Do you miss watching Sky Castle and shouting at your screen because it just made you unjustifiably furious? I know I do. Just seeing the sight of Coach Kim was enough to ruin my day in the best way possible! If you’re like me who’s continuously looking for that type of stress and thrill in your everyday watching, then don’t worry. I did the research for you in finding crazy, soapy k-dramas similar to Sky Castle.

1. Penthouse

Cast: Kim So-yeon, Lee Ji-ah, Eugene, Kim Young-dae, Park Eun-seok

Synopsis: Also known as The Penthouse: War in Life, this soapy k-drama revolves around wealthy families living in the 100-floor Hera Palace penthouse apartment. Everyone’s dream is to be the most successful one out of all… no matter what it takes. This means toppling the queen bee of the penthouse, Sim Su-ryeon, and making sure that their children are the best students in school.

The residents’ secrets start to come out when Oh Yoon-hee, a woman from a more humble background, causes some trouble with her aspiration to exact revenge on her longtime rival, opera-singing tutor Cheon Seo-jin. And we can’t forget, murders run rampant here! Power, lies, and deceit… what more could you ask for?

How it’s similar to Sky Castle: The question we should be asking is how it’s not similar to Sky Castle. Just reading the synopsis above gives you an idea that Penthouse explores almost exactly the same themes as the JTBC drama. From the intense pressure on the kids to perform well at school, to the problems in everyone’s marriage, and the mothers’ desires to be the best, it’s not hard to see why people compare these two k-dramas a lot.

But you know what, this isn’t a knock against Penthouse at all! Its first season still managed to be one of the most-watched k-dramas of all time and was renewed for two additional seasons despite being released over a year after Sky Castle. Well it’s not a shocker when the show has consistently provided quality drama and complex gray characters for us to root for/against.

Where to watch Penthouse in the Philippines: Viu

Read more about the show on IMDB.

2. Moment of Eighteen

Cast: Ong Seong-wu, Kim Hyang-gi & Shin Seung-ho

Synopsis: In this high school coming-of-age drama, we follow the shy and introverted Choi Joon-woo, the new student in town who has a lot of trouble fitting in with hisunfamiliar environment. He instantly takes a liking to the friendly Soo Yoo-bin, who is constantly pressured by her mother to be on top of her class. Star student Ma Hwi-young instantly takes a disliking to Joon-woo, but also has a troubled life at home thanks to his dad who is never pleased.

How it’s similar to Sky Castle: The reason why I put Moment of Eighteen in this list is not because of the cute romance between the two leads, or the main coming-of-age plot which has landed it in our list of best k-dramas on Netflix for Gen Z’ers.

But there are two subplots here that really scream Sky Castle for me: the first one involves the shaky relationship between Yoo-bin and her mother, who seems to only like the former when she’s doing well at school.

The second one involves Hwi-young, whose troublesome attitude is a direct effect of his parents constantly pressuring him to live up to his successful brother. His status as a top student can also be credit to some “assistance” from his mother, who constantly pulls some strings in the school system for him. Do I hear Han Seo-jin and Kang Ye-seo in this storyline?

Where to watch Moment of Eighteen in the Philippines: Netflix and Viu

Read more about the show on IMDB.

3. Flower of Evil

Cast: Lee Joon-gi & Moon Chae-won

Synopsis: This thriller is about a homicide detective, Cha Ji-won, whose world is turned upside down when she discovers that her so-called perfect husband, Baek Hee-sung is not who she thought he was. In fact, he may be a psychotic serial killer with a long history of murdering innocent people. We follow Ji-won on her quest to find out the truth behind her husband that may very well put her entire life at risk.

How it’s similar to Sky Castle: Flower of Evil is all about uncovering dark secrets hiding beneath the “perfect life”. We saw this in Sky Castle when the families’ lives start to crumble as soon as Lee Soo-im starts to dig further into what’s really going on in that community.

If you enjoyed the “who killed Hae-na” or “who really is Coach Kim” storyline, then you might enjoy this k-drama that delves a bit more into the hardcore mystery side of things. And much like Sky Castle, the whole plot is led by a strong woman who’s not afraid to put herself in danger to get what she wants!

Where to watch Flower of Evil in the Philippines: Netflix and Viu

Read more about the show on IMDB.

4. Beautiful World

Cast: Park Hee-soon, Choo Ja-hyun & Nam Da-reum

Synopsis: This underrated k-drama follows a family’s investigation into the events leading up to an incident that had left the son, Park Sun-ho, in a coma. They said he had attempted to commit suicide, but as they learn later on, the darker truth lies somewhere in the heartless environment that is the entire South Korean high school system: a breeding ground for bullying, violence, hypercompetitiveness, and cover-ups.

How it’s similar to Sky Castle: Beautiful World is more of a family drama with elements of deceit rather than a “deceit drama” with elements of family like Sky Castle. Nonetheless, both shows are one big commentary on high school education vis-a-vis the “rich vs. poor” dichotomy that places students in harm’s way. The central mystery about what happened to Park Sun-ho can lead to some thrilling moments for viewers akin to the entirety of Sky Castle.

If you thought Lee Soo-im was a sweet parent because she always looked out for the children’s best interest, then you’re gonna fall in love with the entire Park family in Beautiful World, whose love for the son is just beyond.

Where to watch Beautiful World in the Philippines: Netflix

Read more about the show on IMDB.

5. The World of the Married

Cast: Park Hae-joon, Han So-hee & Kim Hee-ae

Synopsis: This is a dark and melodramatic k-drama that can be encapsulated in one word: betrayal. We follow the story of the marriage between doctor Ji Sun-woo and her husband, film director Lee Tae-oh. And as you may have already suspected with the title, it all goes down the drain when Sun-woo discovers that Tae-oh has been having an affair with the younger and more conventionally attractive Yeo Da-kyung… who is with child. The kicker? Everyone seems to have been hiding this affair from Sun-woo!

You best believe she’s not gonna let everyone off the hook that easily; she goes on a quest of revenge where only plot twists and bloody encounters await.

How it’s similar to Sky Castle: It’s pretty fitting that this k-drama was able to overtake Sky Castle as the highest-rated show in the history of Korean cable networks. It’s what you get when you remove all the tiger mom parts and make it all about the scandalous family and couple drama.

We saw how Kang Seo-jin and Dr. Joon-sang’s marriage was tested when they discovered that Hae-na was actually the latter’s daughter. Imagine that kind of marriage drama happening over a span of an entire series among a multitude of characters. Well you don’t have to, because that’s exactly what The World of the Married is.

Where to watch The World of the Married in the Philippines: Netflix and Viu

Read more about the show on IMDB.

6. Something in the Rain

Cast: Son Ye-jin & Jung Hae-in

Synopsis: Yoon Jin-ah is 35 years old and still single after her relationship with a well-to-do lawyer fell through. Enter Seo Joon-hee, the younger brother of Jin-ah’s best friend. The two reconnect and fall in love, despite the fact that a woman being older than the man in a relationship is considered taboo in South Korea. They are put through the wringer as certain people and situations make their relationship impossible to exist.

How it’s similar to Sky Castle: The stress. The freaking stress! Something in the Rain may just be up there in one of the most aggravating shows that I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

If watching the parents in Sky Castle shout at their children was enough to make you pull out your own hair, then wait ’til you meet Jin-ah’s mother. She gives pre-finale Han Seo-jin a run for her money when it comes to being Worst Mom of the Century. As an Asian, it’s uncomfortable watching the 35-year old Jin-ah be borderline harassed by her own mother because we all know how these things can happen to us in real life.

But alas, this k-drama still holds a lot of life lessons (like Sky Castle) which is why it made our list of best k-dramas to watch on Netflix for zoomers.

Where to watch Something in the Rain in the Philippines: Netflix

Read more about the show on IMDB.

Any thoughts on our list of k-dramas similar to Sky Castle? Maybe you’ve watched some of these shows and have some thoughts on them, or want to recommend your own. Either way, feel free to leave your comments below this article!

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Featured Image: Left – SBS via Viu, Right – JTBC via Netflix

The post 6 K-Dramas Similar to ‘Sky Castle’ That Will Stress You Out appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

It’s been almost six years since Reply 1988 first aired in Korea, but it continues to be heralded as a modern classic thanks to how well it catered to all types of viewers. While majority of us were glued to the family and community drama in Ssangmundong, we couldn’t keep ourselves from trying to guess the answer to one of the biggest mysteries in the show: who is Deok-sun’s husband?

Spoilers ahead! If you haven’t watched Reply 1988 until the last episode, we highly suggest you keep from reading this article any further. We would like to recommend you read our ultimate guide in watching the Reply series instead.

After nineteen feature-length episodes, Sung Deok-sun’s husband was revealed to be Choi Taek, the shy and timid professional Go game player. This reveal was the most satisfying resolution to a loveline/love triangle that I’ve ever witnessed in my 23 years of existence. Not only was I part of Team Taek since his introduction in the second episode, but that love triangle was so freaking unpredictable.

It’s so easy to guess how a love triangle is gonna go from the very first episode. In some cases, you don’t even need to watch the show to know who will end up with whom. Take Start-Up for example: we all knew that Nam Do-san was going to end up with Seo Dal-mi (even if Ji-pyeong was the superior choice) because all the promos for the show featured both of them.

That is not how you do a love triangle, especially if you’re going to focus the show heavily on that element. Reply 1988 is the perfect example of keeping things well-balanced for the two candidates: Kim Jung-hwan and Choi Taek. It was never obvious which one of them was going to end up as Deok-sun’s husband — not until we got closer to the big reveal where little things started to hint towards the answer. Even when we were at that point, we were never truly sure until present-day Deok-sun called her husband by his name.

I think even people from Team Jung-hwan couldn’t be too angry at how the love triangle turned out. It just made a lot of sense for Taek and Deok-sun to end up together.

However, I do believe Jung-hwan was originally planned to be Deok-sun’s husband. My gut had been telling me that from the very first episode, and it has not waivered since I finished the k-drama five months ago. There were just some evidence lying around that the writers changed course halfway through the show.

While I love Taek, he was not supposed to get the girl. At least not at first.

A lot of our proof is based on how Reply 1997 and Reply 1994 panned out. So we marked them with spoiler tags in case you hadn’t watched the previous installments yet.

1. Jung-hwan was the only one who said he didn’t like Deok-sun

Remember the scene in the second episode where all of the boys slept together in one room after drinking? Dong-ryong brought up that Deok-sun had “become cuter” in the past days.

Sun-won, who at this point was a top contender to be Deok-sun’s husband, agreed with him. Taek also nodded his head in agreement. But then Jung-hwan sat up furiously because everyone else agreef that she was cute. “You all must be crazy! You’re all out of your minds.”

This scene particularly stood out to me because the writers made it a point for Jung-hwan to be so repulsed by the idea that Deok-sun could be seen as cute. It was the moment when I thought I had it all figured out. Why go through all the trouble of emphasizing the differences in their reactions when Jung-hwan, the outliar of the group, wouldn’t be The One?

2. Deok-sun’s future husband looked nothing like Taek

I mean I get that this isn’t supposed to be the Holy Grail of evidence, but come on. Taek looks nothing like him! If anything, Jung-hwan is the splitting image of this guy. Just look at the hair and skin color.

There’s also the fact that Deok-sun’s husband actually speaks… a lot. We all know that Taek isn’t the type to express himself with words, let alone get into arguments with present-day Deok-sun. While I get that people change throughout their lives, it seems pretty suspicious that Reply 1988 already showed the husband’s “talkative side” pretty earlier on when Taek’s character still barely spoke.

I believe the writers cleverly retconned this late into the series by pointing out how Taek’s father looked a lot like him when he was younger.

For all you saying that the present-day husband of Deok-sun was not supposed to look like anyone specific since that would give away the mystery too early, I agree with you. But let me tell you this: I don’t think Reply 1988 was ever intended to center around the romance aspect, so it would’ve been totally fine to show that Deok-sun’s husband in the present-day does look like his younger version.

3. Taek had close to zero screen time in the first episode

I can already hear you say it doesn’t matter, but let’s look at it from a TV writing perspective.

If you’re going to introduce a series-long mystery that revolves around one key person (in this case, “who is Deok-sun’s husband”) in the first episode, wouldn’t it make more sense for the answer to be hinted at in the first episode?

As you can see in the picture above, Jung-hwan was seated right beside Deok-sun in the very first scene of the k-drama.

And think of all the shows you’ve watched that had a central mystery or love triangle that did not follow through with their original plan. We’re talking shows like Dawson’s Creek or The Vampire Diaries whose writers switched the guy whom the girl was going to end up in the middle of the series. They all had blinking neon signs that read “hey, this guy is gonna end up with the girl!”

It was obvious to everybody.

The “Other Guy” is always supposed to be just another obstacle for the main couple getting together, but when fanfare and natural story progression kick in, the writers choose to do a full 180.

I feel like the same thing happened in Reply 1998 because Jung-hwan had more interactions with Deok-sun and a stronger presence than Taek did in the early episodes.

4. Taek’s call from the phone booth was doomed

I don’t know about you, but I only started to see Taek as a “real contender” to being Deok-sun’s husband in this phone booth scene. Just to refresh your mind, a lot of that episode was dedicated to Deok-sun trying to get her postcard read on-air by a radio broadcaster named Lee Moon-se.

She wrote that she wanted the guy she liked to confess to her on the first day of snowfall. Then lo and behold, Deok-sun gets a call: it was Taek calling from a phone booth outside when it had just started snowing. While he didn’t confess his love for her, he did ask her if she wanted to go to the movies with him.

It was a pretty sweet moment, and by this time, I actually do feel like the writers were testing the waters with Taek. At this time, Sun-won had basically been written off as Deok-sun’s potential husband because they were already pushing his romance with Bo-ra.

But what I wanted to point out was that there is actually a sort of “curse” in the Reply trilogy that involves phone booths.

5. Jung-hwan had been a “contender” from the start

It was obvious that the writers wanted us to think that the main love line was going to be between Sun-won, Deok-sun, and Jung-hwan. I mean Deok-sun was pining hard for Sun-won since the first episode while Jung-hwan was still denying his feelings for her. We were led to believe that one of them would definitely be Deok-sun’s husband… and then swerve.

Sun-won goes after Bo-ra and never looks back.

What’s interesting though is that at the time Sun-won revealed that the girl he actually liked was Bora, Taek was still a non-factor when it came to the love line; he barely had any screen time or intimate moments with Deok-sun. Sure, some of us were probably all like “wouldn’t it be nice if this Taek guy ended up with Deok-sun,” but we knew next to nothing about him that made him a legitimate threat to Jung-hwan.

As a comparison, we’ve already gotten moments early on where Jung-hwan displayed his soft spot for Deok-sun. There was the time he unwillingly volunteered himself and the guys to dance in a talent show to get her a Walkman.

So when the time came when Taek was making moves on Deok-sun, it all felt like a way to keep the husband mystery going even when it seemed inevitable that it was Jung-hwan. I mean to give him credit, he was there from the very start.

6. Taek was the successful one

Do you know that trope in TV or movies where the girl picks the “comfortable” one (usually a best friend) over the successful and rich guy? We saw this recently in Start-Up. If we were to follow that line of logic, then Taek had no business being Deok-sun’s husband.

I do see how Jung-hwan and Taek would both be the comfortable choice for Deok-sun. They had many similarities in that regard like how they’re both reserved people who provided her a shoulder to cry on.

But let’s also not forget how they were both successful and rich as well. Jung-hwan’s brother won the lottery that made their family instant millionaires. And he might not be successful in the traditional sense of being a famous household name, but Jung-hwan was a consistent top student in his class who eventually pursued his dream.

Then there’s Taek who was successful in the traditional sense. He was on the news almost all the time, could easily buy Deok-sun the mittens that she wanted, and he was “too big” for the humble Ssangmundong community. The kicker is his bad character traits were not really that bad.

It was almost like he came out of someone’s vision board of an ideal guy because he was close to flawless. That fact alone made it hard to believe that someone as perfect as Taek was always planned to be Deok-sun’s husband.

So in summary, here is my theory on what I think happened in Reply 1998.

Jung-hwan was always originally intended to be Deok-sun’s husband. Sun-won was also intended to confuse the viewers, but the writers really did not mean for him and Deok-sun to end up together because of Bo-ra. When they had revealed that Sun-won actually liked Bo-ra, they had to keep the husband mystery going and intended for Taek to take over the “loser” role.

Then halfway through the show, the writers changed their minds either because of fan pressure or seeing the potential in Taek and Deok-sun. And the rest is history…

I think this would also explain why Jung-hwan got such an unsatisfactory ending to his character arc; his happy ending was always supposed to be with Deok-sun, but that got scrapped and they didn’t know what to do with him.

In any case, this is all just a theory and I do acknowledge that Taek also had some things going for him in the early episodes like getting a character backstory narrated by Deok-sun. And P.S.: my belief on who Deok-sun’s husband was originally supposed to be still doesn’t change the fact that I am Team Taek through and through!

Do you think Taek was always supposed to be Deok-sun’s husband? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

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The post ‘Reply 1988’: 6 Signs that Deok-sun’s Husband was Not the Original Plan appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

Elite has some of the most memorable characters in today’s TV streaming landscape. And just like us normal un-elite people, they all have their imperfections and have had questionable moments. Despite this, some of them have were able to worm their way into our hearts, while some have just been downright unlikeable. In this list, you’ll see the Elite characters ranked from worst to best.

The criteria is… there is no criteria! However, it will most likely boil down to two things: (1) likeability — including their character development and my personal affinity for them — as well as (2) their overall importance in the show — referring to how much drama they caused.

We’ll only be taking a look at the 15 Las Encinas students (plus Nano) whose journeys we watched in the first three seasons of Elite. So no, people like the Detective, random season 1 professor Martín, and the parents are not included here no matter how iconic Ander’s mom is.

Since we don’t know much about the Elite Season 4 characters as of the time of writing, they are also not part of this particular Elite character ranking. But if you want to learn more about them, you can view some info in our guide here. Spoilers ahead!

Tier: Get Them Off My TV Now!

16. Yeray

Deciding who should come in last place in this Elite character ranking was a tough call between Yeray (played by Sergio Momo) and the 15th person in the list. In the end though, I went with Yeray because he just did not bring enough riveting drama to the show. Was he ever a legitimate threat to Carla and Samuel? No. Did we ever relate to his story as a successful young start-up founder who lost a lot of weight and became hot? No.

Was he ever the most interesting character in a screen? No, Carla always stole their scenes.

Yeray was only able to accept that Carla really didn’t like him when he saw her drugged-up. I mean how messed up is that?

This isn’t a knock on the actor since he just played with what he was given. I think his storyline with Carla was the only obvious misstep in an otherwise perfect third season. We love seeing Sergio Momo and Ester Expósito hang out in each other’s IG Stories, though.

15. Malick

If I’m being honest, I hated Malick (played by Leïti Sène) more than Yeray. In fact, just watching Malik frustrated me even before he showed his true colors. Introduced as the polar opposite of Guzman and potential love interest for Nadia, my Guznadia heart just didn’t like him because his “kindness” was obviously fake.

But even if I knew he was being phony AF, what he did as the season progressed was even more despicable: destroy Omander. We will get into that whole debacle later on because to Malick’s credit, it does take two to tango.

He was obviously placed in the show to add some drama, but to the show’s credit, it freaking worked. At least his presence made me feel something which is more than what I could say for Yeray. Even if those feelings were mostly negative, it was the emotion that the writers were hoping to get from the viewers.

I’m just glad he was able to help out Nadia and Lu in the end and leave Las Encinas for good. I just hope that the damage he had caused in the Omar and Ander characters was not irreparable.

Tier: Boring to Watch

14. Rebeca

I would like to apologize to Rebe (played by Claudia Salas) fans, but this is more of a critique against the writers and not the character. To be honest, I like this girl. She’s feisty, she’s real, and she’s one of the more sane ones.

But I’m struggling to think of a storyline that got me invested in her. I obviously remember her drug lord of a mother and all the drug-selling she was doing later on. Did it stir any emotions in me though? Not really.

There was one moment where I remember her clearly: when all the other students stood up for her when she was about to get expelled. It almost brought tears to my eyes, but you could replace Rebe with any of the characters and I’d feel the same.

So let’s hope that she gets a more interesting storyline in the next season.

READ: ‘Elite’: All Couples Ranked from Best to Worst, Throuples Included

13. Samuel

Oops. This is probably the first unpopular opinion in my Elite character ranking, and I actually didn’t want to place him this low due to the potential backlash. But you know… journalistic integrity and all.

Samuel/Samu (played by Itzan Escamilla) is a great example of being a Vanilla Protagonist. Think Ted Mosby from How I Met Your Mother, or Spongebob Squarepants. Since the series revolves around them, they suffer from having to be “plainer” than the rest of the characters to balance everything out.

I totally get the presence of their type, but in a crazy Spanish teen drama like Elite, being boring is a sin. Despite having traits of a rootable lead, Samuel is a safe character that makes him easily fades into the background.

He’s not morally good all the time. Nor is he Satan.

I enjoy him most when he’s with Guzman, who started to form an unlikely friendship due to circumstance. They mesh together well because of their differences in personalities — the biggest one being Guzman’s impulsiveness, and Samuel’s rational decision-making.

Tier: Hot Mess

12. Nano

It was a tough decision ranking Nano (played by Jaime Lorente) above Samuel in my Elite character ranking, especially when my memory of the first season is a bit hazy after all the awesomeness of the following seasons. But I look back at his character, and I can say that he really brought a lot of drama then.

Nano was definitely the more interesting one of the Domínguez brothers (if you’re interested in learning the last names of all Elite characters, check out our guide) and was pivotal to many plot-centric moments in season 1. Stealing the watch of Carla’s dad, the reveal of Marina’s HIV-positive status, and Marina’s pregnancy wouldn’t have been possible without him.

Nano was misunderstood and had a lot of enemies, but he wasn’t necessarily a bad person. I wouldn’t mind seeing them wrap up his storyline more definitively in a future season.

I acknowledge that his story may not be “sexy”, and he is hardly sympathetic, but he was a much-needed wedge between Samuel and Marina who just felt wrong and icky together.

11. Valerio

When I think of Valerio (played by Jorge López) and where he fits in the Elite character ranking, I want to place him at a high position. But there’s just something… unremarkable about him.

That’s saying a lot about him because he was involved in two of the most scandalous relationships in the show: his incestuous relationship with half-sister Lu, and his throuple-mance with Cayetana and Polo. He was also the catalyst to Guzman and Nadia’s sextape being leaked.

So despite all this, why have I found myself not liking nor disliking him? If someone has the answer to the question, tell me. I think he peaked when he played with Lu’s vajayjay under the dinner table to expose all the creepy incest to their father.

Somewhere along the second season, Valerio and Jorge López won over the fans and the writers had to put him in the third season even if he didn’t serve much of a purpose there. Even his final moment in the show where he ends up being the manager of Carla’s winery came out of left field.

10. Marina

Marina (played by María Pedraza) is the definition of hot mess; I literally designed this tier for her. Starting off the series as a sympathetic girl who makes sure Samuel finds his place in Las Encinas, she soon reveals herself to be a manipulative but misunderstood girl.

I hate to say this, but Marina was the perfect murder victim.

She was trying to be a better person but was also making enemies left and right in the process. There was a certain darkness to her that we saw slowly creep in the second half of the first season. Eventually, all of her lies and scheming led up to her death.

As a fan of Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks and Alison DiLaurentis in Pretty Little Liars, I can appreciate a complex character like Marina. I am ranking her this low though because her likeability just went down the drain as we saw her bad side jump out.

9. Cayetana

The first time Cayetana (played by Georgina Amorós) was introduced in the show, I don’t think anyone expected her to be a wild loose cannon as she turned out to be. I honestly think she’s the most polarizing character because you either love to hate her, or just plain hate her.

My journey with her started with thinking that she was just Carla 2.0 (starting a relationship with Polo didn’t help), but then we find out that she has actually just been faking her lavish lifestyle all the time. I was so entertained with how she tried to hide her secret from everyone, and the eventual reveal of her lie.

While lying isn’t really a “likeable” character trait, I was able to feign some sympathy for her because of my enjoyment of watching her make a huge-ass mess out of herself.

And then… season 3 happened. Not only did she force Polo to keep the secret even if the guilt was killing him, but she made sure that he couldn’t transfer schools by spreading fake tweets in his name. It was so frustrating to watch, and her likeability just went to zero after that.

I don’t believe for a second that she had nothing but selfish intentions when she did what she did.

Since then, I’ve had no sympathy for her, but I’m willing to give her a chance to redeem herself in the fourth season. Nonetheless, she has consistently brought a lot of drama and entertainment to the show which I can’t penalize her for.

Tier: Like ‘Em

8. Christian

Christian (played by Miguel Herrán) was the most likeable character among those who departed the show early. This goof was a big personality that stole the spotlight in the scenes that he was in. He brought some harmless fun into the show despite being written off pretty violently.

In his short stay, we won’t forget his friendship with Nano, and his polyamorous relationship with Carla and Polo. I know this storyline shocked a lot of viewers, but in my opinion, it was never overtly trashy and tied itself neatly to the main mystery later on.

I have nothing against Christian, but he was just ranked this low because we weren’t really able to explore his character as deeply as we did with the others.

7. Guzman

Guzman (played by Miguel Bernardeau) is the jerk with a gold heart. It was easy to dislike him due to his — and pardon the pun — elitist behavior against Samuel, Nadia, and Christian in the first couple of episodes. But as we saw his protective brother side come out, we started to root for him.

It was actually when Marina was murdered that Guzman started to become more appreciative of the people around him. That includes his ex-rival and now good friend, Samuel. And of course, his weakness for Nadia has shown what he is willing to do anything for the woman he loves. Their romance brought nothing but good vibes from us despite being doomed from the beginning.

Out of everyone in the show, I do believe Guzman is the best and most loyal friend out of all of them. He was supportive of Ander through his coming out and his cancer treatment. And let’s not forget that he was able to forgive the person who murdered his beloved sister.

Tier: Love ‘Em

6. Lu

Raise your hand if you hated Lu in the first two seasons of Elite!

Lu (played by Danna Paola) was constantly stirring drama in the show. It was tough defending this girl because of her overwhelming insecurity and manipulativeness, but somehow and some way, she came around in the third season.

All her snarky remarks and scheming were obviously a front for someone who had never been the “first choice” in her life — whether it’s by her crush Guzman, her friend Carla, or her father. It was only in the second season when we started to see through the walls that she built.

And when her whole world crumbled in the third season thanks to Valerio, she started to humble herself and grow into a better person.

When I look back at Lu’s entire character arc, I couldn’t help but be proud of her. She was definitely ready to be sent off by the last episode of the third season.

You can’t argue that she brought a lot of entertainment in her stay. From kickstarting a scandalous bet with Guzman to try and humiliate Nadia in the first season, to her incestuous relationship and charity gala-turned-Las-Encinas-exposed party in the second season, and to her character redemption in the third season, she was never dull. This is the #1 reason why she’s so high up in our Elite character ranking.

When the least remarkable thing about you is accidentally killing someone, then you know you’ve had an eventful life.

We just hope that her friendship with Nadia is forever because that was honestly one of the best things to come out of the last season.

5. Omar

While he has never been the focal point, Omar (played by Omar Ayuso) has progressively made a bigger impact in the show. He was introduced as Ander’s romantic interest at the beginning of the series which made him an instant favorite.

Their relationship had always been a focal point for Omar’s character development, and it kind of sucks that they couldn’t let him have his own thing going on. He seems pretty detached from the “main crowd” aside from being Ander’s arm candy and his admittedly cute friendship with Lu.

That said, we would love to see more interactions with him and the other cast members. If we’re excited about anything in the fourth season, it’s the fact that he’s now officially a student of Las Encinas.

There’s also the rocky relationship he has with his conservative dad which spoke to an issue that many gay teenagers face. It’s actually weird seeing a storyline in Elite be so grounded in reality, and we can’t help but sympathize with Omar’s struggles.

Most viewers turned on him in the third season because of his tryst with Malick, but hot take: I could kinda totally see why he did what he did. He and Ander were placed in a tough spot and neither of them knew how to react without hurting each other. But if Ander can forgive him, why can’t we?

And if you haven’t noticed, Omar is my personal bias so I was too quick in forgiving his mistakes.

4. Nadia

Nadia (played by Mina El Hammani) probably ranks high in a lot of people’s Elite character ranking. It’s not surprising because she’s probably the most normal one out of all of them.

She has had quite the journey from being a judgmental and snobbish teenager with conservative views, to being the more laid-back and accepting version of herself when she graduated. Nadia might not have a big personality, but she has the biggest heart.

I don’t think anyone could stomach a guy like Guzman who initially saw taking her virginity as a medal to be won. Lu was unnecessarily mean to her when she first transferred to Las Encinas because she was simply the smarter one. Then her own brother betrayed her by sleeping with a guy she liked and was planning to move to New York with.

But what did Nadia do? She not only forgave all of them, but she was able to develop stronger bonds with those people.

There was nothing like seeing Nadia let loose for the first time in the nightclub!

3. Polo

I mean there wouldn’t even be an Elite if it wasn’t for him. Even before he was revealed to be Marina’s killer, Polo (played Álvaro Rico) was already interesting to watch because of his creepiness and hopeless devotion to Carla.

No one will ever forget the first time we really got to meet Polo: with his hand on his junk watching Carla and Christian get it on. Unfortunately, the monster that is jealousy started to make its way to the surface. What we thought was just going to be a fun polyamorous storyline was cut short when he struck Marina with the dreaded trophy.

Looking back, Polo was a tragic figure who somehow got what he deserved and then some. It was difficult watching him suffer from guilt — his attempted suicide, and his desperate pleas to leave the country. I got angry for him for putting the other characters through so much pain, but is it bad to say I felt sorry for him?

His descent to social outcast was honestly deserved, but it got to an uncomfortable degree where we just wanted his suffering to be over. Those sad puppy eyes didn’t help either. He just wanted to be loved!

Well Polo, you brought us a lot of entertainment. May you rest in peace.

Tier: Iconic Legends

2. Ander

I honestly believe Ander (played by Arón Piper) is the most universally-loved character in Elite. While I do find him a bit overrated, and I think that half the reason people love him is because of the man who plays the character, I just couldn’t imagine the show without him.

Ander had many notable storylines throughout the series’ run. Let’s start with the first season where he starts to explore his sexuality and enters a relationship with Omar. The process he underwent coming out to his friends and parents was a joy to watch after seeing him struggle with his sexual identity. As he started to embrace who he really was, here comes Hurricane Polo to ruin everything.

The Ander in the second season was tough to watch because he was one of the characters whom you just wanted to see happy. Learning that Polo killed Marina, the let he guilt take over him. He started to become emotional, pushing Omar and Guzman — the people who loved him the most — as far away from him as possible.

Then just when he was able to free from the shackles of his own guilt, he discovers he has cancer.

I mean, come on. Give Ander a break!

The thought of his own death did prove to us what we had already known about Ander: that he’s a genuinely good person. Putting Omar’s happiness over his, and being there for Polo and Guzman were some of the most standout character moments in the show.

While we are in awe of Sad Ander’s resilience and kindness, we hope that the writers bring back Happy Ander in Season 4.

1. Carla

In making this Elite character ranking, I don’t think it was ever a question for me that Carla (played by Ester Expósito) was going to be number one. She is Elite.

I don’t think Carla was planned to become as huge a character as she turned out to be, but thanks to Ester and the writers, Carla became many people’s lowkey favorite in the first season. Everyone remembers the badass moment when she ran away with Polo and Christian, and flashed the middle finger to her parents.

Then when the second season came, homegirl stole the freakin’ spotlight. She was doing a lot of work covering for Polo, starting a sexual cat-and-mouse game with Samuel, and playing detective on her father. It was so captivating watching her try to keep herself together through it all. And when she finally broke, it felt so satisfying to see the vulnerable girl behind the bitch exterior that she’s been projecting.

Unfortunately, the writers couldn’t keep the momentum going in the following season as she got stuck in a crappy storyline with Yeray that led to her “release” from her parents. I understood that it had to be done to conclude her character arc, but I wish it was done in a more… entertaining way.

We are going to pretend we didn’t watch that.

To give her credit though, she was always a highlight in the scenes that featured her.

Her relationship with Polo is also something that I love to think about sometimes. Their complicated relationship was one of the major highlights of the first three seasons of Elite for me. I believe that they were soulmates (in a non-traditional sense) and she does care for him a lot.

In a matter of three seasons, we saw her with the “perfect boyfriend”, the fallout with said boyfriend, the means she’d go to to protect him, the breakdown of her ridiculously strong walls, the rock bottom she had hit, and eventually, the freedom from her parents. It was quite the character arc that highlighted many facets of Carla’s personality.

The amount of exposure she got — and being a resilient and strong woman all throughout — is probably why a lot of people love her.

Now I want to ask you: what’s your Elite character ranking? Do you agree or disagree with some of our choices? Leave your thoughts in the comments down below!

Get hyped and ready for season 4 with Elite content sent straight to your inbox. Signing-up will only take 15 seconds!

If you’re looking for more info about the characters in Elite Season 4, check out our guide here. Don’t miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The post All 16 ‘Elite’ Characters Ranked from Worst to Best appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

We all need a little escape from the brutal reality of this world, so no one can blame us for choosing to watch mindless shows to get our mind off things. And there’s nothing like diving into the world of lighthearted and feel-good K-dramas on Netflix to do that!

There is an endless list of high-quality shows produced in South Korea that have left us smiling, laughing, and of course, desiring a perfect whirlwind romance. The best part is K-dramas usually last only one season with only sixteen to twenty episodes, making it the perfect choice for when you’re asking yourself what to watch on Netflix.

Here’s our list of top eight feel-good K-dramas to jumpstart 2021 and make you forget all your worries for a bit.

1. Romance is a Bonus Book

Cast: Lee Jong Suk & Lee Na Young

Synopsis: Romance is a Bonus Book is a rom-com K-drama done right. It plays around with the classic trope of “CEO and underling fall in love”, but in this case, it’s an editor-in-chief played by Lee Jong Suk, falling for the temp-slash-single-mother played by Na Young Lee. Did we mention they were childhood friends?

Why we recommend it: While you won’t be able to stop watching because of the main romantic storyline between the two leads, you’ll stick around for Na Young Lee as her character comes full circle by the end of the show. A divorced, career-struggling mother is not really something we often see as a main character in these romantic K-dramas, but we’re glad that her struggles reflect certain realities of being a woman in this day and age.

Read more about the show on IMDB.

2. Two Cops

Cast: Jo Jong Suk, Lee Hye Ri & Kim Seon Ho

Synopsis: Two Cops is an action-packed romantic comedy with a huge emphasis on the “comedy”. Jo Jong Suk plays the role of detective Cha Dong Tak, whose body is inhabited by the spirit of a con artist named Gong Su Chang (played by Kim Seon Ho). Together with Song Ji An (played by Lee Hyeri), they solve crimes together.

Why we recommend it: The most popular K-dramas aren’t really known for their action and crime-driven plot, but Two Cops packs enough punch without taking itself too seriously. While the main mystery is nothing to write home about, it’s still an enjoyable ride with lots of laughs to go along with it. It’s also interesting watching the three leads who all went on to become mainstream-popular recently. Hello, Ji Pyeong!

Read more about the show on IMDB.

3. Lovestruck in the City

Cast: Ji Chang Wook, Kim Ji Won, Kim Min Seok, So Joo Yeon, Ryu Kyung Soo & Han Ji Eun

Synopsis: Lovestruck in the City is a mini-series that revolves around the romantic lives of six young people. Mainly, it centers around the doomed summer fling between Park Jae Won (played by Ji Chang Wook) and Lee Eun Oh (played by Kim Ji Won) in Yangyang Beach. Will they be able to rekindle the flame when they return to Seoul?

Why we recommend it: In our initial review of this series, we noted how this feel-good K-drama that ends in 2021 is a fresh take on the genre. If you’re looking for something short and sweet while simultaneously falling in love with how gorgeous South Korea can be, then Lovestruck in the City is for you.

4. Welcome to Waikiki

Cast: Kim Jung Hyun, Lee Yi Kyung, Son Seung Won, Jung In Sun, Ko Won Hee & Lee Joo Woo

Synopsis: Welcome to Waikiki is about a group of young people living together in a guesthouse and trying to make ends meet. While there is an overarching plot of the three main guys hoping to create their own film, it’s really all about watching wackiness and hilarity ensue in their daily lives. It operates like a typical sitcom where the characters go through different and outlandishly crazy situations in every episode.

Why we recommend it: If you want less “rom” and more “com” in your rom-com, you can’t go wrong with Waikiki. While it doesn’t really do “intelligent” humor like The Good Place, it’s a feel-good K-drama with a lot of heart and laughs to go with it.

Read more about the show on IMDB.

5. Reply 1997

Cast: Jung Eun Ji, Seo In Guk, Song Jong Ho, Eun Ji Won & Hoya

Synopsis: Reply 1997 is good ol’ coming-of-age filled with nostalgia, friendship, and romance. Shi Won (played by Jung Eun Ji) is a boyband-obsessed high school girl who becomes stuck in a love triangle between the mysterious Yoon Je (played by Seo In Guk) and teacher Tae Woong (played by Song Jong Hoo). She goes through first love and all the other things any high school student would experience that would shape her to be the woman she is fifteen years later.

Why we recommend it: This feel-good K-drama was so good, it actually spawned two unrelated prequels which are just as great as this one. You can read more about our thoughts on this show and the whole trilogy in our guide here.

6. Fight for My Way

Cast: Park Seo Joon, Kim Ji Won, Ahn Jae Hong & Song Ha Yoon

Synopsis: Fight for My Way is all about chasing your dreams no matter how unrealistic they may seem to everyone else. We follow Ko Dong Man (played by Park Seo Joon) who practices taekwondo and an ambitious dream: to become a UFC fighter… yes, that UFC. His best friend, Choi Ae Ra (played by Kim Ji Won), has always dreamed of becoming an announcer even if she’s stuck working the information desk at the department store.

Why we recommend it: There are two stories on earth that always scream feel-good K-drama: a Cinderella story, and a childhood friends-turned-lovers story. And luckily for us, Fight for My Way has both!

Read more about the show on IMDB.

7. A Love So Beautiful

Cast: Kim Yo Han, So Joo Yeon & Yeo Hoi Hyun

Synopsis: A Love So Beautiful is a recently-released adaptation of the Chinese coming-of-age with the same name. It’s about Shin Sol Yi (played by So Joo Yeon), a high-schooler who is obsessively in love with her neighbor, Cha Heon (played by Kim Yo Han) who can’t seem to tell her he likes her too. Would you be shocked if I said there’s another love triangle in this one? Swimmer Woo Dae Song (played by Yeo Hoi Hyun) transfers to Sol Yi’s school and falls in love with her.

We follow their lives and how their relationships develop as they enter adulthood.

Why we recommend it: At time of writing, there’s only been two episodes released by Netflix so all we can base everything off is potential. So far, it’s been a cute and delightful watching the main relationship because there’s nothing like a bubbly teenager winning over a mysterious guy’s heart. If it’s going to be like the Chinese series where it was based off, then things are going to be much more interesting as the show progresses in 2021.

Read more about the show on IMDB.

8. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo

Cast: Lee Sung Kyoung, Nam Joo Hyuk & Lee Jae Yoon

Synopsis: Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo is another K-drama about chasing the dream, except this time it’s about college athletes. But since this is a romance, obviously there’s another love triangle afoot.

Our main girl is the titular strong girl Kim Bok Joo (played by Lee Sung Kyoung) who aspires to be like her weightlifting father. She also has a major crush on doctor Jung Jae Yi (played by Lee Jae Yoon) and asks swimmer Jung Jae Hyung(played by Nam Joo Hyuk) for help. While the latter does it willingly, he starts to fall for her too.

Why we recommend it: While the plot may not seem too unique, it’s an easy binge thanks largely to the charm of the main characters. Even if the show centers around good-looking college athletes, you’ll be able to relate somehow to our ambitious characters.

Read more about the show on IMDB.

You can watch all of these lighthearted and feel-good K-dramas on Netflix in 2021. Want to share your own recommendations? Leave a comment down below!

If any of these shows didn’t quite tickle your fancy, then you can also head onto our list of K-dramas to watch on Netflix for zoomers. Don’t miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The post 8 Lighthearted, Feel-Good K-Dramas to Watch on Netflix (2021) appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

While we still love the medical drama that has become synonymous with modern American culture, there was just nothing like the old Grey’s Anatomy. Do you remember when there was still a theme song to bop to at the start of every episode? And who can forget when everyone in our favorite OG squad was still a wide-eyed intern, and Meredith was just one giant mess?

Most of us have probably never seen Grey’s during its peak in the mid-2000s — hell, I just started watching it six years ago — but even then, there’s always a sense of nostalgia remembering the time when we were first getting sucked into the world of Seattle Grace.

Yes, we love our Maggie’s and Deluca’s, but it’s a different level of excitement when we see George O’Malley and Cristina Yang on our screens (Izzy on the other hand… not so much).

Let’s take a trip down memory lane as we recount some of the top moments in the first five seasons of the old Grey’s Anatomy. We won’t be spoiling anything until the fifth season, so if you’re still trying to finish all 16 seasons like us, you’re safe!

1. Burke ditches Cristina in the wedding

Memorable quote: “It’s over. You can all go home now, it’s over… so over.”

Why we love it: First of all, Sandra Oh.

Second, we had always seen Cristina as “the strong determined one” up to this point in the series. With the way she was so passionate about medicine, it was a miracle that she even found herself in a relationship with Burke. So when he left her in their wedding, it was the first time where we really saw Cristina experience heartbreak about something that wasn’t related to her career.

And the fact that Meredith managed to announce that the wedding was off and that her relationship with Derek was over all in the same breath was a savage bonus. Of course, hearing Ingrid Michaelson’s Keep Breathing play as Cristina pathetically tries to take off her wedding dress is just the heartbreaking cherry on top.

2. Addison shows up for the first time

Memorable quote: “Hi, I’m Addison Shepherd. And you must be the woman who’s been screwing my husband.”

Why we love it: This was a hell of a way to introduce a character that we didn’t know we were going to love only after a few episodes. Addison shows up like a hurricane out to destroy the almost-too-perfect relationship between Meredith and Derek.

If you didn’t think the show was soapy enough in its first season, the writers slap you silly with everyone’s favorite “he has a secret wife” trope. With just one sentence, she stole the spotlight and dashed the fantasies of the viewers who thought Derek was the most perfect man to exist.

But thankfully, the show manages to subvert all our expectations with Addison. We all thought she would be a villain, but she manages to win over our hearts to the point where she even got her own spin-off. Who would have thought?

3. Meredith drowns

Memorable quote: “I was swimming. I was fighting. And then I thought, just for a second, I thought ‘what’s the point?’. And then I let go… I stopped fighting. Don’t tell anybody.”

Why we love it: Where do we even begin with this crazy three-episode arc? After watching fourteen seasons of Grey’s, I can honestly say that Meredith giving up the fight to stay alive is her darkest and twistiest moment ever. And when you see what she’s been through later on… whew, that’s saying a lot.

There was just something sad and morbid seeing Meredith attempt to drown herself in the bathtub before the real drowning situation in the ocean. Homegirl’s been through a lot at this point.

Watching her try to come up for air, then finding peace in losing consciousness, and then realizing that she actually wants to stay alive was just a heartbreaking rollercoaster. For me, this scene perfectly encapsulates the old Grey’s Anatomy: Meredith fighting her demons, the hospital coming together as one, and everyone crying their hearts out.

4. A bomb goes off on Meredith

Memorable quote: “Cristina, I have my hand on a bomb. I’m freaking out. And most importantly, I really have to pee.”

Why we love it: This one is really more of a fun iconic moment because it didn’t really lead to anything super important afterwards. This was the climax of a two-episode arc that started right after the Super Bowl aired, so you knew the writers wanted this one to be a huge spectacle.

And what a spectacle it was!

It was just one of those old Grey’s Anatomy moments that makes you think, “that’s so Meredith Grey!” Of course, she would be the one to put herself in a high-risk situation that inevitably ends with a bomb exploding in front of her face. What followed this scene was a pretty memorable shower scene with Cristina, Meredith, and Izzy, which is not as sexy as it sounded in George’s imagination.

5. Meredith surprises Derek with candles

Memorable quote: “We can be extraordinary together rather than ordinary apart.”

Why we love it: It took us a long while to get to the finish line with Meredith and Derek, but when we got there, boy was it a glorious moment. It was satisfying as a viewer to finally get a happy resolution after the past seasons ended with a jaw drop or plain sadness. While it may have been underwhelming to those of us who enjoy a good cliffhanger, it was the pay-off that we were all looking forward to.

Seeing Meredith draw out a floor plan of their future house with candles is just the sappiest thing a girl can do. But then again, are we surprised with this behavior from a girl who basically begged him to pick her over his wife?

6. 007 and George’s death

Memorable quote: “It’s George, it’s George. John Doe is George!”

Why we love it: I don’t know if I was the only stupid viewer who did not see this twist coming, but this reveal just upped the ante of an already intense and high-stakes finale. I fooled myself into thinking it was going to be Izzy who was saying bye-bye to the real world. Then lo and behold: a plot twist!

The lesson I learned from this is that Shonda Rhimes is still able to pull out something out of her hat even if you had watched her other shows. We just can’t prepare ourselves for what’s cooking up in her mind.

Even if George wasn’t present throughout the episode, it never felt like he was truly gone. Which is why the shock factor was just through the roof when the John Doe who saved a woman from a bus accident wrote “007” on Meredith’s palm. Follow this up with a tight squeeze on Meredith’s hand as the realization dawns on her that it’s George.

Ellen Pompeo’s acting in this scene is just flawless, and you can’t help but shout at the television as she runs to tell everyone John Doe’s true identity. Whether or not you saw it coming, I’m sure there were tears shed… and they were all done with your mouths wide open. Then the episode ends in one of the cruelest ways: George and Izzy meeting in the afterlife elevator.

To me, George’s death is the most important moment of the first five seasons of the series because it truly marked the end of the old Grey’s Anatomy. Without him, (and Izzy), it was never the same show anymore. I mean, who wasn’t rooting for him?

Trust me when I say there are a lot of iconic moments in the first era of Grey’s. I had the most difficult time squeezing it down to six, but I said screw it, I’ll just make a part two! I’m sorry in advance for not including so many more scenes.

It just goes to show you that this show was really something else during its early days, and it sucks that most of us were probably not old enough to realize it back then.

What do you think about our list? What iconic scenes in the old Grey’s Anatomy are still replaying in your mind? Let us know in the comments below!

Grey’s never really got past second gear until after the first season. Read our list of legendary television shows that had awful first seasons. Don’t miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The post 6 Iconic Scenes that will Make You Miss the “Old” Grey’s Anatomy appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

The Start-Up finale left most longtime viewers pretty satisfied as it managed to rebound from a two-week slump. It was filled with tearjerking scenes and flashes of character development that the show had long deprived us of after a three-year timeline jump almost halted its momentum to a complete stop.

But despite how decently the finale wrapped everything up, we still can’t help but feel like it needed a little more oomph.

And I’m not talking about how Seo Dal-mi should have chosen Han Ji-pyeong over Nam Do-san, because even if they are still the better pair, we knew that JiDal was going to be a long shot.

I’m talking about the loose threads and what if’s the writers left hanging that we were hoping to get some answers on, but didn’t. Here are the top moments that made us go “this should have definitely happened” after the Start-Up finale.

Warning: Spoilers for the entire show are up ahead!

One of the brightest spots of this show was the blooming romance between Lee Chul-san and Jeong Sa-ha. I know I speak for all of us in Team Ji-pyeong when I say that watching this relationship develop was such a stress reliever from all the pain we were feeling.

Before the Cheongmyeong Company (formerly known as Samsan Tech) submits their Tarzan bid, everyone in the team promises they’ll do something super crazy if they end up winning it. Chul-san pledged that he was going to shave his head, Do-san said he was going to propose, and Sa-ha said she was going to introduce her boyfriend to the team… who happens to be Chul-san!

It was heavily implied that Cheongmyeong Company ended up winning the Tarzan bid, which means that the two of them were finally going to make it public. And even if they didn’t, how great would it have been to see the look of disbelief and shock of the other people when they learn that the two were officially an item?

After years of Sa-ha denying her feelings for Chul-san and finally warming up to him, I would’ve loved to have seen Dal-mi’s face and the inevitable high-five and obnoxious celebration that the San friends would have done after the big reveal.

Instead, all we got to see was Sa-ha silently defending Chul-san in a dinner scene by smacking Do-san with the elastic band of a party hat. I will admit though, that was pretty satisfying to watch.

Whether or not it was a shock to you, Kim Yong-san joining Sandbox because of his grudge against Ji-pyeong was set up to be a gripping storyline. Unfortunately, it got swept under the rug pretty quickly which was one of the most questionable moves of the show.

At the point of the reveal, Start-Up seemed like it was going to conclude the main love triangle once and for all because Dal-mi was obviously going to pick Do-san regardless. That was going to leave the Ji-pyeong character with not much to do, and up to this point, Yong-san was just a comic relief who was almost always in the background.

So when the elevator scene between the two happened, I thought: finally.

But the only good thing we got from it was that intense confrontation, and an unapologetic Ji-pyeong. Hearing how he somehow caused a person’s death helped him reflect on his character for a bit, but he was back to his former self pretty soon. Then Yong-san became a nothing character afterwards.

It was just a missed opportunity that didn’t garner much favor for both characters.

Three years later, Yong-san goes back to Ji-pyeong to ask for his honest and unfiltered business advice which I’m guessing is supposed to be the conclusion of this storyline. It was a pretty underwhelming resolution to a supposedly “big reveal”.

It was so random to have Yong-san’s final big moment to have been with In-jae when his beef was with Ji-pyeong all this time.

Seeing these two try to work together despite their personal differences would have been nice to watch. Maybe the viewers could have also seen Ji-pyeong pay tribute to his brother in some way because if you’re not aware, being accused of someone’s death is a serious thing.

Behind Ji-pyeong, Won In-jae Seo In-jae was probably the supporting character that got the most screwed by the writers. While I would have hated to see her romantically involved with Ji-pyeong as a Pair the Spares decision, there were just too much unfilled blanks in her story.

While I enjoyed In-jae’s arc a lot, it was weird seeing her walk alongside the love triangle in the final scene after she was shoved aside so much throughout the entire series. She was not treated as importantly as them even if there were a lot of viewers that liked watching her scenes. Thank God the writers suddenly remembered her existence during the Start-Up finale because we were able to tie up her story in a nice little bow.

However, we needed to see more of her even after she had reconciled with the Seo family.

We never really got to see In-jae at “her worst” throughout the show. While we get that she is emotionally strong, her walls were always up and we never got to see much of her beyond the bad boss CEO persona. She was defined by her rivalry with Dal-mi, but we know that is she sooo much more than that.

We’re not saying she needs a romantic partner (although that scene with Yong-san in the finale got us pretty excited), but give us some backstory or some flashforwards — a glimpse of that protective and loving big sister that we saw when she was but a little child. Or at least let us see what she does outside work hours.

The most gaping hole for me was not knowing why she was affected so much by halmeoni‘s loss of vision. I know the both of them must have had a loving relationship way back when, but we never really got to see that.

Alex was built up to be this sneaky nasty villain that destroyed Samsan Tech… and then he fell from the face of earth. The lack of any believable villains in the final leg of the series hurt it tremendously. And no, the twins and Morning Group were never a believable threat.

The only person who successfully took a shot at Do-san and Co. was Alex. So what ever happened to him after three years?

It seemed like the team and the writers forgot how this man singlehandedly crushed the protagonists’ dream to take NoonGil worldwide together. And since the San trio seemed to enjoy their stay in 2STO a lot, are we to assume that they patched things up with Alex? Is he shaking his head in his office because he lost them to Dal-mi again?

Of all the things the timeline jump destroyed, it was the presence of a true antagonist that really brought it all down. Wouldn’t it have been nice if 2STO teamed forces with Morning Group to take down Cheongmyeong Company? Instead, we got a lame ransomware attack that amounted to virtually nothing.

Beside, it’s always a delight seeing Jasper Cho in our screen, so we definitely needed some Alex intervention in the Start-Up finale.

Oh Ji-yeong, Ji-pyeong, Ji-pyeong, I am so sorry you had to settle for scraps. There were a lot of moments involving him that I was half-expecting to see in the Start-Up finale that just never came to fruition.

Yes, he needed the scene where he was going to personally invest in that guy’s start-up to help orphans find sponsors. It was a great “pay it forward” moment that seemed like the perfect way to pay off his long-standing debt to halmeoni. But that was just one of his many, many stories that we needed some additional exposition on.

We already went over his story with Yong-san. So let’s get to the love triangle shall we?

While I will say that Ji-pyeong not ending up with Dal-mi was disappointing (like all my other “acts of service” people probably felt), it wasn’t really what pissed me off about the finale. We never got to see a true confession scene happen between the two.

There was the lunch date, but that seemed more like an FYI-type of deal. It was definitely no “pick me, choose me, love me” scene that we were hoping to get, and we were going to get until Do-san ruined it.

All three Reply series with equally intense lovelines had the “loser” confess his feelings to the girl, so I really wanted the show to have something similar. Alas, beggars can’t be choosers.

The bigger issue is that Dal-mi never really outright rejected Ji-pyeong; she never explained why he wasn’t her choice. I’m not saying she owes him an explanation, but it was just frustrating for a JiDal fan to not get a satisfying scene from the two of them. Hell, I would have settled for a monologue or just anything from Dal-mi to clear out the vagueness about her choice in the whole love triangle situation.

It was also a bit heartbreaking not to see Ji-pyeong in the picture (literally and figuratively) with the Seo family when we were given a glimpse of the future. While he probably still spends his free time with them, it’s depressing just to even think that it is not the case.

Ji-pyeong never needed to be romantically involved with Dal-mi or any woman to be happy — his arc was always about finding family and a strong support system. He might have gotten that with halmeoni but we know that deep inside, our Good Boy just wants and needs a loving family.

TL;DR: more cute dinner scenes with him and the Seo family please!

Again, the Start-Up finale actually left me satisfied. But I couldn’t help but think of the opportunities the writers had missed out on as they struggled to squeeze in ten episodes’ worth of storylines into the last four episodes. I’m telling you: that three-year timeline jump should have never happened — it almost killed the entire thing — and you’ll probably hear more about that when I give my review of the show.

I will give it to them though: watching Dal-mi and Do-san resolve their greatest personal obstacles is one of the reasons I am happy with how it all turned out. All I’m saying is I kind of wish the writers gave the supporting characters enough shine to finish out their business too.

Did you enjoy the Start-Up finale? What scenes were you hoping the show would have gotten into? Let us know in the comments below!

If you already have a Start-Up hangover, read up on list of best k-dramas on Netflix for Gen Z’ers. Never miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The post ‘Start-Up’ Finale: 5 Moments that Should’ve Happened (But Didn’t) appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

Start-Up is the latest Netflix k-drama to make some huge waves because of the intensely addicting love triangle at its very center. While the series is really about a woman’s quest to start her own million-dollar company, much of the episodes revolve around the budding romance and tension among our three protagonists: computer geek Nam Do-san, future millionaire Seo Dal-mi, and angel investor Ji-pyeong.

Ladies and gentlemen, this love triangle is going to be bloody. It has been a cordial one so far, but as the show progresses, I assure you there will be an extremely disappointed and hateful group of viewers crying over how the romance storyline will turn out.

It’s been a while since I saw my mutuals so intensely divided about a TV show couple which is crazy considering this is just the millionth variant of Cyrano de Bergerac that has hit our screen over the years.

But, even Start-Up was enough to wake me up from a month-long writing hiatus. So you can tell that I am extremely passionate about this topic. To be more specific, I am extremely passionate about spreading the word that Han Ji-pyeong is whom Seo Dal-mi should end up with.

So if you’re a fan of the Nam Do-san, I am already warning you that shots will be fired against him if the title of this article wasn’t a clue already. And if you missed it, read about how your love language reveals whether or not you’re #TeamJipyeong or #TeamDosan!

There are minor spoilers until Episode Ten, so proceed with caution!

1. Ji-pyeong just wants Dal-mi to be happy.

When Seo Dal-mi confronted her sister in the first episode, Ji-pyeong realized that it was the same Seo Dal-mi he exchanged letters with when he was younger. After it hit him, we saw his concern for her as he watched her go crazy at the bus stop and talk with her grandma at the corndog truck.

Since then, he has always looked out for Dal-mi and has influenced a series of events that had her genuine interest at heart… even if she has no idea of his existence. Repeat after me: actions without taking credit are acts of pure love.

He is not Nice Guy-ing his way into her life. Ji-pyeong cares about her happiness first, and her love second. Unlike all the other faux Nice Guys, he does not throw a tantrum in front of Dal-mi because she doesn’t pick him. He is not like Dawson who acts like a spoiled brat when the girl doesn’t pick him.

Instead, he lets Nam Do-san continue their charade because his girl is happy even if it has been killing him.

2. Dal-mi fell in love with the person in the letter.

By no fault of her own, Dal-mi is in a terribly confusing situation. And I’m not going to pretend that I know what she’s going through, but it’s easy to assume that she has her wires all crossed.

How easy is it to separate her feelings between the Do-san from the letters and the real Do-san? I’m guessing not at all. It’s difficult for me to believe the idea that her feelings for the real Do-san have nothing to do with the letters.

Unfortunately, Dal-mi is a grown adult with the emotional experience of an adolescent. For those of us who have gone through first love, we know that it’s pretty easy to be blinded by the idea of romance because it’s fun and new.

You choose to believe all the nice things and turn a blind eye on all the red flags.

Do you remember when Dal-mi just forgave Do-san after she realized that he wasn’t a hotshot CEO? I rest my case.

3. There’s a difference between Ji-pyeong’s lie and Do-san’s lie.

Relationships based on lies will most probably never work out. But this is TV — we’re allowed to suspend our disbelief and bend the rules. That said, wow, doesn’t Do-san jumping on the chance to get together with Dal-mi feel a bit like he’s taking advantage of this opportunity?

There’s a fine line between a white lie and a damaging lie, and Do-san is smacked dab in the middle.

I can already hear you say: “Ji-pyeong also lied to Dal-mi.“

But here’s the thing: their lies are incomparable because of where they come from. First, the original lie of impersonating Do-san in the letters was co-authored by Dal-mi’s grandmother in the wholesome pursuit of friendship.

And he continues to ride on the Lying Train precisely because he doesn’t want Dal-mi to get hurt knowing the truth.

Then there’s Do-san. I’ve entertained the idea that maybe the only reason he agreed to partake in the lie was because he cared about Dal-mi. It’s entirely possible — hell, he even said it himself — but I’m not convinced. And this is where I’ll probably get hurled insults by Camp Team Do-san since this is probably where my bias starts to cloud my judgement.

But I can’t stand by the fact that he continued pretending to be Do-san from the letters just so that he could be with his crush in the early episodes. Do it for Dal-mi’s happiness? Yes. Do it for your own? Hell no!

The fact that he continued to play the role of successful businessman until he realized Dal-mi only likes the “letter version” of him is a manipulative move. To me, deceiving someone who is virtually a stranger just because you like her is extremely problematic.

The reason why Ji-pyeong kept the charade going was because he wanted to see Dal-mi happy. Think about this: he could have revealed his true self and he would’ve gained everything from it. But he chose not to, knowing how much it would crush Dal-mi.

4. Do-san is such a boy.

I was honestly confused when I searched Start-Up after watching the first episode and realized the painfully obvious fact that Seo Dal-mi and Nam Do-san were going to be endgame. The emotional intelligence of both characters are at such a different level that it’s hard to comprehend how they could be a couple in real life.

While Dal-mi is navigating the world in her early twenties, Do-san is stuck in a high school teen drama.

Some may argue that he was immature in the beginning of the show and is starting to grow into a man. Other than developing into a better lover, I personally don’t see anything that would convince me that he has truly grown.

Shattering glass nameplates, crying loudly in front of the doctor’s office, and his affinity for “grand gestures” are so… boy-ish. Yes, he has a heart of gold and a strong sense of empathy, but so do a lot of kindergarteners.

The fact that he would allow his friends to literally cockblock Ji-pyeong in Episode 10 is probably the greatest showcase of his immaturity for me. While Ji-pyeong told Do-san of his intention to pursue Dal-mi right in front of his face, Do-san decided to play dirty.

Contrast that with Dal-mi who has gone through a lot in her life. She does exhibit childlike behavior like her obsession with the Nam Do-san from her childhood, and her constant need to one-up her sister. However, we’re actually seeing her grow out of this as she delves deeper into the start-up world.

Similarly, Ji-pyeong has anger management issues and trouble expressing gratitude towards other people, but you can tell his immature behavior comes from growing up alone. Aside from that, he generally carries himself like someone his age.

Plus, the on-screen chemistry of Dal-mi and Do-san is very much like siblings rather than lovers, but we’re not ready to get bashed for that.

5. Do-san rode Ji-pyeong’s coattails.

This is probably one of the things that bother me most about the Dal-mi and Do-san relationship. Call me a realist but everything just worked out for them like a fairytale. I get that k-dramas aren’t really known for their realistic storylines, but I can’t get behind the fact that Do-san “took the shortcut” to Dal-mi’s heart.

I’m a fan of the trope where the girl doesn’t choose her first love (Ji-pyeong) because in real life, they don’t always work out. For that to work effectively though, we’d have to witness why the “other choice” (Do-san) is the better one.

If Pacey and Joey ended up together by the second season of Dawson’s Creek, people would be angry. It wasn’t until the third season that the show gave us believable scenarios why they would end up together.

And right now, the show is at the proverbial second season. It has not given Ji-pyeong supporters any reason to believe that Do-san is the better choice, other than the fact that he is objectively the nicer person of the two. The fact that Dal-mi fell into Do-san’s lap is still salvageable in my eyes, but writers need to make the latter a bit more likable.

How is Do-san so competitive that he isn’t even the littlest bit grateful of Ji-pyeong’s role in his relationship with Dal-mi? I’m not saying that he should be on his knees worshipping Ji-pyeong, but maybe acknowledging that fact wouldn’t hurt. And can we talk about how arrogant he was in declaring that he doesn’t want Plan B in the final scene of the tenth episode? Maybe you can turn down the vitriol against Ji-pyeong just a little bit.

The show is starting to become like Reply 1994 where it’s become physically painful to watch every episode as the show keeps dragging the love triangle to sadistically make the Second Lead suffer.

And that’s my list of reasons why I’m not ready to jump on the Do-san wagon just yet, but I’m not saying that Ji-pyeong is completely faultless. I would be the first to admit that not telling Dal-mi the truth from the very beginning was stupid in his part.

While we will never know how things would’ve played out had Han Ji-pyeong actually told the truth from the start, we’re stuck in this timeline. Seo Dal-mi will undoubtedly pick Nam Do-san in the end, but maybe if she opened her eyes, she’d see that maybe he’s not the best option for her.

However, there’s still a lot more episodes to go, so we’ll see how it all shakes out.

Are you team Ji-pyeong or team Do-san? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below! For more entertaining commentary on TV shows, click here. Never miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The post ‘Start-Up’: Why Han Ji-pyeong is the Better Choice (and Nam Do-San isn’t) appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

The latest coming-of-age K-drama on Netflix is a sure contender for series of the year that you wouldn’t want to miss. There are many reasons why you should watch Record of Youth.

But in a nutshell, if you’re looking for a heartwarming series that explores how our ambitions and dreams shape our lives, then this k-drama might just be your cup of tea.

What is it about?

When I had first seen the trailer for Record of Youth, it seemed like it was going to be a clusterfest. If there’s something I dislike about some K-dramas, it’s that they tend to throw every element they could think of at the wall to see what sticks. Some concepts are so crazy that they work, but there are those that also end up being a huge miss.

Thankfully, Record of Youth isn’t as complicated as the trailer makes it out to be. We follow the life of Sa Hye-jun (played by Park Bo-gum), a principled young man who has been struggling to make it into the modeling industry for a long time.

It doesn’t help that he is best friends with a model who is quickly on the rise, Won Hae-hyo (played by Byeon Woo-seok). Their friendship is all the more interesting given that Hae-hyo comes from an extremely wealthy family while Hye-jun has humbler beginnings. In one of the fashion shows they model in, they meet the determined make-up artist Ahn Jeong-ha (played by Park So-dam) who is Sa Hye-jun’s number one fan, because of course she is.

Hye-jun’s self-esteem is on the verge of destruction as he watches his friend achieve milestone after milestone while his career continues to stagnate. On top of that, his brother and father keep pressuring him to stop modeling and go serve in the military instead.

Basically, all the signs are telling him to give up on his dream. So now he has to figure out what makes most sense for him and his future.

Now that you’re caught up on what the show is all about, it’s time to tell you the reasons why I can’t stop gushing about the show three weeks since it has premiered, and all the tea on why you should watch Record of Youth.

(And just to get it out of the way, you may have seen Park Bo-gum in some high-profile shows. Does Reply 1988, aka best k-drama ever, ring any bells? You also know Park So-dam as Jessica from Parasite, which won Best Picture in this year’s Oscars. I mean, no big deal.)

1. It shows you the ugly side of having a job.

Don’t get me wrong. Record of Youth is a stunning and beautiful show mostly because it serves us budget in every single episode.

But it doesn’t shy away from tackling the less glamorous side of things either. From late paychecks to benefactors to abusive bosses, ugly commoners like us working in non-modeling industries will still be able to put ourselves in the characters’ shoes in these moments.

One of the lessons that the show hammers home is that you actually have to work hard to make your dream job a dream job. No industry is perfect, and you really have to crawl through the mud sometimes to get to the good side.

It’s refreshing to see these topics addressed because there’s a tendency for some TV series to glamourize life without acknowledging all the “baggage” that comes with it. If you’re into shows that do just these, you might want to check out our list of best k-dramas to watch for Gen Z’ers.

2. It inspires you to do something.

While you might be tempted to sit on your couch all day to binge-watch Record of Youth, it actually has a way to motivate you to get up and work hard. And we don’t mean working harder at your boring day job like a corporate slave. We mean the work that you actually want to do.

The k-drama gives such high regard towards working for your dream that it could easily light a fire under your belly. For instance, Hye-jun and Jeong-ha’s belief system are particularly admirable when it comes to their ambitions. While their determination is tested throughout the series, it never truly dies.

And that is the energy we want to see more of in a world where young people are continuously told that they have it easy.

Working isn’t the solution, but taking concrete actions to reach your goals is what turns them into reality.

3. It makes you believe that other people believe in you.

One of my favorite parts of this k-drama is how every character has someone else supporting their dreams. Some of the best moments in the show revolve around situations where a character gives encouragement to the other when they start to doubt themselves.

Hae-hyo has his momager who will do just about everything to see him be an A-list star… even if it means buying him followers on Instagram.

The relationship between Hye-jun and his grandfather is amazing to watch as they bond over their family’s disapproval of their life decisions. We see them pick each other up no matter how delusional they may seem to the rest of the world.

While detractors can dampen your spirits, there is always that person who will support the choices you make. And sometimes, they’re all you need to get you by times when you feel like giving up on your dreams.

Just like the wise Lady Gaga once said again and again, “there can be a hundred people in the room, and 99 don’t believe in you, but one does.”

4. It encourages you to take the high road.

Record of Youth does a great job of showing how much privilege and wealth can truly play a factor in a person’s success. We’re gonna get into a few minor spoilers here, so brace yourselves.

When you grow up with a best friend who’s way richer than you while you watch him attain all the dreams you have for yourself, it’s tempting to take the easy way out. But Hye-jun manages to stand up for his principles when life tries to hand him success through questionable means, like the time he rejected a potential benefactor who has the hots for him.

He also quits his agency when they refuse to pay him what’s his due for the nth time. Unfortunately for us young people, we are told to suck it up because that’s just how it is in the real world.

Well just like what Hye-jun demonstrated, we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be treated like that.

Do what you have to do to get successful, but not at the expense of your dignity and principles.

5. It exemplifies a non-toxic kind of love.

In TV shows, we always see someone having to give up their personal ambitions just to get together with someone. Hellooooo, Rachel and Ross. But that way of thinking is exactly why you should watch Record of Youth.

The budding relationship between the two leads is exhilarating to watch especially with their strong on-screen chemistry. However, what I love most is how even in the midst of their romance, they still manage to prioritize their own personal growth.

They’re still putting themselves first, which is perfectly okay.

This is highlighted in Jeong-ha’s story where she declines Hye-jun’s request to do his make-up despite being his number one fan. Even if it was killing her inside, she knew it was the right thing to do for her career because her manager, Jin-ju, has been aggressively jealous whenever a client requests for her services.

Life in your twenties is about finding who you are. You don’t have to give up that quest just because you fall in love with someone.

6. It shows you numerous POVs.

I love shows where characters live in shades of grey where no one is truly good, and no one is truly bad. Record of Youth somehow manages to do that because even the “villains” in the show have some reasonable motivation to act the way they do.

A lot of viewers might get turned off with Hae-hyo because “he has it easy”. However, as the series progresses, you’ll see how much his friendship with Hye-jun is always a number one priority to him.

Some may get frustrated with his mom too, but you know that she’s really just coming from a place of love when she does everything for Hae-hyo’s career to thrive. Her ambition isn’t as selfish and deadly as those of the parents in Sky Castle.

Watching the stories of Hye-jun’s parents is also pretty interesting to watch. On one hand, we have the mother who works as the help in Hae-hyo’s household. Her commentary on how different it is to raise your kids when you come from humble roots is eye-opening.

Then, we have the father who might seem like your typical unsupportive and aggressive dad. But we are able to understand where he’s coming from because he has literally broken bones to support his family.

Record of Youth tries its best to flesh out all the characters from different ages and backgrounds, which makes it stand out from the other coming-of-age dramas out there.

It’s actually difficult not to see yourself in at least one of the characters. Hell, every one of them will probably remind you of someone in your life.

It’s a show that will not only make you reflect on your relationship with your career, but also how it drives the way other people make decisions.

The relatability of the characters and situations as a zoomer and a zillennial is what makes this a one-of-a-kind show for our generation. I hope this list was enough to convince you why you should watch Record of Youth. You can watch it on Netflix with new episodes being released every Monday and Tuesday.

If you’re looking for more shows for zillennials, we recommend the guilty pleasure you’re not watching: Elite. Never miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Featured Image: Netflix Asia on Youtube

The post Why ‘Record of Youth’ is the Perfect K-Drama for Zillennials appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

If you’re a guy reading this, you probably mansplain more than you think. And I say this as a guy too. No matter how much you champion feminism and gender equality, you probably don’t realize it when you’re mansplaining yourself. I have met a lot of men who advocate strongly for female empowerment but fall into the trap of explaining something to a woman in an overconfident tone.

But who can blame you when you’re unconsciously told by society that you always have to be right?

When you Google mansplaining, one of the top search results is a chart explaining what mansplaining is. The fact that this article is so high up in Google rankings shows that some males do have the intent of changing their behavior.

As I’ve become more mindful of mansplaining in the workplace, I realized that I have actually done it on a regular basis. I honestly believe it’s one of those things that we subconsciously do even if we don’t intend to.

It only took one instance where a colleague of mine mansplained something so blatantly for me to become mindful of my own actions.

If you’re still not sure what mansplaining really entails, Merriam-Webster perfectly defines it in this article. Basically, it’s when a man who has little to no knowledge of the topic at hand explains it condescendingly to a woman thinking he knows better.

The concept seems like it’s easy enough to grasp, but it might be tricky for guys to actually spot it when it presents itself in real life. Here is a list of five examples of mansplaining that you should keep in mind all the time.

1. You play the telephone game.

Have you ever played ‘pass the message’ where the last person in the line gets a totally different statement from the original one? Well can you imagine how frustrating it is for women to say something and have men spread their own, misinterpreted message?

Our biases sometimes get in the way of how we understand what other people say, which is why it’s important to have an open mind when listening to a woman speak. When you fail to truly listen to what a woman says and spread her message through the lens of your own biases, you are already mansplaining.

Just like in ‘pass the message’, it’s important to understand exactly what a woman is saying instead of creating your own version in your head. Don’t tangle up the words because you were too hard-headed.

2. You speak for a woman who is there.

You just need to let women speak for themselves especially when they’re in the conversation too. Let’s say your female friend says something and another person asks her to clarify what she meant.

What you are not going to do is speak for your friend. She is probably smart and can articulate what she wants to say, but just needs a chance to do so. Unless she is obviously struggling or explicitly asks you to help her out, just keep quiet.

When I catch myself wanting to explain what a woman just said, I realize that she could say what she wants to say better than I can. If you’re really that impatient because the conversation isn’t moving forward quickly enough, always ask your female friend if what you interpreted in your mind was what she was really trying to convey.

For example: instead of “I think what she was trying to say is…“, you should instead ask her: “did you mean it like this?”

3. You listen to rebut.

Ah yes, the classic reason why arguments usually don’t go anywhere. If there’s anything I learned from being in a college dominated by females, us guys should just listen to them because they’re right most of the time.

If you’re looking for examples of mansplaining, you’ll realize that our failure to listen with intent is the main culprit of why we do it in the first place. We fail to hear out logical reasoning from women because we refuse to believe that we could actually be wrong.

Before all the facts are presented to us, we tend to jump to our own conclusions. And what’s scary is that we believe so much in ourselves that we tend to explain things with overflowing confidence… when we’re probably in the wrong.

Humility. Live to learn it!

4. You repeat what women say.

You just have to get the last word in, don’t you? This is particularly noticeable in situations where people are trying to stand out and win over someone’s attention, like in a classroom with your professor or in a meeting with your boss.

When a female classmate or colleague answers a question brilliantly, some men may get threatened by her showcase of intelligence. Instead of building on her idea or letting her bask in the spotlight, a mansplainer may raise his hand.

Is he going to say something smart? No.

He’s probably just going to repeat what she said but word it differently. It’s like when you write a paper and you rearrange some words here and there — maybe paraphrase it a bit — to avoid plagiarism. However, in this context, the mansplainer just wants to sound smart to the person he’s trying to impress by trying to “simplify” the statement and make it sound like her idea was his.

What he doesn’t realize is he just looks like a jackass to everyone.

5. You explain women’s issues to women.

It’s really laughable and annoying whenever men decide that they’re experts when it comes to issues faced predominantly by women. Whether it’s about the menstrual cycle, unexpected pregnancies, or the constant fear of being catcalled, we should have it ingrained in our minds that we don’t truly know how these things really feel.

Yes, we can have opinions on said topics, but we shouldn’t impose them on women who have actually lived through those experiences. The only information we have is on a secondhand level, taken from reading books or talking with… a woman.

The golden rule of mansplaining: if your opinion on something is explicitly asked, then you’re a-okay. We should never downplay what women go through, and we should always keep our ears open to truly understand where they’re coming from.

And those are only a few examples of mansplaining. If you have stories or thoughts about mansplaining, feel free to leave a comment below. Loved this article? We have more advice for you here.

Never miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The post 5 Examples of Mansplaining that Guys Do without Meaning to appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

From Neopets to Multiply, the internet in the ’00s and the early 2010s was such a foreign land. It was a simple time where surfing the web meant having to keep your siblings away from the telephone unless you want to get disconnected from your dial-up connection. The younger Gen Z Filipinos may have never experienced that problem before, but for those bordering on being zillennials, this is all too familiar.

Despite those hiccups, the internet gods served us with such great content. Consider us #blessed to witness these websites when they were at their peak. Sure, we’re pretty happy today browsing through websites like Youtube and Reddit. But there was something about the low-res graphics and poor UI from websites of yesteryear that make us want to jump on a time machine ASAP.

Get your nostalgia goggles on because we are going on a trip down memory lane. Here are five websites from Gen Z Filipinos’ childhood that you may have forgotten about.

1. Neopets

Just typing down the name of this virtual pet website makes we want to sign-in right now to grab some free omelette! If you’re not aware, Neopets has been around since 1997 and allows you to create or adopt pets of different species. There is really no objective to it; it’s basically Tamagotchi on steroids.

As far as I know, no virtual pet website has ever come close to matching the quality of Neopets. It had a lot of Flash games where you could earn money (called Neopoints), numerous worlds you could explore, a stock market, message boards, plots, shops, quests, and way more! Neopets is still a thing nowadays but it was never to capitalize on its momentum once Viacom acquired it.

Now it’s filled with microtransactions to make your pet look prettier, and it just hasn’t been the same. Here’s a suggestion to make the website relevant again: develop a Neopets mobile app now!

2. My Scene (Everything Girl)

As a guy who grew up in a household that just loved sticking to gender roles, I was never really able to appreciate what My Scene’s everythinggirl.com had to offer. But I do remember watching my sisters play this on our shared computer a lot.

It was basically the ultimate dress-up game that every child loved because everything was drawn beautifully. From having your nails done and finding that perfect shade of lipstick for your female character, it was also a good way to release one’s inner creativity. When you’re done with the shopping spree part, you can even design your own room too.

Would it hold up to today’s standards? We don’t know. Unfortunately, it looks like we’re never gonna know the answer because Mattel has discontinued the website. If a reboot is happening though, it would probably need to cater to other standards of beauty to stand a chance.

But we have some good news: Babe.net has some old links from My Scene which you can access if you suddenly get the urge to play them again.

3. Disney.com

We are cheating a bit with this entry because Disney is pretty much still alive and kicking. But take a look at what the games section for the local Disney Channel website has to offer. It’s a travesty!

Gen Z Filipinos who were on the internet played such iconic games on Disney’s website like the sandwich-stacking game from Lilo & Stitch, and the Suite Life game where you had to run away from Mr. Moseby. A lot of time was also spent playing That’s So Raven games until bedtime. There was just a lot of fun mini-games to play in the website that ate up so much of our time.

So what the hell happened from the 2000’s to now where everything is so… basic. Has Disney just embraced their role as a greedy corporate machine and plan to suck out the fun in every child who enters their website?

Look, I totally get that children are now playing Disney games in their tablets, but I mean look at that user interface. There is no heart to it.

In any case, we can always access the links to older Disney games thanks to Babe.net. What a shame.

4. Y8

Y8.com is home to some of our favorite silly internet games and we’re here to remind you that it still exists! I remember wasting my free time playing all 23912486 versions of the Idiot Test and The Impossible Quiz. And don’t even get me started on all those escape room games.

When online multiplayer wasn’t super huge back then, some of us would get together on one computer to play games that were pretty decent knock-offs of legit video games. That usually meant Player 1 had to occupy the WASD part of the keyboard while Player 2 was in control of the arrow buttons.

There were a lot of similar websites that had a huge collection of Flash games, but Y8 was probably the most popular one for Gen Z Filipinos. Relative to the other websites listed here which have died or become a shell of themselves, Y8 is still going strong.

What’s great is that the website still looks and feels like how it did before but still manages to keep up with the times due to its clean modern design.

5. Multiply

While millennials had Friendster as their “stepping stone” to the world of social media, Gen Z Filipinos relied on Multiply. Before the Philippines had caught whiff of Facebook, we all had Multiply accounts. Here, we were able to share experiences, photos, videos, and reviews through a blog of our own.

It also had traditional features of modern social media sites like a news feed that shows you all the activity your friends are up to.

In a nutshell, it was a social media site mixed with blogging which was actually a pretty neat idea at the time. But with the advent of Facebook status updates and micro-blogging through Twitter, Multiply failed to be purposeful.

I do have a lot of memories creating numerous posts in that website, and it’s actually kind of sad to see that it just died. After a quick Google search, I discoverd that the company officially filed for bankruptcy back in 2017. But for those of us who were lucky enough to really get into Multiply, it will forever live in our hearts.

Speaking of nostalgia and growing up, have you read our list of 11 signs that you grew up with Filipino parents? Warning: it may be too real. Never miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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