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Newly arrived tvN drama You are My Spring is……interesting to say the least. I watched episode 1 and can’t for the life of me decide if I like it or dislike it. If it wasn’t for leads Seo Hyun Jin and Kim Dong Wook both of whom I love, I probably would lean towards dislike but it’s not because the drama is poorly written, acted, or directed. So far I think the latter two are there it’s the writing I’m confused about, and the last time I had this confusion it was with When the Camellia Blooms which ended up a huge ratings and critically acclaimed hit. This drama also reminds me of It’s Okay to Not be Okay with the dark scenes and interjected ominous moods along with the traumatized children backstory and the fairy tale books. Thankfully it doesn’t feel pretentious and empty like its predecessor Doom at Your Service and I was riveted to the kid portion with the abused mom and how she took every modern sanitized fairy tale and made it Grimm. But the adult portion felt like I was dropped into the middle of a movie so I just tried to take in every scene rather than try to make sense in the moment because my sense is that this drama has a lot more up its sleeve and I think both leads are really savvy project pickers so I’m willing to get on the ride with them.
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Pingback: tvN Mon-Tues Drama You Are My Spring Premieres to 3.390% with Initial Viewer Feedback Mixed as to the Jarring Transition from Rom-com to Scary Mood - Kpopnchill - All About K-pop News
Pingback: tvN Mon-Tues Drama You Are My Spring Premieres to 3.390% with Initial Viewer Feedback Mixed as to the Jarring Transition from Rom-com to Scary Mood – SanIsidro
The writer wrote Bubblegum which I never watched and seemed to get mixed reviews. This just seems a bit too dark for me at this point but will check in to see what people say.
can we get a proper adult age romcom instead? the FL got enough issues ady.
spoiler* do we really need a sociopath and murder mystery in this drama?
koala couldn’t resist bashing doom for the umpteen time. Funny how doom never dropped out of top 5 in good data most buzzworthy dramas list from beginning to end. The leads also never dropped out of top ten most buzzworthy actors list for entire duration. Ratings calculation is flawed nowadays not taking into consideration single households viewers in korea & ott platforms like tving, etc. Bossam despite high domestic ratings didn’t feature in the buzzworthy list. JIW’s ig followers stayed frozen from start to end of Bossam airing with no difference. Popular domestically but not attracting international attention at all. The number of comments in this OP won’t reach high numbers.
Nielsen ratings for cable channels are flawed. It’s based on pushing a button on tv set per household. Nowadays many single households 20-35 age group don’t own tv/watch cable dramas on tv anymore. They use tablets, laptops, pc, mobile phones for drama viewing. U got a point there. sageuks normally achieve high local ratings coz ahjummas still press tv button to watch sag & makjang dramas which feed into the Nielsen rating system.
I really don’t know how good data compute its rankings but if you will closely at sites and portals talking about Doom especially on the second half, most are negative reviews and comments. Maybe, they include negative reactions as well.
The cast didnt get postdrama interviews that usually successful dramas do.
Also, bossam was aired in a nonpopular channel reason why promos and buzz are scarce.
Let’s face it. PARK Bo Young is a big name even domestically and internationally. Her newwly created IG garnered a million followers in just a month with scarce updates. If not for her, do we think people will tune in for Doom?
Most new followers of her are also new female followers of the male lead. The bboing days nation is a powerful factor. They spill over to pby’s ig account on the possibility that real life dating may happen with her co-star. Once her real life bf is revealed whoever that is in the future or she gets married, I assume her ig followers will decrease or have less interest from female fans.
@whoever, fans of PBY are long time waiting for HER to open a new account. Don’t underestimate her power to draw fans and she is still a bigger name than her male lead in doom. Remember, there are still followers of swdbs couple and even boki shippers waiting for her and sjk to interact again.
Just look at pann, dc and naver , esp dc forums and you will see the negative comments about the show. You can see in pby gallery too that most of hers fans don’t like her current loveteam.
nowadays every romcom has a murderer, sociopath or a dark mystery in it and I’m tired of that, but I’m okay with this drama writing and I love SHJ so I’ll continue watching. Wasn’t KDW last drama similar?
the rating droped to ~2.9% in the 2nd episode 🙁
Yes find me in your memory is a bit similar to you are my spring but i think YAMS are a bit darker than find me. Anyway I will watch anything that is Kim Dong Wook. He isn’t the korean actor that anyone will like because he is not that handsome and tall like other actors but he is an amazing actor all his dramas are watchable. He even gain and loose weight so that he will be suitable to the character that he will be playing.
Ah both leads whom I adore! But murder in a romance just makes me sigh. I think even in WTCB, the murder plot went on longer than needed.
Yoon Kye Sang was originally the ML but dropped out due to schedule conflicts.Kim Dong Wook is an inspired choice, & I think he’s someone whose charm gets you than his looks (he’s handsome but not in your face).
Someone posted above that ratings dropped a bit, ooh, lets hope it can find its footing. Seo Hyun Jin might fare better in her next drama which is a noona romance.
Ratings dropped for 2nd ep to 2.9. Compared to it predecessor, ratings are worse for the first 2 episodes for spring. Wonder why it is shown on Netflix like Navillera but not doom when it’s backed by studio dragon.
@observer
I’m confused about Netflix’s selection criteria for what gets shown and not shown. I feel like Devil Judge (also by TVN) is prime Netflix fare, but it’s not being aired on Netflix.
Netflix really makes a difference in a drama’s international success. A drama can have mediocre domestic ratings and Netflix can still take it and make it a hit. Look what it did for IONTBO.
@LH IKR? What gives? I heard they don’t select shows that they think have the potential to hit it big. But its also maybe their library that they want to keep too, perhaps they don’t want all their shows to go on Netflix?
That being said, Seo Hyun Jin is prob. a name they want to work w/ in the future so this show is prob. the beginning. But Devil Judge should’ve been acquired by Netflix too, esp. since Sat/Sun (Studio Dragon) shows go to them. Plus Dystopian does well, Hunger Games anyone?
@Pam – that reasoning makes no sense. By that logic, TVN should’ve never given CLOY to Netflix.
Netflix has been behind all the biggest kdrama hits of the last year or so. It even made so-so domestic dramas into global hits. If you think a drama is going to be a hit, then you’d want Netflix to amplify the international reach.
I don’t even think you can have a Hallyu hit nowadays without Netflix.
@LH Their criteria isn’t clear. I do think by the ones they pushed heavily like CLOY/IONTBO/VIncenzo all became global behemoths b/c they pushed it hard. Other Netflix acquired shows have gone under the radar or not as much as the other shows. Are they choosing based on Hallyu stars, big name PDs/writers, or what?
IA. Even shows like Taxi Driver had it been on Netflix, it would’ve gotten a huge hit too. But that’s by Wavve, no way SBS would give their hit show to Netflix. I’m sure a lot of streaming sites rn in Korea are seething, b/c they’re starting to create shows/make content that’ll compete w/ Netflix in the next 1-2 yrs. But they won’t be able to reach Netflix’s reach whatsoever.
@Pam
What do you mean by “push heavily”. I only noticed those shows bc they showed up on my Netflix homepage, lol. CLOY and VC did well domestically, so they didn’t need to be forcibly pushed to be international hits. IONTBO is the outlier, and an interesting case study on Netflix being able to “make” an international hit.
Re: Netflix investment, I think you need to look at who they’re choosing to helm their Original series, aka the dramas they’re fully funding. They’re building out their own stable of in-house writers. Idk about actors, but I read somewhere that three of the actresses they’re investing in are Bae Doona (Sense8, Kingdom, that upcoming Gong Yoo drama she has), Jeon Yeo Been (Glitch), and Jeon Jong Seo (Money Heist remake).
I don’t think any domestic streaming channels can compete with Netflix’s $$$ war chest. Potential competitors would be Apple, HBO Asia, and maybe Amazon.
Great discussion btw.
@observer, I don’t see any discernible pattern yet on how Netflix chooses dramas to air. You have made a valid point of their in house stable of writers. There may be an awful lot of factors behind the scenes as Lydia suggested reg. fund houses. A lot of wheeling & dealing business exchanges before the pen is even on the contract.
Ooops. Typo error, I mean @LH.
@observer
What are fund houses? I didn’t follow Lydia1’s funding conversation.
Hahahaha. Look how salty you are over Doom being a flop that you’re taking it out on this drama. Doom is still a flop. Even if this drama hits 0.0% ratings, it won’t make Doom any less of a stinking flop. Doom is a flop flop floppity flop. Get over it, already.
@LH & @Pam, I’m with you on this. Devil Judge is a prime candidate for a Netflix kind of show. Netflix selection is really perplexing. What algorithm do they use to choose what’s in and what’s out? It couldn’t be the cast/actors/actress. Abyss is in but Doom is out but both have PBY in it. Devil Judge is produced by studio dragon & studio & NEW exactly the same companies that produced Doom. Maybe both DJ & DAYS will show up much later in Netflix like Awaken, Flower Of Evil & Beyond Evil. I waited almost 6 months for FOE to appear on Netflix. They do show unpopular as well as popular tvn dramas. I hope Lydia1 can shed some light on this. Lol.
DAYS is called a Viu original in an article I read so maybe they partially funded it that’s why it’s only available there? Might be the ones in Netflix are partially funded by them
Just like Gumiho is exclusive on iQIYI and also Jirisan because they funded them. Mr. Sunshine is also only available in Netflix because they shouldered a big chunk of the production. Navillera is probably because of Song Kang haha just giving an insight, I may be wrong
@Q, according to Lydia1 most likely Chinese money is behind Viu as Viu is HK based. So Viu got first rights to air Doom exclusively outside Korea. However, Netflix being affiliated with studio dragon may get delayed airing 6mths-1 year later. Since the some sources of funding remains murky, can’t be said aloud, which drama gets shown where is like a Russian roulette game. Lol.
@Q
Oh intttteresting. Given the worsening geopolitical tensions between China and South Korea, I’m surprised netizens are okay with Chinese money funding and distributing their kdramas and haven’t taken up pitchforks yet.
If I were an actor/actress, I would want to make sure my drama is getting picked up by Netflix over any other streaming platform right now.
@LH, if one is not top tier actor/actress like HB, LMH, SYJ, SHK, one has no say which drama to pick. Their agencies have the final say in picking their dramas. Like someone said earlier, we should be gentler on our fave K-actors/actresses’ choice of dramas coz it’s not up to them 99% of the time in picking scripts. Agencies have a lot of power over their artistes. That’s the reason why some established their own agencies with relatives acting as CEOs once they have enough financial and fame clout like LMH, KSH, HB, SJS & Lee Seung Gi.
Money talks i guess haha Red Sky/Hong Chun Gi is also a Viu original if I’m not mistaken
River Where the Moon Rises was the first ever Korean Viu Original but Viu and Viki have some kind of partnership deal because Viki also classified it as an Original. Viu is Hong Kong based and Viki is Japanese but would not be surprised if both have Chinese money behind them.
@Pam, good spotting “pushy/heavy promotions” by Netflix. I agree with you on this. The Swoon is a Netflix dedicated site to promote certain Netflix “originals” like CLOY, MOA & HJW-YKS Chocolate which didn’t take off like CLOY did internationally. Look at how HB played Jenga with both SYJ & PSH in Swoon till fans were super hyping their dating news.
@observer
So that’s what “push” means. Well, Netflix can’t push a dud into a hit no matter how hard it tries. Look at Sisyphus, lol. Not even Netflix could help that mess out.
@observer Yep exactly! Its obvious that the Swoon knows what works/brings traffic to them, and that’s chemistry/silly games/etc. I do notice that for Netflix Japan, its less of those silly drivel, so it seems for The Swoon, they know what works for them.
On the flip side, Mine was on Netflix, but got no PR buzz/push/clips shown whatsoever. Same w/ Stranger S2. It wasn’t it like 2019, when The Swoon started to use more of those Jenga games/costume dress up stuff lol. No offense, but I wonder if even the Korean stars themselves get a bit annoyed having to do silly stuff instead of like a normal interview lol, but that doesn’t bring the interest.
Yeah, Studio Dragon’s parent company CJ E signed a big deal w/ webtoon houses to produce content for TVing/Wavve/Watcha (I believe or one of the 3). A $300 mil deal for 3 yrs. They’re also competing/going to in the global stage so they don’t want to give away all to Netflix. Even JTBC is making their own streaming site soon, I know Moving is going to be on Disney+ (New Studios).The more $ they get, the more it’ll get scattered, that’s why Netflix is investing in $500 million just this yr alone.
@Q Your right! IOTNBO 24 mil budget or so, Netflix helped cover 8 mil. So Netflix backed/funded shows have a higher chance of showing up on their site. Prob. will show up 6 months later, once their exclusive rights ends. Downside is, live viewing a show adds more popularity to it. Which shows me Viki/Viu even w/ a sizable audience can’t compete w/ global behemoths like Netflix which has $$/power.
@LH, there’s no real life romance factor for Sisyphus so Netflix doesn’t promote it in Swoon. Only certain romance-based dramas get promoted by Netflix. if you peruse the website, you’ll get a fair idea which ones get chosen by N to promote. Lol.
Where’s the Jenga video of syj-hb on Swoon, was it made esp for you?
I agree “There’s no real life romance factor for Sisyphus..” so Netflix should hire PSH & her real-life boyfriend Choi Tae Joon to make a rom-com drama & push it very very hard by posting their Jenga videos on Swoon.
Errr, observer need glasses. Could have confused PSH & SYJ with jenga & ping pong. Lol. Anyway the point of the discussion is Netflix Swoonie promotions.
@LH, in the post about Park Seo joon, Lydia1 mentioned the power of fund houses that finance certain dramas. The source of their funding is also mysterious. Look at her discussion with @bbc & @Q. I used that analogy to show how powerful producing companies are like studio dragon in connection to business dealings with Netflix. Sometimes I do think studio dragon doesn’t want all tvn dramas to be shown in Netflix even though Netflix has shares in studio dragon.
@observer
What’s the Western equivalent of fund houses? Have never heard that term before. Are these similar to asset management companies?
@LH, you have to ask @Q, who used to work in a brokerage firm. Sound similiar to venture capitalist firms. I’m totally a dunce in finance area. Lol.
That’s pretty much it haha but the fund houses related to this discussion invest in dramas as part of their portfolios but they’re mostly private unlike say, Blackrock, Vanguard, etc.
@Q wow, the quality of the your comment go up gazillion notches when you mentioned Blackrock and Vanguard. Most juvenile commenters here who argue over their oppas & salty comments wouldn’t have a clue. Lol. RESPECT to you Q.
??? i guess the closest equivalent i could think of in kdrama character is Han Jipyeong and his company in Start Up
@Q, @LH, @Pam, thank you for such stimulating discussions. Best banter I have had in years. Till the next round of topic that catch my interest. Beware of bogus commenters that steal our usernames. Not all Lydias are equal. Haha.
@observer
Same sentiment here! I have been learning a lot from the discussions and it’s nice break from all the fanwars.
Perhaps we should migrate longer discussions to the kdrama subreddit? I believe I know @Pam’s handle on it given her comments re: Devil Judge.
@Observer @LH @Nova Likewise it was great discussion! As for other discussions, I’m sure we all have a space to properly vent out K-drama talks and the like! Where-ever our discussion is at, its definitely an interesting topic to talk about! Until then!
@LH What I mean by push heavily, is shows that they put some $$ into and are given the huge PR push (multiple interviews on The Swoon SNS/Netflix Korea). The shows that do well for them/the ones they push heavily, they promote them with 1-2 more videos, while that may not seem like much, it does make people aware of the show and creates buzz due to the contents in the videos. Whether its shipping people/chemistry tests w/ their casts, all of that is good buzz. Netflix typically drops their shows online w/o much fanfare, or if they do its for a few days to 1 week, and then nada like Move to Heaven. Sisphyus did well on Netflix globally after Vincenzo, but that didn’t get promoted as heavily, but still they would release clips of the show online here/there which help gauge interest.
I would also might add Kim Seon Ho as a ? mark since Mr. Hong is backed by Studio Dragon, and going to be on Netflix. I can’t believe HBO Asia hasn’t made their mark yet in Korea?! I know Peacock (W/ Wavve) is going to make/produce K-dramas soon, Apple+ needs more content but Pachinko could change that (More co-international projects w/ Korea and H-wood). Also Disney+ as well. Add to that Wavve/TVing/Watcha in the mix, its going to be a bloodbath.I concur too, I wish we could’ve more in-depth discussions about the production side! I wonder on the male side, which actors other than Song Kang, Netflix wants to push?
@Pam
HBO Asia is tackling Asia by going through China first, which is an interesting strategy. See article here: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/warnermedia-hbo-chinese-original-series-apos-4169104/
Idk about the male actors side for Netflix. Easiest way to tell would be to look at who is headlining their Netflix Original kdramas. Follow the money.
This is such a great discussion to follow! I have nothing particularly insightful to add but just wanted to say no matter if a drama ends up on Netflix or not, heavily promoted or not, if the quality is not there and the audience is not engaged, it will flop as much as anything else. Netflix doesn’t equal guaranteed success but it certainly helps propel hits to a way bigger audience.
Viki got the license for DOOM, it is actually an advantage to them bec drama is also available in viu and iqiyi. As I observed, netflix want exclusive rights.
I’m abit dissapointed Seo Hyun Jin choose this project. her previous work is so good despite the drama is not only focus on her character. another tonal shift all over the place drama? not gonna watch.
I’m surprised Koala hasn’t yet posted about Devil Judge. She was so excited for the drama but nothing up till now.
Both Camelia and It’s Okay were fantastic dramas so if this is remotely close to those two, it’ll be fine. I haven’t seen it yet but I really like SHJ so I’ll give it a try. At the very least, it has to be an upgrade from Doom. Which is seriously bad.
If anyone is bored, please go back & read CLOY & HB-SYJ related articles. All the salty bitter commenters, some even pretending to be PR insiders giving long ass delulu theories with other clowns chiming in. Hilarious!
Do you mean all those comments saying their relationship wasn’t real, and they were milking the rumours for pr for CLOY? I think those comments were made by other shippers (sega).
Ya those among others. But in retrospect, they were still so tame in comparison to others, even more delulu, pathetic, & envious creatures that sprouted their ugly heads later on. *Shudders* Horrible times best forgotten.
Mal, you have a point there. I think Viki, Viu & Iqiyi are trying to break the domination of Netflix much the same way Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Disney+ are competing against Netflix. Very interesting development. We may even see tvn audience declining g as tving comes into the picture. My fave Nam Ji Hyun new drama Witch Diner is on tving not tvn.