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Operation Proposal: Episode 1

A strong premiere for Operation Proposal. I was oddly excited and nervous about this show since my expectations were based off of its Japanese original, Proposal Daisakusen: Operation Love. Remakes are usually a hit or miss which largely depend on the cohesion of the drama trifecta of writing, directing, and acting. But we’ve got a pretty solid start to our story and characters here and shows promise for this series. A bit of the whimsical, a slight taste of outrageous, but a lot of heart.

What would you do if you had another shot to fix your past to change your present?

EPISODE 1 RECAP

On a snowy day, a group of bullies harass a young boy in a playground until someone steps in – a young girl who chases the kids with a broom. The bullies run off, and they leave hand-in-hand.

This scene is observed by a mysterious man, the Conductor (Kim Tae-hoon). In voiceover, he tells us that miracles are uncommon occurrences that ring in our hearts like our deepest desires. Everyone has a shot at their own miracle, but changing fate and destiny rests in their choices and level of effort.

Valentine’s Day, Morning, 11 o’clock. An alarm blares while the radio cheerily broadcasts about a marathon. The radio DJ draws an analogy between love and marathons – you’ll never know the end result unless you see it through.

We get a peek at the quaint apartment – it’s adorned in trophies and baseball memorabilia, with a tux hanging on the wall. This is our hero, KANG BAEK-HO (Yoo Seung-ho), and he bolts out of bed once he registers the time.

He’s clearly late and the cab is stuck in immovable traffic, which adds to his agitation and nerves. The driver ignores his protests that he’s dead meat if he’s late, so he resolves to make a run for it instead.

Meanwhile, wedding preparations are underway and a woman drops into the bridal suite. YOO CHAE-RI (Kim Ye-won) does her best to stamp out any pre-wedding jitters the blushing bride, HAM YI-SEUL (Park Eun-bin), may have. The two friends laugh over the pressure of catching the bouquet, and Chae-ri jokingly worries about getting hitched should it fall into her hands.

The parents of the bride adorably practice walking down the aisle and Yi-seul looks on with a smile as her parents bicker about the rhythm. Dad gripes that he was perfectly in sync before and then the speakers call for the bride’s entrance.

Baek-ho races at top speed alongside the marathon runners (and grabs a drink reserved for the athletes for himself, heh) as the sanctuary doors close, marking the beginning of the ceremony. He makes it to the church entrance and collapses onto the ground.

His friends who have been trying to frantically reach him berate him for arriving late. Out of breath, Baek-ho assures them that it’s a miracle he even made it. Short on time, they piggyback Baek-ho into the church.

Yi-seul makes her entrance to the wedding march, and it looks like Baek-ho’s made it just in time. As he watches her walk down the aisle, he recounts how they’ve been friends for nearly 20 years. Inseparable since grade school to their college days, he’s loved her close to two decades.

Their eyes meet and he steps forward… and his buddy pulls him back at the last moment as the real groom receives his bride. Ack, fakeout! Baek-ho continues that for the past 20 years, he’s been waiting for the opportune moment to confess his feelings. Um, I think that moment’s about to pass in about five minutes.

His face falls as the couple exchange their vows. The groom shouts a resounding, “I do!” and the crowd chuckles in response. Completely lost in thought, his friends whisper to remind him to hand over the rings and he watches as it slips onto her finger, sealing the deal – the girl of his dreams now officially someone else’s wife.

The single friends gather around during cocktail hour, and Chae-ri sighs that the reality that Yi-seul’s married is finally seeping in. The other two friends, JOO TAE-NAM (Park Young-seo) and SONG CHAN-WOOK (Gong Kyong-po) roll their eyes at her efforts to try and catch a groom herself. She’s bored of traditional marriage values like devotion and sacrifice, and instead concerns herself that her prospect has a successful career like a doctor, lawyer, or accountant.

She’s prepared a business card to oomph her credentials, and coolly dismisses Tae-nam when he asks for one, citing that he’s too short for her for the umpteenth time. She warns him to stay away, and he chases after her. Chan-wook comments that nothing has changed, so it must be a common interaction between those two.

Chan-wook asks his friend how he feels about his longtime crush being married off and Baek-ho replies, “Like a father who feels bittersweet that he got his good-for-nothing daughter off of his hands?” Too bad that joking response is overheard by Dad, who’s none too pleased at his answer.

Dad pulls Baek-ho aside and tells him that it’s a relief he didn’t send his daughter off to an irresponsible man like him, adding that his new son-in-law is basically Mr. Perfect tied up in a bow. Baek-ho stammers in agreement which earns another him verbal rebuke about his indolent attitude. He drills in the final nail that he pities the glove made for such a pitiful man, leaving Baek-ho slack-jawed in response.

Dad places a hand on Baek-ho’s shoulder for a long moment before he turns to leave. Aw, are you trying to tell him he should have stepped up sooner?

Baek-ho runs into Yi-seul, who’s now changed into her reception dress. When she asks what he thinks, he smiles, “It’s perfect.” He ruins the perfectly sweet moment that the dress is, not the bride, and she tells him that she wonder if he’ll ever get married with that insensitive manner towards women. He retorts that she needn’t worry since there’s a line of women out the door.

Yi-seul warns him not to mention any weird stories in his congratulatory speech, reminding him that angering the bride can turn friends into enemies in an instant. He kids that it’s easy to ignite her temper, but assures her that he won’t.

She places a few candies in Baek-ho’s hands which remind him that she knows him best – his mouth dries up when he’s nervous, and now he has to give a congratulatory speech to wish her off.

Baek-ho is introduced and he greets the newlyweds, Yi-seul and her husband, groom KWON JIN-WON (Lee Hyun-jin), in sincere congratulations. He starts off saying they were friends since the first grade, disclosing her childish dream to become a beautiful bride. He jokes about whether she is (to Tae-nam’s protests and Chae-ri’s hushes), and goes on to describe Yi-seul’s inner beauty:

Rather than focusing on her studies, Yi-seul would support her friend’s baseball team. She was a child who would give up her umbrella in the rain for an abandoned puppy. She would always put others ahead of herself. She would always be smiling in both sad and lonely times, thinking she was Candy.

So I wish my loving friend, Yi-seul, a happy marriage and my most sincere congratulations. A toast to the happy couple!

The words bring tears to Yi-seul’s eyes, and Baek-ho fights back his own as he wraps up. In a long flashback, we see how they first became friends at school: He lent her his slippers when she forgot hers, and was scolded in her place. Aw, so sweet.

Jin-won finds Baek-ho outside (Baek-ho calls him “Coach”) and praises him for his moving speech as Yi-seul’s brides…man. He asks if Baek-ho ever caught on that he used to be jealous of his longtime friendship to Yi-seul. Jin-won sighs that he’ll never get to know the childhood Yi-seul like Baek-ho does, no matter how much he loves her. He’s thankful that she has happy memories with her friend, and rests assured that longer ones will be built with him as his wife.

As a last note, Jin-won thanks him that Yi-seul’s best friend never liked her, for he would have lost if his opponent was Baek-ho. The statement nearly breaks him as he stuffs the candies Yi-seul gave him earlier into his mouth.

A box tumbles out of his hands when he’s enlisted to move boxes into the newlyweds’ car. He rifles through some nostalgic pictures, and stops at an old letter addressed to him from Yi-seul, storing it in his coat pocket.

Time for the bouquet toss. It goes flying into the air and straight into- Baek-ho’s hands. HA! Chae-ri gripes that it should have been hers while Baek-ho holds onto it awkwardly. Tae-nam tries to get it back for her, citing that he should hand it over to a woman, but Baek-ho hilariously refuses to give in, ignoring Chae-ri’s protests that he would have to get married in half a year or be struck with bad luck. Baek-ho: “As if I could have more bad luck than you do.”

After sending the newly-married couple off on their way, the friends invite Baek-ho for a bite to eat. He opts out, blaming it on stomach problems, telling his friends to celebrate without him. So the emotional pangs are giving you physical ones, huh?

His dejected mood doesn’t go unnoticed by the group and Chae-ri wonders how Baek-ho is holding up. She balks when she hears that Baek-ho thought that seeing Yi-seul get married was like sending off a daughter. Tae-nam drags her away, leaving Chan-wook by himself.

Later that night, a lone Baek-ho solemnly stares at the wedding invitation, his heart filling up with regret. He opens the old letter he found earlier that day to read the words that Yi-seul never told him:

Dear Baek-ho,

It’s already our middle school graduation but it looks like we’ll be in high school together too. Even though I said, “We’re in the same class again?!” when it was announced in class, I felt happy and safe. Why can’t I be true to my heart whenever I see your face? Ever since the first grade, when you gave up your slippers and went barefoot for me, you became a special person in my life.

From then on, to now, to always, you are the most cherished person in my life, Kang Baek-ho. Because you’re so special to me, there came a day where I couldn’t tell you how precious you are to me.

Though I couldn’t tell you because I was scared our friendship might change, I’ll say it now: I, Ham Yi-seul, liked Kang Baek-ho. I really like Kang Baek-ho.

Baek-ho shares that there wasn’t anything he did for Yi-seul – make her laugh, or be happy, or tell her how he felt about her. “I couldn’t even do today the thing that 17-year-old did in this letter.” No matter how much he wants to turn the clock back, it’s too late, just like the letter in his hands. Break my heart, why don’t you?

He sits on the swing, bawling his eyes out, when a stranger hands him a handkerchief to wipe his tears away. The camera pans back and it’s the Conductor, who tells him that a great marriage comes from marrying the second-most-loved person in one’s life.

People can point out who they love the most right away – they can feel their hearts torn into pieces when they slip through their fingers. But what about Number 2? That’s harder to pinpoint. He points out that Baek-ho has lost his greatest love today.

Baek-ho stutters, asking who he is, and the visitor tells him he should be asking why he’s here instead. When Baek-ho asks if he knows him personally, the stranger coolly replies that there isn’t much to know past a grown man crying over his first love in a playground.

It gets him worked up, and the Conductor swears that he’s here to give Baek-ho his heart’s most earnest desire. He properly introduces himself as the Conductor. He explains that he’s not one in the sense of music or engineering, but deals with more special cases, like him.

The Conductor shows off what he can do with a flick of his hand, freezing everything and everyone in place to Baek-ho’s astonishment. He walks around lazily, picking up snacks and drinks from still hands before setting things in motion again.

Absolutely incredulous, Baek-ho asks after the Conductor’s real objective to which he simply answers the same as before. To be more specific, he’s a time conductor, able to control time and guide others through it.

He muses aloud that humans never believe anything they hear the first time around and challenges him to pitch the baseball at him, since he was a baseball player and all. So Baek-ho throws it and it stops mid-air which leaves his mouth agape.

Baek-ho demands that the Conductor tells him who he is and what he wants and he simply answers, “The person who can take you back to your past.” But the Conductor wonders if he’ll accomplish anything now if he had the chance, given that he did nothing about it for the past 20 years. He reminds Baek-ho that people don’t change easily.

Still stuck in disbelief, the Conductor asks if he should show him some more of his tricks. He lists off what his job is similar to: a time controller, a tour guide, a bus driver of sorts. With another wave of his hands, the location shifts from one place to another, from the historical past to the possible future, eventually ending up back at Baek-ho’s apartment.

Baek-ho asks how he did it and the Conductor replies, “If you can’t believe with your eyes, will you with your brain?”

The Conductor remarks at Baek-ho’s collector ball collection – if he kept a girl as like this, he wouldn’t have lost Yi-seul today. He laughs at eager suspicion-filled Baek-ho, who asks again if travelling to the past is truly possible. So he tells him that Baek-ho’s got nothing to lose – if it doesn’t work, he’ll stay in this reality. But if it does, he’ll get another shot to change the present.

Baek-ho asks why he’s been given that chance and the Conductor breezes that he’s a baseball fan and he looked so pitiful at that church. Picking up a baseball from the shelf, he says that his favorite number is 232 – the number of times that ball was thrown, to its very last pitch.

Dropping a small vial in his hand, he wishes Baek-ho a safe and fun journey and reminds him to remember Yogi Berra’s famous words, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” With that, he disappears.

Mom feels the weight of the empty nest syndrome as she scans Yi-seul’s old bedroom. She discovers a box of the same sweets that Yi-seul gave Baek-ho earlier, her thoughts wandering why she would have candy she dislikes. When Dad walks in, she asks if he thinks that Yi-seul will be happy. She lets the matter drop, suggesting a quiet romantic evening.

Baek-ho sits in his room, flipping through the pictures of Yi-seul – they’re all of her angry, sad, or upset. It angers him that those are the only memories he has of her, unable to find happier ones.

He thinks to himself if things would have changed if he confessed his feelings back then, if the person next to her today could have been him. In continued voiceover, he wishes that if he could go back in time, he wouldn’t let that opportune moment slip through his fingers.

Staring back at the screen, he asks his former self what he was so disappointed of, what prevented him from acting on his feelings. He tells Yi-seul that he can’t remember what made her so upset that night, and we flashback to Yi-seul mutter, holding back tears, “Baek-ho, you don’t know anything. You don’t know anything at all.”

The words of past Yi-seul and the Conductor fill his head. Determined to win her back, he pops off the top and down the contents. With an unwavering mindset, Baek-ho closes his mind and recites the magical incantation, “Renovatio. Renovatio.”

And…we’re back. As things begin to materialize, he hears Yi-seul’s voice, confessing her feelings to him. Slightly jarred, he wonders what just took place, and then Chan-wook appears, reciprocating his feelings. He thinks, indignant, “Wait, that confession wasn’t for me?! And Chan-wook, when did you start liking Yi-seul?”

The two lovebirds lean in for a kiss and Baek-ho screams, “NOOOOO!!!!” Which is when the director shouts, “Cut!” and yells at Baek-ho for not paying attention. Hee. They call it a day and the stage crew cleans up the set behind them.

Baek-ho finally notices the year – 2001 – and runs up to the lighting booth to ask Chan-wook. He confirms it, saying that it’s their first year in high school.

Ecstatic, Baek-ho raises his arms and exclaims in his head, “I’m back!!!”

 

COMMENTS

A great, enjoyable hour I think. Staying away from comparing Operation Proposal to its Japanese original will be fairly difficult since a lot of elements are retained, and for purists, important, but I do think that the show has the potential to stand on its own two feet.

I love stories that deal with the philosophical questions of life, even if there’s a dash of fantasy: What if you got a do-over? Would you approach things differently? Would you take that risk? These what-if moments leave us wishing for what we could change if we could control fate and destiny, and this show explores the possibilities (and consequences) of that desire.

Yoo Seung-ho really sells the character of Baek-ho. It doesn’t hurt that he’s got some serious acting chops at his disposal so when he broke down in tears in the playground, I nearly sobbed at the screen with him. He’s got such a delightful range from giving off those exaggerated facial expressions, to holding back tears that I can be present with him at every moment. He portrays an earnest desire to have a fair chance at winning Yi-seul back that I’m excited to see what his journey will be like in these various time jumps.

If there was a scene that irked me about his character, however, it would be where we’re back at Baek-ho’s apartment and he’s asking the Conductor for the billionth time if this time travel business is possible. There’s only so many ways I can write your disbelief into words, buddy – we get that you don’t get it. Get over it and decide whether or not you’re going to do it or not.

Who I worry the most for is Lee Hyun-jin’s character, Jin-won. I’ve heard others singing praises about him from his other projects that I’m a bit disheartened to see him stuck with a picture-perfect stock character. There isn’t much depth on paper for the groom, but I rest assured that Lee Hyun-jin can bring the character of Jin-won to life.

I like that we’re left to wonder how Baek-ho will pursue his second shot at winning the girl of his dreams. Will he take the risk or use it for his own means? Will he attempt to change the course of history or fail and face the consequences of his actions?

I’m willing to stick around and find out.

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I liked the Japanese version. I'm going to give this one a try...

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ME 2.... love the JAP ver. despite the average acting of Yamapi and the grating line of Halleluja chance! over and over like an old broken recorder. I still fell in live with this drama especially made perfect with the believable explosive chemistry of YAMAPI (Ken) and MASAMI (Rei) and not to mention the fabulous soundtrack that made this Jdorama as one of my favorite romance and memorable happily ever after ending of all time.

***What with that unforgettable final ending scene in the SP - The scenery was all too perfect: On the wide expanse of the beach, one boat tucked on a corner and the after glow of the sun about to set as the backdrop. With one of best proposal I've seen on small screen and a kiss to seal their fate marked the finale of this wonderful drama.

Hope with how the the KOR ver. is carrying the similarity of the story, they can also carry the story, the feel of the original. I'll be keeping an eye on this one.

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OMG there was a SP I can't believe I didn't know. I love that drama. It was great. But I don't know if this drama will be able to trick me into it the second time XD I think I'll just read your captions XD
I'm now soooo happy to find out that SP dling now Thanks!!

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Yup, there was an SP. It was shot in Hawaii.

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will gv it a try then..

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I love the original version, hope this will live up to my expectation...:)

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Thank you for the recap.
I'm a huge fan of YOO SEUNGHO :)

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Haha I do too! I'm looking forward to this drama. I hope it gets good ratings!

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Thanks for the recap, gummimochi!! I'm not sure if I will check this drama out at the moment but it sounds like Yoo Seung Ho is doing a good job so I might watch it for him.

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His acting is much better than that of Yamapi (who fairly looks constipated when he snorts, which he always do).. Hooray for Yoo Seung Ho.. I'll see this drama through the end.. Thanks for the recap gummimochi.. :) gomapta..

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Thanks for the great recap, gummimoci! After reading it, I definitely plan to tune into this drama :)

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oops! *gummimochi

Sorry about that. I love mochi, I don't how I could have misspelt that :P

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*know

OK, I'll just stop here before I embarrass myself any further

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I too love ProDai, I hope this will be a good remake.

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No matter how good the acting is, it will never replace ProDai. Yamapi acting sucks, we all knew it but well the japanese version just clicks everything together. Not forgetting the wonderful OST, that actually brings up the substance of the whole drama.

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I loved ProDai a lot too. But what I liked about the korean one is that she's already married. So he'll definitely HAVE to make a change in the future. In ProDai, whatever he did, nothing really changed much between him and the heroine. Towards the end it just got frustrating for me.

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^ I gave up halfway for the J-drama. I initially watched it because of Yamapi ...but he put me to sleep in that drama. I loved the theme song though.

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but rei was married in the jap version too. ken was transported to the past based on the photos in the slideshow at the post-wedding reception, right?

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From what I understood, the actual wedding was after the slideshow.

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the wedding is never after the slideshow.

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I'm confused, now. So in the last scene when she runs away, she's a married woman?

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yup. i think they haven't registered it yet. just went through the ceremony if that makes sense.

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I don't think Operation Proposal is trying to replace ProDai. At least, I hope it doesn't.
Though LOTS of ProDai scenes have been copied (I recently wrote the recap of the first episode of ProDai, and reading this recap I was like "ok, maybe that's a bit too much..." I guess the intention was to pay tribute to the original series, but they didn't have to take so much), errr, so, even though we have a rehash of ProDai, we also have a nice twist in the story.

As aoiaheen said, now the wedding is over and Baek-ho'll need to find a way to undo it. Which means his actions in the past will have greater consequences in the present, thing that wasn't really the case in ProDai. One of the rules in ProDai was that "neither the past nor the present will be affected".

All in all, I'm quite curious about this version. And Yoo Seung-ho is a pretty appealing reason too. I mean, cutie pie+acting chops? Win!

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Ahh! I literally squealed when I saw the recap in the homepage! I literally forgot that it was premiering this week....

Thanks so much!

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yoo seung ho acting is really good! good job!

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I've actually never seen the Japanese version, so my mind is unclouded by the original. Thanks for the recap. It looks fun.

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omo ! i want to watch it as soon as the english sub are out! Really really thanks for the recap!!!!*-*

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I already forgot what happened in Proposal Daisakusen. It's kinda hazy in my mind, the only thing I remember is the last scene of the special and of course Yamapi. So I hope this would be more memorable.

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Yes! I am excited to watch this!

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Wow! I'm pleasantly suprise that you're recapping operation proposal. Thank you Gummimochi!!

I haven't watched the japanese version but I'm going to add this to my list.

Thanks again!

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Thank you soooo much for this recap! I truly wasn't expecting it given that there are 7 other recaps happening simultaneously! Oh! thank you gummimochi for taking this up.

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OMG . I loved the Japanese version ... I hope Yoo Seung Ho does a good job again. (Just like he did in the Korean remake Of Dragon Zakura - God of study ... where he also played the role of Yamapi ... coincidence much?)

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Just finished the Japanese version like a day ago and I really liked it. I hope this version will be good as well.

This is the first time that I have watched the original Japanese version before the Korean one, I tried to watch Dragon Zakura before watching God of Study but somehow I watched like half of it and then started watching God of Study and liked the Korean version more (Yoo Seung Ho and Jiyeon were adorable together) and finished it before finishing Dragon Zakura.

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Gummimochi, thank you for the recap. I was looking for a feedback so I can decide if I wanted to watch this. After reading your recap, i feel I'm going to give this a try.
Haven't seen the japanese original so I won't be biased and will just see Operation Proposal with untainted eyes and not compare it with the original all the time.

I get the same "second chances, fantasy fee vibel" that i felt with "Who Are You", not that it has the same plot, but if Operation proposal will give me that same warm, fuzzy, heartfelt feelings like I had when watching Who Are You, then I'm on board all the way.

Wow so many recaps in dramabeans at the same time. If feels like Christmas with lotsa presents!

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HAHA THANK YOU!
i was thinking,
OMG another recap <3 but wait... i'm watchinig too many dramas, i must restrain mysel- OMG IS THAT YOO SEUNG HO?
IM ON THIS TRAIN
:D

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This looks great! Maybe I'll watch ProDai after, it's been on my list and I do like Yamapi.

I'm completely new to the story, though, so someone tell me - will we got lots of sassy conductor, like we had the cranky scheduler? He was my favorite character in 49 Days...

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well, in the original series, the hero wished to change the past during the wedding reception. The Fairy (the Conductor here) appeared, and each episode was a time-travel journey through a picture displayed by a slideshow. So we got to see the Fairy quite often.
So I believe it'll be the same here. Rejoice!

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Yay! Because now I'm watching him on the screen and I LIKE him and want to see more!

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thx for your recap gummimochi.. i dunno about the japanesse version but i like this korean version or maybe because yoo seung ho in it

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thanks for the recap:)

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Awww, I was half hoping they'd keep HALLELUYAAAAAAA, CHANCE~! and triumphant music. (The sound track of the original was one of the highlights)

I don't have a lot to say about Yamapi's acting - it's satisfactory at best and the only roles that did it for me were his Nobuta, ProDai and Stand Up~! roles. There's something about his fishy unemotional eyes in all his other roles that makes him seem so stiff.

Which is why I have high hopes for the Korean remake, because although K-dramas have their share of stiff idol actors, they're still on better ground acting wise, just IMO.

One of the things I'm worried about is how the story will drag out. K-dramas being longer in running time and episode number, I have a feeling there will be a lot of unnecessary filler unless dealt with appropriately in writing. In the original, I found the pacing just PERFECT and we saw the evolution of the relationship progress through time, and the side actors did well to complement the character development (as well as having some of their own).

From the first episode, it seems that there's a lot of room for deviation and building from the original so I'm willing to stand by and watch.

Thanks for doing a recap on this!

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I'm glad they changed the incantation, to keep the distance from the Japanese version. There, it was cheesy and perfect, since the drama had a good balance between romance and wacky humor. I've only skimmed this episode, but already it seems like they've lost a bit of that easy-going, wacky atmosphere (not all), but that's not necessarily bad either, I wouldn't want to watch a carbon copy of ProDai.

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Same here. ProDai had definitely this Japanese unique taste, and that's better for Operation Proposal that it develops its own flavor and atmosphere.
Renovatio sounds a bit Harry Potter-ish to me, but I prefer that to a copy of Hallelujah Chance which would really scream "uncreative".

@ada: "There’s something about his fishy unemotional eyes in all his other roles that makes him seem so stiff."
Bwahahahahaha that's a freakin' killer line!

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I read the recap just to find out if they kept the catch phrase "Hallelujah Chance! Noooooooooooooo!" I would have preferred they kept it. Oh well.

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I watched the jdrama yesterday and I have to say I liked it but didn't LOVE or really liked PD.....

But the korean version seems to be going more faster and I'm glad because even though the Jdrama had only 11 episodes the plot got dragging and tiring in the half of the drama...

And the main guy's acting in the jdrama was so bad.. he didn't made me moved at all...

But YSH? This puppy makes me sad and moved for him... also he is adorable and seems alive unlike the guy from the jdrama...

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adorable...you got that right.

When i saw him balling his eyes out, i wished that i had a conductor too, one that would transport me into the drama and let me give him a much deserved hug.

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Seriously, boy needed a hug. He cried HARD.

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I haven't watched anything lately, no series seems that interesting, but I really want to watch this one, for the story and the actors involved. Thanks for the recap.

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hope to god they don't keep throwing/littering throughout the drama with the line "you just don't know anything/you just don't understand" from the heroine. this and lack of progress in original one made me want to slap both leads silly for their lack of courage to just SAY what they feel. only thing i remember really liking about the original was the friends/friendships. that's the only area that showed the affect of the male lead going back in time

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Does anyone also think that the conductor itself is KANG BAEK-HO in the far future? Like his future-self.

I was thinking that Baek-Ho's future self (in this case, the conductor) came back to him in the present and gave him a chance to undo his past with the girl?

I think, at some points in life, we realizes that we became the person we always needed in our lives when we were younger. Then we realized that we wish we could go back and counsel our young self with better advices, because who we are today is who we always needed at a certain point of our lives. Ah! I don't know if i'm making any sense?

--BTW, great story line so far. Can't wait to see more.

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very well said my dearie.. you think the way i did.. that he and conductor is the same.. one bad idea i got though is that all this time travel took place in his mind.. pretty much like daydreaming.. (sorry am not familiar with prodai the original) that would have been sad but realistic.. though conductor's words clicked something in my brain.. the part where great marriage blah blah with second-most person you love.. whew! after SOAW and CH, i finally found a drama to look forward to.. happy watching everyone! and to me, a li'l more patience till the subs are out

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Oh I like that. Conductor said it's better to marry the person you love second - if that's the case, she has done that in the present it would go against the entire premise to change it. But who does HE love second? So curious to find out!

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I haven't watched the Japanese drama and am hesitant about watching OP, mostly because of one line in your recap, wherein the Conductor says that Baek-ho has nothing to lose and that if he doesn't get the girl in this other timeline, he can just come back to the reality he's in now. Which tells me that there will be no real consequences for his actions.

So if Yi-seul ends up hating him, or their friendship ends, or he pushes Jin-won through a plate-glass window, well, who cares! He can always go back to the other reality, no muss, no fuss.

For me, one of the best things about time-travel stories is that every little thing you do affects the future. That this drama (apparently - the Conductor could be lying, I guess?) doesn't seem to have as basic a rule as this one disappoints me.

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What?! This started already! Ahhhhh, I have to go watch the orignal now now now!!!!!! (meaning after I finish What's Up!)

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Okay, since just reading the recap made my throat tighten, I think this is going to be a must-see for me. *happy sob*

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This sounds really good. I might give it a try. THANKS FOR THE RECAP!

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Watch the Japanese Version long time ago in 2010.... nice drama and i like it bcuz i like Yamapi kekeke.....
Looking forward for the korean version bcuz i know this type of drama korean can do much better......
So far loving both version... japan version and korean version will always differ as they have their own traits in the drama....

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I haven't seen the Japanese version and has totally no idea about the premise of this drama that's why it wasn't really hitting my radar... UNTIL NOW.

Gaaah, I super like the story plus Yoo Seung-Ho's acting is just brilliant. He's one of those 'rare' young actors which has so much talent that you'd set them as standards when watching dramas. lol

Thanks gummimochi for the effort of recapping this one. Without this article, I guess I won't even bother to check this drama at all. :)

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I saw the Japanese original and loved it especially with Yamapi as the male lead. So I plan to give this a shot. Personally I couldn't stand the K drama remake of Hana Yori Dango. Which was Boys Over Flowers but that's because the main actress got on my nerves but I enjoyed other K drama remakes of original Japanese dramas or manga. For example, Playful Kiss was decent. Does anyone know what happened to that rumor of a K drama adaption of Hana Kimi?

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XD Like the japanese version. I love it .. I sure im gonna love korean version also ^__^

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I watched the Japanese version with my host mom when I was studying in Japan in...2007. Wow, that was a while ago. So it is a little nostalgic for me. Mostly what I took away was the great storytelling. The acting could have been better, but the mood and the pacing was great. Plus I discovered Monpachi!

I also remember my host mom and I both being pissed off at the ending. haha Hopefully that won't happen this time around.

Here's hoping that the Korean version will have great pacing and a great soundtrack. At least we know some solid acting chops are there.

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I don't think you see the real ending. i think you only see the 11 episode of the drama, not the special episode of 1h30 with the real ending.

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Thanks!

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Can't wait to watch this! Gonna try to wait until all the episode have been broadcasted...I hope that its going to be as good or better than the japanese version!

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I just hope they change the ending, I didn´t like the Japanese ending, but nothing can beat Haleluya Chance phrase (I probably mispell that) :-))

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you don't see the real ending. The end of the episode 11 is not the end; there are a special episode of 1H30 with the real ending.

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how old is the main character in the show? twenty...

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OMG, i love Yamapi. I forgot Yoo Seung Ho was in God of Study which is also a remake of a Yamapi related drama.
Call me picky but the main female lead doesn't catch my eye but rather is flat. Masami Nagasawa was much more likeable although her acting was boring also.

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yayyyyyy for YSH! I was assured abt his acting but wasn't sure abt the drama. I hope the OST is good coz I remember the ProDai OST to be phenomenal....so much so that it propelled me into finishing the series. Yes, it was that good!

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I haven't decided if I'll watch this. The recap seems good so far. I haven't watched anything in a while and I'm looking for something that'll hook me in. The last drama I watched like that was Flower Boy Ramyun Shop. I hope this is the one!

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Love this drama and all the actors here. Seungho and Eunbin is particularly good, in terms of both looks and acting. I already watched the 2nd episode, and found it is even better than ep1. There is something new and really exciting in story line about this Korean version. You will know what it is once you watch the 2nd ep!
ps. The two leads are really adorable and their chemistry is enough to pull this drama through.

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Just finished watching the first two episodes...& loved it! Yoo Seung Ho's performance once again surpasses expectations. He is very talented! ...& it's nice to see Park Eun Bin and YSH act together again...they have great chemistry. Thanks for the recap!

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I was surprised this started already. For all its cheesy bits and imperfections, I loved ProDai and I'm sure I'll love this too. From the Korean version, I figured there'd be more intensity and based on the recap (thanks gumi), Yu Seung Ho brought that to the screen. I'm definitely tuning in to this one.

We neeeeeeeeeeeeeed more fansub groups in kdrama land. :(

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It's quite different from the Japanese version so far. Every episode focused on one picture in the wedding slideshow made by one of the friends... And the Korean version has a better male lead :)

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thank you for make recaps of this drama! I was very excited with this drama!
Yoo Seung Ho ya~~
I was happy it's different for japanese version..
^^
Gomawo gummymochi~

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Tho it had its flaws, the Japanese version is probably my favorite jdorama, and i have really high hopes for the Korean one, especially since kdramas tend to be the best. And plus, I absolutely LOVE Yoo Seung-Ho. I think i'll wait for this drama to end and then marathon it!

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