Time really flies; we are already getting ready to wrap up our group watches of Stranger (Secret Forest) and Secret Love Affair!
Thanks to everyone who’s been following along, and especially to those of you who’ve taken the time to share your thoughts on the various episodes, as we’ve watched them. You’ve made the group watches richer and more meaningful, with your sharing and your presence. I truly appreciate you! ❤️
If you recall, we’d mapped out the group watches which would replace this current cycle, back when I’d first run the poll. Now, it’s time to get into gear, for our group watches of My Mister and Someday or One Day, starting next week!
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*PEOPLE’S CHOICE 2*
Group Watch 2: My Mister
Schedule: Wednesdays, starting 8 December 2021. Posts will go live at 8:00am, my time (GMT+8)
Commitment: 16 episodes. 2 eps per week = 8 weeks.
In other words: We will discuss E1&2 on Wednesday, 8 December 2021, after we finish our watch of Stranger / Secret Forest.
Availability: Available for free on iQIYI and Viki. Also available on Netflix.
Why you should watch:
A legit masterpiece that I think all drama fans ought to check out, at least once. It’s thoughtful, gritty, beautiful, dark (yet still warm) and haunting, and celebrates so well, what it means to connect as humans. Lee Sun Gyun and IU are wonderfully restrained yet nuanced in this. Also, the OST is ethereal and hauntingly beautiful.
My Mister review is here.
Trailer:
My Mister Open Threads:
I’ll be linking the Open Threads here, for easy reference. You’ll also be able to find the Open Thread links on my Full List page.
E1&2 | E3&4 | E5&6 | E7&8 | E9&10 | E11&12 | E13&14 | E15&16
*EDITOR’S CHOICE 2*
Group Watch 2: Someday Or One Day [Taiwan]
Schedule: Saturdays, starting 11 December 2021. Posts will go live at 8:00am, my time (GMT+8)
Commitment: 13 episodes. 2 eps per week = 7 weeks.*
* We will take a break on 25 December, since it’s Christmas.
In other words: We will discuss E1&2 on Saturday, 11 December 2021, after we finish our watch of Secret Love Affair.
Availability: Available for free on Viki.
Why you should watch:
I loved this one so much, when I watched it, and it turned out to be my drama of the year, in 2020. I found it really well-written, well-acted and well-executed, while remaining quintessentially Taiwanese. I loved that it managed to make me think and feel, at the same time, consistently. I personally think it’s best to go in as blind as possible with this one, so just know that our story has a fantasy twist, and it’s a romance.
Someday Or One Day review is here.
Viewing lens:
I think that if you’re new to Taiwanese dramas, there might be a bit of an adjustment needed.
Besides the language itself, which sometimes includes the Taiwanese dialect, and which therefore may sound strange to the unfamiliar ear, the production values also tend to lean a little more raw and earthy, compared to what you might be used to, in a kdrama.
I personally think it’s well worth hanging in there and making that mental adjustment, because not only are Taiwanese dramas charming in their own right, this particular show is truly outstanding, and I think it’d be a pity to miss it.
Trailer:
Someday Or One Day Open Threads:
I’ll be linking the Open Threads here, for easy reference. You’ll also be able to find the Open Thread links on my Full List page.
E1&2 | E3&4 | E5&6 | E7&8 | E9&10 | E11&12 | E13
In closing
..That’s about it, really! Now that we’ve got our group watch shows selected, please go forth and enjoy your first couple of episodes – and remember to tune in for the Open Thread posts, going live next week! ❤️
Ok, i’ll join the My Mister group watch. I’ve been looking for a good show to watch after HomeTownCha3. I hope the story is not depressing. Lol
It has depressing elements but has a happy ending.
@Aiki4640 I didn’t watch My Mister for a long time because the promo material led me to think it would be depressing.
My wife and I found it deeply uplifting.
However, it’s unusual, in that the characters already start out at their lowest place, and then slowly climb up. As a result, the initial episodes might feel depressing.
I loved Someday or One Day, excellently written with lots of warmth, good plot and made me nostalgic for my youth in Chinese speaking schools! Just stick it out past some painfully unfunny cheesy hammy moments in episode 1, the other episodes are much better I think.
@Elaine Phua – I just started Someday or One Day and loved the first Episode. Totally has me hooked in 🙂
First episode is weird, it has a lot of Taiwan goofiness which really doesn’t appear again after episode 1 as the story settles down.
@manukajoe – Well, I absolutely loved the first episode one 🙂
Yay for Someday or One Day! Absolutely phenomenal drama in every way. I watched it back in January, and like your experience last year, it is my drama of 2021. Looking forward to the group watch 🙂
I’m half afraid to rewatch in case it doesn’t live up to the memories!
I can definitely understand that. And with this show in particular, I think the not knowing what exactly is going on plays a big part in upping the enjoyment during the first watch.
Though I do find that when you know what’s going on during a re-watch, it can allow you to view scenes in a different light with more context. And this drama had so much going on that I’ll honestly probably catch lots of stuff I missed, lol. Hopefully, we can enjoy reliving the memories with a stronger understanding of the overall story 🙂
It’s good from the point of view of making it easier to figure out what’s going on, and noticing the easter eggs along the way.
For those who find the twistiness of Someday or One Day‘s timelines and characters overly difficult to track, I would think a group-watch will be just the thing.
However, it will pose a special challenge for those of us who already know what’s going on.
We’ll need to put ourselves in the writers’ or PD’s seat, deciding how far to go in explaining confusing scenes that just aired vs. allowing a certain amount of confusion to persist. Creating that ambiguity and allowing it to persist a little while longer was sometimes the writers’ goal.
Whereas other times it’s needlessly confusing or possibly too great a challenge for most viewers to follow on their own.
I agree. It’s definitely beneficial to watch more complex dramas like this in a group. Writing about it when we’ve already seen it, very much a challenge!
Kfangurl is really good at explaining things without giving too much away, so I’m sure her episode recaps will be really helpful. It will definitely take balance for us to think about how much to say though 🙂
Love your profile pic! Arang and her magistrate. Love Shin Min Ah and Lee Jun Ki.
Thanks! I love this pic and scene too. And I agree, Shin Min Ah and Lee Jun Ki were wonderful in Arang ❤
can’t wait for “my mister”- was very impressed with it when i watched it a few months ago, it should generate interesting discussions. i loved it! i will gladly rewatch it with the group.
i am getting off the topic – is anybody watching “hellbound” – i literally dropped everything and started this one, just for my favorite you ah in. do not want to tell anything here, but would be really curious to discuss it . (not that i suggest to have it as a group watch). anybody?
I know Shahz and I have seen it; we discussed it a bit over on Patreon, and I suggested it to KFG as another possible “bonus” watch over on her “December Patreon” post.
trent, what is shahz, or who is shahz, sorry to admit, i have no clue. please, enlighten. thanks. but what about “hellbound”?
oops, got it. it is just one of the group, i claim momentary insanity. so you guys saw it, can we talk about it? where ? i am so curious to hear other people from this group.
i am not on patreon, i am afraid even to go there, as i am hardly following on this one. it just takes up a lot of time, which is in deficit. if i add patreon to my schedule, i am afraid i’ll completely loose my soul to these korean/chinese dramas.
I don’t believe she posts on the public blog. Or maybe only rarely. Just Patreon.
Dear Lord, 2 shoes that I want to watch and very little time available! What shall I do? I already dropped Stranger and SLA (the former because admittedly it didn’t get my attention). I have to work harder!
if you want to be lightly entertained and thoroughly confused (i mean, big time) and imagine a sort of a ball of yarn that the cat had totally messed up and you have to untangle it, not necessarily successfully – go for oneday or someday. if you want substance, depth, humanity, artsy, total involvement, real people… and much more, my vote would be my mister.
It’s a marker of how near and dear My Mister is to my heart that I’m actually looking forward to group watching it, since I just watched it for the first time several months ago, and then I ended up doing a quick FF-style rewatch a couple of months after that.
I put it off that initial watch for a long time because I thought it looked like a “middle-age, mid-life crisis dude romances young woman” plot, and only slowly gathered assurance that it wasn’t really that. And after watching it, I’d say…if that sort of thing is your concern, don’t be put off. This show is still firmly in the running to be the best/most moving show I watched this past year (a necessarily very personal evaluation, but still).
My Mister is the most extraordinary work of art ever made.
Although I don’t know that I would go that far, I agree that it is excellent…
Tell me which show you found better, so I watch it! 😉
I always compare My Mister to Misaeng, and I like Misaeng better. But I’m probably in the minority.
@manukajoe Are you referring to Misaeng: Incomplete Life?
Yes
@manukajoe – I’m with you. I much prefer Misaeng to My Mister
a note to everybody – don’t ever interpret a drama or any production by it’s title or poster. some titles are so stupid or unappropriated, mindboggling.
This could be a topic all on its own, eda. With the title, I generally see if there are other interpretations, because they do vary. It’s the same for the synopsis. Sometimes, I will seek out three or four different sites and look for their description: some tell you the whole plot, others describe the first one or two episodes, occasionally they are wrong and then you have those that are just right. The posters are a key marketing tool (ooh look – bright and shiny). However, as we have seen with a few shows lately, they are not very appealing. That being said what do I look for in a poster? Well, essentially: who the actors are; whether it is an ensemble cast; then perhaps the setting used and the type of genre. Sometimes, the posters are changed along the way to, perhaps, make the show more appealing. The other element underneath all this is when a relationship chart is provided for a kdrama to help see who is related to who and in what way.
@eda harris @seankfletcher – I missed out on watching Healer (and all the great discussions on the recaps at Dramabeans) while it aired because the synopsis seemed so boring. And the title made it even less in my wheelhouse (Healer? Was it going to be about mysticism and miraculous healings?)
Add the trailers in that mess too!
Suspicious Partner’s trailer showed Ji Chang wook in a musical running for office – neither of which had anything to do with the premise. (I did enjoy it but that’s because I’m a die-hard Wookie fan).
The Entertainer’s trailer was hilarious but the drama was literally a drama. I’m still mad (and waiting on the funny) with that one. 🤬
Healer is ok. 7/10 for me. Yeah the title doesn’t tell you anything, it’s about a covert courier and the media and corruption and a romance.
@manukajoe – Oh. I did make that sound as if I hadn’t watched Healer at all. No. I watched it and my rating is a 10!
I was saying that because of the synopsis, I didn’t watch it as it aired. I watched it 6 months later but I missed the camaraderie of getting to discuss the show from week to week.
Although I didn’t watch SLA, I have enjoyed everyone’s comments very much. As for Stranger, I may rewatch it one day, as it does have a special place in my list of beloved dramas.
It will be interesting to read everyone’s comments re the next two shows 😊
Not to mention “The Voice” Lee Sun Gyun’s major role in Parasite…
This is a good a place as any for any of us to ask what our non-group watch will be coming up. I seek balance as My Mister rips my heart out and Someday confuses me all over again. KFG has suggested My Roommate is a Gumiho a while back but I put it off to watch Cha Cha Cha, which had that end-of-summer vibe going for it. So, finally getting to it, I started Gumiho last night (in recovery from SLA), and it sure did raise a smile.
See you all in the watches….
@j3ffc – I LOVED My Roommate is a Gumiho ! Perfect recovery from SLA, I think! Hope you enjoy it as well all did during the Patreon Group Watch on that one 🙂
@j3ffc If you do go with MRIAG, you could consider using the episode notes that are already up on Patreon, to accompany your watch! 😉
Will do, and will do! I did that for Navirella and it really enhanced my watch.
@j3ffc Aw! That’s really nice to know!! ❤️ I loved that show, so much. 😍😍 How fun, to find out retrospectively, that I kinda watched it with you! 😃😉
@j3ffc – And feel free to ask any questions or post any thoughts on the Drama Exchange on Patreon. I loved this Show so much. I think I watched it 3 times. Once on my own because I flew ahead of the group and then I came back to watch with everyone. And then I think I went back again, LOL. Maybe just to certain episodes.
Happy to discuss if you want 🙂
Thanks so much. I will most likely take you up on that, because I’m getting kinda spoiled by having a community to dish over dramas with over here….
@j3ffc – I totally understand. I started my Kdrama watching by myself, I think thats a trend with most here possibly? Could be speaking out of turn? I found KFG’s blog, read the comments, found her Patreon, read those comments, THEN decided to start commenting on Patreon, then dipped the toe in the water here (with much support from KFG, thanks KFG!!!), then KFG created the Drama Exchange on Patreon and now, well we are almost up to 800 comments for the month of November on the Drama Exchange were we discuss many different Shows. So come on over and join the fun 🙂
We have to stick together! There are few of us. I found a girl at the local Publix grocery store who’s a fan. She’s it and I’ve been trying to find a compadre for years now. Thankful for this group who are intelligent and who articulate the glory of Kdramas so well. ✌🏻✌🏻✌🏻
i did enjoy my roommate is a gumiho, it is unpretentious, but does put a smile on your face. i watched it by accident, but was not disappointed. although i am not a fan of imaginary creatures in any productions, i am interested in the korean/chinese/japanese mythology, (folktales and oral legends), so it was interesting to me from that point of view. and although it is not spectacular, it is definitely a good vacation from the latest heart-breaking productions. i think you’ll enjoy it.
Two awesome shows!
I can’t wait till the zany actress shows up in My Mister.
I guarantee there will be a gender split among us on being amused by her versus hating her or finding her annoying at best.
If that’s a spoiler, so be it!
I liked her too.
I thought she was great, merij. She just had different way of dealing with her “bad hair days.” 😂
Who do you think will like her more: men or women?
In the past, men found her amusing and women not. On average.
There was a similar dynamic in Coffee Prince in response to the female artist that The Voice’s character dated.
Hm. I’m with men in both cases… Although I definitely like Ji-an way more than that coffee prince female artist.
Yes, she is legit damaged, whereas the Coffee Prince artist was self-centered and inconsiderate of any man who was attracted to her.
However, I appreciated that she was an honest communicator. And when The Voice’s character finally stood up for himself, you have to admit she grew quite a bit in response. It shouldn’t have taken her being the one who was rejected — for the first time in her life? — but at least she got there in the end.
Regardless, the complicating factor is that both these women are extremely attractive. As a hetero guy I can’t help but be affected by that. (Unlike @reaper who seems rather consistent in how he responds to behavior.) There are certain types of vile character where superficial attractiveness has no effect on me, but it’s always going to be a possibility.
At the risk of belaboring this not-so-deep observation, there are plenty of counter-examples on the other side — superficially attractive male characters I find despicable and unredeemable, whom women posting here tend to give extra slack.
The Voice’s character didn’t really stand up for himself. He just fell for another girl, and that made the female artist re-evaluate her attitude.
Well, right or wrong, good looks affect people’s attitudes. Plenty of studies confirmed that.
I can’t remember who said that she would rather undress in front of men than in front of women. Women are very judgmental, while men are just grateful. I guess it goes both ways.
Good point about The Voice’s character. Sigh.Coffee Prince Spoiler The ending for those two was so bitter-sweet. They end up together but…
You are probably talking about Yoo Ra right?
Never grew to like her. I mean the only thing that kind of kicked in was my protective instinct.
hey, i feel for you. as far as i remember, and i have to rewatch it again, yoo ra is another nut case (not like da-mi), though she’s sort of inviting to explore, so i guess this is good. i would talk about her as we will watch this drama. but i think that men would like her more than women,
@Eda I’ve included a spoiler tag for your comment, because your remark is a bit spoilery for those who have not watched the show. Please be careful to use the spoiler tags as needed! 😉
thanks. sorry, i did not perceive it as a spoiler, it was more of a generalization , but now that you point it out, i get it. i’ll try to be more careful.
Just to note spoiler tags don’t work for email notifications, which I receive. I still get spoiled.
@manukajoe I did see you mention that before and have definitely been trying to be even more careful.
But, tbh, the spoilers on this thread thus far have been rather minor and would be obscure for the most part if you hadn’t seen the show yet. Comparable to advance talk on SLA, for example, if someone had posted a reference to “the fortune teller” and then other people shared whether they did or didn’t like her.
Still, I know it’s the duty of each person posting not to presume what anyone else would mind seeing in advance. So point well taken!
@eda harris
Yes true another nut case but definitely not insane like da-mi. So nutcase > psychopath :DDD
You might be right that it gives a boost to a mans ego but not all men are the same ^^
I really liked her! Didn’t realise there was a gender split on this one….
@beez and I had some great discussion on this. She couldn’t forgive the
@merij1 I’ve included a spoiler tag in your comment, coz the discussion of this character is becoming rather specific, and we haven’t even started the group watch yet. 😅
Thanks, KFG. It’s good to know you actually read some of these comments! How you manage all this continues to amaze us all.
@merij1 I manage to at least glance at most comments, so that I know whether any sort of help or intervention is needed, but I have to confess that I can’t keep up with the really deep discussions! 😝
Yeah, while you were sleeping we definitely had some of that on the SLA thread!
The spoiler tags don’t work in the email notifications. It’s better if people just don’t post spoilers, and have consideration for other folks here who may not have watched these shows.
I’ve trained myself to not read further the second I see something has more than the title of a show that I haven’t watched yet but know that I will eventually.
@merij1 – DON’T REMIND ME!spoiler according to kfg yuk & barf 🤢 myself (but I won’t be leaving it around anywhere!)
@merij! – She took some time to grow on me.
I thought she added balance to the tone of the show, adding quirkiness to what is mostly an extremely heavy storyline.
But we’ll have plenty of time to talk about that in the weeks ahead!
@merij1 – Ah good point, I didnt think of her that way as being a balance. I didnt mind the extrememly heavy storyline with this Show.
Not sure if you saw, but we finished OVOI (On the Verge of Insanity) over on Patreon and discussed it a wee bit together. We wanted to get your thoughts on the ending. Not sure if you saw the message? We kinda got outta of control (trying to go for that Trophy you offered) on the Drama Exchange last week so it may have gotten buried 🤭 😬
Thanks for the heads-up; I missed that @Shahz got to see the final episodes. I’ll take a look and comment later today!
@merij1- You are welcome 🙂 YAY!
agree.
by the end i did accept her too, as part of the gang. i don’t think this is a spoiler.
Excited! 想见你！I asked my Chinese friend to watch with me. I wonder which version has the best subtitles…
I won’t watch My Mister again because I watched it recently. But I was amazed to see it’s the same guy from Coffee Prince. I didn’t know him before.
Yes, enjoying “The Voice” — as @beez likes to call him — in Coffee Prince helped get us over the hump to finally watch My Mister.
The blurbs for it looked so depressing. Really misleading marketing for this wonderful show!
The English title is Someday One Day, the Chinese title of the show means “I want to see you”. Both titles are relevant to the themes of the show, and there is an English theme song called Someday, while the end credits song is in Mandarin and titled 相见你or “I want to see you”. Found it a very nice touch that both titles are meaningful and tied in to the show’s themes as opposed to some K dramas or C dramas which have perplexing English titles!
@Elaine Phua – Kdrama titles have come a long way since the days when they used to name them after old American movies for no good reason that I could see. East of Eden just because it has two brothers. All About Eve -but nobody’s name was Eve. 😆
Love the music. One of the very few shows where I never skip in the intro or outro.