That was a fascinating exercise. You guys should see my desk, it's littered with post-its where I've jotted down notes and questions. What a nerd. Anyway, here are my rambling thoughts on Friend the film and Friend, Our Legend, the drama.

WOW Moment:

Someone may have mentioned this, but it didn't click if so...I didn't realize until now that the film and drama were directed by the same person! There are just so many scenes that are completely identical, frame by frame. I believe this director got the best do-over opportunity in the world because in my opinion, the film is very good but the drama is brilliant.

Nagging Question:

What led Joon-seok to follow Hyung-doo in the first place? Why did he chase after his car and commit himself to him? Is it simply because Hyung-doo was assuming command from Joon-seok's father? I wondered about this in the drama, and it wasn't explained in the film either, unless I missed something. There's a scene when they're all still children playing at the docks when Joon-seok is introduced to Hyung-doo by some random gangsters driving by. But that's it, until much later when Joon-seok is a drug addict and meets Hyung-doo in his father's house then impulsively runs after him as he's leaving.

Very Cool Fact:

The same guy played Sang Gon in the film AND the drama! I confess to squeeing about that a little bit.

Best Scene (in both)

The moment after Dong-soo tells Joon-seok that he's going off on his on, and then walks away into darkness. Literally and figuratively just walks into complete and total darkness. I've got chills just thinking about it. Not only that, but Dong-soo decides to break away from Joon-seok on the very day that he needs him the most. "Dong-soo, now I'm an orphan." He didn't know at the time how true that statement was about to be.

Actor Comparison

Dong-soo - Hyun Bin took that role and made it his own. I can definitely see the influence of Jang Dong-gun and of course, the character of Dong-soo was fleshed out about 1000% in the drama, but I'm having a hard time thinking of another actor who so completely and utterly transformed himself the way Hyun Bin did. He terrified me and broke my heart at the same time.

Joon-seok - Yoo Oh-sung was wonderful. I honestly think I preferred his Joon-seok to Kim Min-joon's, although I think KMJ was very good.

One of the things I loved most about the drama is that we get to see how strong the bond between Joon-seok and Dong-soo was and how that bond came to be forged, which makes it that much more gut-wrenching when it's broken. In the film, JS and DS don't really seem to be all that close, so their separation doesn't feel quite so tragic. The closer relationship in the film seems to be between Joon-seok and Sang-taek.

Something else I appreciated in the drama that didn't happen in the film is that, only later (when it's much, much too late) do we see that Joon-seok did occasionally try to prevent Dong-soo from going down the same path. What we do see in both is that when Sang-taek comes to Joon-seok wanting to run away to Seoul to live the carefree life of a young gangster, Joon-seok scolds him and sends him right back home, saying that he wished that just once in his life someone had done the same for him. But to Dong-soo, he never verbalizes the same advice. He merely interferes every time Dong-soo gets in a fight, telling only Jin-sook that the reason he does so is because he doesn't want Dong-soo to be injured and risk losing his boxing career, which is his only hope of escape. How different might both their lives have been if he had just spoken up and said those words to Dong-soo?

The Women

Non-existent in the film; not fleshed out nearly enough in the drama. I said earlier today that I'd love to watch this whole thing over again, but from the female perspective. I really would.

I'm going to stop here, as I think this is probably the longest post I've ever done on DB. For anyone who got past "That was a fascinating exercise", thank you for sticking with me.

@ langdon813 - lemme jump on that Team Jeremy wagon now... i mean i always had a soft spot for him since his very first scene, but i just LOVED him in this episode. from his giddiness over finding out MN's secret to the grocery shopping and his thwarted hugs to the delight of being badminton partners with MN... all of it. loved it. love him. don't even mind the dumpling on his head anymore. i want a Jeremy of my own now. (this is not saying i don't want me some TK smexiness, cuz really, how could you NOT want that?!?!?) talk about ICOMYM... sigh.

I would post in the YB Ep 11 recap thread but it's like jumping in front of a moving train. I'm just going to hide in the OT like I always do.

All I can say about Ep 11 is...LOVED Jeremy. Uh, that's all I got.

Two beautiful young people, obviously in love but as yet completely oblivious to that fact, screaming their heads off, all of their conflicts and misunderstandings and longing for each other leading them to this inevitable moment. Finally, FINALLY, one of them makes a move. All of this passion must surely culminate in a searing kiss, with hands tangled up in hair, arms tightly wrapped around each other, closer...closer...ever so close, so that now we can see...

Two department store mannequins, frozen in place.

WHAT. THE. HELL.

@ celestialorigin

The more, the merrier. :D

@ cingdoc

You're certainly not alone in watching raws, rather than waiting for subbed episodes. Two of the other women I watched it with (both older than you), who don't know Korean, do the same. And one pretty much knew everything that was going to happen before it actually did. She's not psychic, she just watches a lot of dramas. ;)

@ langdon813
"Two beautiful young people, obviously in love but as yet completely oblivious to that fact, screaming their heads off, all of their conflicts and misunderstandings and longing for each other leading them to this inevitable moment. Finally, FINALLY, one of them makes a move. All of this passion must surely culminate in a searing kiss, with hands tangled up in hair, arms tightly wrapped around each other, closer…closer…ever so close, so that now we can see…

WHAT. THE. HELL."

ROFL!!!! :P
I had the same reaction!
I had already watched the preview, so I knew it was coming. The other three women watching with me hadn't, so they all gasped and squealed at the kiss.

@ cingdoc

ILPK is mostly set in modern times...at a golf resort. Nam Sang Mi is the course designer's daughter. Ji Hyun Woo is a golfer and the resort owner's son.
But a portion of the drama takes place in 6th century Goguryeo with the folktale from which the characters are based. I'm not sure if they've been reincarnated or what, but each ep begins and ends with the sageuk segments, and both stories seem to enfolding simultaneously.

@ockoala, hjkomo, langdon813 (my 3 DB angels) et al

Hi gals, I’m just amazed how y’all find time for OT, family, work, drama etc etc. I have such bad time management that I can’t even finish reading all the posts on OT and JB’s other write-ups let alone post.

I always try to find some time to skim through OT and make sure everyone is well and enjoying life to the full. I will chuckle to myself seeing how much fun and banter y’all have and have a silly smile all the time I am reading.

@223 ockoala
So very happy you have joined Team Park Kyu! I highly recommend Be Strong Geum Soon. Hope you will start soon. BSGS was my 1st daily drama and I bought a bootleg version (confession time) with only Chinese audio and Chinese subs (which I can’t read except for 1-10, moon, star, sky, love, LOL) and I fell in love with KJH! To this day I still plan to buy a set with Kaudio (waiting to see it with KJH’s voice) and eng subs. Even with THAT set I have rewatched favorite parts countless times. Oh, with 163 eps, I had to make a list where my fav parts are, and there are plenty.

And, hope boy koala gets well soon. I imagine him to be as cute as Geum Soon’s boy. :-)

@langdon813
Have you watched BSGS since it has your I lub u LMK? Btw, do you understand Mandarin or you do have to depend on Eng subs? Thanks for the recommendation on Autumn’s Concerto. I am downloading it now and plan to keep and watch it to fill the YB withdrawal void like @epyc.

Re: YB. I am like everyone else ‘angstying’ over this beautiful drama. Yes, me too LOVED Jeremy, he’s my highlight of ep11.

@ simplesim

Be Strong, Geum-soon - it's been sitting at my mom's for 2 years now, I really want to watch, but I'm just not a daily drama type of gal. Someday, I continue to say to myself.

@ langdon-unni

Amen, on that YB episode ender. A kiss is not a kiss is not a kiss - not all kisses are equal and squeal/swoon worthy.

I'm gonna mini-vent here in OT, because I'm just too lazy to read 220 comments in the YB recaps: now that I understand what was said in the episode, I have to re-affirm my earlier rant on ep 11. It was treading ground as all characters continue to do the same things they did in earlier episodes - and becauses its been done before, it loses its impact here for me!

MN loses her hairclip (check), TK finds hairclip and surreptitiously returns it (check), SW prepares for big reveal at fancy restaurant (check), HY gathering intel on MN from the stylist (check), TK dragging MN away (check), TK-MN cute scene and conversation rife with hidden meanings (check), Manager telling TK about MN's supposed feelings for SW (check) - and many more.

And honestly, I enjoyed this episode of YB, it's not bad, but this is what happens when the expectations from the earlier episodes have set the bar so high. Also, I would compare this to the MFL situation of re-treading of plot devices (butler/not butler, hair clip/lose hair clip/find hair clip), but here it bothered me even more, because my god these issues should be resolved and we can move on to the unresolved bigger fish in the pond.

Anyhoo - I've been a total drama nazi this morning - calling my sister and going, "have you started, have you started watching Tamra? you have to watch, I need to talk to you about it. I need you to understand why I love it so. Park Kyu, gahhhhh!!!"

@259, simplesim

Hey there, long time no see!

I have not seen BSGS yet...I do intend to one of these days, I just have to work up the courage to tackle it! I have 3 weeks off in December (not that work really ever gets in my way, honestly. As evidenced by my constant presence here at DB). But I'm thinking that might be the perfect time for it. Spending that much time with my I LUB YOU sounds like the perfect activity for the holiday season! Plus, there's the whole Kang Ji-hwan cherry on top of the cupcake. :-D

I do have to rely on English subs unfortunately. And I'm glad you're enjoying Autumn's Concerto! I ranted about it earlier this week but I think I was just in a bad mood. I'm enjoying Vanness a lot.

@ hjkomo

"WHAT?!?!?!?! Fox cancelled Dollhouse?!?!?!
With all the crap that’s on network TV these days?!"

Yesh, they cancelled Dollhouse - it wasn't my fave Joss, but even my least fave Joss show/episode is better than 99.9% of everything else on TV right now.

And I'll definitely put CITC on my to-watch list. But I have another saguek ahead in line......hee hee, I bought Damo!!! And it's arriving shortly and I can settle into my comfy nest and watch it on TV and experience its glory. I've heard too much good things about it not to be giddy with excitement.

re: YB (of course)... haha so i know this really has not much to do with the plot but i loved when they were in the grocery store and were recreating all their endorsement CFs. and jeremy is obviously SO excited while TK and SW are like, omgwhy!? and their ramyun dance was so funny!!! i rewatched it a bunch and you see TK trying to not laugh at that scene. and then the Angel Chocolate with TK looking really model-esque, SW looking like he couldn't care less and then there's darling Jeremy with a serious face promoting the chocolate (well this is what i'm assuming he's doing since i didn't understand it haha). And MN loving every bit of it. And the entire supermarket trip you just see TK scowling in his hoodie. HA! <3

Have you seen these new pictures, hjkomo?

http://www.kbs.co.kr/drama/chuno/hunting/index.html

I call it "Two Beggars and a Princess."

I like the third picture where Jang Hyuk playfully pokes Oh Ji-ho with a stick and grabs Lee Da-dae, and then the fourth picture, OJH has grabbed the stick and the girl (like a "oh no you didn't"). Tee hee, I snicker. Hope this is no foreshadowing of the plot (though in the final picture, you can kinda tell - kdrama photoshoots aren't exactly too cryptic).

The Chuno photoshoot really reminds me of the What Happened in Bali photoshoot - in that its just the leading actress with two amazing guys (with no one else from the drama involved).

It's already out?!
http://www.dolljoa.co.kr/front/php/product.php?product_no=11&main_cate_no=1&display_group=2

@ ockoala

Ep. 12 was better. :D

"Have you seen these new pictures, hjkomo?"

Most definitely.

I call it “Two Beggars and a Princess.”

I like X's description of their wardrobe - the Southern District Tenant Slave Spring-Summer Collection.

There's a whole group of Chunojummas waiting to scrub the dirty fellas down.
The plan was already set in motion months ago. Care to join us? ;)

@ langdon813

I forgot to ask - was Sang Taek's role prominent in the drama?

Me! Me! I wanna be a Chunojumma!!

I think my eyes just melted.

Ahem.

@265, hjkomo

Sang-taek was very prominent in the drama, and he and Joon-seok were very close (Dong-soo and Sang-taek, not so much). But in the drama, Sang-taek and Joong-ho were clearly in the lower echelon to Joon-seok (Boss) and Dong-soo (Second Boss). The most symbiotic relationship in the drama is between Dong-soo and Joon-seok, absolutely.

@ hjkomo

Okay....takes off my team Park Kyu sticker and headgear....I'm a newly certified Chunojumma!

I also have to hike my behind over to Soompi's Chuno forum, like you said, everyone is there and I'm wayyy behind the curve.

Also, my description pales in comparison to Mr. X's. Where I can buy the collection for ockoala hubby? Does it come with either JH or OJH's abs, or at least their ab regimen?

And don't start scrubbing without me, okay, promise?

As for YB episode 12, yes, I agree, it was better......than episode 11. And I think I was too kind to episode 11, SW pisses me off, and the way epi 10 ended, it was also just like episode 7, except with people around. Sorry, I adore YB, so I am angry at myself for being annoyed with it. Sigh, I'm being a nitwit.

As for Chuno, you know, I'm totally not fangirling over how hot, or sexy, or intense the leading men are (which they are), but what gets me is how GOOD the drama potentially can be, and how the trailer is already giving glimpses of it. I'm excited about the drama, not about any star on screen, but about meeting the characters and their stories. Which is why Chuno is a win already, it's gotten me hooked with pure honest-to-goodness story.

@ langdon813

Grab a loofah. :P

@ ockoala

I can't agree with you more on Chuno. The eye candy is just a bonus.

(cont'd) @ ockoala
Okay, I lied. The eye candy isn't merely a bonus. It's drool heaven. :P
Plus, the youngest male actor is what...28?...with the rest in their 30's, so we ICOMYM Club members don't have to feel like perverts. Win-win! ;)

Of course, it's Chuno's story that hooked me as well. I love that it's not about the glory of some King or Queen or country...it's going to show the bleakness of the human condition and the wretchedness of these poor souls caught up in the turbulence of the times. Add to that, a beautiful and tragic love story, kick-ass action, and great directing & score...and the cast is full of great actors (and my reservations about Oh Ji Ho have lessened a bit). Ah, it's so hard waiting. 55 days left!

Hurry up and watch Damo...then join us with CITC. :)

Btw, SW was better today. :)

@ langdon813
In response to the question you asked me elsewhere -
While watching YB yesterday, one of the people I watched it with (who is from Korea) mentioned JGS's bridgework and how the general consensus there is that he looked better without it and that it makes his facial expressions too stiff. This led to a discussion about the prevalence of plastic surgery in the entertainment industry (even with men)...so much so, that it's not even noticeable on most because the baseline so-called "natural" look of comparison has changed....and only the "extreme" cases are noticeable now.

So, today, while watching YB 12, I was getting distracted from the story because I kept staring at his side profile. ;)

@ hjkomo - at the risk of sounding dumb, what's the bridgework you're referring to on JGS? do you mean he got his nose done? This is my first experience with JGS so i don't know if his features looked different before.

Almost finished with YB ep 12 raw.... and there are parts where i'm just like WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?!?! WHY DO I NOT UNDERSTAND KOREAN?!?! it's very frustrating. like, i THINK i know what's going on based on what i already know of the story and characters and where the story is headed...but still, not knowing what is actually being said is supremely frustrating to me. cannot wait till JB's recaps so that i can stop the guessing game haha.

Wait, there was a girl in those pictures?

Huh. Must have missed that. :-D

@ hjkomo

Laughing at my earlier post where I answered your Friend question. My husband kept trying to talk to me (while I was trying to ignore him to post my reply), Rereading it now I realized I used the word drama about a dozen times. ;-)

Oh my! I think I have to pin the badge on again.

If Shin-woo had been like THIS, I don't know if our prickly Tae-kyung would stand a chance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhl91Q6n_N4

Look at that grin!

@ cingdoc - i watched it raw and it really killed me not knowing what was being said and just hoping that my interpretation was right haha.. but i just read JB's recaps and it helped a TON... now all i gotta do is wait for the subs... apparently we're not allowed on viikii during this period cuz the subbers can't sub? i had NO idea and was confused as to why the page kept freezing. and when it FINALLY loaded i read all the messages that said for everyone to keep off viikii or they would stop subbing. i got scared and bolted.

Oh lordy, cingdoc, sounds like you're as frightened of the YB recaps comments section train as langdon (and myself) are. ;-) OT feels very safe and warm to me.

@ hjkomo (and langdon and samsooki)

I found something even better for Chuno

http://english.kbs.co.kr/Entertain/EntertainmentGallery/view.html?No=275

It's in English, and the first picture is......Rain in Ninja Assassin-like.

Anyways, my favorite captions are a tie between the following:

"He showcased his impressive abdominal muscles, grabbing the spotlight."

and

"The profound look in Oh Ji-ho's eyes raised everyone's expectations about his role."

@ ockoala

I was wondering why the choco-abs pics weren't on the official site.
I recommend checking the soompi thread. The Chunoholics and Chunojummas there are so quick to find all relevant information (and pics - there are more!). *wooh...need to cool myself down now* :P

@ lovenyc52

Yeah. I wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't been pointed out to me yesterday, and I kind of wish it hadn't...because that's all I see now.

@ langdon813
"Oh my! I think I have to pin the badge on again."

My dear, I've had my badge pinned on since the first ep. He is scrumptious! :D
Thanks for the goodies. After hearing him say that he gets recognized on the streets by schoolkids these days but not by adults...I feel even more pervy. :P
Other tidbits: He thinks his eyes (double eyelids) are his best feature, and he would like to play the bad boy in a future acting role. (Yes, please!!!)

Another funny bit about yesterday at my house - someone said, "They can have Tae Kyung. We'll take Shin Woo!" and we all laughed in agreement. Then, at the restaurant scene, when SW was practicing what he was going to say to MN in the mirror, the comment was - Nice pants!
Like I said, good times... :P

@ ockoala - the YB comments section really is scary!!!! after i finished reading the recaps it was already at like 20 comments, and then after i commented i was #39... it's ridic. i will be staying here in OT where it's nice and safe :) i have to agree with you that ep 12 was better than ep 11 cuz some stuff is FINALLY getting resolved (ok not resolved persay, but i feel it's moving again. there's a light at the end of the TK/MN tunnel that's beginning to shine!) but how come SW pissed you off? i'm just curious cuz i actually liked him more in this ep when he didn't have perfectly controlled emotions. i hate to compare, but when he's that perfect he reminded me of quiet gentle rui (oguri shun's rui, not KHJ's bored face jihoo) and as much as i adored rui, i loved him most when he got angry. angry rui = hot rui :) hence angry SW = hot SW

See, I had the opposite reaction and wondered why they dressed GMN up like my 90-year old granny. From the neck up...ravishing. But unless that was meant to be a costume, that dress was seriously fugly to me. And the cardy? OMG! Was she being punked?

@ cingdoc and langdon813 - haha i think i fall somewhere inbetween you two about the dress. neck up, gorgeous. neck to waist - eh. can do without. but i absolutely loooooved the skirt of the dress with it's asymmetrical ruffling. but it just goes to show that the characters' inner beauty shows through the clothes. even when MN is in her sleepwear, the beauty of her pure heartedness shines through. i may be just a tiiiiny bit biased as i actually like the actress PSH and have zero fond feelings for Uee haha.

I do covet those red polka-dot pj's GMN was wearing when she woke up to see Pig Rabbit. I'd look for similar ones online right now but I'm almost to the point of holding my eyelids open with my fingers, so I think I'll go to bed and resume this conversation in tomorrow's OT.

Night all!