poor SSH and LBS join this drama

I like this Drama in a way, but I think I have my standards way too high now from 2012 due to other dramas like QIHM in terms of time travel

Due to the significant differences of the two countries' history, the setup and the persona of the lead female characters among many other elements, I think the K-version ought to basically be treated as a different story. Maybe the Korean production team is having an identity crisis in that they don't know what in the original they should/can keep, and how to smoothly integrate the parts they do want to keep into their own story, with its own unique setups.

And as for OP who asked if it’s funny, why don’t you just give it a try yourself? Maybe you’ll be weird too and find it funny, or maybe you’ll actually be able to see for yourself that the show is more decent than people are trying to make it sound.

coming right after the description of the syphilis sores… i see what you did there. **going off to giggle into my pillow like a six-year-old

Oirans were courtesans who had risen up the ranks in their brothel to hold the highest position there. They were accomplished entertainers who were skilled in various arts but all of them basically began their careers as prostitutes.

Geishas, on the other hand, are entertainers trained in the traditional Japanese arts. Though their job is to entertain men, they are not obliged to have sex with them. Whatever Memoirs of a Geisha and Arthur Golden might suggest, geishas are not prostitutes.

The differences between them may seem subtle but they are two distinct professions with their own code of etiquette. Anyone who’s interested in learning more about geishas and oirans can read up on the subject here: http://www.immortalgeisha.com/faq_geisha.php

But back to the drama, I wonder whether the production company actually thought things through before buying the rights to JIN. Were they not aware that it was based heavily on events in Japanese history? 1860s Japan and Korea were two completely different societies and it isn’t as if you can just transpose events from one onto the other. I’m very curious to know if this remake is going to address Yi Ha-eung’s isolationist beliefs and if Jin Hyuk is going to try and talk him out of his anti-Catholic campaign. As it is, I find it strange that he hasn’t fully grasped the fact that he’s interacting with a key historical figure who was responsible for some very questionable policies. Maybe this will sink in after 10 episodes.

Re: Mi-na. Another crucial difference is not just that she’s an adaptation of the Saki character but that her whole attitude is so different from her Japanese counterpart’s. Miki wasn’t a Mary Sue who kept going on about the need to save lives and help the underprivileged. She was a woman who wanted Jin to take risks and do right by his profession. And this takes on a very poignant significance in the later part of the drama when every decision he makes with regards to Nokaze starts affecting Miki’s future.

I just find this whole K-drama adaptation very strange. Why undertake such an ambitious project if you’re not going to get the right writers, director and cast on board?