what did i just watch? a 7-man reverse-harem? a lotte world commercial?
Seven First Kisses (or First Seven Kisses? idk) is a 10 minute webdrama with basically all our main hotties and Lee Jun Ki is the first but I just literally can’t compute. I’m assuming what we’re in for is just 50% fanservice 50% PPL and 0% plot....I wonder how much money these actors are getting paid for this...
they better be raking it in!
(I’ll still watch the next episode cause I got to give it at least 10 more minutes before I call it dead...right? ahemitsnotcauseiloveleejunki...)
The witty writers at dramabeans.com have opened their annual ‘Beanie Awards’ where everyone and anyone can vote on a wide variety of categories including my favourites ‘most noble noble idiot’ and ‘most idiotic noble idiot’.
*ahem*
Follow me after the jump to see my favourite idiots and dramas of the year. Bonus points if you can guess what they are. I’ll also include my honourable mentions for each category! And I’ll be back with my two cents for 11-26 soon.
(JSYK, I will try not to overlap my favourites, and I won’t list all the options here. Go to Dramabeans for the full list!)
tl;dr:
FAVORITE DRAMA SERIES OF 2016 (3 Choices): Dear My Friends, Shopping King Louis, Signal
FAVORITE ACTION OR THRILLER DRAMA: Bring it On, Ghost
FAVORITE COMEDY: Entourage
FAVORITE HISTORICAL DRAMA: Mirror of the Witch: Ye auld witches
FAVORITE FAMILY OR WEEKEND DRAMA: Laurel Tree Tailors
FAVORITE MELODRAMA: On the Way to the Airport: Adultery blues
FAVORITE LEAD COUPLE (3 Choices): One More Happy Ending: Matchmaker Mi-mo and her childhood first love, Dear my Friends: Long-distance exes Wan and Yeon-ha, Shopping King Louis: Louis and Bok-shil
FAVORITE ALTERNATE PAIRING (the one that didn’t happen): Cheese in the Trap: Seol and Baek In-ho
FAVORITE SECONDARY (or tertiary) COUPLE: This Week, My Wife Will Have an Affair: Crybaby Lee Sang-yub and no nonsense Boa
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Signal: Past detective Lee Jae-han
Here we goooOOooooOO~~
FAVORITE DRAMA SERIES OF 2016 (3 Choices)
Dear My Friends: Vote for me or I’ll hold a grudge until we’re eighty
Why? I never wrote about it but while it was airing, it was always on my mind. It doesn’t have the eye candy we’re used to in k-dramas (except Jo In Sung!!!!) but it has literally everything else: touching stories of love and friendship plus hilarious awkward moments. I was either dying of laughter or bawling each episode.
Shopping King Louis: My precioussssss
Why? No surprise here. I raved about how this drama is better than...all romcoms. With a keen eye on the kdrama tropes, it brings such a heartwarming story with TONS of laughter to every episode. I was never disappointed. I MISS YOU BOKSHIL & LOUIS!!!!
Signal: If you don’t vote for me, you’ll ruin the future, just trust me
Why? Rarely do we get a police mystery kdrama that’s actually a mystery. The suspense was constant and the acting was stellar. Predictability? Less than 10%. This is a drama I’d recommend to people outside of the kdrama fandom for it’s high quality writing and directing. I mean, together how could the director of Misaeng Kim Won Seok and writer of Ghost (my second favourite mystery) Kim Eun Hee ever go wrong?
Honourable Mentions: Police Unit 38, Memory, On the Way to the Airport, Bring it On, Ghost, This Week, My Wife Will Have an Affair, The Good Wife
FAVORITE ACTION OR THRILLER DRAMA
Bring it On, Ghost: Let’s fight, ghostie
Why? Obviously, Signal already took my favourite drama so I couldn’t give it this award too...though it definitely soars above the rest. Choosing second was hard but Bring it On, Ghost was the most well-rounded drama with a great final boss fight too. Funny, cute but filled with supernatural action, each episode brought us ghost-of-the-week with a solid overall plotline. And I love Kim So Hyun kicking ghostie butt.
Honourable Mentions: Neighbourhood Hero, the K2 (ONLY for the action scenes...ONLY!)
FAVORITE COMEDY
Entourage
Why? Look, Shopping King Louis had me in stitches every week but it took favourite drama too. Entourage, as I’ve written about before, is a black comedy so I’m now smirking every week. I love their silly fights and quirky quips at each other. I’m always impressed with the writers and the actors’ delivery too. It’s definitely not standard kdrama comedy but that’s why I like it.
Honourable Mentions: Legend of the Blue Sea, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Ju, Drinking Solo, Beautiful Gong Shim
FAVORITE HISTORICAL DRAMA
Mirror of the Witch: Ye auld witches
Why? Frankly speaking, I couldn’t deal with Jackpot’s ridiculousness, I can’t stand Jin Se Yeon’s acting in general (Flower in Prison) and Jang Young-Shil wasn’t on my radar. So, it was an easy win for me. Mirror of the Witch had everything I want from a historical drama: lush visuals, solid acting and a logical plot. The bonus? Magic!
Honourable Mentions: none. sorry.
FAVORITE FAMILY OR WEEKEND DRAMA
Laurel Tree Tailors (/The Gentleman of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop)
Why? It’s fun, with an interesting main plot and I don’t hate any of the family. It doesn’t reach stupid levels of drama for the sake of it (yet). That’s all I need from a weekend drama.
Honourable Mentions: Second to Last Love
FAVORITE MELODRAMA
On the Way to the Airport: Adultery blues
Why? Can I say this...It’s adultery done right. Real emotions, real conversations and real reconciliations. Every character was 3D, even the supporting ones. While watching, I felt like I understood what real melodrama should look like. No makjang to be seen here.
Honourable Mentions: Oh Hae-Young Again, Marriage Contract, Memory, The Good Wife
FAVORITE LEAD COUPLE (3 Choices)
One More Happy Ending: Matchmaker Mi-mo and her childhood first love
Why? I loved their adorable bickering from the beginning, the ridiculous drunk times they had and the weird animal fetish. I also loved how it was the guy who was the warm fuzzy one (Jung Kyung Ho rocked that) whereas Mi-mo (Jang Na Ra) was the reluctant strong-willed one.
Dear my Friends: Long-distance exes Wan and Yeon-ha
Why? They felt so real. Even though they spent the majority of the show apart, it was clear that they were always close. As we learn why they’re apart, we learn why their relationship is so heartbreaking. Not all couples need to be cute and cuddly in kdrama, and this one was the best mix of real and melo. (ALSO DID I SAY JO IN SUNG?)
Shopping King Louis: Louis and Bok-shil
Why? Have I said this enough? I MISS YOU LOUIS AND BOK-SHIL!!!
Honourable Mentions: Mirror of the Witch, Gogh’s Starry Night, Bring it on Ghost, On the Way to the Airport
FAVORITE ALTERNATE PAIRING (the one that didn’t happen)
Cheese in the Trap: Seol and Baek In-ho
Why? Yes, this is controversial but hear me out. This isn’t based on the webtoon but the drama. While there was much controversy over screen-time blahblahblah, I believe that the drama showed us a softer In-ho to give Seol a stronger conundrum as to who and what she wanted. When they were together, they had tons of chemistry too. Seo Kang Jun also gave a solid performance as In-ho that truly made me believe his love.
Honourable Mentions: Jealousy Incarnate, Moon Lovers, Drinking Solo
FAVORITE SECONDARY (or tertiary) COUPLE
This Week, My Wife Will Have an Affair: Crybaby Lee Sang-yub and no nonsense Boa
Why? They managed to steal the show in some episodes with their adorable bickering and chemistry. I was so impressed by their acting (especially Boa) and the characters themselves were so lovable with their broken hearts and cautiousness. I want them to be real!!
Honourable Mentions: Jealousy Incarnate’s Chef & Mom
FAVORITE CHARACTER
(Before I tell you, props to Seo In Guk for having to stellar roles this year!)
Signal: Past detective Lee Jae-han
Why? His charisma knows no bounds. It transcends time and space. Is he god? Well, the thousands of now screaming fans Jo Jin-wook now has would agree. A detective who doesn’t let anything destroy his scruples and stays loyal even when the past and present changes, he is a character that instills hope that morality is still valued.
Honourable Mentions: LOUIS-AHHHH!!!!!, Mirror of the Witch’s Heo Jun
Stay tuned for 11-26′s of the Beanie Awards! I’ll be posting them real real soon.
What were your favourites? Do you think I’m crazy for liking Seol-Baek line?
The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop (1-23): Breezy Weekend Drama
A pleasant surprise: simple, cute and heartfelt. (Spoiler Free)
Watch on KBS World YouTube
Although 월계수 양복점 신사들 (or Laurel Tree Tailors) is a 50-episode weekend drama, it’s an easy watch. At the halfway point, the melo is quite limited and instead we get to see our (generally) lovable cast grow through their relationships with each other.
The best part of this show? It’s the tailor shop, for sure! A family run business since 1917, Lee Man Sol is struggling to convince his son Lee Dong Jin and his protege Bae Sam Do to take over his shop where he and his two seamstresses hand-make tailored suits to customers rich and poor. The show’s main purpose is to show us how this struggling outdated business thrives again through a mismatched group of people. And unlike many weekend dramas who resort to ridiculous family drama, The Gentleman of Wolgyesu doesn’t stray too far away from the tailor shop plotline. Obviously, this is a weekend drama, so there are a couple annoying characters, queue evil mother-in-laws, but even they show their humane sides as the show finds its footing.
There are definitely a few stand-out characters (and consequently actors) that are worth the watch. Honourable mentions include Choi Young Won as Sung Joon, the awarded 2000 ‘Best New’ Rock-Ballad Musician who’s broke and unpopular, and Park Eun Suk as Min Hyo Sang, the wannabe chairman of the conglomerate Misa Apparel who’s always second to Lee Dong Jin, his brother-in-law.
But it’s a stolen show by Ra Mi Ran.
She is back in another boisterous strong woman’s role as Bok Sun Nyeo and she’s just rocking it. All she wants is to have the child of her husband, Bae Sam Do, but age and misunderstandings are her struggles. That doesn’t mean that’s all we see of her. Noooo waaaay. Headstrong and ready to fight for justice, she gets herself involved in everybody’s business whenever there’s a problem. With a loud voice and heavy words, she sometimes makes things worse but she’s always ready to fix them no matter how. It’s her charm and way of expressing her love that make Bok Sun Nyeo (which actually means young lady, in the refined kind of way) worth the watch.
And what about the love-lines? This is a weekend drama where the love-lines are the background...our two leads pictured, Lee Dong Jin and seamstress at Wolgyesu, Na Yeon Shil, are far from being available to each other. Both ‘married’ (quotation marks necessary) and distrustful of the other, their relationship is typical in kdrama and somewhat forgettable. Luckily the writers must have realised that because the writers spend more time balancing the stories so that the popular characters and plotlines take precedence. Though special mention to the adorable friendship between Na Yeon Shil and her childhood friend Kang Tae Yang, as usually we rarely see platonic female-male friendships that are so deep and trusting as theirs without romantic intentions.
Also, it helps that the ratings are solid. Starting strong with 20% it has risen to 30% holding the #1 spot since it’s first episode. Although weekend dramas usually garner high ratings, Wolgyesu was definitely the underdog in buzz as it premiered with Our Gab Soon, starring Kim Seo Eun and Song Jae Rim, written by ratings monster Moon Young Nam (Wang’s Family peaked at 50%). Just goes to show that with solid (weekend-worthy) writing and cast, you can’t go wrong.
So I spent the night updating this tumblr so now it’s looking pretty :D
ALSO: I HAS INSTAGRAM EXCLUSIVELY FOR MY LOVE OF DRAMAS AND ALL ASIAN IN MEDIA -> pacific_zero
(Right now I haven’t posted anything exciting on it but if you’re curious about what photos/videos I like + who I’m following, then have a looksie.)
New Things:
A Review Schedule on the new sidebar: it’s going to be my commitment to keeping regular reviews! See when I’ll post about each drama I’m currently watching...And get mad at me when I don’t post something!!
Updates Bar: For site updates and links to my personal updates, I’ll keep them at the bottom of the sidebar for easy access.
Writers: This is my side so you can see my main under ‘writers’ - the dream is that someone else will come and write about dramas with me ;D
Slideshow Images: It’s pretty but I hope to keep the images updated with more info about the dramas i’m watching and buzzwords for them.
Don’t forget - you can comment with disqus too! This should still be working alright, so if you’re not a fellow tumblr then no worries.
What do you think? Something to add? I’ve still got to work on the Review List page to make it more functionable so if you have ideas on how to do that, let me know~~!
Hi there... I failed to update my final thoughts on On the Way to the Airport and Jealousy Incarnate for many reasons, most personal and one being laziness.
I won’t be able to write as much because of those personal issues but I’m still watching dramas - here’s the list!
Entourage: I still like it! I wish the ratings weren’t so abysmal because it’s actually so much better than the original show...If only people gave it more of a chance!
Goblin: YUUUUS!!!! GONG YOO FINALLY! You have chosen a winner of a drama. Props to everyone in this cast too (Yoo Inna...I will wait to see how you do...).
Oh my Geum Bi: More like, oh my tears...What a little actor! She’s so amazing and is totally carrying the show right now. The plot is also holding up. I’d get a tissue box ready if you haven’t started watching...but don’t fret, there’s still a TON of banter in the show!
Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim: I like! Obviously with a legend of an actor as the lead how could this go wrong but with the perfect mix of drama and medicine (I like it light on the meds) this drama floats. Can’t wait for Monday!
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Ju: @aturquoiseworld I FORGOT!!!!! I am watching this too! I’m so sad I forgot... BUT I LIKE IT TOO! It’s so cute. (I laugh every time Nam Joo Hyuk swims because he doesn’t look professional :P )
That’s it for now...I’m curious to hear what everyone else is watching...What are you watching? What are you not?
(Spoiler freeeee~! Because everyone needs to watch this.)
It’s over. What am I supposed to do now?? TT.TT
Shopping King Louis encapsulates everything that made me fall in love with Korean dramas.
Sweet. Funny. Screwy. Touching. Exciting.
It’s amazing how rare dramas like this really are. You can really feel the care that was put into making this drama from everyone involved: actors, directors, writers, producers, editors...There was nothing that felt incomplete. I am so happy to see especially that the story, its ending, seems to have been set from the very beginning. So rarely does this happen that you can really tell the difference in storytelling when the writers have a plan set from the beginning. Every detail from the story weaved into what was an absolutely lovely and fulfilling ending.
So if you’re worried about starting yet another romcom drama with a chaebol and chipper poor girl, just throw away all your assumptions of kdrama tropes and be ready for one of the sweetest stories ever.
Still not convinced? Then let me tell you that this drama is basically angst-free. Every emotional change is so well developed that you’ll never feel frustrated at the characters for their actions. It even plays with romcom tropes to trick you - but never fear, it’s always going to show you it’s better than that.
Still? Have you been feeling overwhelmed by melo serious political dramas? Or maybe too many cheating wives? Don’t look any further because all you will feel is warmth after watching this drama. Even the bad guys aren’t just 1-D evil. They’re just misguided and prone to making mistakes.
Oh, I could go on. But I’ll make a final comment: these past few weeks have given me joy just by watching this drama. So if you are lacking in laughter, as I was, this will deepen your laugh lines. You won’t regret it.
I just wanted to say time FLEW BY with this drama. Rarely do I find myself not believing that a drama is about to end...but this took me by surprise. I’m so invested in this story that I lost myself. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the way we’re going, there’s going to be a huge smackdown to be had in Seoul that will serve as a great place to get some conflict resolved and end the drama at a good place. It’s just that boy has this been a great drama. Not great but amazing. This is going to be my favourite melo of the year.
Can everyone in this show get all the awards please? Can we forget that we had a megablockbuster with some Songs starring? Cause, no kidding, this is way better in almost all aspects (except looks cause who are we kidding, everyone is gorgeous in this drama but Song-Song is an all-kill with beauty).
It’s fun! Why are expectations so off? Entourage isn’t supposed to be a ‘drama’. It’s not a conflict-driven show. This is pure slice-of-life, where viewers are invited, almost voyeuristically, to enjoy watching the quasi-realistic representation of the celebrity life. The original was marketed of this idea of letting viewers see what goes behind the scenes, everything from the glamorous to the corrupt, with some comedy, sex and drama to give it some flavour. This isn’t a political drama, melo, soap or romcom. This is just a different genre - where plot takes a back-seat.
If you find this boring, it’s because this genre isn’t for you. And that’s okay. Slice-of-life is a genre that’s interesting only because the characters are convincing or the ‘life’ that you’re getting a ‘slice’ of is something that interests you. Entourage has given us a good start with the characters. We’ve got some great actors on board, and I’m especially impressed by Seo Kang Joon who makes the lead celebrity hottie a nice (but selfish) guy. On the ‘slice’ side, it’s also doing well - we’re seeing the Korean version of the celebrity life through a crew of immature boys. I like how we get a variety of scenarios: from the bath house to the baseball, Entourage shows us how boys with some fame and money just do life. Obviously, we can’t forget the black comedy element, so we get some silly dialogue courtesy of the misogynistic Lee Kwang Soo and Dong Hwi’s Cha Joon and Turtle characters respectively.
This show isn’t about judging their characters and their lifestyles, it’s about watching and experiencing it as much as possible. Slice-of-life isn’t a genre that’s usually seen in kdramas, and I don’t even think Entourage is marketing itself as one. But it’s pretty obvious to me that it is one.
What I hope that this post does is explains why Entourage is entertaining. Usually, slice-of-life shows don’t have cohesive plot lines but rather focus on vignette-like stories and moments to delve into the details and mundane. Through those vignettes, that’s how we can get to hear their comedic conversations and learn about the characters. Entourage is doing well in bringing their characters and interactions to the fore. I’m looking forward to seeing these boys and their antics in the next episodes!
(P.S. I didn’t mention Park Jung Min or Cho Jin Woong, but I mean, come on, everyone knew they were going to be solid. Well, Jung Min is still not a hugely popular actor but he is definitely stealing scenes right now.)
(the title was just too long, hehe - also spoilers - it is quite general though deaths are mentioned)
It’s getting to the point where people are questioning the quality of pre-production over live shoots. Moon Lovers sits at an uncomfortable place between success and quality. It’s views from China and internationally are staggering, but it’s reception in Korea has been underwhelming. Disparity in reception isn’t new but throwing in the pre-production and remake elements into the batch make Moon Lovers a special case. As Descendants of the Sun broke Korean television, it also broke way for the marketability of pre-produced dramas. With it, we’ve seen a lot more (visible) fights in scheduling and issues of overlap, as well as cries over quality (ex. Cinderella and the Four Knights vs. Beautiful Mind). Moon Lovers has proven as well that the process of pre-produced dramas is yet to be perfected.
So what went wrong with Moon Lovers? And what went right?
Stay with me for a commentary on my love-hate relationship with Moon Lovers.
Let’s first start with what was done well:
Quality casting: People can hate over the reputation of the actors chosen, but overall both baddies and goodies had enough acting to bring a personality to their characters - especially difficult for the Princes cause there just were so many of them. I’m not saying they were perfect but it’s important to remember that ‘good’ casting doesn’t necessarily mean the best actors. Especially in a remake intended for Chinese (and international) viewers too, you want a mix of popularity in both locales, good looks (after all this is a flower-boy concept show), and acting. The older actors are all respected and have stellar records, the younger ones were definitely a mix of popularity and acting. People can hate on IU but her name carries views in China, and she’s impressed me this time round.
Beautiful cinematography, costumes, make-up, sets...: This is where pre-production shines. Although as the series went along there were less and less diversity in sets, every location was lush and detailed. The palace was always gorgeous, and no one can deny that the court ladies’ area was always lively. The costumes were also out of this world. I can’t imagine how much money was invested. Everyone looked the part of rich and powerful, that’s for sure. The make-up, as a narrative plot device, was also clearly done well - with all the close-ups necessary. I mean, you need to have some amazing skin to survive that close but the make-up (and not to mention that INSAAANE lighting) showed mastery from the staff. All of this together made for some beautiful and memorable scenes: So covering Soo in the rain, the Queen bathing as she vows that her son will be king, the snow scenes...None of these possible without the effort from the production and the sheer length of time spent filming.
Now, here’s where the problem is. Now this is my speculation but I hope with my explanations you can see where I’m coming from.
Sub-par writing - Lack of Focus: I’m sure all of these actors were swayed into taking this project due to the huge success of the original and the promises of high quality production because of the companies involved and the pre-production style - not the actual Korean screenplay itself. The main screenwriter for the Korean screenplay has very few projects under their belt, and none on a large scale such as Moon Lovers. It’s one thing to write for a story with so many characters and a saeguk background, but when you have an original novel-turn-drama (in a different language) that you have to be aware of, it’s not easy. Balancing expectation with originality is something we see all the time in American moviemaking to varying degrees of moderate to underwhelming success.
To cut it short, I think the writers weren’t ready. It shows in they manner in which Soo’s character is developed. She starts as a spunky girl thrown into the past and is slowly chewed out by the harshness of the past to be this colourless character which we don’t understand why we’re even following. Soo’s importance to history became more and more confuddled as machinations of the princes took the front seat. We lost Soo’s own thoughts too as we were left to guess what Soo really wanted when at first we, as viewers, were exploring this past through her eyes and thoughts. It would take WAAY too long to get through all the problems (the change in love from Wook to So, Baek Ah’s plotline, Yo and Queen Mother’s dramatic change in interaction, Eun’s death...) These issues are not in the plot points themselves but in the manner in which these were developed. However, all of this was exacerbated by...
Poor editing: Ok, if you’re not sure about this, just watch the last 4 episodes of this drama and come back to me. There were moments were scenes ended abruptly, as if they forgot to leave a few seconds so that the character COULD FINISH SPEAKING! UM WHAT? I’m not sure if this was an issue in both the international and Korean versions, but watching from Dramafever, you could tell that there was some mistakes. How is this possible in a pre-produced drama? My guess is that the editing was not done in advance and rather the execs were watching ratings and reviews every episode and were trying to perform surgery week-by-week to save the drama. This is infuriating but unfortunately a real process in TV and movies. Prescreenings exist for this process and directors can be told that the tests have shown their movie will fail and have to rewrite and reshoot. It feels like this happened to Moon Lovers. The first 5/6 episodes had great pacing and felt like complete works, but as the series progressed, we got weird time jumps with only a subtitle to notify us, and times where the political machinations were never fully explained before we were greeted with another death...When we went from Mu suddenly dying to Yo’s death, I felt like we didn’t get enough time to appreciate their time as kings to feel the changes in the characters’ loyalty necessary to believe it (So and Wook being the most troubling). And when we were suddenly thrown the Chae Ryung betrayal, we were given 2 scenes that were supposed to justify her actions as ‘love’. Her actions were so important in driving the plot yet they felt underdeveloped and therefore irrational.
Oh, I could go on... But the main point is that a drama with such potential for success, with a director that has such a vision in his own style (those close-ups being his trademark) and a large list of smash-hits, it’s so depressing to see how obviously editing and some sad writing broke apart his work. You can tell that all the actors, filming staff and creators worked hard to make this a visually appealing piece. It’s dripping with money too. But when you break it down to it’s core, Moon Lovers, just doesn’t make sense. The story loses itself it its own complications and machinations, eventually spiraling in a mess of characters and plotlines that are only untangled in the massacre of the majority of the cast. It’s never a good sign that the exposition of characters’ feelings and past becomes a premonition for death.
So, why do I still like this drama? There’s something that can’t be forgotten. It’s that this medium is a television mini-series. It’s not a novella, short story or children’s book. This medium is meant to be a mix of the visual, audial and written. Simply put, it’s pretty. It’s beautiful enough to keep me entertained for 20 hours. Each scene was individually perfect. Once I let go of my expectations for a logical story and developed characterization, it was easy and enjoyable to watch.
Pre-productions should take Moon Lovers as a lesson to learn. No product is complete without the writing and post-production to match the actual quality in directing, acting and design on set. There’s little point on doing pre-production if you’re not going to trust the work done and leave editing to last minute. I’m reminded of the behind-the-scenes of Misaeng. It was so obvious that everyone working on the drama never cut corners even though they were on the live-shoot. The director was so involved and demanding, even right down to the score. I’m sure it was hellish - but if a production team like the one behind Misaeng were given the time of a pre-produced drama, they would have given us something unbelievable. I won’t leave Moon Lovers with regret though. I enjoyed delving into an era with large class-divides, gender and beauty politics, along with our regulars of love and royalty. I will miss you, Scarlet Heart: Moon Lovers: (Go)Ryeo.
As promised, I will write my thoughts on Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart: Ryeo (lol still can't get over the name). Expect an explanation on how a drama with so much potential fails to achieve it yet capture my heart till the end. ...but not now. i need to recover emotionally first and take calm so that i don't just write WHY DID THE WRITERS AND EDITORS DO THIS TO A POTENTIALLY RIVETING DRAMA WITH AN (ALMOST) AWESOME CAST???!! YOU FILMED AND PRODUCED THIS IN ADVANCE SO HOW COULD YOU ALLOW THE STORY AND CHARACTERISATION TO BE SUCH A MESS????????? ok. i got that off my chest. so don't worry, my review post won't contain inflammatory comments such as those. Because I actually liked this drama, it deserves more that caps-locked anger. Really, I swear.
It's pretty simple this time. Hwa Shin did the right thing. He protected the one he loved even though it was going to hurt them at that point. She wasn't confident and he knew it was safer for her to back out, making him the bad guy and helping redirect the issue towards him and the CG guys. It's less clear how his brother's issue was done out of care but I have faith the drama will show us the answer behind it.
I felt like Hwa Shin's portrayal this episode felt more...loving. This time he was always taking care of Na Ri and putting her first. There was less of the pushy and aggressive Hwa Shin that was appearing before. Maybe it's cause he's finally got his love or because the editing was more in his favour...I don't know. But it made for a good episode of tv.
I saw this as a comment but I'm also a bit sad that the rest of Rak Villa has taken a back seat to the main love triangle. Whenever they're on screen, I love their scenes. Especially the two moms and chef, as they've grown to care for each other in their own way. That exchange in the director's office was so fabulous. I even like how they stood up for Na Ri in their own way.
Lastly, I know many were melting over Hwa Shin's proposal. I have to admit some sweet words were said. I just couldn't help but feel it was all to fast. Though, as they've known each other for so long, I can't completely hate on it. I just wish they'd been an actual couple for more than a few days before he said something. Who knows how Na Ri will react to it (though I'm sure she's over-the-moon), considering how much of a struggle it was to figure out her own feelings. Will she go all in or wait?
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG BUT LIKE....I THOUGHT...BUT THEN...AND LOUIS?!?!?!? AHHH STOP BEING SO DAMN GOOD AND ENTERTAINING!!!!!! AND WHERE THE HELL DID THAT CRAZILY BUFF BODY COME FROM, POLICE DUDE?!?! -dead- -will be revived next episode-
How can this show continue to make me enjoy it this much??
There is absolutely nothing to pick at or complain. The actors are amazing: both great with their comedic timing and their heartfelt expressions. The story flows logically and smoothly. And to top it all of the CGI is always on point (this episode’s favourite moment is the karaoke lyrics on screen. ha!).
I hope everyone is watching this show because it’s the best romcom on korean tv right now. hands down. my life is better with it.
if you want to read about my feels on the feels of this episode, follow me~
I was hoping that it wasn’t really him but it was…
THE HEARTBREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*cries so many many tears*
ok, trying to regain composure.
As someone who loves Bok Shil and Louis, I hate this. But as a viewer, I can’t hate it. We started the show with the hints that it was him, and we’ve continued to have really good development overall on this plotline, so it makes sense. Someone died in that car crash, and there was nothing that could change that. This episode did so well to give us characters in heartbreak without the ‘drama’. I can’t hate anyone for the actions they took. Sure, Bok Shil could have chosen to tell Louis about Bok Nam but really, in that situation, how could you tell the person you love that they were the cause of the death of someone dear? Bok Shil saying ‘I hate you’ wasn’t nice, but in their relationship I know Louis knew something else was wrong and those words weren’t true. Bok Shil is just so hurt that she’s allowed to say something like that, or make that kind of slip.
Also, I think the man of the hour was definitely the director. He did his best to keep Bok Shil company and tried to keep Louis at bay without bringing his feelings in the way.
I have hope we will get a happy ending but with this episode, I feel confidence that this drama will give us just the right amount of angst and sadness to give both Louis and Bok Shil the emotional growth they need before they can be truly happy again.
We are watching the same show! Wow! It’s just that we’re different people and I don’t think the same way as you. And that’s okay. That’s why I write here, to see what people think about my own thoughts.
To clarify…
I can’t agree with the denial because she did know that her feelings were slightly different (hence why she wouldn’t admit to Hwa Shin that it wasn’t the same 49/51 thing when she first dumped the both of them). The problem was that she still felt feelings of ‘love’ towards Jung Won too. I don’t doubt that at all of Na Ri at the time.
So jealousy wasn’t a catalyst for ‘realising’ her love for Hwa Shin (cause she knew she loved him already) but rather that ‘jealousy’ was the main difference in her feelings between the two of them. The thing is that we can love different people, like our family and friends, right? The way she decided to differentiate between platonic love (which I guess is Jung Won) and passionate/romantic/sexual love was jealousy. So in her eyes she valued a love that spurred jealousy more than one where she felt comfortable and safe (platonic love). That’s my problem. That jealousy is part of love. She could have had these feelings for Jung Won and I’d still be annoyed because of this connection the show is making.
And this is the main point of my post. The rest of your comments are specifically about Jung Won and Hwa Shin, who to be honest (and I’ve already said this in previous posts of mine) I’m not particularly fond of. They’re both petty and too persistent for their own good. This is about choosing from a rock and hard place.
But if you want to hear my reaction to your comments, I wrote them out…
(I warn you, I’m not a concise or clear writer…)
So I don’t really have strong feelings about the jealousy, save that it gave us some funny scenes ( I know you’d disagree) and finally broke the deadlock.
Question:
This isn’t pointed.
How would you have prefered she came to a decision if not being confronted by the feelings the HS/HW kiss brought out in her? Or some type of emotional catalyst like that?
Jung Won was winning the calendar tally for sure even though I think those feelings were more platonic too. Her feelings for Hwa Shin are her feelings- but they’re complicated by the past ( you’re right there I just think Hwa Shin’s leveled up a bit and isn’t THAT guy any more. ) I really could have seen that dragging out for a lot longer with her indecision. I mean to the point where she’d never decide. Maybe I’m not giving Na Ri enough credit.
It’s fair that the jealousy didn’t bother you. That’s just our difference in perspective on what’s fair and not in love.
To answer your question:
First, my answer has to assume that Na Ri really does love HS in that way and the show doesn’t have some sneaky surprise to throw at us in the last episodes.
I’m okay with an emotional catalyst. I mean, this is love so it’s hard to imagine anything but something emotional bringing that realisation. Actually, I think the show gave us another option that it didn’t really pursue. Hwa Shin was threatening to leave before, and she held him back. I think that could have been used: Na Ri feeling a sense of loss and abandonment while being alone with Jung Won in his house could have triggered a realisation that she needs Hwa Shin’s company more... Or rather than pinning it on jealousy, trust could have been the catalyst. I’m less sure about how that could have worked out as it looks like Na Ri trusts Jung Won to be faithful more than Hwa Shin, but I would have preferred the opposite to be true and that’s how she found her feelings for Hwa Shin.
I do have to say that it’s hard to say what could have or should have mainly because the writer has something in mind and has set up the story for this moment (or so you hope that the writer has planned this from the start). Other options that I could imagine will always feel lesser unless I could re-write the show anyway. :P But I’m not at that point yet. I’m still excited to see what’s next.
I think Na Ri would have decided by the end. I just don’t think when she first broke up with them that she wanted to ruin their friendship in sacrifice for her to find out the type of love she had for them. That’s why she couldn’t give herself the time to discover her feelings. But when they both kept coming back, she decided to figure it out once and for all because she was still hung up on it and so were they. She wanted to do it for herself but also for the sake of their friendship.
I hope that kinda makes sense and answers your question. I’m curious to see what they do with the next episode.
Oh thank goodness. I can eat some of my words it seems. Soo Ah’s choice to leave her job wasn’t only because of women and the workplace being incompatible.
Thank even more that everyone’s reaction to her quitting was diverse and complicated.
I’m even happy about how Pilot reacted angrily.
So many things happened while I was playing catch-up. I can’t cover all of my thoughts in one post, but I’ll go over my main feelings of how some characters dealt with confrontation. (We had some moments where there was nothing but confrontation left as an option. And boy did this drama do it justice.)
First, I want to say props to literally everyone on this show for keeping the acting alive. It’s not like everyone is a stellar actor on this show but when the scenes got tough and emotional, we didn’t get makjang but melo. Sometimes, kdramas have a hard time getting the two straight but not this one.
The centre of confrontation was definitely between Mi Jin and Soo Ah, as actually everyone gets involved in their friendship and relationship to pilot. Seriously, Soo Ah’s brother, her co-workers, Hye Won and that rich girl (hah! names, sorry) all start snooping around to create a spiral of events leading to Soo Ah’s goodbye drinks where she’s forced to deal with the fact that Mi Jin and Pilot are not so platonic. What we got wasn’t a cat fight or even an argument but rather a conversation between Mi Jin and Soo Ah where they both tried as much to hold back the spite and talk. Now, it wasn’t a nice talk as Mi Jin says Soo Ah has no right to be angry at her whereas Soo Ah is just plain heartbroken by Mi Jin’s lies. But it’s just as imagined by two people who were friends and co-workers...both feel betrayed and wronged but both know that neither is blameless. Plus they’re fully aware that Pilot isn’t the main issue. It’s their friendship that’s at stake, and what has suffered because of their actions.
I got to say, my feels for Mi Jin are strong. She’s the one who got cheated on, who sees Soo Ah in love with Deo Woo, and who has Pilot being lustful for her. Who could be emotionally sound after this? This isn’t to justify her actions, as Mi Jin is aware she’s still wrong, but her pain is justified. When Mi Jin asked why was everyone on Soo Ah’s side, I felt for her. Mi Jin is really a victim of her own decisions and Pilot’s horribleness.
Soo Ah I think handled it as best as anyone could. Her feelings of betrayal were towards Mi Jin, and that’s why she cried. But once Mi Jin said that she couldn’t slap her, that was definitely the turning point. She knew that being with Deo Woo was the same kind of betrayal - but not necessarily towards Deo Woo’s wife, rather towards her brother and co-workers who went out of their way because of Pilot and Mi Jin. (Not sure if this is really true, but it’s just the sense I get from the episode’s development)
So of the rest... I think our supporting characters did well to display different reactions to Mi Jin and Pilot. The brother who is just alllll up in their business is a funny but loving way of helping his sister, whereas the co-workers get different levels of too involved. I just loved that they all were different but with real characters. They managed to flesh out the lead-up to confrontation so well.
I’m also really happy that our newly introduced hoobae pilot working from Jeju is also a real person. We’ll see how much of a part he plays in the story but from his way of helping out Soo Ah to his really cute crush on Mi Jin, he felt like a great addition to the story - not just another sidekick or plot-device for Soo Ah’s time in Jeju.
And what about the main storyline with Soo Ah and Deo Woo? It’s funny. I feel like there’s nothing much to say because it’s progressing so well. This drama does fantastically in keeping their character’s actions logically within their set-up. So it felt natural that Soo Ah would stop talking to Deo Woo and he would respect that. And even more natural that he would seek her out when he sees her in Jeju. They are definitely keeping the show going yet the supporting characters are just doing so well that they’re more interesting to talk about! Ha!
No, really it’s just that kdramas rarely have such a well rounded cast with supporting characters with full personalities that I just have to say something about it! Oh, who am I kidding, it’s not just kdramas but TV in general.
We are watching the same show! Wow! It’s just that we’re different people and I don’t think the same way as you. And that’s okay. That’s why I write here, to see what people think about my own thoughts.
To clarify...
I can’t agree with the denial because she did know that her feelings were slightly different (hence why she wouldn’t admit to Hwa Shin that it wasn’t the same 49/51 thing when she first dumped the both of them). The problem was that she still felt feelings of ‘love’ towards Jung Won too. I don’t doubt that at all of Na Ri at the time.
So jealousy wasn’t a catalyst for ‘realising’ her love for Hwa Shin (cause she knew she loved him already) but rather that ‘jealousy’ was the main difference in her feelings between the two of them. The thing is that we can love different people, like our family and friends, right? The way she decided to differentiate between platonic love (which I guess is Jung Won) and passionate/romantic/sexual love was jealousy. So in her eyes she valued a love that spurred jealousy more than one where she felt comfortable and safe (platonic love). That’s my problem. That jealousy is part of love. She could have had these feelings for Jung Won and I’d still be annoyed because of this connection the show is making.
And this is the main point of my post. The rest of your comments are specifically about Jung Won and Hwa Shin, who to be honest (and I’ve already said this in previous posts of mine) I’m not particularly fond of. They’re both petty and too persistent for their own good. This is about choosing from a rock and hard place.
But if you want to hear my reaction to your comments, I wrote them out...
(I warn you, I’m not a concise or clear writer...)
Look, I love their chemistry. It’s just burning my screen. They also do work together and therefore share that in common but I can’t agree that they really speaks his mind. Na Ri does try her best to be honest, and I love that of her. But if Hwa Shin had from the very start admitted his feelings, or throughout didn’t talk to her so aggressively, then this would be a different show. Hwa Shin is finally doing some of that which is good but that doesn’t throw away those 3 years. Why? Because Na Ri is still talking about it. It clearly still bothers her. So as a viewer, why wouldn’t we hold him accountable?
So what I’m getting here is that passion=aggression? K
But how is Hwa Shin not being considerate of others? When he thought Na Ri had chosen Jung Won last week he packed up and moved out. In this episode,as you know, he was holding back because his best friend had been dumped. But that doesn’t mean anything, right?
No, my point is that Hwa Shin is so tsundere he’s aggresive to the person he loves. But Na Ri and Hwa Shin’s relationship is based on passion/romantic/sexual love.
That would have been considerate IF he told Na Ri something so that she wasn’t spending the whole show following him around like a sad confused puppy who was being chastised by their owner and didn’t know why. Hwa Shin just kept her confused and was mean while he was at it (driving her into more jealousy about the announcer). He could have easily been like, ‘no it’s not like that with the announcer, just give me some time.’ I’m sure Na Ri would have still been worried but if she really did trust him, it would have been fine.
When Na Ri told him her feelings and that she wasn’t choosing him did you see how he reacted? He didn’t respect her feelings he straight up said he wouldn’t accept them and he was going to keep ‘fighting for her’ Now if that isn’t the potential beginnings of some stalker lite mess then I don’t know what is.
And Hwa Shin didn’t do this the first time around when Jung Won and Na Ri were already dating? Come on. That’s not fair. Both guys are extremely petty and persistent. If you read my other posts about this drama, you’d know that I say that already. We would have finished this show ages ago if Hwa Shin didn’t ‘respect her feelings’ while she was with Jung Won. I’m not trying to justify either guy’s action in this respect. Both guys literally just go straight and don’t deviate when it comes to Na Ri. I don’t like that either.
Then there’s using his mom to try and force things…. not a good look. Especially when his mom had previously physically assaulted Na Ri and makes her uncomfortable.
Both guys have tried to force their way multiple times. Again, I don’t like this of either. Hwa Shin also kept saying ‘sleep with me’ and that she’d know if they did. That’s also another type of pressure that’s just unfair and not ok.
You can’t hold his mother’s actions against him as a person. Jung Won has shown throughout the show that he’s doing his best to protect his mother and Na Ri. Plus he didn’t know that the mother slapped Na Ri...so how is that valid against him?
Yeah OK…But what about mutual understanding? I don’t think Jung Won knows or understands Na Ri at all. I’ve seen a lot of reactions to the credit card scene but OMG if that didn’t show that at a fundamental level Jung Won doesn’t get her. She has such an independent spirit, she’d never want to spend someone else’s money ( I mean she wanted to pay rent during her stay at his house). You love someone but you don’t know basic details about them?
This is the only point I can say where it’s unclear, and the show hasn’t done much to help us. I don’t know how much Hwa Shin or Jung Won actually understand her. Their persistence would tell me that they don’t. I also don’t take the credit card to heart. Jung Won is a rich boy who has always bought and shown his friendship through money (all of the clothes for Hwa Shin and then Na Ri). But where have we seen understanding? I can’t really remember a scene where I felt it. I think Na Ri is extremely understanding and patient but I think both Jung Won and Hwa Shin try to understand her and be there for her but I don’t think they reaally do. I’m not sure though. I want to wait this out to see how they act.
The previews seem to hint that more drama is to come between Hwa Shin and Na Ri, so who knows? Maybe everything will thrown onto its top?
Jealousy, huh? The drama sticks to it’s name and gives me an answer I don’t like.
Does love really mean jealousy? Does jealousy mean love?
Here’s what the drama says, and here’s what I think...
Na Ri feels jealous over Hwa Shin and his announcer partner and suddenly everything about Jung Won and her suffering over three years of one-sided love are thrown out the window. Na Ri loves Hwa Shin more than Jung Won.
So then we spend a useless episode watching Na Ri throw herself onto Hwa Shin who pretends to be disinterested because...oh he wanted to hold back for the sake of his ‘good friend’ Jung Won? Um, what? Why did we have to watch that? Because Na Ri deserved it for putting two guys through hell? It’s not like the both of them didn’t get themselves in this situation and didn’t act petty during it either.
I just refuse that jealousy was what had to determine who she loved. Hwa Shin continues to be just an abusive and manipulative guy. He never truly speaks his mind or his heart for fear of being belittled or losing his pride, and when he finally does speak his mind, he’s aggressively pursuing it without much consideration to others. And so all of that is love??
I’m with Jung Won here. Sincerity is love. The person you’re comfortable with, who cares for you every day is love. Jealousy is part of feelings that are fleeting. What is left when passion dies? You need someone you can trust and communicate with.
If Jealousy Incarnate is going to tell us with its end that jealousy is part of love, then I will just have to sadly disagree, and hope that I’m left with even an ounce of satisfaction after 24 hours of investment.
