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I just watched I Summon You Gold, Yoona is back! Again, I am rooting for the wrong female lead. I want her husband to fall in love with her again, the porcupine and soft underbelly, and terrible cook, and a prideful snobby girl that she is. The Black Swan theme was very fitting for Yoona.
I cannot stand that bland Candy- Dukhee any longer.
Master Sun - yes! Hilarious skinship for all the wrong and right reasons. But... Meow girl behaves like a 9-year old, seriously? OK, she is constantly scared, I get it, but it's one-dimensional. In comparison, in Flower Boy Next Door the girl was stunted in development to some degree by fears but she was thoughtful, feeling, resourceful, and brave. Tae Yang is more of a cartoon persona, at least for now. Cute smiles.
What else? Two week is dynamic, LJK Is great, not sure about females. Still watching Sword and Flower, little brother is a scary beautiful psychopath. I still don't get the princess with the same facial expression, mouth half-open, staring ahead in most of the scenes. It's like she is congested or something.
Good Doctor - pretty accurate portrayal of someone on ASD spectrum, including posture and the way he walks. Not sure about all the angry outbursts people have around him and slapping an adult in the hospital, your colleague, is it really happening in Korea? Wow.
I am craving something really light and silly, like Rooftop Prince, after Shark and Cruel City.
The phone thing-with the new generations of phones it is a bit more difficult to to rip the battery out dramatically. I have a hard case on my phone that takes the jaws of life to get it off. Actually I haven't seen anyone do that in real life since the early 2000's, but I can remember actually doing it to get my phone(s) at the time to turn off. I just did not hurl the phone across the room or into the street in anger haha. I have tossed a phone on the sofa or bed in frustration tho. :)
The shoe thing always annoyed me. Not only do they look ridiculous but I always think, you are trekking around the streets in expensive high heels, there will be absolutely nothing left of that pair of shoes, they are trashed. That is something I never got with the Sex and the City fad-I'd never wear my expensive dress shoes and walk down a city street! I have to walk a couple of blocks from parking to my office and I wear crap shoes on the street and put my good shoes on in the office. I was cringing in I Hear Your Voice with Hye Sung and wondered how many pairs of those red soles they went through filming that.
Let alone the sore feet and brushes here and there. I never was, am, and will be running in those high heels ever in my life. So, I can only imagine how painful that is...
Last accident between me and sport shoes was that I forgot to put socks while jogging for an hour, it already hurt so much. So.....
Oh gosh! The shoe thing! Like a fool, I have been known to run around the city in my heeled boots thinking that I am have the PD-edited stamina of a drama heroine. My feet like to tell me off whenever I do that. I only have a couple pairs of shoes/boots that I can wear all day, mostly standing up, and not want to cut my feet off afterward, and they're all either low-to-mid heel, or the heels are totally rubber! Also, drama watching in the winter just makes me want to go boot shopping. Love boots!
I've been suffering from IHYV withdrawal symptoms. It didn't help that Monstar also ended and while I can't say that I love the ending (unless they are giving us a sequel??), I did love the music. Now where can I buy the OST?
Am not quite ready to start a new drama although the few new ones do sound promising and I'm gonna continue to read the recaps and decide if and when to start on any of them.
In order to break out of my withdrawal miseries, I went and watch Ruruoni Kenshin Live Action movie and man... I fell in love with Kenshin all over again. For those who don't know, this movie is based on the manga, and when I was younger I loved the anime. I'm so glad that they did this movie well cos there are just so many manga/comics that did not translate well into live movies, whether it is a plot/casting/directing issue. They did this movie well and I really enjoyed it.
hmmm everyone's talking about autism and good doctor.....actually did y'all know that yoo seung ho once portrayed an autistic kid in some family drama called Precious Family? im not sure if it's an accurate portrayal or not.....plus YSH was a kiddo only last time. can someone care to tell me if it's a 'correct' portrayal? thanks!
Just completed KBS's White Christmas and woah. MJG from IHYV has nothing on Dr. Kim from WC because he is downright villainous to the bone. Brilliant, brilliant series that was shot and produced like a J-drama psychological thriller.
*LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD*
I was pretty much blown away by the depth that White Christmas presented (plus, indie music by Arcade Fire in a k-drama AND PUT TO GOOD USE, now that's a rarity) and the fluid and rich characterisations that all the leads got. There's a lot more that I want to get off my chest but I'm too lazy to go into details so instead, I will just haphazardly list down what comes to mind first.
I have to say that I wasn't really intrigued by the Doc's question about monsters/nature vs nurture debate because I have seen it dealt with over and over in several other mediums (the Monster manga is a great example and IHYV is a more recent example). On the other hand, I found the Doc's commitment to his experiment especially chilling, like a swan song of sorts. I personally felt that he would have found any justification to proclaim his victory at the end - the fact that there were people there for him to toy with was in itself his victory, by his own justifications. Not sure if that's clear.
All in all, I was bowled over by some of the actors' performances esp. Hong Jong-Hyeon's. His character was somewhat a beta-male wallflower but I always had the feeling that the was the unreadable wildcard (even more so than Mireu because it was predictable that he would go ahead and do unpredictable things) and you never knew what was going through his mind. The rest's assigned roles were more clearly defined; Mooyul the heroic do-good leader, Yoon-Soo, the lost soul, etc.
Here are my favorites in terms of characters and performances (only listing the students):
Characters (in order of preference):
1. Mi-Reu / Kim Woo Bin
The free spirit agent of chaos. Everyone loves a redhead clown who does whatever he wants.
2. Jae-kyu / Hong Jong-Hyeon
The quiet ones are always the unpredictable ones.
3. Ji-hoon / Sung Joon
I always have had a soft spot for the cool intellectual types who don't give a crapass about pleasing everyone. I.E., Naoki from ItaNaKiss. Where there's a situation, there's a solution and I like how he effectively saw MY as part of the solution.
4. Young-Jae / Kim Young-Kwang
It's nice to see a bully with a realistic backstory. I don't so often like the hot-headed jock type of character but his "hate-me-everyone-for-I-rather-that-than-be-unloved" speech was <3. Self-awareness, now that I like.
5. Moo-Yul / Baek Sung-Hyun
It's often the self-righteous, do gooder, insecure sort of characters that I especially dislike (because, very often they are clueless about the harm they cause, in their pursuit for justice) but I'd say, he did a fair job of including everyone's opinions and that he genuinely has a good heart.
6. Kang-Mo / Kwak Jung-Wook
I was worried that his disability would be put to contrived use in the narrative but I thought it was rather deftly handled with. I was all hell yeahs when his hearing aid malfunctioned at the end and that he went on to do the smart thing WITHOUT it.
7. Eun-Sung / Esom
As the only female character, I expected her to be... more interesting? I liked her insight towards the end but otherwise, didn't really enjoy her character.
8. Yoon-Soo / Soo-Hyuk
I suspect ranking him last has much lesser to do with not liking his character than there's too little of him for me to feel an emotional connection with. They could have done more with him though, given his Death Poet Society-type ending.
Admittedly, the acting is rather raw at times because these actors were greenhorns then but there were a couple of whom I thought did EXCEEDINGLY well despite their lack of experience. Strictly IMO and subjective.
Actors (in order of performances):
1. Jae-kyu / Hong Jong-Hyeon
He really did a lot more than he could with his character, and was the most consistent of the lot in terms of acting. His little tics and mannerisms... spot-on. Don't know much about him before, but am interested in checking out his career.
2. Young-Jae / Kim Young-Kwang
2. Mi-Reu / Kim Woo Bin
Mostly a tie between both of them but with an extra point going to KYK because I guess, he really had more material to work with. But the inexperienced (comparatively; it was his first series) KWB deserves a medal for playing the comedic relief without going over-the-top and his quiet moment with MY about JH's death was well-played.
3. Eun-Sung / Esom
3. Kang-Mo / Kwak Jung-Wook
Another tie. Esom is probably more consistent than JW but JW's character is sort of harder to play than Esom's.
4. Ji-hoon / Sung Joon
There's really little acting to be done in SJ's case TBH because his character is an unemotional robot. But that he did pretty well, so props for that.
5. Moo-Yul / Baek Sung-Hyun
Probably going to be an unpopular opinion but his acting was extremely stiff when it came to scenes of him playing the stoic and calm leader (and there were plenty of them) - and it wasn't even buyable as insecurity or some subtle character trait. His mouth freezes over or something like that which distracted me so much, until towards the end. And the f-ed up part is he had the meatiest role and so much room for characterization.
6. Yoon-Soo / Soo-Hyuk
Same reason so as to why his character was ranked last. There's too little for me to go on about his acting because mainly, he was just wasted in the background acting all spaced-out.
--------
Phew, a big load off my chest. ANYONE ELSE THERE WHO WATCHED WXMAS, care to share their thoughts? It's a lil belated given its 2011 airing, but hey, good shows are timeless.
I watched it about a year ago. I agree about it being really well made and I thought what you said about the villain thinking he had won no matter what the outcome was really astute. I had actually been really frustrated by the ending and that puts it under a slightly different perspective. However, [spoiler]I'm still unsatisfied with the kids committing murder at the end. I understand that they went through a horrific trauma, but I don't follow the failure of the justice system after what they had gone through when all the evidence was right there. Furthermore, I was disappointed that the kids sunk to the killer's level in the end, doubly ensuring that they won't be able to heal from the incident. Admittedly these are kids who have already been failed time and time again by their families, their school, and their society, but after all that I wanted some peace for them. I thought they deserved more.[end spoiler]
Hmm, but then again, they wouldn't have done anything to him if he didn't push them to the edge, psychologically and physically, what with his call to a particular character and the fact that the group knew he was out and about for more blood. Not like that's an excuse to do what they did, but I think, it's important to note that it was the first time that they all came to a consensus that it was the right thing to do, without hesitation. Which brings me to my next point, lol :D
The whole final confrontation with Doc made me think about his lion by the river/thirsty zebras analogy in his convo with KM, in which he talked about individual zebras sacrificing themselves for the sake of the general population. A natural order of things so as to speak: the weakest link saves the rest by well, doing what the weakest link is destined to do. Or simply, by being the weakest link.
I guess ES said the Doc lost because the weakest link decided to go against the grain by _____ and not getting rid of the Doc like how a wounded zebra would distract a lion. (I recall Doc wondering where YS was when he was on the rooftop with the rest so I suppose that was his plan).
Instead, the remaining zebras did the “right” thing by banding together and destroying the lion for good – if you can call it a right thing? If not, there will always come a time where everyone has to vilify themselves over and over because society dictates that there's always a weakest link/sacrificial lamb to save the rest from the lion? Might as well be a “monster” (in Doc’s words) once and for all to defeat it than be one for life, no? It highlights the freedom of choice that they, and we all, have, to interchange between being monstrous and humane.
I also saw it as repentance for failing to save a particular character from his fate as well as survival instincts kicking in, not so much as stooping to his level. It's a blurred line between salvation and sinning, unfortunately. For in their sin, they found collective salvation.
I think you present a compelling analysis, but I have a different interpretation of the monster/salvation analogy. Going to try using the spoiler tag again.[spoiler] In their final act, by taking a life in the same way the killer took lives, the drama suggests that the students have become monsters themselves. They have essentially become that which they were trying to destroy. So in that sense, even though the Doctor would have thought he was right no matter what the outcome, he is also correct in concluding that he has succeeded. Which bothered me, since the only ending I would have found fully satisfying would have been an ending in which the Doc definitively does NOT succeed in completely ridding the students of their humanity. But White Christmas was never meant to be the kind of drama that was satisfying or let the viewer sit easy in their chair, so I'm not sure why I expected any kind of happy ending other than I just wanted there to be one. After all the suffering the students went through, I wanted them to find healing, and through that, hope. [end spoiler]
I like how that's there many interpretations about the ending :D That's what a good show does, me feels.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
I guess I never really cared about whether they ___ him or not at the end because I thought it was awfully near-sighted of Doc to categorize people into monsters and non-monsters - failed hypothesis from the start. As if there's only two choices available, lol. That I thought was his folly, because either way, there's a 50-50 chance of him being victorious. (Actually, 70-30 cos' he was a cunning and manipulative sofab with much luck on his side and a deranged sidekick.)
So, at the end of the day, I liked that the students made A choice, regardless of whether it was morally right or wrong. Haha, maybe I'm overly optimistic in thinking that their collective choice has far less to do with it being a reaction to him being an evil ass-trap egging them on... than say simply exercising the freedom of choice. And that they will always be exercising that freedom of choice when faced with other situations (dire or not) ... that's the message of hope I got I suppose, lol. To submit to Doc's ideal of two silly labels would have been their real loss, and I thought they didn't despite doing the wrong thing.
I guess, in that sense, both sides "won" in their minds.
Felt rather sad in the early evening when I was reminded by some unkind "friends" of a past relationship...n got upset at myself for still being hung up on it....
N to distract myself when I got home, I re watched The Woman who still want to marry...3 eps later
N now I can say....I continue to strive in all opportunites life presents me...with or without a man by my side, I m awesome!
Okay, I haven't been keeping up with dramas for a for a few months, and there seem to be so many airing right now. I have no clue where to start.
Any recommendations?
Any good dramas currently airing?
Another late start to the weekend for me. Anyeong Beanies!
I have...no clue what I'm doing with myself right now, lol. I've got terrible writers block for my novel, fanfic that is eating me alive but not in good ways, and a serious case of new-drama indecision. Pathetic, no?
Speaking of new dramas, I have a chingu that I am ever so slowly turning into an addict. She and I have watched and completed 2 dramas, discarded a 3rd after hardly watching one ep, and are almost done with FBRS. It's time for a new show. Luckily she and I are easy together, I just need something light and sweet. Zany works well for us. We're going to try the new Hong sisters, but if that doesn't go any suggestions? I wish I hadn't seen Panda & Hedgehog already b/c I think that'd be right up her alley.
Cha Seung Won is great in City Hall as a jerk but cool politician in City Hall. If you like Best Love watch My Girlfriend is A Gumiho also by Hong sisters. Also Kim Sam Soon is a legendary rom com from 2005.
CMRPrindle: I second you on FBRS's Pillar. If someone showed up in my life claiming to be my husband and moved in, I would have been completely flustered, then he stand before me in just a towel ... I would be a goner. OK, I'll be your wife. (* smiles *)
Her Legend
This is supposedly the "true" story of Helianthus Fashion in Korea, but I highly suspect the only thing really true is the name.
Well, it looks like this series - only up to ep2 - will be hitting all the standard plot devices and Makjang Moments. Though fairly good (I give it 4/5 stars for now), so far we have:
1. Evil/jealous stepmother + evil greedy cousin/stepsister figure.
2. Car crash + amnesia
3. Birth secrets/identity swapping
4. Candy Girl + Chaebol Prince
5. Love triangle between Candy Girl and Evil identity stealing stepsister/cousin and Chaebol Prince
I am pretty much a sucker for Cinderella stories, even though I know that in real life there is only about a 1/10,000 chance of it actually being true, so will keep watching for now.
Hi guys speaking about romantic dramas im a new to Korean dramas since june this year and i have seen 20 shows so far in addictive new fan frenzy in the last two months, im finally running out romantic dramas series i know by name to try.
You can see which type of rom com i like in this open thread. My fav, best rom com that tops my fav list are Best Love, City Hall, My Name is Kim Sam Soon,My Girlfriend is a Gumiho
It can be other genres too as long there is great chemistry between the OTP. I have been spoiled Kim Sun Ah,Cha Seung Won type actors really talented, series and Hong sister great romantic comedies. I dont like melodramas so mostly watch romantic dramas, saeguku, action/revenge dramas.
have you tried flower boy ramyun shop and the woman who still wants to marry? both rom coms - FBRS was reminiscent of best love for me but i love FBRS more :)
I have seen some decent to very good flower themed rom coms like Flower Boy Next Door and Me too Flower!
There is no pretty boy idols who cant act in Flower boy ramen show right? I have had bad experience with pop stars who ruin good rom coms like that second lead guy in Boys over Flowers.....
![[K-drama Treasure Hunt] Heart-fluttery bottle opening](http://d263ao8qih4miy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Kdrama-treasure-hunt.png)
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51 kngdrama
August 9, 2013 at 7:48 PM
Hello everyone,
I just watched I Summon You Gold, Yoona is back! Again, I am rooting for the wrong female lead. I want her husband to fall in love with her again, the porcupine and soft underbelly, and terrible cook, and a prideful snobby girl that she is. The Black Swan theme was very fitting for Yoona.
I cannot stand that bland Candy- Dukhee any longer.
Master Sun - yes! Hilarious skinship for all the wrong and right reasons. But... Meow girl behaves like a 9-year old, seriously? OK, she is constantly scared, I get it, but it's one-dimensional. In comparison, in Flower Boy Next Door the girl was stunted in development to some degree by fears but she was thoughtful, feeling, resourceful, and brave. Tae Yang is more of a cartoon persona, at least for now. Cute smiles.
What else? Two week is dynamic, LJK Is great, not sure about females. Still watching Sword and Flower, little brother is a scary beautiful psychopath. I still don't get the princess with the same facial expression, mouth half-open, staring ahead in most of the scenes. It's like she is congested or something.
Good Doctor - pretty accurate portrayal of someone on ASD spectrum, including posture and the way he walks. Not sure about all the angry outbursts people have around him and slapping an adult in the hospital, your colleague, is it really happening in Korea? Wow.
I am craving something really light and silly, like Rooftop Prince, after Shark and Cruel City.
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52 Mar
August 9, 2013 at 8:46 PM
The phone thing-with the new generations of phones it is a bit more difficult to to rip the battery out dramatically. I have a hard case on my phone that takes the jaws of life to get it off. Actually I haven't seen anyone do that in real life since the early 2000's, but I can remember actually doing it to get my phone(s) at the time to turn off. I just did not hurl the phone across the room or into the street in anger haha. I have tossed a phone on the sofa or bed in frustration tho. :)
The shoe thing always annoyed me. Not only do they look ridiculous but I always think, you are trekking around the streets in expensive high heels, there will be absolutely nothing left of that pair of shoes, they are trashed. That is something I never got with the Sex and the City fad-I'd never wear my expensive dress shoes and walk down a city street! I have to walk a couple of blocks from parking to my office and I wear crap shoes on the street and put my good shoes on in the office. I was cringing in I Hear Your Voice with Hye Sung and wondered how many pairs of those red soles they went through filming that.
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MEalways
August 10, 2013 at 2:58 AM
Let alone the sore feet and brushes here and there. I never was, am, and will be running in those high heels ever in my life. So, I can only imagine how painful that is...
Last accident between me and sport shoes was that I forgot to put socks while jogging for an hour, it already hurt so much. So.....
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CMRPrindle
August 10, 2013 at 7:10 PM
Oh gosh! The shoe thing! Like a fool, I have been known to run around the city in my heeled boots thinking that I am have the PD-edited stamina of a drama heroine. My feet like to tell me off whenever I do that. I only have a couple pairs of shoes/boots that I can wear all day, mostly standing up, and not want to cut my feet off afterward, and they're all either low-to-mid heel, or the heels are totally rubber! Also, drama watching in the winter just makes me want to go boot shopping. Love boots!
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53 whimsicalnet
August 9, 2013 at 8:53 PM
Hi all!
I've been suffering from IHYV withdrawal symptoms. It didn't help that Monstar also ended and while I can't say that I love the ending (unless they are giving us a sequel??), I did love the music. Now where can I buy the OST?
Am not quite ready to start a new drama although the few new ones do sound promising and I'm gonna continue to read the recaps and decide if and when to start on any of them.
In order to break out of my withdrawal miseries, I went and watch Ruruoni Kenshin Live Action movie and man... I fell in love with Kenshin all over again. For those who don't know, this movie is based on the manga, and when I was younger I loved the anime. I'm so glad that they did this movie well cos there are just so many manga/comics that did not translate well into live movies, whether it is a plot/casting/directing issue. They did this movie well and I really enjoyed it.
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Enz
August 10, 2013 at 4:13 AM
Apprently ost can be found at yesasia :)
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54 the50-person
August 9, 2013 at 9:56 PM
hmmm everyone's talking about autism and good doctor.....actually did y'all know that yoo seung ho once portrayed an autistic kid in some family drama called Precious Family? im not sure if it's an accurate portrayal or not.....plus YSH was a kiddo only last time. can someone care to tell me if it's a 'correct' portrayal? thanks!
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55 mismatched_footprints
August 9, 2013 at 10:05 PM
Hi fellow beanies!
Just a quick post to declare my love for Puberty Medley.
*sending a virtual hug to KBS World for posting the english-subbed episodes on youtube*
I found my happy pills. Thanks you, Show.
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mismatched_footprints
August 9, 2013 at 10:07 PM
*thank
oops. :)
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john
August 10, 2013 at 6:03 AM
mismatched_footprints ~
This looks interesting, thanks for posting .
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mismatched_footprints
August 10, 2013 at 10:42 AM
My pleasure, John. :)
I can't help it. High school dramas are my Kryptonite. (ehem: Reply 1997, Monstar, and now... this!)
Puberty Medley is a short (4 episodes only) yet sweet affair.
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56 Celery
August 10, 2013 at 6:08 AM
Just completed KBS's White Christmas and woah. MJG from IHYV has nothing on Dr. Kim from WC because he is downright villainous to the bone. Brilliant, brilliant series that was shot and produced like a J-drama psychological thriller.
*LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD*
I was pretty much blown away by the depth that White Christmas presented (plus, indie music by Arcade Fire in a k-drama AND PUT TO GOOD USE, now that's a rarity) and the fluid and rich characterisations that all the leads got. There's a lot more that I want to get off my chest but I'm too lazy to go into details so instead, I will just haphazardly list down what comes to mind first.
I have to say that I wasn't really intrigued by the Doc's question about monsters/nature vs nurture debate because I have seen it dealt with over and over in several other mediums (the Monster manga is a great example and IHYV is a more recent example). On the other hand, I found the Doc's commitment to his experiment especially chilling, like a swan song of sorts. I personally felt that he would have found any justification to proclaim his victory at the end - the fact that there were people there for him to toy with was in itself his victory, by his own justifications. Not sure if that's clear.
All in all, I was bowled over by some of the actors' performances esp. Hong Jong-Hyeon's. His character was somewhat a beta-male wallflower but I always had the feeling that the was the unreadable wildcard (even more so than Mireu because it was predictable that he would go ahead and do unpredictable things) and you never knew what was going through his mind. The rest's assigned roles were more clearly defined; Mooyul the heroic do-good leader, Yoon-Soo, the lost soul, etc.
Here are my favorites in terms of characters and performances (only listing the students):
Characters (in order of preference):
1. Mi-Reu / Kim Woo Bin
The free spirit agent of chaos. Everyone loves a redhead clown who does whatever he wants.
2. Jae-kyu / Hong Jong-Hyeon
The quiet ones are always the unpredictable ones.
3. Ji-hoon / Sung Joon
I always have had a soft spot for the cool intellectual types who don't give a crapass about pleasing everyone. I.E., Naoki from ItaNaKiss. Where there's a situation, there's a solution and I like how he effectively saw MY as part of the solution.
4. Young-Jae / Kim Young-Kwang
It's nice to see a bully with a realistic backstory. I don't so often like the hot-headed jock type of character but his "hate-me-everyone-for-I-rather-that-than-be-unloved" speech was <3. Self-awareness, now that I like.
5. Moo-Yul / Baek Sung-Hyun
It's often the self-righteous, do gooder, insecure sort of characters that I especially dislike (because, very often they are clueless about the harm they cause, in their pursuit for justice) but I'd say, he did a fair job of including everyone's opinions and that he genuinely has a good heart.
6. Kang-Mo / Kwak Jung-Wook
I was worried that his disability would be put to contrived use in the narrative but I thought it was rather deftly handled with. I was all hell yeahs when his hearing aid malfunctioned at the end and that he went on to do the smart thing WITHOUT it.
7. Eun-Sung / Esom
As the only female character, I expected her to be... more interesting? I liked her insight towards the end but otherwise, didn't really enjoy her character.
8. Yoon-Soo / Soo-Hyuk
I suspect ranking him last has much lesser to do with not liking his character than there's too little of him for me to feel an emotional connection with. They could have done more with him though, given his Death Poet Society-type ending.
Admittedly, the acting is rather raw at times because these actors were greenhorns then but there were a couple of whom I thought did EXCEEDINGLY well despite their lack of experience. Strictly IMO and subjective.
Actors (in order of performances):
1. Jae-kyu / Hong Jong-Hyeon
He really did a lot more than he could with his character, and was the most consistent of the lot in terms of acting. His little tics and mannerisms... spot-on. Don't know much about him before, but am interested in checking out his career.
2. Young-Jae / Kim Young-Kwang
2. Mi-Reu / Kim Woo Bin
Mostly a tie between both of them but with an extra point going to KYK because I guess, he really had more material to work with. But the inexperienced (comparatively; it was his first series) KWB deserves a medal for playing the comedic relief without going over-the-top and his quiet moment with MY about JH's death was well-played.
3. Eun-Sung / Esom
3. Kang-Mo / Kwak Jung-Wook
Another tie. Esom is probably more consistent than JW but JW's character is sort of harder to play than Esom's.
4. Ji-hoon / Sung Joon
There's really little acting to be done in SJ's case TBH because his character is an unemotional robot. But that he did pretty well, so props for that.
5. Moo-Yul / Baek Sung-Hyun
Probably going to be an unpopular opinion but his acting was extremely stiff when it came to scenes of him playing the stoic and calm leader (and there were plenty of them) - and it wasn't even buyable as insecurity or some subtle character trait. His mouth freezes over or something like that which distracted me so much, until towards the end. And the f-ed up part is he had the meatiest role and so much room for characterization.
6. Yoon-Soo / Soo-Hyuk
Same reason so as to why his character was ranked last. There's too little for me to go on about his acting because mainly, he was just wasted in the background acting all spaced-out.
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Phew, a big load off my chest. ANYONE ELSE THERE WHO WATCHED WXMAS, care to share their thoughts? It's a lil belated given its 2011 airing, but hey, good shows are timeless.
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hydrangeabloom
August 10, 2013 at 10:43 AM
I watched it about a year ago. I agree about it being really well made and I thought what you said about the villain thinking he had won no matter what the outcome was really astute. I had actually been really frustrated by the ending and that puts it under a slightly different perspective. However, [spoiler]I'm still unsatisfied with the kids committing murder at the end. I understand that they went through a horrific trauma, but I don't follow the failure of the justice system after what they had gone through when all the evidence was right there. Furthermore, I was disappointed that the kids sunk to the killer's level in the end, doubly ensuring that they won't be able to heal from the incident. Admittedly these are kids who have already been failed time and time again by their families, their school, and their society, but after all that I wanted some peace for them. I thought they deserved more.[end spoiler]
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hydrangeabloom
August 10, 2013 at 10:45 AM
Bah! I thought I'd typed in the spoiler tag correctly, but I must have forgotten a symbol somewhere in there. Apologies!
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Celery
August 11, 2013 at 1:01 AM
Hmm, but then again, they wouldn't have done anything to him if he didn't push them to the edge, psychologically and physically, what with his call to a particular character and the fact that the group knew he was out and about for more blood. Not like that's an excuse to do what they did, but I think, it's important to note that it was the first time that they all came to a consensus that it was the right thing to do, without hesitation. Which brings me to my next point, lol :D
The whole final confrontation with Doc made me think about his lion by the river/thirsty zebras analogy in his convo with KM, in which he talked about individual zebras sacrificing themselves for the sake of the general population. A natural order of things so as to speak: the weakest link saves the rest by well, doing what the weakest link is destined to do. Or simply, by being the weakest link.
I guess ES said the Doc lost because the weakest link decided to go against the grain by _____ and not getting rid of the Doc like how a wounded zebra would distract a lion. (I recall Doc wondering where YS was when he was on the rooftop with the rest so I suppose that was his plan).
Instead, the remaining zebras did the “right” thing by banding together and destroying the lion for good – if you can call it a right thing? If not, there will always come a time where everyone has to vilify themselves over and over because society dictates that there's always a weakest link/sacrificial lamb to save the rest from the lion? Might as well be a “monster” (in Doc’s words) once and for all to defeat it than be one for life, no? It highlights the freedom of choice that they, and we all, have, to interchange between being monstrous and humane.
I also saw it as repentance for failing to save a particular character from his fate as well as survival instincts kicking in, not so much as stooping to his level. It's a blurred line between salvation and sinning, unfortunately. For in their sin, they found collective salvation.
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hydrangeabloom
August 11, 2013 at 9:22 AM
I think you present a compelling analysis, but I have a different interpretation of the monster/salvation analogy. Going to try using the spoiler tag again.[spoiler] In their final act, by taking a life in the same way the killer took lives, the drama suggests that the students have become monsters themselves. They have essentially become that which they were trying to destroy. So in that sense, even though the Doctor would have thought he was right no matter what the outcome, he is also correct in concluding that he has succeeded. Which bothered me, since the only ending I would have found fully satisfying would have been an ending in which the Doc definitively does NOT succeed in completely ridding the students of their humanity. But White Christmas was never meant to be the kind of drama that was satisfying or let the viewer sit easy in their chair, so I'm not sure why I expected any kind of happy ending other than I just wanted there to be one. After all the suffering the students went through, I wanted them to find healing, and through that, hope. [end spoiler]
Celery
August 11, 2013 at 1:20 PM
I like how that's there many interpretations about the ending :D That's what a good show does, me feels.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
I guess I never really cared about whether they ___ him or not at the end because I thought it was awfully near-sighted of Doc to categorize people into monsters and non-monsters - failed hypothesis from the start. As if there's only two choices available, lol. That I thought was his folly, because either way, there's a 50-50 chance of him being victorious. (Actually, 70-30 cos' he was a cunning and manipulative sofab with much luck on his side and a deranged sidekick.)
So, at the end of the day, I liked that the students made A choice, regardless of whether it was morally right or wrong. Haha, maybe I'm overly optimistic in thinking that their collective choice has far less to do with it being a reaction to him being an evil ass-trap egging them on... than say simply exercising the freedom of choice. And that they will always be exercising that freedom of choice when faced with other situations (dire or not) ... that's the message of hope I got I suppose, lol. To submit to Doc's ideal of two silly labels would have been their real loss, and I thought they didn't despite doing the wrong thing.
I guess, in that sense, both sides "won" in their minds.
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57 john
August 10, 2013 at 6:15 AM
I was saddened to read about the passing of George Duke.
George, thanks for the all the great music.
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58 Oo
August 10, 2013 at 9:11 AM
Happy weekend everyone!!!
Felt rather sad in the early evening when I was reminded by some unkind "friends" of a past relationship...n got upset at myself for still being hung up on it....
N to distract myself when I got home, I re watched The Woman who still want to marry...3 eps later
N now I can say....I continue to strive in all opportunites life presents me...with or without a man by my side, I m awesome!
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whimsicalnet
August 10, 2013 at 9:55 AM
that you definitely are!!
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CMRPrindle
August 10, 2013 at 7:07 PM
I do love that aspect of TWWSWTM. There's a reason I'm on my 2nd, or 3rd, re-watch!
And I know how you feel. I found myself dredging up some bad "friend" stuff earlier today. Ugh. Unhelpful!
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59 Mary
August 10, 2013 at 6:56 PM
Okay, I haven't been keeping up with dramas for a for a few months, and there seem to be so many airing right now. I have no clue where to start.
Any recommendations?
Any good dramas currently airing?
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CMRPrindle
August 10, 2013 at 7:05 PM
I haven't seen it, but I've been told that I Hear Your Voice was good and it just ended. No need to wait for subtitles :)
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Mary
August 11, 2013 at 7:49 PM
Thanks for the rec! I'll be sure to look it up.
Do you know if ay of the dramas that are currently airing or just started are any good?
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60 CMRPrindle
August 10, 2013 at 7:05 PM
Another late start to the weekend for me. Anyeong Beanies!
I have...no clue what I'm doing with myself right now, lol. I've got terrible writers block for my novel, fanfic that is eating me alive but not in good ways, and a serious case of new-drama indecision. Pathetic, no?
Speaking of new dramas, I have a chingu that I am ever so slowly turning into an addict. She and I have watched and completed 2 dramas, discarded a 3rd after hardly watching one ep, and are almost done with FBRS. It's time for a new show. Luckily she and I are easy together, I just need something light and sweet. Zany works well for us. We're going to try the new Hong sisters, but if that doesn't go any suggestions? I wish I hadn't seen Panda & Hedgehog already b/c I think that'd be right up her alley.
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CMRPrindle
August 10, 2013 at 7:12 PM
Also? My Second Lead Syndrome is in full effect for FBRS. Seriously, I have no love for Cha Chi Soo as a romantic lead.
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enz
August 10, 2013 at 11:46 PM
how about best love ? I love that drama. clever script and good mix of hilarious and heartfelt for me.
I loved LOVED FBRS. oh. what about the recently completed monstar?? coz I LOVED that too :)
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CMRPrindle
August 11, 2013 at 6:11 AM
We saw Best Love already. She loves it (and Dokko Jin) like whoa. That's part of the reason why we're excited to see Master's Sun.
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Firdhiye
August 11, 2013 at 2:13 PM
Cha Seung Won is great in City Hall as a jerk but cool politician in City Hall. If you like Best Love watch My Girlfriend is A Gumiho also by Hong sisters. Also Kim Sam Soon is a legendary rom com from 2005.
CMRPrindle
August 11, 2013 at 6:11 AM
Oh, Monstar really? I'll have to look into it. I'm responsible for finding the new shows :D
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Julia the Berkshire Beanie
August 11, 2013 at 3:40 PM
CMRPrindle: I second you on FBRS's Pillar. If someone showed up in my life claiming to be my husband and moved in, I would have been completely flustered, then he stand before me in just a towel ... I would be a goner. OK, I'll be your wife. (* smiles *)
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enz
August 12, 2013 at 6:37 AM
ya, monstar made into my top three and brought on an embarrassing crush on junhyung. try it! hope you like it.
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61 windsun33
August 11, 2013 at 8:29 AM
Her Legend
This is supposedly the "true" story of Helianthus Fashion in Korea, but I highly suspect the only thing really true is the name.
Well, it looks like this series - only up to ep2 - will be hitting all the standard plot devices and Makjang Moments. Though fairly good (I give it 4/5 stars for now), so far we have:
1. Evil/jealous stepmother + evil greedy cousin/stepsister figure.
2. Car crash + amnesia
3. Birth secrets/identity swapping
4. Candy Girl + Chaebol Prince
5. Love triangle between Candy Girl and Evil identity stealing stepsister/cousin and Chaebol Prince
I am pretty much a sucker for Cinderella stories, even though I know that in real life there is only about a 1/10,000 chance of it actually being true, so will keep watching for now.
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CMRPrindle
August 11, 2013 at 1:32 PM
O_O All of that in 2 episodes. Wow.
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62 Firdhiye
August 11, 2013 at 2:00 PM
Hi guys speaking about romantic dramas im a new to Korean dramas since june this year and i have seen 20 shows so far in addictive new fan frenzy in the last two months, im finally running out romantic dramas series i know by name to try.
You can see which type of rom com i like in this open thread. My fav, best rom com that tops my fav list are Best Love, City Hall, My Name is Kim Sam Soon,My Girlfriend is a Gumiho
It can be other genres too as long there is great chemistry between the OTP. I have been spoiled Kim Sun Ah,Cha Seung Won type actors really talented, series and Hong sister great romantic comedies. I dont like melodramas so mostly watch romantic dramas, saeguku, action/revenge dramas.
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enz
August 12, 2013 at 6:40 AM
have you tried flower boy ramyun shop and the woman who still wants to marry? both rom coms - FBRS was reminiscent of best love for me but i love FBRS more :)
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Firdhiye
August 12, 2013 at 10:07 AM
I have seen some decent to very good flower themed rom coms like Flower Boy Next Door and Me too Flower!
There is no pretty boy idols who cant act in Flower boy ramen show right? I have had bad experience with pop stars who ruin good rom coms like that second lead guy in Boys over Flowers.....
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63 Ele
August 12, 2013 at 5:18 PM
Is there going to be any more Sword and Flower recaps?
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64 Ele
August 12, 2013 at 5:19 PM
Are there going to be any more Sword and Flower recaps?
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Ele
August 12, 2013 at 5:19 PM
*I meant are!
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