Hey my friends. <3
Today I just wanted to bring a few updates to your attention, just to make sure everyone’s on the same page. 🙂
I also wanted to say, phl recently mentioned to me that the blog’s become a lot livelier this year, and I totally agree. It’s really so great to see you guys enjoy hanging out on the blog, and chatting with one another. It makes me feel such a sense of community here, and that wouldn’t be possible without you guys. Thanks for being here!! 🥰
1. A SPRUCED-UP FULL LIST
You might have noticed that the Full List of shows (along with other smaller lists, like Full Reviews, Flash Reviews and Dropped Shows) suddenly looks a lot longer. It’s not because I suddenly added a lot of reviews to the list; it’s because now shows are also listed by their alternative titles.
For example, Answer Me 1988, formerly only listed under “A,” is now also listed as Reply 1988 under “R,” and The Light In Your Eyes, formerly only listed under “T,” is now also listed as Dazzling under “D,” and also as Radiant under “R.” This should make the list more user-friendly, especially for viewers who may not be aware that the show they’re looking for has more than one title.
Thanks to Geo, for the suggestion!
PS: If you spot a show on the list that isn’t listed by its alternative title, let me know, and I’ll fix it.
2. A FEW ADDITIONS TO THE SIDE BAR
You may also have noticed that I’ve added a couple of additional icons to the sidebar, like the one above and the one below.
Many of you expressed that you found the Where To Watch post useful, so now you can easily find it anytime you want it, via the icon on the sidebar. Thanks to Snow Flower for the suggestion!
While I was at it, I decided to add an icon to also make Jesse’s fantastic guest post on the practical factors affecting onscreen chemistry easily available as well.
3. IMPROVED PATREON TIERS
Why the change?
You might recall that when I first got on Patreon, I created a Friendship Tier ($5/month), where I said that I would make patrons’ comments a priority, even if I fall behind on comments in general. This promise was applicable to all other higher tiers as well.
When I first announced it, some of you expressed discomfort at this “benefit,” but were willing to roll with it, since I wanted to try it out.
Well, guess what? You guys had the right instinct about it – it was not a great idea after all. 😝 I have found that it is really difficult to keep track of everyone, especially when the volume of comments is high, and I’ve been feeling quite guilty about not being able to keep this promise. First of all, I’m really sorry about that, and second of all, I’ve decided that some changes are in order.
What’s the change?
Essentially, I’m replacing my promise to prioritize comments, with episode notes to one additional show.
The Friendship Tier has been renamed Early Access, and the tier that used to be known as Early Access, has been renamed Early Access Plus.
With this change, the total number of shows I’ll be covering in Patreon is now 5 instead of 4, and if you previously had access to episode notes for 1 show, now you have access to episode notes for 2 shows, and if you previously had access to episode notes for 2 shows, now you have access to episode notes for 3 shows, and so on. Does that make sense?
In terms of comments, I will go back to keeping up with comments as best as I can, but now I make no priority promises to anyone, which removes the discomfort you guys had felt earlier, and also removes the guilt I was struggling with, when I couldn’t keep that promise. 😅
On a related tangent, I also want to say that I see and read all the comments, and I very much enjoy hearing all of your thoughts. It’s just that with the blog becoming livelier – which, for the record, is a wonderful thing that I love – I find that sometimes I just can’t keep up with replying to comments as much as I want to. Please know that I read them all, though, ok?
THE 6 TIERS AT A GLANCE
Here’s a quick overview of the Patreon tiers as they now stand. The only unaffected tier is the Adblock tier, to which there is no change. I really hope that you guys like this change to the Patreon tiers, as I think this is an improvement to what I had in place before.
1. Adblock Tier
Pledge: $1/month
Benefit: Join this tier, and never feel guilty about using an AdBlocker on this site again!
Changes: none
2. Early Access (previously Friendship Tier)
Pledge: $5/month
Benefit: Early access to my episode notes on ONE show (selected by me) that I’m watching, before they get sorted and crafted into the final reviews.
3. Early Access Plus (previously Early Access Tier)
Pledge: $10/month
Benefit: Early access to my episode notes on TWO shows (selected by me) that I’m watching, before they get sorted and crafted into the final reviews.
4. VIP Early Access
Pledge: $15/month
Benefit: Early access to my episode notes on THREE shows (selected by me) that I’m watching, before they get sorted and crafted into the final reviews.
5. VVIP Early Access
Pledge: $20/month
Benefit: Early access to my episode notes on FOUR shows (selected by me) that I’m watching, before they get sorted and crafted into the final reviews.
6. Ultimate Early Access
Pledge: $25/month
Benefit: Early access to my episode notes on FIVE shows (selected by me) that I’m watching, before they get sorted and crafted into the final reviews.
THIS MONTH ON PATREON
Here’s an overview of the shows I will be covering this month on Patreon. I’m almost done with two of the shows, so their planned successors are also listed below.
Let me know if you’d like me to make this announcement monthly, to keep everyone updated on the shows that I’m covering / plan to cover on Patreon for the month!
Early Access: Hi Bye, Mama!
Early Access Plus: + Mystic Pop-Up Bar
VIP Early Access: + A Couple’s World (The World of the Married), to be followed by My Unfamiliar Family
VVIP Early Access: + Oh My Baby
Ultimate Early Access: + Hospital Playlist, to be followed by It’s Okay To Not Be Okay
..AND THAT’S IT!
That’s all for my small collection of announcements! If you have any questions or clarifications, do post them in a comment below.
To patrons on Patreon, thank you so much for your support; I really hope you’ve been enjoying the Early Access posts. Do let me know how that’s been working out for you. 🙂
And to all who have generously contributed to the blog on Paypal, I am ever so grateful for your love and encouragement. Thank you so much! <3
Thank you everyone, for being on this journey with me, and for being part of this blog’s growing community. <3
You’re definitely keeping busy! I think it’s normal to go through a bit of trial and error, especially with stuff like Patreon tiers. It just takes time to see how everything actually works in action and how you are able to handle it. I’m glad to see it’s going well overall though 🙂
Speaking of boy/girl stuff and how it’s changed in our lifetime, we’re five episodes into Secret Garden!
Not nearly as bad on the chauvinism front as you all had led me to fear. More precisely, Hyun Bin’s character’s chauvinism and stalking behavior are exactly as I expected, but the way the show presents it doesn’t appear to suggest that’s OK. Mostly they make him look ridiculous, while presenting Ha Ji-won as awesome.
We just finished the episode that ends with the two of them waking somewhat changed after drinking Kim Mi-kyung’s medicinal wine. Oh my! (Say no more on that.)
How did comment that get up here? Darn. Was supposed to be a reply to Beez.
Good thing you commented on your own comment about your post appearing in the wrong place because for some reason, the system never sent me notice of the post about you watching Secret Garden.
I’ve been experiencing issues with that as well. Either I don’t get the notification (this two for example) or it appears in the email many pages down in a running commentary of all comments other people have made.
@merij1 – I wasn’t the one saying Secret Garden is mysogynistic. I love it. It’s in my Top 10. I was the one saying that it’s easy for me to switch my mind into the mode of remembering how things were when I watch anything made in a different era. I can also tap into my inner teen for certain shows 😆. I find Hyun bin’s character ridiculous and hilarious. If Kdrama characters all behaved, they’d be boring. Now, he does need a good slap for thinking he could “play” with Ha Ji won and then she’ll just disappear at his convenience but that just makes it fun when the joke’s on him because he can’t stop thinking about her.
And you’re at the switching hijinks. I envy you so much!
Well I might give it a try 🙂
The controversy is about the female lead harassing and sexually harassing the male lead in multiple occasions. I was really baffled when I heard about it because usually people only complain about that stuff when it is the other way round.
But the thing I didn’t like was: She is very rude and can apparently get away with anything. I mean her behaviour is cool for like 10 min and then it gets annoying. But on the other hand everyone else is celebrating her behaviour so I might be the odd one 😀
Ooh. Hm, that does sound like a tricky thing, and I can see why people would be divided on that. Thanks for the heads-up! I’ll have to see how I feel, when I get there! Worst case, if I end up hating it, I’ll drop it and switch to another show for Patreon. 😅
Let’s just hope our curse still works 😀
If I don’t like it you will like 😀
🤣🤣🤣 Let’s see!!
Kfangurl, the heroine in It’s Okay does behave in a rude way at the beginning of the show, but the story reveals gradually why she is the way she is and her character is slowly changing under the influence of the admirable male character. (He also has a lot of issues to overcome.)
Ah thx snow for the insight but a sad backstory still doesn’t justify her behaviour in my opinion.
But that is just personal taste
Thanks for the clarification, Snow Flower!! <3 That does help; I'll keep that in mind when I get to the show! 😀
I’m hoping for that rare RARE Kdrama OTP switcheroo. She can have her manager (or any other guy who has the time and strength) who can continue to run around fixing her “messes”. Our hero has enough on his hands caring for his autistic brother.
@Snow Flower – was it you who commented that you couldn’t find Jang Hyuk’s Great Ambition (aka Damul)?
I just stumbled across it on Dr***C**l. It’s under the title “Into the Sunlight”
@Snow Flower – I got that mixed up. Into the Sunlight is not Damul, it’s Damang. So I still can’t find Damang aka Great Ambition. Sorry about that.
@beez,
Thank you for remembering about my interest in Great Ambition (Daemang). Maybe one day it will appear in cyberspace.
I have already seen Into the Sunlight and thought it was a nice little surprise.
That’s encouraging because I was trying to decide whether to watch it or let it sit on my watchlist back burner to one day finish my list of all Hyukie’s shows.
I thought Daemul, Great Ambition and Jungle Juice were the only things I needed to complete having seen all of his works. But then AsianWiki has updated with an old movie and some old dramas:
The Best Zzang (1998) – Lim, Se-bin
Wang Rung’s Land | Wang rung ei Dae ji (SBS / 2000)
Into the Sunlight | Haetbit Sokeuro (MBC / 1999)
School 1 | Hakgyo 1 (KBS2 / 1999)
Love You and Love You (SBS / 1998)
Model (SBS / 1997)
(And I think Model has Song Seung heon and So Ji sub! That would probably send me into coma of bliss!)
So the ones mentioned will be the reviews that u will post next?
Hi Larius! The shows listed on Patreon will definitely be on my review list, but I do try to watch other stuff outside of my Patreon list, so there might be reviews outside of what’s listed on Patreon. (My Watching list is here.) I think my next reviews will be for A Couple’s World and Hospital Playlist, though I’m not sure yet which one will come before the other. 🙂
Ah okay will be looking forward to the ones outside the patreon list 😀
That’s great! 🙂 Uh.. Do you just not like the ones on the Patreon list, I wonder? 😅
I tried some on the list and I disliked them (example: World of the Married or oh my baby) or I am just not interested in them (example: It’s Okay To Not Be Okay bc of the controversy and I watched some snippets on YT I disliked)
The only one I might be interested is Mystic pop up Bar but the setting of this one is very strange.
Ah, I see! I like what I’ve seen of Mystic Pop-up Bar so far. I’m just 2 eps in, but it feels heartfelt and there’s some funny to it as well. It might be worth a try, for you! 🙂
Also, what’s the controversy around It’s Okay?
I will never figure out wordpress and how my comments end up elsewhere :/
Made a new comment apparently…
It’s ok – I found it! 😀 And don’t worry, that happens to everyone, now and again..
@kfangurl – I’m curious. When you’re watching several shows that have ended, do you rotate the shows as if they’re airing (2 of Hi Bye Mama; 2 of Find Me In Your Memory; 2 of The Romance Of Tiger And Rose). Or do you watch one for several episodes until you feel you need a break/change?
Actually, I usually only watch one episode of something at a time, so I might do 1 ep of Hi Bye Mama, then 1 ep of Find Me in Your Memory etc. And because I have so many shows on my plate at any one time, I never run out of stuff to rotate on the plate, even if something is airing and I’ve run out of eps for it. If a show really sucks me in good, I might do 2 eps of the show before moving on to something else, but that’s quite rare for me these days! 😉
Hi Fangurl – I love that you added those links to your sidebar. Snow Flower is right – that post on “Where to Watch”is a tremendous asset for all of us. The benefits I have gotten from reading and implementing the different avenues to watch dramas has been super helpful! I think it is one of the most important posts on this blog.
I do need to laugh at the ‘Full List of Shows’ name additions (this is very helpful) as with some CDrama that could add up to 4 different names – poor Fangurl! So many times I have had to look at the poster to determine if this was actually the drama I was looking for as it had several different names.
I love the Patreon posts and read them faithfully. It kinda feels like I am watching the drama with you.
Beez is on the money – you have a ton on your plate with the blog growing (people recognize excellence). No need to comment on any of my posts unless I ask a question. Thanks for all you do!
Aw wow! That’s so cool to know, that the Where to Watch post has been so useful for you, phl! 😀 I wouldn’t even have thought to write the post, if Maj hadn’t asked the question, so it’s quite mindblowing to know that you consider it one of the most important posts on the blog! 🤯😄
HAHA. YES. C-dramas tend to gravitate towards titles like “Eternal Love” in some shape or form, so I hope having the various alternative titles listed alongside, will help clear up any confusion! 😅😅
AHH. I’m SO pleased to know that you’ve been enjoying the Early Access posts, phl!! 😀 And absolutely, that is exactly what I’d hoped, that reading the posts would be like watching the dramas with me, since each Early Access post is a direct output from an episode watched. If only we were actually watching at the same time, it’d be all the more fun, I think! 😀
Aw, thank you for your understanding, dear phl. <3 I appreciate your consideration, and may tap on that goodwill from time to time. At the same time, I enjoy your company, so it's a pleasure to read and respond to your comments! 😘😘 Thank you for being here, and for being such a source of encouragement to me! <3
Hey, K. Hope you are staying safe and doing well.
I like the shows on your Ultimate Early Access list — save the best for last! Look forward your Hospital Playlist and It’s Okay reviews. 😀
I’m rewatching Reply 1988 — currently at Ep 10 — and I’m finally appreciating it for the masterpiece that it is. Watching an ep at the end of the day (a couple on weekends) is like the comfort food I didn’t know I needed.
And I’m in the right mood too — seeing the R88 community makes me nostalgic for my student days and thankful for my parents. I even appreciate the lengthy episodes now that indulge in the details– we should find joy in those ordinary, mundane moments of life which shape us into the person we are today. (Folks in my social circle have been discovering this gem during quarantine, so it’s great to share stories / theories with them too) 😀
[SPOILER] I agree that some arcs could have had tighter closure (Jung Hwan, Taek-Deoksun marriage, community reunion), but I guess sometimes that’s how life works, people just drift apart from our lives? As the saying goes, don’t be sad they’re gone, rather be thankful for the memories you shared with them. 🤗 [END SPOILER]
9.5/10. Now in my Top 3 all-time dramas with Signal and My Mister. Thankfully the spirit of Reply 1988 lives on through Hospital Playlist Season 2. 😅
Hi Storyteller! 😀 I’m glad you’re looking forward to the reviews for Hospital Playlist and It’s Okay! I should be posting the Hospital Playlist review within the next week, since I’m almost at the end of my watch. I’m just so reluctant to finish it, because I don’t want to say goodbye to these characters just yet. :’)
That’s great to hear, that you’re enjoying R88 so much! It’s my favorite among the Reply series, and it’s truly a gem, with the amount of heart it possesses. <3 It certainly brings the feels, and makes us appreciate the people around us. 🥰🥰 That's so great that your friends have been discovering this lovely show too, in the midst of quarantine. That must be a much-needed silver lining to the monotony that sheltering in place can bring.
I did very much enjoy R94 and Prison Playbook as well, if you're keen for more of this production team's warm touch, and haven't yet seen those. 🙂
@kfangurl – in case you didn’t know – just so you’re prepared – Hospital Playlist ends dangling because they’re due for a second season.
Thanks for the heads-up, Beez! I heard that there’s a Season 2, but I didn’t know that stuff ends dangling. It’s good to be prepared! 😅
Not dangling like a cliff hanger but the show just … stops. Lots of things up on the air. And when it stopped, at that time, I didn’t know there was a second season coming so I was pretty … let’s just use the word upset. 😆
Oh my! I can imagine you feeling upset, if Show just ended with all kinds of dangling ends, and nothing’s wrapped up, and you weren’t aware that there was any intention to continue the show! 😝😅 I still have one ep to go, and I do think it helps to know in advance that things just pause where they are, in anticipation of the second season. 🙂
Hey, K — have you seen the last ep of Hospital Playlist? There were open arcs that I think should be resolved fairly quickly into the second season. Then there were arcs wh3ose resolution was…unexpected — IMO. 😅 Look forward hearing your thoughts on these arcs when the HosPlay review is up. 🤗
Omo I’m so excited to see your review for Hospital Playlist! I’m so sad waiting in anticipation for Hospital Playlist season 2 after that ending 😭 I actually have gone back to Prison Playbook and am enjoying it a lot more now, so I’ll have to go back and reread your review for that too! The character bonds in both are so heartwarming and fun to watch. I’m watching It’s Okay as it airs; I have high hopes!
KFG, I so wish I were wealthier and could afford to support you at more than the $5/month level. It’s a solid investment and exactly why a site like Patreon exists!
I too have enjoyed seeing so many men join the fray. It balances out the perspective in interesting ways. For example, the kind of guy who would watch a romance show in the first place appears to highly intolerant of men treating women the way we all took for granted decades ago. Whereas you all seem to have accepted it more as an unfortunate reality of how some men behave.
However the gender change may eventually become an issue because some of us menfolk do tend to be wordier. (He said, staring in the mirror.) Also you fan girls lose a little something when it’s no longer a sorority and you can’t as comfortably go on and frickin’ on about how squishy you feel staring at some actor’s pecs in his shower scene. lol
My wife and I still have a lot of catching up on the best of the previously broadcast dramas so I’m not concerned with ones still airing and therefore still in danger of suddenly driving into a ditch around episode 12. I rely on those of you who’ve made it to the end to save us from those shows.
But I am curious about your writing/thinking process. So getting access to one of your notes-in-progress is actually pretty cool. If these tiers really do work as an incentive for higher giving, it’s also a very smart way to prime the pump.
> so I’m not concerned with ones still airing
Correction: If Lee Na Young appeared in a new romance drama, that would definitely be the exception!
I’m almost there as well on World of the Married simply because it stars Kim Hee-ae from Secret Love Affair. Or any new show where Song Yoon-A has a prominent romance role. (Female villain from The K2.)
Except I’ve now learned that if I watch a show solely to savor one of my noonas (Stage 2 fanboying!) it’s sometimes best to fast forward through the B or C quality plotlines and focus only on her.
I’ve watched most of World of the Married (I have 3 eps left), and while Kim Hee Ae is absolutely riveting and magnificent, from what I understand of your drama preferences, this probably isn’t your cup of tea.. It’s very well done, but it’s a very dysfunctional story with very dysfunctional characters and relationships, and there’s no trace of the sweet romance which is the trademark allure of kdramas. So.. I don’t know if you’d actually enjoy watching the show. 😛
Yay. You’ve saved us again!
But I reserve the right to skim through the episodes on my own with the subtitles off, just for the eye candy. Much will be lost if I don’t know why a scene is so poignant, but it’s still something.
Well, if you can stomach seeing an apparently perfect marriage fall apart, and Kim Hee Ae’s character’s reaction to that, you could try watching E1, and see if you feel interested to carry on from there? Her performance is outstanding, and probably even better than what she delivered in Secret Love Affair. Everyone else is good too, but she steals the show. 🤩
It’s partly a matter of expectations. If you know a show is about a failed marriage and one or both parties being behaving badly in response, you adjust for that. We prefer sweet romance, but it’s not like we never watch straight dramas.
What we’re not good at is adapting when we think it will be an endearing romance drama but then either party behaves badly for too many episodes in a row, with no apparent learning or evolution.
This is a second marriage for both of us, so we’re well aware of those dynamics. It’s called “scar tissue.”
That’s very true! If you adjust your expectations to expect the opposite of sweet romance, you’d have a much better chance of enjoying the show. 🙂 Maybe it’s worth considering, to watch a second show alongside World of the Married, to bring some sweetness to your overall viewing experience? 😉
I was just thinking about how I usually watch based on the male actor (although I do have a very few female biases). I was thinking about it because I just viewed an article listing who’s the highest paid actors and actresses. (The list was in an article by a Filipino publication so I’m not sure if this is won or U.S. dollars). The lowest male stars began at $44,000 and Kim Soo hyun (Love from Another Star) topped it off as the highest male at $100,000 per episode.
While I know Korean stars don’t make the kind of money American stars do in tv series, but here’s the shocker: Park Shin hye came in last among the 20 actresses at $17,000! The top money maker is Kim Hee-ae at $83,000. And there was a huge gap between her and number 2 on the list.
Besides my shock over Park Shin hye who had been so popular for years (and is still young), I was also surprised at the HUGE difference between the men’s and women’s salaries. And that’s what started it me wondering, is it really mainly the men that viewers tune in for? I do know that dramas are more popular with Korean women than men, similar to American soap opera watching. I thought it was just me swimming at the shallow in of the pool.
If I’m watching for an actor — instead of whether the show is great according to you all — it’s pretty likely to be the female lead, at least for a romance drama. However guys are funny that way. For Hollywood films I think most men watch based on the male lead.
interesting🤔
Aw, thanks MeriJ, I deeply appreciate the thought, and I’m grateful for the support that you do give! <3
Hahaha!! I'm more than happy to trade in a sorority feel, for the diversity that our male viewers bring! 😀 Also – you've already seen us – well, me – spazzing over my favorite actors, so I guess you've seen me at my fangirl worst? 😂😆 If you're still here, that means it's not a dealbreaker, heh. Also, I find that I'm now much less spazzy, and more interested in things like story and characterization. I guess the fangirl is growing up! 😅 No worries about wordiness – that seems to be a Thing with this blog. My posts tend to be wordy – so it only makes sense that my readers share that wordiness, at least a little bit? 😀
I'm pleased that you're happy and interested to have early access on Patreon, even though you're not actively following the more recent dramas! Thank you! <3
I think if Kdrama reverts back to “fan service” (showing the obligatory shower/shirtless scene, we’ve still got some squeeing left in us. 😆 I could be wrong because I’m no longer watching everything that comes down the pike, but Kdrama-ville seems less fan servicy lately.
@kfangurl – Whew! I’m tired just from the number of shows you’ll be watching and that’s not counting the reviews and responding to comments.
Hee. It does seem quite ambitious, but I’ve been managing pretty ok with the 4 shows on Patreon, so I’m quite confident that one more will be doable as well! 😅
is there any timeline for the final reviews?
Hi Drew, there’s no fixed timeline for the final reviews, but generally speaking, it would be within about 3-5 days from the time I post my penultimate episode notes (eg, E15 of a 16-episode show) on Patreon, as I would need time to watch the final episode and craft the final review. Does that help? 🙂