[And now for Dahee Fanel's comprehensive take on the past year! --javabeans]

First of all, I’d like to bow my head in deep gratitude to Javabeans, the highly esteemed writer of this blog, for inviting me to post a few thoughts here. I hope she won’t regret her decision after reading what I have to say, hehe.

2007 was an interesting year, at least for me, particularly when it comes to Korean dramas. I’ve watched dramas on a regular basis since I was old enough to walk and talk (I am, after all, Korean), but I’ve never undergone such a transformation in terms of how I approach dramas as I have in the past couple of years…although I suppose you could argue that it’s turned me into nothing but a picky bitch. (But weren’t you always a picky bitch, Dahee?)

Still, despite my pickiness, I managed to watch quite a handful of dramas this year, although I certainly didn’t manage to finish them all (blame school and the crappy work that some PDs and writers dish out, putting off viewers like me). In fact, I watched so many, I can’t possibly talk about them all here. So I’ll just pick a few notables and dish out some kudos, as well as one or two boos. Because boos are just as fun as kudos, if not as well-received.

DAHEE’S SONG OF THE DAY

Jo Kwan Woo - “천년애” (chun nyun ae), from the soundtrack of the drama The King & I. [ zShare download ]

In which I am embarrassingly long-winded

Tags: Coffee Prince, Dae Jang Geum, Dal Ja's Spring, Devil, guest bloggers, Insoon Is Pretty, King and I, Legend, Madam Ah Hyun Dong, Mixed-up Investigative Agency, My Man's Woman, Surgeon Bong Dal Hee, Taereung National Village, Thank You, Time of Dog and Wolf, White Tower, year in review, Yi San

Filed under: Drama Reactions & Reviews by Dahee_Fanel - 40 Comments →

[And now, please give your warm welcome to guest blogger Thunderbolt, who shares with us her year-end review! --javabeans]

Has this happened to you? You’re reading a book on the bus or train and all of a sudden you burst out laughing. Everyone’s staring but you can’t stop grinning. And all because that line you just read was so unexpectedly funny.

Here’s another scenario. You’re watching one of the hit kdramas of 2006 and after being entertained for the first eighteen episodes or so, you’re down to the last few episodes. And though you had been warned that it was going to be draggy from here, you had no idea how draggy. So now you’re climbing the walls. Your mood’s so foul from the plot shenanigans you want to hurl two cartons of rotten tomatoes at your TV screen.

That was my 2007. A year where I laughed and cried my way through dramas so good they made me even more of an addict. A year where I watched stuff that people were raving about and I shook my head and said, “Something’s seriously amiss with me because I. JUST. DON’T. GET. THE. HYPE.” I raved, I ranted, and just like that, a year has gone by. Here’s my “hits and misses” (how original a title, right?^^) roundup for 2007.

THUNDERBOLT’S SONG OF THE DAY

Uhm Tae Woong - “사랑하지 말아줘” (Don’t love me) from the OST of Devil. Singing must run in the family. (Older sis is the “Korean Madonna” Uhm Jung Hwa.) [ zShare download ]

And it comes with a video! Live performance by actor/singer Uhm Tae Woong:

Thunderbolts gems and head-scratchers >>

Tags: Dal Ja's Spring, Devil, guest bloggers, Legend, Mixed-up Investigative Agency, Surgeon Bong Dal Hee, Thank You, Time of Dog and Wolf, White Tower, year in review

Filed under: Drama Reactions & Reviews by thunderbolt - 55 Comments →

A month ago, I asked y’all, How was 2007 for you? I was thinking of the year-end wrap-up I would be writing, and wanted to see how you thought the dramas were this past year. I’ll be rolling out my year-in-review posts over the next few days (because one post just isn’t enough!).

I also am THRILLED to be presenting a couple guest bloggers, Thunderbolt and Dahee Fanel, whom I’ve asked to join me in this 2007 retrospective. (I’ll be putting up their reviews in the following posts.) Not only are these ladies extremely well-versed in the art of Ye Olde K-Drama, they’re both also chock-full of witty, interesting, opinionated insights about ‘em. We’re also not afraid to contradict each other and are perfectly fine with having dissonant opinions. I hope you’ll enjoy their thoughts as much as I do.

As an added plus, they’ve both seen a bunch of the dramas I missed, so we’ll be able to cover a wider breadth of material. As none of us could be accused of brevity, between the three of us, we’ve have got 2007 covered. Possibly a couple times over.

SONG OF THE DAY

Bubble Sisters - “사랑을 찾아서” (Looking for love) from the OST of Mixed-up Investigative Agency.
[ zShare download ]

Let the rambling begin! >>

Tags: Coffee Prince, Dal Ja's Spring, Flowers For My Life, Mixed-up Investigative Agency, Que Sera Sera, Story of Hyang Dan, year in review

Filed under: Drama Reactions & Reviews by javabeans - 55 Comments →

Lately, I’ve noticed something about the dramas I’ve been watching, which is that I’ve been finding — more so than the big dramatic romantic turns — that the most affecting, moving moments are family-related. There’s just something that Korean dramas do that captures family elements so well. They don’t try to make you cry with the SADNESS! and ANGST!, but with little heartfelt moments.

Whenever I read an article about the reason for the Korean Wave/Hallyu’s recent popularity, there’s a mention about the focus of family in kdramas that set it apart from their more sensational, sexy Western counterparts. While not all kdramas are family-related, there often are very strong family undercurrents, even when the main story is about crime, about the workplace, romance, whatever.

It’s not exactly a drama, but there’s an episode of the sitcom Nonstop 5 (episode #244) that shows a perfect example of what I mean, in a bite-sized, 20-minute package. Watch it after the jump.

SONG(s) OF THE DAY

G.O.D. - “To My Mother” (어머님께): This one’s a repost from the mother-related Flowers For My Life episode. [ zShare download ]

Tim - “To My Father” (아버지께) [ zShare download ]

Read more and watch the Nonstop 5 “Family” episode >>

Tags: Bad Family, Dal Ja's Spring, Feelings, Flowers For My Life, Nonstop 5

Filed under: Drama Reactions & Reviews by javabeans - 32 Comments →

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I was listening to the newly released OST for the new show Hello! Miss, which is cute and lively to match the cute and lively show itself. I’m a big fan of music (could you tell?) and drama soundtracks, because I think the songs used in a show do a tremendous job of establishing the atmosphere and reinforcing emotion. Sometimes music is overused or badly applied; but when it’s used well (see: Soulmate, Que Sera Sera), it enhances the experience significantly.

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SONG OF THE DAY

KT Tunstall - “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree”
This was played in Hello! Miss’s Episode 3, briefly. KT Tunstall must be gaining popularity in Korea; Sunday’s episode of Que Sera Sera also included another of her songs, “Suddenly I See.” (Or is she more popular than I think? I always find it weird when someone you know about when they aren’t famous suddenly becomes famous.) This song plays briefly in the scene when Su Ha and Jung Sook start their first day of work. [ zShare download ]

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More songs (and comparisons) after the cut!

Tags: Dal Ja's Spring, Hello! Miss, soundtracks

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 13 Comments →

Episode 22: “Spring Comes Again, Flowers Bloom Again!”

If I had to sum up Dal Ja’s Spring’s last episode in one word, it would be “lovely.” So many sweet, funny, lovely moments! It made me laugh and cry, but did so without exaggerating any overly wrought drama, which I appreciated.

Dal Ja, I’ll miss you. So, in honor of this wonderful drama’s end, I have three songs for you today!

SONG(s) OF THE DAY

Eun Young - “Shim Jang” (”Heart”), often used between Sae Do and Seon Joo, such as in the yellow-rose proposal scene [ zShare download ]

Park Hye Kyung - “Sweet Lover” [ zShare download ]

Pearl’s Day - “To You of Mine,” theme song [ zShare download ]

DAL JA’S SPRING Final Episode >>

Tags: Chae Rim, Dal Ja's Spring, episode recaps, Lee Min-ki

Filed under: Drama Recaps by javabeans - 55 Comments →