardom because of the weekend drama Smile You). They like the fact that she shows up in a family drama and apparently she doesn't have "celebrity disease." In the scene where she finally reveals her pain to her mother, audience is in awe of her acting, saying that they didn't know that she is this good.  

 

I don't find her acting "flat"--I am actually happy that she chooses a different character this time because she has never played a dorky and wooden role in the past.

 

I am no longer confident with the writer 양희승 Yang Hee-seung. I mean the triangle between the two aunts and the Boss is turning into a total farce and makjang. The problem is that Yang did not write  Soonpoong Clinic (the most famous family drama in Korean TV history) alone--the main write is Shin Dong-ik if I remember correctly. Judging from Yang's past dramas ,he is really good at penning Kdrama romance that goes through a familiar trajectory:  chance encounters, friendship turned budding romance, pining or self-denial,  confession,  rejection, conflict, jealousy, and reconciliation. That's why sadon CP is so appealing. However, he is not as good in penning the fallout and aftermath of the marriage life. Repeating the same kind of jealous-driven narrative for a divorced couple simply doesn't work for a family drama of 100 episodes. I don't like Familiar Wife he writes( Go Back Couple for me is far more superior) but at least there are far more meatier contents in Familiar Wife.

 

Anyway. At least the writer is making Sadon shippers happy.   The guy playing SJ is very talented and I am happy that he gets recognition he deserves. And Maybe Korean ajumma enjoy the triangle between the two aunts and boss yang? Ultimately they are the ones who decide the rating. I will take a break from this drama at this point. Till then.

 

 

 

Hmm...It has been weeks with a minimum of screen time and meaningless plot. ..it is noted by Korean audience that there is literally no development after Nahee moves out except to replicate the jealousy trope ad infinitum. 

 

Family drama, esp.KBS weekend drama, is a genre by itself, requiring an commendable set of crafts in writing. The writer needs to create a delicate balancing act between all different characters, between cliches of romance, family dynamics, and the current social issues. Yang Hee-seung wrote High School King of Savvy which I LOVE, and Oh My Ghost and Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo are also cute. Sadon CP is so well written and you can find some similar patterns between Sadon CP and the love stories she wrote in her early works. I thought this drama will touch on the issue of divorce (SK has one of the highest divorce rates) but then she seems to be more interested in proliferating new romances rather than examining the issues. It's probably because romance is what she is really good at.

 

I personally appreciate the storyline of how the old brother's ex-wife has to cope with the two kids-- I don't care for the older brother and his company though--and I also like the depiction of the relationship between Gahee and her son. I just wish there were more. Anyway. Everyone has their own cup of tea. 

 

THIS SO MUCH. I agree so much with this post especially with the part in red. The problem here is the writer, I dont even know why some ppl is making this look like a thing of rivalry between the couples , popularity or who is the bigger name  , this is a family drama and each storyline and couple will have their own moment to shine , aka more screentime, ....  Jae Seok just confesed his feelings, its a big moment for the sadon couple storyline so its obvious they need to have more screentime just like when Na Hee and Gyu Jin just got divorced and almost half of every episode was about them. 

 

Its pretty obvious the writer is really good at safe and cute romance plots and that why the sadon couple is working fine but she's failing big time with the development of the divorce storyline. sigh. whats with all that jealousy scenes again and again? At this point i'm about to start rooting for Na Hee and sunbae   , I want to believe she's dragging this storyline on purpose since we aren't even on the half of the drama but I dont know .... 

 

Both Na Hee and Gyu Jin are clearly not the typical leads, both of them aren't exactly likeable and I think both LMJ and LSY are doing a good job portraying them . I just find the situation upsetting because a good writer would have do wonders with two 'unlikeable' characters who rediscover the love that united them once ... ahhh, there was so much potential T-T 

 

sorry for my pretty limited english, reason why its a bit difficult for me to join the conversation 

[Katsuragi]

9 hours ago, jelly said:

I know that for K-dramas due to the live shooting system (Once Again is currently shooting), that they alter storylines due to audience reaction. It could be the case here with Sadon couple having more screen time in these 2 episodes. My concern is that these 2 episodes we had this week could signal for us what to expect for the Doctor couple going forward.

 

IA with what everyone has to say regarding this couple, with Sadon couple and Kimbap lady and the Meat guy, Gahee and the young guy, we see movement. I did wonder if because this is a longer show that they are saving this couple's moments for the latter end of the show. I hope so, because it gets to the point for the last 2-3 weeks where I feel like I'm writing the same thing with GJ and NH lol. I want to check back on this couple 1 month later to see if the writer has done any progress to them, because I don't feel like writing about the same thing with this couple .

 

 

 

 

Sadon couple is certainly the hot item. Both the actor (JS) and actress (DH) has entered the top 10 list of GOODDATA--yay! I am very happy for both of them because both of them have very natural performance!!  JS and DH have always been the focus from the get-go, because the series begins with the dissolution of DH's marriage, JS' return from Turkey and their chance encounter. I have the feeling that the director is recreating another fabulous drama couple,  like the one from My Father is Strange. The drama couple from My Father is Strange ended up dating in real life. 

 

As we all know about the ripple effect,  certain characters are better written and thus become popular , which will earn more screen time for the characters, and the actors and actresses playing them will become even more popular. This is just the reality of live shooting system. As one Korean comments says it well, the drama feels like a rom-com starring Sadon CP..Now,  Kang Chang-hee from SF9 will have a special appearance, playing DH's college classmate. Lee Sung Kyung will probably play a girl JS has known from his times abroad. I am fine with JS/DS to become the main couple that the drama promotes, but I have problems with intentional sidelining of the characters that make me interested in the show in the first place. At this point, I would prefer the writer to send NH or GJ abroad to study than staying in this pointless circle of jealousy, regret, self-blame turned self-numbing. C'mon-- this is a mass entertainment aired every weekend, not Gertrude Stein's avant-garde modernist novels in which nothing happens but just endless repetition of the same plots and the same kind of emotional states. . I agree with @jelly that the writer simply does not know how to deal with the couple at this point.

 

It's consoling to see that the drama NAVER  page has discussions on GJ/NH's issues, just like here in Soompi https://entertain.naver.com/tvBrand/11665369

 

@emerald ox hahaha I feel the same! I got excited when KBS posted the drama stills with LMJ and LSY,  and wait religiously for the airing because I saw them in the preview. And what happens? You get literally what you have seen in the stills and preview!!! Nothing more. HAHAHAHA Are you kidding me? I keep asking myself. I seriously expect too much... I am not even their fans, but I am just invested in their story.... 

 

@cuplikThat's what I feel about Boyoung. Does she simply want a father for her son? It's totally fine and in fact respectable. Yet, there is no writing on that front either. Her son keeps pushing her mom and GJ together. Gj is nice to Shiho because he is always into kids (that's why NH feels guilty about her miscarriage)--* not* because he is BY's kid. He is also so pleasant next to BY and SH--pleasant but absent-minded as you observe rightly. He is only his true nagging self with NH. 

 

I love the scene where all the siblings celebrate DH's success. Yes. I burst out laughing when NH hit the mouse. Even such a small action shows LMJ is totally in the character of NH, and they really have the chemistry like sisters. 

 

@the girl who! Yes. The writer has done wonders in portraying heart-fluttering cute romance. To be fair, even though NH's conflict with her mom is difficult to stomach, the writer has done a great job in showing how NH, with a type A personality, shoulders everything by herself because she feels that she has failed her mother's expectation, and the expectation of her then-husband with her miscarriage. Even the gossip over NH's divorce among the ajumma in the supermarket feels so real because that's what they do. Divorce is still much a social stigma in Asian societies, and children's divorce is certainly a mark of shame for their parents.

 

I agree that NH and GH are not typical likable roles, which is why I love this pairing. Even though I was critical of GJ earlier, he is "real" and he is an adult with self-awareness of his own problems. With such two "real" characters, I wonder why the writer has to rely on the gratuitous cliches of jealousy and triangle. 

[letsgoa_s]

7 hours ago, cp23 said:

So the main lead is MIA, he is starring in another drama,Good Casting. Can't be in two places at once.

I think that drama was pre-filmed and Once Again is live-shooting. 

 

12 hours ago, emerald ox said:

As an outsider, one would think NH should get pregnant and provide GJ a family to make him happy, and GJ should be cool-headed and pours NH love and attention to make her happy.

She did try to get pregnant--an earlier episode showed NH trying to sleep with GJ, but he didn't want to because they had just been fighting. 

[schummy_lover]

since i only watch this only for GJ-NH, i only watch in instagram post and wondering why this week not many post about them..

[the girl who!]