Prattling’s no fun when done alone. I would love to know WHAT YOU’RE WATCHING. As long as it’s a Korean drama or movie, rant and rave away. This page is all yours!
Psst, do post a warning if your comment is spoilery. Thanks!
gleefully abetting your kdrama addiction
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thundie
ockoala
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Hi Thundie,
Long time….
Well I really wanted to contact you about the ending of ‘ASSORTED JEWELS’
I warn anyone right here not to read further if you have not seen this drama.
SPOILER ALERT FOR SURE……..!!!!!!
I loved this drama from start to almost finish Thundie. I am still of the opinion the the writers got booted out of their studio and that caused the abysmal rushed ending episode. I felt insulted, or at least totally turned around, by being asked to accept such a letdown in the endings of all the stories between such interesting people. Of course the Jade story was perfect all the way through. She really caught one heck of a man for her truelove. What a wonderful romance and how strong he was and so very romantic himself. It was the Ruby story which crumbled totally. I did not want her to sidetrack the future of the American who was searching for Nirvana. However, I was just horrified that she succumbed to her desire for money and future comfort and with such an empty vessel of a man.It boded a failure in the future I feel sure.
I felt sorry for Amber although I think he was not broken hearted. That situation could not be resolved in his favour, but we were expected to accept a total switch from him to a stranger and a soon to be baby. Too hasty altogether.
Even so I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this family saga. It was one of the best I have seen and I won’t forget it for a long time.
Watching ‘Capital Scandal’ all over again right now. Loving it again.
Peggy
You should do a second fiddle entry for the WOMEN of kdramas. Just a thought.
Hi Kristal
Sevenses has written a wonderful piece on female second fiddles. Check it out!
http://sevenses.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/shafted-shafted-shafted-a-story-of-female-second-leads/
hi thundie!
i have never commented before on your blog but i have been reading it for a while and i think it is awesomeness!
i am currently watching coffee house which i love love love
my first time watching kang ji hwan and i find him so awesome!
he and his character just scream, ‘i am the coolest person on earth’
i love how different it is in its sense of humour from other dramas i have watched and how the main couple is not clear (although this has, of course, led to some crazy people screaming that they will stop watching if their favourite couple doesnt come to be)
i want jin soo to be with eun young, purely because i love their relationship and it is so different from the cliche kdrama couple (poor girl gets with rich guy)
their friendship/sexual tension/hidden secrets thing is very interesting
and gosh, have to wait for the 28th to see what happens after the cliffhanger-y ep8
also, i am watching tamra the island, up to episode 6 and i think it is so good!
ah, i am having heaps of fun watching it and cannot wait to read ockoala’s part 2 and 3 review on here once i am finished watching
i am only watching the 16 episode version (cry) because the 21 version isnt available to download (?) and i cannot find a dvd of it with english subtitles (?)
finally, i am watching smile, you
i am up to episode 38 and i keep thinking how badly i wish the extension hadn’t occurred
if i think over the really bad episodes i am sure there has been less than 16 (the bad ones are mainly concentrated in the late twenties i think)
i hope the whole illness storyline occurring now will not be the focus so much
the first 20 episodes of this show, at least, were super, if a bit slow at times, but easy to forgive with the most amazing lead couple ever
seriously, their chemistry is crazy good and the acting of basically everyone has been great
however, i have been watching smile for over 6 months and still havent finished it, and i admit it has sort of put me off other family dramas
i watch to watch sons of sol pharmacy, but i dont know if i am able to commit 40 hours of my life to it
maybe over schoolies week, while all my friends are out partying and underage drinking i can watch it
i need at least one whole drama to watch that week, because really, i dont see the need to drink until i turn the legal drinking age, unlike most of my friends, and a 40 episode drama would probably prevent the end of week boredom that seems to be a pattern- sorry, a bit of a tangent there
onto jdrama because i dont know where to discuss this so i’ll say it here
i saw the first episode of kekkon dekinai otoko ages ago and have been meaning to finish the series but i just keep getting distracted with kdrama
i dont have much to say about it, because i have seen so little, but it seems good
do people find with most jdrama (excluding kekkon dekinai otoko- because i think that drama is looking so so good so far) they enjoy it for the heart and characters, but it is kinda lame and/or silly and/or unrealistic and/or not that good?
case in point: nobuta wo produce- i love this drama to the ends of the earth, but i find the directing to be random, the writing a bit lame (although good in the way that is manages to not be over-sentimental, which would be easy for that storyline), and, apart from the main three who i think are gorgeous, the acting to be kind of off
but there is so much heart and sweetness and nostalgia attached to this drama that i cant help but love it unconditionally
dont get me wrong, i love jdrama, but it seems i have to set aside my critical mind when watching
or am i just watching the wrong ones (granted, i have seen less than 10, and tend to watch romance-y ones)?
i think i am probably watching the wrong ones- any recommendations?
wow, thanks for giving us this page to express ourselves thundie, that was very enjoyable to write, especially considering none of my friends watch kdrama or jdrama so i have little outlet to express myself
Hi nattacatta!
Thanks for that long and lovely comment! *hugs*
Tamra the Island (Director’s Cut) has been released with English subs and is available for sale at various places, for example:
http://www.yesasia.com/us/tamra-island-dvd-8-disc-end-english-subtitled-directors-cut-mbc-tv/1022500413-0-0-0-en/info.html
I’ve not watched Coffee House; will marathon it when it’s fully subbed. Smile, You I stopped at ep 21? Alas, no desire to continue.
As for non-romance jdoramas, I liked Pandora and Shiroi Haru a lot. Pandora is a medical thriller, rather like White Tower (the korean version). You can download Pandora here:
http://bonchu.net46.net/pandora/
Thanks again for reading TP!
I just tried watching 90 Days to Love. Despite the yummy actors, it was unbearable. I fast forwarded and skipped huge sections.
I just started watching Shin Don. I’m currently up to episode 15 and its getting better and better. My favorite character at the moment is definitely the old monk. Hes very funny :O.
Thundie!!!!!!!!! Hello… hehehe….I know this is not a drama or a movie, so thundie I am sorry for posting this here.. but I so wanted to share as it made my sides hurt from laughing so hard…..
I almost died of laughing from watching this clip… from a new x-man ep. where one of the guests is a very boyish (& charming) Kim Ji-Hoon….. OMG!!! Baek-Ga before his surgery and the list goes on..
(hmm…. if I am not to mention any yt links pls let me know so I can delete my post)..
thank you!! much love!!
I just started Sons of Sol Pharmacy, and will watch Cain and Abel this week, as well as my current watches, Playful Kiss, SSK, and Runaway. I have been warned about both series I’m starting, so my expectations are quite low, and Runaway, well, it was odd and disappointing, I thought.
I gave up on MGiaG, but I will finish it eventually. I felt jerked around by the Hong Sisters on this one, and a lack of true chemistry between the leads (sorry, I know most love this show, but it felt manipulative, forced, and redundant to some of their previous works). Many cute parts, many laughs, but just not all I wanted, I guess.
I’m wandering around here more, catching up on all things Prattle.
Right now I am watching SungKyunKwan Scandal which surprisingly I am loving to pieces.
I recently watched the 21 episode Tamra Island, and (*no kidding) I immediately bought the original DVD from YAEntertainment after I the ending credits of the final episode.
On the OT last year on Dramabeans, I was well aware of the rants and raves regariding the drama and collective gush and admiration for Im Joo Hwan as the charismatic noble. I also found it amusing that a lot of people keep doing a shout out on their posts that starts with “TEAM PARK KYU”. I thought it was cute. Don’t be offended, as I am also a fangirl at heart that squeals and will do shout outs to my current crush and addiction. But since the news broke out that MBC cut the drama down, I decided to overlook this drama and put it off when the complete version gets released.
Now on every post on OT, on every tweet, I make it to a point to do a shout out or make any reference, however bit short, to Tamra Island. As if you could not yet tell, I have already declared to belong to TEAM PARK KYU!! I will be his slave for eternity.
Park Kyu now ranks as my No. 1 Male Character of All time.
Let me share you my list.
(Take Note: this list is not fixed, and I have changed it depending on certain circumstances. And I welcome Suggestions and Criticisms. Please keep in mind, this list is created based on my Personal Taste (pun intended!).
BEST MALE CHARACTER IN A DRAMA
1. Park Kyu – Tamra Island
2. Kang Tae Bong – Dal Ja’s Spring
3. Choi Han Gyul – Coffee Prince
4. Lee Mong Ryong – Sassy Girl Chun Hyang
5. Kang Hyun Soo – Smile You
6. Cha Dae Woong – MGIAG
7. Nam Bong Gi – Really Really Like You
8. Gu Jun Pyo – Boys Before Flowers
9. Han Tae Woong/Han Deuk Gu – Snow Queen
10. Jo Gook – City Hall
hi thundie!! i enjoy wandering around on your blog. i am watching What’s Up Fox? and i just finished brilliant legacy a few days ago. lee seung-gi is awesome and i love him!! i also enjoyed your recaps, you have a very unique style and wonderful insight.
Umm…can I just say who do I need to bribe or sell my soul/unborn baby to so that I can get some more Giant subs?!
I kid, I kid.
Honestly though, I need a constant Miju/Minwoo fix or my life just seems meaningless. Why do I always fall for assholes and couples who will most likely have a horrible ending?!
I really need to start that Sungkynkwan Scandal show soon I think so I can have a few laughs before I got into a makjang emotional coma which also means I think I will have to put off watching Comrades for awhile.
Love the blog Thundie!,
Kristal
Hehe Kristal
I’ll tell X about your sheer desperation. No worries, he’s working on them!
If I get REALLY desperate I guess I can always turn to viikii…I hate that site though…so much… Someone on facebook was saying they have through episode 45 subbed there if you can actually get the links to work since the Giant channel says invalid.
Let’s hope I can hold out!
Tell X I’m sending him much thanks too for all the hard work on the show! I know he’s a busy guy taking on all these shows.
*curses herself for not knowing Korean*
I am totally in awe of Secret Investigation Record (Joseon X Files) and will watch it again when I get through the whole series!
I think that Runaway has improved – or maybe I just really like watching Rain run around in a skimpy t-Shirt. I Think that Runaway and Prosecutor Princess have one flaw in common. In the early episodes the hero is so icky that it is hard to stick around for the personal growth. Rain’s character is a smarmy, slobbering lecher in the first episode, how did we reconcile this with his supposed love for his Japanese girlfriend?
Thundie I love you blog-site! I have my daily dose everyday. You made me fall in love w/ SSK; now I promised not to get attached. I will not have to go to kdrama rehab. Its so hard to have relapses!
Bless your mind and hands for they work so hard!
I’m really stuck now that Sunkyunkwan Scandal is over!!! I’m not thrilled with Mary Stayed Out All Night, even though I love the male leads. I disliked the first episode of Queen of Reversals so much that I can’t continue – evil ex-girlfriends and bitter middle-aged spinsters are rather tiresome. I can’t find Secret Garden with subs. I’m going to check out some Japanese dramas. I’d love to hear suggestions of new kdramas that might not be as well know.
Can anyone tell me how to join kbs world online? I couldn’t find info on their homepage but I heard it’s possible to join and watch subbed dramas there.
Absolute Highlights this year for me were:
1. You’re Beautiful
2. Tamra The Island
3. My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho
4. Secret Garden … ongoing…
Loved these dramas which are all special in their own unique way!
right now I’m watching Queen of reversal…. In this drama… I’m starting to love Kim Nam Joo…. just love the way she act…. His comedic timing never failed to make me laugh….. hahahs
btw…. and I will be glad if u decide to make GIANT a review… If u don’t mind…..
I love this drama to bits….
If u have a time to review this awsome drama….
I’m so invested with all the characters in Giant, more than comrades did to me. aghhhhh sad it has end.
I’m so glad someone mentioned Giant on their dramabeans end-of-the year review!
How good were those last eps? I agree about all the useless boiler wars though. They should have either only extended it by 5 instead of 10 eps or chosen that time to focus on other things that were actually interesting. Just sayin…
Those last few scenes of Seongmo were so gutwrenching. *wipes eyes*
I’m glad my favorite couple (the one NOT featuring Lee Bum Soo) faired better than he did in the end .
I’m currently still watching Secret Garden! Loveeee it so much.
I started watching My Princess with Kim Tae Hee!
I’m thinking of rewatching Goong just because that’s probably one of favorite dramas.
I am re-watching my all time favourite “Sungkyungkwan Scandal” for the………… ……8th time, I should be paid for being so faithful a fan.
I had to analyse when Lee Seon Joon first started to feel for Kim Yoon Shik ( homosexual love) and when she first started to feel likewise ( heterosexual love). Likewise when Moon Jae Shin fell for her.
My love for this drama is compounded by my love for Lee Seon Joon and Micky Yu Chun that for the first time in my K drama watching experience , I am not sure who I am in love with. The character or the actor who breathed life into the character.
Ah! Such joy …….
Hi Thundie. I would love it if you would comment again on NTOG. I am so hooked on this – nothing so far has made me the nail-biting, heart racing, wildly anticipating addict that this has. Just watched episode 32 and don’t know how I can suffer through another week of waiting. I love this drama so much that I (almost) don’t care if Sa Ran has her hair raised up, left down or cut and colored – I’ll be happy to jump on the Goon Joo/Son Ja train and enjoy that ride for a while. Hope to hear your thoughts soon!
Hi Korazy Lady, I wonder who loves NTOG more, you or a certain loony called thundie (who, incidentally, has also watched up to ep 32).
For sure she will write about her crack drama again. Stay tuned!
Hi Thundie! Once again am turning to you for some suggestions. Have started watching Romance Town but my impatience craves a readily available drama (oh, the suffering of waiting for each new episode of NTOG and BL). After realizing that Oh Ji-ho is the star of Get Karl! (just watched Fantasy Couple for that soul reason) I think I’ll switch fat suits. Jung Gyeo-woon is not doing it for me (his hair only looks slightly better when he’s thin-that’s just my opinionated opinion!) I don’t care if others question OJH’s acting ability – I guess I’m just too busy admiring his (he hem) dimples to notice. I actually started Chuno for OJH and found, to my delight, more extreme hotness favorites, but being of a sensitive nature I have a hard time with man’s inhumanity to man, especially when torture is involved, so haven’t gone to episode 2 yet. (Da Mo’s father cutting up the credit cards is enough meanness for me!) What to do? Do you have any other favorites on the light side you could recommend? Thanks!
Hi Korazy Lady,
Good idea to switch fat suits, hehe. Get Karl sounds like what you would like for now; it has your OJH and MY Kim Gab-soo. It’s light and romantic, supposedly, and quite funny in places. I’m not terribly fond of Chuno and OJH is sadly overshadowed (by a mile) in the acting department there.
You might like to check out another OJH drama, Super Rookie. Very funny and quite delightful. He’s not the lead, though; that honor belongs to Eric Mun.
Hmm, favorites on the light side? Let’s see… Invasive Inquiry Agency is excellent. So is Bad Family. Dal Ja’s Spring, My Girl, You’re Beautiful are all light and enjoyable. Hey, Best Love is hilarious. Have you watched it yet? It’s still airing, though.
Thanks, Thundie. I’ve watched Dal Ja’s Spring, and You’re Beautiful is a definite favorite – have watched it twice because nothing (until Best Love) makes me laugh like YB! I adore Best Love but won’t read the recaps until after watching it with subs, so once again, it’s waiting ….waiting! I started downloading Soulmate which I found you discussing somewhere on here, and will definitely try the others. BTW, I can’t believe Coffee Prince is never on your list of favorites! There is so much about the drama that I love. I admit I’ve been suffering through Lie to Me solely for the leads and I was ready to throw in the towel when voila! Episode 6 had the best last 15 minutes of an episode that I’ve seen to date! So now I’m back on board. Thanks again for your recommendations!
From your large quantities of articles,I can see that you’re a fan of korean TV plays.
However,have you seen the one called “49 Days”？ I really think it’s the supreme one i have ever seen after the “Secret Garden” .And it even get the better of the SG.You can go and have a look at it when you’re free and maybe you can acquire a different feeling from it.
Thanks.
You mu yu, I’m now watching 49 Days and am loving it! I really enjoyed Secret Garden, too. It would be interesting to hear Thundie’s take on them.
Oh, will definitely watch 49 Days before 2012 rolls around. I have to!
Half a year ago, I finished watching “Sandglass” and it still haunts me. It’s simply the most moving thing I ever saw. It’s funny because that quite some time I discovered that I don’t really get all that emotional at fictional stories, but it would really take a man with stone heart not to get misty-eyed at least once during watching this drama. And it’s not just tear-jerker, it’s a masterpiece, with great script and marvelous acting. I will never forget, Woo-suk, Tae-soo and Hye-rin. The episodes about Gwangju Massacre are probably the most emotionally affecting hours of television I ever saw.
However, one thing really bothered about me the ending. It’s easy to guess what bothered me, huh? SPOILER Of course it was the Woo-suk’s decision to sentence Tae-soo to death. I wonder if the writer just decided that it just wouldn’t be dramatic enough if Tae-soo made through the series alive, so she killed him in the most heartbreaking way possible. However, she also almost ruined the character of Woo-suk for me… We know that Tae-soo has done a lot of bad stuff and he had to suffer punishment for his sins, but did he really deserve death? Lifetime prison sentence would be quite enough. Also, he was not unredeemable. There are far worse people who get lower sentences… I wonder if attitude toward death sentence in South Korea is different than in other developed countries and judges simply think that it is a good punishment is a fair punishment for any bigger crime.
One thing I really loved about the ending was the last scene with Woo-suk and Tae-soon. Even in that moment, it was obvious that they loved each other in brotherly way. Fiction doesn’t get more affecting than this. SPOILER.
I only saw two korean dramas (Dae Jang Geum and Sandglass) and it just happens that I would give about the same grade that you gave to them in your drama ratings. I would like to see a historical drama with Sandglass-level of writing and it seems like that Shin Don is just right, isn’t it?
Hi Mr. Evil, I just love your nick! So delish, hehe.
Wow, you picked two really big-name dramas to start. Those two had insane ratings. Above 50%, I think. Shin Don, on the other hand…
Very much an acquired taste. I know only a handful of people who love it, but at least this group loves it ardently.
If you liked Sandglass, I would highly recommend Eyes of Dawn. Same writer and PD. Best kdrama ever made!
Thank you again for your long comment!
Well, I tend to be rather picky about what I watch!
I’ve watched 7 episodes of Shin Don and I while so far I don’t find it transcendent, I really like it. Yes, it is very dense and I’ve had to make notes constantly just to remember who is who, but it also has a lot of light and entertaining moments. It has some badass fights which almost make it feel like wuxia and absolutely wonderful humorous dialogue. Also, I already love a lot of the characters. Of course, I’m fascinated by the main character, who is both lovable and frustrating and rather hard to figure out, but I also noticed that the supporting cast is really rich and it’s a good sign – I can’t warm up to long stories if they don’t have many interesting supporting players. I really love Shin Don’s monk friends! I hope it only gets better and better from this point… I wonder if it has some breakthrough episode like the Gwangju Massacre episode in Sandglass or will it just slowly grow on me. Anyway, it’s very good already.
About Dae Jang Geum – I need to finally finish this drama (I stopped halfway through after one really heartbreaking event – you know what I’m talking about). It’s a great story and I can see why people really loved it, but I had problems with its pacing (too slooooow and long), repetitiveness, and the fact that it focused on one central character – I prefer ensemble dramas. Sandglass had three central characters and that made it more interesting for me. Also, I’m not that interested in cooking. It’s a good drama overall, though.
About Eyes of Dawn – well, I wanted to watch it for a long time, but I will admit that I get my tv shows from illegal sources, and I haven’t any luck in finding any way to download this drama.
About Sandglass – another thing I loved is that I was really surprised about my reactions to some character. For example, I didn’t expect to end up loving Hye-rin’s father… This character may have been something of a villain, but in the end I felt really sorry for him. Park Geun Hyeung did a magnificent job playing him. I also really loved Jae-hee, even though I didn’t really understand his dedication to Hye-rin and HATED HATED HATED Jong Do – what a despicable creep!
Hi Mr. Evil,
The Jong-do in Sandglass… You’re referring to the role played by Jung Sung-mo, right?
http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Jung_Sung_Mo
You’ll grow to love him (and his unyielding devotion to the king) in Shin Don. In fact, I’m thrilled that after just seven episodes, you already love many of the characters. That’s the wonder of Jung Ha-yeon’s writing; his dramas are peopled by flawed characters who nevertheless worm their way into our hearts. Each is so real and human. And unforgettable. I have never loved a villain the way I love our Shin Don villain, Gi Cheol.
I don’t think there’s a “breakthrough episode” in Shin Don that’s similar (in execution and impact) to the Gwangju Massacre episode in Sandglass (oh, now I have chills just remembering those scenes). I don’t remember there being epic battles, too; my memory’s rather hazy here since I watched this more than two years ago. Much of the fighting is internal (wrestling inner demons, for example) and personal (between the king and the courtiers; the king and Shin Don, etc.).
What I love most about the drama is how warm and witty it is. I float out of my skin every episode because of the “absolutely wonderful humorous dialogue” (you nailed that description). It’s funny and also poetic; in short, so very Shakespearean! I can’t wait to read more of your thoughts as you continue your watch. I told MisterX (the Shin Don fansubs translator) about your comments and he has popped by to read.
About Park Geun Hyeung, the guy is GOLD. Most unforgettable villain ever in my books? His villain role in Eyes of Dawn. And Lee Jung-jae in Sandglass… Ahh, my first k-crush!! (Not for his Sandglass role, though; I first saw him in An Affair).
I think my feelings about Sandglass have been colored (affected) by the fact that I watched Eyes of Dawn first. Because I loved Park Sang-won so much in EOD, I was much more sympathetic toward his Woo-suk in Sandglass. I simply liked him more than Tae-soo. Just me being irrational, sorry! Intellectually I am awed by Sandglass and will always bow before its greatness. But I don’t love it as much as I love EOD; that one was life-changing. By the way, EOD is on WITHS2′s list of future projects so keep your fingers crossed! I’m on a long subbing hiatus but if I’m not wrong, X has begun work on the drama.
As for Dae Jang Geum, I’m not sure which “really heartbreaking event” you mean. Does it have to do with our favorite mama-nim? (The kindly one who towers over everyone else.) I agree with you about the drama being slow and circuitous in places; I guess that had to do with its “episodic” setup where Jang Geum is faced with one obstacle after another. After a while you just want everyone to move on!
It’s surprising that Gi Cheol is one of your favourites, because after those seven episodes all I think when I see him is “geez! this guy has such a stupid expression on his face! I want to punch him!”, but I’m sure he will grow on me. Actually, I find him and his sister to be rather cartoonish villains so far, but I hope it will change.
Overall, I would say that first episode or two of Shin Don were indeed hard to get through, but since episode three it’s actually rather pleasant to watch.
Oh, epic battles. Can’t say I don’t love seeing them, but I will live without them. Right now I’m watching the 1994 adaptation of “Romance of three kingdoms” (are you familiar with this story?) and it has a lot of epic battles, so it fulfills my need for seeing violence on screen… Although it doesn’t have much human drama, it mostly shows awesome people doing awesome stuff. And I’ve heard that Cao Cao (who I think is REALLY awesome) wasn’t really as much of a villain as he was presented in the novel and Liu Bei wasn’t really that much of a saint. If that’s true, I think that historical fact is much more interesting than fiction in this case! I wonder if there is any historical drama that has it all: complex characters, epic battles and some degree of historical accuracy. Maybe some chinese drama?
I loved Woo-suk and Tae-soo equally, although SPOILER Woo-suk’s decision at the end was somewhat weird, although I guess not totally out of character… I’m not sure how I would have ended the series if I was the writer, and I know any different ending probably wouldn’t be “final” enough, so I can’t criticise the ending too much. SPOILER. I think the most complex character in Sandglass is Hye-rin – I disliked her quite a lot of time, especially because of the way she treated the men who loved her, but she constantly kept me guessing. I think the relationship she had with her father was really fascinating.
Is MisterX the same X who wrote those long, dense articles on twitchfilm? I will definitely watch Eyes of Dawn, but I will do it in winter months. From what I’ve seen, it looks even grimmer than Sandglass – not something I want to watch when the sun is shining and days are long.
The heartbreaking event in Dae Jang Geum is SPOILER the death of Madam Han SPOILER. As I’ve said, I really need to finish this drama, because I think it’s a really great story marred by somewhat boring execution. While Sandglass felt like a great novel or a long, interesting movie, Dae Jang Geum feels like… well, a tv show, probably because it’s so long… I think this story could be told in less episodes. I hope Shin Don doesn’t fall into this!
Sorry for writing such long posts (they venture dangerously close into tl;dr territory and they get longer and longer!), but I don’t have many opportunities to talk about this stuff. I live in Poland and while there are few k-drama forums, they mostly discuss lighter, newer and more popular stuff (and I’m a guy, so even if I will end up loving some romantic comedies or romantic melodramas, I probably won’t admit it to anyone ;P). One third-rate polish station actually aired Chuno three times. I never saw it, always being busy doing some other stuff, but my mind almost exploded when I heard about this!
I was joking though. I will definitely gladly watch good romantic comedy/drama as long as it’s not corny!
Hi Mr. Evil,
Please do not apologize for your long comments. I love reading them! I may not reply as quickly as I would like (so sorry about that), but I read every word.
Haha, that is indeed the same X. He goes by “Anarchist” these days (or Evil Kitteh); I believe he’s no longer writing for Twitchfilm (have not been to that site in ages so not too sure). X claims to have retired as a pundit, but he writes occasionally for our fansub group, WITHS2. This is his latest project:
http://withs2.com/view/the-rise-fall-of-the-k-drama-empire
X is planning to sub a few Chinese period dramas. I don’t remember the titles, but I believe epic battles like the ones you described in Romance of Three Kingdoms would be de rigueur. I watch mostly kdramas these days (I know, I have no life!) and rarely turn on the TV. Have not seen that 1994 adaptation of Three Kingdoms; does it come with good subs? I can’t read or write Chinese to save my life.
About Shin Don (and I hope X is not reading this because he would totally flip), I would advise people to skip the first 42 minutes and start from the marketplace scene with our two monks and that awesome camel. I like everything about episode 1 but can see how the first 3/4 of the episode could be confusing (and even off-putting) for some people. I’m a history buff and enjoy knowing the historical facts behind the drama, but that beginning narration did go on for a spell.
Madam Han in Dae Jang Geum was awesomesauce. I watched Mapado after DJG and could not believe my eyes when I saw Yeo Woon-kye there in a completely different kind of role. So sad when she passed away in 2009. She was such an amazing actress.
Wow, MisterX is a really knowledgeable guy. I used to read those articles on twitchfilm and I was really awed by how much he knows both about history and drama. He tends to be rather unforgiving critic, so when he gives his blessing to a drama, I know it is something special.
And subs in that ROTK adaptation are actually rather awful, seems like they were made by chinese person who doesn’t know english very well… But english is not my first language, so I’m actually kinda forgiving about that.
You know, I will just need to see first episode of Shin Don again. Now I’m making notes, so it will be easier to keep up with everything (that’s why I also need to make a rewatch of Conspiracy in the court – I watched three episodes not long time ago and while I really liked it, I also got really confused. You know, at first I thought that “Naueri” is character’s name, so I was confused when different characters were called this title…)
I watched 12th episode last night and what can I say, I’m loving it more and more. It’s both moving and thrilling, always a good combination. I still can’t understand your love for Gi Cheol, but his sister really grew on me – she’s hateable but awesome. I will probably write another long post when I finish the drama, which will take some time. But I’m having a good pace now!
Hi Mr. Evil, you might enjoy this site:
http://atticcat.wo.to/
The Sandglass section has some really neat and insightful articles written by my friend Totuta.
Hi Thundie,
Just finished 49 Days and can honestly say that this is my favorite drama of the year so far. Other dramas have had moments I’ve loved – BL’s hysterically funny early episodes, LTM’s heart melting chemistry at the dinner party, SG’s superbly acted switched-body episodes, and hey, I even loved the gisaeng angle in NTOG and was riveted by Da Mo’s sobbing profession of love to Sa Ran – but none in total actually hit a home run for me. While I usually don’t go for sobfests, 49 Days grabbed me fiercely right from the start and refused to let go (unlike Royal Family, which grabbed me immediately and completely bored me to the point of dropping it about 6 episodes in.) Yes, I do think 49 Days set the record for number of episodes I cried through, yet somehow it didn’t seem depressing – it just had so many moments (OK, maybe hours) that really touched my heart. The writing was excellent (with one little exception that I’m sure you’ll pick up when you watch) and surprisingly, given the premise of the drama, the characters felt real to me. I loved it so much that I’m actually thinking of taking a few days off from drama watching to savor the thoughts and feelings it left me with. But then again CYHMY is calling me……..
Oh, Royal Family.
I finished it, you know, all the way to the end! A really strange kettle of fish, that drama. But not as strange as New Gisaeng Story!
I promised Softy that I would watch 49 Days. Just waiting for the right time (and mood) to pick it up; it’s all downloaded and ready.
Thundie, found the next best drama and I think u will love it. Scent of a woman. Love the script and the cast. Would be fun to read how you feel about it and share all the angst, tears and excitement about it! I have been a lost bird after greatest love. This is the only drama after GL that captured my full attention.(no fast forwarding) and have me dying for the next episodes to be aired!
Hey, I finished episode 37 of Shin Don (I know I’m slow with this drama, but I just started attending university, so I divide my time between learning and partying). This episode is probably the most beautiful one yet, but I wonder if I will love this series as much as before after THAT thing happened… I’m not really that sensitive, so I didn’t cry, but still this episode was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen.
Overall, I gotta say that I enjoy this drama much more for its philosophical and spiritual themes than for the political stuff, which is interesting but sometimes tiresome for me. Oh, and I hope I will finally see Pjeonyo/Lady Chosun romance. I almost like a shipper now.
I should have said “I almost feel like a shipper now”. I hope you remember what happened in ep 37, I didn’t want to spoil it for other people…
Hey, i just watched episode 41. This drama got even more awesome… The ending of episode 41 was unbearably tragic, gut-wrenching even.
And hey, Pjeonyo is proving that religion can be pretty harmful to your soul. I hope I will be able to love him again.
Have you by chance started watching A Thousand Days Promise? This is my newest addiction and lesson in patience as I wait for subbed episodes. Although I’m not a huge fan of sob fests (I found Scent of a Woman to be OK, but not on my list of favorites by any means), this drama plays more like a movie with it’s dialogue and filming techniques and has a more mature and “real” feel to it so far. (Always have to add so far, as we all know that dramas that we love, love, love can turn to something much less appealing as the episodes mount up.) I do feel like Alzheimer’s is the new leukemia as far as Kdramas are concerned, but I will continue watching it no matter what just for Soo Ae, as her acting is terrific and her voice is awesome.
With just one year under my belt, I have watched over 30 dramas (the one good thing about insomnia) and started but didn’t finish about 10 others. I can’t wait to read everyone’s year end review as I really, really liked several of this year’s offerings. It would be hard for me to put them in any kind of order, though.
***Spoiler***
Oh, yeah, and as for The Princess’ Man, I liked it more than expected but would have preferred if I didn’t know they would be together in the end. Many things about the story I loved, but found it slow in parts with entirely too much slashing (although tolerable because it was fact based) and honestly, just as with a lot of American shows, I’m not a fan of heros with nine lives who repeatedly fight 20 – 1 and still win. Also, I kind of felt that the blindness was just something they threw in during the last 10 minutes to compensate for the fact that they didn’t want to make the ending too perfect. But overall, pretty high on my “can’t wait to get to the next episode” list!