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Flower Boy Next Door: Episode 16 (Final)

It’s the end of the road for our Miss Lonelyhearts and her flower boy neighbors, in a finale about the difference between what each character thought was love, and how that perception changes when they experience it firsthand. Is love watching from afar? Seeing the world through the other person’s eyes? Meeting each other halfway? Is it constant? Is it ordinary? Grand? Or is it simply a work in progress?

SONG OF THE DAY

Kim Dong-ryul – “Like a Child” [ Download ]

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EPISODE 16: “Love thy neighbor.”

A year has passed, and Dok-mi sits among other editors at her publishing house, as they go over last year’s biggest books—among them is Enrique’s, which brings a smile to her face.

She steps out to find Jin-rak waiting for her with a goofy grin. He asks what they should do to “celebrate one year.” Omo, your one year together, as a couple? That’s a fakeout right?

Flashback to the scene that ended the last episode. Enrique tells his Crazy Club that he’s going back to Spain, but not because of the animation project. He tells them that his dream is not their dream, and encourages them to live for their own lives. Yeah, and stop ruining other people’s.

He tells them that he knows now what’s most important to him: “The person standing in front of me. The one who loves me. I don’t want to lose her.” Aw. So… are you staying or going?

Stalker Girl argues back, and Enrique asks why they’re wasting their time on things that have no bearing on their own lives. He asks if they really think he can go to Spain knowing that his fans are hurting the person he loves. I suppose this is the best line of reasoning you can take, yunno, with a bunch of crazy people.

Jin-rak hurries Dong-hoon along to the PD’s office, intent on taking his webtoon down if it’s hurting Dok-mi. I get why, but maybe you boys should just help her cope, instead of shielding her and sacrificing your various artistic life goals? Just sayin’.

Once they leave the fan club meeting, Enrique asks if Dok-mi is okay, worried that the confrontation might’ve been too much for her. He says that it had to be done though, because people instinctively have a harder time attacking people they’ve met in person than some girl who exists out there on the internet.

Dok-mi says she’s okay actually, and that the experience felt like the punctuation on a part of her life. He doesn’t believe that she’s really fine and whines that she should say what she feels.

She brings up the trip they were supposed to take, and suggests that if their first trip was based on a lie, their next could be a runaway trip. He digs his heels in to say that he’s going to confront this problem head-on, not run away from it.

But Dok-mi’s not really running, and bites back that it’s really difficult for a woman to ask a man to go on a trip, so can’t he just play along?! Cute. Suddenly he’s like, “Where do you want to go? Someplace far? An island?”

She shyly pinches his sleeve and says that he’s always dragging her around, so for today, she’s going to take the lead. Good for you.

Jin-rak and Dong-hoon arrive at the PD’s office, and Jin-rak starts in on his prepared speech with his eyes closed, afraid of the PD’s wrath. So he doesn’t see that the whole time, she and Dong-hoon are making eyes at each other. Cute.

When she finally hears what he’s saying (that he wants to change the direction of the webtoon), she comes to her senses and asks what on earth he’s talking about when the webtoon just barely found an audience, and because of Enrique at that.

He suggests maybe something like the episode she put up in a pinch, this time about love. But her reaction cuts deep: “Flower Boy Next Door discusses love? Are you kidding? Do you know love? You said there was no such thing as a timid confession! What does a guy who’s done nothing but stare out his window know about love?!” Oof.

It makes him think about Dok-mi, from their first encounter to their last, and then he finally says, “I didn’t know love. Love is something that people do, so you can be rejected or make mistakes… but I put love in too high a place, and just looked up at it. So I want to tell people not to be like me, to give courage to those who can’t confess, and I want to comfort hurting loves.”

The PD gives a hearty “Okay” at that, and asks if he has any ideas then for new stories. He does, and starts to tell the tale of a woman who only sleeps four hours a night and a man who works all night to scrape together a living. He says that theirs is the stuff of everyday melo, where love isn’t some high unreachable thing, but just right in front of them—the kind of love that co-signs debt.

How adorable. Dong-hoon and the PD slowly turn to each other, and Jin-rak smiles. Aw, look at you, playing cupid.

Dok-mi takes Enrique to a temple, and he notices a little carved figure perched under the roof. She tells him the story of the man who built the temple, who had to be away from his wife as he worked on it. She finally got tired of waiting and left him, and they say that the figure is of her, holding up the heavy roof forever as her punishment.

Enrique wonders if maybe it wasn’t the other way around, that maybe he was carving his own hurting heart a little at a time (much like his pencil sharpening) and then people attached meaning to it later. He says that love and hate seem like very different things, but really they’re separated by so very little. Dok-mi decides she likes his version better, and chooses to believe that from now on.

They look out over the ocean and he starts playing word games with her, the point of which is to ask her pick her favorite phrase: “I’m sorry, thank you, or I love you?”

She’s startled when he says the last one like a declaration, and says that she likes all three. He tells her to incorporate them all then, so she complies: “I’m sorry that I pushed your feelings away until now. It was a long road but you didn’t lose your way and came… thank you.”

He gets super excited for the last sentence and starts mouthing “I love you” like he’s willing her to say it… and she says, “Because of you, I came to love myself.” Hee. Puppy pout.

She tells him it’s his turn, so when he’s done pouting he says, “I’m sorry I didn’t come find you sooner. Thank you for making me love. Ajumma, I love you.” He takes a step closer to kiss her on the forehead, and pulls her in for a hug.

Dong-hoon tells Jin-rak not to worry too much, because the scandal is starting to die down. He adds that Do-hwi put up a lot of comments online, and Jin-rak whirls around, ready to kick up a fuss.

But he means nice comments, ones defending Dok-mi and saying that those high school stories are all lies. Well, it’s something. Not enough to redeem her, but it’s something.

She walks past them sheepishly, and Jin-rak stops to ask where her friends are tonight. He says they seem like good friends, ones who always take her side and stick around, and advises her not to lose that friendship this time around.

It gives her pause and then they walk in opposite directions down the street.

Enrique and Dok-mi sit by a campfire, and he sings her a love song because he’s adorably earnest that way (Kim Dong-ryul’s “Like a Child,” posted above). She has something for him too, and shows him the pictures she took of him that day when he told her to start capturing a little of the world.

The note on the picture is “That Woman’s World” and she says, “The first thing I saw of the world to capture was you. It’s what I realized as I wrote the title… You are my world.”

She asks for a redo on the game they played earlier, and says, “I’m sorry I’m confessing only now. Thank you for becoming my world. I love you.”

It sends tears streaming down his face, and he finally looks up to call foul—if she says that, it makes his confession seem like nothing. Oh you would pout about that. It’s not a contest!

She counters that his song was really moving, and wishes she had recorded it so she could hear it every day. She asks him to do it again, but he calls her a dummy and says he’ll just sing it to her every day. Yes please.

Dok-mi: “From now on, will you be my world?” He nods and agrees to always be her peaceful, bright world. She says there’s no such thing—sometimes it’ll rain, and sometimes they’ll fight, and other times they’ll hurt.

She says the world doesn’t disappear because of those things, and tells him that she’ll wait for him to realize his dreams and come back. “Like the sun rises and sets, without change, I’ll wait.” His request is that they stop telling each other to go or stay, and act like they’re the only two people in the world from now on.

Inside, Dok-mi starts in on a project to make Enrique Korean through and through… which amounts to a spelling test. Pfft. He complains that her insistence on handwritten letters is archaic, and figures that his copy editor girlfriend can read fix his mistakes while reading anyway, but she won’t have it.

She sneaks his test paper to correct it, inciting a grabby fight, which quickly lands them in awkward proximity. They blink and gulp and pull away. What? Where be my kisses, people?

Late that night, Enrique tucks her in and watches her sleep. He thinks to himself:

Enrique: I thought love was giving half of myself and the other person filling the other half. That woman thought her half was dark and shameful, and so she pushed love away. That love is taking an incomplete half and going towards completion… is something that woman only now realizes.

We see flashes of their relationship, and then in the present, Dok-mi wakes up to find Enrique asleep at her feet. This time as she thinks back we get her voiceover:

Dok-mi: Love is a wind-up clock. When it’s shiny and new, it tells the exact time. But as time passes and you forget to wind it up, the clock breaks and stops. That man began to wind the clock, so that it would run a long time without stopping.

And then back to the scene that opened the episode, one year later.

Dok-mi comes out of work, surprised to see Jin-rak there. He’s on his way to meet an editor who wants to turn his webtoon into a book. She congratulates him on his success and his popularity as the love expert. He makes her promise not to tell anyone that he’s so inadequately versed in it in real life, and she laughs.

The anniversary he mentioned isn’t theirs or even hers with Enrique—it’s the security ajusshi and the fourth floor ajumma. Dok-mi asks if he’s seen the security booth lately, and notes that the hat is no longer there. In its place is a picture of the couple, and she says that someday it’ll leave a mark just like the hat did, but of the two of them and their life together.

Jin-rak asks if Enrique really is away in Spain, because he gets bombarded with messages from him every day, wondering if Dok-mi is doing okay. He wonders how little difference there could be with him so far away and yet so ever-present and annoying.

The neighbors gather at Ryu’s for a dinner to celebrate the anniversary, and Dong-hoon asks the security/landlord ajusshi why he doesn’t requite security deposits to live in this building. Ajusshi says he was once young like them and so hungry and so poor, that he said to himself that if only someone would house him, he’d repay that for the rest of his life.

Aw, he’s been like a dad this whole time—not requiring security deposits from the young kiddos, but insisting they make their rent on time so that they learn how to be responsible for their lives.

They gather around the table with a cake, and then suddenly someone crashes the party… PD? Without dark circles?

Jin-rak shrinks back, while Dong-hoon beams. Turns out he’s brought her here to look at Apartment 404 (ajumma’s place, since she’s going to move into ajusshi’s unit), and she asks a litany of questions about the building that scares everyone. None of it matters though, when she hears that there’s no security deposit, and so she welcomes them as her new neighbors.

I love how horrified Jin-rak is, to have his boss move in across the hall. Dong-hoon is over the moon, and they cuddle to celebrate. Jin-rak gapes, “Are you two dating?” They stick out their tongues in unison.

Ryu announces that it’s time for him to move on to the next new country to learn its cuisine, and the group sighs that they’ll miss him. He gives Dok-mi a little owl and tells her it’s a good luck charm.

Dong-hoon gets ready to announce his bank account balance to the group like it’s going to be a fortune… and says it contains about 50 cents. He declares with tears in his eyes, “I’m no longer in debt!” Heh, yay for you!

Dok-mi watches the happy group with a twinge of sadness, missing Enrique and remembering the days when he was here.

She opens a new letter from him in her now brighter, more colorful apartment. It says that he’ll be just a little longer, and boasts the lack of spelling mistakes this time. She agrees, but then trips up on his use of “just a little,” pouting that a year and three months is not little.

She decides to hell with waiting and calls her editor to take the rest of her vacation days. She gets up and looks out her window, and hides immediately at the sight of a man standing there looking right at her. Is that… Enrique?

She shakes the thought out of her head, thinking she’s hallucinating now, but inches back over to the window to peer out again. No one’s there.

She grabs the yellow binoculars and takes another look… and there’s Enrique, with his signature move I’ve got my eye on you! The binoculars fall out of her hand, and she swings her door open to run down.

There he is, standing in the street between their buildings. She doesn’t say a word, but he hears her thoughts, and says this isn’t a dream and that he’s really here.

Smoochies.

Their kiss turns into comic book frame, as Jin-rak flips through a new artist’s portfolio. He decides he likes the work and asks when she can start. Park Se-young? How cute, she’s dressed exactly like the old Dok-mi, and stammers that she’d like to work from home.

That makes him take notice, and he asks if maybe she doesn’t like to go outside, describing the way Dok-mi used to live. She looks up: “How did you know?” Ha, did Jin-rak find his Go Dok-mi 2.0?

Do-hwi goes out for drinks with her friends, and sets her sights on a new runaway chaebol. Some things don’t change.

Ajumma and ajusshi are happy together, and Ryu packs up his stuff with a wistful smile. Dong-hoon and his PD honey wear matching couple shirts and snuggle.

Dok-mi sits at her desk and opens a new file called “That Woman’s World.”

Knock on a closed door. Wrap your arms around a tired shoulder. Wipe away tears. Listen to the sound of each other’s hearts. Love each other like that.

She looks out of her window with a smile.

As Dok-mi and Enrique run down the street hand-in-hand, their neighbors follow right behind them.

Enrique: One person can’t change the world. But you can become another person’s world. A warm, bright, and peaceful world. If all people could be someone’s bright, peaceful, good world, one becomes ten, and then a hundred, and the good world grows. Ke-geum’s world, Go Dok-mi.
Dok-mi: Go Dok-mi’s world, Ke-geum-ie.

 
GIRLFRIDAY’S COMMENTS

The finale was exactly what I expected—a neatly-tied conclusion for every single character, with no loose ends. It wasn’t a particularly moving final episode for me, in that I stopped caring whether or not Enrique would go to Spain about half a century ago, so the show was sapped of all conflict by the time that we got here. I did like the episode itself, which makes me think that if the last quarter of this drama hadn’t wound itself in such a circular rut and we had skipped all that to come straight to this finale, we would’ve saved me a lot of grief and lost nothing from the story. Because when your entire final arc is based on a decision that could be made with or without anything that happens in the episodes, we get bored. Make up your goddamn mind is basically what I’m thinking, no matter how much cute you throw at me.

It’s too bad because the show started out so wonderfully rich and interesting, full of quirky characters that weren’t cookie cutouts from every other drama, and layered with such fascinating depth. But it felt like the writer never thought past the moment when our couple gets together. Up until then it was gold, and then suddenly it was And Now What…?

Everything from the beginning through to when Go Dok-mi comes out into the world is A+ material, but after that we’re pretty much done with the story, only the show keeps going. And going. And I want to tell it that we’ve already told the best stuff and we should probably pack up and go before the tomatoes start flying, but by then it’s too late. I think the central conflict got away from the writer, because when I’ve spent all those episodes invested in whether or not our heroine steps foot outside her door, once she does I can’t be made to care about stalker fans and internet rumors and a boyfriend who’s meandering about studying abroad for a year. It’s all small beans at that point, and none of it holds a candle to her shutting herself away in her own world. It’s like having your heroine climb Everest, and then watch her struggle with a molehill for four frickin’ episodes.

It doesn’t make me love Dok-mi or Enrique any less, but it does reduce my love of the show, because it took a steep dive from awesome to snoresville and I struggled to care about the final conflict. (I couldn’t muster it, I’m afraid—being apart for a year to vaguely pursue a dream isn’t really earth-shattering stuff. Now if it had been a one-episode conflict without all the back-and-forth noble idiocy fakeouts and crazy fanclub whims, then sure. You can only be a barista in Italy and an animator in Spain. Whatever. The point is, it would’ve been quick.)

That plot dive aside, I did love the characters in this world, and the simplicity of a story about drawing the heroine out of her sheltered cave, and getting her to love and accept herself. I like that love isn’t painted as grand or all-powerful, but something to work at, day by day. Enrique and Dok-mi’s story wasn’t that they found love, but that love motivated them to change each other bit by bit, and at the climax of that (Episode 12, when she decides to come out into the world), the show really had me by the heart. The rest took most of that luster off, but at least they all got their happy endings. And we got our smoochies.

 
JAVABEANS’ COMMENTS

Despite the criticisms I wrote in the last recap, I do want to give the show its due for being a heartwarming and sometimes thought-stirring romantic comedy, with plenty of endearing relationships and more depth than your run-of-the-mill, forgettable trendy drama. When taken in the context of dramaland as a whole, it’s still better than many, many shows out there. It was beautiful to look at and had a lovely low-key atmosphere and sweetly melodic soundtrack.

Still, it’s too bad that most of the drama’s best parts were in its first half, and the last four episodes took a significant nosedive from its earlier highs. Sadly, order matters: When you end on a lower note than you started on, the overall trajectory is still pointed downward. I’ve watched subpar dramas—dramas much worse than this one—that pulled out a satisfying finale, and ending on an upswing has a palette-cleansing effect. You forgive a lot when that happens.

When the opposite happens, however, no matter how much your brain tells you that the overall quality remains fairly high, your heart can’t get over that taste of disappointment. Pacing matters. Trajectory matters. Because once you start falling out of love, momentum slows and you start checking out, and then it’s all over. It’s similar to what happened to me with Queen In-hyun’s Man and Answer Me, 1997, both of which were among the best-written and best-produced dramas of last year but which lost my heart in the last stretch.

Flower Boy Next Door was a welcome breath of fresh air that was buoyed by adorable chemistry and had great characters, whether the motor-mouthed Enrique or the decent and steadfast Jin-rak. And the heroine’s emotional journey was gratifying to watch, not just in the realization of love but more importantly in her ability to conquer demons and grow into a happy, healed woman who learned how to value herself. I do wish the magic lasted a little longer and carried me through the entire series, but here’s where I employ my selective memory, to try to ignore the less than satisfying moments, because I’ll always have fond feelings for what it did well—the laughs and character growth and sweet romance.

 
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AHHHH ITS HERE!!

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Thank you for this last recap! Does anyone know what they were drinking in ep. 15 when they (the OTP) went to that little restaurant? At 1st, I thought it was alcohol, soju maybe, but when they showed the bottle, it looked like soda, however Enrique acted like it was strong or had a lot of fizz, I am not sure which is which, which had me curious about what they were drinking.

I am also assuming that they were eating pizza, right? I am off to read the recap now...

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Makgulli. The draft kind, which is fizzy. And delicious.

They're eating a kind of savory pancake, a rustic sort of snack.

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javabeans~

I brewed some makgeolli. Definitely fizzy, careful or you'll get a shower !

I haven't had commercially produced makgeolli, but this is how I'd describe the results of my endeavours.

It's creamy, kind of milky, with a bit of tartness.

An English gentleman who lives in Korea has a website that explains how to makgeolli. I followed his instructions and voila! A delightful drink. I look forward to making it again.

http://mistermakgeolli.com/

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Haha, I thought it was pizza too, until I saw Enrique ripping it apart. I was like, "Thatttt doesn't look like a very appetizing pizza." Lol!

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I don't agree with javabeans or girlfriday on this. I didn't actually see any flaws in this show at all! I loved from the 1st episode till the last. The storyline, the characters, the execution of it....everything was perfect for me. I thought that the ending where they run through the streets of their neighborhood WAS heart touching. Love you show!!! <3

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I just finish this show for the secon time... I marathon it the first and this second I took my time...
This show is amazing...and I think you dramabeans and girlfriday fall of loving it was because they have all that time to think.. a hole week, and I just didn't I just have the time to feel it between episodes...so it was amazing for me...the feels, it is so intimate and beautifully personal...... I think I have never seen such growing in a person ..like G Dok-mi in a Drama..And I totally believed it....
I love love love this little show!!...it has all the things that made me fall in love with KDramas...all the things you hardly find in other kind of shows...

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I actually research types of alcohol for a post on kakashi's blog: http://dr-myri-blog.blogspot.com/2013/01/kdrama-culture-alcohol-part-1-types.html

makgulli is carbonated rice wine. It has a fairly low alcohol content, but can be distilled into higher fractions (such as soju). FYI

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Dramas make me want to eat and drink everything I see the characters eat and drink. I managed to find soju two years ago, but it was only a few weeks ago that I FINALLY found makgulli to try. I saved the bottle, hoping that either my local ABC store or maybe even the nearest Asian market could order it for me, but I have my doubts that'll happen. I really wish I had a way to buy it without driving 3 hours away.

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I have one precious bottle left from the November Big Bang concert. Apparently I can't order makgulli from any Asian market or Total Wine store in my area (Virginia). So I'm planning a trip south to Florida, and I intend to check every ABC store and at least one grocery in every state on my way down.

It's that yummy, IMHO>

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i have an aunt who will serve every interesting-looking drinks that she happens to see in every tv drama she happened to watched. in one drama, she saw the characters drinking this green looking juice (and its not lemonade more like the goo they spray in nick shows), so, the following day she scoured all the grocery stores to look for it.
good thing she's not into kdrama or i and my cuzz might end up drinking soju or whatever korean beverages there are every now and then.

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When I found out one of our local supermarkets carries it, I was in 7th heaven. But they cost like 6 to 7 bucks for a 16 oz bottle. Can't really toss them back like what they do in dramas. Pancakes? The Korean restaurant I go to have them in kimchi or seafood versions, both are so yummy.

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Since they don't sell any makkolli in Finland I decided to make some myself. One more week and I will see if it turned out right, hehe. Though makkolli gives worse hangover than soju...

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Dramas always make me want to eat and drink too! Sometimes all they do is drink water and I'm suddenly thirsty, haha. It was really bad when I watched Fermentation Family. There was food porn AND they drank makgeolli almost every episode, multiple times an episode, lol.

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I make kimchi pancakes at least once a week for lunch. (Love kimchi anything) They are a quick and easy meal. I get my Korean food supplies from H Mart, which has several locations around the country and fortunately one in my city.

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the power of PPL...
this is the reason WHY a lot of company try to sell their product through drama

KoD...
aargh..its like dictionary to Kdrama
huuu miz ya

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its mageolli(or something like that)
rice wine in a bottle ! :D

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I've always been wondering... What does OTP stand for?

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OTP means 'One True Pairing'

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webtoon boss or the pd and dong hoon's cute romance saved this drama from being so mediocre. I'll miss them the most.
and in an alternate universe, I know it's jin rak and dok mi. I honestly felt there's no chemistry between shin hye and si yoon, they did their parts but no sparks. check out the behind the scenes pics , you'll see kim ji hoon and park shin hye are closer , have more laughs together, just saying..
whatever.
again , thanks for the great characters of flower boy next door, esp. to dong hoon and webtoon boss.

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I have to give a heartfelt ditto to that. As soon as I saw the PD be-bopping her way into the club to co-sign, I wanted her to have her own drama. Her character was spunky, feisty, and so earnest in her pursuits I just loved her. She was just not like other main characters who are rescued; she did the rescuing in her work jacket while eating snacks and dancing crazily, and I loved that. I would watch, seriously. And they better call it Hoonstruck, because that was the look on her face when she got all googly eyed for him.
While I enjoyed the dialogue and how it didn't shy away from meaty conversations (thanks to Enrique's off button being undiscovered to this day), the side romance is kind of my favorite out of the couples.

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Oh wow I couldn't disagree more about the chemistry. PSH had no chemistry with KJH and their character's were so wrong for each other imo. Most of their moments felt forced and one-sided and awkward to me. The moments between her and Enrique were pitch perfect though!

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anyong fbnd! i'll miss you.

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thanks....
I've completed 12 episodes....

will really miss the flower boy next door characters.....a refreshing rom-com all in all :)

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Thanks for the recap! Reading...

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I will definitely be missing this show! Thankfully I don't have to cry for another hour or so when I actually watch the last episode...and then the floodgates will open. Or maybe that comes later when the realization that it's really over sets in; the episode IS all happy and whatnot.

What I loved most about this drama was the characters. They seemed like living, breathing people and really made me think about people around me. You never know what someone's story is just by looking at them, and sometimes all someone needs is for another person to care. Enrique really proved to be (arguably) the most mature person in this drama because he knew, in his own childlike way, what it meant to really live and love. And through his example, others around him learned how to really live and love also. I loved how much Dok-mi grew as a character...it makes me so proud. I think that was what the drama really was about - not the romance or the comedy, but truly healing from past wounds and coming to love yourself. And I love that Jin-rak was able to move on and become an even better person and that we got some closure for him. So many times the second male lead's ending just gets tacked on, and if you have Second Lead Syndrome, that's not a good thing. I'm also glad he didn't end up with Do-hwi. keke

And Dong-hoon and the editor noona! I was filled with joy at that storyline's ending. xD And the smoochies! I was worried you wouldn't come...

Now off to eat chocolates and weep as I actually watch the finale. Just kidding, I can't eat while my retainers are in.

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I'm also overjoyed with Jin Rak's ending. He's my fave character in this drama, so I just can't bear to even think of him being paired with someone like Do Hwi. It's good that they gave him a new chance, not with Dok Mi but with someone similar whom he can help live more, just like Enrique did to Dok Mi.

Also, Dong Hoon and the editor are soooo cute together. I know the OTP is awesome and lovely together, but for some reason, I get more, ahm, "kilig" when watching Dong Hoon and the editor being all cute and sweet to each other. They're just too cute for words! :D

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thank you so much for the recap! i don't think i stopped smiling for the last 30 minutes of this ep, i LOVED it! it even makes up for all the unecassary angst we had, i also love that we all get happy ending(omg the chief+jin rak's helper, guard+madame, jin rak+new girl from School), so freakinf adorable. and of course, our que-geum and dok-mi as well, love you, love the show!

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omg the kissies. sorry, i HAD to add that. 16 eps, i've been waiting for them, thank goodness they did not dissapoint, or i would've probably thrown my laptop against the next unfortunate person/thing that came my way...

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My reaction to the kiss was simply..'bout bloody time!'.
Apparently I said it loud enough for my 15 year old to wander into the living room to ask what I was yelling at my iPad about >.<

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as for me, i sorta screamed yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
thats loud enough to pique my dad's curiosity to peer in my room. which he rarely does. lol

and i was like "I er... I played Slender again, dad. sorry..*awkward laugh*"

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I said on the last recap that hell would freeze over before Park Shin-hye ever returned a kiss in her dramas.

I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY TO BE WRONG.

(and they made up for the lack of skinship in spades - slow-motion, hair prettily blowing in the wind - both his and hers - eyes closed, and all. I'm one happy bean after this)

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I know, after You're Beautiful and (shudder) Heartstrings, I did NOT think it was possible...

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It's the YSY magic!

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i can finally start my homework now that i refreshed the home page to death to find this recap. i actually really liked the entire drama, and i actually found the middle of ep 13 and ep 14 as the iffy part of the drama, the rest of the drama was amazing though. i do wish their ratings were higher because i know they really wanted 5 percent, but i think the highest they ever had was 2.8, which is still really high. i believe the last couple of ep had subpar ratings too. I hope yoon shi yoon's next drama will be a good one too, he's such a good actor.

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Thanks for the recap!

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Thanks for recapping this drama!

It was a nice fluffy bunny wrap up with no make you want to stab anyone moments.

And ha, Jin Rak and The Queen!

I lament what this show could have been and enjoy it for what it was, especially the first half.

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I love the ending. It's probably because I just love happy endings and this was as happy as it could possibly be. I'm going to miss this show. Maybe not the best show I seen but its on my top 10 list. If I ever feel bad from on I'm just going to have Enrique dance in a panda suit and it will cheer me up.

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Nice Coffe Prince reference GF. I have to agree that I loved the first 3/4 of the drama and tolerated the last 1/4. I did enjoy the last episode for tying everything up and it was cute. But I do mourn what this show once was and what it could have been. It was still a sweet romance, so I definitely don't regret the 16 hours I spent watching. Thanks so much for the many more hours you both spent recapping. It always makes a drama more enjoyable!

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Thanks JB and GF for recapping.

I enjoyed this drama best of all the Flower Boy series as the characters seemed more real to me.

Think it could have ended 4 episodes ago but enjoyed the opportunity to see more of KJH as JR:)

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I agree with everything JB and GF said. I really loved this show until the last four episodes.

I'll miss Dok mi and Enrique. Also, the PD as well. She was a hoot.

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i agree with that notion as well. but the cute makes up most of it. so, its forgiven.

but i oh, do love the show. Que geum won my heart from the moment he step into the show ^^

and yay for the kiss! its not deadfish kiss!

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at last,some real kiss from PSH...Enrique sure know how to love..

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Please tell me that the subs were wrong and that this remarkably sensitive writer didn't actually refer to Africa as a "country"... (during the discussion of Watanabe's travel plans).

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By the way, this won't be the last of the Flower Boys series-- it looks like the next one will be Flower Boy Agency and will be based on the Cyrano (Dating) Agency movie. Rumor has it that a sequel to Shut Up Flower Boy Band is also in the works. (My reliable source is The Vault's Newsdesk.)

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Thank you sooooo much for the wonderful recaps throughout this series!!!

This episode definitely managed to have redeeming qualities. Not sure I am 100% happy with how everything was played out but it was well done. Enough so to leave me content and not yearning for a different ending.

I do have to say though, I really enjoy the 'mature' YSY much more. I think all 3 series I had seen him in his hair was lighter colored. And I have to say that the dark tone suits him much better.

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Odd.. not sure why this one showed up as a reply, because what I was posting was something different...lol.

(Here's the reply I was TRYING to post.. well, the short version!)

FBA? SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!!! *squeeeeee*
I'm definitely keeping my eyes open. I loved the movie =D

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I just the like the styles when you can see his forehead, especially in his "rich" persona in M2F. I don't get why most of the male hair in KDramas includes heavy bangs. Are they embarrassed about their eyebrows or something? ^^

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He looked SO GOOD during that random suit-modelling interlude in episode 14 with his hair brushed off his face....

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Ooh...I love the idea of the first (Agency), mixed feelings on the second (Sequel)... The premise of the first could be really fun in the FB universe. But attempting a sequel for SUFBB is iffy...the first was really done well and if the sequel can't be AT LEAST just as good it probably shouldn't be done. It was a really complete story even with it's somewhat open end. It felt right.
Anyhow, thank you Risa for sharing the news with us. Definitely something to look forward to :)

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The writer did refer Africa as a "country."/sigh/ I cringed mentally. But, what's worse it that I'm not surprised.

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Ugghhhhhhh. I hate things like that. Though I'm not too surprised either.

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I thought that when Anthony was flying to "Florida" in KoD.

I don't know if it's lazy writing or no time to do the research. It happens in the final handful of episodes, so the writers are tired, but that's also when the characters do their walk-away scenes.

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:( Unfortunately that sensitive writer wasn't so sensitive about saying "Africa" as a country.... maybe she meant South Africa?

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Yeah... that was kind of wince-worthy. Especially for a well-traveled character interested in learning about regional foods.

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King of Dramas has ruined me. RUINED me. Every time forever more when a final episode has even one flashback, I will side eye it.

That aside, it was as GF and JB said, expected and kind of a let down (mainly the circuitous route we took to get Que Geum to go and Dok Mi to wait -- we knew that was the option the minute the conflict came up) , but still did a lot of things right. I was very sad early on with the constant where is Watanabe game I played. :(

The last 10 minutes of the episode were wonderful. Something I wondered though, why didn't we use the comic panels earlier to switch scenes? I liked that little graphic. What I did not like was Jin Rak not growing enough to seek out someone but wait for the Dok Mi redux to land in his lap.

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Your not the only one.. Whenever there's a flashback in any recent drama I hear Anthony explaining why.. :)

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HAHA - The ghost of Ansony strikes again.

I, too, found myself looking at my watch to determine how many minutes of flashback filled the final half of the episode.

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+1

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I did it too.

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Oh good, I wasn't the only one. *wipes brow*

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I started King of Dramas just last week, and I actually cackled when I saw the flashbacks too. Though they're not as terribly overused as in our recent melos, I will say that.

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there is an episode where JinRak told DongHoon his type of girl, and I remember he also believes in fate of love.

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Park Seyoung and Park Shinhye are in the same management company which probably explains the cameo.

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Great last episode. I agree that from episode 10 or 11 the plot did become a bit of a hamster wheel. Bit I still enjoyed the overall tone and theme of this drama. It is what it is now. Loved the actors and hope to see them in something again soon.

Damn Enrique! That was a pretty great last kiss. They finally let Yoon Shi Yoon off the leash a bit with that one. I thought we would be left with the chaste forehead kiss. He came back with black hair and boom, great kisses were allowed.

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One of you will know, but is this her first "real" kiss in a drama or movie? It's about time!

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Definitely not for him! I've watched the kissing in Me 2 Flower several times while waiting for the new episodes of FBND. So I know he has the lipability for a scorcher.

For Park Shin-hye, it is probably the closest I've seen to a combustible chemical reaction from her, but it was still blah in my book.

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I wanted a "wrap those arms around his neck" kiss, but instead got a round and round camera roll.

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The wind blowing through her hair and the camera movement thankfully made the kiss appear slightly more dynamic. Otherwise it would have looked like Enrique was kissing a wall :)

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Ha!

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agree! i don't think it was a "real" kiss. it was the camera movement that made it "seem real". but they were just basically standing there, doing nothing. BLAH!

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It's possible that she's requesting it, or it could be a smart move on parts of the writers and PDs to keep her in that 'innocent girl' mode for a bit longer to cash in on her success since they are able to cast her for roles like this last one that targets a younger audience.

I just hope she doesn't turn into a Korean Doris Day who at 40 still made us believe that she'd never been with a guy and had no idea how to react when lip locking occurred.

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haha you guys are getting weird with just kisses. I still like them though even without that..

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I don't mind or expect Queen In-hyun's Man/Can We Get Married-levels of, er, physicality between the two leads, but it would have been nice to get a few more hugs in - the one at the 4D movie theatre killed me with its cute.

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I don't know about her future choices, but PSH is testing a few very non-Doris-Day boundaries with this recent campaign (and there is bonus Lee Jong-suk for anyone who's interested!):

http://omonatheydidnt.livejournal.com/10694784.html

I won't lie, my jaw dropped. Maybe between this and finally getting to have a proper onscreen kiss for the first time after that JGS cf, she's transitioning into more adult roles?

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IKR? Must as I like a well-placed orbital kissing shot, it seemed she couldn't figure out what to do with her hands. I think the hands-around-the-neck shows more trust and a desire to be closer to that person, and that the person you cling to can support you. In that, PSh will always look like a block of wood as long as she just stands there.

I mean, come on, it's YSY! Who wouldn't like to suck his face concave? 8)

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"I mean, come on, it’s YSY! Who wouldn’t like to suck his face concave? 8)"

You are hilarious.

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I think the hands-around-the-neck shows more trust and a desire to be closer to that person,

and let's be real, we don't have a chance in hell of getting that out of an actress in a drama unless it's Yoon Eun-hye or Jung So-min.

PSH is far from the only one to have this problem, and I'm just glad this drama was the one to break the pattern by at least letting it look like she was really and truly into the kiss instead of taken by surprise or awkward (at least JGS made it work somehow, but I'm still scarred by the memory of her and Yonghwa's incredibly dead-fishy kisses in Heartstrings)

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@Ennyara - I loled at that bit too, ha.

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I can't make up my mind about what I think of that kiss. (I am glad we got it, that I have no doubt about.)

YSY was definitely doing much of the action (no surprise, having seen him in Me Too Flower), PSH seemed to pretty much just stand there but it was difficult to tell whether she was actually kissing him back because of the camera swirling around them and not letting us see clearly.

It looked better than all her other previous kisses I had seen, but I'm not sure she actually did more - it was the flying hair and camera movement that were doing something.

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PSH lost her innocent when she worked with Jang Keun Suk.
Check out this CF Etude House VIP girl Kiss.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCHFHeVed6g

I love her so much I think Keun Suk acted a little bit too much with her.

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I did notice her hand moving pocketwards - his pockets, that is. Probably meant to go in to pull him closer?

And camera work has helped in a LOT of recent drama kissing scenes - Moon Chae-won, much as I love her, is another one whose drama kisses can be really stiff and non-reactive - but I will give PSH credit this time, she was definitely leaning in and even kissing back a little - you can see her head move - and not just frozen there.

Also, yay for Yoon Shi-yoon finally getting to put those lips to good use!

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no, wait, she was holding on to his coat/at his waist to pull him closer! That's an improvement over what we usually criticise her for lol.

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Haven't seen her kissing in movies, but I think her other "real" kiss was her commercial way back when with Jang Geun Suk.

In any case, I really think it's more on the part of what the director wants for the kiss, not PSH. I've seen bts of other dramas where the director wants certain types of "kisses" (for example, no movement of mouth) and directs how they should stand, how they're arms should be, etc. In most dramas, it seems the director just wants the girl to stand there while the guy does all the work.

But also, it is really keeping in character for her to not do anything like YSY was doing. Dok mi had been cut off from everyone for so long without any real relationships. So she hasn't kissed that much, close to zero. She wouldn't know what to do with her lips or hands anyways. In any case, I saw nothing wrong with the kiss, it was very sweet and romantic.

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+1

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It made sense, character-wise, for Dok-mi with that first ep 11 kiss. But here she actually does act like someone who's seeing her boyfriend after a year and missed him badly, so it's not inconsistent with the character either and thank goodness for that.

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I started to think maybe I was nuts to think that it was blah too!

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I am going to miss this drama - although the storyline wasn't too deep, I thought the main characters were cute. Even when the story got emotionally "heavy" towards the end, there was always funny scenes mixed in that made me laugh. I hope to see YSY and KJH in another drama soon. Thanks for mentioning Park Se-young's cameo. When I saw the episode - She looked so familiar but couldn't place the name! It was really bugging me!

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Just wanna say that I called it I CALLED IT that they were going to do the *let's jump ahead to one year later* move.

I think that was a key concept with the drama. They took many moves we already expected from a rom-com and then turned them on their heads...most of the time.

The highlight of this show for me was definitely the comedy...oh yeah, and the FOUR FLOWER BOYS! Well, five if you count his cousin, which I definitely do because he was actually perfect superficially and character-wise cause, uhm, he was a doctor and loved dogs. What more is there to it?

Overall, I enjoyed the ride, mostly thanks to how cute Enrique was. Looking back, the concept of such a weak heroine, who does admitedly gain confidence and develops throughout the series, didn't really please me. I just wanted more episodes of them running around together being sweet. At least the ending got that right.

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Overall, it's much much better than so many Kdramas I have watched.

The ones that really pierced my hearts? the thoughts of Go-Dok-Mi translated in English. They're poetic. Beautiful lines. Something that I can write in my journal and enabled me to look at the world in a better perspective.

The story is simple, and yes probably the high point of this drama was in episode 12 when Go Dok Mi decided to leave her cave. But, there's so much to learn once you take that first step...thus probably the succeeding episodes.

I hope that the Go Dok Mis who watched this drama will also learn to open the curtains of their lives.

Excellent job Park Shin Hye and Yoon Shi Yoon and the rest. No one is actually a lousy actor in this drama.

Conclusion: I AM A VERY SATISFIED VIEWER OF FBND.

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me too! i have nothing against it.

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COULD NOT find myself shipping Enrique and Dokmi. I skipped their parts in this recap. Snooore.* To skip a leading couple's scenes in a finale is saying something. I enjoyed Yoon Shiyoon in "Baker King" but now I just don't enjoy his portrayal of any of his characters. Don't know what happened! Park Shinhye did well, but I wasn't completely smitten. Siiigh* 'cause I do really like her. Kim Jihoon, on the other hand, I loved. And.. go, Park Seyoung! Heh. Mini eyeroll at the whole Dokmi, The Second bit, but I'm glad to know Jinrak would fare better this time around.

Ehhh. This show was exactly what you guys said it ended up being. Way to drain us, Show. Way to suck the life out of yourself. I mean, I still really liked it, and think it better than "Ramyun", which I could care less about, but it sits waaayy behind "Shut Up Flower Boy Band". Now that one was a good one.

Much thanks, JB and GF.

'Til the next Flower Boy installment (I hope). ~

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I fast forwarded to skip parts of Enrique and Dokmi too. The dialogue between the two and her monologue just didn't really add anything new to the story. I really loved this drama up til about episode 10. They should have wrapped it up at episode 11. Too bad, because I'll now remember this drama as a disappointing one.

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Same. Wish the show had taken a different route with Jin-rak not giving up and actually fought for her and possibly winning her heart in the last final eps, shame that didn't happen and instead went with the predictable and dull route.

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I'm happy with the final couple myself, but I get what you mean. The fact that 99% of K-dramas go the predictable road in terms of who ends up together is still strange to me. You'd think drama writers would want to shake things up and write storylines that are dynamic and full of the unexpected rather than 'we know they'll be together anyhow'. Well, I'm used to it by now having watched plenty of K-dramas, but I was sure surprised at the beginning that this really seemed to be like a law - even the way they film, who the camera focuses on, you know from the first five minutes normally who will be the OTP.

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That's actually why I love kdramas. They don't shove romance to the side and they focus on the dynamics of a relationship between the couple that's supposed to get together. The stories are very much "here are these two people" and then they take the time to explore them. I really appreciate it.

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I am with you on this one.It got really boring after episode 10. Too bad.

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first something I forgot from episode 15, Park Shin Hye looked so awesome in the panda hat that South Korea should pass a law requiring her to wear it at all times.

I'm in the minority in that I loved the show all the way through thanks in no small part to fabulous performances from the whole cast particularly Park Shin Hye and Yoon Si Yoon. My only real complaint is the under utilization of Seo Young I thought more than a lover first Dok Mi needed a friend and still really wish they had let Seo Young fill that role.

I liked this episode a lot really it was a perfect ending to one of my favorite dramas of all time but oddly enough even though I really don't like her I think what they did with Do Hwi was my favorite. I'm just so sick of how most dramas have everyone forgive the villain no matter how horrible that person was but they didn't do that with Do Hwi. She definitely underwent some changes after Dok Mi confronted her and she read the webtoon, and she has shown she's not all bad but still she's not perfect she hasn't had some complete personality overhaul and in a lot of ways she's still the same. so in short I loved Flower Boy Next Door.

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yeah, it wasn't a groundbreaking ending but it did what it needed to - it was good to see the saseng fans get told off, the OTP be honest with each other and for once in a kdrama, NOT separate one episode or five minutes before the end for nonsensical reasons, and a main antagonist who changed her ways somewhat but praise be to the drama gods for Dok-mi not becoming friends with her and Jin-rak not ending up with her.

Overall, the last 3 episodes had their spotty places but even then, they didn't lose the thread of Dok-mi and Enrique's character development even if the misdirects were in place to make us think they regressed. It's nice to see a kdrama couple who actually talk to each other instead of going all huffy/Noble Idiot about it (though Dok-mi came close, that was really more about her insecurities than anything else)

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@pogo: I really, really liked all the talking, too! I think because they both talked things through instead of doing the more dramatic noble-idiot thing. So for me, the ending really worked and I'm glad they didn't end at ep. 12 with Dok-mi leaving her apartment.

(Stepping outside is a first step, not a conclusion, and I think it would have undercut what the drama was saying about social anxiety -- turning it into a cute drama concept rather than an actual challenge -- if just agreeing to go out made everything all better.)

@Sajen: I agree about Do-hwi. I loved that it was more baby steps for her, but she's still kind of shallow. And that both she and Dok-mi are different people than when they were besties back in high school. Because that's pretty true to life.

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Thanks for the fast recaps of this drama! This site recaps and comments from all these people makes the whole drama experience better.
I enjoyed the last episode for it answer my cry (our cry) for smooches. I will never look at the word ajumma the same way again and nobody can say "Right now!" better than Ms. PDnim.
I'll go on a hiatus from dramaland and just get the updates from dramabeans!
Thanks for the hardwork! hugs

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Despite its not so stellar episodes in the last quarter I feel that the final episode made up for the most of it. The warm fuzzies that I feel whenever we have our main OTP onscreen is still perfectly intact. Sure,we could do with lesser of the stalker fan-girl conflict,and the secondary characters were pretty much underdeveloped (Case in point: Watanabe,Seo Young,Tae Joon) and some parts of the storyline didn't make much narrative sense.) but there are also some hilarious moments that shine through. And I can't be the only one who's glad that we've gotten our Donghoon-Editor OTP together,who both look super adorably in love by the way. :)
FBND never set out to be one of typical trendy drama,and it has managed to rightfully carve out its own niche. Let's just think of the happy moments and insightful dialogues that the drama has given us,eh? Personally I am really thankful that this drama has given us the opportunity to rediscover gems like Yoon Si Yoon and Park Shin Hye. I've never watch any of YSY's previous works so I was rather indifferent but nonetheless curious to see what he has to offer for this drama and I'm really glad to say that he has way exceeded my expectations. He has breathed life into Enrique Geum,as you can see even through the tiniest details of the character itself. I daresay that if another actor had played the part I wouldn't have enjoyed this drama as much. As for Park Shin Hye,I really feel that she killed it as Go Dok-mi. I've seen 3 of her previous works (You're Beautiful, Heartstrings, Don't Worry I'm A Ghost) and I have to say that personally,I feel that her role as Dok-mi in FBND is her best one yet. She shone brilliantly as Dok-mi,her feelings are expressed through subtle changes in her expression,and you can literally feel the pain along with her when she's hurt. I have never seen a heroine quite like her in a drama,who's prickly and strange on the outside,but super efficient and self-sufficient on the inside. I feel that she has truly encapsulated the essence of Dok-mi in the sense that has us viewers feeling her feelings and unwittingly finding ourselves rooting for her character. That's why it felt particularly satisfying for me to see her finally walk out of her shell and finally living her life. This drama,along with School 2013 will always hold a special place in my heart although I have to say that I'll be most likely the rewatch the former than the latter since it's that one drama that I can connect to better on a personal level. I guess Dok-mi's unwillingness to step out into the world struck a chord in me and seeing her slowly having the courage to walk out of her self-inflicted loneliness really inspired me to do the same. Special thanks to ms.koala from A Koala's Playground,ms.softy from Cadence,girlfriday and javabeans for the lovely recaps and for making this journey a memorable one. Flower Boy Next Door,you will be sorely missed! :')

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I totally agree about the actors - Yoon Shi-yoon and Park Shin-hye both delivered what I feel are career-best performances for them, and that is no mean feat considering their previous work (PSH is possibly the only actress around who could have made Go Mi-nyeo endearing instead of annoying) and all the ways the characters could have gone wrong here, especially Enrique. They brought depth and emotion and great chemistry to the role, and for that, they're my favourite couple from any of the Flower Boy series so far.

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Awww, totally satisfied with the last episode. If there were iffy moments along the way, I'm over them and feel just - happy. The wrap up did not seem forced but came full circle in a kdrama sort of way. Jin rak is the webtoon master! Dok Mi2 was a nice touch, as was (and I am surprising myself here) Do hwi's encounter with Jin rak 2. (Tip - hey couples, do it right this time around, okay?) Dong hoon is wrapped tight around the editor's little pinky - they even look alike - so cute!^^ Wnatanabe (perhaps the hottest flower boy of the group) - you have my ♥! Take me to the Serengeti! Enrique and Dok Mi at the bonfire - the world has been righted.

I will sleep well tonight.

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Better than last episode, but still not as good as when the show started. Which is disappointing. I was so looking forward to this new Flower Boy show from TvN, and for 12 episodes it lived up to my expectations. But afterwards, the show did take a downward turn, and I was left wondering what the hell had happened. Overall, this show was great, and I loved it. But the love dwindled after 12 episodes. I am not sure what happened. Did the writer just run out of ideas? Did the writer not think beyond a certain point. Any good show should have a writer who has a general idea of what will happen, what could happen, and what shouldn't happen. I'm not sure this writer did. At least, not after Dok-mi emerged into the world again. And that is what disappoints me, because Flower Boy Next Door had so much potential that fell flat in the final weeks. I can't help think about what could have been....but wasn't.

Of course, that is not to say I didn't enjoy the final weeks. I did. I was just frustrated with the author and the upsetting use of usual drama tropes that are been there, done that. They've been done so often, I lose interest in shows that have them. But, I did, and do, love Flower Boy Next Door. The writing did lag, but the look, feel, directing and acting remained extraordinary and this show will remain in my Top 20 favorite dramas.

I really think this was (probably) Park Shin-hye's best drama to date. She's a wonderful young actress and I look forward to her next project. Yoon Shi-yoon was adorable as Enrique, and I just adore him. He's a fantastic actor. Park Ji-hoon was the best second male lead I've seen in a long while. Jin-rak took my heart and his poor plight tugged at my heartstrings so much. I do think I would have picked him. Just sayin'.

All the supporting cast was wonderful. Even Do-hwi. Even though I still hate her.

Thanks for all the wonderful, insightful recaps, JB and GF!

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Aww, I'm really going to miss this one. Though I'll admit the last couple episodes didn't leave me with the same high that most of the show did, nevertheless it was a satisfying journey for me with characters I thoroughly enjoyed and rooted for.
In truth I was expecting a scenario like the one that played out, that Dok Mi would have to face a situation like the one before and show us through it that she has grown and healed, so I wasn't as bothered by the fan parts. I will however admit that the foray into noble idiocy did get a bit tiresome, but I can see where she was coming from.
Still and all a great show for me and a good finale. Loved that a lot of what we enjoyed about the show was present for the finale.
Thanks so much for recapping and providing an outlet for us to respond! This is the first show I've been a part of the commenting community for and it's been great "hanging out" and reading and commiserating with everyone :) Maybe Nine will be the next...

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Uhm, I didn't like Jin Rak finding another Dok Mi, even when it might be his chance to start all over again and act in a different way... He deserves a new story...

In the case of Cha Do hwi, i don't think it was the money what she wanted, i believe it was more about finding someone that can give up everything for a dream. She got excited when her friends told her that the bar tender was a runaway, not when they told her he was rich. Idk, i never managed to hate her

I loved the ending, it was absolutely romantic, especially how our couple confessed their love for each other. It reminded me of the cheesiness in some Hong Sister's drama...

I will miss this drama, it was by far, the most engaging drama i have seen since Gaksital...

Now, what shall i do? u.u, none of the other look attractive to me...

Thanks for your recaps and opinions ;)

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I actually liked Jin Rak finding another Dok Mi because he's changed from the first time too. He was content just watching Dok-mi before. This shows in a small way that he has changed. He is a little more aggressive and you know he won't wait whatever amount of years to chase the girl. It was kinda putting a period on his character arc. (i.e. his inaction).

I agree with you on Do-Hwi, too. By the end I came to understand her which took off my edge of hatred.

Whereas I still hate the guts out of the mom in YAB. She still resonates with me as one of the worst mothers in K-drama history.

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Also, Jin Rak liking these agoraphobic girls, it's just weird.

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oh I don't know, when he met Agoraphobia Girl the look on his face/the tone of his voice was definitely 'oh, here we go again, I've done this before' and not smitten the way he was with Dok-mi. Because the way he said it was not the way you'd speak to someone you put on a pedestal the way he did the first time around.

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Thank you for the recap. I love the happy ending.

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i just remember!!
PD webtoon-nim is the serial woman rapist in SNL with
Super Junior
the same programme whom Dong Hoon is disguise as Siwon

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I'll watch that clip again! RIGHT NOW!
hehe

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School 2013's Jjang made an appearance, hurray for Jin Rak. This drama started really interesting but midway it slacked off and it was boring to watch. I started to not care about the OTP and watched it for Jin Rak and Dong hoon's loveline with Editor Dark Circle. Anyway this by far this drama is one of the funniest, quirkiest with the most lovable and interesting characters to date and for that it's still on my list of fave dramas. And definitely this drama introduced me to Kim Ji Hoon and made me realize how cute Go Kyung Pyo is (and cant get over the fact that he's born in 1990)and their epic bromance.

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Thanks for the recap. Now that you've given your stamp of approval I'll watch the last two episodes. I just couldn't bear to, with the disappointing expectition of seeing something so masterful become so marred.

I'm wondering if anyone can help me here? What likely happened to this show? Was it written for 12 episodes and got extended with little notice? Were the last 4 episodes rewritten to satisfy a producer run amok or an advertiser's demands? Did they decide to re-write the last episodes in order to create scenes that mined the outrageously creative talent that is YSY?

Really, how did it happen? I can't shake the impression that the story had been too well crafted to think that the writer just somehow lost their way.

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From the first episode, I knew this was a slice of life drama, so I was prepared for super slow moments, and I was hoping for undercutting of the usual K-drama tropes.

What made the drama lovable for me, wasn't the large sweeping events, or bash you over the head humor that is often enjoyable in other contexts, but the small bits of dialogue, the little character actions and the slow movement of change throughout the series.

By the end, not all of the character flaws are solved--people still have them, but through understanding and one change in each character brought out by smaller events, this drama became more and more enjoyable. While people were looking for speed to pick up, I was enjoying the slow and deliberate movements as well as comparing the character now as they appeared in the beginning. The subtle contrasts being made by the characters to each other and so on.

Maybe I'm more adapted to watching Slice of Life, but of the three Flower Boy series, I like this one the best. To me, this one was filled with warmth every step of the way. The first one (Ramyeon shop) faltered in places which made it feel flat at the end. And shut up flower band I really disliked the cinematography on which seemed to overtake the importance of the acting.

People often hate slice of life--where is the sweeping change to the characters so they become whole? Where are the large earth shattering events? Singular changes, this genre argues, takes time, effort, every day experience, and in sacrificing those big sweeping events and changes also creates warmth and heart. Flower Boy Next Door seems to fit neatly into that, taking some of the best parts of the genre and utilizing them. Sweeping changes? No. But living with the characters and seeing them change day by day (as was put) was what made this drama charming for me. By the end, the arguments for that one thing changed in each of the characters was done so slowly, that I had to think hard about how it was done, yet was believable that one could believe it happened in a real-life setting.

Yes, Hong Sister Dramas are awesomeness and they do tend to suck at this kind of thing, but sometimes the quiet dramas can also move your heart in other ways--not with the big kodeuns, but sometimes with the worming pitter patters. Writer Kim Eun Jeong won my heart with the pitter patters.

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Slice of Life is pretty much my favourite genre (in dramas and films and also manga), but Shut Up Flower Boy Band definitely tops Flower Boy Next Door for me. I never got beyond ep 1 of the Ramyun one. That one just didn't work for me.

J-dramas are much better for Slice of Life, they have more doramas from that genre.

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Yeah, I think J-dramas, in general focus on the Warm and Fuzzy feelings more on Slice of life and are able to bring that out brilliantly. (Natsume Soseki's Kokoro is love for me--author, BTW. I also love his other work.)

There is a longer tradition of looking at the every day as something to be honored and thought about, often in slow pacing. (Tale of Genji isn't fast-paced either).

J-dramas tend to get weak when they get polemic (feels like propaganda). But I do think Slice of Life is one of the best things in Japanese fiction. Done oh so right. (Making me jealous to no end.) The melodramas from Japan don't annoy me as much. (except when, again, it gets preachy).

K-dramas, I really like on the wacky end... where it doesn't turn into gags. Also the commentaries on social issues tends to be handled better. Dislike them when it's Three stooges moment and the super duper makjang (where it's missing the heart aspect). And of course the whole live shoot system drives me nuts when it affects the story itself.

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one of my favourite dramas of all time is Honey and Clover, which is slice-of-life if I've ever known slice of life. And FBND, despite its cute cast and their cute wardrobes, is not a 'trendy' as we know it - its tone and feel meant that the more kdrama-ish tropey elements didn't always work for it.

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Thanks for recapping!

At least no one lost their memory in this drama...

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I liked the ending, only because I was waiting for a good conclusion and it's a feel good ending all throughout. While the whole stalker-crazy-fan thing was a bit too cliche for me, I guess they needed something to propel the story...being the characters having confessed feelings earlier than the concluding episode heehee. This does NOT make that stalker girl do all that freaky stuff okay, and all throughout I just wanted to rip her face in shreds hohoho and I couldn't help but yell "yeah that's right!! in your face stalker girl!!" at the screen on her face when Enrique was telling her off. I have to let out my feelings somewhere. O.O Of course, there could have been another arc to just tie up everything, but perhaps the easiest (and most predictable) is this, cs, yaknow, Kke-Geum's supposed to be bat-crazy famous.

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P.S. thank you JB and GF for the recaps!<3

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am i the only person who was ok with the slower parts of the drama after dok mi came out of her room( and didn't see them as slower parts of the drama)? I thought the issues that she faced were realistic and relevant. Yes, she grew to the point that she could leave her house, but when she did, she had to grow enough to stay outside, and not to return back to her house in the second something went bad. I don't agree with the analogy of her getting outside of her apartment climbing the Everest and then other issues such as the mad fans as molehills. It is like Dok mi climbed a mountain( leaving her house), came down to a valley (happy times with Enrique) and then had to face the mountain on the other side of the valley (the other issues such as the mad fans). I also appreciated the mirroring of the mad fan issue with what Dok mi faced in high school. It is (relatively) easy to decide to go outside, but it is harder to stay in the world. That being said, I really liked this drama. I didn't appreciate the fake-outs at the last couple episodes, but otherwise, really great drama.

And yes, omg, YSY looks so much better with black hair! :D

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Not the only one. :) I agree that stepping outside was just the very first part of Dok-mi's journey. And in some ways the easiest with Enrique right by her side. It's choosing to continue to stay outside, and to face challenges when they arrive that was her true climb. So yeah. I kind of loved the last 4 eps.

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Awww! PD and Donghoon got together!

I really love those two! XD

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What stood out for me about this show was it's exceptionally high EQ (emotional intelligence quotient). For example, in last night's ep., Enrique said that he isn't gonna promise to always take Dok Mi's side (which is what's romanticized in most k-dramas)-- instead, he's gonna continue being a catalyst for her growth. K-drama consciousness is evolving before our eyes! I get why many viewers were disappointed by the last fourth of the show and felt that it was spinning its wheels. I agree with a lot of the complaints but those flaws didn't bother me that much because I was so focused on the "feels". I think that more than most, this drama really spoke to those of us who are more introverted, feels-y types. Dok Mi and Enrique were both such refreshingly different lead characters. And Show gave me an OTP who grokked one another, who learned to communicate in healthy ways, who wanted each other to continue to evolve, and who were adorable to boot-- that was enough for me.

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Totally agree with you. For me the drama was extremely enjoyable because of it and amazing acting by everyone.

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Absolutely. This drama isn't perfect but I do like its tone and feel far more than the traditional melodrama/rom-com staples of kdramas - the stalker fans weren't my favourites, but I do like how all our lead characters were dealt with and how they grew and developed.

I also love that the growth happened for both of them, and Dok-mi and Enrique are actually going to go down in my list of Kdrama Couples Where I Love Both Equally (this is a short list, and the last couple to get on that list was Eun-oh and Arang from Arang and the Magistrate).

And when it comes to the acting, I really cannot find a fault. Yoon Shi-yoon and Park Shin-hye have both outdone themselves here - I didn't think it was possible to love their characters here more than I did in Me Too Flower or You're Beautiful, and, well, it IS.

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Total, total agreement. I think it's part of the reason I feel some of the complaints are missing the ball. Not so much because the complaints are invalid but they're not for the show I'm watching. If that makes sense.

It's like, yes there was a lot of "they came to talk" but for me the talking was the point, so even though it's not very dramatic and got a bit circular that's what I was there for.

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I love your name! And I think it points to how you may have approached watching the drama, considering we were dealing with how an introvert and ab extrovert figure out how to communicate and be with one another.

@BetsyHp: Totally agree. Talking WAS the point. There was so much going on with how they spoke to one another and the intricacies of language and it was all very layered and complex, I felt, because it was something that has been going on since the very first episode.

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I totally LOVED the ending...even though there was a dip in a few episodes, i really love how they all tied neatly towards the end...

i loved all of DokMi's self reflection or should i say, story lines. it makes you look at something differently...the same goes with Enrique's views.

i will surely miss our Flower boys...the PD and DH was just tooooooooo adorable till the end...k ek e ke...

I loved Enrique's new look at the end...he definitely looked more of a flower boy this time with his new hair style and black hair...

omo....the kiss was ok, enrique definitely knows how, wish DokMi could have kissed better too...but i love how her hair was blowing in the wind...it left such a warm feeling... a feeling of being in love and remembering those sweet moments....

and a cameo by ParkSeyoung, she really can play as ParkShinHye's twin....love her in faith and school2013..

all in all, i'd give this 4 stars out of 5.....

Khamsamhida!!!

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ooopppps...how can i forget...

i forgot to mention how much i Love JinRak and glad he'd found himself a dokmi2!!!

i hope i'd get to see him in a lead role with shin hye again!
he's soooooooooooo hot and such a good actor!!!

everyone's acting was superb...couldn't have asked for anyone better playing their roles!!!

thanks again, DB!!!

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Thanks for the recap.
Can't wait to watch it! (especially the kiss scene!)

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I can't agreee more. I stopped watching and only reading the recaps after episode 12. Dok-mi & Enrique kept going back and forth and so I lost interest. At one point in the story I started caring more about Dong-hoon and dark circles PD.
=)

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I'm just going to repeat what I said last episode:

This drama is like a child gone bad. It started so adorably, then it became annoyingly persistent, and when you want to spank it and set it right, it just repented and became so utterly lovable that you end up hugging it, forgiving it, and then just loving it again to pieces that you just want to start it again just to experience all those emotions in another crazy ride. In simpler words, it just drives me crazy.

Despite all of its flaws, I can never not love this drama. It just warms my heart and makes me think of sweet yet melancholic things. I cannot even categorized it. It's not great but definitely not mediocre. If I want to describe it, maybe it's like a Thai massage. you know you're going to feel pain and maybe want to stop during the middle, but you bear it nonetheless because at the end of it, you know there's bliss.

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thanks for the recap. i do love this drama and it's the only kdrama that we are anticipating to watch every week. so what to do now that it ends? other dramas don't have an appeal to us. we are tired watching dramas that are so mello, cut out for revenge, time slip...ho hum.
i will miss this drama and the khaemi couple and the rest of the characters. i love park shin hye and yoon shi yoon here. they're great actors. hope to see them together in another project.

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I liked the whole drama, even the last quarter because where other dramas would have gone with the whole 'Big misunderstanding' it prompted our characters to look at what was really bothering them. It was the kind of true to to life that we often do fly off the handle due to feeling strongly about something only to realise WAYYYYY to late that we are not angry at the person but ourselves or a situation we read into too much. Also I am a fan of Dok-mi's fashion, she was so cute. Ah too many feels to type up so I'll leave it at that.

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...slow clapping the ending. A whole lot better than I expected. All the stuff really did tie together, which is definitely nice (JR is such a great kid, please stop being so cute).

I get the same disappoint-y feeling. If the last part of the drama isn't great, I tend to remember it not being great until I remember that it is (SKKS and Answer Me 1997, to name a few).

Flower Boy Next Door...I will probably not remember it because the beginning pissed me off so much haha. But I think there is some gold to it that I'm not seeing because I'm so bias.

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Thanks, JB and GF for the recaps!! ^^

I've enjoyed the drama. I like how our main characters evolved. I like how the main couple had their roles reversed to understand each other better. It would seem one-way if Enrique always the one taking the lead. Hence, I've enjoyed it when Dok-mi decided to take the lead and Enrique happily taking a back seat. It makes me feel that this relationship is more real? And healthier?

Some find the fan issue forced. I guess if it had been a 10- or 12-episode drama, everyone would be happy. But it is not. So I stepped back and think again. In real life, some times an individual (or a couple) needs an external issue as a catalyst to confront themselves (or each other), to understand themselves (or each other) better for growth. Yes, the issue of going or staying will still occur even without the fan's meddling. That will probably happen in a few months down the road in a relationship when the couple passes the honeymoon period (or in a 50-episode drama). So I find the fan-issue justifiable for this show.

And, I like the neatly-tied ending of the drama. It puts a smile for me.

Oh, yes... Enrique made me give him a double look with his new image. One year ago's Enrique looked cute like a puppy, one year later's Enrique looks more attractive as a man to me.

So, yes. It may not be the best or a near perfect drama, but I loved Flower Boy Next Door.

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I forgot! I love how Dok-mi's "That Woman", "That Man" and "That Woman's World" passages that tie-in with the theme of each episode!

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Enrique looks positively scorching with the darker hair. I loved his old look too, he was like a cute manhwa puppy, but this.....WHOA.

Also, it looks even better when Yoon Shi-yoon is in a suit, there are pics of him and Kim Ji-hoon at a Dior event from a few days ago and he looks amazing with the dark hair and dress-up clothes.

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Hahaha... I agree. Yoon Shi-yoon in suit with black hair look stunning

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YSH and PSH were great in this drama. They brought life to the characters in a way that I don't see YSH and PSH but see Que-geum and Dok Mi instead. I'll forgive the writer for not having a better idea on the final stretch because it's a really good drama and agreed that this is waaaaayyyyy better than the others say Civil Servant.

On a side note, who among here crossed their finger that everything that happened wasn't a dream o an alternate reality ala Lovers in Paris? Before the face of the Dokmi 2.0 was revealed, I was seriously thinking.. "OMG, please don't tell me that' t'was all a dream!!!!" THANK dramagods for not letting this be like that.. LOL

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Me! I was thinking of lover in paris when that scene happens. Thanks god, it's not the case.

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OMG me too! i was super worried that this story would take that turn! thankfully it's not. yaaayyyy :D

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Aw adorable little show :) ....maybe I'm not as worn down by the angst of the last few episodes as the rest f the drama watching folks cuz I marathoned most of it in one sitting...but I loved this episode a lot so that makes up for the drag...I like that not a lot happened here but things were always so interesting and that it kept us thinking about little thing...I'm loving this whole Flower Boy thing... love these little worlds that they are creating and how distinc each is from the other...most of all I really dig the shoujo manga-esque vibes everywhere

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also how cute was that Park Se Young cameo...one of the big reasons I was looking forward to this episode ever since I found out through PSY and PSH's twitter feeds

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I had a moment of 'ooooooh, School 2013!!' for a moment there, haha.

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HURRAY for Kim Dong-ryul!!!! I love this song. I know I am VERY late to this party, but I just discovered Kim DOng-ryul this week while looking for more youtube playlists by Song Si Kyung to listen to while grading student papers. (His voice is sometimes the only thing between me and failing them all!) Anyway, how serendipitous that the show has Enrique sing this! (I am searching for cds I can get in the states. If I were going to buy just one, what would fans out there suggest?)

I, too, like others was frustrated at some of the back and forth in this show, but I actually LIKED these last two episodes because I do get so sick of misunderstandings in dramas going on for so long. I never thought of any of this as a fake-out because Enrique's character (and I probably found him more annoying than many--even if adorable; I'm MUCH more a Jin-rak type of woman) would never NOT confront something. How many times have you guys thought while watching a drama, "If someone would just speak up and not make assumptions, how much happier we'd all be!" Well, I think that this drama has a character who just does that--perhaps more like a big puppy, but still does that. I had no doubt that he would directly take Dok-Mi to task for any noble idiocy thing she would try to pull. I half expected him to say at least once, "Do you think you're in a drama?"

Oh yeah, and can I say how HAPPY I am that Jin-Rak DID NOT get stuck with Do Hwi. I literally am doing a happy dance. Now that, my friends, would have just been wrong!

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"Oh yeah, and can I say how HAPPY I am that Jin-Rak DID NOT get stuck with Do Hwi. I literally am doing a happy dance. Now that, my friends, would have just been wrong!"

Well said, let me rejoice!!

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you, me, trotwood and alua can all have a party for that. But thank goodness!

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