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well, the vacation is going smooth, just ONE DAY until HAYDAMAKY!!! Yayyyy. I am glad it has gotten warm, because just last week it was only +13C, and I was wondering if Oleksandr, the band leader in Haydamaky, is gonna throw off his shirt, then.... um.... The nekkid kozak in Estonian chilly spring. But he has heat, oh boy does he, so I think it would have been ok. Do korean idols ever throw off their shirts though? I think it would be inappropriate...or do they? Not that I am asking to see you know. No, really. Don´t show me.
But now the environmentalist in me is kicking out again. Had a long discussion one evening in Viljandi. Like how did the world get as far as this heat wave in India (terrible! 800 people dead? just...chilling.) and we came to the idea what if it really isn´t the climate but the Earth itself, that is changing... I dunno. No more expeditions to the North Pole by the way, and oh, tell the children, Santa Claus is homeless, needs shelter for himself and 60 polar bears.
what are we going to do... the natives in america are saying everyone should learn to survive in deep forests again, that will offer some protection from stuff like extreme heats....but there are no more forests in many places!
sigh. anyway, I couldn´t watch dramas, since I didn´t have access to internet. So I watched tele instead. Eurovision! Hey, we finished on 7th like we started in semi, so what was the point in going through all that trouble? ah, but the competition was tough. damn latvians were ahead of us. I am not buying my marmalade from Riga now. Australia could have done better if that Guy had not been so proud & turned down all interviews. Well, I am pretty satisfied, I also liked the belgian guy immensely, his voice is phenomenal. Enough of the cheesefest, but I have a feeling the reputation of Eurovision is rising and it is modernizing too. BTW, it was also broadcasted in South Korea, China and Japan! (and now China has asked to participate! How crazy is that???)
So, kept watching tele in the evening after exhausting days of digging, watering, de-weeding, covering, tieing etc etc in the garden. There was a really good documentary on the phenomena of Scandinavian crime series like The Bridge and The Killing. I haven´t watched them, but I am curious to see what the craze is about. There are also a number of remakes made or being made in USA, GB, even Russia and Turkey. But what people (in England at least) are flipping out about is a sweater the actress wore. how shallow. has anyone watched any of those danish and swedish crime series, is it worth all the buzz?
that also got me thinking if we have any potential - Estonian broadcasting stations´ rating leaders are domestic crime series. But they are more detective comedies than noir-skizo-human dramas. I think our tradition is more close to the british, all the death and evil through an ironic, sarcastic prism. being serious through humor is a level up from butt-jokes at least. I haven´t heard of anyone buying rights for our series abroad, but they have a cult following here, there is one with just female detectives and teenage girls basically stalk the actresses everywhere, calling them on the home phone etc.
It seems korean detective dramas are taking themselves very seriously with some recent exceptions, like The Girl Who Sees Smells. the whole style and sense of humor was very close to what I see here at home.
this brings me to the question today: how do you prefer your detectives? Dark, ungroomed and introverted? Eccentric and snarky? Traditional (a la british)? Or Team Irrational from TGWSS? Cute like Mu Gak (OMG such an adowabubble thing) or perhaps half-criminals themselves, like Bad Guys... and name 3 series you got the most hooked on?
and the second question, can we save the Earth from a climatic disaster OR ARE WE ALL GONNA DIE OMG MOMMY... I NEED A TREE TO HUG.
P.S. Really sorry, if anyone again considers this post too long, too over the top, too ambitious, too intruding, rude, arrogant, boring or unnecessary.
P.S. P.S. In the latest stills and BTS shots of Night Scholar, the outfits (at least Ninja Teachers´) look much improved and not as plain and sterile as in the...
got cut:
P.S. P.S. In the latest stills and BTS shots of Night Scholar, the outfits (at least Ninja Teachers´) look much improved and not as plain and sterile as in the beginning. There is some plaits, some pattern and some traces of use. Me like. Want to see color photos already. There is a b&w picture on his Instagram
Honestly I love mysteries in general so I'm used to a variety of detectives...and I love them all. I like that there are so many approaches to a theme that I love.
Dear miss Foxy, my weeping days for my 3 adorable guys are NOT over yet! Has Europe become tone-deaf?? In what universe the clip (not song!) Sweden has flashed us with along with a mediocre vocals could have beaten Italia's magnificent voices?? Is Sweden the new bully in Eurovision?? Ireland has won so many times but never attempted a shameless coup d'etat like these guys did! I blame EBU and the swedish production company for this outrageous outcome...
If money is always an issue, I sincerely hope that, by introducing China to our singing contest, these greedy old folks could stuff themselves with tons of daugh and let us choose the winner!!
I also super-duper liked Belgium; the song had this "Glee"-like performance. Spain sent a Shakira-ish voice only to end up 21st *shaking head * Australia could have won (Sweden's song was worst in terms of pop music) if they have tried a bit harder...
It actually took me more than I expected to absorb this unfairness and calm down. Anyway not even "Nel blu dipinto di blu" had won back then. It's nevertheless preposterous how blind (and deaf) europeans have turned to be when it comes to money.
*pats shoulder*: kalel, it is going to be ok... in 15 years. Maybe. When it became obvious that there are 3 leaders, then the whole game was about: please don´t let it be Russia. I would have also preferred Italy or Belgium to the swedish-american teen pop that basically copied the exact pattern pf Euphoria. and if the juries had been fair, Estonia would have been 5th not 7th, cause the televote actually gave us a draw with Belgium. The fans of our song are as furious as those of Italian blokes.
Gah, there is really no point in this show if the winner is so predictable. I wish for Japan to participate and send some cutesy bubbly girl group with fake lashes and sailor suits
how do you prefer your detectives? Dark, ungroomed and introverted? Eccentric and snarky? Traditional (a la british)? Or Team Irrational from TGWSS? Cute like Mu Gak (OMG such an adowabubble thing) or perhaps half-criminals themselves, like Bad Guys…
I love mysteries so much; I have many preferred detective styles. British is always a plus, but not strictly necessary. I like them smart and good-hearted, though I also love snarky, sarcastic ones (must have heart of gold beneath the curmudgeonly exterior). Eccentric is ok, but it can be so easily overdone; I prefer the guys who are working hard & care about their jobs.
and name 3 series you got the most hooked on?
Gosh - "The Last Detective" series (starring Peter Davison, BBC). He plays an aging Detective Constable whose boss refers to him as "the last detective I would EVER call."
"Inspector Morse/Inspector Lewis/Endeavour" (BBC - these are all set in the same universe, centered on Oxford.)
"Sherlock Holmes" - the Granada TV series starring Jeremy Brett, who will forever be THE face of Holmes for me.
how do you prefer your detectives? Dark, ungroomed and introverted? Eccentric and snarky? Traditional (a la british)? Or Team Irrational from TGWSS? Cute like Mu Gak (OMG such an adowabubble thing) or perhaps half-criminals themselves, like Bad Guys…
I like my detectives geeky and quirky. I have watched every episode of Monk with my mother. Such a lovable character.
I also like the scientists on Bones. Have even cried at a few episodes because the producers are not beyond killing off one of the main characters. Of the characters on that show, I like Angela the best--beautiful and complete computer geek. And her husband with all the plant knowledge makes him really attractive to me.
As for Korean detectives--I hate that the police are generally depicted as incompetent. Lazy writing in my opinion.
I love Monk!
I used to like British-style detectives but since I've worked in a british company, I find the accent irritating now; it can sound very condescending.
I like detective stories in general, and have various detectives favorites, whether they're the dark broody type or the hilarious funny eccentric ones.
Current detective show I really like: Missing Noir M. I can't praise this show enough :)
I so have mind to watch Missing Noir M, but I have very little time with the garden and many other matters.
I myself liked Monk a lot and in general I like detectives who are charmingly faulty but still mysteriously effective and insightful.
has anyone watched any of those danish and swedish crime series, is it worth all the buzz?
They're very popular at the library. They're understated & quiet, but very tense. (And often violent as hell - see 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' series.)
I don't know if Korean idols 'throw' off their shirts, but a lot if them end up shirtless or at least flashing abs during concerts. They're a lot more censored on TV performances but live....that's a whole new ball game.
oh yeah, I forgot the abs. of course they have to show them. but Haydamaky has a whole different level of "shirtless". also, the estonian-ukrainian Svjata Vatra lead singer performs shirtless with a burning trombone. beat that.
In Massachusetts, we had a period of farming where we cut down all the trees. Now, we have grown back the trees in many places. It is cooler and helps with soil retention. Cities with all their pavement are warmer.
Look at the Green Belt movement in Africa where they improved the environment by planting trees.
I love trees. Plant and nuture trees, and they will be good for your community.
Koreans seem to agree about a love of trees when you see their national parks, preserving green spaces even in such a densely populated country.
Can you think of any Korean dramas that show an appreciation for nature? Vineyard Man comes to mind. Also, that one where the girl becomes a cook in the Blue House and goes hiking in the woods for fresh plants.
I don't know if Thank You is included as 'showing an appreciation for nature' but it sure does show good scenery. Without skyscrapers, traffic, buses, only paddy fields, sea, unpaven road. It's almost like I can feel the breeze.
Yes, I watched the opening scene of 'Mask' and confirmed again that that Korea has beautiful seaside cliffs and really weak cables to keep the cars on the road.
It was hilarious, but Sue Ae plays it straight and looks beautiful doing it.
Let's see, regarding the detective question, I don't know if I prefer one particular type over another. ....... I've watched some pretty interesting shows where the detectives are pretty traditional or with quirky habits, while others are more modern and just as complicated as the suspects they're investigating.
Some great detective shows can certainly be found all over the world too, which is always fantastic. I've seen some neat stuff from Britain, Italy, Sweden, Korea, Japan, and Germany. Love them all!
Did you know that the Hanok (traditional Korean house) is designed with a barren front yard and garden in the back so that you get natural airflow/cooling circulation? The ideal house is built with a mountain in the back and a river in the front, with a wide daecheong (대청) front porch for keeping the house cool during hot summers.
Houses differ according to region. In the cold northern regions of Korea, houses are built in a closed square form to retain heat better. In the central regions, houses are 'L' shaped. Houses in the southernmost regions of Korea are built in an open 'I' form.
I would love to stay at a traditional Korean house.
I am building an HO scale model of a Hanok. Ordered it from Korea. You can get anything on the internet!
that´s so interesting! here in Estonia we have this new foundation, that promotes traditional materials and building techniques, their study base is in an old manor they´re slowly renovating while using scottish highland cattle to maintain the grass in the park around it. They make houses using hardly any other tools than an axe and a hand drill. they don´t even use any artificial materials for isolation. building materials used today make no sense so we should return to traditional houses or zero energy houses.
yeah, exactly! that is the epitome of a korean house. and for the imperial palace the perfect one is from Faith. If I happen to imagine anything happening in a sageuk drama, it is always placed there.
I think Hanoks are fascinating. I want to build a Hanok here in Texas. I was thinking putting it on a lake would be the best most, viable application in a state with few mountains.
I am just going to leave this here. the very very familiar tune which some of us might be allergic to. just listen to the instrumental and the second half, it will be fine, no rash. this time, sung by Estonian Idol 2015, Jüri Pootsman http://www.tv3play.ee/sisu/eesti-otsib-superstaari/609297?autostart=true
Happy Friday Beanies! I got a small 4 day break and was able to go visit my family for a little so that was really nice. I also managed to squeeze in some kdramas, of course, so on to my thoughts. My apologies in advance because I was definitely feeling a bit jaded this week:
Sensory Couple I finished it this weekend. I think this is really one of the weakest scripts I’ve ever seen. I was so excited at the beginning of this but in the end it was just the actors and the OTP that got me through this. I was very frustrated by all the storylines that made no sense. Also a villain whose greatest moments of brilliance are never explained really isn’t that thrilling in the end. It’s like having Sherlock Holmes solve a mystery but not tell you how he did it. How does he have iron-clad alibis? How did he organize the police truck to end up in the river? How did he escape when he was handcuffed? I’m glad he played up his character to the hilt but it couldn’t make up for the ineptitude of the writer. I'm also frustrate at the idea that it was even hinted that he could be this way because of abusive American parents. I've yet to see a kdrama where America is shown and there isn't some horrible American abusing a Korean in some way. But hey the OTP is super cute.
School 2015 Well things are certainly happening. Some people’s predictions seem to be proven true but I have to say that I don’t see how I’m going to be satisfied with this show in the end. Making numerous people suffer complete heartache is not remotely excusable even for a more interesting plot. I do like though that the show is starting to really deal with its multiple storylines. And I still love TG in every scene he’s in. Next episode’s preview looks depressing.
Warm & Cozy I'm only about halfway through episode 6, and I'm still royally pissed from episode 5. That boy has issues. I think the only character I really like and who acts like an adult is our diving lady.
Producer I like this week’s a bit better than last week’s but I don’t think this will ever be one of my favorites. The cameos and meta moments (Hello Counselor!) are the best parts! And while I find the characters to be interesting, I can’t actually get invested in them at all. I definitely feel distanced from everything.
Orange Marmalade I was really super surprised by the sudden change in pace for the last two-thirds of this episode. Someone mentioned it felt like a highlight reel and that’s about as close as I can get to describing it. A lot of things didn’t feel earned, and it was just sort of a series of scenes. I’m not even bothered about an early confession, but literally everything seemed on fast forward. Now that someone has sort of explained how they’re breaking down the twelve episodes, I’m worried that the show bit off more than it can chew.
The Lover I'm still reeling over all the JJ last episode. Also, the editing is pretty bad. They've included a lot of cuts where someone starts laughing or breaks character.
Missing Noir M Good as always. I can't believe it's almost over!
Murphy’s Law of Love Halfway point and still cute! I do not get the ex though. Why would you get in an accident and tell nobody?! Why would someone wait for you when you haven’t even talked to them to say you’ll be coming back and to wait? Or that you even care about them? That’s happened in a few shows I’ve seen and I really don’t understand why they think someone would wait indefinitely for someone who they believe has left them? Also, no amount of facial reconstruction is going to give you the same face as before after that much trauma. Stay strong OTP, I don’t want any late stage wishy-washy moments…from either of you!
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Has anyone else had problems this week with the DB site? I’m able to see the second page of comments and often I will post and then go back and my comments not there. I feel like the site hates me. Grrr.
I haven’t felt especially like I needed to try Mask or Masked Prosecutor but I’m interested in what other people think of them so far.
The DB site is having a problem ... so it's not just you :)
I (and several others have noticed) can only see page 1 on any comment thread. Cannot go to next page or any other... JB is aware and someone is looking into it, but seems unable to fix it as fast as we'd like. :)
I would give mask a try for me the first episode was superior to the second but it's still pretty interesting everyone seems a mess which means it's going to be drama filled which I personally like because it keeps me interested even if it's all completely unrealistic.
It never occurred to me to think of the editing on The Lover as bad, because I've always assumed it was a deliberate choice, as part of the fun silliness of the show and to highlight how much of it is improv. Like that parking lot scene in episode 7 where all the actors started cracking up, but continued with the scene, just making stuff up as they went along. I love moments like that, and I'm convinced that leaving them in is totally intentional on the part of the production team.
Well if it's deliberate it's not working for me at all. I think I first paid attention when the J-T couple passed out from the farts and they cut about two second after T started laughing (when he was passed out). If they wanted it to have an improv feel then I wish we'd see it more often or in other forms. Nothing about this besides these cuts make it feel like that. If it were, say, like an SNL cut where there's a complete feel of it being live and improv then I'd get it. But as there's nothing live about this, and it's not a one-take kind of show, then it feels amateur to me. The car scene didn't really bother me, that was like a whole scene and it almost felt like it could be the characters too because frankly they knew how ridiculous they were being.
Wow, that sounds like what I would have written. Maybe I did and then I got hit by a car and lost my memory. In that case I'm sorry for writing under your username, 4D.
Sensory Couple is a unique drama for me. It is the ONLY show I've ever watched even though it disappointed me--and I had a difficult time watching the last 4 episodes, that I wish would go on forever. I can't think of any other show that frustrated me so much--but that I'd like to see a season 2 and/or 3 of. I'd watched that cute married couple solve crimes forever.
It's strange, because I liked the villain's acting. But now that he's gone (and his plot-holey story with him) I'd be happy to watch the whole back-storied group do police work.
Hi Beanies! I can’t stay, apparently I’m ‘violating’ the terms of my ‘parole’ (I’ve been banned from watching Korean dramas and viewing any Korean blogs until the school year ends in November). Does anyone know the new song by Clazziquai called Favorite Nightmare, I saw the video on their Facebook page recently and the video looks like a movie or a series? Does anyone know what movie/series it is? I didn’t see anyone I know so it’s difficult to determine.
Also, does anyone know the song that is playing in the first episode of High Kick: Revenge of the Short-Legged (2011) when Kim Ji Won is on her scooter and she’s talking to Park Ha Sun? I’ve tried SHAZAMing it and SOUNDHOUNDing it but nothing comes up. Does anyone know? Please?
Much help appreciated. I’m now going back to a Korean-less environment…
I have the reply for Horan's song (in in her own recent mini-album, not Clazziquai).
It's for the movie The Treacherous / 간신 / The King's Advisor, starring Joo Ji-hoon (I recognized his face) & Kim Kang-woo...
Good morning Beanies. Enjoying the warm weather?
I'm watching Falling in Love with Soon Jung and Sensory Couple.
I have noticed my viewing experience is different with Korean vs. Chinese shows, because I know a bit of the Korean langauge. Honestly, knowing some of the Korean words takes away from me fully immersing myself in the show, as part of my brain is playing student, trying to catch words and decipher. I can relax with TDramas, but work hard listening with KDramas.
I resist mightily learning how to speak/hear Chinese, but I admit that since I have learned about 50 hanja (traditional chinese letters used in Korea). it has made me notice Chinese letters.
I went to the Zen Mountain Monestary in the Catskills, New York this week. See pictures on my blog.
This week's hanja is 火 fire 불 (bul).
I've decided my chinese calligraphy practice is just like the "Budda Board". Drawing characters in water on paper that magically disappears when it dries.
I find I'm more 'relaxed" during at dramas too although I'm not entirely sure why. I just pay closer attention in kdramas. My at dramas though have all been fairly fluffy whereas some of my kdramas are a lot more intensive plot-wise (like Missing Noir M). Both are enjoyable!
I have it slightly the other way around. Obviously my chinese abilities are not that good, especially compared to your study of korean. But i do notice that i pay a bit more attention to chinese shows in a different way than i do watching korean or japanese shows
How has it been adjusting to being back from China? Manin, what did you like the most about your year as a teacher? When are you coming out with the toddler drama book with accompanying cartoons? You so should write that!
It's been different. Been so busy with studying that I feel more exhausted doing this than looking after the children for 10 hours a day. I miss them a lot.
Haha, that would be funny. Unfortunately I cannot draw for the life of me (although if the world depended on my drawing abilities we would be slightly better off than if it depended on my guitar-playing abilities or sense of direction)
I get random picture updates though, which makes me happy
I have also been thinking about Temple Stays in Korea.
I use to think it was just like a spartan room where you could be in the vicinity of monks, see the beauty of nature, share a vegetarian meal, and enjoy the quiet. I thought it was like a B&B.
Now I realize that these temple stays are just like going to a Buddhist retreat at Insight Meditation Society. You will follow a program of meditation, chanting, bowing, ceremonies, dharma instruction, tea ceremony, making beaded malas, and more.
While I have no immediate plans to go to Korea, as my little way of feeling connected to the Buddhist temples in Korea, I am learning how to chant the Heart Sutra. It is like Chinese pronounced with a Korean accent.
I didn't know that "아제아제 바라아제" is the chant for the Heart Sutra.
I'm commenting because there's a film title with the same name "Aje Aje Bara Aje / Come Come Come Upward" in 1989 starring Kang Su-yeon (who also starred in the 1987 film "Ssibadji / The Surrogate Woman" where not only was Korean cinema acknowledged, she won Best Actress in Venice).
It's worth mentioning because there is a scene where Kang Su-yeon became a full-fledged biguni and her hair was actually sheared off.
Angry Mom - Absolutely loving this. ..... I'm finally seeing why everyone was in a frenzy over Go Bok-dong.
Hwajeong - Checked out the first 2 episodes. Not bad at all. ..... It's quite the time commitment, so still unsure if I'll continue with it or if I'll save it for later.
Divorce Lawyer In Love - I'm finding that the second lead is actually pretty interesting to watch.
Marriage Not Dating - Getting through it little by little. Up to episode 12 and it continues to crack me up.
That's it for now. ..... Everyone take care and have a great Friday!
Smelly Girl: Finally got to watch the last episode. The writer should do romcom sans mystery/cops from now on.
Let's Eat S2: Imma pull Daeyoung out of the screen and tell him to find a better girl.
I can't hate Sooji though even if I want to because I'm pretty much like her. Substract the fat trauma and freelance writer and voila! I'm surprised I can relate to her that much.
Alert! Mask spoilers on the way Mask: Wow I wasn't expecting this. It's crazy. The male lead is literally crazy, the female lead wishes she was crazy, the second lead pairing think they are crazy. The female lead's brother thinks of robbing a bank ALONE which is plain stupid or crazy I don't know. Female lead's mother hopes her husband dies, which is unfortunate because he (female lead's father) has a bad luck with suicide. What a complicated world they live in. It's also crazily cliche. Not entirely melo yet, but I'm feeling makjang fest is on the way starting from ep 2.
Well the writer is not known for a revolutionary premise anyway but the actors always bring the best out of his script. Secret's first 2 episodes were painful sight but then the actors made it awesome. I think that would be the case with Mask. I'm not sure what to expect from Joo Jihoon's disease yet (I first thought it was schizophrenia + OCD but he was drugged so yeah maybe he isn't crazy at all), but he definitely does a great job. He was insanely good in Good Friends, so I'm not suprised he can pull out a literally insane role. I like Soo Ae (and love her voice), hoping for more evil couple (they're sizzling hot), Hoya is improving after being bland in 1997. Oh, and I love the directing!
I'm feeling Choi Ho Chul (the writer) will beat another big name this year (Hongsis) in terms of rating after doing it to Kim Eun Sook 2 years ago, and it's only his second project. I'm in for underdog, good actors, and treat-for-the-eyes directing!
Warm and Cozy makes me giddy with all the feel good moments. I love the characters. The biatch is fine because i really need someone i can hate on in this adorable show :D
I still like The Producers even with the changes the show has implemented.
I find The Ex-Girlfriends Club even more hilarious in the last two episodes.
Thank you Dramabeans for all the recaps and dramaland updates! Have a great weekend everyone!
I have to say I really wanted to like Ex-Girlfriends Club, but don't you find it a bit tiring? Like I find the drama between the exes to be exhaustive, and not all that funny. But idk.
Most of the time, the situations are just so beyond me, you know, that i don't want to analyze the characters or try to find stuff that i could relate to. I just find the exgfs crazy that i LOL! It's different, that's all i can say. I just love how diverse dramas are nowadays, with the producers and warm and cozy going on. There's orange marmalade, too. Just, wow! I'm not much of a melo fan, but i will try Mask. How 'bout u? what dramas keep u entertained?
yes! i completely agree...it's a bit disappointing in how repetitive it is. i'm only watching for the two leads and their chemistry. every few episodes, there's tiny moments of beautiful cinematography, very dreamlike movie sequences (ex. her rolling down the window, their past memories), and i'm staying for those good bits.
If you don't mind makjang/cliche then it will be your cup of tea. For me it's very cliche but entertaining. Like, they open a drama with a literal cliffhanger. Right then I thought I'm ready for craziness.
I climbed on board the crazy train in the first 5 minutes. I loved Secret with all its flaws, and the 2nd leads in Mask bid fair to become even more twisted than those in Secret.
Just finished watching Mask. And it was EPIC! Finally, a smart heroine I can root for. Hope someone recaps this crazy drama. First two episodes definitely kept me at the edge of my seat!
I was surprised at the pace and the time jump will make it looks like plot holes but yeah, it's crazy. Whether in a good or bad way, you have to watch it yourself.
Mask is so thrilling, funny and suspenseful all rolled into one! The first two episodes are definitely made to be watched continuously to understand all the craziness and I love it! This drama had a very great start and I'm sure can't wait to watch the next episodes.
TBH I'm more scared of Hoya within distance of Soo Ae than his acting. I hope he stays away from her.
Though I'm not hoping for a repeat of her diva-esque attitude last year (disrespecting seniors and director-friends alike), I hope more people gain awareness that she is truly a "Mask".
Mask - I don't think that Jihoon is crazy, I think he is drugged, and that the doctor is in on it.
The show is unusual in that it escalated SO fast. Went from a simple Evil Debt Collectors to full fledged murders and various other plots involving at least 92 different crimes in just two episodes. I loved Soo Ae in Queen of Ambition, and hope she does as well in this one.
As per usual, the first two episodes are usually setup, so now the real story begins. Some shows, like Wurm and Crazy are entirely predictable from the first episode - but I can see this going in any of a hundred different ways.
I still recall that Secret started off with about a 4.5 rating, and by the end it was the most popular drama on TV, the only one in 2013 (I think) that beat Heirs for ratings. I suspect this may be the same as people catch on. On just the 2nd episode it has already risen to beat most other current dramas.
Okay, between my love of Joo Ji Hoon and the comments here, I will stick with Mask for a while. But I must admit, at the end of ep. 1, I thought WHAT the bleeping-bleep did I just watch???
Whoever has watched this writer's first work had the exact same reaction after the first week. I personally got lucky and watched the 4eps in a movie-like marathon. I felt the same way as you do after the first 2eps ( I was even disappointed at the fact that 3 of my favorites had signed for this obvious train wreck of a drama). By the end of the second week and since Heirs, SBS's big gun, was about to "blow" us up I felt I'd have been in the teeny-tiny minority of viewers. KBS probably had the same thoughts since they scheduled Secret in the same time slot. Well, the rest is history...
Bottom line: let's give dramas a break without too much insection - especially, rom-coms have suffered enough lately on our "surgical" tables and under our "knives". Who knows? They might actually surprise us pleasantly!
VARIETY SHOW
-CRIME SCENE S2: That was creative and satisfying, seriously. So that was actually a consecutive murder case? (If only Manager Xi didn't interfere with his gun in the first case) When Jang Dongmin told them about the 'hidden family identity' theory, I was pretty skeptical. That sounded too far-fetched. But then again, they already had a stolen identity case before. Anyway, I'm excited for next week episode. Jun hyunmoo the deduction idiot is back, hahaha. I always love him and his expert-at-destroying-props-antics from season 1. Hope he will give us a good laugh and excellent performance.
-KING OF MASK SINGER: Ailee jjang jjang jjang!! I love your amazing voice, unni. And cleopatra become the mask king of this week. His voice is mindblowing, but I do curious about his identity. Oh, such a dilemma..
DRAMA
-EX GIRLFRIEND CLUB: This is a drama that I don't even care where the plot will bring us. I just love watching those four ex-GFs tried to get along and plot things for the sake of the movie about their own past life. It sounded so crazy and insane. Why would ex-GFs hang out together and enter each other life? But when the drama unfolded their story, it just simply hilarious, embarrassing, and fun.
-MISSING NOIR M: Actually this week episode felt like a letdown for me. This show pose a lot of questions about our lead but give almost no answer until the ninth eps. We do know now that he shot 6 suspects back then, but after being staged for the last shot, it's a wonder why he still shot the man in this eps. Didn't he already bore so much regret for a lifetime? There must be something so strong that drive him to deliver justice himself. And there is also that 3-1 mystery about korean people who got killed and a supposedly missing person, and how the criminal at the first eps knew about all that secret. I hope they will give us a neat closure because as much as I like watching some more eps from this show, I don't want to be tortured with the there-is-might-be-a-next-season-for-this-drama stunt that OCN so love to pull.
-HEARTLESS CITY: Finally I finished this awesome drama. A big thanks to every beanie who had recommended this . It's dark, gritty, badass, sexy, and sometimes so heart-wrenching. Well, the last few episodes was a bit messy with too much revelations and some unnecessary deaths, but it's not enough to cease my love for this show. And Doctor's Son!! Jung Kyung Ho nailed it perfectly. (And it would be a big lie if I said I didn't watch this show for him.) That was definitely one awesome and unforgettable character ever.
Now for the good news this week: THE GENIUS S4 will be broadcast at the end of June. Anyone else feel excited?? Because I definitely am!! Any
That was an awesome experience. Before, I only know jung kyungho from reading 'falling for innocence' recaps. And that drama was kind of a mess. Never knew he was so awesome as a badass, charismatic character.
I didn't know jung kyung ho before but I loved him in Falling for innocence after the first week of the show found out about Heartless city, which I couldn't stop spazzing about,so I also checked out endless love and I recently Ja myung go. So basically I'm going through everything he's been in.
Here's another person who checked out Heartless City after FFI and marathoned it in less than 3 days. Was really impressed by Jung Kyung Ho's superb acting there. I only see paksa's son and not a trace of Kang Minho from FFI. Actually, it's not even my favorite genre to watch, such dark, intense, crime and violence kinda drama but it's so good that I was totally blown away. Boy, now I'll be eagerly waiting for his next work.
Same here with Ex-Girlfriend Club. If the show was just all about the hijinks of the four ladies I would be happy enough. I like it it's ditzy Ra Ra who keeps getting them into all these awkward situations.
Oh Jun Hyunmoo. I miss his antics. I can't wait for the next episode. Hehe. If I'm not wrong he'll be back after BoA's guesting.
Am I the only one who prefers the first season of CS. I love season 2 but 1 was just so intense that I had to turn around every now and then to check if somebody's behind me with a weapon. Lol.
Happy friday people!
How are you all? This has been another busy Week, with a chapter deadline, supervision meeting and i am helping out on a conference. No rest time at all. 3weeks to the next deadline...
Dramaland:
Orange marmalade: liked the analogy for the name. Enjoying it so far.
The lover: i think subbing is getting slower and slower, yet to see the latest episodes.
well, I hope you will not be so absorbed in writing you sit through a bomb threat like I did - someone wanted to blow up our apartment building and I was writing my thesis, not hearing a policeman knocking on the door to get me evacuated. everything ended well and the guy was taken to a mental hospital. My mom thought they should have taken me too when she heard the story.
School 2015- Possible Spoilers.
Insert celebration here. That was Eun-byul at the end of episode 10 wasn't it? It kind of has to be because even if they're being misleading again like they were at the end of episode 9, where it definitely looked like Yi-an had solidified into the male lead role, but in actual practice it wasn't so set in stone, Eun-bi even if she did run away and go to the grave has no reason to be in disguise. I'm not sure that sentence makes sense but I'm too lazy to go back and fix/erase it so it's staying. So where has Eun-byul been? Where is she going? Will she come back and take Yi-an off Eun-bi's hands so Eun-bi can be with Tae-gwang?
I feel like this drama is giving me everything I've ever wanted from dramaland and I'm not sure if I should be happy or scared.
Warm and Cozy- I saw in episode 5's comments that people are seeing the connection to The Great Gatsby now and so I have a question. Having never read The Great Gatsby myself nor seen an adaption, is there somewhere other than Wikipedia I can go for a quick, accurate, thorough synopsis of the plot so I can see the connections myself?
Producers- I love it but at the same time can see how others would hate it.
Orange Marmalade- This is such an adorable show, it reminds me of my cat. No I don't care to explain that comment use your imagination.
Masked Prosecutor- I liked episode 2 better than the first, haven't gotten around to watching 3 and 4 yet.
is it really Eun Byul at the end? I have freeze frame that last scene with her reflection on the glass and I'm not 100% sure. I really hope it's her. Although there had better be really good explanation why she pretended for eun bi to die. And How did that happen? who was the dead body that was found? and why the hospital/police think the dead body was Eun bi?
I think it kind of has to be, because even if Eun-bi runs away there's no reason for her to disguise herself or be in hiding. Plus maybe it's because of my hope it looks to like from the reaction that that's her first time seeing the memorial. The reflection is clearly Kim So-hyun so it's either Eun-bi, Eun-byul, or I guess since no one knew they were twins she could technically be a previously unknown third sister.
Warm and Cozy: I didn't know what the Gatsby thing was about, but now the show is off to a proper start, it has struck me :): both Gatsby and Gun Woo are filthy-rich playboys eternally yearning after, and showing off for the benefit of, a superficial and materialistic first love with whom they don't really stand a chance. But that thug review is funny; I might be using it sometime :)
Hi guys~ I think I'm gonna watch Producer for sure, but should I watch School2015 or Orange Marmalade? I can't watch 3 dramas at the same time (not that I don't want to)..help.
Personally I prefer school 2015 over OM. (I don't watch any of those two yet but actively reading the recaps here). OM is set the pace too fast I think, so that everything suddenly happened before we felt invested enough. They didn't show the struggle Mari had to go through with the band forming, being friend with other members, playing music together. It almost felt unreal when they play music in small concert at eps 3.
I'd go with School 2015 since it's closer to being done - Orange Marmalade is only once a week so it's easy to catch up on later and you won't be aggravated by long waits between episodes.
I'm just here to mourn the end of falling for innocence, feeling lost, minho yaaaaaaaaaaa?.
On the plus side I found the first half of FFI already in my local Dvd store,Yay!
A whole wall of kdramas that is but heavenly looking .you can see that here to bring a smile to your face https://instagram.com/p/3L8opnzXME/
I'm on massive hangover from many kdramas, if it's makes sense.. So basically I have Let's Eat 2 and Grapevine on Monday-Tuesday and try to catch up with School 2015 and Hwajung. I have Warm and Cozy and plan to watch Mask and Masked Prosecutor for Wed-Thu..
For Fri-Sat, I have Producer.. Phew, chock full of dramas and I don't even watch all airing dramas out there..
Hwajung - catch up and still few eps behind. Reading comments and apparently LYH-SKJ are still lacking as a main OTP. In earlier eps, I even skipped all scenes with Princess because she's too aggravating and her acting distracted me. So, for now I just watch Cha Seung Won and will pick up the drama later when my Oppa, Kim Jae Won appears.. Not sure if I could finish this long sageuk, though.
Grapevine - Man, Han Jung Hoo definitely is one sly fox! I still enjoy this, but apparently the show is no more funnny.. :(
Let's Eat 2 - Haven't watched this week's ep, so no comment on this week's eps. I find myself much more interested only in foods rather than the whole love triangle. GDY should just let BSJ with Sang Woo and he should come to Lee Soo Kyung again! Haha
W&C - if GW continues to be a jerk, blind and stupid just for SWMNBN, I'll just ship JJ with Mayor Wook!! Really, i thought at first, GW is cute and childish, but he's blind and stupid too. As some people put it, he's a masochist. Sure, I'm still giving him a chance to redeem himself and be great boyfriend for JJ later, but plese, make him redeemable faster, Show!!
Producers - Can't wait for this week's episode!! Miss uri Baek Seung Chan and Tak Ye Jin!!
Hey, everyone! This is my first time posting in the open thread but I thought I'd give it a try!
I've been looking for and applying for summer jobs but absolutely no luck! Why doesn't anyone want to hire me? In the meantime I'm going to set up a little pet-sitting business, hopefully I can make some decent money off of that. I'm going to be pet-sitting and house-sitting for my brother and his girlfriend in July out in the boonies, so with nothing to do besides play with and take care of his dog, I'm going to be watching LOTS of dramas (and reading LOTS of books). We'll see how long it takes before I go crazy.
Now, on to dramas I've been watching! Both currently airing and old ones.
Does html work here? Let's find out.
The Girl Who Sees Smells: Such a cute show that I really liked in the beginning... but I just can't get over all the plot holes! Was the webtoon this bad or is it completely the fault of the writer? And don't even get me started on that finale. How disappointing. Turning Cho Rim into a damsel in distress, the anticlimactic ending with Jae Hee and all the untapped potential of his character, and that worthless case at the end! What was up with that?! Well, at least I liked the characters and Cho Rim and Moo Gak were adorable.
The Producers: I've only seen episodes 1-2 but I really like it so far! People seem to be so polarized concerning this drama but I really don't see why people think it's so terrible. If it's not your thing that's fine and understandable, but the way I've seen people trash talk it you would think it's the worst thing to ever grace their screens. I love the spot-on humor, the mockumentary style, all of the meta and the references and cameos, and the characters. People seem to be bothered by KSH's character but I like him even though everything that happens to him is so real and cringe-worthy. I laughed so much when he hung his trash bags on CTH's car and ran away.
Witch's Romance: 14 episodes in. This drama is cute but I'm not liking it as much as I hoped! I think Dong Ha is too perfect (really, he has to be a former medical student, too?!) and sometimes Ji Yeon makes me want to shake her, especially in the beginning. I'm liking it more as it approaches the end, though!
Coffee Prince: Yes, I'm finally watching this drama! However, I feel like I set my expectations too high due to the hype. I'm 13 episodes in and I do enjoy it but I was expecting it to be amazing and addictive but I'm not amazed or addicted. Maybe I'm just not in the mood for a rom-com with a bare-bones plot... it seems to be dragging. I do love the characters a lot, though.
Once I finish WR and CP I'm going to start Can You Hear My Heart. I hear it has makjang elements but is also heartwarming. I've yet to watch a straight-up makjang so I think something like this will be a good introduction for me. However, my mother watches General Hospital and I can't help but...
As for straight up makang, the current makjang is Mask. Which is hard for me to watch. But An innocent Man was good as was Secret (Secret Love) with Ji Sung.
Maybe I’m just not in the mood for a rom-com with a bare-bones plot
It gets a lot deeper if you look at it as the story of a deeply-closeted gay man (Gong Yoo's character) finding a way to live with his repressed longing.
Oh yes, that's actually probably my favorite facet of the entire drama. I think it's wonderful how the writer handled it all--it's definitely not something I've seen in any other K-Drama. The genderbending in this one was much more interesting than, say, Hana Kimi or You're Beautiful. When Han Kyul finally confessed to Eun Chan I was close to crying. I never thought I'd see a scene like that in a K-Drama, especially one from 2007. I sincerely applaud the writer for making it clear that being gay is nothing to be ashamed of. Han Kyul telling Eun Chan that he loved her when he that she was a man and that he didn't care how society viewed him... it was great.
Nevertheless, the story still drags for me and I can't get into it as much as I'd like. Maybe by the end I'll be hooked.
What will I do when Grapevine is over? Is it wrong and spiteful for me to hope that CEO Han and his wife will end up poor and disgraced bereft of their frenemies and with only poor in-laws to take care of them after they leave prison? Ya know..just asking.
Tried MASK.. No, no, no!!! The makjang tropes are all predictable! And way too much going on.
Tried Masked Prosecutors. I'm not really feeling it although I did get a gimpse of its good heart when the bromance/brenemy thing popped up. I like the actor who plays Dae Cheol's half-brother and I like the actor who plays Dae Cheol so I might give it a chance til the 5th episode.
Loving Producers. Love all the cameos and wondering what the pairings will be. Cause anything's possible at this point.
Ex-Girlfriends: Sometimes I really love it, sometimes it' reallly meh. Kinda uneven for me.
Unfortunate Boyfriend: Oh my gosh, so sweet! And the fate/destiny thing actually works here.
Watching Save the Family on KBS youtube channel..cause i need a daily. Kinda sad i didn't get started with Cheer up Mr Kim.
Carole - you have been on my mind. Want to do Korean BBQ at Namu? I ate at Namu in Albany, NY recently. I would go again (or to one of the other Korean restaurants you have in the area). Interested?
What will I do when Grapevine is over? Is it wrong and spiteful for me to hope that CEO Han and his wife will end up poor and disgraced bereft of their frenemies and with only poor in-laws to take care of them after they leave prison? Ya know..just asking.
Yes, it's wrong. Well, you asked. Just imagine how insufferable Han and Choi would be, you cannot want to torture In-sang with the burden to take care of them.
It'd be hard, def. Because the king and queen would have to realize that the problem lies not with the crown princess but within themselves and so far, there has been no self-searching and there has only been blaming of others. I'm hoping for the realization to hit them in a bout of extreme morbid introspection...if they're capable of that.
In-sang needed 3 episodes to jump into the river and come to Bom. And he had a lot of help: Teach trying to talk reason with him, Hyun-soo leading by example, Je-hoon finally setting him straight.
What are the odds that his parents to "change" within the remaining 2 episodes?
>Loving Producers. Love all the cameos and wondering what the pairings will be. Cause anything’s possible at this point.
I think the OTPs are pretty much set since the first ep there. I would like to get more of TK and SeungChan and their strange relationship and almost nothing of Joon Mo because he is too boring but the 2 couples are there to stay.
You're probably right...but still, I hold on to the tiniest of hopes that we might have a noona romance, and that Cindy might end up with older oppa. I do think Cindy will be good for our hero though. He needs her savvy and she needs his gullibility.
<Unfortunate Boyfriend: Oh my gosh, so sweet! And the fate/destiny thing actually works here.
I'm struggling to see what you're finding sweet here. All I can see is Ji-na two-timing and lying and otherwise being a passive puppet that goes along with everything that either the director or her supposed best friend or whoever else says.
Tae-woon is sweet, but he deserves someone who actually loves and respects him and that's not Ji-na.
Yes,Jin Ah was something of a confused wuss. I kept wanting her to just decide already. I think it's the sweetness of Mr Unfortunate's personality. It works for me in the way Hogu's personality worked. There is love and respect there on Ji-na's part. The drama doesn't quite show it because there is so little interaction between the OTP but that's just a small failing. I think she will redeem herself later.
I'm not seeing the love and respect on Ji-na's part. I'd be devastated if the person I thought was my boy/girlfriend was kissing someone else behind my back and going on dates with the other person, indeed standing me up to go with the other person. It's portrayed that it's all just sort of happening to her (not things she actively does, but that others do to her), but she's an adult with agency. Being confused is no excuse – she can put both or one relationship on hold if she needs to figure out her feelings. She wasn't even honest when Tae-woon ran into them on their date, that's the least he deserved.
Never mind that I think she's pretty stupid. You don't date your boss (at her first real job! where she's still on probation!). And a guy moving your home without asking you first is huge red flags and creepy as hell. She objected briefly but a few words from her equally stupid friend and she's over it.
The lack of interaction is another problem. They are the OTP yet have barely interacted in the last two episodes.
No redeeming for me. Tae-woon deserves someone who loves him 100% and isn't swayed by the rich & handsome guy that walks by.
Sorry to be ranting, but really disappointing in what the writers have done with Ji-na!
See, I'm giving this drama a lot of slack. I had expected a scene where Mr Unfortunate is totally crushed by the "apparent" two-timing which isn't really apparent at all. I had expected him to be challenged in his gullibility toward her. But he is savvy and I think he'll be surprisingly strong if her shenanigans come out.
I could believe that she is two-timing. But I think the writer is the one who messed up here, not the character. The writer's error -- and inability to show something in a character-- shouldn't be blamed on the character.
I think the writer intended to show that Ji-Na is a desperate kind of Candy whose mom and friends and past poverty-filled life makes her to be tempted by wealth. The writer didn't really fully do this. But the writer did enough for us to see some of that. So we see weakness rather than wickedness. And although we didn't understand how tempting all that wealth was, the temptation was overcome by true love and her kind heart.
Re: not telling Tae Woom the truth. The lack of honesty comes from fear. And again, yes, she really should've been honest with Tae Woon. But the writers have kept them apart at the wrong times and not shown how deep her love and respect is for Tae Woon. I really don't know if she fears losing Tae Woon's love or if she thinks he will simply crumble to the ground. Another writer would have shown us heroine's bad experience with "truth-telling" but we have none of that. So all we have to go on is the little girl's warning that Oppa is too pure. Again, the writer's fault. Not the character's.
We see that there is a hard-fisted strong-holding quality about the second lead. He is grasping. Perhaps because he was poor. He likes regular food after all. But again, this is something we see. And although second lead heroine sees it, and chairman sees it.. we don't have any proof that heroine truly sees it. Red flag was easily forgiven after his "explanation". There is also his ability to give up and not give up. I thought...wow his commitment can turn on a dime. Three times in the last episode, he just "decided" to not continue down a particular path. I would've liked to know more of his history.
So here, I'll say that I'm going with what I can see of the writer's intent...not what the writer actually achieved on the screen. I started this drama feeling there was a lot of wrong choices made by the writer and the director. But I committed to it anyway. So I've been filling in the blanks.
The one drama that I will sorely miss is Grapevine. At this point I have no clue where it will go, but no matter what I cannot see any good things in store for CEO Han or the company. One of the few dramas where things really are unpredictable.
Mask - I love Mask! Tired of the mindless fluff and ready for some all-out makjang full of totally evil characters that everyone hates. Besides that, has some of my favorite actors/actresses in it.
I want a good makjang as well. But this one was annoying me during that mall scene. I might give in and watch but... am hoping masked prosecutor will be more makjangy as the story continues. I've forgiven writer for making Dad "confess."
I will check out Mask on your recommendation. I've dropped Warm & Cosy (cosy spelled the Canadian way - cozy just looks weird to me) and the Producers (although I may pick that one up again later).
I guess there is only two episodes to go with Grapevine although I thought it was supposed to be 32 instead of 30. I will miss it as well. Things really are unpredictable but I will make a few predictions. Full discloser: my predictions are seldom right! Song Jae-won will show up at the airport only to discover his ability to leave the country has been revoked. He will show up at attorneys Yoo and Yoon's new office now very anxious to change sides.
I loved the scene at Hansong with the in-coming Prime Minister so much that I watched it three times. He basically says that they seem to be scrapping the bottom of the barrel when they picked him as he was just a lowly prosecutor from the sticks. None of the higher-ups want the job. CEO Han mentions his baggage - the land he received in another name and his transferring of assets to his children (something the Hans and others have done themselves). The Prime Minister designate merely laughs, compliments them on doing their homework and says it's being taken care of as they speak. Then they say the he's very known for his integrity and honesty and will pass the confirmation hearings easily but, interestingly, Han has not yet received the confirmation checklist.
When the real business is mentioned, the shutting down of all investigations into Supernova, Mr Prime Minister designate laughs again and indicates he's fully aware of the role he's expected to play. I think Hansong and the power brokers really have no idea what they are going to get here. Despite his off-the-rack suit and his "I'm just a poor country bumpkin" ways, this guy is no fool. I think that the investigation into Supernova and all the fallout resulting from that, rather than being shut down, is going to go full steam ahead. Then people, starting with Secretary Yang and her brother, are going to be tripping over themselves to turn state's evidence or whatever it's called in S Korea. CEO Han's strategy has been to "cut off the tail". Well Hansong has become the tail and it's about to be cut. Will the change be for the better? Maybe but more likely it will just be different because, to quote the old political saying, It doesn't matter who wins the election, the government always gets in.
In the end In-sung and his sister will never be poor but they won't be nearly as rich. And I think that's the best outcome for all of them. I can't wait for next Monday and Tuesday. This has been a great show about how political change really happens and it ain't pretty.
Calling the spelling of "cosy" Canadian seems a bit strange to me for some reason. There are only two ways to spell that word: Correctly or American.
Song Jae-won will show up at the airport only to discover his ability to leave the country has been revoked. He will show up at attorneys Yoo and Yoon’s new office now very anxious to change sides.
That would be a very solid K-drama way to do it. I'm just missing the piece where someone with authority has an interest in stopping Song from leaving the country.
I think that the investigation into Supernova and all the fallout resulting from that, rather than being shut down, is going to go full steam ahead.
You think Han pulled a Cersei Lannister/High Sparrow blunder here. I have to confess this idea crossed my mind too.
CEO Han’s strategy has been to “cut off the tail”. Well Hansong has become the tail and it’s about to be cut.
That's the risk in playing your strongest card, and the reason why Han has been anything but enthusiastic when he learned that he had to assign a new PM. He's no fool (well, he is but ...), but he doesn't have much of a choice and he thinks he has enough ammunition to keep the new PM in check.
Well I am Canadian and we follow British spelling rules as well as having kept the monarchy and the parliamentary system. Also we say "zed" instead of "zee" or risk being yelled at by our mothers, as I was by mine.
I assume the Cersei Lannister/High Sparrow reference is from Game of Thrones which I don't watch (although my husband does) so I guess so.
I wonder about that very narrowed eyed calculating look Secretary Yang gives after the final conversation with Min Joo-Young. She's either contemplating calling the local outlet of Goons 'R Us for a rent-a-mob of baseball bat, sashimi knife and metal bar wielding thugs or she's weighing her options re: her loyalty to the late Grandfather Han, whose bidding she has been doing all along, or cutting a deal to protect herself and her brother.
Grapevine: I had read somewhere that there were only going to be 28 episodes. And as I watched it, I was afraid that 28 was the final. (I mean, think about it--it could be. Kind of open ended, but some other dramas have ended with less ends tied up.)
It made me think, it is going to end at some time.
btw, I finished reading "Meeting Mr. Kim". That was the inspiration for me looking into Buddhist temples, as it is a story of a woman who went to South Korea with her musician boyfriend and backpacked around to sightsee. She visited many temples.
Highly recommend reading the book, to travel vicariously.
It's probably just my midlife crisis speaking. There is no way all K-drama shows I watch start to suck at the same time, is there?
School 2015 There is a lot of potential in that show. Maybe too much for one single show to handle, resulting in a somewhat aimless shifts of focus. Which is really sad, as that compromises many of the intriguing themes and characters the show COULD have developed.
Orange Marmalade Dropped it during the 3rd episode. Not a huge surprise, but I really thought I could go a little bit further after the pilot; but with the cohesive and efficient story-telling gone ...
Producer At this rate, the show will find its tone around the 14th episode I guess. It would be easy brainless entertainment if I had any stakes in variety, I guess, but it's difficult to keep up with all the references to things I never heard of.
Smelly Girl Sigh. At least it's over. Considering the ratings got better once the show was complete trash, I guess really bad plot writing is the future.
Lukewarm and Pathetic If I had any integrity and dignity, I would have stopped watching this by now. Now I know that when watching a Hong Sisters' rom-com, don't expect any intriguing "rom" there, it's all about the "com". For some reason, there is very little in this show.
All of K-dramaland is entirely occupied by suck. Well not entirely! One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders.
Grapevine
We are into the final. Many characters have come a long way, some of them had iconic turn-around scenes, others were beautifully developed in the background.
The most surprising part for me was how unsurprising and predictable the last two episodes were. The inevitable happens, and it happens with a bang, in the most satisfying way possible.
I've turned a friend onto kdrama and she is totally loving Producers...but then again she has me stopping the feed every second to explain some in joke. So Jon, Man up and don't let age make you a curmudgeon. ;-) You're never too old.
Yes re: Grapevine. Sometimes there is good predictability.. especially if we fully understand the characters.
Warm and Cozy... ugh.. no. Way too predictable and somehow kinda flat.
One of the things I loved about KDramas when I first encountered them was so many things were puzzling. Your friend is lucky to have you to answer her newbie Korean drama questions, Carole.
Predictable characters.
Yep.
For example, I've been following Hyun-soo closely after the vivid discussion about her character (in comparision to her mon's) here on the board many weeks ago.
She's been sidelined most of the times, but there were enough little scenes with her to see her turn into a hopeless Bom/In-sang shipper. When she agreed to meet Yeon-hee this week, I trusted Hyun-soo to 100% to do the "right" thing.
Boy, this young woman is unfilial and rude and mannerless. In an incredibly endearing way. Even her exit from The House was perfect, hitting In-sang with her bag: "I did my freaking job here, now it's your turn."
I’ve turned a friend onto kdrama and she is totally loving Producers…but then again she has me stopping the feed every second to explain some in joke. So Jon, Man up and don’t let age make you a curmudgeon.  You’re never too old.
I will continue to watch the show. It's still an interesting experiment.
Too bad I don't have anyone explaining things to me, and my grudge against the whole variety thing does not help either.
And here I am wondering what Lukewarm and Pathetic is since I've never heard of it until I read the explanation..... after 'bland and boring' 'dull and snoozy' and now 'lukewarm and pathetic' I'll patiently wait for another name.
re: Grapevine, I think we've discussed this before - just how the drama manages to keep itself moving in ways where we can't guess exactly what's going to happen or what someone's going to do, but when they do it, it makes absolute sense. That's some excellent writing there. And I have to take my hat off to the cast too - every single person in it is excellent. Not one bad performance, even from people in minor/supporting roles (even In-sang's friends play their part well enough)
I'm so not ready to say goodbye to that show. I'm still pouting over the 32-episode order being cut to 30, but I have faith that finale week isn't going to be a stinker full of idiocy like the Smelly Girl finale.
(btw did you notice how Ji Young-ra's new haircut is almost identical to Mama Han's? I can't believe I didn't make the connection before, but in this drama nothing is coincidence- it says a lot about who she wants to be)
Young-ra did change her "alignment" to Choi&Han as a means to protect her own and Hyun-soo's wealth/black money. The haircut seems to indicate that, that and the fact that she tries to sell her daughter to them.
Too bad Hyun-soo doesn't play along (and Han is already drawing on his last resort with the MP switching). Hyun-soo trying to advise her mom to be less awful had a nice bit of ominous foreshadowing, when Young-ra answered her daughter's challenge: "Only poor women need to be concerned with how attractive they are."
I predicted it would go this way but I'm not sure the show easily led up to in sang's turnabout and the crumbling Han dynasty. I agree that it is a satisfying way to go, though, Jon. Anything else would be depressing.
I have to jump in here before I forget to say how much I hate secretary yang's voice. Ugh. So patronizing. She could have not become the ultimate parasite, but she held out for herself with typical justification. She got caught up in the way things have always been and like the Hans, can't imagine it any other way because you don't end up on top. Oh well.
The thing about in sang is that although he is a protected rich heir, his personality allows for my appreciation, even endearment, for things like him getting excited about an extra 50 cents for the night shift. I also like that bom softens when he is in her family's household.
I predicted it would go this way but I’m not sure the show easily led up to in sang’s turnabout and the crumbling Han dynasty. I agree that it is a satisfying way to go, though, Jon. Anything else would be depressing.
Well, Bom was getting backed up with her decision by her family more and more. Bom's father had his decisive turn-around scene last week in ep26.
There was no in-story reason for Bom to change her way of thinking.
In-sang on the other hand had all reasons to make up his mind. Basically everyone he listens to was telling him to stop dreaming about his "compromise" plan of keeping both Bom and his wealth.
The Han dynasty being challenged has been set up since episode 3 (three months ago), I think. Now Han is forced to use his final card, which is his strongest, but also his riskiest option: When the laws start to get in your way, change the laws (or at least the people responsible for the process of following them). This was set up very early when we learned about Han's involvement in the assignment of the (soon to be dismissed) PM.
Han pushing Sec Yang to the brink since several episodes is another clear indicator of him running out of options.
I have to jump in here before I forget to say how much I hate secretary yang’s voice. Ugh. So patronizing. She could have not become the ultimate parasite, but she held out for herself with typical justification. She got caught up in the way things have always been and like the Hans, can’t imagine it any other way because you don’t end up on top. Oh well.
I already mentioned that, I really like the character in this show. She was not an evil person from the get-go, she was shaped into one by the system in a very natural and unspectacular way. She's not one of the villains whose parents were killed or something, she was just doing her job and was really good at that, and she learned not to have scruples get in her way.
Heck, I got so attached to her by now, I really felt bad for her when she fled from The House after being rejected by the Servant's Council. Even after what she did to Min Joo-young's family. I love my villains.
The thing about in sang is that although he is a protected rich heir, his personality allows for my appreciation, even endearment, for things like him getting excited about an extra 50 cents for the night shift. I also like that bom softens when he is in her family’s household.
That was so incredibly cute.
Bom waking him up in the morning by using Jin-young's feet.
He walking into the kitchen in his undershirt with the baby on his arm, all the comments from the family, even Nu-ri getting as warm-hearted as she is capable of.
The 50c bickering.
Bom's parents' hysterical reaction when they walk into In-sang and Bom sharing a little bit of intimacy, with Jin-ae encouraging him explicitly.
Oh, and the family council trying to scare him off ...
The family council, yeah, compare that to the family council Bom got at the feet of the Hans. But you know most rich aristocratic families act the same way as the Hans when their son/daughter dates or marries a commoner. Maybe father han's last comment, "the house is so empty" will rattle his emotional foundation. Funny, for a moment I thought this was the last episode and could have lived with such an ending.
Missed a lot of kdramas this year mostly due to disinterest and school. But school is over. Yay graduation. So I started producer and ex-girlfriend club and despite all the bad comments about these dramas, I totally love them. I love the characterization in producer where its thrown in your face and though sometimes it feels like meaningless meandering, I understand each character much more with each episode and I understand the references so it makes it funnier. Even without the references, I still enjoy it. Though I wish it was shorter, episode wise. EGC is an easy watch. I love all the characters and lioness great. Though the plot is paper thin. The interactions are priceless. The drama is so self aware that's ridiculous that bring the 2nd lead in just to make the audience knows. Love that show.
As an avid rider and amature racer ... I've got to say ... watching people ride scooters and motorcycles on Kdramas is really anoying ... no gloves for protection, ill fitting helmets that just pop right on and off ... one of these days, there's going to be a serious accident while filming and someone's going to get some major road rash and no amount of skin cream and PS is going to fix that.
If I remember correctly, a couple of years ago while beginning to film the drama Me Too Flower, actor Kim Jae-won got seriously injured while riding a motorcycle on the set. He was the lead male character, but due to the accident, Yoon Si-yoon ended up stepping in for the role.
Thank goodness we don't hear about mishaps more often. You'd think they'd happen daily based on what we see sometimes.
I was laughing half-way at your comment and then I stopped laughing. You're right, logan...riding motorcycles looks more like music videos or CFs. In order for the actors to maintain their impeccable coiffeurs have bidden safety regulations fairwell for good. It's not as if accidents don't happen; it's that their overall styling seems more important!
It is not just motorcycles and the like. Before I finally gave up on Warm & Cozy I was a bit shocked by how much of a joke they treated sea diving as, like you could just buy a mask and flippers and start harvesting. I used to do some diving back in my younger days in Hawaii, Japan, and the Philippines, and things can go wrong really fast if you don't know what you are doing.
Especially since Koreans all sink like rocks in the water...
*snort!* I literally laughed out loud at your last comment, @windsun33. "since Koreans all sink like rocks in the water…"
Made me think back to SKK Scandal, didn't Yoonhee almost drown in about a foot of water? I don't remember which character was dying in the river, but I remember thinking, "just stand up! It's obviously not that deep!"
Hello Beanies, hope you’re all well. Summer is coming I can finally enjoy warmer weather !! I’m on a throwback kinda of moment, I have for some reason been wanting to re watch old drama, I started with my all time favorite coffee prince, this drama is still really good, and get me all warm and fuzzy ^^. ( I can’t help but wish for a drama return from Yoon Eun Hye and Gong Yoo but I’m happy that they are doing well with their movie projects).
Mask: YES !!!! I love it already !!! Everybody on this show is just nuts !!!! I can already feel the makjang feast coming next week, definitely going to stick to it. Joo Jihoon is amazing as expected.
Young people/ all about my siblings/ Wakamono Tachi :
cast: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Eita, Hikari Mitsushima,Yu Aoi, Tasuku Emoto, Shuhei Nomura, Masami Nagasawa, Ai Hashimoto and Hidetaka Yoshioka.
It a Japanese drama (2014), a remake of the 1966 version. I re watched it this week, if you’re looking for a warm hearted family/ slice of life drama, you should check this one out. It tells the story of five siblings after losing both their parents. Each of the siblings have their own problems like school, finding a job, marriage, etc.
The last drama that had such a lasting effect on me was Heart to Heart. I have not seen many drama with that much sense of realness, definitely a true slice of life drama. The simplicity and vintage feel of the whole set up made it more real and more like home. I was really impressed by Tsumabuki Satoshi and Eita . (I need to get my J-drama/movie game back on, I forgot how good Tsumabuki Satoshi and Eita could be). I cried and laughed with the characters, really a heart warming piece.
Wakamono tachi is a wonderful drama, with an amazing cast (which reminds me: saw Mitsushima Hikaria as Ophelia in a Ninagawa adaptation of Hamlet last week. Brilliant of course.).
Fortunately, Japan manages to produce slice of life dramas of this sort of quality every now and then.
Wakamonomtachi was fabulous, really. The cast was, as you pointed out, amazingly top notch. Such powerful family dynamics, I truly cared about their lives. Up at the top of drama list for me.
Mask has just started but I feel it will be like the poor version of Secret even if it has the same writer, the first ep felt over the top and too makjang for me, I did like the crazy characters. :)
I didn't like Nice Guy either, he was just another traumatized nice guy pretending to be mean and the plot was very silly.
Mask !! It crazy the first 2 episode are kinda over the top. But it's the same writer and I feel like secret started all out as well. But it's a really solid cast.
well, I'm Sorry, I Love You is certainly twisted and I found it addictive as hell but it's by the same writer as Nice Guy/Innocent Man so it might not be to your taste.
(but So Ji-sub and Im Soo-jung make a gorgeous couple, he didn't have chemistry this good with any of his other leading ladies until Gong Hyo-jin)
So this week was super-busy. My son has his 8th-grade dance, so we had to find him a suit & dress shoes & get his hair cut (my baby looks so grown up! How'd he get to be 14 all of a sudden?)
I also got my dna results back, and :drumroll: I apparently have no mutant powers. Also, I am the whitest of white girls (British/Scandinavian/Irish, mostly). No surprise Asian or African dna markers, so I'm back to square one on hunting for my Mystery Great-Grandmother. Alas.
What I've been watching:
Missing Noir M: How many episodes is this? Please tell me it's not just ten! I :heart: this show.
The Lover: Haven't seen this week's episode, but more and more I'm just fast-forwarding through whatever's not the gay couple. As an aside, dang, Joon Jae has really nice arms.
Let's Eat, S2: This show is making me more and more frustrated, because the female lead is just such a goober. I keep screaming at the screen, "DAMMIT, you have to WORK at relationships!" I need more food scenes, stat.
Warm and Cozy: Look, I really like Kang So Ra, & the Jeju Island Travelogue is interesting, but I ain't watching this. It's entirely too goopy (and the 'I think you're my sibling, let's fall for each other' is GROSS.)
Masked Prosecutor I watched part of the first episode. It made very little sense, though I was happy to see what's-his-name from Vampire Prosecutor (I'd be happier if I was seeing him in Vampire Prosecutor 3.) I read the recap...I dunno. Maybe I'll try the second episode? Or not.
The Producer: Haven't gotten around to watching episodes 3-4 yet. Meh.
What I Wish I Was Watching:
Cheo Yong, S2!!!!! Next month!!!! Wooooooo!!!
K-drama Moment:
Hmm. Gonna have one on Sunday - yesterday was my 27th wedding anniversary, so the Manly Man & I are going out for a nice dinner at a local Korean place (the kind with the grill in the middle of the table). They have all kinds of soups & stews & steamed dishes that I've seen on the dramas but haven't tried yet. Can't wait to extend my horizons! :)
It was delicious and a lot of fun. We went to a restaurant where they had the grill in the middle of the table. We ordered marinated pork & galbi, kimichi dumplings, & kimchi jjigae. The banchan were heavy on kimchi (cabbage, radish, & cucumber), pickled radish & carrots, bean sprouts, and fish cake. It also came with a miso-broth tofu soup which was yummy.
Favorite surprise: I LOVED the bean paste. Like, I want to eat it on everything.
I also really liked the fish cake - it was surprisingly delicious (though very slippy - hard to eat w/chopsticks).
The kimchi dumplings were good; super-spicy, but good.
The kimchi jjigae was delicious but OMG SO SPICY. Next time I'll try the soy soup.
We also tried the beer I see all the time in dramas - Hite - I can report that it's much like American lager (I'll stick w/my British stouts & porters, there.)
The waitress seemed happy to see us there trying Korean foods, & was definitely amused to see that we knew how to do the lettuce wraps. It was a great anniversary supper. :)
I read somewhere that it is indeed ten episodes but I hope that's way off. There's too much personal stuff I want them to deal with (as well as just bring one if the best shoes on right now so I don't want it to end).
Although there was some tension at the end of the last episode between our two male leads and I'm not entirely sure why.
It was delicious, & I got to try a lot of new stuff (and amaze the waitress by actually asking for the dishes by name.) Now I have more things to try and make at home.
Grapevine--So good. I just love it. Somehow I don't see the flaws until I come here and read your comments. Ha Ha. I'm so desperate for a show with a good plot.
I do think that the Han parents will find somehow to get out of their legal problems. That's just the way it is for people like them. I do love that they feel the emptiness of their house (even with all the servants in it), I just don't think there are enough episodes left for them to have a change of heart. So maybe we will end up with a moral of the story ending and not a happy ending for everyone. Which would be okay by me.
Warm & Cozy--I don't know if I can take much more of the leading man as a cad. I hope there is some growth this coming week.
Mask--Wasn't sure at first, but it looks like it might be entertainingly cray, cray. I liked the pace, so let's see if they keep it up. Who's drugging the kids? The stepmother? And what's she drugging them with?
My Unfortunate Boyfriend--I'm only up to episode 9 on this one. The second lead is a creep. What I never understand is how in KDramas, the young bosses pursue their subordinates and it's no problem. The situation here: two women competing for one job and the boss hits on them both, just sickens me. It's like he's saying, "Whoever puts out (puts up with me) will get the job." I hope he gets fired and they both get the job.
Tried a few other dramas this week just to see if I wanted to clear them off my list. I have deleted four so far. Not in the mood, I guess. I'd rather rewatch shows I loved.
W&C Well, I have a groundbreaking and totally original idea: How about the 1st male lead (1ML) suddenly realises that he loves the 1st female lead (1FL) and because of that, he suddenly turns into a decent human being? I don't think we ever had a story like that ...
Grapevine Flaws? What flaws? This show has no flaws!
No seriously, there are things that might be considered flaws. For example, in ep27, Han sends his enforcer Sec Yang to deal with Min Joo-young. The attack angles Joo-young's family who haven't been featured in the show at all, apart from some remarks about her brother here and there. Usually this is a rather cheap and lazy story-telling trick. It's difficult for the audience to care deeply enough for a character who just got introduced, it usually doesn't have enough impact.
However, we are aware of the broader situation because the fire incident has been featured for a while now. And the sequence works (for me at least) because we are familiar with Joo-young. The story is about Joo-young much more than it is about her brother and mother.
Joo-young has been well established as one of the most badass characters on the show. She's been taking huge risks in her machinations in front of Han and Sec Yang, she's been in and out of the wolf's den with her perfectly controlled emotions.
Then Sec Yang calls Joo-young into the office. Sec Yang, for the first time ever, looks tired and has lost her trademark smiling mask. The rest of the story can be understood simply by looking into Joo-young's face. It's not the brother lying on the bed, or the mother breaking down desperately, it's the always-controlled badass Joo-young finally losing it, crying in the bathroom, that is the centre of this story part.
I'm shocked at how Grapevine has managed to remain so good for almost THIRTY episodes - with all the attendant stresses of ratings, live shooting, and god knows what else.
And yes, those scenes with Min Joo-young and her family were brilliant. This is a woman who's been a constant in the drama from Day 1, in more ways than one - from her guarded and polite exterior to her unchanging curled-at-the-ends hair. Literally everything about her is steady, and the only hint of emotion we see from her before is when she talks about how hypocritical she finds the Hans for being all gaga over the baby when they'd gone as far as conducting a paternity test on the sly earlier. But to see her at the end of her tether and breaking down, is ......the impact is quite something.
In some ways it's not unlike Bom reaching the end of her tether, though Bom is younger the feeling of holding back for someone else's sake until you couldn't anymore, seems to have been quite similar.
I’m shocked at how Grapevine has managed to remain so good for almost THIRTY episodes – with all the attendant stresses of ratings, live shooting, and god knows what else.
I'm pretty sure that they had a rather complete script before they started filming. Many of the character and story arcs are beautifully developed and feel "whole", something that is impossible for live-writing dramas to do.
Totally agree with everything you said. But I was so furious at the writing game in epi 2. The set up at the mall where we just KNEW she and he wouldn't meet. I know I put up with it in Girl who sees smells..but somehow, I'll be annoyed with the writer's manipulations if I have to sit through it here. Besides dramas with my sweeties are coming in June. So I have to save room on my plate.
I agree that the Han parents in Grapevine are not going to have a change of heart so quickly, and even if they did, Bom isn't going to want to subject herself to them again. And the odds are that they will wriggle out of their legal problems because Hansong is just too powerful and has too much dirt on its enemies. But I'll be interested in seeing what kind of ending they go with.
Hi Beanies! Happy friday! It's a very happy friday for me as this is my last friday before I go on a looong holiday to Italy! Going off for a gelato-making course and then just roam around in Italy for a while. Taking a looong break from work.
I'll be taking a break from watching drama as well, thank goodness for this site because i'll still be able to read about what's happening in dramaland hehehe.
Thanks for all the recappers on this site. I honestly don't know how you guys do this and have a full time job. I wish I can send you guys a thank you gift.
Oh, I forgot to rant and cry and stomp my feet in disappointment for you know what. You can guess, right? The unfairness of all unfairnesses, a totally invalid decision... well, perhaps it was the right decision with that set of achievements, but it still feels really unfair.
Anyone else still mourning the loss of Healer? I rewatched it the other day, and I'm just so sad that I haven't been able to find anything quite as crack-tastic.
YES! I was actually just saying yesterday that even though it's been three months, every drama I watch seems to pale in comparison to Healer. I'm in a slump and I definitely want out!
Producers:
Still hanging in there. Think the progress is a little bit faster now, which I'm glad for. I was so worried that Yejin was gonna misunderstand and think that BSC likes her - so I'm glad that misunderstanding has been cleared up! And Cindy's mission to 'win over' BSC might just be the start to something more. d= I really didn't like Joon-mo (why is he nicknamed Joon-bal?) in the first two episodes but he's beginning to grow on me. And gosh, Yejin's irritating maknae writer makes me want to rattle her to stop being a bitch.
I have a question for Episode 3. One of the PDs had problems with his expenses claims. And the office admin lady asked him why he had kimbap at a place that specialises in blood sausage. Does that signify anything?
Warm & Crazy:
Still my favourite out of everything. As much as Geun-woo infuriates me, I love the scenes where he's all wide-eyed and about taking care of 'woo-ri Jung-joo'. I hope Poong-san keeps the secret as long as possible!
Mask:
I started this with a lot of trepidation because melos ain't my thing. It's a little better than I expected, and I'm surprised by the 'humour' bits between Ji-sook and Min-woo. Bet Eun-ha's man is actually Seok-hoon. Otherwise, why would Mi-yeon seethe with rage so much?
Orange Marmalade:
I know a lot of beanies love it, but I just seem to get the chemistry between the leads. (And I really liked YJG in Moon Embraces the Sun). I'm more interested in Shi-hoo, teacher Han, the whole story about how vampires really work - like, do they reproduce normally? Do blood victims immediately turn into vampires? I might be dropping it...
Missing Noir M:
I'm super behind time, but that's also because I'm trying to save 'em up, especially now that it's drawing to a close. It does helps that it's easier to let go after each case is finished. I'd love a second series, please!
I think that she is shown eating there later on in one of the montage scenes - maybe it was supposed to be a very quiet or awkward attempt at flirting?
Sure I am watching Producers, Warm and Cozy, Masked Prosecutor But it is Ex-Girlfriend Club that I love.
The dialog is snappy and all the actors (the 4 ladies and 3 men) are playing together well. Really great dialog flow. You can see the Smarter characters being smart. Is that directing or camera man? And I love watching these characters being smart even with they are fumbling under a misconception or trying to cover their feelings.
I know the plot is not War and Peace, it is not terribly clever but the characters that inhabit the story are pretty smart.
I can't believe Heard It Through the Grapevine is ending next week - 2015 isn't even half over but I'm confident this is going to end up one of the best dramas of the year, if not THE best.
I loved the turn it took this week, with In-sang finally reaching his breaking point and going cold turkey on his lifestyle because he realised just what his parents were going to do to her and the money wasn't worth it. And I love the way the effects were felt all across every sphere of the drama - from the household staff, to the office. Attorney Han is still a force to be reckoned with, as is his money, but I love that when push REALLY comes to shove, the younger generation still have a few things left that they won't compromise. Whether it's Bom and her refusal to be the Han family's resident showpiece, In-sang and his insistence on Bom having custody of Jin-young without any interference from his family, Yi-ji being the more classic teenager and refusing to cease being her outspoken self against the injustices perpetrated against Bom, or even Hyun-soo and her refusal to do what mommy says and play along with the charade that would eventually lead to her getting engaged to In-sang. And I love that in each case it gets delivered in a way that's absolutely true to their characters - Bom's revolution is polite but firm, In-sang initially contains himself and is docile but ends up reaching breaking point in his own, quieter way (though he wasn't quiet or docile when the staff had to physically restrain him), and Hyun-soo is as blunt as always. (shout-out to Lee Joon btw, he got very little spotlight in the early parts of the drama but now that he has the chance, he is stepping up to the plate, and how!)
And now that all Attorney Han's adversaries chose to openly range themselves against him, things are more exciting - he did operate on a policy of 'keep your enemies closer' and is going to try to take them down, but who knows if he'll succeed. And who knows what'll happen to the world as he knows it if he doesn't - young Yoon Je-hoon, Min Joo-young and the tax attorney have the chance to undo all of Hansong, and he's going to try really hard to prevent it. And of course In-sang's rebellion is going to funnel some more rage into the process, it's amusing to watch him come undone bit by bit as Secretary Yang tries to keep him in line, but he's still dangerous. (and I may be heartless but I did have a good laugh at Mama Choi crying at the end of the last ep and Daddy Han saying how silent the house is.....can't say they didn't have it coming). I can't wait to see how it all ends!
School 2015 - EUN-BYUL IS ALIVE! EB10 IS ALIVE! EB10 IS ALIVE!!!! I was hoping she was, since we never actually see a body, but I can't wait for the Soo-in mystery to be untangled and the question of just what happened to EB10 in the time she disappeared. And how does that link up to EB2 getting pulled out of the water, and...
(oops, got cut for length. Been a while since that happened!)
....and whose ashes are in EB2's urn then?
Warm & Cozy - THANK GOD this week's episodes moved faster than the previous four. Though I guess we ended up being wrong about the Hong sisters, for once, choosing to write a nice male protagonist. Right now I'm 100 percent on the Jung-joo/Wook ship, because they happen to be fun to watch together, and he treats her better than Gun-woo WITHOUT a cancer misunderstanding!
And for god's sake, if they had to cast the second female lead purely for the purpose of being hated, why on earth couldn't they choose a competent actress? School 2015 is a better drama for having its villain played by an absolutely fantastic actress who makes her character truly hateable. Why on earth did this drama have to settle for ol' Botox Face?
Orange Marmalade - fantastic world-building and Yeo Jin-gu is killing it as always. Concept-wise, it's a really cool spin on vampires and I love the supporting characters too. But the lead actress is rather lacklustre in comparison, and it's not just the result of playing a shy/restrained/isolated character - she doesn't have the charisma to carry off a lead role. Even imperfect actors can have that, Ha Yeon-soo was a rookie playing a deadpan character in Monstar but I had absolutely no trouble believing that she could command the attention of the two boys who were into her. With this one, it's more of a "so she's pretty. And then?".
Producer - The episodes are insanely long for a prime time drama but I really enjoyed 3 and 4. It's good to see shades of Kim Soo-hyun's c. Dream High potential back again, in the role of Seung-chan. And it may just be my Gong Hyo-jin bias speaking, but I rather love her cranky bitch of a character - I love a flawed and bitchy heroine or two. The same goes for IU - she plays the bratty, jaded star well, but with a vulnerability that makes it impossible not to like her. And the umbrella scene at the end of episode 4 was adorable, and perfectly executed by both, but especially her - she's really expressive and thank god, capable of expression in the eyes.
Let's Eat 2- I better start a diet next week, after it finishes airing. I love this drama but my waistline did not! It's surprising just how much I liked it, when I initially thought I wouldn't be into it at all.
Regarding the whole "Who was cremated and in the urn?"
TBH I really don't believe it's Eun-byeol, even after ep.4. Even before the ep.10 spoiler, I had a feeling it's not Eun-byeol.
My question also is who fished Eun-bi out of the water?
It's just like in "Green Rose" & "Unkind Women". Both (Go Soo & Lee Soon-jae's younger version) had their ID's in some random corpse's possession, who were then cremated in a cases of mistaken identity.
Oh sooooooo true about the younger generation! Progress lives! I hate that Jae Won is going down, though. He was a user but he was an honest sort of a user. Unlike the doctor's wife. I am seriously disliking Secretary Yang. At first, I liked her Iago-like tendencies but now... she gives me the creeps.
Exactly, progress lives, and what I love about it is that so many of the younger-gen revolutions are silent (except for Hyun-soo and Yi-ji, but theirs are true to their characters and also more superficial in terms of impact). Bom, In-sang and even the former golden boy valedictorian Yoon Je-hoon pretty threw the biggest bombs, and they did it in the politest ways possible.
I'll miss Jae-won ajusshi too. He's just as you said - a user, but an honest one. And as for Secretary Yang, she was always Hansong's right hand. She's politer than Attorney Han but underneath it all, she is the one who does his dirty work, and does it with a smile. She has an interest in the house remaining peaceful and Attorney Han not messing up too much, but she also has an interest in protecting herself, and that outweighs all. She's too bound up in Hansong to ever truly be on the side of In-sang and Bom, or anyone fighting against it. But I enjoyed watching her, I really did.
I love Sec Yang. What a brilliant, strong character. She's a corrupt and amoral bastard, but she is ridiculously competent, she is patient, highly intelligent, and she is fiercely loyal.
And even evil has her standards, the actress does a very good job showing when Sec Yang gets pushed beyond her line of endurable malice.
She's desperately needed too, Han would be utterly helpless without her. He would be a toothless villain.
I also like Jae Won as a character, much less as a person. He is just as amoral and corrupt as Sec Yang, but he thinks nothing of it. In contrast to her, he genuinely is a nice guy despite his lack of character, because it never even crosses his mind that, what he does, is simply wrong.
His scenes with Je-hoon, who is the most extreme opposite to him, are hilarious because of this stark constrast.
Exactly, I enjoy Secretary Yang because of those shades of grey you described. She's not an egomaniac like Attorney Han, but that combination of self-interest and loyalty is truly something to watch. She's not a mindless drone carrying out orders.
I really feel writers have run out of ideas to name schools. Who the heck names high schools "Jinseonmi" & "Nuri"???
("Jinseonmi" was in "Unkind Ladies", and I laughed like heck because is this fucking Miss Korea 1985? "Nuri" meanwhile was the old term (Goryeo-era) for "world")
What is more proper to read, "Han Yi-ahn" or "Han Ian"??? I find "Han Ian" more easier to read and more closer to the pronunciation.
Kim Hee-jeong (Cha Song-joo) was Lady Ryu in "King's Face" (AKA Prince Gwanghae-gun's wife. Historically even their child Lee Jil was even executed at the age of 15 after Injo's coup. Poor thing.)
Interesting to see Yang Hui-gyeong (House of Love director) & Kim Jeong-nan (helicopter mom AKA Mommy Mafia) together even though they're not mom-daughter anymore. I couldn't even recognize Kim Jeong-nan if not for the fact I read the Wiki page of the cast.
Just like when "School 2013" aired, here is the list of the students' SNS for you to follow if you want to:
(these are their Twitter accounts unless otherwise; I didn't include their IG's because I can't open them in IE9)
-Kim So-hyun - @hellokimsohyun
-Lee Pil-mo (2-3 homeroom) - @leepillmo
-Yook Sungjae (Gongtae) - @BTOB_6SJ -> BTW, he has another account which parodies Cheon Song-yi, since he did that in "A Song For You" months ago
-Lee David (Park Min-jun AKA Mommy Mafia's son) - @DAVID__LeeE <- FYI: the actual spelling of his name is "Da-wit" (다윗), which is the Korean transcription of the Hebrew "Dawidh"
-Kim Hee-jeong (wannabe actress/model Cha Song-joo) - @tatabebe92
-Park Doo-shik (Gongtae's archenemy Kwon Gi-tae) - @Motown_yellow
-Lee Cho-hee (without-dreams Lee Shi-jin) - @Chodzm
-Kim Bo-ra (Seo Yeong-eun, the one who dropped out at ep.3; she's really good at drawing) - @KimboraV
-Choi Hyo-eun - @hyoeun_choi
-Lee Jin-kwon (the old-looking student) - facebook.com/happymanjinkwon
-Kwon Eun-soo (girl-who-looks-and-dresses-like-a-guy) - facebook.com/eunsoo.kwon.3
-Lee Seung-ho - facebook.com/officialleeseungho
-Kim Min-seok (NOT XIUMIN!!!) - @Sasimiworldkms
-Oh Woo-jin - @oh_woojin
-Kim Min-yeong (one of the Tongyeong bullies; AKA 30-years-younger "AhnJjong" of "Unkind Women") - @minyoungism
Loving Masked Prosecutor so far. I don't really understand the complaints that it doesn't "make sense." The story is classic and straightforward to me, in the tradition of the Korean thrillers like Chaser, but with refreshingly less angst, and more romance and humor. I love that there is not just one but two badass female characters. Everyone in the cast is excellent, even the actors playing villains. I hope it gains more of a following soon.
Also watching the last episodes of Unkind Women. Speaking of badass women, this drama is full of them - grandma, mother and aunts, granddaughter. The inter generational relationships and friendships are wonderful. Highly recommend.
I love it too. Have been waiting a long time for ju ji-hoon to have a good role.
Medical top team was too dry and no chemistry
between the leads. Although i think it was the writing that made it so blah.
Is it too much to ask for Seo In-guk to cameo in either "Producers" or "Warm and Cozy"???
-if "Warm and Cozy" - wouldn't it be awkward to be acting alongside Lee Seong-jae for the 3rd time (1st as brothers in "Rascal Sons", 2nd as dad-son in "King's Face")??? Plus, may I ask, who was Lee Seong-jae's 1st wife in "Strange Housekeeper"??? Was it Kim Hee-jeong (recently of "Master's Sun" who was the ghost-in-coma) too?
-if "Producer" - Kang-woo & Doolley reunion. Plus, he has an upcoming KBS drama as well right???
For the recapper, the crew who is filming the documentary is from "3 Days". I immediately saw the logo on the camera from ep.1.
Kim Tae-ho PD is Park Hyeok-gwon, who was recently Chae Shi-ra's hubby in "Unkind Women" and also more known as Kim Hee-ae's hubby in "Secret Love Affair".
LOL at Gukkie wanting "Vitamin" and not his program "Escaping Crises".
Byeonpire (Byeon CEO) is Na Yeong-hui, who is looking more fiercer by the drama (Gwi-nam's aunt in "NeongKkulDang" and Seo Kang-jun's mom in "What's With This Family"). Even though it might not be courteous, I admire how even though undergoing another turbulent period in her personal life (proceedings for her 3rd divorce is underway) she chose such a fierce and possibly Miranda-esque character. Also, I love how her introduction was BGM'ed with the iconic empire theme of the original Star Wars trilogy.
Love how Minwoo & Sandara was cameo'd (moreso for Minwoo who also appeared in "Unkind Women"). Love to see them again being on their roots (pre-debut, the small screen):
-Minwoo's last major role was the KBS daily drama "Wife and Woman" (you can find lots of clips with him on YouTube). The MBC sitcom (with him and the twins) do not count even though it's pre-debut as well.
-Sandara especially. Seriously, her last works were in the Philippines: sitcom "Dalawang Tisoy (Two Mestizo Uncles)" & film "Super Noypi".
Watched 1st 2 episodes of "Mask" and found it good :) ... Those who are annoyed with"warm and cozy" and looking for an alternative can consider this drama on wed- Thurs :)
True! Mask is so crazy good. No wonder it jump off the ratings from the 7.5% first episode to 9.2% second episode. I'm pretty sure it'll hit double digits next week. So fast paced that you'll be breathless with all that's been happening.
The true melodrama starts next week. This drama got the perfect roles for the main actors and each and everyone is very intriguing. I watched the two episodes back to back and became enlightened with what really happened at that first five minute climax.
[ Spoiler ] I'm pretty sure the stepmom was behind the drugging in the water bottle as well as the erased CCTV footage. A lot has been going on with just 2 Eps but it felt just right. I love all the car scenes (the cliff and the car-chasing). It was so thrilling to watch. Soo Ae got me at the first few minutes of episode 1.
I was thinking the mom as well but then I don't know what she has to gain from killing her and kicking out Min Woo. The sister on the other hand is defo a possible suspect but then it seems too obvious. I feel so bad for Min Woo - he is quite literally going crazy. All the hallucinations and loss of memories.
[ Spoiler ] Felt bad for Min Woo too. But Ji Sook's gonna take Eun ha's place in Ep 3 so I wish that the wedding will happen then without interruptions. I want Ji Sook to be at Min Woo's side always because I can't trust everyone else around him.
Are they twins? I don't think the show will explain this soon maybe not ever but I really wish she was a twin, at least it would be a less crazy explanation.
I hate it for being another fashion show sageuk, but the next lines are my real feelings.
I visited Dramatroll for the laughs, and even though I'm laughing at posts where Kim Yeo-jin and Jeong Woong-in were together, I was surprised out of my wits that Kim Yeo-jin ("DJG"'s Jang-deok, "Yi San's" step-grandma Queen Jeongsun, "Trot Lover's" Eunji's coach) is the notorious concubine Kim Gae-shi.
Fuck! As in efffery-effing-fuck! Like how people are exploding from ep.10 of "School 2015"-fuck.
She has got to be the oldest-looking Kim Gae-shi of all time! And Cha Seung-won as Prince Gwanghae-gun is not helping things. I mean...can you even imagine them being all lovey-dovey passionate-type together?!!!
I think this outranks:
-Im Ho & Hong Ri-na ("The Road of the Great King", 199? as Crown Prince Sado & Lady Hong)
-Park Chan-hwan & Jeon In-hwa + 2 other actresses ("Women of the World", 2001-2002 as Jungjong & his 3 queens consort)
-Park Seon-yeong & Jeon Gwang-ryeol ("Jang Hee-bin", 2002-2003 as Sukjong & Queen Inhyeon)
-Im Ho ("DJG" 2004-2005 Jungjong)
(TBH I'm rather uncomfy putting Ji Sung & Park Seon-yeong, since they're the last to be the prince and Lady Kim before "King's Face".)
So i'm here to rant about Orange Marmalade Specifically ep 4, honestly you can sum the ep in WTF just happen, shi ho dead, ja min has amnesia, Ma ri will probably get punished by VCE, p.s: VCE appear to be the vampire cruel assembly, and for the biggest shocker there is a time jump back to the stone ages, WTF for the million time.
and i was starting to like Orange Marmalade
OMG THANK GOD I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE. So I read the manhwa, and I don't remember this happening so honestly I'm like: WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!?!?!?! Maybe because I never finished it, I'm losing out on something, but from what I looked up, Si Hoo doesn't flipping die. I do have a guess though:
1) The drama is actually going to re-interpret the storyline of Orange Marmalade. If you've ever seen Higurashi When They Cry, you'll know what I mean: The same characters are reborn, but in different timelines/universes (?), so the people and general ideas of said show will remain, but the universes themselves will be different.
2) This whole thing is a freaking dream sequence while Jae Min is sleeping from a coma, because he didn't wake up from almost drowning,
3) Jae Min and Ma Ri are actually reincarnations and since I never finished the manhwa, I never found that out, thus the confusion. (but of course, that doesn't really explain some of the stuff that happened in the end, but hey, when did manhwas make sense?)
So honestly, these are my guesses, IDK, I hope someone else actually knows what's going on. SOMEONE WHO READ THE WHOLE MANHWA TALK TO ME.
oh and if Si Hoo is dead, I'm going to buy a flight to Seoul, track down the writer, and ask her, WHY, WHY WOULD YOU KILL HIM OFF WHY.
I've read the whole manhwa (or rather, what's available with english translation) and NONE of the WTFery parts appeared in there. So, still no idea about what's going on and no idea where the writer plucked those particular plot points from.
At this rate, this drama could be called "When a vampire loves" or something cheesier, rather than masquerade as an adaptation of "Orange Marmalade".
As for ShiHoo's future appearance...** POSSIBLE SPOILER** I've read that the next 4 eps are set in Joseon times and Lee Jonghyun (who plays ShiHoo) can be seen on set wearing a traditional hanbok in his latest Instagram photos ....let's just say that I won't write him off so quickly at this stage ^^
I've read the whole manhwa and basically the plot revolve around the band forming, mari trying to make new friends, her love line with Jaemin, and also how Ahra become mari's friend in the end. Even Shihoo have his own loveline, a human that know he is a vampire and give her blood to him. It's just the usual stuff you will find in almost every romance-school drama ever (beside the vampire part). None of that weird thing they did in the drama that basically just didn't make any sense for me..
I just watched ep 4. Yes, I'm with you, what in the world happened to this show? Did the writers get drunk or something? The pacing in the first 1-2 episodes were so good. I'm really confused now. Is this show supposed to end at ep5-6 or something? What is up with all the time jump? one scene - 2 weeks later, then 2 months later.. then next week is 200 years ago? What is going on show? Aren't you supposed to be high school vampire story? Why are you turning into joseon vampire story?
Did Shi hoo died? I'm a bit unclear. The editing and the pacing was really off. Ma ri didn't even try to save Shi hoo, appeal to the VSC or something. Shi hoo used his power to save Jae min. It's so unfair. Doesn't Ma ri have a heart? she's just gonna let Shi hoo get the punishment, she doesn't care at all? all she care about is herself and Jae min? This makes no sense.
The change in Jae min going from I hate all vampire to I don't care if Ma ri is a vampire is way too fast. I can't relate to this. It has only been a few episodes, I can not relate to them forming such a strong bond that can negate all his previous hatred toward vampire. It's not love, it's called lust/teenage hormone raging. And I'm sorry but Ma ri has not done anything that is very impressive other than being able to sing and play a guitar quite well. SHi hoo sacrifice himself to save other people. What has Mari done? nothing. I can't get behind a pretty female character who just stands there looking pretty. Do something!
Does anyone have any recommendations for Chinese or Taiwanese dramas? I am watching for language practice, but also for entertainment.
My main difficulty with finding Twdramas to watch has been that the romcoms tend to drive me nuts with (1) their portrayals of supposedly competent adult professional women who shriek and pout and scream and generally behave like tantrum-y 3-year-olds (2) the sometimes over-the-top or one-note acting. Plus the series are longer that for kdramas, and tend to drag. There are so many Twdramas that I've started but not finished because of these two things (I Do 2, In A Good Way, Fated to Love You, My Queen, It Started with a Kiss, Fabulous 30).
As for what I have managed to finish: In Time With You, The Fierce Wife, Pursuit of Happiness, and I'm currently watching Constellation Love - Leo Woman, which is decent so far. Any suggestions for shows to try once that's done would be much appreciated.
As for cdramas, I've tried a few, but the only one I managed to stick with past 2 episodes has been Think Before You Marry starring Tong Da Wei, which I was really enjoying. Sadly, only 4 of the 40 episodes at Viki have been subbed so far. So recs for replacement cdramas (modern settings or historical) are also welcome.
That's my issue with Taiwanese dramas as well. Competent, sane female leads are often hard to find, the shrieking always strikes somewhere lol
I recommend an older one - MARS. It's dark and deep; not a rom com but amazing nonetheless.
Also recommend Autumn's Concerto - I've watched this one many times, again not an out-and-out romcom but a drama/melo-ish with just some superb acting by Ady An and Vaness Wu. I love this one.
A recent one I liked was Love, Never Forgetting but the female lead isn't too motivating, however if you're out of things, check it out.
Thanks for the recs! I've watched a couple of eps of Autumn's Concerto, and intend to work through it eventually, and I just checked out synopses of Mars and it looks interesting. Adding it to my "to try" list. Thanks again!
I struggle with TW dramas. Neither the characters nor the plot ever makes much sense to me – it's all a bit (or a lot) over the top.
In a Good Way (which you didn't finish) is actually one of those that's a bit different, but you didn't finish that one. Mars isn't a bad a suggestion, primarily because it tackles some real, dark issues. I quite liked Alice in Wonder City too because it was a bit different. But there's nothing I'd super-enthusiastically recommend.
Try films instead? When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep was a quirky, fun rom-com.
Alice in Wonder City sounds worth a try, especially at only 15 episodes. And I can't believe I never thought of trying movies instead. Thanks for the suggestions!
–When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep
–You Are the Apple of My Eye
–Cafe Waiting Love
–Hear Me
–Starry Starry Night
They vary in quality, ranging from good to very good and more, but none are anywhere near as frustrating as TW-dramas. There's lots more out there, but I need to still watch them myself (Honey Pupu, Taipei Exchanges, Beautiful Crazy, Blue Gate Crossing, The Most Distant Course......). If you don't want just rom-coms, I'd go through the films of big-name filmmakers, Ang Lee, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang, etc.
I have tried to watch about 20 T-dramas, and I think finished 2 or 3 of them. Most are just so totally sappy, silly, shallow, and boring I wonder if anyone in Taiwan watches them.
Mainland Chinese dramas are usually even worse, though Divorce Lawyers is not too bad. But due to all the censorship and "state guidance", they are far too often just really bad. The "historical" dramas are the worst, I don't think I have looked at a single one that was not full of ridiculous stunts. There is a reason why K-dramas are more popular in China than Chinese dramas.
I think many idol dramas from Taiwan are popular for exactly that reason: being idol dramas. They are much more honest and straight forward with that than K-dramas (where even idol dramas still pretend to have actual characters and a story to tell).
Mainland Chinese dramas ... sigh. Most of them have no concept of episodes, dramatic composition, or any other narrative structure. It's strange how pre-produced shows can be even worse in this respect than K-drama live-shooting shows. I hate the voice acting in the "dubbed" dramas (which seems to be done by the same handful of voice actors/actresses in a style that was outdated 80 years ago).
"Divorce Lawyers": I checked in on that one when it was here mentioned here in comparison with the Korean SBS weekend show. I was surprised by the rather watchable quality. Good actors in a few roles (and a lot of really, really bad ones, of course), good live voice acting, and a more down-to-earth and much less preachy story than the K-drama. Still not much of a structure or anything, but I managed to watch it to the end. (It also helps that I could watch the final episodes without subtitles and, in contrast to K-dramas, actually understand what's going on).
I've been contemplating Divorce Lawyers, and if two of you say it's decent to watchable, which is about the most I hope for from a cdrama, then I'll give it a go. Thanks!
My all time favorite TWdrama is [i]They Kiss Again[/i]. I don't know that it would be your type of thing, but I love it to itty bitty bits and pieces. Mainly because it's about making it work, not will-they-won't-they. A confession and a wedding did not magically turn our lead couple into different people, and all of the things that kept them from being a couple through 20 episodes of ISWaK are all still in play.
She's still insecure. He's still stoic. She's still a flighty romantic. He's still embarrassed by public displays of affection (private displays, though -- hoo boy *fans self*). She's still dim but enthusiastic. He's still brilliant but laconic. But they do both still love each other, and they are both invested in making their marriage work, and I love watching them work it out.
I got so frustrated by ISWAK (it seemed to spend so much time with no real story development, just going over the same ground) that I didn't even dare to try the sequel. I do want to finish ISWAK someday though; I've gotten so close to the end it feels like it would be a shame not to complete it. Eventually. Thanks for the reminder about it!
While I found TKA to be delightful, and ISWaK something to be gotten through in order to get to TKA, that does not necessarily mean you will agree. Many of the frustrating things from ISWaK are still there. It is still slice of life/plotless. And like I said, the characters are still the same people. So if Xiang Qin drove you nuts before, she probably still will. I readily admit its flaws, TKA just hits all of my kinks.
If you do decide to go back to ISWaK, you're probably fine with just skipping to episode 19 and catching the last 2 episodes.
Not a rom-com but an interesting, funny and touching family Tdrama set in the 1960s and 1970s - unfortunately I can't find a site with Eng subs for "Story of Time" starring Tammy Chen, Leroy Young, Megan Lai and Tender Huang.
Murphy's Law of Love - currently watching, the lead woman impressed me as " competent adult professional women" and she doesn't act like a 2yr old, so far.
Summer's Desire (2010) had an heroine I found to be strong and overall good acting.
cdramas - Empresses In The Palace is supposed to be and I p;an to watch it. Bu Bu Jing Xin has lots of fans, I dropped it after 20+ episodes mainly cuz I couldn't root for main couple anymore, but I thought it was good overall.
Happy weekend to all! How are you doing? A bit frustrated I see. On the contrary to the general sense of discontent, I'm quite pleased this period with my hobby (and by hobby I mean korean drama).
I love every Mon-Tue Let's Eat 2. It's truly excellent. By episode three I had gotten over every comparison with the first series and I'm enjoying every moment of it. Especially of course the main couple.
Hwajung is also very interesting and for anyone with little knowledge of korean history, the politics are kept to a minimum. Though I admit that I haven't given to the drama the committment and attention it deserves. But I will.
"Heard It", I'm saving it for the day I decide to act my age and education and watch something more sophisticated. (Though I see in the thread "gruppie-like-enthousiasm" from its viewers).
I'm still sad since I will not get to see again our lovely couple from Falling, but tend to mend my broken heart with my one and true love, Joo Jin Mo. Oh, I do love him...
Continue Ex-Girlfriends. Fun and refreshing acting, though what's up with the Noona? All of you are annoyed by the second girl in Warm and Cozy. But the "Noona" is driving me insane. In general the script is... peculiar with problems but boy, can these kids act!
Warm and Cozy: I adore it. Normal rom-com, fun, lovely couples (I do love both of them), so I don't need anything more.
Producer: I love everything you do, Cha Tae Hyun. Welcome back to the dramas.
Mask: OK I watched it. Melo with a twist, actors above par, great writer, but... WHERE ARE YOUR CHEEKS, Yun Jung Hoon? Eh?
And a last comment for My Unfortunate Boyfriend. The thing I hate most in dramas is being cheated. This drama never promised to be something unique or extraordinary. It stayed so far faithful to the story, No Min Woo was good and the lead female star, Yang Jin Sung, proved after this and Bride (and her cut role in Secret) that she delivers. Give the girl more roles.
So, I was wondering if anyone else was watching My Unfortunate Boyfriend, and was feeling like the Writer/PD cheated them out of what viewers expected the show to be: cute, quirky, weird, I don't know, DIFFERENT. Because this show is starting to take a very typical road with all the twisted fates between characters, and Min Woo's character not getting to be weird and crazy. I thought it was going to be a love story between an ordinary, ambitious girl, and a weird, childlike boy, but it's not really that at all, and if you watch the show, you'll see what I mean. Too many company politics and too many tragedies involving the main leads. I'm really sad it turned out this way.
On the bright side, there's Producers and Ex-Girlfriends Club to look forward to which is always quirky and fun.
BTW, is anyone watching Missing Noir M, which I find riveting and all together awesome?
I ended up really like Missing Noir M, although the first two eps were a little rough and felt sort of forced. I love it when Hacker Girl gets to leave the house and get some fresh air!
My Unfortunate Boyfriend was cute and funny in earlier episodes, but later it became so meh. I am with you -love Producers and EGC, and Missing Noir M.
Kyaaa! Ex-Girlfriend Club!!! I’ve only been lurking in the OT in the past weeks for EGC comments, but I really need to express my love for this show this week because Ep 7 happened and my shipper heart is all over the place right now.
At first I tuned in to EGC because it was such an easy and fun watch, and I love watching the girls’ growing camaraderie as each episode passes. I’m actually a little sad that, so far, Soo-jin is still somewhat being treated differently by the 3 ex-gfs, and sometimes is out of the loop while we see the 3 being chummier together by the day, but I do understand that she is the most outsider of the whole group as far as Myung-soo’s past loves are concerned. Also, I guess selective camaraderie is still far better than 5-way catfights and hair-pulling, no matter how hilarious that was.
The show was all hijinks and laughs until Myung-soo’s flashback in Ep 5, and the show’s been giving me the feels ever since. That scene was a really great scene and I love the gradual changes of the ex-gfs’ facial expressions as they listen to MS’s story.
That scene also gave us a look into MS-SJ’s past in MS’s POV (!!!) because he’s mostly been a cipher feelings-wise before that and I love that we’re now given access to what he’s sincerely feeling and thinking at any given moment. ESPECIALLY IN EP 7!!! Kyaaaa!
I don’t want to give too much spoilers since many must not have watched the latest ep yet, but suffice it to say that ep7 is overflowing with sweetness it might kill you. Enjoy!
Oh maaan. EGC has got me rolling on the floor laughing my ass out. The ex girlfriends together are always a riot. MS and YJ are adorable together. And yes the equilibrium shifted the moment they showed that flashback in ep 5.. Thooooose feels <3
Oh man, vacation ends a week from now. Sigh. Sigh. But Joong Ki is back!! And I can't get Reset out of my mind.
WHO ARE YOU: SCHOOL 2015 - I love this drama! KSH rocks! She's so awesome. Whether it be Eun Bi or Eun Byul, she tugs at my heartstrings. It's so painfully satisfying. And I never ever thought I'd be shipping EB with Tae Kwang. I'd normally be rooting for the sweet friend(not really?) with the non-dyed hair. But I love everyone(no, not you, So Young. I can't even put a yet, yet). And I get glimpses of Kim Min Suk!!
CRIME SCENE - Huge thanks to the beanie/s who talked about this last OT. It's too bad that there's only 18 eps from 2 seasons. Sigh. Waiting for the next ep. But the subber, bumdi, is so awesome!
THE GENIUS - I stumbled upon this while watching CS and it's just as awesome. Especially now that Liar Game(manga) has ended, I'm so happy I found this. But I've only seen 2 eps because of WAY.
5 DAYS OF SUMMER(or is it SOMEr?) - I'm not a fan of WGM but I've watched some eps and this is like JTBC's WGM without missions and stuff. I think it's a new show and I'm only watching for Hong Jin Ho. I think I've become a fan of Kong. :)
Just have to add that Ex Girlfriends Club is absolutely hysterical! I wasn't that impressed with the first episode but it got so much better. It's hard to write good comedy but the timing has to be just perfect for the actors to pull it off and this group of 5 is pulling it off so well. It's not just about the main leads but the whole supporting cast is so on point with their comedic acting. Please give it a try you won't be disappointed .
Yes, people, watch exgf club and you won't be disappointed. It's the only drama I look forward to the most every week. Byun yo han and song ji hyo are so amazing together. I love their friendship and the way they always know what the other feels. But please, say how you feel honestly, instead you both. Can't wait for ep 8!
![[Drama Chat] The mysteriously disappearing desire to watch](http://d263ao8qih4miy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/didiva_5-scaled.jpg)
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1 redfox
May 29, 2015 at 6:07 AM
Hi there
well, the vacation is going smooth, just ONE DAY until HAYDAMAKY!!! Yayyyy. I am glad it has gotten warm, because just last week it was only +13C, and I was wondering if Oleksandr, the band leader in Haydamaky, is gonna throw off his shirt, then.... um.... The nekkid kozak in Estonian chilly spring. But he has heat, oh boy does he, so I think it would have been ok. Do korean idols ever throw off their shirts though? I think it would be inappropriate...or do they? Not that I am asking to see you know. No, really. Don´t show me.
But now the environmentalist in me is kicking out again. Had a long discussion one evening in Viljandi. Like how did the world get as far as this heat wave in India (terrible! 800 people dead? just...chilling.) and we came to the idea what if it really isn´t the climate but the Earth itself, that is changing... I dunno. No more expeditions to the North Pole by the way, and oh, tell the children, Santa Claus is homeless, needs shelter for himself and 60 polar bears.
what are we going to do... the natives in america are saying everyone should learn to survive in deep forests again, that will offer some protection from stuff like extreme heats....but there are no more forests in many places!
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redfox
May 29, 2015 at 6:09 AM
sigh. anyway, I couldn´t watch dramas, since I didn´t have access to internet. So I watched tele instead. Eurovision! Hey, we finished on 7th like we started in semi, so what was the point in going through all that trouble? ah, but the competition was tough. damn latvians were ahead of us. I am not buying my marmalade from Riga now. Australia could have done better if that Guy had not been so proud & turned down all interviews. Well, I am pretty satisfied, I also liked the belgian guy immensely, his voice is phenomenal. Enough of the cheesefest, but I have a feeling the reputation of Eurovision is rising and it is modernizing too. BTW, it was also broadcasted in South Korea, China and Japan! (and now China has asked to participate! How crazy is that???)
So, kept watching tele in the evening after exhausting days of digging, watering, de-weeding, covering, tieing etc etc in the garden. There was a really good documentary on the phenomena of Scandinavian crime series like The Bridge and The Killing. I haven´t watched them, but I am curious to see what the craze is about. There are also a number of remakes made or being made in USA, GB, even Russia and Turkey. But what people (in England at least) are flipping out about is a sweater the actress wore. how shallow. has anyone watched any of those danish and swedish crime series, is it worth all the buzz?
that also got me thinking if we have any potential - Estonian broadcasting stations´ rating leaders are domestic crime series. But they are more detective comedies than noir-skizo-human dramas. I think our tradition is more close to the british, all the death and evil through an ironic, sarcastic prism. being serious through humor is a level up from butt-jokes at least. I haven´t heard of anyone buying rights for our series abroad, but they have a cult following here, there is one with just female detectives and teenage girls basically stalk the actresses everywhere, calling them on the home phone etc.
It seems korean detective dramas are taking themselves very seriously with some recent exceptions, like The Girl Who Sees Smells. the whole style and sense of humor was very close to what I see here at home.
this brings me to the question today: how do you prefer your detectives? Dark, ungroomed and introverted? Eccentric and snarky? Traditional (a la british)? Or Team Irrational from TGWSS? Cute like Mu Gak (OMG such an adowabubble thing) or perhaps half-criminals themselves, like Bad Guys... and name 3 series you got the most hooked on?
and the second question, can we save the Earth from a climatic disaster OR ARE WE ALL GONNA DIE OMG MOMMY... I NEED A TREE TO HUG.
P.S. Really sorry, if anyone again considers this post too long, too over the top, too ambitious, too intruding, rude, arrogant, boring or unnecessary.
P.S. P.S. In the latest stills and BTS shots of Night Scholar, the outfits (at least Ninja Teachers´) look much improved and not as plain and sterile as in the...
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redfox
May 29, 2015 at 6:10 AM
got cut:
P.S. P.S. In the latest stills and BTS shots of Night Scholar, the outfits (at least Ninja Teachers´) look much improved and not as plain and sterile as in the beginning. There is some plaits, some pattern and some traces of use. Me like. Want to see color photos already. There is a b&w picture on his Instagram
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4D
May 29, 2015 at 6:18 AM
Honestly I love mysteries in general so I'm used to a variety of detectives...and I love them all. I like that there are so many approaches to a theme that I love.
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kalel
May 29, 2015 at 6:55 AM
Dear miss Foxy, my weeping days for my 3 adorable guys are NOT over yet! Has Europe become tone-deaf?? In what universe the clip (not song!) Sweden has flashed us with along with a mediocre vocals could have beaten Italia's magnificent voices?? Is Sweden the new bully in Eurovision?? Ireland has won so many times but never attempted a shameless coup d'etat like these guys did! I blame EBU and the swedish production company for this outrageous outcome...
If money is always an issue, I sincerely hope that, by introducing China to our singing contest, these greedy old folks could stuff themselves with tons of daugh and let us choose the winner!!
I also super-duper liked Belgium; the song had this "Glee"-like performance. Spain sent a Shakira-ish voice only to end up 21st *shaking head * Australia could have won (Sweden's song was worst in terms of pop music) if they have tried a bit harder...
It actually took me more than I expected to absorb this unfairness and calm down. Anyway not even "Nel blu dipinto di blu" had won back then. It's nevertheless preposterous how blind (and deaf) europeans have turned to be when it comes to money.
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redfox
May 29, 2015 at 8:34 AM
*pats shoulder*: kalel, it is going to be ok... in 15 years. Maybe. When it became obvious that there are 3 leaders, then the whole game was about: please don´t let it be Russia. I would have also preferred Italy or Belgium to the swedish-american teen pop that basically copied the exact pattern pf Euphoria. and if the juries had been fair, Estonia would have been 5th not 7th, cause the televote actually gave us a draw with Belgium. The fans of our song are as furious as those of Italian blokes.
Gah, there is really no point in this show if the winner is so predictable. I wish for Japan to participate and send some cutesy bubbly girl group with fake lashes and sailor suits
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harmonyfb
May 29, 2015 at 7:54 AM
how do you prefer your detectives? Dark, ungroomed and introverted? Eccentric and snarky? Traditional (a la british)? Or Team Irrational from TGWSS? Cute like Mu Gak (OMG such an adowabubble thing) or perhaps half-criminals themselves, like Bad Guys…
I love mysteries so much; I have many preferred detective styles. British is always a plus, but not strictly necessary. I like them smart and good-hearted, though I also love snarky, sarcastic ones (must have heart of gold beneath the curmudgeonly exterior). Eccentric is ok, but it can be so easily overdone; I prefer the guys who are working hard & care about their jobs.
and name 3 series you got the most hooked on?
Gosh - "The Last Detective" series (starring Peter Davison, BBC). He plays an aging Detective Constable whose boss refers to him as "the last detective I would EVER call."
"Inspector Morse/Inspector Lewis/Endeavour" (BBC - these are all set in the same universe, centered on Oxford.)
"Sherlock Holmes" - the Granada TV series starring Jeremy Brett, who will forever be THE face of Holmes for me.
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ktiep
May 29, 2015 at 8:06 AM
how do you prefer your detectives? Dark, ungroomed and introverted? Eccentric and snarky? Traditional (a la british)? Or Team Irrational from TGWSS? Cute like Mu Gak (OMG such an adowabubble thing) or perhaps half-criminals themselves, like Bad Guys…
I like my detectives geeky and quirky. I have watched every episode of Monk with my mother. Such a lovable character.
I also like the scientists on Bones. Have even cried at a few episodes because the producers are not beyond killing off one of the main characters. Of the characters on that show, I like Angela the best--beautiful and complete computer geek. And her husband with all the plant knowledge makes him really attractive to me.
As for Korean detectives--I hate that the police are generally depicted as incompetent. Lazy writing in my opinion.
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dkaoru
May 29, 2015 at 8:31 AM
I love Monk!
I used to like British-style detectives but since I've worked in a british company, I find the accent irritating now; it can sound very condescending.
I like detective stories in general, and have various detectives favorites, whether they're the dark broody type or the hilarious funny eccentric ones.
Current detective show I really like: Missing Noir M. I can't praise this show enough :)
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ktiep
May 29, 2015 at 8:46 AM
With that recommendation, I will have to marathon Missing Noir M when it is over.
redfox
May 29, 2015 at 8:54 AM
I so have mind to watch Missing Noir M, but I have very little time with the garden and many other matters.
I myself liked Monk a lot and in general I like detectives who are charmingly faulty but still mysteriously effective and insightful.
atz
May 29, 2015 at 11:17 AM
I like the look of British detectives. they look so worn out ( wrinkles fully shown)with very shabby worn out coats with rather messy hair.
harmonyfb
June 1, 2015 at 3:56 AM
has anyone watched any of those danish and swedish crime series, is it worth all the buzz?
They're very popular at the library. They're understated & quiet, but very tense. (And often violent as hell - see 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' series.)
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4D
May 29, 2015 at 6:16 AM
I don't know if Korean idols 'throw' off their shirts, but a lot if them end up shirtless or at least flashing abs during concerts. They're a lot more censored on TV performances but live....that's a whole new ball game.
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redfox
May 29, 2015 at 6:23 AM
oh yeah, I forgot the abs. of course they have to show them. but Haydamaky has a whole different level of "shirtless". also, the estonian-ukrainian Svjata Vatra lead singer performs shirtless with a burning trombone. beat that.
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4D
May 29, 2015 at 7:41 AM
A burning trombone is pretty hard to beat. But the idols can dance....I'm a sucker for dancers.
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Julia the Berkshire Beanie
May 29, 2015 at 6:39 AM
In Massachusetts, we had a period of farming where we cut down all the trees. Now, we have grown back the trees in many places. It is cooler and helps with soil retention. Cities with all their pavement are warmer.
Look at the Green Belt movement in Africa where they improved the environment by planting trees.
I love trees. Plant and nuture trees, and they will be good for your community.
Koreans seem to agree about a love of trees when you see their national parks, preserving green spaces even in such a densely populated country.
Can you think of any Korean dramas that show an appreciation for nature? Vineyard Man comes to mind. Also, that one where the girl becomes a cook in the Blue House and goes hiking in the woods for fresh plants.
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Daehoney
May 29, 2015 at 6:46 AM
I don't know if Thank You is included as 'showing an appreciation for nature' but it sure does show good scenery. Without skyscrapers, traffic, buses, only paddy fields, sea, unpaven road. It's almost like I can feel the breeze.
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drisris
June 15, 2015 at 4:42 PM
And "Thank You" is an excellent drama. Heartwarming and real in all the right places. The peaceful rural setting is an important part of the story.
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ktiep
May 29, 2015 at 8:12 AM
Julia--There are so many. KDramas are an advertisement of Korean nature.
Secret Garden--biking, hiking, seashore, rock climbing, beautiful suburban neighborhoods...
My Lovely Sam Soon--big time hiking in that one, albeit in terrible weather
Lots of country driving on windy roads that end up being the death of at least one of the characters.
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Julia the Berkshire Beanie
May 29, 2015 at 2:05 PM
... that end up in death ... hahaha
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Quiet Thought
May 29, 2015 at 2:25 PM
Yes, I watched the opening scene of 'Mask' and confirmed again that that Korea has beautiful seaside cliffs and really weak cables to keep the cars on the road.
It was hilarious, but Sue Ae plays it straight and looks beautiful doing it.
lulu88
May 29, 2015 at 8:14 AM
Gourmet did a good job showcasing nature.
Goddess of Marriage, in the hiking scenes offered good appreciation of nature and of history.
Odd one: Plus Nine Boys.
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nomad
May 29, 2015 at 3:15 PM
Kimchi family comes to my mind immediately...
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korfan
May 29, 2015 at 6:42 AM
redfox -
Let's see, regarding the detective question, I don't know if I prefer one particular type over another. ....... I've watched some pretty interesting shows where the detectives are pretty traditional or with quirky habits, while others are more modern and just as complicated as the suspects they're investigating.
Some great detective shows can certainly be found all over the world too, which is always fantastic. I've seen some neat stuff from Britain, Italy, Sweden, Korea, Japan, and Germany. Love them all!
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Julia the Berkshire Beanie
May 29, 2015 at 7:26 AM
Did you know that the Hanok (traditional Korean house) is designed with a barren front yard and garden in the back so that you get natural airflow/cooling circulation? The ideal house is built with a mountain in the back and a river in the front, with a wide daecheong (대청) front porch for keeping the house cool during hot summers.
Houses differ according to region. In the cold northern regions of Korea, houses are built in a closed square form to retain heat better. In the central regions, houses are 'L' shaped. Houses in the southernmost regions of Korea are built in an open 'I' form.
I would love to stay at a traditional Korean house.
I am building an HO scale model of a Hanok. Ordered it from Korea. You can get anything on the internet!
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ktiep
May 29, 2015 at 8:13 AM
I am building an HO scale model of a Hanok. Ordered it from Korea. You can get anything on the internet!
How cool is that?
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redfox
May 29, 2015 at 8:41 AM
that´s so interesting! here in Estonia we have this new foundation, that promotes traditional materials and building techniques, their study base is in an old manor they´re slowly renovating while using scottish highland cattle to maintain the grass in the park around it. They make houses using hardly any other tools than an axe and a hand drill. they don´t even use any artificial materials for isolation. building materials used today make no sense so we should return to traditional houses or zero energy houses.
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owl 🦉 🫰
May 29, 2015 at 9:02 AM
Reminds me of the cool architect house in Perfect Taste
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redfox
May 29, 2015 at 9:16 AM
yeah, exactly! that is the epitome of a korean house. and for the imperial palace the perfect one is from Faith. If I happen to imagine anything happening in a sageuk drama, it is always placed there.
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Julia the Berkshire Beanie
May 29, 2015 at 2:07 PM
I totally love Perfect Taste for oogling the house. That I can oogle LMH too is a bonus.
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Lizzy4e
May 29, 2015 at 11:01 AM
I think Hanoks are fascinating. I want to build a Hanok here in Texas. I was thinking putting it on a lake would be the best most, viable application in a state with few mountains.
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Lizzy4e
May 29, 2015 at 11:03 AM
Trying to eat lunch and punctuate is clearly a fail. sigh
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redfox
June 1, 2015 at 12:30 PM
I am just going to leave this here. the very very familiar tune which some of us might be allergic to. just listen to the instrumental and the second half, it will be fine, no rash. this time, sung by Estonian Idol 2015, Jüri Pootsman
http://www.tv3play.ee/sisu/eesti-otsib-superstaari/609297?autostart=true
this might disappear in a week or so.
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2 4D
May 29, 2015 at 6:09 AM
Happy Friday Beanies! I got a small 4 day break and was able to go visit my family for a little so that was really nice. I also managed to squeeze in some kdramas, of course, so on to my thoughts. My apologies in advance because I was definitely feeling a bit jaded this week:
Sensory Couple I finished it this weekend. I think this is really one of the weakest scripts I’ve ever seen. I was so excited at the beginning of this but in the end it was just the actors and the OTP that got me through this. I was very frustrated by all the storylines that made no sense. Also a villain whose greatest moments of brilliance are never explained really isn’t that thrilling in the end. It’s like having Sherlock Holmes solve a mystery but not tell you how he did it. How does he have iron-clad alibis? How did he organize the police truck to end up in the river? How did he escape when he was handcuffed? I’m glad he played up his character to the hilt but it couldn’t make up for the ineptitude of the writer. I'm also frustrate at the idea that it was even hinted that he could be this way because of abusive American parents. I've yet to see a kdrama where America is shown and there isn't some horrible American abusing a Korean in some way. But hey the OTP is super cute.
School 2015 Well things are certainly happening. Some people’s predictions seem to be proven true but I have to say that I don’t see how I’m going to be satisfied with this show in the end. Making numerous people suffer complete heartache is not remotely excusable even for a more interesting plot. I do like though that the show is starting to really deal with its multiple storylines. And I still love TG in every scene he’s in. Next episode’s preview looks depressing.
Warm & Cozy I'm only about halfway through episode 6, and I'm still royally pissed from episode 5. That boy has issues. I think the only character I really like and who acts like an adult is our diving lady.
Producer I like this week’s a bit better than last week’s but I don’t think this will ever be one of my favorites. The cameos and meta moments (Hello Counselor!) are the best parts! And while I find the characters to be interesting, I can’t actually get invested in them at all. I definitely feel distanced from everything.
Orange Marmalade I was really super surprised by the sudden change in pace for the last two-thirds of this episode. Someone mentioned it felt like a highlight reel and that’s about as close as I can get to describing it. A lot of things didn’t feel earned, and it was just sort of a series of scenes. I’m not even bothered about an early confession, but literally everything seemed on fast forward. Now that someone has sort of explained how they’re breaking down the twelve episodes, I’m worried that the show bit off more than it can chew.
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4D
May 29, 2015 at 6:12 AM
The Lover I'm still reeling over all the JJ last episode. Also, the editing is pretty bad. They've included a lot of cuts where someone starts laughing or breaks character.
Missing Noir M Good as always. I can't believe it's almost over!
Murphy’s Law of Love Halfway point and still cute! I do not get the ex though. Why would you get in an accident and tell nobody?! Why would someone wait for you when you haven’t even talked to them to say you’ll be coming back and to wait? Or that you even care about them? That’s happened in a few shows I’ve seen and I really don’t understand why they think someone would wait indefinitely for someone who they believe has left them? Also, no amount of facial reconstruction is going to give you the same face as before after that much trauma. Stay strong OTP, I don’t want any late stage wishy-washy moments…from either of you!
----
Has anyone else had problems this week with the DB site? I’m able to see the second page of comments and often I will post and then go back and my comments not there. I feel like the site hates me. Grrr.
I haven’t felt especially like I needed to try Mask or Masked Prosecutor but I’m interested in what other people think of them so far.
Song Joong Ki is back!!
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growingbeautifully
May 29, 2015 at 8:13 AM
@4D
The DB site is having a problem ... so it's not just you :)
I (and several others have noticed) can only see page 1 on any comment thread. Cannot go to next page or any other... JB is aware and someone is looking into it, but seems unable to fix it as fast as we'd like. :)
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growingbeautifully
May 29, 2015 at 8:43 AM
Correction!!! I've just checked and DB is OK now! Seems to be fixed so we can post comments and find them again no matter which page they ended up in.
Thanks JB and website fixer!!! :)
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4D
May 29, 2015 at 4:20 PM
Thanks for the update! I was on my phone all day so I couldn't check if things were any different.
redfox
May 29, 2015 at 8:44 AM
yeah, Song Joong Ki with his snake-like charisma (a handsome and ambiguous snake like Kaa, and we will become hypnotized like the monkeys. )
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Bex
May 29, 2015 at 12:57 PM
I would give mask a try for me the first episode was superior to the second but it's still pretty interesting everyone seems a mess which means it's going to be drama filled which I personally like because it keeps me interested even if it's all completely unrealistic.
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Because of Reasons
May 29, 2015 at 7:52 PM
It never occurred to me to think of the editing on The Lover as bad, because I've always assumed it was a deliberate choice, as part of the fun silliness of the show and to highlight how much of it is improv. Like that parking lot scene in episode 7 where all the actors started cracking up, but continued with the scene, just making stuff up as they went along. I love moments like that, and I'm convinced that leaving them in is totally intentional on the part of the production team.
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4D
May 30, 2015 at 11:38 AM
Well if it's deliberate it's not working for me at all. I think I first paid attention when the J-T couple passed out from the farts and they cut about two second after T started laughing (when he was passed out). If they wanted it to have an improv feel then I wish we'd see it more often or in other forms. Nothing about this besides these cuts make it feel like that. If it were, say, like an SNL cut where there's a complete feel of it being live and improv then I'd get it. But as there's nothing live about this, and it's not a one-take kind of show, then it feels amateur to me. The car scene didn't really bother me, that was like a whole scene and it almost felt like it could be the characters too because frankly they knew how ridiculous they were being.
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Jon G.
May 29, 2015 at 6:42 AM
Wow, that sounds like what I would have written. Maybe I did and then I got hit by a car and lost my memory. In that case I'm sorry for writing under your username, 4D.
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4D
May 29, 2015 at 7:40 AM
*double checks* Nope, seems to be me and I'm not aware of any Secret Garden body swapping moments.
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Wag-a-muffin
May 29, 2015 at 11:39 AM
Sensory Couple is a unique drama for me. It is the ONLY show I've ever watched even though it disappointed me--and I had a difficult time watching the last 4 episodes, that I wish would go on forever. I can't think of any other show that frustrated me so much--but that I'd like to see a season 2 and/or 3 of. I'd watched that cute married couple solve crimes forever.
It's strange, because I liked the villain's acting. But now that he's gone (and his plot-holey story with him) I'd be happy to watch the whole back-storied group do police work.
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3 thesandwitch04
May 29, 2015 at 6:13 AM
Hi Beanies! I can’t stay, apparently I’m ‘violating’ the terms of my ‘parole’ (I’ve been banned from watching Korean dramas and viewing any Korean blogs until the school year ends in November). Does anyone know the new song by Clazziquai called Favorite Nightmare, I saw the video on their Facebook page recently and the video looks like a movie or a series? Does anyone know what movie/series it is? I didn’t see anyone I know so it’s difficult to determine.
Also, does anyone know the song that is playing in the first episode of High Kick: Revenge of the Short-Legged (2011) when Kim Ji Won is on her scooter and she’s talking to Park Ha Sun? I’ve tried SHAZAMing it and SOUNDHOUNDing it but nothing comes up. Does anyone know? Please?
Much help appreciated. I’m now going back to a Korean-less environment…
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Julia the Berkshire Beanie
May 29, 2015 at 6:20 AM
Promise the shows will still be there when you finish school. Good luck with your studies.
KDramas can be so addicting. So hard for me to do in small doses. I always end up marathoning and then having red eyes and no sleep.
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thesandwitch04
May 29, 2015 at 10:14 AM
Oh Julia, the temptation is so great I just want to do nothing all day but watch Korean dramas. And November is so far away...Thanks for the support!
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Lizzy4e
May 29, 2015 at 11:09 AM
You can do it!!! Fighting!!
These dramas will all be recorded for your future marathoning pleasure. It is okay, we will not watch them all up and leave you nothing.
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himonogirl
May 29, 2015 at 6:44 AM
I have the reply for Horan's song (in in her own recent mini-album, not Clazziquai).
It's for the movie The Treacherous / 간신 / The King's Advisor, starring Joo Ji-hoon (I recognized his face) & Kim Kang-woo...
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thesandwitch04
May 29, 2015 at 10:12 AM
Thank you so much, himonogirl. Have you watched the movie? Is it any good? It looked plenty interesting...
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pattyc
May 29, 2015 at 10:42 AM
Well I watched the MV and recognized Kim Kang Woo, tha movie is called The Treacherous, Wow it really seems worth a look, beautifully put together MV.
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4 Julia the Berkshire Beanie
May 29, 2015 at 6:16 AM
Good morning Beanies. Enjoying the warm weather?
I'm watching Falling in Love with Soon Jung and Sensory Couple.
I have noticed my viewing experience is different with Korean vs. Chinese shows, because I know a bit of the Korean langauge. Honestly, knowing some of the Korean words takes away from me fully immersing myself in the show, as part of my brain is playing student, trying to catch words and decipher. I can relax with TDramas, but work hard listening with KDramas.
I resist mightily learning how to speak/hear Chinese, but I admit that since I have learned about 50 hanja (traditional chinese letters used in Korea). it has made me notice Chinese letters.
I went to the Zen Mountain Monestary in the Catskills, New York this week. See pictures on my blog.
This week's hanja is 火 fire 불 (bul).
I've decided my chinese calligraphy practice is just like the "Budda Board". Drawing characters in water on paper that magically disappears when it dries.
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4D
May 29, 2015 at 6:29 AM
I find I'm more 'relaxed" during at dramas too although I'm not entirely sure why. I just pay closer attention in kdramas. My at dramas though have all been fairly fluffy whereas some of my kdramas are a lot more intensive plot-wise (like Missing Noir M). Both are enjoyable!
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Manin
May 29, 2015 at 6:44 AM
I have it slightly the other way around. Obviously my chinese abilities are not that good, especially compared to your study of korean. But i do notice that i pay a bit more attention to chinese shows in a different way than i do watching korean or japanese shows
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Julia the Berkshire Beanie
May 29, 2015 at 7:30 AM
How has it been adjusting to being back from China? Manin, what did you like the most about your year as a teacher? When are you coming out with the toddler drama book with accompanying cartoons? You so should write that!
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Manin
May 29, 2015 at 5:14 PM
It's been different. Been so busy with studying that I feel more exhausted doing this than looking after the children for 10 hours a day. I miss them a lot.
Haha, that would be funny. Unfortunately I cannot draw for the life of me (although if the world depended on my drawing abilities we would be slightly better off than if it depended on my guitar-playing abilities or sense of direction)
I get random picture updates though, which makes me happy
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Julia the Berkshire Beanie
May 29, 2015 at 7:00 AM
I have also been thinking about Temple Stays in Korea.
I use to think it was just like a spartan room where you could be in the vicinity of monks, see the beauty of nature, share a vegetarian meal, and enjoy the quiet. I thought it was like a B&B.
Now I realize that these temple stays are just like going to a Buddhist retreat at Insight Meditation Society. You will follow a program of meditation, chanting, bowing, ceremonies, dharma instruction, tea ceremony, making beaded malas, and more.
While I have no immediate plans to go to Korea, as my little way of feeling connected to the Buddhist temples in Korea, I am learning how to chant the Heart Sutra. It is like Chinese pronounced with a Korean accent.
https://jreidy17.wordpress.com/flashcards/hanja/heart-sutra/
揭諦揭諦 波羅揭諦 波羅僧揭諦 菩提娑婆訶
아제아제 바라아제 바라승아제 모지사바하
a jeh a jeh ba ra a jeh ba ra sung a jeh mo ji sa ba ha
I am also trying to learn how to bow. 108 full bows (head to the floor) as a way to start the day seems like both a lovely idea.
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Rovi
May 29, 2015 at 9:12 AM
I didn't know that "아제아제 바라아제" is the chant for the Heart Sutra.
I'm commenting because there's a film title with the same name "Aje Aje Bara Aje / Come Come Come Upward" in 1989 starring Kang Su-yeon (who also starred in the 1987 film "Ssibadji / The Surrogate Woman" where not only was Korean cinema acknowledged, she won Best Actress in Venice).
It's worth mentioning because there is a scene where Kang Su-yeon became a full-fledged biguni and her hair was actually sheared off.
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5 korfan
May 29, 2015 at 6:26 AM
Hi Everyone!
I hope you are all doing well today.
Watched this week:
Angry Mom - Absolutely loving this. ..... I'm finally seeing why everyone was in a frenzy over Go Bok-dong.
Hwajeong - Checked out the first 2 episodes. Not bad at all. ..... It's quite the time commitment, so still unsure if I'll continue with it or if I'll save it for later.
Divorce Lawyer In Love - I'm finding that the second lead is actually pretty interesting to watch.
Marriage Not Dating - Getting through it little by little. Up to episode 12 and it continues to crack me up.
That's it for now. ..... Everyone take care and have a great Friday!
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Manin
May 29, 2015 at 6:44 AM
I enjoyed marriage not dsting a lot
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korfan
May 29, 2015 at 7:08 AM
Manin -
It's totally fun and hilarious.
It's a shame that I wait weeks between episodes. But you know how it is when you need to do real life stuff-----busy, busy, busy!
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6 Daehoney
May 29, 2015 at 6:26 AM
Smelly Girl: Finally got to watch the last episode. The writer should do romcom sans mystery/cops from now on.
Let's Eat S2: Imma pull Daeyoung out of the screen and tell him to find a better girl.
I can't hate Sooji though even if I want to because I'm pretty much like her. Substract the fat trauma and freelance writer and voila! I'm surprised I can relate to her that much.
Alert! Mask spoilers on the way
Mask: Wow I wasn't expecting this. It's crazy. The male lead is literally crazy, the female lead wishes she was crazy, the second lead pairing think they are crazy. The female lead's brother thinks of robbing a bank ALONE which is plain stupid or crazy I don't know. Female lead's mother hopes her husband dies, which is unfortunate because he (female lead's father) has a bad luck with suicide. What a complicated world they live in. It's also crazily cliche. Not entirely melo yet, but I'm feeling makjang fest is on the way starting from ep 2.
Well the writer is not known for a revolutionary premise anyway but the actors always bring the best out of his script. Secret's first 2 episodes were painful sight but then the actors made it awesome. I think that would be the case with Mask. I'm not sure what to expect from Joo Jihoon's disease yet (I first thought it was schizophrenia + OCD but he was drugged so yeah maybe he isn't crazy at all), but he definitely does a great job. He was insanely good in Good Friends, so I'm not suprised he can pull out a literally insane role. I like Soo Ae (and love her voice), hoping for more evil couple (they're sizzling hot), Hoya is improving after being bland in 1997. Oh, and I love the directing!
I'm feeling Choi Ho Chul (the writer) will beat another big name this year (Hongsis) in terms of rating after doing it to Kim Eun Sook 2 years ago, and it's only his second project. I'm in for underdog, good actors, and treat-for-the-eyes directing!
Have a good week beanies!
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Anna
May 29, 2015 at 6:39 AM
Warm and Cozy makes me giddy with all the feel good moments. I love the characters. The biatch is fine because i really need someone i can hate on in this adorable show :D
I still like The Producers even with the changes the show has implemented.
I find The Ex-Girlfriends Club even more hilarious in the last two episodes.
Thank you Dramabeans for all the recaps and dramaland updates! Have a great weekend everyone!
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PistachioSkies
May 29, 2015 at 8:52 AM
I have to say I really wanted to like Ex-Girlfriends Club, but don't you find it a bit tiring? Like I find the drama between the exes to be exhaustive, and not all that funny. But idk.
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Anna
May 29, 2015 at 8:12 PM
Most of the time, the situations are just so beyond me, you know, that i don't want to analyze the characters or try to find stuff that i could relate to. I just find the exgfs crazy that i LOL! It's different, that's all i can say. I just love how diverse dramas are nowadays, with the producers and warm and cozy going on. There's orange marmalade, too. Just, wow! I'm not much of a melo fan, but i will try Mask. How 'bout u? what dramas keep u entertained?
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peaches
May 30, 2015 at 2:34 AM
yes! i completely agree...it's a bit disappointing in how repetitive it is. i'm only watching for the two leads and their chemistry. every few episodes, there's tiny moments of beautiful cinematography, very dreamlike movie sequences (ex. her rolling down the window, their past memories), and i'm staying for those good bits.
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Anna
May 29, 2015 at 6:42 AM
oops sorry Daehoney, my post got attached to yours. Anyway, Mask sounds interesting based on your comments :) will check it out next! :)
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Daehoney
May 29, 2015 at 6:53 AM
If you don't mind makjang/cliche then it will be your cup of tea. For me it's very cliche but entertaining. Like, they open a drama with a literal cliffhanger. Right then I thought I'm ready for craziness.
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AJK
May 29, 2015 at 7:43 AM
I climbed on board the crazy train in the first 5 minutes. I loved Secret with all its flaws, and the 2nd leads in Mask bid fair to become even more twisted than those in Secret.
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windsun33
May 29, 2015 at 10:13 AM
I knew in the first 5 minutes that I was hooked. Some of my favorite veteran actors plus the same vibes as Secret.
It appears that everyone in that family is crazy evil, so should be interesting.
Adal
May 29, 2015 at 11:50 AM
Just finished watching Mask. And it was EPIC! Finally, a smart heroine I can root for. Hope someone recaps this crazy drama. First two episodes definitely kept me at the edge of my seat!
Anna
May 29, 2015 at 8:14 PM
weekend's here, so bring on the crazy :)
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korfan
May 29, 2015 at 6:55 AM
Daehoney -
Oh wow, I was wondering about Mask and what the comments would be.
Sounds like there's a lot going on already!
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Daehoney
May 29, 2015 at 6:58 AM
I was surprised at the pace and the time jump will make it looks like plot holes but yeah, it's crazy. Whether in a good or bad way, you have to watch it yourself.
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windsun33
May 29, 2015 at 10:15 AM
Not just a "lot" - more like sensory overload. Definitely not some slow paced show.
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Erin
May 29, 2015 at 9:33 AM
Mask is so thrilling, funny and suspenseful all rolled into one! The first two episodes are definitely made to be watched continuously to understand all the craziness and I love it! This drama had a very great start and I'm sure can't wait to watch the next episodes.
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windsun33
May 29, 2015 at 10:16 AM
I agree - things happened so fast that I had to go back and watch parts of ep1 to fully get what was going on. Best way is to watch them back to back.
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Rovi
May 29, 2015 at 9:45 AM
TBH I'm more scared of Hoya within distance of Soo Ae than his acting. I hope he stays away from her.
Though I'm not hoping for a repeat of her diva-esque attitude last year (disrespecting seniors and director-friends alike), I hope more people gain awareness that she is truly a "Mask".
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windsun33
May 29, 2015 at 10:10 AM
Mask - I don't think that Jihoon is crazy, I think he is drugged, and that the doctor is in on it.
The show is unusual in that it escalated SO fast. Went from a simple Evil Debt Collectors to full fledged murders and various other plots involving at least 92 different crimes in just two episodes. I loved Soo Ae in Queen of Ambition, and hope she does as well in this one.
As per usual, the first two episodes are usually setup, so now the real story begins. Some shows, like Wurm and Crazy are entirely predictable from the first episode - but I can see this going in any of a hundred different ways.
I still recall that Secret started off with about a 4.5 rating, and by the end it was the most popular drama on TV, the only one in 2013 (I think) that beat Heirs for ratings. I suspect this may be the same as people catch on. On just the 2nd episode it has already risen to beat most other current dramas.
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bbstl 🧹
May 29, 2015 at 10:59 AM
Okay, between my love of Joo Ji Hoon and the comments here, I will stick with Mask for a while. But I must admit, at the end of ep. 1, I thought WHAT the bleeping-bleep did I just watch???
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windsun33
May 29, 2015 at 4:23 PM
After you watch ep2, the scenes in ep1 will make more sense.
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Kim02
May 29, 2015 at 4:40 PM
Episode 1 and 2 are meant to be watched back to back
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bbstl 🧹
May 29, 2015 at 7:21 PM
Huh. So I've seen 2 and I guess am not getting it. It's - funny? Is it serious with all those cliches? It keeps making me laugh.
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kalel
May 30, 2015 at 1:58 AM
Whoever has watched this writer's first work had the exact same reaction after the first week. I personally got lucky and watched the 4eps in a movie-like marathon. I felt the same way as you do after the first 2eps ( I was even disappointed at the fact that 3 of my favorites had signed for this obvious train wreck of a drama). By the end of the second week and since Heirs, SBS's big gun, was about to "blow" us up I felt I'd have been in the teeny-tiny minority of viewers. KBS probably had the same thoughts since they scheduled Secret in the same time slot. Well, the rest is history...
Bottom line: let's give dramas a break without too much insection - especially, rom-coms have suffered enough lately on our "surgical" tables and under our "knives". Who knows? They might actually surprise us pleasantly!
7 gadis
May 29, 2015 at 6:27 AM
Anyeooong.. Happy OT everyone..
VARIETY SHOW
-CRIME SCENE S2: That was creative and satisfying, seriously. So that was actually a consecutive murder case? (If only Manager Xi didn't interfere with his gun in the first case) When Jang Dongmin told them about the 'hidden family identity' theory, I was pretty skeptical. That sounded too far-fetched. But then again, they already had a stolen identity case before. Anyway, I'm excited for next week episode. Jun hyunmoo the deduction idiot is back, hahaha. I always love him and his expert-at-destroying-props-antics from season 1. Hope he will give us a good laugh and excellent performance.
-KING OF MASK SINGER: Ailee jjang jjang jjang!! I love your amazing voice, unni. And cleopatra become the mask king of this week. His voice is mindblowing, but I do curious about his identity. Oh, such a dilemma..
DRAMA
-EX GIRLFRIEND CLUB: This is a drama that I don't even care where the plot will bring us. I just love watching those four ex-GFs tried to get along and plot things for the sake of the movie about their own past life. It sounded so crazy and insane. Why would ex-GFs hang out together and enter each other life? But when the drama unfolded their story, it just simply hilarious, embarrassing, and fun.
-MISSING NOIR M: Actually this week episode felt like a letdown for me. This show pose a lot of questions about our lead but give almost no answer until the ninth eps. We do know now that he shot 6 suspects back then, but after being staged for the last shot, it's a wonder why he still shot the man in this eps. Didn't he already bore so much regret for a lifetime? There must be something so strong that drive him to deliver justice himself. And there is also that 3-1 mystery about korean people who got killed and a supposedly missing person, and how the criminal at the first eps knew about all that secret. I hope they will give us a neat closure because as much as I like watching some more eps from this show, I don't want to be tortured with the there-is-might-be-a-next-season-for-this-drama stunt that OCN so love to pull.
-HEARTLESS CITY: Finally I finished this awesome drama. A big thanks to every beanie who had recommended this . It's dark, gritty, badass, sexy, and sometimes so heart-wrenching. Well, the last few episodes was a bit messy with too much revelations and some unnecessary deaths, but it's not enough to cease my love for this show. And Doctor's Son!! Jung Kyung Ho nailed it perfectly. (And it would be a big lie if I said I didn't watch this show for him.) That was definitely one awesome and unforgettable character ever.
Now for the good news this week: THE GENIUS S4 will be broadcast at the end of June. Anyone else feel excited?? Because I definitely am!! Any
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Khule WY
May 29, 2015 at 7:04 AM
So glad you enjoyed Heartless city, it's Awesome. Always feels great having someone else enjoying and raving about what you love.
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gadis
May 29, 2015 at 7:18 AM
That was an awesome experience. Before, I only know jung kyungho from reading 'falling for innocence' recaps. And that drama was kind of a mess. Never knew he was so awesome as a badass, charismatic character.
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Khule WY
May 29, 2015 at 10:02 AM
I didn't know jung kyung ho before but I loved him in Falling for innocence after the first week of the show found out about Heartless city, which I couldn't stop spazzing about,so I also checked out endless love and I recently Ja myung go. So basically I'm going through everything he's been in.
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Eueu
May 31, 2015 at 6:15 AM
Here's another person who checked out Heartless City after FFI and marathoned it in less than 3 days. Was really impressed by Jung Kyung Ho's superb acting there. I only see paksa's son and not a trace of Kang Minho from FFI. Actually, it's not even my favorite genre to watch, such dark, intense, crime and violence kinda drama but it's so good that I was totally blown away. Boy, now I'll be eagerly waiting for his next work.
kuromitsu
May 29, 2015 at 9:14 AM
Same here with Ex-Girlfriend Club. If the show was just all about the hijinks of the four ladies I would be happy enough. I like it it's ditzy Ra Ra who keeps getting them into all these awkward situations.
A good Soojin-Myeongsoo romance is just bonus.
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graey
May 29, 2015 at 9:29 PM
Oh Jun Hyunmoo. I miss his antics. I can't wait for the next episode. Hehe. If I'm not wrong he'll be back after BoA's guesting.
Am I the only one who prefers the first season of CS. I love season 2 but 1 was just so intense that I had to turn around every now and then to check if somebody's behind me with a weapon. Lol.
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8 Manin
May 29, 2015 at 6:33 AM
Happy friday people!
How are you all? This has been another busy Week, with a chapter deadline, supervision meeting and i am helping out on a conference. No rest time at all. 3weeks to the next deadline...
Dramaland:
Orange marmalade: liked the analogy for the name. Enjoying it so far.
The lover: i think subbing is getting slower and slower, yet to see the latest episodes.
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korfan
May 29, 2015 at 7:01 AM
Manin -
Hi! Hope you're doing well!
I'll be honest, I still don't get the Orange Marmalade name. Or maybe it was discussed and I missed it. Heh. How is it?
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ywcnois
May 29, 2015 at 8:11 AM
Ma Ri explained the name after their performance in episode 3.
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korfan
May 29, 2015 at 8:37 AM
ywcnois -
Oh ok. Since this was explained in the drama and I'm not currently watching it, this would be the reason I have no idea what's going on.
Thank you for sharing this bit of info though. :)
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redfox
May 29, 2015 at 8:47 AM
well, I hope you will not be so absorbed in writing you sit through a bomb threat like I did - someone wanted to blow up our apartment building and I was writing my thesis, not hearing a policeman knocking on the door to get me evacuated. everything ended well and the guy was taken to a mental hospital. My mom thought they should have taken me too when she heard the story.
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9 Sajen
May 29, 2015 at 6:57 AM
School 2015- Possible Spoilers.
Insert celebration here. That was Eun-byul at the end of episode 10 wasn't it? It kind of has to be because even if they're being misleading again like they were at the end of episode 9, where it definitely looked like Yi-an had solidified into the male lead role, but in actual practice it wasn't so set in stone, Eun-bi even if she did run away and go to the grave has no reason to be in disguise. I'm not sure that sentence makes sense but I'm too lazy to go back and fix/erase it so it's staying. So where has Eun-byul been? Where is she going? Will she come back and take Yi-an off Eun-bi's hands so Eun-bi can be with Tae-gwang?
I feel like this drama is giving me everything I've ever wanted from dramaland and I'm not sure if I should be happy or scared.
Warm and Cozy- I saw in episode 5's comments that people are seeing the connection to The Great Gatsby now and so I have a question. Having never read The Great Gatsby myself nor seen an adaption, is there somewhere other than Wikipedia I can go for a quick, accurate, thorough synopsis of the plot so I can see the connections myself?
Producers- I love it but at the same time can see how others would hate it.
Orange Marmalade- This is such an adorable show, it reminds me of my cat. No I don't care to explain that comment use your imagination.
Masked Prosecutor- I liked episode 2 better than the first, haven't gotten around to watching 3 and 4 yet.
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 7:16 AM
Thug notes has a good synop analysis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VEQRPm_HyA
As does vlogbrothers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VhYMdnAsyM
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dkaoru
May 29, 2015 at 8:40 AM
is it really Eun Byul at the end? I have freeze frame that last scene with her reflection on the glass and I'm not 100% sure. I really hope it's her. Although there had better be really good explanation why she pretended for eun bi to die. And How did that happen? who was the dead body that was found? and why the hospital/police think the dead body was Eun bi?
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Sajen
May 29, 2015 at 11:44 AM
I think it kind of has to be, because even if Eun-bi runs away there's no reason for her to disguise herself or be in hiding. Plus maybe it's because of my hope it looks to like from the reaction that that's her first time seeing the memorial. The reflection is clearly Kim So-hyun so it's either Eun-bi, Eun-byul, or I guess since no one knew they were twins she could technically be a previously unknown third sister.
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Delurker
May 29, 2015 at 12:15 PM
Warm and Cozy: I didn't know what the Gatsby thing was about, but now the show is off to a proper start, it has struck me :): both Gatsby and Gun Woo are filthy-rich playboys eternally yearning after, and showing off for the benefit of, a superficial and materialistic first love with whom they don't really stand a chance. But that thug review is funny; I might be using it sometime :)
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Anna
May 29, 2015 at 8:16 PM
that's a perfect comparison :)
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10 sunnyxshin
May 29, 2015 at 6:57 AM
Hi guys~ I think I'm gonna watch Producer for sure, but should I watch School2015 or Orange Marmalade? I can't watch 3 dramas at the same time (not that I don't want to)..help.
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gadis
May 29, 2015 at 7:37 AM
Personally I prefer school 2015 over OM. (I don't watch any of those two yet but actively reading the recaps here). OM is set the pace too fast I think, so that everything suddenly happened before we felt invested enough. They didn't show the struggle Mari had to go through with the band forming, being friend with other members, playing music together. It almost felt unreal when they play music in small concert at eps 3.
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4D
May 29, 2015 at 7:39 AM
I'd go with School 2015 since it's closer to being done - Orange Marmalade is only once a week so it's easy to catch up on later and you won't be aggravated by long waits between episodes.
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11 Khule WY
May 29, 2015 at 6:59 AM
I'm just here to mourn the end of falling for innocence, feeling lost, minho yaaaaaaaaaaa?.
On the plus side I found the first half of FFI already in my local Dvd store,Yay!
A whole wall of kdramas that is but heavenly looking .you can see that here to bring a smile to your face https://instagram.com/p/3L8opnzXME/
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linhkn
May 29, 2015 at 11:50 AM
And they're all recent too! I see Smelly Girl and Hogu's Love! Where is this local DVD store? I need to raid it!!
Also mourning Falling for Innocence with you. LOVE LOVE LOVE our OTP to pieces!
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12 kanz
May 29, 2015 at 7:04 AM
Hello Beanies!!
I'm on massive hangover from many kdramas, if it's makes sense.. So basically I have Let's Eat 2 and Grapevine on Monday-Tuesday and try to catch up with School 2015 and Hwajung. I have Warm and Cozy and plan to watch Mask and Masked Prosecutor for Wed-Thu..
For Fri-Sat, I have Producer.. Phew, chock full of dramas and I don't even watch all airing dramas out there..
Hwajung - catch up and still few eps behind. Reading comments and apparently LYH-SKJ are still lacking as a main OTP. In earlier eps, I even skipped all scenes with Princess because she's too aggravating and her acting distracted me. So, for now I just watch Cha Seung Won and will pick up the drama later when my Oppa, Kim Jae Won appears.. Not sure if I could finish this long sageuk, though.
Grapevine - Man, Han Jung Hoo definitely is one sly fox! I still enjoy this, but apparently the show is no more funnny.. :(
Let's Eat 2 - Haven't watched this week's ep, so no comment on this week's eps. I find myself much more interested only in foods rather than the whole love triangle. GDY should just let BSJ with Sang Woo and he should come to Lee Soo Kyung again! Haha
W&C - if GW continues to be a jerk, blind and stupid just for SWMNBN, I'll just ship JJ with Mayor Wook!! Really, i thought at first, GW is cute and childish, but he's blind and stupid too. As some people put it, he's a masochist. Sure, I'm still giving him a chance to redeem himself and be great boyfriend for JJ later, but plese, make him redeemable faster, Show!!
Producers - Can't wait for this week's episode!! Miss uri Baek Seung Chan and Tak Ye Jin!!
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windsun33
May 29, 2015 at 10:19 AM
Between Mask and Masked Prosecutor, I like Mask much better. Kind of just gave up on MP, at least for now.
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13 mindy
May 29, 2015 at 7:12 AM
Hey, everyone! This is my first time posting in the open thread but I thought I'd give it a try!
I've been looking for and applying for summer jobs but absolutely no luck! Why doesn't anyone want to hire me? In the meantime I'm going to set up a little pet-sitting business, hopefully I can make some decent money off of that. I'm going to be pet-sitting and house-sitting for my brother and his girlfriend in July out in the boonies, so with nothing to do besides play with and take care of his dog, I'm going to be watching LOTS of dramas (and reading LOTS of books). We'll see how long it takes before I go crazy.
Now, on to dramas I've been watching! Both currently airing and old ones.
Does html work here? Let's find out.
The Girl Who Sees Smells: Such a cute show that I really liked in the beginning... but I just can't get over all the plot holes! Was the webtoon this bad or is it completely the fault of the writer? And don't even get me started on that finale. How disappointing. Turning Cho Rim into a damsel in distress, the anticlimactic ending with Jae Hee and all the untapped potential of his character, and that worthless case at the end! What was up with that?! Well, at least I liked the characters and Cho Rim and Moo Gak were adorable.
The Producers: I've only seen episodes 1-2 but I really like it so far! People seem to be so polarized concerning this drama but I really don't see why people think it's so terrible. If it's not your thing that's fine and understandable, but the way I've seen people trash talk it you would think it's the worst thing to ever grace their screens. I love the spot-on humor, the mockumentary style, all of the meta and the references and cameos, and the characters. People seem to be bothered by KSH's character but I like him even though everything that happens to him is so real and cringe-worthy. I laughed so much when he hung his trash bags on CTH's car and ran away.
Witch's Romance: 14 episodes in. This drama is cute but I'm not liking it as much as I hoped! I think Dong Ha is too perfect (really, he has to be a former medical student, too?!) and sometimes Ji Yeon makes me want to shake her, especially in the beginning. I'm liking it more as it approaches the end, though!
Coffee Prince: Yes, I'm finally watching this drama! However, I feel like I set my expectations too high due to the hype. I'm 13 episodes in and I do enjoy it but I was expecting it to be amazing and addictive but I'm not amazed or addicted. Maybe I'm just not in the mood for a rom-com with a bare-bones plot... it seems to be dragging. I do love the characters a lot, though.
Once I finish WR and CP I'm going to start Can You Hear My Heart. I hear it has makjang elements but is also heartwarming. I've yet to watch a straight-up makjang so I think something like this will be a good introduction for me. However, my mother watches General Hospital and I can't help but...
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mindy
May 29, 2015 at 7:15 AM
...roll my eyes every scene due to the ridiculousness, so I don't think I'd like full-on makjang. Soapy madness usually isn't my thing.
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korfan
May 29, 2015 at 7:23 AM
Mindy -
Welcome to OT! Glad you could join us!
Can You Hear My Heart is a good one. Happy viewing!
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 7:23 AM
Welcome to OT!
I have yet to be addicted to Coffee Prince also.
As for straight up makang, the current makjang is Mask. Which is hard for me to watch. But An innocent Man was good as was Secret (Secret Love) with Ji Sung.
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harmonyfb
May 29, 2015 at 7:58 AM
Maybe I’m just not in the mood for a rom-com with a bare-bones plot
It gets a lot deeper if you look at it as the story of a deeply-closeted gay man (Gong Yoo's character) finding a way to live with his repressed longing.
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mindy
May 29, 2015 at 9:40 AM
Oh yes, that's actually probably my favorite facet of the entire drama. I think it's wonderful how the writer handled it all--it's definitely not something I've seen in any other K-Drama. The genderbending in this one was much more interesting than, say, Hana Kimi or You're Beautiful. When Han Kyul finally confessed to Eun Chan I was close to crying. I never thought I'd see a scene like that in a K-Drama, especially one from 2007. I sincerely applaud the writer for making it clear that being gay is nothing to be ashamed of. Han Kyul telling Eun Chan that he loved her when he that she was a man and that he didn't care how society viewed him... it was great.
Nevertheless, the story still drags for me and I can't get into it as much as I'd like. Maybe by the end I'll be hooked.
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14 CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 7:13 AM
Hello all!
What will I do when Grapevine is over? Is it wrong and spiteful for me to hope that CEO Han and his wife will end up poor and disgraced bereft of their frenemies and with only poor in-laws to take care of them after they leave prison? Ya know..just asking.
Tried MASK.. No, no, no!!! The makjang tropes are all predictable! And way too much going on.
Tried Masked Prosecutors. I'm not really feeling it although I did get a gimpse of its good heart when the bromance/brenemy thing popped up. I like the actor who plays Dae Cheol's half-brother and I like the actor who plays Dae Cheol so I might give it a chance til the 5th episode.
Loving Producers. Love all the cameos and wondering what the pairings will be. Cause anything's possible at this point.
Ex-Girlfriends: Sometimes I really love it, sometimes it' reallly meh. Kinda uneven for me.
Unfortunate Boyfriend: Oh my gosh, so sweet! And the fate/destiny thing actually works here.
Watching Save the Family on KBS youtube channel..cause i need a daily. Kinda sad i didn't get started with Cheer up Mr Kim.
Waiting for Seo In Guk and Lee Jun Ki next month.
Happy weekend, all.
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Julia the Berkshire Beanie
May 29, 2015 at 7:16 AM
Carole - you have been on my mind. Want to do Korean BBQ at Namu? I ate at Namu in Albany, NY recently. I would go again (or to one of the other Korean restaurants you have in the area). Interested?
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 7:30 AM
ooh, that would be soooooooo fun!!!! When are you coming? You can email me and I can send you my tel # for the big day.
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Jon G.
May 29, 2015 at 7:31 AM
Yes, it's wrong. Well, you asked. Just imagine how insufferable Han and Choi would be, you cannot want to torture In-sang with the burden to take care of them.
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 9:03 AM
It'd be hard, def. Because the king and queen would have to realize that the problem lies not with the crown princess but within themselves and so far, there has been no self-searching and there has only been blaming of others. I'm hoping for the realization to hit them in a bout of extreme morbid introspection...if they're capable of that.
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Jon G.
May 29, 2015 at 10:18 AM
In-sang needed 3 episodes to jump into the river and come to Bom. And he had a lot of help: Teach trying to talk reason with him, Hyun-soo leading by example, Je-hoon finally setting him straight.
What are the odds that his parents to "change" within the remaining 2 episodes?
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 12:59 PM
true that!
Lixie
May 29, 2015 at 8:09 AM
>Loving Producers. Love all the cameos and wondering what the pairings will be. Cause anything’s possible at this point.
I think the OTPs are pretty much set since the first ep there. I would like to get more of TK and SeungChan and their strange relationship and almost nothing of Joon Mo because he is too boring but the 2 couples are there to stay.
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 9:01 AM
You're probably right...but still, I hold on to the tiniest of hopes that we might have a noona romance, and that Cindy might end up with older oppa. I do think Cindy will be good for our hero though. He needs her savvy and she needs his gullibility.
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alua
May 29, 2015 at 8:15 AM
<Unfortunate Boyfriend: Oh my gosh, so sweet! And the fate/destiny thing actually works here.
I'm struggling to see what you're finding sweet here. All I can see is Ji-na two-timing and lying and otherwise being a passive puppet that goes along with everything that either the director or her supposed best friend or whoever else says.
Tae-woon is sweet, but he deserves someone who actually loves and respects him and that's not Ji-na.
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 8:59 AM
Yes,Jin Ah was something of a confused wuss. I kept wanting her to just decide already. I think it's the sweetness of Mr Unfortunate's personality. It works for me in the way Hogu's personality worked. There is love and respect there on Ji-na's part. The drama doesn't quite show it because there is so little interaction between the OTP but that's just a small failing. I think she will redeem herself later.
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alua
May 29, 2015 at 9:27 AM
I'm not seeing the love and respect on Ji-na's part. I'd be devastated if the person I thought was my boy/girlfriend was kissing someone else behind my back and going on dates with the other person, indeed standing me up to go with the other person. It's portrayed that it's all just sort of happening to her (not things she actively does, but that others do to her), but she's an adult with agency. Being confused is no excuse – she can put both or one relationship on hold if she needs to figure out her feelings. She wasn't even honest when Tae-woon ran into them on their date, that's the least he deserved.
Never mind that I think she's pretty stupid. You don't date your boss (at her first real job! where she's still on probation!). And a guy moving your home without asking you first is huge red flags and creepy as hell. She objected briefly but a few words from her equally stupid friend and she's over it.
The lack of interaction is another problem. They are the OTP yet have barely interacted in the last two episodes.
No redeeming for me. Tae-woon deserves someone who loves him 100% and isn't swayed by the rich & handsome guy that walks by.
Sorry to be ranting, but really disappointing in what the writers have done with Ji-na!
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 9:53 AM
See, I'm giving this drama a lot of slack. I had expected a scene where Mr Unfortunate is totally crushed by the "apparent" two-timing which isn't really apparent at all. I had expected him to be challenged in his gullibility toward her. But he is savvy and I think he'll be surprisingly strong if her shenanigans come out.
I could believe that she is two-timing. But I think the writer is the one who messed up here, not the character. The writer's error -- and inability to show something in a character-- shouldn't be blamed on the character.
I think the writer intended to show that Ji-Na is a desperate kind of Candy whose mom and friends and past poverty-filled life makes her to be tempted by wealth. The writer didn't really fully do this. But the writer did enough for us to see some of that. So we see weakness rather than wickedness. And although we didn't understand how tempting all that wealth was, the temptation was overcome by true love and her kind heart.
Re: not telling Tae Woom the truth. The lack of honesty comes from fear. And again, yes, she really should've been honest with Tae Woon. But the writers have kept them apart at the wrong times and not shown how deep her love and respect is for Tae Woon. I really don't know if she fears losing Tae Woon's love or if she thinks he will simply crumble to the ground. Another writer would have shown us heroine's bad experience with "truth-telling" but we have none of that. So all we have to go on is the little girl's warning that Oppa is too pure. Again, the writer's fault. Not the character's.
We see that there is a hard-fisted strong-holding quality about the second lead. He is grasping. Perhaps because he was poor. He likes regular food after all. But again, this is something we see. And although second lead heroine sees it, and chairman sees it.. we don't have any proof that heroine truly sees it. Red flag was easily forgiven after his "explanation". There is also his ability to give up and not give up. I thought...wow his commitment can turn on a dime. Three times in the last episode, he just "decided" to not continue down a particular path. I would've liked to know more of his history.
So here, I'll say that I'm going with what I can see of the writer's intent...not what the writer actually achieved on the screen. I started this drama feeling there was a lot of wrong choices made by the writer and the director. But I committed to it anyway. So I've been filling in the blanks.
windsun33
May 29, 2015 at 10:27 AM
The one drama that I will sorely miss is Grapevine. At this point I have no clue where it will go, but no matter what I cannot see any good things in store for CEO Han or the company. One of the few dramas where things really are unpredictable.
Mask - I love Mask! Tired of the mindless fluff and ready for some all-out makjang full of totally evil characters that everyone hates. Besides that, has some of my favorite actors/actresses in it.
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 11:17 AM
I want a good makjang as well. But this one was annoying me during that mall scene. I might give in and watch but... am hoping masked prosecutor will be more makjangy as the story continues. I've forgiven writer for making Dad "confess."
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Lindy
May 29, 2015 at 11:43 AM
I will check out Mask on your recommendation. I've dropped Warm & Cosy (cosy spelled the Canadian way - cozy just looks weird to me) and the Producers (although I may pick that one up again later).
I guess there is only two episodes to go with Grapevine although I thought it was supposed to be 32 instead of 30. I will miss it as well. Things really are unpredictable but I will make a few predictions. Full discloser: my predictions are seldom right! Song Jae-won will show up at the airport only to discover his ability to leave the country has been revoked. He will show up at attorneys Yoo and Yoon's new office now very anxious to change sides.
I loved the scene at Hansong with the in-coming Prime Minister so much that I watched it three times. He basically says that they seem to be scrapping the bottom of the barrel when they picked him as he was just a lowly prosecutor from the sticks. None of the higher-ups want the job. CEO Han mentions his baggage - the land he received in another name and his transferring of assets to his children (something the Hans and others have done themselves). The Prime Minister designate merely laughs, compliments them on doing their homework and says it's being taken care of as they speak. Then they say the he's very known for his integrity and honesty and will pass the confirmation hearings easily but, interestingly, Han has not yet received the confirmation checklist.
When the real business is mentioned, the shutting down of all investigations into Supernova, Mr Prime Minister designate laughs again and indicates he's fully aware of the role he's expected to play. I think Hansong and the power brokers really have no idea what they are going to get here. Despite his off-the-rack suit and his "I'm just a poor country bumpkin" ways, this guy is no fool. I think that the investigation into Supernova and all the fallout resulting from that, rather than being shut down, is going to go full steam ahead. Then people, starting with Secretary Yang and her brother, are going to be tripping over themselves to turn state's evidence or whatever it's called in S Korea. CEO Han's strategy has been to "cut off the tail". Well Hansong has become the tail and it's about to be cut. Will the change be for the better? Maybe but more likely it will just be different because, to quote the old political saying, It doesn't matter who wins the election, the government always gets in.
In the end In-sung and his sister will never be poor but they won't be nearly as rich. And I think that's the best outcome for all of them. I can't wait for next Monday and Tuesday. This has been a great show about how political change really happens and it ain't pretty.
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Jon G.
May 29, 2015 at 3:36 PM
Calling the spelling of "cosy" Canadian seems a bit strange to me for some reason. There are only two ways to spell that word: Correctly or American.
That would be a very solid K-drama way to do it. I'm just missing the piece where someone with authority has an interest in stopping Song from leaving the country.
You think Han pulled a Cersei Lannister/High Sparrow blunder here. I have to confess this idea crossed my mind too.
That's the risk in playing your strongest card, and the reason why Han has been anything but enthusiastic when he learned that he had to assign a new PM. He's no fool (well, he is but ...), but he doesn't have much of a choice and he thinks he has enough ammunition to keep the new PM in check.
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windsun33
May 29, 2015 at 4:27 PM
I think the new PM will be what brings this house of cards down. Not once did I hear him actually agree to anything, just that he understood it.
Lindy
May 29, 2015 at 11:40 PM
Well I am Canadian and we follow British spelling rules as well as having kept the monarchy and the parliamentary system. Also we say "zed" instead of "zee" or risk being yelled at by our mothers, as I was by mine.
I assume the Cersei Lannister/High Sparrow reference is from Game of Thrones which I don't watch (although my husband does) so I guess so.
I wonder about that very narrowed eyed calculating look Secretary Yang gives after the final conversation with Min Joo-Young. She's either contemplating calling the local outlet of Goons 'R Us for a rent-a-mob of baseball bat, sashimi knife and metal bar wielding thugs or she's weighing her options re: her loyalty to the late Grandfather Han, whose bidding she has been doing all along, or cutting a deal to protect herself and her brother.
Wag-a-muffin
May 29, 2015 at 11:44 AM
Grapevine: I had read somewhere that there were only going to be 28 episodes. And as I watched it, I was afraid that 28 was the final. (I mean, think about it--it could be. Kind of open ended, but some other dramas have ended with less ends tied up.)
It made me think, it is going to end at some time.
(And I'm not real happy about that.)
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Wag-a-muffin
May 29, 2015 at 11:46 AM
It hasn't ended, has it?????
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 1:02 PM
I had thought 34 wa the last...but now folks are saying 30.
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Jon G.
May 29, 2015 at 3:37 PM
Chaebol's daughter or whatever is starting on 8th, which means next Monday/Tuesday will be Grapevine's final episodes.
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Wag-a-muffin
May 29, 2015 at 4:19 PM
Rats. I will miss these people. (Even the ones I don't like much.)
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15 Julia the Berkshire Beanie
May 29, 2015 at 7:13 AM
What Korean dramas show Korea temples? A lot, I'm sure. I am in the mood to rewatch some dramas to admire the temples.
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Julia the Berkshire Beanie
May 29, 2015 at 7:47 AM
btw, I finished reading "Meeting Mr. Kim". That was the inspiration for me looking into Buddhist temples, as it is a story of a woman who went to South Korea with her musician boyfriend and backpacked around to sightsee. She visited many temples.
Highly recommend reading the book, to travel vicariously.
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16 Jon G.
May 29, 2015 at 7:18 AM
It's probably just my midlife crisis speaking. There is no way all K-drama shows I watch start to suck at the same time, is there?
School 2015 There is a lot of potential in that show. Maybe too much for one single show to handle, resulting in a somewhat aimless shifts of focus. Which is really sad, as that compromises many of the intriguing themes and characters the show COULD have developed.
Orange Marmalade Dropped it during the 3rd episode. Not a huge surprise, but I really thought I could go a little bit further after the pilot; but with the cohesive and efficient story-telling gone ...
Producer At this rate, the show will find its tone around the 14th episode I guess. It would be easy brainless entertainment if I had any stakes in variety, I guess, but it's difficult to keep up with all the references to things I never heard of.
Smelly Girl Sigh. At least it's over. Considering the ratings got better once the show was complete trash, I guess really bad plot writing is the future.
Lukewarm and Pathetic If I had any integrity and dignity, I would have stopped watching this by now. Now I know that when watching a Hong Sisters' rom-com, don't expect any intriguing "rom" there, it's all about the "com". For some reason, there is very little in this show.
All of K-dramaland is entirely occupied by suck. Well not entirely! One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders.
Grapevine
We are into the final. Many characters have come a long way, some of them had iconic turn-around scenes, others were beautifully developed in the background.
The most surprising part for me was how unsurprising and predictable the last two episodes were. The inevitable happens, and it happens with a bang, in the most satisfying way possible.
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 7:28 AM
I've turned a friend onto kdrama and she is totally loving Producers...but then again she has me stopping the feed every second to explain some in joke. So Jon, Man up and don't let age make you a curmudgeon. ;-) You're never too old.
Yes re: Grapevine. Sometimes there is good predictability.. especially if we fully understand the characters.
Warm and Cozy... ugh.. no. Way too predictable and somehow kinda flat.
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Julia the Berkshire Beanie
May 29, 2015 at 7:36 AM
One of the things I loved about KDramas when I first encountered them was so many things were puzzling. Your friend is lucky to have you to answer her newbie Korean drama questions, Carole.
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 9:25 AM
Thank you! She's very patient. And now she is hooked!
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Jon G.
May 29, 2015 at 7:59 AM
Predictable characters.
Yep.
For example, I've been following Hyun-soo closely after the vivid discussion about her character (in comparision to her mon's) here on the board many weeks ago.
She's been sidelined most of the times, but there were enough little scenes with her to see her turn into a hopeless Bom/In-sang shipper. When she agreed to meet Yeon-hee this week, I trusted Hyun-soo to 100% to do the "right" thing.
Boy, this young woman is unfilial and rude and mannerless. In an incredibly endearing way. Even her exit from The House was perfect, hitting In-sang with her bag: "I did my freaking job here, now it's your turn."
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Jon G.
May 29, 2015 at 3:22 PM
I will continue to watch the show. It's still an interesting experiment.
Too bad I don't have anyone explaining things to me, and my grudge against the whole variety thing does not help either.
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4D
May 29, 2015 at 7:33 AM
Was that an Asterix reference?!?
Also I clearly should have started Grapevune by now so I have something decent to watch. I agree this last week has been aggravating in kdrama land.
Although I still like Hwajung but haven't finished the last two episodes.
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Jon G.
May 29, 2015 at 7:46 AM
Sorry, I'm a bit tired, my reference pool tends to decrease in size and originality under these circumstances. Yes, it was Asterix.
Hwajung, I wanted to start it, but 50(?) episodes of Sageuk seems to be a bit of a stretch for me.
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korfan
May 29, 2015 at 7:36 AM
Jon G. -
"Considering the ratings got better once the show was complete trash, I guess really bad plot writing is the future."
Uh oh. Say it isn't so!
Seriously though, it is unfortunate when this happens.
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Daehoney
May 29, 2015 at 7:38 AM
And here I am wondering what Lukewarm and Pathetic is since I've never heard of it until I read the explanation..... after 'bland and boring' 'dull and snoozy' and now 'lukewarm and pathetic' I'll patiently wait for another name.
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pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
May 29, 2015 at 9:41 AM
re: Grapevine, I think we've discussed this before - just how the drama manages to keep itself moving in ways where we can't guess exactly what's going to happen or what someone's going to do, but when they do it, it makes absolute sense. That's some excellent writing there. And I have to take my hat off to the cast too - every single person in it is excellent. Not one bad performance, even from people in minor/supporting roles (even In-sang's friends play their part well enough)
I'm so not ready to say goodbye to that show. I'm still pouting over the 32-episode order being cut to 30, but I have faith that finale week isn't going to be a stinker full of idiocy like the Smelly Girl finale.
(btw did you notice how Ji Young-ra's new haircut is almost identical to Mama Han's? I can't believe I didn't make the connection before, but in this drama nothing is coincidence- it says a lot about who she wants to be)
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Jon G.
May 29, 2015 at 2:45 PM
Ji Young-ra's haircut:
Young-ra did change her "alignment" to Choi&Han as a means to protect her own and Hyun-soo's wealth/black money. The haircut seems to indicate that, that and the fact that she tries to sell her daughter to them.
Too bad Hyun-soo doesn't play along (and Han is already drawing on his last resort with the MP switching). Hyun-soo trying to advise her mom to be less awful had a nice bit of ominous foreshadowing, when Young-ra answered her daughter's challenge: "Only poor women need to be concerned with how attractive they are."
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owl 🦉 🫰
May 29, 2015 at 10:54 AM
I predicted it would go this way but I'm not sure the show easily led up to in sang's turnabout and the crumbling Han dynasty. I agree that it is a satisfying way to go, though, Jon. Anything else would be depressing.
I have to jump in here before I forget to say how much I hate secretary yang's voice. Ugh. So patronizing. She could have not become the ultimate parasite, but she held out for herself with typical justification. She got caught up in the way things have always been and like the Hans, can't imagine it any other way because you don't end up on top. Oh well.
The thing about in sang is that although he is a protected rich heir, his personality allows for my appreciation, even endearment, for things like him getting excited about an extra 50 cents for the night shift. I also like that bom softens when he is in her family's household.
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Jon G.
May 29, 2015 at 3:16 PM
Well, Bom was getting backed up with her decision by her family more and more. Bom's father had his decisive turn-around scene last week in ep26.
There was no in-story reason for Bom to change her way of thinking.
In-sang on the other hand had all reasons to make up his mind. Basically everyone he listens to was telling him to stop dreaming about his "compromise" plan of keeping both Bom and his wealth.
The Han dynasty being challenged has been set up since episode 3 (three months ago), I think. Now Han is forced to use his final card, which is his strongest, but also his riskiest option: When the laws start to get in your way, change the laws (or at least the people responsible for the process of following them). This was set up very early when we learned about Han's involvement in the assignment of the (soon to be dismissed) PM.
Han pushing Sec Yang to the brink since several episodes is another clear indicator of him running out of options.
I already mentioned that, I really like the character in this show. She was not an evil person from the get-go, she was shaped into one by the system in a very natural and unspectacular way. She's not one of the villains whose parents were killed or something, she was just doing her job and was really good at that, and she learned not to have scruples get in her way.
Heck, I got so attached to her by now, I really felt bad for her when she fled from The House after being rejected by the Servant's Council. Even after what she did to Min Joo-young's family. I love my villains.
That was so incredibly cute.
Bom waking him up in the morning by using Jin-young's feet.
He walking into the kitchen in his undershirt with the baby on his arm, all the comments from the family, even Nu-ri getting as warm-hearted as she is capable of.
The 50c bickering.
Bom's parents' hysterical reaction when they walk into In-sang and Bom sharing a little bit of intimacy, with Jin-ae encouraging him explicitly.
Oh, and the family council trying to scare him off ...
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owl 🦉 🫰
May 29, 2015 at 6:02 PM
The family council, yeah, compare that to the family council Bom got at the feet of the Hans. But you know most rich aristocratic families act the same way as the Hans when their son/daughter dates or marries a commoner. Maybe father han's last comment, "the house is so empty" will rattle his emotional foundation. Funny, for a moment I thought this was the last episode and could have lived with such an ending.
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Because of Reasons
May 29, 2015 at 12:06 PM
Producer At this rate, the show will find its tone around the 14th episode I guess.
I found this extra funny (perhaps it was intentional on your part?), since the show is to be (I believe) only 12 episodes long!
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17 lovin
May 29, 2015 at 7:43 AM
Missed a lot of kdramas this year mostly due to disinterest and school. But school is over. Yay graduation. So I started producer and ex-girlfriend club and despite all the bad comments about these dramas, I totally love them. I love the characterization in producer where its thrown in your face and though sometimes it feels like meaningless meandering, I understand each character much more with each episode and I understand the references so it makes it funnier. Even without the references, I still enjoy it. Though I wish it was shorter, episode wise. EGC is an easy watch. I love all the characters and lioness great. Though the plot is paper thin. The interactions are priceless. The drama is so self aware that's ridiculous that bring the 2nd lead in just to make the audience knows. Love that show.
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18 logan5
May 29, 2015 at 7:47 AM
Let's talk motorcycles ...
As an avid rider and amature racer ... I've got to say ... watching people ride scooters and motorcycles on Kdramas is really anoying ... no gloves for protection, ill fitting helmets that just pop right on and off ... one of these days, there's going to be a serious accident while filming and someone's going to get some major road rash and no amount of skin cream and PS is going to fix that.
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korfan
May 29, 2015 at 8:03 AM
logan5 -
If I remember correctly, a couple of years ago while beginning to film the drama Me Too Flower, actor Kim Jae-won got seriously injured while riding a motorcycle on the set. He was the lead male character, but due to the accident, Yoon Si-yoon ended up stepping in for the role.
Thank goodness we don't hear about mishaps more often. You'd think they'd happen daily based on what we see sometimes.
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kalel
May 29, 2015 at 8:11 AM
I was laughing half-way at your comment and then I stopped laughing. You're right, logan...riding motorcycles looks more like music videos or CFs. In order for the actors to maintain their impeccable coiffeurs have bidden safety regulations fairwell for good. It's not as if accidents don't happen; it's that their overall styling seems more important!
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windsun33
May 29, 2015 at 10:39 AM
It is not just motorcycles and the like. Before I finally gave up on Warm & Cozy I was a bit shocked by how much of a joke they treated sea diving as, like you could just buy a mask and flippers and start harvesting. I used to do some diving back in my younger days in Hawaii, Japan, and the Philippines, and things can go wrong really fast if you don't know what you are doing.
Especially since Koreans all sink like rocks in the water...
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nellebean
May 29, 2015 at 11:15 AM
*snort!* I literally laughed out loud at your last comment, @windsun33. "since Koreans all sink like rocks in the water…"
Made me think back to SKK Scandal, didn't Yoonhee almost drown in about a foot of water? I don't remember which character was dying in the river, but I remember thinking, "just stand up! It's obviously not that deep!"
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19 kororo
May 29, 2015 at 7:58 AM
Hello Beanies, hope you’re all well. Summer is coming I can finally enjoy warmer weather !! I’m on a throwback kinda of moment, I have for some reason been wanting to re watch old drama, I started with my all time favorite coffee prince, this drama is still really good, and get me all warm and fuzzy ^^. ( I can’t help but wish for a drama return from Yoon Eun Hye and Gong Yoo but I’m happy that they are doing well with their movie projects).
Mask: YES !!!! I love it already !!! Everybody on this show is just nuts !!!! I can already feel the makjang feast coming next week, definitely going to stick to it. Joo Jihoon is amazing as expected.
Young people/ all about my siblings/ Wakamono Tachi :
cast: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Eita, Hikari Mitsushima,Yu Aoi, Tasuku Emoto, Shuhei Nomura, Masami Nagasawa, Ai Hashimoto and Hidetaka Yoshioka.
It a Japanese drama (2014), a remake of the 1966 version. I re watched it this week, if you’re looking for a warm hearted family/ slice of life drama, you should check this one out. It tells the story of five siblings after losing both their parents. Each of the siblings have their own problems like school, finding a job, marriage, etc.
The last drama that had such a lasting effect on me was Heart to Heart. I have not seen many drama with that much sense of realness, definitely a true slice of life drama. The simplicity and vintage feel of the whole set up made it more real and more like home. I was really impressed by Tsumabuki Satoshi and Eita . (I need to get my J-drama/movie game back on, I forgot how good Tsumabuki Satoshi and Eita could be). I cried and laughed with the characters, really a heart warming piece.
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alua
May 29, 2015 at 8:23 AM
Wakamono tachi is a wonderful drama, with an amazing cast (which reminds me: saw Mitsushima Hikaria as Ophelia in a Ninagawa adaptation of Hamlet last week. Brilliant of course.).
Fortunately, Japan manages to produce slice of life dramas of this sort of quality every now and then.
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owl 🦉 🫰
May 29, 2015 at 9:31 PM
Wakamonomtachi was fabulous, really. The cast was, as you pointed out, amazingly top notch. Such powerful family dynamics, I truly cared about their lives. Up at the top of drama list for me.
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20 Shrell
May 29, 2015 at 8:15 AM
Anyone got a good recommendation of twisted but addicting melodramas ala Secret? I've tried Innocent Man but I couldn't get into it.
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Lixie
May 29, 2015 at 8:29 AM
Mask has just started but I feel it will be like the poor version of Secret even if it has the same writer, the first ep felt over the top and too makjang for me, I did like the crazy characters. :)
I didn't like Nice Guy either, he was just another traumatized nice guy pretending to be mean and the plot was very silly.
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kororo
May 29, 2015 at 8:35 AM
Mask !! It crazy the first 2 episode are kinda over the top. But it's the same writer and I feel like secret started all out as well. But it's a really solid cast.
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pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
May 29, 2015 at 9:33 AM
well, I'm Sorry, I Love You is certainly twisted and I found it addictive as hell but it's by the same writer as Nice Guy/Innocent Man so it might not be to your taste.
(but So Ji-sub and Im Soo-jung make a gorgeous couple, he didn't have chemistry this good with any of his other leading ladies until Gong Hyo-jin)
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windsun33
May 29, 2015 at 10:42 AM
Mask. It will give you enough melo and makjang in the first two episodes to last until next week for sure.
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Schmazel
May 29, 2015 at 11:45 AM
You should try 'Story of a Man'. I think DB also recapped the show. It may not be recent, but I was a great show!
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Brittany
May 30, 2015 at 3:18 PM
What Happened in Bali is definitely twisted.
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21 harmonyfb
May 29, 2015 at 8:20 AM
Hi, y'all!!
So this week was super-busy. My son has his 8th-grade dance, so we had to find him a suit & dress shoes & get his hair cut (my baby looks so grown up! How'd he get to be 14 all of a sudden?)
I also got my dna results back, and :drumroll: I apparently have no mutant powers. Also, I am the whitest of white girls (British/Scandinavian/Irish, mostly). No surprise Asian or African dna markers, so I'm back to square one on hunting for my Mystery Great-Grandmother. Alas.
What I've been watching:
Missing Noir M: How many episodes is this? Please tell me it's not just ten! I :heart: this show.
The Lover: Haven't seen this week's episode, but more and more I'm just fast-forwarding through whatever's not the gay couple. As an aside, dang, Joon Jae has really nice arms.
Let's Eat, S2: This show is making me more and more frustrated, because the female lead is just such a goober. I keep screaming at the screen, "DAMMIT, you have to WORK at relationships!" I need more food scenes, stat.
Warm and Cozy: Look, I really like Kang So Ra, & the Jeju Island Travelogue is interesting, but I ain't watching this. It's entirely too goopy (and the 'I think you're my sibling, let's fall for each other' is GROSS.)
Masked Prosecutor I watched part of the first episode. It made very little sense, though I was happy to see what's-his-name from Vampire Prosecutor (I'd be happier if I was seeing him in Vampire Prosecutor 3.) I read the recap...I dunno. Maybe I'll try the second episode? Or not.
The Producer: Haven't gotten around to watching episodes 3-4 yet. Meh.
What I Wish I Was Watching:
Cheo Yong, S2!!!!! Next month!!!! Wooooooo!!!
K-drama Moment:
Hmm. Gonna have one on Sunday - yesterday was my 27th wedding anniversary, so the Manly Man & I are going out for a nice dinner at a local Korean place (the kind with the grill in the middle of the table). They have all kinds of soups & stews & steamed dishes that I've seen on the dramas but haven't tried yet. Can't wait to extend my horizons! :)
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korfan
May 29, 2015 at 8:31 AM
harmonyfb -
Congratulations on the anniversary! Have a great dinner on Sunday.
Can't wait to hear about your culinary adventure.
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ktiep
May 29, 2015 at 8:44 AM
Oh, yes. Do tell us about the food. I hope it meets your expectations.
And congrats on 27 years. That's a lot of hard work and fun.
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harmonyfb
May 31, 2015 at 6:45 PM
It was delicious and a lot of fun. We went to a restaurant where they had the grill in the middle of the table. We ordered marinated pork & galbi, kimichi dumplings, & kimchi jjigae. The banchan were heavy on kimchi (cabbage, radish, & cucumber), pickled radish & carrots, bean sprouts, and fish cake. It also came with a miso-broth tofu soup which was yummy.
Favorite surprise: I LOVED the bean paste. Like, I want to eat it on everything.
I also really liked the fish cake - it was surprisingly delicious (though very slippy - hard to eat w/chopsticks).
The kimchi dumplings were good; super-spicy, but good.
The kimchi jjigae was delicious but OMG SO SPICY. Next time I'll try the soy soup.
We also tried the beer I see all the time in dramas - Hite - I can report that it's much like American lager (I'll stick w/my British stouts & porters, there.)
The waitress seemed happy to see us there trying Korean foods, & was definitely amused to see that we knew how to do the lettuce wraps. It was a great anniversary supper. :)
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4D
May 29, 2015 at 8:57 AM
I read somewhere that it is indeed ten episodes but I hope that's way off. There's too much personal stuff I want them to deal with (as well as just bring one if the best shoes on right now so I don't want it to end).
Although there was some tension at the end of the last episode between our two male leads and I'm not entirely sure why.
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harmonyfb
June 1, 2015 at 2:33 PM
I'm putting off watching the last episode, just so I'm in the right frame of mind to let it go if indeed it is just 10 episodes. ::sigh::
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 9:28 AM
Totallly forgot about Missing Noir. I thought... SERIOUSLY! Something feels incomplete here! Unless they'll have a second season.
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windsun33
May 29, 2015 at 10:46 AM
Unlike Korean dramas, Japanese dramas often go for more than one season.
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pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
May 29, 2015 at 9:53 AM
congratulations on your anniversary! Hope you guys have a great dinner <3
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harmonyfb
June 1, 2015 at 2:41 PM
It was delicious, & I got to try a lot of new stuff (and amaze the waitress by actually asking for the dishes by name.) Now I have more things to try and make at home.
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windsun33
May 29, 2015 at 10:44 AM
"Goopy" is probably the best single word I have seen to describe Warm and Cozy.
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22 ktiep
May 29, 2015 at 8:39 AM
Oooh, it's Friday!Open Thread!
Watching:
Grapevine--So good. I just love it. Somehow I don't see the flaws until I come here and read your comments. Ha Ha. I'm so desperate for a show with a good plot.
I do think that the Han parents will find somehow to get out of their legal problems. That's just the way it is for people like them. I do love that they feel the emptiness of their house (even with all the servants in it), I just don't think there are enough episodes left for them to have a change of heart. So maybe we will end up with a moral of the story ending and not a happy ending for everyone. Which would be okay by me.
Warm & Cozy--I don't know if I can take much more of the leading man as a cad. I hope there is some growth this coming week.
Mask--Wasn't sure at first, but it looks like it might be entertainingly cray, cray. I liked the pace, so let's see if they keep it up. Who's drugging the kids? The stepmother? And what's she drugging them with?
My Unfortunate Boyfriend--I'm only up to episode 9 on this one. The second lead is a creep. What I never understand is how in KDramas, the young bosses pursue their subordinates and it's no problem. The situation here: two women competing for one job and the boss hits on them both, just sickens me. It's like he's saying, "Whoever puts out (puts up with me) will get the job." I hope he gets fired and they both get the job.
Tried a few other dramas this week just to see if I wanted to clear them off my list. I have deleted four so far. Not in the mood, I guess. I'd rather rewatch shows I loved.
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Jon G.
May 29, 2015 at 9:11 AM
W&C Well, I have a groundbreaking and totally original idea: How about the 1st male lead (1ML) suddenly realises that he loves the 1st female lead (1FL) and because of that, he suddenly turns into a decent human being? I don't think we ever had a story like that ...
Grapevine Flaws? What flaws? This show has no flaws!
No seriously, there are things that might be considered flaws. For example, in ep27, Han sends his enforcer Sec Yang to deal with Min Joo-young. The attack angles Joo-young's family who haven't been featured in the show at all, apart from some remarks about her brother here and there. Usually this is a rather cheap and lazy story-telling trick. It's difficult for the audience to care deeply enough for a character who just got introduced, it usually doesn't have enough impact.
However, we are aware of the broader situation because the fire incident has been featured for a while now. And the sequence works (for me at least) because we are familiar with Joo-young. The story is about Joo-young much more than it is about her brother and mother.
Joo-young has been well established as one of the most badass characters on the show. She's been taking huge risks in her machinations in front of Han and Sec Yang, she's been in and out of the wolf's den with her perfectly controlled emotions.
Then Sec Yang calls Joo-young into the office. Sec Yang, for the first time ever, looks tired and has lost her trademark smiling mask. The rest of the story can be understood simply by looking into Joo-young's face. It's not the brother lying on the bed, or the mother breaking down desperately, it's the always-controlled badass Joo-young finally losing it, crying in the bathroom, that is the centre of this story part.
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pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
May 29, 2015 at 9:31 AM
I'm shocked at how Grapevine has managed to remain so good for almost THIRTY episodes - with all the attendant stresses of ratings, live shooting, and god knows what else.
And yes, those scenes with Min Joo-young and her family were brilliant. This is a woman who's been a constant in the drama from Day 1, in more ways than one - from her guarded and polite exterior to her unchanging curled-at-the-ends hair. Literally everything about her is steady, and the only hint of emotion we see from her before is when she talks about how hypocritical she finds the Hans for being all gaga over the baby when they'd gone as far as conducting a paternity test on the sly earlier. But to see her at the end of her tether and breaking down, is ......the impact is quite something.
In some ways it's not unlike Bom reaching the end of her tether, though Bom is younger the feeling of holding back for someone else's sake until you couldn't anymore, seems to have been quite similar.
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Jon G.
May 29, 2015 at 10:42 AM
I'm pretty sure that they had a rather complete script before they started filming. Many of the character and story arcs are beautifully developed and feel "whole", something that is impossible for live-writing dramas to do.
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windsun33
May 29, 2015 at 10:57 AM
The only flaw in Grapevine is not enough episodes.
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owl 🦉 🫰
May 29, 2015 at 6:09 PM
Agree
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 9:33 AM
Totally agree with everything you said. But I was so furious at the writing game in epi 2. The set up at the mall where we just KNEW she and he wouldn't meet. I know I put up with it in Girl who sees smells..but somehow, I'll be annoyed with the writer's manipulations if I have to sit through it here. Besides dramas with my sweeties are coming in June. So I have to save room on my plate.
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pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
May 29, 2015 at 9:55 AM
I agree that the Han parents in Grapevine are not going to have a change of heart so quickly, and even if they did, Bom isn't going to want to subject herself to them again. And the odds are that they will wriggle out of their legal problems because Hansong is just too powerful and has too much dirt on its enemies. But I'll be interested in seeing what kind of ending they go with.
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owl 🦉 🫰
May 29, 2015 at 9:33 PM
I'll take any level of defeat for them.
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23 dkaoru
May 29, 2015 at 8:49 AM
Hi Beanies! Happy friday! It's a very happy friday for me as this is my last friday before I go on a looong holiday to Italy! Going off for a gelato-making course and then just roam around in Italy for a while. Taking a looong break from work.
I'll be taking a break from watching drama as well, thank goodness for this site because i'll still be able to read about what's happening in dramaland hehehe.
Thanks for all the recappers on this site. I honestly don't know how you guys do this and have a full time job. I wish I can send you guys a thank you gift.
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korfan
May 30, 2015 at 12:33 AM
dkaoru -
Gelato!! So delicious!!
Have a great time in Italy.
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24 redfox
May 29, 2015 at 8:51 AM
Oh, I forgot to rant and cry and stomp my feet in disappointment for you know what. You can guess, right? The unfairness of all unfairnesses, a totally invalid decision... well, perhaps it was the right decision with that set of achievements, but it still feels really unfair.
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25 PistachioSkies
May 29, 2015 at 8:55 AM
Anyone else still mourning the loss of Healer? I rewatched it the other day, and I'm just so sad that I haven't been able to find anything quite as crack-tastic.
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mindy
May 29, 2015 at 9:48 AM
YES! I was actually just saying yesterday that even though it's been three months, every drama I watch seems to pale in comparison to Healer. I'm in a slump and I definitely want out!
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ahsaem
May 29, 2015 at 1:11 PM
Ha! coincidentally, I just started a Healer rewatch two days ago. The healer dB fan group wanted to rewatch together. You want to join us? XD
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Cindy
June 1, 2015 at 11:37 PM
Nothing can replace Healer. Absolutely nothing.
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26 osmanthustea
May 29, 2015 at 9:06 AM
Producers:
Still hanging in there. Think the progress is a little bit faster now, which I'm glad for. I was so worried that Yejin was gonna misunderstand and think that BSC likes her - so I'm glad that misunderstanding has been cleared up! And Cindy's mission to 'win over' BSC might just be the start to something more. d= I really didn't like Joon-mo (why is he nicknamed Joon-bal?) in the first two episodes but he's beginning to grow on me. And gosh, Yejin's irritating maknae writer makes me want to rattle her to stop being a bitch.
I have a question for Episode 3. One of the PDs had problems with his expenses claims. And the office admin lady asked him why he had kimbap at a place that specialises in blood sausage. Does that signify anything?
Warm & Crazy:
Still my favourite out of everything. As much as Geun-woo infuriates me, I love the scenes where he's all wide-eyed and about taking care of 'woo-ri Jung-joo'. I hope Poong-san keeps the secret as long as possible!
Mask:
I started this with a lot of trepidation because melos ain't my thing. It's a little better than I expected, and I'm surprised by the 'humour' bits between Ji-sook and Min-woo. Bet Eun-ha's man is actually Seok-hoon. Otherwise, why would Mi-yeon seethe with rage so much?
Orange Marmalade:
I know a lot of beanies love it, but I just seem to get the chemistry between the leads. (And I really liked YJG in Moon Embraces the Sun). I'm more interested in Shi-hoo, teacher Han, the whole story about how vampires really work - like, do they reproduce normally? Do blood victims immediately turn into vampires? I might be dropping it...
Missing Noir M:
I'm super behind time, but that's also because I'm trying to save 'em up, especially now that it's drawing to a close. It does helps that it's easier to let go after each case is finished. I'd love a second series, please!
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someone in MT
May 29, 2015 at 9:38 AM
re the kimbap in producers - possible spoiler???
I think that she is shown eating there later on in one of the montage scenes - maybe it was supposed to be a very quiet or awkward attempt at flirting?
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27 Lizzy4e
May 29, 2015 at 9:10 AM
Yessss! It is Ex Girlfriend Club Day!!!!!
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Lizzy4e
May 29, 2015 at 9:30 AM
Sure I am watching Producers, Warm and Cozy, Masked Prosecutor But it is Ex-Girlfriend Club that I love.
The dialog is snappy and all the actors (the 4 ladies and 3 men) are playing together well. Really great dialog flow. You can see the Smarter characters being smart. Is that directing or camera man? And I love watching these characters being smart even with they are fumbling under a misconception or trying to cover their feelings.
I know the plot is not War and Peace, it is not terribly clever but the characters that inhabit the story are pretty smart.
At any rate, I
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28 pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
May 29, 2015 at 9:16 AM
Hey OT!
I can't believe Heard It Through the Grapevine is ending next week - 2015 isn't even half over but I'm confident this is going to end up one of the best dramas of the year, if not THE best.
I loved the turn it took this week, with In-sang finally reaching his breaking point and going cold turkey on his lifestyle because he realised just what his parents were going to do to her and the money wasn't worth it. And I love the way the effects were felt all across every sphere of the drama - from the household staff, to the office. Attorney Han is still a force to be reckoned with, as is his money, but I love that when push REALLY comes to shove, the younger generation still have a few things left that they won't compromise. Whether it's Bom and her refusal to be the Han family's resident showpiece, In-sang and his insistence on Bom having custody of Jin-young without any interference from his family, Yi-ji being the more classic teenager and refusing to cease being her outspoken self against the injustices perpetrated against Bom, or even Hyun-soo and her refusal to do what mommy says and play along with the charade that would eventually lead to her getting engaged to In-sang. And I love that in each case it gets delivered in a way that's absolutely true to their characters - Bom's revolution is polite but firm, In-sang initially contains himself and is docile but ends up reaching breaking point in his own, quieter way (though he wasn't quiet or docile when the staff had to physically restrain him), and Hyun-soo is as blunt as always. (shout-out to Lee Joon btw, he got very little spotlight in the early parts of the drama but now that he has the chance, he is stepping up to the plate, and how!)
And now that all Attorney Han's adversaries chose to openly range themselves against him, things are more exciting - he did operate on a policy of 'keep your enemies closer' and is going to try to take them down, but who knows if he'll succeed. And who knows what'll happen to the world as he knows it if he doesn't - young Yoon Je-hoon, Min Joo-young and the tax attorney have the chance to undo all of Hansong, and he's going to try really hard to prevent it. And of course In-sang's rebellion is going to funnel some more rage into the process, it's amusing to watch him come undone bit by bit as Secretary Yang tries to keep him in line, but he's still dangerous. (and I may be heartless but I did have a good laugh at Mama Choi crying at the end of the last ep and Daddy Han saying how silent the house is.....can't say they didn't have it coming). I can't wait to see how it all ends!
School 2015 - EUN-BYUL IS ALIVE! EB10 IS ALIVE! EB10 IS ALIVE!!!! I was hoping she was, since we never actually see a body, but I can't wait for the Soo-in mystery to be untangled and the question of just what happened to EB10 in the time she disappeared. And how does that link up to EB2 getting pulled out of the water, and...
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pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
May 29, 2015 at 9:21 AM
(oops, got cut for length. Been a while since that happened!)
....and whose ashes are in EB2's urn then?
Warm & Cozy - THANK GOD this week's episodes moved faster than the previous four. Though I guess we ended up being wrong about the Hong sisters, for once, choosing to write a nice male protagonist. Right now I'm 100 percent on the Jung-joo/Wook ship, because they happen to be fun to watch together, and he treats her better than Gun-woo WITHOUT a cancer misunderstanding!
And for god's sake, if they had to cast the second female lead purely for the purpose of being hated, why on earth couldn't they choose a competent actress? School 2015 is a better drama for having its villain played by an absolutely fantastic actress who makes her character truly hateable. Why on earth did this drama have to settle for ol' Botox Face?
Orange Marmalade - fantastic world-building and Yeo Jin-gu is killing it as always. Concept-wise, it's a really cool spin on vampires and I love the supporting characters too. But the lead actress is rather lacklustre in comparison, and it's not just the result of playing a shy/restrained/isolated character - she doesn't have the charisma to carry off a lead role. Even imperfect actors can have that, Ha Yeon-soo was a rookie playing a deadpan character in Monstar but I had absolutely no trouble believing that she could command the attention of the two boys who were into her. With this one, it's more of a "so she's pretty. And then?".
Producer - The episodes are insanely long for a prime time drama but I really enjoyed 3 and 4. It's good to see shades of Kim Soo-hyun's c. Dream High potential back again, in the role of Seung-chan. And it may just be my Gong Hyo-jin bias speaking, but I rather love her cranky bitch of a character - I love a flawed and bitchy heroine or two. The same goes for IU - she plays the bratty, jaded star well, but with a vulnerability that makes it impossible not to like her. And the umbrella scene at the end of episode 4 was adorable, and perfectly executed by both, but especially her - she's really expressive and thank god, capable of expression in the eyes.
Let's Eat 2- I better start a diet next week, after it finishes airing. I love this drama but my waistline did not! It's surprising just how much I liked it, when I initially thought I wouldn't be into it at all.
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Rovi
May 29, 2015 at 10:54 AM
Regarding the whole "Who was cremated and in the urn?"
TBH I really don't believe it's Eun-byeol, even after ep.4. Even before the ep.10 spoiler, I had a feeling it's not Eun-byeol.
My question also is who fished Eun-bi out of the water?
It's just like in "Green Rose" & "Unkind Women". Both (Go Soo & Lee Soon-jae's younger version) had their ID's in some random corpse's possession, who were then cremated in a cases of mistaken identity.
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 29, 2015 at 9:37 AM
Oh sooooooo true about the younger generation! Progress lives! I hate that Jae Won is going down, though. He was a user but he was an honest sort of a user. Unlike the doctor's wife. I am seriously disliking Secretary Yang. At first, I liked her Iago-like tendencies but now... she gives me the creeps.
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pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
May 29, 2015 at 9:50 AM
Exactly, progress lives, and what I love about it is that so many of the younger-gen revolutions are silent (except for Hyun-soo and Yi-ji, but theirs are true to their characters and also more superficial in terms of impact). Bom, In-sang and even the former golden boy valedictorian Yoon Je-hoon pretty threw the biggest bombs, and they did it in the politest ways possible.
I'll miss Jae-won ajusshi too. He's just as you said - a user, but an honest one. And as for Secretary Yang, she was always Hansong's right hand. She's politer than Attorney Han but underneath it all, she is the one who does his dirty work, and does it with a smile. She has an interest in the house remaining peaceful and Attorney Han not messing up too much, but she also has an interest in protecting herself, and that outweighs all. She's too bound up in Hansong to ever truly be on the side of In-sang and Bom, or anyone fighting against it. But I enjoyed watching her, I really did.
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Jon G.
May 29, 2015 at 10:34 AM
I love Sec Yang. What a brilliant, strong character. She's a corrupt and amoral bastard, but she is ridiculously competent, she is patient, highly intelligent, and she is fiercely loyal.
And even evil has her standards, the actress does a very good job showing when Sec Yang gets pushed beyond her line of endurable malice.
She's desperately needed too, Han would be utterly helpless without her. He would be a toothless villain.
I also like Jae Won as a character, much less as a person. He is just as amoral and corrupt as Sec Yang, but he thinks nothing of it. In contrast to her, he genuinely is a nice guy despite his lack of character, because it never even crosses his mind that, what he does, is simply wrong.
His scenes with Je-hoon, who is the most extreme opposite to him, are hilarious because of this stark constrast.
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pogo - now sailing HMS Queen of Tears with Corn Salad on deck🍉
May 29, 2015 at 6:40 PM
Exactly, I enjoy Secretary Yang because of those shades of grey you described. She's not an egomaniac like Attorney Han, but that combination of self-interest and loyalty is truly something to watch. She's not a mindless drone carrying out orders.
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29 Rovi
May 29, 2015 at 9:37 AM
Hallo~~~
So...
Off topic for "School 2015"
I really feel writers have run out of ideas to name schools. Who the heck names high schools "Jinseonmi" & "Nuri"???
("Jinseonmi" was in "Unkind Ladies", and I laughed like heck because is this fucking Miss Korea 1985? "Nuri" meanwhile was the old term (Goryeo-era) for "world")
What is more proper to read, "Han Yi-ahn" or "Han Ian"??? I find "Han Ian" more easier to read and more closer to the pronunciation.
Kim Hee-jeong (Cha Song-joo) was Lady Ryu in "King's Face" (AKA Prince Gwanghae-gun's wife. Historically even their child Lee Jil was even executed at the age of 15 after Injo's coup. Poor thing.)
Interesting to see Yang Hui-gyeong (House of Love director) & Kim Jeong-nan (helicopter mom AKA Mommy Mafia) together even though they're not mom-daughter anymore. I couldn't even recognize Kim Jeong-nan if not for the fact I read the Wiki page of the cast.
Just like when "School 2013" aired, here is the list of the students' SNS for you to follow if you want to:
(these are their Twitter accounts unless otherwise; I didn't include their IG's because I can't open them in IE9)
-Kim So-hyun - @hellokimsohyun
-Lee Pil-mo (2-3 homeroom) - @leepillmo
-Yook Sungjae (Gongtae) - @BTOB_6SJ -> BTW, he has another account which parodies Cheon Song-yi, since he did that in "A Song For You" months ago
-Lee David (Park Min-jun AKA Mommy Mafia's son) - @DAVID__LeeE <- FYI: the actual spelling of his name is "Da-wit" (다윗), which is the Korean transcription of the Hebrew "Dawidh"
-Kim Hee-jeong (wannabe actress/model Cha Song-joo) - @tatabebe92
-Park Doo-shik (Gongtae's archenemy Kwon Gi-tae) - @Motown_yellow
-Lee Cho-hee (without-dreams Lee Shi-jin) - @Chodzm
-Kim Bo-ra (Seo Yeong-eun, the one who dropped out at ep.3; she's really good at drawing) - @KimboraV
-Choi Hyo-eun - @hyoeun_choi
-Lee Jin-kwon (the old-looking student) - facebook.com/happymanjinkwon
-Kwon Eun-soo (girl-who-looks-and-dresses-like-a-guy) - facebook.com/eunsoo.kwon.3
-Lee Seung-ho - facebook.com/officialleeseungho
-Kim Min-seok (NOT XIUMIN!!!) - @Sasimiworldkms
-Oh Woo-jin - @oh_woojin
-Kim Min-yeong (one of the Tongyeong bullies; AKA 30-years-younger "AhnJjong" of "Unkind Women") - @minyoungism
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ahsaem
May 29, 2015 at 1:13 PM
Wow ~! Thank you so much :D
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30 Sun
May 29, 2015 at 9:46 AM
Loving Masked Prosecutor so far. I don't really understand the complaints that it doesn't "make sense." The story is classic and straightforward to me, in the tradition of the Korean thrillers like Chaser, but with refreshingly less angst, and more romance and humor. I love that there is not just one but two badass female characters. Everyone in the cast is excellent, even the actors playing villains. I hope it gains more of a following soon.
Also watching the last episodes of Unkind Women. Speaking of badass women, this drama is full of them - grandma, mother and aunts, granddaughter. The inter generational relationships and friendships are wonderful. Highly recommend.
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31 kimchikay
May 29, 2015 at 9:54 AM
I'm really loving MASK right now!!!
I know I know...it's a bit cliched but the story REALLY captured me first episode!!!
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Jenna
May 29, 2015 at 7:06 PM
I love it too. Have been waiting a long time for ju ji-hoon to have a good role.
Medical top team was too dry and no chemistry
between the leads. Although i think it was the writing that made it so blah.
So glad it's on top in the ratings.
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32 Rovi
May 29, 2015 at 10:08 AM
Part 2 of rant
Is it too much to ask for Seo In-guk to cameo in either "Producers" or "Warm and Cozy"???
-if "Warm and Cozy" - wouldn't it be awkward to be acting alongside Lee Seong-jae for the 3rd time (1st as brothers in "Rascal Sons", 2nd as dad-son in "King's Face")??? Plus, may I ask, who was Lee Seong-jae's 1st wife in "Strange Housekeeper"??? Was it Kim Hee-jeong (recently of "Master's Sun" who was the ghost-in-coma) too?
-if "Producer" - Kang-woo & Doolley reunion. Plus, he has an upcoming KBS drama as well right???
For the recapper, the crew who is filming the documentary is from "3 Days". I immediately saw the logo on the camera from ep.1.
Kim Tae-ho PD is Park Hyeok-gwon, who was recently Chae Shi-ra's hubby in "Unkind Women" and also more known as Kim Hee-ae's hubby in "Secret Love Affair".
LOL at Gukkie wanting "Vitamin" and not his program "Escaping Crises".
Byeonpire (Byeon CEO) is Na Yeong-hui, who is looking more fiercer by the drama (Gwi-nam's aunt in "NeongKkulDang" and Seo Kang-jun's mom in "What's With This Family"). Even though it might not be courteous, I admire how even though undergoing another turbulent period in her personal life (proceedings for her 3rd divorce is underway) she chose such a fierce and possibly Miranda-esque character. Also, I love how her introduction was BGM'ed with the iconic empire theme of the original Star Wars trilogy.
Love how Minwoo & Sandara was cameo'd (moreso for Minwoo who also appeared in "Unkind Women"). Love to see them again being on their roots (pre-debut, the small screen):
-Minwoo's last major role was the KBS daily drama "Wife and Woman" (you can find lots of clips with him on YouTube). The MBC sitcom (with him and the twins) do not count even though it's pre-debut as well.
-Sandara especially. Seriously, her last works were in the Philippines: sitcom "Dalawang Tisoy (Two Mestizo Uncles)" & film "Super Noypi".
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33 fantasy
May 29, 2015 at 10:37 AM
Watched 1st 2 episodes of "Mask" and found it good :) ... Those who are annoyed with"warm and cozy" and looking for an alternative can consider this drama on wed- Thurs :)
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Dana
May 29, 2015 at 12:13 PM
True! Mask is so crazy good. No wonder it jump off the ratings from the 7.5% first episode to 9.2% second episode. I'm pretty sure it'll hit double digits next week. So fast paced that you'll be breathless with all that's been happening.
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fantasy
May 29, 2015 at 8:42 PM
I am not getting why the brother in law wanted the marriage to be happened???
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Hazel
May 29, 2015 at 12:17 PM
The true melodrama starts next week. This drama got the perfect roles for the main actors and each and everyone is very intriguing. I watched the two episodes back to back and became enlightened with what really happened at that first five minute climax.
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Kim02
May 29, 2015 at 12:28 PM
I've found my right dose of melodrama in Mask .
[ Spoiler ] I'm pretty sure the stepmom was behind the drugging in the water bottle as well as the erased CCTV footage. A lot has been going on with just 2 Eps but it felt just right. I love all the car scenes (the cliff and the car-chasing). It was so thrilling to watch. Soo Ae got me at the first few minutes of episode 1.
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kimchikay
May 29, 2015 at 12:31 PM
[SPOILER]
[SPOILER]
[SPOILER]
[SPOILER]
I was thinking the mom as well but then I don't know what she has to gain from killing her and kicking out Min Woo. The sister on the other hand is defo a possible suspect but then it seems too obvious. I feel so bad for Min Woo - he is quite literally going crazy. All the hallucinations and loss of memories.
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Kim02
May 29, 2015 at 12:43 PM
@Kay
[ Spoiler ] Felt bad for Min Woo too. But Ji Sook's gonna take Eun ha's place in Ep 3 so I wish that the wedding will happen then without interruptions. I want Ji Sook to be at Min Woo's side always because I can't trust everyone else around him.
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Lixie
May 29, 2015 at 3:51 PM
Are they twins? I don't think the show will explain this soon maybe not ever but I really wish she was a twin, at least it would be a less crazy explanation.
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windsun33
May 29, 2015 at 4:34 PM
It kind of left that twin thing open. I suspect they are, and when she asked her mother if she was a twin, the question was kind of evaded.
Kim02
May 29, 2015 at 4:38 PM
@Lixie
No they're not. Their ages are two years apart in their character description so I guess this willjust be purely 'doppelganger' and not twins.
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34 Rovi
May 29, 2015 at 11:07 AM
Last rant.
I REALLY CANNOT WITH HWAJEONG.
I hate it for being another fashion show sageuk, but the next lines are my real feelings.
I visited Dramatroll for the laughs, and even though I'm laughing at posts where Kim Yeo-jin and Jeong Woong-in were together, I was surprised out of my wits that Kim Yeo-jin ("DJG"'s Jang-deok, "Yi San's" step-grandma Queen Jeongsun, "Trot Lover's" Eunji's coach) is the notorious concubine Kim Gae-shi.
Fuck! As in efffery-effing-fuck! Like how people are exploding from ep.10 of "School 2015"-fuck.
She has got to be the oldest-looking Kim Gae-shi of all time! And Cha Seung-won as Prince Gwanghae-gun is not helping things. I mean...can you even imagine them being all lovey-dovey passionate-type together?!!!
I think this outranks:
-Im Ho & Hong Ri-na ("The Road of the Great King", 199? as Crown Prince Sado & Lady Hong)
-Park Chan-hwan & Jeon In-hwa + 2 other actresses ("Women of the World", 2001-2002 as Jungjong & his 3 queens consort)
-Park Seon-yeong & Jeon Gwang-ryeol ("Jang Hee-bin", 2002-2003 as Sukjong & Queen Inhyeon)
-Im Ho ("DJG" 2004-2005 Jungjong)
(TBH I'm rather uncomfy putting Ji Sung & Park Seon-yeong, since they're the last to be the prince and Lady Kim before "King's Face".)
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35 Rainbow3s
May 29, 2015 at 11:36 AM
Spoiler Alert for Orange Marmalade ep 4
So i'm here to rant about Orange Marmalade Specifically ep 4, honestly you can sum the ep in WTF just happen, shi ho dead, ja min has amnesia, Ma ri will probably get punished by VCE, p.s: VCE appear to be the vampire cruel assembly, and for the biggest shocker there is a time jump back to the stone ages, WTF for the million time.
and i was starting to like Orange Marmalade
your input is welcomed
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katasu1996
May 29, 2015 at 4:04 PM
OMG THANK GOD I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE. So I read the manhwa, and I don't remember this happening so honestly I'm like: WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!?!?!?! Maybe because I never finished it, I'm losing out on something, but from what I looked up, Si Hoo doesn't flipping die. I do have a guess though:
1) The drama is actually going to re-interpret the storyline of Orange Marmalade. If you've ever seen Higurashi When They Cry, you'll know what I mean: The same characters are reborn, but in different timelines/universes (?), so the people and general ideas of said show will remain, but the universes themselves will be different.
2) This whole thing is a freaking dream sequence while Jae Min is sleeping from a coma, because he didn't wake up from almost drowning,
3) Jae Min and Ma Ri are actually reincarnations and since I never finished the manhwa, I never found that out, thus the confusion. (but of course, that doesn't really explain some of the stuff that happened in the end, but hey, when did manhwas make sense?)
So honestly, these are my guesses, IDK, I hope someone else actually knows what's going on. SOMEONE WHO READ THE WHOLE MANHWA TALK TO ME.
oh and if Si Hoo is dead, I'm going to buy a flight to Seoul, track down the writer, and ask her, WHY, WHY WOULD YOU KILL HIM OFF WHY.
I speak Korean, so I can do it!
*prepares the funds*
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mysticmalady
May 29, 2015 at 5:51 PM
I've read the whole manhwa (or rather, what's available with english translation) and NONE of the WTFery parts appeared in there. So, still no idea about what's going on and no idea where the writer plucked those particular plot points from.
At this rate, this drama could be called "When a vampire loves" or something cheesier, rather than masquerade as an adaptation of "Orange Marmalade".
As for ShiHoo's future appearance...** POSSIBLE SPOILER** I've read that the next 4 eps are set in Joseon times and Lee Jonghyun (who plays ShiHoo) can be seen on set wearing a traditional hanbok in his latest Instagram photos ....let's just say that I won't write him off so quickly at this stage ^^
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mysticmalady
May 29, 2015 at 5:58 PM
darn. the spoiler hiding tag didn't work properly for me >< sorryyyy...
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gadis
May 29, 2015 at 7:45 PM
I've read the whole manhwa and basically the plot revolve around the band forming, mari trying to make new friends, her love line with Jaemin, and also how Ahra become mari's friend in the end. Even Shihoo have his own loveline, a human that know he is a vampire and give her blood to him. It's just the usual stuff you will find in almost every romance-school drama ever (beside the vampire part). None of that weird thing they did in the drama that basically just didn't make any sense for me..
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dkaoru
May 30, 2015 at 1:47 AM
I just watched ep 4. Yes, I'm with you, what in the world happened to this show? Did the writers get drunk or something? The pacing in the first 1-2 episodes were so good. I'm really confused now. Is this show supposed to end at ep5-6 or something? What is up with all the time jump? one scene - 2 weeks later, then 2 months later.. then next week is 200 years ago? What is going on show? Aren't you supposed to be high school vampire story? Why are you turning into joseon vampire story?
Did Shi hoo died? I'm a bit unclear. The editing and the pacing was really off. Ma ri didn't even try to save Shi hoo, appeal to the VSC or something. Shi hoo used his power to save Jae min. It's so unfair. Doesn't Ma ri have a heart? she's just gonna let Shi hoo get the punishment, she doesn't care at all? all she care about is herself and Jae min? This makes no sense.
The change in Jae min going from I hate all vampire to I don't care if Ma ri is a vampire is way too fast. I can't relate to this. It has only been a few episodes, I can not relate to them forming such a strong bond that can negate all his previous hatred toward vampire. It's not love, it's called lust/teenage hormone raging. And I'm sorry but Ma ri has not done anything that is very impressive other than being able to sing and play a guitar quite well. SHi hoo sacrifice himself to save other people. What has Mari done? nothing. I can't get behind a pretty female character who just stands there looking pretty. Do something!
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36 Because of Reasons
May 29, 2015 at 12:22 PM
Does anyone have any recommendations for Chinese or Taiwanese dramas? I am watching for language practice, but also for entertainment.
My main difficulty with finding Twdramas to watch has been that the romcoms tend to drive me nuts with (1) their portrayals of supposedly competent adult professional women who shriek and pout and scream and generally behave like tantrum-y 3-year-olds (2) the sometimes over-the-top or one-note acting. Plus the series are longer that for kdramas, and tend to drag. There are so many Twdramas that I've started but not finished because of these two things (I Do 2, In A Good Way, Fated to Love You, My Queen, It Started with a Kiss, Fabulous 30).
As for what I have managed to finish: In Time With You, The Fierce Wife, Pursuit of Happiness, and I'm currently watching Constellation Love - Leo Woman, which is decent so far. Any suggestions for shows to try once that's done would be much appreciated.
As for cdramas, I've tried a few, but the only one I managed to stick with past 2 episodes has been Think Before You Marry starring Tong Da Wei, which I was really enjoying. Sadly, only 4 of the 40 episodes at Viki have been subbed so far. So recs for replacement cdramas (modern settings or historical) are also welcome.
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kimchikay
May 29, 2015 at 12:35 PM
That's my issue with Taiwanese dramas as well. Competent, sane female leads are often hard to find, the shrieking always strikes somewhere lol
I recommend an older one - MARS. It's dark and deep; not a rom com but amazing nonetheless.
Also recommend Autumn's Concerto - I've watched this one many times, again not an out-and-out romcom but a drama/melo-ish with just some superb acting by Ady An and Vaness Wu. I love this one.
A recent one I liked was Love, Never Forgetting but the female lead isn't too motivating, however if you're out of things, check it out.
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Because of Reasons
May 29, 2015 at 7:19 PM
Thanks for the recs! I've watched a couple of eps of Autumn's Concerto, and intend to work through it eventually, and I just checked out synopses of Mars and it looks interesting. Adding it to my "to try" list. Thanks again!
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alua
May 29, 2015 at 3:06 PM
I struggle with TW dramas. Neither the characters nor the plot ever makes much sense to me – it's all a bit (or a lot) over the top.
In a Good Way (which you didn't finish) is actually one of those that's a bit different, but you didn't finish that one. Mars isn't a bad a suggestion, primarily because it tackles some real, dark issues. I quite liked Alice in Wonder City too because it was a bit different. But there's nothing I'd super-enthusiastically recommend.
Try films instead? When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep was a quirky, fun rom-com.
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Because of Reasons
May 29, 2015 at 7:22 PM
Alice in Wonder City sounds worth a try, especially at only 15 episodes. And I can't believe I never thought of trying movies instead. Thanks for the suggestions!
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alua
May 30, 2015 at 8:23 AM
For movies, try:
–When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep
–You Are the Apple of My Eye
–Cafe Waiting Love
–Hear Me
–Starry Starry Night
They vary in quality, ranging from good to very good and more, but none are anywhere near as frustrating as TW-dramas. There's lots more out there, but I need to still watch them myself (Honey Pupu, Taipei Exchanges, Beautiful Crazy, Blue Gate Crossing, The Most Distant Course......). If you don't want just rom-coms, I'd go through the films of big-name filmmakers, Ang Lee, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang, etc.
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windsun33
May 29, 2015 at 4:40 PM
I have tried to watch about 20 T-dramas, and I think finished 2 or 3 of them. Most are just so totally sappy, silly, shallow, and boring I wonder if anyone in Taiwan watches them.
Mainland Chinese dramas are usually even worse, though Divorce Lawyers is not too bad. But due to all the censorship and "state guidance", they are far too often just really bad. The "historical" dramas are the worst, I don't think I have looked at a single one that was not full of ridiculous stunts. There is a reason why K-dramas are more popular in China than Chinese dramas.
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Jon G.
May 29, 2015 at 5:02 PM
I think many idol dramas from Taiwan are popular for exactly that reason: being idol dramas. They are much more honest and straight forward with that than K-dramas (where even idol dramas still pretend to have actual characters and a story to tell).
Mainland Chinese dramas ... sigh. Most of them have no concept of episodes, dramatic composition, or any other narrative structure. It's strange how pre-produced shows can be even worse in this respect than K-drama live-shooting shows. I hate the voice acting in the "dubbed" dramas (which seems to be done by the same handful of voice actors/actresses in a style that was outdated 80 years ago).
"Divorce Lawyers": I checked in on that one when it was here mentioned here in comparison with the Korean SBS weekend show. I was surprised by the rather watchable quality. Good actors in a few roles (and a lot of really, really bad ones, of course), good live voice acting, and a more down-to-earth and much less preachy story than the K-drama. Still not much of a structure or anything, but I managed to watch it to the end. (It also helps that I could watch the final episodes without subtitles and, in contrast to K-dramas, actually understand what's going on).
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Because of Reasons
May 29, 2015 at 7:24 PM
I've been contemplating Divorce Lawyers, and if two of you say it's decent to watchable, which is about the most I hope for from a cdrama, then I'll give it a go. Thanks!
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Amilia
May 29, 2015 at 5:34 PM
My all time favorite TWdrama is [i]They Kiss Again[/i]. I don't know that it would be your type of thing, but I love it to itty bitty bits and pieces. Mainly because it's about making it work, not will-they-won't-they. A confession and a wedding did not magically turn our lead couple into different people, and all of the things that kept them from being a couple through 20 episodes of ISWaK are all still in play.
She's still insecure. He's still stoic. She's still a flighty romantic. He's still embarrassed by public displays of affection (private displays, though -- hoo boy *fans self*). She's still dim but enthusiastic. He's still brilliant but laconic. But they do both still love each other, and they are both invested in making their marriage work, and I love watching them work it out.
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Because of Reasons
May 29, 2015 at 7:28 PM
I got so frustrated by ISWAK (it seemed to spend so much time with no real story development, just going over the same ground) that I didn't even dare to try the sequel. I do want to finish ISWAK someday though; I've gotten so close to the end it feels like it would be a shame not to complete it. Eventually. Thanks for the reminder about it!
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Amilia
May 30, 2015 at 4:05 PM
While I found TKA to be delightful, and ISWaK something to be gotten through in order to get to TKA, that does not necessarily mean you will agree. Many of the frustrating things from ISWaK are still there. It is still slice of life/plotless. And like I said, the characters are still the same people. So if Xiang Qin drove you nuts before, she probably still will. I readily admit its flaws, TKA just hits all of my kinks.
If you do decide to go back to ISWaK, you're probably fine with just skipping to episode 19 and catching the last 2 episodes.
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cynkdf
May 29, 2015 at 10:46 PM
Not a rom-com but an interesting, funny and touching family Tdrama set in the 1960s and 1970s - unfortunately I can't find a site with Eng subs for "Story of Time" starring Tammy Chen, Leroy Young, Megan Lai and Tender Huang.
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jamie
May 30, 2015 at 12:26 AM
Murphy's Law of Love - currently watching, the lead woman impressed me as " competent adult professional women" and she doesn't act like a 2yr old, so far.
Summer's Desire (2010) had an heroine I found to be strong and overall good acting.
cdramas - Empresses In The Palace is supposed to be and I p;an to watch it. Bu Bu Jing Xin has lots of fans, I dropped it after 20+ episodes mainly cuz I couldn't root for main couple anymore, but I thought it was good overall.
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Because of Reasons
May 30, 2015 at 11:06 AM
Somebody else recently record Bu Bu Jing Xin to me, and two or more recs means it goes on my to-try list. Thank you!
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37 korini
May 29, 2015 at 12:26 PM
Happy weekend to all! How are you doing? A bit frustrated I see. On the contrary to the general sense of discontent, I'm quite pleased this period with my hobby (and by hobby I mean korean drama).
I love every Mon-Tue Let's Eat 2. It's truly excellent. By episode three I had gotten over every comparison with the first series and I'm enjoying every moment of it. Especially of course the main couple.
Hwajung is also very interesting and for anyone with little knowledge of korean history, the politics are kept to a minimum. Though I admit that I haven't given to the drama the committment and attention it deserves. But I will.
"Heard It", I'm saving it for the day I decide to act my age and education and watch something more sophisticated. (Though I see in the thread "gruppie-like-enthousiasm" from its viewers).
I'm still sad since I will not get to see again our lovely couple from Falling, but tend to mend my broken heart with my one and true love, Joo Jin Mo. Oh, I do love him...
Continue Ex-Girlfriends. Fun and refreshing acting, though what's up with the Noona? All of you are annoyed by the second girl in Warm and Cozy. But the "Noona" is driving me insane. In general the script is... peculiar with problems but boy, can these kids act!
Warm and Cozy: I adore it. Normal rom-com, fun, lovely couples (I do love both of them), so I don't need anything more.
Producer: I love everything you do, Cha Tae Hyun. Welcome back to the dramas.
Mask: OK I watched it. Melo with a twist, actors above par, great writer, but... WHERE ARE YOUR CHEEKS, Yun Jung Hoon? Eh?
And a last comment for My Unfortunate Boyfriend. The thing I hate most in dramas is being cheated. This drama never promised to be something unique or extraordinary. It stayed so far faithful to the story, No Min Woo was good and the lead female star, Yang Jin Sung, proved after this and Bride (and her cut role in Secret) that she delivers. Give the girl more roles.
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38 katasu1996
May 29, 2015 at 4:12 PM
So, I was wondering if anyone else was watching My Unfortunate Boyfriend, and was feeling like the Writer/PD cheated them out of what viewers expected the show to be: cute, quirky, weird, I don't know, DIFFERENT. Because this show is starting to take a very typical road with all the twisted fates between characters, and Min Woo's character not getting to be weird and crazy. I thought it was going to be a love story between an ordinary, ambitious girl, and a weird, childlike boy, but it's not really that at all, and if you watch the show, you'll see what I mean. Too many company politics and too many tragedies involving the main leads. I'm really sad it turned out this way.
On the bright side, there's Producers and Ex-Girlfriends Club to look forward to which is always quirky and fun.
BTW, is anyone watching Missing Noir M, which I find riveting and all together awesome?
Happy drama watching!
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nasalhazel
May 30, 2015 at 11:27 AM
I ended up really like Missing Noir M, although the first two eps were a little rough and felt sort of forced. I love it when Hacker Girl gets to leave the house and get some fresh air!
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sunnyl
May 31, 2015 at 5:36 PM
My Unfortunate Boyfriend was cute and funny in earlier episodes, but later it became so meh. I am with you -love Producers and EGC, and Missing Noir M.
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39 hawoojinruinedme
May 29, 2015 at 7:20 PM
Kyaaa! Ex-Girlfriend Club!!! I’ve only been lurking in the OT in the past weeks for EGC comments, but I really need to express my love for this show this week because Ep 7 happened and my shipper heart is all over the place right now.
At first I tuned in to EGC because it was such an easy and fun watch, and I love watching the girls’ growing camaraderie as each episode passes. I’m actually a little sad that, so far, Soo-jin is still somewhat being treated differently by the 3 ex-gfs, and sometimes is out of the loop while we see the 3 being chummier together by the day, but I do understand that she is the most outsider of the whole group as far as Myung-soo’s past loves are concerned. Also, I guess selective camaraderie is still far better than 5-way catfights and hair-pulling, no matter how hilarious that was.
The show was all hijinks and laughs until Myung-soo’s flashback in Ep 5, and the show’s been giving me the feels ever since. That scene was a really great scene and I love the gradual changes of the ex-gfs’ facial expressions as they listen to MS’s story.
That scene also gave us a look into MS-SJ’s past in MS’s POV (!!!) because he’s mostly been a cipher feelings-wise before that and I love that we’re now given access to what he’s sincerely feeling and thinking at any given moment. ESPECIALLY IN EP 7!!! Kyaaaa!
I don’t want to give too much spoilers since many must not have watched the latest ep yet, but suffice it to say that ep7 is overflowing with sweetness it might kill you. Enjoy!
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Anna
May 29, 2015 at 8:33 PM
I squee with ya! i just love the comedy! And yes, i get the feels for our OTP too!
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-Liz-
May 30, 2015 at 11:02 AM
Oh maaan. EGC has got me rolling on the floor laughing my ass out. The ex girlfriends together are always a riot. MS and YJ are adorable together. And yes the equilibrium shifted the moment they showed that flashback in ep 5.. Thooooose feels <3
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40 graey
May 29, 2015 at 7:46 PM
Oh man, vacation ends a week from now. Sigh. Sigh. But Joong Ki is back!! And I can't get Reset out of my mind.
WHO ARE YOU: SCHOOL 2015 - I love this drama! KSH rocks! She's so awesome. Whether it be Eun Bi or Eun Byul, she tugs at my heartstrings. It's so painfully satisfying. And I never ever thought I'd be shipping EB with Tae Kwang. I'd normally be rooting for the sweet friend(not really?) with the non-dyed hair. But I love everyone(no, not you, So Young. I can't even put a yet, yet). And I get glimpses of Kim Min Suk!!
CRIME SCENE - Huge thanks to the beanie/s who talked about this last OT. It's too bad that there's only 18 eps from 2 seasons. Sigh. Waiting for the next ep. But the subber, bumdi, is so awesome!
THE GENIUS - I stumbled upon this while watching CS and it's just as awesome. Especially now that Liar Game(manga) has ended, I'm so happy I found this. But I've only seen 2 eps because of WAY.
5 DAYS OF SUMMER(or is it SOMEr?) - I'm not a fan of WGM but I've watched some eps and this is like JTBC's WGM without missions and stuff. I think it's a new show and I'm only watching for Hong Jin Ho. I think I've become a fan of Kong. :)
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41 d-x2
May 30, 2015 at 12:02 AM
I'm on my last summer before I start medical school, here comes 4 months of dramas, dramas, dramas!!!
Also if anyone has any subbed variety recommendations I would appreciate it very much!!! Producer has got me yearning for that variety fix!!!
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dkaoru
May 30, 2015 at 1:30 AM
1n2d :) hahahha
Running Man
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d-x2
May 30, 2015 at 11:52 AM
Watched ALL the episodes of both sadly </3 Thanks though!
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42 MarlyP
May 30, 2015 at 3:59 AM
Just have to add that Ex Girlfriends Club is absolutely hysterical! I wasn't that impressed with the first episode but it got so much better. It's hard to write good comedy but the timing has to be just perfect for the actors to pull it off and this group of 5 is pulling it off so well. It's not just about the main leads but the whole supporting cast is so on point with their comedic acting. Please give it a try you won't be disappointed .
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damianna
May 30, 2015 at 5:21 AM
Yes, people, watch exgf club and you won't be disappointed. It's the only drama I look forward to the most every week. Byun yo han and song ji hyo are so amazing together. I love their friendship and the way they always know what the other feels. But please, say how you feel honestly, instead you both. Can't wait for ep 8!
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sunnyl
May 31, 2015 at 5:31 PM
There are many shows that I enjoy currently. Among those my fav is PRODUCER and EX GF's CLUB!
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43 nasalhazel
May 30, 2015 at 11:24 AM
Need a simple yes or no NO SPOILERS!!
Orange Marmalade ep 4: haven't read the source material, but is that really the direction it goes? I might like this more than I thought I would.
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44 Lord Cobol
May 30, 2015 at 9:28 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/30/us/killing-over-grades/index.html
"Son killed mother in argument over college grades, sheriff says"
Don't let ANYBODY in Korea hear about this, especially Min-Joon from School 2015.
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