10 inches of snow here tonight. Ruined my Friday fun. =(

@ 148 Jessica
Exactly. Painful to watch. Quite honestly, a lot of times, when Asian dramas (especially Taiwanese) bring something up with foreign actors, it's kinds difficult to watch. (Though kinda hilarious when one character's struggling with his English PURPOSELY.)

@ Javabeans
You should make doramabeans.com! I think people should be more aware of the splendid doramas as well. (ex: Hana Yori Dango was amazing, and no offense to BBF (which I DO LOVE TOO!) fans, but I thought Hana Yori Dango was a better adaptation, though I kinda like how the kdrama's sort of took on its own in the midst of the story.)

From the last Open Thread:

@ 98 queen bee

YESSSS!!!! I practically jumped out of my seat when they showed Sunako all glammed up and I was like OMG, see, you CAN be beautiful, you just don’t want to! Haha, I super agree with the Kyohei fangirling. The guys in Wallflower are just like the F4—in terms of looks IMO ^-^ I so can’t wait for it be adapted and cast equally hot guys! (Obviously am suffering from BBF withdrawal.)

Yes, the Wallflower guys are just as hot as the F4 ( or maybe hotter... who really knows). And finally! Someone who understands why I love Kyohei! (Most people say he's too demanding and blah blah blah... No badmouthing my Kyohei!) Though LOL at the fact that he always gets harassed for his looks.
I am also suffering; don't blame you.

Takano Kyohei is to me as Kang Ji Hwan is to Javabeans. Haha.

@ AnitaLotti and others: I guess I'm not the only one rewatching Lawyers of Korea. The fight scene is such a classic between Dae Han Min Guk and Lawyer Byun. i would kill to see the NGs for that scene. I think we should have a thread on our favorite kdrama scenes. Also I love assistant Oh. He was also fab in Get Karl and I only continued to watch that mess due to his weird speech pattern.

Epik High: I am going to try and get tix and I'm in NY. I am so excited since I luv Tablo.

Snow Queen: Thumbs down. It is not only the acting but the pace. It was boring and felt like early kdrama in terms of its style (maybe kdrama 1.5). In addition, I like side stories (banchan) and the side characters and stories were very unmemorable.

@ Sere

ME: “...is that you have to THINK like a Korean, not a native English speaker!”
YOU: "Um, but… don’t you always have to do that when learning new languages? When I write/speak/read in, say, English I think in English..."

Sorry, what I meant about thinking like a Korean, is not doing what I do, which is think of what I want to say, translate it into Korean word for word and then put the sentence structure together correctly....because it doesn't seem to work very well...LOL!

I find doing that over complicates the process, so I'm trying to think of how a native Korean speaker would say the same thing. Does that make sense?

Other than 7 years of French at grade school (which wasn't overly useful), I don't speak any other languages, so trying a language with 5 ways of saying the same thing (depending on whom you are talking to), has proved daunting!

Anyway, I hope you are enjoying learning Korean! Aza, Aza, Fighting!!

I realized a few things tonight, as we watched Soulmate's first 4 episodes.

1. I live in a fantasy world of my own reality filtered by my limited point of view. In a single sentence, "I am parochial."

2. I think, if Soulmate (2006) represents the zeitgeist of 20-somethings in Korea, then I am old-fashioned, out-of-date, and I don't think I'd fit in. I'd not survive in Korea with my mindset and character. I would be ridiculed and embarassed.

3. Maybe I'm getting old?

So Soulmate box set came yesterday, and tonight we popped in the first DVD which has the first four episodes. And I was almost immediately shocked and a little uncomfortable. It was so different from what I was used to, I was a little bit uneasy.

Hard to say more at this point. I can't say that I am loving it. I can say that it is very clever, very well edited and produced, and the series is very provocative, and somewhat interesting, but as of yet, I don't feel anything towards any of the characters. This is a potentially killer blow to the series, imo, but I won't give up yet since we did buy the box set.

In my limited, parochial point of view, none of the main characters deserve my empathy or my time, and I really couldn't understand where they were coming from or why they were all behaving in such a post-modern fashion. I was a bit depressed too, after shutting off the DVD for the night, because based on how I reacted and what I thought, if Korea has changed this much and if everyone in the 20's is basically like these guys in Soulmate, then I would hate to be there - I just wouldn't fit in. I would stick out like a sore thumb, and I would do my best to stay away from people like that.

I just don't work well in a post-modern environment, I don't think. I'm not sure whether Soulmate is one big sarcastic joke, or whether it is a clever puzzle layered for multiple enjoyment, or something else entirely, but so far, it's meaning is too complex and difficult for an old fashioned, myopic simpleton like myself. I'm just not hip enough to enjoy this series, I'm afraid. But, we'll try to watch this over the next couple of days regardless.

-Samsooki

@Kender
I second Nom-nom-nom Kitteh's suggestion. Your uni library,depending I guess on how big your school is & and how large the Asian dept is, should have movies by Satyajit Ray. They might even have movies by Shyam Benegal (the movie Bhumika would be a good choice)or movies directed by Gulzar. Anything with either Smita Patil or Shabana Azmi,actresses who were part of the parallel cinema during the '70s and '80s usually do strong women characters and are amazing actresses (Patil died young, but Azmi still acts today and is a 3 time National Film Award winner). Veer-Zaara is also another good choice (though I have to say the make up in the ending of the movie was pretty bad, but still good solid performances by SRK, Rani and Priety).
Also, while I loved Monsoon Wedding, I kind of agree that it has a different feel than home grown Hindi movies because it had an international target audience in mind when it was made. I don't know if it would accurately depict changing Indian perceptions of women. There haven't been as many great women oriented movies (but one could argue the way new Devdas was made, it was more perceptive towards women's emotions). I mean if you look at Vivaah (with Shahid Kappoor and Amrita Rao) which came out two years ago, people argued it re-emphasized old stereotypes of what a woman should be like. Anyways the topic sounds interesting (and sorry for being so long winded---as you can tell I'm a huge fan :) and good luck with the paper !

On the topic of jdramas, I've been torn on whether I should watch watch Love Shuffle or Last Friends. But after reading the comments, maybe I'll give both of them a go. I'm in the middle of Voice, and I did watch Mei-chan no shitsuji (did anybody else think, "oh this could've of only come out Japan" while watching the first episode?). I kind of been wanting to watch something like one of Kimutaku's earlier romance dramas, but nothing has come close recently (though I am excited for Matsujun's Smile and Maki's next drama)

@Kender
I think that your picks are fine though I do have to agree that its important what type of Indian movies you are picking. I mean to say that Mira Nair veers from the norm and doesn't make Bollywood films. She makes movies about Indians for Western audiences. I think that its a good idea to use her film though because she is an Indian woman who wrote and directed Indian women.That doesn't happen often. And I loved Monsoon. Reha was by far my favorite character. Also, Veer Zaara is a good pick but I have two others that you might want to check out that depict women in interesting ways: Shakti:The Power and Ek Hasina Thi. Please don't get Shakti confused with the original which had A. Bachchan in it. Though this is a great film, it has very little to do with women.
I suppose you want to find movies that have women as lead roles and others that portray women in a certain way or light so here are a few more:

Asoka
Kal Ho Naa Ho
Baabul
Dhoom 2
Sisila
Chalte Chalte (the old version especially but the newer one with Shah Rukh is worth the look)
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
Umrao Jaan( with this I suppose you could watch either version though I suggest the original. I didn't like the latest depiction too much.)
Rang De Basanti
Just Married

This list is by no means extensive, nor is it all that I know or have seen but I think that these films give a taste of the idea of women that is portrayed to a modern India through fantasy. I think one way to go about it would be to look at movies that are considered classics(cult or otherwise) and review their depiction of women(just to narrow the field a bit). It would be really interesting to see what crops up. That being said, Sholay is a great choice that even I want to go back and look at in this light.

Hope you have some ideas and I could be of help. I love would to hear about your research and progress! Good luck!

double posting...oops sorry

@ Sere

Learning Korean is not that hard , its just that sentence construction is the opposite of English. I started learning it but had to stop because my teacher went back to Korea. The only thing probably a non-Asian would have a problem with learning Korean (and other Asian lanaguages) is that some Asian languages have honorifics. We conjugate verbs / different nouns used depending on the age or "position" of the person we are talking with. In my language we only have one set of honorific which is very very simple. However, in Korean language they have three sets!!! (same age / polite / more polite / most polite). This part I have a hard time following when learning Korean.

Samsooki,

I had a feeling that you wouldn't like Soulmate based on...well...your comments on dramas in general. IF you are finding Soulmate a turnoff b/c of unlikeable characters, then stay away from Que Sera Sera--there is nothing redeemable about any of the characters in that drama, and it is as dark as they come (as in gritty dark) in K-dramas I think, and the very ending almost killed me; I don't know how many times I have watched the last scene to recreate the ache it causes (the sadist in me says NOM!).

About Soulmate: I think it is a QSS-wanna be without...wait for it...the soul ;-). It is a lightweight look at modern love in world of multiple partners, fleeting love, instant gratification, and yet, an enduring belief that there is someone out there for us, someone who will not hurt (us).

I have a lot of opinions about Soulmate, but I am afraid of spoilering it for you. If you are looking for morally anchored show, Soulmate is not it. If you are comfortable with moral ambiguities, then you will like it somewhat. It is not a great drama by any stretch of the imagination. I really ultimately stuck it out for that hairband guy (GORGEOUS) and the soundtrack (GORGEOUS).

I don't know if the drama is a representation of Korea--you seem perturbed by whether this is where consumerism-driven urban Korea is or headed--but I think some of the parts of the drama (note that I said some of the parts) do capture the realities of dating nowadays, anywhere in any urban landscape. The choices are vast and the temptations are high.

The best part of watching the show for you is that you are already married. You don't have to hunt in that cutthroat jungle. So yay for that, right?

---
Taohua,
I found Love Shuffle to bedisappointingly bland and predictable. The premise is the friendship of a odd group of friends, but I didn't buy the friendships at all--unlike Nobuta Wa Produce, there was no real tension between the building of friendships. I wouldn't recommend Love Shuffle but it won't be the end of the world if you did try it out.

The Japanese drama line up coming up looks AMAZING. I cannot wait.

@ 156 Nea
I personally LOVE Kal Ho Naa Ho. Preity Zinta did an awesome job playing Naina. Shahrukh Khan, though old, was just a heathrobber. Though *spoilers!* he did end up getting the girl, I still feel sorry for Saif Ali Khan's character Rohit.
And yes, it is one of those shows where's the woman is the lead, (I think all others were supporting, though there are border ones.)

Hm...interesting comments on Snow Queen. Personally, I wasn't impressed with the drama. Perhaps, it was too-high expectations...everyone was saying how good it was and to get your tissues ready, but I didn't shed a single tear while watching it (and I'm usually a bawler). I just wasn't moved by the story or the acting. But then, again, I'm also one who enjoyed Delightful Girl Chun Hyang a lot more than My Girl.

@Samsooki - if you like Sung Yuri, then you should watch Hong Gil Dong...but it's really Kang Ji Hwan that was impressive in that drama. (Sarah, I concede...I'll *share* him with you. ;) )
Also, I don't know if it's been discussed yet, so I apologize if it was, but have you considered downloading the dramas before shelling out the big bucks for the DVD's? Then, you could avoid the Sweet Spy disasters. You can always burn them to DVD if you really want to watch them on your TV. Just a thought. I bought most of YesAsia's library before I discovered the joys of dling, and now I have a bunch of DVD's that I know I will never watch again (and they're now on sale for a fraction of what I paid for them - grrr).

And I second belleza's recommendation of 9 Ends 2 Outs.
@belleza - first high school...now college? Sure we don't actually *know* each other? GO BEARS! :D

@Kender - I also finally got around to watching Legend of Hyang Dan about two weeks ago, and it had me in stitches.
LOL about the Caucasian actors in kdramas...I always cringe at the non-native English speakers that are "supposed" to play Americans. WTH?!

Anyone else watching Ashes to Ashes? (I'm currently watching it on BBC America.) I like it even better than Life on Mars. Keeley Hawes and Philip Glenister's chemistry is great. And the soundtrack is awesome!!! Brings back memories...

@107 My friend and I were trying to buy the album the other day....It was a mess and we gave up. Did you have luck? Any suggestions?

@samsooki
I hate to find that you aren't loving Soulmate but for me I'm not sure when I began to love it. I know it happened somewhere between the beginning and the end. To me I think that because I was looking for a Sex and the City feel, I was so pleasantly surprised that it was mild in comparison, that alot of the other aspects didn't phase me. I hope you finish and your opnion changes. What I can say is that to me it was a show that grew on me but I continued to watch solely to see the development of Dong Wook's character. He intrigued me more than anyone else in the entire show.
I guess for me dramas are like people. There is never one that I like at first glance or meeting but once committed my love for them grows deeper everyday.

@ 161

This season has an interesting line-up.

First, the Rikon Bengoshi team (Amami Yuki, Takenouchi Yutaka, Tamayama Tetsuji, screenwriter, director) reunion in Boss, my most awaited title for the season. The screenwriter's previous works were Iryu 1&2, Code Blue, Big Money.. guess no romance there.. To balance the age average, they casted Toda Erika and Mizobata Junpei.

And the popular Hanakimi Team (Maki and some casts, screenwriter, Producer, director) reuniting in Atashinchi no Danshi... similar concept, Maki surrounded by a bunch of ikemen. Not as an imposter this time but as the mother of those ikemen. lol.

Third, Abe Hiroshi will be reuniting with screenwriter Ozaki Masaya (Love Generation? in Shiroi Haru. They previously worked in At Home Dad and Kekkon Dekinai Otoko.

Another title I've been waiting for is Boku no Imouto, mostly because of Odagiri Joe.

Fujiki Naohito is going to be lead in two non-SP dramas this Spring, Yako no Kaidan and Ikemen Soba-ya Tantei.

Then there's Rinjo, recommendation by Jade Frost, who will be subbing it (with Kazuya_) in English.

Also, Matsuda Shota will be leading in Meitantei no Okite, originally written by Higashino Keigo (Ryuusei no Kizuna).

Other titles would be Majo Saiban, starring Ikuta Toma. It has the same screenwriter,Maekawa Yoichi, as Maou.Of course Smile by Gaki and MatsuJun, Aishiteru, etc.

(damn, I feel like I am spamming the thread. This will be my last post, I swear)

@kender:
For a modern representation of an Indian woman, check out DIL CHATA HAI. The movie is awesome fun, and Aamir Khan's love interest Shalini (Preity Zinta) is fantastic. Here all the characters are urban, from Mumbai, and educated.

Aamir Khan's character Akaash (which means "Sky") doesn't believe in love at all and just likes to have short relationships...until he meets Shalini. Shalini is amused by Akaash's attitude to relationships and just plays along with him as a friend (she is already engaged to be married), and over the course of their friendship comes to show him the meaning of love (obviously they fall in love, and she is engaged--oops).

Also, in that movie another male lead Siddarth falls in love with a alcoholic divorcee (there is a 15 year age difference). So you see an older woman with a younger man relationship, something you don't normally see in Hindi movies.

Anyway, Dil Chata Hai is a great example of the changing representation of Indian urban women.

Another movie you can check out is Karan Johar's latest from a couple of years back, KABHI ALVIDA NA KEHENA. It has a stellar cast (like all Johar movies) and it's about a career woman whose marriage starts to fall apart.

And then there is SALAAM NAMAASTE which deals with premarital sex and pregnancy. It also has the easy-on-the-eyes Saif Ali Khan.

Anyway, between the three or four of us, I think you have gotten a lot of good suggestions.

Also, I just found that YouTube now has full length Hindi movies legally! The bad news--they are the worst movies ever. Anything with Kareena Kapoor makes me want to die.

P.S.: I love how eclectic the readers are on this board. We watch Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Bangla, Chinese, Hong Kong shows and we are from all over the world.

I love how the world is contracting.

Jai Ho! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjN_q8feoa4

Hi all, it's not friday anymore (head desk)...
well on friday i work half day n i live also half day early than JB, so i only able to write now...
Thank you for the interesting discussion about drama, i always follow open thread to see the 'discussion' about dramas and to pick up other interesting dramas that you all recommend

@ sere, can you give me the links to that site also?? i've learned korean from last year, but sadly i only can read hangul but not understanding what it was... i agree with you about learning to read korean is quite easy, i learned it through memorizing a korean song (Hong Gil Dong OST, If to be exact) and i quite grasp the basics in just a week, after that i tried to romanized korean songs, maybe the easiest part was knowing the word and the hardest part was to pronounce it, like k and g or p, m and b, and also d and t. i tried to find a book to learn korean languange, but there are none in my city (there are dictionaries though, but it doesn't teach me how to speak it).
oh btw my email is bheno_bm@yahoo.com

@djes, if you want to watch new dorama, you could watch Mei-Chan no Shitsuji (did i write it correctly?? LOL), mizushima hiro's in it :P
well i also don't like those JE boys idol dramas, except for nobuta, i haven't watched last friends, but reading the comments here maybe i'll try watching it

happy weekend everyone

"@belleza - first high school…now college? Sure we don’t actually *know* each other? GO BEARS!"

LOL Go Bears hjkomo! :D I'm hoping for a meet+greet with Tablo, just so I can tell him "oh please Tah-boo-low. I love you but you went to Stanfurd you silly emo. YOU had no problems!" :D

@samsooki,

"Belleza mentioned it to be akin to the Endless Love series and MiSa / Stairway To Heaven, none of which I have seen. Maybe I’ll change my mind about how good Snow Queen is, if I ever watch Winter Sonata and/or MiSa, but right now, Snow Queen is che-go."

The Endless Love series (and MiSa and Snow Queen) are the shows that I could probably watch again and again. It's never been about the acting or the stories in that sense. I just love the aesthetics and the iconography that much, in the way I love Wong Kar Wai or Shunji Iwai's mainstream work. I love scenes of two shadows against a barn at 9:12pm, or the bittersweet comfort of somebody sobbing uncontrollably beneath a sheet of snow-plough machines swallowing all that salty noise, or the sacred geometry of two timelines meeting adjacent at a chance encounter, against a garden paved like fate. It's not rational; it's even daft. But what I love above else is a director framing an emotional experience, not by a closeup of the actors, but by the shadows of their feet, the slump in their syllables, and the sighs from their predicaments.

I think the only other time that I felt that way about drama was Nobuta wo Produce. Nothing to do with the story. Nothing to do with the acting. Nothing to do with the themes. It was about the beautiful lunancy the director whipped up to frame adolescence in all its magic realism. The meeting between the Good Johnny boy, the Drunk Johnny Boy, and the Horror Girl, upon a dock where anything was possible, and where Tokyo was expressed as bright lights turned on and heady blurs, beautifully heady blurs. The frolic in the ocean, the principal hovering like a good witch, the impossibly silly call+response, how all these construct

"What a life. What a time. What I felt. Then. Gone." That is Nobuta wo Produce. I guess that is how the Endless Love series for me.

Snow Queen works in the familiar Endless Love territory. Most of the sadness is derived from the bonds of friendship, really surrogate brotherhood, and the strain of the parent-child relationship. And there's just enough fairy tale -- true to the Endless Love style -- so that things seem to take on a more symbolic, vaguely "Christian" perspective as the series closes out.

Hyun Bin's acting style in general, especially the way in which he delivers his lines in a kind of "waves of the sea" cadence, conveys both deep inward pride and self-absorption. That may not sound flattering, but it's a positive. He brings out internality into his performances, whether he's a spoiled brat a la his characters in KSS or Millionaire, a confused young husband in Ireland, or here a tortured, self-loathing genius type. Here, he is gentle and saintly, that very gentleness makes his heart further unreachable by most people, because it's deeply sucking off his self-absorption.

Bo Ra senses this and so she cannot take his kindness by face value. I really, really enjoyed Hyun Bin in this role. It's not a original role, but it was nevertheless enjoyable watching an actor playing someone so adolescently, so effeminately conflicted with himself. Yes, most Korean actors cry on the spot, but Hyun Bin is distinctively emo, which is again meant as a compliment. Hamlet was emo too. I would have loved to see an actress like the brilliant Kim Min Jung play the part of Bo Ra; her face comes prepackaged with a smirk, and they played off each other well in Ireland.

In addition, Snow Queen is built on a conceit. If Bo Ra, arrogant and sometimes vicious Bo Ra, must become his martyr to absolve his sins, she must. And in return, in her own angry soul, she can have grace. But, in the meantime, she howls at the walls around her, at her own limitations, screaming out epithets of loving this man, not to seek his love, but to make her own love break through the ice and warm his frozen soul.

Snow Queen doesn't become how love enables them to forgive each other or to recognize their destiny together. Instead, it becomes about whether she can save him, about how fiercely and steadfastly she must love to unravel the buried past and right the people around her. It's about how far she must go, emotionally and spiritually, in order to save him before it's too late. The Snow Queen and Gerda are one. She must free him; she must free herself. And, depending on where you stand with Sung Yu Ri's performance, she did all of that or not at all.

Then again, I like just about everything. Just ask Kobe. ;)

Finally . . .

@Kobe,

Think you guys can take Utah in 4? :D Anyway, good luck in Round One. Bring us home a parade!! LAKERS 4 shizzo nizzo dizzo bizzo pizzo izzo!!!!

I think Open Threads have lately been extremely lively, thanks to Samsooki's participation (especially from his male perspective) that brings the Thread's discussion now almost squarely on drama discussion.

The idea of having a sister site is interesting but it takes a lot of commitment and discipline to maintain a 'live' blog. For this, we must all thank Javabean for her wonderful dedication to make this blog a daily haven for us! My salute to you.

@ Liv and Kendar
Re How to Meet a Perfect Neighbour, I wonder if the writers did this under the influence of Desparate Housewives.

@ Belleza and Nazreal
Our greatest idol, Leslie Cheung - I like to think him as the Johnny Depp of the East.

@ nycgirl
A thread of our favourite Kdrama scenes is a great idea.

well i see somebody discussing hindi movies, the latest movies starring the new bie imran khan, Janne tu ye janne na is lovely... But for me may be hindi movie is so easily accessible , korean movies and dramas in terms of quality wins hands down. I am totally addicted to it, can't stand most of the hindi movie, they are over the top with unnecessary singing and dancing..

Nom-Nom-Nom Kitteh , i so agree with u, however jab with met , the last movie with her ex was great, other than that if any body wanna try hindi movie i suggest AVOID Kareena Kapoor, she is a no.1 drama queen, she sucks ....

Happy Saturday! Still alive? ^^

Cheering on doramabeans!! But true, we need another Sarah! =p

~ Mei-chan watchers: Mizushima Hiro getting married = such an omona thing, right? I read an interview of the two of them, and they're so adorable together, such an awesome vibe just from reading an interview!! <3 SO cute. Love really is in the air; I mean, MIYAVI of all people getting married, I almost fell off my chair in shock.

@Samsooki Re: Soulmate

"2. I think, if Soulmate (2006) represents the zeitgeist of 20-somethings in Korea, then I am old-fashioned, out-of-date, and I don’t think I’d fit in. I’d not survive in Korea with my mindset and character. I would be ridiculed and embarassed."

Huh. Ok, I can't say if that's true or not (I have yet to go to Korea), but I didn't take the characters literally. Sure, they might fairly represent what Korean 20/30 somethings are nowadays, but I think they were meant to be a more universal representation of what young people are (maybe "meant to be" is a bad description...ACK, words are failing me). I mean, I live in a non-Asian country, my cultural background is totally different from of a person from Korea or even USA, and yet some characters reminded me of people I know...sometimes even myself. I thought that was surprising!

I may have been one of those who recced Soulmate and I'm deeply sorry if you don't like it, but even if I didn't like some aspect of it (but totally loved others), I thought it was a must-watch considering how different it is from your average Kdrama. It is so...unconventional imho. Some things (ie the ending, the use of music, the editing) are refreshing.

Anyway, I still giggle madly when I rewatch some scenes (ie when Yu-jin tries to decipher what Shin Dong-wook's text message meant. Can't say I didn't do that once or twice myself. Heh).

@166 bbm
Sure! Be sure to check the pronunciation series. There are like 5 lessons and they were very very useful to me. I had the same problems and after listening to these lessons, everything slotted into place. I still have a bit of trouble reading aloud, but I'm no more confused as to what sounds my mouth should produce, which was my main problem before, but rather why can't my mouth do what's supposed to do. I think that's a thing that a lot of practising might solve.

@164 Kris
Arrrgggh, after reading your comment I added more stuff to my list. *headdesk*

I cannot wait for Toma's first leading project! I saw a few behind-the-scenes pics a few weeks ago and I'm even more intrigued now.

@165 Nom-Nom-Nom Kitteh

Ahhhh, Saif Ali Khan is the reason I started watching bollywood movies in the first place. I saw one by mistake, loved him in it (don't ask me the title. I can never remember them. It was a romcom though) and so I had to watch more. I've started Omkara a few months ago...I know it's a great movie, but meh, I don't want to see Saif Ali Khan as the bad guy.

For some reason, I still like K-movies better.

@170 xiahkixiri

Hmm, I thought they got married in February?

***

Well, huh, I didn't know of the existence of jdramas.wordpress.com Thanks, guys, for reccing it.

@ Samsooki

RE: Soulmate

I sort of felt that way initially because I was a little unprepared for it. But definitely hang in there until the end (it's a short series) and see if your opinion changes.

The whole soulmate aspect is we done and in the end it became one of my favorite k-dramas :)

i have been away too long with no access to the internet mainly by choice. Talk about withdrawal syndrome from BoF. This is big time withdrawal syndrome from visiting this blog. There is so much catching up to do. Though I have a burning question for over a week regarding korean family culture, I will save it for next open thread. Need to keep reading JB's posts and all their comments.

Have a good week ahead.

Watching Cain and Abel Episode 17+18 . . .

You know, if hospitals were really like this, I'd take my chances picking at my brain with a butterknife. But this show taught me this: nobody is more gangsta than K-drama doctors. Thug Medicine 4 Life!!

As villains go, Lee Seung Woo's reasons are just sucky. I agree that everybody in their life has to ask themselves that most basic question "should I get a Neurosurgery Center or settle for an Emergency Care Unit." I know I have, and I'm here to tell you Lee Seung Woo -- let it go man. Let it go. Because either way, your patient is hosed. Here's your real problem Lee Seung Woo. . . You SUCK at being a doctor!! :D Don't blame Lee Cho In that you can't cut in a straight line. I don't even think you should cut your own steak; you'll probably end up slicing off a finger or Chae Jung Ahn's nose. S-U. C-K. That spells "Lee Seung Woo." You suck. At this. End scene.

Cain and Abel's overall writing went back to the carousel-style in Episode 17+18. (And I think at this point, the Kim So Yeon character is just offensive, like in a East of Eden psychology sort of way.) I like the Time of Dog and MacGuyver vibe of Episode 18. And yup I cried buckets when the two brothers have that overdue talk. (The show doesn't have many great scenes, but that was one. It was painful to watch.) I have a really, really bad feeling that Lee Cho In is not going to make it. He keeps letting the crazy guy live. First rule of gangster-medical dramas: you never let the crazy ones go!

@Sere my email is jajones4@liberty.edu. Hotmail has over a thousand messages, plus its the only email I really check as regularly as a slacker like me does. How am I going to make it as a professor? ....I have no clue. Thank you for the information. Can't wait to be proficient!

Also its not necessarily that I don't pick up languages from movies, songs etc. I do and quite well in my opinion but not to the point that I feel confident to be understood by a native.I sing along to all the songs in movies, rap with Mithra and Tablo and love it, but still...I have some friends, acquaintances from Korea and India and I know for certain that what I hear (and say) and what they hear(and understand) is different. That is my issue overall.

@ Every Bollywood responder
I know that some suggestions should be found at a library. I started watching BW 10 years ago because my university library (in NC!) started carrying the films.
The movies everyone suggested are great. I hate I didn't think of some of them. Especially, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna! Loved that movie! I hate movies that condone or gloss over adultery (and divorce for that matter) but this film was wonderful to watch. Saw it in the theater 2 or 3 times. Dil Chahta Hai is my best friend's favorite. Akash made the movie, though Sidd was precious as heck!

As for Kareena Kapoor I'm not a fan but I think that she has improved. I saw Omkara and Jab We Met with her and I have to say I have much more respect and hope for her and her future as an actor. I haven't seen her newest ones like Tashan so this isn't written in stone...its tentative.

Well its a bit late for the friday thread but i just had to speak up ... I usually just lurk. I love this blog Javabeans! Your recaps are often more enjoyable than the actual drama (I still havent finished BBF).
I wanted to know if there are any good websites to learn korean. I've been trying to teach myself on and off for more than a year now. I can understand and read a lot..but speaking is still scary (My friends are korean ... they help a lot).

@ sere and @ Nom-Nom-Nom Kitteh

Omg i love that u guys watch Indian movies ^^... but Indian serials are soo bad.. I cant bear to watch them. They always start our interesting and then become like all other shows out there. K-dramas are so much better (and shorter).

@Nea ... don't watch Tashan... Trust me it's was the worst movie of the year. Yap k drama rocks.. i hope the Indian television industry learn some thing from their Asian counterparts.

BTW can anybody tell me a free site to learn Korean. I have pick up few words but GOD i so wanna be fluent at it. And someday i m visiting Seoul ...... ka ja ..fighting

@178 Aki
Well, I only had a brief fling with Indian movies last year. Oh don't get me wrong, if someone rec me a good one, i'm definately going to watch it, but I'm far more -how shall I put this?- addicted? Interested? To k-stuff. For some reason, they tend to hit all my buttons which sometimes doesn't happen with Bollywood stuff. Makes sense?

**
How I love that some of us are trying to learn Korean!

@Aki and Emeldy
I know of one, but since it has both free lessons and not, idk if it'd be good netiquette to mention it here. If you want to know the url, I'll email you.

@159, 3x Nom Kitteh:

You know, I am okay with moral ambiguities. I see it a lot in American dramas and movies, and I'm not bothered by it.

I thought about Soulmate's first 4 episodes a lot today, and discussed with my wife as we ran errands and stuff. I guess I am not really "into" any of the Soulmate characters yet and so I don't particularly care whether any of them get dumped or go out with 2 people at once, sleep with him or her, or don't sleep with anyone, get married or stay single, etc. Last night, we gave Soulmate four episodes, and so far there's not much redeeming in any of the characters so far. Why would I root for any of them to find or not to find, happiness and/or love?

By contrast, I really, REALLY cared whether My Girl's Joo Yu Rin was able to get out of the web of lies that she had to tell, and I really, really wanted DGCH's Myung Rong to be able to be together with his love. And, of course, I am probably the least of those who really rooted for Coffee Prince's Go Eun Chan and Choi Han Gyul to make it work. I mean, even in the lightweight rom com, Super Rookie, my wife and I cheered (literally, CHEERED) during the final episode. We clapped and hooted and we cheered! It was so much fun (I highly recommend cheering during the last episode of Super Rookie).

Maybe I am a sucker for a simple formula, and Soulmate is too advanced or too complex or just different from what I am used to. But we will give Soulmate another 4 episodes tonight and I'll check back with you guys on what's up.

@161, djes -

I am not positive, but I think by the end of My Love Patzzi, Yang Song-ee has in fact made her choice, the somewhat ambiguous last scene can be interpreted in a few different ways, but I think it is a wrap up scene but not indicative of who she has chosen.

@162, hjkomo -

Yeap, Hong Gil Dong is on my list, and moving up the food chain. After Soulmate, we are waiting on the Snow Queen Box Set, then I will ask my wife to post her thoughts, and we will see if I am crazy. After Snow Queen, I think I will try to get 9 End 2 Outs, then Hong Gil Dong.

The reason we buy the box sets is mostly because we have a lot of friends and family who also enjoy Korean dramas, or who might enjoy Korean dramas, and we can share what we have and also, we can re-watch at any time without worries. Plus, by buying the authentic versions, we are (hopefully) helping to support the Korean television industry.

@163, Nea -

Yeap, we will watch another 4 episodes of Soulmate tonight, and see what's up.

@167, Belleza,

I agree with your analysis. Kiki. Seriously! I am only snickering because I can't add to your statements, so I totally feel like I am free-loading off of you. It's like two colleagues at a work meeting, and one colleague gives a 45 minute presentation of some product launch, complete with color diagrams, powerpoint slides, regression analysis, counter work-ups, and then sits down, totally exhausted. The second colleague stands and then clears his throat and says, "Yes, I agree with her." LOL. :)

Still, your thoughts are deeper than mine. If I had to sum up my thoughts, I would just say that Sung Yu Ri made the character of Bo Ra exactly how I would think Bo Ra would be, given the unbelievably difficult life that Bo Ra has had to lead all her life, and she made the character of Bo Ra loveable despite everything. And so I understood why Hyun Bin's character is connected to Bo Ra; if I were Han Tae-Woong / Han Deuk-goo, I would be connected to Bo Ra as well.

@173, Sere -

I am glad we are watching Soulmate. It is important to watch things that we aren't necessarily comfortable with, at the very least because it exposes us to things that we wouldn't necessarily see. And then we grow, we gain new experiences, new points of view, we learn. We don't have to say, "OMG THAT'S THE BEST DRAMA EVER" every single time we finish a drama series.

And so, right now, with Evasive Inquiry Agency last week and this week with Soulmate, we are "growing" quite a bit. hehe.

***

-Samsooki

@135 Nom-Nom-Nom Kitteh, ahh i LOVED nobuta wo produce.

yeah that it.theend[:

So we finished 3 more episodes of Soulmate. We are now on Episode 8. A few more comments, before I head to bed:

1. The drama is getting funnier, admittedly. The story arcs are crystalizing, and the pace is picking up a little bit. This makes for more enjoyable watching.

And so, yep, I laughed and chuckled at a number of scenes. The writing is quite clever and the performances of some of the characters is very impressive, which is a little unexpected. The dialogue amongst the actresses really reminds me of the rapid-fire signature delivery of the Gilmore Girls. While we can point to the writers and producers for the script, I think most of the kudos have to go to the actresses rather than others. The ability to speak machine-gun lines in sequence while acting and still have the comedic timing... that's really, really difficult. The actresses really make this drama work and I can't imagine how much effort they put into this project in order to make it more than just a rather boring drama. The performances by the women were really great, and I gladly applaud them for being extremely talented in addition to being hard working.

Hong Yoo Jin especially, her timing and comedic ability is really something else. I've never seen her kind of talent before in a Korean drama. Hong Yoo Jin seems born with the comic ability - it is so natural and effortless for her. She has all the tools - physical comedy, ability to snap dialogue, facial expressions... I am really impressed by her. Unexpected, for sure.

Among the men, Ryohei is the standout. Despite his pronunciation being a litle weak and sometimes he slurs his words (lazy) when he has a long sentence to speak, Ryohei is the bright button of among the male actors. I don't think I even cared a single time that his pronunciation wasn't that great, because I was impressed by acting. And he's pretty darn good looking too.

2. Still, after reflection, the series is really not for me. While I can appreciate how good it is (objective view of the series), I think it was really meant to be a cathartic voyeur experience for 20-something singles to empathize, to criticize, to sigh and to laugh. And I just can't relate to any of that. My experience with dating, love, and ultimately marriage was and is nothing like any of the people in Soulmate, and so while I get the jokes and the fun, my interest is superficial at best.

3. I understand that the series is shifting toward the "main" story of Shin Dong Wook and Lee Soo Kyung, but neither of them has done anything yet that makes me feel anything towards either of them. And this, as I said before, is a drama-killer. Has the drama done enough to make me, as an audience member, care whether two random people are destined to be together or whether random chance tosses their shared destiny into the garbage can? No, I really can't say that it has.

In fact, this goes beyond just Shin Dong Wook and Lee Soo Kyung. After 7 episodes, I STILL don't really care what happens to any of the main characters except for maybe Hong Yoo Jin. If in Ep. 8, they all get arrested for a group bank robbery and are immediately sent to jail, and Ep 9 through 22 revolves around new people, then I'm not sure I would mind.

Well, hopefully, we'll finish the series soon and I'll have final comments.

-Samsooki

Im watching Job Well Done right now and I too have fallen in love with it. I can't wait to watch the next episodes. Im currently on episode 6. Unfortunately I can't find anymore episodes after that that have english subs... If anyone knows please respond, Im hopelessly addicted. I really recommend it.

Oh and I got to say Snow Queen is also one of my all time favorites!!!! I watched it in like 3 days which is a lot for someone who gets restless after sitting down for too long...

Love all the drama recommendations. There are just too many to watch.

... i swear i was just scrolling through and saw "Dil Chahta Hain" and did a double take

ahahahaha XD

my family and i just watched rab ne bana di jodi.. it's SO CUTE.. the story's a little faulty, but still.. srk as a geeky man = PRICELESS

i haven't seen any recent hindi movies though.. any good ones out there?

oh yeah and @belleza: you're going to the LA concert, too?! YAYYY!! i can't wait!!!

I just saw the Hugh Jackman & Daniel Hanney interviews on youtube. Hugh's charisma and Daniel's mannerism spoke volumes about themselves. I've liked Hugh for his Wolverine role before but I LOVE him now for his acting ability and personality. His enthusiasm and willingness to attempt to speak/sing Koreans is applauded.
Daniel pales in comparison. He doesn't want to be stereotyped into an American-Korean role. How can he be in a leading role speaking elementary Korean in a country full of Koreans? That pompous dunce...

I will definitely be going to Hugh's movie and catching his appearance on Gold Miss, albeit I'm still weary of Daniel.

@Samsooki

Even though Soulmate is one of my favorite k-dramas of all time, I kinda agree with you about the characters. I didn't really feel much for them or even liked them and I have never enjoyed any other k-drama in which I did not feel for the characters, but that's exactly why Soulmate is one of the best.

@Belleza

We will take Utah in 5. Don't wanna peak too early. Saving my 60 point game for LeBron :D

@Samsooki Re: Soulmate

I totally agree on Hong Yoo Jin. She's actually my fave character from the drama and...She's just great! She's funny, cute, naive, sweet and...can't say anything more, but you'll see soon enough. I empathized with her so much! I also agree on Ryohei.

My main problem with Soulmate is actually Lee Soo Kyung. I thought she was...meh, a bit boring. True, you see her pain and blah blah blah, but I just couldn't feel anything more than mild irritation for her. And *that* is a big problem. I don't know if it's how she's written or how the actress played her...or even her storyline, but whatever the reason, I couldn't root for her, esp toward the ending of the drama, and maybe that's why my enthusiasm for Soulmate was toned down a lot. If one cares for a supposedly secondary character a LOT more than the lead, something is definately wrong, imho.

That said, I still enjoyed the drama. Not as much as I would have liked considering how...peculiar it is, but enough to watch it all the way through. If Lee Soo Kyung were different, Soulmate would probably make it to my top 3 list, but as it is, it doesn't. And that is such a shame! I *really* wanted it to get there for I do believe it's one of a kind. A little gem you know?

PS: another reason why I liked this drama is how it portrayed "soulmates". Whenever I hear that word, I automatically cringe, but the way this topic has be dealt with in this drama was amazing, imho. In this, it wasn't sugary or mushy...if you know what I mean?

@ Sere, thks my email id is emeldy2009@yahoo.co.in , that would be helpful

@Samsooki
I'm all for supporting the Korean television industry, but my suggestion to download was not as a complete replacement for buying the boxsets...merely as a substitute for watching online or, say, renting from Netflix...or as a means to watch 1 or 2 episodes to see if a particular drama is your cup of tea. I still buy the boxsets of the dramas I really like...but would've liked to have avoided buying dramas that were a waste of both time and money...*cough* Freeze, Say You Love Me *cough*. ;)
Also, watching them as they air allows one to participate in entertaining discussions in real-time...which is half the fun for me.

I am not in my 20's nor single, and my dating experience was nothing like the characters' in Soulmate, but I thoroughly enjoyed that drama. It was fresh and entertaining...a departure from clichéd same-old, same-old dramas of yore, yes, but more importantly, it was well-executed. There's nothing like trying to do something different and then failing miserably.

Okay, so my wife and I sped through the remaining episodes of Soulmate, and we watched part of the last DVD which had the extras (just interviews of the actors). Anyhoo, I have a new favorite actor of Soulmate: Joo-Ho. He played a similarly silly character in DGCH, and my guess is that he plays a lot of side characters because he's not the typical lead type of physical specimen. HOWEVER, he had two absolutely great scenes.

1. The scene where he explodes from being a stupid younger brother into being an older brother who protects his sister - where he and his sister are in a department store and they run into Philip and Min-ae, and Joo-Ho says something like, "hey, Philip, you should be able to tell the difference between a fake beauty and a real beauty." That was kick ass, about as cool as you can get. Mut-jaeng-ee.

2. The scene where he is standing at the top of the steps and scolds both Soo Kyung and Dong-Wook for just making a mockery of everything, and again, shows himself to be much more than a silly younger brother. Sort of makes me think that perhaps Joo-ho should have been cast as Soo Kyung's older brother, not younger brother.

***

Comments on Soulmate. Okay, I have confessions first. I didn't like it at all in the beginning, and I was all set to rip this drama apart, but then, around episode 8 or 9, all of sudden, I started to like the series. And, yes, as I said before, it was very well done. I really liked the way they went back and forth chronologically. The clever editing made sense and I thought it added to the story. And while I still didn't care that much about the characters even at the end of the series, I have to admit that the drama was quite fun to watch and I enjoyed the drama a lot more than I thought I would. So, I was wrong and so all you guys who said that Soulmate was really good, you guys were right. Soulmate WAS really good.

Other comments: I can't say enough about Hong Yoo Jin. If not for her, Soulmate would have been boring. In the post-production interview for the DVD, she notes that she was the first actor cast for Soulmate, and I can totally see why. She really makes Soulmate fun to watch and she was just awesome. On the other hand, Shin Dong Wook and Lee Soo Kyung were a little disappointing - they were adequate, but I wasn't that impressed by them. Finally, Kim Mi Jin, Jang Min-ae, Ryohei, Jung Hwan... they all did really well. Jang Min-ae has a kick-ass body. Really, kick-ass. And her and Joo-Hee's signature move (raising their hand and saying, "Do Chun" was pretty slick. If I were a high school or even a college student, I would fall for that in a heartbeat.

But in the end, I have to say that as slick as Soulmate was, and good of a job as everyone did, it just didn't fit that well with me. The series is very post-modern, and I am not sure I agree with the general thinking of the series.

-Samsooki

@hjkomo Re: Freeze

Oh OMG, I thought I was the only one who watched it! A friend suggested we'd watch it together and all I can say is, thank the heavens it was shooooort! I mean, there were a couple of nice scenes, but...ack! The whole thing was...ACK! I don't have words anymore.

@Samsooki.

Re: Joo-Ho
The scenes you mentioned were the ones that made me re-evaluate that character. Still, as much as they were good and touching and showed a different side of him, Joo-Ho was much too naggy for me. I mean, he's a great younger brother, but as a potential bf and esp a potential bf to Yoo-jin? *shudder*. Sure, there might girls who fall for the silly act and the constant nagging, but I woulnd't. I know he's a sweet guy, much better than others portrayed, but for some reason, he was one of my least fave characters. The actor is great, though.

Re: Sa Kang/Hong Yoo Jin. She was amazing! amazing! You know, I'd like to watch more dramas with her, but I'm so afraid my love for Soulmate's Yoo-jin might be tarnished for some reason. I know it's an irrational thing, but...I can't help myself. I so wanted a blissful typically-kdramish happy ending for Yoo-jin, if you know what I mean?

I'm glad you liked Soulmate all things considered. Even though it wasn't exactly your cup of tea. May I ask what do you mean by "general thinking", if you don't mind me asking? What exactly didn't sit well with you? The concept of soulmates? The dating scene? I know you've already said that your mindset is so different from the characters', but I was wondering if there was something else that bothered you.

@192,Sere:

Nobody starts out in life being perfect and mature and fun and interesting and responsible and trustworthy. Very few people that I knew back in the day had it altogether in one package at age 25 (or whenever). Everyone else (including me) had major issues - pyschological, emotional, historical, biological, genetic, circumstantial, religious, familial, financial, educational, career-wise, etc. issues, whatever, of varying degrees. Nobody is perfect in their 20's.

Joo-ho showed sparks of being a really, really, really cool guy. Most of the time, he didn't, but a few times, he did. And that means a lot to me because potential is what we hope for, is the reason we are optimistic, why we dream. It is enough for me, to see that. I had (and have) my reasons to dislike the character (he WAS annoying, he was a little troll-ish looking, he was a bit on the stupid side). But once I saw the potential of how cool he could be, then he immediately went from being annoying to being "potentially really cool." And I didn't see that from most of the other characters.

A bit of history about me. When my wife and I first met, it was somewhat of a mini-scandal, since I was going out with one of her best friends at the time. Then I broke up with my gf and a short time later, I more or less randomly met up with my wife-to-be again, this time in a different place altogether. Then my ex-gf got married to a better guy than me and my wife-to-be was part of the bridal party and I had to show up at my ex-gf's wedding and boy was that awkward. If I could go back in time and just shoot myself before I got on the plane, it would have been better for everyone.

Anyway, my point - my wife went through a lot to stay by my side and then again, when I stood by her side when things were rough between my family and her family, and all of that wasn't based on the person that I was at the time (I was such an immature and pretentious dork), it was based on the person she could see inside of me that one day, hopefully, I would become.

That's what living is. Living is about love and hope, and not about "destiny" because destiny implies that a perfect "fit." There isn't a perfect fit, because we are always growing, always changing. Even if there is a perfect fit, it is a temporary thing because people change.

If we are mature enough, then at some point we realize that what we have to do with our lives is work and improve and use our strength and our mind and our heart to make ourselves into the kind of people that will fit for those we care about.

And so the drama, Soulmate, really didn't explore that at all. While it was clever and slick and well-produced and funny and interesting, it didn't explore what it means to be mature enough to make a relationship work. And in my opinion, it gives people the dangerous idea that there is a single 'right' person out there. I am NOT saying that the idea is wrong, but it is still dangerous because it is like tossing a set of car keys to a 16 year old no-nothing kid and saying, "this car is the right car for you." Yes, that car may be the right car for that kid, but that knowledge alone is worthless and dangerous because the kid doesn't know anything, doesn't know how to take responsibility, doesn't know how to drive properly, doesn't know that cars can kill people, doesn't know about drinking and driving, doesn't know anything.

-Samsooki

Yeap. As usual, JB- the voice of reason.

Ironic a bit, no? considering 200 lb beauty? I take a position of "what's the message" and Sere glosses the message for the beauty and fun of the story and the characters. LOL. Oh, we are all failed creatures. :)

Well, we are fresh out of dramas at the moment. Waiting on Snow Queen and Hong Gil Dong to arrive, and I cannot find 9 End 2 Outs except by bootleg or as a Region 3 box set, and I am scared of picking up any of the tear-jerkers like the Endless Love series. Waiting sucks!

On the other hand, East of Eden is playing on one of the three Korean channels we get, and we've been watching that on and off. There's also another korean series that is currently on television. I don't know what it's called but if someone can help me get the title, that would be great.

So far as I can tell, there is this kind-hearted good woman (looks to be about 32 y/o) who is married to this guy she loves. This guy is part of a rich family, and this guy is a total tool. He has had an affair with this dreadful slime ball of a woman who apparently will not let him go, and showed up at the airport with a kid in tow who she claims is the guy's child. Anyone know what I am talking about? I've seen bits and pieces of a few episodes now... it feels like a daily drama given the low production values, but it is still interesting....

-Samsooki

JB (and Sere, and whoever else):

I am having a good deal of problems right now trying to express myself. I'll try my best to fix that.

1. My initial issue with Soulmate was that I never empathized with the main characters. Even towards the end, I didn't have a deep-seated interest in whether Yoo Jin or Soo Kyung got the guy, or whether Ryohei got Min-ae, or whatever. So, I think, from a "do I like it" perspective, Soulmate fails because I never got to the point where I was living and dying, depending on what happens next.

2. But maybe as you say, the reason I didn't get that empathy was because of the way that Soulmate was produced. It was made in a light and frothy way, perhaps designed as a situation comedy. And so, it wasn't meant to make you live and die, but just to be entertained and delve lightly into issues of oon-myung (fate/destiny) and whether there is such a thing as a soulmate.

3. So, I should review, judge and think about Soulmate in the way that it was designed to be. And in so doing, I find Soulmate to be well-done, clever and slick. Not a favorite of mine, but certainly well done and some of the actors like Yoo Jin really were special.

4. On the other hand, 200 lb Beauty was designed to be a romantic comedy, light and frothy, but it specifically and intentionally dealt with a controversial issue through a rather mechanical incorporation, and it is that incorporation that had (and has) people up in arms.

5. Can we take 200 lb Beauty as a standard romantic comedy, and gloss over its (intentionally flippant?) incorporation of a dramatic device that could be seen as pushing plastic surgery as a means of making your dreams come true?

Apples and oranges, perhaps. But I only meant my statement in a superficial sense, and not to seriously jab Sere (and others) for their passioned replies on an earlier thread.

****

As for Hong Gil Dong, I am keeping an open mind. If it is like DGCH, then I am guessing it will have plenty of heart, and that will probably be enough for me. I didn't particularly love DGCH, mostly because the story arc got mangled a bit, but that doesn't mean I didn't appreciate DGCH quite a bit and like it as well.

Still, it will be Snow Queen first though (whenever it gets here). Not that my wife's opinion means any more than any one else's, and not that my wife's opinion is being sought to change other people's minds, but I do hope she will post her feelings about it. I sort of feel that if my wife agrees with me, then I will feel like I am not crazy. (But if she agrees with JB and the others, then maybe I will still think that maybe all y'all women are threatened by Sung Yuri's beauty. :) oh yes, I did. yeah, that's right... it's on...)

-Samsooki

Oh boy, it seems like whenever I open my big mouth, a big discussion follows. *headdesk* Sorry guys if I've asked the question and then disappeared, but... damn therapies! *shakes fist*

"I take a position of “what’s the message” and Sere glosses the message for the beauty and fun of the story and the characters. LOL"

I swear when I read this, I was v surprised. One, I've *never* commented on the looks of any of the characters of Soulmate...I was talking about their feelings and their personalities (at least, that was my intention. It's entirely possible that I messed up the words and what I said was actually the opposite of what I was aiming for, but...*re-reads own comments* Huh, I don't think so?). If anything, you brought up the topic "beauty" (Min-ae's body, Joo-ho's "trollish" face). Two, I had a specific problem with 200pounds beauty and I think we've established that already just as JB said. True, the discussion and the whole thread turned into "plastic surgery, good or evil?" thing in the end, but well, I'm glad we talked about it. Also? After writing all this, I've realized you probably didn't mean that comment to be taken literally. *headdesk headdesk*

"While it was clever and slick and well-produced and funny and interesting, it didn’t explore what it means to be mature enough to make a relationship work."

I actually thought it did? For a sitcom aimed at 20s it did, in a light way, that is, but you can't expect much more than that from a sit or rom com imho. Shin Dong-wook and Lee Soo-kyung realize that it's not the time for them yet and maybe that'll never come and that they're not mature enough so they part ways even if that is painful. The way I see it, even the other relationships showed us a lot of interesting things: for example, a) your first love may not be the last b) betrayals may happen and we got to see what the consequences, both ways, c)being what you think your significan other wants you to be doesn't necessaraly means he'll love you, etc.

***

Re: Hong Gil Dong
I'm glad JB warned you. I dropped it. I think as first segeuk was maybe a little too much for me. LOL I thought it was too slapstick for me, the political machinations were too boring (but I wasn't used to them so my opinion on this is kinda skewed), and I had problems with the female lead, BUT I may have to give it another try: I really like Kang Ji Hwan and after seeing Jang Geun Suk in a totally fluffy flick, I want to see more of his character on HGD. Still, be cautious, ok?

**

PS: Thanks for sharing so many things about your personal life here! *huggles*

does anyone know if the "BOF after story" is going to be a music-drama / extended music video only? or an actual special full-episode?

please help, thanks : )

source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ9WL5E_N9k

200 is mine!!!!

(and i have nothing worthwhile to say . . . )