My corner of Soompi

[Lmangla]

hey chingus! we are kicking off a new event called 'my corner of Soompi' where we share how we have been unwinding in our little corner over the past month. so how is September looking for you? quite a few dramas have premiered. are you catching up on them?

 

my corner:

events & other thoughts ~ the admin has updated the site with a new gif feature! have you seen it on your quote box? (second row, far right - icon says 'gif'). my fellow EO @partyon and other chingus all seem to be gif masters and can find a gif for every reaction/emotion. meanwhile, am a noob wondering how to operate this LOL!

 

 

so through the event re-watch party, discovered someone who is watching 17 dramas! I don't know how you do it @backstreetboysfan !!! I am not much of a fan but I love reading fan feels -- the enthusiasm, the energy can be totally infectious! inspired by the fan post by @lebeaucouple about Kim Soo Hyun, we have created a new event series called thread spotlight -- have you checked it out? if you haven't, do see the spotlight on record of youth and Lee Min Ho. they are so much fun to read!

 

dramaland ~ what I love about watching dramas with soompi chingus is that a drama does not have to be particularly brainy to have some awesome conversations -- so in 'Faith' re-watch, we had this great conversation about keeping promises and whether it is practical, was blown away by the insights on fate and destiny in 'Moon embracing the sun' re-watch...

 

am glad that the dreadful daily drama 'Fatal Promise' finally finished! the leads were utterly dumb and the villains were even more but hey, they were a bit more entertaining in the way they glared and gnashed their teeth. I was just sorry that crazy abba mama stopped doing her dance towards the end -- but then again, she was just depressed towards the end as she had lost everything ...

 

but dailys are a whole load of crazy fun. so when your leads are pathetically nice, you have to rely on a 14 year old to tune into his teenage angst and throw tantrums. yea, we are all expecting the evil & annoying folks in 'My mom is having an affair' to finally be defeated by a teenager!

 

and as for 'A man in the veil' -- well, lets see, so there's evil twin who is sad and frustrated that she doesn't have money, dumps her very nice boyfriend at the traffic signal and is manipulating our male lead, who is mentally diminished, so that she can marry him and take over his wealth. oh, this is all week 1 ~ thats some gold climber strategy kdrama style!

 

enjoying 'Lie of lies' -- it is so theatrical. I thought I have seen all sorts of evil mother-in-laws in dramaland but this one totally gives me the creeps! talking about strange mother-in-laws, am till holding out hope for baek mama in 'Flower of evil', maybe she will die but she will protect cutie egg tart eun ha no?!

 

so what has been happening in your little corner of Soompi these past few weeks! let us know!

 

tagging some friends! ~ @larus @H0ney @MinLyn @Jillia @Berou @Min2206 @Thong Thin @Sleepy Owl @tas82 @dolorisbrady @brooksmom @joccu @tulip06 @maribella @LeftCoastOppa @shana0127 @msdot @JoannaID @Nodame @ncly @Aleumdaun @CarolynH @Fangirl22 @YongZura⁷  @Bejaffled @yamiyugi @Ldy Gmerm @seungshin @Secretz @chococarmela  @Latte_Anyday @chickfactor @syntyche @CallieP @scrawford @SophieH @0ly40 @1ouise @UnniSarah @Sakurafairy @shamrockmom @mirmz @gumtaek @Nikaa94 @madmad min @Hohoho  @mademoisellesia   .......

[larus]

For me September is a busy month because after the summer vacation I start working again.

But I still find time to watch my kdramas.

 

My dramas this month:

 

I finished JTBC drama Graceful Friends. I liked that the characters in the drama had flaws and felt like real people. It is was about friends, the ups and down of their own relationship. The mystery of two murder cases kept me interested in the drama. Even the person who did the biggest mistakes got a redemtion in the end. The drama wrapped up plot lines and gave us closure but some questions remains. 

 

I am watching Flower of Evil as well. I never believed that Do Hyun-soo is her father accomplice and I always find the Baek family creepy. Now that we know who is the baddie, I am waiting to see how they will be caught. 

 

I start watching Lies After Lies knowing  well that it is not my favorite genre. I still like the leads but the story doesn`t interest me. I think I will drop the drama because time is precious.

 

I like musical dramas and I like Do You Like Brahms?. I like the how the protagonists are drawn to each other, they spend time together and understand each other. A healing drama that give me warmth after watching it. I love listening to the classical music used in the drama and about the life of Brahms and Schumman and his wife, Clara. I read their biographies after watching the first episodes.

 

Alice and Stanger 2 are my favorites at the moment. Both shows keep me thinking a lot and keep me engaged 100%.  Perhaps they are my favorite genre and both did not disappoint. I am waiting for more shows like those two.

 

 

 

 

[Lmangla]

@larus ~ I hadn't heard of this composer brahms till this drama aired and was wondering what kind of title is that. while this drama sounds way too angsty for my taste, learned a bit of musical history. wonder what kind of music this brahms fella made? was it all angsty reflecting his own personal life?

[larus]

26 minutes ago, Lmangla said:

I hadn't heard of this composer brahms till this drama aired and was wondering what kind of title is that. while this drama sounds way too angsty for my taste, learned a bit of musical history. wonder what kind of music this brahms fella made? was it all angsty reflecting his own personal life?

 

 I knew who was Brahms but I have not read his biography before. I heard about Schumman and his wife but I did not know about the story of three of them. Brahms, Schumman and Clara were friends. Brahms did not have an angsty life. He was in love with his mentor `s wife but he never crosses the line. His love was pure and respectful.  He brought comfort to Clara after his her husband died, composing her some music (she was a pianist). 

I think you heard Brahms music before but probably you did not know it was his composition.

Who did not watch Disney`s Pigs in a Polka? Maybe you watch it too.

It was made with Brahms`s Hyungarian dances.

 

 

 

26 minutes ago, Lmangla said:

while this drama sounds way too angsty for my taste, learned a bit of musical history.

 

No, the drama is not ansty. Lie of Lies is more ansty in my opinion and something that not happen in real life.

In Do You Like Brahms, both protagonists are silently in love with other persons and it is an unrequated love. Sort of. They will spend time together and they will became friends and fall in love. It is an ordinary love story that it is possible happening in real life.

[maribella]

 @LmanglaI am reading a  few Drama forums. Flower of evil is scary, the acting is great. It took me a few dramas to like LJG. He reminded me of Boy George who was really weird. But his Arang and the magistrate was so entertaining, I am now his fan. I read soompi forum before deciding if the episode is too scary to watch. The little daughter is so sweet.

Lies of lies is one that I watch. Lee Yoo Ri always plays my kind of hero - strong and focus. She'll beat that psycho female at her own tricks.

 

This takes me to Do you like Brahms? I saw FL in the first episode. There was a lot of age defining talk - I guess for them to decide how to address each other. She was 29 and she was so submissive that her family did not show her much respect. I expected an undergraduate or a fresh graduate to show more confidence  than her. I can't watch it, too annoying. Maybe they make FL and ML very reticent to the point of submissive because they are musically inclined and therefore sensitive?  Ah well, not my cup-a-tea, but I still read the forum because I want to see how the two love triangles turn out, One woman two men who are good friends and one man two women who are good friends.

 

Finishing up Once again, my kind of show families with normal problems. Will update.

[Lmangla]

27 minutes ago, larus said:

I think you heard Brahms music before but probably you did not know it was his composition.

Who did not watch Disney`s Pigs in a Polka? Maybe you watch it too.

It was made with Brahms`s Hyungarian dances.

ah I see! yes, I have heard this before...

 

27 minutes ago, larus said:

Lie of Lies is more ansty in my opinion and something that not happen in real life.

hahahahha.... that is exactly my liking of angst! give me over the top unrealistic angst any time of the day. hahahahha...

 

but like @maribella notes, what I enjoy about lie of lies is that lee yoo ri is portraying a strong woman who claws back. I can't stand these female leads who cry for so many episodes and even their revenge is so passive that you want to face palm and pull out your hair! can you tell that I watch a lot of daily/weekend dramas?

 

P.S ~ @maribella ~ yea, even I see the flower of evil thread sometimes instead of watching the episode if I am running out of time. yea, forum is best that way -- still can be updated without watching!

 

[larus]

49 minutes ago, Lmangla said:

hahahahha.... that is exactly my liking of angst! give me over the top unrealistic angst any time of the day. hahahahha...

 

We are different in our taste of dramas. I prefere realistic angst and real life problems. I noticed you watch a lot of daily dramas. I never like them and I hope I will never watch one of them. But it is great that there are so many kdramas and different genre for all of us.

 

50 minutes ago, Lmangla said:

ah I see! yes, I have heard this before...

See? I was sure you heard his music before.  So, do you like Brahms?

 

[Sleepy Owl]

For me too September might end up being a busy month in terms real life and job. But well finding time for watching Kdramas is something I think everyone here is an expert in. 

 

I am currently watching 9 dramas, which actually might be increased to 12 dramas if 18 Again, Private Lives and More Than Friends premier according to their new schedule and don't get postponed because of the pandemic. Maybe will leave one or two of them and go for binge watching, but will initially try to follow them weekly. 

 

I did complete Graceful Friends which was a good drama with some really great mysteries and a fine ending. I was attracted to that drama because of the all star casting of some really great experienced actor/actresses, which is something rare for me to do, because I go for the plot first. Had some WTH moments, but could be understood and digested. For me it was a nice drama and got me hooked up till the last episode. 

 

Anyway, among the dramas I am watching currently, I actually am enjoying Alice, which literally made me go back to the physics theory I studied back in school. That's what I love about such dramas, make you think a lot, sometimes make you do your own research based on the theories they are using. So for it was fun going through all those Physics theories and also coming up with my theories regarding what we can expect in the drama and also answer to the mysteries.

 

Along with it Stranger 2, is what I am always looking forward to every week end. Each episode, might seem slow sometimes, has developments which sometimes are not really apparent to the viewers initially. This is the type of drama which makes you want to watch the episode more than once to notice those small minute details and hints given in each episode.

 

My weekends are really packed with dramas and I am also watching Lies of Lies. It has been a long time I watched a drama in that genre. I was actually gonna ignore this drama, but having lurked around its thread, seeing some excitement by the members there and also the availability of Lee Yoo Ri made me want to try it. Not disappointed by the 2 episodes, will see how the others go. 

 

Started Record of Youth while searching for some light dramas. Liked the first two episodes. Was suggested to try Do You Like Brahms? watched the first 2 episodes after being hesitant at first and but seeing the story corresponding to story of Brahms, I am interested now to see how things go. Both these dramas have an ability to make the viewer sometimes relate to the situations they sometimes portray and are sort of warm for the viewers. Of course, not to mention till now.

 

My wed-thurs slot only has Flower of The Evil. Watched it with some different expectations. Wanted to actually see Lee Joon Ki in a more negative role than they showed. Even though the story did not go how I had thought/wished it to go, I liked the way it was going, but the recent episode made me disappointed a lot . I hope the plot won't go downhill from here. 

 

 

While I am following the above dramas on weekly basis. I am also re-watching Empress Ki which I had watched a couple of years ago (maybe more). And I am trying to complete The Good Detective which I am planning to finish in a week.   

 

 

[Lmangla]

22 minutes ago, Sleepy Owl said:

I am currently watching 9 dramas

I am barely watching six and not able to keep up! hahahaha... so it is more like five dramas that I watch for sure and flower of evil is dependent on time and interest.

 

25 minutes ago, Sleepy Owl said:

My wed-thurs slot only has Flower of The Evil. Watched it with some different expectations. Wanted to actually see Lee Joon Ki in a more negative role than they showed. Even though the story did not go how I had thought/wished it to go, I liked the way it was going, but the recent episode made me disappointed a lot . I hope the plot won't go downhill from here. 

yea I keep going through dips and ups with this drama -- some episodes I totally love and there are some episodes where I am actually falling asleep while watching. does not help that I am basically catching up right before my bed time. I read comments on forum for ep 13 and it made me giggle that a patient who was in coma for 16 years is already up and running and doing some crimes. this is super villain! so yea, tempered expectations and we would enjoy the ending I think!

 

40 minutes ago, larus said:

 

We are different in our taste of dramas. I prefere realistic angst and real life problems. I noticed you watch a lot of daily dramas. I never like them and I hope I will never watch one of them. But it is great that there are so many kdramas and different genre for all of us.

 

See? I was sure you heard his music before.  So, do you like Brahms?

 

not sure if I like brahms -- it is okay for cartoons?! LOL, I don't know to describe the kind of music I respond to best... daily dramas are an easy watch for me because it is only 30 minutes. you can be having a meal, playing on the phone and still be able to watch with half an eye closed! and if you don't have time to watch, just watch the next episode the following day and you will pretty much know what's going on anyway! LOL....

 

15 minutes ago, Jillia said:

Aside from watching "Empress Ki" for the first time, no words needed, right, @partyon?

 

so have you been charmed yet by ji chang wook?

[alleram95]

My September is sure going to be busier than last month... 

 

Last month after finishing It's Okay to not be Okay, I only have one drama that I follow, Once Again which will air its last episode tomorrow... As it is a weekend drama, I have my up and downs for the last 6 months but it sure did make my weekend more colorful.

Other than drama, I have to say goodbye to a summer project group SSAK3, which was a project group for variety show How do you play? I was really happy for the last 3 months and looked forward Saturday so much because of them (other than Saturday is a weekend, of course  )

 

For the new release drama, so far I have watched Alice, Do You Like Brahms, Lie After Lie and I quite like them all. I plan to watch Record of Youth under my currently watching list. And from the premier, Oh Samgwang Villa looks interesting too. I'm going to be busy indeed 

 

Hope all of you are staying safe and healthy  

[Lmangla]

8 minutes ago, alleram95 said:

Other than drama, I have to say goodbye to a summer project group SSAK3, which was a project group for variety show How do you play? I was really happy for the last 3 months and looked forward Saturday so much because of them (other than Saturday is a weekend, of course  )

are variety shows like dramas now? only a short span? used to watch WGM which went on for a few years...

 

9 minutes ago, alleram95 said:

And from the premier, Oh Samgwang Villa looks interesting too. I'm going to be busy indeed 

is that a drama? variety show?

[Sleepy Owl]

6 minutes ago, Lmangla said:

I am barely watching six and not able to keep up! hahahaha... so it is more like five dramas that I watch for sure and flower of evil is dependent on time and interest.

 

yea I keep going through dips and ups with this drama -- some episodes I totally love and there are some episodes where I am actually falling asleep while watching. does not help that I am basically catching up right before my bed time. I read comments on forum for ep 13 and it made me giggle that a patient who was in coma for 16 years is already up and running and doing some crimes. this is super villain! so yea, tempered expectations and we would enjoy the ending I think!

 

Yeah, I try to use my weekends to catch up most of the dramas. Especially Empress Ki and well the 5 weekend dramas I am watching. 

 

As for FOE's villain, I really won't be commenting much. I was liking the plot up until now because what all was happening seemed realistic. But him standing with days after waking from coma, having enough strength to overpower a woman and kill her, is too much. So it already ruined the drama for me to an extent, now I really hope they'll ruin the whole drama with similar not to logical events.

 

 

[Lmangla]

23 minutes ago, Jillia said:

I completey forget I'm chill-watching "Man in a Veil" and OH BOY! This is such a daily drama mess I'm loving it.

bawahahahah..... perfect choice of gif! it is why I enjoy daily dramas because you can really cackle at how insane it is! I love that we don't even question how unrealistic it is, we already know it is a mess! I was trying to come up with a short summary of the first week but can't! LOL...

 

 

32 minutes ago, Jillia said:

I tried Healer but the drama didn't click with me. Not even JCW's abs in the first scene could keep me watching.

is this the drama where he fights in the shower? and he has abs all over? LOL... guess you are not that fan of abs if that didn't induce you to watch the drama....

 

[larus]

1 hour ago, Sleepy Owl said:

I am currently watching 9 dramas, which actually might be increased to 12 dramas if 18 Again, Private Lives and More Than Friends premier according to their new schedule and don't get postponed because of the pandemic.

 

9 is a lot but 12? I think 8 was the maximum for me.

Curently I am watching 5 dramas. And I am watching King of the Masked singer every week or I watch two episodes after two weeks.

 

35 minutes ago, Lmangla said:

I read comments on forum for ep 13 and it made me giggle that a patient who was in coma for 16 years is already up and running and doing some crimes. this is super villain!

I did not read the comments but they are right. I rolled my eyes when the coma patient wake up and in a couple of days was perfectly fine.

 

 

[Sleepy Owl]

5 minutes ago, larus said:

 

9 is a lot but 12? I think 8 was the maximum for me.

Curently I am watching 5 dramas. And I am watching King of the Masked singer every week or I watch two episodes after two weeks.

 

Quit gaming for the time being because all the games I am waiting for will come around New Year. Actually following that many dramas in not that hard, if you sleep a bit late like me. I don't watch dramas during day time (except during weekends). I watch the dramas at night, wait for the subs to come and sleep after watching the episode. Until or unless the subs don't really come out late, then it changes the whole story. That's why I think it is manageable for me. Because 5-6 dramas from that list will be aired during weekends, so I'll most probably manage it. 

 

But then again, I might drop a couple of them to manage if things really get hectic. 

 

I used to watch many shows like that, even watched King of the Masked singer or really used to wait for Sundays to watch The Return of Superman. But nowadays, it is really hard to keep track all that, so I watch some clips of it on Youtube. That specific show is a great stress reliever, seeing all those cute kids. 

[tulip06]

I was not aware of Brahms before this show.  I am more into Chopin and Mozart as far the limited classical music I know goes.  And what they play of Brahms doesn't appeal much.  I think what matters is Joon Young's situation and how comes through in his playing.

 

As for dramas, I think right now I'm really down to Lie of Lies Ep 3, Man in a Veil, and Do You like Brahms.  I'm iffy on Missing The Other side.  For instance, I'd forgotten about episode 4 all week, and now I don't care.  I think I'll just go to episode 5.

 

Re JCW and his abs: he's not the only one with good looks and amazing abs.  Just wait for Lee Si Kang in Man in a Veil.  I guarantee his shirt will go missing to the other side!

[alleram95]

2 hours ago, Lmangla said:

are variety shows like dramas now? only a short span? used to watch WGM which went on for a few years...

 

How Do You Play has several projects that have been done by Yoo Jae Seok as the main character. He got several persona. For last summer, he did a mixed group project with Lee Hyo Ri and Rain, bringing back the 90s feels of K-music. The reason I was excited of the project because I missed their interactions during the old days in variety show (Family Outing).

Hmm several variety show did last for several episodes only or a seasonal project. For example is Three Meals A Day by Na Young Suk PD. It has several episodes and sometimes with a different casts for different season. 

I did watch WGM, especially during the season 2

 

2 hours ago, Lmangla said:

is that a drama? variety show?

Oh, Samgwang Villa is a weekend drama. It will airs after Once Again finished airing. You don't watch weekend drama these days? We did meet each other for the first time in a weekend drama thread years ago

 

2 hours ago, Jillia said:

@alleram95

YAY! How about maybe joining us in the "Do You Like Brahms?", "Lies of Lies" or/and "Record of Youth" thread. Of course, only if you have time for it. Would be awesome to read some more thoughts on those dramas.

 

No promises, but I'll try. Probably in Lie of Lies since it airs in Fri-Sat drama slot. 

[Lmangla]

30 minutes ago, alleram95 said:

Oh, Samgwang Villa is a weekend drama. It will airs after Once Again finished airing. You don't watch weekend drama these days? We did meet each other for the first time in a weekend drama thread years ago

it depends on the weekend drama; tried once again but the first few episodes were not my taste. the sticky factor was missing for me and I just lost interest.. will check this if I have some time.

 

1 hour ago, tulip06 said:

Re JCW and his abs: he's not the only one with good looks and amazing abs.  Just wait for Lee Si Kang in Man in a Veil.  I guarantee his shirt will go missing to the other side!

is this the second lead who has yet to show up? looked him up. have you seen him in other dramas?

so for reference for those who love abs. cough @partyon....

 

veil abs

 

vs

healing abs

[lebeaucouple]

@Lmangla

Thanks for remembering me so well by tagging me again

Well, my last two watched dramas just ended recently "my Graceful friends" and "It's Okay not to be okay" - i prefer the latter one as it really impacted us in real life. There are many positive life lessons that we can take away and learn from the drama. The best part was using fairy tales for each episode to share the moral of the story. I love each fairy tale given by the writer that can bring life and meaning to each ep. It is so much different from any ordinary romance Kdrama.

How we define happy ending is up to the individuals and I am sure most people desire to have the plot achieve a happy resolution, simply because happy ending can instill the belief that obstacles can be overcome in the end, and we hope the pleasure can outweigh the pain and sadness from the past.

The drama also implied that: Traveling together, traveling separately, traveling alone, is the only way telling us life is such that we have to accept being alone sometimes, and separation from our loved ones doesn't always mean a sad thing in life, because it signify to set them free, and let them become independent and allow them to find their own happiness.The determination and peace of mind to the three protagonists gave the whole ending a continuity and vitality. Bravo. The last ep for this drama just came with a perfect closure and meaning.

This drama will stay in my heart for a very long time, at least whenever I see the three celebrities' names in future, I will always remember this drama for sure. I will vote for this drama "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" as the Best drama and best actor/actress and supporting actor of 2020 if there isn't any better than this for the last quarter of the year.

I am currently watching the drama in September : "Alice", "Stranger 2" , "Flower of Evil" and "Missing : the other side". The rest are not in my cup of tea list. Among all the four, I like "flower of evil" at this moment because of the high intense storyline at the moment.

 

I am waiting for the upcoming "Penthouse" and "Search" (OCN). I like thriller, suspense, mysterious and scientific storyline. Many dramas started out strong and easily hooked us in, but it went down as the story moved on, and the ending can turn out to a disappointment or sometimes certain plots can be redundant, so let's see how the current Four dramas that I watched will bring us to a good closure? I don't mind a roller coaster ride when watching a drama, but it must be ended with a meaningful ride, at least the time spent on watching is well worth it.

[maribella]

I am not very musical, though I do make an effort to go to classical concerts at least once a year or every couple of years. I am surprised for some people Brahms is not known, much less popular. 
I knew his music as one of the 3Bs, Beethoven, Bach and Brahms. So I just checked  if I am outdated and found there is a holy Trinity of Music. That's new to me.