Dramabeans » Air City http://www.dramabeans.com Deconstructing korean dramas and kpop culture Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:21:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 The Year in Review, Part 4: The Rest of 2007 http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/12/the-year-in-review-part-4-the-rest-of-2007/ http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/12/the-year-in-review-part-4-the-rest-of-2007/#comments Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:00:21 +0000 javabeans http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/12/the-year-in-review-part-4-the-rest-of-2007/

Yes, my last post was “The Best of 2007,” but rather than put up a Worst list, I’m lumping them all together with The Rest. Not all the dramas I’m mentioning here are bad; they’re just dramas I watched that didn’t belong in the Best list.

SONG OF THE DAY

War of Money OST – “알 수 없는 일” (unknowable thing) by Sweet Sorrow [ Download ]

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]]> http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/12/the-year-in-review-part-4-the-rest-of-2007/feed/ 52 Air City: Episode 16 (Final) http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/07/air-city-episode-16-final/ http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/07/air-city-episode-16-final/#comments Mon, 16 Jul 2007 00:35:57 +0000 javabeans http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/07/air-city-episode-16-final/

Wow. Everything I say in this post will probably be surprising, because the finale of Air City — which took me this long to finally see, due to general lack of interest — in an unexpected turn, didn’t completely suck. Actually, it’s the first episode I liked since Episode 5. Nobody is more surprised than me.

See, I’m not a horrible mean hag who enjoys tearing down other people’s hard work. I am completely able to give props where they are due. I want to give props and I’m pleased to finally have some to deliver. And despite an overwhelmingly mediocre run, I think the writers pulled out a nice finale. Then again, perhaps this benefits from having absolutely no expectations left — they’ve been pretty effectively crushed by the last ten installments. But I wasn’t annoyed once this episode, which is rare enough for this drama.

SONG OF THE DAY

Wanted – “사랑이란..” (Love is… / The thing called love) [ zShare download ]

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Read the rest of Air City: Episode 16 (Final) (1,321 words)

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]]> http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/07/air-city-episode-16-final/feed/ 28 Air City: Episodes 14 & 15 http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/07/air-city-episodes-14-15/ http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/07/air-city-episodes-14-15/#comments Mon, 09 Jul 2007 06:05:54 +0000 javabeans http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/07/air-city-episodes-13-14/

Oh man. You don’t even know how many times I was going to quit recaps on Air City. I’d firmly decided to finish what I started, so I had no intention of quitting… and every time I tried to get through Episode 14, I was THISCLOSE to giving up. It wasn’t necessarily awful. I was just bored to death — I’ve been checked out of Air City for a while. That’s another reason I was considering quitting, because I’m sure it’s no fun reading a recap written by someone who had no fun watching the show. But since I finally finished the episode(s), I might as well write them up.

SONG OF THE DAY

Dynamic Duo – “살인자의 몽타쥬” (a killer’s montage / portrait of a killer) [ zShare download ]

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Read the rest of Air City: Episodes 14 & 15 (1,551 words)

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]]> http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/07/air-city-episodes-14-15/feed/ 12 Air City: Episode 13 http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/07/air-city-episode-13/ http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/07/air-city-episode-13/#comments Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:16:50 +0000 javabeans http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/07/air-city-episode-13/

SONG OF THE DAY

Verbal Jint – “Favorite.” Somewhat new hip-hop/rap artist who has a track with Tablo and Mithra Jin of Epik High. [ zShare download ]

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Read the rest of Air City: Episode 13 (1,599 words)

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]]> http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/07/air-city-episode-13/feed/ 18 Air City: Episode 12 http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-12/ http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-12/#comments Tue, 26 Jun 2007 23:52:35 +0000 javabeans http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-12/

SONG OF THE DAY

Wanted – “Bye bye bye” [ zShare download ]

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Read the rest of Air City: Episode 12 (1,292 words)

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]]> http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-12/feed/ 33 Air City: Episode 11 http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-11/ http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-11/#comments Sun, 24 Jun 2007 23:29:20 +0000 javabeans http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-11/

Yaaaaaaawn.

Oh wait, is this mic on? *Tap tap*

Ahem. I decided to try, purely as a writing exercise, posting up an Air City summary that was (gasp!) completely devoid of negative comments. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I could do it, and having seen Episode 11, I think I picked a tough one to do, but hey, it’s a challenge.

As a totally unrelated aside, I found out what the phrase “bore you to tears” means. It’s kind of obvious, but I’d never thought about it — but it’s all those tears you get from yawning so much because you’re so bored.

Like I said, completely unrelated.

(Random) SONG OF THE DAY

S.E.S. – “용기” (yong gi / courage). I’m in a nostalgic mood today… [ zShare download ]

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Read the rest of Air City: Episode 11 (1,278 words)

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]]> http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-11/feed/ 24 Air City: Episode 10 http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-10/ http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-10/#comments Tue, 19 Jun 2007 05:40:36 +0000 javabeans http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-10/

If I hadn’t committed to recapping this series, I’d have jumped off the train and stopped watching, if not by Episode 6, then definitely this weekend. I still love Lee Jung Jae to bits, and find his acting is still top-notch in a sea of mere adequacy, but it’s not like I can’t appreciate his hotness in pictures and screencaps, rather than video. Plus I’ve got all those episodes of Feelings (Neukkim) to catch up on, and he’s barely aged in all these years anyway. I’d stop giving myself these self-inflicted headaches, and just read someone else’s recaps instead. Ah, irony.

Eye candy is what Air City has going for it, and in many scenes, I’d find myself zoning out and musing, “He has great cheekbones” (agent Min Wook), “Nice profile” (Lee Jung Jae), or “I like that hairstyle better than the one he had last week” (Min Wook again, and Ha Joon).

Does anyone still watching think this series is good? I’m not being sarcastic (for once), I really want to know.

(Random) SONG OF THE DAY

BAY – “Saturday Night” [ zShare download ]

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Read the rest of Air City: Episode 10 (1,849 words)

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]]> http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-10/feed/ 41 Air City: Episode 9 http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-9/ http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-9/#comments Sun, 17 Jun 2007 21:00:11 +0000 javabeans http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-9/

As an episode on its own, Episode 9 wasn’t bad. It was cute, and there were fun moments between the characters. As a part of the series as a whole, however, I find it odd and out of place. I just don’t know what they’re going for anymore with the overall series. Is it a thriller, is it action, is it romance? It should choose, because although it has elements of all of those, it’s doing a poor job mixing them together.

(Random) SONG OF THE DAY

Younha – “Audition (Time 2 Rock)” [ Download ]

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]]> http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-9/feed/ 20 Air City: Episode 8 http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-8/ http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-8/#comments Tue, 12 Jun 2007 06:10:37 +0000 javabeans http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-8/

Air City, you pain me. Not because you’re bad (you’re mediocre enough), but because the solutions to your myriad problems seem so obvious. Why won’t you use them?

Normally, I just watch my dramas and decide whether I like them or not. I don’t get into the fan culture and I don’t write fanfic. If I like it, I’ll watch. If not, I won’t. But Air City desperately makes me wish I could write for it — not because I think I’m great, but because I see how it could be better and it aggravates me to watch them execute their stories so unsatisfactorily.

I don’t think the problem is the episodic nature of the stories. That’s fine. Air City has taken a departure from other kdramas in its structure and that’s commendable. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to cover a wide range of topics — spies, smuggling, drugs, mob activity, stolen technology. But whether your series is episodic or serialized, it still has to be driven by clear, distinctive goals and motivations. Right now it’s just a jumble of story beats and plot fragments.

Air City has the money, talent, high profile, and premise to be a better series. It frustrates me that it isn’t.

(Random) SONG OF THE DAY

Eru – “돌아와 내게” (come back to me) [ zShare download ]

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Read the rest of Air City: Episode 8 (1,890 words)

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]]> http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-8/feed/ 21 Air City: Episode 7 http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-7/ http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-7/#comments Sun, 10 Jun 2007 17:39:53 +0000 javabeans http://www.dramabeans.com/2007/06/air-city-episode-7/

So, the bad news: Air City is starting to bore me.

The good news: The men are seriously hot. Particulars:

1. Lee Jung Jae pissed off and all hot and bothered.
2. Lee Jung Jae punching douchebags
3. Lee Jung Jae in aviator shades and leather jacket
4. Lee Jung Jae
5. Lee Jin Wook pissed off and all hot and bothered
6. Lee Jin Wook punching douchebags
7. Lee Jin Wook with battle scars
8. Lee Jin Wook with five o’clock shadow
9. Lee Jin Wook
10. Guy who plays Min Wook
11. Guy who plays Ji Sung’s agent friend in Hong Kong
12. Guy who plays Jung Min, even if he’s the asshole who gets Do Kyung in trouble
13. Hot guys packing heat in bulletproof vests

(Random) SONG OF THE DAY

Rhyme Bus – “Music of My Life” [ zShare download ]

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Read the rest of Air City: Episode 7 (1,690 words)

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