Being attractive is probably also one of the reasons why the saga of Luigi Mangione has had its heightened interest. It's human nature, for better or worse (worse!)...
I haven't seen this particular drama but many of the issues you raise are not only in older dramas (My Lovely Sam Soon, Secret Garden, Boys Over Flowers, etc) but also current ones. I got a fair amount of pushback when I posted a thread about Woo Do Hwan's character being toxic in Mr. Plankton (he literally kidnapped and tied up his ex). Same goes for Ko Moon Young in IOTNBO—toxic AF. But because all these lead characters are beautiful we give them a pass. The whole "dealing with a past trauma" may be a legit reason for their behavior but it should not also be an excuse (IRL this is one reason why so many stay in abusive relationships). I think the thing that surprises and frustrates me the most is many of the screenwriters are women. That and the ones swooning over the beautiful leads (and giving them a pass on their bad behavior) are also women. I guess women (throughout the world) have been conditioned to believe this is the fairytale we should all dream of. BTW, Gil Ra Im kicked Ju Won in the shin in Secret Garden several times for being rude to her. This is one of my favorite K-dramas that I give a bit of a pass to because it's nearly 15 years old. I also see an evolution in Ju Won's character that shows us how he comes to understand what's wrong with his original beliefs and actions.
This is at the very bottom of my list of 200 ranked dramas. The entire plot and vibe rubbed me the wrong way. You capture the various issues perfectly.
(Tone: Sincere) It’s far from my favorite dramas truth be told. What I can say, is that from one of my professional standpoints there are 2 important thematic similarities between NaverTvs 고결한 그대 (Noble, My Love) & MBC’s 지금 거신 전화는 (When The Phone Rings) & they are a Mars opposition to Pluto & a Jupiter Square to Saturn— it’s a push & pull between the masculine needs/desires (being domineering is typical of these aspects) and not being able to ‘conquer’ the way an alpha might like trying to drive with the breaks on. At the end of the day, it makes it hard to ignore how problematic highlighting these themes is.
(Tone: Reflective) While attractiveness certainly plays a role- I’m starting to believe that even if the actors weren’t attractive viewers would still be drawn to the characters because many are drawn to the Plutonian themes of “danger, mystery, power” when packaged up as misguided testosterone that has the potential to be changed & tamed, but I digress…
I hope it won’t take 10 years for people to see & get the similarities on a deeper level, but we’ll see!
(Tone: Sincere) As always- thank you for your thoughtful & inspiring words! 🤗💜🖤✌🏼
Being attractive is probably also one of the reasons why the saga of Luigi Mangione has had its heightened interest. It's human nature, for better or worse (worse!)...
You are so on point, Sung. I think about all the coverage that Mary Beth Letourneau received.
I haven't seen this particular drama but many of the issues you raise are not only in older dramas (My Lovely Sam Soon, Secret Garden, Boys Over Flowers, etc) but also current ones. I got a fair amount of pushback when I posted a thread about Woo Do Hwan's character being toxic in Mr. Plankton (he literally kidnapped and tied up his ex). Same goes for Ko Moon Young in IOTNBO—toxic AF. But because all these lead characters are beautiful we give them a pass. The whole "dealing with a past trauma" may be a legit reason for their behavior but it should not also be an excuse (IRL this is one reason why so many stay in abusive relationships). I think the thing that surprises and frustrates me the most is many of the screenwriters are women. That and the ones swooning over the beautiful leads (and giving them a pass on their bad behavior) are also women. I guess women (throughout the world) have been conditioned to believe this is the fairytale we should all dream of. BTW, Gil Ra Im kicked Ju Won in the shin in Secret Garden several times for being rude to her. This is one of my favorite K-dramas that I give a bit of a pass to because it's nearly 15 years old. I also see an evolution in Ju Won's character that shows us how he comes to understand what's wrong with his original beliefs and actions.
I keep a list of the k-dramas I watch and make comments next to them. To this one I wrote “cheesy, but Sung Hoon!”
This is at the very bottom of my list of 200 ranked dramas. The entire plot and vibe rubbed me the wrong way. You capture the various issues perfectly.
(Tone: Sincere) It’s far from my favorite dramas truth be told. What I can say, is that from one of my professional standpoints there are 2 important thematic similarities between NaverTvs 고결한 그대 (Noble, My Love) & MBC’s 지금 거신 전화는 (When The Phone Rings) & they are a Mars opposition to Pluto & a Jupiter Square to Saturn— it’s a push & pull between the masculine needs/desires (being domineering is typical of these aspects) and not being able to ‘conquer’ the way an alpha might like trying to drive with the breaks on. At the end of the day, it makes it hard to ignore how problematic highlighting these themes is.
(Tone: Reflective) While attractiveness certainly plays a role- I’m starting to believe that even if the actors weren’t attractive viewers would still be drawn to the characters because many are drawn to the Plutonian themes of “danger, mystery, power” when packaged up as misguided testosterone that has the potential to be changed & tamed, but I digress…
I hope it won’t take 10 years for people to see & get the similarities on a deeper level, but we’ll see!
(Tone: Sincere) As always- thank you for your thoughtful & inspiring words! 🤗💜🖤✌🏼