u/YoungComplete7208

When are people going to accept that criticising an acting performance, a plot point, a character, or a drama in general does not mean you hate everything about it or wish misfortune upon everyone involved?

It seems perfectly natural that in a discussion post about a drama, people are going to bash a character, dislike an actor's performance, complain about a writing decision, or have some personal pet peeve about the production. These are all normal parts of discussing media because dramas evoke emotions, performances invite interpretation, and some creative decisions are going to work for one person and completely miss the mark for another.

Yet somehow, when someone makes a separate post specifically to criticise a character, actor, plot point, scene, or whatever else, people will respond as though they have just announced a personal vendetta against the entire production. Suddenly, the conversation becomes a defence of the actor's career, the drama's ratings, how hard everyone worked, how successful the production was, or how many other things the actor has done well.

Why?

I have always treated everyone who reads what I write like an adult. I assume people are capable of understanding that two, three, or seven things can be true at the same time. I can love a drama and still be irritated by one character. I can like an actor and think they gave a poor performance in a particular scene. I can enjoy a drama overall and still think a plot decision was ridiculous.

I genuinely do not have the inclination to preface, nor will I ever preface, every criticism with a disclaimer that says, “I promise I don't hate anyone, I love C-dramas, I respect the actors, I know how hard everyone worked, and I acknowledge that the drama was successful.” I should be able to say what I disliked without first proving that I am not secretly wishing for the downfall of the entire team/drama.

Media is not supposed to please everyone.

I don't hate the actor/production. I don't want their career to fail. I am not campaigning for the actor to be unemployed. I simply did not like the way they portrayed anger in episode 14 and I am allowed to discuss that without presenting a five-point defence of the actor's entire career first.

What happened to the art of constructive criticism? What happened to being able to passionately rant about a piece of media without immediately being labelled a hater, or being spoken to as though you are too stupid to understand how successful, talented, hardworking, or beloved the people involved are?

93% of the time I have a detailed critique comment or post to write it means I'm deeply invested in the drama. You know the walk about the house when villain no2 just made you mad? Sometimes I express that on a relevant sub in written form. After I hit 'post' I'm going back to losing sleep trying to finish an episode, and yes, even thoroughly ENJOYING the rest of the drama.

If you don't wanna read a critique of your favourite drama or actor then don't read it. Why would you respond to this with "x actually has 18 million followers on Douyin and they have 5 more dramas coming up this year." Yes? And they still didn't nail that crying scene in episode 14!💁‍♀️

That is all I wanted to say.

I don't Reddit well, so please excuse me if this is the wrong flair. 

Edit: This drama is from 2022, not currently airing. Sorry to all Road to Splendor watchers😔

This might be shade, but is this cast who we're talking about when we complain about how cdramas are being ruined to cast pretty people? They're not bad looking, but none of them have exceptional acting skills. They all struggle with crying and other emotional scenes, which puzzles me because I didn't know you could look insincere even with tears spilling down your cheeks but here we are. When I think about how there are some people who prefer older/veteran actors instead of the "pretty" or popular idols actors, I feel like this cast is who they would be referring to.

Anyway, my intro to Asian dramas was through those "pretty idol" actors, so I feel like I've been subjected to complaints when the veterans aren't properly capable either🙄.

The acting isn't so bad that I can't watch, they're doing their jobs, but I just had to get that out there. Also, most of these dramas depict young people, and these people don't look the ages they're depicting. It doesn't bother me but since I'm already ranting about the stuff people usually complain about as it pertains to idol actors...😒

I don't actually understand the distinction people are making when they complain about pretty actors. How about we watch whatever actor is cast and stop hating on these young actors. Everyone has to start somewhere.

A Dream of Splendor spoilers up to ep17

As for the reason for this post, these girls man, these girls and their insecurities 😭. I don't doubt that being looked down on for being officially registered to a brothel, especially when you don't offer yourself or enjoy the title would do a number on one's self esteem. But it's not like FL has no idea why her love interest would deny her in public. I consider that I have empathy so I know it would sting, but girl...you just got chained up and dunked in cold water because of your ties to your boyfriend (who wasn't even your boyfriend at the time). Why are you acting like he's the big bad? Do you want to be constantly in the mouths and scheme of senselessly violent and cruel enemies of your boyfriend to get it through your head? It's scary because they JUST talked about it too.

And the younger sister... idk about her. The way it looks, she totally has a bit of a crush on FL's boyfriend, if he was doing the chasing would be ignoring him.

Suddenly your registered musician status is why you're ignoring a pursuer? It's okay to admit you're still afraid of men after being tricked by your ex. It's okay to simply not be attracted to someone with genuine feelings for you. And that guy clocked her. When she needed help she ran to him and stayed with him the whole day. Now that you don't need his help you're shy? You're embarrassed because you play the pipa?🙄

All this comes down to honest communication. It comes down to my no1 drama pet peeves. Delaying romance or the plot from moving further because you either ignore reasonable communication, or avoid it entirely. Lowkey FL is triggering me because I'm reminded of her character in The Tale of Rose. Oh, that girl was insufferable, and lowkey getting mad at your hating "Living Devil" boyfriend because he already communicated with you that he might have to deny you to keep you safe is reading like a reaction Rose would have.

Hi everyone, my name is (🥰) and I'm a failed recovering Antonholic. I was doing well staying away from this man, and then next thing I know he shows up on my YouTube being unbearably attractive. Also, I thought someone would've posted his Nothing Much Prepared video with Youngji—that girl was NAWT doing well, the woman was too stunned to do her job.

Idk what it is, I can't come back to stan this group PROPERLY but I always tune in to their promotions and listen to whatever they drop ever since Idiscovered Odyssey. Their albums always eat😩. This time I was dragged back in by the collar because of Anton and I have enough free time to feed my Antonholic brain.

Anyway, I fear I love everything about him😔

I deleted all my social media apps and accounts but I miss his lives🥺. Can someone please point me to any solo vlogs or links to lives he's done? I can only find funny videos of the whole group (those are fun too, lol—is Sungchan always so goofy?😭)

Okay, TIA

Many spoilers for Have A Crush On You. You've been warned.

I think the worst part about this drama is that these two are endgame. I wish there was so viable, kind, handsome man who was crazy about her. But no, she's bound to end up with this heartless guy. To me, he just wanted the convenience of not canceling a wedding and having a bedmate while he gets over his ex.

Which speaking of, why does she text him after cheating on him and canceling their wedding? She must know by now that he got married to that foolish girl. Why go stirring the pot? I hate it when people act like this.

At some point I have to direct my criticism at FL. She makes me so mad. But it checks out for a girl who thinks her love and her effort will be enough for a man like that. Why did she think confessing to him a few days after he got dumped was a good idea? Parents, teach tour children not to be stupid in love. It's because none of these kids listen to Rihanna anymore! That's why that guy could do the bare minimum groveling and still have her tail wagging at him. If that was my child I would send her to rehab because she must be on illicit substances.

And the parents, don't get me started on those people. How does your child show up and announce marriage with someone she's barely known. For them to be charmed by stupid presents they could clearly buy for themselves? For her to have an argument with a whole spouse and you guys not find out what happened? You could argue its her business, but as soon as she runs back to her parents she makes it their business.

And why does he try so hard? Why does he grovel when he clearly doesn't care for her? The most I'd say is that he sees her as a little sister or something. Why does he insist on making her happy while suffocating himself? Can someone explain this to me? He sets them up so well for conflict, and is the first to shut down when its time to unravel and fix the issue. He can't take his mentor's advise because that wise old man is under the impression that YOU LOVE HER. He does all those things, BECAUSE HE LOVES HIS WIFE. YOU...DO NAWT! Idk, he should've kept downing that whiskey instead of going along with a marriage with someone who CLEARLY adores him just to save his own face.

And back to FL, because I haven't forgotten how she finally decides to divorce him, walking out of his uni abroad, and its the SAME OPPORTUNITY SHE TURNED DOWN TO BE HIS SAH WIFEY!😭😭😭 Oh, why does being young and in love spell so much disaster for women? A person like this you want to give a beating, not a hug.

I'm definitely gonna keep watching and keep raising my blood pressure, I'm in too deep now. Maybe once the guy falls in love with her I'll get the ick (because she clearly is not going to make him work for it) and rage quit it. How did people survive this drama when it aired? And can Peng Guanying please never take roles that make him act like a trashy romantic interest again! The next time I'm seeing him like this I'm writing EMAILS!

I recently watched The Tale of Rose and got severe ick from the character who plays Rose's first love. I think he was fine in the beginning, but maybe when it turned toxic both characters rubbed me the wrong way. I had to dnf and watch something else as a pallet cleanser, but seeing him again in Have A Crush On You just destroyed any chance of me enjoying this drama.

I have nothing against this man, in fact I fear he delivered too hard on TTOR. But unfortunately, now he's associated with Rose's boyfriend whom I slowly started to deeply dislike. I'm desperate enough for a drama to go back to HACOY after writing it off before, but this guy is ruining it for me. Doesn't help that right in the first episode the drama makes FL look like a sweet girl crushing on a player TA and then later a snarky ex husband and he is both of those men😭

Help me. I need a drama that makes this guy look good. Preferably a green forest character. If that's not possible please rec anything else.

Do not prefer:

struggle love, or struggle modern dramas with people who have trauma or depressing pasts, Zhao Lusi, Ester Yu, Meng Zi Yi, FL from The Double, Ding Yuxi (I'm sorry to whomever loves these people, I just respectfully cannot). Scary, supernatural, magical, monsters and demons, fantasy dramas. Too much martial arts: I can practically see the wires swinging them across the place.

Prefer:

idol drama, period setting highly preferred, romance highly preferred, rags to riches, investigations (no scary stuff please), family drama/big casts (I LOVE). Happy ending highly preferable. If it has to be a modern drama it cannot start to take off on ep9–16, I usually dnf around ep3 if I'm giving it a chance. Sensible dialogue (unless its a comedy). Good acting.

I tried watching two investigation type dramas but was immediately afraid after seeing people who look like they would be ostracised in the Harry Potter universe. We all know what drama that is.

Recent dramas:

How Dare You?!

A Splendid Match

The Heir

Are You The One

To The Wonder

I tagged this as "analysis" because I have thought about some of these traits for an abnormal amount of time.

Well, I'm a sappy person who likes to analyze even my family members' different smiles and laughters. My mom and I's favourite thing to do is laugh, so it feels natural that I would notice the different ways other people laugh and smile. So here goes my list of nct boys smiles and laughters I'm absolutely endeared by.

1. This is a very recent addition to my unhinged list: Yushi.

I never used to see him laugh because he was always off being a quiet shy boy. But recently I've heard him laugh more freely and I have to say, he is indeed a mischievous person. I love that he describes HIMSELF as naughty. That's very adorable of him.

He has such a typical naughty person's laugh. I don't know how to describe it, other than the fact that sometimes he deliberately tries to sound like a cartoon villain when he's teasing his members. You fascinate me, Yushi. Also, he's gorgeous, so he has a really pretty smile. His smile looks a lot more shy, while his laugh feels like I'm watching my nephew after I've just tickled him—and that is a very naughty boy.

2. Doyoung.

This is the guy who inspired this list when I started it all those years ago. I'm tickled by the fact that ever since he began his career as an Instagram boyfriend, I can't unsee it even when he's smiling genuinely. But can you loose when you have a gummy smile? Oh, I imagine it's a really fun experience being his girlfriend. I imagine he tries really hard to put his best foot forward​, that is what his smile tells me. His laughter on the other hand, this is another very naughty person, I'm telling you. A little petty, too, he's not ashamed of trying to make it sting when he laughs at you😭. A very fun experience I tell you.

He laughs like it catches him off guard to release the laughter from his body. Most people have a look of delight on their face when they laugh, he kinda looks like the laugh came out of nowhere, like he's shocked he's suddenly laughing. Theres a 1 second delay where the eyes pop out and he looks stunned before the sound comes out. Please, go and watch a video of Doyoung laughing. I love when people's laughs make ME laugh, and he's a prime example of this.

3. Jaehyun.

I don't think I need to say much. There's this TikTok sound of his laughter being played on loop in a sort of background sound effect. It's usually used to give a video an ominous effect. That, in and of itself, is hilarious.

Unfortunately, I don't think I've ever properly watched his face when he's laughing. I need to see if that new 127 vibe video can give me some data. I often can only ever HEAR him laughing. Idk if its because I'm never paying attention to his face, or if the very funny sound of his laughter disrupts my other senses. But whenever I hear his laugh, I get a feeling this is what grandfathers sound like. I was way too young when both my grandfathers died, and one of them was so intimidating that I don't believe I ever saw him smile. But if I had to guess, I'd say Jaehyun’s laugh is what grandfathers are made of. And idc how weird that sounds. We move.

Although, his smile gives me baby vibes. His dimples and the eyes have everything to do with it. He has a very angular face, and then he smiles and suddenly he's round. We love a man that can do both.

I'd like to call this next part: The criers, 4&5. Chenle and Haechan.

The first time I ever clocked this was that Hello Future cb live where Jaemin was imitating a tiny sea creature being tickled (guys, are you hearing these memories? We used to experience second-hand joy in these trenches). One moment, I'm trying to figure out what in the world Jaemin is doing on the floor, next thing the camera is panning to Haechan and Chenle, looking disheveled on the floor with tears running down their faces. I love how Chenle's messy hair at the time suggest that he'd been acting like a plastic bag in a storm: flapping around. He looked so tired afterwards🤣.

Haechan on the other hand, if you listen to him, he faintly sounds like he's is crying. I immediately get happy because if your laugh starts to sound like you're crying, you know they're having fun. I have this vague memory of a 127 schedule, where he's bent in half, two people supporting him by either side. You know what, he kinda looked like he was giving birth— wait, I just realised they started laughing like that during the belly poking game, not the sea creature reenactment (whatever, both times the culprit was Jaemin). Also, this boy loves skinship, lmao, he's always trying to lean or hold onto on someone when he's laughing.

Anyway, I love how this reveals how dramatic they both are. Especially, Chenle looking exhausted afterwards. I just know both their bellies hurt that day. You don't even need much evidence for this because we know they're dramatic. Who's the one always coming to give Haechan a comforting hug whenever he's pretending to cry?😂 (That's very cute of them, btw). Enough said.

6. Jaemin?

Idk why he reminds me of my brother when he laughs. He completely surrenders to it. Unless its one of his scheduled crazy days, a genuine laughter has him limp and letting it take over. Have you seen that 7llin video where he's laughing at Jeno, and then the guitar he's holding tries to take out Jeno's nose (poor Jeno, the mere memory😭💀💀💀), Jaemin can be found lying limp on his side, face scrunched up, slightly shaking. He tries to comfort Jeno, but his hand lacks so much energy he's just flapping it around instead of patting Jeno's arm.

This man strikes me as someone who loves control, not in a bad way. Have you seen the way he sits? Cooks? Talks? Even when he's being insane, there's a level of control to his lack of control. And then a laughter takes him out like this? I love that.

7. Jisung

For how much space he takes up physically, everything else he does is so compressed. I don't have much to say about him individually, I only notice him laughing during dream videos when everyone one else is laughing. But sometimes, he lets his voice out, he sounds breathless, and he feels like a little kid. I'm having a hard time recalling details, but I'm more focused on his body movements. Can someone invent a device that takes images out of one's head and puts them into words. It's the type of thing that makes me think he'd be really hard to wake up if he were sleeping weird and you wanted to shove him away. Like you know those people who lock up when they sleep, you can't even move their arms? That's the image in my head of him when he laughs. Again, very "pardon me" mindful of how much space he takes up, and always trying to lessen that by at least 60%.

6. Sion.

How did SM take a photo of ijbol line and not have Sion in there? It kinda feels like those photos were organized by someone who didn't know what they were doing. You need to go and watch that anniversary prince video, the one where Yushi lies in Jaehee’s arms like he's dead, I loved that, that was so weird of him.

At the same time, Sion is trying to lift Saku, and upon realising how heavy he is, has a complete meltdown. I know that laugh was reverberating throughout the room. It nearly burst my eardrums. Why was he screaming?😭 Hearing this boy laugh solidified to me that I have a weird affinity for an outrageous laugh. He's the definition of "screaming, crying, laughing, rotfl, lmao".

For the looks he knows he has and is always willing to threaten you with, that laugh completely shatters the bad boy, mysterious vibe of his visuals. All I can say is, outrageous and naughty. He doesn't really try to hide that he is, and why was he rage-baiting Ryo and Jaehee that one time? He was in a leather jacket and red hair, looking like a demon spawn in contrast to Ryo and Jaehee looking soft and nerdy in their t-shirts and hoodies. Who made that styling choice? He looked like he took their lunch money😭.

Anyway. Funny, enough, he has a pure looking smile, very boyish, and it comes off a tiny bit bashful. What you do you have to be bashful about? Everything about this boy is ridiculous.

7. Riku

Dare I say, the laughter final boss? Let me think, have I ever seen a pure smile from him? Idk, he's always aegyomaxxing. Can we PLEASE put him and Jaemin in a contest? I hate how I'm always thinking for Neo Productions. The contents write themselves!🙄

Anyway, I love that there's different modes to the laughs. We have the infamous squeak-and-clap. I don't have social media anymore, but no one can convince me that didn’t go viral. Otherwise, why were those gay boys analysing that yuriku live? And why did I watch it? (That's the real question).

Aside from that incident, rather than the aegyo, I feel like the sqeak is the PowerPuff ingredient that evokes that "loveliness" his members are always describing him with. It's another kid laughter, it's so so very cute. How is he 23? (Happy birthday to him, btw💚). If I didn't know anything about him but the sneaky laughter, I'd think he was a very sweet person. This is why language is so integral to meaning, sarangseureopda, is how Yushi and Jaehee describe him (meaning, lovely, endearing, loveable, adorable). It's so much stronger and WARMER than saying pretty, or cute. You can't really control your own laugh, and this one comes out with a very lovely expression half the time I'm hearing it. It's a clear and bright-eyed, full-cheeky look, as though he's saying "cheese!", and it moves his chest like a hiccup. It gives me serious cute-aggression🗣🗣🗣🗣. I want to give him a hug😠!

And then we have the two goofy laughs. One of them literally goes "ha-ha-ha-ha", it's hilarious. I love when people laugh like the laughing onomatopoeia. It's the laugh that makes YOU laugh. The other one is harder to describe. It also kinda sounds like a crying-laughter. It's the other infamous one. This is just extremely fun to listen to because of how unique it sounds. Before Riku, I've only ever heard black people laugh like that, so I was very fascinated when I heard it for the first time.

I believe there's a forth one, but it merges the two goofy laughs, so it's not as noticeable. There's this compilation of all his different laughs. I smile just thinking about it. Is my bias showing? May nctzens never stop making such cute compilations.

Honorary mentions:

Taeyong, for his SpongeBob laughter. Its the shoulders moving up, very cute. And since its so unconventional, its funny if he laughs and then abruptly stops. It feels like an anomaly in the sound waves or something.

Renjun. If I wanted to tease you this is who I'd call to laugh at you with. Its a raspy "aaahhh-hahahaha", and that is such a humiliating sound to hear directed at you😭. In my language we say the "voice is burned", and it refers to when your voice is gone after a sickness or overuse, and have you ever heard a person who lost their voice still having something left in their vocal cords to laugh? Now, couple that with the fact that it goes "aaahhh-hahahaha". I would cry.

If I didn't mention your favorite neo laugher then it probably just sounds and looks like a regular laugh to me. Also, there may be traits I didn't mention. Some of the neos consistently laugh or smile this way, but for the most part this is me capturing a particular memory that stuck with me, and they may smile and laugh in various other ways. Idk, share your favourite neo laugh if I didn't mention them. These ones are just the ones that sound unique to me.

Are You The One? In the good year of 2026? Yes, I kept dropping it around ep1–2 for about a whole two years, this time I skipped to ep3 and pushed through because I had nothing to watch after The Heir. I really liked it. I'm bummed it didn't have proper episode discussions.

And now I SERIOUSLY don't have anything to watch. I thought I liked modern dramas, but unless they're fantastic (like Reset) or I'm watching specifically for an actor/actress I like, I generally seem to get bored by them (like, I've been trying to watch Meet Yourself and Fake It Till You Make It for about a year and I can’t do it).

What are your underrated gems that you believe needs more hype? I'm not vibing with the popular stuff lately. I generally give more chances to wuxia, and I dislike any kind of xianxia, like I'm shocked I watched all of Love In The Clouds. I like romance, good plots (lol, what does that mean?), great cinematography and preferably happy endings. I need those happy feels from AYTO or the excitement of following the plot (or watching some ink making) from The Heirs.

I said I get bored of modern dramas, but here are some I liked:

To The Wonder (does this count?)

Reset

Admist A Snowstorm of Love

Fireworks of My Heart

Shine On Me

The First Frost

Wuxia:

A Dream Within A Dream

New Life Begins

Pursuit of Jade

The Heirs

Prisoner of Beauty

Blossom

Blossoms In Adversity

Flourished Peony (although I dropped s2)

Love Like The Galaxy (also dropped during s2/part2)

The Princess Royal

I'm here because I've lined up The Tale of Love and Under The Moonlight but I don't feel like I will enjoy either (though I have some hopes for TTOL). Can you please tell me what you're watching, if you have any underrated gems, or if I should give any recent stuff a chance. This is a niche ask but can you recommend a good republic drama? I've dropped every single one I've tried and I desperately want to enjoy one.

Also, I don't enjoy the acting from Zhao Lusi, Ester Yu, and the fl from The Double. No shade, just preference.

I have never in my life watched a group solely for their variety content even when I wasn't listening to their discography. Despite the side quests I find myself in on this kpoping journey, I always need to enjoy the music before I can watch people voluntarily for more than 5 minutes.

Idk what possessed me to check out Wanna One literally mid-to-late last year. Well, lol, I know. I've been a fan of Park Jihoon since I watched him on Love Revolution (lol, I was actually there because of Younghoon from The Boyz when I tuned in) and didn't even know he used to be an idol until 2023, but always hesitated to get into his idol stuff. Last year after watching his first movie I decided to bite the bullet and tune in.

Logistically, I know why Wanna One variety was always so good. They definitely had the budget and the support. I don't believe that anything they did was ever a risk for them, but I'm not too sure I believe that having the security of being well-loved and having a big budget is the only way to do variety content right.

And I'm not talking about the stuff that other people are doing like the big shows that are always trending, I'm talking about stuff you know only your fans are tuned in for. Right now, unless someone is curious enough, I don't think people are going out of their way to watch their reality show. Despite me loving the other seasons of their reality show, I didn’t think I would watch them again. But I find myself bummed out that one day, perhaps next week, the show has to end since they're not in a group anymore and can't move their own schedules around just for the nostalgic fans.

A while ago, a group I loved botched their reality-style show by conforming it to the typical Korean variety show format. You know: complete these chaotic challenges, be funny (or else), read scripts, win at all costs or lose and get to share 2 packs of ramen amongst the 9 of you (they're not 9 people, I'm just making an example).

Before this, you used to see them get in their cars, drive to the pension (or Airbnb, literally why do they call them pensions😭) and then it was no cameras in their faces and doing whatever they wanted. If they were playing loud chaotic games it was solely because they were loud chaotic people and enjoyed being dramatic about playing games. There was no structure or noticeable directions being given to the members to "move onto the next segment". Those always turned out to be more fun than the scripted variety stuff that was purely to promote the comeback. I understand so much why they call these camps "healing camps" because they really are.

During the Wanna One thing, they had a guest ask if one of the guys was "good at variety content", showing that this is a honed skill and truly determines how fun or how well the show is received. This is a question being asked about a member who, in my eyes, has never been awkward because the show not having cameras in their faces and set tasks to complete lets him relax and showcase his extroverted tendencies. Its the people who, having seen them in their individual projects, are indeed "good at variety content" who were quiet and served as reactors more than instigator like they might have been had cameras been shoved in their faces.

I just wanted to make this post to truly give it up to them. They had ONE chance to get it right and they did it right on the first try. I can think of so many people who would’ve botched this chance to overwork and make money out of the boys. Title something a healing trip while the guys just entertained for the camera.

But I'm not saying low stakes reality shows are the only way to do it right, that Treasure SOLO dating show is also top tier stuff. I'm just genuinely shocked at how much I enjoy watching a bunch of men fool around and do nothing. Sometimes your fav group is on vacation and nothing is happening and you end up stumbling onto some other group's content, and I don't usually tend to stick around because of the way most core fan centred content has a bit of an exhausting format if you don't already love that group. That being said, Mnet DOES seem to do long form variety well, like the horror style hide-and-seek thing. I just wish variety shows did more than just promote comebacks or force people to act in ways just to be chaotic.

Oh, what a SHAME! I write this with all frustration, what did I just watch?

First of all, I know some people have a deep dislike for this show and all dive studios content, so this is probably not for you. But if you want to hear my thoughts and observations on this show then read on.

I used to watch SOOOO much dive studios content. They obviously speak English, meaning I will never ever have to scramble for subs even when the shows are conducted in a different language. But the daebak show specifically offered a space I deeply appreciated in kpop variety content. The were times the guests were artists who I seriously didn't care about or even know about and I would still sit there for however long the interview was and simply devour. On 1x speed mind you. Korean artists rarely get to freely speak about their past or passion for their artistry because frankly the industry doesn't care as long as they produce something worth praising. This is true for kpop artists mostly, if you ever hear the full background its in bits and pieces over many years. There's something about music that allows for vulnerability that the daebak show used to provide.

Now the format is a bit of a gimmick, its become like just another variety show where they play games and are there to entertain rather than go deep. It feels like the producer thinks we all still have c0vid era brain and need constant stimulation to not be bored. Funny enough, during that era, they had lots of content that was long-form and had integrity on the daebak show. I think about how obviously ravenous Jackson Wang was a while ago to spill his guts about how life has been going and everything on his mind. I seriously cannot picture another 2/3-part series of an artists doing that ever again. I didn't mind that suddenly actors were promoting their dramas and movies on the platform, but I dont get making Anderson Paak stop talking about his music and come-up to play three games. Gia Kim is out here crying about how much she loves her brother, and you can see the jarring look she gets when they suddenly have to play a game. They have those specific game peograms where artists come in and try snacks and get in teams and be ridiculous, why did that format have to join the deep interview podcast? I'm so baffled.

Do I really have to watch a Zack Sang interview to get the deep talks about music? That just means I'll never get to see 80% of kpop artists then. Even Get Real, the other podcast on dive studios, which imo was supposed to be the more unserious one, recently lets artists go off on tangents if they want to despite having a set theme or topic for their episodes. They just figure out how to get back on topic after they've let the artist share. But Get Real will never get some of the artists on the Daebak show. After watching for a few years, it becomes obvious how they categorize which guests go on which shows. But now I feel like guests who go on Daebak show are bound to be wasted on it.

I dont mind the mini-games. But I loved when they were at the end. It allowed the artist to unwind and have fun, maybe get back "on" and in work-mode after a relaxing and honest chat.

This new format has also truly stunted Eric as an interviewer. How do you move past a person crying to play games? How do you say "Oh, wow, so touching" and "so deep. Anyway! Now we're gonna play another game—"? That was so awkward to watch. A while ago Lee Haechan from NCT refused to do more than 3 (I think) variety show contents for his solo debut. He came out to say he just wanted to talk about music, and when I think about how little most k-variety content actually does that I was chrewly aghast. Like how many of them actually probe the artist about why they wrote the song, why did they feel it was necessary to tell this story? But then I actually think about the fact that most people don't know anyway, they're doing a comeback the company wanted, they may even hate the songs, so rather have the promotional content be about eating ramen and playing games.

A while ago I read a magazine interview about an artist I was interested in and they basically said nothing. All PR statements and polished versions about what they really wanted to say. Daebak show used to be the place where people could say those things, or at least let us know how badly they wanted to say it even though their companies wouldn't let them.

Oh, what a disappointment. I've watched maybe 4 of these interviews and they feel like they're 7 minutes long because of how fast paced and unserious they feel now. Did they just ignore why people watched that show to begin with? What did I just watch?