Ryan B
Cleveland, Ohio
This review may contain spoilers
Better K Style even...
When writing my review for the original Thai version - you can see I was very frustrated with some of the storyline. Using people for personal gain is not my cup of tea and that is all over the original.
For the Korean version - while they had 17 episodes of material to work with - this slimmed down version almost gets it right. For some of it, you can see they were dealing with a low budget and didn't make the time to find product placement deals to help it all out. Their location shots were real - even to the point of not fixing the curtains in the classroom to give it a better feel. If that's the way the students see it everyday - leave it. Same with the other location shots - real. But, the sound person - OMG - they should have been given everything they needed. When the insects have more time on the screen than the actors - ugh. And, the voice overs were as bad as the Chinese dramas we see. The voices - from a studio somewhere in Korea - have nothing to do with the environments they are in. Outside noise? Wind? People walking by in a cafeteria? Someone putting a pen or, pencil down in a classroom? None of that is here in this world - just their voice - in a personality deprived vacuum.
The Korean version threw away most of the mistakes from the Thai version. The sister is not as self serving and evil as the Thai version. This sister takes the time to tell her brother that the story is too far along to make such changes and she is truly sorry. You believe it. In the Thai version - she never is sincere about what she has done and the writers had to add three extra episodes to make up for it. If you couldn't do it in the first 14 - why do you think the fans will accept the new version in 15-17?
Gone are the fair weather friends who were only there to make fun of people and use them for personal favors or, gain. Gone are the side storylines that were never fully developed in the Thai version.
In this version - we get some characters actions and such changed - so, try not to bring the baggage of the Thai version with you - it will confuse you for a bit as you adjust. Because this is only an 8 episode miniature version - they leave out important parts and leave you hanging (often) from badly cut scenes and wasting your time revisiting the whole story at the beginning of each episode - lazy on the production and directing side.
What saves this (and I have already watched the series twice) is the casting and acting on our main characters parts. They do a great job and you do get invested in them. I loved the scene between Sun Woo and Ko Yoo at the bus stop. It helps put those two characters in the proper perspective - showing both personalities clearly and you understand why they don't understand each other. This moment gives them both time to reflect on how they have lived their lives and how their own prejudices against themselves have held them back. When they get together - you believe it and cheer them on.
The whole relationship/interaction between our other two main characters between Kim Ji Oh and Jung Lee Won are also believable if you take into account time passing in a school sense. LOVED the versions of the same shots as seen from different eyes. When the girls watch the interactions - they see the lovers. Those wonderful scenes add some fun to the production and must have been fun to film. We get to see both versions and judge for ourselves.
It would have been nice to see this company take all of those 17 episodes and improve/fix for the Korean version - with a nice budget but, I do understand that the K-Drama world is still treading lightly into the BL world. I have seen some dramas redone with larger budgets - at a later date. There is a Chinese one where we get to see two versions of the same story and then, a Thai one. Let's see this one with better treatment when everyone is ready. Would love to see a full budget 16 episode K-Drama of this one - even if they have to buy and use Red Ginseng and go to Subway - soon.
For the Korean version - while they had 17 episodes of material to work with - this slimmed down version almost gets it right. For some of it, you can see they were dealing with a low budget and didn't make the time to find product placement deals to help it all out. Their location shots were real - even to the point of not fixing the curtains in the classroom to give it a better feel. If that's the way the students see it everyday - leave it. Same with the other location shots - real. But, the sound person - OMG - they should have been given everything they needed. When the insects have more time on the screen than the actors - ugh. And, the voice overs were as bad as the Chinese dramas we see. The voices - from a studio somewhere in Korea - have nothing to do with the environments they are in. Outside noise? Wind? People walking by in a cafeteria? Someone putting a pen or, pencil down in a classroom? None of that is here in this world - just their voice - in a personality deprived vacuum.
The Korean version threw away most of the mistakes from the Thai version. The sister is not as self serving and evil as the Thai version. This sister takes the time to tell her brother that the story is too far along to make such changes and she is truly sorry. You believe it. In the Thai version - she never is sincere about what she has done and the writers had to add three extra episodes to make up for it. If you couldn't do it in the first 14 - why do you think the fans will accept the new version in 15-17?
Gone are the fair weather friends who were only there to make fun of people and use them for personal favors or, gain. Gone are the side storylines that were never fully developed in the Thai version.
In this version - we get some characters actions and such changed - so, try not to bring the baggage of the Thai version with you - it will confuse you for a bit as you adjust. Because this is only an 8 episode miniature version - they leave out important parts and leave you hanging (often) from badly cut scenes and wasting your time revisiting the whole story at the beginning of each episode - lazy on the production and directing side.
What saves this (and I have already watched the series twice) is the casting and acting on our main characters parts. They do a great job and you do get invested in them. I loved the scene between Sun Woo and Ko Yoo at the bus stop. It helps put those two characters in the proper perspective - showing both personalities clearly and you understand why they don't understand each other. This moment gives them both time to reflect on how they have lived their lives and how their own prejudices against themselves have held them back. When they get together - you believe it and cheer them on.
The whole relationship/interaction between our other two main characters between Kim Ji Oh and Jung Lee Won are also believable if you take into account time passing in a school sense. LOVED the versions of the same shots as seen from different eyes. When the girls watch the interactions - they see the lovers. Those wonderful scenes add some fun to the production and must have been fun to film. We get to see both versions and judge for ourselves.
It would have been nice to see this company take all of those 17 episodes and improve/fix for the Korean version - with a nice budget but, I do understand that the K-Drama world is still treading lightly into the BL world. I have seen some dramas redone with larger budgets - at a later date. There is a Chinese one where we get to see two versions of the same story and then, a Thai one. Let's see this one with better treatment when everyone is ready. Would love to see a full budget 16 episode K-Drama of this one - even if they have to buy and use Red Ginseng and go to Subway - soon.
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