Boys Before Flowers: Episode 19
We’re back to fun and cute, hurrah.
I don’t actually think the new songs in this second half are any better than the songs in the first half (and they’re just as inappropriately used). It’s more a matter of not having had the songs hammered into our brains relentlessly (yet?), so they feel fresher and more interesting to my ears. (Although, I admit to having a few moments of wondering whether PD Jeon just recently saw Goong and is trying to recapture the ambiance of that score. No, they’re not the same songs, but a couple of them sound familiar.)
SONG OF THE DAY
Boys Before Flowers (Second OST) – “애인만들기” by SS501. The title literally translates to “making a lover” but frankly that makes no sense in English; I think it’s more prettily (if loosely) translated as “Finding a Lover” or “Building a Romance.” [ Download ]
EPISODE 19 RECAP
After falling onto the bed, Jun-pyo quickly gets up and moves away from Jae-kyung.
Her proposal for a bet turns out to be a video game challenge, which she manages to win, bringing out his surly sore-loser side. She claims her winnings by dragging Jun-pyo around for the day.
Woo-bin tries to talk some sense into Yi-jung, who is hell-bent on drinking himself into oblivion. He’s unresponsive to Woo-bin’s worrying, though a phone call does jar him out of his liquor haze. (Rule of Kdramas: Bad news brings instant sobriety!) His mother has had another “episode” — a tantrum and pills — and has been asking for him at the hospital.
As in the previous episode, Yi-jung’s attitude is mostly detached, with a sprinkling of bitterness, so he answers that he’s busy. As he heads out, he shakes off Woo-bin’s arm and says, “If you don’t want to see me going crazy, leave me alone.”
He’s in a self-destructive mood, so he seeks out Ga-eul and asks if she still wants that date.
Encouraged, Ga-eul accompanies Yi-jung to a club, but her gladness soon dies because Yi-jung gets busy flirting with every woman who passes. He’s not even being subtle about it, and Ga-eul is naive enough to take his behavior at face value, when it’s clear (to us) that he’s doing this make a point.
Ga-eul steps out to the ladies’ room, and hesitates for a long moment over whether to return to the table. She decides to leave, not seeing Yi-jung until he calls out to her, “If this is enough to send you running, you shouldn’t have asked for the date in the first place.”
She’s gotten the message, but Yi-jung still has one “highlight” left.
Or maybe he really means “lowlight.” At dinner, Yi-jung’s father is friendly and open, but the more pleasant he is, the uglier Yi-jung’s mood grows. Yi-jung points out that it’s clear his father likes Ga-eul (insinuating that he like-likes her, if ya know what I mean). Personally, I don’t think his dad means to be skeevy when he calls Ga-eul cute, but Yi-jung turns everything into an innuendo.
He says caustically that father and son are similar — Mom’s lying in the hospital from an overdose and they’re both out. Dad suggests discussing family matters later, while Yi-jung’s smile twists further as he asks, “Then what should we talk about? This girl seems your type — want to borrow her?”
Ga-eul is really uncomfortable by now, but Yi-jung’s on a roll and he continues with the verbal jabs, saying Ga-eul is practically the same age as his father’s girlfriends anyway.
Fed up, Ga-eul throws water in Yi-jung’s face. She excuses herself and leaves, and Dad tells Yi-jung that he went too far. Coming from him, that’s got to be pretty lowering.
Since Jae-kyung won the bet, she drags Jun-pyo out on a grocery shopping run. (Note: She really is like a female Jun-pyo, and even uses some of his more commonly used phrases.)
Afterwards, Jae-kyung heads for a particular neighborhood, which starts looking familiar to Jun-pyo. Jae-kyung explains that they’re dropping by Jan-di’s new apartment — and given that Jae-kyung knows about the Jun/di relationship, feigning innocence while forcing them together makes Jae-kyung rather mean, doesn’t it? Or at least calculating?
But Jan-di’s not home, because she’s still out with Ji-hoo. While they wait, Jae-kyung and Jun-pyo cook some ramen, which they end up fighting over. (Jae-kyung claims most of it for herself.)
Jun-pyo notices that Kang-san hasn’t taken any — having eaten it every day, he’s not all that eager for more. Jun-pyo asks what he’d prefer to eat; Kang-sang answers that he’d die happy to stuff himself with pizza to his heart’s content.
They wonder what’s keeping Jan-di, but Kang-san can’t call her because Jan-di has no phone. Hearing this gives Jun-pyo a start, since he’d previously given her a phone. Kang-san explains that they’d given it to their parents in case of emergency.
This gives Jae-kyung an idea, and she drags Jun-pyo off to the cell phone store. Must be nice to be so rich you can just buy phones for your poor friends whenever the whim strikes.
Following their museum date, Ji-hoo drops Jan-di off at the clinic, where she invites him in for tea. At his hesitation, Jan-di guesses that he doesn’t want to run into his grandfather and assures him that he’s already left for the day.
Looking around, Ji-hoo finds that he’s unexpectedly affected at the sight of old family photos, which unleash a flood of memories of a happier childhood and a formerly loving relationship with his grandfather.
Grandpa Yoon walks in and catches him by surprise. Overwhelmed with emotion, the doctor is glad to see his estranged grandson and struggles to make an apology, knowing he has limited time to appeal to Ji-hoo before the latter storms out.
When Ji-hoo turns to exit, Dr. Grandpa stops him and hurriedly says he’s sorry, that he made a mistake years ago. Ji-hoo cynically says that he’s the one who made the mistake — for staying alive instead of his parents. “You must have hated me.”
Grandpa tells him, “It’s not your fault.”
(To be honest, I did want to put up a more attractive screencap of Kim Hyun-joong here… but this awkward eye-bulging look is more representative of his acting in this scene…)
Ji-hoo says, without turning to face him: “You should have said that fifteen years ago. Do you know how much that child waited for you? You don’t know, do you, how much that boy wanted to cry and be held in his grandfather’s arms!”
He storms out, which is when Jan-di finally comes in and guesses what’s happened. Dr. Grandpa is again seized with chest pains, but he urges Jan-di to go after Ji-hoo instead.
Jan-di runs outside into the rain, knowing that Ji-hoo has taken off on foot because his motorcycle is still parked out front. However, she chooses the wrong direction; Ji-hoo watches her leave, then is assailed by painful memories of his parents’ funeral.
His grandfather had shown up to the burial, but ignored him and driven off alone, leaving a young (and adorable) Ji-hoo sobbing. It’s got to be particularly traumatizing, since not only was he orphaned, he’d been forsaken by the one person he had left, whom he had depended on. Ji-hoo breaks down into tears, and man, he’s lucky it’s raining so he doesn’t have to fake those tears.
I’ve been softening on Kim Hyun-joong because he seems like a nice guy and the more I read about him in the press, the more I like him as a person. I’ve let his vague, dull acting slide in recent episodes because at least his character didn’t have much emoting to do. But when a spot of real emotion is required, it just can’t be ignored: He is not a good actor.
Unable to find Ji-hoo, Jan-di waits for him outside his house. Good thing, too, since she’s there to catch him (literally!) when he staggers home in a daze and collapses on top of her, exhausted both physically and mentally.
And we can never have too much emotionally battered staggering in one episode, because now it’s Yi-jung’s turn.
He arrives at his door inebriated, and fumbles with his keychain. He’s so drunk that he can’t pick out the right key or fit it in the lock, so after a couple tries, he throws down the keys in a fit of frustration.
Lucky for him, Ga-eul arrives to pick up the keys, and helps him inside.
Despite her assistance, Ga-eul isn’t over the harsh way he’d treated her before — as soon as she brings Yi-jung inside, she turns to leave.
But Yi-jung grabs her hand to pull her back. He mumbles, “I was afraid I’d make her cry, like my father, like my mother. I chased her away because I didn’t want her to cry because of me.”
(Does he mean Ga-eul? Eun-jae?)
I guess after all those episodes of damsels in distress saved by F4 swooping in for the rescue, this is the episode for the ladies to do a little swooping in of their own. Now it’s Jan-di’s turn to tend to Ji-hoo; she watches over him and, thinking he’s asleep, raises a hand to his cheek. She’s startled but doesn’t pull away when Ji-hoo reaches up to grasp her hand tightly.
Jan-di stays with Ji-hoo during the night, and prepares some porridge for him before she leaves.
When Ji-hoo wakes up, he finds the breakfast waiting for him, and sits down to eat his porridge of pity.
(Does anyone eat as miserably as Ji-hoo? Well, since food makes him so sad, I suppose it’s no wonder he’s so skinny.)
Meanwhile, Jun-pyo has spent all night anxiously pacing around his apartment, waiting for Jan-di to come home. When she finally does, he’s out on the landing to hound her about where she’s been and why she’s coming home now.
Jan-di’s knee-jerk reaction is to feel guilty, but then she remembers that she didn’t do anything wrong and shouldn’t feel defensive. So when he insists, “Tell me where you were!” she shouts back, “No!”
She declines to enlighten him even when he asks again in a calmer voice (albeit uneasily), “Are you really not going to tell me?” (She’s really not.)
Madam Kang arrives home. She’s happy to hear that Jun-pyo has been spending more time with Jae-kyung, but asks Mr. Jung meaningfully, “Don’t you have anything more to report to me?”
That makes Mr. Jung nervous. Madam Kang shows him photos of Jun-pyo with Jan-di (and how the hell did she get a camera inside Jan-di’s apartment showing them eating ramen together?). Luckily, she accepts Mr. Jung’s apology that he was inattentive, rather than suspecting that he has been purposely hiding things from her. She orders him to get on the ball and find out what’s going on.
Jun-pyo may have had bad luck with Jan-di, but he’s better at playing the big brother to Kang-san. Remembering his pizza wish, Jun-pyo sets up a large food stall outside Kang-san’s school, equipped with a whole buffet of different kinds of pizza. A sign reads, “Kang-san, be strong! Eat up.”
Jun-pyo tells him to dig in, and Kang-san’s classmates eagerly line up behind him.
At home that night, Jan-di notices how quiet it is — and although she routinely complains about Jun-pyo making a fuss, now that he isn’t, she thinks, “It worries me now that it’s so quiet.”
Jun-pyo’s merely having some problems with his rickety stove, and has to resort to eating his ramen dry (which, by the way, I totally used to do as a kid). An unexpected visit from his mother’s flunkies ruins the mood, though — they’ve been ordered to retrieve him, and drag him off. He protests, and runs into Ji-hoo down in the alley.
Ji-hoo has learned Jan-di’s new address from Ga-eul. He trades a long look with Jun-pyo, but the two friends don’t talk as Jun-pyo is pushed into the awaiting car. There’s something really nice about the way Jun-pyo shoots one last look up at Jan-di’s apartment, particularly because (1) he’s leaving her behind, and (2) he knows Ji-hoo is on his way to her.
Ji-hoo doesn’t go up immediately, though, because when he does knock on Jan-di’s door, he’s got Yi-jung and Woo-bin with him. They greet Jan-di cheerfully and announce that they’re here for a housewarming. Looking around, though, F3 are a little dismayed that at how shabby her new place is, although Jan-di assures them that it’s quite livable.
And then, another visitor crashes the party.
Oh, Madam Kang is so scary. It’s amazing how much Lee Hye-young can do with one direct stare.
Everyone comes out to see the latest visitor, stopping short at the sight of Madam Kang’s posse. Jan-di asks cautiously what the reason for the visit is — and while she’s not rude, she doesn’t grovel in the way Madam Kang probably expects from everyone. Madam Kang says in her cold way that the polite thing to do is invite her inside. Even commoners should know that that’s basic manners.
It’s the formality that she wants, not the actual offer, because when Jan-di complies and invites her inside, Madam Kang sniffs that it’s better to stay outside than step foot inside that hovel.
Indicating the guys, Madam Kang insinuates again that Jan-di’s got loose morals — and even they bristle at the implication and speak up for Jan-di. Jan-di says, “I haven’t behaved in such a wrong manner that I deserve those words.”
Madam Kang begs to differ: “You call an engaged man to your house secretly, and you say you haven’t behaved wrongly?”
She asks Jan-di for a “favor,” though it’s really more like an order: “Even if Jun-pyo comes to see you, please don’t meet him. As you said, you and he have nothing to do with each other anymore. I can trust you, can’t I? Miss Jan-di, I’ll have faith in that great sense of pride of yours.”
The words are polite, the tone is civil, and yet there’s a very steely undertone. Madam Kang then addresses F3: “This is why I oppose Jun-pyo meeting you, too. Think of your families, and for the love of god, come to your senses.”
It’s sweet of the guys to come to Jan-di’s defense, even if it’s ineffective against the Witch Mom. After her departure, Woo-bin tells Jan-di not to take her words to heart — she’s like that with everyone.
Next, the friends all pitch in to offer Jan-di a housewarming present — they show up armed with wallpaper, paint, and other cleaning supplies, and get to work redecorating the room.
On the downside, Kang-san has to live in a pink room covered in flowers. On the upside, it does look a lot better once it’s done.
Meanwhile, Witch Mom has punished Jun-pyo by grounding him. On the downside, the lone exception to the rule is Jae-kyung, who is admitted into his room. On the upside, she does offer a way out.
Jun-pyo’s annoyance gives way to interest when Jae-kyung says the magic words (which she knows will win his attention): “I was going to suggest dropping by Jan-di’s place together, but I guess I’ll go alone…”
At that, Jun-pyo tries to pretend he’s not interested, though obviously he’s desperate to go along, and agrees to accompany Jae-kyung.
When the Jun/kyung couple arrive, they find everyone else already there and in a festive mood. Done redecorating, F3 and the girls sit around the table and joke that this feels like an MT (membership training, a typical college ritual). Ga-eul suggests they play the quintessential MT game — the Truth Game — and Jae-kyung bursts in, “Me too!”
The rules are thus: The one who is asked the question must tell the truth. However, if s/he doesn’t want to answer, that person has to give up something to the asker. That “something ” varies based on what they decide — sometimes it’s a drink, or a slap on the arm. Jae-kyung suggests a kiss.
Going with the kiss idea, Yi-jung starts things off with a question for Ji-hoo: “Can you love someone other than Seo-hyun?”
It’s a simple question and the answer’s not difficult, but Ji-hoo wants to have some fun — he plants a kiss on Yi-jung’s cheek. It’s adorable.
Now it’s Ji-hoo’s turn to ask: “Jun-pyo, if the one you love runs into trouble because of you, could you let her go?”
I was hoping for another kiss, but Jun-pyo answers straightaway, “No, I won’t. I can’t. I’d grab on tight, and be sure to make her happy.”
Jun-pyo wastes no time in proceeding with his question: “Geum Jan-di, the promise you made before on the street — does it still stand?”
He’s referring, of course, to the sunset scene in Episode 10 after he kissed her in traffic. Back then, he’d asked her to promise, “No matter what happens, don’t run from me.” She had promised that his mother would never be the reason for breaking them apart.
But now, Jan-di answers, quiet and matter-of-fact: “No. The person who made the promise and the one who asked it are both gone now.”
It’s a sad moment, although she hurries to gloss over the silence by forcing a smile and asking her question. She picks Woo-bin, and says, “If F4 were women, who would you want to marry?” (Ha, like he needs the “if they were women” qualifier!)
But no, Woo-bin answers that he’d rather stay single — heck, he’d rather join a monastery — than have to settle down with one of these fools. He points out their faults — one is stuck-up (Jun-pyo), another is “fourth-dimensional” (oddball Ji-hoo), and the third is a cold-blooded Casanova.
When Jun-pyo drops off Jae-kyung, she asks him to answer one last Truth Game question: “Friendship or love: If you had to choose between them, which would you pick?”
Without hesitating, Jun-pyo replies, “Both. Because there’s no such thing as giving up in my dictionary.”
(After he leaves, Jae-kyung sighs that his answer — which bodes ill for her, since he’s got no intention of giving Jan-di up — appeals to her. What a dilemma.)
It’s funny how Mama Kang chooses her revenge(s), because when she faced Jan-di on the rooftop, she was actually rather civil. Her words were mean and she did insult Jan-di, but her attitude wasn’t one of hatred or fury. (I’d call it more resigned and frustrated.) And yet, when she does choose to act, it’s so calculated. Like with Jun-pyo, the cruelty really does hurt more when it’s so… carefully considered.
Her next step is to take away Jan-di’s home. It’s not enough for her to evict her from her apartment — which she could so easily do — but she actually has the entire building planned for demolition. A construction worker tells Jan-di to vacate immediately.
On the other hand, life is looking (slightly) better for Yi-jung. While packing up his pottery materials in his studio, he finds Ga-eul’s gift and looks at the arm socks fondly.
Ga-eul, meanwhile, is putting in some extra time at her pottery class. Eun-jae wishes her luck and starts to leave, which is when Ga-eul spots the little ceramic puzzle piece hanging from her purse. She takes an immediate liking to it, and asks to borrow it so she can make one for herself. Eun-jae hands it over, but asks her to take care of it, because the item has a lot of meaning for her.
If you’ll remember, Yi-jung had the other pieces in his collection — each jigsaw piece had been formed of clay, and made to fit together like a real puzzle — which I suppose symbolizes that Eun-jae is the one missing piece in Yi-jung’s heart. Or something.
To Ga-eul’s surprise, Yi-jung drops by her classroom, apparently not surprised to find her there.
And finally, Jan-di must say goodbye to the last of her family. With their finances in such dire straits, her brother has offered to move down to join their parents in their fishing village. Kang-san has an upbeat attitude and tries to talk like this is a great thing, that he’s lucky and looking forward to joining their parents.
Jan-di plays along, but it’s much harder for her to pretend this is what they all want. She wonders if she should join the family, too, but Kang-san reminds her she’s got to graduate and go on to medical school.
He boards the train and says his last goodbyes, reminding her to take care and eat well, and also: “I think Jun-pyo hyung still likes you.”
COMMENTS
First of all, I always love seeing F3 in support of Jan-di, just as I loved how uncomfortable and stiff they were around Jae-kyung in a previous episode.
As for Jun-pyo and Jae-kyung: I’m willing to revise my sentiments from the prior episode, although I still think that the actors have more chemistry than the characters ought. And their interactions did muddle up the dynamics to make it seem more romantic than I wanted. Even though I agree with comments that they’re supposed to be friends more than lovers, I wasn’t getting that from the actual acting, which is why I found it confusing.
On the other hand, I think this episode went a long way in defining the lines of the relationships, and yes, now it does look much more obvious that the Jun/kyung relationship is meant to be platonic more than romantic (at least on Jun-pyo’s end) — the video game was a prime example of that, with Jun-pyo treating Jae-kyung like one of the guys.
Previous interactions aside, in this episode Jun-pyo makes it very clear that he has only ever wanted Jan-di, and that he is absolutely not giving up. I appreciated that his answer in the Truth Game came immediately — he doesn’t even have to think about it because the truth is so defined in his mind.
Same thing when Jae-kyung asks her question later. I’d wondered whether she was asking him to choose between friendship and love because she recognized that Jan-di had fully occupied the slot for “love” in Jun-pyo’s heart, relegating Jae-kyung to friendship. It seems like she’s grasping a bit at straws, like she’d settle for friendship if that meant she could still have him, even if that ruled out love. Because Jun-pyo may harbor doubt about whether he can win Jan-di back, but at least there are none about his feelings.
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Tags: Boys Before Flowers, episode recaps, Gu Hye-sun, Kim Bum, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Joon, Lee Min-ho, Lee Min-jung
How did I love this episode?? The ways are too numerous to count. Some highlights:
- Jun-pyo and Jae-kyung shopping together
- Ji-hoo grabbing Jan-di’s hand while he slept (please Ji-hoo, hold my hand toooooo)
- Ga-eul managing to see past Yi-jung’s jerky behaviour to rescue his drunk butt from freezing on his doorstep
- F3 and Ga-eul showing what awesome friends they are (OK, I’d love friends who’d paint my house of their own accord)
- Woo-bin, cause he got to say funny, non-ridiculous things in this episode
- The truth or dare game – especially the Ji-hoo – Yi-jung kiss (I swear I swooned)
- Jun-pyo being Jun-pyo. Straight-forward (just asking Jan-di about the promise in front of everyone), entitled (he wants both love and friendship. Don’t we all…..), adorable (hmmm….anyone else considering trying out uncooked ramen?)
- What an awesome younger brother Kang-san is.
This episode reminded me why I’m watching BBF. That fluffy, silly, cutesy squealy feeling I get when I watch something just adorable. My eyerolls were few and far between, I had no soundtrack complaints and I’m so excited for the next episode. According to the rules of the drinking game (had I been drinking) this would be one episode I’d actually come out sober. I was really losing steam after the past few episodes (which weren’t “bad” – just sort of draggy) but I’m waaaay back in BBF love.
YAY
thank you javabeans..this completes my mondays and tuesdays.
I LOVE THIS DRAMA. I love everything about it. Every cheesy moment, every horrible bit of acting, every touching moment, everything. This drams will not be one of my all time favorites. Heck, it will not even be in the top 20, but it will rank high for being the most fun drama. I have had more fun watching this drama than any other. I love the anticipation of the episodes, I love reading everyone’s comments, I love the recaps, I love trying to read the director’s and the writer’s mind, and I love the cast. I can’t recall ever having this much fun with any other drama.
TQ for the recaps… so sweet
I refreshed 20 times waiting for your recap =)
I haven’t read it yet but thank you so much, as always!
^___^ yayy~ waiting for this XD
Okay, a step backward in the acting Kim Hyun Joong. You’re great, but you really need to stop with the bug eyes. And isn’t it funny how they are always falling asleep on each other or collapsing on one another? This drama is too cheesy, but I’m still lovin it.
Since I know everyone will echo my sentiments anyway…all I’m going to say is:
Don’t you just LOVE the way Jun-pyo says “monkey”?
as flawed as this drama can be….its definately the highlight of my week……
it’s been a long time since Monday’s & Tuesday’s are my favourite days of the week lol…
we’re on our way to episode 20…its sad that theres only 7 episodes left? gosh so much in 7 episodes..wonder how they’ll fit it in..
anyway thanks for the recap…..i watched the episode a while ago, but i still like reading your insights!
Thanks Javabeans. You’re awesome as always. I loved the Truth Game scenes. And looking forward for more JP & JD moments again
Thanks for the recap.
thanks for the recaps!!
maybe because it has the same green flooring…but is Jan Di’s new apartment the same apartment as the one from Delightful Girl Choon Hyang??
Loved this recap and can’t wait to watch this episode myself!
its so funny how the directors pick and choose which details to be consistent with. again, how did the camera get in her apt?? random…at the same time, when the F3 boys were painting the apartment, the directors made sure to show yi jung using only his left hand since his right was injured. dont ask how i picked up on these senseless details.
anyway, i’m liking jihoo more too. clearly junpyo and jandi will end up together but i dont think i’ll be satisfied with jihoo’s storyline in the end.
and yes, the f4 kids are adorable! i’ll miss kangsan too =)
I think the continuity with Yi Jung acting like a major asshole towards Ga Eul and her being totally hurt to them being all buddy-buddy as if nothing was weird in the house renovation scene struck me as weird. Still, it was a pretty solid episode, and I finally see the damn plot moving forward.
Bravo, dramabeans! Thanks for the recap. My Monday-Tuesday one-two punch is now complete and I can go to sleep a happy girl
thank you!
always appreciate your recaps.
they make me appreciate some small things i overlooked and other things i did not understand.
…and i TOTALLY thought of eun jae when yi jung was holding ga eul’s hand…but maybe he DID mean ga eul! ok. i like this interpretation better anyways. hehe.
=]]
I really love the interactions between Jihoo and Jandi. Although, I really want some Junpyoo and Jandi actions. I’ve been yearning for it, for how many episodes now? I’m actually afraid that Jaekyung has similar personality as Junpyoo. But I’ve heard of the saying that “opposite attracts.” And Jandi is the complete opposite of Junpyoo?
Thanks for the recap. I actually like one new song from the drama. “Yearning Heart” is a pretty upbeating song.
It was really painful watching Kim Hyun Joong cry in this episode. He’s definitely not a good actor but hopefully he’ll improve in the future. Have you seen him in We Got Married? He’s absolutely adorable and natural there. He should play someone who’s funny and outgoing.
I used to eat dry ramen when i was young too! There are several brands that are especially good when eaten dry. Oh the memories…
I’m kinda glad that Jun Pyo answered Ji Hoo’s question right away during the Truth Game too. He’s determined to win back Jan Di. I wonder why Jan Di was so quick to answer that she wouldn’t be able to keep the promise.
I hope the PD end the Jae Kyung part really soon. The reason that Jun Pyo and Jae Kyung will never work because they and their life/family experiences are too similar. She won’t be able to give Jun Pyo what Jan Di can… UGH! I REALLY want to see so many, MANY more Jan Di and Jun Pyo moments before the end of the series.
I swear, when Madam Kang was waiting outside Jan-Di’s house and does that dramatic turn to face her, I got the heebee- jeebees
yay thanks for the recaps
more ga eul and yi jung plzzz
Thanks for posting. I thought it was hilarious Woo Bin called Ji Hoo (aka Kim Hyun Joong) “fourth-dimensional.” It makes me think it was a reference to his time on “We Got Married” with Hwangbo! Most of all, I was happy with how Jandi and Ga Eul helped F3 after so many times it was the reverse.
Thanks a bunch for your recaps! I’m adding this episode to the list of my fave episodes! Looking forward to your next recaps!
I totally got that goong feeling from a couple of songs too!
But omg, dry ramen…that was icky.
ah! waited so much for this, thank you!
Hmm.
I thought JK’s question and her “Why do you have to say the things I like – what am I supposed to do?”//troubled reaction were really ….interesting.
I think she was asking the question for herself; literally, if Junpyo were her, would he choose friendship or love; friendship being Jandi, love being Junpyo.
Of course we know that to JK, both JD and JP are so important to her, so she really can’t choose. It seems she must break one person to have the other.
Now – JP’s answer is such a problem, because it is exactly what JK wants too. (Augh. they are so similar.) JK definitely wants both as well. So JP doesn’t exactly clear up a path for JK to follow. He would do exactly what she is doing now: trying to hold on to both love and friendship.
Sigh. It was a good moment.
javabeans… something is wrong…
up until yesterday i felt totally guilty thinking that junpyo and chaekyung looked OK together… even that they “belonged” together…
but somehow… as of today.
i will unfortunately have absolutely no qualms if this drama ended with jihoo+jandi & junpyo+chaekyung.
there are six episodes left… is that really enough to rebuild my feeble memory of a junpyo+jandi couple?
this is a drama… long term memory should not be required(and it isnt judging from the number of amnesia storylines they feed us)
what junpyo and jandi had was first love and it was memorable and beautiful but from what the drama has told me thus far… they can find happiness in others. maybe not the same thing but still they would survive… which is odd. often when i watch these dramas i am left with the sense that the two main characters MUST end up together or the entire thing will far apart.. as it they are destined.
i don think its bad that they did this.. but unfortunately i dont think it was intentional on the directors/writers part… which is annoying.
i love this one to death but everything was too anticlimatic… they built stuff up and didnt use it…. i.e. junpyos guilt over jandi’s shoulder?
sigh. i guess you can only hope for the best with these things. as for me, i am resigned. whichever way this turns out, ill just quitely watch and it try to enjoy it for what it is…. mindless entertainment.
Truth or dare game: I was hoping for another kiss too (JunPyo-Jihoo) Kha ha ha….
TQ, agree with your comments. Really enjoy the TRUTH game scene, love the way JP expressed his emotion to JD, love the friendship of F4, JP and JK is too similar so they just could be friend from all the previous eps. could see, hope viewers don’t mad with JK, finally she will link both JP and JD together.
Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was literally crying during the last episode and laughing at all the guys’ melodrama… And I think the plot sequence could have been improved… poor GJP’s lines could have been improved… he’s obviously being told to be sympathetic to JK but it’s like he isn’t even thinking about the company anymore, he’s just thinking about “how am I going to get Jan Di back and not make this girl hate me?” If he was REALLY thinking about the company he would be active too, perhaps pretend to like her, or at least make plans to elope… I would have cried with everyone else but been more satisfied with reality. Right now it is so confusing!
OK, I liked Ji Hoo’s acting with grandpa for the first… .25 seconds. When his eyes popped out. And then they stayed popped out and he was trying to keep them popped out the whole time… oh, come on, even YJ is better than that!
I think the only guy that can handle emotional scenes in this drama is GJP and the writers don’t even know how to use them – or they aren’t consistent…
Anyway I want to see what happens when he finds out about mom! I shall watch for that! =)
uuuuuuughhh. Im starting to get sick of these episodes where Jun Pyo seems powerless…..i want the good old mean, annoying, bossy, clueless, sick puppy in love Joon Pyo
I also want the fun and prideful and annoying Jan Di back…they are spending tooo many episodes on the Jae Kyung thing, and as a result we are getting (at least I am) a bit of an “angst overload”…..can we please have a happy episode?! lol
And I truly hope that his witch mom goes away for the next episode…cuz she is really getting on my nerves……
i can’t wait to see the rain scene!!!!!!!!!!!!!!….and does anyone know if they are going to do the “amnesia” arc….cuz since this is a K-Drama, and there are only 6 eps left, i’m thinking that they are problably going to do the whole “stranded on island and then getting amnesia thing” and finish the series off like that
(4 all of you that read the manga, you all remember the outcome of the amnesia regarding the mother, right?…that’s why i think its going to end with that arc)
anyone else thinks so?
I love your recaps =)
I’m starting to like Jihoo and Jandi more as a couple. I really feel bad for Jihoo’s character. I’m kind of glad that they added a grandfather into this version so he won’t be completely alone at the end.
“And we can never have too much emotionally battered staggering in one episode, because now it’s Yi-jung’s turn.”
“(Does anyone eat as miserably as Ji-hoo? Well, since food makes him so sad, I suppose it’s no wonder he’s so skinny.)”
“On the downside, Kang-san has to live in a pink room covered in flowers.”
lmao! Your recaps always crack me up! Love it. Thanks Javabeans
i think it’s gaeul that he’s referring to.
1) he chased gaeul away to show her that he’s a player
2) he LET eunjae go because he thought she was in love with his older bro.
3) he was a butt face because he didn’t want to make gaeul cry.
hek, i might be wayyy off, but from my observation, it seems most likely that it’s gaeul.
i really liked the “truth game” scene. alot of f4 bonding, and the subtle dialogue and gestures showed the characters’ true inner feelings. theres something im confuzzled about, though: when jandi answered junpyo’s question, does she mean both of them have changed? or is she saying junpyo is now a “different” person b/c he has a fiancee? surely her feelings for junpyo and vice versa are still strong, so what does she mean by those words?
the pattern seems to still be bad eps airing on mondays and better ones on tuesdays (except the numbers are now mixed up haha!)
a very bittersweet ep, esp with more problems arising in the soeul couple. thanks once again for awesome recaps, dramabeans!
I might be out-to-lunch about this but…
I think that Jae-Kyung is also talking about herself when she asked Jun-pyo at the very end if he had to choose love or friendship..
I know that they didnt really show Jan-Di and Jae-kyung’s closeness or friendship lately.. but i think that she’s trying to make herself feel better when she know that she’s hurting Jan-Di.
That she seems to be in favor of love over friendship but still torn in between.
hyun joong..so adorable!!!!
kim bum too…
keep up a good jobs!!!
Thank you.. hope to see JP/JD next ep. I miss that couple a lot!
aah i loved this episode!!! the truth game was SO CUTE!!! omg ji hoo/yi jung!!! aaah!!!!
XD
ugh. now i can’t wait until monday. -_-
thanks for the recap! (and thanks everyone for the awesome comments! i love reading them! =D)
#24 Chloe: “I think she was asking the question for herself; literally, if Junpyo were her, would he choose friendship or love; friendship being Jandi, love being Junpyo.”
Oh HAHA you’re totally right. I think I read it the more complicated way when there was a simpler explanation available. Jae-kyung probably does feel conflicted choosing between friendship (with Jan-di) and love (Jun-pyo)… But I think my initial reading works too — that the question can apply to Jun-pyo as well as Jae-kyung. I actually like that this goes both ways.
I am loving the brother-sister relationship between Jan-di and Kang-san. It’s sad that they had to part at the end. They are adorable. And I love watching Jun-pyo treat Kang-san like a little brother and calling him “dongsaeng.”
Just a couple things about F4:
I don’t know if anyone caught it but I loved how Jun-pyo sprinkled the seasoning powder onto the uncooked ramen noodle before eating it. How adorable was that?
Ji-hoo made me laugh when he put the cellphone to his “ear” while he still had his thick helmet on. Ji-hoo really is 4D, lol. Other than that… the guy has a mighty fine haircut.
Woo-bin is uber cool. He’s so mellow and such a natural at what he does. He’s officially my second favorite.
Yi-jung, the little jerk. I didn’t get mad at him for what he did to Ga-eul though. He’s showing her what he could be like in the long run. After all, that’s why he broke up with his first love. I just hope he overcomes his fears and give us a happy ending. (Btw, I think he was talking about Eun-jae during the scene when he grabbed Ga-eul’s hand.)
Thank you for the recap.
i am not liking this: the conflict has plateau-d already and IS NOT MOVING. WE NEED MOVEMENT. WE NEED PROGRESS. this isn’t it.
jae kyung, you have had your time, it’s time to go! it’s not even like you’re already *suspicious*….. YOU ALREADY KNOW, FOR GLOB’S SAKE!!! get a move on already!
the problem with this conflict is: we already know how this ends. and to pull out epi after epi of this never-ending conflict just infuriates us rather than excites us for the happy ending!
jae kyung, you need to go, hunny. BYE.
the truth or dare when ji-hoo kisses yi-jung was hilarious.
I’ve always wondered why Madam Kang is so… PLAIN MEAN. Did this evil attitude towards everything result from an ugly past experience or was she just born with this wicked nature. Just the thought of her makes me shudder.
I was thinking the same thing about Madam’s Kang photos once I saw them. Then I thought, ‘It’s Madam Kang.’ Seriously can anything ever stop this woman?
She apparently knows no boundaries. I wonder what will happen if you suddenly take all her riches from her. (Evil laugh.)
One of the biggest BBF question is whether Yi-jung is actually falling for Ga-Eul or not. Hopefully yes.
If I go from the order of the other versions, it seems as if Jan-di will now become Jun-pyo’s maid… Hmmm…. I wonder.. will she? (Someone told me to watch the previews.. I’d rather not. Suspense is a great thing. =D)
Thank you very much Java. Your reviews are so consistently cool.
i had wished for jandi to pull an elizabeth-bennett-to-lady-catherine on madam kang. i can’t wait for the day someone told that eeevil woman off. yowza! that would make watching this show so much more worth it. oh, and seeing the two leads get back together wouldn’t be so bad, but they’ve been apart for so long that i completely don’t feel the love for the two anymore…kind of like when ross and rachel got back together in the last season.
@ Susie
you know, i was thinking the same at yesterday’s ep.
I really like Jae Kyung and Jun Pyo….but today’s ep actually changed my mind.
I felt like Jae was in desperation to do anything to get Jun Pyo…even if it meant going to Jan Di’s house……and when it gets to that point, you see that Jae and Jun can’t work…cuz eventhough he allows himself to be mouth-fed, it doesn’t go deeper than that. It shows that Jun feels comfortable around her, but maybe that stems from the fact that she is someone he can relate to while still being cool enough not to be a snobby rich girl. The comfort doesn’t come from love or anything like that……
BBF is SUCH A TEASE!
Thank you, Jun-pyo, for finally making it loud and clear that Jan-di’s the only one for you and you plan on holding on to her… BUT SRSLY they’re not even close to having any tender JP/JD moments! I hate that HE GETS FOILED ALL THE FREAKING TIME.
And Ga-eul, you silly girl. I wish you’d treat him the same for once. Clearly we’re rooting for you, but we don’t know what Yi-young’s deal is…
I loved this episode. The Truth or Dare game was the best scene in a long time. I loved JP’s answer, and lack of hesitation and his total commitment to what he felt. I cannot wait for him to win back JD. And he has already warned JK, so she can’t feel too bad when she is left behind in the end. I kind of thought that when she asked him about love or friendship, she was trying to get him to consider JH, but maybe not.
While I hated JD’s answer, I understand. She has to be terrified to give into her love for this guy again. His world AND him have been truly harsh and heartbreaking for her, and he has shown no evidence that he can be consistent or protect her from any of it. So he has his work cut out for him. I can’t wait to see him do it.
The kiss was so cute! I liked the pause before JH decided not to answer. Just enough to drive JP crazy with jealousy.
And JP’s mom. Scariest mom villan ever. I love to hate this woman!!
I cannot wait for next week. I love this show!!
is the friendship part pertaining to Jae Kyung or Ji hoo sunbae??? i mean, it is also possible that JK is talking about JP love vs. Ji hoo’s love/ obssession with Jan Di- which creates a rift between Jun Pyo and his F4 bff. i’m confused.. >_>
I really like this episode! and kimbum was soo mean T.T
I especially like the truth or dare game. haha when hyungjoong was kissing kimbum, kimbum had a little glare directed towards hyungjoong bwahaha
it was like he’s saying “that was mean!” but things got serious and then woobin made it fun again, which i loved, it broke the tension
i wished the pd added woobin more in, he would’ve been a great character
and did anyone else notice that they put kimbum’s hair the way it was before?? i just noticed it lol
KANG SAM!!!! is so cute…….he HANDS DOWN wins the award for best “Susumu-san” drama interpretation.
i love him…he is probably (and this is really sad, actually) the only character in this whole drama that (1) fits perfectly with the manga (2) never pisses us off (3) is pretty consistent throughout. LOL…..whoever the actor is, i shall def watch more of his stuff in the future.
And i think we can all agree. We may disagree on which version had the best F4/Makino/Mama/Papa, etc…but Kang San is really the best!!!
ohhh I thought the whole love or friendship thing for jun pyo was love with jandi or friendship w/ ji hoo… and on jae kyung’s side, love with jun pyo or friendship with jandi. But I think your perception makes more sense. =)
lol that glare kim bum/yi jung had right after hyun joong/ji hoo kissed him was that of a kid that got kissed by his mom in front of his friends. annoyed & embarrassed. haha it was too cute!!
I also loved jun pyo’s quick replies where he didn’t have to think about his answer.
I was also wondering, when yi jung grabbed ga eul’s wrist and said that, if he was talking about ga eul or eun jae… leaning more toward ga eul tho. <3 SoEulmate!
I thought this episode did a lot more for the series than the previous few. It was definaetly more put together than the last one. Ep. 18 was so scattered, there was no flow. Ep 19 got that back. YAY!
Hurray for Woo-bin! he’s my favorite! I loves him! okay, I am so glad that they are putting more of him in.
I was wowed by the YiJung /GaEul story this episode. He was so mean and calculating and cruel, even Jun-pyo would have said it was to far. I get that he is going through some tough and rough times right now but still… Taking advantage of GaEul like that to vent all his frustrations by hurting, mocking and humiliating her really was going to far. I agree with what you said about how if his FATHER even said he went to far then damn it was low. That said I loved it.
I am interested to know who he was talking about in all his drunken state. GaEul or Eun Jae?
This was a brilliant twist in their relationship and for me it was ruined by having GaEul seemingly forgive him so quickly. He treated her like some cheap trick regular, humiliates her again and again, deliberatly hurts her and she is back to swooning inside of a couple minutes! (program time of course). Personally, GaEul is my favorite incarnation thus far of the Yuuki character, and having her be so forgiving brings her down in my eyes. I would have truly loved to see him have to show some actual remorse for his actions. This could have been the perfect chance to evolve their relationship more by having him actually have to work himself back into her good graces, by having her anger draw out just a tad bit longer. It was so intense in that moment she throws the water on him that we can see on his face the shocked ‘oh-damn-I-really-screwed-up’ realization, that her swift forgivness really made almost no sense.
Anyway, now that my tirade is over (this just really bothered me), Thanks! so so much for all of your hardwork on your recaps and I can’t wait till next week for more!
YOU ROCK!
Great recap. It fills in all the holes because I tend to fast forward everything because I’m just waiting until I can get my hands on a copy so I can really enjoy it in better quality on my tv,
javabeans.. i was thinking the same thing from episode 18 when mr. jung was looking at that portfolio with the of pix of jandi moving; there was a pix of gaeul with jandi and kangsan inside the apartment. it seem like there are hidden cameras inside the apartment. well, im not suprised coming from the all powerful madam kang who can demolish an apartment complex in one day. imsure bugging cameras in the house was no biggie. =) im really looking forward to the next episode. especially when jandi goes in as joonpyo’s housemaid. i have a feeling that jk is slowing starting to give up on junpyo now. I love the scene where she asked junpyo whether he would choose love or friendship. I know many people have be interpreting this phrase in different ways, but to me it seems like jk is indirectly asking jp what she should do. she is basically referring to junpyo as love and jandi as friendship.(so should she choose love or friendship) i love the way jp answered. and what jk says afterward just broke my heart because she obviously wants both jp’s love and jd’s frinedship but she knows at this point she cant.
In regards to the friendship or love question… I thought Jun-pyo answer meant that he wants both Jan-di and Jae-kyung in his life. The former as his love, the latter as his friend. I wish I’d read it like you did though, friend and love as the same person, so I wouldn’t feel hurt over him (maybe) wanting to keep Jae-kyung as well (even if it is as a friend).
I think the question that JK pitched to JP about choosing between love and friendship also reflects JK’s own quiet dilemma and her inner turmoil. Gotta remember, JD was her first true friend and JK isn’t over the moon about hurting JD. JP is probably also the first guy JK loves. It’s not easy for her.
Instead of seeing JK as calculating for putting JD & JP together, I think her action mirrors JP’s very answer. She simply wants to (or tries to) retain friendship with JD as well as to keep her love JP. Give the girl some slack, she’s sharp and we can see that she is wavering…
my main gripe with the drama is currently the same for both pairs (JH-JD, JP-JK) …the conflict has dragged on for too TOO TOOOOO long already that i don’t know anymore how the hell they still expect us to ship for the main romantic leads! i can’t even remember anymore a time when i saw junpyo and jan di happy, and i tend to forget that when jun pyo smiles at jan di, he looks like a little boy getting his christmas present. I NEED REMINDING.
every ep, they invest so much time in conveying to us how much chemistry JH-JD and JP-JK have and how kindred and soulmatey they are. i find myself wondering how the hell we’re still expected to ship Jun di!
i know this conflict is going to be resolved, but there are only 6 episodes left and i am GOING TO SLAP KBS WITH A HUGE-ASS TUNA FISH if the *happy ending* we all know is coming anyway last only 3 episodes!!!
and there’s still supposed to be an amnesia arc! NO! they need to get rid of jae kyung, bring back the junpyo and jandi that jandi and junpyo fell in love with in the first place, and take that amnnesia arc and
MAKE IT INTO A MOVIE. heehee
thanks for the recap. I’ll watch it later, it is something that I will look forward to after doing a little bit or work.
“(Although, I admit to having a few moments of wondering whether PD Jeon just recently saw Goong and is trying to recapture the ambiance of that score. No, they’re not the same songs, but a couple of them sound familiar.)”
LOLZ. my thoughts EXACTLY. i was listening to some of the new ost and all i could think is: wow, this kind of sounds a lot like the goong ost. it’s not just some of the songs that are sung by groups/singers; it’s a number of instrumentals as well…very goong-esque.
@ Maria
OMG I SO AGREE
There are SO MANY FREAKING ARCS IN TEH MANGA that they could be doing that i just cannot understand WHY they are dragging on Jae Kyung so long, man!
I mean, she is pretty awsome, and she is doing a good job….but she can’t be there forever…this has got to end. And all im asking for is that she doesn’t stay here until the last episode. cuz if that happens, i’m going to be pissed.
@ Airajuliafor
As the eps progress…i’m really starting to think that we might get our first ever Ee Jung ending up with Ga Eul….but then again, we havent seen yet an interatcion between Ee Jung and his firs tlove. I think when that Happens, Ga Eul will realize she can’t take the girl’s place in his heart and step back…
but honestly, if they do end up together, it’s prob going to be done real badly. If you think about it, there are just too many things that need to change in Ee Jung for them to even consider being happy. And i doubt that they will have time to show his progression….so what i’m really afraid of is that they will just show Ee/Ga kissing and hugging or something in the last couple episodes (just to make us viwers happy) without giving it much depth
**also, i always kind of understood that its not only Joon Pyo that can’t date who he wants, i thought that basically all the F4 boys were expected to marry girls picked by their parents. If that is so, then it would make no sense for Ee to end up with Ga cuz their relationship would go through almost the same thing that JanDi and Joon Pyo went through (just not to the same degree of harrassment cuz no one is as bad as mama kang)…and that will just get old**
and to clear up the whole gaeul and yijung thing, i guess she forgave him for what she did because she was lingering in front of his house (perhaps she was worried) because she was there to let him in the house.. plus the scene where he grabs her hand when she is about to leave and says what he says. she obviously feels pity for him which allows her to forgive him for his past actions… although it was pretty harsh. plus.. she probable felt bad for throwing water at him anyways. lol
You can see that Jandi is developing affection for Ji hoo in this ep. Did you notice her impressive look on Jihoo, when he tuck her brother in? And the way she touch his cheek?….. It looks like this drama will end with Jandi-Jihoo as a couple. I really don’t mind though. That would be interesting. Since the first two versions have the same ending, why would the Korean do the same? Boorringg..!
Truth or Dare game – I was also hoping for another kiss too!
) But I do like JunPyo’s answer…It’s him alright: Arrogant and selfish!
Jihoo’s kiss is so adorable
The decoration of Jandi’s appartment: Come on! How do those rich, spoiled, princelike boys know how to do that kind of work??? Big flaw!
This episode was definitely alot better! =D This episode helps explain clearly the relationships. Well, at least for me.. They start to show Jae Kyung’s true intentions[hopefully] the fact that she seems to be letting go, little by little. And it also seems like she’s trying to get them together. But she’s definitely hurting. After reading some spoilers, or more like a review on Soompi, I really thought it was going to be another episode of more of Jae Kyung and Junpyo love, although unintentionally done. But obviously the person who wrote the review was being a little overdramatic on the details.
Jandi seems to be giving Junpyo the coldness he gave her in Macau. Telling him that those two people don’t exist anymore which in my interpretation, that she no longer sees Jundi anymore. [Or more like she's trying to forget it and give up on their endless drama relationship.]
Although its clear Junpyo wants her back, which was the HIGHLIGHT! =D
Kim Hyun Joong is getting better but I agree about the rain, I was thinking “I wonder if he has tears… Oh well, the rain must be it.” Haha, it was just a thought though… But he does have some flaws every here and there but he’s improved quite a bit. =)
Yi Jung is definitely bipolar, he’s all like emo then all of a sudden he’s cheery and happy but it must be because he’s with the boys and it can also be an act.
What he said when Ga Eul was going to leave is confusing. I honestly think its Ga Eul [A SoEulmate supporter here! Ahck!] But like you said it could also be Eun Jae.. =/ But we’ll just have to wait to find out…
The kiss between Jihoo and Yi Jung was definitely adorable! Haha, I was like “Aw!” Like a little fangirl. =)
Goshers, Evil Mama is kind of crazy huh? When she came to Jandi, she was obviously insulting her but it seems she was also pleading that she’d stop seeing Junpyo. But since no one could hide ANYTHING from Junpyo’s mom, Junpyo being with Jandi on his own will and him forcing himself upon Jandi, only makes Jandi suffer…
But anyways… I think I’m done here, not the greatest reply since I’m like DEAD tired… BUT great review. =) I’m glad you’re still sticking with this drama still, haha. I mean since the last episode I was like “If they are going to continue dragging it some more I’m gonna leave!” But then again how can I not want to watch Lee Minho being a great Junpyo? Haha. =D
PEACE!! =D Can’t wait for the next episode, hopefully it will be better and progress some more. =)
This episode moves back into the JD and JP pairing, although I still think the JK and JP pairing has more chemistry, even though the directing has made it clear that their relationship is platonic.
I really like JK’s character and the actress, who seems to have captured the female essence of a snobby, lonely rich girl mirroring JP. There are moments when it’s clear that JP is touched by her actions and stares at her like he’s seeing her for the first time. There’s a real danger in him falling for her b/c they are so alike and she can understand him. Her efforts to do for him those things he (and she) craved is touching in that sense. If JD hadn’t come along first, maybe JP could have ended up w/ someone like JK. However, I like how this episode has made it clear that JP will never sway.
On the other hand, I don’t like the direction JD’s character is going. We don’t know what she’s thinking, other than the fact that she mopes a lot over JP and is cheered up a lot by JH. I agree that I’m very glad JH is not played by a stronger actor. The types of things JD and JH do together, if acted well by someone else, would turn any girl’s heart, imo. I feel that the directing so far has spent much more time establishing the JD/JH pairing, and made a more solid foundation for it. JH is literally JD’s support every time she falls and she does the same for him. They talk to each other, they spend a lot of time together, they understand each other without words etc.
On the other hand, there just haven’t been many JP/JD interactions, and even though they finally start interacting again this week, I’m not getting enough of JD’s reaction to root for the pairing. While JK is having a moral dilemma over choosing friendship or love (being a good friend to JD or follow her heart to JP), it seems JD just kind of mopes about it. She listens to JK, and smiles awkwardly etc. and we can see she’s suffering but I get the sense that she is simply moping around rather than having a heart ache over JP. Unlike w/ JP, we don’t see the depths of her love for JP that clearly. I just don’t feel like she loves him as much as he loves her, and it’s strange to see her sad. I don’t know if it’s the acting or not but I get the “sad, mopey puppy” vibe rather than the “heart-wrenching, kick-in-the-gut, love of my life w/ someone else” feeling from her.
Overall, I would like to see some reaffirmation of the JP/JD pairing in the next few episodes. We got a sense of it in this episode but there needs to be more if they are going to be the ultimate couple. I think it’s more on her end than his that need to be anted up. It’s clear now how he feels but JD is so ambiguous. I just don’t see the great, burning love for JP from her. They get back together finally but are all cutsey, fighting etc. Where’s the angst for him having a fiancee? Ditching her? How can she act so normal to him when they have so much unfinished business…
Um, #59, YiJung should be glad she didn’t throw the water GLASS at him! What he said was just so..cruel! Since she didn’t put him in the hospital, she let him off easy!
I have to defend JiHoo acting. I think he did a good job of crying. His character is so low key and emotionless, it would have been weird if he had all of a sudden started emoting Kim Bum style. So I was touched by his wandering and crying.
I am seriously loving Jun Pyo again. I really think his level of acting and story involvement makes or breaks the episode. He was at his best today!
The best part in this episode? Yi Jung/Ji Hoo kiss. Hahaha:)) it was so effin’ adorable! LOL
lol. you’re right #63. but im glad they didnt drag out the gaeul mad at yijung think.. we mustn’t waste anymore precious bof time in expanding other plot lines besides jd and jp. however, i really hope the soeul mates end up together in the end. =)
I’m so addicted to this drama. I love everything about it, including all the flaws..Pure entertaiment!
Ji Hoo(Kim Hyun Joong) looks horribly skinny. I don’t like the way they make him looked or dressed in this drama. He’s used to be so sexy, and gorgeous. What have they done to him???
@Maria
You are so right. JK is getting to spend a lot of tender fun loveinducing moments with JP. JH get to fall and sleep (again for the millionth time) holding JD’s hand. Tender tender romantic moments- with the wrong partner!!! Why is JD in love with JP again? What the hey is the director intending?? Thank god he made JP fess up to say he would not give up the girl. (but, why again?)..for a minute there thought there was going to be a JK JP wedding!
Don’t see how they can possibly finish this and make everyone happy in 5 eps (6?) they really do need a sequel or a movie
whatever it is, Im rooting for Yijung to finally fall for Gaeul. The woman is so pretty (so is he come to think of it)
Thanks for the recap as always I am so pathetic that I checked this many many times today.
agree, agree, agree with all ur comments. thanx
this episode is way better than the 18th.but a lot of people complain about this one (soompi forum is filled with negative comments for each scene). I hope PD will follow this one even those complains than the really boring 18th.
cross fingers and knock wood!
PS: no more drink game? so means than JD mature enough to be less stupid?
it would have been wild if Jandi just gave Junpyo a kiss. that’ll prolly solve a whole lot! lol. she would have given him a straight answer without ‘hurting’ anybody since it’s part of the game.
i can’t help but be uneasy with the puzzle piece. just when Yijung is finally seeing Gaeul in a new light, i have this nagging feeling that seeing that puzzle piece would ruin everything, make him remember Eunjae, blah blah blah… gah. BOO!
thanks for the great recap!
@javabeans….my interpretation of jaekyung’s question to JunPyo about love or friendship is about her…in a way…she’s making sure if Jun Pyo will give up Jandi for the sake of his friendship w/ Ji Hoo…if he aswered friendship.. then she will stick out with Jun Pyo and wait until he finally learns to love her back and if he asnwered love then she’ll probably think of giving up for the sake of her friendship w/ jandi…..
the best part for me in this episode is the part where jihoo grabbed jandi’s hand as if to tell her please don’t leave me alone…and i think jandi got it that ’s why she stayed the night there….my only regret though is that i dont feel the magic from jandi and junpyo like before….i am actually preparing myself for a totally different ending…..my friend just listed all the good things that Jihoo did for jandi w/o expecting anything in retrun…compared to what jun pyo did for jandi…(which is mostly nothing but heartaches btw)….and we totally think that jandi doesnt have any reason to go back to jun pyo….hmmmm unless something really big and romantic happens in the next episodes…thanks sarah…see you next week…
i forgot who mentioned this already, but i was also very disappointed by the way gaeul “forgave” yijung so quickly after the poignant water throwing scene. it seems like once she figured out that she liked the guy, she lost her spunky self and became weak-kneed. and why is yijung always (seemingly) following gaeul if he doesn’t want her to pursue him?! ….like he shows up at the end of the pottery class and smiles that unbelievably charming kimbum smile…why did he come there? also, does he know that his (former) first love is the teacher of the class? it seems weird that he would come to the class just for gaeul. like shouldn’t there be a confrontation between yijung and his first love so at least the audience can find out whether or not yijung is really ready to move on?
i think though that the classic korean hand-grabbing scene was a reference to gaeul. yijung’s father is an intense player and that is why yijungs’s mom is a wreck in the hospital. yijung is a lesser player, but he showed gaeul in this episode how far he can go (even if he was acting that way partially because he was intoxicated). i don’t think that yijung became a player until after things didn’t turn out smoothly with his first love…he only would have been loyal to her in the beginning. also, the scene where yijung thoughtfully puts on gaeul’s gloves or arm socks or whatever makes me think that that earlier scene referred to her…yijung was acting like a badass purposefully earlier, but he cares about gaeul and doesn’t want to be the one to endlessly cause her grief and that’s why he did so. in a way i think he treasures her, just like he treasures those socks she gave him. otherwise, why would he always refer to her as innocence that he doesn’t want to spoil?
overall, it makes me a little apprehensive to think that there are only 5 or 6 epsidoes left of the show. thus far i feel like there is so much lost ground to make up for and that a lot of the prior episodes were wasted on fluff scenes instead of the deep stuff. i really don’t want to see a rushed “happy ending” either. let’s get serious here people and have a strong conclusion. bbf hwaiting!~
Actually, I think a whole lot about this drama is a copy cat of Goog: 1) the horse riding, 2) the teddy bear museum, 3) the scene with Junpyo doing gomdo (instead of fencing in Goong, but same sole activity when the prince charming is pissed off and needs to let off steam), 4) Macau and egg tarts and a whole other slew off Goog copies that I can’t quite remember at this time, but mainly in the earlier episodes. I think they used the same singers for some of the songs for the 2nd half OST, the woman’s voice is especially familiar. I’ll bet they will do a Jeju-do scene too.
I will have to disagree with most of the posters here and say that I was very disappointed with this episode. More of the same tedium. How come there are so few episodes with JunDi? And the few they put together left me completely unsatisfied. I am going through JunDi withdrawal and I am getting really tired of this relentless pointless dragging on and on and on with ancillary and badly acted drama that is neither here nor there. GIMME MY JUNDI FIX.
I am also having a hard time figuring out how and when Junpyo did a 180 degree and decided to go after Jandi after all. Was it the guilt over her shoulder? I think they could have made it a little clearer. I also wish they would have shown the scene of Junpyo giving Jandi the phone and putting the JandiCall sticker on the phone. Can’t you just imagine the mischivious smile Junpyo would have had on his face when he put that sticker on her phone? That would have been a classic Junpyo moment. Instead they show JaePyo going to buy the phone and how great/popular the phone is. Geez, haven’t they beaten the dead horse already with advertising for the phone? They’ve been rubbing that phone in my face so much that if I lived in Korea and needed a phone I would specifically not buy that phone because they are pissing me off with the less than subtle ANYCALL adverts in the drama. Enough already.
What the hell was the point of (1) Junpyo eating raw ramen scene and (2) sausage man saying the JaePyo couple is a nice couple??? POINT????
Okay, you know you’re addicted when you write 10 pages of complaints yet you still have this pavlovian reaction that you can’t help but watch the drama in relentless hope that the director and the producer will finally get to the hear of the drama- JUNDI!!!!
Thanks for your recaps, Javabeans! I keep refreshing the page untill it shows up on Mondays and Tuesdays!
I think what is interesting about the JP/JK interaction is the fact that they’re ARE perfect for each otherm actually. They have the same background, similar childhood traumas, if the breakfast scene is any indication, and thay have very similar temperaments and personalities, actually. I believe that the point here is that love doesn’t choose whoever’s the most perfect for you sometimes. There are other reasons why JP fell for JD, and he’s the kind of guy who goes after what he’s set his heart to. At the same time, I think JP can’t see JK as a possible partneras he’s already in love with JD, but he’s been opening himself to the possibility of letting her into his world, as he does see she is a kindred spirit. But he’s also aware of the fact that she wants more than he can give her, and I think it’s really sweet and decent of him to make a point of not stringing her along.
The chemestry is undeniable, but I guess you can’t really fight that. And I can’t even be angry at them for that, as I love them both. Also, I can’t hate JK, as I absolutely love Shigeru, the original manga character, and was always surprised at how much she ended up helping Domyoji and Makino in the manga – I’m really hoping this is how the JK charecter will eventually act..
I, for one, am hoping they eventually pair these two actors (Lee Min Ho and Lee Min Jung ) up in a future drama, because then I’ll be able to root for them properly!
When I first saw this:
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm96/javabeans122/drama/kkot/bbf2/kkot19-182.jpg
“Why is Jihoo trying to molest him >:O?” XD
And now I’m officially JihooXJandi @______@
Only a few more episodes left… I wonder if this will be the beginning of Korean Idol Drama era and change the industry (Is desperate for a new change in K-pop/dramas)
I wonder how it will end ^^”
“Okay, you know you’re addicted when you write 10 pages of complaints yet you still have this pavlovian reaction that you can’t help but watch the drama in relentless hope that the director and the producer will finally get to the hear of the drama- JUNDI!!!!”
I agree XD
Honestly, it’s the most flawed drama I’ve ever watched (besides some great actors/actresses…. aka Junpyo’s Mama) yet why is it so addicting O_____________O!?
@ maria i dont think they’re going to go w/ the amnesia part beause there was no preparation for the other girls character….so maybe they’ll totally skip that part or like you said put it in a movie or something…..i really hope jun pyo will do something big for jandi first before they get back together though…because it will make me really sad and mad if jandi will just leave jihoo…for jun pyo just like that…i don’t know ..it’s just my opinion…they made jihoo’s character so good that i am actually hoping he’ll win jandi at the end…..see yah!!!
thanks for the recap javabeans!
Im just wondering how come jp cannot fight his mom because ive seen the japanese version and the mom blames the son for the supposedly death of one of the employee but even though she makes him feel guilty baout the deathe of an employee he still fight for his love for makino and give up everything….. why can’t jp do that if he really love and can’t let go of jd? will it ever happen in this story? or maybe there will be an extended episodes but they just dont want to say anything? when they say the korean version will be different from the other version, it really different.
oh totally forgot that Kim joon scene of despair in episode 18th was way better act than KHJ here even if it was in an awkward situation. now I wonder if they put Kim Joon in the JH character, would I fall in love with JH? because Kim Huyn Joong makes me hate everything about JH and having a boyfriend like him will make my life boring…I like KHJ but his acting here is really no good at all
I’ve only read the the recap for Episode 19 so far… will watch the episode later today. But man.. FINALLY some jandi / jun pyo action going on. Honestly, I told myself if the jae-kyung / jun pyo thing continues, I’ll just have to take a break until this whole thing finishes. It’s really agonizing to watch it since I know jandi and jun pyo will end up together, and the production just wants to draaaaaaaaaaaag it out for as loooooooong as possible until the end to get more episodes in. I hate the drag. It’s just never ending!!!
Now… another week! Every week I just hope for some kind of reconciliation between jandi and jun pyo. They need to get the show on the road!!!!
Really liked this episode alot. Can see that JP treated KS as his own kid brother and still hire the entire pizza car for him LOL…Hope that JH will forgive grandpa asap. That old man is so poor thing…How come JD never honour her words to JP. Makes him so so sad…
yay…. u gave me the confimation of the feeling i’ve got on ‘goong’ist background music ha!… thanks…
I see that some of you are impressed with Junpyo saying that he wont let go of his love no matter what. But for me, I’m pretty disappointed. If he really meant it then why isnt he doing anything? You see, that’s why Junpyo and Jihoo are so different. For Jihoo, his actions speaks louder than words but for Junpyo, it’s only words but no actions. No offense to those Junpyo maniacs.
I love Lee Minho but Junpyo just pisses me off.
At this point, I really hope Ji Hoo and Jan Di will end up with each other: every time Jan Di and Joon Pyo are alone with each other, at least one of them end up screaming / shouting or worse, punching (someone else). Seriously, WHY were/are they in love if they cannot even talk to each other properly?
Seeing JiHoo’s grandpa having a heart attack worries me..
What if the grandpa died? JiHoo will all alone once JanDi goes back to JunPyo.
That is really too sad. JiHoo deserves happiness.
Yay for episode 19!!!
So, the truth game segment was one of my favorites. Ji-hoo and his hysterical kiss to Yi-jung, Jun Pyo’s honesty in answering Ji-hoo’s (and probably his other friends) without an ounce of doubt, that heartrending moment when Jan-di just looks so tired as she answers Jun-pyo’s question… Amazing. Jae-kuyng needs to go though. I’m just so done with that whole thing. And she really made me mad in this episode. Just stop being a rocky box and let the man go!
Then there is Mama Kang. Man she is one determined woman. And I agree with you, Lee Hye-young has one of the most piercing stares ever. She’s brilliant in this role. So brilliant. I can’t wait for next week!
felicidades!!! que buena esta esta pagina… me entero mas rapido de lo que pasa en mi novela preferida boys before flowers
en lo pesonal me encanta la pareja de Yijung y Gaeul me encantaria que se queden juntos!!!!
bueno hasta l aproxima.. nos seguimos escribiendo
The show has been static since episode 12. I cannot believe that the PDs are so devoid of any concept of pacing that they would stretch out the fiancee deal for 8-9 (and God only knows how many more) episodes. It is the same story week in, week out, with varying degrees of WTF?
Jandi is the most banal Makino ever–how could the original writer of HYD greenlight these episodes? JK is awesome as a character and as a female role–she is smart, attractive, wins during video games, is patient, etc., etc. It is obvious that the writers know how to create memorable female characters, so the fact that they are choosing to make Jandi a total bore is extra offensive.
Also, being poor doesn’t mean that you have no sense of style. Jandi clothes in every episode, and especially the last two have me gritting my teeth. A yellow kerchief around the neck? And that jacket? Wow–really? Grrrrrr.
And the Ga-Eul/YJ subplot is annoying to no end–it is contrived, vacuous, manipulative, and a total bore. Dude, if you can’t deal with your dad fooling around, deal with it like a man: talk to your mother, realize that adult relationships are tough, let it go, and move on. Acting like a 12 year old boy isn’t winning you any points.
On a different note: I have a crush on the Hyun Joong (JH). He gives the craziest interviews! I cannot believe half the things he says, all with that naughty smile on his face. Love it.
oh, next episode better be good. we need to see MORE JP/JD interaction! JD also has to show her side of the love! Won’t it be tiring to see only Jun Pyo giving all his love but not reciprocated? He’d be tired too. JP needs to give her a big smack on the lips to jolt her back into JPLoveland…either that or SOMEONE (not JK, maybe the sister or what Kang San said) need to jolt her into GIVING, not just receiving…
It’s your turn Geum Jan Di! Hwaiting!
I read that the T-Max song (feat. J!) is written by the same guy who wrote Goong’s “Perhaps Love”, that’s why the whole thing sounds familiar.
when f3 showed up at jandi’s door, not just jihoo, i had a big smile on my face. these boys need to be together again more! thoroughly enjoyed the truth game scene. i also had the same thought- that it’s about time for the girls to be ’saving’ the boys instead always being the ones needing rescue.
i think all signs point to soojin (i forget her character’s name) being the girl yi jung’s always talking about. which makes me sad. his convo w/ joonpyo about ‘we only hurt the girls we love’ was before gaeul declared her like and after he dreamed about sleeping on soojin’s lap. and he longingly touched the jigsaw vase/pieces. and in this ep, he referred to the girl he pushed away in the third person- if it were gaeul, wouldn’t he just say “you?” but silly me, i’m assuming there’s logic in kdrama land, when no such thing exists. as evidenced by how soeul were so happy and smiley, painting next to each other, as if nothing happened after their disastrous night.
i agree meikisis!
i think jae kyung asked jun pyo that question with her situation in mind. she loves jun pyo but jan di is like the first friend she ever had. she is torn between the two because she loves both jandi and jun pyo, albeit in different ways.
this ep had its many lowpoints and i guess a few highlights…
first of all, omg, seriously, i was trying to cry when ji hoo was wondering in the rain and nothing.. i was just a bit touched because i tried my hardest.. quite sad, i like to have tear jerkers as it shows how great the drama is…
secondly, lol.. the woobin comment.. as if he needs to think f4 are girls ..nice one
then, i don’t get yi jung… how does he randomly always know where ga eul is????? i was seriously wondering if he has like a gps or some tracker to locater her with…
the grandpa heart thing? don’t tell me its so predictable that he will get a heart attack, still survive in critical condition causing ji hoo to rush and they both spill their guts and realize that they misunderstood each other and they’ll live happily ever after……..also, it was really weird how the construction workers just started abolishing the building while ppl were still sleeping inside! so unrealisitic.. they would get their asses sued in real life
ok… looking forward to jandi moving in as a maid! hope it happens next ep.. sorta expecting it to occur this week.. guess the previews were misleading
Hm… I think I have some slightly different perspectives on some of the characters but in general I’m in agreement with the recap.
For one, I totally agree that Jun-pyo and Jae-kyung have great chemistry. Physically they are a very appealing match, a lot more than Jan-di. Their personalities too. I really think Jun-pyo would’ve fallen for Jae-kyung if there was no Jandi to began with. But that would satisfy the Madam Witch and allow her to think she really was giving happiness to her kids instead of just being selfish and evil. XP
On the matter of Jae-kyung, I have some different thoughts . I think she was evil manipulative in lying to Jandi about the “historic” night but in this episode, I get the feeling that she’s coming to terms that Jun-pyo only loves Jandi. So in her heart, she’s slowly letting go. That’s why all her actions eventually lead back to giving Jun-pyo opportunities to interact with Jandi. I think the video games, the shopping etc are all things she wanted to do with Jun-puo as a couple. Like she wants to store up some good memories with him before she finally lets go. It’s kind of like..those about to die, they want to have happy memories with their love one? Only..there isn’t any death here…I hope.
Remember the truth game? When she heard Jun-pyo’s answer there wasn’t anger or bitterness. Just quiet sadness. There was no evil menacing glare to destroy or anything.
Also the question she asked Jun-pyo, my take on it is.. she was asking him a question she herself is dealing with. “Love or friendship?” Love being Jun-pyo or friendship meaning Jandi. Should she choose to hang on to love and betray Jandi? Or give up her love for Jun-pyo for friendship with Jandi and Jun-pyo. She may have wanted him to tell her one way or the other. But she liked his answer so much, she knew it would only make her decision to let him go so much harder.
So I don’t think Jae-Jyung is bad at all. Actually if I didn’t already know the main storyline I would totally be rooting for her. But then..Jun-pyo only likes Jandi so…what can we do?
hi…as usual i love ur recap…but need to add smth here…am x sure whether izit juz me or wat, its happened when JP is been drag away by his mom’s men
when JH trades look with JP, i notice how JP actually try to tell him smth (how they exchange look, d eye contact)…tat is to take care of JD, knowing his mom…tats xplain y JH waiting for d other 2 b4 comes up to JD house…correct me if am wrong
p/s: xcuse my english ;0)
I like this episode a lot! Even if Ju Pyo’s mom is unleashing her wrath on Jan Di again, Jand Di with her friends’ support, seem to be a lot stronger. Even her brother is so optimistic.
And Jun Pyo is so cute eating the ramen. He looked like he was really enjoying it. And for him to be so generous to Jan Di’s bro…awwww….
I hope we get more of Woo Bin in the next episode. The guy is a natural at defending Jan Di. His sincerity touches me.
And you are right Javabeans, when Jae Kyung was introduced to the F3, they were all stiff and I was like…awkwaaarddd!…I thought I saw Woo Bin roll his eyes in that scene. Or didn’t he? Still, he looked so cute nontheless. LOL.
Thanks a lot! yr efforts are greatly appreciated!
As with every Monday and Tuesday evening, along with watching the episode with Chinese subs, your Episode Recap is a MUST READ for me. I liked how you highlight important and interesting parts, sometimes I miss them because I am busy reading the subs. I’m not sure if anyone felt the same way, but the way the two girls tended the guys in the episode (19) and Woo-bin’s kind of odd airtime with him being self-conscious about his gangster background kind of brought the drama to a more humane and somber level and I think in a odd sense it probably fitted with the mood of the cast since one of their cast members passed away. I’m probably overthinking it but I’m glad these episodes weren’t too cheery just because it would be really odd to see some superfunny or joyful scenes while thinking about the moods of these actors. Just my own thought.
One more thing- I like to think that when Junpyo jumps in all agitated saying “ahn dwae” (no!) when Woo Bin suggests giving a deep french kiss in the Truth game, that he jumps in because he doesn’t want even the slight possibility of any of the F3 giving Jandi a french kiss.
I LOL when Jihoo kissed Yijung. He is such a so cute when he blushes! Truth or Dare game is back…. I love it and glad it was part of my life before!
Junpyo is back…… I love the warm, cuddly and “i want that thing and it’s final”, Junpyo. He took care of lil bro well….
Well, Lil bro will stream the message to big Noona and Noona will consider, right! Dry Ramen is very nice as time when you need it! When JK asked him that question, I wanted him to answer both are as equally important as his priority. BINGO: He gave us something positive. Jandi saying all in denial to the love that she have for Junpyo. She’s just pretending to be strong. Jiho, he’s such a darling….. Time for Jandi to save the distressed.
Tt witch really doesn’t give JANDI a breather eh! WOW… Future Mom In Law from hell (”,) that witch will give up one fine day as written in the Manga!
Ga Eul is super strong to except rejection and still can go out as friends with them. I wanna have JK as my bestie, coz i just need a new phone. JK can you buy me a ANycall HAptic phone…. Puhhlezzzzzz!
Episode 19 doesn’t make me cry but it makes me feel that friendship is important to everyone.
Thank U to the person who did the recapssss! See you on Tuesday, Singapore time… Hahaha
This episode FOR ME, showed that JP resolve is slowly melting and he is finally able to face the fact that his life is just not RIGHT without her… but on the offset , JD feelings towards him has reach its breakable limit… In the beggining she was never the one who shows off her feelings easily, she uses her strong personality (a.k.a screaming, aloof, nonchalant) to express how she feels towards him, but in recent episodes conveys to us how much she was hurting seing JP but not being able to be with him… and how much his sudden change of heart affected her to the point where she was slowly losing her true self…
The truth or dare game maybe gave junpyo the courge he needed to admit to himself how he feels towards her, but for her, i think, she has better grips on what is at stake if she allowed herself to be that vulnerable again… thus, her answer to his question about thier so called “promise”… (both person who made the promise is gone now…) wasnt it him who broke it first? what right does he have to ask her if it still stand? that boy is going to have one hell of a time winning her back… and im going to enjoy watching every minute of it…
Jihoo’s character when asked if he could ever love another woman was clearly expressed by just the way he looks at JD… (is it just me or JP also caught that look he gave her…
) Jihoo is just too much of a gentleman that he held back out of respect for both JP and JD… Im not sure if he will be able to tell her how he trully feels since he clearly knows that she is still hurting/healing, and she already has way too much on her plate for him to add on to it… for now, he is satisfied by just being her constant support and comfort… it sucks for him, but its his way of showing her he loves her…
So, what we know right now if rumors prove to be true is that we still have more mind blowing scene to painfully await for… the rain scene that leads to the wedding scene(if any or whoever the bride/groom might be) then it might ultimately lead to JK/JP break up scene (one can only hope)… then of course it wouldnt be korean dram effect without the memory loss part… with this much to cover i dont really know if i have the heart to continue watching this series. one thing is for sure… im tired of the slow excruciating stroyline, and it has finally reach the peak of my limit … im just going to read your recaps and wait until the end to see if its still worth watching…
I really adore this site…. Thank you again and again for your never ending humor in your recaps, which i know is not so easy to write given the last couple dragged out episodes… ( thank God for alcohol and of course with the right amount of alcohol intake can make ANY bad scene bearable to watch..
)
First of all, i wanna say thankyou Javabeans for all wonderfull writings that u have done. i always enjoy reading ur blog,keep up the good work.
Javabeans, fighting!!!!
But, I have to disagree with u, i think this episode is just so so. I really really really want to make a request to ‘Flowers for my life’s PD-’Soulmate’s Music Director- and ‘Que Sera Sera’s Scriptwriter, Could u guys take over this show and kick PD Jeon’s ass for me,pleaseee?? (mehehehehe,sorry guys,for the ‘not so polite’ languages)
PS, english is not my native languages, so please forgive me for any incorrect grammars and sentences that i have made.
i really love this episode. i even never taught that Im watching a 1 hour episode. No really dull moments. I love the truth-dare game, but im kinda waiting Ga-Eul will ask question to Yi Jung, and will give her a kiss. hehehe (Too much to ask)! I love how F3 support Jan-Di. I kinda like Jae Kyung in this episode altough little bit annoying i think that she is ready to raise the white flag for Jan-Di and Jun Pyo… I really enjoy this episode BBF is really back on the track. The actors really step up in this episode only with their facial expression and no dialogue I can really see their emotions esp. Ji Hoo and Yi Jung! I also love Kim Joon he improve his acting and his very funny too.
Im looking forward to the next episode!
This episode has reminded me of something that I’d notice in earlier episodes. F3 has the capability and actually can apply some elbow grease or perform some manual labor to help out a friend, i.e. JD.
But, the JP character seems not to have reached the ability to go the extra mile for someone that he professes to love. (And, I’m not talking about having food cooked for her in New Caledonia.) Even if he doesn’t directly fight his mother, I’m sure he has other resources with which he can secretly protect or help JD and her family. Instead, he’s practically catatonic when it comes to his mother. And, I don’t count the time he protected JD from his mother’s slap by begging her with “please”.
I don’t mean to do a comparison. But, F4, in the J version, handled the mother’s interference with much more secretive resistance and in ways that were more in line with the characteristics of each F4 member. It’s interesting that this PD and writer chose not to try this method to enhance the drama.
As for “Truth and Dare”, I think it was a beautiful way to move the storyline.
BTW, we didn’t get a kiss on top of the car hood in episode 18. But, we got one now. hahahaha
@Two Cents: agreed 100% with you about the 180. this is a MAJOR production/writing flaw and i’m beginning to see that the creators really have no idea what they’re doing. how did joonpyo go from calling jandi a stain to moving in next door to her? what the hell happened? how stupid do they think us, the viewers are? how are we supposed to just accept that sudden change, especially considering how little time jandi and joonpyo has spent together since his move back from macau. it’s like the writers want to still have the major plot points from the manga, without showing any of the crucial details and progression along the way, so we’re just left in confusion. ok ok, i’ll give them a break. this episode was a LOT better than recent episodes, especially the second half. but i keep wondering how much longer can they hold my attention with the draggy, tedious lovelines. i’m getting sick of the bulging eyes, both from KHJ and KB. i don’t care about soeul couple anymore because ga eul pisses me off with her victim-slant and there’s nothing from either of them that makes me feel like they make a good match, other than they’re both so pretty. i i don’t even like KHJ anymore. i remember during “We Got Married”, he was so charming and i loved him despite his extremely feminine looks. now my opinion of him has really lowered to the point that even seeing his face on the screen makes me want to punch him in the beady eyes. god, that TERRIBLE crying scene. i was thinking the same thing about the rain. i agree with javabeans. everything i know about KHJ makes him seem like he’d be a lovely guy outside of the BBF world. but god is he a TERRIBLE actor.
i’m sure i’m just beating a dead horse but i agree that this JK thing is getting stupidly dragged out. for some reason the writers don’t seem to understand the concept of balance. with every other obstacle that has stood in joonpyo and jandi’s way, the most number of episodes they would last for would be 1, maybe 2. with this one, i’ve had to listen to her annoying whining voice for the past 3 or 4 weeks. somebody make it stop.
i wonder what the quality of this show would be like if it wasn’t so damn successful. it’s like the creators just gave up because they know people would tune in no matter what. i’ve watched bad dramas before. but none of them have made me feel like the creators just don’t care. poor editing, horrible continuity, plotholes, inappropriate music, bad acting. i tear my hair out in frustration!
WILL THEY STOP MAKING JI HOO TALK WITH HIS CELLPHONE PLACED OUTSIDE HIS HELMET??? THIRD TIME ALREADY!!!
i love kang-san and jan-di’s relationship. i actually got teary-eyed at the farewell, with kang-san saying all those words. i’d hate to be in jan-di’s shoes at that moment, left behind with the witch-mother waiting to demolish her.
woobin’s solid in this episode. such a great friend.
f*ck..forget the original storyline..JP&JK, JH&JD.
Or maybe none of them end up together…that would be even better
It’s almost to the point where I can’t even watch Madame Kang anymore. I used to think the actress in the Japanese version was a nasty piece of work…used to…
She is so amazing that I squirm in my seat every time she speaks, looks, sighs, breathes….She’d make an excellent interrogator….”Ahhhhhhhhh, I confess, I confess…whatever it is, I confess, just stop staring at me!”
Thanks for your recaps as the quality of the video has been a little off lately.
: )
does this mean that yijung is not going to end up with gauel??? =(
Wait… maybe Kim Hyun Joong’s bug eyes are because he’s getting so skinny. I heard that he lost weight for the role of Rui, but with all the difficulties of filming, everyone has been losing weight. But it is really noticeable on Hyung Joong… he used to look healthier in the early ss501 days. Hyun Joong, go eat a hamburger with fries..supersized.
anyone know the instrumental song (sound similar to Goong) played in this episode. Where can I download it or find it.
Considering the circumstances I’m okay with Ga Eul forgiving Yi Jung quickly. At dinner she stood up for herself and left but she also heard his mother was in hospital after trying to commit suicide and his father dates school girls. I’m choosing to believe (and they wont go back and explain it so I can) that Ga Eul was waiting outside his workshop to tell him off properly but also offer support if he needed it. Her initial anger had already softened so when he’s agonised over making the ‘kid’ cry it doesn’t matter if he was talking about Eun Jae to her it would seem like he felt guilty over how he treated her she stopped being angry.
Yi Jung didn’t appear to know it was Ga Eul helping him therefore I vote he was talking about her and not Eun Jae.
Really a cute and funny episode but one more drag and it will really lead us all to some chronic cases of acute boredom… If only there are some changes to look forward to:
1. KHJ’s acting is really not improving. His cold, popping eyes were way too far from the emotions of the scene. The “crying in the rain” scene is also grossly used in several dramas already. (I wanna drink for that again).
2. LMH is also cold meat here. Except for his cute outrageous craving for noodles and ordinary deli foods, he did not show anything new to be fussed about. The storyline of JK in his life is also becoming too much to the point of annoyance. If they are meant to be “just friends”, then so be it! (I miss it when he went his sayings wrong)
3. JD’s character is also supposed to be a tough weed. But why is her character being dragged to just being a caring friend and sister? I’m hoping for something more like that of SC’s (Taiwan) and Makino’s (Japan) struggles in character. (Err… is that you Geum Soon? Be strong, eh!)
4. KB’s acting is nice and cute. But I still want the depth of his character to show, especially now that he would be torn between his present and his past in the next episode.
5. I can say that the remaining strong characters we have are JK and Madam Kang. They are so convincing I almost want to hate these two forever. Anyway, we will see how they would remain consistent with their acting in the remaining episodes.
In the storyline, the truth or dare game gave us some clear insights on how the characters really felt. JH remained the “4th-dimensional” mysterious guy who doesn’t want his feelings to get duped , while JP declared how he would not want to give up on JD. On the other hand, JD was obviously still hurt with JP and made him feel this pain when JP asked her about her promise in the highway. JK is confused between her friendship (to JD) and love (to JP). The conflict that Madam Kang brought remains to be a grave threat for JP-JD’s love, even when F3, or the likes of JK and Sec. Jung help them out. How tough their love would endure these trials ( read: how the production crew would add the drag) is up to the ratings game.
“Friendship or love: If you had to choose between them, which would you pick?”
I took this as implying that by JP going after JD, he’d have to give up his friendship with JH. It’s clear that JK knows he’s in love with JD and that she also knows JH is in love with JD – ergo, going after ‘love’ with JD would destroy his ‘friendship’ with JH. But, in order to keep his friendship, he’d have to give up on love.
I was rather unsatisfied with his ‘both’ answer, although I guess it’s as much in character as it could be. I don’t know, I’ve had a hard time buying the JP/JD pairing the whole drama and it’s just getting less of my (already half-hearted) support as everything progresses.
I would actually be really psyched at this point if they changed the ending to JP/JK and JH/JD – there’s far more chemistry and depth in those pairings. JP and JD were just never really happy together and all their ’sentimental’ memories are pretty shallow and forced. JP just isn’t making the same depth of sacrifice as Domyoji did in the Japanese version – I’ve only ever momentarily believed in the JP/JD pairing because we were told to, not because they bothered to show us good reasons.
To me, JH’s character is a lot more like Domyoji than JP. He’s the one who’s always ignoring the social barriers between him and JD and making sacrifices for her (putting his friendships on the line and such). Not to mention that he’s the one she’s having all the sweet moments with and who actually recognizes her as an equal. It’s funny though, because I never liked his Rui counterpart from the Japanese version – I never believed that he’d gotten over his ex and really fell in love with Makino (AKA – JD), but I’m the opposite with JH. I’ve all but forgotten he was ever not in love with JD.
Actually, I’ll be really pissed when it DOESN’T end up to be JD/JH (they won’t actually change it… right? Can I hold out pathetic hope anyways?). In this version JH is so utterly alone, except for JD. He’s orphaned and even though he’s about to make nice with his grandfather again – the man has heart problems (AKA – is on his imminent death bed)! He’s like a puppy that keeps getting kicked in the face by life and it seriously just breaks my heart into a billion pieces – his character is so utterly tragic. I just want him to have at least one good thing in his life. He’s nothing but kind and selfless (originally stepping back from his feelings for JD because of how much he valued his friendship with JP and such) and I really hate seeing those types of characters always getting screwed over for being decent human beings. Let him and JD be together, please please please.
JK and JP have infinitely better chemistry than JP and JD anyways, plus their relationship is so much more genuine. I can’t help but think of that look he gave her at their breakfast – he’s never looked at JD with such complex emotion.
Just because we know what’s ’supposed’ to happen, that doesn’t mean it’s what should happen here.
Re:music, one song does remind me of Perhaps Love from Goong’s OST!
I found out from jazzholic that the song “Wish Ur My Love” 위시유어마이러브 sang by T-max and J was composed by 박근철 Park Geun Cheol, who also did Perhaps Love.
http://www.jazzholic.com/2009/03/06/goongs-composer-did-a-theme-for-jundi/
i think Jae Kyung’s question about Love & Friendship has more to do with her than with Jun Pyo. it’s her choice that’s in question. even if it’s very obvious to her that there’s no one else in Jun Pyo’s heart but Jan Di, it’s some kind of self preservation to say she would “choose” to give way to Jan Di because she considers her a friend.
I seriously think the biggest problem of this drama are the PD and the scripwriter. it is true Hyun Joong is not a great actor, well, at least JiHoo was supposed to be slightly autistic. It is absolutely clear that LMH can put so much subtleties into his emotional scenes that just make your heart break. However, the PD is skipping around random scenes and shooting from the wrong angles that just make me want to screeeeeam “even I can shoot better than you do!” I don’t know about this whole filming while airing thing in Korean, doesn’t make any sense to me at all….
HI ALL
tHE DIRECTORS AND WRITER HERE WILL PULL ALL LOOSELY-COUPLED SCENES TOGETHER LATER…
SO HANG ON!
tAWANESE AND JHYD SEEMS TO DO THE SAME.
THE T-HYD WAS WORSE THAN KBBF IN THE LONG-WINDED FIANCE EPISODES. IT YHE WORST SIDE OF THIS DRAMA.
i wish that this drama would move faster..
i found this episode a bit dragging..
but nevertheless, i still did enjoy it!
Where is the PD going with this story? It is really dragging right now… I find myself bored for large periods during the hour. I was afraid it would be like a typical Kdrama – they should have had 16 episodes only!!!
What a pity the kid actor Ji-hoo is a better actor than the grown-up. .-(
Thanks for the recap! Haha, pancakes of sadness and now, porridge of pity.
The truth game scene is tops – reminded me of why I got hooked on BOF in the first place. Love the cheeky F4 camaraderie. Most of all, this is the JP I’ve been missing so much – not the wavering fickle softie but the single-minded stubborn obstinate bull. Though JD’s loving caress of JH’s cheek, her blissful sweet smile when he looked at her in response to YH’s question and JD’s matter-of-fact answer to JP that JD-JP is history all pointed to where JD’s heart is now. I can’t wait to see how our dear JP will win her back. Charge!
Now I’m desperate to know what he meant here!!!!!
“I was afraid I’d make her cry, like my father, like my mother. I chased her away because I didn’t want her to cry because of me.”
(Does he mean Ga-eul? Eun-jae?)”
And I also loved Jun Pyo answer to the game (from Ji-hoo) and to JK. I hate that girl! is soo annoying and has no pride! I’ll never beg to a man that obviously loves another woman.
kid jihoo is absolutely adorable. junpyo will probably flame in jealously if he saw jandi cooking porridge for jihoo. And to think that jihoo got to taste the egg rolls before him, once again proving jihoo always gets the first bite.
Thanks for the recaps.
I love this episode because Woo Bin gets more screen time.
Sweet. I thought Woo Bin would pick Yi Sung when asked
who he’d marry among the F4. lol.
Woo Bin needs to have a arc. I hope the PD/writers make it
a point to include a story about him. the manga spoke of
his family. How long are they going to keep him a man of mystery?
Porridge of pity- brilliant.
This episode rekindled my interest, love and obsession w/ BBF. THis is what I’m talking about!!! More more more!!!
I loved this episode. I’m happy that JP finally solidified the belief that he wasn’t going to just give up on Jan Di! Thanks for the recap!
@114 Charlie post “Actually, I’ll be really pissed when it DOESN’T end up to be JD/JH (they won’t actually change it… right? Can I hold out pathetic hope anyways?). In this version JH is so utterly alone, except for JD. He’s orphaned and even though he’s about to make nice with his grandfather again – the man has heart problems (AKA – is on his imminent death bed)! He’s like a puppy that keeps getting kicked in the face by life and it seriously just breaks my heart into a billion pieces – his character is so utterly tragic. I just want him to have at least one good thing in his life. He’s nothing but kind and selfless (originally stepping back from his feelings for JD because of how much he valued his friendship with JP and such) and I really hate seeing those types of characters always getting screwed over for being decent human beings. Let him and JD be together, please please please.”
I so so so agree! Yesterday I said the JH -JD couple in this version looks somewhat like Domyoji – Makino of the Jdrama version. I didn’t know why, now with this post I know. In KHJ portraying you feel the lonely vibe Tsukasa character is supposed to feel (what I don’t see in LMH acting). Rui character like to be alone while with KHJ acting you feel emptiness in him and he need JD.
Your comment about Kim Hyun Joon’s acting skill “He is NOT a good actor” is absolutely correct…. He should not be given the role of Rui (period!) Don’t know why his fans from soompi forum could not see this fact . Instead, they keep blindly defending this lousy actor with all kinds of excuses????? Kim Hyun Joon definitely is the worst Rui of three versions.
I disagree…. I love Kim Hyun Joong as Jihoo!!
with KHJ’s Rui, it’s just one big pity party. him and JD deserve each other. they can hang out and cry and eat soggy pancakes. barf.
i keep wondering if ji hoo can really hear the phone with his helmat on!HAHA! that part is really hillarious!
Okay, so the translation I read where Yi Jung was drunk talking to Ga Eul, he mentioned “kid”, so I assumed he was talking about Ga Eul. Since she’s younger than him. Was the translation wrong? If not, then isn’t that a given…he’s definitely referring to Ga Eul. I’m hoping, ‘cuz I want him to fall for her even if they don’t show it all out on this drama. Just the subtle indication that he indeed has feelings for her is enough.
Am back!
Still haven’t seen the actual episode but I read through the recap and the comments (thanks javabeans for the recap)
My mind has a lot of things to say but to cut this post short, I will just comment on JD’s answer to JP’s question.
I think in a way, it is understandable because in JD’s mind, JP slept with JK. (Er, help me out guys, that’s what happened right? JK tricked JD into thinking that something ‘happened’ between them?)
So, if I were in JD’s situation, though I might be hurting, I’d probably also pretend not to care anymore. I think that is also the reason why she doesn’t understand why JP became her neighbor. If it were me, I’d probably think: “Things are going well for you and her right? First I see you kiss and she tells me that you went to 3rd base already. What the hell are doing in the house next to mine?”
Argh…I meant for this post to be short. I sooo agree that the fiancee thing has been dragged on for sooooo long. It’s just too damn long.
I really hope they wrap it up already. JK, please let go already and tell JD that nothing happened between you and JP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can I say Yay to this episode? It was much more interesting.. Plus I agree with you Javabeans that F3 +Ga Eul support is great!! It shows how strong their friendship and bond is with each other.. Earlier we saw that Yi-Jung was being mean to Ga Eul and then they all stood by and help Jan-Di.. Man I’d love to have a set of friends like them..
I know, I’m probably one of the Ji-Hoo fans out there, and Its interesting they use a rain scene for this sad/crying scene, I mean you can cry but the rain can cover it up, did anyone notice that when it came to drunk Yi-Jung scene there was no rain in that area? I mean, does that mean it only rains in certain sections of the city? I dont know if that was a goof or they just filmed it a different times, i thought it was a bit funny.
Anyone notice the scene where Jan-Di is making breakfast for sick Ji-Hoo, it had the blue background and with a shelf, is it just me but it looks like similar to the bedroom/study scene of the Prince in Goong? Then when Ji-Hoo went to eat the breakfast at the table, it showed a different shelf, the color even looked different.. hmm, maybe its just me.
Thanks again for the recaps!
so what if KHJ isnt a good actor.
at least he’s improving….
puhlease
like any of you could do any better..
he’s a singer..what do you expect??
Seriously, some people are just so childish and lame.
Hating him just because he’s not a good actor…that is just so fucking lame.
I mean, I dont like his acting either…
but to hate, that is just abit too much, dont you think?
You know, at the beginning of BoF I agreed with your appraisals of KHJ’s acting, and was prepared to hate him for the whole series!! But I recently went back and watched WGM and also some of the crazy reality stuff that SS501 was on, and I’m changing my mind a little. He’s just so silly and funny in those things, and seems so comfortable on camera…
I still don’t think he’s the best actor in the world, but I’m beginning to think that the PD’s and the writer’s decision to make JH so “autistic” is hampering the character. I mean, even a better actor than KHJ would have difficulty playing a character who has to do things like cry while playing the violin in a forest, or eat “tiny pancakes of sadness” while looking depressed, or kiss someone’s hand for like 18 minutes straight! Maybe KHJ would be better playing a character who is less emotionally stunted, and more open and fun? His best moments, after all, as you’ve pointed out, have been when he gets to play the mischievous friend rather than the forlorn lover or grandson.
To me, though, there is just an overall issue with the directing and writing, and most of the blame should be placed there rather than on the actors. KHJ is not the best actor in the world, but I think it speaks volumes that in the last two or three episodes we’ve had nearly equally cringe-inducing scenes that starred KimBum, KimJoon and even MinHo.
I love this series, sometimes even more so because it’s so ridiculous, but it is definitely suffering from some poor choices in the directing and writing.
And I do SO hope they give us more GJP/JD and SoEul soon. There can’t ever be too much of those storylines…no matter how bad the writing is!
This was a good episode. Not the best, but an improvement from the last two.
My favorite parts?
1.) When JP impatiently breaks up the ramyun because he’s incapable of turning on the burner. I found it hilarious that he is totally clueless about eating raw ramyun as a snack. Though subtle, the writers did a fantastic job of reflecting his mainstream naiveté in this scene. And that smile/dorky chuckle upon discovering how tasty the ramyun was made my heart melt.
2.) When JP delivers a number of pizzas to Kang San’s school accompanied by the sweet and over-the-top scrolling digital message. Their interaction, and the hyung-dongseng relationship in general, is too adorable. I love that JP’s thoughtfulness and kindness is spreading to JD’s sibling, too.
3.) When JH takes the easy way out and plants a kiss on YJ during the game of truth or dare. I felt it balanced out a pretty tense scene.
What didn’t I like?
1.) JH’s main scene. I have to agree with Javabeans–Kim Hyun Joong cannot act. He can get away with it most of the time as his character is somewhat aloof and mysterious, but the scene wherein he recalls painful memories from his childhood/where he walks home in the rain really calls for superior acting skills and it was executed poorly.
The best thought-provoking scene?
1.) JK’s comment at the end after she asks JP what he prefers: friendship or love. First, there’s a couple of ways to interpret her intentions of asking this question. And then the way in which JP answers makes the scene even a bit more ambiguous, but in a good way. Clearly, we know what and why JK asks what she does. But JP’s character is in the dark as far as knowing precisely why JK is asking what she asks. For him, he simply hears the question and blindly answers from his heart without considering why JK is asking him such a question. I like this rift between the two characters: it shows they are not on the same page and that JK will ultimately decide her own fate as far as her and JP go.
To take it a step further, after JP answers and walks away, JK says to herself that she likes what she’s hearing from him, and slyly suggests that it may not be so good (for her? for him?). I’m curious to see where this goes in the next episode!
Thanks for another great recap JB!
133 — chill out. People can have opinions. no one says we can do it any better. at the end of the day, we’re all here because we love the drama and the characters regardless of people’s acting skills. this place is a forum for discussion and opinion… no need to be so vicious.
ThIs Is My 1sT tIme To wRiTe sUmthuNG herE….
…..mE StARiNg @ tHe MoNiToR, nOt KnOwiNg How To StArt.
….Me, WiTH mY CoUsIn Shrimp tElLinG Me ” gO aHeaD, TyPe…RanT eVryThiNg YeR HearT dESiReS” .
…. It FeelS liKe She’s LeTTing mE Go FAcE a wHoLe BuNcH oF FiriNg SqUAd AlOne…
…AnyWaY heRE it GoeS:
My CuZ Shrimp ToLd mE to Be aBlE to FulLy eNjoY tHis DraMa I hAVe tO wAtcH it aS anOthEr KoReaN drAma aNd shOUld nOt liNk iT tO tHe PrevIouS vErsiOns. I foUnD hEr wAy of WatChiNg tHiS rIdiCulOus, bEcauSe hOw oN eArtH cAn I nOt link it to the oTHer versions wEN whOEver oWNs this or PRodUces thIS drAMa boUGht the riGHts of HYD and beSIdes thEY did claIM it to be THe Kversion of HYD right? But anYWay I suBMmit mYSelf to My cuzin’s wish [whenever i watch this with her, but sorry, when im alone all i do is "NO!? WHAT?! *&*&* haha] *peace out*
Ok So, the First few epISOdes I muSt say, were bEAable to wATch. I diDn’t mInd tHe liTTle tweAks HEre and tHEe, THe add Ons, i only compare/rant a lil: bad acting, worse scene, worst OST———but wHEn the chaRACters wERe alrEAdy begINNing to “downGRADe” –i wANTed to kICk the PD’s you kNOw, for ruINIng the wHOe HYD vibe.
WHATs the pOINt of caLLing thEm thE KVersion of HYD wHen theY’re gOnna aLTer tHe crUx of the mATTer, the CHARACTERS F4/MAKINO. It’s ok to tweak the story but to make the supposed bad-ass tURn into a cry baby, the wEEd into a stuPid depENdent damsel-in-dISTress, the womanizer to an a vengeful son and who looKs like hE’s always PMSing , the hAPpy go lucky into a go-im-lucky-if-I-have-a-scene-or-two-in-an-episode *thanks shrimp for this*.
Again a lil change isnt bad, a 15 deg. turn of character wont hurt but a 180 deg turn?–that’s diSSApointing most especially to soMEone like me who has been a HYD follower. Another pOINt is that, I caNThelp but feel disaPPointed to how this story is heading I have so mUCh faith in this because HYD is HYD. This isnt just a chEAp story bought and mADe into a liVEaction, theRe are like how many veRSions of this alReadY—– this is liKE me saying The American vERsion of My sassy girl is SO abSUrd tHATt they ruINed my favORIte oriGInal version. If they wOULdn’t revive the suPPosed characters, they miGHt as well change not only the OST but THe title itSELf.
WeLL it’S JuSt mE It dOesNt MattEr wHAt I saY jSt vEnting Out
@136
no..dont me wrong. I’m not angry at all.
It’s just that I find it mean that people are hating on the actor. I mean it’s not his fault that he doesnt have natural acting abilities…
no wonder most celebrities are depressed. comments like these are the ones that are bringing them down.
Please Please Please let them change the ending. I would have no qualms if they put the secondary couples together. Well atleast let JiHoon get a nice girl. I can’t stand to see sad KHJ. If the drama ends with poor JiHoon looking sadly over at Jandi as she says her vows to his best friends, him being the best man. I swear I am going to die. Why is life so hard on this kid. He is just a bucket of lose, Parents gone, Gramps dead, first love gone, second love married to best friend. He might just hop on that unpopular trend that we saw so much of in the news. If you are reading this PDnim please Put JK and JiHoon together, just so he can have an overbearing happy bubbly person in his life. Hey he was friends with JunPyo all this time why not get together with a female version of him. Now this is starting to remind me of the Wilson/Amber couple on House, but that did not end well at all.
I agree @Charlie. In JDorama version Rui never really seemed to love Makino, just used her as a fill in for a little bit of time. It seems here like JiHoon and JanDi might actually be great together. Whereas Rui was like a good friend w/ a smokin white car.
I like the new music I think…but the instrumental pieces make things feel too serious sometimes. But I still like them better than the K-pop stuff from the first part of the drama. I love Kim Hyun Joon! He definitely is not a good actor but it’s not his fault he was born with an expressionless face. I finally went and watched the old We Got Married episodes and like other commenters have mentioned you can see from that show that Kim Hyun Joon is the funniest person EVER…And he’s an extremely kind person…you can tell he’s trying hard in this drama. I think his acting is gonna get better.
The scene where Junpyo couldn’t get the stove to turn on, it was because the gas valve was turned off. I made the exact same mistake when I first came to Korea! You have to turn the little button looking thing on the pipe stuck to the wall so that the arrow is pointing down. And then when you’re done using the stove you have to shut the gas valve off again to prevent gas leakage/potential fire hazard thingy. But the whole point of that I think was to show that Junpyo’s never used a stove before because you wouldn’t know about the gas valve thingy unless you’ve cooked something before.
@135. are you for real? dude, i don’t care if he was a singer or a janitor for christ’s sake. if they’re gonna pay this guy to act (not to mention, act in a drama that is based on a HUGELY popular manga and already has a massive following all over Asia), he best know what he’s doing. we may not be actors, but as viewers who support the show and watch it week in and week out, we have a right to make comment if the creators and actors are not doing their job. sorry, man. tough luck that we’re criticizing your precious idol star but he CAN’T ACT. i don’t hate the man. actually, i really liked him on WGM and found him incredibly charming. i agree with cloudygirl, that a lot of it (probably about 60%) is because of the lousy writing and directing, not to mention bad casting. but come on. i’m getting a little tired of hearing people defend KHJ by saying “well, he’s SUPPOSED to be like that, that’s the character!” or “well, he’s just such a fun loving guy! he shouldn’t be playing such dark roles”. get real. an actor is supposed to do just that, ACT. are we to believe that madame kang’s actress is doing such a good job because her character’s personality is similar to her own? a good actor should be able to emote with something as simple as a look, and to take on characteristics that may be completely different from their own. instead, all we get from KHJ is that weird, bug-eyed, pursed-lipped, constipated look. and let’s not kid ourselves. the only reason that the rain was there was to distract us from his inability to show that kind of devastated state. look at lee min ho. the first time i saw him in an interview, i was shocked. the guy is actually a bashful, shy, giggling ball of nerves and not at all like the controlled, angry GJP. of course he is not perfect, but compared to KHJ, it’s like Jack Nicholson vs. Zac Effron.
and to say he’s supposed to be like that, i think not. oguri shun played Rui to a T. dude was sweet without seeming cheesy, lonely without seeming pitiful, helpful without seeming creepy. and he was actually COOL. there’s nothing about KHJ’s YJH that makes me think the guy is mysterious, cool or even interesting. and when he’s “manning up”, he just looks and sounds like a hysterical little boy. oguri shun on the other hand, was frightening when he yelled at domyouji. [note: i know the cheesiness is almost entirely the PD/writers' fault. case in point: compare the violin scenes in hanadan and k version. rui looked like he was just practicing and self-reflecting. but in the k one, it's so over the top and nauseating. he's in a FOREST filled with HAZE and it's in SLO-MO while he's CRYING. give me a break]
anyway, i didn’t mean to sound so harsh. as much as i enjoyed this episode, i guess i’ve reached my breaking point with KHJ. for a while i thought he was getting better but now i think he was just making a different face at the time and i thought mistakenly that he was emoting. i never meant to write this much but i guess my words have a way of running away from me. and as a disclaimer, i wasn’t attacking any of the posters. i guess i’ve just read a LOT of garbage in the soompi and crunchyroll forums about KHJ and the annoyance spilled over here.
*giggle*… pancake of sadness, porridge of pity….
(priceless…)
1. i would love to see the NG cuts from the crying in the rain scene… KHJ has never been able to cry on cue… i bet he’d end up laughing instead… repeatedly
2. i think somebody mentioned in the previous epi how JH’s way of loving/ caring for JD is dirrerent from Rui’s for Makino. JH’s love is quiet, sincere and more tender and there was no doubt in our mind and JD’s that he really cares for her. Rui’s is a bit more vague and sometimes seems flippant that Makino may not be sure. and i think we can safely say that JH is over seohyun while rui has never got over shizuka…
3. and i also think that woobin received a kiss from JH.. WoooHooo….!
javabeans….i think months or years from now, i’ll remember this drama because of the fun i had reading your recap and all the funny commentaries (from you and the others). it has been a blast, and im kinda sad that it’s gonna end soon. so far, there’s no other drama that got me this addicted
One thing that I’ve noticed about the kdramas that have spunky/sassy female leads(BOF, Delightful Girl, My Girl, Goong, etc.) – the directors/writers/pds make the character strong and resourceful(like JanDi in the beginning of the series) but then when the tragic parting/twist happens, suddenly all she can do is throw her hands in the air and wait for someone to rescue her. Its annoying and somewhat disappointing.
Jandi from the beginning of the series would have knocked JunPyo upside the head in Macau and demanded an explanation of his no contact for a year after his great declaration of love and demanded promise not to run from him.
That being said, I also know, kdrama without angst, cheesiness, and major character flaws would be plain boring! I love this drama. Love it for all the frustrating fun I’m having. This is the first drama in a very long while where I care to discuss it, analyze it, and can still sit back and enjoy it with all the flaws. What am I going to do when its over?!?!
hmm…for me. I think that we shouldnt blame it all on the actors. It’s the PD’s fault for making their characters like that.
For HyunJoong or Jihoo’s case, his character has autism. & I really think that it’s a really difficult role to potray especially for a first-time actor. You gotta give him props for improving significantly…Yes, he’s not yet a pro. But at least he’s improving. We should really appreciate his efforts. I remember seeing the first few episodes, his acting is quite cringe-worthy but now, it doesnt bother me much cuz he seems to be more natural and less awkward.
Judging from his personality from WGM…I dunno why but I think that he would be doing a greater job if he were Woobin instead…Maybe because of the happy-go-lucky vibe Woobin seem to have.
But anyways, he’s Jihoo..We just got accept it. & i think that he’s doing a mighty fine job these past few eps.
Unlike some of you.
I cannot see anyone else as JiHoo…Even if there is an amazing actor that can replace Hyun Joong, I dont think i can accept the actor as JiHoo. Cuz right now, I’ve already come to accept Hyun Joong as JiHoo…I think he’s doing a fine job…not the best but I’m sure he will do better once the story progresses. =]
Finally cuz you did it! Congratulations hehehe!
Thank you Javabeans i once againenjoy reading yer sarcomical filled recap! No one could have analyzed/criticized this drama better than you hehe.
Right now, with my annoying cousin beside me, honestly ‘m torn between loving and hating BOF already. The PD’s making me so confuse already that I’m beginning to contradict my own statements *ambivalent alert*
This whole new couple thing that the PD’s stressing for weeks now making me wonder, is he really going to change even the ending of the story..coz everything seems to be pointing out to this “JP-JK” “JD-JH” direction. I know there’s still 5 more epsiodes left..*oopsy correct me if im wrong* and since they seem pretty much rushing up things..welll the next thing we know the couples are back to where they belong.
I don’t know why but whenever I see the new couples getting so comfy wif each other, i myself is wavering..thinking it’d be nice if they would really end up together… but a knock in my head…yeah my cousin’s right when she told me that what’s the point of calling this drama boys before flowers if the whole Hanadan vibe will be broken. But…but… but… if this whole new couple thing would continue till the end…i dont mind…NOT!
told yah im really ambivalent this time…coz a part of me is liking how the couples are being drawn together yet another part of me is shouting “you shouldn’t be rooting on them, they’re not gana end up together and that they should be getting mushy with their real partners” haha.
JK and JP has an obviously undeniable chemistry which makes it really hard for me to think that they should end up together, like why complicate things mama kang likes JK–she’s like JP’s alter ego ..and so on..on the other hand, former KPresident now nurseless-small-time-doctor who must be having Angina Pectoris, that would most likely progressed in a Myocardial Infarction sooner or later, likes the then weed girl now lotus girl jan dhi for his grandson.
…im so sleepy… enough of my fanwanking!
@143 yoyoyo..calm down dude. take a chill pill. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions…I kinda get what you’re trying to say though. But still, some people just cant help defending what they like…it’s just human nature.
People defend him because they like him.
Just like how people defend Lee Minho’s ’surgery’ saying that it’s ok because they like him.
It’s basically the same thing.
That’s just how the world works..lol
i don’t think jaekyung knows about jandi and jun pyo actually.. it’s kind of ambiguous but in the truth game, she smiles at jun pyo’s words bc she thinks he’s talking abt her when in fact he’s not. right?
BTW I EFFING LOVE THIS DRAMA!
and jaekyung! and minho! and jandi!
and even a bit of jaekyung & minho together which makes me confused as a viewer..
and ps. i just watched antique. it was amazing. i think you would love it. maybe you’ve already seen it but yeah
The PDs are changing the characters too much.
I dont even think that I’m watching a Hana Yori Dango adaptation.
The only common thing that Junpyo and Domyouji have is their curly hair. Other than that, their characteristics are miles apart. Junpyo is a weakling as compared to Domyouji. crybaby, much?
As for JanDi, she is just so weak and helpless..yes, she got her spunk back but still, she’s not as tough as what Makino should be.
I’m freaking frustated..It’s too different.
I guess I’m in the minority, and even though I am a Jun Pyo/LMH fangirl, there are a couple of scenes that bothered me, and I blame the PD and scriptwriters. A previous poster mentioned (sorry can’t recall the name), how did JP jump from calling Jandi a stain to moving in next door? Thank you! And when is it acceptable for your ex to drop by your apartment with his fiance and just SIT THERE and wait for you to come back? I get how in JP’s mind there is no wavering, and he’s all about Jandi, but even the most obtuse guy in the world would know that you do not disrespect a girl like that. I don’t care about the circumstance. I get how JK sprang the idea on JP of going to Jandi apt. with the groceries, but I didn’t see JP doing ANYTHING to get her out of there before Jandi came home. I’m glad Jandi didn’t come home! And again, if F3 and Ga-Eul weren’t there to throw Jandi a house-warming/pity party (don’t even get me started), it would have been just Jandi, Jun-Pyo, and JK in that little room together? I realize that this is a drama but the scriptwriters must be crazy! Why are we lead to believe that this is acceptable behavior?!!
Also, Jun-Pyo moving in next door while he’s parading around in public with his fiancee? In the Jdrama version, he moves in next door only after he’s decided to formally end things with JK. That version makes sense. The Kdrama scriptwriters changed the details here but it’s a BIG detail. Though I hate Madam Kang, I don’t blame her, to some degree, for jumping to the wrong conclusion. It’s not so ridiculous for a third-party to believe something sordid and tawdry is going on IF they didn’t know Jandi. I can’t believe the scriptwriters want us, the viewers, to believe that Jandi wouldn’t say ANYTHING to Jun-Pyo about how WILDLY INAPPROPRIATE it is for him to have a fiancee and yet move-in next door and act as if nothing has changed. All she does is tell him to take his “wilderness training” elsewhere. Huh? What about confronting him about the fact that, regardless of his intentions, inadvertently, he’s making you look like a cheap mistress on the side?
I don’t get how viewers can rant about Jandi’s response to JP’s question about whether the “promise on the expressway” is still in tact? Seriously?! He’s been compeletely inconsistent and unreliable and yet viewers are surprised by her response? It’s called MAKING THE GUY WORK FOR IT. The viewers know JP is all about Jandi, despite what it looks like from the outside, but how is Jandi supposed to know? There is something kind “Action speaking louder than words” and so far, between episodes 14-19, JP is not looking like a stand-up sort of guy.
Lastly, to underscore how far this script has moved from the original manga, where is Tsukushi/Jandi’s weed power? Why is she such a hapless victim? I didn’t feel sorry for Tsuskuhi. I didn’t feel that she was being flung around by Domyogi’s every whim. If anything, she was the boss or “iron woman.” In the Kdrama version, Jandi comes off as such a victim of circumstance, such a “poor little innocent baby,” who all the males have to protect. It’s actually pretty chauvinistic. The PD even makes Jandi dress like a baby, eat like a baby (the scene at the resort with the bread in her mouth), and act like a baby (all of those doe-eyed, surprised, deer-in-headlight looks). Ugh. In the Japanese version, even the voice over narration was done by Makino and it was HER story. Mao-chan nailed Tsukushi. The LEAD is supposed to be about a powerful, determined, spirited, positive, and outgoing young GIRL who literally pulls herself and everyone around her by the boot straps. It’s not supposed to be the Domyogi/Jun Pyo show which is what the Kdrama version amounts to! In the Kdrama version, they LITERALLY throw Jandi a pity party!
It’s all a shame because LMH is a gifted and handsome actor and I would have loved to see what he would have done with an alternate script where Jun Pyo wasn’t portrayed as an indecisive, wavering individual who isn’t able to protect the girl he loves. Since this is Hanadan, I’m pretty positive that Jandi and Jun Pyo are going to end up together, but I’m actually pretty ambivalent about it. It would send a much better message if Jandi ended up with Ji Hoo (cannot believe I am being a complete shipper but I blame it all on the scriptwriters), a guy who has earned and deserved her love. Let’s see if the writers can turn this around in the six episodes that are left (Though I doubt it. Too many loose story ends to tie up without any sizeable progression in the plot toward resolving any of the open story lines). I’m not hating on the Kdrama version. I actually loved it in the beginning and this is a open letter to the PD and the writers asking them to turn this around and prove me wrong!
Momo – Oh please! chill out! Don’t be a garbage yourself!
I’m not defending KHJ or anybody here, but your words are really hard to take. I feel sorry for whoever have to read you comment. Please don’t trask this wonderful forum.
Chill
Another great recap – thanks!
JD’s reply to JP makes sense. After the ’stain’, JK’s ‘night’ with JP (tho if JD still likes JP she’ll believe that nothing happened, just as nothing happened when she spent a (drugged) night out a year ago), a JP ‘neighbour’, JD’s stating a fact. Question is whether JP can win her again.
Comparisons are odious, but I miss Soujirou’s cryptic utterances to Makino, which Hanadan used v effectively. Then again, the Soujirou-Yuki arc was under-developed.
Tks again Javabeans!
i don’t think what momo said was wrong. It wasn’t even that strong compared to the ridiculous KHJ defenders. I don’t think anyone hates Hyunjoong, it seems like everyone really likes him in real life so there’s no need to get so defensive about him because it’s obvious his acting sucks. like momo said he was hired to ACT not to be a funny variety show personality and his ACTING is what we’re all disappointed about. i thot he was doing better too until this eppie when it was so plain how bad he really is. that crying scene was painful to watch.
is it just me or does JiHoo & Jandi ending up together makes more sense than JunPyo & Jandi??
If I were Jandi, I would personally choose JiHoo…
Sorry JunPyo, I’m still mad at you =P
i’m not sure how you’re comparing the surgery thing with the acting thing. khj is supposed to do his job and play yjh properly. just because you’re a fan of him as a singer does not mean you should ignore the fact that dude can’t act. when lettuce couple were still on WGM, they were my favourite because i absolutely loved khj’s sarcastic take on everything and no-nonsense attitude towards romance. but that’s separate from BBF and i think a lot of people can make that distinction between the two. on the other hand, what lee min ho does with his face is his own business and nothing about the surgery affects how i would think of him as an actor, or even as a certifiable hottie. it’s like that speech by jandi/makino in BBF. i may never get surgery myself, but i don’t really think there’s anything wrong if other people want to get it nor would i have to convince myself that it’s “OK” just because i’m a fan of LMH, which i am.
look, i get your point. its human nature to defend what they like. but i would argue that the very idea of an all-encompassing idea of “human nature” and that somehow it covers most, maybe even all people is extremely problematic. mainly because i don’t identify with this specific trope. you know how sometimes the more you like something or someone, the harder you are on it because you expect so much? maybe i’m like that. anyay, i’m rambling again……T_T
i can’t sleep…haha
Hmmm I don’t know what to feel whenever JP looks at JK with something in his eyes.
The last scene*epi 18* when JP fell on JK and the way they looked at each other, when they were playing that vid game, when he looked at her when she cooked breakfast for him, when they went to the grocery store together, when she fed him and he liked it and when JP smiled that heart-piercing smile as he looked at JK while she swiped away that golden ramyun bowl….im thinking that he was already smitten by JK.. *im letting this thought out by telling myself that it was because JP’s so self-centeredness,or that that he only sees himself in JK, that the girl is his female version…he likey himself and not JK per se* ugh!
if only he would flash that to-die-for-smile and cast that heart-piercing gaze at JD… and JD alone then i might not be in the state of ambivalence right now.
Can people please stop talking about the acting abilities?
I mean, who cares? since the drama is going downhill anyways…
@152. don’t mistake passion for trash. people give their opinions. i’m doing the same. at least i didn’t call people “fucking lame” for making valid criticisms. i think i said a lot of things that most fans of Hana Yori Dango/Boys Before Flowers would agree with. and i think a lot of them can understand my frustration. is it a little much considering it’s just a drama? probably. but we wouldn’t all be on here if we didn’t care a little too much for the characters.
p.s. is it just me, or is telling people to take a chill pill SO condescending?
^ uhh, what? (im talking to 158) obviously I’m here because I care. even though the drama is going downhill like u said, i still care and after all the hours i spend following this drama i think i can talk about the acting when it’s ruining parts of the drama. talking about the acting is fair game. it’s better and more constructive than only talking about the hotness of idols or one-liner “who cares” comments.
#156 momo
i’m not defending or KHJ anything..I’m not even a fan. But I think I understand how the fans feel though.
It’s like Lee Yeon Hee from EOE…I think that her acting isnt that great either. But there are fans that beg to differ. It’s just how it is.
Isnt that what fans are suppose to do? To support your idols no matter what?
So I think that we shouldnt blame the fans for feeling that way.
Cuz for them, by insulting their idols it’s like insulting them which is why they feel hurt and get all defensive..It’s the same situation like someone insulting your family…you wouldnt be all that happy would you?
I understand the fans.
But sometimes, I think that they should calm down cuz words are just words. Even if it hurts, they’re just words. I think it’s best to just ignore.
I dont know why…but for these past few eps I’m not really impressed with LMH like I used to…something seems to be missing.
Is Jandi a retarded or what?
Hell, anybody with sane mind would already left her hurt love behind and head for new one (in this case is not that hard for Jandi to move on!!)
She barely have good memories with JunPyo, they were together for a short period, and she cries more than she laughs because of him.. JunPyo gives her nothing more than pain.. And why she still in love with him? Is it because of his good look, or wealth? I am questioning the real reason for her undying love.. Why… Why Jandii???? Forget him already!!! U can forget your first love easily because he has another woman (JiHoo).. So isnt this the same case too???
At first I really like JP/JD couple.. But now my feelings change and I am hoping for JH/JD.. Seriously JiHoo makes a better partner.. I am really touched by his character.. JiHoo, please steal Jandi right now.. And Jandi, dont be fooled by that lady in your dream!
well, i guess we’ll just have to disagree on this one. because i don’t support any “idols” no matter what. and i’ve never felt the level of fandom for an idol star equivalent to that of a family member. that is not to say that i’ve stopped “supporting” khj. if he comes back as lettuce couple or any other interesting variety project, i’d jump on that for sure. but a pop star is only as good as their current project (for the most part) because so much of it is kind of superficial and easily forgotten. maybe i’m just a bad fan. but i guess i’m not very inclined to be deathly loyal to hugely popular idol stars.
#164 momo
believe me..fans in korea are worser…
Ditto, Lucille – exactly!
Thank you, javabeans, for very accurate recaps and comments. You always manage to express what I feel and observe.
@143-
“oguri shun played Rui to a T. dude was sweet without seeming cheesy, lonely without seeming pitiful, helpful without seeming creepy. and he was actually COOL.”
I have to agree that Oguri Shun is the best Hanazawa Rui/Jihoo. I actually really wanted Makino to end up with him instead of Domiyouji. I think that’s a really good description of Oguri Shun’s interpretation of the character. In the Korean version, I think LMH/Junpyo is more compelling.
IS THIS EVEN HYD? IT DOES NOT SEEM LIKE IT. IT IS OFF FROM THE STORY AT ALL ANGLES. PDS ARE MESSING UP THE WHOLE STORY’S DYNAMIC. WHY EVEN GET PERMISSION TO HYD IF YOU CAN NOT PRODUCE THE STORY CORRECTLY. The fiance story needs to end now. JD and JP has not been together since EPISODE 12!!!!! So who are we rooting for again!??!!!!
I wasn’t bother by KHJ’s acting in this episode…maybe because I have seem worse from him and from other people XD
seriously, why did they cast him? I thought they pick him because JH is suppose to resemble a bit of KHJ in real life. After watching WGM, I thought so too. Rui is quirky and random, just like KHJ. Jihoo is dark and emo. (sigh…how I miss the Rui from the manga.) They are nothing alike!
Overall, there are two compounding reasons why KHJ can’t pull off those key moments: 1) He should’ve taken more acting lessons before jumping into a big production like this. First few episodes seem like he had no preparation whatsoever and he’s only learning how to act as the series progresses. 2) Jihoo’s character is too big for him. KHJ doesn’t have the subtle nuances to play a guy that only talk with his eyes (yet).
Let’s hope for the better in the later episodes.
scene transitions in this drama are horrible – and there are many moments where i cringe with the acting and/or the scene.
the f4 high school days seems to have been played out in fast-forward whereas the drama seems to drag out now. grr…hope the pace picks up again.
Jandi ending up in a rooftop apartment very much like Gukwha’s In Pure in Heart (same green flooring outside) where her suitor comes a-calling dumping off essential goods (that he was “…throwing away, anyway…”) ala “The Iceman” was a bit of deja vu for me. But then, pretty much every Korean drama is. I guess these similarities are part in parcel to the ongoing addition that has me reflexively coming back for more of the same!
As it was for me with Meteor Garden, I instantly took a liking to “Monkey Girl” for her innocence and immediate warmth for ShanCai (or in this case, Jandi) and find her to be as sweet in her own way as both Jandi and Gaeul are in theirs. My hope is for her to land one of the F4 guys and in the end, the thread of humanity that Jandi has begun weaving for all concerned will be complete.
robbo4
@164 Blah
I am not suprised. That’s true compared to other BOF actors LMH is good, but his acting skills are pretty average.
In BOF first part his facial expressions were : stiff………..upset…………..idiot (when he tried to act psycho, violent, lonely it looked a bit forced)
Then in BOF second part : crying…………………stiff……………………..idiot
SO they focused toooooooooo much on these part and with time it’s getting random.
oh thanks javabeans, it’s the first time I’m commenting but I had to say it.
I love your recaps:)
@ people who complain why they hired KHJ, I read in another site (I don’t quite remember” the PD said in as article before the drama released “we focused more on F4 look than the acting skill”. Maybe the article is faulse but I read that No kidding !
He wasn’t wrong it worked (people dare to say Kim Bum is a better actor than Matsuda Shota)
Oups sorry for the faults
@151 Jessie,
Great post. The Korean HYD is most definitely chauvinistic and a wholly inappropriate version. Jandi’s character is just offensive at this point–she is depressed (get on some Prozac, girl) and unanimated. I know we are all bashing KHJ, but I am amazed that no one is pointing out how terrible an actor Jandi is. She has two emotions–blank face depressed or overreacting crazy. There is no subtlety at all.
But back to the point–the most offensive part of this version is how GJP is playing two girls. How dare he move into the apartment WHILE HE HAS A FIANCEE? Is this like the PDs wet dream? Having two girls to mess with? It’s ridiculous. What right does he have to ask about where Jandi spent the night? HE HAS A FIANCEE because he doesn’t have the balls to confront his mother.
And the GE and YJ story is just as offensive. Here is an obnoxious, womanizing immature brat, and GE is there to hold him and pine for him? WTH? What kind of message is that to young girls? If a man is a jerk, it is only because he is hurting inside so ignore his jerky behavior and take care of him???
Really, don’t mess with a classic if you can’t do it justice.
And is the editor of the show on crack? Even novice directors on YouTube have videos with better continuity. Maybe Kevjumba or Nigahiga needs to take over this spiraling piece of trash.
What a waste of LMH’s talent.
Javabeans, I want to express my sincere thanks to you, for all of your detailed, insightful, and hilarious comments. Your recaps are the one thing that keeps BBF interesting!
I had to turn the sound off and just read the subtitles for BBF after Episode 4. I thought that if I had to hear “Almost Paradise” one more time I would become a danger to myself and a menace to society.
After Episode 6, I stopped watching altogether; turning the sound off can’t cure bad writing and directing, unfortunately. You express all of my frustrations with the show perfectly, so now I just read your recaps and read all of the comments and prepare a mental list of the things I think I’ll enjoy and the things I’m going to hate about BBF.
Once the whole train wreck is over I will prepare myself with a mental list of Things To Ignore Because They Just Didn’t Get It Right, stock suitable liquid refreshment, and watch the whole thing in one self-indulgent schlockfest.
I can’t wait to get my hands on some of that pity porridge and those tiny pancakes of sorrow – coming soon to a grocery store near you?
About stiffness look at the scene at episode 2 when Jan di try to punch him and the way he act before the action (It looked really fake) or the scene when he see Jan di made up in HCY party (his expression looked fake too), the scene when he grabs jan di by the collar or when he brutalise Ji Hoo (too forced), the date scene with Jan di at episode 8 or 9 (the way he smile looked like Aishwarya rai fake smile), the scene when he tried to kiss Jan di at episode 3 looked exagerated, even the kiss scenes were not well executed (but here I suppose it’s PD fault)…
Now it’s : crying, childish, crying and a bit shouting
LmAo——- Me JuST remeMbeReD–THe SoNG PlAyinG wHen JD anD his BrOther WaS DeLiVerIng The NewSPaPer @episode 18, HaHa I WAs SinGinG “RaIndRoPs KeEp FalLing on My HeaD” ListeN to It AgaiN LmAo ———-It kinda MatchEd! zzzzZZZzzz
OH MY. What to say, everyone has such good comments and such good interpretations. I will just continue on to pick at some few favorite moments.
1: Woobin, when Jandi says his name for the game, he’s like “Me?” Ah so cute, you are not forgotten my dear!
2: Jihoo’s parents funeral: When he was running after his grandfather, and you glimpse a view of the F4 members behind him. Ah, they are such cute boys! But there is a lot of significance in showing how long the boys have been friends. The stuff that are going on should not have that much of a toll on their relationships, because they are more like brothers.
3. Lastly, of course Junpyo. Everything about him. Yes, we’ve been tired of seeing him so helpless, and even getting mixed signals with him and Jaekyung, but this episode, like Javabeans said, “I think this episode went a long way in defining the lines of the relationships.” Bravo! Oh, and the scene where he discovers that uncooked ramen is yummny was adorable! I was hoping he’d add the spicy packet to it, lol!
Thanks for the great recap! I’m once again awaiting Monday (sorta, I have a final, but it’ll be great once I get to watch BOF).
really? I saw the love vs friendship question in a total different perspective.
How I saw it was Jaekyang asked Jun pyo on his stand when it comes to picking between Jihoo and Jandi.
But also it relates to her because she is in the same dilemma with her friend Jandi and Jun pyo.
When she said ” you fool if you keep saying the things I want , what am I suppose to do?” To me it felt like she doesn’t want to give Jun pyo up for Jandi and she was indirectly asking Jun Pyo for a solution. Nw that he said he won’t give up love, in a way it is saying she doesn’t have to give up hers too.
@25 Susie
what junpyo and jandi had was first love and it was memorable and beautiful but from what the drama has told me thus far… they can find happiness in others. maybe not the same thing but still they would survive… which is odd.
Now i wonder what message this drama trying to send. We learnt from Jihoo/Seohyun, Jandi/Jihoo, (& possibly Yijung/Eunjae) that one could move on from their first love and meet someone else more suitable in the future. But the way things are going, they’re(then again) trying to show how powerful first love is that Junpyo can’t let go of Jandi, Jandi slowly starting to show affections towards Jihoo(she mouthed ‘oppa’ in the library while he was asleep, she let him hold her shivering hand, she streaked her finger over his face, the pleased look on her face when JH put blankets on KS, shooting glances at JH at the first Q in the Truth Game, etc.), Jaekyung hesitating between her first love or friendship(she clearly knows she doesn’t stand a chance but continues to store-up good memories w. JP even though her heart is breaking).
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@58 Rebeca
**also, i always kind of understood that its not only Joon Pyo that can’t date who he wants, i thought that basically all the F4 boys were expected to marry girls picked by their parents. If that is so, then it would make no sense for Ee to end up with Ga cuz their relationship would go through almost the same thing that JanDi and Joon Pyo went through (just not to the same degree of harrassment cuz no one is as bad as mama kang)…and that will just get old**
well, as we can see, Yijung’s father doesn’t really give a damn about what his son is up to. His mother is also at the hospital, so his family doesn’t really focus on such matters, as to who he dates & stuff. This gives him a chance to be with GaEul–the innocent, naive girl who can bring his family back to life(as in to prove his father’s theory on love wrong).
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@60 Dalila
You can see that Jandi is developing affection for Ji hoo in this ep. Did you notice her impressive look on Jihoo, when he tuck her brother in? And the way she touch his cheek?….. It looks like this drama will end with Jandi-Jihoo as a couple. I really don’t mind though. That would be interesting. Since the first two versions have the same ending, why would the Korean do the same? Boorringg..!
I realized that, too. There are just too many hints. Unless the viewers are supposed to put this in a light manner(as to think of it as only friendship). Just like JP/JK–they’re only supposed to be viewed as friends and nothing more. But in the case of Jandi & Jihoo– the scriptwriters are adding plenty of sweet and romantic scenes which totally throws us off. If the twist is that they end up together then the BBF story would never be the same as before(although i find it quite interesting).
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@72 Two Cents
What the hell was the point of (1) Junpyo eating raw ramen scene and (2) sausage man saying the JaePyo couple is a nice couple??? POINT????
(1) i guess it’s only showing how funny that some Bad Ass Multimillionaire is willing to go that far as to eat uncooked ramen just to stoop down to Jandi’s level?. (btw, it’s supposed to be a cute scene because it’s usually children that do those types of things–i read many of comments that folks has done that before and so have i, when i was little) Now that I think about it, maybe they’re trying to depict Junpyo as a curious child who is still new to things.
(2) i think they’re just trying to show how compatible JP and JK is from the surface(as if their perfect for each other & stuff..just by the looks).
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@81 lala
I see that some of you are impressed with Junpyo saying that he wont let go of his love no matter what. But for me, I’m pretty disappointed. If he really meant it then why isnt he doing anything? You see, that’s why Junpyo and Jihoo are so different. For Jihoo, his actions speaks louder than words but for Junpyo, it’s only words but no actions. No offense to those Junpyo maniacs.
I’m pretty disappointed, too. I don’t think JP understands what the hell he’s saying. If he says that can’t let go of the girl he’s hurting, then what is he gonna do now? I understand that he went as far as living in that apartment but HELLO?!, Jaekyung is still by his side and has done nothing whatsoever to make Jandi happy! Everything he says and does contradicts. We see him ignoring her, talking to her, dissing her, stalking her–what the heck–i thought he’s already made up his mind! I just can’t wait when finally goes after her all the way. And to feel the pain he inflicted upon Jandi. sigh.
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@90 engl
i don’t get yi jung… how does he randomly always know where ga eul is????? i was seriously wondering if he has like a gps or some tracker to locater her with…
ha! i recognized that, too. rich people tends to be creepy stalkers =P he always happens to drive by when she’s walking around or crying. then pops in when she’s doing some pottery. (then to think back, this also counts for Jihoo, Junpyo & his sister, Mama Kang–all except Woobin, i guess?) LOL.
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@163 Boys After Flower
She barely have good memories with JunPyo, they were together for a short period, and she cries more than she laughs because of him.. JunPyo gives her nothing more than pain.. And why she still in love with him? Is it because of his good look, or wealth? I am questioning the real reason for her undying love.. Why… Why Jandii???? Forget him already!!! U can forget your first love easily because he has another woman (JiHoo).. So isnt this the same case too???
yes, it’s only reasonable now for her to stay with Jihoo. And if she does dare to go back JP, she will only bring more pain upon herself(concerning evil mom). I sorta understand why she loves (he’s so adorable and funny, but wait– she always seems to be irritated by his stupidity) idk..never mind. All that i remember from 6 episodes ago is that she fell for him because she learned the meaning of trust, but now that they’ve both ignored and broken their promises–there should be no reason why she’d like him, right? i wonder what’ll happen next..
___
there were also plenty of explanations and assumptions about the ‘love & friendship’ issue. All i know is that Jaekyung will definitely gain more if she chooses friendship because she’d get to keep both JP & JD, but if she greedily chooses love–then she’d lose her first real friend and get no emotions back from JP. And in Junpyo’s case—it doesn’t really make a big effect on friendship because JP & JH have this deep understanding between them(and they both know that they’ve given up alot for each other, so their friendship is strong enough to last even w. Jandi interfering). But if he chooses love–he will have to give up his pride to win back the girl’s heart with the possibilty of getting disowned(and lose all that money), and hence economic melt-down…
THANK YOU JAVABEANS [for the recap & hilarious commentary]
Just to clarify, Jan-di actually mouthed “sunbae” in the library, not “oppa.”
Oh, I like the banner. Though I’ve never been a big fan of Jihoo’s look, I’d say that I do prefer his old hair style! =(
what is the difference between meaning of “sunbae” and not “oppa.”
i know that oppa is kind like a big brother right?
@184 diane
“sunbae” is more like, “senior”, similar to “senpai” in japanese
“oppa” is what younger sisters call their older brothers. culturally, it’s also what korean ladies call their boyfriends
@176 IcanhazGJPyo & 168 cecee
I agree with both of you. They’ve butchered JP’s character, hence destroying the whole essence of HYD story.
For me, I’ve been loving JP’s character since the beginning, more so than the other 2 versions coz he wasn’t as stupid or unnecessarily violent (well I understand they toned the violence down coz this is a teen kdrama). But what makes Domyoji character most endearing to me is he NEVER EVER had eyes for another girl other than Makino. Hence I’ve been so forgiving towards JP even with his ‘A stain I want to erase’ remark.
HOWEVER the moment I saw an inkling of interest in JP’s eyes towards JK in today’s episode (especially the grocery shopping scene and ramyun scene) I totally went to hating him. I felt like slapping him hard every time he acts like Jandi is still his (rooftop scene and Truth Game scene). I seriously don’t buy his feelings for her anymore. Yeah, you can cry all you want when you beg JD later JP see if I care!
I know it’s the PD/writer’s fault for messing with JP’s character like this. But another problem I have is, as much as I admit LMH is a good actor for portraying JP almost perfectly until now, I’m totally not buying his annoyance for JK at all. I dunno, maybe LMH and LMJ have a thing for each other in real life, hence the chemistry?
But then again, I imagine LMH would have the same kind of chemistry with GHS if she were to play JK (I know GHS can pull it off and she’s actually a gorgeous girl).
So would that be bad acting or writing/directing?
man you guys are ripping Hyun Joong a new one. lol
His emotional scene could definitely be better but there are some moments of good acting too. When he was wandering around the clinic looking at all the “thank you” cards that his grandfather received from kids, there was so much resentment in his expression, like “why couldn’t I be the one receiving the love and care from him”.
Really, it is not as atrocious as you guys said it. Could improve, could be better, could be more powerful, could be a lot of things. The guy is still learning.
@ javabeans
thanks.. i just watched that scene over & over again right now.
maybe it’s just me or perhaps the stitches she got from that incident… that made it seem weird. it really did seem like she mouthed ‘oppa’ but it could also be ’sunbae’–now that i think of it. anyway, thanks again for the clarification.
@143 – TOTALLY agree with everything you said. KHJ is a TERRIBLE actor.
I don’t care if you love him, if you think he’s like a family member, if he’s the best singer in the world, if he’s the hottest idol, if nay-sayers are being jealous and hateful and spiteful and cruel – it still doesn’t negate the fact that KHJ…IS…A…BAD…ACTOR.
@176 IcanhazGJPyo
“And the GE and YJ story is just as offensive. Here is an obnoxious, womanizing immature brat, and GE is there to hold him and pine for him? WTH? What kind of message is that to young girls? If a man is a jerk, it is only because he is hurting inside so ignore his jerky behavior and take care of him???…Really, don’t mess with a classic if you can’t do it justice.”
Exactly! It’s scary that I sound like some crazy feminist, because I am sooo not, but this Kdrama script of episode 19 is OFFENSIVE; yet, we have otherwise intelligent girls making excuses for these characters because they are so HAWT. No, the fact that Yi Jung’s is upset (about his mom overdosing), and lashing out as his father, is NOT AN EXCUSE to objectify a girl, and use her as a pawn in some ongoing twisted little verbal spat you have with your father, and ask, “Would you like me to lend her to you?” Ummm….NO! Don’t even insert this line, which doesn’t exist anywhere, and make this show into some weird patriachrial dynastic feud of the new guard overthrowing the old (JP and mom, YJ and dad).
There are some things, once said out loud, that cannot be retracted. It says something about the person’s character. And the fact that it was premeditated is only worse. GE should have walked out of that restaurant and never looked back. I understand that YJ is scarred by his father’s philandering but this is analogous to a person being abused as a child then becoming an abuser as an adult. There are plenty of guys who have philandering fathers who grow up and CHOOSE to be good boyfriends, husbands, and fathers. There is something called freewill; people do not walk down a predetermined path. You CHOOSE your path. And where is Yi Jung’s APOLOGY at the very least? Just that EMO mumbo jumbo about how he didn’t want to hurt his first love so he ran away? NOT AN APOLOGY.
I finally get why some people oppose seeing cigarette smoking featured on TV. With a third of ROK watching this drama weekly, and everyone copying JP’s hair and the boy’s cell-phones, the underlying message in this drama kinda scares me. In the end, everything is forgivable because these guys are rich, cute, and abandoned (in one way or another) and simply need a good girl who’ll put up with all their crap because they really didn’t mean it? NO! This is the 21st Century. Get with the program! Don’t throw this great show back into the middle ages!
OMG!!!!
I just saw the ep 20 preview in youtube.
It says that Ga Eul tries to reconciliate Yi jung with his first love. OMG OMG OMG NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
i want to see those two together
This is the first time i care more about the supporting characters than the main character love story LOL
So Ji Yung & Ga Eul 4ever <3
OMG, they *are* totally ripping off the Goong score! I liked the music in Goong, it was way better than how BBF has been scored so far esp in “season 1″, but COME ON.
hi vivi, can you give me the link?
LoL at all the fangirls defending KHJ. Momo you go tell ‘em what’s up!
I hate these pathetic excuses to defend KHJ’s poor acting. I’m a fan of him in WGM but that doesn’t make me delusional into thinking that he’s acting is OK or he makes the best Rui just because he’s good looking and LOOKS the part. What the heck does that even make sense? At first I didn’t understand why people were rooting for JH/JD – but now I get it, they’re both so pitiful they deserve each other. This is seriously the bastardized version of Hana Yori Dango.
Thank you so much for your recaps as always superb job…..however ep. 18 and 19 left me feeling cheated somehow…I was expecting that by this time JD and JP would have make up and the story line kept on moving along….I felt that the story is not moving along fast enough…..WE HAVE 5 or 6 episodes to go….and JD AND JP are still not together that means that THERE IS SOMETHING REALLY BAD going with the PD and writers….this episode was 8 for me…just like ep. 18…WHY? LACK of JD AND JP moments….I love the way they bicker to each other and that what this couple is all about understading each other differeces and outlooks on life…..I NEED MORE JUNDI MOMENTS…..the story is 100% dragging……I hope ep. 20 is much better that this….I DON’T want to see JD and JH scenes anymore is getting to be too much….FIANCE NEEDS TO GO……
What I like about this episodes
1. The truth and dare game very cute and made me laughed, specially the kiss and woobin answered….it shows that he knows his friends….however I lOVED GJD answered why? cause she feels there is not point keeping a promised when the other person told her to her face that she is a stain he wants to erase and also have a fiance….GJD got self-respect and pride and she is not about to beg for GJP love…NOT LIKE SOMEBODY WE ALL KNOW….I did felt bad for GJP because he felt that he is losing her to JH….
2. F3 to trying to cheer up GJD by redicorating her apt. it shows that they truly care about GJD…..
3. GJP finally openly showing that he cares about GJD to JK….when he realize that GJD doesn’t have the phone he gave her, his reaction surprise Jk and during the game his answered was picture clear to JK that she needs to let him go
4. Finally, JH scene with grandpa was very touching…..he needs someone who LOVES HIM COMPLETELY and GJD is not that girl my friend…..I have a feeling his FIRST LOVE is going to come back for him…just guessing.
MORE JUNDI MOMENTS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i swear this is one of the best episodes yet!
it doesnt contain the romance we’re looking for but its just soo sweet!
and happy (At some points) and it just shows what friendship really is. Its a good thing they’re including more of woobin, really he’s an awesome actor, and his character is hella funny
as for the yijung/gaeul, im really liking that its progressing, even though its weird on the yijung’s side.. does he like her? or does he still love the other girl? and i was confused too, when he was drunk talking when he held gaeul’s hand..
and omg so true!! about the soundtrack sounding like goong’s. im like WAIT is that a song from goong?? oh no, but it sounds so much like it!!
as long as you remove PARADISE! im all happy…
I just got my OST (#1) in the mail and it comes with a photobook, etc. I LOVE IT. haha. I know I can download it but for some reason, I just wanted it for the “Collector’s Item” sake…
@151:
in the japanese version domyouji moved in BEFORE shigeru called it quits.
he even bought the entire building .
by the way, your analysis seems quite interesting =]
Watching episode 19 which was not bad, they returned some fiery JD which I’m happy about and backbone GE.
JP and JK – A lot of persons are saying that JP and JK seems to be an ideal couple. But looking at it realistically thats not the case. Reason – why would JP want a copy of himself, should he stayed with her he would never become a decent adult. The one who started the change in him was and should continue to be JD. JP once said in a previous episode that JD had potential in a way its same way around JP prior JD was one with limited potential a shallow individual, after JD he showed potential as a human being by being considerate of JK even when he did not necessarily have to be. He see’s some of his past personality in JK which explains why he can relate to her as a friend and empathise with her. If he met JK prior JD, what you would have is the old JP one who is a stunted human being.
YJ &GE. You go girl for throwing the glass of water in his face, he deserved it and more. I believe that he reason why GE was at his place was for two reasons (1) she pities him – especially listening to his family issues story at the dinner table and with the hand damage (2) still somewhat angry at him for his sorry behaviour. The preview states that GE will try to reunite YJ with his first love, but my question is – is she his first love or is it a situation similar to JH. To me the case is similar to JH. I think its necesary for him to meet her and have closure on this relationship in order for him to make a decision on the future of his life. Is he going to copy his father and be a somewhat eternal asshole or will he make something better by starting something new with GE or without her. Either choice will greatly affect his future.
JD and Madam Kang . From watching the episodes you realise Madam Kang is a pot calling kettle black. How dare she talk about class and commoners behaviour when hers leave way much to be desired. In every situation that JD has had to face with the woman , her behaviour more than outclasses Madam Kang, it is so obvious and JD is suppose to rush and bow down to DAT. No thank you. Though it is not mentioned, Its another reason why JP loves JD , she has class she does not behave like she was brought up from nowhere, she never lowers herself in her conduct. Class cannot be bought, its part of you and JD despite her challenges has always acted with some form of class. Madam Kang’s behaviour out of supposedly love for her asset (oh sorry, I meant son) shows absolutely NO CLASS WHATSOEVER. So in the Class category the grading is as follows Madam Kang – F, JD – A+, GE – A+.
JH weight – have you looked at Meteor Garden and HYD Rui. HYD Rui – he is skinner than all of them, to me he looked anorexic, Meteor Garden’s Rui was lanky. JH is slim, but he at least had some form of body. Those two, frankly didn’t .
Note – I find it strange that for people especially F3 who has never done very little/none cleaning or decorating in their lives manage to do such a great job without messing their white clothes at all. It could have been more fun, if they were messing up and looking messy. This PDs I find very very unbelievable. Its the same with Madam Kang’s photo of JD, KS and JP in her room. PDs – think, think, when you do things like this we are wondering if you have any sense at all.
I love Woobin’s answer on marriage to F3 its soo soo true. Plus I enjoyed seeing him in this episode. “More Woobin please”!!.
Toward BOF, when people act like they are movie critics; I’m just ROFL because if quality is what you’re looking for; you would have stopped watching BOF right after the first few epi, not just for the acting but you-know-what. So yeah, stop with your frustrations for whatever reason…..it will cause stresss and make you grow old. DOn’t let a teenage drama do that to you. I got to love Hyun Joong fans though; that’s just to show that people need to grow a personality. It really does go a long way. I think they support him to the end not just becuz of his look. But like dramabeans also shared that the more you read about HJ, the more you find him interesting. So people might not loving his acting that much; but they can’t help but be less critical of him. If anyone thinks that the fans are blind or stupid….hahah, what would you say to your boyfriend if he says to you “Hon you are the prettiest girl in this whole wide world”…..HAHAHAHA……you know you ain’t thattttttttttt beautiful but you are going to believe him anyway, aren’t you!!!! Just like Jun Pyo, the way he treated people and how he dragged JD around; I want to bitch-slap him soooooo bad. But people still love him and think he’s a hella good catch just cuz he’s rich, tall, cute, funny, and a self-proclaimed one-woman-man. They totally ignore his short-coming. What am I trying to say again!!!?!???
@199 asdf.
“@151: in the japanese version domyouji moved in BEFORE shigeru called it quits. he even bought the entire building ”
Yes, Domyouji moves in before Shigeru called it quits, but WHEN he moves in, he TELLS Makino that he still hasn’t gotten over her, and that he ran out of the meet-and-greet with the parents. During this exchange, when Shigeru walks in, and Domyouji and Makino are all tangled up on the fllor, Domyouji tells Makino not to run after Shigeru; He doesn’t care if Shigeru has the wrong idea. After that scene, Domyouji and Rui have the confrontation where Rui tells Domyouji that he’s acting like a lowlife– Why is he suddenly acting like Makino’s BF when he’s ignored her for however long?
The BIG difference is no one in the Kdrama series bothers to point out to JP that what he’s doing isn’t aboveboard. Remember how Makino told Domyouji how he’s acting like a lowlife and how she can’t trust anything he says? I really don’t see Jandi sticking up for herself and confronting JP about what he is doing.
Moreover, Jun Pyo NEVER tells Jandi that he moved in because he still has feelings for her. How the heck is the girl supposed to know when he called her “a stain he wants to erase,” and just earlier in the episode, she saw JP and JK embracing in the hot tub? Also, in the Kdrama version, JP seems to be enjoying his time with JK (perhaps a problem of too much chemistry between the fiancee and the main actor?). And when JP finally gets around to telling Jandi how he feels, its with F3 and Ga-Eul around, and his fiancee SITTING NEXT TO HIM?!! How would any sane, non-sadomasochistic girl respond? And I don’t remember Domyougi being brought by Shigeru to Makino’s run-down apartment during his non-date!!! Domyouji was always a space-cadet during their dates, and always trying to leave Shigeru on a street corner somewhere!
These are slight differences but culmulatively, they add up to a depiction of Jun Pyo that is not so flattering. Say what you will, but domyouji was steadfast and ONLY had eyes for Makino.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MIMX82EeZs
that’s the link
im not sure if it’s legit or not tho
*cross fingers* i hope it’s not legit
and you know what, i stopped caring for JunDi right after JP kissed JK
i think since the PD wants it to be different, we’ll have JH & JD together, and JP will die *maybe?* xD
Tippy@106 – lmao after reading your comment. Totally agree with you!
@176 IcanhazGJPyo and others who agree with the poster, count me in!
this is not the BOF i was expecting. this version is def. different, but at the same time, i’m getting quite bored (and fed up) with how the writers are handling the various issues that are cropping up. these characters need mental health professionals in their lives! and Junpyo needs to grow some balls or something. the lack of interaction between the main couple is taking wayyyyy too long. =/
despite all my complaints i’m still enjoying it. or maybe i’m just waiting for the “real” story to finally continue.
and this comment is for the previous episode, but was anyone else reminded of Ghost with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in that clay scene between YJ & EJ?? AND screw Yi Jung and Ga Eul / Eun Jae, let him be with Woo Bin instead!
Weird. I wrote #205 but I’m not Jessie. wth?
Oh, childhood memories of snacking on uncooked ramen! Total no-no at my house which made it even more delicious. Am I the only one who said (or thought) “wait, you’ve got to crush it some and spinkle the seasoning first!”
Thanks as always for the witty recaps, javabeans. “And we can never have too much emotionally battered staggering in one episode, because now it’s Yi-jung’s turn.” Classic
Maybe I am in the minority, but I will NOT be happy if Jandi ends up with Jihoo. I feel like I will have wasted all my time watching this show, especially the first part. Besides that, they are just too BORING as a couple. Sorry, but I do not enjoy watching them that much together. If I am going to watch a show, I like my couple to have a little spice.
Also, does anybody really think they are going to do this amnesia thing? They only have like 6 freakin’ episodes, they better speed things up as it is, I don’t know how they would manage to throw that storyline in there.
lol i thought the same thing, it sounds like he’s reworking goong music
#43 BBF i agree with u about getting all Elizabeth Bennett thing and JD is supposed to do that during the confrontation outside her house … well, at least in the manga. yeah, yeah, i’m not suppose to compare the 2 or else it will drive me nuts.
on the relationship btw JP and JK, according to the manga (sorry gals! can’t help it!) JK is actually the female version of JP and that’s why you get this chemistry. but also totally agree that we need to see more JP and JD story or else its going to be hard to swallow the minute they are a couple.
minor things that sticks in my head – the photos of JP in JD’s apt – which Javabeans has already pointed out. there must be a few hidden cameras in the room – Mama Kang has the room bugged!
plus the painting scene – they all look immaculate from start to finish. how wonderful. and JH walking dejectedly in the rain, i kept noticing his bum – maybe its the dark backdrop, his dark top and his startingly white pants. ha! ha!
see u gals next week. keep cool!
For 191 – Jessie.
You so totally rock. These are my sentiments exactly. For both the GaEul and JanDi situations.
For GaEul: What he did has no good excuse. He used her and lashed out so horribly because of his love/ daddy issues and then she just gives in. NOOO! Stay angry! Any woman with a shred of dignity, or pride, or just plain old self-respect would have walked away and not EVER! turned back after being treated like a cheap whore for the ‘lending’. I guess I’ll applaud her for taking the moral high road and being good enough to check on him and for getting his drunken, sorry ass inside; but melting over some bull-s reason that probably isn’t even about her is just sad to see. I want to see the tough, modern, self-respecting firecracker that stood up to him when he asked her to warn JanDi away from JunPyo. I want her to be strong and unforgiving until he shows some actual true remorse and does something that warrants her forgivness, at the very VERY least I should think a basic apology would be in order.
JanDi just pisses me off. SHe is everything chauvinistic and degrading about this show. Her character is supposed to be a tough-never-give-up-never-give-in fighting woman that a girl should strive to be like. Instead, she has been turned into a self-pitying, victimized, damsel-in-distress that needs all the big strong men to help save her all the time. She allows herself to be jerked one way then another by everyone and she stays silently suffering. In the beginning I realized that the Korean Makino character seemed kind of off. She was more silent and rserved and accepting of all the torment, but when she finally snapped into fighting mode I cheered. I figureed, okay, she is a bit on the reserved side but she is still strong, and independent, and capable. THen that went away and this weak, dependent, whipping-girl is all that is left, and I’m frankly disgusted and disturbed by it.
It is really wrong that the only truly strong, powerful female characters are either never present or present in the wrong way. Think about it.
1)The strongest and most powerful woman is the evil, villain mother who everyone hates.
2)the strong-bodied, strong-willed and kind-hearted sister is never present and when she is they make her practically useless and powerless to help.
3) The smart sophisticated heiress who didn’t let anyone or anything stop her from chasing after her dreams was banished from the show unless it’s to talk about how she broke JiHoo’s heart by doing so thereby making her a bad unmentionable kind of woman.
4) The young, smart, opinionated, strong, and capable girl thaqt SHOULD be Makino/JanDi is instead the soon to be jilted other woman who nobody wants or even really seems to like. And she too is rendered weak by her clingy, dependent, and insistant need to secure the main man by whatever means she can.
The guys are worse. THey are all spoiled, rich brats who treat these girls so poorly and lowly and in such a degrading manner but are instantly forgiven because like you said; they are young, rich, and handsome. They get away with abominable behavior because they are the rich, strong men and simply because they can.
Sadly, I love this show and I can’t stop watching because I want the couples to end up together, I want the witch to go down , I want BBF to pull a rabbit out of a freaking hat and make it right. Make our JunPyo completly and 100% faithful to JanDI like Domyouji is supposed to be, Give JanDi and GaEul back their strength, pride, and dignity. Stop gloryfing and making excuses for the playboy who leads on the innocent girl that are suppposed to justify his treatment of her.
Sorry. I went off on another tirade. I have that habit. In conclusion Jessie (and Java) I just wanted to back up your points and thankyou for also recognizing these kinds of flaws and just how not okay they are.
Thanks for ur recaps! I love them.
You are right that Kim Hyun Joong can’t act but he is just the perfect eye candy…
8->
I can’t wait for the next episode. I hope that JK backs off because JP still loves JD.
JD+JP 4vr!!!
Its gonna be very interesting when JD is JP’s maid. Also, I wonder who is JD’s soulmate and husband. Ep18 said something about JD making a family for JH. I know that it is for getting the grandpa and JH back and in the Japanese final version, JD and JP get married by JH but I just remembered the episode in New Caledonia w/ JD’s dream. Theories….
Also, we finally get to see more acting in Kim Bum, but YJ was a jerk to Gaeul when he offered her to his father.
I also love the very cute scenes when JH kisses YJ.
I wonder where if there is a ep20 preview because I would love to see it.
I’m glad the cute is back! (:
Not to mention, Junpyo and his undying loyalty ; w ; <33
Oh, I have just finished the review of ep 20 and 21, what a nerdy PD when he created these messes. HOW long do I have to endure the monkey? She is going to be unbearable, shameless, sticky girl.
“I’d wondered whether she was asking him to choose between friendship and love because she recognized that Jan-di had fully occupied the slot for “love” in Jun-pyo’s heart, relegating Jae-kyung to friendship”
I think she is wondering if she should sacrifice her “love” for Jun-pyo for her “friendship” with Jandi.
Ahh… when I can finally wake up from this hellaride???
Sum things up…
Episode 1 – Boy meets girl. Girl hates boy. Boy hates girl.
Episode 2 – Girl kicks boy. Boy likes girl. Girl hates boy.
Episode 3 – Girl saves boy. Boy kiss girl. Girl still hates boy.
Episode 4 – Boy saves girl. Girl now confuse. Boy likes girl.
Episode 5 – Boy rescues girl. Boy and girl go on vacation.
Episode 6 – Boy punch friend. Girl cries. Boy angry at girl and friend.
Episode 7 – Boy fights girl and friend. Boy ask girl. Girl sent boy away.
Episode 8 – Boy and girl make up. Boy sleep with girl’s family.
Episode 9 – Boy fights with girl. Girl apologizes. Boy kiss girl.
Episode 10 – Mama’s boy angry. Girl work with family. Boy kiss girl. Boy uneasy.
Episode 11 – Girl give up. Boy go cool off. Girl get kidnapped.
Episode 12 – Boy saves girl. Girl gets hurt. Boy gives JJ. Boy went away.
Episode 13 – Girl looks for boy. Boy has changed. Girl is sad.
Episode 14 – Boy meet girl. Boy sent girl away. Girl cries. Boy hides his feeling
Episode 15 – Girl cries with boy’s noona. Boy has a fiancee. Girl is sadder.
Episode 16 – Girl friends fiancee. Girl ask boy for help. Mama slap boy.
Episode 17 – Girl adds work. Boy kiss fiancee. Boy save girl. Girl is touched.
Episode 18 – Boy lives near girl. Girl kill roach for boy. Boy and girl eat ramen.
Episode 19 – Boy finds girl. Boy no longer hides. Girl gave up.
Episode 20 – ????
@217 – LMAO.
LOL @217
It suddenly makes so much sense….it’s all about the ramen
@212 Eray & @151 Jessie
You’ve articulated things far better than I ever could! The four examples of how women are depicted in this show– so astute. Heart the: “I want BBF to pull a rabbit out of a freaking hat and make it right. Make our JunPyo completly and 100% faithful to JanDI like Domyouji is supposed to be, Give JanDi and GaEul back their strength, pride, and dignity. Stop gloryfing and making excuses for the playboy who leads on the innocent girl that are suppposed to justify his treatment of her. ”
@217 2late2say
Best.Post.Ever!!! LMAO– tears where streaming down my face…
#217 – that is so true and so funny. Is this what it’s like to be addicted to drugs? It is bad for you and bad to you, but you just can’t give it up…
like some people have mentioned..a relationship with JH can be pretty boring. But dont you guys think that a relationship with JP would be very tiring?
I dunno…If I were to meet someone like JP, I think I would rip my hair off. lol. Yeah, sure he may love me but he would definitely drive me crazy.
So here’s what I think…Jandi should not end up with any of them.
Maybe she should just focus on Medical School and all.
@143 momo – Please visit the Soompi forum for BOF to give all KHJ’s sympathizers a wake-up call – You have said exactly what I want to say – WAY TO GO!!!!!
Nobody would argue Kim Bum is the best Soujiro and it is so obvious that KHJ is the worst Rui. I haven’t seen any forum that is debating these two facts.
@ 222
You are totally right, a relationship with Junpyo has the possibility of being really tiring. But, then again, they aren’t a real couple and we don’t have to deal with all of that. For TV purposes, tiring couples make for better stories than boring couples. And really, Jandi and Jihoo bore me to tears. They’d make an awesome couple in real life, just not something I want to think I wasted my time watching in a show.
Though of course, I may be a little bit biased because my boyfriend looks way more like LMH than he does KHJ. Go GJP! (and LMH : )…)
I loved the cozy scene where they played the “Truth Game”. I loved the intimacy and friendship that has grown amongst everyone….it looked so natural and REAL. I guess the scene transcended mere acting…
For those of you with harsh opinions of BOF, please go find another drama to watch. Your harsh comments are just too much to bear. I am a strict fan of BOF.
My personal opinion is I love the drama. Just like a great book, KBOF makes me stay addicted and wanting to analyze more and more about the characters and the situation that are so complex. It is a story that makes you wish you had friends and relationship like F4, Jandi and Gawel.
Why can’t Jandi be strong and yet so vulnerable in the face of love and difficult situation? Haven;t we all felt that? Perhaps we are wanting out main characters to be just one-dimensional and then complain that characters have no depth. These actors and writers cannot win with such a negative crowd.
I also love the symbolic setting of the KBOF. GEUN Jan Di means the golden grass in Korean, a soft stage, ground and foundation on which the F4 flowers need to be nurtured and eventually bloom from each of his own demons. It is also symbolic that both Jandi and Gawel work for a porridge shop. Usually, in Korea, porridge is given to people who are sick or recovering from sickness. All F4 have lots of issues and self-destructive patterns deriving from their own family comflicts and losses. You know what they are. YJ has fear that he is his father (the power of self-fulfilling prophecy) and so do not feel he deserves love and that is why he sends away women who are good for him. He is afraid to hurt them like his father hurt his mother. JH has issues of loss and tremendous guilt over his parents’ death and living with feeling that everybody that he loves eventually leave him—again he may feel deep inside that he does not deserve love either. Woobin lives with the shame of coming from “criminal family or mafia” background. It is even more of a conflict for him because he is the kindest person and the facilitator or peacemaker in F4. You wonder how he will cope when he takes over the business. I hope JD and F4 help him with that.
JP’s demon is of course his mother. He cannot stand up to her. Like any kid who has had too strict a parenting, do you remember doing things behind their back to breath a little? In Macaw, JP was so closely supervised by his mother 24-7 that he had to act mean to JD to protect her. He is complex because he is also conflicted by his loving duty to his employees and their families. His moving next to JD and yet unable to break from JK mean that he still has the conflict and his demon to overcome. His eating ramen on his own instead of asking JD to cook it for him tells me that he is taking a minor step to really try to stand on his own two feet without anybody’s help–although his old self took over when he called his father-figure Secretary Jung to help him.
To me JD is actually stonger in character than Makino, although it is possible I missed something as I do not understand Japanese language and only depended on the translation. She is torn about JP and JK. she cares about them both. She may have also misinterpreted the scene where JK was hugging JP in the hotel. She may also be very scared of JP’s mother;s next evil act and is on the survival mode to make sure that at least her family will be OK. I do not think she has ever told JP about the kind of evil things that his mother has done to her and her family. JP only knows that JD’s family business went bankrupt not that his mother bribed the store owner and other owners of the surrounding area to never rent a store to JD family. JP does not know that his mother paid for JD to be kidnapped by that character whose older half brother almost jumped off the school building if it was not for JD. JD is not going to take responsiblity for JP and his mother’s conflict. He has to come to terms regarding his mother on his own so that he can handle it himself. To me that makes JD wise although it may look too self-sacrificing and stupid on the surface. I would not want JD to run to JP and complain about his mother–that would not be JD. JD stands on her own. She gets help not because she asked for help but they came to her because of who she is—-brave, loyal, gutsy, funny, defender of the weak—-she is more the “man” than F4. She is the “grass” that helo make “men” out of the F4. Don’t you think so?
ok. i understand people feel bad for KHJ because he’s getting a lot of criticisms and he seems like such a nice guy. but don’t defend him by saying “he’s still learning and trying his best”.
uhhh.
don’t you think he should have learned BEFORE shitting all over this amazing story? (along with GHS, the writers, PDs, music directors, even KB’s ridiculous overacting) arggh, it’s so frustrating.
One thing i forgot to mention is that how come JH can make phone call when he is wearing his helmet when he saw JP being taken away hahaha…
“She is the “grass” that helo make “men” out of the F4. Don’t you think so?”
no.
reading your analysis made no sense to me. GJD is stronger than Makino? what????
I think i have a good idea of what Junpyo’s answer means.
When he says he wants both love and friendship, i think he is talking about going after Jandi and keeping his friendship with Jihoo. I think the reason why JaeKyung likes his answer so much is because she is in the same dilemma. Jaekyung wants to keep going after Junpyo but she wants to keep her friendship with Jandi….JaeKyung is so cute..
@227
yeah I think KHJ should have cameo in a few low budget drama before starring in such a high profile production like this. but except he didn’t even audition for the part. he’s just given the part. i blame his agency and casting director.
@223
nah. shota is still the best soujiro. kim bum is not playboy enough.
KHJ is not the worst Rui because the character he plays isn’t even Rui. I don’t even know who this JH character is. He’s so different from the manga. He’s so saccharin I want to exasperate. Where are all his cool lines? “Wanna me to kick down the door?”
hmm..i think pple should be more open-minded. I, for one, dont mind how the story would end even if its different than the original ending.
Yes, it’s an adaptation. However, we have to keep in mind that this a KDrama…it’s not the manga itself. Changes can be made.
An adaptation can mean that it’s a source of inspiration. So it does not mean that since it’s an adaptation, you have to follow strictly all plots and storyline.
Infact, I think that the drama is different than the manga to begin with. The characters are somewhat miles apart different than the original characters.
Just like how other remakes can have changes. Sometimes change is good and sometimes change is bad and for this one, we’ll just have to wait and see.
We all have to loosen up abit and dont be too uptight about it.
Anything can happen in dramas based on what the producers want…so yeah.
Besides, there are like tons of JoonDi fans out there and I doubt that the producers would want to enraged the fans. It would be like digging their own graves.
So I think that we should all just calm down. Sit back, relax and just enjoy the show.
Sorry if i’m being too cool about this.
Maybe because I have always been calm my whole life. lol
So here’s what I’m hoping (though i dont expect too much)
- Jandi & Junpyo sweet moments.
- Jandi & Junpyo end up together again.
- Yijung realizing that GaEul is his soulmate.
- JiHoo being happy with his grandfather without his grandfather dying.
- WooBin getting an exciting storyline of his own.
Whew… I need to put my 5 cents here… hehehe
Please stop the comparison between GJD or Makino or SC already.
Each version has its own pros and cons…
Stronger or weak, each of them brings a lot of different twist of the Makino as depicted in Manga character.
The same ground id here. All 3 are the same, in GJD, Makino or SC, she shows her braveness to defend or help or speak for others, but she fears to fight for her own and to me that’s the main typical Makino character. In GJD case, just because somebody always help her when she’s in trouble, she is condemned weak, I mean that’s a bit unjust, right?
In KDrama, they focused more on emotional side of GJD, her sadness, which I think never really shown in HYD or MG. All we see that Makino is strong and SC is tough but actually both are sad in their heart.
I think what GJD lack here is her narrative voice (inner thoughts), which both earlier version did. I mean the inner voice really help viewers to know what is GJD is thinking rather than just seeing her sad face… right?
To interject with a completely different tone:
I want to express just how much I have enjoyed the entire experience of watching Boys Over Flowers with you all–and I include fans on soompi, youtube, etc., with the ones here.
I have never watched a show while it was airing with so many fans, and even though I bitch and complain about Boys Over Flowers, it has been a terrific experience. I think I will feel a tremendous amount of sadness once it stops airing, and I have a feeling that I will feel lonely and depressed for a while. It’s not that I don’t have friends (they are in my head, but I love them, dammit) and a crazy work schedule to keep me busy–but this experience of seeing fans upload files, sub them, recap them, and then comment with long essays on episodes has been just wonderful. I love the many different ethnicities I have seen represented–the other day I came across an Arab woman raving about BOF (there are Arabic subs for the show!)
Also Javabeans, I want to thank you for offering this site as a meeting place. I can’t remember the last time I had as much fun watching a TV show! In fact, I don’t think I have ever had this much fun watching anything! I love how you allow many different opinions in the comments, and how you set up a loving but sardonic approach to enjoying the show.
I know that it is too early to feel sentimental, but really, it has been fun. And all criticisms aside, I still love the show. If nothing else, it is sinfully full of gorgeous men.
–
Back to self:
Here is the dialogue I heard in my head between JD and GJP:
GJP: Where were you last night?
JD: Wow, dude, seriously? You want to go there. Don’t even start.
GJP: Where were you?
JD: You cheating, fiance-kissing, calling-me-a-stain-and-never-apologizing d*ckwad. Really? You want to do this now? You stay away for a YEAR with no word, get a fiance just because you don’t have b*lls to stand up to mommie-dearest, and YOU are going to ask me where I spent the night?
GJP: But–
JD: But what? Bitch, please. Just be glad that you’re not in front of me because you’re so in for an a$$-whopping even your mom’s ass will hurt. Sit yo ass down, and STFU.
That episode in my head was goooooooood.
–
A big hug to KHJ–it must be tough to hear all this criticism. I don’t think he is as bad as everyone is saying he is. In fact, I find KB’s overacting and overemoting much, much more embarrassing.
yeah, i admit i’m a bit more forgiving of Kim Bum because he’s just so damn cute (which is awfully shallow) but yes, a lot of you are are right on the money. he may have been great on East of Eden but he’s not really versatile and is a terrible Soujiroh. part of it is just because his baby face makes his playboy character a little unbelievable. but mostly it’s because of the bug-eyed, clench-jawed overacting that really really bugs me. ugh.
@202
I think what I like from this version is that JP character seems more humane…
the other versions’ character of JP just seem so selfish, always does anything he wants and doesn’t have a heart for anyone else except Jandi and F3…
In the Korean version, Junpyo isn’t that stupid and knows his responsibility.. he feels for the 700,000 families whose lives are on his shoulder… i really don’t think he will be able to be mean to Jaekyung especially since she’s not evil at all…
he would be very straightforward to her (saying he doesn’t like her and all) but he wouldn’t do anything harsher than that… he would still treat her as a human, or even a friend..
@tsukasa, come back!
I was the poster that said KHJ is still learning earlier. But that’s far from defending him. In fact, by saying he’s learning means that I am admitting he’s not on par. He’s being pay as a professional to act but he’s far from a professional.
I like the guy but I evaluate things objectively. Please don’t band the crazy fangirls and people with moderate views together. “Still learning”, “he’s trying his best”, “he’s getting there” are admissions that KHJ still needs to work harder. Don’t take them as signs of defense but rather acknowledgments of his shortcomings.
People have different tolerance level. Depending on personal preferences, they can either hate KHJ’s acting or indifferent to it. And then, there are some that love everything he does. I am impartial to his acting. After all, I am watching boys over flowers, not Shawshank redemption. I understand the story his JH is trying to convey. Then I move on. I don’t dwelt on each scene and examine whether he twitches his eye muscle correctly. Maybe my personal critiquing rubric for asian dramas are quite lax because I still don’t see the horrid acting everyone is talking about (albeit the beginning of the series).
233
I totally agree with you. In all 3 version, it shows the typical Makino character which is the strong drive of justice. She tends to defend other people first rather than herself. That’s so typical Makino.
Also agree on the lack inner voice of GJD. I totally agree that some of the time I really wish that she will speak her mind. It helps a lot and making the viewers really understand. Totally clueless at times…
And may be you’re right, in both earlier version, it show how strong is sad SC/ Makino is and they focus on how resilient a grass can be regardless how weak the look.
But in this version, it shows how sad is strong GJD. They focused on how weak a grass look like regardless how strong it is actually.
For me its a brave approach since we already knew in our hearts, who SC/M/GJD is.
Just to highlight, I think this version has achieved one thing that both earlier version didn’t. HOW GJP ACTUALLY CHANGE GJD. As in the manga, Makino admit to herself that without Domyouji, she would’ve never be able to stand on her two feet. And I get that vibe from this version. Unlike earlier version which shows that she is already strong without ever need anyone help.
@237
Thank you so much for the comment. I couldn’t have said it better myself
ps. Thank you so much Javabean for posting up the recaps! I have been a silent reader since the beginning of your BOF posting but I just wanted to show you my appreciation for all your hard work! can’t wait for your next BOF post!!
D
I think KIM BUM is doing a FANTASTIC job at playing So Yi Jung. I look at pictures of KB and I find it surprising b/c there’s a marked contrast between him and it’s character. It’s like looking at twins with diff. personalities.
I always get the cold, distant, elegant, cynical, jaded vibe from Kim Bum’s portrayal of YJ. It’s in the way he lounges, the way he tilts his head, the cynical slant of his eyes, the smug, disdainful expressions. it’s so very much how I would imagine the play-boy F4-er to be and puts together a whole, realistic portrait of the character. I can imagine YJ in real-life, b/c all his portrayed personality traits go together so convincingly.
I do agree that he does tend to go a little too far on the emotional parts. The other Soujiros didn’t have the father storyline, so he’s venturing into new territory. The one thing that irritates me about his acting in those emotional scenes is that his voice always follows the same patter.
Soft -> yelling. Soft -> yelling. It’s too melodramatic. He needs more inflections.
yea, this is the first kdrama where i get so excited and worked up about. it’s the first time i’m catching a drama real-time and now it’s like clockwork every mon and tues nights – waiting with bated breath for the raw downloads, then followed by javabean’s recap and then rewatching the show with eng subs. It’s just so much fun! and being able to discuss the show with like-minded folks adds so much to the enjoyment. it is such a guilty pleasure!
i’m just so over the moon after reading some updated season 2 spoilers (well, it doesn’t spoil the fun for me)! JunDi love is gonna be back! still, even though JK plays a crucial and important role in that, i still wish there was not so much unnecessary screen time wasted on JP-JK. just like the lost decade in japan, ep 15-18 felt like the lost time for BOF..hah, if i make any sense. i know if i ever rewatch BOF after it ends, which i’m sure i will, i’ll be skipping these eps altogether.
people are not hating the actor KHJ (who could hate him anyway, he has a great personality, judgement made from all the interview and news) but hate JH because KHJ portrayed the character poorly. don t jump to some conclusion and finally attack another actor to vent your anger. ;p..and accept the fact that really he isn t a great and fabulous actor in BOF that all his fans tend to proclame. maybe he was good in WGM (didn t watch it)
Wonder how is the statistic of Javabeans blog when she releases a recap of one episode of BOF?
I think at the end of the year, when you are going to class your favorite/non favorite dramas, you ll have to create another section called addictive drama, or dramas which made the highest statistic of my blog..:p
LMH is confusing his character in the last 5 episodes….but then HJK has such sweet-talk-a-tive EYES….and is throwing him OFF!
Hah.. Haven’t read finish all the comments! But since I’m taking a break from work so heres my comment!
I’m like nodding nodding while reading #151 & #176!
I think Mr Goo is being a bastard now.. for breaking two girls’ hearts. One that he loves, and another that he regard as almost a friend. Don’t tell me that the reason is because he didnt dare to rebel his mom. Since when is our Goo Jun Pyo a mommy’s boy? I guess like what you guys’ve said. It’s the writers’ / producers’ fault. They should stop acting smart. And go back to the manga storyline already. All four characters (JP / JD / JH / JK) [lol.. all Js] are beginning to behave outta sorts. This really pisses me off as I love Domyouji the character really lots. JP doing this is definitely not morally right… And he got the nerve to tell Jihoo that he will hold on tight to the girl that he loves.. Yea yea.. Whatever, hypocrite. Declare that you are not taking JK as your fiance and declare that you love Jandi before saying all that shit about love.
I hope that the koreans are not like Taiwanese.. They strayed from the manga in the 2nd part too (and in the end Domyouji really didnt end up with Makino in TW version). Didnt watch it after the 4th episode (Part 2) when it strayed. It was my first time watching HYD (I didnt watch manga) at that time. And I hated the 2nd part of Meteor Garden!! Hope that BBF won’t self-destruct! I was telling my friends that BBF is better than HYD (Jap), now I think I’ve gotta eat my own words… =(
lol.. Regarding Hyun Joon’s acting. I think I didn’t really mind it cause I’m watching this for the storyline… Haha.. and I thought he did a better job than Vic Chou in MG!! lol! Overall.. I guess, Oguri portrayed the Rui that I love best.. =)
wow … it was infuriating wht yi jung has done Ga eul in restaurant but i still hoped if Ga eul would be angry of him for little longer time and i wish she turns him down for being all linked to his first love as it will show up in next episode .. but i hope that her way of turning him down is by avoiding him and try not to meet him any longer.. and i hope the writer will show more of love of yi jung to Ga eul .. in confession like manner not just symbolizing ..
@244
in the TW version the HYD story ends in the first part, I don’t think many people even watched the second half (me included) because the story was completely different. I think the production term just made it to reap some more $$$.
229
I probably am going overboard trying to defend myself to you about my point of view. I was only speaking symbolically. I was praising the writers for setting up the KBOF story with great symbolism. “Geum Jandi”=golden grass where people find rest and flowers find place to grow, “porridge” symbolizing nutrition and comfort for the sick, and Flowers 4 representing outside beauty with so much fragility inside.
You seem to be a big fan of the Japanese version. I am sorry if I offended your taste. As you can see I am a bigger fan of the Korean version than the Japanese version. I always felt that the way Makino’s character was played on the outside seemed too timid and unsure except when she kicked Domiyouji for being a bully. I could be wrong. Again sorry if I offended anyone. Just my preference.
Great stories make me want to analyze it to pieces. The KBOF writers give plenty of tid bits, whether intentional or not, for all of us to ponder over. See? even now towards the end of the series, we do not know how the story will end. Also, almost all the characters are so multidimensional that we cannot feel but empathy for all of them. These KBOF wirters are just amazing to me at least.
244
Jun Pyo is not a moma’s boy. That is NOT what I meant. Just as his mother is a bully, JP was also a bully before he met JD. Don’t you all remember JD commenting about “heredity” when the F4 described how all the young F4 were pointed with guns for escaping the camp scene by JP’s mother? But I do believe that JP is very scared of his mother. In Maccaw, he did yell at his mother if she was happy that JD had been cruelly sent away and that he will destroy everything if his mother “messes” with JD. His love for JD was never an issue, but his fear of his mother is an issue. Again, KBOF writers really made JP character so interesting. HIs aggressive facade is only a protection and defense for all the fears and anxiety inside. Perhaps because that is the only social learning he received from his mother. The scrip makes that clear. He is not as tough as he looks. JP’s character is a little boy at heart–scared of little boys’ things–like bugs. He was also betrayed by his “brother-like bodyguard” at young age and almost drowned, making water is another fear. But the writers give us a glimpse that his love for JD can conquer his fears–after all, he conquered his fear of water by learning to swim and finally saving JD in the hotel. JD brings out the “true courage and not just a defensive aggression” out of JP. He has to develop more of this “TRUE GUTS” to stand up to the biggest bully in his life. Anyway, these are just my thoughts.
As for the acting, I think everybody is pretty good actors in this show. At least they convey the meaning of the story very well to me. Of course, GHS, LMH and KB are more seasoned. I was surprised at KHJ’s acting. I was wondering if he would pull the scene with grandfather off. In my opinion he did better than I expected. Kudos to you KHJ! Keep on fighting!
I am amazed when people say Kim baby bum can’t – hit – on – women for nuts, drunk and annoying man with akward melodrama scenes is the Best Soujiro.
Sorry but here too I would argue too (like Jan di and other F4 too)
@ 236 kriza09
Obviously if Domyoji is originally unhuman, mean brat ect… it’s on purpose. Indeed it make Makino very strong (she punches him although she knows how powerful he is), the romantic, serious scenes SPARKS (Domyioji is changing thanks to Makino and “it’s Power of love”) so Domyioji faults become his qualities (He is sooo arrogant than he can do anything to be with Makino and he is sooooooo clueless than he can’t see any other woman expect Makino and he become loyal).
I think people put Domyoji down without see how the “dark side” of him can be his “strong points”
I saw Meteor Garden and loved part 1 but part 2 sucks as they strayed away from the story line but eventually DS (Jerry Yan) got his memory back and reunited with SC in the end. However in both Taiwanese and Japanese version ,the two guys never entertained the fiancee as much as Jun Pyo is doing right now and it is quite upsetting especially his goo goo eyes in the breakfast table. I remember Dao Ming Si getting upset with SC when he saw the gift she received from the fiancee and practically throwing it away. Here, he is like JK’s puppy dog and good for JD that she answered him negative on his TD question. JP don’t act what he says and JD is struggling and confused by the messages JP is conveying. I think at this point JP has the weakest character of the 3 Domyoji Tsukasa. At least the two stood up to the mother . I wish crazy monkey (love the way JP pronounce monkey) would go away soon but it looks like she will be around till the end.I was wondering if there will be a second girl trying to steal an amnesia stricken Domyoji Tsukasa’s heart like in the Taiwan and Japanese version. This is so close to the end so I was thinking the PD just might hang on to crazy monkey. Just like the rest I will be sad when the series would come to an end. Never felt this way watching a series despite the many flaws in the story line, despite Ji Hoo’s acting faupax (still love him), despite all the flaws.This drama became a part of my Monday and Tuesday life waiting for the earliest no sub upload by Kdrama2008.Love the exchanges between fans and Javabeans and hope will all find another drama as addictive as BBF . Thanks Javabeans.
And excuse me JP (best Domyoji) is afraid of his mother ? sorry but JP is not supposed to be afraid of anybody ! Even though his mother he is a rebellious arrogant violent man !
and @ 238 but This is not HYD anymore !!! All I can see now is people do money on a famous manga’s story which has had two previous successful HYD drama versions ! Why am I not suprised !
IloveBOF
I totally love your comments, analysis, and explanation… you did a great job explaning the sybolisms behind the characters actions…..THANK YOU and I’m with you on this 100% GJD is a strong emotional weed and GJP have to face is biggest fear (his evil mother) by himself in order for him to grow as an individual.
I’m going to miss this series so much….I hoping for a wonderful ending.
I love the actress who’s playing Jae Kyung.
She plays her character really well.; the annoying, snobby rich girl.
who WE ARE ALL suppose to hate..
But for me.. I don’t hate her. in fact, I hate jandi more.
Jae Kyung’s character is well defined and she knows what she wants.
Jandi on the other hand, urgh, so sick of her…. she’s always in need of help.. doesn’t have that courageous, tough character of Tsuksi anymore.
And i agree.
I love the love Jun Pyo has for Jandi. it’s so clear..
but as for Jandi… can’t see it. to me, almost seems like she doesn’t love him as much as he loves her. and she doesnt give a shit.
@244 ILoveBOF
“But the writers give us a glimpse that his love for JD can conquer his fears–after all, he conquered his fear of water by learning to swim and finally saving JD in the hotel. JD brings out the “true courage and not just a defensive aggression” out of JP. He has to develop more of this “TRUE GUTS” to stand up to the biggest bully in his life.”
Let me back track a bit. I compare the Jdrama and Kdrama versions because they are the two versions that are on celluloid (I would include the Taiwanese version but I unfortunately haven’t seen it. Maybe I’ll go back to watch it when BOF is over!). I’ve read the manga but I’m not so hung up on the PDs following the plot or story line down to a T. I accept adaptions and changes as long as they make sense and allow for the continuity of plot logic.
One of the fundamental differences between the Jdrama and Kdrama version is that the Jdrama version is manga-esque: always light-hearted, comical, and most importantly, REMOVED from our sphere of reference. Watching the Jdrama version is like watching the stills of a managa come to life. It’s actually typical of most Jdramas (watch Meichan no Shichuzi or Zettai Boyfriend). No one’s going to confuse that for reality.
The Kdrama version takes the HYD story and adapts it into a drama. It moves the story into the viewers sphere of reference. When watching it, I don’t get the sense that I’m watching a manga come to life. I recognize it’s a drama but now, it’s as if somewhere, out there, far far away, this could plausibly be happening (I use the word PLAUSIBLY lightly because I don’t want anyone to think I’m delusional). I think that’s why ALL of our reactions are so immediate and intense. Also, if the Jdrama version was the G rated version of HYD, then the Kdrama version is the PG-13 version. There is an element of real sexuality present in the Kdrama version that was absent in the Jdrama version.
If the Jdrama version is about a bunch of high-school kids then the Kdrama version feels like a college-age or young twenties version of HYD. I think that’s why, in part, the finacee is far more threatening in the Kdrama version. The element of sexuality is introduced by the comments made by JP’s mom as well. Yes, Shigeru stripped off all her clothes for Domyoji, while JK simply embraced JP in the hot tub, but remember how we never saw Shigeru naked? We simply saw her unfasten her dress and then the shot panned to Domyoji’s expression. In contrast, as a viewer, I SAW JK back-hug JP while the steam was swirling around them, and he was naked from the torso up, and she was half-clothed. Definitely a different reaction! It’s purposeful on the part of the Kdrama writers, I think. They’ve raised the bar, and I applaud them. It’s clear to me now that the Kdrama writers have purposefully upped the ante and made both Ji Hoo and Jae Kyung viable threats to the JunDi pairing. They want us to bite our nails and question the Jundi cannon– Who is Jandi going to end up with at the end: Ji Hoo or Jun Pyo? Fine, but, and this is a big BUT, if they are going to raise the bar, they better WORK at coming to the same conclusion at the end!
Even though I cringed during the TOJ pageant during the 1st season of the Jdrama, it impressed me, from a perspective of advancing the plot, that Domyogi went head to head with his mother, with the help of his sister, and accepted the consequences when Makino didn’t win. The Jdrama, while introducing occasionally cringe-worthy scenes, hardly ever sacrificed on the continuity of plot logic. He was shipped off to NY because Domyouji tried his best to protect and FIGHT for Makino. It was clear to me why, at the end, despite all of the heartache, Domyouji deserved Makino. In the Kdrama version, we have JP sent off to Macau for an external reason, the death of his father, and though I understand why JP loves Jandi, and why she is the only one for him, and the changes she facilitated in him, I have yet to understand WHY he deserves Jandi. He hasn’t gotten off of his sorry butt since episode 12! And, yes, I understand the legacy of Shin Hwa, his promise to his father, and the lives of 700,000 hang in the balance. No matter how absurd, the same urgency hung over Domyouji— the belief that a mistake on his part caused the downward spiral of Domyouji Holdings and the suicide of a beloved colleague. I think the Jdrama version comes off as more absurd, because MatsuJun is not half the actor LMH is. But, essentially, what weighs in the balance in both versions boils down to the same, the welfare of tens of thousands of employees.
We have yet to see JP stand up to his mom! It’s ridiculous if Jandi and JP get together namely because either Ji Hoo and or JK bow out gracefully at the end. There shouldn’t be a question of what would have happened if someone hadn’t helped JP out! JP needs to OVERCOME his issues with his mother, by actively facilitating the change himself. I don’t want a question lingering as to what would have happened if Ji Hoo hadn’t done this or JK hadn’t done that IF in this version JD and JP end up together (99% likely since this is still HYD). Hopefully, the Kdrama writers will address this point because this is the MAIN POINT (at least for me). If they fail to, I would agrue that they should have just advanced the JunDI plot line because JK and Ji Hoo simply aren’t viable threats, as in the Japanese version (There is a reason why in Jdrama version, at the end of the day, Rui comes off as simply a confidant as opposed to a real threat and viable suitor.).
Also, by the end, I want a clear reason why Jandi chooses JP over Ji Hoo. Some people have pointed out that Ji Hoo and Jandi would make too boring a pair. Fine, then I want to know WHY JP? The world is a big place, and Jandi’s a young girl, and she might meet someone better! And please don’t say this is a drama and she only has two choices: Jihoo or Jun Pyo. There needs to be an explanation of WHY Jun Pyo aside from the fact that he is the handsomest and richest one of all.
In the Jdrama version, it was clear why for Domyouji it had to be Makino and vice versa. By the end of the Kdrama, I want a clear reason as to WHY, for Jandi, it has to be Jun Pyo! And it can’t be because she only has two choices: Ji Hoo or Jun Pyo! That’s not a love story! Nor can it simply be, “because that’s love and we can’t control who we love.” Then, this story is reduced to a contest between a good guy versus bad guy (where the bad guy really isn’t a bad guy but he’s just awfully misunderstood).
I read somewhere, that an actor was told by his acting coach, that in every scene, he needs to convey to the viewer the URGENCY of his need. WHY he needs what he needs, and WHAT he’s going to do to achieve that end. It has to come off as a life or death struggle and urgency of need. We see Jun Pyo struggling, that’s for sure. I just need to see him do a little bit more so, at the end, I can say: Ah, Ji Hoo, you fought a good fight, but it had to be JunDi. It can’t be that JunDi gets together because Ji Hoo acts like a martyr for a second time and sacrifices his own happiness for Jandi’s. It can’t be just because Jandi chooses Jun Pyo, for whatever reason, and things work out in favor of Jun Pyo.
I love Jun Pyo. He is such a nuanced and complex character. But, in order for me to be truly satisfied with the ending, I need Jun Pyo to step up to the plate. I’m demanding, I know, and you might not expect the same from a drama. This is just my perspective….
Sorry for the ridiculous length…
@ 255 Jessie I agree with some things you stated about Jdrama and kdrama versions (not all) but something striked me in your post. You say in your post “I think the Jdrama version comes off as more absurd, because MatsuJun is not half the actor LMH is” . OK.
Yet, at the same time, I am amazed (through your description of Domyoji character of HYD and his love for Makino) how you understand so well Jun/Domyoji character, you feel Domyoji character by Jun Portraying and how you really feel the Love between Domyoji and Makino (for a good couple you need two CONVINCING and natural actors.) in Jdrama HYD. So I wonder if Jun is not so good (because script is not all, you have to pull the character aura and for that you have to be a good actor. I know a lot of actors who have good script but can’t explain the right feeling and you can’t feel) how can you understand Jun/Domyoji like that ?
and 255 Jessie said :
“Watching the Jdrama version is like watching the stills of a managa come to life”
And I will add they did that in 9 and 11 with a condense storyline convincily without losing the essence of the storyline. So only this sentence confirm my feeling : the Jdrama version can’t even be compared with Kdrama version which needs extension…
I’d like to add to the “Pancakes of Sadness” and the “Pity Porridge”…How about ‘Bacon of Bereavement’? ‘Tearful Toast’??
…juju…..
I really agree with you… I mean after what Yi Jung did to Ga Eul they should show us that she is burst and crying so hard…. before she helped him when he was drunk… and at least they should show us that Yi Jung was hurt becasue of what he did…or at least he feels awkward at firt when he sees her again.. and then try to act as if nothing happened…
Even if he wouldn’t apologize to her becasue he wouldn’t want her to like him even more..
she has even a sensetive romantic charachter so it was not logical to show us that they were painting the house togehter and everything as if nothing happened… I was disappointed about that.. they just rushed…I was expecting more for SoEulmated after the strong secne when she threw the water on his face…
… have to say that the truth game scene…woaaaah…
they just acted soooo gooood.. it was so natural .. I didn’t feel it was acting at all…. and when JH kissed YJ on the cheek … OMG… XD .. It was deadly funny… I laughed soo hard …
Thank you a lot .. your effort is really appreciated
… I wanted to add that these two episodes had some really complex feelings… there was struggle… sadness… funny moments and suffering…. they were all put together in these two episodes (I meam 18 & 19) very well… which is good because few episodes before were reeeeally dragging…
Yeah I know not a very important comment but I wanted to express it soo badly…
Kamsahamnida =)
Jessie… My sentiments EXACTLY!!!
i just finished watching meteor garden1, HYDJ, the anime, even went as far as reading the manga again and i was sooo overwhelmed by the dept of thier love for the female lead.(sancia/makino) I never once questioned or doubted why they are destined to be together… It CLEARLY showed, and they even went through hell just to protect her… they proved over and over how much she means to them, and nobody else existed for them but her… as doming si said ” my love for her started a long time ago.” against all odds they stayed devoted to her… i was never seriously tempted to jump ship and root for the other guy.(rui/lei).
Some people argue the fact that we shouldnt compare the other versions to the kversion, but how can we not when its suppose to be an adaptation of the same manga… so it is only natural that comparison is made… to make their respective version unique, change is expected, BUT i was just SO dissapointed to the fact that in Kversion, the PURE HEART STOPPING love they have for the female lead(jandi) is not so obvious… wasnt it the main point in this whole entire drama was how much love he has ONLY for her??? How come im not so convince in Kversion as i was in the others… How come its not so believable???
JP has yet to honestly prove to me WHY he deserves to be with her… Jandi has done a lot for him, even face his evil manipulative mothers cruelty to the point where her parents has to move to the sea. She faught hard for him and yet he hurt her in the most painful way… some say he did it to “protect her”… in what way was he protecting her from??? thier business is still bankrupt, lost her ability to swin thus her special scholarship? her newly decorated pink apartment got demolished and to top it off she became his personal servant/maid… Now someone tell me, how exactly is that defined protecting her???
He is no way worthy of her… he hasnt showed any real balls in this entire season2… for me, he is just his mother puppet… as jessie said, i also want a CLEAR reason why he has to be the one for Jandi… She deserves to be with someone who undesrtands the true meaning of “action speaks louder than words”
@255 Jessie
Loved your post! I feel exactly the same way!
“I think the Jdrama version comes off as more absurd, because MatsuJun is not half the actor LMH is”’ – I really agree on this part. I remember cringing watching Jun’s acting in there.
Anyways too bad they’ve destroyed JP’s character by making him seem fickle (enjoying JK’s company? PUHLEEZZ-Tsukasa would never do that!) and cowardly in this Season 2. Such a waste of the initial character buildup.
Still gonna watch till the end, though. If I could speak Korean, the PD would’ve received my hate letters already.
i believe that junpyo’s answer to jaekyung’s question was going to influence her actions. for example, if junpyo was to choose love over friendship, jaekyung would forget jandi as her friends and pursue junpyo, like he does for jandi. but because junpyo replied “both,” it put jaekyung in a more distressed state because she knows she can’t have both without sabotaging the other.
Actually this is my first time writing a comment in this website …
Thanks you very much javabeans for your effort to put for us the recap every week …
I have some optimist view point concerning the relationship between Yi Jung and Ga Eul …
When they were in the club and when Ga Eul Ga-eul steps out to the ladies’ room and she was uncomfortable … I noticed that Yi Jung looked at her with a tender look with sadness in it .. it seem that he didn’t want to do such thing to her but that he MUST do it …maybe it’s his way to protect her from him (maybe because he did care about her)… and that’ why, later in his studio,he said that he “chased her away because he didn’t want her to cry because of him” (I think that he was referring to Ga Eul) ….
and also when they played the truth game in Jan Di’s place… Yi Jung starts with the questions … before asking his question he looked at Ga Eul for a while and then he asked Ji Hoo: “Can you love someone other than Seo-hyun?” … Maybe he did ask himself the same question but about Eun-jae ==> “Can I love someone other than Eun-jae ? “…
It’s only my view point after all …
i have to say, with the exception of your criticism of MatsuJun’s acting, I totally agreed with Jessie’s post. as much as i hound on the bad overacting/non-acting coming from KHJ, KB and GHS, my biggest beef with this show at the moment is the LACK OF CLARITY in any of the character’s motivations, especially JP/JD. in HYD, makino sacrificed a lot for domyouji but every time she lost something, the creators showed that domyouji still cared SO MUCH and he did his best in trying to help her and make us the viewers feel like that yes, he deserves her love. with the TOJ episode, it was so clear that domyouji would do anything for her, and he sacrificed being with her so that everything would be restored. now THAT is love.
in BBF, JP just seems so weak. he has no resolve and sometimes i’m not even sure if he’s always on JD’s side. domyouji’s hatred of his mother was SO evident that whenever he called her witch in front of makino, i felt like wow, here’s a dude who will always stay loyal to you. he’s almost childish in that respect, but it’s that stupid cluelessness that made their love so pure.
anyway, it’s always a pleasure to read these comments. but sometimes i think i should stop because by now i’m not even sure why i’m even still watching this. a lot of the comments have pointed out obvious problems with the show and now i’m more confused than ever.
I just find it hard to believe that some of us think lightly on things that actually bears the point of this HanaDan series.
What I get from the manga is that both main characters has effect on each other. How Domyuoji character changes Makino and vice versa.
In both MG and HYD, they achieved to show how SC/M change DMS/D but didn’t really show the other way around. Which I think is a bit unbalance. Even so both earlier version did a great job of conveying what both main characters thought about each other, through narrative approach.
In this version, even when they took a u turn from the original manga, they really did a good job at twisting the plot. And the plot is still the same. I still recognizes the manga plot or scene in here in which they totally mix and match, zig zag, roundabout and u-turn. And yes, the plot remains the same. Only that they totally make a new storyline using the plot that we recognizes and to me that makes this version really stands out.
Another thing is, this version manage to show how GJP has an effect to GJD character, whenever GJP is with her, she will somehow have this drive to be strong, to fight back, to yell, to speak her mind, to reject, to kick etc. And when he’s no longer with her, she turned into this sad little girl.
Same goes to GJP, in here also they manage to show how GJD has soften GJP on how to be more humane towards others. A lot of ppl were claiming that in previous both version, Domyouji character is shown to be a lot more firm on his feelings towards Makino character. Well, so does in here, if we think about it, only that since GJD has influenced GJP, he somehow struggle to either keeping her or let go his responsibility as Shinwa heir. Truthfully, will you really let go all of it immediately? With a snap of a finger? Before he knew GJD, GJP might do just that. But since he met her, he finds it difficult not to. That’s the struggle. I wouldn’t want to have GJP character to be irresponsible. Especially the fact that he’s actually protecting GJD from his mother’s clutches.
Why I’m stretching on this coz, like in the manga, the changes in GJP is important, as it will make her mother see just how good GJD is to be with him. That’s the main point.
I’m not saying that this version is the best and I’m not saying that both earlier are better either. But I really don’t want to see the whole thing again with the same storyline. At least, rather than condemning them, its better for me to suck this all in and try to identify which plot that they used and just enjoy the ride. Even at the end of this ride I might throw up or constipated or had fun, well it’s just a risk that I have to take, right?
It’s your own choice to continue watching, so just suck it up!
Correction :
Why I’m stretching on this coz, like in the manga, the changes in GJP is important, as it will make his mother see just how good GJD is to be with him. That’s the main point.
i totolly agree @266.Anyway thank you JAVABEANS for the recap & hilarious commentary…
Am I the only one who thinks Junpyo x Jaekyung and Jihoo x Jandi are so meant to be?? obviously not.
I mean, forget the actual storyline. Put it in actual life story. imagine yourself as jandi (i’m assuming we’re all girls.) the one who’s beside jandi the whole time is jihoo, not junpyo. junpyo didn’t do shit for jandi even mental wise.
any wise girl will choose jihoo in this situation. but thanks for recognizing they have more chemistry than they’re supposed to. because it’s undeniable. the chemistry between JP and JK is great.. they’re so cute together. it’s impossible to hate that actress for JK. she’s wonderful. although her situation where we JandiJoonPyo fans would just love to hate her for being the 3rd wheel, i think she makes it impossible for us to do so. she’s just too cute.
haha.. ya.. I definitely will continue watching BBF.. Coz its hana yori dango.. Coz of the cute actors/actresses… hee… I wonder if jaekyung will strip again? coz in HYD all versions, it was only after the strip then she realised that Domyouji will never fall for her! that scene was important. Coz that was when Jaekyung gave up…. now that she stripped, and still is adamant about being with Jun pyo.. I wonder how they gonna end this… what’s the purpose of delaying their breakup anyway? I don’t see any point in doing that thus far…
@264
wow.. I didn’t realise that much about the Truth/Dare question… Yea.. I think it makes sense why he suddenly came up with such a question! I think I was too anxious for Jihoo’s ans… Coz if it was a yes, it is like a confession to Jandi in public.. Hahaha… But either way, I’m not complaining that Jihoo did not ans! Totally LMAO at that kiss~~ Hahahaha… Now I’m a SoYoon fan! =D
Totally loves dramabeans! I”m thoroughly enjoying myself here, watching BBF, and then come over to here to read the recap / commentary / comments… I guess BBF is interesting enough to attract over 200 comments here! ( I don’t have frenz watching BBF at the moment… but managed to get my sister and boyfriend to watch it now!)
BBF, Aza aza fighting!!
If I remember correctly, Yi Jung’s relationship with Eun Chae in the Taiwanese and Japanese versions were similar to his relationship with Ga Eul, in that he never allowed Eun Chae to think that she was special to him. In fact, he also flaunted how much of a playboy he was, but just like Ga Eul, Eun Chae always stuck by him, but in a quiet, I’m-your-friend sort of way. So a big difference between Eun Chae and Ga Eul is that Eun Chae never admitted her feelings for him. In the Japanese version, this made Yi Jung think she was in love with his brother (I’m guessing they’ll use this plot in this version too).
Having said this, I’ll offer my analysis and predictions regarding the Yi Jung – Ga Eul pairing:
1) At the moment, he’s still not over his first love, as evidenced by his recalling/dreaming about the time when he placed his head on Eun Chae’s lap and by his animosity towards his older brother. This leads me to believe that he was referring to Eun Chae with what he said to Ga Eul before she left his apartment.
2) I don’t think he really sees Ga Eul as a love interest yet, since he’s still so hung up over Eun Chae. I think he only takes Ga Eul as a reminder of his past for now, and he tries to push her away, not so much because he doesn’t want to hurt HER but because the memories that she evokes hurt and fill him with regret.
3) The point, I think, is that Yi Jung is a seriously dysfunctional character. He hates his dad for being a womanizer, but instead of doing otherwise, he chooses to become a playboy himself. He promises to never commit to anyone out of deference to his mother, since he doesnt want to hurt a girl in the same way, but MAN, how messed up is that? (No point in complaining, since this is the plot and it’s not, like, real).
4) The wildcard here is Ga Eul. Eun Chae wasn’t strong enough to handle Yi Jung’s complexities, but Ga Eul just might be a match for him. The part about her taking the puzzle piece from Eun Chae seems to mean that she will (in time) replace Eun Chae’s place in Yi Jung’s life. In some future episode, if they follow the trend of the other versions, I think she’ll do something that will help him resolve his feelings for Eun Chae, and if this happens, the dynamics of their relationship might totally change/improve.
This pairing is making me more anxious than the JP and JD pairing, since there’s never been a definite happy ending to this subplot. I hope this series can fill that in for us. More than that, I hope they actually take time to show Yi Jung falling for Ga Eul.
@ 266
Wow.. what a great insight. Never really thought it that way.
Since you put it that way now I guess it does make sense on why they tend to drag this whole thing. To let us see how they developed the changes in both of the main characters.
Even we as viewers really tired and can’t wait to see them reunited and got frustrated about the whole thing, but as you mentioned in here, it really shows us what a great loss is that these characters have to suffer without having each other. And I really missed their bickering.
GJD was never that strong, but with GJP, she somehow manage to acquire that drive or energy to fight back, to be taken seriously… And now even when GJP is not with her anymore, she learned to to be stronger in her own way… That’s the change that you meant, right? Meaning that GDJ will continue to live on with or without GJP. Am I right? Coz that’s what I got from reading the manga.
As for GJP and his softer side, is a result from GJD is so true. I mean now he can actually be civilized with people and treat them with more respect. Not just that, in this version he knows now what family value means and I guessed that what makes it harder for him to let go his responsibility and also to fight with his mom, right? The transition of his character does show in each episode.
So I guess this version really achieved the main thing as in the original manga. But that just me
* I’m glad that they didn’t include the beauty pageant thing in this version! If there was, I’d banned the whole thing hahahaha
Just sharing some of my thoughts on ep. 19:
1)JD nursing JH scene: no words are exchanged but may mark a turning point in JH’s relationship with JD. By grasping her hand, he explicitly reveals his real feelings to her for the first time. No excuses made (shaky because of losing SeoHyun, words said out of anger at JP). Until then, JH has been restrained, just wanting to be there as JD’s firefighter (and lifeguard ☺) without pre-conditions, even helping JD + JP to move forward as a couple many times. Perhaps JP’s perpetually poor treatment of JD, coupled with the message from the monk to be treasure JD, gives him the impetus to contemplate a future with JD.
2) GHS has done a good job expressing the conflicting emotions coursing through JD, a complex of feelings toward JH who is her first love, a constant in her topsy-turvy life who has shared her tears and joy. Loyal JP/JD supporters may question this scene with her touching JH’s cheek. I would like to think it is meant to portray JD’s spontaneous reaction to seeing a distressed JH. Why didn’t she pull away? Who would have the heart to do that to JH?! I don’t usually like super cute characters but GHS’s JD grows on you and you want to cheer her on.
3) Sadly, much as JP loves JD, he is often on JD’s mind but largely absent from her daily trials and tribulations, many of them caused by him + Madam Kang in the first place! JP is genuine and no one doubts how much JD means to him. But to call her a stain to be erased from his life (ep. 14?)? That’s true JP fashion, but I can only conclude he’s really good at giving her grief! And he could have stood up to Madam Kang more, no matter how scary she is, since he IS mighty GJP.
4) JH’s confrontation with grandpa scene: Ok, bulging eyes were really funny to watch for a scene that’s pivotal to JH. A more subtle delivery by KHY, in line with JH’s quiet/reserved nature, may pack more punch in reflecting JH’s hurt over grandpa’s abandonment. KHJ’s acting is still raw, judging from the stiff walk in the rain. I cringed. Ha ha. That said, all of them are relatively new actors and perhaps the hectic filming schedule doesn’t give much time for actors to prepare for each scene.
5) I beg to differ that KHJ’s portrayal of JH is always lacking emotion, as commented by some of you. I think KHY did right, since JH’s character is supposed to be “fourth dimensional”, a loner used to masking his feelings. But JH shines in JD’s presence because she brings out the best in him. For many episodes, viewers have lost count of his longing glances at JD. Maybe we can see the two opening up to each other in future episodes….
6) As to the story line… I think it will be nice to see JP growing up a little emotionally. He helms a conglomerate but he possesses the innocent self-centeredness of a child. He thinks only of what he wants and not what’s good for those around him. JD puts JH’s happiness ahead of her own when she kneels down to ask SeoHyun to stay for his sake. JH steps back from JD because of JP, even though JH is already aware of his feelings for JD by then. Of course, if JP gives up on JD now, there would be no story to develop for another 5-6 episodes! I do hope for a happy ending for JH/JD. No offense to JP supporters…
7) And production crew should really look into details. Strange to have a soaking JH lying in bed with his jacket on, don’t you think? And JD was caught in the rain too and she wore her coat the whole night?
I write this only after the frenzy of Mon-Wed is over…kind of give me something to do until next Mon. Ha ha.
Don’t give up, JH!
Hello peeps ! Thanks fr your recaps
Why aren’t they showing more Jun/Di moments???
Jae Kyung is cute, funny , but, come on, this series is supposed to be abt jandi & jun pyo !!
Yeeessh !! But still, i LOVE this drama. Despite, some flaws here and there, ultra-cheesy-ness, a bit draggy, ( ohh, come on..whaddya expect, it is a korean drama!!)… it’ll be my top 10 fav drama..
*this is just my opinion, so yeahh, just chill, relax, and enjoy the rest of the series
Btw, I’m rooting for jun pyo & jan di , gaeul and yi jung 
♥
#266 – inocence
totally agree wif u…
In the end, we’ll probably have to agree to disagree.
Jandi is “stronger because of JP” and “her weakness is her strength.” Huh?!!!
Before Jandi met GJP, she was working at the porridge shop, helping her parents’ laundromat business, and saving suicidal kids on the side, while rocking the Doc Martens! I would argue that in some respects, she was stronger than Makino in the beginning. She enters Shin Hwa High, meets GJP, and is like “huh, what kind of messed up school is this?,” and then goes all third estate, french revolution, let me inject a dose of reality. She’s fighting the man even before she meets Jun-Pyo. You don’t think she would have confronted Ga-Eul’s first cheating BF if she hadn’t met JP? You have got to be kidding me! Give Jandi a little credit. Really, it’s Ji-Hoo who supports her, teaches her to cultivate her interests, nurtures her softer and more vulnerable side, and prods her along the path to self-discovery. Ji Hoo, and not Jun Pyo, is her emotional support. We all know how Jandi changes JP, but how the heck does JP change Jandi?
After episode 14, she’s heartbroken, and they barely talk. I find it hard to believe that Jandi wouldn’t have pursued her dreams to become a doctor, if she hadn’t gone to Shin Hwa. Even if she hadn’t gone to Shin Hwa, she would have met Ji Hoo’s grandfather/ex-prime minister through her part-time job at the porridge house. Actually, no, I agree on the point about Shin Hwa. She may not have had the confidence to pursue her dream, but that’s because of Ji Hoo and not Jun Pyo. Also, as Kang-San said, “When wasn’t she the head of the household?” Jandi still would have been working all those part-time jobs, and looking after her brother, regardless of whether or not she attended Shin Hwa or met Jun-Pyo. Remember, Jandi’s parents lose the laundromat due to Mama Kang, just like Makino’s dad gets laid off from his company due to Domyougi’s mom, but in both versions, the parents move to the sea-side due to Jandi/Makino’s father’s gambling problem.
In the Japanese version, Rui was her physical savior but Domyougi was the one who believed in her and helped her gain the confidence to pursue her dream to become an international lawyer like Shizuka. Before talking to Domyougi, Makino idolizes Shizuka, but believes that she can never emulate her because Shizuka is cultured, refined, beautiful, and eloquent and a whole host of qualities that she believes she doesn’t possess. Through the TOJ pageant, Domyougi teaches her that, yeah, there is a value to all those things, but there is something that Makino possesses which cannot be taught or bought with money. He always urges her to “be as you are.” It’s after she meets Domyougi that Makino comes to realize the worth of the qualities that she possesses.
In the Kdrama version, this message is muddled. The role of Domyougi is usurped by Ji Hoo. Now, Ji Hoo is the emotional savior and Jun-Pyo is the physical savior. In fact, the way in which Ji Hoo and Jandi’s relationship is developing parallels the way Domyougi and Makino’s relationship develops from beginning to end. Jun-Pyo gives his “stamp of approval” to Jandi, like the Jdrama version, and declares her his girl-friend, and makes her realize that Jandi’s bond with her family is special BUT the cultivation of interests, the prodding of self-discovery, originates with Ji Hoo and not Jun-Pyo. Moreover, to make things worse, Jandi is always running to Ji Hoo and not Jun-Pyo for help. He’s the first person she thinks to call when she needs help. I don’t have a problem with either heroine enlisting help. However, if you’re going to, you better be calling your boyfriend first. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense, and there is something wrong with the relationship. That’s why, my favorite episode in the latter half ot the Kdrama was episode 16, when Jandi and Jun-Pyo team up to trail the So-eul mates. But even then, when they have a opportunity to have a honest discussion, it’s Jandi who cuts the conversation short and runs away (or at least out into the hallway). Same as the scene earlier in episode in the courtyard at Shin Hwa High, when Jun Pyo waits for her, and trails her, to ask, “Why did you quit swimming?” Again, Jandi says, “None of your business” and THEN she runs off and finds Ji Hoo, hops on his bike, and RUNS AWAY from having a discussion
The blame doesn’t rest entirely on Jun Pyo. Jun-Pyo occassionally tries to force conversations with Jandi but Jandi keeps running away. I understand that she is vulnerable, scared, and hurt, BUT if you’re seriously entertaining the thought of having any kind of relationship with a person, friendship or otherwise, you can’t ignore the problem and refuse to talk about it!
Contrast this with the Jdrama version where Domyougi and Makino are always fighting and talking even when Shigeru is in the picture! After his birthday party, and she sees him grab Shigeru’s hand, and after he’s already rejected her in NY, she calls him out to Ebisu Garden Place to talk. Jandi never did that! What Makino did takes guts– she’s showing Domyougi that she still cares and trying to push him for an explanation beyond “I’ve lost interest in you” and “I don’t have time to play childish games with you.” It’s a last ditch effort on Makino’s part. And when she sees Shigeru kiss Domyougi, and gets the wrong idea and leaves, it’s Domyougi who then goes to confront her at school. Again, they fight, but she tells him, “You’re the one who’s doing things you shouldn’t be.” Makino storms off and Rui follows her versus Jandi always running away from Jun-Pyo to go find Ji Hoo. And even though Domyougi dumped her in NY, at Akira’s place, she finally tells him in no uncertain terms: Okay, I accept that you’ve moved on. Now, in order for me to do the same, I need some distance from you. I don’t think I can get over you if we’re still friends. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION. Makino takes control of the situation. Because we don’t have this in the Kdrama version, we have Jun-Pyo and JK dropping in to find Jandi at her apartment which is insanity.
There has barely been any dialogue between Jandi and Jun-Pyo for the last however many episodes. Yes, it’s because of the mom, but you don’t think they could be talking instead of killing roaches or arguing about ramen? In the Kdrama version, we have a Jandi/Makino that’s constantly running away and a Jun-Pyo/Domyougi who’s busy being trailed/dragged around everywhere by his fiancee. It’s gotten so bad that a sizeable percentage of viewers have become shippers and almost everyone is scratching their heads wondering, why Jun-Pyo and not Ji Hoo again?
I don’t dislike the Kdrama. I actually enjoy it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be posting these crazy long commentaries. Though I compare the Jdrama and Kdrama, I think it’s like comparing apples and oranges. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. With the Kdrama though, I think there is a problem with pacing and sequencing. In order to enlarge some aspects absent in the Jdrama, such as the So-Eul mates angle, they’ve sacrificed actual screen time for moments that are crucial to the JunDi relationship. Hopefully, and I suspect, we can get more of these moments in the remaining episodes.
Also, I keep on wondering, if Mama Kang is so evil that she destroys the Geum’s laundromat business, and order the demolition of Jandi’s roof-top apartment, why hasn’t she maneuvered to kick Jandi out of Shin Hwa High like JP tried to do back in Episode 7? After all, she OWNS the high school and university. The easist way to get Jandi out of the picture is to deprive the two from seeing each other every dau at school. Another one of those leaps in logic…
Someone awhile back, sorry I forgot who, pointed to the fact that Jandi is miserable and barely functional without Jun-Pyo in the latter half of the drama. It was used in an argument to point to the fact that Jun-Pyo makes Jandi stronger. To me, this is convoluted logic. Jandi was strong before she met Jun-Pyo. Now, she’s heartbroken and somewhat down and out. It’s as if her strength was sapped by JP.
A drug addict can go through withdrawal symptoms when he/she quits drugs cold turkey. The drug addict may have even been more functional if he/she was on performance enhacing drugs. Does this mean drugs are good? No!
I’m not saying Jun-Pyo is to Jandi what drugs are to a drug-adddict! I’m just saying the logic of the absence of B leads to the affirmation of A does’t really work. It’s false logic.
Despite everything, I don’t mind JunDi coming together. They’re cute together when they have their little moments. For me, Ji Hoo is a little too-beta male to JP’s alpha-male, and batty narcoleptic too boot (as Dramabeans pointed out, LOL). It’s just that, in terms of plot, the emotional savior is the one who deserves the girl. As it stands right now, I don’t think JP is her emotional savior.
Maybe, in this version, it’s more important for Jandi to be needed than to need, in other words, to give rather than to receive. It’s just that relationship should strike some equality. Hope we see more of that in the last 6 episodes.
My god, 276 comments?!
My head’s gonna burst reading all those…!
Anyhow, I just learned recently that BBF was acquired by ABS-CBN (along with “Hot Shot” (Show Lo, Wu Chun, & Jerry Yan)), here in the Philippines (just the sight of Jun-pyo’s curls has got me started; I saw that in the News just some nights ago).
I just don’t know how to react to this, since both the Taiwanese (which I really don’t like; sorry for the fans) and the Japanese (which is my fave version) were shown by the 2 rival stations here (MG in ABS-CBN, and HanYoDan in GMA (ABS’s rival station)).
And also, I don’t know how all those who commented in all of the ep recaps will be as the same as the Philippine viewers. Oh, BTW, there’s still no confirmed airing date (same with “Fireworks”, but dunno which version was acquired…) YET.
(One thing I definitely know is that less than 100% of the series is DEFINITELY not gonna be shown here, as I’ve noticed that the Philippines has a habit of snipping off some scenes, or, as I say it in the Philippines, “tapiyasado” (lit. snipped/chopped off).)
I came across some spoilers on episode 21-23:
http://www.epdrama.com/boys-before-flowers-episode-20-english-sub-download-flowers-before-boys-20/
Is this site reliable? How in the world did they get hold of those plots?
If these spoilers are true, these are totally yuck!
How the heck were PD and those idiot writers resorted to that “memory loss” lame plot again? Do they really want to die? :p
That kidnap thingy is the plot of the Japanese HYD movie, right? Oh no… here comes another round of drink we deserve.
(but hey, come to think of it, what else can we expect from an all-mixed-up adapted recipe?)
Jessie @276 i love you for writing that long ass essay, that was love. i totally agree. jandi should be making an effort with jjunpyo too. thats what irked me in the earlier episode, she kept going to other guys for help instead of her bf. thats why i don’t really mind that her character’s being trampled on right now.
hi-
no long analysis, just a little true confession.
javabeans, you’re right. this show is like crack. i started watching the first episode last weekend because i’d been working too hard and i needed a little light diversion, and i’d been bombarded with bbf news on every korean entertainment site so i thought i’d check it out. the show was incredibly silly and but the boys were adorable (even though they were total jerks and their clothes were utterly ridiculous!) and jandi was a likeable enough heroine, so i thought i might as well watch another. then another. then another. then i was hooked. i spent the week staying up too late watching it because i just couldn’t stop, and now i’m done with ep19 and on pins and needles waiting for the final eps. i downloaded that silly earworm of an ss510 song, and it’s thoroughly wedged in my brain. i am already starting to worry about what i’m going to do when the show is done. is there a bbf anonymous, maybe?
my name is deedee and i’m a bbf addict.
dd
@276 Jessie
“In the Japanese version, Rui was her physical savior but Domyougi was the one who believed in her and helped her gain the confidence to pursue her dream to become an international lawyer like Shizuka. Before talking to Domyougi, Makino idolizes Shizuka, but believes that she can never emulate her because Shizuka is cultured, refined, beautiful, and eloquent and a whole host of qualities that she believes she doesn’t possess. Through the TOJ pageant, Domyougi teaches her that, yeah, there is a value to all those things, but there is something that Makino possesses which cannot be taught or bought with money. He always urges her to “be as you are.” It’s after she meets Domyougi that Makino comes to realize the worth of the qualities that she possesses.”
You told everything !! That’s why Domyoji is my fav character of the manga and the Jdrama HYD
LOL porridge of pity!
love it!
@dramaaddict..of course ji hoo can hear the phone specially when he set his phone into vibrate+ringing tone??? of course he can feel there is an incoming call or incoming messages while his helmets on hahaha peace!
i did this thing too specially when i am in a crowd area..
i will set my phone to vibrate+ringtone so i know when there’s incoming call…
hey you guys… yes you!!
we are here to discuss and give suggestions and not to insult the actors performance/PD, scriptwritter or whatever…just give them a chance..the episode is not yet done…lets see the result when the episode is over..don’t jump into conclussions…
yes i agree with you guys there are some lapses but you guys here are too much…of course you are free to write anything here but please be careful with your words not to offend people here.
i believe we are all professional here so lets act as PROFESSIONAL!!! okay????
peace!!!!! smile…..
i still love F4 korean version..i love Gu Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo!!! despite of his performance i still love Ji Ho!!!
im looking forward for Jan Di and Gu Jun Pyo’s romantic scenes!!!!
no what i thought was really funny was when jihoo put his phone to the outside of his helmet to make a call!! (around 38:40) HAHAHA. i’m a huge fan of jihoo and i don’t usually find that much fault with his acting but really, i think he overacted the grandpa scene. it would’ve been better to act it a bit more subtly and leave out the physical limping in the rain.
but i love the little nuances of junpyo’s acting, like in the scene where jaekyung arrives to take him to jandi’s. he’s protesting in earnest at first, but even after she tells him madam kang thinks it’s a date, he looks away with a little smile and then continues to put up a little fuss in order to hide his strong emotions.
and madam kang is such a bitch! but the actress playing her is doing a great job fleshing her out to be multi-dimensional. in a way, she’s a little bit in self-denial – you can see this in the contradicting statements she makes. she refuses to believe jandi when jandi tells her that junpyo is acting on his own, but in the same breath, almost pleads with her not to meet with junpyo when he does come looking for her. it is almost as if she doesn’t want to believe that her son could really be in love with this girl, so she continually chooses to condemn jandi as a seducer. (which, by the way, is really lame…has she seen the way jandi dresses?)
i’m pretty surprised madam kang is always wearing dresses though. i thought they’d put her in a power suit to fit her character more.
lastly my fav scene has got to be the truth game. all the main actors were gathered in one room, and the alternating tension and chemistry was so palpable. i think this drama is getting back into the swing of things!
and i really wonder if seo-hyun will ever make an appearance again!
no what i thought was really funny was when jihoo put his phone to the outside of his helmet to make a call!! (around 38:40) HAHAHA. i don’t usually find that much fault with khj’s acting but really, i think the grandpa scene was overacted. it would’ve been better more subtly done i.e. without the physical staggering in the rain.
but i really enjoy the little nuances of junpyo’s character, e.g. the scene where jaekyung asks him to accompany her to jandi’s. he’s protesting in earnest at first because of his mum, but even after jk tells him that’s been taken care of, he looks away with a little smile and then continues to put up a little fuss. he wants to go, but he wants to be cajoled into going in order to hide his strong feelings for jandi.
and madam kang is such a bitch! but the actress playing her is making her fantastically mult-dimensional. it’s almost as if she’s a little bit in self-denial – you can see this from her contradicting statements. she refuses to believe jandi whenever jandi tries to explain that junpyo is acting entirely on her own, but in the same breath she almost pleads with jandi not to meet junpyo whenever he comes looking for her. she is desperately unwilling to concede that her junpyo could possibly be really in love with jandi and so the only way she can resolve it is to blame jandi entirely and insist that she is seducing him. (which is really lame, by the way…has she seen the way jandi dresses?)
i’m a bit surprised that madam kang is always outfitted in dresses though. i thought they’d put her into a power suit to match her character more.
and lastly my fav scene has got to be the truth game! all the main characters were gathered in one room, and the alternating chemistry and tension was so palpable. i think this drama is finally getting back into the swing of things!
and i really wonder if seo-hyun will ever make a reappearance!
#285/bbf addict,
If by professional, you mean actors, then no I’m not an actor and not remotely involved in entertainment. And discuss? Yeah, okay. But what suggestions are we supposed to give? And to who? Who are you anyway?
Sorry to be so crabby. Came here to see if anyone had already asked about the song played after YJ told JP about JD’s shoulder and he went to pool to think about it. But more and more, comments are turning into soompi threads.
the scene where jihoo was crying totally reminded me of an episode of we got married when SS501 were in japan! they were all eating breakfast and listening to hwangbo’s ipod. when a sad song came on, kim hyun joong started to act like he was crying while the rest of the SS501 boys fed him. it was so hilarious. =)
i loved jandi’s apartment after they decorated it!!! but what a waste since the whole building’s getting demolished! =(
oh and did anyone else catch the brief slow-mo on jihoo flippin his hair during the painting scene? lol. *swoonswoon*
can’t wait till the next episode! thanks for the recaps!!!
I am watching Hana Yori Dango Season 2 / Japanese version for the first time, in order to get through the long week of BBF withdrawal. And I cannot for the life of me see how Jun Pyo is doing anything differently than Doyoamgsi, or whatever his name is. DomSi is scared of his mom, scared of the company failing, and not telling Makino his true feelings. WTH are all you people talking about anyway? Did you watch both versions without subtitles (provided you don’t speak the language that the show was in?), and so maybe didn’t understand all the dialogue?
I have watched and rewatched BBF, and I don’t see even a hint of romantic feelings being sent out by Jun Pyo. He just seems irritated, sad or annoyed with JaeKyung. They have chemistry, but mostly because they LOOK good together. They don’t seem to be in love, or at least he doesn’t. Just because he is not smacking her around like DomSi does with Shigeru doesn’t mean he is falling for her. And what about in the Japan HYD2, when Shigeru kissed DomSi for like 10 mintues before he brushed her off?
Whatever. I love making fun of the show, but I am enjoying the drama and angst of it all. And I am beginning to think that half the people who are criticizing the storyline haven’t seen HYD Japan in so long that they don’t remember it, they only remember their fuzzy warm feelings at the end, and forgot all the drama leading up to it.
See you back here on Monday, everyone
@dramaadict.. who i am?? i am a NOBODY..
goodluck!
Did anybody else notice the absurdity when Jae-kyung walks into Jun-pyo’s bedroom at the start and plonks herself down onto his bed without EVEN noticing his half-packed luggage and the obvious hint that he is packing to leave to go somewhere? (presumably, Jan-di’s neighbourhood)
I am also disappointed that Jun-pyo has yet to say these lines to Jae-kyung that made my heart melt in the manga: “I’ve tried my best to like you, but I can’t.” After failing to say those lines at the hot bathtub when she undresses (which, by the way to me, is a crucial scene in Hana Yori Dango because it shows that he is untouched and fiercely loyal to Makino even if another woman tries to seduce him!), I was prepared to see more of this new couple, but still, I can’t fail to feel exasperated with the PD for dragging this on and on for longer than it should be with no visible end in sight.
Someone made a reference to the famous confrontation between Elizabeth Bennet and Lady Catherine in Pride and Prejudice when Madam Kang arrived at Jan-di’s doorstep to put a stop to all interactions between Jun-pyo and the latter. I was hoping for an reenactment of that scene too! But alas, Jan-di was very mild and no match to Madam Kang here
With all those responsibilities weighing down on her and Jun-pyo’s feelings for her basically constituting a big question mark (not to us viewers of course), who can blame her.
P/S If anyone wants to watch the show-down between Elizabeth Bennet and Lady Catherine that could have been Jan-di and Madam Kang,here’s the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSksfO8DE_o&feature=related
HanaDan
What I meant by changes in GJD is the effect that GJP brings out in GJD.
As I remembered correctly, GJD is a freshmen in ShinHwa, thus her knowledge about F4 is still new. So, if she is that strong from the get go, GJD confronting GJP will most likely thing to happen. But it didn’t at first, as she held herself back when GJP shove a cake into a girl’s face. This was an act of injustice that GJD really despised. If she is what others claim already that strong, she would’ve done the other way and give GJP a piece of her mind, right? Besides, do you think it’s easy to get that courage to go against a guy who can squish you like bug in a second?
And then, when she finally did, that does show a huge change. Hence, GJP is the cause in here. Yes, GJD’s strength is already there but the one who forced it to come out is GJP. Since she has already confronted the great GPJ, so she won’t find it difficult to defend for others, thus the best kick ever etc etc. To me, the kick she gave GJP was her first kick.
And what I find it interesting is that both characters didn’t know much about each other, yet the effect that they have on each other was shown brilliantly. To me that’s huge. Also GJD never knew just horrified it is to go up against GJP, yet she still do it. And what differs in here also was when she said that she didn’t need GJP to believe in her, back when she was framed by her friend. In both previous version, SC/M did asked DMS/D to believe in her. And to me that just show a huge impact. It’s totally different situation from the manga.
In manga, Makino is known to be strong from the get go. She only hides herself so that others won’t notice her existence and tries to graduate peacefully. Both versions did just that and it’s understandable for SC/M to have that tough look. In here, to me however GJD was not shown to be that way in the beginning.
Another thing was, GJD was the one who tries to find the answer to their troubled relationship. She didn’t need reason to go and look for GJP. She just wants to meet him and to me that just show a huge leap for GJD. When GJD got chased away by GJP, she struggled to believe how GJP has changed. But she faces her feelings head on. She didn’t run away. To me that makes her a strong person. It’s achieved earlier unlike in manga.
You’re right about GJD continued to live on without GJP, but get this with GJP gone, she chooses to move on. She didn’t run away. She kept seeing him at school. She kept talking/ yelling at him as if nothing had happened. It’s hard to do that, right? I mean can you really do that? And yes, GJD still have friends to support her, so she didn’t need GJP, yet she still loves him somehow. If she’s not, she wouldn’t be that sad all the time.
Did you notice that when GJP is around her, she is transformed into this driven girl and still can scold him and yelled at him and really be herself? That’s another effect that I meant. When she’s with him, she is being her true self. You’ll never see her yelling to JH like that. Now, why is that? Where does that energy/ drive come from? I guess maybe her anger. Still that counts as an effect too.
If a person didn’t put up a fight, and continue to receive whatever crap life could be and just move on. Would we call that person weak? Yes? So, it is called strong only when we stand up and put up a fight? Well, to me actually both are strong. Why? Coz both show us that we need to continue to live on. It’s only called weak and stupid if you gave up or worst, commit suicide. Now that’s WEAK in my book.
I don’t need everybody to agree with me, but this is just me looking at things. I guess I tend to see things differently from others. That just me
Hi Javabeans,
Will you be putting out a song list for BBF like you did for Soulmate? If not, do you happen to know the title of the song at the beginning of ep 16?
BTW, love your blog and have watched some great dramas (that I otherwise would not have considered…Que Sera/Soulmate) based on your recs! Thank you for your continued hard work…it is much appreciated!
229
I totally agree with you.
294
Wow… I must say you really look at the tiny detail and try to make sense out of it and it does actually. You pointed out that Jandi has her pride and know where she stands. Though it looks as if she runaway from Junpyo to some people but actually she didn’t. Wasn’t Junpyo said that they no longer need to care for each other, so that’s what Jandi did. She’s not running away. Basically, even if she never mentioned that she loves him, but from her action to look for Junpyo in Macau, he already knew how important he was to her. And that speaks a lot! And for him not wanting to see Jandi at that time is actually saying that he didn’t want her to give up on him. So when they finally meet, he had to chase her away. So now he is struggle to either gave up his responsibility or his love. I’m surprised that many people didn’t see it that way.
Anyway, as you mentioned, let’s just enjoy this ride… and from what I read from spoilers, the story is getting better and better… they even included a missing plot which both earlier version didn’t include, I bet that this going to be great.
@291
1) it’s DOMYOJI not DomSi (look at Yoko Kamio HYD)
2) Shigeru kissed Domyoji but Domyoji never looked at shigeru like Jun Pyo does and shigeru never controlled Domyoji like Makino did. When Domyoji went out with shigeru he even didn’t look at her.
3) Domyoji afraid of his mother ? Do you remember in HYD Domyoji saw a man die and it really striked him and lead him to be more serious at his work and the Domyoji business ? Show me a scene when you saw Domyoji goes crybaby and weak in front the person whom he wants to prove he is able to be a STRONG businessman to. In episode 9 of HYD season 2 at the airport Domyoji isn’t afraid to be with Makino in front of his mother.
At the contrary in episode 4 of BOF you see all the F4 especially Jun Pyo go Berserk when M Kang first appeared. There you can say JP is afraid of his mother. I didn’t see that in HYD.
I don’t think that JP gives JK longing, loving looks. The only look that was even questionable to me was the one at the breakfast table, and he seemed wistful, almost like thinking, I hope she finds someone for her loneliness. Same at the pool. He just doesn’t look moved to me. He just is not quite so…physical in showing his complete lack of acceptance of Shigeru/JK as DJ is. Which makes sense, because he was never just violent brute that DJ is portrayed as. But he has never seemed to waver at all in his love/devotion to JD.
I don’t get the impression that GP is afraid of his mother in the sense that you are taking it. More that he is afraid of what she might do. He is not afraid of what she will do to him, he is afraid of what she might do to those around him. He tries to shield those he loves from her. This includes JP and his F4 buddies.
Remember, I am watching both at the same time for the first time. My first impressions of both are the same, because I have not had the chance to see how each situation resolves itself. I am not looking back, already knowing the end.
As I said, I like the drama and angst. I am really enjoying both shows!
@298
i agree with u
When JK gave him the ring and he saw the JJ initial, he was reminded how he was so desperate to claim JD as his before by cooking for her, gave her the anklet and the necklace. He never fell for JK, he only sees her to be similar to himself, lacking and spoil. His instinct is to love and be partner with someone strong and brave like JD to go through life together because he knows he holds a very important position.
I just wish that GJP & GJD will soon be seen in every episode . It’s kinda boring to be watching the jaekyung. she really cling like a monkey and it really hurts my eyes.I love GJP when she told JK that there’s no such ” giving up ” in his dictionary for that I really jump my enthusiasm to continue patronozing this drama.GJD suffer so much already emotionally and physically in the hands of the witch. now it’s time for GJP to fight for GJD advantage. It’s time for him to show his real feelings and courage to go against his witch mom.
Hopefully those spoiler will not spoiled my enthusiasm in watching the end of this drama. I can feel the tensions going on .I can’t comprehend thinking how GJD will help GJP recover from memory lose.
can’t wait till the next episode!
The OST does seem to attempt the same atmosphere as Goong, I’ve thought that from episode one. Not to mention 2 actors from Goong (or did I miss one) and similar “royal” imagery, rather than just super rich. I understand that the owners of Shinhwa would be like royalty, but I feel like I watching Goong all over again–which was overrated, by far.
Woah, 300 comments. And now, i will make it 301, just to pass time while I wait for today’s recaps. Oooh! Love GaEul Yijung!
hey, i was wondering do any of you have the recent mp3 songs? i reall want them x.x hehe.
Hi! In this cap the song when Ga eul go to kim bum to the disco in the minute 3.46 what is it?
@allie3mee you mean the soundtrack of boys before flowers?
you can download it for free just check this site. enjoy!
http://www.4shared.com/network/search.jsp?sortType=1&sortOrder=1&sortmode=2&searchName=boys+before+flowers+&searchmode=2&searchName=boys+before+flowers+&searchDescription=&searchExtention=&sizeCriteria=atleast&sizevalue=10&start=0
@allie3mee you mean the soundtrack of boys before flowers?
you can download it for free just check this site. enjoy!
please click this direct link
http://www.4shared.com/network/search.jsp?sortType=1&sortOrder=1&sortmode=2&searchName=boys+before+flowers+&searchmode=2&searchName=boys+before+flowers+&searchDescription=&searchExtention=&sizeCriteria=atleast&sizevalue=10&start=0
what’s the real name of jae kyung? i like her
i love ur site so much…
thanks for the complete summaries of Boys Before Flower.
hwaiting..>~~~
Hey just wanted to ask whats the song played in the background when they’re shopping at first …i really like it but i duno what its called o.O
Hi,
Like GeMa above, i would like to know the song played in the disco (GaEul and kim Bum) . Sounds so cool. Anyone know the title/artist of the track ? The mp3 file ?
Cheers