#extraordinary attorney woo meta

[waitmyturtles]

Quickly following up on my meta thoughts from last night: an important point that the EAW writers (I think) are making.

Like I mentioned previously: the budding relationship between Young-woo and Jun-ho is making his friends in the show, and maybe even real viewers, wiggly. Another item to remember is that Jun-ho has that one colleague who seems to think that Young-woo is part of an organization of disabled individuals that Jun-ho previously volunteered for.

The fact that Jun-ho has volunteered in the past with disabled individuals is important. As soon as anyone -- volunteers, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc. -- works with individuals with intellectual or mental disabilities, you recognize the spectrum of the condition. BUT, you also recognize that many (I might say, almost all, proportionally) have the ability to engage in their own agency to make their own decisions in some capacity.

Meaning: Jun-ho KNOWS that Young-woo has the capacity to exist relatively “normally” in the everyday world that he, as a non-autistic individual, also inhabits. He knows the following: he KNOWS she has agency, and the capability to exercise that agency, because he’s seen it in his volunteering past.

Like I said before, this is really big! This show is demonstrating agency for a person (Young-woo) that many of us may have implicit sympathy for. That’s why Jun-ho went off at the bar with his friends. He KNOWS Young-woo isn’t pitiful. He knows she’s not needing his sympathy. He’s seen individuals like her, engaged with them, and he KNOWS they can live in his same world. With more struggles? Sure. It’ll be harder for him to love her, as she states. But damn if she’s not exercising her agency to get him to admit that to her in words. And he bites! He takes it. He knows it. Because he knows the world isn’t fair to her, but that she can live in it anyway. She’s a badass. He recognizes. He knows she’s kicking and is gonna kick ass, and he loves her for it. 

I’m seeing the memes of Jun-ho as a Jane Austen-like dude, and other assumptions that he’s in this for marriage, but I THINK, rather -- he’s recognizing that Young-woo has been empowering herself since day fucking one. (Attorney Jung also knows that -- he knows that she’ll show off her talent, and she knows that he knows. Badass!) 

I just think this show is playing beautifully with ideas of agency in the face of disability discrimination and misogyny, and that Young-woo and Jun-ho are excellent foils in all of it. 

[aspoonofsugar]

Have you seen Extraordinary Attorney Woo? Some of the characters have really great arcs. If you have seen it, who are your favorites, and why?

Hi!

Yes, I have and I loved it! I liked all the characters to be honest <3 Here are some thoughts on my faves...

THE HANBADA TRIO

These 3 are my absolute faves both in terms of individual characters and of their dynamic. I will talk about individuals later on, so let's now focus on their sibling dynamic.

They are a well written trio in how they are all different and complement each other. They follow the mind-heart-body pattern. To be more specific:

Young Woo is the mind - she is a genius and the one who knows the law the best. She always comes up with a whale an idea to solve the problem at hand by using intuition and creative thinking.

Su-Yeon is the heart - she is our "spring sunshine angel", after all :P She is a genuinelly sweet and kind person, who looks out for and helps Young Woo. She also challenges Min Woo to follow his heart.

Min Woo is the body - have you noticed how he is constantly shown eating? On a deeper note, though, he is a survivalist, who sees society and adulthood as a battlefield, as kill or be killed. This is a primary physical instinct. The body is also often not as much integrated as mind and heart are, which fits with Min Woo not being as close to the other 2 and joining them only at the very end.

At the same time, Young Woo is our protagonist, while Min Woo and Su-Yeon are used to explore different sides of her. Through this lens, they become:

Min Woo: mind, outside (job/society), challenge, rivalry

Su Yeon: heart, inside (personal relationship), nurture, friendship

In short, they are complementary when it comes to Young Woo's arc, which is why they are also such a good fit together. They reconcile all the series's opposite themes.

Let's focus on their thematic importance on WYW's arc by exploring some cases our protagonist shares with them.

Mind and heart

Wild Card vs Tactician and If I Were a Whale are episodes meant to be foiled. The former has Young Woo work alongside Min Woo, while the latter has her help out Su-Yeon. Both episodes are set up as a conflict between mind and heart.

Wild Card vs Tactician has Young Woo set up as the heart to Min Woo's mind. Their rivalry becomes a way to explore 2 different ways to approach a case. Do you pursue the truth (heart) or do you protect the client's interests (mind)?

If I Were a Whale starts with Attorney Jung asking Young Woo to calm Su-Yeon down. He thinks the young attorney is being too passionate about the client and wants Young Woo to be the mind to Su-Yeon's heart.

What's interesting is that in both episodes the set-up dynamic doesn't play as it is expected to. To be more precise, Young Woo ends up being more "tactical" than Min Woo and more emotional than Su-Yeon. On the one hand she takes a witness, who is clearly lying and gives him instructions on how to be convincing. On the other hand she decides her client should get a lenient sentence because she is a good mother. In other words she doesn't play the heart or mind to the other 2 in a complementary way. Rather, Min Woo and Su-Yeon manage to bring out extreme sides of Young Woo. This also highlights our protagonist's shortcomings.

In Wild Card vs Tactician, Young Woo wins in the sense she isn't overshadowed by Min Woo. However, she still gives in to his mindset and betrays the truth. In the end, the true conflict was never the one with her colleague, but the one within herself. Which kind of attorney does she want to become? An honest one or a competent one?

In If I Were a Whale, Young Woo wins morally in the sense that she manages to convey her feelings to the judge, who finds the way to help YW's client. However, she does so outside of the law and of her role as an attorney. In a sense, she and Su-Yeon fail as attorneys because they miss the very obvious solution to their client's problem. They lose themselves in overly complicated theories without drawing attention to the fact their client has confessed, which in itself shows she is repentant.

Children and Lovers

The Pied Piper and Holding Hands Can Wait can be similarly foiled. The first deals with society, while the second with personal relationships. Min Woo gets focus in the first, while Su-Yeon in the second.

The Pied Piper explores how society warps children by teaching them to "give up on the world". This applies to Min Woo, who is cinical and focused on politics. Surely, he is meant to be read as a victim of the same system criticized in the episode. This is why he is confronted by Attorney Jung and called out on his behavior. For all his claiming to be an adult, he keeps behaving as a child and asks an authority figure for punishments and rewards. At the same time, he clearly shows his most childish side this episode, when he jokes with the kids and is eventually entertained by the client's antics.

Holding Hands Can Wait delves into romantic relationships and asks important questions. What is love? Is it enough that a person thinks they are in love? Or what others and society think matter as well? And what does it mean for an autistic person? Su-Yeon parallels the protagonist of the case. She looks for a good person, but ends up falling for a crook only interested in her money. This is very similar to Shin's situation. However, Shin has a handicap, while Su-Yeon does not. So, Shin is stripped of her agency, while Su-Yeon has the chance to "fall in love with a bad boy". But then, what is the difference? Or is there even a difference at all?

In both episodes Young Woo finds herself in the same position. She wants to help a person the law can't help. Bang Gu-ppon doesn't want a reduced sentence and Shin doesn't want her bastard boyfriend to go to prison. Both want to be recognized as people by the system, even if it means the law would side against them. This means Young Woo must protect who they are and their agency, if she wants to help them. She succeeds with Bang Gu-ppon, but fails with Shin.

At the same time, both stories focus on a mother misunderstanding their child. Both Bang Gu-ppon and Shin are deep down trying to communicate with their mothers. They want their moms to recognize them and to accept they aren't crazy or strange, but adults in their own rights.

This is just what deep down Young Woo wants:

Young Woo to Tae Su-Mi: "Don't you recognize me?"

Deep down, Young Woo's arc is a coming of age story that has her turn from child to adult. This is true also for the other young attorneys (plus Jun-Ho), who accompany her in this journey.

WOO YOUNG WOO (2nd FAVE AND 2nd BEST ARC)

Young Woo is great because she is an autistic character whose arc is not (only) about her handicap. Sure, autism is a part of her, as it is her incredible intelligence. However, her story is broader and so it can be universal.

Her arc is about growing up, which means becoming independent from parents, so the mid-climax and the final climax are about Young Woo facing her estranged mother, Tae Su Mi.

In the first climax (A Tale About Sodeok-Dong), Young Woo meets her mother for the first time and enters a conflict with her father. She struggles to become independent only to realize independence is not something that is easy to pintpoint:

Young Woo to Tae Su Mi: "I wanna be a full-out adult, so I was ready to leave my current position at Hanbada and be independent from my dad. But there is not point in leaving my dad in order to join a law firm, where the CEO is my mother."

Changing law firms won't solve her problems and if she really wants to grow, she must learn not to run, but to live her life with all its contradictions.

The 2 episodes-case also sets up Young Woo as the Hackberry Tree:

"Have you ever seen a more beautiful tree, despite not being a national monument?"

Society might not see Young Woo as important, but she is still beautiful and worthy of protection. This idea grows within our protagonist until it blooms in all its beauty in the ending:

Young Woo to Tae Su Mi: "I think my life is unusual, peculiar, but it has value. It's a beautiful life."

This is the moment Young Woo grows and affirms who she is to her mother. Poignantly, their confrontation is not really about Tae Su Mi and Young Woo's mother-daughter's bond. The narrative is very clear about it. Tae Su Mi has not been a mother for Young Woo and this can't be changed. However, she can be a good parent to her son:

Young Woo to Tae Su Mi: "You have not been a good mother to me, but you can still be a good mother to Choi Sang-Hyeon."

Young Woo here does not act as a child asking her parent to love her, but as a big sister who looks out for her little brother. She plays the part of the adult and shows she is strong enough.

The second climax has also Young Woo face a case without Attorney Jung. She finds herself without her mentor, which pushes her to grow even more. Given all this, it fits she gets her contract renewed in the end, which shows her becoming a full-fledged Attorney.

So, the finale has Young Woo affirm her maturity both as a person and as an Attorney. I also find it very nice the title is referenced directly by Attorney Jung:

Attorney Jung: "I'm also curious about what you will do next and that's because you are not an ordinary Attorney."

In the very first episode, Jung calls her extraordinary because of her autism and promptly apologizes. However, in the very last episode he affirms once again she is not ordinary. What's beautiful is that he is not talking about her autism or her intelligence. He means she is extraordinary as a person. He doesn't pity her for the Asperger syndrome, nor admires her because of her genius. He is proud of her because of her heart, which is exactly what catches Jung's attention in their very first case:

Young Woo to Attorney Jung: "The defendand lives on the pension of her husband. The residence from which they collect rent is in her husband's name. Therefore, if the attempted murder is recognized, the defendant will be in a huge financial crisis after her husband passes. She won't be able to receive the pension or to inherit the house. Therefore, I'll try to get her probation for bodily injuries and not for attempted murder."

Young Woo is extraordinary because she manages to bloom in her own person and is always loyal to herself and who she wants to become.

MIN WOO KWON (FAVE AND BEST ARC)

Min Woo is the character who is challenged to change the most and his development is very thightly written, which is an automatic plus for me. Just like Young Woo, he is a kid, who wants to grow, but mistakenly believes growing up means becoming cinical.

This is why we keep seeing opposite sides of him, that really seems impossible to reconcile. On the one hand he is obnoxious, tactical and unfair. On the other hand he is a decent friend to Su-Yeon and Jun-Ho, he lives in a modest apartment and works hard for his parents' sake. This duality is well conveyed through his looks. At work he puts his hair up, while at home he wears it down in a simpler way. It is because he puts on a persona while working. However, his real self appears here and there through the cracks.

The struggle between Min Woo's 2 sides is explored through 2 different plot-lines:

The work plot-line, where he tries to best and ultimately to sabotage Young Woo. He keeps spiraling by thinking only politics and tactics can make him a successful adult. Ironically, he keeps pushing himself in worse situations and never gets a win.

The romantic plotline with Su-Yeon, which takes flight in Jeju. This is not by chance because Jeju is more than anything a holiday. So, there Min Woo can show a more relaxed and kinder self, who impresses Su-Yeon.

All of this comes together in the last case, where Min Woo has to choose between his mind and his heart, between tactics and love. Not only that, he also has to choose between Attorney Jung and Attorney Jang, aka his 2 mentors.

Attorney Jung is a lawyer, who tries to reconcile the interests of the client with the social good. He doesn't always succeed, but he tries and his performance in Jeju shows what an expert lawyer can do. This is what both Min Woo and Young Woo should learn to do. He is who Min Woo may become if he grows as a lawyer.

Attorney Jang is a lawyer, who has reached his current position through politics and networking. It is implied his talent is mostly in charming others, rather than in being a good lawyer. On paper, he is the mentor Min Woo has wanted for the whole series. He is someone, who is tactical, who can't stand Young Woo and who favors Min Woo over his colleagues. And yet, once Min Woo has to work with him, he can't stand it. Jang is arrogant, incompetent and would push his mentees under a bus to save himself. He is who Min Woo may become if he fails to grow and doesn't change.

Min Woo's finale is to choose between Su-Yeon (heart) and Jang (mind) and he is finally able to follow his heart for once:

Su-Yeon: "Can't you for once act as a fool? For a colleague. For something you think it's right"

He acts as an idiot and by doing so, he is recognized for the first time by an authority figure. The Judge is impressed by Min-Woo's statement and smiles. Min-Woo and Su-Yeon win the case and that is the first case they win as adults.

Similarly, Min Woo eventually refusing Tae-Su Mi's request to have Young Woo leave Hanbada seems to gain him Tae Su Mi's favor much more than his clumsy attempt to blackmail her:

Min Woo: "I'm stopping here" Tae Su Mi: "Why?" Min Woo: "From now on... I think I'll try living as a fool" Both smile.

By the end of the season, Min Woo starts to realize that he must follow his heart and act more like a fool, if he really wants to grow up.

SU-YEON CHOI (3rd FAVE)

Su-Yeon is a Queen and deserves the world. Her arc revolves around romantic subplots, but at its heart there is this message:

Seeing isn't everything. There is more.

Su-Yeon's growth lies in discovering there is much hidden under the surface, both when it comes to herself and to others. It is not by chance what sparks her friendship with Young Woo is this moment:

Here, Su-Yeon simply wants to be humored and to be called cute or a beauty. However, Young Woo gives her a deeper answer and praises Su-Yeon for her heart. It is her heart, which makes Su-Yeon beautiful, rather than her looks.

This theme of discovering the true heart of herself and others is at the centre of her quest to find "a good person". She starts by having a crush on Jun-Ho, who is the man of her dreams, but lets go of him, when she realizes he has feelings for Young Woo. At this point, she dates a bunch of men, she doesn't really like until she finds someone, who is perfect on paper. He is handsome, he treats her gently and is romantic. Little problem, he is actually a fraud, only interested in her money.

Here comes Min-Woo, who forces Su-Yeon to see complexity. If you notice, Su-Yeon and Min-Woo's interactions in Jeju are basically a mix of all her past love experiences.

On the one hand Min-Woo is surprisingly kind. He helps Su-Yeon with her bags, he goes with her to buy drinks and so on. It is important Min-Woo reveals himself as an inversion of Su-Yeon's previous scumbag boyfriend. The latter wears a kind persona to hide his rotten self, while Min-Woo fakes to be cinical, when he is actually quite kind deep down. So, we have the scumbag buying flowers and offering drinks to manipulate Su-Yeon. Min-Woo instead offers Su-Yeon a beer and buys flower with no malice at all.

On the other hand Min-Woo also challenges Su-Yeon by having her look at her privilege. When she goes on blind dates, Su-Yeon is annoyed people keep asking her about money and are impressed by her father. This is fair, but Min-Woo also points to her she doesn't have to be worried about money only because she is rich. Someone like him doesn't really have this luxury and she should be conscious of that.

In general, their relationship has a lot of potential and I am looking forward to see it bloom in a possible 2nd season.

JUNG MYUNG-SEOK (3rd BEST ARC)

Attorney's Jung arc is about finding a balance between worklife and personal life. He sacrificed everything to his work and when he discovers himself ill, he starts re-evaluating his choices.

However, his arc is not as simple as... I should give up working to truly live. The point is Attorney Jung loves his work and has grown into a formidable lawyer. He is so formidable he even manages to symbolically solve the ideological conflict between Young-Woo and Min-Woo on which kind of lawyer one should become. Attorney Jung proves to them sometimes it is possible to work for the good of both the law firm and of the people. As Young Woo states:

Young Woo: It's worth working so hard over the years to the poing of getting stomach cancer Attorney Jung: Really? So all this time was really worth it? Young Woo: Yes, I think it was.

It means no matter what Jung's life has value because he has managed to touch many people. First of all, his 3 mentees, who immediately imitate him by helping the noodle restaurant's owner. The scene is meant to be Attorney Jung's climax because he sees how much they have all grown and that they are shaping up to be good attorneys, each in their own way.

Jung's ending is ambiguous. Will he choose Hanbada or his ex wife? Will he choose mind or heart? Society or personal relationships? As you can see, this dychotomy is everywhere throughout the story.

JOON-HO LEE (A PUPPY)

I like Joon-Ho, but a little bit less than the others. His major conflict is about his relationship with Young Woo. Still, it is interesting because the nature of the conflict evolves with time

Initially, Joon-ho is focused on himself and his own insecurities. He clearly likes Young Woo, but is unsure on how to approach the matter. Once again Su-yeon and Min-woo help him by offering opposite advices. Su-yeon invites Jun-ho to be serious about the relationship, while Min-woo gives him the push to risk it all.

After Joon-ho and Young Woo end up together, he immediately has to face society's opposition to his relationship. This opposition escalates from just a bunch of university friends to Joon-ho's own sister.

Finally, the focus shifts on Young Woo, who challenges him to accept all of her. Not just her positive sides, but also her flaws in all their complexity. The resolution between the 2 is beautiful and it enforces their relationship is true love and not "compassion" or a "lesser degree love", like others say.

Young Woo and Joon-Ho love each other and have discussed their relationship, what they expect to ti and the compromises they are ready to do for it like 2 adults. Hence it is love.

Thank you for the ask!

[grrrlsoverdramas]

I feel like Minwoo in this episode (and throughout the show so far) is a great example of the thin line between prejudice and more insidious supremacist belief systems. Like racism vs white supremacy or sexism vs the patriarchy.

He chooses to ignore the way ableist systems make things harder for Youngwoo and is more predisposed than others to make rude judgments or assumptions about her.  But his anger stems almost exclusively from feelings that she’s his competition or she’s taking “his” place.  He dislikes Sooyeon for her background but doesn’t spew the same vitriol about her because he feels he’s better than her, or that it’s possible for him to surpass her.  He doesn’t like how society is unfairly more biased toward the rich/elite (he complains about this consistently enough), but he’ll put up with the CEO being CEO due to nepotism because it doesn’t limit him at this point in his life. But the moments he recognizes that Youngwoo has skills he can’t compete against are the moments where he cries foul.  

It makes me think of recent American news stories where many people who don’t have “strong” anti-trans opinions are suddenly against this idea that trans women should compete in sports at the elite level because they’ll win.  Like, it’s ok if you’re different from me but only if you are less than me.  Instead of thinking about how this reveals that our way of gendering competitions is arbitrary and flawed, and trying to find solutions to how we could level competitions more fairly for everyone, there is a kneejerk reaction to simply exclude your competition and then some sort of mental gymnastics to justify why you (be that as an “abled” “cis” etc person) deserve to be prioritised.

Or, like a book I read this summer about the history of craftsmanship in America that talked about how white male labor organizations consistently argued for the exclusion of or codified low wages for black workers or foreign workers or female workers whenever they felt that these groups “threatened” their pay or employment, instead of arguing for fair pay and fair labor practices for all.  And employers would use black, foreign or female workers to pit against or undermine their white male workers, but white men rarely responded with solidarity.

Ultimately, Youngwoo deserves to have her job and the only reason she needed “nepotism” (which isn’t what happened... her dad didn’t ask for her to get her job... if anything she was hired in part because could be used against a rival lawyer, which is weird but not nepotism) was because of ableism.  And I do think Minwoo understands that on some level, but he can’t see past this idea that everyone has to compete with him with the exact same skills and background he has or it’s unfair.  Once again, he has literally no empathy.  His entire worldview is informed by how things affect him and how he feels.

We’re on this emotional journey with him, seeing how personal biases like ableism, sexism and selfishness can morph into actions and stances that exist almost purely to uphold deeply prejudiced and unfair systems of class, patriarchy and abled supremacy under the guise of “fairness” or NIMBYism.

[somebodycallixii]

i also think youngwoo putting the letter up on her wall is such a meaningful scene, and such a key moment for her character development. in just the previous episode myungseok was chastising her about being a rookie and not having the necessary practical experience to make sound decisions about which cases to take on, but this is a moment where that practical experience is clearly impacting her and changing how she will make decisions in the future.

in this episode, the code of ethics plaque was taken down to hang up the sunflower in its place (obvi representing how this case prioritized wealth and ultimately greed over actual truth and right vs wrong). that was poignant enough, but to have her take down the sunflower picture herself and hang up the letter from the other CEO in its place shows how she is growing as an attorney. replacing the "textbook" ethics plaque with a handwritten letter that directly questions her motives and her character shows that shes moving beyond simple black and white thinking, shes replacing "memorized" rules/ethics with the tangible real life example of what those ethics look like in practice.

idk it was just a really cool moment and an excellent way to show her development both as a person and as an attorney!!

[twenty-qs]

Everybody go watch Extraordinary Attorney Woo right now!!!!! It’s a kdrama about a lawyer who’s an autistic woman tackling quirky legal cases, in a case-of-the-week format, and I love it so much.

Let me preface this by saying I’m neurotypical, but from what I’m hearing from autistic fans on tumblr and reddit the show is good rep overall and gets a lot of things right. Even as a neurotypical though, Attorney Woo is like, one of the most relatable heroes I’ve ever seen on screen??? Getting a little personal here but I’m a law student, and an Asian woman, and I’m also socially awkward and feel uncomfortable with ~high powered suits~ environments even though I’m currently interning at a firm. Lawyers are everywhere in American pop culture but I’ve never been able to relate to literally any of them, because they’re always portrayed as these bombastic extroverts who know how to instantly read the room and say the exact right thing. (And white. Let’s be real they’re mostly white.) But it’s not like that in real life, at least in my friend groups. Lawyers are fucking nerds y’all, and plenty of us are awkward and weird as hell. But it took me talking to an actual lawyer to realize this, and feel for the first time that I could be one too. I still don’t usually like watching legal dramas because they make me feel like I’m doing something wrong, like I don’t fit the image of a real lawyer.

So I can’t express how much I love that Young-Woo’s quirks aren’t treated as something to fix or as things that make her lesser as a lawyer. Something about it is so soothing, that she’s allowed to be herself, that she’s loved and respected and defended for BEING herself. That she can survive and thrive in the legal environment, despite all the ways that it’s an antiquated and ableist institution. I love that she’s an Asian woman who doesn’t defer to anyone else’s authority if she decides it’s not important, that she often raises her voice (because she’s excited!!!) and doesn’t have to apologize for it, that she pulls the cutest guy in the firm by being smarter than him. I love that she had a whole episode about her dad calling her childlike and her asserting her own independence and adulthood (smth I’m struggling with myself). I want to be like her because I admire the whole hearted care and dogged determination she has toward helping her clients. I want to be like her.

I wrote all this and now I can’t tell how much of this is just law student anxiety lol. But seriously, the show is wonderful, and the fact that I a neurotypical love it so much actually underscores how important positive representation is, in my opinion. Because everyone needs diverse heroes to look up to, and it’s fucked up that there are so few characters with disabilities who are portrayed as admirable for traits unrelated to their disability. Without more media like this, the world becomes more hostile and intolerant of even slight deviations from convention. And what a horrible place that world would be to live in, like forcing a dolphin to swim in one pool instead of the whole vast sea.

[ambafaerie]

Kwon Min Woo pisses me off every time he appears on screen, but as much as he is shown to be wrong and petty for being an insecure ableist bastard his speech in episode seven was terrifying.

He had a point that it was unfair Young Woo skip the workshops and orientations to be directly employed unlike the rest of their colleagues because the CEO and her father were college friends. However, Young Woo graduated summa cum laude from the nation’s top one university but she was unable to find a job for months because no one was willing to hire someone with autism.

To Min Woo this does not matter, in fact he twists it in his mind that because she is smarter than him and with the unconventional way she was hired, Young Woo is part of the stronger class in society that he is oppressed by. That he is the victim fighting against an unfair system and not a self entitled ableist doing everything he can to stifle Young Woo out of the limited opportunities she is granted by society and believes she is coddled by her friends and family.

What makes this so terrifying is that there are people like him who share the same beliefs in real life. Who patronize colleagues with disabilities but feel irrationally threatened by them believing they have more advantages than they actually do in reality and will lash out vindictively under the illusion of self righteousness.

[world-smitten]

Extraordinary Attorney Woo 9

Okay, so this episode is slyly brilliant and I want to talk about it.

Episodes 7-8 were about Young-woo dealing with her parents and her connections, and Min-woo being an obnoxious pillock. In episode 9, we suddenly pivot to a story about a somewhat quaint man who kidnaps a bus of children to play games in the woods. He calls them the “Children’s Liberation Army”. He legally changed his name to a poop joke because it made kids laugh. The kids he kidnaps are a bunch of academy students who only know school and sleep. We all know this message - Korea’s academic system is broken and the casualties are the children, whose parents cannot see the hurt they inflict because they are unshakingly convinced that it is for their good (very very relatable). I root for Bang Gu-ppong because I also believe in children’s liberation, and I want him to behave so Young-woo can get him a lighter sentence, even if that means declaring him mentally unwell.

Young-woo, like me, believes in children’s liberation. Unlike me, she goes above and beyond to understand Bang Gu-ppong as an individual whose ideology has merit that should be recognised in the court - even if it means that he can’t get a lighter sentence. Her actions might not “win” the case, but she upholds her integrity towards her client and her own beliefs (a far cry from episode 5, where she ignored her gut feeling and sense of justice to win a case for a lying client). Where I am in the episode (I was so excited by its writing that I hopped on here to post meta while my brain was still firing), Min-woo has just asked Attorney Jung to please, pretty please, penalise Young-woo for her behaviour in court. Watching the scene play out, I was thinking, ‘does this man think he’s in school? you don’t just “penalise” people like that in a professional workplace, wtf...oh. OH’.

And then Attorney Jung says, “Giving rewards and punishments over who’s right and who’s wrong is not how I work”. And the whole thing just clicked.

I remember reading somewhere that children, like women, are oppressed by the patriarchy, and by the systems created and upheld by the patriarchy. The education system is one such system and is therefore punishes any behaviour that might destabilise it. “Play” - to have reckless, aimless fun for the sake of fun - is violently opposed to the patriarchy, which is “work” (boys especially are raised to place their worth in their ability to work, which is part of how the patriarchy perpetuates itself. Bang Gu-ppong is unemployed - he’s got little worth as a man, and little worth to the system).

This is the same patriarchy that Min-woo represents in this story, and that he’s been desperately trying to uphold since Young-woo, a disabled woman, barged in to completely disrupt order. When Attorney Jung asks Min-woo why he simply can’t talk things out with her, it’s because Min-woo, like a lot of people in the story including Young-woo’s father, sees her as a child. He doesn’t see her as his equal. And when she proves herself repeatedly in ways that upset his own perceptions of the world, he mentally defaults to “school”, to “penalties and rewards”, because this is the only environment he can imagine Young-woo in and this is the only environment that would certainly punish her for her disability (and we know that’s true, since she was bullied all through school). What he doesn’t realise is how much of a fool he looks by doing all that, since Young-woo sees herself as an adult (which she is, duh) and doesn’t stoop to his level of clownery. Maturity is something much deeper than parroting the “right” language and presenting yourself in the “right” way. Bang Gu-ppong seems immature, but he refuses to lie about who he is and what he’s done, and why he did it. That, for me, is “adult”.

That’s not to say that I agree with him kidnapping a bus of kids lol. He says they consented to being spirited away, to which I say, ‘meh’. When it comes to kids and consent, that is always a hairy discussion because kids genuinely don’t have the perspective to know what is good for them. But, work and study is always assumed to be good for kids without question, whilst it’s play that has to be constantly treated with suspicion, always moderated, always surveilled. And discussions around kids and consent lacks a ton of nuance - it’s almost always an either/or scenario. Either kids don’t know anything, so let’s micromanage the life out of them - or, kids can definitely consent, all the time, so their “yes” is always “yes” even when it’s said in ignorance. There has to be a better way to give kids some agency in their lives. I think the saddest thing in this episode is the implicit child abuse - if Mujin Academy is famously harsh on its students, then imagine what kind of treatment the director must have inflicted on her own kids (and having Gu-ppong’s mother be the director ties the whole thing together perfectly). But even the director herself, like all women, is only trying to navigate the patriarchy - a single mother, in a system that loathes single mothers, who goes above and beyond to mould her sons into the perfect future patriarchs. They excel in education and gain the high societal marker by making it to the best universities in the country. And she capitalises on this “success”, showing other mothers how they too can make their own potential patriarchs. In doing this, she proves her worth to the system.

After Gu-ppong tells the attorney of the playground games he had with the kids in the woods, Min-woo (who can never do anything right lol) says, “I guess you didn’t do anything incredibly original.”  To which Gu-ppong responds, “The thought that playing has to be original is what creates gimmicky children’s camp field trips without the field part. Taking the children from here to there, making them do this and that, so that they can experience something novel and educational. That’s not playing. Even if all they’re doing is looking up at the sky and snickering at the clouds floating by, as long as the child is smiling and is happy in that moment, that’s what playing really is.” When he said that, the scales fell out of my eyes. It was like, of course, of course. All those school trips and summer camps I did as a kid that were heavily monitored, expensive, stressful -  even the kind of play that we think is acceptable for kids, is still work. That makes sense. This was the moment I realised that this show is being written by someone who truly cares about children. And it’s so radical! It dropped something so novel (to me, at least) on the sly, and with such humility too. 

Man, I love this show.

[jipuragi]

the way i can’t stand that bitch ass kwon minwoo ...

[ohmuqueen]

I’m hyper focusing on Extraordinary Attorney Woo and I’m running out of meta to read I need help

[waitmyturtles]

Alright. SPOILERS. It might take me a couple posts over today and tomorrow to process EAW ep. 14. I’ll try to keep things organized. My Big Thoughts on Young-woo are at the bottom. Long post warning.

1) I’m going to sound a far different bell than the reviews I’m seeing on the tag. I think the writing of ep. 14 was absolutely FANTASTIC. I am giddy over how good this writing was and I can’t wait to re-watch this episode. 

I think ep. 13 needed to set up a lot of conflict very quickly to get to the important penultimate episode next week, which we know can be huge. Today’s (Thursday’s) episode, for me, ironed out a lot of the sudden conflict we saw, including contextualizing Attorney Jung’s illness. When he says that South Korea has the best treatment for stomach cancer (a relatively common ailment in those parts of Asia that we don’t see as much in the US), I believe it, and I think the writers intentionally put those lines in there to give viewers who know that background a touch of relief (but we’re still worried about him). 

2) Content-wise, obviously, things are not going as linearly as us viewers would have liked or expected. But y’all -- I believe the writers know this and are doing this to us. Look at what Su-yeon said to Min-woo: “I almost reported you to the police for the crime of not staying in character.” The writers know what they’re doing! 

Another way I think the writers are injecting lightness here -- when Jun-ho said he wouldn’t drink, and then he got plastered. I think it was set up to be cute. I’m not reading a forever devastation and finality to the break-up, partially based on the existence of that scene. More on this below. 

(Also, side note, now we know that Min-woo knows. And, whoa, seemed to actually be supportive of his homeboy in the relationship -- Min-woo hadn’t tried to get them to break up, I guess?)

3) I believe the writers are setting up a moral dilemma conflict for Min-woo that I might be here for. NOT a hard bet, because I think he’s still scheming, but I wonder.

I also think that Su-yeon is fixing to be a freaking superhero vis à vis that dilemma. I’m getting that from the preview for ep. 15, where we see Su-yeon protecting Young-woo from reporters.

4) I’m seeing fam on the tag calling out CEO Han for being evil and scheme-y, but we already knew she was, and Young-woo’s dad knows this, too. Her scheme is not a surprise to me. Her hiring of Young-woo was going to lead to something like this. I just want to know their background in law school. Maybe CEO Han has a hereditary competition with Tae Su-mi. I want to know that juicy juicy drama. 

(I wrote this before, but this is why I think CEO Han eats Min-woo over this somehow. At least I hope so.)

(Frankly, and I know this is bad of me because it puts Young-woo in the middle of all of this shit, but I hope CEO Han blinks out Tae Su-mi. I think Tae Su-mi is pure evil.)

5) I think the big themes of this episode were: compassion, empathy, creativity, and revelation. Here’s why.

I believe the stories of Attorney Jung and Young-woo are linked. He’s the elder -- a senior partner who ignored his personal life, who ignored the people who loved him personally, to live and breathe the law. As his ex-wife notes, he’s more alive when talking to an attorney than when talking to her.

Wasn’t Young-woo the same as she was breaking up with Jun-ho? She was more energized about her law revelation than about communicating the reasons for the break-up. She kept that part to herself. And Jun-ho, bless him, was asking for that reasoning, continuing to demand to Young-woo that she work on empathizing with him.

We know that communicatively, there is a lot that Young-woo and Jun-ho need to say to each other. But this IS a drama, and the writers need to stave off that content to wrap up the series next week. 

However, I REALLY think we saw a lot of compassionate growth in Young-woo this episode. We saw her ignore Attorney Jung’s insistence to not fuss over him. We saw her absorbing the words of the song about the burden of love at the noraebang. We see her looking at Jun-ho on the plane. 

I think the way the writers are building Young-woo’s self-awareness and self-growth is absolutely gorgeous. In many instances, it’s wordless. Because -- we see her, as she’s growing into her adulthood, learning the words to use in these moments.

Autistic or not, aren’t we all doing that, growing as adults, learning about our emotions and ourselves? What’s the difference here, between her and Attorney Jung? Not a lot, in this moment. 

6) Jun-ho and ex-wife Ji-su, the two lonely left-behind lovers. Ji-su says she left Attorney Jung because of her loneliness. We see Jun-ho in his loneliness on the beach, left behind because Young-woo will not take him to where she thinks she’s going -- to always need to be cared for in her life, leaving her lover lonely.

First, we know she doesn’t need to be as cared for as she thinks, because we know she’s a breadwinning baddie. (She’s confident enough to take care of herself as the rest of the team eats the meat noodles with her take-away gimbap. She’s like -- I got me.)

Second, I don’t believe the break-up is final because of the pep talk Attorney Jung gives to Jun-ho. I think there’s a communication ultimatum between these two lovebirds, and Young-woo will need to decide to step up and believe she’s worthy of love, AND that she’s more independent than general society makes her think she is. 

7) This is where I think creativity comes in. After that pep talk, I think Jun-ho is fixing to fight for love. God help us, I think this is finally when some communication will take place.

Also, separately, creativity and empathy: I agree with Young-woo that we saw Attorney Jung at his absolute best when speaking to the Abbot at the end of the episode. Speaking to an opposing client is definitely skirting the edges of legal ethics. But he suggests that the temple work with Hanbada’s government affairs team, which is not technically a legal team. Genius. He wants to proactively help in the best way HE can. 

Did you see how proud of the team he was when his rookie attorneys were pitching the noodle restaurant owner? He’s realized he’s passed on his wisdom, creativity, and empathy. A huge law firm pitching a restaurant owner in Jeju. Even Min-woo getting into it. I love how the love for Attorney Jung is deeply spread out here.

8) One more point on empathy and compassion.

Did you notice, when ex-wife Ji-su was speaking to Young-woo, what was behind Ji-su?

It was a poster about women’s health. I can’t read Korean, but I did notice the small pink graphic of a set of ovaries. 

(Nothing like that will ever get past a mama.)

That shot almost certainly was not an accident.

Part of Ji-su’s sadness is likely not having a family with Attorney Jung. Yet she cared enough for him to fly down from Seoul to Jeju. And is concerned enough about his health to want him to have an earlier surgery.

Despite their break-up -- there’s still love and caring.

Despite Young-woo’s and Jun-ho’s break-up -- there’s still love and caring.

And, I think by including that poster in that shot, it gives us something to chew on. Young-woo, right now, is thinking she’s not deserving of love because she’ll leave her lover lonely in his caretaking of her. 

But I think -- in the most subtle, gorgeous way possible -- the writers have left us asking: can Young-woo deserve love and family of her own?

We all know that answer.

[thingsarentgood]

I think Tae Su Mi definitely had pressure from both sides concerning the fate of her pregnancy and its unfortunate bc at this point we've only seen Gwangho's POV so it looks like he was the sole reason she carried Young Woo when there was also most likely opposition from her family to terminate, meaning she probably had the final say considering she had no reason to honor Gwangho's request. We don't really know what was going on in her head at the time and she shouldn't have had to be put in that situation, but framing it like Gwangho desperately wanting to raise Young Woo as an inherently prolife narrative is a bit disingenuous. Also Young Woo is allowed to feel abandoned by TSM even if that wasn't necessarily her fault/intention.

[grrrlsoverdramas]

Love reading everyone’s responses to EAW this week and here some thoughts I had re: some takes in the tags that mention there is something about this show that feels “cutesy” and that causes some discomfort.

I can’t/won’t discount how an autistic person feels about this portrayal (a lot of the people posting this were people who identified as someone on the spectrum, or someone close to an autistic person), but there are some things I noticed that I think speak to this!  

First I would say, there are scenes/moments in the show that pretty much solely exist to establish or build on the romance. Because this show, for all its uniqueness, it’s pretty much abiding by the usual law-romance formula (lmao), there are definitely tropes they could use to develop chemistry/show feelings happening.  We saw that with the whole fall-on-top of each other trope (which has been noted as a pretty weird version of the trope but it’s tried-and-true nonetheless). However, many of the other stock moments that might be inserted would not work here.  Accidental extended eye contact?  Not gonna happen. Accident physical contact due to physical closeness? Unlikely.  Prolonged physical touch (accidently holding hands or something)?  Young-woo is like 3 feet away from people always. Hugging or physical comfort when someone is upset? Would not hit the same since Youngwoo actively dislikes this.

So instead these moments happen in different ways than we’re used to. Physical closeness or eye contact comes out of necessity when Junho is kindly helping Youngwoo with something “typical” she doesn’t know how to do (revolving doors, checking if someone is lying), therefore sometimes emphasizing moment where Youngwoo can seem naive.  Physical closeness also comes from idiosyncratic moments like them “dancing.” And then there’s these times when the male gaze seems almost exaggerated because we can see Junho *gazing* *longing* *smiling cause she’s cute* etc but it’s not something Youngwoo notices (the wedding dress, asking about the gift he gave, the whale picture, protecting her when the couple was fighting). These scenes are sort of the scenes in the show where she has the least agency? And she’s just there being ~cute~ and it’s very noticeable

I think all this kind of comes from the uncomfortable truth that most kdrama romance is inherently infantilizing to women?  What an insane thing for me to say and not even be mad about!! But isn’t having a crush or being crushed on just inherently infantilizing??? even in life>>>>??? like what a truly embarrassing emotion!  But I have high hopes that next ep as Youngwoo start thinking about her feeling more, the power dynamic in the storytelling of the romance will balance somewhat!! Obviously Youngwoo has all the power in the relationship (Junho is GONE) but, I would like for this part of the story to be from HER pov, just like the rest of the show is too...

[somebodycallixii]

one aspect of this episode that wasn't really the main focus but it still made an impact to me was seeing a small way that just being a female can be yet another factor alienating youngwoo from her coworkers and clients.

The conversation between the ATM CEO, myungseok, and minwoo at the beginning of their first meeting when they were talking about where they did their military service immediately excluded her from the conversation entirely and no one even bothered to look in her direction after that. it was so frustrating to see this bros bro conversation happening and meanwhile shes just there with her entire presence being completely ignored.

its not to say that people cant talk about shared life experiences, and im not saying men in korea talking to each other about their military service is misogynistic, but you KNOW minwoo purposefully utilized this convo against her with the intent to simultaneously boost his own image and push her farther and farther away from the client and the case :( something he knew she wouldnt be able to relate to simply bc shes a woman.

its just another piece of BS that she has to deal with and shouldnt have to!! minwoo get a life challenge!!!!!!!!

[hans-garden]

I love the extraordinary attorney woo fandom because it's

a) K-drama folks who are in it for one of the actors

b) autistic folks who are in it for the autism

(and I do wonder how much overlap there is between those two)

[aphilosopherchair]

Reminder: The point is not to demonize anyone, but to get a better look at fault lines so that we can mend them and become one. Note also that selection of "None of the above" for the above question does not always reflect stubborn discrimination. The question is after all whether the series has expanded your possibly already wide-ranging knowledge of the subject matter or made you feel more for autistic persons than you already felt.

May the wages, employment rates and mental health indicators of autistic communities around the world soar in the years to come.

[dayscapism]

K-Dramas recommendations & short reviews

Because I've watched way too many to not make a list. Warning: I like romance and fantasy a bit too much.

These shows made me cry. 10/10. Five stars. Recommend to anyone. They live in my mind rent-free:

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022) - Attorney Woo is such a wonderful person, I love her character. I can't say much about the representation, but I like that it opens up the conversation around autism & neurodivergence, discrimination and prejudice, particularly in work environments. I rarely like shows about law or lawyers but I was surprisingly engaged with the cases and the story. It deserves a second season. (The only thing I don't like about this show is they're pushing for a MinWoo and Choi Su-Yeon ship. Which huh--disrespectful.)

Hotel Del Luna (2019) - A great place to start with k-dramas if you like paranormal fantasy. This show has such a special place in my heart. I wanted a different ending but I am okay with it because it was a tight narrative. The main character is iconic (Man-Wol please step on me). The show has amazing sets, AMAZING costumes, an amazing OST, amazing and heartbreaking performance by Yeo Jin Goo. The main couple is so soft; like they're such good friends and coworkers and gentle with each other (eventually). It's enemies to reluctant friends to lovers. It's perfect for asexual viewers who want more than physicality in their romance shows. Cons: the secondary characters' goodbyes and backstories left a little to be desired. A few other nitpicks like Chang-Seong is the one to suggest the main character a new hobby instead of her just discovering it by herself.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) - Also a good place to start with k-dramas. This show is a lesson in good narrative; this has perfect writing & storytelling. The cast is so good. The female lead is an icon. The character work I excellent. The mental health issues are so well addressed and it taught me a lot about mental health I wasn't aware of. Each small minor character plays a very important thematic role. (The villain isn't the best thing ever but she serves her role in the themes and plot.) The production and the storytelling with the children's book animations are just *heart eyes*. The OST is so good too. You need to watch this to understand how good a k-dramas can be. A must-watch.

Goblin: The Lonely and Great God (2016) - This is the most iconic fantasy/paranormal k-drama ever. A lot of current tropes were started here I think (including the weird k drama last-episode time jump separation of the main couple). This show broke me. You will cry. The bromance and comedy are amazing here too. Gong Yoo and Dong Wook Lee have great chemistry. Main female lead is so cute and her character is so heartwarming. The ending felt a bit rushed. The death, existential related stuff with the grim reapers and such is so good tho.

Business Proposal (2022) - Best rom-com ever! (Well, it could be gayer tbh.) It's my new comfort show. I already watched it twice. It's campy, hilarious, chaotic, iconic and messy in a way that feels like real life (but obviously played up for drama and comedy). Excellent character work. The love interest is definitely written by a woman. Gorgeous cast (Sejeon omg I have a crush, but also the others). It was too short! I would have loved another episode, and more of Grandpa and Ha-Ri. Warning: this has the weird kdrama last-episode time jump couple separation.

W: Two Worlds (2016) - A young resident medic accidentally finds her way inside the webcomic her father created. Like, that premise is killer. We have Lee Jong Suk at his finest here; the character fits him so well. He was born to play a lead. This show has amazing meta-commentary on writing, authorship, and existential crisis. The confrontation between the webcomic character Kang Cheol and the author is insane! The main couple is an epic pair. Would rewatch. High wump value. Cons: The second part could have been more swoony with the romance, Kang Cheol kind of became a bit cold. (A warning: this show also has the k drama weird last-episode time jump couple separation.)

Would recommend with popcorn, I rate them 8/10:

Crash Landing on You (2019) - Really good. The main couple has the best chemistry I've ever seen. It's not that much of a personal fave show, but still pretty awesome and will tug at your heart. It got a bit overly dramatic in the last episodes and again, has that k-drama last episode weird time jump couple separation, but here it actually makes sense. And sort of mirrors the separation and eventual unification of the Korean Peninsula. It was very interesting to see the contrast between North and South Korea.

Shooting Stars (2022) - Aside from the terrible, horrible, insulting Africa storyline (where the male lead goes to 'help' African kids with water scarcity, not even a country name is called, he just goes to *gestures vaguely* Africa to help goddammit he's such a beautiful soul! /s) There's a weird creepy sugar mommy wannabe side storyline and it's weird and out of nowhere. But the rest of it is good and campy and the main characters are so cute. All the couples are cute. The male lead is a cute disaster. Female lead is also a capable cutey but a disaster when it comes to romance. It's hilarious. I love all characters. It's fun. It's great. It shows a very interesting side of the entertainment industry.

While You Were Sleeping (2017) - A man and a woman who don't know each other have precognition powers and after they meet, they use them to take down a corrupt lawyer. The show isn't very heavy on the romance, tough the pair work pretty well together. I liked the main actress. Lee Jong Suk has chemistry with anyone. The male role was not exactly a good fit for Jong Suk. He's so much more naturally charming than the character. It's a fun show to pass the time. The found family is nice and all the characters work great together. The mom is great.

The King's Affection (2021) - I'm going to be honest, I didn't finish watching this. Ups. I got bored after episode 15. It's a very slow show but what I watched was quite good. It was just not a show for me. Having a bisexual male lead was awesome, I appreciate that he falls for the main character while he thinks she's a man. (Could be gayer tho, just saying.) Pretty good discussions and reversals of gender cliches. It has complicated parent-child relationships that are very well written which gives a lot of heart and heartbreak to this story. The political stuff gets very convoluted. I really wish the queer part was bigger though, and not limited to the main couple. We could even have poly representation! I still have half a mind to finish this but I don't know There are so many other shows I'd rather watch instead. (Boy, I really need to get into the actually queer side of k-dramas because the side I'm currently on is giving me crumbs.)

Lovers of the Red Sky (2021) - The premise was so cool. This has so much lore I like and the setting is beautiful and rich, but it also has so much lost potential. The plot is very weak in the second half and could be restructured. I loved the atmosphere, costumes and the actors and their characters: the blind cursed scholar nobleman, the female genius cheeky painter and her friend trio and the prince are all great characters. Ahn Hyo Seop is pretty good in it and looks very pretty indeed in historical costume (but the design of the villain creature he's possessed/cursed with is so, so bad omg). Great premise failed execution. Good first half but it went over the rails quickly. Still entertaining if you like historical fantasy.

Romance is a Bonus Book (2019) - It's a bit slow and could have done so much more with the female lead and her child. She's a bit underwhelming and her daughter is barely in the story. The second female character played by Jeong Eu-Gene was awesome, I love this actress now. Lee Jung Suk is always looking hot and being an excellent actor with what he's given; he's very charming here. He could have chemistry with a piece of wood and yet I wasn't that fan of the romance. Maybe it's just because friends to lovers isn't my cup of tea. There's a weird out-of-nowhere backstory between the male leads. The commentary of ageism in the workplace is a bit surface level (it's not that big of a deal for the company if you're overqualified for a job, the point should be that is an issue for you and your career, who is too good for the company). You can tell the writers really care about books; it's definitely a love letter to editors and an interesting window into the world of book publishing; you can feel the love editors put into making books. Bonus: the founding members of the publishing company have very funny moments.

Do no recommend:

King: Eternal Monarch - Couldn't even finish this. I was so, so confused. The dialogue, narrative and backstory make no sense! Everything is so unnecessarily confusing. There's no chemistry between the main couple. The king and the bodyguard had more chemistry. Lee Jung-Jin (playing the villain Lee Lim) & Woo Do-Hwan (the bodyguard) carried this show and are pretty much the only thing good about it. The female lead is sidelined. It had an intriguing premise but failed execution.

What's Wrong With Secretary Kim - Skimmed most of the second half. It's a mess. The love interest CEO is such a narcissist and asshole he wouldn't be able to keep a working, healthy relationship with his partner without some serious therapy first. The female lead seems to be repulsed by him most of the time even when together and even looks scared when they get intimate. There's an unnecessarily convoluted plotline about the main lead's brother and a kidnapping in their past. It has tonal issues and it's cringy rather than funny. The secondary characters are just a lot of useless filler. The female lead sacrifices her independence and dreams to be with the main guy. Just go watch Business Proposal instead.

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo - The only pro of this show is IU. The romance went the undeveloped route. Cheap-looking production, with too many episodes, melodramatic, characters pivot in place instead of naturally developing; it's definitely a telenovela. The point that the female lead is from the future doesn't even matter for the story (should have made her a Goryeo historian instead of a random cosmetologist). Pass!

Tomorrow - Could not finish watching. Please, please don't watch it if you're dealing with depression, bullying or suicidal thoughts. Please don't. By episode 2 I was just screaming at the screen. Problematic? This show invented the word problematic. The supernatural task force that's supposed to save people with suicide risk is terrible at therapy and suicide prevention. They tell the person trying to commit suicide, literally on the edge of a building about to jump, that they should do it, that they're weak, they should just jump, go ahead! Like ... what????

Mystic Pop Up Bar - Didn't capture me by episode 2. Got bored. Some say this is better than Hotel Del Luna but I don't agree.

Abyss - It's a weird tonal mix. Would have preferred if it leaned further into the absurd (go all in with the humour or don't at all), the sci-fi or the murder mystery. Instead of just revealing by episode 3 who the murderer is, quickly changing the plot into a chase after the villain, even though he's so lame. But also he is keeps killing people and it gets dark. And then we cut to the main couple being silly and cute. It's so jarring. The leads have a great dynamic and Ahn Hyo Seop knows how to differentiate his characters really well, give them their own flavour., but in the end it's just a cool premise, failed execution. Very average.

Currently watching:

The Crowned Clown - Very interesting concept and gorgeous, gorgeous visuals. Plot drags a little. Has some tonal problems and oversimplification of politics. The best part is when Yeo Jin-Goo acts with himself haha. He's such a talented actor.

The Uncanny Counter - Get's a bit melodramatic sometimes but all four main actors are insanely good.

Tale of the Nine-Tailed - The main romantic relationship needs a lot more development, but the entire show is worth watching just for Dong Wook Lee and Kim Bum as brothers.

Alchemy of Souls - 6/10 so far. Currently watching season 2/part 2. Aside from the prince, I don't particularly care for any of the characters. Unpopular opinion but the main romantic pair have no chemistry. Mu-Deok has more chemistry with Yul and the prince, and the prince has more chemistry with Jang-Uk. The lore is confusing and inconsistent: it breaks its own rules. (Two souls in one body what?? when was this established as a thing?) There's not enough foreshadowing and setting up the rules of magic in this world (the Ice Stone comes up as a deux ex mahcina big plot point in the last second). It also drags; the episodes are too long. There's a lot of saying and ultimately the show doesn't deliver. The narrative structure is straight out of a fantasy Wattpad. The set and costumes are fun and cool for a fantasy world, and the first episode was great.