Y’know, I just love it when the blog evolves because of you guys. ❤️
I started this blog mostly for reviews, and then added the k-love section, and the occasional Musings post.
But mostly everything else is a result of suggestions and requests from you guys. Pure Pretty, Dream Dramas, and Dear kfangurl posts, would’ve never been born on this blog if you guys hadn’t asked for and contributed to them.
And now, here’s another new thing that we’ve not had on the blog before: a group watch, with open thread discussions to go with! Exciting! 😃 Lemme tell you guys all about it, so that you can decide whether you’d like to join in the fun!
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Beez, Snow Flower, BE and phl1rxd have decided they’d like to rewatch Chuno at the same pace, so that they can have blow-by-blow episode discussions every step of the way.
I (most likely?) won’t be joining the rewatch, but I will be creating a weekly Open Thread, so that those episode discussions have a place to live. (I might change my mind about joining in though, if I can make the time!)
If you’d like to rewatch Chuno, or watch Chuno for the first time, and have friends to share that experience with, do join the party!
THE SCHEDULE
We’ll be following Chuno’s original airing schedule (thanks BE, for the fun suggestion!), starting a week from now, on 18 November 2020.
Chuno aired on Wednesdays and Thursdays (albeit not in November), so I will publish one Open Thread every Wednesday for that week’s pair of episodes. You can share all your thoughts, feelings, reactions and questions on the Open Thread.
I’m sure that everyone’s watch experience will be much richer for it. 😃
WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER WATCHING CHUNO
1. It’s beautifully, artfully shot.
I kid you not, it’s like watching art in motion. You should totally watch this in HD, and nothing less.
2. It’s arguably Jang Hyuk’s most iconic role.
If you’ve been around the blog for a while, you probably know that I have Big Affection and Weak Knees for Jang Hyuk.
This show is where it all started. He’s fantastic in the action sequences, all commanding in a prowling panther sort of way, and at the same time, he’s also amazing at delivering complicated, raw emotion. So masterful and compelling. 🤩
3. Excellent performances by everyone else.
Of course, this isn’t just Jang Hyuk’s show. Everyone else in the cast gives great performances; even Oh Ji Ho, whom I feel has an acting range that leans limited, is literally the best I’ve ever seen him.
4. It has a fantastic OST.
This show has one of the best OSTs, ever (and gets a mention in my list of all-time top OSTs here), and that OST is so judiciously applied that it absolutely lifts the watch experience to another level.
5. It’s a sageuk that doesn’t revolve around palace politics.
If you think that sageuks are mostly about bearded men scheming in the royal court, you wouldn’t be too far off the mark.
But, this show provides a much more relatable, everyman sort of perspective, because our key characters are mostly slaves and slave hunters, rather than officials of the court. So even though the court officials are part of the story, they’re not the main point.
6. There’s a good amount of heartfelt shirtless bromance.
No lie; the shirtless bromance between Jang Hyuk, Han Jung Soo and Kim Ji Suk is one of my favorite things in this show. They’re like a little family, with Jang Hyuk as the dad, Han Jung Soo as the mom, and Kim Ji Suk as their whiny immature child. HA. 😆
Note 1: This is best approached not as a romance. Think epic journey instead, and you should be all good.
Note 2: If you’d like to check out my review, you can find it here.
TRAILER
TO WHET YOUR APPETITE
This is one of my favorite Chuno MVs because it gives a great flavor for not only the fabulous OST, but Jang Hyuk’s badassery as well.
And here’s the fan tribute video that started all this talk about a rewatch:
Also, here’s a beautiful instrumental track from the OST:
WHERE (& HOW!) TO WATCH
Chuno is available on Kocowa and on Viki with Viki Pass.
Kocowa has a free to view option (with ads), and video quality is great (1080p), so this would be a pain-free option if you’d like to join the fun! 😃 All you have to do is sign up for a free account.
GETTING AROUND GEO-RESTRICTIONS
If you’re geo-restricted, a VPN service would help you get around that. Not only does it provide online safety, it also gives you access to lots of great geo-restricted content.
I personally use NordVPN. You can find my review of NordVPN here.
You can use my affiliate link (here!) to enjoy up to 60% * off, with prices starting as low as US$3.29 per month.
* This used to say 73%, but because NordVPN’s changed the way it calculates the discount, it now says 60%. BUT, it’s the same great price, starting from US$3.29 a month!
An article on why it’s not illegal to use a VPN to access legal streaming content can be found here.
JOIN US!
Let us know in the comments below, whether you’ll be joining us? Of course, you don’t have to; you can just show up for the party when the Open Thread goes live next week, and that’d be perfectly fine. It’s just nice to know who we’ll be partying with, is all. 😉
Also! If this goes well, we can plan for future group watches of other shows. Whee! 🥳
Open Threads
I’ll be linking the open threads here, as they go live, for your easy access!
Episodes 1 & 2 | Episodes 3 & 4 | Episodes 5 & 6 | Episodes 7 & 8 | Episodes 9 & 10
Episodes 11 & 12 | Episodes 13 & 14 | Episodes 15 & 16 | Episodes 17 & 18 | Episodes 19 & 20
@KFG; @Beez: I’m starting a new comment as I can’t seem to reply to your latest comments.
Feel free to use either Geo or agent155, both are fine.
@beez: Having finished Iris 1 and skimmed episodes 1 and 2 again, as I first saw them about 6 months ago, the show makes more sense to me and I remember why I liked it for the most part. Also, I think Kim Tae-hee has the sweetest smile and she looks like such a nice person while being quite attractive, which may account for her rating as the “most beautiful woman in Korea”. But I think she has a more girlish, look thus falls more into the Cute category. I agree with you that KSY is missing something that SYJ and Shin Min-a both have. I rated SYJ as best overall good looking because she has elements of all the categories but is not the best in any single one; she’s cute but not as cute as Jang Na-ra, she’s sexy but not as much as SMA and it’s difficult for anyone to surpass Jun Ji-hyun for a combination of looks and sexiness. I think KSY fits best in the “Sexiest” category vs the overall category.
These are just my personal opinions and I fully expect others may disagree, so Hallyu fans don’t jump on me, lol, especially about KTH though I feel I’m in good company with you, beez re KTH.
I, who was worried about jumping ahead on Chuno watch, have still not started it. LOK and Iris took up that time plus I decided to watch a couple of episodes of another KSY vehicle, Prosecutor Princess, to see if KSY could deliver in another type of role, rom-com vs Iris, and as the FL. Sadly, I don’t think she was a good fit for that show though she tried her best, I think Kim Tae-hee would actually have been a better choice. It was actually nice to see LJS in a supporting role in Prosecutor Princess, guess it was one of his first shows
I see you threatening kfg and reaper with pink slips for not watching certain classics and I’m worried I may be on your hit list, lol. I didn’t like Full House, did like Coffee Prince, started The Greatest Love and dropped it halfway through episode 2, actually started Sam Soon and got distracted during the first episode, not sure why and can’t remember what I thought at the time and haven’t felt inspired to look at any of the others yet.
@Geo – Awwwww. That you haven’t started Chuno yet, but the good news is you’ve got time because of the break we’re all taking for the Thanksgiving holiday in America.
You know as you were mentioning the actresses, I might just change my overall to Gianna Gun and (sacrilege!) I don’t even think she’s any where near as pretty or beautiful as the other actresses but she can’t be beat for her walk of confidence or charisma.
Wait who are you comparing Jun Ji hyun with?
@reaper – All the actresses that we’ve been talking about the last couple of days. Son Ye jin, Song Hye kyo, Kim Tae hee, Kim So-Yeon and Shin Min-a. I think that’s all of them.
Ahhhh but in terms of looks Jun Ji Hyun beats all of them ^^ Same goes for acting skill.
Why do people always have Shin min a on these lists? ^^
@reaper – because she’s cute (I guess). And oh, I left Jang Nara off. She was also on the list.
Hmm okay not to me 😀 – Jang Nara is one of those actresses that varies a lot sometimes she is good and sometimes not
@reaper – I think the l list was much, much shallower than that. 😆 No skills were considered or included. 😂
Ahhh so basically just appearance 😀
I created the original list and I focused it on leading actresses, think leads and secondary leads, excluding models, singers and other celebrities. Interestingly, you’re not crazy about Shin Min-A while I think she’s the sexiest of all…eyes of the beholder and all that.
Well aren’t like a lot of actors and actresses singers and models on the side it seems hard to find pure actresses ^^
Yes eyes of the beholder. I usually avoid dramas with Shin min a
Models etc qualify only if they’re leading actresses, leads or secondary leads
She is a superb actress, in my view!
I want the pink one so here it goes:
I would only watch My girl for Hwang Bo Ra and The greatest Love for Yoo In na otherwise the storylines don’t seem interesting.
Autumn Tale? Melo is just meeeh. It must be very well made to be good.
Masters’s Sun… Horror no thank you. And by the way mentioning male actors doesn’t work on me lol.
Well I don’t hava that many shows that I thought of as amazing.
@reaper – Nothing? Nothing that, if not amazing, then you thought was good?
I think I told you before that I mostly watch romantic comedys and comedy.
What I like was:
Whats wrong with secretary kim
Healer
The Legend of the blue sea
Love from the star
My private Life
Mirror of the witch
secret love affair
Piece of your Mind
I am not a robot
I’ll go to you when the weather is nice
My mister
And the others I liked a lot are C-Dramas
@reaper – gotcha 👍
@merij1 yes you are right… I can’t stay away for too long ^^
Very well combined…
Na larius is a mixure of my real name and the name of a roman emperor. Because I played a lot of strategy games back in the day that were related to those times.
@Reaper – FYI – if you hit reply and answer through the email, then your comment has a better chance of appearing under (or at least relatively near) the comment you are responding to.
I have a different question. I don’t get notifications when people answer me even when I change the settings. What could be the problem?
@reaper – I’m sorry. I don’t know. That’s a question for Kfangurl. Or merij1 might know because I know he played a lot with the settings.
Hi Reaper, if I remember correctly, MeriJ shared that you need to check the boxes to receive notifications, the first time you leave a comment on a thread. If you don’t do that, then checking the box on subsequent comments doesn’t change the initial setting. I’m sorry that I don’t know how to fix that; I think that’s a WordPress quirk. I think MeriJ would be able to share more nuances around this, with you. I receive a different set of notifications as the blog owner, so I’m less familiar with the details around this. 😝😅
It kinda fixed iself now i get them but who knows why 😀
Haha! Wow, ok, that’s kind of weird, but yay that it’s fixed now? 😂
I mean is wordpress so it might stop working tomorrow again 😀
GAH. I hope not! 😝😅
Once I created a WP account, I no longer had to check any boxes.
No, you can still check that box on a later comment.
When is fortunate, since when you converted to the business app, all the page notifications I had previously checked were lost. So I recently made a point of going back to each review/thread I cared about and finding some excuse to make a new comment, just so I could check that box and receive notifications again.
What I was exploring a while back was the default settings in my WordPress account. You can specify different levels of notification for a specific blogsite like this one.
Go here for that thread and scroll down a few comments. (My initial instructions about the chronological order of comments no longer applies, since KFG fixed that bug already.)
https://thefangirlverdict.com/currently-watching/?sn=c&c=86484#comment-86484
For a while I had it set to send me notifications for any comment to any page on your site. But it was too much — other than to give me a feel for how hard it must be for you to even read, much less reply, to so many people!
Thanks for the clarification, MeriJ! Very helpful! 🙂
I didn’t
Ah I am stupid I misread. Damn it.
Didn’t you think I’d see you discussing your identity with merij1 in, of all places, a Chuno thread?! 🤣
Well I didn’t know you were such a big fan and I thought I might get lucky and you don’t read the conversation. But well…. I didn’t think that through 😀
Ah, but it worked out perfectly.
I inadvertently insulted the fine people of Germany. You called me on it. I mentioned your real name in passing. You got nervous and almost outed yourself. I realized you had started to do so and pressed a little. Then you fessed up entirely, but accidently made it a top level comment, instead something buried so deep and narrow that few would see it.
And now we have you back! Presto chango! It was meant to be.
The only thing I don’t understand is how you are able to edit your comments within the 15 minute cutoff if you don’t have a WordPress account. Can guests do that too?
Well I just fessed up because you are nice and I don’t like to deceive kind people. Otherwise you still wouldn’t know 😀
Yes I can edit it even as a guest but I have an account now.
I knew it was you for sure when you wrote this, then immediately edited it to something nonincriminating. This is why people like us get caught the few times we stray, whereas people who truly don’t care about others get away with stuff:
Wow how did you copy that so fast 😀
Amazing ^^
Should have been more cautious ^^
That’s why I bothered to mention this! You can edit the public record here, but you can’t take back the initial notification that everyone receives, since that would require access to their email account.
Most of us read the email first, then come here to reply or “like” the comment. So I saw your initial comment and knew it was you based on the fact that you edited it to something else so quickly.
You should have received one from me as well, explaining my logic for why you would have returned here with a new name. I too edited my comment immediately, so as not to expose you to others. It should still be in your Inbox, around
Nov 17, 2020, 2:52 PM (my time, which is GMT-5.)
Ah that makes sense. WordPress screwed me over 😀
No because I was a guest and didn’t check the receive email box i didn’t get to see that one ^^
Ah. So that’s why you didn’t realize I had figured it out for sure.
What I said was that after making a big announcement about leaving and being done with K-drama for a while, it would make sense that you’d feel sheepish about returning so soon.
But that since this place is so awesome, how could you stay away for too long?
Hence, “Reaper.”
Did I ever ask if Larius was short for Hilarious?
@meriji1 – OT. How do you find older comments? I know how to create a link back to it once I find it, but finding it is daunting in a busy thread. The “find in page” doesn’t always work for me. Is it just from your memory of knowing which thread a conversation was in or have you found a way to watch across the entire site?
I search for keywords in my Gmail inbox.
You could also search this site via Google using the following text, followed by your keywords:
site:thefangirlverdict dot com (replacing the dot with a period and removing the spaces)
However, the keyword(s) would have to be uncommon. And any words that appear in KFG’s sidebar will make the search meaningless.
Quotemarks around the keywords will help, if you remember a phrase from the comment you are trying to find.
Ahhhh. My gmail will do that but I use my aol address for blogs and fun stuff and I’ve tried that in the past but it doesn’t work. I can search the title of the blog (who it’s from) but any content inside the email is unsearchable. I try to keep my gmail free for business things.
@merij1 You put me in such a situation. I can’t lie to you.
Let’s just say your thought is not wrong. But don’t tell anyone ^^. Especially not b e e z… don’t want her to be mad at me again…
It’s a new start. And I actually had a break of watching dramas for a few months. But these days I just watch from time to time. Dropping most of them in ep1.
Btw well done combining the clues.
I will be silent again and go back to observing ^^
You dog!
No lurking though. Be here now.
Thanks for telling me, so I don’t anxiously await you returning someday and reading my comments! I’m rather ADHD, so I often speak without sufficient forethought.
@Reaper – see? I told you it was him. 😆 @merij1 – you don’t know if people in other countries would understand the context of that! 🤣
@Reaper (Larius?) – I didn’t even know anything had happened. I’m so sorry if I in any way contributed to your leaving us. (Although I think it was more merij1’s fault with that wicked dry sense of humor of his 😆) I noticed you weren’t around but I just figured you were busy with real life and would be back eventually – the way that Sean is present and then not present for a while. I finally stopped sending out the search dogs for him once I realized he’s just busy with real life.
Anyway I’m glad you’re back!
My dog reference? Maybe.
It wasn’t us! (I don’ think.) He needed a break from K-drama was how I recall it.
What I missed most was him and KFG having opposite tastes in shows. That was fun.
@merij1 🤣
@Reaper – Don’t clam up on me! I’ve enjoyed discussing the various actresses & other stuff.
@merij1 @beez It had nothing to do with you guys I just got tires of dramas for a while. But I still read every new article of kfg just without commenting.
@merij1 no worries I always enjoy your comments ^^
You dog = being secretly deceptive right? And I think it is part of a movie can’t remeber which one tho.
@beez you can’t remember our big fight about culture (I think was the topic). After that I tried to avoid you so I am not mean to you again or prickly is what merij called it 😀
@Reaper – I never considered it a fight, but a discussion. And a learning one at that. I googled the straightforward and literal nature of Germans. I love that I meet so many people from around the world on the various Kdrama blogs that I frequent.
And I was only teasing merij1 because he’s got me a few times but I had no ammo to fire back at him so I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity slide to razz him.
You’re right that merij1’s “You dog!” is equivalent to saying “You sly fox!” or saying you were craftily getting away with something.
I’m glad our “fight” had nothing to do with you lying low there for a while.
Oh you considered it a discussion… even tho it ended pretty badly.
Wait google knows about the straightforwardness of germans? 😀
Teasing merij sounds like a nice idea. If you got ammunition u have to use it ^^
Yes the “fight” had nothing to do with it.
Aish. You straightforward dog!
Hold up. What did I do now? 😀 😀 😀
Nothing new. I just enjoy the sound of it!
Well that seems legit 😀
Yup. I Googled something like “do Germans tend to take things literally” and a few articles came up, including some off topic that were very interesting about how you all have a word for everything. Although the word may have 40 characters. Interesting. ☺
😀 Well that is accurate. That is why I liked learning english in school. Usually we have 10 words in german but they all mean the same thing in english. So 10 words turn into 1 😀
@beez btw how did you guess it was me?
🤯🤯 What a sneaky Larius! 😆 Thank you for ‘fessing up, it’s just really nice to know you’re back, even using a different name. HELLO AGAIN, OPPOSITE FRIEND! 😄🥳
Of course you had to read it now too 😀 Dang it 😀
But.. doesn’t it make you feel welcome? 😇😆
Yes it does make me feel welcome 😀
@beez I undertsand what you are trying to say. And just gave me reasons not to watch it. 🙂
Yeah you are right these days the ML is a big factor in wether the show is good or not. Most FL can’t be taking seriously. Quite annoying these days.
And yes I judge shows after 1 EP bc they have to grab and show me some good characters if they don’t I am out. I am not watching 10 out 16 eps to figure out wether I like it or not.
@Reaper – I totally understand what you’re saying. It’s just with Kdrama so many times, an amazing show can be hiding behind a boring first setup episode. I’ll continue to give each show that first episode as a pass.
Sometimes I do give the first episode a pass bc I think the show has potential.
You see when the tale of the nine tailed came out I gave it a go. But I was not impressed by the first episode. So I gave it another shot actually I gave it 4 more shots until episode 6. But still not for me.
@Reaper – same with me. I tried Nine Tailed. Watched the first episode. I tried to stick with it because a group of my Kdrama online friends are discussing it, but dropped out after episode 4 or 5 thereabouts.
Oh man i completely missed this comment. What was it for that made you stop watching the show?
@Reaper – this may seem trite, but as a devout Christian, I can only stand to watch only so much evil spirits and such. I’ll watch to a point and be okay because I know Korea had a wealth of history/storytelling involving these things so as long as it’s brief (or cutesy like My Girlfriend is a Gumiho/Goblin/Arang & the Magistrate), I can handle watching it. But if every episode has evil spirits woven throughout the story, it turns me off. Even if I know good triumphs over evil in the end of the story, I just don’t enjoy the journey. A bummer too because I’ve been waiting for Kim Bum to come back to kdramaland for a while (no pun intended).☺
I am Christian too but I don’t care about evil spirits 😀
But I get it. I have this “turn off” when there is a lot of violence.
Well I have to say the FL and Kim Bum were the parts I disliked the most. Lee Dong wook was awesome tho ^^
Btw still me just made an account
lol – I didn’t even notice the numbers behind your name.
That’s the great thing about God. He meets us wherever we are which is why I have no problems with there being various sects and dominations of Christians.
@Reaper – You know, the more I think about it, are we talking admit the same actress – Lee Il-Hwa? I think she’s a good actress, and she’s still very beautiful in spite of her age (it’s very obvious she’s had a face lift that is kind of hard to look at), but I haven’t seen any performance that shows off her charisma to make you name her as an actress who could anchor a show and draw voters just on the strength of her presence. Are you perhaps talking about a different actress, maybe one with the same or similar name???
@Reaper – I find Gianna Jun (Jun Ji-Hyun) the only one with enough powerful charisma to carry a show no matter what genre or who’s playing the ML. Possibly up and comer Shin Hye sun – although her forte would seem to be more on the dramatic side. I can’t see her carrying a rom-com the same way that her strength comes across in serious dramas. Can you think of any other actress with strength (aura/charisma) to carry a show alone in the same way that top ML’s do?
Uhhh I love Jun ji Hyun she is amazing but I also love Shin hye sun.
Carrying a rom com … I think Park min young can do that.
Other might be song hye kyo, Lee Il Hwa and from the younger generations Shin Ye Eun?
But I have to say I am more into the cutesy character than the charismatic ones.
@Reaper – I had to Google Lee Il hwa. I’ve only seen her in the Reply series and now I’m watching her in a daily (Man in a Veil). Can you tell me what you’ve watched her in that she’s given off that “it” vibe we’re talking about? If like to check her out in other roles to see if I think so too.
If never heard of Shin Ye-Eun before. She’s baby breath new (her age). And yet she’s been the lead in all three shows she’s starred in (according to AsianWiki). How’d that happen? Is she a kpop idol or something to land the lead in three shows with no other roles under her belt?
EDITED: Oh. And yes, I think Park Min Young can also be a big draw to a show on her own merits. She’s certainly built up a proven record. She’s come a long way from Dr. Jin where she didn’t matter at all to the screen filler she is today.
I have only seen her in supporting roles. But I loved her in “Man in the kitchen”.
Haven’t seen Man in Veil but from the title I guess it is a dark show?
Yes Shin Ye-Eun is around my age still a baby. And no she is not an idol she is just good at acting and pretty^^
Park min young is my all time favourite. She turned into such an amazing actress.
Ah and also a lot of people say Park Shin Hye is great to carry a show. Even tho I don’t watch her bc I don’t like her.
@Reaper – haha! Man in a Veil is ridiculously over the top. It’s a daily show. I’m not sure if it qualifies as makjaeng but it’s certainly crazy with mostly poor acting to boot! Of course, I’m not including Lee Il hwa in that assessment of bad acting. Her role started out seeming to be the focus, but right now she’s on the back burner. Dailies are so long though (usually over 100 episodes) that I’m sure the focus will return you her before the end of the series because her storyline takes place in the past but “chickens haves to come home to roost”. Right now, show is focusing on the younger generation but you can tell it all has to come back around to what happened to her in the past.
Ah one of those shows ^^
I usually love the “poor” acting. It somehow makes it real 😀
I might give a try sometime.
Whoever came up with this idea….god bless her…this sounds like a fun online community activity and this forum is lot more mature and nuanced for such discussions compared to reddit/dramabeans..etc
FGV…thanks for putting this together….you are awesome as always…
2 episodes per week is great because I can then watch it on the weekend and then add in comments by Wed/Thurs in case if I am unable to watch it at the exact time on Wed/Thur.
(I would have preferred Empress Ki to be my first Korean period drama but nevertheless given the A++ rating by FGV…I am really looking forward to this one….)
Happy viewing everyone 😉
Glad that you’re joining us, Princess Jasmine! 😀 Open Thread for E1&2 is now open, anytime you’re ready for it! 😉
One last question, on Wednesday are we responding to episode 1 and Thursday episode 2 or both 1 & 2 on Wednesday? Thanks
Hi BE! We can discuss both episodes right away, once the Open Thread goes live! 😀
What a fun idea! I probably won’t have time to join the rewatch, but I will definitely be reading through the threads 🙂
@beez Oh so I misundertstood ^^
Yes I am a dude.
Actually I watch a lot of dramas recently my favourite ones are romantic comedys lol 😀
Chuno just doesn’t fit me these days – I became very picky about dramas.
But I will voice my opinions on some reviews of other shows in the future.
It is so stupid that as a guest you can’t see who liked your comment….
Hm, that might be a glitch. Let me try to reach out to WordPress Help, and see if we can get that fixed. Sorry about that!
It is not your fault! But Thank you
I mean it say liked by (number) people. When you hover over it nothing happens. When you click on it they want you to create an account but that is useless because I will have another name etc.
Hey Reaper, I checked with WordPress, and unfortunately, this is an infrastructure issue.. with the blog’s upgrade to Business, the infrastructure changed, and the ability to see who’s liked your comments also changed. :/ They suggested some third party plugins as alternatives but after checking them out, they don’t allow you to see who’s liked your comments either, and worse, they won’t reflect the existing likes. So I’m just going to leave it as it is, to preserve all the “likes” that are already in place.
Thank you for checking 🙂 But upgrading a page to Business and loosing a feature… Well that feels off 😀
I know, right?? I said something similar to the Tech, but there wasn’t anything he could do to fix it for us regardless. 😕 I guess there are some things that need to change in order to run a blog on Business, which offers a lot of features not available otherwise, like plugins and other customization options. This new ability to edit comments is a plugin that I installed, which wasn’t an option for me before Business. I guess we can see it as a trade-off? Editing comments is technically more useful than being able to see who liked our comments..? 😅
The irony of an upgrade leading to a loss of functionality struck me as well! But the tradeoff was well worth the price.
Via email, we can see who liked our own comments, which is the key thing.
Yes the trade was worth it.
Fun thing if you comment through the wordpress page (you are logged in and answer through their page not here on kfgurls page) editing is not possible. ^^
@Reaper – yes, I’m one who “liked” your response to me. You can see who liked your comment if you have notifications go to your email. Every time someone likes your comment you’ll be able to see who they are and which comment they liked.
EDITED: Ohhhhh. I see. In looking at your later response to Kfangurl… You did originally day “guest”. But back before I ever created a WordPress account, I could still see who “liked” my comments through the email notifications. (Of course, back then I had to always remember to check the little box that said “receive notifications of replies” or something like that.)
@beez That makes sense.. so I will have to check that box and check my email… what a bother… just hovering over it should do the deal.
But it is wordpress so what do I expect… simple is not in their dictionary ^^
As KFG explained, we still get an email saying who liked our comment, but can no longer hover over the Like button on the comment itself to see who liked ours or someone else’s.
Yes I understood ^^
Yeah Chuno Chuno, my all-time favourite! I almost gave it a miss because stills of the lead actor in messy curly hair did not appeal to me initially. Glad that I watched it and fell in love with Jang Hyuk after that haha.
What a good thing it turned out to be, that you didn’t give it a miss after all, Prettysup! 😉🤩 Feel free to join us on the group watch, if you find yourself in a mood for a rewatch!
It’s my first time to watch Chuno and though I think I’m horrible with joining re-watch parties like this, count me in!
So glad you’re joining us, Jiyuu! 🙂 I’m sure you’re not horrible at joining watch parties.. Just join the discussions as you are able; at 2 eps a week, it shouldn’t be too challenging to keep up the pace! 😉
Because if it’s good (which, as Jang Hyuk’s most iconic role, it probably is) I cannot control myself and will end up watching more episodes than I should. Then I’ll get heartbroken earlier than the rest. Then end up quiet and not commenting after all.
Buuuut this is my only chance to watch it with others 10 years after it originally aired so… bring it on!
Aw.. I see what you mean. Maybe you could distract yourself by watching another show at the same time? It works for me. 😉
In any case, I’m glad you’ve decided to join us on the group watch! 😀
Gosh. My comment is supposed to be pawn02’s reply, but the Reply thread doesn’t work very well on mobile… Even when I switched to Desktop View. scratches head sorry about that!
If you like Go Go Squid, you might want to check out My Unicorn Girl, Skate Into Love and Gank Your Heart (which some reviewers have said are better than Go Go Squid in terms of FL’s development). I haven’t watched the latter yet, but I have finished GGS, MUG and currently watching SIL and must say that they’re quite close in terms of the youthful, young love feels.
That is funny. Different taste everywhere ^^ I like Go Go Squid a lot better then the others you mentioned. I didnt’t even finish My Unicorn girl and Skate into love.^^
Haha.. we’re the opposite. I wasn’t really feeling Go Go Squid. I agree… goes to show that there are so many different people with different tastes!
I want to. I really want to. I don’t know if I will be able, and also we shall have to see the time difference, but I want to.
Aw, yay that you want to, Yllejord!! Don’t worry about time differences, we are from all over the world, so the discussions mostly won’t quite be “live,” if you know what I mean. It’s just that we’ll all be watching at the same pace, and we’ll be able to share our thoughts and discuss everything, about that week’s pair of episodes. I hope you’ll manage to join us! 😀
What a timing! I just watched Jang Hyuk’s The Swordsman in cinema last week, and it made me crave his presence in any sageuk I had watched! He’s so much of his sageuk character self there, I could not help but think that the movie was made with him in mind all along.
Anyway, I might or might not join the group watch (I know I might miss the fun big time *sigh), but I will drop by on the thread every now and then to join the fun in a different way. I hope everybody have fun with it, coz I loooooooove Chuno! And I super super super looooooooooooooooooove Jang Hyuk!
What timing indeed, Widya! 😀 Jang Hyuk is so amazing in Chuno, I’m sure if you join us in the watch, it’ll help to quell your thirst to see him in a sageuk! 🤩🤩 I hope you’ll be able to make it! ❤️
Deep Rooted Tree, if you have not seen it.
Hi Widya – I cannot wait to see The Swordsman. I just watched the trailers for it the other day.
Hi, I just found this page after searching for something related to Go Go Squid. I am watching this through for the 6th time, and I have to say, I really enjoyed your analysis. I didnt agree with everything, but I definitely see your point of view. Once I figure out the website I will try to follow more with your posts.
Sorry if I am replying in the wrong area. Its 3:30 in the morning and I am a bit new here. Hope you all have a great day!
~Pawn
Hi there, pawn02, welcome to the blog! 🙂 I know I’m in the minority since I didn’t love Go Go Squid as much as everyone else, so you’re not alone! 😉
By the way, just in case you haven’t seen it, there’s a comment by Annette that was meant to be a reply to you too. 🙂
Thank you KFG! Now that I’m on my PC, let me just quickly copy and paste my reply.
To pawn02:
If you like Go Go Squid, you might want to check out My Unicorn Girl, Skate Into Love and Gank Your Heart (which some reviewers have said are better than Go Go Squid in terms of FL’s development). I haven’t watched the latter yet, but I have finished GGS, MUG and currently watching SIL and must say that they’re quite close in terms of the youthful, young love feels.
Hello kfangurl!! I’m sure you have heard this before…but just wanted to tell you that your kdrama taste exactly mirrors mine and hence I’m a regular on your site! The only thing that I want to emulate is your discipline. I love that as much as you love kdrama ..bingewatch is an exception rather than the regular pattern for you. Love love love this group watch idea and count me in 😍
Hi there BlueLotus! So glad to finally meet you! 😀 That’s so cool, that our drama taste is so similar! Also, you’re right, it’s been a long time since I’ve bingewatched a drama.. nowadays, if a drama is cracky enough to get me to binge several episodes in a row, that’s how I know it’s extra special! 😉
YAY that you’ll be joining us on the group watch! WELCOME! ❤️😘
Going to do my best to keep up! I think I have less time than many of you for drama watching but the allure of a group event will get me to displace one of my current shows to put this in. Thanks to all who suggested.
It’s only a two-episode per week commitment.
Although the old “bet you can’t just eat two!” warning will no doubt apply.
And I’m not sure, but I think it’s probably in 1-hour format unlike how today’s dramas run for 1 hr 30 minutes.
Glad you’re joining us, Jeff!! 😀 Thanks for prioritizing the group watch – I’m feeling extra important on behalf of everyone, heh. 😉
Also! I think you’ll really like little drama special To. Jenny, which I recently reviewed. It’s got lots of music and performances! 😀 You can check out the review here.
Will definitely check “Jenny” out when it’s time for a palate cleanser drama! Thanks!
I’m excited for you to check it out, now that I know how much you enjoy music in your dramas! 😀
Watch group!?! Fun! It’s a party! I’ll have to join in. I’ve been wanting to watch this. I’ve started to watch a couple times and gotten distracted very early in the process. I think my mood was all wrong at the time. I’ll get my mindset ready and be pumped for fighting for slaves. (I assume that is what Chuno is doing, because I can see Jang Hyuk throwing down on saving some slaves.) The second week may have a comment lag for me with Thanksgiving, and all but I’m there. Should be totally doable with only 2 eps a week.
Woot! 😀 So glad you’ll be joining us, lotusgirl! 😀 I do think the group setting will help you overcome the initial bumps that prevented you from continuing before. 🙂
Also, that’s a good point about Thanksgiving! Thanks for bringing it up! I might make an executive decision to preempt the open thread for E3-4, in favor of Thanksgiving. That will sure add to the realism of watching this live, having the week’s episodes preempted because of other events! 😉
So excited about this. Chuno has been one of the top shows on my watch list for awhile, and it will be so much more enjoyable to watch and comment with all the great kdrama lovers on this website! Really looking forward to our time together!
That’s really cool that Chuno’s been on the top of your list, and that you’ll now finally watch it with us! 😀 I’m excited for ya! ❤️
Sounds like a superlative idea! I may not watch with y’all this time, but would really be interested in doing it another time. I’m neck deep in watching those dramas on Netflix that aren’t on Viki. I’m sharing the cost with a friend for two months so I’m really in a marathon! Happy chocolate abs watching, girls! Snicker, snicker…. And for you first time viewers…get the Kleenex out.
Yes, Kleenex is necessary accessory for this drama.
Ah, The Kleenex Factor! Mountains and mountains of Kleenex. I love a good cry during a Kdrama. TT Sometimes I judge how good a drama is by the amount of tissue used. aka…I Miss You. One of my first and I cried buckets!
I will ask this again in the first ep set, but do you know if there are any actual historical or legendary bases for the central plot?
@BE,
The Second Manchurian invasion was a real event from 1636. The Korean king had to surrender and pay tribute to the invaders. He also had to send his two oldest sons as hostages to the Qing (the newly established Manchurian dynasty, which eventually conquered China in 1644 and remained in power there until 1912). The mysterious death of the Korean Crown Prince (shortly after his return to Joseon after 8 years as a hostage) has not been solved to this day.
Another important thing: pay attention to the voice of the Narrator at the beginning of Episode 1.
Was planning to comment on it. Thanks.
Yes! I plan on discussing it once the thread is open.
Aw, I can certainly understand your decision to prioritize your Netflix marathon! Feel free to drop by anytime to chime in on the open threads, Georgia Peach! Coz you won’t need a rewatch to comment on those glorious choco abs, hee! 😅
That’s great that you love the idea of the group watch – we’ll have to brainstorm on what show would be good for a group watch, when we get to the end of this one! 🙂
FG, I will certainly do just that. I totally loved Chuno, although, it took some prodding by Beez to get me to watch. I was newly off of Money Flower and was still basking in the glow of it. I’m on episode 14 of It’s Okay To Not Be Okay and the next watch is Record Of Youth.
I feel you, Georgia Peach! My glimpse of Chuno was of dusty desert with straggly looking dusty people, and I was convinced it wasn’t my kind of show. Oh how my opinion has changed! 😆🤩
Ahh, so glad you enjoyed Money Flower too – Jang Hyuk is SO GOOD in that. I actually considered whether he’d outdone himself in Money Flower, even though I’ve long thought of Chuno as his most iconic work. 🤩 Hope you’re enjoying IOTNBO, I liked that one a great deal too! ❤️
My many phases of Jang Hyuk:
Fated to Love You – purposely over-the-top Harlequin mask of an inner crying clown
Money Flower – subtleties of subtleties
Tree with Deep Roots – passion
My Country – ambitious intensity
Chuno – the BURNING SUN!
@ beez aside, I responded to your curiosity about my hobbies in the idol post.
& have you seen Midas?
@BE – I did see your post about your background and hobbies. You’ll see my response. I wasn’t online at all yesterday.
I saw Midas but didn’t really care for it.
@beez: I’ve seen fated to Love you, Tree with Deep Roots and My Country and I 100% agree with your concise summary of Jang Hyuk’s performance in these shows. Plus excellent action scenes.
@Georgia Peach – Record of Youth – Unless you just want a fix of Park Bo Gum because he’s gone for a while, trust me, there’s nothing to see.
Beez, I’m finding that out. Nothing to see so far. I had high hopes for this drama from him. He seems a bit miss cast as a high fashion model. He doesn’t somehow ‘got that look’. I’m some 6 episodes in and will finish and hope that I will also feel that the ratings were correct. I wasn’t happy with Encounter. I’m hoping when he does come back from military service we will see a more matured Park BoGum persona.
@Georgia Peach – like who decided he needed the little scarves around his neck that don’t quite qualify as an ascot? Although, in most non period shows they wear their own clothes which may have accounted for the problem. A show about fashion models, production needs to spring for some clothes that make the story believable. Not that I expect that character to wear the weird stuff that comes down the runway, but look at the difference in what Gummy wears compared to what his friend who is his competitor wears.
Anyway, let me know when you get to the last episode so I can join you in [w]itchin’ about it.
You know what I’ve found so cringe worthy is PBG’s high wasted, long stride jeans and pants! He looks like an aggushi in them. Mercy, did PDnim pay too much for him that they went short on wardrobe? But the characters are growing on me ever so slowly…we’ll talk later.
Oh, and I’ve also had an issue with being able to ‘like’ a comment…wants be to make an account with WordPress.🤷♀️
@Georgia Peach. Yes, awful ahjusshi pants. But again, as I said, unless they’re playing a specialized role, the actors wear their own clothes so…
Beez, really…they wear their own clothes? I knew Yoo AhIn had worn some of his own clothes in Chicago Typewriter cause I read an article that he did and that it was his preference not because they asked him to. I follow an Instagram called KDrama Fashion and I know I saw several postings about the clothes PBG wore along with the price and name brand of the article. Still doesn’t mean they’re not his clothes, but I’m a bit surprised to think a big name Star would have to supply his wardrobe for a drama from his personal closet. I’d think clothing brands would be standing in line to get their clothes in a drama and on a lead or even a second lead male and female star. 🤔🤔🤔
@Georgia Peach – yep. If the character has a special vocation, then the production will provide the wardrobe but more often it’s the actors’ own clothes. I absolutely abhor Gong Hyo-Jin’s style (the anklet or slouchy socks in flats with a pencil skirt – ugh). I’ve seen tabloids refer to her style as Bohemian but even if that’s true, it doesn’t have any chic-ness at all. More like slouchy and not in the stylish way that slouchy can be done.
I did wonder about Gong Yoo’s clothing in Goblin. It was exquisite quality.
But the clothing worn by the actors in dailies sometimes makes you wish the actor had a stylist. But I guess they’re not at that level yet to have (or afford) a personal stylist.
I’m not just talking out my hat – when my son went off to college, I enrolled in a fashion institute and got my degree at night classes. Something I’d wanted since I was 16 years old. While I know fashion is subjective, there’s chic, slouchy, and deconstructed but then there’s just poor style sense.
Hi, thought id tried to Answer you via email. You must have a new email address. I’m the same and if you’d like get me your new e-address. I checked with Kdramafashion on Instagram and she confirmed it was both..closet and endorsements. Here is a site I found that was interesting. Seems those agusshi pants are ‘classic chinos’! Ha!! The pants did improve as the show went on. About the drama itself….I found that characters without any flaws were uninteresting. Seems everyone of our leads were perfect in outlook and personality. Always telling the truth, full of the correct amount of ambition and fortitude. I’m presuming….since I’m far removed from my late 20s and certainly having not experienced the economic situation of South Korea is the reason I found it difficult to identify with this one. There were moments I enjoyed though. Perhaps the message of the drama was that…if you stay true to yourself and your dreams… you will succeed.
https://www.buro247.my/fashion/buro-loves/style-id-park-bo-gum-fashion-record-of-youth.html
@Georgia Peach – thanks for the article. I’ve got so many now (mostly about fashion ❤) that I need to make time to read them. My email is the same but I never check it other than to open it, type “kfangurl verdict” to see who’s talking about what. If you email me, you have to send me a text that you emailed me so I can look for it. (I know. I’m sorry. It sucks.) But my email is so full of so much junk that unless I’m looking to receive something, I won’t see it. You have my cell number.
Okay. I’ll text you next time. 👍🏻 Seems like now…we did text instead of email 🤦🏻♀️
We did both. But more recently it was texts. 😄
@Georgia Peach – that would make more sense for designers or even department stores with clothing lines to provide the clothes but, as far as what I’ve read and heard, they don’t usually. I wish they did because some of these stars tastes…
But where I really find it as a failing is in shows that don’t fork over a wardrobe budget like in My Mom Has an Affair. They had a character who “came back from the dead” (the bad guys thought they’d killed him) and he showed up to shock everyone at a board meeting not only because he wasn’t dead but also because he was this secret super rich investor whom no one had met. The character, now flanked by bodyguards and secretaries walks in with his face obscured by his entourage and the camera pans down to his shoes for this slow reveal slowly up to the shoulders before getting to his face… those cheap azz shoes and suit just ruined the entire affect. I don’t fault the actor who is not a star or even an established supporting actor (i.e. no $$$). I blame the production for not finding him something in wardrobe or springing for a new suit and shoes. lol😖
I will be partaking. First time for Chuno and first group watch. Fun!
Ooh, so glad you’ll be able to join the fun, lalarocca!! 😀 I hope you’ll love Chuno!
I saw you guys had a party in the k-pop actors thread.
And I got pretty hyped up too!
Pretty excited for the Chuno adventure!
I’ll admit I generally don’t prefer period dramas but y’alls enthusiasm is making me Chuck that thought it of the window!
Sadly it’s not on Netflix. But I’ve found some alternative (though the user experience might not be great, but nvm)
See you guys Soon!🔥👍
Prashil!! First, glad you’re joining us despite your general non-preference for period dramas! Second, you can use the hack I shared in the post, to watch it on Kocowa, using Opera’s built-in VPN. You’ll get it in HD! 😀
Oh yeah. I saw that.
Sadly my current access is only limited to my smartphone and the VPN (even the operas built in vpn) doesn’t work so well.
But that’s no worries. Since the “law of adaption” exists, we have alternatives (arrrggggh captain! Lol)
Cheers 😂
Aw, I see what you mean.. thanks for figuring out alternatives so that you can still join us, Prashil!! I hope you’ll find it worth your while! 😎
Yay, I’m so glad you’re doing this!! Chuno will be my first sageuk, so I’m not sure how I’ll do with it, but I’m stoked for the group watch! Keeping my fingers crossed that I get into it. 🙂
Ooh, it’s pretty epic right away, so I’m hopeful that you’ll be able to get into it without much trouble! Yay that you’ll be joining us! 😀
I will be of yours!!! i’ve never seen chuno before! :)))))))
Oh YAY, so pleased that you’ll be joining the fun, deliaerre! 😀 I hope you’ll love it like I did!
i want to watch it but lee da hae crying i dunno if i will keep up with that racist actress
Well, maybe if you don’t like her, you could skip her scenes..? 😅 (I haven’t heard anything about her being racist tho..)
apparently there’s one interview where she mocked Filipino’s skills on speaking English