SEOULMATES: A KDrama Podcast For The People

ANNOUNCEMENT!! 

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Maddie is launching her very own KDrama Review Podcast: YA GIRL MADDIE! Give it a listen on Spotify and check it out @yagirlmaddie_pod ~ Episode 1 is already out! 

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(https://open.spotify.com/episode/20TOpfNuBJBmZnvYZyEU1g?si=ZUtFdiDARL6yJMY5_9S53w)

Kim and Maddie watched the first three episodes of the new Netflix KDrama, Our Blues, ft. their girl Shin Min-ah (although she is no where to be seen so far) and another seaside village. They discuss the interesting strategy of story telling, try to guess where the show might be going in the next 17 episodes and lament the lack of Kim Woo-bin. They def recommend to all the Seoulmies who are interested, but may not have the time in their schedules to follow closely right now.

Kim and Maddie review Business Proposal, a show that gave them almost everything they needed ft. literally every single trope known to man (Maddie runs through a full list if anyone is curious lol). They discuss the four main characters, all the moments that had them swooning, and some major weenies (looking at u Minwoo) before diving into feeling let down by the ending. While BP mostly understood the assignment, the commitment to all the tropes eventually was their downfall.

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CATEGORIES: The skinniest of all skinnies (3:33), MVP Characters (4:40), Tender moments (28:38), LOL's (56:41), Spicy (1:03:20), Swoony (1:10:40), Maddie's Comprehensive Trope List (1:15:47), Weenies (1:19:05), The ending and why it let us down (1:24:58)

Following the finale of the very recently concluded KDrama, Twenty Five Twenty One (which #falseadvertising they were those ages for 2 seconds), Kim and Maddie spend the first few minutes of this review trying to figure out where they felt the most let down before jumping into the typical SEOULMATES categories. Topics discussed include: the real ship being friendship (seriously those Hee-do/Yu-rim hugs steal the show ppl), Moon Ji-woong and his long list of smooth one liners, Nam Joo-hyuk's acting range (also his stellar running form bc idk if you knew but he's an ~athlete~), and rooting for Hee-do (major props to Kim Tae-ri for slaying this role, what a queen).

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CATEGORIES: Finale talk real quick cause WHY (1:07),  MVP Characters (16:16), Tender Moments (AKA the entire show) (1:00:50), The two moments that made us LOL (1:52:02), Spicy (1:54:43), Kim's breakdown of The Moon Ji-woong Swoon (2:11:53), Weenies (2:20:56), Thoughts on the ending (where to even frickin begin!!??!) (2:25:23)

Kim and Maddie are halfway through Business Proposal (this is technically an After 6 lol) and wanted to do a quick check-in. They talk through the first half, make some predictions for the second half, and then answer the classic 10 questions from the red solo cup. Topics discussed include: Kang Tae-moo's impeccable fashion, Kim Se-jeong's comedic range, our second lead couple stealing the show, one recast wish, and the best skinship moment (it's so obvious Kim couldn't even breathe between the question and the answer lol).

Brb crying because we're halfway through Twenty Five Twenty One and we don't want it to ever end!! Kim and Maddie hopped on the mics to answer some questions, including: biggest plot twist, biggest laugh, tastiest food, and more. They didn't draw a question about outfits, but they run through some favs anyways, including: the Korean national team atheisure (FILA hook us up), Hee-do's tomboy looks, Moon Ji-woong's green sweater vest, and of course, our boy Nam Joo-hyuk in anything and everything - from a plain navy tshirt to a suit and everything in between. Also the glasses. #bless

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QUESTIONS: Best OST Moment (3:35), Dreamiest Scenery (5:08), Biggest Plot Twist (6:23), Who would we re-cast? (7:57), Biggest Loser (10:42), Biggest Winner (12:58), Biggest Answer (14:22), Best episode thus far (15:12), Tastiest Food Award (17:58), Our FAV FITS (18:56), and Biggest Laugh (22:42). 

Kim and Maddie watched the first two epsiodes of yet another currently airing Netflix original, Business Proposal ft. every single Kdrama trope known to man! They discuss the ridiculous nature of the show so far, but talk through why it's working for them. Reasons include: the plot set up (tropey but we aren't complaining - fake dating! catfishing! long, drawn-out, slow mo sequences! give us more!!!!), Shin Ha-ri's unhingedness (and why it's relatable), bff vibes (both the girls and the #bromance), Ahn Hyo-seop's face, and Kim Min-kyu's face. Actual comps made: Hannah Montana, Lizzie McGuire, What's Wrong with Secretary Kim and 1% of Something. Warning: this ep is about as unhinged as Ha-ri is in both her forms running away from Pres Kang sorry not sorry.

Kim and Maddie gave the first two episodes of Thirty Nine (currently airing on Netflix) a try after it was requested by many Seoulmies and it more than exceeded their expectations. It's a sweet story of friendship and love ft. some cute boys, a definite weenie, and some uncertain futures for our main characters. Shout out to unnie and sweet little Hoon from the orphanage, they might be the real MVP's! But also to our three leading ladies (Son Ye-jin you are a QUEEN), their chemistry as friends really carries this show so far.

Kim and Maddie were a couple of days late to the first two episodes of Twenty Five Twenty One, but man they did not disappoint! They came to this currently airing kdrama for their boy Nam Joo-hyuk, but might be staying more for Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do. They discuss her feistiness, the way she's seamlessly pulling off a high school character (the dramatics, the tears, you name it!!!), and why Baek Yi-jin seems so intruiged by her already. They also talk through what is known about Yi-jin's backstory at this point and enjoying an ~edgy~ NJH character. Other notes include: our smooth talking sk8r boi Moon Ji-woong, the hard to read gold medalist Ko Yu-rim (all aboard the ship ppl!!!) and potential answers to the biggest question of the whole show.

Kim and Maddie recently revisited Maddie's first Kdrama ever, The Liar and His Lover (2017) and figured it was about time for a full review. They discuss sweet So-rim winning prod K over, Han-gyul ~eventually~ figuring out how to balance music + relationships, and the real ship - Crude Play's leader Shi-hyun and the sole employee of Sole Music Soo-yeon (also a noona romanca aka Maddie's dream lol). Other talking points include: Crude Play being the real MVPs (seriously the amount of grace those boys give Han-gyul is impressive), going back and forth between Chan-young being a weenie but also feeling a little bad for him, and of course, mini rankings of Crude Play's discography / the various versions of 'I'm Okay.'

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Categories: The Skinny (5:03), MVP Characters (8:28), Tenderest of Moments (26:13), Spicy Moments (48:42), Swoonies (54:15), Weenies (1:05:41), Thoughts on the ending (1:25:06)

Our Beloved Summer wrapped up last week on Netflix so of course Kim and Maddie had to talk through all their feels. They discuss the many, many tendy moments, the journey of growth for each of our characters, Woong raising the standard for men and the genius style of writing. Other MVP's include: the OST, Woong's hair, Ji-woong's sad puppy eyes, and just Ep 16 in general. OBS, you are a 10/10 and def our new starter kdrama rec for the locals. #woongsu4ever

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Categories: The Skinny (4:28), MVP Characters (11:22), Tender Moments (35:36), LOL's (1:14:32), Swoony/Spicy (1:23:37), Weenies (1:40:08), Reasons why Ep. 16 is a BANGER (1:47:45), Ranking update!! (2:05:55)

Kim and Maddie have booked it through the first half of Goblin and by popular request, hopped on the mics for an After 8 ep. They quickly talk through where they stand currently, as compared to when the show started, and they both still basically have their same original stances. Then they answer some more fun questions including best ost moment, best fit, and biggest cry. See y'all on the flip side where things better make sense or Kim is going to lose it on air.

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Time stamps: Initial thoughts on 1 - 8 (1:41), Biggest plot twist (9:55), Biggest winner (13:34), Best skinship moment (16:30), Best cry moment (19:44), Tastiest food award (22:00), Do Do Sol Sol Random Murder Plot Award (23:38), Biggest loser (26:00), Biggest prediction (27:24), Best outfit (30:05), Best OST moment (33:35)

Eric 'No Skips' Nam is at it again folks!!! He released his new album, There and Back Again, on Jan 7 and it's very very GOOD. Kim and Maddie guess each other's fav songs (spoiler alert, Kim still has no clue what kind of music Madison likes), talk through some of the lyrics, and agree to fight whoever broke Eric's heart. Also discussed: a few intro fun facts, the upcoming tour (see u there Bri Bri), Kim comparing fan-girling to discipleship (LOL), and more. (If you have never heard of Eric Nam until now - first of all, welcome to #NamNation, and secondly, plz go listen to our Ep 2 which is a more in-depth intro to Eric and his music.)

Kim and Maddie finally get around to reviewing one of their fav shows, Strong Woman Do Bong-soon. And by fav shows, they mean fav main ship because tbh not much else is memorable. BUT Park-Hyung-sik and Park Bo-young have CHEMISTRY and carry the show on their backs. Kim and Maddie talk through the couple's many memorable moments, President Ahn's swoony patience, and Bong-soon's personal growth. They also discuss Park Hyung-sik's face, Gook-doo's shortcomings, and all the other side plots + characters that probs can be skipped (#nojudgementzone).

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Categories: The Skinny (8:30), MVP's (11:30), Tenderest of Moments (23:15), LOL's (50:44), Hoo-Joon Swoonies (57:38), Spicy Moments (1:04:08), Weenies (1:10:13), Thoughts on the Ending (1:13:22)

Kim and Maddie get on the mics to react in real time to their 2021 Spotify Wrappeds. There are a few surprises, but let's be real, they mostly knew what was awaiting them and both feel v good about their top songs. (Head to (28:00) for our complete list of 2021 KPop recs!!)

Kim and Maddie rewatched the first episode of the 2017 KDrama Strong Woman Do Bong-soon to get ready for the full review (coming soon!!). They share their Do Bong-soon origin stories and talk through the basic plot set up. They also discuss the already simmering chemistry between the leads, the central conflicts, and of course, spend a lot of time on Park Hyung-sik's face.

In honor of Thanksgiving, a holiday that revolves around food and being thankful, Kim and Maddie are dropping a fun mid-week ep on BTS In the Soop 2, aka approx 350 minutes of their seven fav guys talking about food, eating food, eating more food, and reflecting on their thankfulness for each other and this journey they are on. Kim and Maddie discuss fav moments, including their dark horse MVP, the chaotic maknae line, lots of Namjooning (ft aRMs), Jimin the slytherian (ft Hobi), and their fav chefs - Jin and Yoongi - as well as of course dive into the members' personalities and how those shine through in the soop soop soop soop soo-loo-loo-loop (woah woah woaaaaah baby).

Kim and Maddie (kind of) finished the 2021 KDrama My Roommate is a Gumiho, with some episode recaps to help them out. They make a serious case for why Sun-woo sunbae was the real MVP and deserved so much more as well as some general confusion for why any of the males liked Dam. They discuss the side characters / ships that kept them invested (plot twist: Kim shed actual tears during one of the confessions lol) and the ending that didn't make that much sense. Nothing against either lead actors, but this show isn't making Kim and Maddie's fav list BUT they look forward to gushing about Jang Ki-yong aka the drummer (and LEAD RAPPER) of Crude Play soon. (stay tuned for some fun eps in honor of the one year anni of the SEOULMATES pod!!)

Kim and Maddie were PUMPED to hear their boy Park Hyung-sik was making his TV comeback, looking better than ever. However, they were not prepared for the roller coaster ride of episode 1. They discuss the plot, their predictions for where the show is heading and of course, speak at lengths about PHS in his groutfit and looking beefier than ever. (note: after a good night's sleep and pondering the beauty of PSH, they decided to give ep 2 a try and might now be watching the show in its entirety. ALL FOR YOU PARK HYUNG-SIK!!!)

Kim and Maddie are still slightly distraught over Hometown Cha Cha Cha coming to an end, but they work past it to record their FULL review. They talk through Hye-jin's character growth in Gongjin, Hong Banjang healing from his traumatic past and the couple's mature, adult relationship (you LOVE to see it). Other discussion topics include: the abundance of children (shout out to the baby who was never seen again iykyk), Kim Seon-ho's RANGE, and the sweetest Halmeoni as well as the loving community of townspeople and working through their individual stories. There also may be way too much gushing over PD-nim sorry not sorry including: mini ranking of outfits and accessories (the glasses though!!!!), how he raised the standard for men, and the NEED for a spin-off kdrama for him and writer Ji-won. This show handled so many sensitive topics in a beautiful and poignant way and it's going to be hard to move on from the sweetest of seaside villages (brb SOBBING).

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TIME STAMPS:  SEOULMIE Name Reveal! (00:38),  Welcome, first time listeners! (3:24),  The skinny (6:35), ALL THE MVP'S (12:00), Our main ship + all the feels (47:50), Adorable moments from everyone else (1:24:00), Kim Seon-ho acting range appreciation (1:49:24), LOL's (1:57:23), Our leading men's fashion (2:07:39), all aboard the PD-Nim / writer Ji-won ship!! (2:16:05), Weenies (2:27:17), Thoughts on the ending (2:32:24), What's Next for SEOULMATES? (2:52:32)

Squid Game is sweeping the world (Netflix #1 in the US!!!) so despite knowing it would likely freak them out, Kim and Maddie give episode one a try (in the middle of the day so as to not have nightmares). They discuss the setup, reasons why it's blown up and read spoilers for the rest of the season. If you are like us and want to know the deets to stay relevant but don't want to watch the whole thing, this is the ep for you!

Kim and Maddie finally got around to trying the long-awaited, popularly requested My Roommate is a Gumiho and WOW what a ride. They talk about our ML (the most attractive CrudePlay boy??? iykyk) and conduct some research on what exactly a gumiho is. Also discussed: the quickly advancing plot (we get to the point in like the first 10 minutes lol), how well FL seems to be coping, and all the questions around how this relationship will work.

Introducing another new segment! In these "After 8" episodes, Kim and Maddie will answer various questions after they hit the midway point of shows. The show in question today is Hometown Cha Cha Cha and topics discussed include: best fits (there's an obvious answer), questions they still have (there are a lot), and their dream cameo, plus much more. Hope y'all enjoy and please submit any questions you would like added!

Our After 8 Picks: Biggest answer so far (2:38), Would we re-cast? (5:14), Do Dol Sol Sol Murder Plot Award (6:40), Biggest questions we still have (8:54), Best cameo + the one we want!! (11:05), Best outfit (12:40), Most intriguing moment (16:32), Biggest plot twist (18:50), Biggest LOL so far (21:20), & Tastiest food award (24:30) 

In part 2 of their Ateez KPop Break, Kim and Maddie break down the newest album, Fever: Part 3 (released Sept 13). As always, they guess each other's favorite songs ("don't look at me, I'm ashamed" -Kim, probably) and run through some standout moments. Also discussed: what IS melody?? (ft. another great sports analogy) and trying to make sense of the song translations.

Kim and Maddie are back with another KPop Break (it's been a MINUTE) about 8 of their fav boys, Ateez! #8makes1team. In part 1 of this mini-series, they talk about this group that is still low key new to the kpop scene but performs like the've been doing it for decades. They discuss the members and, of course, hand out some song recs. They also sidebar for a five minute long rant about Imitation (Yunho, you were great, but MAN Ma-ha let everyone down) - sorry it really had nothing to do with Ateez but we had to get it off our chests (it starts at 31:35 if ya feel like skrrrting that bad boy).

Kim and Maddie finally get around to their full review of Extraordinary You, a 2019 KDrama they started back in the spring, and tbh their heads still kind of hurt. They talk about Dan-oh's spunk, Ha-ru's innocence (but also his 12-pack LOL), and how the writers failed Baek Kyung. Other discussion points include: SLS for violin boy, trying to make sense of the ending, and some general appreciation for Lee Jae-wook (in shorts!!!!!) and the OST (My Beauty is a BOP iykyk).   

Categories: Help ya girls out! (1:45), HI DIVE STUDIOS (4:35), The skinny (7:58), MVP's (11:57), Tenderest of moments (28:30), LOL's (44:25), The Hoo-joon Swoons (51:00), Spicy (58:32), Weenies (1:04:06), Thoughts on the ending (1:15:19), Jae-wook + Rowoon bromance appreciation (1:23:03), DM'ing Johnny Suh (1:29:01), What's next for SEOULMATES?? (1:32:01)

To ease back into the podcasting swing of things (or szn 2 as someone insists on thinking about it), Kim and Maddie decided to intro a new segment they are calling "KPopp'd" (no e, bc e's are EW), which will likely be chaotic and full of mini-rankings. In this first enstallment, they cover Maddie's conversion to all things Ten, Johnny + Mark 5ever, and Ateez. Other topics discussed include: Lucky One supremacy, Run BTS!, and Chen as Benny in the Korean ver. of 'In the Heights'?!????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #dreamy (there is footy on YouTube kids!) They also make a last minute pitch for why Dive Studios should want their ~tAleNt~ (#bribriorbust).

Kim and Maddie BARELY made it to the end of Doom At Your Service and when they got there, they still had lots of questions. They try to piece together the plot, discuss all the things that didn’t work and lament how the writers failed our two leads and their 10/10 chemistry.

After watching the first episode of Song Kang's highly anticipated new show, Nevertheless, Kim and Maddie break down everything that wasn't working for them (hint: it's a lot of things). Other topics mentioned include: D.O.'s movie Swing Kids (Maddie is still scarred), Song Kang's OG show Liar and His Lover (shout out to Mush + CO), and Kim makes yet another attempt to convince Maddie to watch A Witch's Romance since she loves age-gap shows SO MUCH.

Knock knock. Who’s there? Oh it's us, we’re dummies because we waited until THIS YEAR to get into EXO. It may have taken us awhile, but we’re all in on EXO now. In part one of this mini-series, Kim and Maddie talk about their individual turning points, the members (we tried to put Maddie on a time limit for her gushing about D.O.), fav songs, and all the moments that live in Kim’s head rent free!