LOLLLLL. 😁😂🌳🗽🤣 Boy, does our man think a lot of his ball-playing skillz, though, that they should be so internationally transferable. Oh, never mind. **chuckle** Central Park.
All this to say, I finished Wild Romance! Thanks so much to @midnight for sharing her (perhaps) all-time favorite drama with me. I can definitely recommend it to others as well-written, well-plotted, and surprisingly thoughtful drama overall. As I mentioned before, you have to be ready for the video-camera aesthetics and narrative tropes that were au courant in 2012–but frankly, many of the tropes used here are no longer in wide circulation and I found them very refreshing. As for the soap opera quality, I guess I’m getting used to the weekenders (@dorotka Keep trying! BMR is cute!).
Forrrr example! Here’s a nice trope play. Here we have a wrist grab that was seemingly rejected, only to have it be turned into adorable skinship hand-holding (well, except for those darn pesky gloves). Very sweetly done. This was one of those dramas shot in winter and the actors seem cold whether indoors or out.
One side note, for those who bounced off this drama because of the FL’s acting–I do get it. But it’s not her skill that’s in question, it’s the style of acting requested of her: panto. She’s really good at exaggerated bodily expressions, even though it’s not my favorite style either. If you like/can tolerate the way the FL acts in W: Two Worlds…it’s the same thing. See below for an example.
So, without further ado, and lastly for the OP, a sound clip. The comic timing of this hilarous scene simply demanded to be presented at its original speed and so you could hear our actors’ voices. It’s probably not AS funny for those who’ve not seen the drama, but for those who have, let me remind you that this is episode fifteen, to give you the context. I laughed so hard making this clip that I honestly looked like these emoji 😭😂
Watch how this nurse remembers fondly–regrets leaving??–the sight of Hong Jong-hyun’s ass. OMG. I never finished Race, but would never see him in the same light again after this. 😘 Such looks and thoughts from the ajumma are a bonafide theme of the show, but, still, I ’bout fell out of my chair with how well this actress does here side-glance. @elinor this one’s for you.
I cannot get the gifs to load on DB, and even my usual tricks aren’t working, so I will have to hold (the thought of) Hong Jong-hyun’s ass until I’ve propitiated the internet gods enough to see it. But I’m strictly focusing on the side-glance, right?
More Lee Hee-Joon for @midnight ! My stars was this “Oh!!” hilarious. A lot of this drama constituted folks misunderstanding what was going on with other people’s relationships, and LHJ totally stole this scene with his line and his face. I am 100% on board with your assessment as a serial scene-stealer–he does it too in Blood Free, frankly.
May I say one note of critique here at the end, @midnight? I didn’t really buy the OTP from Mu-yeol’s side. I would have LOVED if they’d played up instead that both he and Eun-jae weren’t the smartest tacks in the box and that they loved each others’ simplicity, senses of humor and shared commitment to baseball. What did you think?
This scene right here is among my most favorite kdrama scenes ever! The man is so expressive he is like a clear mirror to his every thought and emotion. Thank you again for knowing me so well!!
Oh, I actually believe that the reason why they both fell for each other was that they were both less-than-smart, singularly simple and single-minded, act first think later, found the same things funny, and practically loved baseball to death. You seem to have gotten a different impression.
It’s not that I got a different impression, as you were able to riff off my list! It’s that I wanted to see more of it. I felt like I was filling in a lot of the blanks. I wanted more of:
@midnight I’m always comment-bombing @attiton‘s page to her great annoyance, but I too wanted to thank you and her for this recommendation, which I picked up based on her “playlist” for her travels–its a very interesting, smart show about characters that aren’t very smart.
But to be frank (as I usually am) I found the last 4 episodes very depressing.
(I’m going to engage in some spoilers, which I know is Seon-ha’s bete noir, but I assume most will not page down in these comments, and I’ll keep them as vague as possible)
The behavior of Mu-yeol’s friend was really a grim depiction of how “fan” loyalty to a family (or team, or obsession) can turn someone murderous. The fact that he suffered absolutely no consequences for betraying his friend in a really stupidly reasoned set of actions really bothered me. In fact throughout the whole show a single nudge causes everyone to indulge in their worst instincts–overall in this show the writer doesn’t show much affection for men- or women.
As for the romance, my issue was not understanding why they fell for each other, but rather that the FL never overcame her insecurities to trust him entirely. So while I liked the last scene, rooting for a person rather than a team, I didn’t like what came right before it, because you had to wonder whether she would ever trust him.
Anyway, nothing against one of your favorites–just that the show was a lot sadder than what I was expecting.
Going into normal humans’ darkest instincts is this writer’s specialty.
The way they explore extreme loyalty, and how people might snap in the face of it, is actually one of the reasons I love this show. It is so well done. Sad and dark, yes, but so well done.
About trust, I agree with you. And it seemed to be exactly the same way with the second couple too. For them, I feel like the man will always! have a hard time trust the woman fully.
But still, both couples were good at communicating, so here’s to hoping they will learn to trust soon.
I’m clearly the outlier (well, with a few friends) about spoilers and have officially turned in my sheriff’s badge on all things Dramabeans-community-related.
Now, back to Wild Romance. What the “hyung/best friend” did was out of love, though, right? Rather than loyalty? I suppose a theme here might then be exploring the differences, if any, between love and extreme loyalty? Or which trumps which?
I did not get the impression that our second couple was gonna last too long. I mean, dude got up the gumption to tell her what his fantasy was and not only did she sort of laugh at it–when she implemented it, she did it (IMO) poorly and half-heartedly. But, then again, Seon-ha’s SLS was in full-force and I wanted a better match for our Kim Tae-han than Dong-a, delightful though I agree she was (for some other person).
@attiton In a very hushed whisper for your ear only I’m gonna confess that both of their loves felt like a person who has never had a pet, having a temporary one forced on them, and being first startled and disoriented, then slowly loving the novelty. The love never felt sufficiently deep and lasting to me either.
But in a way I’m ok with it. There’s no need to always pretend that the HEAs are truly for ever after. They can be happy flings.
@attiton you could be right, the difference between love and loyalty would would also fit the main couple’s relationship, especially early on where the FL was emphasizing her bodyguard role as one of loyalty, even though she spared no love for him at that point. So that’s a strong point in the show’s thematic favor, because that’s a really interesting theme
Then it would be clear that the hyung didn’t love his friend at all and was merely loyal to him. But, to give way completely to spoilers, I still can’t get over him strangling the FL, with no suggestion he was going to stop until she was dead. And then they just forgive him because he was doing it for love? I can tell you, if my wife slashed some paintings because of a mental breakdown I still wouldn’t kill my best friend and his wife to prevent my wife from being confined for a brief stay in a mental institution. Which would be worse for their child–to know that his Mom had been mentally ill for a short period, or to have a father serving 20 years in prison for attempted murder?
I also would have loved it if the reporter had been paired with my favorite character in the whole show, Dong-ha! They could have sparred over the accuracy of documented reporting vs. the thematic truth of fictional portrayals. It could have been just as funny and more romantically satisfying.
@attiton At least I wouldn’t have required she enage in any hanbok fantasy, although if she wanted to put on a hanbok for removal later I wouldn’t have objected!
Thanks for your support 🙂
I don’t know, I watched two episodes of Beauty and nothing interests me there, there is missing some inner spark for me, the two predecessors pulled me in much better (even if I was pulling my hair later on). Like, there is no Taemin beauty so far? 😉😁
🙂
I will see if I will have time. I’m currently under the Will Love in Spring spell… and May dramas are coming soon! (Not mentioning Real Life taking my dramatime away 😭)
Seon-ha
April 27, 2024 at 9:02 AM
LOLLLLL. 😁😂🌳🗽🤣 Boy, does our man think a lot of his ball-playing skillz, though, that they should be so internationally transferable. Oh, never mind. **chuckle** Central Park.
All this to say, I finished Wild Romance! Thanks so much to @midnight for sharing her (perhaps) all-time favorite drama with me. I can definitely recommend it to others as well-written, well-plotted, and surprisingly thoughtful drama overall. As I mentioned before, you have to be ready for the video-camera aesthetics and narrative tropes that were au courant in 2012–but frankly, many of the tropes used here are no longer in wide circulation and I found them very refreshing. As for the soap opera quality, I guess I’m getting used to the weekenders (@dorotka Keep trying! BMR is cute!).
Forrrr example! Here’s a nice trope play. Here we have a wrist grab that was seemingly rejected, only to have it be turned into adorable skinship hand-holding (well, except for those darn pesky gloves). Very sweetly done. This was one of those dramas shot in winter and the actors seem cold whether indoors or out.
One side note, for those who bounced off this drama because of the FL’s acting–I do get it. But it’s not her skill that’s in question, it’s the style of acting requested of her: panto. She’s really good at exaggerated bodily expressions, even though it’s not my favorite style either. If you like/can tolerate the way the FL acts in W: Two Worlds…it’s the same thing. See below for an example.
So, without further ado, and lastly for the OP, a sound clip. The comic timing of this hilarous scene simply demanded to be presented at its original speed and so you could hear our actors’ voices. It’s probably not AS funny for those who’ve not seen the drama, but for those who have, let me remind you that this is episode fifteen, to give you the context. I laughed so hard making this clip that I honestly looked like these emoji 😭😂
A few more gifs in the comments.
Seon-ha
April 27, 2024 at 9:05 AM
Watch how this nurse remembers fondly–regrets leaving??–the sight of Hong Jong-hyun’s ass. OMG. I never finished Race, but would never see him in the same light again after this. 😘 Such looks and thoughts from the ajumma are a bonafide theme of the show, but, still, I ’bout fell out of my chair with how well this actress does here side-glance. @elinor this one’s for you.
Elinor is trapped in the timeslip
April 27, 2024 at 9:58 AM
I cannot get the gifs to load on DB, and even my usual tricks aren’t working, so I will have to hold (the thought of) Hong Jong-hyun’s ass until I’ve propitiated the internet gods enough to see it. But I’m strictly focusing on the side-glance, right?
Seon-ha
April 27, 2024 at 10:54 AM
Let’s triple-check it’s you, not me. Can you see this gif if you follow the link directly?
https://i.ibb.co/mh9bgch/ep07-oh-To-Be-Young.gif
Elinor is trapped in the timeslip
April 27, 2024 at 11:32 AM
“Rub it a lot!” Yes, ma’am! 😈
It loads, but runs veeeeery slowly. I still think it’s me. It’s always all about me.
Seon-ha
April 27, 2024 at 9:06 AM
More Lee Hee-Joon for @midnight ! My stars was this “Oh!!” hilarious. A lot of this drama constituted folks misunderstanding what was going on with other people’s relationships, and LHJ totally stole this scene with his line and his face. I am 100% on board with your assessment as a serial scene-stealer–he does it too in Blood Free, frankly.
May I say one note of critique here at the end, @midnight? I didn’t really buy the OTP from Mu-yeol’s side. I would have LOVED if they’d played up instead that both he and Eun-jae weren’t the smartest tacks in the box and that they loved each others’ simplicity, senses of humor and shared commitment to baseball. What did you think?
Midnight
April 27, 2024 at 11:44 AM
This scene right here is among my most favorite kdrama scenes ever! The man is so expressive he is like a clear mirror to his every thought and emotion. Thank you again for knowing me so well!!
Midnight
April 27, 2024 at 1:21 PM
Oh, I actually believe that the reason why they both fell for each other was that they were both less-than-smart, singularly simple and single-minded, act first think later, found the same things funny, and practically loved baseball to death. You seem to have gotten a different impression.
Seon-ha
April 27, 2024 at 1:33 PM
It’s not that I got a different impression, as you were able to riff off my list! It’s that I wanted to see more of it. I felt like I was filling in a lot of the blanks. I wanted more of:
————————
MOAR MOAR MOAR!! 🤣
Midnight
April 27, 2024 at 8:17 PM
🤣😂
hacja
April 30, 2024 at 4:01 PM
@midnight I’m always comment-bombing @attiton‘s page to her great annoyance, but I too wanted to thank you and her for this recommendation, which I picked up based on her “playlist” for her travels–its a very interesting, smart show about characters that aren’t very smart.
But to be frank (as I usually am) I found the last 4 episodes very depressing.
(I’m going to engage in some spoilers, which I know is Seon-ha’s bete noir, but I assume most will not page down in these comments, and I’ll keep them as vague as possible)
The behavior of Mu-yeol’s friend was really a grim depiction of how “fan” loyalty to a family (or team, or obsession) can turn someone murderous. The fact that he suffered absolutely no consequences for betraying his friend in a really stupidly reasoned set of actions really bothered me. In fact throughout the whole show a single nudge causes everyone to indulge in their worst instincts–overall in this show the writer doesn’t show much affection for men- or women.
As for the romance, my issue was not understanding why they fell for each other, but rather that the FL never overcame her insecurities to trust him entirely. So while I liked the last scene, rooting for a person rather than a team, I didn’t like what came right before it, because you had to wonder whether she would ever trust him.
Anyway, nothing against one of your favorites–just that the show was a lot sadder than what I was expecting.
Midnight
April 30, 2024 at 9:12 PM
I’m happy that you were entertained too.
Going into normal humans’ darkest instincts is this writer’s specialty.
The way they explore extreme loyalty, and how people might snap in the face of it, is actually one of the reasons I love this show. It is so well done. Sad and dark, yes, but so well done.
About trust, I agree with you. And it seemed to be exactly the same way with the second couple too. For them, I feel like the man will always! have a hard time trust the woman fully.
But still, both couples were good at communicating, so here’s to hoping they will learn to trust soon.
Seon-ha
May 1, 2024 at 7:38 AM
I’m clearly the outlier (well, with a few friends) about spoilers and have officially turned in my sheriff’s badge on all things Dramabeans-community-related.
Now, back to Wild Romance. What the “hyung/best friend” did was out of love, though, right? Rather than loyalty? I suppose a theme here might then be exploring the differences, if any, between love and extreme loyalty? Or which trumps which?
I did not get the impression that our second couple was gonna last too long. I mean, dude got up the gumption to tell her what his fantasy was and not only did she sort of laugh at it–when she implemented it, she did it (IMO) poorly and half-heartedly. But, then again, Seon-ha’s SLS was in full-force and I wanted a better match for our Kim Tae-han than Dong-a, delightful though I agree she was (for some other person).
Midnight
May 1, 2024 at 8:13 AM
@attiton In a very hushed whisper for your ear only I’m gonna confess that both of their loves felt like a person who has never had a pet, having a temporary one forced on them, and being first startled and disoriented, then slowly loving the novelty. The love never felt sufficiently deep and lasting to me either.
But in a way I’m ok with it. There’s no need to always pretend that the HEAs are truly for ever after. They can be happy flings.
Seon-ha
May 1, 2024 at 8:21 AM
@midnight Absolutely! Important and meaningful relationships don’t also need to last forever necessarily–in fact, most of them don’t, right?
hacja
May 1, 2024 at 8:37 AM
@attiton you could be right, the difference between love and loyalty would would also fit the main couple’s relationship, especially early on where the FL was emphasizing her bodyguard role as one of loyalty, even though she spared no love for him at that point. So that’s a strong point in the show’s thematic favor, because that’s a really interesting theme
Then it would be clear that the hyung didn’t love his friend at all and was merely loyal to him. But, to give way completely to spoilers, I still can’t get over him strangling the FL, with no suggestion he was going to stop until she was dead. And then they just forgive him because he was doing it for love? I can tell you, if my wife slashed some paintings because of a mental breakdown I still wouldn’t kill my best friend and his wife to prevent my wife from being confined for a brief stay in a mental institution. Which would be worse for their child–to know that his Mom had been mentally ill for a short period, or to have a father serving 20 years in prison for attempted murder?
I also would have loved it if the reporter had been paired with my favorite character in the whole show, Dong-ha! They could have sparred over the accuracy of documented reporting vs. the thematic truth of fictional portrayals. It could have been just as funny and more romantically satisfying.
Seon-ha
May 1, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Oh @hacja, reporter-schmeporter! I’d have been even happier if Dong-a saw a future well-lived with YOU!
hacja
May 1, 2024 at 9:37 AM
@attiton At least I wouldn’t have required she enage in any hanbok fantasy, although if she wanted to put on a hanbok for removal later I wouldn’t have objected!
Dorotka
April 27, 2024 at 10:40 AM
Thanks for your support 🙂
I don’t know, I watched two episodes of Beauty and nothing interests me there, there is missing some inner spark for me, the two predecessors pulled me in much better (even if I was pulling my hair later on). Like, there is no Taemin beauty so far? 😉😁
Seon-ha
April 27, 2024 at 11:16 AM
Sounds like you stopped during the “leads as children” episodes? If I might, could I suggest you give it a few more…??
As for beauty, all there is is this guy but he’s coming through for me:
While, as for cuuuute, there’s this:
While, as for hilarious, there’s this:
Dorotka
April 27, 2024 at 11:34 AM
🙂
I will see if I will have time. I’m currently under the Will Love in Spring spell… and May dramas are coming soon! (Not mentioning Real Life taking my dramatime away 😭)
Midnight
April 27, 2024 at 11:38 AM
Thank you Seon-haya for trying my favorite show and liking it and sharing your reviews and gifs😍🤩🥰
Ha! Funny how some of the tropes feel refreshing now, huh?
Midnight
April 27, 2024 at 11:38 AM
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