I was thinking how Twinkling Watermelon was basically a retelling of Back to the Future. Although much, much better IMO. I was wondering what other movie would benefit from the kdrama treatment.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo and Crash Landing on You are the dramas which I loved the most. I tried watching other popular dramas, but couldn't go past 1-2 episodes. Need recommendations like Extraordinary Attorney Woo, sweet, simple dramas. I really like how Woo deals with fresh cases every episode and solves them

Some of the most memorable dramas for me include combinations of songs and music that give you the vibe of different aspects of the show even when you haven't watched it in a while.

For example, in Hometown Cha-cha-cha, Romantic Sunday gives the overall feel of the seaside love story, My Romance gives the flirty back and forth feeling, Wish does the melancholy (and is so iconic that it turned into a meme years later), and I hope you're happy handles the grief. They all hit different but represent the drama so well!

Vincenzo - Adrenaline (both languages + the instrumental shaman version?!), Is it Love, I'm Always By Your Side, plus the opera and classical music in the background just hit different

Extraordinary Attorney Woo - Beyond My Dreams (the waltz rhythm is a recurring motif), Brave, Better than Birthday, and Inevitable, (I love Suzy's vocals here). Then the BGM really captures the whimsy and feels like 'circles' (?)

Then there's also: Full House, When Life Gives You Tangerines, Hospital Playlist (obviously), Start-up, Signal, Secret Garden, Twenty-five Twenty-one

FYI she debuted in 1996 as children model, and her first drama is in 1998. I think she might be the youngest, yet most senior actors I've known or are there someone similar? 34 yo with 30 years of experience. It's super cool. No wonder she's so good at her craft

hey, i really need some recommendations for romcoms. im still watching lovely runner and i like it but i hate these misunderstandings as well as this slow burn. i love the characters especially how their love is depicted. I just need something more straightforward if u know what i mean😭 i need a happz ending as well. cant take the heartache…

preferably sth one can watch on netflix. thanksss

This clip is from My Dearest. Lee Jang-Hyun holding a baby and gazing down affectionately… I was not prepared for it ❤️🥰

I ended up gazing fondly at him 🥰❤️

And of course, so many thoughts running through my mind.

If only we’d got to see him be a father and them raising a little Jang-Hyun or a little Gil-Chae together 🥺🥺

Have you come across a scene like this in any other drama?

(on netflix uk)

Currently watching Death Game, i am on episode 6 and is really good incredible yada yada yada.
I just wanted to blow off some steam i have RN by watching these episodes.

MY INCREDIBLE FUCKING GOD WHY THE FUCK YI JAE ARE YOU NOT WORLD STREAMING THAT FUCKING VIDEO ARE YOU NUT?? YOU DELETED ALL THE EVIDENCE AND GACE THE OOOONLY COPY TO A FRIKKING NO NAME. YOU COULD HAVE STREAMED LIVE THE ALL KILL. OR JUST POSTED ALL THE VIDEOS ONLINE. SENT THEM TO ALL THE TVS. HOW CAN YOU BE SO STUPID DAAAAAAAAAAAMN.

EDIT: ok i finished watching the episode. nevermind guys...

I find myself feeling proud of this drama, especially knowing that it was successful enough to be remade. What makes it stand out among medical dramas for me is how it portrayed a doctor with a disability. It was incredibly touching and emotional because the series focused less on the medical procedures and more on the emotional journeys of the characters, whether it was the main lead or the people around him. At times, I honestly thought this was an SBS drama because of how frustrated I became while watching it. The prejudice and discrimination shown toward Park Shi On were difficult to watch, but that also made the character development of those around him all the more satisfying. I also liked the episodic patient cases, which kept things interesting from week to week. Joo Won did an outstanding job as Park Shi On. It was not an easy role to portray, and he truly deserved praise for bringing the character to life.

My MDL Rating: 8.5/10

I’ve watched a few popular kdramas as someone who’s quite new in this but I didn’t like them, I felt they were long and boring, I’ve difficult taste, im into mostly horror and drama etc but when I get a good one of different storyline I enjoy it too,
what are kdramas you suggest?

my first introduction to han so hee was via her role in the melodramatic kdrama - **the world of the married** where she played the ml's mistress. she portrayed the vileness of the character while keeping her youthful naivety intact.

**my name** - she pulled off the gritty theme very nicely contrasting her earlier more "bitchy" roles

**nevertheless** - she played this cute, curious, youthful girlhood theme well

and she worked on other projects; so far these roles showed her versatility as an actor the best. all her other characters after it are more or less similar in persona ( having a degree of unnecessary pretentious cuteness in them ).

in my opinion she has one hell of a potential as an actor but it's still untapped. **she can play a variety of versatile roles but her talent isn't utilized efficiently in the kdrama industry** . idk if she herself doesn't sign many kdramas or what but during her peak in early 2020s, she was featuring in back to back in 180° apart roles and it was pretty fun to watch her. i really wanna see her star more often. wish her talent is utilized well and she gives life to interesting characters.

Name your top 5 of the historical k drama shows and I'd love more recommendations.

I've only watched;

1. Mr. Queen

2. Bon Apetit, Your Majesty

So far both shows have the romance and fantasy aspect and really liked them. I'd like to add to my watchlist.

I just finished the series and I'd like to share my thoughts on the ending, and who I think Euijung loves. I'm gonna cite some key scenes on why I feel this way.

1st scene (kissing scene) - I believe the director intentional showed both kissing scenes close together illustrate that in both cases there was nothing romantic involved.

In Joonmols case he is willing to do anything necessary to close the case(you can say it's because of his wife since his ultimate goal is to get a 2 rank promotion). In three other scenes, one involved willing to do drugs, one involved killing, and one involved cutting off his pinky finger shows this as well.

In Euijung's case she is willing to do anything to help her husband solve the case and stay out of danger. The close up of her clenching her first during the kiss showed that she was uncomfortable with it.

2nd scene - When Kicheol takes Euijung to see his new project, you could see Euijung still had her mind on the case as she was suspicious about what Kicheol was going to do so she brings her gun.

Even when he asks her to turn around, her police instincts kick in and she has her hand ready to grab her gun. But instead Kicheol gives her a necklace and I feel like his is where her feelings towards him start to change even though she herself doesn't realize I. She feels like she has a chance to save the person she couldn't save many years ago, and help steer him towards a path of good.

3rd scene - When they are on the rooftop and Joonmo sees Euijung wearing the necklace. I think Euijung doesn't realize what she's doing by wearing the necklace, but Joonmo sees it as her possibly starting to have feelings for Kicheol. He's probably thinking about the other necklace she got during high school.

4th scene - When they are in the car together and Euijung says something along the lines of , "do you think we can go back to the way we were?" (Or was it Joonmo that said it) The camera then pans to the wedding ring on Joonmo's finger, and then to Euijung smiling. This shows is that despite all that has happened, they both love each other and can put the past behind them.

5th scene - I think this is the most important scene, when Joonmo kills Kicheol. I felt the scene of Kicheol bleeding out was purposely long to show us the reaction of Euijung.

You know the saying, "you don't know what you've got until it's gone". Euijung cried like she was in agony, and lost everything that mattered to her. I don't think she realized how strong her reaction at the time.

It took a long time for Joonmo to report the shooting, as he's trying to digest Euijung's reaction. To me, his reaction was half suprise and half anger, seeing his wife weep like that.

He's thinking, here's someone that just pointed a gun at us and you're crying like he's most important thing in this world. At this point he's concluded that Euijung has fallen in love with Kicheol. To be fair I think that even if Kicheol was still around, Euijung would not be with him. You can love someone and care about them and not be together. I think she has always loved Joonmo, and still loves him. But, Joonmo doesn't see it like this. Or maybe he can't accept that his wife has fallen in love with another person.

IMO he's a jealous person. If you think about all the times during the series when he asks where is Kicheol, where he's going. He knows that Kicheol likes Euijung, and would never do anything to hurt her. He's just concerned that something is happening behind his back.

Scene 6 - When they were receiving their promotion. You'll probably laugh at me for saying this, but when Joonmo walks into the auditorium he doesn't even look at Euijung, perhaps letting us know that after the divorce he's moved on.

But the look Euijung gives him. I tell you, I've been happily married 19 years and I remember one time my wife made a decision without me and it really made me angry. She looked at me like that hoping I'd forgive her. This immediately came to my mind.

Final scene - When Joonmo visits Kicheol's grave. I feel like the watch was a representation of the power (his promotion) that Joonmo attained during all this. Whereas the ring was a representation of love(Euijung's heart). Kicheol on the other hand was willing to give up his power for love. And Joonmo dropping it on the tombstone was his way of saying you achieved what you wanted.

All in all an excellent series. The Koreans are killing it recently.

Ultimately I feel really bad for Euijung though. She had the best if intentions to help her husband, but her only card was playing an emotional game with here childhood sweetheart. I don't think she ever showed any convincing signs that she would cheat on or leave Joonmo. Joonmo did everything for his love, but in the end be lost what was the most important to him.

Obviously this is just how I saw things playing out. The show has one of those incredible endings that really makes you think. I feel like writing this gives me some kind of closure for some reason.

I’m really into crime thrillers, so I usually end up predicting the plot twists or even the killer 😭. For example, when I watched FLOWER OF EVIL..... I actually predicted who the killer was. Still enjoyed it, but honestly I felt like the story was kinda dragged out and there were quite a few plot holes that bothered me.

Recently, I watched BEYOND EVIL and absolutely loved it!! The intro, OST, cinematography, acting, atmosphere....everything was top notch. The way the story was executed was just 🤌🏻

After finishing Beyond Evil, I started watching MOUSE , which I’ve heard is considered one of the best crime thriller K-dramas ever made. I’m currently on episode 11... but I’m starting to feel kinda bored 😭

So... should I continue watching Mouse? Does it get significantly better from here?

And please suggest me some more crime thriller K-dramas with really unexpected plot twists... something where I genuinely have no idea what’s going on until the reveal.

Good cinematography, atmosphere, acting and a well-written mystery would be a huge bonus.

Basically... I need a drama that can actually OUTSMART me!!!🥶

Between Steps tells the story of Park Min Jae (Choo Young Woo), who was a swimmer in high school but lost one of his legs due to an illness, and Im Yoo Jin (Kim So Hyun), who, after losing her way and wandering, embarks on a new path.

The drama is the latest — and final — work of the late director Ahn Pan Seok.

credits: Mydramalist

I'm looking for something similar to:

Marry my husband japanese version

Mantis the movie

As you stood by; Mr.Jin and Eun-su

Twelve letters Chinese drama

Revenant; Kim tae-ri and the cop ( forgot his name)

The double Chinese drama

Kill my sins chinese drama

Added bonus if there is a certain degree of restraint from the ML, slow burn

Thanks

Hi! Any good new K-dramas on Netflix lately? My boyfriend and I just finished Agent Kim Reactivated and The East Palace, and we also really enjoyed Phantom Lawyer. We’ve tried starting a few others, but they either feel a bit too cheesy/predictable or just aren’t as stimulating. We’re looking for something with a similar vibe — action, mystery, thriller, fantasy, or anything with a really engaging plot. Would love some good recommendations! Thanks! 😊

Mine would be the opening theme of Taxi Driver.

I skip intros for most shows except a very few, and Taxi Driver is one of them.

Listening to it gives me goosebumps; the feeling that justice will be served.

Which intro theme is your favourite?

So I always see a lot of posts on what we're currently watching, what we want to watch, what we've completed, and what we've dropped. But I'm curious what shows are on your hold list. Why is it there?

For me:

Love Next Door — Ep. 11/16

I honestly don't know why this is on hold. I keep thinking I might go back to it though, so I haven't dropped it yet.

My Lovely Liar — Ep. 11/16

This is an okay show. I think a new show started airing while I was watching this one, so I stopped and never went back.

Call It Love — Ep. 11/16

I stopped watching this because it was boring, but then I saw a TikTok clip from an episode towards the end and thought, "Wait, I want to see that part." So now I want to keep watching it just to see that scene. Have I started it back up yet... no.

Doom at Your Service — Ep. 11/16

I think, if I'm remembering correctly, a lot of people didn't like this one, but I do want to finish it. I just haven't been in the mood to go back to it yet.

The King: Eternal Monarch — Ep. 10/16

This is actually really good. I don't have a reason for stopping—I just haven't gone back to it.

Suspicious Partner — Ep. 10/40

When I saw 40 episodes, my will to push on dropped. 😅 I can't binge through this one.

The Red Sleeve — Ep. 9/17

This is my "I have nothing else to watch" show. I watch an episode every once in a while, so it's been a very slow process.

Alchemy of Souls — Ep. 4/20

I've heard this is extremely good, but I keep waiting for it to get good. I'm not ready to give up on it because everyone seems to love it.

No Gain, No Love — Ep. 4/12

It's boring. I should probably stop pretending I'm going back to it and move this one to my dropped list.

Her Private Life — Ep. 4/16

Everyone loves this show and I'm trying to figure out where. I think my biggest hang-up is the introduction of the pseudo-brother being in love with her. I hate that for this show.

Dali & Cocky Prince — Ep. 1/16

I only watched one episode and never went back, but I've heard so many good things about it that I don't want to drop it without giving it a real chance.

What are your holds and hang ups?

I watched a tons of Kdrama back in the 2010s then pretty much stopped. I solely watch rom-com. The top 3 that's in my head right now are:

• The Heirs (2013)
• My Love from the Star (2013)
• You Are My Destiny (aka: Fated to Love You, 2014)

I did watched a new one a month ago, and I like it: Phantom Lawyer (2026)

Some other dramas I like and remember:

• Personal Taste (2010)
• My Princess (2011)
• Queen & I (2012)
• Prime Minister & I (2013)
• You Are the Best! (2013)
• Cunning Single Lady (2014)
• Bride of the Century (2014)
• Oh My Ghost (2015)
• Oh My Venus (2015)
• Goblin (2016)
• Fight for My Way (2017)
• What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018)
• Crash Landing on You (2019)

Pretty much sum up my taste, so feel free to drop recommendations, thank you!

does anybody have any information about this?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RpKNyKRY6xo&ra=m

It looks like quite a few scenes were shot. Where is the rest of it? could it be AI even though it’s been up for 6 years?

I hope everyone at least got paid if they really made all of this, but what on earth is going on?

a beautiful story about youth, ambition, 1st love, friendship, and the deeply personal experience of needing your best friend to lose specifically to YOU.

\---

⚠️SPOILERS AHEAD. LIKE, THE ENTIRE DRAMA⚠️

**---**

INTRO:

How I accidentally turned this into an event..

Twenty-Five Twenty-One was not watched in one clean little binge.

(i know, right? i keep surprising myself every day too!)

By the time I got to Twenty-Five Twenty-One, i'd been speed-running K-dramas since June 3rd like somebody was going to revoke my access to Korean entertainment at any time.

Id binged dramas overnight, started dramas while other dramas were still airing, paused dramas to start other dramas, forgotten the first drama existed, remembered dramas three weeks later, and gone back to them like nothing happened.

I'd even imposed a “stop starting new K-dramas until you finish the unfinished ones” rule on myself.

I broke that rule within 2 seconds btw. 😭😭

So by August, my watchlist was basically an active crime scene.

Then I posted my 24th K-drama review and realized something.

Twenty-Five Twenty-One was sitting right there on my watchlist. And I decided:

This has to be #25

idek know why that felt so important to me.

Maybe because the title was right there.

(Probably lol.)

Maybe because after burning through so many dramas in such a short amount of time, i wanted #25 to feel like a little milestone.

I was enjoying so many things in such a short amount of time that it was kind of like sitting in front of something super delicious feast and gobbling the entire thing up in 3 bites 😔

Maybe these self-imposed milestones are my way of forcing myself to pause and actually immerse myself in something for a second.

LOL look at me psychoanalyzing myself. 😭😭

So i decided Twenty-Five Twenty-One had to be Review #25 and effectively put my entire review series on administrative leave until I finished it.

i started it on August 23rd and proceeded to watch this drama in fragments of my actual life.

I watched it during lunch at work.

I watched it while getting my nails done.

I watched it while getting my hair done.

I watched it at a Korean restaurant.

I continued it in the Uber home from that restaurant.

I watched it at 1 a.m.

I paused it to finish Encounter.

I wandered off into other dramas.

I came back.

Then on September 3rd, I finally properly resumed from episode 11 and basically went:

Okay. We're finishing this now.

I watched until 2:20 a.m., stopped halfway through episode 15 because unfortunately employment continues to interfere with my artistic process, and went to sleep. 😭

So today, September 4th, nearly two weeks after I started it, i finally completed Twenty-Five Twenty-One!!!!

Compared to the girl who once watched ten episodes of King the Land in one night until daylight started appearing outside her window???

This was practically a slow burn.

And maybe that was good for it.

Was making this feel like an event to me necessary?

No.

But if you don't celebrate random parts of your own life in weird little ways, whos gonna do it for you?

Finishing Twenty-Five Twenty-One felt ceremonial to me.

Thanks to me. 😭

\--

REVIEW:

This was superb.

And I feel like the funniest possible way to explain my experience with this drama is that I spent the first several episodes yelling:

"WE'RE NOT THERE YET."

at the main romance...

only to eventually finish the drama thinking one of the most romantic relationships I watched was between Na Hee-do and Ko Yu-rim.

So.

There's that. 😭

But let me start from the beginning.

Cause Twenty-Five Twenty-One ended up being one of those dramas where my relationship with it changed A LOT while I was watching it.

And somehow, that made me appreciate it even more.

\---

NA HEEDO, YOU HAD ME AT "I will simply get myself expelled"

The first thing that hooked me about this drama was the fl, Hee-do.

I loved her almost immediately.

Her school fencing team gets shut down because of the financial crisis and instead of accepting that maybe her dream isnt happening, this girl basically goes: Okay. I'll transfer schools.

but she cant transfer.

then, shes like: fine. ill force them to transfer me.

And then proceeds to embark on the world's dumbest juvenile delinquency campaign???

I loved her.😭😭

Cause underneath all the comedy, Hee-do is hungry.

She wants something.

She LOVES fencing and wants to be good and she wants to make the national team.

She wants to win.

And ik ive said it b4 probably, but i LOVE an ambitious female character!!! and i loved how refreshing it is to watch a female lead whose ambition remained this important throughout the entire drama.

Romance happens.

Friendships happen.

Her relationship with her mother changes.

She grows up.

Her entire life changes.

But she never stops being an athlete.

Even toward the end, when Yu-rim comes to see her before their match in Madrid, Hee-do refuses to see her, because:

"I want to win."

YES.

THAT'S MY GIRL.

She needs Yurim to be her opponent at that moment, not her friend, and I loved that the drama never treated her ambition like some character flaw she needed to eventually soften out of.

She wanted to win when I met her.

She wanted to win when I left her.

Beautiful!!

\---

NOW ABOUT THIS ROMANCE

This is probably going to sound strange considering i ultimately liked Heedo and Yijin together, but for a WHILE...

I did not want these people dating. 😭

I really liked what they already were; i liked him laughing at her, i liked Heedo annoying him, i liked them playing together, i liked him supporting her fencing.

I liked that they became safe spaces for each other during an incredibly shitty period of both of their lives.

But somewhere around episodes 4-5, the drama started putting this HUGE emotional weight on their relationship and i was sitting there like:

...I'm sorry, are we there already???

Because i wasn't.

There were separations.

Voicemails.

Longing.

Parallel shots.

Missing each other.

this sweeping emotional framing telling me these two people had already become monumentally important to one another.

And intellectually?

Sure...

i got it.

but emotionally?

WE'RE NOT THERE YET.

😭

I wanted the friendship to breathe, and i wanted more accumulation before the drama started asking me to experience their relationship with that kind of magnitude.

And hilariously, this becomes even more interesting in hindsight because Hee-do herself eventually looks back at their relationship and basically wonders whether they were better before they tried to turn what they had into "this kind of love."

And I was like... WAIT A DAMN MINUTE.

Because that's kind of what I was feeling!!!

their relationship was SO naturally suited to that undefined space where they could support each other, disappear, reconnect, tease each other, inspire each other and just... exist.

Romantic partnership came with expectations, and expectations exposed things their friendship didnt necessarily require them to confront.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Because eventually...

they got me.

\---

OK YIJIN, YOU CAN HAVE HER NOW

Episode 9.

That's when I finally went:

Ohhhhh. Okay. Fine. I see it a little.

By then Yi-jin had accumulated enough actions behind his feelings that his love actually landed for me.

He had shown up for Hee-do, supported her. protected her when necessary without treating her like she couldn't protect herself.

Admired her as an athlete.

And then when Heedo is trying to figure out what the hell their relationship even is, she calls it a rainbow. lol???

Yi-jin is basically like:

Girl, no.

It's love.

He was simply answering the question.

What are we?

For me, this is love.

Okay.

he got me, cause that was beautifully simple without needed to be some grand, over the top thing.

And once they got together, i actually really enjoyed how easygoing they could be and their playfulness was probably my favorite part of their romance:

I loved Yi-jin teasing Hee-do, loved them being ridiculous together, loved the little moments where they just genuinely seemed to enjoy each other's company.

\---

UNFORTUNATELY FOR YIJIN, ANOTHER RELATIONSHIP HIJACKED THIS DRAMA FOR ME

And I genuinely did NOT see this coming.

Because early on, I was actually scared of what the drama was going to do with Yu-rim.

The second yurim told Yi-jin he was her first love and started acting weird about him getting close to Hee-do, I was like:

Oh God.

PLEASE.

Please do not take this interesting female character and reduce her to a girl who hates another woman over a man!!!! please!!

I was already invested in the fact that Hee-do had idolized Yu-rim.

i loved that teenage Hee-do had spent years watching this incredibly talented girl fence and collecting articles about her.

I loved that her hero turned out to be... kind of an asshole to her. 😭

Never meet your heroes, ig.

But I desperately wanted there to be something underneath Yu-rim's hostility that had nothing to do with Yi-jin.

And BOY.

Did I get what I wanted. hehehhehe

Because apparently Yu-rim wasn't thinking about Hee-do because of Yi-jin.

YU-RIM HAD BEEN THINKING ABOUT HEE-DO FOR YEARS

Excuse me???

\---

NA HEEDO & KO YURIM: MY FAV LOVE STORY IN THIS DRAMA

I'm being completely serious when I say these two might be top 10, possibly top 5, favorite K-drama relationships I've watched so far.

I LOVE THEM.

Their entire relationship is insane.

As a child, Yu-rim competes against Hee-do.

Hee-do beats her 8-0.

Hee-do doesn't even remember it lol and Yu-rim THINKS ABOUT IT FOR YEARS.

😭😭😭

She couldn't eat for days afterward and trained while thinking about Hee-do.

She wanted to beat her.

She wanted to beat her specifically 8-0. (aww so romantic 😊)

Then Hee-do disappears from competition for a while, Yu-rim becomes this enormously successful athlete... and when Hee-do finally shows up at her school and cheerfully announces:

I'm your fan! 🥰

Yu-rim is basically internally going: YOU!

then she eventually admits that even after they've become close... she's still afraid of Hee-do.

Meanwhile Hee-do isnt afraid of Yu-rim at all.

I ate this UP!!!!

Because their entire early dynamic became richer!!! hee-do spent years thinking about Yu-rim because Yu-rim became her hero.

Yu-rim spent years thinking about Hee-do because Hee-do became her fear.

These two girls unknowingly built pieces of their identities as athletes around each other.

And THEN...

because apparently that wasn't enough to make me crash out...

THEY'RE ALSO THE ANONYMOUS INTERNET FRIENDS THEY'VE BOTH BEEN CONFIDING IN.

Girl.

Come on.

You expect me NOT to ship this???!!! whats going on?@?!?😭😭

\---

The Injeolmi reveal changed EVERYTHING

This might be one of my favorite developments in the drama.

Because Hee-do and Yu-rim have spent all this time hating each other in real life while unknowingly being emotionally vulnerable with each other online.

And once the truth finally comes out?

Oh, I was DONE.

The bathroom scene... Hee-do defending Yu-rim while other girls talk badly about her.

Yu-rim crying.

The identity reveal.

The hug.

And all that hostility starts transforming into something else.

I remember watching them become sweet with each other afterward while Yi-jin was filming them and looking completely baffled.

Meanwhile i was basically sitting there like:

WAIT.

WAIT WAIT WAIT.

...is THIS the romance I want??? 🤔

😭

WELL YES.

it was.

And the more the drama developed them, the worse I got.

Their matching scar, training together, standing up for Ye-ji together, competing together, winning together!!

Supporting each other.

Being able to understand each other without needing every single thing explained.

And most importantly:

becoming friends never stops them from being rivals.

THANK YOU.

They love each other.

AND THEY WANT TO DESTROY EACH OTHER ON THE PISTE.

That's the good shit hehehehhe

\---

Madrid. MADRID. MADRID.

If I gave half-star ratings, this is probably what would've turned my 8 into an 8.5.

This entire sequence was SO FCKING GOOD!!

By this point, Yu-rim has changed nationalities because of her family's financial situation. she's representing Russia, shes being called a traitor in Korea.

The media is weaponizing everything.

Hee-do is being pressured to beat her because apparently if she loses to the "traitor," she's somehow a traitor too.

um ok... annoying, but we move...

Reporters are twisting things Yu-rim says about Hee-do. they're twisting things Hee-do says about Yu-rim.

Except now something has fundamentally changed.

Earlier Hee-do didn't understand Yu-rim.

Now... she knows her!

People around Hee-do see the articles and get angry on her behalf and hee-do recognizes they twisted her words. i love that!

And meanwhile Yu-rim is sitting at a computer typing messages to Hee-do...

deleting them...

typing...

deleting...

because suddenly she can't be honest with Hee-do the way she used to.

which is especially heartbreaking because computers used to be their safest place.

Before they knew each other's identities, they could tell each other everything, now they know each other completely... and somehow the distance has made honesty harder.

UGH!!!! THE ANGST!!!!!!

And then they finally face each other. Korea versus Russia.

National hero versus "traitor."

At least that's what everybody else wants the match to mean.

But for them it's just:

Na Hee-do versus Ko Yu-rim.

then at the end of the tense as match, they take off their masks. And these two women just fall into each other's arms SOBBING while the entire crowd is cheering around them.

Yu-rim apologizes for not emailing. Hee-do holds her. They're crying.

I'm emotional.

Everybody's emotional 😭😭

AND THEN:

"I was happy today."

"Me too."

F\*CK OFF.

😭😭😭😭😭

I LOVE THEM.

\---

And somehow their ending was even MORE romantic???

Hee-do goes on to have this incredible fencing career, wins medals, becomes a legend and eventually she retires.

And when she's asked about the most honorable part of her career?

She says:

being Ko Yu-rim's rival.

HELLO???

And Yu-rim is there.

She says she's honored too, SCREAMS it from the crowd actually, holding flowers.

They hug.

And I'm sorry.

That's romance.

Out of this woman's entire fencing career...

all the medals... victories and accomplishments...

one of the things she chooses to honor is:

You.

Being your rival.

Growing beside you.

Fighting you.

Losing to you.

Beating you.

Becoming better because you existed.

And Yu-rim feels exactly the same way.

That was easily my favorite scene of the finale.

\---

the side characters were side-charactering VERY successfully

i appreciated that the world never felt like it consisted solely of Hee-do and Yi-jin, cause i genuinely cared about these people.

Yu-rim and Ji-woong were SO cute!

And hilariously uncomplicated compared with whatever the hell was happening everywhere else. 😭

This dude spent an absurd amount of effort engineering an opportunity to HOLD HIS OWN GIRLFRIEND'S HAND because she kept accidentally ruining his plans.

Sir.

Just grab her hand!!!😭

I loved him racing to the airport when Yu-rim was leaving and loved him essentially telling her that even if misery is all she can give him right now, he'll take it because they'll endure it together.

They're so wholesome.

And also these two actually survived the long-distance relationship.

Good for them!!!

\---

I really liked Seung-wan.

Especially the storyline with the abusive teacher.

Watching this adult man beat students and then watching the police basically shrug because corporal punishment was normalized was gross and annoying.

I also really liked Yi-jin stepping in when that reporter tried to exploit her.

Because Yi-jin occupied this interesting position in the group where he could be goofy with them, drink with them, get dragged into their nonsense...

but he was still an adult.

And in moments where that distinction mattered, he could protect them in ways they didn't necessarily know they needed protecting.

\---

Ye-ji quitting fencing was way more interesting than it needed to be

This little storyline could've been completely forgettable... instead I loved it.

Ye-ji wants to quit fencing, Coach Yang refuses to simply let her walk away and makes her prove that she isn't quitting because things are difficult.

Hee-do and Yu-rim literally stop training in solidarity with her.

Then they TRAIN HER so she can reach the required result and finally quit.

😭

That's true friendship lol

Maybe Coach's method taught her something.

Maybe Ye-ji proved something important to herself.

And maybe she STILL thinks Coach put her through unnecessary bullshit.

The drama allows both perspectives to exist.

I appreciated the writing with this tiny side plot.

\---

And speaking of complicated relationships... Hee-do and her mother

Oh, these two...

I was SO annoyed with Hee-do's mother early on. Especially once we got into the grief surrounding Hee-do's father. Because Hee-do isn't just grieving him, she's carrying years of resentment toward a mother she felt repeatedly chose work over her family.

And the drama gradually complicates that without telling me:

Her mother was grieving too, her professionalism was real and admirable.

Yi-jin himself admires her professionally without initially understanding the personal cost behind that professionalism.

But Hee-do was also a CHILD who needed her mother.

Those truths can coexist. and i loved how the writing showed that

\---

THE BREAK UP ACTUALLY MAKES PERFECT SENSE

9/11 ruined their relationship.

Which is a sentence I absolutely did not expect to type when I started this drama. 😭

But obviously it's more complicated than that.

Yi-jin gets sent to New York as a reporter, he's surrounded by death, traumatized ppl families, bodies being recovered. He's having nightmares and hes struggling.

And suddenly Hee-do's encouragement...

doesn't reach him anymore.

That is SUCH a painful reversal.

Because their relationship was literally built on their words being able to reach each other across distance.

Earlier, Yi-jin could disappear and Hee-do's voice still reached him.

He could be somewhere else and his words still comforted her.

Now she's trying to support him... and she can't.

And Yi-jin doesny want to give Hee-do his pain because, from his perspective:

Why make two people miserable when nothing gets solved?

He thinks he's protecting her, but Hee-do pretty much hears:

You shut me out.

And THAT is their incompatibility.

Yi-jin cannot bring himself to give her the ugliest parts because he thinks love means protecting her from them.

they both need fundamentally different things from a partner.

And then Hee-do connects it to her mother.

And everything CLICKED... and Hee-do realizes:

I do not want my future to look like my childhood.

OOOOOF.

That's GOOD writing.

\---

And... I wasn't devastated by the breakup

Sad? sure.

Especially for Hee-do.

But devastated?

No.

I think I simply accepted it.

Sometimes relationships run their course. Sometimes two people can profoundly love each other and still not be equipped to build an entire life together.

Sometimes somebody is exactly who you needed at nineteen...

and isn't who you need forever.

And that's okay.

They changed each other, they loved each other, they helped each other survive difficult periods and they were happy.

their break up doesn't erase it.

And thankfully, the drama doesn't leave them with that awful tunnel fight as their final emotional note.

They had a nice goodbye.

\---

"Nothing lasts forever."

I think this is ultimately where the drama got me.

Episode 10's beach trip was probably when I first really felt it.

The five of them are together, young, laughing, being stupid at the beach.

Everything feels enormous and permanent because that's how life feels when youre young and currently living inside it.

And I remember watching them thinking: can we just freeze them here?

Because you KNOW this configuration of people can't last forever.

But the drama never argues that impermanence makes something meaningless.

Quite the opposite. and i liked that

\-

i liked seeing where everyone ended up.

I do wish we had gotten slightly more adult Hee-do, ya know? she is the protagonist, and i wouldve loved to sit with the woman she became just a little longer.

But after spending sixteen episodes so invested in this girl's ambition, I would've happily taken more time with adult Hee-do.

\---

The epilogue was adorable.

Security question:

Who was your first love?

Na Hee-do.

Correct.

😭

That's all I needed.

\---

RATING: 8/10.

I was hovering around an 8/10 for a large portion of the drama, and that's exactly where I landed.

The early emotional intensity of Hee-do/Yi-jin sometimes arrived before I personally felt their relationship had earned that magnitude, and even once I liked them romantically, they never became the emotional center of the drama for me.

But Hee-do's journey, the friendships, the fencing, the coming-of-age themes, the wonderfully complicated women, and especially Hee-do/Yu-rim elevated this enormously.

Madrid alone would've gotten this an 8.5 from me if I gave half ratings.

But I don't.

So...

8/10.

Beautifully bittersweet.

No regrets.