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Fermentation Family: A Random and Out of Nowhere Review
There’s something adorable about this little underrated drama that keeps me hanging around. It’s not a fast paced drama or an action thriller and it does not involve snappy back and forth exchanges of witty metaphors between characters. That’s not to say the drama crawls along slowly, but it has a quiet feel to it. For those who are familiar with j-doramas, you could say I can liken it to Domoto Tsuyoshi and Inoue Mao’s 2004 Home Drama ( ホームドラマ!). And although the story isn’t as sad as the circumstances that brought together the people in Home Drama it still has that feel of people who come together to form a family. What I love about the drama is that there’s an overall main arc to the story that keeps the viewer hooked just waiting for more pieces of the puzzle to be revealed, but there are also mini-arcs that not only serve as a way to show us the backstory to each character but to also allow our characters to grow as people and draws them closer together as a family. The awesome thing about how these mini-arcs is that they are hinted at in one episode and explored in the next – like a random character in the background for today’s episode becomes the focus tomorrow. Everything is tied up nicely, and I can appreciate that in how a story is told.
What makes this drama for me is not just the story, but also the characters, brought to life by some pretty awesome casting. I mean, before a story has been told, we get a sense that there’s more here than meets the eye just by the lingering looks a character would give or what they say. Song Il-Kook brings to the table a shit ton of charisma. He plays the loud mouthed, hot headed gangster so well, and at the same time gives his character (Ki Ho Tae, or Ho Tae-kun as the others hilariously call him) this vulnerability that breaks your heart when you see his yearning for a family. This drama has also made me a fan of Park Jin-hee playing the spunky Lee Kang-san. I didn’t know what to expect from her, but she brought the funny I can tell you that – hell, both of them did. Then there is Lee Min-young that plays Kang-san’s unni Woo-joo. At first I was a bit annoyed by how Min-young seemed to be acting as such an overly nice moron, until I realized that Woo-joo really was a simpleton and I felt like kicking myself in the ass for being, well, such an ass. There are characters I would do without, like the Grandpa (that is cartoonly acted out, which suuuucks) that insists on sitting at a particular table in the restaurant, but I hope that we get to see his backstory soon and maybe that could make him a bit more loveable. I could go on about each main character, but I feel that just as I got to know them and embraced them as friends, I should not deprive others of the chance to do so as well.
I’m not saying the acting is perfect, even my beloved Song Il-Kook overdoes it at times, and I doubt everyone will like this drama, but I’d say it wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot. I think this is one of those instances when a kdrama takes what I love so much about j-doramas with the cheesy speeches, the misunderstood Yankees, the makeshift family, the heart, the humor, the quiet beats/moments, and really perfected it to fit the kdrama landscape. Also be prepared to gain weight while watching this because you’ll be hungry just by watching the food being made. It IS centered around a restaurant.
My two cents of course. X)
P.S. Sorry if I overdid it with the overload in words. I figured since I don’t frequent OT Fridays that I’d be forgiven this once.
P.P.S. I fail at English almost as badly as I do in life if I turned people off from F-Fam before they could even give it a chance. Persuasion + English =/= To my cup of tea. XD
P.P.P.S. So, I’m a Running Man fan and therefore it’s a given that I love Mung Jihyo, the Ace of all Aces, the other half of the ever adorable Monday Couple, and also the other half to the Ace Couple – the relationship I highly doubt we will ever see in this lifetime but we can only dream of. So when I found out she was going to appear in KBS’s Crime Squad, I was ecstatic. Bad as the drama may have been, I fell in love with the characters, and from that sprang love and affection for the actors, particularly Song Il-Kook. It also helps that he interacted adorably with Mung Jihyo on Happy Together and I found his nickname Doraemon equally adorable. From there, I just knew I had to check into any drama he releases and see if it’s anything to my liking. That’s why I’m here to tell everyone why they should check in and watch Fermentation Family.
I really like Fermentation Family. The kimchi visuals are awesome. The lead pair is also working for me.
I think its the perfect “right before bed” drama. Low impact story, enough to give the kdrama dose you might crave…downside is it might make you hungry, and you know what happens if you eat right before bed…
Side note, anybody else finding it harder and harder to get subs for these wonderful new dramas. Darksmurf is slow and its hard to rip from viki. Any suggestions?
where else? Kimchidramas of course! LOL
The subs are in quite quickly, I think
Although I do check out kimchidrama every now and and then, I was refering to the subs you can download(.srt files). But thanks….
Who need a job and loves Kpop and Kfashion?
http://www.allkpop.com/2012/01/allkpop-is-now-hiring
Writers fluent in Korean and English and Fashion Bloggers
Hi Ani,
I can relate to your writing a lot, I tend to that here… I think it just shows how passionate you are about a drama. What do you think was bad in Crime Squad and have you seen Song Il-Kook in “A Man Called God?” If yes, what did you think of it?
Thanks for Understanding Ivoire,
Well, I grew up watching crime shows like Nash Bridges, Walker Texas Ranger, CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds, and Without a Trace, (etc.) so the way the things went down in Crime Squad and sometimes the lack of any real procedures really made me shake my head. And some of the things seemed unrealistic – go here and see comment 13 for my issue with the drama. Don’t get me wrong though, even if I sat down and tore Crime Squad apart, I still want to point out that I loved that drama. Part of it could be my love for Jihyo, part for Song Il-Kook, and part for my love for the characters. XD
Sorry to say I haven’t seen A Man Called God. X/
Please don’t see it! Save yourself!
if you love Song Il-Kook, then you must check out Jumong & Kingdom of the Winds.
JUMONG!!
must see
I love him since then…was crazy with him for years!!
but all other dramas after are pretty bad…..didn’t even bother to watch Crime Squad…
I’m liking him again in FF
When I know that this drama came from the same writer of ‘The Devil’, i have to checked it out… and I am not gonna lie.. i expect quite a bit from this drama.
It’s a low key drama and visually it’s beautiful… there are some pretty solid performance from the main leads…Song Il Kook is doing a fine job… oh not to mention about all the food that’s in each episode.. i wanted to eat them so bad… this drama seems slow at time but i do appreciate the pace… it takes its time to tell the story… this drama is like a comfort food to me… very enjoyable…. though i am missing the excitment and nervious feeling like i was watching ‘the Devil’.. but they are in different genre.. so i should not complaining about it.
thanks for the review Ani..
I haven’t watched Fermentation Family but I HAVE bookmarked it.
Just kind of lots of stuff to do this month and putting off starting any new dramas before February.
But thanks for the review! I’ll add any asterisk (=watch sooner rather than later) to my bookmark.
This show is one of my fave for now : No evil people plotting everywhere ( just a little bit ), no crazy haircuts or ridiculous outfits. An easy initiation to hansik ( food = first medicine ) and loveable characters who learn living together in the pure ragtag family tradition. It’s also a tale about transmission of values, how to care for people, how to help them grow in body, mind and heart.
Personally i enjoy looking at the sceneries : The landscape around Man and Earth restaurant is truly beautiful.
All in all, a feel good drama which defends the positive attitude, generous hearts, slow food and value of quality time spent with people, even if they are perfect strangers.
Hahaha, and yes, the scenery is gorgeous. Everything about this drama is a feast for the eyes, just as the human interactions/aspect of it is food for the soul.
Happy friday all~
I’m waiting for this drama to be fully subtitles before watching it. I’m also glad to hear that there isn’t alot of evil plotting going on. LOL
Once in a while, it’s nice to just watch a normal drama about life and love. ^^
So glad you put a plug in for this great show! I was telling my hubby last night about my love for FF – how it is a gentle and wonderful story, told with great acting. Truth be told, I watched this one before I watched Padam Padam which should speak volumes considering my highly inappropriate crush on one Kim Bum.
If you haven’t given it a chance, do so. You’re in for a treat! You will fall in love with this family that is ‘fermenting’ quite nicely.
TammieR,
Thanks for your glowing report! Short, sweet, and to the point. I like it. Made me interested because you mentioned it to your Hubby.
Hahaha. Gah, in one fell swoop MJP you pretty much kicked me in the ovaries and made me feel lacking. Le sigh. Fair enough though. XD
Ani,
I went to bed at 4 a.m. and am just totally daunted looking at all that reading. It’s not that your review is bad, my eyes are tired from marathoning a Tdrama all night long.
Please forgive me for accidentally kicking you in the ovaries and making you feel lacking.
Hey!
How’s this: I will read it after I get enough rest and my eyes and mind feel ready to tackle your review? Fair enough?
MJP,
It really is ok. Hahaha. I totally agree with you. It started out being a small “Please watch this drama because it’s good” and ended up being a full on, long-winded review. I also take criticism well – an attitude required when posting random things over the Internet. XD
Ani,
I haven’t read it, yet.
MJP,
I know. Hahaha. You really don’t have to.
Ani,
*HUGS* I know I don’t have to, but I want to read it and then I will give you my honest opinion. I just want to be in a better frame of mind and have better vision than what I have at the moment.
But if you really don’t want me to read it… I’ll read it anyway! Ba Ha Ha Ha!!!
Ani,
I don’t know if you are still on the OT, but I thought I would let you know that I just finished reading your review of F-Fam.
I thought it was written well considering English is not your primary language. I am obviously not an expert at what should or should not be done when writing a review, but I liked it. Except the long part when tired.
I will say, after reading the information you provided about the show, I am not interested in seeing it. I found the information provided revealed things I do not like to watch in dramas, you know things that would probably frustrate me.
So thank you, for providing the review.
I find myself being drawn back to Fermentation Family although I’m not sure why.
The story is slow almost–but not– boring, and the acting isn’t mesmerizing. The male lead is too shouty for my taste.
I think it must be the way the series is handling the idea of family that keeps me tethered to it. Whenever Mr. Shouty interacts with the little girl he moves my heart.
Actually it is the story of how everyone joins hands to save that little girl that keeps me watching.
Yeah, sometimes when Song Il-Kook shouts his head off that he kindof loses me. But it’s when he’s being quietly intense and badass that he wins me over. Hahaha.
I’ve decided not to watch any new shows until I hear more about them. I’ve wasted my time on a few that I wish I hadn’t at the end of last year. So thank you for this mini review! This was definitely on my wait-to-watch list.
Glad to be of assistance qc. In all fairness though, keep in mind that what one person may like would put another off. So give it a taste, and if you don’t like the flavor, I think FF fans would understand.
I loveee Fermentation Family! I just finished watching episode 9 and I love that the romance is starting to bloom. I had never seen Song Il-kook in anything before this one and I really him. He’s pretty boy but I’m so invested in his character that I’m starting to believe he really is a former gangster. I also love him moments with the little girl. They always bring a tear to my eye.
Park Jin-hee is amazing. I loved her since The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry. I was kind of afraid in the very beginning that I wouldn’t like her (the spunky was a little over done) but she’s so charming, you can’t help but grow to love her.
I think the quiet moments are my favorite parts of the drama. Like when Song Il-kook’s character lay down outside and smiles to himself. You know that based on his character, a smile from him in such a big step. I just love how they present it.
Anyway, I highly recommend it for you’re in the mood for something more low-key, more heart. And the drama is beautifully shot, there’s also plenty of cinematography porn and food porn.
p.s. I’m so relieved it is 24 episodes because we’re not even half way there yet. I can look forward to this drama on a bad day, sit back and watch it with a smile on my face.
I just watched episode 9 and 10, and the preview to episode 11 just made me squeal like crazy. Yatta!
This is on my list to watch but I was getting through some crackdrama marathons first. You didn’t turn me off at all, and I think your English was fine. I know some native speakers who wouldn’t be able to write nearly as well.
I am so very pleased that the Fermentation Family love is spread here on DB. Thanks, Ani!
This is also my current love alongside Ojakkyo Brothers. I’d say I love this better than OB. Yes, it is a quiet drama but it draws you in without your knowing it. I started watching it only last week after reading one or two comments about it. It then led to a marathon and now I’m totally up to date with all ten.
It is a drama full of hearts and soul. It therefore came as no surprise to know that the previous works of the writer/PD duo are the critically acclaimed Resurrection and Devil. (They actually had a scene in which the movie star guy was sitting in front of a Devil poster.)
Like what Ani said, each episode is a mini arc on its own but as the drama progresses the main arc is becoming more and more intriguing (which does resemble Resurrection and Devil in many ways). The storytelling is sublimely told through the food prepared and served at the restaurant which makes it a way better drama than the rather convoluted Gourmet.
I love almost all the charcaters (except the customer grandpa and the second male lead who is very lacking in terms of acting or plot role). And, isn’t it wonderful to see a porky-up Song Il-Kook portraying this righteous but vulnerable gangster and I’m glad that he picks up this project after the last few flops. His pairing with Park Jin-hee is genius casting – chemistry would not be the right word to describe their onscreen presence. They are so comfortable and natural with each other that you think they should be and are a couple.
Ani, I fully agree with your comments on the sister and I too had this journey of feeling ashamed of my finding her annoying in the first place. Each participating actor and story arc bring tears and smiles to me, which is a very fulfiling drama watching experience – not to mention the food porn.
This brings to the point of why I’m loving this more than OB: the cinematography and the music. Each scene is framed beautifully (and how I love that tree by the dam and the night scene under the starry sky when they cook and eat their supper). This is a drama with high production value as evidently clear from the key set design down to such little details as the hot colour clothing worn by the gangster head and the cold colour attire on the CEO chairwoman. That restaurant (as a restaurant and as a home) is to die for. Someone mentioned elsewhere that she didn’t mind retiring in a house like that, and me too! The long window in the sitting area is almost like a standalone main character in providing a beautiful backdrop to frame so many scenes.
The music is a treat in complimenting and enhancing the viewing. The Korean folkmusic adds much to the story especially in the episodic mother-and-daughters memory scene.
Last year was a pretty disappointing kdrama watching year for me. I started probably a dozen but only managed to finish about five or six. It is pleasing to find this gem before the end of 2011. Please bookmark this one if you can’t watch it now – it is a keeper!
Holy cow epyc, you worded it in a way that I could only wish I had thought of. Glad to see some F-Fam enthusiasts here.
girlatsea just pointed out that it’ll be 24 episodes, which makes me worried that the drama might end up dragging, but part of me is happy that I get to see these beloved characters for just a little bit longer. X)
I’ve been watching this on Dramafever ever since the rave reviews that you gals have given here….it’s really good.
This show reminds me a lot of what I liked in Gilmore Girls, the only US TV show that I use to watch. Park Jin-Hee also reminds me of Lauren Graham, that same fatal beauty + charm combo is just irresistible.
Thanks for the review! wow…whenever I hear good things about a show from others then I want to watch it. I’ll have to find some time to check it out.
Buried in work right now at work, but I’m so glad to see someone write something lengthy praising Fermentation Family. This drama has won my heart and makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside! I’ve only skimmed your post right now and will be reading it carefully at home!
I’m also a FF fan and while I started watching because of Song Il-Kook he isn’t what keeps me watching. It’s a feel good story about realizing what’s is truly important in life. Can’t wait to see some of the puzzle pieces come together. It does however remind me a lot of Gourmet.
Also didn’t hate Crime Squad. I enjoy watching Song Il-Kook playing outspoken aggressive characters. So far from his real personality, which seems to be shy & introverted based on interviews & variety show appearances.
Ani. if you really like Song you need to watch “Emperor of the Sea” at Dramafever.com. This is how he become famous. It’s on my Top Ten list, and one of the best rated TV shows in Korean history. Also good for Su Ae fans. Works both ways.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_of_the_Sea
I don’t know if it’s already posted before here in Dramabeans, but I just want to share that there’s an English version of one of Flower Boy Ramyun OSTs titled ‘Happy’ sung by Yuria dnpd. It’s sung by an Indonesian Band called Mocca back in 2005 as one of the OSTs of a movie titled ‘Untuk Rena’ (English: For Rena).
This is the info about Mocca:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mocca_(band)
This is the link to download the song:
http://www.4shared.com/get/5vB9tDou/Mocca_-_Happy.html
This is the Korean version by Yuria posted in dramabeans:
http://www.mediafire.com/?h6adz91pczhfffd
Hi Everyone and Happy New Year!
I am back from my k-drama hiatus so I got caught up with Tree with Deep Roots and it was an awesome ride and like the best 2011 drama.
During my break I got back to reading mojo back so I finished the Hunger Games and I can’t wait for the movie which I hope will be as awesome as the book. Am actually happy Katniss ended up with Peeta.
I also read Ken Follet’s Pillars of the Earth and it’s so epic.
Anyone has any other reading suggestions?
New Year’s Resolutions:
a) Get a job
b) Loose 20lbs
c) Catch up with my k-drama watching list
Shiku! How’ve you been? I’ve recently been on a loooong vacation, and i’ve had time to finally get back to my book list. I’d recommend The Great Gatsby and Lolita, cuz right now I’m in the mood for classics. But, I’m also reading Game of Thrones on a friends suggestion, and it’s KICKASS!
How is The Hunger Games? I was about to order it, but it was out of stock. Got to wait for a month. :/
Yeah, my boyfriend says Game of thrones is awesome. I need to started reading again, I might pick that up. I might also watch the show, I heard it was awesome.
I enjoyed everything about hunger games except the last few chapters of the third book. They pissed me off. Anyway, its a pretty fun and interesting series.
Why did the last chapters of MockingJay piss you off?
I agree about the Hunger Games. I really hated the last book. I wish the author had just stuck with the first one, or at least gone in a different direction for the rest of the series. It was kind of a let down.
OMG I TOTALLY AGREE !
I was totally hooked on the first book, mainly because I was totally in love with Katniss and Peeta’s relationship,
then the second book was a little to similar to the first book and i felt like they were repeating things.
Then the last book was a total let down. It was such a drag to read it. I was lost for about half the book and *spoiler*
didn’t really care when half of the characters died in order to save katniss because i had NO IDEA who they were or what they were like and quite simple could not sympathise with them. ugh.
seriously?!! i thought i was the only one who hated the last book. mainly i was more into the katniss-gale thing but still, i swayed a little after the first book, idk why the third book pisses me off so much.
Hi Bourbon, am ok happy for the New Year. The Hunger Games trilogy is worth the wait as it is awesome. So when you buy it, get all three because as soon as you finish one, you have to get the other.
Is The Great Gatsby based on the FBI guy J Edgar Hoover? I may just check it out. What is Lolita about?
I don’t know why I am hesitant to read Game of Thrones even though I saw a few episodes of the TV series.
As far as i know, no It isn’t based on him. Gatsby and Lolita both have similar themes. Longing, wanting something thats no longer yours or never was yours in the first place. Some would say they’re rather dark subjects, but they really are well written. You should check ‘em out.
And SO many of you have read The Hunger Games? That’s it, I’m pre-ordering! It’ll come to me as soon as he gets new stock.
The Great Gatsby is about reinventing yourself… The hero is some random dude who reinvents himself as this rich and cultured man, when he moves to a new place (an exploration of — and frankly kind of indictment of — the idea that anyone can have a fresh start in the US, no matter what).
Lolita is about the love (if one can call it that… which is kind of the question) between a much older man and a very young girl.
Umm… Guess I just kind of trashed Fitzgerald and Nabokov… I actually really did enjoy all the Hunger Games books, though, and I’d reluctantly have to say I agreed with the final pairing
I love Hunger Games (the whole trilogy)!
And, like Shiku, I was Team Peeta all the way.
Just finished the first one today. It kind of reminded me of Heinlein’s “Tunnel In The Sky”, except the kids ultimately banded together when the games went on too long. I don’t know when I’ll start the next one, though, due to my schedule. Good so far.
shiku!
Isn’t tree mind blowing every single episode! It’s still in my thoughts even after all this time. I have no book suggestions I’m reading The Cat Who . . . series. I really like books with reoccurring characters and these stories are really light.
My new years resolutions?
Live and enjoy living without questioning whether or not enjoying living is necessary to being alive and whether or not being alive is really necessary.
I know Tree is mind blowing and it literally had me on the edge of my seat. All the cast and crew deserve awards.
Could you tell me about the Cat Who series? Is it like thriller, crime stories, etc.
It’s detective fiction. A crime reporter with two cats solves crimes and one of the cats gives him clues. the stories are mostly about daily life in a small town and the crime is solved on the last few pages with the murderer dying. I usually know who did it before it’s over but the author and her character are very interested in literature, food and the other arts so the daily life stories are interesting.
Hey Shiku!
I agree about Hunger Games. I’m so glad I read it! I remembered devouring all three books in three days.
Yesterday I finished reading A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon. He wrote The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, in case you’re wondering. A Spot of Bother tells the story of a man going insane and his dysfunctional family. It’s humorous and the writing is gold.
Oh, I also Love Hunger Games! My mom and sisters tried hard to get me on board initially, but I resisted… But when I finally got onboard, I wasn’t sorry:) )
LOVED Hunger Games, we’re very excited about the movie, although if they screw it up, we will be very annoyed.
We read aloud on family roadtrips (one Grandma is a three hour drive away, the other eleven hours) and we read that series over a couple of trips. All three of them, we’d come home, not quite finished, and sit around in the living room and read the rest together, until the wee hours a couple of times.
What an awesome way to bond with the family!
Oh wow! Awesome bonding experience! I should start this when I start my family.
Got it from hubby’s mom, who used to read to them all the time. Hubby likes books on tape, but doesn’t care to read much. But, he seems to like listening to books. Back when the Lord of the Rings trilogy movie came out, I couldn’t believe he hadn’t read it, so we read The Hobbit and Trilogy over a vacation, then about two weeks of evenings afterwards. We’ve read all of The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, a couple of Jane Austins, a series of books called Uglies, My daughter only reads one genre of books on her own, it’s a way to introduce her to other stuff. And, I think reading aloud to your kids makes them more likely to read on their own. Hubby excepted, of course, lol.
Hi Ricky!
You actually read as fast as me as I did the same thing. My family thinks am crazy to read it so fast non-stop.
I am so out of the reading loop so I never read anything by Mark Haddon but I will check him out. Thanks for the suggestion.
Some books are meant to be read in one sitting. I actually ruined my eyes when I was 15 because I read too much for an extended period of time. And then, Hello glasses!
I think I read the first few HP books in a single sitting too. Oh, yeah. That was when I was 15.
Dang, Potter made me lose my perfect vision!
I actually ruined my eyes sitting close to the TV while watching Mahabharat so I could see the subs. Dayum you show!
Ahhh! Just reviewed my recent list of recommended Kindle books, and those Collins’books were in the batch; not the others mentioned, though. Another addition to my electronic devices to save for a rainy day. Or at a later time / date to be determined.
That’s it, my brain is officially fried for the next week. No dishes, no laundry, and I think it’s a good time for the fish to learn self-reliance…
My two favorite books that I’ve read recently are “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and “the Help” by Kathryn Stockett. Oh, and “The Book Thief” by Marcus Zusak. I have about eight big fat books on my “to read” pile and now my friend gave me the “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” series. And I hear there’s a new Tom Clancy. NO way to keep up with the Kdramas AND the books, I’m afraid….
I tried the Steig Larson books, but just couldn’t get into them. Haven’t seen the movie, either.
The Help was sooo good. I watched the movie yesterday. Which is why I’m planning to read the book. I mean if the movie was that awesome, I bet the book was at least twice better than the movie was.
The Book Thief was wonderful, wasn’t it?
I loved it. I read it with my nieces, who have an online book club. Which is totally all women, plus hubby’s little brother, which they all (even the non-related ones) call “Uncle Markie”.
I love it, he hated it. He said he hated that so many of the characters don’t make it to the end. My niece: “Markie, it’s the holocaust, what exactly did you expect??”
I had my daughter read it, to kind of get her out of her fantasy genre. She liked it, and I think it was good for her.
Oh, wow! You read Pillars of the Earth? For me, that’s one of the all-time best novels in the world.
There’s a sequel, World Without End, I think it’s called, but for me, it doesn’t quite live up to the original (although I have liked plenty other of Ken Follett’s novels)…
There’s also a miniseries that was made recently, but they get all the characters painfully wrong, so I wouldn’t recommend watching it
It’s actually funny as I bought the book in two years ago but I never read past chapter one. So when I was moving I saw it decided to finish it and it was spectacular. Epic. My fave Ken Follet book.
So the miniseries was a failure! How can they get all the characters wrong when they have a book that clearly depicts it. I was planning on watching it but I will give it a pass.
I know we discuss this above, but I just have to say again that this (The Pillars of the Earth) is one of my favorite novels ever. Read it!!
Well, I’m not an artiste type, but none of the characters in the miniseries were remotely as I pictured them…and is it so hard to find actors who fit Ken Follett’s description (which was quite vivid about each character)?
I’ve had the book in a pile on my bedside table for about 2 years now – I think I’ve read 4 or 5 chapters? They’ve gone to the city to try and convince the bishop or whoever he was that double-crossed them to change his mind. A little past that., anyway.
I liked PIllars of the Earth, but it was such a grim time in history that I have to get over it before I could read the sequel, so I haven’t yet.
I have a new Sharon Kaye Penman (English historical author) in my “to read” pile, but I haven’t got to it yet, either.
Hey, Shiku!
I haven’t read either, but I did recently finish all 12 books of the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. There based on a modern-day wizard chasing supernatural bad guys in Chicago. Kind of a fun read, if you like faerie and folk mythology.
Did you ever see The Dresden Files? I liked that show, it wasn’t around for long though.
I did. It’s on Hulu for anyone who wants to see it. I liked it a lot, although the books, for obvious reasons, go much more in depth with the characters, and I prefer Bob in the books rather than the series. You’re right though, like Firefly, it was good but didn’t stick around too long.
why did dresden get canceled! I loved it! I find that the only american tv I can watch these days are scifi/fantasy.
Have you checked out Sanctuary, or Haven? Or Being Human, which is pretty much as good as the original Brit series? (Both currently airing although possibly between seasons right now)
@joanne,
I am watching sanctuary, haven, eureka and warehouse 13. being human seemed interesting the first season but I don’t think it’s a show that should have more than 1 season. other than those I’m watching leverage and burn notice. leverage is pretty cute this season.
Bunny, I watched Leverage the first season and loved it but it got forgotten…I’ll eventually watch the later seasons. I’ve seen bits and pieces of Burn Notice and really like those actors so it’s another I’ll probably marathon at some point. Along those lines, then, if you haven’t seen White Collar you are missing out – very, very entertaining. Also I personally LOVE Justified, but it’s a bit darker than the others. Eureka is very enjoyable but I haven’t watched regularly since the first season – I know it’s ending so I’ll marathon that too at some point! And I have a co-worker who never misses Warehouse 13. I’ve seen a couple episodes and would happily watch more. How do you feel about Supernatural?
oh and Bunny I forgot to say – please watch the brit version of Being Human if you can, then, since it’s been on longer than the US version. They definitely have been able to carry the story with a very engaging arc for more than one season. I think I’ve seen through Series 3 and all I can say is, Series 4 is poised for something major but I will miss one particular character very much.
Is the Dresden Files the one which I think starts with the guy sitting on a table? I think I only watched 1 or 2 epsiodes years ago but I hadly remember it. I like Leverage , Burn Notice and White Collar although I am behind in seasons due to k-dramas.
Has anyone watched Hustle? I loved it until it underwent a major cast change.
lol that was a good show but didn’t get enough viewers, though I have to admit the book was much better… as it almost always usually is.
I did like the books better, too.
I like mythology so I may check it out. Thanks.
Shiku! *HUGS*
Welcome back. I saw your comment on another story and wondered how you have been.
Hi MJP *HUGS back*
I am fine spending time with family although I have developed an allergy caused by something I don’t know. I went to my sister’s place and I kept on having an allergic reaction and then went to my other sister’s place and am having hives and I can’t figure out what it is as the things I eat is the same things I have eaten before. Very strange!
Shiku
It could be something in their houses, not necessarily something you ate.
Strange but true story, our neighbor called my husband over and pointed out that some sort of green stuff is growing on the siding of the south side of our house.
When spring comes we are going to have to power wash the siding with bleach water, so there goes the grass… again!
So you never know what is causing the allergy! I hope you can find out what it is soon.
Shiku! Your New Year’s Resolutions are pretty much the same as mine. I’m guessing we’re around the same age? Or are these resolutions just common these days?
Maybe we are the same age. Am turning 26 (yikes getting older) later this month, how old are you?
almost 22! I NEED to find a job, but the market’s horrible these days.
Wow, great resolutions! I started out the new year with a bad cold and I found out the I may, potentially, have high blood pressure. I’m fairly young too, in my 20′s, so I guess that means I really have to watch my health this year, so good on you for losing weight! And I think we all need jobs (currently struggling with that as well)
I lovedd the Hunger Games! Excellent books! If you like the Hunger Games, you will like Divergent by Veronica Roth, very similar to the HG (dystopia genre) but it was such a page turner! Also read Daughter of Smoke and Bone, it is fantasy and it is SOO GOOD! It’s one of those books you just want to know what happens!
I completely concur! I’m really liking this drama and think it needs to get more exposure. The ensemble cast, the leads, the FOOD!, and the mystery behind why all these people are drawn to the restaurant is wonderfully pulled together.
People, check it out!
Fermentation Family!
I completely concur! I’m really liking this drama and think it needs to get more exposure. The ensemble cast, the leads, the FOOD!, and the mystery behind why all these people are drawn to the restaurant is wonderfully pulled together.
People, check it out!
Greetings, fellow OTers! I’ve lurked DB for over an hour today waiting for OT to come on, so that i could, on popular demand, re-open the virtual pojangmacha!
Just like in Colour of Woman ep 10 (speaking of which, we must discuss the CoW channels untimely disappearance from Viki!) the pojangmacha appears out of nowhere with advice, jjampong, and friends! Oh, and of course, soju
Hopefully some of the old regulars (MJP, bunnylove, Shel, viola, RTRH I’m looking at you!) and hopefully, meet the new regulars too.
Without further ado, I give you the P’macha!
Hello bourbon! Cool idea virtual pojangmacha. I’d like to join you for a shot of soju, but I kinda lost interest in CoW at around episode 7(?) after the OTP got together.
The male lead irritated me a with his pettiness and selfishness, and I cringed watching them go on dates. So so awkward! But I guess that’s the point.
Have a good time at your p’macha session though!
Funny, that’s exactly where I left off with CoW. No one was subbing it and I just lost interest. I think I was more invested in the female lead + male best friend second lead. I think I liked his character more (ugh those dimples, so CUTE.) Maybe I’ll finish one day when there are subs.
oh my lord jjampong! jjampong is exactly the thing to lure me into your tent! So sneaky!
I saw like 2 seconds of episode 1 earlier this week and then when I decided to definitely commit to the drama later on it was gone!
Is bourbon well?
Bourbon is very well. Vacations are finally on, so i am chomping on my naesake the biscuit, and reading! After the hectic GRE+TOEFL+endless application procedures, the ease of having NOTHING to do, takes a while to get used to, but I’m having fun getting there. Tweeting about the newfound boredom helps a lot, i’ve learned.
What about Bunny? How go things on your end of the world?
Bourbon!
I’d like a Barq’s Rootbeer please! Light on the ice.
Hey, MJP!
How goes the battle! Love your wee MJP stories, wee people crack me up on a regular basis.
My favorite this week was my four year old buddy, Z, telling his mom, “I wanna squeeze a cow, mama!”. She didn’t tell me the context, but he makes me laugh daily.
LOL!!!!! I wanna squeeze a cow, mama! AWESOME!
MJP! Shel! For you guys, its on the house.
Thanks ever so much Bourbon!
Say can you make that octopus smoothie for Ricky TRH. I got a picture of it in comment # 5.4.1.2.5
I’d like some octopus please, ahjumma bourbon! Haha
I didn’t watch CoW but I’d be happy to nod my head at everything you have to say about it.
Nice to have you back, biscuit!
Do you drink the octopus? Ricky TRH or do you eat it?
I’m having very disturbing images of an octopus smoothie with the occasional tentacle floating around like a tapioca pearl in bubble tea. This is not good, believe me.
LOL
JoAnne, that´s for sure not a pretty picture you painted, but thanks for the laughter
LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL!
My husband would be so happy! He loves eating tentacles.
Oh! This reminds me, this week wee MJP said that his new caterpillar toy that he got is and I quote: “I got a slug and his name is Sluggy and he is a boy because he has in-testicles!”
Ba Ha Ha Ha HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
Lol Wee MJP is adorable
Sluggy has in-testicles??… funny.
Anway, my daughter who is turning 18 this year HAS (present tense) a caterpillar toy from when she was 3 years old. It’s “Heimlich” from Bug’s Life, one of the earlier Pixar films. She still sleeps with him…. he is quite raggedy now and we need to put him inside a sock when we put him in the washing machine.
I have a feeling I’m gonna use “in-testicles” in my daily conversation now. Haha
Reminds me of SNL’s Dan Akroyd’s BassOMatic sketch in the 70′s.
SNL was much funnier then, IMO.
Shel,
I found it on youtube, the original bass o matic!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BQFv83QJ2Y&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLA563717A50A828C9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BQFv83QJ2Y&feature=plcp&context=C321b7cbUDOEgsToPDskIapWAJJsZP_b3Lh1M46OTb
sorry, here is the direct link to bass o matic!
LOL JoAnne,
That is some vivid imagination!
MJP
They say you should never drink with an empty stomach.
Ricky TRH,
I think an octopus smoothie chaser sounds yummy, don’t you?
Get me a recipe, STAT!
Ricky TRH-oppa! How are you?? Are you back at school yet, or still letting mama stuff you with good food?
I have a few more weeks before I have to return to school, Shel.
Ricky TRH and Joanne,
It would look something like this!
http://www.worth1000.com/entries/615159/orange-with-octopus-tropical-smoothie
That almost looked yummy. And then you see those suction cups. Eeeeewwwwww…
Eww is right! The big orange spider didn’t do much for me, either.
Nor the ants on the pineapple! But still, that was MUCH prettier than my imagination, which conjured up a dirty looking glass containing a viscous, pinky-grey liquid with…BITS floating in it. Ugh.
always eat your octopus cooked! I saw a disturbing news story about people suffocating while eating octopus. It wasn’t subtitled but there was this one very sad story about a father whose daughter left him a message just before she went to eat and then about 5 minutes later she was dead.
I saw a 2N1D episode where Uhm Taewoong popped one in his mouth. eeew I don’t want food that fights back!
Seafood SHOULD be eaten as fresh as possible. LIVE may just be taking that idea a bit too far.
Shukmeister,
Did you know there was a commerical with food that fights back? It’s a Tums commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqViKqgedEA
I don’t like food fighting back. I prefer my food fully cooked with flavor with the exception of veggies.
Joanne,
Now that you are offically “squicked”, did you see this story!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/23/large-leech-found-in-teenage-boys-throat_n_1111136.html?ref=animals-in-the-news
@ 5.4.2.1.2 MJP – That youtube was great! I’d allow my ramyun to smack me, especially if JIW would suck the sauce off my cheek…
I am not going to read that, MJP. Scarred for life as a young girl by a horror story where a woman scratches her face apart and ants come pouring out, and have actually had nightmares about leaches.
I watched it, MJP. I guess I’m too sick to get squicked. LOL. Still, I don’t think I’d want one of those suckers myself. After all, if the voices in my head won’t pay rent, no durn parasite’s going to set up free room and board either!
oh my! I knew that was gonna happen some day. Hello ppl? ever heard of suction legs? They may be tiny, but still strong and deadly.
I am now officially squicked out at the thought of a tiny octopus alive inside my lungs.
Hi JoAnne! “Squicked out”, lol. Imma gonna save that expression, it made me laugh.
I don’t like food that fights back either. If it’s gonna fight me, I’ll find something else to eat, thankyouverymuch.
hee hee hee – okay, time for lunch here on the East Coast. I think I’m officially staying away from shashimi today. At least I’ve never seen a show like “When Pizza Attacks”.
Your Royal Highness! Thank you for giving a bunch of girls with overactive imaginations very vivid pictures of octopus smoothies, and driving away customers! *waves dischcloth*
How have you been? Oh, since i read you’re studying now, does that mean you’re no longer teaching? I looked forward to the stories of your students with K-drama ringtones.
You’re welcome
Who knew that a serving of octopus is great conversation starter?
Yes, that’s right. I get to be the one with K-drama ringtones now! Haha
I’ve been rather well, thank you. And how are you? I see that your shop is closed for quite some months.
\_/ There’s my shot of the day.
I’ve been watching CoW on kimchdrama, basically because it’s been on and off on viki almost since it’s inception. I agree Jae Hee’s character is becoming a whiny pissypants, but I hope with a few reality whacks he’ll turn back in the lovable smiley guy.
I’m not seeing that this drama breaks any new ground, unless it’s an overwhelming endorsement of the fur industry, but I’ll still watch it to the end as a loyal Jae Hee fan.
The relationship between Joon Soo and Chan Jin reminds me a lot of “Can You Hear My Heart” – two boys growing up together as besties ending up as enemies. I was disappointed in how it ended in CYHMH, so I hope I’ll be more satisfied with these two.
Oh, I’ve lost interest in CoW! I love Jae Hee and the rest of the acting staff, but I am not happy with the storyline.
I must say i agree. The whole hyund-dongsaeng turning out to be actual brothers and fighting over the same girl is trite enough, but now they hate each other too? Meh, seen it too many times before.
But the thing that had me coming back (before SoRa and JoonSoo got together) was how much i related to Sora. I admit, i’m also one of those girls who thinks hardwork and intelligence matters more than what you look like on the outside. I found her charming even with the JS teddy! But then, she gradually begins to accept the workings of the company, just as they are. Where is the girl who got fired for trying to expose corruption in her university? By the 10th ep she was checking up on her makeup.
With this show I’m disappointed with how they took suck meaty, innovative characters and then, meandered.
Then, jjampong, and soju it is
*Wipes the counter* Comin’ right up unni! *awesomely slides dishes down the counter*
perfect, I was in need of some banchan to go with my soup
Hello! I’ll take a Diet Coke, with lime and ice.
And to eat……I haven’t tried anything Korean except barbecue once, but I’d love to try some dukbokki, or those fried fish stick things, or black bean sauce noodles, or kimbap, or…..
I do remember that my Korean roomies Kimchi about did me in every time she opened it, so I may hold off on that for a bit. But, one of these days, I’ll man up and try it.
I’ve tried all of those but the fish (they don’t have them at the local K-restaurant). I’d like to try those fish-shaped breads, too.
Dukbokki is pretty spicy, and the rice cakes are good and chewy, athough I found them a bit slippery for chopsticks. The black bean sauce noodles are good if you like onions. Kimbap – awesome!
For kimchi, definitely cucumber.
My current korean favorite is bibimbap (shown on first epi of SofAW), which is rice, sauteed veggies, shaved beef and an egg sunny side up, with spicy chili seasonings, in a sizzling stone bowl. Perfect when its cold outside, and you get to mash it all together and play with your food.
Sounds yummy!
We have a pretty large Korean community in this pretty small town ( only about 30K), but all of the Korean restaurants appear to be either Chinese or Korean BBQ. There is a large asian store where I could probably buy the ricecakes if I was brave enough to try and make Dukbokki.
And in a surreal moment over Christmas break: In my (at the time, in the 60′s) very white homogenized neighborhood….I only knew two Asians until I went to college and they were twins….no African Americans, some Mexicans at school, but they lived on the other side of town….ANYWAY, last week, in the shopping center where the dime store and the drug store were when I was growing up was a HUGE Korean market. Made me smile. Didn’t have time to check it out, but next time…..
Can I get my bibimpap without the runny egg, please?
I’m not much for sunny side up, but I could do over-medium or hardboiled.
I can’t stay today, but I wanted to briefly join the festivities going on in the virtual pojangmacha– thanks for setting it up, Bourbon! (Since you’re the proprietor, Bourbon, I’ll be cheeky and ask for some bhel puri with my makgeolli.)
*raises glass* Here’s to the first OT of the new year! It looks like it’s gonna be quite a year… Happy New Year, everyone! *clink clink*
Awwww! Just for that, i give you a side of pani puri free with the bhel.
You’re an Indian too? I gotta say, out chaatwalas cangive p’machas a run for their money 
omo i’m not the only indian? awesome! i like gol gappe better tho
I am not watching CoW but can I have some soju please? *hiccup*
[planting myself on a chair] Ananseyeo!
Any way I can get a feta-cheese omelet with a side order of bacon? And a glass of milk, as long as I don’t have to squeeze a cow.
I just finished skimming Ep 45 of Ojakgyo Brothers, and I’m really liking how the character arcs are coming together. There’s still a bunch of episodes, but we are 3/4 of the way through.
Anybody else seen it yet?
Everyone was raving about it a couple of weeks ago, but I haven’t started it yet.
It’s a long haul, Shel, speaking as someone who’s been watching it from the beginning. Still, it’s one that I look forward to every week.
Hi everyone! Happy OT!
Is anyone watching Take Care of Us, Captain?
The first 30 mins of episode 1 was filled with so much death, funerals and gore I was wondering if I was watching an “airline humanism drama” or a saeguk.
From episode 2, it seems like the show is a repeat of stereotypical characters: optimistic-cheery-but-poor-girl and the strong-silent-man type. I foresee lots of noble idiocy but I’m sticking to it for now ‘cos I can’t resist the charismatic screen presence of Ji Jin Hee and well, the beauty of Goo Hye-sun. The plot can go down the drain.
Hi sophie ! I share the same feeling about TKOUC, but i didn’t have high expectations so… I suppose we will have to use suspension of disbelief at the max when it comes to coincidences ( i almost felt like in a taiwanese drama ). And why do they feel the need to introduce supernatural / dream sequence : Everyone wants to copycat Secret Garden or what ? Clumsy.
I must say i was surprised to read that it won over Wild Romance for the ratings : I expected it to be buried alive.
I’m watching Captain – alongside the other two series.
I don’t know… I actually like this series… ok – I love a lot the Moon/Sun ratings winner but I also like this one. I think both series are pretty stereotypical in their characters but this is the first time that I actually liked GHS in her character. I just haven’t really connected with her characters, even though I think she’s a decent actor. JJH – he is such a serious captain… LOL – but I like him. Yeah, some really random stuff did happen – esp in episode 1. I also thought it would be ratings loser of the 3 dramas and was surprised it pulled ahead of WR.
WR – I don’t know… I like LDW so far… haven’t really loved any of his other characters either, including MG. I think the OTP has quite a bit of chemistry that I enjoy. But doesn’t seem like much plot either, even less than Captain.
Yes I was surprised Captain came in second in front of Wild Romance too.
Wild Romance feels like…. an assemblage of random events. Can’t wait for the jealousy to kick in though.
I tried to give the graduate of the Redbaron Flight Academy a shot, but I couldn’t suspend disbelief on several of the avaiation-specific plot contrivances. I think GHS is a pretty girl, I admire her ambition to direct and I do like her art, but the writing… I just can’t.
I lovedd Wild Romance and I’ve been holding off on Moon/Sun until the subs come out.
But I was wondering whether I should give this one a try… Goo Hye-sun isn’t my favorite actress but I’ve always wanted to see Ji Jin-hee in something. Somehow I have managed to skip every drama he has ever been in.
I watched Ep 1 of Captain and there was one part where the top graduate of Redbaron airline academy of sanfrancisco who was in the air ‘spoke English’ in a tense exchange with her colleague on the ground. I was cringing, wringing my hands and laughing my head off at the unintelligible guttural sounds emitting from their lips. JJH thankfully spoke one line in ‘English’ then lapsed into silence.
oh yeah, The english lines : My ears still hurt. They should secretly dub those sequences , or is there a Voice Version of Photoshop of any kind ? I hope real air pros are better in english, or else i can’t imagine all the airmiss incidents in SK sky.
And i hope they don’t learn and graduate on acrobatic old biplanes, because i would pity the passengers : Take a light meal fellows… And a lot of plastic bags, and a Bible for those who need it.
The words that I could make out from the gibberish: ‘Tank queue’, ‘Ahh few ger-rake!’ ‘Pishhhh!’
‘Execute me’, and ‘Hair-low?’.
LOL, it’s better than the misheard / buffalaxed videos of Kpop on YTube.
Yeah, that was one of the issues. Pilots have to have graded levels of English proficiency in order to communicate with Air Traffic Control internationally, and so what passes for a character who has spent time in the U.S. and “speaks English” in most dramas is harder to accept in context.
Hello!
saw the video of Liu Shi Shi and Nicky Wu singing together for the new year party/countdown? They looked so sweet together, holding hands, smiling, looking into each other’s eyes while singing. It’s amazing how she has awesome chemistry with Yuan Hong, Kelvin Cheng, etc in Bubujingxin. Gee.
Can’t wait for her new drama with Ming Dao.
Do you like Ming Dao’s acting?
So, how has everyone’s new year been going?
Dramabeans giveaway post is crazy insane with comments! I enjoyed reading a lot of em :3
I dropped by too and read some of the responses. There are many. I think I even responded to a few. I love that there are so many people on dramabeans that I’ve never seen on the ot.
I love that there are so many people on dramabeans that I’ve never seen on the ot.
Me too! I honestly could not believe the number of comments that post has gotten. I’m just very fascinated by the stuff I’ve been reading there so far. I guess 2007, 2010 and 2011 really were huge years for Kdramaland since a lot of people apparently got into Kdrama during those years.
I wish they would do a giveaway for the loyal followers who weave the Open Threads into a continuous tapestry of cultural taste, serged with six degrees of separation, and fringed with fun! It’s always great to get a seat where the elite meet and greet.
Ok, this is what happens when you have a highball before lunch and want to do a “crazy insane” comment.
[sudden urge to wander back to bourbon's street].
Surprise, surprise! I didn’t watch any KDrama for the first week of 2012. I’ve been really crazy about Thai movies instead. It started with an innocent tweet by a friend and escalated into something which rivals the first few weeks when I started to watch KDramas obsessively. Before long I started hunting for stuff myself.
Here are a few Thai movies which I would like to recommend.
Hello Stranger.
What happens when you meet a stranger in a strange land & fall in love? Follow the journey of this don’t-tell-me-your-name couple as they meet in Seoul during winter. This was the movie that started it all for me. The hero is a buffoon who mocks KDramas (I know!) but he does all this with a dorky grin which is probably why our gorgeous (totally-my-type) heroine likes him. 7/10
[http://alicechensworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/download-thai-movie-hello-stranger.html]
First Love (Crazy Little Thing Called Love)
Ahh, it’s the age-old story about high school love. And yet, this movie feels very refreshing to me. For some odd reasons, I can’t pinpoint exactly why I love this film. Maybe it’s the classic Ugly Duckling who turns into a Swan story? Maybe it’s the purity of teen love itself? I don’t know. This film is one of my favorites and when I checked online, it’s probably the number 1 most recommended must-see Thai production. The heroine’s loyal friends and the parallel crush of one of the (hilarious) teachers in the school made this a gem to me. 9/10
[http://alicechensworld.blogspot.com/2011/07/download-crazy-little-thing-called-love.html]
Warning: Both the links contain spoilers!
Crazy Little Thing Called Love is fantastic! It can be watched on Youtube with subs, last I checked…which was November…hopefully it’s still there because more people should watch it.
Yes, more people should watch it.
I noticed that a lot of subbed Thai movies can be found on Youtube. So that’s good.
I absolutely love First Love! I watch it from time to time because it’s pretty cute and funny and of course, Mario is adorbs! Nam and her friends and mega cute!
Ahh, Mario Mario Mario.
I know he’s like a heartthrob but I nicknamed him Chipmunk because his voice is so squeaky. He has a strong presence on the screen though. It must be that German-Chinese look of his.
Ahahaha! Legit laughed at the Chipmunk bit. I thought his voice was like that because of the language. Oh, and I didn’t know he was part German :3
Ooh, Thai language! So sexy. RAWR!!!
But yeah, maybe it’s the language itself. A bit nasally and yet I find it oh-so sexy. Some actors have really deep, rich voices though.
I like how Thais say ‘Auwwww…’ and ‘Ooooiii…’
Rickie! Hello again! Hope your Friday is going well. I have been resisting the temptation of peeking into Thai productions, but this apple you’re dangling is too good! I had already checked them out a bit on Alice’s site previously, so you’re recommendation tipped the scales.
Just for you, I’ve downloaded both and will watch one tomorrow on my day off. I think you may owe me an icepack for my eyes….lol
Yes! Shukmeister took the bait! Haha.
Yeah, thanks, big guy.
Speaking of bait, you didn’t say there was a live octopus eating in “Hello Stranger”, but at least it wasn’t orange.
When bourbon opened her virtual pojangmacha, I remembered that very scene and decided to be brave & ordered the octopus like the hero. Haha ^^
That scene was seriously funny. He seriously ate the fighting octopus!
Are you done watching it?
I did, finishing it up at 0300 my time. I really enjoyed it! You were right about the language being more melodic than others. The first half was me thinking “I saw that one! I saw that one too. Is there really a Winter Sonata statue on Nami Island?” so I was distracted by the scenery.
Once it delved in the meat of the story, though, I focussed on the characters and their chemistry.
Plus, I’m always fond of a more ambiguous ending. I don’t think I can really suspend my disbelief for a mega-happy kittens-and-rainbows completion, and this one had the right touch.
Now I’ll have to try and watch the other one this weekend too! Hopefully, it won’t be too busy at the rescue squad.
Anyway, ขอบคุณ, oh Thee of the Royal Salmon Chastity Pants!
And, on a more serious an scientific note [pushing glasses back on my nose], are all the southeast asian countries on the same electrical grid? I wondered how the characters charged their Thai phones on the South Korean power grid. American and European systems aren’t compatible without adapters, so it just got me wondering.
I forgot that you work at the police station. Haha
I liked the scenes where they had interactions with the locals. Remember the jjajangmyun scene with the ahjumma & ahjussi? Laughed and replayed and laughed some more at that one! Hee
I predicted the ending from the very first time our heroine mentioned about Sister Jam’s radio show. I knew that it will play a big role in the end. I was a little annoyed at the openness of the ending actually. I don’t know. Maybe I was expecting a big sloppy kiss. And I wanted to know their names!
Hmm, I’ve never thought about the electrical aspects of traveling. Iiinteresting.
Good nighttime, RHRH! By my calculations (and Google), it’s 4am there.
I liked the ending of “Hello Stranger”. Yeah, you don’t even find out their real names (which, for him, is silly – didn’t he put it on the postcard?), but you just know, like “Sleepless in Seattle”, the radio station is going to help reunite them. The ‘missed him by that much’ at the Jump concert surprised me, though. I was expecting at least a shock of recognition, but it makes sense in context. That way, when he calls the radio program, it’s not because he sees her in the crowd, but because he’s thinking about her.
In my first book, my original ending was similar – two months after she tearfully broke up with him, she bumps into him leaving a taxi. They look at each other, he asks if she would like to get a cup of coffee, she says yes, he touches her cheek, music swells / fade to black, finis.
My editors (translation: my wine-drinking drama-watching posse) said that was too ambiguous for a romance book ending, so I happy’ed it up a bit. I received a lot of positive feedback with the revamped ending, so maybe they were right.
My next book, still in progress, is going to have two separate generation couples falling in love, so I’ll probably make that one my everyone-gets-a-megahappy-ending.
Take care!
~Shuk
Both of those sound fun, I’ll have to look them up. I’ve got to get my homeschooled daughter back in the swing of things for this semester and figure out a strategy for her application to an arts academy in the fall. THEN, I will have time to watch a few more shows. Even the Kdrama thing has slowed down for me as shows have ended and I’ve chosen to not take up any new ones right away (except Padam Padam).
I had several Thai roomies in college, one in Bangkok that I still keep in touch with, but I’ve never watched any Thai television.
Yes, whenever you have the time and in the mood for something different, do try First Love.
It’s now 0730 hours my time, and I just finished watching “First Love”. With bleary eyes I can give this one a double “thumbs up”.
With both of the Thai movies I screened tonight, I have to ask: does everyone look 18 in Thailand? In “Hello Stranger” I was hard pressed to see the two leads as old enough to gamble and get drunk. And in “First Love”, they were very believable as high school students.
“First Love” showed all the aspects of high school: hanging with your BFF’s during lunch, helping each other with homework and relationships, tacky band uniforms (that took me back), exchanging goofy looks, passing notes in class, etc., etc.
And in “Hello Stranger”, connecting with someone while travelling is something everyone has experienced, even if it doesn’t go in the extreme end of “love”.
So cross-culturally, it just means that people are the same everywhere. Of course, we already knew that here in KDramaland. [snerk]
Loved ‘em both, now time to inspect my eyelids for cracks. Goodnight, OT’ers, with a special {{hug}} for Rickie HRH….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Awww, you continued with First Love directly after Hello Stranger, didn’t you?
You honestly rock, Shukmeister!
I thought that the leads in HS looked old enough and I wasn’t really that surprised about the baby-faced nature of the actors in First Love. I checked and Mario was 21 when he played the role of Shone. I thought the school uniform played a huge role in making them looked younger. Short pants *cough cough*
I’d give FL high marks too. What I really love most about the film were the best friends and the English teacher.
When you think about it, the film is filled with cliches. However I never once felt bored, and instead I was grinning like a buffoon most of the times. Thais make some of the best and earnest love stories, in my opinion.
You deserve a good sleep, Shukmeister!
We can talk more about the films next week
“Bangkok Traffic Love Story”
HAPPY 5th YEAR ANNIVERSARY DRAMABEANS!!!
v
Happy New Year OT!
I can’t help myself. I just keep squealing about how awesome Padam Padam is! I love how well the show balances its lofty ambitions with the little character and family moments. And that Kook Soo is a guardian angel with some… moral blind spots and one that finds that sex is more interesting than love.
And just thought I’d ask – anyone a Project Runway fan? The new season premiered last night. And there was NO TIM. Or Michael. Or Nina. Or Heidi. Okay, Heidi I can live without, but no Tim? What is the world coming to?!
whoa that’s bizarre! are they out or is it just for the all stars season??
what? who DO they have? they basically got rid of everyone?? lame
Tim Gunn is on that new show about reinventing yourself – The Revolution, I think it’s called?… so he’s not available for this season of Runway.
I’m hoping this is all just for the all-star season, because I really don’t like the new people. The host is a bland blonde barbie. Even if Heidi is a bit dim and over-dramatic at times, at least she’s entertaining. Isaac Mizrahi and another boring woman are the other judges, and they are certainly no match for Michael’s witty/cheesy criticisms and Nina’s glare of death. And Joanna Coles is much better as a tough guest judge than in the supporting role that Tim played. *sigh. Not one cheerful “Make it work!” last night.
At least MONDO is back!
Really no Tim? How can they have a runaway allstars with no Tim? Or Michael? Or Nina? Or Heidi?
Who is the new host?
Still not watching too much drama at the moment (still busy and will be away from the internet much of next week as I’ll be off visiting friends). But: managed to (nearly) catch up with all episodes of Padam Padam (up to ep. 9) and all of What’s Up (up to and including ep. 10). Happy with both dramas, although I’m feeling a bit ambiguous about Tae Hee and don’t quite get why Kang Chil’s mom is objecting to him liking Ji Na? And I don’t quite get why the other woman is now interested in Kang Chil? Glad though that Kang Chil just says it straight out that he likes Ji Na and that he refuses to partake in any silly game of lies! He’s so right, and it’s so refreshing to see that in a k-drama since even the best characters so typically engage in denial/not revealing everything/pretending something.
I’m loving PdPd myself.
I think Hyo Sook looks at Kang Chil as guy who knows her and isn’t put off by her attitude and divorced/child situation. She must have money to invest in his construction projects, but I believe she has self-esteem or -confidence issues, or figured he’d be pliable after his stint in prison. If memory serves, she said she had visited him in prison a couple of times too.
Kang Chil’s mom is probably afraid of him being emotionally stomped on, since Ji Na is clearly a woman from a similar background to those who framed him in the first place. I don’t think she knows the backstory with Ji Na’s mom, but I think that would be another reason to object to the relationship.
Definitely looking forward to eps 11 and 12! I really like how the story arc is progressing.
But doesn’t the very first episode have Hyo Sook sort of reject Kang Chil? That’s what I vaguely seem to remember – some conversation that she stopped visiting him in prison.
My memory might not be correct though.
No, that happened…they grew up together, but when he was in prison she married someone, had a baby, got divorced – now she’s focusing on him again.
The other woman has always been interested in Kang Chil and I think his mom is worried he’ll set himself up for a fall – please she has to know who JiNa’s father is (and uncle was) and maybe she doesn’t think Kang Chil knows, yet.
For those watching, I’m partly through Ep 10 and very confused. In the scene where JiNa’s looking for a towel and comes across some torn up packaging in Kang Chil’s dresser – why is she so terrified suddenly? I didn’t recognize the name in the subs. Was that her mother? Has she figured out the connection? Does it have anything to do with the ridiculous boxers from the earlier scene when they went shopping? I’m SO CONFUSED. However, I thought Episode 9 just upped the level of the series even more and I am still head over heels in love with the drama.
** spoiler ahead **
Ji Na has been sending packages to her mother’s prison friend under her mom’s name. Kang Chil has been keeping the mailing labels, which Ji Na recognized as her own handwriting, ergo Kang Chil is the person her mom was visiting in prison, ergo the convicted murderer of her uncle, and the man she thinks is partially responsible for her mom’s death, since her mom was trying to prove him innocent when she died of an asthma attack while heading over to the attorney’s office.
oooooooooooooooooooooh
Thank you for clearing that up. And now I don’t know what’s more saddening, that he thought she was alive and just not interested in coming to see him, or my original belief that she just never showed up again and he was left alone and wondering why.
I think it’s better that he knows she didn’t give up on him.
I think Ji Na is stupid for all the angsty stuff.
Whether or not she knows Kang Chill is the handcuffed-stomach-stabbed boy that her dad was kicking to death all those years ago, she still knows tha;t a) her dad was a bully with a badge who did unjust actions when she was a child; b) that her dad STILL is a bully with a badge; and c) Kang Chil has been nothing but supportive of her. Plus, wasn’t she blaming her dad for her mom’s death? How many people does she get to pitchfork onto that wagon?
Just my thoughts.
Does she know that her mother believed he was innocent?
What I especially loved was the part where she denied their relationship on the street, and he was angry at first, and when she came to him and explained her thoughts and fears he turned right around and said she must really like him a lot, to come to him even though she had those thoughts. He was so understanding, even in what must have been very painful moments for him.
I also loved the part where he said they should speak informally and she really took that on with a passion and he said she was so cute doing it that it made him want to sleep with her – and then at her shocked expression he said something along the lines of ‘you really don’t ever want to know what a guy’s thinking…because that’s always what he’s thinking.’
and the baby boar…
Man, I love this show.
Haven’t watched episode 10 yet, but agree with Shukmeister – Ji Na is stupid for all the angsty stuff. She knows that her Dad has done and still does AWFUL things.
I like that the “issues” they’re having to deal with are not orchestrated by some snotty second lead, who is manipulating everybody. They are just issues in their past that are slowing coming to light and they’re having to deal with the repercussions. Much more realistic and compelling in my opinion.
AND, they could not have picked a better actor for Gook Soo than Bummie. He’s doing such a great job….
Yes
Seriously, I’d take Bummie as my Guardian Angel in a nano-second. He’s always been cute, but with those wings and hair and hovering in mid-air…he’s flat-out beautiful – like a Raphael painting.
I just saw the awesome scene from episode 10 of PdPd (~20 mins in, you know the scene), and I finally realized what this drama is reminding me of in terms of its tone – anyone ever seen Donnie Darko? Both are a little bit strange but also intentionally funny, and play with an ambiguous line between the supernatural and merely perceiving reality differently.
I was getting a little worried a couple weeks ago about Kim Bum’s acting, but this week he knocked it out of the park. Both KB and JWS have brought their characters to life in such compelling ways.
Donnie Darko is GREAT! I have only seen the first few minutes of episode 10, will be watching that tonight but late – daughter and I are bringing Chinese to my parents for dinner first so that’s a couple of hours of eating and visiting first. Then I’ll go home put on PJs and curl up with with my beloved drama. What a good night I have planned!
I didn’t see Donnie Darko, but for me Padam reminds me of Constantine with Keanu Reeves and Tilda Swinton : Blurry frontiers between reality and the ” other ” world, dark humor, beautiful but scary angels, key decisions to make.
Constantine – that was a good movie
Tilda Swinton is awesome in everything but Keanu, you know…well, he’s Keanu. In the right vehicle, he works. I think I might like him in real life because he sounds interesting, but on screen he’s just not lifelike enough.
I have a problem that I just can’t seem to be able to finish a kdrama. The last drama I managed to finish was… I think Bad Guy. But I skipped the first 3 episodes and I skimmed through the last few. So the last drama I actually watched properly was MGIAG. I started Protect the Boss, enjoyed it immensely and dropped it at the 10th episode. I recently got hooked on Color of Woman and dropped it on 8 episode. For no reason whatsoever.
What is my problem, I’m so frustrated with myself!
Alixana, is your problem the 15th episode slump? Cuz I feel that once I can predict how the show will end, I start losing interest. And it takes a real stunner to make me actually watch the 16th episode instead of skipping through for the good scenes. (cuz you have to watch the good scenes)
Then again, I’m very good at ruining endings through predictions. (raise your hand if YOU knew before the 7th Harry Potter book that *spoiler* Snape was in love with lily and was protecting Harry and Harry would have to die because he was the last horocrux and Neville Longbottom was A FRIGGIN SUPERHERO! Cuz I did. And I ruined it for everyone.)
WTF. Harry dies?
I think I knew that neville was the guy in the prophecy and that harry was only the chosen one. I didn’t know that he was a horcrux ( by the way how is that word pronounced horcrocks and not horcrue!)
Seriously. Harry DIES?
… and then he fell out of bed and woke up.
It made about as much sense to me as that, anyways, especially when he didn’t have the stone in hand for the Death Curse.
yeah and he meets with dumbledore and then lives again. Don’t watch the last two movies they are a waste of time.
I live next door to Potter fanatics, but I personally have only seen 3 of the movies (not the first 3, but I think 1, 2, and 4, maybe?) and read the first 2 books.
I can’t believe they kept that secret from me, with all the talk about Potter that goes on at clan gatherings!
(Two of my best friends live next door/across back yard; 3d lives about a mile away as the crow flies, but in this case the crow would have to swim…so let’s say a mile and half or so. Our families form the clan – a relationship of many, many years. There are hundreds meals together, bonfires together, movies/ballgames/beach outings together, and years of vacations together – spent at a cabin in Maine, where lots of reading happens because there’s no internet or cable. Ok and for those of us who are legal or about to be…there’s drinking going on, too.)
Oh, but the third one (directed by Alfonso Cuarón) is probably the best of the lot – that’s the general agreement even.
The first two are too ‘Disney’, the fourth is fun with all the quid ditch scenes, but the third has a great ‘dark’ feel about it.
I have actually never read a Harry Potter book or watched the movie. I don’t know why but I guess am immune to it.
I’m surrounded by HP Fans, and, sad to say, I got sucked in, to the extent that I played drums for a WizardRock concert at Barnes & Noble when the final book was released, and dressed up for both halves of the last film to go to the premier showing at midnight. Personally I hated every book after Goblet of Fire, and thought the movies went downhill after the second.
On the other hand, I’m going to be in New York City in freakin’ cold January, just to have awesome tickets for “Seminar” which is the play on Broadway Alan Rickman is currently starring in.
What’s that saying: “Hate the role, but love the actor”?
I would like to lie in a dark room and have Alan Rickman read the telephone book into my ear…
LOL- I agree wholeheartedly.
I agree, too, JoAnne. But he sure plays a good bad guy: Quigly Down Under, Robin Hood (which otherwise was a terrible movie), Die Hard, HP (in which you can never decide if he’s a good guy or a bad guy).
I was glad to see him in a BBC production of Sense and Sensibility as a very good guy.
OH, and he was hysterical in Galaxy Quest, which was a movie only funny to Trekkies and the families who have to put up with them (my boat, lol)
I was always convinced that Snape was on the good side. Because everything, everything bad that he did in the previous books was written in a way that clearly allowed for two interpretations: never in a way that made it 100% certain that he was a bad guy.
But he was probably my fave HP character. And Alan Rickman the best HP actor.
Still haven’t seen DH Part 2 though – will watch it since I saw everything else, but not sure when it will be! So many other (better) movies I will watch first (unless someone just happens to give me an DH2 DVD).
oh yeah, I called Snape from the beginning. Everyone said I was crazy, too, but I knew – I didn’t know exactly how it would play out but I knew he wasn’t bad. In fact it never occurred to me that he was bad, and when someone said he was I was shocked!
Anyone with some understanding of how plot and narrative work should have been able to predict that.
It was so so so obvious – for me anyway, since picking apart books is my daily occupation (as a student in comparative literature/translation).
You will never convince me that Snape was anything but bad. Similar to Darth Vader, one tiny bit of compassion at the end of a morally dissipated and destructive life does not put you on “The Good Guy” list in my in-verse.
While I knew he would do the Heel-Face-Turn at the end, he still enjoyed savaging Harry’s memories, and delighted whenever HP was physically injured. If he really loved Lilly (versus an obsession), he would have thought about how she would feel about his behavior towards her only offspring, and toned it down.
[stepping off her soap box, and quietly heading out for some food].
Oh, you are very right about that Shukmeister! He was bad, in that sense. Very sick, obsessive kind of love and personality if you think about it.
I meant ‘not bad’ as in ‘not a Deatheater’.
I would run far away from him in real life, but as a villain in fiction he was fab!
seriously, don’t watch the last one. It is a lame lights show. someone had mentioned they’d be satisfied if the lily/snape scenes were good but they were not, and even the final bits with him and dumbledore ( snape and dumbledore) were awful.
I can’t believe people read that and spawned a HP debate. Snape, I’m ambivalent about, but Alan Rickman…let’s say “death by spoon” has been hot since way before City Hunter.
That’s true – his Sheriff of Nottinghama was the only bright spot that version of Robin Hood, Kevin Costner notwithstanding.
hmm are you only watching dramas while they are airing? I find that it’s easier for me to drop a drama while it’s airing, though I have dropped completed dramas for a looong time and then jumped right back in.
I do both: watching a couple of real-time dramas, and back-watching others. For instance, I marathonned “Zettai Kurashi” this week after I heard they were going to do a K-version. I squeezed in it mainly by sneaking episodes at work, which I can only do with downloadable series.
Then I watch current series on streaming sites with a glass of wine, after work. So it’s the best of both new and old, I think.
Don’t worry, you’re not the only one.
I have a confession. This year, I never finished: City Hunter, Best Love, Heartstrings, Protect the Boss, episode 24 of Princess’ Man, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop (I actually starting hate it for no reason), I still need to watched the last episode of Me Too, Flower, I’ve been skipping episodes of Ojakgyo Brothers (no time), I also dropped Color of Woman around episode 8. So basically everything.
I think I was better about finishing dramas towards the beginning of 2010 (I did finish My Princess, Dream High, 49 Days) then towards the middle/end. I can count the number of dramas I’ve finished this year on one hand.
Like @ajummabunny said, I think it’s because we watch these dramas while airing. Life gets in the way or you find more interesting dramas, so it’s easier to just drop them. I keep telling myself that I’m going to finish them but I think I’m finally starting to realize that it will never happen because I just don’t have the time. Sigh, maybe next summer…
yeah…
I do finish dramas, but I have been getting more selecting and more drop-happy if a drama starts to get too annoying.
Watched Sunshine Angel (TW) till the end EXCEPT for the final episode! Just can’t be bothered about it.
And I only watched the final 2 episodes of Me Too, Flower raw (plus reading recaps) – although if I hadn’t watched that while airing, I’m pretty sure I would have finished it all because it does have its charm.
Currently skipping episodes of A Thousand Kisses.
But going full steam through Padam Padam and What’s Up because I AM enjoying those.
There are quite a few interesting dramas starting up as well, so that keeps me from going back to ‘finish’ anything I have been lazy to watch.
I have a list of about 10 dramas that I started within the last 6 months and have yet to finish so your not the only one. I got caught up in May madness last year which I think burnt me out.
My goal this month is to finish them so I can start watching some of the currently airing dramas. I can’t start a new one until I finish the old ones.
Good morning, fellow DB OTers!
How’s everyone doing? Recovered from the holiday jollies?
My house is cleaned up, decorations put away (how can a fake Christmas tree still drop needles? Weird.)
My current K-drama roster is making me really happy -
Padam Padam (Whee! Bummie get to FLY and he makes a beautiful angel!)
Bachelor’s Vegetable Store (the boys finally get to show off those 6PACKs in one of the funniest scenes, EVER!)
What’s Up! (Everything about this is good!)
A Thousand Kisses (Ahh, the Gloom and Doom abounds in this one – we’re ALL slapping each other, getting drunk, crying, lots of angst going on down at the Han, etc. It’s unreal and a terrific balance for all of the other happiness I’m watching.)
Man of Honor (has finally limped to an end).
How’s your watching going?
Oh yeah! Thanks Cynthia! You reminded me that I started watching Wild Romance. It had a bit of a slow start but I think it’s pretty funny.
I’m not watching any other Korean dramas at current though. Been busy with reading too much manga. But I haven’t even had time to read any manga this week.
hi cynthia I left the atk bus after I confirmed that it was the I love you don’t cry writer and yoo mi lost her baby etc. last I read the couples were all separated and woobin suddenly became a stupid person who can’t even remember if he did something with crazy girl and that they were back together. anything new?
The craziest thing about ATK is that I can’t figure out why I’m still watching it. Seriously. All these new, wonderful dramas are here, and I’m still watching this dreck.
Case in point: MamaDoormat decided after ANOTHER fruitless begging session at the foot of OldToad, to off herself down at our favorite river, the Han. So, we see her wading in. Next scene, she’s on a stretcher, sopping wet, being loaded into an ambulance. Okay. Next scene, she’s in a hospital bed, STILL IN HER WET COAT, being treated, with a blanket over her. Next scene, she doesn’t want the kids to find her so she escapes into the hallway, still in same clothes w/coat and now she’s FULLY DRY. All in the same (for her) hour.
Here’s the gun. Please kill me now.
lmao. woooow how ridiculous! but seriously, why is she with that guy and how did they have soo ah? and yech!
“Yech” is right. I’ll never get that imagined visual burned out of my remaining brain cells. I really want to believe that the brat daughter is adopted. Or an Immaculate Conception. K-drama-style.
Speaking of brat daughter, she makes me wanna slap her every time she comes on screen. Yeesh, what a whiner.
Hello Cynthia, i jumped back on the Bachelor train ep 4, and i think i witnessed the most insane drunken session of all times : My goodness, i couldn’t stop laughing, it makes sense why heavy rain drowned the country that day.
Padam is firmly on right track, as WU ?. ATK is still a sociologic curiosity ( stuck at ep 39 ).
Color of woman has reached the stage ” let’s break up and cry, each one on his corner “.
Now i’m struggling to find History of a Salaryman and Ten, Special Affair subbed somewhere on streaming sites. If Moon and Sun keeps getting good, i’ ll save it for a later marathon.
Until that scene on with the 4 of them drinking at the pojangmacha, I didn´t really care much about BVS. But those 4 drinking were soooooo funny
Z, are you back from vacation or still in Spain?
I agree, episodes 4 and 5 have been really good for Bachelor Bootie Veggie World or whatever it’s called. I am enjoying it and at this point, when Psycho Mom and Wookie’s worlds are about to collide again, I can’t wait to see how that goes.
I’ll be back in the States for the next OT
This has been a long vacation
JoAnne the thing with psycho mom is that it reminds me of melos like Baker King, and I need positive and energetic characters to overcome the witchy/psycho/irrational female characters that I can’t stand
What I love about BVS is that they’re just such a bunch of GUYS, complete with dorklicousness. Those scenes of them being drunk and singing and promising each other to be BFFs forever were priceless – and the fig-picking scenes where they’re stripping off for the ajummahs in the greenhouse had me rolling. They’re just such an adorable combination! I know that JB (or was it GF?) was iffy about BVS -but this really is one of my favorite watches, so far.
Cynthi, I’m not totally into it, though. Since the melo part is too cliché, and unnecesary.
But I do love the guys and the main characters. I wish they would have spare us of the dead girl switched identity thing
DramaFever just posted Episode 1 of History of a SalaryMan last night. I watched the first little bit but then realized that the two new episodes of Padam Padam HADN’T been watched so I did that, instead.
HoaSM looks pretty good…
History of a salaryman is on Viki. She had episodes 1 and 2 fully subbed by Wednesday. Funniest show I have seen in a long time. Love Jung Ryu Won’s character.
I just finished Man Of Honor last night. I dropped it around ep 18. So last night I just Fast forwarded through the last episodes. It actually started to get interesting again with all the plans to take people down and expose people. It was more fun than the depressing 2/3rds of the show. I felt like Jae in and In u would have been a better couple. They definitely had more chemistry. I did laugh hysterically that some people on kimchidramas.net commented that they thought that In u ended up with jae in’s mom because of that last scene. HAHAHA And was disappointed that young gwang didn’t get and ending kiss with jae in. Uh.. he just asked you to marry him, I think you owe him a kiss. or a hug at least.
I dropped A Thousand kisses forever ago. I thought I would be able to stick it out for 50eps, but seriously, I was getting too fricking annoyed. Way to much angst and crying and way way way too much slapping. Seriously. I might check back in and see how everything is panning out, but maybe not.
Those other three are on my wait-to-watch list. I’m going to see how everyone likes them after they are finished before I watch. I don’t have time to waste on bad shows anymore! lol
Hi Cynthia, so glad to know you survived the wrath of the rabid fangirl mob. I laughed like crazy over your so so funny postings on the she-who shall-not-be-named thread. You’re Public Enemy No. 1 on their hitlist LOLOL
Tell me about it. And the funny thing was, was that I was probably one of the more polite (I thought) commentators.
At this point, they just wait for my name to pop up, the alarm goes off at FanGirl Cave and the insanity ensues.
To be honest, my initial dislike of GHS’s acting was fairly mild. Now, thanks to her rabid fanbase reactions to any criticism towards their “elegant princess superstar”, my dislike is much more pronounced.
For me, it’s like poking a bag of hissing snakes with a stick -you KNOW you shouldn’t be doing it, but just can’t resist…
The she-who-shall-not-be-named thread is my favorite as it’s bot funny and hilarious the lengths people go to defend their she-who-shall-not-be-named. I like how Cynthia drives them crazy.
I really shouldn’t be laughing, but I am.
Ever notice how the GirlFans never really address the comment? They just jump into defense mode and hit their shift-lock key. Like putting everything in capitals will change opinions….
Of course, it doesn’t help that I always need to get in the last word. It’s a character flaw which I acknowlege – proudly.
Cynthia, that was one of the best threads ever because of you. I was giggling throughout the ‘exchange’….your rebuttals were hilarious! She’s been made out to be a Paragon of Virtue, and I still LOL over the obligatory listing of her amazing skills: artist, musician, singer, model, actress, director, sculptor? (Does she sculpt too?) and so Elegant, Classy, Beautiful, Best Actress – all with caps LOLOL! I’m actually indifferent to her, I think she’s a bad actress and avoids her shows, but that blind devotion and manic obsession by the pack of unhinged fangirls sicken me. I’m watching Captain now because of JJH whom I adore and I’m basically gritting my teeth throughout the whole show because of her. I wonder how long I can last. I’m into Ep 2 now, and she’s now doing the spunky feisty poor girl fighting the big bad world thing. I’m expecting her to deliver milk or the newspapers any time now.
Cynthia – Where is this? I want to go read it!
Hi Jo Anne, it’s the latest on the Captain show…titled Stills, stills and more stills something something. Just a few days ago.
I will check that out tomorrow, going to bed as soon as I catch the updates here.
Happy Friday, Happy New Year! *HUGS to All!!!*
I rewatched Nodame Cantabile the series this week (not the movies, though) and laughed and laughed.
I found a sleeper drama, meaning one I had never heard of before, and it is so good that I marathoned it last night, but had to go to bed at 4 a.m. so that I could get up at 8 a.m. to take Wee MJP to school. I am currently up to episode 7. Oh, it’s called:
Title: 公主小妹 / Gong Zhu Xiao Mei
English title: Romantic Princess
Episodes: 13
Genre: Romance / comedy
Broadcast network: CTV / GTV
Broadcast period: 2007-Sep-16 to 2007-Dec-09
Synopsis
Adopted by middle classed parents, Xiao Mai has always had a dream to be an heiress. Who knew that one day this dream would come true. Xiao Mai’s biological grandfather is the head of a prestigous aristocratic family and after many years of searching, he finally finds his long lost granddaughter. As she starts her life as an heiress, everyday is filled with excitement, however, everything seems a bit different from what she had imagined them to be.
Cast
Wu Chun as Nan Feng Jin 南風瑾
Angela Zhang as Mai Qiu Sui (Huangfu Shan) 麥秋穗(皇甫珊)
Calvin Chen as Nan Feng Cai 南風彩
Gu Bao Ming as Huangfu Xiong (EMP) 皇甫雄
George Hu as Nan Feng Lin 南風璘
Li Ang Lin as Nan Feng Ying 南風影
Genie Chuo as Gong Mo Li 宮茉莉
Hsia Ching Ting as Yi Sen Chuan 伊森川
Bu Xue Liang as Mai Cong Guang 麥聰光
Phoebe Huang as Mai Ge Hao Wa 麥戈浩娃
It’s weird, but I’ve seen Romantic Princess til the end, you know, back when I had time to stick to a drama even when I started hating it, and I can’t say I really liked it. But glad that there is love out there for T-Dramas.
I’m a big fan of the Nodame Cantabile Anime and Manga, so I have to agree that it’s quite a gem. Tamaki Hiroshi made an awesome Chiaki-sempai and he made the character more lovable compared to the Anime/Manga version. J-dorama <3
Wait, Ani… Is the ending bad? I’m up to the part when she doesn’t get engaged and he runs back home into her rooms and they kiss. Am I in for some hurt?
Oh no no no! *frantically shakes head* It’s not the ending that I didn’t like. You’re not in for a broken heart or anything. It’s just that there were a lot of things about the drama that I can remember rolling my eyes at and it’s one of those dramas I know I won’t watch again. I just couldn’t fall in love with it.
Hello, MJP!
I know this drama! It’s in my list somewhere. I was trying trying desperately to find a DVD of it but I failed so it got buried in my list.
Ooh, a quick question. Have you heard of Sunny Happiness?
Yes, Ricky TRH! I’ve heard of it and watched it and absolutely loved it!
Do you only watch downloads?
p.s. Hello to you too.
I watch stuff online too. I would only download something I really really like. But I don’t really mind as long as I get my Asian drama fix. What is odd is that I prefer buying DVDs for TW dramas.
I’ve been trying to find a DVD of Sunny Happiness as well. I read the entire series recaps at ockoala’s blog & I was very pleased. I can never turn away from dramas with contract marriages. Sigh.
http://www.yesasia.com/us/sunny-happiness-dvd-end-taiwan-version/1024583203-0-0-0-en/info.html
Ricky TRH,
Did you see this DVD version for sale?
umm I’m sorry to pass on what might useless information but maybe it will help you find what you’re looking for anyway. I was looking for hello miss online and found a website that sells dvds labeled “regular” and “discount”version. I think the “discounts are bootlegs or have questionable subtitling work. They have tw dramas too so you might be able to find it.
Thanks, MJP!
And thanks Bunny for the word of caution!
I watched Sunny Happiness a short time ago, mainly because I’ve liked a lot of Janine Chang and Mike He. It was not a bad plot, and I liked the scenery. The hypotenuse ex-girlfriend was a waste of airtime, tho.
I FF every ex-girlfriend scene in TW dramas. I feel like gouging their eyes sometimes.
TW dramas tend to be more campy and unrealistic than K dramas. That doesn’t make them bad, but I can only watch them one at a time.
Some supposedly humorous scenes are really NOT funny to me. I just scoffed at those and look at the cute scenes between the main couple.
As much as I love “Drunken To Love You”, pretty much I only watched the interaction between the main couple. The other people were like fuzzy translucent pedestrians in the great Mall of Drama, and I was happy to FF them along.
I think I prefer Fated To Love You.
That one wasn’t bad, but I really really hate the pushy mom / relatives line, which was notably low-key in “Drunken”. I did like the time skip, and how Xin Yi became her own person and ultimately took charge of her life rather than getting blown around by her grandmother-in-law, or her family.
I think I would have probably kept Dylan, who seemed to genuinely love me, than Cun Xi, who I felt had a ‘dog in the manger’ attitude.
“Fated” was my third TWDrama, after “Drunken” and “Devil Beside You”.
Yup. Loved it. One of my favorite T-dramas. Mike He seemed to be much more subdued here, which suits his character, but I kind of missed the Mike He of Devil Beside You.
I missed the way his hair flipped over one eye – so devilishly sexy!
He looked good in “Love Keeps Going”, but that one didn’t catch my interest as much. Maybe it was the hair – straight bowl cut. Maybe it was the plot. [shrug] but it’s # 3 on the three Mike He’s I’ve watched.
It wasn’t amazing but it was good. One of those cute dramas which was sort of predictable and you usually just watch it for the cute scenes and of course the cute actors. I don’t think Wu Chun is that great looking, but there’s something about him that makes me melt! and of course there’s George Hu.
Don’t you think Angela Zhang is wayyyy too skinny? She looks like a freaken Barbie doll (especially in that one scene where she’s in a black dress and you kind of see her silhouette before she emerges? at least I think it’s this drama where that happens….)
Jennifer,
I decided to watch it also for George Hu!
Yes, she is very skinny.
I’m a little behind in my drama viewing, so please forgive the question – What the heck was that ending of Man of Honor/Glory Jane? Who was In Woo taking the ‘heart’ picture with? I just asked you to marry me, but instead of answering, let’s just stare at each other and smile? What?
(Granted, I do a lot of my drama viewing very late at night, when I’m tired, but I even went to soompi and couldn’t find answers.)
If someone could please help, maybe I could be a little less frustrated at investing so much time into such a less than satisfactorily ending drama.
haha I just commented about this above on cynthia’s post. I just finished this last night. I don’t know what the heck was with the ending.
In u was taking a picture with jae in’s mom, but it wasn’t a romantic one, although it kind of looked like it. That actor is good with chemistry.
I don’t know why they don’t kiss or even hug or anything. I was like, uh are you going to give him a legit answer? Just stare at him? oh ok.
It was dumb. The last episode and episodes like 10-19 were pretty annoying.
In Woo was with Jae In’s mother. He said something like this. I am summarizing what I subbed – as we lived life we encounter unforgivable situations and painful experiences. However he still believes in love. Loving her has given him the courage to face another day.
I didn’t write this airy fairy conversation. So he was saying thank you for her presence in his life and the hearts are from both him and her mother
Right. When they were children Yeong Gwang proposed to JI saying will she marry him if he gets a home run. During the last breakfast scene it looks like JI was living with his family.
In Woo took over as the Geodae Dragons owner and during the game when all the 1st string players were injured YG was called in. He hit the home run and went to the hospital to propose to her because she promised to marry him etc etc. Therefore fulfilling the 3rd wish she told the magical begger old man.
So the reason why she didn’t answer? That is because it is like an inside joke between them because she knew and he knew about this whole ‘if I do a home run, will you marry me’ scenario.
Is that okay? Now I sound like a numbskull
That is the last 10min of ep 24.
No – that was a good synopsis
Actually, I was happy to see that Jang-woo won an award for his role in this. Of all the characters, I really liked him (or felt for him) the most.
The ending scene was okay. Childhood promises are fulfilled, people are put back onto their original, destined paths and the baddies are all taken care of by Ms. Prosecutor. In Chul’s comeuppance was one of my favorites, especially because it was engineered by Blank/SadFace/Sister/Secretary. ‘Bout time she stepped up.
So, another K-drama put to bed…..
Ohayou/Konichiwa/Konbanwa (where applicable) minasan! Another hit-and-run from me, as I am currently in Japan for the next 10 days on business. Writing from Sapporo right now, and then I head down to Sendai early next week, and finally will be spending a couple of free days at the end of my trip with friends in Kyoto. Eating really yummy foods, but not seeing much of the outside world due to work meetings ‘n stuff. Sigh.
Still keeping up with the Veggie Boys recaps over on Soompi (Episode 5 was a treasure!!), but my postings will be delayed somewhat due to my travels. Now that there’s been more development on the secondary characters, this show just keeps getting better and better. Watching chocolate abs being sloooowly revealed in slow-motion on my laptop screen so far away from home? Mmmm…
But I wanted to pop in to wish you all a Happy Freakin’ New Year — 2012 wasn’t even a few hours old, and I had already blown through two of my resolutions! Oh well…
See you all next week!!!
What cruel boss sent you to Sapporo in January? Give him or her an obviously cheap 100 yen gift when you get back.
Is it a bad thing to be travelling to another country in the off season? I think I’d be excited to go, but I know from when I had travelled for business, we mostly just worked, ate and slept, but we did take time to do some siteseeing at night.
Hm. It’s almost 3 AM here and why I can’t fall asleep just yet?!?
Oh no, not at all!! I was positively jumping for joy at the prospect of another all-expenses-paid trip on Apple’s dime!! Besides, I was born and raised in Chicago — cold weather doesn’t faze me one bit. It’s actually quite nice outside; I’ve got the drapes open and I’m watching the snow fall in big wet flakes right now. We don’t get that type of weather in NorCal unless I want to get stupid and drive up to Tahoe with hordes of other like-minded people. Which means: never. Hee!
I absolutely LOVE Japan — if the planets ever aligned in harmonic convergence, I would move here in a heartbeat!! BTW, I was browsing through one of the airport newsstands while waiting for my connecting flight at Haneda on Thursday… and picked up SEVEN different magazines with Changwook-ssi articles in them!! Glad to see the Japanese Press is finally discovering The Hotness that we’ve known for ages now, ne?
And yes, I will be catching up on Moon-Sun-Sunshine-Lollipops-and-Rainbows as soon as I get home. Me needs some KSH in front of my eyeballs, STAT!
Okay, now I’m sleepy. Returning you to your regularly-scheduled programming. Mata ne!
My friend is moving to Okinawa (military family) in a few months. I’m wanting to save our pennies and go see her while she’s there, via Osaka or Tokyo or something.
However, we’re supposed to go to Italy with the boy in 2013 when he graduates from Law school, not sure we can swing both. Or either, for that matter.
Enjoy our time there!
YOUR time, not OUR time, sorry….stupid keyboard has a sticky Y.
Italy in 2013 is on my clan’s list, too, my neighbor wants us to celebrate her 50th there…but the timing seems bad for me with a kid in school and bills to pay so I’m not sure it will happen!
Oh, if you’re a Jang Guen Suk fan, you have to wander around in a Lawson’s sometime. They’ve become akin to JGS shrines.
Nothing wrong with off-season, but sending a California girl to Sapporo in January to freeze to death is mean, lol. This Arizona girl got sent to Toronto in February once and I thought I was gonna die. I think the high the entire week was about 7, the seat on the van got stuck all the way back, so I was the only one who could reach the pedals. SO….Arizona girl was driving the van through the ice and snow. NOT pretty.
I was surprised at the temperature gradient in AZ when I was there in April. Warm warm warm in Phoenix, but they were still skiing in Falstaff, and patches of snow were everywhere at the Grand Canyon.
Never quite made it to Sedona, so I don’t know where they fit into it, but it was interesting packing sunscreen and shorts along with fleece and flannel.
My best friend (who moved out there) said it has something to do with elevation.
It is elevation. Flagstaff is at 7500 ft, pretty high up. Sedona is kind of in between. I LOVE Sedona, it’s my favorite place in AZ, I’d love to retire there. But, it’s gotten so artsy fartsy Santa Fe-ish that normal people can’t afford it.
I had one set of gr grandparents who homesteaded in Strawberry/Pine on the Mogollon rim, they get plenty of snow there and another set who homesteaded in the Valley east of Phoenix. Crazy, back when there was no such thing as AC.
I remember when I drove home from Salt Lake City for a wedding in AZ in March. In SLC, there was still snow on the ground and it was pretty cold. The friends that went with me were SO excited to go where it wasn’t cold. But, we drove overnight, and the first stop inside AZ for gas was Flagstaff, which was probably below zero at 2 am. They hopped out of the car, then immediately gave me grief because it was colder than Utah, but it’s 2500 ft HIGHER than SLC. When we finally got to the valley, it was about dawn, I rolled down the windows and it was 70 and you could smell the orange blossoms.
I loved growing up there, if I went back I’d live anywhere EXCEPT Phoenix….too big, too metro, air’s too yucky.
The people are really friendly in Phoenix; at least when I was downtown. You’re right about the traffic, though, and those “pancake” interstate flyovers? [shudders]
I hope to get back out to Phoenix in April for the spring NASCAR race. If I do, my best friend and I will probably spend some time in Sedona, since we did the Grand Canyon / Route 66 thing last year.
If we do go to Sedona, do I have to hold my wine goblet with my pinkie extended while I’m there?
jae in! don’t like hong tae song steal your mask!
Cherkell! You’re spending the first weeks of the New Year in JAPAN?? If you were here, I would hold your hands and jump up and down in glee, cuz that is super-freaking-absolutely-lollipops-and-rainbows FANTASTIC!
I’m a huge Japan fan. Heh, honestly, i already plan what my first trip to Japan in going to be like, the places I’ll go, the things I’ll eat… even though the prospect of that trip is nowhere on the horizon. *blushes*
Awesome! Hope you’re having a good trip. Kyoto is pretty much sunny every day. Perfect weather to visit:)
Say,
Does anyone know when the Besties episode of 1N2D came out? I really want to see the interaction between Uhm Tae Wong and Lee Seon Kyun. JB and GF got me all hyped up, but I haven’t heard anything else.
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/12/lee-seon-kyun-to-cameo-on-1n2d/
The sites I go to just posted the final kimchi / foliage episodes, so they are a couple of weeks behind. I want to see that one too! Love both Tae Wong and Seon Kyun.
It’s on DramaFever right now, posted tonight sometime!
wait. DramaBEANS, recap. Never mind
I always do the recaps, never the show itself.
Recap is officially up! Tks Javabeans!
Happy Friday! Hope everyone’s week was good.
And, for the record, bubble tea is awesome!!
I’m up to Ep 10 Padam Padam, Ep 10 Color of Woman, and Ep 13 of For Love Please Ring Bell Twice. I’m liking 2012 so far!
Has anyone seen “Warhorse” in the theaters yet?
No to warhorse. When I hit 40 and had a baby, we just don’t get out to theatres that much anymore. Could be due to the cost of a date night…
It’s amazing how the stuff we say here impacts our lives. We were talking about bubble tea a few weeks ago and then BAM! SHukmeister tried some.
Happy Friday to you too!
[shrug] I’m all about peer pressure, especially when it comes to food. I’m open to just about any suggestion (short of octopus bubble tea).
I wrote down ‘jjampong’ so now I have to see if my local restaurant carries it, and give it a whirl. I hope it’s not as onion-y as jyajyamyung, which is currently my least favoritee Korean dish.
Unfortunately, Rickie, I can’t find a Malaysian restaurant in my area, otherwise I’d be trying some of the stuff you talked about at Christmas.
Wow, you’re quite courageous, aren’t you?
I have yet to try jjajangmyun. There are several Korean restaurants in town but no one wants to go with me. I hate going by myself to a new place. I figured if the food is bad, I’d want to share the suffering.
If you do get to find a Malaysian restaurant, then try
“nasi lemak”. Some may disagree with me but I think it’s the national food of Malaysia. Here’s some info about it : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasi_lemak
WE have a lot of Asians here, I bet there’s a Malaysian restaurant here…I should look. We like most Asian food, Thai being the fave so far.
Other than Mexican, which I grew up on, I think I mostly prefer Asian cuisine.
Ironically I really really enjoy western food, sometimes even preferring western food.
Hmm, I don’t know that I could make something I’ve never tasted before, but it doesn’t look too complicated. I keep coconut milk in my house, although I usually use it for pina coladas. I might sacrifice for a good cause. The screwpine leaves? I wonder if they can be found at the market, or possibly in NYC Chinatown or Koreatown when I’m there later this month.
As long as there’s no durian in it. That ranks right down there with live food.
I am a big mexican food person too, especially the white horseradish sauce they have for their corn chips. Chile Reyenos are my entre of choice.
Now, for my weaknesses, that would be kettle-cooked salty potato chips and all things Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough.
I do love good Italian from time to time. Hubby lived in Italy for a couple of years and makes killer Italian, but I don’t let him cook too often because, apparently, he can’t do it without dirtying every single pot in the house and then leaving them for me to clean. He does make a big pot of sauce every month or so, which we stretch out over several meals….or invite the gang over for a spaghetti feast.
I’ve ventured into Thai cooking, I make pretty good Pad Thai, curries (although not as hot as my Thai roommate made it….the curry would hit the oil and my eyes would immediately start to water, lol), fresh spring rolls (although those may be vietnamese)…my Japanese roomie taught me tempura…which I rarely make, hate cleaning up frying messes….gyoza and okonomiyaki. My Chinese roomie cooked a lot and taught me how to make awesome eggrolls, but there’s the frying thing again. We have a friend at church that makes Filipino food that I like, but I haven’t tried cooking that yet either.
Next time I’m in your town, Ricky-oppa, I will go with you to get jjajangmyun. I love onions….sounds good to me.
It may be several years, though. We need to find you an adventurous girlfriend. :0) Not quite sure how to do that from here…..but I’ll think on it. :0)
I grew up on italian – my mother’s maiden name (first, confirmation, and last – contains 12 syllables, LOL) so I can make that pretty well and never ever get it in restaurants because that’s ‘home food’ to me. I will always choose steak! I have limited but fond exposure to Thai, Vietnamese, Philippino, Cuban, Greek, Indian, Jamaican and Trinidadian foods. Have had lots of Tex-Mex plus have been lucky enough to try real (regional) Mexican food. Loved German food when I lived there (also had the best Chinese of my life there) and enjoy French ‘homestyle’ cooking as long as it doesn’t contain organ meat. I don’t often cook these things at home, of course, my friend from Shanghai did teach me to make dumplings so we do that sometimes!
@ Shukmeister
Wow, do tell us if you decide to cook nasi lemak from scratch! My mom likes to cook her own version of food we ate based on taste alone. She’s pretty good.
And you’re talking to a durian lover here! It’s in season now and I’ve been stuffing myself silly with its buttery pungent goodness! Hehe
@ Shel
Your hubby sounds like my dad. Mom is always complaining about the state of her kitchen after my dad decides to be chef for a day. It’s amazing how much of a mess he could produce. Typical of a man, he would take out every single ingredient he needs in tiny bowls, maximizing the washing up time, my mom says. LOL
And yeah, find me a girlfriend, please! Courageous or not, I’d eat the jjajangmyun for her.
@JoAnne
At least you’ve tried a lot of varieties of food before. I’d love to try all those Thai, Vietnamese, Cuban etc cuisine myself. But again, I’m surrounded by scaredy-cats. And eating alone is something not very appealing to me.
Hmm, found a Malay restaurant near the theater in NYC – they show Nasi Lemak using chicken curry. Not really a fan of curry, although I go to a tandoori restaurant occasionally with my friends.
Something called “Masak Kicap” looks good on their menu: “Cinnamon, turmeric, star anise, ginger, garlic, shallot, onion, bell pepper, sweet pea, tomato, sweet soy sauce”. And you chose your meat! No octopus, please…
I’ll have to see what the rest of the hens want to do when we are in NYC in two weeks. I usually break away from them only to stock up on Italian pastry at Ferrara’s in Little Italy.
@Shukmeister
“Masak Kicap” literally means the meat is cooked in soy sauce. It doesn’t taste as salty as it sounds. It’s like a staple here. Kids (and myself included) love it! I suggest chicken.
Your description tells me that it’s a Malay version of the dish. I prefer the Chinese version myself, which is how my mom cooks it.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a malay place but definitely malay fusion.
Malay fusion?
Sounds interesting!
My mom is from malaysia and while she can’t cook it, i love malay food… Nasi lemak, mee goreng, gado-gado, pisang goreng… Mmmm
Tonight I made coconut rice with both white and brown rice,, and fried some dried anchovies with crushed chilis, and tasted both separately. So far, so good on making a dish I’ve never tried before.
I don’t know where you guys are from, but if you ever happen to be in the Chinatown in Boston, Mass., you should deff try the bubble tea this one Vietnamese restaurant makes. It’s the BEST!!! They put real fruit in them for most of the drinks.
Mystic, CT! What’s the restaurant? My daughter goes to school in Beverly so I drive through Boston pretty often.
I wanna try some. Where do I find it?
Hello everyone,
I just wanted to say “Hi” and wish everyone “a Happy Year 2012″. Hope you will all have a great weekend
.
Also watched a few episodes of “The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry” based on Dramabeans’ recommendation and I love it (and it was reviewed last year, end of the year review)!!!! I used to see that drama on Dramafever and never wanted to see it, maybe because the 1st image always showed Kim Bum with gray hair (I just didn’t know the reason behind it). In any case, I had come across some youtube videos and read a review of 30 year oldish women dating younger men who seemed perfect (and that was the complaint of the reviewer. She mentioned “TWWSWM”, “What’s Up Fox” and “Dal Ja’s Spring”) I have seen a few episodes of each and to be honest, I don’t mind the perfect boyfriend scenario, because after all, it is a drama, not real life and I don’t mind a perfect guy if I am trying to evade reality. I know no such things exist in life (at least, they haven’t happened to me). And they are young and pretty, what’s not to like? I welcomed the change of the lead character being different from the Darcy-like characters we often get in Kdramas.
All of this to say that, I am glad I checked the WWSWM out, because I do find it addictive, funny and quite romantic. I keep telling myself I will watch just one more episode and then I will stop and before you know it, I haven’t slept at all (the whole night) and I don’t even have a headache,which is usually what happens when I don’t get a few hours of sleep at night. Oh Kdramas, what have you turned me into!
I love Kim Bum in it, to see how he grew (not only physically but also acting wise) in just a year after BOF. I love his voice (how he modulates it to show his emotions). In this drama, he is soft spoken quite a bit and he has a nice voice that conveys his feelings (that and his eyes, the way he looks at the female lead) that doesn’t require him to shout, he gets his point across and we get it, we know where he is at emotionally. I love his dimples and the way he smiles. It felt to me like watching a little brother or a cousin grow in his acting process. I also like the way he sings, not so much the rock song, but the slow ones, the one in this drama and the one in BOF, which I went back and have been listening to.
I won’t have the time to watch the whole drama at the moment, but it is definitely on my list of dramas to finish. I also liked the side stories (of the couples) which added to the drama. I laughed so many times while reading the recaps and very often I just wanted to go and watch a particular scene. I loved especially the comment made about episode 14 or 15 (I am not sure) about the lead character going to Finland. Javabeans or Girlfriday was very funny and I laughed for at least a good 5-10mns. Sometimes, they write or say certain things (funny ones) and you can just visualize it and realize that they were right, even though you never thought about it that way.
This message started as a “Hello” and it is now clear that I too, love The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry (I love the writing by the way) and the way Kim Bum’s character kept pushing through her defenses to make the female lead acknowledge that she liked him and was falling for him. He could read her and I loved that and he would call her on some of her actions and defenses. So refreshing, I love it!!!!
Oh, and I would like to check out the lead actor in it as well, I have never seen him in anything.
Having read many recaps here and watched some of the dramas, I now understand why some people say that sometimes the recaps are more fun to read. OK, I will stop for now…
P.S.: Now I am curious about Padam Padam, because Kim Bum is in it, and people have been raving about it in the OT
Hello Ee-vwarh(?)
TWWSWTM should be more popular! I like how the drama is paced. Not too fast and definitely not slow. The chemistry between the leads are amazing & the side characters add substance to the drama without taking the attention away from the main couple.
And Kim Bum made me wanna dye my hair silver! LOL
Ricky TRH, LOL!!!!
I could just picture you with silver hair! Along with your royal garments, of course. By the way, just how many jewels are on your crown? When do you wear your crown? I understand that royals these days don’t like to flaunt their jewels to the masses.
You made me sound like Dumbledore or Merlin. Haha I love it!
My crown has red rubies and they sparkle! I have to admit that I leave the crown in the tower on most occasions. It’s heavy, too valuable and also, sparkly red rubies don’t really go with my eyes and supposedly blond hair and my cape with its polka dots.
As for flaunting purposes, I prefer to make a JGS-esque fashion statement, complete with my smokey rose-cigar and chastity pants (mine is in salmon pink).
wow
just, wow
Yes, I should be displayed in a museum somewhere, Shukmeister. Hehe
No Von-Trapp curtain ahjumma-pants for you?!
Well Shel,
Only if they come in flashy neon green
LMAO!!!!!!!!
LOL!
I thought you were going blond this year Ricky,
but I’m sure silver would be nice too
HAHA
I’m keeping an open-mind, zgznoona.
Hi RTRH, (and everyone else
you are so funny, I will tell you why later. I am running off to an appointment, so I can’t write right now (and you know me, I love to express myself
.
I will be back later (everyone), so please, do check back later. I love hearing from you guys!!!!
Yes, do come back, Ivoire!
Hi Ivoire! *HUGS*
I hope thing go well with the apointment!
I just used the woman who still wants to marry to lure someone over! I really enjoyed watching it again. I don’t think that the recaps for this show are better than the show itself but I do think city hunter’s recaps are definitely better than the show.
Really? So I should prepare myself to be disappointed when I actually get around to watch City Hunter?
there’s a lot of love for city hunter on this site. I read the first episode recap and waited the 2 months for it to air on american tv and when it did air I was looking for all the parts that were exciting in the recap and didn’t find them. I think the problem for me is that I didn’t realize the city hunter is a super hero ( superman/batman). For instance I forgive clark kent in smallville for a lot but poor yoon sung got no LEE way.
Loved everything about City Hunter except the very end. I know, I know. I understand it and why it works but it’s not what I WANTED. (stamps foot petulantly)
Bonjour Ivoire, hope your year 2012 started well,
I saw TWWSWTM a few months ago, and i liked it very much. Bummie is quite a rascal in it, and yes you can watch Padam, just to check the physical transformation. I’m always surprised to see how korean actors can ” chamaeleon ” for their characters.
Btw, it’s one point i have against Gu Hye Sun : You’re supposed to be character X played by GHS, not GYS interpreting character X. If the character needs to dye his hair, wear camo pants or make up or whatever, this is what acting is all about. End of aparté.
You say that DB has recaps for this drama ? Yeah ! something funny to read.
*Gasp*
You’ve just mentioned she-who-shall-not-be-named? Hide before the fan-girls attack!!
Well if someone cannot handle the truth, that’s their problem.
” The spit of the toad can’t hit the dove ” : French proverb.
PS : Eggs are good for the hair, tomatoes are good for the skin, so bring it on.
And while i’m at it, the same goes for JGS. They have so many good actors and actresses in Korea. I don’t subscribe to the cult of personality. Some actors have a large palette of acting, others are tightly ” specialized “, and i’m OK with it, i don’t judge comedians on a scale. That said, excuse me everyone if i have a minimum of requirements about what appears on my screen. Just thinking of all the hidden lost talents because X or Y are hype and steal parts is frustrating to me.
I believe that some characters have their alterego when it comes to casting ” Hallelujah !! “, and sometime it’s the other way around : An amazing actor brings life to a dull, flat character, using talent, hard work and acting tools. Both ways are fine with me, but a
” Celebrity ” walking on the stage to glorify itself and selfpromote, yuk. Please, do CFs instead, and let invested people work. Thank You.
Bonjour ma chere, comment vas-tu?
I have an appointment soon so I have to go. I will be back to write some comments later, so please come back later (much later today) to check and see. I will respond, I promise.
KIM BUM IS MINE!! Just kidding…sort of
When I saw BOF he wasn’t my fav of the F4, but I liked him. Then TWWSWTM came along and I LOVED him. Now, I’m watching Padam Padam. He isn’t the strongest actor in the show, but I just want to jump into the show and trail him like a puppy. Ah, just to bask in his smile….CHO-TAH
Ivoire@
I’m happy to see how much you enjoyed TWWSWTM.
As I’ve mentioned before on OT, I owe this drama a debt of gratitude because it prevented me from throttling my son when I found out about his newest girlfriend.
Why?
Well, he’s 25 and she’s **gulp** 38.
Fortunately for my kid, I had just watched TWWSWTM just before his reluctant announcement, and I was in an understanding mood.
Oh, just got a Gong Yoo header again and wonder what his next project will be.
Which got me thinking about Joo Ji Hoon who got out of the military in November 2011 and so I am hoping to hear what his next project will be.
Which got me thinking about Kim Jae Wook, Rain, Hyun Bin, and Heechul wondering how they are doing in the military.
I think Jihoon is doing a play…I was anxiously waiting to see myself, since he was my first little crush in my first drama.
I”m missing Gong Yoo and Kang Ji Hwan. I really want both of them to do something this year. :0( In fact, I wouldn’t mind another shot at a KJH and YEH drama, this time with a decent story/writer. I thought they had good chemistry, but the story sucked.
OH, and JiSung, too.
You mean sweetiepiebabydollhoneybunchJiSung
Yep. That’s the one!
I can never decide if I want to do dumb cute stuff and giggle with him or seriously jump his bones. Either way, Sungie, I’m good with it..so hit me up, dude! (But don’t tell my OTL.)
So you giggle a bit, then trip him and beat him to the floor. No worries.
Shuk, you mean something like this?
‘Oops, looks like you landed on me…hmm..while we’re down here…yeah, just shift that right on over, babydoll!’
*testosterone level skyrocketed to the roof*
NOSEBLEED!
LOL
haha Ricky, I should have thrown an Oppaaaaaa in there and done a bit of a wiggle…
Precisely, JoAnne. Just a little step from “whupsie” to “whoopie” – [evil grin]
[handing Rickie a box of tissues]
Careful, girls. I plan to keep everything PG in the OT this year. Hehe
She started it…
Besides, where’s the fun in that? [pout]
Okay, I’ll behave. For now.
Shuk, you should have said this:
Ricky oppaaaaaa, she started it (pout, wiggle)
@JoAnne – Except I think I’m the oldest one here, and if I wiggle, someone’s dialing 911 for a seizure patient. lol
Yeah, my wiggle isn’t pretty anymore either, lol. I remember when they walked on the moon. ;0)
Listen, if we’re going to be REAL here…my wiggle has been pretty much involuntary for 20 years. But what’s the fun in that?
True true from both of you. Okay, next time, I’ll do a little pout-and-wiggle action.
ah kang ji hwan he hasn’t done anything since coffee house! I hope he does something soon. Is it mean if I want ji sung to have a new drama in 2 months? I think he has rested enough. oh and go soo and chae rim and kim rae won and lee joon hyuk who is much younger than I thought.
I know that Heechul is having one hell of a good time – at least seeing his selcas showing dinners with friends, etc.
Even his hair is beyond regulation length – the military must be easier on those with disabilities and I’m sure his high profile doesn’t hurt, either.
heechul has a disability? you mean heechul from super junior right?
Here is the most current video of Heechul, who just won an award and was allowed to film a video acceptance speech. 12/29/2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3Rnc4hDq5w
Yeah – he was in a car accident several years ago and now has about a zillion metal rods in his ankle. I always thought it was amazing that he could join in on SJ dance routines.
My (I claimed him ages ago you know..) Heenim is doing fine^^ He’s posted messages on his twitter, of course it wasn’t him but his cat Heebum and wished everyone a very wonderful new year
He’s even got an award this year…
Hi everyone and may all of you have a Happy New Year and lots of time in it for your drama viewing pleasures:)
Hi! song pong and thank you!
Thanks and you too, Song Pong!
Same to you, Song Pong! *Hugs*
My new favorite name is Song Pong. I’ve been mumbling it under my breath and smiling all afternoon
Song Pong reminds me of the adorable eldest son in Sol Pharmacy House. Hehe
Happy days ahead
I rewatched Nodame Cantabile the series this week (not the movies, though) and laughed and laughed.
Nodame ! Isn’t she a treat?
Yes, totally! Hi John!
Ah, Nodame. I’m as scatter-brained as her, but where is MY super-hot Chiaki-sempai? :/
Absolutely. It’s one of the dramas I cannot get tired rewatching. I even have the two Final Score episodes in my iPhone.
Happy OT/New Year/DB Anniversary and anything else that might apply
With less than a week left to spend with my family, I have to admit I have mixed feelings about leaving.
In any case, once I arrive home, I have many things to take care of, but I’ll think about them later.
I can finally say I finsh The Princess’ Man. Now I have one less on my pending list.
I have kept my self away from new the 2012 dramas for the most part. Though so far I’m really enjoying The Moon Sun love story
Once a return home I´ll give a chance to some other dramas: Padam Padam, Wild Romance and Salaryman
Also watching Bachelor’s Vegetable Store, What’s Up, Fermentation Family, Color of a Woman, and Ojakkyo
Hello zgznoona!
I hope you enjoy your remaining time with your family.
Thanks MJP
How is the family?
I was wondering how did Teen MJP felt away from home during these past days?
zgznoona,
Teen MJP wasn’t happy with us, so he left. But the rest of the family is doing well. I’ve got to leave in 7 minutes to pick Wee MJP up from school.
Sorry to hear that, I know you mentioned before he didn’t talk much and so. I hope he can find a family where he feels he has more in common.
Some times is hard to adapt to a new family.
I’m gland the rest of the family is doing well.
zgz!
Happy New Year!
Thanks
How are you doing bunny?
D’oh ! This should have been a reply. Dang interwebs.
It’s okay! I saw it.
Hello OT!
I won’t be able to really participate ’til tonight. It’s a busy day today!
I’ve been loving Padam Padam and trying to keep up with my recapping BUT my PC crashed with my awesome screencapping software and there is no FREE equivalent for Mac. I’m cheap!
But anyway, my cat is being so adorable, sleeping on my bookbag and always seeking love.
I started White Christmas at the bequest of JoAnne unni. What a wild ride!
I’m looking froward to starting Wild romance and MoonSun This weekend!
Ah Yes, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Have a great weekend, Raine!
Hey, fellow musician….stuff slowing down after Christmas? I always like January….breathing time and we usually get a weird respite from the winter rains about now, so it’s lovely out.
I’m loving Wild Romance! It makes me so happy. I still need to write up my recap for the second episode, but I’m really looking forward to it!
I really want to see MoonSun too. It’s been a good drama week. Now I just have to wait semi-patiently for subs.
Happy New Year, everyone!
LOL. I’m just gonna greet here coz I have nothing to say about recent kdramas coz I haven’t seen any. I tried, but didn’t succeed on getting back on my viewing marathons.
*sits quietly now, awaiting my eonnies’ scolding.*
Izzie, *HUGS*
I think it’s great that you are focusing more on real life. I say this after a night of marathoning a Tdrama and am currently sleep deprived.
*HUGS BACK*
Yeah. But I sometimes miss it. More so whenever I couldn’t catch up with kdrama chats with my friends.
I’m so detached that I didn’t even know that Siwon was in town until I saw it in the news.
Siwon was in town? When????? Where????? Where was I???? Oh, yeah in the middle of the Hallyu dessert where no one knows what/who a Kdrama/Kpop is.
The other day, he was here in Manila, with two others from SuJu (my apologies to the band’s fans, I only know Siwon). They filmed a commercial. If I’m not mistaken they’ve already returned to Korea yesterday. (At least Viola can rest assured that I didn’t violate the don’t-mess-with-your-brother-in-law rule.)
Bad, Noona! Bad..
(I assumed you’re older LOL)
No worries, Izzie. I am not watching any KDramas at this moment as well. Are you interested in any of them though? Maybe Dream High 2, like me?
Your Highness!
(I was about to object but that would force me to reveal my age – again – so…)
Dream High 2? Is it coming out already? Oh, right. It’s already January.
Time flies!
I missed KSH but is he gonna be back in this one?
Haha! Let’s see if that’s the drama that would reel me back in.
Dream High 2 is going to start on Jan 30th, if I’m not mistaken. And no, KSH is not going to be back. He’s doing that Moon-Sun-MilkyWay-Galaxy drama with Jung Il-Woo.
The new leads are 2AM’s Jinwoon and Kang So-ra (Sunny).
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/12/dream-high-2-finalizes-its-cast/
sounds chocolaty. KSH and chocolate…darn you, ricky, I’m gonna have that image in my head for the rest of the day.
Bah. You say that as if that’s a bad thing. Hehe
IMO, KSH+chocolate is the kind that’s good for the health.
Except when you’re stuck on your seat and your eyes glued to the PC watching a marathon of KSH dramas while intently munching on bars and bars of chocolate in the process.
Excuse me, I have to find my weighing scale…
izzay!
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, too, ahjummabunny!
Izzieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!
Geez, you’re supposed to be Lazy Izzie, how did you get the energy to type that longgggg
I didn’t lift my finger from the Y button.
(#lazyMuch)
Anyway, it’s good to see you. How’s grandpa in his 3rd, 4th… nth life? Is he in a new drama? Does he manage to stay alive long?
Last I saw Gramps, he was looking heavenward as he plummeted slow-mo to the ground. He’d just been slashed, you see. Yup, he died. That was in Princess’s Man. I haven’t seen him since, but I’m on the lookout for him and I’ll be sure to tell you when I see him, seeing you’re as big a fan of his as I am.
Gramps has to seriously stay away from princesses.
Happy Friday everyone.. Woohoo… Is it Wednesday/Thursday yet… =D I need my Moon Embrace the Sun addiction..
Hullo and happy friday/happy new year
Has anyone else caught up with the recent episodes of what’s up and what are people’s opinions on it? tbh I found it disappointing because I wanted more oh doo ri/prof scenes
(for me, they are my otp of this drama!)
This has also got me recently addicted to dramas with age gaps and teacher-student relationships or forbidden love so can anyone recommend me a drama with that theme (can be Japanese/Korean/Taiwanese/Chinese/Thai)? Have seen woman who wants to marry/ a thousand kisses/ dal jas spring/ hello my teacher/ romance/ oh mylady/ my queen? thanks
Oh, one of my favorites is: Majo no jouken!
http://www.mysoju.com/japanese-drama/majo-no-jouken/
Angelpur,
I’m gonna watch Dal Ja’s Spring now… Well, after I take a nap.
Thanks!
well, I never did get that nap… So I’ll have to put it on my list to watch.
Have you seen Painter of the Wind?
Also age gap:
Beethoven Virus (Though I did love this drama)
Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy
I’ve only seen Painter of the Wind
and loved it
One of the “prettiest” looking dramas i’ve seen
I love it too, the music the story, the chartacters, the paintings… I cried so much
Finally got to watch Painter of the Wind during the Christmas holidays. Everything about it was good (though the ending made me sad), except for the horrible Engish subs. My copy is from Dramaload. I wonder if the series has better English subs somewhere else.
Angel I don’t think we are done with the Oh Doo Ri/SunMan storyline. She didn’t back down from her initial confession when she got the gang to help her save his job – in fact she went out on a limb and declared herself in front of everyone that she is intent on making him love her. It’s just that she made it clear he had not done anything wrong and nipped the ‘scandal’ in the bud. Now to the world it looks like the harmless crush of a young woman on an older man. But I don’t think she intends to stop pursuing it, so he’s going to have some interaction with her at some point.
And a million people will tell you this but I guess I might be one of the first 100 – Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy, and also Flower Boy Ramyun Shop
JoAnne – Hi! Did you watch ep 10 of WU! yet? I’m asking because I watched it on (I think) DramaCrazy and it was like a new camera/brightness/improved quality to the drama. Then I rewatched it on DramaFever w/subs,and the overall quality was back to usual. So, now I’m wondering if the overall ’80′s “Fame” vibe I was getting was simply due to where I was watching it. Just thought it was odd…
I did watch Episode 10, Cynthia – it must just be DramaCrazy – I admit I haven’t seen Fame in a long time but this doesn’t remind me of it – not visually, anyway. I think I did see the first few episodes on DramaCrazy but I didn’t pick up on a visual difference other than clarity – I actually think most things ‘look’ better on DF.
I don’t think we are done with DooRi/SunWoo yet either. But each episode (or pair of episodes) seems to have a sort-of focus on one character’s story, so who knows.
My Rainy Days (J-movie): high-school girl + teacher + feelings(love?). Quite surprising plot-wise.
Painter of the Wind is well worth watching .
Unstoppable High Kick features Jung Il Woo w/ a mad crush on his teacher.
I doubt anyone will read this, but has anyone watched ep11 and 12 of What’s Up yet? What do you think? I didn’t want to put spoilers in the What’s Up ep10 page, so came here instead.
Personally, I am really disappointed with the show. Past couple of episodes have all been about Park Tae Hee. Now, I don’t mind the writers giving her more character development, but I can’t stand it when it’s on the expense of all other incredible characters, especially Oh Doo Ri. In episode 11, she literally had just two or three lines, and that was to tell Park Tae Hee that she gotta apologize to Jae Jung. Episode 11 and 12 combined, she was on air for less than 5 minutes. Oh Doo Ri is far too bad-ass to be relegated to the back and Im Joo eun is a great actress. I don’t understand why they are wasting such talent. And not just that, we don’t even see the group being friendly and goofing around. They are taking all the good parts of the drama away. They could’ve atleast had Byung Gun sing in front of Oh Doo ri. sigh. I just want them to be BFFs. I don’t think I have any expectations from the show anymore. The preview shows that the detective is digging up Tae Hee’s dad’s case, so that probably means more angst for Tae Hee and Jae jung, i.e even less Oh Doo ri. If this show doesn’t give us a nice closure to Oh Doo ri’s storyline, they had better come with What’s Up part 2, where they focus on Oh Doori and Byung Gun and Jae Jun (Daesung is OK too). sigh.
PS: I feel bad for Daesung. I feel like these days all he gets to say is “Hi, I am Daesung. Frist year in Musical Theater Dept.” lol
“The storyline : Prince from Joseon-era time-travelled to modern day Korea, fell in love with the same girl as he did in Joseon (reincarnation of the girl) , and he’s a poor guy in modern day Korea, living on the rooftops.
Credit : @maettugi”
What do you guys think?
on the one hand it would be hilarious to see Lee Sun Joon-esque character get cut down to size…
forgot the link
http://jyj3.net/2012/01/05/trans-120106-possibly-yoochuns-next-drama/
Sounds interesting. I’d check it out. I read an American romance novel like this once. It’s been years, so I don’t remember much else about the book.
Looks interesting
I’d watch it!
Seems too interesting to miss out on
I would definitely watch it.
lol I’d watch anything with a “cast of pretty boys!”
do you guys know where to get eng subs for Always/Only You? The starring Han Hyo Joo and So Ji Sub… Been searching for it for months now. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
)
http://www.mysoju.com/korean-drama/only-you/
Weird, I put a link for the eng subbed episode, but it doesn’t show up, just look up the drama on mysoju.com
tiny,
Do you want just the soft subs files? Or, are you looking for both the download and the soft sub files?
Both can be found at http://www.am-addiction.com
You will have to sign up for free membership and log in, but the dramas are located in the “Forum” area. The give pretty good directions on what you need to do to access and download the files.
Wild Romance
Daebak!
Hello! Happy Friday and New Year.
I still haven’t gotten into any new dramas… it’s like I’m in apathy mode after the FBRS and M2F ended.
So, I decided to check out Best/Greatest Love and loved it up to epi 8 and couldn’t understand why some people didn’t like it. But now I finished epi 10 and while I can’t quite pin-point what it is, I’m reluctant to finish. I’ve just stopped caring about how the OTP get-together and it isn’t that I dislike AJ or DJ, but there’s just no spark for me anymore.
So, I’m still searching for that drama to catch my eye and give me that crack like rush and nothing so far.
I shouldn’t complain since now I’m able to finish reading the Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest and actually work on my blog instead of trolling thru k-drama sites.
I know what you mean. I don’t know how long its been since i saw a drama that didn’t lose momentum halfway! *Sigh*
Then you should watch Tree as it is full of suspense from ep1 to final ep.
Gotta go pick up Wee MJP! Wah! I’m late!!!!!! I’ll be back later.
Greetings OTers!
Back at work, sigh. But while I was off I was busy! In addition to real life holiday celebrations I marathoned a few things…although right now only Autumn in My Heart comes to mind.
I watched White Christmas but that was THIS week – thanks so much to whoever it was who pointed me toward it on Youtube. When I first looked for it it wasn’t there, but whoever uploaded it in the meantime did a great job. What a fabulous mini-series!
I am current on all episodes of the currently airing dramas that I’m watching – Padam Padam, What’s Up, and VeggieBoys. Madly in love with Padam Padam, crushing hard on What’s Up, and quite fond of VeggieTales.
I will be adding MoonSunWhoopieCushion and History of a SalaryMan to the current roster, have added Summer Scent to the older roster (SSW-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh) and OVER THE MOON excited that A Love to Kill is now going to be on DramaFever. Not sure why since I actually bought the dang video…but oh, Kang Bok Gu my heart beats for you and you alone. Ok, you and your identical cousin Sang Doo.
WHEN IS VAMPIRE IDOL GOING TO BE SUBBED, she shouted to the heavens.
MoonSunWhoppieCushion?????
Bahahahahaha! *buttocks vibrate*
LOL, Ricky – your Moon-Sun-MilkyWay-Galaxy made ME laugh, too!
But yours is soo much better! It’s so juvenile and fun. Mine is just nerdy.
Ricky, You’re not a nerd, you’re HRH! Our oppa, however much we might have to bend space and time to make that work!
Don’t you love how everyone messes with that name, though?
Are you kidding me? With a name like Sailor-Moon-Embracing-the-Sun, Show is practically asking for it!
hahahahah….now you’ve got me thinking things like Moon That Blocks the Sun, Ricky
Ooh, good one!
The English title (and synonym) would be ‘Eclipse’. Hee
hahahahah where the Princes SPARKLE
..but I was thinking of a more human ‘moon’…
Unni -
Just finished White Christmas. OMG What a MIND F***. That’s all I can think of to describe it. Excuse my language. But it was so good and the ending was so satisfying for me. I wrote down all my thoughts after each episode so I’m going to recap it sometime in the future.
Favorite thing: cinematography. Holy crap. Was it just stunning visuals or what? It could’ve been a man-shapped cardboard cutout and my heart still would’ve pounded with anticipation.
***sorta spoiler******
Then of course the question of ‘what is a monster?’ is raised. Is a person protecting his life a monster? Is what they did monstrous? Or isn’t it? Did he actually win? I personally don’t think so. The kids are jaded. They have been through combat. But they are not monsters. It depends on them and their decisions. At least that’s what I think.
Anyone else?
Happy end-of-the-week everyone.
Amazing that Dramabeans is only 5 years young as I feel I’ve spent a lifetime here:)
Haven’t much to say as I’m waiting for my ‘must watch’ dramas to be subbed.
One thing I’ll say is I’m totally surprised at History of a Salesman. When I saw the promo pics for it I didn’t get it at all but having read the 1st episode recap here it all makes sense.
I haven’t even been here a whole year and I feel like I’ve always been here. I think it’s because everyone is very welcoming.
Totally with you ahjummabunny.
History of a Salaryman is hysterically funny. I couldn’t believe that Vikki had episodes 1 and 2 fully subbed by Wednesday.
I just love Jung Ryu Won’s character.
our viki subbers are dae dan hae!
Good morning DB’ers! Happy New Year, did we all survive the NYE celebrating? We don’t drink, but we did eat WAY too much. Had all the kids in the next room playing Rock Band on whatever game system that is, so our NY was ushered in by some somewhat interesting, off-key, but very enthusiastic renditions of the Beatles tunes. However, 8 kids, ages 16 down to 10, doing something together without ONE fight for 4 hours was awesome. The adults agreed it probably won’t happen again in recorded history.
So, I finished MOH, it was OK, but nothing spectacular. Finished MTF, same thing. Although I liked the leads in both shows, neither of them left me all wishing it could’ve lasted longer like FBRS or CH.
So, I’m left with Padam, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE and ATK, which I’m really not sure why I’m still watching. I’m at a crossroads wondering what to watch next…and I can’t decide. In the interim I’m watching Return of Iljimae and enjoying that. I love watching Jung Il Woo, but when he dressed as the Gisaeng, I laughed myself sick.
Anyway, I’m open to suggestions….
Shel!!!
Interested in Thai rom-com movies? *wink wink*
YEs, Yes! I saw your post and I will look those up as soon as I get time.
Brilliant!
NO, No! Don’t let him suck you in!
[as I finish the first hour of "Hello Stranger"]
You be nice and just sit there with your Thai movies, Shukmeister!
So excited that you’re watching it!
Hello everyone! Happy Friday
The english subs for Me Too Flower were finally out do I finished that drama this week. I really liked the finale in spite of it being a little too neatly wrapped. Also, did anyone else did Dak and the councillor’s (can’t remember his name) relationship a bit creepy?
Other things I’ve been watching:
What’s Up – I LOVE THIS! I love the set up and all the characters (bar Chae Young, I think that’s her name not too sure…) Jae Hun is adorable and sweet. As is Daesung’s character. I really like DooRi too.
Padam Padam – Kim Beom, why so cute? I started this drama pretty late (I started watching when it was on around ep 6 but I’m more or less caught up now, just need to watch el 9). I’m so glad that I decided to start watching this. It’s such a great drama. It’s beautiful and whimsy and bloody brilliant.
Bachelors Vegetable Store – Yesssss, finally the veggie store storyline has kicked in! I liked the first few episodes well enough but there was a little too much emphasis on the crazy witch lady/mum for my liking. I’m getting more and more eager to see future episodes now though.
I’ve been thinking about starting to watch some older dramas I’ve missed (I’m relatively new to kdrama land – I’ve been watching for just a few months) especially since reading the comments from the giveaway page. I feel like I really *need* to watch Coffee Prince! It’s annoying though because I prefer to watch older dramas at night so that during the day I can watch the more recent ones (and also do schoolwork and such, but it’s not like that really matters, right?) but I can’t seem to find any Coffee Prince eps on YouTube (and they need to be on YouTube so I can watch them off my iPod)
Wow, I’ve rambled a lot…
You can’t watch Drama Fever on your Ipod? Coffee Prince is on DramaFever.
I don’t live in the US
Can you get crunchyroll? They have a ipod app, as does viki.com now.
and hulu for some dramas. I think you can watch netflix on some phones. what are we talking about?
If you’re looking for Coffee Prince, look no further than d-addicts. They have torrents for all the episodes up, and the subtitles are all quality checked by our very own Javabeans! And you’re right, you NEED to watch Coffee Prince. Its like the final step into your initiation into k-drama addiction land.
Oh, wait, there’s an apt photo:
http://www.dramabeans.com/2010/12/gong-yoo-nearly-splits-his-pants-for-high-cut/
“You cannot be located once you fall here.”
Stacey,
Can you access dramacrazy?
http://www.dramacrazy.net/korean-drama/coffee-prince/
Stacey,
If that one doesn’t work try this site gooddrama
http://www.gooddrama.net/korean-drama/coffee-prince
Hope everyone had a good New Year’s! Another year…. I feel so old and like I haven’t accomplished anything in life!!! cuz you know how the Asians are crazy and like to tack on another 2 years on our American ages once New Year’s pass.
Anyways, just finished Runaway Plan B. Pretty good, Rain was adorable! Saw the special and heard his personality was very similar to his character Ji Woo, which makes him that much more appealing!
Next drama Dr. Champ!
Oh, and does anyone know if downloading dramas/subs take more bandwidth than streaming? And if the bandwidth is still being used while you’re watching a downloaded video? I’ve started to dwnld recently cuz I realized the quality was sooo much better. I just don’t want to go over my bandwidth limit from doing that though.
I’m not sure I understand bandwith restrictions, but once you download something, when your watching you’re off line.
Your downloading software (ie Bittorent or something similar) can be customized through options to limit the bandwidth. It all depends on how you download.
Usually it does because the downloads are often HQ and a much higher quality = bigger file size. Plus, if you use a torrent (instead of a direct download like megaupload from alicechensworld) you’re uploading at the same time that you’re downloading, to other users. And if you have a download limit you probably have a much stricter upload limit.
Anyone watch the newest episode of BBC’s Sherlock (a modernized Sherlock Holmes series)? It’s absolutely BRILLIANT!!! So brilliant, in fact, that I’m writing this while vocalizing in my head w/a faux british accent. It’s only a total of 4 episodes thus far, including the first season’s three episodes and the newest one. Simply amazing.
Can anyone tell me if anything as good as this is on the telly? Or has been in recent years? I’ve been out of touch since most of my viewing time has been spent on Asian television (mostly Kdramas).
Back to Kdramas: moon embracing the sun and wild romance look promising. hope they both continue strong. padam padam is very good, though, honestly, my interest is slightly waning, but it often does this with most series.
May the new year bring you many true blessings!
wooow! I loved the first season, where did you see the second season?
Haven’t watched Sherlock but planning to but watch LUTHER! It’s fantastic!
The Moon that Embraces the Sun is sooooooo good! Omgosh!
Happy New Year All! Happy Weekend!
Y’know, when I started reading the OT this morning there were 8 threads. Ha!
Anywho, this is a total drive-by post because I’ve found a new drama to love! Okay, technically it’s an old drama to love, but it’s new to me. I’m finally watching Gumiho: Tale Of The Fox’s Child. This is the drama that introduced me to DB as I tried to find out if this lady with the 3 tails, high flying antics and scary eyes was a fox-spirit-thingy, and where/when I could watch this show that I was only catching sporadically but enjoying muchly. (It’s amazing what you miss when you only catch a twice-a-week show once a week/once every 2 weeks.) The child actors are amazing, and I now have a serious yen to find everything the adult actors have done
The addict is back
In personal news, a friend of mine from way, way out of town is here for some work-related business (which involves shopping! lucky she) so we get to go out tonight to dinner and a play
*HUGS!!!!*
The OT has been really hopping since then, CMR.
What play are you going to watch?
We went to see Seminar. It was great fun! Too much cussing for my personal taste, but I had a great time with my friend.
How was your weekend (assuming you’re still around) Ricky?
My weekend was good albeit a little wet because of the rain.
I hope to see you on the OT later this week, CMR!
But you made it to dry land! And that’s the only thing that matters, YRH. How goes, y’know, school and life and everything?
Hey, cmrprindle!
I’ve got tickets for Seminar for January 20th in NYC. I’ve beenn to see just about everything Alan Rickman has done in New York, particularly at the Harvey Theater in Brooklyn. Taking a bus that leaves Hampton Roads VA at midnight and arrives at 6am. Looking forward to a comedy (the last one was an Ibsen play, full of death and snow).
And I’ve convinced my hen friends to try something exotic for dinner. hee hee
The last time, in Chinatown, I chose a restaurant just because it had ducks hanging by their necks in the window. It was pretty good, tho.
Shuckmeister, you and the ladies will enjoy it! I left feeling like I needed to read more, a lot more, but it could be that the characters are supposed to be pretentious…lemme know what you think. And that is quite some bus ride you’re taking! I know b/c I’ve done it from Norfolk.
My friend and I went to a Scottish place not too far away called…St. Ann’s, I believe. My friend suggested it and we totally enjoyed our food. Not very adventurous, though, unless you get, like, haggis
Haggis?? Um, no, don’t think I’m *that* adventurous unless it comes with a free bottle of scotch. And a cute bagpipe player (kilt is not optional).
I’ll let you know how it goes! Since we’ll be at the play Friday night, it’ll be deep deep in OT land, more than likely.
And, yeah, the bus we are taking is going from Norfolk, up the Eastern Shore way.
Is it really that good? I was reading the synopsis and reviews. It’d didn’t amaze me and some said it was draggy w/ a bad ending so I skipped it…. But if my fellow dramabeaners think it’s good maybe I’ll give it a try. Haven’t had a chance to read the thoughts of javabeans on this one yet.
So far Tale of the Fox’s Child is fantastic. There’s some romantic elements, but it’s more about family dynamics and action than romance. I don’t find it dragging at all, and I’m about midway through. There’ll be these long sections of tension and drama and fighting, and then a lull as normal-ish stuff happens, but, as one of the characters says, from the moment the Gumiho and her daughter enter the house things are in an uproar. There’s only, like, 5 posts from JB about the this show, but the beaners’ reactions are pretty good.
CMRPrindle! *HUGS back*
Have fun with your friend!
MJP unnie! *HUGS!!* Thank you, thank you, thank you.
We had a really good time.
Todays my Bday, woot! So happy Friday/OT everybody. Hope the first weekend of 2012 is awesome.
Aww, Happy Birthday, Noelle!
I dedicate this OT to you
Happy Birthday.
Happy Birthday! It’s my grandpa’s birthday too
(and it was supposed to be mine, but I made my entrance 6 weeks early)
Hope it’s a wonderful day for you!
Happy Birthday, Alua’s Grandpa!
Happy Bday to your Grandpa!
Happy Belated Birthday to your Grandpa, alua!
Happy birthday, Noelle! Have a wonderful day!
My Noelle turned fifteen last week on Christmas Eve. :0)
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Noelle!
happy birthday!
Happy Birthday!!!! Planning anything special?
Many happy returns, Noelle!
It’s very belated, but Happy Birthday Noelle! I hope it was a great one
First week at work. So damn tired. Gonna watch a light movie. Missed ya all
.
Done with White Christmas, Plume!
hyaaaaaaaaa – so good!
I know you did! So happy everyone’s happy with White Christmas here…and with that Sung Joon guy!
One question: why didn’t you download the series? It’s more comfortable to watch than on youtube, I guess…
I haven’t really figured out the whole downloading thing plus I only have the resident drive on my lap top and the one time I looked at downloading something it was so much memory, I worry about filling it up! So I figure I will download once I get an external drive but I haven’t done that yet.
On doramax try the mediafire links. Super easy to download (just a click), takes little time to do it and the files are only about 200 MB. I find it very convenient.
Plume Baby! *HUGS*
Enjoy!
Thank you! I did enjoying despite the difficulties of finding a decent movie to watch with my roomie who just moved in. We tried watching Justin Timberlake’s “Friends with Benefits” but one could rather call that “Sex with Benefits” so we swtched to a movie called “Restless” with Mia Wasikovska which proved to be a more suitable choice. Otherwise i can’t wait to get back to the dramas
.
Ackk! January already?! I felt like I was talking to you yesterday about break and being stressed.
Hope you get some time to relax!
Actually I’m sleep-deprived but happy – just like lots of people here. My body is not used yet to the sudden change of routine, I’m not a morning person, never been one. But things started to sort out, I begin to see a more clear path ahead. So far 2012 rocks for me
.
Aww, Plume. Missed you, too. *hugs* Hopefully things will get better for your head and body as you get used to the schedule.
Wow! When I left it was at 168 Comments, I come back and there are 302!
It must be a re-bound effect from the holidays!
Yeah, I’m having a hard time keeping up…..there are so many things I should be doing instead of this. But, for justification reasons, I AM sitting next to the 15 yr old making sure she’s doing math and not twitter. :0)
Hello everyone!
I just watched The Princess’s Man and totally loved it but don’t know what to start now? I was thinking Wild Romance since I love Lee Dong Wook and I definitely don’t want another sageuk with that Moon That Embraces the Sun or whatever…
Also, some good news I would like to share is that I’m going to KOREA!!! I’ll be teaching English in Chungnam and I am totally excited~~ Wish me luck, I’ve never been before!
Hi Ren! *HUGS!*
Congratulations on your trip to Korea! Can you fit me into your luggage?
Wow!! Good for you!
You might want to take a look at the EatYourKimchi site – they both taught for a few years until going full-time blogging.
Several of their Q&A posts would be relevant for you.
Ha ha, I second that ‘fit me into your luggage’ bit!
Congrats Ren! That’s fantastic! You must be so thrilled! When are you off to Chungnam?
LOL MJP,
Are we going to play the bring-me-to-korea-instead game again?
Why don’t you like MoonSunMilkyWayGalazy/ MoonSunWhoopieCushion/ MoonSunLollipopsAndRainbows/ Sailor Moon Embracing the Sun?
I read the recaps. It’s quite interesting to me.
Oh, and congratulations, Ren!!
All the best in Chungnam
Ricky TRH,
I’ll get there any way I can!
Ricky TRH,
You staying up all night? It’s almost 3 a.m. for you I think. Boy, I sure missed having fun with you. How much longer do we get your company before you have to hit the books again?
I think I’ll be joining the OTs & commenting consistently for at least 3 more weeks before I have to concentrate on my studies again. But then, to be realistic, having me study on Friday nights is a bit of a stretch. So expect to be hearing my gibberish forever! LOL
I’m awake now (with 3 hours of sleep).
Ricky TRH,
Wow and I thought I was crazy w/ 4 hrs. I get evil if I get less than 4 hrs sleep. But you are young yet.
When I was in my 20′s I could go days with little or no sleep. In fact, because I drank so much pop with caffeine (Diet Coke) I slept very little and ended up getting sick.
Enough about the good old days. I am so glad to hear that you will be able to be with us. I’ve been thinking about that fan-fic again… I want to make a commitment to have something ready by next Friday, if at all possible. So come prepared to read. I just gotta figure out which site to post it at…
At 3 am MY time there’s never ANYTHING going on here. Which is a problem…..after I drink about a gallon of diet coke playing cards on Friday nights, I’m wide awake and wired and my family goes to sleep. I’m usually up watching dramas or reading until the wee hours. But the wee hours Saturday morning here is sunrise Sunday Ricky-time or Seoul-time, or about sunrise Saturday EastCoast-time….it’s pretty quiet here then.
ACtually, my math is off…it’s sunSET Seoul-time at 3 am here. We’re 17 hours behind Seoul…..
I’m lucky because the OTs are always posted on 10.30pm every Friday in my part of the world. So I get to stay up late to post comments.
I’m pretty sure that I’m one hour behind Seoul, Shel.
Congratulations!!! I hope you enjoy teaching there.
Congratulation and good luck ren!!!!
I hope you have a great time in Korea. I have my own way to get to work there…maybe I should try that too.
just finish TPM this week, and got ont the MoonSunloverstory. I think I got a taste for sageuks over the summer
In any case, GOOD LUCK in Chungnam
Thank you~!
Ok that was supposed to be longer lol -_-
I’m not sure if you will be notified if I just reply to you all in one message but I’m in a lazy mood, so here they are:
Thank you to everyone for all the congratulations
@MJP @alua If you can fit into my hand luggage then sure lol
@Cynthia Thanks for the advice, I’ll definitely check it out
@ricky the royal highness No particular reason, just me being nitpicky lol Is it going to be 16 episodes or more?
@zaznoona TPM was actually my first sageuk and I’m not sure if I want to try another~
Btw is anyone even watching Wild Romance???? How is it going so far?
Ren,
Your reply was fine, remembering to put our names in helps because we do a “find” for our names when the comments become plentiful.
I watched Episodes 1 and 2 of Wild Romance RAW. There is supposed to be someone on Soompi who will be doing recaps, but they will be late, not like DB’s JB and GF who do them same day or next day. Also, I haven’t found them subbed, which could be due to the glut of new dramas starting.
It started off a bit slow for me in Ep 1 but they are pretty funny the OTP.
@MJP Oh ok, but how do you do a ‘find’ for your name?
Oh, someone on soompi is doing them, I’ll have to check those out as they come up…
I’ll probably start it once its a couple of episodes in- I like to see what kind of response its getting before jumping in because I can’t drop dramas halfway without being forever tormented by not seeing the ending, even if I read the recap…
MJP@ DramaFever now has it – the site is getting consistently better (and faster) putting up new, current shows with decent subs.
I’m watching and recapping it as the subs come out. It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for recently. A really good bickering romance. I’m so happy with it, but I know that the bickering won’t last long enough.
hey,OT family
im familiar with ur names but i never commented in here,im curious,does any of u watch WE GOT MARRIED?
Hi Sea! *HUGS*
I have only watched excerpts of it when Kim Hyun Joong was on it.
I’ve watched some of the recent ones… especially since Teuk (SJ’s leader) is in it.
I used to be a huge fan when it first came out but now, I think it’s more of a platform for idol fans to spazz over their favorites. I’m really getting sick of idols dominating variety shows, and it’s getting harder and harder to find shows that DON’T have idols on it.
I’m especially annoyed at the recent news that Super Junior members have been casted on the WGM spin-off because they already have tons of exposure – why not bring on lesser-known talents that deserve it more? I understand that from the station’s perspective that casting idols will bring in more ratings but they should put more faith in the audience to watch it for the content and not the pretty boys.
Yup. Me. I have this perverse fondness for WGM – have watched since Season 1, and when I find myself in need of a good laugh I pull it up on my Favorites list (where I have bookmarked ‘JoongBo’ couple), and rewatch my favorite KHJ-Hwangbo episodes. I laugh every time. Sad, but true!
Scarily enough, I could ramble on about WGM endlessly.
Why did you ask?
hey,guys…thanks for replying..i recently started watching lee teuk sora couple bcuz it was subbed in my native tongue but i was very confused cuz they seemed to really like each other,so i needed another opinion…
I like WGM, too, but I haven’t seen a lot of it. I did watch most of KHJ HwangBo one, and saw some of that CN Blue kid (his name escapes me and I’m too lazy to look it up), they were a sweet couple, they both seemed really nice and obviously came to care about each other a lot.
Jo Kwon and Ga In couple FTW!
I was so crazy about WGM, sea.
The Adam couple gave me such joy
So I spent this past week watching Que Sera Sera and I think it’s my new favorite drama of all time. Before I had seen Eric in Chilwoo and wasn’t that impressed, but I watched Myung Wol and thought he was actually pretty decent (and hot) so I watched QSS.
Damn.
I’m totally in love with him now.
silv.dol. ssi,
which drama would you compare qss to? It’s on my dfever queue but I’m feeling something or the other and I’m not really able to just jump into a drama like I used to.
bunny, you might like it since is quite melo. I couldn’t finish it.
The characters made me so mad
It’s a melodrama and it’s by the people who did Sam Soon, so it’s sort of that feel but less lighthearted. It starts out kind of fun, but gets pretty dark.
I liked all the characters even though they all do kind of terrible things to one another, but I thought it was interesting to see how they pulled themselves out of the holes they dug.
I also liked it because all the conflict was internal, and there weren’t weird external pressures to keep characters apart. They all lived in a hell of their own making, so to speak. Also it was a lot racier than other dramas I’ve seen which appealed to me more. It’s very adult.
hmm hitting all the right notes!
Hey, quick question: did most of you guys grow up watching K-Dramas or did you discover them later?
August 2010 I started watching. I’ve since that time watched almost 200 dramas and almost 60 movies. I watch Japanese/Tawainese/Korean entertainment.
I’m almost in the same situation ( date, hours of watching ). Discovered K dramas while surfing on the net to watch Jackie Chan movies : Strange ? Yes, i don’t remember either how exactly i ended on this. But the point is i’m not a teenager anymore, and i’ve always been fascinated by asian culture in all its forms. You could say i fell in love with Korea at first sight, but it’s an adult love. K pop starts soaring in France, but dramas are still confidential
( fo now, me thinks it won’t last ). All that to say it’s really the result of a late personal quest for me, not at all a given thing.
Kinda freaky – my timeline is similar to both of yours, in the fall of 2010.
Started Kdramas on HULU when I ran out of anime to watch, then branched out into other countries before settling back into souheast asia / pacific rim.
I found them in 2004-ish? When I saw Stairway to Heaven (it’s why I have a soft spot for KSW, Lee Wan & PSH)… I’d actually only watched J-doramas before I fell into the K-drama bottomless pit of pretty
A friend made me watch Lovely Complex (JMovie), which made me interested in Japan, which made me curious about Korea. Then I lost sleep over Wonderful Life, the one with Eugene. And the rest is history!
My wife stumbled across Boys Over Flowers about 4 months ago. We’re both hooked now.
Welcome John! It’s nice to see a male contingent here as well (Rickie notwithstanding).
Do you watch them together?
We usually agree on one that we’ll watch together.
Since we’re new at this , there’s a wealth of dramas to watch.
I’ve probably watched twice the number of dramas she has.
We just finished New Tales of Gisaeng the other day. We liked it, despite the ghost.
Since then, she hasn’t found one that has caught her interest. ( Her reject list is mind boggling & exasperating though ) *Sigh*
“Honey, everyone’s raving about _______ ”
She really enjoyed Bu Bu Jing Xin , ( I watched it first and pestered her to watch it) , she thanked me for that.
Meanwhile, I’m currently watching Can You Hear My Heart.
I found kdramas by chance online, watched one out of curiosity and got hooked In a little bit more than a year I watched close to 200 kdramas, and around 100 kmovies. You can add a few TW, J and dramas and movies
I started watching them in 2009 when I happened on Boys Over Flowers playing on one of the local multicultural channels and I just fell in love~~ After that I started watching Shining Inheritance and Goong and have now watched… about 20? Unfortunately I haven’t watched more because staying up even just one night makes me zombie-like -_- My body has a strangely low level of tolerance against sleep loss…
I discovered it…November of 2010!