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Kolorful Palette: Pretty in pink [Shine or Go Crazy]

I was hoping to catch up on four or five Shine or Go Crazy episodes this weekend, but somehow managed to watch ten and am now completely caught up. I’m not sure where I found the time or what compelled me to do it, but finally this week brought me some true satisfaction and our main couple got to enjoy some honest moments of happiness amongst all the drama. Is anyone else feeling relieved to finally have all the secrets out in the open?

To be honest, I feel a little bitter about being strung along for so many episodes. This isn’t Sungkyunkwan Scandal where the entire core of the story relies on cross-dressing and it seems to me like there is more than enough going on with the political scheming and complicated relationships to keep the plot interesting without a bunch of romantic secrecy. The “bromance” was still enjoyable to watch and I didn’t get overly bored, but I was still feeling very ready for things to finally get moving, so this week was my week.

This scene is from their first real outing as man and woman when they bring medicine for the poor and sick. Shin Yool is smiling while she watches Wang So entertain all the patients and make them laugh. I liked this scene for quite a few different reasons. For one, it’s a pretty sweet and noble first date, and shows how selfless both of them truly are, despite typical stereotypes of entitled princes and rich merchants. It also lets us see Wang So through Shin Yool’s eyes, which is something I had been struggling with previously. I get why she was infatuated with the man she originally married, but Wang So’s poor swordsman persona is a bit of a buffoon and I found him fairly difficult to find appealing with all his ridiculous yelling, not to mention his incompetence. Of course much of that was an act, but this scene shows the strength in that side to his character, and how easily he spreads happiness to others.

Speaking of that camaraderie, I also think it’s adorable that they still call each other Hyungnim and Gaebong. Relationships in historical dramas often feel very formal, which is a realistic portrayal of the times, but it’s still more fun to see two people who don’t just share some epic love, but are also best friends. With these two in particular their extroverted affections really suit them. She may be a classic beauty, but I think Oh Yeon-seo as Shin Yool still pulled off being a guy better than most actresses I’ve seen, and I love her brusque and feisty attitude. She’s also incredibly capable and intelligent and it’s nice to see such a well-rounded and reasonable character on the female side of the equation.

I also wanted to draw this scene because I liked the costuming and thought the little fur headdress was cute (turns out it’s pretty annoying to draw though!). I’ve actually been pretty fascinated by the clothing all throughout this drama. I usually watch sageuks that focus on the Joseon era so it’s pretty interesting to see all the pre-hanbok styles. It seems like there is a lot of Chinese and Mongolian influence but I don’t really know much about it (feel free to speak up if you do!). I do regret my medium choice this week and wish I had gone with something bolder (like oils) but I do think I finally got my digital watercolors all sorted out and where I want them, so that has me feeling good.

I’m guessing these moments of happiness are fleeting, and ultimately I’m expecting a tearful ending to this drama. Since Shin Yool isn’t part of real history and she has an illness, it makes sense that she wouldn’t make it until the end (although I hope I’m wrong). I’m not sure if I missed something, but is Shin Yool’s illness just that she got too cold in the river as a baby, and has been sickly ever since? I wish it were something a bit more concrete, but I guess it meshes with the prophecy about her.

Thanks by the way to everyone who explained this drama’s title to me last week! Of course Shin Yool herself even explained it in Episode 10, and it certainly makes sense (although I still can’t bring myself to like the way it sounds translated in English). Sometimes when watching these historical shows I feel like I need a helpline to fully grasp all of the finer details! At the very least I should probably read some Korean history books.

Next week will hopefully be my week to catch up on Kill Me, Heal Me, but I’ll be keeping up with this drama too (at the very least I figure I should enjoy the costumes while they last). Is Hyde, Jekyll, Me also worth checking out?

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Gorgeous picture - I absolutely loved this scene, and you captured the moment perfectly!

Also, it was your drawing of the red wedding that inspired me to check this drama out in the first place, so thanks so much for that: I'm a sucker for cross-dressing dramas, so it didn't take me long to be officially hooked. Yeah, I think her illness is a result of drowning as a baby, since her nanny said she's to blame for not pulling her out sooner. I don't want her to die, but it seems inevitable at this point; hopefully it'll happen in the last seconds of the final episode, so we won't have to suffer too much.

Here's something I've been wondering though: How exactly is her adopted "brother" related to her? I thought he was the son of her "saviors", but doesn't he refer to them as nanny, etc, too? Or is he just some other boy they rescued? Not sure if it's a translation thing, or if I missed something.

I honestly couldn't stand Hyde, Jekyll, Me, and gave up after three episodes, though I'm probably in the minority there - I find Kill Me, Heal Me to be a million times better.

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They haven't explained his relationship to her yet other then he's adopted. The nanny and guard aren't together. I think he's used as a decoy for her so nobody really figures out who she is.

As for her real brother in pretty sure it's the double agent lover guy to the wife. He chose the flying fish symbol that honey lee bought for him and he hangs from his sword handle.

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Ooh good, I thought maybe I'd missed it. Hope they explain it eventually, because it's got me curious.

I never even made the connection with the bodyguard and the fish symbol, but that makes sense!! I'm going to have to watch his scenes much more closely now!! Thank you. :)

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What's the symbolism behind the flying fish?

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I guess it is some divine figure or symbollism in the kingdom of Balhae where Shin Yool came from and also there's a scene where she was looking closely at the drawing on the wall with the flying fish when she and Wook went to the temple to find someone who resembles her mother.

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Thanks teletabz & momosan. Okay, now I remember when she was at the Temple with Wook and looked around the room by herself.

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The flying fish is used as a symbol of Balhae. In the temple, Shin Yool found a painting of a flying fish with two children, and explained that it proves that her mother had been there because the fish was a symbol of Balhae and the two children would be her and her brother.

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@ajewell,
I honestly don't think you are in the minority for being unable to stand HJM. U did good for giving up after 3 eps. Those of us who stuck around longer for HB, voluntarily subjected ourselves to torture, n lost more hours of our lives.

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Yes, I'm up to date with with HJM for HB, and it's still torturous to watch... keep wanting to hit the 2x button...

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DB recap of HJM is more enjoyable than the drama itself...

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I think mostly my problem with HJM is the inconsistency and just a small moment between funny and end up confuse,

or just when I want it to make sense and I feel it magical

it is something that need a fans heart because it just I am not getting it but give it fair chance 10 ep on my weekend

but the DB recaps actually so enjoyable

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Honestly, I'm impressed I made it through three episodes. As soon as I saw the escaped gorilla, the ridiculous amount of zip-lining, and the most inept killer in existence (I still get a laugh at the way he dragged her across an ENTIRE floor and up a flight of stairs, just to strangle her on the rooftop when he could've done it by the elevator), I knew this wasn't a drama for me. Me and my friend were going to keep watching just to laugh at how dumb it is, but I couldn't even commit to that, lol.

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Agreed about your comment on Hyde, Jekyll, Me and Kill Me, Heal Me. The antagonist and hero's dad character so annoying that make me less interest to drama. Plot also very lose. Only good thing about HJM is their heroin acting. And Ji Sung acting sad not very convincing although he good with multiple personality. Hwang Jung-Eum almost perfect..

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I am enjoying this drama a lot. I can't think of another historical drama, fusion or not, with a plot like this one.

(It doesn't hurt that I love the leads.)
Now if only Wook got to wear his hair like he did in his red outfit. (I thought, please! Wear it like this for the rest of the show, but the next scene he had my grandma's wig on again.)

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And I love your artwork!

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I'm watching all three dramas (Shine or Go Crazy/ Kill Me, Heal Me/ Hyde, Jekyl and Me). I like the first two - when new episodes are available, I prioritize watching them (good thing they are shown on different timeslots). Now the last one, I still watch for the sake of finishing it, but I'm not really enjoying it that much. Kill Me, Heal Me is better (you'll tend to compare because they have the same multiple personality disorder thing); the plot in Kill Me has more depth and it was presented in a mix of drama, comedy, suspense, birth secrets, etc which made it more interesting.

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I like this drama. Not my favorite of all time, but still cute. IDK why I like Jang Hyuk so much. I just do.

Hyde, Jekyll, and I is just OK. It is a fun watch, not too deep. I would check it out if you have nothing better to do, if only for Hyun Bin and Sung Joon.

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I like, like , loike!!

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Aww, I love this piece! It captures such a sweet moment-- the fact that this is how they chose to spend their first date together makes me love them even more. (Gaebongah + Hyungnim 4ever!) Btw, you did a beautiful job on the headdress-- your hard work definitely paid off! Glad to hear that you got your digital watercolor settings all sorted out.

As for HJM, unless you really love Binnie, I wouldn't bother it out. The writing is pretty bad-- I think there's a general consensus here that the heroine is especially ill-conceived (she's basically the opposite of Shin-yool). The villain is cartoonish-- which isn't how I like my Sung Joon! But it is great to have Binnie back, I love Secretary Kwon, and I'm curious to see how the story will play out.

Thanks for our weekly gift, Fanderay!

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Beautiful drawing as usual! And yay to no more secrets.

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Lovely drawing fanderay! I'm not even watching this drama but your art caught my eye and I felt I had to at least let you know that it gives a lift to my day as I head off to work. :)

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I superlove Oh Yeon Seo, esp in this role, and I like Jang Hyuk a great deal, esp. in sageuk. So I love the OTP. I enjoy all the scenes when both of them are on screen. TBH, I FF thru a lot of the other political stuff.
While I totally agree that the cross-dressing has been dragged on for too long, I'll take whatever I can get when those 2 are together. For a while, it was showing a Coffee Prince vibe, w him thinking he was attracted to men. That was still funny this time around. And it's a 24 ep show; some dragging is to be expected.
The king is an idiot, like so many sageuk kings. The mother, as we said last week, is a real piece of work. Finger firmly on the FF button it has to be.

Hyde Jekyll Me:
I say this as a Binnie fan--it makes me want to tear my hair out. HB's acting is great, but the viewing experience is like watching molasses flow. You can't help it flow faster, but you know exactly what's going to happen.
There was a twist regarding Sung Joon's char. Many ppl were predicting it, for weeks. When it finally happened, someone commented on that thread that it'd take genius to see that twist coming. Well, the show is for them.
I know v well that low ratings don't always mean Bad shows. In this case, they have been nosediving, signifying that ppl are leaving in droves, ep. after ep. So disappointing to see Binnie in such a project for his MS comeback.

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Aaawww this drama is just awesome and makes me love Shinyool character so much. She makes me smile with her adorable dimples but cry as well when she cries... Kuddos to OYS portrayal of ShinYool here
I'm hoping she will get her happiness as well other than beiing just the light and sacrifice to WS

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Beautiful artwork! Gaebong in that pink and fur earmuffs remind me so much of princess anna.
I agree that Oh yeon Seo acting as a guy is probably the best performance i've seen in saeguk. Not overly the top but cute p, boyish, with some girly gestures that she can't hide as well
I esp love their bromance and actually 10 eps is perfectly done for WS to know the real her. Isn't it awesome that he falls in love for her for so many times even when she comes to him with diff names?

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I agree with so many of these comments...OYS' smile makes me smile with her automatically. She just shines. Thanks for sharing your art, FAnderay!

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Love the way she giggles and smiles esp when it involves WS

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LOL, I don't know if anyone else saw my comment last week about not letting anyone reel me in to this drama...

I totally got reeled in. And, much like you, Fanderay, I ended up catching up with this drama fast!

I'm really enjoying it and even felt strangely comforted by the cross-dressing section of the drama because it feels a bit nostalgic. Maybe because there hasn't been any crossdressing in a drama lately (lol, although obviously that should never be considered common...). But I was so ready for it to be over so I'm glad that I jumped on board at just the right time.

Loving the chemistry between the leads! There's something about the Jang Hyuk-Oh Yeon-soo combo that feels fresh. And I feel like I've been waiting for him to be in a saguek role like this one. Oh Yeon-soo is delightful here! Probably what gives me the most enjoyment in this drama is the camaraderie between everyone at Chunghae Trading. Episodes 9-12 were great in terms of developments, but they were also the episodes that showed me that I feel a little disconnected with the overall plot (perhaps because I watched it so fast). But since I really like most of the characters, I'll probably be sticking with this one until the end!

"Since Shin Yool isn’t part of real history and she has an illness, it makes sense that she wouldn’t make it until the end"
- ...you know, it's funny because I never really thought about how this drama might end. And then, as soon as I read this, I realized...you could totally be right. That totally feels like a possible ending for this drama. Gah, I'm going to try not to think about it!

Love the artwork and scene you chose!

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I totally read it, and laughed, and thanks for sharing how you really got reeled in! :)

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To Fanderay: Hyde, Jekyll, Me unfortunately is only okay. Hyun Bin does a good job with both personalities, but the drama pacing is all weird, and it's not nearly as compelling as it should be given the plot.

If I were to point out an airing drama that might deserve a painting, Ho-gu's (Fool's) Love is quite interesting so far, though it's generally more serious than the previews would lead you to believe, and then it jumps into absurd fantasy sequences to break the mood. UEE's character Do-hee in particular is way "grimmer", as javabeans put it, than you would expect, not a sassy heroine so much as a severe one. Choi Woo-shik is slaying it as Ho-gu, really well done.

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yes! Hogu's Love is very good watch indeed, funny with lots of emotional tugs in between :)

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I'm loving this drama and the otp so much that i'm not ready for my heart to be broken. Poor Shinyool, her character is too lovable that i'm rooting for her so much. I just hate the evil ice princess and Wang Wook.

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At first, I didn't thinkj Oh Yeon Soo and Jang Hyuk would make a good OTP, since I was still finishing watching Jang Bori, but I'm soo glad they are so cute together, especially Oh Yeon Soo looks so beautiful in her historical costumes compared to her Jang/Do Bori character, and I prefer her Shin Yool character. Jang Hyuk on the other hand, still reminds me of Gunnie from Fated to Love...that laugh.

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btw, I did watched Hyde, Jekyll, Me for the pretty only, but stopped on episode 10, since I wanted to start some new dramas. There are some pretty scenes in the show, but it is super slow pace, so I figure I'll read the recaps and just marathon the rest and FF all the boring scenes.

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Aww I love the art work, Oh Yeon-seo looks gorgeous. I think she works best in Sageuks. Her chemistry with Jang Hyuk is so freakin adorable and intense at different moments and last week's date has got to be the cutest romance I've seen in a Sageuk in a long time. I hope the drama tries to keep the lightheartedness that differenciates it from most historicals out there.

I'm also loving Jang Hyuk's portrayal of Wang So. It's not a DID drama, but the way he plays So-so vs. Wang So - Poor swordsman vs. Prince - is very convincing and compelling. He breathes a lot of life and colour into his scenes. As for the cross dressing, I completely disagree. I loved that part of the drama and thought it was done convincingly with purpose. Having said that, I'm quite glad it's over so we can move with a little more angst and real romance.

I find KMHM is intolerable with an overacting female lead and generally messy execution so I gave that up around ep 10. As for HJM, I personally enjoy it more as the episodes go by. Hyun Bin is rocking; jumping between characters and you can always tell (parted hair or not) who he is. I'll watch him in crap if I have to but thankfully HJM isn't as bad. Now if only Han Ji-min can stop acting like a cardboard human cut out, the romance would be a lot more compelling. But I'll take the bromance between Tae-joo and Seo-jin for hours to no ends if asked. They're the best thing about the drama, undoubtedly.

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I currently watching SHine and KMHM while stop HJM on 10 and read recaps

the things about Shine is, they just live the moment while you can, it is enjoyable,
I actually love the politic than the OTP but that doesn't bother me to see them bickering for just a small ep about love
I accepted it, it just not my fave part of the story
What mostly make me into the show is The Princess, Honey Lee, i adore the way she act and the way she looked there, It just hit me at the right place that I hope this lady bring her A game, even if she became villain or whatever, she act smart, not a fans of her but a fans to her character

good villain will improve the hero, she is calculated and it just charming to see a lady like her

for KMHM, enjoy the ride, let them guide you inside their own world and it makes so much sense in reality for me, If I am in their shoes, I might be didn't do it as better as they as character but I see how they make their decision
and it have that cheesy things,or even cheesy title just actually get justice

for HJM, I don't really know how to put it on word without spoiler, It has the potential but it changes the story direction also it is in the line between funny and wanted to be funny, like I knew it is funny but It didn't make me laugh
like I knew it supposed to be thriller feel but I don't quite get the need to feel it,
the twist is not in the right place, it is shocking but I don't think I need to shock, my comment is "oooh" when I suppose "what? how ....how can that be...? it is impossible"
it is anti climax but it can be good to watch on sunday morning after jog while eating and relaxing or just tidy up

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I know what you mean about Jekyll, Me ....I realized that I was forcing myself to watch it because the show was improving somewhat, and I didn't want to have FOMO (fear of missing out) since I already invested 10 episodes....but since it is on the bottom of my priority list, I just decided to drop it.

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*Hyde, Jekyll, Me

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Aawww yes, oh yeon seo is a gem in saeguk. I even notife her tone of speaking in this drama is really different and i totally love the way she speaks .
Janghyuk is doing really well as a charismatic prince but so love sick at the same time. I hate angst but is it just me? I find Oh yeon seo to be breath takingly beautiful every time she cries. She totally emotes every emotion through her eyes acting. Episode 8 and 12 crying scenes really fascinated me.

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Thank you Fanderay for your weekly art! I like your SoGC posts because that gives an opportunity to ramble about this lovely show as follows.

Oh I love this show! A silly fluffy watch that totally sucked me in with it´s good ol´ fairytale vibe going on. I´m enjoying the OTP immensely, don´t even know why. Perhaps because I never got on board with Fated to Love You, though I really liked Jang Hyuk´s Gun, and here he´s basically Gun all over again (even with more ridiculous hair at that)! But what really got me rooting for the OTP was Oh Yeon-seo. When she fell head over heals for Wang So and just WENT for the guy, I just couldn´t help but fall in love with her:D Though she falls short at times acting wise, I love her spark. Besides, she´s just SO pretty.
Also, this show has some great side characters, which reminds me of Age of Feeling that I actually watched all the way through mainly because of side characters, though the story itself barely had any focus and mostly at a standstill.

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The colour is beautiful and i really love Oh Yeon Seo in this drama. Her chemistry with Jang hyuk sizzles...
I can she see her as one of the best actresses in her age. She plays this character so alive and delightful

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I'm hooked! The pace of the drama is really fast and the two leads janghyuk and oh yeon seo acting are really good. As for honey lee, i think she suits the role cos it doesn't requirw much wxpressions and her voice is deep.
Hope the drama cintinue its beautiful shots and intriguing politics along with the epic romance

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The furry headdress might have given you trouble Fanderay, but it sure looks pretty to me! Reminds me of the bonnets ladies wear in the times of Jane Austen - except Shin Yool looks so lovely in it.
I think you don't need to worry about a sad ending. You may have forgotten the very start of the show where the King's advisor talks to three little tykes about fate ... and handles the two halves of the jade butterfly pieces. He is recounting to them the story of their parents romance-adventure.

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OYS is so beautiful! Reminds me of a young Kim Sun Hee in The Myth. Nice drawing. Always looking forward to your drawings!
Re . HJM - gave up watching after 2 episodes. KMHM - great chemistry between JS and HJE. You will have a fun time drawing CDH's 7 personalities. My favorite is SSG!

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She used to be called "little kim hee sun" ^ ^

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I love the chemistry and acting of this drama, they deserve awards. Oh Yeon Seo is like a mixture of Kim Tae hee and Han ye seul but with good acting chops. Looks like acting with good actor like Jang Hyuk brings out the best of her

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I wish Honey Lee would be cast as a lead. Preferably in a rom com. I really liked her in Modern Farmer, although I could.not.buy the chemistry between her and Lee Hong ki. He is just a baby, with a baby face, and I don't think he can play older convincingly. But I really thought she knocked it out of the park, and I want to see more of her in a non-second lead type role.

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