s1m0n4#kDrama #MyLiberationNotes Ep 1 - no spoilers.
I wasted 10 min of my life trying to find Sanpo in the Gyeong-gi province on Naver Maps before realizing (thanks to Wikipedia!) that they made this village/city up 😂
I could localize Su-won though!
I hope I'm not triggering anyone with this, but so far I'm more bored than hooked.
Sure, the dialogues are deep. The frustration and alienation are both well depicted.
However Ki-jeong has been working for the past 14 years, Chang-hee for 8. Why can't they afford a place closer to their job? Where did all their money go? They can't even buy a car and they have a Seoul salary.
Is that realistic? I'm skeptical 🧐
Joakim Fors
@joakimfors
Now we're talking! I didn't drop it because the main couple had a certain potential. Finally I see them fulfilling it.
Still not sure why Chang-hee has no money of his own. Is his mother truly confiscating it? And why isn't she doing the same for Mi-jeong? And what about Ki-jeong, why is she broke too?
I believe Ki-jeong will finally have to choose between her boss and the single dad. Interesting!
My son had a similar intensely joyful reaction when he first tried the WC with an integrated bidet in SK 😂. As Italian™️, I personally still prefer the traditional one.
Anyway now the #kDrama is turning away from boredom and slowness towards captivating comedy, romance and even a bit of action. Calling it a late bloomer is an understatement!
Predictions:
1️⃣ Hyun-ah knows Mr Gu and his past
2️⃣ Hyun-ah will end up with Chang-hee
A lot of good things can be said about this #kDrama , however I personally find the change of pace chaotic and a bit confusing too. Painfully slow until ep 7, then it speeds up and it's imho most enjoyable until ep 13. The last 3 episodes get back to snail 🐌 pace. The main couple doesn't end up having a relationship. It's one-sided therapy. The 2nd couple is depressing too and I find it hard to believe that Mr Yeom quickly finds a new wife.
@s1m0n4 Hehe, yeah, it's not for everyone. But now you've seen it at least. 
It's the ambience and the dialogue that does it for me. I really like the pressure/frustration that the slowness brings. Really liked it the first time around but my second watch recently was even better as I could enjoy the dialogue and subtleties even more.
We Are All Trying Here might not be for you. 
… similar but also quite different.
@joakimfors another thing that bothered me is Chang-hee and Hyun-ah story line. What's the point in building up a romance to just show a few sad scenes?
Why couldn't the writers at least give us a happy couple?
Life isn't like that. There are complicated relationships, but there are also easy ones. The second part is cruelly missing.
@joakimfors I figured We Are All Trying Here might not suit me. People say it has #MyMister or #MyLiberationNotes vibes and I couldn't even get to the end the 1st episode in MM.
The dialogues are actually the reason I kept watching MLN. And later the humour.
It's deep, insightful, sometimes hilarious too. It has many good qualities, however filling up pieces of the past puzzle to just get a sad picture at the end isn't what I personally like in a #kDrama
The dialogues are actually the reason I kept watching MLN. And later the humour.
It's deep, insightful, sometimes hilarious too. It has many good qualities, however filling up pieces of the past puzzle to just get a sad picture at the end isn't what I personally like in a #kDrama
sbi@s1m0n4 @joakimfors I think we've done this before, but I cannot sit on my hands here: MM is the best kdrama I have ever seen. It's been that way for two years now, and through me watching 100+ other dramas.
@sbi
Having now watched MLN, I'm even more reluctant to give MM another shot.
Main reasons:
1️⃣ It's boring like MLN and, unlike MLN, in MM the dialogues aren't smart or deep from the start
2️⃣ I already mentioned this, but no female character is given an important role in the first episode.
It's a work of male characters.
3️⃣ I read here that it's a romance story without even a kiss. Sorry, that only adds to its unrealistic side.
I'd say there's more action in MM than MLN… and the FL is the strongest and most pivotal role along with a lot of "2FLs". No kiss "romance" is totally fine in this case. But yeah. Not a good idea to tackle MM right now. I'd say on a whole MM has more light and funny moments than MLN… some very dark ones too though.
@joakimfors
The humour is one of the things I really enjoyed in MLN and I saw glimpse of it from ep 01, when colleagues asked where Sanpo is and they won't even listen to the answer.
Topic resurfacing later in the 1st episode when Chang-hee calls his gf "lover".
I didn't smile with MM. Why should I go on with a drama if it doesn't sell to me in its first 40' or so? Would you order a dessert at a restaurant if you don't like the food?
@s1m0n4 @joakimfors As I said elsethread, you are certainly free to dislike MM. However, just because a drama shows a development from a bleak presence to a better future, and thus doesn't show much things to laugh about in ep 1, that does not mean it doesn't have much to laugh about.
@sbi
The point I'm making is that it didn't sell to me, personally. I always look for clues on how a k-drama might develop. If I find one element I can appreciate, I continue to watch it, otherwise I drop it.
Again, would you order dessert at a restaurant that didn't serve you a good dish in the first place? I don't think so.
Mel@s1m0n4 @sbi @joakimfors I agree that episode 1 of MM is not giving a lot. If I had not already heard that it was a great series, I might have dropped it after that one as well. Now, it is my favorite one, together with Lost/Unfit to be human. Soooo many layers of excellent storytelling. And the women are so strong and beautiful
@s1m0n4 @joakimfors It often took me rather long until a drama clicked with me, so I know to stick through the first few episodes. (Our Blues took the longest.)
And, if the restaurant is known for their bad soup but excellent dessert, then, yes, of course I'd try their dessert!
But, again, YMMV, and that's OK with me.
And, if the restaurant is known for their bad soup but excellent dessert, then, yes, of course I'd try their dessert!
But, again, YMMV, and that's OK with me.
@s1m0n4 1) There are many very funny dialogs in MM, and a lot of very funny scenes.
2) There are several very strong female characters in MM, first among them the FL. But she does not start out strong. However, her development is one of the best aspects of this drama.
3) The ML & FL do not have a romantic relationship, so they do not kiss. But there are romantic relationships between side characters.
That said, you might still not like it. And that's OK. (But it can't be for those reasons.)
2) There are several very strong female characters in MM, first among them the FL. But she does not start out strong. However, her development is one of the best aspects of this drama.
3) The ML & FL do not have a romantic relationship, so they do not kiss. But there are romantic relationships between side characters.
That said, you might still not like it. And that's OK. (But it can't be for those reasons.)