Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness
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de Amine Benrejeb 
1
1 The Art Of Park Hae Young ✨
My liberation notes , My mister , another miss oh , we are all here trying
We’re in a universe of one of the best korean Screen Writers Park Hae-young. Every character will be flawed and often at their worst phase of life
Her writing is always a meditation of the pain every character feels. She finds ways of bringing it out at Her pace. every character of hers shows feels real vulnerable and imperfect ...
every word every dialogue every discussion has meaning and depth ..
these shows show u the hidden truths .. the unwanted talks and cuts deep into your soul ... every story feels deeply personal and reflective, almost like reading a diary .. some type of therapy
these shows have no plot twist or major turns out .. they focus on emotions feelings ,mental health .life challenges
Every character in her shows is searching for a way to live to love to survive .. a way to life
aren't these issues the most important ones after all 💟
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I like its romance although it was slow. This couple never broke up; never heart breaking , ...
They loved each other truly and they supported each other till the end. Their chemistry was sweet.
The plot was very unpredictable. That's why I liked its story. Also the story was full of moral, humanity and most importantly, Blood is brimming with life philosophies. Add to this the other invaluable life lessons that may be culled from the drama. To name a few, faith in God during adversity, compassion or empathy for the sick and dying; fleeting nature of life and vain things like power and money; moral science or the upholding of the ethics and standards of one's profession.
Although Park Ji Sang was a vampire, he proved that he is more human than anyone around.
Its villain was the best one I have ever seen in K-Dramas. He was so bad, really bad and he was so mean and wicked. He kept getting on my nerve in whole drama! :D
Acting was very good too. Although Ahn Jae Hyun acted awkwardly in early episodes, he kept getting better and better episode by episode. And finally he nailed his character! :) It is obvious that he tried hard for this drama. :)
The best actor in this drama is definitely Ji Jin Hee. He acted awesomely and I really hate his character in this drama. :D I truly commend him for his great acting.
Goo Hye Sun was so good too. Her facial expression was very unique in this drama. I praise her for her good acting.
Dialogues in this drama was so meaningful. Like "A hero dies for the person who recognizes that he is a hero.
OSTs were good too. It is really worth to watch and re-watch it again and again.
Lesson: never judge a drama by watching a few episodes or by listening to others' opinion about it.
This is a very different K-Drama with different story. It has no love multi-angel. If you like hot romance with push and pull; if you like predictable story; if you don't like thrill, murder and sadness and tragedy in dramas, DO NOT WATCH THIS DRAMA AND PLEASE DO NOT BASH IT BECAUSE IT DIDN'T END AS YOU PLEASE!!!
Watching this drama needs high comprehending and being meticulous. Because it has lots of nuance.
Oh! seriously, this drama does not deserve to be judge so harsh.
Thanks for reading my review and please forgive me if I make you sad through my words.
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if it bores you give this drama a chance up to 4 episodes :)
Story:
it will make you smile like an idiot for an entire episode don't worry it's normal, it will give you butterflies in your stomach,it will make you cringe and giggle for the main couple, it will make you re-watch HIM. yes I'm talking about him, the main character Je SooHo. he is way tooooooooo adorable!
best thing about this drama? Is it will make you think that guys act like girls too when they're in love.
15 to 16 episodes felt like the first two episodes to me though I love how it ended it was beautiful. I would lie If I'd say this drama is perfect, it has it's bumpy road, This is a KOREAN DRAMA so expect it will be cliche. lol. Highly recommended if you're into romcom! recommending it to everyone I mean you are missing a lot of your korean drama journey if if you wouldn't meet the most adorable character/male lead in dramaland.
I cannot guarantee that you'll love this drama but one thing is for sure you will definitely fall in love with the main guy. In my case I simply love it the cast, story, music, everything! :)
Acting/cast:
RJY: At First look he isn't that handsome to me. but lol. there's something about him that as as you get to see more of him you'll get to fall even harder. He is very charming and a great actor, I don't think any actors could pulled off Je SuHoo's character beside him.
HJE: I don't understand why others didn't like her, I was like what is wrong with you people she is basically the main reason I started it!
dalnim and the bff of sooho: funny combination and look forward to seeing them they are both hilarious :)
amy and gary: kinda annoying :p at the end my annoyance towards them lessened. xD
Mother of SooHo is really nice and adorable *wink*
re-watched value: LMAO perfect 10. lol. I have no idea how many time I've watched the 4 to 9 episodes and I'm definitely gonna watch the entire episodes for sure. one time viewing isn't enough you know *wink*
Overall this drama is really good! WATCH IT LIKE RIGHT NOW :) Technically I would have rated it 8.5 to 9 but Je Sooho is way too perfect so I ended up giving it 10! someday you'll understand me. mouhahahah.
WARNING: Je SooHo is a one of kind character. you'll miss him for sure especially his pajama moments at night!
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refreshing and incredible.. until the later half
overall, this show was really really good. it was mostly light hearted with lots of mature dialogue, deep characters, beautiful cinematography, and more. for the first half, i was convinced this drama would be in my top three along with vincenzo and healer. up until episode 10, I think id give this show a 10/10. somewhere along the second half it seemed to have lost its spark, but none of the issues im going to discuss are reason enough to not watch this show. overall i recommend it.
as an overview, i love thinking about how much progression we saw over the course of 16 episodes. especially within the FL whom I feel was the main vessel of change, i can see a huge difference in her from the first to the last episode. same goes for the other characters, all of them had some kind of realization or moment at least once in the show, and i really appreciated how different people at different stages of life were all given a moment to have feelings and talk about their trauma, because thats real. There also arent any typical vicious drama villains: the second male lead is accepting, the teacher is actually just quietly in love with hwajeong, everyone feels real and not at all like a typical drama caricature. usually dramas forget everyone that isnt the main character, but not this one. i also really liked the vibe of the show itself, it promises and delivers a mature healing drama full of family and friendships and community and all that good stuff. The themes of second chances, the importance of emotional support, this was also so nice to see on screen. the writing was stellar, until the later episodes ( especially ep 15). The characters are all interesting, the cinematography is great, and even the ost is good, its an almost perfect drama if i ignore the later episodes.
im going to discuss stuff i didnt like because when a show is this good, the issues tend to stick out more than usual. Some of these things are very nitpicky, so dont take them as a reflection on the show as a whole.
full review below. SPOILERS
even though this drama covered many important topics such as the hardships women face (with the crazy pervert and the childbirth) and even included a lesbian (!!!), i felt that the way they addressed many of these topics was a little skewed and delivered the wrong message. as for childbirth, i was pleasantly surprised that they were depicting it on screen as well as reinforcing how hard it really is to be a woman. but it was ruined by FL saying how romantic it was when the husband promised to be by the wifes side even though the entire episode talked about how he was a horrible husband that didnt even change his kids diapers and didnt realize that childbirth was difficult. like what ?? and as for the teacher, she just comes and goes throughout the show and i wish she was on screen and talked about herself more (instead of showing up to give yeongguk a motivating speech about apologizing to hwajeong), since lgbtq are not often seen in kdramas. and then i enjoyed how they depicted change with the FL and trauma with ML, but the way his was only delved into in the last episode really sucked since i think that shouldve been a main focus along with FLs personality shift.
It feels like all of the issues I have with this show come down to an unbalance, or a right message gets skewed the wrong way, you’ll see what I mean.
as for the FL, i generally enjoyed her growth. i loved how obvious it was, how realistic it seemed. it was gradual, but there were also specific moments where you can SEE her changes. like in episode 10 where she walks in the rain even though its something she hates, just because she recalls ML saying that she should let herself just exist. i love how open she becomes, with the way she confesses her feelings so openly in ep 10 with no hesitation. when she first came to gongjin she was so artificial, pretending to listen to everyone, smiling and nodding absentmindedly. it was a complete 180 to see her be as genuine and open as she became.
For the ML, his personality was always captivating, and he was an interesting character. here is where my first issue with the show comes in: they shouldve given chief hong more flaws. he doesnt seem to have any besides his trauma, which isnt really a “character flaw”, unlike FL that is judgmental, stubborn, unwilling to change sometimes, etc etc. especially in comparison to the FL, hong is TOO perfect. Plus you’d think someone with that much trauma would seemingly have more issues: maybe trust wise or be cold and angry, but he wasnt any of those things. Up until episode 10 (which I thought were 10 perfect episodes) FL grows as a person thanks to hong which is fantastic character growth and fantastic set up for their relationship, but hong doesn’t change at all. And why would he? He’s kind, helpful, can do everything. They should’ve given him a basic flaw like being stubborn or something so he could change thanks to hyejin as well. But he was the one always calling out her flaws and mistakes while he remained the same, and although he was often justified I was sometimes annoyed at how he wouldn’t mind his own business and tried to change her when it wasnt his place.
The reason I keep saying "up until episode 10" is because after that I feel like the show lost its spark. character wise, the shift between pre-relationship FL and relationship FL was so jarring. She felt like an entirely different person. And yes people are cuter with the person they like of whatever, but they should’ve incorporated some of this into her pre-personality so it wouldn’t come off as so strange when she suddenly started acting this way. I also felt like some of her character development was wiped off after episode 10. in fact, i occasionally felt that the FL was even more unreasonable and unlikeable than in the beginning. In episode 11, she hurt ML physically and emotionally, such as when she asked him to take care of the Second Male Lead, when she has unreasonable requests, when she takes him to see the sunrise at 4 am, when she makes him wear school uniforms to take pictures. especially when she drags him around the mall and he’s clearly saying no to doing things and she pressures him when he constantly says no. And to keep their relationship a secret hyejin hurts dusik throughout the entirety of ep 11. physical violence is never okay, especially not for comedic purposes. the fact that it was done multiple times made me less and less excited to finish that episode. and the fact that her go to reaction when she was surprised was to hurt him really made me dislike her, despite all of the progress that they made on her personality. this also really pushes the narrative that shes full of flaws and he isnt because hes forgiving and understanding.
Back to the ML, he was the one that carried this Big Secret Trauma for a majority of the show which like I said earlier was made out to be his only flaw. we didnt even know what it was until nearly the last two episodes, which I have a few issues with.
i dont appreciate how they approached his trauma as a flaw, because it isnt. everyone has trauma and issues, and not everyone reacts to it the same way. hyejin was hurt by her ex bfs words that caused her to be more materialistic, but she never shares that with ML. yet she expects him to share everything with her? she had a line where she said "im okay with showing you all of me, so why cant you do that for me?" which, just because hes seen you drunk and met your stepmom does not mean he needs to reveal more than hes comfortable with. she pushes him constantly to open up about his trauma (that was much more severe than her ex saying she dresses ugly) and i thought this whole situation and episode were so unreasonable. i understand that she expected more from him and their relationship, she was thinking of their future and he wasnt yet. i empathize, im sure its hard when your S/O isnt where you are and youre feeling anxious about where your relationship is going. but they had only been dating for what, a few weeks at that point? that combined with how much pressure she was putting on someone that was clearly hurting made it hard for me to feel for her.
plus, when SHE decided they need a break, she kept rubbing it in his face saying “we are on break- BUt why arent you saying anything to me? im giving you time- BUT why wont you tell me your secrets?!? we’re on break-BUT-here i am at your house even though i suggested the break!” and then she ends the break when she feels like it- even though initially it was supposed to be FOR him to heal. this was why, despite me being understanding of how hurt she was about ML not being open about his past, i just couldnt be on her side. This was one of the moments where again, I felt that her character development was setback.
the way this led to people blaming hong when he was trying to deal with TRAUMA was just so ?? disgusting to me. no one knows what hes dealing with, but they keep pushing him. It is never anyones place to push someone to speak about their trauma or disclose aspects of their personal life if they are not ready to do so.
And hwajeong tells FL that she should give it time, which had a nice sentiment, but then she told FL to be MLs rock. Again, taking a lovely scene with a good script and turning it into something that isnt necessarily a great message. If someone isn’t in the same place emotionally where you are then you dont need to wait for them. this is another reason i couldnt entirely be on FLs side, if hong isnt where she is and he doesnt want the future she wants, she cant just force him into it. even though i loved them as a couple, they shouldve just had them break up then instead of depicting their relationship how they did. you should never push someone when they arent ready, and you dont need to wait by that person either. if you want a future, and your partner just isnt sure, then you dont need to be with them. The result of this situation was as I mentioned, FL constantly pushing ML and reminding him that she is giving him the HONOR of her patience, while he struggles to deal with his internal conflicts. The way this whole episode was handled was a big no from me.
as for ML’s actual trauma, they dragged it on for SO long. and im not saying it wasnt worth the wait, but I was underwhelmed. Maybe the trauma they gave him would’ve panned out better had they disclosed it earlier and had him work on himself for the remaining episodes, but they chose to build suspense and shove it on us at the very end. Which, okay fine, but this didnt work for me. Despite the big suspense, he wasnt a murderer or anything, he blamed himself for a situation that was unfortunate but not at all his fault. Some people hypothesized that he was in a car accident with his wife and child which i think wouldve been better to fulfill the suspense than what actually happened, which was that he was there for the death of his best friend and dohas father became paralyzed (which had NOTHING to do with hong and was entirely the fault of the father who made a reckless decision). but the show treated him like a murderer which is pointless for several reasons. for one, when doha calls him a murderer, no one in gongjin actually thinks he is one so theres no outer conflict. we are never under the impression that he is either because he has proven over and over again that he is kind and good natured, so its more annoying than anything else that the show treats him this way. that leads into two, we are watching this pan out as an audience. we KNOW none of it is his fault, so watching this poor guy blame himself since childhood for his parents and grandfathers death, and then those related to the adult deaths blame him for those, it just sucked. its just not great to watch someone get beaten down over and over again, especially since this is a made up "healing" story and the writers can do whatever they want with it, and they chose to leave the actual healing for the very last minute. in real life, yeah there are probably people like hong. but this is a drama and watching his internal conflict pan out just doesnt make sense when its entirely in his mind and he didnt actually DO anything wrong. so its just annoying and unsatisfactory when for 15 episodes youve been like WHAT is this trauma and that answer is: another accidental death that has nothing to do with hong and everything to do with everyone else. i guess in a sense its realistic that he might get blamed by those that are hurting, but i just felt like i was watching this perfect guy who has lived a shitty life get blamed over and over again, and even now when he is supposed to be forgiving himself, the wife of his friend refused to apologize and doha tells him he shouldve taken better care of his father. what poor writing, there should be a balance between the tragedy and how much shit this poor guy gets and the healing (not to mention gamri dying in the same episode??). how many times do we need to see him apologize for things out of his control and get hurt? i think his healing shouldve been a main focus, maybe cutting into the time of all of the unnecessary misunderstandings and filler moments or even into FLs personality change. because although her arc was important, we watched her change throughout the entire show and he only got the last episode.
All of this happens in the second half of the show, which like I said lost its spark. The scenes felt a little more childish, with more misunderstandings to brace us for the couples upcoming conflict, and more happy go lucky filler to brace us for the reveal of the Big Trauma. the trauma itself wasnt handled well either. honestly, i kind of lost interest and had a hard time sitting through the episodes, while before id open netflix the second the episode was up and watch it immediately. i still really appreciated the show, but it didnt give me the same feelings as before.
Also in the second half, we see less of the other characters and focus more on the main relationship. I thought this was a big mistake because initially the magic of the show was the family feel and the environment, but that dwindles away to give focus to how the main relationship develops and has misunderstandings. the other characters only seem to come in to give motivational speeches or to make minor commentary (like in ep 15 when hongs trauma is revealed and they sit there for two seconds and take turns saying they are worried about him) or to help add to the drama (like in ep 14 when doha punches hong, everyone in gongjin is there to add to the dramatic feel). I wish we focused more on everyones individual lives ad relationship at that point, instead of making way for silly misunderstandings or filler or the Big Trauma. like the scene with yijoon and his parents getting back together was so heartfelt, and i think we shouldve gotten more of that with each character.Like I said, a solution to this wouldve been disclosing the trauma earlier and gradually working on it, which wouldve given more time for hong to actually get over it (because I can’t believe that in the span of an episode his years long trauma disappears) and the other characters could’ve had more screen time.
i think the shows flaws come down to one thing: an unbalance. an unbalance within flaws, an unbalance with the pacing, an unbalance with the characters personality. There was even an unbalance of storytelling and mood: the whole drama was mature but then we have the childhood connection, really? That didnt even add anything to the story so why was it even in there? plus the way everyone was connected?? PD is related to the wife of hongs best friend and PDs editor is the son of he guy who worked at hongs company and PD went to school with hyejin and they all meet up in this one small town i mean ?? really ?? It felt unfitting for a show that was otherwise serious and realistic. And where was miseon, FLs best friend, for half of the show? In some episodes she just wasnt home, or she just isnt mentioned. She only starts showing up for relationship issues in the later half of the show. I loved their friendship, so I wouldve loved to see more of them. I also wouldve loved to see more interactions between the gongjin citizens and hyejin after her personality shift. these are just little things that could’ve been changed to greatly improve the show.
Of course I dont expect perfection, but some of these flaws were so avoidable. Just taking away the line about hyejin romanticizing the poor relationship between the market owner and the hardware owner or just leaving the line from hwajeong at “ wait for him to open up” instead of saying be his rock, all of this wouldve fixed what I think of as a flaw. Overall, I do think this show was really really good. But because I had such high expectations for it, how some of the scenes were handled really set it back.
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Gameboys (2020): The First Pinoy BL Series and the Best BL Series
“Gameboys” is the first Filipino (Pinoy) boys’ love (BL) series and the best BL series. While there have been a number of Pinoy gay-themed and lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-queer+ (LGBTQ+)-theme series (kindly check out my list of Pinoy gay-themed, LGBTQ+-themed, and BL series), “Gameboys” is the first Pinoy BL series since it’s closest to the traditional definition of BL series which is described as depicting homoerotic, romantic, and/or sexual relationships between two “male” characters, usually high school boys, university students or young professionals. It’s the best BL series not only because it showed excellence in plot/storyline, performance, and production, but also because it showcased innovation and promotion of social change in the BL genre. Indeed, “Gameboys” is a revolutionary BL series. It redefined traditional BL series typically written by female authors for female audience. Most Pinoy BL series are created by male and/or LGBTQ+ creators for a more general audience, including male and LGBTQ+ viewers. While Pinoy BL series were inspired by Thai wai/y series (and to a limited extent, Japanese yaoi series), Pinoy BL series trace their roots not only from the many Pinoy gay-themed and LGBTQ+-themed series since “My Husband’s Lover,” but also from the long history of Pinoy queer cinema (please see my list of Pinoy queer cinema) since “Jack and Jill.” Most of the creators of Pinoy BL series worked on independent (indie) Pinoy queer cinema prior to doing Pinoy BL series which account for Pinoy BL series’ often “woke” characteristics. The audience of Pinoy queer cinema are also audience of Pinoy BL series. “Gameboys” best exemplifies these “woke” characteristics of Pinoy BL series. It has no qualms in associating itself with the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community. It discussed being outed and coming out, family acceptance, lack of marriage equality, etc. In addition to these, “Gameboys” also discarded hegemonic, heteronormative, and toxic tropes in the BL genre by rejecting LGBTQ+ stereotypes, representing gays and bisexuals, ditching the problematic representations of female characters, challenging hegemonic and toxic masculinity, normalizing male characters crying, promoting consent in relationships, dumping the heteronormative “husband and wife” in favour of “husband and husband,” doing away with dichotomic dominant (“seme” or top) and submissive (“uke” or bottom) roles, among others. On top of these, it tackled the COVID-19 pandemic and the various issues associated with it like inadequate government response, quarantine and lockdown, social distancing and safety protocols, long distance and online/virtual relationships, poor internet connectivity, mental health, and even death. All these were touched upon without losing track of its main plot/storyline -- at its core, “Gameboys” is still a story of two boys who are in love -- the perfect BL series.Unlike most BL series that treated the main characters’ homoerotic, romantic, and/or sexual relationships as the be-all and end-all of the series, as if they occur in social isolation, in a vacuum, the plot/storyline of “Gameboys” was very much contextualized in Pinoy culture and society (particularly in showcasing Pinoy gaming culture, highlighting the importance of family for the Pinoy, and even promoting Pinoy tourist attractions) and the country’s daily struggles during the new normal brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Being away from the Philippines, I really miss my country and my people. I’m also deeply frustrated with the Philippine government in its handling of my country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. What’s great about “Gameboys” was its ability to seamlessly tie all these contextualizations with the things we absolutely love about a BL series. The finale, with its happy ending, with Cai and Gav loving and kissing each other and even living together was proof that "Gameboys" is still a BL series after all.
Screenplay throughout the series was consistently realistic and relatable. Art should not only make us think, it should also make us feel, and the script of “Gameboys” that banked on giving its audience emotional rollercoasters and cliffhangers each episode did just that. “Gameboys” made me excited and happy but at the same time it also made me mad and sad. With this series, I got excited, I laughed, I got annoyed, I cried. I’ve always been a sucker for series that make me feel something that’s why I love “Gameboys.” Aside from making me reflect on personal and societal issues, “Gameboys” made me emphatize with the characters. Plus, there were a lot of sexy and sweet lines that I thoroughly enjoyed. Of special note, the cute dialogues complemented the Kokoy and Elijah shirtless scenes that were hot and the kissing scenes of Episodes 10 and 13 that were both iconic.
“Gameboys” had the two best actors in a BL series. By a mile, Elijah and Kokoy’s acting was the best performance by a duo in a BL series. I felt their excitement, their happiness, their anger, their pain. You don’t really see such range in acting from both lead actors in a BL series. In the 100 or so BL series (Thai, Taiwanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean BL series) that I've seen, oftentimes, one of the actors was really good but the other was just so-so. And there were even times when both actors were just easy on the eyes. But with Elijah as Cai and Kokoy as Gav, we got two exceptional actors who are also very good-looking. They are both very skilled actors (with or without masks, those eyes speak!). And both are quite handsome. Elijah has this cute charm about him while Kokoy is very sexy. They have great chemistry together. It’s also remarkable that both actors are socially conscious. Without a doubt, Elijah and Kokoy are the perfect actors for “Gameboys.” Some of the funniest scenes of this series were those with Adrianna’s (“Queen”) Pearl. Adrianna is such a fine actress. It’s commendable that her character wasn’t made into the antagonist which is a welcome departure from the usual female as villainess trope in a BL series. I’m excited for “Pearl Next Door”! Sue, who portrayed Cai’s mother Leila proved that you don’t need to be overdramatic to show great acting. The way Leila showed quiet grief in dealing with her husband’s death and clear conviction in accepting and comforting her son was simply astonishing. One of the biggest advantage of “Gameboys” over other BL series is its high-caliber cast. Elijah, Kokoy, Adrianna, and Sue are all fantastic actors while the rest of the cast members including Kyle, Miggy, Jerom, Angeli Nicole, and Rommel are all good actors. There were a few cheesy scenes here and there but because the cast members are amazing thespians, in the end, the corny scenes were negligible.
While production during quarantine has been done before (for example, check out one of my favorites, “Quarantine Stories”), the quality has been quite uneven until “Gameboys” came along. The innovations in production design, cinematography, computer graphics, sound engineering, musical scoring, and editing on “Gameboys” are now considered standards in Pinoy filmmaking. It’s not surprising studying “Gameboys” is now part of university courses on literature and mass media in the Philippines. Frankly, I have yet to see a better production (of BL and non-BL series) that employed split-screen techniques. Also, unlike other series which have lots of money that enabled them to acquire permission to use actual names of e-mail, social media, and social networking services, “Gameboys” had to invent their own versions of Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, Zoom, etc. to avoid infringing on the trademarks of these companies which I found really creative. Product placements (TM Tambayan, Silverworks, Bench, etc.) weren't subtle but because I understand the need to have sponsors for a production company like The IdeaFirst Company, I really can’t complain. And hey, SB19 was featured on the product placements, so that’s great! All the soundtracks including “Isang Laro” (A Game) by Nasser, “Panalo Ka” (You Win) by Dex Yu, “Angel of Peace” by Elijah, “Pag-asa” (Hope) by Elijah, “Hiling” (Request) by Joshua Ronett, “Ngayon” (Now) by Dex, and “Ako at Ikaw” (Me and You) by Joshua were perfectly incorporated on the different episodes of “Gameboys.”
Beyond all these, “Gameboys” ushered in the creation of an engaged Pinoy BL community composed of not only the cast and crew members of the different Pinoy BL series but also of fans, reactors, and reviewers from all over the world.
To sum up this long series review (my longest review yet, lol), I highly recommend rewatching “Gameboys” (especially in preparation for “Gameboys The Movie” and “Gameboys Season 2”). It’s the first Pinoy BL series. It’s the best BL series. And it’s now THE STANDARD for the BL genre.
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Just enjoy it!!!
Seriously, I haven't genuinely belly-laughed at a KDrama in ages, but this one has me cackling.
Why can't we just accept that not every KDrama needs to be a masterpiece with some earth-shattering plot? Some can just be simple, pure entertainment for the moment – light, a little cliché, and totally fun with zero strings attached.
This show tells a hilarious story about a high school BL web novel writer whose stories weren't exactly setting the world on fire. Then, BAM! Four super hot teachers transfer to her school. She decides to use them as her muses, whips up a BL novel about them, and boom it blows up, giving her the big break she'd only dreamed of. Of course, this leads to a whole bunch of wild events, but I won't spill all the tea to avoid spoilers!
This show is a fun, simple watch that's easy to follow. It's not a BL itself, to clarify but it shows glimpses into the writers novel bringing her fictional stories to life on screen. It has a lighthearted, old-school comedy vibe, reminiscent of sitcoms but without the laugh track it's just you laughing out loud.
The show features a fun and interesting female lead. While her bob haircut might initially seem like a turn-off, it actually adds to her overall quirkiness, which feels intentional and works well.
You'll find plenty of high school drama, relatable friendships, and engaging teacher student interactions.
It ended beautifully and no there wasn't romance between the teacher and student.
In short, this show is definitely worth watching. It's a refreshing reminder of the fun, simple shows we've been missing.
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The best thing about this drama is the acting. Jang Ki Yong and Jin Ki Joo do make a very sweet couple, enough to make the star crossed lovers storyline believable, but there wasn't enough exciting chemistry between them to make the repetitive parts less boring. I also loved their child actor counterparts, who were really good, and matched the older versions well. However, the majority of their storyline never changes, so although I felt bad for them, and I was rooting for them, I also wished something more would happen than intense stares, emotional hugs, and occasionally fighting off various psychopaths.
Speaking of psychopaths, I think the best performance was Heo Joon Ho, because I love a good villain. His performance gave me Hannibal Lecter chills at times. Still, even his character started to get a little monotonous. I wish they went a little deeper into what made him tick, instead of waiting until the end. His scenes with the psycho tabloid reporter were fun to watch, and I liked the dynamic with his ex wife, but I felt like his interactions with other characters could have gone much further than just being generally creepy. I definitely wanted to see more scenes connecting him and Na Moo (not just overused flashbacks). The few scenes they actually had together were so intense.
The only reason I stopped myself from giving the cast a 10 is because even though everyone performed their parts well, their characters weren't always engaging, which is probably the writers fault. Some of the characters were one note, which I think is what stopped me from being emotionally connected to many of them. There were parts of the story that were emotional for me, and a some other characters that had moments that touched me (Like Na Moo's brother, Step Mom, and Team Leader), but the story is so slow at times that many of the characters get lost. Some just didn't have enough interesting contributions to the story.
My lowest score is obviously for the story, but again I am surprised by this because heartbreaking romance and psychological thrillers are two of my favorite genres. I saw some complaints about this being a melodrama, but I think it wasn't melodramatic enough. There are some very intense moments strung together by twice as many moments that are predictable and redundant. How many times do we have to refer to the same flashback to get the point. Maybe I am more jaded than others, but everything I found unique about this drama was drowned out by what I found to be predictable, and uninteresting.
The only way I would watch this again is if someone spliced together a much shorter version. I'm convinced that very large parts of this drama, maybe even full episodes, could be cut and not missed.
Overall I am pretty apathetic towards Come and Hug Me. I honestly almost dropped it, but decided to finally power through to the end. I liked the overall theme of the story, and parts of the last few episodes were much more interesting, but there were also really overdramatic and cheesy parts that were not necessary at the end. If you are a fan of slower paced dramas you may be more patient with the storyline than I was. This is an interesting romance at it's core, and that may be enough to make some people excited to watch. I will say that if you don't like the drama at the beginning, it probably wont get much better for you by the end. If you're still curious, maybe have someone make a cheat sheet for you of every episodes where things that are important actually happen. Maybe pay them for it in hugs!
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All Aboard the Hot Mess Express
Despite the beautiful production value and great performances from the side characters, In a Class of Her Own managed to take a well-praised and solidly written show, and water down the series into a remake that leaves a rather bitter aftertaste. This drama did not have the tension or the romance of the original Korean drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal, and I’d recommend going into this one with low expectations — and perhaps also picking up the original show instead.To start off with some of the positives of this show:
♡ Awesome Side Casts: Wang Ruichang and Bi Wenjun have to be praised for their performances as Lei Ao and Le Xuan respectively. Both characters were complex with deep backstories, and the issue was that at times their acting easily overshadowed that of Song Weilong who was the main lead. Both characters have their own personal struggles and conflicts that they undergo during the drama, and I think their stories were well incorporated into the broader plot of the drama. Their unique and distinct personalities gave them good rapport with the main leads, as well as the other students in Yunshang, and I think they were really the standout performances of the show.
♡ Cute Team Chemistry: The chemistry between our “Yunshang F4,” or Lei Ao, Le Xuan, Wen Xi, and Cheng Jun was my favourite part of the series. You can see how each of them grows to care for each other deeply, even if they start off in the beginning as being wary and bickering with each other. When they face difficulties in both their personal lives and in the broader politics of the series, they help each other and support each other through their challenges. It’s really a treat to see how these four friends become each other’s family at the school, and how each of them in their own way supports one another.
♡ Updated Production Value: The great thing about this remake is that it updates a lot of the milieu of the series, from the beautiful clothes and uniforms, to the beauty of Yunshang Academy. The props and backdrops were all very high quality, and I loved how every member of the side cast had their own unique dressing style which complemented their personality. Ju Jingyi has some gorgeous outfits and jewelry, especially when she dresses as a girl. The soundtrack was also very well done and memorable, and overall the general design and colour story of the drama are ethereal and tastefully incorporated into the show.
♡ Mischievous Female Lead: Truthfully, despite comments on how Ju Jingyi is very pretty and beautiful, and not believable when disguised as a boy, I think that her performance has improved and quite liked Wen Xi as a character. While I did have issues with some of the romance in the series, especially her relationship with Cheng Jun, I think the Wen Xi (especially in her pursuit of being a scholar) was quite admirable and fun to watch. I also loved how the drama did delve into the status of women and the poor, and questioned relevant social issues such as understandings of meritocracy and the inheritance of power. Overall, I liked how she lived up to the name of the drama, where she played to her strengths in order to achieve success, and changed the social and political norms at Yunshang Academy.
But there are also some major issues with the show, including:
♥ Lack of Chemistry and Romance: I will warn that this show has no kiss scenes, and that the romance is not well done in the series (in fact, the romantic lines between Wen Xi and Lei Ao, as well as Wen Xi and Le Xuan, seem more believable and well-developed). The main issue is that Feng Cheng Jun can be quite a bland character, and never really develops or experiences character growth. In addition, the drama clearly tries to show Wen Xi falling for Cheng Jun because of his upright nature and his intelligence, but this often comes as abrupt instead of organic, especially considering how the drama never really explores Cheng Jun’s own weaknesses and limitations. In other words, the main lead never really has the same kind of personal growth as the other side casts, which makes it difficult to appreciate him as a character and as part of the main couple.
♥ Banter and Comedy is Rather Flat: Supposedly, this is a drama that is meant to be interspersed with comedic moments, but I never really found the show to be all that funny. There were attempts made to create "running gags" in the drama, such as Lei Ao's "do you want to die?" catchphrase, but often didn't work as well as they did in the original series. I will also say that some of this is because the character relationships have been changed a little (i.e. in the Korean version, the characters Lei Ao and Le Xuan had BL undertones), and I think the dynamic they tried to use in the show didn't work as well as it did in the Korean drama.
♥ Pacing Issues and Cutting Out Important Plot Points: One of the main reasons Sungkyunkwan Scandal was hard to put down was because it was a show with a lot of tension and to some extent even suspense. The viewer was always led to worry about when the female lead’s identity would be exposed, why there were political manipulations in the school, and there was always the fear of the backgrounds of the main cast being revealed. Unfortunately, In a Class of Her Own sometimes verges on boring, especially as some of these problems are never properly foreshadowed, explored, or developed in the drama. Instead, time was put on arbitrary scenes to artificially create romance, or extend dialogue and conversations about broader political issues that focused less on the students and instead on the teachers and generals.
♥ The Trainwreck of the The Last Couple Episodes: One of the things that the original Korean drama did very well was showing its characters taking accountability for the elements of the plot. For example, there are consequences for being disguised as a male, for taking vigilante justice, and for other problems that the show introduces. In a Class of Her Own however seems to wave off resolving the issues that it introduces, and instead makes a rushed attempt to address the main plot during the latter stretch — which is ironic, given how this show had more episodes to work with. The show therefore loses the sparkle that it had in the first half, when the students were solving issues in the Academy, to fill its last half with problems that result in a less than satisfying and logically inconsistent ending.
In A Class of Her Own had a lot of potential to be a great remake, especially since it already had a very well-written story to work with. While the show succeeded in some ways, such as through the refreshing performances of its side cast and the updated production of the series, it lacked immensely in terms of balancing the plot, creating a believable romance, and living up to the sparkling chemistry of the original series. While the drama is not terrible, I can’t really recommend taking the time to watch this if you are expecting In a Class of Her Own to live up to to the freshness of Sungkyunkwan Scandal, or unless you are a fan of the actors in this series.
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To start off, this drama initially began as your basic gender bender. Typical. However, as you find yourself deeper into this drama you find underlying in that plot is so much more. There is a balance between your heart fluttering moments of pure fluff, moments that will make you laugh and the absolutely heart-wrenching moments-- this balance continuously plays with the viewers' heart, and it's exactly what keeps them wanting more. Since it was a romance historical drama, there was plenty of political elements to follow along with as well. I myself am a huge sucker for historical dramas, so naturally I found that this particular plot wasn't that hard to follow along with. But for someone who doesn't find much interest for them, they play a huuuuge role in the plot development - so I probably wouldn't recommend it.
The only portion I had dissatisfactions with was with how the story carried out towards the end of the drama. It dragged on for a little bit and then at the very last episodes everything felt very rushed to tie all the loose ends. There were a couple story arcs that they could have expanded on a little more which was disappointing. If they had cut the filler episodes a little short and was a little more detailed in the ending, it would've been absolutely flawless as a drama. But overall, the story was nothing short of amazing.
The general performance of the whole cast was exemplary, having both a reputation for their acting and endless eye candy! I even found myself becoming a Park Bo Gum fan in the process.
For starters, Kim Yoo Jung never fails expectation, upholding her crown as one of the best upcoming actresses with yet another hit drama to her lengthy list of filmography. Her character Ra On is a charming, optimistic and extremely outgoing. As having one of the more complex back stories in the drama, there were a few plot holes dealing with her family but nonetheless, it was carried out very well.
Park Bo Gum's presentation of the crown prince Lee Young was all in all praise worthy. I didn't feel much awkwardness from him even though he isn't nearly as experienced with historical dramas in contrast to his cast members. His tone, stance and relaying of emotions (his eyes I swoon every time), were executed in a manner that truly brought his character Lee Young to life. Not to mention, he suited the hanbok extremely well (and was very good looking in it). Although he was one of the more dull character archetypes, it was still entertaining to watch him grow from a childish troublemaker to a mature and refined crown prince.
The romance between the two was also lovely to the eyes, and although there is a bit of an age gap I didn't feel it as the chemistry between Bo Gum and Yoo Jung strongly made up for it. Although the romance did over shine the development of the friendship plot.
I definitely wish they would have shone a bit more light on the other characters Byung Yun and Yoon Sung. There was a lot of potential that the writer could of utilized to enhance the plot. These two character archetypes were definitely more on the complex side and it would've been really interesting to see more of their development and more of their story all in all.
The music in this drama was definitely really lovely to the ears, nothing really too special but they did include an OST by Park Bo Gum himself which was definitely a treat.
Another thing that I would like to make note on is the cinematography. I absolutely adooooore when producers pay respect to these aspects and I was taken by surprise at how stunning some scenes were. From the first episode until the very last, it was extremely extremely beautiful.
On the whole, this drama was definitely an exceptional coming of age drama deserving of all the hype and you should definitely give it a chance.
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You will see what she saw
For those who only see "I barely finished watching it " messages. I DID NOT barely finished watching it.I waited for the episode every week and finished it the same day (which in my great, LONG experience of ongoings is rare). I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. Yes, there were and even remained some incomprehensible moments that I would like to unravel, no doubt. But those who say that her actions are not logical.... literally ALL of this drama is about the fact that she is SICK. This is the logic of a SICK person, the behavior of a SICK person and the life of a SICK person. And you are here to see how difficult and contradictory it is, both internally and socially.
I definitely don't think this drama is not worth your time. She's WORTH IT.
Only if you were expecting *high-pitched voice* “fluffy buffy the suffering of a man who at the end will see a rainbow and run along it to the tune of trol-la-la,” oh my god, this is not for you. BUT
But, if you are ready to feel all the suffering of the main character and are ready to just walk this path with her, WITHOUT IMPOSING EXPECTATIONS on her.. At least you will know the other side
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A total waste of time
This drama started out like something that will be entertaining, then they spent the next 12 episodes or so trying to answer the question of who the father is and the remaining 4 episodes was spent on total rubbish.The FL in this drama is the most annoying fl I've ever seen in a kdrama. Very unrepentant and stubborn for no justifiable reason.
There was also no real reason why all the men love her except for the fact that they knew her in the past.
The ending is also the most unreasonable ending i have ever seen in a drama. No closure for the main characters, nothing.
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Although I don't watch 50 episodes dramas easily, I do pick one up once in a while if it catches my interest. So I started this drama just to watch Ha Ji Won in action again and also because I was in a mood for a historical drama. But honestly, all I was expecting was an overrated drama with a poor, exaggerated plot and brilliant acting. Boy, was I wrong.
Empress Ki is undeniably the best drama of 2013. And this is coming from someone who has watched I Hear Your Voice, Master's Sun and Man From The Stars. The plot is so well-paced that you won't feel like stopping even for a moment and won't feel like skipping a single scene either. The plot evokes such trouble for all protagonists but yet you sit in relief knowing Nyang is there. Watching, observing, plotting, winning.
Nyang. She is the best thing about this drama. She is behind-the-scene most of the time and she defeats her opponents before they even know who they are up against. The girl can plot and fight. She is the perfect one-man army. I haven't seen a more wiser character than her. Coming Wang Yu, he is perfect too. From the beginning you know Nyang and Wang Yu aren't meant to be since she's destined to marry the king of Yuan and become Empress Ki. But even then you can't help rooting for him from time to time and falling for his charms and his sincerity towards Nyang. But the King of Yuan isn't someone you can take for granted. Even though he's a bit of a coward and a puppet played by many, he is still very cute and likeable. Honestly I think he's a naive soul stuck in the horrible politics of the palace with no one to rely on and with no option but to fight not just for his throne but his life. I really loved his devotion for Empress Ki in all circumstances. All supporting actors were simply brilliant and were nowhere beneath the main cast. My personal favorites were El Temur (because I loved seeing him go down!) and his kids (who doesn't love seeing a bitch being tortured!). I also loved the servants of Goryeo and all the eunuchs of Yuan. Tal Tal and his uncle were also amazing. Some characters I loved because they were lovable but some characters I loved for their cruelty.
The music was great and the production was simply breathtaking. From the clothes to palaces and the forests, everything they shot was so beautiful and historically rich.
Coming to the historical significance, many historians complained that the drama portrayed Empress Ki as a national hero where in fact she was a traitor who tried to make her brother sit on Goryeo's throne. The drama has been repeatedly been accused of exaggerating facts and misguiding people (especially young ones, who are not much aware of Empress Ki) into idolizing empress ki.
Although I cannot comment on the historical facts, I would ask people to watch this with an open mind, without trying to find empress ki from history in the character of Nyang. She might not be the same person but the character that has been written is truly worth a watch.
I would recommend this drama to everyone. If you've never watched a 50+ eps drama, this is a good place to start. If you've never watched a historical drama, this is a good place to start. Definitely Ha Ji won's best portrayal so far. She deserved all those Daesang awards she got for this.
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Comprei Meu Namorado Com um Empréstimo
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This show was so crazy I don’t even know where to start.The story was very bad, and not even in a fun way. Often it feels like the writer was using the characters as puppets to rant about how the feminists are evil and that working women are ugly and being a good waifu is the best thing a woman could ever do. What is particularly frustrating is that for about the first four-ish episodes it seems like the show is doing a satirical take on the stance of "all women should be housewives" and in my opinion, those are the best episodes, though that's not saying much considering what comes after. These episodes actually have funny jokes and the best character moments in the show and until the end of the episode, you can trick yourself into thinking that the show is going to get good and have something to say. The moment the show's writing falls from mediocre to just plain unredeemable can be pinpointed at the end of episode four: After a touching scene in which Jun ( Ryusei Yokohama) confronts Tae (Mano Erina) as to why she stays with her boyfriend Shunpei (Yasushi Fuchikami) even after he repeatedly cheats on her and makes her feel like she's not good enough for him, which ultimately leads him to the conclusion that everything Shunpei does to Tae all adds up to psychological abuse (it is) and the two of them have a very sincere and touching conversation. This is the shows high point, it all feels like it's been leading up to this point where we pull away the curtain and reveal that the problem is not women who want to work or be housewives but rather men who use the system they have created to their advantage while also policing and demeaning women for even thinking of doing the same. But then it all falls apart when you get to the end of the episode and Tae out of nowhere punches Jun and essentially say "fuck everything we were talking about, I'm going to be Shunpei's housewife no matter what" as if all the emotional build-up hadn't even mattered the entire time. After this punch to the gut, the show really starts to go for it with amazing lines such as "When humans start mixing the roles together things become very strange." (a line from Shunpei, who is not transphobic but is misogynistic - yes this is a plot point in the show and I nearly lost my mind) and "There are those ugly feminists who are unable to get married and just talk crap and are jealous. They will try to brainwash the housewives." (just like this show tries to brainwash you into thinking that that's a normal way of looking at the world - remember how I mentioned rants about the feminists). I don't think it's hard to see how the story isn't good.
The issues of this show mainly fall upon the writing - the show was edited as best as it could have been and the actors are doing such an amazing job with the garbage they were given. Mano Erina as Tae, a woman obsessed with becoming a housewife, can balance cuteness and slapstick very well and is such an amazing actress, it makes me mad that they made her do this. Ryusei Yokohama as Jun, Tae's "rented boyfriend," was extremely charismatic, balancing being insightful and a total dumbass very well, and had amazing chemistry with Mano Erina. Even Yasushi Fuchikami as Tae's shitty boyfriend was great and he too deserved a better project than this. All of the actors tried to add as much nuance to their characters as possible (especially Kyoko Hasegawa, thank you for your service queen), but there was nothing of substance to hold up their characters. I can see, from the first few episodes, what drew the actors in - at first glace the show can appear to be a satirical slapstick romance that seems like it's going to say a lot about gender dynamics and Japan's falling birth rate, and that, in theory, can be amazing career-making stuff, if not an easy paycheck. However, once you see the show for what it truly is, the acting too falls flat and all of the actors' hard work is cheapened by a bad script and story.
The music in the show flopped between "okay but ultimately forgettable" and "who the fuck choose this? Who thought this was a good idea?" People often underestimate the use of music in drama's (mainly cause dramas tend to be viewed as a form of "low art" but that's a completely different conversation for another time), often just adding whatever pop or easily acquired song to the soundtrack. But music sets the tone and can easily make or break a scene the same way editing or acting can. This show has a lot of flaws, from its clumsy dialogue, awkward editing, harmful message, and so on, but what encapsulates how disappointing and depressing this show is can be found in its soundtrack. From how many of the songs sound like they belong in a Marvel soundtrack with their blandness and unimportance, to how strange and off-putting some of the songs sound - a strangeness that is only intensified by how out of place they are within the scene. The soundtrack has a few okay tracks which are ultimately buried under the blandness and badness of the rest, just how the show has some good things that are just drowned out by the overall badness of it.
The show feels like it's teetering between complete sincerity and no effort whatsoever and ultimately fails. The whole show was just anti-feminist propaganda made by men who don’t understand the reason for the birth decline in Japan and think it's due to women wanting equality and being evil cause they criticize men or whatever, rather than it being due to men (to an extent). Like I stated previously, men controlling, policing, and demeaning women, creating a system that is set to fail women no matter what (these things still happen to this day - look at how women in Japan get pushed out of the workforce once they marry or are pregnant or the medical school scandal of last year) , these are things that cause women to think twice about settling down. Not the feminist "brainwashing" them or them naturally being "corrupt" or "evil," but just the simple fact that men treat them or are willing to view them as such. Women don't need men the way they used to, to rely on income or basic necessities, and can work for themselves and live for themselves (a thing that men have historically been able to do without question) and this for some reason frightens men.
This is all summarized in the character of Shunpei, who is never wrong in the eyes of the story. He is manipulative, often neglecting Tae and then trying to make it seem like he did nothing wrong even going as far as convincing her to lie about being his girlfriend when she runs into him while he's on dates with other women. He's a liar, telling Tae that all the women he's seeing are actually his relatives - this, by the way, is predicated on the fact that to him he's doing nothing wrong, yet he feels the need to lie to Tae which shows that on some level he knows what he's doing is wrong. He's just the worst of men. As I observed Shunpei all I could think was its men like you that cause the birth decline to plummet even more. Like the creators of the show created a man who perfectly encapsulated everything that causes women to refuse marriage or having kids. Men, I can assure you it is not the feminists causing the “deterioration of the home” or whatever you think they are causing. The annoying thing is that there could have been an interesting feminist look at the birth decline and being a housewife in current Japan, but apparently men can’t not hate women for long enough to write something nuanced. I can almost imagine the feminist version of this show exploring a woman wanting to be a housewife (despite what men apparently think, feminist aren't against women who want to be housewives being housewives) in modern Japan - it could have been good and nuanced, everything this show wanted to be so desperately. This show sucked, and not even in a fun way, 0/10, would not recommend
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I have watched quite a few Kdrama since The Heir and Boys over Flowers or even Lovers in Paris but I have never had a kdrama series that not only I but a lot of viewers intensely “ENGAGED” to the point of mastering on the facts and brewing theory after another on whats going to be the next episode. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I have watched this as soon as it was aired. The agony of waiting for another week in order to find out what happens next created the hype and the passion for this show.
Nevertheless, its the comeback show for 2 of our main roles, Lee MinHo and Kim Go Eun not to mention the scriptwriter is no other than KES ( who wrote Goblin and the Heirs as well). She is known for her romantic dialogues, puns and witty lines. Plus the introduction of a parallel world and romance aka long distance relationship in a parallel world is unheard of in the Korean drama realm.
The undeniable chemistry between our FL and ML is another thing that made this show worth to watch and rewatch like 10 times over. Lee Min Ho as Lee Gon, the benevolent king from the Kingdom of Corea and our brave Lieutenant Jeong Tae Eul from the Republic of Korea mastered their craft and manifested in the screen.
As the story unfolds, the team behind this show didn’t fail to give as much spotlight for our other main leads and supporting actors as well. I like that they have their own stories to tell and how they are instrumental and uniquely intertwined with our main lead’s lives.
I love the quick-witted humor in this show and how it is being presented. Not the usual funny and comical antics like the usual rom-com shows I have binge-watched before.
Kim Eun Sook is a genius! A lot of people seemed to give up on this kdrama just because it’s too complicated but it need not be. You just have to watch the whole thing through ... everything will beautifully unfold right then. The realization that their relationship is a bit sad and entails a lot of sacrifice since we are talking about a love eternal in a parallel world but they decided to just embrace their fate and live only for today and love tirelessly until forever ... Every dialogue, every word, every line in this show holds a lot of truth and depth, thus setting the bar so high on how a beautiful love story should be. Definitely a 10 in my book!
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I hope some take a moment to read this. I am not the best writer. I haven't wrote a lot of reviews yet, but this one forced my hand. I hope it isn't a waste of your time. Also, I hope you give my perspective some consideration. This is a gem.
I have thought many times how I should start this review. However, I do not think I will be emphatic enough of how this Kdrama affected me no matter how much I try.
Oh well here we go...
Playful Kiss was pure, heartfelt joy for me. I am likely going to come at this in a somewhat unique angle. I have to immediately share that I have read much of the hate or criticisms of this drama...mostly about Oh Ha Ni's 'pathetic' puppy dog love and her incessant pursuit of Baek Seung Jo. Which I will deal with later...but a HUGE 'PFFT' – whatever. I see how it made her look dependent, stalker, etc. They even took exception with the mother encouraging this. It makes me wonder what they were watching, but I have my opinion and as I said, I will cover that later. I DO NOT really want to make this negative. This drama is purely about the positive.
A short preamble of sorts. I am relatively new to Kdrama's. I have around 20 under my belt as of writing this review. I think I have a fairly well rounded resume, you can peruse my list if you like, but I have never watched one like 'Playful Kiss'...apparently. Why 'apparently'? It left many of the sinister tropes behind. The overbearing parent, the evil in-law, the person at school or work or wherever that serves as the antagonist. The heal. The 'hated' one or several in some dramas. This was completely devoid of that!!!!!!! It blew me away. It was pure love, warmth, and heart. I do not believe I have watched ANYTHING like this in my life! I am American and our purity on TV left decades ago. The closest we get is shlock filled, syrupy, inane dramas on like ABC Family that are as deep as a puddle and as interesting as insurance forms. This drama had spunk and had loads of REAL laughs. Yes, mostly at the expense of Oh Ha Ni, but in the sweetest way imaginable.
I wrote in the forum part for this drama about how it completely compared to 'Bridget Jone's Diary'. I said, how 'Bridget Jone's Diary' would be an adult, 'R' rated version, while this would be the high school, family equivalent. Both had a hapless, hopeless romantic lead protagonist that went to great lengths and often made fools of themselves over a man. 'Bridget Jone's Diary' was a critical darling and 'Playful Kiss' has a descent rating on mydramalist, but way too many high brow people looking down their noses at Oh Ha Ni because she was too vulnerable and too often let a man define her...yada, yada, yada! First question I have, um, Bong Joon Gu was EVERY bit as clingy to Oh Ha Ni. He even continued after she was married. He told her that if Seung Jo is now her house, he would be her 'insurance'. Yes, the writers or director brought in Chris to turn Joon Gu's head at the end, but he was still clinging to Ha Ni. No one mentions him as exhibiting the same behavior. It was her character only. That to me is sexist. Once again you bring undue attention to the female doing something when a male was largely guilty of the same thing. She was every bit his 'knight in shining armour' and Joon Gu said so much! Ha Ni went through growth over the arch of the series just as Bridget did. She at the end was confident that Seung Jo was every bit taken with her as she was of him. She had matured and was working hard.
I have a theory as to why there are so many pointing out Ha Ni's supposed 'pathetic-ness'. At least from an American perspective, and likely a European perspective, is cynicism. We have gotten so 'empowered' that any show of selling oneself out for another is a show of weakness. I think a lot more relationships and marriages would go a lot further if BOTH individuals were to give up themselves completely for the other. It isn't PC, especially for a woman, to want to give themselves totally to the other. It's often worded 50/50. That's a hedge. Someone may cry semantics, but each giving 100% of themselves for the other is the way to be. I think that was reached in the end albeit Seung Jo was much more reserved in exhibiting his devotion, but he did. I do wish they had him coming to her defense more and stronger, but alas, they didn't. The beginning was about her devotion and lampooned it as such. It was admitted many times to being one sided, but her perseverance paid off. I just think that too many judged her unfairly. She did nothing sordid. She didn't do anything deserving reproach, she was just wide-eyed and too full of heart.
I am not sure I articulated my point well enough the above point, but I will move on.
Some complained and some LOVED Kim Hyun Joong. I am betting some of the devotees to Hyun Joong are nearly as starry eyed as Ha Ni because he is handsome. However, he seems to be a one note actor at the moment. I have only seen him in 'Boys Over Flowers' and this. I don't hate him. What the director wants from him, he has down to a science. Hyun Joong's performance was nearly an extension of Yoon Ji Hoo. However, for me, he was not what drove this movie, nor was he what touched my heart so much by this drama. He was merely a pawn. He was Ha Ni's carrot and that is about it. I will say this because of the way he plays his part through out, when his tone does change it hits you! The viewer feels it because most of the series he acts arrogant and is brooding all the time so when he does lower his guard and shows his love for Ha Ni the viewer always feels it. However, once again, the series acknowledges that!! He does. His friends do. His MOTHER does always. Even his little worshiping brother does near the end! They all acknowledge that he has personality issues. So to point it out seems rather silly BECAUSE EVERYONE knows it! LOL! It was his known flaw that would expose other flaws in his seemingly perfect demeanor. Ha Ni wears her flaws on her sleeve. They are there for everyone to see...and every one freely talks about them too.
Here's my heart felt feeling in the end, this drama was nothing but love. It permeated the entire series. It's warmth never wavered. I would love to live in a cocoon such as Ha Ni's. In spite her flaws, she brought warmth to everyone she touched and everyone surrounding her brought the love to her too. Her friends, her father, Seung Jo's parents, Joon Gu, her senior homeroom teacher, even Yoon Ha Rae was won over!! Jung So Min was radiant! She played this part as well as you could hope. The way she stumbled. The way she bit her lip. The way she shrunk when she knew she screwed up. I get teary eyed just thinking how special she was in this role...and the hate for her character -UGH! I DO NOT get it. She was a bit naïve sure, but she was so pure in every action how could you not cheer for her. When Seung Jo's mother, Geum Hee, came to her defense and pointed out the heart she brought to their lives it was awe inspiring.
I would love to flesh out more about each of these examples in her friends, Seung Jo's family, etc, but I will only touch on them a little. It was ALL of them that lead to my captivation with this series. I could only imagine having friends such as Ha Ni's and that includes Joon Gu. Her father was so gentle and worked so hard and gave his all for his daughter. However, for me the ones that filled my heart most was Seung Jo's parents. Yes, at first the mother, Geum Hee, seemed off. She seemed to have a screw loose and was weird, but that, at least for me, faded quickly. Her character was explained deeper. She became second only Ha Ni as my most beloved, but that only seems right since they were meant to be VERY similar, if not mirrors of one another. Their out pouring of support and uncompromising support for Ha Ni and her dad was profound. It brought buckets of tears from me.
Speaking of tears, I sobbed so many times during this series. From tears of joy, to tears of sharing their heartache, but it was always a pure heartache never a malicious heartache. The type that just comes with life. People come and go. We say good bye, and if you have a heart, most good byes are misty eyed. I tell my boys the most painful things in life are good byes.
So to maybe conclude, the cynicism this series has garnered from some is truly baffling. It's charming from start to finish. Having a happy ending with everyone finding love is unrealistic. People are right, life is mired in pain, suffering, hatred, bigotry, gossiping, backstabbing, greed, and so many other morose happenings. And thank God above this series doesn't have them. This is bliss start to finish, with just the mild bumps along the way. I'll tell you what, there are plenty of dramas that explore those ugly parts of life. Once in a while, isn't it nice to experience a story where people are good and helpful to each other. Doesn't that sound glorious? We live atrocity, why then would we want to ONLY champion that and watch series about that? Why wouldn't we want to escape for a while in a gentle, sweet world that largely doesn't exist in the real world, but wouldn't it be nice if it did? I'm 44. I had a marriage of 22 years end with lies, a wife committing adultery, a broken family through divorce etc. I'm tired of all that. It was a breath of fresh air to live in this drama for a little while. I ordered it on DVD and bought the soundtrack. Now I will not just seek out dramas like this. I will still watch and love the dramas with all the usually Kdrama tropes and expect story devices, but when life has me shaking my head, I will lose myself in this series for a moment and realize how people should treat each other.
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