Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Happy OT everyone... And have a blissful Ramadhan.
I finally managed to finish Bu Bu Jing Xin. What a tragic ending. Since it's historical drama where the people is indeed already dead in the past, I am ok with it. And I read in koalasplayground there's a sequel with many of previous actors act again... So I will try to find it later.
Cyrano Dating Agency 13 - 14: is it me or did something about Hyeri changed? She looks different, as if played by other actrees.
Finally CDA gets real conflict between the 3 main leads, I'm with it. But the kidnapping things in the preview ep 15 is a bit meh. It is supposed to be a light and funny drama, don't put anyone into such danger.
The return of the chef... Haha. At least there's someone who know about the whole "set up" things. It's going to be boring if all of their mission ran smooth and perfectly.
Master, my heart is still available for you. :))
Did anyone notice that both Min Young and Master wore same kind of t-shirt? The white one with blue stripped, MY wore it in ep 13 and Master in earlier episodes... But I forget which one exactly. Actually I notice too many people in dramaland wore it. Joo won even wore it twice: in 1N2D (Romantic Backpacking) and Good Doctor's reading section. :))
Some old episodes of Running Man and Family Outing... How I miss Song Joong Ki's laugh.
Shark: too gloomy for my taste but I love it, especially the potensial love's development between Yihyun and Soohyun. :D
Following Blade and Flower through DB's recaps and love it. Beautiful lady with martial art (or any skill) and doesn't acting neither bitchy or too weak always gets my highest respect. My number 1 favourite character.
Excited for Who are You and get mad at Heirs. It keeps adding my favourite actors to their list while I'm not interested to their promise story. Eottohke?
Start watching My Boss My Hero: one one for this show; crazy! Lol.
Avoiding any spoiler of Monstar, Cruel City and IHYV since I plan to watch them once the DVDs come out. :D
I don't think the actress playing Hyeri changed but her aura certainly did...suddenly, she had a bit of menacing and bitter air around her. That was a good plot point since it made the show even more interesting considering how she seemed so harmless before.
How is Bu Bu Jing Xi? And what is it about? I think I had it recommended for me a while ago but I never got around to look into it (and then dramacrazy died on me).
Bu Bu Jing Xin is a Chinese time traveling Guzhang (sageuk) set in the years leading to and after Qianlong's reign - lots of political plotting an romance - nearly unstoppable once you start! I actually went to read the web-novel after finishing the movie to wean myself off this..recommend!
It's 35 eps, plus specials/ v-show appearances, and there are PDFs of the novel floating around on the net
I usually go to Maplestage for dramas, they're really quick with Chinese subs so all Chinese-reading DBers, here's a pretty reliable source!
I was gonna answer another post before I realized it was you and ask if you'd seen the TWdrama Inborn Pair with Chris Wang and Annie Chen, but it's quite a ride (84 eps!)
I'm going to look them up. I am in need for more Mandarin speaking dramas to try and get a feel for the language before going there. The drama looks sounds really interesting as well.
Hm.. I'm not sure I have seen Inborn Pair. What is it about?
Another site to check for this one is gooddrama.net. I watched it there. It's addictive though, so be ready to spend some time. And be prepared for a tragic ending. :(
Inborn Pair is a modern drama about a couple who have an arranged marriage and get to know each other and grow to love each other - I watched this for the cute and sweet moments, it's long so the pace is slow but less makjangy than kdrama weekenders I guess? Although the initial setup was meh it was fun watching the main couple grow. Plus Chris Wang is cute.
i think gong yoo wore that t shirt too in big :). i wondered about it too - why so many male leads were wearing that t shirt. does anyone know what brand it is?
It’s still way too hot here at my shoreline home, and we New Englanders are cranky. May the weather break soon!
Yes, I am still living happily for most of the week in Baksa Land…can I just hide in a closet at the Bak Cave and wait for him to come home to a happy ending? No, you say? There is no happy ending in noir? Dammit. Man, I love this show. LOVE. IT. Still barely have room in my heart for anything else, but once again, Su Ha and Seol Chan and all of their friends in both dramas do manage to give me some respite from the darkness of Cruel City. You can add to that those KIDS in Queen’s Classroom. They’re amazing! And for sheer visual WTF-ery…Blade and Petal. Sometimes I think the story TELLING gets in the way of the STORY…yes, I know the storytelling is part of the story this time and yes it’s amazing but hey, let’s face it – if I can’t get past marveling over what I’m seeing to invest myself in it emotionally as a story about people …doesn’t that defeat the purpose? Well, what I expect the purpose to be, anyway? But whatever. We are certainly being shown something remarkable, and probably on levels and to a degree that we can’t begin to understand at this moment..but yes, it’s probably true. Ten years from now we’ll look back at this drama and see it as a watershed moment. Or critics will, I mean, and we’ll go – oh yeah, that was that weird one I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not, and we’ll rewatch it and realize how much of its style has passed into common use, and be amazed, and tell everyone yes, we knew it was a big deal even back then, and pat ourselves on the back for being ahead of the crowd. No? Just me? Ok, I’m alright with that, too.
I’m hearing rumors of decent TW-dramas starting lately. Have to look into that. Love me some fluffy TW-drama. And I’m seeing screen shots of Oguri Shun hugging a little girl and it’s some j-dorama called Woman? Hello, what is this? Where can I find it? Oh – I watched a bit of the first episode of Starman last night. So far, interesting. A bit loud in that certain way j-doramas can have, but interesting. Kin-chan is in it as a secondary character and I’m interested in seeing more of him, now that Tokyo Kissu is winding down. (And still probably the best version of the story out there.)
Unbelievably sad about the passing of dramacrazy.net. The loss is massive. Massive. I was overjoyed to begin hearing about the return with a slightly different name but sadly, those sites (watchdrama.ch, dramacrazy.eu) appear to be a bad thing – viruses, spyware, malware, etc. Believe me, every night I think – do I risk it, since I have virus protection? That’s the site that has ‘X’ that I really wanted to see, and nowhere else. So far, I’m holding out. It just makes the sadness over DC-net going away last longer. *shakes fist at sky*
Music – I’m all about the OSTS these days, although I’m looking forward to a comeback from KJH – yay! It’s a lot easier to love his singing in public than it is to love his acting in public, right? But seriously, I’m listening to both Wound and Butterfly on a constant loop from Cruel City, and My Heart Flutters by Ra D from Cyrano – which – I should say here: OMG, Master. Swoon. – also, I can’t seem to find a decent copy of Sun Woo singing I Choose to Love You (Neol Saranghagesseo, something like that) but I now have copies of that song sung by Zoo (original), Hyorin (soundtrack to QIHM) and YuriSangja (for the fun of it, I guess?) on a playlist in YT and yes, I do listen to them one after the other. Beautiful song. But I want a SUNWOO COPY.
Basically it's about a woman that marries and the husband dies... so she's stuck with two daughters as a single mother. This puts me on edge because it's defining women on their reproduction rather than, you know, as general human beings with a variety of skills.
You should try good drama and epdrama... Stay away from dramafever. I'm not supporting their business practices. (Bad translations, lazy translations, stolen translations, trying to shut down blogs, threatening websites that aren't even in their jurisdiction, feeling threatened by Viki, etc).
Dramacrazy used crowd sourcing, which was why it was faster. At the same time, sometimes crowds aren't that bright. So often episodes would be uploaded from D-addicts where people would change the credits on the drama so it said it was them that subtitled it... *cough* Which made the subbers at D-addicts really teed off. (Also dramacrazy uploaded episodes that the subbers at d-addicts didn't want uploaded--mainly because they don't want to be sued.)
I'll add that DF has slowed down considerably in the last month and I wonder if it is because they may not be getting subs from the site you mentioned. I don't care for their practices either, but the bottom line is that they are also not getting shows up fast enough even while being paid.
If there was a way to support Viki, I would do it. they have had subs up within 12 hours for a few of the shows that I follow. I sent a note to each team to say a big thank you!
Oh no, I would never dare to badmouth the subbers. I just don't know how these websites work. For little simple old me, dramacrazy would just be the first place to see subbed videos.
DC was good on subbing the super popular shows, but it downright sucked on the less popular ones. I stopped using it long before it went down, mainly because of the bad subs and huge gaps in the subs on less popular shows and movies. Plus the fact that DF, Gooddrama and Viki have 98% of what they had.
viki has come a long way...and they are quick...i was searching last night for other drama sites other than epdrama - there's gooddrama.net and yodrama - you might have to google that...
I discovered gooddrama after dramacrazy shut down, but I got upset when I realized they were stealing from viki. Viki had a problem subbing the last episode of Monstar. The website said 100% subbed, but the last section was not subbed because it had not been segmented. I stopped watching to give them some time to fix it, and since I was bored I checked out gooddrama. They had Monstar up already! So I checked out the last part and realized they stopped subbing at exactly the same spot where viki had a problem. But since Viki said 100% they just linked it without checking.
I still like gooddrama for dramas not legally subbed anywhere else. I go to Viki first and then move down the line to gooddrama.
We are about 180 degrees apart on the J-drama "Woman". I don't see anything in there that has anything to do with "defining them on their reproduction". In fact I see the exact opposite. I never got the feeling that she felt "stuck" with her two kids either.
BTW, what evidence do you have that DF has stolen translations? It was Dramacrazy that was accused of that, numerous times - in fact much of what they stole was directly from Drama Fever.
Woman is good. You don't see much Oguri Shun though, he's the dead husband, so only flashbacks. It's mostly about the single mom trying to survive with her two kids by herself. Could go dark, definitely emotionally intense. Try good d.... (don't want to type it out).
If you want a fluffy TW I'd suggest Just You over Love Around (latter is... boring). Wish I could find Patisserie et Amour (Patisserie with No Name) as it sounds interesting, but I don't think it's being subbed anywhere.
Another one to check out is "21st Century Family". Up to ep8 or 9 now, and a lot better than what I expected. A bit goofy/silly at times, but that seems to go with all TW dramas - but the show is a lot more realistic on dealing with present day RL problems in an extended family. I am also watching "Just You" and "Love Around", but on both the extreme overly dramatic reactions can be a bit much.
Although my watching of Monstar has hit pause I have to join in about the music. I want the ost for that drama very very much!
dramacrazy's passing was a sad day indeed. that place shall be sorely missed. I'm guessing downloading will have to be my new way of getting hold of some drama's. Or at least make me able to keep them!
OMG, I thought I was the only one replaying Something Flutters over and over again. Love that OST. :D
Y'know, I discovered on my iTunes program that there's actually a radio on it (lol, I'm so technologically slow) and there a section of it for international songs. Well, when international is mentioned, I'm bound to look for Korea and I find a few stations. One of them was playing a whole bunch of drama OSTs. It was cool.
There were a bunch so I forgot which one it was and it has been some days since I last went to my iTunes. I suggest you look under World/International and find all the stations that say Korean or Kpop in its description. Hope that helped. :)
If you have a ROKU streaming device for your TV, there are at least a dozen international radio channels. At least 3 of them have 24/7 streaming from several Asian stations.
For computer and TV/entertainment system I mostly use Spotify - they have far more international songs than Pandora or iTunes has, and I can afford the $9 a month for premium.
hi joAnne, i was devastated when dc died! and continue to worry that this is the beginning of the end of my drama watching or at least simulcasting as there arent that many options here in my world :( so sad.
i have gone yong junhyung crazy and am now eagerly waiting for beast's comeback. watching all sorts dvds on beast. am hoping that they come to malaysia again coz in june, when i went to their concert (free ticket) i was not yet crazy about them. made my cousin, who works for a company in event management, swear that i get free tickets to kpop concerts if they are organising.
i am loving monstar and IHYV still. am impressed with LJS in this drama. and there is real chemistry and ease between him and LBY.
i must check if i can find sun woo's version of that song coz i really cant believe its not out there in cyberspace somewhere. - as an MV?
hope weather improves over there for you. have a good weekend :)
Enz, Katmoo - I DO know his name but at that moment I just couldn't THINK of it. Too many details that were none K-Drama related floating around in my brain! I knew she'd know who I meant though...sometimes, English is my second language and my first is just awkward stumbling.
Maybe I'll go back to watching Queen's Classroom. I generally can't watch remakes. The Japanese version was so good and so incredibly cold and distant; I really would like to see a more Korean (read: emotional) version of the story but ...yet... I just don't seem able to bring myself to look at it. Might force myself to, though, since you're praising it.
Vault of Doom had an excellent post about the original Japanese version and what it was meant to do, comparing to the Korean version. The article addresses some education philosophy/style differences both within and between the two countries and covers some very interesting ground. Could be worth a shot for you, Carole.
I think I actually like the Korean version a little better than the Japanese one. I heard there is also a Chinese/Taiwan ?? version, but have not seen it. The teacher in the Korean version seems a bit less isolated and vulnerable even though she never shows that to her students.
I knew I love you for a reason :) I'm kinda sad too that Kiss in Tokyo is winding down, and I absolutely love this version of Playfull Kiss.
And Master...oh, my dear master. His ever changing facial expression, from soft to immediately hardened. He's suchhhh a great actorrrrr!
OST-- Have you seen the Light Sleep-Sul Chan's version from Monstar? Are the translations there correct? They just look weird to me...and it's from DF, so I have my doubts..
I haven't actually heard of Viki or epdrama, but I did discover gooddrama and love it overall. They put an adblock blocker on now since dramacrazy went down, but eh not a huge deal.
I can also watch my anime easily on there too, so I get 2 for 1.
Wait, wait, wait, wait....clearly I have been out of the loop since I've recently discovered the joys of viki (they had something I wanted to see, forget what now).
WHAT DO YOU MEAN DRAMACRAZY.NET IS GONE?! *breaks down in uncontrollable sobbing* My unni! How'm I ever gonna re-watch Sailor Moon? All those random movies I want to see. THE J-DRAMA LISTS!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
*wipes tears, drinks tea* Okay, I'm decent-ish. But seriously, dramacrazy.net is no more? What the heck! Gosh darnit, I'm going to have to start following sites on Twitter & FB and such (I try to follow people and not things). Sigh. I know this is old news already. I'm gonna go have my pity part elsewhere. Probably while crying over Kim Boong Du. My life...
Honey bunny, that was all we talked about for TWO DAYS...and it comes up regularly since then. Read the tweets that happen when you're away! I cry for my J-dorama list too...every time someone mentioned something that sounded interesting, I'd go there, find it, add it to the list. *sob*
Hey every one just wanna wish you a gd friday kove you all beanies across the globe
Abt drama im watching I can hear yiur voice *my top * shark , cyrano, soon shin andddd I love them all ! Hahah too short garra go !
Still bitter about Real Man not being subbed. :/ I mean, how can you not love this?
youtube(.)com/watch?v=2a6j_52ZgTs&list=UUiBr0bK06imaMbLc8sAEz0A
I’ve got no idea whatsoever, why they had to learn these dance moves after joining a division of pioneers, but they did and it was HILARIOUS. As a foreigner it would be such a great opportunity to learn something about an important part of today’s Korean society, esp. as they share a room with regular soldiers, or witness the Korean/Australian culture clash, but it is neglected by the subbers. BTW they are going to shoot at Yoo Seung Ho’s unit soon, which may up the current ratings of 17+ percent even more.
Empire of Gold – I’m hooked. It will not be everyone’s cup of tea (it starts quite violently and got this dreaded business/economical theme), but the first episodes began very intense and it could become something really good. Every little detail is important and that’s what I like about a show. (There is some great acting too, but still, Jung Kyung-ho outcasts them all. Baksa, fighting!)
Scandal … - Not exactly hooked, but interested. Other than with Empire I ff-ed some parts, because this show really milked the little kid’s fate and death, which I never like. But I’ll check out the future eps to see more of the adults’ conflicts. (At least two minor actors have parts in Empire and Scandal, which turns out to be confusing, if you watch them simultaneously.)
Next marathon will be Shark.
Some oldies:
Alone in Love *SPOILER*– I like both leads, read some very good reviews and was willing to check it out. After ending it, I’m a little torn. It is not the right series for a marathon, it will depress you too much, because the topic (a divorced couple after the dead of their first child) is sad and heavy, and the pacing is very slow. I liked, that the story took its time to show the rapprochement of the lovers, but the last episode left me disappointed. We invest so much time (16 episodes) and don’t get to see the actual reunion?! Instead we get endless minutes of pseudo-philosophical voice-over, a hint of a huge medical problem for the second couple, and another cutsey kid ending. Koreans got a serious problem writing a satisfying ending. :/
Dal Ja’s Spring –the ride was cute and funny. For once a heroine I’m not ashamed of. If I were 20 years younger I’d crush hard on the spare tire. But, alas, again a very weak last episode.
Hope this curse won’t hit Cruel City, which is still amazing when Baksa and his quadrangle are on the screen. Nine’s position at the top of my list is in danger now. I’m surprised how little Nam Gyu-ri annoys me, because I almost didn’t watch the show due to her. One has simply to admire her ability to jog in those heels with her skinny, skinny legs.
Finally, I watched Jdrama Pride, which I enjoyed over all. Guess, I’ll have to look for some more stuff with Kimura Takuya. ;)
It's a Slice of Life drama. It's really, really slow. However, the thing about dramas from much of Asia or at least outside of the Western world in general, is that they aren't ending focused. They let you extrapolate the ending.
When you feed your kid sugar cakes after the meal that kid will want dessert first and focus on dessert. I find that much of Western media has become this way--we want dessert more than the full meal.
But there is value in looking at the journey too and deemphasizing the ending.
So if you watch it again and don't expect dessert (I mean the last episode), the meaning and the true ending come out.
This was also part of the issue in Big too. Everyone wanted dessert, but the truth is there is no dessert at the end of maturity, because we ever are trying to become more mature. It doesn't have a face or an end.
I had no problem with the pacing nor do I have a problem with an end open to interpretation, but I admit, that if I use a visual medium like TV I and the romantic in me would like to SEE the resut of my journey. ;)
hm, debating whether to start Empire of Gold... how is Go Soo doing so far? i'm wary of Lee Yo-won, she's been dull in most of the stuff i've seen her in and i don't know if i can last 32 eps (that's the number, right) seeing her face (Nam Gyuri is bad enough in Heartless City).
Go Soo is strong. He's not Baksa, who is?, but he delivers. As I said, it could become something really good. You might want to wait a while and watch a larger number of eps to decide, but the first four were enough for me. I'm in.
I'm not a fan of Lee Yo-won either (her eyes are too bland), but so far she is alright for this part.
I read it's 24 eps, that isn't too bad if you don't have to marathon them. In weekly doses it should be survivable. I think Scandal is 32 eps.
24 seems do-able, so i think i'll consider it seriously (waiting for more eps is a good idea, thanks!). loved Go Soo in Will It Snow For Christmas? and just can't resist the eyes, they're so wonderfully expressive.
Shi-hyun rocks my world now, hoping the drama keeps up the intensity to the end (though it does need to get a move on plot-wise).
The intensity is what makes this show. CC's plot got giant holes and they are a few steps shy from makjang, if one more undercover agents appears, but the atmosphere and poignancy as well as Baksa's acting and his quadrangle rises the show above so many others.
Go Soo is so handsome and manly, one should simply watch everything he appears in.
writer should never have made Shi-hyun go undercover, or Soo-min (should have just written her out completely and nothing would have been lost). the acting is still top-notch (bar Nam Gyuri) and Jung Kyung-ho continues to carry the show on his slender shoulders (though Choi Mu-seong is helping tons too).
i just love the scene at Scale's house, where Shi-hyun has gathered his rag-tag team and then sits at Scale's throne issuing orders, like a boss. and Scale actually moves a place down for Soo, who is rightfully Shi-hyun second-in-command. it was awesome.
Newbie, I'm so glad you talked about Oh Dal Ja's spring! I marathoned it last month and liked the heroine a lot, as well (though after seeing the poster I had doubts about watching it since I thought she was going to be another loud ajumma with horrible hair style). And loved Lee MinGi (still drooling).
But yeah, the last episode... my main issue is that I hate when main characters leave for months/years, and then reunite and nothing changed. I think it would be better if they went on living together, taking the relationship to the next step (whatever that step is, I don't mean marriage or kids) naturally, without drama, supporting each other's dreams without stupid sacrifices. OR they could both go to the US, he didn't have any ties since he was going to change jobs, but of course, that solution never seems to be considered, sigh...
I found that the Love 911 movie explains the firefighter/Nurse plot of Cyrano.
I'm making a hanbok for a friend with a deadline of the end of this month. (Separate from the one I'm making for another friend.)
Sad about the I Hear Your Voice extension.
I couldn't find a new movie to watch. =P I've tried all the ones I liked.
Finding that writing a script is harder than I thought. >.<;; Pacing, pacing, pacing. It's really difficult figuring the amount of events and scenes needed. (Plus you have to absolutely outline, which is against my usual nature).
Editing several other projects at once. I know... I have 5 projects to edit, three to write, and 2 waiting to be written. And one that I can't find the correct people to check it so I can publish it. I'm slow at editing and it's really hard to find betas that get the cultural differences I'm trying to write in without them saying it's "wrong".
And finding an excuse to e-mail Carole... but I have none.
Korean Cultural Note: When in a crowd in South Korea, don't weave through. The locals don't. You'll look like a rude foreigner when you do. Be patient and walk with everyone at the same pace. I was told this by the person I was staying with in South Korea as two foreigners right after she said it weaved in and out through people.
Dramas
I'm burning for new dramas that have the flavor of crack on caffeine.
Just You was sugary sweet. Predictable, but still I like it. (TW drama)
Master's Sun Preview was awesome. Just as I predicted. Hong Sisters try their hand at scaring you.
Oh you have a hanbok pattern/knowledge of how to make one? I have been wanting to make one or at least a modern hanbok inspired dress for a long time, just not had any luck in tracking up books or anything about how to actually make one.
I am intrigued by your script writing though; have seen you mention it before and about having Kwang-Soo as a male lead. Can I ask what the plot is about?
And I agree with you Master's Sun does look awesome, I just hope the show turns out that way as well. Would love to see their take on a bit of the darker, scarier humor as well.
You can get the pattern for a hanbok on folkwear. The tricky part of the Chegori (the top) It's a great site overall. The patterns are a little expensive, but I think that's to be expected since they spend a lot of time into patterning and research.
With Master's Sun, I'm betting my predictions will become true: The theming will be over Life and Death, which is something they've been holding onto for a while. I'd also love to see them do more black humor--which they tried a little of in Hong Gil Dong (though I don't think anyone on Dramabeans got the joke...) They will also probably try their hand at some of the things they were trying for in Big, but bring back the faster ride. I expect a Haunted House with a House of mirrors. They do amusement park rides. =P It's the best way to describe their work. And they will once again sacrifice everything to the theme... and if I'm right they'll sacrifice it to Life and Death. And that'll make some people very unhappy... (But they've been doing it for a while now.)
Lee Kwang Soo is the Male lead. Wang Ji Hye (same age), is the female lead.
Kim Yeon Hee, a rich chaebol and drama addict, is sick of being rejected in love, so after her 50th rejection, she decides to become second lead and with the help of Lee Cheol Soo break up her love interest from Lee Cheol Soo’s love interest. However, Lee Cheol Soo through their various schemes falls in love with her… throwing her grand plot out of whack. Second leads aren’t supposed to fall in love with Second Leads!
Both main leads are supposed to be major dorks. Yeon Hee tries too hard at everything. And Cheol Soo is far too lax and spineless. It's a parody of the usual second leads. (The names are also a parody as well.) (There are also several reversals and twists to the usual set up).
I completed the first episode. Yeon Hee has 49 1/2 rejections at the beginning. But after the 1/2 rejection fully rejects her, that's what send her over the edge. I've been brewing this plot for years.
Click my name and you should get the blog with the script posted.
Thank you! Do they have a webpage I can google my way to? Expect patterns to be a bit costly, but as you say with the time they put into making it it is expected. Not to mention that once you have it you can do so much with it yourself.
Haha, if Masters Sun turns out to be a well constructed Haunted house ride I can be on board with that! With the Hong sisters drama's I really feel the need to learn Korean as I suspect a lot of the humor and subtlety gets lost in translation.
Your script sounds really interesting! Love the idea of having the "second leads" be the main couple, such a nice twist on the normal happenings of a drama.
Google folkwear.... and it'll come up. Folkwear doesn't bend their patterns to the modernized versions. I'm always amazed at the amount of research they put in. They also use good patterning paper, which drives up the cost, but helps with the durability of the pattern. (Modern Hanbok are sewn up the back on the skirt, though.)
I so need a crack drama, and I'm hoping Master's Sun will pull us out of what's been a Meh year all around. (Not counting the tail ends of 2012)
I'm working on the second episode... ^^;; But I kinda needed more plot, so I've been asking around about hotel issues. (Some are amazing... O.o)
The competition are acted by Daniel Henney and Han Ye Seul in my script. I needed people who spoke fluent English since they work in a hotel. (Also to make fun of the bad English in Korean dramas). I'm going to put lots of meta references in, though if you don't know them, it won't slow you down.
Yeah once you have a pattern you can always change it around yourself and experiment (the silk paper used to wrap flowers is brilliant to make experimental patterns since you can draw through them, though tear easily). I'm interested in making both, and having a proper pattern for the original is a nice place to start.
I know what you mean, it's been a very bleak dramaland this year. Atm I have my crack drama in Mia Taeng, but hoping that Master's Sun will be able to replace it.
Hotel issues are so all over the place. Discovering anything that goes on behind the scenes in any business is always interesting and crazy sounding.
Yeah I've started reading the first episode :) I think making fun of a lot of the "normal" conventions is a nice way to go. Just amp the humor with meta referancs, especially those that make it funny even if you don't know the references and then add another layer to the humor if you do.
Oh and you can google "sy fabrics" go to the "brocade" section and there are some really nice and cheap fabrics (cheaper than fabric dot com) that look authentic. (Jaquard that looks nice and is cheap is hard to find).
If you want a bit more true to the whole thing, you can also try sonjjang -->fabric section. But it might be more expensive because of shipping overall. (Ships from Korea). Upside, you can find patches, etc there too to accessorize.
You just saved my life! I have been trying to find a pattern and good fabric for ages! I am making my sister and I hanboks. I was just about ready to wing it with cheap fabric to make sure my pattern worked out. So excited!
Oh that's awesome. I'll have a look around to see what I can find. Do you know if there are any sorta "rules" about colours and combinations of them and stuff like that?
@Manin I don't think it's as strict as it is in Kimono wear (If you want a guide to kimono, buy Lisa Dalby's Kimono)
I do know that traditionally there was more of an emphasis on rank through hanbok.
(Warning may run geeky and have excess info.)
So for example, Geumbok (gold leafing) was only for the rich Nobles (Yangban). And then the Phoenix was only for the princesses/Queen. (More the Queen/consorts/betrothed). If you dared wear anything with a Geumbok and had a phoenix, that could be considered treason, which means you could be killed.
Silver Leafing was similar.
Rich also wore brighter colors overall.... particularly red, which was reserved for more the rich. (red was expensive to produce for a while). And of course, as dramas say, Chinese silks.
Upper class also wore more flounces in general as well. Kinda imposing, since the Buddhist symbol for heaven is an equilateral triangle with one point facing up... so that must have been really imposing to see literally the shape of heaven in front of you.
Other than that, I think it's partially uniform (You know, like in the palace there were strict uniforms) and basic color sense. Lime green does not generally go well with bright orange. (Elew) Dark orange, maybe...
Oh and colors in the Joseon period were brighter than how Seoul is now. (which is a sea of black and white. Elew.) so saturated colors were treasured, especially among the rich.
How yangban do you want to appear? Slave class used cotton. Lower class also used thicker cottons. Middle Class (which is most of your regional governors) used satins, if they were lucky. Yangban used silks when they could get it and brocades. And the royalty used strictly silk and silk brocade.
Hanbok also vary by season too... (Airier fabric is more summer wear... and more likely to be affordable by the upperclass. Called Guksa, etc.)
You can find out more out of Sunny Yang's Hanbok book... though it's not as good as the documentary about Hanbok and does not serve as an equivalent for Lisa Dalby's Hanbok book.
There are other little more complex rules such as figuring out which petticoat to wear underneath for which style of dress, but I haven't figured those out yet.
@Katmoo If you don't want to make it yourself, there is the hanbok Boutique on ebay. I've used them several times and they sell used hanbok for fairly cheap. It ranges from 24-300 dollars from all different (recent) styles. It also is a good reference on color. Muted colors usually means someone older in the traditional lore. (It reversed after the Japanese occupation so muted colors are for the young... and bright colors are for older people) They also sell dangui...
I love sewing, so making the hanbok myself is no problem. In fact I have recently started hand embroidering the ribbon that hangs down from the waist for my sister (who's 16). The only thing I was worried about was trying to make the pattern by myself and finding decent fabric.
Yeah I have noticed in dramas how the gold/silver and brighter colours generally being higher classes, while the lower have more earth like, darker colours.
I'm not sure what to pick. Cotton tends to be an easier fabric to find (and sometimes cheaper), though I suppose it wouldn't be for everyday wear in my case :p Also I like darker colours and definitively not lime green (I can like if for details, not a whole outfit) and orange together! :p
Korean Cultural Note: Don't know about walking at everyone else's pace, but I had the experience of being shoved aside a couple of times by people (always guys) when they needed to pass. n I wasn't exactly walking slowly.
Oh, bumping into each other usually isn't considered that bad.
And you won't get an apology for it either. Though, if you want one you can take acting lessons on how to fall to the ground.
It used to be much more strict on sidewalks that you walk to the left and get passed on the right... but now that's restricted to stairs.
=P Since I've learned that I keep mixing it up without thinking. Especially near subways and especially after thinking in Korean mode. (It's pathetic in a way.)
I also sleepily tap my card to try to get out like they do in the Korean subways. --;;
Trust me. I wouldn't say it's "wrong." The most annoying thing I do when critting folks is to write in capitals: NO!
Am a pretty tough critiquer but I'm not particularly mean. My writer friends fear sending me their WIPs but they feel somehow that they've missed something if they don't send a draft to me. I'm pretty good at seeing where the writer wants to go --thematically-- in a story.
I'm a harsh critiquer too... Mostly I'm referring to the fact that the majority of my critiquers are not of color nor diverse... nor have pulled themselves outside of their own culture... so when I put in culture things in, they auto-think it's wrong. Which is frustrating.
More specifically, I found out that the majority of people don't know what naan is. O.o; I was like WHA---!!! You're missing out on so much! (Don't you know how good Indian food is???) Also, I took for granted that people could name the majority of the Hindu gods since I got it in crappy public school... and I found out that's not universal. I also found out that "World History" usually concentrates on "European History" for the majority of people in the US. (I just want to cry out at the injustice since I thought it was more like what I had--you know Africa, Asia, South America, Central America.... What happened to the Hittites? Hmm? And Al Alandus? <--You know the Muslim influence that pulled Europe out of thinking that humors cured things.)
Yeah... religion and religious culture too.
I like writing diversity, but find myself trying to negotiate between cultures and people straight out saying an action that's culturally appropriate (and historically) is "wrong". (Such as putting the indirect speech in Japanese into a story's dialogue... *sighs* And I'm doing direct translation too...) It's frustrating. I know it's under contention too for those who aren't in the mainstream culture...
I usually write Spec fiction... but I venture occasionally in other fields too.
In my experience, all kinds of critters are good. There are some critiquers who know absolutely zip and they are frustrating but they make you learn to write in such a way that you can keep them up to speed on what's actually happening in the story. So ignorant critiquers are a good thing.
Also rigid types are good as well. They can be annoying but they help you realize where you're writing something quirky.
Specfic definitely requires an ability to make an unknown (created) culture known to the reader. If you learn how to write specfic, you can write about any known culture so subtly that the reader ends up learning and understanding stuff they didn't know before.
True about the study of World History in the US. Generally, we learn European History. I know the Hittites but that's because I study the Bible and I picked up all kinds of historical books along the way about Ur of the Chaldees, the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, etc.
It always amazes me that most Americans don't know about Pre-Colombian history. One of my favorite kings was King Jaguar. If US history classes included History before columbus --and if all US students were made to study it, we would definitely honor the Native Americans more. Of course there'd be some folks against changing the curriculum...but eh...
Well, I'm here if you want a critique. I do believe, though, that there are ways of subtly telling one's readers something they don't know without letting them know you've taught them. It';s part of worldbuilding...even though the world (in this case the world of India) does really exist.
When in a crowd in South Korea, don’t weave through.
Should I ever be lucky enough to make it to Korea, this is going to get me the eye every time. As a NYer, weaving through crowds is my breath and bone.
oh, i once saw a really great African-themed hanbok. Some fashion designer had done it. It was soooooooo lovely. Blue if i recall. I immediately wanted it. No, i immediately wanted some hottie k-drama actor to give it to me.
I don't know if still true or not, but at one time you had to be at least 24 to apply for the Seoul Metro force, so they probably would have done their military already by then. Probably some much more recent info on it out there, but I don't read Korean.
I'm excited for Javabeans' next podcast; there were great questions asked that I didn't bother asking any because it would've just been redundant. Now I just can't wait for the answers.
In dramaland:
1. I Hear Your Voice: I still have to watch this entire week's episodes so please code your comments with "Warning Spoilers!" Much appreciated.
2. Dating Cyrano Agency: still enjoying this light breezy show. Last episode had quite some interesting twists that I liked although the last twist was a bit over the top but I'll take what I can get. As long as it helps my favorite OTP get together. =P
3. Scandal-A Shocking and Wrongful Incident: despite the title being over the top, the show is actually quite watchable. Ignoring some flaws (SPOILER: seriously, how can you take a child from its mother and have him go along with it for more than a day is beyond me), i rather liked it. I still have to finish watching episode 4 but almost the first half had me in tears at the plight of the mother who lost her son, the kidnapper who lost his son and the kidnapped child. Since Show managed to get me in the heart, I'm fully onboard watching this. I would even venture to recommend trying it.
I also forgot to add: Can someone please share, if any, links to the show Grandpa Over Flowers??? After JB's and GF's recap of the first episode, I've been dying to watch it with full subs but can't find it anywhere. If there aren't subs, then is there any rumor of perhaps somebody or group that will take on the task of subbing? I'm seriously going nuts trying to find this show. -_-
Hey Carole! Good to see you again. How have you been? How's writing going?
Don't worry about the spoilers; I kinda glossed over your post and knew it had spoilers so I stopped reading. I'll finish reading now though. :)
I haven't watched shows with kidnapped children either but since this drama had Kim Jae Won and Park Sang-min, I had to check it out. Luckily, it's also 36 episodes and not like 50 episodes like usual weekend dramas. I can see why people might not like it since it's close to being makjangy but I guess I can handle it.
So good to see you. Now I just have to see Delicatecloud and all is right with the world.
The writing is going well. Although currently I'm kinda not really writing. Just doing a lot of writing-related stuff. Am critiquing a friend's YA novel, doing a virtual blog tour of The Constant Tower and trying not to nag the publishers to get the kindle/itunes/nook versions out ASAP.
The little writing I'm doing is an ebook n the Book of Job. The YA is presently confusing me. I want it to be graphic novel but I also want it to be past tense first person. Right now it's present tense first person and I'm really wondering if I should really go to the effort of changing the tense in soooo many pages.
Dramas with suffering children..i'm horrible at watching. It just keeps me up nights. Soooooooooo good seeing you again.
I can't remember what I watch this week, need to get my brain together after a busy week (and more busy days to come).
I hate the fact that I can never really participate in the I Hear Your Voice discussion, because the recap post isn't up by the time I go to bed (and I go to bed at ungodly hours, like 2 am) and when I get up (around 7), there's usually 150 comments already. Wahhhhh!
Okay, there's worse things in life, but sometimes I feel like I'm missing out.
Loving IHYV to bits (need to watch most recent ep still).
Monstar: still loving it.
Woman (J): need to watch ep 2, but looking forward to it.
Itazura: not expecting too much of tonight's episode, the whole Naoki-sacrifices-himself-and-gets-an-omiai arc just isn't my thing. Plus, I think he's being a bit cruel (Kotoko deserved a one-on-one conversation), while Kinchan is such a good alternative that I would cheer for him if I didn't know that Kotoko has friendzoned him forever.
Gerikyuu (something like that, can't be bothered to check the spelling just now): need to watch ep 2
Starman: haven't watch this yet, but it's on my list for sure, for the lead actress, plus I just saw that Kinchan has a supporting role in it too!
Summer Nude: Anyone tried this yet? Somehow I think even if I do, I'd end up dropping it.
Love Around: I think I'm ready to drop this. It's just... boring.
Just You: still okay, when I need something light. I like the leads, the female lead's parents – they are just so heartwarming. All the office stuff is a bit boring though.
I also have a problem with getting to IHYV recap on time: I watch the episodes rather late (by end of week) and there are like a ton of comments already, hehe. So I just watch at my own pace, read the recap, and then go through all the comments.
Sometimes the recap is out before I can even get subs... But with some dramas it's more notable than others, IHYV being one.
Not anyone's fault of course, and I'm not complaining, it's just that feels like having arrived at the party when the cake has been all eaten already......
Haha same. I usually watch the episode and go to sleep because the recap isn't up but when I check it out the next morning, there are about 200 comments and the conversations/spazzing has kinda died out...
I think it also has to do with GF's amazing recapping speed. The ones that are recapped slower usually end up getting posted when I'm on the net anyways.
Yes, I agree! I don't have complaints but it certainly feels like the cake is already gone. It's alright. Like you said, we have the OT.
So now that I finally watched IHYV's this week's episodes, I'm just like GAAAAHHHH, OOMMMMGGGG!! Every episode has my heart bursting with so many emotions: pride, fear, joy, sadness, happiness, etc, etc. I'm super happy that Hye Sung finally touched his head at the end of episode 12...please let her get over denial quickly and just give puppy a nice smooch, heehee. :D
Also, with this drama, I've come to love the actor playing Soo Ha. I think I'll give School 2013 a try now.
It's like that for pretty much all recaps. By the time they're posted, I'm ready for bed. Or if I'm up, by the time I realize it, there's already 1349745829057 posts, and all my thoughts have been said, so I just don't say anything. And for some, the subs aren't up for me yet, so I can't post even if I wanted to (I always have to watch first, then read, hehe).
So I try to catch the OTs when I have free time at work and talk about the shows there. That's how I feel connected to the discussion even when I don't make it to the recap.
Sometimes if recaps are up before subs, I read recaps first but then I often get too lazy to watch the drama... which sucks (that's how I sometimes end up dropping dramas that are half-baked)! Fortunately, IHYV is so good that I can resist reading the recaps because I really want to go into watching it without any prior knowledge.
The combo of Yamapi / Erika / Karina just doesn't do it for me. It's going to be fluff with some rather bad acting, particularly from Yamapi... I don't mind Erika and/or Karina per se, but I also don't love love love them to make it a must watch.
So, everyone is hung up on love from a gazillion years ago – 3 years? And 10 years of unrequited love? People are willing to put their life on hold for that long? Seriously?
And what's with the message if a woman a) marries or b) has a child, she is suddenly incapable of doing any job?
And then just little things that don't make sense. You ask a total stranger to come all the way from Tokyo to cook because she's the "only one" who can save the restaurant? No one in the seatown has even tried her food, or has any other reason to believe that this girl is the "only one".
And what's with the husband getting married and then taking off during the reception? Shouldn't he have run off before or at least when they ask him "Do you wish to marry this person..."?
I'm barely holding onto Just You as well. Now if we could cut out all the office-related shenanigans and get a more interesting story, it'd be fun, because those two characters could be good fun.
You're way stronger than I am, way more patient. Although I will admit that I might return to Empire of Gold. All that chaebol talk was making my eyes glaze over. But I'm tempted to give it a second chance.
Especially during the last 15 minutes, when the girl was running after the guy, trying to persuade him to change his mind about something that was her doing no matter how you looked at it. It made NO sense.
In ep 1, I though they'd use Puff Gao's character as someone who using her wit to win agains her boss (which would have been funny), but they've turned her into a brainless, wide-eyed girl now. Seriously depressing.
Itazura - I know what you mean. I actually went ahead and watched the Taiwan version and I liked it a hundred times better. I even did a marathon of season 2 because I liked it so much. I'll finish the Japanese version, but I still think Taiwan won this one.
Starman - watched the first episode last night and it was good. I wonder how many episodes it has planned.
Just you/Love around I dropped like hot potatoes. Boring.
I started Goddess of Marriage and I think I will be dropping it next week if it continues on this path.
And yes, just like you I am loving IHYV and Monstar.
I do prefer this Itazura to all the others – I like Kotoko much better (she is not reduced to being a naive idiot 100%, which, I'm afraid, Ariel's character is), Kinchan is not only a viable alternative rather than comic fodder with little substance, but a character that comes with a wonderful message about what it means to be a friend, and Naoki is a little more human than in the other versions too. It's only that we've reached parts of the story that I find not very compelling (Naoki successfully running his father's business after a night of reading up on everything... ummm, no!).
Most Japanese doramas are 11 episodes, I'd guess Starman will have the same?
Kotoko is developed a lot better in this adaptation..but for me, that's actually becoming a problem. I like her too much. For the entirety of episode 15, I was screaming at her to drop Naoki like a hot potato and just go to Kin-chan. It's the first time I've wavered off the main OTP and disliked the main lead so thoroughly. It's not that Naoki is worse than the other versions but Kotoko is better and so I feel she deserves better too.
I know, in all of episode 15 I thought Kotoko is just the nicest person ever.
I don't dislike Naoki, though I think he was cruel in episode 15. At the moment, Kotoko does deserve better for him, but if Naoki finally realises what it means to NOT be with Kotoko and actually confesses to her, and treats her like he should, then I'm okay. I don't find him off-putting like a lot of the arrogant jerks in many dramas, you can see in episode 15 that he is suffering and that everything he's doing is, as much as it's hurting Kotoko, it's hurting himself also. The truth is, he's just got a lot more growing up to do than Kotoko, who demonstrates particular in this episode that she is very mature.
But still, even if Naoki was cruel in ep. 15, he is a better Naoki than in other versions: In almost every episode there is a moment where we see how he values Kotoko and talks to her as an equal.
In the previous Japanese version I couldn't buy their happy ending because that Naoki always treated her poorly, without respect.
I agree with you about Kotoko and Kinchan. But I can't stand the actress's facial expressions in this version. Is that puckering thing that she does all the time. Plus I think the chemistry between the leads in the Taiwan version was more believable, particularly in season 2, once they are married. But I am glad that in this version they don't emphasize constantly how dumb she is, like in the Taiwan version.
I come to find this Kotoko's facial expressions endearing... they are weird, but I somehow love them!
I do agree the chemistry between the TW leads is very, very believable. I doubt we'd get that here, given that the actress is underage and there being like a 10 year age gap.
Real life is still full of bureaucratic limbo in regards about getting to China. On the other hand I officially graduated uni which feels a bit strange.
Dramaland:
Drama watching has mostly been put on hold. My crack is still Mia Taeng (which I cannot wait to resume watching).
Looking forward to the new drama's that are comming: Think I will follow both Master's Sun and Who are you. And the preview for Joo Woon's new drama looks interesting as well.
Heirs: I don't want to watch a high school drama full of people obviously to old to be in high school, but that cast? It will be a very very pretty cast. I will probably give it a try, still couldn't it be placed in college/uni? Dramaland needs to discover that that's a period which can provides similar hijacks to a high school, with the added plus of people being of age + actors look believable.
Any one have any drama watching suggestions? Also interested in t-/c-drama's where they speak mandarin, as well as Jdorama's and Kdrama's worth giving a watch! (I lost my drama watching list...)
What would be awesome if somebody does a gif of Heirs of ALL the pretty faces so I can just watch the gif without spending time watching the drama. Hehehehe :P
Heartless City- Paksa/Baksa/Shihyun/Jung Kyung Ho
I effing lurve you. You and the show.
IHYV- I effing lurve you as well.
I really wanted to be interested in Heirs but it's not doing it for me. I love CJH and KWB but I think I'm bailing out for this one. That character chart is literally all my pet peeve drama cliches mixed into one. And honestly I never really like SeGa or AGD, so KES as the writer is another big turnoff.
Now this will probably ignite lots of hate but I'm not exactly a fan of LMH and is indifferent to PSH. I've watched basically all of LMH's dramas but he really doesn't do it for me even if he's eye candy. And looks like PSH is playing another candy girl--sighs.
I'll be checking out the recaps to see if it's really worth my time.
I am watching:
YTBLSS: on fast forward for the cute
ICHYV: Love this show, hope the extra episodes are deftly crafted.
I kept mentioning to my daughter how big Lee Jong Suk seemed compared to the other actors because he seemed almost small when next to Kim Woo Bin in
School 2013: I am re-watching this so she can sees the size difference. (yea, that is why I am watching this show again, sure.)
Greatest Love: Re-watching this with my daughter for her first time.
Goddess of Marriage: Just started, writing seems a bit heavy handed.
Monstar: Love it.
North Texas Beanies did you know that the Asian Film Festival of Dallas is this weekend?
Not sure if I am permitted to put a link in the message so just add http:// and .com to this: asianfilmdallas to see the schedule.
Secretly Greatly WILL NOT be showing, much to my disappointment, but it will be showing at the New York Asia Film Festival and the Canada Fantasia, for those who live in that part of the country.
I'm sure it's fine to put the link for the film festival, they just moderate posts with links so they can take an hour or two to show up.
I can recommend Romance Joe (a bit unusual, but good and refreshing), Woodsman and the Rain (hilarious - review on my blog in case you are interested), Key of Life is supposed to be good according to friends of mine (missed it myself unfortunately) and I'd definitely go for Rurouni Kenshin if I had the chance...
Japan Cuts is on in New York right now as well, screening the fabulous The Kirishima Thing!!!
This was the week of new dramas for me. Due to my off-schedule viewing, I just started Shark and I Hear Your Voice. I was looking forward to watching these two, so I'm glad they've started. It's only been 2 episodes of each one and my goodness, I'm already super interested! Yay!
I'm half-way through:
- WAML (poor oppa, it doesn't need to be like that ..... I know I could help him ..... *giggle*)
- Dong-yi (when is someone going to smack that guy, the Queen's brother? ..... perhaps in one of the remaining 30 episodes ....we'll see)
The other day, changing tv channels, I found another new station (for me, at least) and I noticed a drama starting and it said it was like episode 7 or whatever. It was a drama from Taiwan called What Is Love. I had never seen a Taiwanese drama before. This drama has no subtitles, no dubbing, and I don't speak Chinese but that's ok! I have to say it was kinda cute. You can totally figure out what's going on in the story.
What I can't figure out is when the episodes are! *laughing* ...... I tuned in the following week, same time and it said it was episode 9 ..... I'm like, "Wait, episode 7 was last week, where's 8?" .... then the same thing happened for episodes 10 and 11 .... I never saw en episode 10. ..... Kinda funny, but then not funny at the same time. I'll figure it out at some point.
Ok, that's it for now. Everyone take care and have a great Friday!
HELLO EVERYONE!!!
I'm back in Bangkok again <3
Meet up with my Thai friend today and we all went around the Palaces. It was super hot so we were dying...
Worst thing... my memory card got corrupted so I lost all my photos :'(
Hope you are all good and I'm still morning Dramacrazy. I'm not sure I'm ever going to get over it's demise.
Also... I seem to be suffering recently of not particularly caring about any dramas...
And I don't mean just in Thailand cause I'm busy here lol but before then...
^sigh^ Heirs had better be good!!
I mean, all those shenanigans only happened because Kototo's house fell. See timelime:
Kotoko gives love letter -> Kotoko is embarrassed -> Kotoko's house collapses -> Kotoko moves into the Irie household -> Kotoko bugs Irie everyday -> Irie gets irritated and becomes a jerk->Kotoko decides not to love Irie anymore -> KISS!
See!!! The kiss only came after so many events happened! Therefore the kiss was the culmination of so many other things and from the above timeline, everything technically started from 'Kotoko gives love letter' but given Irie's personality, we can assume that the event meant close to nothing to him, so specifically, the first major event that happened between them was Kotoko moving into his house which therefore gave her access to bug him everyday, leading to him being aware of her orbiting him and this only happened because her house fell.
Therefore, I would like to propose that the title be changed to "It started with a house collapsing".
But the kiss continued it all! Haha I do see your point though. Guess it just sounds better with "It started with a Kiss" than "it started with a house collapsing" :p
It Started with a Kiss because originally the manga was a one shot and had Kotoko in the tunnel with Naoki. Then Tada-sensei backed it up and started the manga from the love confession. This is also how it got it's original title "Mischievous Kiss" (Which is actually a better translation than playful) It refer to the kiss in the tunnel where Kotoko threatens Irie she'd get a boyfriend.
Winnie is super sensitive to original source material.
Series-wise, that's when Kotoko knew that Naoki might have feelings back for her.
That was an awesome geeked! I knew there was a manga which was the base for the drama and anime. But never knew that it started as a one shot. It makes all the pieces fall into place!
There is much to complain about the first Japanese Itazura na Kiss, but that one did start with Kotoko bumping into Irie in the hallway and landing on his lips.
I know the manga folks are readying swords to pierce me for actually enjoying that the Japan version actually started with a kiss. This was the first version I ever saw, so I had no preconceived notions and liked that the girl who bumped into him becomes someone he thinks about in the back of his mind for a few years.
I think the original working title was something like Shooting Stars, or Stars From the Sky or such, which made more sense. Also, you cannot always trust those title translations, I have seen it listed with at least 3 different titles, and not sure which is really correct in the context. On most sites it is listed as "Playful Kiss" or "Mischievous Kiss". (Itazura means trick or mischief in it's most common usage).
There is a drama that seems loosely adapted from Itazura na Kiss called Say that You Love Me (based on the theme song of ITWAK) but the title in Chinese is Love Starts with a Confession (爱情是从告白开始的).
Yes, despite the usual faults of most 50-episode dramas, ISYG is much better. At least the leading girl has summoned up the guts to tell her mother that she is dead wrong about her priorities.
Besides that, I am expecting her twin sister to show up somewhere around ep40 to ep42 and cause some havoc, so I have to see what happens then.
Good morning, beanies! I hope everyone in North America enjoyed their holidays last week. I sure did! Hard getting back into the swing of things on the cubicle farm, lol.
****
Also want to note that the second Midwest DB Meetup is next Saturday, July 20 in Chicago! Hope to see some Beanies there! =)
****
Totally random thought i had for Lee Seung Gi's latest drama Gu Family Book. You know how he did My Girlfriend is a Gumiho not long before this drama? If the production was able to get Shin Mina to cameo on Gu Family Book, that would be pretty awesome/funny. Haha :p
Monstar- each episode keeps getting better hopefully that can continue for the last 4 episodes, if not 3 out of 4 aint bad
Heartless City- I hate to say this because of how strong it started and how much I loved it but I think I'm starting to loose interest and I don't know why, maybe it's because the show refuses to kill off characters that should be dead like Soo, and Meth Kim, and the female assassin so I can't feel any real danger.
Cyrano Dating Agency- I have other theories but I hope Hye Ri has an understandable reason for kidnapping Min Young
I hear your voice- so awesome
Sword and Flower- I watched the first 3 episodes but I still don't know, I mean the last 20-30 minutes of the third episode were awesome, but did it really have to take 20-30 minutes, and never before have I ever wished someone in real life or a drama would talk both more and faster.
I dropped Heartless City at episode 9 because suddenly there was more Nam Gyuri and well, let's just say I don't like her acting and Soo Min character. Also, yeah, the story line was getting more and more unbelievable. Baksa was the only thing that could root me to the show but I don't have the time nor attention span to wade through crap just for him.
@Manin
Bu Bu Jing Xin is about modern woman who suddenly teleported to the past in Qing Dynasty. There she spent the rest of her life, witnessing every life aspect in Forbidden City. She went from a cheerful little girl into quiet mature / old woman. All the tormenting experience ... I watched it since many people talked about it and I too, miss taiwanese series after Huan Zhu Ge Ge. I found it full episode with engsub here http://youtu.be/iZ3hGobq8VA. Hope it helps. :)
Oh thank you :) I'll definitively have a look at it Once I finish my current crack drama (also a recommended of here). It does sound like an interesting drama, and a nice view into Chinese history as well :)
Being a romcom fan, I'm still feeling a little blue regarding the lack of it kin kdramas this summer.
Cyrano really hasn't grabbed me, although I'll watch till the end. I think it's the male lead. I never got into Shut Up Flower Boy Band, but enjoyed Flower Boy Ramen Shop and Flower Boy Next Door. I think the reason why I enjoyed both is that the male leads were both very charismatic right off the bat (with FBND having the bonus of a charismatic second male lead, too). The male lead in Cyrano is so emotionally repressed that it's taken till the end of the drama to have some development there.
Otherwise, I've focused on the romcoms from other countries - TW's Just You and Love Around, and Japan's Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo. MKLIT - this may end up being my favorite version of this story. For one thing, Irie is depicted more as caring for Kotoko far earlier in the story. We just don't know in what way, and how much (other than the clue of the second kiss). In other words, far less of a jerk.
I Hear Your Voice is one of those shows that I'd like to like, but somethings standing in the way. I think it's the hero heroine age difference. Sure, I didn't mind it as much in FBRS and Big. I think it's a little more in IHYV. At what point does it seem so unbelievable that it bothers you? Is it just an age difference, or is it a combination of age and life experience? Take FBRS: sophisticated (but immature) high school senior paired with student teacher. On the other hand, in IJYV, we have relatively typical high school senior (other than the traumatic events of his dad's death and his psychic abilities) paired with female lawyer.
What is it about Sooha in general that you find immature? Given his age and life experience, he is actually very mature for his age, and now that he has left school, he is no longer a student...
I completely understand if you still think it is uncomfortable, but I would argue that it is not because Sooha is too immature, because he really isn't.
Since I haven't seen the last several episodes, and only recently got caught up on the recaps, I didn't know that he had left school.
He's not depicted as an immature character; I didn't mean to imply that.
I guess my point was that there is less of a difference in life experience between a high school senior and a student teacher, than a high school senior and a lawyer.
Oh, no worries :) I was just wondering if there is something about Sooha I am missing, because he always felt even more mature than Hyesung in some ways. To quote what one of my friends said, "It is almost like they are parenting each other."
My problems in the relationship lie more with the fact that they seem platonic and siblings-like, rather than romantic. But I would argue that maturity-wise, they both protect each other and look out for each other. There is more of a balance in their power also, after episode 12.
I wouldn't want to spoil it for you, but I do believe that the writer went a ways to answer some of the questions you raised. Also, sometimes you would want to ask: why make it a noona-dongsaeng relationship at all? Why not make Sooha an adult and the relationship problem free?
The writer did once explain that this is because Sooha was intended to be too young to use his abilities in a meaningful way... which is why he uses his abilities through Hyesung, changing her in the process.
For IHYV, I think the best way to buy it is that they knew each other when they were BOTH kids/underage. It's not like they met when one was an adult and another was a child. So that helps make it better.
At least it's not A Gentleman's Dignity; that is an age gap I never got over (Meari and Yoonie Oppa).
Has anyone read the new book "Crazy Rich Asians?" I really enjoyed it; it was a good summer read. In my mind, that's how I want the cast of the upcoming drama "Heirs" to be.
Happy Friday everybody! Started out this week by beginning Queen Seonduk. I hope it improves once Lee Yo-won takes center stage, because 1 1/4 episodes in and its already causing me to have arguments with the screen. Right now its a sageuk that comes across as full melo. Except, you know, with swords.
Three episodes in to Lucky Seven and mostly ambivalent about it. Looking forward to the premiere of Master's Sun. Hopefully things will liven up then. :)
QSD!! It does get better, especially around episode 20-something! ...... Then again, I loved it from beginning to end so I'm always saying good things about it. I just finished watching it a couple of months ago and I loved it so much I'd gladly sit through each and every episode all over again.
Thanks korfan. I was banking on the story becoming more enjoyable once we got to the official start point of the story and not all this backstory. However, if it doesn't improve I will probably have a whole LOT to say about women in this drama. (I might even if it does improve, though.)
What a slow week, glad weekend is just so close...
Studied studied and studied all week and while studying listened a great k-indie group called 'standing egg' give it a try I think the group is great
Having sun all week in the UK( which is once in 3 years thing) happy that I will enjoy it more in the weekend. Ok dramas.
1) IHYV, One of the best kdramas ever. another great episode
spoiler ---------------So happy Soo-ha is back. This drama affects me so much, I feel for every character except for the bad guy. and for the first time I don't care about the age difference at all. I think that's the success of plot. I can't wait for the next ep. ------
2) Monstar, waiting for the new ep and subs. please do not kill radio. So sad the drama will end soon. I want an official OST too.
3) Heirs, reading the news and getting excited. I think if they go with a different plot than the gossip girl, it will be so much better with such good casting. Well let's wait and see then...
i notice no one is talking about Lee soon shin - i just really hated the ending of epi 35 and almost all of epi 36. as javabeans put it, very aggravating. so many contrived situations created to maximise misunderstandings amongst the characters - until these two episodes, i had not been as annoyed as everyone else. i hope all is cleared up soon coz i really hated how unnecessary the misunderstandings were.
i love monstar and somewhere up there, i have professed my newfound love for junhyung and beast. its so embarrassing though to be an ahjumma fangirl. embarrassing but i cant stop!! :P
also enjoying IHYV. LJS is really good in this and so is LBY. i didnt like their work in the previous dramas they were in.
hope everyone has a good weekend! its my working weekend but i can hope that its quiet.
Ahh Lee Soon Shin... I had so high hopes and it all got crushed.. I gave it up a long time ago. Admorations for you staying with it.
After the trip I had with my mother, sister and grandma for my graduation I found out why I had such a low tolerance for the mother/grandma drama in that show...
I swear my sister, mother and grandma all have similar temper and make a big deal of things in a way which is not unlike how people in Lee Soon Shin behaved.
manin, thats why i could stand it all this while!! because there ARE people like that out there!!! sigh. but last weekend's episodes were really hard on me. maddening. anyway, i have monstar epi 9 to look forward to. and i know its gonna be good coz i read the live recaps already :) :)
Haha yeah though if I have to live through the drama in real life I don't want to sit through it in my "escape from the world" experience :p But yeah.. How is that drama progressing? Any developments at all?
I've been watching Monstar as well, though it's been put on hold cause of verious reasons so have from ep 6 up to catch up. And I don't want to read the recaps because I know I might never get around to watch them if I do :p
Yeah I'll get around to it. I loved the start of the show so need to watch the rest as well.
Yeah, when I droped out it was a case of not having enough cute and the plot we were promised to carry all the annoying angst for me to feel motivated enough to sit through it.
Drama series depicts the bluffs and realities of a middle class, while also finds meaning in marriage and the family.
Han Ji-Hye has a dual role, one as a troublesome wife married in to a chaebol family, the other as a street vendor who just happens to look like the troublesome wife.
The husband asks the street vendor to fill in for his wife. Not bad so far @ Ep 3.
I'm still watching, but jumping around and fast-forwarding a lot. DramaFever doesn't pub out the subbed episodes till mid-to-late week.
One older show that I've rewatched recently is Smile You/Smile Honey. With one of my biggest complaints regarding YTBLSS being the lack of focus on the primary couple, I was relieved to see that SY managed to keep the primary couple in the spotlight the entire series.
Hello Enz! Just popped by to say hi. I meant to do so last week but totally slipped my mind due to being back home and meeting up with old friends and spending time with my family.
Monstar and IHYV are the only dramas I keep up with right now. I have lotsa dramas on my to-watch list(really wanna watch Shark for Kim Nam Gil and LSH) and also those I've only watched halfway like That Winter and A Man's Story. I haven't caught up with this week's Cyrano since last week's bored me.
Anyway, my fav character in Monstar has gotta be Kim Nana since she's so awesome. B2ST has got some pretty solid songs despite their engrish and unnecessary raps;JunHyung ain't exactly a decent rapper - even though fangirls beg to defer - but I quite like him. Kpop should just get rid of the rapping formula. I mean if the songs don't need it(which is 99.99% of pop songs) then don't put it there, just makes the songs so jarring.
I finished ep 11 of IHYV and I must say that last scene of puppy LJS and LBY had so much chemistry and realness. It just makes you wanna root for them. Before this I never really bought into the fact that they might end up with each other but after that scene I actually see the possibility.
I hope that your hope for a quiet working weekend comes true :) Try to enjoy it either way.
SHHHHHHH Aryast!!! you can't say these things to me!! I am a new fangirl and beast is my first and maybe only exposure to kpop! I love his rapping style! hahaa. honest. and I can't wait for their comeback album.
I went to the aia kpop concert june 27th but was not MAD yet. it would be different this time around coz I actually know some of their songs now AND like them.
Hahaha I listen to rap and know the emcee-ing culture enough to know what rapping entails and safe to say JunHyung's "rap" is more like fast-talking/sing-rapping.
The only idol I know who can actually rap decently is Zico from Block B and as an idol rapper I acknowledge he is the best. Anyone who tells you that it's GD or TOP are out of their minds.
That said I like B2ST and their songs. Pst! Son Dong-woon is hawt
I think at this point the only time people talk about LSS is when they start discussing train wrecks and other disasters :). And also there is just SO much wrong with it that you could devote an entire blogsite to all the stupid writer & contrived plot stuff. I stuck it out on LSS up to around ep25, and just gave up on it, though I still do check some episodes with a LOT of fast forwarding - takes me around 7-10 min per episode max. Mostly I just watch enough to feed my Rant of the Week postings :D
Seriously, is it me? Or is there some kind of dramaland synchronicity cosmically brought together to make drama-viewers ponder such universal themes as justice and forgiveness?
Shark, I Hear Your Voice, Incarnation of Money...and maybe Heartless City (which i am currently not watching because i seriously did not like Soo Nim) all are working on my poor soul as they play on different aspects of forgiveness/judgment/ injustice and understanding.
But I hear your voice, wow!!!!! Oh my gosh, this series!!! I HEAR YOUR VOICE is very like a cosmic discussion on cosmic justice -- where the heck does the true and first origin of the crime come from? In most shows, we pretty much say, "The evil began here." We decide that whatever evil the victim did doesn't matter because the evil done to the victim is the evil we have to right and we decide that the perp's background may be bad but heck he chose to change from being a victim to a murderer. Min Gook is different from other "good" avengers because he crossed the line. Perhaps because whenever love was shown to him to make him stop his cosmic war against evil, he consciously willed himself to do the evil and "finish the trip." But what a weird thing to commit to! I keep getting this Greek Tragedy feeling -- not as overstated as in Shark, but still Greek tragedyesque-- that Min Gook is fighting the Universe. Not just the evil done by his father, but he wants to believe that he can win against a cosmic injustice. Dang! If this was written with Min Gook as the protag, we'd be telling him to stop swinging that Shark at the end of his keychain.
I like it that it makes us question not only justice but our ability to judge the human heart. We cannot judge, not even the hearts of those who are consciously wounding us. And if one has been terribly stomped uon by life, the only recourse is to not be so hateful about life.
The whole idea of memory is so scary. Min Gook remembers something that is eating away at him. He has no ability to forget. Only death will make him forget. Did it seem as if he wanted to die when Park Soo Ha held him by the throat? Memory makes us remember good and bad things. We have no control over it. The filmmakiers have not shown us any of the memories Min Gook has about his own sorrow..so we're still at a distance. But even so, I'm believing him. And I'm believing he's in pain. Would the best blessing to happen to Min Gook be losing his own memories? Or death? Since he is so cosmically tired of and strangled by his anger.
Am waiting now for the sexual aspect to heat up between the OTP. Protective love is all fine and dandy but sexual heat would be nice.
Blade and Flower: I'm liking it but if there is anything slower than molasses it's this show?
With the exception of Shark and IHYV, I'm kinda just wading through dramaland waiting for Master's Sun, Facereader, and Heirs. Which I guess is good. My brain's resting up.
Watched a few films and really liked The Wedding Day. Korean Film Archives on youtube. Very folklore-like. And the interesting thing is that I was really fearing the maid would end up with the farm servant who wanted her..because they were the same "class"..but then it dawned on me...NO, that may not happen because in korean films just because a guy loves someone doesn't mean he's gonna get her. And I was so happy at the end that I was right!!!!
Now that dramacrazy and animecracy are gone, i have to find a new home to look at anime.
You know, anti-death-penalty people always say that we shouldn't/cannot decide the lives of [horrible] criminals, that the end humans lives should not be decided by other humans, even murderers, and I never got it.
True, everyone should have the right to live, but I think that once a murder takes that right away from someone else, he should give up that right of his too. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, no? And some people are just not worth keeping alive, at all. Life in prison maybe similar to the death penalty but there's always a chance that the criminal might escape and harm others even more.
"I like it that it makes us question not only justice but our ability to judge the human heart. We cannot judge, not even the hearts of those who are consciously wounding us. And if one has been terribly stomped upon by life, the only recourse is to not be so hateful about life."
I'm not really understanding this... what do you mean by we cannot judge the human heart?
We can only judge actions. The Defense lawyers saw that the twins did the murder but they didn't see the motivation of why the twins did the murder.
So far, we have not been privy to the destruction of Min Gook's wife. All that happened to her happened off-screen, far from our eyes and is now only in Min Gook's memory..and so far the writers have not shown us this supposed horrible thing that Su-Ha's dad did to destroy her. I'm still not sure what Big Bad meant by Su-Ha's dad destroying his wife with his words. But because all this is out of our sight, we can totally judge Min Gook's actions because out of sight is out of mind and all we have is hear-say and Min Gook's opinion of what supposedly went down.
The reason we have laws is so we can judge external actions. Crime is a sin against another that only the law can handle, but other kinds of cruelty cannot be judged by law. And if it's a crime that's been committed and not just mere human cruelty, if that crime is not brought up to the law because there is no evidence of that crime...then too bad to the sufferer. I suspect Min Gook feels he's in that boat, as if he's fighting not only the (k-drama) Korean legal system but he's fighting an unfair universe.
In theory, I believe in the death penalty. The taking of a human life is a crime that is far and above all other crimes. But in practice the death penalty can be profoundly unfair, especially to the poor.
And we really cannot judge anyone's heart. Man judges by appearances but only God can see the heart. The nearest we can come to judging and understanding the human heart is psychology...and there are so many schools of psychology out there...who knows what they would each say of Big Bad's heart?
At least in the US, the proportion of people on Death row that are PoC is higher by percentage than represented in the actual population. *cough* racism much? Also it's cheaper overall to keep someone in prison til death than to execute the Death penalty.
That's not a for or an against statement, just pointing out statistics.
"If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise."
That's Exodus. Also is most likely taken from Hammurabi's Code.
Contextualizing it... it also mentions slavery, and says that female slaves are not equal to male slaves. Also puts to death people who strike or curse their parents. If someone is bedridden after being punched, he will only be paid for his lost time. Also has other lovely stuff such as stoning an ox and then goring it, but not holding the owner responsible for the Ox's actions.
Since it's Old Testament justice, I don't think it's a good reference. Especially since the laws changed by the time you got to Leviticus (Old Testament) and if you're paying attention much of John and Paul (somewhat Peter) remade the laws in the New Testament. "Do not judge lest ye be judged" and also a reference to separation of Kingdom of Heaven and Kingdom of Man.
BTW, not preaching since I ain't Christian... but I am contextualizing it because I dislike religious books being thrown around to use part of them to justify things that are totally unrelated and especially in terms of modern justice. ('cause I believe religions should be properly represented good and bad. For example, the Hijab and the need for it...)
Uh... Just for the record, I have no religious interests at all and when I read the above, I seriously went: "wut?"
An eye for an eye... I did not state that in reference to any religious teachings whatsoever. That sentiment is just what people naturally feel when they feel that they have suffered from injustice. It's basically where the concept of revenge comes from and some people (victim's families) do need the law to do what is right in their eyes, otherwise they might go vigilante.
"At least in the US, the proportion of people on Death row that are PoC is higher by percentage than represented in the actual population. *cough* racism much? Also it’s cheaper overall to keep someone in prison til death than to execute the Death penalty."
Even though I believe that the death penalty should hold, I do not believe in it being used all nilly-willy. I believe that it should be used only when there is no doubt as to the criminal's identity whatsoever. Believing that the death penalty should be controlled is not the same as believing that the death penalty should be abolished. Well, USA's just not doing it right then.
ponderings about IHYV - Min Gook's escape from pain and anger by death or memory loss - your comments took me somewhere I haven't gone in looking at MG. What we see is his way of attempting to escape/erase pain by eliminating what he considers to be the sources of it. Is there pain too great to overcome?
Cause Su-Ha lost his memory because he didn't want to believe that his dad was the cause/origin of all this horrible stuff. (Of course if we went past that original cause, maybe we would see that something had caused Su-Ha's dad to do that bad thing..and onward and backward into infinity for all the causes.) The thing is we have to turn the other cheek at some point in life, which I suspect also includes turning the eyes away from the harmful hurt.
Min Gook, however, continually turns his eyes on the past hurt. He focuses on the cruelty and doesn't allow any love to swerve him from "going to the end of the line." He is so committed to justice (in his own mind) that he literally would cut off his nose/hand to spite Su-Ha. And that is scary to me.
With Min Gook, he had another chance to stop with a fruit shop adjumma, it was almost the same setup as with the best Korean mom in the world with food and care for his lonely soul. However, even when he pondered mom's last words, he interpreted fruit adjumma's casual saying about the end of the trip in the same way - keep going, don't stop revenge and killing.
It's his interpretation of the world and events. Remember, in MG murderous mind, everything that happened, is happening, and will be happening, is interpreted with relevance to his vengeance.
At first I thought that his rage was misplaced from the father onto a boy and a bystander girl. Now I think that he is raging at the entire world, killing people who are in the way of his revenge. If he stops and faces the truth of his existence, he might kill himself.
In fact, I think he is already symbolically dead - chopping off the hand, self-mutilation, body as a weapon of death.. What's most terrifying about MG is that he could appear charming, kind, hard-working, and in need of protection. He fits a profile of a serial killer.
wow! totally agree. The "end of the line." He's already committed to death. Not sure if Yi-Soo in Shark is so committed to death. But Min Gook has no family and no love and he isn't willing to find any other love in this life. His life is already in the grave with his dead (?) wife. And he's pissed as heck at the universe for not giving him justice.
Of course, all this could be a story Min Gook has made up to play with Su-Ha's mind (and i wouldn't put that past him) but...if there really is a real reason for his hatred, he is not willing to just let bygones be bygones. For him the past is prologue to all this and the only justice he can find is revenge. His anger and hatred against Su-Ha is over-the-top because everytime he is about to fix the world and make (his) justice finally win...Su-Ha messes stuff up.
There was hope for him maybe getting better but after he killed Auntie fruit-stand lady, he committed to the end of the line. A new murder...so not good.
If Soo ha keeps that he has his memory back and the ability to hear thoughts from MG (who realizes that SH can hear thoughts), can some truth be found?
Yes, I wonder if Su-Ha saw the sadness and horror in Min Gook's mind. This is why I've never felt telepathy would be a good gift to have. Who wants to hear and be open to all the sorrows in folks' lives? Especially if one's family is responsible for that sorrow? No, not a good gift at all. No wonder Su-Ha lost telepathy when he lost his memory.
I'm aware of that. I've seen and I love redemption arcs, but it seems to me the dramas this season are really questioning the avenger and whether what happened in the past is worth destroying one's future. It's as if they are saying "revenge may not be worth it so don't even start it." Which is an interesting twist. Generally the avenger forgives after he's won. But I haven't seen that many dramas, only since two or so years so this might just be my newbie slightly-ignorant take.
You're right, Carole. Min Joon Gook felt wronged by Su Ha's dad and thus tried to avenge him. In doing so, however, his humanity was crumbling down because he was destroying more lives and living in constant hate and fear. In a way, he also wanted for all that to end by having completed his revenge for once and for all. He wanted to return to old self but because he was being rebuked constantly by Soo Ha, Hye Sung, and Hye Sung's mom, his revenge was left sorta incomplete and that's why he continues to go on his revenge spree. At least that's how I interpreted his actions and emotions.
Re Blade and Flower: love your one-liner. Funny as usual. :) I never bothered trying that drama since I especially hate super slow dramas. I need things moving along.
I see that you're watching Shark. Since we have somewhat similar tastes, I wonder if I should give Shark a try too.
I'm also waiting on Master's Sun and Joo Won's medical drama. Not sure about Heirs since it sounds much like Boys Over Flowers which I would never go near since I hated the manga so much (despite it being cracktastic too, lol).
After I saw the character chart for Heirs I thought, NO, NO!!!
So am probably not going to watch it...unless the lustful urge to drool over Lee Min Ho grows too strong.
Shark takes a while to get into but it gets really good around episode 10. If you're in the mood for pondering the various aspects of revenge, then add it to your list. The heroine is sooo good -- mucho collateral damage along the way.
It's weird, Blade and Flower isn't slow in plotting. Things move along pretty quickly..but the scenes...oh my gosh. Lingering camerawork, static shots, unmoving actors. A weird combination of fast-paced plotting and slo-mo. Did I make a one-liner? Ooh, gotta go reread. ;-)
With Min Gook, I feel that everytime the universe shows him love or justice, he HAS to will himself to shout back to it: "No, there is nothing good in this world! No, there are no good people. No there is no justice. Don't make me believe in anything good because it will mean this good world wronged me. " It's all very sad. I'd feel more sorry for him if he weren't so darn murderous and so darn committed to feeling bad.
I kicked off this week’s drama watching with kimi wa petto (never saw it before, beanie recommended) - loved it!
CDA, IHYV, CC (Shi Hyun, you are such a beautiful specimen, where will you go now, and what will you do?) , S&F, Monstar, Shark (feels like a story that should be read)
QC – the air in my room pressed down on me as I watched – were our hearts ever that heavy as children? I jumped when the camera panned up at the funeral home and on the balcony, above the gold angel statues, stood Teacher Ma.
105 today. Hot.
(Raine, where are you? I'll be driving through Cheyenne to Denver next week. Be thinking of you~)
I'm very fond of that drama, Sumire and Momo are just so awesome. Watching the first episode of that drama when you are feeling down does wonders. Nothing beats Matsujun making puppy eyes. (Do Nodame is great for soothing the soul as well.)
I know, even JGS couldn't get me through ep 2. kwp was wonderfully cuddly! I am going to recommend it to my newly kdrama converted 'sis' - won't she gasp at the world of jdramas too!
Kimi wa petto is my favorite dorama ever! It made me read the manga which is wonderful too, but I like the open ending of the dorama better. Now I'm learning Japanese and have an excuse to rewatch it. For the dialogue, of course!
If you like Kimi wa Petto, you might also like J drama called' Anego' which is based on the novel by Mariko Hayashi and played by Jin Akanishi and Ryouko Shinahara( last Cinderella).The two leads have a big age gap and they work in the same company... I like Akanishi Jin/ Matsumoto Jun and Yamashita Tomohisa since they are naturally very good looking( though they look rather feminine sometimes).
It's been a loooong time since I last visited, so there are so many new peeps here whom I haven't met before. :)
Updates:
- no new kdrama on my watching queue at present. I'm trying to squeeze in watching Flower Boy Ramyun Shop in between real life, updating my blog, and watching a local (Filipino) drama.
- that Fil drama, I'm thinking of recapping. It's so intense and the actors fit their roles very well. It's title is "My Husband's Lover" - about a wife who discovered that her hubby is hiding a lover - his best bud from high school. Yep, the lover is a 'he' and they have developed a deep relationship long before the hubby met the wifey. There are so many issues being addressed by the show and it's so interesting to see how all the characters - gays and not - deal with every twist and turn and every reveal in the story.
I never thought I'd prefer watching a local drama over kdramas since most of the local ones are recycled/repackaged versions of what we've seen before. But this one is different, especially that it deals with sensitive issues. And the actors are oh so good, I want to personally hand them acting awards.
- still having withdrawal symptoms of my recent SK trip. I went there on my own - no travel buddy, no guide, whatsoever. I went to Busan, Gyeongju, Gwangju, Boseong, and Seoul - savored the sceneries, pigged out on Korean food, met new and wonderful people - dived into the adventure all by me onsie. And it felt sooooo great, I wanna do it again. :)
In the meantime... I have to get my ***t together, post-trip. It's taking forever to process my vaykay photos and writing stuff for my blog.
And then Lee Min Ho came to town but I didn't watch his concert. I've seen him before, so maybe that lessened the excitement. Besides, I've been spending way too much since the SK trip, and I had to go to a CNBlue concert with a friend immediately after that. So LMH's concert was dropped from my priority list. But I hope he'd come back - when I have the time and moolah to afford watching his show. :-P
That's it. I guess I'd have to read around dramabeans again to see what's up in the kdrama world. :)
Hey Sumee!!! ^_^ long, long time indeeeed!
I suddenly missed our SKKS fangirling days. Hahaha!
My blog's about my backpacking travels and places I visit within my city of residence. :) I'd post the link once I've updated it. ;)
Oh! When were you there? Argh! I was thinking of visiting DB while I was in SK for a "Hi" while I was in kdramaland, but the idea was lost along with my sense of direction. :-P I was in Seoul June 11 & 12.
Looking back now, it seems like the entire trip happened in a flash. Like I can never have enough time to spend in SK. There are too many things to do, too many places to visit, and too many wonderful people to meet for just one visit.
hey OT people! I've yet to catch up to the current cream of the crop in dramaland (Monstar 9 isn't out yet with subs, and Cruel City 14 and IHYV 11 and 12 are to be saved for the weekend) so this week's check-in will be short.
Re: Cruel City - is anyone else as underwhelmed by Soo-min as I am right now? Initially, I liked her fish-out-of-water quality and Nam Gyuri had decent enough chemistry with oppa MY PRECIOUS to make up for not being up to his standard, acting-wise, but Cruel City 13 has me actively wondering why she's so bird-brained (girl, pick another time to tell the scary drug-dealing dude you like him. Seriously!). She's supposed to be the heroine, and all I see is a writing flop because all the good development for a woman went to Jin-sook.
(also, Kim Yoo-mi - who plays Jin-sook - is only 33 according to d-addicts?!!!!! WHAT.)
I loved last week's Monstar, its balance was perfect - Seol-chan/Se-yi cuteness, Sun-woo/Nana chemistry (seriously, that moment when he steps closer to her on the roof, only to take her cigarettes...UNF) and most of all, Kyu-dong breaking my heart - I will so miss this show when its last episode airs, and I am thrilled that Ha Yeon-soo has lined up her next job already. There are so many talented young actresses out there who look ripe to move into first lead territory (Lee Yubi is the most recent) that I think some time spent in the sitcom trenches will actually help HYS both acting-wise and as a career move.
Also no one spoil me please, but one of the things I love most about Our Favourite Show aka I Hear Your Voice is that it has great, three-dimensional female characters, not one of whom is a Mary Sue (and all credit to the actresses for this too - Best Mom In The World, Do-yeon, Hye-sung herself, and even Sung-bin are well-written and don't feel like afterthoughts).
It's because of Soo-Min that I gave up on Heartless City. Writer-nim wants her to be cute and woman-in-jeopardy and fish-outta-water all at the same time. Ain't gonna happen. It just makes her look like she's stumbling around like a fool playing cop and being an obstacle for everyone. And when she became the love interest...i thought... WTF???? Jin-Sook and Doc's Son had a weirder tenser vibe.
Carole - while I wouldn't mind another bedroom scene or a hundred, Soo-min pretty much has no other constructive purpose - and worst of all, no edge. Give me Jin-sook any day.
So true. She's made for male characters, i think. This is a very male show. The male cop is macho, the undercover cop is tough, and the women are whores...with the good woman being the prostitute with the heart of gold. Mercifully, Jin-Sook no longer does hooking that and the writers have spared us actually seeing Soo-Min do any "work" but the entire set up is so annoying to me. And it's not as if I have a problem with testosterone-y plots but this is just too "manly" a series for me.
The cop girl who was killed was a good role model for everyone, including Doctor's son and SM. Flashbacks to her are a the only bright moments in the show.
I don't think Jin Sook is a whore. She declines advances of all the men around her. She deals drugs and has a whore house, that's true.
When SM throws away the spying lipstick, she makes a choice to stick with Jin Sook, her new sister. Literally, she replaces one unni with the other, a cop for a drug dealer. SM is very weak. She needs protection and protectors. She clings to strong people. A pretty doll, damsel in distress.
@ Kngdrama, Jin Sook used to be a prostitute, now she's a Madam among other things. Basically, she is still "tainted" -- too "tainted" for our hero. So although she is no longer a prostitute, she is not good enough for Doctor's Son which is kinda the basic premise for cop shows. I thought she was good enough for him but then when the "pure naive" girl cliche came in, I thought... Oh Good grief!
Yes, first female cop was okay although I thought it odd that a cop should come upon two guys fighting and let one bad guy go because she assumed the guy winning the fight was Doctor's Son. Isn't a cop supposed to hold a gun on both guys who're fighting and sort out the truth at the station?
I haven't been watching Heartless City so the show might be showing some subtleties of theme and plotting that I'm not aware of.
@Carole - That trope - the 'tainted' woman no longer being good enough to be a love interest to a drama's protagonist - is so frustrating to me, and it makes me rage when I see it.
GFB was the most obvious recent culprit (even if it tried to dress that creative choice up as letting a girl 'choose' her own direction after being raped), and in contrast I was really glad that I Miss You actively worked against that trope in every way.
But CC is a whole other annoyance, because while Jin-sook and Baksa's possible romantic involvement is still ambiguous, they play to the trope by dumbing Soo-min down further as the weeks go on.
Some of it is actress problems (SM comes across as a lightweight, and not even one with claws any more) - I keep saying someone like Shin Mina could have invested Soo-min with enough to at least make the token 'pure girl' not annoying (she did that very well in A Love To Kill and even The Devil) but right now, Soo-min is pretty much superfluous in the story she is supposed to be the protagonist of. I don't have a problem with 'it's a guy's world' plots, but I wish SM wasn't set up for me as someone to root for. (or at least give me some basis for that, now)
i actively dislike Soo-min (and get regularly bashed for it in soompi, so i've kinda eased off posting in that thread full of fangirls). bird-brain is an apt descriptor, and so is idiotic. i don't think her inexperience in life excuses her from her actions, even if Thighs did contribute to some of that stupidity, which seems contagious. i do think it's a lethal combination of bad writing and poor acting, and i'm pretty sure she'll have an active role to play in bringing Shi-hyun down with her stupidity (+1 for Pusan).
Jin-sook seems to be catching onto the stupid as well - i couldn't believe she could ask Shi-hyun whether it was necessary to start a war with Pusan. Lady, have you forgotten what you asked Safari to do? seriously now. and i cannot believe she hasn't been suspicious of Soo-min at all - girl's bungling ways should have put Jin-sook on the alert long ago.
i actually kinda like Reporter Cha (even if she has a nasty habit of barging into the police station - don't they have rules on this?), and i felt bad that she gets regularly shafted by Thighs. i wish Shi-hyun would do that more to Soo-min.
Your post made me thinking that perhaps it's on purpose Soo-min is presented as stupid? So many Kdramas have female leads, that clearly lack smartness. Are Korean viewers already conditioned to appreciate a 'little' stupidity and think of it as cute and lovable?
Jin Sook is street smart and therefore the 'evil' woman in this show.
I'm cynical, I know, but it is my pet peeve at the moment.
totally with you on the pet peeve. my teeth are set on edge when they pair a whip-smart hero with a dumb-and-dumber heroine, it is so jarring it makes me cringe. i'm not sure if it's just a korean thing, i've seen it happen sometimes in j-dramas as well - clumsy and klutzy = cute and adorable, and the smarter chick is often evil or manipulative etc. rare is the drama heroine who stands up for herself and tells it like it is (Dal-ja, Sam-soon, i miss you ladies!)
jin-sook is fun and sassy when she's not trying to kill Soo or hanging out with Min Hong-gi. i think her street-smartness has been chipped away by the stupid - after getting to know Soo-min, she's been doing dumb things aplenty. i want Safari to smack some sense into her.
So maybe it's a patriarchal thing? A society ruled by men doesn't need/want strong females. As long as she is sexy and arouses the envy of other men she is desirable. Long working hours and joining the co-workers for drinks after-hours makes sure, that you don't have to endure the sillyness at home too long...
As I said, I'm a cynic.
You are absolutely right. Jin Sook became more stupid after meeting Soo-min. It seems to be contagious.
it could be a patriarchal thing, or just that the writer doesn't know how to write females (just like the writer who wrote Chuno and Level 7 Civil Servant - terrible female leads there).
i've watched my fair share of HK dramas/films and they don't seem to have as many stupid female leads, though there are still some. i also think the image HK gives off doesn't lend itself to much stupidity, at least not of the Soo-min variety. she really is a total waste of airspace.
and her idiocy has infected Thighs - his character development has just about gone downhill since ep 4. sigh. to think he could have been such a good foil for Shi-hyun...
Who was first? Chicken or egg? The inability to write a believable, sound female character stems from where? Lack in writing abilities and lack in knowledge of psychology or the society the writer lives in and sees his/her rolemodels?
Thighs otoh is a stupid male character. So, they do exist! ;) But to be fair, the overuse of undercover agents ridicules his part as he is so clueless.
Still I am able to enjoy the show. Never before have I experienced, that one stellar performance is able to make so many mistakes bearable. But it is a thin line and I hope, the show won't fail me in the end like so many did before.
difficult question, but given the way you put it, it's probably the societal influence that is greater or comes first, though i'm inclined to think it's a lethal combination of both - hey, that's just like how Soo-min is (bad acting + bad writing). what do they say about writing reflecting a part of yourself...?
i'm sad for Thighs. but Safari more than makes up for it. and of course, there's still the awesome bromance. Shi-hyun + Soo ftw!
i still marvel at Jung Kyung-ho's masterful performance, but i gotta admit i don't feel as much adrenaline watching the show as i did in the initial episodes. i also think drama is either in live-shoot mode or pretty close to it. i do hope it ends on a bang, it's been a while since i've enjoyed a currently k-drama.
Reporter Cha and Soo-Min are both barger-in types. I'm trying to understand if that is kind of a K-drama slope for an aggressive strong woman. I like Reporter's pushiness though. Cause although she doesn't quite know what all is happening, she is actually doing her JOB! Soo-Min trying to get a date and nagging Doc's Son every other second... it just turned me off. She is working for heaven's sakes! She is trying to find the guy who murdered her sister. She is running with a dangerous pack...and she wants a "love-life"? SMH
exactamundo. Shi-hyun has told her any number of times they shouldn't meet anymore but noooo, she thinks her brand of persistence will pay off (maybe it will, in the form of her having a hand finishing him off with her stupidity).
i was happy Shi-hyun didn't meet her, though i'm kinda sad that Thighs did the same thing to Reporter Cha - esp how Thighs always asks her for info, she gives it, and then he spurns her advances to make nice.
some of the strong women types i've seen are fairly forceful, in that they stand their ground and are nobody's fool, but not particularly abrasive - or maybe it's just the actress' skill and how the character was written that did not make it seem so.
Reporter Cha and Soo-min don't really have a proper concept of personal space, or understanding of rules and procedure. any police station worth its salt would have thrown Reporter Cha outta there the minute she tried to barge in, but i guess not if Thighs and Prosecutor Ahn are running the funny show there. Soo-min... i'd just put it down to a lack of brains in general. she's a weak character all round.
There came a time when I had to stop watching American cop shows. The women cop were so fierce and wounded that I just couldn't take all that abrasiveness.
I don't know why folks have this idea that strong equals pushy. Jin Sook is strong and isn't pushy at all. But yeah, she's tainted.
But the fact that both Reporter Cha and Soo Min are also totally "wanting" the guys and being so dang obvious. I guess the writer is saying they're just like guys and are brave and tough and all that but it's like...REALLY, why do women always have to be needing love and/or sex? Note, again: Jin Sook repels the guy who wants her. Macho cop is hot but we don't have to be reminded of it every second by having a "strong" woman hit on him.
I might force myself to watch the upcoming chapters and fast-forward past all Soo-Min's part cause I really do like Baksa.
i never quite got into American cop shows, they just seemed to have issue upon multiple issues that made watching rather painful.
never felt that Jin-sook was 'tainted' despite her colourful past. it just made her more interesting, gave her a few more layers and a bit more brains (which unfortunately she is exhausting at a rapid rate, being in such close quarters with Soo-min). i was sorry that writer went the conventional k-drama route of a soppy love interest for Shi-hyun instead of playing up the sexual tension between Jin-sook and Shi-hyun, which would have been infinitely more intriguing.
@snow - When I hung out on soompi, the average age of the people there was pretty much all under-21 (and I was 22 at the time).
Not to besmirch all the lovely mature teenagers out there, but I'm pretty sure the youth of the commenters has quite a bit to do with their inability to tolerate different opinions, or indeed to notice that a character has hair for brains.
I thought so, JoAnne. Tried going there and found that they only had SUPER-SLOW videoweed stream links, and then decided not to go back - thank you for confirming my suspicion and possibly saving my computer!
That is one of several FAKE sites. I looked at 3 of them, and all of them gave so many warnings about virus, popups, malware, etc. that I blocked them on my browser.
Hi DB, I will catch up with Cruel city and will be watching nine next week in the airplane due to me and hubby and my aunt and uncles (mom side) will be going to Vietnam.. My two boys will be at my parents house. We will be gone for two weeks. Have a great week-end.
Ah, Blade and Flower, Blade and Flower! What will we do? I think they're trying for different and sometimes their experiments work. Sometimes..not so much. I've gotten used to the odd music. But yes, those slow loooooooooooong moments. I think they're heading for "gravitas." But gravitas doesn't mean slow-moving and "in the grave." It's like...seriously, is General Yeon even alive in some scenes? I'm still watching though.
I am accustomed to Kdrama unreal moments, unbelievable twists, and fantastic coincidences. But this drama is way beyond unreal.
Where in real life people stare at each other for five long minutes without saying a word? It is just uncomfortable unless they practice telepathy or play a game who blinks first.
At times General Yeon looks bored! The king is a creep.
The princess is in tragic love that happened like in five seconds.
Hi Beanies!
No new dramas for me this summer - nothing has really managed to capture my attention.:( However, I am re-watching my favourite episodes from City Hall and RMPW in loving memory of last summer's epic J-drama times (RIP). I also watched How To Use Guys With Secret Tips and loved it despite all of its flaws. It's just such a quirky little film! Very different from what I expected to see in this genre (almost Wes Anderson-esque). Have you seen it - and if so, what did you think of it?
hi bennies!
Really curious about next episode of Shark and I hear your voice.Those dramad really capture my attention and can't wait the following drama played by Jo Won. I really really want to know what kind of love story in the line of drama because all this time, I never watch drama about savant doctor... I hope it'll be interesting drama.
While I've been reading and commenting on the site for almost a year now, I have yet to participate in an OT (okay, well, except one time when I just when cray and asked what was going on!? but let's not count that). I've finally been inclined to join because of how funny this community is but also because I just now discovered the recap to a series...
Dr.Jin!
Yes, the gummy fetus brain baby did it!
I've been confined to bed rest for 5 days now and the fantabulously terrible show recaps got me through the first days.
I just wanted to say those were some of the best recaps I have ever read. I mean, the screen caps by themselves deserve a prize (the best ones were when Hyuk stares aghast at his bloody hands...again and again and again). But the side commentary was just amazing.
I commend you all for some of the funniest criticism I have ever read. So thank you.
Anyways, on a side note, MONSTAR COMES OUT TODAY! Yay! Please, please, please no suicide!
Welcome! And yes the dr. Jin recaps were a lot of fun (I was porcrastinating while doing my dissertation and ended up reading over past recaps just cause *shifty eyes*). I found dramabeans myself through the drama "playful kiss" and also stayed on as a silent reader before I finally joined the talk this year :)
No matter how many dramas I watch, I feel a vague sense that I am missing out as I just haven't gotten around to some of the dramas I've seen mentioned on this website.
I finally got around to watching Jeon Woo Chi, and liked it.
I just started School 2013, because I am so into IHVY and want more Su-Ha ... but the character is School is certainly not Su-Ha.
I am surprised when I see a drama and think WOW that actor is great, let's go watch everything he has ever done, and when I try I realize I must just have liked the character from that one drama not the actor. Like Lee Hee Joon (Kang Rim from Jeon Woo Chi) with those amazing eyes ... but I watched Cupid Factory and HATED that movie. Only 60 minutes to watch, and that was too long.
Well, I just have to accept that even handsome can't save a bad drama.
There is a point when the handsome looks so stupid, you get second-hand embarrassment and scramble for a giant mental eraser; do you want to invite Dr. Jin with bloody hands and idiotic look into your dreams?
I get what you're saying about the sense of missing out, Julia, but I also think it's nice to know that when you finish whatever you're watching now, there will be something else good waiting to watch. As for watching through an actor's body of work, my experience is usually that even with my favorite actors I won't like all of their work, either because it's not my taste or it wasn't very good. I can't think of any actor who I have loved every single work they've been in. However, if you watch enough pieces and realize maybe you only liked that actor in one particular thing, that's okay too.
I know what you're saying! Sometimes the actor just becomes the character in a way where you can't seperate them. I haven't watched IHYV however I did watch School and liked it a lot.
Hello Beanies! What a great OT!
Right now its really hot. Yesterday it was 90+ inside with the air conditioner going full blast. A few weeks ago when it was even hotter I watched White Christmas and that psychologically worked to make me think it was colder-all that snow. But hurray its raining and almost 20 degrees cooler.
So recently between studying and writing I've watched a lot of Korean drama, waaaaay more then I normally do for summertime. I also watched the movie Eungyo and loved it.
Story of A Man- I was impressed with the acting. I really loved how they handled the autism, how it was shown as a part of the personality and not just a disability and how he adapted and lived with it. I don't have autism but I'm a disabled person and it was one of the better and more true portrayals of living with a disability I've seen. Kim sang-woo was a revelation as the villain.
Queen In-hyun's man- Oh yeah, that was my rom-com crack right there. His love for the library made me swoon a little. Books beating swords=awesome.
White Christmas-that was my mystery crack. This was also a good portrayal of disability, though more the dark sinister psychological side of it. I got it, I understood where Kang-Mo was coming from, I've even had some thoughts like that...but I didn't totally agree with it. I also couldn't help but think the school wasn't very handicap accessible ;)
I wanted more episodes because I so loved the characters but realized it was a good place for the story to stop and adding more would have ruined it.
Probably why I re-watched some Vampire Idol afterwards. I love the premise of it...but I only watched to episode 5. I love the vampires but I dislike ALL the other characters. Hell I even watched the movie Runway Cop because it had some of the Vampire Idol/White Christmas boys...
Ghost was a disappointment. I might have skipped it had I realized it wasn't going to have Daniel Choi in more then 3 episodes. So Ji-Sub is kind of a flat actor to me so I was hoping Daniel Choi would even it out-which he did in those couple of episodes...i just wish it would have been all the way through the series. I did like the villain though.
I forgot I watched Yaksha and Hero that's how much of an impression they made. I liked both of them at the time I was watching them but afterward they kind of just fluttered away.
Vampire Prosecutor 2. I really liked the villain. Nothing much else is sticking out. But I could watch multiple seasons of Vampire Prosecutor and TEN cause i like the characters and crime stories.
TEN season 1- I really liked. I'm not so sure of season two...i'm only halfway through so maybe my opinion will change. I really like the characters, especially Kim Sang-ho who reminds me of a puppy, an adorable enthusiastic balding puppy.
I have a few more dramas to watch before I'm more or less caught up to watch new shows to marathon. Gakitsal has been on top of my list for almost a year but I keep pushing it down because I know I will cry and be all heartbroken. I'm going to suck it up and start it soon though. I got a tub of ice cream...
I can't wait for the new podcast. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!!
I'd like to thank the person who made the Yoon Shi Yoon new headers for DB. Always nice to see a friendly face. There is also a nice B & W header for Byun Bin that I like very much. ^^
Hope everyone in Toronto is ok and didn't get washed up in the crazy storm that happened earlier this week. I used to be from Toronto but now live in Los Angeles, so I'm missing the crazy summer weather in T.O.
Cruel City: Agree with many above that the heroine's character is off-putting. She doesn't contribute much and I hate that she always demands to meet doc's son at a certain time and place, and expects him to show up. The man's got more important things to do than to meet you for coffee just because you want to see him! The first 11 episodes were so fast paced and filled me with adrenaline rush, but these last few episodes have slowed down quite a bit. I hope it'll pick up again and go out with a bang.
IHYV: Finally caved in and started this due to all the positive reception. Only watched first episode thus far, but not hooked yet. Will continue for a few more and hope to be addicted soon.
TEN 2: Anyone watching this and had a W.T.F. moment in episode 11? I'm waiting desperately for the subtitles of episode 12 to be up. Can't believe it's so short, but must say that the first TEN was significantly more interesting and addicting.
Bu Bu Jing Xin: very high quality production. Love all the princes (except the evil one). Very good looking cast and very good script. Deserves all the hype.
Legend of Zhen Huan: Very good drama series, but long. The beginning few episodes will rope you in and make you forget you've already watched 20 episodes. However, the middle part where it takes place outside the palace was very slow and boring. Then it picks up again when the story is back at the palace. I'd recommend fast forwarding the boring parts because there's not much in terms of story development (except for the romance) and you can pick up the gist of it when they are back at the palace.
Currently addicted to Awfully Lawful and A Change of Heart from TVB HK productions. It's been a while since I've liked anything that TVB has churned out so I'm pleasantly surprised.
Dramacrazy: I am so sad to see you go, but you've made lots of drama addicts happy spending hours on your site. Please let us know if you ever resurrect. Many fans are waiting.
Can't believe it's already mid-July! Wedding is in T-1.5 months!!!
I need to see this weeks episode of Monstar. I have been slowly dying all week. I hope my tear ducts can handle it.
I think I may have gotten suckered into watching IHYV. Why so cute Su-Ha?
I am still loving Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo! We are getting a little close to the end for there not to be some bigger developments with the OTP though. If Irie doesn't pull his head out soon.... there better be a second season!
I didn't get a chance to do much drama watching on my vacation. Real Life... go away, I'm behind. I need to find some time to marathon a few dramas. I also need to make a To Watch list... I may work on that today.... *adds to To do list*
I'm slightly behind on on Kiss in Tokyo. Need to get around to catch up. However I am waiting to see how far they take it. As the actress is underage I have a feeling they might not want to take the show past the wedding.
Yeah they wouldn't want to hint at there being anything really with an underage actress. Though I suppose they could surprise us, I wouldn't be surprised if they ended it at the wedding. Think that was also what they did in "It started with a kiss" season 1, at least I remember the second season starting with the honeymoon.
And Thank you so much! It's strange, I have to grow up now :p
The age of the actress, and her immature acting ability, is a detractor for me from Love In Tokyo. I like the subtle changes to Kotoko's character that make her less needy/clingy than other versions.
I was horrified the first time I watched Itazura na Kiss for the stalkerish quality of Kotoko, for fear it would spawn similar behavior in young girls. Now, the story has become one of my favorites, because I love Irie. Tall, dark, silent type men who are smart, athletic, and capable ... irresistible.
Yeah I like the way Kotoko is portrayed in this version. Whether it's cause the actress in underage or not she seems a tad less starkerish, and to possess a bit more backbone. And I loved that they cut the "I will do anything my love will be doing" for choosing a profession.
I also like this version's handling of the friendship between kin-chan and kotoko. The feelings aside, it feels like they are actually friends that support each other.
This is my first time posting after lurking around these Open Threads. It's always nice to see additional commentaries on dramas.
Happy to see so many fellow IHYV watchers!
It's rather exciting following IHYV because IHYV is my first official crack drama in a LONGGG time (since City Hunter).
ATTENTION: SPOILER BELOW
I Hear Your Voice: So last night's episode (ep 12) was the first episode that I didn't watch. After reading the recap, I don't know if I can bear to watch another ep of Hye-Sung giving Su-Ha the cold shoulder, Kwan-woo -with his claws out- lashing out at Su-Ha, and poor Su-Ha ... just so helpless. :( I know there are other notable moments to watch, but after last episode of seeing Su-Ha desperately trying to cling to the last strand of rope, and have Hye-Sung WALK AWAY from Su-Ha was just too much for my heart to take. Just rip it out, will you? (LOL)
Thank goodness Su-Ha regained his memory at the end, and not a moment too soon. I can't wait to see Su-Ha go back to being his confident and assertive self.
Hye-Sung needs to face her own feelings, and not run away from it either (by pushing Su-Ha out). Don't get me wrong, I love that girl - probably my favorite heroin in drama land- but I was screaming at her to the heavens seeing her reject Su-Ha like that. ESPECIALLY at a time like this when he was most vulnerable. I do get her reasoning, but why so heartless?
Finally, I hope Kwan-Woo isn't going to be reduced to the 2nd lead that becomes catty, illogical, and forceful in his feelings not being returned. Honestly, I adored that dorky guy and thought he was such a breath of fresh air to those typical 2nd leads that were so clingy and meh, but I'm seeing signs of his character changing in these last 2 eps. I just hope it was just momentary weakness and not anything long lasting...
I'm not sure I'm in love with any of the current dramas, but I like several of them a lot more than I thought that I was going to. It feels like there is a nice variety.
Who else is watching Heartless City? I have no idea what it going to happen at this point- 3 different current and/or former undercover agents has thrown me!
Side note: I'm pretty sure Empire of Gold is already turning out to be more heartless than Heartless City, lol.
I'm watching Heartless City and I love it! I have minor qualms but I'm ignoring them due to Baksa, who has an amazing character + acting to sell it. I don't really like Soo-min but she appears so little that I don't care much and plus I like the conflicts she brings even if the reason is flawed.
hellko! happy open thread
got home a bit sooner than I expected but still too late. and like a zombie. 9am to 9 pm, Tallinn Maritime Days. at the end of workday I walked like a zombie to the pier, even though I intended to go in a different fdirection. something pulled me there. and it was my best friend with her kid. hah, I should have known. we never need to call, we just meet at the oddest places.
Dramas - I Hear Your Voice, really interested to see where it is going. In some ways you think you can predict, but on the other hand, we know people act opposite to their thoughts and desires from the show itself.
Three things I want to say and you to hear:
1. dont want Su Ha to die as soon as he gets togethe with Hye Sung
2. I have a feeling it sort of all depends on KwanWoo and DoYeon now what becomes of MinGook
3. what about the mothers dream....
I also watched School 2013 all the way through finally, I was really busy when it was running. It ios very good. I think I have encountered all of the stuff these youth dealt with. except a gang I havent really been in one.
but I had a best freind who moved to USA and didnt speak to me for 8 years and I was just as hurt and thought it was because of me and felt guilty...
My favorite character from School was Ji Hoon. he was such a round table knight for all his friends. Percival.
I find that I terribly miss Park Ki Woong. When is he coming back on screen?
also, I have faith it is not too late to answer me [before 2097], which king or queen of dramas do you wanna say I miss you before their heirs overthrow the kings´ dream about love in Tokyo. Hope you can hear my voice.
this is the longest pun I have ever written.
arggh I miss Park Ki Woong and I already miss Sung Joon. at least we have Lee Jong-Seok
Mom's dream? About the plunge into the water? Oh my..you think it's foreshadowing something watery? Possible. Wondering what the heck Mr "End of the line" is planning.
If it's a dream sequence, maybe it's all symbolic. When Hse-Sung was interpreting her mom's dreams, her mom's dreams seemed to be more symbolic than actual point- by point depictions of the trouble. What say?
Park Ki-woong has set 4 October 2013 as his Military Enlistment Date (he's an '85-line and turned 28/29 Korean this year), so we won't be seeing him in anything except CMs and the odd one-act play (if an offer even comes his way). And another one bites the dust... *sigh*
noooo. well I wanna see him plenty before that. somebody do something ´bout that. quick. who knows what I will be in 2 yrs and if I have time for dramas...
@redfox Loved your description of your friendship.
I used to live with my friend, and at times I would walk into to the kitchen and pour a glass of water, then bring it to her ... all without any conscious thought. I would shake my head like waking from a daze, and realize she hadn't actually asked for the water out loud. She'd laugh and say "I was just thinking how thirsty I was". We were just that in sync.
Part of me is just glad she didn't use her jedi mind powers on me for ill. ;-)
This is totally one of the greatest dramas I have seen! It is very dynamic, and everything seems perfect - acting, writing, shooting, OST. Plot is amazing, and the way authors present things is not as straightforward as in other dramas, which makes I Hear Your Voice stand out.
And ratings are skyrocketing, they are already over 20% and are still going higher)
Yeah, it is hard to watch the drama outside of China, unless you install some weird plug-ins and browsers. Within China though, you can almost watch it anywhere...
Yeah, but I prefer Chinese subs to English because most of the time they are of better quality (grammar-wise) and the language is just more similar to Korean. Guess I have to look for alternatives when the drama finishes its run, because I've heard too many good reviews to not watch it. Plus Lee Jong-suk! Who can resist?
I totally agree! I prefer Chinese subs for the same reason. Go to funtude.com and you should be able to find most of the dramas there. I think there are dailymotion videos so that you don't have to install anything weird.
Just a quick post before the train plunges under ground(I really am trying to get into the swing of posting again). QIHM has just flown by. It's hard to believe I just finished Panda a week or so ago, and that I'm nearly done with this! The Twitter OT® knows its stuff ;) They didn't, however, warn me that along with the addiction I'd be needing an extra large of Kleenex!
And that's my news. Wish me luck at the grocery store. The AC was screwy yesterday so they weren't selling deli & cold products. My one egg is getting lonely in my fridge ;)
it's because with the cold air, their nasal mucosa is thinned out, rendering them more prone to nose bleeds with any stress inducing an increased blood pressure. OR it may have no reflection on real Korean noses and any similar nose bleed incidents in real life is purely incidental :d
it's because with the cold air ( during winter ) their nasal mucosa is thinned out, rendering them more prone to nose bleeds with any type of stress inducing an increased blood pressure. OR it may have no reflection on real Korean noses and any similarity to nose bleed incidents in real life is purely incidental :d
So I've been watching the last 15-20 minutes of Monstar episode 8 and the more I watch the more convinced I am that, even though I think Gyu Dong needs to jump and survive to move his thing with Do Nam forward, Nana is going to save him. My evidence is they went out of their way to show where everyone else was and how impossible it would be for them to get to Gyu Dong and stop them but didn't even spare a second for Nana.
Also I'm starting to think Sun Woo is just an ass and not necessarily a well meaning ass like I used to think. He comes by it honestly enough coming from wealth and being treated like a prince and spending years with All-For-One but whereas Sul Chan underneath his mask is an innocent, lonely, kind young man I'm not so sure the same can be said about Sun Woo. In watching Sun Woo I'm more and more convinced that he doesn't really like Se Yi as he claims but it's more like Hyo Rin in that I think Sun Woo wants to possess Se Yi like Hyo Rin wants to possess Sul Chan.
![[Beanie Review] Wonderful World](http://d263ao8qih4miy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/WonderfulWorld_reviewb.jpg)
![[Beanie Recs] Dramas about fangirling](http://d263ao8qih4miy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/BeanieRecs.jpg)
Required fields are marked *
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
1 Makoto
July 12, 2013 at 6:16 AM
Happy OT everyone... And have a blissful Ramadhan.
I finally managed to finish Bu Bu Jing Xin. What a tragic ending. Since it's historical drama where the people is indeed already dead in the past, I am ok with it. And I read in koalasplayground there's a sequel with many of previous actors act again... So I will try to find it later.
Cyrano Dating Agency 13 - 14: is it me or did something about Hyeri changed? She looks different, as if played by other actrees.
Finally CDA gets real conflict between the 3 main leads, I'm with it. But the kidnapping things in the preview ep 15 is a bit meh. It is supposed to be a light and funny drama, don't put anyone into such danger.
The return of the chef... Haha. At least there's someone who know about the whole "set up" things. It's going to be boring if all of their mission ran smooth and perfectly.
Master, my heart is still available for you. :))
Did anyone notice that both Min Young and Master wore same kind of t-shirt? The white one with blue stripped, MY wore it in ep 13 and Master in earlier episodes... But I forget which one exactly. Actually I notice too many people in dramaland wore it. Joo won even wore it twice: in 1N2D (Romantic Backpacking) and Good Doctor's reading section. :))
Some old episodes of Running Man and Family Outing... How I miss Song Joong Ki's laugh.
Shark: too gloomy for my taste but I love it, especially the potensial love's development between Yihyun and Soohyun. :D
Following Blade and Flower through DB's recaps and love it. Beautiful lady with martial art (or any skill) and doesn't acting neither bitchy or too weak always gets my highest respect. My number 1 favourite character.
Excited for Who are You and get mad at Heirs. It keeps adding my favourite actors to their list while I'm not interested to their promise story. Eottohke?
Start watching My Boss My Hero: one one for this show; crazy! Lol.
Avoiding any spoiler of Monstar, Cruel City and IHYV since I plan to watch them once the DVDs come out. :D
Required fields are marked *
DayDreamer
July 12, 2013 at 6:35 AM
I don't think the actress playing Hyeri changed but her aura certainly did...suddenly, she had a bit of menacing and bitter air around her. That was a good plot point since it made the show even more interesting considering how she seemed so harmless before.
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 6:36 AM
Happy Friday and Ramadhan!
How is Bu Bu Jing Xi? And what is it about? I think I had it recommended for me a while ago but I never got around to look into it (and then dramacrazy died on me).
Required fields are marked *
Elysium
July 12, 2013 at 6:50 AM
Bu Bu Jing Xin is a Chinese time traveling Guzhang (sageuk) set in the years leading to and after Qianlong's reign - lots of political plotting an romance - nearly unstoppable once you start! I actually went to read the web-novel after finishing the movie to wean myself off this..recommend!
Required fields are marked *
Elysium
July 12, 2013 at 6:52 AM
Finishing the drama! Not movie
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 6:54 AM
Ohh sounds very interesting. I'll definitively have a look at this. Is it a long drama? Where did you watch it/read the web-novel?
Required fields are marked *
Elysium
July 12, 2013 at 7:15 AM
It's 35 eps, plus specials/ v-show appearances, and there are PDFs of the novel floating around on the net
I usually go to Maplestage for dramas, they're really quick with Chinese subs so all Chinese-reading DBers, here's a pretty reliable source!
I was gonna answer another post before I realized it was you and ask if you'd seen the TWdrama Inborn Pair with Chris Wang and Annie Chen, but it's quite a ride (84 eps!)
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 7:26 AM
I'm going to look them up. I am in need for more Mandarin speaking dramas to try and get a feel for the language before going there. The drama looks sounds really interesting as well.
Hm.. I'm not sure I have seen Inborn Pair. What is it about?
Rashell
July 12, 2013 at 9:16 AM
Another site to check for this one is gooddrama.net. I watched it there. It's addictive though, so be ready to spend some time. And be prepared for a tragic ending. :(
john
July 12, 2013 at 7:57 AM
Manin ~
Bu Bu Jing Xi is worth watching.
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 8:02 AM
It does sound really interesting. Is it a slow or quick watch?
Required fields are marked *
john
July 12, 2013 at 8:18 AM
There are 35 episodes, bring tissues.
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 8:20 AM
Haha tearjerker is is?
john
July 12, 2013 at 8:30 AM
If you like C tear jerkers..
The Little Nyonya and The Legend of Zhen Huan are both excellent.
Elysium
July 12, 2013 at 8:57 AM
Inborn Pair is a modern drama about a couple who have an arranged marriage and get to know each other and grow to love each other - I watched this for the cute and sweet moments, it's long so the pace is slow but less makjangy than kdrama weekenders I guess? Although the initial setup was meh it was fun watching the main couple grow. Plus Chris Wang is cute.
leaf
July 12, 2013 at 7:04 AM
Bu bu jing xin was AWESOME!! Loved it.
Only realised just how great it was after I'd finished it.
Also forever love 13th Prince <3
Required fields are marked *
Tru2u
July 12, 2013 at 7:31 AM
Me too, Throw 4th Prince (My Fav) into the mix and it is COMPLETE!!!!! Stopped at ep 30 tho. The crying is becoming lethal to my health.
Required fields are marked *
enz
July 12, 2013 at 7:15 AM
hi makoto
i think gong yoo wore that t shirt too in big :). i wondered about it too - why so many male leads were wearing that t shirt. does anyone know what brand it is?
happy OT and weekend to all!
Required fields are marked *
2 Tulipsaki
July 12, 2013 at 6:17 AM
Am I first? I don't see any other comments yet.
Anyway, happy Friday everyone.
And, apologies, but I'm still sick, so I'm out: this is a hello and a bientot, chingus.
Muahz.
Required fields are marked *
DayDreamer
July 12, 2013 at 6:36 AM
Hope you get well soon. Take good care and have a nice day. :)
Required fields are marked *
korfan
July 12, 2013 at 7:25 AM
TS -
Feel better soon! Take care.
Required fields are marked *
enz
July 12, 2013 at 7:28 AM
get well soon, TS!
Required fields are marked *
3 Mama J
July 12, 2013 at 6:18 AM
Good Morning, My Wondrous Beans!
It’s still way too hot here at my shoreline home, and we New Englanders are cranky. May the weather break soon!
Yes, I am still living happily for most of the week in Baksa Land…can I just hide in a closet at the Bak Cave and wait for him to come home to a happy ending? No, you say? There is no happy ending in noir? Dammit. Man, I love this show. LOVE. IT. Still barely have room in my heart for anything else, but once again, Su Ha and Seol Chan and all of their friends in both dramas do manage to give me some respite from the darkness of Cruel City. You can add to that those KIDS in Queen’s Classroom. They’re amazing! And for sheer visual WTF-ery…Blade and Petal. Sometimes I think the story TELLING gets in the way of the STORY…yes, I know the storytelling is part of the story this time and yes it’s amazing but hey, let’s face it – if I can’t get past marveling over what I’m seeing to invest myself in it emotionally as a story about people …doesn’t that defeat the purpose? Well, what I expect the purpose to be, anyway? But whatever. We are certainly being shown something remarkable, and probably on levels and to a degree that we can’t begin to understand at this moment..but yes, it’s probably true. Ten years from now we’ll look back at this drama and see it as a watershed moment. Or critics will, I mean, and we’ll go – oh yeah, that was that weird one I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not, and we’ll rewatch it and realize how much of its style has passed into common use, and be amazed, and tell everyone yes, we knew it was a big deal even back then, and pat ourselves on the back for being ahead of the crowd. No? Just me? Ok, I’m alright with that, too.
I’m hearing rumors of decent TW-dramas starting lately. Have to look into that. Love me some fluffy TW-drama. And I’m seeing screen shots of Oguri Shun hugging a little girl and it’s some j-dorama called Woman? Hello, what is this? Where can I find it? Oh – I watched a bit of the first episode of Starman last night. So far, interesting. A bit loud in that certain way j-doramas can have, but interesting. Kin-chan is in it as a secondary character and I’m interested in seeing more of him, now that Tokyo Kissu is winding down. (And still probably the best version of the story out there.)
Unbelievably sad about the passing of dramacrazy.net. The loss is massive. Massive. I was overjoyed to begin hearing about the return with a slightly different name but sadly, those sites (watchdrama.ch, dramacrazy.eu) appear to be a bad thing – viruses, spyware, malware, etc. Believe me, every night I think – do I risk it, since I have virus protection? That’s the site that has ‘X’ that I really wanted to see, and nowhere else. So far, I’m holding out. It just makes the sadness over DC-net going away last longer. *shakes fist at sky*
Music – I’m all about the OSTS these days, although I’m looking forward to a comeback from KJH – yay! It’s a lot easier to love his singing in public than it is to love his acting in public, right? But seriously, I’m listening to both Wound and Butterfly on a constant loop from Cruel City, and My Heart Flutters by Ra D from Cyrano – which – I should say here: OMG, Master. Swoon. – also, I can’t seem to find a decent copy of Sun Woo singing I Choose to Love You (Neol Saranghagesseo, something like that) but I now have copies of that song sung by Zoo (original), Hyorin (soundtrack to QIHM) and YuriSangja (for the fun of it, I guess?) on a playlist in YT and yes, I do listen to them one after the other. Beautiful song. But I want a SUNWOO COPY.
Required fields are marked *
KimYoonmi
July 12, 2013 at 6:35 AM
Woman puts me on edge feminist wise...
Basically it's about a woman that marries and the husband dies... so she's stuck with two daughters as a single mother. This puts me on edge because it's defining women on their reproduction rather than, you know, as general human beings with a variety of skills.
You should try good drama and epdrama... Stay away from dramafever. I'm not supporting their business practices. (Bad translations, lazy translations, stolen translations, trying to shut down blogs, threatening websites that aren't even in their jurisdiction, feeling threatened by Viki, etc).
Required fields are marked *
DayDreamer
July 12, 2013 at 6:42 AM
Epdrama takes so long for subbed episodes and gooddrama is at least faster. I miss Dramacrazy since it was the fastest of the two. :(
Required fields are marked *
KimYoonmi
July 12, 2013 at 7:39 AM
Dramacrazy used crowd sourcing, which was why it was faster. At the same time, sometimes crowds aren't that bright. So often episodes would be uploaded from D-addicts where people would change the credits on the drama so it said it was them that subtitled it... *cough* Which made the subbers at D-addicts really teed off. (Also dramacrazy uploaded episodes that the subbers at d-addicts didn't want uploaded--mainly because they don't want to be sued.)
Don't shoot subbers in the foot.
Required fields are marked *
Waiting
July 12, 2013 at 9:55 AM
I'll add that DF has slowed down considerably in the last month and I wonder if it is because they may not be getting subs from the site you mentioned. I don't care for their practices either, but the bottom line is that they are also not getting shows up fast enough even while being paid.
If there was a way to support Viki, I would do it. they have had subs up within 12 hours for a few of the shows that I follow. I sent a note to each team to say a big thank you!
DayDreamer
July 12, 2013 at 9:57 AM
Oh no, I would never dare to badmouth the subbers. I just don't know how these websites work. For little simple old me, dramacrazy would just be the first place to see subbed videos.
Windsun33
July 12, 2013 at 11:03 AM
DC was good on subbing the super popular shows, but it downright sucked on the less popular ones. I stopped using it long before it went down, mainly because of the bad subs and huge gaps in the subs on less popular shows and movies. Plus the fact that DF, Gooddrama and Viki have 98% of what they had.
MEK
July 12, 2013 at 7:34 AM
viki has come a long way...and they are quick...i was searching last night for other drama sites other than epdrama - there's gooddrama.net and yodrama - you might have to google that...
Required fields are marked *
Sue
July 12, 2013 at 9:56 AM
I discovered gooddrama after dramacrazy shut down, but I got upset when I realized they were stealing from viki. Viki had a problem subbing the last episode of Monstar. The website said 100% subbed, but the last section was not subbed because it had not been segmented. I stopped watching to give them some time to fix it, and since I was bored I checked out gooddrama. They had Monstar up already! So I checked out the last part and realized they stopped subbing at exactly the same spot where viki had a problem. But since Viki said 100% they just linked it without checking.
I still like gooddrama for dramas not legally subbed anywhere else. I go to Viki first and then move down the line to gooddrama.
Required fields are marked *
Windsun33
July 12, 2013 at 10:55 AM
We are about 180 degrees apart on the J-drama "Woman". I don't see anything in there that has anything to do with "defining them on their reproduction". In fact I see the exact opposite. I never got the feeling that she felt "stuck" with her two kids either.
BTW, what evidence do you have that DF has stolen translations? It was Dramacrazy that was accused of that, numerous times - in fact much of what they stole was directly from Drama Fever.
Required fields are marked *
alua
July 12, 2013 at 6:36 AM
Woman is good. You don't see much Oguri Shun though, he's the dead husband, so only flashbacks. It's mostly about the single mom trying to survive with her two kids by herself. Could go dark, definitely emotionally intense. Try good d.... (don't want to type it out).
If you want a fluffy TW I'd suggest Just You over Love Around (latter is... boring). Wish I could find Patisserie et Amour (Patisserie with No Name) as it sounds interesting, but I don't think it's being subbed anywhere.
Required fields are marked *
Windsun33
July 12, 2013 at 11:27 AM
Another one to check out is "21st Century Family". Up to ep8 or 9 now, and a lot better than what I expected. A bit goofy/silly at times, but that seems to go with all TW dramas - but the show is a lot more realistic on dealing with present day RL problems in an extended family. I am also watching "Just You" and "Love Around", but on both the extreme overly dramatic reactions can be a bit much.
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 6:40 AM
Although my watching of Monstar has hit pause I have to join in about the music. I want the ost for that drama very very much!
dramacrazy's passing was a sad day indeed. that place shall be sorely missed. I'm guessing downloading will have to be my new way of getting hold of some drama's. Or at least make me able to keep them!
Required fields are marked *
gene
July 12, 2013 at 5:19 PM
Is this a fake site of dramacrazy? I just want to confirm.
dramacrazy.eu
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 13, 2013 at 1:19 AM
I haven't visited it but I've heard that it's a fake, and that even the owners of dramacarzy has warned against it.
Required fields are marked *
IBELIS
July 14, 2013 at 5:25 PM
I saw the warning about the fake site but I have been streaming from this one and so far no problems.
DayDreamer
July 12, 2013 at 6:41 AM
OMG, I thought I was the only one replaying Something Flutters over and over again. Love that OST. :D
Y'know, I discovered on my iTunes program that there's actually a radio on it (lol, I'm so technologically slow) and there a section of it for international songs. Well, when international is mentioned, I'm bound to look for Korea and I find a few stations. One of them was playing a whole bunch of drama OSTs. It was cool.
Required fields are marked *
mean.
July 12, 2013 at 7:47 AM
Can I ask which radio station is it? :)
Required fields are marked *
DayDreamer
July 12, 2013 at 10:01 AM
There were a bunch so I forgot which one it was and it has been some days since I last went to my iTunes. I suggest you look under World/International and find all the stations that say Korean or Kpop in its description. Hope that helped. :)
Required fields are marked *
Russe12
July 12, 2013 at 9:31 AM
I replay Something Flutters, too! It's a current favourite. :D
Required fields are marked *
Windsun33
July 12, 2013 at 11:32 AM
If you have a ROKU streaming device for your TV, there are at least a dozen international radio channels. At least 3 of them have 24/7 streaming from several Asian stations.
For computer and TV/entertainment system I mostly use Spotify - they have far more international songs than Pandora or iTunes has, and I can afford the $9 a month for premium.
Required fields are marked *
DayDreamer
July 13, 2013 at 3:23 PM
Haha! I go where the free stuff is so iTunes it is for me. ;) But thanks for the info anyways (I don't have Roku).
Required fields are marked *
Toto
July 12, 2013 at 4:15 PM
Try couple song by Ra.D.. LOVED something flutters but loved couple song as well. the video could make u die of cuteness :3
Required fields are marked *
pearl3101
July 12, 2013 at 7:46 PM
Hey that's my favorite song to replay recently as well...^^ Hi fi everyone :)
Required fields are marked *
enz
July 12, 2013 at 7:25 AM
hi joAnne, i was devastated when dc died! and continue to worry that this is the beginning of the end of my drama watching or at least simulcasting as there arent that many options here in my world :( so sad.
i have gone yong junhyung crazy and am now eagerly waiting for beast's comeback. watching all sorts dvds on beast. am hoping that they come to malaysia again coz in june, when i went to their concert (free ticket) i was not yet crazy about them. made my cousin, who works for a company in event management, swear that i get free tickets to kpop concerts if they are organising.
i am loving monstar and IHYV still. am impressed with LJS in this drama. and there is real chemistry and ease between him and LBY.
i must check if i can find sun woo's version of that song coz i really cant believe its not out there in cyberspace somewhere. - as an MV?
hope weather improves over there for you. have a good weekend :)
Required fields are marked *
Mama J
July 12, 2013 at 7:45 AM
Hi Enz - it's out there, it's just not very good sound-quality wise. Was hoping for better to appear but not yet, at least not on YT.
Required fields are marked *
enz
July 12, 2013 at 7:55 AM
i guess you must have seen this ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhEmDX_Fu1Q
Required fields are marked *
Mama J
July 12, 2013 at 8:45 AM
NO!!!!! What I saw was a scene rip from the drama itself. You rule. I will make what's his face skinny boy from Ramen Shop love you, in return. Okay?
Enz
July 12, 2013 at 8:52 AM
You cant seriously not KNOW jung il woo's name???!!!! But i would prefer idol boy right now. Make him love me!! :p
Waiting
July 12, 2013 at 10:01 AM
He does have a sweet voice in this song. I need to find the romanized lyrics now.
Thanks!
katmoo
July 12, 2013 at 3:13 PM
You cant seriously not KNOW jung il woo’s name???!!!!
I just fell out of my chair laughing!
Mama J
July 12, 2013 at 5:08 PM
Enz, Katmoo - I DO know his name but at that moment I just couldn't THINK of it. Too many details that were none K-Drama related floating around in my brain! I knew she'd know who I meant though...sometimes, English is my second language and my first is just awkward stumbling.
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 8:09 AM
Maybe I'll go back to watching Queen's Classroom. I generally can't watch remakes. The Japanese version was so good and so incredibly cold and distant; I really would like to see a more Korean (read: emotional) version of the story but ...yet... I just don't seem able to bring myself to look at it. Might force myself to, though, since you're praising it.
Required fields are marked *
Mama J
July 12, 2013 at 8:49 AM
Vault of Doom had an excellent post about the original Japanese version and what it was meant to do, comparing to the Korean version. The article addresses some education philosophy/style differences both within and between the two countries and covers some very interesting ground. Could be worth a shot for you, Carole.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 9:34 AM
Thanks! I'll go a-searching.
Required fields are marked *
Windsun33
July 12, 2013 at 11:39 AM
I think I actually like the Korean version a little better than the Japanese one. I heard there is also a Chinese/Taiwan ?? version, but have not seen it. The teacher in the Korean version seems a bit less isolated and vulnerable even though she never shows that to her students.
Required fields are marked *
john
July 12, 2013 at 8:16 AM
those KIDS in Queen’s Classroom.
They're awesome.
Required fields are marked *
nomad
July 12, 2013 at 10:26 AM
I knew I love you for a reason :) I'm kinda sad too that Kiss in Tokyo is winding down, and I absolutely love this version of Playfull Kiss.
And Master...oh, my dear master. His ever changing facial expression, from soft to immediately hardened. He's suchhhh a great actorrrrr!
OST-- Have you seen the Light Sleep-Sul Chan's version from Monstar? Are the translations there correct? They just look weird to me...and it's from DF, so I have my doubts..
Required fields are marked *
Momopeach
July 12, 2013 at 11:36 AM
I haven't actually heard of Viki or epdrama, but I did discover gooddrama and love it overall. They put an adblock blocker on now since dramacrazy went down, but eh not a huge deal.
I can also watch my anime easily on there too, so I get 2 for 1.
Required fields are marked *
CMRPrindle
July 12, 2013 at 5:07 PM
Wait, wait, wait, wait....clearly I have been out of the loop since I've recently discovered the joys of viki (they had something I wanted to see, forget what now).
WHAT DO YOU MEAN DRAMACRAZY.NET IS GONE?! *breaks down in uncontrollable sobbing* My unni! How'm I ever gonna re-watch Sailor Moon? All those random movies I want to see. THE J-DRAMA LISTS!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
*wipes tears, drinks tea* Okay, I'm decent-ish. But seriously, dramacrazy.net is no more? What the heck! Gosh darnit, I'm going to have to start following sites on Twitter & FB and such (I try to follow people and not things). Sigh. I know this is old news already. I'm gonna go have my pity part elsewhere. Probably while crying over Kim Boong Du. My life...
Required fields are marked *
Mama J
July 12, 2013 at 5:10 PM
Honey bunny, that was all we talked about for TWO DAYS...and it comes up regularly since then. Read the tweets that happen when you're away! I cry for my J-dorama list too...every time someone mentioned something that sounded interesting, I'd go there, find it, add it to the list. *sob*
Required fields are marked *
CMRPrindle
July 12, 2013 at 5:49 PM
By the time I get to them the old tweets don't exactly make sense anymore, imo *pout pout pout*
and omigosh! all my queued up dramas! They were all on DC.net! *wail!*
Imo can't fix it?
Required fields are marked *
CMRPrindle
July 12, 2013 at 6:12 PM
also, you called me honey bunny :D
Required fields are marked *
Mama J
July 13, 2013 at 5:37 AM
I can't fix it, no, but I will call you Honey Bunny all day long if that makes you feel better :)
CMRPrindle
July 13, 2013 at 12:06 PM
It does it does it does!
owl
July 12, 2013 at 5:49 PM
Ra.D :)
Required fields are marked *
4 hiba omairi
July 12, 2013 at 6:19 AM
Hey every one just wanna wish you a gd friday kove you all beanies across the globe
Abt drama im watching I can hear yiur voice *my top * shark , cyrano, soon shin andddd I love them all ! Hahah too short garra go !
Required fields are marked *
5 Newbie
July 12, 2013 at 6:23 AM
Hi Beanies, happy OT!
My past couple of weeks:
Still bitter about Real Man not being subbed. :/ I mean, how can you not love this?
youtube(.)com/watch?v=2a6j_52ZgTs&list=UUiBr0bK06imaMbLc8sAEz0A
I’ve got no idea whatsoever, why they had to learn these dance moves after joining a division of pioneers, but they did and it was HILARIOUS. As a foreigner it would be such a great opportunity to learn something about an important part of today’s Korean society, esp. as they share a room with regular soldiers, or witness the Korean/Australian culture clash, but it is neglected by the subbers. BTW they are going to shoot at Yoo Seung Ho’s unit soon, which may up the current ratings of 17+ percent even more.
Empire of Gold – I’m hooked. It will not be everyone’s cup of tea (it starts quite violently and got this dreaded business/economical theme), but the first episodes began very intense and it could become something really good. Every little detail is important and that’s what I like about a show. (There is some great acting too, but still, Jung Kyung-ho outcasts them all. Baksa, fighting!)
Scandal … - Not exactly hooked, but interested. Other than with Empire I ff-ed some parts, because this show really milked the little kid’s fate and death, which I never like. But I’ll check out the future eps to see more of the adults’ conflicts. (At least two minor actors have parts in Empire and Scandal, which turns out to be confusing, if you watch them simultaneously.)
Next marathon will be Shark.
Some oldies:
Alone in Love *SPOILER*– I like both leads, read some very good reviews and was willing to check it out. After ending it, I’m a little torn. It is not the right series for a marathon, it will depress you too much, because the topic (a divorced couple after the dead of their first child) is sad and heavy, and the pacing is very slow. I liked, that the story took its time to show the rapprochement of the lovers, but the last episode left me disappointed. We invest so much time (16 episodes) and don’t get to see the actual reunion?! Instead we get endless minutes of pseudo-philosophical voice-over, a hint of a huge medical problem for the second couple, and another cutsey kid ending. Koreans got a serious problem writing a satisfying ending. :/
Dal Ja’s Spring –the ride was cute and funny. For once a heroine I’m not ashamed of. If I were 20 years younger I’d crush hard on the spare tire. But, alas, again a very weak last episode.
Hope this curse won’t hit Cruel City, which is still amazing when Baksa and his quadrangle are on the screen. Nine’s position at the top of my list is in danger now. I’m surprised how little Nam Gyu-ri annoys me, because I almost didn’t watch the show due to her. One has simply to admire her ability to jog in those heels with her skinny, skinny legs.
Finally, I watched Jdrama Pride, which I enjoyed over all. Guess, I’ll have to look for some more stuff with Kimura Takuya. ;)
Required fields are marked *
KimYoonmi
July 12, 2013 at 6:30 AM
@Alone in Love
It's a Slice of Life drama. It's really, really slow. However, the thing about dramas from much of Asia or at least outside of the Western world in general, is that they aren't ending focused. They let you extrapolate the ending.
When you feed your kid sugar cakes after the meal that kid will want dessert first and focus on dessert. I find that much of Western media has become this way--we want dessert more than the full meal.
But there is value in looking at the journey too and deemphasizing the ending.
So if you watch it again and don't expect dessert (I mean the last episode), the meaning and the true ending come out.
This was also part of the issue in Big too. Everyone wanted dessert, but the truth is there is no dessert at the end of maturity, because we ever are trying to become more mature. It doesn't have a face or an end.
Required fields are marked *
Newbie
July 12, 2013 at 6:47 AM
I had no problem with the pacing nor do I have a problem with an end open to interpretation, but I admit, that if I use a visual medium like TV I and the romantic in me would like to SEE the resut of my journey. ;)
Required fields are marked *
Cha
July 12, 2013 at 1:02 PM
super love EMPIRE OF GOLD too!! I hope more people watch it...
Required fields are marked *
junny
July 12, 2013 at 2:32 PM
hm, debating whether to start Empire of Gold... how is Go Soo doing so far? i'm wary of Lee Yo-won, she's been dull in most of the stuff i've seen her in and i don't know if i can last 32 eps (that's the number, right) seeing her face (Nam Gyuri is bad enough in Heartless City).
Required fields are marked *
Newbie
July 12, 2013 at 2:51 PM
Go Soo is strong. He's not Baksa, who is?, but he delivers. As I said, it could become something really good. You might want to wait a while and watch a larger number of eps to decide, but the first four were enough for me. I'm in.
I'm not a fan of Lee Yo-won either (her eyes are too bland), but so far she is alright for this part.
I read it's 24 eps, that isn't too bad if you don't have to marathon them. In weekly doses it should be survivable. I think Scandal is 32 eps.
Required fields are marked *
junny
July 12, 2013 at 3:18 PM
24 seems do-able, so i think i'll consider it seriously (waiting for more eps is a good idea, thanks!). loved Go Soo in Will It Snow For Christmas? and just can't resist the eyes, they're so wonderfully expressive.
Shi-hyun rocks my world now, hoping the drama keeps up the intensity to the end (though it does need to get a move on plot-wise).
Required fields are marked *
Newbie
July 12, 2013 at 11:38 PM
The intensity is what makes this show. CC's plot got giant holes and they are a few steps shy from makjang, if one more undercover agents appears, but the atmosphere and poignancy as well as Baksa's acting and his quadrangle rises the show above so many others.
Go Soo is so handsome and manly, one should simply watch everything he appears in.
junny
July 13, 2013 at 3:32 AM
writer should never have made Shi-hyun go undercover, or Soo-min (should have just written her out completely and nothing would have been lost). the acting is still top-notch (bar Nam Gyuri) and Jung Kyung-ho continues to carry the show on his slender shoulders (though Choi Mu-seong is helping tons too).
i just love the scene at Scale's house, where Shi-hyun has gathered his rag-tag team and then sits at Scale's throne issuing orders, like a boss. and Scale actually moves a place down for Soo, who is rightfully Shi-hyun second-in-command. it was awesome.
okay, i'll be off to download me some Go Soo!
verzaholicbee
July 14, 2013 at 7:05 PM
Newbie, I'm so glad you talked about Oh Dal Ja's spring! I marathoned it last month and liked the heroine a lot, as well (though after seeing the poster I had doubts about watching it since I thought she was going to be another loud ajumma with horrible hair style). And loved Lee MinGi (still drooling).
But yeah, the last episode... my main issue is that I hate when main characters leave for months/years, and then reunite and nothing changed. I think it would be better if they went on living together, taking the relationship to the next step (whatever that step is, I don't mean marriage or kids) naturally, without drama, supporting each other's dreams without stupid sacrifices. OR they could both go to the US, he didn't have any ties since he was going to change jobs, but of course, that solution never seems to be considered, sigh...
Required fields are marked *
6 KimYoonmi
July 12, 2013 at 6:24 AM
I found that the Love 911 movie explains the firefighter/Nurse plot of Cyrano.
I'm making a hanbok for a friend with a deadline of the end of this month. (Separate from the one I'm making for another friend.)
Sad about the I Hear Your Voice extension.
I couldn't find a new movie to watch. =P I've tried all the ones I liked.
Finding that writing a script is harder than I thought. >.<;; Pacing, pacing, pacing. It's really difficult figuring the amount of events and scenes needed. (Plus you have to absolutely outline, which is against my usual nature).
Editing several other projects at once. I know... I have 5 projects to edit, three to write, and 2 waiting to be written. And one that I can't find the correct people to check it so I can publish it. I'm slow at editing and it's really hard to find betas that get the cultural differences I'm trying to write in without them saying it's "wrong".
And finding an excuse to e-mail Carole... but I have none.
Korean Cultural Note: When in a crowd in South Korea, don't weave through. The locals don't. You'll look like a rude foreigner when you do. Be patient and walk with everyone at the same pace. I was told this by the person I was staying with in South Korea as two foreigners right after she said it weaved in and out through people.
Dramas
I'm burning for new dramas that have the flavor of crack on caffeine.
Just You was sugary sweet. Predictable, but still I like it. (TW drama)
Master's Sun Preview was awesome. Just as I predicted. Hong Sisters try their hand at scaring you.
Watched I'll teach you Love. Good.
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 6:45 AM
Oh you have a hanbok pattern/knowledge of how to make one? I have been wanting to make one or at least a modern hanbok inspired dress for a long time, just not had any luck in tracking up books or anything about how to actually make one.
I am intrigued by your script writing though; have seen you mention it before and about having Kwang-Soo as a male lead. Can I ask what the plot is about?
And I agree with you Master's Sun does look awesome, I just hope the show turns out that way as well. Would love to see their take on a bit of the darker, scarier humor as well.
Required fields are marked *
KimYoonmi
July 12, 2013 at 7:02 AM
You can get the pattern for a hanbok on folkwear. The tricky part of the Chegori (the top) It's a great site overall. The patterns are a little expensive, but I think that's to be expected since they spend a lot of time into patterning and research.
With Master's Sun, I'm betting my predictions will become true: The theming will be over Life and Death, which is something they've been holding onto for a while. I'd also love to see them do more black humor--which they tried a little of in Hong Gil Dong (though I don't think anyone on Dramabeans got the joke...) They will also probably try their hand at some of the things they were trying for in Big, but bring back the faster ride. I expect a Haunted House with a House of mirrors. They do amusement park rides. =P It's the best way to describe their work. And they will once again sacrifice everything to the theme... and if I'm right they'll sacrifice it to Life and Death. And that'll make some people very unhappy... (But they've been doing it for a while now.)
Lee Kwang Soo is the Male lead. Wang Ji Hye (same age), is the female lead.
Kim Yeon Hee, a rich chaebol and drama addict, is sick of being rejected in love, so after her 50th rejection, she decides to become second lead and with the help of Lee Cheol Soo break up her love interest from Lee Cheol Soo’s love interest. However, Lee Cheol Soo through their various schemes falls in love with her… throwing her grand plot out of whack. Second leads aren’t supposed to fall in love with Second Leads!
Both main leads are supposed to be major dorks. Yeon Hee tries too hard at everything. And Cheol Soo is far too lax and spineless. It's a parody of the usual second leads. (The names are also a parody as well.) (There are also several reversals and twists to the usual set up).
I completed the first episode. Yeon Hee has 49 1/2 rejections at the beginning. But after the 1/2 rejection fully rejects her, that's what send her over the edge. I've been brewing this plot for years.
Click my name and you should get the blog with the script posted.
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 7:15 AM
Thank you! Do they have a webpage I can google my way to? Expect patterns to be a bit costly, but as you say with the time they put into making it it is expected. Not to mention that once you have it you can do so much with it yourself.
Haha, if Masters Sun turns out to be a well constructed Haunted house ride I can be on board with that! With the Hong sisters drama's I really feel the need to learn Korean as I suspect a lot of the humor and subtlety gets lost in translation.
Your script sounds really interesting! Love the idea of having the "second leads" be the main couple, such a nice twist on the normal happenings of a drama.
Required fields are marked *
KimYoonmi
July 12, 2013 at 7:27 AM
Google folkwear.... and it'll come up. Folkwear doesn't bend their patterns to the modernized versions. I'm always amazed at the amount of research they put in. They also use good patterning paper, which drives up the cost, but helps with the durability of the pattern. (Modern Hanbok are sewn up the back on the skirt, though.)
I so need a crack drama, and I'm hoping Master's Sun will pull us out of what's been a Meh year all around. (Not counting the tail ends of 2012)
I'm working on the second episode... ^^;; But I kinda needed more plot, so I've been asking around about hotel issues. (Some are amazing... O.o)
The competition are acted by Daniel Henney and Han Ye Seul in my script. I needed people who spoke fluent English since they work in a hotel. (Also to make fun of the bad English in Korean dramas). I'm going to put lots of meta references in, though if you don't know them, it won't slow you down.
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 7:55 AM
Yeah once you have a pattern you can always change it around yourself and experiment (the silk paper used to wrap flowers is brilliant to make experimental patterns since you can draw through them, though tear easily). I'm interested in making both, and having a proper pattern for the original is a nice place to start.
I know what you mean, it's been a very bleak dramaland this year. Atm I have my crack drama in Mia Taeng, but hoping that Master's Sun will be able to replace it.
Hotel issues are so all over the place. Discovering anything that goes on behind the scenes in any business is always interesting and crazy sounding.
Yeah I've started reading the first episode :) I think making fun of a lot of the "normal" conventions is a nice way to go. Just amp the humor with meta referancs, especially those that make it funny even if you don't know the references and then add another layer to the humor if you do.
KimYoonmi
July 12, 2013 at 8:46 AM
Oh and you can google "sy fabrics" go to the "brocade" section and there are some really nice and cheap fabrics (cheaper than fabric dot com) that look authentic. (Jaquard that looks nice and is cheap is hard to find).
If you want a bit more true to the whole thing, you can also try sonjjang -->fabric section. But it might be more expensive because of shipping overall. (Ships from Korea). Upside, you can find patches, etc there too to accessorize.
katmoo
July 12, 2013 at 9:19 AM
You just saved my life! I have been trying to find a pattern and good fabric for ages! I am making my sister and I hanboks. I was just about ready to wing it with cheap fabric to make sure my pattern worked out. So excited!
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 11:15 AM
Oh that's awesome. I'll have a look around to see what I can find. Do you know if there are any sorta "rules" about colours and combinations of them and stuff like that?
KimYoonmi
July 12, 2013 at 11:42 AM
@Manin I don't think it's as strict as it is in Kimono wear (If you want a guide to kimono, buy Lisa Dalby's Kimono)
I do know that traditionally there was more of an emphasis on rank through hanbok.
(Warning may run geeky and have excess info.)
So for example, Geumbok (gold leafing) was only for the rich Nobles (Yangban). And then the Phoenix was only for the princesses/Queen. (More the Queen/consorts/betrothed). If you dared wear anything with a Geumbok and had a phoenix, that could be considered treason, which means you could be killed.
Silver Leafing was similar.
Rich also wore brighter colors overall.... particularly red, which was reserved for more the rich. (red was expensive to produce for a while). And of course, as dramas say, Chinese silks.
Upper class also wore more flounces in general as well. Kinda imposing, since the Buddhist symbol for heaven is an equilateral triangle with one point facing up... so that must have been really imposing to see literally the shape of heaven in front of you.
Other than that, I think it's partially uniform (You know, like in the palace there were strict uniforms) and basic color sense. Lime green does not generally go well with bright orange. (Elew) Dark orange, maybe...
Oh and colors in the Joseon period were brighter than how Seoul is now. (which is a sea of black and white. Elew.) so saturated colors were treasured, especially among the rich.
How yangban do you want to appear? Slave class used cotton. Lower class also used thicker cottons. Middle Class (which is most of your regional governors) used satins, if they were lucky. Yangban used silks when they could get it and brocades. And the royalty used strictly silk and silk brocade.
Hanbok also vary by season too... (Airier fabric is more summer wear... and more likely to be affordable by the upperclass. Called Guksa, etc.)
You can find out more out of Sunny Yang's Hanbok book... though it's not as good as the documentary about Hanbok and does not serve as an equivalent for Lisa Dalby's Hanbok book.
There are other little more complex rules such as figuring out which petticoat to wear underneath for which style of dress, but I haven't figured those out yet.
@Katmoo If you don't want to make it yourself, there is the hanbok Boutique on ebay. I've used them several times and they sell used hanbok for fairly cheap. It ranges from 24-300 dollars from all different (recent) styles. It also is a good reference on color. Muted colors usually means someone older in the traditional lore. (It reversed after the Japanese occupation so muted colors are for the young... and bright colors are for older people) They also sell dangui...
katmoo
July 12, 2013 at 11:57 AM
I love sewing, so making the hanbok myself is no problem. In fact I have recently started hand embroidering the ribbon that hangs down from the waist for my sister (who's 16). The only thing I was worried about was trying to make the pattern by myself and finding decent fabric.
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 12:04 PM
Yeah I have noticed in dramas how the gold/silver and brighter colours generally being higher classes, while the lower have more earth like, darker colours.
I'm not sure what to pick. Cotton tends to be an easier fabric to find (and sometimes cheaper), though I suppose it wouldn't be for everyday wear in my case :p Also I like darker colours and definitively not lime green (I can like if for details, not a whole outfit) and orange together! :p
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 8:13 AM
I can't wait to see Master's Sun along with you. Life and Death theming...yeah, i'm there.
With so many rejections, you're nearer to getting accepted.
Required fields are marked *
Ada246
July 12, 2013 at 8:37 AM
Korean Cultural Note: Don't know about walking at everyone else's pace, but I had the experience of being shoved aside a couple of times by people (always guys) when they needed to pass. n I wasn't exactly walking slowly.
Required fields are marked *
KimYoonmi
July 12, 2013 at 9:08 AM
Oh, bumping into each other usually isn't considered that bad.
And you won't get an apology for it either. Though, if you want one you can take acting lessons on how to fall to the ground.
It used to be much more strict on sidewalks that you walk to the left and get passed on the right... but now that's restricted to stairs.
=P Since I've learned that I keep mixing it up without thinking. Especially near subways and especially after thinking in Korean mode. (It's pathetic in a way.)
I also sleepily tap my card to try to get out like they do in the Korean subways. --;;
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 9:37 AM
Trust me. I wouldn't say it's "wrong." The most annoying thing I do when critting folks is to write in capitals: NO!
Am a pretty tough critiquer but I'm not particularly mean. My writer friends fear sending me their WIPs but they feel somehow that they've missed something if they don't send a draft to me. I'm pretty good at seeing where the writer wants to go --thematically-- in a story.
Send if and whenever you want to.
Required fields are marked *
KimYoonmi
July 12, 2013 at 11:54 AM
I'm a harsh critiquer too... Mostly I'm referring to the fact that the majority of my critiquers are not of color nor diverse... nor have pulled themselves outside of their own culture... so when I put in culture things in, they auto-think it's wrong. Which is frustrating.
More specifically, I found out that the majority of people don't know what naan is. O.o; I was like WHA---!!! You're missing out on so much! (Don't you know how good Indian food is???) Also, I took for granted that people could name the majority of the Hindu gods since I got it in crappy public school... and I found out that's not universal. I also found out that "World History" usually concentrates on "European History" for the majority of people in the US. (I just want to cry out at the injustice since I thought it was more like what I had--you know Africa, Asia, South America, Central America.... What happened to the Hittites? Hmm? And Al Alandus? <--You know the Muslim influence that pulled Europe out of thinking that humors cured things.)
Yeah... religion and religious culture too.
I like writing diversity, but find myself trying to negotiate between cultures and people straight out saying an action that's culturally appropriate (and historically) is "wrong". (Such as putting the indirect speech in Japanese into a story's dialogue... *sighs* And I'm doing direct translation too...) It's frustrating. I know it's under contention too for those who aren't in the mainstream culture...
I usually write Spec fiction... but I venture occasionally in other fields too.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 12:23 PM
I know what Naan is.
In my experience, all kinds of critters are good. There are some critiquers who know absolutely zip and they are frustrating but they make you learn to write in such a way that you can keep them up to speed on what's actually happening in the story. So ignorant critiquers are a good thing.
Also rigid types are good as well. They can be annoying but they help you realize where you're writing something quirky.
Specfic definitely requires an ability to make an unknown (created) culture known to the reader. If you learn how to write specfic, you can write about any known culture so subtly that the reader ends up learning and understanding stuff they didn't know before.
True about the study of World History in the US. Generally, we learn European History. I know the Hittites but that's because I study the Bible and I picked up all kinds of historical books along the way about Ur of the Chaldees, the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, etc.
It always amazes me that most Americans don't know about Pre-Colombian history. One of my favorite kings was King Jaguar. If US history classes included History before columbus --and if all US students were made to study it, we would definitely honor the Native Americans more. Of course there'd be some folks against changing the curriculum...but eh...
Well, I'm here if you want a critique. I do believe, though, that there are ways of subtly telling one's readers something they don't know without letting them know you've taught them. It';s part of worldbuilding...even though the world (in this case the world of India) does really exist.
Required fields are marked *
CMRPrindle
July 12, 2013 at 5:12 PM
When in a crowd in South Korea, don’t weave through.
Should I ever be lucky enough to make it to Korea, this is going to get me the eye every time. As a NYer, weaving through crowds is my breath and bone.
Required fields are marked *
CMRPrindle
July 12, 2013 at 5:25 PM
And now, having read all the back and forth re hanbok, I want to pick your brain about hanboks done w/traditional African fabrics and/or prints.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 13, 2013 at 9:57 AM
oh, i once saw a really great African-themed hanbok. Some fashion designer had done it. It was soooooooo lovely. Blue if i recall. I immediately wanted it. No, i immediately wanted some hottie k-drama actor to give it to me.
Required fields are marked *
CMRPrindle
July 13, 2013 at 7:43 PM
Hmm, it's better to give than to receive...unless the giver is totally hot! I thoroughly agree!
DayDreamer
July 13, 2013 at 3:29 PM
I had the same thought as you...weaving in and out is totally a NYC thing and I totally do it too, lol.
Required fields are marked *
CMRPrindle
July 13, 2013 at 7:42 PM
I tried not to do this earlier today and totally gave up. I felt a bit like a failure, lol. I guess we'd have to practice.
Required fields are marked *
7 aoiaheen
July 12, 2013 at 6:27 AM
Hello everyone,
I think this is the first time ever that I've been equally addicted to 2 dramas I'm watching live.
Heartless City, Baksa just gets better and better and oh how I fear for him going to the dark side.
I hear your voice. I am so very glad that our old Soo Ha is back. I missed him so much.
Hey, if someone joins the police academy does he still have to do the mandatory military service?
Have a good weekend everyone.
Required fields are marked *
Windsun33
July 12, 2013 at 11:52 AM
I don't know if still true or not, but at one time you had to be at least 24 to apply for the Seoul Metro force, so they probably would have done their military already by then. Probably some much more recent info on it out there, but I don't read Korean.
Required fields are marked *
8 DayDreamer
July 12, 2013 at 6:27 AM
Hi everyone!
I'm excited for Javabeans' next podcast; there were great questions asked that I didn't bother asking any because it would've just been redundant. Now I just can't wait for the answers.
In dramaland:
1. I Hear Your Voice: I still have to watch this entire week's episodes so please code your comments with "Warning Spoilers!" Much appreciated.
2. Dating Cyrano Agency: still enjoying this light breezy show. Last episode had quite some interesting twists that I liked although the last twist was a bit over the top but I'll take what I can get. As long as it helps my favorite OTP get together. =P
3. Scandal-A Shocking and Wrongful Incident: despite the title being over the top, the show is actually quite watchable. Ignoring some flaws (SPOILER: seriously, how can you take a child from its mother and have him go along with it for more than a day is beyond me), i rather liked it. I still have to finish watching episode 4 but almost the first half had me in tears at the plight of the mother who lost her son, the kidnapper who lost his son and the kidnapped child. Since Show managed to get me in the heart, I'm fully onboard watching this. I would even venture to recommend trying it.
Required fields are marked *
DayDreamer
July 12, 2013 at 6:31 AM
I also forgot to add: Can someone please share, if any, links to the show Grandpa Over Flowers??? After JB's and GF's recap of the first episode, I've been dying to watch it with full subs but can't find it anywhere. If there aren't subs, then is there any rumor of perhaps somebody or group that will take on the task of subbing? I'm seriously going nuts trying to find this show. -_-
Required fields are marked *
sixtyeightmonkey
July 12, 2013 at 6:50 AM
Same here! I'd love to see Grandpas Over Flowers, but don't know where to find it.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 8:16 AM
So good seeing you again!
I hadn't read your post before I posted...so I didn't put any spoiler warnings. Sorry.
I don't think i could watch a show with kidnaped children. Sounds good though.
Required fields are marked *
DayDreamer
July 13, 2013 at 3:34 PM
Hey Carole! Good to see you again. How have you been? How's writing going?
Don't worry about the spoilers; I kinda glossed over your post and knew it had spoilers so I stopped reading. I'll finish reading now though. :)
I haven't watched shows with kidnapped children either but since this drama had Kim Jae Won and Park Sang-min, I had to check it out. Luckily, it's also 36 episodes and not like 50 episodes like usual weekend dramas. I can see why people might not like it since it's close to being makjangy but I guess I can handle it.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 13, 2013 at 5:57 PM
So good to see you. Now I just have to see Delicatecloud and all is right with the world.
The writing is going well. Although currently I'm kinda not really writing. Just doing a lot of writing-related stuff. Am critiquing a friend's YA novel, doing a virtual blog tour of The Constant Tower and trying not to nag the publishers to get the kindle/itunes/nook versions out ASAP.
The little writing I'm doing is an ebook n the Book of Job. The YA is presently confusing me. I want it to be graphic novel but I also want it to be past tense first person. Right now it's present tense first person and I'm really wondering if I should really go to the effort of changing the tense in soooo many pages.
Dramas with suffering children..i'm horrible at watching. It just keeps me up nights. Soooooooooo good seeing you again.
Required fields are marked *
9 alua
July 12, 2013 at 6:32 AM
Happy Friday!
I can't remember what I watch this week, need to get my brain together after a busy week (and more busy days to come).
I hate the fact that I can never really participate in the I Hear Your Voice discussion, because the recap post isn't up by the time I go to bed (and I go to bed at ungodly hours, like 2 am) and when I get up (around 7), there's usually 150 comments already. Wahhhhh!
Okay, there's worse things in life, but sometimes I feel like I'm missing out.
Loving IHYV to bits (need to watch most recent ep still).
Monstar: still loving it.
Woman (J): need to watch ep 2, but looking forward to it.
Itazura: not expecting too much of tonight's episode, the whole Naoki-sacrifices-himself-and-gets-an-omiai arc just isn't my thing. Plus, I think he's being a bit cruel (Kotoko deserved a one-on-one conversation), while Kinchan is such a good alternative that I would cheer for him if I didn't know that Kotoko has friendzoned him forever.
Gerikyuu (something like that, can't be bothered to check the spelling just now): need to watch ep 2
Starman: haven't watch this yet, but it's on my list for sure, for the lead actress, plus I just saw that Kinchan has a supporting role in it too!
Summer Nude: Anyone tried this yet? Somehow I think even if I do, I'd end up dropping it.
Love Around: I think I'm ready to drop this. It's just... boring.
Just You: still okay, when I need something light. I like the leads, the female lead's parents – they are just so heartwarming. All the office stuff is a bit boring though.
Required fields are marked *
DayDreamer
July 12, 2013 at 6:54 AM
I also have a problem with getting to IHYV recap on time: I watch the episodes rather late (by end of week) and there are like a ton of comments already, hehe. So I just watch at my own pace, read the recap, and then go through all the comments.
Required fields are marked *
alua
July 12, 2013 at 11:25 AM
Yeah... it's the curse of the time zone.
Sometimes the recap is out before I can even get subs... But with some dramas it's more notable than others, IHYV being one.
Not anyone's fault of course, and I'm not complaining, it's just that feels like having arrived at the party when the cake has been all eaten already......
Required fields are marked *
opaque
July 12, 2013 at 6:07 PM
Haha same. I usually watch the episode and go to sleep because the recap isn't up but when I check it out the next morning, there are about 200 comments and the conversations/spazzing has kinda died out...
I think it also has to do with GF's amazing recapping speed. The ones that are recapped slower usually end up getting posted when I'm on the net anyways.
Required fields are marked *
DayDreamer
July 13, 2013 at 3:39 PM
Yes, I agree! I don't have complaints but it certainly feels like the cake is already gone. It's alright. Like you said, we have the OT.
So now that I finally watched IHYV's this week's episodes, I'm just like GAAAAHHHH, OOMMMMGGGG!! Every episode has my heart bursting with so many emotions: pride, fear, joy, sadness, happiness, etc, etc. I'm super happy that Hye Sung finally touched his head at the end of episode 12...please let her get over denial quickly and just give puppy a nice smooch, heehee. :D
Also, with this drama, I've come to love the actor playing Soo Ha. I think I'll give School 2013 a try now.
Required fields are marked *
kdramapedia
July 12, 2013 at 7:13 AM
Same here.
It's like that for pretty much all recaps. By the time they're posted, I'm ready for bed. Or if I'm up, by the time I realize it, there's already 1349745829057 posts, and all my thoughts have been said, so I just don't say anything. And for some, the subs aren't up for me yet, so I can't post even if I wanted to (I always have to watch first, then read, hehe).
So I try to catch the OTs when I have free time at work and talk about the shows there. That's how I feel connected to the discussion even when I don't make it to the recap.
Required fields are marked *
alua
July 12, 2013 at 11:26 AM
Sometimes if recaps are up before subs, I read recaps first but then I often get too lazy to watch the drama... which sucks (that's how I sometimes end up dropping dramas that are half-baked)! Fortunately, IHYV is so good that I can resist reading the recaps because I really want to go into watching it without any prior knowledge.
Required fields are marked *
john
July 12, 2013 at 7:46 AM
alua ~
I'm liking Woman so far, (watched Ep 2 this AM), also waiting for Naked Summer to show up subbed for Erika Toda.
Required fields are marked *
alua
July 12, 2013 at 11:28 AM
The combo of Yamapi / Erika / Karina just doesn't do it for me. It's going to be fluff with some rather bad acting, particularly from Yamapi... I don't mind Erika and/or Karina per se, but I also don't love love love them to make it a must watch.
Required fields are marked *
john
July 12, 2013 at 11:38 AM
alua ~
I still have Yae no Sakura w/ Ayase Haruka. I'm up to EP 11, so it's time to go back and watch some more.
Required fields are marked *
alua
July 14, 2013 at 1:19 PM
Tried Summer Nude.
So, everyone is hung up on love from a gazillion years ago – 3 years? And 10 years of unrequited love? People are willing to put their life on hold for that long? Seriously?
And what's with the message if a woman a) marries or b) has a child, she is suddenly incapable of doing any job?
And then just little things that don't make sense. You ask a total stranger to come all the way from Tokyo to cook because she's the "only one" who can save the restaurant? No one in the seatown has even tried her food, or has any other reason to believe that this girl is the "only one".
And what's with the husband getting married and then taking off during the reception? Shouldn't he have run off before or at least when they ask him "Do you wish to marry this person..."?
Yamapi still can't act either.
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 8:17 AM
yeah, i gave up on Love Around.
Required fields are marked *
alua
July 12, 2013 at 11:29 AM
I'm barely holding onto Just You as well. Now if we could cut out all the office-related shenanigans and get a more interesting story, it'd be fun, because those two characters could be good fun.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 11:40 AM
You're way stronger than I am, way more patient. Although I will admit that I might return to Empire of Gold. All that chaebol talk was making my eyes glaze over. But I'm tempted to give it a second chance.
Required fields are marked *
alua
July 12, 2013 at 3:27 PM
You're overestimating me here I think... I don't think my patience will last!
alua
July 14, 2013 at 1:23 PM
Watched ep 4.
My. Brain. Was. Hurting.
Especially during the last 15 minutes, when the girl was running after the guy, trying to persuade him to change his mind about something that was her doing no matter how you looked at it. It made NO sense.
In ep 1, I though they'd use Puff Gao's character as someone who using her wit to win agains her boss (which would have been funny), but they've turned her into a brainless, wide-eyed girl now. Seriously depressing.
Sue
July 12, 2013 at 10:14 AM
Itazura - I know what you mean. I actually went ahead and watched the Taiwan version and I liked it a hundred times better. I even did a marathon of season 2 because I liked it so much. I'll finish the Japanese version, but I still think Taiwan won this one.
Starman - watched the first episode last night and it was good. I wonder how many episodes it has planned.
Just you/Love around I dropped like hot potatoes. Boring.
I started Goddess of Marriage and I think I will be dropping it next week if it continues on this path.
And yes, just like you I am loving IHYV and Monstar.
Required fields are marked *
alua
July 12, 2013 at 11:23 AM
I do prefer this Itazura to all the others – I like Kotoko much better (she is not reduced to being a naive idiot 100%, which, I'm afraid, Ariel's character is), Kinchan is not only a viable alternative rather than comic fodder with little substance, but a character that comes with a wonderful message about what it means to be a friend, and Naoki is a little more human than in the other versions too. It's only that we've reached parts of the story that I find not very compelling (Naoki successfully running his father's business after a night of reading up on everything... ummm, no!).
Most Japanese doramas are 11 episodes, I'd guess Starman will have the same?
Required fields are marked *
opaque
July 12, 2013 at 6:11 PM
Kotoko is developed a lot better in this adaptation..but for me, that's actually becoming a problem. I like her too much. For the entirety of episode 15, I was screaming at her to drop Naoki like a hot potato and just go to Kin-chan. It's the first time I've wavered off the main OTP and disliked the main lead so thoroughly. It's not that Naoki is worse than the other versions but Kotoko is better and so I feel she deserves better too.
Required fields are marked *
alua
July 12, 2013 at 9:42 PM
I know, in all of episode 15 I thought Kotoko is just the nicest person ever.
I don't dislike Naoki, though I think he was cruel in episode 15. At the moment, Kotoko does deserve better for him, but if Naoki finally realises what it means to NOT be with Kotoko and actually confesses to her, and treats her like he should, then I'm okay. I don't find him off-putting like a lot of the arrogant jerks in many dramas, you can see in episode 15 that he is suffering and that everything he's doing is, as much as it's hurting Kotoko, it's hurting himself also. The truth is, he's just got a lot more growing up to do than Kotoko, who demonstrates particular in this episode that she is very mature.
verzaholicbee
July 14, 2013 at 6:45 PM
But still, even if Naoki was cruel in ep. 15, he is a better Naoki than in other versions: In almost every episode there is a moment where we see how he values Kotoko and talks to her as an equal.
In the previous Japanese version I couldn't buy their happy ending because that Naoki always treated her poorly, without respect.
Sue
July 12, 2013 at 8:45 PM
I agree with you about Kotoko and Kinchan. But I can't stand the actress's facial expressions in this version. Is that puckering thing that she does all the time. Plus I think the chemistry between the leads in the Taiwan version was more believable, particularly in season 2, once they are married. But I am glad that in this version they don't emphasize constantly how dumb she is, like in the Taiwan version.
Required fields are marked *
alua
July 12, 2013 at 9:39 PM
I come to find this Kotoko's facial expressions endearing... they are weird, but I somehow love them!
I do agree the chemistry between the TW leads is very, very believable. I doubt we'd get that here, given that the actress is underage and there being like a 10 year age gap.
10 Manin
July 12, 2013 at 6:33 AM
Happy friday everyone!
Real life is still full of bureaucratic limbo in regards about getting to China. On the other hand I officially graduated uni which feels a bit strange.
Dramaland:
Drama watching has mostly been put on hold. My crack is still Mia Taeng (which I cannot wait to resume watching).
Looking forward to the new drama's that are comming: Think I will follow both Master's Sun and Who are you. And the preview for Joo Woon's new drama looks interesting as well.
Heirs: I don't want to watch a high school drama full of people obviously to old to be in high school, but that cast? It will be a very very pretty cast. I will probably give it a try, still couldn't it be placed in college/uni? Dramaland needs to discover that that's a period which can provides similar hijacks to a high school, with the added plus of people being of age + actors look believable.
Any one have any drama watching suggestions? Also interested in t-/c-drama's where they speak mandarin, as well as Jdorama's and Kdrama's worth giving a watch! (I lost my drama watching list...)
Required fields are marked *
alua
July 12, 2013 at 6:41 AM
Congrats on graduating!!!! Hope you are celebrating!!!!
Heirs.... it's just not that appealing. Only Kim Woobin is a draw (and Choi Jin-hyuk a bit too).
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 6:50 AM
Thank you! And is was a tiny celebration at the beach because I had to catch a 7:30 am train the day after (worst planed departure ever! :p )
I know what you mean about Heirs. I don't want to see it, but then I want to see the cast. Such a dilemma!
Required fields are marked *
nomad
July 12, 2013 at 10:42 AM
What would be awesome if somebody does a gif of Heirs of ALL the pretty faces so I can just watch the gif without spending time watching the drama. Hehehehe :P
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 11:16 AM
Haha that would be awesome indeed! :p
11 Tartani
July 12, 2013 at 6:38 AM
Heartless City- Paksa/Baksa/Shihyun/Jung Kyung Ho
I effing lurve you. You and the show.
IHYV- I effing lurve you as well.
I really wanted to be interested in Heirs but it's not doing it for me. I love CJH and KWB but I think I'm bailing out for this one. That character chart is literally all my pet peeve drama cliches mixed into one. And honestly I never really like SeGa or AGD, so KES as the writer is another big turnoff.
Now this will probably ignite lots of hate but I'm not exactly a fan of LMH and is indifferent to PSH. I've watched basically all of LMH's dramas but he really doesn't do it for me even if he's eye candy. And looks like PSH is playing another candy girl--sighs.
I'll be checking out the recaps to see if it's really worth my time.
Required fields are marked *
12 Lizzy4e
July 12, 2013 at 6:40 AM
Happy Friday!
I am watching:
YTBLSS: on fast forward for the cute
ICHYV: Love this show, hope the extra episodes are deftly crafted.
I kept mentioning to my daughter how big Lee Jong Suk seemed compared to the other actors because he seemed almost small when next to Kim Woo Bin in
School 2013: I am re-watching this so she can sees the size difference. (yea, that is why I am watching this show again, sure.)
Greatest Love: Re-watching this with my daughter for her first time.
Goddess of Marriage: Just started, writing seems a bit heavy handed.
Monstar: Love it.
North Texas Beanies did you know that the Asian Film Festival of Dallas is this weekend?
Not sure if I am permitted to put a link in the message so just add http:// and .com to this: asianfilmdallas to see the schedule.
Secretly Greatly WILL NOT be showing, much to my disappointment, but it will be showing at the New York Asia Film Festival and the Canada Fantasia, for those who live in that part of the country.
Happy Weekend!
RIP: DramaCrazy (still not over you)
Required fields are marked *
alua
July 12, 2013 at 6:50 AM
I'm sure it's fine to put the link for the film festival, they just moderate posts with links so they can take an hour or two to show up.
I can recommend Romance Joe (a bit unusual, but good and refreshing), Woodsman and the Rain (hilarious - review on my blog in case you are interested), Key of Life is supposed to be good according to friends of mine (missed it myself unfortunately) and I'd definitely go for Rurouni Kenshin if I had the chance...
Japan Cuts is on in New York right now as well, screening the fabulous The Kirishima Thing!!!
Required fields are marked *
alua
July 12, 2013 at 6:51 AM
Oh, Padak is good as well – but darker than Western animations, so I wouldn't take little kids.
Required fields are marked *
13 korfan
July 12, 2013 at 6:40 AM
Hello Everyone!
As always, I hope you are all doing well today.
This was the week of new dramas for me. Due to my off-schedule viewing, I just started Shark and I Hear Your Voice. I was looking forward to watching these two, so I'm glad they've started. It's only been 2 episodes of each one and my goodness, I'm already super interested! Yay!
I'm half-way through:
- WAML (poor oppa, it doesn't need to be like that ..... I know I could help him ..... *giggle*)
- Dong-yi (when is someone going to smack that guy, the Queen's brother? ..... perhaps in one of the remaining 30 episodes ....we'll see)
The other day, changing tv channels, I found another new station (for me, at least) and I noticed a drama starting and it said it was like episode 7 or whatever. It was a drama from Taiwan called What Is Love. I had never seen a Taiwanese drama before. This drama has no subtitles, no dubbing, and I don't speak Chinese but that's ok! I have to say it was kinda cute. You can totally figure out what's going on in the story.
What I can't figure out is when the episodes are! *laughing* ...... I tuned in the following week, same time and it said it was episode 9 ..... I'm like, "Wait, episode 7 was last week, where's 8?" .... then the same thing happened for episodes 10 and 11 .... I never saw en episode 10. ..... Kinda funny, but then not funny at the same time. I'll figure it out at some point.
Ok, that's it for now. Everyone take care and have a great Friday!
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 6:52 AM
Dong Yi: I really liked that show. But yeah the schemers does get a bit repetitive. What episode are you on?
Required fields are marked *
korfan
July 12, 2013 at 7:19 AM
Manin -
Just finished watching episode 30 this week.
I'm glad you liked it!
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 7:29 AM
Ah, still a long way to go then! It is a nice ride. But I have a feeling you will be able to pin point where they got an extension.
I'm really liking the King though, especially the banter with his head eunuch. So funny and cute :p
Required fields are marked *
korfan
July 12, 2013 at 7:46 AM
Ah yes, the King! I like him too.
14 leaf
July 12, 2013 at 6:51 AM
HELLO EVERYONE!!!
I'm back in Bangkok again <3
Meet up with my Thai friend today and we all went around the Palaces. It was super hot so we were dying...
Worst thing... my memory card got corrupted so I lost all my photos :'(
Hope you are all good and I'm still morning Dramacrazy. I'm not sure I'm ever going to get over it's demise.
Love xxx
Required fields are marked *
PeepsLeAwesomePotato
July 12, 2013 at 7:08 AM
Oh damn, sorry about your memory card...
Haha, I get you since I live near the equator. The sun just barbecues you alive!
Required fields are marked *
leaf
July 12, 2013 at 7:08 AM
Also... I seem to be suffering recently of not particularly caring about any dramas...
And I don't mean just in Thailand cause I'm busy here lol but before then...
^sigh^ Heirs had better be good!!
Required fields are marked *
korfan
July 12, 2013 at 7:42 AM
Leaf -
Your photos! Oh no! So sorry to know that happened!
Required fields are marked *
15 PeepsLeAwesomePotato
July 12, 2013 at 6:52 AM
I would like to ask a question.
Why is 'It started with a kiss' titled that?
I mean, all those shenanigans only happened because Kototo's house fell. See timelime:
Kotoko gives love letter -> Kotoko is embarrassed -> Kotoko's house collapses -> Kotoko moves into the Irie household -> Kotoko bugs Irie everyday -> Irie gets irritated and becomes a jerk->Kotoko decides not to love Irie anymore -> KISS!
See!!! The kiss only came after so many events happened! Therefore the kiss was the culmination of so many other things and from the above timeline, everything technically started from 'Kotoko gives love letter' but given Irie's personality, we can assume that the event meant close to nothing to him, so specifically, the first major event that happened between them was Kotoko moving into his house which therefore gave her access to bug him everyday, leading to him being aware of her orbiting him and this only happened because her house fell.
Therefore, I would like to propose that the title be changed to "It started with a house collapsing".
*Furious head nodding*
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 6:57 AM
But the kiss continued it all! Haha I do see your point though. Guess it just sounds better with "It started with a Kiss" than "it started with a house collapsing" :p
Required fields are marked *
PeepsLeAwesomePotato
July 12, 2013 at 7:10 AM
The it should be "It continued with a kiss".
Frankly speaking, most (romantic) relationships continue with/after a kiss, so it would be nothing special, hahaha.
Required fields are marked *
KimYoonmi
July 12, 2013 at 7:15 AM
It Started with a Kiss because originally the manga was a one shot and had Kotoko in the tunnel with Naoki. Then Tada-sensei backed it up and started the manga from the love confession. This is also how it got it's original title "Mischievous Kiss" (Which is actually a better translation than playful) It refer to the kiss in the tunnel where Kotoko threatens Irie she'd get a boyfriend.
Winnie is super sensitive to original source material.
Series-wise, that's when Kotoko knew that Naoki might have feelings back for her.
=P I know, I just geeked you.
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 7:21 AM
That was an awesome geeked! I knew there was a manga which was the base for the drama and anime. But never knew that it started as a one shot. It makes all the pieces fall into place!
Required fields are marked *
PeepsLeAwesomePotato
July 12, 2013 at 7:22 AM
O^O
You did.
Arigatou Gozaimasu Sensei. *bows*
Required fields are marked *
katmoo
July 12, 2013 at 9:39 AM
I 큰절 (keunjeol) to you, oh geek master!
Required fields are marked *
Julia the Berkshire Beanie
July 12, 2013 at 10:23 AM
There is much to complain about the first Japanese Itazura na Kiss, but that one did start with Kotoko bumping into Irie in the hallway and landing on his lips.
I know the manga folks are readying swords to pierce me for actually enjoying that the Japan version actually started with a kiss. This was the first version I ever saw, so I had no preconceived notions and liked that the girl who bumped into him becomes someone he thinks about in the back of his mind for a few years.
Required fields are marked *
Windsun33
July 12, 2013 at 1:29 PM
I think the original working title was something like Shooting Stars, or Stars From the Sky or such, which made more sense. Also, you cannot always trust those title translations, I have seen it listed with at least 3 different titles, and not sure which is really correct in the context. On most sites it is listed as "Playful Kiss" or "Mischievous Kiss". (Itazura means trick or mischief in it's most common usage).
Required fields are marked *
danah
July 12, 2013 at 5:24 PM
There is a drama that seems loosely adapted from Itazura na Kiss called Say that You Love Me (based on the theme song of ITWAK) but the title in Chinese is Love Starts with a Confession (爱情是从告白开始的).
Required fields are marked *
16 john
July 12, 2013 at 6:55 AM
Watching I Summon You Gold. The folks behind YTBLSS could have learned something from watching this show.
Watching J drama Woman
Required fields are marked *
Windsun33
July 12, 2013 at 1:34 PM
Yes, despite the usual faults of most 50-episode dramas, ISYG is much better. At least the leading girl has summoned up the guts to tell her mother that she is dead wrong about her priorities.
Besides that, I am expecting her twin sister to show up somewhere around ep40 to ep42 and cause some havoc, so I have to see what happens then.
Required fields are marked *
17 kdramapedia
July 12, 2013 at 7:07 AM
Good morning, beanies! I hope everyone in North America enjoyed their holidays last week. I sure did! Hard getting back into the swing of things on the cubicle farm, lol.
****
Also want to note that the second Midwest DB Meetup is next Saturday, July 20 in Chicago! Hope to see some Beanies there! =)
****
Required fields are marked *
18 Sarah
July 12, 2013 at 7:08 AM
Totally random thought i had for Lee Seung Gi's latest drama Gu Family Book. You know how he did My Girlfriend is a Gumiho not long before this drama? If the production was able to get Shin Mina to cameo on Gu Family Book, that would be pretty awesome/funny. Haha :p
Required fields are marked *
leaf
July 12, 2013 at 7:15 AM
YES.
Godammit why do we not run the Drama scene?
Required fields are marked *
19 Sajen
July 12, 2013 at 7:08 AM
Monstar- each episode keeps getting better hopefully that can continue for the last 4 episodes, if not 3 out of 4 aint bad
Heartless City- I hate to say this because of how strong it started and how much I loved it but I think I'm starting to loose interest and I don't know why, maybe it's because the show refuses to kill off characters that should be dead like Soo, and Meth Kim, and the female assassin so I can't feel any real danger.
Cyrano Dating Agency- I have other theories but I hope Hye Ri has an understandable reason for kidnapping Min Young
I hear your voice- so awesome
Sword and Flower- I watched the first 3 episodes but I still don't know, I mean the last 20-30 minutes of the third episode were awesome, but did it really have to take 20-30 minutes, and never before have I ever wished someone in real life or a drama would talk both more and faster.
Required fields are marked *
owl
July 12, 2013 at 8:06 AM
"talk more and move faster" - I know, like slow motion slow motion. Pretty, but I get antsy with long silent pauses and stares.
Required fields are marked *
DayDreamer
July 13, 2013 at 3:43 PM
I dropped Heartless City at episode 9 because suddenly there was more Nam Gyuri and well, let's just say I don't like her acting and Soo Min character. Also, yeah, the story line was getting more and more unbelievable. Baksa was the only thing that could root me to the show but I don't have the time nor attention span to wade through crap just for him.
Required fields are marked *
20 Makoto
July 12, 2013 at 7:16 AM
@Manin
Bu Bu Jing Xin is about modern woman who suddenly teleported to the past in Qing Dynasty. There she spent the rest of her life, witnessing every life aspect in Forbidden City. She went from a cheerful little girl into quiet mature / old woman. All the tormenting experience ... I watched it since many people talked about it and I too, miss taiwanese series after Huan Zhu Ge Ge. I found it full episode with engsub here http://youtu.be/iZ3hGobq8VA. Hope it helps. :)
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 11:18 AM
Oh thank you :) I'll definitively have a look at it Once I finish my current crack drama (also a recommended of here). It does sound like an interesting drama, and a nice view into Chinese history as well :)
Required fields are marked *
21 LizJ
July 12, 2013 at 7:18 AM
Being a romcom fan, I'm still feeling a little blue regarding the lack of it kin kdramas this summer.
Cyrano really hasn't grabbed me, although I'll watch till the end. I think it's the male lead. I never got into Shut Up Flower Boy Band, but enjoyed Flower Boy Ramen Shop and Flower Boy Next Door. I think the reason why I enjoyed both is that the male leads were both very charismatic right off the bat (with FBND having the bonus of a charismatic second male lead, too). The male lead in Cyrano is so emotionally repressed that it's taken till the end of the drama to have some development there.
Otherwise, I've focused on the romcoms from other countries - TW's Just You and Love Around, and Japan's Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo. MKLIT - this may end up being my favorite version of this story. For one thing, Irie is depicted more as caring for Kotoko far earlier in the story. We just don't know in what way, and how much (other than the clue of the second kiss). In other words, far less of a jerk.
I Hear Your Voice is one of those shows that I'd like to like, but somethings standing in the way. I think it's the hero heroine age difference. Sure, I didn't mind it as much in FBRS and Big. I think it's a little more in IHYV. At what point does it seem so unbelievable that it bothers you? Is it just an age difference, or is it a combination of age and life experience? Take FBRS: sophisticated (but immature) high school senior paired with student teacher. On the other hand, in IJYV, we have relatively typical high school senior (other than the traumatic events of his dad's death and his psychic abilities) paired with female lawyer.
Required fields are marked *
Hitoritabi
July 12, 2013 at 8:22 AM
What is it about Sooha in general that you find immature? Given his age and life experience, he is actually very mature for his age, and now that he has left school, he is no longer a student...
I completely understand if you still think it is uncomfortable, but I would argue that it is not because Sooha is too immature, because he really isn't.
Required fields are marked *
LizJ
July 12, 2013 at 12:08 PM
Since I haven't seen the last several episodes, and only recently got caught up on the recaps, I didn't know that he had left school.
He's not depicted as an immature character; I didn't mean to imply that.
I guess my point was that there is less of a difference in life experience between a high school senior and a student teacher, than a high school senior and a lawyer.
Required fields are marked *
Hitoritabi
July 12, 2013 at 12:37 PM
Oh, no worries :) I was just wondering if there is something about Sooha I am missing, because he always felt even more mature than Hyesung in some ways. To quote what one of my friends said, "It is almost like they are parenting each other."
My problems in the relationship lie more with the fact that they seem platonic and siblings-like, rather than romantic. But I would argue that maturity-wise, they both protect each other and look out for each other. There is more of a balance in their power also, after episode 12.
I wouldn't want to spoil it for you, but I do believe that the writer went a ways to answer some of the questions you raised. Also, sometimes you would want to ask: why make it a noona-dongsaeng relationship at all? Why not make Sooha an adult and the relationship problem free?
The writer did once explain that this is because Sooha was intended to be too young to use his abilities in a meaningful way... which is why he uses his abilities through Hyesung, changing her in the process.
Sorry this ended up so long. :P
Required fields are marked *
kdramapedia
July 12, 2013 at 8:32 AM
For IHYV, I think the best way to buy it is that they knew each other when they were BOTH kids/underage. It's not like they met when one was an adult and another was a child. So that helps make it better.
At least it's not A Gentleman's Dignity; that is an age gap I never got over (Meari and Yoonie Oppa).
Required fields are marked *
amberscube
July 12, 2013 at 9:28 AM
Speaking of age difference, i had problem with Big and FBRS but i fully support Sooha.
Required fields are marked *
22 Faye
July 12, 2013 at 7:19 AM
Has anyone read the new book "Crazy Rich Asians?" I really enjoyed it; it was a good summer read. In my mind, that's how I want the cast of the upcoming drama "Heirs" to be.
Required fields are marked *
Mar
July 12, 2013 at 10:36 AM
CRA=On my to do list!
Required fields are marked *
Cha
July 12, 2013 at 1:04 PM
I read it too :-) loved it!! :-)
Required fields are marked *
Cynthia
July 12, 2013 at 6:37 PM
Just finished it. What a total hoot!
Required fields are marked *
23 hydrangeabloom
July 12, 2013 at 7:31 AM
Happy Friday everybody! Started out this week by beginning Queen Seonduk. I hope it improves once Lee Yo-won takes center stage, because 1 1/4 episodes in and its already causing me to have arguments with the screen. Right now its a sageuk that comes across as full melo. Except, you know, with swords.
Three episodes in to Lucky Seven and mostly ambivalent about it. Looking forward to the premiere of Master's Sun. Hopefully things will liven up then. :)
Required fields are marked *
korfan
July 12, 2013 at 8:00 AM
hydrangeabloom -
QSD!! It does get better, especially around episode 20-something! ...... Then again, I loved it from beginning to end so I'm always saying good things about it. I just finished watching it a couple of months ago and I loved it so much I'd gladly sit through each and every episode all over again.
I hope you enjoy it! Let us know.
Required fields are marked *
kngdrama
July 12, 2013 at 8:58 AM
QSD!
20-something episodes - that's when Bidam makes his first appearance. After that the lagging and repetitive show became brilliant for me.
Required fields are marked *
hydrangeabloom
July 12, 2013 at 11:07 AM
Good to know. I was hoping it would improve faster than the 20-episode mark though. However, I'm holding on for now. :)
Required fields are marked *
hydrangeabloom
July 12, 2013 at 11:04 AM
Thanks korfan. I was banking on the story becoming more enjoyable once we got to the official start point of the story and not all this backstory. However, if it doesn't improve I will probably have a whole LOT to say about women in this drama. (I might even if it does improve, though.)
Required fields are marked *
spazmo
July 12, 2013 at 2:52 PM
Kim Nam Gil in ep 21!! i just started w/that episode just the other day... am loving him in Shark!
Required fields are marked *
24 kaimono
July 12, 2013 at 7:36 AM
Hi all,
What a slow week, glad weekend is just so close...
Studied studied and studied all week and while studying listened a great k-indie group called 'standing egg' give it a try I think the group is great
Having sun all week in the UK( which is once in 3 years thing) happy that I will enjoy it more in the weekend. Ok dramas.
1) IHYV, One of the best kdramas ever. another great episode
spoiler ---------------So happy Soo-ha is back. This drama affects me so much, I feel for every character except for the bad guy. and for the first time I don't care about the age difference at all. I think that's the success of plot. I can't wait for the next ep. ------
2) Monstar, waiting for the new ep and subs. please do not kill radio. So sad the drama will end soon. I want an official OST too.
3) Heirs, reading the news and getting excited. I think if they go with a different plot than the gossip girl, it will be so much better with such good casting. Well let's wait and see then...
Ok so that's it.
Enjoy your weekend beanies.
Required fields are marked *
25 enz
July 12, 2013 at 7:49 AM
hi fellow beanies
i notice no one is talking about Lee soon shin - i just really hated the ending of epi 35 and almost all of epi 36. as javabeans put it, very aggravating. so many contrived situations created to maximise misunderstandings amongst the characters - until these two episodes, i had not been as annoyed as everyone else. i hope all is cleared up soon coz i really hated how unnecessary the misunderstandings were.
i love monstar and somewhere up there, i have professed my newfound love for junhyung and beast. its so embarrassing though to be an ahjumma fangirl. embarrassing but i cant stop!! :P
also enjoying IHYV. LJS is really good in this and so is LBY. i didnt like their work in the previous dramas they were in.
hope everyone has a good weekend! its my working weekend but i can hope that its quiet.
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 8:00 AM
Ahh Lee Soon Shin... I had so high hopes and it all got crushed.. I gave it up a long time ago. Admorations for you staying with it.
After the trip I had with my mother, sister and grandma for my graduation I found out why I had such a low tolerance for the mother/grandma drama in that show...
I swear my sister, mother and grandma all have similar temper and make a big deal of things in a way which is not unlike how people in Lee Soon Shin behaved.
Required fields are marked *
enz
July 12, 2013 at 8:31 AM
manin, thats why i could stand it all this while!! because there ARE people like that out there!!! sigh. but last weekend's episodes were really hard on me. maddening. anyway, i have monstar epi 9 to look forward to. and i know its gonna be good coz i read the live recaps already :) :)
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 11:23 AM
Haha yeah though if I have to live through the drama in real life I don't want to sit through it in my "escape from the world" experience :p But yeah.. How is that drama progressing? Any developments at all?
I've been watching Monstar as well, though it's been put on hold cause of verious reasons so have from ep 6 up to catch up. And I don't want to read the recaps because I know I might never get around to watch them if I do :p
Required fields are marked *
enz
July 12, 2013 at 6:02 PM
you MUST watch monstar. I think it's pretty special and I will marathon it or buy the DVD when it finishes.
as for LSS, things are developing, both good and bad. but the bad mean stuff is getting very annoying! eeeesh!!!!
Manin
July 13, 2013 at 1:26 AM
Yeah I'll get around to it. I loved the start of the show so need to watch the rest as well.
Yeah, when I droped out it was a case of not having enough cute and the plot we were promised to carry all the annoying angst for me to feel motivated enough to sit through it.
john
July 12, 2013 at 9:53 AM
Manin ~
Try I Summon You Gold. It has angst and melo as well as comedy, something YTBLSS forgot
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 11:25 AM
Hm.. more humor would have been nice indeed. What is the plot for that drama?
Required fields are marked *
john
July 12, 2013 at 11:43 AM
From AsianWiki:
Drama series depicts the bluffs and realities of a middle class, while also finds meaning in marriage and the family.
Han Ji-Hye has a dual role, one as a troublesome wife married in to a chaebol family, the other as a street vendor who just happens to look like the troublesome wife.
The husband asks the street vendor to fill in for his wife. Not bad so far @ Ep 3.
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 12:11 PM
Ah I remember seeing reports on that drama now. It did sound like a possible makjang galore.
LizJ
July 12, 2013 at 12:05 PM
I'm still watching, but jumping around and fast-forwarding a lot. DramaFever doesn't pub out the subbed episodes till mid-to-late week.
One older show that I've rewatched recently is Smile You/Smile Honey. With one of my biggest complaints regarding YTBLSS being the lack of focus on the primary couple, I was relieved to see that SY managed to keep the primary couple in the spotlight the entire series.
Required fields are marked *
Aryast
July 12, 2013 at 12:34 PM
Hello Enz! Just popped by to say hi. I meant to do so last week but totally slipped my mind due to being back home and meeting up with old friends and spending time with my family.
Monstar and IHYV are the only dramas I keep up with right now. I have lotsa dramas on my to-watch list(really wanna watch Shark for Kim Nam Gil and LSH) and also those I've only watched halfway like That Winter and A Man's Story. I haven't caught up with this week's Cyrano since last week's bored me.
Anyway, my fav character in Monstar has gotta be Kim Nana since she's so awesome. B2ST has got some pretty solid songs despite their engrish and unnecessary raps;JunHyung ain't exactly a decent rapper - even though fangirls beg to defer - but I quite like him. Kpop should just get rid of the rapping formula. I mean if the songs don't need it(which is 99.99% of pop songs) then don't put it there, just makes the songs so jarring.
I finished ep 11 of IHYV and I must say that last scene of puppy LJS and LBY had so much chemistry and realness. It just makes you wanna root for them. Before this I never really bought into the fact that they might end up with each other but after that scene I actually see the possibility.
I hope that your hope for a quiet working weekend comes true :) Try to enjoy it either way.
Required fields are marked *
enz
July 12, 2013 at 6:10 PM
SHHHHHHH Aryast!!! you can't say these things to me!! I am a new fangirl and beast is my first and maybe only exposure to kpop! I love his rapping style! hahaa. honest. and I can't wait for their comeback album.
I went to the aia kpop concert june 27th but was not MAD yet. it would be different this time around coz I actually know some of their songs now AND like them.
not allowed to ruin my illusions ya :)
Required fields are marked *
Aryast
July 13, 2013 at 1:57 AM
Hahaha I listen to rap and know the emcee-ing culture enough to know what rapping entails and safe to say JunHyung's "rap" is more like fast-talking/sing-rapping.
The only idol I know who can actually rap decently is Zico from Block B and as an idol rapper I acknowledge he is the best. Anyone who tells you that it's GD or TOP are out of their minds.
That said I like B2ST and their songs. Pst! Son Dong-woon is hawt
Required fields are marked *
Enz
July 13, 2013 at 4:59 PM
Wa mai ka lu li liao! Haha.. I know you know your music. But i am impressed with idol boy.
Windsun33
July 12, 2013 at 1:45 PM
I think at this point the only time people talk about LSS is when they start discussing train wrecks and other disasters :). And also there is just SO much wrong with it that you could devote an entire blogsite to all the stupid writer & contrived plot stuff. I stuck it out on LSS up to around ep25, and just gave up on it, though I still do check some episodes with a LOT of fast forwarding - takes me around 7-10 min per episode max. Mostly I just watch enough to feed my Rant of the Week postings :D
Required fields are marked *
26 CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 7:59 AM
Hi all:
Seriously, is it me? Or is there some kind of dramaland synchronicity cosmically brought together to make drama-viewers ponder such universal themes as justice and forgiveness?
Shark, I Hear Your Voice, Incarnation of Money...and maybe Heartless City (which i am currently not watching because i seriously did not like Soo Nim) all are working on my poor soul as they play on different aspects of forgiveness/judgment/ injustice and understanding.
But I hear your voice, wow!!!!! Oh my gosh, this series!!! I HEAR YOUR VOICE is very like a cosmic discussion on cosmic justice -- where the heck does the true and first origin of the crime come from? In most shows, we pretty much say, "The evil began here." We decide that whatever evil the victim did doesn't matter because the evil done to the victim is the evil we have to right and we decide that the perp's background may be bad but heck he chose to change from being a victim to a murderer. Min Gook is different from other "good" avengers because he crossed the line. Perhaps because whenever love was shown to him to make him stop his cosmic war against evil, he consciously willed himself to do the evil and "finish the trip." But what a weird thing to commit to! I keep getting this Greek Tragedy feeling -- not as overstated as in Shark, but still Greek tragedyesque-- that Min Gook is fighting the Universe. Not just the evil done by his father, but he wants to believe that he can win against a cosmic injustice. Dang! If this was written with Min Gook as the protag, we'd be telling him to stop swinging that Shark at the end of his keychain.
I like it that it makes us question not only justice but our ability to judge the human heart. We cannot judge, not even the hearts of those who are consciously wounding us. And if one has been terribly stomped uon by life, the only recourse is to not be so hateful about life.
The whole idea of memory is so scary. Min Gook remembers something that is eating away at him. He has no ability to forget. Only death will make him forget. Did it seem as if he wanted to die when Park Soo Ha held him by the throat? Memory makes us remember good and bad things. We have no control over it. The filmmakiers have not shown us any of the memories Min Gook has about his own sorrow..so we're still at a distance. But even so, I'm believing him. And I'm believing he's in pain. Would the best blessing to happen to Min Gook be losing his own memories? Or death? Since he is so cosmically tired of and strangled by his anger.
Am waiting now for the sexual aspect to heat up between the OTP. Protective love is all fine and dandy but sexual heat would be nice.
Blade and Flower: I'm liking it but if there is anything slower than molasses it's this show?
With the exception of Shark and IHYV, I'm kinda just wading through dramaland waiting for Master's Sun, Facereader, and Heirs. Which I guess is good. My brain's resting up.
Watched a few films and really liked The Wedding Day. Korean Film Archives on youtube. Very folklore-like. And the interesting thing is that I was really fearing the maid would end up with the farm servant who wanted her..because they were the same "class"..but then it dawned on me...NO, that may not happen because in korean films just because a guy loves someone doesn't mean he's gonna get her. And I was so happy at the end that I was right!!!!
Now that dramacrazy and animecracy are gone, i have to find a new home to look at anime.
That's about it. Have a great weekend, all!
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 8:20 AM
also waiting for all the ghost seeing-the-dead dramas.
Required fields are marked *
PeepsLeAwesomePotato
July 12, 2013 at 8:33 AM
You know, anti-death-penalty people always say that we shouldn't/cannot decide the lives of [horrible] criminals, that the end humans lives should not be decided by other humans, even murderers, and I never got it.
True, everyone should have the right to live, but I think that once a murder takes that right away from someone else, he should give up that right of his too. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, no? And some people are just not worth keeping alive, at all. Life in prison maybe similar to the death penalty but there's always a chance that the criminal might escape and harm others even more.
"I like it that it makes us question not only justice but our ability to judge the human heart. We cannot judge, not even the hearts of those who are consciously wounding us. And if one has been terribly stomped upon by life, the only recourse is to not be so hateful about life."
I'm not really understanding this... what do you mean by we cannot judge the human heart?
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 9:47 AM
We can only judge actions. The Defense lawyers saw that the twins did the murder but they didn't see the motivation of why the twins did the murder.
So far, we have not been privy to the destruction of Min Gook's wife. All that happened to her happened off-screen, far from our eyes and is now only in Min Gook's memory..and so far the writers have not shown us this supposed horrible thing that Su-Ha's dad did to destroy her. I'm still not sure what Big Bad meant by Su-Ha's dad destroying his wife with his words. But because all this is out of our sight, we can totally judge Min Gook's actions because out of sight is out of mind and all we have is hear-say and Min Gook's opinion of what supposedly went down.
The reason we have laws is so we can judge external actions. Crime is a sin against another that only the law can handle, but other kinds of cruelty cannot be judged by law. And if it's a crime that's been committed and not just mere human cruelty, if that crime is not brought up to the law because there is no evidence of that crime...then too bad to the sufferer. I suspect Min Gook feels he's in that boat, as if he's fighting not only the (k-drama) Korean legal system but he's fighting an unfair universe.
In theory, I believe in the death penalty. The taking of a human life is a crime that is far and above all other crimes. But in practice the death penalty can be profoundly unfair, especially to the poor.
And we really cannot judge anyone's heart. Man judges by appearances but only God can see the heart. The nearest we can come to judging and understanding the human heart is psychology...and there are so many schools of psychology out there...who knows what they would each say of Big Bad's heart?
Required fields are marked *
PeepsLeAwesomePotato
July 12, 2013 at 2:09 PM
Ah, so we can't judge what others really feel or their actual motive? Understood.
Required fields are marked *
KimYoonmi
July 12, 2013 at 12:30 PM
At least in the US, the proportion of people on Death row that are PoC is higher by percentage than represented in the actual population. *cough* racism much? Also it's cheaper overall to keep someone in prison til death than to execute the Death penalty.
That's not a for or an against statement, just pointing out statistics.
"If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise."
That's Exodus. Also is most likely taken from Hammurabi's Code.
Contextualizing it... it also mentions slavery, and says that female slaves are not equal to male slaves. Also puts to death people who strike or curse their parents. If someone is bedridden after being punched, he will only be paid for his lost time. Also has other lovely stuff such as stoning an ox and then goring it, but not holding the owner responsible for the Ox's actions.
Since it's Old Testament justice, I don't think it's a good reference. Especially since the laws changed by the time you got to Leviticus (Old Testament) and if you're paying attention much of John and Paul (somewhat Peter) remade the laws in the New Testament. "Do not judge lest ye be judged" and also a reference to separation of Kingdom of Heaven and Kingdom of Man.
BTW, not preaching since I ain't Christian... but I am contextualizing it because I dislike religious books being thrown around to use part of them to justify things that are totally unrelated and especially in terms of modern justice. ('cause I believe religions should be properly represented good and bad. For example, the Hijab and the need for it...)
Required fields are marked *
KimYoonmi
July 12, 2013 at 12:34 PM
Oh and... slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2001/02/how_often_do_prisoners_escape.html
For prisoner escapes... Good in movies, but apparently not realistic in theory.
Required fields are marked *
PeepsLeAwesomePotato
July 12, 2013 at 1:59 PM
Uh... Just for the record, I have no religious interests at all and when I read the above, I seriously went: "wut?"
An eye for an eye... I did not state that in reference to any religious teachings whatsoever. That sentiment is just what people naturally feel when they feel that they have suffered from injustice. It's basically where the concept of revenge comes from and some people (victim's families) do need the law to do what is right in their eyes, otherwise they might go vigilante.
"At least in the US, the proportion of people on Death row that are PoC is higher by percentage than represented in the actual population. *cough* racism much? Also it’s cheaper overall to keep someone in prison til death than to execute the Death penalty."
Even though I believe that the death penalty should hold, I do not believe in it being used all nilly-willy. I believe that it should be used only when there is no doubt as to the criminal's identity whatsoever. Believing that the death penalty should be controlled is not the same as believing that the death penalty should be abolished. Well, USA's just not doing it right then.
owl
July 12, 2013 at 8:49 AM
ponderings about IHYV - Min Gook's escape from pain and anger by death or memory loss - your comments took me somewhere I haven't gone in looking at MG. What we see is his way of attempting to escape/erase pain by eliminating what he considers to be the sources of it. Is there pain too great to overcome?
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 9:50 AM
Wow so true!
Cause Su-Ha lost his memory because he didn't want to believe that his dad was the cause/origin of all this horrible stuff. (Of course if we went past that original cause, maybe we would see that something had caused Su-Ha's dad to do that bad thing..and onward and backward into infinity for all the causes.) The thing is we have to turn the other cheek at some point in life, which I suspect also includes turning the eyes away from the harmful hurt.
Min Gook, however, continually turns his eyes on the past hurt. He focuses on the cruelty and doesn't allow any love to swerve him from "going to the end of the line." He is so committed to justice (in his own mind) that he literally would cut off his nose/hand to spite Su-Ha. And that is scary to me.
Required fields are marked *
kngdrama
July 12, 2013 at 9:13 AM
With Min Gook, he had another chance to stop with a fruit shop adjumma, it was almost the same setup as with the best Korean mom in the world with food and care for his lonely soul. However, even when he pondered mom's last words, he interpreted fruit adjumma's casual saying about the end of the trip in the same way - keep going, don't stop revenge and killing.
It's his interpretation of the world and events. Remember, in MG murderous mind, everything that happened, is happening, and will be happening, is interpreted with relevance to his vengeance.
At first I thought that his rage was misplaced from the father onto a boy and a bystander girl. Now I think that he is raging at the entire world, killing people who are in the way of his revenge. If he stops and faces the truth of his existence, he might kill himself.
In fact, I think he is already symbolically dead - chopping off the hand, self-mutilation, body as a weapon of death.. What's most terrifying about MG is that he could appear charming, kind, hard-working, and in need of protection. He fits a profile of a serial killer.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 9:55 AM
wow! totally agree. The "end of the line." He's already committed to death. Not sure if Yi-Soo in Shark is so committed to death. But Min Gook has no family and no love and he isn't willing to find any other love in this life. His life is already in the grave with his dead (?) wife. And he's pissed as heck at the universe for not giving him justice.
Of course, all this could be a story Min Gook has made up to play with Su-Ha's mind (and i wouldn't put that past him) but...if there really is a real reason for his hatred, he is not willing to just let bygones be bygones. For him the past is prologue to all this and the only justice he can find is revenge. His anger and hatred against Su-Ha is over-the-top because everytime he is about to fix the world and make (his) justice finally win...Su-Ha messes stuff up.
There was hope for him maybe getting better but after he killed Auntie fruit-stand lady, he committed to the end of the line. A new murder...so not good.
Required fields are marked *
owl
July 12, 2013 at 10:07 AM
If Soo ha keeps that he has his memory back and the ability to hear thoughts from MG (who realizes that SH can hear thoughts), can some truth be found?
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 12:28 PM
Yes, I wonder if Su-Ha saw the sadness and horror in Min Gook's mind. This is why I've never felt telepathy would be a good gift to have. Who wants to hear and be open to all the sorrows in folks' lives? Especially if one's family is responsible for that sorrow? No, not a good gift at all. No wonder Su-Ha lost telepathy when he lost his memory.
Mar
July 12, 2013 at 10:40 AM
"forgiveness/judgment/ injustice and understanding"- These elements/themes are present in almost all K Dramas.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 11:38 AM
I'm aware of that. I've seen and I love redemption arcs, but it seems to me the dramas this season are really questioning the avenger and whether what happened in the past is worth destroying one's future. It's as if they are saying "revenge may not be worth it so don't even start it." Which is an interesting twist. Generally the avenger forgives after he's won. But I haven't seen that many dramas, only since two or so years so this might just be my newbie slightly-ignorant take.
Required fields are marked *
DayDreamer
July 13, 2013 at 3:57 PM
You're right, Carole. Min Joon Gook felt wronged by Su Ha's dad and thus tried to avenge him. In doing so, however, his humanity was crumbling down because he was destroying more lives and living in constant hate and fear. In a way, he also wanted for all that to end by having completed his revenge for once and for all. He wanted to return to old self but because he was being rebuked constantly by Soo Ha, Hye Sung, and Hye Sung's mom, his revenge was left sorta incomplete and that's why he continues to go on his revenge spree. At least that's how I interpreted his actions and emotions.
Re Blade and Flower: love your one-liner. Funny as usual. :) I never bothered trying that drama since I especially hate super slow dramas. I need things moving along.
I see that you're watching Shark. Since we have somewhat similar tastes, I wonder if I should give Shark a try too.
I'm also waiting on Master's Sun and Joo Won's medical drama. Not sure about Heirs since it sounds much like Boys Over Flowers which I would never go near since I hated the manga so much (despite it being cracktastic too, lol).
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 13, 2013 at 6:05 PM
After I saw the character chart for Heirs I thought, NO, NO!!!
So am probably not going to watch it...unless the lustful urge to drool over Lee Min Ho grows too strong.
Shark takes a while to get into but it gets really good around episode 10. If you're in the mood for pondering the various aspects of revenge, then add it to your list. The heroine is sooo good -- mucho collateral damage along the way.
It's weird, Blade and Flower isn't slow in plotting. Things move along pretty quickly..but the scenes...oh my gosh. Lingering camerawork, static shots, unmoving actors. A weird combination of fast-paced plotting and slo-mo. Did I make a one-liner? Ooh, gotta go reread. ;-)
With Min Gook, I feel that everytime the universe shows him love or justice, he HAS to will himself to shout back to it: "No, there is nothing good in this world! No, there are no good people. No there is no justice. Don't make me believe in anything good because it will mean this good world wronged me. " It's all very sad. I'd feel more sorry for him if he weren't so darn murderous and so darn committed to feeling bad.
Required fields are marked *
27 owl
July 12, 2013 at 8:17 AM
Coffee and dramabeans this morning - yes!
I kicked off this week’s drama watching with kimi wa petto (never saw it before, beanie recommended) - loved it!
CDA, IHYV, CC (Shi Hyun, you are such a beautiful specimen, where will you go now, and what will you do?) , S&F, Monstar, Shark (feels like a story that should be read)
QC – the air in my room pressed down on me as I watched – were our hearts ever that heavy as children? I jumped when the camera panned up at the funeral home and on the balcony, above the gold angel statues, stood Teacher Ma.
105 today. Hot.
(Raine, where are you? I'll be driving through Cheyenne to Denver next week. Be thinking of you~)
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 8:23 AM
Love Kimi wa Petto. So cute.
Required fields are marked *
alua
July 12, 2013 at 8:25 AM
Did you watch all of Kimi wa Petto?
I'm very fond of that drama, Sumire and Momo are just so awesome. Watching the first episode of that drama when you are feeling down does wonders. Nothing beats Matsujun making puppy eyes. (Do Nodame is great for soothing the soul as well.)
Required fields are marked *
owl
July 12, 2013 at 8:51 AM
Marathoned the whole thing in a matter of hours ^^
Required fields are marked *
alua
July 12, 2013 at 9:21 AM
My respect. :-D
Now, don't get close to the K-film with even a 10 foot pole, because you'll run away screaming.
Required fields are marked *
owl
July 12, 2013 at 9:29 AM
I know, even JGS couldn't get me through ep 2. kwp was wonderfully cuddly! I am going to recommend it to my newly kdrama converted 'sis' - won't she gasp at the world of jdramas too!
pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
July 12, 2013 at 9:39 AM
owl - The kmovie is just a shame all around, but Matsujun in the jmovie is ridiculously crushable.
Will work for soju
July 12, 2013 at 10:20 AM
Kimi wa petto is my favorite dorama ever! It made me read the manga which is wonderful too, but I like the open ending of the dorama better. Now I'm learning Japanese and have an excuse to rewatch it. For the dialogue, of course!
Required fields are marked *
atz
July 12, 2013 at 11:14 AM
If you like Kimi wa Petto, you might also like J drama called' Anego' which is based on the novel by Mariko Hayashi and played by Jin Akanishi and Ryouko Shinahara( last Cinderella).The two leads have a big age gap and they work in the same company... I like Akanishi Jin/ Matsumoto Jun and Yamashita Tomohisa since they are naturally very good looking( though they look rather feminine sometimes).
Required fields are marked *
owl
July 12, 2013 at 11:38 AM
oooo, thanks. I finished Last Cinderella and loved it (music, too). Will def check out Anego!
Required fields are marked *
28 sumee
July 12, 2013 at 8:19 AM
we all know Dramacrazy has shut down :-(
can anyone suggest me where can I watch Raw eps..as DC was the fastest in uploading raws !
Required fields are marked *
Mystisith
July 12, 2013 at 10:22 AM
For the raws, Korean sites are the fastest: Skyupi.dot.com or TV.YB88.dot.com
Required fields are marked *
sumee
July 12, 2013 at 10:26 AM
thanks a bunch :-)
Required fields are marked *
Julia the Berkshire Beanie
July 12, 2013 at 8:58 PM
Watching from Korean sites ... that's hard core.
I just know some day I will be in crazy fan mode for some drama series RAW and now I have these Korean sites bookmarked. Thanks.
Required fields are marked *
29 enz
July 12, 2013 at 8:25 AM
OMG! flo just uploaded the ending of epi 9 MOnstar on cadence. i cant wait to watch it in full!!! squeeee. i had butterflies!!
Required fields are marked *
30 iZzie :)
July 12, 2013 at 8:29 AM
Hi Beanies!
It's been a loooong time since I last visited, so there are so many new peeps here whom I haven't met before. :)
Updates:
- no new kdrama on my watching queue at present. I'm trying to squeeze in watching Flower Boy Ramyun Shop in between real life, updating my blog, and watching a local (Filipino) drama.
- that Fil drama, I'm thinking of recapping. It's so intense and the actors fit their roles very well. It's title is "My Husband's Lover" - about a wife who discovered that her hubby is hiding a lover - his best bud from high school. Yep, the lover is a 'he' and they have developed a deep relationship long before the hubby met the wifey. There are so many issues being addressed by the show and it's so interesting to see how all the characters - gays and not - deal with every twist and turn and every reveal in the story.
I never thought I'd prefer watching a local drama over kdramas since most of the local ones are recycled/repackaged versions of what we've seen before. But this one is different, especially that it deals with sensitive issues. And the actors are oh so good, I want to personally hand them acting awards.
- still having withdrawal symptoms of my recent SK trip. I went there on my own - no travel buddy, no guide, whatsoever. I went to Busan, Gyeongju, Gwangju, Boseong, and Seoul - savored the sceneries, pigged out on Korean food, met new and wonderful people - dived into the adventure all by me onsie. And it felt sooooo great, I wanna do it again. :)
In the meantime... I have to get my ***t together, post-trip. It's taking forever to process my vaykay photos and writing stuff for my blog.
And then Lee Min Ho came to town but I didn't watch his concert. I've seen him before, so maybe that lessened the excitement. Besides, I've been spending way too much since the SK trip, and I had to go to a CNBlue concert with a friend immediately after that. So LMH's concert was dropped from my priority list. But I hope he'd come back - when I have the time and moolah to afford watching his show. :-P
That's it. I guess I'd have to read around dramabeans again to see what's up in the kdrama world. :)
Happy Friday everyone!
Required fields are marked *
sumee
July 12, 2013 at 9:07 AM
Izzie....how are you....................long long time ... :-)
wow you have a blog...tell me more about it !
wow you were in seoul ..I was there too !
Required fields are marked *
iZzie :)
July 13, 2013 at 9:27 AM
Hey Sumee!!! ^_^ long, long time indeeeed!
I suddenly missed our SKKS fangirling days. Hahaha!
My blog's about my backpacking travels and places I visit within my city of residence. :) I'd post the link once I've updated it. ;)
Oh! When were you there? Argh! I was thinking of visiting DB while I was in SK for a "Hi" while I was in kdramaland, but the idea was lost along with my sense of direction. :-P I was in Seoul June 11 & 12.
Looking back now, it seems like the entire trip happened in a flash. Like I can never have enough time to spend in SK. There are too many things to do, too many places to visit, and too many wonderful people to meet for just one visit.
Required fields are marked *
31 snow__white
July 12, 2013 at 8:39 AM
Hello everyone..
Dating agency Cyrano....LOVE IT ♥♥ The main reason is the great pair of Lee Jong Hyuk and Sooyoung....
Secret Garden....very funny....Hyun Bin is superb....followed by Yoon Sang Hyun....but the show is shallow.....with very little plot
Started IHYV....liked it...
Required fields are marked *
32 pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
July 12, 2013 at 8:40 AM
hey OT people! I've yet to catch up to the current cream of the crop in dramaland (Monstar 9 isn't out yet with subs, and Cruel City 14 and IHYV 11 and 12 are to be saved for the weekend) so this week's check-in will be short.
Re: Cruel City - is anyone else as underwhelmed by Soo-min as I am right now? Initially, I liked her fish-out-of-water quality and Nam Gyuri had decent enough chemistry with oppa MY PRECIOUS to make up for not being up to his standard, acting-wise, but Cruel City 13 has me actively wondering why she's so bird-brained (girl, pick another time to tell the scary drug-dealing dude you like him. Seriously!). She's supposed to be the heroine, and all I see is a writing flop because all the good development for a woman went to Jin-sook.
(also, Kim Yoo-mi - who plays Jin-sook - is only 33 according to d-addicts?!!!!! WHAT.)
I loved last week's Monstar, its balance was perfect - Seol-chan/Se-yi cuteness, Sun-woo/Nana chemistry (seriously, that moment when he steps closer to her on the roof, only to take her cigarettes...UNF) and most of all, Kyu-dong breaking my heart - I will so miss this show when its last episode airs, and I am thrilled that Ha Yeon-soo has lined up her next job already. There are so many talented young actresses out there who look ripe to move into first lead territory (Lee Yubi is the most recent) that I think some time spent in the sitcom trenches will actually help HYS both acting-wise and as a career move.
Also no one spoil me please, but one of the things I love most about Our Favourite Show aka I Hear Your Voice is that it has great, three-dimensional female characters, not one of whom is a Mary Sue (and all credit to the actresses for this too - Best Mom In The World, Do-yeon, Hye-sung herself, and even Sung-bin are well-written and don't feel like afterthoughts).
Required fields are marked *
enz
July 12, 2013 at 9:01 AM
pogo, have you seen the ending of epi 9 monstar? squeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Required fields are marked *
pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
July 12, 2013 at 9:24 AM
enz- NO!!! I need the subs.....but if it is what I think it is, I hope to god it isn't of the Dead Fish variety >_^
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 10:02 AM
It's because of Soo-Min that I gave up on Heartless City. Writer-nim wants her to be cute and woman-in-jeopardy and fish-outta-water all at the same time. Ain't gonna happen. It just makes her look like she's stumbling around like a fool playing cop and being an obstacle for everyone. And when she became the love interest...i thought... WTF???? Jin-Sook and Doc's Son had a weirder tenser vibe.
Required fields are marked *
pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
July 12, 2013 at 10:49 AM
Carole - while I wouldn't mind another bedroom scene or a hundred, Soo-min pretty much has no other constructive purpose - and worst of all, no edge. Give me Jin-sook any day.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 12:32 PM
So true. She's made for male characters, i think. This is a very male show. The male cop is macho, the undercover cop is tough, and the women are whores...with the good woman being the prostitute with the heart of gold. Mercifully, Jin-Sook no longer does hooking that and the writers have spared us actually seeing Soo-Min do any "work" but the entire set up is so annoying to me. And it's not as if I have a problem with testosterone-y plots but this is just too "manly" a series for me.
Required fields are marked *
kngdrama
July 12, 2013 at 1:38 PM
The cop girl who was killed was a good role model for everyone, including Doctor's son and SM. Flashbacks to her are a the only bright moments in the show.
I don't think Jin Sook is a whore. She declines advances of all the men around her. She deals drugs and has a whore house, that's true.
When SM throws away the spying lipstick, she makes a choice to stick with Jin Sook, her new sister. Literally, she replaces one unni with the other, a cop for a drug dealer. SM is very weak. She needs protection and protectors. She clings to strong people. A pretty doll, damsel in distress.
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 2:08 PM
@ Kngdrama, Jin Sook used to be a prostitute, now she's a Madam among other things. Basically, she is still "tainted" -- too "tainted" for our hero. So although she is no longer a prostitute, she is not good enough for Doctor's Son which is kinda the basic premise for cop shows. I thought she was good enough for him but then when the "pure naive" girl cliche came in, I thought... Oh Good grief!
Yes, first female cop was okay although I thought it odd that a cop should come upon two guys fighting and let one bad guy go because she assumed the guy winning the fight was Doctor's Son. Isn't a cop supposed to hold a gun on both guys who're fighting and sort out the truth at the station?
I haven't been watching Heartless City so the show might be showing some subtleties of theme and plotting that I'm not aware of.
pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
July 13, 2013 at 3:50 AM
@Carole - That trope - the 'tainted' woman no longer being good enough to be a love interest to a drama's protagonist - is so frustrating to me, and it makes me rage when I see it.
GFB was the most obvious recent culprit (even if it tried to dress that creative choice up as letting a girl 'choose' her own direction after being raped), and in contrast I was really glad that I Miss You actively worked against that trope in every way.
But CC is a whole other annoyance, because while Jin-sook and Baksa's possible romantic involvement is still ambiguous, they play to the trope by dumbing Soo-min down further as the weeks go on.
Some of it is actress problems (SM comes across as a lightweight, and not even one with claws any more) - I keep saying someone like Shin Mina could have invested Soo-min with enough to at least make the token 'pure girl' not annoying (she did that very well in A Love To Kill and even The Devil) but right now, Soo-min is pretty much superfluous in the story she is supposed to be the protagonist of. I don't have a problem with 'it's a guy's world' plots, but I wish SM wasn't set up for me as someone to root for. (or at least give me some basis for that, now)
junny
July 12, 2013 at 2:27 PM
@pogo,
i actively dislike Soo-min (and get regularly bashed for it in soompi, so i've kinda eased off posting in that thread full of fangirls). bird-brain is an apt descriptor, and so is idiotic. i don't think her inexperience in life excuses her from her actions, even if Thighs did contribute to some of that stupidity, which seems contagious. i do think it's a lethal combination of bad writing and poor acting, and i'm pretty sure she'll have an active role to play in bringing Shi-hyun down with her stupidity (+1 for Pusan).
Jin-sook seems to be catching onto the stupid as well - i couldn't believe she could ask Shi-hyun whether it was necessary to start a war with Pusan. Lady, have you forgotten what you asked Safari to do? seriously now. and i cannot believe she hasn't been suspicious of Soo-min at all - girl's bungling ways should have put Jin-sook on the alert long ago.
i actually kinda like Reporter Cha (even if she has a nasty habit of barging into the police station - don't they have rules on this?), and i felt bad that she gets regularly shafted by Thighs. i wish Shi-hyun would do that more to Soo-min.
Required fields are marked *
Newbie
July 13, 2013 at 2:57 AM
Your post made me thinking that perhaps it's on purpose Soo-min is presented as stupid? So many Kdramas have female leads, that clearly lack smartness. Are Korean viewers already conditioned to appreciate a 'little' stupidity and think of it as cute and lovable?
Jin Sook is street smart and therefore the 'evil' woman in this show.
I'm cynical, I know, but it is my pet peeve at the moment.
Required fields are marked *
junny
July 13, 2013 at 3:19 AM
totally with you on the pet peeve. my teeth are set on edge when they pair a whip-smart hero with a dumb-and-dumber heroine, it is so jarring it makes me cringe. i'm not sure if it's just a korean thing, i've seen it happen sometimes in j-dramas as well - clumsy and klutzy = cute and adorable, and the smarter chick is often evil or manipulative etc. rare is the drama heroine who stands up for herself and tells it like it is (Dal-ja, Sam-soon, i miss you ladies!)
jin-sook is fun and sassy when she's not trying to kill Soo or hanging out with Min Hong-gi. i think her street-smartness has been chipped away by the stupid - after getting to know Soo-min, she's been doing dumb things aplenty. i want Safari to smack some sense into her.
Required fields are marked *
Newbie
July 13, 2013 at 4:04 AM
So maybe it's a patriarchal thing? A society ruled by men doesn't need/want strong females. As long as she is sexy and arouses the envy of other men she is desirable. Long working hours and joining the co-workers for drinks after-hours makes sure, that you don't have to endure the sillyness at home too long...
As I said, I'm a cynic.
You are absolutely right. Jin Sook became more stupid after meeting Soo-min. It seems to be contagious.
junny
July 13, 2013 at 4:55 AM
it could be a patriarchal thing, or just that the writer doesn't know how to write females (just like the writer who wrote Chuno and Level 7 Civil Servant - terrible female leads there).
i've watched my fair share of HK dramas/films and they don't seem to have as many stupid female leads, though there are still some. i also think the image HK gives off doesn't lend itself to much stupidity, at least not of the Soo-min variety. she really is a total waste of airspace.
and her idiocy has infected Thighs - his character development has just about gone downhill since ep 4. sigh. to think he could have been such a good foil for Shi-hyun...
Newbie
July 13, 2013 at 7:01 AM
Who was first? Chicken or egg? The inability to write a believable, sound female character stems from where? Lack in writing abilities and lack in knowledge of psychology or the society the writer lives in and sees his/her rolemodels?
Thighs otoh is a stupid male character. So, they do exist! ;) But to be fair, the overuse of undercover agents ridicules his part as he is so clueless.
Still I am able to enjoy the show. Never before have I experienced, that one stellar performance is able to make so many mistakes bearable. But it is a thin line and I hope, the show won't fail me in the end like so many did before.
junny
July 13, 2013 at 1:49 PM
difficult question, but given the way you put it, it's probably the societal influence that is greater or comes first, though i'm inclined to think it's a lethal combination of both - hey, that's just like how Soo-min is (bad acting + bad writing). what do they say about writing reflecting a part of yourself...?
i'm sad for Thighs. but Safari more than makes up for it. and of course, there's still the awesome bromance. Shi-hyun + Soo ftw!
i still marvel at Jung Kyung-ho's masterful performance, but i gotta admit i don't feel as much adrenaline watching the show as i did in the initial episodes. i also think drama is either in live-shoot mode or pretty close to it. i do hope it ends on a bang, it's been a while since i've enjoyed a currently k-drama.
CaroleMcDonnell
July 13, 2013 at 10:02 AM
Reporter Cha and Soo-Min are both barger-in types. I'm trying to understand if that is kind of a K-drama slope for an aggressive strong woman. I like Reporter's pushiness though. Cause although she doesn't quite know what all is happening, she is actually doing her JOB! Soo-Min trying to get a date and nagging Doc's Son every other second... it just turned me off. She is working for heaven's sakes! She is trying to find the guy who murdered her sister. She is running with a dangerous pack...and she wants a "love-life"? SMH
Required fields are marked *
junny
July 13, 2013 at 2:11 PM
exactamundo. Shi-hyun has told her any number of times they shouldn't meet anymore but noooo, she thinks her brand of persistence will pay off (maybe it will, in the form of her having a hand finishing him off with her stupidity).
i was happy Shi-hyun didn't meet her, though i'm kinda sad that Thighs did the same thing to Reporter Cha - esp how Thighs always asks her for info, she gives it, and then he spurns her advances to make nice.
some of the strong women types i've seen are fairly forceful, in that they stand their ground and are nobody's fool, but not particularly abrasive - or maybe it's just the actress' skill and how the character was written that did not make it seem so.
Reporter Cha and Soo-min don't really have a proper concept of personal space, or understanding of rules and procedure. any police station worth its salt would have thrown Reporter Cha outta there the minute she tried to barge in, but i guess not if Thighs and Prosecutor Ahn are running the funny show there. Soo-min... i'd just put it down to a lack of brains in general. she's a weak character all round.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 13, 2013 at 6:12 PM
There came a time when I had to stop watching American cop shows. The women cop were so fierce and wounded that I just couldn't take all that abrasiveness.
I don't know why folks have this idea that strong equals pushy. Jin Sook is strong and isn't pushy at all. But yeah, she's tainted.
But the fact that both Reporter Cha and Soo Min are also totally "wanting" the guys and being so dang obvious. I guess the writer is saying they're just like guys and are brave and tough and all that but it's like...REALLY, why do women always have to be needing love and/or sex? Note, again: Jin Sook repels the guy who wants her. Macho cop is hot but we don't have to be reminded of it every second by having a "strong" woman hit on him.
I might force myself to watch the upcoming chapters and fast-forward past all Soo-Min's part cause I really do like Baksa.
junny
July 14, 2013 at 3:12 AM
i never quite got into American cop shows, they just seemed to have issue upon multiple issues that made watching rather painful.
never felt that Jin-sook was 'tainted' despite her colourful past. it just made her more interesting, gave her a few more layers and a bit more brains (which unfortunately she is exhausting at a rapid rate, being in such close quarters with Soo-min). i was sorry that writer went the conventional k-drama route of a soppy love interest for Shi-hyun instead of playing up the sexual tension between Jin-sook and Shi-hyun, which would have been infinitely more intriguing.
pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
July 14, 2013 at 4:55 AM
@snow - When I hung out on soompi, the average age of the people there was pretty much all under-21 (and I was 22 at the time).
Not to besmirch all the lovely mature teenagers out there, but I'm pretty sure the youth of the commenters has quite a bit to do with their inability to tolerate different opinions, or indeed to notice that a character has hair for brains.
Required fields are marked *
33 crisu
July 12, 2013 at 8:44 AM
Hey! dc is not dead, it changed to: the old name dot eu
Required fields are marked *
Mama J
July 12, 2013 at 9:00 AM
yeah don't go there. DC themselves warned that this is not them, it's a copy cat site riddled with bad things.
Required fields are marked *
Lizzy4e
July 12, 2013 at 9:27 AM
oh. [deflates] thank you for the warning.
Required fields are marked *
pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
July 12, 2013 at 9:30 AM
I thought so, JoAnne. Tried going there and found that they only had SUPER-SLOW videoweed stream links, and then decided not to go back - thank you for confirming my suspicion and possibly saving my computer!
Required fields are marked *
hydrangeabloom
July 12, 2013 at 11:16 AM
Make sure to do a virus sweep on your computer, pogo. I haven't been on that site, but I've heard it's got some nasty viruses attached to it.
Required fields are marked *
Lizzy4e
July 12, 2013 at 9:27 AM
Reallyy? reallly??????!!!!!
Thank you thank you thankyou
Required fields are marked *
Windsun33
July 12, 2013 at 1:56 PM
That is one of several FAKE sites. I looked at 3 of them, and all of them gave so many warnings about virus, popups, malware, etc. that I blocked them on my browser.
DO NOT USE THAT SITE!!.
Required fields are marked *
34 Trina
July 12, 2013 at 9:02 AM
Hi DB, I will catch up with Cruel city and will be watching nine next week in the airplane due to me and hubby and my aunt and uncles (mom side) will be going to Vietnam.. My two boys will be at my parents house. We will be gone for two weeks. Have a great week-end.
Required fields are marked *
35 kngdrama
July 12, 2013 at 9:23 AM
Hello to all,
Watching a lot of dramas because of slow summer.
Blade and Flower - cringe-worthy. Overplayed long moments with partial objects, dramatic music, and nothing!
It has extremely beautiful visuals if I just turn off my mind and watch colors and movement - even got a few ideas for interior design.
General Yeon is a lot like Mishil in treating his son with cruelty but still using him in many ways.
Shark keep getting better and better. Love.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 9:59 AM
Ah, Blade and Flower, Blade and Flower! What will we do? I think they're trying for different and sometimes their experiments work. Sometimes..not so much. I've gotten used to the odd music. But yes, those slow loooooooooooong moments. I think they're heading for "gravitas." But gravitas doesn't mean slow-moving and "in the grave." It's like...seriously, is General Yeon even alive in some scenes? I'm still watching though.
Required fields are marked *
kngdrama
July 12, 2013 at 10:10 AM
I am accustomed to Kdrama unreal moments, unbelievable twists, and fantastic coincidences. But this drama is way beyond unreal.
Where in real life people stare at each other for five long minutes without saying a word? It is just uncomfortable unless they practice telepathy or play a game who blinks first.
At times General Yeon looks bored! The king is a creep.
The princess is in tragic love that happened like in five seconds.
Unreal. But addictive.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 12:33 PM
LOL! You said it.
Required fields are marked *
36 oftheshore
July 12, 2013 at 9:29 AM
Hi Beanies!
No new dramas for me this summer - nothing has really managed to capture my attention.:( However, I am re-watching my favourite episodes from City Hall and RMPW in loving memory of last summer's epic J-drama times (RIP). I also watched How To Use Guys With Secret Tips and loved it despite all of its flaws. It's just such a quirky little film! Very different from what I expected to see in this genre (almost Wes Anderson-esque). Have you seen it - and if so, what did you think of it?
Required fields are marked *
37 raisya
July 12, 2013 at 9:41 AM
hi bennies!
Really curious about next episode of Shark and I hear your voice.Those dramad really capture my attention and can't wait the following drama played by Jo Won. I really really want to know what kind of love story in the line of drama because all this time, I never watch drama about savant doctor... I hope it'll be interesting drama.
Required fields are marked *
38 Miss D
July 12, 2013 at 9:43 AM
Hi Benies!
While I've been reading and commenting on the site for almost a year now, I have yet to participate in an OT (okay, well, except one time when I just when cray and asked what was going on!? but let's not count that). I've finally been inclined to join because of how funny this community is but also because I just now discovered the recap to a series...
Dr.Jin!
Yes, the gummy fetus brain baby did it!
I've been confined to bed rest for 5 days now and the fantabulously terrible show recaps got me through the first days.
I just wanted to say those were some of the best recaps I have ever read. I mean, the screen caps by themselves deserve a prize (the best ones were when Hyuk stares aghast at his bloody hands...again and again and again). But the side commentary was just amazing.
I commend you all for some of the funniest criticism I have ever read. So thank you.
Anyways, on a side note, MONSTAR COMES OUT TODAY! Yay! Please, please, please no suicide!
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 10:21 AM
Welcome! and get well soon!
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 11:30 AM
Welcome! And yes the dr. Jin recaps were a lot of fun (I was porcrastinating while doing my dissertation and ended up reading over past recaps just cause *shifty eyes*). I found dramabeans myself through the drama "playful kiss" and also stayed on as a silent reader before I finally joined the talk this year :)
Required fields are marked *
39 Julia the Berkshire Beanie
July 12, 2013 at 9:53 AM
Hello and Happy Friday Beanies.
No matter how many dramas I watch, I feel a vague sense that I am missing out as I just haven't gotten around to some of the dramas I've seen mentioned on this website.
I finally got around to watching Jeon Woo Chi, and liked it.
I just started School 2013, because I am so into IHVY and want more Su-Ha ... but the character is School is certainly not Su-Ha.
I am surprised when I see a drama and think WOW that actor is great, let's go watch everything he has ever done, and when I try I realize I must just have liked the character from that one drama not the actor. Like Lee Hee Joon (Kang Rim from Jeon Woo Chi) with those amazing eyes ... but I watched Cupid Factory and HATED that movie. Only 60 minutes to watch, and that was too long.
Well, I just have to accept that even handsome can't save a bad drama.
Required fields are marked *
owl
July 12, 2013 at 10:08 AM
but handsome can still make for good dreams - la la
Required fields are marked *
kngdrama
July 12, 2013 at 10:40 AM
There is a point when the handsome looks so stupid, you get second-hand embarrassment and scramble for a giant mental eraser; do you want to invite Dr. Jin with bloody hands and idiotic look into your dreams?
Required fields are marked *
owl
July 12, 2013 at 11:43 AM
I was referring to School 2013 and the reference to Suha IHYV, where handsome does work for me and was passing that on :) !Fighting School 2013!
Required fields are marked *
kngdrama
July 12, 2013 at 1:13 PM
Got it.
hydrangeabloom
July 12, 2013 at 11:22 AM
I get what you're saying about the sense of missing out, Julia, but I also think it's nice to know that when you finish whatever you're watching now, there will be something else good waiting to watch. As for watching through an actor's body of work, my experience is usually that even with my favorite actors I won't like all of their work, either because it's not my taste or it wasn't very good. I can't think of any actor who I have loved every single work they've been in. However, if you watch enough pieces and realize maybe you only liked that actor in one particular thing, that's okay too.
Required fields are marked *
Julia the Berkshire Beanie
July 12, 2013 at 9:05 PM
Knowing there are still great dramas out there waiting to be watched ... priceless.
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 11:33 AM
I know what you're saying! Sometimes the actor just becomes the character in a way where you can't seperate them. I haven't watched IHYV however I did watch School and liked it a lot.
Required fields are marked *
40 kmw3
July 12, 2013 at 10:43 AM
Hello Beanies! What a great OT!
Right now its really hot. Yesterday it was 90+ inside with the air conditioner going full blast. A few weeks ago when it was even hotter I watched White Christmas and that psychologically worked to make me think it was colder-all that snow. But hurray its raining and almost 20 degrees cooler.
So recently between studying and writing I've watched a lot of Korean drama, waaaaay more then I normally do for summertime. I also watched the movie Eungyo and loved it.
Story of A Man- I was impressed with the acting. I really loved how they handled the autism, how it was shown as a part of the personality and not just a disability and how he adapted and lived with it. I don't have autism but I'm a disabled person and it was one of the better and more true portrayals of living with a disability I've seen. Kim sang-woo was a revelation as the villain.
Queen In-hyun's man- Oh yeah, that was my rom-com crack right there. His love for the library made me swoon a little. Books beating swords=awesome.
White Christmas-that was my mystery crack. This was also a good portrayal of disability, though more the dark sinister psychological side of it. I got it, I understood where Kang-Mo was coming from, I've even had some thoughts like that...but I didn't totally agree with it. I also couldn't help but think the school wasn't very handicap accessible ;)
I wanted more episodes because I so loved the characters but realized it was a good place for the story to stop and adding more would have ruined it.
Probably why I re-watched some Vampire Idol afterwards. I love the premise of it...but I only watched to episode 5. I love the vampires but I dislike ALL the other characters. Hell I even watched the movie Runway Cop because it had some of the Vampire Idol/White Christmas boys...
Ghost was a disappointment. I might have skipped it had I realized it wasn't going to have Daniel Choi in more then 3 episodes. So Ji-Sub is kind of a flat actor to me so I was hoping Daniel Choi would even it out-which he did in those couple of episodes...i just wish it would have been all the way through the series. I did like the villain though.
I forgot I watched Yaksha and Hero that's how much of an impression they made. I liked both of them at the time I was watching them but afterward they kind of just fluttered away.
Vampire Prosecutor 2. I really liked the villain. Nothing much else is sticking out. But I could watch multiple seasons of Vampire Prosecutor and TEN cause i like the characters and crime stories.
TEN season 1- I really liked. I'm not so sure of season two...i'm only halfway through so maybe my opinion will change. I really like the characters, especially Kim Sang-ho who reminds me of a puppy, an adorable enthusiastic balding puppy.
I have a few more dramas to watch before I'm more or less caught up to watch new shows to marathon. Gakitsal has been on top of my list for almost a year but I keep pushing it down because I know I will cry and be all heartbroken. I'm going to suck it up and start it soon though. I got a tub of ice cream...
I can't wait for the new podcast. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!!
Required fields are marked *
Windsun33
July 12, 2013 at 2:05 PM
Personally for Ghost I liked the Japanese version much better. I don't recall if I even finished the K version.
Required fields are marked *
41 Mystisith
July 12, 2013 at 10:51 AM
I'd like to thank the person who made the Yoon Shi Yoon new headers for DB. Always nice to see a friendly face. There is also a nice B & W header for Byun Bin that I like very much. ^^
Required fields are marked *
42 Baby Panda
July 12, 2013 at 10:52 AM
Happy Friday Beanies!
Hope everyone in Toronto is ok and didn't get washed up in the crazy storm that happened earlier this week. I used to be from Toronto but now live in Los Angeles, so I'm missing the crazy summer weather in T.O.
Cruel City: Agree with many above that the heroine's character is off-putting. She doesn't contribute much and I hate that she always demands to meet doc's son at a certain time and place, and expects him to show up. The man's got more important things to do than to meet you for coffee just because you want to see him! The first 11 episodes were so fast paced and filled me with adrenaline rush, but these last few episodes have slowed down quite a bit. I hope it'll pick up again and go out with a bang.
IHYV: Finally caved in and started this due to all the positive reception. Only watched first episode thus far, but not hooked yet. Will continue for a few more and hope to be addicted soon.
TEN 2: Anyone watching this and had a W.T.F. moment in episode 11? I'm waiting desperately for the subtitles of episode 12 to be up. Can't believe it's so short, but must say that the first TEN was significantly more interesting and addicting.
Bu Bu Jing Xin: very high quality production. Love all the princes (except the evil one). Very good looking cast and very good script. Deserves all the hype.
Legend of Zhen Huan: Very good drama series, but long. The beginning few episodes will rope you in and make you forget you've already watched 20 episodes. However, the middle part where it takes place outside the palace was very slow and boring. Then it picks up again when the story is back at the palace. I'd recommend fast forwarding the boring parts because there's not much in terms of story development (except for the romance) and you can pick up the gist of it when they are back at the palace.
Currently addicted to Awfully Lawful and A Change of Heart from TVB HK productions. It's been a while since I've liked anything that TVB has churned out so I'm pleasantly surprised.
Dramacrazy: I am so sad to see you go, but you've made lots of drama addicts happy spending hours on your site. Please let us know if you ever resurrect. Many fans are waiting.
Can't believe it's already mid-July! Wedding is in T-1.5 months!!!
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 11:37 AM
I watched TEN and was so excited for the second season. Though I didn't find it as addicting as the first one, so still have this at hold.
I know that Kakashi on here does recaps of the series though.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 12:36 PM
yes, yes..do give IHYV a chance. Ignore the flaky unreal court system.
Required fields are marked *
43 katmoo
July 12, 2013 at 11:00 AM
Happy OT!
I need to see this weeks episode of Monstar. I have been slowly dying all week. I hope my tear ducts can handle it.
I think I may have gotten suckered into watching IHYV. Why so cute Su-Ha?
I am still loving Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo! We are getting a little close to the end for there not to be some bigger developments with the OTP though. If Irie doesn't pull his head out soon.... there better be a second season!
I didn't get a chance to do much drama watching on my vacation. Real Life... go away, I'm behind. I need to find some time to marathon a few dramas. I also need to make a To Watch list... I may work on that today.... *adds to To do list*
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 11:39 AM
I'm slightly behind on on Kiss in Tokyo. Need to get around to catch up. However I am waiting to see how far they take it. As the actress is underage I have a feeling they might not want to take the show past the wedding.
Required fields are marked *
katmoo
July 12, 2013 at 12:06 PM
I can see where they would want to be careful since she is underage.
By the way, CONGRATULATIONS on your graduation!
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 12:14 PM
Yeah they wouldn't want to hint at there being anything really with an underage actress. Though I suppose they could surprise us, I wouldn't be surprised if they ended it at the wedding. Think that was also what they did in "It started with a kiss" season 1, at least I remember the second season starting with the honeymoon.
And Thank you so much! It's strange, I have to grow up now :p
Required fields are marked *
katmoo
July 12, 2013 at 2:56 PM
Have you had that moment of "why did I want to grow up so bad?" yet?
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 4:50 PM
Oh god yes! So many times.
Windsun33
July 12, 2013 at 2:12 PM
I was actually surprised at how young she actually is, born March 1997, especially considering how many shows and movies she has been in.
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 12, 2013 at 2:35 PM
This is the only thing I remember seeing her in. Someone else mentioned the age gap so I just looked up her age, and not her work.
Required fields are marked *
Windsun33
July 12, 2013 at 4:06 PM
On DramaWiki it lists quite a few for her - several movies and shows, about a dozen or so in all. Did not look to see if they were major parts.
Julia the Berkshire Beanie
July 12, 2013 at 9:22 PM
The age of the actress, and her immature acting ability, is a detractor for me from Love In Tokyo. I like the subtle changes to Kotoko's character that make her less needy/clingy than other versions.
I was horrified the first time I watched Itazura na Kiss for the stalkerish quality of Kotoko, for fear it would spawn similar behavior in young girls. Now, the story has become one of my favorites, because I love Irie. Tall, dark, silent type men who are smart, athletic, and capable ... irresistible.
Required fields are marked *
Manin
July 13, 2013 at 1:30 AM
Yeah I like the way Kotoko is portrayed in this version. Whether it's cause the actress in underage or not she seems a tad less starkerish, and to possess a bit more backbone. And I loved that they cut the "I will do anything my love will be doing" for choosing a profession.
I also like this version's handling of the friendship between kin-chan and kotoko. The feelings aside, it feels like they are actually friends that support each other.
44 All Kinds Of Kimchi
July 12, 2013 at 11:11 AM
Hello, fellow beanies. :)
This is my first time posting after lurking around these Open Threads. It's always nice to see additional commentaries on dramas.
Happy to see so many fellow IHYV watchers!
It's rather exciting following IHYV because IHYV is my first official crack drama in a LONGGG time (since City Hunter).
ATTENTION: SPOILER BELOW
I Hear Your Voice: So last night's episode (ep 12) was the first episode that I didn't watch. After reading the recap, I don't know if I can bear to watch another ep of Hye-Sung giving Su-Ha the cold shoulder, Kwan-woo -with his claws out- lashing out at Su-Ha, and poor Su-Ha ... just so helpless. :( I know there are other notable moments to watch, but after last episode of seeing Su-Ha desperately trying to cling to the last strand of rope, and have Hye-Sung WALK AWAY from Su-Ha was just too much for my heart to take. Just rip it out, will you? (LOL)
Thank goodness Su-Ha regained his memory at the end, and not a moment too soon. I can't wait to see Su-Ha go back to being his confident and assertive self.
Hye-Sung needs to face her own feelings, and not run away from it either (by pushing Su-Ha out). Don't get me wrong, I love that girl - probably my favorite heroin in drama land- but I was screaming at her to the heavens seeing her reject Su-Ha like that. ESPECIALLY at a time like this when he was most vulnerable. I do get her reasoning, but why so heartless?
Finally, I hope Kwan-Woo isn't going to be reduced to the 2nd lead that becomes catty, illogical, and forceful in his feelings not being returned. Honestly, I adored that dorky guy and thought he was such a breath of fresh air to those typical 2nd leads that were so clingy and meh, but I'm seeing signs of his character changing in these last 2 eps. I just hope it was just momentary weakness and not anything long lasting...
Su-Ha and Hye-Sung FTW! Give me the goods, show!
Required fields are marked *
45 befuddled
July 12, 2013 at 11:34 AM
Drama llama!
I'm not sure I'm in love with any of the current dramas, but I like several of them a lot more than I thought that I was going to. It feels like there is a nice variety.
Who else is watching Heartless City? I have no idea what it going to happen at this point- 3 different current and/or former undercover agents has thrown me!
Side note: I'm pretty sure Empire of Gold is already turning out to be more heartless than Heartless City, lol.
Required fields are marked *
opaque
July 12, 2013 at 4:46 PM
I'm watching Heartless City and I love it! I have minor qualms but I'm ignoring them due to Baksa, who has an amazing character + acting to sell it. I don't really like Soo-min but she appears so little that I don't care much and plus I like the conflicts she brings even if the reason is flawed.
Required fields are marked *
46 redfox
July 12, 2013 at 11:58 AM
hellko! happy open thread
got home a bit sooner than I expected but still too late. and like a zombie. 9am to 9 pm, Tallinn Maritime Days. at the end of workday I walked like a zombie to the pier, even though I intended to go in a different fdirection. something pulled me there. and it was my best friend with her kid. hah, I should have known. we never need to call, we just meet at the oddest places.
Dramas - I Hear Your Voice, really interested to see where it is going. In some ways you think you can predict, but on the other hand, we know people act opposite to their thoughts and desires from the show itself.
Three things I want to say and you to hear:
1. dont want Su Ha to die as soon as he gets togethe with Hye Sung
2. I have a feeling it sort of all depends on KwanWoo and DoYeon now what becomes of MinGook
3. what about the mothers dream....
I also watched School 2013 all the way through finally, I was really busy when it was running. It ios very good. I think I have encountered all of the stuff these youth dealt with. except a gang I havent really been in one.
but I had a best freind who moved to USA and didnt speak to me for 8 years and I was just as hurt and thought it was because of me and felt guilty...
My favorite character from School was Ji Hoon. he was such a round table knight for all his friends. Percival.
I find that I terribly miss Park Ki Woong. When is he coming back on screen?
question today: who do you miss most?
Required fields are marked *
redfox
July 12, 2013 at 12:00 PM
sry I dont make much sense, just so tired barely standing feel like those heroines who have a gazillion jobs day and night
Required fields are marked *
redfox
July 12, 2013 at 12:17 PM
also, I have faith it is not too late to answer me [before 2097], which king or queen of dramas do you wanna say I miss you before their heirs overthrow the kings´ dream about love in Tokyo. Hope you can hear my voice.
this is the longest pun I have ever written.
arggh I miss Park Ki Woong and I already miss Sung Joon. at least we have Lee Jong-Seok
Required fields are marked *
katmoo
July 12, 2013 at 3:28 PM
Holy... good job punster mcpunstein.
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 12:40 PM
Mom's dream? About the plunge into the water? Oh my..you think it's foreshadowing something watery? Possible. Wondering what the heck Mr "End of the line" is planning.
Required fields are marked *
redfox
July 12, 2013 at 1:04 PM
yeah it bugs me. loose end writing right there that needs extra explanation
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 2:12 PM
If it's a dream sequence, maybe it's all symbolic. When Hse-Sung was interpreting her mom's dreams, her mom's dreams seemed to be more symbolic than actual point- by point depictions of the trouble. What say?
Required fields are marked *
redfox
July 12, 2013 at 2:26 PM
might be. then it should be all over and done with. I am all into weird speculations though
cherkell
July 12, 2013 at 8:55 PM
Park Ki-woong has set 4 October 2013 as his Military Enlistment Date (he's an '85-line and turned 28/29 Korean this year), so we won't be seeing him in anything except CMs and the odd one-act play (if an offer even comes his way). And another one bites the dust... *sigh*
Required fields are marked *
redfox
July 12, 2013 at 10:08 PM
noooo. well I wanna see him plenty before that. somebody do something ´bout that. quick. who knows what I will be in 2 yrs and if I have time for dramas...
Required fields are marked *
Julia the Berkshire Beanie
July 12, 2013 at 9:33 PM
@redfox Loved your description of your friendship.
I used to live with my friend, and at times I would walk into to the kitchen and pour a glass of water, then bring it to her ... all without any conscious thought. I would shake my head like waking from a daze, and realize she hadn't actually asked for the water out loud. She'd laugh and say "I was just thinking how thirsty I was". We were just that in sync.
Part of me is just glad she didn't use her jedi mind powers on me for ill. ;-)
Required fields are marked *
47 katey
July 12, 2013 at 12:05 PM
Hope everyone is having a good day so far.. Wanted to start I Hear Your Voice but Funshion killed it. Sigh.
Required fields are marked *
Newstory
July 12, 2013 at 12:32 PM
This is totally one of the greatest dramas I have seen! It is very dynamic, and everything seems perfect - acting, writing, shooting, OST. Plot is amazing, and the way authors present things is not as straightforward as in other dramas, which makes I Hear Your Voice stand out.
And ratings are skyrocketing, they are already over 20% and are still going higher)
Required fields are marked *
Hitoritabi
July 12, 2013 at 12:45 PM
Yeah, it is hard to watch the drama outside of China, unless you install some weird plug-ins and browsers. Within China though, you can almost watch it anywhere...
Required fields are marked *
katey
July 12, 2013 at 1:16 PM
Yeah, but I prefer Chinese subs to English because most of the time they are of better quality (grammar-wise) and the language is just more similar to Korean. Guess I have to look for alternatives when the drama finishes its run, because I've heard too many good reviews to not watch it. Plus Lee Jong-suk! Who can resist?
Required fields are marked *
Cotton046
July 12, 2013 at 11:51 PM
I totally agree! I prefer Chinese subs for the same reason. Go to funtude.com and you should be able to find most of the dramas there. I think there are dailymotion videos so that you don't have to install anything weird.
Required fields are marked *
katey
July 13, 2013 at 7:01 AM
thanks for the website recommendation!
48 cmrprindle's phone
July 12, 2013 at 2:12 PM
Just a quick post before the train plunges under ground(I really am trying to get into the swing of posting again). QIHM has just flown by. It's hard to believe I just finished Panda a week or so ago, and that I'm nearly done with this! The Twitter OT® knows its stuff ;) They didn't, however, warn me that along with the addiction I'd be needing an extra large of Kleenex!
And that's my news. Wish me luck at the grocery store. The AC was screwy yesterday so they weren't selling deli & cold products. My one egg is getting lonely in my fridge ;)
Required fields are marked *
CaroleMcDonnell
July 12, 2013 at 2:15 PM
Get that egg some family, woman!
Required fields are marked *
CMRPrindle
July 12, 2013 at 4:58 PM
LOL! I did, and their cousin, Milk, came along for the ride.
Required fields are marked *
49 Windsun33
July 12, 2013 at 4:03 PM
Can someone explain why Koreans get nose bleeds so often?
I guess they did finally figure out how to make shoes in Korea, as I have not seen the Broken High Heel cliché used for a while. :D
Required fields are marked *
enz
July 12, 2013 at 10:56 PM
it's because with the cold air, their nasal mucosa is thinned out, rendering them more prone to nose bleeds with any stress inducing an increased blood pressure. OR it may have no reflection on real Korean noses and any similar nose bleed incidents in real life is purely incidental :d
Required fields are marked *
enz
July 12, 2013 at 10:58 PM
it's because with the cold air ( during winter ) their nasal mucosa is thinned out, rendering them more prone to nose bleeds with any type of stress inducing an increased blood pressure. OR it may have no reflection on real Korean noses and any similarity to nose bleed incidents in real life is purely incidental :d
Required fields are marked *
enz
July 13, 2013 at 7:44 AM
oops sorry for the double post!
Required fields are marked *
50 Sajen
July 12, 2013 at 4:25 PM
So I've been watching the last 15-20 minutes of Monstar episode 8 and the more I watch the more convinced I am that, even though I think Gyu Dong needs to jump and survive to move his thing with Do Nam forward, Nana is going to save him. My evidence is they went out of their way to show where everyone else was and how impossible it would be for them to get to Gyu Dong and stop them but didn't even spare a second for Nana.
Also I'm starting to think Sun Woo is just an ass and not necessarily a well meaning ass like I used to think. He comes by it honestly enough coming from wealth and being treated like a prince and spending years with All-For-One but whereas Sul Chan underneath his mask is an innocent, lonely, kind young man I'm not so sure the same can be said about Sun Woo. In watching Sun Woo I'm more and more convinced that he doesn't really like Se Yi as he claims but it's more like Hyo Rin in that I think Sun Woo wants to possess Se Yi like Hyo Rin wants to possess Sul Chan.
Required fields are marked *
Sajen
July 12, 2013 at 8:29 PM
And am I the only one that misses Sul Chan's imagination? where did his hilarious imagination pieces go?
Required fields are marked *