@ ockoala
@ viola

Thanks a bunch guys.Now I have a whole list to go through. :D

I think I got the manga fans all passionate today ! :D
I always manage to stir thing up :P

The one I was reading: Full House Kiss, said complete on it, but it just abruptly ended. There was no way, that was the end of the manga story. Does that happen often in manga's?

I started it , because I thought it was going to be the same story as the drama Full House. I thought that had been based on a manga, or was it a book?

@ockoala: my favorite yuu watase work is actually one that isn't that well known, Imadoki!

I think I've said it before, I have a wall of RIBON and my favorite mangaka at that time was Azuki Ryo. Her stuff could translate well to dramas and anime but never has. It makes me :(

WPinch: Arisa Kawai is a girl at a new school who gets bullied a lot. However, that wasn't always the case. At her previous school she was the bully! One day a previous "servant" (kid who got a beat down), Akina transferred to her school, swearing revenge on her. He found out where she transferred to from this mysterious anonymous note sent to him.... After that, everyone Arisa wronged in life receives the same note to her whereabouts.... and it's payback time.

Seishun Shiterukai!: Is about Usami Rika, a really smart 16 year old who has already finished university in Australia. She comes back home to teach English to students who are yes....her age. Her nemesis happens to be the top student, Sahara who thinks she's way too naive to be teaching a highschool class. Rika just wants the students to enjoy their youth!

I also liked a story she wrote called Anti-Gravity boy, but I don't know how well it would translate. Well, with CGI effects today it's possible!

I think Imadoki could be a good drama too. Unfortunately my favs get pushed aside for some others (I don't hate ones that are picked so far). I liked Hanakimi (the manga), but my most favorite gender-bending story of all time which really should have gotten made into a show... it's called Mint na Bokura by Wataru Yoshizumi.

Mint na Bokura: Is the story about identical twins, one male (Noeru) and one female (Maria) and the crazy stuff that goes down in their boarding school. Maria falls for a boy in a boarding school, so she transfers to be close to him. Noeru is kind of pissed by being told way late and out of the blue; they used to do everything together. So he decides he will follow suit, and declares he wants in on this boarding school. Oh wait... there was one fatal flaw in his plan: there's no more room in the boys dormitory. What's a guy to do? Oh. Go all out. Noeru plucks, stuffs, and wigs up. It's time to figure out who is so great he had to steal his sister. (It sounds like twins that are too close but I never saw it that way, Noeru is just lonely, jealous and clingy) It's a really funny read! I don't want to spoil things but the lead male and second female are just a riot. Yay for manga on OT~

woah I just wrote too much about comics. Aw. I don't really read anymore nowadays (except for Scott Pilgrim) so bare with that freaking huge wall of text.

@ eiko, viola, and gracefulmoonie

Peter Ho's Ouchen is single-handedly the reason I got hooked into Summer's Desire that got me to read the book as well. Barbie Hsu's Xiao Mo somehow didn't convey the gist of her character as in the book but it is not her acting to be blamed but rather the flow/editing of the drama. We virtually have to rely on her dialogues to understand her reason for doing things in certain way whereas the eyes and expression of Ouchen said it all. Too many flashbacks back and forth, unnecessarily, that make wtaching this drama not a very 'smooth' experience. The sudden jump-in of too heavy/light music makes it worse. But PH-OC makes it worthwhile!

Viola and Gracefulmoonie - No girl/woman will not NOT love Ouchen when getting into the second half.

@ George

Agree with what you said - it's hard to get into Tdramas sometimes. They do not have the high production value of Kdramas although I'm not sure how big the budget difference is. Would anybody know? But, given their constraints, good dramas come out every now and then that I would usually watch at least two and three per year.

@ ockoala

Just had a quick read of your four-in-one Season Dramas review - simply brilliant! Thanks for another great piece for us dramanuts. When you have a chance to watch Jejoonwon, let us know if it's good. (Belleza had said something good about it.) I have the DVD but I'm not that into period stuff even JJW is not that 'period' so to speak.

On Little S's interview, I'm sometime shocked to see how 'boundless' her questions can be. I guess censorship is pretty flexible in TW?!

@gracefulmoonie

Uhm, CIty Hall kiss??? Anyone back me up on that car liplock? It seemed pretty full on (so much so that I was like, No WAY, not in k-drama) and made me want to test drive Cha Seung Won's lips (and tongue,, there was TONGUE!!)

@ epyc, T-dramas you would recommend? I've become hooked on a few, but since I'm still in my summer of k-drama catch-up (as in, trying to at least get through the last ten years or so), I've devoted less time to watching T-dramas. Not enough hours in the day, so recommendations are great!

@ Viola, added it, thanks for the link, and I love a good book, so ordered it up from Amazon (not a hope that the local library has it!).

umm has anyone heard about this show K-town??? How do we feel about that? Java or Friday: can we get your thoughts on this debacle? I'm so baffled by it, but intrigued...is it wrong that I want to watch it? Is it wrong that I went to that Peter Le's website...and stayed for a few minutes? Does anyone else plan to watch?

@ gracefulmoonie, Leonardswench

K-dramas have less kissing per drama on average than most recent TW-dramas. SD is skewering heaving on the pet-makeout-tongue kiss contingency,. and isn't indicative of TW dramas having more kissing in general. ISWAK2 has ridiculous amounts of kissing as well.

As for K-drama kisses that are worth their weight in liplock:

City Hallers know I always champion the CH kiss (car one, of course, though the rest are mighty fine) because of the chemistry and technique, and tongue.

But a few others have impregnated OTers, caused self-combustion, and generally needed wet towel revivals:

Coffee Prince kiss (legs around his waist, that's as softporn as it gets in K-land).

Goong kiss (hey, YEH again!, but this one was 2006 when there was less kissing so it was something back then, though a tad less tongue would be fine by me).

IRIS kiss - only thing I watched in IRIS. Lots of mouth movement.

MNIKSS kiss - hello, would you kiss your boss if he looked like Hyun Bin. Hells yeah, and it wouldn't take a bottle of wine first either. Great kiss.

Que Sera Sera

I've heard the last kiss in Cinderalla Unni was worth the wait (PIE can kiss!)

Air City (yeah, Lee Jung Jae can kiss as well).

Time Between Dog and Wolf (and, Junki can kiss, yes he can).

Personal Taste, end of ep. 10 kiss (yes, that LMHMG suddenly learned how to kiss).

Robber (JH and LDH were making out every other episode, fersakes!)

Oh, and Boys Before Flowers.....psych!

Just a few instances where K-dramas clearly have met the kissing challenge.

happy weekend everyone! it's been a tough busy week so the weekend has never seem so sweet!
just wondering, has anyone watched "The Great Gye Choon-bin" from KBS Special Drama that aired last saturday? i managed to track it down, and it was so worth it. it was the most adorable and quirky episode of kdrama i've seen in a while...all thanks to Jung Yumi (whose character was as strange as you can get in a kdrama), Jung Kyung Ho (who does the wussy, sweet male hero so well), and the music was excellente as well! it's well worth it and i highly recommend and this is without even knowing what the heck was being said (i got the gist but was still a little lost). so if anyone knows what the story is actually about, please comment away.

SO did anyone else watch it? did you enjoy it?

I'm in a cabin, there's a HUGE mosquito (my worst enemy! ARGH!) Light's out, I'm pissing off ppl for not sleeping, but the precious manga posts r making be all giddy and smiling like it's back in 1987.

IF I have to pick my fav mangaka it would be hands down Takahashi. Her works are the total package. Hilarious, brilliant, creative, the gags (funny as hell for me back then...and I suspect still), the setups... and I always ended up crying emotional tears reading any one of her mangas. I maybe biased, coz it's also the only mangaka both me and my younger bro love to bits and it's rare. Whenever a new book was out, we made up very silly bets to win for the right to go at it first.

I know it's retarded, when I read Ranma I fall madly in love w/ PChan/Ryoga and Genma/Panda sifu. Throw me tomatoes but I did crush a piggy and a panda. ;) I do not care for Akane, nobody does, even the boys, but w/ all the other interesting characters, who cares? I had a ball w/ everybody else (even her sisters!) I was addicted to its anime, it's post CandyCandy/ Georgie fiasco, and HK TV stations DO cautiously watch their animes before airing and deemed it unsafe for children, it's shown 10 pm and me and my bro never misses an episode.

Has anyone tried watching gumiho? I find it captivating or maybe I'm just amazed by the transformation of the lead. hehe I enjoyed the first episode, the acting by the two young leads is amazing.

@Lenardswench

You asked about Deathnote. I wrote a mini review of the anime a while back.
Subjects discussed: Death Penalty, Ego

Plot : Bored Death God(Grim reaper) drops his tool for killing into the human world. High-school senior picks it up and can now kill whomever he wants anonymously.

Absolutely great first 6 episodes. What would happen if someone could kill all the bad people? How would humans behave knowing that an unseen something was out there able to kill you if you did something wrong? And better yet, What would that kind of power do to you and how can you continue to judge those around you? Looks like the creative team didn't want to go too far down these paths, cause it turns into a Sherlock Holmes vs Moriarty battle for the last 20 episodes.

______________

Tdramas? Yes I recommend anything with Mike He. Why Why Love, Devil Beside Me, Love Contractand of course Bull Fighting is my favorite. Other notables, So I'm Not so Handsome, Queens, Marmalade Boy. Also there are two shows that are Extremely good in the first half and then do weird things so I can only recommend the first 10 episodes. Ying Ye 3 +1 and X Family. Both are fantastic and engaging for different reasons, then they shut down. Ying Ye 3+1 actually completes the main romantic story arc at episode nine but for some reason keeps going. and with X Family after somewhere around episode 15 the number of sub plots and characters gets ridiculous and the main point of the whole things feels lost.

@ ockoala

I agree with the fact that this list of drama had like nice and hot kisses (minus Cinderalla Sister, since that was pure shyte// and Personnal Taste found the kiss boring as well) . Was scunnered to see that we waited 20 ep, for THAT.

What really annoys me so far in our beloved dramas - it's that they (most of the time) don't kiss for the pleasure of just making out. It has to be some big love declaration, or a misunderstanding, or a strategy (but if it's a loveless kiss then keeping your eyes open is usually a tradition) ( yeaaaah I'm pointing you Lee Min Ho in BOF and Eric in Que sera, sera).
I understand that they want to built things up, so that when you have even the slightest holding-hand, you squeal in joy. BUT we're grown-ups, the dramas of today are not those of the early 2000's and even late 90's. So you've got to give us at some point the making-out for the pleasure of making-out.

I'm still infuriated that my beloved Hong gil Dong wasn't a master of french kissing...but that's just me and my Kang Ji Hwan love so whatever...

How can you people miss the kiss(es) in "Prosecutor Princess"? Made of hawt heh.

Just finished watching an amazing Japanese drama called "JIN" which was brilliant - it's about a heart surgeon who ends up getting transported to just before the Edo Shogunate was overthrown. Really good cast of characters and left me wanting a second series.

Recommend it!

@epyc
It takes up Dandelion Family's timeslot, which finishes next weekend, so it's the weekend straight after.
I think me, you and janna should defo watch those first two episodes and then rant or wax lyrical about it on that week's OT. Should be fun.

@eiko
I found a cute little interview of Yeo Jin-gu's, in general I love these 10asia ''My Name Is...'' interviews of rising actors, JB posts a few of'em here too. http://www.hancinema.net/interview-child-actor-yeo-jin-goo-24114.html
(I'm curious as to what put him off aspiring to be Jo In-sung!?)

@Bashful82: You're in luck, because it's likely to have a second season.

@supah: I'm up for it!
Yeo Jin-Goos mom is smart with her clever naming. Woah woah woah....woah. Maybe Jo In-sung is a jerk. hahaha. Out of the mouths of babes!)
"The military...It'll probably still exist even when I get older, right?" ..... :(

@ supah

LOL LOL....cute interview of an immature kid....not quite grown up but aspiring to be somebody one day. Not sure if he's 14 going on 10 right now.???? :-) His wanting to be like Jo In-sung is interesting and he picked someone who is right up there. Now I'm curious and want to check on his acting credits.

@ epyc

I've noticed also that many dramas don't connect because of terrible editing. It goes from one scene to another episode and no continuity and I sit and go....huh? I hate it when there's something going on and then the next scene is different. Example in Spring Waltz where lead actor has just announced the name of the woman he loves in front of guests who were there to hear about his engagement to someone else....he runs after lead female and when he catches up to her, they sit and talk and he holds her hand and tells her to hold his hand and don't let go....then he reaches in his pocket and next scene...lead female is at home sitting on her bed and looking at ring on her finger. ????? What happened? Also poorly done editing in car scenes when they don't check that the scenery behind is different throughout conversations. That always grabs me as major distraction and I watch that instead of read the dialogue!

Aaaahhhh well.....it could all be worse and a disaster....but it's a nice distraction from the real world!

Thanks plenty for always sharing! Have a great weekend......

@ supah

Oi vey....no wonder the name seemed familiar....he was in What Happened in Bali with Han Ji-won! Duuuhhhh.....the finale freaked me out!!!! :-)

@ockoala, now that is an impressive list of kisses, two of which I've not seen yet and will now bump up on my watch list (sorry, been taken over by Bad Guy, you knew I couldn't resist Kim Nam Gil much longer!).

@diadda, perhaps that is why Death Note ceased to do anything for me, although, as I said, my 13 year old and her two Asian-lovin' buddies (in real life, although they are mostly into anime/manga and Lee Jun-ki in any form) are totally into it. Will give it a fresh eye with your review because, of course, I want my daughter to develop some discernment where the movies/dramas/anime/mangas et cetera are concerned. She's already far ahead of her peers in critique due to the homeschooling and free hours that she uses up by absorbing some of this stuff. Death Note was my first anime.

Oh, yes, on T-dramas, my little dimple queen, aka, SS the 13 year old, has already checked out all Mike He fare. He has dimples, you see. But have not seen So I'm Not So Handsome, Queens, Marmalade Boy, Ying Ye 3 + 1, or X Family, now added to list (dually noted that the last two ending episodes may be found lacking).

I am so loving having everyone's input. As I've discovered, I don't always agree (at all, sometimes quite heartily disagree), but I've got about 100 new watches or reads ahead of me, many with little notes beside them, and it gives me a wide range of material to review each day to match my mood. Nothing I hate more than wanting to be depressed (when it is needed for my work, you understand) and can't find something that suitably depresses me that I actually want to watch (some things depress and I won't watch them).

Again, my husband never knows whether he's coming home to Lovers Concerto or Happy Happy Day, but .... that's the surprise of life, no? Today is technically my last re-group day to master edit my new wip, so off to the storyboards for me, I'll dip my toes in later.

@janna: awesome - thanks for that!

---

I think one of my problems with kdrama is the fact that almost dramas are filmed concurrently as they are aired. I can see why that is - so that the production team can respond to what the public likes and dislikes but I do feel this can be detrimental.

If most writers have a clear idea of how the plot and characters progress, then any sudden extension or changes can result in plot lines being made to last longer or suddenly introducing new ideas and characterisations that don't make any sense (e.g. the sudden love between Seondeok and Bidam). Plus, as the entire cast is constantly filming, they must get exhausted - look at what happened with "Bad Guy" and the frantic shooting of the latest episodes to take into account KNG's army entry.

In this respect, I really like the American writer J. Michael Straczynski who created the sci-fi drama "Babylon 5". He actually had a five year plan of how he wanted the story and the characters to progress and he also had in-built traps to take into account any sudden changes (e.g. if an actor wanted to leave, how their storyline could be transferred to another person). This was one of the drama's strongest strengths.

I understand that Chinese drama is very much like Western Drama in that it is all filmed before it is aired. I guess the Western way works in that we know there will be subsequent seasons (if successful) whereas kdrama tend to be one-offs.

sorry, sorry, came back because I have had this thought for a while.

@ eiko, I've often had this flash thought during many dramas with carpy editing that for all of the courage in k-drama to go emotionally where Western material often won't, there are some writers/directors/actors who seem unable to go certain places emotionally, especially with scenes/dialogue that are emotionally discomfiting or have perhaps been overdone to the point it is hard to find a fresh approach, so they skip ahead (like the giving of the ring, the explanation of why they need some help with some scheme, and so on, I've not made a list, per se, but I've seen it too much in k-dramas not to notice the 'jump-ahead' editing as a regular part of most dramas).

JB and GF have pointed it out in more than one recap, as well, so that fast forward editing doesn't serve the dramas well, for the most part.

First of all, it looks sloppy and rushed, as in, the editing staff and director did not take time to properly put the story together. Why drag on so many bits and then skip through so many bits? It keeps the drama uneven and I hate it, myself.

Second, on the occasions when I can overlook it, usually because of the powerful acting of the leads or gripping storyline that ups my forgiveness and tolerance level for the fast-forward editing, it still leaves me a little like "it would have been perfect if ....", so there's still some dissatisfaction even though I've forgiven the ff-edit.

Third, and finally, as a writer, I think it is a rip-off to the viewers. We invest our time in watching these dramas, we all want to love and care about the characters, care what they go through, connect in some way, and when the story is off-kiltered by skipping key moments, key explanations, as treating them as "done" in the imaginations of the viewers, we lose some of our connectivity to the story and character. It feels like they've just cheated on us with a tarty one-night stand. "Oh, you know what happened there," they seem to scoff at us. "We'll insert this insignificant pout/tantrum/stare and that extra view of the Han River and our viewers will never notice." Well, we do notice they're off with the tart, making our story look bad.

I'm reminded of my girlfriend's first book-to-screen adaption, which she traveled to Canada to watch filming, and we all tuned into Lifetime to watch (so excited, squee! for her), and as proud as we are of her work and it being made into a TV-movie, we were all dismayed to see some fairly choppy editing in it. "It could have been ..." became the phrase most spoken in our writer's group. She's reluctantly signed off on two more of her works being adapted in recent months, but her excitement is lower, knowing that the result may be far from satisfactory.

Anyhoo, have to get to those storyboards because, well, believe it or not, they don't write themselves.

O.K. I have a song stuck in my head. it would fit perfectly into most of the k dramas out there. Only one word in the lyrics needs to be changed, from whiskey to soju.
Every time I here it I swap the words while I'm singing in my car. Now, I can't hear it without thinking of my favorite K drama couples.

Any one else feel the same as me? :D

Lady Antebellum: I Need You Now :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlj6Fwel_R4

@ 28 leonardswench

Thank you for your input. Always appreciate getting feedback and can appreciate what you have shared.

I've helped with writers in going over their rough drafts and am always in awe at how they can keep their presence of mind and thoughts flowing. Inspiration is quite an awesome feeling.

Yes korean dramas won't go where the american soaps will.....either way, I groan at not enough or too much. Human nature....I go back for more of the drama because I find it interesting, fun, different, and change of pace. It's also a challenge in focusing because reading english subs and watching facial expressions can be difficult and then getting the gist of the drama itself at the first shot can be mind boggling. :-)

Heyy, did anyone watch "Over the Rainbow" yet? After 4 years, it's still my favorite drama ;) If you watched it, please tell me your opinion of the drama

@ lessaofpern

Hey....love that link!!!! Thanks!

DeathNote stuff: I had never read the manga, but was aware of the anime. Ultimately I just ended up watching the movies because it wouldn't destroy my free time. If I had the time, maybe I'd consider watching the anime.

It truly is a good thriller that dives deep into the human psyche. You know, considering the drama Byakuyako (not a childrens watch at all) until a few years back in Japan you could literally get away with murder - as long as you made it through the time limit on those cold cases. Even case trials in Japan have a revamped system; things were just not working too well for their law and order. This show put a bad spin on murder (welcomed, of course! it doesn't solve your problems) but at the same time had a greater purpose of pointing out the flaws in the legal system.

From what I read about the movie, (after watching it) some events occur differently than the manga/anime. One instance clearly shows the paranoia Light had bottled was boiling over the edge - he'd pretty much do anything -anything- to cover his tracks. However his character isn't so crazy to be unbelievable, his firm sense of justice was clear - he wanted to be his fathers son. His life revolved around the police, he thought he was right - he sought justice. Unfortunately, he was just a man who couldn't control the power at his hands.

@ eiko

If I'm really into a drama I will watch the raw first, before I watch the subtitled version. Sometimes in the rush to read the subtitles, you can miss the actors micro expressions.

@ lessaofpern

I'm smiling.....cause you are right on that one! I will watch raw and I look at facial expressions and listen to tone of voice. There are some words I might catch and understand so I get the gist of it.....am always tickled when I watch with english sub. I'm doing that with Definitely Neighbors.....I'm following it on internet RAW and at episode 33. ON local station it's playing on Mon/Tues but only at episode 16 or 17 so I'm having fun seeing the real dialogue (or someone's interpretation of it). many times I'll laugh and say.....oh, that's what he said! The awful part is when an actor or actress makes me cringe because they can't emote and it makes me groan....like Daniel Henney in Spring Waltz. And I won't go there.....

@janna
Gloria: it's a date!
Jo In-sung must be really baaad if a child like YJG was turned off him. I'm so curious.
I was doing my usual browsing on youtube, todou etc to see if anyone's posted any cute new Giant-related MVs and stuff. SBS keeps deleting stuff - booo! But I found this, can't figure out the majority of what he's saying but he's SO in character here. And we should both be feeling so cruel right now for wanting these two to stay far apart from each other -- how cute do they look together!?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lPzJ1UFYcQ

Loving your dorama reviews. I'm kinda not interested in any of this year's offerings apart from the one you once mentioned Tofu Shimai - the semi-animated one with Yuriko in it, and that starts airing in a couple of weeks. There's a new MatsuJun one out soon but it's not really y'know... grabbing-me-and-shaking-me-saying-I-have-to-watch-it-or-the-cat-gets-it, y'know?

@eiko
Yeah, he's a talented kid, he's done quite a lot of projects which is quite impressive for someone so young. And yes, Jo-in-sung is the same guy from WHIB. See, I like JIS but now I'm having doubts, haah!
Oh, and I know YJG was in Frozen Flower, I just hope he's never actually 'watched it'.

@Leonardswench
From the last OT.
I like SSH too, and like all this noise about him being a bad actor? *lalala* Not listening. I loved the earlier episodes of EoE then it just lost the plot, the writing went schiz, and I lost interest, couldn't hang on. But watched the last few minutes of the finale and was left kind of shellshocked. I remember laughing hysterically and that's about it. Sorry dood, just can't make sense of what 'happened' to EoE.

@ockoala
Love the compilation of kiss scenes. I second most, especially City Hall. I've banked Coffee House but have heard all kinds of wonderful things about its kiss scenes.
I loved Coffee Prince but often felt a tad uncomfortable with the sheer amount of ''boy'' on boy action in it, haha!
Fave kiss scene from the whole of k-ent is a bit of a random one but Jo Han-sun and Cho Ji-woo in Now and Forever. Gorgeous kiss, it was like OMG *gasp* heart-pounding kind of stuff. Heart Jo Han-sun.

@ eiko

I was scanning the channels on my T.V. the other day, and stumbled upon Autumns Concerto. I was thrilled because I have heard great things about it. I was bummed because it had no subtitles. I wish they would put English subtitles on the shows that air in America. I wanted to watch it, but I didn't. I hate catching shows and movies in the middle.

I want to subscribe to the Korean channels on our satellite, but I don't think any of the dramas are subbed there.

I'm so excited!!!! I got a big screen T.V. that I can hook up to my computer. Now I can watch my favorite dramas on it, instead of my little laptop. YIIIPPPEEEEE!!! :P

What drama should I choose for the T.V.'s inauguration? Any suggestions guys?
What do you think is BIG SCREEN worthy? I will watch the one with the most votes!
:D

Since we're talking about amazing kisses scene.
I know I sound stuck on repeat sometimes but PEOPLE : episode 9 Que Sera,Sera.
It will blow you mind away.

I watched it when it was airing. And I had an OMO-OMG-WTF moment.

And years passed by (god it's been 3 years ... are we in 2010 yet ? AAAH) and I thought that I got hooked by the hype of the drama. But no, it was THAT good. Yes, it was. Amen.

I know you are all busy, but I do have an actual recommendation for reading subtitles: take a speed-reading course. I had one years ago (as did my sister), and we both find that we were 'trained' to read without 'reading', which means we somehow read peripherally or something and don't miss facial expressions because we are not focused on the words. It drives my husband nuts that I can do this, as he often has to pause, read, re-wind, and watch again and I've blip, finished and am on to the next scene (which Is why I get diaper changing duty during dramas/movies).

Anyway, if anyone has the time/inclination, I think that speed reading course was the key to easy subtitle reading for me and my sister, and may be worth it to you.

@ soulbee, on OTR (Over the Rainbow), yes, I've watched it twice. While not my favorite (no spoilers will be given, I promise), I found parts of it heartwarming and parts of it frustrating. Overall, I felt like there were too many unrealistic storylines (overall story arc), and some of the acting was disappointing, but many of the character's connections were very good. My 10 year old liked it enough to yell at the screen during a key moment of Rex's, and I found myself wondering just how realistic this take on the industry was, as some parts (small moments in the storylines) seemed to really touch the note of 'too-true-to-be-funny". The ending was not what I'd hoped, but I don't regret watching the series. My daughters, both in dance companies (not classes, actually performance groups), know the endless hours of practice, rehearsal, staging .... they got more out of it than I did and is the reason I watched it in the first place.

@ supah, SSH may not be the best actor, but he melts my warm soft parts, all I'm saying!! Gooey ooey fangirly moments, embarrassing in a woman of my age if I didn't have company in that department!!

@ Gigi, loved Ethan's kissing in F2LY, could have had more of it, no objections here!

@ lessaofpern, Congrats on the big screen TV for computer, ENJOY!

@ supah

Would you believe someone forwarded Youtube link for me to watch Frozen Flower and I haven't even checked it out yet? I better do that! :-)

@janna

Death Note is one of those subjects that anyone who watches could write their doctorate about. The movies cut out quite a bit but the ideas were there. Who are you to judge (from both the good and bad sides of things) combined with mind games of Light et.all. makes for deep introspection and external examinations of what you think is truly right and wrong.

It is much more in depth for a manga and anime and It always surprises me when younger kids have attached to it, Teens ok, but the really young ones? What surprises me more is the kids being tossed out of school for having Death Note gear. Several were expelled for having replica "notebooks" in class with "the rules" on them. Most disturbing.

______________

Randomness on the subject of k-kisses.

sometimes a kiss doesn't have to be full and down your throat to be right for that scene. Sometimes a gentle peck can speak much louder and give much more back to the audience. This however is in the hands of the actors and directors.
A kiss that conveys caring and tenderness, not just the heat of the moment(ie. any sleeping scene with the romantic leads and one gently kisses the other) is usually harder to pull off successfully.

If you are trying to go for a passionate kiss and you forcibly slap mouths together with no movement or motion at all...Stupid and unrealistic. but you have actors who won't kiss open mouthed and directors that don't like it and all other manner of nonsense to get through to get a decent kiss.

Also culturally I do not believe PDA is looked upon favorably. So that limits the public interaction chances of a kiss to a forced kiss only in the most critical of moments. We most likely won't get any public make out scenes in these dramas just for the sake of making out. And in private(ie. back at home when no one is looking), well you saw the reaction most recently to Chuno, were a fully cover woman has her bare shoulders and collarbone blurred out. No way we are getting a home scene making out where things could lead to ....heaven for fend.

And if you do go to the land of forbidden fruit there had better be dire consequences like suicide or cancer. At the very least the woman will be pregnant. One of the reasons I love "What's up Fox" is that they don't have the dire consequences and the sex happens up front. Then they follow it with real kissing throughout the show. Yay!

All this doesn't stop me from watching and enjoying rom-com Kdramas and getting excited at holding hands though...I guess i am an old fashioned softy as much as a lust craven ahjumma.

@ lessaofpern

Our local korean tv station shows SBS dramas so I've been really happy with all of them so far. I only subscribe to basic cable which works for me. My tv might be on but I'm not sitting in front of it.

I've got a new 32" screen tv and I'm happy as a lark because my old Tv was 19". I have good sound quality on my Toshiba laptop so I'm happy with it also.

Enjoy your big screen.....it does make a difference! I won't make suggestions because I am having my own dilemna with choosing a different drama....the list is so darn long and half the time I'm looking for names anyway. If I like an actor I look for other dramas.....that's why I like mysoju and how they have set up the dramas with the faces and info of the main actors/actresses.

Have fun!

@ diadda

"I guess i am an old fashioned softy as much as a lust craven ahjumma.""

I sooooo AGREE ! Love the way you put it.
I think it just has to deal with the general atmosphere of the whole drama.
Sometimes you just know that the kiss is gonnae be pure shy%^. The immobile kind of one. And it annoys me 'cuz they'd rather not give us one.
Sometimes I feel that when the kiss is way too crapy, I'd rather have real sweet moments and attentions. And as much as the "lust craven" person I can be sometimes wants more, I just squeal 'cuz they act all lovey dovey.

But when I see that my drama dope of the moment is offering me a fix of hotness, then I'm SO high. And I love this kind of rush I feel, like for example I'm going crazy about Bad Guy. I'm not completely satisfied with the pace and stuff like that but it makes my day, my week, my life (?!) on my display-of-hotness-scale.

@ cheremaman

Ahhhh....we watch the same kBFD station! I love Life Is Beautiful! I'm also following Definitely Neighbors....I'm watching that raw up to episode 33 and enjoying the english sub now on local station! I finished Don't Hesitate and following it anyway. Last nights or day before episode on LIB was very touching....where the mother interferes (she was just in 2 Wives). Also following Giant now. I'm glad we can watch the next day for the re-run.

Aloha!

@ mems

With all the late night soju drinking and drunken calls, doesn't the song fit perfectly. It makes me laugh, because there are so many dramas with the I don't want to call you, but I can't help myself. :D I Need You Now :D

Please somebody, PLEASE make a funny K drama video out of this and put it on Youtube!!!!!!!!!! I bet it could get more hits on it than the original song :D