K-drama Hot Takes - Part 2 / Ep. 91

On Episode 91 of the Daebak K-Rambles Podcast, Jess and friend Carol from Kdramas Musings return for Part 2 of the Hot Takes series.

In Part 2, Jess and Carol stoke the flames as they talk through more hot takes from the comments section of Jess's viral TikTok. Song Kang, Cha Eun-woo, Park Min-young, Han So-hee, tropes like childhood connection and miscommunication, old faves like rich man-poor girl and the white truck of doom, and yes, even Goblin are all on the chopping block. Did your favorite trope or top K-drama get flamed? You gotta listen to find out!

The hot takes series sees Jess—and Daebak guests—share, debate, and discuss controversial, spicy, unpopular opinions related to K-drama.

GUESTS: Carol

• Kdrama Musings Podcast: Available on Spotify, Google, Apple

• Instagram: @kdramasmusings

• TikTok: @kdramamusings

Intro Music Credit: “Golden Coconut Club” by Tearliner, from the Cheese in the Trap OST. Used with permission from the artist.

Rate and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, follow us on all the socials, and be sure to let us know what you want to see in Season 7!

Episode Transcript

(00:19):
I'm Jessica and this is Teba KiaRambles, where a couple of
friends review Korean dramas. Except we're back to talk more
crap about K Drama Land because this is Part 2 of the Hot Take
series where we have, well, I have collected so many hot takes
from this viral TikTok that I posted several months ago.
And me and Carol, my special guest Carol from K Drama Musings

(00:43):
podcast have a long ways to go yet.
So, Carol, Are you ready to continue on this journey?
Yes, OK, let's do this. All right, but before we do, if
this is your first time listening, please go ahead and
subscribe on your favorite podcast app.
We're on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and
many more. And if you like us, please give
us a five star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

(01:05):
Come and check us out on social media to stay up to date on our
latest episodes and reviews. You can find us on Instagram,
Facebook, and of course, TikTok at Tibak Pod DAEBAKPOD.
And lastly, if you're a fan, please consider becoming a
patron. It's a great way for you to get
involved and share your support.You can check out the page on
patreon.com/debakpad and shout out to our patients, Janet,

(01:28):
Curtis, Bale, Cindy, CD, Alana, Grace, Lorna, Sammy, Caitlin,
Julia #1, Michelle, Tanmay, Martha, Delphia, Maria, Sarah,
Julia #2, Pam, and Angie. Thank you so much for being
patrons. OK, so we're going to get into
right into Part 2 right now. Next up, we have a drama on the
chopping block. Isabel said Goblin is overhyped.

(01:51):
The age gap between Kung Yu and King Goon was hard for me to
look past PXZ, says Goblin. It's overrated.
The second lead couple, it was only the good thing.
What do you mean? A 300 years or so man felt in
love with an underage girl at first sight.
Da da da. I'm not listen.

(02:13):
I will never defend Goblin in public.
That show was 1. I see you looking around, you're
like finding the words. I'm finding the words because
goblin. How do I explain it?
I agree that the age gap was problematic but I not but and I

(02:37):
don't see people doing that with2521 the same way they do it
with goblin. I get it 300 years old.
All all these things my saying. I heard people bitching about
2521 as well, but oh really? Oh yeah, that's 'cause I did
another so costly stirring shit on TikTok.

(02:59):
I did another trend with, you know, the Kendrick song that was
the Drake diss track that says. Yes.
It's probably a minor like that of the song.
People were putting perceived pedophiles and real pedophiles
in pop culture up next to this song.
Like putting the song over top of the photo of the person or

(03:22):
whatever. And I did that for both.
Goblin and Namji hooks characterin 2521 and Oh my God, I'll tell
you which one went further. The 2521 video, that one got
people so riled up. And again, it's four years to

(03:42):
me, I'm like it's four year likeit's not.
I don't think you guys understand like life I guess if
if. And hidden love.
Oh yeah, and Hidden Love, havinga crush on somebody older than
you. Like, you just don't get it
then. So 2521, I did it as a joke,
right? Because I knew that there was
rumblings of this anyway. And again, it just proved to be

(04:04):
not so funny to some people because they just were like,
yeah, he's so icky. And it was not that serious.
It was never that serious. Same for Goblin.
It's not that serious. It was never that serious.
I honestly feel like the people that just look at the numbers on
relationships in Yeah a drama, they just kind of miss the whole

(04:30):
thing. Like they miss the story, the
context of the love story or theconnection between these two
characters, bar none. They just don't care to look at
it that way. I have racked my brain.
I have like done soul searching over the goblin in the 2521

(04:52):
because they're the most prominent age gaps that people
bitch about constantly. And I'm I've done so much social
sharing. I'm like, maybe I'm wrong, maybe
this and that and the other and I've rewatched and like no, it's
not grooming. No, it's not grooming.
Sorry to tell you this is not the correct definition of
grooming that you have if you think this is grooming.

(05:14):
This is why I'm just like, I'm not going to go back and forth
with you on this because it's it's not it.
And I just feel like people, letme let me just throw this out
there. We are watching historical
dramas. How old do you think that girl

(05:35):
is when she's marrying the king?You like when when we're being
very realistic about they're just like 50141560.
Like what? What are we crying about?
I don't know why people are throwing up, crying, sliding
down the walls over Goblin and 2521 with those 28.

(05:58):
I'm like first of all, and and first, second and third is
Kingoon is 12 years younger thanKong Yu, but she was a fully
consenting adult when she agreedto do this drama, which made her
famous. Yes, which made her iconic.
Today, she's still the Goblins ride to this day.

(06:21):
Konyu again, just an unassailable icon who again
minds his own business, barely comes out for any roles.
The fact that he did Goblin was a huge fucking deal.
Part of what made the lore so amazing on the release of this
drama. To see people just reduce.

(06:42):
It's so reductive to me to attack the age gap.
Yeah, on the drama, I've I feel like I've already settled my
piece on the actual Goblin deep Dive review that's on the
podcast feed. But I mean, this is also par for
the course for any YA lit Yeah that has some sort of a mortal

(07:05):
being. Where was that energy with
Twilight? Where?
Like there was none of this energy when Twilight came out.
Come on. I I just, yeah, I do feel like
people were stuck and couldn't get past this age thing.
And and that's only in recent. Years to me, right?

(07:27):
Which is so weird. The PC police on this age gap
stuff, I've never seen it beforeand there's some that are
legitimately disgusting in film and television that people
either have never watched because it's too old.
They just don't know about it torail about it.
But I mean, this is not that bad.

(07:50):
My my thing was because she was not a minor when she did the
show, like you mentioned. I don't care.
I don't care. It's the it's the story.
We do have really old, you know,characters.
It's the story. Can we just move on?

(08:10):
There's just it's, there's so much nuance there that I'm like,
you missed it. Yeah.
And the urgency of like trying to save her and all this, it's
like. And that is the only person who
can free him off of his curse so.
The paradox of him saving the mom and then the child that's
born is his bride and all this stuff.
The only person who can save himfrom this eternal life of

(08:34):
loneliness. And I know, I mean honestly,
like the whole thing gone over people's heads when they just
look at the age gap. But that's OK, more for me.
And literally how I feel. I'm like OK fine just stop
bitching I hear you, I hear you enough.
Daisy says save me with Takon inIt is one of the best cinematic

(08:56):
K drama thrillers I've ever seen.
And as disturbing as it was, it was Oscar worthy.
Takon is also an amazing actor. OK.
I don't know about Tekian being an amazing actor.
He's certainly fine, he's passable, but Save Me is crazy

(09:16):
good. I don't know about Oscar worthy,
but it is very good. It is a very good show.
Yeah, I, I used to attend an abusive church that you could
call a cult. And so this was very triggering
to me to watch Save Me because it's about saving Soyaji's
character from being in a cult, a religious cult.

(09:39):
And let me tell you, they got a lot of stuff right.
They got a lot of stuff right. It was very disturbing and off
putting and all the things. So I could only watch it the one
time, but very, very good show. Highly recommend OCN Drama.
So that should be enough to tellyou what's the vibe.

(10:02):
Man I miss OCN. Dude, I thought OCN was going
back. I thought it was getting
resurrected. Is it?
I thought. Because the socials were like
active again and I was like waitis OCN back?
They made some good TV. They made some bangers OK.
Reyna says Songkang is overrated.

(10:24):
There I said it. I responded directly to this
person and said his eyes are like a void doll.
Eyes. Nothing there.
That's how I feel about. OK OK, so many people talking
about Song Kang. Someone else said right when I
said my demon is so boring it's because of his acting.

(10:46):
Now on the flip side, someone said Song Kang is one of the
best and most versatile actors but no one really cares about
him anymore because of his enlistment.
And I choked on my coffee. Choked on my coffee, Carol, I
see you cover your face and justlike looking back, stunned.

(11:07):
What do you have to say about this person who thinks that Song
Kong is one of the best and mostversatile actors, and he's only
gone from public consciousness because of his enlistment?
I think we're watering down language too much.
Versatile. I just come on people, let's

(11:28):
let's get it. What are you talking about?
Songkong versatile in the same sentence?
You're out of your mind. That's.
What you're talking about when you're talking?
No, I agree with you. I do not watch Songkong dramas.
It it just anytime I watch it I drop it.
But more importantly, you're talking about enlistment.

(11:51):
Ido Yang just went and came backand we never missed him, so
that's not what it means. His enlistment has nothing to do
with it. The guy can't act.
He can't. Act no, no, his best work is
Navilera and that has nothing atall to do with him.
That's just story that's he's paired with a veteran actor and

(12:14):
like I said with BAE Susie, he'skind of got a 1 trick pony thing
too. Yes, and I'd like to see both of
them in a drama. Oh God, God forbid.
So someone followed it up on that one is home.
They glazed on kind of like crazy with that comment that I

(12:35):
read. But the follow up someone named
Gigi said wait, OK, see my foul take is that he's not versatile.
He plays the same character in every show.
Then some other people and I don't know if it was that
original commenter but other people started hyping up song
kind and saying like oh really? The same character in Sweet
Home, same character in Novelera, some character in this

(12:56):
and that in the other and Gigi was like OK exactly how are they
different? Genuinely he's monotonous, dark,
bland and very standoffish in every drama.
Those you listed, same characterin everyone and I'm like Gigi,
yes. Gigi.

(13:17):
Has it? Yes yeah.
Jin says Songkang and Chao Nu have no charms in acting so Chao
Nu has entered the chat. OK Chao Nu, I have also gotten
in trouble over my thoughts on Chao Nu.
I always get in trouble on TikTok.
So I got in trouble because if Isaid he can't act like straight

(13:37):
up and I know you feel the same way and what else do we have to
say about? Tono, there's nothing else to
say. I think that whoever is backing
him and that, you know, the industry wanting a pretty face
and whatnot, you know, they're doing their thing.
I really, I want to be empathetic and say I think Chong

(14:04):
Wu, I was watching him in some Butler show or a masters show
with with the guy who broke up with his family recently,
Isungi, he was in a variety show.
With him not Isungi broke up with his family.
You mean cut ties with his in laws?

(14:27):
Because the in laws are literal swindlers.
Oh my God. Famous swindlers.
Don't even. He must be getting so much Flack
for marrying into that family. I mean.
Yo his career. Yeah, his career had to have
tanked at least a little bit forhim to say, come out publicly

(14:48):
and say, Oh yeah, I've cut ties with my in laws.
Not like just a little bit. He was gone.
No one was giving him an opportunity anymore.
And it like, I don't want to. I love him so much.
I've loved him since he debuted so I've been following his
whatever we can talk about him another time.
But he child rule was on there and he was crying and this is my

(15:15):
empathetic side coming out because he's just like I haven't
experienced life. I haven't really done anything
except to be a trainee and be AKpop star.
And in that moment and I was like, yeah, that is one of the
reasons that I have issues with your acting because you you

(15:38):
don't. Yeah, not what a, you know, not
a punk, but like I just. Mean like you're you're you're a
jit man. Like you have no life
experience. You've never rubbed elbows with
the common person so. No.
And you don't have any life experience to fall back on,

(16:03):
which is, you know, you could say that for a lot of K pop
idols, they're sort of arrested in this moment of whatever stage
they entered into K pop OK. And they and they don't really
get an opportunity to grow as a human and and, you know, be
empathetic and and, you know, there's a lot going on there.

(16:25):
There's a lot going on there, But then you still can't act
acting you. Know, I mean you can.
The thing is, acting is make believe, right?
So even if you've never experienced whatever it is
you're portraying, you can stillpull from something.
You can still hack it to. But what I'm saying act like.

(16:47):
But what I'm saying he has nothing.
And there's nothing. And that's the issue that I have
with Chao Anu. And that's the issue that a lot
of people have with Chao Anu is that he's so beautiful.
Like he's so nice. Like I have no issues with him.
I wish him nothing but the best.But also don't put him in
something that has a plot because I don't believe him.

(17:11):
He sucks and a lot of people were agreeing and commenting
under this June comment. Someone else said yeah they just
served face card. Someone defending Songkong.
Give Songkong some grace. He is trying.
Being new in the industry and all the chaos in the industry.
Chao Nu has no acting skills whatsoever.

(17:33):
And so a glazing Songkong and completely agreeing about Chao
Nu. Someone says responding to that
person. Not when it's the other way
around. It's Song Kang who has zero
acting skills and Chow Anu can act I wrong and wrong and wrong.

(17:55):
I'm like sweating because it's just.
But you know what it is too? What is?
I feel like you start seeing people's age.
Sorry when? Yes.
It's just there's a certain I'm just not fucking with them.
I'm just like, I'm too old for this, yeah.

(18:18):
So many comments about my demon sucks.
I don't know why everybody likesit.
I don't not like Song Kong. Any drama he's in I don't want
to watch. Chow Anu cannot act please in
all caps. Any K drama with Chao Nu or Sung
Kong all feel bland. Their acting is bland.
True Beauty was a hard watch forme.
Hung in the Oops saved it. Any romantic K drama with Sung

(18:38):
Kong all feel bland, no emotion.Oh God it's just so Chao Nu and
Rookie Historian was literally so good.
I haven't seen his modern K dramas, but the part where he's
on his knees crying to his father had my boyfriend tearing
up, too. Yeah, that's his best role is to
me, it's a rookie historian, Gujar Young.

(18:58):
And again, if if he had any tricks up his sleeve, those were
all of them in that show and paired with a better, you know,
female lead constructed show. Maybe, I don't know.
But that's the best thing he's put out.
The poor guy is only 28 years old and he keeps trying.
He he keeps trying Island Wonderful World and a slew of

(19:25):
variety show appearances that get people to feel like you do
Carol to feel sympathetic towardhim and whatever plate he thinks
he has. The solution is so simple to me.
Stop acting and just be a model.For real be be.
That is going to pay your bills.You know what he needs to be

(19:47):
Isuhiyok. Isuhiyok back around again.
Be the face where Isuhiya kiss the voice like that, that kind
of stream where you come a few times.
But then I feel like they're shoving him down my throat and I

(20:08):
just, I'm not buying it. Oh, Bina from Bina Heart Hearts
loves childhood. I know.
She's probably going to be like,what are you guys talking about?
Dude, I know her ears must be ringing right now.
Yeah, Bina was on the True Beauty episode review if you

(20:30):
want to hear a semi deep dive onthat.
Bina was so gracious to join me for that one.
And yeah, I had to tread very carefully because I knew that
she had a soft spot for Chao Nu.I did not go full send on Chao
Nu on that episode like I probably could have, but he's
here now getting completely flamed in the comments section
and by us yours truly. Dos says all those oppas who are

(20:54):
famous despite their mediocre acting.
Those high salaries should be going to Kim Teri, Kim Goen, and
Shin Heson again. They're versatile, truly know
how to act in all caps. Pay disparity 100% yes, the

(21:14):
women. The women need more money and
they deserve more money now. Shin Hai San in the same
sentence as Kim Terry and Kim go.
I don't know, I don't know about.
That touch grass. Wendy Pakshinei being considered
the most beautiful Korean actress is extremely overrated
in my opinion. Koi Fish.

(21:35):
The hate towards Pakshinei is soforced.
There's a lot of other actresseswho cries in every drama and
cannot kiss to save their lives.Kalisha Bronner still haven't
seen airs because I can't stand Pakshinei someone said.
I think she doesn't really suit the romance genre and her
thriller slash horror roles are very good, for example The Call,

(21:56):
Alive etcetera. Completely agree.
Completely agree with that sub comment.
I don't think she excels at romance.
And another person says that shecan't kiss because she's famous
for her fish kisses from back inthe day.
The ones were like her eye, her eyes are wide open and it's

(22:16):
she's got a closed mouth kiss type of deal.
She's surprised that this even happened to her.
That's that's a fish kiss. A lot of K dramas have fish
kisses, especially the older ones.
But Pakshine is very famous for hers.
And yeah, I will say that not knowing how to kiss and not

(22:38):
being allowed to kiss a certain way, directed to kiss a certain
way. These are all very different
things. I want to give her a little
grace on the fish kisses becauseshe, I, I consider her a victim,
right? It takes a lot to produce AK
drama. It's not just the actors

(23:00):
deciding unilaterally how to portray a kissing or how to do
it. What angles they're going to be
shot at and all the rest. That is decided by the director
of the DP, director of photography, slash
cinematographer. All of these people are
directing them how to do it, what does the script say, what

(23:21):
have you. And to me she's a victim of the
times because that was the prevalent thing in K dramas was
to have these fish kisses. And I feel like she knows that
we in the zeitgeist, she's a badkisser.

(23:41):
I Yeah, I I'm just thinking about all her kiss scenes and
the times where she gave me something.
I am not sure it was entirely her choice.
Like I remember some controversywith the heirs and her kissing

(24:03):
in the closet and her having like no idea was coming or
something like. That.
Yeah. And then there's the kiss in
Doctors with like no one talked about the age gap in that one,
but that man is like he old. He is older or he was way much

(24:23):
older than hair and Doctors, butthat was a kiss that I was like,
oh, SHINee, you can do more. And then Pinocchio with each and
suck. They had this middle of the
street kiss and I was like, whoa, OK, that's that's
different. So you can do it.

(24:44):
But it made me feel like she's choosing not to do it.
But more importantly, I don't think bromance is for her.
I agree, moving on, a lot of people love Nam Jihuk.
I want Nam Jihuk and everything.I watch K dramas with him in it
because I know it'll be fire Sabrina with 3A's at the end

(25:07):
again. You're going to get sick of
Namji hook. The the key here is like over
consumption of this one actor. Actress.
Yeah, I I'm not sure that havingthem in two to three dramas a
year is going to fix your your thing Like, you know what I'm
saying. Is that going to benefit them or
you? I don't know.

(25:28):
I think it's going to be a situation like Anne Hathaway
where everybody loved her. She was a new, New Girl on the
Block, Princess Diaries, Devil Wears Prada.
She did a lot of great things and then she started having a
few misses, but she was saturating the market.
There was a lot of her everywhere, whether it was media
for a movie or whether she was actually in a new release.

(25:51):
And people started fucking hating Anne Hathaway.
And there was nothing like for no reason at all.
So. Yeah, so I'm just like, Anne, do
your thing, like do the shows you want to do, and if you're
getting the opportunities, you're getting the
opportunities. I don't really watch her but.
You're like, I have no skin in the game for Anne Hathaway, but

(26:13):
EJ and is such an underrated actor.
His range is awesome. Yeah, yeah, we've gone over
that. Kimui M says Konga Noel's acting
and face card are way better than the high profile K actors.
OK, Queen pop off by Konga. Noel, you're shocked.
Carol, you're shocked. Do you have thoughts on Kanga?
No, no, OK. No, maybe you have thoughts on

(26:35):
this one? Xenu X says Queen of Tears is a
so so drama. Only get hyped because of the
leaves. Couldn't have tears with shit.
Let's move. On move on Mika PAC Mignon can't
act. Wow.
Whoa. Levi Ackerman puck mignon like
City Hunter, puck mignon like Sun Kyun Kwan scandal puck
mignon. I get that she's not versatile

(26:56):
but can't act is wild. I agree with this person.
Yeah, Tellery Firch, Knifehane said.
Like healer Puck Mignon, which is better than City Hunter, by
the way. Also, her acting in Mary, My
Husband is excellent. Yeah.
A lot of people came out of the woodworks to defend Pak Mium
because I don't think that she cannot act.

(27:20):
She can totally act. It's just she's got very
comfortable playing a certain kind of character A. 100% and
and I, I'd even put it out therelike I don't think she's getting
the shows because I watched a was it, I watched a podcast with

(27:40):
I'm John Wah and then I watched Songhigyo's one of her vlogs and
she said I haven't been no one gives me all that other stuff.
Like they only give me this and I want to do other things.
And I've been, I've been pigeonholed, and even I know my
fans are sick of me playing the same role over and over again.

(28:03):
So for Park Ming Young, I feel like maybe those are the only
things she's getting. And now after marrying my
husband, I'm hoping she gets more.
I agree. Yeah.
A lot of actors have come out and said that.
Oh, my God, what was the actor that he was like?
I don't get those kind of scripts, but I would love to do,
like a ROM com or something likethat.

(28:23):
And I was like, oh, my God. From your lips to God's ears
there, you hit a rock. You throw an actor who has gone
on record as saying, I would love to do some sort of genre
shifting movie, something that'sout of the wheelhouse.
Yeah. But they just don't get those
scripts. Exactly.
Yeah. So are we to blame because we
keep watching the same shit overand over again?

(28:43):
Should we make her flap so that she will change gears and maybe
she'll get something else? Like I don't know what the right
answer is, but you know, it is avicious cycle here.
IDKIDK says Han Zoe is not all that.
She's not. Someone says 100% she is
gorgeous but I get mean girl vibes.

(29:04):
Plus I don't like her acting. Feels like a forest industry
plant. Oh, some people got some nice
vocab here with an industry plant.
OK, calling her an industry plant.
Hannah says. Han Zoey pissed me off so bad,
bro, she cannot act whatsoever. Han Zoey seems to bother a lot
of people. I go about my day never thinking

(29:26):
about Han Zoey. So what do you think about Han
Zoey from World of the Married? My name nevertheless.
I really liked her in world of the Married.
She was, oh, she got under my skin.
So that tells me she did a fantastic job.

(29:46):
I think that she could have easily been the next song Hey
Gio in terms of how the industrytreated her, But I don't think
she wanted that. And like sis is going through a
lot like her mom, her mom just got arrested yet again or

(30:08):
charged again for gambling, hosting many gambling spots and
stuff like that. She she hasn't had an easy life.
So I ain't got nothing bad to say about her.
I just want her to find her spotbecause I think people are

(30:28):
playing with her right now. All right, Next up, Ji Cheng
Wuk, Someone said. Ji Cheng Wu was the most
versatile actor I've ever seen. Every role he gets, he nails.
No matter what how bad the movieis, he always gets the job done.
This versatile, OK. So I'm more interested in the

(30:52):
second comment. Salma says Ji Cheng Wuk had more
chemistry with the stepmother inthe K2. 100 percent, 110%.
Yes, he did. Yes, he did.
And we did a deep dive on the K2really far back in season 1 of
Tabak. And we discussed this because,
yeah, what? Yuna had no game whatsoever

(31:16):
compared to the stepmom. Yeah, I agree.
Like, come on, Dub Dr. says you are in is the best, the absolute
best actor in his peer group. And I don't care about his
scandal. Also, BL/GL should be treated
better than last ditch efforts for Idle Slash newbies to get
popular. I think it's been phenomenal or

(31:41):
fantastic that we have come to apoint where BLS and GLS are
being consistently produced in KDrama land because again,
generationally we never really had that.
You are in is a really good actor.
I also don't care about his scandal, care in the sense that

(32:09):
how do I say he was sick? He was sick, Yeah.
And I'm more empathetic to substance abuse.
Yeah, I care if he's well or not, if he's in good health or
not, if he's addicted or not, but I don't think we should
penalize him as far as cancelling him and, you know,

(32:32):
removing him from projects wherehe's already filmed, you know,
the whole thing, that's crazy talk.
I think that's ridiculous. So that's how I feel about UI
and moving on. CC said not every K drama needs
a tragic childhood back story ofkidnapping or parental
abandonment. Yeah, but that's where the
story. Is that's I agree it's.

(32:57):
Like the sauces? That's where the sauce is.
Yeah, I agree to a point. And maybe like, we can get into
more tropes because a lot of people had thoughts about
tropes. So this section, I guess, is the
trope section. Kate Baria says can we please
erase all unnecessary misunderstandings Like y'all are
adults talk to each other. Talk to each other.

(33:20):
Karina, who I'm assuming is of Korean descent, says Oh well,
that's a Korean mother-in-law because someone else was talking
about their mother-in-law and their mother-in-law communicates
and she's Korean and she says, Oh well, that's your mother.
That's a mother-in-law. But acquaintances, colleagues
and friends tend to rely on nunchi a lot and expect you to
know how to act. Then don't confront you to save

(33:43):
face and someone else. What the hell is Nunji?
Basically and Karina says I'll try my best.
Nunji translates to the ability to understand people's needs,
such mood as we witness them andacting according to it.
This includes body language, facial expressions and tone.
She follows it up as saying someof it makes sense for us but
sometimes Nunji is heavily culturally coded, IE when social

(34:05):
hierarchies come into play and you're not supposed to look at
someone a certain way. I'm sure that 100% plays into
the lack of communication we seefrom characters is because XYZ
should know. Yes.
They should understand. Yeah, yeah, I agree.
I think Munchi is such a I'm watching this dating show called

(34:29):
Heart Pairing right now and you see the character, not
characters, they're Jesus, they're people dating and you'll
see them like look at each otherand they're just nodding.
And I'm like, that's a whole conversation that's just
happening. For sure, for sure.

(34:50):
Yeah, I think that Karina's totally correct.
We are watching a Korean drama or a drama from XYZ country.
Fill in the blank country and there's stuff that gets lost in
translation. And Ninchi is one of those
things that perhaps the characters are expected to know

(35:10):
more than they do, or assume more than they do.
Yeah. NIA says I hate when romance K
drama suddenly have two main leads secretly know each other
in the past. Another childhood connection
complaint. Like can they just speak
strangers who fell in love without some traumatic childhood
bond? And yes, I 100% agree with this.

(35:31):
I I do subscribe to this complaint.
Jam replies. It's more a trope to Western
standards, but in Eastern media there's a prevalent Buddhist
belief of inion in which it takes 1000 karmic Thais to meet
even once in a life. To meet more than once is fate.
The trope ends up being a lot more meaningful with this
context, which might be why it'sso popular in Eastern media.

(35:52):
Yeah, Faded Mates is always going to be an interesting touch
point that a lot of writers and K dramas seem to dip into that.
Well, someone said Mikorasan said thank you.
My goodness, I've said this so many times.
So if they didn't have a traumatic childhood bond, their

(36:13):
connection isn't genuine. I don't get it with that type of
storyline every effing time. So this person agrees with the
original commenter in that what the hell is up with this
childhood connection shit? Or or, you know, shared trauma
thing. Yeah, and someone was mad and
said you can watch another tropeexclamation point.
And it's like if it were so easybecause it sometimes rears its

(36:37):
ugly head midway through a drama, several episodes into a
drama. You just have no idea.
Even in the marketing, it might not be sold to you as a faded
mates or shared past trauma or what have you.
That's like for you to find out.That's true.
I don't agree with just like watch another trope.
It's like OK if only K drama is in genre mix to begin with then

(37:02):
I could pick up something else so easily.
But yeah that's not helpful at all.
Someone said. I feel like this is done all so
often because whoever is writingthe story can't find a valid
reason why the two characters should like each other and can
easily bypass that aspect of a romance.

(37:22):
It could be, but I also think that when we're watching Korean
media and you're also that includes variety shows and all
these dating shows and whatnot, you notice that they're not very
out there. Like they don't just go out and

(37:44):
meet people. You sort of have to be
introduced to someone through someone and it's more likely
that you will connect. I'm not saying they don't meet
people out of the blue, but it'smore likely that you will
connect with someone through 6° of separation or or something
like that. So I I feel like culturally.

(38:09):
You want to know where someone came from, you want to know
their history, you want to know their family.
And that's to me that stems fromthe Confucian, deep rooted
Confucianism in the society where you can even see that play
out with orphan stories because orphans are such an unknown.

(38:33):
Yeah, yeah. You have no idea where they came
from. Their father could be a serial
killer. You just don't know the roots.
If you don't know their parents,you know they're not.
Trustworthy. That's true.
That's true. And I'm not sure if it's only
Confucian because even in, in Ghana, I find it's just so

(38:57):
interesting. But I find myself when I meet
Ghanaians here, one of the things we connect on is, oh,
what school did you go to? And if they say the school,
especially high school, because most of our 95% of our high
schools are boarding schools. So you immediately, it's almost

(39:20):
like an MBTI where you're like, oh, you went to that school.
Oh, that means you do the and then you you're like, where did
you go to middle school? And then you start asking about
what church did you go to? Immediately you're able to tell
is this person? Yeah.

(39:41):
Yeah. So I think culturally that's
just some of that. Yeah, Cat says, how is there
always a childhood connection? And someone says, I think
because of the glorification of first loves and absolutely that
is also. I'm so sick of first love.
Mariam says bring back 1216 and 20 episode K dramas.

(40:01):
No, I don't want a second season. 100%. 100% screaming
from the rooftops. I agree with Mariam Ace reject
again. We need more mature romances
like not everyone needs to meet there forever in school slash
college. We need more divorcee single
parents over 30s romances etcetera.
Yes, 100% agree. And that's why I gave my 2007

(40:26):
recommendations. Go check them out.
Because 2007 gave us variety. That's what I'm saying.
Yeah, I hate how drinking is used as a plot device to
initiate a kiss and then no one remembers the kiss. 2 dramas
this year alone have already done this.
I don't know what they are, but yes, that is a device that they

(40:49):
used to just try and break the ice, get people closer together.
And it's comedy when one remembers the kiss and the other
one doesn't, or they both don't remember.
And there's a lot of hijinks that happened at this.
There's a huge drinking culture in Korea.
Huge. I don't think drinking is going
away anytime soon in dramas. So I wonder how much of this is

(41:14):
hyperbole, Leah, We cannot keep doing the rich man poor girl
plots and acting like they're actually good.
What do you? Think what do you think?
I'm conflicted. Yeah, I think I'm over chavels,

(41:35):
but not over a rich man, poor girl, or even a wealth
disparity. Can we get more iterations on
the trope? You know what I'm saying?
Yes, yes, I need more rich girl,poor guy.
I need different parts of the relationship.
Can we get the the marriage likecrafting a wedding or, you know,
between this cup, I can get 12 episodes on just wedding

(41:59):
planning between a couple that has some sort of wealth
disparity. I'm totally down for that.
And whatever hygiene or comedy comes out of that, or maybe they
break up and then they get back together because it's totally, I
see it's totally valid to plan an almighty wedding with a
wealth disparity between a couple.
And a lot of cracks form in that, you know, between the

(42:21):
couple and they break up. You know, I, I totally see that
happening. There's so many ways that you
can go about doing a wealth disparity couple.
Yeah. How do you feel about?
Well, they almost had a wealth disparity couple, but turns out
he had a secret dad who's super rich.

(42:42):
No Gain? No.
Love. Oh yeah, no gain, no love.
So I liked it better when he wasnot a secret tribal.
Yeah. Way better.
I agree with you. When it was revealed I was like
oh damn they got me with a freaking birth secret once
again. But I don't know.

(43:04):
I don't know if I want to see rich women, poor guy, just
because of the toxic masculinityand the insecure.
I'd love to explore that in a very mature way and it could be
very comedic. And I think we do need more
representation of that because just looking at the world make

(43:26):
up and at least in the West, youknow, women are getting more
educated and going to college more than men and and all these
things. So I think it can be explored in
a very mature way. And to add to that, I have seen
variety shows where the woman isearning more and the guy is at

(43:50):
home. And let me tell you, that guy at
home, wait for yes. No, no, no, no, no.
Just it's they're horrible. OK, no, well here's what I so
here's AK drama idea that I floated around on one of the hot
takes episodes recently on the Patreon feed was why can't we

(44:12):
get two different levels or states of being rich?
You know, why can't we have an heiress marrying like a tech bro
who just sold a startup and he just came into money Like last
week he was eating ramen. Just a totally different way of
life trying to get this startup we have out and and all this

(44:35):
stuff. And then he sells it and comes
into like a great mass of money.And now he's like caught the
attention of this heiress. Maybe they meet a couple of
times when he's poor or poorer, they fall in love and now he's
like trying to understand how she lives and she spends money
like water and he's still prettyfrugal.

(44:57):
And so like, this kind of wealthdisparity is cool.
And then your second couple can be a sister, also sister to the
heiress who's already married, who now has a waste man husband
because he's gotten used to the good life.
Yes, yes. OK.

(45:19):
That's a really good idea. You know what I'm saying?
Like where's the iterate? Come on, give me something else.
There is a drama that is not quite that.
It is called Opio Song. And it was like, it's a really,
I want to say 2000 and two, 2004maybe.

(45:40):
And he was a fishmonger in the market and turns out that he's
actually an heir. So he comes into this money and,
you know, they are training him to be a chaebol.
And it was hilarious. And he falls in love with this
woman from his past and she's not rich.

(46:02):
And now they're trying to navigate this.
I'm super rich now, but I just want to be with you and don't
look at my riches. And it was a really good show.
So I I'd recommend that too, yeah.
Nice, I like that. I like that concept Mayura and
says the Double Judge should have gotten the hype that

(46:22):
Vincenzo got. It was actually as dark as it
was marketed. Vincenzo ended up being more
funny than dark and had well written female characters.
So I have not watched the doublejudge.
I think you might have. Devil judge devil oh with G song
with. G song, yeah.
Yes, I loved it and at the same time it was too much.

(46:46):
Oh, OK. Alright, I don't.
I don't know how to explain that.
I don't think it was dark as it was marketed, which is true.
Vincenzo ended up getting more funny.
Yeah, it wasn't. Vincenzo was hilarious compared
to Devil Judge. Devil Judge, Yeah.

(47:07):
Sounds intense. Yeah, it sounds intense.
There is a big deep dive on Vincenzo on the podcast feed if
you want to go back and listen to it.
I wanted the darker tone. That's my hot take, is that I
wanted the darker tone. I did not appreciate the
watering down of the mafia culture and the violence.
I wanted it. That's what I was promised in

(47:29):
the first couple of episodes. Yeah, I agree.
And then they come back and it'spure slapstick K drama.
I just had a heart take that. Oh, my God.
But I'm gonna say it because I Ispoke to Swoon Diaries about it
this week. Speaking of Vincenzo, John.
Yo, Ben. Yeah.

(47:50):
If she's not acting depressed, she can't act.
Oh. So she's a female leading
Vincenzo. My follow up to that is that I
don't think her and Song Yun Ki had any chemistry.
They had 0. They did not have good.
Chemistry. I thought they were better as
platonic friends or workmates. Yeah, it felt like a someday and

(48:15):
his junior. Yeah, like they were buddies,
not romantic interests. Yeah, yeah, I I haven't watched
enough Tonio Bin to know for sure if I agree with you about
the depressed thing, but that isfunny.
The movie Our movie is coming out soon with non Gunman.

(48:36):
That's why I said 'cause swoon Diary posted it and I was like,
Nam Gumina's so fine. I'd love to watch this but I
can't watch this girl depressed again.
Like I'm so tired of watching her depressed.
Tiring. It's tiring, but that's what she
excels in, and I'm not sure if I'm gonna watch the drama

(48:57):
because of that. Yeah.
OK, Domino 7 seven said Most popular new Gen. romance dramas
Everyone loves Queen of Tears, Lovely Runner.
My Demons are so boring I never get the hype.
Lovely runner was lovely runner reminds me of Extraordinary You.

(49:18):
And I think that's the magic with the female character, like
the female actress, she just hasthis love ability about her.
OK, but the other two I agree. OK war and Talk, a lot of these
dramas leads don't deserve love,but if there isn't a happy

(49:38):
ending I'm not watching your show.
The fucking nerve of this person.
So a lot of these drama leads don't deserve love, but if there
isn't a happy ending, I'm not watching your show.
That's a trash take. That's a horrible take.
That's foul. Yeah, foul ABCDEFGI gotta go

(50:03):
says hello my 20s season 1 is that coming of age series.
Nothing can come close to it. And I I remember replying going
yo, because nobody talks about hello my 20s.
I love that show, especially season 1.
I never got around to watching season 2, but season 1, Oh my

(50:23):
gosh. 100% yes loved it. Oh.
Love it. A pancake emoji.
I couldn't watch historical dramas.
It's just so boring. I also skip scenes in dramas
that show a glimpse of historical.
Wow, wow. Oh my God.

(50:45):
OK. That's I can't.
I can't get behind that at all. No.
Katima Harper says chemistry is not about which female lead
slash male lead is more attractive.
Everyone loves claiming that thefemale lead slash male lead has
more chemistry. Air quotes with the person that

(51:05):
is always conveniently more attractive.
I agree it's not a hot take. I I agree with.
Miss Harper, you're right. Yeah, like I don't think it's OK
not to be OK. I don't really buy their
chemistry. Oh, OK, another hot That's with

(51:28):
Kim Sukhyon and Hoyeji. Soyeji yeah, and I thought the
drama was shit, but. Oh my gosh gotta disagree with
that but that's OK. Matt singing unironically in any
drama makes takes the male lead from A7 to a zero.
Especially if it's a ballad. Matt, you're on it.

(51:50):
You're right on it. Man Can't Sing anymore.
Like what's going? On Dude, I cannot stand singing
in a drama unless it's ironic. What do you mean?
So you didn't like hospital playlist?
Oh, dude, Hospital Playlist is about that.
That's part of it, right? That's in the DNA of the show,

(52:12):
in the plot that they met when they were in middle school and
they started a band. Fine.
As as far as like singing it would be, it's someone's
birthday. The female leads birthday and
they're like, what do you want for your birthday?
And she goes, I want, I don't know, Jackson to sing for me.

(52:32):
And the male lead sings her a song like fuck off.
I hate it. I hate it.
I would never ask for somebody to sing for me.
And maybe it stems from the utter embarrassment that I feel
toward 1 of it. So I have a friend of mine who's
married and her husband sings inpublic every so often.

(52:54):
And it's not just any singing, it's opera operatic singing.
Oh oh. Listen to me.
I loathe it with the fire of 1000 Suns.
I think it's the most embarrassing thing.
They think he sounds so good. I'm like nobody requested that
you sing. He just randomly starts singing

(53:17):
yes. Like they'll be in an Italian
restaurant on a busy Friday night and he'll just stand up.
Oh my gosh. And I'm like, mortified.
Mortified. No.
No, no, no. I cannot stand that kind of
public singing. I don't care how good you sound.
Shut your trap, OK? It irks me to no end.

(53:41):
I believe in you Matt for givingme this hot take.
I complete completely agree. Ace reject again says it's 2025
why are we still getting dead fish kisses?
Also why are the couple getting together right at the end?
Hey, I don't know, that's just aformula.
It works. It works sometimes, it works

(54:01):
better than other times, and I can't watch older dramas because
of the guy's haircuts. You'll get over it.
I said valid but also it's a period piece at this point.
Yeah. Deal.
Deal with it. And and like I, I was saying in

(54:21):
my stories, maybe a week or so ago, even the fashion, I had
people say they can't go back toold dramas because of the
fashion. I'm like, sis, we're wearing the
same things now. Literally.
Like. Are you wearing a crop top right
now? Are you wearing raggy pants?
Do your flip flops have a platform on them?

(54:42):
Are you going back to your Caprice like your Capri pants
and huge belts? And just look at Cowboy Carter.
Dude, I saw people wearing Ed Hardy the other day.
Oh my, Oh my gosh, get the fuck out.
Of here like do not come to me about the fashion in the K
dramas. Y'all look goofy goofy. 100% So

(55:07):
I'm just like you can watch it. You can watch it, get over it.
So Bunny the plots aren't plotting anymore and it's always
the same tropes. I said nothing is original but
copying successful dramas hopinglightning will strike twice 3 *
10 times is why the plots aren'tplotting anymore.
Because now I feel like if the drama is not a commercial

(55:28):
success, they stop making the dramas like that drama.
Yes. Whereas like during OCN days, as
soon as they put out a dark drama, everybody else is gonna
put out something very similar and all of a sudden we have all
these thrillers at the same time.

(55:49):
Yes, But I think what's happening now is unless this
thing is a web tune before and unless you're like Kim Unser who
wrote the Glory and things, you're you're gonna get a you're
gonna get a manhua adaptation. So it's already tried and true

(56:14):
in terms of it being a manhua success.
Everything now feels like an adaptation from a webtoon Which.
There were always manhua adaptations but I feel like now
there was always there is alwaysstill the battle every K drama

(56:34):
season to put out the first of something the first of a genre
at. For instance, if it's like a
vampire series from one network,you better fucking believe
Netflix is also going to put outa Netflix vampire K drama and
see who beats the other to the punch.
You know, the year that no Shin Heisen's drama with Anne Bohian,

(56:58):
who you got to give me props, I haven't mentioned yet, but that
year everything was a past life.Yes.
So annoying. I was so over it.
I was like another past life. Jesus Christ, what are we doing
here? Yeah.
So that's why there's trends like that, because they know

(57:20):
vaguely what each other is putting out.
And those, I'm thinking those scripts are shopped around
unless it's directly commissioned by TBN, you know,
KBS, whatever, the writer will probably take it to different
places and say I have this script or I'm writing this
thing, I have this idea, whatever, I've written this,

(57:40):
that and the other. What do you think?
Will you pay me to write this? And if they say no, but another
network picks it up, then they don't want to get caught with
their pants down. They develop a similar concept
and that's why you get, you know, seasons of K drama where
it's like people are falling in love with AI, people are falling

(58:02):
in love with robots, things likethat all the time.
It's cyclical. And if it's successful, even
worse because then they'll keep doing it.
Exactly. Yeah.
Someone said I think Korea does action, thriller and horror K
dramas way better than romance and comedy K dramas.
And that's a take. That is a take.

(58:22):
That's a take. K dramas?
I think they do. Wow that is a take.
It makes me wanna ask them what is the body of work you've seen?
True action, thriller and horrorK dramas.
Way better than romance and comedy K dramas.

(58:44):
This tells me. That's recent.
I feel like they're a recent K drama.
Watchers, that's that's what I was gonna say.
I was like this, tells me. You started watching in 2020,
year later. Or later.
I was going to say, you definitely came after Chloe.
Yeah. Because after Chloe, I can't say
there's been really a Yeah, OK. Yeah, so many K dramas these

(59:09):
days fail to stick the landing. All of them start off so strong
and then their endings are just question mark, question mark.
Not everything needs to be profound or open note.
Like damn. Like end the story already.
I think people, especially writers and K drama creators,
are afraid of upsetting people. Yeah, because back in the day.

(59:34):
You'd get a fucking ending. You would get a fucking ending.
And it was very much because they were filming week to week.
Even the scripts were changing and and definitely the audience
had more, the oddly audience reaction had more influence on
how the story would end, truly. But yeah, I do think they it's

(01:00:01):
that middle part. That middle 10 to 14, yeah, like
what is what is happening here? Why are we wasting time?
Yeah. Yeah, David says.
I always hate the temporary breakup in episode 14 or 15.
They finally get together after whatever the main story is about
and then some random thing happens and one of them needs

(01:00:23):
space. When the phone rings.
Oh, and moving on, Annie says stop saying K dramas are
underrated just because they're old.
You just weren't around when they aired.
I promise some of the K dramas people are be talking about
being underrated were huge. It's just been a minute.

(01:00:43):
That's it. How long have you been in the
game? Mel, an episode doesn't need to
be one hour and 30 minutes. Are you sure you didn't write
this? I didn't write it.
Mel wrote it. Mel, we're on the same team.
We're on the same page. There is no reason on God's
green earth to make a movie length episode for anything.

(01:01:10):
Yeah, no. You know what that tells me?
You don't have an editor. Yeah, yeah, it could be.
You don't have an editor that isworking on your script with you,
do you don't have an editor who's cutting down the footage
and saying we don't need this. What is what is this?
Are you sure we need this and questioning you?

(01:01:30):
Apart from Chloe, was there another drama with?
Long reply 1988. Oh, yeah.
OK, OK. There's so many, as a matter of
fact, but Lex says American media discovering K dramas was
the worst thing to happen. The abrupt dismantling of
DramaFever, Hello, Just Stealing, The Masked Singer,

(01:01:53):
Remaking The Good Doctor and MLFAS for Americans.
Lex, big hearts love you. Love you.
I agree. And and then we come back to the
conversation about Netflix and here's my issue.
I think it's fantastic that you know, more people are watching.

(01:02:16):
We have platforms that's accessible, but in that, and I,
and I said it this way, some somewhere back in the day we had
to go to Korea to watch their stories and, and to hear their
voice. And now it feels like they are

(01:02:37):
coming to us. And sometimes it's like the
stories are I'm getting Western audience.
Yeah. And I don't like that.
That's not why. That's what I why I went to cave
drama so. Another person says, I hate how
the how the fans will hype up a drama so much and it ends up

(01:03:00):
being mad boring and doesn't keep me on my toes.
I hate being disappointed. Yeah man, that's that's only in
recent years. I feel that it's come to a fever
pitch where there is a beating frenzy around certain dramas and
when you finally click play on them after likely having been

(01:03:22):
spoiled on the drama, you finally click play and you're
like, this is it. This is what had you guys losing
sleep. But I also think because people
are talking about it so much andputting up spoilers online so
quickly, you they sort of shape your experience of the show

(01:03:46):
before you go. In Oh yeah.
Mm. Hmm.
Yeah. For the worst, I'd say because
the way that I used to find dramas was I would find those
best of lists. I would find some Blogger who
had like one sent one or two sentences on each drama and
usually be like a little synopsis and what they thought
of it but no spoilers. Yeah.

(01:04:08):
Never spoilers. I've always liked spoilers, so
I'm the type who if it's OK drama, I don't do this as much.
But for for my C dramas, I'd go to YouTube, look at the kissing,
be like OK, OK I I buy it and then go watch it.

(01:04:29):
But for my K dramas, I think because I've been in them so
long, I know what to expect. And if it's the actor, then you
know, I'll stick around. But I don't.
That's another topic. The spoilers online are another
topic. Rampant Campbell TW Soup says

(01:04:50):
I'm so over the unrealistic falls or random plot lines that
to have an accidental kiss it's killing me.
Especially in When the Phone rings.
Yo the last time me and Carol were together we were ripping
into When the phone rings. That is a whole episode review
if you want to go scroll back and listen to it.

(01:05:11):
But yeah, that's also a very common cliche thing that happens
in the the dramas. Yeah.
I take it or leave it. I mean, I don't think, I don't
see it going anywhere, so. Yeah, exactly.
Like Deal. Because, because I think that it
takes so much, You know, back inthe day we had this term called

(01:05:35):
skinship, yes and, and haptic and those two things were like,
it takes so much to like physically touch someone that
the only way it could happen wasthrough an accident.
We both fell and we ended up on each other's lips like that's.
Yeah. Or we'll never get there.

(01:05:56):
Yeah, right. Or we'll never get there.
And I think people are just not used to that.
Yeah. Where it's overdone, which it
is, but whatever, you know, skipdown, purple Kami says.
Also don't give a love triangle.If I know who the female lead
will end up with, that's boring.Half the time the second male
lead is useless to the story anyway.

(01:06:19):
And you know, I agree because I like steaks, I like angst.
I like a certain kind of mysterywhere damn, who the fuck is she
going to choose? OK, so we're talking the Reply
series did that really well. Yeah.
But I also feel like maybe this person hasn't watched enough

(01:06:42):
dramas where they fell for the second lead more than the male
lead. I rarely fall for the second
male lead, which is probably whyI also feel this way where I'm
like yeah if it's either a love,a true love triangle, or
nothing. Like why even bother if you know
that she has no interest whatsoever in the second male

(01:07:04):
lead? True.
You know what I miss? I miss, You know, the earlier
dramas where it could be brothers, it could be cousins,
it could be best friends. If both of them like the same
girl, they're like, oh, that's our off.
Like dude. Yes, yes, you're right.

(01:07:27):
Like there used to be even stakes in just the relational
aspect of who is in love with this person.
Yes. And if it was too like they
don't do this anymore, two brothers in love with the same
girl or two girls in love with the same guy and their sisters
or their cousins or something like that.
And you're like, Oh my God, likeit's tough, bro.

(01:07:51):
Like they don't do that spicy shit anymore.
No, no. That like halfway incestuous
love triangle. Just like wrong on all counts,
somehow toxic. Yeah, like Kane and Abel.
Oh my God, I love Kane and Abel.That, Oh my God, nobody talks

(01:08:15):
about Kane and Abel. And I feel like we've had this
conversation before, but like, that is such drama.
Yes, give. Me all the drama like y'all
ain't dramaing right? Honestly, yes, like time between
dog and wolf that I just finished.
I'm just like, we don't have this anymore.

(01:08:36):
We don't have, we don't have like that silent yearning we
don't like. Yes.
Anyway, yeah. OK, I agree.
I agree. Genevieve Joy Mercado says
sometimes it's hard to continue AK drama once the main couple
are finally together. It's like the plot's done once
that happens. What else is there?

(01:08:57):
Just end the show. Just end the cut the show get
it. Gen.
X no says idols should not get lead roles when they want to act
but start a support roles and work their way up.
I mean, what's there to disagreeabout here?
Nothing, except except if you'rea dio DIO.
Dio had already formed fully formed as an actor before.

(01:09:19):
I think he should have been an actor before he debuted as a as
AK pop star in EXO. Yes, and Imchiwan.
And Imchiwan as well. Yes he again.
Imchiwan was never going to be AK Pop Idol for very long.

(01:09:40):
I think he hated it. He did.
He was like, I don't even know why I'm here.
I can't even sing that well, youknow, They just kind of like
made me do a lot of things and learn how to dance.
And I was never 100 on it. But yeah, he seemed to thrive as
soon as he left that world and started acting.
So there's certain idols where I'm like, they were barely an

(01:10:01):
idol. Like, come on.
Dio was definitely an idol, but.Yeah, yeah, I agree.
Kimmy, I'm sick of them damn copico placements.
You know, dude, the quality of product placements has gone so
down. So down because before you
couldn't even tell, right? There were some seasons of of my

(01:10:24):
cage. I'm watching life where I was
like, I don't remember seeing anad.
No, and I'm not even just talking about that, but I'm also
talking about just the products,which really tells me the
industry is down because back inthe day everything felt like APP

(01:10:44):
where, you know, hair dryers, Dyson was.
Dyson, the Dyson. We knew Dyson before Dyson knew.
Because honestly, it would be a poor, poor female, leave like
holes in her shoes type poor. But she'd have a Dyson air wrap
and he'd be like, wow, wow. Even my favorite was the Fridge

(01:11:11):
and King to Hearts with Eason Ghee and Stop Hanchi one.
Yes, Hanchi 1, Hanchi 1. That Yeah, yeah, Hanchi one,
they're kissing in front of the fridge.
I'm like that is the fridge I want like the peepees used to
peepees. Used to be something.
But now, copico, they're like. Oh, I'm a little tired right

(01:11:36):
now. There's some copico it's.
Too much it's. Too much.
It's a joke. I feel awake now.
I'm like, really? You just ruined it.
It's. Ruined the whole thing.
Can't even watch anymore LV. I'm new to K drama but so far I
really dislike the female lead often being this timid,
childlike wide eyed girl. Skittish and overly acting cute

(01:12:00):
slash dramatic. Where are my strong confident
grown up Queens? And I was like oh you've come to
the right place. So I gave her a bunch of wrecks.
I don't know if she actually watched any of these or circled
back and commented back because there's too many comments on
that video there. There's no way I would be able
to look anyway. Try watching search www.whichwas

(01:12:22):
the very first episode that I had you on moving run on my name
the glory. It's OK, that's love sky castle,
Mr. Sunshine. These shows don't have such a
cutesy female leads. And of course the comic
community hopped into her sub comments and said watch
happiness watch Love to hate you.

(01:12:44):
And someone said definitely recommend my liberation notes.
So all those shows are really great showcases for a different
strong female lead. Yeah.
Do you have any to add? My lovely came some soon, Gil.
Just spring. Let me think.

(01:13:04):
I mean there's a lot 9 and two outs is so if you can find it, I
mean that's really good friends to lovers.
Anything by Kim Jesu, anything by I'm Jung Hua.
Those ladies were killing it. Yeah.
This person also kind of playingoff of that theme from earlier

(01:13:28):
about the thrillers and crime dramas.
This person says the best dramasare from non ROM com genres.
They have better story development when you don't have
a focus on romance, Simon Tapes says.
The thriller, slash, crime or action dramas have some of the
best writing and performances than any other K drama genres.
They're just way more engaging and the scripts require the

(01:13:51):
actors to deliver. OK, I eat up revenge.
Political, historical, political.
I'm not sure about the thrillers.
I think they've. Gotten better like I.
What they're? Sensing is that the influx of
money from the West and the streamers is elevating the

(01:14:15):
genres that do well in the West.Yes, so action, thriller, crime,
these darker ones never got playin Korea because the networks
would just not really pick them up usually or there were so much
censorship on these television channels where there isn't on

(01:14:39):
streaming, right. They don't have to abide by you
can't show this that and the other you can't show the famous
one was knives and guns. So you would be watching a crime
show on a regular broadcast network in Korea and then all of
a sudden the gun would be blurred out or the knife will be
blurred out. And you'd be like, this is so

(01:14:59):
tame, Like why are they doing this?
So, but it's because of broadcast rules.
True, true. And my concern with the crime
and thriller overtaking romance is eventually I feel that it has

(01:15:20):
an influence on how we see people and strip them of empathy
and humanity and and it just becomes another Pew Pew Pew
bang, bang, bang. I'm just like, give me a story.
Give me a give me human, a humanstory, which I'm really loving

(01:15:43):
because I'm seeing a lot of K dramas now also doing more of
that, of just the human story stuff and it's also doing well
so. Yeah, I think the thriller,
crime and action and stuff is good.
I like that they're getting moreplay.
I like that they're somewhat improving over time, but also

(01:16:06):
they tend towards spectacle is Ithink what you're saying.
Yeah, and I don't like spectacle.
Booked by Ena, says K Dramas where actors are full adults and
behave like virginal teenagers, where small things like holding
hands is a huge thing, is such aturn off.
And again, what? Well, why?

(01:16:26):
Why don't you? You had something to say
immediately. What do you have to say?
No, I I'm seeing your comments and just go ahead.
OK my comment that I wrote back to her on TikTok was that was
the appeal for me of K dramas back when I started.
Every touch became meaningful again.
Exactly, that's literally why first of all, my parents would

(01:16:49):
not let me like watch a bold andbeautiful or like those were in
the. Days of our lives.
Yeah, that stuff. So it was very much Asian
dramas, and it just put more meaning into every moment, like
you're saying. But more so culturally, at the

(01:17:13):
time, you weren't just touching anybody, no.
I mean even today, like I would never just touch Someone Like
You. Know what I'm saying?
Yeah. So it's maybe you're a bit
desensitized in the sense that you know, your environment, it
was easy to like hold hands, hugand but not necessarily on the

(01:17:37):
other side. Yeah.
Iris says. I know literally everyone
disagrees but I adore the fact that romance K dramas have like
minimal kissing and almost 0 sexual scenes so she feels the
opposite. I like seeing romance in actions
and words rather than physically.
That's what Drew means to K dramas, Yeah, so.

(01:17:57):
And this is my last one that I picked.
I'm so jazzed that we've come tothe end of this process but I
can't believe it. Annette Lenson says the white
truck where someone gets hit on a crosswalk that they could
avoid like 5 minutes ago always makes me so frustrated haha.
And I think I might have said I was feeling cheeky that day.

(01:18:20):
And when I saw her comment come in I think I said not every K
drama needs a white truck but every white truck needs AK
drama. I agree.
And like, it's a fun, almost inside joke at this point where
someone's close to the road seems about to cross it.

(01:18:42):
Are they going to get hit? Might they get hit by a rogue
white truck of doom? I it's like an old friend to me.
Yeah, I've learned to accept it and I don't mind it at all.
You know what just hit me? The white truck of Doom is
almost like an intentional accidental.

(01:19:05):
Sort of. That's how they are trying to
explain it. But in the trunk when she walked
onto the street, it wasn't a white truck.
And in Goblin when I think the first time.
Yeah. And then the first time the Grim
Reaper stopped, like someone in the street, there was an

(01:19:25):
accident. It also wasn't a white truck so
it's almost like. But like, the subversion of it
is also, you know, something. I like that too.
I like when they subvert it and you think they're going to get
hit and then they don't. And.
They're like, that was a close one.
I'm like, because, you know, many female lead and male lead

(01:19:46):
have been maimed or killed or lost their memory from a a brush
with the white truck of doom. So anyway, we have come to the
end of this long process of digesting and commenting and
really airing our grievances with all of these hot takes that
people have presented in this one TikTok video that I posted.

(01:20:10):
And I'm so happy that you were along and game to do this with
me, Carol. I appreciate it so much.
Carol, where can people find youonline?
Thank you for having me and you can find me on Instagram as K
dramas musings and that's where I am right now still figuring it

(01:20:33):
out. But I think I'm in the process
of finding my love for, you know, K dramas again, so.
Yeah. Absolutely.
Yeah, you got to come back. Carol is very happy to talk with
you guys about K dramas in her DMS.
I think that's like the best place to to find her if you want
to comment on one of her posts or something like that.

(01:20:54):
Sometimes she's a little more quiet on Instagram than some
weeks, but definitely a wonderful drama friend.
She has Rex galore. So if you're like, oh, I really
like the show, maybe Carol can suggest some more from the genre
from the show. And she's so kind enough to do
that for anyone who jumps in herDMS.

(01:21:15):
And of course, you could talk shit with her too.
That's what I usually do is I talk shit with Carol all the
time. We have takes for days.
But Carol, thank you so much forbeing here.
And that's it. We're going to wrap up this hot
takes this long hot takes. I'm Jessica and this has been
the Tiba K Rambles podcast. Bye.