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Sakamichi no Apollon apparently is fabulous as well - I haven't watched it yet, but have been reading the manga and the anime recaps on Lost in America (a great anime blog). The manga is pretty good, but I think the anime could even be better as it's about music (jazz) and hearing the music can only make it more awesome!
Uchuu Kyoudai I think should be good as well, but haven't started that yet either. (The live-action film was recently released too. With double eye candy in the form of Oguri Shun and Okada Masaki :-D)
Darn... Nodame Cantabile is on my must-finish-watching list. The problem with it is that there are SO many episodes that feels daunting to pick it up again. But yeah, that one has one amazing soundtrack!
qihm is nr 1 on my list too- didnt take to any drama in such a way since ages.. think it is my recent big fav after FBRS(actually nowt tht i think abt it, i think i like it more than FBRS)
@Shuk: missed you last week. I also was finally able to get up to date on your fan-fic. Will look forward to the final EPIC chapters.
Loving QIHM and Ghost (loving might be understatement ... addicted to QIHM and almost had a heart attack along with everyone else when I could not use SOLIVE to stream live on Wednesday Thursday ... turns out that SOLIVE is now a pay service at annual fee of less than $30USD, it feels like a steal). I am really, really liking Ghost even though I have never seen SJS in a drama or movie (and he looks kind of stiff in drama) but I am a Choi Daniel fan. And this is one of the few shows where he is not acting as the dorky character... kind a suave geek (if you know what I mean).
I like Gentleman's Dignity and IDID. They make me laugh and I don't have to think. Besides, I am a bigtime Kim Sun Ah fan, so I would have probably watched IDID anyway.
Watching Bridal Mask but my attention keeps drifting (and I am an avid Joo Won fan since OB) ... but still will keep on watching.
Really iffy about Dr. Jin and I still don't know why. I start watching then not 10 minutes into it, I go read the Soompi thread, or Dramabeans, or Koala's Playground... finally got around to finishing episode 2 on Wednesday, which is totally not like me when a subbed episode is available ... LOL.
KDr Jin's pretty low on my list, mostly because I loved JDr Jin. Even the baby was better/creepier, lol.
I'm skimming through Baby-Faced Beauty, and I think Daniel Choi is adorable! If I didn't know he was Korean, I'd be checking his character for blonde roots! He's one of the reasons I wanted to see Ghost.
A lot of my drama-watching is probably gonna hinge on sub-speed, but I'm archiving a couple for viewing if/when everything slows down in the summer.
Anyway, thanks for the wave! And wish me luck that I finish the last 2,000 words next week. Then I'll convert to pdf and kindle reads for anyone who doesn't want to flip through 45 postings.
I watched the first epi; I haven't watched the second, so I'm not sure. I really wasn't paying attention to the hype around the series, since it wasn't originally on my list.
just finished watching episode 1 and 2, GHOST, twist of the drama is so unexpected that i almost peed my pants. I highly recommend the drama. I so love it.
Queen In-hyun's Man is also on top of my all time faves.
I want to watch Gaksital as it sounds epic but I don't want to start if I can't finish it (busy starting a new job). So that means I won't be watching Big and all the other interesting upcoming dramas until the DVDs are available. :( Skipping Dr. Jin as I have watched the Japanese version and I'm sure I'm just going to be frustrated with the Korean version. Skipping I Do, I Do & Ghost but not I Love Lee Tae-ri. A Gentleman's Dignity...hmmm...still not sure if I'll watch this as Boong-do has all the gentleman's dignity I'll ever need.
Read NR's The Last Boyfriend when it was released and I loved it. Hope you enjoy reading it. I miss holding a book but at the same time I'm glad of ebooks since I don't have space in my bookshelf anymore.
I love NR, but her trilogies, even in paperback, tend to take up a lot of room. I do keep the ones I read over, though.
Gaksital has been interesting, especially since it's historic without being saguek. That's one of the selling point to me. Well, who am I kidding its Joo Won. :-)
And AG'sD is the same - I haven't seen a lot of ahjussi romance. So I'm going to try and stick with the unusual ones [cross fingers].
I Love Tae-Ri: Do you like it so far? I haven't checked out any recaps yet.
Haven't actually watched Lee Tae-ri (same reason as Bridal Mask & Big) but I've read a recap of episode 1 and it seems fun. It's from tvN so I check out dramas there on principle since FBRS. Other reasons: Would like to see Kibum as I missed out on him as a SuJu fan (when I became a fan in 2010 he was MIA), would like some mindless fun, & I'm not really a big Kim Sun-ah fan (don't kill me!) so Tae-ri would fill out the I Do, I Do spot. Though it's too bad that recaps would not be available anymore since the recapper is committed to In-hyun's Man.
I can't believe I'd be missing the last 2 episodes of QIM as the work will come in the way of my addiction. But whatever it takes, I'll still read the recaps. ;)
Morning, Shuk!
You're up bright and early - it's a lovely day here on the East Coast, sunny, clear and sparkling. We have a week of rainy days forecast so will enjoy this weather while it shines!
You have an ambitious reading list. I, on the other hand just finished (ahem...) 50 Shades of Gray. All 3 of them.
Anyone else read them? It would make an interesting (and funny) convo here.
Also, agree with your #1 watch. QIHM is a lovely fantasy drama - it's rare to see a K-drama hitting all the right notes. Am back on the Bong Do train. Have to admit after watching him in the disaster that was A Thousand Kisses I really wasn't up for watching him in anything else - that's how burned I was from ATK. But after seeing the enthusiastic response from fellow DBers, decided to give it a try and ended up marathoning the first 7 eps and fell in love.
Hope all my fellow OT DBers are fine and happy! Good morning, all!
:)
Thank you again for not allowing me to see ATK - lol!
I have the Grey books ready for my Kindle, but they're archived for a bit. I usually read at work during the slower times, but we gear up for the summer rush. It's the fun of living in a resort town, I guess. So I'll have to see how much read-time I have. When I read them, though, I'll let you know!
Re: The Gray books. Started book 1 but couldn't finish. Bks 2 & 3 were more interesting but it was so repetitive so I skimmed through it. I forgot why I even tried to read it (maybe because it was on the most popular list on Kindle?). I deleted it already and glad that I did because I learned the writer was inspired by the Twilight books (don't get me started on those )and initially wrote it as fanfic. Anyway, so Selena Gomez' "Shades of Blue" parody got a good laugh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br5Tf7tJ2Uk
The author absolutely ripped off Twilight for her main characters - it was so obvious it was funny.
I actually read all 3 Shades of Grey books. The explicit sex is beyond repetitious and actually kinds of interferes with the story. I mean, how many places can a guy put his penis? Once you get past that, the story becomes readable. Same thing for the Twilight books. The third book "Breaking Dawn" was the best of the trilogy as it allowed for Meyers to really write her story. Shades of Grey is similar - the 3rd, final book is the real story.
And thanks, Ace, for that Selena G. link. Hysterical!
:)
I totally have QIHM on my overall best list as well. I'm an aspiring screen writer and K drama inspires me. So when there something in a K drama or Asian drama, like this lovely show here its the relationship between the two of them. How he always ask her permission that's great quality in the character it make you fall for the story and become invested and its little beats like these that I would like people to feel one day hopefully for something I write. I'm really picky about my inspiration list but its about how the show can draw you into the its world.This show totally does it for me. It has a quality to it that I'm hoping I will learn project in my on writing.
I have to admit I do more watching sometime then writing. That's why I like dramasbeans and girlfriday because they see things that I bypass sometimes. because as much as they love a show they know how to be objective about it and look at story plot, and character development and its makes me think objectively about my own writing. So I can keep in eye out for plot wholes and have characters that have an impact.
QIHM is great, and the characterizations of the two main leads are sufficiently different to keep my interest: she is sweet but not dumb; he is intellectual but not cold.
And the chemistry is terrific! I'm sad there are only two episode left, but it's definitely a keeper!
I can't believe it almost over its because for the first 2 weeks it was not subbed and so I feel like things have been rushed. Instead of 8 weeks it been more like 6 or five weeks.
Yeah, it was definitely a sleeper hit, but I'm glad it's picking up steam! I need to watch Ep 14 again, since the screen got blurry a couple of times.
It's always speculation whether a series is better or worse with extensions. I haven't heard any rumors for this one, so I'm expecting a tight, clean, happy ending.
There better be, or I shake my fist at writer-nim...
What I like about her is that for all her (very genuine) innocence and charm, she is no child-like pushover. She has backbone, and yet her character is soft enough that we can see her emotions mirrored on her (adorable little) face.
What I like about him is his intelligence and quick reasoning, his humor, his willingness to accept reality, and the way he is so completely charmed by this woman who is utterly different from the women he has known his whole life. Plus the bad ass ninja skills, kissing skills, and height.
Awww, Hillary. Keep looking - they may be as rare as unicorns but guys like this do exist. I know, cause I married one of them. We've been married umpteen years and he still brings me flowers every week.
:)
It was dark and interesting. I watched it on viki, and it didn't have full subs at the time, but I think I'm going to have to find time to squeeze it in, somewhere.
Deeno gave it a thumbs up, but then she likes pickled baby. lol
episode 1 of ghost was really good, but episode 2 was Awesome!!! seriously i can't remember the last time i was so thrilled about a drama
it has lost of suspense and so many twists... and maybe in episode 1 sjs was a little stiff (and there's a reason for it, plotwise) but in episode 2 he was great!!! and i'm surprised to say i like the leading girl, in fact i like all the characters
i've never seen daniel choi before but now i will have to keep an eye on him, he's so good! loving the bromance between him and sjs (hoping for more)
It’s been a while since I’ve been here cause I kept having to work on Fridays and by the time I got home there would already be 482 pages of comments so there wasn’t much point in posting at that point….BUT! School’s out and I knew I’d be home this week so I went ahead and typed up a post in advance like the OCD person that I am :D
Have to go to my summer job in a couple of hours, so I’ve condensed my post down to 2 parts. I’ll leave the TW dramas for another day.
Part 1: Korean Dramas
Rooftop Prince - I’m holding fast to my interpretation of the ending, so for those who have different interpretations, well……/sticks fingers in ears/ lalalalalalalalalalICan’tHearYoulalalalalalala……
King2Hearts – “reaction” spoilers in the comments of RTP warned me of what was to come. I had to make myself watch the last few episodes, my stress level mounting with each one. And when the dam broke….damn. Somebody call 911 cause this show killed me dead.
Queen In-hyun’s Man – so far this drama is awesome and if it keeps up the awesomeness, it’ll end up being one of my all time favorites. But I swear if they pull a Holy Pearl ending I will be Pissed Beyond Measure. If there’s not a happy ending I will sue for false advertising in the first episode.
I Do, I Do – watched the first 2 episodes on Viki. Two words: SHOE ENVY!!!!!!!!
Ramblings Part 2: Kpop
Yay! Big Bang’s Still Alive Special Edition! Yay for 5 new songs! Yay for a new music video!
And finally - Junsu’s Tarantellegra…..I just….I have no words…..Okay, I have a lot of words but there may be minors present……/goes to rewatch video for the 2947th time/
One of the reasons Intoxication is my favorite Junsu MV, was being curious enough to find the eng. lyrics and once I found out what he was singing about, I thought 'Hey! Here's an Idol who's actually had sex with a female and isn't afraid of singing about it!" A rarity in Idol-land. It's always nice to find out that some of these guys are actually having relationships. It's also the reason I was happy to see Yoochun and those naked pics his girlfriend took. Bad that he was being blackmailed, but happy to hear he was getting some...
:)
LOVe Big Bang! I can't wait to hear their new songs in Alive special edition! Their new concept for Monster is awsome too! My goodness...they just keep you getting excited about them. hehe
Glad to know I'm not the only one! And I like the red/black outfit as well. And the white one. And the shirtless-jacket-that-shows-his-abs-WHERE-HAVE-YOU-BEEN-HIDING-THOSE?!? outfit.
How can a man in that much makeup look so damn HOT?!?
How come I didn't know how hot he was until now?????!!!!!
I just wanted to say that I'm currently doing a group project on stereotypical female characters in K-drama, and this site has really helped me identify certain stereotypes ^^ We've got the Cinderella, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, the love rival (like Hong Sena) and the mother-in-law. It's really fun to work on!
Thanks for providing me with food for thought and analysis, Javabeans/Girlfriday/all the others <3
Also Kim Bung-do from QIHM may be the best hero K-drama has ever produced. Why isn't that drama more poplar, despite it being on cable? :(
Have you watched Drunken to Love You? I LOVED that show! They were my favorite OTP until QHIM's came along, but they are still up there. Near the end there was some noble idiocy stuff that made me crazy, but still overall a great show (despite the title).
That one is also one of my fav TDramas! I loved the interaction between Joseph Chang and Raine Yang, and all the Mountain Boar references. The ex was a whiny chick, and, even thought I like Kagone Wang, I was very happy when he got out of the picture.
it has been some 6 months since i visited the OT..missed it but life has been busy.. how is everybody doing?watching queen inhyun's man and loving it..isnt the male lead wonderful..love tht he is so quick on the uptake..the female lead's good too.. i loved the initial episodes of RTP but somehow i lost interest in it midway..any interesting tw-dramas? i only watch dramas when they are towards their end coz the weekly waiting kills me:)..
I liked Summer's Desire, and Please Ring the Bell Twice. The first one is dark and twisty; the second is more light-hearted and fluffy. Both feature Peter Ho, though.
Sigh. He's so cute. I have Summer's Desire queue'd up for later. I really enjoyed Ring Ring Bell. But my favorite TW-Drama is Autumn's Concerto. It's probably my favorite Any-Drama.
I have it in my stored-for-later bucket, which including AC, k2H, several TDramas, etc etc, there are about 25 or so [sigh].
Some of them I tried to start once or twice, but if they can't catch my interest, to the recycle bin they go. Right now, the one teetering on the edge is Material Queen.
Okay, ya'll started it with the talk about TW dramas.
A few months back - pre-MU-meltdown - a few kind souls here at OT recommended a few TW dramas to me, Mars being at the top of the list. Good thing I downloaded it then, cause it's extremely hard to find now. I finally watched Mars about 2 months ago, and holy guacamole! Just how many psychopaths does one couple have to deal with in order to earn their Happy Ever After? Good googly! But in spite of them attracting psycho maniacs the way suntan oil attracts sand even when you’re miles from the nearest beach, I loved the show. All the mini-story arcs reminded me of Boys Over Flowers, which is a manga thing so it didn’t bother me. I guess I’ve been watching Kdramas and Jdramas too long, because I was honestly shocked when the guys made sexual innuendos and jokes – not offended, but I just wasn’t expecting it. Nor was I expecting an actual love scene! Daaaaaaaaaaaaang!
Vic Zhou now has the dubious “honor” of being my first TW crush :D I went looking for more of his work and found the movie Love You 10,000 Years. Awesomely and hilariously cheesy! I LOVED it!
I thought to myself, if that’s what TW dramas are like, I’m gonna watch more! So I watched Love Keeps Going. Liked the story and the main couple, though I hated the Noble Idiocy and I was disappointed with the ending. I liked Mars and LKG enough that I went and downloaded a bunch more TW dramas and proceeded to watch a couple of shorter ones while waiting for new episodes of RTP and QIHM.
The Holy Pearl – okay, it’s not a TW drama but I’m including it here anyway. Inuyasha was the starting point that eventually led me to Kdramas, so it has a special place in my heart. When I heard that this drama was based on Inuyasha, I knew I had to watch it. Many thanks to Viki for subbing it! I marathoned this sucker and loved every minute of it – until the last 5 minutes. I don’t normally cuss, but this ending….WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Meteor Garden – so I’m a glutton for punishment. Truthfully, I loved Hana Yori Dango and Boys Over Flowers in all their over-the-top, makjang glory! Besides, Vic Zhou was in it :D I’ve finished season 1 and will soon start on season 2. I’ll probably watch it in between Big episodes.
Skip Beat – heard good and bad about it, so went into it a little apprehensively. Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad (to me). Even the dubbing wasn’t intolerable, unlike Hayate the Combat Butler (couldn’t even make it 30 minutes into the first episode cause the dubbing was so horrible). Disappointed in the end, but I don’t know if it’s because that’s the way the manga goes or if it has something to do with not offending Super Junior fans.
Smiling Pasta – still not sure how I made it to the end. Looking back, the drama still makes me really mad. I understand this is an entirely different culture, and what I perceive as unacceptable is probably completely acceptable to them. But still…..argh!
Made it through 5 episodes of Corner with Love then gave up. The main girl is just really getting on my nerves. Anyone with half a brain knows that if your parents have gone bankrupt and fled the country and your house has been foreclosed and you’re forced to live with your personal secretary/childhood friend, then you DON’T KEEP USING YOUR STUPID CREDIT CARDS AND BUYING STUPID STUFF LIKE PIANOS AND $100 PAIRS OF SHOES!!!! And don’t get me started on the guy and how he thinks her behavior is CUTE! Aaaauuuggghhhh!
I don’t want to give up on TW dramas entirely, but if they keep turning out like Pasta and Corner….Gah!
I have Fated to Love You, Autumn's Concerto, Office Girls, Romantic Princess, and Summer's Desire downloaded. I'm in the process of downloading Love Forward, Love Buffet, Love Contract, Magicians of Love, Material Girl, Mean Girl Au Chu, My Lucky Star, Miss No Good, Why Why Love, and My Queen. I also have In Time with You and Because of You downloaded, but I don't have all the subs so they're on hold.
Are any of these really any good? I seriously do not want to waste my time like I did with Smiling Pasta and Corner with Love.
@stacy
I would definetly recomend "Fated to Love" you and "Prince turned into a frog" both dramas start with same actress, and if I'm not wrong, both dramas broke tv ratings when aired. I would also recomend "Autums Concerto" as well which I loved. Personaly these are my all time favorites taiwanesse dramas that I have seen so far.
Wow, Stacy, where do I start with that list. I guess with one of my own based on yours (I only included those on your list I have some info on). Hope this helps, and, of course, your mileage may vary:
Autumn's Concerto: Downloaded it on JoAnne's recommendation as her favoritest TDrama ever, but haven't watched it yet Black and White: Awesome police procedural, downplay on the love life side of things but Vic Zhou with a gun... Devil Beside You: Early early Rainie Yang / Mike He - Based on a manga (Akuma De Sourou) and one where I occasionally rewatch episodes Down With Love: Jerry Yan and I loved it Drunken To Love You: One of my faves - Joseph Chang is the lead and a serious hot kisser IMHO Fated To Love You: Liked it, didn't love it but several OT'ers did In Time With You: Wilson Chen and Ariel Lin have great chemistry. Female lead was the agressor in the relationship. Ending was okay Love Contract: I have but I haven't watched it yet Please Ring Bell Twice A very good series where you actually feel for the 2nd leads Romantic Princess: Meh ToGetHer: Another early Rainie Yang and the main love interest is the lead singer of Fahrenheit. He plays a rocker who needs to hole up and rethink his priorities. A little cheesy but cute Summer's Desire: Really liked the OTP, dark overtones, Peter Ho's hotness
---
For movies, I agree Love 10K Years was a nice way to spend a few hours.
Another one that got several thumbs up from the Movie Noonas is Sophie's Revenge, which is a girl using the new girl's ex-boyfriend to trip the new couple up, but she ends up falling for the ex-bf.
I seriously did not mean to write a book lol. But I've been holding all that in during all this time that I wasn't able to hang out in OT. Sorry!
Thank you both for the rec's and opinions. I'll definitely give Fated to Love You a try, as well as Autumn's Concerto and some of the other recommended ones.
No worries and glad I could help. Inuyasha is one of my favorite recent animes (I have all seasons but the final one), but I didn't realize that "The Holy Pearl" was an adaptation, so thanks. That's definitely going on my to-do list somewhere.
--
Also, if you want to watch an asian drama that's different from anything you have ever seen, you might want to consider a Thai lakhorn. Deeno has a recap of at least one at her blog; they tend to involve a lot of revenge / karma story lines and are frequently called "Slap Slap Kiss" dramas. They'll show violence but figleaf any kissing.
I'm quite enjoying Material Queen. Vanness is such a cutie in it so far, and I like the girl better than I did at first, and I even like the rich guy...and I LOVE all the characters in the market.
Morning Shuk!
Yes, too many good dramas. I don't want any bags under my eyes so I"m going to have to stop myself from watching them all. haha! I've got to learn to be selective. LOL
Hello everyone! I lost track of time. I just realize today is Friday (from OT). There goes five days (and months) of my life.
Just starting K-pop star, anyone else watching? Or finished watch? I got so little sleep this week trying to marathon this and just got till ep11. I love all contestants. Especially Park Jae Hyung, boy with glasses and guitar is apparently my weakness. then, Lee Seung Hoon, Lee Ha Yi and Su Pearls. Also Lee Geun Woo. I can't wait for their debuts. I'm curious how YG will make Su Pearls' image?
Big Bang confirmed for Indonesia concert on October 13th!! Anyone else going? and Still Alive teaser is everywhere. I. Love. It.
I haven't watched anything new, still waiting for subs. Judging from recap only, definitely will watch Gaksital and Gentleman Dignity!!
I watched bits and pieces of that show. Only watched the first few episodes in its entirety and then simply watched clips of their highlight performances from each week. I'm impressed that you have decided to marathon the entire thing! ^______^" I normally can't/won't watch any live contest shows after they've finished airing.
About how the results played out, I had a feeling Park Ji Min was going to come out the winner even though I was rooting for Lee Hayi (she's so unique and has so much potential!) I selfishly wish PJM had stayed with the rest of the SuPearls members and LHY had signed a solo contract with JYP instead. Even though she's really talented, PJM, I personally feel, shined more as a member of SuPearls than if she branched out solo. While for LHY, it's the exact opposite. Now the SuPearls group dynamics will be messed up. Argh!
I have a feeling that YG will try to market SuPearls as a younger version of Big Mama - more of a vocal group than an idol one. But that's just my hunch.
Oh Gawd, just watched episode 14 of QIHM and bawled my eyes out. Then I got all panicky at the end because I thought it finished, lol. It's kinda worrying that they have to come up with more plot to fill 2 episodes but I would gladly watch an hour and a half of non-sensical cuteness and making out because those two are just adorable.
I need me a Boongdo. Anyone know where I can buy one? Or hire, even.
I'm so nervous about the last 2 eps. We haven't seen the curse yet from the talisman and that Ja-soo dude is still out there somewhere. Makes me wish eps 14 was the real ending.
Don't forget this - Joon Soo is still loose, and we haven't seen the logic bridge back to the first scene of the first epi. So I think we still have some excitement to go with all the cute for those final two.
Just wanted to say "Hello" and hoping you will all have a great weekend. The weather has been really nice in my neck of the woods, so far.
I am taking a break from drama watching, although I am watching/reading recaps of QIHM, which I caught in the middle (and even participated in some discussions on a few QIHM's recaps). I will watch the beginning later.
The new dramas look really good, I am definitely interested in Bridal Mask, I Do I Do and maybe Ghost at a later time. I have never seen So Ji Sub in anything. I would also like to eventually check out Dr. Jin and AGD (I have never seen JDG in anything either) for the acting and to see Jaejoong and SSH in a sageuk.
Letting go of the K2Hs was difficult, I didn't fully realize how attached I had become to the show, even though I knew how impressed I had been with the acting of most actors/actresses, the OST, directing and cinematography. Didn't feel as strongly about Rooftop, but didn't regret watching it and was more curious about how the mystery would be solved.
Happy OT back at ya!!! I meant to say "Hello" in response to your post, but I had a headache and needed to lie down for a little bit. Good to see you back among us!!! From what I have read, your life has been busy as well. How is the living arrangement working out? Do you like your new place? I couldn't believe you had read 7 books already, you must be a fast and avid reader (I am more on the slow side).
You are not kidding about the lack of sleep because of dramas, they can be so addictive :-)!!!! But then we get to be exposed to a different world and who can resist that? (I don't really try to, I just need to balance it :-) ).
Congrats on your fan-fic being almost done, I know you can do it *Go Shukie, go; Go Shukie, go; fighting!!!!* (that's me encouraging you :-) )
@Ivoire: Hi ya ... You are taking a break from drama watching and my schedule is rapidly getting filled again (wouldn't be surprised if I am back up to watching 8-10 concurrent dramas by end of summer ... ah well).
So, its is official. Nothing says official more than the plane tickets to Trinidad. Will be leaving right after July 4th, taking 1 week off to start setting up adoption process, etc. and then begin working for my Chicago-based company from the island of Trinidad and Tobago. They are thinking to add Trinidad as an official office location ... might as well pursue Trinidad-based clients while I am down there... LOL.
As always, so good to hear from you. You guys amaze me the way you can watch many dramas at one time. I can't and personally, I don't think I would want to. I am not always the best at multitasking, it really depends on what I am dealing with (I can often multitask with children).
It usually takes me about 2hrs to watch an episode of a Kdrama, no kidding :-). For one, I am a slow reader, so that slows me down. Second, if there are two many lines at one point (dialogue being long), I pause so I can read each line. I also pause to replay the scenes I find moving, cute or deep while I am watching, which explains why it takes me 2hrs for one episode, LOL. It didn't used to, I just slowly found out that I like watching dramas that way, so that's how I do it.
And then I read the recaps, to see what I might have missed (culturally, going from Jondeomal (sp?) to banmal, etc...You know, those little (or not so little in some instances) things that Dramabeans and other blog sites are good at pointing out, which helps me experience the drama better. And that takes me 20-30mns if I don't read the comments, so added time if and when I do.
When I worked as a caregiver and could have the TV on all the time when I was working, I was vested in watching as many dramas (or having them on) as I could, and I would switch from KBS World to KEMS, which is another Korean TV station we have here in Northern CA. I realized that like with many things in my life, I am more interested in the quality of what I do or have, more so than the quantity.
I also realized that because I only got recently in the game of Kdrama watching (summer of 2010 with Personal Taste), there will always be too many (good or interesting) dramas I have not seen. I decided to relax and accept that dramas will always be there, they are not going anywhere, and I am choosy about what I watch or how I watch (I am starting to have no qualms about fastforwading to scenes I really want to watch when I am checking out a drama, and having recaps helps me in that way). Just did that with "My Sweet Seoul" (episodes 1-6, to see Ji Hyun Woo's scenes) and ATK (only episode 28 again for JHW) and I don't regret doing it.
It is interesting to see him grow as an actor and come into his own as an actor and as a person and grow into his body (there's a certain way he carries himself). I don't know if I should be saying this *face palm and smile on my face*, but he (JHW) also approaches kissing pretty much the same way over his different dramas (yeah, I was paying attention to that, who wouldn't :-)) (what I mean by that is the way he starts kissing, too much info, huh LOL).
I always look at how actors/actresses start their kissing scenes, and I tend to think that some of them have a style (just my humble opinion). Granted the writing of the scene affects it and writers have different kinds of kisses for different things they want to convey, but I tend to think that actors/actresses do bring their own emotions and experiences in the kiss.
From what I have seen so far, Korean actors (the ones I have noticed) in their late 20s and 30s (and 40s maybe, I haven't seen many kisses by actors in that age group) approach kissing differently than the ones in their late teens up to about mid 20s (it's not a fast rule, just a little something I noticed). Yeah, I guess you can say that like many (especially women right :-)), I pay attention to those kisses. I think it tells you something about how the character is written or thought of and a little something (at times) about the actor/actress.
I also look at how responsive the other party is (actor/actress) and how sensitive the person who initiates the kiss is to how the other party responds. That is more apparent in the BTS shoots and says a lot too, I think (about the actors/actresses chemistry, comfort level, personalities etc... Kim Hyun Joong in BOF and some of the Playful Kiss scenes is an example. He did admit that it was ackward for him, and I have to say it showed. I don't think it says anything bad about him [I like him for a lot of things], but I think that he might not be very comfortable with PDA of that kind, at least not in front of the camera. The same thing happened when he had to kiss his *wife* (on the cheek mind you) in WGM. It took him a long time to do it, and he was fretting it. I remember thinking, "poor guy," and he was so cute... He was also only 22 at the time. Although, I have to say that I have seen other Korean actors of the same age (or younger) kiss and they didn't seem to mind it or maybe some of them were just faking it.
I tend to be interested in things that might not necessarily be apparent, and that is not limited to kissing :-), just so you know (although I do find the whole kissing thing interesting :-). I am always curious about what we don't see and what we don't know.
All of that to say that it takes me a long time to watch a Kdrama series, but then I usually know what I watched, what I liked and what I didn't like and where I have questions. To me, watching Kdramas is an experience to be had, and not just something I do to pass time (if I can help it). So, kudos to you for being able to watch up to 8-10 dramas at one time, *tips her hat off to Hillary and bows slightly*
I am soooo excited about your upcoming trip and upcoming season in your life, I hope that all will go well both in the US (before you leave) and in Trinidad and Tobago. I collect post cards, so if and when you can, please buy me some, pretty please *bats eyelashes and smiles*
Alright my dear, another Ivoire's journal for you to read. I hope you will have a great weekend!!!!
and {{{ Hugs back}}}, you just made my day, "Thank you!!!!". And may I say that you know me too well, *Smiles again*
By the way, you haven't answered my questions. Reread my answer to you, please :-) (pouts and wiggles and smiles)...
@Ivoire: I was reading your post and laughing to myself ... you have such interesting observations. I am a long-time multi-tasker and I think I may become bored if I don't multi-task... LOL.
Thank you for your blessings... my future is in the Lord's hands (and Trinidad equivalent of Department of Family Services as well as USCIS). Hopefully I will be able to get this completed in a year otherwise my job will have to fire me ... and then re-hire me back.
Noo! Not the UPWS (Unnie Pout Wiggle Smile)! hee hee hee
Living arrangement is going well. He's a bit of a slob, but he's keeping the kitchen clean. I'm still finding socks and pillows on the floor in the main living room, but that's okay because he got me a satellite DVR for my little office/living room.
Since we are different work schedules (His 0600-1700, mine 2230-0700) and we both commute to Virginia, we basically nod in passing.
I've kept a lot of my clothes/shoes still in storage, prefering just to keep the current season stuff available, so my living area is still neat (did I mention I'm a bit of a slob too? lol).
The commute is long but swift, as it is almost all insterstate driving. I activated my XM radio, so I sometimes listen to Korea Today, especially the pop culture shows.
I still can't find pretty blackout curtains for my bedroom window, so I'll probably break out the sewing machine and make some custom panels soon.
On a slightly down side, he appears to like my healthy snacks as much as his unhealthy ones, so my trail mix and unsweetened applesauce keeps disappearing. I retaliated by stealing a couple of chocolate donuts... it's such a hardship [fist to brow].
I will probably miss a good portion of OT next week, as my father is undergoing surgery on Thursday and my mother has asked me to assist them for a couple of days. Then I'll be staying there over the weekend to help with yard- and housework until he recovers.
Yes exactly, the UPWS and I hope you will fall for it every time, just like the guys fall for the OPW all the time. (Remember when Samsooki mentioned in one of his recaps of MNIKSS that EVERY GUY wants to be an oppa and that they fall for the OPW? That made sense to me, if I were a guy and I cared about a girl [whether it being romantic or not], I would want to be an oppa and I would fall for it if I knew that the girl was a good person. I would not want to be an oppa to a mean girl, even if she were my sister).
I am glad to know that the living arrangements are going well and that you found something to do during your long commute. Are the broadcasts on the radio in Korean or in English?
I didn't know you knew how to sew. You are a woman of many talents... I hope you will find the kind of cloth you like to make your panels for your bedroom window.
I see that your landlord cannot resist your food :-). Are you planning to talk to him about it or are just going to go easy on him and let him indulge? You know, I think a couple of donuts every once in a while might not be bad for you. It doesn't sound like he is complaining about his donuts disappearing.
I hope that your dad's surgery will go well and I know that your parents will love and appreciate you being there. It is such an emotional support to have someone there in such times, especially when they are your children. And the fact that you will be helping with other things around the house (such as housework and yard work) is a bonus. I will be thinking of you guys, please let us know how things went.
Question: When you buy your DVDs (kdramas), where do you buy them from? (l am looking for a good online source that delivers DVDs with good English subs at a fairly good price and with good HD images). I would eventually like to buy City Hunter and The K2Hs.
So far, the few DVD's I have are okay. I do look at any consumer reviews - sometimes they warn you of possible knockoffs.
The XM Radio Korea Today channel is a mixture of your typical radio station, music, news, stuff like that, but it's a straight stream from Korea, so a lot of it isn't in English, and the times are almost reversed (for example, it 8am EST where I am, but 9PM in Korea).
It's a little hard to understand. But during my commutes there's programming that is for english-speaking people living in Korea, where they talk about KPop and KDramas, and teach you words and phrases. Airang Radio is the station. "Catch The Wave" and "K-Poppin'" are the shows; they are also on Facebook and Twitter. I don't know if they have streaming on thier website.
Yes, you answered my questions, thank you! I was asking about the DVDs, because a friend of mine ordered them online once, but she didn't watch them right away. When she finally watched them, she realized that the subbing was not well done at all (the sentences didn't make sense) and by that time, it was too late for her to send them back. She shared this with me as a warning when ordering DVDs. I haven't ordered any yet, because I know I won't have the time to watch them right away (all of the episodes) to check and see if all the discs are good. So I wanted to know other people's experiences in that regard.
Thank you for sharing the info about XM Radio Korea Today, I will check it out.
So, I take it you are going to Florida to be with your parents (is that where you said they lived? I could be wrong). Have a safe trip!
LOL at myself as well :-). I think I like (let me make that LOVE) details, so I pay attention to the little things. The kinds of jobs and responsibilities I have had have made me pay attention to details as well (mostly taking care of others).
I have always had an inquisitive mind, even as a child. I once took apart a nice watch that was a gift to me to see how it worked, I must have been about 9 or 10 years old. I couldn't put it back together of course, and my dad was not happy about that (it was a really nice and I think expensive watch that had been bought for me as a gift by one of my parents' friends). I regretted doing it, but curiosity made me do it :-) (I think my dad didn't understand and appreciate that part).
I also think that I tend to care about the actors/actresses/singers that I come to appreciate, so I always wonder what it takes for them to do what they do and how that might affect them (emotionally, physically, spiritually, psychologically, in their relationships, professionally, etc...). At the end of the day, they are human beings, just like us, and we see it very often. So I tend to think about them beyond the role I have seen them play or the song I heard them sing or perform.
If it is OK with you, I will pray for you, when I happen to think of you, that things will go well and that God would work everything out, even (and especially) the details and logistics involved in what you have to do and what needs to happen. Please let me know if it is OK if I do that.
I have one question: What is USCIS? Thanks!
P.S.: You are so blessed to be able to multi-task, living in this country for this long, you would think it is a skill I have mastered by now, ...not really (in my opinion). I guess I am just different.
@Ivoire: USCIS is the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services department. It replaced the organization that used to handle immigration matters, INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), in 2003.
My parents are snowbirds: they leave Virginia and go to Fort Myers Beach on Gulf of Mexico for the winter, then head back. So they are actually in Virginia right now.
I like to tell people I spend all winter raking their leaves and all spring refurbishing their flower beds, so when they come back all tan and healthy, they just have to plant their flowers / tomatoes / stuff, and then sit on thier newly-cleaned outdoor furniture and look over their manicured lawn. lol. Still, I'm happy to do that for them, even though it meant my yard was scraggly and brown.
Once my father heals, then it will be my turn to schedule in my procedure, and then they'll have to take care of me for a week. So it's all good!
Just checked the OT because I saw from the main page that the numbers of comments had gone up, and when I opened this particular page and scrolled down, there you were, having answered to my comment.
You seem to have a wonderful relationship with your parents and that is great. It is also great that you guys live somewhat close to one another and that you get to see one another. The mention of tomatoes and other produce they may plant brought back memories of home made salads that are so refreshing to eat in the summer.
I also got the feeling that you must like yard
work :-), all that physical activity is definitely good for the body and good for the soul, and your parents get to have a nice looking lawn in the process. yeah for good and helpful daughters! It's nice how you and your parents reciprocate in taking care of each other, you seem very close as a family. When it is your turn to have the procedure, I hope that it will go well.
So, was your yard scraggly and brown because you didn't have time to take care of it? (since you were working on your parents...)
Where do you guys buy your Kdramas DVDs? I am interested in getting the K2Hs when it is made available in the US. I know there are a number of stores that sell Kdramas DVDs (YesAsia, Wal-Mart.com, Best Buy, Amazon, etc...).
I am interested in a good price, quality of the drama (the way it looks on your screen when you get it at home), quality of the subtitles and if it is shipped (and received) in time. Please also tell me where you guys get your OST CDs from (where you buy them).
Thank you, I would greatly appreciate your input on this. I ordered the K2Hs OST CD this week from YesAsia and I am waiting on it. It is my first time ordering anything from YesAsia.
Am I just below a post that is talking about ep 14 QIHM?
I am just starting ep 2 and have done a good job of avoiding spoilers.
Just wanted to say if you guys want a laugh, you should watch ep 35 Standby. It's got that actress from SG in the spotlight. If I say anymore it would spoil surprise. However it involves 2 ladies.
Ep 36 is pretty darn funny as well. I was shaking my head in disbelief in between dying from laughter.
You see some things you never thought to see in this lifetime in KDramas.
Just had to drop that off considering melare spent so much time doing it for the Bridal Mask Team. It also helps me understand somewhat where the story is going. Thank goodness for Korean subbers I say. * clap, clap *
I'm back, finished with marking exams and back on the British Isle too after the most uneventful visit to the homeland ever (thanks to being too busy with marking to do anything other). The only eventful thing was our family doggie being ill. Sadly, he had to put down just after I returned to the UK. :-(
Only just getting back to normal life, and haven't caught up with drama watching either. I did watch ep 1 of "I do, I do", which was cute but not spectacular or anything. Debating whether to finish the dramas I missed over the last few weeks or just to let them go (I know how they ended, as I did read the recaps) and wait for new ones to start. Not sure.
My Japanese friend said she recently marathoned - despite knowing better - this dorama called Dr. Koto. I think it's from 2006 or earlier. Anyone know it?
And any Korean film fans here? The Korean film blogosphere is currently drumming up support to have Remember O Goddess, a Korean-American film noir in the making, become Indiewire Project of the Month (and win a Sundance consultation!). We managed to get the film kickstarted and win Project of the Week, so this is the next step! It's actually pretty cool to see how crowdsourcing is really spreading the word about this film and making it happen. :-)
(I have a couple of post about the project on my blog too, including links to where you can watch the first 25 min, which have been completed, online).
I have a good friend who was invited to Sundance Institute one year to learn about screenwriting, so it's a great opportunity! (FYI, he's one of the two brothers that won the Doritos Commercial contest during the SuperBowl this year!) Good luck with the indie film.
There are two seasons of Dr Koto Shinryojo. It's been a while since I watched them, but I enjoyed them. He's a new doctor sent to a remote island to be their main physician. A heartwarming fish-out-of-the-water country vs city story.
It's not my film :-) I just want to see it badly so the more support it can get, the better it'll be!
Will look for the commercial (since I don't watch the Superbowl, I did not see it before). I'm currently on a train though with a terrible internet connection.
Thanks for the thumbs up on Dr Koto! Two seasons means there is even more to watch... (which can be both good and bad).
I'd hate you, but I'm a beach bunny and I hate snow more. lol. Still, when my friend was there, the pics he took were awesome - there's some pretty scenery there!.
Ahhh, I'm going to be so disapointing. I'm an accountant...lol...but I do get to hike, ski, mountain bike, and free VIP film festival tickets. So I'm not totally boring. LOL! Hey someone has to keep track of the money. :)
I think if being an accountant gets you free VIP film festival tickets then ... that just rocks!
So do you watch a gazillion of films during the festival then?
The hike/ski/mountain bike bit sounds fabulous too, must be a gorgeous area then (somehow I never thought about the landscape when it came to Sundance).
When I first started working here, I went to the festival every year. I hit all the parties and watched as many films as possible. Now that I'm a married lady with two kids, the hubby and I try to pick one movie each season that we really want to see. Oh how life changes.
It really is beautiful here if you like tall mountains, snow in winter, and dry heat in summer. Fall and Spring are AWESOME though just perfect weather.
Hey Everyone.
Wow So many shows in the last week. Five So far. I had a busy mid week so I will be catching up on all the Wed/ Thurday Dramas this weekend. First on my list of course is Bridal Mask, then I Do, I do, then Ghost,. I have seen Dr. Jin and let me warn people the surgeries are very much part of the show so if you have a week stomach might what to get some ears plugs for some of those sound effects and be ready to cover your eyes. I have seen most of the original Japanese version of Jin it was so intense I got scared and stopped watching it that show stressed me out to much. But now I actually want to go back and finish it. So unto A Gentlemen Dignity I don’t know the overall opinion of everyone else but I like it. I like when there’s drama when they have people in it that are not in their 20s because. I want to see stories where people are already established have lived a little and are balancing life differently. Plus I find that the older some people get the more childlike they become. Its just to get some perspective on life. Anyway this the writer who wrote City Hall and Secret Garden I will say this she knows how to create a male characters who on the outside seem perfect but you realize that have a lot of weird parts to their personality and flaws but they sure do fall quick but I think it makes a memorable characters.
With all these new shows NO I DID NOT FORGET Queen-In-Hyuns-Man. I love this show. Because its a show about love and you fall in love as the characters are falling in love. Waiting for the subs. I respect this show so much that I don’t watch it raw and when its a show I like this much I usually do watch half of it without subs. So just a little bit longer I can endure.
So my honorable mention this week is more like an confession: I’m 22 and don’t know how to drive. To be honest the whole idea of me getting behind the wheel scares me. I even get anxiety about it. My mom got into a car accident when I was younger and I was so scared cause I didn’t know what had happened or where she was. I was about 5 or 6 she was hurt her back horribly but she was safe. A truck had hit the car she was in the back. Nobody knew how they had survived without being badly hurt Thank God. But I remember thinking I am never going to drive. Now I did get my permit when I was 19 with the written test but that was as far as I went. So I’m going to face my fears take the first step and take my written test on Monday again. I’ve been researching on how to stay calm while during driving so I guess this like my summer mission. Anyone have any driving tips?
Let me start with the driving part because I used to feel the same (I got hit by a car when I was 11 and I felt nobody sees me when I drive and will crash me with their huge trucks). SO: the scariest think is thinking what might happen if... because when you actually sit behind the wheel of your beloved car (Like I love mine :D) it isn't as scary. Sure, you need to go through the difficult phase of learning good habits and reflexes, but it's a short time. My cocnlusion is: don't mull over, just do it! It's fun! And a very personal tip: when I started learning and took my exams (well, four times was the charm for me) I put on clothes in very bright, lively colours or at least had accesories like that. I even used a red pencil case at school to boost my confidence. It may sound silly, but that red stuff actually did help me a little, and it's got nothing to do with any magical thinking or cabbala etc. Just like green soothes and calms you, red gives you energy. You go girl!
And dramas: I liked AGD too. I found it funny, entertaining and quite likeable. It's true that it feels new to watch people well past their puberty!
Thanks for tips. Actually having an something on like accessories or wearing a color that has meaning to me helps to remind stay calm I do things like this all the time although. I had not thought of doing it while learning to drive but I am going to use this one.
No tips. I don't drive and don't even have a license (or plan on getting one) and I'm a few years older than you!
But cycling is fabulous. :-P
I would try and drive in places that are less stressful (quiet roads). And if you are unsure to get started, I would get people you think are good drivers to come along and give you advice for a while.
Sorry, but that's a deadly piece of advice. Good drivers can seldom comprehend (actually, remember) that you need time to learn things and they tend to get really impatient. I tried that and it ended up in my tears and the other people angry. What one needs in the beginning is one good, professional instructor. It should be a calm and patient person with sense of humour. And then you really learn to drive when you're on your own in a totally unknown place. I tell you it works wonders.
Oh, I didn't mean skipping the professional instructor. Isn't that required anyhow?
But there should be good, mindful, patient drivers too that can help you further as well (on top of the instructor), but maybe I'm just thinking of my Dad whom I would ask for further support if I ever thought of getting a license (which I don't). :-)
Hehe... Driving with my dad (along with the instructor) was a terrible experience. Most of my friends said the same :) So unless you know the person you want to ask for assistance is absolutely patient, you better skip it. My dad is actually a teacher and he knows his trade, but he absolutely had no clue what he was doing criticising me and making me do things his way. It had made me very unsecure and anxious. Driving with an instructor is just enough.
No idea about US, I live in Poland :). It is necessary to absolve a number of driving hours with an instructor here. What I was talking about was driving on totally side roads, without any traffic and traffic police of course. Plus, after you get your licence you need to start driving on your own right off the bat, it can be a burden to have another driver guide you, because subconsciusly you wait for their tips and commands. I know it from both driver's and passenger's seats. Although I think I wasn't that bad when my lil'sis got her licence:) Still, I decided it was better to gather some courage and entrust her herself and my precious machine.
Gosh, it's been sooo long since my driving lessons (um...1981? Yikes) so things might have changed.
In the States in Virginia, you can get your learner's permit at 16. That means you can get behind the wheel as long as a responsible adult is riding shotgun.
Driving Education classes are set up by the public school system, but your parents are expected to actually take you to DMV for your driving test. You do need a certificate showing you passed your Driver's Ed class(Note: There are private companies for adult learning to get the same certificate).
You have three tests at the DMV: written, eye, driving. Once you pass, you are issued your Operator's License. If you are a juvenile, there is a Youthful Operator restriction: Only one passenger.
Once you reach 18, you get the full-fledged one and keep until old age or a DUI conviction.
Kudos to you for being open about your fear, seeking support, and resolving to overcome it. I don't think it's driving tips you need so much as guidance regarding overcoming your anxiety. There are driving instructors out there who specialize in assisting people who have a fear of driving-- if you could work with someone like that, that would be ideal. There are also a variety of treatment modalities such as hypnotherapy, EMDR, NLP, etc that can help people who have persistent phobias.
Similar to kopytko's suggestion, I'd say that being mindful of your posture can be helpful-- sitting in a way that expresses that you feel confident and relaxed (chin up, etc) sends a signal to your brain to produce a biochemical reaction that reinforces your feeling confident and relaxed. Also, playing music that evokes those feelings in you can be very helpful. And lastly, why not imagine yourself as a k-drama heroine who has to cultivate her courage and defeat the bad guy (in this case, the fearful voice in her head)? It's really a matter of learning to embody your brave self rather than your fearful self. Keep us posted on your progress-- I'm sure you will prevail and we'll be cheering you on. Fighting!
I'm actually terrified of driving too. But i can't help but drive, since i have a 4 yr old whom i have to cart back and forth from different places.
What i do is that I scout the place i have to go to before hand. I check out all possible routes on mapquest. check the left turns, the yields, the... literally everything. Then the first time i drive there, i do it during non-peak time (i swear i woke up at 6:00 am once just to fill gas.)
Also, when i near a signal, I always check the walksignal, usually there's a number that denotes how long till the signal turns yellow. That way, I don't screech to a halt and have my car rearended.
Once i get a hang of the route, my fear usually goes away. I drive to and from office and my daughters school without panicking. Unfortunately I had to drive to an office team bulding event - I got a fever the next day. So i'm sure you're better off than me.
Best of luck. The more you drive the less fear you will feel.
I was reading your post and going, "Wow, she is so much braver than I am!" Yes, I too have a fear of driving; I feel like the car will control me and I will not be able to do anything about it and all the big trucks will crush me:( I know it sounds silly but I am terrified of driving. And you know what, I have been able to take written and practical tests in two countries and pass first time round! And, I am over a decade older than you;) I like all the advice everyone's given you and I need to take the plunge and get behind the wheel too. I have been lucky so far to live in places where public transportation is good and my friends have been nice enough to offer me rides when I need them (but they sometime call me out for my weird aversion to driving:), but I will hopefully be moving for a new job next year and I don't know where I'll end up; so it's probably a good idea to get started on getting comfortable with driving.
Long and short of my rambling? You go girl! And thank you for the inspiration:)
P.S. Alua, I don't know how to ride a bicycle either! *hides in shame* :)
I guess I'm in the same corner with you cause I don't know how to ride a bike or roller blade. Me and my cousin always laughs at me because I'm short so he says you only got one form of transportation and you can't even move that fast cause my legs are short. I was one of kids who rather play inside the house and make stories in my head then to go outside.
Pfffffft! Us short people need to stick together! (and I have had those same jokes as your cousin's said of me). I was pretty active as a child, playing outside all day during school holidays (growing up in my country in the 80s was fabulous!) but once I hit my teens I was always the one in the house with her nose in a book:)
You can always still learn how to ride a bicycle. Although I have friends who learned only in adulthood and they seem to feel less secure than those that learned it as children. But I don't know if that's only a mental block, or whether it's really something best learnt as a child.
Hi Licia,
Good luck with your driving. I think that being nervous about driving will make you a better driver. One of the main causes of accidents is not paying attention, and being nervous will make you extra cautious. Overconfidence is another issue, so no problems there on your end. When I was starting out driving I thought of how many people manage to do this everyday, and thought that I can't be that much worse than them. Maybe there is a person you know who is an idiot but manages to drive - then just imagine that if he or she can do it, so can you.
A practical tip I found useful for staying in a straight lane is to look as far ahead as you can.
You've gotten lots of sensible tips here to help you.
I have one tip that helped me - find yourself a big, empty parking lot (early mornings, etc., at malls) and do all your practice driving, parking, reversing, stops and starts, circles, etc., until you feel totally comfortable behind the wheel. Then find a low density area for on-street driving. Build up your confidence gradually - don't force yourself into any high-congestion highways until you're good and ready. Good, responsible driving takes lots of practice. You can do it!
:)
hello everyone, long time no see! Finished my exams last friday and have since watched King 2 Hearts completely..Yay!! Sady i was spoilt the ending even though i tried hard to avoid all spoilers at all costs..but finished it yesterday and still trying to get over it.
Bearing in mind that i havent seen any dramas in the past 4 months, what would be the best next drama to watch? I don't mind what the genre is, i love all from thrillers and crime to romcoms!
Hands down: Queen InHyun's Man. It seems to be the bestest drama around at the moment. It's a romcom, really funny, with great characters and it keeps you on the tips of your toes quite a lot. Highly recommended :)
I was feeling so proud of myself for finally sort of catching up with the times ( I watched one episode of marriage plot) but just the first 13 comments make me realize I'm still not there yet. I'm torn between trying to watch what grabs my attention or watching in order. I'm more inclined to the latter but that means I have nothing to discuss at open thread.
This week I found Glass slippers online and I'll finish the last 3 episodes today at work. Last night I had a dream that was great! Park jin hee my best friend set me up with her dongsaeng kim soo hyun. apparently he had a long time crush on me and he confessed by singing a song. Park jin hee made fun of us often and sometimes I would think it was ridiculous to like someone so young but then when he hugged me it was all okay.
So, Kim Eun-sook new drama A Gentleman's Dignity is once again the cause of a net war. If you're a SeGa lover you dig it. If you didn't like the previous works of this writer you will likely not love this one.
I LOVE IT.
Is there a lot of SeGa inside jokes? Yes.
Is SeGa used as a template for AGD story and characters psychology? Absolutely.
And this is why i could watch it again and again. We could have a SeGa rip-off with teenagers, elders, eskimos, aliens or vampires. I would watch it. Even a SeGa-ised sageuk with a time traveler neurosurgeon body-swapping with an idol. Couldn't be worse than Dr Jin K-version.
I think than accusing the writer of parodying her own work is a bit unfair. How many dramas are still alive in your mind 2 years after airing? How many famous lines? Cult scenes? Brilliant ideas with accessories? Smoldering kisses? She has the right to be proud of her work.
AGD won't be as famous as SeGa and i'm sure the writer knew that from the start. But still, when you talk first quality rom-com for easy-watching nothing beats her work for me. It's funny and sexy. And I know we won't have a sad ending.
i haven't had the chance to check out a gentleman's dignity yet, but secret garden was mostly solid for me, and i like the formula, so i know i'm going to give it a try.
and anyway, vanity shout outs to past projects isn't a new thing in dramaland either, right? has the writer gone beyond quota or something that people are griping about it?
Actually, I watched SeGa and I liked it. But not more than that; except for the sequins I don't remember much about it... I like AGD in its own right! I don't find it absurd or anything of the kind. Maybe I won't gather much of the meta jokes, but I don't care. I just like what I get, unlike a drama I was looking forward to %#&#
I, too,really liked SG. But by ep 2 I found myself disappointed by AGD. KHN's character is a high school teacher in her 30's, but in all her scenes she's a real ditz and all her lines are variations of "Ottoke". And she's the most likable female in the group - the others being really cliche -- bitchy and or bratty. As for the guys, KSR and KMJ are the most likable of the 4, but of course, (again cliche) fall for the cold, heartless, but sexy dressing woman and the juvenile girl with her long time "Oppa" crush, respectively. I don't think I even have to discuss LJH cliche character. Too many of the scenes are not only ripoffs of SG, but a lot of other Kdramas. Was the writer watching RTP when she had KHN "mistakenly" text a message to JGD? Sorry, the drama seems as tired as JGD looks --- and I love him!
Originality of scripts in dramaland is irrelevant. Dramaland is a big recycling factory of ideas. The text message sent by accident taken from RP? I will tell you it was used before, in You're Beautiful for instance.
True true. I also like lampshading, which they've already made a bit of a game in the first 2 epis of AGD.
One of the things piquing my interest for Gaksital and AGD is the new mix: historical but not saguek for one, and relationship but with old people (okay maybe not so old, since I'm 46) for the other.
Happy Friday everyone! First time posting here. I had vowed after the last dramas that I would limit myself but dang it, the new ones are just too good! QIHM! Thanks for turning me on to that! What a TK2H reliever! Its too cute for words, just takes so long to get the eng sub versions out there. Fell in love with A Gentleman's Dignity. Could not stop laughing! Gaksital and Ghost? Are my new drama cracks! Gaksital sucked me in with all the action (please, please stay that way) and Ghost? WOW! If you have not seen ep 2, the story line has gone a route I have never seen before. I was going to watch because SJS is in it but now, I am so there. I Do, I Do has funny moments but I am not super excited about it but will probably watch. Dr Jin? I think I laughed too much while watching it before I realized it was not a comedy! So, that is a "if I am bored, I'll watch drama". Everyone is anticipated Big and so am I. I just hope it does not turn into a dud like Love Rain or (the horror) Fashion King! See you at the recaps! BTW, thanks to kdrama, I've signed up for Korean language classes! Tired of waiting for subs! SO addicted am I!
Welcome to the craze, MsB! I'm glad you decided to join in with the chaos. Yes, there are a lot of really good shows this year across the dial, so anyone can find a genre they can enjoy.
I'm teaching myself japanese, which helps with the anime / JDorama watching, but just muddles the KDrama stuff.
Good luck with your language lessons! There is a site out there called "Talk to Me in Korean" which has mini-lessons of about 10 minutes or so. It got me a big smile when I managed to choke out my dinner request at my favorite Korean restaurant!
I must start with a painful confession: my heart is bleeding after I saw Ghost. I hated it! I have seen quite a few things with So Ji Sub and I've always found him authentic and believable. But either the writers did a poor job or he cannot act as a brainy character. When I think of it, I remember SJS's roles as a simple person with complicated circumstances. Heh. The lead actress is terrible too. I'm really sad, because I was so excited to see this. Maybe I should not compare the characters to my brother and his friends/colleagues who are IT engineers, but hey... where is that concentration, that immersion into the numbers and commands? The people onscreen seem rather unfamiliar with geek stuff that should be their life! I hope the next episode will be better, otherwise I'm dropping it. Maybe it would be better for SJS to take an accountant character all in all?
On the bright side, I found Gaksital really, really good, although I wasn't that interested. I also enjoyed myself at AGD - I wasn't even planning to start it!
And I'm still giddy when I think of 11th episode of QIHM ;)
I was disappointed most in Ghost (no rhyme intended) this week, which is saying something in a week full of disappointing openers for the new dramas. Episode 1 should always leave us wanting more, and instead, I wished I could have my hour back to clip my toenails and thread my eyebrows. SIGH. I hope it turns around soon, but I have a feeling it will continue to sink in ratings.
Loving QIHM but am frustrated it's not on dramafever and am having a hard time finding it...just searching youtube. What is this SOLIVe thing? Or where else are y'all watching it. Please give some hints.
Regarding QIHM everyone keeps raving about the lead guy character. Um, he's fine. But I think the lead girl is the one who's really making this piece sparkle. The range of emotions she goes through in single reaction/scene is just incredible. You see joy, hope, insecurity, doubt, all of it just flash across her and she's so bubbly. So many dramas I've felt like the guy was carrying the drama with his intensity. But I think without her, the lead male here wouldn't be half as appealing. It's her love of him that makes him so great, and able to do the calmer intensity in contrast.
Meanwhile, I have become strangely addicted to STrong Heart..old episodes and new have me laughing and crying. They should have something like this on American TV. It's such a great mix of emotion and performance. Just watched the one about the actress telling how she performed in a women's prison and their reaction to her...wow. Made me cry, and many others on the show teared up too.
I really dislike cute idiots and it's not different in case of QIHM. The actress does what is needed for the character, but the character isn't the most complicated or demanding. I would even say it's stereotypical. So actually, any pretty girl would do. But maybe I'm simply biased against such types... Dunno, hate the cute...
Solive is a live streaming site, and up till Thursday night it was free, although tedious to install, according to quite a few users. Check out Hillary's comment at 1.4 above for more info.
It takes a while for the QIHM subbed episodes to come out, but I usually catch them on Kimchidramas.net or EPDramas.com. I can't access Dramafever or Dramacrazy. Alternatively, some kind soul uploads the subbed episodes on (? to?) Daily Motion; you could search there.
I haven't started watching QIHM because I'm hoping it will arrive at Dramafever sooner or later (I think it airs TvN, and they eventually carry most of that network's shows). In the meanwhile, though, it's available at KimchiDrama. This site is less wonderful than Dramafever, IMHO, but probably better than surfing youtube :b
@intergirl: Don't think SOLIVE is what you need. SOLIVE is a program that allows you to stream the shows as they air (it is popular because it is the only way to watch TvN if you don't live in Korea and it provides a HD quality with very little buffering ... it also has other channels).
What you need is the streaming sites or download sites with QIHM. Here is a link to Hamster's QIHM video collection (no commercials, no segments and good quality ... all are on dailymotion). Has all subbed episodes up to 12. Pretty sure she is part of the Darksmurffs community and that group is currently subbing QIHM, so she generally has these up within 24-48 hours after Darksmurffs finalize their subbing.
I actually really like the storyline in ghost. There's a twist to the story--if u finished watching ep 2, you'll see what I mean. As long as Ghost keep up the pace like in episode 2, I believe this could be a great watch. ^^
Watched episode 1 of Ghost, and liked it up to the "cliff-hanger" until they started playing "Phantom of the Opera". To me it killed the effect. I am hoping there is a good reason for that music in episode 2 otherwise it's just cheesy. The twist better be a good one!
I felt the same way when "Phantom of the Opera" played in the first episode. It was way too dramatic, but it does tie into the second episode. Watching and recapping the first episode was definitely worth it after I watched the second episode.
I'm about to start watching the second episode, and believe me, I want so much that it proves better than the first one. The setup was allright (otherwise I wouldn't have watched it at all) but the execution killed it for me... Please, save my respect for SJS, Show!
I also found the "Phantom of the Opera" music out-of-place and jarring, but then it made sense after episode 2. And now I wonder if the title translation should be "Phantom," rather than "Ghost." I looked up the translation of "Phantom of the Opera" in Korean and it is "Opera-eui Yoo-ryung." The title of this drama is "Yoo-ryung." Coincidence??
On top of that, Um Ki-joong interestingly hasn't made his appearance yet. He is the only major billed actor who has not yet shown up -- or has he??
I just hope this drama -- which I'll personally refer to as "Phantom" from now on -- can keep up the awesome. Because awesome it is. :)
@cv: That is also what I like most about ghost: the storyline. I am probably committing sacrilege but I am not really impressed with SJS (don't kill me ... LOL). Maybe he gets less stiff as we go along... will still watch though.
That's precisely what I'm agonizing about! The one and only reason to have a look at the drama was as weak as the main actress, LYH or whatever her name is. It's not a reason to be mad at disappointed viewers but at the disappointing drama makers. I am all for constructive and well founded criticism, even if it is SJS (well, he totally deserved it for the 1st ep.)
Hahha! SJS isn't bad at all. You have to consider that maybe that's how his character is suppose to be portray? Now after the twist of the story, maybe he'll be better since you know, the character changed. :D (totally spoiler there! LOL)
So Ji Sub, bless his heart, is not the best actor. I don't mind Lee Yeon Hee myself, in some of her works. She is there for eye candy after all. But since both rely on a strong acting partner, together it's not really all that nice to watch.
But I love the story line. I hope SJS can pull it off.
So I've just watched episode 2 and... it is indeed better than ep.1.
There are some loopholes (or they seem loopholes right now) so I'm on the fence whether it's as good as I wanted it to be.
I guess it was my first encounter with Daniel Choi - he totally stole the show. I also like the performance by some secondary characters, for example the bad tempered and mistrustful detective. SJS and LYH have two more episodes to prove they were cast in the show not only because they are pleasant to look at.
I love Detective "Mad Cow"! I also noticed his subordinate is played by the same actor who was Dokko Jin's cheeky manager in Best Love, and the dynamic between these two characters is hysterical. Whoever said this drama wasn't funny?
Hi OTers!
With this June comes my 3rd anniversary of indulgence in k-dramas...I just marathoned Delightful Girl Choon Hyang-my first kdrama love!
First loves die hard-true indeed!!
The semester's over, and I have just finished marathoning H.I.T. and have fallen in love with that whole team. I want a team like that at work . . . well without the whole fear of having one of them kidnapped by a serial killer that is. I love how the male lead falls in love with our heroine because he cannot help having respect for her intelligence, loyalty, and work ethic--oh yeah and Go Hyun-jung looks luminous with little make up and regular woman (sans couture and high heels) clothes. I really like how all the secondary characters get their own stories so we see how they grow and change and the loyalty amongs the team gets built. AND the heroine gets to rescue the hero and the end. Yes, there are corny bits, and there is a tendency of the director to use dramatic cuts from one face to another in an attempt to build tension (although with a brilliant serial killer on the lose, I'm not sure that is really necessary), but still I loved this show. Anyone else watch this or remember watchin this?
Are there other Go Hyun Jung shows/movies people would receommend? I watched What's Up Fox and really loved her in that as well. I know that she has a movie coming out this summer, but I will have to wait for it to come out with subs or in region 1 formatf or me to see it to see it. I cannot seem to find other movies except for Actress, but that was in region 3.
If not, I am also looking for other dramas where the female lead stays strong throughout like H.I.T or Fermentation/Kimchi Family ( I marathoned this one before H.I.T).
Oh my gosh!! I love that drama. I think it's one of my favourite cop-drama. I remember I first heard about it because the theme song was sung by SuJu (I'm sorry big SuJu fan here). ILoved GHJ's character but I was so invested in the H.I.T. members I remember having loved Kim Jung Tae's character and his partner who was played by Ma Dong Suk (he was such a softie despite looking all growly).
Well, she is also my fav of all time. WUF, HIT were amazing collaborations for the writers, actors and cast.
I watched Sandglass because of how much I love her.
She has the most beautiful hair in that one - when she isn't wearing a wig, that is.
I haven't watched it, but I hear good things about Daemul.
And of course she was a really good bad guy in Queen Seon Duk...
Shows with strong female leads? You MUST watch Lovers in Prague!! The actors in that drama are mostly known for films. It is the last time you see Ha Jung Woo, (♥ ♥ ♥!) on the small screen in a supporting role. By the way, he ended up filming a wonderful little movie with Jeon Do Heon My Dearest Enemy a few years later.
I am guessing that I Do I Do will end up delivering for us this season. I am getting many WUF vibes off it. Which makes sense since the set-up and OTP are similar.
Anyway, I am rambling now. Good luck with your search!
Hello tout le monde!
Why do I love QIHM soooo much?
Yes, BD. Yes, HJ. Yes, everyone else in the cast.
Yes, gayageum music with modern music. LOVE THAT!
Mostly, what I love is the filmmaking and editing of the show.
Did you notice all the overlapping dialog and visuals?
They are doing this all through the show - which allows them to tell the story is less time. Not fewer frames, because there are a lot of cuts. It makes everything feel urgent, and adds zip the to sageuk dialog that we normally don't feel.
I noticed when I started making headers, when I would accidentally catch two gorgeous shots in the same frame.
What we get are beautiful overlays and transitions that tell an extremely compelling story all by themselves. The really obvious ones are when he is reading th annals, and they are showing the action of his narration in sepia tones.
Who thought that reading history on screen would make your heart speed up?
I am not a patient viewer. Watching Equator Man just about KILLED me because of the loooooooooong shots and slow transitions.
This type of story telling makes my heart soar. I want to marry this PD and editor and have all of their drama babies.
QIHM really is amazing. I love the background music in the modern scenes. Usually I don't notice the music, but with this i did.
Are you planning to watch Gaksital? I ask because i didn't see any comments from you on the recaps.
When i watched the first episode my first thought was , Jomo's son is going to love this.
You are scary right, aoiaheen!
We DID watch Ep 1 together, but we were both up too late last night to watch 2. We are going to catch up this weekend and I'll read the recaps and comment.
At first he was like "Bridal Mask? How dumb is that?"
So I told him to think of it more as Batman's mask,and not to worry about the translation of the name.
He can't just watch anything. If something doesn't make sense, we have to talk about it and there was googling.
We had to work through the history lesson of Japan's interference in K's government - we discussed why there is still anti-J feelings today.
I feel lucky that he (still) wants to spend time with his old momma. I treasure every moment together! :)
See. That's why i watch dramas - For the history lesson (and not for the hot kisses and the abs).
I remember studying the french revolution in high school and i literally slept through the whole lesson. Then i just happened to read the scarlet pimpernel (a very old novel by Baroness Orczy) and boy did i do well in our history test.
Its nice to see that your son is enjoying the same things you do. I wish that when my daughter grows up, we have atleast some common interests.
@aoiaheen: I love scarlet pimpernel... I have several editions as the first one was my mom's literature book in school (LOL). I even have some of the sequels she wrote ... they are in a box though. I also loved the movies (every single one of them). That brought back memories.
@ Hillary: oh! a fellow scarlet pimpernel fan. My favorite of the movies was the one with Leslie Howard. He was sooo awesome in that. I wonder if they'd ever remake that one.
I also liked Leslie Howard's version the best. I also liked A&E's 1998 adaptation with Richard E. Grant.
There was a 1982 TV movie with Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour, which I did not like so much but I think it was because I just don't like Jane Seymour.
Richard Grant was the bestest Scarlet Pimpernel by far. A & E came out with awesome adaptatons of a lot of English literature too. I also like the Horatio Hornblower series with Ioan Griffuld.
@Shuk: I love Horatio Hornblower... and I admit, a huge, HUGE, ABSOLUTELY HUGE Ioan Gruffuld fan. Love that man, his intensity. He was just born to play Horatio Hornblower. I hoped that they would continue the series as there were 12 books in Forester's series ... but it wasn't to be.
Thanks, Jomo, for pointing out the bits of wizardry that help make this show what it is. I knew it all the elements were blending together so well, but you've helped me understand how and why.
Hey everyone, just wanted to say Thank You again. My class presentation went really well. Mystisith, they loved the map! It was the second most popular part of my presentation :). The most popular part was when I made them watch a trailer for "Head" (without subs) and try to guess what it was about (I was making a point about fansubbers). I did play Fantastic Baby for them, and one of my classmates filmed them but...They were suppressing their reactions (at least the girls were!) because they're spoilsports.
Oh! And this was in spite of my accidentally deleting my original video presentation shortly beforehand!
Hi Amber! I'm happy i could help a little bit with your presentation. It wasn't completely gratuitous... I just hope we have 1 or 2 more fans for the Korean entertainment. :)
Oh! On another note: I'm going to be taking Korean in the fall and my teacher asked me for drama suggestions, because she's thinking of incorporating them into the lessons. So...any thoughts? She's wanting something that will have more everyday type dialogue in it I think.
Dramas to help with Korean lessons:
Without being too specific, i would choose family dramas: A lot of gatherings, meals... Ojakgjo Brothers, Fermentation Family.
School environment: What's up? Dream high!
I haven't watched Dr Jin yet, but I read/looked at the recaps for ep1, and what struck me most of all was: I hardly recognize Song Seung-heon.
Not that I'm an expert, I've only seen him in My Princess before, but I honestly would never have thought this was the same guy. He looks really different to me!!
Is it just me? Is it plastic surgery? Why would anyone feel the need to mess with a face like SSH's previous one??
Also, unrelatedly:
Queen In-hyeon's Man! OMG I love this drama so much.
Maybe - I guess that could be it. To me the entire shape of his face looks different, but I can imagine that maybe it's just gotten really thin when it wasn't before.
If that's it, I really really hope he gains back that weight soonest. I thought he was much more attractive before.
I don't get the losing weight either, really, it's not like he was overweight! He was just right, and yummily muscular.
Not recognizing actors is still a problem of mine. I don't know what it is but even a slight difference in hairstyle makes a person totally new to me. It isn't as bad as it used to be, when I would watch consecutively 2 films with Kwon Sang Woo (he's remarkable, isn't he?) and not realise he's in both productions, but an annoying film when I get into fangirl mode and look for some dramas/films with an actor I get to like, only to find out I have already seen it.
Hola Dramabeans! Headed to the supermarket with the kids since they're out of school for the summer. Must.buy.oatmeal. Wishing you all a happy OT Friday. TTYL!
I love hide cider. In college many a wild night was preceded by sharing a coupla bottles with my roomy.
Man! We got into some trouble back then...it was fun!
@yasmin
Hey! New to commenting, though have been checking out DB since reading escapes for Dalja's spring, which was a really fun drama.
You're asking about what to watch next and this is going a few years back now but mixed up investigative agency is great! And Que sera sera.. That was intense but it's worth seeing, if u can handle it, just for jung yoo mi (the crucible)'s performance and the dialogues.. Very layered drama, amazing.
also flowers of my life is a great little one. The humour is kinda like black humour but I personally thought the drama was uplifting and witty rather than depressing.. And it has one of my fav actresses, kang hye jung, in it! She's great.
These are all older ones as I havent got round to seeing all of the new ones. But they seem like a pretty decent batch, some seeming to stand out more than others like gaksital, queen in hyuns man being the main two. I saw a bit of QIHM and I admit, I liked it a lot :)
So there u go! Hope that's somewhat useful in starting u off!
Loved Que Sera Sera, too. It stayed in my mind longer than a lot of other kdramas.
Warning: the description of QSS on dramafever is overly dramatic and offputting and I don't think it fits that drama at all. Yeah, it's not a sweet cute little kdrama, and it is emotionally intense, but as others have said, worth it. And I have a low tolerance for dark, depressing shows and I still liked it.
Loved QSS, too.
My guess is the reason we make it through the heavier stuff is because they did such a good job establishing a real connection between the OTP. It wasn't one sided. He recognized his feelings for her early on even if he acted like he didn't.
I lived for many a episode remembering THAT kiss.
Oh man,THAT kiss. I think I know what you're talking about ;) I must have teacher that kiss so many times.
It's one of those that I watched obsessively, kind of like the drama itself.. And some of the characters. But it felt gritty but real and then stark and it truly is worth getting your teeth into isnt it?
And I'm glad so many others appreciate that drama.
And yes @SweetiePie54 it really got me into knots as well. It's somewhat like a really in depth characters study as well.
Fantastic.
I don't know who does the drama descriptions over at DramaFever, but some of them are really off-kilter.
'Fashion King' was described as a Romantic Comedy.
It was kind of a comedy, just not in the intentional way.
:)
I'm watching Que Sera, Sera right now, and I can't wrap my head around how different it is from most other Korean dramas. It's almost a little...Cruel Intentions-y. Me likes.
I am currently on episode 13 of Que Sera Sera and I LOVE it. It's so GOOD! It's been a really long time since I have been hooked on a drama. I want to just power through and watch it but if I do it will be over and I don't want it to end. QSS gets me twisted in knots. Love it love it love it. :)
Watched up to ep 12 of QIHM, and I'm so in love, I don't know what to do with myself. The show is just awesome, and Boong-do is easily my favorite Kdrama hero.
I loved the first 2 eps of GD, but I'm still cautious about the drama as a whole.
The first ep of Ghost was better than I thought it would be, but I'm so sad that Daniel Choi is just doing a cameo. He's what made the episode interesting for me. *sigh* At least we get to keep Uhm Ki-joon, which is good because we need someone around to do the heavy-lifting among the actors.
So yeah, I still haven't figured out why I like So Ji-sub.
I still have the premieres of Gaksital (SO EXCITED!!!!), I Do I Do, and Dr. Jin waiting for me, and maybe I Love Lee Tae-ri and The Chaser, if I can find subs for those two. I know what I'll be doing this weekend!
Let's see...lovely day here. My crippled household continues to struggle along, but I'm still not up to full speed with using arms/hands and now that daughter has broken wrist...well..the big debate around here is who's going to carry the LAUNDRY?
I have 5 eps to go on Equator Man. Really enjoying. Can't hate Prosecutor yet, though, and I even understand the twisted reasons Crazy loves him.
QIHM. sigh. so perfect.
K-Jin and J-Jin. Watching both episode by episode. Long live Pickled Babies! Fun, but last night changed my viewing strategy because
GAKSITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL. Love. Plan to be keeping up with this episode by episode.
Probably Big, too, once that starts, and Arang.
Intend to watch AGD and IDID...which makes me laugh because I Do, I Do (they have sex) IDID - now they have a baby.
Inbetween, checking out RH Plus.
Watched Into the White Night. Twistedness. And one very, very sexy bed scene. You GO, Go Soo.
Saw Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (for the Elderly & Beautiful) with my mom. RUN, do not walk, to your nearest theater. Absolute gem.
Saw Dark Shadows with my friend. Great soundtrack. Happy I saw it because I heart the original series so much. Movie is not quite funny enough to be a comedy and not quite scary enough to be scary. Mixed bag.
DYING to see Avengers. No one will go with me :(
And can I just say that the teasers for Monster have me as excited as if a long anticipated horror movie with my favorite actors, stories, directors, and musicians was coming out. I love each concept with sadly one exception: Mushroom GD is going to require explanation. Seungri is always handsome, of course...but TOP and TaeYang are NUCLEAR this time around. June 3d, get here soon.
Gaksital is also next in line behind QIHM. 3rd is AGD. Yes the weather on the east coast is finally beautiful after the remnants of Beryl have moved on!
You had mentioned Into the Night before but I haven't had time to look for or watch it.
If you were further south, I'd see Avengers with you! Unfortunately, a whole bunch of northbound buslines were shut down this week for safety violations. Not the one that I use, thank goodness, but now other passengers are scrambling so that one is now all but sold out for a while.
Glad to know the healings going well, and I hope you and your family continue to heal your bodies with medicine, and your hearts with Kdrama!
The 'Monster' MV will be released 11am EST TOMMORROW (viz midnight KST, 6/3). TOP with those different coloured lens and the head tilt looks positively freaky!! And, Dae is following up with another ab-baring act after FB!! :D
Hi JoAnne
- Into the White Night was awesomely twisted, I was tied to the computer from beginnning to end. I remember I saw this right after Personal Taste finished airing and boy was SYJ very different from her ditzy character in PT. Go Soo was unbelievable in this movie.
The Avengers was fun, and I had a good time watching it of course it's because I'm very fond of Joss Whedon's type of humour and directing style; his snark is very much on my wavelength and boy was there a lot of snark in Stark's character... hehe
Sorry about your daughter's wrist! Hope it heals quickly.
QIHM. I have been wondering whether to watch that or not - I have to say I'm still harbouring resentment towards the actor who plays the male lead for his total failure in A Thousand Kisses. I know, I know! I will have to get over it somehow.
Haven't seen Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - the cast seems stellar but I'm worried about it relying too much on clichés. Might wait for it on DVD.
Can't say I would be on board for Avengers either (or Prometheus, which is the big film this weekend but leaves me totally cold - I'm going for Moonrise Kingdom instead :-D) BUT JoAnne dear, if no one wants to come along to the cinema.. GO BY YOURSELF. Don't miss a film you're dying to see because no one else is interested.
I actually mostly go to the cinema by myself (personal preference) and love it. I find I enjoy the film a lot more because I don't have to immediately afterwards start talking about whether I liked it or didn't like it and yadayadayada. I cherish my quiet, post-film reflection time.
hmm I go to the cinema by myself a lot too... because if I go with friends in Mexico they like to see it dubbed... yeah not going to happen, I could never watch, say Mark Ruffalo( I lub him, he's one of my husbands) speaking with a thin voice in Spanish... blech.... no way jose....
But thanks to that I find that I enjoy going alone a lot more than say with friends... because when I'm in a group I tend to watch the other's reactions, and observe them not the movie... I've tried to break that habit but it's hard...
I also like going during my random break times like say if I have no classes from 10-1 I'm probably to be found at the movies... that way I almost always get the theater to myself...hehehe
I think generally we are just raised to think that going to the cinema is a communal activity, you know, something you do with friends and that if you go by yourself it's weird (like you have no friends).
But once I got over that (realising that otherwise I would never get to see a lot of films), I also found that I prefer the cinema by myself more so with other people.
Although I do have certain people for certain films (e.g. Studio Ghibli I always go with a certain friend, and screenings at the Korean Cultural Centre are also getting to be a very communal things but that's because the same of us keep showing up :-) ).
Agree on the dubbed. *shudders* And then there is of course the standard reaction of "A subtitled film? But that's so much work to watch."
We have a ancient (from the 1920's) cinema called The Naro that shows quirky films (and The Rocky Horror Picture Show every Saturday!).
My first subtitle experience was Woman On The Edge Of A Nervous Breakdown, which is a Latin America film. Couldn't stop laughing, and I realized that there was more out there than just Hollywood.
Now I go to the Naro on a regular basis, just to see what's come up in the international film industry.
I actually LOVE going to the cinema by myself -- at weird "time slots", so that I get a nearly empty theater and am able to really get into the movie without the distraction of so many people crushed into the theatre for the opening. Luckily, I review films and a local theatre has invited me to a pre-viewing on more than one occasion so that there's just 20 or so of us journalists in the room and we all stretch out, say hi, and then blissfully ignore each other.
That's cool you have a cinema like that. Curiously, the cinema I went to today (to see Moonrise Kingdom), is apparently the UK's oldest - it opened in 1909. I actually thought first 'that's not all that old', but then again film hasn't actually been around for all that long!
Oh, I'm looking forward to Moonrise Kingdom too - such an amazing cast!
I didn't find Marigold cliche-ridden but then I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about. Cliches about India? I've only seen a few movies about India so nothing seems cliched to me...and as a place it seemed to be treated with great love and respect in the movie. Cliched characters? I would say that each character in the movie (Indian or British) is an archetype, certainly. There were nuances in place that made them feel real to me, and not cardboard. The actors, of course, are all seasoned, talented pros. I recognize the mother of Dev Patel, but don't know her name...most of the other Indian actors I did not know. Other than the fact that the extremely crowded and noisy city streets would probably have me hyperventilating in panic, this movie only solidifies my wish to see such a beautiful place.
Yeah, I was mostly thinking in terms of clichéd characters, especially along the Indian / British divide.
I never found India all that crowdy (been twice), but then again I live in London and certain areas at certain hours are super-crowdy and super-noisy (e.g. Oxford Street, a major and tourist-overrun shopping street that's best avoided at any cost) - more so then what I experienced in India. However, India can feel more disorganised and dustier (lots of construction work everywhere). But also more colourful.
oh and QIHM? Don't have any worries at all for how you might feel about the lead. He is perfection. I would bet you MONEY that they actually fell in love filming this, that's how believable and satisfying and utterly, ridiculously sweet it is.
You know that feeling when you first realize you love someone, and that they love you back? And the world is this incredibly beautiful place and you bask in sunshine and warmth and the belief that it will always be this way, forever, that his breath will always be the sweetest thing you've ever known and just the MEMORY of the feel of his skin is all that it takes to make you deliriously happy? That's what this entire drama feels like.
Happy weekend, DB denizens of the OT :D How was your week?
In local Dramaland, Gino's allowance and perks get cut off by Grandpa, a la Hwan, for disrupting the office party. So no car, no bank account, no more preferential treatment. Jao comes to the country to look for Mikay, and contrives to give her another scholarship when Gino's family had her first one revoked. Kiko embarks on a makeover, with the help of Mikay's younger sister Dindi. And Jao's mom learns that the princess is still alive. I just love "Princess and I." /sighs luxuriously.
Oh, and somehow out of all the great dramas we've been having and are ongoing, I started watching a drama raw for the first time-- I Do, I Do. I swear, it's the rom-coms that get me everytime.
I have seen your previous post about piggy back ride in Phil drama recently.
I was there for a visit last April, though i dont watch teleserye for a long time now,(last one was Tayong Dalawa) i keep my self updated with phil show business through pep.ph.
Anyway, i think i saw that part where the guy was giving the girl a piggyback ride. I dont really watch TFC that much but i may have to check this drama. You got me curious.
So, among the three guys, who are you rooting for?
Who am I rooting for..? Well, at first it was Jao. But now I'm not so sure... Gino is growing on me! Ah, I'm torn. They're all so cute! Daniel Padilla (Gino) is shaping up to be quite a good actor (well, he is a Padilla). Enrique Gil plays sweet and earnest and rather self-conscious very nicely. I just hope there's more character development for Jao down the road because right now Gino is getting to be more interesting.
That's makes the two of us. I so wanted PJM stays with SuPearls. She was much more interesting with them than alone. She has beautiful voice, just not as entertaining as SuPearls. I honestly think that it won't work as solo for her (I would glad to be proven wrong). also agree about LHY. She has the attitude to pull a solo act. He.
I'm just catching up with all the past dramas that just finished. Ahh, I feel streets behind in everything, but this is what I get for waiting for shows to be finished.
Currently waiting for QIHM's to be done. I've been waiting 5ever!!! Next week is the final week and I'm gonna literally explode with joy of all sorts. Also Hulu picked up Marriage Plot and those are stacking up in my queue too! Yayayayayay!
I watched all of King 2 Hearts and it was SOOOOOOOOO good. I loved it except I wish Eun Shi Kyung stayed alive. Eff you Bong-Gu. Also Lee Seung Gi was all awesome and sexyyyy. I'm imaging the ocean of tears that wil well up in Korea once he goes off to do mandatory military service,lol. No one will be prepared.
Right now, I'm watching Fashion King which I actually find really interesting except for the fact that half these characters have no idea what their life is even about. Yoo Ah In is so cool though even though his character is kind of a jerk sometimes. :)
LSG in the army - [cries]
LSG in his first shower scene afterwards - [cheers]
---
I'm doing good! Getting ready to do the sleep thing. It's 1249 in the afternoon but being a graveyard shifter means my bedroom is a dark cave no matter how bright it is outside.
I too am looking forward to / dreading the end of QIHM. I'm hoping my choices to fill the void do me well.
HAHAHA, everyone is waiting for those LSH post-army abs, I tell ya. I feel like people are waiting for them even though he's not there yet *ahem* me *cough cough*
Sleeping in the afternoon is awesome though! O: And eep graveyard shift >.<, hope you have a goood daaaay!
Thanks! Sleep time over, and I rechecking on things. There's a couple of guys going into the army, that I'm looking forward to seeing on the other side..
And, of course, a couple should be coming out of the army soon. I think Kim Nam-Gil is one of them; I know Rain just went in.
Kim Nam Gil comes back in Julyyyyy, I think. One of those J-months,LOL. But I actually can say I've been waiting for him for two years, to the point that I might actually cry of happiness.
I just want him to be in something where he gets the girl and DOESN'T die. Who are these writers and why on Earth would kill off someone so hot? But seriously, he dies in everything...
And please, no stringy lank hair and ratty mustache. He's not my favorite to look at but he'd be much higher on the list if he'd just LISTEN TO MY HAIR ADVICE. I like his acting so if I could appreciate his appearance at the same time...all the better!
Hahaha, he's probably still rocking his army cut and no mustache right now, so he'll probably be looking the same as when he debuted. Aww, I just wanna see him >:
Lol I'm on ep. 15 and they really are starting to piss me off. I feel bad for Ga Young and I don't understand why Young "Grrrl" hasn't kissed her yet or done anything yet, when he feels the same. Also she's so timid!!!! An Na has no life goals anymore, despite what she says. Jae Hyuk is a hopeless romantic (I saw you crying during that french film...and watching Titanic) with no eye for business yet he's a director...and still a director. The business part of the show would be cool if I could keep up with where all this money was coming from and how law suits get filed and then...not. How did YG escape further police questioning that one time, anyway??? What happened to that Mob Boss? And wtf is Fashion King because I still don't understand.
I'd like to see Yoo Ah In as the lead in something really really good though! I don't know who did what to lure him into this tragedy but I hate that person,lol. On the other hand, he is awesome in this even if it is badly written (watching for him). Shin Se Kyung too. Lee Je Hoon too. But they all deserve better.
Kwon Yuri seems to be doing alright, too. This is her debut so it's a pretty good start but I don't think it takes much to play that character. I do feel like she swings her hips a bit too much when she walks, though. I'm surprised she hasn't swung them out of place yet, lol.
LOL seeeeeee what I mean? there is just no reason for anything or do anything. They go in circle and have no clue to what they want. Really badly written storyline. For these yong talented actors, better luck next time. Pls pick a better drama that is well written---read the story first. ^^
umm, did someone mention LEE SEUNG-GI?! <3 His performance as Jae-ha has been the best thus far this year. At his concert in Japan today he covered K Will's "Love is Crying". Sucks for the rest of us. :/
The following fanvid is SO well done. It contains major SPOILERS.
I KNOW, eh?! Tears welled up in my eyes the first time I watched it. I just miss these beautiful characters SO much. Even when the plot left a lot to be desired these characters never failed us. We were just so invested in their fates.
Oh noooo, they put the Shower You With Kisses Speech in one of those. I'm going to have to grab a mop to clean up this puddle of goo that is my heart right now.
THAT was a really awesome fanvid. The song fit really well too. Awwww...I miss those guys. Will watch it again when scenes are less fresh in my mind and heart.
I really liked watching FKing. I didn't LIKE the story, or the characters, or the end.
But looking at it as a stringing together of pretty awesome acting, and heartbursting moments, it is entertaining.
First of all because you could NEVER guess what would happen next, because logic did not apply to that dramaverse, but also because LJH and YAI outacted the script in every episode.
Especially LJH, whose next project I await impatiently.
Hi jomo!!! YES, it's so entertaining and I think that's why people have kept watching till the end despite complaining pretty much since ep.2 onwards HAHAHA !
Logic certainly does not apply. I laugh every time LJH's character asks KY's if she's having an affair when he's pretty much doing JUST that in their "relationship". It's really something though. I feel like if it was a book I'd be all over it too. It can be a little exhausting to watch but I wanna see what happens so badly!
I have watched all of the “Seasons dramas (Endless Love)”, and if you have never watched them all, all I can say is that you are missing on a part of Korean TV history that has define, modern trendy dramas and usher the era of the “ Hallyu wave”.
I have been watching “ Love Rain” and I must admit that it is a drama that, stand above the rest, people are looking at the ratings and assume that because it has low ratings in Korea that must be the case world wide, but on the contrary LR outside of Korea has been a great success.
This drama has all the elements that have made, Korean melodrama, a force to recon with, from the unrequited first love, to the endless misunderstandings, the evil second lead, the almost terminal illness, and the familial dilemmas, that seem to keep our OTP apart.
I have read the criticism of this drama, and I belive that it is unfair, if you have never seen the body of work of director “ Yoon Seok-Ho”, how can people judge accordingly? Is akin to judge Gerge Lucas career on his latest movie “Red Tails”, since we know he is one of the greatest film directors of all times.
With out “Yoon Seok-Ho”, we will not have the success of artist like; ( Autumn in My Heart ),
Song Seung Heon
Song Hye Kyo
Won Bin
Moon Geun Young
(Winter Sonata), Choi Ji-woo
Bae Yong Joon
(Summer Scent), Son Ye-jin
(Spring Waltz), Seo Do-young
Han Hyo Joo
Daniel Henney
Lee So-yeon .
A lot pf people say that Love Rain is a throw back from the past, and in that sense it is, but the difference now is not only the improvement of technology, but in music production, the story line resembles that of the 4 seasons, and I must admit that Jang Keun Suk, Yoona have prove themselves, as proper actors, so in all honesty if you guys are not watching Love Rain, you are missing one of the best dramas of the last 10 years, in my humble opinion this drama is that good.
I have watched Autumn in My Heart so far, and I did get about half way through Summer Scent but it's just so...slowwwwww. I do intend to watch all 4 because I know they're a cornerstone of K-Drama. And this is all for intellectual research, of course, to thoroughly understand this corner of television history, right, and form thoughtful opinions about how the medium might be improved upon in my own country.
I get what you say! unlike Rom/com's that are fast and full of wit, melodramas specially the "old ones", tend to feel very slow, but the trade off for me, is in the elements of a melodrama, maybe I am a bit of a "Pain Seeker", but dramas like "Will Snow For Christmas, Que Sera Sera, Phoenix, Stained Glass, Ms Ripley, Bad Guy", hold a mental edge that I do not get in Rom/Com's, so if I had to hose between a high quality melodrama, like Love Rain, and 10 mediocre Rom/com's, without mention "High School High 2, and the likes I think I will choose the latter one!!
I love these shows when I am in pain seeking mode - great name for them, btw - But you really have to be ready for them.
Will It Snow for Christmas hurt sooooooo much for sooooo long, and I loved it. AimH, on the other hand, just hurt stupit hurt. I kept yelling: YOU CAN BE TOGETHER, THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. Move to America! LOL
I think I will save LR for later; I like the adult pairing.
Oh, I'm not afraid of melo AT ALL. Two of my favorite dramas are A Love to Kill and Sang Doo, Let's Go to School. I loved Will It Snow, Que Sera Sera, and Bad Guy as well. I just actually think not enough happens in Summer Scent for the vast majority of the time, LOL. I want MORE angst.
No, I think she needs to get run over by a truck. Probably not plausible.
I still haven't watched the last episode. I think I'm afraid of last episodes. I can watch up to episode 19 or 15, but that last one is always a doozy. Maybe I don't like happy endings.
Oh John, you just put THE biggest smile on my face...love the O'Jays, love that song, loved Soul Train, LIVED to watch the dance line. I was always a Soul Train girl more than an American Bandstand girl. Loved the Jackson Five WAY more than the Osmonds, too. What a great start to my rainy Saturday!
I'm about halfway through Summer Scent and I love the way it looks. There are so many scenes that look visually breathtaking that part of me is watching it for the those scenes as opposed to the story. :)
On paper, Love Rain seemed like it would be an old-fashioned melodrama. It ended up being a quiet reinvention of the K-melodrama form.
1) The plot works through the normal tropes of K-melodrama story, but it also subverts and quietly pokes fun at the genre. For example, we know early on that Sung Ho is probably in love with Ha Na too, but even he is aware of his own "white knight" habits and by extension, his status as "support character." Seo Jung provides mocking commentary of both his and Ha Na's noble-idiot turns, even while they follow the script.
2) Great writing between Seo Jung and his parents. Without belaboring the point, you could see the took their domestic issues had on him, even before the love story picked up. The respectful, but strained dynamic between In Ha and Seo Jung is beautifully observed, as well as Seo Jung's compassion and wariness of his mother.
3) Seo Jung and Ha Na follow a true dating cycle! When was the last time you saw a K-couple share multiple kisses before figuring out whether they really like each other. It gives the couple a grounded quality that pays dividends when things finally get complicated.
4) I think it goes without saying that Yoona's the big surprise here. She was flat as Yeon Hee (which, in retrospect, was underwritten), but as Ha Na, she was on the mark with her character's conflicted emotions.
5) This was a good romance, but a great coming-of-age story. Seo Jung reconnects and makes peace with his parents, learns lessons on love, and above all discovers a normal shirt in his closet!
Agreed! I really enjoyed Love Rain. I had my reservations when I found out Yoona would be the love interest but she is much improved and so lovely. JGS is one of my faves! Music, scenery, actors, directing, etc ...was fabulous, in my opinion. I'm happy to see some love here on DB for Love Rain..finally! ;)
I feel obliged to throw in my own 2 cents here for Love Rain.
I'm not surprised at the divisiveness of viewers - watching Love Rain is rather like the difference between reading a novel or a book of poetry, LR being that book of verse.
It's a drama that requires watching it for the animal it is - it's not funny or fast or overly dramatic. It's a finely etched portrait of love over two generations. It's quiet, exquisitely filmed (every frame is stunning - from ep 1, on). Each advance in the plot is carefully layered onto the former - Yoon PD and his writer never stray from their vision.
I was unabashedly a Negative Nelly when I saw the casting of JGS and YoonAh - especially JGS and his last dismal project (You're My Pet). And after watching the entirety of Love Rain I can say without hesitation that these two kids ROCKED their parts. The strong hand of Yoon PD was the deciding factor here - he taught these two kids how to act
and kept them under control with spectacular results. The older generation of the cast did what they do best - acting that enriched and bolstered the story.
Yoon may not have done anything since Winter Sonata, but he's shown that storytelling of an introspective and sensitive nature never goes out of style. It really was a lovely watch and I came away with new found respect for all involved.
:)
I do intend to watch this. There's just so much else going on that's of a more 'cracktastic' nature these days! I'm saving it for dreary weather and being housebound.
I was never interested but I may watch it to form my own opinion. I dunno though, I did have a hard time going through Autumn in My Heart (they were like 30! You don't need your parents permission just move house! You're not even related!! AAAAH!) Couldn't even get through it for Won Bin who is my favorite actor! Though, his acting now is loads better than his acting then I must admit. Honestly, it was boring to me and I feel like if I didn't like your writing then I most likely won't now.
Also, I watched Will It Snow and never will do that again O____O I think my aversion towards many melos comes from this show, actually. Lol! I do enjoy angst though--so Que Sera Sera, Bad Guy...I liked those.
This really was different from Yoon's 4 Seasons melos - it was lighter in tone and didn't stray from the central theme by introducing the typical Kdrama tropes all over the place.
The story wasn't redundant - Yoon kept it streamlined and simple, not overly depressing (nobody had to commit suicide to provide corneas for their going blind love :) ).
I think you'll enjoy this one.
Ahhhh! I see I see. Okay! I will check it out one day :)
And actually I did watch and like another of his four season dramas -Spring Waltz! Besides that horrendously long (I think it was 2 episodes...felt like 2 years) childhood flashback sequence in the middle it was pretty sweet.
And thanks for giving a non-biased opinion about it! Loads better than the comments of other people a couple months back where it was all "Like it because you should! All you do is watch rom-coms!",lol. Ahhhh, stress~ *Lee Jae-Ha voice*
1. I’m new to downloading and wanted to know would there be a difference in the timing/placement of subs (srt file) if I download either the 360p or 720p video?
2. Loving Papa YG. They’ve recently announced more dates of BigBang’s world tour and I adore that they’re going practically to EVERY SE Asian country. AWESOME!! THIS is how a ‘world’ tour’s done right. *cough SM cough*
3. Waiting with bated breath for BigBang’s ‘Monster’ MV. It’ll be out tomorrow at 11am. TOP looks f.r.e.a.k.y. And,
̶Seung-gi Seungri is lookin’ so good as well. Maknae’s all grown up!! Eeppp, SO excited!!
In answer to your first question, yes. Try out different players because some of them allow you to adjust the subs as long as they are not too far off.
For network shows the Hanrel or KOR versions are what most groups sub to. I've had good luck with subs being rather interchangable for those two versions.
Cable dramas are a whole different ballgame though. Your best bet if you don't know how to re-time subs is to wait to see what version the subbing groups are using. Good Google-Fu helps. :)
Downloading TK2H (720p) and the subs are off of Dramafever. And, their subs are like a second faster which is very distracting (esp, having watched the series at viki). Imma try the DSS subs. Hopefully they'll work out better.
Go to asiasub.blogspot.com. This site accumulates subs from Dramafever, Viki, and DSS into one location and there are often re-syncs for the various versions, especially the cable dramas.
I'm thinking of giving up Standby, because it's clearly headed towards Ki-woo/Soo-hyun and, as a Ki-woo/So-min 'shipper, it's kind of breaking my heart. (though when I say 'clearly', I actually mean 'in my opinion'. ^_^)
Just finish watching second episode of Ghost and that is one awesome first two episodes. I really recommend it more than I do I do and Bridal mark.. The story was intriguing and unexpected. You thought by reading the synopsis, you know what is the actual story line. If you thought it that way, you are wrong... I was O_O the entire time I'm watching the 2nd episode. The first episode made me interested and wondering but the 2nd episode makes me stay. I hope they will keep this up.
Anyone watching ghost here? hehehehe I haven't read other posts here. So, I'm not sure. LoL
ME! I"m watching it too. Deeno is too and she's recapping! yey!
But i totally agree the story has some major twist in it. It was intense. I was on the edge of my seat(bed)LOL waiting to see what's going to happen after each scene. I'm hoping it'll go up hill and not downhill from here on out.
This is definitely one ride you don't want to miss! ^^ :D
Ghost was just okay the first episode but good enough to start episode 2. Episode 2 was KILLER, literally. haha.
I really can't wait to see episode 3!
I hope So Ji Sub can keep up with Daniel Choi (literally on that too!) haha. I love SJS to death but he's honestly not the best of actors in the world. I hope he finally has found a role that he can grow into.
ghost is a must see!!! episode 2 is mindblowing, literally too, haha
we can see why sjs character acted like that in episode 1, in episode 2 he was so good, the scene in the car made me cry a little, and the scenes in the factory were so intense!!!! i think from episode 3 we'll see a new sjs and i'm excited about it :)
What is Nice Guy about? And lol Park Shi Yeon, she looks like those snooty girls in art school, to me. Like she's forever in a bad mood or scoffing at you, hahaha.
Hola OT'ers! I hope everyone had a good weekend. My week has been EXTREMELY slow and will be slow for awhile but I am using it as an opportunity to watch all the new dramas as well as catch up on some old ones
For the new dramas, I like A Gentleman's Dignity-don't love but like. The bromance is awesome and makes me laugh so it stays on my watch list. My only big qualm with it is the music. It just feels so...obvious-like here are our OTP they are meant to be together, DO YOU GET IT! If you don't here is music to reinforce it. Drove me nuts.
I also like I Do, I Do. It's breezy and fun and oh the shoes. Kim Sun Ah is one of my faves and she owns this. Definitely watching.
Bridal Mask.....I watched the first episode and didn't love it (I'm probably the only one). The first 20 minutes was a little too over the top for me, but it eventually evened out. I like certain aspects of it though. I'm going to watch a couple more episodes and see how it goes.
Next on the list is Ghost and Dr. Jin, although I have heard bad things about Dr. Jin so I may skip it.
I've been so excited with all the new shows. It's so hard to pick which ones to watch much less recap. I'm insane, but I'm trying to recap 4 of them.
So far my favorite to recap is Dr. Jin. There is something so heavenly about typing "Pickled Baby" whenever it's inappropriate. One of my commenters counted and I used it 26 times in the first episode. Apparently recapping a drama that I'm not a fan of makes me "creepy" and "cruel," but I'm enjoying it and my readers seem to enjoy it too. (Also creepy and cruel are more of a compliment when it comes to the way I write.) Dr. Jin just opens itself to the possibility of inserting your own humor when it fails to purposely deliver.
Ghost is also a blast to recap. I didn't expect it to be good, but I love murderers and nerds. Daniel Choi definitely stole the show for the first two episodes. I hope So Ji Sub can step in up in the next few episodes. The tech speak isn't very convincing, but I love where it is headed. This one is fun to recap as I watch because every five minutes I freak out and come up with crazy theories.
I Do, I Do may end up being cut from my recap schedule. Fun to watch. Touching. Emotional. Not as fun to recap. I'll probably push off the recap for this since it airs the same days as Ghost.
A Gentleman's Dignity. Logic tells me I should like it. My thoughts are in a constant uproar. It's really hard to recap because I have to write more. A lot of dramas you can recap a scene with a sentence or two and move on to reactions or commentary or in Dr. Jin's case mentioning pickled babies. The dialog is more important here so I have to spend a bit more time explaining the dialog and the humor there, but it leaves me drained when it comes to adding my own commentary. Hopefully after the first episode or two I can come to a happy balance. Or I can continue to recap knowing that I'll grow as a writer.
Either way I see A Gentleman's Dignity that doesn't go anywhere, but at least you have witty conversations to enjoy. I just with that from the beginning of the episode to the end that something new happened.
I still have to check out Bridal Mask, which lots of people are raving about. It take a lot for me to jump into a historical drama. Maybe if Bridal Mask had pickled babies?
goodness, u actually said pickled baby 26 times? LOL wow...I'll have to pay more attention next time.
But you know, I wonder if pickled baby will apprear anymore since if Kjin follows Jjin, you don't see baby much--only appear when something drastic going to happen--like if he's trying to change history.
Well then I'll have to photoshop the pickled baby in. Task for the weekend: Cartoonize pickled baby and recap four dramas...and fix my site for IE and mobile devices...
When I watched Gaksital I was sucked in right away and I was impressed with the production/ directing/ plot/ editing/ etc. I quickly judged that it was the best drama of 2012 so far. But then I watched GHOST and everything changed, lol. The sophistication and elegance of Ghost and its intricate plot makes Gaksital seem sophomoric and simplistic.
Ghost NEEDS to be represented on dramabeans!! It is SO. DAMN. AWESOME. I really think it might be the best thriller/conspiracy kdrama ever made. I hope the script for the rest of the drama delivers because the first two episodes were BOMB.
There are a few bones I have to pick with Ghost though. Yes, So Ji Sub's character comes off as stiff and cold in the first episode. But even still, So Ji Sub's portrayal of a reserved, austere character is layered with depth and hidden intensity. Also, I believe it was done on purpose, to emphasize the difference between So Ji Sub 1 and So Ji Sub 2.
I did have a problem, however, with the overuse of the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack. I get the connection, but sometimes it sounds silly. I also have slight reservations about Lee Yeon Hee's acting. Her voice sounds weak, and I just cannot buy her "fierce" attempts at acting. She's good at acting in delicately sad or pure and innocent scenes, but she's no Ha Ji Won. She comes off as vulnerable and irresolute and even when she's holding a gun straight to someone's back and threatening him. And there were other little things that bothered me, but I can't recall them. It doesn't matter anyways, because this drama's plot is soooooo goooood. I WANT MOOARRR. Technology, logic, suspense, action, mysteries all beautifully tied together. ZOMG the way the script masterfully unfolds events is a thing to be admired. The ratings better increase. It's just too good to only be seen by a few people.
oh has anyone seen the chaser previously known as father's war? it's times like these that I miss cable, it might be 2 months later, but it'll eventually air and be subtitled!!!
I hope everyone is enjoying the good dramas that are out there!!
I am so excited about any and everything that relates to QIHM. I laugh, I cry, I talk to myself while watching. The looks I get from my family are totally worth it. I would also like to send a shout out to Scattered Joonni for her lightning fast recaps of the episodes. Since I know I have to wait for subs I read her recaps to hold me over. I am not worthy.
I am going to take a break from watching the current dramas and play catch-up with my growing list of dramas to watch that include Equator Man and Special Investigation Record. I will also work on watching as much 1N2D as possible. In the meantime, I will be good and only read recaps of the new dramas that are airing.
I have to stay strong....I have to....I have to?
I will not go near I do, I do. Kim Sun Ah has not been on her game in years and I already know exactly what she will do - cry and then cry some more.
I tried to watch Bridal Mask. I got about halfway through the first episode. It was blah. The action sequences were weird and I found the acting stilted and rather dull. I heard the episode gets better. I might try to watch later perhaps.
I watched Ghost. The first episode was just alright, but the second one was so intense and wonderful! I really have a lot of good expectations for the continuation of this. I absolutely love the crazy twist in episode 2. I can't wait to see the continuation of it.
I am also loving A Gentleman's Dignity. It's funny and witty and Kim Haneul is finally actually tolerable to watch instead of just plain awful. I am not a fan of any of the actors but they have good chemistry.
Right now I'm watching:
Fondant Garden which is very cute, but is typical fare what with the double amnesia (the first one was trickery and the second time, i'm unsure) and chaebol princes with birth secrets.
Alice in Wonder City which is fun and I'm enjoying it, even though it is a slower pace than the other dramas I'm watching, but it's still has great possibilities.
I love Italy/Lee Tae Ri is a drama I want to find subs for, I've watched it raw, but I'd like to know if what I think they're saying is right, and I'd like to be able to know more in detail what they are saying. I think it's funny but the teenage starlet is annoying.
I do, I do actually won me over by being much better than I anticipated and I'm liking the leading lady a lot and the man child is adorable... when he cried I wanted to rub his back and go "there there, everything will be alright" like you do to a child... that's why I'm very interested to see how he turns into a trustworthy adult.
AGD- I'm holding out judgement for now, I'm not that drawn into it... I guess
Finally got around to watching Equator man= so awesome Uhm force is at full power.
I was thinking about Alice in Wonder City after I saw it at Alice Chen's site. With your recommendation, I'll prolly pick it up, when I have time. HAHAHA, wait, I think I was serious about that. All depends on sub-speed and the busyness of my life.
There's been so many age-gap plots, I'm not convinced that IDID will be interesting in the long run, at least, to me.
IDID is interesting because I find that I care about him and her more as individuals than as a "Them."
And yes there have been quite a few older woman-younger man dramas in the fairly recent past, so far my favourite one was The Woman who still wants to Marry.
Gaksital is definitely one I intend to follow. I like it so far, especially the action scenes, but I"m also intrigued by the portrayal of this portion of Korean history, which I haven't really seen before. So far, I'm loviing the cinematography as well as the characters.
And only 2 epis left for QIHM! Still trying to reconcile the first epi car / horse / race for your love to the Palace, with the ending of Epi 14. Oh well, less than a week before we have to stop sighing over Boong Do.
How have you been? Have you done any more trope updates?
Almost done with this extra work from work. So looking forward to having my evenings to myself...and my sanity! This has been a very mind-numbing 2mths or so.
Still haven't been watching dramas, but I did discover k-drama heaven in NYC: http://www.nykoryobooks.com/index.php?main_page=index&language=en&zenid=m8tu32vlqs6rg6rh3n4ps0kmf4. I know the site's in Korean...heck, most of the store's wares are in Korean. But they *do* have kdramas and a kdrama video rental thing, which I found out when trying to figure out exactly who and where they were. (I ran into them almost by accident last night on the way home from a get-together in K-town.) I understand they also carry CD's, but I only did a quick perusal and totally missed it.
Oh! They also have nifty random souvenirs, pottery, art...t-shirts. Did I mention that this was k-heaven?
Um, have I missed anything? Congratulations, Jumma Bunny Love on your, uh, job changes. ;)
Okay, day late, dollar short. Why is Ghost so good? I had no idea. I put my vote on a review of that one, you know, in case folks are a vote short or in need of a swing voter with erratic tendencies, cause I might know one of those. Wow, can I also just say, aside from rambling, that Love Rain really burned my kimchijeon, with it's bipolar redundancy of romantic ridiculousness. End rant and vote.
Ghost is awesome ... Soh Ji Sub. Will only watching
Ghost and Gentleman Dignity. Will give I do do a miss,
have enough of older woman and younger man pair up together. Would love to see KSA pair with PGH and Lee Soo
Hyang( she is pretty good in New Giesang story, and so suited with the male lead Seong Han who is a newbie).
Seong Han is a newbie, but his acting is much better than this young guy in I Do Do.
I have watched epi 1- 2 of the drama Ghost, and all I can say is that, so far I think it has the potential to become the best drama of the Summer season.
I love American, Japanese , and British cop shows, and seems that for once K-dramas almost got it right with the drama Ghost, seems to me that one of the main problems with K-dramas, is the “romantic couple” centric approach of the dramas, where all the story line is base upon the OTP, and the rest is just feeler material, and time and time again we see how a show, starts strong and then it just falls apart at the end.
My concern with 'Ghost” is the fact that Daniel Choi is a far, far, far better actor than Soh Ji Sub, and in the first 2 epis he stole the show, so I am hoping that Soh Ji Sub will be able to carry the show, my other concern is that the show does not losses its way like Iris/Athena did.
What I like about Ghost is the story line, so far seems like the writer and the PD, have a clear picture of what the story is about, I think the execution of episode 2 was just “Brilliant”, I was like “hell no!” whats going on? I really like the Heroine a lot, and also the “Mad Cow” detective, I think that if they keep the romantic aspect, as a secondary story line, instead of being first, we will have a drama worth watching, I do believe the story line is so strong as it is, that wasting a lot of time, in an office romance will distract from the heart of the drama.
I really like the dark color of the cinematography, and the fast pace, and also the special effects are good, the other think that I like is the used of the “flash back”, since it serves to clarify, how each character discovers the truth.
Sorry for not including a lot of “Spoilers”, but I think Ghost can turn out to be this Summers “City Hunter”, or even much better!!!! : 0}
![[Cast Away] A psychometric marries his enemy to foil her plans](http://d263ao8qih4miy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/castaway_header1.png)
![[Beanie Recs] Dramas about fangirling](http://d263ao8qih4miy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/BeanieRecs.jpg)
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1 shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 6:29 AM
Good morning, OT Beans!
I'm thinking QIHM may be #1 on my overall best list!
Also watched the 1st two epis of Gakitsal, A Gentleman's Dignity, and Ghost.
Read the first 7 books of Nalini Singh Psy-Changling series. Now I'm ready for "Insurgennt" by Veronica Roth and "My Last Boyfriend" by Nora Roberts.
Down to the wire on my fan-fic - final epi chapters should be out next week.
How is everyone this week? Sorry I missed the fun and festivities last OT, but I'm happy to be back!
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 6:32 AM
"epi chapters" should read "epic chapters" - lol.
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alua
June 1, 2012 at 6:41 AM
Good morning! Good day! Good afternoon! Good evening! Good night! Whichever applies!
And hello Shukmeister!
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 6:46 AM
Hey Alua! what have you been doing / watching?
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alua
June 1, 2012 at 6:56 AM
Nothing! I was busy this month, marking exams. But I'm done now. (see comment 12 below)
Must admit I did watch Tsuritama (an awesome Japanese anime) even while marking. :-D
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:03 AM
Ooh haven't picked a good anime up since Darker Than Black last year.
alua
June 1, 2012 at 7:08 AM
I worship Tsuritama.
Sakamichi no Apollon apparently is fabulous as well - I haven't watched it yet, but have been reading the manga and the anime recaps on Lost in America (a great anime blog). The manga is pretty good, but I think the anime could even be better as it's about music (jazz) and hearing the music can only make it more awesome!
Uchuu Kyoudai I think should be good as well, but haven't started that yet either. (The live-action film was recently released too. With double eye candy in the form of Oguri Shun and Okada Masaki :-D)
shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:16 AM
Hmm [frantic scribbling] I have to say, part of the charm of Nodame Cantabile was the score / music tracks.
And I've had fun with a couple of manga / anime / live action adaptations (Ouran HS Host Club comes to mind).
Thanks for the ideas!
alua
June 1, 2012 at 7:22 AM
Darn... Nodame Cantabile is on my must-finish-watching list. The problem with it is that there are SO many episodes that feels daunting to pick it up again. But yeah, that one has one amazing soundtrack!
shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:24 AM
So does OHSHC / anime. Lots of original classical music on the OST.
john
June 1, 2012 at 7:42 AM
Alua~
Nodame is such a treat. You won't be sorry.
alua
June 1, 2012 at 7:48 AM
Hi John! I know I won't be sorry! The problem is gazillions of episodes and the lack of time!
But I will find time for it somehow.
Mama J
June 1, 2012 at 8:12 AM
ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I've MISSED you!
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alua
June 1, 2012 at 9:03 AM
:-)
You get super-brownie points for saying that!
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Luv_KimRaeWon
June 1, 2012 at 6:41 AM
qihm is nr 1 on my list too- didnt take to any drama in such a way since ages.. think it is my recent big fav after FBRS(actually nowt tht i think abt it, i think i like it more than FBRS)
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:18 AM
Even though I loved the kimchi-kiss in FBRS, it can't beat some of the scenes in QIHM.
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hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 11:09 AM
I concur!
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hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 6:45 AM
@Shuk: missed you last week. I also was finally able to get up to date on your fan-fic. Will look forward to the final EPIC chapters.
Loving QIHM and Ghost (loving might be understatement ... addicted to QIHM and almost had a heart attack along with everyone else when I could not use SOLIVE to stream live on Wednesday Thursday ... turns out that SOLIVE is now a pay service at annual fee of less than $30USD, it feels like a steal). I am really, really liking Ghost even though I have never seen SJS in a drama or movie (and he looks kind of stiff in drama) but I am a Choi Daniel fan. And this is one of the few shows where he is not acting as the dorky character... kind a suave geek (if you know what I mean).
I like Gentleman's Dignity and IDID. They make me laugh and I don't have to think. Besides, I am a bigtime Kim Sun Ah fan, so I would have probably watched IDID anyway.
Watching Bridal Mask but my attention keeps drifting (and I am an avid Joo Won fan since OB) ... but still will keep on watching.
Really iffy about Dr. Jin and I still don't know why. I start watching then not 10 minutes into it, I go read the Soompi thread, or Dramabeans, or Koala's Playground... finally got around to finishing episode 2 on Wednesday, which is totally not like me when a subbed episode is available ... LOL.
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 6:53 AM
KDr Jin's pretty low on my list, mostly because I loved JDr Jin. Even the baby was better/creepier, lol.
I'm skimming through Baby-Faced Beauty, and I think Daniel Choi is adorable! If I didn't know he was Korean, I'd be checking his character for blonde roots! He's one of the reasons I wanted to see Ghost.
A lot of my drama-watching is probably gonna hinge on sub-speed, but I'm archiving a couple for viewing if/when everything slows down in the summer.
Anyway, thanks for the wave! And wish me luck that I finish the last 2,000 words next week. Then I'll convert to pdf and kindle reads for anyone who doesn't want to flip through 45 postings.
Take care!
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kewbie
June 1, 2012 at 12:11 PM
I heard Daniel Choi's character in Ghost is only a cameo though...2 episodes I think?
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 12:28 PM
I watched the first epi; I haven't watched the second, so I'm not sure. I really wasn't paying attention to the hype around the series, since it wasn't originally on my list.
He's hot in glasses, yo. lol
hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 12:48 PM
@kewbie: It certainly seems like it ... it would certainly fit with what happened in the 2nd episode of drama... LOL.
Laeah
June 1, 2012 at 1:46 PM
Yeah, he's done now. Only up to 2. There might be some more flash backs or something though. But he's gone.
Bengbeng
June 2, 2012 at 1:19 AM
just finished watching episode 1 and 2, GHOST, twist of the drama is so unexpected that i almost peed my pants. I highly recommend the drama. I so love it.
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Ace
June 1, 2012 at 6:50 AM
Queen In-hyun's Man is also on top of my all time faves.
I want to watch Gaksital as it sounds epic but I don't want to start if I can't finish it (busy starting a new job). So that means I won't be watching Big and all the other interesting upcoming dramas until the DVDs are available. :( Skipping Dr. Jin as I have watched the Japanese version and I'm sure I'm just going to be frustrated with the Korean version. Skipping I Do, I Do & Ghost but not I Love Lee Tae-ri. A Gentleman's Dignity...hmmm...still not sure if I'll watch this as Boong-do has all the gentleman's dignity I'll ever need.
Read NR's The Last Boyfriend when it was released and I loved it. Hope you enjoy reading it. I miss holding a book but at the same time I'm glad of ebooks since I don't have space in my bookshelf anymore.
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:00 AM
Ace!
I love NR, but her trilogies, even in paperback, tend to take up a lot of room. I do keep the ones I read over, though.
Gaksital has been interesting, especially since it's historic without being saguek. That's one of the selling point to me. Well, who am I kidding its Joo Won. :-)
And AG'sD is the same - I haven't seen a lot of ahjussi romance. So I'm going to try and stick with the unusual ones [cross fingers].
I Love Tae-Ri: Do you like it so far? I haven't checked out any recaps yet.
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Ace
June 1, 2012 at 7:17 AM
Haven't actually watched Lee Tae-ri (same reason as Bridal Mask & Big) but I've read a recap of episode 1 and it seems fun. It's from tvN so I check out dramas there on principle since FBRS. Other reasons: Would like to see Kibum as I missed out on him as a SuJu fan (when I became a fan in 2010 he was MIA), would like some mindless fun, & I'm not really a big Kim Sun-ah fan (don't kill me!) so Tae-ri would fill out the I Do, I Do spot. Though it's too bad that recaps would not be available anymore since the recapper is committed to In-hyun's Man.
I can't believe I'd be missing the last 2 episodes of QIM as the work will come in the way of my addiction. But whatever it takes, I'll still read the recaps. ;)
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hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 12:50 PM
I have also been hearing good things about Tae-Ri so I will probably check it out over weekend.
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Cynthia
June 1, 2012 at 7:04 AM
Morning, Shuk!
You're up bright and early - it's a lovely day here on the East Coast, sunny, clear and sparkling. We have a week of rainy days forecast so will enjoy this weather while it shines!
You have an ambitious reading list. I, on the other hand just finished (ahem...) 50 Shades of Gray. All 3 of them.
Anyone else read them? It would make an interesting (and funny) convo here.
Also, agree with your #1 watch. QIHM is a lovely fantasy drama - it's rare to see a K-drama hitting all the right notes. Am back on the Bong Do train. Have to admit after watching him in the disaster that was A Thousand Kisses I really wasn't up for watching him in anything else - that's how burned I was from ATK. But after seeing the enthusiastic response from fellow DBers, decided to give it a try and ended up marathoning the first 7 eps and fell in love.
Hope all my fellow OT DBers are fine and happy! Good morning, all!
:)
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:14 AM
Cynthia!
Thank you again for not allowing me to see ATK - lol!
I have the Grey books ready for my Kindle, but they're archived for a bit. I usually read at work during the slower times, but we gear up for the summer rush. It's the fun of living in a resort town, I guess. So I'll have to see how much read-time I have. When I read them, though, I'll let you know!
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Ace
June 1, 2012 at 7:26 AM
Re: The Gray books. Started book 1 but couldn't finish. Bks 2 & 3 were more interesting but it was so repetitive so I skimmed through it. I forgot why I even tried to read it (maybe because it was on the most popular list on Kindle?). I deleted it already and glad that I did because I learned the writer was inspired by the Twilight books (don't get me started on those )and initially wrote it as fanfic. Anyway, so Selena Gomez' "Shades of Blue" parody got a good laugh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br5Tf7tJ2Uk
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Ace
June 1, 2012 at 7:28 AM
ahahaha..that last sentence is just..nevermind... ;)
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Cynthia
June 1, 2012 at 4:40 PM
The author absolutely ripped off Twilight for her main characters - it was so obvious it was funny.
I actually read all 3 Shades of Grey books. The explicit sex is beyond repetitious and actually kinds of interferes with the story. I mean, how many places can a guy put his penis? Once you get past that, the story becomes readable. Same thing for the Twilight books. The third book "Breaking Dawn" was the best of the trilogy as it allowed for Meyers to really write her story. Shades of Grey is similar - the 3rd, final book is the real story.
And thanks, Ace, for that Selena G. link. Hysterical!
:)
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Licia
June 1, 2012 at 7:25 AM
I totally have QIHM on my overall best list as well. I'm an aspiring screen writer and K drama inspires me. So when there something in a K drama or Asian drama, like this lovely show here its the relationship between the two of them. How he always ask her permission that's great quality in the character it make you fall for the story and become invested and its little beats like these that I would like people to feel one day hopefully for something I write. I'm really picky about my inspiration list but its about how the show can draw you into the its world.This show totally does it for me. It has a quality to it that I'm hoping I will learn project in my on writing.
I have to admit I do more watching sometime then writing. That's why I like dramasbeans and girlfriday because they see things that I bypass sometimes. because as much as they love a show they know how to be objective about it and look at story plot, and character development and its makes me think objectively about my own writing. So I can keep in eye out for plot wholes and have characters that have an impact.
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:46 AM
QIHM is great, and the characterizations of the two main leads are sufficiently different to keep my interest: she is sweet but not dumb; he is intellectual but not cold.
And the chemistry is terrific! I'm sad there are only two episode left, but it's definitely a keeper!
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Licia
June 1, 2012 at 8:31 AM
I can't believe it almost over its because for the first 2 weeks it was not subbed and so I feel like things have been rushed. Instead of 8 weeks it been more like 6 or five weeks.
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 9:03 AM
Yeah, it was definitely a sleeper hit, but I'm glad it's picking up steam! I need to watch Ep 14 again, since the screen got blurry a couple of times.
It's always speculation whether a series is better or worse with extensions. I haven't heard any rumors for this one, so I'm expecting a tight, clean, happy ending.
There better be, or I shake my fist at writer-nim...
hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 12:52 PM
@Shuk: The screen got blurry or you fell asleep ... LOL
shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 3:05 PM
Hillary -
It was mostly emotion, but I admit to dozing off a couple of times, thanks to my work schedule. ;-)
Mama J
June 1, 2012 at 9:54 AM
What I like about her is that for all her (very genuine) innocence and charm, she is no child-like pushover. She has backbone, and yet her character is soft enough that we can see her emotions mirrored on her (adorable little) face.
What I like about him is his intelligence and quick reasoning, his humor, his willingness to accept reality, and the way he is so completely charmed by this woman who is utterly different from the women he has known his whole life. Plus the bad ass ninja skills, kissing skills, and height.
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 11:55 AM
You summed it up perfectly, JoAnne. Thanks!
hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 12:53 PM
I need one of him in my life ... droll, dry and intelligent with touch of romantic streak ... really not looking for much, am I?
Cynthia
June 1, 2012 at 4:48 PM
Awww, Hillary. Keep looking - they may be as rare as unicorns but guys like this do exist. I know, cause I married one of them. We've been married umpteen years and he still brings me flowers every week.
:)
whimsyful
June 1, 2012 at 2:55 PM
Happy Friday Shuk! you were missed last week!
How is Ghost? I haven't had time to watch it yet among all the other premiers.
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 3:08 PM
It was dark and interesting. I watched it on viki, and it didn't have full subs at the time, but I think I'm going to have to find time to squeeze it in, somewhere.
Deeno gave it a thumbs up, but then she likes pickled baby. lol
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Deeno
June 1, 2012 at 5:39 PM
You make that sound like an anti-recommendation...
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 6:57 PM
"Dark and interesting and pickled". I would think that would hook anyone into a story.
No disrespect intended - please don't kamikaze my toaster as it's a Indiana Colts one and my landlord might get upset. lol
bee
June 1, 2012 at 4:15 PM
watch ep 1 and ep 2. ep1 was a little bit slow but ep 2 was terrific!! so shocking o__o
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antonia
June 2, 2012 at 5:19 AM
episode 1 of ghost was really good, but episode 2 was Awesome!!! seriously i can't remember the last time i was so thrilled about a drama
it has lost of suspense and so many twists... and maybe in episode 1 sjs was a little stiff (and there's a reason for it, plotwise) but in episode 2 he was great!!! and i'm surprised to say i like the leading girl, in fact i like all the characters
i've never seen daniel choi before but now i will have to keep an eye on him, he's so good! loving the bromance between him and sjs (hoping for more)
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2 oozzeee
June 1, 2012 at 6:30 AM
,looking forward to tomorrow's 1N2D recap!
Happy weekend to everybody! As for me, I still have to go to work. :(
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3 StacyA
June 1, 2012 at 6:33 AM
Happy OT Friday everyone!
It’s been a while since I’ve been here cause I kept having to work on Fridays and by the time I got home there would already be 482 pages of comments so there wasn’t much point in posting at that point….BUT! School’s out and I knew I’d be home this week so I went ahead and typed up a post in advance like the OCD person that I am :D
Have to go to my summer job in a couple of hours, so I’ve condensed my post down to 2 parts. I’ll leave the TW dramas for another day.
Part 1: Korean Dramas
Rooftop Prince - I’m holding fast to my interpretation of the ending, so for those who have different interpretations, well……/sticks fingers in ears/ lalalalalalalalalalICan’tHearYoulalalalalalala……
King2Hearts – “reaction” spoilers in the comments of RTP warned me of what was to come. I had to make myself watch the last few episodes, my stress level mounting with each one. And when the dam broke….damn. Somebody call 911 cause this show killed me dead.
Queen In-hyun’s Man – so far this drama is awesome and if it keeps up the awesomeness, it’ll end up being one of my all time favorites. But I swear if they pull a Holy Pearl ending I will be Pissed Beyond Measure. If there’s not a happy ending I will sue for false advertising in the first episode.
I Do, I Do – watched the first 2 episodes on Viki. Two words: SHOE ENVY!!!!!!!!
Ramblings Part 2: Kpop
Yay! Big Bang’s Still Alive Special Edition! Yay for 5 new songs! Yay for a new music video!
And finally - Junsu’s Tarantellegra…..I just….I have no words…..Okay, I have a lot of words but there may be minors present……/goes to rewatch video for the 2947th time/
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pyrogenesis
June 1, 2012 at 6:36 AM
Aw...I'm in SK at the moment so pretty much all the new K-drama's on viikii are off-limits to me >.<
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Cynthia
June 1, 2012 at 7:09 AM
Junsu. Just. Junsu.
When I want to daydream, I rewatch 'Intoxication'......
:)
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 9:04 AM
I kinda like "Fever" myself.
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Roro
June 1, 2012 at 11:36 AM
Lullaby or me..
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 11:59 AM
I like that one too!
Cynthia
June 1, 2012 at 4:59 PM
One of the reasons Intoxication is my favorite Junsu MV, was being curious enough to find the eng. lyrics and once I found out what he was singing about, I thought 'Hey! Here's an Idol who's actually had sex with a female and isn't afraid of singing about it!" A rarity in Idol-land. It's always nice to find out that some of these guys are actually having relationships. It's also the reason I was happy to see Yoochun and those naked pics his girlfriend took. Bad that he was being blackmailed, but happy to hear he was getting some...
:)
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 5:34 PM
Interesting - I looked up those lyrics.
cv
June 1, 2012 at 7:51 AM
OMG! Junsu is sooo hot! :D
LOVe Big Bang! I can't wait to hear their new songs in Alive special edition! Their new concept for Monster is awsome too! My goodness...they just keep you getting excited about them. hehe
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60silverdollars
June 1, 2012 at 11:21 AM
Omg I cannot stop watching Tarantallegra. I don't even like JYJ, but good lord Junsu is so hot.
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 12:00 PM
I particularly like the red/black outfit.
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60silverdollars
June 1, 2012 at 12:04 PM
I like that one and anyone where he's half-dressed. Also I really like his white coat.
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StacyA
June 1, 2012 at 2:59 PM
Glad to know I'm not the only one! And I like the red/black outfit as well. And the white one. And the shirtless-jacket-that-shows-his-abs-WHERE-HAVE-YOU-BEEN-HIDING-THOSE?!? outfit.
How can a man in that much makeup look so damn HOT?!?
How come I didn't know how hot he was until now?????!!!!!
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 3:47 PM
LOL
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4 pyrogenesis
June 1, 2012 at 6:34 AM
I just wanted to say that I'm currently doing a group project on stereotypical female characters in K-drama, and this site has really helped me identify certain stereotypes ^^ We've got the Cinderella, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, the love rival (like Hong Sena) and the mother-in-law. It's really fun to work on!
Thanks for providing me with food for thought and analysis, Javabeans/Girlfriday/all the others <3
Also Kim Bung-do from QIHM may be the best hero K-drama has ever produced. Why isn't that drama more poplar, despite it being on cable? :(
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 6:44 AM
Don' forget the hard-working old-before-her-time mom.
Park Ha's stepmom from RTP
Kang Chil's mom from Padam Padam
Mom at the Ojakgyo Farm
Han Jung Won's mom from Sparkling
etc!
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pyrogenesis
June 1, 2012 at 6:55 AM
Oh, there are many more, but we can't discuss them all, so we just took a selection :)
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5 john
June 1, 2012 at 6:39 AM
Finished Love Rain. Wow, it turned to Love Train at the end, eveyone pretty much finished up in Happy Land.
QIHM~ Does it get any better than this?
Looked at: I Do x2, GD, TS Dr Jin & peeked at Gakitsal.
Gakitsal looks the better of those.
Started: Fondant Garden. Nice.
Still Watching : Jin2, HIT, New My Fair Princess & Kagi no Kakatta Heya
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:06 AM
John!
My guy just got back from a meadery (sic) in Woodlawn Va. We going to crack it open sometime this summer. I hope your homebrews are going well.
Never started Fondant Garden, although I do want to do another Tai/Chi drama soon. My last JDorama was "Answer".
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trotwood
June 1, 2012 at 7:09 AM
Have you watched Drunken to Love You? I LOVED that show! They were my favorite OTP until QHIM's came along, but they are still up there. Near the end there was some noble idiocy stuff that made me crazy, but still overall a great show (despite the title).
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:21 AM
That one is also one of my fav TDramas! I loved the interaction between Joseph Chang and Raine Yang, and all the Mountain Boar references. The ex was a whiny chick, and, even thought I like Kagone Wang, I was very happy when he got out of the picture.
The mom was a weird twist, though.
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john
June 1, 2012 at 7:40 AM
Shuk~
Fondant Garden is cute.
Still watching JIN2.
Sorry Time Slip , sorry PMY, but you can't overcome Ayase Haruka's awesomeness. I have a huge crush on her.
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6 Luv_KimRaeWon
June 1, 2012 at 6:39 AM
a big hello to all of u...
it has been some 6 months since i visited the OT..missed it but life has been busy.. how is everybody doing?watching queen inhyun's man and loving it..isnt the male lead wonderful..love tht he is so quick on the uptake..the female lead's good too.. i loved the initial episodes of RTP but somehow i lost interest in it midway..any interesting tw-dramas? i only watch dramas when they are towards their end coz the weekly waiting kills me:)..
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 8:26 AM
I liked Summer's Desire, and Please Ring the Bell Twice. The first one is dark and twisty; the second is more light-hearted and fluffy. Both feature Peter Ho, though.
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Mama J
June 1, 2012 at 1:29 PM
Sigh. He's so cute. I have Summer's Desire queue'd up for later. I really enjoyed Ring Ring Bell. But my favorite TW-Drama is Autumn's Concerto. It's probably my favorite Any-Drama.
Long live the Wuniverse!
My Beloved, I still love you best.
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 3:51 PM
I have it in my stored-for-later bucket, which including AC, k2H, several TDramas, etc etc, there are about 25 or so [sigh].
Some of them I tried to start once or twice, but if they can't catch my interest, to the recycle bin they go. Right now, the one teetering on the edge is Material Queen.
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StacyA
June 1, 2012 at 5:21 PM
Okay, ya'll started it with the talk about TW dramas.
A few months back - pre-MU-meltdown - a few kind souls here at OT recommended a few TW dramas to me, Mars being at the top of the list. Good thing I downloaded it then, cause it's extremely hard to find now. I finally watched Mars about 2 months ago, and holy guacamole! Just how many psychopaths does one couple have to deal with in order to earn their Happy Ever After? Good googly! But in spite of them attracting psycho maniacs the way suntan oil attracts sand even when you’re miles from the nearest beach, I loved the show. All the mini-story arcs reminded me of Boys Over Flowers, which is a manga thing so it didn’t bother me. I guess I’ve been watching Kdramas and Jdramas too long, because I was honestly shocked when the guys made sexual innuendos and jokes – not offended, but I just wasn’t expecting it. Nor was I expecting an actual love scene! Daaaaaaaaaaaaang!
Vic Zhou now has the dubious “honor” of being my first TW crush :D I went looking for more of his work and found the movie Love You 10,000 Years. Awesomely and hilariously cheesy! I LOVED it!
I thought to myself, if that’s what TW dramas are like, I’m gonna watch more! So I watched Love Keeps Going. Liked the story and the main couple, though I hated the Noble Idiocy and I was disappointed with the ending. I liked Mars and LKG enough that I went and downloaded a bunch more TW dramas and proceeded to watch a couple of shorter ones while waiting for new episodes of RTP and QIHM.
The Holy Pearl – okay, it’s not a TW drama but I’m including it here anyway. Inuyasha was the starting point that eventually led me to Kdramas, so it has a special place in my heart. When I heard that this drama was based on Inuyasha, I knew I had to watch it. Many thanks to Viki for subbing it! I marathoned this sucker and loved every minute of it – until the last 5 minutes. I don’t normally cuss, but this ending….WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Meteor Garden – so I’m a glutton for punishment. Truthfully, I loved Hana Yori Dango and Boys Over Flowers in all their over-the-top, makjang glory! Besides, Vic Zhou was in it :D I’ve finished season 1 and will soon start on season 2. I’ll probably watch it in between Big episodes.
Skip Beat – heard good and bad about it, so went into it a little apprehensively. Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad (to me). Even the dubbing wasn’t intolerable, unlike Hayate the Combat Butler (couldn’t even make it 30 minutes into the first episode cause the dubbing was so horrible). Disappointed in the end, but I don’t know if it’s because that’s the way the manga goes or if it has something to do with not offending Super Junior fans.
Smiling Pasta – still not sure how I made it to the end. Looking back, the drama still makes me really mad. I understand this is an entirely different culture, and what I perceive as unacceptable is probably completely acceptable to them. But still…..argh!
Made it through 5 episodes of Corner with Love then gave up. The main girl is just really getting on my nerves. Anyone with half a brain knows that if your parents have gone bankrupt and fled the country and your house has been foreclosed and you’re forced to live with your personal secretary/childhood friend, then you DON’T KEEP USING YOUR STUPID CREDIT CARDS AND BUYING STUPID STUFF LIKE PIANOS AND $100 PAIRS OF SHOES!!!! And don’t get me started on the guy and how he thinks her behavior is CUTE! Aaaauuuggghhhh!
I don’t want to give up on TW dramas entirely, but if they keep turning out like Pasta and Corner….Gah!
I have Fated to Love You, Autumn's Concerto, Office Girls, Romantic Princess, and Summer's Desire downloaded. I'm in the process of downloading Love Forward, Love Buffet, Love Contract, Magicians of Love, Material Girl, Mean Girl Au Chu, My Lucky Star, Miss No Good, Why Why Love, and My Queen. I also have In Time with You and Because of You downloaded, but I don't have all the subs so they're on hold.
Are any of these really any good? I seriously do not want to waste my time like I did with Smiling Pasta and Corner with Love.
flowerpower
June 1, 2012 at 5:57 PM
@stacy
I would definetly recomend "Fated to Love" you and "Prince turned into a frog" both dramas start with same actress, and if I'm not wrong, both dramas broke tv ratings when aired. I would also recomend "Autums Concerto" as well which I loved. Personaly these are my all time favorites taiwanesse dramas that I have seen so far.
shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 6:04 PM
Wow, Stacy, where do I start with that list. I guess with one of my own based on yours (I only included those on your list I have some info on). Hope this helps, and, of course, your mileage may vary:
Autumn's Concerto: Downloaded it on JoAnne's recommendation as her favoritest TDrama ever, but haven't watched it yet
Black and White: Awesome police procedural, downplay on the love life side of things but Vic Zhou with a gun...
Devil Beside You: Early early Rainie Yang / Mike He - Based on a manga (Akuma De Sourou) and one where I occasionally rewatch episodes
Down With Love: Jerry Yan and I loved it
Drunken To Love You: One of my faves - Joseph Chang is the lead and a serious hot kisser IMHO
Fated To Love You: Liked it, didn't love it but several OT'ers did
In Time With You: Wilson Chen and Ariel Lin have great chemistry. Female lead was the agressor in the relationship. Ending was okay
Love Contract: I have but I haven't watched it yet
Please Ring Bell Twice A very good series where you actually feel for the 2nd leads
Romantic Princess: Meh
ToGetHer: Another early Rainie Yang and the main love interest is the lead singer of Fahrenheit. He plays a rocker who needs to hole up and rethink his priorities. A little cheesy but cute
Summer's Desire: Really liked the OTP, dark overtones, Peter Ho's hotness
---
For movies, I agree Love 10K Years was a nice way to spend a few hours.
Another one that got several thumbs up from the Movie Noonas is Sophie's Revenge, which is a girl using the new girl's ex-boyfriend to trip the new couple up, but she ends up falling for the ex-bf.
shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 6:11 PM
Prince Who Turned Into a Frog was okay in my book, but I'm always bothered by amnesia as a way to getting a likeable personality.
I think if I was a jerk when I knew everything, I'd still be a jerk when I don't know anything. But that's me. :-)
StacyA
June 1, 2012 at 6:42 PM
I seriously did not mean to write a book lol. But I've been holding all that in during all this time that I wasn't able to hang out in OT. Sorry!
Thank you both for the rec's and opinions. I'll definitely give Fated to Love You a try, as well as Autumn's Concerto and some of the other recommended ones.
shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:15 PM
No worries and glad I could help. Inuyasha is one of my favorite recent animes (I have all seasons but the final one), but I didn't realize that "The Holy Pearl" was an adaptation, so thanks. That's definitely going on my to-do list somewhere.
--
Also, if you want to watch an asian drama that's different from anything you have ever seen, you might want to consider a Thai lakhorn. Deeno has a recap of at least one at her blog; they tend to involve a lot of revenge / karma story lines and are frequently called "Slap Slap Kiss" dramas. They'll show violence but figleaf any kissing.
Mama J
June 2, 2012 at 7:04 AM
I'm quite enjoying Material Queen. Vanness is such a cutie in it so far, and I like the girl better than I did at first, and I even like the rich guy...and I LOVE all the characters in the market.
7 cv
June 1, 2012 at 6:40 AM
omg! Happy OT all! ^^
I love the new dramas! :D
I've watched IDoIDo--funny light.
Ghost--u have to watch this one. Very intense.
dramas I will watch later: bridal mask, chaser, i love lee tae ri.
Can't wait for Arang and Big.
^^
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:23 AM
cv -
Glad you made it. Gosh, there's just been a plethora of good dramas this spring - I'm gonna have to get hammocks for the bags under my eyes - lol.
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cv
June 1, 2012 at 7:55 AM
Morning Shuk!
Yes, too many good dramas. I don't want any bags under my eyes so I"m going to have to stop myself from watching them all. haha! I've got to learn to be selective. LOL
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hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 12:59 PM
@cv: Is subtitled episodes of Chaser out as yet? I want to watch it.
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cv
June 1, 2012 at 2:24 PM
IT's at dramacrazy.net but it's not subbed yet. It looks interesting tho.
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8 kelinci biru
June 1, 2012 at 6:43 AM
Hello everyone! I lost track of time. I just realize today is Friday (from OT). There goes five days (and months) of my life.
Just starting K-pop star, anyone else watching? Or finished watch? I got so little sleep this week trying to marathon this and just got till ep11. I love all contestants. Especially Park Jae Hyung, boy with glasses and guitar is apparently my weakness. then, Lee Seung Hoon, Lee Ha Yi and Su Pearls. Also Lee Geun Woo. I can't wait for their debuts. I'm curious how YG will make Su Pearls' image?
Big Bang confirmed for Indonesia concert on October 13th!! Anyone else going? and Still Alive teaser is everywhere. I. Love. It.
I haven't watched anything new, still waiting for subs. Judging from recap only, definitely will watch Gaksital and Gentleman Dignity!!
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caffeinebreak
June 1, 2012 at 7:47 AM
I watched bits and pieces of that show. Only watched the first few episodes in its entirety and then simply watched clips of their highlight performances from each week. I'm impressed that you have decided to marathon the entire thing! ^______^" I normally can't/won't watch any live contest shows after they've finished airing.
About how the results played out, I had a feeling Park Ji Min was going to come out the winner even though I was rooting for Lee Hayi (she's so unique and has so much potential!) I selfishly wish PJM had stayed with the rest of the SuPearls members and LHY had signed a solo contract with JYP instead. Even though she's really talented, PJM, I personally feel, shined more as a member of SuPearls than if she branched out solo. While for LHY, it's the exact opposite. Now the SuPearls group dynamics will be messed up. Argh!
I have a feeling that YG will try to market SuPearls as a younger version of Big Mama - more of a vocal group than an idol one. But that's just my hunch.
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9 Q
June 1, 2012 at 6:46 AM
Oh Gawd, just watched episode 14 of QIHM and bawled my eyes out. Then I got all panicky at the end because I thought it finished, lol. It's kinda worrying that they have to come up with more plot to fill 2 episodes but I would gladly watch an hour and a half of non-sensical cuteness and making out because those two are just adorable.
I need me a Boongdo. Anyone know where I can buy one? Or hire, even.
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Kiara
June 1, 2012 at 7:37 AM
I'm so nervous about the last 2 eps. We haven't seen the curse yet from the talisman and that Ja-soo dude is still out there somewhere. Makes me wish eps 14 was the real ending.
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jomo143
June 1, 2012 at 11:59 AM
We also get two bonus (read filler) special episodes.
Guessing that means BTS and interviews, and JHW singing and playing guitar.
As long as I keep looking at them on my laptop, I don't care what they do...
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 3:58 PM
Don't forget this - Joon Soo is still loose, and we haven't seen the logic bridge back to the first scene of the first epi. So I think we still have some excitement to go with all the cute for those final two.
I'll still it miss afterwards.
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10 Ivoire
June 1, 2012 at 6:51 AM
Just wanted to say "Hello" and hoping you will all have a great weekend. The weather has been really nice in my neck of the woods, so far.
I am taking a break from drama watching, although I am watching/reading recaps of QIHM, which I caught in the middle (and even participated in some discussions on a few QIHM's recaps). I will watch the beginning later.
The new dramas look really good, I am definitely interested in Bridal Mask, I Do I Do and maybe Ghost at a later time. I have never seen So Ji Sub in anything. I would also like to eventually check out Dr. Jin and AGD (I have never seen JDG in anything either) for the acting and to see Jaejoong and SSH in a sageuk.
Letting go of the K2Hs was difficult, I didn't fully realize how attached I had become to the show, even though I knew how impressed I had been with the acting of most actors/actresses, the OST, directing and cinematography. Didn't feel as strongly about Rooftop, but didn't regret watching it and was more curious about how the mystery would be solved.
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:27 AM
Ivoire! Happy OT!
I know you're life has been very very busy, and I'm glad you managed to find time to pop up.
Yeah, it's a good time for dramas. And yeah, it's a bad time for sleep. lol
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Ivoire
June 1, 2012 at 10:48 AM
Hi Shukie,
Happy OT back at ya!!! I meant to say "Hello" in response to your post, but I had a headache and needed to lie down for a little bit. Good to see you back among us!!! From what I have read, your life has been busy as well. How is the living arrangement working out? Do you like your new place? I couldn't believe you had read 7 books already, you must be a fast and avid reader (I am more on the slow side).
You are not kidding about the lack of sleep because of dramas, they can be so addictive :-)!!!! But then we get to be exposed to a different world and who can resist that? (I don't really try to, I just need to balance it :-) ).
Congrats on your fan-fic being almost done, I know you can do it *Go Shukie, go; Go Shukie, go; fighting!!!!* (that's me encouraging you :-) )
Have a wonderful weekend!!!!
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hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 1:04 PM
@Ivoire: Hi ya ... You are taking a break from drama watching and my schedule is rapidly getting filled again (wouldn't be surprised if I am back up to watching 8-10 concurrent dramas by end of summer ... ah well).
So, its is official. Nothing says official more than the plane tickets to Trinidad. Will be leaving right after July 4th, taking 1 week off to start setting up adoption process, etc. and then begin working for my Chicago-based company from the island of Trinidad and Tobago. They are thinking to add Trinidad as an official office location ... might as well pursue Trinidad-based clients while I am down there... LOL.
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Ivoire
June 1, 2012 at 3:22 PM
Hi Hillary *Waves back and forth,*
As always, so good to hear from you. You guys amaze me the way you can watch many dramas at one time. I can't and personally, I don't think I would want to. I am not always the best at multitasking, it really depends on what I am dealing with (I can often multitask with children).
It usually takes me about 2hrs to watch an episode of a Kdrama, no kidding :-). For one, I am a slow reader, so that slows me down. Second, if there are two many lines at one point (dialogue being long), I pause so I can read each line. I also pause to replay the scenes I find moving, cute or deep while I am watching, which explains why it takes me 2hrs for one episode, LOL. It didn't used to, I just slowly found out that I like watching dramas that way, so that's how I do it.
And then I read the recaps, to see what I might have missed (culturally, going from Jondeomal (sp?) to banmal, etc...You know, those little (or not so little in some instances) things that Dramabeans and other blog sites are good at pointing out, which helps me experience the drama better. And that takes me 20-30mns if I don't read the comments, so added time if and when I do.
When I worked as a caregiver and could have the TV on all the time when I was working, I was vested in watching as many dramas (or having them on) as I could, and I would switch from KBS World to KEMS, which is another Korean TV station we have here in Northern CA. I realized that like with many things in my life, I am more interested in the quality of what I do or have, more so than the quantity.
I also realized that because I only got recently in the game of Kdrama watching (summer of 2010 with Personal Taste), there will always be too many (good or interesting) dramas I have not seen. I decided to relax and accept that dramas will always be there, they are not going anywhere, and I am choosy about what I watch or how I watch (I am starting to have no qualms about fastforwading to scenes I really want to watch when I am checking out a drama, and having recaps helps me in that way). Just did that with "My Sweet Seoul" (episodes 1-6, to see Ji Hyun Woo's scenes) and ATK (only episode 28 again for JHW) and I don't regret doing it.
It is interesting to see him grow as an actor and come into his own as an actor and as a person and grow into his body (there's a certain way he carries himself). I don't know if I should be saying this *face palm and smile on my face*, but he (JHW) also approaches kissing pretty much the same way over his different dramas (yeah, I was paying attention to that, who wouldn't :-)) (what I mean by that is the way he starts kissing, too much info, huh LOL).
I always look at how actors/actresses start their kissing scenes, and I tend to think that some of them have a style (just my humble opinion). Granted the writing of the scene affects it and writers have different kinds of kisses for different things they want to convey, but I tend to think that actors/actresses do bring their own emotions and experiences in the kiss.
From what I have seen so far, Korean actors (the ones I have noticed) in their late 20s and 30s (and 40s maybe, I haven't seen many kisses by actors in that age group) approach kissing differently than the ones in their late teens up to about mid 20s (it's not a fast rule, just a little something I noticed). Yeah, I guess you can say that like many (especially women right :-)), I pay attention to those kisses. I think it tells you something about how the character is written or thought of and a little something (at times) about the actor/actress.
I also look at how responsive the other party is (actor/actress) and how sensitive the person who initiates the kiss is to how the other party responds. That is more apparent in the BTS shoots and says a lot too, I think (about the actors/actresses chemistry, comfort level, personalities etc... Kim Hyun Joong in BOF and some of the Playful Kiss scenes is an example. He did admit that it was ackward for him, and I have to say it showed. I don't think it says anything bad about him [I like him for a lot of things], but I think that he might not be very comfortable with PDA of that kind, at least not in front of the camera. The same thing happened when he had to kiss his *wife* (on the cheek mind you) in WGM. It took him a long time to do it, and he was fretting it. I remember thinking, "poor guy," and he was so cute... He was also only 22 at the time. Although, I have to say that I have seen other Korean actors of the same age (or younger) kiss and they didn't seem to mind it or maybe some of them were just faking it.
I tend to be interested in things that might not necessarily be apparent, and that is not limited to kissing :-), just so you know (although I do find the whole kissing thing interesting :-). I am always curious about what we don't see and what we don't know.
All of that to say that it takes me a long time to watch a Kdrama series, but then I usually know what I watched, what I liked and what I didn't like and where I have questions. To me, watching Kdramas is an experience to be had, and not just something I do to pass time (if I can help it). So, kudos to you for being able to watch up to 8-10 dramas at one time, *tips her hat off to Hillary and bows slightly*
I am soooo excited about your upcoming trip and upcoming season in your life, I hope that all will go well both in the US (before you leave) and in Trinidad and Tobago. I collect post cards, so if and when you can, please buy me some, pretty please *bats eyelashes and smiles*
Alright my dear, another Ivoire's journal for you to read. I hope you will have a great weekend!!!!
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Ivoire
June 1, 2012 at 3:24 PM
Man!!!! This is long, will I ever change? :-)
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 4:08 PM
Nope.
But that's okay, we like you this way!!
{{{hugs}}}
Ivoire
June 1, 2012 at 4:27 PM
Awwww Shukie, *I am laughing, good laughs*
and {{{ Hugs back}}}, you just made my day, "Thank you!!!!". And may I say that you know me too well, *Smiles again*
By the way, you haven't answered my questions. Reread my answer to you, please :-) (pouts and wiggles and smiles)...
hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 5:48 PM
@Ivoire: I was reading your post and laughing to myself ... you have such interesting observations. I am a long-time multi-tasker and I think I may become bored if I don't multi-task... LOL.
Thank you for your blessings... my future is in the Lord's hands (and Trinidad equivalent of Department of Family Services as well as USCIS). Hopefully I will be able to get this completed in a year otherwise my job will have to fire me ... and then re-hire me back.
shukmeister
June 2, 2012 at 5:11 AM
@ Iv -
Noo! Not the UPWS (Unnie Pout Wiggle Smile)! hee hee hee
Living arrangement is going well. He's a bit of a slob, but he's keeping the kitchen clean. I'm still finding socks and pillows on the floor in the main living room, but that's okay because he got me a satellite DVR for my little office/living room.
Since we are different work schedules (His 0600-1700, mine 2230-0700) and we both commute to Virginia, we basically nod in passing.
I've kept a lot of my clothes/shoes still in storage, prefering just to keep the current season stuff available, so my living area is still neat (did I mention I'm a bit of a slob too? lol).
The commute is long but swift, as it is almost all insterstate driving. I activated my XM radio, so I sometimes listen to Korea Today, especially the pop culture shows.
I still can't find pretty blackout curtains for my bedroom window, so I'll probably break out the sewing machine and make some custom panels soon.
On a slightly down side, he appears to like my healthy snacks as much as his unhealthy ones, so my trail mix and unsweetened applesauce keeps disappearing. I retaliated by stealing a couple of chocolate donuts... it's such a hardship [fist to brow].
I will probably miss a good portion of OT next week, as my father is undergoing surgery on Thursday and my mother has asked me to assist them for a couple of days. Then I'll be staying there over the weekend to help with yard- and housework until he recovers.
Stay strong!
Ivoire
June 2, 2012 at 1:43 PM
@ Shukie,
Yes exactly, the UPWS and I hope you will fall for it every time, just like the guys fall for the OPW all the time. (Remember when Samsooki mentioned in one of his recaps of MNIKSS that EVERY GUY wants to be an oppa and that they fall for the OPW? That made sense to me, if I were a guy and I cared about a girl [whether it being romantic or not], I would want to be an oppa and I would fall for it if I knew that the girl was a good person. I would not want to be an oppa to a mean girl, even if she were my sister).
I am glad to know that the living arrangements are going well and that you found something to do during your long commute. Are the broadcasts on the radio in Korean or in English?
I didn't know you knew how to sew. You are a woman of many talents... I hope you will find the kind of cloth you like to make your panels for your bedroom window.
I see that your landlord cannot resist your food :-). Are you planning to talk to him about it or are just going to go easy on him and let him indulge? You know, I think a couple of donuts every once in a while might not be bad for you. It doesn't sound like he is complaining about his donuts disappearing.
I hope that your dad's surgery will go well and I know that your parents will love and appreciate you being there. It is such an emotional support to have someone there in such times, especially when they are your children. And the fact that you will be helping with other things around the house (such as housework and yard work) is a bonus. I will be thinking of you guys, please let us know how things went.
Question: When you buy your DVDs (kdramas), where do you buy them from? (l am looking for a good online source that delivers DVDs with good English subs at a fairly good price and with good HD images). I would eventually like to buy City Hunter and The K2Hs.
I hope your weekend is going well.
shukmeister
June 2, 2012 at 4:15 PM
I order my DVD's from yesasia. I usually download them when they're showing, then delete them once I have the DVD.
Ivoire
June 3, 2012 at 2:47 AM
@ Shukie,
Thanks for the info about YesAsia. I take it you are happy with the quality of your DVDs then?
shukmeister
June 3, 2012 at 5:03 AM
So far, the few DVD's I have are okay. I do look at any consumer reviews - sometimes they warn you of possible knockoffs.
The XM Radio Korea Today channel is a mixture of your typical radio station, music, news, stuff like that, but it's a straight stream from Korea, so a lot of it isn't in English, and the times are almost reversed (for example, it 8am EST where I am, but 9PM in Korea).
It's a little hard to understand. But during my commutes there's programming that is for english-speaking people living in Korea, where they talk about KPop and KDramas, and teach you words and phrases. Airang Radio is the station. "Catch The Wave" and "K-Poppin'" are the shows; they are also on Facebook and Twitter. I don't know if they have streaming on thier website.
Hope this answers your questions. Take care!
Ivoire
June 4, 2012 at 12:21 PM
Hi Shukie,
Yes, you answered my questions, thank you! I was asking about the DVDs, because a friend of mine ordered them online once, but she didn't watch them right away. When she finally watched them, she realized that the subbing was not well done at all (the sentences didn't make sense) and by that time, it was too late for her to send them back. She shared this with me as a warning when ordering DVDs. I haven't ordered any yet, because I know I won't have the time to watch them right away (all of the episodes) to check and see if all the discs are good. So I wanted to know other people's experiences in that regard.
Thank you for sharing the info about XM Radio Korea Today, I will check it out.
So, I take it you are going to Florida to be with your parents (is that where you said they lived? I could be wrong). Have a safe trip!
Ivoire
June 1, 2012 at 6:09 PM
@ Hillary,
LOL at myself as well :-). I think I like (let me make that LOVE) details, so I pay attention to the little things. The kinds of jobs and responsibilities I have had have made me pay attention to details as well (mostly taking care of others).
I have always had an inquisitive mind, even as a child. I once took apart a nice watch that was a gift to me to see how it worked, I must have been about 9 or 10 years old. I couldn't put it back together of course, and my dad was not happy about that (it was a really nice and I think expensive watch that had been bought for me as a gift by one of my parents' friends). I regretted doing it, but curiosity made me do it :-) (I think my dad didn't understand and appreciate that part).
I also think that I tend to care about the actors/actresses/singers that I come to appreciate, so I always wonder what it takes for them to do what they do and how that might affect them (emotionally, physically, spiritually, psychologically, in their relationships, professionally, etc...). At the end of the day, they are human beings, just like us, and we see it very often. So I tend to think about them beyond the role I have seen them play or the song I heard them sing or perform.
If it is OK with you, I will pray for you, when I happen to think of you, that things will go well and that God would work everything out, even (and especially) the details and logistics involved in what you have to do and what needs to happen. Please let me know if it is OK if I do that.
I have one question: What is USCIS? Thanks!
P.S.: You are so blessed to be able to multi-task, living in this country for this long, you would think it is a skill I have mastered by now, ...not really (in my opinion). I guess I am just different.
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hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 10:41 PM
@Ivoire: USCIS is the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services department. It replaced the organization that used to handle immigration matters, INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), in 2003.
shukmeister
June 5, 2012 at 8:56 AM
Ivoire -
My parents are snowbirds: they leave Virginia and go to Fort Myers Beach on Gulf of Mexico for the winter, then head back. So they are actually in Virginia right now.
I like to tell people I spend all winter raking their leaves and all spring refurbishing their flower beds, so when they come back all tan and healthy, they just have to plant their flowers / tomatoes / stuff, and then sit on thier newly-cleaned outdoor furniture and look over their manicured lawn. lol. Still, I'm happy to do that for them, even though it meant my yard was scraggly and brown.
Once my father heals, then it will be my turn to schedule in my procedure, and then they'll have to take care of me for a week. So it's all good!
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Ivoire
June 5, 2012 at 11:23 AM
Hello Shukie,
Just checked the OT because I saw from the main page that the numbers of comments had gone up, and when I opened this particular page and scrolled down, there you were, having answered to my comment.
You seem to have a wonderful relationship with your parents and that is great. It is also great that you guys live somewhat close to one another and that you get to see one another. The mention of tomatoes and other produce they may plant brought back memories of home made salads that are so refreshing to eat in the summer.
I also got the feeling that you must like yard
work :-), all that physical activity is definitely good for the body and good for the soul, and your parents get to have a nice looking lawn in the process. yeah for good and helpful daughters! It's nice how you and your parents reciprocate in taking care of each other, you seem very close as a family. When it is your turn to have the procedure, I hope that it will go well.
So, was your yard scraggly and brown because you didn't have time to take care of it? (since you were working on your parents...)
Ivoire
June 1, 2012 at 5:49 PM
Also, I wanted to ask:
Where do you guys buy your Kdramas DVDs? I am interested in getting the K2Hs when it is made available in the US. I know there are a number of stores that sell Kdramas DVDs (YesAsia, Wal-Mart.com, Best Buy, Amazon, etc...).
I am interested in a good price, quality of the drama (the way it looks on your screen when you get it at home), quality of the subtitles and if it is shipped (and received) in time. Please also tell me where you guys get your OST CDs from (where you buy them).
Thank you, I would greatly appreciate your input on this. I ordered the K2Hs OST CD this week from YesAsia and I am waiting on it. It is my first time ordering anything from YesAsia.
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hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 10:42 PM
Let me know how your order goes because I wanted to buy quite a few before I go to Trinidad.
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Ivoire
June 2, 2012 at 12:43 PM
@ Hillary: I will keep you posted.
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Ivoire
June 2, 2012 at 12:57 PM
Also, thanks for the definition of USCIS. I didn't know the new acronym.
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11 ck1Oz
June 1, 2012 at 6:51 AM
Am I just below a post that is talking about ep 14 QIHM?
I am just starting ep 2 and have done a good job of avoiding spoilers.
Just wanted to say if you guys want a laugh, you should watch ep 35 Standby. It's got that actress from SG in the spotlight. If I say anymore it would spoil surprise. However it involves 2 ladies.
Ep 36 is pretty darn funny as well. I was shaking my head in disbelief in between dying from laughter.
You see some things you never thought to see in this lifetime in KDramas.
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ck1Oz
June 1, 2012 at 6:57 AM
Hello everyone. Just popped by to say hi and now going to bury myself in QIHM as a Friday treat. Finally I can get to watch it.
http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n520/ck1Oz/user_561054_user_561054_1338547780Gaksital_Character_List.png
Just had to drop that off considering melare spent so much time doing it for the Bridal Mask Team. It also helps me understand somewhat where the story is going. Thank goodness for Korean subbers I say. * clap, clap *
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oi
June 1, 2012 at 7:18 AM
wow...thank you to both of you!
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:29 AM
That's great - thanks for bringing it up!
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12 alua
June 1, 2012 at 6:53 AM
Happy OT thread everyone & Happy Friday!
I'm back, finished with marking exams and back on the British Isle too after the most uneventful visit to the homeland ever (thanks to being too busy with marking to do anything other). The only eventful thing was our family doggie being ill. Sadly, he had to put down just after I returned to the UK. :-(
Only just getting back to normal life, and haven't caught up with drama watching either. I did watch ep 1 of "I do, I do", which was cute but not spectacular or anything. Debating whether to finish the dramas I missed over the last few weeks or just to let them go (I know how they ended, as I did read the recaps) and wait for new ones to start. Not sure.
My Japanese friend said she recently marathoned - despite knowing better - this dorama called Dr. Koto. I think it's from 2006 or earlier. Anyone know it?
And any Korean film fans here? The Korean film blogosphere is currently drumming up support to have Remember O Goddess, a Korean-American film noir in the making, become Indiewire Project of the Month (and win a Sundance consultation!). We managed to get the film kickstarted and win Project of the Week, so this is the next step! It's actually pretty cool to see how crowdsourcing is really spreading the word about this film and making it happen. :-)
Anyhow, you can vote here (if you like): http://www.indiewire.com/article/decide-who-talks-to-the-sundance-institute-vote-for-indiewires-project-of-the-month-may
(I have a couple of post about the project on my blog too, including links to where you can watch the first 25 min, which have been completed, online).
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:42 AM
I have a good friend who was invited to Sundance Institute one year to learn about screenwriting, so it's a great opportunity! (FYI, he's one of the two brothers that won the Doritos Commercial contest during the SuperBowl this year!) Good luck with the indie film.
There are two seasons of Dr Koto Shinryojo. It's been a while since I watched them, but I enjoyed them. He's a new doctor sent to a remote island to be their main physician. A heartwarming fish-out-of-the-water country vs city story.
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alua
June 1, 2012 at 7:47 AM
It's not my film :-) I just want to see it badly so the more support it can get, the better it'll be!
Will look for the commercial (since I don't watch the Superbowl, I did not see it before). I'm currently on a train though with a terrible internet connection.
Thanks for the thumbs up on Dr Koto! Two seasons means there is even more to watch... (which can be both good and bad).
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:52 AM
For the commercial, look for a big Great Dane...
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Rashell
June 1, 2012 at 11:55 AM
So funny you should mention this. I'm sitting at Sundance as we type. I work there. So blessed to have such a beautiful place to be everyday. :)
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 12:32 PM
I'd hate you, but I'm a beach bunny and I hate snow more. lol. Still, when my friend was there, the pics he took were awesome - there's some pretty scenery there!.
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alua
June 1, 2012 at 1:54 PM
Lucky you!
What do you do exactly? *really curious now*
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Rashell
June 1, 2012 at 2:45 PM
Ahhh, I'm going to be so disapointing. I'm an accountant...lol...but I do get to hike, ski, mountain bike, and free VIP film festival tickets. So I'm not totally boring. LOL! Hey someone has to keep track of the money. :)
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alua
June 1, 2012 at 3:35 PM
I think if being an accountant gets you free VIP film festival tickets then ... that just rocks!
So do you watch a gazillion of films during the festival then?
The hike/ski/mountain bike bit sounds fabulous too, must be a gorgeous area then (somehow I never thought about the landscape when it came to Sundance).
Rashell
June 1, 2012 at 4:35 PM
When I first started working here, I went to the festival every year. I hit all the parties and watched as many films as possible. Now that I'm a married lady with two kids, the hubby and I try to pick one movie each season that we really want to see. Oh how life changes.
It really is beautiful here if you like tall mountains, snow in winter, and dry heat in summer. Fall and Spring are AWESOME though just perfect weather.
alua
June 2, 2012 at 8:09 AM
Well, going to film festivals, especially huge ones with way too many films to choose from, is a time-consuming business.
Must be hard to just choose one film though!
john
June 2, 2012 at 6:28 AM
Alua~
I'll check out Remember O Goddess.
I saw Kim Jung Tae and recognized him as the crooked cop from H.I.T.
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alua
June 2, 2012 at 8:07 AM
I think he's been in quite a few things, from Dream High 2, to Can't Lose to Miss Ripley. I didn't see any of those though. Never even heart of H.I.T.
All the actors in the film are doing the work for free though, which is pretty impressive (and super nice).
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13 Licia
June 1, 2012 at 6:58 AM
Hey Everyone.
Wow So many shows in the last week. Five So far. I had a busy mid week so I will be catching up on all the Wed/ Thurday Dramas this weekend. First on my list of course is Bridal Mask, then I Do, I do, then Ghost,. I have seen Dr. Jin and let me warn people the surgeries are very much part of the show so if you have a week stomach might what to get some ears plugs for some of those sound effects and be ready to cover your eyes. I have seen most of the original Japanese version of Jin it was so intense I got scared and stopped watching it that show stressed me out to much. But now I actually want to go back and finish it. So unto A Gentlemen Dignity I don’t know the overall opinion of everyone else but I like it. I like when there’s drama when they have people in it that are not in their 20s because. I want to see stories where people are already established have lived a little and are balancing life differently. Plus I find that the older some people get the more childlike they become. Its just to get some perspective on life. Anyway this the writer who wrote City Hall and Secret Garden I will say this she knows how to create a male characters who on the outside seem perfect but you realize that have a lot of weird parts to their personality and flaws but they sure do fall quick but I think it makes a memorable characters.
With all these new shows NO I DID NOT FORGET Queen-In-Hyuns-Man. I love this show. Because its a show about love and you fall in love as the characters are falling in love. Waiting for the subs. I respect this show so much that I don’t watch it raw and when its a show I like this much I usually do watch half of it without subs. So just a little bit longer I can endure.
So my honorable mention this week is more like an confession: I’m 22 and don’t know how to drive. To be honest the whole idea of me getting behind the wheel scares me. I even get anxiety about it. My mom got into a car accident when I was younger and I was so scared cause I didn’t know what had happened or where she was. I was about 5 or 6 she was hurt her back horribly but she was safe. A truck had hit the car she was in the back. Nobody knew how they had survived without being badly hurt Thank God. But I remember thinking I am never going to drive. Now I did get my permit when I was 19 with the written test but that was as far as I went. So I’m going to face my fears take the first step and take my written test on Monday again. I’ve been researching on how to stay calm while during driving so I guess this like my summer mission. Anyone have any driving tips?
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kopytko
June 1, 2012 at 7:14 AM
Let me start with the driving part because I used to feel the same (I got hit by a car when I was 11 and I felt nobody sees me when I drive and will crash me with their huge trucks). SO: the scariest think is thinking what might happen if... because when you actually sit behind the wheel of your beloved car (Like I love mine :D) it isn't as scary. Sure, you need to go through the difficult phase of learning good habits and reflexes, but it's a short time. My cocnlusion is: don't mull over, just do it! It's fun! And a very personal tip: when I started learning and took my exams (well, four times was the charm for me) I put on clothes in very bright, lively colours or at least had accesories like that. I even used a red pencil case at school to boost my confidence. It may sound silly, but that red stuff actually did help me a little, and it's got nothing to do with any magical thinking or cabbala etc. Just like green soothes and calms you, red gives you energy. You go girl!
And dramas: I liked AGD too. I found it funny, entertaining and quite likeable. It's true that it feels new to watch people well past their puberty!
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Licia
June 1, 2012 at 7:36 AM
Thanks for tips. Actually having an something on like accessories or wearing a color that has meaning to me helps to remind stay calm I do things like this all the time although. I had not thought of doing it while learning to drive but I am going to use this one.
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alua
June 1, 2012 at 7:52 AM
No tips. I don't drive and don't even have a license (or plan on getting one) and I'm a few years older than you!
But cycling is fabulous. :-P
I would try and drive in places that are less stressful (quiet roads). And if you are unsure to get started, I would get people you think are good drivers to come along and give you advice for a while.
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kopytko
June 1, 2012 at 8:03 AM
Sorry, but that's a deadly piece of advice. Good drivers can seldom comprehend (actually, remember) that you need time to learn things and they tend to get really impatient. I tried that and it ended up in my tears and the other people angry. What one needs in the beginning is one good, professional instructor. It should be a calm and patient person with sense of humour. And then you really learn to drive when you're on your own in a totally unknown place. I tell you it works wonders.
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alua
June 1, 2012 at 3:40 PM
Oh, I didn't mean skipping the professional instructor. Isn't that required anyhow?
But there should be good, mindful, patient drivers too that can help you further as well (on top of the instructor), but maybe I'm just thinking of my Dad whom I would ask for further support if I ever thought of getting a license (which I don't). :-)
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kopytko
June 1, 2012 at 4:11 PM
Hehe... Driving with my dad (along with the instructor) was a terrible experience. Most of my friends said the same :) So unless you know the person you want to ask for assistance is absolutely patient, you better skip it. My dad is actually a teacher and he knows his trade, but he absolutely had no clue what he was doing criticising me and making me do things his way. It had made me very unsecure and anxious. Driving with an instructor is just enough.
alua
June 2, 2012 at 1:39 AM
My Dad's very patient. :-)
So, I was wondering, in the US (assuming that's where you are) having driving lessons with an instructor isn't required?
kopytko
June 2, 2012 at 3:14 AM
No idea about US, I live in Poland :). It is necessary to absolve a number of driving hours with an instructor here. What I was talking about was driving on totally side roads, without any traffic and traffic police of course. Plus, after you get your licence you need to start driving on your own right off the bat, it can be a burden to have another driver guide you, because subconsciusly you wait for their tips and commands. I know it from both driver's and passenger's seats. Although I think I wasn't that bad when my lil'sis got her licence:) Still, I decided it was better to gather some courage and entrust her herself and my precious machine.
shukmeister
June 2, 2012 at 5:24 AM
Gosh, it's been sooo long since my driving lessons (um...1981? Yikes) so things might have changed.
In the States in Virginia, you can get your learner's permit at 16. That means you can get behind the wheel as long as a responsible adult is riding shotgun.
Driving Education classes are set up by the public school system, but your parents are expected to actually take you to DMV for your driving test. You do need a certificate showing you passed your Driver's Ed class(Note: There are private companies for adult learning to get the same certificate).
You have three tests at the DMV: written, eye, driving. Once you pass, you are issued your Operator's License. If you are a juvenile, there is a Youthful Operator restriction: Only one passenger.
Once you reach 18, you get the full-fledged one and keep until old age or a DUI conviction.
risa
June 1, 2012 at 8:08 AM
Hi Licia,
Kudos to you for being open about your fear, seeking support, and resolving to overcome it. I don't think it's driving tips you need so much as guidance regarding overcoming your anxiety. There are driving instructors out there who specialize in assisting people who have a fear of driving-- if you could work with someone like that, that would be ideal. There are also a variety of treatment modalities such as hypnotherapy, EMDR, NLP, etc that can help people who have persistent phobias.
Similar to kopytko's suggestion, I'd say that being mindful of your posture can be helpful-- sitting in a way that expresses that you feel confident and relaxed (chin up, etc) sends a signal to your brain to produce a biochemical reaction that reinforces your feeling confident and relaxed. Also, playing music that evokes those feelings in you can be very helpful. And lastly, why not imagine yourself as a k-drama heroine who has to cultivate her courage and defeat the bad guy (in this case, the fearful voice in her head)? It's really a matter of learning to embody your brave self rather than your fearful self. Keep us posted on your progress-- I'm sure you will prevail and we'll be cheering you on. Fighting!
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aoiaheen
June 1, 2012 at 8:26 AM
I'm actually terrified of driving too. But i can't help but drive, since i have a 4 yr old whom i have to cart back and forth from different places.
What i do is that I scout the place i have to go to before hand. I check out all possible routes on mapquest. check the left turns, the yields, the... literally everything. Then the first time i drive there, i do it during non-peak time (i swear i woke up at 6:00 am once just to fill gas.)
Also, when i near a signal, I always check the walksignal, usually there's a number that denotes how long till the signal turns yellow. That way, I don't screech to a halt and have my car rearended.
Once i get a hang of the route, my fear usually goes away. I drive to and from office and my daughters school without panicking. Unfortunately I had to drive to an office team bulding event - I got a fever the next day. So i'm sure you're better off than me.
Best of luck. The more you drive the less fear you will feel.
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mrembo
June 1, 2012 at 8:44 AM
Hi Licia,
I was reading your post and going, "Wow, she is so much braver than I am!" Yes, I too have a fear of driving; I feel like the car will control me and I will not be able to do anything about it and all the big trucks will crush me:( I know it sounds silly but I am terrified of driving. And you know what, I have been able to take written and practical tests in two countries and pass first time round! And, I am over a decade older than you;) I like all the advice everyone's given you and I need to take the plunge and get behind the wheel too. I have been lucky so far to live in places where public transportation is good and my friends have been nice enough to offer me rides when I need them (but they sometime call me out for my weird aversion to driving:), but I will hopefully be moving for a new job next year and I don't know where I'll end up; so it's probably a good idea to get started on getting comfortable with driving.
Long and short of my rambling? You go girl! And thank you for the inspiration:)
P.S. Alua, I don't know how to ride a bicycle either! *hides in shame* :)
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Licia
June 1, 2012 at 9:26 AM
I guess I'm in the same corner with you cause I don't know how to ride a bike or roller blade. Me and my cousin always laughs at me because I'm short so he says you only got one form of transportation and you can't even move that fast cause my legs are short. I was one of kids who rather play inside the house and make stories in my head then to go outside.
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mrembo
June 1, 2012 at 10:18 AM
Pfffffft! Us short people need to stick together! (and I have had those same jokes as your cousin's said of me). I was pretty active as a child, playing outside all day during school holidays (growing up in my country in the 80s was fabulous!) but once I hit my teens I was always the one in the house with her nose in a book:)
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alua
June 1, 2012 at 3:44 PM
@mrembo
You can always still learn how to ride a bicycle. Although I have friends who learned only in adulthood and they seem to feel less secure than those that learned it as children. But I don't know if that's only a mental block, or whether it's really something best learnt as a child.
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will work for soju
June 1, 2012 at 10:49 AM
Hi Licia,
Good luck with your driving. I think that being nervous about driving will make you a better driver. One of the main causes of accidents is not paying attention, and being nervous will make you extra cautious. Overconfidence is another issue, so no problems there on your end. When I was starting out driving I thought of how many people manage to do this everyday, and thought that I can't be that much worse than them. Maybe there is a person you know who is an idiot but manages to drive - then just imagine that if he or she can do it, so can you.
A practical tip I found useful for staying in a straight lane is to look as far ahead as you can.
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Cynthia
June 1, 2012 at 5:33 PM
Hey, Licia -
You've gotten lots of sensible tips here to help you.
I have one tip that helped me - find yourself a big, empty parking lot (early mornings, etc., at malls) and do all your practice driving, parking, reversing, stops and starts, circles, etc., until you feel totally comfortable behind the wheel. Then find a low density area for on-street driving. Build up your confidence gradually - don't force yourself into any high-congestion highways until you're good and ready. Good, responsible driving takes lots of practice. You can do it!
:)
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john
June 2, 2012 at 4:58 AM
Licia~
Relax. You'll do fine.
Here's a link to a website that offers some good advice about safe driving .
Defensive Driving Safety Tips
Looking forward to hearing how you've passed the test with flying colors.
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14 Yasmin
June 1, 2012 at 6:58 AM
hello everyone, long time no see! Finished my exams last friday and have since watched King 2 Hearts completely..Yay!! Sady i was spoilt the ending even though i tried hard to avoid all spoilers at all costs..but finished it yesterday and still trying to get over it.
Bearing in mind that i havent seen any dramas in the past 4 months, what would be the best next drama to watch? I don't mind what the genre is, i love all from thrillers and crime to romcoms!
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kopytko
June 1, 2012 at 8:25 AM
Hands down: Queen InHyun's Man. It seems to be the bestest drama around at the moment. It's a romcom, really funny, with great characters and it keeps you on the tips of your toes quite a lot. Highly recommended :)
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shl71
June 1, 2012 at 8:29 AM
I second this! You will not regret it :-)
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hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 1:09 PM
Third that recommendation...
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megels7719
June 1, 2012 at 1:32 PM
@Yasmin....gonna have to fourth that recommendation! It's definitely worth it!
15 ahjummabunny
June 1, 2012 at 7:02 AM
I was feeling so proud of myself for finally sort of catching up with the times ( I watched one episode of marriage plot) but just the first 13 comments make me realize I'm still not there yet. I'm torn between trying to watch what grabs my attention or watching in order. I'm more inclined to the latter but that means I have nothing to discuss at open thread.
This week I found Glass slippers online and I'll finish the last 3 episodes today at work. Last night I had a dream that was great! Park jin hee my best friend set me up with her dongsaeng kim soo hyun. apparently he had a long time crush on me and he confessed by singing a song. Park jin hee made fun of us often and sometimes I would think it was ridiculous to like someone so young but then when he hugged me it was all okay.
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 7:51 AM
Ohh Ajbunny - I want in on that dream too!
I recommend you watch what you want to watch. No pressure just because the rest of put our lives on hold and our brains on insomnia psychosis. lol
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16 Mystisith
June 1, 2012 at 7:03 AM
So, Kim Eun-sook new drama A Gentleman's Dignity is once again the cause of a net war. If you're a SeGa lover you dig it. If you didn't like the previous works of this writer you will likely not love this one.
I LOVE IT.
Is there a lot of SeGa inside jokes? Yes.
Is SeGa used as a template for AGD story and characters psychology? Absolutely.
And this is why i could watch it again and again. We could have a SeGa rip-off with teenagers, elders, eskimos, aliens or vampires. I would watch it. Even a SeGa-ised sageuk with a time traveler neurosurgeon body-swapping with an idol. Couldn't be worse than Dr Jin K-version.
I think than accusing the writer of parodying her own work is a bit unfair. How many dramas are still alive in your mind 2 years after airing? How many famous lines? Cult scenes? Brilliant ideas with accessories? Smoldering kisses? She has the right to be proud of her work.
AGD won't be as famous as SeGa and i'm sure the writer knew that from the start. But still, when you talk first quality rom-com for easy-watching nothing beats her work for me. It's funny and sexy. And I know we won't have a sad ending.
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maria
June 1, 2012 at 7:15 AM
i haven't had the chance to check out a gentleman's dignity yet, but secret garden was mostly solid for me, and i like the formula, so i know i'm going to give it a try.
and anyway, vanity shout outs to past projects isn't a new thing in dramaland either, right? has the writer gone beyond quota or something that people are griping about it?
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ahjummabunny
June 1, 2012 at 7:25 AM
hmmph!
I wouldn't use secret garden as the "template" I'd say the man and the woman in secret garden are evolutions of shin mi rae and jo guk.
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kopytko
June 1, 2012 at 7:36 AM
Actually, I watched SeGa and I liked it. But not more than that; except for the sequins I don't remember much about it... I like AGD in its own right! I don't find it absurd or anything of the kind. Maybe I won't gather much of the meta jokes, but I don't care. I just like what I get, unlike a drama I was looking forward to %#&#
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urbangirl
June 1, 2012 at 7:36 AM
I, too,really liked SG. But by ep 2 I found myself disappointed by AGD. KHN's character is a high school teacher in her 30's, but in all her scenes she's a real ditz and all her lines are variations of "Ottoke". And she's the most likable female in the group - the others being really cliche -- bitchy and or bratty. As for the guys, KSR and KMJ are the most likable of the 4, but of course, (again cliche) fall for the cold, heartless, but sexy dressing woman and the juvenile girl with her long time "Oppa" crush, respectively. I don't think I even have to discuss LJH cliche character. Too many of the scenes are not only ripoffs of SG, but a lot of other Kdramas. Was the writer watching RTP when she had KHN "mistakenly" text a message to JGD? Sorry, the drama seems as tired as JGD looks --- and I love him!
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urbangirl
June 1, 2012 at 7:44 AM
Sorry, typos in the last 2 sentences, of course, it should be JDG. What can I say, when I rant, I can't spell!
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Mystisith
June 1, 2012 at 7:57 AM
Originality of scripts in dramaland is irrelevant. Dramaland is a big recycling factory of ideas. The text message sent by accident taken from RP? I will tell you it was used before, in You're Beautiful for instance.
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 8:18 AM
Yeah but some of those are always funny - a man's first diaper, for instance.
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Mystisith
June 1, 2012 at 8:40 AM
All the interest lies in the variations and in the fact that new faces play them.
shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 9:10 AM
True true. I also like lampshading, which they've already made a bit of a game in the first 2 epis of AGD.
One of the things piquing my interest for Gaksital and AGD is the new mix: historical but not saguek for one, and relationship but with old people (okay maybe not so old, since I'm 46) for the other.
17 MsB
June 1, 2012 at 7:20 AM
Happy Friday everyone! First time posting here. I had vowed after the last dramas that I would limit myself but dang it, the new ones are just too good! QIHM! Thanks for turning me on to that! What a TK2H reliever! Its too cute for words, just takes so long to get the eng sub versions out there. Fell in love with A Gentleman's Dignity. Could not stop laughing! Gaksital and Ghost? Are my new drama cracks! Gaksital sucked me in with all the action (please, please stay that way) and Ghost? WOW! If you have not seen ep 2, the story line has gone a route I have never seen before. I was going to watch because SJS is in it but now, I am so there. I Do, I Do has funny moments but I am not super excited about it but will probably watch. Dr Jin? I think I laughed too much while watching it before I realized it was not a comedy! So, that is a "if I am bored, I'll watch drama". Everyone is anticipated Big and so am I. I just hope it does not turn into a dud like Love Rain or (the horror) Fashion King! See you at the recaps! BTW, thanks to kdrama, I've signed up for Korean language classes! Tired of waiting for subs! SO addicted am I!
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 8:00 AM
Welcome to the craze, MsB! I'm glad you decided to join in with the chaos. Yes, there are a lot of really good shows this year across the dial, so anyone can find a genre they can enjoy.
I'm teaching myself japanese, which helps with the anime / JDorama watching, but just muddles the KDrama stuff.
Good luck with your language lessons! There is a site out there called "Talk to Me in Korean" which has mini-lessons of about 10 minutes or so. It got me a big smile when I managed to choke out my dinner request at my favorite Korean restaurant!
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18 DTK
June 1, 2012 at 7:24 AM
good morning everyone
A Gentleman’s Dignity love the drama, watch over and over the first 2 ep. I cannot wait until tomorrow.
have a good weekend everyone
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19 kopytko
June 1, 2012 at 7:29 AM
Hello Everybody! Was your week good?
I must start with a painful confession: my heart is bleeding after I saw Ghost. I hated it! I have seen quite a few things with So Ji Sub and I've always found him authentic and believable. But either the writers did a poor job or he cannot act as a brainy character. When I think of it, I remember SJS's roles as a simple person with complicated circumstances. Heh. The lead actress is terrible too. I'm really sad, because I was so excited to see this. Maybe I should not compare the characters to my brother and his friends/colleagues who are IT engineers, but hey... where is that concentration, that immersion into the numbers and commands? The people onscreen seem rather unfamiliar with geek stuff that should be their life! I hope the next episode will be better, otherwise I'm dropping it. Maybe it would be better for SJS to take an accountant character all in all?
On the bright side, I found Gaksital really, really good, although I wasn't that interested. I also enjoyed myself at AGD - I wasn't even planning to start it!
And I'm still giddy when I think of 11th episode of QIHM ;)
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leonardswench
June 1, 2012 at 7:40 AM
I was disappointed most in Ghost (no rhyme intended) this week, which is saying something in a week full of disappointing openers for the new dramas. Episode 1 should always leave us wanting more, and instead, I wished I could have my hour back to clip my toenails and thread my eyebrows. SIGH. I hope it turns around soon, but I have a feeling it will continue to sink in ratings.
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kopytko
June 1, 2012 at 8:16 AM
Sigh. 16 hours of So Ji Subon tv wasted? It makes me so frustrated that I would clip my toes along with the nails ;)
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Laeah
June 1, 2012 at 1:42 PM
Episode 2 is 10x better. It's amazing! Don't give up! haha 1 was blah for me too but I started episode two and it was CRAZY amazing. :)
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jomo143
June 1, 2012 at 2:23 PM
LW, even YOU cannot thread YOUR OWN eyebrows?
Can you? Would like video proof if yes....
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leonardswench
June 2, 2012 at 3:24 PM
LOL NO!!!!!! It was merely TIC.
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wintergirl
June 1, 2012 at 7:45 AM
Loving QIHM but am frustrated it's not on dramafever and am having a hard time finding it...just searching youtube. What is this SOLIVe thing? Or where else are y'all watching it. Please give some hints.
Regarding QIHM everyone keeps raving about the lead guy character. Um, he's fine. But I think the lead girl is the one who's really making this piece sparkle. The range of emotions she goes through in single reaction/scene is just incredible. You see joy, hope, insecurity, doubt, all of it just flash across her and she's so bubbly. So many dramas I've felt like the guy was carrying the drama with his intensity. But I think without her, the lead male here wouldn't be half as appealing. It's her love of him that makes him so great, and able to do the calmer intensity in contrast.
Meanwhile, I have become strangely addicted to STrong Heart..old episodes and new have me laughing and crying. They should have something like this on American TV. It's such a great mix of emotion and performance. Just watched the one about the actress telling how she performed in a women's prison and their reaction to her...wow. Made me cry, and many others on the show teared up too.
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kopytko
June 1, 2012 at 8:09 AM
I really dislike cute idiots and it's not different in case of QIHM. The actress does what is needed for the character, but the character isn't the most complicated or demanding. I would even say it's stereotypical. So actually, any pretty girl would do. But maybe I'm simply biased against such types... Dunno, hate the cute...
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shl71
June 1, 2012 at 8:27 AM
Hi Wintergirl,
Solive is a live streaming site, and up till Thursday night it was free, although tedious to install, according to quite a few users. Check out Hillary's comment at 1.4 above for more info.
It takes a while for the QIHM subbed episodes to come out, but I usually catch them on Kimchidramas.net or EPDramas.com. I can't access Dramafever or Dramacrazy. Alternatively, some kind soul uploads the subbed episodes on (? to?) Daily Motion; you could search there.
As for the lead . . . it's the smile . . .
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Llamaesque
June 1, 2012 at 9:38 AM
I haven't started watching QIHM because I'm hoping it will arrive at Dramafever sooner or later (I think it airs TvN, and they eventually carry most of that network's shows). In the meanwhile, though, it's available at KimchiDrama. This site is less wonderful than Dramafever, IMHO, but probably better than surfing youtube :b
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hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 1:17 PM
@intergirl: Don't think SOLIVE is what you need. SOLIVE is a program that allows you to stream the shows as they air (it is popular because it is the only way to watch TvN if you don't live in Korea and it provides a HD quality with very little buffering ... it also has other channels).
What you need is the streaming sites or download sites with QIHM. Here is a link to Hamster's QIHM video collection (no commercials, no segments and good quality ... all are on dailymotion). Has all subbed episodes up to 12. Pretty sure she is part of the Darksmurffs community and that group is currently subbing QIHM, so she generally has these up within 24-48 hours after Darksmurffs finalize their subbing.
http://www.dailymotion.com/TheHamzter#video=xmy48k
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cv
June 1, 2012 at 9:26 AM
I actually really like the storyline in ghost. There's a twist to the story--if u finished watching ep 2, you'll see what I mean. As long as Ghost keep up the pace like in episode 2, I believe this could be a great watch. ^^
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holli
June 1, 2012 at 10:42 AM
Watched episode 1 of Ghost, and liked it up to the "cliff-hanger" until they started playing "Phantom of the Opera". To me it killed the effect. I am hoping there is a good reason for that music in episode 2 otherwise it's just cheesy. The twist better be a good one!
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Deeno
June 1, 2012 at 11:05 AM
I felt the same way when "Phantom of the Opera" played in the first episode. It was way too dramatic, but it does tie into the second episode. Watching and recapping the first episode was definitely worth it after I watched the second episode.
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kopytko
June 1, 2012 at 1:27 PM
I'm about to start watching the second episode, and believe me, I want so much that it proves better than the first one. The setup was allright (otherwise I wouldn't have watched it at all) but the execution killed it for me... Please, save my respect for SJS, Show!
cv
June 1, 2012 at 11:51 AM
LOL yea, it sounds cheesy but like Deeno said, it does tie nicely in 2nd ep. ^^ And I didn't mind it at all.
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sunandmoon
June 1, 2012 at 8:18 PM
I also found the "Phantom of the Opera" music out-of-place and jarring, but then it made sense after episode 2. And now I wonder if the title translation should be "Phantom," rather than "Ghost." I looked up the translation of "Phantom of the Opera" in Korean and it is "Opera-eui Yoo-ryung." The title of this drama is "Yoo-ryung." Coincidence??
On top of that, Um Ki-joong interestingly hasn't made his appearance yet. He is the only major billed actor who has not yet shown up -- or has he??
I just hope this drama -- which I'll personally refer to as "Phantom" from now on -- can keep up the awesome. Because awesome it is. :)
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hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 1:22 PM
@cv: That is also what I like most about ghost: the storyline. I am probably committing sacrilege but I am not really impressed with SJS (don't kill me ... LOL). Maybe he gets less stiff as we go along... will still watch though.
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kopytko
June 1, 2012 at 1:32 PM
That's precisely what I'm agonizing about! The one and only reason to have a look at the drama was as weak as the main actress, LYH or whatever her name is. It's not a reason to be mad at disappointed viewers but at the disappointing drama makers. I am all for constructive and well founded criticism, even if it is SJS (well, he totally deserved it for the 1st ep.)
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cv
June 1, 2012 at 2:29 PM
Hahha! SJS isn't bad at all. You have to consider that maybe that's how his character is suppose to be portray? Now after the twist of the story, maybe he'll be better since you know, the character changed. :D (totally spoiler there! LOL)
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Laeah
June 1, 2012 at 1:40 PM
Did you not watch episode 2 of Ghost? It completely redeemed the first episode, IMO.
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Laeah
June 1, 2012 at 1:44 PM
So Ji Sub, bless his heart, is not the best actor. I don't mind Lee Yeon Hee myself, in some of her works. She is there for eye candy after all. But since both rely on a strong acting partner, together it's not really all that nice to watch.
But I love the story line. I hope SJS can pull it off.
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kopytko
June 1, 2012 at 3:10 PM
So I've just watched episode 2 and... it is indeed better than ep.1.
There are some loopholes (or they seem loopholes right now) so I'm on the fence whether it's as good as I wanted it to be.
I guess it was my first encounter with Daniel Choi - he totally stole the show. I also like the performance by some secondary characters, for example the bad tempered and mistrustful detective. SJS and LYH have two more episodes to prove they were cast in the show not only because they are pleasant to look at.
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sunandmoon
June 1, 2012 at 9:05 PM
I love Detective "Mad Cow"! I also noticed his subordinate is played by the same actor who was Dokko Jin's cheeky manager in Best Love, and the dynamic between these two characters is hysterical. Whoever said this drama wasn't funny?
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20 piipi
June 1, 2012 at 7:29 AM
Hi OTers!
With this June comes my 3rd anniversary of indulgence in k-dramas...I just marathoned Delightful Girl Choon Hyang-my first kdrama love!
First loves die hard-true indeed!!
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21 trotwood
June 1, 2012 at 7:35 AM
The semester's over, and I have just finished marathoning H.I.T. and have fallen in love with that whole team. I want a team like that at work . . . well without the whole fear of having one of them kidnapped by a serial killer that is. I love how the male lead falls in love with our heroine because he cannot help having respect for her intelligence, loyalty, and work ethic--oh yeah and Go Hyun-jung looks luminous with little make up and regular woman (sans couture and high heels) clothes. I really like how all the secondary characters get their own stories so we see how they grow and change and the loyalty amongs the team gets built. AND the heroine gets to rescue the hero and the end. Yes, there are corny bits, and there is a tendency of the director to use dramatic cuts from one face to another in an attempt to build tension (although with a brilliant serial killer on the lose, I'm not sure that is really necessary), but still I loved this show. Anyone else watch this or remember watchin this?
Are there other Go Hyun Jung shows/movies people would receommend? I watched What's Up Fox and really loved her in that as well. I know that she has a movie coming out this summer, but I will have to wait for it to come out with subs or in region 1 formatf or me to see it to see it. I cannot seem to find other movies except for Actress, but that was in region 3.
If not, I am also looking for other dramas where the female lead stays strong throughout like H.I.T or Fermentation/Kimchi Family ( I marathoned this one before H.I.T).
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Min
June 1, 2012 at 2:39 PM
Oh my gosh!! I love that drama. I think it's one of my favourite cop-drama. I remember I first heard about it because the theme song was sung by SuJu (I'm sorry big SuJu fan here). ILoved GHJ's character but I was so invested in the H.I.T. members I remember having loved Kim Jung Tae's character and his partner who was played by Ma Dong Suk (he was such a softie despite looking all growly).
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jomo143
June 2, 2012 at 11:09 AM
Well, she is also my fav of all time. WUF, HIT were amazing collaborations for the writers, actors and cast.
I watched Sandglass because of how much I love her.
She has the most beautiful hair in that one - when she isn't wearing a wig, that is.
I haven't watched it, but I hear good things about Daemul.
And of course she was a really good bad guy in Queen Seon Duk...
Shows with strong female leads? You MUST watch Lovers in Prague!! The actors in that drama are mostly known for films. It is the last time you see Ha Jung Woo, (♥ ♥ ♥!) on the small screen in a supporting role. By the way, he ended up filming a wonderful little movie with Jeon Do Heon My Dearest Enemy a few years later.
I am guessing that I Do I Do will end up delivering for us this season. I am getting many WUF vibes off it. Which makes sense since the set-up and OTP are similar.
Anyway, I am rambling now. Good luck with your search!
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22 jomo143
June 1, 2012 at 7:46 AM
Hello tout le monde!
Why do I love QIHM soooo much?
Yes, BD. Yes, HJ. Yes, everyone else in the cast.
Yes, gayageum music with modern music. LOVE THAT!
Mostly, what I love is the filmmaking and editing of the show.
Did you notice all the overlapping dialog and visuals?
They are doing this all through the show - which allows them to tell the story is less time. Not fewer frames, because there are a lot of cuts. It makes everything feel urgent, and adds zip the to sageuk dialog that we normally don't feel.
I noticed when I started making headers, when I would accidentally catch two gorgeous shots in the same frame.
What we get are beautiful overlays and transitions that tell an extremely compelling story all by themselves. The really obvious ones are when he is reading th annals, and they are showing the action of his narration in sepia tones.
Who thought that reading history on screen would make your heart speed up?
I am not a patient viewer. Watching Equator Man just about KILLED me because of the loooooooooong shots and slow transitions.
This type of story telling makes my heart soar. I want to marry this PD and editor and have all of their drama babies.
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kopytko
June 1, 2012 at 8:21 AM
AHA. So that mysterious instrument was gayageum. Shame on me, I was to lazy to do any research, I was just going to ask on OT. Thanks for the info!
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wintergirl
June 1, 2012 at 8:27 AM
jomo, thanks for pointing out the overlapping dialog and visuals. I am going to look for that. Love learning about and noticing these techniques.
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aoiaheen
June 1, 2012 at 8:30 AM
QIHM really is amazing. I love the background music in the modern scenes. Usually I don't notice the music, but with this i did.
Are you planning to watch Gaksital? I ask because i didn't see any comments from you on the recaps.
When i watched the first episode my first thought was , Jomo's son is going to love this.
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jomo143
June 1, 2012 at 8:44 AM
You are scary right, aoiaheen!
We DID watch Ep 1 together, but we were both up too late last night to watch 2. We are going to catch up this weekend and I'll read the recaps and comment.
At first he was like "Bridal Mask? How dumb is that?"
So I told him to think of it more as Batman's mask,and not to worry about the translation of the name.
He can't just watch anything. If something doesn't make sense, we have to talk about it and there was googling.
We had to work through the history lesson of Japan's interference in K's government - we discussed why there is still anti-J feelings today.
I feel lucky that he (still) wants to spend time with his old momma. I treasure every moment together! :)
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aoiaheen
June 1, 2012 at 11:57 AM
Batman's mask! LOL !
See. That's why i watch dramas - For the history lesson (and not for the hot kisses and the abs).
I remember studying the french revolution in high school and i literally slept through the whole lesson. Then i just happened to read the scarlet pimpernel (a very old novel by Baroness Orczy) and boy did i do well in our history test.
Its nice to see that your son is enjoying the same things you do. I wish that when my daughter grows up, we have atleast some common interests.
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hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 1:26 PM
@aoiaheen: I love scarlet pimpernel... I have several editions as the first one was my mom's literature book in school (LOL). I even have some of the sequels she wrote ... they are in a box though. I also loved the movies (every single one of them). That brought back memories.
Mama J
June 1, 2012 at 1:34 PM
I LOVE The Scarlet Pimpernel - read it as a young teen, still remember it fondly.
aoiaheen
June 1, 2012 at 1:39 PM
@ Hillary: oh! a fellow scarlet pimpernel fan. My favorite of the movies was the one with Leslie Howard. He was sooo awesome in that. I wonder if they'd ever remake that one.
hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 1:53 PM
I also liked Leslie Howard's version the best. I also liked A&E's 1998 adaptation with Richard E. Grant.
There was a 1982 TV movie with Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour, which I did not like so much but I think it was because I just don't like Jane Seymour.
shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 4:26 PM
Richard Grant was the bestest Scarlet Pimpernel by far. A & E came out with awesome adaptatons of a lot of English literature too. I also like the Horatio Hornblower series with Ioan Griffuld.
hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 5:55 PM
@Shuk: I love Horatio Hornblower... and I admit, a huge, HUGE, ABSOLUTELY HUGE Ioan Gruffuld fan. Love that man, his intensity. He was just born to play Horatio Hornblower. I hoped that they would continue the series as there were 12 books in Forester's series ... but it wasn't to be.
shl71
June 1, 2012 at 8:40 AM
Thanks, Jomo, for pointing out the bits of wizardry that help make this show what it is. I knew it all the elements were blending together so well, but you've helped me understand how and why.
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23 Amber
June 1, 2012 at 7:48 AM
Hey everyone, just wanted to say Thank You again. My class presentation went really well. Mystisith, they loved the map! It was the second most popular part of my presentation :). The most popular part was when I made them watch a trailer for "Head" (without subs) and try to guess what it was about (I was making a point about fansubbers). I did play Fantastic Baby for them, and one of my classmates filmed them but...They were suppressing their reactions (at least the girls were!) because they're spoilsports.
Oh! And this was in spite of my accidentally deleting my original video presentation shortly beforehand!
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Mystisith
June 1, 2012 at 8:04 AM
Hi Amber! I'm happy i could help a little bit with your presentation. It wasn't completely gratuitous... I just hope we have 1 or 2 more fans for the Korean entertainment. :)
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Amber
June 1, 2012 at 3:47 PM
Actually...I got one of the registration ladies at the college interested lol. She's going to start with Soulmate.
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 8:07 AM
Wow, Amber - I'm glad it turned out so well considering the mid-stream change you did. And I be those girls were tapping thier internal feet. lol
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cv
June 1, 2012 at 9:31 AM
Hi amber! Glad to hear ur presentation went well! ^^
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Amber
June 1, 2012 at 4:17 PM
Oh! On another note: I'm going to be taking Korean in the fall and my teacher asked me for drama suggestions, because she's thinking of incorporating them into the lessons. So...any thoughts? She's wanting something that will have more everyday type dialogue in it I think.
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Mystisith
June 3, 2012 at 8:45 AM
Dramas to help with Korean lessons:
Without being too specific, i would choose family dramas: A lot of gatherings, meals... Ojakgjo Brothers, Fermentation Family.
School environment: What's up? Dream high!
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24 Alex
June 1, 2012 at 7:48 AM
Good afternoon, all! :-)
I haven't watched Dr Jin yet, but I read/looked at the recaps for ep1, and what struck me most of all was: I hardly recognize Song Seung-heon.
Not that I'm an expert, I've only seen him in My Princess before, but I honestly would never have thought this was the same guy. He looks really different to me!!
Is it just me? Is it plastic surgery? Why would anyone feel the need to mess with a face like SSH's previous one??
Also, unrelatedly:
Queen In-hyeon's Man! OMG I love this drama so much.
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jomo143
June 1, 2012 at 7:54 AM
I think THT looks skinnier - maybe he lost some threadcount over the past year?
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Alex
June 1, 2012 at 8:18 AM
Maybe - I guess that could be it. To me the entire shape of his face looks different, but I can imagine that maybe it's just gotten really thin when it wasn't before.
If that's it, I really really hope he gains back that weight soonest. I thought he was much more attractive before.
I don't get the losing weight either, really, it's not like he was overweight! He was just right, and yummily muscular.
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cv
June 1, 2012 at 9:38 AM
LOL I think he did lose a bit...face is thinner. Mostly, if u lose weight, ur face sage a little unless u get a facelift? haha
but he's still hot as ever though. ^^
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Mama J
June 1, 2012 at 8:26 AM
*snort*
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jomo143
June 1, 2012 at 11:40 AM
I was chuckling at my desk when I wrote that! :D
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cherkell
June 1, 2012 at 9:51 PM
Okay, even though I've been up for 18 hours straight, that comment still made me spit-take my Diet Snapple. HAHAHAHA!!
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kopytko
June 1, 2012 at 8:33 AM
Not recognizing actors is still a problem of mine. I don't know what it is but even a slight difference in hairstyle makes a person totally new to me. It isn't as bad as it used to be, when I would watch consecutively 2 films with Kwon Sang Woo (he's remarkable, isn't he?) and not realise he's in both productions, but an annoying film when I get into fangirl mode and look for some dramas/films with an actor I get to like, only to find out I have already seen it.
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25 kewbie
June 1, 2012 at 8:02 AM
Hola Dramabeans! Headed to the supermarket with the kids since they're out of school for the summer. Must.buy.oatmeal. Wishing you all a happy OT Friday. TTYL!
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jomo143
June 1, 2012 at 8:09 AM
Can you get me some french bread and brie, please?
The really crusty kind Mysthi makes at home, I am sure!
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Mystisith
June 1, 2012 at 8:34 AM
I love cheese! With whole meal bread still hot from the oven. And a pint of hard cider.
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jomo143
June 1, 2012 at 8:54 AM
I love hide cider. In college many a wild night was preceded by sharing a coupla bottles with my roomy.
Man! We got into some trouble back then...it was fun!
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kewbie
June 1, 2012 at 9:43 AM
Hi jomo! Haha...I actually bought some Italian bread, sorry. ;-)
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26 anekid
June 1, 2012 at 8:24 AM
@yasmin
Hey! New to commenting, though have been checking out DB since reading escapes for Dalja's spring, which was a really fun drama.
You're asking about what to watch next and this is going a few years back now but mixed up investigative agency is great! And Que sera sera.. That was intense but it's worth seeing, if u can handle it, just for jung yoo mi (the crucible)'s performance and the dialogues.. Very layered drama, amazing.
also flowers of my life is a great little one. The humour is kinda like black humour but I personally thought the drama was uplifting and witty rather than depressing.. And it has one of my fav actresses, kang hye jung, in it! She's great.
These are all older ones as I havent got round to seeing all of the new ones. But they seem like a pretty decent batch, some seeming to stand out more than others like gaksital, queen in hyuns man being the main two. I saw a bit of QIHM and I admit, I liked it a lot :)
So there u go! Hope that's somewhat useful in starting u off!
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wintergirl
June 1, 2012 at 8:31 AM
Loved Que Sera Sera, too. It stayed in my mind longer than a lot of other kdramas.
Warning: the description of QSS on dramafever is overly dramatic and offputting and I don't think it fits that drama at all. Yeah, it's not a sweet cute little kdrama, and it is emotionally intense, but as others have said, worth it. And I have a low tolerance for dark, depressing shows and I still liked it.
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jomo143
June 1, 2012 at 9:05 AM
Loved QSS, too.
My guess is the reason we make it through the heavier stuff is because they did such a good job establishing a real connection between the OTP. It wasn't one sided. He recognized his feelings for her early on even if he acted like he didn't.
I lived for many a episode remembering THAT kiss.
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anekid
June 1, 2012 at 11:17 AM
Oh man,THAT kiss. I think I know what you're talking about ;) I must have teacher that kiss so many times.
It's one of those that I watched obsessively, kind of like the drama itself.. And some of the characters. But it felt gritty but real and then stark and it truly is worth getting your teeth into isnt it?
And I'm glad so many others appreciate that drama.
And yes @SweetiePie54 it really got me into knots as well. It's somewhat like a really in depth characters study as well.
Fantastic.
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anekid
June 1, 2012 at 11:18 AM
Oops, I meant rewatched not teacher!
jomo143
June 1, 2012 at 11:38 AM
Although, now that you mention it, Eric could teach a lot of folks how to kiss so you "feel it down to your toes" to quote JoAnne...
Mama J
June 1, 2012 at 1:36 PM
Oh good Lord, that kiss. My toes are curling as we speak.
Cynthia
June 1, 2012 at 6:54 PM
I don't know who does the drama descriptions over at DramaFever, but some of them are really off-kilter.
'Fashion King' was described as a Romantic Comedy.
It was kind of a comedy, just not in the intentional way.
:)
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Llamaesque
June 1, 2012 at 9:49 AM
I'm watching Que Sera, Sera right now, and I can't wrap my head around how different it is from most other Korean dramas. It's almost a little...Cruel Intentions-y. Me likes.
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SweetiePie54
June 1, 2012 at 10:35 AM
I am currently on episode 13 of Que Sera Sera and I LOVE it. It's so GOOD! It's been a really long time since I have been hooked on a drama. I want to just power through and watch it but if I do it will be over and I don't want it to end. QSS gets me twisted in knots. Love it love it love it. :)
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27 becca_boo
June 1, 2012 at 8:35 AM
Happy OT Friday, everyone!
So many dramas, so little time.
Watched up to ep 12 of QIHM, and I'm so in love, I don't know what to do with myself. The show is just awesome, and Boong-do is easily my favorite Kdrama hero.
I loved the first 2 eps of GD, but I'm still cautious about the drama as a whole.
The first ep of Ghost was better than I thought it would be, but I'm so sad that Daniel Choi is just doing a cameo. He's what made the episode interesting for me. *sigh* At least we get to keep Uhm Ki-joon, which is good because we need someone around to do the heavy-lifting among the actors.
So yeah, I still haven't figured out why I like So Ji-sub.
I still have the premieres of Gaksital (SO EXCITED!!!!), I Do I Do, and Dr. Jin waiting for me, and maybe I Love Lee Tae-ri and The Chaser, if I can find subs for those two. I know what I'll be doing this weekend!
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Rashell
June 1, 2012 at 12:10 PM
Maybe you like So Ji-Sub cause he's ubber HOT? Just a possbility. ;)
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28 Mama J
June 1, 2012 at 8:36 AM
Greetings, My Wondrous Beans!
Let's see...lovely day here. My crippled household continues to struggle along, but I'm still not up to full speed with using arms/hands and now that daughter has broken wrist...well..the big debate around here is who's going to carry the LAUNDRY?
I have 5 eps to go on Equator Man. Really enjoying. Can't hate Prosecutor yet, though, and I even understand the twisted reasons Crazy loves him.
QIHM. sigh. so perfect.
K-Jin and J-Jin. Watching both episode by episode. Long live Pickled Babies! Fun, but last night changed my viewing strategy because
GAKSITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL. Love. Plan to be keeping up with this episode by episode.
Probably Big, too, once that starts, and Arang.
Intend to watch AGD and IDID...which makes me laugh because I Do, I Do (they have sex) IDID - now they have a baby.
Inbetween, checking out RH Plus.
Watched Into the White Night. Twistedness. And one very, very sexy bed scene. You GO, Go Soo.
Saw Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (for the Elderly & Beautiful) with my mom. RUN, do not walk, to your nearest theater. Absolute gem.
Saw Dark Shadows with my friend. Great soundtrack. Happy I saw it because I heart the original series so much. Movie is not quite funny enough to be a comedy and not quite scary enough to be scary. Mixed bag.
DYING to see Avengers. No one will go with me :(
And can I just say that the teasers for Monster have me as excited as if a long anticipated horror movie with my favorite actors, stories, directors, and musicians was coming out. I love each concept with sadly one exception: Mushroom GD is going to require explanation. Seungri is always handsome, of course...but TOP and TaeYang are NUCLEAR this time around. June 3d, get here soon.
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 8:59 AM
JoAnne! Greetings and Salutations!
Gaksital is also next in line behind QIHM. 3rd is AGD. Yes the weather on the east coast is finally beautiful after the remnants of Beryl have moved on!
You had mentioned Into the Night before but I haven't had time to look for or watch it.
If you were further south, I'd see Avengers with you! Unfortunately, a whole bunch of northbound buslines were shut down this week for safety violations. Not the one that I use, thank goodness, but now other passengers are scrambling so that one is now all but sold out for a while.
Glad to know the healings going well, and I hope you and your family continue to heal your bodies with medicine, and your hearts with Kdrama!
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leonardswench
June 1, 2012 at 9:01 AM
Obviously, JoAnne, you need a k-drama hero to carry that laundry ... where'd we put that transporter machine?
Oh, good, I didn't want to be the only one saying WTH (what-the-heck) bout Mushroom GD ... erm? what are we going for?
T.O.P -- WOOT WOOT WOOT sorry fangirl moment!
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Mama J
June 1, 2012 at 9:07 AM
Top...when he tilts his head? That was the most alien thing...so perfect. So not-human.
And Taebaybay...well. It's the hair. and the leather. and the buckles. And the boots. dayum.
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cv
June 1, 2012 at 9:43 AM
Oh my! yes, TOP--smexy anyway his head tilt. Those eyes...(swoon) (sigh) ^^
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nomu.chua.Seung-gi
June 1, 2012 at 12:06 PM
Tae seems to be channeling Edward scissor hands, ne?
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Deeno
June 1, 2012 at 11:08 AM
Pickled Babies!
I hope you find someone to watch Avengers with. I found it a lot of fun.
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nomu.chua.Seung-gi
June 1, 2012 at 12:05 PM
The 'Monster' MV will be released 11am EST TOMMORROW (viz midnight KST, 6/3). TOP with those different coloured lens and the head tilt looks positively freaky!! And, Dae is following up with another ab-baring act after FB!! :D
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Min
June 1, 2012 at 2:59 PM
Hi JoAnne
- Into the White Night was awesomely twisted, I was tied to the computer from beginnning to end. I remember I saw this right after Personal Taste finished airing and boy was SYJ very different from her ditzy character in PT. Go Soo was unbelievable in this movie.
The Avengers was fun, and I had a good time watching it of course it's because I'm very fond of Joss Whedon's type of humour and directing style; his snark is very much on my wavelength and boy was there a lot of snark in Stark's character... hehe
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alua
June 1, 2012 at 3:56 PM
Sorry about your daughter's wrist! Hope it heals quickly.
QIHM. I have been wondering whether to watch that or not - I have to say I'm still harbouring resentment towards the actor who plays the male lead for his total failure in A Thousand Kisses. I know, I know! I will have to get over it somehow.
Haven't seen Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - the cast seems stellar but I'm worried about it relying too much on clichés. Might wait for it on DVD.
Can't say I would be on board for Avengers either (or Prometheus, which is the big film this weekend but leaves me totally cold - I'm going for Moonrise Kingdom instead :-D) BUT JoAnne dear, if no one wants to come along to the cinema.. GO BY YOURSELF. Don't miss a film you're dying to see because no one else is interested.
I actually mostly go to the cinema by myself (personal preference) and love it. I find I enjoy the film a lot more because I don't have to immediately afterwards start talking about whether I liked it or didn't like it and yadayadayada. I cherish my quiet, post-film reflection time.
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Min
June 1, 2012 at 9:45 PM
hmm I go to the cinema by myself a lot too... because if I go with friends in Mexico they like to see it dubbed... yeah not going to happen, I could never watch, say Mark Ruffalo( I lub him, he's one of my husbands) speaking with a thin voice in Spanish... blech.... no way jose....
But thanks to that I find that I enjoy going alone a lot more than say with friends... because when I'm in a group I tend to watch the other's reactions, and observe them not the movie... I've tried to break that habit but it's hard...
I also like going during my random break times like say if I have no classes from 10-1 I'm probably to be found at the movies... that way I almost always get the theater to myself...hehehe
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alua
June 2, 2012 at 1:45 AM
I think generally we are just raised to think that going to the cinema is a communal activity, you know, something you do with friends and that if you go by yourself it's weird (like you have no friends).
But once I got over that (realising that otherwise I would never get to see a lot of films), I also found that I prefer the cinema by myself more so with other people.
Although I do have certain people for certain films (e.g. Studio Ghibli I always go with a certain friend, and screenings at the Korean Cultural Centre are also getting to be a very communal things but that's because the same of us keep showing up :-) ).
Agree on the dubbed. *shudders* And then there is of course the standard reaction of "A subtitled film? But that's so much work to watch."
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shukmeister
June 2, 2012 at 6:07 AM
We have a ancient (from the 1920's) cinema called The Naro that shows quirky films (and The Rocky Horror Picture Show every Saturday!).
My first subtitle experience was Woman On The Edge Of A Nervous Breakdown, which is a Latin America film. Couldn't stop laughing, and I realized that there was more out there than just Hollywood.
Now I go to the Naro on a regular basis, just to see what's come up in the international film industry.
leonardswench
June 2, 2012 at 3:28 PM
I actually LOVE going to the cinema by myself -- at weird "time slots", so that I get a nearly empty theater and am able to really get into the movie without the distraction of so many people crushed into the theatre for the opening. Luckily, I review films and a local theatre has invited me to a pre-viewing on more than one occasion so that there's just 20 or so of us journalists in the room and we all stretch out, say hi, and then blissfully ignore each other.
alua
June 2, 2012 at 3:30 PM
@Shukmeister
That's cool you have a cinema like that. Curiously, the cinema I went to today (to see Moonrise Kingdom), is apparently the UK's oldest - it opened in 1909. I actually thought first 'that's not all that old', but then again film hasn't actually been around for all that long!
Mama J
June 2, 2012 at 7:16 AM
Oh, I'm looking forward to Moonrise Kingdom too - such an amazing cast!
I didn't find Marigold cliche-ridden but then I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about. Cliches about India? I've only seen a few movies about India so nothing seems cliched to me...and as a place it seemed to be treated with great love and respect in the movie. Cliched characters? I would say that each character in the movie (Indian or British) is an archetype, certainly. There were nuances in place that made them feel real to me, and not cardboard. The actors, of course, are all seasoned, talented pros. I recognize the mother of Dev Patel, but don't know her name...most of the other Indian actors I did not know. Other than the fact that the extremely crowded and noisy city streets would probably have me hyperventilating in panic, this movie only solidifies my wish to see such a beautiful place.
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alua
June 2, 2012 at 3:39 PM
Yeah, I was mostly thinking in terms of clichéd characters, especially along the Indian / British divide.
I never found India all that crowdy (been twice), but then again I live in London and certain areas at certain hours are super-crowdy and super-noisy (e.g. Oxford Street, a major and tourist-overrun shopping street that's best avoided at any cost) - more so then what I experienced in India. However, India can feel more disorganised and dustier (lots of construction work everywhere). But also more colourful.
You should go there!
Wow, you are really gushing about QIHM...
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Mama J
June 2, 2012 at 7:22 AM
oh and QIHM? Don't have any worries at all for how you might feel about the lead. He is perfection. I would bet you MONEY that they actually fell in love filming this, that's how believable and satisfying and utterly, ridiculously sweet it is.
You know that feeling when you first realize you love someone, and that they love you back? And the world is this incredibly beautiful place and you bask in sunshine and warmth and the belief that it will always be this way, forever, that his breath will always be the sweetest thing you've ever known and just the MEMORY of the feel of his skin is all that it takes to make you deliriously happy? That's what this entire drama feels like.
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Mama J
June 2, 2012 at 10:52 AM
Thanks about Tori's wrist, too. She turned 19 Thursday. EVERYTHING heals quickly.
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29 Laya
June 1, 2012 at 8:48 AM
Happy weekend, DB denizens of the OT :D How was your week?
In local Dramaland, Gino's allowance and perks get cut off by Grandpa, a la Hwan, for disrupting the office party. So no car, no bank account, no more preferential treatment. Jao comes to the country to look for Mikay, and contrives to give her another scholarship when Gino's family had her first one revoked. Kiko embarks on a makeover, with the help of Mikay's younger sister Dindi. And Jao's mom learns that the princess is still alive. I just love "Princess and I." /sighs luxuriously.
Oh, and somehow out of all the great dramas we've been having and are ongoing, I started watching a drama raw for the first time-- I Do, I Do. I swear, it's the rom-coms that get me everytime.
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amberscube
June 1, 2012 at 11:42 AM
Hi Laya,
I have seen your previous post about piggy back ride in Phil drama recently.
I was there for a visit last April, though i dont watch teleserye for a long time now,(last one was Tayong Dalawa) i keep my self updated with phil show business through pep.ph.
Anyway, i think i saw that part where the guy was giving the girl a piggyback ride. I dont really watch TFC that much but i may have to check this drama. You got me curious.
So, among the three guys, who are you rooting for?
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Laya
June 1, 2012 at 7:25 PM
Who am I rooting for..? Well, at first it was Jao. But now I'm not so sure... Gino is growing on me! Ah, I'm torn. They're all so cute! Daniel Padilla (Gino) is shaping up to be quite a good actor (well, he is a Padilla). Enrique Gil plays sweet and earnest and rather self-conscious very nicely. I just hope there's more character development for Jao down the road because right now Gino is getting to be more interesting.
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amberscube
June 1, 2012 at 11:48 AM
Im gonna check your blog for recaps.
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30 kelinci biru
June 1, 2012 at 8:53 AM
That's makes the two of us. I so wanted PJM stays with SuPearls. She was much more interesting with them than alone. She has beautiful voice, just not as entertaining as SuPearls. I honestly think that it won't work as solo for her (I would glad to be proven wrong). also agree about LHY. She has the attitude to pull a solo act. He.
Let's wait and see.
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31 canxi
June 1, 2012 at 9:15 AM
Hiiiiii everybody!
I'm just catching up with all the past dramas that just finished. Ahh, I feel streets behind in everything, but this is what I get for waiting for shows to be finished.
Currently waiting for QIHM's to be done. I've been waiting 5ever!!! Next week is the final week and I'm gonna literally explode with joy of all sorts. Also Hulu picked up Marriage Plot and those are stacking up in my queue too! Yayayayayay!
I watched all of King 2 Hearts and it was SOOOOOOOOO good. I loved it except I wish Eun Shi Kyung stayed alive. Eff you Bong-Gu. Also Lee Seung Gi was all awesome and sexyyyy. I'm imaging the ocean of tears that wil well up in Korea once he goes off to do mandatory military service,lol. No one will be prepared.
Right now, I'm watching Fashion King which I actually find really interesting except for the fact that half these characters have no idea what their life is even about. Yoo Ah In is so cool though even though his character is kind of a jerk sometimes. :)
What's up with errrrbody?
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 9:51 AM
LSG in the army - [cries]
LSG in his first shower scene afterwards - [cheers]
---
I'm doing good! Getting ready to do the sleep thing. It's 1249 in the afternoon but being a graveyard shifter means my bedroom is a dark cave no matter how bright it is outside.
I too am looking forward to / dreading the end of QIHM. I'm hoping my choices to fill the void do me well.
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canxi
June 1, 2012 at 1:43 PM
HAHAHA, everyone is waiting for those LSH post-army abs, I tell ya. I feel like people are waiting for them even though he's not there yet *ahem* me *cough cough*
Sleeping in the afternoon is awesome though! O: And eep graveyard shift >.<, hope you have a goood daaaay!
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nomu.chua.Seung-gi
June 1, 2012 at 2:27 PM
Here're some Seung-gi pre-army abs for ya! :D
http://tryp96.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/a-dance-from-a-long-time-ago/
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Mama J
June 1, 2012 at 3:31 PM
PuppyChona looks GOOD
shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 3:43 PM
Yes indeed
canxi
June 1, 2012 at 7:03 PM
Hahaha, I've seen this before. He looks great but I totally crack up every time because of the dancing.
shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 3:38 PM
Thanks! Sleep time over, and I rechecking on things. There's a couple of guys going into the army, that I'm looking forward to seeing on the other side..
And, of course, a couple should be coming out of the army soon. I think Kim Nam-Gil is one of them; I know Rain just went in.
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canxi
June 1, 2012 at 7:01 PM
Kim Nam Gil comes back in Julyyyyy, I think. One of those J-months,LOL. But I actually can say I've been waiting for him for two years, to the point that I might actually cry of happiness.
I just want him to be in something where he gets the girl and DOESN'T die. Who are these writers and why on Earth would kill off someone so hot? But seriously, he dies in everything...
Mama J
June 2, 2012 at 7:25 AM
And please, no stringy lank hair and ratty mustache. He's not my favorite to look at but he'd be much higher on the list if he'd just LISTEN TO MY HAIR ADVICE. I like his acting so if I could appreciate his appearance at the same time...all the better!
canxi
June 2, 2012 at 8:04 AM
Hahaha, he's probably still rocking his army cut and no mustache right now, so he'll probably be looking the same as when he debuted. Aww, I just wanna see him >:
beggar1015
June 2, 2012 at 11:20 AM
I'm I the only one who liked his pornstace?
canxi
June 2, 2012 at 12:38 PM
I liked the stache,lol. He's one of the few k-actors I think looks good with one.
Laya
June 2, 2012 at 11:10 PM
I'll take KNG my love any way he looks :D I miss him so darn much. /goes back to listening to "Can't I Love You."
cv
June 1, 2012 at 11:55 AM
omg! u are watching fashion king? good luck with this one. It's a train wrecker. LOL
Have a good weekend! :)
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canxi
June 1, 2012 at 1:51 PM
You too cv! And yes, it certainly is, but like a train wreck...Can't. Look. Away. It's awful but so entertaining O__O;
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cv
June 1, 2012 at 2:21 PM
canxi: I'm glad you enjoy the awfulness of the drama. I couldn't watch it. Each ep just pissed me off more--and lets not talk about the ending. LOL
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canxi
June 1, 2012 at 9:59 PM
Lol I'm on ep. 15 and they really are starting to piss me off. I feel bad for Ga Young and I don't understand why Young "Grrrl" hasn't kissed her yet or done anything yet, when he feels the same. Also she's so timid!!!! An Na has no life goals anymore, despite what she says. Jae Hyuk is a hopeless romantic (I saw you crying during that french film...and watching Titanic) with no eye for business yet he's a director...and still a director. The business part of the show would be cool if I could keep up with where all this money was coming from and how law suits get filed and then...not. How did YG escape further police questioning that one time, anyway??? What happened to that Mob Boss? And wtf is Fashion King because I still don't understand.
I'd like to see Yoo Ah In as the lead in something really really good though! I don't know who did what to lure him into this tragedy but I hate that person,lol. On the other hand, he is awesome in this even if it is badly written (watching for him). Shin Se Kyung too. Lee Je Hoon too. But they all deserve better.
Kwon Yuri seems to be doing alright, too. This is her debut so it's a pretty good start but I don't think it takes much to play that character. I do feel like she swings her hips a bit too much when she walks, though. I'm surprised she hasn't swung them out of place yet, lol.
cv
June 1, 2012 at 11:02 PM
LOL seeeeeee what I mean? there is just no reason for anything or do anything. They go in circle and have no clue to what they want. Really badly written storyline. For these yong talented actors, better luck next time. Pls pick a better drama that is well written---read the story first. ^^
canxi
June 2, 2012 at 8:08 AM
Or maybe they should just be movie actors. .__.
nomu.chua.Seung-gi
June 1, 2012 at 11:59 AM
umm, did someone mention LEE SEUNG-GI?! <3 His performance as Jae-ha has been the best thus far this year. At his concert in Japan today he covered K Will's "Love is Crying". Sucks for the rest of us. :/
The following fanvid is SO well done. It contains major SPOILERS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWlGa3D7MeM
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megels7719
June 1, 2012 at 12:16 PM
Oh! I just watched this youtube video! Wow, that was so good! Made me a little bleary eyed!
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nomu.chua.Seung-gi
June 1, 2012 at 12:33 PM
I KNOW, eh?! Tears welled up in my eyes the first time I watched it. I just miss these beautiful characters SO much. Even when the plot left a lot to be desired these characters never failed us. We were just so invested in their fates.
Major swoon-age happened for these two:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaWUq0zqZMo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKh6o9eGcG8
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megels7719
June 1, 2012 at 1:29 PM
I like both of those but the second one brought me to a happy place! Ah the memories!
But if i start looking on youtube for other videos i get sucked in and next thing i know its already been two hours! :)
canxi
June 1, 2012 at 1:45 PM
Oh noooo, they put the Shower You With Kisses Speech in one of those. I'm going to have to grab a mop to clean up this puddle of goo that is my heart right now.
canxi
June 1, 2012 at 1:57 PM
THAT was a really awesome fanvid. The song fit really well too. Awwww...I miss those guys. Will watch it again when scenes are less fresh in my mind and heart.
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jomo143
June 1, 2012 at 12:04 PM
canxi "5ever!!!" giggle
I really liked watching FKing. I didn't LIKE the story, or the characters, or the end.
But looking at it as a stringing together of pretty awesome acting, and heartbursting moments, it is entertaining.
First of all because you could NEVER guess what would happen next, because logic did not apply to that dramaverse, but also because LJH and YAI outacted the script in every episode.
Especially LJH, whose next project I await impatiently.
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canxi
June 1, 2012 at 1:50 PM
Hi jomo!!! YES, it's so entertaining and I think that's why people have kept watching till the end despite complaining pretty much since ep.2 onwards HAHAHA !
Logic certainly does not apply. I laugh every time LJH's character asks KY's if she's having an affair when he's pretty much doing JUST that in their "relationship". It's really something though. I feel like if it was a book I'd be all over it too. It can be a little exhausting to watch but I wanna see what happens so badly!
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32 amg01
June 1, 2012 at 9:19 AM
*Love Rain versus Trendies*
I have watched all of the “Seasons dramas (Endless Love)”, and if you have never watched them all, all I can say is that you are missing on a part of Korean TV history that has define, modern trendy dramas and usher the era of the “ Hallyu wave”.
I have been watching “ Love Rain” and I must admit that it is a drama that, stand above the rest, people are looking at the ratings and assume that because it has low ratings in Korea that must be the case world wide, but on the contrary LR outside of Korea has been a great success.
This drama has all the elements that have made, Korean melodrama, a force to recon with, from the unrequited first love, to the endless misunderstandings, the evil second lead, the almost terminal illness, and the familial dilemmas, that seem to keep our OTP apart.
I have read the criticism of this drama, and I belive that it is unfair, if you have never seen the body of work of director “ Yoon Seok-Ho”, how can people judge accordingly? Is akin to judge Gerge Lucas career on his latest movie “Red Tails”, since we know he is one of the greatest film directors of all times.
With out “Yoon Seok-Ho”, we will not have the success of artist like; ( Autumn in My Heart ),
Song Seung Heon
Song Hye Kyo
Won Bin
Moon Geun Young
(Winter Sonata), Choi Ji-woo
Bae Yong Joon
(Summer Scent), Son Ye-jin
(Spring Waltz), Seo Do-young
Han Hyo Joo
Daniel Henney
Lee So-yeon .
A lot pf people say that Love Rain is a throw back from the past, and in that sense it is, but the difference now is not only the improvement of technology, but in music production, the story line resembles that of the 4 seasons, and I must admit that Jang Keun Suk, Yoona have prove themselves, as proper actors, so in all honesty if you guys are not watching Love Rain, you are missing one of the best dramas of the last 10 years, in my humble opinion this drama is that good.
Well you guys Good Day!!!!
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Mama J
June 1, 2012 at 9:35 AM
I have watched Autumn in My Heart so far, and I did get about half way through Summer Scent but it's just so...slowwwwww. I do intend to watch all 4 because I know they're a cornerstone of K-Drama. And this is all for intellectual research, of course, to thoroughly understand this corner of television history, right, and form thoughtful opinions about how the medium might be improved upon in my own country.
Nothing to do with hot menz at all.
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amg01
June 1, 2012 at 10:30 AM
I get what you say! unlike Rom/com's that are fast and full of wit, melodramas specially the "old ones", tend to feel very slow, but the trade off for me, is in the elements of a melodrama, maybe I am a bit of a "Pain Seeker", but dramas like "Will Snow For Christmas, Que Sera Sera, Phoenix, Stained Glass, Ms Ripley, Bad Guy", hold a mental edge that I do not get in Rom/Com's, so if I had to hose between a high quality melodrama, like Love Rain, and 10 mediocre Rom/com's, without mention "High School High 2, and the likes I think I will choose the latter one!!
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jomo143
June 1, 2012 at 1:20 PM
I love these shows when I am in pain seeking mode - great name for them, btw - But you really have to be ready for them.
Will It Snow for Christmas hurt sooooooo much for sooooo long, and I loved it. AimH, on the other hand, just hurt stupit hurt. I kept yelling: YOU CAN BE TOGETHER, THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. Move to America! LOL
I think I will save LR for later; I like the adult pairing.
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Mama J
June 1, 2012 at 1:43 PM
Oh, I'm not afraid of melo AT ALL. Two of my favorite dramas are A Love to Kill and Sang Doo, Let's Go to School. I loved Will It Snow, Que Sera Sera, and Bad Guy as well. I just actually think not enough happens in Summer Scent for the vast majority of the time, LOL. I want MORE angst.
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john
June 2, 2012 at 8:53 AM
JoAnne~
I saw a comment on YouTube regarding Barry's "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up" .
It went something like , "Children, if you hear this song coming from your parent's room, leave and come back later, they're busy."
LOL
Mama J
June 2, 2012 at 10:55 AM
hahahahahaha YUP
cv
June 1, 2012 at 9:47 AM
I heard it is really good too. It's on my list to marathon over the summer! ^^
beside that I love JKS as an actor! :)
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john
June 1, 2012 at 10:44 AM
Love Rain ends on a happy note and for that I'm happy.
The story was trending towards, Noble Idiot/Mom From Hades crash and burn.
Joon's mom needs a man, the sooner the better.
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urbangirl
June 1, 2012 at 11:27 AM
No, I think she needs rehab and major therapy!
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john
June 1, 2012 at 11:35 AM
True.
She did take a new outlook on life in the final episode.
She could benefit from AA, perhaps she already was!
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Deeno
June 1, 2012 at 11:38 AM
No, I think she needs to get run over by a truck. Probably not plausible.
I still haven't watched the last episode. I think I'm afraid of last episodes. I can watch up to episode 19 or 15, but that last one is always a doozy. Maybe I don't like happy endings.
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hillarytnt
June 1, 2012 at 1:37 PM
@Deeno: there you go with those bloodthirsty tendencies again... tsk, tsk, tsk.
I read your latest recap of Ghost. You really must have enjoyed it ... LOL.
john
June 1, 2012 at 3:05 PM
Maybe I don’t like happy endings.
It finishes up as Love Train.
A blast from the past.
Soul Train Line Dance: O'Jay's Love Train
Hard to believe it was released in 1972.
Deeno
June 1, 2012 at 5:43 PM
@John I think you just killed any desire I had to watch the end of this drama. Time to hunt down a recap...
john
June 2, 2012 at 3:26 AM
I think you just killed any desire I had to watch the end of this drama.
"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds"
Now for something we hope you'll really like.
You're My First My Last My Everything
Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Mama J
June 2, 2012 at 7:31 AM
Oh John, you just put THE biggest smile on my face...love the O'Jays, love that song, loved Soul Train, LIVED to watch the dance line. I was always a Soul Train girl more than an American Bandstand girl. Loved the Jackson Five WAY more than the Osmonds, too. What a great start to my rainy Saturday!
Mama J
June 2, 2012 at 7:35 AM
AND Barry White? We need to dancing up in here!
SweetiePie54
June 1, 2012 at 11:33 AM
I'm about halfway through Summer Scent and I love the way it looks. There are so many scenes that look visually breathtaking that part of me is watching it for the those scenes as opposed to the story. :)
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belleza
June 1, 2012 at 2:22 PM
On paper, Love Rain seemed like it would be an old-fashioned melodrama. It ended up being a quiet reinvention of the K-melodrama form.
1) The plot works through the normal tropes of K-melodrama story, but it also subverts and quietly pokes fun at the genre. For example, we know early on that Sung Ho is probably in love with Ha Na too, but even he is aware of his own "white knight" habits and by extension, his status as "support character." Seo Jung provides mocking commentary of both his and Ha Na's noble-idiot turns, even while they follow the script.
2) Great writing between Seo Jung and his parents. Without belaboring the point, you could see the took their domestic issues had on him, even before the love story picked up. The respectful, but strained dynamic between In Ha and Seo Jung is beautifully observed, as well as Seo Jung's compassion and wariness of his mother.
3) Seo Jung and Ha Na follow a true dating cycle! When was the last time you saw a K-couple share multiple kisses before figuring out whether they really like each other. It gives the couple a grounded quality that pays dividends when things finally get complicated.
4) I think it goes without saying that Yoona's the big surprise here. She was flat as Yeon Hee (which, in retrospect, was underwritten), but as Ha Na, she was on the mark with her character's conflicted emotions.
5) This was a good romance, but a great coming-of-age story. Seo Jung reconnects and makes peace with his parents, learns lessons on love, and above all discovers a normal shirt in his closet!
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mamaluvsKdrama
June 1, 2012 at 11:18 PM
Agreed! I really enjoyed Love Rain. I had my reservations when I found out Yoona would be the love interest but she is much improved and so lovely. JGS is one of my faves! Music, scenery, actors, directing, etc ...was fabulous, in my opinion. I'm happy to see some love here on DB for Love Rain..finally! ;)
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Cynthia
June 1, 2012 at 7:42 PM
I feel obliged to throw in my own 2 cents here for Love Rain.
I'm not surprised at the divisiveness of viewers - watching Love Rain is rather like the difference between reading a novel or a book of poetry, LR being that book of verse.
It's a drama that requires watching it for the animal it is - it's not funny or fast or overly dramatic. It's a finely etched portrait of love over two generations. It's quiet, exquisitely filmed (every frame is stunning - from ep 1, on). Each advance in the plot is carefully layered onto the former - Yoon PD and his writer never stray from their vision.
I was unabashedly a Negative Nelly when I saw the casting of JGS and YoonAh - especially JGS and his last dismal project (You're My Pet). And after watching the entirety of Love Rain I can say without hesitation that these two kids ROCKED their parts. The strong hand of Yoon PD was the deciding factor here - he taught these two kids how to act
and kept them under control with spectacular results. The older generation of the cast did what they do best - acting that enriched and bolstered the story.
Yoon may not have done anything since Winter Sonata, but he's shown that storytelling of an introspective and sensitive nature never goes out of style. It really was a lovely watch and I came away with new found respect for all involved.
:)
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Mama J
June 2, 2012 at 7:36 AM
I do intend to watch this. There's just so much else going on that's of a more 'cracktastic' nature these days! I'm saving it for dreary weather and being housebound.
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canxi
June 2, 2012 at 8:19 AM
I was never interested but I may watch it to form my own opinion. I dunno though, I did have a hard time going through Autumn in My Heart (they were like 30! You don't need your parents permission just move house! You're not even related!! AAAAH!) Couldn't even get through it for Won Bin who is my favorite actor! Though, his acting now is loads better than his acting then I must admit. Honestly, it was boring to me and I feel like if I didn't like your writing then I most likely won't now.
Also, I watched Will It Snow and never will do that again O____O I think my aversion towards many melos comes from this show, actually. Lol! I do enjoy angst though--so Que Sera Sera, Bad Guy...I liked those.
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Cynthia
June 2, 2012 at 9:12 PM
This really was different from Yoon's 4 Seasons melos - it was lighter in tone and didn't stray from the central theme by introducing the typical Kdrama tropes all over the place.
The story wasn't redundant - Yoon kept it streamlined and simple, not overly depressing (nobody had to commit suicide to provide corneas for their going blind love :) ).
I think you'll enjoy this one.
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canxi
June 3, 2012 at 5:34 PM
Ahhhh! I see I see. Okay! I will check it out one day :)
And actually I did watch and like another of his four season dramas -Spring Waltz! Besides that horrendously long (I think it was 2 episodes...felt like 2 years) childhood flashback sequence in the middle it was pretty sweet.
And thanks for giving a non-biased opinion about it! Loads better than the comments of other people a couple months back where it was all "Like it because you should! All you do is watch rom-coms!",lol. Ahhhh, stress~ *Lee Jae-Ha voice*
33 runawayflowerchild
June 1, 2012 at 9:30 AM
Hi everyone!! Have a good weekend!:-)
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nomu.chua.Seung-gi
June 1, 2012 at 9:23 PM
aahhh, short & sweet!!
Hope you have a wonderful weekend as well!
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34 nomu.chua.Seung-gi
June 1, 2012 at 10:23 AM
Hello lovely OT’ers:
1. I’m new to downloading and wanted to know would there be a difference in the timing/placement of subs (srt file) if I download either the 360p or 720p video?
2. Loving Papa YG. They’ve recently announced more dates of BigBang’s world tour and I adore that they’re going practically to EVERY SE Asian country. AWESOME!! THIS is how a ‘world’ tour’s done right. *cough SM cough*
3. Waiting with bated breath for BigBang’s ‘Monster’ MV. It’ll be out tomorrow at 11am. TOP looks f.r.e.a.k.y. And,
̶
Seung-giSeungri is lookin’ so good as well. Maknae’s all grown up!! Eeppp, SO excited!!Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend! <3
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trixicopper
June 1, 2012 at 12:27 PM
In answer to your first question, yes. Try out different players because some of them allow you to adjust the subs as long as they are not too far off.
For network shows the Hanrel or KOR versions are what most groups sub to. I've had good luck with subs being rather interchangable for those two versions.
Cable dramas are a whole different ballgame though. Your best bet if you don't know how to re-time subs is to wait to see what version the subbing groups are using. Good Google-Fu helps. :)
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nomu.chua.Seung-gi
June 1, 2012 at 12:45 PM
Thanks!
Downloading TK2H (720p) and the subs are off of Dramafever. And, their subs are like a second faster which is very distracting (esp, having watched the series at viki). Imma try the DSS subs. Hopefully they'll work out better.
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StacyA
June 1, 2012 at 3:22 PM
Go to asiasub.blogspot.com. This site accumulates subs from Dramafever, Viki, and DSS into one location and there are often re-syncs for the various versions, especially the cable dramas.
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nomu.chua.Seung-gi
June 1, 2012 at 9:22 PM
THANK YOU! Much appreciated. :D
35 jules
June 1, 2012 at 10:26 AM
Drive-by comment because I'm omgsobusy...
I'm thinking of giving up Standby, because it's clearly headed towards Ki-woo/Soo-hyun and, as a Ki-woo/So-min 'shipper, it's kind of breaking my heart. (though when I say 'clearly', I actually mean 'in my opinion'. ^_^)
Happy Jubilee Weekend, everyone! :)
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canxi
June 2, 2012 at 8:21 AM
Oh word?? I watched the first 6 or 7 episodes so I've been waiting for subs on the rest. It's pretty enjoyable thoughhhh O:
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36 Noelle
June 1, 2012 at 10:31 AM
Happy OT everyone!
Oh man my weekend was total crap. Hoping to all that is holy that this weekend is complete win. Same for all of ya, hope your weekend is awesome.
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37 Zie
June 1, 2012 at 10:55 AM
Just finish watching second episode of Ghost and that is one awesome first two episodes. I really recommend it more than I do I do and Bridal mark.. The story was intriguing and unexpected. You thought by reading the synopsis, you know what is the actual story line. If you thought it that way, you are wrong... I was O_O the entire time I'm watching the 2nd episode. The first episode made me interested and wondering but the 2nd episode makes me stay. I hope they will keep this up.
Anyone watching ghost here? hehehehe I haven't read other posts here. So, I'm not sure. LoL
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cv
June 1, 2012 at 12:01 PM
ME! I"m watching it too. Deeno is too and she's recapping! yey!
But i totally agree the story has some major twist in it. It was intense. I was on the edge of my seat(bed)LOL waiting to see what's going to happen after each scene. I'm hoping it'll go up hill and not downhill from here on out.
This is definitely one ride you don't want to miss! ^^ :D
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Laeah
June 1, 2012 at 1:37 PM
Ghost was just okay the first episode but good enough to start episode 2. Episode 2 was KILLER, literally. haha.
I really can't wait to see episode 3!
I hope So Ji Sub can keep up with Daniel Choi (literally on that too!) haha. I love SJS to death but he's honestly not the best of actors in the world. I hope he finally has found a role that he can grow into.
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antonia
June 2, 2012 at 5:35 AM
ghost is a must see!!! episode 2 is mindblowing, literally too, haha
we can see why sjs character acted like that in episode 1, in episode 2 he was so good, the scene in the car made me cry a little, and the scenes in the factory were so intense!!!! i think from episode 3 we'll see a new sjs and i'm excited about it :)
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38 Moonlight
June 1, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Park Shi Yeon was confirmed for Nice Guy along with the leads Song Joong Ki and Moon Chae Won.
Wow..this was unexpected. Nice Guy so far has a stellar cast. I really can't imagine Song Joong Ki and Park Shi Yeon as a couple though.
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Zie
June 1, 2012 at 11:47 AM
Is Kwang So still in it? I was looking forward to it because of him.. Hehehe I have this soft spot for him due to running man.. LoL
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Moonlight
June 1, 2012 at 12:31 PM
Yup he's confirmed too =)
Are you not excited for the EPIC BROMANCE...Same Aged Friends REUNITE.
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canxi
June 2, 2012 at 8:23 AM
What is Nice Guy about? And lol Park Shi Yeon, she looks like those snooty girls in art school, to me. Like she's forever in a bad mood or scoffing at you, hahaha.
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39 SweetiePie54
June 1, 2012 at 11:03 AM
Hola OT'ers! I hope everyone had a good weekend. My week has been EXTREMELY slow and will be slow for awhile but I am using it as an opportunity to watch all the new dramas as well as catch up on some old ones
For the new dramas, I like A Gentleman's Dignity-don't love but like. The bromance is awesome and makes me laugh so it stays on my watch list. My only big qualm with it is the music. It just feels so...obvious-like here are our OTP they are meant to be together, DO YOU GET IT! If you don't here is music to reinforce it. Drove me nuts.
I also like I Do, I Do. It's breezy and fun and oh the shoes. Kim Sun Ah is one of my faves and she owns this. Definitely watching.
Bridal Mask.....I watched the first episode and didn't love it (I'm probably the only one). The first 20 minutes was a little too over the top for me, but it eventually evened out. I like certain aspects of it though. I'm going to watch a couple more episodes and see how it goes.
Next on the list is Ghost and Dr. Jin, although I have heard bad things about Dr. Jin so I may skip it.
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40 Deeno
June 1, 2012 at 11:35 AM
Howdy,
I've been so excited with all the new shows. It's so hard to pick which ones to watch much less recap. I'm insane, but I'm trying to recap 4 of them.
So far my favorite to recap is Dr. Jin. There is something so heavenly about typing "Pickled Baby" whenever it's inappropriate. One of my commenters counted and I used it 26 times in the first episode. Apparently recapping a drama that I'm not a fan of makes me "creepy" and "cruel," but I'm enjoying it and my readers seem to enjoy it too. (Also creepy and cruel are more of a compliment when it comes to the way I write.) Dr. Jin just opens itself to the possibility of inserting your own humor when it fails to purposely deliver.
Ghost is also a blast to recap. I didn't expect it to be good, but I love murderers and nerds. Daniel Choi definitely stole the show for the first two episodes. I hope So Ji Sub can step in up in the next few episodes. The tech speak isn't very convincing, but I love where it is headed. This one is fun to recap as I watch because every five minutes I freak out and come up with crazy theories.
I Do, I Do may end up being cut from my recap schedule. Fun to watch. Touching. Emotional. Not as fun to recap. I'll probably push off the recap for this since it airs the same days as Ghost.
A Gentleman's Dignity. Logic tells me I should like it. My thoughts are in a constant uproar. It's really hard to recap because I have to write more. A lot of dramas you can recap a scene with a sentence or two and move on to reactions or commentary or in Dr. Jin's case mentioning pickled babies. The dialog is more important here so I have to spend a bit more time explaining the dialog and the humor there, but it leaves me drained when it comes to adding my own commentary. Hopefully after the first episode or two I can come to a happy balance. Or I can continue to recap knowing that I'll grow as a writer.
Either way I see A Gentleman's Dignity that doesn't go anywhere, but at least you have witty conversations to enjoy. I just with that from the beginning of the episode to the end that something new happened.
I still have to check out Bridal Mask, which lots of people are raving about. It take a lot for me to jump into a historical drama. Maybe if Bridal Mask had pickled babies?
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cv
June 1, 2012 at 12:27 PM
Hi deeno!
goodness, u actually said pickled baby 26 times? LOL wow...I'll have to pay more attention next time.
But you know, I wonder if pickled baby will apprear anymore since if Kjin follows Jjin, you don't see baby much--only appear when something drastic going to happen--like if he's trying to change history.
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Deeno
June 1, 2012 at 5:24 PM
Well then I'll have to photoshop the pickled baby in. Task for the weekend: Cartoonize pickled baby and recap four dramas...and fix my site for IE and mobile devices...
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Mama J
June 1, 2012 at 1:46 PM
The Pickled Baby IS Gaksital!
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 3:25 PM
LOLOL - ewwwwww
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Deeno
June 1, 2012 at 5:46 PM
What's that on your face? Oh just a pickled baby. It's supposed to hide my identity and make me look oh so attractive to dinosaurs near and far.
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Mama J
June 2, 2012 at 7:38 AM
'In MY day, we ALL wore Pickled Baby face masks. You were NOTHING without your Pickled Baby face mask. NOTHING!'
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DB5K
June 2, 2012 at 4:34 AM
ZOMG GHOST IS FRICKEN AMAZING!!!
When I watched Gaksital I was sucked in right away and I was impressed with the production/ directing/ plot/ editing/ etc. I quickly judged that it was the best drama of 2012 so far. But then I watched GHOST and everything changed, lol. The sophistication and elegance of Ghost and its intricate plot makes Gaksital seem sophomoric and simplistic.
Ghost NEEDS to be represented on dramabeans!! It is SO. DAMN. AWESOME. I really think it might be the best thriller/conspiracy kdrama ever made. I hope the script for the rest of the drama delivers because the first two episodes were BOMB.
There are a few bones I have to pick with Ghost though. Yes, So Ji Sub's character comes off as stiff and cold in the first episode. But even still, So Ji Sub's portrayal of a reserved, austere character is layered with depth and hidden intensity. Also, I believe it was done on purpose, to emphasize the difference between So Ji Sub 1 and So Ji Sub 2.
I did have a problem, however, with the overuse of the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack. I get the connection, but sometimes it sounds silly. I also have slight reservations about Lee Yeon Hee's acting. Her voice sounds weak, and I just cannot buy her "fierce" attempts at acting. She's good at acting in delicately sad or pure and innocent scenes, but she's no Ha Ji Won. She comes off as vulnerable and irresolute and even when she's holding a gun straight to someone's back and threatening him. And there were other little things that bothered me, but I can't recall them. It doesn't matter anyways, because this drama's plot is soooooo goooood. I WANT MOOARRR. Technology, logic, suspense, action, mysteries all beautifully tied together. ZOMG the way the script masterfully unfolds events is a thing to be admired. The ratings better increase. It's just too good to only be seen by a few people.
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41 ahjummabunny
June 1, 2012 at 12:52 PM
oh has anyone seen the chaser previously known as father's war? it's times like these that I miss cable, it might be 2 months later, but it'll eventually air and be subtitled!!!
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42 I_cant_stand_therain
June 1, 2012 at 1:17 PM
Hi all!
I hope everyone is enjoying the good dramas that are out there!!
I am so excited about any and everything that relates to QIHM. I laugh, I cry, I talk to myself while watching. The looks I get from my family are totally worth it. I would also like to send a shout out to Scattered Joonni for her lightning fast recaps of the episodes. Since I know I have to wait for subs I read her recaps to hold me over. I am not worthy.
I am going to take a break from watching the current dramas and play catch-up with my growing list of dramas to watch that include Equator Man and Special Investigation Record. I will also work on watching as much 1N2D as possible. In the meantime, I will be good and only read recaps of the new dramas that are airing.
I have to stay strong....I have to....I have to?
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43 Laeah
June 1, 2012 at 1:33 PM
I will not go near I do, I do. Kim Sun Ah has not been on her game in years and I already know exactly what she will do - cry and then cry some more.
I tried to watch Bridal Mask. I got about halfway through the first episode. It was blah. The action sequences were weird and I found the acting stilted and rather dull. I heard the episode gets better. I might try to watch later perhaps.
I watched Ghost. The first episode was just alright, but the second one was so intense and wonderful! I really have a lot of good expectations for the continuation of this. I absolutely love the crazy twist in episode 2. I can't wait to see the continuation of it.
I am also loving A Gentleman's Dignity. It's funny and witty and Kim Haneul is finally actually tolerable to watch instead of just plain awful. I am not a fan of any of the actors but they have good chemistry.
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44 Min
June 1, 2012 at 2:26 PM
Right now I'm watching:
Fondant Garden which is very cute, but is typical fare what with the double amnesia (the first one was trickery and the second time, i'm unsure) and chaebol princes with birth secrets.
Alice in Wonder City which is fun and I'm enjoying it, even though it is a slower pace than the other dramas I'm watching, but it's still has great possibilities.
I love Italy/Lee Tae Ri is a drama I want to find subs for, I've watched it raw, but I'd like to know if what I think they're saying is right, and I'd like to be able to know more in detail what they are saying. I think it's funny but the teenage starlet is annoying.
I do, I do actually won me over by being much better than I anticipated and I'm liking the leading lady a lot and the man child is adorable... when he cried I wanted to rub his back and go "there there, everything will be alright" like you do to a child... that's why I'm very interested to see how he turns into a trustworthy adult.
AGD- I'm holding out judgement for now, I'm not that drawn into it... I guess
Finally got around to watching Equator man= so awesome Uhm force is at full power.
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 3:21 PM
I was thinking about Alice in Wonder City after I saw it at Alice Chen's site. With your recommendation, I'll prolly pick it up, when I have time. HAHAHA, wait, I think I was serious about that. All depends on sub-speed and the busyness of my life.
There's been so many age-gap plots, I'm not convinced that IDID will be interesting in the long run, at least, to me.
As always, good to see you on OT!
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Min
June 1, 2012 at 9:55 PM
Hiya Shuk! Nice to see you too^_^
IDID is interesting because I find that I care about him and her more as individuals than as a "Them."
And yes there have been quite a few older woman-younger man dramas in the fairly recent past, so far my favourite one was The Woman who still wants to Marry.
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45 cv
June 1, 2012 at 2:36 PM
Who's watching Ghost? come sign in!
:P I'm really liking it! Pls keep up the awsomeness that's going on. Don't go on a tangent and lose yourself.
0_0 :D
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kopytko
June 1, 2012 at 4:26 PM
Well, I'm watching Ghost, but I'm still waiting for the awesomness to come. I'm going to give this drama two more chances.
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46 whimsyful
June 1, 2012 at 2:53 PM
Happy OT everyone!
Gaksital/Bridal Mask premiered (along with a slew of other dramas) and I love it already. Please stay good show!
Also can't believe QIHM is almost over ;_; This year has been pretty good for dramas thus far.
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shukmeister
June 1, 2012 at 3:14 PM
Whimsy! Glad you could make it.
Gaksital is definitely one I intend to follow. I like it so far, especially the action scenes, but I"m also intrigued by the portrayal of this portion of Korean history, which I haven't really seen before. So far, I'm loviing the cinematography as well as the characters.
And only 2 epis left for QIHM! Still trying to reconcile the first epi car / horse / race for your love to the Palace, with the ending of Epi 14. Oh well, less than a week before we have to stop sighing over Boong Do.
How have you been? Have you done any more trope updates?
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whimsyful
June 1, 2012 at 6:32 PM
Funny thing, I've been trying to do more trope updates, and I've just added an entry for Queen In Hyun's Man!
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47 I_cant_stand_therain
June 1, 2012 at 4:10 PM
Does anyone know if someone is recapping I love Lee Tae Re or Chaser? I want to read more about them before I try and watch them.
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Lilly
June 1, 2012 at 5:31 PM
I also felt ready to settle into a convoluted murder mystery and was disappointed that Chaser had not been subbed.
Tried Bridal Mask but my attention drifted also so much I just quit before end of first episode.
In the middle of kdrama blahs I guess and really missing Vampire Prosecutor mysteries about now.
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sunandmoon
June 1, 2012 at 9:08 PM
Ghost also has a convoluted murder mystery.
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48 cmrprindle
June 1, 2012 at 5:24 PM
Happy Weekend All!
Almost done with this extra work from work. So looking forward to having my evenings to myself...and my sanity! This has been a very mind-numbing 2mths or so.
Still haven't been watching dramas, but I did discover k-drama heaven in NYC: http://www.nykoryobooks.com/index.php?main_page=index&language=en&zenid=m8tu32vlqs6rg6rh3n4ps0kmf4. I know the site's in Korean...heck, most of the store's wares are in Korean. But they *do* have kdramas and a kdrama video rental thing, which I found out when trying to figure out exactly who and where they were. (I ran into them almost by accident last night on the way home from a get-together in K-town.) I understand they also carry CD's, but I only did a quick perusal and totally missed it.
Oh! They also have nifty random souvenirs, pottery, art...t-shirts. Did I mention that this was k-heaven?
Um, have I missed anything? Congratulations, Jumma Bunny Love on your, uh, job changes. ;)
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49 -K
June 1, 2012 at 6:04 PM
Okay, day late, dollar short. Why is Ghost so good? I had no idea. I put my vote on a review of that one, you know, in case folks are a vote short or in need of a swing voter with erratic tendencies, cause I might know one of those. Wow, can I also just say, aside from rambling, that Love Rain really burned my kimchijeon, with it's bipolar redundancy of romantic ridiculousness. End rant and vote.
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50 Drama fan
June 2, 2012 at 8:05 AM
Ghost is awesome ... Soh Ji Sub. Will only watching
Ghost and Gentleman Dignity. Will give I do do a miss,
have enough of older woman and younger man pair up together. Would love to see KSA pair with PGH and Lee Soo
Hyang( she is pretty good in New Giesang story, and so suited with the male lead Seong Han who is a newbie).
Seong Han is a newbie, but his acting is much better than this young guy in I Do Do.
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amg01
June 2, 2012 at 11:03 AM
*Ghost epi 1-2*
I have watched epi 1- 2 of the drama Ghost, and all I can say is that, so far I think it has the potential to become the best drama of the Summer season.
I love American, Japanese , and British cop shows, and seems that for once K-dramas almost got it right with the drama Ghost, seems to me that one of the main problems with K-dramas, is the “romantic couple” centric approach of the dramas, where all the story line is base upon the OTP, and the rest is just feeler material, and time and time again we see how a show, starts strong and then it just falls apart at the end.
My concern with 'Ghost” is the fact that Daniel Choi is a far, far, far better actor than Soh Ji Sub, and in the first 2 epis he stole the show, so I am hoping that Soh Ji Sub will be able to carry the show, my other concern is that the show does not losses its way like Iris/Athena did.
What I like about Ghost is the story line, so far seems like the writer and the PD, have a clear picture of what the story is about, I think the execution of episode 2 was just “Brilliant”, I was like “hell no!” whats going on? I really like the Heroine a lot, and also the “Mad Cow” detective, I think that if they keep the romantic aspect, as a secondary story line, instead of being first, we will have a drama worth watching, I do believe the story line is so strong as it is, that wasting a lot of time, in an office romance will distract from the heart of the drama.
I really like the dark color of the cinematography, and the fast pace, and also the special effects are good, the other think that I like is the used of the “flash back”, since it serves to clarify, how each character discovers the truth.
Sorry for not including a lot of “Spoilers”, but I think Ghost can turn out to be this Summers “City Hunter”, or even much better!!!! : 0}
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leonardswench
June 2, 2012 at 3:31 PM
Then I will give episode 2 a shot, but was SO majorly disappointed in episode 1 ....
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jomo143
June 3, 2012 at 7:34 AM
Amg1 -
I can't believe you sold me on this.
I wasn't going near it and now I HAVE to watch!
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